Ethan’s team scrambles for cover as the wrecking ball crashes onto The Hallowed Land, rolling towards Conrad who uses the flight charm to propel himself into the air, touching the dot he lands on to create a vast crevice that the wrecking ball sinks into. With the wrecking ball contained, he throws out a spinning orb that whizzes towards me, and I react with a handful of dynamite which detonates the orb, sending shards of light spinning in the morning air.
We step off the playing field with a smile and a hug, letting the shards of light fade before Jacob claps his hands to jolt his stunned class to attention. “So, that’s Rucklz,” he says with a smile. “Any questions?”
The students are too stunned for questions, realising their limited training might not be enough for this version of Rucklz. With a second clap of his hands, the Williynx release a shower of feathers, leaving Conrad and me to form crests for each team: a gladiator crest for Ethan’s ‘Wicked Wizards’, and a Merlin crest for Katie’s ’Slick Sorcerers’.
With the stage set, stadium lit and team crests created, we take our positions on the side lines, ready to referee a match likely to have its fair share of drama.
The game begins with the sound of Jacob’s whistle. Ethan’s team is faster out of the blocks, taking their positions in a triangle formation on their part of the pitch. It’s an interesting strategy, helping them to activate their dots and thrust out a variety of objects before Katie’s team can get their bearings.
Ethan punches the air in delight as the ball bearings he’s formed bounce towards the opposition … Roan and Ava managing to jump at the right moment whilst Olin mistimes his jump, landing on two of the ball bearings and falling flat on his face.
“Get up!” Katie yells, her competitive spirit already spinning out of control as she launches a spear at Leah - the girl she’s competing with for Ethan’s affections.
Leah forms a shield with ease, crossing Tom’s path to fling it back in Katie’s direction. The shield is formed of Mithium — indestructible steel — so there’s no danger of it shattering when the spear makes contact. With their defences intact and the team moving with greater agility and speed, Ethan’s ‘Wicked Wizards’ close in on Olin who’s struggling to get to his feet.
Olin finds his bearings just in time, creating a steel cage around himself as a shower of bullets rain down, bouncing off his cage as he yells in frustration. With Ava and Roan gaining in confidence, partly in the knowledge that no spear or bullet can penetrate their steel wall. The action intensifies as Katie roars her team forwards, jumping into the air as she throws a spinning arc of steel towards Ethan and Tom who are now working in tandem.
They smash away the arc of steel with their swords before their weapons transform into a bow and arrow, releasing a flurry of arrows towards Katie who slips as she forms two shields: a mistake that ends her participation in the game as the arrows thud into the shields, knocking one of them out of her hand.
“One nil!” Ethan shouts as his teammates roar in delight.
With Katie out of the action, screaming her frustration from the side lines, Olin comes into his own, spinning low as weapons fly his way. Jacob, Conrad and I keep the Magneia charm activated, ensuring no weapons make contact with the students: a simple charm which draws objects towards us when they’re in danger of striking the students.
I draw a scythe-like object to me, manipulating its trajectory to make sure it whizzes past Ava’s head. After all, I doubt anymore parents will be sending their kids to magic school if a student ends up in hospital!
Sensing the need to force home their advantage, Ethan’s team split into two pairs with Tilly and Tom taking on Ava and Roan … leaving Ethan and Leah to target Olin’s small form. They’ve fallen into a trap they don’t see, though, Olin pretending to lose his footing again as Katie screams at him from the side lines.
It’s a clever trap, appreciated from our referring position on the west boundary. Olin has pretended to slip to draw his opponents closer, dropping onto his stomach as spinning orbs fly towards him, missing him by inches. Seconds later, he strikes out with fireworks that he’s buried in the ground — camouflaged by a simple use of the Invisilis charm: the obvious advantage no other student’s thought of.
As Ethan and Leah close in, Olin releases the fireworks, wrapping himself in a steel cylindric shield as they crackle and explode through the air … darting towards Ethan and Leah’s shocked figures who scramble to form their defences. They’re a second too late and the half-formed swords are splintered, disintegrating seconds later and sending to the side lines.
A roar from Laieya and Erivan signals another shift in the game, reaching its climax with the least likely candidates left standing. Team One are now led by Olin: the diminutive, dark haired wizard with a gift for silent strikes. He calls Ava and Roan towards him, quickly organising a triad formation reminiscent of the ones used in my own battles.
Every witch and wizard has a particular gift, normally discovered in times of trouble, and it’s fair to say Olin’s discovering his on The Hallowed Lawn: a boy with a gift for cunning attacks. If I was to put my money on anyone becoming a Society soldier, it would be the least likely of the class: Olin Zucklewick — grandson of Ivo Zucklewick who runs the Society bookshop in Founders’ Quad.
Olin shouts orders to
