As you venture deeper into the marshes, the croaking of frogs intensifies. You start to feel a little nervous. "Is that sound … normal?" you ask Haden.

"Definitely not, at least from what I've been told," she says. You push aside some reeds to follow Haden who for some reason instinctively went towards the loud sounds we had just heard. You see her standing before a colossal poison frog. Its second lids blink over its slitted eyes.

The frog opens its mouth and emits a bellowing crooooaaaaaak. Toxic black fumes waft from its mouth and insects wither infront of it and fall to the ground. You cover your mouth and nose. "Stand back," said Alster, "It must be corrupted!" Behind the giant you see an outcrop of many green crystals. "Well that can't be a coincidence," you say aloud, "the huge poisonous frog is right in front of what we are looking for." Many smaller frogs were gathered around the large one in amongst the grasses, some on top of the creature which was providing them safety. 

"We need to distract it and reach the crystals." You say but Haden points behind the frog, through the haze of fumes and says "I can get around that thing". She runs forward even as you shout for her to wait. The frog drags its massive body, raising one of its forearms. It lifts its foot over Haden like she's a bothersome fly it wants to crush. Realising that you need to do something you wave your arms, stomp your feet — anything to get the frog's attention off Haden. It swivels its gargantuan head toward you and flicks out an enormous, sticky tongue which you dodge as it nearly catches you. The frogs on the giant frogs back start leaping off its back from the movement of their host creating all sorts of obstacles that Haden had to now add to her carefully navigated path. As Haden stepped high and to the right to avoid stepping on a frog she plunged her foot into the soft earth and wobbled as she was unable to withdraw it again from the soaking soil. Talik saw the danger and bent to one knee. You could tell she was summoning a sprite as she must have had one in mind for this situation. She summoned Aegis who appeared in a flash of light and could see the peril Haden was in. Aegis raised her hands in the air and at first nothing happened then slowly Haden began to escape from the suction of the mud. Once above the surface Haden pointed to the crystals and the sprite got the message lifting her effortlessly across the marsh and landing her gently in the centre of the crystal patch. Then in a puff Aegis was gone. You and Alster meanwhile were moving back and forth trying keep the focus of the giant frog away from Haden. Alster grabbed your elbow and bade you back up slowly out of the reach of its tongue. Her task done Talik rose from her knee and backed up with you while you whisper to Talik, "Well done... with the sprite I mean. That was quick thinking." Haden yanks a small shard of crystal from the ground and circles back, coughing. Time to go but there was no path from the frog back to you. You were inspired by Talik's use of mage power so you focus and raise circles of earth from the marsh which form wet stepping stones back across the marsh to you. Talik sees your action and responds with fire bursts that dry out the steps so that they became hard enought to put pressure on. Alster now joins you and yells to Haden, "Use the path Haden, run this way!" while stepping in front of the creature to ensure it doesn't refocus its attention on Haden as she escapes. Haden makes it safely back to you and you all back away cautiously not sure if the frog will follow you. "Well that was easy!" Haden says to you as you all catch your breath. Angrily, you say to Haden," I said we needed a distraction and maybe a plan before we do something like that next time." 

"Next time?" Said Alster, "There better not be a next time, unless I am on a botanical visit will hundreds of Healer scholars all of whom are slower than me." 

How many poisonous frogs are there guarding the crystals? 

Next: E5Q2 Poison and Potion