Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Kaitlyn Price. Dimly, she was aware that the battle had started in earnest; soldiers were running up the beach, war machines trailing after them like eager hounds. She could hear distant pops between a ringing in her ears.

Someone was speaking through her radio, but the words were coming out slurred.

Then, suddenly, everything snapped back into focus when she heard the voice of her corporal.

"What are you all waiting for?!" bellowed the nearby Corporal Castro from his own trench to the troops. "If the brats and their fancy toys are gonna' loligag, it looks like we'll have to pick up the slack!" True to his word, his own rifle barked thunderously against the ear-protection of his soldiers' helmets. A few shots downrange nailed in the upper torso one of the gunners atop the enemy's amphibious fighting vehicles, sending them into the waves with a slight crimson spray.

Kaitlyn went a little green around the gills witnessing the sight, but quickly put that out of her mind when she spotted Sophist getting surrounded.

"[color=0072bc]Sir![/color]" She fiddled anxiously with her radio, fumbling with the buttons until she got it right. "[color=0072bc]Sir! The enemy, they've isolated one of the Arms Masters. Shouldn't we support them?[/color]"

Corporal Castro clicked his tongue disdainfully, as he eyed the multi-terrain armored vehicles currently menacing the forward trenches. They weren't on the level of a tank's durability by any stretch, but they were far more mobile than they had any right to be. "Damned commies," he spat, unhooking and palming a grenade from his chest, before frowning. "The scythe brat seems to be doing fine," he commented, as a tank erupted from within.

He eyed the sky and the gravity-wielder's rampage. "And there's nothing our ammunition's going to do about a battle in the clouds. He falls, I ain't catching him. I'll tell you that." Working his scruffy jaw, he finally nodded towards one of the newcomers, the ear radios sounding out. "Protect for the one with the shield at all costs! She's the only reason we're not charred meat right now, and we're keeping it that way!"

"Sir!" rang out the chorus of other privates in the trench, a more meek "[color=0072bc][i]Sir![/i][/color]" Following a moment later. Rifles barked in an uneven chorus of noise.

Meanwhile, the enemy seemed to have ascertained similarly. So long as the shield-wielding Arms Master stood, their air support was as good as neutered. Treads clattered in a roar, as a pair of aquatic fighting vehicles made to flank the shield bearer from both sides, their size and 30-35mph speed on the sandy shores allowing them to blast over the tops of the trenches without slowing for a second. Meanwhile, closer to the shoreline, several of the slower proper tanks' barrels had started to turn with ominous speed towards Ari's position.

Kaitlyn shivered as she saw the tanks turn.

"[color=0072bc]S-sir...[/color]" She swallowed the apple that had lodged itself in her throat, following the tanks with her eyes. "[color=0072bc]What do we do if the shield falls?[/color]"

He chuckled grimly. "We dig deeper trenches and pray." A smirk twisted his moustache. "But we're not going to let that happen, are we, men?!"

"[color=0072bc]N-no, sir![/color]" She shouted, joining the chorus.

She decided to get a head start on that praying

(Credit for Castro's parts go to the illustrious @lewascan!)