This was it. The final task. And while a part of Valerie Gray wished to reflect and remind herself how much she needed this victory she refrained. Dwelling on necessity (however dire it may be) would only serve as a distraction. The likes of she already had in spade swirling around in her mind and the majority of which she decided to blame one Jesus Rodriguez for entirely.

Although she would say one thing in regards to this task: at least this time it was not cold?

Rolling the sleeves slightly on her Ilvermorny tracksuit and checking to ensure that the laces and buckles on her combat boots were secure, Valerie set to her usual routine of casting a Gripping Charm on her wand hand (twist and tap with a nonverbal Prehenso) and waited for the initial tingling sensation to subside before doing much else. It was just enough time to sufficiently take in her surroundings (besides the obvious change in climate). It was nowhere she had been before, but then again the Wampus had never journeyed outside of continental North America (her memories of the time she lived in Canada fleeting at best) prior to her journey here to Scotland so this truly was not saying much. Tropical and green. Initial thoughts made her wonder if perhaps they had been dropped (or under another elaborate illusion) in the Amazon, only the sight of what was unmistakably a Streeler perhaps indicated otherwise. Then again, the giant snails had been successfully breed in Europe so who was she to immediately jump to conclusions.Taking a few steps forward, her eyes fell upon an Erumpent and it’s calf.

Well then. Welcome to "Africa", Valerie Gray.

Which perhaps meant that the twittering song in the distance was one which belong to a fwooper. Or several. She quickly ruled out performing a Supersensory Charm on herself and debating conjuring herself a pair of earmuffs in anticipation for the birds’ inevitable flight in her direction (she assumed at least) but doing so would hinder her ability to hear the Erumpent’s movements. Potential insanity or an explosive finish? Potential insanity seemed the lesser of two evils here and she only need to not provoke the Erumpent to avoid that blunder. Which was why she pointed her wand to her feet and cast a Quieting Charm upon her feet to assist in lighter steps and quickly followed up with the complicated motion of twisting of her cherry wand between her fingers and flick of her wrist. “Loricatus,” she whispered on an exhale. Although she was doubtful how proficient a charm could be against a raging Erumpent when it came down to matters.

Making sure to keep the mother and calf in her peripheral vision as she moved, Valerie moved towards the venomous trail the Streeler was leaving. Partly due to her own Potions curiosity and not wishing to see such a valuable ingredient go to waste, Valerie conjured herself a small vial and knelt down beside the trail and proceeded to carefully scoop up some of the mucus among the destroyed foliage. While perhaps a little diluted due to its exposure to the air and other external elements (dirt and leaf, for example) it still ought to assist somewhat were she to happen upon Horklumps while figuring out what the hell she was supposed to do here. Pocketing the vial and getting back on her feet (once again not bothering to brush the dirt off her knees) she continued forward, moving away from the fwoopers’ song and making an bit of an exaggerated banana walk around the pair of Erumpents while keeping them ever in her line of sight.

Though the creatures you took note of are very real, they do no harm to you because of your cautious movements. The streeler continues slowly making its way across the vegetation as it starts changing from brown to green. In spite of your Quieting Charm, the erumpent senses you and sets her eyes on you. She does not move however, for you are distancing yourself from her precious calf. As for the fwoopers, their song still sounds but lessens as you move away.

In regards to your invisible self-armoring shield and vial of mucus, only time will tell if you will actually be needing those.

Soon the initial animals you saw and heard are out of your line of sight. You are now deep within the vast African coastal forest. Trees surround you, the grass is tall, and the heat only gets hotter and more humid. Out of the corner of your eye, something cherry in colour catches your attention. There, in the middle of the African coastal forest, is what appears to be a knobless door just standing on its own.

Is the heat getting to you and making you see things? Or is this something you should go investigate?

Out of the corner of your eye, something cherry in colour catches your attention. There, in the middle of the African coastal forest, is what appears to be a knobless door just standing on its own.

Is the heat getting to you and making you see things? Or is this something you should go investigate?

Yeah. She saw you too, Mother Erumpent. Meeting the creature’s gaze as she continued to create distance between the three of them, Valerie could not shake the longing to also collect samples of erumpent horn, tail, and its exploding fluid somehow. Although she was not foolish enough to waste time doing so, the nag was there. Such highly valued potion ingredients did not just fall into one’s hands so easily. Simply nodding her head curtly towards the pair as they faded from sight, the Wampus allowed her annoyance with the second task and her superfluous collection of rare potions ingredients that had turned out to be nothing more than the longings of her dizzy daydream fill her. Doing so somehow helping her remain on task.

As she walked, however, the sweltering heat of the coastal forest began to take its toll upon Valerie. A resident of the Pacific Northwest primarily, these levels of humidity were not those she was accustomed to and soon sweat was stinging her eyes it rolled down her brow and clung to her pale lashes. Soon her mouth began to go dry and she licked her lips (smacking them together trying to produce saliva to wetten its interior) and she was forced to pause a moment (hunched over with her hands to her knees) to catch her breath. Hot and humid, she could feel her uniform clinging to her back in an almost suffocating fashion. But she had to keep going.

Chest heaving, the seventeen year old straighten up a bit too quickly and immediately stumbled. No. This would not due. She was likely to pass out with this prolonged exposure. She could just hear some of the sniggering from the onlookers now. Oh look, the Snow Queen is melting. Snarling to herself and using her sleeve to wipe her brow once more, Valerie rid herself of these thoughts (for there were of little consequence and not the sort she need occupy her mind at present) and drew forth her cherry wood wand. “Aguamenti,” she whispers, electing to spare some of her concentration and not casting it nonverbal at the moment. This and her own voice served as a reminder for things. Soon a steady stream was pouring forth from her wand and the Wampus leaned over to lap up some of the crystal clear liquid. “Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself,” she mused to herself. Words that the Wampus hardly lived by herself but brought a bit of humor to her situation. Taking another moment or two to pour water over her hand and promptly wiping her face with is, she gave her wand a flick to end the Water-Making Spell.

Refreshed was not exactly the word she would use to describe herself at present, but at least a bit of the dizzy feeling had subsided.

Proceeding further and feeling her pulse quicken (her neck straining uncomfortably from the pounding in her carotid artery) she stopped when she came upon a door. A door in the middle of the forest. Interesting.

Wand clutched in her hand she approached the cherry red door and circled around it like a feline circling its prey ready to pounce. No knob. No lock. But clearly the purpose here was to open it somehow. Giving the doorframe a cursory kick with her boot, the Wampus would be lying if she said her reflex was telling her simply to blast a hole right smack in the middle of it. Or perhaps it was the lingering frustrations fueling this desire. In any case, she steadied her hand and took several steps back to take in the strange sight while lightly chewing on the pad of her thumb.

She could already feel her mind going into overdrive and she knew it was a dangerous game to play as the elements continued to weaken her. Open or transform, that was the question with the door at the moment. Lacking a knob or lock implied much to her (perhaps unwisely) in that the objective was not to unlock persay, but rather pass through. Red. Was there anything to be culled from the choice of color? Other than red clearly stood out among the greenery, but so would have yellow or orange or some horrendous shade of yellow. But no, they had chosen the color red but all she immediately pulled from this was that color red symbolized magic and active energy. Both of which were incredibly obvious at the moment. This and the color’s association with runes in that red runes stimulated the circulation of the blood and the senses. Which again, was not the most helpful of thought processes other than her focus shifting to those of runic nature.

Taking a moment to conjure herself some more water to drink and splash her face with, Valerie attempted to narrow down her swimming thoughts. Thoughts that were going to drown her if she permitted them.

Door. A portal leading from one area to the next in its most basic principle. Keep it at that. Simple and stupid, as her uncle would say.

Folding her arms across her chest now, the sixth year stood in front of the knobless door with half a mind to just knock on it. That was what one did with doors. You knocked. Maybe doing so would cause a written cue to appear on it. Although the Wampus was fairly certain that the aim was clear. She needed to carve the correct rune into the door. Rune, or bindrune, or perhaps even Icelandic magical stave. Although the third option her mind entertained produced only one result, Lásabrjótur, but considering there was no lock to speak of on the door she quickly ruled it out. Perhaps she was taking the task too literally, but it helped her weary heat stricken mind from overworking. There was nothing to unlock but there was something to pass through.

“Red,” she muttered to herself. Was there a color association to be had with runes or was it simply a choice in that red simply strengthened the power of runes? If her work here was meant to turn this into a portal to take her elsewhere, it was only reasonable to assume thus. Which prompted another idea (one which was perhaps a bit excessive but it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus with the perspiration dripping down her pale features and her clothing to smother her skin. Or perhaps those distant fwoopers had had more of an influence on her sanity than she had initially given them credit for.

Breathing deeply she traced an ‘x’ shape with her wand to cast Focalia and then selected a smaller piece of wood that she then snapped over her knee to break into a smaller piece. Under normal circumstances she would fall back on her charmswork to assist her, but not this day. “[b]Intaglio Isa...Isa...Isa,” she spoke clearly while tracing her wand down over the piece of wood in her hand. A simplistic rune to be sure, perhaps it could serve a dual purpose in keeping her head cool as well as her body. Brushing her thumb over the carving while she whispered the galdr until it had activated and then slipped it into her other pocket.

Now, back to this stupid red door.

Her mind continued to journey to Kenaz, the torch, but also a rune known to represent ‘Opening’. Seeing as she was faced with a complete dead end at the moment, she could certainly do with the alternate meaning of the rune which associated it with a portal or doorway leading from darkness to light. There was also the notion of transformation (like that of a phoenix’s flames) that caused for continued pause on the particular rune. But was this perhaps too much of a stretch? Valerie could not rule out Raidho just yet and the obvious implications it had with travel in the physical sense. A journey, relocation, and change of place or setting. Or was she perhaps meant to bind these two runes (perhaps with a third as well?) to create a runic charm? “Safe Travel Rune Charm?” she whispered aloud to herself while circling around the door once more.

This was the issue with cramming for subjects, the knowledge and understanding did not come naturally and the Wampus was left over analyzing and wasting precious time.

The more she thought about things, the more a Safe Travel Rune Charm began to take its hold despite initial thoughts shifting to Kenaz, thus she approached the door and upon knocking on it simply to humor herself (if there was a knock-knock joke to be had she was certainly not be laughing) pointed her wand towards the center to begin carving the bindrune into the door’s red surface and beginning with the run meant to light up the path from one locale to another.

“Intaglio Sowilo…”

The Snow Queen was indeed melting. Your stumbling was definitely one of the many signs that you needed water. Casting the spell was good thinking on your part. The climate here wasn’t going to get any cooler, so frequently hydrating oneself is a must unless you wanted to pass out.

Your mind going into overdrive meant precious time was being wasted. Yes, the door was meant to take you from the coastal forest to somewhere else. The thoughts of colour associations and Lásabrjótur and were off, however. Couldn't this just be a simple red door? Though there was already something carved onto it that was overlooked.

On the plus side, conjuring firewood and invoking the Isa rune proved to be working the moment it lit up. Its energies were surrounding you with cold air. It was refreshing to say the least.

While needing to carve Safe Travel Rune Charm was a logical theory, it wasn't necessary for this challenge. Now that you're closer to the door, maybe you will notice the message that has been waiting for you. But the sudden rustling in the grass nearby is sure to serve as a distraction. What was that? Nothing comes out at you though, so it probably meant there was no need for you to worry.

Her lines were messy, something she needed not worry so much about previously while carving Isa into the wood as the single line had come somewhat effortlessly to her limp limbs at the time. But now. With Sowilo, matters were quite different. Her first line in the lightning bolt-like shape was more reminiscent of an overcooked piece of spaghetti than the crisp line runic carvings demanded. But as the Isa in her pocket influence began to take it’s hold and the drops of perspiration ceasing to drip from her brow, so too did her lines become more cool and collected. Crisp. “Damnit,” she muttered to herself upon seeing the error to her carving.

She would have to start over, clearly.

Or perhaps not.

Taking another moment to wipe her brow, her head dipping and bowing towards the ground while her elbow momentarily shaded her face, the Wampus noticed something she must have overlooked during her numerous circumnavigations of the red door. Perhaps a combination of fwooper song and the heat was to blame, although she was more willing to shift it entirely on the heat and sticky humidity. The humidity was by far the worst and and only made the heat feel all the more unbearable and she could feel her thighs and calves beginning to cramp up slightly as her body attempted (and failed to) compensate in cooling her down prior to invoking the rune within her pocket.

And to think she had previously complained about all the tasks involving the cold. She would gladly trade the tundra in place of this furnace.

Although her thoughts were drifting to that tundra and all she had experienced the previous task provoked unwanted and ill-timed feelings. Feelings that overpowered the rune's cooling properties and made its influence almost obsolete. She could not afford this emotional distraction. Not now. Nor could she afford to lose more water in the form of tears that were beginning to sting her eyes. So her hand slipped into her pocket and clutched the wood there, her thumb rubbing over the carving and permitting it to cool her thoughts and return her blood from a boil to a slow simmer.

Now. To return to the inspection of this red door.

Leaning forward to peer more closely at what was carved into the door (if it was another poem she may actually cast Bombarda at the door) when her attention was pulled towards a shift in the grass. The Isa rune in her pocket had cooled and refreshed her limbs enough to them to their cat-like reflexes, Valerie quickly pivoted (although did wince at the knot in her left thigh and calf that had previously formed from heat exhaustion) so she faced the direction of the sound with her wand thrust forward accordingly. “Incarcolvo!” she snapped with a instinctive jab of her wand towards the rustle in the grass. A black mesh immediately erupted from the tip of her cherry wood wand and hurtled itself towards the rustle in the grass.

Preemptive defensive strike or strategic provoking of whatever lay hidden in the long grass? She supposed she was about to find out.

The Isa Rune continues to cool you down, but don’t forget to stay hydrated. You wouldn’t want to pass out from not drinking enough water, would you?

The Fwoopers were too far in the distance to really make an affect you, but that humidity is not your friend. Continually using your Isa Rune and making sure you drink enough will help to stabilize the effects of heat exhaustion. You will need all your strength, not only physically but mentally.

The black mesh net you conjured turns up empty. Whatever was rustling in the grass is long gone by now. It seems there was nothing to worry about there after all.

When you turn back to the door, you quickly notice that there is a two-lined Runic message etched along it’s edges.

The first line reads:

ᚦᛁᛋ ᛞᛟᚱ ᚱᛖᛗᚨᚾᛋ ᚲᛚᛟᛋᛞ ᚹᛇᛚ ᚦ ᛋᚾᚨᚲ ᚱᛟᛗᛋ ᚠᚱᛖ

Could this possibly be the answer to opening the cherry-stained door? Well, there's only one way to find out. Hopefully you've at least mastered the basics of the runic alphabet.

Empty. Of course it was.

Banishing the cage that had formed around nothing as the black mesh struck the ground with a wave of her wand (the temptation to blow it up being a more appealing option), Valerie’s attention returned to the door the what was carved there. She took it back. She would rather some stupid poem over this. Groaning and rubbing her face, the Wampus sunk to the hard ground. It was a decision she immediately regretted as the ground was quite hot and her rear scalding because of it. Wand out, the sixth year once more conjured a small jet of water and used it first to splash her face to provide her with temporary refreshment and then drank from the steady stream.

“I hate this,” she muttered to herself as she pointed her wand to the ground to wet it and provide herself with a surface with which to write upon. Once she had made herself a muddy area (large enough, she felt, to transcribe her thoughts) she gave her wand another flick and clutched it between her teeth rather than holster it in her combat boot. The rustle in the grass still very much lingering in her thoughts.

Valerie had studied the basics of runes, but her emphasis had been on their usage and how they could benefit her in a task rather than their purposes lexiconically due to its complexity. She should have known there would be something to decode rather than a practical application given how two out of three previous tasks had panned out. At least with numbers to letters there were more concrete answers. The number one was always associated with A, J and S (for example). With runes. Ugh. Just ugh. She was not patient enough to commit all this to memory and thus had not even truly tried. It was a thought that infuriated her as she began the process of attempting to translate the runic alphabet into English, beginning with Thurisaz which she could tell you had its associations with Frost Giants, Thor, and Loki (seeing as mythology was an interest of hers) along with informing you of its use as a reactive force or directed force of destruction and defense. But ask her of its phonetic equivalent and the Wampus had to dig quite deep.

Although it did eventually come to her.

“This door,” she began, her fingers writing in the wet earth as she spoke. Speaking was not entirely necessary and perhaps a waste of energy, but it was also helping to keep her sanity for she loathed these sorts of things. At least she had recalled that the repeating of runes, such as Othala just now, was not an accepted practice when it came to translations and runic writing. A thought that in all honesty she had only recalled due to there being no word that was ‘dor’ in English. “This door remains….closed…” she continued, taking a few liberties due to phonetic necessity but stopped herself when she had written ‘weil’ in the mud. Perhaps it was the influence of Isa on her pocket, but there was no bubbling rage growing yet within her and saying the word aloud provided her with her best guess at what she probably ought to have known to write down. “...while th...surely that is meant to be the,” she muttered while tugging on the collar of her shirt to permit some air to flow through. “This door remains closed while the…” Snac? Snak? What was that supposed to mean? Skipping over the word and electing to continue on to the final too, Valerie finished her writing in the mud and mulled over Othala’s phoentics once more. Rooms? That made no sense as a precursor to free. Roams? That made more sense but hell if she knew.

“This door remains closed while the….snake...roams free?”

Glancing back and forth between her writings in the mud and the carving on the door, Valerie conjured herself more water to drink from and was careful not to allow the water to wash away her attempt at translating when something clicked and she jumped to her feet. Perhaps a bit too quickly as she stumbled a moment and had no choice but to use the door to stabilize herself, but she recovered soon enough.

That sound in the grass just now. She knew it was significant.

“Runespoor?” she whispered.

Her eyes went wild and began searching the grass for any sign of movement that could indicate the three-headed slithering creature.

Where had it gone? Was she meant to capture it first or finish translating the runic code?

Or was she entirely barking up the wrong tree?

As you transcribe the runes, a 6 foot Runespoor is hiding on the opposite side of the door, sensing your every move. It is so well concealed that you don’t notice it.

Seconds after you transcribe the first line of the runic message, and start searching for the creature, you hear a series of quiet hissing sounds, but where is it coming from? The creature is nowhere in sight, but it is surely there. The left head is preparing the others.

Do you know enough about this creature to protect yourself?

Their tongues flicker in and out of their mouths, tasting the air to see if you are a threat. Apparently it didn’t like what it tasted, because soon enough they loudly hiss, launching their large body towards you from behind the door, fangs bared!

The hissing was close and the Wampus need no Supersensory Charm to know this. The hairs on the back of her neck rose despite the lack of chill (save for that coming from her Isa rune) and she shifted her balance onto her toes in preparation for any swift moments she would surely need to take. Slowly and cautiously pivoting to follow the sound of the hissing, her thoughts briefly shifted to the self armoring invisible shield she had cast earlier as a first line of defense against the mother Erumpent should she have felt the need to charge. She was well aware of its usefulness against exploding, severing or puncturing spells, but now the humidity and tension of the moment made her question it stability against physical attacks.

Particularly those highly venomous fangs runespoors possessed.

But before she could do so much as twitch her wrist to perform another defensive spell upon herself (only mere seconds passing since she had leaped to her feet and the hissing intensified) she felt something latch onto the heel of her thick combat boot from behind. The heat and humidity surely must be getting to her to have missed spotting such an easily identifiable creature, but she could spend her time berating herself over this slip up later.

Reflexes kicking in, Valerie moved to kick violently in attempt to dislodged what her racing mind could only assume was a runespoor now with its fangs piercing the black leather. Adrenaline preventing her from knowing for certain whether or not her Loricatus was protecting her fragile human flesh, the seventeen year old grimaced in pain as one of the heat cramps in her thigh pulled at the muscles and forced her to take a knee. Body twisted uncomfortable from the fall, her eyes met those of all three heads of the runespoor. The sixth year instinctively hissed back in rage (but she was no Parselmouth so this naturally had no sway over the orange and black striped snake) and gave one more feeble kick that only resulted in a yowl as muscles in her thigh spasmed and jerked involuntarily.

“Flipendo Duo,” she sneered, her wand pointed at the six foot body of the runespoor. Whether or not that would dislodge the creature was unknown (not to mention her aim was a bit shaky given the initial wave of shock distracting her focus) but her body and mind had merged and were running on pure adrenaline alone at present.

It felt like an eternity, but the thoughts that came next were almost instantaneous to her next movements. Her eyes took in the sight of three heads, meaning that the other two had not grown agitated enough with the rightmost head (the critic) just yet. Nothing in her mind considered agitating the critic enough to influence the other two to bite its head off, however. Perhaps an ironic lack of consideration considering that the Wampus herself could draw parallels between herself and that head. Instead her attention moved to the middle head. The dreamer. Knowing that it was the middle head’s influence that caused a runespoor to remain stationary for days while lost in its slithering daydreams, her wand twirled in her hand to readjust its hold (something she thankfully had not lost in thanks to her Gripping Charm) and focused on the centermost head. Hoping of exploited the elaborate imagination the creature was known for (her intent to solve part of the riddle of roaming free as it would quite literally be stilled by its dreaming and allowing her to free her foot from its fangs), she quickly traced a small circle over the runespoor, “Sentio Somnium,” and was relieved to see the familiar pale purple string of light dripped from her wand and onto its head. Panting, her breathing trying desperately to keep up with her pounding heart while also subconsciously berating herself for a repeat tactic. Or perhaps a pleasant way to bookend this experience for her.

A thought laced with much sarcasm.

She need not do much. Just enough to entice the dreamer and get its fangs to latch on (figuratively) to the illusion and fantasy that would subdued the other two heads like dominos. Thus she focused on creating a especially colorful world (unlike the desert she had seen in pictures of Burkina Faso) where the runespoor was king and more powerful than that of a basilisk. And it could fly because for some reason that elementary thought crossed her mind and the runespoor sprouted leathery wings reminiscent to those of a threstral. There was also rainbow snow falling as well, perhaps wishful thinking in that she wanted to be somewhere with snow over this hell. Disjointed but visually stimulating, it was the best her exhausted brain and body could come up with under the circumstances but would hopefully prove enough to lure the runespoor into its still slumber.

The left head of the Runespoor latched on to your boot, but because of your Loricatus charm it couldn’t penetrate the leather. As you kicked, the left head released your boot, and moved back into position with the rest of its heads.

Hissing back at the creature didn’t do much but confuse it a little, causing it to uncoil itself and lengthening to where it was now towering over you, and then it hissed with all three heads as loud as it possibly could. The sound was deafening.

The Flipendo pushed the creature back enough to give you some space to get out of the way. Hopefully it would stay at a distance long enough for your Daydream charm to take effect.

Soon enough the middle head was calming down, looking off into the distance, as your Daydream charm started working. The middle head’s eyes glazed over as the thought of flying took over it. The left head hissed something fierce at the middle head, and the right head hissed at you, wanting to attack but couldn’t because the middle head was so taken by the idea of flying. At this point you remember that there is a second line of Runes, do you have enough time to make it out?

Unfortunately, because of the heat and your thirst, your concentration is waning, and soon it is too difficult for you to hold on to the daydream. The middle head is slowly coming out of it, and the other heads seem to be hissing with glee, ready for attack.

When it came to the heat Valerie Gray was no different from a rabbit. Her physique was not one that could easily adjust to the high temperatures such as this and her lungs almost felt as though they were drowning due to the humidity. There had been a trip to the beach a little after she had come to live with her aunt and uncle after the untimely demise of her family (details of which were still unknown to the Wampus and it was best that they remained as such) during a particularly hot summer day. Despite the sunblock caked on her skin, she had nearly gained third degree burns from the blazing sun and had had to be rushed to the hospital for those and extreme dehydration. It had been a lesson for the then seven year old to be mindful (hence her continual efforts to conjure and drink water since arriving here) but it seemed as though her rigorous efforts were futile as was the Isa run still tucked in her pant pocket.

Although her attention was far more focused on the runespoor ahead and ensuring that it did not weaken her further. Despite her Loricatus charm fending off the initial attack, there was absolutely no guarantee that it would a second or third time should she elect to turn her back on the creature and focus solely on the second line of runes. Which was why she needed to immobilize it now.

The effectiveness of her Knockback Jinx Duo had come as a pleasant surprise and gave her just enough time to pound her fist against her thigh muscle and over the cramp there to try and encourage the blood flow there just enough to permit her to stand. Only to be met with disappointment as she witness what had become almost her bread and butter failed. First her corporeal patronus in the first task and now this? It was like these tasks were meant to pigeonhole her into doubting herself. Only she was difficult (as many could attest to) and it only made the pounding in her ears louder. Almost loud enough to drown out the screeching hiss of the runespoor.

Again, she was grateful for not casting a Supersensory Charm upon herself for that cry surely would have rendered her deaf and her spine vibrating.

But her Daydream Charm had not been entirely ineffective. The runespoor had stilled despite the middle head beginning to wake. It was more than enough an opportunity to ignorantly push through the pain and strike. Given this brief moment to breathe (a breath that came with much difficulty with the sticky air) she could finally consider the other heads more - only was it worth it? Sure she could attempt a Confundus Charm to hopefully distract the heads further, particularly the left head as it was the one which dictated in which direction it would move next, but if a charm she had every confidence in casting was failing she needed to fall back on her true strength: Transfiguration.

“Incarcolvo,” she repeated, mustering her strength for a forceful jab directly towards the runespoor and knowing that the bars of the cage conjured would be too thick and too narrowly apart for it to slither out between should it attempt. Feeling dizzy as the duel with the runespoor continued to take its toll on her body (but it was hard to consider any alternative actions), she readied her cherry wood wand again and pointed it at the magical snake in one final desperate attempt to subdue it. Rather to tame it. “Verminiate Tolinia,” she panted feebly, her resolve and intent no less ablaze, with a point and flick of her wand.

The damn thing should count its blessings that she had not flung a Bombarda at it. The least it could do was turn into a capybara for her.

She had no choice but to assume one or both of her spells worked. Surely the hour was nearly up by now.

Heat exhaustion seeping in as the white light burst forth from her wand and flew towards the runespoor, Valerie sunk to her knees and managed to hold her wand up close to her lips. “Aguamenti,” she muttered horsely and lapping at the water almost rabidly as it flowed forth from her wand. Bowing her head next and inserting her porcelain face into the water, her free hand shakily journeyed into her pocket for the Isa rune and inspected it. But it was difficult to tell the potency of the glow with her vision as it came in and out of focus while the water rejuvenated her, so she closed her eyes for even a blind witch could perform magic if her intent was true. “Isa isa isa, i i i i i i i i i, i i i i i i s s s s s s, s s s s s s i i i i i i, i i i i i i i i i,” she croaked out and then swiftly pocketed the rune with moderately more stable hands. Ending the stream of water with a flick, she next traced a small tear dropped shape in the air with her wand and whispered a gentle, “Lluvia,” and then waited for the eventual downpour to cleanse her tired limbs and wash away her first runic line musings.

Her mind was telling her to perform more magic. To provide herself with more cooling mechanisms, but her instincts fought her. Fiercely. That was energy and focus she needed to decode the next line of runic script. Script that once she had she would know how to get through this knobless door and then she would be liberated from this hell.

Soaking her face and drinking deeply again, the seventeen year old turned back to the door and ran her fingers over the first line of runic script. “This door remains closed while the snake roams free,” she repeated while ignoring the sting to her lips as they threatened to crack. “What else have you got for me?”

The middle head, though still distracted by your daydream charm, is slowly coming to but is still distracted enough that it will not attack you at present. Apparently, that daydream was more captivating than you though. Your Incarvolo, meant to capture the entire creature, only encapsulated the left head, which will be a good advantage for you seeing as the right head can’t move while the middle head is still daydreaming, and the left head is distractedly thrashing around trying to get its head out of the cage.

With all the thrashing of the left head, and your weakness, the Capybara Curse completely misses the Runespoor, sending sparks off of a tree. But you still have time with two of the three heads distracted. The water quenches your thirst; your Isa starts to cool you down and the Lluvia gives you a quick refreshing shower. But how long will your wet clothes keep you cool?

As soon as you look at the door, you see the next line of runes, which reads:

ᛋᚢᛒᛞᚢ ᚦ ᛒᛖᛋᛏ ᛁᚾ ᚾᚨᛏᚱ ᛏᛟ ᛗᚨᚲ ᛁᛏ ᛟᛈᚾ ᚠᛟᚱ ᚦᛖ

I would make quick work of this translation if I were you…

Too exhausted and concerned with checking on her rune and creating rainfall to see the effects of her spell, Valerie finally cast a glance over towards the runespoor as cool water washed over her. Her clothing clung to her slender form more, but at least it was not entirely from sweat this time and was a welcome change. The conjured dampness combined with Isa’s influence quelled the heat long enough for her heartbeat to return to a gentle trot rather than a raging canter and she could feel oxygen fill her lungs (seemingly without the sticky suffocating humidity as well). “Dammit,” she muttered upon seeing the three headed serpent rather than an adorable capybara. Of course.

Eyes narrowing, she thought her heat exhaustion was playing tricks on her vision when she saw her Incarvolo had only trapped one of the heads. She had never seen it behave in this manner nor missed her target so incredibly, but the Planner was distracted and that was the important thing. Two out of three heads down (the third being of little consequence as runespoors tended to bite it off anyway) the Wampus decided to simply count her blessings. Only after trying one last precautionary measure that is. Feeling a little strength returning to her, she lifted her wand at the runespoor. “Adhaero,” she whispered while tracing the outline of the runespoor with her wand.

Exhaling long and slow, Valerie conjured another jet of water and drank from it before turning back to the door proper and finally seeing the inscription there. Her entire lower half was now covered in mud (in thanks to both the water produced from her wand and from the charmed rain) but she could care less about that. If nothing else at least she had a large writing surface with which to work with. Quickly rewriting the first half of the riddle in the mud with her finger (This door remains closed while the snake roams free), she glanced back and forth between her muddy canvas and the runes etched in the cherry red door while she worked as diligently as her weary brain could manage.

Rubbing her forehead as she leaned back, Valerie glanced over her shoulder quickly at the runespoor to make sure that it was still stationary and then turned back to her scribbling in the mud. Only thing she could do now was to read it aloud and let the phonetic sounds make sense to her. Particularly the sequence of Nauthiz, Ansuz, Tiewaz, and Raidho causing her brow to furrow most of all.

“Subdue the beast in nature to make it open for thee,” she spoke softly. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Were they not in nature now. Allowing her frustration to take hold just long enough for her hand to swipe aggressively at the second line she had written in the mud (her actions causing some to flick up and splatter the door as well as her pale features) she quickly set to writing the proper expression in the mud in full.

Flicking her gaze back to runespoor (her eyes lingering on the thrashing left head) she quickly ruled out her daydream charm as an option for this nature aspect. That had been part of the illusion she had created to begin with (a colorful lush world opposite of a desert) so clearly the answer was meant to direct them to something tangible and physical. But then what the hell did that even mean?

Was she supposed to conjure the damn thing a bouquet of flowers?

Frustrations getting the best of her, Valerie’s wand hand was moving and before she knew it was making a small circle in the air while muttering a disgruntled, “Orchideous.” A large lush wreath of pink tea roses appeared in the air before her and she soon flung it at the three headed snake as though playing ring toss at a carnival. A gave which she was incredibly skilled at and an asset on the Quodpot field. She then aimed for the most stationary of heads at the moment (meaning the right one, the critic) and easily landed it. “Orchideous,” she spat, repeating the wand movement, and sneered at the wreath of morning glories that appeared before her this time. Aiming at the dreaming middle head and scoring herself another point that would have earned her a small stuffed animal at the local summer carnival, she wasn’t even going to bother playing ring toss with the thrashing head. “Orchideous!” she grunted one last time, this time conjuring a flowering creeper (Etoile Violette to be precise) that climbed and twisted its way up and around the runespoor.

Did it find the floral aroma satisfying and soothing? Could she just get the hell out of here now?

She considered casting Duro on the steam part of the creeper (being kind enough to leave the sweet smelling flowers for the six foot long beast to enjoy) to potentially add another element that kept the creature in place for a moment, but glancing around at the greenery surrounding her quickly forced her into shifting gears. “Herbivicus,” she gritted out as she jerked her wand upwards at a series of vines draping from the green canopy above. The vines grew instantly at her command, crawling down and tangling around the runespoor and knotting their thicker selves with those belonging to the Etoile Violette.

Bitter taste returning to her mouth once more, Valerie tried not to think about the last time she had seen wreaths of tea roses (her mother’s favorite flower) and had to steady her wand from shooting a Bombarda at the snake now that it was clearly dressed for its own funeral. Had she fulfilled the requirements now? The runespoor was in one spot and therefore not roaming free and bound in decorative flora found in nature. Pulling herself to her feet by gripping on the side of the door, she tried not to let her irritation permit her to linger on the idea of blowing the creature up. That was for certain it would not be roaming anywhere and subdue did have a somewhat synonymous meaning with vanquish. It all only fueled the need for destruction, particularly since her suspicions of them needing the runespoor to do something to the door had been incorrect. The beast played no crucial role other than to be subdued.

Which Bombarda could very well accomplish.

Grey eyes turning back to the door, she waited. Wand still pointing at the snake and ready to act impulsively if the need arose.

Though your Adhaero caused the Runespoor to be stuck to the ground, the thrashing the left head is doing breaks through the spell rather quickly because it is stronger than the intent of the whispered spell. The Runespoor never even realized it was stuck.

Soon after you complete the translation, the left head breaks free of the cage by smacking it against a tree nearby. It swiftly turns to look at you and hisses loudly. It then turns and looks at the middle head who is finally completely out of the daydream.

Before it can react, your Orchideous and Herbivicus spells distract and serve as an obstacle for the creature. But flowers and vines cannot stop this beast for long and it soon breaks free, sending a shower of flowers and leaves in your direction as if a flower shop exploded.

The Runespoor is now towering above you, calculating its next move. You’d better think quick, before it strikes!

Of course.

Cursing at herself for not casting Duro on the vines and stems of the creeper like she had initially been inclined to, the runespoor was temporarily blocked from view by the blizzard of flowers. Of course that had not work. A part of her had known that floral seduction and leafy binding would not be enough. Her Permanent Sticking Charm had not even kept the beast at bay so how in her dizziest daydreams was she to expect that fragile flora would be any better. Her mind was exhausted and body wearing by this point. Valerie was not the type of witch who believed in excessive spellwork. Why cast spell after spell when one could potentially scrap by on a choice one or two? But the task was wearing on her and she could feel it in every joint in her body. She only had one or two potent spells left in her, three at best, and it was clear to the Wampus that she was going about this entirely wrong.

A few petals catching themselves in her mouth, Valerie had just barely spat them out when the beast was towering over her and she found herself snarling at it with her wand gripped tightly between her fingers. Her knuckles were sore, throbbing, and adrenaline was once more fueling her movements as her arm raise to cast not just Bombarda but Bombarda Maxima as she had promised herself she would should her attempt fail.

What the hell was she supposed to do against a seemingly impenetrable snake (physical attacks being completely worthless in nearly every sense of the word) when she could not speak a lick of Parseltongue? Did she need to conjure a damn flute and pretend to be a snake charmer? Just play it a bit of music to lure it to sleep? She had precisely zero aspirations in her life of becoming a snake charmer and knew not how to play a single instruments. What was more, many speculated that she likely could not charm anything or anyone with whatever feminine wiles she possessed out of a wet paper bag even if she tried.

So unless there was a charm that could translate her speech into Parseltongue (which she knew full well there was not) she saw no other option but to blast the creature to pieces.

“Bombar---” But something in her mind (the sane logical part that had been drowned out since the appearance of the venomous creature) sent a piercing chill down her spine that rattled her core more than her Isa run had done the entire task. Even going so far as to cover her skin in goosebumps.

She did not need to speak Parseltongue to get the serpent to show loyalty to her.

Hell hath no fury like Valerie Gray had at herself presently.

Perhaps it was the heat and humidity. Or perhaps it was her cumulative frustrations at what all she had endured since the beginning of the the task. Or perhaps it was the runespoor itself. Or perhaps all three were to blame. Of all the times to take wording literally, to not pick apart and analyze each minute syllable, this had been the one she ought not to have. Her overthinking had shut off with her evaluation of the door and all the wasted effort there. Energy that she so desperately needed now. But of all the times to not pay attention to detail, the seventeen year old had picked the absolute worst. How could she have been so stupid to overlook such a basic concept? How could she not have seen and read the different connotation that ‘in’ in the riddle meant?

Not nature as in the coastal forest around her. Nature as in the creature’s disposition.

Subdue the nature of the beast.

---da Maxima!” she finished with a fury more at herself than the runespoor. At the last second her wand twitched in the direction of a nearby tree and blasting its trunk to smithereens. Maybe if nothing else it could fall on the lower half of the serpent and pin it to the ground should her change in tactic fail.

Heart pounding with a renewed sense of resolve, Valerie ignored the strain in her muscles and dizziness that had taken over with her swift movements as she leapt back in case it lunged at her with the explosion. Wincing and yelping as her shoulder came in contact with a rock and cheek scrapped the dry ground as she rolled out of reach, she scrambled back to her feet and wiped some blood from her face with the back of her hand and thrust her wand at the runespoor with everything she had left.

Narrowing her eyes, the Wampus allowed her desperation to fill her. To push her. To focus her.

“Animalis Fidelis!” she called out, ensuring that her grey eyes locked on all six of the runespoor’s hungry eyes as she rolled her wand between her fingers and ended with an upwards flick. It was a charm Valerie had used several times while collecting potions ingredients seeing as it was much easier to harvest and collect creature based ingredients when they willingly came to and fell into your lap, thus her embarrassment for not thinking of it sooner. But it would suffer her. Suffer her and perhaps even indulge her with an egg or two from its mouth which was another thought clawing at her subconscious and driving her intent for a successful casting.

This had to work.

Your Bombarda Maxima blasted a hole into that tree trunk, but somehow the tree is still standing despite having a massive crater in its center. It also distracted the Runespoor for a moment, causing it to look away from you for a few seconds.

Soon enough the creature began to slither its way towards you, fangs bared and all three heads hissing. When you Animalis Fidelis charm hits the creature it does take effect, but not in the way you intended. Since you aimed for the center of the creature, it only takes effect of the middle head, causing it to not be nearly as angry. Lefty and Righty are still hissing and charging, pulling the middle head along.

Trying to tame the beast with charms doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Perhaps you should consider a different branch of magic…

Valerie’s face fell when the charm did not work. It should have worked.

“What more do you want from me?!” she found herself roaring at surprising volume despite her vocal chords feeling charred and raw from the heat and humidity she had endured for far too long. Her had slid into her pocket and clutched the Isa rune fiercely in her fist, her nails digging and boring into her flesh enough to draw blood. The combination of pain and icy blast was welcoming and reassuring that she was still alive and conscious, but it did little to calm her temper. Not even her Bombarda Maxima had performed the job she had intended it to do.

The need for water was becoming apparent once more, but with the runespoor ever approaching there was no time for pause to catch her breath and conjure herself a jet of water. She would have to depend on Isa for now to at least keep her from overheating. But as the runespoor came in and out of focus (sometimes there appearing to be six or even nine heads rather than three), the Wampus knew she was spent and had very little left having thrown what energy and focus she did still possess into the casting of Animalis Fidelis. What the hell was this thing? A runespoor’s hide was not that of a dragon and spells ought to be able to penetrate it, thus she could only assess that this one had been magically modified to resist spells and charms. Physical restraints were not working either and her surroundings were providing little aid (that damn tree had not been brought down by her enraged blast). Her hand tightened even further around the conjured wood in her pocket as she slowly backed away (stumbled back was more like it) and fought with her body to not faint even as her eyes rolled subtle.

A loud crack alerted her she had snapped a sizeable piece of wood under her heavy combat boots and momentarily drew her attention away from the runespoor to it. It was jagged and sharp from where it had snapped in half, prompting her to wonder if she could somehow manage to stab the creature or at least blind it by using the archaic weapon. But something told her that that would prove futile despite her crouching down and plucking it from the ground.

Another glance at her surroundings brought her attention back to the damn cherry red door and her crude carving of Sowilo that remained from her initial attempt at a Safe Travel Rune.

Wait.

Mind racing with a sudden burst of inspiration triggered by her previous failures, her wand was pointed towards the piece of wood in her grasp. “Intaglio Ehwaz,” came her raspy voice, thick with desperation and eyes stinging with tears. Tears that meant losing precious water but she was helpless to the emotional strain and physical exhausted at the moment. “...Ehwaz Ehwaz Ehwaz Ehwaz Ehwaz.” A rune that literally meant horse (perhaps why she had not weighed it as an option), the rune could also do what her intended charm had failed to. It could in theory bestow her with the ability to talk to snakes. To tame the nature of the beast. She just needed to finish carving the ‘M’ shape of the rune.

As she did her eyes flickered up towards the beast and she encouraged her loud thoughts to help keep her conscious. It too was a rune that evoked thoughts.of travel, a journey from one point to another which was precisely what she needed to accomplish in this moment. Getting through the door and the hell out of here, to be precise. But she supposed if she were feeling sentimental (of which she certainly was not) it was also rune that could represent what the competition was meant to embody: international magical cooperation, communication, and harmony. The ideal of trust and friendship allowing for forward energy and movement, without which there would be none.

Although all she felt when she thought about IMPS at present was bitterness and rage. Feelings that even overshadowed her dire need for the scholarship funds.

Glancing down and seeing her rune carved into the piece of wood, Valerie clutched it close to her chest and attempted to wet her lips. Her voice was hoarse (ironic word choice considering things) but she pushed through the burning to speak and enunciate as clearly as possible. “Ehwo ehwo ehwo, e e e e h w o o o, ehwu ehwa ehwi ehwe ehwo, ehwo ehwe ehwi ehwa ehwu, e e e e h w o o o. Ehwo ehwo ehwo, e e e e h w o o o, ehwu ehwa ehwi ehwe ehwo, ehwo ehwe ehwi ehwa ehwu, e e e e h w o o o. Ehwo ehwo ehwo, e e e e h w o o o, ehwu ehwa ehwi ehwe ehwo, ehwo ehwe ehwi ehwa ehwu, e e e e h w o o o.” It was a faint white glow to start (reminiscent of a weak Lumos in the distance) but not for long and soon the ethereal white glow was illuminating her pale features, eyes locked on the beast.

The runic energy has no impact on the runes. You cannot gain the trust of something that is truly a beast with one thing in mind: lunch. Even the runic energies cannot persuade this beast, whereas it would have had this been a horse or a different creature that is tamer in comparison, considering it recalls the spells and charms you have sent its way. The Runespoor, taking caution, slowly creeps closer towards you.

Using charms or runes doesn’t seem to be subduing the Runespoor in nature. Perhaps, the surroundings could be altered to stop the creature before one of its heads sinks its fangs into you.

But I would be quick if I were you. The Runespoor, though cautious as it maybe for the moment, doesn’t like the glow of your runes. Hissing loudly from all three heads, it attacks!

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

That was what her entire time in Scotland was about to amount to because Valerie Gray was failing in every sense of the word. Eyes widening in horror as the beast raised itself up higher and higher, towering over her mortal self, she hardly registered the tears that had squeezed their way out of the corners of her eyes. It matter not that this was more precious water being lost from her body. The runespoor was about to strike her, sink its fangs into her (and knowing her luck this runespoor would possess an especially potent venom sack), and that would be the end of it all.

Tossing the Ehwaz rune aside in the tall grass (for she saw no use in trying to amplify a spell using it and something told her the combined effort of it with Animalis Fidelis was a strong theory but would fail miserably like everything else she had attempted), the Wampus took several more unsteady steps away from the serpent and slipped slightly as her combat boot sunk into the mud she had previously made to write her runic translate in.

She could try and Duro the tall grass around herself and the runespoor to perhaps try and create a stone wall around it and accomplish what her Incarvolo could not. Precede the effort with a Gouging Spell and trap the beast like a animal at the zoo. But then that still ran the risk of it somehow miraculously climbing its way out by the abnormal strength and resilience the beast was displaying. She still had an active Isa rune on her person as well and for a moment she weighed the option of taking ownership of her Snow Queen name, but deflected the thought almost as soon as it had appeared in her mind. There was also the potential of transfiguring the vines into ropes to tie the serpent down to the earth, but she rules that out as well for now.

She had always considered runespoors misunderstood (people referring to them as Dark simply by their association with Dark wizards who were fluent in snake language) but at present she was wondering if perhaps she had been naive to think otherwise.

She wished the mud, the earth itself, would just swallow her up whole.

And then her eyes widened and once more found the resolve to tighten her grip around her cherry wood wand.

She wanted to buy herself more time. Conjure a flock of birds or transfigure nearby rocks into Labradors (a thought that insufferably made her think of a certain Thunderbird who she had some choice words for should she make it out of this) to serve as a temporary distraction to the creature, but refrained here as well. She would rather use that energy and concentration for this shift in tactics.

Earth magic, as the jinx technically was considered, was not a branch of study Valerie was by any means proficient in and had hardly given it a second thought while looking branches of magic. It was not the concrete Transfiguration she would rather fall back on and low level but (if nothing else) efficient. Should she need to do so, her mind was already calculating how much time she would need to carve Thurisaz or Dagaz enhance the transfiguration energy of her spell given her physical and emotional strain, but having already exhausted (at least in her mind but if this failed and she still had strength in her perhaps she would reevaluate) the option of using the greenery surrounding her this was the risk that the drumming of her heart was telling her take.

Seeing the snake lunge for her (and with no other thought in mind and zero time to react otherwise) Valerie stood her ground and pointed her wand to the ground beneath the runespoor and fueled her casting with her Wampus fury. The image was vivid in her mind and if successful the runespoor would quite literally be subdued in nature.

“ORBIS!”

All of this thinking of how to buy yourself more time is doing the exact opposite. Time continues to pass, and the Runespoor is not going to wait patiently for you to figure out a plan of action. The left head hisses, causing all three sets of fangs to be bared. Bon appetit.

The Orbis Jinx is casted just in the knick of time. The large snake is quickly incased in an orb, causing it to trash around in an eager attempt to escape. No matter how many times the three heads smack against the azure whirlwind it is confined in, it begins to sink into the ground. Within a matter of moments, the Runespoor is covered in earth.

Looking back at the cherry door is likely to easily upset you. It still isn’t opening. But why?

Soon enough, the three heads of the Runespoor emerge from the ground and the rest of its body slithers out after them. The right head hisses angrily at you. The middle head’s eyes are set squarely on you. The left head remains silent as the creature’s tail flicks off some dirt. A low hiss is given to the other two heads. Attack.

Perhaps you should play to your strength after all: Transfiguration.

Valerie did not even wait to see the effects of her Orbis Jinx and was already stumbling he way over to the door and the Sowilo she had carved their previously. Even if the jinx worked, she hardly had any strength left to stand and needed to do something to rejuvenate herself that would not come at the expense of exhibiting more magic. At least her previous mistake was proving to be useful now? Placing her hand over her previous engraving, Valerie chanted quickly, with purpose, and crisply despite the fatigue and dry throat. “Sowilo sowilo sowilo, s s s s s s s s s, s s s o o o l l l, su sa si se so, sul sal sil sel sol, us as is es os, si se su sa su, s s s s s s s s s,” she repeated several times until the rune began to glow (although she did not look for her focus was now entirely on the runespoor as it unsurprisingly was freeing itself from this attempt as well. Hr voice quickening as she felt a tingly sensation warm the palm over her hand, repeating the galdr with more enthusiasm as she called upon its magical usages of energy, strength, healing, and life energy energy specifically to reinvigorate her.

Charms, Herbology, Runes, Transfiguration, earth magic, jinxes, curses...what else could she hope to try?

Her eyes darted around once more to the vines and roots (cursing at herself for not acting on impulse and casting Duro earlier when she had the creature bound in flora for surely that would have been more effective and actually held the beast at bay) and weighed another option. Not wishing to repeat the same tactic since the runespoor seemed to have muscle memory reflexes, Valerie’s wand was thrust towards the other half of the piece of wood she had snapped in half earlier and cast a nonverbal Summoning Charm at it to call it to her hand. Offering nothing more than a cursory look towards the three headed snake (still trapped somewhat in the earth and her still with time as long as she worked quickly), the Wampus muted her screaming muscles and forming migraine as she pointed her wand at the wood. “[b]Intaglio Thurisaz,” she barked as she made quick work of carving the rune’s ‘P’ shape rather than the slightly more intricate workings of Dagaz in a conscious choice for time efficiency. Thurisaz association as the rune for the shape-shifting trait for many mythological characters bringing it to the forefront of her mind regardless.

Rune carved, the seventeen year old offered her opponent no glance before she set to chanting the galdr in an and almost animalistic way. “Thurisaz thurisaz thurisaz, th th th th th th th th th, thur thar thur ther thor, thu tha thu the tho, th th th th th th th th th...Thurisaz thurisaz thurisaz, th th th th th th th th th, thur thar thur ther thor, thu tha thu the tho, th th th th th th th th th.” Carving aglow, she slipped into the opposite pocket of her Isa rune (which was thankfully still providing her somewhat with its cooling properties).

In her desperation and need to get out of her, Valerie turned back to her bread and butter of Transfiguration. Her brain was telling her to cage it somehow, but her previous attempts with Incarvolo had behaved unusually for the conjuration and thus erased any other thoughts of producing another boxed confinement by any other means.

Runespoor now mostly free from the ground, Valerie glanced at the nearby foliage (tall grass, tree roots, and vines) and quickly removed both runes from her pocket (recalling at the last second that Isa could also be used as a reinforcement of other magics and blockages) to hold against her wand in her wand hand. She knew this bit of Transfiguration magic was effective on trolls, and if it could trap one of those then surely it could a runespoor. Heart pounding in her chest and resolve ablaze, Valerie flourished her wand at the grass to the right first. “CAUGHT!” Then the grass to the left. “Caught!” Then in front of the runespoor. “Caught!” Then at the nearby tree roots. “Caught!” And finally at the vines hanging overhead. “Caught!”

With sturdy chains as restraints now coming from multiple directions at the beast and her spell endowed with runic magic to amplify her spell (or make up for whatever fatigue had caused to lack), the Wampus held her breath.

As you work to get the Sowilo and Thurisaz runes activated, you are soon filled with the energy that the Sowilo rune gives you. The Runespoor makes its way towards you quickly, but you are quicker.

The Caught! spell works its magic, grass, roots, and vines changing into chains that latch around the snake. The Thurisaz rune is completely active, making the energy of the Caught! spell you used enhanced. Despite its thrashing against the chains, it cannot break free.

Now that the Runespoor is completely contained, a Ministry official from the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures disillusions themselves, revealing that she had been standing by the door, watching, there the entire time - for both your safety and the Runespoor. "Congratulations." She gives you a quick look over as she approaches. Seeing that you have subdued the creature, she walks past you, without saying another word, toward the chained Runespoor.

Suddenly the red door creaks open. Step through the doorway and you will find yourself at the stands.

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

The effects of Sowilo were the only thing keeping her on her feet right now and for a moment her vision went completely blank and she was unsure whether or not her attempt had worked. Clutching her head and swaying on spot, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder (the one she had smacked into with a rock previously) and her face contorted. Her cheek was still bleeding slightly from scrapping against the ground and she was not sure she could even feel her legs. Or perhaps it was the adrenaline that was influencing the numbness that had taken hold of her and thus barely even registered that she had been spoken to by a Ministry Official.

Truth be told the Wampus hardly registered the woman at all as her attention was on the runespoor and their disinterest in each other was clearly mutual.

And her wand twitched. The need to blast it apart surging through her as she heard the door finally creak open to release her from this hell.

The seventeen year old somehow found it in her to lower her wand and even holstered it in her combat boot. Straightening (a bit too quickly) and feeling absolutely nothing at all right now, Valerie walked through the door and departed the scene.