The mages' incantations filled the air with an eerie hum as towering waves of water surged forward, threatening to sweep away everything in their path.
The once barren wasteland transformed into a tempestuous sea, with torrents crashing over the battlefield and drowning the carefully laid traps.
As the water cascaded toward the townsfolk, it seemed as though nothing could halt its advance. The townspeople braced themselves, their eyes wide with fear, expecting to be swept away by the magical deluge.
But just as the water reached the edge of the townsfolk's defenses, its intensity waned. The furious waves lost their power, the raging torrent becoming a gentle stream.
Unseen to the attacking Ebizos, the townsfolk had prepared for this very scenario. Hidden trenches, expertly dug and camouflaged, funneled the water away, siphoning it into a massive, deep hole carved into the earth.
The water magic, so formidable in appearance, proved futile against the townsfolk's cunning strategy.
As the last remnants of the deluge trickled into the dug hole, the battlefield lay drenched but intact. The townspeople stood dry and unscathed, their makeshift fortifications holding strong.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the defenders, their earlier fear replaced with gratitude that their plan had worked. The realization that they had outsmarted their foes infused them with confidence.
On the other side, Izu's eyes bulged in disbelief. "What in the seven hells is happening?! They're just a ragtag bunch of rebels! Why can't you kill them?!"
Instead of answering, one of the Ebizo mages said, "We need time to recharge for the next magical attack."
"Argh!" Izu shouted in frustration, his tentacles flaring wildly. "Useless things! Forget it! We have destroyed some of those pesky barricades and those traps! The remaining chariots charge ahead! Kill them all!"
The townsfolk, however, were not as vulnerable as they appeared. They followed Druger's commands with disciplined precision, forming a tight circle with their shields raised and spears bristling outward.
The chariots, designed for open-field charges, found themselves ineffective against this formation. The coral spikes scraped harmlessly against the shield wall, unable to penetrate.
At the same time, the townsfolk were throwing spears at the wheels of the chariots, breaking and stopping them from moving.
Amidst the fray, Izu was too scared to be on the front lines. With no experience in actual battle, he was shaking on his knees as he watched in horror as his soldiers crumbled one by one.
"H-how could this be?" This wasn't how he had remembered the soldiers. They were supposed to be unbeatable, their shells hard and impervious, their resilience so strong that they couldn't be defeated with just a single strike.
Izu struggled to believe that these were the same soldiers he had witnessed trained in the town.
Why were they so weak now?
Was it because they weren't in the waters?
But Izu had watched them fight even on land, and they had never seemed this weak before.
"Damn these idiots! Do I have to do everything myself?" Izu shouted, ordering his personal guards — elite soldiers solely assigned to protect him and a cut above the average Ebizo warriors. "Go and reinforce their ranks!"
The five well-clad Ebizos readily agreed, joining the battle with the intention to subdue the rebels.
Izu's face lit up as he saw one of his guards strike with his spear, sending ten townsfolk flying. They were indeed cut above the rest, and he could finally breathe easier as the tide of the battle turned in his favor once again.
"Be careful! Their spears are long but they're slow. Just evade them!" Druger shouted to the others. "We can't take them head on! Fall back!"
"Ahahahaha! Take that, you idiots! Who's the king of the sea now, Father?!" Izu laughed, envisioning the glory he would bring to his name once he purged these rebels.
Waving his hand, Izu ordered, "Bring me the head of that dwarf!" As the leader of the rebels, Izu wanted his head staked in the town square for all to see, serving as a grim warning to anyone who might dare to rebel again.
"I don't think so."
Said an icy tone that made Izu paused.