#not cast a quicker spell first and then following it up with a slower one

[helladventurers]

Me: man red mage kinda sucks :(

My friend: THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE PLAYING IT WRONG FOR FUCKS SAKE

[ranposbabe]

Infidel | Johan Liebert x Reader

Chapter 17

When was the last time you spent time outside for your own pleasure ?

Sure you can recall your now multiple encounters with Nina yet you couldn’t recall ever wondering out on your own.

At least as of late.

Down near some alleyway in the town you were desperate as to wanting a clear mind yet you didn’t get your hopes up.

Your mind was plagued with the misfortune of recent events.

Practically one after another.

It was so irritably warm outside that it felt as if your cast was seconds away from magically slipping off.

You step outside a local shop disposing off an empty bottle in the public bin that was used as an ashtray by the public. Butts of cigarettes piled on the bin and some even laid at your feet. The harsh smell somewhat lingers still in the air.

You started to regret it. No matter what you do your mind can’t be put at ease and the longer you stayed outside the more frustrated you found yourself.

The numerous shops in the town clearly didnt amuse you.

But as you glance across from you, you manage to catch a glimpse of something. Or someone. Despite the non rememberable faces of a sudden crowd passing by, a stare pierces straight through the crowd right towards you.

A girl no older than thirteen.

Her hair quite the same as yours. The same in length and shade.

Her eyes no matter the darkness or light shared the same resemblance as to yours in colour and lifelessness. Her skin almost as pale as her dress. A silk white gown almost like a nightwear that gives her the appearance of an angel. She appears pristine yet as she stands barefoot her feet lack the cleansed look that her dress had.

A swan that waddled through mud almost.

Just as the swarm of people past by she’s gone. As if you were placed under a spell you found yourself crossing the pathway and without hesitation making your inside.

There was no glass panes as it was blocked off by wooden boards making sure no light could peek through.

Ahead was an alter where you could slightly make out the appearance of the strange girl.

The area was littered with thousands of candles different shapes and sizes with some burning quicker than others.

Droplets of wax smeared the marble table.

It gave the illusion of the present being set during the night

The more steps you took you found yourself walking more cautious and slower. Every step you took the atmosphere felt more warmer and tense. You took notice of the cracks in the old flooring. The cracks became longer and bigger the more closer to the alter like an old tree with endless branches.

Her hands at first gave the impression that she was praying yet when you stared at her longer her fingers interlocked like she was clenching her fists. However maybe she was praying in her own way.

You weren’t exactly sure.

“Kneel with me.” She speaks so soft and yet she sounds like she’s on the verge of tears.

“I don’t pray”. You shake your head, your cast well on display.

“You don’t have to.” She’s quick to answer.

The tips of her fingers blushes in scarlet

You reluctantly agree and join her in kneeling.

“You’re frustrated.” She states.

“Why ?” She wonders. A part of you wonders too.

Ten minutes. In those ten minutes your mind is blank and for some reason you don’t question anything about your current situation. It takes ten minutes for you to find the courage to speak.

“My father treats me like I’m a child.”

You whisper, too conscious and to opens your eyes.

“My father treats me like I’m grown.”

She whispers back, her eyes are shut aswell.

“It’s not our fault that we’re the daughters of questionable men.” She spoke with such certainty in her tone.

The candles flicker in her direction, her face glows while despite kneeling at her left side you remain in the shadows.

“Why did you follow me here ?” She wonders with still such a gentle tone.

Something that seemed unfamiliar to you as of late. “Because you kept staring at me from across the path ?” Your eyes widen in bewilderment, unsure of what the girl seeks from you.

“You’re so naive. You fail to recognise the disturbance around you.”

A child calling you naive. If you had the strength you would’ve laughed.

It was like looking in a mirror that held the past. A mirror that would soon shatter if held up any longer.

“You’re being played with.” She speaks with such urgency yet remains calm in her words.

“What am I doing here ?” You laugh at sudden realisation of it all.

Your attempt to stand is stopped as she places her tiny hand briefly on your cast. Her eyes lock onto something that you miss.

“It was my heart that was played with.

For you it is your mind.”

“Can I give you some advice ?” She doesn’t give you the chance to reply.

“You needn’t seek what not to be sought.

If you do so it will destroy you.”

“So you’re basically telling me curiosity killed the cat ?” You look around, thinking at any moment someone would jump out screaming with laughter after pulling a joke on you. As if someone was lurking around. Though you soon were quick to brush it off. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Is it childish to want to not question anything even while being in the completely unknown ?

At that you don’t respond.

You don’t even look in her direction in fear of uncertainty.

“Is it childish to sometimes not want to be surrounded by complete complexities?” She continues.

The candles flicker in your direction. Your skin glows in the light as you attempt to answer.

“I don’t think it’s childish.” You finally spoke with certainty in your quiet tone.

A single tear falls from your right eye.

You would’ve stopped the tear before it could’ve even escaped but you didn’t.

You’ve been through it. Unsolved cases, the shed burning down and even being thrown down a flight of stairs and yet it’s now when you’re in the company of a stranger a tear manages to slip away.

Her small thumb reaches out and wiles the tear from your cheek.

“Why are you barefoot ?” The question seemed idiotic as soon as it slipped past your lips. Perhaps it was genuine curiosity or that you just wanted to distract yourself even for a brief moment.

“I suppose we both have our odd quirks.

She playfully tilts her head to the side

“I’m not the one who followed a stranger into an abandoned church.” She smirks.

In a instant she returns to her prayer like state. Her eyes closed and her lips tight almost like a frown. You notice that her knuckles are turning white.

“You think you know it all but it is him that is ahead of you. No matter how much you think you know or how close you come near the truth he will be ahead. Always.”

Your eyes wonder to catch a glimpse of one of the candles before you.

The flame flickered so high and violent.

Just the same as when the shed was set ablaze.

“Who is he ?” You ask, brows furrowed in confusion. “Your ending.” She smiles so politely as if she had no understanding to her words.

You slowly rise with your knees starting to ache. The further you walk away the smaller the branches of cracks become.

Or at least that’s what you thought.

“Don’t come back here again.” She calls as she remains kneeling. She opens her eyes once more yet she doesn’t dare look back unlike you.

Her nose scrunched up like a fussy rabbit.

For once truly showing child like behaviour.

“Next time you do, it will be a sin.”

If you wish to be added to the taglist please comment below to let me know!!!

TAGLIST: @nimuelis @meigalahadovna @sugaredpersimmon @thesimpupthesky

[missconstancehardbroom]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Reader

Zelda remained on the front porch still pondering over the last statement you have said, wondering who was the lucky person who held your heart, never realizing that it was her all along.

If only she knew.

She stared at the distance, letting the cold wind embrace her, remembering the first time Hilda and Diana introduced you to her. Those first few days of laughter and friendly jabs before it went downhill, oh if she could only turn back time and make things right. But she couldn’t.

It took her a while before she decided to get back inside the house and into the kitchen where she expects to see her sister preparing dinner alone.

She paused on the entranceway when she saw you with Hilda laughing around and dancing with the song playing on your phone and Ambrose sitting alone on the table devouring the food you brought home for him.

“Ambrose, you are spoiling your dinner!” Zelda barked, startling you and Hilda in the process, making the two of you stop mid movement and carry on your own task, you on the stove and Hilda on the pie.

I never thought that you’d be the one to hold my heart

“Leave him alone, Miss Spellman.” You said, losing the smile that graced your lips earlier when you were goofing around with Hilda. This constantly changing mood of Zelda Spellman is getting tiresome and irritating, and after how she acted earlier in the fair, you found yourself losing your temper with her pettiness. You turn your back towards her and continued stirring the pot, missing how Zelda’s face softened and shifted awkwardly from Ambrose to your direction, “Shawarmas were meant to be eaten while they are hot. Besides, if you have an issue with me bringing food in this house just say so, and stop picking at Hilda and Ambrose just because you’re pissed at me.” You added, ignoring the squeak coming from Hilda.

But you came around And you knocked me off the ground from the start

Zelda clenched her jaw, fighting back the urge to tell you that you got it wrong. She waited until you turn to look at her, like you always did in the past whenever you are in a verge of an argument with her, but you never did. You didn’t turn to look at her and instead you held the entirety of your focus upon the pot that you were stirring. Zelda felt her stomach drop when you ignored her presence in the room, shifting her focus from you to her nephew and then to her younger sister who was staring at her in the corner of her eyes, looking apologetically.

The previous laughter in the kitchen disappeared and silence filled the room, save for the clinking sounds of your ladle and pot hitting each other and the overly enthusiastic music playing from your phone.

Deciding that she prefer to help in preparing dinner than staring idly at you, Zelda cross the room and into the kitchen counter where an uncut beef was left ignored on the chopping board. Zelda noticed your phone by the chopping board and stared blankly at it as the music comes to and end and a new music started to play. This time, it is slower, sweeter and more heartfelt, much like the song you sang earlier on the stage.

Zelda reached out for the knife without looking away from your phone after she noticed a familiar looking profile of the woman that served as your screensaver. The woman’s face was covered by her hair so she could not fully determine as to who was the woman in the picture, but she felt her heart to skip a beat when she noticed the slight bump upon the woman’s temple in the picture.

Zelda jumped off her feet when a hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched the phone away from her prying gaze, making the knife that she was holding slip. Trying to stop the knife from dropping to the floor, her hands jerked to grasp the falling knife but her left hand came into contact with the sharper edge of the knife, cutting the space between her forefinger and her thumb. It was only because she felt a pair of hands holding her wrist followed by a resounding crash as your cellphone fell on the floor with the knife stopped her from grasping the sharp object with her bare hands.

“Zelda!” You gasped, holding the redhead’s wrist tightly shocked with the blood that streamed from the pale hand, your phone long forgotten on the floor, “What the hell?”

“What happened?” Hilda rushed towards your direction and to see what’s going on. Not peeling your eye away from Zelda’s wound, you missed the smug look on Hilda’s face when the blonde noticed the soft blush on her sister’s cheeks, seemingly mesmerize with the close proximity between you and her.

“Well, your brilliant sister decided to catch a falling knife with her hands,” you chastised the redhead in annoyance, eyes still fixed upon Zelda who stared back at you, her eyes transfixed with yours, “what were you thinking?”

“It’s no big deal.”

You put your arms around me And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

You pulled Zelda towards the kitchen sink, there was a slight panic in your voice when you told Hilda to bring the first aid kit.

“It’s just a cut,” said Zelda, trying to pull her hand away from you. She felt her breath hitch when you practically wrapped your hand around her to stop her from pulling away from the running water. She looked at you in awe as you wash the blood away from her hand, not missing how soft and warm your hands felt like on her skin in contrast of the cold water from the tap or the scent of your body  when you wrapped your arms around her keeping her in place.

You missed how Zelda swallowed thickly when your cheeks almost touched her lips when you reached for the soap by the counter, or the crimson flush on her pale skin when you started rubbing soft circles around the open wound, feeling the gentleness of your touch for the very first time.

It has been a very long time since someone held her like this, with such thoughtfulness and unadulterated kindness. If she is being honest, she would’ve admit that it was Hilda who kept her afloat from the darkness and despair that her loneliness.

If only she could stay like this forever, with her in your arms and with you by her side.

You put your arms around me and I'm home

This is the first time you stood this close to her since your first meeting and instantly missed the warmth of your body when you took a step away from her to reach for the first aid kit that Hilda brought and laid it on the kitchen table where Ambrose sat, watching in amused silence at his blushing Aunt.

“Go sit on the table and have Y/N take care of that wound of yours.” said Hilda, her lips pursed together trying to stop the giddy smile from gracing her lips.

“What are you babbling on about?” Zelda hissed at her sister, “A simple spell would –,”

“Spell casting with a mortal around the house,” Hilda said with a mock surprised look on her face, “what were you thinking!” Hilda said, a mockingly imitating her elder sister’s tone with a horrified look on the blonde’s face.

Zelda felt her sister push her towards the table and into the long chair where you sat, preparing the antiseptic and gauze to tend to her wound.

 How many times will let you me change my mind and turn around

“You patch up my sister while I finish preparing our dinner.” You missed the mirth in Hilda’s voice as you pour the antiseptic into the cotton balls. You reached for the redhead’s hand and dabbed the cotton as gently as possible on the open wound, but Zelda hissed in pain at the contact. You jerked your head to look at her and you winced when you saw the intensity of her stare. Trying to make amends, you pulled Zelda’s hand towards your lips.

I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown

You didn’t noticed how Zelda’s eye widened when you leaned toward her hand and poised your lips just a breath away from the back of her hand. She swallowed thickly, overwhelmed by that reverent look on your face and the image of you kissing her hand. Her breath hitched in her throat as you blew cold air into her open wound, easing the initial sting of the antiseptic, soothing the pain she felt earlier upon her wound.

“I’m sorry,” you said softly, looking up at her and noticing for the first time the little touch of gold in her irises, surrounding her pupils, which were curiously dilated at that moment.

“It’s – it’s fine.” Zelda replied, averting her eyes from your gaze. She could not ignore the erratic beating of her heart or the way her mind starts playing tricks on her head. She burrowed her brows trying to gain control of her emotions, but it seems to her that she was just about to fail.

I hope that you see right through my walls

Thinking that you have once again offended Zelda when you noticed her frown on her brows, you turn your attention back in nursing her wound. Blowing cold air every now and then to ease the sting that the antiseptic might cause her, your left hand was wrapped around her wrist, making you feel her pulse and you felt worried when it became noticeably quicker than before.

I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling

What you did not notice was the awkward flexing that Zelda did with her other hand that she concealed under the table, or the way shifted to look at you from time to time, basking in the closeness of you, a soft smile gracing her usual frowning lips.

You did not notice how she revel at that tingling feeling just beneath the patch of skin where yours and hers met or the way her lips slightly parted as she stares at you fondly every time you winced in each time she flinched as the cotton balls touched the open wound.

You didn’t notice how her eyes becomes misty at the fact that she could not keep this very moment to last forever.

That she could not tell you she loves you. Not now.

Not ever.

I'll never let a love get so close

You put your arms around me and I'm home

She stared at you with unmasked fondness, ignoring her nephew who was now watching curiously at the two of you from his chair. For the first time in the last 18 years did Zelda wondered how Edward felt like when he fell for Diana, a mortal, a Catholic, a firm believer of the false God, the epitome of all that is good and kind in the world, much like you.

It was Diana who first brought you into the Spellman house and into Zelda’s life. She remembered how much your eyes sparkle whenever you tell the family about your adventures with Diana or how much trouble you got into just to sneak Diana away from her family to meet Edward, or how you pose as Diana on that night when the lovers decided to elope, and how Diana’s family was embarrassed with the scandal that her daughter made, finally decided to let Edward marry their daughter.

The world is coming down on me And I can't find a reason to be loved

Zelda doesn’t miss the way you looked at her the first day you met. The intensity of your gaze when you were introduced to each other, or the way that you blushed whenever she addressed you directly, but still find a way to make her laugh with your jokes and anecdotes. She loved how your smile reaches your eyes or how your hands brushes her shoulders whenever you laughed or how she unconsciously leaned towards you whenever you started to talk and make fun of her sister-in-law.

She doesn’t miss the way Edward gave her that knowing look, the twinkle in his eyes and that smirk on his lips. But she ignored it, not letting her brother taint the fondness that she had with you, a mortal.

Until the day of Edward’s wedding when she saw you walking down the aisle with Diana following closely behind. With you looking at her from where she stood in the altar, and that flash of emotion started to overwhelm her all at once.

It was as if the world disappeared and all that was there was you and her, she did not miss the sparkle in your eyes when you stare back, beaming at her. She felt her throat constrict and her heart began to ache as if she is running out of air to breath, and yet here she is breathing. She love how your smile widened even bigger when your eyes met with hers and for the first time, she wanted to believe in all that is good and all that is kind in the world. That you and her would work, much like how Edward and Diana would work.

That moment she could see all the beautiful possibilities that she could share with you, a house in the meadows or just a piece of land that you two can nurture, where all things that will grow will not be tainted with fear and bitterness or the devotions that the Dark Lord would ask of her from time to time.

The Dark Lord.

It was as if someone had doused her with cold water that brought her back to her senses. The Dark Lord would expect from her now more than ever. Now that her brother had stray from the cobbled path of night, now that there is a mortal in their midst, a baptised Catholic no less, now that her brother had sealed the unholy matrimony with Diana Sawyer. The Dark Lord will ask more proof of devotions from the Spellman than ever.

And whatever that will be, it will be far too sinister for her to drag you along with that fate.

I never wanna leave you But I can't make you bleed if I'm alone

And she would never forget how that first kiss ruined it all. She scared you away with her boldness when she pulled you into a rough kiss in the kitchen, all because she had a bet with Edward with your feelings. It was wrong for her to do so, but she was too proud to admit it and too guilty to talk to you after that kiss.

She would never admit it to anyone, but the truth is that she felt something broke inside her after that kiss, that accusatory look in your eyes when you stared back at her after your lips parted and the tears in your eyes when you looked at her, all the kindness and joy in your eyes were all but gone and there was fear. Absolute fear.

You began to fear her.

And hate.

And from then on, all the closeness she hoped to share with you was gone, she respected that and she too, kept her distance.

Her feelings for you were as confusing as it already was, and it became even more complicated when she realized how dangerous it will be for you if she drag you into her world. And it just gotten worse when her brother and Diana died in that plane crash.

She wanted nothing else to do except to wrap her arms around you when you broke down into tears when you held Sabrina into your arms the day they told you that Diana and Edward died, but you moved away from her and leaned towards Hilda, and that is when she realized that whatever connection she hoped to build with you is gone for good. But maybe it is for the best.

You will not share the same fate as your best friend, Diana.

She remembered how you stayed for a week with them, to help around with Sabrina, and giving her a hand every now and then… And then you left…without a trace. None of your family, Diana’s family or even Hilda knows where you have been. And for twelve years, Zelda did forgot about you and the strange feeling in her heart whenever you are near.

But now that you are back, she is not sure if she could let you go for the second time around.

You put your arms around me And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

“There we go, all done.” You said, not realizing that Zelda was staring at you, checking the bandage that you made, “not too bad.” You smiled, still avoiding Zelda’s eyes.

Zelda’s smile started to melt away as you let go of her hand, instantly missing the feeling of your hand on hers. She stared at the bandage, still feeling the lingering sensation on your hands and it took all of her self-control not to reach out to you and hold your hands once again.

You stood up even before Zelda could say thank you and packed the kit away, leaving Zelda alone with her sister and her nephew in the kitchen.

“Lovely, isn’t she?” said Hilda, she began setting the table.

“She’s fine.” Zelda shrugged, trying to rein in her wild heart, pulling her stoic façade once again, “but she could do better.” She added, looking at the bandage that started to loosen around the corner.

“She really could,” Ambrose agreed as Zelda nodded her head, “but then again, there’s you.” Ambrose replied cryptically and rushed away from the kitchen when Zelda glared at the warlock.

I hope that you see right through my walls I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling

“What happened between the two of you, really?” Hilda asked, watching her nephew leave the room, “You two used to get along really well.”

“He’ll grow out of it.”

“He’s not the one I am talking about, Zelds, and you know it.”

“Oh, hush you.”

“She really like you, you know?” Hilda whispered conspiratorially leaning forward to her sister, her eyes fixed on the entrance way of the kitchen, “It wouldn’t be too much to ask for you to be even a bit nicer to her, eh? Besides, it is not like she is going to stay with us for long.”

Zelda’s brows creased at Hilda’s last statement. ”What do you mean, for long?”

I'll never let a love get so close You put your arms around me and I'm home

“She’s leaving Greendale after the fair,” Hilda replied, “She said she’s not sure if she’s ever coming back.

Zelda felt her heart crash to her feet and shatter into tiny fragments. Y/N is leaving again, and just like before she would be the last person to know.

“Dee, what happened? Why is Ambrose hiding in the parlor?” you asked when you entered the room, missing the faraway look on Zelda’s face.

Seeing the tense look that Hilda gave you before her eyes shifted towards her elder sister, you frowned, thinking that Zelda had said something unpleasant with Ambrose, you walked towards the redhead and crossed your arms on your chest.

“Stop being so critical with Ambrose all the time. Why are you picking on him all the time?”

“How I run my household is none of your business,” Zelda said simply pushing her self off the seat, wincing at the sudden sting that she felt and then walked past you, brushing you off, “If Ambrose decides not to join us for dinner, then he won’t have any dinner. It is just that simple” She then said to Hilda before taking her usual seat on the table, “Let’s eat.”

“He’s probably full anyway, with that thing you brought him.” Hilda reasoned when she pull you to your seat, but you pulled back and went straight to the food on the counter and place it on the table. Ignoring the looks that you receive from Zelda.

I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth

The three of you ate in awkward silence, your eyes never left your plate, still fully aware of Zelda’s piercing gaze towards you.

“I missed it.” Said Zelda, breaking the silence that filled the room. You and Hilda paused staring curiously at the head of the house wondering what she was talking about. “It’s nice to hear you sing again.”

And I've never opened up I've never truly loved 'till you put your arms around me And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

“Thank you.” You curtly replied, giving a tight lip smile towards Zelda. “Sorry Hilda made you stay in the fair in my account earlier, I understand you badly wanted to go home.”

“I-“ Zelda paused, her lip gaping slightly, wondering what she could possibly say to make you understand what she was trying to tell you.

I hope that you see right through my walls

“I was feeling out of sorts earlier.” She replied with a constrained voice, her eyes shifted towards her plate and started to play with her food, “But I… I would love to hear you sing again.”

I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling

“I prefer to sing to those who are willing to listen.”

“I did listen.. I just –“ Zelda sighed, never in her entire existence did she ever thought she would run out of words to say, “I just…”

There was another awkward silence that fell in the room as the two of you decided to drop the subject and just continue with your meals, but Hilda was getting none if it. She was tired of see the two of you dance around in this old tune with each other and she finally had enough.

“What my sister mean is that,” Hilda interjected, “may be, next time, you could sing a song to her? Much like the one you did earlier in the stage?”

“Zelda!” You yelped in surprise when you felt someone kicking you under the table and a pointed heel scraping your knees, you glared at Zelda who in return stared at you with horror written all over her place.

“I didn’t - ”

I'll never let a love get so close You put your arms around me and I'm home

“Would you like me to sing to you?” You ask softly, surprised with the mortified look on Zelda’s usual composed self.

 “I – “

 “-yes. Yes she does.” Hilda interjected again happily seeing the amused look on your face, and then supressed her smile when she realized that her elder sister was glaring daggers at her.

 “Yes. I do.” You heard Zelda replied, her voice was too soft you could’ve mistaken it as a figment of your imagination, but when you looked back at her, you could see how she tried to hide her face with the shot glass that she was drinking from.

 “Only if you promised to stay. Until the end?”

 You put your arms around me and I'm home

 “I’ll stay. I promise. Until the very end.” Zelda replied, unable to hide the soft smile that now graced her lips as she stared at you.

 “See that’s not very hard isn’it?” Hilda proclaimed smugly as she took a mouthful of salad. Zelda ignored her sister’s remark and for once was grateful of her sister’s closeness with you, forgetting for a moment that there is a pair of hateful eyes watching the three of you from a distance.

[satansluvchild]

Ch 4-  The Great Viper

* wattpad- kenyamars book- Im the antagonist of this story 

Artemisia's limb throbbed with each step; the wound on her leg had begun to knit itself closed. She'd walked for roughly two hours in the hot sun, resting her drakon form for the flight she would be forced to take shortly. All of her former plans being ruined by a bandit group rubbed her the wrong way. The drakon is fierce. They shouldn't struggle against humans, not nearly as much as she had. Thinking of the altercation, a lot of things didn't make sense.

While it was usual to run into bandits at the forest entrance or on marked paths people visited for items, this group was deep inside the forest. They also had an experienced mage, one that could cast spells quickly. Yet, something felt wrong; it was almost as they knew Artemisia would travel through the woodlands. She had been traveling slower than usual; when she encountered the group just sitting in the clearing, they made no move to stand when she appeared. When she stepped foot inside the clearing, she felt weakened, as if invisible shackles were tied to her arms and legs. It must've been planned from the beginning to kill her.

But why? Had Anaidid kingdom found out about the scouts?

If so, the situation was worst than thought; she had made the right decision to waste no time. When the kingdom found out she was not executed, they would send reinforcement to finish the job. She walked four more hours before something appeared; an enormous red viper landed on the ground in front of her. This one was bigger than usual and had a black underbelly, which meant it had evolved into a queen viper. Artemisia evaluated the situation. The queen viper was notorious for its poison fangs; if she got caught, she would be paralyzed and eaten alive. Pulling out her sword, she braced herself.

Orpheus walked after Artemisia, cautious not to draw recognition. When Artemisia had walked away before, she had been jolted. She decided to run to her home and gather a few items she knew she'd need and follow Artemisia closely. While Orpheus knew she had gotten far, she could tell which direction she went just by a sense of knowing.

I could walk with her until she stops in a village, then I will learn about this world.

The pain she felt before had disappeared, replaced by excitement and trepidation of the new world. During her time on Earth, Orpheus had been limited to where she could go. For 15 years of her life, she had only known the small town of Dorchester. Now she would be able to explore the world as she pleased.

The snake slithered toward her opening its enormous jaws. Artemisia lunged left and attempted to stab through the snake. Unfortunately, her wound had reopened, beginning to bleed profusely again. This caused the snake to become more aggressive, its attacks quicker. She dodged the oncoming snake again, feinting left then going right. This was bad; she'd already felt weakened from the fight with the bandits, breathing heavily; she tried to stab the eye of the viper in hopes of blinding it but was too slow and ended puncturing higher, enraging the beast.

Orpheus had been strolling, thinking of all the types of food she could try when she heard fighting. Then, sneaking a peek through the bushes, she saw the largest Ruby she'd ever faced. Fighting it was none other than Artemisia, sweating and breathing heavily, swinging her great sword. Looking through the Homemade satchel he'd made from viper and boar skin, he tried to find the cherished item he had brought with him. It was a Dual-edged and razor-sharp sword that he'd stolen off a boar, a reasonably short, broad, smooth blade made of folded steel. The cross-guard contained a decorative bear head on each side, marking the house it previously belonged to. The pommel was a shining aquamarine gem. Several words that looked like spells she couldn't read had been etched onto the blade.

She set her bag down and decided the element of surprise would work in her favor. Looking at the nearest sturdiest-looking tree, she began to climb it. Glancing down, she saw Artemisia stagger to her feet. Then, turning into a Drakon, she roared and began her ferocious attack again. Orpheus was amazed at the scene below. The power between both monsters could probably be felt through the entirety of the forest. Artemisia looked up at Orpheus; she didn't know whether to feel annoyed the girl still followed her or relieved she had not listened.

The snake ran towards her gnashing its fangs; while tiny compared to fully adult drakon, Artemisia was big for her age. Her stature was the reason she could grapple with the giant snake. Glancing back up at Orpheus, she noticed the girl gripping a great sword instead of a stick. This glance caused the snake to gain the upper hand. Constricting Artemisia, it was readying to bite when it died. Orpheus had dropped from the trees, stabbing it in the back of its head. Orpheus was delighted her decision had saved Artemisia just in the time. Beaming, she looked at the dragon. Even in Drakon form, Orpheus could tell Artemisia was annoyed by her not listening. The Drakon began to unravel the snake from itself. Stretching it then became Artemisia again.

 With a sullen look Artemisia couldn’t help but feel upset .”You've saved me again; how embarrassing.” 

The shame she felt from not once but twice being saved by a mere human made her stomach knot. At only 250 years old, Artemisia was ignorant and had looked upon any being, not Drakon. Now she could see her lapse of judgment. This girl name Orpheus seemed stronger than her, and this caused an epiphany to strike her heart. She would take Orpheus with her and learn how she had become strong so young.

“I have changed my voice; I will allow you to accompany me to my village. Surely they will let you in when they hear that you've saved me twice.”

Orpheus nodded and walked back to gather her satchel. Then, remembering the potion Artemisia gave her, she grasped it and handed it to Artemisia.

“Here for your wounds”

Artemisia looked at the vial, drinking half, and tried to hand it back to Orpheus. Turning to face Orpheus, she was amazed at the display. Orpheus was again huddled, clutching her stomach as if it pained her so. Was she wounded during the battle? Perhaps that's why Artemisia heard her shriek and stumble to the ground during the match. Why did she not drink the drunin? As annoying as the girl was, Artemisia did not want to watch someone who helped her die. Orpheus groaned with agony sweating and saying the exact phrase monotonously.

“not now, no, not now, why now, no, not now”

Worried, Artemisia began to walk towards her when she noticed something strange happening to the trees. They bent towards her and Orpheus; she had never seen something like this before. Terrified, she tried to grab Orpheus and run away. However, when she touched Orpheus, her heart sputtered. An intense feeling of wrongness came from Orpheus; Artemisia felt the instinct to run from her. Was she the one bending the trees? Why? Backing away, she kept her gaze on Orpheus; while she didn't think she'd harm her to be cautious, she drew her sword and waited for a sign of aggressiveness.

Manipulation?

Artemisia tried to think of a reason the once sunny girl was emitting evilness. She was confused about what triggered her. On the last occasion, she was fighting as well.

Maybe fights caused her bloodlust?

Artemisia had witnessed countless drakons get sucked into bloodlust and go on rampages; the only way to snap them out of it was to defeat them; this usually ended in death; drakons were prideful creatures and never willingly yielded.

When the smell of blood hit Orpheus, it made her realize how hungry she'd been. The burning in her head and stomach came back full strength, knocking her to her knees. She had just won Artemisia's trust; why now did she have to become rabid. Usually, Orpheus would go out early in the morning to check her traps. Still, she was interrupted by Artemisia's screech this morning. She never investigated the pitfalls. While she ate less with more time, she could not forgo food too long like a newborn. Peering up, she noticed through her vision blurred with tears the stance artemisia had taken. She stood grimacing with pain and looked for her fallen satchel; turning the bag over, she shook it, emptying the contents onto the dirt floor. Grabbing the reddish-orange fruit, she ate it with savagery, not even taking the time to relish the rare sweetness only known as yio-yio fruit.

Not enough, not enough, not enough ...

Something in her head repeated this; looking at the snake, she dropped the fruit's carcass, grabbed her sword, and marched toward its corpse. Raising the sword, she clumsily dug a hole into the snake. Oblivious of Artemisia watching her chop the snake, her focus solely on the meal in front of her. Dropping the sword, she dug her hands into the corpse and began to eat the animal's lukewarm meat and organs. Blood dyed her hands and face, the already stained and tattered toga taking the worst as the blood dripped down her chin. She could feel the strength returning to her. Sighing with delight, she closed her eyes and bit into the second heart of the Ruby.

Artemisia watched in awe; she didn't know humans could eat meat raw. She watched as Orpheus stuck her hand back into the creature pulling on another bloody organ. The scene in front of her was grisly, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She was not used to humans; this being one of the first times paying attention to them, she felt like she didn't know a lot about them. Her first mission felt like a big success; she could tell the king many things, like how humans could also eat raw meat. She was also perplexed.

“Human, is today a special day for you?” Asked Artemisia, Orpheus seemed not to hear her question continuing to eat the meat with both hands.

Drakons only ate meat when the day was special to them or their tribe. Artemisia remembered when the tribe won back land from the Ruhu Drakon tribe. She and her family feasted on expensive raw Thornhand meat and danced the entire night away. Or the other reason would be they had no other options of food. To Artemisia, Orpheus looked like a young orphan or laborer.

That must be it, then! On the other hand, maybe she has gone a long time without food.

That didn't explain the feeling she felt when grasping Orpheus. She knew she felt something dark. The time before that, she also felt a dark aura in Orpheus that quickly dissipated.

Orpheus feel content, she ate more than intended, but her pain finally left. Looking down, she could see she did a number to her dress. Sighing, she turned and looked at the discarded items on the floor. Spotting the Skin flask, she picked it up and began to wash her face and hands. Standing again, she turned to pick up the sword a few feet away.  Doing so, she remembered the audience she had and turned to stare in horror at Artemisia, who was gazing at her intently.

[mediocremagicman]

Wednesday night draft!

9 person Hour of Devastation draft (2x HOU, 1x AKH)

It’s been two weeks since my last draft and I’d missed it so. This draft did not disappoint. Picking up a Scorpion God pack two and taking hard shift from R/U to R/B is the kind of thing that makes makes for a enjoyable draft no matter what I do. When committing to a superbomb works I feel like a total badass, but when it doesn’t I still don’t feel bad because it’s simply too good to pass up. In this case it worked out perfectly because the players to my left were in blue; if I hadn’t make the shift I would have had an awful pack 2 and my deck would have been much worse. I ended up going 2-1 with my only loss attributed to lack of mana.

The Draft (Each pick in order from top to bottom, then left to right)

Wildfire Eternal isn’t the strongest of rares and there are several commons or uncommons I would take over it. None of them were in this pack though and the Eternal was the pick. Earthshaker Khenra is a stronger follow up though with both sides of it being reasonably costed. Usually for the Eternalize and Embalm cards either the normal casting cost or abilities cost is higher you would normally pay for a creature of that size. I find myself wondering what the person to my right took from the pack as there aren’t many commons or uncommons I would pick over it. Bloodwater Entity was an easy decision; even though I didn’t have any spells the Wildfire Eternal meant leaning toward a spells deck and Entity helps me get more values out of my spells. Open Fire is one of the top four or five commons in this set; I would first pick it. There aren’t a whole lot of four toughness creatures meaning this kills most things, and the ability to goto the face gives it enough versatility to push it over the top. Vizier of the Anointed made it seem like blue was open from the left. Frontline Devastator is a card I originally thought was mediocre to unplayable but over time I’ve come to appreciate it as a average to slightly above average creature. The more aggressive you are the better it is since it’s such a hard creature to block effectively. The Solemnity was a rare draft plain and simple; at the point in the pack I’ll take the three dollar bill. The rest of the pack was taking the playable R/U cards. The Thorned Moloch was a pleasant surprise that late being one of the more powerful red common creatures. It needs to be in a faster deck that’s attacking consistently, but most red decks are doing that anyway.

Pack two that awesome mythic Scorpion God popped up in the back of the deck and I slammed it down. Inferno Jet was a greedy pick at the point but I envisioned casting it for free with the Eternal decided I had to have it. The Blur of Blades were no brainers; a permanent lost of stats a powerful combat trick or end of turn play that combos with the triggered ability on the God. I’d play it on that alone and the extra two damage is just gravy. Deadly deadly gravy. Torment of Venom hits all the same synergy, but kills more things. The double black was risk at the point since I wasn’t sure if I would be playing black or just splashing for the God. It was at the point I decided to take the risk and fully commit to R/B since I had no fixing and though a splash would be less viable. This decision felt right when the Banewhip Punisher followed it up. Punisher is fantastic in any black deck because in a pinch it’s a four mana kill spell. With the amount of counters I’m running it’s amazing. Firebrand Archer was another easy pick. It’s a little weak on the vanilla test but if you drop it turn two you can easily get three or four damage off of it’s triggers which when stacked up with the damage from the Blur of Blades’ and Afflict triggers will have your opponent dead quickly. This is when the picks stopped being about decisions about what was best and just defaulting to taking what was in my colors. I saw some powerful things for sure, but none of them were real decisions, I was going to take the card in that color regardless of if it was good.

Pack 3 my Rare was a Fetid Pools. I lamented on this pick for a long time wonder if I should take the Pools in a greedy as hell attempt to play all three colors. In the end I kept my discipline and took the Trial. Liliana’s Mastery was a easy pick. Even without any extra zombies it’s two 3/3′s for five mana which is a lot of value for this set. Cartouche of Ambition was another pick that felt great, it justified my first pick of the pack, it kicks butt on it’s own, and it synergizes with the God. Final Reward gets rid of anything too big for my counters to handle. Blighted Bat’s strength is that it functions as both a three and a four drop. This versatility helps you be on curve every game and is well worth having. Lay Bare the Heart solves most problems for a small quantity of mana. I’d play it except in the most aggressive of decks, and even then I’d want to have on in the sideboard for crazy bomb I can’t deal with. Doomed Dissenter was the weakest pick of the pack so far, but some packs are light on certain colors, what can you do? Bone Picker was super exciting to get so late, but then the pack was dry.

Round 1 (2-0) start off with a mulligan into a risky keep. The original hand had fives lands which I decided to was too many for a having two and four drop in hand. The second hand however was five lands and The Scorpion God. I kept it and then left Blighted Bat on top on the scry. They started out strong and I drew nothing but lands after the Bat until after the God came down. One it did though they were able to tap it down with Vizier of the True once for a big swing that put me on the edge. Since I had my lands to drop though I killed the Vizier with a double activation of the God. Once I started drawing extra cards I kept getting Blur of Blades and the Torment of Venom, which in turn got me more cards and the game was soon mine. Game two I was able to play things much quicker. I forget the exact sequence I filled out my board state but on turn five I attacked with a Doomed Dissenter which they blocked and killed for me to play Liliana’s Mastery second main and push out more power than they could deal with.

Round 2 (1-2) was a brutal back and forth where we each get a couple of hits in but then remove the other’s creature and turn it back. I spent most of the game debating on if it was the time to play the Cartouche of Ambition. Then in the past possible turn I threw it down and pull myself from the brink of death and into victory. Games two and three were less interesting. Game two I never saw a swamp and game three I was stuck on three until I died.

Round 3 (2-1) was against a ramp deck with a Cruel Reality and Razaketh, the Foulblooded as the primary win conditions with Torment of Scarabs as a slower backup plan. Game one I took hindered their ramp by using Lay Bare the Heart to take out Oasis Ritualist. They still had plenty of ramp but never found one of their big things. Game two on the other hand. After what felt like a good start on my end, they managed to cast Razaketh. I untapped and tried to exile it, they went to three life to get their Cruel Reality, took 2 in combat from my last creature and went to one. Then I had to sac the creature to Reality. I had plenty of potential outs but none of them came up and the game was theirs. Game three I played the God turn five and killed two of their creatures with counters turn six and they scooped on the spot.

[championaino]

@triwizardtournamentoc task one, aino koskinen’s perspective

‘You can do this. You’re a team, a good one too’ she told herself. 

fic under the cut

(ooc: this is super rushed and i hate it but i needed to turn in something so here it is, also sorry how it ends, its terrible i know)

The days passed quicker than Aino thought it would and today was the day of the first task. Aino stood on the deck, staring into the water. She was wearing the Durmstrang wetsuit. It was red and the Durmstrang chest was embroidered into the front. She was extremely nervous and she could tell that the others were too. They were all hiding it very well, but anxious glances at the choppy water gave them away. “From Durmstrang, Horacy Antonczyk, Aino Koskinen, and Victoria Meyer. We have our 3 champions. They will be given 1 hour to retrieve their keys from underwater. We will give them 2 minutes to discuss among themselves” Aino breathed out, ‘You can do this. You’re a team, a good one too’ she told herself. This wasn’t a good time to be nervous with the other champions and students there. They couldn’t see how scared she actually was. She could lose her life because of this.

“So, we’re all clear with our plan?” Aino was pleased that they didn’t waste any time on small talk, they were going to win this, and you can’t win if you waste time on unimportant things like chit chatting. “I think so” They repeated the plan one last time and when they all agreed they knew that they were ready to win.  "Cool, we got this. Aino, if you could hand me your knife" Horuś asked. “Yeah, here, "she handed him the silver dagger. Headmistress Lenox wished her champions good luck before leaving. She went to where the other headmistresses and headmasters stood, chatting away. Probably bragging about their champions. The Headmistress of Hogwarts spoke up. "Alright, champions. We’re about to start. Please line up at the edge of the dock. Once I release sparks and you hear a gunshot, you may dive. Ready?” she lifts her wand and sparks fly out and the champions are quick to start.

One after one they slit wide cuts in their palms using Aino’s knife. “Niksy, posłuchaj  mnie!” Horuś demands. The face of the neck appears from the dark water and stares at them with narrowed eyes. “We’ve paid the fare, the sacrifice. We demand safe passage through these waters” the neck nods slightly before vanishing into the water again. Aino could feel how it was getting harder to breathe on land. The champions dived into the lake, one by one. Aino could feel how it was immediately easier to breathe, but she could barely see her teammates in the water. “Can you guys hear me?” Horuś looks at his teammates, waiting for a response “Loud and clear” Victoria nods in his direction. Aino lets out a relieved sigh, “yeah” “Piękny” Horuś takes out his wand and performs a simple point me spell. “Wskaż mnie, do we want to head north, or go another direction?” “I think we just go further underwater, I don’t know if the direction matters” “I agree with Victoria” “Gotcha. Let’s go.” they swim lower and Aino’s leg gets caught in some seaweed. Aino struggles against the seaweed’s grip around her leg, but grabs her knife and with great difficulty she tries to cut away the seaweed. Horuś must have heard her swearing because he turns around and casts a relashio spell and the seaweed releases her leg. They continue to swim lower when Victoria breaks the silence “Let’s hope we find the mermaid soon.”

“Lumos!” Victoria provides the Durmstrang champions some light. A bright light appears and a creature emerges. It’s hard to look at: ugly with claws and dirty scales. It looks at the champions with a glint in its eye. Victoria flinched at the sight “Is this the mermaid? I have no idea how one looks like” Horuś tries to talk to the mermaid, telling her that they don’t mean any trouble. The mermaid shrieks, a high-pitched, terrible sound. It stares at Horuś and swims closer, beckoning one claw. “You want us to follow you? Sorry lady, but my dad told me not to trust strangers, ” he tries to joke and Aino glances at him, hoping that he won’t fuck it up. The mermaid screams again and beckons Horuś once more. “I think she or it just wants you to go closer”  Aino looks down towards her wand before picking up and pointing it at the mermaid “Rikkaruohot!” The seaweed begins moving towards the angry creature. Twirling at a fast pace. The mermaid screeches and creates a rip tide. It slows down and the mermaid speaks, she wants them to restore her to her former glory. Aino mentally scoffed, they were wasting time. Horuś tries a couple of transfiguration spells, but none of them work meanwhile Victoria tries to convince the mermaid to let them pass by offering to bring makeup when they’ve finished the task.

Aino was beginning to lose patience, her teammates were trying to talk with the mermaid, but the creature were clearly not going to let them pass without a fight. Aino felt her hand go to her knife, it might work, she thought. All these years of archery she could surely hit a target at this distance. And even though the care of magical creature was one of her stronger subjects she couldn’t remember anything about mermaids at the moment, so, she took the chance and the knife was thrown at the mermaid. The creature snarled when the knife hit her. She pulled it out and threw it before Aino could react. It barely misses her. The mermaids wound heals quickly, but blood is coming out of Aino’s wound, mixing with the briny water. “Fuck” Aino mutters, this wasn’t going according to plan, they don’t have time for this. And by now other mermaids were appearing.“Isla, what are you doing?” one of the mermaids asks. “They fell for it, ” she takes a claw and shreds her tail, it sheds and she appears as a youthful beautiful mermaid. Aino groans and another mermaid come closer, “Girl stops punking them, go on, little fishies” Isla grins when she turns to look at the champions. “We’re terribly sorry, it was so much fun though”

The Durmstrang champions move forward, definitely still pissed that they’ve wasted so much time already, but still going for the gold. The water gets colder and darker the farther they venture down. They pass by a giant octopus that inks them and they’re now unable to see. Aino can hear grumbling and an “Aqua eructo!” from Horuś. The ink disappears and they can see again. Aino can hear Victoria murmur “This is ridiculous” They swim lower and at last they see a cave “Wait, before we go in, let’s try this first” Horuś explain his plan. “Let’s swim up closer to the top. I’ll cast dissendium  again, see if you guys can slip in” Aino gives him an uncertain look, “Are you sure this is going to work Horuś?” “Well does anyone have a better idea? If worse comes to worst I’ll try to prop it open for longer with an aqua eructo” Aino give him one uncertain glance before agreeing, seeing that it’s not much more they can do. “Let’s try it then” “Alright, Victoria, you’re in first. Try to stay out of the vision of the occamy before the rest of us get in there.”  "Got it.“ Victoria nods and swims closer to the cave. "Dissendium!”  the cave widens quickly and Victoria is able to get through. Aino can hear the occamy snarl inside the cave. “Aino, your turn. Dissendium!” Aino slips inside the cave and tries to stay out of the occamy’s sight until they’re ready.

The cave opens quickly and lets Horuś through. “Fuck yes!” the three champions slowly swim closer to the occamy. Horuś puts his wand back into its holster, and holds out his hands defensively. He turns around to his teammates and holds a finger to his lips. Horuś rolls up the sleeve of his wetsuit, exposing at least a dozen moving tattoos swimming across his skin. “We ready for the distraction?” “Yeah” “Yep go do your thing.” Aino can see something move in the distance. It comes closer and before Aino gets the chance to warn her teammates, it taps on Horuś’ shoulder. Horuś looks shocked and turns to face a mermaid. “Lady, what do you want?” he says rudely, the mermaid looks at him and frowns slightly, “Rude. I can help you with the occamy” “I’m allowed to be disgruntled if someone pokes me out of nowhere, okay? Well what’s your proposal?” “ I’m Calliope. Alright, keep your reasons. I can distract it. I’m half Siren” Aino wonders  if this was really the best option, they had already been fooled by one mermaid today. Did they really have to get fooled by a half siren too? She trusted her teammates, they hadn’t let her down today and hopefully they wouldn’t in the future either. So she trusted them to make the best option. “Cool. Well, in that case. Let’s act according to plan – Victoria, you keep an eye on all the exits. Calliope, you do your thing, but I’m watching you, if you do anything out of line I can and will stop you and take over. Aino, stay hidden until the time is right. You know what to do.” Aino swims slightly closer to the occamy and starts to see its features, it’s beautiful with glistening scales but sharp eyes. And the four silver eggs are glistening. Calliope swims near the side of the cave and starts singing. The occamy screeches louder and stares at the half siren. She starts singing gently and occamy’s motions get slower and it starts to fall asleep. Aino starts picking up rocks and transfiguring them so that they look like the occamy’s eggs. Aino can hear Calliope whisper something to Horuś, she looks over her shoulder to see Horuś nod and dive towards the occamy’s nest, picking up eggs and putting them into the magic bottomless fanny pack that comes with the Durmstrang diving uniform as Aino is putting replacements back into the nest. When Aino puts the last replacement into place Horuś whispers “Alright, that’s all of them” the soft singing of calliope stops and a shriek echoes in the underwater cave. 'Oh, why do we trust these sea creatures’ Aino asks herself. The occamy snaps awake and grabs Victoria with its claws. Horuś murmurs something about trust issues and Aino mentally agree. She turns around to find calliope sealing the cave’s entrance. Calliope laughs and looks straight at Horuś. “You are too easily fooled” Aino scowl at this, the creature had no right to say that to her teammate. “Obudzić!” a whirly tattoo begins to pulse under Horuś’ skin almost grotesquely. The black substance breaks through his skin, and he bites back a snarl. The half siren lifts Horuś’ chin up with a mischievous grin “I mean, I thought you’d already hate merfolk after what happened with Isla” “Shut up lady I’m in the middle of something” the black figure blanches white, and forms into a large, flat skeleton. Calliope grins and immediately starts shrieking, trying to break all focus.

Victoria is struggling in the occamy’s grip. She tries some spells, but none seems to be having any effect. The occamy growls and screeches as loud as it can then proceed to attack everyone. Horuś shouts “No be patient, we can’t kill it” the manta ray skeleton soars through the water, its white bones catching the light and glinting. It dives fast and close to the beak of the occamy. “This wasn’t intended, you know. I know you probably hate all Merfolk now, but I can still help you. For a price” Calliope has a sly grin on her face when the words leave her mouth. 'Yeah right, of course, it’s “wasn’t intended”’ Aino scoffs 'It wasn’t intended for us to take so long to get past the mermaid either, but shit happens’. Horuś elbows the mermaid in the ribs and then slams the heel of his hand into her chin. The occamy had let go of Victoria and she is quick to swim as far away from the beast as possible. Calliope snarls "You should be thankful I haven’t attacked you yet" “Thanks Calliope for taking the top half of this challenge! It would have been more tiring if /I/ had to distract the occamy the entire time. Aino, open the passage while I still have the occamy occupied!” “What’s that spell you used to open the cave, again?” Victoria asks, they try to open the entrance again but the spell’s not working, the cave remains shut. The occamy shrieks and grabs at Aino. Its sharp claws digging into her. 'Well, fuck’ “It’s fine, I can do this” Horuś takes his wand out of its holster before continuing “Necromancy is second nature to me by now” Smirking, he says “Bad snake!” the ray cuts through the air over the head of the occamy once more. Aino tries to move the claws, but it’s impossible. The grip is too tight and she was probably going to get bruised after this.

Calliope moves quickly, she draws a knife and promptly stabs Horuś in the back, digging it in deep. Victoria gasps loudly and Calliope snarls “I could’ve helped you, but now you’ll pay a bigger price” she twists the knife deeper in Horuś’ back. “Oh, if this is the way it’s going to be…” his eyes roll back into his head “Rusalka, I’m calling you now” “Tricks on you, I’ve shed enough blood to make a bigger sacrifice now” Calliope snickers “good for you. I’ll be sure to call all the merfolk on your way up to the surface” a long-limbed creature with long hair leaps out of nowhere, and grabs the mermaid to stop it from swimming away. “Nie sądzę.” Calliope growls and starts shrieking as the cave starts to rumble and pebbles rain down. Aino thought they had forgotten about her, but when she was going to alarm her fellow champions the occamy tightened its grip on her slightly and she started to get trouble breathing. She could hear voices but not words, the cave start rumbling and the occamy tightened its grip slightly more. Aino started to get dizzy. She thinks ‘Is this it? Am I going to die on the first task? Leave my teammates? No I’m stronger than this’ She wriggles in the grip of the serpent, using the last of her strength trying to break free.

“Whatever! Aino, let’s blast this thing off" the Finnish gal almost growled, she’s still stuck here! How could they not see that? Aino is starting to give up when the occamy loosened its grip just enough for her to break free. She swam as fast as she could to the opening where Victoria was. Victoria swims outside and asks over her shoulder “Are you coming?” Aino lets out a soft sigh “Yeah” “Grab the eggs, and go! Hurry” The half siren hisses at the champions before continuing to sing. Horuś beckons at the runespoor that Aino hadn’t seen it until now, and it swims back and curls around his neck like a huge scarf. It pushes it under his skin. Horuś undoes the fanny pack and tosses it through the mouth of the cave as it starts to close. Victoria catches the pack with ease. Horuś lets out a whistle, and the ray comes back. He grabs its tail and the thing manages to drag him through the cave mouth. He’s badly scratched, but it’s no big deal “Guys, hold onto this thing” Victoria and Aino swim to Horuś and grabs the ray. Victoria says “Yeah, okay I’m never letting go” and Horuś shouts in reply “I can’t hear you” Calliope snarls “Go before it comes after you” the ray shoots through the water, upwards. Horuś murmurs “Come on, baby” the water begins to lighten, and the pressure starts feeling lighter. Horuś points his wand downwards “Aqua eructo!!” the blast of water speeds up the ray, and it’s able to go faster as the water gets lighter. Horuś and Aino both keep trying to boost the ray using the aqua eructo spell. Calliope swims upwards quickly and grabs them “You are an idiot”

Aino cried out “Bombarda maxima” and they were shot upwards and out of the water. They land on the deck, soaked in water, cuts over their bodies and seaweed in their hair. “Spiritus” a stream of clear alcohol shoots from Horuś’ wand into the water, the neck comes up, accepts the gift, and undoes the enchantments. Victoria drops the pack to the ground and shatters the eggs and sighs “And here are the keys we went through all that to get.”

Aino can hear Headmistress Lenox shout in the distance “Suck it Atlas!” Aino takes a look at the keys, each key looks different. One is steel grey with jagged spikes at the end. One is tinged slightly pink, forged out of glass. The last one is made of marble, engraved with gold. Victoria looks at the keys with her head slightly tilted “Ooh they look so pretty“ Horuś clears his throat “Well, ladies first. You have first pick“ All the boxes are different as well. Horuś has one made of ice that never melts. Victoria's is made of stained glass that can reassemble itself to form pictures. Aino's box is made of jade and is decorated with silver engravings. Victoria takes the glass key ”Well I'm guessing the glass one is mine.“ Horuś sighs “Why do i always get the sharp end of the stick ..“ When neither Victoria’s nor Horuś’ key works, Horuś laughs and throws his key at Victoria “You've got to be fucking kidding me” Victoria catches the spikey key “Are you kidding me?” Victoria’s box opens and Aino picks up the marble key and tries to open her box. But it doesn’t work for either Horuś or Aino. “Head's up” Horuś lifts his arm as if he was going to throw the key, but changes his mind the last minute. “okay maybe i should just hand you this one” Aino takes the key out of Horuś hand and hands him the marble key she just tested. Both of their boxes open and they look at what’s inside. Horuś brushes dripping bangs out of his face “Well shit, what's in here?“ Inside the boxes they find a scroll. It's bound by a ribbon which holds a list of ingredients. Victoria scans the paper “Potion making? Darn” “Hey Aino, resident herbologist, do you recognise any of these plants?“ Aino wipes some blood of her face and her eyes scan the paper in her hands. “Yeah, I’ve heard of some but never actually seen or used them” Victoria pushes her hair to one side and squeezes water out of it “Well I don't know about you, but I'm ready go take a shower and sleep” Horuś looks between his fellow Durmstrang champions “Well, I’d suggest hitting the books but now I’m feeling wiped. I could use a good nap right now.” Calliope looks at them annoyed “Glad to see you guys are finished, but would you mind giving me a push back in?“ Victoria walks to Calliope and pushes her in. “Thanks for all of your help” Horuś picks up an occamy eggshell and tosses it at Calliope “Something to remember us by” Calliope slicks back hair and pops above the waves “Hey, don't blame me! I was told to do this by the Headmasters” She grabs shell that Horuś tossed at her “Thanks, I'll catch you guys around” Calliope smiles before disappearing under the waves.

Headmistress Lenox walks up to her champions “Congratulations children! Who was that?” The Durmstrang champions look confused at each other “Calliope, though I thought you knew her. She told us that you guys put her up to this“ “Me? Psh, it was all Atlas“ Victoria rolls her eyes “Yeah yeah everything is Atlas's fault, of course” Niara smiles smugly ”Great job guys. Let's see if anyone can beat /that/.”  Horus looks annoyed “God is that why they hate me? Because I told them to watch out for the Beauxbatons kids? Ugh, no one better beat us. I nearly died for this shit“ Victoria hums in agreement “I don't know what I will do if someone beat us“ Horuś sighs “I will retreat to the depths of my father's mansion and never emerge again. my eagle will bring me food and there I will spend the rest of my miserable days” Niara looks down at the scroll “Doubt it, you guys did amazing. as for the scroll, you should probably get rest. I’ll start researching“ “Thanks Niara, you're a real friend“ “Thanks, Niara.” “Kiitos Niara”