The two teams spot each other through the misty rain. Colin's team leader, a stern looking man with cold eyes, nods at Anne as they approach. His team, composed of a few elves look weary and alert.
"Anne!" Colin calls out, his voice echoing through the battlefield. "You made it out!"
"Barely," she replies, her grip on Sakurako tight. "But we can't take on Margaux alone. We need to merge our teams."
Colin's eyes flicker over the devastation behind them, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Very well," he says with a firm nod. "We stand together now." His elves exchange glances, some worried, others resolute.
The merging of the two teams is swift and silent. They gather the wounded and check their supplies. The rain continues to pummelled them, making the already dire situation feel more desolate. The air is thick with the scent of burnt wood and the acrid smell of blood.
The elves from Team Colin share their knowledge of Margaux's tactics, explaining how she's been using her abilities to outmanoeuvre and outlast her opponents. They've fought her before, but she's grown stronger since their last encounter. Her cunning and sheer power have earned her a fearsome reputation.
…ssssss…
A sizzling sound reaches their ears clearly, and a green fog rushes towards them, so thick that they can't even see their own faces.
"Enemy attack."
Anne coughs out blood as she pats Colin's shoulder. Colin puffs out a large gust of wind, but the fog keeps on advancing. Sakurako can't see her group or even her hands in front of her, when a big man wearing a gas mask appears out of the poison mist, electricity coating his fist.
Her eyes widen as she realises it's Basil, a notorious Lightning style user from the enemy camp. The same one who's been giving them trouble for weeks, always a step ahead. She stumbles back, her heart racing. Lightning is her weakness. Water conducts electricity, and she can't transform into water without getting fried.
The fog is a perfect cover for his sneak attacks. His electric punches strike like lightning bolts, and she can barely dodge them. The rain mingles with her sweat, making her movements sluggish. Each time she tries to counter with an ice shard, it just evaporates in the heat of his aura. She can feel the power coursing through him, the very air crackling with energy.
Her breathing becomes erratic, her chest tightening. The panic rises as she thinks of her friends, gone in an instant. No, she won't die here. Not like this. She focuses, remembering her training. Water can be a shield, a conductor, but it can also be a prison. Her eyes narrow, and she conjures a thick sphere of water around Basil.
Basil shoots out lightning from his pores, nearly reaching her. The sphere of water lights up, like festival lights it starts alternating between red, green and blue. Although naturally the water ball slowly dissipates, by then, Sakurako has run away.
As the fog dissipates, Sakurako finds her team quickly huddling together, prompting her to stand behind them. The Alrodenans are on the wooden platform, standing on boats.
"Oh shit."
Two of the enemy elves spew out a torrent of water at the same time, and it seems like it is not the last time the Alrodenans are willing to abuse Water. In just a few seconds, twenty thousand litres of water fill up the flat surface of the wood.
"The water is poisonous." Anne grabs Sakurako and kisses her lips, a wooden platform slowly rises on the ground, a makeshift raft shoots out with them on top as the water violently pushes them away. After a minute, the enemy elves' water spewing stops, and nearly one hundred thousand litres of water have been spewed out.
"Thankyou for your mana, Sakurako." Anne drops her on the raft's surface.
Sakurako nods weekly, still feeling the electricity coursing through her veins from her encounter with Basil. Her body feels like it's been run through a wringer, but she knows they can't afford to rest.
The makeshift raft wobbles precariously as the rest of the team is on, and Colin orders everyone to keep low. The rain is now a torrent, making it difficult to spot any movement beyond the immediate vicinity.
"We can't stay here," he says, his voice tight with urgency. "Margaux will have sent more of her lackeys."
"This is no Margaux. This is Vasil. When you live long enough, you'd know who's who." Anne says, her stiff face twitches in annoyance.
"My apologies, but we have no time for formalities," Colin replies, his eyes scanning the horizon.
The blue haired Colin narrows his eyes. "Pause! Do not touch the water, it's conducting electricity!"
They realise too late. The water is a trap, charged with the very element they fear. The raft, made of wood, is already smouldering. The water around it is alive with energy, ready to fry anyone who tries to escape.
Colin holds the raft, and it slowly rises to the air. They hover a few metres above the water, avoiding the deadly electric current. The team watches in amazement, as the water beneath them bubbles and hisses.
"How did he do that?" Sakurako whispers to Anne, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe.
Anne ignores her and faces Colin. "Retreat right now."
Colin nods curtly, his grip on the raft tightening. "To the north," he commands, and they begin to move in that direction. The rain beats down harder, making it difficult to see where they are going. The tension is palpable as they glide over the water, the current of electricity below them a constant, deadly reminder of the danger they're in.
The raft skims the surface, rising and falling with the waves of the now river. The lightning flashes above them, casting eerie shadows across their faces. The air is filled with the smell of ozone and burnt wood. They're all exhausted, their clothes sticking to their bodies like a second skin, but they know they can't stop.