Untapped Power

 draft breeze wafted through the walls of the old house that the squad had made their base, its occupants readying themselves for what would no doubt be trouble. There were five members if one were to count Jingyi Hou; six if the honorable commander Yu was added onto the number. Each was a soldier that Pheizhi had scouted, each gathered to test their skill in better. The reason for their gathering? A small troop led by a Five Man Squad Commander was seen heading to the very village they were currently within. It wasn't far from their military base, and any head of the hydra that made up Yoshirou was cut off was for the better.

Resting her hand upon Fujin's hilt, a certain redhead stared out of the window, her form hidden by its wooden blinds. The building they had chosen, old as it was, was a strategic choice. It faced the main road that the commander and his troops would ride through, and its doors to the nearby alley system would allow them to sneak out and ambush him. Jingyi was proud to have spotted it when the group was scouting through the quiet town; Pheizhi was just glad to have set up shop early.

Moving away from the window, Jingyi mumbled to a teammate before slipping around to the back. While Dullahan could have squeezed into the building, the hassle of getting him out would prove too long in any situation that was time sensitive. Nor did she have the option of keeping him outside where a soldier could recognize the Ferrum Carpa as a war mount. So instead he sulked behind the house, pacing angrily as he hoofed the ground.

"Hey, Dulla..." Jingyi whispered as she patted the beast's snout, earning her an affectionate snort. With her sword hand on the hilt of her blade, the red-haired soldier remained out there as she gave company for her beast. But Jingyi didn't linger for long, knowing that if something happened then the rest of her team could need her. With one final pet to Dullahan's nose, the girl retreated back inside. Too bad she didn't stay out there with her beast longer, or her statement about them needing her would've been true.

heir first sign that their enemies had arrived was when the town seemed to take a hushed breath and held it. Doors and windows closed, children were yanked inside, and citizens took shortcuts to get to their homes. Their second one was the sound of quiet marching as a group approached. Altogether the six soldiers withdrew their weapons in preparation for the attack.

If Jingyi was watching her commander, she would have easily noticed the gray eyes always following her form. There was something akin to excitement and intrigue in those dark eyes, thirsting to see more of what the redhead was capable of. To see her limit and break it. At her knees, would Jingyi beg to escape death? Or would she welcome it, unafraid of even the great equalizer?

Sneaking to the back alley, the group split into pairs to better find their enemy so that the group would not escape. Pheizhi made sure that he stuck to Jingyi, but only to observe her. He didn't want to ruin his experiment by helping her in combat. He had the sense that the redhead could handle herself, even with this battle despite the fact that he was going to leave the commander for her to deal with for once.

It didn't take long for the enemy group to be spotted, though Jingyi was sad to admit that her pair didn't find them first. No, they heard the sounds of clashing metal and followed it to find that the other four had already engaged in battle.

The redhead immediately jumped into the fray, brandishing her weapon and striking Fujin into the back of an unexpecting soldier. The man aligned with Yoshiro went down as he was sliced by the weapon, his sword clattering uselessly to the ground beside its master. Her next foe was a man next to him, the soldier already aiming an Armor-Breaking Jab at the girl. She quickly ducked aside, the blade harmlessly avoiding her.

Ruby eyes narrowed in determination as she lunged forwards, sinking her own blade into the man's side. A cry of pain followed her attack, its pitch rising as she quickly yanked Fujin out. But Jingyi didn't stick around to watch him fall to his knees, her attention instead focused on the soldier coming at her from her side.

Jumping back from an enemy, Jingyi smiled coyly to herself as she whistled. The sound was followed by a stampede of hooves before Dullahan appeared, charging into her foe with his front horns and sending him flying. There was a sickening crunch when the goat made impact, but it was nothing compared to the noise that occurred when the man slammed into the ground. It was almost squishy, with the undertones of something hard snapping.

There was a chilling shiver that raced down her spine as the girl turned away from the sight; instead, she turned her gaze upon what would become her fourth enemy. With a flourishing sweep of her blade, Jingyi bent her knees to a high crouch before she sprung forwards, thrusting Fujin outwardly in a stab. The attack hit, and like a hot knife through butter, Jingyi sunk her blade into her foe before retreating backward. A swipe with the sword sent loose blood splattering away as the man in front of her wavered on his feet. As he collapsed in a heap, his hands gingerly nursing the wounds in his gut, another whistle escaped the lips of his red-haired slayer.

The goat was released unto the last foe, a man who had just protected himself from a powerful blow set upon him by a squad member. Dullahan used his hind legs to buck into the Yoshiro soldier's back, sending him flying away.

lapping could be heard as a samurai dressed in fine armor stepped into view. The applaud was slow and mocking as he walked towards them, his dark eyes studying them with sadistic amusement. The corners of his lips curled into a cruel smirk as the commander came to a stop. His hands dropped to his sides, one hand resting on his hip as the man tilted his head.

"Are you proud of yourselves?" The samurai inquired, treating the situation like he was scolding a child as one perfect brow raising slightly at his own question. A small bubble of laughter escaped his lips before his hand moved down to the hilt of his katana. "I'm rather afraid that you're going to pay for what you've done here," he continued, his tone akin to the type a mother would use when talking to her neighbor about the type of cake she was to bake.

In one clean draw, the commander unsheathed his blade and raised it, its tip pointing at Jingyi. After a single wave from his sword, a growl filled the air. The redhead, distracted by the appearance of the new foe, hadn't realized the presence of a predator. A large tiger, its lips drew back in a snarl that revealed fangs, was revealed as its master stepped aside. With a mighty roar filled with wrath, Xuxu fell into a crouch position before leaping at his target. His claws reached outwards as the beast almost soared towards him, jaws prepared to clamp down on her soft throat.

Snapping out of her stupor, Jingyi dug the heels of her boots into the dirt as her legs tensed. Ruby eyes watched as the beast came closer, her own body launching forwards as she used Power Step. Just as the claws came close enough to rake themselves across her cheek, the redhead stepped out of the way, maneuvering her evade so that the tiger wouldn't touch her. Jingyi then clapped her free hand against her thigh before pointing Fujin's tip at the blade.

Dullahan promptly then started to run, circling around as he picked up speed and charged up his horns with electricity. Before the tiger had a chance to react, the goat used Lightning Ram upon it, Dullahan imparting his full strength into the blow. His horns easily punctured the skin of the other beast, the impact of the attack sending Xuxu sliding away.

Jingyi looked back at her foe to see that a look of rage crossed over his face as his beloved project was harmed by her own beast. His brows furrowed together as his blade was raised threateningly. Without a word, he approached the redhead with the aim to kill.

His leg swept forwards, aiming to kick his target's knee and start the beginning of Rabbit's Kick. Jingyi jumped over the leg, his foot passing harmlessly beneath her before she landed. Before Yeng'hu had a chance to retaliate once more, Jingyi lunged forwards in a tackle, her blade held close and striking outwards.

But the other samurai was better than his troops, easily sidestepping the attack with the use of Usagi's Retreat. His sword slashed through the air as he stepped a leg back to resume with his own offense. Likewise, Jingyi prepared for her own attack against him, a smile spreading across her face.

Fujin was retracted into a sheath-like state before Jingyi jumped forwards, using her speed to boost that of her incoming attack. She knocked into his personal space, stretching her feet shoulder-width apart as her body lowered naturally. Grasping Fujin's hilt tightly within her grip, Jingyi began the start of Jingyi Style... Exploding Implosion!

Fujin was unsheathed with the speed of a trained-warrior, her preemptive strike slicing into the arms of her foe. Before Yeng'hu had a chance to even cry in pain, Jingyi flipped, her blade extending outwards and striking vertically up his chest. Immediately after her feet touched the ground, the redhead stepped forwards while twirling, moving her body almost effortlessly so that she was positioned at his side at a ninety-degree angle. As she moved, Fujin struck out with the fury of a storm, its tip sinking deep into her enemy. The final strike came in an upward blow from Jingyi's blade, the force sending Yeng'hu bowling away.

Stumbling back, Jingyi stabbed Fujin into the ground and grabbed onto the blade to give her some sense of balance. Her ruby eyes narrowed as Dullahan trotted to her side, but the look disappeared as the affable redhead smiled. She had did well against her foe.

heizhi ignored the looks of confusion given to him by the small squad, instead focusing on watching Jingyi. It was the first time that he had seen Jingyi use such a complex ability. It was certainly far above anything a novice could do, but it still wasn't the limit of her power. Just a tap to the well of strength the redhead was apparently drawing upon.

As the rival commander fell to his knees by the blow, Pheizhi gave the rest of the squadron the command to check their enemies for fatalities. A soldier of Yoshiro was only worth anything if he could not return back to the main forces.

As Pheizhi supervised the team, his gray eyes narrowed in the smallest hint of excitement. He would have to go for something even stronger than the troop that they had faced off today. But it would have to be left to another day, the man decided upon glancing back at the redhead.