2020, Stage 1 Group F: Ravenclaw vs Slytherin

This was going to be a long day. She had been told beforehand who her opponent was, and she was unsure as to how to feel about it. For starters, she never wanted to see this fellow fourth year ever again, but at the same time...... shooting spells at him seemed like a lot of fun. As she approached the platform that she was going to be duelling on, she felt anxious, she had never really done this before, but it was exciting, and new, and scary.

She had her wand very tightly clutched in her hand, worried that she might drop it or anything else, she wasn't looking forward to seeing the slytherin boy, they had met twice now, once years ago and once a few months prior, neither were very good meetings. She had never met the other slytherin, nor her first year partner, so she didn't know what they were going to be like, but she did know that the anger of Dmitri wasn't something she wanted to be faced with again.

Interacting with @Ruby Cazares and mentioning @Delilah Stewart and @Robert Toukmond

Dmitri looked bored as he entered the dueling arena, his own team brooch a brilliant emerald in the dark sea of his school robes. Only the sharp, fierce look in his eyes betrayed what he was feeling: confidence, competence, and an absence of any and all hesitations.

It was a look most would see on a venomous snake ready to strike—a predator sure of his skill. His gaze, combined with the unsettling vibe that emanated from the blond-haired fourth year made for a quite intimidating duelist.

"Cazares, I believe you know what to do." The older boy addressed his subordinate. "Don't fail your house. And most especially... don't fail me."

With a flourish that spoke of constant practice and rigorous training, Dmitri brandished his wand, pointing it at his two opponents, ready for the signal to begin. His piercing stare swept across both Ravenclaws, taking in the relatively unthreatening first year and visibly narrowing as it landed on the familiar face of Delilah Stewart.

A slow, malicious smile grew on his face as he realized just how satisfying this duel would prove to become.

Doing as strategized, Terrible Presence thick in the air

Interacting with @Delilah Stewart, @Dmitri Jones, and @Ruby Cazares

Robert was nervous. Of course, this was well within his right as today was his first ever duel, and he was at least two years younger than all the other participants. Whereas he had only known about the existence of the wizarding world for less than two months, the other duelers had lived in it for years. The first-year nervously went through the five spells he knew over and over in his head, rolling his wand between his fingers. Ever since the duels had been announced, the Ravenclaw had had different plans and strategies flitting across his head, but, in the moment, all he could think about was how completely unprepared he really was. This was a David and Goliath situation, but in the real world, David almost never really wins.

Despite however pessimistic Robert was in his head, he was determined not to show it. After all, what was the worst that could happen? This was a school, there was no way they'd let an eleven year old get too injured, even in a sport such as dueling that involves attacking your opponents with magic. With new resolve, he looked at his opponents and smiled. "Good luck guys!" The Ravenclaw turned to his partner. "Let's do this."

"Begin!"

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Interacting with: @Dmitri Jones
Mentioning (vaguely): @Delilah Stewart and @Robert Toukmond

It was Ruby's first duel—well, her first official one. She had, unfortunately, been involved in ones that were against the rules before, but she was eager to see what proper ones were like. She couldn't say she was nervous because it wouldn't be true, as she was excited instead. There was obviously the risk of getting hurt and it was near impossible that she emerged from the duel unscathed, but that was what healing magic was for. A trip to the Hospital Wing and she would be completely fine again. She didn't recognise her opponents. That meant they wouldn't have any particular grudge against her, which would indicate that they were less likely to go over the top with harmful spells cast in anger, or so she hoped.

She got in position, analytical gaze sizing her opponents up. Eyes of ice drifted to her partner—the Slytherin duelling captain, of all people—as he addressed her. “Failure is not in my vocabulary,” she responded, lips curling into an idly amused smirk. The young prefect was going for the snarky, confident approach because what alternative was there? Showing that she was slightly intimidated by the older boy and the fact that she had to prove her worth was simply not an option. That would be a sign of weakness, and there was no space for that on the duelling grounds.

Doing as strategised

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Round 1

Robert vs Dmitri

Reducio

Robert cast Green Sparks Charm at Dmitri
Wisdom DC: 6
Wisdom Check: [d20: 17] + 9 = 26 > 6 → Success
Auto-Miss Check (10): [d10: 5] → No Auto-Miss (Dmitri's Terrible Presence)
Accuracy Check: [d20: 9] + 7 = 16
Evasion Check: [d20: 5] + 6= 11
16 > 11→ Hit
Effects:
- Dmitri is hit by Green Sparks Charm and will suffer –6 ACC next round.

Delilah vs Dmitri

Reducio

Delilah cast Curse of the Bogies at Dmitri
Wisdom DC: 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 14] + 7 = 21 > 12 → Success
Auto-Miss Check (10): [d10: 9] → No Auto-Miss (Dmitri's Terrible Presence)
Accuracy Check: [d20: 17] + 11 = 28
Evasion Check: [d20: 20] + 6= 26
28 > 26 → Hit
Effects:
- Dmitri is hit by Curse of the Bogies and will suffer –1 ACC and –1 ARC next round (round 1).
- Dmitri will faint in 8 rounds (Curse of the Bogies).

Ruby vs Robert

Reducio

Ruby cast Knockback Jinx at Robert
Wisdom DC: 9
Wisdom Check: [d20: 6] + 10 = 16 > 9 → Success
Auto-Miss Check (10): [d10: 7] → No Auto-Miss (Dmitri's Terrible Presence)
Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 10 = 26
Evasion Check: [d20: 8] + 4 = 12
26 > 12 → Hit
Damage: 100 + 7 ARC = 170 –10% = 153 (Dmitri's Terrible Presence)
Effects:
- Robert is hit by Knockback Jinx and receives 153 damage.

Dmitry vs Robert & Delilah

Reducio

Dmitri cast Knockback Jinx with Spell Spread at Robert and Delilah
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 = 11 (Spell Spread)
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 14 = 23 > 11 → Success
Accuracy Check (Robert): [d20: 14] + 10 – 1 = 23 (Spell Spread)
Evasion Check (Robert): [d20: 14] + 4 = 18
23 > 18 → Hit
Damage: 100 + 11 ARC = 210
Accuracy Check (Delilah): [d20: 2] + 10 – 1 = 11(Spell Spread)
Evasion Check (Robert): [d20: 2] + 10 = 12
11 < 12 → Miss
Effects:
- Robert is hit by Knockback Jinx and receives 210 damage.

The powers of the teams were sort of unequal but random was random. The spells flew around as soon as the duel's start was announced. Ravenclaws were amazingly accurate with their spells, both hitting Slytherin's captain right into his face, blinding him a bit as well as making his nose snotty.
Slytherin was no worse, sending knockbacks and targeting the youngest out of them all. Robert was no master of evasion and both spells hit him pretty hard rendering unconscious and giving him rest after te first round. Delilah was now alone against two.

OOC Info:

Reducio

- You have 72 hours from now to submit your next post reacting to the round's results (50 words min)
- In the same time period, send me (Elaine Pendrast) your team's actions per owl. Give nothing away in your posts. Actions happen exclusively in owls.
- If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void. If you require an extension, you can do so in an owl addressed to me before the next modpost. You will be given, at most, twenty-four (24) hours' extension in addition to the original 72.
@Robert Toukmond
@Delilah Stewart
@Ruby Cazares
@Dmitri Jones

Interacting with @Ruby Cazares and mentioning @Delilah Stewart and @Robert Toukmond

Pfft, yeah. Good luck, indeed.

In an almost-choreographed motion, Dmitri and his partner, Ruby, cast two synchronized Flipendo projectiles that headed straight for the unfortunate first year.

There was no question that both would hit. They were simply too powerful a team.

However, the older Slytherin wouldn't even get to savor the exact moment the Jinx hit the boy squarely in the chest before he was blinded by a flash of bright, green light. If the sudden sound akin to a bag of wet cement hitting the floor did not give away the youngest boy's elimination in the first round, the collective gasp the duelists heard from the audience was indication enough.

Double was his frustration when he couldn't even gloat for long. For as he was rubbing his eyes to get rid of the spots in his vision, Dmitri felt something else hit him. In an instant, he knew what it was by the way his sinuses clogged up and his nose started to run.

"Amateurs." The Viper captain would mutter as he sniffed. "You're next, Stewart. I don't think you understand. You're only delaying the inevitable with your parlor tricks." Even in his partially-blinded, snotty state, Dmitri still managed to let out a villainous smirk. "There's no harm in throwing in the towel."

He muttered to his teammate from the corner of his mouth as he adjusted his stance, readying himself for the next volley of spells. "Not terrible, Cazares, but I'm sure you can do better than that." That was as close to a compliment as he could manage—no point stroking a snake's ego in the midst of battle. Though his mocking words to his opponent told otherwise, he believed there was no room for complacency even when it looked like the entire game was in their favor.

The fight wasn't over.

But everybody knew damned well Dmitri would do everything in his power to end it.

Doing as strategized

Interacting with @Delilah Stewart, @Dmitri Jones, and @Ruby Cazares

Robert grinned enthusiastically as he saw both his and his partner's spells explode in the face of their opponent. This isn't too bad, he thought to himself smugly. Looking over at Delilah, he saw that she was perfectly fine, unaffected by any spell the other team had sent their way. Maybe we can actually win this! The young Ravenclaw was again reminded of the story of David and Goliath, but this time in a more positive way than before. "We got this, Del!"

However, his positivity would suddenly, tragically, ironically, be brought to an abrupt halt. He realized with a cold pit in his stomach that if the opposing team's spells hadn't been aimed at his partner, they still had still been aimed somewhere. Swinging his head away from his friendly fourth year, he refocused on the two Slytherins, only to be met with a double dose of knockback jinx to the gut.

He staggered backwards, the name of the spell aptly describing its effect. It felt like all the air in his chest had been sucked out, making him have trouble breathing. His vision started getting blurry, causing him to panic, not because of how hurt he was, but because he forgot he was wearing contacts, and instead thought he had forgotten his glasses. When the spots started to appear, he then realized that he hadn't forgotten his glasses, he'd just forgotten to clean them.

After a second, Robert remembered what was happening. Instead of having a glasses crisis, the situation he was in was more along the lines of being magically sucker-punched simultaneously by a third year and a fourth year. Realizing that he didn't have much time left before losing consciousness, he was determined to at least use his youth to shine his opponents in a bad light. Even though the force of the spells had stopped pushing him backwards, he kept on staggering, making sure that his face showed the full extent of the pain he was in. Hands clutching his stomach, mouth set in a grimace, eyes glazing over, he collapsed to his knees. Right before closing his eyes in seek of the comforting darkness of oblivion, he looked at his two opponents with a gaze that clearly asked the question, how could you do this to me? Finally, the world went dark as he collapsed backwards.

An outsider would see a stark difference in his appearance during his current state to when he had been awake. His taller-than-average height and intelligent-beyond-his-years eyes gave the illusion of someone older than eleven, but the crumpled heap of a person on the dueling floor showed what he really was; a young, naive, child who had been cruelly beaten down by two people with immeasurably more experience. One would be able to see the slight smile on his face, as if, in his final moments of consciousness, he had met his end with relief. Even if his performance right before being eliminated from the duel had been a small bit exaggerated, it was clear that that heart-wrenching smile was nothing if not genuine.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Interacting with: @Dmitri Jones
Mentioning: @Delilah Stewart (indirectly) and @Robert Toukmond

The pair of Slytherins moved almost as one as they cast Flipendo at the Ravenclaw boy. He was only a first year, but was she supposed to feel bad for him because of that? He had signed up for the duelling club and she doubted anyone forced him to. That was his choice, and if he hadn't known what he was getting into then he was foolish. The prefect watched him stagger and fall to the ground, cold blue eyes observing from a neutral viewpoint, a hint of idle, pointless curiosity sneaking into her gaze. Was he really feeling that much pain just from the two spells, or was it exaggerated? Why bother? Surely he wasn't trying to change the perspective of either of his opponents—she certainly did not feel guilty about it and she doubted that Jones would either.

Her attention switched to her teammate as he taunted the remaining member of the other team. She could've joined in, but there was no need to add a redundant comment to the mix. She listened warily to the noise of the spectators around them, being careful to not let it distract her too much. The crowd had seemed mostly dismayed at the Ravenclaw going down—perhaps they had been cheering for the underdog. Nevertheless, one voice would stand out to her more than the others: Xailah's unmistakable cheer, urging her to win. The ghost of a smile danced along her lips for a moment and her gaze briefly flickered away from its current direction in an attempt to find the Gryffindor, showing that she had heard.

Jones would call her work—their work?—not terrible. Coming from a Slytherin, especially one who was the duelling captain, she would assume that it was reasonable praise. He continued on, saying that he was sure she could do better. “Then I will,” she said simply. If she could do better, she would. If today didn't turn out to be her day after all, then there were plenty more duels in which to prove her worth. There was no point in wasting time worrying about it. Despite the carefree, confident attitude, she still knew not to let it take a hold of her or cloud her reason. She was a Slytherin, and she was determined to succeed, but she wouldn't make the potentially fatal mistake of underestimating an opponent. She could gloat all she wanted if they won, but until that moment, nothing was set in stone.

Doing as strategised

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Delilah smiled as her spell directly hit that smug Slytherin right in his stupid face, it was like she could see the congestion that appeared, and then Roberts spell hit him as well, She turned to face Robert with a grin to meet his. Before she watched his untimely demise.

Sure it was just a duel, and he would hopefully be okay, but watching the two flashes from the two slytherins at least a couple years older than the first year hit him straight in the chest, made her own heart sink. Her hand came up to cover her mouth as she watched her teammate drop to the floor like a sack of spuds. Lost for words. She looked from the slytherins to the professor overseeing the match, back to the slytherins. As Dmitri spoke, she dropped her hand down, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. "This is beginning to feel personal, Jones. All because you can't fit through a little doorframe. Also, i don't think that you understand the consequences of your actions." Her blood was practically boiling already and only one spell per person had been cast. At the same time, she was scared, she was now alone against 2 duellists seemingly more experienced then herself, but she would give it her best shot.