2021, Stage 2 Group B: Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff

Katrina had been nervous all morning. The little swirl of butterflies in her stomach making it hard to down her breakfast. But now, she had forced the anxiety into pure determination. She was going to make it out of this duel. She was going to see a victory. Her last duel had been so crushing, her team’s failure simply because she fainted for no apparent reason. That wasn’t going to happen again.

Katrina slid her wand out of the leather holster around her arm, looking up to her dueling moderator with fire in her eyes. The tension grew until it was almost unbearable. Katrina had been practicing hours each day. Spells, tactics, new ideas. She was certain now that she wasn’t going to be beat.

At the moderator’s signal, Katrina instantly snapped into action. Time to win.

@Calanthe Choi @Maria Dee @Autumn Ivy

Unlike her partner whose confidence burned through her eyes, Calanthe stepped up to the piste brimming with anxiety. Why didn’t I just quit? I hate this. She tried to keep her eyes off the crowd, standing a few paces back from Katrina. As she raised her wand on the moderator’s cue, her fingers became weak, almost allowing the object to slip out of her grasp. Holding the wand tightly, the young witch wished she had done more studying and practicing for this event. She released a shaky breath and at Dralt’s words, dove headfirst into her second duel.

Maria’s head piped up as she heard the Ravenclaw captain call her name. With a nod to her partner Autumn, she made her way to the platform. She twirled her wand in her hand, trying to preoccupy her mind as she steadied her breathing. This was another chance, a new duel. Their first one didn’t go so well, but that was to be expected when going against two higher years
.
Now she found herself facing Kat, a girl she remembered meeting “by the fountain” (the memory still makes her cringe) and Calanthe, someone she’d not met before. The first round took them by surprise but with this one she and her partner were prepared. Strategy in mind, she held her wand at the ready and looked at her opponents. It was show time.

@Autumn Ivy | @Katrina Walker | @Calanthe Choi

Autumn would be lying if she said that she did not still feel angry at herself for being unable to win her first duel. Logically, it made sense that she had not. After all, the opposing team's members had been older than both her and her teammate. However, she really had thought at the time that she had had a chance.

Her first match did not matter now, though. Now, she had to get up on that platform and succeed. Her team's strategy was stronger, and she had learned from her past duel. She refused to make the same mistakes.

With a single curt nod of acknowledgement to her teammate, she walked up to the stage with her wand in hand. Assessing her opponents, she recognised one of them to be the leader of the scavenger hunt club. Her name had been Katherine, Katie, or something of the kind, and her surname Walker. The other was a second year. They had never interacted, and Autumn was not sure of her name.

As the Ravenclaw moderator- a prefect too, she was pretty sure- spoke, Autumn went through her plan one last time, although that did not stop her from hearing the moderator's words. Katrina Walker and Calanthe Choi. So she had been right about Walker.

Drawing her wand, an odd smirk crossed her face, her eyes looking calculated and determined to reign victorious.

All that mattered now was that she was not losing again.

@Calanthe Choi, @Katrina Walker, @Maria Dee

Round 1

[Katrina Walker, Year 3, Human] 100% HP (900/900) STA: 9 | EVA: 8 | STR: 3 WIS: 11 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 5 --------------- Healing Sage Perfectionist Charmer ──────	&	[Calanthe Choi, Year 2, Human] 100% HP (1,000/1,000) STA: 10 | EVA: 5 | STR: 2 WIS: 7 | ARC: 9 | ACC: 9 --------------- Statistically Relevant (+2 STA) Prodigal DADA ──────
	VS
[Maria Dee, Year 2, Human] 100% HP (700/700) STA: 7 | EVA: 6 | STR: 5 WIS: 8 | ARC: 6 | ACC: 8 --------------- Sixth Sense Evasive Maneuvers ──────	&	[Autumn Ivy, Year 2, Human] 100% HP (500/500) STA: 5 | EVA: 5 | STR: 7 WIS: 7 | ARC: 8 | ACC: 8 --------------- Sixth Sense Perfectionist ──────

Katrina Walker VS Autumn Ivy

Reducio

Katrina cast Expelliarmus at Autumn
Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 11 = 29 > 10 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 9] + 5 = 14
Evasion Check: [d20: 17] + 5 = 22
14 < 22→ Miss

Calanthe Choi VS Maria Dee

Reducio

Calanthe cast Curse of the Bogies at Maria
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 2] + 7 = 9 < 12 → Fail

Maria Dee VS Katrina Walker

Reducio

Maria cast Curse of the Bogies at Katrina
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 16] + 8 = 24 > 12 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 2] + 8 -1 (Katrina's Charmer) = 9
Evasion Check: [d20: 8] + 8 = 16
9 < 16→ Miss

Autumn Ivy VS Calanthe Choi

Reducio

Autumn cast Curse of the Bogies at Calanthe
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 12] + 7 = 19 > 12 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 8] + 8 -1 (Katrina's Charmer) = 15
Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 5 = 18
15 < 18→ Miss

These young witches were waging their own internal battles before they even stepped onto the stage. Fire roiled in Katrina's eyes, dancing with determination, eating up the butterflies in her stomach. Calanthe's were a stark contrast, brimming with terrible trepidation. Her hand almost seemed reluctant to wield its wand, knees weak, arms are heavy. Maria relied on thoughts of strategy to keep her composure, mentally chewing on tactical what-ifs. Autumn's smirk and sparkling eyes showcased a powerful sense of resolve, testimony to her confidence. Theirs were a palpable clash of emotions that made the air around all four charged, and seeing it up close was enough to send a chill up one's spine. The young referee nearly envied them. The only thing better than witnessing what was to come, would have been participating.

The duel began with a blur of spells. Katrina fired off an Expelliarmus at Autumn, though the Hufflepuff danced out of the way. Calanthe tried acting on strategy, meaning to strike Maria with the infamous Curse of the Bogies, but her nerves got the better of her. The spell sizzled out at the tip of her wand, nothing more than a sickly green crackle that died on the spot. Before she could conquer her opponents, she would need to triumph over her self-doubts. Despite the distracting thoughts in her head, she still managed to leap out of the way from the same spell cast by Autumn, narrowly avoiding being cursed herself. Maria, too, incanted Mucus ad Nauseum, wand aimed at Katrina. Yet the Gryffindor dodged in turn, meaning not a single spell landed on any of them in those first precarious moments. As a co-captain, it was Pericles' duty to be objective, and his lack of connection to the present duellists made him more impartial. All the same, he watched with narrow darting eyes and tight-pressed lips, simultaneously delighting in their successes and lamenting their letdowns.

Reducio

{ @Katrina Walker | @Calanthe Choi | @Maria Dee | @Autumn Ivy }

-You now have 96 hours to add your posts (this time on the 27^th).
- The minimum WC for this duel is 50 words.
- By that deadline, please owl me your team's actions. This should include 1) both character's spells or actions 2) who your targets are. Do not post this info before the next round's mod post, as it will give your tactic away!
-If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action will be considered invalid. If you require an extension, you can contact me via owl or Discord (Lib#1474) before the next moderation. You will be given a 24 hour extension in addition to the original 96.
-Your spells, stats, and abilities are locked in for this scene as of this post.
-Have fun!

At the signal, Katrina called out Expelliarmus at Autumn. There wasn't hesitation. Usually, that would be a good thing for Katrina, but instead, it ended up being too predictable. She was close to hitting Autumn but she stepped away just in the nick of time. Katrina inwardly groaned, instead, not letting her expression of determination change.

Katrina saw Maria raise her wand and dodged the Curse of the Bogies with little difficulty. She hadn't actually been hit by that Curse yet, but she'd seen what it had done to Calenthe last duel and had no intentions of going out so early.

With her next move in mind, Katrina continued to attempt to survive her duel.

@Calanthe Choi @Maria Dee @Autumn Ivy

Any hopes for things to go differently during this stage were dashed as the first four spells were let loose. Or... three spells. The badgers' twin green streaks of light, as well as Katrina's scarlet disarming charm almost blinded Calanthe for a second, as she side-stepped the same spell she attempted to send forward. All she had to show for it were some pathetic sparks at the tip of her wand, though. It suddenly seemed harder to keep hold on her wand, fingers weak and head heavy mom's spaghetti from the realization that this duel had the potential to be just as disappointing as the last.

An extension was requested! You now have 34 hours to send in actions and make your posts.