Duelling Beta Test Match 5 - Saskia vs Koko

Koko wouldn't be upset that her spell hadn't landed. What she would be upset about was the fact that she was keeping over like an idiot. Her lack of being ticklish resulted in making this experience ever so much worse for her. The tickling was worse than it would have been, and she felt as if she had suffered a breathtaking punch to the gut. However, she would try to stand up straight and glare at those who opposed her, which was extremely hard when she was biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

And she still had to cast a spell. The twelve-year-old didn't have anything in mind, so she just stood there for a moment, trying to ignore the tickling sensation clawing at her stomach. It didn't just tickle - it also hurt!

Ugh. If a Hufflepuff of all houses was better than her, Koko would have to do something to stop that. She would love to disarm her... But she couldn't, could she? Well shit. That wasn't going to happen. So now Koko needed a new option.

She bounced on her toes to both perhaps nullify the tickling and also to keep her energised. She needed this. She needed the energy, the stamina, to keep this up. So... Maybe she could cross her fingers that weren't closed around her wand hand for luck?

Of course, there was something to make matters worse for the golden haired child. The smokescreen spell. It was beginning to fade just a little, but not nearly enough. Koko would have to try very hard in order to accurately hit the girl, assuming her magic even wanted to work. It usually didn't. Stupid magic, Koko thought, and then she had a sudden realisation: what if she kept trying to make casting harder for the other girl? She could dodge sometime as well.

"Spongify!"

A smirk flicked across Koko's face as she casted, waving her wand with intense precision. She had to do this. She had to.

Saskia was surprised to see that she had actually managed to hit Koko in all that smoke. She couldn't clearly see what was going on, but she could tell that Koko was taking a while to cast her next spell. Or maybe she was just the type to think things through for a long time. Regardless, it still made Saskia a bit more nervous. Things were going well for her, and while it was something she couldn't complain about, that usually meant something was about to go wrong. She had to stay vigilant.

Saskia's eyes widened. Crap. She was about to get hit by the Spongify spell, or at least she would if she wasn't quick enough to dodge it. Still, she had to consider her options. Anything could happen if she was hit. She could either lose her speed, accuracy, or even her concentration. Of course, if the spell only hit her chest, she would only be slightly weakened, although she wouldn't be fully fazed. However, if the spell hit her legs, she would have to settle with going fully on the offense and take any hits from the Slytherin, no matter what. Her endurance was high enough, and she'd be able to last for a while, even if she ultimately falls. Otherwise, maybe it was a good idea to dodge throughout the whole duel.

But maybe that was also a bad idea. Saskia wasn't one to take the cowardly path, and she wouldn't start now. If things were going really bad for her, then maybe she'd consider it. But as of now, it was only the calm before the storm. The smokescreen would eventually let up, and they'd have to actually attack each other for the duel to end. Koko was already getting weak from the Tickling Charm, but it wasn't enough. It would take a lot for her to go down, it would seem.

But she couldn't do that now. Saskia was about to be at a huge disadvantage if things went right for the Slytherin. If that were to happen, she may as well even the playing field. There were many options she could take, but considering the effects of the Softening charm, she would need to be careful of what she would cast next. It needed to be potent enough, but also long-lasting so Koko didn't have that much of a big advantage against her.

Taking a deep breath, she pointed her wand at where she would assume Koko would be, focusing as hard as she could despite the fumes blocking her vision. "Steleus."

Actions: Cast Sneezing Hex (Steleus)

Saskia was rather miffed that she failed to cast her spell. It would have been fine if she simply missed, especially due to the lack of visibility in the arena, but it was still embarrassing for her to flub the spell in front of the entire audience. On the bright side, it seemed that her opponent had missed her spell, which meant that she wasn't going to get spongified. Or whatever it was called.

Now that the smoke had finally cleared out, she could finally see the Slytherin much better than before. Unfortunately, that also meant she would have an easier time knowing where she was. Saskia didn't know how much longer the Ticking Charm would last, and sooner or later, Koko would have the upper hand if the Hufflepuff wasn't careful enough. It would be very tempting to go on the full offense and get this duel over with, but Saskia wasn't about to take any chances. Koko seemed like the type to want to get as much of an advantage as possible, and if she was going to win, she would need to try to keep things as even as possible. She could always cast the more damaging spells later in the duel, anyhow. As far as she was concerned, there was no time limit on how long this would last, although any longer and the girl would grow very impatient.

With that in mind, the girl waved her wand in a tear-like shape. "Mucus Ad Nauseam!" she called out, hoping that her concentration on the spell would be enough to actually have the spell work, rather than what happened last time.

If this spell worked, then maybe she would have enough leverage to win this fight. She wanted to be optimistic about her chances, but with a capable opponent like the Slytherin, she was sure something like her own stupidity would end this duel rather quickly. That was why she needed to be careful, however fast-paced this duel would be. One small mistake could lead to a terrible disaster.

Actions: Cast Curse of the Bogies (Mucus Ad Nauseam)

At least she had gotten something out of her stubborn wand, but it disappointed Koko that her beautiful spell had missed. At least she could see the Hufflepuff. That would help.

She waited for a second, just to hear the Hufflepuff cast. It was a spell that Koko had tried to use earlier, but what would that mean for her? If that spell hit, Koko might pass out... yeah, she didn't want to faint. Not on the duelling podium, not anywhere. This sucks, she thought, somewhat bitterly. The tickling was persistent, and Koko had to grit her teeth to keep from giggling. She wouldn't choke over the words of her spell, no matter what happened.

Tempted to try another Softening Charm, Koko shifted her stance and took a large step to her left. It couldn't really be counted as a dodge, since Koko was trying to get a better view, but it was still an excuse for dodging nonetheless. Koko would have to play copycat if she were going to win this... So did that mean she'd be throwing the same spell twice? Sure. Why not? She could be repetitive all she wanted, but she could also try something completely new. In almost the same tone that Saskia had used, Koko said, "Mucus Ad Nauseam!" whilst moving her wand in the shape required. A smirk graced her features once she had cast it, and she could only hope that she had hit and Saskia hadn't - with her luck, it would probably be the opposite.

Trying not to look defeated, Koko forced her eyes to shine with determination. She felt determined to win this even if it made her pass out in the process... She might just have to go all offense... After all, wasn't offense the best defence?

The little Slytherin couldn't help but grin. She had finally done something correctly! It meant a lot to the small bean, and for that she would be fueled with the knowledge that she could do more. Now she wanted to attack! She had the courage to, so why not?

"Spongify!"

Oh yes. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Being repetitive was a plus now; in Koko's mind, she had messed up before and now could fix her mistake. With hope that she had cast it correctly even though she was fairly sure she had, Koko bounced on the balls of her feet, in a duelling/fighting stance second to none.

Her defensiveness was something that Koko prided herself on. She was always ready to run, to hide, or to spit out a counter... If only she had Finite Incantatem memorised - then she would be ready. It wasn't as if she wasn't ready now, but she would love to be even more ready than she was at present. She could try and dodge whatever Saskia might throw at her, and she would be ready. Koko Riddle would be ready for anything that might come her way; she would be ready for any threat she might face.

For one, Saskia was glad to see that her spell worked and hit her opponent. But now she had to deal with the fact that Koko's spell managed to hit her for the first time. And out of all the spells, it had to be the one that would stick for the rest of the duel. Crap.

Saskia caught a glimpse of the girl's face, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of annoyance within her. There was something about her expression that made her want to wipe the smile off her face, although it may have also had to do with the fact that Saskia was still bitter about the spell hitting her. Runny noses weren't exactly something to be happy about.

Wiping off some of the snot with her sleeve, Saskia contemplated on her choices. Now that Koko was really trying to bring her down with counter spells, she was doomed if her next spell hit her again. But then again, the girl did insist on copying her previous spell... Well, if she wanted to play it like that, two could play this game. If Saskia was going to be suffering from this stupid cold, and soon to be squishy arm, leg, wand, or whatever, then she may as well return the favour.

With newfound fury and irritation, Saskia pointed her wand, almost shouting the incantation despite her cold making her voice scratchy, "Spongify!"

Actions: Cast Softening Charm (Spongify)

Oh, great. Her cold was getting worse, which made it even harder for her to concentrate and properly cast her spell. She also narrowly missed the Slytherin's attack, and if it weren't for the the fact that she was also suffering through the same thing, she would have probably hit her. She knew she probably shouldn't be getting so worked up over a duel, of all things, but with that annoying cold and that other girl's cocky attitude rubbing off her the wrong way, it was hard for her to stay calm. The Hufflepuff sighed to herself. No, she couldn't let her anger get the better of her this time. This was a duel, and everyone else would be watching her make an embarrassment out of herself. She needed to stay dignified. Even if she really had a problem with Koko, she could probably settle it after the duel anyway.

What was there to do? She didn't want the duel to drag on longer just because she wanted to put Koko at a disadvantage. She had been doing that for a rather long time, and right now, the only success she had was from from the tickling charm and the curse of the bogies. It probably wasn't enough, and Koko might just end up trying to make it impossible for her to cast her spells or move. But then again, Saskia wasn't a very patient person, especially when she was starting to get aggravated. As much as she wanted to win, she had a feeling her luck would turn on her this time.

Looking at her opponent with a determined look, rather than the glare she gave her before, she waved her wand once more and called out, "Incendio!"

Hopefully Koko wasn't scared of fire. Then again, being set on fire probably wasn't something anyone would want to go through.

Actions: Cast Fire-Making Spell (Incendio)