Author: Oh dear, we've been getting away from our darling Yue Ying! Truthfully this was never suppose to just focus on her. She was my inspiration, yes. but she wasn't suppose to take over the story. Which explains why Zhang He doesn't have an explanation, but Zhu Rong and Zhou Tai do. Zhang He was suppose to have one too, but I started focusing on and then finished her story and wend and did the other too. Well now she's complaining about not being in the show and wants us to skip the Poison Orb Welder's story...

DeDreamer's rambles about her Muses taking over stories suddenly makes a whole lot of sense....

Chapter Five: Poison in the Veins

"Sir! A Wei ambush party is attack from the rear!" the solider barely came to a halt before he got the message to the Shu Lord.

"Another one?" Liu Bei asked in surprise and worry. He asked his next question with a bit of fear attached, "Is Zhang He in this group?"

"No sir, there's still no sign of him."

Liu Bei looked out over the battle. They had been doing well, yes. Yue Ying inspired the troops greatly and she herself had already defeated several officers. Even now she was nearing Cao Cao. But as the mighty Lady of Lightning, as she was now known as, went on more and more surprise occurred. Clearly this was the work of Sima Yi. Liu Bei finally understood that the Jade altered the mind of the welder and that the Wei strategist was using this to his advantage. While Yue Ying charged through the main forces she pulled her own army out thinner and thinner as the followed her. This allowed the hidden troops to move in and take out the rear of the Shu army. The Shu lord figured the absence of the Vorpal Orb was due to Sima Yi's fear of what was happening to Zhang He.

'I may be smart enough to see the trap,' Liu Bei thought, 'but I do not know how to disarm it easily. How I wish Zhuge Liang was here!'

~Yue Ying~

Yue Ying sliced down another foe with her electric scythe. The battle was going well! Already she had crushed Xaihou Dun and Cao Ren. Their forces scattered before her might, and she laughed at their fear. A frightening frown suddenly creased her face. Where was Zhang He? Where was the one who butchered her lover? Where was the fiend?!

She smiled devilishly as she spied a white fan moving through the crowd. Sima Yi! The thoughts of her original revenge left her mind briefly as she strode towards her late husband's greatest rival. It would be a pleasure to end his life for her darling.

"Sima Yi! It is time to die at the hands of a true warrior!" She twirled her the Horizon around her and took up a battle stance.

"Oh, the widow wishes to fight" The strategist said mockingly. Yue Ying suddenly screamed in rage and charged blindly. Sima Yi sidestepped her and smacked the back of her head with the fan. She snarled and lightning crackled across her eyes. Sima Yi suddenly smirked and bolted off. Yue Ying hurtled the weapon at him and the butt of the staff collided with his back. He yelled in pain back kept moving. She began to follow but found herself surrounded by Wei soldiers.

"What a lovely plan," a silky voice said triumphantly behind Yue Ying. She whirled around to stare into Zhang He's claws, "and you fell into it so easily."

The men standing around the captured woman faltered for a moment at the pure insane uncontrolled bellow of inhuman rage that pierced their ears. Hot electrical bolts snapped around her and her eyes glowed a deep green. And then it stopped.

Yue Ying stared at her hands as the power faded. Her mind cleared and she felt normal. It scared her. She looked up in bewilderment.

"Ah, you don't know"? Zhang He said with great amusement, "The orbs only work when you have your weapon, you silly woman."

The Lady of Shu looked down to her scythe. It lay behind the wall of troops. Their trap worked very well. If she hadn't so worried she would have been impressed. "

And now, my dear," Zhang He said happily, "It is time you......." And then all hell broke loose.

A fire bolt slammed into Zhang He's claws.

"What"? Zhang He whirled around.

"The Nanman tribes! They're attacking!"

Another cry came from the other side of the battlefield. "The Wu army has arrived!!!"

Yue Ying took the moment of chaos to knee the stomach of one of the men in front of her blade. As he double over she leaped frogged over him, kicking the soldiers beside of him. She then started to run back to her forces as she went she picked up her weapon. She stared at it for a long time. Should she use the Jade Orb of Lightning or not? Clearly it had a blood lust and was using her to satisfy its insatiable appetite. She was mad at Zhang He, yes, but she normally wouldn't go blindly into battle like that! And now she was separated from all of her allies with enemies coming from everywhere. A man stepped in her way. He wore a spiked mask and held his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I have found you."

"And now you've lost me," before he could even move she slammed into him. His eyes flashed for a moment and she was sent flying backwards. She looked up from the ground to see him striding calmly over to her. A soft aura surrounded him, a clear sign of an Orb holder.

"Who". Who are you? How did you get an orb"?

"Zhou Tai. Island labyrinth. Chiang Shi," the Wu officer said in his normal clipped speech. He offered his hand to her.

She looked at it as if it were a snake.

"I am here to help." Against her better judgment she took the hand and he pulled her up as if she weighed nothing. Clearly he was a strong warrior even without the orb. Memory suddenly flooded back into her about the danger of the orbs. She stepped back and held her blade to his throat.

"You are a threat to yourself and others," she warned him.

"I have mastered the orb."

She narrowed her eyes and nudged him with the blade to remind him of his peril. "How"? she asked simply.

"Focus." Any more comments were cut short and Zhang He leaped into the midst of them.

"I suggest a truce until this other matter is dealt with!"

"What?!" Yue Ying nearly spat out her words, "Why would I ever EVER join...."

Zhang He simply pointed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and nearly dropped her weapon.

Zhu Rong, Goddes of Fire, was bathed in her element. The hair was living flame and her eyes glowed like embers. Her usually tanned skin was redden and her weapon smoked.

"You have upset this realm, fools!" Her voice boomed at them, "It is time for a true Master of the Jade Orbs to conquer you.

All three suddenly took up their weapons and stood side by side.

"I suggest a three prong attack," Zhang He told the others.

"I can't believe I'm working with you but fine," Yue Ying said.

"Right," Zhou Tai simply said.

"Aaahh!" Zhang He charged down the center. The dark purple energy hissed behind him, and he leaped into the air. His claws collided with the Fire wheel and red and purple auras wrestled with each other.

Zhu Rong suddenly pushed hard and threw the general. She spun quickly to block Zhou Tai's blade. A kick sent the man stepping back but a blow from behind knocked the Goddess to the ground.

"Well, I may not need the orb for this fight," Yue Ying held her weapon against the other woman's throat.

"You are a fool to even consider it," the Queen told her. She then smiled venomously, "good bye."

Before Yue Ying could question the odd choice of words a huge spear rammed her in the ribs. She flew through the air and landed several feet away. Pain racked her body and she started to black out. She looked up in time to see Zhou Tai and Zhang He rushing towards a huge foe.

"It is time to die!" Lu Bu, Master of the Poison Orb, told them.

*laughs as he hands lacitar13 the Lu Bu plushie* STOP READING MY MIND! But seriously, you're pretty good at this guessing stuff!

Stay tuned for the next Chapter! The Forces Collide!!!

And I hate to do this to my lovely reviewers but I'm leaving Friday on a trip and wont be back until the 25th, so you'll have to do without for two weeks! Sorry! Maybe I should end it on such a cliffhanger.... oh well!

Gee, I never knew I was so evil. And I'm about to get worse, and you all can thank puppet of the antler! No one threatens me in thier reviews and gets away with it.