After walking for hours not stopping to rest once, at the same pace, even his "escort" of sand men become winded at to the never ending stamina and pace of the giant, who still hasn't noticed them. As he reaches the top of a particularly high dune he looks over the horizon. Nothing for miles around...or wait...no, a light dim in the dark hours of night, but there none-the-less. Light means civilization, civilization means help, help means getting back to his friend, Alixenus and the green people. Elated Brutus charges down the dune laughing heartily, until he stops suddenly at the bottom of the dune... The realization of a few things stopped him.
One. He realized he was being followed.
Two. Not many people are comfortable with a ten fot tall heavily armored giant
And three, he didn't know what to do when he got to the city/village/ town or what have you.
But he did know one thing, he wouldn't be captured again.
Brutus turned to the hiding sand men and bellowed a challenge to the possibly hostile, possibly friendly "escort" readying him self for anything.

We are in the 3rd Era, or 3E, Year 243. You would abbreviate this as 3E Y243
There are 9 months:
Cedlia, or Reincarnation
Expalta, or Reclamation
Aelum, or Aether
Mortealtia, or Interdiction
Calspar, or Equanimity
Urth, or Displacement
Illmorth, or Ultimatum
Bethmada, or Innovation
Actium, or Enlightenment

Btw, Xavier, you're in hallucination mode, but managed to escape with the book. However, we've decided to hunt you down.

Brutus tried with all his will to stay calm, these sand people had families, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and lovers. Each strike against the sand people was only enough to break bones at the hardest, and knock out at the weakest. The sand men weren't pushovers by any stretch, many scimitars and daggers flashed through his field of vision before a sharp prick was felt at one of his joints, just enough to get through his armor and just enough to hurt him, quite badly. He could tell the sand men weren't trying to kill him, they wanted him alive. He wouldn't allow that. If he was losing this fight he'd lose dead in a pool of his blood, not chained up as an attraction or test subject. He'd already knocked out or incapacitated at least half the brigade, but his strength was failing him two hours of sustained fighting was his maximum. Maybe he could kill these last few..."NO!" He shouted to reassure himself. He couldn't kill these men. Even as they tried to hamstring him, he couldn't...wouldn't...kill these men.he counted 15 more. He cursed himself for rushing into this fight. These were highly trained soldier's not shambling corpses, or machines. These were effective raiders, marauders...human's. a weak swing to his rightmost opponent missed and hit open air. He needed to end this fight quickly. Another swing, this one caught two who were unwary, new to this probably. 13 left, and all veterans probably. Three rushed him at once,he rushed back;shoulders down as battering rams. Knocked down two of them, the third side stepped and stabbed into the joint of his left leg. Searing pain shot up thigh as he kicked out behind him to catch the third in the stomach. Ten left. brutus you damned fool, why do you always rush into everything? That's why helion and...
"SHUT UP!" Was the last he knew he said before he blacked out.

Angel Eyes drew his Laser, but Bojo had already quick-drawn his trusty Scrambler Pistol. Bojo managed five shots before the laser had become active. However, the damage build up was significant, and when it winged Bojo, he fell to the ground in agonizing pain. It had managed to create the smallest breach in his armor and fried his skin underneath.

Bojo's repair unit quickly went to work, mending the damage. Angel Eyes' footsteps could be heard as his massive boots hit the ground. Dust began to pick up.

Angel Eyes rounded the corner and fired his laser. But Bojo was not there.

"Damn, cloaking" he grumbled.

The pitter patter of light footsteps could be heard just behind Angel Eyes. He whipped around and fired his beam. But Bojo had done some serious squats.

Bojo's cloaking deactivated and revealed Bojo nailing a Remote Explosive to the breast of Angel Eyes with a custom Nova Knife 40 cm in length. Bojo leaped off of Angel Eyes and onto a balcony above the courtyard. Angel Eyes tried to get his beam on him but Bojo was quick.

Bojo detonated the explosives and a loud explosion occurred. Dust that had settled on the ceramic tiles of the courtyard were whipped upwards. Bojo hopped down from his perch and approached the body of Angel Eyes.

A large hole was blown off of the armor and blood oozed outwards. Bojo unmasked Angel Eyes, watching the grotesque miracle of death. But then something caught his eyes. Angel Eyes' mustache was slightly askew. Bojo investigated. Upon touch, a fake mustache slid off the lips of the sweat drenched body.

"Oh shi-"
Two projectiles pierced Bojo's chest moving with incredible velocity. Bojo laid there on the ground, looking towards the direction of the shots. A figure, high up on the roof of the palace revealed itself.

Brutus tried with all his will to stay calm, these sand people had families, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and lovers. Each strike against the sand people was only enough to break bones at the hardest, and knock out at the weakest. The sand men weren't pushovers by any stretch, many scimitars and daggers flashed through his field of vision before a sharp prick was felt at one of his joints, just enough to get through his armor and just enough to hurt him, quite badly. He could tell the sand men weren't trying to kill him, they wanted him alive. He wouldn't allow that. If he was losing this fight he'd lose dead in a pool of his blood, not chained up as an attraction or test subject. He'd already knocked out or incapacitated at least half the brigade, but his strength was failing him two hours of sustained fighting was his maximum. Maybe he could kill these last few..."NO!" He shouted to reassure himself. He couldn't kill these men. Even as they tried to hamstring him, he couldn't...wouldn't...kill these men.he counted 15 more. He cursed himself for rushing into this fight. These were highly trained soldier's not shambling corpses, or machines. These were effective raiders, marauders...human's. a weak swing to his rightmost opponent missed and hit open air. He needed to end this fight quickly. Another swing, this one caught two who were unwary, new to this probably. 13 left, and all veterans probably. Three rushed him at once,he rushed back;shoulders down as battering rams. Knocked down two of them, the third side stepped and stabbed into the joint of his left leg. Searing pain shot up thigh as he kicked out behind him to catch the third in the stomach. Ten left. brutus you damned fool, why do you always rush into everything? That's why helion and...
"SHUT UP!" Was the last he knew he said before he blacked out.

---

Xavier wakes from his makeshift bed, startled. He recalls what he had seen, and heard, in that dreadful nightmare.

Was that, real? Was, she real? Was all of that, an omen?

He looks to the cloudless sky. Well, the treetop I would say, for that was the only sky he had.

I will, mull, over, this later.

He then hears footsteps in the distance. A rustle in the bushes. He draws his sword.

"Is anyone there?"

Soon after the death of Thanatos, word got to Diyad. Without proper leadership, the Diyadians slowly begin to panic. Their was no heir to replace Thanatos and Parliament was powerless. For the most part however order was maintained. Before his death the king left special documentation pertaining to such a situation. Really this is only meant to preserve order as long as possible with temporary administration. Unknown to the public however, the king's most trusted subjects and citizens were given specific orders. A secret council was formed to guide the country to the best of their abilities. A message was sent to Sandromin, and another was sent to Alixenus to arrive a week later. The most surprising thing however was the choice to once more open foreign relationships. The most skilled alkhemists were called to an assembly for perhaps the most challenging tasks. But the king's will must be done. The entire raised landmass of Diyad was lowered back to sea level, making it accessible by boat. The thunderous roar could be heard as far as the Scorched Lavania. The note sent to both Sandromin reads:

Trust one another first, and all else last. An assembly is to be held at Venezzia. Diyadian ambassadors will attend, as should each and every existing nation.

OOC: I thought it was about time to actually deal with politics on a grand scale. I'd hope to see everyone attend.

[OOC] Yes, attend, Xavier. This will be interesting indeed.

[/OOC]

Whilst Vyzion slowly stood up, gazing around at his home, the Logipriest jungle, he wondered where his companions were.
As he was wondering...

On a popular beach along the Venezzian coastline, a body was washed up onto shore. It was a woman with pale green skin and golden runes, her hair fanned out along the sand, unconscious.

In the tunnels of Lucia, a dwarf stumbled, calling for help. A few friends answered his cries, and came running. They followed him back into the tunnel to a tiny alcove mined out for ore, and found an elderly man, pale green with golden runes running along his skin, sleeping peacefully.

A white room, pure white, was suddenly tainted by green, red and gold. Lying on the floor of this white room was another woman, similar to the other, except her skin was red: soaked in her own blood. She was unconscious, but the microphones installed in the room picked up her faint cries. "Hayde... help..." The Collective was stunned for a moment; no-one should know where their facilities were based, so how did this woman get in?

Two sandmen who were drawing water from an oasis, their faces covered by cloth and their eyes by primitive glass googles to protect themselves from the raging sandstorm, shouted to one another in surprise when what they assumed to be a cactus on the other side of the body of water moved. They went to investigate and found a man, staggering in the direction of the Collective's testing facilities, holding his back as if it were injured, and calling out a name. "Layla,", he was muttering. "Wait for me." They knocked him unconscious and began to drag him back to the capital.

Brutus, sitting on a sand dune like a bean bag, looked wearily upon the sandmen he was dragging along. Some were stirring; they were surfacing from the sea of unconsciousness. He stood up, picked up the ropes of his makeshift sleigh, and began plodding on. He looked behind him for a moment to check on the sandmen and stopped, stunned. The sand shifted as he stood up from the dune revealed a greenish tinge. He jumped over and dug out a small boy, the golden tattoos on his skin partially masked by the sand pouring off his body. He was tossing and turning in Brutus' enormous hands, plagued by his own nightmares.

-

The message of the Diyadians began to spread. A meeting. All nations represented. Venezzia.

Each would take their respective logipriest, believing only they had one, believing only they had a clue to the mystery, a piece of the puzzle. Brutus and Sandromin, once they unite, will have two.

-

I did not know what to do. My companions were gone. Layla, Hayde, Dariyls, Conyr and Natyli. I knew their names. My memories were restored.

I was the leader of the Logipriests. Exactly what the voice had called me. But there was no more nation, there was only six of us left.

And now I was alone. I realised that surely I would feel something if one of them died... an influx of power, perhaps.
I also knew that if they were not here, they would come.

They would return or die in the attempt.

So I sat and waited, and hoped.

Brutus knew his problems could only grow from here, one of the sand men, the first one who had awaken and help with Brutus' task, came to his side. The sand man said something, but Brutus didn't hear it. Brutus stood up slowly with the young logipriest in his hands still, he was trying not to wake the young one, waking someone from a nightmare was a bad omen in his people's culture. An extremely bad omen. So he did something that was a surprise to the sand men, and even him self. He began to rock the child back and forth gently, and started to hum in a lullaby, and not to bad either, he continues this this until the young one stops stirring in his nightmare state.he then lays the child down on one of the smaller armor pieces that was considered relatively comfortable. Going back to the tangle of ropes the tired Brutus, was energized. He had found one of the logipriest.. With a new vigor Brutus began trotting along the desert at a brisk pace, the sand men trailing behind him, and along with the logipriest, Brutus was actually laughing , he was the only one laughing until the company of sand men saw their city in the distance only a few hours away. They had almost made it. And with that the conscious sand men began laughing with the giant one of them even patted Brutus on the back, and with that the company of sand men, a giant and a sleeping green child, began to quicken their pace.

OOC: 1. The Assembly is in Venezzia Sandromin, wouldn't want you making an unnecessary journey now would we
2. Vyzion I'm assuming now that I've established Fate as an Elder God. So to answer your question yes. However any encounter with her is just her means of manipulating other characters. Her intentions are set in stone and she has no desire to see the mortals win.
3. I'm guessing we're starting to think alike because Sandromin beat me to the Freedom thing. I was hoping to do a Rebirth type thing to kickstart Freedom and Thanatos back into the story.