53 Anna's First Spar

  After eating, Elanor gathers the four boys in the village center. "Alright, Anna, go destroy the boys!" she announces while laughing.

  "Who's going to fight first?" Louis asks.

  "You'll all attack together," Elanor responds while waving her hand dismissively.

  "But," Franklin objects.

  Elanor glares at the boys and says, "if you brats are too much for her, what would be the point of cultivating?"

  "It's alright," Anna confirms while taking a combative stance. Her feet spread out into a stable low position. Her arms are reaching out in both directions, ready to defend.

  In contrast, the boys take a more standard boxing position. This stance has the arms covering the body and an agile footing with a bit of bounce, the style Elanor taught.

  As the boys move in to test Anna's defense, her stern eyes give them pause.

  "Cute," Elanor says as she coquettishly covers her mouth and giggles.

  John sends his voice to Elanor, "I think it's quite impressive. It's unusual for someone at her level to be able to unleash killing intent."

  Elanor shrugs and sends back, "Perhaps, but it looks like a kid mimicking her parents."

  "I'm not a martial arts expert, but I think it looks pretty practiced," John responds.

  "It is practiced, but it's clear that no one taught her. It must be a stance her parents used. Look at the arms. They aren't symmetrical at all. Her footing looks stable, but her leg angles aren't the best making it harder for movement, " Elanor explains.

  "Perhaps your standards are too high," John retorts.

  Elanor frowns as she looks at the boys, slowly inching forward. "Get going, let your youth burn and charge! If you don't, I'd be happy to join in." she goads on the boys.

  Louis runs forward with a shout, "Fine, ARRRR!" He throws a solid punch towards Anna expecting her lithe body to be easily blown away. However, Anna quickly knocks the attack away with a sweep of her hand. She then counters with a thrusting palm to the boy's chest, sending him tumbling backward.

  The other three boys pail as they see Louis coughing on the ground. Douglas and Roy look at each other for courage. Then, they charge at Anna in a pincer attack. Douglas decides to take out Anna's legs with his small stature. He puts all his force into his body as he grabs at Anna's leg while Roy moves in with quick punches to distract Anna.

  Anna snorts at the boys. She sweeps her body in a spinning motion, her lower leg smashing into Douglas's side. In the same movement, she grabs Roy's punch and takes him with her. Anna drags the boy around and flings him into Douglas, sending them tumbling towards Louis.

  As Franklin hesitates, he hears John's voice in his head, "I can tell you're afraid you will hurt your mom. But she is in the foundation stage now. It's Just as Elanor said. There is no way you'll be able to hurt her. But, on the other side, you can help her solidify her new strength and gain experience for yourself."

  With this final push, Franklin grits his teeth and shouts, "Mom, I'm coming!"

  "Good, I was waiting!" Anna responds with a smile.

  Franklin also sends some punches towards his mom's chest. These punches fly out with swift power showing his body training that John taught. When Anna tries to sweep them away, the force has some staying power pushing her back.

  After twenty exchanges, things seem to be at a stalemate. However, Franklin's chest is heaving as he sucks in breath while Anna looks as spry as ever. Not only has she reached the Foundation stage, but she also is using a defensive stance. The tank of energy and exertion are too far apart.

  "Stop playing with your kid and murder him!" Elanor whoops from the sidelines.

  Anna sucks in a deep breath and throws a palm with all of her body behind it. Franklin closes his arms in front of him to defend himself. When the strike connects, it feels like being hit by a carriage. His arms go numb as he flies back, falling to the ground.

  "No fight! Don't be bad," Donna yells while running out from behind a shack. Her hands stretch out towards Anna as she tries to stop the spar.

  Elanor dashes behind the distressed girl and scoops her up. "Don't worry. They are just play fighting. They aren't in any danger," she explains as the girl's head is squeezed in between the two mountains on her chest.

  "Nooo," Donna cries, "Don't be tricked. Fighting is bad." Tears start to form in the corner of her eyes as she struggles to escape.

  Elanor frowns at the distrust she's been shown. "I'm a good, trustworthy woman; I don't tell lies!" she harrumphs while sitting down. Elanor hugs Donna to her chest, forcing her to sit on her lap.

  Anna smiles at the girl and assures her, "We're just practicing so no one will be hurt."

  "Fight bad," Donna pouts while puffing her rosy cheeks out.

  They continue sparring for half an hour before the boys are exhausted and can barely stand. Anna is breathing heavily but still has some energy to spare. Elanor lazily pokes the angry girl in her lap.

  Elanor looks up from the cutie in her lap and yawns. She then complains to Anna, "if your going to use the Emerald family defensive stance shouldn't you do it properly? Don't tell me you don't know how."

  Anna frowns and shakes her head, "I know the concept, but."

  "If you know the concept, just do it," Elanor interrupts. She then waves for Franklin to attack.

  "Fine, I'll give it a shot," Anna says, retaking her stance.

  Franklin punches out once again. The punch has lost all its bite at this point and just sluggishly moves towards his mom. Anna swipes at the blow as she has in the past, but this time she swings out before the punch giving the impression that she missed the parry. However, as Franklin's fist passes by the swiped area, he feels some resistance as if punching through the water.

  On the side, Elanor starts laughing. "That's the best," she wheezes as she starts rolling on the ground.

  Franklin's eyes go wide as he looks at his hand, "What was that?"

  John sends out his voice to everyone in the field. "Anna created a wall of her energy into the air, causing it to be more solid," he explains.

  "Wall!" Gasps Elanor as she dies from laughter.

  "That's amazing, mom! You'll have to teach me how to do that too." Franklin exclaims while grabbing his mom's sleeve in excitement. He looks up at his mom and frowns. She looks pale and drained. "Mom, are you alright?" he asks worriedly.

  "I'm fine. I just overdid it a bit," Anna responds while gently patting Franklin's shoulder.

  "Sit down and rest," Franklin consoles. His mom nods, and he helps her sit down gently.

  John sighs and asks, "Instead of just laughing, why don't you show them an example of how powerful it can be?"

  Elanor Gulps for air a few times before calming down. "It's no good to compare to me. But ok." She then jumps to her feet, causing Donna to thump on her bottom. The girl cries out and looks at the big sis bully with scorn.

  Without even taking a visible stance, Elanor swipes her hand in front of her once. Then, a solid gold wall the size of her hand appears in front of her. Afterward, she stretches with her arms above her head, causing her chest to look dangerous.

  The boys can't see her chest nearly pop out due to the golden screen. They all jump to their feet and run over. Louis reaches out to touch the golden streak and asks, "Is it as solid as it looks?" But before his hand nears the mysterious object, his body freezes. In fact, all the boys freeze in their spots.

  "Careful if you touch that. You'll be destroyed in body and soul," Elanor says casually.