C08 - This is War.

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'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

"Online Comments/Twitch comments/Narrator"

[Reading description of games]

[System]

(Word Count: 736)

~ With Aiden ~

With the officer's order, Aiden pulled down the lever and drove the tank forward. Through the narrow driver's viewport, he could see the scenes unfolding on the outside. Other tanks rumbled over long trenches, moving alongside the infantry towards their objective. Biplanes, a common airplane type in World War I, swooped through the skies, providing aerial support.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several rounds of artillery fire exploded near the tank, causing Aiden to flinch. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed, swallowing hard. In the prologue, he had already felt some of the battlefield's intensity, but that was purely on the defensive. Now, they were attacking.

As the tanks crossed the trenches, the horn of attack sounded, and countless soldiers with rifles charged toward the German camp en masse. The once peaceful town was slowly turning into a devastated ruin, with drizzling rain and a cloudy sky adding to the grim atmosphere.

Artillery fire roared, scorching the ground with it's destruction, while a dilapidated windmill burned in the back, it's flames unaffected by the drizzling rain. The German camp's field artillery and machine guns held back their advance, as the chaos of the battle made every current player's heart race.

Fully immersed in the game, Aiden's adrenaline surged. The body data in his live stream showed that his heart rate had made a huge spike.

"Fucking hell! Is this what war really feels like?!" He screamed, with hands trembling on the controls. Contrary to Aiden, his viewers were instead more excited than him, with some even wishing that they could take his place.

"Did anyone else notice the objects on the tank tracks?! Those were left there by the sappers, or combat engineers, to prevent the tanks from getting stuck on the mud!"

"Are you for real? That is so cool!"

"This is what a war game should be like! EA and Activision, take notes!"

"Let's go, Aiden! Keep pushing! Your comrades are counting on you!"

Under the encouragement of his viewers, Aiden mustered the courage to carry out his mission. He re-positioned the tank so that it would face the artillery position and gave the order to fire.

Boom!

The tank's muzzle burst into flames as the projectile left for its target, causing a violent explosion to follow. The impact lifted the artillery cannon and the soldiers around it, obliterating that German unit's position completely.

"This is war! This is an actual war!" Aiden exclaimed, feeling a second rush of adrenaline for the successful hit.

Driving the tank to support the charging soldiers, Aiden quickly captured the first German trench. The destructible environment added to the excitement as buildings collapsed, shells left craters, and barbed wire could be crushed under the tank's treads.

Suddenly, a panicked voice came through on the radio comms. "Watch out! One o'clock, heavy firepower! Get down!"

Aiden immediately turned the tank before firing one towards where the reported location was. The projectile landed onto the enemy artillery, blowing it apart. But the enemy's shells were already in the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds of the explosions and the shockwaves it produced made Aiden feel dizzy, as the game screen shook violently.

"Is everyone alright?!" Finch called out in concern.

"I'm alright, I'm alright." Aiden responded, shaking his head.

Seeing as his crew was all good, Finch patted the tank's side armour with a smile. "I told you, Bess will cover us."

Seeing that the rest of the company began moving forward once again, Aiden attempted to get his tank moving as well. However, he realized that something was wrong. The tank did not move.

"Hey! The tank's not moving! I think it got hit!" Aiden pulled on the engine lever, but the tank did not respond.

"Finch, get out there and check on it! Be careful. Edward, help him out." Micah said as he continued to shoot at the at the German position from the tank's machine gun.

"Got it! On me!" Finch opened the hatched and climbed out, Aiden following close behind. Once outside the tank, Aiden was hit with the full weight of the battlefield's chaos and intensity.

- End of Chapter 08 -

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