2023, Stage 3 Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin: Match 7

It was like this year, everyone made it their job to have Hanako deal with the crappiest stroke of luck. And he thought pairing up with Fowl would be his worst luck? Try the ex of his ex-best friend, and the same person he locked in the chamber of secrets overnight? If only he could go back in time and stop his younger self to stop being s o dumb. His eyes glanced warily in the crowds, his heart threatening to leap out of his chest at anyone who had the same shade of brunette hair that Rainwood did. That's crazy. He had never seen Hana’s duels. It was even less likely he would start now.

His luck in opponents wasn’t all that great either. Faced again with Ivy, the Hufflepuff he went against in the the first stage. And he l o s t, so that wasn’t really a great feeling to see her again. The other Hufflpuff wasn’t a nice face to see either. He had once seen Hanako cry. An issue Hanako still had not talked about him again, and frankly he was riding on the hope that Morris had forgotten all about it. But considering their past brief interactions, that was not the case. So what should he do now? He glanced between the two Hufflepuffs, his lips curling into a cheeky smile.

“ Did you two did something new since the last time I saw you? Cause you guys are definitely doing a good job at getting my attention today~“. Pretend it doesn’t bother him, yes, that is the tactic. What better more fun way to do it than flirting. An action Morris had definitely disapproved of.

Opeila would get a less than enthusiastic demeanour from the boy, it seemed. He turned to her and lowered his voice for her ears to hear only. “ Don’t ruin my fun, and I won’t ruin yours. Sounds good for now, Winters? “. He suggested the temporary truce. It's not like they were constantly out to get one another since he found her in the chamber, but they hadn't really bothered hiding the fact that they weren't so thrilled about one another.

@Opeila Winters | Action: Doing as strategized. Flirting with the cutie Hufflepuffs

Opeila had been as excited for this stage as she was everytime. She appreciated the few minutes of adrenaline, the chance to show her skills and at this point walking away victoriously every single time. She had not lost a single duel since summer 2021 and she certainly did get the feeling that she had grown into a respectable opponent.

The excitement had worn off in a second when the matches were announced and Opeila saw her duelling partner. Hanako? Of all options? Oh, this was promising to be interesting and Opeila could seriously not promise that her wand wouldn't slip one time or the other. She had really thought that personality wise it could only get better after getting teamed up with Dmitri time and time again- but she had forgotten Hanako Tone.

Needless to say that she was not exactly the most enthusiastic when entering the stage, although she found their odds rather promising. She had duelled and won against Autumn twice and last time she talked to Jake... well, he didn't seem like a very intimidating person.
Without a word she would stand next to Hanako on their side of the stage, not even looking at him, only rolling her eyes when he began to flirt.

But then he turned to her, telling her not to spoil his fun, so he wouldn't spoil hers. "How about you take care that I don't set your backside on fire.", she responded through gritted teeth. She was so not willing to play games today.

Doing as strategized.

date / Saturday - April 22, 2023
word count / 357

Their moderator was acting weird. Autumn wasn't sure if this was normal for the boy, not yet. Their previous match against each other had not given her many insights into his character before her team's unfortunate defeat. There was something slightly disturbing about his dramatics, and cheerfulness, and puns. Lansdale was fine, though. He was a distraction, dredging up a memory of failure. Nothing more, nothing less. She would not allow his theatrics to have any major impact, aside from setting the sour expression on her face. Of course, she could not be entirely sure whether the cause of her scowl was Lansdale or literally anyone he had just announced as a duellist.

In front of her stood two opponents she had faced before. First, Opeila Winters. Respectable, but only because of the major threat she posed. A good aim Autumn could not help but both revere and dread. Not fun, but an interesting challenge nonetheless. It was a shame she was paired with possibly the biggest nuisance on the face of the planet.

Hanako Tone. If she wanted to be kind, she'd probably call him something stupid, like cheeky, or a flirt. Autumn did not want to be kind. He was awful, loud and childish and Autumn wanted to walk over and maybe punch him in the face. She wouldn't. He wasn't worth the energy, and they had an audience. Against him, Autumn had had her first victory. That was the important part. She'd done it once. Surely she could do it once more. Hopefully. Merlin, she hated the way her doubts made her
stomach churn.

And, finally, the boy standing next to her: Jake Morris, pacifist extraordinaire. Friendly fire was a no-go, but a girl could dream. Their last and only match together had ended with Autumn unconscious. If one of them had to go down now, she hoped it would be him. Still, she forced her face into a blank(ish) expression and nodded to him.

Still. drawing her wand was the best kind of muscle memory, and the adrenaline rushing through her blood almost turned the horrid company into a footnote. She'd be fine.

health / 800/800
stats / Stamina - 8 | Evasion - 9 | Strength - 7 | Wisdom - 7 | Arcane Power - 10 | Accuracy - 10
abilities / Sixth Sense - Perfectionist - Comprehend Languages (Mermish) - Terrible Presence

Jake stared at Galton, blushing a little as the Gryffindor boy gave them the most enthusiastic intro that Jake had ever heard. It was like they were on some kind of fighting thing on TV or something. He'd never been announced like that before but it shone far too great a spotlight, as eyes began to turn to see the booming voice of Galton. Jake hoped they'd look away quickly. He hoped it would be a nice boring duel, that nobody would quite feel like watching.

After all, they may have been the Blazing Badgers, but he wasn't sure exactly how 'fiery' they were.

Jake had never really liked walking up onto the platform for a duel. His nerves had been going crazy every single time. The first time he dueled he hadn't gotten hurt at all. The second time that had all changed.

Struck by lightning, twice. It had been one of the most painful things he'd ever felt. Luckily he'd been able to hold in tears until after the duel (though the cheering charm his partner had had him under sure helped). but he still remembered how much it had seared. He'd gone to the hospital wing after, and that had helped...but the memory was still burned into his brain like all the other things he'd faced at Hogwarts. If his parents only knew what he did at school...

In some ways though it made it better. It had hurt worse than anything, sure. And sure he trembled a bit today as he walked up onto the stage like he always did (though there were lots of things that went into that. Nerves, public attention...). He WAS scared, because he hated pain. But he HAD survived right? He had taken a hit in a duel and he had lived and he had come back again. That meant something.

Sure it was still scary, but the uncertainty that he'd felt the first two times was replaced by...something else. That something wasn't exactly good. But it was different.

Of course in this duel he might have more to worry about than pain. Hanako was unpredictable. He'd always been kind of a mystery to Jake, and today probably wouldn't be much different.

Jake squinted at Hanako who seemed to be studying them. Hanako wanted to know if they'd done anything new. "No?" Jake replied, blinking. Like what? The last time he saw Hanako, was... well back when he was watching over his duel. That was months ago. He had maybe gotten a little taller since then. Was that what Hanako was talking about? Jake looked at Autumn and shrugged.

Well anyway, at least Hanako was being friendly.

@Hanako Tone @Autumn Ivy

Action: Being oblivious to Hanako's flirting. Then doing as Strategized

Round 1

Jake Morris vs Opeila Winters

Reducio

Jake Morris cast Ventus at Opeila Winters
Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 10 = 19 > 11 → Success
Split Check: [d20: 18] < 19 → No Split
Auto-Miss: [d20: 1] < 19 → No Auto-Miss
Auto-Dodge: [d20: 13] < 19 → No Auto-Dodge
Accuracy Check: [d20: 7] + 13 = 20
Evasion Check: [d20: 15] + 10 = 25
20 < 25 → Miss

Autumn Ivy vs Hanako Tone

Reducio

Autumn Ivy cast Incendio Duo at Hanako Tone
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 7 + 1 (CL) = 16 > 12 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 18] + 10 = 28
Evasion Check: [d20: 17] + 6 = 23
28 >23 → Hit
Damage: 60 + 10 ARC × 10 = 160
Duration: [d3: 3] → 2 rounds (1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds)
Effects: Aflame, target suffers –60 HP per round.

Opeila Winters vs Autumn Ivy

Reducio

Opeila Winters cast Petrificus Totalus at Autumn Ivy
Wisdom DC: 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 9 = 27 > 14 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 20] + 12 = 32
Evasion Check: [d20: 5] + 9 = 14
32 > 14 → Hit
Damage: 50 * .9 (TP) = 45
Duration: [d3: 1] + 1 Round→ 2 rounds (1-2: 1, 3: 2)
Effects: The target is paralysed and falls down, unable to move and cast, but also cannot be attacked

Hanako Tone vs Jake Morris

Reducio

Hanako Tone cast Nebulus at Target
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 5] + 10 = 15 > 12 → Success
Duration: [d5: 4] → 3 rounds (1-3: 2 rounds, 4-5: 3 rounds)
Effects: The affected players receive –5 Accuracy and –5 Evasion and additional
If a player aims at the player under the Nebulus effect, the attacker's Accuracy is lowered by 4.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!" Galton shouted to the crowd as the duelists before him began weaving the each others doom. The first round tended to show a teams' dueling style, as it was normally the only round that you knew what exactly you'd be able to do. Were they aggressive, opting for pure damage? Cautious, covering the piste with debuffs? Or somewhere in between?

Hufflepuff would answer that question quickly and firmly - it was all about damage for them. Galton couldn't decide if it was surprising or not. On one hand you had the unassuming Jake, and on the other you have the unsettling Autumn. As the incantations for a Ventus and Incedio Duo would come, Galton would make another comment to the audience. "Badgers are wasting no time - combining the elements for a brutal onslaught!

The Snakes proved to be much more tame in comparison. Taking the time to coil before striking perhaps? It was funny how both teams seemed to play into their names a bit. Opeila spat out a crystal clear incantation for Petrificus Totalus and Hanako worked on their own Nebulus. "Viper is baring their fangs! Let's see if that venom is potent."

And the the crossfire began. Fog began to seep in around Jake - and only Jake. That was new, normally everyone wrapped two people in fog, but it was smart. It would leave Autumn exposed. Jake let his Ventus fly, and the the wind would veer off a bit and dissipate. "OH! Our first miss - Opelia has avoided the Jake's torrent." But the Hufflepuffs wouldn't go home empty handed. Autumn's Incedio Duo would land with brutal accuracy. "Ouch - Hanako seems to have ignited something in the Badgers, looks like Autumn had to pay it ba-" Galton's words were cutoff as Opeila's Petrificus crossed the piste and crashed into Autumn.

Autumn had had great aim, but this was something else. Opeila had sent something truly inescapable for the Badger. Autumn would feel her joints lock up, and then she would fall - the terrifying type of fall where you were completely unable to catch yourself. "WHAT A SHOT! I feel sorry for Autumn, but you have to respect Opeila's efficiency."

Chaos had taken the piste (as it normally does). One Badger was barely visible, while Autumn was lying rather lifelessly on the piste. Hanako was fully ablaze, and only Opeila stood unburdened. "Things are starting to heat up, will the results remain foggy? Or will things be cleared up quickly?" He would end the question with notable excitement. Galton was just as interested (if not more) in where this was going as he hoped the crowd was.

Information

• You have 96 hours from now to write your posts. A minimum word count of 50 is needed per post.
• In the same time period, send me (Galton Lansdale) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
• If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
• Your Stats, Abilities, and Spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
• Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
• Here you can find the rules to the Duelling System.
• Best of luck, let's have some fun!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

When Galton announced the beginning of the duel, Opeila was ready. In a second she cast her first spell, knocking Autumn to the ground, at the same time saw Jake's spell coming in her direction and spun out of the way. The young Slytherin always found the first few second of the duels to be vital for her own confidence. If she messed them up, she got stressed- but a shining start such as this lifted her mood like nothing else.

... Especially since a certain someone seemed not to be as lucky. "Would you look at that! Seems it doesn't need me to make it happen!"

Doing as strategized.

"How about you take care that I don't set your backside on fire.", Winters said in response whilst showing an unpleasant expression. Sadly for her, he would only revel in her sour mood, throwing back a cheeky grin.

At the very least she was responding to him. Autumn seemed to be hell bent on not giving him the time of day.. Which, honestly, was not the best way to make him stop most of the time. Did she even remember him? Oh, who was he kidding? Of course she did. It was impossible for him not to be memorable. She was just being a tad bit shy. Time to get her more comfortable as they start slinging more spells at one another.

Jake on the other hand was… being.. well, Jake. Perhaps flirting with him was not the best tactic to use. Hanako was reminded of that other hufflepuff duelist Swansea, who gave more or less the same reaction. Now usually this would have been the indicator for him to ramp up the flirting, but somehow he just felt like .. it was going to cost more energy than it really should.

So, Ivy wasn’t planning on indulging in his joking. Jake would have it fly right over his head. And Winters wanted to set his back on fire. Who was he going to flirt with then?!?

His eyes naturally glanced at the noisy moderator.

Well… he doesn’t have a cat.. Hanako kept the possibility at the back of his head and focused on the duel. And of course, he was on fire.

"Would you look at that! Seems it doesn't need me to make it happen!" she earned an eye roll from the boy, tensing as the flames burned the top of his skin. It was more irritating when she managed to dodge.

“ Yea yea, don’t get too jealous you didn’t get to do it first, hm? ”

He glanced towards Ivy who so kindly shot him the spell, pleased beyond measure that she was paralysed. Winters could be an annoying little bugger, but she did have her uses. He was just about to mock the poor girl, really. It showed by the smug grin that started appearing on his face. But he decided against it, out of the goodness of his heart. Also maybe because the burns were really starting to hurt.

@Opeila Winters | Action: Doing as strategized. Currently not in the mood to flirt

date / Saturday - April 22, 2023
word count / 143

Autumn only got a few seconds of self-congratulation before her body hit the ground. She had only seen the body-bind in a duel when Jake had cast it on their last one. Back then she had thought about how uncomfortable and intrusive being under the spell’s effect must feel. In person, it was worse than she could have imagined.

There was little pain, only the ache she felt in the body parts she had fallen on. But the lack of autonomy she had, the inability to just get up off the ground… Autumn couldn’t even be mad at Winters for casting it, too busy being terrified. She tried to use any remainder of willpower or strength to break out. Hopefully it would be enough.

(At least she had gotten to set Tone on fire before being locked into the physical recreation of purgatory.)

health / 755/800
stats / Stamina - 8 | Evasion - 9 | Strength - 7 | Wisdom - 7 | Arcane Power - 10 | Accuracy - 10
abilities / Sixth Sense - Perfectionist - Comprehend Languages (Mermish) - Terrible Presence

"Aw, man..." Jake's first spell just missed Opeila. He HAD to get better at aiming. He was ok during practice and all, but the second it was a real duel everything became so much harder. All thought would leave his head and he'd just be trying to fight on instinct and all the mental steps he had to do to aim his spells fell out the window.

At first, Jake had thought that Galton's commentary was embarrassing - but now he changed his mind. It was actually super helpful. There was so much going on at once that just being able to hear him made it feel a lot easier to figure out what the heck was happening. Especially once the fog began to creep in.

Jake looked around left and right, but as the fog rose he saw that there was no other duelist being cloaked -only him - and then his vision was covered, and everything became hazy. Uh oh....He heard the thud of Autumn falling beside him, and knew from Galton that she'd been hit. When she didn't get back up he had a feeling he knew what spell had hit her - he'd used it himself before after all. Double uh oh...

"D-don't worry, I'll get them!" he called down to Autumn, trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt. Two on one...he HATED when it was two on one...memories of his last duel, and the flash of lightning...

No...Jake shook that out of his head. There were no storm clouds. There was fog around him and it meant he couldn't see, but it also meant they couldn't see him very well either. He was fast, he knew he was fast. And it was the one time being small didn't feel like a drawback. Even better, when there was fog he knew that all of the onlookers couldn't see him, and that was the best part of all. His nerves weren't there for the whole world to look at. He sorta wished he could just duel in fog all the time... He gripped his wand tighter and tried to peer for Hanako and Opeila through the haze. Luckily he didn't need just his eyes because they also were talking (how come his opponents were always fighting with each other?)

Action: Doing as Strategized