Magus Bloodlines.-Chapter 41: practice match

The next morning, Gavin awoke to the annoying sound of his alarm going off. He heard Erza groan beside him while she reached out to turn it off with a sleepy expression. "Too early," she mumbled as she nuzzled back against his neck.

Gavin smiled as he wrapped his arms around his sleepy girlfriend. When she was like this, it always warmed his heart. He could stay like this for the rest of time and never want to leave. He squeezed her with a firm grip and chuckled against her ear while kissing her forehead. "Time to get up, baby; we've got a battle to win today," Gavin said. He hadn't slept much that night. He was looking forward to the battle against Professor Okeeba in a few hours.

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"Fine. I didn't want to sleep five more minutes anyway," she retorted in her complaint. She leaned back, the blanket sliding down as she arched her back, much like a cat, and stretched her body out. She yawned as she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at Gavin.

Gavin's mouth went dry when he saw a teasing glimpse of her soft skin. It peeked out as her shirt rode up while she stretched. He noticed her teasing grin on her face as he cleared his throat. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she leaned over him. Her red hair fell around them like a curtain. She smiled at him, feeling bashful. "See something you like, wolf boy?" she asked while leaning down and kissing him with gentle tenderness.

"You know I do," Gavin said, a smile on his lips as he kissed her back. "But you are trying to distract me from the fact that we have a fight in the arena. "We got to kick some major butt," he said with excitement while holding her hips close to his body. He loved the feeling of Erza in his arms. Her soft, supple curves pressing against him felt like heaven on earth.

"Fine," she grumbled as she rolled off him and searched for clean clothes. It was still taking some getting used to. Her wolf boy had an almost insatiable appetite now that they finally had their time together. Her body felt sore, but in a good way. She climbed out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes for both of them. Meanwhile, he stretched on the bed. It felt so right when she was with him. It was a kind of love and joy she couldn't imagine living without. She smiled to herself as she changed and tossed Gavin his shirt and told him to hurry up and get dressed.

Gavin laughed as he held his shirt and joined her in getting dressed. He wanted nothing more than to pull her back in bed, but that would have to wait until another time. "Do you think we have an actual chance of beating him?" Gavin asked her as she finished getting dressed and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail.

Erza considered it for a moment. "What do we know about him? He is one of your grandfather's trusted staff members. He fought beside him during the attack on the academy. "But we don't really know his magic or abilities," she said, sharing the little she did know about him. While her wolf boy was very skilled and powerful, he lacked one crucial element. Experience. That would prove the deciding factor of this fight, she thought to herself.

"He used fire magic at the opening ceremony to create a fireworks display," Gavin said, thinking it over. "I have no idea how this will go," Gavin said as they left the room. They spotted Helena and Jackson on the couch.

Jackson looked over and grinned at the two of them. "Ready to get your butts handed to you?" he asked, laughing. He respected Gavin's strength and skills, but he also feared them. If he was honest, he knew he would likely lose to Professor Okeeba.

"I'm going to make sure it's one heck of a show to watch," Gavin said, his voice steady and assured. He wasn't sure that he would win. He was sure of his skills and abilities. But something about the professor made him uneasy and on edge.

"Alright, we should head out. We don't want to be late to our own funeral," Erza said, laughing as she checked the time. It was almost eight.

They all left the room and walked over to the arena. The other students from their class were already there waiting as the group walked up. At eight, the doors opened and Professor Okeeba walked out with a stern frown on his face. "Are you ready, young Gavin, young Erza?" Professor Okeeba said in his deep voice.

Gavin and Erza stepped forward, confident in their body posture as they refused to back down. "Yes, sir, we are," Gavin said as they followed the professor inside the arena. They walked down the hallway and passed through the main arena. It still showed signs of damage from the attack. They headed toward the back where the secondary arena was. The rest of the class filled the pews along the sides. Professor Okeeba walked out to the center of the arena.

"Now, this will be a two-on-one battle. The rules are simple. "No lethal attacks; the first to draw blood wins," Professor Okeeba said, looking at both of them.

"Sounds good to me," Gavin said as he stretched his arms and loosened his body. His eyes were already glowing a faint red in anticipation. "Anything else other than no lethality?" Gavin asked, lowering his voice in octave as he began to focus on his manaflow. His wolf was lurking close to the surface, ready to do battle.

Professor Okeeba let out a small, uncharacteristic smile as he saw the changes in Gavin's form. "Correct, you may feel free to shape-shift and use everything you have. This shows the difference between skill and pure experience," said Professor Okeeba. He kept a close eye on the pair in front of him. He had a feeling this would not be such an easy fight.

Erza stepped forward. Her eyes glowed bright yellow. In an instant, she changed into her snow-white, fur-covered werecat form. Her mana was incredible as she glanced between herself and Professor Okeeba.

Gavin let out a soft growl as he shifted to join his mate. Standing in front of Professor Okeeba were two powerful and deadly shifters. Professor Okeeba raised an eyebrow in surprise. He knew that Gavin was a werewolf shifter, and he was powerful. The way he defended the students from the attack was more than enough proof. The female, being a were-cat shifter, did take him by surprise. He crouched low as he focused on his manaflow and kept it ready for use at a moment's notice.

Gavin threw his head back and thought about trying out one of his favorite skills. He let loose a powerful howl in the air. Hunters' howl activated.  Gavin didn't expect this to work against a professor as skilled as Okeeba was. But he felt it was worth a try. Some of the other students in the pews screamed and shouted in fear as the effect of the hunters' howl hit them. The downside to the howl was that it affected anyone who heard it. He couldn't choose who the howl targeted or not.

Professor Okeeba didn't respond. He ignited his manflow, creating two streams of fire that engulfed his arms. This battle was about to be even more exciting than Professor Okeeba had expected.

"I'll go in first; you provide backup support," Gavin instructed Erza as he kept his eyes on the professor. His hackles raised in a snarl as he started running forward. He ignited his manaflow and summoned two large pools of water in his hands. He swirled them in his palms, watching the fire around Professor Okeeba's arms.

Erza nodded as she summoned her manaflow and ignited balls of fire in her palms. She snarled as she threw each orb of fire at Professor Okeeba. She watched Gavin close the distance as her fireballs flew overhead. Professor Okeeba unleashed waves of intense heat. These waves struck the fireballs in midair. The resulting explosion sent out several shockwaves that rustled everyone's hair. Several of the students let out excited gasps at the sight.

Gavin grinned, his teeth shining, as he rushed in. He tossed his pools of swirling water at the fire on Okeeba's arms. Professor Okeeba jumped aside to dodge the water magic. Then, he unleashed a strong, steady stream of fire magic at Gavin's back.

Erza was there and threw up a wall of fire from the ground, gritting her teeth at the cost of mana. The flames impacted and dispersed.

"Well done. "You two work well together," Professor Okeeba said as he ran around the wall. He held a fire sword in his hands, made from his willpower and manaflow.

Gavin looked stunned as he took note of the fire sword the professor held. He never thought he could use the elements to create real weapons. He grinned in delight at the implications for the advanced magic use. Gavin realized what Professor Okeeba meant: experience trumps power. He decided to switch gears.

He focused his mana and attempted to form a solid mass in his hands. It was a lot more difficult than he imagined, keeping a solid form of magic. His fur bristled as he concentrated. Professor Okeeba noticed Gavin's actions. He paused, dodging a fire blast from the female werecat. Meanwhile, her partner stayed focused.

Sweat beaded on Gavin's brow as he finally managed to form a single object in his hands. It was a staff made of crystal-clear water. The water moved up and down as if alive as Gavin exclaimed in delight. "Ha! I can do that trick too!" he said in excitement as he grinned at the professor.

Gavin felt proud as he accomplished the feat. He knew this was an advanced style of magic; no doubt it was nowhere near as strong as professor Okeeba's fire blade. But it was improvement, and that made Gavin grin.

"Well come on then!" Professor Okeeba shouted and charged in. He skipped past Erza and swung his fire blade down. Gavin grabbed the water staff in both hands as he moved to lift it and block the strike. The two magical weapons connected in the air. A huge steam explosion erupted as the fire blade sliced through the water pole. The tip of the blade grazed Gavin's cheek.

Gavin swore as he felt the heat burn his skin and the first trickle of blood leak out. "And that is the match," Professor Okeeba declared as he pulled back. He wouldn't admit it to the kid, but he felt impressed. To be able to manifest a magical weapon for the first time during combat was no easy feat.

Gavin panted as his werewolf form shifted back, revealing his human body. Erza rushed over, already shifted back to examine the cut on his cheek. "Damn, I didn't think it would end so quickly," Gavin said disgruntled as he faced the professor.

Cheers erupted from the classmates that watched the battle. The powers on full display struck them in awe.

Professor Okeeba walked over and stood in front of Gavin and Erza. "I hope you learned the valuable lesson today. Just because you have raw power and the potential for power. Never go into a fight cocky. Especially against someone with more knowledge and experience than you."