Vayne gulped.
The sound was loud in the hollowed ruin, his throat working around blood and heat. His fingers tightened on his weapon. He adjusted his footing by habit, with his heel grinding against stone and shoulders squaring despite the tremor that ran through his arms.
Scar tilted her head a fraction.
"Take up position."
The order snapped something into place.
Vayne inhaled through his nose, slow and deliberate. He planted his feet wider, set his blade before him with its edge angled slightly down.
The seasoned veteran knew that monsters with Scar's build - short, fast, and incredibly deadly - had a low center of gravity and would try to speed blitz him. Thus, he aimed where he knew she would strike from.
The ache in his chest screamed with the movement, but he ignored it.
His back straightened. His grip steadied.
Captain Vayne looked past her for a moment, at the broken banners, the scorched stone, the walls, and the men who still stood.
Then he screamed.
