The blinding storm swirling around the kobold and dragoness, the howl of the wind was so loud they could barely hear themselves let alone each other. Compared to his original visit, that storm was like a soft snow fall, this one was a raging berserker. Its maddening howls shaking the very lands in a rage that bespoke of true unfiltered hate, a hate so bone deep the cold was even penetrating Xing Lei's vast resistances. That feeling alone told him how much Osilliaice must be suffering.
Still, even if every inch of this storm swept landscape looked virtually the same, he still felt it. That tug my something at the Rime. At first he had thought it was Alustriea's spirit calling out to his higher senses but looking back that was not possible. There was something else at the Rime, something he missed during his first visit. Alustriea was the main goal, after plucking her captor he would have time to investigate whatever was demanding his attention.
First was finding the Rime before his mate froze solid, she did not need to look like the undead they left behind. His thoughts drifted to Destorianaxe and Kah, he hoped silently that what ever the Dragon God had planned was now going forward in their absence. Picturing Destorianaxe as a goddess was difficult, as Velusa surmised he really couldn't see Destorianaxe as the next dragon deity... but if she had truly won then perhaps her patron would guide her on her ascension.
As the duo trekked across the icy waste, in their destination the ice phoenix was throwing a tantrum, the bird in his humanoid form was destroying a frost clad library. Tattered tomes were flung across a room, the ancient parchment torn and shredded beneath his power, "I was so close! I was to fly free of this damn realm! Stopped by gods damned reptiles! Grahhhh!"
With another crash an ice laden bookshelf crashed to the floor, the only other occupant of the room flinching slightly. While under this beasts guidance her mind had achieved an unparalleled focus, but it was one frozen on a narrow path, it had cast aside all she formerly cherished. Now free of the influence the young elven woman was once again reverting to her more reserved handling of matters. The only reason Alustriea had not already chosen to try and flee the rampaging elemental lord was due to understanding her own condition.
She had died.
Pierced by her family's spears her mortal existence had ended, this frozen city had to be some lower floor of the hells, her punishment for falling prey to this devilfish beasts whispers. Escape? To where? Another hell that might be worse yet? No, she had no avenue for safety, so she sat upon a frozen chair flinching with every destructive rant the bird beast made wondering when it would be her turn to be subjected to its rage. Yet even as it tore the library down around her, the angry beast laid not a finger upon her spectral form.
Stavros exhaled in great breaths before straightening his robe and looking around the trashed library. Shaking his head he looked at the trembling elven woman's spirit before snarling, "Clean it up!" Stalking away as Alustriea rose to right the fallen shelves the beast frowned, each step through his halls made his anger surge anew, his rage simmering just beneath his skin. Glancing back towards the library a cruel smile crossed his thin pale lips.
Stealing the elf's departing spirit was not something he had planned on. Being banished and seeing an opportunity, the elemental lord had snatched the essence of her spirit on a whim. Her former lover would come for her, those sort always did, did they not? The elemental lord would bargain the females freedom for his own, the kobold was unusual, he'd have a way to break his shackles! Still... it was with effort that Stavros stayed his claws, the urge to tear her soul apart was enormous. The pain it would cause the kobold would almost be worth it for the part he played in Stavros' defeat.
Gritting his teeth the phoenix stomped away, he'd spare the females soul, for now, she made a pretty enough maid until that bastard kobold came. Settling upon his frozen throne, Stavros waved a hand summoning a mirror of ice, the shining surface glittering as a brutish face appeared opposite his own. "General, we have an invader headed to the Rime. A strange, supernatural kobold. Judge not his form, he bares powers that makes even gods flinch. Prepare the troops, scour the wastes. I want his head, go and do."
Waving away the mirror that fell, shattering upon the icy floor, Stavros settled back with a smirk. Freedom was his ultimate goal but if he made it too obvious and easy then the kobold might find some way to rescue the elf without paying any price. Freedom was the dream, but push coming to shove, he'd settle for the kobold's head on a pike. Such a sight might alleviate some of his duties boredom. Chuckling to himself in the cold, dark throne room, Stavros settled in to wait for the game to begin.
* * * * *
Osilliaice was bundled over Xing Lei's back, a thick blanket wrapped around her frosted scaled body. He could feel her weak heartbeat against the thin cloth covering his back, this weak rhythm filled his mind with some ease knowing that even in a realm beyond her ability, she was fighting on. She had collapsed a few miles back, nearly becoming another featureless drift before Xing Lei dug her out and wrapped her up tight in a warm blanket from his ring.
This covering would do little good so he had hurried his run, his clawed toes barely leaving the slightest imprint on each drift as he rocketed forward with a speed no mortal could hope to copy or even understand. To make matters worse, while the storm had continued he had seen Rime from a hill top, but what he saw made even his boiling blood turn cold. It would seem that over grown chicken was aware he was on the plane and surrounding the city we're legions of soldiers, a sight Xing Lei was long bored of.
Still as he had briefly stopped to watch, glittering arcs of mystical energy had reached out for him at this distance. Glancing back as he moved, the hill he vanished from was swiftly turned into a spiked icy mountain, the drift covered in wave after wave of ice magics that not only turned the hill into a low mountain but covered the frozen surface in deeply embedded spears of ice! How he hated mages! Rushing forward his path quickly shifted zigging and zagging to avoid each wave of spells that exploded against the snow.
As he got closer, Xing Lei lifted his hands to ward off icy arrows that fell as heavily as actual sleet, between the arrow rain and the storm of spells, the kobold felt himself running like a headless fowl, his journey forward impeded more and more as walls of ice and pits of frozen slush forced him to skirt the edge of this ready army. Casting a glance over the troops he grimaced slightly, Stavros was nowhere to be seen amongst the groups, rather on a raised dias stood a lumbering figure in frosted plate armor. The skull motifs on hits visored helm gave it an imposing look as it lifted a greatsword in one hand pointing to the kobold and another wave of magical spells screamed through the stormy air towards him.
Normally he would charge straight through but as it stood, while he could survive the magical barrage despite the wounds they'd cause, the shivering bundle upon his back would not. Right now Osilliaice was their greatest shield, protecting her ensured he could not brute force his way through so Xing Lei was forced to run and dodge all the faster to protect his vulnerable mate. Growling lightly, his anger rose as his eyes settled on the distant general, calmly ordering his troops, this great figure didn't seem to be in a rush, quite calmly directing his forces to bar the kobold from the city.
He had to pass those gates but the troops before it were well situated. The heavier armored divisions were at the forefront to slow him down, behind this wall of flesh and frozen metal stood the archers. Even at a glance he could tell the archer division had come well stocked, they were not exhausting their supplies too soon. Worse, behind them stood the smallest division. Robed figures with glittering staves and wands. The mages were tracking him and timing spells ever better to where he would be rather than where he had been. These three layers pushed him back from Rime, a well honed army so unlike the lizardfolk, even platinum, gold and blue did not have forces this well trained!
Looking around a slow plan formed, widening his run he seemed to give up on Rime and ran towards the cover of some hills. The troops smirked watching the kobold fleeing and still hounded his run, the hills might give some cover but it was still within their range. Still the shock was complete as icy spells crashed against the hill forcing it to rise and roar at its disturbed slumber, the greater ice elementals lifted its pillar like arms and struck the ground with the force of an earth quake before lumbering after the kobold near by.
The troops swallowed, wondering what malignant star the reptile had been born under, not only to have their general personally warding the creature away from the city but also now being the focus of an elementals rage? The ill luck upon his shoulders must be massive. This thought was only compounded as during the run not only had one greater elemental been angered but soon two more were clambering after the kobold. The troops shook their heads, even if they did nothing else those three elementals would eventually tire the reptile out then crush him into paste!
However the mocking smiles and jeers if the rank and file turned to abject horror as the kobold turned and ran straight for them! The general screamed as the divisions fell to chaos, all thoughts of hitting the kobold flew out the window as the target ran for their front lines leading a pack of calamities straight to them! Some braver souls grouped up, ready to defend, but many broke rank wanting no part of a trio of greater elementals but this was a little too late as the kobold charged into the forward soldiers, a spear magically appearing in his clawed grip as he bashed aside blade and shield, bull rushing deep into their numbers, few however could focus on the initial target with two hill like ice elementals and a winding and twisting slush elemental slamming into their ranks.
Gone were the casual, calm orders. Now the only thing drowning out the storm winds was the bellow of enraged elementals and the screams of their victims as the three behemoths rampaged in the thick of the army. The general snarled, the forces shifted to try and contain the trio of disaster level entities that had been guided to their doorstep, the orders of Lord Stavros falling to the wayside of survival. As the army regrouped, a hunched figure broke through the mad chaos and hopped the wall, darting into the protection of Rime as the bellowing elementals continued their maddened assault on the army if Rime.
Later people would talk of the dread day the plane of ice grew angry at Rime. Many lives were lost that day as a trio of elementals assaulted the city. The populace rejoiced that the army had the early warning signs to gather before the dangerous assault had begun. Those that died before the gates of Rime were touted as heroes for driving off two and slaying the third. It had come at great cost, but Rime would never fall!