To Get Respected, You Must First Be Strong

(Brendan POV)

I ducked under her punch out of pure instinct, honed from my multiple sparring sessions with Master where I always got my ass handed to me. I rolled away from her to create distance between us, getting myself up into a kneeling position.

I smashed my fist onto the ground, creating a wave of water that rolled towards her.

She flipped herself into the air to avoid it, granting me time to uncork the vial I had been holding and down its contents.

She landed back on her feet before disappearing from my sight again.

I felt the brush of air hitting my left cheek and I immediately threw up my left arm in defence, stopping her elbow strike dead in its tracks.

She looked surprised that I managed to block her strike with just my arm but managed to recover swiftly by throwing a jab towards my side.

I winced at the impact, but if she was expecting any other reaction out of me, she'll be quite disappointed.