Valley of red

Minerva knelt in the ash and mud. Driving her gauntlet into the earth as fires raged around her.

A tear ran down her cheek, carving itself a clear path across her face.

She was the last of the battlegroup. The rest were gone, but at least she'd managed to take the last of them down.

Blood-soaked mud squished between her fingers. Pain wracked her frame as she slowly stood, leaning against the ruined wall of the church.

She looked out across the shattered battlefield. The evening sun was just setting behind the valley walls, drowning the valley in red.