As the next town rolled into sight Xing Lei could understand Alustriea's unease, unlike a human town these orcs were hardly architects, the town resembled a bandit camp more than anything, fully customized with bleached skulls hanging from various parts of the spike top wall that circled the central fort like structure. Green skinned humanoids hooted and hollered as the caravan rolled between those gates and as a show of strength the fort owner stood in front barring the way with ten heavily armed enforcers.
From the looks of things the lead driver was being extorted a decent amount to even enter... or leave safely. Xing Lei eyed the 'orcs' with disdain, as strong as they looked they had about as much discipline as a lush before beer. These thugs before a heavily laden caravan, they meant to take a cut... or make several themselves. As other passengers and workers disembarked, he noticed they stuck together, the only ones who went off by themselves were men, and ones that looked like they could handle anything thrown their way.
Xing Lei soon saw why as a cocky young man went to explore and got dragged into an alley, soon enough his anguished screams were heard before silence. Most of the other passengers huddled closer together, fearful that they'd be pulled out of their herds and similarly butchered. Xing Lei shook his head, glancing to Alustriea and Fleet Spear, he smiled. "I'll go ask about an inn, stay put until I get back."
Hopping out of the wagon he had a look around before directly heading down the alley the young man had been dragged, turning a corner he came upon a pair of thick orcs, one stood up counting coins from a pouch while the other held a vicious looking knife to the lads throat. The poor guy was trembling, his clothes were torn and bloody looking like he had been half molested by the pair. Looking up from their work the one with the pouch grunted to his partner, who promptly slugged the young man before turning to Xing Lei.
With knife readied, the orc advanced on his next prey as he snickered heavily, Xing Lei shook his head and met the advancing thugs gaze, "You sure you want to provoke me?"
The orcs looked blankly at each other than laughed hard, the one with the knife grunted as he continued his advance, "Oh me sure, turn out youse pockets, maybe me brudder an' me don't skin ye."
Shaking his head Xing Lei stepped forward, but that single step saw him draw up even beside the armed orc, his scaled fist surging forward with the power of a battering ram as he drove it into the orcs gut. The thug bent double, spittle and bile expelling from his tusks mouth before sliding off Lei's fist to collapse onto the alley floor. His partner gawked and fumbled for his own blade, dropping the coin purse, yet Xing Lei was right there to catch it before the coins spilled free, his body low to the ground as he kicked at the second orc's ankle and heard a satisfying loud SNAP. With a scream the second orc forgot about his dagger and grabbed his shattered ankle rocking on the ground in pain. Ignoring the brutes Xing Lei shouldered the bloodied man, stuffed the coin purse under his armor and sauntered back out onto the main street.
The caravan people gawked. The orcs gawked. Yet Xing Lei calmly returned the young man to his group before casually walking back to the roughneck wagon, all to the accompaniment of an orc screeching in pain. Looking up at Alustriea and Fleet, he reached up to help them down. "Let's find somewhere comfortable to rest." Leading the pair into the fort the other thugs made way for the kobold, the sight was almost comical until one realized. The orc in the alley was still screaming.
The elf looked at Xing Lei in the lead and asked, "What did you do?"
"Saved a young fool from being a slave, taught the orcs not to fuck with me and got us a nice purse of coin to relax with. A good what? Five breaths worth of work." Xing Lei grinned as Fleet Spear enjoyed pressing close. "So Alustriea, is there anywhere in this place that won't poison our meal?"
She though a moment before pointing ahead, "Turn left there and head down stairs. Ottar's Inn is what you want, how he setup shop here I never asked, usually dwarves and orcs are like fire and oil. Yet here he has a tavern, is the safest place for visitors, though not for your money. Charges an arm and a leg for the safety of knowing no orcs will step inside his place."
"Ah yes I've heard of dwarves before, this should be interesting."
Fleet Spear sighed softly and looked to the elf with a helpless shrug, the pair walking alongside Xing Lei as he noticed the sign and pushed in through the door. Alustriea was about to enter when Xing Lei pushed her and Fleet Spear behind himself, his hands snapping out to catch not only a steel battle axe that came spinning from across the room, but redirecting it to deflect the long knife that came in at a lower angle behind it.
Xing Lei looked across to a fuming figure, a bushy beard that looked like it could have been a yak firmly attached to the beings face occupied most of the face, but did allow for two dark eyes to glare with malice at the kobold who was now casually juggling both war axe and blade. The rest of Ottar was barrel shaped and just as broad, it looked like a dwarf was almost bred to be a walking mound of muscle. Glancing at the rage filled gaze a smile crossed Xing Leis face, "Excuse us for being from out of town, we heard this place was safe to enjoy but little did I know this was a dwarven greeting. Let me return the favor..."
Still smiling those weapons stopped their aerial ballet and were returned to sender. Ottar cursed and dove under a stout table, upending it just as the crescent of the axe and the slender blade of the dagger found new homes in that solid table top. Chuckling, the kobold walked in further to stand before the damaged table, "So can me and mine enter good dwarf, or you want to dance some more?"
Looking out from behind the table, Ottar stomped up to Xing Lei, nose to snout staring into those reptilian eyes. Every muscle in the dwarf seemed to twitch as a ham sized fist soared towards Xing Leis face, yet a clawed hand caught the wrist and with deft ease lifted the startled Ottar and slammed him arse first to the floor. "I can dance with you all day Ottar but I'd rather my mate and friend come in and share time with them, you're just not my type."
Rubbing his bruised posterior the dwarf snorted and spat to the side, "Ye took what I threw at ya, ye repaid without bloodshed, aye you and yers can come in but know yer paying fer me table!"
Laughing Xing Lei nodded, hooking a couple of chairs to sit directly at the weapon laced furniture, calling out to Alustriea and Fleet, as the former entered she pulled down her hood and winked at Ottar, "Been awhile elf friend Ottar, yet profits been plenty I hope?"
The old dwarf growled and rubbed his sore bottom, limping behind the bar, "Good to see ya lass but when did you trade yer old lot for this thrice cursed dragon kin?"
Alustriea sighed sadly, "You know of my ceremony, the rest fell when the goblins captured us. That 'thrice cursed dragon kin' is the one that hauled me out of hell before the goblins were what they are."
Glancing to the two kobolds who were seemingly more interested in each other than the elf's tale, Ottar shook his head and spoke in rough elvish, "Saved by a blasted kobold lass, I just cannae believe it. Now had ye said he freed ye to serve their damnable hoard stealin over grown lizard o' theirs, THAT tale would make more sense. So what is his angle lass, no kobold I ever seen managed to reverse me tosses so easy, nor sat me on my arse afterwards."
To the side Fleet Spear was looking curiously from dwarf to elf, not really following what the ugly little male was saying to the ugly tall female but the way they looked at Xing Lei made her almost rise from where she sat, reaching for her spear until he laid a calming hand on her shoulder. Lei glanced over at the pair flashing a toothy grin as he focused on trying to speak the local dialect rather than using the dwarven or elven tongues, "My angle is merely adventure, I saved Alustriea so I'm seeing her home, after that? Will see where the road takes me."
Ottar snorted glaring at Xing Lei, "Don't remember askin' ye, ya scaly son o' a lizard."
Xing Lei chuckled, "You asked about me, since it's no secret I told you myself, unless you think our mutual friend has been charmed by me?"
Alustriea flushed a bit and glared at the kobold, Xing Lei gave her a wink before settling down beside Fleet Spear and speaking quietly to her, he could tell the huntress was well out of her element here in a city far from others like her. She glanced at Xing Lei rather surprised he spoke so many languages, he seemed to fit in everywhere he went. "What are those two plotting Zing Lee?"
Xing Lei rocked back on his chair glancing around the tap room as he listened in on Alustriea speaking with Ottar, after a few minutes he shook his head, "Mostly seems to be trading tales of what is in and around the fort. Ottar really dislikes us, is the dwarf and kobold dislike really so intense its kill on sight?"
Fleet Spear nodded softly glancing over, "Usually it's worse. Strangely enough you somehow made him stand down, compared to a dwarf usually our strengths aren't comparable at all. Even in a neutral situation a dwarf beating up one of us is not that strange."
"Sounds like you've seen such. Have you travelled outside the tribe before?"
Fleet Spear nodded solemnly, "Once, a few of the older hunters wanted to range further, we came across a mixed group. We didn't stand a chance, most fell before a dwarf who tossed our heavy hitters around like pebbles. A few of us escaped but they tracked us for awhile, we had to make sure we didn't bring death back to the tribe. Zing Lee, are we returning to the tribe after we ditch the elf?"
Xing Lei shrugged looking to his companion, "Personally I'd rather find someplace to grow stronger. Hard to do that back at the tribes home, but ultimately if fate wills it I'll go back."
Fleet Spear looked at him curiously, "Why range so far from home, out there is nothing of much use to us."
Xing Lei shook his head remaining silent, staying in the tribe was a road he could travel but with the Mistress pulling strings behind the cavern irked his soul. Fleet Spear watched him and sighed, resting a hand on his arm she looked at him, "When we leave the elf come back home with me Zing Lee, there is nothing for us out there."
He said nothing, but he knew she wasn't comfortable out here, unlike himself, she was a true kobold and wanderlust wasn't apparently their nature. Still he squeezed her hand affectionately and leaned over to lick her cheek, which brought several stares from other patrons but he left it at that, was hard to privately kiss without lips. She might not make a lengthy travel companion but he was glad for her company.