Closed Fighting 'til Twilight PV/Open to OAPs

@Serena Towers | @Hugh Lowe

"I'm right behind you!" Howard called out from behind Hugh as the pair made their way towards the edge of the forest. While the giant's large stride would rumble like a mini earthquake, he moved with a silent grace. Years of honing his skills made him light on his feet. Part of it was his natural athletics, the other was the predatory nature that came with his Dhampirism. Combined they could equal quite the force. Hugh was a colossus of brute strength and Howard the agile predator, like a wolverine ready to ambush its prey.

Just as they were about to make further comments on the situation a series of shouts would catch their attention. "Over there." Howard whispered the obvious as Serena and Arjan were currently engaged in vicious combat. The scent of blood quickly filled Howard's nostrils and he knew that this was no petty disagreement, this was a fight meant to maim and harm. The realization that Serena was seriously injured provoked a side of Howard that had not been unleashed in quite some time. Despite their ups and downs as friends, Serena meant a lot to the young man. In a way he loved her. Not like he did Bloom, but in perhaps an ironic way considering the current situation, it was much like the love for a sibling that he never had.

It was not quite rage that filled him as he took in the scene. In the past he would have relied on his anger and hatred to fuel his actions, but this was different. This was a yearning to protect that he may have never felt and it urged him much in the same way. Perhaps this was the balance he a sought for a long time between his two natures. The human in him wanted nothing more than to protect a life he held dearly, yet he would gladly rely on his darker half to do so. Howard would crouch low. A dark aura would soon fill the space around him (Unsettling Aura & Terrible Presence) as he prepared to defend his friend. His hand flexed as he brought his claws to the ready. His fangs plunged from his gum lines as he prepared for battle. Hugh must have read his mind.

Howard could have sprinted onto the scene effectively, but as his body was lifted by the giant he knew this would add a force to his defensive attack. He balled himself up as he was lifted, like ammunition for the cannon that was Hugh Lowe and soon enough Howard would be flying through the air. He would not shout or unleash a war cry, but as he reach the peak of his trajectory he would swing his arms forward and flatten out his body. The target was of course Arjan and as much as he wanted to defend Serena he did not aim to kill. If his aim was true Howard would sink his claws deep into the shoulders and arms of Arjan in an attempt to cripple the target.

Roleplaying as Durmstrang iNPC Arjan Oberoi

A R J A N- T O W E R S - O B E R O I

Stamina: 15 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 24 (Obnoxiously Strong: 28) | Wisdom: 5 | AP: 8 | Accuracy: 13
Abilities: Obnoxiously Strong | The Martial Artist | Spell Spread | Charmer

Taking a leaf right out of his so-called sister's book, though he would never willingly admit that, Arjan pulled out his wand. He was always jealous of the fact that she could cast without one but again, this was not something he would verbalise to anyone. But he could also do magic! Sometimes!

Aiming in the direction of the ball coming towards him, he decided there was only one thing to do. If he could time it perfectly, he would have sent the boulder directly towards the goblin but since he couldn't, he went with the extra best step. He too could cast magic, he was a wizard after all - a fact that the sad little gremlin often forgot, he was sure. "Confringo!" He cast. If successful, the spell would zip towards the giant incoming projectile before splitting at the last minute and firing towards the one that this annoying voice was calling for. With any luck, he would hit them both.

Well, of course, he would succeed, he was Arjan Oberoi after all. Desmond Arjan Shivaay Lazarus Oberoi-Towers. Sans the Towers now. In fact, sans the Lazarus too - which was their so-called father's name. That bastard wasn't really his father, now was he? Was he even an Oberoi? The fury flowed through him for hell have no fury like an Arjan scorned. Even if, in this instance, the love was paternal and not at all romantic.

The 'projectile' turned out to be a frickin' dhampir, easily recognisable even by Arjan. Wait - not just any dhampir. He recognised the pale shit immediately. It was the Hogwarts champion. Behind him, in the direction of the voice, there was a very large and easily spotted landmark. Great. Serena's "backup" was a giant and a vampire. More half-bred crap that he would have to get his hands dirty for. Ugh. If he punched them and touched their gross skin, would he get infected?

He did not really have a chance to question it. The gremlin's knights in no armour wasted no time in attacking.

Health: 768/1500 | Status: Pimples & Sliced Ear

S E R E N A - J O D H A - T O W E R S - O B E R O I

you must forge your own path for it to mean anything

Amongst the gasping and the coughing, the familiar sound of Hugh's voice reached her ears. Her chest ached from the blow to it but there was a warmth at knowing her favourite part-giant was nearby, that he was looking for her. That, more than anything, was a reminder that she was not alone. Serena's strength was never in her fists or her magic. It was in her friends.

There was a pang of pain knowing the state that the long being would find her in. He would be so mad at her, likely scolding her for months to come for not beating her brother before he managed to even raise his fist. Right. She could not lose to Arjan. Not now. If not because it would make Arjan even more arrogant and intolerable than ever then because Hugh would be livid.

She wanted to tell Arjan that he was wrong. She was not the weak little shit here. Having friends was a strength that he would never know. His friends weren't here, were they? They weren't backing him up. He thought that was because he was strong. It wasn't. It was because no one truly cared about him. But talking hurt. Everything hurt. Hell, at this point, even breathing hurt. This was not the time to talk, she had to keep her fists up and fight - or at least, survive long enough to stay up.

"Episkey," She whispered, gently stroking her sore neck. She was pretty sure that a bone might have snapped and she may have had more internal damage than her outward appearance made it look like she had but she did not have the time or headspace right now to even look at that. She was never really good at healing herself. As a healer intern, she had spent countless hours helping others but she often forgot to tend to herself.

Action: Serena casts Episkey (raised by 10) on self
Wisdom DC: 12 + 10 + 5 = 27
Serena's Wisdom: 16 + 15 = 31, Success
Heals 200 (raising total health to 416)

Her neck warmed, starting to heal immediately. She was still panting but the sensation meant it was working, she knew that much.

Action: Hugh throwing Howard towards Arjan. Strength check autosucceeded due to part-giantness and high strength.

Accuracy roll to check aim. This will be done with advantage due to Howard's balling up. On a Critical Failure, Hugh throws Howard towards Serena, who will need to dodge or get hit. Anything else will be a contested Accuracy vs. Evasion with Arjan. If Hugh succeeds accuracy, Howard will get extra damage on first attack. If Arjan evades, no extra advantage.

Hugh's Accuracy: 4 5 (roll) + 7 (stat) - 1 (charmer) = 11
Auto-fail and Auto-miss: failed
Arjan's Evasion: 7 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 17

She watched Arjan sidestep backwards, narrowly getting out of the way of the projectile towards him. The projectile that Hugh threw was- wait- Serena was pretty sure that the lack of air had made her hallucinate. She was used to the Gryffindor throwing things whenever he could - how many large boulders or trees had she had to dodge? Heck, he had thrown her. But what she had not expected was the ball to outstretch into a familiar-looking dhampir.

Howard...? Serena not tell if she had imagined Hugh's voice calling her name or if she was seeing Howard when he wasn't there. Her watered eyes, her panting, her aching body made things even harder to think. There was a sinking feeling Serena had at that moment. She couldn't quite explain it but the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Was she dying? Is that why there was a chill that went straight to her bones?

She rubbed her eyes with her balled-up fist, still gearing up to fight. Was Howard going to be the person she pictured in her dying moments? What a strange illusion. However, it did make sense given that she had the biggest crush on him for the longest time ever. Still though. Why now?

Action: Arjan spell spreads Confringo at the 'boulder' Howard and Serena
Wisdom DC: 17 + 2 due to spell spread = 19
Arjan's Wisdom: 14 (roll) + 5 (stat) = 19
Meets, it beats.
Auto-fail and Auto-miss both fail

Arjan's Accuracy: 14 (roll) + 13 (stat) - 2 (spell spread) = 25
Howard's Evasion: 5 (roll) + 18 (stat) = 23, Full hit
Serena's Evasion: 9 (roll) + 19 (stat) = 28, Splintered hit

Damage: 270 full hit, 74 splintered hit
Howard takes 270 damage (total remaining 930)
Serena takes 74 damage (total remaining 342)

Her eyes widened as she jumped out of the way of an incoming spell, narrowly dodging it. Chunks flew off the tree trunk that had been behind her, throwing shards of bark and rubble at her and hitting her in the face. As she looked up, she saw the imaginary figure of Howard staggering back a little as something hit him in the chest too. Wait- he wasn't imaginary. Her eyes widened as she watched the dhampir's claws swipe at Arjan.

Even being blasted back did not stop the relentless dhampir from taking a swipe as he flew past him, landing on his feet not too far from him. She frowned at the sight of Howard getting hurt, getting dragged into one of her fights and having to protect her when she was too weak, once again.

Action: Howard claws Arjan.
Howard's Accuracy: 12 (roll) + 20 (stat) - 1 (charmer) = 31
Arjan's Evasion: 8 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 18

Howard very easily succeeds to literally no one's surprise. Even before the bravery charm (Howard to decide if he works).

Damage Equation for Claw: 60 + strength x 10 = 210 hp
Arjan's health: 768 - 210 = 558
Arjan is also now bleeding (losing 10.5 hp each turn)

The blood splattered out of the pimpled bastard that she had grown to despise. He was meant to be her brother. Why did he hate her so much? Even before today, he had always treated her badly. He always made her feel different, not good enough. Serena did not understand how he could be so awful but fundamentally, they had always disagreed. For starters, she wasn't a racist, sexist jerk. At least, she liked to think she wasn't. Despite everything, she also did not know if she was meant to just stand there and watch one of her closest friends fight her brother for her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, as her neck healed itself. Now, she could cast spells more easily and actually fight her brother again. Now that she wasn't gasping for air as much, it may be a somewhat fairer fight. Serena put her fists up again, staring at the duo not too far away. Maybe she could turn Arjan into something... something that prevented him from harming anyone else. Perhaps a monkey? There was a spell for that! She tried to cast but she couldn't (Auto-fail succeeded). Saying she felt uneasy was an understatement. Serena tried to focus but she couldn't.

Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 17 19 | Strength: 3 | Wisdom: 15 | Arcane Power: 10 | Accuracy: 15
Abilities: Part-Goblin, Evasive Maneuvers, Beastmaster, Paragon of Health
Fifth-Year Armour: +10% auto-dodge on attacks [=20% auto-dodge overall]
[Allies for Paragon of Health: Pizza Rat]
Seventh-Year Armour: +2 Evasion

Health: 342/1000 | Status: Broken Rib

OOC: I have statted up some things in this as there wasn't a site reference to use. This only applies to this thread.

==

Writing as approved Durmstrang iNPC Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky @Serena Towers, @Hugh Lowe, @Howard White

It had taken Slava a while to decide what to do. Whatever Arjan and Serena were talking about wasn’t his business, but Arjan had looked really mad, and that was concerning. Still, it was unlikely they would want him meddling in their conversation if it was private enough to warrant walking a fair distance away from the group. Without much more thought, Slava returned his attention to what the others around him were doing, but only a few seconds passed before two boys left in the same direction as the others with a sense of urgency.

His fingers tapped on his leg as he debated whether or not to go too. Well, what was the harm in just checking on them? He could always leave again if everything was fine. Having made his mind up, he got up and wandered after Hugh and the other boy, following a few seconds behind them. Soon, he heard yelling, and then Hugh… launched the other boy at Arjan? It was surprisingly effective, quickly getting him very close to Arjan even despite the explosion the Durmstrang student had caused. In the time it took Slava to approach, he tried to evaluate the situation, which really wasn’t looking good. He didn’t know why they were all fighting, but it was getting bloody and seemed pretty intense.

Slava did not necessarily condone starting this kind of violence, and had he known about all the racist hate Arjan was expressing, he wouldn’t have liked that, either, but what was important right now was that there was apparent intent from all parties to do serious harm, which was a problem. Arjan was strong, most certainly, but three against one…? Even if he was in the wrong, it was clearly unfair. Frowning, Slava considered what to do. Arjan had helped him in the past, so maybe it was Slava’s turn to help now. He didn’t want to contribute to this escalating even further, though, so he would attempt to put a stop to it instead.

With very little hesitation, Slava charged into the middle of the conflict, attempting to pull Arjan away from the others and quickly trying to position his own body in the way of anyone’s attacks. “Stop! What are you doing?” he shouted at the four of them. Both Serena and Arjan seemed to be significantly suffering, with coughing and large pimples and blood. “Is this not enough harm for one day?” There was a plea in his dark eyes, concern clear in his expression. Just stop.

Action: Trying to pull Arjan away and keep others separated from him (possibly like a body block?)
Statistics: STA 8 | EVA 9 | STR 17 | WIS 6 | ARC 5 | ACC 20
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers I & II, Broken Broomshaft, Charmer (no opponents), Paragon of Health (Allies to gain health: Arjan Oberoi and Serena Towers)

Roleplaying as Durmstrang iNPC Arjan Oberoi

A R J A N- T O W E R S - O B E R O I

Stamina: 15 | Evasion: 10 | Strength: 24 (Obnoxiously Strong: 28) | Wisdom: 5 | AP: 8 | Accuracy: 13
Abilities: Obnoxiously Strong | The Martial Artist | Spell Spread | Charmer

He could not help the grunts of pain that left his mouth as something dug into his shoulders and arms. Arjan clenched his jaw immediately, trying to silence the fact that he was in agony - not wanting to give the paleass shit in front of him the satisfaction of knowing how much that hurt. He had spent many hours fighting, taking several punches or kicks. He knew the feeling of that impact well. But this? It was like scraping metal nails against a wall, where he was the wall and the "scratch marks" were deep enough to penetrate the outer layer. Of course, the gremlin had someone like him on her team. What's next? A giant freak of nature- oh wait-

To his utter surprise, however, Slava dived into the fight first - trying to pull him back. Slava was not one for fighting. In truth, Arjan was the one who often had to come in and help him out - that was kind of how their whole friendship had even begun. A part of him hated that he was getting in the way now. Arjan wanted to show both the meek little gremlin and her monster companions that he could take them all, that he was stronger than them all. His pureblood ways allowed him to be superior in every way.

Was he even a pureblood?

It was a question that he did not dare to ponder but it nagged at him nonetheless. He could feel the fear and dread inside of him, not knowing the answer. He bit back the question and spat out some blood angrily on the ground again, almost as though he was hoping to expel the emotions from his body in the same manner.

"Slava- don't- let me go! They started it!" He argued with Slava, throwing his fist towards Howard in the hopes of clocking the other guy square in the jaw before the other Durmstrang got in the way, if he managed to. Though, perhaps, he was okay with also having an excuse to not go against both a vampire and a giant... The house elf, he could handle, but the three of them? Monsters. That's what they were and he supposed he was the monster hunter today.

Gaston Arjan Oberoi would boldly declare himself to be a strong, capable man. He was arrogant, sure, but it stemmed from sheer confidence that behind his words, he was truly strong. His muscles were built to be evidence of how capable he was, as though his outward appearance was all that mattered to him. Everything was about his reputation and he prided himself on that strength. He would never claim he was losing. Even if Slava had not appeared, he would have continued to fight all three of the pathetic filthy half-breeds in front of him - four if he included that damn rat, which he was certainly going to include. But the situation did not look good from an outward perspective. He was outnumbered. And that was something he could use to his advantage.

"That's exactly what I told her!" Arjan roared in response to Slava's question about harm, motioning in the direction of the gremlin with his head. Slava wanted to know what was happening? Great, he could tell him. In fact, he could tell them all. None of them were here ten seconds ago, right? None of them actually witnessed it, right? "She started it. I just wanted to talk-" He paused for a second before quickly adding, "About our parents. They're struggling," He added giving his 'sister' a look as he explained why he had dragged her over here, as though their parents were going through some awful hardship and as loving children, it was their job to discuss and step up to help. Arjan had always painted himself as the loving and doting son, especially towards his mother. Years of playing his part in the pureblood parties was finally paying off. No one could see him as anything but that, surely? If nothing else, he was definitely a mama's boy.

"But then she started going crazy on me, attacking me out of nowhere! The bitch cut my ear," He said as he winced, moving his newly injured arms up to his ear and held it as though he was still in pain about it. "Lost her shit, I dunno, out of jealousy or some shit? I held her back to stop her, calm her down yanno? I didn't mean to hit her but she kept fighting, clocked her by mistake once - I'm too strong - I think she fractured her lung, was trying to get her to calm the hell down before something ruptured and this fucker comes out of nowhere and starts clawing me without the full story," It was not entirely a lie. He had only managed to get one clean hit on her. Of course, he had also held her back by shoving her into a tree and trying to suffocate her, but really, he had only managed to get one clean hit in and she started bleeding. The rest of the attacks, that wily little bitch had managed to dodge somehow. She must have been cheating! As he spoke the last part, he was glaring at the dhampir who had, quite literally, flown it from out of nowhere.

He also did not stop wrestling against Slava's pull, trying to continue to go for Howard. He had to get him back for the fact that his arms were in agony and blood was staining his clothing quickly. What sort of awful appearance was this? They were all siding with her - new guy included - when he was the one covered in disgusting boils, ripped clothes, a sliced ear and blood running down from his shoulders to his forearms... How was that fair? Where was the justice in this? WHAT IF A CUTE GIRL WALKED PAST RIGHT NOW? WHAT WOULD SHE THINK? He was not happy with it. Even Slava was trying to stop them, rather than helping him beat the shit out of these arseholes.

He took his sister's silence and the enraged look on her face as motivation to continue. She was not arguing with it, he had a chance to turn this entirely. "I know she's adopted and all but that didn't stop me from treating her like my sister our whole lives," He continued, resisting the urge to ragevomit at the words coming out of his mouth - and yes, that was a word. Even saying the words caused a surge of disgust to rise within him. He was one who very rarely would admit they were related, preferring to keep that part a secret over the years as he always considered them different. The amount of people that he had told or knew were aware of it could be counted on one hand - and most of those were solely because they knew both of them from childhood, they knew him before he took his mother's family name. "I just wanted to talk about our parents," He tried to explain, as though he was the reasonable one here. "I don't even know where all of this came from... But imagine how they'd feel if they found out how much you hate me?" Arjan put his best pained look on his face. He had to sell this story. As he said the last bit, he looked directly at the goblin intensely with as much hurt and pain as he could muster up. They both knew it was fake but he didn't need her to buy it, he needed the others to. The crowd around the pair of them seemed to be getting larger by the second. He had to sell this.

Serena's silence and the look of rage on her face would likely help him sell his story. It was the look of someone who had snapped, someone who had a fire burning within - with no chance of quenching it. He knew because he saw the moment that expression had first fallen on her face. It was the moment he had attempted to crush her stupid rat under his foot and every single ounce of hesitation had left her in an instant, replaced solely by a murderous look of pure rage.

His intent look at her almost said 'your move, sis'.

Health: 558*/1500 | Status: Painful pimples, sliced ear, clawed shoulders, bleeding

OOC: I'll roll for the other stuff in Serena's post, once others have had a chance to post. Just wanted to do this roll as most of this post wouldn't have happened if that succeeded. I removed the stuff about the full body bind as Cyrus moved it to be later in the post anyway so it isn't affected by the rest of this.
* His health may change if the healing spell succeeds.

Hugh will try to grab Arjan and break his skull. If he grabs Slava instead (I assume there would be a roll to show Slava's intent of protecting Arjan), he'll just throw Slava aside and out of his and Howard's way. After which he'll resume his attempt to grab Arjan in the next round of actions.

Howard was a natural guardian. The urge to protect and maintain what was dear to him was perhaps his best trait and most likely why the sorting hat had chosen Hufflepuff for him all those years ago. This was what fueled him as he charged off to help his friend, but there was something more. Usually before a confrontation Howard was able to keep his composure, yet there was no denying the jitters that came as the adrenaline pumped. This time however he felt no such thing. Unbeknownst to him he had been charmed and he would take all the help he could get as he was quite literally thrown into battle.

Arjan was no easy target though and easily sidestepped Howard and fired off a spell that hit the Dhampir full on. The heat of the spell burned and the impact would knock him back, but it did nothing to deter Howard before he lashed out. He felt his claws connect and rip through flesh. Nothing a healing spell and a good potion couldn't fix though. Arjan would surely think twice before raising a hand to Serena, or any of his friends for that matter. Speaking of friends, a Durmstrang ally would arrive and attempt to but himself in-between the opposing parties, soon followed by an American as well.

The two newcomers would argue for end to the fight and as mad as Howard was, he was willing to listen for the moment. "If that pshyco leaves now, I'll stop!" That was as much as he was willing to give. He had no desire to cause any further harm, but Howard wasn't going to give another inch if Arjan made another move. Yet there seemed to be no stopping him as he continued to throw blows. Howard would do his best to evade the attacks and held up his arms in an attempt to block any that landed. "We started it?!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Although there might be some truth to it, Serena's battered form was proof enough that Arjan was prepared to seriously injure and had gone way too far. "Look at what you've done to her! She's coughing up blood you sick fuck!" He shouted as disbelief washed over him. They were siblings! "I don't need a goddamned story from you! You did this to your own sister! What the fuck is wrong with you!"

There would be no time for an answer. Not that Howard cared what the response was. With a mighty boom Hugh would jump into the air and crash down in front of Slava. The earth shook under his feet and his voice ripped through the air. The part giant cared not who stood in his way as he reached for Arjan's head. It was time for him to be silenced and Howard couldn't agree more (assuming Arjan's attack did not disable him). He would attempt to slip around Slava and take another shot at Arjan. The only thing that could stop him would be Serena demanding it.

Action: Attempting to bypass Slava if Arjan doesn't knock him down. If Howard is not successful, he would not attack Slava. If he gets past him, he would attempt to kick Arjan.

S E R E N A - J O D H A - T O W E R S - O B E R O I

you must forge your own path for it to mean anything

Serena wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to remove the blood as she panted. She had no idea what was going on but Howard had jumped in and now, it looked like one of Arjan's friends had too. The Durmstrang boy that she had just met earlier at the party. He was... he was probably right. This was probably enough for one day. Right. Yeah. She watched him trying to stop her so called half-brother away from the fight.

Action: Slava tries to pull Arjan away
Slava's Strength: 14 (roll) + 17 (str) = 31
Arjan's Strength: 4 (roll) + 27.6 (str with obnoxiously strong) = 31.6

Slava fails to pull Arjan back, just. It's basically even.

It looked almost like they were just hugging each other though with Slava grabbing Arjan and trying to push him back to no avail. Arjan did not look ready to stop. He was arguing, throwing fists at Howard relentless. She had to do something but even breathing was getting hard at this point. Why did everything hurt so much?

Action: Arjan punches Howard
Arjan's Accuracy: 4 (roll) + 13 (stat) = 17
Howard's Evasion: 14 (roll) + 18 (evasion) = 32

Howard seemed far better at fighting than she was, at the very least and she was immensely grateful for that as he managed to duck and dodge out of the way as Arjan threw his fist left, right and centre - trying to hit him without getting pulled back by the other Durmstrang.

Action: Cyrus spell-spreads Reparifors at Arjan and Serena
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 (Spell Spread) = 13
Cyrus' Wisdom: 5 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 15
Accuracy Roll did not crit fail so it will hit. No evasion roll necessary.

Heals both for 50 + 16 [AP] × 8 = 178 healing

Arjan's health - 558 + 178 = 736
Serena's health - 342 + 178 = 520

A spell hit her from pretty much out of nowhere and she felt a slightly better as the wounds started to close up and the bruise that was definitely forming on her ribcage started to fade a tiny bit. The boy who cast it rushed in, begging them to stop and attempting to diffuse the situation.

Action: Cyrus casts Petrificus Totalus at Arjan
Wisdom DC: 14
Cyrus' Wisdom: 10 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 20, Success
Auto-fail and Auto-miss countered by Fearless.
Cyrus' Accuracy: 2 (roll) + 10 (stat) - 1 (charmer) = 11
Arjan's Evasion: 7 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 17

The spell zoomed right past him, though it did not even seem to faze the boy. He just continued to talk. Wait- Serena blinked as the words that Arjan was saying finally started to get processed. He was blaming her. He said she had started it. That their parents were struggling- Serena stared at him, catching the look he gave her. Our parents.

His words hit her. Harder than his punch had. It caused her blood to boil even more furiously. He had only hit her once but that was because she had fuckin' dodged every single other attempt! He had also tried to strangle the life out of her. Did that not count? But more than all of that, he had tried to stomp on Pizza Rat - was he really just ignoring that? But she understood how bad it looked. From what they could see, she was wheezing from one accidental punch to her chest and that caused her to spit up blood. He did have a sliced ear and a face that looked like hell.

If they believed him, she would not be surprised. And... she hated that. Her eyes watered as she clenched her teeth. He was twisting it. Claws. He specifically mentioned Howard's claws... and that was when it started to dawn on her.

He was twisting the entire story. He was making it seem like he knew she was the "adopted" one in this scenario. None of them had met her parents, none of them knew whether they were human or not. For all they knew, Arjan was in the right.

The pained expression on his face hit her most. She knew it was fake - because every single thing that came out of the bastard's mouth was fake. But it looked so real that it emotionally stung a little. They would believe him. He was just an innocent pureblood who had taken in the half-breed into his family, treating her like a sister and she had attacked him like a cold-blooded monster out of some sick sense of jealousy. That was the story he was going to paint. And he was dragging in the dhampir.

But it was the comment just before the look that hit her right in the heart. Their parents. It was not a question he was asking her. He did not care about showing his hatred for her to them, why was he waiting like he cared about the reverse?! Because it was not a question. It was a threat. A thinly veiled threat. He was going to tell their parents this version of the story. He was going to make himself out to the victim - and he had the injuries to go along with it. One against the many. He was going to tell their parents that the secret she had kept - for the family - was something she was no longer going to keep.

Serena had promised her dad she would hide her goblin heritage. She had never even mentioned it to her mother, though she could only assume the woman knew. But they never actually spoke about it. No one outside the Towers was meant to know that the line was not pureblooded humans. That was a secret that she was meant to take to the grave. It was a secret that she refused. Howard and Hugh had shown her that it was not a secret she could keep but she had promised her father and now... she was breaking it. Hugh had been so proud when she walked up to him with her ears fully on display. He had understood exactly what that meant to her more so than most but it was not an easy decision.

Going against the society was one thing - not an easy thing, mind you - but going against the relative she loved the most in the world? That was another thing entirely. She had broken the promise and she knew she would have to live with those consequences when she did it. Arjan was just... taking full advantage of that.

Action: Hugh attempts to grab Arjan instead of Slava.
Hugh is taller by uh a lot and can easily see over Slava, who is "short for his age". With Arjan being over six foot too, this is pretty easy to reach over and go for him. So, I'll do an auto-fail + auto-miss roll (for Unsettling & Terrible Presence). If either of those succeed then he goes for Slava. If both fail, he goes for Arjan by default. No other rolls necessary.

Auto-fail: Passes, Auto-fail did not trigger.
Auto-miss: Passes. Auto-miss did not trigger.

Action: Hugh attempts to break Arjan's skull
Hugh's Accuracy: 1 (roll) + 7 (accuracy) - 1 (charmer) = 7
Arjan's Evasion: 15 (roll) + 10 (accuracy) = 25

Due to a critical fail, Hugh targets someone else nearby instead. Available targets are Slava or Howard as the other two are a bit further away.

Chosen Target: 1-10 Slava, 11-20 Howard. Rolls 5 - Slava.
Hugh's Accuracy: 12 (no stat bonus)
Slava's Evasion: 12 (roll) + 9 (stat) = 21

She had no idea when he appeared but the large figure quickly caught her attention as Arjan's words were sinking in. A part-giant that she knew too well. Her eyes widened as she noticed how livid he seemed. He looked angrier than she had seen him in a while, maybe ever. Arjan was faster than him but damn, Hugh was ready to murder him.

Fuck. She had no idea what she was meant to do. Arjan's physical punch had not defeated her but the emotional blow of his words were hitting her hard.

Three half-breeds attacked innocent Durmstrang. She could see the headlines already. She could see her parents' hurt faces, their disappointment as the pureblood community slandered their name, wrecked their reputation. They would be shunned. Because of her.

She felt bile in her throat, almost as though the whole situation was making her sick. It was nauseating... She had dragged her friends into getting more hatred - something she had sworn to try and protect them both from - and dragged her family name and reputation through the mud too. All because she wanted to just be herself. Was that really so much to ask for? Did the world really expect her to hide who she was forever? What sort of life would that even be?

Tears streamed down her face. She could no longer tell if she was upset or crying out of anger.

But Hugh's and Howard's words echoed through the grounds, reaching her ears quickly. Right. She wasn't alone. Of course they wouldn't believe the Durmstrang's words. Her friends knew her. Serena panted softly, suddenly looking down as she felt something against her leg. Pizza Rat quickly climbed up in that weird way that rodents somehow did and settled on her shoulder. It was not until that moment when she understood what had happened.

She had made her decision the moment she dawned her earrings on and nothing she did now would change that.

Action: Howard attempts to bypass Slava
Howard's Accuracy: 17 (roll) + 20 (stat) - 1 (charmer) = 36
Slava's Accuracy: 7 (roll) + 20 (stat) - 1 (charmer) = 26

Action: Howard attempts to kick Arjan
Howard's Accuracy: 8 (roll) + 20 (stat) - 1 (charmer) - 2 (kick) = 25
Arjan's Evasion: 1 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 11...

Damage: 100*(15 strength)*1.1/5 = 330 damage

Arjan's health - 406

Serena could not help but sniff as she watched the scene in front of her. Hugh and Howard were fighting for her. The dhampir wasted no time in dismissing Arjan's words, bypassing Arjan's guard dog and quickly went to attack, striking him with a kick clean to his chest, causing Arjan to stumble slightly as he got blown backwards a little.

Serena wiped the tears from her face. If Arjan wanted to lie to the whole damn world, he could. If the others believed him, they could. She could not stop any of that. She knew her half-brother far too well, she knew that he was far more persuasive than she was. And he was right. She was the one who had chosen to go against the family's wishes. She was the one who was wrong. It hurt but he was right.

She stayed silent throughout his entire monologue, not refuting a single claim. She did not care if they thought she attacked first, out of nowhere. If they thought he was nice and she was a jealous bitch. It was her move and she had no idea what was the correct option in this scenario but her brain was flooded with hurt, desperation and pain. She was angry, shown only by her clenched jaw throughout the entire monologue of his and through her eyes that furiously glared at him.

"You're. Not. My. Brother." Her words were full of rage. Each word emphasised as she flicked her wrist, causing the wand in her wand holder to plunge forward into her hand. If he wanted to make her out to be adopted, so be it. If Slava and Cyrus wanted to believe that, so be it. She did not care. In fact, it would likely be better than way. Then perhaps the family's reputation may not be destroyed entirely. They could all paint themselves out as victims, for all she cared. All she knew was that this was it. This was the end. From this moment, she no longer considered him blood. If she had to leave her family, so be it.

She did not want to be a Towers anyway. She did not want to go to that home anyway. It was not her home, not anymore. She was 17. She could live elsewhere. She could rent a room in Leaky Cauldron for August if needed. That part, she would figure it out. But she was done.

Gripping her wand, she raised it directly at him. A green light shot out of her wand (no, not that one) as she cast her spell, "Levicorpus," She stated.

Action: Serena casts Levicorpus
Wisdom DC: 14
Serena's Wisdom: 4 (roll) + 15 (stat) = 19
Auto-fail and auto-miss do not trigger
Serena's Accuracy: 16 (roll) + 15 (stat) = 31
Arjan's Evasion: 3 (roll) + 10 (stat) = 13

Levicorpus succeeds. Arjan is dangling in the air, by his ankles, with blood rushing to his head.

He has -5 Evasion whilst the spell is maintained and -3 wisdom (stacking) and -50 health each round.

The boy who prided himself on being a pureblood quickly found himself suspended in the air, hanging there by a spell that he was likely too stupid to know. She did not care. If he wanted to paint himself out as a victim, she may as well make him one. It would be a lot easier to hit a target that can barely move.

Stamina: 10 | Evasion: 17 19 | Strength: 3 | Wisdom: 15 | Arcane Power: 10 | Accuracy: 15
Abilities: Part-Goblin, Evasive Maneuvers, Beastmaster, Paragon of Health
Fifth-Year Armour: +10% auto-dodge on attacks [=20% auto-dodge overall]
[Allies for Paragon of Health: Pizza Rat]
Seventh-Year Armour: +2 Evasion

Health: 342/1000 | Status: Broken Rib

OOC: I have statted up some things in this as there wasn't a site reference to use. This only applies to this thread.