…
Alea faces the annoying boy.
The arrogance of him. Seriously mocking one of the most respected men she’s ever even heard of?
And not just that. He dares insult her. Dares laugh at her?! Dares insinuate that she’s somehow all talk? She was sick and tired of arrogant men looking down on her for being a woman.
Despite how far her master has come, men still do it even to her!
She will not stand for this. She will not let herself or her master be dishonored. She will wipe the floor with the weakling and make him rue ever disrespecting her!
She eyes him, noting the position of his limbs, the tenseness of his muscles, the weight distribution of his frame. She might be pissed but she wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t let her anger cloud her ability to fight.
Right as she was about to move, he does so first.
Fast.
He appears in front of her and launches a series of furious jabs at her. Each one aiming towards a vital point. Not hard enough to injure, but if one got through she’d definitely be hurting.
He’s testing my defenses. Alright. Let’s feel him out as well.
She picked it up a notch, steadily increasing her speed. Her coordination and countless hours of training allowing her to block, evade, and defend against each and every one of his attacks.
But the faster she got, the more he picked up the pace as well.
His jabs turned into combinations. A side kick flowed into a left hook, which flowed into a jab, which flowed into an uppercut, which then flowed into a sudden elbow to the kidney.
Combination after combination came her way and she was starting to be pushed back. Luckily his speed topped out and she realized she had him slightly in speed but they were about equal in strength. The speed difference enabled her to stay slightly ahead of his insane proficiency of keeping combinations going.
She tried counterattacking several times but each time she did he flowed around her attacks and found a way to exploit them and turn the heat back on her.
There’s no way he’s in the Core realm still. He’s got to be in the Spirit realm at least. But I’ve never met anyone faster than me who was in the same realm.
They continued their back and forth. Him bombarding her with attacks, while she used her slightly higher speed to defend and send the occasional attack back.
That’s enough. It’s time to end this.
She wouldn’t let this arrogant pup get the better of her. She would defend her and her master’s honor by defeating him.
She knew this spar wasn’t supposed to be that serious. He might be annoying, but it’s not like he murdered her family.
All the same, she wanted to win!
She used as much speed as she could, pushing her limbs and muscles to the limit to push him back and give her a little space.
She cycled her Qi a little faster and reached deep down to bring forth her element.
She brought forth her flame and used it to propel her right leg up into his side as fast and as hard as she could. At the same time she infused her fire into her leg to strengthen it.
Stolen novel; please report.
He somehow got his forearm up just in time to block. Not that it did him a lot of good.
His eyes widened in surprise and he was launched sideways through the air.
He skidded and skipped off the ground once, twice, and then slammed into a tree at the side of the glade.
The impact was intense but the tree held firm. Barely a shiver running up its trunk.
Man this forest is made of sterner stuff.
Her eyes widened slightly as she saw him start to get to his feet. He struggled but the look of steel in his eyes showed he didn’t consider himself out of the fight yet.
Alea smiled, respect coming through despite her annoyance at this fool.
She used her fire through her legs and out her feet to launch herself towards him. To anyone their level or lower, it would look like she disappeared and suddenly reappeared in a flash of fire in front of the boy.
She rotated her hips and threw a right hook bathed and propelled by Orange flame towards his face.
Her fist hit nothing but air and her flame extinguished as she suddenly found herself hundreds of feet in the air.
Alea fumed for a second before letting the feeling of the wind in her hair calm her down. I guess master thinks I went a little overboard. What a softie. I definitely didn’t go to far.
Alea pouted a little as she started to fall and plummet back towards the ground. The glade below her fast approaching.
She positioned herself in the air with her arms down, palms pointed to the ground, and her legs together and with fifty feet left of distance to the earth, blasted as much flame as she could downward to take away her momentum. At five or so feet she cut the flame off and let herself drop to the soft dirt below.
She looked towards the cabin and saw her master glaring at her through one of the windows.
Yea she’s pissed.
Alea got the message though. She released her element and her Qi, letting her master know she was finished with the fight.
Her master disappeared back towards the inner parts of the house after casting a final glare at her.
She looked back towards Will. He was standing there, leaning up against the same tree she had sent him flying into. One hand holding his side, a crap eating grin on his face like he just had the most fun of his life, while at the same time teasing her for getting in trouble.
…
Will laughed lightly as he pushed himself off the tree and started walking towards Alea. Stopping a few feet from her.
“Man that was impressive! Fire is such a cool element. And that rich orange color is beautiful. That’s gotta be higher than the first stage of power for fire right?”
Alea stood there, hip cocked with her hand on her hip, with an eyebrow raised. “Cool? How is fire a low temperature?”
Will laughs. “It’s an expression. It means fire is really awesome.”
“Oh.” Alea looks at him like she’s waiting for the mocking punch line. “Thanks.” She says when none came.
“You’re welcome. You’re insanely strong do you know that? You must of worked extremely hard to get that good.”
Alea blushed. “Speak for yourself. I’ve never seen someone move like that. Where’d you learn how to fight?”
Will hooked a thumb back towards the cabin. “Amos. He’s taught me everything I know.”
Alea frowns. “Haven’t you only been here a short time?”
“How’d you know that?”
“My master. When we came up to Amos’s domain, and he opened a way in for us, she could sense you. She mentioned that your aura doesn’t feel like it’s been here long. There’s not much of your mark left on the area.”
Man, aura is so much more versatile than I realized. I have to learn how to control it.
“Oh. Well she’s right. Only about 6 months now.”
“And who trained you before Amos?”
“No one. I wasn’t a fighter before I came here. But I like it. It feels good to grow stronger and get better at something. And testing myself against others is surprisingly fun.”
Alea just stares at him a moment. Processing what he just said.
“You’re this strong after only 6 months of training?”
“I wouldn’t say strong. You did just launch my butt 80 feet or so into a tree.”
“I’ve been training since I was a child. I had to use every ounce of strength and speed I had to make an opening where I could use my flame to land an attack on you.”
“Yea but once you brought your element out I was entirely outclassed. I stood no chance.”
Alea cocked her head at him. “You’re not supposed to admit that to me you know.”
“Am I not?” Will laughed. “It’s not much of a secret is it? Even with an arm up to block that kick, I got sent nearly a 100 feet. Most of that in the air.”
“I suppose. And I’m assuming you haven’t learned to use your element in combat yet?”
“Nail on the head. I only just harnessed it this-“
“Will!”
Will looks over at Amos, who is standing in the open doorway of the cabin.
“Get in here. Alea you to.”
Will shrugged and started walking towards the cabin. His master already turning back inside.
Alea stood there for a second before following.
There is no way he was about to say…..he just learned to harness his element TODAY?! Does that mean this is his first day in the Spirit realm?!
