11 Summoning Circles, Joined Stars

-Yunlan-

"Da Qing, we need a shorter route! Can you make one?" Zhao yell as they run after the Earth Prince, trying to avoid as many bats as possible.

"It will take too much time to remake everything to make it shorter! I am already guiding you all to the shortest route!" Qing yelled back and Zhao gave Wei a glance. He was quite worry for his Prince, because Furies were fire masters too, so he could not exactly manipulate their fire at will, like he would with any other kind of fire.

He had expected to fight furies in open lands, one at a time in which they could help him defeat them. Furies were known to be territorial, so it was actually easier to avoid them with one every few miles, but in a close space, the Furies blasting fire was going to be a problem. Da Qing could keep the cave for collapsing, but it will also drain him to maintain the caves in one piece.

"Yunlan... I think there are three heading to the entrance and they are moving fast." Shen said, firing a set of flames arrows to a few coming bats.

"Ah, damn it!" Zhao cursed, shooting ice shard ahead in all directions, hitting a few others. Three was a very bad number for them right now, because one Fury was hard enough to defeat, let alone two more with the extra addition to who knows how many more damn bats! Maybe he should flood the caves in full, but a Fury's fire was not easily extinguish even by water.

"So what's the plan now?" Lin asked manipulating the air, to get the flying bats off balance.

"Yunlan, I can use all seven of my Clan flames." Hearing Wei said that make his heart race even faster in dread, because just like with the Sage Clan and their sword shield, only the strongest fire users could go beyond the normal red orange fire and create seven powerful different ones.

Blue (repelling flame), Green (healing flame), Black (raging, flame), Purple (shielding flame), Dark Blue and Yellow combined (summoning flames), Silver (devouring of flames) and the Rainbow (raining flames of destruction). He honestly didn't knew Shen could use that one too. All those flames require intense training since childhood and even Lord Shen, head of the Fire Clan said he was unable to produce the rainbow flames, even when he got older and more experienced. Most of them were actually, very hard to maintain, for which allowing Shen to use them now was nothing less than suicide.

"No, you will not use your remaining five now, I forbid you." Zhao said, stopping in time to avoid a ground bat that jumped his way out of nowhere. Of course, Shen Wei stabbed the thing in the neck before it could try attack Yunlan again.

"But we need to move faster in other to confront the Furies outside the caves." Shen protested.

"I will think in another way. Seriously Shen Wei, stop wanting to risk your life like that, you promise me not to do another suicidal stunt like last time."

"Zhao Yunlan, he will need to use some of them with the Furies... that's inevitable now." Chu said, creating a web of treads to block a fissure in the rocks from where bats were suddenly jumping at them.

"Later, yes, but not right now. We are still too far from the exit and we have three Furies to defeat. He needs to conserve his energy."

"Then what about your star magic? It can create dimensions... so what about a portal?" Chu asked, as he create a barrier of his strongest threads for the sudden strategically halt.

"Wait, no. Yunlan is not a full Oracle, not properly trained... he won't be able to create dimensions. The goddess stone already have one, so he is not allow to use star magic either. It will drain him completely." Shen Wei demanded.

"Actually, I can try create a summoning circle the closet to the entrance, but I will need Da Qing for it and it will weak us both afterwards." Zhu said and all of them looked at her.

"Aren't summoning circles outside the Clan Lands made of star magic? I mean, all of the existing ones were made by Lord Tao a very long time ago, or so the old tale said." Lin said.

"You are wrong, the summoning circles outside our borders were done by one of Nuwa's worshipers."

"You had to be kidding, they don't have a known magic, aside from poisonous one." Lin said, making Zhu a bit angry.

"Believe it or not, our Clan does more than worship the goddess and create poison or the best medicines. We do have a special magic, granted by the goddess herself centuries ago." She said, making the rest of the group eye her, some with incredulity, others with surprise.

"What kind of magic? Can it really get us out of this mess?" Da Qing asked a bit impressed.

"It's a..." Zhu begins.

"Wait Zhu... Revealing the deepest secrets of your Clan can put you in troubles with the Elder later. Are you sure to do it now?" Zhao asked and Zhu smiled.

"I shouldn't be surprise that you know about it. You carry the sight in your blood, even if your father choose your path for you." Zhu said.

"Can either of you explain what the hell are you talking about?" Chu asked and Guo unconsciously slightly tap his shoulder to calm him down.

"A few members of the Serpent Clan in each generation can use a kind of transfer magic. They can leave their bodies and travel great distances, like a spirit would. She can perform one magic in this form a very limited number of times, it can be from only one to a hopefully three, then the ability will be lost to her. That's actually the way the summoning portals outside the Clan lands were made centuries ago and the reason Lord Shi send us directly to the last one, outside our lands. I believe, Nuwa foresaw this problem centuries ago and grant her followers a mean to protect our lands." Yunlan explained for her.

"You truly are talented and wise, Lord Yunlan." Zhu said with admiration.

"But there is a side effect, if she use it with someone else altogether. She will also transfer the spirit of Da Qing to show her the way to the exit, but that will..." Zhu blushed.

"Will what?" Da Qing asked as he look at the beautiful woman in front of him with a penetrating gaze that make her shiver.

"Should I say it?" Zhao asked her for her permission, although it was inevitable at that point. Both of their stars were connected, in a similar way Shen Wei's and his were.

"Of course, he has the right to know." Zhu said, blushing even more.

"What? Why is she blushing like that? I mean, we don't have to... you know... have se..."

"Oh, for the heavens! Not that!" Zhu yelled at the same time, some bats crushed against Chu's shield.

"Whatever you are going to do, do it fast, we are still outnumbered here." Chu press them as he reinforced the threads shield, while Guo sent out his sword to keep the bats outside the barrier away.

"Da Qing, you will be bonded to her in spirit for long hours, your soul will be completely exposed to her as her will be to you, but... well, I don't think that will be a problem right now." Zhao finish and the Earth Prince widen his eyes, half in surprise and half in delight. With all honestly, he had come to have a thing for the Poison Princess in the last few days anyways, so what if she see it, he was not ashamed of it. After witnessing the passion between their current leaders belonging to different Clans, he didn't mind join their club.

"Let's do it... for the sakes of the Clans. Okay, what do I need to do?" Qing asked.

"Just use your power over the stone to trace a path to the exit and beyond if you don't find the Furies inside the caves, Zhu will follow it, then make the summoning circle at the other side. You must wait until she finish it, then bring her back to her body."

"But what about the summoning? Don't she need star magic for this summoning circle?" Wang asked.

"I gave her a moonstone, which have star magic stored inside. She can transfer the magic and use it. We all know how to create a summoning circle and as she make her in the other side, I will make another in this one, connecting the two together." Zhao hastily said.

"Then let me use my repelling fire. I can expand it wider, so you will have enough room to make the circle." Shen offer, making Zhao sigh, the blue flames did not consume too much magic and they had go that far partially because of it.

"Fine. Bats are blind, so they will not see your spirits forms, nor sense it, but be aware that Furies will see you as if you were in your real bodies. If they happen to be already inside the caves, don't try to go pass them, they will notice and hunt you down. So, make the summoning circle as close as you can from the exit and come back."

"Okay." Da Qing assented in understanding.

Shen Wei, summon his blue fire and make a barrier, expanding it, almost as wide as the cave they were in. then Zhu Hong took her moonstone out and grabbed tightly close to her heart, Da Qing put both his hands over her shoulders, standing behind her.

He close his eyes and felt the earth and stone bellow his feet, sensing it as it spread far and wide. Soon, he experience the presence of someone else inside his mind and when he open his eyes, he saw Zhu, smiling at him. Her spirit was cover with a greenish glow and she looked beautiful. Zhu extended her hand and gladly accept it, but as soon as they joined, he understood Zhao's meaning, he was indeed exposed, his soul completely naked for her to see, but he also could see hers.

Her life, her hardships, her secrets, her deepest desires, wishes, hopes and needs and he was surprised to find they have more in common than they could possible thought before. Then her spirit glowed a bit brighter, possibly because she could see his own desires and the glow represented her deep blush.

"Show me the way..." She whisper and so their hasted journey begin. In the other side, Zhao saw as both Zhu and Qing relaxed and Zhu gave a short sight, then Qing whisper 'beautiful' and a bit after, both of them moved forward in a sudden move that make them fall, with Da Qing pretty much hugging Zhu. Wang have a look at them without touching, because that would break their connection, to see if they were fine and not hurt by the fall, but they looked fine and that was Zhoa's signal to move to the next step.

"Okay, they are out, now is my turn." Zhao said as he use his star magic to begin creating his circle.

At the other side, Da Qing was moving fast in his spirit form, holding Zhu's hand to guide her around the many tunnels, with their turns. Not having a physical body, they were not bond to walk, but could glide at a fast speed, traveling long distances within minutes. They went deeper and deeper, until Qing could finaly sense the Furies, very close to the exit.

"How long will it take you to make the circle?" Da Qing asked as they stopped their hasted advance out.

"A few minutes... five or six at most. Are the Furies nearby?" She ask him, unable to sense beyond what Da Qing allowed her.

"Unfortunately yes. They are burning the earth with each step, they will reach the entrance in less than half an hour. We will probably meet them just going out of here, if we are lucky." He said.

"Then I make the circle at the entrance." She said as Da Qing guide her to the narrow exit.

"Please hurry... this things are fast." Da Qing said as he stood behind her, a bit worry. Zhu however, took the stone and use the magic stored. It was not her magic, so it was a bit hard to manipulate, but her ancestors manage to pull off summoning circles, so she concentrate hard to make it happen.

Soon, two big complicated sets of circles, were made by the same magic, stars marking the land in the entrance as well as several miles back to where Yunlan and the others were. They shinned in the darkness as the earth tremble a little under their feet and Zhu faint after it was done.

Da Qing took her in his arms, bridal stile, noticing she didn't weight a bit, which make it easy for him to glide his way back to his body almost at light speed, waking up to find he did had a hold on her in his real form.

"Is she back?" Yunlan ask Qing, as soon as he saw him open his eyes. The circle was already made in that part and many stars moved around, like the place was part of the cosmos.

"Yes, but she is too tired to wake up now. It was hard to use your king of magic, without a physical body." Da Qing responded.

"Then take care of her until we are out of danger. Shen Wei, ready yourself to act as soon as we are in the other side. May the goddess help us with the next ones too." Zhao said, activating the summoning circle and an instant later, they were just a few yards from the open exit. However, as they go out of the caves, the night outside was greatly illuminated by the coming fires of fours flames beast.

"Here they come." Wei said, summoning a hexagon of purple flames, shielding the group, just a bit before the Furies arrived. The next challenge was already over them.

AN: Sorry, not too much Weilan love here, but the adventure needs to keep going. The next will probably had some very tender moments for you to enjoy.