Task One
“Do you have any ideas?”
“Well I think I’ll be able to borrow the sword from Tommy.”
“Do you even know how to use a sword?”
“A bit… I’ve been working on it.”
“Wilbur if that poison gets in you, you’re done. We’ll have phoenix tears on sight, but you’d have lost.”
“Well this doesn’t exactly play to my skills considering I’m a legilimens.”
“Well let’s not say that, I think there’s some things that might be very helpful for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Wilbur can you fly?” Wilbur looked up at Ari like she’d just asked him to jump in a pit of lava.
“I- uh… I’m afraid of heights.” WIlbur replied quietly, looking down at the snow. They’d begun to meet atop the mountain regularly. Neither had exactly agreed on it or anything, they’d just decided to do it silently.
“Look, flying could give you the edge you need to keep yourself ahead. Can you at least transform?” Wilbur’s face shifted, and his eyes began to glass over.
“No. I can’t.” He said quietly. “It was taken from me. I can’t do it.”
“No way.” Ari replied. “That stuff, that’s inside of you. The only thing in your way Wilbur, is your mind. You need to accept that you can do so much more than you believe.” Ari pulled Wilbur to his feet, walking the two towards the edge of the mountain.
“A-ari what are you-”
“You know baby birds learn to fly by jumping from their nests and falling.” Ari said with a smirk pushing Wilbur off the cliff before diving off after him.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” Wilbur yelled as the two began to plummet down.
“Spread your wings open idiot, unless you wanna fall faster.” Ari yelled back. Wilbur’s cinnamon brown wings began to spread. “Alright now angle them to glide around and beat them to move. It’s not rocket science.” Wilbur took deep breath before tilting his wings to the left and beginning to soar in circles and figure eights. He experimented with beating his wings, feeling the air moving around him and lifting him back up.
Wilbur felt free. Freer than he’d felt in so long. He truly felt like a bird soaring through the air, defying gravity at every turn and… he suddenly felt very very small. It soon became abundantly clear he no longer had hands, or really feet for that matter.
“Told ya you could do it. Nightingale- cute.” Ari said with a smile before transforming too, a beautiful white dove that flew next to him. Being in his bird form the flying began to feel instinctual. Like it was meant to be. The two finally landed, both transforming back into their human forms.
“A basilisk won’t attack a bird because it was born from a chicken egg hatched beneath a toad. It’s the second best thing considering you can only bring weapons and not a rooster.” Ari explained.
“A rooster?”
“Rooster crows are a basilisk’s mortal weakness. Don’t ask why, I don’t fucking know.” Ari replied, “Regardless, if you wait in your Nightingales form for the perfect opening and then stab it you should be fine.”
“I just- doing all this would mean I’d be giving myself away in front of everyone.”
“Don’t think about it like that. You’re not giving anything away.”
“You’re taking back control of who you are.”
All four of the champions stood in a line before Bad, who was inspecting them for any contraband.
“Your goal for this event is to knock out the creature presented to you, only after it is double tapped will you be given the clue for your next trial. You will be disqualified for not succeeding, so keep that in mind.” Bad explained after he’d made sure everyone was clear to begin. “Orders will be drawn from a hat. Take your pick.”
Dream reached his hand in eagerly, but ended up being granted fourth. Tommy went next, nervously grabbing out third. Techno reached in pulling out second, which meant Wilbur was going first. Tommy handed WIlbur the sword, making him promise to return it before Tommy’s round. Wilbur took a deep breath and walked out into the arena to face a massive basilisk.
The snake trilled, already beginning to circle Wilbur, it’s eyes dilating as it creeped from light to darkness in the arena. That stuff, that’s inside of you. The words sailed across Will’s mind. The only thing in your way Wilbur, is your mind.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Wilbur Soot.” Karl, who was announcing, yelled. The crowd gasped as the snake lunged for the Slytherin only for the form of a boy to disappear. In its place was a small Nightingale. It flitted around the snake’s head, and the creature was completely unbothered.
From the tent, Ari looked over to Philza in the teacher’s stand. He looked surprised, and a bit confused. Then the expression switched to frustration. Ari understood perfectly. She knew why Phil felt the need to hide Wilbur’s gifts. It made sense after what Phil’d been through when he went he was at Hogwarts. And Wilbur seemed to never understand that.
Wilbur had flown up above the snake’s head, getting to the blind spot of the serpent. In one swift motion he changed back into his human form, dripping down and plunging the sword straight through the creature’s neck before it could even react.
“Well I suppose killing it counts as a win.” Karl said to the audience as Wilbur was usured away, granting Technoblade his entrance. The hybrid pulled out his wand, ready to face off against a Wampus cat. The creature was quite large, and it immediately began to prowl around. It let out a low growl, all six legs moving in tandem.
Techno felt the attack on his mind first. The creature was known for legilimency, able to crippled wizard’s minds if they weren’t careful. Techno fought off the control, allowing him to easily dodge the cat’s first attack. Techno noticed the cat had pulled back halfway through the attack. He remembered reading about the creature’s ability to strategize.
“It knew I wasn’t affected.” Techno said to himself. He needed the cat to pounce at him all the way in order to cast a successful spell on it. The cat needed to completely commit to attacking him and let it’s guard down. He took a deep breath. This was gonna hurt. Techno let the cat in. He let it cloud his vision and confuse his mind. He allowed it to pounce on him and sink it’s claws into his gut. Techno just growled in defiance.
“PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!” could be heard from the crowd as they watched the cat fall over, completely paralyzed. Techno got up slowly, wand in one hand and the other wrapped around his gut where the cat’s claws had slashed him. Ari ran to his side, holding the younger up and helping him back to the tent. She took a glance up at the crowd and something didn’t add up. Philza looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
Tommy stepped out next. Even Ari had it in her to feel bad for the kid. For all the theatrics, the boy was shaking now, sword tight in his sweating grip. A menacing roar could be heard as a giant lion stepped out into the arena. It shook it’s main which showed gold in the sunlight. Ari looked back to see the boy grip the sword’s handle in position, ready to fight head on.
“Can we get a medic in here?” Ari asked as she set Techno down on a cot that had been set out for medical help.
“Still working with Wilbur, even with how careful he was he still got a bit of venom in himself.” Dream said from behind Ari, looking down at his gutted friend. “Can’t you just do it?” Ari’s gaze dropped to the floor.
“I- uh- I never went to school…” Ari mumbled.
“You have no idea how to heal people?” Dream asked.
“Not a clue.” Ari replied.
“Alright, alright out of the way.” The doctor growled as she shoved Ari and Dream away from Techno. “Damn people makin’ kids fight these things, can’t wait to see what the lion does.” Just then Ari and Dream heard the crowd gasp collectively, and the two walked over to poke out of the tent. Their eyes drifted over first a massive golden body strewn upon the ground, and then Tommy, both legs mangled.
Before either could move Philza was onto the ground, wings spread wide as he landed and pulled out his wand. He rushed over to his son. Various healing spells muttered under his breath. Vulnera Sanentur… Brackium Emendo… and more were cast. The boy was soon lulled into a half consciousness enough to be carried away.
Finally there was Dream, who apparently had a plan, prepared to fight another Wampus cat. The creature walked out and immediately, already to size up it’s kill. Dream just smirk.
“Go ahead, take it all in.” he laughed as the cat analyzed. As it’s hind legs begin to twitch, ready to jump, Dream transformed. His neck lengthened and body began to contort and grow as scales coated his body. In place of a boy there was a dragon. The apex predator of the mountains. The cat cowered in fear, pressing against the wall at the sight of the creature.
With one spray of fire the fight was over.
“Damn, you’ve been holding out on me now.” Ari said as Dream walked back in the tent. “Class is gonna get so much harder for you.” Dream faked sadness before stopping and looking Ari in the eye.
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“Thank you. Thank you for pushing me and making me better. I couldn't have done that even a month ago.” Dream said.
“Well that’s cute.” a monotone voice cut into the conversation. Techno had been mostly healed up and was standing fine, bandages around his ribs. “I guess we all move on.”
“Yeah, the clue will be given after everyone is healed for fairness or whatever, but regardless I’m proud of you idiots.” Ari said with a smile before leaving, not before catching a glance of Wilbur and Phil looking over Tommy. She could feel Wilbur’s mind buzzing.
After all, this was his fault.