Group 1
[18] Ileen Knight
[26] Selim Faust
[8] Percival Rainwood
[12] Wyatt Starkey
[14] Emmanuel Min Requiza

Group 2
[10] Hanako Tone
[27] Dan Palmer
[5] Bridget Collins
[29] Caelan Stewart
[15] Margo White

Victor would meander his way into the heart of the ring. Despite his emaciated features and twisted carriage, he had a presence about him. Determination perhaps? "Group one: eighteen, eight, twelve and fourteen will be facing off against ten, five, twenty nine and fifteen," he announced. His voice weak and easy to lose in the crowd. The audience was expecting them

The first match of the day would be between Group one and Group two. Ileen Knight, estranged from her friends but at the very least she would not have to face any of them in her first match. Thank Merlin for small favors one could suppose. That also meant there was nobody to protect her, she hardly had the means to protect others, she needed protection. She might feel the anxiety well up inside of her, there was no handsome on rare occasion charismatic or charming pure-blood blonde (Erik) here to maybe protect her. She was on her own.

Selim Faust was on his own personal adventure. He was not going to be returning to the fight. It was not as easy as walking back down through that trap door and down those stairs.

Percival Rainwood would be burdened with the excuse to pummel his friend Hanako Tone. Hanako had already sold Percival out, perhaps it was for the best. Their friendship was convenient after all, a better opportunity arose. One that Hanako had already taken, would Percival be no better?

Wyatt was not as ready to fight as Emmanuel was, but it did not matter. They would have seen Selim leave but they would know nothing of his fate. Emmanuel was going to fight for a prize he knew nothing of and cared even less for. Wyatt, well the boy was in the wrong place at the worst possible time. They were already at a disadvantage, one fighter down unless Dan Palmer for the first time in his life backed down from a fight. It would even the odds but Dan was not the sort of guy to walk away, but come to think of it he was also not known to apologize. Strange.

Bridget was not fighting anyone she was particularly close to yet. Neither was Margo, but that would leave them conflicted in other ways. Hope that they were taken down before they had to stand toe-to-toe with their friends. No, that would not be right. Hope that their friends were taken down before they were pitted against each other. No, that was selfish. Even if they felt like that, they would never admit it. They could run, follow Selim. They never heard the boy scream. Perhaps that was the best option, just run away.

Caelan was already in over his head. A fight club, surrounded by people he barely knew for the most part. This was not right. This was no good. Victor would step out of the ring, lifting the rope and ducking beneath. '

For those that play:

• 3 actions. Pick your targets clearly.
• Please only state one conditional if you place a conditional. A conditional is a statement where you use IF. For instance, if Sarah is knocked out then target Bob. There is a lot of you and multiple actions to moderate. With too many conditionals it becomes chaos.
• Order of operations: everyone's first attack is rolled for and resolved first, then the second attack and so on. So attacks that cause an effect will take place immediately after they have been inflicted.
• Attacks in the action order are considered to have went off simultaneously. So you can knock each other out.

Solomon Lear wrote: 13 Jun 2020, 01:14 Punches

Cross Punch: A direct straight punch similar to the jab, except delivered with the rear hand. Power is generated through the rotation of the hips.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 25 damage * strength modifier.

Jab: The jab is a straight blow delivered (generally from a distance) with the arm above the lead foot ... The punch is quick and explosive. This punch must land from the very tips of the knuckles and not from a flat fist. " It is generally used for distraction, keeping distance, setting up, and defense.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +4 accuracy for 23 * strength modifier.

Backfist: A backfist is performed by forming a fist and striking with the backside of the fist.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 27 * strength modifier.

Spinning Backfist: A spinning backfist is performed when the attacker swivels 360 degrees before landing the punch, adding extra momentum to the attack. The fighter will lunge and begin spinning toward the side of the opponent of which fist he or she will attack with. Simpler terms, go to the left, spin to the left and connect with the left fist and vice versa.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 22 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the sprained secondary effect where they suffer a -1 to their dodge for the next 3 rounds as well as the slowed secondary effect where they suffer a -1 to their accuracy for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack] [Each secondary effect is rolled separately]

Chambered Punch: A strike commonly performed in karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do, originating from a "chambered" position.

Prerequisite: Martial Artist

Effect: Attacks a single target at +4 accuracy for 23 * strength modifier. Regardless of success, the martial artist has a +1 dodge to the next attack aimed at them.

Leopard Blow (Long Fist): By tucking the fingertips against the bottom knuckle of each finger, a long fist is formed. They offer decreased strength but increased reach. The striking surface is also narrower, which allows the fist to dig between ribs and other soft target areas.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the weakened secondary effect where they do 10% less damage for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack]

Hammer Fist: A compacted fist is brought down upon the target, usually using the outside area of the fist.

Effect: Attacks 1 target at +0 accuracy for 15 * strength modifier initial damage and 10 * strength modifier damage per round for the next 3 rounds.

Haymaker: A punch in which the arm is whipped sideways from the shoulder joint with minimal elbow bend. The name is derived from the motion, which mimics the action of manually cutting hay by swinging a scythe. The haymaker is considered an imperfect/impure punch, as the angle of approach is unsupported by the remainder of the forearm. Since a haymaker's power is derived completely from weight transfer and momentum instead of muscle contraction, a long windup is required to generate sufficient force. Haymakers, in the form of shoulder punches, are frequently used from a mounted position in mixed martial arts as part of the "ground and pound" method, as the legs cannot be used to generate power. When thrown from standing, these punches leave the person vulnerable to a counter punch during the wind up, if blocked, or if the haymaker misses. Haymaker is generally considered a street or bar fighters punch, as it is the punch a person is most likely to use if they have not practiced martial arts and has little to no advantages over other punches such as the somewhat similar hook, making its use by martial artists rare.

Effect: Attacks 1 target at -4 accuracy for 32 * strength modifier. If this attack misses, the next attack on the user is an auto-hit.

Hook: A punch involving the use of turning to aim toward the side of the head or body. This punch must land from the very tips of the knuckles and not from a flat fist.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a the opponent suffers the disoriented secondary effect where there is a 5% chance that they will auto-miss their attacks for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack]

Drop: A semi-circular and vertical punch thrown with the rear hand. It is usually when the opponent is bobbing or slipping. The strategic utility of the drop relying on body weight can deliver a great deal of power. This punch must land from the very tips of the knuckles and not from a flat fist.

Prerequisite: Martial Artist

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. If a player has elected to taker the dodgeoption for this round, this attack negates that effect (meaning the player derives no benefit from the buff to their dodge). This serves as a counter to dodge.

Shovel Hook: A close range punch that is halfway between a hook and an uppercut. Shovel hooks are most commonly used to strike the body at a 45 degree angle. For example, a liver shot can be done using a shovel hook. This punch must land from the very tips of the knuckles and not from a flat fist.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the slowed secondary effect where they suffer a -1 to their attack accuracy for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack]

Uppercut: The fist is raised vertically towards the target, usually the head or upper body. Since most guards are held with the arms in a vertical position, the uppercut can be used to avoid the opponent's attempts at blocking. This punch must land from the very tips of the knuckles and not from a flat fist.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a the opponent suffers the disoriented secondary effect where there is a 5% chance that they will auto-miss their attacks for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack] If a player has elected to taker the block option for this round, this attack negates that effect (meaning the player derives no benefit from the buff to their dodge). This serves as a counter to block.

Upset Punch: Starts with the fist in the chambered position, with the palm facing downwards, delivered to the abdomen or solar plexus.

Prerequisite: Martial Artist

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the disabled secondary effect where they take +10% damage for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack]

Casting Punch: This is a punch used in Sambo and MMA that starts with a forward motion of the shoulders, which causes the bent arm to whip forward to the opponent. This punch can often cause the opponent to be put in a clinch if it misses at close range.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 27 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the sprained secondary effect where they suffer a -1 to their dodge for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack] However if this attack misses, any grapple attempts for the round have a +3 chance to hit.

Superman Punch: A superman punch or diving punch is a technique used in Muay Thai, ITF-style Taekwon-Do, full contact karate and mixed martial arts fighting. The striker will lunge toward the opponent pushing off with the back foot punching with the opposite arm of the leg used to push off with although there may be variations in the name and technique, depending on the fighting style. The pose should resemble that of Superman flying through the air, hence the name.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 27 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 25% chance that the opponent is knocked onto their back. They must spend their next action getting back onto their feet, therefore their next intended action is lost. This can also be used in a combo, where if it is followed up with a grapple attempt on a target that has been successfully knocked as the user's next action, the attempt has a +2 to the accuracy and strength check. However, this move suffers from a +1 critical fail chance (negated by Perfectionist).

Sucker Punch: A punch that takes the enemy by surprise, possibly knocking them out or otherwise incapacitating them. Could be an unexpected blow to the stomach or a strike from behind that the victim did not see coming.

Effect: A Contested Wisdom Roll is performed to see if the opponent is taken by surprise. If the wisdom roll fails, the attack is an auto-miss. However, if the wisdom roll is successful then the attack is an auto-hit for 25 damage * strength modifier. This attack has a +1 critical range and can only be used by a user once every other round.

Kicks

Font Kick: Delivering a front kick involves raising the knee and foot of the striking leg to the desired height and extending the leg to contact the target with the ball of their foot. Front kicks are typically aimed at targets below the chest: stomach, thighs, groin, knees or lower.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +0 accuracy for 20 damage * strength modifier. +1 critical range.

Upward Kick: Delivering a front kick involves raising the knee and foot of the striking leg to the desired height and extending the leg to contact the target with the tops of their toes. These are normally aimed at targets below the chest: stomach, thighs, groin, knees or lower.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 22 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers the winded secondary effect where they have a 5% chance to auto-fail their actions for the next 3 rounds. [Can stack]

Roundhouse Kick: The attacker swings their leg sideways in a circular motion, kicking the opponent's side with the front of the leg, usually with the instep, ball of the foot, toe, or shin. It can also be performed is a 360-degree kick where the attacker performs a full circle with their leg, in which the striking surface is generally either the instep, shin or ball of the foot.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 22 damage * strength modifier. This attack cannot critically fail.

Side kick: The side kick is delivered sideways in relation to the body of the person kicking. A standard side kick is performed by first 'chambering' by raising the kicking leg diagonally across the body, then extending the leg in a linear fashion toward the target, while flexing the abdominals. The two common impact points in sidekicks are the heel or the outer edge of the foot, with the heel is more suited to hard targets such as the ribs, stomach, jaw, temple and chest. When executing a side kick with the heel, the toes should be pulled back so that they only make contact the heel and not with the whole foot as striking with the arch or the ball of the foot can injure the foot or break an ankle.

Effect: A kick that targets a single opponent at +0 accuracy and does 12 damage * strength modifier. On a successful hit, the target is launched back and can hit a second target of the user's choice (must be declared, otherwise it is randomly rolled from ALL targets besides self) at -4 accuracy and for 13 damage. If both targets are hit, both targets are considered to be prone and would lose 1 action as they use the action to stand back up. if only the first target is struck, neither suffer from the secondary effect.

Back Kick: Also referred to as a donkey kick, mule kick, horse kick or turning back kick. This kick is directed backwards, keeping the kicking leg close to the standing leg and using the heel as a striking surface. In wushu, this kick is called the "half-moon" kick but involves the slight arching of the back and a higher lift of the leg to give a larger curvature. It is often used to strike opponents by surprise when facing away from them.

Effect: Attacks a single target at -4 accuracy for 27 damage * strength modifier. +1 critical range.

Axe Kick: In Japanese, kakato-geri or kakato-otoshi; in Korean, doki bal chagi or naeryeo chagi or "chikka chagi". In Chinese, "pigua tui" or "xiapi tui". An axe kick, also known as a hammer kick or stretch kick, is characterized by a straightened leg with the heel descending onto an opponent like the blade of an axe. It begins with one foot rising upward as in a crescent kick then the upward arc motion is stopped and then the attacking foot is lowered to strike the target from above. The arc can be performed in either an inward (counter-clockwise) or outward (clockwise) fashion.

Effect: Effect: Attacks a single target at +4 accuracy for 23 * strength modifier. The user suffers -4 dodge to the next attack and taking critical damage if they are hit.

Butterfly Kick The butterfly kick is done by doing a large circular motion with both feet in succession, making the combatant airborne. There are many variations of this kick. The kick may look like a slanted aerial cartwheel and at the same time, the body spins horizontally in a circle. It begins as a jump with one leg while kicking with the other, then move the kicking leg down and the jumping leg up into a kick, landing with the first kicking leg, all while spinning. This kick involves also the arching the back backwards when airborne to give a horizontal body with high angled legs to the horizontal. First practiced in Chinese martial arts, the butterfly kick, or "xuan zi", is widely viewed as ineffective for actual combat. However, its original purpose was to evade an opponent's floor sweep and flip to the antagonist's exposed side or it may be used as a double aerial kick to an opponent standing off to the side. It is now widely used in demonstrative wushu forms (taolu) as a symbol of difficulty. Also note the similarity in execution when compared to an ice skating maneuver known as a flying camel spin.

Effect: This is an attack that protects the user from having their legs swept. Auto-success attempting to evade a leg sweep attack. In addition this attack strikes a single target twice at 0 accuracy for 10 damage * strength modifier.

Calf Kick This strike is a low roundhouse kick that hits the backside of the calf with the shin. While a Calf Kick sacrifices range in comparison to a standard low roundhouse kick to the thigh, the Calf Kick can't be checked with a knee or grabbed with an arm making it a safer kick for a striker in MMA matches vs opponents capable of checking low kicks or grapplers looking for takedown opportunities.

Effect: This attack cannot be blocked. Performed at +0 accuracy, this attack targets a single opponent for 15 damage * strength modifier. On a full hit, there is a 10% chance that the opponent suffers from the sprained secondary effect where they suffer a -1 to their dodge for the next 3 rounds.

Crescent Kick: In Japanese, mikazuki Geri; in Korean, bandal chagi (반달 차기). The crescent kick, also referred to as a "swing" kick, has some similarities to a hook kick and is sometimes practiced as an off-target front snap kick. The leg is bent like the front kick, but the knee is pointed at a target to the left or right of the true target. The energy from the snap is then redirected, whipping the leg into an arc and hitting the target from the side. This is useful for getting inside defenses and striking the side of the head or for knocking down hands to follow up with a close attack. In many styles of T'ai chi ch'uan and Kalaripayattu, crescent kicks are taught as tripping techniques. When training for crescent kicks, it is common to keep the knee extended to increase the difficulty. This also increases the momentum of the foot and can generate more force, though it takes longer to build up the speed. In this case, it serves as a tripping technique.

Effect: Attacks a single target at +4 accuracy for 10 damage. On a full hit, there is a 30% chance that the opponent is tripped, knocked prone. They lose their next action as a result.

The descriptions for many of these moves have been shamelessly taken from wikipedia. However the numbers are unique to this community.
[/quote]

Thread closes next Thursday for moderation.

Interacting with @Victor Moore and everyone in Groups 1 and 2 | Mentions @Dealla Prince and her plan

There was no more avoiding it. The fighting. Even the jokes made by her teammates, which she appreciated, couldn't distract her from her mounting anxiety. She didn't want to. Didn't want to fight. She did have options, sort of. Victor said they didn't even have to step into the ring, although Bridget wasn't convinced there wasn't some consequence attached. She could play dead. Try to escape back to the surface. One boy had done that and it didn't look like anything bad had happened to him, though if she'd observed correctly, when Thora had tried to leave she couldn't. Still, being stuck was better than fighting, right? Just... she wasn't sure she could leave. Abandon her best friend to whatever happened. Let down her teammates who were probably just as scared as she was, if not more so. By fighting, would she save them from something, even if it was just a little pain? Or would that just make everything worse? She didn't know. She didn't know. And the crowd was still roaring, placing bets, making her sick...

'Bridget, breathe,' some collected, emotionally detached part of her commanded. Right. Panicking wasn't going to help. Closing her eyes, she sucked air in, then let it out. Okay. First things first, shoes off, no weapons. She was ignoring the other half of that rule for obvious reasons. Sitting down, she untied her shoelaces and tugged off her socks, shoving them and her wand into the sneakers. The sweatshirt she pulled over her tank top, zipping it up all the way. It was cool enough down here for her to wear it without being ridiculously hot and provided a bit of comfort, however small.

Her gaze stopped on her hands for a moment. They were still clean. How was it that those thin, nimble fingers that were good for playing instruments or flicking her wand just so, not fighting, could be doing just that any time now? How long would it be until they were blood-stained, guilty of hurting her own housemates? Getting back to her feet, she gulped as Victor announced the first fight was up. It was all she could do to keep herself from shaking; whatever look of indifference she'd mustered before was gone, betraying just how scared the incoming third year was.

Somehow, she managed to take one step forward. Then another. And... Victor Moore was right there. From this distance, she could see very, very clearly just how ruined his body was. Flash back to the night of April 25th as she waited in her dorm for morning to come, wide awake with worries. Victor had been one of those worries. What happened to him hadn't been her fault. With the multitude of cries of Extinguo being sent his way, she couldn't have put him out any faster. That didn't mean the fire that had nearly killed him was any less horrifying, though. And even though he was here, forcing them to fight, he didn't deserve this. Not even close.

Her heart was hammering, but Bridget knew what she had to do. Or, more accurately, what she had to say. It wasn't like she could ever find Victor at Hogwarts, anyways. Before entering the ring, she paused next to him. Ignoring all the scars, she met his eyes. "Um, Victor. I know we haven't really met yet, but, well, I wanted you to know I'm sorry about what happened to you. At the Blossom Ball. And I hope you will be, or are, okay." Pressing her lips together, she gave him a stiff nod and slipped past into the ring. She didn't expect forgiveness, not that she'd ever hurt him, at least directly, nor was she trying to get herself out of this, despite what some might assume just because she was a Slytherin. The words were sincere, even if they were too late. There were some things sorry just couldn't fix. Victor was one of them.

And now... she was in the ring. Bridget cocked her head to the side slightly, watching the opposing team. Wondering whether or not they would fight. True, they were in the fighting ring, but perhaps they could talk their way through this. The trouble with being first up was you had no time for figuring things out. Still, she'd heard someone [Dealla Prince] voice an idea she'd had too--what if they let one group through unharmed? That would give them a a chance at the prize. Bridget did believe Victor had been truthful in saying if they somehow got through Vladimir they'd get to ask one question. A pathetic reward, really, since there was far too much to ask about--the hags, Vladimir's involvement, the curse--and it wasn't as if the older Ravenclaw was all-knowing, but if they didn't have to fight, it might be worth it.

The question was, would they take the initiative to think a way out of this? Or would they just start throwing punches? What would it take to get both sides to work together? Oh. Probably a leader. Was that going to have to be her? No. She didn't think she could do that. Talking wasn't her strong suit. Neither was leading or convincing people. But... she had to at least try, didn't she? It was that or fighting. Her choice. And if she didn't try to stop this, could she ever really forgive herself? Even with no lives on the line, why stand around letting her House get torn apart, pitted against each other?

She bit down on her lip, hard. The decision was made. Now all she had to do was open her mouth, get the words out, and hope people listened. "Okay, wait a minute. Can we all agree pummeling each other for a slim chance to ask one question isn't worth it? If you actually want to fight, go ahead. Here's your chance to make a lot of enemies for no good reason. But like... someone... said, if anyone heard her, we could let one team through unharmed. Give them the best possible chance of facing Vladimir and asking that question. If one team forfeits, that would be an automatic win for the other. No one has to get hurt."

~ Assuming we're still using last year's stats ~
Stats:
5 Stamina | 9 Evasion | 3 Strength | 9 Wisdom | 7 Arcane Power | 8 Accuracy
Race/Abilities:
Full Human | Sixth Sense | Evasive Maneuvers

Outfit
OOC Note: Feel free to listen to her or fight, I don't really care. Just setting up a way around this for anyone who IC would not fight.

Dan sighed. He had gone over the entire situation in his head, and came up with a strategy. It wasn't a particularly good one; in fact, this was a far cry from the genius tactics he employed in his Quidditch matches. He didn't like it, but he was given very little room to work with here. And that combined with his team already being up to fight meant he had other things to focus on.

So, put on a show and buy time it is.

He left his shirt outside the ring, and stepped in. His feet were already bare; they always were, so he didn't need to worry about that.
Then he heard Bridget talking about everyone forfeiting and allowing a team to go through unharmed. That was.... odd, to hear coming from a beater. But more than odd, it was a terrible strategy. For one thing, it wouldnt give the crowd, and perhaps Vlad -Dan KNEW he was watching them- a good show, and a distraction so the others could find a way out to get help. For another thing, even if they DID do that, there was no guarantee that the other teams would as well. So they would be ridiculed by the crowd, and probably their own housemates, for nothing. No, Dan would have none of that strategy.

Geez, and I thought MY strategy was bad...

He waited on his opponents to appear. Best to get this bullshite over with as soon as possible.

Abilities: Keen Eye. Evasive Maneuvers.
Stats: STAMINA: 8 EVASION: 9 STRENGTH: 2 WISDOM: 8 ARCANE POWER: 6 ACCURACY: 8

Permission given by @Percival Rainwood to godmode him being there

When her team was called out, Ileen froze in the middle of her movement. A cold shiver ran down her spine. The noise of the crowd was ringing in her ears and she felt a panic attack rising in her again. With a bad feeling in her stomach she turned to the ring, completely lost somewhere between the other students, halfway on her way to Percival and separated from Dee and Erik. She clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to find her composure again. Her heart raced wildly in her chest. Come on, Knight. Pull yourself together for Merlin’s sake!

She took a deep breath, gritting her teeth together which caused a slight hissing sound. It would be okay. If the others were happily knocking each other out – fine. She actually would be surprised if they would manage to not escalate the situation. Maybe they were just like Erik – enjoying the fight, not really considering the consequences and the motivation behind the whole game.
Okay. Anger. Let’s focus on that. With a few quick steps she reached the ring, but she refused to enter it. There was no way she would take part in that stupid game. And she intended to keep her promise to Dee – even though she highly doubted to be successful with that.

So, she was even more surprised when she reached in time to catch the end of the conversation of one of her fellow students with the broken boy. The girl actually suggested to quit the fight. Wow. That was unexpected. Ileen blinked in confusion, losing her drive already. She really didn’t know how to handle that situation though. She had not been prepared for someone with the same opinion.
But that changed, when another boy entered the ring in the same moment she reached the barrier. He seemed to be ready to fight – at least he already had removed his shirt. Ileen pulled her eyebrows together. Idiot.
“Well. I won’t play along. I’m not fighting anyone. Especially not as an amusement for this stupid crowd.” She glared at everyone around.
In that moment she noticed Percival joining the group. Was he in her team? Or in the other group? Or had he noticed her heading towards him? Whatever. It was a reflex. She just grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from entering the ring - not even knowing if he had the intention to do so. He should stay out of it. They all should stay out of it. She would try to stop everyone in her team who would try to join. Once. If they would be motivated to join the fight, they didn’t deserve better.

Action: Glaaaaaring and trying to stop Percival

Ability: Sixth Sense
Stats: Sta:5 | Ev:7 | Str:3 | Wis:7 | Arc:6 | Acc:7

Reducio

Percival frowned deeply as he heard the crowd roar. This was nothing but an amusing past time for these creeps. The boy swore to himself that if he ever saw these people again he would punch them in the face, and see how they liked it.

Percival's gaze flicked to the figure of Hanako worry clear in his face. He debated what to do. Percival wanted to protect his friend, but seeing him surrounded by his teammates made it clear. In his eyes, Hanako was ready to fight even if that wasn't true. It made his heartache at the thought that maybe their relationship wasn't as strong as he had thought. Percival had worked so hard to bury the fiasco that had been the Great Lake. Though it seemed like his efforts had been in vain. Maybe their relationship was too fractured to really ever be fixed. His tears had corroded the delicate bridge that made up their friendship, and it seemed like it was on the verge of breaking down.

Outwardly, Percival kept his emotions under control. He was done crying in front of Hanako. He wasn't a weak child who couldn't keep their feelings under check. The boy slowly worked at a plan in his mind. If he could just lay low and play along maybe he could figure out a plan. Avoid detection of the people running this stupid fight. Maybe he'd have a chance to escape. Percival's gaze flicked back towards Ileen as she spoke up.

His eyes widened as the girl grabbed at his arm, and pulled him away from the ring. "Let go of me, Ileen!" he snapped tugging his arm back towards himself. In an attempt to get the girl to let go of his arm. Percival glared at Ileen as she made a scene. This had been the opposite of what he had wanted to do. The boy tugged his arm back with a little more force than necessary to try and shake her off. Though Percival wasn't stupid, he knew that if both Ileen and Wyatt decided not to join in. There would be no way he and Min could win. Inwardly, Percival decided to not fight, and look for a way to escape.

Interacting with: @Emmanuel Min Requiza
Mentions: @Hanako Tone @Wyatt Starkey @Selim Faust @Ileen Knight

Stamina: 6 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 4 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 5

Ability: Foul play

Honestly, Emmanuel had semi-ignored those who would be his so called teammates. Not out of spite or anything of that nature, mostly because deep down this situation didn't sit right with him at all. Fighting among your peers for friendly and unforced competition was one thing, but giving no ultimatum besides to pummel each other was... Heartless even for an 'enthusiast' such as himself. HOWEVER that still didn't stop him from stepping forward, cracking his knuckles with his standard overly cheesy grin.

"Oye-Hey, sometimes the only way out is through. No guarantee there's no punishments for losing, or willingly giving up for that matter." The words weren't necessarily aimed at no one, it was as if he was giving a pep-talk to himself, but loud enough for his teammates to hear.

"Desafortunadamente, soy un imbécil que habla mejor con el puño — It's like a school brawl, never seen Step-Brothers?" Obviously this was a small goading to keep the spirit from faltering. If it worked who knows, Emmanuel would keep his eye's forward while feeling the hardness of the floor against his feet, and the ignoring the crying and fear-filled eyes of other Hogwarts students.Unfortunately, I'm a dumbass who speaks better with fist.

"So, should I start?"

Seer

Sta: 3 Eva: 10 Str: 5 Arc: 2 Wis: 5 Acc: 5

Mentions: @Percival Rainwood @Ileen Knight

Mod Note

Standing there half-naked was already bad enough, but he supposed the lack of fighting was something to be grateful for. It took nearly all his willpower to refrain himself from nervously covering his arms. That was a loud whistle indicating that he was more than uncomfortable and that was unbecoming of a lad as confident and carefree as he. But- seriously why the no shirt rule? Sure he could understand furiously agitated fighters may or may not use shirts and shoes as deadly weapons, which only brought him back to the question as to why he came here in the first place. He was no fighter. His noodle arms had already said that much. And to rely on the rest of his team members was a gamble as well since they weren’t much stronger than he was. As if the exposed feeling of having no fabric protecting him for anything that might come his way- he just had to be against Rainwood. Did he felt bad that he sold his ally out in hopes that his team wouldn’t dive straight into death itself? Big deall. It’s not like he told them Rainwoods deepest secrets like what would provoke him best. Besides, he said ‘ watch out for Rainwood’ , not ‘ Let’s all attack, Rainwood’ . Whatever his team members decide to do with that information- it was yet to be seen. The only thing easing his guilt was his - not so clear- intent on Rainwood. He only hoped the team would take his information spill as another word for ‘ Let’s try to avoid Rainwood altogether, aight?’. There wasn’t a proper agreement to that plan- but he hoped so that should be enough, right?

Secretly to his great relief, Collins had decided to take the initiative and publicly agreed to the little plan Dee had mentioned earlier. Now, Hanako didn’t like her one bit- mostly due to his pettiness when the older student had crushed his team in the dorm battles but even he knew this wasn’t the time for aimless squabble. Not at the change of getting terribly beaten up. Of course, this shifted when Rainwood was seen refusing to get out of the ring. Did he...want to continue a fight? Perhaps he heard Hanako telling his teammates about him? He looked like a sad - borderline angry puppy since they entered the ring so why was he refusing to get out of this. Ileen seemed to already have decided that she was not going to fight and Hanako was tempted to follow along with her. But looking at Group I breaking apart in the 1st round, it was clearly better if his group went ahead first at the chance to defeat - … whoever his name was. Vladimir - it was Vladimir.

Just as Hanako was about to give out a sigh of relief at what seemed to be a more talking no fighting match, one of the members of group I still held undeniable fire to fight. He didn’t seem to even bat an eye at the lack of cooperation in his group. The way he stepped forward, knuckles pressed and overly cheesy grin- far too happy in this situation- plastered on his face. Was he...seriously intending to fight without any back-up? Hanako would be lying if he said the boy’s overwhelming independence wasn’t rather impressive. To stand up without back-up took extra mental skill- one Hanako didn’t need to go through with his team. Seemingly unfazed by how wrong this whole thing was but- who was he to judge?

However, the whole ‘ being impressed by the random dude’ was thrown out the window the moment he asked if he should go first. A chill shudder immediately flowed through the Japanese’s boy’s body and he could barely hide his nervousness behind his agitated grin.

Originally, he planned to keep his mouth shut as it seemed to be a habit of his to get a rise out of people with his choice of words. Provoking the enemy could do more damage than good and this enthusiastic rando kid was really getting on his nerves. Biting his tongue at the insults he was tempted to sprout out- he instead took calm breaths. “ I hardly think this is fair at all.“ He decided to say after contemplating on his words for a while. “ Look, you cheeky bas- sssplendid fellow Slytherin ~”, saved it. “- You look like you want to rumble. Want to rumble? Let’s rumble -” with less enthusiasm than the boy, he weakly waved his two fists on purpose. “ Just not here and now- alright? Because let me tell you, I wanted nothing more than these people-” he pointed to the roaring crowd and briefly at Victor ( he assumed it was Victor with how Palmer shouted at him ). -” to wake up in the middle of the desert the next day with nothing but an umbrella and a cardboard box. Basically, these people won’t be getting any free macarons from me anytime soon. So why would you want to give them macarons?” . Well aware that his nervousness may be getting in the way of his talking, he briefly shook his head. “ My point is...why waste a good fight for these no-lives? You’re wasting energy here. Energy that could definitely be used for something better, maybe a better way to escape unharmed? You lost one teammate already, interested in losing more? “ The urge to laugh at the irony that Hanako was the one saying this was big. “ As much as I’d love to react to that intriguingly enthusiastic vibe you have there, I can’t go on with what you hoped for. Talk and choose the team with the best chance at winning without acting like animals. I don’t even know your name, 14. But let’s just all-” he glanced back at Percival- still refusing to follow Illeen, a sigh escaped from him. “ work together. Hogwarts students. No macarons for these suckers at all. Nope.”

Even when he said all that, he still hoped for that slim chance that it will be Group I that moves on and not Group II. Sure, his team wasn’t missing one person and seemed to be ready for anything, but moving forward meant they had to see a stronger team. One that most likely- won’t be as lax as this. “ ..Percival? “. He softly muttered- and it didn’t seem like it was loud enough to be heard by the opposite team. But he hasn’t realized that he had been staring at his ally longer than needed to until his name came out of his mouth. Now that he called out to him with a rare, soft tone, he found it difficult to look at anywhere but Percival. Percival, who wanted to fight him. Percival, who he just sold out. Percival, who deserved better. He himself was unsure as to why he decided to say his name. A ploy to get him to agree? A threadbare cloth to cover up his guilt? What was unmistakable was unwavering delicate- almost pleading- gaze he sent to Rainwood. What it could mean was up Percival himself.

Was Interacting:

Is Interacting: Mostly with @Emmanuel Min Requiza

Action : -Agreeing with Bridget
-Trying to convince Requiza not to fight
-Very dramatically looking at @Percival Rainwood

S t a m i n a : 4 ♣️ S t r e n g t h : 3 ♣️ A r c a n e : 8
♣️ P o w e r A c c u r a c y : 7 ♣️ E v a s i o n : 5 ♣️ W i s d o m :3

Mentions: @Dan Palmer, @Bridget Collins, @Ileen Knight, @Percival Rainwood, and @Hanako Tone

Still being shaken up from his vision, Nick didn't even hear his team being called up at first. It terrified him, he's never seen someone so commanding and powerful in his entire life and he didn't even know who the guy was. He looked around at the crowd and wondered if he might be the mastermind behind this whole operation. That thought was cut short when he saw his team going up to the ring.

Quickly catching up to his teammates, Nick saw that the Quidditch captain and the girl that helped him find the rest of their team had taken off their layers -the latter still wearing an appropriate shirt- so Nick decided to the same. Fight or not, it was one of the rules in this "game" so he feared the consequences of not abiding by it.

Being shirtless never really bothered Nick so he casually stepped into the ring, not feeling embarrassed. He wiggled his way past the two people, who he assumed to be on the other team getting into their own little squabble before the actual fight started, not wanting to get in their way. Everyone was kind of scattered around the ring so he just went over to where his group was.

Nick looked at his group again, so far almost all of his teammates were here, two of which seemed to not be interested in fighting. Looking at Dan again, something changed for him for some reason, maybe because they were both shirtless, and it felt like butterflies had punched his gut. He quickly looked away, weirded out by that reaction, and the butterflies disappeared as fast as they appeared.

The other boy in their team went off on this speech about... macaroons? Everyone was forfeiting and Nick couldn't understand why. These were Slytherin kids we're talking about, aren't they the least bit curious about everything that's been happening to them. Maybe the guy they were fighting didn't have all the answers, maybe it was just because Nick always seemed to have at least an inkling of what was going on and he didn't right now, but he just wanted to know at least a bit more about all the weirdness.

Nick wasn't going to say anything, he didn't really know what to say. He was going to fight if people were going to fight and that was that. Sure forfeiting might work now, but he was suspecting the audience wanted a show when that one apparently big tough guy showed up. He might as well put on a show for the audience now.

Ability = Seer
Strength = 3 | Evasion = 8 | Wisdom = 4 | Arcane Power = 4 | Accuracy = 7 | Stamina = 4

Victor would have cried had Bridget adhered to the rule regarding shirts. Let the boy have his movie moment woman! Thankfully she had a sweatshirt, an extra layer of concealment. A psychic sigh of relief. Bridget Collins would enter the ring, pale and frail she made the ring look somehow bigger. Victor was unmoving, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Um, Victor. I know we haven't really met yet, but, well, I wanted you to know I'm sorry about what happened to you. At the Blossom Ball. And I hope you will be, or are, okay."

He shook his head side to side as if to say no but the words he uttered said otherwise. "Appreciated," he claimed. "The pleasure is mostly mine," it was not just lip-service or a routine statement but rather a truth one of them could say.

"Okay, wait a minute. Can we all agree pummeling each other for a slim chance to ask one question isn't worth it? If you actually want to fight, go ahead. Here's your chance to make a lot of enemies for no good reason. But like... someone... said, if anyone heard her, we could let one team through unharmed. Give them the best possible chance of facing Vladimir and asking that question. If one team forfeits, that would be an automatic win for the other. No one has to get hurt."

A call for inaction. A voice of reason, don't fight for a selfish goal, stand down and agree. Agree to let one pass. But agree to who? Which one has the best chance? Which one deserves to get there? Who do they trust.

@Ileen Knight stood at the edge of the ring. She was not going to enter the ring. she had no intention of fighting. That made two of them, Ileen and Bridget. Less of a show for the crowd. They would get over it. “Well. I won’t play along. I’m not fighting anyone. Especially not as an amusement for this stupid crowd.” She would reach out towards @Percival Rainwood, preventing his ingress into the ring.

The grip of a wrist or a forearm perhaps, Percival would attempt to rip his arm away.,

Contested Strength Check
Ileen 5 + 3
Percival 2 + 7

"Let go of me, Ileen!"

He would rip his arm out of her grip, his excuse that a girl had restrained him and prevented him from fighting lost in that moment. He stood on the edge of the ring.

The crowd as if turned on with a switch would give a collective boo to the two girls. Ruining their fun. Their show! No worries, the savior @Dan Palmer was ready and he was shirtless. Free eye candy for @Caelan Stewart
. Surely someone liked shirtless teenage Irish boys. He did not have any shoes with him, so that was a non-issue. He would hear Bridget's call to stand down but he would not stand by her side. He was looking at this from a different end - give the crowd a show; give Vladimir a show.

@Emmanuel Min Requiza was less hesitant. "Oye-Hey, sometimes the only way out is through. No guarantee there's no punishments for losing, or willingly giving up for that matter." The boy suggested. An excuse to feel better about not wanting to stand down? A reflection of some sort of paranoid fear.

"Desafortunadamente, soy un imbécil que habla mejor con el puño — It's like a school brawl, never seen Step-Brothers?"

Most of them probably had not seen that muggle media. Slytherin was filled with wizards primarily. There were a few muggleborns scattered through the house. A few mixed children. Most would live their whole lives never watching a movie but knowing the glory of taking a broom to the sky.

"So, should I start?"

"I assume, yes," Victor answered. With the wave of his hand he motioned to Ileen, Percival and Bridget that they should move back. "Those not fighting need to leave the ring, whoever is in here is a part of the brawl," he announced almost mechanically. His eyes seemed to be filled with light but his expression pained. With that he would meander out the ring, stepping over the ropes.

@Hanako Tone had a bit more confidence, most of the other team was standing down. "I hardly think this is fair at all... Look, you cheeky bas- sssplendid fellow Slytherin ~- You look like you want to rumble. Want to rumble? Let’s rumble -”

Hanako waved his noodle arms and his teeny fists that probably would feel more like a firm poke had he used those 'weapons' in physical combat. It was hardly intimidating.

“Just not here and now- alright? Because let me tell you, I wanted nothing more than these people-- to wake up in the middle of the desert the next day with nothing but an umbrella and a cardboard box. Basically, these people won’t be getting any free macarons from me anytime soon. So why would you want to give them macarons?”

Victor nodded. Cardboard box and an umbrella, ok then. Then the boy, potentially delirious went on about macrons.

“My point is...why waste a good fight for these no-lives? You’re wasting energy here. Energy that could definitely be used for something better, maybe a better way to escape unharmed? You lost one teammate already, interested in losing more?“

His only team mate that has not stated that he was going to stand down -- @Wyatt Starkey who has not moved into the ring nor has he made the declaration. But Hanako should not get too confident, it was only himself and Dan thus far. Two to one, not a whole team against one.

“As much as I’d love to react to that intriguingly enthusiastic vibe you have there, I can’t go on with what you hoped for. Talk and choose the team with the best chance at winning without acting like animals. I don’t even know your name, 14. But let’s just all-”

And with that Hanako unwittingly fell into the trap without realizing. Perhaps without caring. When you focus on a part, you miss the scene. Isn't there a muggle saying, missing the forest for its trees?

“work together. Hogwarts students. No macarons for these suckers at all. Nope.”