Insurmountable Odds Closed

━━━━ ROUND 2 ━━━━

━━━━ SUMMARY ━━━━

As the Shield Charm falters and spellcasting resumes, the unexpected series of events continues.

Delilah attempts to cast the Knockback Jinx, but instead of one spell, the spell spreads, two splinters of the spell targeting Liana and Avery. While Avery was able to dodge the attak with aplomb, Liana was not so lucky.

Liana Kerr’s problems continued as her own wand backfired her spell, blinding her instead of her intended target. Ming could not help but shake his head at this not-altogether-unexpected development. For all her ability to perform in the classroom, the defence prodigy had had her wand turn on her in every stressful; situation she had been placed in. It was concerning, and a big, apparent gap in her repertoire. Perhaps Ming would go and talk to Professor @Orion Lécuyer about this afterwards. As an Auror, he would definitely have better insight into how to better handle wandwork under stress, and what to do to help Miss Kerr.

But there was no time to properly process this, as the other first years cast their own spells: the Revanclaw upperclassman from deftly stepping out of the way of the Green Sparks shot at her from Maggie…and right into Avery’s Dancing Feet spell. Perhaps those two had been working on their teamwork since the free-for-all in October, as the two athletes in his year seemed to be working reasonably well so far; having forced the upper-year into a surprisingly complex tap-dancing routine.

OC Notes:
1/ Remember that this duel follows the duelling system outlined here
2/ deadline for posting actions and owling action to both moderations (in this case me and @Opeila Winters) as well as making a post of 200 words or greater is Saturday, January 8.
3/ If you notice any mistakes or errors, please feel free to owl the moderators

The fifth-year's spell hit so hard it pushed the air out of Liana's lungs, leaving her gasping for air for a few moments. This was by far the most painful single hit she had ever experienced. It really felt like another one like that would have her collapsing. Well, at least the people who were capable of anything in a duel were unharmed - Avery evaded his portion of the splintered spell easily, and Maggie wasn't targeted at all.

It wasn't all going bad for them, either - Avery actually managed to hit Delilah with a Dancing Feet Spell, which may not be the most damaging but it certainly was annoying. And worked well to reduce one's agility, too.

When she thought she could breathe properly again, Liana drew the semi-complicated pattern for Blindfolding Spell with her wand once more. The incantation had barely left her lips when she found herself suddenly unable to see. What a surprise. Her spell backfired. At lest it had not been a Flipendo that she cast - this rebounding attack was the softest one so far, not at least physically. Her pride, or the few shreds of it that still remained, were hurt just as bad. She really should just leave Hogwarts and live out the rest of her life as a Squib.

Action: As strategized.

@Liana Kerr | @Delilah Stewart | @Avery Chen

Mostly un-targeted. Maggie got off unscathed from this round, the metaphorical blindfold that had been wrapped over her eyes dropped after her little 'oops' of a spell earlier. Honestly, it was quite possible that Delilah didn't see her as a primary offender, someone who she needed to take off the board early. Liana seemed far more of a formidable foe, really, with her extensive knowledge of spells and casting even as a first-year. The little issue that was the first round of the Wargames was mostly forgotten, now, at least by Maggie. Sure, Liana was still thinking about it, worrying about her ability in dueling as a whole, but nobody else really cared.

Maybe Liana was just a worrywart. Actually, that was a pretty likely conclusion to draw, a pretty easy thing to deduce from what Maggie knew about Liana. She seemed to have a pretty wicked self-esteem issue, judging by how she beat herself down time and time again. Especially after an unofficial duel, one that Maggie and Avery both had probably not given much thought to since their performance in it.

It was curious, really, how they differed so much. Maggie and Avery, the athletes, didn't really think much of academic achievement (at least not the way Liana did). Then there was Liana, who cared too much about her worth in the classroom.

Maggie did straighten herself up as Delilah was sent careening into Avery's spell, glancing at her colleagues with a small smile. Perhaps they'd pull out a win! A win against an upperclassman would surely look good in her non-existent repertoire.

ACTION: doing as strategized

ABILITY: Calming Presence
ALLIES: Liana Kerr & Avery Chen

@Liana Kerr | @Avery Chen | @Maggie Hawkins

[font=times new roman] Holding up her wand and sending a spell towards Liana, attempting to split it to Avery as well, she pursed her lips as it only hit one of the two targets but that was alright, she had to try pretty hard for this duel, this was going to be tricky. Her eyes flicked between her three opponents, the cogs in her brain spinning faster than they probably had ever done before. Trying to anticipate, trying to avoid.

First one, didn't work, Liana blindfolded herself. Poor girl, Delilah knew that feeling, it really wasn't pleasant. Thankfully though, Liana being blindfolded means that Delilah isn't blindfolded. Which is a significant improvement in terms of a duel.

As Avery spoke to her, she nodded, "Yeah sure, no problem."
Out of the side of her eye she saw a pretty familiar spell heading her way, twisting out of the way of it before getting smacked with another.

She knew this one as well, if she remembered correctly last time it hit her she was doing ballet. This time it was tap dancing. This spell is why Delilah never wears skirts to a duel, it's also just less comfortable than trousers. She laughed a bit as she danced, after all, if she didn't laugh at herself, she would be embarrassed. Okay, she was a little bit anyway, but still.
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