But there was no point in crying over missing tactical necessities. They would have to make do, something the Desert Warriors were extremely capable of.
The mechs that had brought up the rear suddenly rushed to the front. They carried heavy loads on their backs, and as the defending forces opened fire, they dropped their burdens in front of them. A couple more moved in on either side, pulled out what looked like large steel bars, and opened them into massive steel sheets.
It wasn't the same as Hammerhand's shield, but at least it would protect more mechs as they surged forward. The smaller rounds all ricocheted off the newly constructed shields, but the larger shots powered by the Guardians in the defense left dents and even broke through, although they also fired blind at this point.
Tinker had, fortunately, left a wide variety of interesting weapons and gadgets in his Beast, and with the help of Jessica13, they had been able to determine what each was for or at least what it could be used for in a fight.
The distance between the two lines diminished and finally, the shields pressed into the defending mechs. They weren't pushed back but they didn't need to be. The Desert Warriors, equipped with swords and buzz saws, shoved through the gaps of the shields or, with help from the support mechs, were able to vault over them. Showers of sparks erupted as the warriors unleashed a determined assault.
The defenders tried to withdraw from their outer defensive position and retreat behind the gates where they could work from cover as well.
The Prophet and his two lieutenants thrust closer to the shields and two of the support mechs shifted the barriers to create an opening for them to push through. They opened fire and the depleted uranium slugs punched easily through the armor of the assault mechs that attempted to pull back.
The defenders retaliated, but the Prophet barely felt any of the rounds they used. All were unable to penetrate the heavier armor he and his troops wore.
Those Desert Warriors who had melee weapons converged on the heavy mechs that had remained to try to hold the outer defense. They looked like ants crawling over the heavier mechs as they sliced and hacked chunks of their armor off and dragged them free before they struck at the vital sections.
It was accomplished quickly, the kind of work the Desert Warriors were more than capable of performing. They were in their element now and their coordination and skill definitely outclassed those who hadn't been prepared for the attack.
The order to retreat became obvious when those who had survived turned and withdrew behind the gates they had emerged from. It was clear that they hadn't expected someone to breach the defenses that had been set up. There was no other explanation for how unprepared they were.
Fortunately, their unreadiness worked to the warriors’ advantage. The Prophet reloaded his rifle and continued to fire at selected targets among those that had already turned away from the fight. He maintained a slow but steady rhythm to add to their casualties as much as he could in the time he had available to him.
The defenders retreated into a larger chamber that was already protected by the spire structure. A number of mech-sized elevators would most likely allow them to return to where they had come from. From the way they ignored the damage and focused on pushing clear of the battle, the Prophet knew it was in his army’s best interest to prevent them from reaching their destination.
He highlighted the location while the support mechs retrieved the shield to allow their full troop to attack as one. They surged forward and pounded into the lines of the mechs that had defended the gate. He was at the front, together with his lieutenants, and they drove hard into their lines and punched holes in their armor for the buzz saw fighters to take them apart for scrap metal.
The lack of coordination among the defenders was their downfall. The Desert Warriors decimated their ranks in a concerted push toward the back lines. They eliminated the support mechs as they churned over their fallen comrades in an effort to get over them. Most failed, and the carnage slowed the retreat to the point where the invading force was able to defeat them all.
A small cheer of victory issued from the group as the last enemy mech fell from the group they had engaged. The Prophet and his forces knew this wasn’t the last of the defenders. They were probably only the first wave, the immediate response while the others prepared better defenses.
Still, a partial victory was better than what they had endured on their first attempt.
"Gather the wounded!" he shouted, anxious to resume his men's formation lest they be caught unawares. "Reload and make what repairs can be done quickly."
Those who needed to remain behind did so while the rest entered the elevators. He knew it wouldn't be quite as simple as walking into the city. The element of surprise was long gone, and all they could do was steel themselves for what was likely being prepared for them below.
The larger mechs pushed forward and the shields were placed at the front to provide some cover to work from. The elevator doors slid shut and they began to descend.
It was a long and slow journey into the earth. Robert7 had said that it was almost a hundred meters and the elevators couldn’t cover that distance in the kind of speed he would prefer.
Still, they seemed to move more sluggishly than expected. He looked at the mechanism and scowled as the system seemed to slow even further until eventually, they ground to a halt
