Event ϟ Cabin 11 vs The World

[empirestategods]

Who: OTA
When: May 31st
Where: The woods
What: Capture the flag!
Warnings: Violence! If anything specific, please mark it in the subject lines!

Friday morning, before training, Chiron pulls each of the campers aside to the armory. Everyone is fitted with a breastplate and helmet, and loaned the weapon of their choice. Parent by parent, of course, starting with Zeus’s children, and ending with the unclaimed in Cabin 11. Yeah. Sorry about that. Cabin 11 is outfitted with red-plumed helmets. Cabins 1-10 and Cabin 12 are given blue plumes.

Keep it safe, you’ll need it later if you don’t want severe head injuries, he says. Completely casually. Like that’s not worrying.

Mr. D and Chiron wait at the edge of the forest, just after lunch, waiting for the demigods they’ve informed of the mandatory meeting. It’s time for a time-honored camp tradition to come off of hiatus. Though Chiron seems enthused at testing the thus-far-unexamined skills of the new campers, Mr. D is obviously just here because he needs to be.

Nevertheless, he steps up to explain.

"Right. So."

He's already rolling his eyes. Evidently, someone can't wait for this to be over.

"For those of you who have never had the privilege to play this exciting game. You people," he points at those with the red plumed helmets, "and you people," now at those with blue plumed helmets, "each get a flag. Each team picks a part of the forest, and puts their flag someplace visible. While I don't particularly care, if you put more than two people there to guard it, we will be here all day, so don't. The rest of you, go out and grab the other team's flag, and try not to kill each other because that is a mess nobody wants to clean up."

A sigh. He looks so put upon, honestly, why can't you kids already know all this?

"Right. The creek will be the borderline, so if one team manages to grab the other flag and carry it all the way across, they win. Questions?"

He doesn't actually wait for anyone to speak up.

"No? Good."

“What,” Chiron sighs, trying not to seem exasperated, “Mr. D means is that we are playing this to help prepare you for what’s really out there. This is to see how your skills have progressed, where you still need work, and how you all work together as a team. When you become more accustomed to camp and more of you have been claimed, you will choose your own teams. Each of you have your own strengths and weaknesses. Now, it’s time to see what they are.”

He smiles at the campers. He’s ridiculously fond of you all already. He likes that no one’s died yet! It might very well be a record. “You’ve all been here for a month and aside from one or two... incidents, you’ve performed well. Continue to do so and rewards might be in store. It isn’t uncommon for the unclaimed to find their parents in this game.”

He looks Very Meaningfully at Cabin 11.

“I will reiterate what Mr. D said, however. You are not to purposefully maim or kill any other campers. You’re all on an even playing field at the moment. Play fair, work hard, and most of all, have fun. Guards of the flag can be no closer than ten yards away at any given time, magical items (when you have acquired them) are allowed, the flag must be displayed in your territory--it cannot be hidden, and the game is won when the flag crosses the river.

“Now, go make your bases!”

The blue team’s flag waves with a beautiful painting of Mount Olympus--all the Olympians but one. The red team, a caduceus--the symbol of Hermes.

Fight hard, tiny demigods!

[OOC: It was determined via coin toss that the Blue Team will be the victors this round. How close you want this to be is up to you guys and don’t forget, we do have a plotting post!

Please feel free to make your own threads, but the mods have a thread for both the blue team base and red team base!]

Comments

BASE: Blue Team

[empirestategods]

OPEN | twenty yards or more away

[bibliophilism]

[Michelle ducks and weaves through the bushes and shrubs, bow and arrow in hand and a full quiver strapped to her back. She wanders farther away from the base a bit, but that's okay because she could easily double back and snipe any red folk from a distance. For one thing, their plumes would easily stand out like autumn leaves in the middle of greenery. Ten yards? Piece of cake, even without the paper bow and arrows that were completely under her control.

Do you dare sneak past her, or are you going to pick a fight when her blue plume gives her away or when she accidentally treads upon a branch? As a daughter of Athena, Michelle is in her element. Two of her goddess-given gifts were made for a situation like this.]

[insheepsclothing]

[Heeeeey, look at who does not seem interested in this game at all. Mariya! He's on as a guard only because it's probably easier to not get involved back here. Granted if someone came this way, he's going to have to deal with them.

But there's another guard here, somewhere, right?

He sits, crosslegged, chin propped up on one hand, watching the woods. Confident there's no one around he breathes out a sigh in a deeper voice than usual.]

This shit is for the birds.

BASE: Red Team

[empirestategods]

places in the forest; open

[orangehoodie]

[He actually has no idea what's going on. After arriving at this camp or whatever, a centaur -- Chiron, he called himself Chiron -- had handed him some armor to wear over his uniform and a helmet with a red plume. Then he was handed a sword. It wasn't too heavy or anything, but it feels awkward in his hand as he steps over a tree root. Chiron had said the "others" were in the forest, playing capture the flag so he should join his team.

... He doesn't get it.]

[a]
[He's good at balancing himself during battle, but he's not expecting the particularly slippery patch of forest floor. His foot slides out from under him, and he tumbles, falling forward with a yelp. He immediately feels his knee stinging where he hit a fallen branch, and the helmet falls off his head and rolls a few feet away.

This is a great start to however long they expect him to stay here.]

Ow... [He's gotta pick himself up in case there are wild animals in this forest. But lying on the ground, he suddenly remembers he hasn't eaten anything since he climbed out of the dorm window a day ago. It makes him feel so tired without warning, so he groans and gives himself a few seconds of lying on his stomach with a leaf plastered to his face. He wonders how far he'll have to go in order to find someone.]

[b]
[He's picked himself back up and wiped the blood off his knee and he's walking, more carefully, though the forest again. It's around this time that he thinks he sees someone -- you! -- nearby, and so he halts, too and after just a moment's hesitation walks forward toward the person.]

Um... excuse me. Hello?

[It's only after speaking that he bothers to check the color of the plume.]

a

[pheromonecoffee]

[Minato stares for a second. He recognizes that messy hair on the body face down in the dirt. He wasn't... doing much, as far as the actual game went. At least not, you know, in terms of actually getting the flag.

So it doesn't take a second for him to change course and crouch next to Ken, hand on his shoulder.

What if Ken doesn't remember him, either? So far, aside from Ryoji and Shinjiro, no one has remembered him. It would only make sense for Ken to forget, too. In the end, it doesn't matter in this moment. His teammate is face down in the dirt and pretty defenseless. So he tightens his grip on his shoulder, with a slightly frownier frown than usual.]

You should get somewhere safer.

[Before you nap.]

B

[bibliophilism]

[Michelle is rather surprised to suddenly see a...ah, a little boy walking up to her. She was about to instinctively raise her bow at the "um", but brought it down quickly. Sure, the red plume was bright as day, but the kid seemed rather lost and confused.

Then again, if it was a ruse, she could keep him busy and do something. There was no harm in being nice to kids, especially cute little kids.]

Why hello there! [She half-kneels so that she's looking straight into his eyes instead of looking down on him, and places a hand on his shoulder. Her smile is sunny and not exactly the kind of smile you'd find in a game like this. And she sounds like she's absolutely happy to see him.] Are you all right?

Somewhere near the creek

[little_lost_lizard]

Ssil is hanging out near the creek, eyeing the woods on the blue team's side. Her general idea is to try and figure out what direction the blue flag is in by where the blue team comes from. Of course, how well this works depends on whether they've thought of her thinking of that.

1: Ambush
Ssil can be quite sneaky when she wants to. The other thing she's planning on doing when someone crosses the creek is ambushing them - one less person going after red team's flag, after all.

If you're sharp, you might notice the leaves rustling slightly or a quiet creak from the branch. If you're not sharp, the first hint you'll probably have of her presence is her dropping out of a tree. On you, if she aims right and you aren't very quick. If you are quick, things might get more interesting. Unless of course she's managed to drop on someone from her own side, in which case there are going to be a lot of apologies when things get sorted out.

2: Fumble
Okay, so she's gotten bored of the ambush idea and is preparing to strike out into blue team territory. Ssil is actually a little entranced by how this feels - she's used to fighting, but right now her movements in general feel fluid on a whole new level. She's not sure why, but what she is doing is turning a backflip as she jumps across the creek, mostly just because she can.

The flip itself goes beautifully, but as it turns out she doesn't quite stick the landing. In fact she makes a wonderful faceplant on the other bank, and when she raises her head she's spitting mud - and also some very interesting words. Some of them are probably not understandable at all, but they're all obviously obscene. This is a good opportunity to help a teammate... or get the drop on an opponent. Or just scold her for her language, or take notes.

1!

[pauciloquent]

Nicolas thought of ambushes - and he thought of not wanting people to know where he's coming from, no matter how unfamiliar the territory, so he took a longer way around towards the creek. Now he's sneaking along as much as a bright orange t-shirt and uncomfortable armor will allow, sword in hand.

The trouble about hearing leaves rustle and branches crack is that Nicolas can't hear anything at all - but luckily, he is very quick. Incredibly quick, at that, since he can only notice her once she's in his (now limited) peripheral vision.

But now that he is facing her, he's got his sword raised, ready to put up a fight.

Capturing the Flag! (Warning: Akihiko will be shooting out lightning bolts!)

[emperor_with_no_groove]

Got it!!

Akihiko felt like letting out a cry of excited triumph when he lifted the flag from its hold. With his fingers tightly wrapped around it, he slipped away from the opposing base. He hoped his team had managed to keep up their defenses, and were protecting their flag from being taken.

The boxer had his game face on, barely managing to keep his cool with victory so close at hand, but couldn’t help grinning widely. His body was pumped up, adrenaline rushing through it with each step that brought him closer back to his team’s home base. Both his athletic and fighting instincts had long since kicked in, feeding his drive and determination to win this competition. Electrical energy swirled around him, in a subconscious effort to aid his efforts.

Eager to push on, Akihiko pumped his legs harder, fighting to control his pace as his breaths started coming out faster and heavier.

Sniper no Sniping

[anythingwithstrings]

You would expect guards around the flag. This is a fairly standard bit of strategy, obvious defenses to be crushed. However, the defense to act right now was yards away hidden in the woods. Watching but staying out of the action.

Well, if you think that arrow aimed for Akihito's leg isn't action. In any case.

[orangehoodie]

On the other hand, the newly-arrived Amada is just barely grasping the concept of the game. But from what he's been told, the river in this part of the forest counts as a border so he might as well hang around here and he could probably avoid getting left behind when this is over, at the very least. He doesn't really get it. He's not really interested. But whatever.

He isn't expecting to see Akihiko come rushing toward him through the trees though. And what is he even carrying? Why is he here? Minato-san was here, too, does that mean everyone is here?

"Sa--"

He hesitates. Would Sanada-san even want to talk to him? But...

"Sanada-san?!"

Capturing the Capturer (Warning: Ass-kicking Alert)

[hasthepotential]

Thank goodness Fuuka was on their team! ...for however long, anyway, but even if her sudden sight was a result of her being claimed, she still told Minako that Akihiko had somehow made more traction towards their flag and managed to capture it.

Damn. She was so close to theirs, and yet...well, others could give it a shot. She turned her heel and made her way back towards the upperclassman. She had a new priority: get the flag back from Akihiko.

Because like hell she was going to let him bench her.

On the Sidelines

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji wasn't exactly an enthusiastic participant in this game. He wasn't competitive, like some of his teammates, nor was he particularly athletic, besides being able to sprint faster than the average person. Most importantly (and perhaps most ironically), he was a bit of a pacifist. He didn't want to get anyone hurt here, and not just because Chiron said it was against the rules.

He's standing a few yards away from the flag, looking unsure. He'll probably take the job of guarding their flag if anyone asks him to, but for now, he's just... standing there, watching everyone else run around, keeping an eye out for anyone he knows. He hopes Minako doesn't get too reckless...]

((Warning: If anyone comes to attack Ryoji or his friends, he'll probably try out some of his powers. He'd be running on instinct, basically, but he can make some shadow weapons... which will not make him too pleased.))

[cursedtolive]

Psssssst.

[The sound is from above Ryoji, from the branches. Benjamin never thought of himself as a particularly good tree-climber (not that there were many trees where he went nor did he have time to climb a whole lot of trees anyway) but the trees here are surprisingly easy to climb. He's seated rather comfortably on a pretty high-up branch above Ryoji, smiling down at him.]

Hey, Mr. Mochizuki! Do you wanna join me up here? It'd be a lot easier to see the others coming from here!

various shenanigans; open

[daughteroflight]

DG is in places, moving very very quickly from one to the next! She's toting a spear as she does so, and is quietly intent on getting to Blue Team's flag and capturing the hell out of it.

She loved this game in middle school okay? Okay. There are some options:

a; Red Team's territory

She's keeping an eye out for plumes of blue who may be trespassing, or anyone wearing red who might need help...or who could be roped into joining her in launching a raid across the creek.

b; by the creek side

DG has been listening for a bit - she's gotten alarmingly good at listening recently - and is now 90% sure the opposite bank is unoccupied. Or is it? Is someone really quiet over there? Or are they sneaking up behind her to either take her down, talk her out of it, or egg her on?

c; Blue Team territory

In ur woods, hunting down ur flag. Note that she is fast so locking onto that red target might be trickier than anticipated but still doable.

a!

[airdives]

Ange doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic -- she's switching her sword from her left hand to her right, trying to figure out how it really works. Maybe this isn't the weapon for her; she seems a little awkward with it, too unsure to be of much help in a real fight.

But she seems interested in exploring, making her way over to DG quietly. "What are you doing?"

C!

[bibliophilism]

In their woods, huh? Michelle ducked into a copse of trees upon hearing quick footsteps and the sound of leaves and twigs being crunched in someone's path. She moved swiftly and smoothly - and almost automatically; battle was not new to her. Bow and arrows in hand, she took aim through the space between two trees growing so close to each other, looking down the shaft.

Glancing to her left, she saw her target coming fast. Michelle raised one hand to her quiver of arrows, and hurriedly pulled out and shot three arrows in quick succession across the runner's path. None of them would hit the red-plumed figure; they would come close, just close enough to serve as a warning that capturing the blue team's flag wasn't going to be easy.

Anywhere there's someone red who doesn't seem to be a good fighter...

[dragon_blossom]

This is because Umi, for all her complaining and acting like she doesn't want to be here, is confident. Naturally confident in her own way, with the boldness she approaches any situation where she feels she knows what she's doing; confident in her fencing skills; but more than anything, confident because she's fought much harder for much higher stakes.

Even if a lot of other people here have too.

The armor's definitely a change, though, heavier than the magic armor she's used to, so it slows her down, and forces her to rely more on sword work than being light on her feet; the helmet isn't much more obstructive than a fencing mask, thankfully.

...with teammates, though, and when she feels she can talk a little without being unaware (or to make someone think that she is) she totally has to complain about the plume.

+1 shoddy red team fighter

[rereremembered]

Fitz is not okay with any of this, on several levels. For one: it's kids basically playing a little war game but - if his own sword's anything to go by - with real weapons.

For another the woods are quite different than the typical urban battlefields he's more...accustomed to. (Christ is he seriously accustomed to battlefields? Thank you, Doctor, thanks ever so much.) He'd grown up during the Blitz and played in the rubble of a neighbor's house, he's just seen Guernica burn and held his ground on the rooftops of Barcelona.

Still, he's definitely no fighter, and his goal in this entire ordeal is to not get captured and tied up by some random teenager. And to stop tripping over tree roots because this is getting real old real quick.

[meeting_at_dusk]

Ruka frowned at the sword in her hand like she was seriously considering throwing it away (which she actually was).

It's not as if she even knows how to use one...

All right, she did understand the basics (like the fact that you stab with the pointed end and hold onto the other side) but that was about it. She had never needed a weapon before, after all.

She sighed, genuinely annoyed for the first time since arriving here.

"...this is ridiculous."

Sneaking around and tying the laces of unsuspecting Blue Team members together

[brat_from_hell]

Though he had yet to be claimed, Phibrizzo was still interested in this game. He wanted to see what his fellow campers were capable of, and to see what they were like in an exercise like this. Who was a team player vs. who was a loner vs. who wanted to have nothing to do with the activities.

As for him, he was only the size of an eight year old child, and effectively, he was an eight year old demigod here. It had finally begun to sink in that there was no going back, and if he did, it would be to oblivion. This was a reincarnation where he happened to have his old life's memories. It was five thousand years worth of memories that would help him the most.

Phibrizzo knew he would be useless in direct combat. He hadn't manifested any demigod abilities that would help him overcome the limitations of his tiny form yet. What he'd have to rely on would be sabotage and stealth.

Creeping up on a camper with a blue plume, he moved quietly and kept low to the ground, tying their laces together.

(ooc: I'd like him to be claimed during capture the flag, so let me know if you'd rather he use geokinesis on your character or give them a brief localized blackout while he runs away - and he will run away because he's tiny)

heeeey a claiming!

[airdives]

Sometime after her fighting, her running through the woods, she just stopped.

This isn't fair. In all the things that she could think of to become after she died, a weirdo running through the woods isn't what she imagined. A demigod. A freak. All she wanted was to find her parents, to find her brother, to find some sort of closure for this . . . violent murder. Instead, she had a heavy, useless sword in her hand and scratches all over her body.

This was anger; anger that she hadn't felt in days, maybe a month. She'd been so numb since coming here. How did that happen? She didn't want to make friends. She wanted her family back.

Ange screamed, a violent AAAAAAAAAAAAGH! that pierced the silence and rustle of the forest around her. And--

and then there are spirits, five, ten, twenty, appearing around her, long lost swords in hand, watching her silently. And then they scream too, the battle cry of the daughter of Hades who's just been claimed with a ridiculously terrifying power.

[pheromonecoffee]

Oh shit. Minato heard an angry scream. And then a lot of screams. That does not bode well. And Minato's first instinct is to bolt toward those screams hoping someone wasn't seriously hurt.

Man it is a good thing he's on the swimming kendo track team. He doesn't run out of breath, and he's fast, too. Even with the armor and helmet bogging him down.

And then he sees them and they're really, really not what he wants to see. He goes to leader mode without a second thought. His expression hardens, and he draws his sword.

Son of Hades, right? That meant his dad was lord of the dead or whatever. So it's his job to deal with them.

He hasn't quite realized Ange is the one who summoned them, yet.

"Get behind me."

[hououji]

[Fuu's waiting at the creekside, bow in hand. She's better with them than any sword.

She's waiting. And watching, arrow already nocked into the bow.

It's a blunt tip, she made sure of that. She wonders if she could get something different next game. In RPGs there were always arrows that caused things like sleep and paralysis. She'd have to ask Chiron about it later. For now she's waiting, hoping to stun anyone who tried to cross the creek the wrong way.

She's actually kind of having fun! It's silly and only slightly competitive for her. But really, she liked seeing how everyone moves. What they're good at. What they're not. After all, she's a strategist.

But for just a moment, she stares longingly at the blue team's side of things. Athena can't be her mother, can she? After all, she's claimed her children early.

Either that or she's not good enough.

Regardless of the situation, Fuu is going to prove herself today. If not to her parent, then to herself.]

[cursedtolive]

[There's at least one person on the camp grounds who doesn't care about the game or what side he's even on. At all. And that is the sneaky little ten year old wandering up to Fuu with a smile on his face. He isn't realizing it himself, but he's stealthy, not making a single sound even on the forest floor as he tiptoes up to the girl with the bow, quickly glancing to see if she's in any danger of hurting herself should he do this.

No?

Good.]

.... Wah!

[He suddenly yells from a foot behind her.]

Getting Flag to River [Open!]

[youridethebitchseat]

((OOC: Letting everyone know that Aisha's going to make the full sprint and cross the river. Blue Team defend your runner!))

[After that flash of light from earlier as well as a few arrows grazing her (seriously, those things hurt), Aisha decided to keep herself hidden as she headed towards the river. With the flag still tied against her wrist, she peeked out the bush slightly to see if the coast was clear. When it was, she took her chance and kept hidden within the shrubbery.

It couldn't be too far away could it?]

Still here~

[anythingwithstrings]

*Maya did her best to move silently, but with the armor that wasn't working so well. She was naturally quiet when she moved, it let her sneak up on her sister and her friends often enough. Fortunately the sounds of other scuffles could keep her hidden well enough.*

*The issue was she was a bit low on arrows. She had a small knife, but it was hardly a weapon she was reliable with. She was still trying to figure out which God (or Goddess) claimed her. A ball of light? She didn't make it, but... it felt right. Something she had almost forgotten the feeling of.*

*Anyway, the blonde had moved on to camp near the river, positioned to watch into her own territory. if Aisha had passed the stream she was screwed anyway. But any sign of the girl and she would keep her from that crossing. Even if she did it alone.*