Billford commanded, "Throw the bait."
As he slowly advanced toward the rope, the soldiers carrying the slings on their shoulders opened the entrance to the sling.
Despite being smoked, the meat, rotting during the rainy season, emitted a terrible stench. The soldiers all frowned but acted silently, without complaint.
They tied the rotten meat to a nearby tree with a long rope and hurled it with all their might into the pond.
With a splash, a ripple appeared in the calm swamp. Then, they tied the remaining meat to another tree to create a path that would lure the opponent into shallow water. Billford and the soldiers stepped back a little, standing motionless, waiting for a reaction.
No matter how well Billford and his soldiers fought, they could not battle in a swamp over three meters deep.
The water had become so deep because the villagers had dug deeper to accommodate more fish, and now, something sinister seemed to have settled in.
