Dawning 2023 Armor Novels & Stories

Dawn came too quickly. I woke to find Daren already up, dressing in his combat gear. Black tactical clothing, reinforced with light armor. Twin swords strapped to his back. He looked every inch the deadly warrior. "It's time," he said when he saw me awake. I got up and dressed quickly. My own gear was simpler—dark clothes, my dual daggers strapped to my thighs, a knife hidden in my boot. The listening device Elena had given me was back in my jacket's hem, ready to record whatever we encountered.

All of them would change if Darius won. Five days. The fifth day before the red blood moon came fast. I woke before dawn. Didn’t sleep. Hadn’t slept since the note. Every time I closed my eyes I saw her. Ruby. In a cave. With him. I prepared. The attire was ceremonial, but functional. Black leather armor, fitted, spelled to turn blades. No helmet. The elders hated helmets. Said it hid your eyes. Said a leader should be seen. A cloak, deep crimson, clasped at the throat with the academy crest—a silver wolf on a field of black. At my hip, not a sword. A sidearm. Silver rounds. For him. For her, if it came to it.

Moore asks. I use the link hoping that Jamie will naturally answer for me. “He says that before leaving Crimson Dawn Alpha Black gave him one milligram of sublingual Ativan. Half takes the edge off, one helps him sleep.” Jamie doesn’t fail to relay my message. “What are your names?” “I’m Jamison Williams and he’s Cole Redmen.” Jamie answers easily as we slowly make our way across the room. “What are your ranks?” It seems rank means a lot to this pack. “The seat he wants you in is right behind you. All you have to do is sit.”

“You’ve named… no weapon?” “Correct.” “You’re choosing to enter a three-day survival combat test without a blade, gauntlet, or wand?” “I’m choosing to enter without needing one,” I said. She didn’t press the point. Over the next few days, Diantha’s group became louder. She trained in full view of the campus, wearing her new armor—a lightweave enchanted coat that sparkled when it caught sun. Her teammates watched like disciples. She gave them instructions as if she were already their superior.

Chapter 60 As the sun falls into the horizon, the people, or should I say the werewolves, of the town of Dusk and Dawn starts to gather at our place. Tonight the alpha’s madness will end. Tonight, everything will be more normal and free. No more threats and darkness. Only good, light, and life.

Thousands of Revers, refugees, and Iron Wolves were scrambling into defensive positions, dragging heavy munitions, phased chains, and makeshift barricades into the choke points. "Time to impact?" Dax asked, stepping up to the parapet beside me. He had swapped his SMG for a heavy, belt-fed explosive-round LMG he’d pulled from the Citadel armory. "Three minutes," I said, my voice tight. I stared at the radar screen on my deck, watching the solid wall of crimson dots race across the western hemisphere. "They aren't slowing down, Pres. They're going to hit the Phase-Shield at terminal velocity."

He didn't even have time to scream; his lungs turned to data before his vocal cords could vibrate. ​“Retreat to the Bridge! Fall back to the Core!” I screamed, my voice cracking as the Sovereign’s authority fought against the rising bile in my throat. ​The "Twilight Glass" armor we had forged in Chapter 131 held for a while—the iridescent purple sheen acting as a grounded wire for the Architects’ logic-beams—but the sheer volume of the erasure was overwhelming. It was like trying to hold back a flood with a screen door.

Damian growled. A wave of raw tower energy rippled outward from him—not uncontrolled, not dangerous—shaped. Anchored by Eli’s steadying hand. The operatives staggered. Drones fell from the air in a crackle of dying circuits. But the organization wasn’t done. From the rear entrance came a second wave—heavier gear, reinforced armor, shock helmets designed to block Damian’s influence. They moved like machines, synchronized with unnerving precision. “New tech,” Damian grit out. “They’ve been preparing this for weeks.”

"Just don't lose." He started walking back before I could respond, but his words echoed in my mind long into the night. Don't lose. As if it were that simple. *************** The d-day came finally with The third The sacred duel. I dressed in the ceremonial combat attire that had been provided…fitted leather armor dyed in the kingdom's deep blue, reinforced with subtle steel plates at vital points. The outfit was designed to offer protection without restricting movement, and it fit like a second skin. My hair was braided back tightly to keep it out of my face, and around my neck, I wore the necklace King Theron had given me. The moonstone at its center seemed to pulse with its own inner ligh