Adam transferred command of the protectron over to Colonel Harrison after a very quick change to the coding and then he handed it off to stay with the Gunners. Once that was done he settled back in with his group for the night.
There was some light chat among them but eventually it was time to sleep as the next day's march would come early. They all needed to be well rested for tomorrow and would no doubt challenge them all. Of course the robots did not need to sleep so Eve took charge and organized all the collective robots to take watch around the building while still keeping a low profile.
The next day came without issue and the march resumed, however within one hour of the march starting again they already had to engage with a small group of cultists. However, 'small group' really did justice to how insignificant the number of cultists were when compared to the size of the army Adam was traveling with. Adam did not even get a chance to fire a shot nor even see the cultists alive before they were absolutely shredded by the overwhelming firepower of those at the front of the pack.
It was clear to everyone that any cultists they encountered would have to be killed before they could escape. Any amount of forewarning that the cult had would give them a chance to prepare. It was inevitable they would learn, somehow, whether by spies or by scouts, but the less time they had to prepare the better.
The march continued on much as yesterday though with numerous smaller skirmishes as the army encountered patrols here and there, indicating beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were nearing the Church of Salvation.
When Adam and Mira walked alone they could arrive at the cult's base with one full day of travel, one night's rest, and then a few more hours on top of that. Meaning they arrived at the Church of Salvation around the afternoon or late morning. However the speed of the large gathered army was significantly slower. So by Adam's estimate they would arrive by mid evening. He was wrong. In fact it was nearly night by the time they arrived.
Everyone in the group was tired from the long march but with the church just a few buildings away there was no time to rest and make camp. Instead they would make use of the setting sun to push their attack.
As everyone paused to check their gear and ensure they were ready Colonel Harrison and his men came closer to Adam's group, planning to keep them alive as requested. However Baxter's group did the same too, strangely enough, perhaps they trusted other mercenaries more than War's people. In effect that meant that there were two groups. War's fighters and nearly everyone else with Adam. Adam decided to make use of this fact going to speak with the Warshipper he often spoke with.
"I think we should swing around and hit them from the back, if you do not mind taking the charge from the front." Adam offered to the Warshipper. He figured his plan would be seen through. After all the ones attacking from the front would incur the greatest damage. However the Warshipper's response surprised him.
"We will do so gladly. All is as War decides." He said with a saintly smile. It was clear he could tell what Adam was thinking, that War's men would take the brunt of the damage, however he seemed to revel in it. Like he was glad that they would shield Adam's group from damage. It was confusing but Adam was not about to question it. Instead Adam just nodded and then led his large group containing his friends, The Gunners, the Baxter Brigade, and the various mercenaries on a long path around the outskirts to get to the back of the school. While this was happening, as he began to walk off, he could see War raise his sword high above his head and roar into the sky.
"Freedom for All! For life, or from it!" He roared with an intensity that even Adam could feel from there. However one thing was clear; The battle had indeed begun.
As Adam's group made the short but tense trek to the other side of the school, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and rockets, lasers, and so many more being fired off in the intense firefight just a few buildings over. From the sounds of it the cult had more firepower than anyone expected them to. Perhaps they were prepared for the assault.
A group of 12 cultists poured from the side streets as they accidentally stepped into the path Adam's group was marching, leaving both groups on the backfoot. However Adam's group was faster, mowing them all down with speed. Only one of Adam's group was hit despite the multiple gunshots fired at them all, a lone mercenary from Midway. He was told to retreat while the rest pushed on.
A short few minutes later and they all were in position. Most of the buildings around the back were destroyed beyond recognition but at least a few were standing enough to garrison so, with some persuasion, a few of each group split off and took up firing positions.
Adam couldn't wait long, however, they needed to move in, the longer they waited the more chance there was of patrols to return to the Church. They needed to decapitate the leadership, and fast. So, once everyone was ready and in position, they rushed in.
The very first step was carving an entrance into the wall, so with a short salvo of rockets from Hades, and a few other heavily armed troops, a hole was blasted into the wall that surrounded the entire settlement allowing everyone to make a break for the inside before more cultists were able to man the towers that faced the back. Which, speaking of those towers, the three towers that were immediate problems for the group had their occupants quickly dispatched by a combination of the ranger's revolver, the anti material rifle of the Baxter Brigade woman, and a salvo of laser fire from several of the group's robots.
There were actually two machine gunners sitting on the top of the church pointed towards the direction Adam's group came from, however before they could begin to cut down the army hitting their rear, the men who had taken up positions in the buildings nearby began to pepper them enough to take both men out. However that alone was not enough, more cultists began to fire out the windows of the school forcing the group to disperse and take cover behind various pieces of playground equipment and other new world constructions. Adam was winged by a bullet grazing his left arm. It stung, bad. He was certainly shot. However it was not bad enough for him to slow down so instead he popped a stimpack and then a Med-X and rushed in.
Despite the army taking cover from the fire coming from inside, the truth was there was very little cover to speak of over all. Adam was only winged, he could handle that, however he was the lucky one. Within the moments it took the army to find some semblance of cover more than a few were already downed from taking a round.
Of course their friends from the buildings outside were supplying covering fire but it was not enough, there must be dozens of cultists inside firing at them all. Perhaps they were even outnumbered. It made no difference, however what was needed was to get into close range. If they could close the gap and get inside he could get some breathing room for his allies.
As Adam charged forward he felt another bullet slam into his stomach. He definitely felt it, it definitely hurt, but between the adrenaline of the fight, the Med-X boosting his resistance and increasing his pain tolerance, and the residual effects of the stimpack still in his body he pushed on. Of course he was wearing Body Armor. That was the real MVP. It meant the bullet didn't rip through his stomach and instead just made it feel like he was getting hit by a can of soup at 100 miles an hour.
Regardless, Adam was incredibly close to the building now, close enough that he could see the whites of the eyes of the cultist lining up a shot to Adam's head. Adam certainly didn't dodge the bullet but, with a massive leap that would make a professional long jumper jealous, Adam drop kicked through the window and right onto the cultist. The bullet tore through the top part of Adam's left ear, narrowly missing his head as he landed on top of the cultist feet first, right into a room full of hostiles.