AWAKENED BRUTUS

"To be a Blood Claw is to uphold one's duty."

Brutus - Lion's Pride is a strength-based warrior awakened hero with of the Mauler faction.

Brandishing his lethal blade, Brutus dispatched his final foe into the dust. Grasping his greatsword with both hands, he listened to the scout's account of how a group of wicked monsters had recently appeared near the Mauler border. They were said to have appeared out of thin air, attacking the surrounding villages and gradually becoming a threat to Mauler stability itself.

"One more thing…That person you've been looking for was spotted in the Weatherworn Dunes."

Brutus kept a neutral expression in the face of this unexpected news, but his eyes betrayed a glimmer of excitement.

"Found you, Anasta."

The Weatherworn Dunes lies deep within the Scorched Expanse. In this uninhabited stretch of desert, which no one rashly enters, apparently tranquil dunes conceal the lethal quicksand underneath. Yet now, on the dunes above, Brutus is locked in vicious combat, his opponent wielding a sword the height of a man. Heavy blows send sand flying as the warriors' two weapons clash again and again in the fierce desert heat.

"I've been looking for you a long time, you Mauler traitor."

Brutus faces none other than Anasta, his one-time mentor and former Blood Claw, she who had betrayed the Maulers before fleeing.

It seems like so long ago now, when Brutus had inadvertently discovered proof of Anasta's collusion with the Lightbearer nobility, and led his followers to foil her plot to seize the position of the Wise One. Once the dust had settled, the various tribal chieftains, realizing that humans were their common enemy, unanimously selected Skriath as their Wise One. Under his leadership, the Maulers set forth upon a unified path, with Brutus as the Blood Claw. While still highly respected among the Maulers, the stain of Anasta's treachery undoubtedly still sullied the name of Blood Claw.

Brutus was troubled that the name inherited from a traitor had lost its due glory. He had never fully accepted the title within his own heart, and the historical Blood Claw cloak and crown were sealed deep within the temple and never worn.

The traitor Anasta had disappeared, reviled and hated by all the Maulers. Yet throughout all the years, Brutus had never given up the hope of tracking down his one-time mentor. Now, today, he finally gazed once more upon her as she stood before him in the flesh.

Even after so many years it was an oddly familiar feeling to fight with Anasta once again. While he had never before managed to best her in the past, today he was a different caliber fighter.  After clashing together again and again, Brutus caught her off-balance and sent her weapon flying, before knocking her to the ground.

Brutus advanced, his vicious blade pointed at Anasta's neck, yet did not strike.

"You were never so ambitious and hungry for power. Why did you betray us? Why?!!"

Anasta had no intention of replying, wishing only that he do what must be done to finish this battle.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

Defeating his mentor had never been Brutus' ultimate aim. For years he had harbored suspicions about her betrayal and right now, right here, he needed to know the truth.

"Then allow me to enlighten you…" Skriath's distant voice came to Brutus' ears as his figure slowly emerged from within the whirling, dancing sand, "…about what really happened."

The Maulers had been divided ever since the assassination of the previous Wise One. The Lightbearers had seen an opportunity to continue destabilizing the Maulers, and secretly funded the Quicksand Claws to provoke internal conflict between the tribes. The tribal leaders, for their part, were totally unaware that their strings were being pulled. They acted just as expected, tearing each other apart while the humans reaped the benefit.

Skriath and Anasta were rare visionaries among the Maulers. They astutely identified the real reason for the fracturing of Mauler society and, after contacting each other, the two kindred spirits quickly decided to cooperate with each other.

The two wise Maulers fully understood that the current internal strife and divisions were preventing any hope of Mauler unification, and that intestine bellicosity would do nothing but bog down the Maulers in interminable conflict. Even if they declared unity to the outside world, this would be superficial only, as the individual tribal chieftains would never actually pledge loyalty to a unified force. These chieftains had only their own self-interest in mind and, as soon as an opportunity arose, would be sure to strike for their own gain. A common enemy was needed to truly end Mauler division and bind the tribes together in common enmity. It was evident that this common enemy had to be the Lightbearers, they who had been profiting from the internal discord of the Maulers, and that an opportunity had to be created to awaken those selfish chieftains to this reality.

So the two of them acted at odds with one another, appearing to all observers as though they were contending for the leadership. In reality, however, the were secretly formulating a careful plan, and waiting for the right time to present itself.

Soon enough, the Lightbearers sent word via the Quicksand Claws, promising Anasta power in exchange for eradicating the threat poised by Skriath. This was just the opportunity they had been waiting for, and decided to use supposed "treachery" to expose the Lightbearer plot. Crucial to the plan was a warrior of sufficient renown and loyalty to the Maulers, who could foil Anasta's "plot" before assuming the mantle of Blood Claw. In this way they could command their warriors to pledge allegiance to the Wise One.

Brutus was just such a warrior.

Brutus did not disappoint. Everything went according to plan, and the Maulers finally edged closer to unity. Anasta disappeared behind the scenes, as arranged by Skriath, until the Earth Guardian Granit was called upon by Skriath to assist in halting the spread of quicksand in the Weatherworn Dunes. Anasta was due to come too, to protect the Earth Guardian.

Brutus was visibly moved by the truth, as the suspicions in his heart were at long last confirmed: This noble warrior in front of him had never truly betrayed her people. Brutus took a long, shuddering breath, while Anasta gazed upon her favored student before speaking slowly:

"Sacrifices must be made, for Mauler unity…And when the tribe is in crisis, it falls to the Blood Claw to lead the way."

Presently, Anasta looked to Skriath and inquired why he had come to the Weatherworn Dunes. He explained the purpose of his trip: the elemental imbalance was growing, and terrible creatures called Corruptors were rampaging, foreshadowing imminent catastrophe. Only Elemental Guardians could prevent such catastrophe but Granit was busy dealing with the quicksand and was unable to leave the desert. Crucially, some individuals were able to inherit the power of the Earth Emblem, and Skriath believed that Anasta was a prime candidate.

And now Granit's voice rumbled from nearby:

"There is a heavy price for accepting the Earth Emblem. The Emblem brings with it not just power, but unknown adversity. It represents a mortal attraction to all Corruptors, as the two are natural enemies and ceaselessly stalk each other. You will never know another second's true safety."

Anasta did not hesitate, having long ago decided to give everything for her tribe. Just as she was about to accept her new role, Brutus strode forward. Standing in front of Granit he demanded, "Let me do this."

Brutus knew that his mentor had already shouldered too much. He felt that now was the time to step up and take on her task and responsibility, no matter the price. He gazed resolutely at his mentor:

"When the tribe is in crisis, it falls to the Blood Claw to lead the way."

The Earth Emblem soared from Granit's body, and attached itself above Brutus' sword hilt. He is about to set foot on a new path but, before he begins, he still has one more thing to do.

Brutus slowly emerges from the temple, whence he had just recovered the cloak and crown sealed within. Where once he had rejected these sacred items of the Blood Claw, now he will proudly complete his mission as the true Mauler Blood Claw.

Outside the temple, a dense crowd of Corruptors had gathered, drawn by the Elemental Emblem. Faced with such a writhing mass of foes, Brutus grasps his weapon firmly and strides resolutely forward. He has eyes only for his enemy, while the sage words of his mentor echo in his heart:

"Maulers, born from defiance.

We posses an indomitable will that courses through our veins, and the Blood Claw is the absolute manifestation of this will.

One day in the future, you shall inherit this will of ours, and become the Blood Claw.

The road is fated to be difficult, surrounded by powerful enemies, outnumbered and alone.

When the Tribe needs you, you must rise to the occasion.

Your body is a blade, carve your way forward!"

Brutus' pace quickens as he rushes into the mass of Corruptors, his sharp blade felling them on all sides.