17 Fire Demon

-Shen Wei-

As the demon approached, they all stared at it and wonder how they were going to take it down, if the dragon wasn't able to do it himself. By all means it was huge, with thick skin and some kind of long barbs protruding from its back. The head was smaller, in comparison with the rest of its body, its eyes barely visible in the hollow space in were they seems to be.

"It's so huge..." Lin whisper, still in awe that something that big could come out of another dimension. Guo yelped, scared, yet Chu keep him close, passing an arm over his shoulder, which calm him down instantly. Zhao looked at Shen Wei, expecting to find at least some distress in his face, yet, his beautiful warrior was simply way too calm. He was looking at the thing, more like trying to figure out in where to strike it first.

"Shen Wei..." He whisper.

"We can take it down, but I will need some time. Can you distract it for me?" Wei asked Yunlan, there was no hesitation nor any kind of insecurity in his lovely voice.

"My Wei, just what are you planning? You can't possible take down that thing on your own, not even with your out of this world power..." Zhao said, coming closer to him.

"I think I can, but I need to gather some energy to really take it down."

"Shen Wei, I can't possible let you take risks that way. Your energy seems to be darker than the rest of us and using too much... it worries me." Zhao said as he put both his hands over Wei's shoulder, his face really showing his deepest concern. However, his Wei simply smiled at him the way it make his heart jump inside his chest and bump more blood down his veins.

"Don't worry Yunlan... I can't explained, I just know I can take down that thing." He said.

"Shen Wei..." The Chief guardian insisted, looking at him covered with demon ashes.

"We need to finish here as soon as possible Yunlan, I have the feeling all this demons are only a distraction..." Right at that moment, the huge demon open it mouth and vertical column of fire melted half the valley snow. Wang use eight talismans to create a barrier, to protect them from the fire, which didn't reach them yet, but they could feel the intense heat just fine.

"If we are caught up by that fire we are all fried meat..." Da Qing said as he swallow in distress.

"Yunlan... this demons, I believe they are just keeping us busy, so the real master behind them can do whatever she intended to do when she forced the professor to break the seal." At those words, Zhao simply remember that Shen Wei had been connected to the tower since he was a kid and he had a certain sense of it, he did not possess, even when he was also a part of the seal.

"He may be right." Lóng Hún assured him. "The demon women had more in store than simply let some demons out. She leaved the mountains shortly after the seal was broken."

"Okay... are you truly sure you can do this?" Yunlan asked again. The first thing was to deal with the demon there and restore the broken seal, then they could hunt down the one responsible for Shen Wei's brother and the professor death.

"Yes, somehow, it will make it possible... please trust me..." There was a plea behind his words, which was actually unnecessary, as Zhao will never deny his lover of anything, nor distrust him under any circumstances.

"I trust you blindly, my Wei, I just don't want you to get hurt." Zhao admitted, but Shen Wei softly caressed his cheek, leaving the trace of his finger in his face cover with ashes.

"I will not get hurt... I have them as well to back me up. Close your eyes Yunlan..." And Zhao did it without hesitation as he felt Shen Wei's warm hand over his face. Then he felt a strange energy been infused, very slightly and it lasted for a second or two.

"Now open your eyes..." Shen Wei said and so he did. Bewilderment, shock, astonishment, surprise... all those similar emotions were too short to really describe what he felt as he saw several ghostly figures kneeled around Shen Wei, all carrying different kinds of swords, for he now knew how he could switch blades so easily. Those ghost, those guarding him gave them to him as he needed them.

"You can see them... since when?" Lóng Hún asked a bit surprised. He wasn't expecting for the professor to see them ever again, after he grew up.

"Since this morning, right when you portal us here, just before we begin fighting."

"Their numbers had escalate, you have quite a lot more to help you now... When you were younger you had only four." The dragon told him.

"Regardless... with their help, I can do this... I just need some time." Shen Wei said.

"Alright babe, I will give you all the time you need. Just let us know when you are ready..." Zhao said, now more relief to see he was well guarded.

"Thank you... I will let you know, so you all can get out of the way..."

"Then, it's a deal babe... just remember not to overdo it, you are already tired from the previous fight..." Zhao said as he shamelessly bend his head to give him a feathery kiss, which make Shen Wei blush like crazy in the spot.

"Yunlan!" Yet Zhao only laughed, making Wei blush even further as the others looked at him, not with surprise but with amusement. Only Guo looked as embarrass as Shen Wei, yet not even Guo was truly surprised. The chemistry between the two was skyrocketing almost from the start.

"Okay guys... we give this demon some hell... Wang and Sang, keep up that barrier, don't let it weaken no matter what. You stay here with Shen Wei. Lóng Hún, can you shield us from the fire?"

"They will..." The dragon referred to some of Wei's guardians, who moved to stay by each member of his team, including himself.

"Alright, we don't hold back, Zhu, not sword this time unless other demons show up, just shoot as much as you can, as we scatter to take different angles, keep moving and don't stop until Shen Wei give us his signal."

"Roger!" His team yelled and they moved forward to confront the thing and dispersing when they were close enough. Yunlan gave Shen Wei a wink and blew him a kiss just before he too joined the rest, leaving his lover with his handsome face on fire.

As they begin to shoot against the demon, without much result, the demon spat more fire in their direction, but they were faster, avoiding the fire while keep shooting up and down, left and right. Shen Wei closed his eyes and felt as many cold hands touch him in different parts of his chest and back. The ghost who guarded him were transferring some of their unnatural energy, so mixed with his own he could build up a stronger attack that hopefully will kill the demon with a single strike.

He try his best to ignore the fight a bit farther from him, he trusted Yunlan was more than capable to take care of himself and of his team. He was a man with a gods luck after all. Yet, as he stored the energy, he hear Lin yell, as some other demons came, but he sighed as he heard Zhao instructing his team to change tactics. He was in full control of the situation and there was nothing he could do to help them, for now.

-Yunlan-

Zhao Yunlan, shoot some smaller demons, the dragon still in his human form, blasting some of them away with lightings. He instructed his team as the situation changed or the fire coming from the demon force them to move further or closer, always aware of the coming demons and firing as much as he could to the fire demon belly.

"Chief!" Chu yelled as a demon sneaked on him, taking advantage of a cloud of ashes, but as he turned, he didn't even need to fire at the demon, because a translucent blade, coming from his guardian took care of him, slicing the demon in half. He slightly bowed his head in thanks and keep up shooting. Then, things beging to get chaotic as a new kind of demon showed up. The new demons were like smoke, they appeared from nowhere and attack, then disappeared back.

"Shadow demons! Be careful with those, they are fast!" The dragon yelled, as Zhu was almost wounded by one, if her guardian had not been there to shield her.

"Damn it!" Da Qing screamed in frustration, as those new demons were making their job harder.

"Old Chu! Take Guo back to Wang and Sang shield!" Zhao yelled, as even he had harder time to kill those shadows that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Soon, his team begin to get injuries, although luckily just scratches.

"Come on Shen Wei..." Zhao whisper, as he shoot a demon that was going to get Lin. Then, there was more fire from the big demon. They only survived that living hell, because the guardians shield them, although the heat was strong enough to make them dizzy. Zhao estimate that at least fifteen minutes had passed since they begin the fight, but Shen Wei had not moved an inch and he began to worry.

However as he just thought on helping Shen Wei and the married couple, as their greenish shield was constantly assaulted by the smaller demons, including those shadow ones, he felt as a cold hand grab his shoulder and he was instantly portal inside another dark shield just behind Shen Wei's, the others soon joined him inside.

"Shen Wei!" Zhao yelled as more demons surrounded their shield, although they did not came closer to the new one he made for them out of dark energy. Then Shen Wei held a crimson blade, quite long, yet thin and as he blinked, his lover was gone.

It took him a few seconds to locate him again, right below the fire demon belly and in a swift move, he make several motions of slicing the ting in different parts, although he was too far below to reach it, even with his longer blade, then to his astonishment, the huge demon make some kind of cry and as his body was cut all over from head to tail, a crimson blast making it explode in dense cloud of ashes that cover pretty much everithing around several yards away and spreading further with a strong wing, reaching even their safe bubble.

"Shen Wei!" Zhao yelled, this time fully worried as he lost sight of him in the huge cloud of ashes and he try to go out of the shield, but was unable to leave beyond his protection. "Shen Wei!!!" He yelled some more as he banged the barrier, yet it was useless as he could not cross it no matter how hard he tried.

Then he saw more crimson waves, probably coming from the smaller demons Shen was hunting, one after another as the cloud of ashes became even denser. Long minutes passed as they watched crimson flashes in every direction in a hypnotizing fierce dance. Those demons who were previously assaulting Wang and Sang shield were gone inside the cloud of ashes as well, until soon he could see no more demons.

"It's done. He killed them all..." The dragon said, and so Shen Wei appeared in front of them. He looked exhausted, yet to Zhao he looked even more beautiful, his fearless warrior in his full glory, then the dark shield keeping them safe was gone at the same time Shen Wei fainted, falling over the ash snow.

"Shen Wei!!" Yunlan run toward him and took him on his arms, as he check him. He had been injured in one arm, but it didn't looked serious and to his relief, he was still breathing, although a bit heavily and his heart normalizing inside his chest.

"There is no need to worry, he is just tired. He used way too much energy at once. He will need to replenish." Lóng Hún advised.

"Just how?" Yunlan asked.

"There is a very special stream, which had healing properties and if you concentrate, you can add your own. That will speed up the process. Off you go, I will portal your team back to the temple, once they had a bath in the river that is..."

"Wait, what?!!!" Both Da Qing and Lin asked at the same time, fearing they will be thrown in the river the same way the professor and their Chief were. However, they were gone before they could even protest and so were them. This time, the two of them were not actually thrown in cold water, just taken inside some kind of old bath, large and long, like those public ones, with a warmer water, that had a certain bluish glow. Shen Wei, seems to relax inside the water, because he just sighed.

"Ah, my Wei... it's such a shame that when we can finally bathe together in peace, you are unconscious... Oh, poor me, who will have to fight all kind of indecent fantasies as you sleep... my prince." Zhao whisper, as he sat with his lover over his lap in a corner of the bath, the soothing water covering half their chests. He gently clean Shen Wei's face and hair, as the water became warmer and begin changing color to a more yellow one. Zhao was even more relief as his Wei's breathing also normalize and he took Shen Wei's jacket off, but leaving his black shirt in place to see as his claw wounds, inflicted probably by one of those shadow demons begin to close and heal properly.

"Good, you will be fine in no time..." He whisper as he closed his eyes and concentrate imagining his lover healing, his energy been replenish back to normal, the dark energy he absorbed also cleaning.

At some point, Zhao fall asleep while holding his precious lover tightly, unable to see how he had make the water sparkle with an intense gold color. Lóng Hún simply smiled and watched over them until Shen Wei's energy was fully restored by his own lover, then he portal them back to their sleeping bags and drying their clothes. Tomorrow they could fully change, for what was left of the day and night they will just rest in each other's arms, as it was meant to be.

AN: Thanks for reading.