The warriors rushed in, body tight armor hugging lithe muscular builds. Each was armed differently, like it wasn't a regulated unit, rather each soldier picked what they favored. Six sets of softly glowing red eyes focused on Xing Lei as he held his spear ready, shifting it a bit as each warrior seemed to jockey for a closer position. Sensing something amiss, Xing Lei twisted and spun to the side, his spear slapping out to intercept a slender sword that sought his exposed side, but the real attack he dodged was a crossbow quarrel that darted between the bodies of two of the warriors.
Xing Lei had to marvel at the technique these elves practiced, while each warrior seemed to use a different training method, they worked well enough as a group that one of the sneaky bastards in the back had tried to shoot him with a small hand sized crossbow. Even now as the five warriors pressured him from the front and sides he glimpsed the sixth reloading the crossbow with a cocky grin, sure one of his quarrels would be the one to lay this kobold down.
Back and forth Xing Lei moved, constantly twisting and staying in motion, his clothes bore numerous tips where a blade, dagger or strange claw like weapon had nearly tore through scaly flesh. Counter strikes darted back when he could manage them, poking at the thin looking armor but frowning as the fine steel point was stopped dead even in the seemingly vulnerable joint areas. As he was getting use to their attacks, so too were they learning his abilities, more than one had angry looks for still fighting a mere kobold this long.
Diving into a roll to dodge another quarrel, he heard one of the warriors gasp and clutch a bloodied thigh, the barbed quarrel stuck out of the elf's meat and within a few more moves the dark elf stumbled back, slumping back onto the floor unconcious, much to the mocking sneers of his fellows, one even giving the fallen warriors head a kick as they re arranged their formation to not let the kobold escape. Xing Lei had to hand it to these elves, unlike Yelrena and Volune, these black skinned elves certainly knew how to weild a weapon.
Again and again they forced Xing Lei around their encirclement, sometimes even changing the order or tempo of the attacks to disrupt any rythym of deflects and dodges he had built up, and of course the bastard in the back was circling the outter perimeter to take a shot when he was distracted, tied up, or looked like he'd press an advantage. Ottars spear was also looking worse for wear, each of their weapons had to have been enchanted to so easily pit and knick the sturdy weapon in his hands.
For another round they pressed in, one of the shorter dark elves finally over extended, leading with a pair of vicious daggers but earning a spear through one of his angry red eyes for his efforts. Clutching the destroyed orb under his hand, the dark elf fell out of the encirclement and collided with the circling archer, cursing and shoving at each other, Xing Lei earned himself a moments breathing room, until a cabinet to the right side of the room slid to one side and the elven woman strode into the room, a scepter topped by a spider. Pointing at the group a word of power was snarled and a bolt of lightning tore into the group, while this bolt of energy truly stung Xing Lei, it did worse to the metal armored warriors, the energy racing from metal to flesh and back again scattering the group. One poor soul even fell, charred to a crisp, his body continuing to twitch in death having taken the brunt of the magic.
Gasping softly he looked to the elven woman who strided towards him, towering over his weakened body before hauling back and slugging him. Her fist driving Xing Lei to the floor and the peace of unconsciousness. As the last wisps of thought fled his mind he could see the female venting on their bodies, cursing their incompetence and mocking them for failing to control one worthless kobold. As cool peaceful darkness settled on Xing Lei he knew nothing more.
Some time later he awoke to pain and cold, freezing water had been dashed over his aching body which by the feel of things, had not escaped the females wrath. Groaning softly he looked around, the filthy cell he awoke to was crowded with dirty, disheveled beings. Humans, elves, dwarves and others were crammed into the cell, all were avoiding him and the one who woke him. Another dark elf, this one male, his once handsome face ruined by scars and shaved bald sneered down at him. Turning away, the crack of a whip sounded out, the scream of a youthful body broke the stillness as the elf gave a dark evil laugh, "Now you dogs are all awake and paying attention I'll make this clear. You are a slave. You no longer have a you, all that you are is ours. We say jump, you jump. We tell you to kill, you kill. You don't and we'll flay the flesh off everyone else but you. The sooner you piles of shit realize you are now property the better you'll be. Well, most of you anyways..."
That dark forbidding gaze swept across the scattered elves, those elves cringed and shrunk away as if knowing their fate already. The menacing task master snickered at their discomfort then looked around. "Most of you are worthless, chances are high your bodies will be sold for meat for beasts, those that prove otherwise might be bought as gladiators or pets. Now, haul your asses out of here, the caravan leaves in an hour, feet draggers lose their feet."
Snarling the elf cracked his whip again, smiling as an elven woman gave a screech as the lash opened a gaping wound on her shoulder, "YOU, can await my pleasure." The woman cringed and sobbed clutching her bloodied shoulder, the few beside her drifted away knowing her end wouldn't be good under their captors sick sense of 'mercy'.
Xing Lei shook his head checking himself, well it was plain to see he was naked again, the clothes he had on were absent as was his ring, he'd have to track down that mage elf woman to get it back. Sighing to himself he looked over the other slaves as they shuffled towards the gloom of the exit, seems the Night Parade were the source of Ironhands diminishing demi human population, the humans were herding them up for these dark skinned elves but what were they doing with so many slaves? Some obviously trickled back into human noble hands but the vast majority were being taken where?
As the group was guided out into what looked like a rough worked tunnel, Xing Lei slipped up beside the few elves that huddled together, looking them over her whispered in elvish, "What is going on, who are those dark elves?"
The elves that had grouped together nearly jumped out of their skins one and all hearing a kobold address them fluently in their native tongue. Staring suspiciously at him the majority of the small group ignored him, while the woman who clutched her shoulder spoke softly, "They are drow, dark seeking elves. Our people cast them from the surface generations ago. They thrive on depravity, slaughter and cruelty, we're likely headed to their slave markets. Well, you are, we likely won't live long once the caravan starts moving, drow and elves hate each other. Like the task master and myself, chances are high I'll be beaten defiled then murdered by him, though the order depends on how much of a bastard he is."
Tears rimmed her eyes, knowing such a sad future awaited anyone would cause most to break, yet this elf still managed to look at her future with a small bit of detachment. "Before you came over we were debating taking a stand, hopefully prompt the guards to kill us before we're summarily tortured and executed."
"No chance of escape?" Xing Lei glanced over the slaves then the drow guards, surely this many could handle those few soldiers. But the elf's head shook, "Drow pride themselves on being able to out fight surface races, unless we have some hidden experts mixed in, just these handful of drow would slaughter all of us within minutes. Especially unarmed as we are."
Xing Lei nodded then reached out, the elven woman shrunk away from his touch before realizing his hand was glowing, a soft light was spreading from his fingers to her shoulder, the nasty wound slowly was scabbing over, while she would still bare the mark of the whip she would not be hindered by the cruel strike. Blinking in surprise the elves looked at the kobold curiously, "Healing magic, in a kobold? Just who are you?"
Xing Lei chuckled, "I'm called Xing Lei, I suppose you could consider me elf friend since I travel with a few elves, am escorting, or well was, Arch mage Illtalians daughter home from her coming of age ceremony."
"Lady Alustriea is here?! Dear goddess I hope she wasn't captured!"
Laughing softly Xing Lei shook his hands before the elves fretted themselves silly, "No, if they stayed true to the plan they're either waiting for me outside of town or are headed back with my mate, really depends how long I was unconscious for."
Sighing with relief the elves looked more kindly now on the strange little kobold, "Well if you plan to make a move Xing, we'll act with you. We'll also try and gather some other support to help."
Xing Lei nodded not bothering to correct them on his name, "You have twenty minutes and then I'll act. Do drow have any particular weaknesses?"
The elven woman shook her head, "If you want to try magic, it's not worth it, living underground for generations makes most spells slide right off their bodies, of course that works both ways too, they generally can't benefit from support spells. There is one weakness you could try but it'll affect everyone in this tunnel, brilliant light can blind them, they're so use to seeking the lightless dark it can hurt them to be exposed to bright light."
"So get their attention and throw a light spell in their eyes? Pity I don't have the spell, will just have to improvise. Is their leader here too? The woman with the scepter?"
The elves looked at each other and shrugged, "Maybe, but she'd likely be on a mount or something."
Shrugging Xing Lei left the elves to find their support as he ran towards the lead of the mass of slaves, the kobold counted the guards as he ran along realizing there were only the handful he'd seen at the Night Parade, even up ahead the drow in the lead was not the woman but the task master with the scarred face. Chuckling he continued moving ahead, the timing in his mind counting down as he considered how to alert the leader to the problem he was about to have.
Closing in the kobold fell into step behind the scarred drow, the few other warriors noticed Xing Leis weird motions and watched a bit. Suddenly one grinned and motioned to his companion, soon others picked up the pace to watch the ballsy kobold strutting like the task master in front. Soon enough the procession had halted since the drow were standing watching the kobold mimicking their 'leader', a snigger from one of the warriors alerted the scarred drow, making him turn just in time to see Xing Lei pull the same motion. His red eyes narrowed as the kobold turned to that scarred visage and simply grinned back mockingly. "What finished strutting already handsome? Tired, need a break?"