NOVEL FROG Chapter 68: EchoForce
Crisis went over their plan for a couple of hours. They only had to listen to Priscilla explain the details of the festival for a few minutes before they started assigning positions and creating strategies. With a few breaks in between, mostly for food, the entire team tried to contribute ideas to refine their plan, with Saint getting a few words out, though he wasn’t heard as much as Frost and Indie. Even the princess tried to give some feedback, informing them about the things they were allowed to do regarding the safety of the audience and the city. But as she didn’t add anything too significant apart from the prohibition of Nitro’s explosives, which greatly upset him, Priscilla eventually got bored and left.
With the princess leaving the office, the team continued engaging in an active discussion to create their ultimate plan as well as other protocols for different cases of threats, not only for the festival. They all stayed in the office to keep plotting, but they noticed that it was already afternoon, and even though they had put together a thought-out plan, they still had some details to resolve. However, Saint had pretty much no input anymore, and when Indie noticed he was a bit overwhelmed by so much planning, she took a brief moment to step aside and give him something to do.
–Saint, could you check up on the rest of the team? I need you to gather them somewhere near our house, preferably a private spot if you can find one…– Indie asked kindly, which caught Saint off guard. He glanced back at the rest of the squad, getting a bit embarrassed as Indie was looking directly at him, with the others soon glancing back as well. But to not let his nervousness get in the way, he replied right away with a nod despite being confused.
–Umm, sure… What do I tell them?– Saint asked insecurely, but Indie first looked back to see Frost giving both a stern look, and with a bit of hesitation, she chose not to explain much further.
–Just find them and wait for us at the spot…– Indie replied briefly before turning back to keep discussing the plan with the squad. Saint stepped back, and while he gathered his thoughts for a moment, he didn’t say a word before leaving the office and being escorted out of the castle by the guards outside.
After leaving the castle, Scott began searching for his friends right away. He ran down the main road, past the plaza in the upper-class district, through the market, and reached the intersection with the commercial area. He looked down the second street, the one higher up and closer to the market, which seemed the busiest at this hour. But surprisingly, he didn’t need to look for too long to find his other teammates, as they appeared to be walking up the main road to reach his street.
–Hey, man! You won’t believe what we found!– Ace shouted at Scott, who recognized him the second he turned around, though he was surprised to see Shade and Zoey alongside him, carrying corn dogs for some reason. But as he met up with them at the intersection with the main road, he noticed that Ace was now wearing an odd outfit consisting of a rainbow-colored shirt, stylish, purple glasses, and a hat with the face of a cat with star eyes on the front.
–What did I miss?– Scott asked playfully, exchanging a smile with Zoey before glancing at Ace’s clothes, choosing not to question it and just listen to Ace since he couldn’t contain his excitement.
–There are so many shops here! They sell almost everything– Ace replied enthusiastically, sparking more curiosity in Scott, who looked over his friends to seek out the other teammates down the road.
–What do you mean?– Scott asked again, a little more concerned by Ace’s excessively joyful demeanor that garnered all his attention. He was almost hyperventilating and having trouble speaking, but before Scott could try to calm him down, Ace began searching his pockets to show him something.
–Apparently, we have to spend money here to get stuff. Luckily, Cookie had some coins, so we bought some clothes, and food, and souvenirs, and… Look at my hat!– Ace replied in a frenzy, pulling out what appeared to be a small, gold coin to show Scott. He handed it to him, but Scott only inspected it for a brief second before looking up at his friend’s cat hat with an awkward and confused expression.
–Yea, I see it…– Scott chuckled dismissively before bringing the coin close to his face to get a good look at it. As much as he squinted, he couldn’t read the mint mark, but he noticed the central engraving of the coin; a profile view of a woman’s head with flowers and a halo over it. While he seemed interested, at least for a moment, he couldn’t make sense of the image, so he looked over at Zoey and Shade briefly, who were just as confused as him but stayed quiet and ate their food.
–Isn’t it cool? We can get whatever we want with these things!– Ace exclaimed before laughing hysterically, being the only one to do so as the others got a little uncomfortable, especially since they were in the middle of the road, surrounded by lots of people.
–I guess…– Scott replied with a forced smile, saving the coin for later as he looked around the street in awkward silence to wait for Ace to wind down and Zoey to finish her corn dog.
–There are also brothels… You know, places for sex…– Shade affirmed indifferently as he took one last bite, but despite his casual manner, he immediately grabbed Scott’s attention and seemingly sparked awe similar to Ace’s.
–Wait, what?? Really??– Scott asked in disbelief, but he quickly tried to compose himself upon seeing Zoey’s judgmental stare. But as Shade chuckled and dismissed her reaction, he proceeded to respond without a care.
–Yea, Cookie and Chappy were looking for the place with the cow girls, I think it’s around the corner…– Shade replied with a smirk, already turning back to head towards Cookie and Chappy, with Ace following right away. But while Scott remained greatly interested, he kept looking at Zoey and chose to change the subject to not provoke her further.
–Umm, well, we have to find them either way. We are going to have a meeting with the team soon, so I hope you didn’t do anything stupid…– Scott assured in an attempt to sound serious, though Shade just shrugged, and Ace distracted himself with a few elves passing by. Being met with silence, Scott just stood in place, and waited for Zoey to finish eating as she seemed to be the only one focused on the mission.
Taking the lead, Zoey walked to the second street next to them, and the rest followed. The street was pretty much the same in layout and length as the one below, though it was even busier as there were large masses outside various stores. There seemed to be a decrease in restaurants, shops for supplies, and domestic services, and instead, there was a larger presence of special shops that the citizens of Rysemery seemed to visit frequently. One of which was one of the first shops in the street, which happened to be where Chappy and Cookie were found.
–There they are…– Zoey called out as she pointed at the long line formed outside a large building with multiple signs in front. All sorts of enticing words in bright colors invited several customers to enter, and while Scott, Zoey, and Ace didn’t take a second look to read what was written, they caught the appeal of the shop when they came across two tall pictures of semi-naked girls next to the entrance. While they couldn’t tell exactly what was happening behind those doors, they realized why Chappy and Cookie were there once they saw them thrilled to be about to enter.
–Hey! What are you doing??– Scott shouted at them in confusion from afar, making them and some people nearby turn around. But while the others didn’t pay much attention to it, Chappy and Cookie got excited when they recognized their friends’ faces. Shade immediately walked over to them, and even though Scott, Ace, and Zoey hesitated to approach the line, they had to join them at the line after being called over.
–I’m going to see the cow girls!! They have massive ti-...– Chappy exclaimed in glee, but he was cut off by Scott, who pulled him out of the line as soon as he saw the interior of the building. It only took one glance to realize it was an inappropriate place for Chappy, and while he let Cookie stand next to them, Scott made sure to keep Chappy far away and block his way in.
–No, come on. We have to find somewhere private to have a meeting– Scott replied decisively, forcing his friend to abandon his goal, which he desperately tried to salvage as he ran back to the line. Ace and Shade jumped in to grab him, preventing him from running away, while Cookie watched in amusement. However, he soon would be
asked to leave as well, but since he was one of the first in line, he refused, prompting Scott to pull him aside though, though he was too weak to move him.
–What? Come on, just give us five minutes– Cookie complained in irritation after Scott managed to pull his arm out of the line. Zoey stepped in to help Scott, and even with her help, they couldn’t drag Cookie like Chappy. Since he was up next in line, Cookie anchored himself to the ground, compacting his body to lower the chances of being moved. But after trying to force him out to no avail, Scott gave up, took a breath to compose himself, and begrudgingly changed his approach.
–No, the rest of the team should come soon. We can visit these shops later…– Scott responded with conviction, being firm but understanding enough to make Cookie reconsider his order. He thought for a little, and while still doubtful when looking back at the line, he complied with a disappointed sigh.
–Alright, but you better pay…– Cookie agreed with a mocking tone, though he stood still until he got a response, prompting Scott to panic for a second as he came up with an answer.
–But… I don’t even have-… Fine…– Scott argued before reluctantly conceding, to which his friends laughed as Cookie stepped out of the line with a satisfied smile. He left his spot for another man to join the rest of the group, who seemed ecstatic to be at the doors of the brothel, and after glancing at Ace’s weird hat and immediately losing all desire, Cookie focused more on Scott’s order.
–You wanted a private spot? There might be one near the park. Let me just call Groovy and Bones…– Cookie replied casually, unlike Chappy, who kept obsessing over the girls on the posters of the brothel, almost crying on the pavement of the street in outrage.
Shade let Chappy go after becoming annoyed, with Zoey taking his place to help Ace calm him down. But as he couldn’t get over his fantasy with cow girls, they had to drag him away and comfort him with promises of making his dream come true. They stayed in the alley adjacent to the brothel while Cookie made a call for his teammates. In a few minutes, Chappy came to his senses and returned to his regular self, and with Groovy and Bones showing up outside a shop nearby, the team reunited to head towards the park at the end of the street.
Walking past their safe house on the first street, the group came across many different brothels on their way to the park, all of which further tempted Chappy, forcing Ace to cover his eyes with his hands as he guided his steps. Fortunately, once they were past the brothels, there was a clear path to the park, which consisted of one circular patch of grass surrounded by benches, lamp posts, and a walkway that edged the mountain like the one near the castle, except this one was much closer to the wall as the mountain took more space on that side. Surprisingly, the only trees found in the higher sections of the city were in the castle, so the ones in the park created a natural scenery that complimented the fountain found in the middle.
But as nice as the location looked, it didn’t seem to attract much attention, at least not when the brothels were open. And while there were barely any people nearby, the park was quite exposed, so they didn’t get to see the view from the walkway at the end as they searched for a hidden spot nearby. There was a staircase connecting the park to the street below, which they took to reach a small area between houses and the stairs, creating a blind spot from both streets, only noticeable from the houses at the end of the street.
The first street was slightly longer than the one above, but as the only houses past the stairs seemed to be empty, almost abandoned, and rotten, no one walked to the very end, only heading in that direction to take the stairs to the park. So, with no one around to disturb them, the group got to hide in a short alley and wait safely for the private meeting. Cookie made the call, informing Crisis about their location, and after chatting about their exploration for a few minutes during the wait, the other members finally showed up.
–Alright, here they come…– Scott announced as the rookies adopted stoic expressions. Ace took his silly hat off and hid it before Crisis approached the staircase from above, where they could see them hiding clearly. But after seeing that the coast was clear, they walked down the stairs and joined the rest of the group, having to squeeze in to form a circle in the small space they had.
–Hello, did you explore the city?– Candy greeted them as she joined the circle first, receiving many waves and smiles in response, especially from Chappy and Zoey.
–Yea, we only got to look around this area because there is so much to do!– Chappy replied with an enthusiastic and joyous smile, getting a hearty laugh from Candy. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pursue a pleasant conversation with Candy as Frost pulled some papers out of his backpack and stepped into the center of the circle to speak.
–You can chat later. Now, listen carefully to what we are going to do tomorrow– Frost asserted austerely, immediately grabbing everyone’s attention but forcing them to lean closer as he showed them a poster announcing the Sunrise Festival.
–There is going to be a festival. We have to escort the princess through the city and protect her at all costs from the supposed terrorists who are threatening the city. We don’t know what they look like, so we have to keep an eye out for them…– Frost explained bluntly, then paused to take a brief look at his students’ reactions as they nodded affirmatively several times. But despite seeing their determination, he made sure to explain further to be as clear as possible.
–Again, I need you all focused. If you drop your guard, it could lead to the princess getting killed… and if that happens, the murder won’t stop at that. So, if you value your lives and the princess’s safety, you will follow every instruction, stick to your positions, and stay alert because anything could happen at any given moment…– Frost elaborated, leaning into his menacing attitude to incentivize the rookies with threats once again. But this time, most of them were unphased, which seemed to impress Frost with their lack of fear or doubt. He still pressed them with his usual stare, but after seeing their ability to remain composed and focused, he deliberately praised them with an approving nod, though nothing more, as he resumed the briefing.
–Alright, before I give your individual orders, I’d like to take a moment to officially assign your squad a name…– Frost added with a change of demeanor, catching the rookies off guard but also getting both them and Crisis excited.
–A name? Wait, like a nickname for our group??– Chappy asked curiously, looking at his friends in disbelief as they shared his enthusiasm, though he appeared to show a bit too much of it.
–Yes, idiot. What do you think a name is?– Frost replied aggressively, shutting Chappy up immediately before rubbing his forehead to think, both in frustration and apathy.
–Sorry, he is still a bit distracted with the brothels…– Zoey apologized as she pulled Chappy away from Frost to prevent any more stupid comments. Frost didn’t think much of it and dismissed both of them with a head shake before shifting his attention to his teammates and the high-ranking soldiers.
–Luckily, we have some actual soldiers capable of leading a squad. So Groovy and Bones will be your captains…– Frost declared resolutely, and in response, both Groovy and Bones shared a brief smirk before accepting the role with a firm nod and turning to their new subjects. The rookies shared awkward stares with Cookie, who wasn’t as pleased as Crisis with Frost’s decision. And even though Indie remained skeptical ever since he took control of the operation, she didn’t have a say, so, in general, no one opposed him. But while the rookies had learned not to say anything despite their doubts, Cookie couldn’t help but interject after being ignored.
–Wait… What about me? I have the higher rank!– Cookie exclaimed indignantly, trying to calm his anger before he provoked Frost. He didn’t quite trigger him with his objection, but after a harsh look, Frost thought of a way to reject Cookie without much hostility.
–Something tells me you will get distracted easily, like Chippy over here…– Frost responded disdainfully, insulting both Cookie and Chappy without much thought, with the latter trying to call out the mispronunciation of his nickname, but Zoey stopped him before he could say a thing. On the other hand, Cookie was even more upset, but Frost didn’t care enough to look at him for more than a second before turning back to the rookies, Bones, and Groovy. In response, Cookie huffed, but with nothing he could do, he sulked in silence as he stepped back to hide his shame, but not before Nitro snickered at him.
–I’m naming your squad EchoForce… I couldn’t think of anything better, and I don’t want to put in the effort…– Frost announced tepidly with a tired sigh. But even with his lack of enthusiasm and the plain name of their squad, the rookies were thrilled and cheered for a moment, except Shade, who could not keep his eyes away from Indie, taking advantage of her unawareness to keep himself entertained.
–It consists of you rookies and your superiors over here. I trust them to maintain control and provide support to our main squad, but I need you four to behave yourselves and follow orders strictly. These aren’t games anymore, we are talking about life or death here…– Frost added with a stern look, with all the rookies responding affirmatively despite the pressure put on by his words. But even with their fortitude and commitment, Frost didn’t show much hope for them, which Indie tried to correct with a bump of the shoulder, forcing him to be more encouraging.
–I know you might not get along at first, looking at you, Shade… But I assure you that if you work as a team for long enough, you’ll eventually tolerate yourself enough to do a good job. And that’s all I need from you. Do your job, and I’m happy, understood?– Frost followed up in an indifferent but lighthearted manner, turning to his own squad with a sarcastic grin, who seemed a bit disgruntled by the implications of his comment. But with no one arguing or saying anything in response, and the rookies having understood everything told to them, Frost collected his thoughts for a second to start the actual briefing.
–So, with that out of the way. Here’s the plan for tomorrow’s festival. Listen up, I’m not repeating myself…– Frost began explaining, dropping the always-present hostility towards the rookies to be able to address the whole team equally and not get distracted. Everyone paid close attention, and while it wasn’t comfortable since they were all standing in a circle, trying to stay quiet as people passed by, they remained eager as Frost assigned and explained the roles every one of them would play during tomorrow’s festival.