Thousands of reptilian eyes surrounded a singular strange event. Where the air had been full of battle cries and the screams of the dying, there was now a lone voice. It's screams shattered the evilness that had fallen over the embattled trio of factions. At the source was a kobold holding aloft a lizardfolk who was twitching madly, its limbs twisted and cracked in a horrifying way as its body seemed to be in some sort of horrendous torture.
Seemingly oblivious to his parcel's woes, Xing Lei stood unbothered by the gazes of both kin and foe. Tilting his head to regard the lizardfolk with an unamused, bored gaze his free had darted out, a pair of fingers jabbing the leathery flesh around the lizardfolk's collarbone. It's flailing suddenly ceased, its screams of blood deep agony were suddenly cut off. Many watchers felt the captive had finally been mercifully slain, but those at the fore front knew better.
The captive blackscale hung limp in Xing Lei's grip, but its eyes were still moving, its jaws twitched as it tried to reclaim its body that for the last few minutes had felt like it had been slowly immersed in lava while thousands of insects had been devouring its flesh. It stared at Xing Lei in helpless terror for while the pain was gone, so was sensation below its neck! It wasn't paralyzed, it could feel its limbs, just they refused to listen to its mind ordering it to try and do anything to escape this kobold...
"Yes, what you are feeling is correct. I've currently severed your ability to move anything below your neck. I could awaken your pain centers again if you'd prefer, but I have questions and you will be hard pressed to answer them if all your energy is devoted to screaming. Shall we begin?" Xing Lei looked into those eyes with a slight hint of mockery, even as he spoke he could see the intelligence behind his captives eyes flickering as they scrambled to find an escape, likely to try and induce whatever his former captive had done but the growing despair in those yellow orbs told Xing Lei he had guessed right.
It wasn't some pill or slow acting poison, rather it was a technique, likely beaten into these traitors very bodies. One that only needed a thought to trigger in their current state, but that thought had to be able to reach either the heart or perhaps even a rudimentary dantian in their bellies. With those nerve impulses currently firing in reverse this captive could no faster activate that technique than he could as quickly readjust his mind to get past the simple blockages Xing Lei had introduced. The realization that this turncoat escape route was essentially closed and locked in its face made the terror in those yellow eyes even more vibrant.
Staring into that frightened gaze Xing Lei swiftly lifted his other hand and backhanded his captive to give a very audible crack. The watchers to one side stepped back as blood splattered against their armored chests along with the clatter of several broken teeth. The kobold clicked his tongue and shook his head, "Try to bite your tongue again and I won't leave a tooth in your skull. Now behave, just let me..." Reaching the hand up Xing Lei grabbed hold of the lizardfolk's lower jaw and yanked, cracking it back into place from its original dislocated position. "Now then..."
Before the kobold could start interrogating his broken and bleeding captive, he suddenly spun in place lifting his captive before him. With a spray of blood a spear head erupted from the reptiles sternum, spraying Xing Lei with his captives blood, the haft of the weapon stood proudly from the now thoroughly dead lizardfolks back, gently swaying with force after being thrown. Casually dropping the corpse Xing Lei swept the crowd from which the spear had originated, unlike the other watchers, blackscales, goldscales, and platinumscales in this direction were no longer warily watching each other while regarding the spectacle. Rather as if following an unspoken signal each in turn started forming ranks, splitting down the middle to reveal a tall and slender form wrapped in a fine hooded cloak.
"I do apologize for ending your little display early Xing Lei, that poor soldier could reveal nothing anyways so at least allow me to give him this mercy. You are too much like your sire you know."
As the cloaked female, and female it was from the almost seductive voice that spoke revealed, Destorianaxe roared trying to rush forward with Osilliaice trying to hold the dragoness back, "VELUSA!"
The green dragoness flipped her hood back revealing perhaps the most human-like visage a dragonfolk could ever possess. Much like the Lady Pain of the yuan-ti, Velusa looked mostly human except for the glittering green scales that covered her cheeks and throat in patches. Shaking her head she looked at Destorianaxe whose shape was fluctuating, the black dragon was soon to adopt her true form at this rate, her gaze promising the other dragon swift and unending pain, "Really Des, is it that much if a surprise your kin aren't all blindly worshipping your glorious self? Honestly, of all of us you are even more barbaric than that clod Calvexanores. It doesn't take much to steal your children's loyalty... just the promise that I remove the Bone Goddess in my ascent, something that was to happen anyways."
"As for you two..." Velusa glanced towards Palathinarious and Galdraniae with an equal look of disdain. "Your kin have long saw your fall, they just needed a side to pick which kept true to bargains. And am I not always one to fulfill my contracts? Better than two holier than thou brutes who long lost the ridiculous notion of becoming knights and paladins."
Shaking her head her emerald gaze fell on Xing Lei, "You, however, are the variable. Just where did you come from and whom is it you serve to so easily distinguish my agents? Please don't deny your own patronage! This dusk of the war is little late for holding such secrets to the breast until your death..."
Xing Lei laughed and shrugged helplessly, "Honestly, may the heavens strike by cultivation crippled if I lie, but I have no patron. While I do have an... alliance... of sorts with Destorianaxe, she's not exactly the power behind me. To be truthful that distinction is my own cultivation."
"Bullshit! You are exactly where a fulcrum needs to be to sway this war! Your power is unprecedented, your timing ungodly exact! To say you have no backer but your own ability is a sham! Out with it, the final piece of the puzzle, which diety is employing you to interfere in the contest for the heir to the divine seat of our God?! It's Tyrix isn't it?! Only that chaotic entity could throw such a powerful pawn onto the game board..."
Xing Lei shook his head, "While I've had the displeasure of a personal audience with him, again, he's not my patron. He's just not worthy of being called the power behind me. He lacks just that to be such... sufficient power."
Velusa narrowed her gaze, a sneer upon her lips as those emerald orbs sparkled. Magical incite gave her an edge in deals when dealing with even the most obstinate dwarves, yet as she stared at the almost bored sounding kobold, the spell was responding flatly. But that couldn't be true! The green dragon snarled, another enchantment igniting making an earing hanging from her left earlobe ignite in a golden flash, "Lies! By the artifact of Sandril, God of Honest Contracts, blessed by the power of Daman Diety of Honesty and Truth, I demand you speak naught but the truth for your faction! Reveal it now before all you pawn of some god!"
Waves of divine energy reached out from the small earing. On one side a halfling in fine garb holding a scale took firm, on the other a man wearing a blindfold took shape. Both reaching out to touch Xing Lei's throat. The kobold in question frowned. Much to the shock of those present, Xing Lei promptly lifted his foot and kicked the halfling Sandril in the face. The flickering diety had the epitome of shock on his face as the reptilian foot squashed his big round nose flat spraying his fine garb with golden blood before he was sent tumbling back.
Damak turned, while blind the god could still 'see' exactly what had just happened. Grimacing he sent a punch towards the kobold who simply caught the fist and squeezed. With a crack the fist broke under the kobold's grip before the man was thrown back. Both godly visages glared at the kobold as Xing Lei spoke up, "I have no patron. I am my own. I shall always be thus."
Sandril and Damak looked at each other than to the shocked look on Velusa's face. Wincing the halfling tried to stem the good gushing from his shattered big nose and shook his head, "The covenant holds true."
Damak likewise cradling his broken hand looked to Velusa, "No lies were spoken. The favor owed is paid, do not call on us again Mistress of Schemes. As for you..." That unseen gaze turned with Sandrils to glare at the kobold, "We will have our plights repaid mortal!"
Xing Lei waved his hand dismissively, "Just wait right? I heard tons of young Masters say the same line in my old life. I trounced each and every one. You two will be no different."
Sandril blinked, "Old life?" Looking to Damak he hissed, "He does have a patron! An elder got involved!"
Daman snapped his head to regard Xing Lei carefully and drew in a sharp breath. Turning to Velusa he snarled, "He's not here for the petty trial of that for the Dragon God! You've exposed a bigger plot you silly girl and damned us with your involvement! Sandril, we must return!"
Nodding the pair vanished leaving the dragons and their kin staring where they had stood before looking at the source of this revelation. Xing Lei spat on the ground, "Gods or higher immortals, dragons or demons, I will stand at the apex and let none stand before me! I need no patron to walk the oath I've walked for two life times!"
Velusa drew back, feeling the earing heat up and melt off her ear. It was a one use gift, a service she had performed in the past was leading to one essential moment for when she needed the truth more than anything. Yet now both the God of Deals and the God of Truth had fled, and fled injured at that! Her eyes stared in horror at Xing Lei as her mind tried to wrap around the insanity of a mortal being not only foiling the divine granted wish... but also harming the divine incarnations that had appeared. Just who was this creature!?
Palathinarious and Galdraniae shared a look before both pulled a horn from a bag on either hips and blew hard. The echoing note swept outwards, not with some mystical power but it may as well have been one with the efficiency at which the gold and platinum forces suddenly withdrew. Each force knew what that single tone meant: Run. The war was lost for whatever reason thus everyone should flee! Even the gold and platinum dragons were quick to shape-shifting and launched into the sky quickly flying for their respective domains like their tails were on fire.
For Destorianaxe and Velusa this instinctive need to flee also pulled at their minds yet the former was already somewhat inoculated to her childe effectively flipping the proverbial table when it came to common sense. Striking two godly avatars and sparking something of divine level import? Must be the second day of the week. As for Velusa, the green dragon was still poised at the forefront of her mercenary army. As one who was use to dealing with unexpected results the beastial need to escape the presence of one so far out of her league was beaten down by her mind spinning how to get this entity to owe her something.
With a rumble the host of Velusa and Destorianaxe's forces watched as the gold and platinum realms sealed themselves from the battle ground, the withdrawal of Palathinarious and Galdraniae from the trial was all but a given at thus point leaving the choice down to either the green or black... unless the chromatic imprisoned in the ice tower were to be counted, which was unlikely. Alustriea's intervention was hardly part of the Dragon God's planning... and if it was, well, Xing Lei would have words with the god soon enough.