The hall was eerily silent as everyone stared at the two girls. Master Sanim had only just given the order to have a friendly spar but Aileen was already on the ground. The other students, including Milas, were waiting to see how the teacher would react. Shockingly, all he did was nod with approval. "That's how a spar should be."
Milas couldn't believe that someone responsible for teens could say that. He would have gotten along well with Deogratius, Milas was sure of it. He faced Asher to resume the fight but he had vanished. Milas focused on his surroundings and immediately found him. More precisely, Asher's fist found his belly and lifted him up. He may have a frail body but Milas was receiving a punch that was as heavy as those from Veruca.
Milas hit the ground but Asher roughly grabbed his body and lifted him above his head. Knowing the pain that would follow, Milas did the only thing he could to free himself. A full powered punch to the top of Asher's head that ran the risk of smashing his skull. Milas' fist collided heavily with flesh but it was from a palm that had blocked his punch. Asher was having trouble moving his hands till he realized that he couldn't feel them and Milas fell on top of him.
Asher stared at Milas to find out how he freed himself only to see him looking elsewhere. He faced the same direction and saw a handsome man with smooth, flawless skin staring back at them. The two boys were still piled on each other but their attention was on the man who had been introduced as Master Raymon. Asher wanted to push Milas off him but his arms refused to move from his side.
"You, vampire kid, you should be more careful, you could have killed him if your punch landed." Asher knew that Master Raymon was talking to Milas since he wasn't a vampire. The Master turned to him and continued. "You should be responsible and aware of everything around you. Lifting your enemy and slamming them on the ground may be fun, but you should remember that you're exposing your head. That should be the last thing a half breed like you should do if you wish to live.
"Your head should be the last thing an opponent can hit. He could've killed you because his instincts drove him to attack your head. You need to learn how to handle opponents that rely on instincts or it may bring the end of you." Master Raymon finished correcting Asher and faced Milas. "Your problem is that you're over dependent on instincts. It may make you unpredictable when attacking but it leaves you undefended. Focus on your opponent's movements and plan a counter, don't just react to him. Now, continue."
Master Raymon disappeared at the end of his talk and appeared by Master Sanim's side. Asher felt his arms regain their strength and proceeded to push Milas off him. He was curious about what Master Raymon did to stop his hands but a foot flew past his face. He barely dodged it when he got kicked in the chest. The kick reminded Asher that Milas wasn't weak and that he'd caught him by surprise the first time.
The battle between the two was eye-catching for the two masters as there were no pulled punches. The boys were like sworn enemies determined to destroy each other even if it was the last thing they did. The end result was within the expectations for the masters with Asher standing weakly beside the immobile vampire. Both fighters were covered in blood, most of which belonged to Milas. There spar ended before everyone else's and they were dragged to the farthest end of the hall where two wide benches rose from the ground. Master Raymon was watching over them while one student was sent to get food for the two.
"I'm impressed by how quickly you two picked up on my advice. First, vampire kid, don't feel bad about the loss, I honestly didn't expect you to last that long against someone with superior healing. The fact that you kept fighting even with your cracked ribs is a brilliant display of willpower. The only issue I've noticed is your inability to pace yourself. You went in too strong and this is the result. Pacing yourself would have allowed you to outlast his healing."
"As for you half breed, you may have superior healing but I think that you've also felt the fatigue that accompanies it. You need to improve your fighting skills to avoid over dependence on that healing factor of yours. But I'm impressed with how you protected your head even though he wasn't actively targeting it. The important question I have for you two why you fought to such an extent when I don't detect any malice between you guys?" Master Raymon asked and Asher was the first to answer.
"I've seen him fight before so I know how deadly he is. That's why I didn't hold back when fighting him." Asher was fluent with his reply but Milas had to think before answering.
"I have also seen him fight before and I admit that he is dangerous but that wasn't why I went all out. It's because I just fight like that naturally. I consider every battle to be dangerous since anything can happen in a fight and it may determine life or death." Milas meant every word he said and Master Raymon only nodded at their replies without saying a word.
"Excuse me Master Raymon, I just wanted to ask how you incapacitated my hands during the fight?" Asher decided to ask the question that had been stressing him out.
"It's simple really. I used blood control when I touched you to stop blood flow to your hands. It's something that a strong enough vampire can do and a strong enough half breed can resist. No student can do the same at their level so don't worry about anyone else doing the same. Which reminds me, what class did you get vampire kid?" Master Raymon asked Milas the sudden question.
"I... I have the blood shifter class." Milas was surprised by how embarrassed he felt to say that despite not knowing what a class was hours ago. Master Raymon showed no reaction which didn't surprise the boys as his face had been expressionless since they met. He immediately turned to leave as Master Sanim appeared with two girls on both his shoulders. Two more benches rose from the floor and the two were laid down. Master Sanim did something similar to Master Raymon by asking basically the same questions. The girls said that they were settling there differences and nothing else. Master Sanim didn't say anything else and just left.
"Not to sound rude or anything but you girls are weird. Most girls would hate each other for years after a fight and you two play it off like it was a conversation. That's a behavior that only guys have!" Asher was quick to speak his mind despite being a complete stranger to the two.
"I agree with him. I know Aileen is petty so I'm surprised that you can even stay so close." Milas had to admit that Asher did have a point.
"Like we said to Master Sanim, we were just settling some differences." Aileen answered with a scratchy voice like her throat had been hurt.
"Relax Milas, now I know that I can trust her." Step added which scared Milas on the reasoning she used to find people to trust.
"I can't believe I forgot to introduce you to each other. Lady and nuisance meet Asher, a strange acquaintance of mine that I can't wait to beat in the next spar. Asher meet Step, the cute girl with a kind heart and Aileen, the nuisance." Milas didn't waste the precious opportunity to annoy Aileen but she refused to react. Asher didn't say a word and neither did the girls which left Milas feeling awkward at the silence. He turned to Asher and saw that he had fallen asleep. He was about to try waking him up when Aileen spoke.
"Let him rest. Half breeds need to sleep when they are injured to prevent more loss of energy. He'll wake up once he smells food." Aileen was interrupted by a student who entered the hall with a trolley. The trolley was sealed on all sides and large enough to fit a few bodies. Milas didn't know why he thought of piling bodies inside the thing but it was the first thing he thought of.
The student brought out four flasks of blood and handed them to the group but Asher didn't wake up. Aileen told the student that Asher was a half breed and he immediately returned the bottle and came back with a sealed, square, metallic container. The boy placed on the ground near Asher and opened it before jumping away. Asher's eyes shot open and he was soon on his knees with one hand in the container. He paused for a second and looked the boy dead in the eye before pulling out a chunk of raw, bloodless flesh.
"I can control myself even when in this state." After saying that, Asher's teeth grew gigantic and sharp before he ravenously dug into the flesh.