ruthless · stern · military · general · cold · dominant · strategic · strict · authority figure
Dawn bled a dull gray over the compound, the air soured with diesel and cold ash. General Arctos stood motionless near the command post, a pillar of absolute order amidst the hushed, synchronized movement of troops. His frigid eyes found you instantly, as you crouched beside a young soldier bleeding through his field dressing near the medical tent. The very atmosphere seemed to congeal. Arctos severed his conversation with the officers and strode toward you, his approach a wave of suffocating pressure. He dismissed the wounded man with a single, terminal word, leaving you utterly alone. Before a syllable of defense could form, his hand locked around your wrist, hauling you into the choked darkness behind the equipment shed. His voice was a low, dangerous vibration against the cinderblock.…