Spirit Game

"I don't think so."

Izu felt something on his body, and when he looked down, he saw explosives pasted to his lower half like stubborn barnacles –– a lot of explosives that would surely blast him to nothingness.

He was still young, and his shells hadn't hardened yet. There was no doubt that the explosion could send him to the afterlife.

"What the—?" Izu was momentarily confused, then his piercing eyes locked onto Lyncon.

It could only be him.

There was no one else who could get this close to him.

Izu shook in anger. "Y-You . . ."

Lyncon's face was serious, a stark contrast to the usual scared and submissive expression he used whenever he was with the seadwellers. "Druger was right. You would really send your personal guards into battle, allowing me to sneak these explosives onto you without problems."

"Lyncon, you traitor!" Izu raised his sharp legs, but Lyncon quickly stepped back and threatened him.

"I'm not a traitor! To begin with, my loyalty always lay with the town and its citizens. Don't even think for a second that I wouldn't press this button. If I die, you go with me." Lyncon said, showing the button for the explosives in his hand.

Izu couldn't react. He knew from Lyncon's gaze that he was serious. The usual eyes that portrayed nothing but fear and his submissiveness were no more.

There was nothing in his gaze but determination to see his plans through. His face reflected a readiness to die, no matter the cost. It was as if a totally different Lyncon was standing in front of him.

"Now tell your soldiers to step back, or I'll blow you up!" Lyncon said, his voice steady and unyielding. "Don't test me, kid. We have waited years and years for this plan to finally succeed. I won't be the one jeopardizing it!"

Lyncon's words hit Izu like a cold wave.

"I have endured so much — the humiliation, the ridicule, and worst of all, watching my fellow townsfolk get oppressed without being able to do anything. I'm sick and tired of it all. So order your soldiers to halt their attacks, or I'll blow you into dust so fine your father couldn't even mourn your remains!"

"Grr!" Izu's teeth ground together so hard they felt like they would shatter. His anger was boiling over, and no amount of water could cool his rage.

Lyncon placed his finger over the button, and Izu's false bravado crumbled.

"WAIT!" His voice came out rasped and hurried, his legs shaking as if they were about to give way.

"Now order your men to halt their attacks!" Lyncon demanded, urgency in his voice. He glanced toward the battlefield where Druger and the others were still in harm's way.

Desperation etched across Lyncon's face. The elite guards, now wreaking havoc among the townsfolk, and would soon turn the tide completely if not stopped.

"Cease! Cease the attack!" Izu bellowed, his voice cracking with desperation.

The Ebizo soldiers hesitated, confusion rippling through their ranks. The sudden command from their leader, so full of rage moments before, now sounded like a plea.

Lyncon kept his finger poised over the detonator, his eyes never leaving Izu's. "Good. Now tell them to fall back. All of them."

"Fall back!" Izu shouted, his voice shaking. "All units, fall back immediately!"

The soldiers, caught between the heat of battle and their leader's frantic commands, began to retreat. The chaos on the battlefield began to subside as the Ebizo forces pulled back, the townsfolk taking the opportunity to regroup and tend to their wounded.

Lyncon's grip on the detonator tightened, his eyes narrowing. "Remember this, Izu. Your arrogance and cruelty have brought you to this point. You are not invincible."

Izu's face twisted with a mix of fury and fear, but he said nothing. The realization that he was at Lyncon's mercy sunk in, and with it, a bitter taste of defeat.

As the battlefield fell silent, the townsfolk cautiously emerged from their defensive positions, their eyes reflecting a mix of relief and disbelief that everything had worked out for them. The impossible had happened: they had forced the mighty Ebizo warriors to retreat.

Druger and the others quickly apprehended Izu and the rest of the Ebizo soldiers, ensuring they couldn't move.

As the townsfolk joined together, they hugged each other, sharing in the joy of finally capturing Izu.

It had taken years, but they had finally made it happen! The first step in freeing their town was finally within reach!

"You're probably wondering how you could have been defeated," Druger began, standing tall while Izu and the other Ebizos were on their knees. "It's simple. We've been planning this for so many years! While you — you didn't even consider us a threat. In your eyes, we're just a ragtag bunch of rebels who couldn't do anything against you! But you forgot one crucial thing.

You're far from the ocean, boy. This is our land!"

"YeEaArRgH!"

Izu glared at Druger and Lyncon, his eyes burning with hatred. "You think you've won? My father is ten times—no, a hundred times — stronger than everyone combined here! We still have thousands of soldiers and two battleships! We can wipe you and your town on the face of the map with a snap!"

Druger nodded calmly, unshaken by Izu's outburst. "You can. That's why we approached this meticulously. From the start, you are our target. You're a hard crab to kidnap, boy," he said, his voice steady. "You're always with your personal guard.

And we realized that to get you, we would have to plant someone to get close to you."

Lyncon sighed. "I took on that task. I endured all these years of servitude, acting like a fool, and a clown just to stay close to you. In the end . . .

everything is worth it."

"War isn't what we wanted. We will bargain your life to your father in exchange for our town. If he doesn't agree . . . then let's just say that if we die, we will make sure to take you all with us!" Druger's voice carried a finality, like he had already accepted whatever fate had in store for them.

For the first time in his life, Izu felt true fear. He could see it in their eyes — Druger and the others were ready to die, driven by a relentless resolve. They had nothing left to lose.

But Izu was different; he was too young to die, and the thought of his own mortality clawed at his insides. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes, but he fought them back with every ounce of his strength. He refused to let his pride shatter, not now, not in front of them.

"Prepare everyone. We will leave right now!" Druger instructed, his voice carrying over the crowd. "We will strike while Lord Izumi still doesn't know that we've captured his son!"

"YeEaArRgH!"

The townsfolk echoed, their spirits high and their resolve unshaken. They knew this was just the beginning, but with Izu in their grasp, they had taken the first crucial step towards reclaiming their town.

This time, they would not run away. They would fight to reclaim their home from these invaders.

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