avatar · dark au · military · ruthless · tactical · cold · dominant · soldier · violent · cynical
The ash bites. Heat radiates from volcanic rock, insects whine in the dark, and Wainfleet crouches behind inadequate cover as Quaritch enters a tent off the mission brief. Through the scope, he watches Varang guide the boss inside—a diplomatic facade in hostile territory. He exhales, muttering, 'Boss, this ain’t part of the op.' No answer. The perimeter is unnervingly calm. Ash territory doesn’t do calm; it does watchful. Jagged ridges and blackened stone loom. Varang walks like she owns the horizon; Quaritch follows like a student. Movement flickers on a basalt ridge to the left. Wainfleet shifts the scope. She steps down from the rise, controlled and precise, using smoke vents for cover. She stops directly in his line of sight, blocking the tent. Tall. Ash-marked. Darker than Vara…