Mighty Hammer Down

by David J Guyton

Rommus and Alana stepped out of the light and into the town of Reyth. The sky was ablaze as the sun dipped below the mountains, seeming to set the mighty range on fire. After practicing a few times in Burnhamheade, Rommus had decided to summon the full armor of Arius and appear to the people of Reyth in the form of the god of war. If they would not listen to a Medoran, they might listen to a god. Unfortunately there was no one waiting at the temple like there had been before. He suddenly realized how silly it was for him to expect people to wait there all day, hoping to see a man appear.

  The crimson glow of the sunset reflected off of his sword and armor in a dazzling display of fiery brilliance. He was amazed; not only at the craftsmanship of the armor, but also its strange tricks it played with the eye. He had noticed that only reds, oranges and yellows reflected off its surface, and the sunset seemed to light the whole thing aflame. If anyone would have been there to see it, it would have surely been an intense experience. He sighed and took off the crested helm.

  "I hope Vohl has not been waiting long," he said. "Do you see him anywhere?"

  A long whistle came from the shadows before she could answer. "Well where did you get that, Master Rommus? I can't imagine the gods handed that armor to you."

  "No, a Medoran came and attacked me here earlier," he said as he watched Vohl's figure emerge from the darkness. "He didn't say much, only that he wanted the sword and he was going to kill me. Luckily I killed him first and took this armor from him."

  "I see," he said as he nodded. "Do you know what the armor does?"

  "I know how to summon it if that's what you mean. There's a feeling I have in my stomach, and I can elevate it somehow and call it. It came to me naturally as soon as I put it on."

  "No, I don't mean that. Obviously you can do that, but I mean its other ability. It can show your enemy their fears in its reflections. Those images come to life before the enemy's eyes. I have never seen it happen, but I do remember it being talked about back when the gods walked the earth. Since then I have also heard that it is nothing but myth."

  "I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Alana and I both noticed that the shine had an odd quality to it. I have seen red armor before, mostly ceremonial armor made to look like the armor of Arius. But it was always painted with a glossy paint. It never shined like this does."

  "Hey," Alana interrupted, "shouldn't we be calling it the armor of Rommus now?"

  "Let's not," Rommus said. "I told you I am not like the gods. I don't want any part of this. I only wear this armor now so that no one else can use it against me. When this war is over, I'll destroy it along with the sword."

  Vohl laughed a loud laugh as he held his belly. "My friend, you cannot destroy those things. They were made by the gods."

  "Then we will hide them. We'll send them to the bottom of the ocean like your rulers did to your people."

  Vohl looked a little hurt. "Come now, Master Rommus, you cannot tell me that you do not appreciate the powers those things grant you. I don't think you would want to be rid of them if you really had the chance."

  "I don't know Vohl." he said as he shook his head. "Forgive me for bringing up what has happened to your people. I shouldn't have said that. I wasn't thinking."

  "It's all right Master Rommus."

  "Where are the horses?" Alana asked.

  "All three are at the stables down the road. They needed food and rest from the hard ride all day, but we need to get them as soon as possible."

  She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Why? What's the rush?"

  "I guess you haven't seen that," he said as he pointed off to the southeast.

  When they looked they were amazed at what they saw. Even though darkness was coming, there was enough orange light covering the plains and rolling valleys below them to see the massive Medoran army marching towards Burnhamheade. They were very distant, but the group was so large that they were impossible to miss. Rommus knew that the enemy was most likely aware of them and that the Medorans would not stop until it was too dark to march any more. It was too risky to wait out there in the open while the enemy made plans to attack.

  "That is not 40,000 men," Rommus said as he stared. "That must be four or five Legions."

  "Yes I saw them when I arrived here a little less than an hour ago. Burnhamheade is much lower than Reyth, so I do not think that the Bhoors there can see them yet."

  "No, I don't think so either. We'll ride out and meet them in the early morning. We don't want to risk surprising them in the dark."

  Alana frowned up at him. "But Rommus, how can you be sure where the army will be in the morning? And why not just use the temples like we have been doing all day?"

  "The army will not reach Burnhamheade this evening. They will stop at a pretty fair distance so that they can avoid being detected. They will get as close as they can, but they won't march or attack in darkness. For that reason alone, we can't use the temples. There is no temple way out there on those plains. We can see them from here; it won't take that long to ride there."

  A wide grin creased Vohl's chiseled features. "So you do intend to fight in this war."

  There was a brilliant flash of red light that overpowered even the glow of the setting sun. Rommus had let his grip on the magic slip and the armor disappeared, leaving only the vambraces on his arms. "It's all I have now Vohl. It's not the war that I desire; it's the values that I wish to protect. I won't have the Bhoors destroying yet another nation with their ridiculous ideology. I won't step aside and let them ruin our culture if I can do anything to stop it. I only hope that it's not too late for the Vindyri.

  "But I know that the two of you probably think differently. Alana, I know your beliefs are not as extreme as mine. I know I am hardheaded and some might even consider me an evil man for the things I believe. Rejecting people for any reason is not looked upon as a noble thing, and most people would probably reject me if they knew I felt so strongly about keeping the Bhoors out. But there's quite a bit of irony there. Acceptance means that they have to accept me and my beliefs along with the Bhoors and theirs; and I just don't see that happening.

  "Vohl, I know you probably feel like you have lost all hope. I know that the punishment that you suffer is not a fair one. You probably feel like none of this is worth fighting for. Even though my heart tells me that it is, I cannot expect you two to have the same feelings that I have. I honestly will not think any less of either of you if you ride away from this battle and never look back. Your lives are your own, and you are free to live them any way you choose."

  Vohl put a hand on his shoulder. "Master Rommus, you are wrong. I do have something left to fight for. You know that we agree on many things, especially when it comes to the rulers of man. I would not think of missing this war, for you and the Medorans fight for all the things that I believe in. I will follow you into battle, not as a man follows a god, but as a friend follows a friend."

  Alana answered next but she stared off at the purple sunset. "You have me too Rommus. We have come a long way together, and in our travels you have taught me things about life; things I never thought about myself. I have seen how complex things are, and yet you explain everything so plainly and simply. You have changed me Rommus, and while I might not agree with you all the time, I think I am becoming who I always wanted to be; and it's because of you. I can't imagine not fighting alongside you in this war."

  Rommus tapped a thumb on the pommel of his sword. "Okay you two, that's enough already. Vohl, find us an inn for the night, Alana and I need to find some kind of armor for her if she is going to do any fighting. Hopefully one of these shopkeepers has some and he's not home for the evening already. I suppose you don't need armor being immortal, am I right?"

  "I need nothing but the weapons I carry Master Rommus. Have you thought about the effect you will have on both armies when they see you in the armor of Arius?"

  "The Bhoors will not care. They don't believe in Arius. But I am hoping that when the Medorans see me they will be filled with som
e kind of mystical inspiration to help us defeat an army that is many times larger than our own."