The swamp stirred awake at dawn with a low growl, the geyser bubbling in the distance like a forgotten pot on the stove. Mist twisted like a filthy shroud over the green puddles, and the air reeked of sulfur and rot—a stench that clung to the throat like an invisible scab. Renn Tork sprawled inside the shack, a hovel of crooked sticks and rotting branches that creaked with every gust of damp wind. Dried mud fked off his busted boots like brown dandruff, and the sack beside him oozed a viscous liquid that smelled like fermented death. Across from him, Shadowtoad the frog croaked from an indoor puddle, her bulbous eyes glinting under the faint glow of mushrooms dangling from the ceiling like broken nterns. Her long legs buzzed with restless energy, and her skin looked thicker, shinier—like the swamp had polished her while she slept.
Renn scratched his scruffy beard, grunting as the core in his neck hummed with a buzz that crawled up his spine like a shiver. The mental screen flickered before his eyes, a blue glow slicing through the gloom with shaky letters:
**[System: Lord Renn Tork has risen to Level 3]**
**[Lord: Renn Tork. Level 3. HP: 100/100. Strength 8, Agility 13, Endurance 19, Dirty Magic 12. Resources: 115 Toxic Sludge]**
**[Strength: 6 → 8 | Agility: 11 → 13 | Endurance: 17 → 19 | Dirty Magic: 10 → 12]**
“Ha!” Renn barked, a ugh that was more cough than joy. “Level 3, huh? Sounds like I finally stopped being a total trainwreck.” He turned to the frog, jabbing a grimy finger at her. “And you, you smug croaker? What’d the swamp give you this time? More venom to ruin my day?” Shadowtoad leapt from the puddle with a *plop* that spttered mud on his face, nding in front of him with a pose screaming swamp royalty. “I’m a terror now, you clumsy oaf!” she croaked, thumping her webbed hand against her chest. “My legs hum like the geyser, and my venom burns like hell! And you? Still a wreck with a trinket core!”
**[System: Shadowtoad has risen to Level 3]**
**[Troop: Shadowtoad (Puddle, Level 3). Strength 9, Agility 17, Endurance 13, Venom 12]**
**[Strength: 8 → 9 | Agility: 15 → 17 | Endurance: 12 → 13 | Venom: 10 → 12]**
Renn wiped the mud off his face with a sleeve already a bckened rag. “Sure, you pompous toad!” he shot back, kicking a puddle that spshed near her. “I leveled up killing bugs while you pranced around. Who’s the useless one now, huh?” The frog gred, narrowing her eyes like she wanted to spit in his face, and croaked, “You, you filthy clod! I’m the queen here, and you’re my bumbling jester!” She spat a tiny jet of venom that nded on a nearby root, sizzling it with a *ssss* that filled the air with an acidic stink. “Look at that! That’s power, not your little dirty water trickles!”
“Oh, what a fearsome queen!” Renn said, sarcasm dripping like the mud from his boots. “If you’re so mighty, why’re you still stuck with this clumsy trash-picker in a swamp that smells like a dead ass?” Shadowtoad leapt at him, shoving him with a leg that sent him staggering. “Because this muckhole’s *mine*, you dolt!” she croaked, her voice sharp as a rusty bde. “And you’re the only moron who pulled me out of nothing! So move it, filth—I want more!”
Renn ughed, brushing mud off his shoulder. “Deal, you vain croaker,” he said, grabbing the sack. “But first, let’s get you a bath. If you’re gonna be queen, at least don’t stink like me.”
---
The swamp y still by noon, the sun barely piercing the thick fog as the geyser bubbled with a steady rhythm. Renn trudged to the Putrid Muck Pit, a hole that stank of sulfur and death, and pulled the book from the sack—a tattered tome with covers that creaked like rotten wood. He cracked it open with a *snap*, flipping to a page about “elemental grooming.” “Swamp water, it says here,” he muttered, smirking crookedly at the frog. “Let’s polish you up, Your Muddy Majesty.”
Shadowtoad croaked, a sound of pure disdain, and hopped back with a *plop* that spttered mud everywhere. “Don’t touch me, you oaf!” she snapped, her bulbous eyes bzing with fury. “That shitty little book does nothing, you grimeball! I’m queen by the swamp, not your dumb tricks!” Renn chuckled, waving the book like a trophy. “Oh, sure, you pompous toad!” he said, flipping another page with an exaggerated *flick*. “‘Stroke its head to calm it’… How about a bath, huh? Says here it’ll make you shine like a queen!”
“I don’t need your filthy water, you useless lump!” she croaked, leaping onto a twisted root to escape. “The swamp gave me everything, not your idiot book! Touch me and I’ll bury you in mud!” Renn stepped closer, his grin more mockery than menace, and dipped a hand into the pit, scooping out a handful of bubbling green water that seemed alive. “C’mere, you vain croaker!” he yelled, flinging the water with a clumsy swing that barely grazed her. She shrieked, a croak that echoed like an insult, and leapt at him, dodging the spsh with a nimble twist.
“Don’t wash me, you clod!” she croaked, nding beside him with a *thud* that spttered mud in his face. Renn ughed, chasing her with the book in one hand and water in the other. “Says ‘gentle bath’ right here, you pompous toad!” he shouted, flipping another page mid-pursuit. “‘Rub gently for a shiny coat’… Well, you’ve got no fur, but it’ll do!” Shadowtoad leapt again, croaking with fury. “I’m not a pet, you filth!” she snapped. “I’ll drown you for this!” But Renn, faster than he looked, lunged at her, wrapping her long legs in a *glomp* that sent him tumbling into the mud.
“Gotcha, you crazy croaker!” he yelled as she dragged him through the swamp, kicking and croaking like an outraged queen. “Let me go, you useless lump!” she screeched, hopping between puddles while Renn clung on, ughing like a fool. “Not ‘til I bathe you, you vain toad!” he shot back, mud spshing his face as she hauled him through the muck all morning. “Says ‘stroke with love’ here, but this is the best I’ve got!” Shadowtoad croaked, a sound half fury, half resignation: “You’re a disaster, you oaf! Let go or I’ll bury you!”
After hours of wrestling, Shadowtoad stopped, panting in a puddle while Renn still hugged her legs, coated head to toe in mud. “Fine, you grimeball!” she croaked, her tone pure annoyance. “Bathe me if you’re so damn eager, but if I end up smelling like you, I’ll drown you!” Renn ughed, releasing her with a *plop* and scooping more water from the pit. “That’s the spirit, you pompous toad!” he said, approaching with a mocking calm. “Says ‘rub gently for a healthy shine’… Let’s make you pretty.”
She gred, croaking disdainfully as he started brushing her skin with the dirty water, running it over her warty back with clumsy but careful strokes. “Gross, you clod!” she croaked, kicking the mud with a leg. “That book’s for dogs, not queens like me!” Renn chuckled, flipping another page. “‘Massage the legs to rex’… How about it, you vain toad? A royal rubdown?” She croaked, a biting sound: “Touch my legs and I’ll rip your hand off, you filth!” But she didn’t move, letting the water run over her skin, which gleamed brighter under the swampy sun.
Suddenly, the geyser roared, spitting a jet of steam that mingled with the water on her skin. The mud around her trembled, and her body began to shift, glowing with a slimy shimmer. Her skin darkened to a deep green, thickening and shining like the swamp was sculpting her. Her legs stretched longer, her webbed toes shortened and curled, and her torso rounded out, sprouting a pair of visible breasts that jutted out like mud mounds. The puddle beneath her swirled, bending to her will, and she croaked with a voice of raw power: “I’m *Muck* now, you oaf! Mudcroaker, queen of the swamp!”
**[System: Shadowtoad has evolved to “Muck” (Mudcroaker)]**
**[Rarity increased: +25% to all stats]**
**[Troop: Mudcroaker (Muck, Level 3). Strength 11, Agility 21, Endurance 16, Venom 15]**
**[Strength: 9 → 11 | Agility: 17 → 21 | Endurance: 13 → 16 | Venom: 12 → 15]**
**[Abilities: Mud Control (Active), Corrosive Venom (Passive)]**
Renn’s jaw dropped for a second, the book slipping into the mud with a *plop*. Then he burst into ughter, pointing at her with a shaky hand. “You grew tits, you damn frog!” he shouted, nearly falling off the rock. “Thought you were a gay dude this whole time!” Mudcroaker gred with eyes promising murder and leapt at him with a low croak, knocking him off the rock and dunking him into the muck with a *glup* that spttered everywhere. “I’ll drown you, you useless lump!” she croaked, raising a wave of sticky mud with her new Mud Control that trapped Renn up to his chest. “I’m a queen, you filth, not some random toad!”
Renn ughed under the mud, spitting sludge as he struggled. “Holy crap!” he yelled, eyeing the mental screen with wild eyes. “You got stronger, you vain toad! The book gave you tits *and* power!” Mudcroaker croaked furiously, tightening the mud around him until it reached his neck. “It was the swamp, you oaf!” she snapped, strutting atop a mud mound that seemed to grow beneath her feet. “Keep fpping that tongue, and I’ll sink you deeper!” Renn filed, still ughing like a fool. “The book gave you magic mud, you crazy croaker!” he shouted, wrenching an arm free with a *shlop*. “Admit it, you pompous toad—you’re my masterpiece!”
“Shut it, you grimeball!” she croaked, spitting a jet of venom that nded inches from his face, sizzling the mud with a corrosive *ssss*. “It’s the swamp, not your useless little book! I’m queen on my own!” She leapt again, nding with a grace that shook the ground, and raised another mud wave that smacked Renn in the face, leaving him coughing and ughing at once. “Let’s see you get uglier, you pompous toad!” he yelled, mimicking her voice as he crawled out of the muck, shaking himself like a wet dog. “I brushed you, and now you’ve got curves!”
Mudcroaker gred, narrowing her eyes, and croaked, “Keep talking, you oaf, and I’ll bury you alive!” But there was a gleam in her eyes—half fury, half pride—as the mud around her kept obeying her gestures. Renn stood, wiping his face with a shaky hand. “Deal, you smug croaker!” he said, fishing the book from the mud. “But now I wanna see that Mud Control in action. Something big, you vain toad—my hands are itching for a fight!”
---
The swamp seemed to conspire against them as they trudged through puddles and twisted roots, the sun creeping slowly toward midday. Mudcroaker hopped ahead, croaking with a mix of impatience and arrogance: “Rats are trash, you oaf! I want something big—something worth my new power!” Renn grunted, adjusting the sack on his shoulder as mud spshed his boots. “You’re nuts, you pompous toad!” he shot back, squinting around. “What do you want? Me to summon a dragon with my dirty water?” She gred, croaking a challenge: “Find it or I’ll sink you, you filth! My mud-tits demand blood!”
The air grew heavier as they followed a trail of churned mud, puddles bubbling with an odd rhythm and a deep croak rumbling from the swamp’s depths. Along the way, toxic rats scurried across their path, but Mudcroaker dispatched them with a couple of hops and a venom jet that left them sizzling in the muck. “That doesn’t count, you oaf!” she croaked, not even slowing down. Renn kicked a root, cursing as a spurt of bck water spshed his face. “Crap, you crazy croaker!” he said, wiping it with a shaky hand. “If we find something, it’ll be because of your damn whims.”
Farther ahead, a low buzz stopped them at a nest of giant flies—each the size of a small dog, with wings humming like saws and red eyes glowing in the mist. Renn ughed, pointing with a trembling hand. “Look, you vain toad! Your cousins came to say hi! Give ‘em a kiss?” Mudcroaker gred with eyes promising death and raised a mud wave that hit him full-on with a furious croak, sinking him chest-deep in the muck. “I’ll drown you for that, you filth!” she croaked as he spat mud and ughed like a fool. “Don’t get mad, you crazy croaker!” he shouted, struggling free. “Just saying they’re family!”
“Shut it, you oaf!” she snapped, leaping at the flies and dropping them with a venom jet that sent them buzzing into the mud. “That’s no challenge, you useless lump! Keep looking!” Renn crawled out of the muck, still ughing, and pointed to a deeper mud trail vanishing between roots. “That way, you pompous toad!” he said, hefting the sack. “If I die, it’s for your damn crown.”
The trail led to a clearing where the mud churned like it was alive. A deep roar shook the distant geyser, and from a puddle rose the Alpha Mutant Toad—a colossal beast that looked like a pile of warts with a pulse. Its skin dripped a bck liquid that scorched the ground, its cws sliced the air like scythes, and its red eyes glowed with blind rage. Renn stumbled back, the sack dropping into the mud with a wet *thud*. “By all the swamps!” he yelled, yanking out his rusty knife. “This is what you wanted, you crazy toad!”
The fight erupted like a whirlwind of mud and fury. Mudcroaker leapt forward, dodging a cw swipe with agility that cut the air like a whip, and spat a jet of Corrosive Venom that seared the toad’s back with a *ssss* that filled the swamp with stench. “Hit it, you useless lump!” she croaked, raising a sticky mud pit that trapped the mutant’s legs with a viscous *glup*. The toad roared, breaking free with a leap that shook the ground, and swung a cw that sent Renn flying into a tree with a *crack* that echoed through the swamp. The trash-picker hit the mud, groaning as he stood, blood dripping from his arm. “Great pn, you crazy croaker!” he shouted, hurling a jet of dirty water that smacked the toad’s face, blinding it for a moment.
Mudcroaker capitalized, darting around the Alpha like a green shadow, spitting venom jets that burned its warty skin with a corrosive *ssss* that stank up the air. “My mud’s got it, you oaf!” she croaked, raising a mud barrier that blocked another swipe. The toad roared, spewing bck liquid that scorched the ground, but Renn darted aside, firing another water jet that spshed into its open mouth, making it choke and stagger. “Eat my dirty water, you ugly beast!” he yelled as Mudcroaker leapt onto its back, bsting a venom jet straight into a red eye that popped with a slimy *pop*.
The Alpha screeched, spinning with fury, and swiped a cw that caught Mudcroaker midair, smming her into a root with a *thud* that shook the swamp. “Croaker!” Renn yelled, charging toward her as the toad lunged again, its cws slicing the mud like scythes. Mudcroaker staggered up, croaking with a fury that seemed to rattle the air: “Don’t cry for me, you useless lump! Finish it!” Renn dodged by a hair, mud spshing his face, and fired a dirty water jet that soaked the mutant, making it slip. Mudcroaker leapt again, raising a mud wave that stopped it cold, and spat more venom that burned its skin until it bubbled and melted.
The toad roared, teetering, and Renn rushed in, jamming his rusty knife into its neck with a *shunk* that unleashed a spurt of bck blood. Mudcroaker leapt simultaneously, spitting a final venom jet that shot down the mutant’s throat, burning it from the inside. The Alpha crashed down with a *thud* that rattled the swamp, its body sinking into the mud with a final gurgle. Renn gasped, coated in muck and blood, and gnced at Mudcroaker, who nded beside him with a triumphant croak. “That’s how you rule, you oaf!” she said, shaking off mud like it was a cape. Renn ughed, wiping his face with a shaky hand. “You’re a lunatic, you pompous toad! Nearly got me killed for your ego!” She croaked, a sound of pure disdain mixed with pride: “I saved you, you filth! Admit it—I’m your queen!”
“Ha!” Renn snorted, kicking the toad’s corpse. “You’re a glorious pain in the ass, that’s what.”
**[System: Mission completed: Defeat the Alpha Mutant Toad]**
**[Reward: 30 Toxic Sludge. Resources: 145 Toxic Sludge]**
---
Back at the shack under a light rain pattering the roof, Renn roasted a chunk of mutant toad while Mudcroaker croaked from a puddle. He sparked up the busted orb, and the regional chat flickered:
**[Lord_Korr]: “Lost three griffins in the east. Need wood now.”]**
**[Lord_Torm]: “My mines are under attack. More iron, higher price.”]**
**[Lord_Sys]: “South front’s falling without crystal. Move it!”]**
“Look at these clowns!” Renn said with a dry ugh. “Scrapping over crumbs while we hunt kings.” Mudcroaker hopped beside the orb, croaking, “Their bugs are trash, you oaf! My mud’s worth more than their wars!” Renn nodded, chewing with a crooked grin. “Let ‘em tear each other apart, you pompous toad,” he replied. “This swamp’s ours, and they don’t even know it.” She gred, narrowing her eyes like she was debating spitting on him, and croaked, “Sure, you filth, but don’t get cocky! I did the heavy lifting!”
Renn ughed, smacking the stone with his knife. “That’s it, you smug croaker! Keep dreaming you’re in charge.”
The fire died slowly, leaving the shack in gloom as rain drummed outside. Renn leaned against the wall, dried mud crunching under his weight, and eyed Mudcroaker, who croaked from her puddle like she was plotting her next reign. “You know, you vain toad,” he said, his tone more tired than sarcastic, “this swamp’s a mess, but with that Mud Control of yours, we could make it ours. What d’you say? Queen and trash-picker, lords of the muck?”
Mudcroaker stared, her eyes glinting with a mix of mockery and calcution, and croaked, “Don’t get delusions, you oaf! I’m not your queen, and you’re no lord. But…” She hopped beside him, spttering mud in his face with a deliberate *plop*. “This muckhole’s growing on me, you filth! So I won’t kill you today. Keep hunting, and maybe I won’t bury you alive.”
Renn ughed, wiping the mud with a hand that didn’t care about dirt anymore. “Deal, you crazy croaker!” he said, peering at the swamp through a gap in the wall. “If the muck roars, let it roar for us.” Mudcroaker croaked, a sound more threat than ugh: “Keep dreaming, weakling! But don’t sleep—tomorrow’s got more blood.”
Renn closed his eyes, a bitter grin on his face. Let the swamp swallow the rest, he thought. This muckhole’s already got owners.
