Artemis Child

Monster Earth Ch1

   A world where a single human doesnt exist. Humanoid monsters, bipedal beast, and far deadlier creatures lurking in the shadows own this world. A small farm just outside of a castle was approached by a team of demigods, people since birth have been hunted by monsters on their world. The smell of them awakens primal instincts in some, others feel uneasy. But the more uneasy ones are the demigods, who have only know fighting monsters and trying to survive, but here they know they are out numbered. Here they have done their best hiding away and trying to make amends with their situation.
  Geb was counting everyone every few hours to make sure none of us were getting lost in these thick woods. "Sound off." He said like a clock ready for each hour to strike his call. "Ugh, again?" Toni protested with this act, counting as his sound off. The sound of leaves rustling above us and rhythmic growls of some kind stopped the sound off from continuing. "Formation!" He called through his muffled skull head that rested atop his mossy stone body.
  Serena stepped in front, bone shield out Andrew at the rear doing the same. Toni, Marc and Kaylyn facing the sides ready to counter any enemies and the rest of us to cover the shielding protectors or our ranged fighters.
   The sound of rapid paws were all around us. A sound of some tribal type being called out from the shadows of the trees. The dwindling daylight making the darkness of the large trees more alluding. The chest and face of a woman with fairly carmel skin emerged in front of Serena in the dark, her lowerhalf still hidden. Bow in hand she was aiming at the ground not, arrow not drawn. My mind whispered that she was something else. "Damn she's hawt." Gena said.
"Centuaride?" I said questioning myself as I looked at the woman. She spoke in growl patterns that I couldnt understand. Mostly M's and rolled R's were used. "What are you?" Geb translated for us. "Humans like you. But from earth." Serena said confidently towards the woman. "Geb translate please." She called back behind her.
  Before he could the woman fully emerged from the shadows. What had seemed like tight shadows on her skin before was actually black fur of a Panther body that took the residence of where her hips and legs would be. "Hun-m-man?" The woman asked her fingers tight on her how ready to draw. It was like one second we were looking at one Centuaride, the next thing we knew they were on us. From the ground they approached with silent steps, from the trees they got close enough to out number our archers and Toni before being spotted.
   "Put your weapons down kids." Geb said with a sigh as he realized before me that we were in no position to start the fight and come out victorious. Apon putting our weapons down the female in front called out to the shadows. Larger, male Centuarides with Leopard fur emerged. We were all ropped up with arrows pressed against our necks incase we decided to protest. It wasn't until one of the large males decided to sniff Lexi did things start getting ugly. She flinched with a disgusted cringe and Marc elbowed a woman Centuaride in the face. We all grabbed our nearest Centuaride with our bound hands, Toni securing one of his guns from the enemy. Arrows knotched from all angles, some of us had hostages, but the sound of an angry Jaguar was heard as the larger male of the other pinned Marc from behind claws down on his thighs pinning him to the ground. Geb didn't move. From his position on his knees.
  "He likes her scent, potential mate." Geb said his mask showing his glowing eyes now in the coming darkness. "Bullshit!" I said using my hidden blade to clip the vines so I can free myself quickly. I threw my gold coin at Andrew and willed it to shift to a sword. But a Male Centuaride dropped from the tree above and caught the sword in a swift silent landing. Two archers were now on me quickly arrows to close to dodge.
   He pointed the blade at Andrew and started speaking in his native tongue,  then at Marc on the ground. Geb translated for us. "You come from no where. You smell of blood, magic fruit, and lust. Now you are on our land. Our property. You are that property aswell. This jewelry." He paused looking at the gold sword. "For our great warrior now. You are all part of our property. To be used." He said pointing at Lexi, "and then die." He then pointed at me.
   Soft thuds of dart could be heard as we were all tranquilized. My neck feeling like it was buzzing softly before losing conciousness.
   The heroes were brought back to the camp out cold. Their sweat drenched and dried blood covered bodies were thrown into clay wells. The males seperated from the females.
  We awoke in a creamy red liquid, it must have been red from all the monster blood being washed off of our skin. Our hands were bound to logs that kept us afloat. My weapon hand was all gunked up by some waxy material then bound by the forearm up. They must have seen the blade even when I tried to do it quickly. "Guys wake up." Toni had been calling waking us up. Marc groaned as he reached for the back of his head with his bound arms. He mustn't have had the hard way of being knocked out, they went straight for the wack-o-mole style. "Well this is horseshit." Max said actually rather upset for once. "Guys I think this stuff keeps us from lying." He said being the most he has really talked in a row. "I think you're right." Andrew said. "And I never think you are right." He added straight after. "This isn't good." I said looking up the wall that layed separating us from the surface. "I just peed." Toni said with a small snicker.