章節 51: A toad or a frog
The palpable evening fog loomed as far as Hugo could see, cloaking everything in a thick silvery shroud, the sparse evening rays barely managing to penetrate its haze.
The sounds of pedestrians and kids playing in lawns, that should have filled the air around the homesteads of Boma Street, all seemed to have vanished leaving behind a gloomy silence.
Hugo's shoulders were drooped, his blue eyes lowered in a passive gaze, as he plodded back home after departing from the arena.
He kicked a stone along the mud-laden path, as he replayed the final moments of the duel in his mind. Annah had caught the Beast completely by surprise, slitting his throat, and then watching him plummet down onto the reddish-brown sands of the arena.
"How could a girl with such a flirtatious demeanor be so psychotic?" Hugo mumbled, his face furrowed, as he recalled how Annah had mutilated Galileo's corpse.
Every part of the Beast's brawny body had been diced into small slabs of either meat or bones that were letter fed to Annah's crow pet.
"That girl is evil. I need to keep far away from her. But what made her like that?" Hugo mused as he stepped on to the lawn of Matriarch's residence. He was no longer shrouded in the invisibility granted by the Cloak of Thanatos.
[First things first. Train like a maniac for the rest of the week, and then I'll plan accordingly… I can't miss out on the adventure next week.] He psyched himself up as he pushed the front door of the Matriarch's house.
"Where have you been?" Was the salutation he received from Tracy as soon as he stepped into the living room of his home.
"I went out to explore a bit. I was too bored to stay in my room the entire afternoon." Hugo replied earnestly as he locked eyes with Tracy who was seated on one of the vintage sofas.
"Hadn't we agreed on talking right after your shower?" Tracy countered, her tone laced with anger.
"Aunt Tracy! Some things have got to change. I assure you that I won't always remain locked into the house like a baby who just learned how to crawl…" Hugo countered, his tone steadfast.
After seeing the fight, some gears in his psyche had clicked. He now felt a pang of burning hunger, urging him to advance his mystic powers as soon as possible.
Since Tracy was his guardian, Hugo had to make sure that his plans were not hindered by her overprotective behavior.
Tracy silently watched Hugo, her brows furrowed, as if measuring or assessing what had changed about him.
"What happened?" She asked after what seemed to Hugo like eons of silence.
[A good start.] Hugo sighed in relief but decided to continue with striking when the iron was hot.
"Aunt! Could you just answer a simple question of mine." Hugo paused; his tone humble as he locked gazes with Tracy.
Tracy just nodded in response.
"If the barrier disappeared today, what fate would befall us? Would I keep hiding behind your back whenever I'm faced with danger?" Hugo questioned somberly.
Tracy abruptly stood up, her expression suddenly turning ashen, as if she had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Hugo! Where did you get this from?" Tracy replied. Her eyes gleamed with green luster as she scrutinized Hugo.
"That doesn't answer my question," Hugo replied and started moving towards the corridor leading to the stairs. He did not feel like wasting more time on fruitless arguments.
[A man's gotta make a stand.] Hugo sighed.
"Wait!" Tracy called as she teleported right into Hugo's path.
"What?" Hugo replied.
"You awakened the Kundalini-Divine-Physique," Tracy's fists were clenched into fists as she gazed dotingly at Hugo.
Hugo stopped right in his tracks.
"Kundalini-Divine? Are there any defects associated with this physique?"
"It has its perks, but a few flaws as well. Let's talk in your room." Tracy turned and led the way to the attic.
****
Concurrently in the outer fringes of the Ubaya Marshlands…
Aladdin's group of five had summoned the Matriarch and Chiara at the first hint of an abnormality in the Marshlands. Golnar, a short blond girl had also joined their party to make up the numbers required by the Matriarch.
"You said all the divination techniques were pointing towards great danger in all directions here?" The Matriarch asked while scrutinizing the surrounding growth of mutant aquatic plants.
"Yes! Aladdin did the divination spells multiple times; the results were the same." Ali-Baba replied whilst also nervously observing the surrounding marshland.
"Chiara. What do you think?" The Matriarch inquired nonchalantly as she continued to survey the marshes.
"There is indeed a problem. But I can't seem to put my finger on it. Don't you all feel your esper-senses tingling?" Chiara muttered.
"It's like we're being watched." She whispered.
"I also have the same feeling," Aladdin added.
"Should we ask the others to converge here?" Chiara inquired.
"That would just alert the enemy." The Matriarch responded, appearing completely unfazed by the situation.
"Do you smell that?" Miss Fox asked from on top of her wind-wolf. She had abruptly turned in the direction of some motion in the marshes.
"A calamity toad," Elena replied self-assuredly.
A nauseating smell had started filling the air around them whilst grey mist rose to shroud the undergrowth.
Suddenly, in a flash of yellow radiance, a small toad no bigger than an apple teleported right into the group's midst…
With a single croak, it grew into a humongous creature, the size of a cow which opened its barbed mouth and spat a greenish liquid at the group.
"Miss Fox! Look out!" Chiara yelled.
"What is there to worry about?" The Matriarch said calmly as she leisurely raised her hand and performed a grabbing motion. The yellow frog shrunk suddenly before being inexplicably pulled into her hands.
"So, you are our culprit?" She said to the frog in her grasp.
"Is that a toad or a frog?" Elena interjected. Her eyes filled with pure curiosity as she turned her gaze to the yellow creature.
"This creature here is the six-clawed psychic frog of Legend."
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