Shocking absolutely no one she did the completely expected thing and tattled on me. Staring at her, her hair wet and outfit proper, I didn't waver as I held her hesitant gaze. He knows about her little hobby, I guess it makes sense there wouldn't be a way for her to cut into me without his permission.
"Lilith," He tried to get my attention but I stood my ground, "Lilith Windsor," He tried again, harsher, slowly, oh so slowly I slid my gaze to meet his glare. "A dragon?" The question was hardly one at all but the exasperation in his eyes gave him away.
"Well, with the growingly popular shows they've been putting on I figured learning to deal with them would catch less attention than killing them," I smiled pleasantly, my eyes slanted as I didn't even try to hide how little I thought of him.
"You were mistaken in your thoughts," He cut through, his voice stonier than his eyes, "Kill it before anyone else learns of this." Kill it. The dragon. He wants me to kill the dragon. I just got it and he wants me to kill it.
"Unfortunately~" I purred, stretching my hands onto his desk and leaning into them, "Vitreus has grown attached, and we both know how restless he's been," The excuse one we both knew to be just that. An excuse. It was mine now and I wasn't going to just let it die.
"Do not bring your beast into-" He was quick to snap but whatever nonsense he was going to spew wasn't nearly interesting enough.
"You're the one who has been complaining about his playing, now there isn't anything to worry about, he has a new plaything that won't break as easily as your stupid forest." His hand slammed into his desk, the crack it left drawing between my hands as I didn't dare look away from his murderous gaze.
"... You seem to be forgetting yourself, yet again." My smile sharpened as I let out a hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "We will be continuing this conversation outside," He pushed his chair back as Miss H paled at the words, watching him walk around me and towards the door I didn't move.
Not until he paused at the door and looked back at me. "That was an order," With a tap of the foot I spun around and began to follow him. Outside... I suppose direct disciplinary action? I'll be sore for quite a while then.
Glancing at those we passed, those desperate to get out of his way as the very ground shook with each step. Many of feet followed from a safe distance as I fixed my eyes on his back. Public humiliation? Wouldn't put it past him. The door to the practical fields opened itself at his enraged approach, shaking despite him not being a combo mage. I guess an elite was an elite for a reason.
Stopping he tore off his robe, his fitted shirt straining as his neck bulged, face getting redder the long the silence drew. Glancing at the class not too far off, now paying attention to us, I looked to the audience that had followed us out. "As master of the council of mages and your mentor, I will now be exercising my right to direct disciplinary action," He said, slamming his fist into his palm, his face contorted into a barely controlled fury a thought crossed my mind.
Oh, I might really die today.
My heart raced as I stood still, legs tense, and the hair on the back of my neck standing tall. Licking my lips I clenched my jaw and pulled the smile anyway, balling my fists I played his game. If he wanted officially recognized acceptance then fine. "This apprentice will participate," His murderous gaze went icy at the words. If he wanted to beat me into the ground so be it, but I wasn't going to roll over.
"So be it." With a leap that crushed the dirt beneath his boots, he cleared the gap between us in a second, the heat rushing up my legs not even close to fast enough as I was very suddenly not on the ground. Wind whipped behind me as my stomach clenched, the pain rushing through even my spine as I forgot how to breathe. Cries were heard around me as I skidded in the dirt, I curled around my stomach, heat swallowing me whole.
"Get up!" The order had my obsidian claws dig in the dirt, the mere twisting of my torso making me dizzy. Even still I forced myself back onto shaky legs. The distance between us disappeared again as his leg slammed into my arm, shattering my magic and leaving a gargled cry to leave our mouth.
"You are participating, get up!" He barked again, our tail flicking as we held our arm, the magic repairing around my skin. Participating. Fight back. Pushing ourselves onto all fours our face opened with a battle cry as we leap at him. Without hesitation, he swung his leg to block our claws, sending our entire body back with the force. "You're not that weak, get up," He ground as we crouched a few meters from him. We can't win. I can't win.
Our chest rumbled with a growl at the thought, red circles glowing around us as his calm approach forward paused. His face was flat as my Latros rushed him, his limbs moving in perfect sync, blacking and countering, not accepting even just on hit. Opening our mouth we let out a roar, calling for the beast stronger than us. A ground-shaking roar followed after, the shadow from above seen in seconds as the light glimmering through grew softer and softer, the clear beast growing darker and darker.
Without even letting him land, our legs tightened into a crouch, with running leap we were far higher than I could ever jump, our claws digging into a black tail. Easily finding his back we leaned into him as he took a sharp bank, practically diving to the strong glow below. Just as his throat glew, mouth a gape, a pillar of earth shot up. Vitreus slammed right into it as his wing shattered and we were sent flying off his back. Bouncing off the ground we were sent rolling again, this time a tree stopping us.
Groaning we pushed ourselves onto our stomachs, forearms shaking as they held our weight. My blackened vision partial as I squinted at the light Latro's broken face was letting in. Our claws dug into the roots, crushing it in our strength, pushing ourself onto all fours, a boot found our clawed hand, grinding it into the wooden splinters we just made.
"You're out of your league," He glared, his fist covered in stones, my eye moving from his fist to behind him, a lazy grin on my face. His head whipped to the side anticipating something only for our tail to wrap around the dangerous magic, our body shooting forward as he stumbled at the tug, hind claws digging into his thighs and Latro's face extending to form a strong set of jaws- going for his head.
The tail still wrapped around his wrist was tugged, forcing us back as black welcomed me again. Our jaws clamped just in front of him, just barely missing him. Our back was slammed into the tree that shook at the force. "Your use of magic is unique, but it is poor," He turned to look at the dragon breaking free from his poor cage. My attention moving to my Latros.
Jolting up at the concentrated mana moving beside my own I lept away from the man the mana was attached to. He made Latros. He knows how to make a Latro. Our form twisting and bubbling as our thoughts swirled. "You can't even stabilize it properly," Came his voice before his boot found our head.
"Shut up!" Our voice rasped as our form went back to what it should be. "How do you have Latro!?" Our thoughts left as I couldn't bite my tongue.
"So your Latros are golems?" He asked swinging his leg high, trying to break me out with an axe kick.
"Golem? Golem?" He made golems. You can't form one so naturally. Even a bound golem wasn't something that could be summoned. I don't smell a circle. He didn't summon them. "Instantatious creation? Not possible, not possible," Our voice bled out as we rolled away from him and into a sprint towards the growling Vitreus.
Throwing ourself over his back as his chest continued to rumble, his wing reformed. Shooting into the sky, we clung on with our legs, my hair standing on end as we raised our clawed hands as if we had a bow. With a thud and a flash of blue mana, a bow was in our hands. The string being pulled as the obsidian pulled from my torso and gathered in my fingers. Pulling itself into an arrow as he watched me calculatingly.
Releasing the arrow that crackled with a mana not my own. A wall of earth caught it as I clicked my tongue, having not even aimed at his head. Glancing at the Latros fighting his so-called golems an idea came to mind. Within a second all five of them had disappeared into nothing, all very suddenly encircling him. Arms shooting out of the red circles to grab him as they formed.
Leaning into Vitreus I hopped up to my still-there obsidian claws, my tail wrapping around one of his spines, my tail climbing my spine and neck as my back grew heavy. Leaping off of dragon's back, my claws aimed straight at him, and a latro once more notched the heavy magic on my back open. My fall ended as I raised my arrow once more. The man fighting with the rough Latros letting out a shout as he just barely didn't get struck.
But I saw it. Red. He was bleeding, I had got him. My claws found his shoulders as my wings shot open to balance me, I pulled a freshly notched arrow back again, right for his non-bloodied eye not even a foot from it. Just like that, I was sent flying, my body screaming as I skidded against dirt and rocks my eyes shook as I coughed. How did he hit me? What did he do-?
Groaning I tried to push myself onto all fours again, my heart sinking as my core strained. Uh oh. My Latros were gone in a second as I grunted, reaching for Vitreus. Mana, just a little more mana. My hand was crushed beneath a boot yet again. Vitreus growled as he went to leap forward, only, a thick stick pressed into my neck and he stilled.
"You're dragon's too human," He said, his nagging making me groan louder. "I suppose one of you should be," Growling at that Vitreus lifted his head in surprise before he too had disappeared. The large bright blue circle glowed under us as he jumped away. Grunting softly I didn't even try to get up again, my body sore and heavy.
This suckkkkks. Why can't people just shut their mouths? I don't want to be here. Mana... I need mana. Just like that, a tail had wrapped around me, warmth flowing into me as he growled and guarded against the cautious asshole. He wasn't even letting me get any hits in this time. He was mad mad. I should have known when he was drawing the audience.
"Are you going to contniue to hide or are you going to get up?" Grumbling I patted the tail wrapped around me. Vitreus looking back at me concerned but I just gave him a smile. He wasn't going to be able to fight. I just took all his mana. He was going to have to go rest. No matter what he wanted I won't let him fight without any mana reserves. The thought of him breaking made my heart clench.
Pushing myself up, I held my knees as I gasped for breath, with each on I was granted pain radiated through each hit I had taken. With one last grow, he burst into splinters that glittered in the sunlight baring onto my already sweaty face. Edward simply stared for a good long second, as if my sending him away was a trick.
"Come on," I called, a glass blade coming to my trembling hands, "I got up so come on," I grinned, his brow twitching as he did as ordered, taking firm calm steps forward.
"You'll have to learn the hard way after all,"