Chapter Text
“Froggydude, do you know why you’re here?”
Ultimate Froggy stood with his back facing Froggydude, who stood below him, staring up at his figure.
Froggydude straightened his back, his black, doe-like frog eyes staring directly at Ultimate Froggy’s back.
“Another assassination mission?”
“Indeed. But this task is unlike any other mission you have accomplished before. In fact, this may be one of the hardest missions you will ever encounter, and I am depending on you, Froggydude to complete it.”
Ultimate Froggy slowly turned around to face the younger frog, his blank white eyes meeting Froggydude’s dark ones.
“Well… what’s the task? What do I need to do?”
Ultimate Froggy stared at Froggydude for a moment before raising his hand. A white magical glow formed around his palm as he activated his abilities. An illusion began to materialise in front of them, forming a detailed map of a village civilisation surrounded by enormous walls.
Froggydude stared at the floating map, carefully studying and analysing the layout.
“This here is the Villager Civilisation,” Ultimate Froggy explained, gesturing towards the illusion.
“It’s not just an ordinary village. This civilisation is ruled by a powerful leader who has been entrusted with something far more valuable which is the Command Block, a powerful source of energy that exists throughout the entire Minecraft universe.”
With another movement of his hand, Ultimate Froggy manipulated the illusion. The village map shifted and transformed into the image of a glowing Command Block.
“I want you to hunt him down and steal his Command Block. If you manage to succeed, then I have high hopes that you can eventually take my position…”
He paused briefly.
“…instead of your twin brother.”
Froggydude’s eyes lit up for a moment, clearly affected by the thought.
“Although, I do have to warn you,” Ultimate Froggy continued. “The Command Block can be extremely dangerous, especially if its holder has already managed to claim its abilities. If the ruler succeeds in fully mastering its power, I’m afraid no one in that Minecraft world will be safe for long.”
He stared at the glowing Command Block.
“The Command Block can create almost any ability its holder desires, whether it should be possible or impossible. Its power has very few limits. So be careful, Froggy.”
Ultimate Froggy swiftly moved his hand, causing the magical illusion to suddenly disappear.
Froggydude nodded and lowered his head, “I won’t disappoint you this time.”
He turned around and began walking towards a massive portal that stood nearby, its swirling energy illuminating the area around it. Froggydude had not even noticed it was there until now.
Ultimate Froggy watched him leave before letting out a quiet hum.
“I hope so…”
His blank eyes remained fixed on the portal.
“Because last time, it didn’t end so well.”
The moment Froggydude jumped into the portal, he couldn’t wait to finish the mission after hearing what Ultimate Froggy had said.
‘If you manage to succeed, then I have high hopes for you to eventually take my position… instead of your twin brother.’
Great! That sounded simple enough.
All he needed to do was find whoever that ruler was, kill him, and steal the Command Block.
Gosh, he couldn’t wait.
Froggydude landed in a random plant biome, a completely flat area covered in grass and multiple different coloured flowers, with a nearby river where fish swam peacefully through the water. Froggy swiftly turned around, taking a moment to admire the view while looking around for any sign of the village civilisation, but there was nothing in sight.
I guess I might as well take a journey.
He lifted his head and sniffed the air, trying to pick up the scent of at least one villager nearby. It didn’t take long before he caught something, and without wasting any time, Froggydude dropped onto all fours and started running towards the scent.
It took minutes, or maybe even hours. Froggydude travelled through multiple different biomes, going from the plains to a sandy desert and then into a freezing winter biome.
Hell… why couldn’t Ultimate Froggy just teleport me directly to the village civilisation?
The thought alone pissed the green frog off, but at least he could prove himself and hopefully gain some recognition for his strength in front of Ultimate Froggy.
After what felt like an unnecessarily long journey, Froggydude finally spotted a huge wall made entirely out of obsidian. The architecture looked almost exactly the same and Froggydude assumed this is what Ultimate Froggy referred to based on what he remembered throughout their explanation plan.
Froggydude approached the entrance, only to find a massive line of villagers waiting to enter through the gates. He stared at the line in disbelief, especially after travelling who-knows-how-far just to end up waiting behind a bunch of villagers.
ARE YOU FOR REAL?!
He wanted to rip everyone’s heads off.
After a painfully long wait, Froggydude finally reached the front of the line. Standing before him was a villager who appeared to be a security guard, wearing glasses and a suit while holding a sniper rifle in his hands.
The guard gave Froggydude an odd stare before asking, “Name?”
Froggydude raised an eyebrow.
Why the hell do they want to know my name?
He glanced towards another security guard standing nearby, who was holding a clipboard and pen.
Wait… is there a limit to how many villagers can enter?
Before Froggydude could process the thought any further, the security guard’s patience began to run out.
“Hey, bucko! You gonna respond or what?” he snapped, making Froggydude look back at him.
Froggydude furrowed his brows. “The fudge you calling me ‘bucko’ for? You gotta cool out, man.”
“Are you gonna say your name or what?” the security guard asked firmly.
“Why would I need to tell you my name?”
The security guard gave him a mocking laugh before answering, “Haven’t you heard the rules? In order to enter our Lord Grox’s civilisation, you have to hand over your details. You also have to pay taxes, which you low-ranks have to collect every damn week!”
Froggydude stared at the security guard for a moment. He had absolutely no idea about any of these rules. It wasn’t like there were any signs explaining them at the front, but if he had to guess, everyone probably already knew about them because the ruler seemed to be well-known throughout the civilisation.
And speaking of the ruler, Froggydude could only assume that the so-called ruler Ultimate Froggy had told him about was Lord Grox.
That name sounds stupid.
Froggydude crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one side. “It’s Froggydude.”
“Yeah, whatever, bucko.” The security guard glanced at his partner, who began writing the name down on his clipboard before looking back at Froggydude. “You got a surname?”
“Nah, just Froggydude.” Froggydude shrugged.
The security guard scoffed. “Not so hard, is it?” He chuckled before looking at Froggydude’s clothes. “Also, you gotta remove that fancy suit and wear villager clothing. Wouldn’t want you standing out.”
“Bruh, are you for real right now?” Froggydude gave him an annoyed look, but before he could say anything else, a large piece of clothing was suddenly thrown directly into his face.
The security guard holding the clipboard then tossed him a small golden key.
“Here’s your key for your apartment. It shouldn’t be too hard to find. Just remember that every Friday is tax season, and every tax season, you meet with our Lord Grox and hand the taxes directly to him. If you don’t…” He paused with a grin.
“You get killed. See ya in hell, loser.”
Both villagers cackled with laughter.
Froggydude simply walked off, ignoring the two security guards as he decided to find his apartment.
As he entered the city, he was met with a massive crowd of villagers, with multiple houses and tall buildings filling the area around him.
At first glance, it seemed like a completely normal and happy city, but the more Froggydude looked around, the stranger everything became. He noticed several enormous statues scattered throughout the civilisation, all depicting the same person with the same wither skeleton wearing a suit with white fur around him.
Not only were there statues of Grox everywhere, but there were also posters plastered across buildings, giant commercial screens showing advertisements about him and somehow, even a stall selling Grox plushies.
What the hell is this place?
Froggydude eventually walked past a pizza stall and decided to get something to eat, but almost every item on the menu had something to do with Grox.
Grox this, Grox that.
It was everywhere.
Is this place some kind of cult? What is so great about this guy? He acts like he’s just THAT guy.
He continued walking until he passed an entire ceremony dedicated to praising Grox. Hundreds of villagers had gathered around while someone stood on a stage giving a speech about how amazing their ruler was. Some villagers were even crying as they praised him.
Froggydude cringed so badly that he accidentally muttered, “Grox sounds really dumb.”
The moment he said it, the nearby villagers went silent.
Slowly, they turned towards him.
Froggydude froze.
“What did you say about Lord Grox?”
Before he could even respond, several villagers suddenly charged towards him.
“GET HIM!”
“HE INSULTED OUR GLORIOUS KING GROX!”
Froggydude immediately took off running, managing to escape into a large bush while the angry villagers searched around for him. He swore these villagers were possessed or something because there was no way normal villagers would act like this.
As much as Froggydude had only been in the civilisation for a couple of minutes, he had already made a few assumptions about the place.
One.
The first thing Froggydude had noticed was the huge castle made entirely out of Nether materials. That had to be where Grox was located. There were multiple guards stationed at the front gate, with even more positioned above the castle walls.
If Froggydude ever tried to take a single step towards the castle without a plan, he could easily get caught. Some of the guards were also huge like big enough to probably smash him into pieces.
Two.
Froggydude had overheard many villagers talking about Grox’s wonderful speech, which was apparently happening in two days. That could potentially work in his favour.
If Grox was going to appear publicly, Froggydude could possibly take a sniper shot from a distance. The problem was that Grox would most likely be surrounded by security guards, so he would have to figure out how to deal with that first.
Three.
After hearing what the security guards had said at the entrance, Froggydude realised he was expected to work and collect enough money to pay his taxes every week if he wanted to survive in this place.
Apparently, that was just how things worked around here.
Froggydude thought about everything he had learned so far. At first, he had assumed the mission would be easy when Ultimate Froggy demonstrated his plan.
Find the ruler, kill him, steal the Command Block, and return. Simple. But now that he had actually seen the civilisation for himself, he realised it might be much harder than he expected.
The security was ridiculously high, the villagers seemed completely obsessed with Grox, and apparently he was expected to work and pay taxes while living here.
“Gosh… this is gonna be a pain in the ass,” he muttered as he took another peek over the bush, checking to see if any villagers were nearby. The coast appeared to be clear, so Froggydude was just about to sneak away when he suddenly felt something small bump into his hip.
He looked down and saw a tiny baby villager stood beside him, staring up with wide, innocent eyes.
“Hello!” the baby villager said cheerfully. “Will you be my daddy?”
Froggydude stared at the child in complete disbelief.
Oh, hell nah.
“Look, buddy, I am not here to-”
His sentence was immediately cut off when the baby villager suddenly pulled out a massive gun that is pointed directly at the frog.
“BE MY DADDY.”
“WHAT THE FU-”
Right after Froggydude signed the papers to forcibly adopt a random baby villager, he had to find his accommodation by using the golden key he was given. It wasn’t long before he found the house, which was only ten houses away from the adoption centre.
The house wasn’t too bad, and it was enough to keep both him and the baby villager comfortable. It was made out of wooden planks and only had one floor. Inside, there was a single white bed, a chest, a crafting table and a stove.
“This place isn’t so bad. Welcome to your new home, baby villager,” Froggydude said as he took a moment to look around before glancing down at the small figure clutching his hand.
He didn’t expect himself to adopt a random baby. Hell no, it wasn’t even an ordinary baby... It carried a damn gun out of nowhere.
Froggydude wanted to start planning an assassination right away, but before he could do that, he needed to earn enough taxes to survive in this place. The due date was Tuesday, and Tuesday was already tomorrow. He quickly made himself a wooden pickaxe before heading out to mine for more valuables.
“Daddy, where are we going?” the baby villager asked, sitting on the green frog’s shoulders.
“We gotta get some taxes, so we gotta work for it,” Froggydude replied as he adjusted his shoulders to make himself more comfortable.
“Okay!”
Froggydude went on his way to collect taxes and valuable resources while mining. He had to keep making new pickaxes because he had no idea how long he had been mining for, and his wooden pickaxe wasn’t doing any good. So far, he had collected at least 800 taxes in total.
It was a lot, sure, but he decided to keep mining for a little longer, just in case. However, as he continued mining, he suddenly heard another voice coming from someone nearby.
“Hey, are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
Froggydude turned towards the voice and spotted a man with tan skin, black eyeliner and plenty of gold jewellery around his wrists, neck and other parts of his body.
Froggy assumed the man was at least in the upper-middle class or something. However, seeing him wearing the same villager clothing as everyone else made him question his assumption. Maybe he was actually the same rank as him.
“Uhh... yeah? Let me guess, you’re one of those villagers who praise Grox too?” Froggydude asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.
The man blinked at him in surprise. “What? No, no!” He chuckled, covering his mouth with one hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not like the other villagers who are obsessed with Grox.”
“Thank the Lord! Someone who isn’t weird,” Froggydude laughed before continuing to mine the emeralds in front of him.
“Right? This place is... umm... unique! Anyway, I’m Seawatt.” He gave Froggydude a polite smile before reaching out his hand for a handshake.
Froggy noticed the gesture and shook his hand in return. “I’m Froggydude.”
“Nice to meet you, Froggydude. Why are you staying in a crazy place like this? There are plenty of other towns and cities you could go to,” Seawatt asked as he placed his hands on his hips and shifted his weight to one side.
“Uhh... nothing much. I just found a nearby area and decided to stay here for a bit,” Froggydude answered casually, focusing on mining for more taxes.
“For a bit? You know you can’t escape from here, right?” Seawatt asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Froggydude stopped mining for a moment and slowly turned his head towards Seawatt. “What?”
“Well, I mean... have you not heard about the rules once you enter Grox’s civilisation? Once you enter, you can never leave.” Seawatt paused before continuing, “How long have you been in this world? You’re acting like this system has never existed before...” He chuckled.
Froggydude stared at Seawatt for a while, trying to process what he had just heard. However, before he could ask anything else, a sudden gunshot rang through the mines.
The loud bang was followed by screams as multiple villagers pressed themselves against the stone walls, seemingly trying to make way for someone. Luckily, Seawatt and Froggydude were mining quite far away from the others, so whoever was coming wouldn’t spot them easily.
Both of them cautiously peeked towards the commotion, watching as the villagers cleared a path for the security guards.
Froggydude nudged Seawatt on the shoulder. “Yo, what’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but something bad is about to happen,” Seawatt quickly replied. “The security guards never enter the mines, so this is probably an investigation.”
“An investigation into what?” Froggy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before Seawatt could even respond, a loud and chaotic voice suddenly rang out.
“Heeey, wassup, everybody!”
The voice was so loud that it immediately caught the attention of the villagers. As if it were a habit, they all began cheering and screaming as they spotted a figure approaching. Some even rushed towards the commotion, only to be blocked by the security guards, who told them to back off and make way.
It was difficult to see where the voice was coming from because there were so many villagers and security guards crowding the area. However, that changed the moment Froggydude heard a familiar name being shouted.
“IT’S OUR LORD, GLORIOUS KING!”
“GROX!!”
The cheering grew even louder and more chaotic as Froggydude finally spotted a tall wither skeleton wearing a formal black tuxedo, a red tie and white fur around his neck. He had a mischievous smirk on his face and stood tall with the confidence of someone who held great power and status.
Froggy squinted, taking a moment to observe the wither skeleton as he basked in the attention of the crowd.
“That’s…. Grox?” the frog man asked, raising an eyebrow.
Seawatt responded with a simple hum, confirming his suspicion.
“Grox, the God of All Villagers and a powerful leader. He’s the man you wouldn’t want to mess with, or so people say.” Seawatt rested his elbow against the stone wall and leaned his cheek against his hand.
Froggy briefly watched the wither skeleton strutting through the mines with his many security guards surrounding him.
“I don’t know. That guy seems stupid and like a total wuss. He’s just a regular skeleton with security guards protecting his bony ass.”
Seawatt gave him a look before bursting into laughter. “Wow, wow... You just got here, and you’re already hating on him?” He gave Froggy a mocking smirk. “You’re an interesting fellow, y’know that?”
“What? You gonna snitch on me to that wither skeleton?” Froggy asked, giving the other man a suspicious side-eye.
“Nah, I’m with you. I don’t like that guy either,” Seawatt chuckled.
Before Froggydude could even respond, Grox’s voice interrupted their conversation, grabbing everyone’s attention.
“Alright! I have come to spread the news about a specific villager we’re hunting down, and I want you all to look for him!” Grox grinned as he snapped his fingers, the sharp click signalling his security guards to step forward. They stood beside him and revealed a large wanted poster for everyone to see.
The villagers began whispering among themselves, their voices slowly filling the cave. Froggy tried to get a better look at the wanted poster from where he was standing.
The longer he stared at the picture, the more familiar the villager in it seemed.
Until he finally realised who it was.
It was the baby villager.
Oh, crap.
Wait... speaking of the baby villager, where the hell was he? Froggy could’ve sworn he had brought him along on his shoulders before carefully placing him on the ground. He remembered holding his hand and letting go once they reached the mines, and then...
Gosh, maybe I shouldn’t have adopted that kid.
“I need you guys to hunt him down! If you manage to catch that little guy, I’ll give you all the luxury you need, promote you to a higher rank and let you stay by my side!” Grox announced proudly.
He snatched the wanted poster from one of his security guards and lazily waved it around.
“I’m looking for a second-in-command, though, so make sure you don’t disappoint me.”
The villagers immediately erupted into a commotion of whispers, gasps and excited comments. Many of them seemed determined to catch the baby villager, all hoping to earn Grox’s favour and enjoy the rewards he had promised.
Meanwhile, Froggydude was stuck with the responsibility of looking after a child who had apparently turned out to be a wanted criminal.
Bro, he had literally adopted this kid TODAY, and he was already a wanted criminal.
As the villagers continued chattering, one of them raised his hand, signalling that he had a question.
“Erm... Lord Grox, I have a question, but...” The villager hesitated for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. “What did that baby villager even do?”
“Because bro stole my girl,” Grox answered casually.
The villager let out a nervous laugh. “Well, Grox... umm isn’t it kind of unnecessarily? I mean- it sounded like baby villager seemed to have more game than you do.”
A few villagers quietly laughed along with him, though their laughter was far from loud or chaotic. They seemed more nervous than anything else, as if they were already regretting finding the joke funny.
Grox’s cocky grin slowly twisted into an unsettling smile. He stared at the villager standing before him, his expression darkening as though he had just thought of something particularly unpleasant.
“Nah, what did you say?”
Without even giving the villager a chance to respond, Grox pulled out his gun and shot him in the head.
A gunshot rang through the cave, causing the villagers to scream in terror. Froggydude’s eyes widened as he witnessed the scene from a distance, watching the villager collapse to the ground.
Grox seemed annoyed by the sudden commotion as the villagers continued screaming around him.
“AYOO, CHILL!!” he shouted, raising both hands as though he were the one trying to calm everyone down. He grinned as if nothing had happened.
“Again, If you guys can catch this little boy, I can give you all the luxury you could ever want! That’s all, boys!”
With that, Grox turned his back on the villagers and began walking away. Before leaving, he approached one of his security guards and whispered something into their ear, earning a quick nod in response. A few guards remained in the cave while the others followed Grox to protect him.
Froggydude had seen enough to know that Grox was the type of person who couldn’t care less about the villagers living under his rule. However, something about the whole situation didn’t seem right.
Grox didn’t seem to have any intention of claiming the abilities of the Command Block for himself. Well, I mean, it wasn’t like Froggy was hoping for him to do that, but still...
Was he hiding it somewhere secret?
If Grox wanted to build his own villager civilisation, why couldn’t he just use the Command Block to create his own army?
Froggydude had so many questions running through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more curious he became. As much as he hated to admit it, he was becoming disgustingly interested in this place.
Suddenly, Froggydude felt a slap on his shoulder, presumably from Seawatt. He turned towards the other man, giving him a confused and slightly irritated look.
“What?”
“Get down!” Seawatt whispered urgently. He was already crouching behind a nearby rock, trying to keep himself out of sight.
Froggydude stared at him, completely oblivious to what Seawatt was trying to signal. “Why the hell are you whispering?”
Seawatt immediately shushed him, pressing one finger against his lips before grabbing Froggy’s shoulder and pulling him down.
“Get down! I don’t want Grox to see us, especially since we’re not standing with the other villagers. If he spots us, he might think we’re spies!”
“Uhh... wouldn’t he recognise us since we had to give our details when we entered?” Froggydude asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No, bro! Do you seriously think Grox would remember everyone here? He doesn’t care about a single being in this place!” Seawatt whispered furiously. “Also, lower your damn voice!”
“Chill out. It’s not like he’s gonna spot us-”
Yeah, he really should’ve ducked.
The moment Froggydude looked down, he spotted the wither skeleton staring directly at him. Meanwhile, Grox’s security guards seemed too busy pushing the villagers aside to notice anything else.
Froggydude didn’t know why, but his body suddenly felt as though it had shut down. He couldn’t bring himself to move, let alone look away. All he could do was stand there like a frozen statue while Grox stared straight at him.
He was worried that Grox might pull out his gun at any moment and kill him on the spot. Or worse, what if that skeleton was smart enough to see through his intentions?
If Grox somehow discovered his true purpose for coming here, he could easily have Froggy captured and hunted down.
Froggy watched as Grox’s eyes met his own. The dark, empty voids where his eyes should have been seemed completely lifeless. I mean, after all, he was a walking corpse, y’know what I mean?
Still, there was something deeply unsettling about the way Grox looked at him. There was no warmth or friendliness in that stare, only a cold and tense silence that made Froggy feel as though he had been caught doing something terribly wrong.
And just as Froggy finally gathered enough confidence to move, he immediately ducked down and covered his mouth.
Gosh, what was that?
Why the fudge was he staring at me?
Was I being too loud? Did he find out something through the Command Block or whatever?
It wasn’t like Froggydude was scared of Grox. He still thought the guy was an absolute idiot, after all.
He was just worried because he knew exactly what a Command Block was capable of, and the longer he stayed in this place, the more paranoid he was becoming.
However, Froggydude was still worried about the baby villager. He had no idea whether he should bring the kid with him on tax day and hand him over to Grox or show some kindness and save the baby he had adopted.
Honestly, if he chose the first option, things would be much easier. The simpler the mission, the more respect Ultimate Froggy would give him, right?
Yeah, he would do that.
He just needed to find out where the hell that baby villager was.
It was currently tax season, which meant Froggydude had to hand over all the taxes he had worked nearly the entire day yesterday to collect.
He was standing outside his own home, facing a baby villager who stood before him with his head lowered. Froggydude furrowed his brows and crossed his arms, staring down at the small villager.
“You gonna tell me what happened and how the HELL did you end up being Grox’s wanted criminal?” Froggydude snapped as he rubbed his forehead in frustration.
The baby villager didn’t seem very affected by his tone. Instead, he simply stared up at the frog man innocently. “Aren’t you gonna change my diaper?” he asked, completely ignoring Froggydude’s question.
“NO, BRO, WHAT?!” Froggydude groaned, dragging his palms down his face. “Baby villager, HOW, BRO?! Just HOW did you end up on the poster?! Do you know people are going after you? If they see you with me, they’re gonna assume I’m working with you!” he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the small figure.
“That’s okay, Daddy! If anyone touches you, I’ll shoot them!” the baby villager replied innocently as he pulled out his gun, making Froggydude freeze with a horrified expression.
Gosh, I completely forgot about the gun...
Froggydude let out another groan before banging his head against the nearest wall. He was genuinely regretting his life choices at this point, especially considering how dangerous their current situation was.
“Man, I shouldn’t have adopted this baby,” he muttered quietly, rubbing his forehead where he had hit the wall.
The baby villager immediately flinched at those words. His body began to tremble as his fingers fidgeted nervously, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.
“Wahhhhh! I’m sorry, Daddy!” he sobbed before running towards the frog man and hugging his hip.
Froggydude was taken aback by the sudden gesture, barely having any time to react before the baby villager clung to him.
“I’m sorry, Daddy! I don’t want to leave you! Please stay!” the baby villager cried even harder, tightening his grip around Froggydude’s hip. Froggydude immediately panicked at the volume of his crying, worried that someone would hear the commotion and report them for a noise complaint.
“Dude... calm down and get off me! You’re gonna get caught!” he whispered urgently, patting the baby villager in an attempt to soothe him.
Unfortunately, his efforts only made things worse. The baby villager sobbed even louder, wrapping his little arms around Froggydude’s thighs and squeezing them tightly enough to make the frog man let out a painful grunt.
Damn, how strong is he?!
Froggydude tried shushing him and calming him down before someone could walk past and catch sight of the two of them.
The last thing he needed was for someone to report him to Grox, especially when he was already in such a risky situation. However, no matter how much he tried to calm the baby villager, the little menace simply refused to stop crying.
Taking a deep breath to keep his frustration under control, Froggydude gently patted the baby villager’s shoulder, silently signalling for him to let go. “Alright, man. Let go of me,” he sighed, waiting patiently until the baby villager finally loosened his grip.
The little villager hesitated for a moment before releasing him, sniffling quietly as he wiped his tears.
Froggydude crouched down to the baby villager’s level and gently wiped the tears from both of his cheeks. Placing one hand on the little villager’s shoulder, he awkwardly tried to find the right words to comfort him.
“Hey... sorry. Um, look, I didn’t mean to say that. It’s not true, okay? I’m not leaving you. I’m just paranoid and stressed out, alright? But please, don’t do anything that could cause trouble like that again! You could end up getting killed at any moment, and I really don’t want that to happen,” Froggydude explained, wiping away a few more tears from the baby villager’s face.
“Always stick with me, okay? Will you do that for me?” he asked, offering the little villager a gentle smile.
The baby villager stared at him, his face still puffy and red from crying, before slowly nodding in agreement.
Froggydude watched him for a moment before glancing down at the inventory bag hanging from his hip. He then looked back at the innocent-looking baby villager standing before him, his mind wandering back to the mission he had been assigned.
He had wanted to complete his mission by snitching on Grox, earning his trust, becoming his second-in-command, and eventually killing him. However, looking at the little menace standing before him, Froggydude found himself hesitating.
As much as the baby villager had already put him through, he couldn't bring himself to let a child die at Grox’s hands.
Froggydude let out a heavy sigh before slowly getting back to his feet.
“Good.” He patted the baby villager on the head before preparing to leave.
“Stay here, alright? And don’t do anything stupid. Remember that!” he warned, pointing a finger at him one last time. With that, Froggydude waved goodbye to the baby villager before finally closing the door behind him.
Froggydude made his way towards the castle, where everyone was required to submit their taxes directly to Grox.
As soon as he arrived, he was greeted by an enormous queue stretching far beyond the entrance.
The frog man stared at the seemingly endless line, already feeling his patience wearing thin. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it, so he reluctantly joined the queue and waited for his turn.
Hours passed before Froggydude finally made it inside the castle. By then, only three villagers stood ahead of him, meaning he was finally close to meeting Grox face-to-face.
The first villager stepped forward and presented Grox with a small collection of diamonds and emeralds. However, judging by the unimpressed expression on the wither skeleton’s face, it clearly wasn't enough to satisfy his demands.
“H-here, Lord Grox! I’m sorry it’s not much, but I need to feed my kids...” the villager pleaded nervously.
“Nah, bro, what the hell is this? You failed.” Grox casually pulled out his gun while sitting on his golden throne, which was decorated with red cushions. Without another word, he shot the villager before him.
The security guards immediately rushed forward, dragged the villager’s body away, and threw it out of the window. The other villagers waiting in line could only watch nervously, their fear growing with every passing second.
As Froggydude waited for his turn, he heard someone muttering behind him. Turning his head over his shoulder, he noticed a villager trembling and sweating profusely, looking as though he were about to have a complete breakdown.
“I’m scared... I’m scared... What if it’s not enough? Oh my gosh...” the villager whispered shakily.
Froggydude furrowed his brows before turning back towards the front. He was almost there, and the closer he got to Grox, the more uneasy he began to feel.
Eventually, the villager standing ahead of him stepped forward and presented Grox with an enormous collection of goods and taxes. Unlike the previous villager, this one appeared confident and even somewhat proud of himself.
“Here you go, Grox! I worked so hard to get all these taxes for you!” he announced cheerfully.
The villager seemed convinced that Grox would let him leave without any trouble. However, the wither skeleton suddenly gave him an odd look.
“Ayo, what did you say?” Grox asked, his tone turning threatening as he held up his gun.
The villager immediately raised his hands, his confidence disappearing in an instant. “Wha-what do you mean, Grox?! I gave you all the taxes! There’s so much! Is it not enough?” he exclaimed shakily, slowly backing away.
“You have the AUDACITY to call me by my name like we’re some sort of buddies?” Grox questioned, raising his gun slightly higher. A distinct clicking sound echoed through the room. “It’s Lord Grox, you hear me?”
“I-I’m sorry, Lord Grox! I didn’t mean to-!”
Grox didn't even let him finish before shooting him repeatedly in the stomach.
Hell- TEN TIMES?! Oh my days...
Froggydude could only stare in disbelief, forced to witness the entire scene from a much clearer angle this time. He grimaced at the sight before quickly looking away, absolutely disgusted by what he had just witnessed.
Once again, the security guards carried out their duties and threw the villager’s body out of the window. With the previous two villagers now gone, it was finally Froggydude’s turn to approach the throne.
Alright. Here we go.
Froggydude stepped forward, finally getting the chance to meet the infamous Grox face-to-face.
The wither skeleton was lounging comfortably on his throne, his legs crossed and one elbow resting against the armrest. He lazily propped his cheek against his palm, looking as though he were seconds away from falling asleep out of sheer boredom.
He wasn't even looking at Froggydude when he called out, “Alright, who’s next?!”
Froggydude approached the throne and stopped before him, carefully handing over the taxes he had spent so much time collecting. “Hey, Gro- Lord Grox. I’m here to submit all my taxes,” he said, catching himself just before accidentally calling the wither skeleton by his name.
Grox glanced down at the pile of diamonds and emeralds before raising a brow. Finally, he looked up at Froggydude, and their eyes met.
The frog man was immediately met with a pair of soulless black eyes that seemed to stare straight through him. Froggydude shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, suddenly wishing he could get this over with as quickly as possible.
“Uhm... Lord Grox? Do you need something?” he asked cautiously, beginning to wonder whether his taxes weren't enough after all.
Grox didn't respond. Instead, he continued staring at the frog man for several seconds, his previous boredom gradually giving way to something far more unsettling. Slowly, an amused grin spread across his face, and his eyes seemed to light up with excitement.
“Ayy, now THIS is a lot of taxes! You did a great job!” the wither skeleton exclaimed, playfully fiddling with the diamonds and emeralds resting on his lap.
Froggydude blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden change in attitude. Before he could say anything, Grox glanced up at him and began studying him from head to toe.
“So, what’s your name, little froggy?” Grox asked teasingly.
Froggydude blinked again, feeling immediately offended by the nickname.
Little Froggy? The hell?!
He frowned before responding, “It should be in my details, Lord Grox. Don’t you have that information so you can keep track of your citizens?”
Grox raised a brow, an oddly mischievous smirk spreading across his face. “You think I’m gonna remember every single villager who bows before me?”
“Then there’s no point in asking for my name if you’re not even gonna remember it,” Froggydude retorted.
Rather than getting annoyed, Grox seemed even more entertained by his response.
“Ayo, chillllll! No need to bite. I’m just curious about someone as lowly as you,” Grox teased, straightening his back and resting his chin on his hand.
Froggydude stared at the wither skeleton for a moment before glancing down at the red carpet beneath his feet. He then looked back at the figure sitting comfortably on the throne.
“It’s Froggydude,” he finally answered.
“Boo! Froggydude is too long. Can I still call you Froggy?” Grox teased, watching as the frog man immediately furrowed his brows.
“Absolutely not! Just say my name like a normal per-”
“Hey, Bucko! Don’t talk to Lord Grox like that!” one of the security guards suddenly interrupted, stepping forward. “If you’ve handed your taxes to our king, then your wait is over! Now get the hell out!”
Froggydude turned towards the guard with an incredulous look. “Bro, Grox- I mean, Lord Grox was talking to me first!”
“Don’t blame on our Lord Grox like that! Now go!” the guard snapped, raising his sniper rifle towards Froggydude in warning.
The frog man clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning to give Grox one last look. Much to his irritation, the wither skeleton was still wearing that amused grin, looking as though he had thoroughly enjoyed the entire interaction.
Froggydude reluctantly turned around and walked away, his frustration growing with every step.
This man pisses me off.
How dare he call him Little Froggy? He wasn't little! He was tall for a frog, thank you very much! Grox was only calling him that because he had those ridiculous wither genes making him look like some towering menace.
Froggydude clenched his fists as he continued walking, mentally replaying their entire conversation. He had barely spoken to Grox for five minutes, and the guy was already getting on his nerves.
Still, he couldn't afford to let his irritation distract him from the mission. He had a job to finish, and Grox was the target.
Froggydude needed to find a way to assassinate him.