Sparkfly Fen was silent like a grave. During daytime you could still encounter the occasional adventurer or hylek merchant, but as soon as the sun started to set it was as if the spirit of the land itself withdrew and went into hiding along with the rest of its inhabitants. The calm waters in the southernmost parts of Sparkfly Fen was suddenly disturbed by a man appearing from the depths. As he removed his Aqua Breather and climbed up on the cliffs just outside of Splintered Coast, Evil bruticus' blade changed colors from pale blue and yellow to black and dark red. The legendary greatsword Eternity was famous across the land for its ability to changeits appearance depending on the time of day. When touched by sunlight it would reflect the sky above the wielder, and when covered in darkness the blade would extend its gaze to mirror the universe itself.Despite the many kraits and sharks in the area, traveling through water was the safest way to navigate around all the undead forces in Sparkfly Fen. Before he left he had told his guild, the Jade Reapers, to travel the same way. He needed them to be ready for the fight of their lives, not worn out from hacking through hordes of undead. But the guild wouldn't be here for another hour or two. Bruticus wanted time to explore the battlefield and assess the situation before the fight.

Tequatl the sunless, one of Zhaitan's champions, had been terrorizing the southern parts of Sparkfly Fen for a while now. The Vigil forces dispatched to hold him at bay had done an excellent job in thebeginning, but now they reported that Tequatl was growing stronger and stronger with each attack. He was somehow 'evolving' as the warmasters chose to phrase it. Recent reading from nearby energy scanners now showed that he would soon reach the full potential of his abilities, and becomevirtually unstoppable. Their verdict was that one final massive strike against him would be the best course of action. Letters had been sent out to all the big guilds urging them to join the battle. But Sparkfly Fen was not a part of the civilized world. It was almost closer to Orr than to Lion's Arch orany other major town. The threat felt distant to the people, and the guilds were more interested in bounty hunting and increasing their fame than doing lethal unpaid work.

As Evil Bruticus approached the Vigil encampment he saw for the first time what the letter had described; the enormous cannon floating in the air. Asuran by design, but with clear Vigil influences. Next to the weapon stood an asura with two charr soldiers, all of them wearing the standard Vigil armor."Bruticus." the asura greeted him shortly. "Narru." Bruticus lowered his head slightly in respect. They had met before in other battles where the Reapers had assisted the different orders of Tyra. Although none of those situations had been as grim as this one. "So this is what we put our hopes to?" he asked as he approached the floating asuran device. The lack of any other guildleaders made Bruticus feel worried. "Yes. This is the Vigil Megalaser." Bruticus reached up to poke the laser with his blade. Eternity left a trail of universe across the machine."And this is enough to defeat Tequatl once and for all?" Bruticus met Narrus eyes and his hopes sunk even more when he saw doubt in the asura."Look, Vigil engineers, asuran krewes, even parts of the local Hylek tribes have been working on this..""That's not what I asked" Bruticus interrupted him "What I'm asking is if this device" he pointed hissword towards the laser "will be able to kill the dragon. Or am I sending my men and women into a deathtrap?""Brut.." Narru said, and broke eye contact. "What other choice do we have? Yes, I believe the Megalaser can kill Tequatl, but we've never been able to fire it with full power. It requires an enormous amount of energy, and every time he emerges from the waters he brings his armies of risen, and those disgusting kraits. That's why we needed help from the guilds. To protect the batteries from Tequatl's minnions and give us enough time to fully charge the laser.” Narru took a step closer to the laser, and then turned to face Bruticus again “If it reaches full power I know it can blow a hole right through him” for the first time during the evening Bruticus could sense something other than despair in the warmaster. He was just worried that maybe it was more asuran pride than

anything else. The discussion died out. “I have to go prepare my troops” Narru said as he turned around and headed towards the camp. “I won't blame you if you leave. I'm grateful that at least one guild even considered helping us” The coast fell silent once again as Bruticus gazed out across the water. It was important to stop Tequatl, and this might very well be the last chance. If the other guilds were here it wouldn't be a problem, but now JD would have to take the fight alone. As a guild they had an obligation to protect Tyria. But as a guild master he had an obligation to protect his guild. As he wrestled with these conflicting emotions, trying to make the right decision, his thoughts were interrupted. A shrill noise broke the silence of Splintered Coast. When he turned around he saw shapes appearing from the water in the north. He wished that what he saw emerge from the water had been norns or charrs. Heck, even other humans or sylvari would have been a welcome sight. Maybe even asuras; he knew there were some fierce asuran warriors out there. But these were neither. From the water and onto the coast marched a band of about twenty quaggans. Leading themwas a pink Quaggan with a blade strapped to its back, and a tiny warhorn in its hand. Next came two drummers, keeping a steady marching beat for the rest of the group. When they reached warmaster Narru the pink quaggan signaled for the drummers to stop.“Quaggan wished to flee, swim far away and hide from the dragon. But quaggan knows quaggans will have to fight sooner or later.” The quaggan grabbed its tiny sword and swung it in the air “Quaggan is here to fight” This was met by cheers and various outbursts of “Cooo” from the rest of the group. Narru looked as if he would burst out laughing. Or crying. Or both. The leader however didn't seem to mind Narrus reaction (or lack of reaction), and waddled up to Bruticus. “Quaggan is glad to see Bruticus here. Quaggan has heard many great tales about the powerful Reapers. Quaggan was worried about the fight, but not anymore.” More shouts of “Cooo” from the group. Bruticus found himself at a loss for words. If the quaggans were brave enough to face Tequatl head on and fight for their land, then the Jade Reapers were as well. Bruticus nodded “I am glad to see you here as well, brave quaggans.” He met Narrus eyes “You will have JD's full support in this battle” the warmaster smiled and just when he was about to return to his planning, someone appeared from the waters in the north for the third time this evening. And then another one, and another, until the cliffs were crowded with adventurers and soldiers geared for battle. The Jade Reapers had arrived.

The following battle raged throughout the night, and what actually happened varies depending on who you ask. The Vigil will proudly explain how their megalaser saved the day while JD guarded its batteries, although any JD will claim that he or she spent the night fighting Tequatl up close and personal as they proudly show off their scars. In Brooloonu and other quaggan villages the story would go that one of the quaggan soldiers let out a might roar that startled Tequatl long enough for the laser to hit, while saving several Reapers from being eaten. But maybe what's 'true' is just a matter of perspective. As the sun rose Tequatl tried to take off with his broken wings, let out a shriek and fell dead into the sea.

JD, Vigil and quaggans all cheered and Bruticus, feeling some of his strenght and magic return, summoned a JD banner at the edge of the coast.“Brut...” one of the Reapers approached him through the cheering crowd. “Your sword...”Bruticus turned and faced the calm sea. “It doesn't matter. It's much more important that you all are safe. That Tyria is safe. Even if it's just the calm before the storm.” As the body of Tequatl sunk deeper and deeper outside of Splintered Coast, Eternity sank with it, lodged in the monsters head. Long before the dragons body hit the ocean floor, the blade changed for the last time. Instead of reflecting the bright morning sun it would now only show the night sky, as it would never see sunlight again.“Wait...” The Reaper looked worried. “What do you mean by 'the calm before the storm'?”Bruticus didn't answer right away, but his head turned west towards the Maguuma Jungle.“Tell the others to gather their gear. We have another battle to prepare for.”