The sun was setting through the rain. In the room, a cozy atmosphere was hovering pleasantly, loosening their tongues and lowering their walls. Long Ju never had friends her age, so this was her first time experiencing something like this. The feeling was different from spending time with her family, or with her retainers. She enjoyed the novelty, the warmth, and the wine. The storm was almost a blessing, without it, she'd never have met Hu Yan and Fu Daiyu.
"So is the sword on your side a decoration or do you also know how to use it?" Fu Daiyu suddenly exclaimed, "You tell good stories, but everyone can brag..."
Hu Yan, who would usually retort to her shenanigans, watched on curiously. Even Long Ju, who would have normally laughed it off, felt prickled by the blatant provocation. The strength of the wine was showing in full effect. She chuckled.
"Lady Daiyu knows how to awaken an itch, when the rain stops I can show you my moves until you're satisfied."
"Eeh, there's no need to wait. It would be a shame to ruin such a marvellous sunset... It's like a scene from a painting." With a dreamy voice, the shaman girl drifted near the window, still holding her wine cup in a casual grip. As the sky outside was shining with shades of red, orange, and pink, she stared up at the black clouds moving across blotting the gaudy scene and imagined that their shapes were making her thoughts come true. Such a marvellous sunset indeed, she reflected. Hu Yan and Long Ju were sitting just a few feet away, and she felt as if they were the only people in the world.
As they watched the sunlight doing its best to pierce the tempest and illuminate the sky, Fu Daiyu broke the silence.
"Sometimes," she said, "I think to myself that this is the reason the Serpent allows us to live in this valley. So that we can experience days like this."
"Why wait for nature to give it to us when we have our own hands?" Hu Yan said, taking a swig from his cup. "It's about time we stop pretending that it's all fate and destiny. That we need permission to live. That we don't have the right to call this our home."
Fu Daiyu let out a short giggle. She still had a mischievous look in her eyes.
"You take things too seriously. Sometimes nice words and good scenery are just that, without a deeper hidden meaning." she sighed as she stood up.
Long Ju watched her open the window, and the cold wind began to hit her. She knew that she ought to be shivering right now, but none of that seemed to affect her.
Then Fu Daiyu made a bold proposition that caught her completely off guard. "How about it, Long Ju, are you up for a light spar in the rain?"
"A light spar in the rain?" Long Ju asked, intrigued. "I've never done anything like that before."
Then she thought for a moment. "But..." she said, "it sounds like fun. I guess I'm up for it."
Fu Daiyu jumped down in the spacious garden, immediately followed by the other two. With an expert movement, she pulled a lace on her waist. As if awakened, tens of knots untied themselves and the threads made of unknown material wriggled and turned on her arm, reaching her hand and forming a long but sturdy-looking spear. Her green eyes shined brightly, eager. All of them were already drenched to the bone.
Long Ju breathed in and simply unsheathed her sword, letting the scabbard hit the ground. Her long black hair was flying randomly around, at the mercy of the wind that ripped off the string which held them tied together. Suddenly, they fell back neatly on her back. Her Aura flowed evenly across her whole body, she had complete control over every single part of her. She looked completely unperturbed by the extreme conditions around her.
"I'm sorry, but I have a bit of an unfair advantage in this weather." Long Ju grinned.
Long Ju's aura was always fascinating to see, even under normal circumstances. But today, with the wind and rain blowing, it was even more striking. It danced and flowed around her, shifting and changing with the elements. It was as if the rain had brought her beauty to life, allowing it to flourish in a way that it normally couldn't.
"How so?" Fu Daiyu asked, a smile on her face. She tightened the grip of the spear in her hand, ready to see what Long Ju could do.
"I'm in my ideal environment!"
Long Ju burst forward, closing the distance between them in an instant and pointing the blade at her neck. Fu Daiyu gasped in surprise. She could barely see the movement, let alone defend or avoid it.
"Not fair, I wasn't ready..." she pouted.
Hu Yan, who positioned himself on the side to act as referee, was barely holding back in his laughter. "After all that talk, you couldn't last a mere second," he finally laughed.
Long Ju laughed along with Hu Yan as Fu Daiyu pouted. It really hadn't been fair, and she knew it. The Long clan's Windwalk technique, which took advantage of the airflow to enhance movements, was perfect for these situations. Even someone like her who just started to learn it could feel the enormous boost to her abilities. The rain and the wind were also giving her an advantage by messing with Daiyu's senses, while she could ignore them.
Long Ju took another look at the spear in Fu Daiyu's hands. It was way longer and taller than her sword, giving Daiyu more reach. In a proper fight, Long Ju couldn't make any moves without exposing herself to danger.
"I'd be more than happy to go another round, my friend," she said with a smirk, "if you think you can last longer than a second."
The other girl nodded energetically and they both took their initial positions.
This time Fu Daiyu was completely focused, her own Aura was on full throttle. She rotated her spear in the air. Long Ju noticed some subtle changes in the structure, as it was becoming slightly longer and thinner. From her opponent's stance, she could see she was truly prepared for battle this time.
Long Ju dashed again, trying the same attack to test her new defences. Fu Daiyu wasn't even fazed, with a calculated movement she leaned on the side as the spear intercepted the tip of the sword.
Long Ju watched baffled at the spear, which compressed in an instant and took the form of a hemispherical shield. But her confusion didn't last long, as the weapon changed shape again, poking straight through her opening.
She could avoid it and counter, but she wasn't familiar with this kind of ever-changing weapon. Straining her Aura, with a slight tap of her foot, she was again out of range.
Fu Daiyu was looking at her with a thoughtful expression. She was obviously experimenting with its different forms to see what worked best in this fight.
Long Ju was a little uncertain about how to proceed against someone with such a versatile weapon. The shield form was hard to attack, and the spear form was difficult to block. She decided to use her speed to her advantage and closed the distance between herself and Fu Daiyu once more.
Instead of attacking directly, Long Ju rotated in the air, lulled by the flow, controlling and shaping the droplets and the wind. She never had the opportunity or the idea of doing something like this, but facing such a strange and strong rival was bringing out a creative vein she didn't know she had. With a snapping gesture of her sword, she flung the water-imbued air projectiles at the girl. They were too weak to do any damage, but that wasn't their purpose anyway.
As Fu Daiyu dodged with ease, she felt a chill run down her spine. Long Ju was right beside her, her strike about to connect when the spear once again turned into a half sphere. Their clash resounded loudly.
Instead of losing time with another transformation, Fu Daiyo charged at full force, using the shield as a blunt weapon.
Long Ju's body turned with an elegant and sinuous curve, her elbow hitting her opponent in the ribs as she shunned the attack.
Before she could capitalise on her successful hit, Fu Daiyu rolled to the left and tried to kick her legs. Long Ju simply spun gracefully around her, as if she was dancing. Following the momentum, she evaded the piercing strike of the weapon that was regaining its spear form.
Fu Daiyu rotated the spear again, forcing her to take a few steps back. She always considered herself to be flexible and swift, but she had to admit the swordsman in front of her vastly outclassed her. If she wanted a chance, she had to avoid her in close quarters at all costs and take as little risks as possible.
The spar continued for several minutes, as each girl tested the other's abilities and defences. Long Ju could be fast and agile in the rain and wind, but the long reach and sharp point of the spear were a serious threat. Fu Daiyu was on guard, taking advantage of her weapon's superior range to keep Long Ju, who was on the defensive, at bay.
Long Ju knew she was playing a dangerous game, and couldn't make any moves that would expose her to the spear. Especially since it could change its shape instantly and even chase her.
Controlling the airflow was harder than usual since the violence and strength of the wind were much higher than what she was used to, but they were granting her the power to accomplish feats normally impossible for her, and she was feeling more comfortable with each passing minute. She could feel her mastery over the Windwalk technique growing with this fight.
Long Ju lounged forward one last time. She was confident she found the secret behind the almost autonomous nature of Fu Daiyu's spear, and the principle behind her spearmanship.
The shaman girl collected her thoughts and changed her spear into some sort of clawed gauntlets. She realised during the fight that despite her prowess, Long Ju was not as physically strong as her. She discarded it before, but maybe with a hand-to-hand approach, she would be capable of subduing her, after all the only time she was close to an impactful strike was when they clashed in close combat.
Long Ju was in front of her in a flash, the sword in her hands drew a straight line in the air, but she was prepared. A shield formed to block the swing, and she rushed in, waiting for the following sword strike. Which never came.
Long Ju calmly held her sword straight behind her back and retracted her Aura into her core. Once again she was a victim of the wind and the rain, but she paid them no mind. Silently, but swiftly, she followed the movement of the shield, using it to cover herself from Fu Daiyu's sight.
The girl's punch swung in the empty air. Suddenly she couldn't sense anything from Long Ju's except her vague presence. It was like a glowing orb of light went dark, leaving her momentarily blind.
Then, the kick reached her, bending her in two on the ground. Fu Daiyu wheezed, struggling to control her breath. She felt a slight tap on her shoulders as Long Ju offered her a helping hand, smiling.
Fu Daiyu was momentarily stunned. She couldn't believe a strike had come within such close range without her sensing it. Long Ju had found a way to bypass her most formidable weapon.
She accepted Long Ju's hand, and she got back up on her feet, holding her stomach. She was genuinely happy that she could learn and develop in this duel, but she didn't expect to lose. Certainly not to someone who was the same age as her, and wasn't Hu Yan.
"Aura sensing. You have a frighteningly powerful ability to sense Aura and its flow, and your weapon is able to mimic those same characteristics independently. I am beyond impressed."
Hearing those words, she was once again blown away by surprise. For an outsider to immediately grasp her strengths and weaknesses in the span of a short fight... what kind of monster had she challenged to a 'light spar'?
Fu Daiyu looked at Long Ju with new eyes. The smile on her face was no longer mischievous, but one full of respect.
Long Ju was surprised she could see such a genuine change of attitude in her partner just for an exchange of some blows. Fu Daiyu took another deep breath, but she refused to surrender to the exhaustion she was feeling.
"I think we should turn it in for tonight, it's already quite late," Hu Yan suggested, speaking up after being quiet all this time. If he was impressed, he didn't show it. Fu Daiyu was hesitant, but her body was begging to rest.
"What about Hu Yan, doesn't he want to spar?" Long Ju asked innocently.
Hu Yan coughed, embarrassed, "My skills as a poison master are unfortunately not very apt for this kind of activity," he said.
Fu Daiyu paled visibly and hurriedly explained, "It would be best not to face any poison master in this weather," she paused, "Not for one's own sake, but to avoid any disasters."
From her grave tone and the pain in her eyes, Long Ju understood that this wasn't just a saying, but the dregs of a traumatic experience in her past. With the amount and expertise of poison masters and alchemists living in Serpent's Gate, it wasn't difficult to imagine something horrifying happening from time to time.
"That makes sense," Long Ju said, understandingly.
She was curious about the story of what could make Fu Daiyu speak with such dread, but as she saw her face and the tension in her voice, she decided against asking. There would be time to talk in the future.
Long Ju also decided to retire for the night. The storm outside had intensified, and the rain poured violently on the gardens outside the houses. The sky was dark grey and black, now. The downpour continued.