The Immortal Kobold

The arena was becoming more and more crowded, Destorianaxe's lizardfolk enjoyed combat, testing each other physically and improving their combat strength, but today something special was going on. At the heart of the arena, the spymaster, Kesellex, was announcing a challenge, not just to one of them but to them all, at first rage and ridicule was the shouts that took the fore, but then she had revealed the challenger was Kobolicus whose name had made a lasting impression in many of them, a slave gladiator whose strength defied a nation.

Admittedly this nation was a weak soft skin one but the fact it was their prior existence, a kobold, a race known for their weakness and inability to do things of this nature made it truly worthy of note in their eyes. Their society valued strength, race played a part to be sure, but if your strength could surpass the weakness of your race you were worth respecting to them. Knowing this challenger had some strength was pumping up the masses, the gathering crowd of Lizardfolk was practically ready to storm the stage enmasse to be the first to fight this known warrior.

Destorianaxe sat on a raised throne at one end, watching the former Leaf Dancer doing her best to undermine Xing Lei but her calls to his weak race and sneaky nature fell upon deaf ears, rather than turning the Lizardfolk against Xing Lei it was pumping them up into a berserker like frenzy, if she wasn't careful she'd get trampled by the rush of first wave fighters eager to test the challengers mettle. Glancing to a throne just a level below hers she smiled at the hulking lizardman that sat there, his disinterested gaze spoke of a deep seated boredom.

"Oh not eager to meet your father my general?" Destorianaxe purred in a seductive whisper, a shiver ran down the generals back, while it was true she had bedded him, it was not entirely his choice. Much like Xing Lei he had been along for a ride few survived, even he with his early rank body tempering had spend half a month recovering from the dragoness' energetic coupling.

Still he shook his large head, "He is no father of mine, he abandoned mother, he abandoned you Mistress. He is a genetic donor and nothing more."

Destorianaxe chuckled softly and sat back, this little meet and greet was to prove most interesting, still she couldn't help smirking when her general nearly cracked the arms of his seat when a small figure strode through the crowd, the dark scaled Lizardfolk parted like an inky black sea before this tiny ship braving a raging storm. Xing Lei strode into the center of the arena floor under the respectful and eager eyes of the horde of Lizardfolk. Two sets looked at him with dislike, the closest being Leaf Dancer who sneered at him in obvious contempt, the other came from a large Lizardfolk sat just under Destorianaxe, while he had never seen this figure before the call of his bloodline was strong, without question, that large angry looking one was his son. Sighing to himself he looked around the gathering and yelled, his voice amplifying like a crack of thunder that rolled across the throng...

"WHO IS FIRST?!"

Kesellex, formerly Leaf Dancer, shrank back as the unmistakable dragons roar washed over her body and sent her fleeing into the murk of the Shadow Plane. Her variant ability allowed her to shift between the planes of reality and shadow yet even in that comforting murk the power of Xing Lei's challenge rushed through her. All thoughts of being said first fled from her mind, no, she would wait and strike alongside her son, let the rank and fodder tire him out first and then the legend of Dull Scale would end here.

Back in the real world, Xing Lei stood looking up at Destorianaxe, his hands on his h.i.p.s as if telling the crowd only their Mistress could challenge him. The bloodthirsty yells ripped from throats across the four directions matched the tone of his challenge, young warriors pushed and shoved to be the first to take down this challenger, the edges of the arena exploded in a multitude of conflicts as the brasher warriors fought each other to be the one to go forward first to defend their Mistress. Destorianaxe stared back at Xing Lei gratefully, he was playing the villain, challenging her to stir her children into a frothing mass that wanted to defend her.

Truth be told he didn't look at her to play the villain, his eyes had raked the horde, there was no more than five out of the hundreds gathered that could make him use even a quarter of his true power. Destorianaxe headed that list with a trio of others skulking about the outskirts of the amassed Lizardfolk came second, after that was his son and Leaf Dancer, whose shadowy form kept circling his seemingly distracted form. Her ability to become like a ghost was troubling but she lacked power beyond spontaneously ambushing so she came dead last of those that could give him trouble.

As much as he kept his senses tuned to her, it was the three mystery guests on the outskirts that had his main focus, they weren't Blackscale Lizardfolk, but they weren't attacking the tribe so he divided his attention between them. Still he waited as the young Lizardfolk began fighting each other to determine who was first when a brash young one hopped the arena stage and strode toward Xing Lei, swinging a thick tree limb back and forth as he advanced. Destorianaxe nodded approvingly, rather disappointed in the children too eager to fight each other than simply joining together versus a common target.

The young warrior stopped a ways away from Xing Lei and shouldered his club, "Karless of the Black Club greets Kobolicus."

Xing Lei nodded simply, his gaze shifting from dragoness to the young warrior, yet his relaxed stance did no change, "Make your move."

Karless frowned eying the relaxed posture of the kobold who had yet to even grab a weapon, the short reptile stood there looking bored and generally uninterested, even as the young warrior swept his club up Kobolicus just looked at him. As that great club smashed down Xing Lei moved a half step to the side letting the club smack the floor with jarring force which jolted the young Lizardfolk. Feeling the throb of pain in his arms it was all Karless could do to not lose his grip, but then he felt the heel of a hand slicing across his throat as the kobold walked past him. A soft whisper came from Xing Lei's mouth, "Commiting to a single powerful blow when you don't understand your foe is fatal, you have died."

Walking away Karless shuddered and reached up to feel his throat, still in one piece his leathery brow broke out in a cold sweat, little wonder Kobolicus had not bothered with a weapon, had he used a blade his head likely would have bounced across the arena floor. While the others in his squad boo'd his poor performance he had thought back on the kobolds words finding them reasonable, he had committed to an all or nothing strike just to the opponents seeming disinterest in fighting, he had left himself open to be counter attacked. As the young warrior contemplated his rashness another had stepped forward and met the same fate, this time the young lizardman had swept around a heavy iron two handed blade, it looked impressive but when Kobolicous stopped the momentum of his sword in an instant he knew this was going to hurt.

Not wrong, Xing Lei had plucked the long sword from the young lizardfolks tight grip and backhanded his muzzle with the grip, while the blow spun the young warrior around it had not truly done much damage telling how easy the kobold had gone on him, especially when one handed Kobolicus flipped the lengthy blade over and laid the flat of the blade on his shoulder, "Flashy attacks are not always better, especially with a weapon you commit so much to. For show boating you have lost your head and have died."

Each following challenge was much the same, the young over eager warriors charged up only to be disarmed or flat out, laid out in a single move. Each time the kobold pointed out the mistake then sent the warrior on his or her way with something to think about. Soon enough though singular foes gave way to pairs and trios, more seasoned warriors combining skills and talents to bring down Kobolicus, yet he continued his win streak. While it was no longer as simple as a single move the kobold used as few moves as possible to exploit holes in their training, tying up allies with each other before sending them all to the arena floor in a pile.

Destorianaxe watched with a smile while her general snarled under his breath, Xing Lei was picking them apart like it was child's play which in turn reflected badly on the general. It couldn't be helped, as talented as Xing Lei's son was he still wasn't his father. This was exactly why she wanted to bring these two together, she secretly hoped father would teach son then son would teach the host, but looking at the large Lizardfolk clenching and unclenching his fists lost in a prideful face slapping that his existing methods were being dismantled so handily, she doubted he was looking at the situation objectively. After all, the general was still young, a mere two or three years old and already in charge of a sizable fighting force.

Sighing she watched the latest duo, a pair of sisters that tried to seduce Xing Lei she covered her facial scales. Trying to seduce on a battlefield? Those two would most likely belong to Kesellex. As expected Xing Lei had shown the pair little mercy for their foolishness even going so far as to spank both women loudly with their own secretive thin blades. Destorianaxe would have to have a word with her spymaster, it would seem that silly lizard was trying to train her girls up to be some sort of courtesan but failed to recall they were Lizardfolk, unlike the soft skins... and her own unique self... they lacked key bits to allure and befuddle males with. Sighing into her palm she saw her general as well slack jawed at the silly attempt, his mother was smart as a whip sometimes but in others she was obviously not using her head for much more than window dressing.

Growling the general stood up, the action shattered the chair he sat on as his thick tail smashed down noisily upon it. "Enough of this farce! Stand down the lot of you!" Stomping down the stairs the large lizardman narrowed his eyes on Xing Lei who released his most recent student and turned to meet that scowling visage. His eyes glowed softly and the phantom image of a smaller female Lizardfolk darted around in his ones shadow and stared with open hostility at him. Sighing Xing Lei retook his spot in the center of the arena, "So the general has finished sending his troops to finally take the field?"

Ignoring the jab at his pride the large figure looked around and gave a short burst of noises. Rapidly a pair of thick shoulder protectors, greaves, vambraces and an open faced helmet melted out of the shadows onto his limbs. "I am General Xing Kah. Past today I shall only be known as General Kah."

Xing Lei frowned, "You would deny our blood?"

Kah snorted his hand flexing as a large cleaver like axe slipped out of the darkness to rest easily in his fist, "There is no blood between us, I am the son of Kesellex, I have no need of such a weak father!" Stomping onto the stage the large ebony scaled Lizardfolk stared down at the smaller kobold who was barely half his height. "Today the legend of Kobolicus is ended."