Chapter 117: A battle amongst feudal warlords Part 1
We are still fighting the enemy garrison in the camp in the forest, which is bordering Lastation, despite being heavily outnumbered and despite the concerns of being more heavily outnumbered. Enemy reinforcements are on their way, and it won't be long at all before they actually arrive, which is sure to prove disastrous and since my allies are doing their best to defeat the enemy bosses here, despite being harassed by regular enemy troops, all I can do is to just defeat the enemy grunts there as best as I can, but it sad how they are truly taking a toll on my allies, especially how they're all together trying to take out one of us, though they end up engaging the other allies of mine since my allies are trying to take them out as well.
With these thoughts in mind I attack the enemy group of grunts wiping out a fair number of them, before I alert them and they all go after me. Ah this is such a relief because none of them are attacking my allies now, meaning that it's just a battle between bosses, but with the grunt's help it will mean that my allies are sure to fall to them, especially with how they've targeted or at least attempted to target one of my allies first.
At this rate it will only be a matter of time before all of my allies will be defeated, and yet all the enemy bosses will remain standing, yet worse still is that Uni has informed me that I need to intercept those 50 extra troops who are on their way, and that there'll be another group on it's way followed by others along with the rest of them: Tokugawa, Tadakatsu, Ina, Magoichi, Mitsunari, Ginchiyo, Okuni and Ranmaru Mori, this is proving to be bad, terrible even but we cannot give up. Hopefully Stealth can once again attempt to intercept the next convoy, even if he's having to deal with enemy pursuers who I'm hoping will be diminishing with each trap he can set out for them.
This is not ideal having to take them out while avoiding enemy fire considering how deadly they can be as a large group, hmmm. At the very least I can out run those pursuers so if I can just take out as many of them as I can, in one ambush then I'm hoping that I can diminish the numbers significantly. I really would like to be able to take these enemies out as quickly as I can before more of them show up, because then I can assist the allies and make a difference. It is really tragic how having reinforcements of our own is out of the question, but still we must not give up.
And so with these extra thoughts I head for the convoy and do my best to intercept, taking some comfort that I can run faster than my pursuers, though I am having to weave through the trees in the forest so that I can avoid getting shot by the enemies. This concerns me quite a bit as I have been hit a few times by them, which is something I am ever so keen to avoid. The fact that there are numerous bullets whizzing past me and many more being fired concerns me a lot, as it is a constant persistent nagging reminder that I have got so many enemies who are out to get me.
Still at any rate it isn't long until I am about to encounter the convoy, and so I then run past them and open fire at the enemies in the convoy, hoping that I can stop the convoy in it's tracks or at least defeat a good number of them in that convoy. and get a good number of them to pursue me. While at least it will mean that the allies won't have as many troops to worry about, it'll still mean that they'll fall to the enemy bosses, and it's only a matter of time before that happens.
I then make a pass along the convoy trying to take out as many of them as I can, but while I get a good number of them by the time I've done, it's not enough and I now find myself having to run for it considering I have so many enemies chasing me, trying to shoot me down. It won't be easy trying to take them on let alone trying taking all of them out, not to mention there is the issue of time or rather a lack of it, hmmm. I hope my ally Stealth is doing alright, no doubt he's in the same position as me, heavily outnumbered and struggling to take the enemy down.
But how to take them on? Hmmm. It is then I quickly realise that I'm better of doing hit and run attacks, since that's what I tried to do to the convoy, and I did get a good number of them. Yeah if I keep doing hit and run attacks I can get more and more enemies until they have been utterly defeated, it'll certainly help my allies who are having to fight these enemies, maybe I can even harass one of the enemy bosses there, I just hope I can make a difference, it's certainly worth a try and we'll have to see how many I can get.
It'll be quite a while to get to my allies since I've travelled quite far to intercept the convoy, but if I can keep running then I should be able to buy some time when engaging the enemy grunts who are harassing my allies, it must be hard for them trying not to get hit while fighting these bosses, I keep wondering about how much longer they can hold out?
I just hope that they can hold out long enough as I continue to run as fast as I can, which thank goodness is faster than my pursuers, and thank goodness it isn't tiring me out as it's thanks to the perk a colas that it is the case. Come on, come on, if I could just run in a straight line and not have to worry about dodging enemy bullets, because then I could get there much, much quicker. I was for a short while tempted to just fire my gun while running and get a few of my pursuers, but that will probably be a waste of time if not ammunition, and so I keep going, hoping that I can get there in time, hoping that they are still alright.
It is then that after running as best as I could, for who knows how long, I finally see White engaging Koshosho along with about a dozen enemies, and all White can do is to just run and hide while trying to attack them, as she's not just outnumbered, but outgunned by the enemy boss. I'm ever so amazed that considering the circumstances, she's still standing, but for how much longer I do not know, because the times that she must have been shot, is taking it's toll on her. I need to be quick if I have a chance of defeating this female with an afro and saving my ally White.
I do my best and take out a few of the enemy grunts, but it is only a few before I feel that it's best for me to run to another position. They then turn to try and attack but amazingly, White manages to get a few of them who were originally fighting against her. While it is most unfortunate how the pursuers are quite close and could shoot me down at any moment, at least I could perhaps bleed more of the enemy numbers, and if I'm lucky I might be able to wipe out all of the enemy troops before more of them get there, and perhaps I can help in taking out the bosses. But alas timing is of the essence, because not only is there the concern of enemy troops arriving, there is the concern of my allies dying, and I'm worried that they could die at any moment.
Still I'll have to keep going, at least I know where the allies of mine are, and speaking of which I hope Stealth is doing alright and he's able to keep the enemy convoy at bay, I hope he can, I really do. Then again there is the concern that some of the pursuers of mine will have instead resorted to going after White, this is disastrous, I don't think she can take on all of those enemies attacking her, hmmm. I guess I'll have to just back track and carefully run, seeing if I can take out a good number of my pursuers before assisting White, please White please do not die on me now.
I manage to turn around through the trees and lo and behold, I manage to take out some of the grunts though tragically it isn't enough, and worse still I was shot a few times by these relentless enemy grunts which does hurt quite a bit. There's nothing for it but to mind talk to White and see if we can run together in a certain direction, and see if we can pick them off one at a time, we just need a tactic, a good tactic that will eliminate the enemies quickly while making sure we don't get shot ourselves. I initially thought of doing a pass attacking each other's pursuers, but it will take too long to do, and there's also the risk of being shot by the enemy, and I know that since White's health is getting low, she is sure to die.
It's not long at all before we both meet and run together while the pursuers do the same thing, they try and shoot at us, but we manage to dodge them as we weave in and out of the trees. It is then that as they try and chase us, do we then lean from cover and shoot a good number of them before running again, and doing the same thing, even if we get shot a few times occasionally, this might be a good tactic, but I just hope that we can do this quick enough, so that we can defeat all of these enemies before more of them show up.
The thing is that as we continue to defeat the enemies and retreat and do so some more of the same thing, White's pain and instances of being shot are beginning to take it's toll, I'm concerned that she'll fall before we can even take on Koshosho, let alone take her out, maybe it's for the best that White goes off and harasses the enemy while she still has some health left.
It's just so tense but all we can do is to keep doing what we are doing, though trying to avoid this enemy boss isn't easy at all, especially how she's with those enemy troops who are trying so hard to pursue us, but at least I know that with every enemy we kill, we are getting closer and closer to it being the point, where it'll probably be just me and Koshosho who's AA12 will be deadly, but if I can defeat her, I could then use that weapon against the other enemy bosses, without too much trouble.
Eventually after what felt like ages of tension, at last, myself and White have finally defeated these enemies, but at such a cost because I've been informed by Uni via mindtalk that another convoy is about to reach the area at any moment, though Stealth has managed to distract some of the troops there. With this in mind I decide that White is to assist our allies, and that when the enemy arrives, she is to attack them, if she is alive that is though I doubt it, and so all I can do is to defeat Koshosho and to defeat her quickly, but with her AA12 in her hand it won't be easy, especially with how she has more health than me, I just cannot afford to be blasted by that weapon.
It is then that I soon realise that despite the advantage in health and in weaponry, I have the advantage in quicker reloads. I can fire more bullets in the same amount of time as she can, and if I can attack her from afar and just use my superior speed to keep my distance when she tries to close in, then it'll be her AK47 not her AA12 which isn't as deadly, though I still need to be careful because each of those 30 bullets do some serious damage.
In any case I like to think that I can defeat her if I just keep moving and attack from afar, and when she has to reload, I just open fire against her and then keep running again, but the thing is that while I like to think that I can take her out, with this method it will take time, time that I simply do not have, but if I can take her out, then it will be one less boss to worry about.
"I'm Koshosho. Also known as the Maid of Misfortune. All those who get close to me end up suffering extreme misfortune, just like your ally, who has wisely fled." Koshosho says in a sadistic tone, quite reminiscent of Noh and Plutia.
It's interesting that although I don't recognise her at all, perhaps because I've never seen her before, already from hearing her speak and encountering her personally, I sense that she's bad news, that she's vile and evil just like Noh, I wonder what her involvement in all this is.
"That name's very fitting considering how it will be you who will end up suffering extreme misfortune, by the time I've done with you." I say to her back with confidence and defiance.
After this brief exchange of insults, the both of us fire our weapons at each other, and while I run around her in a circle, the tragic thing is that before long despite my very best of running as fast as I can so that I don't get hit, even with her AK47 which is neither accurate or has a particularly fast fire rate, she still manages to get me a few times and each of those shots hurt me quite a bit and take it's toll on me. Although I have got her, the rate that we're going I will fall considering how she has much more health than me, she must know this making this all the more frustrating, and I need to change tactic but how? Hmmm.
It is then that I remember that when fighting enemy bosses before, I would try and throw bayonets into the enemy to distract them, and I have won many fights where they had a significant advantage against me using this method. I know where to find an Arisaka with a bayonet attached as I've wiped out dozens of them with this weapon in this area, and I know that if I was to flee her and look for such a weapon, she'd just head to one of my allies and assist, but it shouldn't take too long and I can just engage her again, I hope it works as it's all I've got, If I can just defeat her and take her weapon then this boss fight should be the hardest of the lot, which I want considering how I know how much health I'll lose from this.
With this new plan in mind I run away and mindtalk to Uni for the nearest rifle, and I head straight to it, doing my best to avoid her gunfire coming my way.
"Well it looks like you are wise not to stay close to me considering how you would have ended up suffering with extreme misfortune, though because you were close to me in the first place, you will still end up suffering with extreme misfortune anyway." She says to me in her tone.
I ignore her because I know that she will be eating those words soon enough, and it's not long at all before I pick up an Arisaka and then find somewhere to hide.
"Come on now, I know I said you will be suffering extreme misfortune, but how long it lasts for is all up to you." Koshosho says before laughing and switching to her shotgun.
I need to be careful but if I can pull it off, I could take that weapon, and use it against her. That's sure to cause some serious damage and maybe I can win this duel, this fight for sure. But it is if I'm careful because I'm not, I could end up being the one to be wiped out myself and that will prove disastrous, in any case like I keep saying, I can only hope that I am able to defeat her and fast because if not, there'll be many more enemies to come our way.
As I hide at a certain position, I then see her with the deadly automatic shotgun walking towards my position. Now's my chance, I then thrust the bayonet into her lower arm, and before she can react I then grab the shotgun and pull it away which is easier, not just because I'm much stronger, but the stabbing has made her lose her grip on the weapon as she tries to sooth her wound.
Yes, yes, yes, the deadliest weapon in her arsenal is now the deadliest weapon in my arsenal. I then open fire, with each shot hitting her and knocking her to the ground. After firing the AA12 at her and using all the 50 bullets it has, I holster it and switch to my Type 100 and while I fire my bullets at her, I find that she has managed to pull the rifle out. Hmmm even though our health is more evenly matched, thanks to my tactics, she has a weapon that could potentially distract me and cripple me. I reckon she'll want to throw the rifle at me.
The thing is instead she switches to her AK47 and then shoots me with this weapon, I try to encircle her and fire with my Type 100, and while I'm not as frequently shot by her considering her arm has made it difficult to aim at me, and it is now that I have more health than her, I know I'll be heavily wounded by the time she is defeated, and I won't be in any shape to take on any more enemies, this I cannot afford but what other tactics can I do?
But just then after firing a clip from her AK47 she then reloads, and it is then I come up with a new tactic, which is to rush and snatch that Arisaka that she's holstered. The annoying thing is that as I rush towards her she switches to her GP25 grenade launcher, and fires at my knee hitting it really hard.
Oh that has stopped me in my tracks, I'm annoyed about that getting hit like that, and being in serious pain, and not being able to move as quickly as I'd like, I guess she intends to reduce my speed to match her speed, just as I've reduced her health to match my health. It is then that before I can do anything else, does she then use the very weapon I was after and does a banzai charge, doing her best to ignore the pain in her lower arm, hmmm this is an interesting thing that she's doing.
I then open fire at her wound, hoping that the pain can slow her down, and luckily enough it gets to her just enough that she slows down slightly, and the rifle that she's holding is no longer in my direction but to my right, and this is when she's almost where I am, and so I manage to grab her rifle quite close to the end of the barrel.
She tries to pull the rifle away from me but even with me only using one arm it's a struggle, and with me holstering the Type 100, I then use my other hand to detach the bayonet from the weapon, and I throw the blade at her right knee. This causes her to drop the rifle as she tries hard to remove it from her knee. I then holster the rifle and use my SMG to open fire and keep firing it at her, then reloading and firing some more, knowing full well that she'll be able to get that bayonet, and perhaps she might be able to throw it at me.
I just know that the enemy is on their way, so getting another bayonet to throw at her is out of the question, and yet I need to be certain that she'll be defeated and yet with my now crippled knee, can I run such that I won't get hit too many times, meaning I have a chance of defeating Koshosho? Hmmm. It's annoying that with each tactic I use, she uses one in which I end up losing the advantage I gain. But it is then that I realise that I have one more card to play, and I really hope that it works.
I continue to fire at her wound in her arm because it will make it hard for her to use her weapon, and though she gets the bayonet out of her knee, rather than throwing it back, she switches to her AK47 and opens fire at my knee, the very knee where she fired her grenade at which hurts like who knows what.
It is a battle of attrition, as we open fire on our opponent's weaknesses, hoping that we can defeat the other. I'm confident that my shooting in her arm will cause her to stop firing at me as the pain will be too much, but I'm also concerned that her shooting at my knee will soon take it's toll and will be a big hindrance to me in my fight in defeating her, but I mustn't give up, I mustn't let the pain get to me and I mustn't let her defeat me.
I decide to sit down and attack her because I like to think that it would be better for me if I was to sit with a crippled knee being shot at repeatedly, than to be shot at repeatedly while standing. And so we shoot at each other, firing and reloading and then firing some more, but eventually it becomes too much, and yes it isn't for me, but it's for her as while we're both screaming and the pair of us are showing clear signs of being in severe pain, almost to the point of breaking point, she is having the worst of it.
Excellent, most excellent, I can win this now, especially with how she's unable to fire her weapon with her wounded arm, and she's forced to use her other hand to fire, though this means that to maintain her ability to be accurate, she's firing slower only in bursts.
There's no way she can defeat me now, though the trouble is that even while I will win, what will the cost be, because I am already heavily wounded now, and I know that I'm about to be in more pain after dealing with Koshosho, Not to mention there's the time aspect of it as well. I just know I'll have to deal with the enemy reinforcements as soon as I've dealt with her, and even though I'll have better weapons, with the condition I'm in will I be able to take them all down? And then there's the matter of my allies, they're probably dead by now, maybe if I'm quick enough I can save my allies and defeat the enemies, but considering my wounds and pain, can I be quick enough?
All I can do is my best and eventually after the pair of us continue to shoot and reload and shoot and reload and shoot, just as I suspect, she falls to me as the pain and shots prove too much for her. I'm so relieved to have been able to take her down, after all that fighting against her, not to mention all of that fighting against the enemy troops this morning, which has been deadly and stressful, with trying to keep the enemy at bay, I have defeated one of the enemies who intended to invade Lastation and bring misfortune, but there is many more to go, and it's unfortunate that while I have better weapons, my health is for the worse.
I quickly pick up the AK47 as well as grenades, and clips for both that weapon and for the AA12, hoping that it will be enough for the enemies, before I then head off to deal with the enemy reinforcements coming our way, only to find that Uni informs me by mind talk, that while there are in fact enemies on the way, they aren't that many about a couple of dozen of them, and that White while doing her best to defeat them, has fallen to them, which while it's tragic, I figured it would happen because White's health is that low.
Still despite this tragic news, as far as I'm aware, the allies aren't facing too many enemies and they are able to hold their own against the bosses, but for how long I'm unsure. I just hope it's long enough, long enough so that I can defeat these enemies, then come and assist my allies.
Interestingly enough thanks to my visions, I can see the couple of dozen enemies approaching my position, and so I take cover and begin firing my AK47, taking out a good few of them before they realise that they are attacked and try and rush towards me. This doesn't deter me as I then wipe out a few more, but it is then that I am shot a couple of times by them, forcing me to hide and find a new position. I knew this would happen but I cannot afford to be shot not many more times at least, and I worry that if this keeps up, I'll fall to them and I can't afford that, but how to avoid getting hit by them? I guess I'll have to go back a bit and then climb up a tree, I would have run some distance and seek a new position, but my knee and low health would have made it difficult to outrun them.
Climbing up the tree isn't easy, it isn't easy at all not with the aches, and pains that I have. It's a shame really because usually climbing is a breeze, but it's amazing that I'm still able to climb at all, and that I reach the top of the tree before the enemy gets too close, and so I waste no time in taking out as many as I can, before I feel that they will just shoot me down and so I jump down and then head for a few trees for a new position, so I can then bleed them some more, which pleases me very much as there's half of them left now, but even so how long am I taking? I fear it is far too long, oh this is not good, this is not good at all.
I reach the position I want but the annoying thing is that they are just getting closer and closer, to where I am and they have me surrounded on the left, the front and the right, and must be about a dozen metres from where I am.
I decide to use a grenade launcher against as many of them as I can before I then rush back past a few more trees, though it's frustrating how I've got shot a few times by the enemy, how many more painful agonising shots can I take before I die? Not many, not many at all, hmmm I guess I'll just have to go prone and wait for them to come to me, and then take them out one at a time. There isn't many of them now, though after this lot there is the matter of dealing with the enemy bosses, who by now have probably finished off the allies. I'll need to be clever if I am to survive, I just hope that I can find a way of fighting them without being hit, that's always a big challenge in gaming, to defeat their opponent without being hit once.
I manage to get to the next position that I'm after, in the prone position but tragically I find myself surrounding by the remaining enemies, though just before they can open fire, I manage to wipe out a few of them in front, and even though I get shot by the remaining enemies behind me which hurts me quite a bit, I manage to return fire and wipe out the rest of them.
Yet another relief, I manage to wipe out this wave of enemy reinforcements, and I breathe deeply to calm my nerves down due to the stress of it all, of all this fighting. While it's good to have defeated them, there is more of them to come, and while I just have to defeat 3 bosses in this area, there is more of those to come. I'm too exhausted and too injured to continue, but continue I must, and I know that there is still much that we have to deal with.
I will need to find a method considering how all of those previous engagements have taken it's toll especially with Koshosho, who has managed to not just get me in such a critical condition, but to cripple my knee such that I can no longer run as fast as I do, not until I can use some medicine in which I need to clear the area first of enemies before I can use it, because to use such medicine they'll become suspicious and will know, that Lastation is intervening which will cause them to declare war, which is ironic considering how they're trying to invade Lastation in the first place.
With this said though, considering how tough it's been so far, and what I will have to face now, finding a method won't be easy, how do I do it? How do I wipe them all out with such low health and to such an extent, that I cannot be shot by them? It's a typical challenge for a gamer on a hard difficulty level, and I can only do my best and think of a plan as I head to the nearest boss battle, hoping that my ally is still in one piece and hoping that I can think of a plan to not just keep myself alive, but my allies as well, as well as hoping that we can clear the place of all the enemies before more of them show up, along with the remaining bosses.
My knee may ache, and it may throb in agonising pain, but I will keep going, and I'll keep going not just for me, not just for my friends and my allies, but for Lastation and for the free world, which is what it's all about. Come on enemies do you worst, take me out and finish me off if you can.