The looming concrete structure gave the nearest Viligantes of Power one thing, hope. Jamal had finished clearing out the first of their defensive lines and was an almost free breakthrough to the highway's border. It was a bit strange to see a little more of a fight than what was considered more of a security zone, but the group and their soldiers had to take the opportunity when it was given. They were finally closing in on the city of Appleridge, where one would expect even fiercer conflict to erupt, but they weren't there yet.
"So once we get past the highway, we'll be in the city?" Alice followed closely behind Leon.
"Yeah, a bit of the city's suburbs and then the main center from there. It'll take some weeks though, possibly even longer." Brat responded, with a lack of enthusiasm.
"But once we do get it, it's an almost straight route to Yodenio City!" Jamal kept his hopes high, "Just don't die, and we'll all make it for sure."
Leon remained silent in thought, as the woods they were crossing through began to clear, and the approaching road to take its place. Up ahead, was the highway, devoid of any carrs or other vehicles, considering the fact that an invading army was marching towards their city. Just past the six-lane road, the hidden men could see large swaths of ditches and trenches in both open terrain and through lines of trees. Beyond that, were some more wooden and hastily-created fortifications, that seemed sturdy from even their position, that was located in the outskirts of the city of people's homes. It was estimated to be around five miles from the rebel's location to the first homes of the city, but would be a challenge to reach while taking minimal casualties.
"Okay, let's go." Jamal was ready to take the first step, when Leon pressed his hand to his chest.
"Hold on, they won't let us cross the highway that easily." Leon looked hard onto the road, "It might be a trap."
Watching, Jamal stayed silent, as Leon made the first steps for the army, as he was at the true edge of the forest line. Waiting ahead was the paved road, but Leon noticed small spots pocketed on the pavement. Assuming what he believed it to be, the man took a few steps back, before raising his hand. In the flicking motion, Leon sent a small burst of energy towards the furthest visible spot he could see, as a small explosion rocked its location.
"I knew it. The whole highway is mined." the man shook his head in shame, "We'll have to clear it out first so everyone can make it."
"Okay, we better start now then." Jamal raised his hand, letting fireballs form from it.
Brat could only watch as Leon continued to flick away at the spots, while Alice was attempting to concentrate with her book starting to glow. Was he the only one who couldn't necessarily do anything in this situation?
"So, is it really just you and me?" Brat moved towards Alice, just as she waved her hand close to the floor of the road.
The energy latched towards the ground, and like lightning, followed past several of the land mines, clearing the section with ease.
"Nevermind." Brat shrank back.
"You could have kind of expected that. I'm sure you can help and make sure no one will jump us with the rest of the soldiers." Alice looked back at the rest of them moving along the forest line.
Not even responding, Brat just followed the rest of them, searching for another path to cross and being useful. The others not with them were probably doing so much better than this, and actually doing something productive. He could only hope that was true.
.....
The open fields were finally a blessing once they were cleared, with the Viligantes of Power on the northern part of the city pushing forward at long last. Several more of their men had to die, but the surprise ambush forced the Reserve Guards to pull back from the onslaught, and it was a clear shot towards the first of the suburbs of the city.
"Thank the powers for some change." Sera took a sweet breath, as she stepped over a dead Reserve Guard.
"We still got about another mile or so to continue with before we reach our section of highway, and then we're finally in." Heskins was grateful.
Hops was jumping about in the meantime, with more pent-up energy than before, legs pumped with blood. The spectacle was quite interesting, as some of the soldiers were seeing him increase his height drastically with each hop. Just as the final soldier on their side made it over the road, the man landed on the ground with a sharp crack forming. Crouching all the way down and nearly touching the floor, Hops pushed himself back up, launching him higher into the air. He soared several hundred feet into the air, as the view was not only incredible but could he see what they were dealing with over the tops of the trees. There were even bigger trenches up ahead behind the highway itself, and the man could just see some type of rocket system firing their projectiles toward the side where Jamal and Alice were. He could only hope they were doing fine, as a quick stare in the direction showed small explosions and burst from that direction.
But alas, gravity was at work, as his descent back to the ground was quick, as Hops braced his legs for impact. The sharp crunch towards the ground shook the ground for a few moments, as by now everyone was staring at him.
"What was that for?" Fonda was confused.
"I was seeing our surroundings," Hops moved out of his man-made crater, "It looks as if they have some trenches established ahead, and some pieces of artillery or rockets, I think that's what they are called?"
"That's not too surprising, this is essentially the most valuable city west of the capital. Losing this means that they would lose hundreds if not thousands of miles. This means so much to them."
"Well, I appreciate the information, let's avenge the fallen." Heskins stepped up in assurance, continuing down the set path to the highway and the city itself.
The rest of them were laser-focused, with the army following suit towards liberation. They were coming towards their adversaries, whether they liked it or not, and the freedom they wished to bring to the rest of the nation was their true purpose.
.....
"Have they been sighted yet?" a deep voice boomed in the command center of Appleridge.
Situated on the eastern side of the city, the room was very calm despite the deteriorating situation, while being led by the one and only Defense General Hector Nerca. Papers of their current fortifications and traps were plastered on all walls, while radio stations were set in a corner of the room to stay in contact with all troops on the frontlines. Every second was important and could not go to waste.
"We're getting confirmation that the group with Jamal Wrint is beginning to attempt to cross the highway. They're currently clearing out the mines, and our artillery and rocket systems are now responding." an aide was quick to announce.
Good, Hector was satisfied. The latest creation of such a system used projectiles that originated from the firework, and was truly such a devastating weapon when used right. Youden had kept it a secret for several months, as a select few were trained to use such a machine, but it was finally being utilized here first, before being shipped across seas.
"As for the other group further north, our units have decided to pull back to the treelines and established fortifications, with the designated artillery beginning to work."
"Very well. Make sure our defensive measures for the actual city is all set together. I would not be surprised for such a group as the Viligantes of Power to break through, one way or another. The time for their death will come, sooner or later." Hector sat back in his seat, as he stared into a defensive map of the city, with him knowing the outcome of all of this. No army would break through all of this, it was going to seemly be impossible.