Simulated War [Max]

[Alecsander]

"Form up!"

Alex's voice carried over the hill on which he stood, surrounded by aurors who started to gather together, hunching their shoulders against a cold wind that flew past. Off to the side stood Max, and Alex eyed him before turning back to the main group. "We're doing battle simulations today--you know the drill." Several nodded, while Wallace and Fraser looked nervous. This was the first time they had participated in one of the large scale training events. Wallace barely felt comfortable with the auror range, and now he'd be fighting seasoned aurors.

The head auror turned half of the auror's robes to blue, the other to red. He himself wore red, as did Max. He couldn't afford to waste time and energy with that shield he'd used in their training at the Dragons. "If you are stunned or incapacitated, you're out. You may return to battle after 5 minutes if a teammate revives you." He looked at Max. "Winner is last group standing." He paused, looking over the crowd. Most of his aurors were here. They all knew the seriousness of their current situation. Life or death. The faces were grim, though some were underlined with worry, fear, or anger. Good. He'd made sure to harp on the dangers of the dark magic that was being used now, of the horror of the sacrifices. He wanted them afraid, angry. Determined. He wanted them feeling all that emotion while they battled today. It would be the best way to simulate a real battle for Max. He hoped it wouldn't cripple him, but he had to see.

"Winner gets a free round at the Leaky Cauldron on me! Begin!" He announced, throwing sparks into the air. Instantly he went on the offensive, focusing. Focus. No distractions.

[Max Kameren]

Ah, now Max understood Alex's intention: it was the auras. When he'd mentioned Max joining the aurors, Max wasn't totally sure what that meant. He assumed it would be for more one-on-one dueling with people he could actually hit. Instead, to his surprise it was a group training: simulated war. The group of witches and wizards surrounding him were an ocean of unease over the time they lived in, accented occasionally by a nervous junior scared for their first simulation. It was surprising to him, but Max wasn't nervous. He couldn't be, or it would put a crack in the foundation he was setting to get through this day.

Max stood just behind Alex on the hill, hands clasped in front of him and eyes downcast to keep distractions at bay. He opened his mind and tried to familiarize himself with his surroundings, specifically the auras around him. If he could separate them now, it would be easier to keep them organized in his head in the battle. The easier he could organize them, the longer he could stave off the pain of twenty auras shrieking in his ears. If he could prepare, he could do this. Hopefully.

"Kameren!" Max didn't look up from his meditative state, assuming the Kameren in question wasn't him until the bark got louder and closer. "Max!"

"Theo!" Max greeted the Senior Auror and Alex's once-partner who was making his way up the hill. After seventeen years of Alex-adjacent small talk they'd developed into something like friends.

The older auror smiled, looking around and doing a quick head-count for their teams. "What are you doing here, eh? Mungo's sending out field healers now?"

"Not quite. You've heard about the hospital I'm sure?" Max caught Theo's nod in his peripheral. The Mungo's incidents were newsworthy enough that he got strange looks even outside the hospital: he was sure a high-ranking auror like Theo would know all the ugly details that Max and Rowena seemed to always be central to. "Then you know. Trying not to get killed by dark wizards."

"You're fighting? Today?"

"Yeah."

"So you're letting Alex kill you instead?"

"What? No, I'm better at this than I look. Promise." Max half-smiled at Theo to reassure him; sure, he was inexperienced but well-trained in a way that would hopefully even out with the other younger, post-war aurors. The juniors were the ones he was worried about; a few of them were already nervous in a way that was putting Max's empathy on edge. It would only worsen when the spells started flying.

"Form up!" Alex's voice called everyone to attention and spaces filled in between Max and Theodore upon the hill. "We're doing battle simulations today--you know the drill."

Max glanced around momentarily, arching a wary brow. He did not know the drill. Alex uttered a spell and half the aurors' robes turned red, including Max's; he glanced over to see Theo's were blue. [alex quote stunned incapacitated... last group standing wins sorry phone post]

"Winner gets a round at the Leaky Cauldron on me! Begin!"

The initial surge in excitement from Alex's quick announcement tripped a circuit in Max's head and he shuddered. Theo took the opportunity to throw the first spell: he shot a battering curse at the youngest Kameren just as he caught his cringe.

Max cursed under his breath as another Red Team auror intervened, throwing a shield between them and pushing Max backwards with a repelling spell. "Look alive, Kameren!" She shoved him on the shoulder in admonition as she continued into the fray.

Max cursed under his breath, his hands pulsing red as he prepared to duel.

[Alecsander]

As soon as he announced the start, Alex spun and disapparated, appearing beside his nephew and grabbing his elbow, he spun them away to a different part of the field, now behind a large group of blue-robed aurors. Alex started casting, starting with a barrage of laughing hexes mixed with cantis charms. "Keep up," He hissed in a low voice at Max as he disapparated just as a return barrage of spells shot in their direction.

Alex apparated in another spot, trading fire with a couple of the younger aurors. "Good work so far--" He appeared behind them, "But not good enough," He bound them with a full-body bind and ducked as a stunning spell flew over his head.

"Not as quick as you used t'be, old man!" He told Theo, firing back a bombardment curse.

[Max Kameren]

Spells were flying everywhere, and all Max could think about was how his head hurt. He tried to push himself into autopilot, subsisting casting and blocking on reflex rather than with strategy or thought. In a real battle this could likely get him hurt or worse, but there were too many auras impeding on him to focus. He just couldn’t think.

Before Max could turn away Alex appeared from thin air, grabbing Max by the elbow and twisting them both away from the center of the battle. "Keep up," He hissed in a low voice.

“No shit,” Max rolled his eyes and twisted away just as the spells reached them, apparating to the opposite end of the dueling pitch from his uncle. There he found two red team aurors who had been hit. Max revived them; finally, something he knew. He traded spells with a few other aurors and felt a bit better about how he was faring in the battle; sure, he wasn’t Alex, but he hadn’t been hit yet.

Szt. A shock of blue electricity entered Max through his shoulder and he turned from the scuffle he was already in to see the mischievous grin of an auror his age before she disapparated away. Shit. He was out.

[Alecsander]

Blue had won an advantage early in the game, but red was making a comeback. Alex left his opponent behind, Theo swearing at him as he struggled as though he were a fly caught in a sticky trap. Alex lifted both hands, firing multiple spells as he grappled with a few of the junior aurors.

He waited until they encircled him, then disapparated, leaving them to take each other out. He appeared next to Xaviera and Max, reviving them. "C'mon," he encouraged. If they could only get a few more Aurora out before Blue recovered they could win. Things were devolving into an out and out brawl as blue started to realize they were outnumbered. He looked at Max. "Okay?"

[Max Kameren]

Max took the opportunity in his time being tagged out to watch and take notes; watching this battle was a masterclass in dueling. As the battle whittled down and the stakes were higher, though, Max started to feel pain creep up in the back of his mind. Slowly his shoulders tensed with the volume of the crowd and noise built in his ears. Max found his wand in his robes just in case his wandless magic failed him; things were not looking good.

Suddenly Alex appeared behind Max and another auror and revived them. "C'mon," Max stood up shakily at Alex’s encouragement. He tried to direct them in some way but Max quickly found that his voice was getting drowned out. His hand reached out and leaned on his uncle for support as the battle suddenly surged and he felt tunnel vision closing in. "Okay?"

“Y-ye… No. No.” Max’s breathing sped up and his knees buckled. With his last motion before he clutched his head Max pushed Alex off; if he left Max and joined the rest of the team the Red robes still had a chance.

Until then Max crumpled into a crouch, his hands tightened into fists covering his ears and dilated eyes staring forward blindly. He was lost, stuck in place until the pain and shrieking in his mind stopped. Max had lost his fight, but the battle hadn’t ended.

[Alecsander]

His hand reached out and leaned on his uncle for support as the battle suddenly surged and he felt tunnel vision closing in. "Okay?"

“Y-ye… No. No.” Max’s breathing sped up and his knees buckled. With his last motion before he clutched his head Max pushed Alex off; if he left Max and joined the rest of the team the Red robes still had a chance.

Alex released the elbow he'd been holding to support Max, looking over the battle as Max sunk to his knees. There were only two blue robes standing. As he assessed the field they were knocked out, Xaviera knocking them out with a binding spell. Almost immediately Alex lived his arm, throwing up green sparks.

"Battle's over! Revive everyone, I'll meet you in the Cauldron." Alex projected his voice, and as aurors were revived they disappeared in groups, apparating away. The moor was rapidly emptying. Alex crouched down by Max, meditating. He allowed the deep breaths to calm his mind as he sank into a sitting position, he was far too old to be crouching for long, his knees would  have hated him for the rest of the day. After a silence he spoke, the last Aurora disappearing.

"Hey. Ok?"

[Max Kameren]

For a moment everything was pain and darkness. Max’s muscles cramped with tension and his brain felt like it might explode. The Potions Master sought out Alex’s aura as something steady and familiar to hold onto, but with the tides of the end of the battle it was hard to focus through the fray.

Then the fight ended and the auras began disappearing, and the whirlpools in Max’s mind began to slow. Gradually his breathing slowed and the tension started to release. Max found Alex’s aura and used it as a touchstone to steady himself, centering his own aura back in his head.

When the last aura finally disappeared Max’s attack relaxed and he could move again. He fell backwards to sit on the ground, hiding his face in his hands as the headache pulsed in his ears. “Shit. Sorry, Alex.”

"Hey. Ok?"

“Yeah, now. Thank you.” With a sigh Max lifted his head and met his uncle’s eyes. “You were right. Got a ways to go, don’t I? Dueled like shit.” He chuckled, shaking his head. The attack wore him out and suddenly Max was exhausted. “You’ll forgive me if I skip the Cauldron? Don’t want to push it.”

[Alecsander]

“Shit. Sorry, Alex.”

"Hey. Ok?" Alex said, keeping his breathing and mind even.

“Yeah, now. Thank you.” With a sigh Max lifted his head and met his uncle’s eyes. “You were right. Got a ways to go, don’t I? Dueled like shit.” He chuckled, shaking his head. The attack wore him out and suddenly Max was exhausted. “You’ll forgive me if I skip the Cauldron? Don’t want to push it.”

He wanted to reach out but knew Max was hypersensitive and didnt want to bleed any emotions over while Max was feeling so bad. He settled,for a nod of understanding. "Of course. Feel better." he clambered back to his feet, brushing off his robes.

[Max Kameren]

“You’ll forgive me if I skip the Cauldron? Don’t want to push it.”

"Of course. Feel better."

Max’s head was killing him and when he pushed himself to his feet with shaky knees. He was disappointed in himself; he thought he could handle this better than he did, but we quickly overwhelmed. “Learned a lot today, though. I’ll get it next time.” The younger wizard half-smiled as he turned on his heel headed for home.