Darks Lone Shadow watched in horror as his two charges systematically took apart the guards. Armored lizards groaned in pain stretching across the gatehouse floor. Though only a few were seriously hurt, namely the first brute that had his arm broken by Xing Lei and a rather unfortunate fellow who tried to grab Osilliaice's tail, not only could he not maintain his grip she actively turned and targeted his crotch, the metallic cup still bore the indent of her own pointed boot which had likely, painfully, driven the metal against the guards sensitive bits.
The shifty kobold tried to make a break for the exit but before the shadows could welcome him, Xing Lei had grabbed the sneaky bastard by the back of the neck. A jovial look in Lei's yellow eyes as he spoke calmly, "Dear escort, we are invited by Destorianaxe and yet we were left to handle this situation ourselves. Care to explain yourself?"
A cold shiver ran down Darks Lone Shadow's back. Reaching back to grab Xing Lei's wrist he laughed dismissively at the larger kobolds attempt to bully him. He was the right hand of His Shadows Match, amongst all the black cloaks he was second only to her in shadow walking. His eyes narrowed as he pulled, yanking Xing Lei into the shadows with him, a snarky laugh erupting from his mouth, "My domain this is now bastard, see how smug you be going forward!"
Xing Lei looked around casually, everything had seemed to become a little more darker. The air was chilly yet no wind passed by. As he looked around he could see Osilliaice looking like a ghost reaching where he and his captive stood but her arms past through them as if both he and Darks Lone Shadow were naught but wisps of mist. To be honest he had to admit it was a rather novel trick. But that was all Xing Lei saw it as, a trick. Someone who mastered spatial laws could do the same and Xing Lei could tell, Darks Lone Shadow had used an item to achieve the spatial displacement.
Shaking the kobold in his grip he glared at the cocky assassin, "Well guess I just start breaking your limbs until you bring us back then."
Darks Lone Shadow glanced back in horror at the casual threat uttered by Xing Lei, was this freak brain dead?! This was the Plane of Shadows! Most of the black cloaks would pull their victims here where negative energy weakened all but the stoutest of faith, yet this oversized kobold seemed no more discomfited than had he been exposed to a dark, unheated chamber. How was this possible?! Darks Lone Shadow struggled against the tight grip securing him in place, if he could just get free he'd abandon this mutant freak and return to the prime plane...
Xing Lei watched his captive doing everything in his power to get free of the vice like grip that clutched the smaller kobolds neck. Shaking his head Xing Lei suddenly let Darks Lone Shadow free. With a surprised gasp, Darks Lone Shadow laughed at Xing Lei, darting to the side and pointing his finger at the larger kobold, "Ha we'll see how smug you are left here for a few hours!" The smaller kobold started to fade away leaving the rather amused looking Xing Lei in the shadows, the smaller kobolds rising laughter trailing off.
Xing Lei watched the assassin's form become like a ghost as he shifted from one plane to another. The larger kobold turned his head watching Osilliaice cross the room and lift the floating kobold by his neck. Darks Lone Shadow was no longer gloating that he'd trapped Xing Lei. He was too busy staring into the angry eyes of Osilliaice who seemed rather determined to pop the assassin's head off his shoulders when he reappeared without Xing Lei.
While he couldn't hear his mates words he could see her arm pump as she started smacking Darks Lone Shadow back and forth. The conniving little backstabber had forgotten a key detail, while Xing Lei was indeed trapped in the shadows, his mate was right there waiting for him on the prime plane. Darks Lone Shadow used a combat style that depended on moving between planes to avoid danger and line himself up to strike better... this style had a glaring weakness, what was he going to do when he faced foes on BOTH planes that wanted to beat his ass?
Not a thing except get beaten apparently.
After a few minutes of heavy punches a pair shimmered into solid form nearby where Xing Lei stood, Osilliaice gripped the kobold by the scruff of the neck much as Xing Lei originally held Darks Lone Shadow. The assassin was looking much worse for wear as Lei's mate had taken her worries out on the smaller kobolds face, blood dripped from his nostril and from his mouth, he'd apparently lost a couple of teeth to Osilliaice.
Xing Lei walked over and tilted his head looking at the quiet kobold, "No more tricks?"
Darks Lone Shadow opened a swollen eye slightly and whimpered, "No sir."
Looping his arm around Osilliaice's free one he nodded, "Well then guide, best get us back we have an important person to meet up with." As the trio slipped back into the gatehouse a door opposite the one they entered from burst inwards, a handful of guards swarmed in with swords drawn. Darks Lone Shadow practically wriggled in glee, the gatehouse guards were all downed around them and these two were holding a very badly beaten him, there was no way these villains would talk their way out of this!
Then another pair entered and Darks Lone Shadow tried to curl up and make himself look as small as possible. Xing Kah, accompanied by His Shadows Match strode between the readied guards looking at the trio that were still standing. Kah strode forward meeting Lei's gaze, "Father, care to explain?"
Xing Lei gestured to the badly beaten kobold in his mate's grip, "Better he explain. He is our contact after all is he not?" At that Darks Lone Shadow curled up even more as His Shadows Match snarled and launched herself at her second. Much as Osilliaice had done, the female kobold went at the male assassin like he'd killed her family. Osilliaice just blinked as the female assassin had her counterpart on the ground and was kicking him from one side of the room to another. Watching it all Kah sighed and dropped his face to his hand.
"No, he's not."
All eyes turned to where the female assassin was kicking the hell out of her counterpart. Darks Lone Shadow was curled up protecting his face from the assault of His Shadows Match. Feeling the heated gazes on them the female assassin grunted in derision before grabbing her second and shadow stepping away. Kah shook his head and grumbled, "I originally assigned one of your old tribe to meet you. Either my mate or my mother must have changed the assignment."
Xing Lei chuckled and rolled his shoulders, "Is fine, though we should get moving, Destorianaxe will want to know that open war is happening."
Xing Kah turned his head looking at his father, "What did you say?!"
Xing Lei shrugged, "As he lead us in the other factions all piled into the center. The only ones we didn't see joining the fight were our kin, the greenscales and the light faction. Even my wife is out there killing whoever gets in her way."
Xing Kah blinked, "Your wife...?"
Xing Lei nodded, "Something else to talk to Destorianaxe about but suffice to say, don't go too close to Alustriea if she comes. Something happened when she broke through and she's like she's possessed but I've got to look into it to see just what is going on. In the meantime it looks like she's under the whitescales control."
Xing Kah groaned and turned to head through the exit, "Come on then. Kalcash, clean up these louts." One of the armed Lizardfolk snapped a salute and moved to help the downed guards as the others formed an honor guard around Kah, Lei and Osilliaice. Lei glanced at his son, "And these are?"
"My bodyguards. Ever since we were nearly duped into a trap my mate assigned me a guard to, as she put it, 'keep me from getting myself killed'. Though she used more... colorful... descriptions." Xing Kah admitted sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head, "It seems I'm rather hot blooded and tend to act on impulse than plan."
The guards chuckled, one glancing behind from his forward position, "It's as the commander says, we're just to ensure he doesn't get it into his head to try challenging the other faction commanders in some nonsense fair duel. He tried Ferus three days ago and nearly got ambushed. Twice."
Xing Kah was making a shushing motion when Xing Lei gave him a long stare. "Don't tell me that Bluescale knights drivel infected you..."
Xing Kah couldn't meet his fathers gaze which made Lei hop up and smack his son across the back of his head. The strike almost bowled the taller lizardman over. "That idiot doesn't even follow his own tripe, it's a show to get the weak willed to see exploitable weaknesses where he is actually strong."
Xing Kah frowned, "But knights in the tales..."
"Are just tales. Even the most honor bound sole will forswear all else when his life is at risk. I do not deny that some orders maintain strict tenets but it is the exception to the rule that holds them above all else. The greater norm are the hypocrites, they swear by those guidelines but will be the first to bend or outright break them when it suits their need."
Xing Kah kept silent but he wanted to find the words to refute that claim, to be honest he wanted to create a set of knights in the army, ones that were decked out in shining armor and could unify the splintered groups. He had no idea where the idea had come from but it lingered after they had parted ways last time in the tundra. He had read up on the matter, studying different groups who shared similar concepts and had become even more entranced by the concept.
Still, his fathers views were like a bucket of cold water over his heated ambition. Could such a diverse group exist? The factions could barely work together as it was, adhere to a singular set of rules instead of following centuries of personal kin doctrine? Perhaps he was fooling himself but he still wanted to try!
Xing Lei watched his son pumping himself up. Shaking his head the kobold let the matter drop and focused on their surroundings, the path the large group took was set in a direction to where a large walled town stood, beyond it was a landscape divided. On one side was a swamp, the twisted trees twisted and ominous. The other side was a dense and gloomy wood. The plains beyond the gatehouse were filled with Lizardfolk and kobolds tending fields. These were the farms and ranches of non combatants... or at least from what Kah explained, when kin were too wounded to fight they retired to these fields.
Xing Lei swept his gaze across the lands, just how many tribes were in these faction areas? Looking into the distance he could make out a mountain that stood like a hill over the land, it was hazy to behold but it reminded him of Destorianaxe's old lair, had she replicated the area as well? He would soon find out. They were making decent time as the road way seemed well maintained. Unlike the Whitescale region, the Blackscale lands reminded Xing Lei of the Ironhand kingdom with nice defined roadways that lead to most of the villages and towns, perhaps the land of his kin were the same.