Author's Corner:
I've been waiting to write this chapter throughout the entire fiction, so I hope I don't disappoint anyone!
Calas – Thank you for your review!
Phantom Kensai – We all connect with our evil sides some time or another, Kensai-san. I'm glad you liked the Badon activity, and I too was one that wanted someone to slap Eliwood (hence why I put it in). Uther is, in my opinion, another underappreciated character in FE7. He pretty much ran all of Lycia and kept tabs on Hector throughout his journey as best he could. In regards to Eubans, I never got to turn 11 since I killed him on like turn 7…
Cookie to you for beating FE6, you'll probably recognize a few elements here and there.
GM ace – I must say that lease on life will be cut short pretty soon.
AuthorOfthedark (x2) – Thank you for your reviews!
DotDotDotMan – Originally, I was saving the Curse of Caledonia for a, somewhat probable, sequel novelization of FE6. I'm still toying with that idea in my head right now, so we'll have to see. I'll explain the connection between Drake and the Hammer in a few moments.
Shadow Rave – Ingenuity is 1 part brains and 99 parts insanity. I'm glad you like Drake's personality.
misSkLutzZz – The last chapter may seem a bit confusing, but everything will make sense in a few chapters.
Dias of All Final – You're partially correct, but I must remind you of one tiny spoiler… Never mind, just read and you'll understand. I made a promise not to reveal any spoilers or give out hints.
Tiger Dauthi – Thanks, I hope I don't disappoint!
Phoenixfire1389 – Thanks for your review!
Paladin2007 – Oh, nice catch on the Nabata part. I always misspell the name into 'Nataba…' I'm probably going to cut back a slight bit on the Pent-owning-entire-enemy-army-thing, since that kind of derails the story a tiny bit. (OK, we love watching slaughters, but writing about it isn't as fun.) In my game, I rescued the blasted fool so my army would gain a little experience. (lol)
Dude – I'm trying to update as fast as I can! (lol) Be patient! (I know it's hard.)
And yes, the title is cliché. I know already, so don't bother telling me!
Hammer of Terrascars – Chapter 16
Hammer of Terrascars
May 17th, 3 days march into Missur,
I can't believe my ink hasn't dried yet! I fully expected to be left with no writing utensils less than a day into this stifling heat. Sometimes I even harbor the thought, which is shared by much of the army, that Lord Uther sent us all to our deaths in this Elimine-forsaken wasteland. Who the bloody hell would voluntarily chose to live in this goddamn place? Our water supplies have become a serious issue yesterday evening, since our pace has been reduced to a mere crawl. This is largely due to that horses do not travel well in these sandpits, limiting our ranging parties to the skies. In fear of the large bandit crews that infest Nabata, Cecilia and I have restricted the flight range to avoid costly ambushes. Currently, Cecilia and I have split the command into two columns, in order to facilitate the search for water. I daresay, and this opinion is shared by many in the party, that if we do not find water on the morrow, we shall be burying corpses in this desert.
"It is too hot!" Nils wailed, his voice muffled by his scarf as he sat atop Hector's shoulders.
"Hey, you think it's unbearable, try some of this armor," Hector growled to the extra burden above, "Chain mail is definitely not a good thing in this sand filled wasteland."
"It'll probably keep you alive," Lyn observed.
"That's true," Cecilia agreed, "Knowing you, Lord Hector, you'd prefer to charge straight into the teeth of the enemy weapons. How many times has that suit of armor saved you? Something like two dozen?"
"More like two hundred."
"Shaddup."
"Heath's returning," Canas informed as he tugged down his collar, "From his expression, I don't think he's found anything promising to the north."
"He's completely right," Heath dismounted with a groan and a wince, "Nothing but sand for miles around."
"Nothing helpful in the south either," Fiora said glumly as she tried to clean the sand from her hair.
Eliwood ran a tongue over his dry lips, "Then we better hope Florina found something," he croaked.
"The Black Fang has little to no information regarding Missur," Legault said, "I'm afraid I can't help you very much in this place."
"Florina," Ninian said, pointing to the western skies.
Florina shot out of a sandstorm barely maintaining her seat on Huey. However, when she landed, Florina's face was radiant.
"Water," she gasped, "Beyond the sandstorm. An oasis!"
"Great," Hector said grimly, "Water, but we have to brave that whirlwind without getting sidetracked."
"We don't have a choice," Lyn reminded him.
"Although that's true, Drake did specifically warn us not to endanger ourselves in a sandstorm," Cecilia noted, "Remember what he said?"
"A fierce cyclone of sand can physically shred your skin," Eliwood recalled, "Those on foot will have to cover as much skin as possible." Upon saying this, Eliwood shrugged off his cloak and gave the fabric to Ninian.
"Lord Eliwood…" she started but was cut off by Eliwood.
"I'll be fine," he smiled, "You on the other hand…"
Cecilia bit her lip, then made her decision, "Alright, listen up. Heath, you head back to the main column and inform them of the oasis' location. Florina and Fiora, take Nils and Lyn over the storm, since they have the least protection. Legault, you have the best eyesight out of all of us, so you'll take lead. Let's move out!"
"Whew, I never thought digging through sand would be so much work," a pale haired man breathed raggedly as he leaned heavily upon his spade, "Though I'm sure Fa meant well, I should've considered more carefully before asking for her advice."
"She is rarely wrong," someone said behind him.
"True, Hawkeye," the man replied, "But she is still a child…"
"A child in appearance."
"A child in mindset as well," the man corrected, "Did Lord Athos say anything about our visitors?"
"Yes, I'll be leaving shortly and direct them to Arcadia."
"Couldn't you at least help me dig for that illusive artifact first? You know that I prefer reading rather than manual labor."
Hawkeye grinned slightly, "You could use the workout, Lord Pent."
Pent smiled but couldn't help but mutter at Hawkeye's retreating form, "I suppose I could, but couldn't he have helped me anyways?" His spade resumed digging through the shifting sands until he heard an audible clinking sound.
Dropping the shovel, Pent knelt down and clawed the remaining layer of sand away to reveal an age worn chest. Generations buried under the burning sun had weakened the once solid lock, and Pent had no troubles opening such a relic. His search was curtailed as the soft rustling of sand reached his ears.
"Is that you, Hawkeye?" Pent asked without turning around.
"Oh, look, Jasmine," a foreign voice said, "This one found the treasure for us!"
"Yeah, Paul, too bad he spent all that time for us!"
Pent grinned wryly as he turned around while fingering the Elfire tome underneath his robes, "I don't suppose I could persuade you into letting me go?" What greeted his eyes were roughly twenty bandits armed with axes with their two leaders in the rear.
"If you left the treasure," one of the grunts said, "We may con…"
The man never finished as Pent turned the offending man into a crisp side of bacon, "I spent considerable time obtaining this artifact, and I shall not part with it easily!"
"Kill him," Paul said calmly.
Before the men could pounce, Pent had already hurtled another Elfire spell into their midst, frying one and injuring another. Pent held a flaming ball in either hand as he gazed at the bandits with a challenging glance.
"He… He's holding a spell in either hand!" Jasmine said with amazement.
"Well," Pent said softly, "Certainly one to state the obvious, aren't you?"
"Get him, boys!"
Pent glared as the sand around him, minus the treasure chest of course, burst into flames.
"Come, curs," Pent said steely, "Grovel before the wrath of Etruria!"
"I know that's not a natural phenomenon," Heath remarked as he landed besides the oasis, "Flashes of fire spells several miles west from here."
"We saw them as well," Cecilia said, "I sent Fiora on a flyby to distinguish what the situation is, and she should be back shortly. How long will it take Drake and the others to arrive?"
"A candle mark or two," Heath replied, "Upon hearing of the sandstorm headed east, Drake rerouted the army and led them north towards the rock crags. There, they'll follow the fault line a little longer before swinging south to meet up with us."
"Hoping that the sandstorm will bypass them completely," Cecilia affirmed, "While they are at it…"
"Fiora returning," Legault shouted while he shielded his eyes.
Fiora dismounted and nodded towards Cecilia, "There is a lone man in the west fighting off dozens of bandits. When I left, he was holding his own, but I do not know for how much longer."
"A single person fighting off a horde of bandits?" Hector asked incredulously, "What are we waiting for? There's a fight going on!"
"Err…" Lyn started.
"Lyn, don't tell me you're going to let an innocent man die to the hands of those filthy beasts," Hector leveled a look at Lyn.
Lyn gritted her teeth, evidently riled, "Of course not, let's get going!"
"Hey, wait a moment!" Eliwood shouted uselessly as his two friends peeled off for the battle.
Nils shook his head, "Where do they get so much energy?"
"Hey, what's going on over there?"
Cecilia and Eliwood turned to see Raven, Guy, Dart, and Wil running towards them. "Just in time," Cecilia said, "Reinforcements from Drake?" Dart didn't even answer, instead choosing to dive straight into the pool, followed quickly by Wil. Pirates, can't live with them, probably can live without him.
Guy looked apologetic, "To be honest, Wil and Dart were too impatient to wait for the rest of the baggage train and insisted on moving here first. Afraid of mishap, Drake sent Raven and me to make sure they didn't do anything stupid."
"Too late for that," Raven remarked, gesturing his thumb at Dart, who was busy swimming through the life-giving water.
Cecilia made a face, "Ew, doesn't the rest of the army need to drink that?"
Raven raised an eyebrow, "What they don't know, won't hurt them."
"I sincerely doubt that," Canas said, "If any of the less hardy members of our war party drink that and faint; I'll say you were responsible."
Raven thought back to a certain red-haired troubadour who was dying of thirst and grimaced, "I'll offer Dart's head as an apology."
"Enough with the chitchat," Cecilia interrupted, "Hector and Lyn, Elimine have mercy on their souls, have trudged off to brawl to their little hearts' content. Unfortunately, we do need them to stay alive! You all know what that calls for?"
"To keep them from doing anything stupid," everyone else answered simultaneously. Cecilia quirked an eyebrow, That's by far too late, since I do swear this army does stupid things all the time.
"Get Wil and Dart out of the water before someone sees them," Cecilia ordered, "We are staying here to make sure Nils and Ninian are safe. Lord Eliwood, Canas, Legault, Guy, and the fliers will aid Lord Hector and Lady Lyndis. And I said someone get Dart and Wil out of the water, not join them!"
"Hey, he pulled me in!"
"No, I didn't!"
"You foreigners get more interesting every time."
A tall berserker strode into the clearing, his gigantic ax held lightly over his left shoulder. He paused before the oasis and looked at the gaping crowd, "What?"
"Uh, who are you?" Cecilia asked.
"I am Hawkeye, Guardian of the Desert, and I believe you need help."
More than you can imagine, Cecilia thought.
Caught snugly between multiple sand dunes save for one entrance, the fierce battle took a brief pause, as if to accommodate the besieged one a few seconds of peace. Panting hoarsely from effort, Pent discarded his useless Elfire tome and yanked out another. Around him, fully a dozen bandits were cooked to perfection, but the remainder still stayed gamely on task. Apparently, their fear of Jasmine and Paul outweighed their fear for him, which only meant that Pent was forced to finish every last one of them, leaving him utterly exhausted and without a chance of defeating the two leaders. Behind him lay a chest filled with rare tomes that were long forgotten through the passage of time, chronicles that date back to perhaps even the Scouring. The leaflets inside were old and fragile, but any connoisseur could see the immeasurable value inside.
Either the bandits were also experts on ancient history, or they were simply deluding themselves into thinking that he had unearthed a priceless jewel or sword. Spread out in a semicircle, another dozen or so ax-wielding brigands moved in for the kill. They knew as well as he did that Pent would probably roast half of them before he was simply overwhelmed by numbers. Early on, the sheer number of enemies had become a hassle for the bandits, since they had to jostle one another in the tight confines between the sand dunes. Cashing in on the opportunity, Pent had flung spell after spell into the crowd, scoring innumerous kills and injuring many more. However, now that the ranks have been thinned, it also allowed the bandits more room to maneuver, sometimes coming after Pent two or three at a time. Now, with a full encroaching semicircle around him, there were simply too many for Pent to deal with.
The subtle drawing of a bowstring behind Pent warned him that there was no retreat either. A sneaky brigand took his time circumventing the sand dunes around Pent and had managed to get upon the dune directly behind him. Earlier, a foolhardy archer had arrogantly meandered atop the sand dunes to the right and was rewarded with a barrage of Elfire spells that charred the man to ashes. Learning quickly that discretion was the better part of valor, this sniper had taken his time, obscuring himself from sight by taking a far longer path.
I'm so sorry, Louise, Pent thought bitterly, if only I had listened to your warning.
The bow gave a twang, but no arrow flew into Pent's back. Confused, Pent stared ahead at the bandits around him who were pointing upward and gaping in shock. Knowing this could be his last chance, Pent summoned his reserves and flung two more spells. One caught a befuddled bandit in the stomach but the second one went wide. The bandits, snapping out of their confusion, charged Pent with a bloodcurdling scream.
Damn, it's over.
As if to mock the Magic General's words, three fliers dived out of the sky and threw themselves upon the foe while a swordsman and shaman outflanked the ax men. Before Pent's incredulous gaze, the strangers fought tooth and claw to prevent the bandits from reaching him. Blessed with a moment's respite, Pent found the time to turn around and find out who had finished off the treacherous archer. Before he fully turned around, arguing voices caught his attention.
"I called him!"
"Hey, not my fault you didn't have a ranged weapon, Lyn!"
"But still," a woman's voice rang out, "Your attack smacked of assassination!"
"Look, if I hadn't acted in time, that archer may have loosened his arrow at the target," a man's gruff voice growled, "What if the one he shot was the living legend?"
Living legend, Pent thought, they came into Nataba looking for Lord Athos? Ha, Lord Athos isn't foolish enough like me to get caught in such an ambush.
Jasmine and Paul frowned at the utter slaughter that lay in front of them. The treasure was almost within their grasp when those meddling warriors showed up and chopped their underlings into mincemeat. The two glanced at one another before edging slowly away from the mayhem.
"This not be good," Jasmine said.
"No," Paul agreed, "Let's rally the boys at the oasis before coming back here."
"Yeah, our thirty brothers will be more than enough to handle them," Jasmine said, "They should already be there by now, right?"
"They might be, but you won't be there to help them when Drake crushes them."
The two warriors looked up to see a lone swordsman draw a glittering katana and pounce. Leaping with startling agility for their great size, Jasmine and Paul dived to two different sides as the katana sheared the spot where they stood a moment before with a loud swish. Drawing their axes, Jasmine and Paul kept their impudent foe sandwiched between them.
"Hmph," the young swordsman said, "Two overgrown feather bags, have it at thee!" Holding the blade lightly in two hands, the myrmidon completely ignored Paul and charged towards Jasmine with astounding speed.
Infuriated at the utter dismissal of his presence, Paul took advantage of the myrmidon's unprotected back. He was just about to let fly his mighty ax when a chilling voice behind him spoke, "Such a barbaric manner, striking at someone's exposed rear end."
Wheeling in alarm, Paul's ax smote through air as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his left shoulder. Before him, a scarred thief wearing a bandanna stood steadily, balancing a blade between his fingertips.
"I'm not much better though," the thief drawled out, "Then again, honor among thieves only applies to thieves and not bandits, right?"
"Took you long enough, Legault," the myrmidon grunted as he clashed with Jasmine.
Legault twirled his blade as he chided the swordsman, "Tch, Guy, for someone aiming to be the greatest swordsman on the Sacaen plains, your back was quite foolishly unattended."
Guy smirked, "Yeah, but I knew you have me covered."
"Flattered," Legault replied, "Do you think Drake will have trouble with the brigands?"
"After seeing Badon and Dentrass, what do you think?" Guy snorted as he parried Jasmine's counter.
"Touché," Legault said, sidestepping Paul's clumsy blow.
Upon the swirling sands, four fighters battled to the death, each straining to achieve a deadly advantage over their opponent. The brothers Jasmine and Paul, though stalwart and strong, found themselves hopelessly outmatched by the nimble swordsmen that ducked under their blows, danced around their furious slashes, and used those annoying little pin needles to prick them. Time and time again, Legault managed to sneak completely behind Paul, only to deliver a quick slash and prance away again. Guy favored a more incapacitating battle, choosing to injure his opponent's limbs and restricting Jasmine's movements. Gradually, as time wore on, the blood loss began to tell upon the beleaguered brothers.
With a mighty roar, Paul swung around and around, twirling his ax at amazing speed, intent on creating a whirlwind of destruction to crush his opponent. To his shock and dismay, Legault simply smiled and started walking backwards, occasionally glancing back so as to avoid tripping, but always staying infuriatingly out of range. As Paul began to slow down, Legault suddenly dashed in, blade poised for the kill, lunging forward when Paul's ax slashed the sand where the thief stood but a second before.
Jasmine screamed with fury and despair as he saw Paul's head roll on the ground as the headless corpse collapsed. Feet pounding the earth, the berserk bandit could only see red as he stormed towards Legault with uncharacteristic agility, ax wielding wildly. Caught unawares, Legault barely parried the first slash, his arm jarred numb from the impact. Stumbling back awkwardly, Legault wrenched himself aside as the ax buried itself into the sand between his legs. Legault, thinking quickly and switching sword hands, managed a lightning stab into Jasmine's left arm, but the bloodthirsty barbarian could see nothing but his foe.
"Death!" Jasmine frothed as he raised his ax overhead with both hands.
The blade pierced his heart.
Jasmine glanced downwards at the katana that grew out of his chest. Jasmine cursed himself for forgetting the myrmidon in his madness. His red eyesight gave way to darkness, and the bandit knew no more.
"Took your time, didn't you?" Legault gasped.
Guy grinned, "Hey, for someone reputed to be called the Hurricane, you were caught perilously off guard."
"Yeah, but you were supposed to finish him before he almost took my arm off!" Legault shot back.
"Hey, are the two of you alright?" Eliwood shouted.
"Just peachy," Legault called out, "Guy had his rear end handed to him, though."
"WHAT?"
"Score: Legault 2, Guy 1."
After Guy reported to Eliwood concerning the bandit gathering at the oasis, the group hurriedly made their way back. Overhead, Heath eased back in his saddle while Florina and Fiora breathed a collective sigh of relief. From their vantage point, they could clearly see the dotted corpses that stretched out their length yards away from the oasis. With two expert tacticians and a hale of ranged weaponry at their disposal, the defenders had made short work of the encroaching bandits. The poor fools never made it close enough to engage at close quarters.
Canas was deep in discussion with Pent all the way back to the oasis, "You can't be serious…"
"Indeed," Pent replied, "I've been searching for the historical chronicles dating back to the time of the Scouring."
"And you found such a priceless set of books?" Canas said incredulously, "I knew there were rumors of artifacts buried in the desert, but…"
"You can take a look if you want," Pent said, "Knowledge should be shared freely to benefit everyone."
"I believe I'll take you on your offer, sir," Canas replied, his eyes already far away, "To think, an authentic manuscript of the history of mankind upon Elibe…"
Pent, however, was more interested in the way the defenders of the oasis had handled themselves. The Schiltron Variation, he thought, a perfectly scattered formation, deployed to maximize its precision and number of enemy forces it can deal with at any given moment. These tactics are reminiscent of… He was cut short when two hooded members of the army approached him as the others mingled with their friends. His new arrivals took off their hoods when they reached him.
"Lord Pent!"
"Erk! What are you doing here?" Pent cried, "I thought you were in Lycia!"
"I'm still escorting my charge," Erk said lamely, "On the way, I met my previous charge and well, one thing led to another…"
Pent laughed, "It is an unexpected surprise to see you, along with my former pupil, of course."
"Former?" Erk asked, "You don't mean…"
"A pleasure," Cecilia curtseyed, "It has been a long time, Lord Pent."
"Still studying tactical maneuvers, Cecilia?" Pent asked, "You have a fine military mind, yet I wonder where you borrow your ideas from."
"Whatever do you mean, Lord Pent?" Cecilia asked curiously.
"This, formation," Pent said carefully, "It is similar to a lesser known commander in the Western Isles…"
"Oh, so that's what you are alluding to," Cecilia said, "I wasn't the one to command this battle, Drake was."
"Drake?"
"My mentor in tactical affairs," Cecilia explained, "I learned magic and fundamental warfare from you, Lord Pent, but I've also been studying under Drake during this campaign. You can see him over there, talking with the lords."
Pent turned his head slightly to see another hooded figure conversing with the three lords. Normally, wearing a hood wasn't strange in the desert, since it offered some shade to the relentless gaze of the sun. Yet even in this heat, Pent could feel a slight chill travel up his spine as he looked at the mysterious man. Who is this man, Pent wondered, and where did he learn this formation from? I could've sworn that book was sealed in the master vault, only to be seen with the king's approval!
"By the way, milord," Cecilia's voice snagged Pent out of his musings, "Do you know of the living legend?"
"Living legend?" Pent laughed, "Dear me, I'd have forgotten had you not reminded me. Did you come to Nabata to meet him?"
"Yes, even though we have no idea who this person is…" Erk trailed off.
"Pent," Hawkeye tapped the man on the shoulder, "Do you think…?"
"Yes, these are the ones you were sent to guide to the sanctuary," Pent answered, "Tell everyone to gather round this oasis."
"Why?"
"Because the gate to your destination lies here," Pent explained.
As the army hurried to assemble themselves, Pent drew out an ancient tome and began chanting. The swirl of magic encompassed the oasis and everyone around it within a whirlwind of power. As the fearsome magical vortex spun around them, Pent saw a teal-haired youth collide into the man known as Drake from the rear and dislodge a travel bag the man was carrying. The heavy sack spilled to the ground, disgorging a few of its contents.
Pent's eyes went wide.
The group vanished into the rune of teleportation.
An armored gauntlet lay half buried in the sands.
"How long do you think they'll be in there?" Cecilia asked.
While Pent and Hawkeye took the lords into a separate room, the army remained lounged about in the subterranean cavern. Anyone could tell that this cavern was not wrought by mortal hands. Fully two stories in height, the walls were covered with exquisite renderings of men and… dragons. The alabaster columns that stretched from ceiling to floor were made by superb craftsmen, and yet even Canas could not tell what material they were made of.
"That is unknown," Drake replied, "Though they have not been away for very long, be patient."
"Excuse me…"
Drake and Cecilia turned to see Hawkeye standing before them, his gaze fixed upon them, "Lord Athos wishes to see the two of you."
The two tacticians followed the giant past innumerous hallways and rooms until they could steadily hear the voices of the three lords. Entering another well-furnished room, they were met by a wizened old man, Pent, a blond lady, and the three lords.
"So we are to head to the Shrine of Seals in Bern, correct?" Eliwood reaffirmed.
"That is correct," the old man said, "Hawkeye, Pent and Louise will accompany you on this quest."
Hearing the name 'Pent,' Drake stopped dead in his tracks and tried to back away, but it was too late. Already the occupants of the room were turning towards Hawkeye and his two charges. The old man slowly turned his head towards the two tacticians before him, although his eyes seemed to rest upon Drake. Behind him, Pent searched Drake's face for a moment, then waited with a cloud gathering upon his brow.
"I am Athos," he said, "So you are the tacticians whom the sons of Roland along with the daughter of Roland and Hanon spoke so highly of. Much hinges upon your abilities and strengths in this upcoming struggle. I believe your names were Cecilia and…" Athos held Drake with a penetrating look, "I don't believe I recall your name. I apologize, in my old age, I tend to forget these small details."
"This is Drake," Cecilia introduced, "My mentor and…"
"The Mad Genius of House Valshannar…" Pent started.
Everyone, barring Drake and Athos, turned to stare at Pent in confusion.
"The Curse of Caledonia," Pent added.
Cecilia's look of confusion was exchanged for a look of horror while Louise paled, Hector seemed to remember something, but Lyn and Eliwood still looked back and forth between Pent and Drake.
"What?" Eliwood asked.
Drake remained silent, only staring coldly at Pent with a barely perceptible smirk on his face.
"So you call yourself Drake now?" Pent finished, "Or should I call you Mark Valshannar, Lord of the Silver Vanguard, Hammer of Terrascars?"
The silence was so deafening that even a pin drop could be heard, but that lasted for all of one second. In a flash, Louise had drawn a bow with an arrow notched, Hawkeye had an ax ready, Eliwood unsheathed his rapier, Pent pulled out a tome, and Hector fully unhinged his ax. Cecilia was frozen in terror, Lyn was still confused, and Athos merely stood calmly by.
Throughout all this, Drake had not moved an inch, nor spoke a single word.
Then Drake chuckled, and that laughter was not sane. Raising his eyes, everyone save Athos quailed at the demonic madness that fairly danced behind his pupils. Gone was the gentle, calm, soothing voice of Drake of Etruria. What replaced it was the cold, harsh, wrathful tone that belonged solely to the Cursed One of the West.
"And only you," that voice rasped, "Pent, Count Reglay, Magic General of Etruria, would be resourceful enough to uncover the fact that the Curse and the Hammer were one and the same."
Above them, next to the oasis, the setting sun reflected off the emblem forged upon a certain half buried gauntlet. It was the sigil of a monster, a hammer and a lance crisscrossed below a falcon crest.
Every member of the Silver Vanguard wore the falcon crest, but only the general wielded the hammer along with a lance.
So, be honest, how many people did I unleash that upon? (dodges boxes of tomatoes of protest) Thank you for reading and please review!