OOC: Like hell are you going to stop posting Brutus! You're going to keep writing and you're going to like it! I've slayed two essays and a historiography exercise over the past week. This thread is next on the hit list. Let's do this.
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"Come along everyone! Did you not hear our gracious host say Armoury? Let us go!" Alixenus immediately walked briskly out of an arbitrarily chosen door and walked off to the left, at which point Sandromin called after him that the correct direction was right. Alixenus turned on his heel and kept walking without missing a beat.

"How long is it going to take to reach our first stop? I'm somewhat pressed for time these days my Lord Sandromin, as I'm sure you can understand and many of the trials ahead seem highly time sensitive."
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OOC: Oh and Brutus, am I to assume that in the intervening hours Lombardi spent some time meeting with the leaders of the tent city before going to see Frost?

OOC: It would seem Brutus, you have discovered the power of the internet Thu'um. Use it wisely and with great care. Now, I imagine the first thing on Lombardi's mind, apart from "Why the **** did I go psycho during the battle?" will "How the **** did this Frost kid do everything people have claimed?"

OOC: Like hell are you going to stop posting Brutus! You're going to keep writing and you're going to like it! I've slayed two essays and a historiography exercise over the past week. This thread is next on the hit list. Let's do this.
________________________________________________________________________________________
"Come along everyone! Did you not hear our gracious host say Armoury? Let us go!" Alixenus immediately walked briskly out of an arbitrarily chosen door and walked off to the left, at which point Sandromin called after him that the correct direction was right. Alixenus turned on his heel and kept walking without missing a beat.

"How long is it going to take to reach our first stop? I'm somewhat pressed for time these days my Lord Sandromin, as I'm sure you can understand and many of the trials ahead seem highly time sensitive."
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OOC: Oh and Brutus, am I to assume that in the intervening hours Lombardi spent some time meeting with the leaders of the tent city before going to see Frost?

Brutus stood in silence as Marco spoke. He didn't even pick his head up to acknowledge the shifting man. Even as he advanced toward all he could think of was how many people had died. His wife, his son, his daughter, he had killed collective, his own kind and lesser men,he had slain a machine man, and now Franklin... His friend and guide to this place was dead or dying... For all he knew everyone he had ever cared about was dead. His brothers, his sister, he didn't even know where the remaining logipriest were, or if they were even alive still, he didn't even know if Conyr lived. For all Brutus knew he was the only giant left alive in the world. The last remnant of a land of dead. And soon even he would die, a piece of history being wiped clean from the world. And Brutus was fine with that. The giant figured that he would be better off dead in this world. This harsh place.

And yet... When Marco swung his robotic arm at the giant, he retaliated. The arm slammed into his ribs with a force he couldn't describe. Yet he still retaliated he grabbed ahold of he arm and with all of his might he pulled. The Brigg fell forwards cursing the giant. The giant moved again putting his foot down on the back of the Brigg, while still holding the arm in both of his hands. Even as he felt a hot anger rise from the Brigg he didn't let go. Even as he began to pull arm up ward away from the Brigg, going against any joint or motor in his arm the giant pulled... And he didn't know why...

(Ooc) I'm going to start piggy backing off of your post so the battle isn't completely one sided. I trust your judgement on the situation. And you were right, he probably wouldn't have spoken anyways. (Ooc)

Marco didn't really react as the giant managed to yank one of his arms behind him. Instead almost instinctively his other three arms began to push against the ground. Large pistons inside the shoulders began to pump at rapid speed, pushing out puffs of smoke each time. The force of his push gained more and more strength until he was able to push himself up, forcing Brutus to stumble backwards. The arm that was in his hand managed to free itself. Marco, now no longer being pushed down, fell on his back. His face was blank and without mercy. His arms moved fast and smoothly. It was so inhuman it was almost demonic. His torso spun around while his arms adjusted themselves until he faced the ground, perched like a spider. The magickal runes on his arms began to glow as his pistons began pumping again. The ground began to shake and break apart. Large boulders were ripped from the ground and suspended in the air above his head. One by one they began launching toward Brutus.

"So you'll just kill me too huh?" Marco scoffed. The boulder only managed to scrape his silver torso.

This time he conjured from the ground several tall rocky pillars surrounding the two of them almost like the walls of an arena. Before Brutus could react he had already begun climbing one of the pillars.

"Yeah, just like Perceval. All he wanted to do was support his sick kid. Some rare disease the boy had. Being a factory worker just wouldn't provide enough money for treatment, so he signed up for an experiment, he was one of the first Silvers. What about all those other soldiers you eviscerated? You knew they couldn't stand a chance against you."

The runes on his arms began to glow as boulders began to rip themselves from the pillar he had latched themselves onto. He continued to speak as they began launching toward Brutus.

"That's why I knew you were perfect for this job. This look in your eyes now, no one else saw it. I did though. Everyone fell for it, this innocent giant stumbles in and decides to protect people that he doesn't even know. When the reality was, they invited a monster with open arms. That look, I've seen it on the battlefield several times before, that lust for killing. That's how I knew you were perfect, there's no way you could protect anyone, not the Snake, not Franklin, not even Sara. Much like a Silver, you're designed to kill, to destroy, to decimate! Don't act like that much isn't true."

He used his magic to hurl the remainder of the pillar at Brutus.

OOC: Not at all, you actually did almost exactly what I was going to do.

---

The pistons in Marco's other three arms began to pump wildly. A Heavy cloud of smoke surrounded him. In this state he could more than match Brutus' physical strength. He waited for the giant to rush him, but to no avail. For a moment his face went blank. Then his black eyes began to widen, his sneer was crooked.

"Nothing, what happened? Where's that strength Brutus. Where is that look in your eyes? You're angry at me, you hate me don't you. DON"T YOU? So why are we holding back. You want to stop me so bad. But you know in this state you can't. Let the hatred consume you again. That bloodlust, that rage. You've seen war, I can see it in your eyes. I once had that bloodlust, in my younger days. You see, Brutus, people like us--- monsters like us, this is what we live for. Don't you feel it, you have no other purpose, you're on this world for one reason, and one reason alone, to kill. The gods themselves bind you to this very nature. So, do it. COME AT ME, DESTROY ME, KILL ME, SHOW ME THE DEMON INSIDE!"

This time pistons in the back of his legs begin to pump with the same ferocity of his arms. He presses his feet against the ground, shattering the earth under him. With inhuman strength he launches himself high into the air, before plunging like a meteor toward Brutus.


Time seems to slow down to a stop. The seed inside one's heart has been planted, deep within the dust. A choice must be made. Search every fiber of being, determine your outcome. This is it.

Brutus stood listening to Marco. Marco was right about everything and yet... He was wrong. Brutus was not bound to any one. God, man, woman, giant, machine. Nothing told him what he was to be. No one. He was Brutus, defiant yes, angry defiantly, but a monster? Only now in this true defining moment did Brutus realize that this was the only thing he wasn't only now did he realize that the rage and anger he had felt for so long had done the thing that he had vowed no one would do. His rage had chained him down and made him something he wasn't. War and death had shifted him, but not broken him. Only now when he saw Marco leap at him did he finally understand, that there was no such thing as no choice. And he had made his. As Marco plummeted toward him Brutus shifted himself even as his broken leg cried and his hate shouted for blood, he didn't gain his bloodlust. No for once in a long, long time Brutus was calm. And it was this calmness that allowed him to quickly duck under Marco for a moment and then in half a heartbeat he rose just as quickly grabbing a hold of Marco's waist. The silver man let out a gasp as he was thrown on to his stomach. Brutus acting quickly Brutus pinned Marco under him, crushing the pistons in his arms and the joints that moved them.
Marco began to laugh manically and he shouted.
"NOW BRUTUS KILL ME! Prove your worth!"
For a moment the world was silent. And then the giant spoke.
"No... You live..."
Marco became enraged at the defiance.
"How dare you! How dare you do this to me and keep me from death! Kill me you damn weakling."
"No... Brutus is not weak. Brutus is strong. Marco, you are the weakling. And Marco will always be the weakling."
"HOW DARE YOU!, FOOLISH BEAST! DAMNED IDIOT!"
Brutus listened to Marco again, for one last time as the madman screamed and thrashed under the giant.and then Brutus said his last words to the silver Brigg.
"Thank you." And with that the giant grabbed the back of Marco's head and slammed his face into the ground. Not so hard to kill him, oh no, Brutus wanted Marco to remember this day forever. He had knocked the Brigg out. And just to make sure he didn't get back up to hunt Brutus immediately, he crushed the joints in the arms, but left his legs intact. Finally the giant got off of the silver man and walked to Perceval. The giant crossed the fathers arms over his chest and closed his eyes. The only thing he could do for the man. He did similar things to the lesser men who's lives he had taken. With his deeds done Brutus picked up his broken horn and held it for a moment, before he began to limp to where Franklin and Marco had gone, to where the snake was.

...How is anyone supposed to follow that !?

//OOC: By checking back here every day of the week and devoting your time to absorbing such incredible literature, of course. (At least that's what I'm doing.)

And in all honesty, that battle was absolutely astonishing and made my hands even more itchy for writing exciting posts. But!... Sandromin is nowhere to be seen, and so we're still stuck in Arteum. Seems like I need to resort to coming up with new memories for Nexhawk to fulfill my hunger for adventures... //End of OOC\\

I didn't mean follow as in keep up with, I meant the problem that anything written after it is going to pale in comparison.

I wish I had gotten in on this....

or should I finally introduce the other three nations to the world, one by one? //End of OOC\\

Do that. I'll finally find an excuse to write.