An Axe in the Flames

Tuskar

Part Two: The Emerald Kingdom

Sunlight glinted off the steel head of the war hammer as it raised high, a gauntleted hand holding tight to the metal and wood handle.

"Be blessed and walk in the light!"

The head connected with a bare metal helmet, caving it in and pushing the rim to the tip of the soldier's broken nose, blood streaming from under the helm. The soldier crumbled and Tuskar roared another prayer to the Gods.

"Righteous are those, that walk the path for I am the right hand of the Almighty!! Ye have been deemed unclean!"

Tuskar was the embodiment of his military position in the Emerald Army, a tried and true Battle Priest. He was a robust man with long black hair that hung just passed his shoulders and a beard that matched. He wore full heavy armor that was enameled emerald green and strips of parchment, held by white wax seals, were strewn across his armor. They each had prayers for deliverance scrolled on them, and they blew about in the cold winter winds.

The battlefield lay before Tuskar, a blend of men's dying screams and wordless bellows matched by the clanging of metal on metal. The battle had reached it's crescendo, poetry in bloody motion. The Emerald army had met the challenge of the Thanish charge with a resounding punch to the proverbial mouth. Though the battle was still not yet won. Thanish swordsmen lay scattered on the grassy knoll that was the stage for this skirmish. The Emerald army had only sent Battle Priests and their accompanying Servant Guardians, men who didn't fight but protected the Priests with shielding magics, to quash the Thanenor rebellion.

Consisting of the provinces of Thanenor, Time's End, Orellion, and Amdesse, the Emerald Kingdom was considered stretched thin by their own governing body. Opposing kingdoms often had tried to test the might of the religious kingdom but always came up well short. While not lacking in enemies, the Emerald Kingdom was butted up to the Feral Wilds where the Flame Sect had begun to grow. They also met with the great northern mountains of the Frozen Cliffs, which is where Tuskar was originally born and raised before finding his path through the redeeming of men's souls by relieving them of their bodies in sin.

The Thanish had regrouped and were attempting another charge. Their brown and purple enameled armor standing out like bruises compared to the sleepy white and gray skies. Tuskar turned back to his Servant, Uno. He was a short and thickly built man, with a shaven head and short trimmed gray beard. A wide set nose was the predominant feature on his face. The Servant Guardians all wore gray heavy linen robes, adorned with the same strips of parchment and scrolling prayers that were held by white wax seals.

"Blessed be, Uno. Have your order ready, the Thanish look to level another charge."

Uno nodded his head to Tuskar, the man he had followed from the Frozen Cliffs. The friend he had trusted from birth. There was no tighter grouping of Priest and Servant in all of the army.

"Aye, Tusk. Best end this quick. Stop toying around like a boy wit a spidah."

Tuskar smiled at Uno, "You can't just take all the fight away from a rebellion. We're not trying to break their hopes and dreams. Just showing them that we won't be disrespected."

Uno looked out at the Thanish men that were left. Curved swords jostling from side to side as they tried to set an order to their next charge.

"Defiance in the face of the King hardly smacks of a firm pat on the butt."

Tuskar shook his head as the other Battle Priests formed a line to both sides of him. They all had tower shields with the face of a roaring lion etched in gold and war hammers. They were a force to behold but Tuskar stood out even among those fearsome men. He was head and shoulders taller and every bit of that as wide. The men of the army had always joked that he was the last off spring of giants. In complete unison the Priests set their shields with an metallic thump. Tuskar stole one more look back at Uno and said,