Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Jag on 29-04-2011, 17:52:51</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>29-04-2011, 17:52:51</strong>
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				<div align="center"><strong>The Forest</strong><br><br>(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/807/theforest.jpg) (http://img153.imageshack.us/i/theforest.jpg/)</div><em>Warning: Half-Bloods not allowed. Only to be used for Capture the Flag events. Monsters roam free at all other times. Any hero stupid enough to enter, we will have the harpies collect your bodies at the most convenient time for us.<br><br><strong>Monsters that roam:</strong><br><br>Chimera<br>Colchis Bull<br>Flesh-Eating Horse<br>Giant Crab<br>Giant Scorpion<br>Manticore<br>Myrmekes<br>Pit Scorpion<br>Stymphalian Birds<br>Scythian dracanae<br>Skeleton Warrior<br>Telekhines <br><br><br>Sincerely,<br>Mr. D, Camp Director<br>Chiron, Activities Director<br><br>P.S. Please do us all a favor and throw yourself in harms way. It makes my job easier. -Mr. D</em><br><br><br><br><span style="font-size: 7pt;" class="bbc_size">Forest Monsters are controlled by Michi No Sora and Aiden. <br>OOC Link (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=105114.0)</span>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 02:18:08</strong>
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				In Which Zachary Wishes He Had a Flashlight and Not a Water Bottle<br><hr><br><em>She thinks I'm cute...</em><br><br>The parting thought burned in Zachary's mind as the trio started towards the woods, a faint smile on his chapped lips.&nbsp; But, such thoughts were quickly forgotten as they came to the boundary and domain of the monster-filled woods.<br><br>The torches and din of conversation from the pavilion faded behind them as the trio set off for the darkened woods that surrounded the camp.&nbsp; The warning sign was hardly a deterrent for the three half-bloods, each one more than confident in their abilities in both battle and with their godly gifted powers. But how deep did that conviction run?<br><br>As the ocean and most visible representation of his own power disappeared behind the pavilion and the towering, twisted trees, Zachary felt his confidence deflate like a popped balloon and he started to feel his anger and frustration well up inside him.&nbsp; He grumbled low under his breath as he searched around his pockets for the pen light he often kept on hand for foolish adventures like this.<br><br>That was when he realized he had left it on the table near his bed for some late night reading.&nbsp; <br><br>"Minotaur balls... anyone got a light or are we going to just stumble around until we find something to slay?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 02:27:09</strong>
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				<strong>Terry following Libby into certain disaster</strong><br><br>He grinned at the other two.&nbsp; It was obvious that Libby was already flirting not-too-subtly in Zach's direction, which was sort of a disappointment -- but hey, he liked a challenge, and (unlike in battle) not even Terry could win them all.<br><br>Without missing a beat, Terry withdrew Cloudbreaker from his pack, handling the massive axe with ease that spoke of his great strength.&nbsp; (He'd laughed for an hour after discovering, somewhat belatedly, that in modern times the labrys was used as a symbol for lesbianism and matriarchal power, but he hadn't given it back.)<br><br>"I think I've got a flashlight somewhere in here," he replied.&nbsp; "But we'll probably be okay without."&nbsp; Holding his weapon high, Terry concentrated faintly, and electricity began crackling lightly along the double blades, illuminating the forest with flickering light.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 02:59:29</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>The Pack</em></div><br><hr><br>For most of the year, the forest was left alone. The few demi-gods that stayed for fall and winter didn't generally bother the forest. But it never took long from the first day of spring to the first day of fall for dozens of them to brave their way through the trees. Whether for a capture the flag event or in some act of courage, at least one would die by the end of summer.<br><br>The scent of food being cooked mixed with the scent of demi-god was caught on the wind and awoke many slumbering creatures. Spiders the size of your head climbed through the trees. Giant ants slowly emerged from their nests. And the packs came out of their caves. Packs of what most were unsure of. For the most part they stayed hidden. Demi-god flesh was good, but this was also their mating season and that tended to come first. Yet none of them could ignore the scents that came through right now. Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena. It was rare to get so many powerful bloods in at once.<br><br>The Alpha gathered his men and they began their stalking through the trees. It didn't take them long to see glimpses of the demi-gods through the trees. Instead of lashing out an attack right away, they held back. Unlike many of the creatures these were more intelligent. They had conscious thought and were hardly mindless. Their scorpion tails stood high behind their backs as the laid low to the ground, watching the Son of Zeus ignite his weapon. Their leader, with his long mane and thick horns motioned for two others to get behind the demi-gods. He tried to assess which of the male demi-gods was the alpha. The female seemed to stay close to the Son of Poseidon, but it was hard to forget that Zeus was king of the gods. With that in mind, the Alpha fixed his golden eyes on Terry, Son of Zeus.<br><br>He motioned for one of his group to focus on the Daughter of Athena. He assumed she would be the weakest, but the one the males would turn to for tactile help. Best to get ride of the brain first. They were calm and willing to wait till the demi-gods were far into the forest before attacking.<br><br>The Manticore were ready to hunt.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 03:31:08</strong>
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				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby readies for any attack </em></div><hr><br>Noting the obvious mood shift in Zac she glanced toward Terry. Any light would be a beacon for any to find them with little problem, but was necessary for them to see their way around.&nbsp; Ideally it would have behooved them to have a light that moved out a head of them rather than directly over them. She chewed at her inner lip a she stared out over the group quietly. Blind fighting would have been a good way to start this, after all the moon did give some light even if the trees shaded a good bit of the path. The only issue with blind fighting was that some monsters could see in the dark and therefore leave them at a severe disadvantage. Libby was starting to over think it and realized it soon after.<br><br>With a glance in either direction she finally decided on keeping an eye on the side she was on. She whispered quietly to the boys as they continued to move in.<br><br><strong>"Zac you take my side...Terry you watch that side.. I'll shift to the back. Let's try to form a triangle so no one's back is exposed. Keep your eyes peeled. It doesn't sound like anything large is rustling about yet. Can you keep that light dimmed, Terry? If its too much trouble then we'll manage. Its sort of like one of those bug killers. At least the mosquitoes won't eat us alive before the bigger stuff comes along."</strong><br><br>She glanced to the Son of Zeus and grinned. Libby had to admit she was a little in awe of that electricity running on his blades. Without skipping a beat she had already begun to move behind the guys and shifted so she walked in an almost sideways motion, while keeping her back closer to theirs. She had unsheathed her sword and pulled her shield to her forearm as she entered the forest, now she kept it at a ready position. Bright blue eyes scanned the forest treelines and brush.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 04:18:42</strong>
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				<strong>Terry preparing for a totally one-sided battle</strong><br><br>Terry nodded slightly, taking a step to the side and keeping a sharp lookout.&nbsp; He kept the power sizzling on his axe to a low voltage, the light still dim; he didn't much like it, but half-bloods had keener senses than regular mortals, and they could probably manage.&nbsp; The strategy was good as long as they kept an eye out in all directions.<br><br>"Just don't forget to look up and down, too," he murmured.&nbsp; Plenty of monsters could fly, climb, or dig; although Terry sucked at controlling the air (he'd heard some children of Zeus could actually <em>fly</em>, and occasionally cursed his lack of talent), he was still acutely aware of the skies above.&nbsp; The last thing they needed was an ambush from some ridiculous angle.&nbsp; His axe was held in a ready, defensive posture, just high enough to see sort-of-properly by.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 12:29:07</strong>
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				In Which Zachary Gets Water-y<br><hr><br>Of course Terry would make a show with the lightning.&nbsp; He always did.&nbsp; Zachary recalled one chariot race that had almost ended in him getting electrocuted due to Terry's over-zealousness with blasting things into ash with his father's gift.&nbsp; The Son of Poseidon was a bit more subtle in his own mastery of his god-given powers, at least in his own mind. There was hardly anything subtle about blasting monsters with torrents of summoned ocean water.<br><br>Slipping out his endless water bottle, a birthday gift from his often-absent father, Zachary worked a small tooled leather harness around his left wrist and lower hand.&nbsp; He slide the water bottle inside and uncapped it.&nbsp; Having an endless source of water on hand was a wonderful thing for a son of the sea god.&nbsp; A little of the water spilled out as he unsheathed both of his short swords and stood ready, taking his position against Terry and Libby's backs.<br><br>He felt the power of the sea well up inside him as he coaxed a little water to sprout from the bottle, pooling in front of him as a water shield, no larger than a buckler.&nbsp; He smirked smugly and waited for whatever was rustling in the bushes to attack.<br><br>"Here we go..." 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 18:51:13</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>A child of Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena walk into a forest...stop me if you've heard this one...</em></div><br><hr><br>Despite their intelligence, the manticore were more focused on the after the battle feast. Demi-Gods tasted wonderful. The problem these days with mortals was that damn mist. It made feeding difficult when they couldn't out right attack mortals anymore. Being restricted to demi-gods would normally mean a lack of food. Thankfully, the Gods were almost always breeding. Unluckily for this pack, Mr. D had them brought to this damn forest. Eating other monsters wasn't all that satisfying. They had to wait for a demi-god to wander in here. When that did happen it was hard to remember their intellect and just turn into the monsters that they were. The only thing that kept them from rushing was their respect for their alpha...or rather fear of him. <br><br>He was the biggest and strongest and he had his golden eyes on Terry. It didn't matter that their female seemed to lean towards the son of Poseidon. A child of Zeus was always considered the leader.<br><br>It didn't take long for the demi-gods to make a formation. That told the creatures that they had not come in here for some sort of walk or short cut to the Sound. These kids wanted to play and that was just fine with the manticores. It had been a long time since they had had a challenge of any sort. Most of the time it was some young demi-god that could barely lift a sword on their own that wandered in here.<br><br>The alpha watched as the group of three, why did they always travel in threes?, pushed further into the trees. A few of his own rustled leaves around them. He raised a clawed paw and lowered it quickly. The two manticores behind the group, facing the Daughter of Athena, shot their poison spikes from their scorpion like tails towards the girl. Their goal was to split the party and take them down individually while the others were being distracted. It was a simple plan and one most creatures used. Divide and conquer. Maybe that was why even the intelligent manticores had never advanced in the godly world. Because in the end, they resorted to primal tactics. Still, they were confident.<br><br>The two from behind the group continued to fire their spikes as the other two manticore, minus the alpha, lunged out from the trees and charged at Zachary. They roared loudly, a warning to any other creatures to stay away and that this was their fight. The alpha stood on his hind legs, putting himself equal to the demi-gods as opposed to the beast that he was. He was at least two feet taller than Terry and wielded one of his own tail spikes like a dagger as he stepped towards the Son of Zeus, "If you give up now, I'll make your death a quick one," the poison from their spikes would not kill the demi-gods, only disarm them and cause great pain, "I'll kill you quickly instead of dragging you back to my family and letting them feast on your still living flesh. We might even kill the female quickly too instead of using her for breeding," though manticore did not breed with humans or demi-gods, but it tended to anger males when their females were threatened.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 19:36:46</strong>
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				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby and the Beasts </em></div><hr><br>As the stingers came flying inward Libby raised her shield and deflected as many as she could. Her back stayed to the boys as she spoke to her fellow demi-gods. She rifled through her brain to remember exactly what this monster was and what they should watch out for most of all. After a couple more dodges and the stepping out of their leader she watched the two that came at her. Her sword swung at the stingers swatting them away from where ever her shield couldn't protect.<br><br><strong> "Don't break formation. Stay together and watch the stingers."</strong><br><br>When the leader spoke of dragging her back for breeding her eyes went wide and she felt sick in her middle. With a rapid heartbeat she scoffed under her breath, knowing full well most monsters don't breed outside their species or at least out of their own intelligence range. She spoke in a low tone towards Terry and Zac.<br><br><strong>"As if.&nbsp; Don't listen to him Terry. Stay focused on that stinger. Move together toward the alpha. If his minions are stupid enough their stinger volleys will hit the alpha and distract him into calling them off for a breather. Whatever you do, don't outright kill the Alpha first. They'll mob rush us if you do. He keeps them at bay. We need to take them out one by one."</strong><br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>04-05-2011, 19:44:41</strong>
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				<strong>Terry, very much unimpressed</strong><br><br>He actually laughed in the alpha's face, although he surreptitiously glanced around as he did so, taking in their numbers.&nbsp; "Seriously?&nbsp; Manticores.&nbsp; That's what we're going with?"&nbsp; In truth, Terry had never realized manticores were smart enough to talk before -- the last one he'd taken out hadn't bothered.&nbsp; Their tactics didn't seem terribly advanced, though.&nbsp; "Are there, like, a dozen more of you guys waiting in the trees, or are you just tired of living?"<br><br>He sighed reluctantly at Libby's analysis; he'd been ready to simply blast the alpha into oblivion.&nbsp; Of course, she was obviously overestimating the manticores (mob rush?&nbsp; let them try!), but if she had a plan, they might as well go with it and save the told-you-sos for later.&nbsp; "Got it."&nbsp; Terry prepared to shift closer towards the alpha, watching the weapon carefully.&nbsp; "...Are you sure their own venom works on them, though?" he whispered.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>05-05-2011, 01:33:35</strong>
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				In Which Zachary Starts a Flood of Biblical Proportions <br><hr><br>Manticores.&nbsp; It was always manticores with Zachary.&nbsp; When he had been younger, living with his mother on the white, sandy shores of St. Augustine, a pack of manticores had come bounding down the sand to hunt the young demi-god.&nbsp; Had it not been for a saytr protector and Zachary's own chaotic use of his godly powers, he would have been barbed to death or worse.&nbsp; This alpha though seemed more content on trying to talk them to death, but thankfully Terry's own banter was giving them just as much prideful banter back.&nbsp; <br><br>That freed up Zachary's attention to focus on the two roaring manticores that were bounding out of the treeline towards their formation.&nbsp; One of them loosed a barrage of stingers while the other leaped forward, its fanged maw snapping at the Son of Poseidon.<br><br>Twin short swords worked fiercely, slapping away stingers as best he could while his tiny water shield hovered nearby, trying to intercept any of them that slipped past Libby's shield.&nbsp; As the charging manticore reached him, Zachary retreated back a step and then called upon the gifts his father had given him, summoning forth a giant spray of sea water from his open water bottle.<br><br>The smell of salt and brine filled the crisp, evening air, mingling with the scent of strawberries and foliage, as the giant gout of water crashed into the charging manticore.&nbsp; The beast struggled against the current but Zachary's battle rage fueled the spout, sending hundreds of gallons surging forward.&nbsp; The creature was blasted away and into the trees, the satisfying crunch of wood and bones following as Zachary kept up the deluge and started to turn on the other manticore. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>05-05-2011, 20:47:29</strong>
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				<div align="center"><em>The Alpha and Terry</em></div><br><hr><br>While the others dealt with the other two demi-gods, the alpha seemed completely focused on Terry. Part of the reason why he was alpha was that he could speak. Manticores were intelligent, but most weren't around enough mortals or demi-gods to learn to speak the common tongue. He'd been trapped in a mystical zoo of sorts for a long time and when he escaped he took over this pack. His ability to speak is what set him apart from the others. The others only understood the demi-gods attacks, but he understood what they were saying and could relay it to his pack.<br><br>The others charged the two demi-gods. Shooting their spikes and growling loudly. It was unknown the limit of spikes these creatures could shoot, but as with most mythical creatures chances were that it was unlimited. The poison of a manticore wasn't fatal. Instead it just caused unimaginable pain. Most went into shock from it. If they were lucky, the shock would kill them before the monsters began to tear into their flesh. While their own poison would affect them, it was less painful. One spine did manage to shoot back after hitting a shield to prove this. It jammed itself into the creature's shoulder and it fell back for a moment. It growled as it yanked the spike back out. It's arm appeared to have gone paralyzed. It charged at Libby, wanting revenge for it's now injured arm.<br><br>Not waiting any longer, the alpha made his move. He fell down to all fours and charged. Just a few feet from Terry, he jumped back up to his hind legs and held his spike like a dagger as he lunged for Terry's chest, "Filthy demi-gods!" monsters had been around much longer than demi-gods had. Monster never really died. They simply went away for a while and were 'reborn'. At which point they tended to seek out who ever had killed them and tried to get their revenge.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>06-05-2011, 03:33:43</strong>
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				<strong>Terry, delivering advanced electroshock therapy at bargain prices</strong><br><br>Terry tensed faintly as the obnoxious alpha rushed him, and the air suddenly smelled of ozone as he called on his power.&nbsp; He was vaguely distracted by the thought that the alpha was probably going to bring his tail into play at any minute, but no such attack seemed to be forthcoming.&nbsp; Was the manticore even dumber than he'd thought?<br><br>"You're gonna regret the day Echidna ever reproduced!"&nbsp; As the alpha lunged, Terry didn't miss a beat, whipping his axe across to force the manticore to pull the 'dagger' back (or just to lop that paw off at the wrist, he wasn't particular).&nbsp; In the same motion his brought his leg up into a vicious side kick to the monster's belly, ready to discharge a full terawatt through his foot on impact.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>06-05-2011, 17:14:51</strong>
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				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby gains some footing.... or not... </em></div><hr><br>As soon as she notices the spikes doing damage to the creature she glances back toward Terry then to Zac for a brief moment. Her voice raised now as she continued to fight back. Lowering her shield for a split second she sheathed her sword and grasped at a spine that fell below. With a tumbling move she grabbed it and threw it at one of the Manticore attacking her. The spine landed square in its upper chest and neck area, where she watched as it stumbled a little and cried out in pain. Its claws dug at its own neck. The sharp pointed razors ripped at its flesh, sending a spray of blood across the ground and nearby shrubbery, as it tried to remove its own weapon from its body. Triumphant in taking one out, Libby nearly forgot about the other and it got off a good shot at her leg sending one straight through her shin and out the other side. Libby cried out in pain as the feeling of the venom seeped into her shin. The paralyzing affects didn't take long as she felt her leg go numb and wobbly. Her face paled and she grasped at another spine from the ground, but her leg fell out from under her and she landed on her bottom with an groan.<br><br><strong>"Zac... Terry.. the spines will poison and paralyze...... them..... just like it will.... us."</strong><br><br>After throwing the other spine toward the second&nbsp; beast her aim was slightly off and it went flying into the forest behind him. She grumbled about missing, she hardly ever missed. Struggling she tried to stand back up and had little success in doing so. Instead she just unsheathed her sword and took on as much defense as she could muster now.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>07-05-2011, 17:29:09</strong>
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				In Which Zachary Loses His Temper<br><hr><br>The battle was unfolded in a blur for the young demi-god of Poseidon.&nbsp; The hail of poisonous barbs rained down relentlessly and Zachary and Libby did their best to take up a defensive position to ward off most of them.&nbsp; One of the barbs had shattered the water shield Zachary had put forth and the son of the sea god had taken to unleashing punishing streams of sea water that acted as both offensive and defensive weapons.&nbsp; He repeatedly assaulted the manticore he had flung into the trees, further breaking its body and eventually sending it to wherever vanquished monsters went until they were "reborn" again.&nbsp; <br><br>He turned as Libby cried out in pain as one of the barbs struck her bodily and he wheeled around, bringing up one of his short swords just in time to intercept another flying projectile.&nbsp; The half-blood's teeth grit and his eyes narrowed as the manticores started to close in, sensing the end and the time for feasting upon half-blood flesh at hand.&nbsp; Zachary did not care any more as the rage began to well up inside him, the red haze of rage and destruction boiling up and claiming his rationality.<br><br>He turned his swords downward, point first, and brought them high overhead.<br><br>"I'll show you why they call my father the Earthshaker, you bastards!"<br><br>And then, he plunged them straight down into the rich earth at his feet, calling out and imploring the earth to shatter and rumble, to break apart and swallow the monstrosities that would dare challenge the might of the gods and their children who wielded it.<br><br>Before he could see any result, a pair of barbs shot forth and struck Zachary in the lower torso.&nbsp; Pain, unimaginable and unbearable pain, flared to life in his body and all he could do was grunt and sag backwards, clutching onto the hilts of his planted blades as the poison started to take hold and the darkness began to rush in.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>07-05-2011, 18:11:46</strong>
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				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby freaks out </em></div><hr><br><strong>"OH SHIT!... no.. no... Zac... Terry! Kill those bastards they've taken out Zac! "</strong><br><br>Her words were spoken between clenched bouts of pain and she drug herself over to Zac's limp body and debated pulling out the spikes. She frowned some and looked at his face. Her own face streamed in tears from the pain shooting down her leg and she spoke quietly to him, while keeping an eye on what his power did. Libby hoped the earth opened up and that Poseidon heard his sons pleas and that such power would swallow the manticores whole.<br><br><strong>"Zac... stay with me... don't go to sleep... fight it.. "</strong><br><br>Her cries and pleas continued as she stared at the demi-god laying beneath her. Her body was half over his as she tried to protect him with her body and shield. It was obvious he was at the mercy of the beasts, should they survive such an attack. At least the daughter of Athena could still swing her sword. Libby chewed at her lip as her long dark hair fell forward into a puddle of softness around his chest and shoulders. She pushed it back and looked back to the beasts again, ever alert, even with the burning extreme pain in her lower leg.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>08-05-2011, 03:33:01</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><em>Gold Dust</em></div><br><hr><br>The creatures attacking the two demi-gods started to fall. One being taken out by the daughter of Athena. All of them getting a shot or two on the half-bloods. Even though their own poison affected them, it wasn't nearly as potent. They kept coming. Only two having been successfully taken down by the demi-gods. They were beasts in almost the purest sense of the word. They barely felt the pain at all as their own barbs struck them and Athena's child swung her sword at them.<br><br>Then it happened. As Libby and Zac went down, Terry was in the middle of his own fight. The alpha charged and made a rookie mistake. He was too cocky and had killed too many demi-gods. It had been much too long since his last <em>death</em>. When monsters lived for a long time, they tended to get stupid with their attacks. Their egos were too big and they made fatal mistakes. The alpha did just this. Instead of keeping his distance from the child of lightening, he got as close as he possibly could. He swung his barb down to strike the boy and was hit with a trillion watts of electricity through the side of his chest. It went through his body within milliseconds. It fried everything in the beast's body. Blood dripped from it's ears and leaked down through it's mane. Seconds later the beast exploded in a cloud of golden dust. Like all monsters, he'd been sent to the Tartarus. There was no telling how long it would be before he was reformed. Likely months or years.<br><br>Meanwhile, the others weren't fairing as well as they thought. The death of their alpha sent them into the rage Libby had been worried about before. It didn't last long though. Whether it was Poseidon or Zac's power, the ground shook and threw all the remaining creatures off balance. They roared and before they could regain footing, a crack opened in the ground and swallowed the beasts whole. As quickly as it opened, it closed back up. Golden dust shot up into the air and settled back on the ground.<br><br>In place of where the alpha had been, there were three, large manticore teeth. The three of them gleaming bright white. They were the alpha's three front teeth. While not as valuable as manticore poison, their teeth were very strong and could be formed into weapons. And even though the poison was primarily located in their tails, there was at least an alcohol sized shot of poison in each tooth.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>08-05-2011, 04:34:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Terry discovers the results</strong><br><br>Terry's savage glee at releasing the immense power of the Sky God was somewhat tempered by the realization that he'd just killed a manticore too stupid to use its tail.&nbsp; That didn't make the monster any less deserving of annihilation, but it sure didn't feel like much of an accomplishment.<br><br>At the sound of Libby's voice, his eyes went wide and he whirled, already stepping forward with his axe leveled to unleash the lightning again -- only to be forced to steady himself as the earth tore open and ate the manticores.<br><br>Well, then.<br><br>"Aw, crap..."&nbsp; Although Terry really wanted to check out whatever trophy had been left behind (hopefully it wouldn't be too shameful to even claim), he wasn't that kind of jackass.&nbsp; After a quick glance around to be sure they were entirely free of monsters, he went to Zachary's side, fumbling in his bag for a Ziploc full of emergency ambrosia.&nbsp; Quickly, he broke a square of ambrosia, handing the smaller piece to Libby before awkwardly trying to feed the larger piece to Zach.&nbsp; "Here."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>08-05-2011, 16:27:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In Which Zachary Learns That He Can Make The Earth Move<br><hr><br>The darkness that had shrouded Zachary's eyes was jolted away, rousing him to consciousness, as the earth shook violently.&nbsp; He was delirious with the pain perhaps but the sight of the manticores exploding into golden dust made the child of the Earthshaker laughed loudly.&nbsp; He slumped forward, his hands still curled around the hilts of his battered swords.&nbsp; As the roar of the earthquake subsided and the eerie silence of death surrounded them, the demi-god found that darkness lingering at the edge of his mind, calling for him to surrender to the pain once more and to let go in whatever finality awaited him.<br><br>"Here..."<br><br>He hadn't even seen Terry approach with the offered square of ambrosia but he wasn't about to debate whether he was hallucinating or not at this salvation.&nbsp; Zachary tried hard to focus and he accepted the food of the gods, forcing it into his mouth and chewing slowly.&nbsp; The taste was incredible, as it always was.&nbsp; It was like his mother's famous cherry jubilee, all warm and exploding with flavor.&nbsp; The pain started to disappear and he felt strength returning to his weary body.&nbsp; Slowly and with a practiced hand, Zachary removed the barbs from his torso and threw them aside in disgust.&nbsp; He could feel the poison being cleansed from him and the wounds began to knit themselves closed.<br><br>He swallowed hard, finishing the ambrosia and struggled to get to his feet with a heavy grunt. He glanced over to Libby who was also eating ambrosia.&nbsp; He offered her a faint smile and a nod of his head, almost apologetically. <br><br>"...I guess I can move the earth.&nbsp; Not bad...&nbsp; I.. .think we did well, all things considered?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 00:05:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby and the aftermath </em></div><hr><br>Libby took the ambrosia offered nibbling it as the sweet bits caused her eyes to open fully and her body to flush free of the poisons inside. The wound on her leg slowly closed up and she felt nearly normal again. As she glanced to each of the guys she gave them both blushing smiles. She was proud of them and a bit too proud to admit she went down first, but they did survive and for that small bit she was thankful. The adrenaline rush had her slipping up from her laying position next to Zac. Moving around some she glanced toward their prize and couldn't help but grin. She bounced a little and hugged each of the guys in turn.<br><br><strong> "We did it!"</strong><br><br>After the brief hugs she smiled to Terry with a thankful glance for the magical cure. Her hand pushed back her long dark hair and she made sure to sheath her sword before she headed straight for the trophy left for them. In awe of it she gingerly reached for it, and then picked up one holding it up and grinned again. It was a bright brilliant smile. She knew this would make for a great dagger. Her eyes shifted back to the guys again.<br><br><strong>"Guys can you believe this!? Manticore teeth! This is awesome!"</strong><br><br>Staring down at the large tooth, her bright blue eyes shimmered and she bit at her lower lip studying it a bit. It would take some doing to carve it properly but it would be so worth it. Her ears stayed alert to anything that might be around but she was pretty sure the earth shaking scared off any creature in the one mile radius or more. But one could never be too careful. With one final look at it she tucked it into a safe pouch and wrapped it up safe. The young daughter of Athena gave the guys a once over to be sure they were okay before she motioned that they should probably get back.<br><br><strong>"We should head back now. I'm glad you realized you needed me along. I know that was a rough battle there. Manticores. Wow. But you guys were pretty decent."</strong><br><br>She gave them both a bright yet impishly proud grin and bounced off toward the way they came, in hopes they would be right behind her.<br><br><strong>"Well, come on slow pokes!"</strong><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 00:35:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Terry, awkwardly triumphant</strong><br><br>He laughed, hugging Libby in return, then waiting for her to release Zachary before offering the other young man a fist-bump.&nbsp; Terry straightened up, collecting one of the teeth for himself (it certainly was fortunate that the alpha had dropped three trophies!) and examining it closely.<br><br>"Well, it's not bad, I guess."&nbsp; Frankly, one tooth (even a large one) wasn't enough to be even much of an alloy for weapons of the size he favored, but that wasn't so awful.&nbsp; It was still a valuable material he could trade on.&nbsp; Chuckling, he headed after Libby, but paused to glance back at Zach.&nbsp; "...Man, I didn't know you could do the earthquake thing.&nbsp; Did your dad help you out, or was that all you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 00:59:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In Which Zachary Accepts a Trophy and Embarrassment <br><hr><br>The world seemed a bit shaky as the ambrosia worked its magic through his weary body, knitting closed his flesh and removing the last remnants of the manticore poison.&nbsp; The battle had been a fierce one, possibly the most intense in Zachary's young life but the rewards of having Libby's arms thrown around him and having earned a bit of respect from Terry were well worth it.&nbsp; The son of Poseidon retrieved his short swords after awkwardly hugging Libby, fist bumping Terry, and sheathed the blades after a quick inspection to make sure they were not pitted or damaged. He returned his water bottle into his pocket.&nbsp; He turned the manitcore tooth over in his hands, marveling at the strength and sharpness of it.&nbsp; It would make a fine weapon.&nbsp; He tucked it into his belt and started after the pair with a triumphant smile on his face.<br><br>Terry's question, however, threw him off balance and brought a flush of crimson to his weathered cheeks.&nbsp; Talking about his father was a sore spot for Zachary, as it was for many of those with divine, absent parents.&nbsp; He kicked at a stone as they headed down the path back towards camp.<br><br>"I don't know.&nbsp; I'd like to think it was all me." <br><br>He then glanced over at Libby, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.<br><br>"You came up with a pretty good plan, Libby.&nbsp; Thanks for that." <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Josietta</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 19:43:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<hr><div align="center"><em> Libby and the guys on their way back to camp </em></div><hr><br><strong>"Yeah where'd you come up with that, Zac? I didn't know you had it in ya! It was awesome!"</strong><br><br>She smiled at him and walked backwards for a bit until they caught up with her. She gave him a beaming smile at the praise and cheesed out a grin. Libby knew she did well, not a well as she would have liked, but at least she got one of those freaks down. She realized that if it weren't for Zac and Terry she wouldn't have survived that on her own but she wasn't willing to admit to that just yet. She moved between the boys and linked her arms in theirs.<br><br><strong>"Thanks! I like to think my plans are pretty awesome! Just like you guys!"</strong><br><br>Yeah, she boasted a little but she tried to lay on a few compliments to them as well. Chuckling a little she slipped her arms free of theirs and bounced down the path. She turned back and made a few motions to mimick how Zac did his earthshake.<br><br><strong>"That fight was epic! We were fighting them off decently, and then one got a shot off on me.. and then the others kept coming... I'm not even sure where Terry was at that point! I just saw Zac lift up his arms and fire outward to the sky and earth and cry out.. 'LET ME SHOW YOU WHY THEY CALL MY FATHER THE EARTHSHAKER, YA BASTARDS!!' </strong><br><br>She moved her arms like the earth was going to shake and started laughing. She pushed back a few dark curls behind her shoulder and looked back with shimmering blue eyes filled with laughter and excitement.<br><br><strong>"Did you see their faces!!? They didn't know what was happening! Hell, i didn't know! The ground just opened up and swallowed them like Vincent and a plate of ribs. Swallowed whole and spit out some bones.. or teeth in this matter.. hehe"</strong><br><br>Libby laughed some more and bounced along the dark trail back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jefepato</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 19:55:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Terry, vaguely gleeful in victory</strong><br><br>"I actually feel kinda bad," Terry had to admit.&nbsp; "I got caught up in fighting the alpha 'cause I figured he was gonna be tougher than the others, but it turns out he'll probably be riding the short bus back from Tartarus."&nbsp; There just wasn't much glory in monsters committing suicide by demigod, especially when his friends were fighting actually dangerous monsters -- although he wasn't about to turn down the trophy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Camp Half-Blood - The Forest (Monster Battles)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 22:11:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In Which Zachary Broods<br><hr><br>Libby's exaggerated comments and pantomiming of Zachary's calling of the earthquake made his cheeks burn red and the awkwardness he had been plagued with earlier returned.&nbsp; Libby had meant it all in jest, as a compliment even, but Zachary was an incredibly insecure person and he felt as though he was being mocked.&nbsp; Shrugging heavily, he stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans as they continued down the path and back towards camp.<br><br>"I guess it was like that.&nbsp; I just did what felt right at the moment."<br><br>His tone was darkening, his mode changing obviously for the worse. Now that the bloodlust was over and they were exhausted from their battle with the manticores, Zachary just wanted to head back to his cabin and get some well-deserved rest.&nbsp; A part of him wanted to stay with his friends and celebrate their victory over such odds but Terry's comment had struck a nerve.&nbsp; <br><br>His father had to have been the one who summoned the earth quake but it was the only whisper of attention he had had from his divine parent in months.&nbsp; Destruction seemed to be his first priority, not visiting one of his few sons.<br><br>The dark blonde demi-god was silent the rest of the way to camp, his heart troubled and his mind flirting with his own self pity and the thoughts it brought.<br><br>
			</dd>
		</dl>
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