The War

Escorted from the study Xing Lei felt his rage mounting with every step further from his wife and unborn child. While there was no denying that he had never, in either life, been the best prospect for parenthood. The fact was Alustriea was still his wife, boy or girl, the unborn being in her belly was his child! Cultivators were never really doting parents, they often spoiled and endorsed their children to no end but rarely ever did they teach common sense and how to be children. Alustriea wasn't completely wrong, but to deny a man his child? Xing Lei was ready to string this great phoenix up by his tail feathers.

As if reading the kobolds mind the bird man laughed in a clear lyrical tone, "You should trust her, you are a powerful creature but against an entity of the cosmos, you just fall short. Give up, the mistress is mine, she is destined to take my throne and free me from my cage."

Xing Lei glanced back a yellow eye narrowing, "This is all a trick isn't it you turkey bastard?! What is really going on???"

Stavros shoved Xing Lei down the steps with a smirk, unlike the second floor in the ice plane this room was unfurnished save for a several slender cages scattered about the large chamber. What looked like a half dessecated elf stood limply in the central cages confines. Every now and then an arc of reddish black energy coursed through the cage shocking the occupant who gave a voiceless scream of agony, the withered body contorted in ways a body should never bend before something ethereal was drawn into a large crystal atop the cage.

Xing Lei eyed the setup with a critical eye before two cages hidden along either side wall flash, the northern cage held what looked to have been a drow save for its long mane of hair being inky black and rather than red eyes, this beings eyes were a solid onyx. The female writhed much as the elf did, her lips parted in a soundless scream. She seemed in better condition than the first prisoner but even he was better than the third.

Xing Lei felt his eyes widen at the sight of a red dragonfolk in the southern cage, from the height one could imagine at his peak he would have been a monstrous creature, but right now his scales were flaking off and he lacked any muscles. He was more akin to a skeleton with leathery flesh stretched taut across those large bones. Despite the shocking of his cage the dragonfolk was like a berserker slamming his weak body against the cage, roaring in defiance. While both eyes were milky white, they held a light in them, a glow of madness and rage that saw the dying dragonfolk going nuts in his cage.

Stabros ignored the trio pushing Xing Lei towards another staircase, "Hmph, you are strong reptile but they, they are dragons! Only their vitality can fuel my magic formation, so don't think for a moment you are being given the honor of being kept here!"

Xing Lei frowned glancing to the first prisoner who glanced at the pairs passing with hopeless eyes, "Is that not...?"

Stavros' lyrical laughter blossomed again and nodded, "I suppose introductions are only civilized." Sweeping his hand towards the elf, then the woman before finally pointing to the berserker, "Xing Lei please meet the white dragon, Calvexanores, former ally turned mystical battery. The lovely lady there is Ssalrekaress, the dark dragoness. She thought she could slip in unnoticed so we extended her stay. The brute is none other than Ignatriouska, the red. He snuck in to try and blast our home from within. Didn't end so well did it Iggy?"

Stavros chuckled guiding Xing Lei downstairs his high musical laughter continuing, "See what I meant? We have captured three of the draconic faction leaders, what need do I have for an ant like yourself? That strange art you taught her? Please, I've seen through you from the start, unlike the mistress who cultivates not only that weird art she also embraces magic. You on the other hand are almost pathetically weak to the simplest of spellcraft."

Stavros rushed the kobold down to the first floor where a throne of ice stood empty, the icy chair had an aura of gloom and loneliness pervading it. The entire room was barren save for this piece of furniture, a sole artifact in a icy tomb, was this where Alustriea sat? Did she have none but this beast whispering in her ear? Xing Lei frowned to himself, it was becoming clear that his wife was not a future lord, rather she was a puppet being strung along.

Crossing the room the large entry door swung wide with a casual swipe of Stavros' arm, the field of frozen lizardfolk stretched out before the pair. Shoved through the door Xing Lei easily clear the frozen steps with a quick hop as the bird man sneered, "Run along reptile. Your freedom is yours for now. When the time comes I will look for you to line my future nest with your puny bones."

Xing Lei turned to respond but the heavy door of ice slammed shut leaving the kobold before a vast array of frozen beings. Glaring at the door he would return to soon enough, he would not leave his wife to this bastard of a monstrous chicken, regardless of what Alustriea may say, being secreted away by the bird was sketchy and he would avenge both their honors upon that beaked blow hard in due course. Glancing around he was relieved to see no kin amongst the icy lawn ornaments.

Some he recognized. Ferus Azurebane was the closest, the bluescale lizardfolk had led the charge and was the first to be encased. His great sword was lifted ahead guiding his knights and a bunch of rag tag redscales. Ashen Cloud was further back in the frozen throng, the pirate had grabbed an ally and tried to shield himself with the others body. It had not worked, rather his traitorous cowardly nature was immortalized as a frozen statue.

Wandering amongst the quiet throng Xing Lei walked further from the tower of ice. The further he walked, the more the silence was disturbed. Staring into the distance he could see two armies deep in battle. Squinting he realized it was the blackscales fighting against a force of shining knights, these armored warriors wore a mix of silvery blue and gold while his kin seemed rather muted in dark cloaks and dark leather armor.

Darting amongst the frozen dead, Xing Lei put the issue of his wife and the bird bastard from his mind, right now his existing son was likely somewhere in that mix of forces. While he wasn't too worried that his kin was under armored in comparison to the other army, he knew those heavily armored foes would crumple like paper lanterns under the strikes of cultivators! Rushing up the sloped wall of the basin the kobold let his worries flow from himself, focusing on the simple art of combat, wading into the mixed melee in a tattered suit of simple clothes and no weapon save his fists.

Yet where he passed, armored lizardfolk were sent flying. The thick armor crumbling like tinfoil under his heavy strikes as he waded into the thick of it to unleash his pent up rage. After the almost one sided conflict with Stavros, Xing Lei was almost refreshed by charging into such a conflict with impunity, while the armored lizardfolk were tossed around, they still rose back up and charged in against him. Despite their armor being easily dented, and in some cases shattered, they still had a fierce fighting spirit.

The more Xing Lei pushed into the battlefield, the more he felt it a scene of familiarity. With no immediate enemies presenting themselves to his fists he watched the blackscale lizardfolk and the greyscale kobolds of his kin. His eyes widened as he saw the techniques he had given Destorianaxe blossoming amongst his people, the familiarity was the thought of his old sect back in his early first life, so many brothers and sisters using similar techniques in a war between disciplines, such could only become more true had their opponents not draped themselves in hulking suits of metal.

Such was not to say the conflict was one sided, while the opposing force relied on heavy armor they also brought to bare enchanted weapons. The blood of kin flowed as freely as that of their foes. Such was a truth in any war, not all kin had tempered their bodies to be harder than steel, some had weaker levels of understanding, yet still they fought and died, side by side with friends and family to push back these armored warriors.

As Xing Lei waded into the heart of the battlefield, his eyes fell upon the core fighters of Destorianaxe's army. Xing Kah and His Shadows Match were back to back, fighting an encirclement of golden knights while a pair of large dragonesses faced off against two large armored brutes. Standing back, much like the others surrounding the quartet, he had to smile watching his son and his kobold mate fought off the elites of the goldscale knights. Equally impressive was nearby, Destorianaxe and Osilliaice were locked in combat with what he could only assume were the platinum and gold generals.

With His Shadows Match drawing Kah in and out of the shadow plane, the pair whirled in their encirclement, fending off half a dozen shining blades. Both Kah and his mate ducked and weaved, a large greatsword clutched in his clawed fists bashed aside the lighter blades, the larger weapon leaving quite visible damage on each lesser blade it struck. His Shadows Match instead darted and poked with a pair of thin stilettos, while being a kobold ensured she lacked the strength to force back her foes, her mixture of shadow dancing and higher agility saw her strikes raising vicious sparks over the glittering armored joints of her foes, more than one seemed to be using their off hand to hold their weapons awkwardly, the wrist of the dominant hand bleeding profusely.

Seeing they were handling themselves well, Xing Lei's attention drifted to the other pair. This fight was a poker opposite of the first. Both the platinum and golden generals were hard pressing the duo of Destorianaxe and Osilliaice. While the latter was holding her own to a good degree, her spear deflecting the shining sword of the golden General, it was rather obvious she was on the defensive. While Osilliaice had been trained by the elves, it had only been a year of study or so. The golden general seemed almist at one with his weapon, the glittering blade was almost an extention of his arm as each strike got closer and closer to Xing Lei's mate.

Nearby was the one sided beat down of Destorianaxe. There was no denying that the black dragoness was powerful, but that was in her element. Here she was a lightly armored brawler facing against a warrior who was not only bettered armored, but like the golden General, seemed to have dedicated his life to understanding the sword in his hand. The silvery blue face seen through the raised visor of his helm was pained, not because of wounds he had received but rather Xing Lei could read this was a warrior who preferred honorable combat. Fighting an unarmed female? Were it not a war the platinum general would have long denied the fight.

A war this was however, thus he pressed Destorianaxe hard, seeking to end their fight quickly and spare her humiliation. Xing Lei could also see this plan was also working against the knight. Destorianaxe was as proud as any dragon could be, being looked down on and pitied? It was just pissing her off and made her punch and claw all the mire viciously at her uncomfortable foe. Shaking his head Xing Lei broke ranks with the other spectators, shrugging off the attempts to hold him back as he stalked towards the battling foursome.