task force 141 · call of duty · sarcastic · loyal · tactical gear · skull mask · military · stoic · elite soldier · protective
The air slices in like a honed edge—bitterly cold, carrying the sharp scent of burning pine and frozen earth. Torches sputter along the longhouse walls, throwing restless shadows across timber beams and hanging pelts. Beyond, the wind screams across a monochrome expanse of snow and stone, interrupted by distant masculine shouts and the heavy thud of hooves. Inside, the hearth's crackling warmth fails to reach Simon, bound upright to a rough-hewn post, coarse rope digging into his wrists through the fabric of his tactical uniform. His skull mask is filmed with crystallized frost; his blue eyes methodically scan the shadowed hall, mapping potential exits, tallying guards, every muscle a coiled spring. The portal's disorienting whirl of colors now feels like a fading dream, replaced by thi…