Looming large over the forest, so large it blocked out the sun, the enormous toad lifted a claw to crush Ike.

Ike turned and ran. He sprinted toward the lake, away from the toad. The huge claw slammed down. Mud flew up, splattering over the toad corpses. The toad tilted its head down, unblinking mud-colored eyes searching for Ike. With a ribbit, it flew into the air.

Sprinting faster, Ike tore off into the forest, abandoning the pond and the toads alike. The toad landed with an earth-shattering splash. The entire pond surged out from under its body. Dark water blackened the sky, then rained back down. Mud and water splattered all over Ike and the trees.

A knee-high wave of water rushed toward him. Muddy water smashed into his legs, carrying him forward a few steps. He stumbled, then jumped, lifting his feet high. Water and brambles grabbed at his ankles.

Ike stared over his shoulder. It’s not following me, right?

The toad looked left and right. It licked its lips, blinking. Lifting its feet, it shuffled to the side and looked around again, searching for Ike. Its neck inflated, and a mighty croak filled the air.

I can’t fight that thing alone. It’s at least as powerful as the Salamander.

When he was far enough away that he was sure the toad wouldn’t pick him out of the forest, Ike slowed to a halt. He turned back. The toad squatted over the pond. Its big horizontal pupils gazed out at the world. Its enormous, dour mouth turned judgmentally down at the corners. It flicked its tongue, licking one of its big brown eyes.

Pink fluttered down beside him. Rosamund landed next to Ike in a flurry of rose petals. Not wanting to acknowledge her, he pretended not to notice, even as rose petals fluttered down in front of his eyes.

“What did you do?” she asked.

What did I do? What did I do? Are you kidding— Ike took a deep breath. “I took care of the bait someone else dropped. What did you do?”

Rosamund tossed her hair, rolling her eyes at him. “I didn’t summon that monster.”

Ike ignored her. He set off into the woods, circling around toward the toad.

“Wait, you’re going back in there? Why?” Rosamund asked.

He glanced over his shoulder. “I need one of the toad corpses.”

“You’re still trying to hunt the Fulgur-Loup?”

“Unlike some people, I need to make money to survive. What about you, young miss? Why are you still here? I seem to recall you running away, crying like a baby,” Ike asked her, too frustrated to bother holding his tongue anymore.

Rosamund’s face reddened, but she had the good poise to throw her head back rather than snap at him. “I know you stole my skills. There’s no way a commoner like you could accidentally stumble across a Rare skill. You used that skill to cover up the skill you stole. I know it.”

Ha! So she knows about that technique. Well, it makes sense. If you could play with one of those orbs, you’d probably figure it out pretty quick, and a young mistress like her probably has a dozen of those things at home.

Hiding his thoughts, Ike spread his hands innocently. “I don’t know what I can do to convince you, young miss. I merely got fortunate.”

“Hmph. I don’t believe you, and I’m not leaving until I have evidence. It doesn’t matter what kind of filth you drag me through. I’m going to prove you stole my skills, drag you to father, and have him squeeze those skills back out of you.”

“You can do that?” Ike asked out of curiosity. Silver spat out a skill. Can people do it, too?

“To a dead body, yes,” Rosamund said.

Ike pressed his lips together in a thin grin. She wants me dead. She’s just taking a roundabout way to get there. “I hate to ask this, young miss, but why haven’t you cut me down where I stand, if you’re that convinced you’re in the right?”

Rosamund harrumped again. “Father says we shouldn’t kill without evidence. He says it weakens the trust of the people.”

“Your father sounds like a wise man.”

“A criminal would say that,” Rosamund murmured, her eyes slits.

“So would a man unjustly accused,” Ike countered.

Rosamund laughed. “Unjust—”

Ike lifted his hand, cutting her off. “We’re close. Silence.”

To his surprise, Rosamund complied.

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Mud painted the lower two feet of the trees and weighed down the undergrowth. Water swirled around their ankles, the pond not yet receded back to its usual bounds. They sloshed closer. Ike glanced over his shoulder. Rosamund isn’t complaining?

Her pink boots were gone, replaced by tall waterproof black leather galoshes. A drop of mud fell on her pink skirt and rolled off, like water off a freshly oiled pan. Behind her, her attendants watched her with expressions of extreme concentration on their faces.

Are they casting skills on her to keep her clothes clean? Upper-city folk really live different lives. Shaking his head, he turned his focus back to the quarry ahead.

Water wasn’t the only thing the gargantuan toad’s leap had thrown. The smaller toads’ corpses littered the edges of the field, blown back to the treeline. Ike had circled around to come up behind the huge toad. Even so, he could still see the very edge of its incredibly wide pupils. We aren’t out of sight. If we go grab a corpse now, it’ll surely see either us or the corpse moving. I need to distract it, somehow.

He lifted his head carefully, peering across to the opposite side of the toad. In the direction it faced, less mud stained the trees. He took a deep breath.

Ike backed away. He nodded at Rosamund. “Are you ready to cooperate with me?”

She tossed her hair, then nodded.

Not that surprising. Her goal is to make me reveal my stolen skill. The more I do, the more danger I put myself in, the greater the chance I reveal that skill.

That’s fine, though. I can use that.

He gestured her closer. “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

--

Creeping around in front of the toad, Ike picked every step carefully, mindful of the toad’s gaze. He moved slowly but steadily. One tree to the next, waiting until the toad blinked to jump along. Aside from the bundle under each arm, he carried no more than his sword and his flint. He traveled light, in case the toad caught sight of him. Better to live and abandon his gear, than die for carrying it.

Peering from behind a tree, he waited. The toad licked its eyes, and he crept toward the next tree.

Snap. A branch cracked under his foot. Ike dove for the next tree and froze. He held his breath, waiting.

Mud slapped as the toad whirled toward the sound. It lowered its head, turning left and right in search of the intruder. Leaning forward, it squelched one step into the mud. Cool air blew from its enormous nostrils.

Ike stood completely still, his back to the tree. I’m not here. Leave me alone.

The toad tilted its head sideways. It leaned closer yet. One flabby, brown hand pressed into the forest just beside Ike. He stared at it from the corner of his eye. One hand gripped his sword.

A squirrel darted the tree Ike stood behind. It caught sight of the enormous toad and froze, flicking its tail in shock.

Croak. The toad blinked and looked away, searching the horizon once again.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Ike lifted the sticky bundle of pitch and scrap cloth. I’ve come far enough. Better do it now, before the toad loses its patience and flattens the forest. He lifted his flint and steel to the bundle and struck it. One spark, two, and then the bundle came alight. He rolled it through the underbrush. Fire flickered to life in the densely-packed dead leaves underfoot, slowly spreading through to the trees.

Ike lit another bundle and rolled it the opposite direction. Drawing back behind the tree, he waited. The giant toads are weak to fire. If they’re weak to fire, they should fear it. Here’s hoping the big toad fears it, too. He peeked out from behind the tree again.

On the other side of the toad, pink flickered in the woods. Rosamund and her handmaidens grabbed two of the toads and dragged them into the forest.

Ike stared. He looked up, but the huge toad continued to stare to the horizon, throat pouch expanding and retracting at an even pace. He looked back to find the three of them still extricating toads from the muddied undergrowth. Huh? You’re supposed to wait until the toad notices the fire! It hasn’t even looked at it yet! What are you guys doing?

One of the toad corpses, bloated from a day in the sun, got caught on a snag in the undergrowth. Rosamund yanked at it. Lifting a leg, she kicked the corpse, hard.

Ike twitched. He reached out instinctively, but it was too late.

Gas whooshed out from the toad’s orifices with a predictable, but very loud, pbbbt. Rosamund jolted. She gave the body a disgusted and alarmed look.

The huge toad whirled. It stared directly at Rosamund and let out a warcry of a croak. Its tongue lashed out at her.

Dropping the toad, Rosamund jumped back. She threw her hands out. The thick undergrowth closed in behind her, blocking the toad’s tongue.

The toad’s tongue crashed right through. It wrapped around Rosamund. Rosamund screamed. She stabbed at the tongue with her dagger. With her other hand, she latched onto the nearest tree.

Her short-haired handmaid screamed and fled, dragging the toad body with her.

The long-haired one’s eyes sharpened. She whipped her paddle out again and smashed it on the toad’s tongue. Despite the seemingly blunt edge of the paddle, it sliced through the edge of the tongue.

The toad shrieked and jerked its tongue back, releasing Rosamund. Rosamund fled, chasing after the other handmaid into the forest.

Oh, what the hell. Taking advantage of the chaos, Ike dashed in, through the low flames. Heat smacked at his ankles. His wet, mudstained pants began to steam.

Noticing the motion, the toad whirled. It let out a growling croak and lowered its body. Its tongue flashed at Ike.

From a sling tied to his back, Ike grabbed the final ball. He swept it through the flames and lobbed it at the incoming tongue.

The toad flinched back, trying to dodge, but it was too late. The ball struck its pink tongue. It snatched its tongue back. Between the sticky ball and the sticky tongue, the little flameball whooshed into its mouth.

The toad’s eyes went wide. It hopped around, screaming in pain.

Ike grabbed the nearest semi-whole corpse and fled through the fire. The toad’s massive rear claws smashed down, tossing flaming underbrush at Ike. Ike hefted the corpse over his head to stave off the flames and ran on, leaving the toad behind. It screamed again, splashing dirt, mud, and flames everywhere in its maddened dance. He kept running, and running, taking the corpse with him. A grin crawled over his face.

Success. Success on all fronts! The toad is distracted, I have my hide, and Rosamund is gone, trapped on the wrong side of the toad!

A shadow fell over him. Ike looked up, bracing himself against a toad claw.

Instead, a girl in a dainty pink dress jumped down beside him. “I retrieved the toad,” Rosamund said haughtily, as though he hadn’t just watched her flail from the far side of the pond.

Ike stared after her, then rolled his eyes. He sighed. Couldn’t be free of her that easily.

Oh well. It’s fine. We’ll hunt the Fulgur-Loups, I’ll send her home, and that will be that. Rossmund won’t be able to demand I keep hunting for her. She’ll go back to the upper city disappointed, and we’ll never see one another again.

He took a deep breath and set off again, leaving the enormous toad behind.