Thread: The Dirty Part of Physics [ClockworkCadence ║ Ryees]

As soon as shed heard Helens word, her blue gaze grew razor sharp, scanning every inch of her Professor and her surroundings for the slightest bit of motion. Not that she needed to be so on edgeit was only a green light duel, not a dangerously questionable red one. But it was the pressure put upon her that made her so focusedthe first to duel the Professor, the student he seemed interested in over the rest, the need to prove to herself that she could be a capable fighter. All she had to do was hold her own against him, but given his unpredictability, that task seemed to grow into one of the hardest shed faced in her career. However, it was a career that was honestly most likely hanging by a thread unless she succeeded, considering the ease with which Professor Sherlin seemed to get rid of those he deemed as not worth teaching. The sudden thrust of his wand was expectedly unexpected, her grip on her light-colored wand noticeably tightening, ready to spring into action until she realized nothing had resulted from the sharp motion. Every muscle in her body seemed to tense at least a bit with anticipation, not wanting to be the first to strike for fear of any opening she left open being quickly and effortlessly exploited. Defense was her strength, and she was going to utilize it. By avoiding the offense, she might just make it through this. At least, thats what shed thought before she realized there were now two wands pointing threateningly in her direction. He wasnt serious , was he? Was this just a decoy to throw her off, or could he legitimately use two wands at once? That sort of thing shouldnt even be possible . Yet something in his eyes told her he didnt play games when it came to duelinghe was absolutely capable of wielding two wands, which meant much more trouble for Olivia than shed anticipated, despite already anticipating an overwhelming amount of trouble lying in wait to drown her in its black muck. But perhaps it wasnt so badit wasnt unlike her ability to cast with both her wand and her empty hand. This was the same concept. Rapid fire casts might become a problem, perhaps, but it was nothing too out of the ordinary. That was something that gave her confidence, at the very leasthe wasnt completely out of her league. She could at least compete, right? However, the odd drone that began reverberating through the room seemed to answer her hopes with a crushing, strangling fist. It took her a moment to connect the sound to its origin, uncertainty falling across her visage as she listened. It was purely alien to her, and to everyone in the room, as she vaguely noted the confused faces in the audience. The chalk owl on the board fluttered its wings uncomfortably at the noise, its head twisting side to side as its claws dug into the number one that it had found its perch on. A bit of chalk bled from the tiny puncture marks. But it wasnt just a droneit had shape, color, tone, articulation. There were syllables. These were words. This was a spell. Protego Totalum! The words left her lips as the flash of light registered in her mind. The force of the combined spells slammed against the shield, the heat of the flames leaking through and touching her skin with unsettling tongues of warmth. A gentle crack formed on the translucent surface of her magic at the point of impact, still present even as it faded with the last remnants of the offense. Olivia took a staggered, steadying step back, a rush of air gusting out of her lungs that she hadnt realized shed been holding as she stared across the short gap to her opponent, her mind reeling. Any sort of retaliation she might have hoped to muster was buried under her instinct to just defend and survive, along with the more rational part of her wanting to analyze what had just happened. Confringo? Reducto? At the same time? Just how did he do that with his voice? A part of her was impressed. Shed never seen such a technique beforewas that something hed be willing to teach? It certainly could prove to be useful, for a multitude of reasons. But the other part of her was nervous. Very, very nervous, for one simple thought prodded her mind, her body going rigid Did that count as one or two?