Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 69: Humancatcher

General Yunan was busy patrolling the streets. King Andrias had given her one charge. Find Drake and retrieve the strange box in his possession. Strangely, the king considered this to be a higher priority than breaking the siege on the capital. It was a weird decision but if that was what the king wanted, then that was what he would get. She had sworn an oath to serve the king after all.

The general had spent much of her career tracking down fugitives of the crown. To her, Drake was just another name on that long list of enemies she had defeated. This was one of few possible places Drake could appear next and all she could do was hope she guessed correctly. If she was wrong, she'd have to pick a different area and wait for him again.

Somewhere in Newtopia, a young boy in a blue hooded outfit walked the streets. His outfit looked similar to the other robed people who also had a habit of roaming the streets during the day. Usually, they were scholars or students in one of Newtopia's many universities. As if that wasn't enough, the weather was starting to get cold. Cold enough that a person wearing a scarf that covered his face wouldn't be out of place in Newtopia.

Suddenly, Drake heard a familiar voice. He followed that voice and came saw Anne standing on a stage. It was the first time he'd seen her since the siege started. In front of Anne was a podium with the Newtopian banner hanging in front of it. Curiously, Drake joined the crowd that gathered. From where he stood, he looked like another random person in a crowd full of people.

Anne was in the middle of giving a speech. "The toads think they can push everyone around, but they can't! They think they can burn our homes and we'll just accept it, but we won't! They may have won the last battle, but the war is not over! Don't despair! They can only control us if we let them!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

A young newt raised her hand. In the hand she raised, she had a pen and in the other hand, a notebook. "Excuse me ma'am! I'm with the Newtopian Times. I have a question. There are rumors the enemy army has a human of their own in their ranks. Should we be concerned?"

There were a few concerned whispers in the crowd, but no one spoke up.

"Her name is Sasha Waybright, and her presence doesn't change anything. For all intents and purposes, she's just another toad," Anne said.

"What about the human that's running around the city? Drok Cuhin, is he a part of the enemy army as well?" the reporter asked.

At first, Anne was confused by the question. The name threw her off. "You mean Drake? The Newtopian military just wants to ask him a few questions. He's harmless."

"A thousand coppers is a lot to offer to kill or capture a harmless person." the reporter commented. "Are there any other comments about him?"

"There's no need to panic regarding Drake. He's not dangerous, just hard to find," Anne explained.

"I'm sure our readers will be glad to know that. What about Master Marcy? There are some concerns that she has abandoned us to our fate here in Newtopia when she left the city. Are there any comments on that?" the reporter asked.

"She is on a mission from the king himself to gather reinforcements from the Southern Toad Army and break the siege," Anne explained.

"Aren't the toad armies currently the enemy? Why would the Southern Toad Army help us?" the reporter asked.

There were more concerned whispers coming from the crowd. If another toad army was coming, they may not be the friendliest. Anne realized she had made a mistake. She needed to come up with some kind of response before her entire speech gets torn apart.

Anne said the first thing on her mind. "Most of my information comes from the king himself. If he believes they will help us, then I'm sure they will. We've trusted the king before; we should trust him now."