Luz
What could go wrong? Luz's thoughts were in a swarm of anxiety, self-doubt, and numerous other self-deprecating thoughts. Her morning had gone off without a hitch, Eda made a delicious breakfast, King agreed to come to the exam and even stay to hangout while they watched the try outs. Yet, despite this, she couldn't stop herself from the increasing self-doubt that was constantly evident and worse still there was the odd occasion where she still felt like there was something or someone lingering in the shadows, waiting for her to fail. Ridiculous, I am not that important to ANYONE here... the young apprentice tried to coax herself into less uncomfortable thoughts. Dragging herself out from her mind and into the present, she was suddenly all too aware of the eyes on her and the pause in conversation. "Err..." Her eyes darted from Eda to King and over to Willow who they had met up with a few minutes ago at the entrance to the school. "Creo que me perdí algo... I think I missed something..." She said, suddenly sheepish. Taking her hands out of her jacket pockets she put her hands up in defense. Due to the importance of today and what it could mean for her, Luz was careful to select the best clothes for the potential struggle she would face. She wore her green jacket, with her bag of holding slug around her body cross ways, under the jacket was a simple black t-shirt. For pants she wore her black leggings with a potions belt that hung down like a chain from the front of her leggings to the back, it held easily accessible potions if getting to her bag wasn't practical. Finally, she decided to forego her usual flats or sneakers in favor of some slightly more practical ankle high brown and dark green boots.
"I think so too." Willow laughed, seemingly very calm considering her exam would come just a few after Luz's, as they were going by last name. "I was expressing to Eda that I'd be moving into the dorms and potentially trying out for the flyer derby team, if we can get enough players to revive the team." A thoughtful finger went to the side of her face as if she was trying to imagine the team, breaking herself from the intrusive thought, "And then Eda and King both wondered what you had taken into consideration... Since you haven't seemed to talk about it too much." The plant witch hadn't meant to walk her friend into this conversation but the turn in topic had happened so fast. As the eyes of Eda and King left Willow to focus on Luz once again, all she could muster up was a small apologetic look.
Both Eda and King were looking at Luz expectantly, Luz was actually surprised that the topic had taken such a drastic turn, however, she had been avoiding going into much detail or thought with either of them. She was worried whatever she decided would have a negative effect and that was the last thing she wanted, keeping her sheepish look she glanced at the two and shuffled into the auditorium to buy herself some time as they had paused just outside of the doors when she was brought back from her thoughts. Once they were all seated near the back she sighed, opening her mouth to answer them, both with large expectant eyes and then as if on cue a loud, booming voice stole all the attention. Oh that couldn't have had any better timing... trying not to let the feeling of relief show on her face she turned to better face the large stage, which had been outfitted with barriers and obstacles for the exam skirmishes.
King hopped off his place on Eda's shoulder and rolled his eyes at Luz's avoidance of the question, he had heard her talk about it minimally since the possibility of attending had been brought to the table. The thought caused an ache in his chest that he wasn't accustomed to and didn't want to be accustomed to. Shes going to go back to the human world in no time... Maybe it will make it easier to have her stay at the dorm... Ignoring the loud announcement, the small demon sat in contemplation, wrestling with his feelings. But if she is leaving soon... Shouldn't she just stay with us!? He loud out a 'weh' of frustration that was drown out by the exam details being shared. Not wanting to come off as soft he crossed his arms and let his eyes stay forward, trying to act indifferent.
Everything after Principal Bump came on stage and began to review the exam details felt surreal, everything had this muddled sound to it as if nothing was clear, the same could be said for what Luz saw before her, everything has this glow or shine to it. It was the first exam that brought some realism back to the world and it happened to be a demonstration to assist in preparing not only the participants but the parents of the participants, for those whose first time it was seeing an exam it could be jarring. On stage for the demo was none other than Amity Blight, her hair was pulled back into a bun, the look was off putting compared to the wild half up hair style the youngest Blight typically wore. This look was neat, tidy and perfect, even her clothes were void of their typical expression, only wearing a black v neck quarter sleeve shirt with black leggings and her usual army style boots, Well at least she kept her boots... But I mean, even those are black. Luz heard a small giggle from her right where Willow was but was too focused on the stage to react and inquire.
"Now our top student from Hexside Highs graduating class will demonstrate the exam expectations, you would all do well to pay attention to this example." Principal Bumps voice was thunderous with whatever magic he was using to amplify his voice, his expression was composed as ever, he made his way down from the front of the stage and as he seated himself in the front row gestured for the exam to begin. Suddenly there was a brilliant light from the stage and the arena lines appeared, dimming as they encompassed the whole stage, giving the green haired witch the indication of where she is cut off. As the lights dulled a small buzzing scream rang out to indicate the start of the exam, and just like that the 8-foot-tall abomination lumbered its way towards Amity. Its dark purple goo body swirled with magic and as it swung its massive arm up – transforming midway into an axe – small speedy blades were flung towards the examinee. The speed at which Amity deflected the onslaught with her own abomination goo was astounding, in a matter of a few seconds she had twirled her finger around in a small circle and from the potion bottle on her left hip created a shield. Her facial expression virtually stayed the same as she shifted her position, pushing one leg back and bracing herself as the axe came cracking down against the makeshift shield. There were some gasps and murmurs among the crowd, which only intensified as Amity shifted her weight to her back leg and pivoted so the axe slid off the shield and cracked against the hard ground before turning to mush.
The abomination groaned upset the attack had failed, changing tactics it formed a long sword like appendage where the axe once was. Before it could mount another attack, Amity had already started her retaliation, the goo that was her shield took form around her hands and created dark purple spiked gauntlets. With a ferocity that shocked the attendees, the young woman slammed her fist into the abominations arm, severing it and causing the sword like goo to drop to the floor in a pile. Starled, the abomination reeled and flung its other arm, only it was too slow to connect with the witch's body, in perfect rhythm she ducked under the blow and drove the other gauntlet in an upper cut motion to sever the other attacking arm. Her opponent staggered backwards, groaning louder this time as it worked to form new arms. She isn't giving it a moment to react Luz thought, transfixed by the ordeal. With a sharp shake of her hands the goo was dispelled back into its bottle on her hip, in the same motion she created a medium sized spell circle and suddenly in the palm of her hand appeared a blue flame ball. Having put the abomination on the defensive she launched the ball at it, and then another and to finish her barrage of attacks she put both her hands together as if to clap. Between her clasped hand a large ball at least 3 times the size of the last two appeared, with minimal effort she tossed it, sending the abomination stumbling backwards. And just like that it was over, in the same instant the abomination had left the arena, Amity had hit the 5 strike criteria, while also displaying four different spells. As the screaming bell signified the end of the demonstration, the green haired witch straightened up, brushed off some abomination residue from her shirt and pushed back the single stray hair that had escaped before giving a curt and unenthusiastic bow to the spectators, who were now clapping for her performance, Luz included.
In awe of the performance Luz sat back, finishing her last few claps with the crowd before turning to Willow who was already staring at her, a small almost knowing smile on her lips. "What's that look for?" The human girl quirked an eyebrow up at her friend who shrugged and looked away, watching Amity walk off the stage, only nodding at her parents as she walked by. Suddenly the spectators all around started to stand and exit the auditorium, causing Luz to look again to Willow for an explanation.
"Oh boy... You really didn't hear much of what Principal Bump said huh?" Willow chuckled at the lost and confused expression on her friend's face. "We don't get to watch each other's performance, parents can stay if they like but they want all the students to go get ready and wait, that way you can't steal spells from others as well to boost yourself up... Even If you have no idea how to do them properly." Gesturing for Luz to lead the way, along with Eda and King, the green haired witch couldn't help but glance back at Amity. Sure, they had drifted apart, ended on bad terms and there were some bullying problems, but she could still feel something was off, even after all that and all this time. Maybe I should ask Luz... She... Did seem worried and was weird about the details. recalling what Luz said about going to the knee for training, she could now hear little bits and pieces of missing information echo in her mind. Not wanting to pull a Luz, she shook herself from the thought to ponder it over later and followed the others out.
As they grouped up in the hallway Eda was the first to speak up, "Well, glad you kids don't need to face each other, whoever went up against the youngest Blight would have a real challenge. Couldn't have looked less into it" The older witch folded her arms, shrugging slightly, "Maybe her parents pulled some abomination punches!" She let out a short snorting laugh at the thought, however her minor joke was only met with Willow and Luz shaking their heads at her. "Ah whatever." She stuck her tongue out at the group, laughing when Luz pushed her shoulder slightly, asking her to get back on topic. "I think you'll do just fine, you've had a lot of training, well some training and a trip, plus some near-death experiences." The way people in the boiling isles spoke about close calls and sever incidents always caused a small chill to creep down the human apprentice's spine. "Alright, you too ladies go get settled before your exam, I'll feed this monster – again – and head back in to watch." She gestured towards King who was on her shoulder, dramatically whining about being famished despite breakfast not having been more than a couple hours ago. With a flick of her large grey locks over her shoulder she departed, leaving Willow to lead Luz to their waiting area.
Thanks to the demonstration Luz's excitement and energy made the time go by infinitely faster, the waiting one was of the worst parts of the whole experience. She didn't mind small waits, but she was worried this was going to be like knowing you have a dentist's appointment booked all day and having to wait for it, paralyzed in anxious fear, causing time to tick by slower and slower as you get closer. I can do this... she reassured herself, mentally preparing her strategy and making sure she had her glyphs ready. She was also thankful that anyone who had completed their exam was sent off and not allowed back with the examinees waiting for their turn. There had been a long silence between the two friends as they waited for their turns, the silence didn't bother either one but it was odd at a time like this to have let it go on for so long. Turning to Willow, Luz put an arm around her friend and pulled her into a side hug, clearly bringing her friend out of her deep thoughts. "You have nothing to fear! You are going to do spectacular." She cooed in a sing song way, before pulling herself away to look at her.
Just as Willow was going to open her mouth to speak the P.A system went off, Principal Bumps voice was clear and very loud, echoing in the waiting room that was now slowly emptying as participants left. "Next examinee, Luz The H- Pardon me, Luz Noceda, please come to the arena." Both laughed at the request, not only for him almost using 'the human' as a last name but for the odd way he had pronounced her last name. "Tell me later!" Luz said as she stood up, having seen that Willow was going to say something to her, not wanting to delay, she took a deep breath and jogged to the arena smiling to herself as she heard Willow call out encouragements and well wishes. "I can do this" She whispered, pulling her red beanie from her head and putting it in her bag, for safe keeping.
The lights on the stage were far brighter than she imagined they would be, using her hand to block some of the light she tried to quickly scan the remaining people in the audience but was unable to decern anyone in particular. I'm sure they made it back; how long can it take to get a snack. Making her way to the center of the stage, Principal Bump made his way up the stairs from his seat and went over the rules with her again one more time. She appreciated the consideration, assuming he didn't have to do that with others since it was so well known. After the review and a small word of encouragement and a small thumbs up, he returned to his seat. Had no idea he even knew what a thumbs up was she joked in her mind, standing idly and despite knowing what was going to happen next she still jumped when the principals booming voice echoed in the room and gave the signal for the bell to ring – scream – to start. Luz squared her body in the direction of the Abomination as it made its way into view, putting a hand in her inside jacket pocket she grabbed her glyphs.
For a long moment no one moved, the abomination seemed to barely even recognize that she was there, however she appreciated the time to survey the area up close and better strategize. There were several barriers to hide behind, barrels, boxes, and miscellaneous objects all around, due to the exams prior some of them were a little skewed but still useable. Finally, after what felt like one of the longest few minutes of her life, the abomination made the first move it lumbered forward much like it had with Amity. Using its slow movement to her advantage, Luz took the opportunity to slow it further, slamming a piece of paper down on the ground with a wide grin, a medium sized ice spike sprang from the ground hurdling right for the abomination. The crowd gasped in response, for two reasons it seemed, the first was a human using real magic – not just potions – the second, the slow-moving abomination seemed to double in speed side stepping the spike as if it was an expected obstacle. M-maybe I just... Miscalculated. She had to calm her mind before it got away from her. The abomination was far too close now to use any ground-based attacks, needing to create a gap between them Luz slapped the new plant glyph to her palm, using her mind to mold the magic into what she wanted to happen. It wasn't perfect, but it achieved her goal, large vines whipped wildly from her palm almost pushing her backwards along with the abomination. As soon as she had a few feet of space between them, she let the thought and the vines from her hand drop before bolting to the side, trying to come up with a plan. Vaulting over one of the barriers she turned and knelt, peering at the abomination from the side, it had recovered incredibly fast and was already headed towards her. Biting her lip, she devised a plan to buy herself some time, or at least land some decent hits. Without even looking she grabbed one of the potions from her belt and launched it the abomination, letting out a small "Yes!" when the glass cracked open and froze the abomination's legs to the ground.
The liquid was hissing as it froze, creeping deeper into the liquid body of the abomination, feeling confident Luz sprang up from her place behind the short barrier and went to launch another attack. Another bottle of freezing potion ready in her hands, she wasn't prepared however for the grim reality of her situation, right in front of her just on the other side of the barrier the 8-foot-tall abomination groaned at her, fist raised. Her mind couldn't move fast enough to understand but thankfully her body launched her into action, pushing her to dive and land hard on her right side, the second she could she whipped the freezing potion at her opponent. Her eyes frantically searching for understanding, she immediately spotted the answer, she had indeed hit the abomination with her potion, however, it had done nothing to stop its relentless stride. In front of her very eyes she could see what had happened with her first potion, she had frozen the limb but unlike Amitys match this abomination immediately grew its limbs back. The frozen arm of the attacker was tossed away like it was nothing and replaced, only causing the abomination to lose a few inches of height as it filled itself back out. Oh... Wow okay. The audience was murmuring, but that was all a blur to her now as her heartbeat was truly the only thing she could hear.
Scrambling to her feet Luz turned and ran again, leaping over the closest set of barrels to give herself some cover, peering out again to orient herself and devise a plan, she gasped stumbling backwards. A purple goo blade had narrowly missed her head when she poked it out and was now embedded in the far wall. The audience was getting louder now, but her mind was too focused on the task in front of her, this was her moment, this was everything she had ever wanted when she was growing up, what she idolized, and she was so close. I can't just let this go now... sucking in a deep steadying breath of air, she grabbed her light and ice glyph. The minutes that had passed felt like an eternity, but she was determined to pass. Doing a dive and roll Luz narrowly missed another three knives, in the process she had laid down several ice and light glyphs on the ground without activating them. She continued baiting the angry abomination for several more steps, before finally everything seemed to line up for her, the abomination was frustrated and creating deadlier weapons to come at her with. "Come and get me!" She called, taunting the abomination further into her trap, yelping as an axe that it tossed finally dealt her a minor cut on her forearm. Welp Me lo merecía. (I deserve that) Especially for taunting it... can't get cocky. After just a few more steps, Luz went to grab her plant glyph, the last thing she needed to activate this trap.
Her blood suddenly ran cold and her chest felt tight, not wanting to take her eyes off the abomination she grasped at empty pockets, she must have accidentally laid them out with her trap. Shaking and almost frozen from the realization she could die, her mind screamed for a plan, anything, she would do anything. That's it! her watery eyes looked down finally at her cut forearm, taking the blood that was weeping from the wound she dropped to the ground and drew out the plant glyph. Struggling to keep the pattern precise as her hands shook from fear, anxiety and impending doom, "Eat... THIS" She yelled, ignoring the few people left in the auditorium who could hear her, she slammed her hand down and from the improvised glyph shot out tendrils of vines that slapped across the floor activating the glyphs she had laid out. In a burst of light, ice and vines the abomination was finally brought to bay. The light had dazzled both the spectators and the abomination, as it let out a defiant groan and staggered only to be met with a mix of ice spikes and pillars trapping it in place, and although it wasn't intended at first, vines assisted the ice walls by twisting all around the abomination. A wave of intense relief washed over Luz's whole body, almost giving her a feeling of euphoria.
The euphoric experience was ended just as quickly as it had come on, when she had finally leaned back on her knees the ear-splitting sound of the bells ringing – screaming – brought her back to reality. As the dazzling lights faded from her trap and the lights from the stage dimmed to allow her to see the audience, her initial feeling of relief was now a mixture of confusion and worry as she didn't see any recognizable faces in the audience. Getting up from her spot she started to walk to the end of the stage where Principal Bump had given the speech and where he met the contestants after their exam was done. As she strode by the trapped abomination, it gave an uncharacteristic shake and groan, watching her with its soulless eyes. If not for the endorphins running through her she would have jumped at the sudden movement, considering the abomination should be completely immobilized now that the test has finished. "Soo" she said quietly as she met with Principal Bump.
There was a small moment of silence as Principal Bump regarded the scene before him, and the condition Luz was in from the examination. When he had created all the abominations for testing that day, he had made sure the one Luz was going to contend with was mild mannered and set at a beginner's level, as he did with all students who had undergone stressful events, poor grades, etc. However, after watching the first few moments of the test he could tell something was very wrong, It acted like an advanced combat abomination... he hummed in thought and finally bowed his head to Luz, acknowledging her. "I won't go into details, as you need to see a healer, but you have passed. I'll give the formal letter to Edalyn when she retur-" A loud bang rang through the auditorium, causing multiple groups of waiting parents and guardians to jump. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over his shoulder, only to see Eda and King standing with their arms spread wide, with determined looks on their faces.
The two had ventured out to get snacks well before Luz's examination, however, when they had finally made it back to the correct hall – after some struggles remembering exactly where to go – they came face to face with charmed doors. All three sets of doors to the examination room were sealed shut with strong magic, preventing them from not only entering –but from making any kind noise to get anyone attention – and despite Eda's attempts to get through, the only way she would have been able to break through the charm was if she broke through the door all together and that, that would have caused a scene for sure. Once the charms dissipated, the two, who had been pushing and cursing on and off for at least 20 minutes finally succeeded in slamming the doors wide open. Eda's eyes were wide and wild with a clear craving for vengeance in them. Before she could open her mouth, she saw the look of shock on Luz's face and the patient look on Principal Bumps, with a wave of his hand he signaled that they would talk about it later or at least that's what she took from it.
"Edalyn, kind of you to join us, I was just telling Luz that she had passed, and I would be passing along the finer details to yourself later, along with a long-considered request." He spoke evenly while looking about the room for anything out of the ordinary, the only thing that had caught his eye was the swinging door of the far entrance to the auditorium, meaning someone had made a quick exit. "Please, go see the Nurses Luz, you did very well, Edalyn, you taught her very well." He nodded again to both witches, as they were on oppositing sides of the auditorium. As he went back to his seat, he snapped his fingers to call upon two very large abominations to clear out the mess Luz had made during her time in the arena.
"What do you call that, hm? Is that really the best the great Alador of the famed Blight Industries can do?" A venomous voice snapped from beneath a dark purple cloak, hiding most of their notable features. As they walked at a quickened pace, their cloaks billowed behind them, adding to their already ominous air. The woman didn't let her companion reply before continuing her berating tirade of abuse, "If anyone found out that you were in control of that embrassment, we would be a laughingstock, our stocks would plummet, we-" Before the nagging voice could continue, the other figure stopped in the tracks, a few paces from the exit outside.
Alador had been tasked with injuring Luz during her examination or at the very least to show she was completely incompetent with her spells, either option felt easy enough with the knowledge he had, not only on Luz but on humans in general. He was more than astonished when the apprentice seemed to not only have a good grasp of her spells, but how to best utilize them in direct confrontation. There were several reasons for the failure of his task, the first being the shock, the second was his deep-rooted need to better understand and analyze things around him. Especially those that are peculiar in nature, and Luz, was certainly peculiar. The third and final reasoning, albeit more coincidental, was that it would be wrong to outwardly hurt Luz during her exam, to the degree that Odalia was instructing. Students were occasionally injured, mangled even, but his wife wanted to crush the life from the young woman and that was something, even in his suggestable state, was unable to do. "Imagine Odalia, the consequences and inquiries that this would inspire should anyone be able to trace it back to us." He spoke in a low voice, both emotionally void and calculated. "Even aside from that, her mentor was there, The Wild Witch." Alador purposefully avoided using her name, as the two had never exactly got along, even when attending school together.
Odalia was impatient with her husband and his excuses were barely sating her anger, "We can discuss this further later... Let's see our darling daughter get captain and be on our way. I don't want to sit in this filth any longer than I must." There was no room for negotiations with her current tone, she was angry enough as it was and just wanted a distraction and seeing her daughter show up the other students was exactly what she needed. With a small flourish she pulled both their cloaks off – or rather the concealment stone – and headed out the side exit, making their way to the large Grudgby field, where all the students were gathering. Some had just finished their exam while others, like Amity, had been waiting since the examinations had begun. Taking a seat as far from the rif-raf as possible, she sat silently next to Alador, her eyes narrow and unwavering as she gazed at her daughter, only thoughts of perfection on her mind.
Back at the stage Luz was nearly too starstruck with the realization she passed to really have much of a reaction, her body was on autopilot as she navigated to the nurse's station just on the other side of the area, opposite where she had entered. I can't believe it... This is my school now, this is where I am going to learn magic, this is where... where I'm not going to be a freak, or a reject or weird. Well, too weird. her mind was racing just as quickly as her heart was, both signifying her excitement and trepidation. At the time of the exam, she hadn't taken notice, but now that the pink-haired and horned nurse was working away at her wounds, she realized the condition she was truly in. The knives and manifested weapons on the abomination had gotten more hits than she felt. Her green jacket had tatters in the sleeve from the barrage of knives, daggers and axe attacks, while her black leggings were torn all the way to her knee on the left side from scraping and sliding on the arena floor. Wincing as the healer made her skin crawl as it mended, she cursed for not being more careful, the nurse was silent as she worked, which Luz was surprisingly thankful for. She could imagine that today was a busy day and the faster she could do her job the better her day would be. After a few agonizing and itchy minutes Luz finally managed to make it to the hallway, and just like she agreed, she waited for Willow leaning casually against the hallway wall. I wonder if Principal B knew it was going to be so hard... Or, maybe the demonstration was just for show... Ugh, I really should have listened better The brown-haired apprentice mentally grumbled to herself as she waited for Willow to be done, nearly jumping out of her own skin when her friend burst into the hallway.
Amity
As soon as the demonstration had ended and she walked off the stage, she took to making her way to the locker room, where she could change into some more acceptable athletic wear for her tryouts and take a moment to calm her nerves. She had never had much anxiety when it came to sports, especially Grudgby, she always felt like herself on the field, but now, now she felt the weight of unrealistic and lofty expectations from her mother. Get it together... They are going to be watching, they... They are watching. Amitys thoughts reeled, despite not feeling any painful tugs, stabs or intrusions she couldn't help but shake the after effect of whatever happened during her last practice session. Taking a deep and steadying breath, she turned and leaned on her palms, facing the mirror in the girl/ghouls changing room, examining her face. Her yellow eyes were staring back at her and yet somehow, they had lost their luster, she could see a profound emptiness in them. Gulping down the strange feelings welling up inside her gut she started to check her equipment, instead of the formal attire she wore during the demo she wore a practice uniform. Customary for all who chose to try out for the Grudgby team. Her practice uniform consisted of a white undershirt with plain black padded leggings, the padding was the most prominent on her thighs and outer sides of her calves, to protect her from elements and dives. On top of her plain white shirt were shoulder pads in Hexide away colours, a deep grey with accents of gold. The chest piece that connected the shoulder pads together was sturdy and new, the fabric holding it all together was a deep grey and was snug against Amity's neck causing the amulet to uncomfortably press into her.
From the other side of the locker door she could hear the coach start to pull prospective players and current players in from the field, not wanting to be late she knelt and tied her dark purple greaves to her shins for added protection, slipped on her heavy and clawed cleats, finally finishing with dark gray magic imbued bracers that protector both her elbows and forearms. Staring at herself in the mirror for a minute longer, she debated what she saw before her, somehow despite seeing herself she felt like she saw a shadow constantly clouding her features. The second whistle blew, pulling the green haired witch from her thoughts and putting her to action. With a swift swipe she grabbed her fingerless gloves and wiped two black streaks just below her eyes. Pushing the door open from the locker room she winced as her eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright daylight, following the crowd she made her way to huddle around the coach, Boscha immediately flanking her, so they stood side by side in the huddle. They gave one another a silent nod as the coach explained to the prospects how this was going to go, unlike normal try outs these try outs were because the students were on previous teams, meaning they should be more advanced. The existing players would select two to three prospects to create a team and they would have a knock-out tournament, even if your team made it to the last round or even won, that didn't secure all prospects of that team a spot. "I also want to note, this year we are in need of a new co-captain and assistant captain, who effectively support the team together and take the place of the captain should they be ill, or unable to play." The burly fur covered coach bellowed, making sure their voice was loud enough for all to hear. "We have 12 players here total, we have need of 6 new players, the perfect Grudby team is well rounded and consists of 12 to 16 players, larger fields allow more players and depending on the event we might need 3 on the field or 7 on the field at a time. So, you better know how to work together and in different combinations!" spit flew from the coach's mouth as they bellowed this their long-curved teeth exposed, ensuring all heard, after a small pause they continued and gestured for the current members of the hexside college Chimera's to start creating teams.
There were going to be two different types of games, 3 on 3 and 6 on 6, during that time the coach would be taking notes and selecting the best performers. Any students who were apart of the Hexside Highschool Banshee's were quickly scooped up into the 3 on 3 teams, only two of the teams had a student who was coming from outside of Hexside. To make following along easier, the students who were selected as Home were given a blue and gold ribbon to tie around their necks, while the students who would be considered away were given dark gray and gold. Amity had been the first selected into one of the 3 on 3 teams, next was Boscha, meaning at one point in the mini tournament they would be directly competing. Both witches were surprised at how unenthusiastic the other was, however, there wasn't a good moment for either to mention it to one another before the games would start. Boscha's team was up first, the team consisted of Boscha, Skara and Diamon, while the opposing team was Amelia, Celine and Westin. The match didn't last nearly as long as it seemed Coach Boarkus thought, by the time he was done his initial notes and jot down a few additional observations it was all over. The coach debated if he should have moved the target up to 20 rather than 10, however it was clear he was satisfied enough as he motioned for the next teams to come up and initiate the next round.
The team Amity was on consisted of herself, Cat and Junie, she had known Cat for almost as long as she had known Boscha and despite not being nearly as close, it was still a comfort to have that familiarity available. The green haired witch was far too occupied with her own anxieties to give the opposing team much thought, all she focused on was getting the Grudgby ball and netting it ten times, as instructed and nothing was going to stand in her way. The match went off without a hitch, with ease Amity had taken charge of the ball, avoiding its lunges and bites as she carried it to the goal. Dodging left and right to avoid the vines, explosions and other assorted traps that made up most of the Grudgby field. By the end of the game the other team was a panting, sweating mess, while only Cat seemed to be mildly out of breath on her team. Now if we could just skip to the 6 on 6... that would be perfect. An audible sigh left Amity's lips as anxiety about facing Boscha crept in, a worry she hadn't carried before. Standing on the side lines she removed her hair from the tight bun it had been in from that morning and let her locks tumble down her shoulders and relieve some minor pressure on her skull. From behind her left shoulder, she could hear the murmurs of the closest set of spectators, "This is going to be intense... Well yeah, they're both monsters on the field..." A small shiver went down her spine and a tightness was suddenly gripping her chest, where the amulet was. "Don't let the family down darling" despite the – mild – kindness of the words that echoed in her head, the action didn't shake her any less, only reinforcing her earlier sentiment that she was always being watched, always had expectations. Not looking back to see where her parents sat in the stands, she nodded her head and took a drink of water as the coach reset the field.
"Alright, line up!" The coach howled, gesturing for the two teams to meet in the center, keeping things civil, Amity took a step forward and put her hand out to Boscha. The pink-haired girl looked as if she wasn't going to return the gesture but after that awkward pause she moved forward and grasped her friend's hand, and in a low voice, almost too quiet for her to hear, wished her luck. The hesitation surprised Amity but then again, she had sensed something off since the start of try outs. "I want a clean game; we will only be breaking for 20 minutes when this game is over before moving to 6 on 6 where it will be Chimera's versus you freshies." With a grunt, he sounded a loud whistle and tossed the angry ball into the air.
To Amity's surprise Cat was the first to jump for the ball, her reflexes really taking after her name's sake, in a quick pass she tossed the snapping ball to Juni. The medium sized androgynous young adult was dirty blonde, with hair that seemed to almost always be in their eyes, yet never so much to cause any issues. They gripped the ball snug into their chest, suffocating the mouth of the ball against the thick plating as they jerked and leapt out of the way of a diving Skara. Thinking Boscha was going to be their next challenge, the individual rolled to the left, accidentally triggering one of the magical traps littered on the field. Cursing, both Juni and Boscha were partly blown apart by the explosion, using the cloud of dust as an advantage, Amity ran through the cloud getting the ball from Juni as she ran by, eyes watering slightly from the dust. Seeing the green haired witch fly out of the dust cloud, all three opponents took off after her, leaping carefully over other environmental hazards as they did. Just as they were closing in on Amity who had been making her way to the left most corner of their opponent's side of the field, the buzzer sounded signaling a point was made. In truth, Amity had faked the grab while in the dust cloud, causing the team to follow her and leave Cat and Juni able to score uncontested.
The pink haired witch rolled her eyes and scoffed at the realization of what they had done, usually she would have more outrage at such trickery but today she was feeling oddly subdued. She still wanted to win but there was a fire and passion missing from today's matches, Get a grip and get back out there She barely let any time elapse before brushing by Amity and taking up position where the ball would again be dropped for their contest. This time when the snappy ball dropped, she was the first to nab it, and this time she had no reservations, rather than allowing anyone to give chase she slammed fire down behind her causing a small wall to block her from being followed. The match went on like this for some time, neither side really outpaced the other, any time one scored the other followed up only moments later. Starting to feel the strain of being pushed, Boscha composed herself as much as she could and quickly rallied her teammates to explain the next plan of attack. The score was 9-9, the next point would be the winner and then they could move on. Feeling suddenly confident, the pink-haired witch squared her shoulders and lined up with her teammates. As soon as the ball was loose, rather than jumping for it, she took a potion off her belt and smashed it on the ball. Immediate confusion took over the other teams' features as the ball seemed to have disappeared altogether. Perfect a wicked smile crossed her features and her third eye quickly narrowed and assisted her in locating the now invisible ball, not wanting to prelude to its location she simply made a lunge for it. As she picked it up, her teammates used their own magic to part the team and allow Boscha access to the net. A small pang of anxiety hit her as she saw Amity was jumping up to block the shot from its destination, there was nothing she could do, the ball was now traveling from her fingertips to reach the net. This would be all about timing, as much as she wished she had made an effort to get closer, she could suddenly see an exhausted air about her friend that had previously eluded her.
In the final moments of the match, Amity was feeling the burn, her limbs ached, her eyes were bleary, and she had a ringing in her ear that wouldn't subside. The green-haired witch had never felt such drag against her body as she did today, as if something was leaching energy from her. Knowing it was one of the final plays of the game Amity tried to stay invested and focused, even when the ball disappeared and the opposing team seemed to use their own magic and that of the fields against them, the drained witch still managed to find a way through. She couldn't see the ball but based on the way Boscha was throwing, she could guess where it left her fingertips. Just a little higher … Using a blast of fire to hurdle herself through the air, she approached the net with ferocious speed, every fiber in her body was buzzing excitedly. As she rose to the best position to deflect, her bleary eyes again became unfocused and her piercing yellow eyes were met with the intense brown eyed gaze of the human girl, sitting in the stands, on the edge of her seat. Although it was for only a moment, a split second of time, it was enough for the spell that was rampaging through her body to activate. Her magic faltered and she lost momentum, her left arm subconsciously pulled in towards her chest to help ease the sudden stabbing pain. Leaving her with just one arm extended, reaching, regardless of her efforts, the split second was all it took for the opposing team to win. She could feel the ball graze the tip of her extended hand, and 'fwoosh' through the goal post, earning them the final tick for victory.
The world around Amity seemed to go silent, the ringing snuffing out all other sounds, she came down hard on her feet causing her to immediately go to a kneel. Before the pain could subside from the spell, her mothers voice came into her mind like a raging storm. "WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?! YOU FALTERED, YOU FAILED... YOU EMBARASSED YOURSELF. YOU EMBARASSED THE FAMILY..." the voice broke through the ringing and brought her back to a dark reality. Suddenly there was a touch on her left shoulder, Boscha, for a moment she could see her mouth move but no sound and then all of a sudden, as if there was a 'pop' all the sounds came back to her, causing her to flinch.
"What happened out there?" The pink-haired girl asked, unknowingly mirroring Odalias mental barrage. Boscha could see the change on the field, the whole moment seemed to happen in slow motion for her, as if something had snapped in her mind and she was seeing clearly for the first time in a while. "We'd better get something to drink while we can... Won't be too long until we do the 6 on 6 and despite me kicking your ass, we're going to be facing varsity players, so... I need you on your game."
Amity didn't dwell on the situation, there was nothing she could do, she couldn't alleviate her pain herself, she couldn't change the outcome and she couldn't make her mother understand. All she could do was continue, until she was just an empty shell of who she was, which she felt closer to every day, every waking moment. "You just got lucky Bosch" Her tone was thick with exhaustion, but she still managed to have a minor mocking feature to it. Getting up without her friends aid, she brushed herself down for a moment, no matter how much she wanted to survey the crowd. She kept her eyes forward and made her way to the bench for water and a break before the next part. She didn't know what she would do if her eyes locked with those of her mothers, fathers or... that human girl. It's getting worse... I didn't even think her name, I didn't THINK anything and the moment we locked eyes... she let out an audible sigh that she hoped no one could hear, sitting down on the bench with her bottle of water she offered a smile to her teammates who had followed her, worried expressions on their faces. If how I'm feeling is a result of her spell... Maybe I can make a c- her thoughts abruptly stopped, and her head swam as whispers flooded her ears, a melancholy melody of voices she could barely recognize. Before she knew it, a whistle brought her back from the depths of her mind, she couldn't recall how long it had been or the thought she had prior to the incident. "Ready as always" She replied, on autopilot when Boscha came to get her and rallied the Banshee's.
Luz was sitting in the stands, on the edge of her seat for each of the matches but especially the one between Boscha and Amity, it felt exhilarating, there was so much magic in the air, strategy, passion. The brown-haired witches apprentice was sitting with Willow and King on one of the mid-tier benches, Willow had insisted that the middle tier was the best for watching the game and so far, she had to agree. She was high enough not to miss anything and low enough that it wasn't hard to see all the interesting traps and magic laid in the life-like field. When the last match had ended, she felt an odd pang in her chest, an ache that only confused her. Was she upset 'her team' lost, or that Amity had missed the shot, or was she worried about the green-haired witch. "Err... So what are they doing now?" Luz whispered to Willow who was occasionally recording pieces of interest for when Gus came back from his vacation, he loved Grudgby, well, watching it and knew he would have loved to see this.
"They're getting ready for the Chimera's versus the Banshee's, all of them are most likely going to get in, but they are scouting between the newbies and the Chimera's who will be team captain." Her voice was confident and matter of fact, something the dark-haired girl wasn't very often. Seeing Luz's surprise at her confident answer she leaned a bit closer and explained, "Hexside did the same thing when we went from elementary school to high school, plus... that new gym teacher has a sheet on their clipboard that has 'Captain material' 'Selection due ASAP' written on it." she let out a small giggle as her friend whipped her head around and started to squint and try to see the clipboard. "The last time I saw it, it had Boscha, Skara, Amity, and three other names, I'm guessing from the college on it." She shrugged, Willow knew it would come down to Amity and Boscha, they were both hard working, passionate and had parents who didn't take failure well. After a few minutes, the two teams gathered up and rallied together in two small circles trying to decide on tactics, positions and signals.
The Banshee's - and students from surrounding schools – were younger and had less experience than the varsity team, however, this group had multiple members who had been on the same team using the same signals since elementary school. The teams broke apart with quiet grunts and made their way to their respective positions on the field, Boscha and Amity took surprising positions at either end of the group rather than in the middle to retrieve the ball. In the center Skara was tightening her fingerless gloves, knowing her, she was nervous, but on the outside, she gave no hints. Cat and Amelia were on her flanks with Diamon making a sort of diamond formation between the four. With a blow of the coach's whistle, the game was on, the angry ball was tossed in the air and both teams immediately pounced. To Luz's surprise, Skara turned and knelt rather than jumping for the ball herself, instead, in a flash of movement Diamon ran at her and was flung through the air knocking the opposing witch down, who had grabbed the ball. His first few steps were successful, but he was too slow to use his abomination magic to fling him above the nasty roots that suddenly sprung from the field. "Ah!" He yelped and whipped the ball to his left where Cat was there to catch it, although it was a brief exchange as another opponent immediately cast an oracle spell and was blocking her every move with ease. Breaking the cycle, she faked going forward and instead dropped the ball onto a slapping vine that sent it flyer over the field's span. It was a risky move but the only way she could escape. The opposing team took possession of the ball before it could reach its target, Boscha, seeing an opportunity Amity blitzed through the defense of the team. Sliding under attacks, she used her abomination shield to deflect and finally just as the player reached the zone for shooting, she had her goo grab their foot bringing them down hard on their chin. The ball rolled from their hands and right into Amity's, she didn't take a moment to break or think, moving on instinct she traversed the field easily, anticipating all the magical traps and intricacies of the field with relative ease. Weary to use the same flame magic that boosted her last time, she instead used the whipping and violent vines to propel her up, using that height she claimed their first goal.
Luz was enthralled by the action, wincing and leaning as if it was her on the field. "Yes! Go Banshee's!" She yipped and yelled with excitement, posing with her two fingers up in a peace sign for Willow as she videotaped for Gus. "That was incredible" She sighed, staying planted on the edge of her seat as she teams reset to the center. This time, Boscha took the center and had Skara and Amelia on her flanks, Amity was on the far right and was making the opposite team weary now, which means they had their focus split between the ball and her. "Go!" the coach bellowed, tossing the snapping ball in the air again, this time getting a much more serious height. The additional time in the air allowed Boscha to fling two readied potions at the ground under her feet and at her opponents, who were soon stuck coughing and hacking from the intense cloud that enveloped them. Tears were forming in the opponent's eyes as they struggled to keep them open and ware of their surroundings, "Oh … Good one" she murmured, watching intently, not aware of how Willow was consistently taping between Luz and the game.
As Willow tapped the game, she felt a small stirring in her stomach, and a pit forming that felt strange and foreign to her. The star players seemed to be off their game, despite the fact they were winning, it was no match for how she knew them to play. both of them seem... Reserved? Are they biding their time? Or... What's going on. Her eyebrow was raised in an act of concern, she was going to bring it up to Luz but watched the way she followed the team and decided it was better to hold off, less she jumped down and inquired with them, potentially causing more harm than good. The game went on for longer than anyone had anticipated and it was clear both sides were tiring quickly, they were all covered in sweat and when they didn't have to move they stayed perfectly still, giving the game an oddly eery feeling. "Come on" She muttered, seeing Amity retrieve the angry ball from a player she had brought to the ground with magic. They weren't friends, but she knew Amity well enough to know something was wrong and something was very wrong, there was no spark or joy and that, sent frightening chills down her spine. Luz … She said something about this. Her mind wandered but before it could go too far, Amity had made another score, leaving them with two more to go.
The next two seemed to go off without issue, Boscha had been the champion of the game as she dominated taking out magical traps and beings alike. Not wanting to have more to worry about than she already did, she worked as hard as her body would allow, using her teammates to make successful tatics and maneuvers. Finally, the coach blew the end whistle hard, jolting all of the teams to an abrupt stop. The field seemed to ripple and groan as it was pulled back into place and reset. "Enough. Hit the showers, I'll post my findings in the next few minutes" He grunted and moved out of the way of the locker rooms, allowing for both teams to stream in a single file. The time the team spent showering and the coach debated, seemed like an eternity, Luz was bursting with curiosity and all Willow could do was assure her they would know what was going on soon. Even if the answer didn't sate her curiosity, she still waited patiently, leaning forward when the coach finally nodded to himself a few times and then placed his ragged paper onto a medium-sized board behind him, it was used for taping or pinning up tactics and team strategies.
The gathered crowd seemed to hold their breath as someone from the faculty read that the Banshee's and additional students made it, and additional tryouts would be held in three weeks once all the students were settled. Before the faculty member could continue, Coach Boarkus grunted at them and cleared his muscular throat, "The new captain, co-captain and assistant leader, will be, in order 'Boscha, Amity, and Skara'. Although current Chimera's are well experienced, they show much to learn..." The crowds cheers and whoops cut the coach off before they were able to continue with their small speech, seeing they wouldn't get the attention of the crowd back they snarled and stalked off to start collecting the gear.
Although there was clear excitement in the air, there was also a shock as well, people murmuring that Amity had lost her position as Captain and that the Chimera's were now a majority of Freshies as many members had graduated. Luz saw from the corner of her eye, Odalia, Amity's mother and Alador, Amity's father whisked themselves away before anyone else could notice. They wore stark gazes and hard lines made their expressions seem angry and dark. Once the cheers were over, the crowd began to disperse, at first she barely noticed as she was so locked in thought but suddenly King who had been curled up in her lap began to stir and give a loud yawning stretch. "What'd I miss?" He asked casually, sitting up and rubbing sleep from his large eyes. "I'll tell you when we get home..." Luz's voice was a distant whisper before she turned to Willow, who was putting her Scroll away now that she wasn't recording. With a nod, the two decided to exit with the crowd, intent on finding Eda so they could leave. I wonder what the Principal wanted to talk to her about...