Chapter 54

Stepping onto the next step Amber is attacked quickly. Dodging to the side, she blasts herself upwards. "Here I thought I could just take you down with ease. But you managed to. This won't be easy. Wait that means you most already have access to a priestess form."

"Well I won't just let you knock me down. You are correct. But I don't know how to enter it at will. Something I have to learn," Amber smiles.

"Let me guess you managed to do so out of anger?"

"That would be correct. But I'll figure out how to at some point. But enough talk let's fight," Amber lunges forward and twists.

Shaking its head the spirit raises the ground. 'So this one can use the earth. Well there goes that idea. Well it would be more effort.'

Landing on the ground she blasts into the air and the spirits asks, "Won't you use the element you're most intuned with?"

"I could but I think my fundamentals in utilizing mana and miasma are still in need of improvement."

"You can already switch back and forth between the two to do a multitude of movements. Your fundamentals are more sturdy then the mountains."

"No they aren't. There is still plenty I can't do," she says, while thinking to herself, 'I still can't effectively spread my mana and miasma. Nor can I utilize it well enough to sense the world around me. Those seem like important skills to learn. And lastly I want to be able to utilize the ambient mana and miasma without intaking it into my own core. Then I will say the fundamentals are complete.'

She gathers mana into one eye and miasma into the other. At first she only sees a small bit of mana and miasma around her. 'Its hard to see. Maybe I should try a different method. But what could I try?'

'Is she using me as a way to test new ideas? But what could she be testing? Well mana and miasma in the eyes. No she is trying to improve that already. But how will she go about it?' The spirit shakes it's head.

Keeping the mana and miasma running through her eyes she gets hit several times. At times she manages to block the ground spikes. As she fights she notices that her hearing is getting better.

As she dodges to the side she closes her eyes. 'Why can I still somewhat see? This is strange wait could it be because I am viewing the mana and miasma around me. But my hearing is also improving I should create some mana and miasma universe in my eyes and ears. That could help me.

'But more curiously it is almost like I can feel the mana and miasma through my eyelids. That is something to explore at a later time though. But I am getting used to this.'

Opening her eyes she spins around and sends a wave of mana at the spirit. It raises a stone wall to block it. Seeing a lapse in mana she controls the mana wave to go through that lapse in mana.

As it does the stone wall falls down. The spirit raises another stone wall. Then sends an earth wave. Amber jumps. She lands. Sending ripples through the ground.

The next earth wave is unable to get to her. The spirit then adorns a brown suit and a stone rod appears in its hand. "I will not underestimate you any longer. I will not just let you keep improving against me."

"That most be the priest version. Could you at least give me a hint as to how to access it at will?"

"I can, but won't. I will lose if you enter it. This is my only chance at winning."

Amber sighs. Bending backwards she dodges a boulder. Doing a backwards cummarsault she sends a wave of miasma at the spirit. Sending mana behind her she gets pushed forward.

She creates a flame naginata. She slashes out with it. He raises a stone wall. The flames melt the stone.

She stabs with the back end of the naginata. The flames concentrate there. 'Wait I've been using flame, mana, and miasma separately. But can't they be used in tendum.'

With that though she sends mana and miasma to the flame. The flame starts to burn brighter and more fiercely. As she goes to swing the flame launches off and flies towards the spectators. 'Damn it not what I wanted to do. I've got to scale back how much mana and miasma I put in.'

'What is she? She didn't control her strength well enough. If I'm not careful I will lose in one hit. She's to strong. I know the stairs try to match the person with someone on par with them.

'However there is a cap to the strength of the spirit it will call. I most be the strongest it is walking to draw for this floor. Whichever floor this is.

'How unlucky of me. Anyone without a priest or priestess form will lose to her. I am not willing to tell her how to enter it at will. She will figure it out eventually amyway.'

The spirit raises several earth walls. She slashes out with only flame and melts through. The next slash she adds only mana. The spirit gets blasted back.

Creating an earth wall the spirit doesn't fall off the step. She sends multiple slashes. The spirit dives underground. She goes into the air. She sends out a massive torrent of flame that starts to slightly turns the stair into glass.

"The power of her flames is to much for step 92 to handle. To think she would be that strong. But what did her and that spirit talk about."

The audience is more scared that if her rogue attack didn't get stopped by the barrier, they would have been burnt alive. One in the audience shudders, "She infused mana and miasma into the attack that went rogue. But that one she used pure flame."

The audience looks at that person, "You mean to say she's experimenting while in a fight?"

"Damn fools, she is. She clearly is new to using magic. Yet she rivals many of us in her ability to utilize mana and miasma."

"A lot of us didn't enter because we don't think we'll be able to place well enougg to get past this. The number one every time seems to be able to utilize mana and miasma at the same time. But she took it a step further."

"Exactly and if my conjecture is true, she should also have access to the flame priestess form. So she should be able to reach the 100th step."

"At least we won't fight a spirit of her unless we get to floor 100."

"Better yet we don't have to worry about her joining next time."

"The audience laughs at that."