Bigger than a Barn
"I cannot believe it. How could anyone pull something like that off and survive?" Sen'otome said in shock, looking at Taiyang as if he sprouted a third eye.
The two stood in the front lobby of the manor, with the rains finally subsided. Now they had to head to a meeting of Azura and his council, on the conditions caused by the storm and the present threats. This, however, did not stop the two from chatting. Being locked inside for so long had finally loosened the lips between the two of them.
Taiyang chuckled a bit. "You'd be surprised. Summer had luck like you wouldn't imagine." He told the war priestess in response.
"And she jumped into a pit of snakes, to get Yang a necklace for her birthday?" The priestess asked.
"Hey, Summer paid good money for that necklace. She wasn't about to let a bunch of rattlesnakes get to keep it." Taiyang explained with a grin at the memory of his late second wife.
"And she did this without any spiritual assistance or anything?" Sen'otome asked in shock, covering her lips with her hand.
"Not even a little. Sometimes, it was hard to tell if Summer was brave or just foolish." Taiyang recalled fondly.
"That is a very fine line. Most of the time, it is a mix of the two." Sen'otome replied. "No offense."
"None taken. I freely acknowledge that Summer was as foolish as she was brave." Taiyang said with a smile.
"Is that partially why you are worried for your daughters? That they picked up on that from her?" Sen'otome asked as the two finished getting ready to go outside the manor.
Taiyang nodded. "Unfortunately, they did. One time, someone tried to mug Summer, and she just gave him the money out of the kindness of her heart without fear, believing that he needed it more." He recalled. "Coincidentally, Ruby has actually done the same thing before."
"She is such a sweet girl. In all my life, I do not think I've met one sweeter." Sen'otome said before tying her sash to her robes.
"She is definitely her mother's daughter; I'll give her that." Taiyang replied with a sad smile.
"I have no doubt Summer would be proud of her. Especially with how well she has been doing as a host for Lord Balam." Sen'otome answered him, before opening the door. Sunshine coming through which made the two sigh in relief.
"Oh, Summer would be nothing but proud of Ruby for her progress. After you, by the way." Taiyang said, holding the door open for her.
"Thank you, Lord Taiyang. Besides, we wouldn't want to keep Lord Azura waiting." Sen'otome said with a cheeky smile.
Taiyang gave a grin of his own. "No, we would not." He replied as the two headed off.
The two closed the door behind them as they stepped into a world glistening with wetness. The storm had left everything in a damp, soggy state. Terraces were flooded, hillsides were matted, and trees had fallen. As they made their way through town, everyone was doing their best to clean up. But, with the puddles and mud, not to mention the patchy stone paving across many parts of Patch, it would be slow. Several of Azura's engineers had faces painted with exasperation. As if they wanted to rip out the beards they were allowed to grow in newfound madness.
Just outside of town, on one of the few drier spots, a great tent was set up. Inside, the two noticed everyone else assembled, including Ruby and Yang. Azura and Kenshi looked at them with a hint of annoyance. By default, even if the two had made enjoyable time, they were late. Though, mercifully, they did not make a fuss about it. And swiftly got to business.
"Now that Sir Taiyang and Lady Sen'otome are here, we can begin." Azura declared, officially calling the meeting to order.
"Where best to start, brother?" Kenshi asked.
Azura turned to his Head Engineer. "How has the progress been since the rain let up?" He asked.
"Progress is the wrong word to use in that sentence, sir." The Engineer said with a deep sigh, one that came from the soul.
Azura flinched sympathetically at that. "How bad is it?"
"Anything that we hadn't put in stone has been washed out. Trees and other debris litter the place. And this will likely delay the first new delivery of lowland sourced supplies by weeks. To get back to the position we were before the storm will similarly take weeks." The Engineer explained mournfully.
"Great. More drudge work." Ruby muttered, getting a stern look from Yang and their father.
"Ruby! Show some respect and decorum!" Taiyang whispered chidingly.
"You're only saying that because you're not going to be doing any of that work in the name of 'training.' Let's call a spade a spade for once." Ruby shot back with a huff.
"Do you have a problem with my methods, Lady Ruby?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A bit of variety would be nice." Ruby answered, turning to look at him.
"Sir Taiyang, please arm wrestle with Lady Ruby. And make sure you do not hold back." Azura instructed.
"Oh, this should be fun." Kenshi chuckled, as Yang looked horrified at the idea.
"Lord Azura, what are you doing!?" Yang asked in disbelief and concern.
"Merely proving a point, Lady Yang." Azura told her as he waited patiently for the two 'combatants' to follow his instructions.
Sen'otome then put a calming hand on Yang's shoulder. "It's okay, Yang. Lord Azura would not do this if such a thing were to be unsafe for them." She said to try and reassure her.
The officers and aides backed up, giving the two space to take positions at the table. Soon the two were across from each other and grabbed the other's hand. Azura then grabbed the tops of their clenched hands to keep either one from starting too early. Looking at the two, Azura saw that both of them were prepared to begin at a moment's notice.
"Begin!" Azura called out before releasing their clenched hands.
Immediately, the two began their match. Taiyang pushed with all his might against Ruby's hand as Ruby pushed back, neither side giving an inch. Soon, their hands began to tremble and shake as they tried to outdo each other. Before the others knew it, that shaking transferred down to the table, rattling it and everything on it. They even began to use their Semblances as Ruby tried to use her speed to push faster and harder while Taiyang used his raw physical power to keep the match at a stalemate. It was at this moment that the shaking transferred from the table to the ground beneath it as the others began to feel the ground rattle and shake.
"I should have taken bets. This is just like a family reunion back home. Well, minus the massive collateral damage from all the greetings." Kenshi said with a big smile.
"How is this happening? Dad's the strongest man in the whole village!" Yang proclaimed in disbelief.
"Your sister is no longer a normal young maiden Yang. She has stepped into the realms of the mystical. The supernatural. Indeed, one can say she isn't fully human anymore." Sen'otome explained, lending an air of authority to what she was saying due to her own mystical abilities.
The others present watched in shock as the match continued with neither side giving an inch. Even Ruby and Taiyang themselves were shocked at how it was going as the ground and the tent continued to rattle and shake from their efforts.
"H… How is…?" Taiyang began to ask in disbelief.
"This possible…?" Ruby finished for him in equal disbelief.
"This is not merely Lord Balam's power, but the power of your own body Ruby. This is what your training has allowed to come to the surface. And we have only just begun to tap into your potential." Azura said with a small smile.
Hearing this, Ruby got excited and began putting her all into it. Not one to be shown up by his own daughter, Taiyang did the same. Their efforts caused the earth to begin to shake violently as things within the tent began to fall over. However, soon Taiyang noticed Ruby made a mistake by seemingly letting up a bit. Pressing his advantage, he tried to push her back. Though this proved to be a mistake when Ruby put all her speed and strength into it. This forced Taiyang's hand completely in the other direction, smashing the table and sending him flying through the wall of the tent and into the wall of a nearby building.
"Dad!? Are you okay!?" Ruby cried out in concern as she rushed over to check up on him.
Taiyang raised a hand in a thumbs up from the rubble of the collapsed wall. "I'm fine, sweetie! Nice job!" He called out to her as he began to dig himself out.
"Do you understand now, Lady Ruby, why this 'drudge work' is so important?" Azura asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ruby nodded excitedly, a huge smile on her face. "Yeah! Before this training, I would've needed Balam's power to pull something like that off!" She exclaimed, happy at her progress.
"Excellent. Now then, after compiling incident reports and sightings, we have been able to deduce three immediate threats to our current position. The first is the presence of a titanic Xianyiang on this peak. Such a Grimm will hamper our movements due to its elemental control of wind and its rapid flight speeds." Azura started to explain as the crowd reformed around the destroyed table.
"That oversized buzzard is gonna be a big problem if we don't deal with it." Yang noted as they began to bring in a new table and set everything back up.
"Second on our list is the clear indication of Golden Noble forces, as evidenced by our encounter on the bridge. Still wished that sword did not fall down the chasm…" Azura continued, though muttering the last part of that to save face.
"Focus, brother." Kenshi reminded him.
"Right. And finally, there are strange reports from both Kenshi and Lady Yang of… it was a fire cult, right?" Azura asked, turning to look at his brother, his face clearly unsure of what he just said.
"Why else do you think Yang and I got those fire gauntlets of hers? Not to mention this awesome sword." Kenshi replied, motioning to the blade on his back at the last part.
"A larger sword does not provide an indication of skill of swordsmanship, brother." Azura said in a playful tone. However, it visibly rankled Kenshi.
"Hey, this thing broke my blade. If anything, it's the spoils of war." Kenshi reminded him.
"Remember Master Yūri's teachings, brother. Those who rely on spoils of war fall to the allure of greed. And chained to the winds of fate itself." Azura answered him cryptically, imitating their master. Which served to further rankle him.
"Please don't imitate him like that, Azu. I'm just using it since I needed a replacement blade." Kenshi tried to say politely.
"Why don't you get a sword made by one of the lowland smiths? They can whip you up a longsword in no time." Ruby asked, her eyes lighting up at the mention of weapons.
Azura looked at his twin. "Do you want to tell her or should I?" He asked.
"How much swearing are you willing to tolerate?" Kenshi asked, his eyebrow twitching uncontrollably.
"Ruby. For a samurai, his sword is his everything. Not merely a status symbol, it is also said to contain the soul of the samurai imbued with the wills of his ancestors." Azura explained.
"Well, if that's the case, then that blade he has is even better than the sword he had. It's made of solid aura, meaning it really does have a soul. And also, bigger is always better. And cooler." Ruby chipperly answered. "I bet that can cut that big bird in half…"
"Out of the question." Azura said sternly, cutting her off.
"Is something wrong?" Taiyang asked, confused.
"We saw firsthand what that colossal Grimm can do. Provided we don't provoke it, we can handle it later. With our logistical system and the sheer amount of construction that needs to be done, we will be focusing on our more humanoid opponents. Rather than trudging through the wilderness attempting to find Grimm." Azura explained, and with the stern tone of a voice, he was making it clear that there was no debate. This was an order.
"Fair enough. But we'd best be ready in case it comes back." Yang noted.
"Which is the reason why we need the roads opened again, fair lady. Lord Azura has commissioned the construction of Ballista and watchtowers for Patch to better ward off this beast and better defend the town in the future." The Head Engineer explained.
"But we know where the Xianxiang is. It has to be up in the peak from where it came from to attack the town." Ruby explained.
"And we would have to drudge through the mud and slippery slopes to reach it. Leaving us sitting ducks." Azura countered. "You all will receive your orders in a bit. This meeting has come to a close."
As the officers and aides began to disperse and discuss among themselves, Ruby lay back against a tent post and pouted. Yang stood by her side as, to their shock, Kenshi walked up to them.
"Did you mean that? About the solid aura back there?" Kenshi asked Ruby curiously.
"Well, yeah. It feels just like the blade of my scythe, right?" Ruby asked, confused.
Kenshi gave her a smile. "It means a lot to know that. Knowing that at least I didn't completely fail my Samurai code." Kenshi said with a small smile. "Though I will also say, I agree with you on the topic of the Xianyiang. Staring it down when it attacked Patch… Well, it wouldn't be the first time I disagreed with my brother on something important."
"Yeah, that thing needs to be taken out. But I don't think it'd be smart to try to do it alone…" Yang noted cautiously.
"What is smart doesn't always win Lady Yang. It is what is bold and decisive. Well and a bit of luck on the side. Which, between the three of us, I think we have in spades." Kenshi countered with a devilish smile.
"What are you playing at, Ken?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The same thing I always am. Results. The three of us, solid aura weapons in hand, taking the fight to the Grimm. Setting those demons back a century with our avian oppressor's untimely demise." Kenshi answered.
"I'm in." Ruby said with a smile.
"Where's your better half been today?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Balam's taking a nap." Ruby explained with a shrug.
"Oh, sure. Now he decides to be a cat." Yang grumbled.
"Come on, Yang. What's the harm in trying?" Kenshi asked her.
"... Fine. Someone has to keep you two from becoming bird food." Yang sighed, crossing her arms in frustration.
"¡Vámanos!" Ruby cried, pumping her fists into the air.
After a short break to collect supplies, the merry trio began a quick, mud-filled trek up the peak. The normally dried, windswept trails Ruby and Yang knew so well were caked in red, sticky, clay-filled mud. Combined with the matted down wet grass made a normally brisk hike into a slog. By the time they reached the old ruins where Ruby found her scythe blade, even the mighty Zodiac prince was feeling the burning aches of exhaustion. Silently deciding to take a break, the three sat on a nearby rock. As they did, they saw several large mountain llama's walk by, causing Kenshi to remark upon them.
"So that's a llama. I'm… not impressed." Kenshi noted.
"Don't get close. They can be mean." Ruby replied, as if speaking from experience.
"They spit and bite." Yang elaborated, as if also speaking from experience.
"So do babies and disobedient puppies. I fail to see the concern." Kenshi answered, raising an eyebrow at his companions.
"Just… don't get too close, okay?" Ruby told him.
Yang then looked back at the llama's, noticing one was missing. "Where did the middle one go?" Yang asked.
Before Ruby or Kenshi could open their mouths, the beast fell from the sky, its spine impacting upon a sharp rock as it gasped in its final pain. This startled the three as soon landing behind it was the great four-winged Xianyiang. Kenshi then leapt to cover the two girls' mouths before they could scream. For despite the odds, the Grimm had not spotted them. Instead, its glowing red orbs were firmly locked on the carcass of the llama. Pressing one of its taloned feet on the limp corpse, it then tore into it with its hooked beak. Slowly but surely, it began to messily consume the carcass before it.
"We are going to slowly start to get out of here. Don't make any sudden movements or make any big noises." Kenshi whispered to the girls.
With nods of frantic agreement, Kenshi let go of the two girls, and they began to back away slowly. As they slowly backed away, they were forced to look at the titanic Grimm tear and rip apart the carcass as it ate. They even saw it effortlessly rip off one of the legs and swallow it whole. However, they were so enraptured by this grisly display that Kenshi stepped on a dead stick. The noise was just enough to get the Grimm to stop and look up from its meal. Its great red eyes staring at them, with only wrath and malice emanating from them.
"I thought cats were supposed to be quiet." Yang quipped at the Zodiac Prince's misfortune.
"Shut up and run!" Kenshi called out as the bird let out a shrieking cry.
As soon as the three turned around and ran, their avian pursuer let out a shriek that approached the sound of thunder itself. With a single flap of its mighty wings, it took to the air to give chase. The three ran for it as the giant bird Grimm flapped its wings to whip up gusts. The force of the winds nearly blew our heroes off their feet as they kept running. Shrieking in fury, it tried to impale them with its hooked beak as it pecked hard at their location, forcing them to dodge repeatedly.
"Where in the Zodiac training do we learn how to fight giant bird Grimm!?" Ruby cried out, panicking gripping her as she led the pack.
"Usually, you're supposed to take it by surprise and fight somewhere where you can use the terrain to your advantage!" Kenshi called out as they kept on running.
"And how do you get the jump on a giant bird!?" Yang shot back at the two, forced to bring up the rear.
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Kenshi told her in annoyance.
"Think harder! Here it comes!" Ruby cried out as the Grimm began to dive towards them.
Covering itself in wind, the Grimm flew up as high as it could above them. Seeing this, Kenshi knew immediately what it was going to do.
"It's gonna dive bomb!" Kenshi called out, activating his Semblance around them.
Soon his body was covered by a thick greenish silver aura. This grabbed the attention of the great winged menace, who soon changed its dive to target him. However, soon a shape began to form around Kenshi. Sweat began to pour into his robes as his arms began to tremble, his eyes locked shut in concentration. To the shock of the girls, the shape forming was not only massive at five stories tall, but it was also humanoid. Soon, instead of human features, it soon was covered in bizarre plate-like armor and topped with a great pronged helm, a demonic face mask, and two swords at its hip.
"Whoa…" Ruby said in awe at the sight before her.
"Since when could he do that…?" Yang muttered in equal awe.
As Kenshi began making a motion with its hands like drawing a sword, the aura giant mimicked his movements as it gripped the sheath of its blade. Slowly, as Kenshi continued the motion, the armored giant drew its samurai longsword from its sheath. Making a motion with his hands he was grabbing a sword, Kenshi looked up at the Xianyiang. As he did so, the armored giant mimicked his movements by gripping its blade with both hands as it looked up at its foe.
"I don't… have the strength… to kill this thing… with this right now…! When I stop its attack… go for its eyes…!" Kenshi panted out, clearly struggling to keep the construct going.
"It's too high up for use to reach it even if you hold it!" Ruby replied in panic.
"If your weapons are made of aura, they should be able to create projected attacks! Just focus your aura into them and attack! Now look sharp! It's coming down!" Kenshi called out as the bird moved into position.
"Ruby, back him up with your plant thing you can do, I'll shoot it with fireballs!" Yang yelled to her sister.
"Right!" Ruby replied with a nod.
With a shriek, the Grimm dive bombed down at them while covered in wind. Dropping like a wind-covered meteor, it came flying down with speed nothing that size should be capable of moving at. Making the motion of swinging a sword, Kenshi made his aura giant swing its blade towards the approaching avian menace. Time seemed to slow down for all involved as the bird and blade made their approach towards each other. Soon, however, it seemed to restart as the two collided, unleashing a massive shockwave.
Kenshi grit his teeth as he used all his strength to make his aura construct hold the bird back. Making it dig its heels into the ground, the young samurai hoped beyond hope that his Semblance could hold out long enough for the plan to work. However, he was not optimistic about how much strain even this was putting on him and how the wind pressure from the clash was forcing everything away.
"NOW!" Kenshi called out to the girls, trying desperately to hold out.
"Plants! GO!" Ruby cried out, waving her hands as green energy formed around them.
"Locked and loaded!" Yang yelled as she cocked her gauntlets back.
The plants grew and covered Kenshi's aura construct, reinforcing it. This allowed it to better brace itself against the assault of the Xianyiang. As this happened, Yang shot fireballs from her gauntlets aimed right at the beast's eyes. The Grimm shrieked in agony as this attack forced it to close its eyes in pain, giving Kenshi the opening he needed. Letting out a roar, he pushed back with all his might. Breaking through the plants, the aura giant pushed with all its gigantic power, breaking through the Xianyiang's attack, and cutting into it. It shrieked in agony as it was forced backwards, the aura giant beginning to disappear as Kenshi had expended all his power for that one attack.
"We got it!" The girls cried out in unison, only to see Kenshi collapse into the mud. "Kenshi!"
The girls scrambled to help him up as he panted heavily, clearly exhausted. They could tell that the trip and using his Semblance to that degree had taken a lot out of him.
"Look… its… coming back…" Kenshi weakly said, pointing back up to the sky.
Looking up where he was pointing, they watched in horror as it began to circle around for another dive. Knowing that they had no way to attempt such a maneuver a second time, Ruby prepared to draw upon Balam's power. However, before she could, a boulder was thrown at the Grimm. Shrieking out in pain, it stopped its dive and turned in the direction of the thrown boulder alongside our heroes. To their shock, they saw Taiyang and Azura rushing up the slope to reach them. As the titanic avian menace stood itself back up, it finally began to realize that this meal may not be worth it. With a flap of its wings, the Grimm then took off for the peak above, swiftly disappearing into the clouds.
"Dad!" Yang and Ruby yelled thankfully, rushing over and hugging their father. Taiyang, however, was far less enthused by their sudden show of affection.
"What. Were you three. Thinking?" Taiyang asked, clearly angered by their recklessness.
"Okay, so don't be mad. We were just trying to be… productive. Yeah, that's the word." Ruby explained, though it didn't get the reaction she wanted.
"We are far past being 'mad,' as you so eloquently put it, Lady Ruby. We will discuss this when we get back to the village." Azura tensely told her, anger clear in his own voice as well.
"You have to admit we at least tried, brother…" Kenshi said as he slowly began to stand up.
"And you could have gotten yourselves killed! Now be quiet until we get home!" Azura reminded him.
"Yes, sir." The trio said in unison, realizing anything they said further would only hurt their chances of getting a light sentence.
With the trio being watched by their stern protectors, they began the slow, arduous journey back to Patch. However, all of them felt that, despite driving it off, they were still under the gaze of the Great Xianyiang. Eager to gain what they had denied it.