Dawning 2023 Armor Novels & Stories

You two ride at the fore. Raven read the words. Nodded once—small, steady. She felt the cold place inside her rise like a tide, eager, ready. Victoria’s hand found hers under the table; fingers laced tight. They suited up in the armory—Valrosian battle armor fitted perfectly now: blackened steel plates over dark leather, obsidian scale at shoulders and chest, crimson cloaks edged with protective runes. Raven’s midnight-blue dress stayed folded in their room; today was for war, not silk.

Because these days, I don’t know if the next person I see will be a friend or an enemy. Damon stepped closer, voice quieter. He was dressed for training fitted with a tunic, reinforced leather armor, and twin daggers strapped to his belt. You’re not alone in this, Rhea. You don’t have to carry it all by yourself. I stared at him, then scoffed, standing. Tell that to the ones waiting for me to fail. Damon crossed his arms. Let them wait. You? You’re going to make them regret ever doubting you. A small smile tugged at my lips.

“I want you honest.” She turned to Vow again. “And what happens if the Crown lies?” There was a beat of silence. Then—for the first and last time—Triarch Vow spoke. “If the Crown lies,” the voice rasped through the hood, genderless and sharp as glass, “then the city burns.” Later, in a room without screens, without files, without exits—he handed her a coat. Black. Fitted. Cut like armor. “You’re inside now,” Domenik said. “You dress like it.”

Zuberi growls under his breath, typing another message with aggressive thumps of his small fingers. She is putting the armor on right now! He is picking her up at dusk! If you don't show your face at the Eclipse Den, I am personally helping the Northern Lord pack her bags! While Zuberi fumes in the corner, I step behind the dressing screen and fasten the moon-iron scales over my torso. The armor molds perfectly to my body, light as a second skin yet tough enough to stop a broadhead arrow. The flared silver greaves trail down like a sea-serpent’s tail, catching every flicker of the torchlight.

"We have something for you. Something to make sure everyone knows exactly who they're dealing with." They set the cases down on the table. Silas clicked the latches and swung the lid open. My breath hitched. Resting in the foam was a suit of armor unlike anything I’d ever seen. It wasn't the dull silver of the guard or the black of the scouts. It was a deep, bruised crimson—the color of drying blood, polished to a mirror sheen. "It’s dark red," I whispered, reaching out to touch the cold metal of the breastplate.

With her far-fetched eyesight, she could clearly see the extent of damage done. "Dana," her right hand in a war called out to her. He's wearing a blue armor with a symbol of a water drop and crossed swords etched on his chest. Taller than General Dana, he was built for war himself: broad shoulders, tan-skinned with gray eyes. "Where are the Knights?" As if on cue, lightning struck down from the sky at the west. Her assistant looked at the direction and smiled. "They're defending the west." Dana turned to the other side where another female with a crown on her head was looking at the direction of the fire. The female was in a regal peach dress, auburn hair, and emerald eyes. Even by looking a

If one of us falls, the other doesn’t surrender. She answered in kind. If one of us falls, the other makes it mean something. He didn’t argue. There was nothing left to say. --- Dawn bled slowly across the eastern sky, turning the snow outside Blackthorn’s walls from blue‑black to steel‑grey. The courtyard seethed with motion. Wolves in armor moved into formation, banners snapping in the cold wind—Blackthorn’s black and silver, Stormfall’s deep blue, Ashridge’s stark white on stone grey The clang of metal, the snort of horses, the muted thud of boots, packed the air.

Aiden noted, dropping his tablet on the table while he put on his body armor. I spurned in the room until I had seen my jacket. I liked how it felt when I put it on, placing an only front body armor just in case of a sneak attack. “We will find out when we meet him on the battlefield,” I said as I stepped out to meet my men, who looked to have understood what was happening. They stood around me, bearing their Nightshade insignia with pride in front of them.

A massive, shimmering dome of solar magic—the primary Sun-Shield—hovered over the entire metropolis, its golden grid pulsing with a sterile, defensive warmth. Silas pulled his black stallion to a halt beside me, his golden eyes narrowing as he stared at the distant gates. He was still clad in his battle-worn armor, the dried blood of the Judicators caked into the crevices of his iron plates. Beside him, the three thousand Lycan warriors quietly fanned out along the ridgeline, their star-silver pikes catching the dawn, their massive dire-wolf mounts letting out low, eager rumbles.

yet. Outside the Walls stood a column of armored artillery, each bearing the colors of their respective ADFs. The Solar ADF M1 Abrams and Cromwell tanks being black and blue while the futuristic armored beam tanks of the Gemminite being bright blue and gold. In the opened cupola of the Gemminite vehicles stood bright blue droids with golden skull face plates. Red lights emanated from its empty eye sockets. Green lensed monofocals were attached on their left eyes, displaying yellow corsairs at the advancing Dusk Riders.