"Where do you hail from?" I queried, a hint of curiosity in my voice as I thought he might be one of the many variants sent to find small settlements.

"I was dispatched by my lord to keep watch on the ongoing battle at one of our settlements," the minion replied, his voice steady and unwavering.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but the expression on his face was unreadable. "So, what news do you bring with you?" I asked, my tone tinged with eagerness.

"My lord, the battle has come to an end, and unfortunately, most of our minions did not survive," he reported, his voice heavy with grief. I raised a hand to halt him, my mind racing with questions. "Are you saying that they were unable to inflict any damage on the enemy?" I asked, a hint of disbelief creeping into my voice.

"No, my lord," he replied, his tone determined. "Our minions fought bravely, and the enemy suffered significant losses. Although several of their warriors perished, they still held the upper hand in terms of numbers and emerged victorious. The battle was long and grueling, with both sides leaving nothing on the table."He continued, "The crossbows proved to be a valuable asset, providing our minions with ample cover as they tried to keep the enemy at bay. But eventually, the enemy succeeded in breaching the settlement's walls, and a fierce battle erupted outside. Despite the best efforts of our minions, the enemy's superior numbers and strategic prowess allowed them to gain the upper hand."

"I need to know more," I pressed, my curiosity piqued. "What happened next? And what about the magic minions?"

"Once the minions arrived at the settlement, they secured their positions and prepared for battle. The intelligence variants were stationed on the walls, providing guidance and support to the soldiers. When the enemy descended upon the settlement like a maelstrom, the archers attempted to keep them at bay. However, the enemy was relentless and continued to scale the walls. It was then that the wind minions entered the fray, their powerful gusts trying to repel the attackers. Unfortunately, the enemy was not fazed by the wind and continued their assault. The fire minions then joined the battle, their flames adding to the wind's power, but the enemy was unfazed by their efforts as well. The battle raged on, each side determined to emerge victorious, but in the end, the enemy proved to be too strong."

The minion took a deep breath before continuing, "As for the magic minions, they were deployed as a last resort. Their magical abilities were meant to turn the tide of the battle, but unfortunately, even their combined efforts were not enough to defeat the enemy. They used their magic to create illusions, cast spells, and summon forth the elements, but the enemy was unfazed. The magic minions fought bravely, but in the end, they too fell to the enemy's might."

I listened to the minion's account in silence, my mind trying to process the magnitude of the defeat. Despite the bravery of our minions and their valiant efforts, the enemy had emerged victorious. I knew that I had to regroup and come up with a new strategy if I hoped to defeat this formidable foe.

The magic minions were a rare and precious resource, their numbers too few to fully defend the settlement from the enemy's siege. So, the archers took up position on one side of the battlements while the magic minions guarded the other. The enemy launched their first attack and the defenders fought with all their might, raining arrows and magic spells down upon the attackers. At first, it seemed as if the enemy would falter, their ranks falling as their soldiers were struck down by the relentless barrage.

However, the enemy was not easily defeated. They retreated, regrouped, and brought forth their greatest weapon, a massive siege machine called the Stomper. This monstrosity was designed to break through even the strongest of doors and was protected by thick metal plates, rendering the magic minions' attacks useless. The archers continued their assault, but the Stomper marched forward, relentless in its mission to breach the settlement's defenses.

With a crash, the door was finally breached, and the enemy poured into the settlement, their battle cry ringing out across the plains. The archers fought bravely, but the enemy was too many, and soon they had swarmed the walls, killing the archers and overpowering the magic minions. The battle was intense, and many brave warriors on both sides lost their lives.

But the defenders would not give up, and with a fierce determination, they pushed the enemy back, bringing the battle to the plains outside. The enemy was still numerous, but the defenders fought with a ferocity that matched their own. The two sides clashed, swords ringing out and spells flying, the sound of battle filling the air.

As the sun began to set, only a few stage 2 brute force minions remained, their size and strength unmatched by any other warriors on the battlefield. But they were outnumbered, and one by one they were taken down, their last moments filled with a fierce battle cry as they took as many of the enemy with them as they could.

With the last of the defenders fallen, the enemy still stood, but the battle was won. The intelligence variant spoke of the bravery of the warriors who fought and died on the battlefield, and although their hearts were heavy with the loss of so many lives, they could not help but feel proud of their victory.

And as the sun finally set, casting the battlefield in a crimson hue, the intelligence variant turned to the lord of the settlement and spoke, "No, my Lord, they are not marching towards here right now." The lord breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew that the battle was far from over. The enemy would regroup, and they would come again, stronger and more determined than ever. But the defenders of the settlement were ready, their bravery and determination unmatched, and they would stand firm, ready to face the next battle with courage in their hearts and fire in their eyes.

"So, what are they doing then? Are they retreating? If they are, we need to find them and eliminate them before they can go back to their cities and recruit more warriors. We must stop them," I said, fear evident on my face.

"My lord, they are not retreating. They have set up camp there for the night, and they might launch an attack tomorrow. They have a large number of troops and I don't think they will ever retreat during a battle," replied the messenger.

"This is good news. We are also well-numbered and have a strategy that will defeat them once and for all. I have a large number of minions undergoing training, and once they have completed their training, we will be unstoppable," I responded confidently.

"Yes, my lord," he nodded in agreement.

I dispatched the messenger back to the enemy's camps to gather information. He left, and I went to the training grounds. It had been seven hours since I assigned the minions to train. I checked on their progress and found that 500 archers were ready and waiting on the battlefield, while the first stage of minions had completed their training.

The 100 silent assassins were also well-trained and were awaiting orders. I thought they would be incredibly useful in the battle tomorrow. After inspecting the minions, I was returning to my house as the sun was setting in the west. I saw an intelligence agent entering the inner castle. He looked afraid, which indicated that he had brought bad news. He approached me and stood in front of me.