//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Critical Damage // Story: Tank Battle, In a Different World // by Kitsune_Kenshi //------------------------------// The barrel flashed as another round shot through the air and landed on a Panzer III, destroying it almost instantly. While shooting, Qibli also ordered the driver; an earth pony name Gray Hoofs, to change location after each shot. This can decrease the chances of being targeted. Also, he decided to put one of his favorite moves into action, drift. Upon spotting another Panzer III in front of them, Gray Hoofs was about to stop when Qibli gave a strange order, "Do not stop! Full speed ahead!" Though it sounds weird, Gray Hoofs decided to follow his orders and see what happens. Meanwhile, in the Panzer III not far from Qibli's T-34, Commander Cold Claws, a Tartarus creature and the leader of his platoon, had spotted this weird T-34. Instead of falling back or stopping, this dude just kept coming, at full speed. Is the commander nuts? Cold Claws thought, "Target 12 o'clock, 200 yards, AP, finish him off." He ordered his crew. The loader quickly loaded an AP round into the gun breach. The gunner locked onto Qibli's T-34 and opened fire. For whatever reason, instead of digging into the armor plate, that AP round landed on the T-34's frontal plate in an odd angle and bounced off. It left a molten slice mark on the frontal plate. But the crews inside were suffering. Qibli's face is in agony, his ears ringing. A tank is like a bell, its inside is empty. So if one round ricocheted off, then the entire tank would ring. However, to Qibli's surprise, Gray Hoofs continued to advance, though his expression is telling him that Gray Hoofs is also suffering from that loud ricochet. When the T-34 reached about 100 yards, Qibli yelled, "NOW! DISABLE THE LEFT STICK! MOVE THE RIGHT!!!" With some fast and fierce move Gray Hoofs did what he was told. Suddenly, everyone in the tank pushed to the right due to the centrifugal force when a drift was performed. Cold Claw's eyes widened in shock as he saw the T-34 performed a perfect drift, he knew how hard it's to perform a simple drift, especially in a tank. Usually the treads would fall off due to the extreme centrifugal force, it's a NO-GO for any tanks. Somehow this T-34 managed to perform a drift without losing its tread. Cold Claws immediately put himself into action by commanding his crew to search their target. But when he opened the hatch, he saw that the T-34 is behind him, its fearsome seventy-two point six millimeter gun pointing directly at his tank. Qibli has a smug smirk on his face. Sike! You thought! His tank had moved behind this unlucky Panzer III's rear, main gun pointed directly at the engine part. "Loader! HE! Hit its ass!" The last thing Cold Claws saw was flames lunging at him like the souls he'd killed. BOOM!!! The gasoline engine was easy to catch on fire and exploded, turning the tank into a pot, cooking the crew alive. "Driver, move." Qibli simply said. The T-34's treads spins as it moved away from its finished prey. Just a few moment later, QIbli heard another explosion from behind. His crew began to panic, but QIbli took a glance from behind and said, "Nah, stop whining, that's ammo rack detonation." Qibli opened the hatch, took out his binocular and checked the battlefield. Grogar's Panzer platoons are retreating, thanks to the friendly artillery supports. "Alright, let's head back." Qibli said, staying out in an open field would be a bad idea. Gray Hoofs turned their T-34 around and began to head towards their camp, but suddenly, a familiar, satisfying noice began to crack from the bottom of the tank. Their speed decreased, later stopped. Qibli knew that noise too well, one of their treads fell off. Honestly, Qibli is expecting this to happen, that extreme drift must've damaged the left tread. "Driver, stop." Qibli ordered as Gray Hoofs instantly stopped the tank, "Tread's down, critical damage. Radio guy and loader come with me, Gray Hoofs and Smolder stay sharp for enemy movement." With his order given, Qibli climbed out of the turret along with two of his crew member, each carrying a submachine gun. Qibli saw the wound, the left tread was torn down, metal light reflected back at him, "Take the spare treads, Thrax, grab me a hammer, and Silver (The radio guy), you'll patrol around the tank. Report to me if you see anything suspicious." Silver nodded before walling off onto a nearby hill and hid himself. Thrax buried his head in the tool box while handing Qibli tools and spared treads. Qibli hammered the broken treads off and connected the spared ones. Switching treads and fixing them is a part of tankers' basic training, every tankers must learn to fix simple machines such as treads. Its part of their everyday-life. Qibli's radio flickered, a male voice spoke, "Captain Qibli, where's your tank? We're suppose to head back." Qibli got on the radio and reported their situation, "This is Captain Qibli speaking, my platoon is dead, we're the only one left breathing. Treads' down, we're almost done repairing them, we should be back around 30 minutes or so." "Alright, be quick, there may be an enemy tank battalion coming your way, over." Then the radio was silence again. After sealing and storing the last piece of read in place, their T-34 is ready to go. Qibli and Thrax was about to get into the turret when they heard gunshots coming from SIlver's hiding spot. An explosion came afterward, then, Qibli saw the turret of a Panzer IV coming in along with some infantry. He sighed before getting into the turret. Silver is gone. "Gray Hoofs, start her up!" QIbli demanded. "Where's Silver?" Smolder asked. "Dead, they got him." Qibli sighed, but returned to a straight face, "DRIVER MOVE OUT!" Now's no time to morn, they got the entire enemy tank battalion on their flanks.