The dusty corridors of the abandoned buildings did not make great living conditions, which was honestly to be expected. No member of the Coastal Defense Corps of Port-O-Bea was surprised by that fact, as they had more issues to worry about besides dust bunnies and cockroaches. Their locations were constantly getting pounded by shells from Youden's warships off the coast, as well as powers from the marine invaders situated off the beach. Despite the week going by since the first real attack, Youden's men appeared to simply make their opponents bleed off their supplies and waste even more ammunition, to slow them down. That didn't stop the marines from advancing around three streets into the city, capturing small storefront buildings and more strategically, the city's sole port, giving better access for Youden's troops to resupply their own people.
"This could really be worse," Cole was wiping his face while leaning against the door of a former apartment. "We're doing a bit better than I thought."
"I mean, we haven't moved out of the buildings yet, so we must be doing something right?" a soldier next to him sighed, just as a shot barely missed one of their own who was peeking at their enemies, "Be careful!"
"Yeah, we're still getting supplies in through the back, and those invaders haven't reached any exposed positions yet, so I'm a bit less worried than before." Cole exhaled, just as another explosion rocked their position for several moments. "Keep holding your positions, and at all costs."
Nodding, the soldier dashed out of the room before barely avoiding another panting soldier, scrapped with cuts and a few bruises. The sight wasn't too surprising for Cole, except he could tell when something of urgency needed to be received.
"Sir, I'm here to report that our designated supplies are at twenty percent compared to the start of our defense." the scout was forcing out.
This was bad, especially if it was true at the time it was counted. Who knew how long it took for that information to relay to him, and if other divisions needed it more in other locations? Cole's own men were facing directly at the shoreline itself and were facing the brunt of the assaults, despite the temporary reduction of activity in their area. The reality was looking dimmer by the day.
"Have we sent a request of assistance to the main forces by the other frontlines?" Cole finally decided to ask.
"Already sent two hours ago, we're just awaiting an answer back from them. Perhaps, we'll benefit from someone like Jamal or the others of his group."
"Uh huh, say that does remind me of the woman he was with. Ula Mere." Cole pondered on the name, "Although I believe she is technically also a part of them, her role has been limited due to time with their family. That could be used to our advantage in his return."
"As long as she is safe, as well as everyone still in the city, that should give all those engaged in this fight some hope to stay strong."
Just as the conversation was finishing, another and much closer explosion crashed into their building, only several rooms down the hallway to their left, with screams confirming a direct hit. They all still had to focus on the task ahead, as Cole gave the scout permission to leave the premise and relay the update of another ammunition drop off on their site. Peeking outward once he left, the commander could see the caved-in corner and gave a clear sight of the hundreds of Youden's marines either in their former positions on the beach or camped behind buildings they were currently engaging Cole's brothers in arms. That did nothing but brighten his mood with clear shots, as the survivors of his division began firing at the forces in the open. The city would not fall that easily, and their determination for true freedom rang true for all of Port-O-Bea's citizens. They would not go down until they were all dead.
.....
The cells for the Port-O-Bea jail were in much better condition compared to the dungeons that Youden had in his capital and prisons around the nation, although that wasn't to give its quality any real praise. It was simply being taken care of more often than Youden ever planned to give to his worse enemies. That didn't stop any attempts of escape from its occupants, who were mostly composed of captured Reserve Guards who wanted to return back to the front.
Out of the one-hundred-plus prisoners locked up, one of them stood out as their body looked to have accurately represented the current fighting with the damage on his body. The only thing making him recognizable to anyone at all, was the cracked stone in the socket of one of his eyes, as he had his back against the cement wall. For the last few days, it took him some time to adjust to his new home, although the person's main initial concern was the toll of the fighting on his body. Even with the healers doing their best to prevent him from dying, it couldn't truly remove the visible damage due to how his powers worked. Bandit had no problem with that, however, as he could move as if nothing ever happened to him. The people with such abilities truly had his thanks.
"Miss Mere, he's right here. We can't have you be here for too long due to the ongoing "activity", so once ten minutes run down, you will have to go." he could hear a guard inform what appeared to be a woman's name, with the sounds closing near his direction.
"Okay, thank you so much. Hopefully, it doesn't take that long, but we'll see." a female voice confirmed what he thought, just as a guard stopped in front of his cell.
"You have a visitor here, so straighten up!" the guard slammed his baton once on the cell, although Bandit didn't budge an inch.
"Hmm, I'm waiting," he grumbled back, feeling the energy cuffs over his arms.
Placing a seat just outside the cell, the man watched as a young woman in a dress coat stared into his soul. Well, not literally, but it felt as so based on her gaze's intensity. Despite not even knowing who this person was, Bandit could quickly figure out that she had some type of connection to him, although he couldn't piece it together just yet.
"So, you're Bandit, as you go by, correct?" the woman he knew as Miss Mere finally sat down, not missing any eye contact.
"Uh, yeah, now who are you exactly?" he questioned back.
"That's not a concern you should have right now. I'm here because I want to see if you know some things that are of utmost importance." Miss Mere answered.
"Okay?"
"Does the name Jamal Wrint ring any bells?" she watched as his demeanor remained the same, although she could briefly sense the hatred still burning inside of him.
"Yeah, why so?"
"Because, not only is that my fiance, but I know you may also hold some valuable information on the Reserve Guard you have yet to tell anyone here yet. So if you help me out, it's entirely possible that I can help you out in your predicament." Ula started to explain, as she watched his attitude start to evolve once he heard the words coming out of her mouth, and the possibility of an exchange, depending on the following conversation that was to be had.