His spell didn't affect Macmillan, but it did look like it had taken down his opponent's shield. This was the moment, then — if he hit now, before he could get the shield back up, he'd get him. Just as this thought occurred to him, Macmillan's spell hit Ben's shield, and sent it crackling with angry magical energy. It wasn't entirely dismantled, but it was definitely damaged. He could shore it up, and keep himself safe from whatever was coming next... but if he prioritized his shield, he might miss his moment when Macmillan's guard was down.
Ben had no intention of losing this duel even before he'd shown up this morning, but after Macmillan had shown up so casually, telegraphing so obviously that he didn't give a fuck about November or whether or not he ruined her life, his resolve to win had crystalized into something he could almost feel, like a physical lump in the center of his body. And then when he'd tried to drag Bella and Ellory and even fucking Melody into this middle of this, he'd gone from just wanting to win to wanting to cause real, lasting harm to Macmillan. This wasn't the moment to play it safe. This wasn't the time for shield charms.
He shot off an arrow spell, then another, then another. He sent some straight for Macmillan's chest, now laid bare in the beginnings of sunlight, and he sent some at angles so that if Macmillan got his shield back up too quickly they might still be able to slip past the sides. And because this was it, because they were only going to first blood and this might be the only chance he got, Ben shot again and again. He lost track of how many arrows he'd fired, and his shield cracked and broke under the strength of whatever Macmillan had shot at him next but he barely even noticed it.
Macmillan collapsed, and Ben stopped. He was breathing hard, but his eyes stayed on Macmillan a second longer. He'd won, but he wasn't sure if that was enough — wasn't sure if he'd done enough damage to put an end to all of this yet. It took him a second to realize that his shoulder was bleeding. He'd been hit by something when his shield broke, but he hadn't even felt it until now. God, there was a lot of blood.
Ben dropped his wand in the grass, reaching instinctively for the wound at his shoulder. "Shit," he swore. He was still breathing too hard for this, but it was over. It was over, and he'd won.
MJ made this <3
Ben had no intention of losing this duel even before he'd shown up this morning, but after Macmillan had shown up so casually, telegraphing so obviously that he didn't give a fuck about November or whether or not he ruined her life, his resolve to win had crystalized into something he could almost feel, like a physical lump in the center of his body. And then when he'd tried to drag Bella and Ellory and even fucking Melody into this middle of this, he'd gone from just wanting to win to wanting to cause real, lasting harm to Macmillan. This wasn't the moment to play it safe. This wasn't the time for shield charms.
He shot off an arrow spell, then another, then another. He sent some straight for Macmillan's chest, now laid bare in the beginnings of sunlight, and he sent some at angles so that if Macmillan got his shield back up too quickly they might still be able to slip past the sides. And because this was it, because they were only going to first blood and this might be the only chance he got, Ben shot again and again. He lost track of how many arrows he'd fired, and his shield cracked and broke under the strength of whatever Macmillan had shot at him next but he barely even noticed it.
Macmillan collapsed, and Ben stopped. He was breathing hard, but his eyes stayed on Macmillan a second longer. He'd won, but he wasn't sure if that was enough — wasn't sure if he'd done enough damage to put an end to all of this yet. It took him a second to realize that his shoulder was bleeding. He'd been hit by something when his shield broke, but he hadn't even felt it until now. God, there was a lot of blood.
Ben dropped his wand in the grass, reaching instinctively for the wound at his shoulder. "Shit," he swore. He was still breathing too hard for this, but it was over. It was over, and he'd won.
MJ made this <3