Joint Operation?

A week later, King Druker Flameworn, The Queen Sylvania of Yllamoira, Sea Witch, Savage Wolf, Ferocious Bear, Heavenly Eagle, Swift Tiger, met with King Luvraem Axemaster, the Drow matriarch, and the Kobold, Gorilla, Goat, Condor, Leopard clan leaders.

"Welcome travelers," greeted the Drow Matriarch.

"We greet you in Mother of Gaia's warmth," Queen Sylvania of Yllamoira said gracefully.

"Get to the point Luvraem, why did you summon us so urgently!" said the Gorilla Clan Patriarch.

"We asked for the meeting, we want you to join us in the war against the demons!" Ferocious Bear replied.

"Why should we join you? Who do we not know?" asked an old Goatman with a long white beard.

"Are you content to let the demons lord over you? They care nothing of our cultures!" Savage Wolf replied.

"I speak for my people, but we are safe deep in our tunnels. No demon has or could invade our tunnels. They are surface dwellers like humans!" said the Kobold King.

"We shall fight if you can best me in combat!" shouted the Gorilla Patriarch beating his chest with pride.

"Gladly!" growled Ferocious Bear staring down the Gorillaman.

Soon Communication broke down and each race debated most like its own kind. Queen Sylvania spoke to the Goatman, Sea Witch to the Drow, Ferocious Bear fought the Gorillaman, King Druker and King Luvraem spoke to the Kobold King, and Heavenly Eagle spoke to the Condor patriarch.

The only two who did not group up were Kallista and Leopard woman near her age.

"Why don't you group and speak with the others?" Kallista asked.

"There's nothing to discuss. We leopards are more isolationist than the other trips. We live high on top of the mountains. Rarely we'll see a goat person. But overall, we don't concern ourselves with down mountain business," explained the leopard woman.

"Then why did you come?" Kallista asked.

"The elders decided we needed to send one, so they picked on me because they knew I couldn't say no," the young leopard woman explained.

"Why couldn't you say know?" Kallista wondered.

"Because I just turned of age and my other sits on our tribal council," the leopard woman explained nonchalantly.

As they debated, they felt a growing tremor. Soon the mountain began to shake with voracity. It felt like an earthquake erupted inside the mountain.

Soon a dwarf and kobold raced to their respective kings.

"Your majesty," said a nervous Kobold first, "demons have invaded the mine. They are coming out for them depths in mass. We are overwhelmed.

"It's true your majesty, the kobolds have sounded the alarm for support. What shall we do?" the dwarf asked.

"But how did they get inside the mountain?" asked King Luvraem in shock.

"You led here! You're working for demons, aren't you?" the Condor patriarch accused.

"Why would lead our enemies here?" asked Swift Tiger confrontationally.

"You led them here, so we'd have to fight them with you?" the Condor man yelled accursedly.

"Conrad, you know there's no way they brought the demons here. You know we followed their movements before they arrived. Not once during that time, did we see any demons trailing behind them," King Luvraem sighed.

"Which means this is a preemptive attack to stop us from joining forces," said Sabrae Orlyund the Drow Matriarch.

"Please assist us," begged the Kobold king.

"Why should we? You didn't plan to assist us?" Ferocious Bear asked.

"Does it matter how we join forces? You can count on my archers," Queen Sylvania.

"Aye, and my Shield Bearers. On my ancestors, I'll never leave a dwarf to fight alone," King Druker

"The Gorilla Clan will support its allies. We shall never back down from a fight," the Gorilla patriarch said flexing his muscles.

"The Wolf Clan will come to the Kobold's aid," Savage Wolf agreed.

"The Tiger Clan shall aid its allies," said Swift Wolf.

"Why should we join if the Condor, Goat, and Leopard Clans don't come to their allies' aid?" Ferocious Bear asked.

"We are passivists," said the Goatman.

"A passivist Beastman Clan, how funny. How have you not been conquered already?" Ferocious Bear laughed.

"They grow Aether herbs and other mana-rich herbs and medicine the rest of us required. If one of us conquered them, it would be an endless war to claim or reclaim that territory," the Leopard woman informed the Bearman.

"Then bring me all your herbs and my soldiers shall join the battle!" Ferocious Bear laughed.

Ignoring the pretentious Bearman, the Goat patriarch declared," King Luvraem you can count on my medicine clan for aid."

"Then my Bear Clan shall protect the Medicine Clan," Ferocious Bear laughed.

"Let's wrap this up. Neither the Eagle nor Orca tribes are good at underground fighting. We shall guard the mountain entrance just in case," the Sea Witch said, volunteering Heaven Eagle and his tribe.

"What say the Leopard representative and Condor Clan patriarch? asked King Luvraem.

"The Condor Clan shall guard the mountain entrance. That way we can monitor the visitors. Know that I shall gladly report their deceitful behavior," Conrad added.

"And my clan shall do nothing!" shrugged the leopard woman.

"What a weak cat clan," Swift Tiger complained.

"Your opinion has no bearing on our clan," the leopard woman said uncaringly.

"Humph, I thought your clan would be stronger. My martial master has a strong shadow leopard. I just assumed all leopards were strong," Kallista said disappointedly.

"Wait! Your martial master as a sacred Shadow Leopard spirit?" the young leopard said in astonishment.

"Yes, and my martial grandmaster had a shadow jaguar. His name is Archimedes, and Nisha is my master's spirit Shadow Leopard," said Kallista.

"Do you swear upon the Goddess Gaia you are telling the truth?" the leopard woman asked.

"I do?" Kallista said confused.

"Then I shall report to my mother at once," the leopard woman said scuttling away.

"Holo, go with her. You've known Will the longest of any beastman," Savage Wolf requested.

"Kallista you go as well," said the Sea Witch.

"Mother, I shall go as well," Vaal declared.

Holo, Kallista, and Vaal set off to follow the agile Leopard woman up the rocky mountainside.

With the matter settled the Dwarves, Elves, Tiger Clan, Wolf Clan, and Gorilla Clan followed King Luvraem to the ongoing battle.

When they arrived thousands of demons were mascaraing the kobolds one after another.

"So many are dead, and my entire kingdom is in ruins!" the Kobold King cried out in murderous rage. With total disregard for his life, the kobold ruler rallied the few remaining citizens.

But there were no citizens. From the look of it, the demons caught the kobolds by surprise. The opposition had long been killed. Now the demons were pillaging and murdering to their heart's content.

The Kobold King looked at the destruction and blinded by rage charged at the demons.

"Shield Bearers to the center!" Kings Druker and Luvraem ordered. The two dwarven kingdoms immediately formed ranks. Their strong shields stood next to one another like the Roman Testudo formation.

Queens Sylvania and Sabrae positioned their elves in the rear. The Forest Elves used their short bows and the Dow used crossbows to pick off the demons.

And, the beastmen took up positions on the flanks. Gorilla men quickly bonded with the Tiger and Wolf Tribes after watching their ferocity in battle. And the beastmen fell into a rhythm of slaughter.

Unlike humans, the average beastmen could fight one on one with a demon.

Working together, with their combined attack force the demons did not stand a chance. The Dwarven impenetrable defense, the Elven sharpshooters, and Beastmen's unstoppable attack easily wiped out demons.

"That was not satisfying enough," yelled the Gorillaman.

"I agree. That seemed more like a scouting party," said Sabrae.

"Are you telling me, my race was skilled by mere scouts!" the Kobold King said angrily.

"If those were scouts, where's the main army?" Savage Wolf asked.

"…"

Everyone looked around worriedly. For a moment, they worried they had fallen into an elaborate demon trap.

As they guarded themselves anxiously, a Dwarf messenger came running and said, "King Luvraem! The main demon army is approaching southward. The Condor, Orca, and Eagle Clan are asking for reinforcements."

Just as he finished a second messenger came and announced, there were demons in other mining veins as well.

"The main army pressures from the front, while the scouts cause chaos from behind. They wish to divide and conquer. Indeed, a clever strategy," acknowledged Swift Tiger.

"Then my army shall stay in the mine and help our kin," King Druker announced.

"I shall aid those outside. We Forest Elves fight better outside in nature," advised Queen Sylvania.

"Likewise, my clan is better suited for outdoors," Swift Tiger declared.

"We'll fight better in the open, where it's easier to smash things," shouted the Gorilla Chief.

"Then we shall stay and fight with the Dwarfs and Dow," Savage Wolf stated.

"Savage Wolf, if you'll permit my kin, we shall fight alongside your clan?" requested the Kobold King.

"Ha-ha, of course. We are ancestors of the Great Canine!" Savage Wolf laughed happily wrapping his arms around the Kobold King's neck.

Inside the mountain, the Dwarves, Dow, and Wolf Clan began exterminating camps of demons.

Outside the mountain, the Elves, Gorilla, Bear, Tiger, Orca, Eagle, Condor, and their vassals battled the demon army. At the same time, the Goatmen operated a triage room just inside the mountain gates.

***

High above the battle, near the mountaintop, the leopard woman came to stop outside a small mountainside city.

"Welcome to my home, Mesa Verde. Please follow me inside," said the leopard woman cordially.

The mountainside city was located over 8,000 meters from the ground, tucked into a cliffside canyon. The city was sat on a mesa, in a hollowed-out cave. The stone houses looked like they were carved out from the mountain long ago. Old spruce trees colored the stone city.

The leopard woman ran into the largest house, as Holo, Kallista, and Vaal explored the city.

The leopard people had large fluffy tails and ears, colored in a black and white rosette. They had strong solid builds like those of the Tiger Clan.

Not long after the young leopard woman went into the largest house, a much older refined woman walked out.

"I am Queen Shiva, and my daughter Ava tells me you know a human with a Shadow Leopard spirit. In our culture, we believe our great warriors when they die, pass over to the spirit realm. Please tell me more about this human's spirit Shadow Leopard?" the queen asked.

Holo said. "I have known him the longest. We are old friends. The human's name is Will. He is a friend to Elves, Dwarfs, and Beastmen. While he is technically a human, he is also a member of our Wolf Tribe."

Vaal commented, "He and his spirit companion, Nisha, were also trained in the beast martial arts by my grandfather. They are quite talented in the leopard martial style. Nisha is strong, wise, vicious."

Kallista declared, "He is also my martial master. He and his wife have also accepted me into their family. Their daughter is like a younger sister to me."

"And Nisha, describe me to her rosette pattern? Our rosette patterns are unique identification markings. Never have two rosettes been similar," Queen Shiva inquired.

Holo, Kallista, and Vaal looked at each other trying to remember how Nisha's rosettes looks and did their best to communicate what they remembered.

"Are you sure, she has a tiara imprint between her eyes?" Queen Shiva asked excitedly.

They nodded affirmatively.

"Gather your weapons, we march to war! She shall aid Great Warrior Mother!" Queen Shivar declared eagerly.

***

To Lord Bilal's astonishment, the beastmen and elves were fighting on par with demons. Lord Bilal marveled at the beastmen's strength and the elves' accuracy.

"Damn it! These damn mongrels are too strong. This feels more like a war between demons than a beast hunt," complained Lord Bilal.

Lord Bilal was not happy, his one chance at redemption was slipping away from him.

"Release the mountain trolls!" he ordered.