Welcome to Gaia! ::

Geoff Desmoulin: Alright guys, we've covered warriors who fought for their gods (Aztec Jaguar and French Knight), we've seen warriors who were called gods (Napoleon Bonaparte and Hernan Cortes), but for the first time on Deadliest Warrior we get to see the sons of a god. Harvey Cartridge and Justin Marcus, two demi-gods born from the God of War himself, Ares and Mars.

Dr. Armand Dorian: If you go by technicality, they may be Step-Brothers that come from the same father, but the key aspect is the persona of their father, Ares who fathered Harvey and Mars who fathered Justin, two vastly different personas, Ares was more of the bad boy rebel type, where Mars was much more the rigid military type. Because of that god DNA strand from the two vastly different personas, they are going to be that much tougher than the average human being, not to mention the inherited abilities from both parents and genetics.

Richard "Mack" Machowicz: Doc you have a great point, Greece and Rome were both two sides of the same coin in terms of producing great warriors, such as the Spartans and Roman Centurion but you also have to take into account the the different training and the personal tactics of both of these demi-gods. We have Harvey, who is the Reckless Rebel and Justin who is said to be the Perfect Soldier.

Geoff Desmoulin: We've got two teenage warriors from two different cultures, born to fight, weapons forged from two different mystic elements and some even formed from the monsters they've slain through quests. I can't wait to see these two fight.

Drew Skye: Harvey Cartridge, the son of Ares who fought his way through the Lotus Hotel and Casino under orders for the Olympians Hermes and Aphrodite, freed several demi-gods then killed the Nemean Lion that guarded them. Verses Justin Marcus, Mars' chosen soldier whose tactics lead to the Titan's defeat at Mount Tam.

Justin: Jason took credit for that victory, but as long as the will of Rome was fore filled, it doesn't matter who lands the final blow. It is my destiny to fight for Rome, not to debate politics and be a hero.
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Drew Skye: Harvey was able to cause five out of six fatal strikes with his whipcord-like weapons, Dusk and Dawn. Justin will counter attack with the Rain of Mars, lead tipped throwing darts based off the Roman Plumbata.




Justin: When it rains it pours, and these are the raindrops. Camp Jupiter trains its soldiers in many forms of long range weapons, from arrows, scorpions, and javelins. Arrows are great against non-armored troops but weak against armor, scorpions are great for sieges but are slow firing and immobile , and javelins are great against armor but heavy. When I was looking for a long range weapon, I looked to the ancient Roman Plumbata, enough weight to punch through armor and non-armored enemies, light enough to carry multiple darts, and have great range. These are carried inside the shield and depending on the shield, you can carry six to a dozen of these.

Geoff: What kind of range can you get with these?

Justin: 40-50 feet with a strong arm and good wind.

Geoff: we've got three ballistics gel torsos set up at 40, 45, and 50 feet away. We're going to give you six darts to throw, do as much damage as you can at the best range you can. To test the claim that these can go through armor, the torso at 45 feet will have Armor and a Helmet based off Camp Half-Blood's armor.

Geoff: On three... two... one... BRING THE RAIN!

Justin raised his shield arm, Rome's Will, and brought his arm throwing arm down. Swinging his shield arm down like a pendulum to bring his throwing arm up, Justin launched the dart into the air. Watching it sail through the air and come down and fall into the next of the torso at 45 feet, between the jaw guards. Reaching into the inside shield sheathe and drawing a new dart, Justin reeled back and throwing the second dart with the same motion, the dart flew down and landed into the face of the torso at 40 feet away. The third dart was thrown and came down into the left side of the chest of the torso at 50 feet. The forth dart sailed through the air and came down right side of the 50 feet torso. The fifth dart flew down and lodged into the chest of the 40 foot torso. With his final dart, Justin reeled back and sent it into the air, the dart flew down and plunged straight into the helmet between the brow and crest "Done!"

Geoff: Nicely done, Justin, let's check out the damage.

Dr. Dorian: *puts on gloves* Let's start with the closest one at 40 feet out. The first dart, went straight into the right eye and punched through the back of the eye socket, as its coming down this dart will be the last thing he's going to see, instant kill. Second dart, dead center into the chest, popping the Aorta, another instant kill.

Dr. Dorian: At 45 feet away, the first hit goes through the trachea and nicks the spine, if he doesn't bleed out, the spine hit will paralyze him, instant kill. The second dart punches through the helmet and goes through the skull two inches deep into frontal lobe, another instant kill and through armor.

Dr. Dorian: 50 feet out, you launch these directly into the chest, both lungs have been collapsed and you even broke the third rib on the right side of the chest. Not an instant kill but a guaranteed mortal wound.

Geoff: five out of five kills with the Rain of Mars compared to four out of five kills with Dusk and Dawn. Well done.

Mack: What impressive to me is the accuracy of two of the six darts, one landed into the eye and another through the throat, areas that won't be covered by armor. You've got a weapon that can punch through armor, yet you aim for areas that aren't armored, that's an incredible display of discipline and we've got to take that into account when we run the sim.

Harvey: Pffft, its a tiny weapon, it may seem like rain when you have a small platoon hurling these, but one man? Come on, I'm throwing knives, you're throwing darts that are more appropriate for a bar game. My weapon can come back to me, once you throw your darts, if you run out and your enemy if still coming, you're a sitting duck.
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Drew Skye: Rain of Mars or Dusk and Dawn? Which Long Range Weapon gives our Demi-Gods the Edge?

Geoff: I'm giving my Edge to the Rain of Mars, you can carry more of them, it has twice the range of Dusk and Dawn, and they can pierce armor.

Dr. Dorian: I'm going to give my Edge to Dusk and Dawn, they're lighter than the Rain of Mars, and they're retractable, so even if you misses the target or the strike isn't lethal, it's going to come back into your hand and you try for a second throw.

Mack: What I like about Dusk and Dawn is that it is retractable, but with the Rain of Mars, it forces the thrower to aim better because of the fact that it isn't retractable. I think there is also something to be said about having an armor-piercing weapon and targeting non-armored areas. I'm giving my Edge to the Rain of Mars.




Drew Skye: Once the under the cover of long range attacks, both Greek and Roman fighters closed the distance. At medium range, Justin attacks with The Clavis of Rome, six feet of armor shredding brutality.




Justin: *holds out spear* This is the Clavis of Rome, it was a gift from Mars when I was first brought to Camp Jupiter, Clavis is Latin for Key and it can literally unlock any defense. Depending on type and material of the armor, the tip will change thickness and shape to penetrate it. Plate mail, chain mail, iron, steel, bronze, even stone, Clavis can go through it all like they were butter.

Harvey: Impressive, but you'll never get close to even scratch my armor. Any weapon you throw at me and Equalizer *draws knife from underarm sheathe in jacket* can match it while I beat it.

Drew Skye: Equalizer, a gift from Ares that can match nearly all types of weapons found on an ancient battlefield.




Harvey: Come at me with a knife, I've got a knife. Come at me with a sword and I have a Sword, come at me with two swords and my sword will split in two. Come at me with a great sword and I have a Greatsword. Hell, come at me with a spear or staff sword and guess what, I've got a Double-Bladed Staff Sword(blade on both ends). And if that's doesn't get rock your boat ladies and gentlemen, create enough tension against the blade and *slashes knife across the metal table causing the blade to ignite* it ignites the Fires of War, this stuff can burn through Nemean Lion skin given enough time.

Geoff: Sh-*beep* man...

Mack: We've got an Anti-Armor weapon verses an Anti-Weapon weapon, this is just going to be incredible.

Dr. Dorian: I can't even imagine what kind of trauma these weapons are going to cause.
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Geoff: Now we've set up a series of targets for both weapons in an enemy fort takeover. Take out the patrol guards, those are the two with Greek armor and shields. Once you're in the inside the fort, dodge the arrow fire from the ramparts and take out the shieldless armored honor guards then break inside. Once inside, take out the Captain's bodyguard, represented by this fifth foam torso. Your final target will be the Captain in the back room, take him out before he can escape. Justin, you're up first.

Mack: You'll be on the clock also, what we're looking for here is Initiative, Killer Instinct, and Calm Under Fire/Calm Under Pressure.

Dr. Dorian: You'll also be in your armor to test you speed and fatigue rates.

Justin: *nodded* Lets do this.

Geoff: Okay Justin, on Three... Two... One... CHARGE!!!

Justin raced down the field with spear and shield in hand, running straight to the gate, he saw the tip of his spear change. With a hard jab, the spear pierced through the bronze and wood shield and bronze curass of the first guard. Justin gave a hard yank with his spear but couldn't pull the spear out, swinging the edge of his shield into the the second guard to give him enough time to twist the spear out of the first guard, rolling the shaft in his hand, and stabbing downward into the second guard's neck.

Geoff: Now he's got to breach the door.

Mack: Looks like he had some trouble pulling the spear out.

Justin aimed the newly shaped point of Clavis and jabbed in between the two door, breaking the wooden log barring the door. With a hard kick, Justin kicked open the door and rushed inside. Bringing the Will of Rome up to guard himself as the Greek arrows flew down from the ramparts, every arrow that touched the gold of his shield causing sparks and ricocheted off as he charged to the Officer's Cabin. Once he was in range, Justin jabbed the spear through the curass of the left guard, but sharp yank also caused trouble when pulling the spear out. With a strong backhand with his shield arm, Justin knocked over the right foam torso stand while he ripped out the spear and stabbed it downward into the prone foam torso's back. Once he got the spear tip out, Justin jabbed the spear-tip into the lock on the door to the Captain's Cabin and kicked it open.

Geoff: He's inside.

Mack: Still having trouble pulling that spear out.

Dr. Dorian: It's costing him time and energy trying to pull it out.

Justin advanced inside the cabin, shield up and spear out. Suddenly a foam torso snap up behind a desk, Justin reacted in a heartbeat and stabbed into the unarmored foam torso's chest before yanking out the spear tip. Jogging down the corridor, Justin spotted the unarmored gel torso on a motorized platform moving towards the back door. Holding up the spear like a javelin, Justin hurled the spear down the hallway and skewered the gel torso through the chest. "Done!"

Geoff: *speaks through speaker in cabin* 20 minutes and 17 seconds, Justin.

Mack: Lets check this out.

Justin: *wipes sweat off forehead* Dico quod in arce nominis Romani! To those that don't speak Latin, I claim this stronghold in the name of Rome.

Dr. Dorian: *stands up first form torso* And claim it you did. First strike you break through the shield, through the bronze and wood, through the arm breaking through both Ulna and Radium, you punch through the bronze curass and through the chest right into the heart. Instant kill.

Geoff: I can't believe it punched through that deep through multiple layers of armor without losing momentum.

Dr. Dorian: Speaking of momentum, there is a small hole in the back of the armor, if you put your whole bodyweight behind that thrust, without a doubt, this guy would've been a shishkabob.

Mack: I noticed you had trouble pulling the spear out of the body. What was going on there?

Justin: The Clavis of Rome's greatest strength is it's greatest weakness, the deeper you punch through the armor, the harder it is to pull out. As you thrust the spear, you're taught to twist your wrist to add momentum and damage, but as the blade twists inward it locks behind the hole it made making it slow to pull out. In a way, it really does act like a key.

Dr. Dorian: But when you realized the spear was stuck, you struck his friend with the edge of your shield, it doesn't do any damage but it was enough to knock him back until you got the spear out and stabbed downward through the clavicle and collarbone, tearing down through the heart and punching through the right lung. He's going to realize he's been stabbed, fall to the ground and die.

Geoff: Outer Patrol both killed, let's see how you did at the Captain's Cabin.

Dr. Dorian: Well you dodged the raining arrows well, first man you hit through the chestplate breaks through and this time you did punch through the back of the armor, dead center. While he's dying on the spear, you backhand his friend as he tries to come to the rescue. Again, no lethality but when he's knocked down, you stabbed into the back, break the spine and tear through the liver and right kidney. He's paralyzed while he's bleeding out, another kill.

Geoff: Let's go inside and see the Captain's bodyguard.

Dr. Dorian: Looks like you have an easier time on unarmored target, you missed the heart, but hit the Aorta and base of the neck, another paralysis bleed out.

Geoff: Now for the Captain, why did you throw the spear?

Justin: It's a narrow hallway, I've got a long weapon, a shield, and armor. I'm not going to be as fast as in the first room or outside. So I took a shot at throwing the spear.

Dr. Dorian: Well lets see if that shot paid off *stands ballistic torso up* the spear goes through the right shoulder blade and right side lung, and breaks two ribs. Not a kill but a mortal wound, he doesn't get help, or what you use for medical treatment, he'll die.

Mack: It's good thinking to know your own limitations but if you're backup plan can't follow through, you're in trouble.

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Drew Skye: 6 kills, 5 of them instant, all in under twenty-one minutes, will Harvey be able to beat Justin's kills with Equalizer with new targets, and swapped out Roman Helmets, Scutum Shields, Segmented Armor, with Roman Pilums replacing the Greek arrows?

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Geoff: One key difference between the Greek and Roman armor, is that the segmented armor is layered overlapping steel than one solid piece of bronze. Justin's weapon was able to pierce through the armor, how will Equalizer counter that?

Harvey: If I can't cut straight through their armor, the blow will be enough to rattle their gameplan I can also aim for non-armored areas too. Their helmets cover less off the head than the Greek helmets, and their shields aren't as thick.

Dr. Dorian: What are you going to be using as armor?

Harvey: I've got Logic and Reasoning, which are a combination of Nemean Lion skin, Celestial Bronze, and Drakon Scales, they cover my arms all the way up to my shoulders. For my core *holds up pendant* this pendant replicates any armor on my body, my arms for instance, and channels it into the shirt I'm wearing making it just as strong. So my 100% cotton shirt is just as strong as the plating on my arms. The best part is, my shirt doesn't get heavier, or dense. It still breathes, its light, flexible just like any other five dollar t-shirt you can pull off the shelf at any store, only real difference is you can fire a bolt from a Bastilla into my chest and I won't even bat an eyelash.

Mack: That's diffidently going to be a Factor in terms of fatigue and mobility. Has your armor ever been breached before or failed?

Harvey: *smiles* going on three years since I got the pendant, I've fought monsters from every make and model from Gorgons, Basilisks, Hydras, even a small rogue squad of Mermaids. The Pendant has never let me down, if you can think of a situation in where armor usually fails, either I've withstood it or I haven't met it.

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Drew Skye: Will the difference in armor help Harvey beat Justin's time?

Geoff: Okay Harvey, on three... two... one... ATTACK!!!

Harvey drew his knife and charged along the wall, dragging the blade along the stone wall "spears and shield." As Harvey neared the two form torsos, the knife's blade grew longer and wider until it was something similar to a two-handed broadsword that was steadily glowing red before erupting into flames. "Have at Ye!" Harvey shouted as he swung the massive blade, cleaving the top of the first Roman guard's shield off and slicing the owner's head clean off. Keeping his momentum in the swing, Harvey ducked and rolled toward his next target, thrusting the flaming sword under the overlapping steel plates and piercing through the back before slashing his sword back and out of the foam body, nearly cutting it in half.

Mack: He doesn't mess around does he?

Dr. Dorian: He's getting ready to breach the gate.

Harvey swung the massive sword at the wooden gate of the fort, with three hard strikes, Harvey kicked open a triangle shaped hole in the gate and charged further into the form. As the he crossed the fire line, Pilum javelins began to rain down around him, a javelin struck his back and bent from the impact while another ricocheted off his armored shoulder and flew past his face. Harvey ignored the javelins and continued the charge without missing a beat "honor guards, spears." Still on fire, the massive sword shrank down to a thin bladed sword as a second blade from from the pummel. Harvey lunged towards the left torso, stabbing under the armor before tearing the burning blade free from the melting armor. Twisting the blade free, Harvey rolling the double bladed staff sword in his hand and stabbed into the second torso's chest, it's heated blade melting through the steel armor.

Geoff: Jeez... He's an animal.

Dr. Dorian: He's much more mobile, than Justin was.

Harvey kicked open the door and began to run the the lobby of the cabin, the fifth torso sprung up from behind the desk. The staff sword shrank down to a curved single handed sword. Without even looking back, Harvey swung the blade and threw it at the torso as he ran forward and down the hallway. As the Captain started to 'run' Harvey reached into his jacket and redrew Equalizer from it's sheathe and lunged. With his right arm wrapped around the gel torso's neck and swung his legs forward as his left hand brought the knife up as the torso fell. "Time!"

Geoff: 15 minutes 10 seconds!

Harvey: *steps out of the cabin, wiping the stage blood off his knife and onto his jeans* óti akrivó̱s synévi̱ Greek for 'that just happened.'

Dr. Dorian: Well, I've definitely gotta see how this happened. First strike you sliced clean through the shield and you sliced so fast through the neck, that there's hardly any trace of a burn from the Fires of War. Second target, you stab right under the steel strip, the easiest way to penetrate through. Stabbed straight through the stomach, through the liver, and dented the back. Let me tell you what this guy is feeling, he's in pain from the stab, he's bleeding, then he starts to feel the heat inside his body build, the air in his lungs will expand irregularly, he can't breathe, and for the finishing blow, you tear the sword out sideways, tearing through the liver, a kidney, nearly cutting him in half.

Geoff: Two kills so far and check this out *runs hand over triangle cuts* it looks like you want through this with a cutting torch, and it's still warm.

Mack: It may be a bit theatrical, but when you see a crazed swordsman running at you it can be intimidating, add to the fact that his sword is on fire and you're going to seem like living Grim Reaper. Your enemies will feel intimidated which will only most your domination of that battlefield.

Geoff: Speaking of Intimidation, Harvey. When you rushed in, it looked like you didn't even acknowledge that javelins falling on you, two of them even hit you and you just kept moving. What was up with that?

Harvey: When I was born, my half-brother, Phobos foresaw how I would become Ares' favorite son. What he usually does is when a child is born, he scares them to instill them in fear that will influence their actions for the rest of their lives. With me, Phobos didn't, he believed that if he didn't scare me, my demi-god blood would make me fatally reckless if I didn't have fear to caution my actions. The fearlessness did make me reckless, however, the fearlessness had another unforeseen effect. Without fear, I could see past intimidation, see past doubt, which intern made me a great strategist and made me even more devastating than some of the other Ares children, while they ran away to re-group, I run forward to destroy.

Dr. Dorian: That's going to factor in majorly in regards to Curses, willpower will only get you so far but not as far as someone who is biologically can't feel fear.

Geoff: Check out vics 3 and 4.

Dr. Dorian: Target number three, you stab underneath the armor, starting at the groin and driving the sword up under the ribcage, cleaving the heart in two. Instant bleedout and death. Number four, you stab straight through the Aorta. Now here's the disadvantage of using a heated weapon, as you stab into the body, the heat will cauterize the wounds and decrease the amount of bleeding. Having said that, what you do next is you tear the blade flee, tearing open that freshly cauterize which will bleed out much faster than the initial injury.

Harvey: Yeah, I don't play fair, if I see an opening, I'll take it.

Geoff: Lets move into the cabin.

Mack: Harvey, when you saw the fifth target pop up, you didn't stop the charge but throw your sword, how did you get it back?

Harvey: My father told me that, weapons belong in only two places, hands and sheathes. That applies to Equalizer, if it's not in my hand, it's in my sheathe and vis versa.

Mack: Another retractable weapon, nice.

Dr. Dorian: Good kill too, the blade swung through and chopped through the base of the skull, motor functions are cut, he doesn't react, he just drops and ceases to exist. For the Captain, you actually broke his neck as you wrapped your arm around and pulled him down, but just in case, as you brought him down you used the combined body weight to drive the knife blade through the ribcage and into the heart.

Geoff: Six for six kills and under a faster time. Well done.

Mack: Justin, what do you think?

Justin: Wild, unorganized, right along the lines of the Greeks. I may have taken longer but I was more thorough.

Harvey: But I was faster and killed more targets.

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Drew Skye: Equalizer or The Clavis of Rome? Which medium range gives our warriors the Edge?

Mack: The Clavis of Rome is an effect weapon against armor, but when your weapon is stuck, you're a sitting duck while you try to pull out. I gotta give my Edge to Equalizer.

Geoff: I love the variety of armor The Clavis can go through, but Equalizer gives you much more options in a fight, Edge Equalizer.

Dr. Dorian: There's going to be a psychological factor when the fight closes in, and the Fires of War will be an intimidating factor, so Edge Equalizer.




Drew Skye: But it took more than an Intimidating weapon to conquer the battlefield, Mack will sitting down with Justin to dissect the battle tactics that cemented his reputation as a Centurion in New Rome.

Mack: What would call your particular style of battle tactics?

Justin: I think of it striking cleanly, precisely, surgical I would call it.

Mack: Surgical Warfare, I like it. What would be a prime example of Surgical Warfare?

Justin: Battle on Mount Tam, during our attack of the Titan's stronghold.

Mack: Okay, let's go to Mount Tamalpais on the TouchTable.

Justin: See this trail here along the edge of the mountain? We had a platoon of the titan's forces, a mixture of Scythian Dracanae, Demi-Gods, an Empousa at the head, two Hellhounds at the rear and even two Cyclopes as banner carriers. Now the forest is too thick for the monsters to get through to the top, so they're forced to take these hiking trails and in single-file lines which are spacious enough for cars and tourists but not armies.

Mack: So where are your forces?

Justin: We are in the trees across from the trail. Once they crossed by us, I signaled by javelin throwers who took up position at the rear of the army. We focus on the heavy hitters first, the Cyclopes and Hellhounds. They find their marks and the Hellhounds go nuts, and turn around but we has Scorpions positioned farther down our flank, once the Hellhounds cross that line they're shot off the mountain before they can dissolve.

Justin: Now the army turned to deal with the attackers at their rear, that's when the group ahead of us moves into position and launches their attack while the Cyclopes have their backs turned, now the heavy hitters are gone.

Mack: Now lets got to that point in the battle. So now essentially they're boxed in, they can't retreat, they can't advance, and they can't cut through the forest. They're basically trapped.

Justin: Correct, They're boxed in and being attacked from the front and rear. Now if you think fighting a battles on two fronts is hard, try on three fronts with a cliff your only option of free ground. We attack from the tree line and wipe them out, they're too tightly packed to moved and basically die standing up.

Mack: The enemy is completely boxed in and they're cut off from reinforcements and it's just utter carnage.

Justin: If they didn't die on our blades and spears, they were pushed off the cliff as they tried to find room to maneuver. It's because of this battle that Jason Grace was able to defeat the Titan Krios and destroy their stronghold.

Mack: Oh I love this tactic. Picking off the targets that pose the most danger, using your terrain, striking precisely where its most deadly. Surgical.

Justin: Exactly.