2021 Stage 3 Group D: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Finished

One could not expect to get out of a duel completely unscathed; while yes, she believed it had happened with other people, it was not something to expect. However, coming so close towards the end of this duel, she had started to expect it, not because she was super impressive, but because no one had targeted her. It gave her mixed feelings. Did they think she was not a threat? Given that statistically, between her and Bridget, Santario averaged the highest amount of damage done, so to see her as not a danger seemed illogical. The mere thought of the possibility of her opponent's thinking made her want to put them down more. Teach them a lesson, do not underestimate her.

It would seem as if her mind had been read as the brilliant red light arced and crackled in her direction from the young lion. While she was happy to be considered a target, she had no intention of getting hit today as she popped down into a left slide squat rising to her full height one step away from her original position. “Flipendo.” She heard Bridget’s voice mimic her, but only her own marvelous blue light sailed across towards their opponent.

Her partner’s voice called out her name in warning, but it was too late, as the spell slammed into her hip, making her stumble sideways while a gasp of pain left her lips. One hand went to her hip, and the other flew out to the side to help her regain balance so she would not fall over. Her face strained with pain as she moved back towards her original position, refusing to let this make her limp. It was not going to happen.

“I think your wand is jealous that I stole its thunder by knocking them both down before.” It was said playfully with a half-smile in Bridget’s direction. Santario knew there would never be a reason, at this moment, for her partner to strike at her willingly. She was not going to throw a temper tantrum over it and possibly ruin their duelling bond; besides, it happened to the best of them. She looked over at Nicholas to see if her spell had hit, and there would be no doubt that she had. The boy couldn’t have too much more left in him, could he?

Action| Doing as strategized.

Credit to Katrina Walker

Arcs of light, pain, the discussion of his opponents, the sound of the crowd, it had all become a fuzzy noise to the first year. He felt as if in a trance, barely still on his feet. He could taste iron in his mouth, it seemed that at some point he'd bitten the inside of his cheek, entirely accidentally, and yet it still hurt. He could barely remember what had happened a moment before. He'd shot a dancing-legs spell towards the girl who had thus far escaped unscathed, an attempt to at least add a modicum of humiliation to his opponents before his inevitable defeat. Yet, even that had failed. As if to punish him for insolence, she'd struck him with yet another flipendo, and by all that was holy upon the Earth, it hurt.

A duel's worth of damage had built up over his body, and all that he had to show for it was pain. He knew he had been foolish to expect any other result, but even so, he could not help but feel bitterly disappointed with his performance. He was no spell slinger, his talents lay elsewhere, this he knew. Yet, in spite of that, he had expected himself to at least put on a decent showing against the two older girls. But, somehow, the misfiring of his opponent's spell had done more to harm her partner than he had managed to achieve throughout the entirety of the duel.

He was humiliated, but more than that, he was angry. Angry at the pity he knew that they must have been feeling for him. The poor little first year who had dared to step into the ring with them, who had dared to raise his wand in defiance, who had dared to stand next to Rose whilst the second year was sent to the hospital wing. On any other day, even Nicholas in all of his social ineptness would know that such thoughts were at least slightly presumptuous, but he was a wounded animal, grasping for any shred of flame that would keep him on his feet.

He collected himself, re-raising his wand to train it upon the two girls, a slight stumble in his feet hidden as he did so. Part of him wished that they would finish him off, get it over with and save him the last of his dignity, but the bigger, more vocal, part of him refused to lay down and die. Nor would he expect them to allow him that mercy. Vae victis, he'd heard his father and uncle's recite the Latin as if it were sacred to the clan more times than he could imagine, woe to the vanquished. He supposed in this situation, he was the vanquished.

That didn't mean he would allow himself to be vanquished easily.

Doing as strategised.

ROUND 7

Nicholas

Reducio

Nicholas casts Fumos
Wisdom DC: 8
Wisdom Check: [d20: 6] + 6 = 12 → Success
Duration: [d6: 5] = 2 rounds
Effect: Duellists experience –3 Acc, additional –1 Acc for every 5 points in ArcP

Santario vs. Nicholas

Reducio

Santario casts Flipendo at Nicholas
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 7] + 8 = 15 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 6] + 8 = 14
Evasion Check: [d20: 4] + 6 - 4 (Ventus) = 6
14 > 6 → Hit
Effects: Nicholas takes 100 + 9 × 10 = 190 damage

Bridget vs. Nicholas

Reducio

Bridget casts Flipendo at Nicholas
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 18] + 10 = 28 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 14] + 8 = 22
Evasion Check: [d20: 1] + 7 - 4 (Ventus) = 4
22 > 4 → Hit
Effects: Nicholas takes 100 + 7 × 10 = 170 damage

And so the battle ended, not with a bang but with a billowing smoke. Nicholas was on the wrong end of two witches' wands, an intimidating situation for any first-year to find themselves in. He would elect to shroud himself as the last of the wind from Ventus ceased battering him. An inky black cloud swelled from his wand, but not soon enough, as two blue bolts of light were already arching across the stage. Perhaps in compensation for its former misbehavior, Bridget's wand produced a particularly well-cast Flipendo, its intensity and aim surging it slightly ahead of Santario's. Both disappeared into the smoke. There came the telltale thump of impact, the unmistakable thud of a body hitting the piste, and stillness. When the smoke was cleared, the winner was announced:

VICTORY FOR SLYTHERIN!

This duel has concluded!

You are welcome to make a (50 word min.) outro, though it isn't mandatory. Thank you for your patience with Dea and myself as we wrapped up this match, hope you all had fun!

@Rose Moon | @Nicholas McCowan | @Santario Martin | @Bridget Collins

[quote]Players eligible for Rewards:
To be eligible for rewards, your team should have won the duel and you shouldn't be disqualified.
@Santario Martin | @Bridget Collins
Please link to this post in the trunk updates if you wish to claim your +1 stat point!

Credit to Katrina Walker

Nicholas grit his teeth, preparing himself for his final cast. He was almost certain that he would be going out here, out like a light and out of the duel, but that didn't mean he couldn't do so with style.

"Fumos!" He shouted, casting the billowing black smoke from the tip of his wand.

The inky blackness enshrouded him and his opponents, obscuring the view of the spectators. It was a tokenistic act of defiance, to deny them the sight of his body hitting the floor, as if he was metaphorically spitting in the eye of God. Of course, he hadn't thought of it in such poetic terms at the time, rather, it was a desperate gambit to let off a final spell before he collapsed, a farewell to the duel and to his opponents. He would not allow them the satisfaction of seeing him cast asunder.

Yet even as the smoke began to enshroud him, he knew that there was nothing he could do, the witches' arcs of blue light cut across the stage and toward him as if they had predestined to prematurely end his dueling performance. The boy made a tokenistic effort to dodge, but it was no use, and once more he found himself on his back.

Dark eyes stared up at dark smoke, his consciousness fading away. Vaguely, he was aware of where he was, and what had befallen him. But, it felt as a dream. The boy who had been so systematically dismantled in his first ever duel did not feel like the same boy who now slipped into darkness, he felt as a watcher, naught but another spectator of the unfortunate fate of Nicholas McCowan.

As those final thoughts whisked through his mind before he slipped off into unconsciousness, al he could hope for was that at least, if anything, the smoke had looked cool.

Thank you for an excellent duel, @Santario Martin, @Bridget Collins & @Rose Moon! Thank you also for moderating, @Amadea Campbell & @Pericles Dralt

Santario wouldn’t have time to react to any reaction Bridget might have made to her slight humor as time stopped for no one in the middle of a duel. She heard Nicholas cast Fumos and cursed under her breath. No, it was okay, that meant he would not be actively trying to get out of the way, and she was pretty sure she remembered where he had been standing is she and Bridget unleashed. “Flipendo!”

As soon as her spell was leased, she put her robe sleeve to cover her nose and mouth. It was not quite as effective, considering it was not wet, but it would keep most of the smoke out of her lungs. She listened hard until the tell-tale sign of a body dropping was heard. “He was a valiant duellist. If he sticks with it, I think he could be terrific next year.” Though the statistics of her seeing Nicholas in duelling next year didn’t seem likely. First years tended to get very discouraged when they lost, which was unfortunate, to say the least. “I’m not quite sure how we pulled it off, but congratulations on undefeated status as a team.” They now had a target on their backs for next year.

She had some spare chocolate frogs, so perhaps she would bring them to Rose and Nicholas in the hospital wing; at least they would have something nice when they woke up.

Thank you @Rose Moon & @Nicholas McCowan for the great duel! Thank you @Amadea Campbell & @Pericles Dralt for modding. And Thank you @Bridget Collins for being an amazing partner this year!

Credit to Dmitri Jones, who made these here

She really appreciated Santario's jest, the assurance she wasn't angry. It wasn't quite enough to get her out of her own head, bringing an upward twitch of her lips just the same. Their duels rarely involved much of a verbal exchange, working silently side by side, and she liked it that way--it aided in focus. For right now, breaking the silence with something other than incantations was helpful.

Also, Santario was clearly okay, not that there had ever been any doubt she would be; Knockback Jinxes hurt, but Santario was tough and, in what she considered a mistake, their opponents had directed very few of their attacks at her. Sure, Bridget was a third year, ostensibly the greater threat. When you stopped to look further, it was Santario who was more consistent, more powerful. And actually hitting Bridget tended to be more of a feat, if she gave herself some credit.

With more hesitance than before, she raised her wand. To anyone watching closely, she was quite deliberate with each curve and flick of the wand movement, no intentions of making the same mistake twice. The cast was significantly better, and even with the smoke pouring from Nicholas' wand and lowering visibility, she had a decent idea of where he was. The arc of her blue light joined Santario's. After that, she couldn't see what happened. Maybe both spells hit, maybe just one; regardless, her ears filled in the gaps. Nicholas had fallen.

They'd won. Three for three this year. Undefeated. Like Santario, she brought her sleeve over her mouth and nose, not keen on inhaling a bunch of smoke. While the cover lasted, she tried to process that information, wondering why such success didn't have her feeling particularly elated. It just didn't really feel like they'd done that well. With the nature of their first duel, they'd only had two proper wins. Even then, how much of that had been a credit to their own skill? They had gone in with a year advantage, not fighting on even ground. In the case of Rose today, it seemed her performance had largely been marred by miserable luck, not a grievous disproportion of skill on either side.

In a way, the joking comment about her wand wanting revenge for its thunder being stolen was true. She would never even think of turning her wand on her teammate, no matter how frustrated she might be, but it did bother her sometimes how much better it seemed Santario was. It was thanks to her that they'd won the last two duels, wasn't it? Santario was the one landing spells while Bridget missed--even missing what should have been some of the easiest shots, too--and she hadn't backfired once in a match. Bridget was getting better, if the difference between this duel and her first was any indication, it just didn't feel like enough.

But she respected and admired Santario, and if she was going to mope, she could at least have the decency to do it later. She agreed with Santario's commentary on Nicholas; with such an early start, he had plenty of time to put the work in and become an impressive duellist. He had already done well, his performance today void of any notable mistakes. His accuracy had been on point, too.

At the note of their undefeated status, she smiled. Dissatisfaction with her own performance aside, she liked winning. "Yeah, great job. That split Ventus was amazing, and the one Flipendo, too." It was a little weird thinking about how their season was over now, no matches until next year. Would they even have the same partners? That was a thought for another day, though, and for now, she followed Santario off the stage.

Well fought Rose and Nicholas, wishing you better favor with tatsu next year. Thank you for moderating Amadea, and Pericles for stepping in. And of course, thank you for being an awesome partner this year Santario, I had a lot of fun duelling with you!

Papertrail - House points allocated to eligible winners (Santario Martin and Bridget Collins).