The catamarans sailed across the swamp delving deeper and deeper into the green abyss. After announcing their intentions to the train below, Aria had placed the crew on course for one of the swamps more dangerous areas.

  Before they left Aria took them through an extensive and intense safety briefing in the catamaran’s mess hall.

  “Anyone here below tier 0 aside from Ozzy is not allowed above deck at any time or during any circumstances. Believe me if you find yourself above deck for any reason during an encounter then this will likely be the last trip you ever take out into the swamp.” She declared.

  “Anyone who has any concerns should check back with the agreement they made upon signing to be staffed for this voyage. You're getting paid and paid well for this. I don't want to hear any complaints. See any bothered faces. Or have to explain myself to you a second time.” She said, lasering in on one of the crew heads.

  “That said, there is nothing where we are going capable of breaching the defenses of this vessel. Should you comply with my instructions and the instructions of those in charge of you, you will all make it home safely, in one piece, and with a nice bonus for joining me on this hunt.” She said, and a wave of whispers flashed through the crowd at the mention of a bonus. “Any questions?” Either no one had any questions or no one was brave enough to ask, either way Aria was content with ending the conversation there.

  As the crew fizzled out of the Mass, Ozzy went up to stand next to Aria. “Do I lose my bonus if I ask a question?” He asked.

  “Seeing as you're not a member of the crew, you weren't ever eligible to receive one. If you didn't ask your question, I might be inclined to give you one however.” She said, her humor drying out the air around them.

  “Tempting.” Ozzy remarked. “If we're going somewhere dangerous enough for you to hunt. How do you plan on keeping me alive?” Ozzy asked and felt as Trinidad walked up beside him.

  “I'm also slightly concerned for my safety, much more so for Ozzy’s, but also slightly for mine.” Trinidad said.

  “You think this is my first time hunting with people weaker than me?” She asked sarcastically. “We’re hunting great frogs. There will be plenty of prey for everyone.”

  ***

  Trinidad made a point of explaining Great Frogs to Ozzy. For some reason Aria had wanted it to be something of a surprise but Trinidad had put her foot down hard. Ozzy was glad for it too. The frogs were far from just being ordinary.

  Great frogs existed within a hierarchy. There was a top dawg who was literally just a super huge frog amped up on stimulants. When Ozzy had laughed at Trinidad’s explanation she had given him a strange look and he’d realized there was no joke.

  Surrounding the great frog were thousands of other amphibians all of them who went out into the swamp to gather food and swamp treasures to the big one. The greatest treasure of all to these frogs were of course drugs. Why that was the why it worked? Who knew. Ozzy kept telling himself he hated this place and every time he did, he knew at some point something would come along that was worse.

  So yeah, frogs jumped up on stimulants that varied between tiers zero and three. Trinidad had explained that there would be the single top dog, several tier twos, a whole slew of tier ones, but nearly nothing beneath that. The frogs did have live young in the form of tadpoles but the offspring were less than dangerous opponents.

  Slowly but surely, they closed on their target. It was a different world comped to the swamp they had only just 20 minutes prior been in. This area was much like the swampland Ozzy had fought the Matriarchs in. Not like their artificial hill but nearly identical to the muddy, hard to traverse expanse of mud and thick foliage he’d had to press through to get there.

  It was an interesting site and made Ozzy wonder about some of the more environmental implications of the different biomes within the swamp. He knew from the little he'd heard that here where they were south of Myreluck was more monster-infested and dangerous area of the region. Though he had at no point heard any mention of Leviathans or other dangers of the deep. In fact even when they cross certain flats, people seemed completely at ease. Behavior in direct contradiction with the nervousness and anxiety he'd witnessed back on his initial swamp traipse.

  Ozzy was pulled out of his thoughts however, when Arlen surprised him, walking up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Morning.” The Old man said with a yawn. Startling up and making him leap nearly a foot and half into the air.

  “We're jumpy this morning, aren't we?” He asked, idly stirring a cup of steaming tea as he watched the scenery whip by.

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  “You snuck up on me. Normally I can at least hear someone coming or they’re say something before they’re right on top of me.” Ozzy retorted, feeling as his heart rate lowered back to a normal rate.

  “You wouldn't be able to at least hear,” He mocked Ozzy’s words, “if anyone worth noticing was sneaking up behind you. You should really keep your head on more of a swivel.” He chided.

  Ozzy took the advice wordlessly, he hadn’t exactly been expecting to be snuck up on here of all places but supposed the old man wasn’t entirely wrong.

  “Ah, just about there then.” Arlan said, and Ozzy turned to look as a massive break in the swamp’s greenery came into view.

  The foliage continued to grow sparser and sparser until the only things that were left were mud and rotten wood. A smell rose up from the area, it was fetid and held all of the rotten resemblances of a poisoned pond.

  Further into the wasteland, there was greater evidence of life. Great amphibious footprints had been pockmarked all across the muddy wasteland. It was hard to tell size from all the way up in the catamaran but Ozzy estimated that some of the footprints were nearly as wide across as he was tall.

  The further in they got, the more prevalent the footprints became. Gradually they increased until it was impossible to differentiate the individual frog's paths from the torn-up swampland. Then finally they saw one.

  The first frog Ozzy laid eyes on was an ugly and sickly-looking thing. It was crossing the wasteland in great leaps and bounds, sending up sprays of muck and crushing rotten logs underfoot as it went. It moved much like an earthly frog though one that had been sized up nearly twenty times.

  Green patchy skin covered the frog's exterior, running uninterrupted all across its body see for two great horns that rose from its brows just above its eyes. It had a mouth the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and could probably have swallowed Trinidad whole without needing to open its mouth as wide as it could.

  It moved at a pace that was nearly as fast as the catamaran. Though they steadily gained on it, the frog remaining completely ignorant to its new audience as it hopped along.

  “Do you want it?” Aria asked Trinidad, the tall woman just shrugged in response.

  “It looks a little small for me. Ozzy?” Trinidad responded, turning to Ozzy to see if he was interested.

  Balking at the idea that this was one of the smaller ones, Ozzy reassessed his expectations for the fight. In stark contrast to the way things normally went this very much might end up being an escape and gun rather than a run and gun.

  “I can try, but everything between here and the horizon is going to hear me.” He said.

  “Why does everyone have to go with flashy powers?” Aria asked the word around them. “Go ahead. It'll save us the trouble of tracking down the tier 2s.”

  “Do you have an emplacement I could use or do you just want me to shoot?” Ozzy asked, really wishing he had the option of using one. He’d been summoning bullets all morning in preparation for the hunt but even still he really hoped he’d be able to recoup a little bit of that mana cost and summon a little bit more before they really got into things.

  “You won't always get an emplacement, Ozzy. Take this one normally.” Aria said.

  “See you on the ground then.” Ozzy remarked and stepped up onto the railing to leap off.

  “Wait!” Arlan and Aria said simultaneously, both of them lunging for him and catching his legs just before he could leap.

  “What the hell is wrong with you, suicidal little lemming!” Arlan shouted at him. Yanking him back down to the deck.

  “I don’t know if you could tell Ozzy but we’re way higher up than you could fall and be in fighting condition, much less fall and survive.” Aria added, much more gently than Arlan.

  Sighing at the two circle members Ozzy leveled his best unimpressed look. “Did you really think I was just going to jump with zero plan? I have an ability that keeps me from taking any damage no matter how far I fall.” Ozzy explained.

  “He’s very light.” Trinidad added helpfully to which Ozzy gave her a grateful smile.

  “Ah… that’s a rather uncommon ability.” Arlan admitted. “Carry on.” He said, smiling sheepishly as he relinquished his hold on Ozzy’s leg.

  “I still don’t know why you wouldn’t rather fight from up here. I heard you were a long-ranged specialist.” Aria said.

  “I want to try out some of my new abilities,” Ozzy admitted, “can’t do that from up here. If it makes you feel better,” Ozzy looked from Aria and Arlan to Trinidad, “you wanna come down with me?” He asked her.

  “Only if I get the next one.” Trinidad said playfully.

  “Deal.”

  Freed from the worried grasp of the circle members Ozzy leapt from the front of Catamaran. Instantly the wind was whipping at his face and tearing the air from his lungs, but he just managed to keep his feet under himself. His stability was helped a great deal by the fact that he only weighed a small percentage of what a normal human would. As such his momentum and speed were only fractions of what a normal person would have experienced jumping off of a flying ship. A point made manifest as Trinidad passed him like a streaking missile, making him feel like he was standing still in midair.

  Trinidad hit the earth with a booming slap, her momentum driving her several feet deep into the earth. Ozzy landed a few moments later, having just switched into his rat form he struck the earth with a small thud and bounced, slipping back into human form before he could fall back down into the mud.

  The earth here was thankfully nowhere near as sticky and wet as it had been near the matriarch’s hill. Here the ground was nearly firm enough to stand on without sinking, at least for Ozzy. He did watch as Trinidad struggled to find decent footing only to give up and except the mud. It turned out being light enough to get tossed halfway across the swamp wasn’t always a bad thing.

  Across the expanse of wasteland, the frog had stopped. Unsurprisingly it had heard Trinidad’s violent entrance to its domain and was coming to investigate. Each hop landing it ominously closer as it rapidly closed the distance between them.

  “Just yell really loud and sound scared if you need help alright?” Trinidad teased.

  “What if one of them knocks me unconscious?” Ozzy asked, summoning his rifle into hand.

  “Then you might have to hang out in a frog belly for a bit.” She shrugged, smiling down at him as she took a step back to watch.

  “If you let one of these things eat me, I’m telling Arlan you knew how old I was from the get-go.” Ozzy said, and turned to stride forward towards the frog, ignoring the noise of affront he heard behind him.