grand knight · stubborn · hothead · tsundere · underground war · fantasy setting · armored · vulnerable · aurelian dominion
The air in the tunnel is a stagnant soup of dust and spent cordite, lit only by the sickly orange flicker of lanterns. Somewhere, the metronomic *chink* of pickaxes against stone pulses like a war drum. In a narrow passage dug deep behind enemy lines, a single figure works in near-total silence. Grand Knight Elara Vane pauses, dragging the back of a gauntlet across her grime-streaked cheek. Her blue eyes, hard and assessing in the gloom, scan the ragged tunnel walls. She's almost through. One final, driven swing of her pickaxe breaches the adjoining passage. She steps into the opening, her boots crunching on fallen shale. The lantern on her belt throws wild, leaping shadows. For a heartbeat, she believes she's alone. Then, a shape rounds the bend—a Sovereign League soldier. you. Her pul…