Stavros gaped in shock, even forgetting that he could barely breath in the tight fist of the kobold. The wide eyes looked at the kobold in disbelief its beak opening in a soft scream of denial, "How?! How are you alive you miserable lizard?!"
Xing Lei shrugged helplessly glancing skyward, "Who said I released the illusion when we fought?"
Stavros gaped all the wider, tilting his head to look to where the fallen dragon had lain but the bulk was dispersing even as his shocked eyes caught its sight again. The whole time? Impossible! The chick weakly scratched at the kobolds wrist, its tiny claws drew sparks over the metallic like scales as it fought desperately to free itself, "You can't do this! I am Stavros! Stavros the Elemental Lord of Ice! Without me Rime will fall! You would kill all in killing me!"
Xing Lei looked down at the flailing chick bringing Stavros up level with his cold yellow eyes, "Who said I care?"
Stavros' eyes flew wide and fought harder but all it took was a quick flex of Xing Lei's grip, a small crack snapped out as the kobold directly snapped the baby phoenix's neck, the small frame falling still in his grip. Yet Xing Lei did not let go. One breath... two breaths... three... with no sign of the dead bird trying to rebirth itself Xing Lei let out a breath and then did something that made both mate and ghostly wife draw back. Xing Lei promptly tossed the small birds body into his mouth and ate the dead phoenix!
Osilliaice blinked as Alustriea covered her lips, for the dragoness this ending to Stavros was somewhat expected, dragons did tend to eat what they killed, just because the prey had been sentient was immaterial. How many adventurers ended up challenging a dragon for its hoard and ended up being an afternoon snack after all? For Alustriea, while she had no stomach to expel, the brutality of the act still made her want to. True Stavros had corrupted her mind, caused the death of both her and her unborn child but to be killed, reborn, killed AGAIN, then eaten was still a bit much for the elf.
Xing Lei walked over to the two nodding his head to Osilliaice before drawing Alustriea close, the elven ghost tried to pull away but he denied her, hugging her spectral firm tightly. Fresh tears erupted from her eyes as an unseemly wail escaped her lips, clinging to her husband as the loss once again consumed her. Still he held her tight, even more so when Osilliaice joined the group hug, both kobold and dragoness stroking the elven ghosts hair to sooth her.
The touching reunion lasted mere moments longer before the ground shuddered, the distant city of Rime seemed to rise and fall as fresh howling winds cut through the forest. The temperature that was very cold suddenly plummeted returning to what the icy wastes beyond were like. Osilliaice pulled closer to Xing Lei as the frigid winds tore through her body to chill her to the very bones, "My mate its begun..."
Xing Lei nodded, pulling the pair along back towards Rime. They needed to escape this plane before the cold once again threatened Osilliaice's life. The problem being Rime was now in a complete panic! As the trio neared the city, the locals were no longer celebrating their win over the elementals, rather the populace was rioting, the local people were desperately trying to grab fuel to keep their homes from becoming icy tombs, the local military was split between trying to keep the peace, ensuring the local nobles didn't get themselves killed and apparently fending off the natural incursion of elementals on the outskirts.
Osilliaice looked around warily as they avoided a group of ice elves and ice orcs locked in deadly combat outside a store, "Did killing Stavros really have this big an impact?"
Xing Lei nodded lightly, "The elemental lord from what I could see is the lynch pin of the protective formation of the city. While part of it, he could not fly free, but without a replacement the magic swiftly unraveled. The tentative peace was shattered as survival of the fitest takes over. We need to make it to the portal out of this realm, it will likely be guarded but its likely the only way out."
Osilliaice glanced at Xing Lei then to the city around them being hammered by a sleet storm, right now the local populace was trying to secure immediate needs. Warmth and food. Thus on a plane that naturally produced neither the more logical thing was to flee! Of course those in charge would realize that the immediate issues were not important and thus would rally not only to try and keep the peace but also ensure their own escape routes would not be hindered by the masses.
After all, not everyone would fall into the short sighted category, and in a large city the more unscrupulous would try and milk everyone else of every penny for providing that one final escape route. Shivering the dragoness wanted to grab her spear but her shivering hand refused to listen, the limb shaking until she re-covered it in the thick blankets Xing Lei draped over her. Gritting her teeth she cursed this plane and how much its natural existence countered her own body.
Darting through the streets, the kobold easily lead them to where the portal was, but as had been surmised, the building had been barricaded off. A throng of citizens were rallying beyond its doors while armored soldiers with pikes and spears kept the unruly crowd at bay. Even from here, Xing Lei's keen eye sight spotted corpses here and there before the heavily armored warriors. The populace had already been taught a dangerous lesson about trying to storm the structure, but from the militia groups towards the rear of the mob it was clear certain parties were preparing to use the mob to force their own agendas.
Xing Lei had little time to waste on this matter, Osilliaice was already showing extreme signs of exposure, even with hide blankets tucked tightly around her it did little to impede the planes damning cold. Squeezing the waists of both women Xing Lei launched them from the alley they had hidden in, his leap powerful as it cleared the angry mob below to land them between the riled populace and the heavily armed and armored soldiers.
Both sides gaped in surprise as this trio appeared, and even more so when the kobold bullrushed the soldiers knocking a pair of the stalwart defenders flying, charging into the thick of the warriors, knocking any that tried to force him back flying. Naturally the populace nor the militia groups took this sitting idle, with a hole gouged in the defensive line, scared and angry citizens forced their way forward, the cracked dam finally bursting as the populace tried to climb over everyone else to reach the portal center.
Inside the local government were in meeting before the portal to figure out how to salvage this situation. Theur surprise was no less than those outside when a kobold bearing a spectral woman and a large bundle of thick furs burst through a window, forgoing the halls and taking the most direct route to their oath of escape. Xing Lei could see the shimmering doorway and leapt again, bashing aside the soldiers that tried to impede his progress, ignoring the shouts and screamed orders of the officials.
Just as Xing Lei reached the doorway, the kobold suddenly flew back! Osilliaice and Alustriea fell from his grip as he slowly righted himself and narrowed his eyes on the golden mailed fist that had appeared from the doorway, slugging him in the muzzle and sending him flying. Stepping from the doorway to reveal a figure covered in golden glowing mail, pristine wings unfurled behind the figure as it strode fully into the room, the temperature instantly rising in this beings presence.
This comfortable warmth increased as a second then a third such being strode into the room flanking the first. The warm temperature grew even more comfortable as five more shining figures stepped forth from the portal. The original one looked at Xing Lei intently before a sword of shining starlight formed in its mailed fist and leveled his way. "You will come with us."
The voice was ethereal and seemed to echo inside the visored helm as if the speaker was at the bottom of a deep well. Radiance illuminated the room bathing all in a comfortable warmth that denied the planes chill. Xing Lei narrowed his eyes watching these eight beings, each one had a presence that was there... yet not there, it was like looking at a full moon in a pond, the majesty was every bit as present as the one in the sky but yet you knew it was merely a reflection of the original. That was the feeling he got from these beings, they existed, the punch to the face was real enough, but something about these things screamed some sort of clone technique.
"And if I refuse?" The kobold asked, a shining spear appearing in his hands as he took a ready stance.
"Please do." The eagerness for Xing Lei to resist them was clear in the leaders tone, the starlight blade seemed to hum in expectation of the kobold's resistance. Behind him, the other seven pulled forth various weapons, each starlit from within as if each was a night sky loaded with stars. Xing Lei frowned feeling the might each and every weapon radiated, something about them spoke to the core of his existence, that getting struck by just one of them would nullify his existence.
Gritting his teeth Xing Lei strode forward, his foot steps careful and measured as the figures broke out to encircle him. His yellow eyes never leaving the leader whose posture was unchanged. "Just who are you?"
The leader looked down on the approaching kobold in contempt, "We are your arrestor. You WILL come with us. Peacefully or in chains, it makes no difference to us, the fact remains you will be coming with us."
Xing Lei chuckled and suddenly moved, the on lookers barely blinked but a shock wave washed over them sending the leaders of Rime tumbling as the starlit sword intercepted the kobold's spear. A thunder clap as weapon met weapon shattered every piece of furniture in the room, making the walls shake in the sheer force that the small lizard had put out and the golden warrior had easily blocked. The kobolds body flickered as his body twisted and turned lashing out at each of the golden warriors, but much like the leader, each seemed to casually intercept his swing as if knowing exactly where the vanishing and reappearing kobold would strike and just lifting their weapon ahead of each blow.
Xing Lei wasn't breathing hard, he was merely testing them at this point. It was uncanny how they seemed to know where his aim was ahead of time, but any competent holder of a weapon should be able to do similar, but the ease and relaxed response of each was rather off putting. Admittedly he wasn't trying his best either but he got the feeling they were only probing him too. The question was, whose depths were more extensive? The biggest worry he had was just what these things were. After that initial blow on each, it was rather reasonable to know that nothing living was inside any of the suits, which begged the question were they simple constructs or a higher beings technique?
Readying his spear he locked 'eyes' with the leader again, "Well that was about a quarter of my ability, let's skip the rest of the warm up."
The leader looked unfazed by the claim those thunderous initial strikes were only a quarter of Xing Lei's power, lifting the starlit blade again the leader gestured to the kobold, "Peacefully or in chains you are coming with us."
The kobold sighed and shook his head, his mind had finally settled on golems, nothing living was this one track minded! Bracing himself, Xing Lei launched himself forward, this time the thunderclap was like an explosion where he stood. As before the golden mailed being intercepted the strike but unlike the first blow this time the being was thrown back with violent force! Spinning across the room the being was literally thrown through a wall... several walls in fact! A hole had been torn open to the frigid outside letting a blast of frigid air assail the bubble of comfortable warmth.
Rather than waiting for his strikes the other seven launched themselves at Xing Lei, each one mirroring his explosive kick off which blasted the room open as quickly had a bomb detonated in its center. The fighting mob and soldiers turned to watch their noble officials scrambling for cover as seven shining gold warriors converged on a lone spear weighing kobold. Each strike was the hammering of thunder that shattered the stillness of the air, even the whistling wind seemed to be frozen around the intense battle as the group dived in upon the lone figure in the middle.
As these eight fought with enough force to make the structures skeletal remains flinch, the eighth golden figure floated through a hole in the opposite wall, a crystal appeared in its hand as it spoke in a dull hollow voice, "Target has resisted, soldiers under powered. Requesting descent of Generals."
The crystal glowed briefly before the portal once again surged with power, it would seem someone heard...