Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 25: A True Show of Strength

The toads marched silently through the woods. They had no hope of resupply and whatever scraps of food they managed to carry with them would not last the night. Nobody knew where Captain Grime was going or what he had in mind. He stayed silent as he carried Sasha's broken body. The group stopped in front of a small shack; it was clear to everyone this was the home of a witch. "Alright troops, I need to go see someone. In the meantime, I want foragers out there gathering food." Captain Grime ordered.

"What are we even doing here?" A reddish-brown toad named Bog asked.

"Sasha has been an amazing subcommander. She will be useful if we're ever going to regain control." Captain Grime answered.

"But Sasha is dead!" Bog exclaimed.

"We'll see what the witch says. In the meantime, get to work." Captain Grime marched into the shack.

Bog began to air his grievances. "Dragging us all the way out here for no reason... I think the captain is getting soft. Do you really want to work for this guy?"

The toads started whispering amongst themselves. There were talks of a mutiny.

Inside the shack, a middle-aged frog wearing a long robe was working with some kind of cauldron filled with purple liquid. She had an entire laboratory set up. The witch looked to see who came in. "Can I help you sir?"

"I heard that you one of the few healers in these parts. Your medicine saved the lives of my men on multiple occasions. Can you save her?" Captain Grime asked. He had dropped his old domineering attitude, putting Sasha's advice on politeness to use.

The frog approached Sasha's corpse. She was careful not to touch it. "Hmm... I've never seen a creature like her before. Put her on the operating table. I'll take a look."

Captain Grime placed Sasha on a large table, luckily it was able to support her weight. There were straps built into the table and the witch started to strap her arms and legs down. Once Sasha was properly restrained, the frog grabbed a bunch of powder and sprinkled it onto her. "Very intriguing..." she muttered.

Captain Grime wasn't exactly sure what the witch was doing but he wasn't in a position to be questioning her methods.

"What was the cause of death?" the witch asked.

"Death from falling. She had fallen off the top of Toad Tower." Captain Grime answered.

"Hmm... I find that hard to believe." the witch grabbed a magnifying glass and sprinkled some more powder. "She is broken but still alive."

Captain Grime was surprised. "What do you mean she's still alive?"

"There's something strange about this creature. A fall like what you described would have instantly killed most creatures. Some kind of magic is keeping her alive." the witch explained.

"Is there a way to save her or not?" Captain Grime was losing his patience.

The witch smiled. "Yes, but due to her injuries, this calls for some extreme measures." she grabbed a glass jar and scooped some of the purple liquid in the giant cauldron. She poured the liquid onto the magnifying glass and started to examine Sasha again. "I have no guarantees this would work."

"Whatever you're planning. Do it. She is strong. She can take it." Captain Grime said.

"Alright, I don't know how she would react to this. It could get ugly very quickly. I ask you to step outside before we begin." the witch requested.

"Very well..." Captain Grime never truly understood how magic worked but he trusted her judgement. It wasn't like he had much of a choice.

As he left, he noticed only two of his soldiers were left. Percy and Braddock. The toad couple in arms. "Captain Grime! Sir!" the two saluted.