The Immortal Kobold

Osilliaice and Al.u.s.triea looked at the confident kobold and sighed. Their eyes lifted to the approaching hole for the lift to enter and noted that the female commander of the drow defending forces was organizing her troops, for every melee troop their adjacent comrade was readying a hand crossbow, rather than waste ammo firing from the current distance it looked like they would be peppered once they got closer.

Al.u.s.triea swallowed and looked to Xing Lei, "If you have a plan now might be the time to do it." The lift was raising slowly through the air, while the bombardment from below had stopped since they were out of range they would soon be in range of the crossbow wielders above.

Xing Lei looked up to Burryna then glanced to his mate, "Hold onto Al.u.s.triea and get a good hold of the lift, if you can dig your fingers into the stone, do so."

Osilliaice blinked glancing to her friend then the lift then back to her mate. Pulling Al.u.s.triea in close she squat down jabbing her fingers at the stone trusting in Xing Lei. Still, this was enchanted stone, gritting her teeth for the pain to come she was rather surprised when her clawed digits stabbed firmly into the stone. Looking to Xing Lei she nodded.

"Get a good hold, it's a long way down." Nodding to the two his hand swiped a crystal, the lift shuddered and started floating back downwards. Osilliaice and Al.u.s.triea looked confused for a moment, then shocked as they held tightly to each other and the surface of the lift as the crazy kobold leapt up and struck down forcefully on the edge of the lift. Holding the crystal panel the lift tilted savagely as the strike forced one side down and the other up.

Quickly repeating the action as the lift tried to right itself the lift lurched over flipping upside down. As Osilliaice and Al.u.s.triea dangled from the new 'bottom' of the lift, Xing Lei perched on the crystal console grinning at the pair as the lift once again rose to it's new orientation of 'down'.

The trio looked at each other, Al.u.s.triea clutched to Osilliaice, the open abyss of the cavern now laid below them, a fall from this height would surely see the one who fell shatter on anything they hit. "You crazy kobold!" The elf screamed holding on tight to her friend who was shaking her head, not the least bit surprised that Xing Lei had come up with something so crazy. As Al.u.s.triea shivered in fright she glanced over, "This will only get us to the hole without being shot, once we enter the room they'll still have time to shoot us."

Xing Lei winked, "First half of the plan." Peeking around the edge but pulling his head back as crossbow quarrels started scraping the edge where he had peeked. "Second half needs a distraction." Smiling to the two the kobold shifted his grip from the panel to the edge of the lift and suddenly flipped himself up onto the dangerous side of the lift again. The two looked to each other as they heard the rain of crossbow quarrels clattering against the 'underside' of the lift.

Xing Lei himself stood on the rising lift, he had felt his footsteps become 'airy' on this side of the lift, still it wasn't so bad that he couldn't dodge the shooters that were now quite visible. Drawing his spear he swung in in a circle batting aside quarrels as the lift continued to rise. The kobold leapt into the room when they were close enough and began laying into the drow.

Burryna had stepped back her heavy mace held ready but her troops quickly moved in to obstruct the kobold. As deft and strong as his strikes were the drow seemed trained to work exclusively with each other, unlike most of the common warriors these ones actually were able to apply pressure on him. Each dark elf was holding either a long blade and shield or two long blades, the latter really confounded Xing Lei. Dual wielding was something usually reserved for two daggers or a light blade and dagger, this was a rather unique situation where he saw these thin elf beings deftly swinging a pair of long swords.

Spear darting back and forth he felt himself losing ground, the elites of the house guard were showing off exceptional skill, not only pushing Xing Lei but also defending each other when he made a counterattack. Frowning inside he pushed himself, redoubling his efforts to strike at the soldiers now focusing on trying to disarm more do than trying for kills, he had to reduce the number of hungry, n.a.k.e.d blades thrusting towards him. Normally he would just walk through such a group but these drow had shown a distinct preference for enchanted gear, he didn't fancy his scales chances of turning aside every blade and they only needed a lucky shot from a magical blade to throw him into complete disadvantage.

Burryna gave a shout but Xing Lei suddenly felt a second presence beside him, another spear darted in beside his own as Osilliaice stood beside her mate to face the drow. To his other side a dark elf lifted his shield and braced, an icy spike lashed at the face of the shield and shattered in a spray of glittering frozen peices but succeeding in pushing the drow back and giving Xing Lei some breathing room. Without glancing back he could hear Al.u.s.triea chanting, sending more spells to aid her beset loved ones.

Burryna stalked behind her troops, regardless of how skilled these iblith were it was still twelve of her personal guard against three invaders. Then there was herself, if the Lizardfolk or kobold did manage to force back one of her soldiers she'd wade in herself. Personally she hoped to get at the Lizardfolk, from the looks the pair shared she was obviously someone important to Kobolicus, killing her first before her lovers eyes would be a most fitting end before she claimed his hide.

Still, while she wasn't actively fighting her senses were on high alert, her mace darted to the side as she shifted away from the door she stood before, a pair of curved daggers clanged noisily off the flanged head of her mace. Behind the daggers, emerging from the corridor was Nadsl, a grim determination in his red eyes. "Well hello there First Sister, could you not move next time, it will make this all the more easier."

"Nadal! Traitorous cur! How dare you try this now of all times!" Burryna yelled surging forward bringing her mace to bear on her younger brother. The young drow f.u.c.k.e.d beath the swing dancing past her side, his blade drawing sparks against her armored hip, while the daggers looked wickedly sharp, Burryna's armor had also been heavily ensorcelled and easily turned aside the bite of his blade which would have opened her hip from front to back.

As the pair fought, more drow entered the room and began ambushing Burryna's elites from behind, some of them turning to deal with the new threat leaving only half their number to hold back Xing Lei and his two allies. The room exploded in a new wave of conflict. Brother against sister. Drow against drow. Drow against iblith. The open melee was crazy as Xing Lei waded in with renewed effort, Osilliaice by his side as they pincered Burryna's elites between themselves and Nadal's troops. While Xing Lei doubted Nadal would be friendly afterward that was indeed afterward, dealing with Burryna and her elites took priority.

Slowly, both sides started taking causalities. While a number of the elites started falling to the pincer attack, Nadal's warriors were being thinned out as well, their only asset really being that Nadal had brought some thirty warriors to overwhelm the twelve. Still those were normal warriors, it was more leaving openings for the reptiles to exploit that saw elites falling dead to the ground. Nadal and Burryna continued trading blows, the former dodging the mace while the latter easily accepted the shallow cuts against her heavy plate armor.

Soon the sounds of battle died away, the last of the elites slumped dead to the floor. Most of Nadal's troops were either dead or wounded, Nadal himself squared off against Burryna as Xing Lei casually walked over. Osilliaice was nursing a bad wound on her arm with Al.u.s.triea determined to bandage it despite the former trying to loot the dead. Xing Lei looked to the two drow nobles.

"Kobolicus." Nadal nodded not taking his eyes off Burryna.

"Traitors! We'll flay the flesh from your bodies for this betrayal!" Burryna practically screamed in a shrill voice, both she and Nadal were breathing hard, unlike Pellanistra, he never got around to teaching them about not overdrawing qi for their techniques so both had been using their paths with impunity and were both ready to fall over at this point. Xing Lei ignored the half mad woman, "State of the rebellion?"

Nadal chuckled, "Other than the troops here and in the throne room the other warriors are ours. Calimar is proclaiming neutrality, claims he has someone coming for him. Malice still supports the Matron Mother. Pellanistra is readying to strike at both, she's waiting on you I think."

Nadal tilted his head exhaling slowly, "Beside Burryna being an idiot, all sides are still waiting to see what you plan to do. So Kobolicus, where do you stand?"

Xing Lei shrugged, "I'm my own side as well. I just want Calimar to open a portal to the surface for me and mine. Who triumphs amongst you all is rather not my business."

Nadal nodded, "Well not being hostile to us will be enough though I hope you could..."

Burryna snarled slamming her mace against the floor, "You cowardly little shit, fight me yourself blood traitor!"

The next words died in her throat as Xing Lei blinked behind her, a scaled fist slamming into the armored back, before clawed hands grabbed her and bodily threw her towards the lift hole. With a scream of denial she scrambled for handholds, Burryna's voice raised in hatred as the momentum of the heavy armor dragged her through the hole into an open free fall...

Nadal grinned and nodded, "Thanks, while I'm sure she didn't have much left in her either, I'm about to fall over... catch me lover!" Shamelessly falling towards Xing Lei, the kobold stepping out of the way letting Nadal fall towards the floor. Before he collided with the blood stained stone he ducked into a roll and righted himself, "Aww you're no fun Kobolicus..."

Shaking his head Xing Lei made for the corridor, Al.u.s.triea and Osilliaice falling into step behind him while Nadal and his survivors trailed after, true to his assessment, much of the district guards were part of Nadal's group, those few that had not switched sides had been killed and stuffed in corners or side rooms, but the blood trails made it obvious the inner conflict was far from bloodless.

True to his nature Nadal had peppered them with questions, sleazing himself closer to Al.u.s.triea as best he could, though he was quick to dodge when she cast a spell to encase his crotch in ice. A trail of ice blocks told a tale that while Nadal was quick to dodge, Al.u.s.triea was rather determined to 'cool off' his amorous advances. Not that he was listening, an unaffiliated drow woman? He wanted to tempt her to his side... well bed... but one usually followed the other in his mind.

As the group made their way to the throne room most stopped to check their gear, three house females and a bunch of elites waited beyond these doors, Calimar would hopefully step aside but it was still an uphill battle for the rag tag bunch Nadal had cobbled together. Glancing to Xing Lei he smiled, "Well time to see how pissed the Matron Mother is."

Xing Lei chuckled walking up to the sturdy doors and lifted his foot kicking the double doors inwards and stepped within confidently.