"Why the actual fuck are we all here?"
Niven and Mirren had plans to spend their Sunday together with a play date for their familiars. It was highly unfortunate for them to be called out and be brought back into Professor Vasili's classroom again, but they were standing with all the Wolves.
Mirren was pissed as usual, but he didn't voice out any other opinion and kept mumbling to himself as he kept a tight grip on Niven's waist. The brunet glanced around almost every corner of the room, not liking how lifeless it was compared to how Vasili usually decorates the area.
Agustine timidly stood beside Niven, occasionally reaching up to adjust his new jackal mask. He took notice of Mirren's rising possessiveness over the blond and felt his mood plummet even further down. It's been a while since he'd last hung out with Niven properly, and seeing those two get closer left some bitterness in his thoughts.
His brother, Silas, stood on the opposite side of Mirren and kept fiddling around with his gloves before reaching up to push his curly locks of black hair back. His sky blue eyes narrowed, silently taking a glimpse to Niven's nervous state before observing the other council members. He spoke, "I figured one of you must have a reason as to why we were called here. I had a very important meeting with some investors which I've been planning to meet for a whole month, don't tell me I cancelled my appointment for nothing."
Their alpha stood in the middle of the group, right behind Mirren and gave a displeased expression. Arien crossed his arms, already receiving a headache at the sight of Mirren. The jaguar looked back at him, snorting and pushing Niven further away from the alpha. Arien emitted a low snarl afterwards.
When everyone first arrived, they were all surprised to see each other since the five of them never hung out before. They practically hated seeing one another and would probably die before spending another minute together.
Before they could start bickering amongst each other, they realized Niven tagging alongside with Mirren. Arien perked up a little, wanting to talk with the omega until Mirren's eyes changed into a cat's, almost warning the alpha. The blond gave them hesitant greetings, trying to ignore the wave of tension clashing between them. So they all decided to keep their mouths shut and avoid bringing up a topic which could trigger a remark or occasional taunt.
"This is a waste of time," Arien exasperated. "Where on earth is that man?"
"Who are we waiting for?"
Almost all of them jolted, especially the beastmen as they quickly turned around to give furious glared at Vasili, who stood near their alpha. He also peeked around their shoulders to see what the group was looking at. Vasili questioned, "What are we all doing? Is this a fun game kids these days are playing?"
"Son of a bitch, you scared me!" Mirren sighed.
"Tut, tut! You shouldn't make fun of your alpha that way!" Their professor merely threw his head back and laughed, gripping onto his cane as it tapped the floor.
Agustine backed up, nearly bumping into his brother. Silas quickly stepped away and gave the male a warning glare before looking over at Vasili and asked in a hurry, "Professor, why did you call all of us here? I should let you know I had big plans today."
"Like what? Praying? Boy, I'll tell you now that talking to God Almighty isn't your strongest suit," Vasili whispered as if he were telling a secret. He gave a wicked grin to the brothers. "I think poor Agustine might need that sort of divine presence more. Haha!"
The jackal masked student wilted away from the man's suggestion, shrinking back to try and hide himself in the background. Niven had to quickly place a hand behind Agustine's back to prevent the male from completely disappearing behind the group.
Silas' jaw clicked, obvious irritated spreading across his face. "If you're done making fun of my brother and I then explain to us why you've called everyone here already."
"Alright, alright! Gracious, lighten up! Maybe I'll throw a stick next time, wouldn't that be fun, Arien? It'll get you going," Vasili teased with a slight giggle. Arien snarled, but then he turned away.
Mirren sneered, "So? The fuck are we doing here?"
Vasili grinned, although his eyes lowered down to Niven, who unconsciously moved back in discomfort. The blond glanced at him and flushed, not liking the way Vasili kept staring at him, trying to look through him.
"I've been informed by the headmaster how it's nearly the end of the month," Vasili began, eyes still trained on Niven. "I'm sure you dogs know what that means."
"First of all, don't ever associate me with that mutt over there," Mirren blurted out, pointing at Arien. The alpha stayed quiet, though his ears were pulled back, almost warning the brunet not to go any further.
Niven shoved his elbow into Mirren's ribcage. "Don't call him that... he's not a mutt," he whispered. He said it low enough just for Mirren to listen to, but with how advanced the sense of hearing is for beastmen, Arien quickly caught onto it. His wolf ears twitched again.
"Yes, well, whatever." Their professor rolled his eyes. "Anyways, it's already been two months since Niven first came, right? My, how time passes by. But that's not the point. Last time, none of you took your monthly tests since you all were running about in the academy and your alpha being gone half of the time due to Ludos and the Royals. The headmaster sent me a message to make sure you four get your tests done today in this building."
"Not the arena?" Silas questioned.
"The arena is being reconstructed just a little bit for the Royals' return."
That got Niven's attention rather quickly. "T-The Royals are coming?" He hasn't seen them ever since he's stepped forth in this academy.
Vasili's grin turned malicious. "Yes... how unfortunate."
"Let's just get this over with," Mirren grumbled, removing his arm from Niven's waist. "Who's up first? Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber?"
Agustine flinched. Silas spat, "I beg your pardon?"
"W-Wait, what tests are you guys talking about?" Niven hurriedly asked. "I didn't know we were taking a quiz."
Arien shook his head in response. "It's not that kind of test, puppy."
"It's... not?"
"Nope!" Vasili slung his arm over the blond's shoulder, grinning widely from ear to ear with a sparkle in his eyes. "I'll explain to you in a just a moment, dearest. We're starting from the bottom of the chain to the top! Mirren, head out in the middle with Silas! Hurry now, I've already planned out the rest of my days with naps and I'm begging you all not to ruin my small chance of happiness!"
"I'll make it quick, baby," Mirren promised before taking off his jacket and headed off to the middle of the room. Niven gave a worriedly look over to the males, earning a half-hearted shrug from Silas as the dark haired student did the same as Mirren.
Quickly, Vasili tapped the cane on the floor. The classroom warped itself, changed the layer and the walls and forced itself to expand. The seats disappeared and the layout transformed into an arena similar to the one inside the academy. Though everyone was still inside and sat just far away with a glass-like barrier in front of them as a means of protection.
Agustine sat on the opposite of the room with Arien several feet away from him. The alpha looked over at his beta, silently debating whether or not to speak and finally just gave up. He had no reason to say anything to the quiet male, and it wasn't like Agustine would reply back. But the jackal masked student trembled a little, inching a bit farther from their alpha while glancing at his brother.
"Don't worry about your little sibling!" Vasili scoffed at Agustine. "I'm sure he'll be fine... mostly."
"Little brother?" Niven questioned. "Silas... is the younger one?"
"I know, I figured Agustine would be since he's such a coward!" Vasili gave out a hearty laugh, merely thinking about how much the quiet male was shaking in fear. "Anyways, boys! You all know how this works so I won't bore you nor do I care about repeating the rules! Remember, first one to submit or get knocked off the platform loses and the winner will take a small break while Arien and Agustine fights! And don't forget, you are also allowed to use your familiars today to help you! Personally, I just think you're weak if one of you actually needs assistance and don't rely on your own strengths, but I guess that's just me talking."
"I'd rather not fight at all," Mirren responded airily. "I just did my hair."
"I just got new gloves... don't want to dirty them," Silas commented as well. "What if Mirren forfeits first?"
"After hating you these past years and wishing that you die, I have to finally agree with you on something," the brunet said. "Professor! I forfeit-"
"Let's begin!" Vasili grabbed a small bell out of no where and wildly flung it in the air. The bell enlarged and floated before releasing a harsh sound, causing Arien and Mirren to flinch and growl back at the man. "By the fifth ding, you may start! Good luck and kill each other—or however encouragements work! If one of you dies, no one will care anyways!"
"I-I care!" Niven piped out.
The pink haired man shushed him. "You're the exception, so please stay quiet."
Mirren and Silas walked up to each other, not breaking eye contact. As Silas played around with his gloves, Mirren showed a bastardly smile over to the angel. Silas grinned back, disgusted and full of hatred.
Niven nervously backed away from the scene, not wanting to see it. "W-What's going on exactly?"
"Every month, the headmaster requires the Wolves to take these trials in order to see if their abilities have grown or not. This is also the time when it's possible one of the councilmen change positions and rise to the top of the hierarchy," his professor hummed out. Vasili leaned down a little close to Niven's face, his eyes still burning with interest at the blond. "Their fights tend to be one of the most vicious here considering how powerful they are in the academy. I suggest you stay close to me in case one of the barriers break."
Niven didn't even care how weird Vasili was and simply stuck close to the man. He didn't doubt the possibility of the barriers breaking since his pack members were probably strong enough to wreck this whole academy.
Vasili pressed his lips together and didn't say anything. He turned his attention back to the platform just as the fifth ding echoed throughout the room, and then the battle begun with Mirren being thrown across the area.
The brunet skidded through the ground before flipping himself upward and snarled, "Stop."
Silas gritted his teeth and felt a dizzying sensation through his body. He panted, already feeling the effects of Mirren's abilities intertwining together. But he snapped out of his daze just fast enough to dodge the brunet sudden appearance.
Niven was speechless, witnessing just how fast Mirren was able to recover and dashed through the platform with the intentions of grabbing Silas' neck. The angel just kept avoiding Mirren's attacks, not wanting the brunet to touch him at all and had a few risks of falling off the platform since his opponent kept backing him up.
Silas hurriedly used his ability right before Mirren was able to punch him right in the face. A shield of feathers came in right between the two of them, stopping Mirren from touching the dark haired student. But as his fist got in contact with the feathers, he was instantly pushed back by a divine force. Mirren now stood several feet away from Silas, who removed the shield.
"What the actual hell are you doing?" Silas sneered. "Don't touch me damn it!"
"Oh, I know," Mirren remarked. "I just needed to get close enough. Thanks for the assistance."
"What?" Silas was confused before he heard a small sound of something burning. He looked over to the side, looking at his shields before widening his eyes at the sight of them burning. "You... did not just try to burn down a divine object with simple fire."
"Who said it was just fire?" Mirren mocked.
Niven flinched when the shields erupted into an explosion. Silas was sent flying backwards and landed on the ground with a groan. Agustine jolted, leaning in too close with the barriers. He gave a desperate attempt to look at what's happened to his brother, already clutching at his mask in complete fear.
Arien snorted, "How nice... I didn't know Mirren learned a new trick."
"I guess Mr. Abberline's teachings finally paid off," Mirren blurted. "Who would've known?"
"Certainly not me," said Vasili. The pink haired man rolled his eyes. He always had the idea of Mirren never learning anything right.
The battle continued on roughly after that. Their clothes singed from the explosion as several cuts began to emerge on some of their skins. The males didn't seem to even notice them and kept attack one another with hatred still lingering. Mirren was starting to use more of his beastmen abilties, relying on his physical attributes more while Silas had a hard time keeping up with just how fast the male was going.
Silas knew it'd be over for Mirren if he'd just use his Archangel Physiology to end the battle, but he took one quickly look at the barriers and bit his bottom lip when he realized they might get destroyed. So he settled for using divine objects instead, still trying to avoid the brunet from being able to touch him.
But after a harsh ten minutes, Silas was almost overpowered by the overwhelming force Mirren gave him as the beastman tore through some of the objects. Silas had to stop and stare, mostly in bewilderment. He wasn't using his most powerful items, but at the very least a few of his lesser weapons should be able to stop Mirren. But who would've thought Mirren endured through all the pain and ignored the amount of bruises and blood on him, just to try and pummel Silas down to the ground?
Silas sighed, irritated at the strange sight. "Honestly, what are you doing? You aren't even using your abilities. Do you want me to kill you or something?"
"Screw abilities," Mirren snapped. "I don't need them. I'm powerful enough without them, but you? You wouldn't be able to take a fucking slap without the help of your divine items. How weak... pathetic."
"Watch it, you stupid cat," Silas angrily responded. "I'll get you neutered if you don't shut your trap."
"I-Is it always like this?" Niven looked at Vasili.
The man smiled charmingly. He hummed, "If it wasn't, wouldn't that be even more weird?"
"I... suppose so-" Niven was cut off by another alarming explosion and some colorful words coming out of Mirren's mouth. He looked over to Agustine and Arien, who leaned a little closer to watch what just happened.
A snake appeared in the midst of the battle. Large and black, hissing out its forked tongue at Mirren as it curled itself around Silas' shoulders and neck. Mirren panted, clutching at his arm which got bit by the damned thing. He could feel his arm stinging, the bite mark slowly enlarging and turning even more red.
Mirren cursed once again, "Wasn't that shit supposed to be at the zoo or something?"
"Obadiah is not a zoo animal, scum," Silas spat out.
Vasili giggled beside Niven. He pointed at the platform, whispering to the blond. "That's Silas' familiar."
Niven was surprised. "A snake? T-That's his familiar?"
"I know, how ironic, right? An angel using a snake as a partner! It's really funny to look at them," Vasili wheezed. "He doesn't look and act like an angel at all, I swear!"
On the platform, the snake slithered off Silas' body and squirmed around on the floor before rising. It hissed viciously at the brunet and rose up, dancing around in an intimidating form. Before Niven expected it, the snake lunged forward Mirren whilst unhinging its jaw, ready to latch onto the brunet.
But then a hand snatched it up, choking the snake.
Mirren snorted, "So now you come in? I tried calling for you several times."
Crescent appeared right before Silas' familiar could bite her master. The sylph floated up in the air, curiously looking at the snake before its tail coiled and harshly whipped itself across Crescent's face. The sylph dropped it and flinched back from the attack, but not before giving a murderous glare over to Silas and his familiar.
Crescent wanted to roll her eyes at the brunet as well. She had a feeling Mirren needed her back in their dorm room, but she was too lazy to respond and kept cleaning out their kitchen. Unfortunately, the jaguar beastman wouldn't stop calling for her and she finally got annoyed just enough to actually come in and help.
Vasili gave a smirk at the sight of sylph. "Ah... I haven't seen Crescent in a while. They're finally using their familiars now."
"I'm nervous," Niven replied.
"Don't be! They'll be fine!"
Niven watched the snake enlarged and used its tail as a whip to hit Crescent. The sylph flew back and banged herself against the barrier from the other side. Crescent gave the snake another glare before clasping her hands together to form a powerful whirlwind, striking Obadiah back.
The blond shifted closer to Vasili. "I-I don't think they'll be fine..."
While their familiars fought each other, Mirren and Silas were back to their own fight. The jaguar beastman lunged toward the angel, able to tear off a piece of Silas' clothes.
The councilman sneered, "I just paid for this!"
"I'm not getting paid enough for this," Mirren grumbled back, quickly forming a magic whip in his hands to strike at Silas.
It continued on for several more minutes until Crescent was flung back, nearly crashing into her master. The sylph staggered in the air before noticing Silas sending a divine spear toward their way. Crescent immediately floated up, caging her arms across Mirren's neck into a cross as they both formed a shield together. The sylph took some of Mirren's powers at that point, channeling it through her own self.
The spear was able to produce large cracks against their shield, but after Silas sent another spear, their form of protection broke into pieces and Crescent quickly warped themselves out of that area and reappeared in a different direction.
The sylph was just about to check on Mirren when she spotted a tuff of blond hair from a distance. Her eyes sparkled radiantly, getting distracted as she rapidly waved her hand over to Niven.
"Fuck! Crescent, pay attention!" Mirren exclaimed, having to dodge Silas' familiar. "Shit! Crescent, help me!"
Crescent didn't even bother listening to him, still waiting for Niven to greet her back. The blond immediately gave her a wave, happy to see her again. Vasili also cut in, giving the sylph an excited grin. Crescent's face warped into disappointment after seeing their professor's face.
Obadiah hissed and tried pouncing on Mirren again, but the snake managed to wrap itself around the brunet's neck and tightened itself.
Mirren choked, "D-Damn it! Crescent, I-I swear to God-"
"That's usually my line," Silas snorted as he took deep breaths, trying to fix his gloves. "Do it tighter, Obadiah!"
The snake followed suit with his master's request. Mirren gasped for air. "Crescent! Y-You useless thing-"
The sylph didn't pay attention. She tried moving around the arena to get a better look of Niven. Although it seemed the student paled, pointing at Mirren. "Crescent, go help him!"
The sylph had to sigh, annoyed that her master was making things difficult for her. Crescent turned around to see the image of Mirren being dragged across the ground from the snake. The beastman dug his fingers in the snake's scales, eliciting a hiss before Mirren viciously bit down with his large canines. He couldn't pierce through them directly since the snake's scales were too tough to penetrate, but he bit down just enough for Silas' familiar to get agitated.
The snake violently shook and unhinged itself from Mirren, causing the brunet to cough and gasp for air. Obadiah hissed and slammed his large tail on top of Mirren's chest, though he avoided it and backed away just enough for Crescent to step in.
Mirren spat out the disgusting taste as he growled at his familiar. "Array! Now!"
Crescent sighed, taking a moment to look at Obadiah slither back to Silas. She shrugged in response before flying upwards from the top of the platform and placed her fingers in weird positions. She rapidly using complex hand gestures as her eyes dimmed a little, small and soft whispers echoing throughout the arena. Strings formed from the sylph's fingers, expanding themselves until they touched the ground and wildly move around. The strings latched themselves onto her master's opponents, tying them up.
Silas clawed at his neck, wanting to pull the strings apart until they tightened hard enough to draw some blood. The angel gritted his teeth and leaned against the large serpent, who started to move about in rough movements to get the strings off from him.
Agustine worriedly moved closer to the barrier, feeling another sense of dread appear inside of his chest. He looked back at his alpha, wondering what Arien would think.
But Arien only snorted, not bothered by his pack members trying to kill each other. The only thing he truly worried about was how Niven would react, and just a little bit of Agustine, though it was mostly because of how unsafe it was since they were sitting close to each other.
Finally, the sylph grasped the strings in her hands, pulling on them and sent down electric shocks to burn Silas and his familiar. The dark haired student dropped to his knees while avoiding being whacked by Obadiah's tail. He shoved the risk away and commanded, "Copy!"
The snake shrank back to its regular form before violently shaking, forcing itself to shed its skin while small droplets of blood seeped through the scales. Silas had to drop down even lower, covering the snake as a way of protection while it finished. After Obadiah shedded, the snake weakly slithered up to his master's arms and wrapped itself around Silas' neck.
And then the shedded skin started to crawl by itself.
"Is that... another snake?" Niven had to peer closer to see if he was beginning to hallucinate.
Vasili grinned wickedly. "Looks tasty... I heard snake soup tastes sweet."
"Professor, no!"
Silas now had two familiars. The first one lay unmoving on his neck, gaining just a bit of energy while the shedded skin fully turned into a snake in the opposite color of its counterpart. But Niven noticed something different about it. The new snake had wings, the tips of it ending with fire.
Vasili mused, "How nice. He's sending a burning serpent. I'm pretty sure that's symbolic for something..."
"The Bible?"
"I'm not religious so who knows? Haha, I see no God up here other than me!" Vasili laughed.
Silas overheard that small comment and turned to glare at the professor. "Keep it down! I'm trying to do something!"
"The first step of trying means you're on the road to failure!" Vasili wheezed out, still cackling. "Take my advice, child. Never try!"
Niven tugged on his sleeves. "Professor, stop..."
"Don't worry, Silas! When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there."
Silas spat, "Shut the fuck up! It wasn't even that funny!"
"You're proof that God has a sense of humor!" Vasili retorted right before Niven slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent anymore rude remarks.
The blond stammered, "I-I'm sorry! Keep going!"
"Bathsheba, get the sylph!" Silas groaned as Crescent sent down another jolt of electricity. Obadiah nearly fell off, almost passing out from that attack as Silas grabbed hold of his familiar to keep him settled on his neck.
The white snake flew into the air, dodging the strings which tried to keep it trapped. The snake hissed while the flames grew even bigger, singeing some of Crescent's strings up until it struck the sylph right in the chest.
Crescent snapped out of her focus and let out an ear-piercing screech, falling from the sky and landed with a sickening thud. Weakly, she crawled over to her master just as Mirren finally received enough power to chant a small spell, but the beastman dashed over to his familiar and dropped to his knees, grabbing Crescent.
"Hey! You okay? You alright?" Mirren held her closer. "Stay with me. Give me just a moment, okay?"
Crescent clutched at her chest, feeling the effects of the scorch. She curled up into a ball, shaking from the pain and looked up at her master in a daze before noticing she wasn't holding any of her strings. She glanced around the room, noticing the flying snake attach herself on Silas' arm.
Mirren moved in front of his familiar, placing his hand down on the floor while muttering something under his breath. "Crescent," he croaked out. "One more time... I need a shield. Can you do it?"
The sylph silently groaned, forcing herself to get up to settle herself behind Mirren as she placed her arms around his neck and crossed them. A barrier went up again, weak but it would give the two of them just enough time for Mirren to use his spell.
Silas set his familiars down on the platform, letting them speed toward Mirren and Crescent with their jaws unhinged to attack the barrier. Crescent tightened her hold on Mirren, hoping she wouldn't drain too much of her magic. But then she choked as the burning sensation grew on her chest, almost slipping off from her master. Mirren quickly held her arms with one hand, panting, "Just a little more... stay with me now..."
Silas yelled from the other side of the platform, "Yield! Your barrier won't last!"
"Your puns won't last long either!" Mirren shot back. "They suck!"
"Take that back!" Silas furiously exclaimed. "My puns are great!"
"Fuck no!"
"At least Niven likes them!"
Unconsciously, Mirren and Crescent whipped their heads over to the blond, who slowly shrank back. The brunet snapped, "You're fucking with me, right?"
"T-They're something..." Niven trailed off.
Vasili snorted, "You don't have to lie in front of an angel. Go ahead, confess your sins that you lied."
Niven glared. "I'm not lying!"
Mirren returned his attention back to Silas, who began to walk across the platform to beat his ass up. Mirren growled under his breath, still needing some more time. Crescent knew what her master was thinking of and used a little bit more of her energy to strengthen the shield, but she doubted it'll last long against Silas' divine weapons. So she closed her eyes and hid behind Mirren, hoping he'd be done with the spell.
And then Silas struck against the barrier with his familiars. Crescent flinched back, but Mirren kept a tight hold on her arms. "It's okay, we'll be okay," he said to the sylph.
Silas kept attacking, the barrier weakened with large cracks. The snakes hissed viciously and slammed their tails against the shield. By the time they managed to break through the shield, Crescent and Mirren were finally done with the spell. Still, Obadiah and Bathsheba lunged for the brunet. Crescent quickly warped herself in front of her master, taking on the snakes herself with the last of her energy. She no longer floated in the air, only standing up with shaky legs as she kept using a bit of her powers to strike at them.
But in the other hand, Silas and Mirren clashed with each other... using swords.
Mirren used that time inside Crescent's barrier to form a long sword, brimming with power from the tip to the hilt. Since Silas used his own form of a sword, they were almost even matched. Still, the brunet wasn't as good as the angel who always used weapons. But he managed to keep up with the male's pace and landed one blow to Silas' side.
Niven perked up, thinking to himself this was the first time he's ever seen Mirren use a sword before. Although the beastman was a bit clumsy with it, he got used to it quickly. Vasili leaned back, humming as he also thought about Mirren.
The jaguar beastman always relied on his physical attributes, but he had a vague idea the vice-principal forced Mirren to train with weapons once in a while. Though it was unfortunate he wasn't as good as Silas, this would've been a more exciting match.
Bathsheba, who slithered away from Crescent, crept toward the unsuspecting brunet and made a pounce for his throat. But since Mirren's senses were heightened, he spun around on his heels and slashed at the snake's neck. Bathsheba dropped to the ground, twitching every few seconds before dying, returning to a shedded snakeskin. Mirren sighed in relief, thanking to whatever God was up there that his sword was powerful enough to cut through Silas' familiar.
But the angel angrily shoved his weapon at Mirren. The brunet dodged, though he got nicked in the side and had to cup the wound to prevent blood from flowing.
"Asshole, you just killed her," Silas sneered.
Mirren spat, "Your familiar hurt mine. Besides, we both know she'll come back when your little familiar sheds off his skin again. And don't angels hate snakes? Fuck off!" The both of them clashed again and again, the hatred rising.
As the two of them tried to actually kill each other, Crescent was finally beaten down to the ground. She couldn't move at all and merely stayed in one spot, weakly pulling her head up to see Obadiah's enlarged form whip his tail up and slammed it down on her body. The sylph coughed up a bit of blood, wheezing from the attack.
Mirren sense an unfamiliar jolt go through his body, so he turned around to see Crescent being thrown about. The beastman hissed and used a bit of his abilties, "Obadiah..."
The snake stopped a little, finding itself get confused from the alluring voice. But Mirren managed to get Crescent enough time to escape, forcing herself to drop down from the platform and leave the fight. So now, it was only Mirren standing alone and having to face the dark haired student with his snake.
Silas noticed Mirren not paying attention and used that moment to swing his sword, causing Mirren's weapon to fly out of his hands. The angel mocked, "Pay attention."
"Fuck," Mirren snarled. But he didn't attack, he let his eyes wander over to the stands where Crescent reappeared, weak and wounded. He inhaled a deep breath, thinking to himself. Crescent wasn't such a fighter and was only good as a way of defense. Having to fight off two familiars took a lot out of her.
But Mirren can still go on, he has enough energy to. He hasn't even used his beast form yet, but did he really have to?
Silas used the handle of his sword, smacking it across Mirren's face. The brunet stumbled back, cupping at his cheek before sending a hateful expression over to the angel.
It's not even worth trying anymore, Mirren thought. Fuck it.
Mirren didn't even try to stop Silas from using his powers, allowing the angel to blast him off the platform and landing on the ground. The beastman groaned, clutching at his head. Silas stopped, seemingly confused until he realized what just happened. He hurriedly walked over to the side of the platform, angrily speaking, "You did it again!"
Mirren coughed out, "Did what? Lose? Yeah, I do that a lot."
"No, you idiot! You purposely let yourself lose!" Silas sniped. "You always do this in the beginning of every match with me!"
"Shut the fuck up. You won, didn't you?" Mirren got up, hissing at his injuries. "Accept the win and leave me the fuck alone. I've got a familiar to check up on."
"Mirren!" Silas spat. "What the hell?"
Mirren ignored him, tiredly climbing up to the stands with the intent of checking Crescent out when he felt someone grab his wounded arm. He released a growl, warning the other person to piss off but then he stopped when he realized it was only Niven.
Niven grabbed his face, already trying to heal the cuts. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Mirren sighed, "No... everything fucking hurts."
Niven busied himself with Mirren and Crescent, not even paying attention to the others as they glanced over to the blond. Arien looked away after that, not liking the way Niven casually tried to groom Mirren after the jaguar pathetically let himself lose to Silas. Arien silently fumed, already knowing Mirren could've done a lot more than just playing with a sword. Beastmen had more power with magic and had enhanced senses, and since Silas didn't want to use his Archangel Physiology, the jaguar could've bested him at the end of this fight.
But Mirren never changed. He never had thoughts about winning anything. He only wanted to fight up until the middle and then back out just because he wanted to stay at the bottom of their hierarchy.
Really... Arien couldn't stand that cat.
On the platform, Agustine was checking up on Silas, who avoided him like the plague.
"I'm fine, brother," he coldly said. "Just get ready for your fight with our alpha."
Agustine faltered, feeling Silas' glare. He hesitated in reaching out to touch Silas and timidly stood back, watching his brother walk away and grumble to himself. But Obadiah moved his head up, noticing Agustine. The snake blinked his eyes a few times looking at the demon before raising his tail, waving at his master's sibling.
Vasili groaned to himself, feeling a sense of dissatisfaction. Of course Mirren gave up. He always did.
The professor finally stood up, holding his cane to announce with boredom, "In three minutes, the next fight will begin. Alpha and Beta, please make your way to the middle. You both know the rules. And remember, try not to die. If you do, I wouldn't care!"
Niven looked back, finding Arien take off his suit jacket as he made his way down to the arena. The both of them made small eye contact though, and the alpha send a small smile to the blond. Niven wanted to wish the both of them good luck, but Mirren took hold of the blond's attention. He murmured, "Baby, I still need your help."
"R-Right! Sorry!" Niven went back to patching the brunet up. But as he did that, Mirren sent their alpha a sharp look. Arien glared back at him, debating whether or not to go on up there and finish Mirren off himself.
In the end, he only shook his head and finally stood face-to-face with Agustine, who kept clutching at his mask in worry.
Vasili sent down a smile, vile and wicked. He tossed the bell up in the air, letting it ring several times. "Have fun, children!"
Arien's ears were pulled back as he let out a low snarl. Agustine winced, backing away. And then the bell finally rang for the fifth time, letting the second battle begin.
Vasili hummed to himself, the smile growing wider as the two of them began to attack each other.
He wondered which one of them would win.