The Immortal Kobold

Xing Lei calmly sipped his tea as Osilliaice tried to revive Al.u.s.triea, the poor elf sat slumped in her chair in a state that was only half aware, her mind was trying to understand just what she had seen while at the same time trying to bring it back. The view she had been treated to was so brief yet at the same time so stunning she tried desperately to reclaim even a fraction of the senses she had been treated to, tears welled up in her emerald eyes as she looked to Osilliaice, "Do... do you see as he does?"

The lizardess shook her head, her scaled hand stroking Al.u.s.triea's hair softly, "None but my mate sees as he does, I cannot help with what you seek."

Al.u.s.triea looked to Xing Lei, tears falling along her pale cheeks, "How do I get it back? Please do what you did again, just a moment..."

Xing Lei shook his head looking to the desperate elven woman, "I cannot, I lack the energy to do such again so soon and even were I not lacking, it can only be done once on your body. Were I to do the process again your mortal body would be crippled and your soul unrecoverable wounded."

Al.u.s.triea wept softly, her face falling into her hands, "Then how...?"

Xing Lei sipped the tea, "... can you get it back? Train. Diligently. Complete body temperment to grand completion. Only then will I show you how to see that naturally."

Al.u.s.triea looked down at her l.a.p, her shoulders trembling, "But I only have the start..."

Xing Lei sighed looking over, "And I have the rest, if you wish it you now realize that you are tying yourself to my chariot cause I will not give it so easy to a neutral party, I do have plans to sell it to the empires but what is needed to see and use that energy is not included. I keep that for me and mine alone."

Al.u.s.triea looked up her eyes wet with tears, her lips trembling, "Did you know...?"

Xing Lei nodded simply, "I told you at the start there is no going back, you can choose to give up, but such a choice is like giving a blind man five breaths of unconditional vision and asking him to stay blind forever after. No one would willingly choose such, the blind man would sell his family, his very soul for just five breaths more, let alone knowing he could see forever more."

Xing Lei set down his cup, "And now you know the briefest hint of my d.e.s.i.r.e. You caught a glimpse of the universe beyond what mortals know, picture seeing that way for millenia, and so much more... only to be blinded... with just the slightest pain of a parched mouth can you understand the suffering of the man who dies of thirst on a sandy desert dune?"

Xing Lei leaned back closing his eyes, "I was at the apex Al.u.s.triea. The. Apex. And now I stumble in the darkness yet should be concerned for these fleeting empires that we as cultivators would outlive a thousand life times over? I simply can't. No more than you notice the colony of ants you casually step past, in your life how many ants will you see? How many do you bother to save from casually being stepped on? Or rescue when other bugs invade their nest... have you even bothered once?"

"For to your greater important life, what is the life of an ant? What is the existence of their nest?"

Al.u.s.triea fell silent trembling, she held her arms shaking her head, "Is that how you truly see us? Your friends? Your mate? Mere ants to be helped because we have slight interaction with you?"

Xing Lei sighed and looked to the ceiling, "I value my friendsh.i.p.s, I value my mate. Thus I step off the path to help them both but I can only do so much, the path is where I belong. I can pull you both on the path as well but what about the rest? Friends and family, obligations and duty. They are universal concepts that exist on the path too but am I obligated to ascend every existence I'm passing? Don't you think that asks too much?"

Al.u.s.triea sighed and nodded reluctantly, when put like that she had to admit it was taking altruism way too far. Yes she could help an orphan who impressed her but was she then responsible to helping their family? Every other beggar and waif? Of course not, you'd have to be a true priest or paladin to be so giving. To expect him to teach everyone to see what he had just shown her? She had been expecting too much. While it wasn't wrong to think that the more powerful should help the downtrodden simply expecting them to help those that had no ties with was blind arrogance.

Sighing she wiped the tears from her face, "What do I do Xing Lei?" She tried to steady her breathing, to dismiss that ache behind her eyes but it was difficult.

"Work with Lady Cobra and Umber, establish the princess Sorina as a local vanguard of human freedom. Let humans, yuan-ti and elves establish their new normal, while we walk away. The civil war will happen, there's no stopping it at this point but better they establish a puppet government with the yuan-ti behind them than risking your people on what will be very bad infighting."

Al.u.s.triea swallowed slowly, "My father?"

Lady Cobra chimed in at this point, "Lady Al.u.s.triea Illtalian we will do our utmost to keep the Archmage alive, a mage of such caliber is highly respected by my masters and can serve as diplomat between our people and yours."

As they started to discuss the matter Al.u.s.triea still felt her attention drifting, she could now understand Xing Lei better, it did not mend her heart and she faced difficult choices in the time to come but for now she could put aside her disappointment in the kobold, rather she found her own motives suspect. To continually expect him to use his great power to fix everything was childish especially when he was focused on that sight.

Time dragged on, as the sun set the various ones dispersed, Lady Cobra slithered back out into the street in her python form to secretly make her way back to the Night Parade while Xing Lei rested in the arms of his mate, their reunion had proved passionate, even being half her size she found herself most often than not pinned beneath the kobolds absurd strength. For Xing Lei being back in her arms reminded him somewhat of Destorianaxe, while Osilliaice was not as filled out as the dragoness, his mate proved to make up for a lack of curves with a flexability that left even him bewildered.

A few doors down Al.u.s.triea was tossing in her bed, the sound of the reptiles reconsumating their reunion was not at all masked by the walls, a great lizard screaming in o.r.g.a.s.mic bliss simply wasn't blocked by mortal barriers. The elf had tried to relieve herself but it left her more frustrated as a kobolds voice was added over the lizardess m.o.a.ns and screams. The lady mage gripped her messy sheets, thrashing in desperation in her bed silently cursing the unrestrained nature of her friends, even more so when she considered the burning low candles and realizing they had been at each other for about five hours already, the night drew long and the reptiles only seemed to be building momentum.

The same cursing was mirrored by the staff elsewhere in the house, most clutched pillows over their ears or struck out to find quiet inns to pass the night. For the general they had great pride and respect for had vanished, in her former quiet place was a more vocal female who seemed unabashed in letting the world know her mate was treating her right. When the sun crested the city walls the household staff moved with a distinct lethargy, those that had stayed had been treated to a night of inhuman sounds that both heated their bodies but also reviled their minds. The looks that Xing Lei and Osilliaice received were scathing, especially from Al.u.s.triea who looked particularly haggard.

Xing Lei couldn't help but shrug helplessly at the look of death the elven woman leveled their way, "You could have joined us..." Was all he stated which made the elf curse vehemently, even the morn after of keeping the whole of the mansion awake he still had the gall to claim 'she could have joined...'

Al.u.s.triea was about to attempt stuffing the nearby chamber pot up the kobolds nostril when a weary eyed maid knocked on the door announcing the arrival of a couple of guests, a young woman, a priest and a strange dwarf along with a pair of pythons. Al.u.s.triea reached up rubbing her brow, "Show them in please."

Then the odd troupe entered the room Xing Lei felt like beating the young couple black and blue, as usual Sorina and Dale were barely dressed, their clothing in disarray. Fredregard was nagging over the barbarism of using ones church best as no more than a throw rug for rutting animals. The humans and dwarf stopped dead when they saw the occupants of the room. Xing Lei face oalme, a beautiful elf glaring at the two and a bemused Lizardfolk snuggling the small kobold from behind. Sorina and Dale both blushed seeing Xing Lei who seemed rather put out by their showing up just post coitus.

Xing Lei sighed and motioned to the two, "I present Lady Sorina Ironhand and her lover Dale Glenn. Sadly it would seem old Ironhand sent her away due to her inability to close her legs, but with no other heirs apparent she is all we have. Behind the two beasts in heat, I present Fredregard a dwarven tailor and steward of etiquette. Yes, a dwarf tailor and fuss pot. Again, I apologize but it's what fate dropped into my hands."

Al.u.s.triea sighed closing her eyes shaking her head, "You suggest I leave the vassal faction to these three? They'll be killed within a week. And that's being generous."

Xing Lei shook his head motioning to the corner of the room, following his gaze Al.u.s.triea's eyes widened seeing a pair of pythons transforming. The first took the form of Lady Cobra, the other took the form of a hulking serpentine monster, a human lime torso of a ripped barbarian supported a thick serpentine head and was perched atop a thick serpent's tail that coiled under the being easily.

"I present the... you know I never got his title. Lady Cobra, a full introduction is in order." Xing Lei motioned as Umber settled on his tail.

Lady Cobra blinked, "What do you mean..."

Xing Lei turned to regard Umber and hissed slowly, Umbers eyes opened wide as if gazing at some myth before it turned to Lady Cobra and nodded. Coughing softly she regarded Al.u.s.triea, "His majesty Umbersilk Ss'eran, third prince to our majesty, his majesty the god-king. I am called Selrissessa, fifth concubine of my Master-husband."

Al.u.s.triea blinked, as did Sorina and Dale. Osilliaice and Xing Lei relaxed against each other, he had told his suspicions to her as they mated last night, the exaggerated m.o.a.ns was to throw off any spies as he informed his mate that he was in the company of high standing yuan-ti. Smiling to the pair Xing Lei inclined his head, "A p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to make your actual acquaintances, now that we are all aware of where we stand shall we practice diplomacy? Or should we get straight to the killing?"

Xing Leis words hung heavy in the air, Al.u.s.triea and the human faction trio looked shocked at the kobold but the large yuan-ti prince merely chuckled, a raspy completely inhuman laughter as those thick muscled arms crossed his c.h.e.s.t. Umbersilk Ss'eran narrowed his eyes on Xing Lei, "You seem to know much of our plans little whelping."

Xing Lei waved his hand, "Wasn't hard to guess. As much as your concubine mentioned that your mission didn't involve me and mine, I paid attention to the word used, it was more in reference to familial possession, like kin or wife. In your language it likely does not included close friends or allies."

The serpents head dipped and that raspy laughter returned, "Little whelping is indeed astute. Our target is indeed Al.u.s.triea of House Illtalian, her death will spark the human and low castes to action and spur her father into a rage."

Xing Lei tilted his head regarding the pair of yuan-ti, "Well then all thats left is to expose what makes you think I shall simply let you kill her? Make your move Umbersilk, but be warned, as your concubine has likely told you, to anger me is to sign your own death, if you are not completely sure, better to sit and talk."

"Guess that's my cue."