Egosum and Cinera waited while the abyssal frogs armed themselves for the upcoming conflict.

Their gear consisted of armor for their torsos that added spikes for ramming into their enemies and rigid plates to reinforce their skinny arms.

They looked completely different from what he was used to. Small war machines

The smooth green skin and black eyes underneath all of the metal were a constant reminder for why he was taking part in the battle that awaited them in the capital. His entire mind was aimed towards the singular goal of getting his friend back alive and well.

“We are ready to go. I shall take you and my second in command will take Cinera.” Moctezuma said while unraveling a scroll with detailed drawings sprawled over its entire surface.

“We will travel down this path which should take us close enough to infiltrate the palace completely unnoticed. He should be the only danger we face and, if our intell is correct, he should already be injured.”

They lined up near the edge of the water and watched as many of the Scar alliance delivered in without a hint of concern.

“They will be going ahead of us. Ek Bahlam will not think much of a few rogue operatives poking the edge of his domain if he is awake and if he isn’t then that means he will be deep asleep. The perfect time to end all of this.”

The frogs faced towards the water, ready to begin. The other amphibians latched on and pushed in with the frogs leading the way.

The dark abyssal waters rushed past them like never before.

It was like watching a starless night pass them by while in stasis. The feeling of absolute nothingness around them was jarring the first time he had entered, but now it was just a fact that he would probably never be able to understand.

He turned to look where he thought Cinera would be only for the abyss to stare back.

His eyesight flared but he knew it was useless. It was more of the same.

Time seemed to slip by them as they sped through the water.

Finally, something changed.

The rapid kicking of their guides slowed to a crawl as they let momentum carry them forward.

Egosum looked around eagerly as they surfaced.

The bright boss that gave the city its light was just as resplendent as before.

“Woooow.” The salamander's familiar voice caused him to turn in her direction.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

The frogs puffed with pride despite the harsh reality of the situation.

“It is. The architecture, carvings…just everything. It reminds me of a subterranean Embermount. The scale is just immense.”

He felt a tinge of pain as she mentioned the buildings.

‘One day, when we have Coyotl back and I get some more practice, people will say the same thing about my city.’

“He hasn’t noticed any of the scouts. We should be good to progress. Just don’t flare any energy in his direction. Don’t want to give him any reasons to wake up abruptly.” Moctezuma said as he pulled himself out of the water.

The palace was only a few dozen hops away.

If everything went smooth they would be in and out before midday with their friend in tow.

“Let’s do this then.”

He heightened his senses. His hearing filled with the heartbeats of the nearby creatures and the rushing water of the canals dotted across the city. His eyes glowed as they took on a far different filter. The density of energy altering everything that entered his sight.

The frogs looked like small whirlpools of abyssal energy. Different from the nothingness water but very obviously similarly aligned.

They entered the large doors with their guide's help and followed the leader's map.

It took them around the edges of the palace into small hallways nearly devoid of the artistic choices that adorned most of the capital.

“These are the maintenance staff’s hallways. It was used to make taking care of the various channels and occupant’s needs far easier without having to disrupt the normal flow that was so common long ago within the decadent rooms.” He spoke with hushed tones.

If Egosum’s senses weren’t failing him, they were spiraling around the massive palace. The sounds from outside were growing more and more distant as time went on.

“It should open up into the tallest point accessible for the throne room. Do not let its grandeur distract you from the real goal. “ His voice had grown tense as they traveled.

The weight of their goal seemed to be laying heavy upon them. The uncertainty of their success and the danger that laid ahead was undoubtedly exhausting.

A few passages that led off in other directions carried gusts of wind that freshened the long hallways, keeping them continuously cautious of what was growing increasingly near.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“It should be just up ahead.” Moctezuma’s voice was a whisper of its once confident facade.

Soon, a large doorway entered their vision. It was different from the last few they had to be helped through. It was more of a jail cell door with bars than something that belonged in a palace.

“Is-” The frogs scrambled to stop his speech. Their heads shook side to side in a bid to end the question before it began.

It was plain to see that they had changed from confident warriors to nervous messes as the final goal grew closer.

Egosum felt a small pit form in his stomach.

Their concerns were being to spread despite his confidence and drive.

‘Maybe this is what makes their kind such scaredy cats. This shit is infectious. Even their most hardened warriors are like this when it comes down to it.’

He pried their hands off and pushed his way through in silence.

The bars were wide and obviously designed to keep anything unwanted from falling into the royal chambers below.

Cinera flanked him, sliding her slim head through the bars and looking down into the room.

She froze for a few moments before pulling back and returned to the frogs with Egosum in tow.

They moved away from the bars and traveled for a few moments before they thought it was safe enough to talk in hushed whispers.

“Did you guys know that the bars were there?” He asked them with a hint of annoyance.

“It wasn’t in the plans but it makes sense. We don’t have the tools so we will need to come back another time to finish the plan.”

Egosum scoffed.

“I can bend those. He won’t have the time to react to our first attacks by the time he hears anything.”

The frogs looked amongst the small group with worry plastered to their features.

He turned to his companion who had remained oddly quiet.

“What is it?” The frogs scowled at how loud he spoke but continued discussing amongst themselves.

“It’s just that…well. I think Ek Bahlam is a cat and I know how you feel about them.”

His head turned in confusion.

“What do you mean he’s a cat?”

Moctezuma spoke up.

“She isn’t right, but she isn’t entirely wrong either. Our people call him an abyssal tigerfish. Feline in appearance, but piscine in needs.”

‘That’s…a good thing I think.’

“What does that mean for the fight?”

The frogs looked amongst themselves before Moctezuma spoke up.

“He has some ability to control the abyssal water that sits in the palace reflection pools. When we fight him, it doesn’t amount to much as we are used to the impact of it but it might prove more of a challenge to you guys.”

He turned to Cinera.

“What do you think?”

“I feel like my best bet will be long range hit and run tactics while you take the fight to him. As long as he doesn’t manage to drag you into one of those puddles then there shouldn’t be much to worry about.”

He nodded along before turning his attention to the frogs once more.

“You heard her. Do you guys think you can fit yourselves into our style of combat?”

They stuck their chests out with bravado at the question. The previous signs of terror retreating slightly.

“We have been fighting this beast for so long that this might be our last real chance to retake the capital. We would use ourselves as meatshields if it meant you could succeed in this upcoming battle.”

There was clear conviction in all of their faces. Egosum couldn’t help but smile in the face of their bravery.

“Sounds good to me. Are we ready then?”

They nodded their heads deeply with a hint of tension visible. It was now or never with them and they couldn’t afford to lose.

If they were lucky, the fight was going to start with a decisive blow and end seconds later with the kill shot.

The wishful thinking disappeared as Egosum moved to the bars and channeled his Qi through his body. His core thrummed with power as his muscles tensed.

He gripped the thick metal with his warty hand and began pulling. The blockade squealed in protest for a moment before giving way. The bars bowed with a large enough gap to give them all passage into the room.

Egosum leapt through the gap, straight to the floor of the massive room. His enhanced senses immediately went searching.

Nothing straight ahead, to either side of him, nor the behind.

He couldn’t find the bastard no matter where he searched.

Cinera floated above on her cloud of ash followed by a rain of abyssal frogs coming in soon after.

They looked around for the target with confusion plastered all over them.

“Where is he?” Egosum shouted back to the Scar Alliance.

They stammered around in uncertainty.

“Cinera?!” He shouted out to his friend who was circling around the room from the air.

“I don’t see It. I have no idea where it could have gone. It was massive.”

They spun circles around themselves as they kept searching.

‘Did it hear us talking earlier? No way. It can’t have gotten away within the time i started bending the bars.’

“Do you guys have any idea where it would have gone?”

The frogs appeared to be in a state of befuddlement as they searched up and down for any way it could have disappeared.

“Ek Bahlam has never fled from our attacks before.” He paused as a new thought came to mind.

“Maybe….Just maybe, he is even more damaged than we previously thought.” His face lit up as the tension they had all been holding slowly began to crumble as the fear of the incoming battle dissipated.

“Damn." He looked around for a moment. "So that means we search for the hostages you guys think he has.”

Their expressions fell into scowls at the thought of their trapped brethren.

“Yes, let's do that.”

The royal chambers were absolutely massive and Egosum was still on high alert despite the frog’s assurance that he fled.

The carvings went from artistically challenging to downright impossible. He had to remind himself to breathe as he took in the sights.

Scenes depicting everything from the birth of life to the end of time were depicted on these walls.

It made the search palatable.

By the time they had finished searching, hours passed and the frogs were equally confused as they were annoyed by the development.

“What do we do? We can’t leave empty handed.” His complaints drew Moctezuma’s attention.

“We won’t leave. Can’t. It is the only place that he won’t leave alone. We are his ancient enemy and he is taking great pleasure in watching us fade away. If we take this place back, then we actually have a chance at growing as a species again. He wouldn’t allow such things.”

He pulled the large waxed map and went over all the details he could see.

There isn’t anywhere he could have fled inside the palace. It is solid stone according to all the maps. It has to be thanks to one of his abilities. The only problem I see is that the anchor is gone.” His vision panned around the room one more time.

“What does that mean for us?” Egosum inched closer, desperate for an answer.

“It means that everyone who has spatially leaped ended up somewhere completely different, including your friend.”