Poor Ethan, he really did have the worst luck. Not even a second had passed from when he took to the air, which had been right before his spur of the moment... battle cry. Despite his skin still being wet he quickly felt the crest of his cheeks warm up in an embarrassed blush before his eyes quickly darted about trying to make sure no one heard him. Despite the fact he was getting ready to fall into battle with a swarm, by himself, it seemed that Ethan Kipley was still immature enough to still feel embarrassment. What he couldn't see, battle cry aside, was of water that fell from his leaping form and how it caught the light from the afternoon sun. The finest of painters would be hard pressed to accurately capture the vibrant, definitive, and breathtaking imagery displayed in the few seconds before the battle for Coppershear's survivors began.
Once again focused on the greatest responsibility in his life yet Ethan filled his lungs as much as possible and then forced them to take in even more air. He could clearly see the front of the swarm, though, with the way the terrain sloped down from him and the height he had managed with his jump, it might be easier to say he could see the start of the deadly tide coming toward him. Stiffening his entire body he brought his arms forward, aiming his shields toward the ground at an angle similar to a spade would be used. Even before he landed he was pumping as much Nel' Ina down his arms as physically possible, their lengths beginning to glow, and when he finally came down in the middle of the shallow river a few feet behind the pile of monsters from earlier he continued the momentum forward to drive his Nel' Ina laden shields and arms deep into the ground.
Once his elbows disappeared into the ground he released every ounce of Nel' Ina he could manage while also thrusting his arms forward, attempting to send the ensuing eruption forward and into the oncoming swarm. The land had been thundering and rumbling for some time now with how monsters were running at the same time. The water in the pool behind Ethan was now thrashing about so violently most of it was ending up outside of its edges and if he himself wasn't currently anchored in the ground he probably would have had a hard time standing. Despite all of that though, when he began his attack all noise stopped for a split second as his explosion offset the incoming vibrations and then overpowered them.
It would take nearly a month after the battle for the ground around his initial attack to finally settle, and though it would take even longer for the area to be cleaned up when it was all said and done a large cavity that could be more closely considered a small amphitheater would have been found to be created, and it would even have a small waterfall and pool of its own. Though that was a story for a later time, for now Ethan had a battle, no a war, to fight. Boulders, small and large, bit and pieces of the pile of dead monsters, and even drops of water were sent slicing through the air as shrapnel from his explosive attack. Monsters were crushed, gashed, and pelted, each one becoming a distraction as it fell. Despite the attempts of future historians in trying to embellish the first major battle of Ethan Kipley, at the end of the day he was truly just trying to distract the living with the bodies and Nel' Ina of the dead. Unfortunately it was sooner, rather than later, that his tactics fell short and some of the larger monsters focused on him.
If he thought his time flying through the air was unique to the exam with the guild master he was sorely mistaken. For several minutes Ethan had seemingly spent more time in the air then on the ground, his body, protected by shield placement and Nel' Ina reinforcement, having been batted around the battlefield from massive swipes and hits from some of the larger monsters. Though he was ok so far he began to consider how long he could hold up against such body rattling hits. Not only was he being thrown around from the attacks but he was also unleashing explosive Impacs each time a pincer, claw, or leg met his shields. The damage to the monster was substantial but the force and propulsion from the explosion were not something he could just endure with ease all day. In addition to the on contact Impacs he was also sending discs of Nel' Ina into the monsters surrounding him as he flew past them which also served to keep some of them occupied.
His first moment of concern, or perhaps fear, came when a large enough monster wasn't present to "receive" him and instead of being sent flying in another direction he slammed into the side of a medium sized monster and then fell to the ground. The weight and attacks were almost instant as he found himself beneath a growing pile on, his arms crossed at his chest so he could he place his shields against the back of his shoulders to protect his head and back. Despite being reinforced his legs were slowly faltering beneath the pressure from above and gradually began to sink closer and closer to the ground. It was by chance he noticed Nel' Ina suddenly begin to drop down his shields and onto the ground in front of his downcast face.
"They were hitting through each other to get to him."
He thought to himself before deciding to try and hold out as long as possible to increase the damage and hopefully causalities. However, the amount he could endure beneath the ever growing pile didn't last as long as he would have liked and soon he was forced to send an eruption Impac up toward the skies creating a geyser effect as the bodies on top of him were sent violently up into the air as well as various directions. The sudden release of his powers brought all attention back to him, though if any of the monsters happened to have any semblance of reason they would have hesitated when gazing upon the angry and glowing boy, his body radiating with enough Nel' Ina infused heat that his clothes were even fluttering. Of course, they didn't, they were simply mindless beasts with an endless thirst for the very substance he had excessive amounts of, and thus as he rushed forward the battle began once again without any hesitation.
