For those just tuning in, we join Sallya on her adventure to reunite the Crystal Kingdom. So far, she has gathered three of the mirror shards and once all seven are brought back together she can reassemble the Shadow Mirror and save the kingdom. Unfortunately, Sallya was currently not headed towards the fourth shard.
A dour woman with baggy shaded eyes and long black hair with purple streaks closed her dark tome as the ground beneath her heels began to feel soggier with every step. “Sallya…” She spoke with a tested remorse, how one might speak with a child drawing on their wall. “I understand you are… excited to see this woman sing…”
“Yeah!” Sallya turned from her spirited walk, her pink eyes glowing with freedom. “Rita The Songstress! Her tunes can turn stone into dance floors and sourpusses into the dance floors’ citizens!”
With… an eyebrow twitch hard to hide, the woman continued. “Yes, well, all the same… I think it would be better if we… just didn’t! At all! You promised if we saw swamp, which the map clearly showed, we’d turn around and get back to our main quest.”
“Uh-huh!” Sallya smiled. “I did promise that, Monica.”
“Sallya,” Monica leaned in closer to the shorter, perkier adventurer. “My heels are sinking into the mud. We are in the swamp. This is our last chance to turn around.”
For her part, the adventuring brunette did seem to consider it at least for a moment. Monica tapped her foot against the ground as their third companion, the healer named Trsiti, watched from just outside the conversation’s range shyly. After the contemplation passed and cricket song filled the air, she finally had her answer.
Sallya put on her best smile and leaned forward closer to the ground. “I don’t think it’ll get much worse than this. Remember, we walked juuuust the right trail to avoid most of the swamp. So! I say we keep goin’! And if it gets really bad, we’ll turn around. But I really, really wanna hear Rita sing!”
As soon as Sallya turned and continued walking down the path, Monica gripped her hair and nearly tugged half of it out. She hid her screams into her floating book and then lowered it. She looked to the also shorter healer and gave her a deep tired glared groping for sympathy.
“And what about you? Don’t you think we should turn around?”
Tristi rolled her staff and dug the bottom into the verdant spongy earth until the tip sunk deep as Monica’s heels. “Well…” Tristia cleared her throat. “I think… I really want to see Rita too… Me and Sallya both really like her music. I’ve only ever heard bards sing it, but it isn’t the same as hearing well… her. She wrote these songs, perfected them, and people say it is a life changing experience. I’m sorry, but I’d really like to go too.”
Monica’s face swirled through a dozen expressions like a cauldron stirring and different ingredients taking their turn at the top. Then, she released all the tension in her face and wordlessly turned to the trail ahead. There would be no turning things around. They would be venturing into the swamp.
Twisting paths curled around the last few vestiges of land above sea level before sinking deeper down. Earth became unsteady land infested with grasses that grew taller and sunk deeper. Every step threatened to give way to the boots and heels stamping into their molasses dark depths. The water that pooled up in this recess was thick and mossy. Mosquitos dipped their feet against the surface, skidding across the reflective pools in search of places to plant their annoyance for future generations. Monica watched it all with a self-satisfied discontent as every uneven drop and bubbling cauldron of swamp further amended her thesis of misery towards them turning around.
And yet, Sallya was unperturbed. If the mud climbing up her pants bothered her she gave no hint. Honestly, it was Monica least equipped for the situation. She wore that dark magic body suit that she insisted increased her magical aptitude and besides the full body stocking she wore she had over that what was essentially an evil bikini and a skirt. She wiped a little sweat from her head and sat atop the person sized rock nearby and groaned.
Right as she groaned, a loud and prominent ribbit echoed in the distance. Monica blushed before confirming the source. “Wow!” Sallya’s naïve voice rang. “That was a good croak, Monica!”
“That wasn’t me!” Monica slapped her thighs and pointed into the pond next to the rock. “Look!”
Inside the pond atop an especially gnarly lilypad was a massive frog, far bigger than most about the size of Monica’s head. It was this dark green that threatened into yellow’s periphery and had big curious eyes that scanned the whole party as they walked into his territory. Monica looked it over before grumbling and standing the rest of the way up. “Cute.”
“Ew ew ew!” Tristia didn’t share their opinions. “Why are they so big? Are they mean?”
“Probably not!” Sallya said. “As long as we’re respectful. They look very polite. Heya froggies! We’re just passing through, okay?” Sallya raised her hands and gestured to the road. The party continued their slow walk through the tall trees and swampy earth. Monica knew better than to argue at this point as they were well past the point that Sallya could be convinced, and the conniving tendrils of the sunken cost fallacy would be wrestled away.
As they went deeper, the walkable ground gradually gave way to the swimmable ponds. They were seemingly disconnected but it was probably when it rained that all of these little swamps met each other and converged into one massive river that all of the critters swam through together. As the water became more dominant the distant ribbits and croaks overwhelmed as the new chorus of their journey.
Monica spun her head to the sounds of their songs, curious if there was any greater meaning to them. Frogs were one of the key animals in the realm of dark magic. All those stories about witches keeping them handy was no fabrication and many thought them great ingredients or familiars. A creature as helpful dead as it was alive was a great boon for sorcerers to be certain.
“Hahaha, ribbit! Ribbit!” Sallya swung her head back and forth. “They’re so cute!”
“I guess so…” Tristi nodded. “Rr…” The healer shuddered as she saw a nice plump frog as they kept walking through the swamp. “Rrrr…” She grasped her throat, panicked, nervous. That was one was very close to the road. They made eye contact as Tristi backed away from it. The creature croaked in greeting. “RRRRrrriiibiit!” Tristi gasped out and held her hands over her mouth.
Sallya made an “ooooooh!” face and walked hurriedly in front of the healer. “Wow! That was such a good one! Let me try, ribbit! Ribbit?”
“S-stop Sallya, the more you do it the more I-I need tooooo rrrriii…” She held her hands over her mouth and let out a tiny little “ibbit…” inside her hands, muffling it, and keeping her hands sealed close like she caught a moth.
Naturally, anything Sallya thought was just clean fun made Monica nervous so she pushed the brunette aside and looked Tristi over closely. There were no signs of injury and none of the frogs had touched them. Monica hadn’t been looking away from the party all that much, just examining the water for the signs of anything dangerous.
Best to be careful. “Tristi?” Monica asked. “Can you not control the sounds?”
“N-no!” Tristi said with more pink on her cheeks than any other color. “I can’t help it. I just… let them out! It feels like they’re building up in my throat and whenever I think about the sound they make I just want to…” Tristi watched as a frog hopped out of the water on the path before them. She stared at it as it let out a little croak. “Rrr…” She struggled.
Suddenly, Sallya shivered. “H-huh…? Rrr… Why does… it feels like I need to cough…” Sallya laughed, spreading her throat and letting a bit long “Ribbbiiiiiit!” out.
As soon as she made the sound, Tristi’s defensed collapsed and she joined in. “R-ribbit! Ribbit!”
“Ribbit! Haha! Ribbit! Wow that feels weird.”
Monica’s eyes turned dour and she lifted her staff. They were absorbed into a soundproof purple orb. “Stop.”
Inside the orb their vision of the swamp was lightly obscured but they were entirely insolated from the outside. None of those ribbits were sneaking through. Monica intensified her focus. Sallya and Tristi both had their hands over their mouth. They knew the second Monica started casting spells that the time to goof around had long since passed and they needed to focus on what she was about to say next.
“I don’t know what these frogs’ deals are…” Monica felt herself grow incredibly tired. “But it is very, very likely that their sounds are attacks. They are trying to lower our defenses and makes us… I don’t even want to say. So starting now… Do not speak. Do not open your mouth. You are just risking making more of that sound that is—”
“Rrr…” Sallya gulped. Monica glided across the floor and put her face right against Sallya’s.
“Don’t you dare. I’ll drown you. Keep that big mouth shut.” A long pause spread. “… Good. We don’t want trouble. We don’t want any issues. Listen to me, and we’ll make it through this swamp and we’ll see this Reata girl.”
“Rita…” Tristi said.
“Rita,” Monica sighed. “Tristi, please. Now both of you… Just follow me. I’ll lead the way. This orb doesn’t protect us from actual attacks so if any of them try and hop in we will need to get them out of the orb or dodge them if they attack. They might get frustrated seeing their sonic attacks not work.”
Their steps became careful. With their limited vision from the sound dampening spell they had to be very careful with each of their steps. The path ahead was only going to get muddier. As well, Monica had to spend a good deal of her focus on keeping the spell up and running on top of this careful ground scanning and also keeping an ear peeled for both any of the frogs hopping in or for Tristi and Sallya starting back up. She just had to assume that both of them were suffering some mental effects from their unshielded time. Monica just hoped that so far she was okay…
“Ow…”
The orb fluttered for a moment revealing fireflies and hopping frogs ahead. Monica turned. “Who fell?”
“Tristi did…” Sallya said.
“Don’t talk—I mean thank you.” Monica lowered down. “Tristi? Talk quick. What made you fall?”
Tristi nervously nodded. “Boots.”
Monica gulped. She grabbed ahold of one of Tristi’s boots and undid clasps and slowly lowered it. Her worst fears were confirmed below. Tristi’s stocking was clinging tightly around a thicker, webbed foot that was rapidly turning green before their eyes, the color seeping through the dark see through article.
“Rrr…” Sallya shivered.
“Rrrii…” Tristi shuddered.
Monica’s eyes glared. Without thinking, she shrunk the orb down to just herself when she realized she couldn’t stop them both.
“Riiiibiittt!” Sallya moaned.
“Ribit ribit ribit!” Tristi joined, their sounds so similar to the choir surrounding them. Tristi’s stocking burst as her feet grew bigger, her hand dug into the mud to support her seated position sudden growing just as webbed, just as green. Once Monica saw both of their mouths close she widened the orb again.
Sallya’s face was a bit greener and her mouth opened to unfurl her longer tongue. “Oh wow! Look at that—”
“STOP. TALKING.” Monica groaned. “Ugh. You two are still changing even without hearing the frogs. That means you two are probably cursed. All we can do is get you to the next town before things get any worse.”
The two silently agreed to their direness of their situation. They continued walking. Tristi awkwardly carried her boots, opting to just let her feet meet the ground below. In a way it wasn’t unpleasant. Frog feet were made for swampy ground, and it felt pretty easy to walk. She let out a single hop but even seeing the hop made Sallya start to swell so Monica shut that down as quickly as she could.
Monica was at least thankful that so far she had been unaffected by the frogs for the most part. When she focused she could feel it, this subtle swelling feeling in her throat, the need to let the song be a part of her. The difference between her and the other two was that Monica was more used to dark magic and how to resist and control it. As long as she kept that focus and made sure she prioritized her own safety she’d be able to take care of the party. Sallya and Tristi would be alright, and heck they’d be cute as little frogs for a little bit. There’d be no harm in keeping them that way just for a bit…
The further they went the greener the two got. The changes slowed but never stopped, the steady climbing of the slippery green skin up Tristi’s legs was subtly dictated by the sounds she made. Sallya’s face was slowly turning a brighter shade of green, the pooling green just barely reaching one of her eyes that turning more orange with every minute that passed.
Monica turned as she heard something. “Did either of you just hop?”
“Rrr…”
“Rrriii…”
“… Girls?!” Monica turned. There were three frogs surrounding the two in the back. With a deep breath, Monica quickly took the sound proofing spell and tightened it back around her before the frogs could sound it. “Sorry, but I need to be the adult here!” Monica turned.
And in front of her was a much, much bigger frog, almost as tall as she was. It opened its mouth and let out the first half of a behemoth ribbit. The sound orb was tightened to just inches in front of Monica.
“Ha… ha… Gods… that was… rrr…” No… stay together Monica. She stared as green crawled out from her crotch across her thighs. Come on Monica… You can do this. “Rrriii…” Stop thinking about lillypads and swimming in the water and finding a mate to take of your… eggs… your… “Rrrrrrriiiii…” She spread her legs and lowered into a squat. She felt something strange, a pulsing motion she couldn’t stop. She found her boot knife and ripped open her body suit and bikini. Eggs spilled out. Little tadpole eggs spilled from her legs. One roar of that beast was enough.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She widened the sound proofing. Sallya with two orange slit eyes and a big broad froggy smile. “Ribbiiiit. Riiiiibiiiiiit.”
Another hand. Monica turned and it was Tristi with the exact same expression. “Riiiibiiit. Ribit. Ribit.” Their personalities were warped. Only the hair gave away who was who.
And with their croaks joined, the chorus was irresistible. “Rrrrrii…” Monica gasped.
“Riiiiibiiiiiit!!”
The two pulled her out of the sphere and the sound proofing vanished. Sallya ripped the bodysock so she could drag her long tongue underneath her bra and tug it away to let her growing tits free. She traced her tongue up her neck and slammed it down Monica’s throat, forcefully making out with her. She hopped closer to her as her own body turned greener and her free hand that wasn’t support her weight ripped away her clothes.
Tristi ripped off her skirt and revealed a cock that Monica only saw for a second before she climbed on top of the sorceress and began eagerly procreating. Her little ribbits eagerly filled the air, joining the surrounding frogs all around them in a delightful, terrible song.
There was no hesitance. Frogs don’t hold back. Frogs keep going. And going… Tristi came inside Monica, turning her belly green and bloating it with the rapidly forming eggs. Sallya was pleased with the kiss, especially once Monica’s tongue grew long enough to wrap around her own. Sallya let out a little giggle. Monica could only let out a lost little “Ribbiiit?”
…
Rita, the great musician, continued her tour of the land! She heard tale of a Crystal Kingdom who had fallen upon hard times and wished to come bring her beautiful music to the realm. Her guards struggled to keep up with her as she eagerly danced through the trail ahead, not minding as the grass turned murky and the waters became bountiful enough to surface as bogs.
“Oh, look at those!” Rita pointed to an especially large set of lillypads. Atop them were three strange looking frogs. One a brunette, one with pale blue hair, and the biggest one with black and purple hair. “Hah, what a strange little family. I guess even frogs can love, right?”
The nearest guard nodded his head. “’spose so! Everything loves in this world, save for a few people.”
Rita nodded. “I heard frogs are great singers. I wonder if they can offer me any inspiration.”
The brunette frog patted her chest and filled her throat until it bloated out nice and big. And she let out a loud, resounding—
You know.