Walking through the Blackscale domain was interesting for Xing Lei, the more he saw, the more he realized that his initial start was not the normal of their people. While the whitescales had shown a similar barbaric nature, the true Blackscale culture seemed to be heavily influenced by outsiders. Past the fields that seemed to stretch for miles was a great town. Here the pyramid like buildings were constructed of tan colored stone and was filled with both Lizardfolk and kobolds.
While the kobolds seemed reduced to meager jobs, none looked mistreated or upset at their station in life. From how Kah explained it, life of a kobold was the starting point for all. It was a weak but fertile race, females could produce many offspring but the body was very fragile, even the laying of a clutch could overtax the kobold body. Lizardfolk were the opposite, they were vastly stronger but it was harder to reproduce, often a family group would only lay one or two eggs, thus the kobold population was almost triple the Lizardfolk.
Evolving into a Lizardfolk wasn't easy either, it required the weak to face hardships above and beyond what most could handle thus it made sense that the kobolds would reproduce like rats, only one in five truly evolved without complication after all. Many that did evolve stumbled and died or chose a safer path from one that would push their growth. Pointing above they could see winged kobolds flying around above the large stone structures.
"Messengers, while they can fly their wings don't grant them any protection. Most that are sent as envoys don't return." Kah explained softly as the troop marched through town. The people parted before the military group without protest, many even cheering for Kah and the soldiers, "I'm a known face as our Mistress's right hand, I'm deployed in most heavy conflict areas, likely I'll have to get my army off their downtime and march out."
Xing Lei glanced to his son, "To jump into that feeding frenzy out there?"
Xing Kah nodded, "The Mistress will demand as much information as possible, if the war is going into all out marches we can't be slow, subjugated armies tend to lead captured territory. If we're slow chances are high we'd also miss out on absorbing the weaker forces, after all the winner will become the candidate for the Dragon God, while it's a title that holds no official sway over the different factions it is something coveted by all."
Xing Lei glanced at his son curiously, "Wait, everyone is fighting over a title that literally gives them no power? Why?" The thought that there was so much fighting and death over a title of no true import struck him as wrong, why would the dragons put so much effort into these wars if the title was hollow?
Xing Kah shrugged helplessly, "You'd have to ask the Mistress that, from what little she has told me the title is devoid of rank or power, the winner is more a candidate for the true assignment rather than being given godhood and domain over all our kinds. What comes after the war... the Mistress doesn't speak of to us, just that it is important that she wins in the end."
Xing Lei rubbed his lower jaw in thought, his mind whirled over the possibilities. If the war winner was just a candidate there had to be other tests the old Dragon God had set out to find and narrow down who would inherit his position, but if the rainbow of chromatic and metallic dragons and their reptilian servitor were fighting here, who or what was contesting elsewhere? Was it another faction war or was there a different set of tests to also sort out whom might make a good diety?
As the procession made it's way through the city, Xing Lei swept his gaze across those living here. In this trial space Destorianaxe had her people flourishing. While the outside was quite vast, from what he had learned over the years, the Lizardfolk and kobolds of the outside were by default, tribal. Yet here, a kingdom that rivaled Ironhands was standing proud, likely the other factions had similar setups, so the recent escalation was strange, the fight to be a candidate was important to the dragons but why would the purported 'good' metallics suddenly throw the relative peace aside?
His yellow eyes watched the more common people simply going around their business, some stopped to take note of the military escort they were receiving but for the most part it seemed a typical humanoid town. Why would the dragons wish to break a situation all for an empty title? Xing Lei just could not wrap his head around the importance of 'gods' to these people as, after all, in his old life gods were merely higher level cultivators.
To the ignorant and weak, the more powerful were revered as gods but when you hauled yourself up you came to understand those gods were people, just like anyone else. Stronger, sure. Yet just people who could be tossed aside if you held enough strength. Clutching a fist he considered the gods he had met thus far. They were no different in his eyes, they merely had power and knowledge that elevated them above the mortals.
Sighing he relaxed his hand. Destorianaxe would be able to answer his questions but would she be able to see past her own desires? After all, when they had first met she was passing herself off as the Mistress, a god figure to the kobolds, and even now still held some reverence above her people. Would she let go of the silliness of competing for an empty title or would she try to get him to fight for such an empty cause... Xing Lei looked into the distance, the shrouded mountain peak looming closer with every step they took.
Shaking his head he looked to the eager look of his mate. Osilliaice was trying to take in every sight and smell of the town. It was like taking one of the common farmers from their home and dropping them in a grand city. The yokel would stare and gape over the smallest thing that city dwellers took for granted. Osilliaice wasn't much different. While she had been exposed to life outside of the tribe for several years now, she still looked at the works of her people with a fresh and pure sense of pride. After all, her roots were tribal.
Xing Lei however looked at the tall stone buildings with more muted interest. The fact that the Lizardfolk and kobolds devoted to Destorianaxe lived a very different existence here rather than their homeland was rather something he expected. In his old life commoners were very akin to the tribal kobolds while the Lizardfolk were akin to nobles. The dragons, he could only guess, were like cultivators. In charge of domains but now they were fighting for the seat of Emporer. Yes that made sense.
Plenty of Emporers in his old world were figure heads, their power determined by their underlings rather than the true might of the one resting his ass on the throne. While there were exceptions, of course, the fight to have the deciding vote in group decisions could be Destorianaxe's endgame. Yet why was a position of a god so lack luster? Gods should be pinnacle cultivators, those close to the apex and working with laws should they not.
Xing Lei barely noticed leaving the main city and setting foot upon a cobblestone road that seemed to divide the land in half. While the mountain loomed in the distance, to his left at the bottom of a moderate embankment, was a swamp. Lizardfolk could be seen through the twisted trees, but unlike the city ones, these were dressed far less or more commonly than the city variations who seemed to favor armor and jewelry.
Of to the right, the land rose into a dense sea of trees, the road itself seemed to act like a mystical barrier keeping swamp and forest separated. Glancing to Xing Kah, Xing Lei was about to ask about the divide when his son already was speaking up, "Its the will of the Mistress. Each region is created with a mystical stone, usually kept in the dragons nest or in the leaders keep. Mistress and the others infuse their will on these gemstones and the land becomes what their thoughts will."
"The various villages and the city are all us though. Mistress helped with procuring resources but beyond that, everything was built by us and our forefathers. The swamp has mostly Lizardfolk villages, while the forest houses several colonies of kobolds. Those that rise in skill to a certain point or evolve in special ways are sent to the training town, where we're headed, or to the city we left. Troublemakers and lost causes are sent to the fort, if they survive five years of duty they can rejoin the training town."
Xing Lei glanced aside, "So all those guards we beat up...?"
"Were there for being it idiots they presented themselves to be. Only the garrison commander is an employed position to make sure those fools don't just open the door for our enemies." Xing Kah finished with a chuckle. "There's very rarely traitors like that though. Just alot of boiling blood in our make up, we're pretty much born warriors, our interests shape what sort we become. And sadly, some focus on being big dumb brutes."
Xing Lei nodded, it made sense to put the more violent prone towards the front lines to let them vent of intruders. "The training town?"
"It's where your old tribe was, or well, should be. It's hard to explain, you'll see soon enough. Anyways, it's where most of our talented youths go to train and push themselves for the army. Those that pass join on of the army groups. Those that evolve or develop special traits are sent along to train with mentors. For example, originally those that excelled at stealth or awakened a skill with shadow would be trained by my mother, Kesellex, though after her outburst training was handed to His Shadows Match."
The group lapsed into silence as the time and miles drifted by, Xing Kah didn't seem in any hurry and truth be told, neither was Xing Lei. As the mountain loomed closer he recalled his last visits with Destorianaxe, when she wasn't forcing herself upon him, she was smashing him around in her rage. The curious and temperamental dragon was always adept at throwing him off balance... though he was equaled adept at poking her reverse scale on a whim so some of her rougher responses really couldn't be solely her fault.
Xing Lei wondered if she would be happy or angry this time? He smiled inwardly, if he were honest he missed the dragon. While Osilliaice was his mate and Alustriea his wife, he still considered Destorianaxe half his own, though wether the title of second wife or mistress was still floating about. He figured he'd try both titles and see which one rankled her more. This though would surely have most shaking their head at the suicidal kobold but for him, he enjoyed the pressure she expelled trying to overcome him, it was a wonderful tonic that helped his cultivation advance.
Sure he could do without being embedded in bedrock, but cultivation was not for those that shied away from temporary pains and suffering. Rather, being able to exchange blows with Destorianaxe would spur his power higher and through that he'd reclaim his first wife. Looking to the sky, his thoughts of Alustriea swept back to the imposing visage of her astride a great winter raptor, her icy magic assaulting the armies beneath her flight path.
He needed to be stronger... no, the strongest. He would settle for nothing less. And this strength would afford him all the apex deserved.