Prelude
During their time on Atlantea, the Ishgas have recruited the help of various underwater tribes, kingdoms, and city-states to wreak vengeance on the Lobster Empire and their Crab allies that have stolen their food supply. The superstar Aurean General Taftenkhamun is in charge of the mission, with the Lobster Empire's Army under the direct command of General Shellius. Weasel and all of his friends besides Taftenkhamun are prisoners, being forced to fight in the Colosseum against Chrome Claw, the Lobster Emperor's horribly mutated pet. The battle will take place on the seabed, around 400 feet below the surface. The battle is for control of the Barbiclaw, the walled Lobster Capital fashioned from some Atlantean ruins. The city is in the center of a relatively flat seagrass bed. North of this seagrass bed is a series of hills, on which Taftenkhamun has positioned his troops. West and east of this seagrass beds are dense kelp forests, and south of the seagrass bed is Stalkia, a small Lobster village. General Shellius has split his army in two, hiding each half in one of the two kelp forests in an attempt to catch the Ishgas in a pincer if they attempt to charge down into the seagrass bed. All light cavalry units ride seahorses, while heavy cavalry units ride manatees. Since the Ishgas are using scuba suits, they can only remain underwater for 2 hours at a time before they run out of oxygen.
Battle
The battle starts with General Shellius ordering his troops to attack the hill from both kelp forests, flanking the Ishgas. In response, Taftenkhamun orders his infantry to focus on the weaker Crab infantry on his left flank to ease the pressure there and free up his cavalry. Once his cavalry are able to move again, they collide with Shellius's cavalry. Taftenkhamun then realizes that he needs to solidify his right flank or he will be trapped, so he makes an empty alley in his center to allow for the transfer of some troops from the left flank to the right flank. For the next 20 minutes, both sides are in a perfect stalemate, with roughly equal (in proportion to army size) casualties on both sides. Knowing that the Ishgas' oxygen tanks would not allow this battle to go on forever, Taftenkhamun realizes he needs to make a move immediately or face defeat. He reopens the alleyway in his center and redirects all troops on his left flank to his right flank, causing the enemy infantry flanking him from the right to disintegrate. Shellius's cavalry then retreat down the hill after seeing their infantry get butchered, allowing Taftenkhamun to send his cavalry into Shellius's infantry on his left flank. While the cavalry are successful in drastically reducing Shellius's infantry on his left flank, it turned out Shellius's cavalry were performing a feigned retreat, allowing them to charge back up the hill and catch Taftenkhamun's cavalry by surprise, driving it from the field. With only a small portion of his infantry left, Taftenkhamun has no choice but to bring out his secret weapon: 3 Ishga submarines that were hiding behind the hills. The subs then engage Shellius's troops as Taftenkhamun rallies his infantry. The advanced weapons on the subs more than make up for Shellius's numbers advantage, and Shellius himself is killed when he is hit by a harpoon from an Ishga soldier. However, 2 of the Ishga subs are sunk by a torpedo launcher the Lobster Empire stole a few weeks earlier from captured Ishga soldiers. Within 2 minutes, the Ishga infantry manage to take out this torpedo launcher. Since the Lobster Empire no longer has the technology to pierce the armored submarine hull, the Lobster Empire's remaining troops surrender to Taftenkhamun.
Aftermath
After winning the Battle of Kelp Grotto, Taftenkhamun and his army returned to the Ishga Main Dome to replenish their oxygen supply. Meanwhile, news reached the Lobster Emperor that his army was defeated right in front of their own capital. With no time to assemble another army to combat the Ishgas, and with all of his client kingdoms in rebellion and siding with the Ishgas, the Lobster Emperor sent an ambassador to the Ishga Main Dome to negotiate peace terms. When the ambassador reached the Ishga Main Dome, he was fitted with a fishbowl on his head so he could breathe and was welcomed inside, where he discussed terms with Taftenkhamun. Weasel and his friends were to be released immediately from gladitorial combat, and the Lobster Empire was to hand back the stolen Ishga food supply. The Lobster Emperor also was forced to recognize Aurean-Ishga suzerainty, and the Lobster Empire's territory would be added to the Ishga Colony of Atlantea. However, the Ishga Colony of Atlantea would not last long. Not only had the Tatians been establishing a presence on the planet, they had also landed an entire company of troops on the planet, planning to kick the Ishgas off the planet, take the Atlantean Tomes for themselves, and set up a base on Dolphinesian Island. Although Weasel and his friends succeeded in getting the Atlantean Tomes from the Trial of the Sharks, it was a trap. Tate decided to attack the Stellarium Dome (the closest thing to his landing site) with only a century (80 men) of his troops to lure Weasel and his friends to the scene. Sure enough, Weasel and his friends showed up, and while they easily mowed through Tate's troops, Tate and Santa Muerte completely outclassed them in battle and Tate took the Atlantean Tomes from an unconscious Weasel and left. Thinking Tate's forces on the planet were much smaller than they actually were, Weasel and his friends left the planet, thinking the Ishgas, Lobster Empire, and other forces could defend the planet without much trouble. They were very wrong, and Tate swiftly conquered and occupied Atlantea with virtually no resistance.