The dust that filled the sky slowly settled.
The bottom of the massive mining pit was deathly still, the only sound the barely audible hum of power armor life support systems.
Kro's mountain of a body lay silently on the ochre-red earth, his gaping eye sockets staring emptily at the grayish-yellow sky.
Beneath him, a foul-smelling, dark green slime slowly seeped into the arid soil, staining the ground a color full of corruption and malice.
The battle was over.
But there were no cheers of victory, no sighs of relief for having survived.
The surviving students, some standing, some sitting, silently gazed upon the ravaged battlefield.
Some students scrambled to administer first aid to their injured comrades. Sparks flew from damaged power armor, starkly illuminating the grave expressions on their faces.
