Chapter 21

“It’s coming!”

Laurel stared out of the train’s windows. The dragon was massive. She could see it from this far away.

There’s no way we’re fighting that!

She set down her laptop. It slipped from her grasp. She managed to catch it in time before it hit the ground. She stared at it, feeling that something was not right.

…?

The bottom left and bottom right parts of the laptop weren’t symmetrical. She had used this laptop for months. She knew damn well that wasn’t the case before.

…

Laurel set it aside, then turned to the locomotive’s controls. The diesel engine roared to life. She turned on the lights and looked at her laptop. Luckily, whatever magic she just did didn’t take out anything important. The laptop operated like normal. Thanks to the restored electricity, she could connect to the local network, using it to control the switches.

First would be a trip to the north railgun to pick Mia up, then head northeast to pick up Hakade and the rest. They needed to run, and they must do it now.

With her hands on the lever, the train began moving.

•••

Ana attacked the dragon with her magic. It didn’t harm it; it didn’t even slow it down. The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a devastating fire breath. Hakade yanked the controls, pulling Scorpion away in the nick of time. Late just half a second, and they would be toast.

“Ann, I need you to protect the tank. Ana, do whatever you want!”

Hakade didn't know the extent of Ann's ability, but many considered Ana to be a great mage, among the best. Considering what Ann did, she should be a level above her.

“Alright!”

A ball of fire formed right above the dragon’s head. The dragon dodged it with ease. Hakade turned Scorpion around. The tank ran as fast as it could toward a group of buildings. These buildings should provide them with ample cover.

The dragon roared, forming a number of wind blades above them. Hakade dodged to the best of his abilities. The blades struck Scorpion’s magic shield, destroying them immediately. The follow-up attacks struck something on top, causing the vehicle to shake violently.

“I just fixed this!” Hakade shouted.

He planted Scorpion’s two front right legs to the ground. Scorpion turned above the snow, pointing its 120mm cannon toward the dragon. Hakade pulled the trigger. The APFSDS shell that could normally one-shot an enemy unit didn’t do anything toward the dragon. The dragon swung its front arms, smashing right through the buildings Scorpion used as cover.

Two buildings collapsed immediately, wreckage flying across the sky. Hakade pulled Scorpion back and took control of the two machine guns, firing straight at the dragon. The bullets didn’t even annoy it. The dragon landed on a third building, crushing it under its weight. It opened its mouth, and another fire-breathing attack appeared.

Hakade managed to dodge in time, but it turned the once peaceful complex into hell. Flames rage all around them, creating a cage of inferno. Hakade looked around, looking for any gaps.

“I’ll reinforce the shield!” Ann shouted, her voice shaking.

Hakade trusted her and pushed Scorpion straight through the flames. For a moment, Scorpion’s alarm blared, but it went silent afterward. The dragon chased after them, using its large arms to wreck through buildings like a wrecking ball. It grabbed an electrical generator and threw it at Scorpion.

Hakade pushed the control stick to the right. The generator came flying, smashing into the ground and rolling a few meters before coming to a stop next to a building. Hakade tried using the narrow alleyways as cover, but the dragon just stomped them.

“Just drop me off!” Ann shouted in panic.

“No!”

Hakade kept Scorpion moving, preventing Ann from getting off, while dodging the dragon’s attack. The dragon acted like an oversized child in a tantrum, throwing anything it could pull from the ground at them.

An electrical pole smashed into the wall in front of them. Hakade made Scorpion jump over it. Had Scorpion been a regular tank, it wouldn’t have survived this long.

But they couldn’t keep dodging. The dragon got the upper hand. Hakade thought of a way to get away when something large slammed into the right side of Scorpion. It threw Scorpion into the air.

“Hang on!”

Scorpion slammed into the ground, then jumped and did a roll before landing on its back, its left side against a wall. Hakade coughed. He felt dizzy from the spins, but this wasn’t the time to stop. He tried moving the control stick, but nothing happened. A Warning came on the screen, alarms blaring.

“Chief- Hakade…” Ana called out. “Are you alright…?”

“Ana! Ann! I’m fine! What about-”

Before Hakade could say anything else, a different thing pushed Scorpion right into the walls, almost crushing it. The building collapsed above them, hitting the tank’s metal armor. All of the cameras went out, leaving them in the darkness. They were stuck.

“Mia! Laurel!” Hakade shouted, looking for his phone, but he couldn’t find it.

“We need help!” he shouted, but no reply came. Another hit came. They had no idea where they were, and they couldn’t check. The dragon was surely out there, waiting for them. One wrong move and they would be dead.

“Help! Help!” Hakade shouted while trying to get Scorpion going again. Yet, no matter what he tried, his machine refused to move.

“... A magic attack is coming,” Ana murmured, her voice in eerie calmness. “A large beam, something that will erase us from existence."