2023, Stage 2 Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor: Match 2

Credit to Lucia Fox for my awesome banner!

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Emma frowned at Lily as the girl laughed at something, unsure of what it was,, but assuming it would be the Hufflepuff team, after all what else was there to laugh at? Though her frown deepened a bit more at Taizu's comment to his teammate. She couldn't fathom tearing a partner down, even if they had frozen. It happened, and was unfortunate but so was spells going awry. If everything went perfectly, it would be fairly east to tell the outcomes of duels.

Deciding she had thought enough on the opposing team, Emma watched as Taizu attempted to cast flames at Angelfyre. She bit her lip, hoping against hope that her teammate would dodge. Giving a cheer, and clapping her hands at the excellent dodge that Angelfyre managed, Emma's frown was replaced with a grin. Things seemed to be going their way at least at this moment. Her grin grew even further when Angelfyre managed to pull off yet another excellent dodge. "Where were you when I was forced to play dodgeball? I could have used your dodging skills! Keep it up!" Emma called out, almost giddy with the way the round was going so far. Not that her partner had been targeted twice more but that she managed to avoid everything thrown at her right now.

Emma took a deep breath, raising her wand and making the necessary motions to cast another Flipendo at her opponent. Admittedly it was her go-to spell because it was so efficient and she had practiced enough to feel confident that she could pull it off most of the time. This time being one of them thankfully. She hoped against all hope that Taizu was nearing his end, if only because she hoped to end this duel sooner than the last one, preferably with another Hufflepuff win.

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Okay. That round went much better for the badgers. AngelFyre had 'just had a feeling' at one point when modesty had had her turn her back, for the merest second, to wipe her nose. Taizu decided that that would be the moment to take his shot. It made sense. She could not fault him for that. He wanted to win. He had barked angrily at his partner, telling her as much. How one won, however, was more important than the winning itself, at least to AngelFyre. She knew she and Emma both wanted to win as well, but she could not fathom either of them yelling at the other in anger or frustration, and goodness knows, Emma had had plenty to yell about if she were ever of a mind to. Maybe the fact that she had not was a Hufflepuff thing, or just a matter of being raised with manners. AngelFyre did not know but was glad to be sharing the piste with Emma regardless.

The spider hairs on AngelFyre's neck had given warning that something was afoot. She managed to step to the side a couple of quick steps, her back still turned to him when he cast, and was gratified to see the fire sail by her. There were a couple of blessings for her in that sidestep. She had often asked herself what good it may be for her to be a Seer if she could never change any negative outcomes. Of course, those feelings were always associated with Simon and his determination to associate with his vampiric father. He heard her. He believed her about the danger, but he had a path he needed to follow, too. All she could do was take a modicum of comfort in knowing he was not going into it completely blind so he could at least take added precautions. Still, the frustration and fear that came from his not changing his mind altogether made her "ability", such as it was, feel useless. Today, however, was the first instance she had been aware of an attributable benefit from it.

The second blessing, of course, was that it had been fire that had missed her. AngelFyre felt the terror wash over her momentarily when she saw her flaming nightmare fly by her, even with no chance of it tormenting her, in that moment anyway. She felt a little like the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz when it came to fire. She hated it and had determined after her last duel she would not be using it in her duels against fellow students. She would keep practicing it as she recognized the need to know it if she were ever in a real battle with with real foes, but her fellow students at Hogwarts would not be subjected to that particular torture from her. She saw no need for it and honestly could not believe it was a sanctioned spell for dueling purposes. It was barbaric and felt a little like it had become the sanitized and acceptable modern day version of burning witches at the stake.

WTHeck?

Turning quickly back around to face her other opponent, AngelFyre saw Lily cast at her and was easily able to dodge another Tarantallegra. With the last couple of rough rounds she had endured, AngelFyre had figured her best bet this round was to do nothing but dodge. It panned out nicely, especially since she was low energy and not hit this round. When Emma landed another beautiful Knocback on Taizu, AngelFyre breathed... if one could even call what she was doing at this point breathing... a sigh of relief.

Looking over to Emma, she giggled... which honestly sounded more like a series of gurgles rattling in her chest... at her dodge ball comments. She really needed to save her energy for the next round so she did not respond other than with a nod of her head. AngelFyre was feeling a little more hopeful in the moment about their chances, but she was also pragmatic as to what they faced.

They both knew it could go very wrong, very fast.

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Interacts with @Emma Wynn @Taizu Miyashiro @Lily Brown @Adelaide Barlowe
Mentions: @Simon Kincaid

Round 5

Taizu vs AngelFyre

Reducio

Taizu casts the Knockback Jinx at AngelFyre.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 8 = 23, success
Autododge Check: [d20: 4] -> No autododge

Accuracy Check: [d20: 9] + 7 = 16
Evasion Check: [d20: 19] + 7 = 26
26 > 16 -> Miss

Lily

Reducio

Lily did not post. Action is void.
Missed post count: 2

AngelFyre vs Taizu

Reducio

AngelFyre casts the Slippery Jinx at Taizu.
Wisdom DC: 10
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 7 = 22, success

Effect: If Taizu had actively dodged, the base value of the dodge would've been ignored.

Emma vs Taizu

Reducio

Emma casts the Knockback Jinx at Taizu.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 2] + 9 Comprehend Languages = 11, success

Accuracy Check: [d20: 1] + 7 = 8, critical miss
New Target: AngelFyre
New Accuracy: [d20: 15] = 15
AngelFyre Evasion: [d20: 1] + 7 = 8
15 > 8 -> Hit

Damage: 100 + 7 x 10 = 170
Effect: AngelFyre takes 170 dmg

AngelFyre vs Curse of the Bogies

Reducio

Phase-Out Chance (8 - 10): [d10: 4] -> No phase-out, chances increase to 40%

A lot of Knockback Jinxes had already been sent flying during this duel, and this round would be no different. Both teams were out for blood, and Taizu had cast a successful Flipendo towards AngelFyre, but unfortunately for him, the Hufflepuff had managed to dodge the spell. Once again, Lily seemed to zone out during the middle of the duel, and no spell was cast from her wand. She was lucky that the Hufflepuffs didn't seem keen on aiming for her, but she was unfortunately leaving her teammate to fend for himself. Something seemed to be on her mind to distract her this much, and Adelaide couldn't help but think that maybe the Gryffindor should reconsider if Duelling was right for her and her short attention span.

AngelFyre had cast the Slippery Jinx at the ground under Taizu, and it would've proved of use had Taizu decided to dodge this round, but alas he had not. The universe seemed to want to play a cruel joke on the Hufflepuffs today, since Emma's attempt at a Knockback Jinx towards Taizu had went so off course it had unfortunately hit her own teammate. Merlin knows what had caused her to do that, but the Gryffindors would likely be very happy about it. Poor AngelFyre didn't seem to be doing too hot right now, as her sniffling would only increase, the mucus and nausea worsening. The Curse of the Bogies certainly was not a nice spell to be hit with, and Adelaide couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic towards the Hufflepuff. The luck the Badgers had in the last round certainly didn't seem keen on sticking around.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from the timestamp of this post to owl me, Adelaide Barlowe, your actions. If you do not post within the allotted time, your action is void. There are no extensions.

2. Word count is 50 words minimum, but feel free to write as much as you like. Do not hint about your actions in your post.

3. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked on 26th January for the duration of the duel. Any spells added after that date cannot be used.

4. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to owl or DM me.

5. If you haven't already, please familiarize yourself with the Duelling System, Duelling Spells, and the latest patch.

6. Most importantly, good luck and have fun!

@Emma Wynn @AngelFyre McCubbin @Taizu Miyashiro @Lily Brown

[Spectator Thread: Day 2, Morning]

And just like that... just as she knew it could... it did indeed go very bad, very fast for them.

Okay. They had wagered that Taizu would dodge, but he had not. Pity. The good news was his casting at her of another Knockback Jinx failed. But of course, this was the badger's little dance of one step forward and two steps back. It just never seemed possible for them to follow a good round with another good round.

Nope.

Not.

Ever.

**Coarse rumbling sigh**

There was no time to celebrate Taizu's miss because Emma had an "incident" with her casting that sorely did hit... but it hit AngelFyre instead of their opponent. AngelFyre had not even thought to be on the lookout for danger coming at her from her side of the piste, so she was utterly unprepared for the painful blast, made even more painful by a torso already sore and congested and struggling to breathe.

AngelFyre, upon being struck... and at the risk of being indelicate... spewed like a fountain. No point in describing it. Those present were not likely to ever forget it, but might pray that they be able to do so. Those not present were just as likely to hear about it, and be grateful to have missed it. As for AngelFyre, she knew in the immediate aftermath that as physically sore as she would be from Emma's hit, it would in no way compare to the emotional pain that would linger from the embarrassment. Trying to find a silver lining as misery engulfed her, she took some solace in knowing at least it was Emma who hit her and not her own self as she had done in their last duel.

Wiping her mouth and her nose, AngelFyre found herself getting tickled at the whole ordeal and began to laugh. She looked over to Emma, whom she knew would be horrified for a couple of reasons, but she also knew she would likely find some comfort in her partner's laughter. She knew by now AngelFyre was not a loon, so the laughter was a signal all was fine. Really it was.

What had made her laugh was the thought that she would forever think of this as the "Drool Duel". Would it ever end? Yes. But would she still be standing once it did? That was the question and it sobered her up as she gently shook her heavy, mucus laden head and got back into position.

I might be down, but I am not yet out.

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Interacts with @Emma Wynn @Taizu Miyashiro @Lily Brown @Adelaide Barlowe
Mentions: @Simon Kincaid

Credit to Lucia Fox for my awesome banner!

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Grateful that Angelfyre's dodging game seemed to be on point once more, Emma grinned happily, thinking that even though her partner was suffering, at least things seemed to be mostly going their way. This was emphasized when Lily didn't cast, perhaps distracted or too nervous to do so. Emma could understand being nervous. She had almost thrown up in her first duel, but now felt better about the whole process.

Though of course, things were going much too well. What came up must come down. Angelfure cast her slippery jinx, however Taizu did not cooperate and attempt to dodge, which meant he stayed solidly upright. Grumbling, Emma got ready to cast her own spell. But just as she was going to do so, something distracted her. She couldn't say whether it was a sneeze from Angelfyre or some random noise from the crowd, but whatever had happened, her spell went awry, hurting her own partner in the request. Cringing, Emma began with a quick litany chant of "I'm sorry, so sorry, gah, I'm sorry, really really sorry." This lasted for almost a minute, her guilt just causing her to feel nauseous, though probably not as nauseous as Angelfyre with the curse of the bogies and then suffering from the flipendo. It was made even worse by the spewing that Angelfyre commenced. She almost couldn't look at her partner, feeling so guilty and yet gross at the same time. But then something strange happened, Angelfyre began to laugh. It startled Emma out of her current mood and the sorries were all but forgotten as Emma's mouth opened, wondering what Angelfyre could even be laughing about.

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Round 6

Taizu vs AngelFyre

Reducio

Taizu casts the Knockback Jinx at AngelFyre.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 17] + 8 = 25, success
Autododge Check: [d20: 19] -> Success

Lily vs Emma

Reducio

Lily casts the Dancing Feet Spell at Emma.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 11] + 6 = 17, success
Autododge Check: [d20: 3] -> No autododge

Accuracy Check: [d20: 19] + 5 = 24
Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 7 = 20
24 > 20 -> Hit

Duration: [d3: 3] -> 2 rounds
Damage: 50 + 3 x 5 = 65
Effect: Emma takes 65 dmg, -1 acc and -2 eva for 2 rounds

AngelFyre

Reducio

AngelFyre actively dodges.
Dodge Bonus: 5 + 7 x 0.25 = 6.75 -> 7
Total Evasion: 7 + 7 = 14

Emma vs Taizu

Reducio

Emma casts the Knockback Jinx at Taizu.
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 9 Comprehend Languages = 12, success

Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 7 = 23
Evasion Check: [d20: 1] + 6 = 7
23 > 7 -> Hit

Damage: 100 + 7 x 10 = 170
Effect: Taizu takes 170 dmg

AngelFyre vs Curse of the Bogies

Reducio

Phase-Out Chance (7 - 10): [d10: 5] -> No phase-out, chances increase to 50%

AngelFyre, despite being full of mucus and getting worse by the second, still appeared to have some fight in her. Taizu had cast another Knockback Jinx at her (he was really loving that spell this duel), but the Hufflepuff had managed to successfully evade the spell. AngelFyre seemed to be on the defense this round as well, choosing to actively dodge any oncoming spells, but luckily for her, Taizu's spell would be the only one aimed at her this round.

Lily, seemingly having snapped out of her daydream again (and hopefully for the remainder of the duel), had decided to target Emma this round with a Dancing-Feet Spell. Unfortunately for Emma, the Gryffindor had seemed to spend majority of her daydream mentally practicing her aim, as the spell hit, and Emma's legs would immediately start skipping around in a... tap dance? At least, Adelaide thinks that's what Emma's legs are doing, except she doesn't have tap dancing shoes on, so it mainly looks like she's just stomping on the floor.

It wasn't exactly surprising what happened next, if she was being honest. Emma would appear to not be perturbed by her last Knockback Jinx that had ended up hitting her own teammate, as she would once again cast it at Taizu. This time, though, it would be successful. So successful, in fact, that it was the final blow for the poor Gryffindor and he collapsed seconds after the spell hit him, falling unconscious. Adelaide raised her hand, "Pause the duel!" She yelled as she waited for Taizu to be carried off the piste. He had put up quite a fight this duel, but the Hufflepuffs seemed to have no mercy. Once the boy was safely carried off, she turned her attention back to the three remaining Duellists and nodded once, "You may continue."

Maybe this would cause Lily to catch a grip and not have any more daydreams, she was on her own now.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from the timestamp of this post to owl me, Adelaide Barlowe, your actions. If you do not post within the allotted time, your action is void. There are no extensions.

2. Word count is 50 words minimum, but feel free to write as much as you like. Do not hint about your actions in your post.

3. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked on 26th January for the duration of the duel. Any spells added after that date cannot be used.

4. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to owl or DM me.

5. If you haven't already, please familiarize yourself with the Duelling System, Duelling Spells, and the latest patch.

6. Most importantly, good luck and have fun!

@Emma Wynn @AngelFyre McCubbin @Taizu Miyashiro @Lily Brown

[Spectator Thread: Day 2, Morning]