The First Journey

Five years into her journey across the West, Fang comes across a village in the high mountains. There, it is plagued by the wraith of a greedy storm demon.

Having noticed the clouds looming over the mountains and hearing tales of a demon lording over a village. Fang and Jun make their way up there to see what the deal is. Unbeknownst to Fang that this battle would be her second hardest lesson yet.

Entering the village, Fang approaches the elders and asks them why there are constant storm clouds surrounding the village. She is then told why.

Lord Lei Yǔ of the Silver Cloud Family, a lightning demon, he has long since plagued the village for many years. Taking young women each harvest to become his, only to turn them into clouds when he no longer finds them worthy of his presence.

Hearing this, Fang proclaims that she will end his tyranny, and takes flight onto her cloud up to his palace in the skies.

"LEI YU, SHOW YOURSELF!" Fang's voice booms through the doors as they fly to the ground, the rumbling echoing down the hall to the throne where her enemy currently sat.

A demon clad in gold and black, with long silver hair and red eyes stared back. Lower teeth curled like that of an Oni's. 

"Such big noise from a little cloud, who do you think you are coming up here to disturb my peace??"

The shadow shifts from the door, steadily walking down the carpeted path towards them. "The Fang of the Wind, that's who! I've heard your disgusting treatment of the people below, that all ends here."

The demon tilted their head, "The Fang of the Wuh? Wind?? HAH!!" They bellowed with laughter, slamming their hand down onto their throne before slowly standing themselves up, "You're a funny little cloud, very well, I shall entertain your challenge. That is IF you can keep up with me."

"I'll say I can, I'm as fast as the wind!" Fang replied while bending their knees as they got into a fighting stance.

"But are you as fast as the lightning it rides?" The demon grinned, outstretching their arm as they summoned their Guandao. Spinning it before in a flash, he vanished in a sharp arc of lightning.

Blinking briefly, Fang dashed themselves forward as their fur tingled from the static in the air. Just barely missing the edge of the blade as it swung itself where her head once was. 

Spinning around she watched the flash of energy snap briefly at the air until it hit the ground, the demon's eyes glowing back at her before launching itself forward once more.

Their fight wore on quickly, Fang dancing around the room as lightning whipped and snapped at her from all around. It wasn't until she hopped onto the throne and avoided yet another crack of lightning did Lei Yǔ finally shift back into their true form.

"Just what sort of game are you hoping to win dancing around like that?? You haven't laid a scratch on me!!"

"I wasn't trying to dingus, I was just getting you to do the hard part of wreckin' your crib!" Fang exclaimed as she pointed back to his throne.

Lei Yǔ glanced over, only to watch as it crumbled under the attack he'd previously unleashed onto it. His gaze following the cracks on the ground, to the ceiling and the rest, as he witnessed several blemishes in his previously pristine palace.

"Why you...YOU LITTLE RUNT!! How dare you make a fool of me!!" He roared, stomping his foot as he brandished his weapon.

"Woah there big guy, don't rattle your toy at me, I'm not the one who made a big mess!" Fang grinned back.

Watching how riled they became only made it easier for her to dish out some hits as he came at her again. For without focus there was no lightning. Only when she threw him to the ground with a strike from her foot did he understand that.

"You think you can just, get me going and take me down so easily, well I've got news for you-" Lei Yǔ huffed as they righted himself, "You've yet to taste the eye of the storm!"

Watching him Fang steadied her hand as she felt the static in the air grow thicker by the second. As his form sparked and grew, before he shot himself out through the ceiling, leaving a large hole.

"Oh no you don't, get back here!" Fang hopped aboard her nimbus and shot through their exit, following after the arc of lightning as it slipped through the dark clouds.

It wasn't until she came to a stop did she realize what he was after now. And a rumble of laughter confirmed that he'd led her to his own turf.

"Like a leaf in a hurricane, I will tear you to shreds little cloud!"

The winds grew quicker as she witnessed the ground beneath be swallowed by the storm closing in on her. Where all she could do in the moment was watch as sparks of lightning dance through the clouds. Lightning in itself was already a powerful weapon to wield, let alone use to ones own advantage. She could see how he used his magic to gather the clouds so he could disperse it evenly for his use. Only gathering it in brief moments when he sought to lash out and attack her. Gathering it all in one place, and releasing it took years of study. But here he was using it so carelessly. She could only guess that it had to do with the staff he wielded.

Dodging yet another blast of lightning, she sought to warp the clouds to aid in her fight. If she could, she might be able to draw him out of his hiding place just briefly enough for her to attack and get that dam spear from his hands.

Drawing back her hands she motioned to the air around her, and began to pull and push at the magic in the air, causing the winds to blow in a different direction and disrupt his magic.

It almost looked to be working, his arcs of energy were becoming a bit less frequent as she dodged and weaved between what pot shots he did throw her way. It wasn't until she could see the ground again did she call him out again.

"Come on and quit hiding behind those clouds Lei Yǔ! Unless you're afraid to take me on in hand to hand?" 

Her eyes flitted around wildly trying to watch the lightning that snapped around her, trying to figure out where he'd pop up. It wasn't until she caught a glimpse of his shadow did she shoot off, slamming herself into the demon and pushing him out of the storm albeit briefly.

She'd caught him by the collar, and managed to land a rather nasty punch to his chin before she felt her own skin prickle in warning before she finally backed off just as he swung his spear at her, nearly missing her yet again.

"You little- you think you can just push me around?! I am the prince of the sky! My power is unmatched by all but my two brothers!!"

"Man, guess I got the runt of the litter then huh??" Fang made a face at him, which only forced her to wildly dodge several strikes of lightning that were thrown her way. As Lei Yǔ began to shoot several bolts in his attempt to get back from her, she made an attempt to close in. Jumping up from her cloud, she banged her cuffs together and allowed the weight to drag her down as she aimed herself at them.

The hit was enough to send them both down pretty far, Lei Yǔ having only just barely raised their weapon between them and catching her fist as a blast of energy rang out, throwing his clouds away from him. It was then he realized that if he didn't act soon, she'd drag him down to the earth, and in a frantic means of escape, he summoned his lightning to push them both higher into the skies.

It was a power struggle then, of them both wrestling for the weapon as they shot through the clouds. Occasionally she'd throw a punch at him, and he'd tried to shock her off, but with the weapon in her hands she might as well of been safe from the sheer power surging around them.

"GET -OFF!!" He yelled, swinging them around before he'd finally grown fed up with her clinging onto him. Gripping his spear he sought to throw her off it by throwing it to the skies.

A mistake that he wouldn't see until it was too late.

Her grip slipping off the staff, Fang summoned her nimbus to keep herself afloat, before grinning back at him. "Not so tough without your stick, huh?" She shot herself forward in an effort to knock him out.

"Quite the contrary, little cloud." Lei Yǔ sneered as he outstretched his hand to her.

Watching his gesture, Fang could feel the tingle of static growing hotter on her neck, and took a chance then to duck. Feeling the surge of power push past her as it raced back to his masters hand.

Righting herself on her nimbus as she flew past him, she watched him spin around and throw his spear at her once more, the electricity from it arcing along the clouds and hitting her own cloud.

Feeling the white hot power race through her body she tried to shake it off as she motioned her arms along her seizing body, if not to make an effort to expel the energy currently overthrowing her.

Several threads of lightning sparked from the tips of her fingers as she threw the energy out, before falling to her cloud. Her muscles contracting in pain with each breath she tried to take, she could barely make out the demon's voice over the ringing in her ears.

"Not so tough with your words now aren't you?" Lei Yǔ laughed as they watched her struggle. Beckoning his weapon to his hand before he shot it off at her for yet another round.

This time she managed to move out of the way, but it forced her into the clouds, obscuring her view and causing her to struggle momentarily in regaining her senses. The roaring of the wind and thunder made it all the harder to see her opponent, and by the time she could feel the static it was too late as the spear caught her in the leg.

"Augh!!" The same feeling from before seized her, and she saw the world flicker momentarily as she struggled to power through the hit. It was only when she was able to feel again did the hot flash of pain in her leg remind her that she was wounded. And it forced her to pull away from the fight if not briefly to recollect herself.

At least that's what she would've preferred, but her opponent had other idea's.

"Now don't run away, I thought you wanted a fight!! Where's your whimsy gone??" He called back as he tried to shoot himself after her. Weaving through the clouds as he made an effort to chase her down.

There was certainly a lesson to be learned from this, and Fang had been counting on leaving the guy alive. But with the way things were going, she was starting to see things differently.

"Why is it that you torment these people?!" She called back as she avoided his weapon again. "Aren't you afraid of the Heaven's throwing their judgement upon you??"

A laugh threw itself around the clouds below her, "As if!! The Heaven's could care less of that pitiful little village! My clouds have covered it for so long that they probably just think a dragon lives here!" Lei Yǔ shot across the clouds, his shadow blinking in and out, "Not that those mortals could ever garner their favor. They were godless until I showed up. And now they belong to me!"

Casting a glance back Fang whipped herself around and ducked just as his spear came flying at her again. The pain in her leg flaring up as she dropped down on her cloud to escape.

This fight needed to end.

Turning swiftly on her cloud, she began to charge energy in her palms. Pulling from her core and concentrating it there so her hands would become surrounded and form gauntlets. Sweat flew from her face as she soared along, ducking and weaving through the clouds as she bought herself what few precious seconds she could. Until finally she felt ready to face him off.

"What's wrong little cloud? Don't tell me I've cut your tongue-" Lei Yǔ found his words cut off as a sucker punch caught him square in the jaw, flinging him back from where he'd previously been. It wasn't until he caught his spear did he right himself onto the clouds again, and wiped his busted lip. "Why you-"

He barely caught her punch with his spear as she flung herself at him, the energy between both of them snapping at the air violently with each punch she threw.

It wasn't until she caught hold of his weapon did she bash her head against his, briefly stunning him with a grunt. Though it didn't get him to loosen his grip anymore as he kicked her away before squinting at her direction and hurling his spear at her.

Fang dodged due to her falling, but caught herself on her nimbus. Of course she'd recalled his trick once already, and could feel the electricity picking at her fur, and just barely managed to turn out of the way as it zipped past her.

SLICE

In an instant, the sounds of the winds grew silent as Fang raised her head. Only to watch as her enemy's head came falling down. The spark in their eyes fading alongside the clouds around them.

It was over?

Turning her head away, she watched as the clouds beneath them gave way to the ground, enough to where she could see the village, and watched the people there begin to cheer at the fall of their tyrant. 

Exhaustion began to overtake her as her shoulders sank and the energy in her arms grew heavy. The only thing keeping her awake right then being the searing pain in her leg. She was definitely going to take a nice long nap after this-

CRACK

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