"Not again, not again, not again!" those in their makeshift tents could hear Jamal crying out, "Fuck you, Youden!"
The established camp where half of Port-O-Bea's armed forces were located, was only around six miles away from the outskirts of Appleridge, but that had little concern on the members. There was major news coming in that Port-O-Bea had been dealt with another attack by Youden's local forces, this time a successful landing from within the city, as well as the man's air force providing support from above. Things were not looking good at the war-torn city, and if things deteriorated further, would force their only men to return back, splitting their army essentially half.
"Jamal, we all are suffering right now, we need to stay focused." Heskins was outside, alongside the rest of the Viligantes of Power by the furious man's side. "It's not over."
"I'm going to burn that bitch alive!" Jamal's fire flared around him, before dying down, "When I do find him, I'll-."
"We don't even know when we're moving out yet, as the situation is still coming out to us slowly. Take a deep breath, hold it in, then recollect yourself." Leon remained calm.
"Fuck you! That man is targeting my family!"
"I kind of doubt that, I think it's more strategic than that?" Hops scratched his head.
"Yeah, I'm not really with you on this one here, Jamal." Sera resonated on that last word.
"You know what, I think I do have an idea now." Jamal stopped to think about it for a second, "Strategic, huh?"
"Uh, huh?" Alice chirped in, "As in what?"
"Don't worry about that. Thanks for the thought." Jamal returned a grin, before lighting himself in flames.
Before they could answer as to his current objective or plan, the man launched himself into the air and flew away from the camp. What could really be going on with him? As horrific as the situation was, if they all collectively worked together with everyone else, could they surely come up with a plan, right?
"I know it hasn't just been me when asking this question, but we've all noticed Jamal's been acting stranger lately?" Heskins turned to speak to everyone.
"Yeah, I think something's wrong with him." Fonda replied.
"We noticed it too back near the battle by the bridge, he was talking to himself." Hops looked to Sera, who nodded back, "It's kinda creepy."
"If I had to take a guess, perhaps it's his power evolving even more now from all the stress?" Leon took a shot in the dark.
"You really believe that?" Alice shook her head, "I'm not even sure about that. Maybe whatever was happening to him, was just waiting for the right moment and condition to come out. He's been dealing with that man for a very long time."
"Even still, we gotta stay strong guys, I know we'll be okay." Brat attempted to lighten the mood, "The city is depending on us."
"They sure are," Heskins spoke one last time, as he watched the sky in awe. "We're doing this for them."
...
Zipping through the air, Jamal could see the city of Appleridge from above while only being a few miles away. The suffering Youden already caused ages ago already had him pissed, but the recurring thoughts of his family and others being killed were really pissing him off even more. The sickening reality was that the longer they waited and sat around, would Youden continue by any means necessary in order to win. He could not let that happen, no more.
With the thin streams of steam flowing behind, the man slowed down to a standstill once he was close enough to get an entire overview of the area. Considering that it was the thirty-third largest city in the nation, it didn't seem so, especially when taking into account its population. But it would be a worthy target for what Youden himself had caused.
While staring down at an established checkpoint with several soldiers milling around, Jamal lifted one of his arms towards the sky, with a small fireball quick to form.
"Wow, I didn't think I would see you this soon." a voice similar to his interrupted his goal.
"Not this again." Jamal turned to see his shadow self floating next to him, although it was more wispy and free-flowing than usual.
"You probably don't want to kill some innocent civilians with whatever you're doing." it waved towards Jamal's slowly growing fireball. "That's going to do little for us in the long run."
"You know exactly what he's done to those against him. I'm not defending him!" Jamal roared loudly, accelerating the ball's growth.
The bright light was quick to make its way down below on the ground, as those on the western side of the city could take a good look at a closer sun to them. Even the soldiers were a bit aghast at such a sight before a few of the armed men connected the dots as to who was the source. Yelling quickly followed suit, as several shots zipped toward the sky, although Jamal was too high for the rifles to be accurate or powerful enough to do damage.
"Save this energy for the real deal. We'll need it then." the figure began to dissipate. "And please, have me back when we actually see him. But you do you, I won't stop you."
As the remaining bit of flames disappeared from his sight, Jamal looked back down at the city once again. His fireball was now around the size of what he would consider near full power, but something deep inside was telling him not to release it on his enemies just yet. Perhaps, the figure was right, and that anger could be used on the main course of action. Then, could he swiftly execute his goals. As much as he really hated what he knew he had to actually do, it would have to work in their favor.
Still not wanting to waste all that time and energy, Jamal flicked his hand straight ahead and watched his creation shift in that direction. Satisfied that no one would be in harm's way and that it wouldn't crash back down on the ground, he was quick to travel in the opposite direction and back towards the base. His ball, however, was fluctuating due to the lack of energy to feed its power. Those below could only watch in awe, before the attack finally imploded on itself, sending a strong, but not deadly, shockwave across the city's perimeter, with the ground even temporarily shaking. As insane of a warning, as it was, the people of Appleridge were thankfully spared at the moment, as the calm of the storm was soon to leave, and the real danger was to come. They couldn't truly comprehend the situation Youden had created and the impact it would have on many after all of those years, but it would soon come for them all.