A Poisoned Choice

The Grouchy Frog

‘Castellum, I detest you so…' the thoughts of a bedraggled creature trudging through a downpour. The city, usually a bone-dry scar in the landscape, was experiencing the rare blessing of rain… some would call it a blessing of life, this one in particular, not so much. The grouchy frog with this perspective strode through the rain, a figure concealed beneath a poncho which obscured many of his features. His hunched outline, without words, spoke of a deep melancholy and overwhelming loss.

He trod recklessly through puddles, with utter disregard for the few passersby in the way, bulling right through. No one in their right mind would see this lurch and think it a good idea to stop for a chat. Yet someone did.

“Hiya” a cheerful voice cut through the monotone song of the rain.

He simply kept moving.

“Hey sir… hi… hellooooo” the perky voice was matched by a person who skipped up beside our loner and waved in his face. The child's exuberance was such that he was forced to stop and regard the disturbance from beneath the cover of their rain hoodie.

“What do you want?”

The frogling, notably wearing clothes that absolutely didn't fit the weather, simply grinned and held out a basket. “Here, sir,” she said in a jovial tone, “you looked like you were having a rough day… take a Maru Fruit. Free of charge.”

He looked at her, hesitant. She once more motioned for him to take from her basket. He reached out and took one of the round, bulbous red fruit and bit into it. A crisp bite, and an explosion of flavor burst in his mouth. It was delicious, the ideal balance of bitterness and acidity that Maru were famous for. He reached to pay her some money, but she skipped backwards avoiding his attempt.

“No, sir… I said it was on the house and I meant it. Whatever is troubling you, I hope you have a nice day.” She giggled as she skipped through the rain and mud, a small enclave of joy in an otherwise dreary landscape. A patched red cloak swirling in the wind. He could do naught but smile. ‘Perhaps Castellum ain't so bad’

‘Of course I spoke too soon,’ he sighed as he scrolled through miscategorized inventory and ridiculous pricing on the holopad sitting at his desk. ‘Anura save me from these cretins’ All he asked for was competence in his assistants, but did he get it? Of course not. This would be the third one he had to fire in as many months. The tremor in his remaining biological hand as he slowly typed the message on his holopad was an annoyance he could do without. ‘If only you accepted the Divine’s healing, you wouldn't have any of this trouble’

The ring of his front bell alerted him to a customer, and because he had just fired his helper, he had no choice but to go see what was needed. Rezim stepped out of his tiny office into the main shop. It was a cozy affair with counters and tables filled with electronics of all kinds, a few brand new, most lovingly restored to magnificent order. “Rezim’s Menagerie… how can I help you?” he said with an attempt at a welcoming tone.

The frog who had been stooped over examining his wares turned to face Rezim. “It's been a long time” a ghost from the past said to him, a soft voice that belied an unspoken history.

“Get out” Rezim said, holding back incandescent rage.

“Why must you hate us so?” his guest asked with a sigh and walked towards him. Her soft tone only made his rage burn even hotter. His whole body now vibrated in the way only his hands had before.

“You-” he began, his metal hand rising, but before it could reach far, a gentle but implacable hand grabbed his wrist from behind. He hadn't even realized there was anyone else in the shop. That could only mean one thing. A Shadow stood behind him.

“Of course, you people are never without someone to do your dirty work for you” Rezim said with evident bitterness.

“Everyone has choices they make.” His guest, who carried the distinctive staff of a Divine, didn't so much as hesitate in her footsteps “and the consequences to thus bear” She reached him and raised a hand to his cheek. Softly chiding him, as a mother might her child, she then reached to his other hand and held it between hers. Regarding the constant trembling in the limb with an eye full of sadness. “Why have you refused the goddess’s healing all this time? A Shaper with an unsteady hand is-”

He ripped his hand out of their grips and stepped away. “I am no shaper.” His voice was reticent. “Not anymore.”

“...The goddess's call cannot be denied forever”

“Watch me” he growled “Now why are you in my shop?”

“We require your assistance” the Priestess said after a slight hesitation “There are matters in which...your expertise would be helpful”

“Why should I help you? I quit the Order long ago”

“You will help because it is in your nature… no matter how much you wish to deny it” She reached into her robes and brought out a data pad. “This contains the information on our case. We leave tomorrow morning and will expect you to join us”

As she left the shop, she said, “Remember, Child of Anura… your choices define who you are”

The words echoed as she stepped out of the shop, her staff striking the floor with each step, the ethereal orb adorning its top lighting the way. Rezim stood there for a while. He eventually walked to the data pad and booted it up. The first thing he saw?... The image of the little girl who had given him a fruit days ago, her red cloak covering her, tears flowing from her eyes. Beneath the picture, amongst many other words, were “BZ-RK, heretics”.

…

The imposing Devout knight, who remained outside the shop door to deter any would-be shoppers, stepped in behind them.

“Your grace” the as yet silent Shadow spoke up when they left the small shop “Why do we require this washed-up frog’s help?”

“Anura works in ways difficult to understand,” the priestess replied.

“But he is just a former Shaper with shaking hands too cowardly to serve” A small amount of frustration leaked into her voice.

“That is what you see” she replied calmly “Rezim is no mere shopkeeper with an unsteady hand. He was once a Grandmaster Shaper. Beneath the pain and the self-loathing lies a heart of steel and a genius intellect that will serve us well in the days ahead. "

The Squadron

The next day, early in the morning, a HOP-R low-atmosphere dropship awaited just outside the walls of Castellum. “Welcome, Rezim.” Standing on the ramp leading into the drop ship, the Priestess waited for the final member of their retinue.

“I'm not here for the Order” Rezim stated as he walked past her “I'm here because a little girl needs my help”

“Of course.” Her smile was wide. “Let us meet the others.”

Walking to the ship's main hold, Rezim saw the Shadow he met previously, and a Devout.

The Priestess motioned to a seat, but he remained standing. “Missions are rarely carried out without a full complement yet I see you missing a Fury. That doesn't bode well…”

“The absence involves Order secrets and as you are no longer one of us, unfortunately I cannot enlighten you”

“...I see”

“This mission involves a list of missing persons, from all walks of life and each of the Five cities. Normally, such a case would be left in the capable hands of our Judicial forces, but circumstances have altered operations.” The Priestess touched the holo-table and brought up images of Anurans: adults, children, male, female. The display slowly scrolled by, showing statistics like age and job. There did not seem to be a discernable pattern to these individuals. “It had been seen as disparate cases handled by the local forces, until a disturbing discovery was made…” She then touched the table once more, changing its display to a complex chemical diagram.

“BZ-RK…” breathed out the armoured warrior.

“Indeed… the scourge that once threatened our entire way of life. Traces of it were found at the crime scenes. This discovery triggered an alarm within the Orders and I was dispatched to investigate. Due to the sensitive nature of the case, I was given the leeway to choose my own team. I decided on you all, as your skills fit the needs.”

She gestured to the seated male. “Devout and best combatant in his graduation class… Hanmi”

Turning to Rezim, she said, “Once a prodigy of the Shapers, whose scores as an acolyte have yet to be surpassed… Rezim”

Then, facing the last occupant, she said, “Known for her precision and less palatable skills-”

The shadow quickly interjected. “They will have to earn the right to learn my name. For now, they can refer to me as Shade” Hanmi visibly bristled at her disregard, but stayed silent.

The Priestess nodded and continued, “I am called Anita and I am a Priestess of the Ethereal flow. Illusions and the misdirection of our enemies are my purview” She bowed slightly, “If you have further questions, I will provide the answers available”

Hanmi raised his hand,

“What sort of equipment have we been provided for this mission?”

“Standard mission loadout.”

“How much assistance will we have?” Shade queried.

“From the Orders, just us, but we have the full cooperation of local authorities”

Questions came and were answered for the next few minutes, though Rezim kept his silence. Once the briefing was complete, the enchantress directed them to their first calling point, the head police office in Castellum. There they met a hefty frog, whose corpulent mass spoke of a lack of exercise. Another stood slightly behind him in an officer's uniform, head slightly bent.

“Greetings, friends from the Orders, I am Orthis and serve as the Chief officer. I will be your assistant today.”

“Thank you, Chief Orthis. Your help is greatly appreciated. Anura bless you”

“You honor me, Priestess.”

They walked into the station, avoiding the staring officers and went into an evidence room.

“This is all we were able to recover from the site of the last incident, including a sample of a suspicious fluid”

Rezim immediately stepped forward and brought up a device. He dipped one end into the fluid and waited a few seconds. It eventually beeped, and he brought an arm up to look at the readings on his wrist-mounted device. After a short time, he looked up and said,

“I will have to use the more powerful implements on the ship ’cause this isn’t my specialty, but preliminary analysis strongly suggests it is BZ-RK… although, there is something very strange about it”

Anita nodded and looked at Shade who had been looking through the other pieces of evidence, like clothes, broken furniture and the like. The Shadow nodded and looked at Orthis:

“What are you hiding?”

“Wh-wha-what do you m-m-me-mean hiding?” His voice rose in outrage, “I have provided everything to you”

“That isn’t true. Also, standard procedure would have dictated you take us to the crime scene directly”

“B-but the crime took place in an extremely important thoroughfare and directing traffic around the area and cordoning it off would lead to massive economic consequences. We brought everything we could!”

“The crime happened two days ago… the economy isn’t so delicate that a few days would destroy it”

“But-but-but I was advised!!!-”

He didn't get to finish his explanation as the officer who had followed them into the room burst into motion. His small, thin body swiftly expanded in size, tearing through his uniform. He stepped forward and backhanded the stunned-looking chief aside and reached forward to grab Anita who had been closest to them. Rezim watched in shock. If his massive hand grabbed the delicate Enchantress, it was obvious she would be crushed to pulp… …but as his fingers closed the expected scene didn't occur. His palm simply phased through her. The brute looked at his hand in confusion for a moment before he was struck by the plasma blade wielded by Hanmi.

He roared in pain and swung at the knight who stoically took the hit with his shield, but staggered back from the savage force. Before the creature could capitalize on his poor position, a figure appeared behind it and stabbed a blade into its vulnerable neck. It choked and grabbed at the wound, Shade quickly retreating and removing her blade, allowing it to bleed out. Rezim let out a gasp, calming himself and turned to look for the chief, when the impossible happened: the creature let out a roar and surged at the backtracking assassin. It moved with a speed that belied its size and seized her. She shouted in pain, but before she could be crushed, a bright flash burst directly in its eyes and it hastily dropped her and reared back.

Rezim saw the wounds that had been inflicted on it slowly closing. Hanmi roared a challenge and once more rushed into combat with it. Rezim shook himself from his fear and leaped to dismantle a nearby device. Hanmi was struggling. Every time he inflicted a fatal injury on it, it shrugged off the blow and continued advancing on him. It also seemed to have an infinite amount of stamina and threw attack after attack. If not for the assistance of Shade and the invisible Priestess Anita, he would surely have been killed in a few moments, but even with them, his strength was waning.

Time was running out! ‘What can I do?!’

“Hanmi! Down!” The voice of his last teammate came from behind him. He obeyed without thinking and looked up just in time to see the bookish frog leap forward to the rampaging beast. He clasped a small device in his hands that he thrust into the beast’s chest. A loud buzzing and smoke emanated from it and the creature stopped in place unnaturally. Hanmi could only stare in shock.

“Can someone help me, please?” Rezim's voice full of strain echoed in the silent room “it won't hold him forever!”

Hanmi leaped up, and swung his plasma blade. He took off its neck with a single swing. “Let's see it heal from that” Hanmi remarked.

“I'd rather not” Rezim replied wryly.

Hanmi chuckled.

“Well done.” They looked back and saw Anita assisting the injured Shadow to her feet. Shade clutched her side in obvious pain. “Let us go back to the ship. She needs medical attention.” Hanmi and Rezim nodded and escorted them out through the station which was now in an uproar. They carefully watched for any other ambush, but luckily, none was forthcoming. Back in the ship, the injured cutthroat was put in the medbay, and Anita dismissed the others.

Vindication

Anita called them all into a meeting room once again. “After that debacle, I investigated the young frog. Turns out he was a new hire being shown the ropes, and further investigations show his recruitment history had been falsified. His past is a lost trail”

Rezim's hand banged into the table.

“Are you saying that was all for nothing?!” Silence filled the room for a short while.

“Maybe not,” said the revitalized Shadow. “I already suspected the Chief, and the attack changed nothing. Therefore, I stealthily injected him with a tracking device” The others looked at her in surprise. “He hasn't made any suspicious movements, but when the furor dies down, I suspect he will make a move”

Anita nodded.

“That is all for now, but stay ready in case we need to move out. Dismissed” They all stood and walked out. Rezim followed Hanmi. They both walked into his room and Rezim looked at the clean, almost lifeless room. It was so clean and orderly, you would swear a drone lived here. Hanmi sat on the single chair and regarded his visitor.

“So what is it you need?”

“... I’ve never been one for subtlety, so I'll just come out and ask it… why aren't you leading this mission?”

He replied, “Although it is more common for the Devout of a team to be tactical leader, it isn't unheard of for the Divine to-”

“I'm not asking for your textbook answer” Rezim interrupted “this mission isn't a typical one, and seems tailor-made for a Devout to have the lead on it. If not you because of your inexperience, then another senior one”

“I… don’t know.”

Rezim squinted his eyes. “That along with the missing Fury raises my suspicions” Rezim nodded his head to the young frog and departed his room.

…

That night, an alarm buzzed round the ship. The sleeping team scrambled awake and gathered in the meeting room. The Shadow began “My tracker shows Orthis making suspicious movements. He rented a ship and flew it out of town towards a nearby forest”

“What's the plan?”

“We will follow him and find out what’s going on, before apprehending him”

“Good,” Rezim said. He hadn’t forgotten the sole reason he was doing this. He would save her, no matter what.

…

The heavy Chief hobbled his way through the woods, stewing in fear and anger. He eventually reached the clearing his contact had requested, but saw no one there. He left his ship and pilot far behind to ensure privacy and thus had to walk a fair distance in the woods to make it here. The least that frog could have done was be on time. So focused on his grumbling, the Chief didn't notice a shape coming up behind him, until a hand landed on his shoulder. He shrieked and jumped forward, stumbling and flailing as he fell to the ground.

The unknown frog just regarded him with clear disgust in her eyes. “Stand up, you freak.”

The Chief scrambled to his feet, rage overflowing. “How dare you call me a freak! Do you know who I am?”

“Yes, a freak”

“You!-”

“Enough” the recent arrival stepped into the light of the clearing “Why did you trigger the emergency beacon?”

Orthis suddenly remembered his situation and the fear came flooding back. “Help me” he exclaimed “the insurance you left me triggered and a bunch of Order dogs slew it”

“Oh?” Her eyes gained a hint of interest. “And how did it do against them?”

“Not bad” he admitted, “it took the combined efforts of all four to bring it down, and they suffered injuries in the process”

“Fascinating, that is the power of only a single, unfinished prototype and yet…” mad glee suffused her eyes.

“You have to help me” Orthis once more begged “They already suspected me before, but now…”

“Not our problem.” She dismissed his plea out of hand “we gave you all the tools necessary to cover your tracks and a safeguard to protect your life. Your duty was to make things seem normal until we were ready. You have failed”

“But I didn't do anything wrong” he cried out “I followed your orders. Making frogs disappear, hiding evidence, sneaking your agents into the city. I did it all. Why can’t you help me?”

“Leave”

“If you do this I'll expose you!”

“Do as you wish” she said, turning “you will… wait, perhaps there's a use for you still”

She turned and gestured to him. “Follow me” she commanded. He smiled, believing she had finally realized his importance. They strode to the edge of the clearing, where a hidden entrance opened upon reading Orthis's bio signature. They descended down the lift and the hidden doorway closed behind them. They remained unaware of the figure hiding and recording their every move.

…

“Heretics, so close to the heartland?” Hanmi remarked “I can't believe they would be this brazen. We must inform the Orders”

“We can not do that” Priestess Anita suddenly said. Everyone else in the room stared at her.

“What do you mean?” Hanmi asked.

“She means this is an unsanctioned mission” Rezim interrupted, his eyes narrowed “I suspected that from the beginning. The lack of support, a young inexperienced Devout whose critical thinking hasn't been developed, the lack of a Fury, and me… a disgraced former Shaper with few connections in the Orders” He looked into her eyes. “My hands may tremble, but my mind is as sharp as ever, Anita” he said in a soft voice that still carried through the room “Will you ever change your ways?”

“...I should have known you would figure it out, old friend” Anita sighed “Yes, this isn't an officially sanctioned mission, but it is an important one” She stepped to the holotable and with a motion it powered on. A display showing the five cities rose up with numerous red markings in each.

“Over the last few months, a disturbing pattern of disappearances has been discovered, just like I told you” she continued “But what I left out is that not all the cases had BZ-RK contamination. Though the alarms were triggered, they were seen as small isolated incidents that didn't warrant Order intervention.

“Now we have confirmed otherwise” she replied “We must hurry and destroy this site, and free these innocent civilians. If we go back to the order, after the bureaucracy reviews everything, it could be too late” Silence fell as they realized she was correct: they must act now.

“That monster was even more powerful than the stories of BZ-RK soldiers said” Rezim began “And we have no idea how many they have. We don't know if the hostages are even still alive. We have no fury with us. As a Shaper, I am less competent due to my injured hands and our main frontline fighter is totally inexperienced”

“I don't see how anything could go wrong” Shade said sarcastically.

“... I'm in” Hanmi said with determination “we need to save those frogs”

“That little girl was kind to me. She doesn’t deserve this…” Rezim said calmly.

“... I suppose we have little choice” the Shadow said as well.

Anita looked at them all with pride in her eyes.

“Anura is with us” she said.

Hanmi stood up. “Alright, here’s the plan.”…

…

Within a confined cell underground, a group of civilians trembled in fear. Some had been here for months, whilst others only a few days, but they all showed the marks of their treatment. Whip marks, bruises and other strange marks.

The little girl was amongst them, huddling tightly in her patched red cloak. A noise came in front of the cell. The familiar footsteps of their captor. A lone frog came before them, body covered in complex cybernetic devices. “Greetings, esteemed guests” he began, his tone mocking “I know you've had a wonderful time, but our acquaintance will soon come to an end”

“Does that mean you will free us?” a hopeful voice asked from within the prisoners.

“In a sense of the word” he said with a cruel smile “Don't worry, your deaths will serve to free Anura from tyranny”

Moans of despair flooded from the prisoners.

“Now, who's next?...” His gaze lazily perused his captives before landing on a little girl wearing a striking red cloak “You will be perfect” The girl stared in terror as the bronze-colored gauntlet on his hand began emitting sparks and he reached forward… Before he could touch her, an alarm blared. “Shit” he cursed, “they can't be here already” The overseer rushed out through his underground bunker till he reached his office. There, he saw through the security cameras that four frog bastards had infiltrated his base.

“Kinta!” he screamed.

“Yes?” A voice came from the shadows and the female frog who had met the chief earlier appeared from nowhere “What do you require?”

“I thought we had time before the information went to the orders and a mission was dispatched” he complained to her.

She examined the camera feeds closely and smiled. “It seems the team here decided to take things into their own hands”

“Just one incomplete team?” he asked, dumbfounded. “they truly underestimate me” He tapped a button. “Let's see how they deal with my masterpiece”

He saw the infiltrators pause as doors opened and five frogs stepped out to face them, all wielding plasma weapons. They said something he didn't catch, but his experiments ignored them and began to transform as integrated BZ-RK capsules pumped the chemical directly into their bloodstreams. Each of them was a specimen he was proud of. He had used frogs captured from all around Anura as test subjects to refine and improve BZ-RK in every way. Once his experiments were complete, the second rebellion would come and this time… they would destroy the Orders.

He watched the four infiltrators hurriedly retreat into a narrow corridor to force his soldiers to attack one at a time. Smart, but not enough to defeat his creations. They bashed against the shield of the Devout knight, slowly wearing him down with relentless strength. The Shadow behind him attacked at every opening, but was unable to inflict a large enough injury to put the creatures down. The other two were strangely not attacking. The armoured warrior fought with impressive skill. Swinging his blade through even the smallest gap. He weaved past most attacks and blocked the others with a steadfast shield. His footwork was sure and graceful, seeming more like a graceful dance than a fatal encounter.

There was no doubt if only one of the enhanced Anurans faced him, he would emerge victorious. Unfortunately, he was only mortal. He managed to bring one of them down; the others rushed forward, giving it time to heal.

The Shadow was fast enough to deal damage, but her weapons lacked the lethality to finalize the action.

They were pushed back until the valiant warrior finally made a mistake. A slight slip was the only opening they needed. He was pushed down, his shield cast aside. Nothing to protect him from the plasma axe rapidly falling towards his chest… and then… The whole compound shuddered in a massive upheaval that threw everyone to the floor. When he stood up to check his cameras, all he saw was static. “That blast must have knocked out my surveillance system” he realized.

“What could have caused it?”

…

Hanmi thought he was dead. After intentionally tripping the alarms, he expected to face a few of the creatures, not five. One had almost killed them when they were all together, and now? He glanced at the illusions Anita conjured of her and Rezim. The plan was for Hanmi and Shade to draw out the defenses and fool the cultists into thinking they were together, whilst the other two rescued the civilians.

‘I wish I hadn't come up with it’ he moaned in his mind underneath the crushing attack of the mindless creature. His life flashed before his eyes… the blast saved him. Scrambling up, he pulled Shade behind him. “They’ve rescued the prisoners!” They fled the momentarily stunned monstrosities, making their escape towards the hidden exit.

Emerging from the corridor, Rezim and Anita stood behind a plasma cannon leaking concerning sparks. “Down!” Rezim shouted. They obeyed, shocked as a massive orb of charged particles shot past them, into the creatures behind.

“I may need a longer time to act” Rezim said, patting his device with obvious pride “But the mind makes the Shaper, not his hands”

Clap clap clap

From the tunnel came the main researcher, with Kinta behind him. “Good show, and wise words,” he said in a sincere tone “but what else can I expect from the lost Prodigy Rezim”

“Who are you… how do you know me?”

“Someone who followed your footsteps,” he replied with a smile “my name is Exatil. Just like you, prodigy of the Shaper academy, and like you, abandoned. My research into biochemical processes was declared heretical and my findings burned” He had a fanatical look in his eye “That is until he found me, and showed me the truth”

Exatil held his gauntleted hand out to Rezim “Join me. Together, we can show the Orders just how wrong they were to abandon us”

Rezim stared for a moment, thoughts swirling with the despair he had once felt, but…

“I will never join someone who destroys the few good things left in this world”

Exatil sighed, “A pity. Your mind for electronics and mechanics would have made the mass production of my new compound simpler” He tapped his gauntlet and a hidden door opened revealing three more creatures. The one in front had a corpulent figure that could only be the former Chief. “Kinta, join them and kill all the thought slaves, including the lab rats. They couldn't have gone far.”

Not replying, the heretical shadow stepped behind the beasts and moved to attack the team.

“Rezim, can you fire that thing again?” Hanmi asked desperately.

“It’s mostly fried” Rezim answered “A rush job”

Hanmi sighed, muttering “Anura protect us” Hanmi, as always the first line of defense, strode forth, his shield and plasma blade held aloft, a roar of defiance on his lips in a challenge to the insurmountable odds before him. Before she blurred from sight, Shade spoke softly to her teammates “You have earned the right to my name… I am called Kira”

Rezim pulled up the few gadgets he had been able to make in the time, his hands still shaking. He stepped beside them. “Anura bless us all”

Anita prayed one last time and readied her abilities. They all knew this was their last stand. But to protect the innocents behind them, it was a worthy price. A distress beacon sent to the Order would clean up the leftovers. Now their last task was to buy time for the fleeing prisoners.

Rezim pictured that brave little girl in the rain, offering a broken frog some fruit.

He smiled, heart finally free.

‘Choices… choices and consequences’