Beginning of the battle
Nix perched himself on Caius's shoulder. Caius wanted blood. Vengeance. To make the fish feel her pain. Her helplessness. Killing Mishi would be no harder than killing the Pegasus, but that would not sate Caius's thirst. Nix was not so impartial, he fully intended to biasedly assist this pretty fox.
Mishi snarled as the fires of pillar started moving. Nix meant to keep him separated from the rest. Fine. It didn't matter who made the kill so long as one of the protected died. Humans, beast kin, and abominations were of little threat. After Nix's heart was broken, fox would be back on the menu. Mishi ran his tongue over his teeth as he eyed the smaller foxes scattered around the fires.
Caius didn't wait for a gilded invitation. She dashed forward, pouncing on Mishi with claws bared. She would trust her Pretty Birdie. All she had to worry about was attacking, he would protect her. Protect… them.
Mishi snarled, meeting the clash head on. Even at the same size, he was still three times heavier than the fox just because of his solid muscle.
Caius ignored the claws aiming for her jugular, letting her body partially burst into flames as she bit Mishi's shoulder. His neck scales were slightly raised, biting there would do more damage to her than to him.
Relishing his wrathful roar, Caius focused on tearing at his shoulder, clawing at his forearm, pumping her fire into every injury! Burn, burn and remember I did this!!! Caius snarled.
Mishi snarled trying to rake his claws along the fox's exposed belly, but his claws passed right through her! Silver flames dancing in her fur, singeing his scales and claws with each swipe. Realizing if he couldn't touch her, he'd have to make her retreat.
Caius yipped when Mishi took off running, she clawed at his body, wrapping her tails around his shoulder and claw so he couldn't shake her off.
Nix trilled his surprise as he followed overhead. This Mishi was such a poor sport.
Mishi ran through the pillars of fire, ignoring the pain as he slammed his body into the humans carrying Nix's mark. He whipped his tail at the humans as well. When he was less than an inch from smashing his fox free shoulder into the first group of humans his body jolted to a stop. Nix's talon was stepping on his tail. It felt like a mountain had pinned his tail to the ground.
Nix tilted his head curiously. "Chirp?"
Caius didn't let the moment of distraction go, raking her claws down Mishi's chest. Scales and flesh rendered to pulp as Caius greedily clamped her jaw on the wound to suck his blood.
Mishi loosed a roar that shook the earth as he slammed his body down. The impact not only caused the fox to burst into silver flames, but sent molten rock in all directions. Many of the smaller rocks hitting the humans with Nix's mark.
Mishi leapt away as Caius leisurely walked out of the golden red flames. A pity the same was happening to the humans. They'd burst into silver fire, then resumed their battle as if nothing had happened.
Nix raised a brow, "Your thoughts are too simple, at least here where I reign, so long as I live, no lives can yours take."
Mishi snarled, his body heaving as blood dripped from his mutilated shoulder. Flexing his tail the wounds were already healing. He'd need a new plan if he couldn't attack the fox. Glancing around he went after the humans once again. Pouncing at a small cluster of spear wielding humans.
Nix sighed, opening a rift before Mishi's attack could land. Giving the female fox a bao, "Pretty Fox, drenched in blood, isn't it funny, his face so stunned?"
Caius brushed her tails along the bird's feathers. Licking the blood around her jaw as if it were the sweetest honey. "Delightfully so Pretty Birdie! This is so so so fun! Aiya! I can barely control myself!" Caius agreed trotting into the rift after Mishi.
Nix hopped onto her shoulder. A smile escaping as he listened to her excited song. Blood thirsty, jubilant, with just a cord of savage delight. Seeing Mishi pounce at them before they'd even finished crossing through the rift, Nix flew forward, snatching the panther by its spikes.
Mishi whipped his tail at Nix. His flames around of his wings merely reforming as his tail passed through. Growling as he tried to find something to latch onto, Nix dropped him into a pillar of fire.
"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mishi thrashed as he hit the ground. No, he swallowed several mouthfuls of the liquid fire, clawing at anything, trying to find solid ground.
Nix tilted his head as a pillar of water destroyed his flame. Turning into a wave. Nix flew up, snatching Caius by her scruff. The wave roiled for a moment, then dozens of water harpoons shot out after them.
Caius burst into uncontrollable giggles. Flying in circles, loops, rolls, all while dodging the seemingly endless harpoons.
Nix smiled as he danced through the air. Really, Mishi was exaggerating to have resulted to calling on Alaina's blessings so soon. His should was already mostly healed, and Nix controlled his flames to be little more than an overly warm bath.
"Pretty Fox I am curious, Pretty Fox do you know? How this petty kitty usually fights his foes?" Nix asked as the wave retreated. Mishi was now covered in dark blue scaled armor.
Caius sneered as they started to descend. "He only strikes at the weak. Whenever he goes after another beast of any considerable power he has his retinue as a distraction to gang up on his opponents." Caius glanced over how the humans had done the same to him this time. It was enough to make her roll on the ground laughing.
Nix nodded as he gently dropped Caius, then landed on her shoulder. "He is still young, he must be pouting, you'd think for wrath, sportsmanship he'd have some."
Caius huffed, "He's a coward at heart, always hiding away, slinking around in the dark until only the weak or helpless are left to face his cruelties."
Nix narrowed his eyes as a seventh tier blessing of water flowed into Mishi's body. Alaina was going all out. The armor was starting to glow with more than just a sin beast's blessing.
Caius's fur started to bristle, the mana charging the air wasn't of fire… water was fighting for supremacy. She glanced at her Pretty Birdie, while he looked annoyed, he didn't look worried. Yet.
Nix resettled his feathers as not one, but two goddess's mana charged the air. As far as Nix was concerned, half a dozen gods could bless the kitten. It would make no substantial difference. The kitten's body could only endure so many blessings.
Caius lowered her body, preparing for the attack she knew was coming. She'd never heard of Mishi wearing armor, then again most of what she heard was the condition of the survivors.
"GROOOWWWLLL." The low rumble was the only warning Mishi gave as he attacked. The blessings had more than quadrupled his speed and strength. His spells may be basic compared to most sin beasts, but his physical prowess was almost on par with a dragon of the same tier.
Caius snarled as she leapt out of the way. Her Pretty Birdie helping by grabbing her by the scruff to give her more lift. Caius dug her claws into his armored back just as he was darting past.
Nix narrowed his eyes as Caius's claws burst into silver flame. More than a dozen spells had been woven into the armor. Even a legendary beast would have had it's claw destroyed by the combination.
Caius didn't care, raking her claws along his back until Mishi's tail whipped at her. Caius leapt up, her Pretty Birdie catching her by the scruff as he rolled them out of the way. Caius had to pull her legs up when Mishi pivoted without hesitation, snapping his jaws at her.
"That armor is no fun! Aiya! Since when did beasts wear armor like humans? Aiya! Bad sportsmanship!" Caius complained as her Pretty Birdie continued to evade Mishi, but kept them close to the ground.
Nix smiled, "No need to worry, no need to fret, he can wear for little more than a moment." The armor drained Mishi's mana, Nix figured if Mishi could endure wearing it for one minute, that would be long enough to leave him as helpless as a new born babe.
Mishi snarled as he continued to give chase. They were teasing him! Keeping just out of reach, giving him the illusion that if he was just a bit faster, he could catch the fox. Even with his blessed armor he still couldn't hurt the fox.
Caius grinned, it would seem Mishi was more desperate than she thought. She could do it, she would do it. She was going to rip him to ribbons. Better, making Alaina and all the others watch.
Nix released Caius as Mishi leapt, trying to catch one of her tails in his jaws.
Caius let out a bark of her own as she started clawing at his unprepared face. Going for his eyes. Ignoring as her claws burst into silver flames, being destroyed, reforming, destroyed, reformed. She let out a cackling laugh as she gouged out his left eye just as he managed to stop.
"GYAAAAAA!!!" Mishi roared as he whipped his head to the side flinging the fox into a pillar of fire. He glared through his remaining eye as the fox continued cackling.
Nix landed beside the cackling fox, she shook out her fur, absorbing his flames.
Caius deliberately met Mishi's glare as she raised her paw, licking the blood away. "Aiya, Pretty Birdie, he will be a tasty meal. Are you sure you don't want any?"
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!" Mishi had never been so woonded before. He was going to kill them. Rip them to shreds. Eat their entrails while they still lived, bathe in their blood! Rushing forward he lowered his head to tackle the despicable fox to the ground.
Caius kept laughing as Mishi pinned her to the ground. Even when she was on her back, she raked her claws along his stomach. Flooding his armor with her and her Pretty Birdie's flames.
Mishi bit Caius's neck, just enough to collapse her wind tunnel. Only for him to inhale the scorching silver flames as she leapt out from beneath him. "NOT SO FAST!" Mishi leapt after the flames before they could coalesce back into the fox. Pouncing so the flames burst once again he swiped at every flame he saw.
Caius's barking laughter continued no matter how many times Mishi attacked. She was surrounded by her Pretty Birdie's flames. Even on a regular day she could avoid most physical attacks by wearing her fox fire.
Nix raised a brow as spells appeared over Mishi's rabid form. He was so caught up in his anger he didn't even realize seven separate sixth tier spells were forming mere feet behind him. Nix was impressed that the rapid attacks all hit the exact same spot, all less than a tenth of a second apart. The different elements had broken through Mishi's blessed armor. There was how a fox paw sized hole in Mishi's armor. Armor that was already draining the last vestiges of his mana.
Mishi screamed as his back was hit! Leaping out of the way to see who had attacked him from behind. Paling he dodged the rotating spells. They kept following him, so he had to keep dodging out of the way. He was so busy paying attention to the rotating spells following him he didn't see Caius burst out of a river of flames.
Caius waited just beneath the flames for Mishi to leap his way. Darting out covered in the red flames she launched herself at his unprotected back. Caius instinctively flinched when Mishi's tail whipped around to hit her. The armor around his tail had expanded, lightning, water, and ice crackling around the spikes about to make contact with her face.