The trip back to the Blackscale camp was one of silence, neither the robed kobolds nor the armored Lizardfolk spoke a word which lead Xing Lei to hold his queries for the time being. It was not hard to figure out that his trip through the cave had likely landed him behind enemies lines and this was a forward group working in secret, unneccesary chatter in the still frozen landscape could well give away their presence, and considering how the Whitescales naturally blended in in this landscape it made all the more sense to be silent and vigilant.
While the hurried advancement of the troop was silent it did not stop several of the group from glancing Xing Lei's way and flashing either a thumbs up or a shaken fist, likely either was from the betting sides. Most curious was the looks the one called His Shadows Match gave him. While she still looked rather pissed off at having literally been shot in the face, she had a rather different look in her eyes when she thought he wasn't aware in her shifting expression. While reading a kobold or Lizardfolk face was certainly challenging as they weren't the most expressive faces, it was more the intensity in the eyes and how they responded to being seen that tended to give away their thoughts most often than not.
Reaching their 'camp' took little more than an hour at their swift run. The area looked to have once been a temple or keep at one point, but now it was little more than snow covered ruins. The leader grunted at his troops who were quick to disperse amongst the stones, the flicker of camp fires hidden in the cover of the more solid walls peeked through the gaps as the leader looked at Xing Lei and pointed to one side, "The leaders tent is that way, he wishes a word with you." Without further elaboration the Lizardfolk stalked off after his troops leaving Xing Lei to his own devices.
Skirting the ruins, he made his way around to the side where a large hide tent stood, from the pristine white of the furs it looked like the group hunted the local wildlife so it blended in better with the icy surroundings. Near the entrance another Lizardfolk was sat upon a stone sharpening a large two handed great sword that must have easily weighed as much as he did in wrought worked iron. Waving Xing Lei over the familiar figure set aside his weapon to tend the fire.
Xing Kah settled back on the crumbling block, one hand used a stick to poke the dying embers of the camp fire as Xing Lei slid into the hollow taking a perch on the stone opposite his son. He was rather surprised to see Kah here, Lei would have figured that Destorianaxe would have sent Kesellex to lead her away forces rather than their son who, by her own admission was the great dragons general.
Xing Kah was studying him as he was being studied. Kah had indeed calmed a great deal these last few years, with his life as it was, continuing to be one who denied merits to only elevate his own views would have lead the tribe to ruin. Sighing he looked to Xing Lei and spoke softly, "I trust you've been well father?"
Xing Lei nodded, had his kobold been capable of smiling he would have at the complete turn around of his formerly aggressive son, "I have, my cultivation goes well, and the family as well is whole and hearty. I'm rather surprised to see you out here, one would think Kesellex more the one for ranged affairs."
Kah looked slightly surprised at that, his eyes darkened slightly as his voice fell quieter, "You do not think of mother any more beyond how she serves the Mistress?"
Xing Lei sighed both to himself and at the possibility of driving his first son away by the split between himself and his sons mother, "Sometimes, but you have to know son. She never intended to be one of my wives. Such does not mean I would discard the great son that came from our being together, but at the same time I do not pine for a relationship that did not exist in the first place. Leaf Dancer wishes were different then from what they are now."
Xing Kah nodded, he wasn't as blind as he was before. His mother had embellished how his father had had his way with the females in the old tribe then abandoned them all for the strongest of them. She had painted Xing Lei in the role of Gruck or Grull and with no one to refute it Kah had spent much of his formative years hating this kobold before him as an abusive, narcissistic animal. After the farce of their duel he had spent alot of time consoling his distraught mother but also sought out Destorianaxe to learn of the real Xing Lei.
The knowledge shook him.
Dull Scale was not an animal, abusive and arrogant. He was in fact considered a champion, someone who challenged such regimes himself. He had his own ingrained arrogance but that came with great strength, but he had not used it to bully the females and use the tribe to his own ends only to wander off in boredom. Kah learning this looked back on his own words and actions had realized why Xing Lei had allowed that strike. He had let his son vent, to get all that rage and confusion out of his old self, to let Kah see his father in a different spectrum.
Confronting his mother had only cemented his fathers position in his mind. She freely admitted there was nothing between herself and Dull Scale. His father had only ever had eyes for Fleet Spear and perhaps that elf girl they had rescued. Her own position was so much smoke on the wind. Had it not been for Destorianaxe's pheromones and her own youthful inability to keep her lust in check it was entirely possible Kah would never had come to be. So she came to resent Xing Lei for leaving her behind, but in truth, there was no relationship to keep him back with her either.
Xing Kah nodded softly, "I had to be sure, I learned the truth after the attack. How mother had twisted her view of you and in turn my own. I am sorry father."
Xing Lei shook his head, "It gave you a goal Kah, a reason to get stronger, to be able to achieve great things. I don't mind being the villain if it means my son has the power he needs."
Xing Kah laughed and shook his scaled head, even now his father showed the kind of being he was. Too many in the tribe would rage and fight over slights about their station, but Lei was willing to be regarded as a monster if it gave his offspring the drive to become the strongest. "Regardless, family reunion aside, the Mistress questions your presence in this area, one would think you still sought the tribe rather than randomly kicked around snow domains."
Xing Lei sat listening and chuckled at the question, same old Destorianaxe. Shaking his head he shrugged, "I'm still looking for the tribe, how I came to be here was more a twist of random luck, I stumbled upon an odd beast and in its lair the passage lead to a land that should not be there."
Kah fell silent, listening to his father speak of the Ice Tiger and the spatial tunnel, "Sounds much like what the Mistress wanted us to find out here..." Kah's words trailed off as his eyes narrowed, moving suddenly his fist slammed down against his shadow, but rather than striking snow the young Lizardfolk hand slipped into the darkness of his shadowy outline, grabbing something and pulled. A struggling robed kobold was pulled violently from the shade of his shadow, His Shadows Match growled and hung onto Kah's arm that held her by her robe off the ground. "My mate, what did I say about skulking in my shadow?"
Lei lifted his head and coughed rubbing the bridge of his muzzle, glancing aside. The fact the kobold was his sons mate did not really surprise him, it was more the awkwardness of likely having to apologize for shooting her in the face, while they had been in conflict at the time he knew himself, if someone did something similar to his women he would be quite livid, family or not.
Kah sighed dropping the struggling kobold in the nearest snow pile and looked helplessly to Xing Lei, "Sorry about my mate, she is mother's apprentice so rather than focusing on me hating you she has more or less influenced my mates disposition towards you now. She'll come around... hopefully."
Xing Kah sighed and looked at his father, "So still determined to return to the tribe? The Mistress hasn't forgiven you yet father, you would be better off giving her a few decades to cool off before appearing before her, she has alot on her mind at the moment and managing you is not exactly a thrilling thought for her."
"Things are a bit different now, I have a trump card that should ensure that that over stuffed lizard will demand I return." Xing Lei commented off hand and earning him a glare from the kobold before she could yell at his father for his disrespect Kah lifted a hand to cut of His Shadows Match mid retort.
Like her, Kah was rather off put by his fathers casual disregard for their draconic goddess. Though his more measured response died in his throat as his fathers form shifted slowly. His mate gave a squeak of alarm and dived for Xing Kah's shadow, vanishing into the dark sub space leaving her mate looking into the eyes of a horse sized dragon. The wry look in its yellow eyes made Kah swallow slowly. "Fa...father?"
The small wyrmling laughed looking at Kah in amusement before melting back into his five foot kobold natural form, "Like I say, I think Destorianaxe would be very interested in that knowledge wouldn't you agree?"
Xing Kah sat down mouth agape, his mate peeked out of his shadow equally disturbed by the fact the target of her ire could well now be a dragon. Kah was the first to recover rubbing the side of his muzzle in frustration, "You evolved?"
Xing Lei nodded, while he did evolve it had not been to dragon, but there was no need to clarify that point to anyone other than Destorianaxe. Xing Kah just sighed and nodded his head, "She will want to know this for sure, it looks like your return will be quite soon instead."
Xing Lei chuckled then looked to the camp beyond his sons tent, "What is this war about anyways? Last I saw you all were preparing to face Redscales and now there are these albino Whitescales?"
Xing Kah poked at the fire urging it to burn higher, "I suppose you should know what you're trying to get into here. See the thing is, the Dragon God fell about a hundred years ago, rather than go on a rampage with no hair apparent, the twelve dragon Lords decreed a representative from each faction would partake in a selection war. Basically the Mistress is vying to be named, or at least be granted the right to try to ascend as the new Dragon God. The chromatic, metallic and shade dragons each have a force in this sub space. Our war is to subdue or annihilate the other eleven factions."
Using his stick to draw a soot circle in the snow, something akin to a wheel took shape with thirteen sub sections. Twelve equal parts surrounded a central zone. These twelve zones were faction holds, each a separate biome that best suited the holder. The middle area was the war zone, it was open killing grounds where the forces marched on each other. Kah was quick to point out the ice domain, then beside it he pointed to their own swamp domain and on the opposite side a volcanic land. Since they were squeezed between red and white they were the most frequent targets.
Pointing to the other side of the circle he scratched out some of the dividers. The metallic lords of copper and bronze had joined an alliance, as had platinum, gold and silver. Dividing chromatic and metallic on either side were the dark and light dragons, the former of which had a loose alliance with the green while the light dragons were in talks with the platinum lord. Red, black, white and blue were all standing on their own refusing to back down.
Xing Lei frowned, it would seem the chromatic faction was less inclined to alliances where as the metallics buddied up almost as soon as the contest started. Studying the diagram, he really wondered what their chances were...