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The Wayfarers



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Sun Apr 11, 2021 12:36 pm
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Mageheart says...



"Violence isn't always the answer," Hades softly agreed. "You're not a coward for wanting to avoid it."

Gods grew up differently than mortals did, but he could understand being too young for a role that felt like it was meant to be. Annabeth hadn't had a choice in all of this - just like none of them had the choice to participate now.

(Even though, Hades noted, Maggie had disappeared and presumably left the hunt. If their reactions were anything to go off of, they hadn't been all that fond of the monster hunting. Once he had finished helping Annabeth, he would have to find them.)

"We'll get through this," he promised. "You're not alone this time."
mage

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roleplaying is my platonic love language.

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Thu Apr 15, 2021 2:21 pm
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Valkyria says...



The unwavering support of her companions made Annabeth want to cry harder, but she wiped her tears away and took a few deep breaths.

"Thanks guys," she said. Even though Maggie had made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with this, at least the others had her back. She gave Elias a quick hug back and straightened up. "Alright, now-"

"Hey, guys, I hate to break this up," said Frank, "but I just heard something." His hand tightened around his rifle. "Something bad."

Annabeth tilted her head, listening closely. The sheep were bleating, but that was nothing suspicious. But, then she realized that they sounded nervous. And they were walking back and forth, looking around quickly.

Over the bleating, something was growling. Annabeth turned around and gasped. In the distance -the opposite direction Maggie had gone- two blood-red eyes stared at them.

Heavy footsteps thudded the ground on every step, and she realized that the eyes were getting closer and closer.

The Fouke Monster was here. And it was coming straight towards them.
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- One Hundred Years of Solitude





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Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:05 am
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Mageheart says...



Hades stared back at the eyes.

His first instinct was to make darkness appear - and, more specifically, to make a sword of darkness appear - but he fought off the urge as he waited for Annabeth's instruction. He knew this wasn't really his battle to fight. Annabeth had to make a decision on how to handle this situation; all he could do was support her now.

"What should we do?" he asked.
mage

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roleplaying is my platonic love language.

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Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:18 am
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soundofmind says...



Kazimir had never been a plan man, but seeing as Annabeth was still a bit distraught, and Hades apparently had no ideas, he decided to just say things.

"Hades, rush ahead and go distract it, and I'll come behind you for backup. Annabeth, you, Elias, and Frank can calm down the sheep and make sure they don't run off. There's one monster and a lot of us. We can cover more ground."

He paused.

Speaking of running off, it appeared Maggie was nowhere to be seen.

Huh. Too late to figure that out now. He pushed Hades forward.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:24 pm
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Carina says...



Elias was glad that Annabeth felt better.

After she had pulled away, he noticed that Maggie had left. He was thinking of saying something about Maggie leaving, but honestly, he wasn't sure if he should. Or would help console them, anyways. They still put him on the edge, and he figured it wasn't any of his business what they wanted to do.

He didn't have much time to think about it too much since Frank announced a warning, and suddenly an ominous figure with blood red eyes and heavy footsteps was approaching them in the night.

Elias took a few small steps back, feeling his stomach twist up. Tension seemed to increase in the air, and he was glad when Kaz started to give out orders for people.

Herd the sheep. Yeah, he could do that.

He nodded, reaching out to take Annabeth's hand. "Let's go!" he said to her, running towards the sheep pen.

Did he know what he was doing? Not really. But Annabeth clearly was in distress, so he would gladly step in and take the role she was too afraid to fill, even if it was something as little as guarding sheep.
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Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:03 pm
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Teddybear says...



As Maggie walked, the farm stretched out before them. The chattering of the others, hushed comforting of the inexperienced hunter. Maggie was never the comforting type anyway. Like hugging a teddy stuffed with nails. Mama's words, always said with a chuckle and that little shake of her head.

The farther Maggie got from the others the more the skyline blurred until a haze of mist blurred the edges of the woods and obscured the once-clear fence at the end of the field. A chill ran down their spine.

The others' voices echoed in Maggie's ears as though they stood at the mouth of a long tunnel that Maggie was already too far in to fully make out their words. Urgency could be heard in their garbled voices. The Fouke Monster.

Maggie looked back. Through the mist, they could just barely make out the blurred figures of their unwilling companions, and something else. The creature they were there to fight.

Conflict twisted through Maggie's head in a violent dance. They rocked on their heels.

The mist won.

They pressed on into the fog. Slowly, it cleared away, revealing cold grey stone and a familiar chill that crept over their skin with no regard for the cloth that covered them.

As the mist cleared away, the sounds started to filter through. A noise like breathing and stone scraping stone in harmony filled the cavern - and it was a cavern, a familiar cave with the dim light of a cloudy day filtering in from outside. Maggie's eyes searched for the source of the sound, but they met only stone and shadow.

A low growl sounded, and Maggie stepped back on instinct.

The walls shifted and moved, as though a humanoid form twice Maggie's height were carving itself from the very foundations of the cave. The figure turned, its dimly glowing greyish eyes meeting Maggie's.

And then the mist closed around them.

xXx


Smooth tile pressed against Maggie's cheek. They opened their eyes.

Their heart sank.
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Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:49 pm
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Valkyria says...



As Elias pulled her away, Annabeth caught the sound of Frank's voice.

"No way. My arm may hurt, but I can still shoot," he protested. He loaded his rifle and held it offensively, standing his ground.

The Fouke Monster, now clearly seeing them, let out a snarl and quickened its pace. Frank let out a warning shot over its head. The monster stopped, bristling, but it continued coming.

"Julia, go with the kids," he said, giving her a quick kiss. His wife nodded and ran over to the sheep. Frank turned his attention back to the monster. "You stay away from my family, you son of a bitch!"

Annabeth wet her lips. They got this, she told herself, guiding the sheep away. She made soft sounds to calm them down. They're helping.

But something just felt so wrong when she heard another gun shot.
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Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:11 pm
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Mageheart says...



The sound of the weapon firing again cut through the air. Hades, who hadn't expected Kaz to take over control of the fight, faltered for a moment. He glanced back in Annabeth's direction. She didn't have anyone to guide her like he had during his trial; there was no false Annabeth taunting her to help her overcome this.

He took a deep breath.

Shooting the monster couldn't be the answer here. If it was, then Annabeth had to be the one to make that decision - not Kaz or Frank.

He took a step forward, moving so he was firmly in between Frank, his weapon and the monster. If Frank wanted to get a shot at the monster, he'd have to shoot through him.

Kaz, after all, had asked him to distract the monster.

"Annabeth," he slowly said, looking the Fouke Monster right in the eyes, "what do you want us to do?"
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:52 am
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Carina says...



Elias quickly led Annabeth away from the monster and towards the sheep where it was safe. He let go of her hand but made sure that he was close to her as he gently led the sheep away. He didn't really need to be forceful or use a tool; it was like the animals knew trouble was nearby and was eager to be led away.

When he looked over his shoulder, he could hear loud bangs and see the action unpacking. Hades seemed to get in front of Frank and then asked Annabeth what she'd like to do.

She looked like a nervous mess, so Elias placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, giving her a pat.

"You're not alone anymore," he said with a gentle smile, hoping it'd help assure her. "We're here to help."
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Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:08 pm
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soundofmind says...



Kazimir was already dangerous close to saying f- it, and when the monster started charging them, he abandoned all plans he said earlier. It wasn't like he knew a thing about monsters, but if anything, he could be a wall of meat.

It was the thing he was best at.

He ran ahead of everyone else, straight for the monster. He could take it on while everyone else decided what they wanted to do.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Sat May 01, 2021 5:40 pm
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Valkyria says...



Annabeth had almost missed what both Hades and Elias said because she was too busy staring in shock at Kaz's back as he charged toward the monster. The beast snarled and raised its hairy arm.

"Kaz, look out!" Annabeth shouted. But, the monster was faster. It batted Kaz out of the way like he was a rag doll. Kaz landed a few feet away, his gun knocked out of his hands. "KAZ!" She ran towards him.

Frank shoved Hades out of the way and leveled his gun. He shot the Fouke Monster in the arm.

Blood gushed from the wound, and the monster roared in pain. It staggered back, hackles raised, and it bared its yellow teeth. In pain, and thirsting for revenge, the Fouke Monster turned its sight toward the closest person: Annabeth.

Annabeth stopped dead in her tracks as she met the red, angry eyes. The monster roared again and raised its arm, claws glinting in the moonlight.

In a split-second decision, Annabeth dove toward the ground, but she never reached it.

A hot, sharp pain shot across her side, lifting her up into the air until her back slammed against the ground. She gasped in pain, and black spotted her vision.

Frank fired again, shooting the monster in the leg. When Annabeth heard the creature cry out again, she realized something. The Fouke Monster fell down, and Frank reloaded.

What do you want us to do? whispered Hades in her head.

Wincing, Annabeth sat up, pressing her hand against her side. She felt blood wet her fingers, but that didn’t deter her. She struggled to her feet and limped toward the beast.

She finally knew what to do.
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Mon May 03, 2021 9:23 pm
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Mageheart says...



It all happened too quickly.

The Fouke Monster knocked Kaz out of the way. Hades, started by the attack, didn't fight Frank pushing him out of the way. He wasn't able to stop Frank from shooting the creature and enraging it. He wasn't able to stop it from hurting Annabeth.

It wasn't his battle to fight. He knew it wasn't his battle to fight. But when Hades saw blood staining Annabeth's clothes and side—and when he saw Kaz laying on the ground near her—he wished he could do more than just stand to the side.

He didn't know how severe Kaz's injuries were. He also didn't know if Frank was going to shoot again; it was hard to tell how many projectiles that weapon. But this situation had escalated because Frank had shot at the Fouke Monster.

Well, Hades thought, at least I can use my magic for something.

He summoned a strand of darkness from the ground and wrapped it around the barrel of the gun—jerking it free from Frank's hand with inhumane strength. The weapon might have been different, but he had done the same thing a hundred times before with his niece. Artemis had come to expect it; she knew how to get her swords back when he dangled them above high above their heads.

Frank, of course, didn't have any magic to help him get there.

There was still one thing that he needed to do.

He couldn't split his attention between three things, but he could do two. He made another little bit of darkness, but this time put it between Annabeth's hand and her wound. It would help stop the blood from flowing; she could focus on handling the creature.
mage

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roleplaying is my platonic love language.

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Tue May 04, 2021 8:33 am
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soundofmind says...



Kazimir groaned and growled as he got back to his feet. Okay. Now he was mad. As he looked back at the monster, he saw it'd gotten a hit in at Annabeth, and he wasn't about to have that.

The monster had gotten him square in the chest, and he could feel the gaping claw marks starting to ooze blood. Staggering for a few steps, he propelled himself into a run to return to Annabeth's side to assist.

But as he started to run, he could feel his leg starting to throb again. At first, dull. Then stronger.

Maybe that healing magic or whatever from the first dream wasn't real after all.

He ran up behind Annabeth, ready to provide backup, or at least a meat shield.
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Tue May 04, 2021 11:43 pm
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Carina says...



Everything happened so quickly, and Elias barely had time to react to anything. One second he was with Annabeth next to the sheep while the others fought, and then all of a sudden, Kaz and Annabeth were struck by the monster while Hades tried to... well, he wasn't really sure what he was doing. It was hard to figure out what was happening, and he never quite figured out what his whole god-like magic thing was about.

Elias gave a quick, nervous glance back at the sheep as if he were telling them, 'You'll be okay, right? Right?' and then bolted toward Annabeth who looked hurt.

He wasn't a fighter. Not really. Everyone here -- Annabeth, Kaz, Hades, and Frank -- they knew how to fight. And even though Elias hadn't fully come to terms with not being born as a traditional healer, at least he still came from that background. And with that, he could be useful. Or at least, he could try.

Elias ran up to Annabeth and put an arm under her arm and across her shoulder to support her as she limped forward. He grimaced as he noticed that blood was gushing from her side, but then it mysteriously stopped from smudges of black. There wasn't any time to figure out why, though.

"Annabeth, you're hurt. You don't have to do this," he said softly and quickly, wary that she was limping towards the monster who was going to get up any moment now.

He pushed her back just a little, hoping it would indicate that she didn't have to "save the day" and hurt herself in the process some more.
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Mon May 10, 2021 4:24 pm
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Valkyria says...



The rifle hung high in the air, but Frank simply stood there, staring from the weapon to Hades. It was all the distraction Annabeth needed though, and she stumbled past them.

Kaz and Elias ran up behind her, and Elias put his arm around her to support her. Annabeth placed her bloody hand on his shoulder to steady herself, and she grimaced, knowing she was leaving a bloody handprint on his shirt.

Suddenly, the blood stopped gushing from her wounds. Annabeth looked down in surprise, and she saw little smudges of black surrounding the crimson. Hades's magic. Annabeth told herself to thank him later.

Frank snapped out of his stupor and started shouting at Hades, but his words were undecipherable.

Elias gently urged her back, but she shook her head. "Yes, I do," she said, looking at him. "This is my fear; I have to face it. And this time, I have to do it alone."

Annabeth stepped away and faced her friends. "Keep a distance, and calm Frank down to the best of your ability. Be quiet, and make your movements small. The Fouke Monster has to be calm, and hopefully, this will work."

Once that was said, she nodded with a determined smile and turned toward the beast.
There is always something left to love.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude








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