Traversing the woods with this ragtag group of individuals was proving an eye opening experience for Xing Lei. On one hand he was grateful to no longer be a prisoner to his own company but the company he had gained seriously made him wonder at the reason why so many had turned out to buy these people. Glancing over to the first headache of the troop, Sorina Ironhand he could only shake his head. For a princess she was as lady like as a sailor, perhaps it was her lengthy time as Blackheart's prisoner but she displayed no ability that nobles should possess at her age.
If he had to point out the most glaring sign she had been traded off to a low born Duke early on was her relationship with the cleric Dale. The two were worse than rabbits, every time they broke for meal or relief the pair found some excuse to slip into the bushes and have at each other. Xing Lei could say his own libido was fairly high but even in his last life he realized there was a time for everything and escaping from slavers and pirates was not the time for amorous humping off in the bushes.
She was about as gentle as a porcupine otherwise, she was quick to rile and it took a tryst with Dale in the bushes usually to calm her surly nature. Problem was she riled like a badger, so quick you'd lose a pound of your flesh before you knew you'd done something to piss her off. Then there was the cleric himself, for a holy man he was all too eager to involve himself between Sorina's thighs, truth be told, Xing Lei saw his pale arse kneeling out of a bush more often worshipping Sorina than he spent in prayer to whatever god he worshipped.
Xing Lei was also careful of what drink he brought out now as well, the priest seemed to have a deep thirst and the first few times the kobold had passed around a jug of Ottars fine ale to go with the bland trail rations the jug had stayed beside the priest and been bone dry in but a few breaths. Lust and gluttony seemed the young mans vices which called into question the legitimacy of his holiness. Still Fredregard was quick to defend his charges, and a stranger dwarf Xing Lei had not met.
Fredregard was a quiet sort, fussing mainly over the clothes his charges tended to damage when ever they hiked off into the underbrush. Unlike Ottar, Harn and even Pale, Fredregard seemed to be completely obsessed with being clean especially when it involved their clothes. When it came to Sorina and Dale the dwarf insisted they wear fine clothing befitting their stations but Xing Lei couldn't help remark at one point that it might be just as well to dress both in loose tunics and breeches for how often they spent discarding Fredregards restrictive outfits.
The dwarf had launched into a long winded rant about the importance of fashion in modern society, not letting the kobold have a word in edgewise. Even when he had pointed out finery was hardly suitable travel wear the dwarf would listen to none of it. To the stout dwarf there was no higher calling then ensuring Sorina and Dale maintained their regal appearance. The three weird travellers were off set by the yuan-ti that were far better travel companions. While Umber said little, Lady Cobra was all too ready to converse with the others.
Xing Lei knew the snake people were hiding things but he preferred their scheming to the senseless actions of the dwarf and the two idiots he cared about. The few times he spoke with Umber the large half blood had revealed much about their chaste society. To be honest, he and she were completely star crossed, yet still she favored him with her presence, while half bloods had a higher standing than pure the society still put her above him due to her skills and training. At the top of the pyramid were the abominations who were very much like himself but more powerful. The reason he had initially thought Xing Lei was a servitor was due to the yuan-ti being like dragons and seeing the value in an evolving species like kobolds, though in their jungle city state those kobolds tended to have more snake or flood dragon bloodlines than true dragon ancestry.
Lady Cobra was also very friendly to Xing Lei, in fact she seemed to have transferred the belief if her ownership from Blackheart to him. She often fell in step behind him and helped to keep an eye on the overtly frisky couple. Despite trying to free her, she had adamantly refused to have her collar picked or broken and while he had managed to convince her to stop calling him Master, she still referred to him by his full name. Talking with her about yuan-ti society was a looping distraction, she seemed to deflect conversations about herself and her station to other matters as rapidly as the dwarf threw a hissy fit about mud on his boots. She was hiding something but only time would reveal what.
Traversing the woodlands was proving more and more difficult, thankfully Pale's maps were at least well labelled for where the wood twisted a traveller's position and had been labelled as to which direction the shift took you. Using this he was able to guide the group onwards towards... pausing to look at the maps he sighed. Just where was he to lead them? Taking them to Ulak was pointless, the elves likely had claimed it fully with Ottar and company moving on, similarly hauling crazy humans to a dwarven capital just didn't bode well, likewise for leading the more civil yuan-ti in.
Glancing deeper into the woods he thought about one place where he could ditch the lot but it meant a trip to a place he doubted would welcome him with open arms. Shaking his head he would have to journey there regardless so going now would likely be best. The question was, how to get back to the Heavenly Rose monestary? The forest wouldn't connect to the distant shore and getting this motley crew aboard a ship? He sighed and rubbed his face, maybe heading to the former Ironhand kingdom was a better choice. Glancing to the side, Dale's pale shaking buttocks sticking out of the leaves brought a disgusted sigh to his mouth, could they really inspire a resistance against the elves?
Listening to Sorina squel in delight he wondered if presenting the bunch to Destorianaxe might be a better option? Though considering those two and Fredregard fussing with Sorinas discarded bodice... he'd just get slapped again.
"Troubled thoughts Lord Xing Lei?" A soft voice broke through his twisted thoughts, the quiet form of Lady Cobra had appeared behind him and bowed politely before intruding on his thoughts.
"Just wondering where best to lead you all, for the time I thought the Heavenly Rose sect would welcome you all but getting everyone aboard a ship seems unlikely so was thinking of ditching the motley trio there in their own homeland, they could potentially rally their people to reject elven occupation but then these two run off doing this every chance they get." Xing Lei waved to the rustling bush, between Sorinas pleasured cries and Dale's bare ass pumping into the shrubbery the pair averted their gazes.
"I see what Lord Xing Lei means, still, however unlikely she is the last royal of her nation, she has a duty to her people and her sire. Besides if the tales are true your own mate serves there, her presence would be far more welcome than... " Her serpentine gazed swept past the priest's scrawny buttocks and shook her head.
"So be it, though i hope getting me and Fleet Spear in one place is not a mission of yours, I welcome you and Umber but I know you have your own mission, hopefully it does not put us at cross purposes."
"Lord Xing Lei shows wisdom beyond my prior Master, our purposes shall not cross, we have no interest in you nor your mate, our mission lays elsewhere though we hope we can remain in Lord's company till the mission forces us to part company?"
Xing Lei nodded lightly, "Not going to tell me what it is though are you?"
The yuan-ti shook her head, "Many apologies Lord Xing Lei, this one is forbidden from speaking of it, I can only assure you that it has nothing to do with you or your mate."
Xing Lei nodded softly then sighed looking back to the bush, "I'll go fetch our lovebirds from their most recent nest, make sure Umber and Fredregard are ready to go when I sort out these two."
Lady Cobra smiled and bowed, "As you wish it Lord Xing Lei." Before moving off to talk to the other large yuan-ti and pass long the kobolds words to the fussing dwarf.
Xing Lei meanwhile looked at the bush in thought before uttering a single word in elvish, while he could perform the same trick with his alchemy flame his current purpose left him disinclined from sullying it with lighting a literal fire under the asses of these two horny humans. The ignite spell lit several branches on fire and the pair did not notice until a burning twig fell on that shining tender rump. With a screech Dale exited the bush and swat at his burnt posterior. Clutching her dress to her chest Sorina darted from the lightly burning bush as well and glared when she saw the kobold.
"Was that your doing ye wee little bastard of a whores arse?"
Xing Lei chuckled, "Indeed we're heading out, time to wrap up your little humpathon. Get dressed you two and for the love of sanity stop darting into the bushes every ten minutes, you'd think you would never get another chance if you took a break."
Sorina snorted crossing her arms over her chest and striking a defiant pose, "Shows what a pea brained monster brain knows. I am airing the next king for my homeland, under his rule my people will be-"
"Equally unimpressed that your plans of freeing them from elven tyranny only goes so far as you spreading your legs every few miles."
Heat rose in her cheeks as she glanced to Dale for support, the priest coughed tugging up his breeches, "Good Sir Kobold, m'lady has the virtue-"
"Of being one step up from a brothel maid, she's trained you well enough to kiss her ass but exactly what strength do you possess? I doubt in your church you're much more than some acolyte, a glorified laborer. Screwing a kingdom less princess is likely the full culmination of your luck. Maybe you two should spend less time screwing and more time thinking about what you will do to support your nation."
Both were blushing hotly unable to meet Xing Leis gaze, "For now focus on staying alive, having a son is a good thing but better to have a child when you have a kingdom to raise him in."
Gathering up the rest the band started winding through the woods, the trek would take some time since they couldn't accurately use the shifting nature of the mystic wood without losing where they were but with Xing Lei spurring them on they made decent enough time. Sorina and Dale took his words to heart, cutting back on their mad lovemaking, they were still determined but had to agree, expecting their son or daughter to do what they wouldn't would certainly end badly.
The trip really revealed how extensive the spellcraft had changed the landscape, Xing Lei's wish had certainly altered things through out the world but this geas was literally rewriting the ecology of the region, choking out the thick plains grasses with mystical trees, the closer they could get to the former capital however showed the elves had not been completely cruel. Villages appeared to have been allotted space for farming but still for the most part the trees had reclaimed the open spaces of the former human kingdom.
Elven patrols had vastly increased as well, gold and silver easily crossed through the winding trees, yet the nearer to the capital they got the more sparse were the trees, troops of elves marched the exterior watching for threats before moving on. The yuan-ti had masked their inhuman bodies and Xing Lei practiced a near god like level of stealth. The wide eyes of a rookie hunter didn't even break up the work as goods came and went, the handlers not registering the extra presence of a kobold.
Looking around d the throng of elven soldiers that choked the city streets he pondered where to find Fleet Spear...