Spirit Game

Days passed, and the night quickly swallowed the barren wasteland.

In this desolate land, the sound of marching footsteps echoed, emanating from the carriages and chariots carrying the Ebizo soldiers.

These chariots, crafted from giant shells, had coral spikes on each side of their wheels for maximum damage. Despite their colorful appearance, the shells were incredibly tough and difficult to destroy.

Inside a grand carriage, Izu and Lyncon sat. Izu wore a smug and confident expression, while Lyncon's face was pale with worry.

"L-lord Izu, are you sure about where we are going?" Lyncon asked, shuddering. His nerves were getting to him.

"Of course I am!" Izu sneered. "I had one of my spies follow a rebel to their accursed shelter. I have the map right here. We will reach our destination soon enough."

As if on cue, one of the soldiers shouted, "Lord Izu, we're sighting their hideout!"

"Ah, splendid. Just on time." Izu immediately peeked from the curtains of the carriage and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What's this? Is this it? Is this the rebels' hideout? Two stones inclined together to form a cave? Wooden fences, as if that's going to do anything! Barricades?

What's a bunch of barricades going to do against our chariots?"

Izu gloated and fixed his robe. "Let's go, Lyncon. Let's show these rebels what it means to challenge the Zuwais!"

"Y-yes, my lord," Lyncon replied, his voice trembling.

The grand carriage halted, and the doors swung open. Izu stepped out with an air of authority, his eyes scanning the makeshift defenses with disdain. The barricades were hastily constructed from wooden planks and debris, a pitiful attempt to fortify against an inevitable assault.

Izu's laughter echoed through the night as he turned to his soldiers. "Prepare the chariots! We will crush these barricades and the spirits of the rebels hiding behind them."

The Ebizo soldiers moved just like a well-trained soldiers, positioning the chariots for the attack. The coral spikes gleamed menacingly in the moonlight, promising destruction.

"Remember," Izu continued, his voice carrying over the gathered troops, "we are the Zuwais and Ebizos! We will not be deterred by such feeble attempts at resistance. On my command, we charge!"

The soldiers cheered, their morale high as they prepared to follow their lord into battle.

Lyncon, standing beside Izu, swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves. The sight of the barricades and the anticipation of the impending clash filled him with dread.

Izu raised his hand, ready to give the signal. "For glory! For the Zuwais!" He brought his hand down, and the chariots surged forward, their wheels churning up the barren soil as they barreled toward the barricades.

The night was pierced by the sound of splintering wood and the clash of metal. The rebels, hiding behind their fortifications, braced for impact. The battle for their survival had begun.

Inside, Rain and the others heard the commotion and the battle cries of Druger and the townsfolk outside.

"It's started," Rain said, hoping everything would go well and that there would be only minor casualties.

"Mmmph!" Hana thrashed about, worry in her eyes. She tried to escape the magical ropes binding her but couldn't.

Outside, Druger was instructing everyone. "Form a circle! Raise your shields and point your spears! Their chariots are useless against this formation!"

The chariots, each carrying at least five Ebizo soldiers, charged forward without any regard for the barricades. They barreled toward the townsfolk, seeing them as easy targets scattered like mounds across the wasteland.

The barricades, seemingly flimsy at first glance, held their ground against the charging chariots with unexpected resilience. The wooden barriers absorbed the initial impact, bending but not breaking. Upon closer inspection the barricades was ironed to the ground with stones and ropes.

The warhorses, which seemed like they could crush the barricades with their mighty hooves, were met with sharp, well-hidden spikes placed just behind the fortifications. As the horses attempted to trample over the barriers, their hooves were pierced, causing them to rear up in agony.

The momentum of the chariots was disrupted, and several toppled over, spilling their occupants onto the ground where the pitfall traps awaited them below.

Almost all the chariots were toppled over, and the unlucky Ebizo soldiers succumbed to the well-placed pitfalls. The chaotic scene of crashing chariots and falling soldiers painted a picture of utter disarray among the invaders.

"W-wha?!" Izu's lower jaw dropped in disbelief. "How could this happen?!"

The chariots weren't supposed to be this weak!

Was it because they were on land and pulled by warhorses instead of giant seahorses in the water?

Come to think of it, the seahorses could have easily jumped over or swum past those traps.

However, this wasn't underwater, and Izu, being young and inexperienced, lacked the necessary strategies and commands for land combat.

As the chariots lay in ruins, the townsfolk pressed their advantage. Hidden archers emerged from behind the barricades, raining arrows down on the disoriented Ebizo soldiers.

Spears thrust through gaps in the defenses, striking down those who had managed to survive the initial assault.

Druger's voice boomed over the battlefield. "Now! Push forward! Don't give them a chance to regroup!"

The townsfolk surged forward, their movements swift and coordinated. They overwhelmed the remaining Ebizo soldiers, who found themselves trapped in a deadly gauntlet.

The invaders' initial confidence had turned into panic and confusion.

Rain listened intently, the sounds of battle filling his ears. The crashes of chariots, the screams of warhorses, and the triumphant shouts of the townsfolk painted a vivid picture of the battle outside.

Hana felt tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. Her muffled cries and futile struggles reflected the anguish she felt at being unable to do anything.

"Don't think you have won yet, you pesky rebels!" Izu shouted, his rage manifesting in jets of water spurting from the tentacles at the sides of his mouth.

"Mages! Show them the might of our magic! Lay waste to these lands and drown those rebels!"

Five Ebizos in flowing robes stepped forward, their eyes glowing blue like the ocean. As one, they raised their hands, chanting incantations that reverberated through the air.

The ground trembled, and a surge of water magic erupted from their fingertips, forming towering waves and torrents aimed directly at the barricades and the townsfolk.

The battlefield shifted as the mages' spells unleashed a deluge upon the land, turning the dry wasteland into a raging, swirling mass of water. The magical flood surged forward, threatening to sweep away everything in its path.

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