What's Up?

"What's up?" said Ryan nonchalantly upon regaining consciousness and jumping up.

It took him a moment to take in what was going on around him, with Fluffy whimpering to one side of him, and Elora weeping on the other. However, before he even had the chance to question what had happened and why they were in such a state, Elora suddenly lunged towards him, swinging for his face. She even channelled the nature mana around her to increase her speed and power, using her Elven form of Combat Magic.

Barely managing to circulate mana quickly enough to be able to avoid her strike, Ryan was confused but still reacted swiftly. He leant so far back that he lost balance and fell, but planting his hands into the ground and swinging the rest of his body backwards, he was able to flip and land on his feet.

"What's up, huh?" she exclaimed, her previous immense sadness transforming into annoyance and frustration as she withdrew her bow.

Ryan had never seen Elora be so expressive, and even against the Warlock, her emotions weren't as easy to read. It meant that whatever had just happened was even more intense than her confrontation with the Warlock, but Ryan was just unable to connect the dots.

And before he had the opportunity to do so, she fired a series of arrows his way.

Although Elora wasn't attacking with the intent to kill, that didn't change that she was shooting arrows his way. The first slashed Ryan's arm, with him narrowly avoiding any serious damage and managing to do the same with the others that came his way.

Then, channelling a large amount of mana into his right leg, Ryan stomped as hard he could, causing the ground to shake and a large piece of the ground to uplift. Punching it towards Elora, she managed to avoid the giant projectile with ease, but behind it was Ryan, who had managed to close the distance between them.

'I won't win in a long-range battle against an archer. This is the best way to close the gap, especially since people seem to struggle to sense me as I use the mana in my surroundings,' was his thought process, and he had managed to think up such a plan and pull it off in a matter of seconds.

Nodding her head in approval, Elora appeared impressed by how much Ryan's combat prowess and battle sense had improved. But that seemed to only cause her to become even more heated, with Fluffy backing away from them, allowing them to fight it out to their hearts' content.

Although Ryan managed to close the gap between himself and Elora, he soon realised that he had gravely underestimated her abilities. He had initially believed that he held the upper hand in close combat, but his assumption couldn't have been more off the mark.

Elora showcased an astonishing blend of skill, capability, and versatility that caught Ryan completely off guard, deftly evading his rapid succession of punches.

As she did, Ryan couldn't help but reflect on the limited knowledge he had about her abilities. The only instance he'd witnessed was her battle against the Warlock, a formidable adversary capable of making anyone appear feeble. Moreover, during that confrontation, she had just healed Ryan and was already weakened to the point of being unable to maintain her protective barrier.

And so he hadn't fully grasped the extent of her power or capabilities.

'I guess this is one way to do so...'

-

In a surprising move, while dodging Ryan's attacks, Elora cast her bow aside, an action he had never seen her take since their first meeting. Then, a faint smile played upon her lips, which only unnerved him further.

Despite the initial frustration she felt when she believed Ryan had perished, her relief at his safety now blended with a newfound exhilaration in unleashing her abilities. She was also curious to see how capable he was for herself and test if he had grown in the trial.

Drawing upon waves of nature mana, Elora's Elven Combat Magic bore a resemblance to the Combat Magic Ryan had emulated from the Warlock. Yet, it contained subtle distinctions, inviting Ryan's curiosity and prompting him to split his focus between attacking and observing. However, his attempts at multitasking proved futile, as Elora swiftly deflected his strikes.

Dancing gracefully to elude Ryan's blows, Elora noticed him struggling to maintain concentration, causing his attacks to lose precision. Sensing an opening, she executed a swift backward jump while spinning elegantly in mid-air, landing a powerful kick to Ryan's abdomen.

Unable to react in time, the impact sent him sliding backwards and left Ryan winded, gasping for air. Then, before Ryan could regain his footing and composure, Elora surged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage of her own strikes.

The tide of the battle had shifted, and Elora had successfully disrupted Ryan's momentum, allowing her to showcase her superior combat skills.

Blow after blow, Ryan grappled to keep up, even though his speed rivalled that of the agile elf. It was a clear demonstration of her combat mastery. Nevertheless, being a quick learner, Ryan steadily improved as they conversed amid their intense skirmish.

"What happened with the ring?" Elora questioned, struggling to suppress her curiosity as she collided fists with the young mage.

"It took me to some space where I spoke to a man claiming to be Odus. He had supposedly been watching me since I arrived in Aria."

"Is that so? Still doesn't explain why your body was void of mana. I thought you had died!"

Suddenly picking up the pace upon relieving her frustration, it all started to make sense for Ryan. Why she had been so upset? And why his sudden awakening and nonchalance had caused her to react that way?

But even he didn't know what had happened to his body after the Mana Ring decided to show itself. 

However, that was something he could figure out another time when he wasn't being battered by an elegant yet lethal elf...