[5 minutes into the battle]
The ground shook as the armored tank rumbled forward, its heavy machinegun chewing through the defensive barriers like paper. Sparks, smoke, and dirt exploded around Zero's position. The enemy squad followed behind the tank in tight formation, confident, aggressive.
Zero ducked behind a broken pillar as rounds zipped past, his mind racing.
[Zero]: Of course, they give students a tank. Why not throw in a dragon while they're at it?
He glanced at his two squadmates.
Rockslug Mithralbeard, the dwarf, knelt low behind a slab of concrete, one thick, gloved hand slowly rotating a strange metallic device—a compact mine with glowing blue runes.
Reyfina Silverflow, the elf, crouched behind an overturned table, her green hair sticking to her bloodied cheek, her sharp eyes watching Zero carefully.
Zero's mind clicked into action.
[Zero]: Rockslug, you're with me. Reyfina, give us covering fire. We're going to feed them that tank.
Rockslug grunted, slamming the final rune into place on the mine.
[Rockslug]: Heh. Got a nice little welcome gift right here. Just need to slap it under their belly.
Reyfina smirked slightly, raising her customized sniper rifle.
[Reyfina]: You better not die, Zero. I'm not carrying your heavy corpse.
Zero's smile was thin, sharp.
[Zero]: Just shoot anything that looks at me wrong.
Reyfina fired first, her shot nailing one of the enemy gunners trying to reload.
The enemy formation scattered, looking for cover.
Zero and Rockslug dashed across the battlefield—silent, low, shadows against the wreckage.
The tank pivoted, its turret slowly turning toward Reyfina's sniper flashes—
Perfect.
Zero sprinted faster, armor skill activating again—his form flickering slightly under the speed boost.
[Rockslug]: Almost... there...
At the tank's rear, the armor was lighter—designed more for speed than defense.
Zero knelt down, pried open a maintenance hatch with his combat knife, exposing the vehicle's core supports.
[Zero]: Plant it.
Rockslug slapped the rune-mine inside, muttering a Dwarven curse for good luck.
They both sprinted back toward the blue line just as the tank's machinegun swiveled, ready to shred them.
Too late.
[Zero]: Reyfina, NOW!
She fired again—her bullet striking the mine's activation rune from a distance.
BOOM!!!
The tank erupted in a pillar of fire and shattered metal, flipping onto its side and crushing three enemy soldiers under its bulk.
The ground shook from the blast, dust clouding everything.
[Blue Team HUD]: ENEMY TANK DESTROYED — +100 Points
Cheers echoed across the comms.
[Rockslug]: AND THAT'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH A TIN CAN!
[Zero]: Next time, they'd better send two.
[Five minutes later...]
The ground shook again—but this time, twice as heavily.
[Zero]: …You've got to be kidding me.
From the dust clouds, two tanks roared forward, followed by an entire platoon of enemy students armed to the teeth—shotguns, rifles, even some carrying grenade launchers stolen from the armory.
[Rockslug]: Well, lad... they heard ya.
[Zero]: All units! Fall back to the ammo cache! Last line defense—if we lose it, we lose this fight.
Inside the Blue Base - Ammo Cache Room
The cache was buried deep, behind thick metal blast doors—packed with crates of bullets, grenades, and old prototype weapons.
Zero sprinted through broken hallways, grabbing Grant, Charly, and Rose along the way.
[Zero]: Grant, you're on tank infiltration. Charly, Rose—support the flanks, hit any squad trying to flank us!
[Grant]: Finally! Some real fun.
[Charly]: Hope they're ready to lose their faces.
[Rose]: I'll cover the left. Don't die, idiots.
[The Plan:
Zero would hold the front personally using his most powerful armor ability.
Grant would sneak into the enemy tanks during the chaos and disable them from inside.
Charly and Rose would harass and stall the enemy platoon, preventing them from reaching the cache.]
[Zero]: [Great Armor Manifest]
A heavy, mechanical hum filled the air.
From Zero's body, a monstrous armor began to grow and build itself—thick plates of shimmering steel and blackened iron wrapping his frame, forming a living tank of a man. His silhouette doubled in size, massive gauntlets and armored boots slamming into the ground with thunderous weight.
He looked like a one-man fortress.
[Zero]: I'll hold the line.
Zero charged forward, intercepting the tanks directly.
Their machineguns fired—but the bullets ricocheted off his armored chest like rain.
Zero grabbed the barrel of one tank's cannon, forcing it upward, and punched the turret with such force that it dented inward like crushed tin.
Meanwhile:
Grant used the chaos to slip through the wreckage, climbing up the back of the second tank like a spider.
With a wide grin, he opened the hatch, tossed a flash grenade inside, and dove in after it.
Screaming and gunfire echoed from inside the tank.
Charly and Rose unleashed hell on the advancing enemy soldiers—grenades, rifle shots, tripwires—they bought precious seconds while Zero wrestled with the steel monsters.
[Team HUD]: One Tank Disabled — +100 Points, Platoon Units Decreased by 15%, Ammo Cache Integrity: 100%
Zero stood in front of the cache, his great armor smoking and battered, but still standing, his eyes burning with cold resolve.
[Zero]: Come on. Send more.
Zero's voice echoed through the broken battlefield, a roar of defiance that shook even the enemy's hearts.
He planted his armored foot deep into the ground, body steaming, cracked metal and bloodied dirt surrounding him like the aftermath of a war god's arrival.
And then—
Clapping.
Slow, deliberate clapping.
Zero turned, armor grinding, to see a short, stocky figure standing just outside the ruined defense line.
It was the teacher, Thrain Stonejaw, the dwarf teacher, his face split into a wide, proud grin.
His helmet was under his arm, revealing his thick beard split by a wide, proud grin.
In his other hand, he held a slightly crumpled paper marked with a giant red "A".
[Thrain]: YOU PASSED, LADS!!
He jumped down from the pillar, landing with a heavy thud that cracked the stone underfoot.
[Thrain]: I thought you'd break like glass... but ye fought like bloody champions! Took on two tanks, a platoon, and still held the bloody line! HA! Made this old soldier proud today!
The students—bloodied, bruised, exhausted—began to realize what just happened.
Whispers and gasps of relief spread like wildfire across the battered Blue Team.
[Thrain]: This is yer battle grade for today—A Class Performance! Damn fine work!
Zero smiled beneath his battered helm, feeling the weight of exhaustion—but also pride.
[Thrain]: Now, go on! You've earned it. Take the rest of the class hours to rest, eat, or hell, sleep standing if ye want. Tomorrow we break yer spirits again!
The students laughed weakly, but the spark of victory in their eyes couldn't be hidden.
Grant punched Zero's armored shoulder, laughing.
Charly muttered something about getting a nap or stabbing practice.
Rose just nodded once at Zero, a silent respect.
The Blue Team limped back toward the dorms, but every step felt a little lighter now.
They earned this victory. They earned a place in this brutal academy.
Zero glanced up at the Iron Spire's towering frame above them, a small smirk on his lips.
As the Blue Team limped away, cheers barely hiding their exhaustion, Thrain Stonejaw turned—
His boots grinding into the broken stone with a crack.
His grin shifted—
No longer prideful, but dangerous, filled with the fury of a war god denied a fight.
He looked at the shivering, defeated Red Team.
The ones who had tanks. The ones who outnumbered.
The ones who lost.
Thrain's voice roared through the field like a cannon blast:
[Thrain Stonejaw]: AS FOR YOU LITTLE REDS—
He slammed his gauntlet into his palm with a sound like a gunshot.
[Thrain]: YOU ALL WON'T BE GETTIN' A REST.
His eyes gleamed with a terrifying joy.
[Thrain]: YOU'LL BE GETTIN' SOMETHIN' ELSE—
He cracked his knuckles one by one, the sound echoing across the training ground.
[Thrain]: MY FISTS.
The Red Team immediately tried to scatter like cockroaches—
—But Thrain was faster.
With a roar, he charged into them, swinging punches like a living battering ram.
[Thud!]
One student flew five meters into a stack of broken crates.
[CRACK!]
Another's helmet split in two as he collapsed, stars circling his head.
[WHAM!]
A whole group tried to run—only for Thrain to body slam through them like a wrecking ball.
From a distance, Zero, Grant, and the others paused to watch the chaos unfold.
[Zero]: Remind me to never make that guy angry.
[Grant]: I think the Red Team learned that lesson today.
[Rose]: Too bad it cost them their ribs.
[Charly]: I'm stealing whatever teeth fall out.
They all chuckled, shaking their heads, and kept walking.
Behind them, Thrain's roars and the painful thuds of dwarven justice echoed across the Iron Spire grounds.
[Chapter end]