CHAPTER 7 - UNEVEN STRUGGLE

Munshi’s dream

You hit an enemy soldier with the Ruler’s Sceptre

The army’s morale has slightly improved

Anissa reached out from among the frontline soldiers and struck again. Then she sank back into her troops.

Despite the risk, she would find a way to activate her weapon's passive. Sadly, her fighting prowess was not enough to significantly contribute to the battle. Each NPC seemed at least at her level of strength.

Her original inventory was empty. The Sceptre and the Crown were all she had.

‘They are too strong… tactics… try to compensate with tactics.’

“Shahram, your left flank should pull back a bit. Don’t let them focus you and isolate you from the rest,” Anissa shouted.

“Asghar, assist the center,” she ordered to a knight from the right side.

Over time, she gained access to the data of all her soldiers. Their names, their preferred weapons, their behavior on the battlefield. This data was gradually being served to her by the system.

“Follow the General’s instructions!” The left flank's troops stepped back to avoid the enemy's trap. Meanwhile, Asghar made his way through the opponents to the center.

While she was studying in real-time, the enemy was able to create new challenges for her.

‘We are losing the battle! The problem is neither in the morale nor in the strategy. They simply outmuscle us...’

The armies were equal in quantity and quality, with one exception ... The opponent had an NPC General. Each of his sword swings had to be neutralized by at least two ally soldiers. He was bigger than everyone. Stronger than everyone. The system didn’t announce it, but Anissa was convinced that the enemy soldiers had been buffed by their leader.

*SLICE*

“M-M’arje ... ”Anissa stuttered. The head of one frontline soldier rolled on the ground. Blood sprayed over the light gray uniforms around.

"General, with your permission, I will cover the M'arje’s area in the center!" Elite Knight near Anissa was ready to stabilize the center.

Anissa nodded. ‘I have to invest my resources early, otherways we will collapse...’ She thought

‘It’s their General... for us to have any chance at all, he has to die...’

“All of the nearby soldiers, assist me to take down the enemy General!” Her shout was accepted well by the troops. Together with several allies, she pressed forward.

A wave of soldiers could be seen launching from the middle. The General was on the very frontline, fighting with all he’s got. He was leading his troops by example.

Anissa rushed forward followed by the entire mid-section of her army. The enemy General was not even hiding, he was swinging his sword madly.

She waited for him to throw a wide swing and acted while he was recovering his balance.

*SMASH*

For the first time, she connected a hit against the fearsome General.

You hit the enemy General with the Ruler’s Sceptre

The army’s morale has improved significantly

His health bar barely moved. ‘Thousand of these might kill him...’ She thought. Nonetheless, she was leading the entire middle section with her.

“For our general!”

“Our army must prevail!”

One after another her soldiers would thrust their swords, axes, spears towards the General. Alas, his health dropped by the mere 20% after a full-out assault.

“You dirty rats…” He stepped aside for a moment, then he made a big step forward and swung at full power. His veins were about to pop off, his face was burning in anger. “Grrraahhh…” In a full arc swing, he blasted five at once. Two of them he executed on the spot, and the rest he pushed away.

“Don’t let our center in disarray! Step back and regroup!” Anissa was furious at the General, at the quest, at herself for being so powerless.

‘Forget about targeting that guy ever again…’ Was the single lesson she learned.

The situation was dire. It was a matter of time for the quest to fail. Every little advantage Anissa would create, the enemy would simply crush with brute force…

Anissa kept analyzing. Her eyes were desperately studying the battlefield. That enemy General was a monster and his soldiers benefited from him, there was no doubt about it.

‘This quest is imposs…’ In the mids of the battle, she noticed something strange.

‘How come the colors are contrasting so well? And why the once endless field now seems so narrow?’ Her expression was full of curiosity.

“Flanks must get closer to our center, form a solid unit and defend!” Her eyes were lively once more.

Empress’ stream chat.

- What a joke. This e-girl is losing badly!

- She’s not good enough. Look at the NPC commander, he’s fighting multiple enemies alone.

- Now she grouped all of the soldiers around herself. They will just get surrounded by enemies.

- The 10 minutes of fame ended, sweety! *KEK*

- Like any of you, noobs would stand a better chance. *LOL*

- I would at least die trying, instead of hiding behind my soldiers! What is there to lose anyway?

While the chat of randoms was shit-talking Anissa, her few real fans were in voice chat.

“The enemy General is obviously a fucking beast. Judging on his soldiers’ performance, he could as well provide them with extra stats…” Pavel was spot on.

Also, he was not happy with the chat trolls. They were making fun of Anissa, and unless she reminded him constantly to never ever ban viewers, he would probably go ham on those morons.

“She’s organizing a formation…” Brian noticed. “A wedge?”

“Oh dear, I am afraid this might create openings to the sides. As someone said, she’ll just get surrounded.” Josh expressed his concerns.

“She’s leading her army aggressively forward. Is her goal to split the enemy?” Carlos had an interest in historical battles. He had a tactical understanding from his favorite books about Napoleon and The Ancient Masters of War - Alexander and Hannibal.

- Another suicide mission, the show’s over folks…

- So stupid.

- She should just eliminate the enemy General!

- Easy as fuck, right?

- She already tried that! That NPC General is like a raid boss.

- This Quest seems dumb to me. She had to be 3 times stronger to stand a chance. Unlucky for her.

- You are all blind. She just sucks. Faceroll would’ve destroyed this quest an hour ago.

“Those plebs are tilting my brain…” Pavel said.

“Any popularity is good for Ani. Most of those probably found her stream today,” Josh stressed in response.

“She’s attacking,” Brian said.

“This wedge formation looks risky… is she going for their General again?” Carlos had his doubts. ‘The previous time that idea turned horribly wrong,’ he wanted to say but he didn’t.

Munshi’s Dream

“A-Anissa… wh-what are we…” Shir’tana was shivering.

“I had to act. It’s a matter of time until the enemy wipes us.” Anissa spoke in a direct and confident way. “This is our last chance.”

She paused for a bit. “I need you to be brave and to trust me, Shir’tana.”

The little boy was now in the very center of the army with Anissa. Meanwhile, the enemy swarmed their army and attacked from the sides.

Shir’tana was convinced that Anissa is a worthy person. She brought to him the Munshi’s diary. She acquired both the wisdom and the power to travel together with him and she helped him to learn about his ancestors.

“I-I trust you, Empress.” His little body was still shaking, but his eyes were flashing with courage. He remembered all the sadness of having no relatives. He thought about the time when the maid died. Then his home got robbed. He had to live alone. He strived every day to survive, for the sake of meeting his family.

Anissa felt that she could read his pain in his eyes. ‘We will find your parents, little guy. I hope so...’ Anissa patted his head. She had a sincere expression.

“General, our rearguard cannot follow us!” A concerned soldier said.

Anissa took a deep breath. “Ignore their pursuit, try to hold the sides as long as you can! The victory lies ahead!” She was the first to engage, she had to inspire through bravery.

*SMASH*

She hit a nearby enemy and proc’d the morale passive of the Ruler’s Sceptre.

“Split the enemy. It’s our last goal! CHARGEEE!” She shouted.

The enemy army was spread everywhere. This made it possible for Anissa and her companions to advance against the thin layer of enemy forces.

Two major issues prevented that charge to proceed smoothly though. First, there was the constant pressure from the sides and the rear. ‘Nothing can be done about that, I have to sacrifice my soldiers and hope they will slow the enemy.’

Second, the enemy General was still in the center. He looked slightly tired, but he was still the biggest threat. ‘There’s no way we can handle him, or in the best case we would be squeezed to death if we attempt to do deal with him.’

“Don’t focus on attacking their General, just push him out of the way!” She then rushed to the very front while pulling Shir’tana for his sleeve.

*SLAAAAM*

She got hit by an enemy soldier but managed to return the hit and turn it into a dual exchange. Ally soldier followed her attack and the enemy soldier was cut in two.

This scene enraged the General. “Your lives end here!” He stepped forward and attempted to swing his weapon.

At that moment Anissa bumped into him at full speed. She proc’d the Sceptre’s passive for the last time.

“EVERYONE, PUSH HIM AW...”

*SMASH*

Your HP has dropped below 25%

You lost half of your HP in a single blow

You are temporarily stunned

While she was rallying her men, the General landed an elbow in her head. She couldn’t move her body after.

“Empress!” Shir’tana was shocked.

“Protect the General!” Her army was on its last mission.

“Push that bastard away from her!” The NPC soldiers jumped all over the enemy commander. Each of them clutched for an arm or a leg.

The general’s commands were absolute after all. Their current goal was to push the enemy commander away.

‘This motherfucker is overpowered as fuck, goddammit!’ Anissa was still dizzy. She turned her head back and saw three Shir’tanas.

‘Damn visual effects...’ She extended her arm and grabbed him for the sleeve. ‘The real one…’ She was relieved. Then she pulled him next to her.

“I hope you saved energy in the backlines. Because now you’ll have to run like crazy, kid!” She told him and dragged him forward.

The enemy General was preoccupied. Only two soldiers were blocking their way. The rear and the sides of her army were long gone, enemy forces were about to come from behind.

“You bastards…” She stepped forward, faked an attack just to smash the opposite enemy. Then she kicked him out of the way.

“SHIR’TANA, RUN FORWARD!” She then tackled the last enemy obstacle. “RUUUN!”

While grappling on the ground, she could see her army getting wiped.

The enemy General was crushing the leftovers with his bare hands. A sea of enemies could be seen closing in. It reminded her of how it all started. ‘But their dark armors have the color of blood now. Also, nobody’s gonna help us this time…’

Meanwhile, Shir’tana needed no second invitation. He promised to trust her words. It was the only chance, she had told him so. He ran just like he promised to. The purpose was unknown to him, all he knew is he had to.

He didn’t dare to turn his head, but he could sense the outcome. The screams could talk, the sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones could make him see. The ally forces were getting crushed. Anissa was the last man standing, sacrificing herself to open a corridor for him.

“I AM SORRY, EMPRESS! I GOT YOU INVOLVED IN THIS MESS! I WAS TOO ARROGANT...” All he could do is run like a coward. “I was...”

The poor kid could no longer see ahead from his tears.

“...too lonely to foresee the risks…” The last bitter words he whispered to himself. His miserable existence would soon end, a life full of misfortune, was what he thought.

Suddenly, he noticed something weird. He could no longer run. He was standing on the edge of the world. Even more shocking for Shir’tana, he was physically not able to take another step.

At that point, he turned his head back and got lost for words.

THE IMAGE OF A LEGEND HAS DESCENDED

You have witnessed the image of the Petven’s clan ancestor Munshi

The title “One who met a legend” has been acquired

You were the first player who met a legend

You have gained +1 Strength

You have gained +1 Endurance

You have gained +1 Intelligence

You have gained +1 Spell Power

You have gained +1 Spellcasting

“FUUUUCK YEAAAH!” The injured Anissa shouted. “Pawn on the eight row!” She coughed blood.

Shir’tana could see Anissa in the distance, she was chased by enemies. But… why was she so small? Why everyone was so small? They were not even children, they were more like ants…

Then he realized that not they were the small ones. He was a giant.

His brain was bombarded by memories. Someone else’s memories. He could see the Petven’s clan prosper through the centuries. The Clan specialized in magic. From the very basic magic to the most advanced spells known.

He could see the different faces of the members of the Petven's clan, but he was specifically searching for his parents. Alas, the whole history exploded in his head. Not to mention he had no memories of his parents.

‘This can be done later... Whatever fortune smiled upon us, it’s my time to play a role in this event. Hold on, Empress!’

Anissa’s arm was caught by an enemy soldier. Sadly for her, she had no power left to oppose his sharp blade. Unlucky for him, his blade did never touched her skin. Instead, a big shadow around him grew rapidly. Until...

*CRUSH*

The sky fell over him. Nothing but a bloody stain was left on the ground. His brothers in arms were terrified. A human-size fist had landed on their fellow.

“Checkmate, you fuckers…” Anissa grinned.

Shir’tana was chasing the enemies on what it looked like a massive board, made of giant light and dark squares. An enormous chessboard could be distinguished from his height.

Every slap would eliminate an enemy. Even the General was running to save his skin. Not for long though. It took Shir’tana less than a minute to deal with the entire enemy army. From his point of view, multiple mosquitoes were slapped on an enormous chessboard.

You have completed The Quest: Earn Victory

You are eligible to learn Munshi’s Secrets