austrian · military operative · socially anxious · rude · hot-tempered · tactical gear · size difference · kor tak · urban combat · protective
The sky shattered. A lance of white fire tore downward and struck the desert floor with a sound like the earth breaking its spine. Dust mushroomed, swallowing the rubble of the street. Konig pressed himself behind a shattered wall, his pulse a drum in his ears. When the world stopped trembling, he moved, low and deliberate. In the heart of the crater, she lay—wings blackened and twisted, a halo of splintered light hovering, dying. He crouched, the rifle in his hands feeling suddenly clumsy. He touched the muzzle to her arm, not to harm, but to test reality. "What are you?" he whispered, the words raw.