Dark forest. Gnarled trees. Dense fog.

All of Kyle's instincts were telling him to not so much as take one step into the forest, and were he not a competitor whose task it was to do just that, he absolutely would have listened to those instincts. Growing up No-Maj meant he had had a lot of exposure to horror movies, enough to bolster his sense of self-preservation and teach him exactly when an idea was beyond stupid, and when it was only a little bit stupid.

But following those instincts now would only lead to flat out losing the competition by forfeit, and Kyle wasn't about to be eliminated without even trying. Looking at the situation logically, he reasoned that 1. while the tasks had been described as dangerous (hence the age limit), he wholly doubted that his life would be in any lasting danger whilst in this forest, seeing as both Ilvermorny and Hogwarts would be held responsible for any student deaths. Also, 2. there must have been some kind of enchantment on the forest to enhance that sense of foreboding, make it all the more tense and dramatic.

Nevertheless, Kyle knew that to just start clumsily barrelling through the forest would be folly. He took his time in assessing the situation; the trees all around and overhead, the thickness of the fog. He could tell even from where he stood that any light would be difficult to come by, but other than that, any clues of what was to come were non-existent. Squinting through the dark did little to tell him what dangers and challenges lay ahead, but Kyle didn't really expect it to be easy to see what was coming. He didn't expect any of this to be easy.

Just standing there wasn't going to be very productive. Kyle already had his wand ready, and so held out his other hand, palm up. A moment later, he had conjured up a handful of Bluebell Flames. While he knew they would likely draw attention of anything waiting for him in the forest, Kyle was fairly certain that said attention would be drawn no matter what he did. At least this way, he had light, a small amount of warmth, and something to throw at anything that might jump out at him, not to mention his wand would be free to cast other spells, rather than having to maintain Lumos.

Without any kindling to burn, the noise of the flames was minimal, and so Kyle decided against his other initial idea of attempting to mute the flames with Silencio. He knew that it was primarily used on living things. Casting it would only risk looking like he didn't know how to use the spell properly, which might cost him points, especially if it ended up not working on non-living things at all. No, there was no point, and it wasn't like there wouldn't be plenty more opportunity for spell-casting in this challenge.

At last, he stepped forwards into the forest, holding his handful of flames in one hand, and his wand ready in the other. He kept his senses alert and his ears pricked, tried to step as carefully as possible, and not focus on the fact that it was just his luck that a challenge like this had to come first.

When he was only a few steps in, Kyle muttered an incantation under his breath, but maintained his slow and careful pace as he did so. "Homenum Revelio."

This was one he had learned and practiced specifically for the competition, since discovering he was an IMPS competitor. Though... it was a very tricky spell to pull off at the best of times, and he could only put his all into it and hope it would work now when he needed it... and try not to think about the fact that the spell telling him nobody was here and the spell not working at all would result in the exact same response.

Even if it was likely that no humans would be waiting to pounce, Kyle still felt it foolish to not even attempt the spell, given the situation he was in.

If your instincts told you not to set foot in the forest, they would be right. But there's no turning back now that you've started.

The bluebell flames you conjured light the way ahead, but there's nothing to be found... so far. Anyone or anything lurking in the forest is out of range of your Hominum Revelio spell.

Wait, what was that noise? Is that a scream?

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

It's coming from deep within the forest...

As if the horror movie comparisons weren't quite enough, naturally it only went and got worse. Naturally.

Of course there was screaming, of course there was. And, even though said screams were clearly coming from a long, long way off, Kyle stopped dead in his tracks. Not out of fear, though he would be lying if he claimed to not be afraid of what was ahead. No, instead Kyle was stopping so that he could close his eyes, and ask himself, genuinely, why the heck he had agreed to go along with something like this. Something which apparently necessitated he do every single thing horror movies taught him to not do, like enter deep, dark, foreboding forests, and follow the screams that sounded from deep within them.

Not one to rush headlong into danger, Kyle stayed stood where he was for a minute to re-assess the situation. He was almost certain that he was supposed to head towards the screams in order to complete the challenge - would they be judged on how willing they were to jump to the aid of another? Hopefully not.

Kyle was still fairly sure that it didn't really matter how well he was hidden - if the challenge called for confrontation, then confrontation would happen - but with screams like that sounding around him, being so visible naturally made him feel completely exposed. To combat this, he raised his wand up over his head, pointed towards himself, and made a motion as though quickly wrapping a rope around himself. "Disillusio."

There was that trickling feeling that told Kyle that it had worked. It sent a shiver up his spine, followed by another at the thought of following those screams.

He looked at the flames still held in his hand. The Disillusionment Charm had not extended to those, and the only way Kyle could think to hide them would be with a Bedazzling Hex, but hiding his light source completely negated the point of having one in the first place. Those flames weren't going anywhere.

Anyway, that screaming. Kyle supposed he had better address that sooner rather than later.

But, when he started moving again, Kyle did not start in the exact direction from which he had heard the screams, but instead veered slightly to the right. He would not approach the unknown head-on, but would instead try to move around it, and come from a different angle than what might be expected. It was almost certainly a trap, after all.

Through the forest Kyle carefully trod, senses on high alert, occasionally glancing up towards the treetops, formulating more and more ideas as he went, but staying alert to all that was around him. Then, as he got deeper into the forest, closer to where he had heard the screams coming from, Kyle would pause between the trees, quietly repeating his Homenum Revelio spell every ten feet or so, intending to find the source of the screaming, before it could find him.

Using a Disillusionment charm on yourself was very clever, but it won't hide you forever.

The path you've chosen takes you longer, but you eventually approach the center of the forest. Your last Hominum Revelio spell reveal a middle-aged woman huddled on the ground, shaking with fear. She can't see you because of your Disillusionment charm and continues screaming.

Suddenly, the fog thickens, and an overwhelming sense of despair hangs over the forest. A dark cloaked figure emerges from the shadows, extending a slimy, scabbed hand toward the woman.

Without your help, she doesn't stand a chance!

Taking the long way around was arduous, and Kyle knew it would cost him valuable minutes, given they were only allotted one hour to complete the task. He tried not to think too much about that, while also attempting to ignore the sudden sinking feeling that was creeping up on him, thoughts of failure and the futility of his participation in this challenge and of everything at all, in fact. Don't think about it, Kyle. Just focus.

When, at last, his Homenum Revelio spell had revealed the outline of someone not too far off, Kyle had ceased his efforts with the spell and decided instead to remain quiet. He approached the outline with caution, eventually finding himself at the edge of a clearing where a woman cowered on the floor. Before he could do anything, another being emerged, one that his Human-presence-revealing spell hadn't picked up on, seeing as it wasn't a human at all.

Dementor. That explained the cold, and the sudden, deepening sense of abject misery that had only grown worse the closer he had come. Kyle had assumed that it was similar to the inconvenient pangs of despair he got semi-regularly, and had managed to push through, seeing as he was quite accustomed to those by now. But no, there was a very tangible reason for it today, though actually... that made it easier to deal with.

For just one moment longer, Kyle stayed in the shadows, refusing to leap into action until he had formulated a plan; the woman on the ground hadn't seen him yet, thanks to his Disillusionment Charm, and so had not drawn attention to him, giving him a few precious seconds to think and decide what to do. His patronus, while successful, was still non-corporeal, and Kyle was not sure how well it would hold up against a real Dementor, which he had not had the misfortune (or, depending on one's stance on the matter, the opportunity) to encounter before.

It occurred to Kyle that it might not be a real Dementor at all; those things were notoriously hard to control, if history was anything to go by (and it generally was). How likely was it that they had found a cooperative Dementor for the purposes of the competition? Was it perhaps a fake? A boggart, maybe, one that would transform when he got closer? A daydream charm? The cold could have been the result of an environmental spell, and the only connection between Dementors and fog was that it became unnaturally foggy when Dementors were breeding, so that could have been faked too. But that despair he was feeling? That felt very real, and very much like all that he had read about with these... things.

Whatever was happening, it was meant to draw him out of the trees... but then what? Kyle was wary not only of the maybe-Dementor, but of the (alleged) victim screaming on the ground. Would they have put someone in genuine danger for the sake of the challenge? She could well be a highly capable professor disguised in order to spring the next part of the challenge on him after this first obstacle; he already knew she was definitely human, at the very least.

But no matter what Kyle suspected, it was best to err on the side of caution; take things at face value to start with, and then roll with the punches.

First, though, a distraction.

Still hidden among the trees - his thoughts had barrelled through his mind at the speed of light, it felt like, and it had taken him seconds to decide on a course of action - Kyle held up his handful of bluebell flames. Working so very quickly, he gave a swish and flick of his wand, and levitated them into the air with a whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Knowing that this would soon draw attention to himself, he immediately followed up the spell with, "Engorgio," moving his wand in a tight circle. At once, the flames began to swell in size, growing larger, brighter. Then, giving a sweep of his wand, and no longer bothering to remain quiet, he cast "Depulso!" This sent the giant ball of bluebell flames right at the Dementor, before it could get any closer the woman cowering on the floor.

Using that as a confusing distraction (could Dementors be confused? Fake ones probably could), Kyle finally made his main move. Thinking back to the happy memory he usually used for his patronus was suddenly... a lot more difficult than when he had practiced it. It was hard to think of any of his memories in a happy light, suddenly. Would it still work? There was no time to think about it; he had to move quickly (which was, helpfully, his least favourite aspect of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and exactly why he sucked at it).

"Expecto Patronum!" Kyle cast as he stepped out from the trees, while keeping the woman within his line of sight. He kept his thoughts on how he had felt the day his grandparents had agreed to let him come and live with them, the day he could get away from his favoured brother and into their much more welcoming home; the best day he had ever been able to think of. A silvery cloud of matter appeared, just as lacking in form as it ever was, but not quite as substantial as he had managed to produce in the past, but blindingly bright in the gloom nonetheless.

That's some fancy wandwork there! Your combination of Wingardium leviosa, Engorgio, and Depulso sends a giant ball of bluebell flames at the dementor. Unfortunately doesn't distract the creature; it only makes it angry.

It lowers its face toward the screaming woman, ready to feast on a tasty soul. Luckily your happy memory is strong enough to produce a patronus. The demantor slinks away.

Now you've taken care of the dementor, but you still have a distraught victim to attend to! The woman is no longer screaming but shivers helplessly on the ground. How will you help her?

Disappointed was not quite the right word for how Kyle felt when his bluebell flames didn't set the Dementor on fire even a little bit (which was something he had maybe been eager to see, because while knowing the fire couldn't really hurt the thing, it could definitely burn away material, and wouldn't a blue-burning Dementor have been quite the spectacle?).

He supposed that the important part was that his patronus - disappointing and inevitably non-corporeal though it was - had worked. Kyle kept his wand held steady even as the Dementor disappeared back into the trees, not trusting that it would stay away, or that it was here alone. He didn't know how long he stood there, but Kyle waited for the silvery substance to completely disappear, before turning his attention to woman who had almost become the Dementor's victim. It seemed as though... he had to help her.

Which was problematic, to say the least. Kyle was not a people-person, not the kind of person who was naturally gifted at comforting or healing, and his bedside manner... left a lot to be desired.

Again, Kyle conjured a set of bluebell flames directly into his hand. Using them as his light source again, he did a quick scan of his immediate environment, but the frustrating truth was that the light they gave off didn't penetrate very far at all when he was this deep into the dark forest. But he needed to stay alert to his surroundings, and how could he do that while focusing on somethi-- uh, on someone else?

Obviously, the answer was 'with magic'.

Deciding he no longer needed to be Disillusioned, not now that he was dealing with someone who would probably need to see him to avoid completely freaking out, Kyle turned his wand on himself and, doing that fiddly 'shield-drawing' wand movement, he cast, "Finite," his voice coming out in a low mutter, feeling rather than seeing as the Disillusionment Charm was lifted. Immediately after, he followed up with a Supersensory Charm, to sharpen his senses but only for the time-being, while he saw to the woman. Merlin only knew how loud and dramatic the rest of the challenge was likely to get (if it went on for much longer? which, hopefully, it did), by which point the charm would be more a hindrance than a help.

Now then, the woman who may or may not be an innocent victim. Kyle crouched down, and placed his harmless bluebell flames on the ground between himself and the woman. Had he known how to flawlessly cast one, a Stealth-Censoring Charm might have been perfect right about now, but he found them exceptionally tricky to cast successfully, so it was best to avoid THAT disaster.

Perhaps helping should come first. Yes, probably. In the meantime, Kyle would silently suspect a trap, and perhaps even lowkey hope for one, so that he could show off his decent magic skills rather than his sub-par people ones.

So... "Uhh... there, there..." Kyle tried, but didn't dare try and touch the woman to console her.

Thing was, talking was unlikely to help. The woman was shivering, which was the first thing he needed to address, though he was certain that there was only one thing that was sure to help her. All in good time.

Reaching for the hem of his Ilvermorny robes, Kyle used, "Diffindo," to sever off a large scrap of cloth. Straightening once again, he held the material in his hand, still trying to stay alert to his surroundings.

"Vestis Vellus," he muttered, flourishing his wand in a 'curly Q' sort of pattern while he focused his mind on the image of a blanket. The spell, he had found in the past, worked better on robes to make a blanket than 'Vestis Cotone'. Kyle suspected the robe material was a blend of the two, but casting the 'wool' version usually provided him with a much more practical, sort-of woollen blanket. He watched as the material in his hand stretched and grew, becoming heavier by the moment, until he stood there clutching a heavy and no doubt warm blanket. Moving carefully, he shook out the transfigured blanket and placed it gently over the shivering woman, being sure to keep it away from the bluebell flames.

But the only thing that would really work, Kyle knew, was chocolate. He had none on him, because it was not something that he generally carried around with him, which meant that summoning some was in order... he only needed to focus on where exactly there was some. In the beetle, that was for sure, but would the trunk be open for it to get all the way here? It was also quite a ways away. The Hogwarts castle was even further, and Kyle didn't know where the kitchens were to boot.

Oh! The stands! They would be packed, surely, with multitudes of students from two schools; one of them would surely have some chocolate, and luckily Kyle had no qualms about taking it from them in order to get through his challenge.

Holding his wand out again, Kyle moved it in an arc, like an upside down half circle, focused on the vieiwing stands and the possibility of chocolate, hoped for the best and cast, "Accio Chocolate!"

With the disillusionment charm gone, the woman is able to see you. She stares blankly at you for a moment, and the light from your bluebell flames illuminates her tearstained face.

Great idea you had conjuring a blanket for her! The woman clutches the blanket tighter around her. She stops shivering, but she's still traumatized. Your words, though well-intentioned, are of little comfort to her. She begins to sob hysterically.

She's just lucky your summoning charm worked! A few chocolate frogs fly out of the stands and toward you. You might want to feed those to her soon!

Kyle couldn't deny it: making the woman cry so hysterically like that did make him feel a little bad (even with the suspicion that she might be instrumental in a trap), but he genuinely had no idea how to, like, emotionally help her, wasn't good with comforting words or anything like that. He was better with practical solutions, which was probably why the blanket had been the most effective and productive move so far.

Moments passed as Kyle stood there, waiting to see if his Summoning Charm would yield any results. He knew he had to be patient; it would take time for the chocolate to get here - if it was coming at all - and Kyle found himself imagining a scene where some unfortunate first year was stubbornly trying to keep hold of his chocolate bar, only to be dragged out of the stands and into the forest where Kyle's challenge was being held. He couldn't help but smile just a little at the mental image, despite the woman sobbing at his feet.

Before long, and thanks to the Supersensory Charm he had cast on himself, Kyle heard a new sort of rustling, whistling sound. He squinted into the gloom, and finally saw something headed right towards him. At first, instinctively, his heart leapt in fear at the thought that something was coming to attack, before he realised his spell had worked; the chococlate was on its way. He was even certain he could smell it, thanks to the charm, but wasn't sure if that was just his imagination.

Holding out his hands like he was about to catch a basketball, Kyle caught the chocolate as it reached him, and squinted to try and see what it was, tilting the boxes so that the light from his bluebell flames might help him read the label. Chocolate frogs, perfectly adequate. And with no first years attached, which was promising; he may well have lost points for accidentally kidnapping another student.

"Here," Kyle said, crouching down before the woman again, so that he was on one knee, and ready to spring back up and into action were it necessary. Taking the liberty to open up the packaging of the first frog (because there was no way she would manage it in this state), Kyle snapped its head off and threw it into his own mouth (because he had experienced the effects of the Dementor too, even if in a much less intense way, and needed to have his wits about him) before handing the rest over to the woman. "This'll help. It's chocolate. Even just a little bite will make you feel loads better."

That said, he was already opening up the packaging to the second chocolate frog as well, because it couldn't hurt for her to have as much as possible, could it?

... Unless she was diabetic.

The woman gives you a confused look but accepts the chocolate you give her. Her sobs subside, and she quietly nibbles the chocolate frog.

She's still staring at you like a deer in the headlights all the while. Finally, she calms down enough to speak. "What happened?" she asks. Then she looks at the wand in your hand. "And what's that pointy stick you've got there?"

Kyle didn't really know the signs or symptoms or... well... anything about diabetes, but he still watched the woman closely as she started eating the chocolate frog. Nothing untoward just yet; that was good.

Still he did not lift the Supersensory Charm from himself, prefering to stay hyperalert to all around him, even if every small sound was putting him on edge. Until, that was, the woman said something that completely threw him.

Having attended Ilvermorny and been a part of the magical community for as long as he had, Kyle had never come across someone that didn't recognise a wand when they saw one, and he assumed that Dementor trauma wouldn't affect that, especially considering this woman was clearly... not young. So... No-Maj? It was probably best to assume so.

... But didn't that break, like, a million laws? Maybe? And also have a bunch of ethical implications too? Unless it was all just an act...

Kyle's thoughts had immediately strayed to using a memory charm, before deciding that that would be perhaps the stupidest thing he could have done, as he had never even attempted one before, and risking botching it would... just end so badly. What if one of the other competitors did just that? Memory charms weren't exactly simple magic; anything that included messing with the brain was way up there in terms of difficult and potentially damaging spells. Kyle wasn't sure what would be worse, messing up a memory charm on a No-Maj, or someone only pretending to be one for the purposes of a challenge.

So, no. Not doing that. Kyle knew his limits, and when it was okay to try and push past them, and this was not one of those times. If the woman needed her memory modified, Kyle would leave that to the professionals, and risk losing the points from the challenge.

There was also still a very good chance that this was all a trap, and he wasn't about to ignore that possibility in a hurry.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied to the woman's initial question, taking another glance around the clearing before looking back to the woman. "This?" Kyle held up his wand and made a careless sort of gesture. "Must have broke it off a tree when I was trying to get here." Terrible lie. Awful lie. But if she continued her line of questioning, Kyle had no issue in persuading her it was all a dream. That seemed a good way to go, but... not exactly something he wanted to do before trying anything else. "Figured it was a better weapon than nothing, and I heard screaming..." He trailed off, not sure whether to push for more information, or focus on moving through the task.

Not that he had any idea where to go next. The best he could do was take a wild guess.

"Can you walk? I think it's best we get you out of here." Okay, no, he couldn't quite help but delve a little deeper. "Why were you in here in the first place?"

The woman looks at you, obviously confused, but doesn't question your explanation. Instead she starts crawling around on the ground, feeling for something. "I need a stick weapon too!"

After a few minutes, she looks up at you with pleading eyes. "I can't find any more sticks around here! You'll have to let me borrow yours!"

She starts to make a grab for your wand, but your question distracts her just in time. Or at least it does for now. "I-I don't know!" she wails. She bursts into tears again. "It j-just got all dark and cold and-" She sobs even louder than ever.

Looks like getting her out of here is going to be harder than you thought!

If the woman was confused, it was nothing compared to what Kyle felt.

... Okay, well, no. Maybe on further assessment of the situation, she was probably the most confused of the two.

But the point was that, for a moment, Kyle was completely nonplussed as to why she had started crawling around on the ground. Until she mentioned wanting a 'stick weapon' too. Until she tried to make grab for his. Oh no. Nope, not happening.

Kyle had instinctively pulled the wand back, out of the woman's reach, but it didn't appear to be necessary... because she had started crying.

Again.

Loudly.

Fighting the urge to cover his ears (that Supersensory Charm, though; it did not discriminate which sounds to amplify), Kyle used the brief distraction of the woman's own sobbing to slip his wand back into its holster, to avoid giving her another opportunity to take it. And then...

... Then what?

Kyle had been born from No-Maj parents, and spent the majority of his life living in the No-Maj community, including the school holidays that he had spent back home. He knew No-Maj, generally speaking, but he did not know how to comfort them, or anyone, really. The thought crossed his mind that he should tell the woman that if she didn't shut up, then the cold and the dark and all the bad stuff that came with it would come back for her, but... that seemed unwise. She'd probably just cry even louder.

Okay, then. Plan B.

"Hey, shhhh, shhhhhh..." Not helpful; Kyle could barely even hear himself over the crying. He raised his voice as loud as he dared so that there was a chance she'd hear him. "Listen: all this? It's not real. It's a dream. You know how dreams don't make sense, but they feel so real anyway? That's why you don't know how you got-- Here, keep eating the chocolate, really, it'll help." Kyle took the opportunity to glance around again, peering through the trees and into the gloom, then back to the woman. "I need to take you back out of here, and then you can wake up, okay? But only if you follow me. I can protect you." It felt like the smartest thing to do here was to seem calm and in control, but trying to reassure someone so much older than him felt so strange. Dream-level strange, which he supposed helped his case with trying to convince the woman in front of him.

He picked up the bluebell flames from the ground once more, and held them up between the two of them, as if to reiterate the nonsensical aspects of this 'dream'.

"Will you trust me?"

The woman blinks tearfully but starts to calm down a little as you tell her this is all a dream. After a few more bites of chocolate, she's lucid enough to speak. "Dream or not, I'm not going anywhere without a stick weapon!
There could be bears or wolves or who knows what else out here! I need something to defend myself!"

She starts feeling around for sticks again and only stops when she sees you pick up the bluebell flames. "Why is that fire blue?" she asks. "Where did it come from?
And how are you able to touch it without getting burned?"

She looks at you skeptically. "If I decide to trust you, do you promise I'll wake up and forget this ever happened? she asks. "I just want the bad feelings to go away..."

Maybe there's something you can to to make that happen.

Kyle was not usually the type to anger easily, and he wasn't exactly angry now either, but his patience was wearing thin. That was more a Kyle thing; it was just lucky that he was sort of good about hiding it.

But this woman... was really testing him.

"You think staying here without a stick weapon is any safer than heading out of the forest, with or without one?" he replied, and quite bluntly too. Why she would think she would be safer from the dangers of the forest by refusing to leave the forest was totally beyond him.

"I told you, it's a dream. In dreams, things don't make sense. Fire can appear out of nowhere, and be blue, or green, or purple." It was a conscious effort for Kyle to keep the impatience out of his voice, but he was becoming keenly aware of how much time had passed, and how little of it he likely had left. "And it can be held. It doesn't make sense, yeah? Dreams never do." Would that explanation fly? Probably not.

Kyle had to wonder if any of the other competitors got a possible-No-Maj as frustrating as his, because whether she was really a No-Maj was still up for debate. Kyle knew she was a human; she had showed up when he cast his Homenum Revelio spell, and that was not a spell that could be tricked. The possibility of her being a witch or wizard in disguise for the purposes of the challenge, however, was not at all beyond the scope of possibility. Especially considering he was quite clearly being led towards one particular spell, a spell he had already decided was too risky to use, but one that it seemed would be the only one to allow him to progress. At that thought, Kyle swore under his breath in French. Plentifully.

But maybe there was a way around it. Just one more thing he could try before giving in to casting such a potentially damaging spell, because if he could circumvent using it, he absolutely would. Using a Cheering Charm had crossed Kyle's mind, but that wouldn't make this woman forget anything, and that was what she was leading him into doing. There was, however, a spell he had some experience with, one that he preferred to cast now before attempting to 'first-try' a difficult spell on another human being.

"I promise," Kyle said quite simply, and though it made much more sense to wait until they were out of the forest before casting anything (in case the Dementor or something else came for them, making it necessary to cast the spell a second time), he decided to just do it then and there, for the sake of staying within the time limit. Even though, if she really was a No-Maj... this had to be breaking so many laws. "Here, close your eyes. Let me just... try some dream magic, okay?"

Waiting until the woman had closed her eyes - or maybe she didn't close them at all; he was impatient to get on with the spell and ultimately it didn't really matter - Kyle withdrew his wand once again. Ignoring the urge to cast 'Finite' on the woman, just in case, he moved his wand as though tracing a backwards question mark in the air, and whispered, "Confundo." With his other hand, he set the flames on the ground once more and firmly gripped the woman's shoulder, to hopefully reassure her that he was still right there.

The Confundus Charm was difficult, but Kyle tried not to focus on worrying about that, and concentrated only on getting the intensity of the spell just right. He needed the woman confused enough to think that she had perhaps imagined all that had happened, or at least to think it happened a long while ago, but not so confused that she thought Kyle was foe rather than friend, grew alarmed, and ended up doing something that would endanger them both. That was another reason that Kyle kept his hand on her shoulder, to try and ensure that she remembered he was here to help.

If this didn't work, well, then he would give in and just attempt a Memory Charm, and hope it worked. A third reason for holding firmly onto the woman's shoulder ensured that if she started to try and bolt, he would know immediately, and could react quickly.

This was such a risky idea, but the best short term solution Kyle could think of. The adults running the task would surely obliviate this woman once the task was over, and so Kyle's promise had been a perfectly genuine one.

You can tell by the look on the woman's face that she's not buying your dream explanation, but she doesn't have the chance to argue. Before she can protest, you're talking about using dream magic on her. She looks at you with suspicion.

"I don't know about..." she begins, but your confundus charm hits her before she can finish that sentence. She starts to relax, and her expression goes blank.

"I'm sorry. What were we just talking about?" she says. "I seem to be having a mental block..." Your spell has worked! In her current state, she may let you walk her out of here.

Strange, wasn't it? That feeling of not realising how tense you are until you suddenly relax. A little like being surrounded by ambient sounds and not realising quite how loud they are until suddenly... silence.

That was how Kyle felt when his spell started to work. Relief flooded him, and a genuine smile graced his lips for the first time. The realisation that he might not have to risk a memory charm was the biggest relief he had felt in this challenge so far.

"We were just about to head out of here," he said, quickly slipping his wand away again before she gained enough of her senses to ask about his 'pointy stick'. Lying felt easier now that he was a little less frustrated with the woman. "You must have fallen, I found you here, and you asked me to escort you out of the forest. I'd be happy to, by the way."

Hopefully, the woman was confused enough to accept the portable fire without asking a million questions about it this time, because Kyle was already picking it up again, and getting to his feet. He held out his free hand to the woman. "Here, let me help you up. You were just telling me your name?"

All the while, his other senses were alert. The Supersensory Charm, still in action, was making it so that he didn't have to consciously focus on his surroundings; he was hyperaware of everything around him without even needing to be. It wasn't a spell Kyle was particularly fond of, if he was completely honest. Being so very aware of his surroundings, while helpful in a dangerous situation, mostly served to put him on edge. That, on top of the stress about the IMPS challenge, had been enough to drive him to frustration with the woman quicker than he was comfortable with.

But now, hopefully, it would be smooth sailing in getting her to walk with him out of the forest. As soon as she was up, he would start heading back out with her. Factoring in the slightly longer route he had taken to get here, Kyle was fairly sure he knew the quickest way back out of here. It was a shame he hadn't checked to see which way was north on his way in; knowing that now would have been invaluable, and would have allowed him to use the 'Point Me' spell. Ah, well. Too late now.

The woman nods as you explain things to her but doesn't question it. She shakes her head as if trying to clear her confusion. "Yes, of course!" she says. "Thank you for helping me."

She allows you to help her up and replies, "I'm Jennifer.
I can't seem to remember your name, though." Then she looks at the flames in your hand. "How are you-?" she starts to ask but stops herself. "Never mind,
I must be seeing things. That must've been some fall I had!"

She looks around the forest. "Do you know the way out of here?" she asks. "I can't recall..." It looks like she'll come with you now. Better get going soon before your confundus charm wears off!

"No problem," Kyle replied automatically. All things considered, even if he hadn't been doing this all for a task rather than out of the goodness of his own heart, Kyle liked to believe he would have done the same even if he weren't taking part in something he was to be scored on. Even if it did involve foolishly running into a creepy dark forest, following a bunch of screams à la horror movie.

... Well... maybe he'd have done the same. Probably? Sure.

"Jennifer. I'm Kyle," he said, feeling a surge of worry as Jennifer took another look at the flames he was holding. Would that break the illusion, undo the effects of the Confundus Charm? Kyle was ready to go for his wand again, but the woman still seemed perfectly confunded.

Best to get going though; Kyle really wasn't sure how long the spell would last before wearing off on its own, and the more they spoke and Jennifer thought about things, the more likely something would jog her memory and she'd be the same erratic mess as before. "It's back this way," he told her, gesturing with his free hand back to where he was fairly sure the way out was, and trying his best to keep the handheld flames out of Jennifer's line of sight. "Come on, I'll have us out of here in no time."

After waiting a moment to make sure she was sticking with him, he started back through the trees, now being sure to stay aware of his surrounded. Last thing he needed was for that Dementor to come back. He was probably nearly out of time by now; the faster they were out of here, the better. At least the walk out - this time in a simple straight line - was likely to be quicker than the walk in.

Jennifer smiles as you introduce yourself but remains blissfully confused as she follows your lead, walking alongside you. Good idea walking in a straight line this time! The bluebell flames in your hand light the path ahead as you make your way back through the forest. Gradually the fog begins to thin, and more light peeks through the tops of the knotted trees. Just a few more steps and...

You've made it out! The moment you step out of the creepy forest, Jennifer goes rigid. When you look at her, you'll notice a dummy standing where she once was; it has the same hair and clothes as your victim!

A man wearing a Ministry of Magic badge emerges from the forest after removing the disillusionment charm he'd placed on himself. He's been following behind you the whole time to make sure you stayed safe. He smiles. "Congratulations on successfully completing the first challenge, Mr. Baker!" he says, handing you an old gum wrapper. "This portkey will take you to the stands." As soon as you touch the wrapper, you're transported away.

OOC: You may now look at the viewing area and/or other competitiors' threads.

Confused? Yes, just a lot.

When the No-Maj Kyle had been accompanying out of the forest suddenly went all... rigid like that, he was immediately on guard again and reached for his wand, assuming something had attacked. But then...

So... his No-Maj had been nothing more than a dummy, and... had that guy been there the whole time? Kyle was completely nonplussed by the man's sudden appearance, and the transformation of the No-Maj, and was already thinking back to the Homenum Revelio spell he had cast. Surely... it hadn't been tricked by a bewitched dummy? Surely it hadn't somehow failed to pick up on a Disillusioned human being who had been right there.

Kyle just sort of stood there as the man congratulated him, a little stunned in his confusion and taking a moment to really process that he had managed to successfully complete the task. Seeing that he was being handed something, Kyle reached out to take it, already opening his mouth to grill the apparent Ministry official on exactly how his spell had been tricked. But he realised, all too late, that what he was about to touch was a portkey, and before he had the chance to say anything, there came the unpleasant jerking sensation around about his navel, and the portkey had whisked him away.