Iah has a stop to make before meeting up with an army. She needs to get more serious armor and we also get to see what she is fighting for.

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Chapter 19

Iah had to fight back the frustration she was feeling. Just because a decision had been made to go to war already did not mean an army suddenly appeared out of thin air. Gathering forces took time, even with teleportation to help aid in travel time. Unfortunately, time was not a luxury that they had. If the herbivores had stayed to lay siege to Cado, it might have been a different story. Depending on how stocked up their supplies, that city could have held out for weeks to months without relief. Unfortunately, they had departed from there within the day of their arrival.

Scouts had been dispatched to keep track of where the herbivores had headed. Iah had volunteered Ryrrg and Knah to act as scouts and to help keep her personally informed of their movements. That was three days ago. The herbivores had split their army up, which generally was not a good idea for them. They needed a numbers advantage to take on carnivores, and splitting up their forces like that was an excellent way to get their armies eaten piecemeal.

That was not their primary concern now. Iah tried to stifle a growl, thinking that if those crazed cultists got their way, they were going to lose their entire army anyway, along with the rest of creation. They wanted to wipe out the humans before a force could be organized to protect them. From what Iah had seen, the humans would not be able to so much as slow the herbivores down. They would only need to stop long enough to wipe out any humans they came across.

Even natural obstacles were not as much of a concern on the human’s world. The largest trees Iah had seen were not even knee height to her. She could have walked through them as easily as tall grass. Even the rivers she had seen could be walked across without much issue. The only things that could have possibly acted as a barrier that Iah could think of were oceans, seas, and mountains. The reason the cultists had broken up their army was probably to circumvent those very things. They had probably scouted which portals lead to different continents, interrogated the locals, and took any maps they had. And then they probably killed them all.

And now they had been given three days of free reign on the human’s world. She could only imagine what sort of devastation had been wrought on their world. It was not just fear of what would happen to all of creation that had Iah feeling frustrated. No matter what, a lot of innocent souls were being lost or condemned to a fate they did not deserve. What was happening to humanity was the most unholy thing she had ever heard of, and she was anxious to put a stop to it.

Fortunately, an army had already been in the process of assembling thanks to the call Qandryd had put out to the leaders of her federation. It just took time to gather everyone, even with the support of three elder races and enough mana powder to teleport everyone where they needed to be. For one thing, they did not know where all their forces were. People were out on patrol, hunting down criminals, assisting hunting parties, or performing a wide variety of other tasks. So, they just had to wait for everyone to answer the call to return and then be teleported to their specified rendezvous points.

Then, there was the gathering of supplies, which had been a whole separate debate. There had been an issue of whether to prioritize speed or defense. They needed to catch up to the cultists, but there was a worry about what would happen if they suffered too many casualties. Many of the secrets of the elder races were spreading among all the clans and many were fully aware that others must have learned those secrets in the past and been killed for it. If they suffered too many casualties, some argued that the elder races would make an attempt to erase their federation. So, they argued that they needed to be equipped to minimize their own casualties.

It was a debate that had somewhat perplexed Vel. The humans still had beasts of burden that were larger than themselves that could be used to pull supply wagons. That allowed them to be more flexible than her people. But, if they wanted to carry any extra supplies, either every soldier had to carry it themselves, or they had to make room for it on carts that someone else had to pull along. Those carts were ordinarily full of food that an army of ravenous carnivores relied on.

It helped that the dragons and the nines were also going to be contributing a fair number of forces to the army. So they were going to be putting their lives on the line as well. Fortunately, Masumi had overheard Vel’s talks of supply wagons and convinced his people to act as cart pullers for additional supplies. That one had come as a surprise to Iah. She had never pictured the elder races lowering themselves to such a task. But, it turned out that they knew some spell to lighten the load of carts so that pulling them took barely any effort. That helped resolve another debate while ensuring they had additional experienced spell casters with them. Hopefully, they would be more useful in a fight than Masumi had been.

Now, it was getting close to when Iah was supposed to meet up with one of the assembled forces. But she was meeting up with the rest of her clan first. Lanzui had convinced Qandryd to pay Iah for acquiring Vel even though she had not turned him over. It was for the trouble she had been put through, and Iah thought that the old dragon felt shame for what the actions of the elder races had brought them all to. Now, he was trying to make up for that. So, Iah had something to do before heading off to battle in case she did not return.

Vel was perched atop her head, using the spell she had learned to keep him from falling off. He was the cause for many a curious glance when she arrived, but that was not the only thing they were curious about. She had sent word ahead that the rest of the combat-capable members of her tribe were to be ready to head into battle. Word had also reached them that many other warrior clans and quite a few other clans had received similar messages. They wanted a more detailed explanation of what was happening, and Iah was ready to give it to them.

After Iah finished explaining, her clan looked almost humorously surprised to find out their very existence depended upon the tiny creature standing on her head. They also fully understood the urgency of the call to arms. Iah was pleased that her warriors were already packed and ready to teleport to where the rest of the clan was waiting whenever she was ready. They had even prepared her own equipment for her. But it was not time to leave just yet.

Instead, she headed over to the nursery to have a look at the clan’s cubs. When Vel got a look at them, he said, “They’re a lot cuter than I was expecting.”

“Did something make you think they wouldn’t be cute,” Iah asked, “I’m adorable, so that should have been a hint.”

Iah could not see Vel from his position on her head, but she heard the slight stammer in his voice when he next spoke, and that put a smile on her face, “Uh, sure, the most adorable force of destructive might I have ever seen. It’s just weird thinking of something so huge as…cute.”

“Huge? I could hold them with one hand,” Iah teased.

“And they look like they could crush me in one of theirs,” Vel joked back before turning more somber, “Iah, is something wrong with them?”

Iah sighed. Considering this was Vel’s first time seeing a gnoll cub, and even he could tell there was something wrong with them was a sign of just how bad things were. These were cubs. They should have been bouncing around with barely contained energy. At least one or two of them should have been trying to climb her to try and play with Vel while she fended them off to keep them from accidentally harming him. That was not the case. Every cub in the clan was lethargic and weak-looking. They barely responded to the presence of Iah at all, not even her own cubs.

Iah said, “Have you noticed how all the plants look sickly and weak, Vel?”

“Yeah, all the plants everywhere we’ve been have looked about ready to wither up.”

“And how many cubs have you seen anywhere, in Cado or any of the clans we have visited these past few days?”

Vel thought briefly, “I’ve seen some older children, mostly adolescents, but I don’t think I’ve seen a single infant.”

Iah said, “Vel, the same thing affecting the plants affects us. It’s especially harsh on cubs. Generally, we’ll be fine if we make it past 10 years of age. I’d say only two in five cubs make it to that point. However, magic can help with that.”

“You said you needed to sell me for this, but I didn’t think it was this bad,” Vel said in a hushed tone, “It’s almost like this is a plague.”

“I suppose you could put it that way,” Iah said, walking up to one of the clan’s cubs. Then she pulled out one of the many managlasses she had received from Lanzui and started reciting a spell. The spell started draining the mana powder at a staggering rate, but it was not as bad as when Iah had to heal Ryrrg’s arms. Curing an ailment like what was affecting the cubs was not as taxing as restoring that much destroyed flesh, but there was still only enough powder to heal two cubs per glass with a little leftover.

Iah felt immense relief after casting a spell and watching some of the life return to the clan’s cubs. There was still the chance that they could always die from other diseases, hunger, or fighting, but this gave them a real fighting chance. Iah could expect them to survive to adolescence now, as long as she could protect creation for them.

When Iah was down to the final two cubs, Vel pipped up to ask, “Do you think I could try that healing spell for these last couple of cubs? Seems like it would be a useful one to know.”

Iah raised an eyebrow at that and then shrugged, “Well, it is a costly spell to get wrong, but I have a few extra managlasses now, and you could always make me more powder if you get it wrong. Plus, you have me to coach you through it.”

Iah placed a hand next to Vel and let him walk into her open palm. Then she lowered him down to one of the cubs and placed a managlass next to him. Much to her surprise, he managed to get the spell right on the first try, and life seemed to start returning to the little female cub he had healed. As Iah laughed, Vel asked, “What’s so funny? I thought I got it right.”

“You did,” Iah chuckled, “Hes has struggled to get it right for the past few years, though. She’s going to be jealous of you.”

“I heard you say the spell enough; it wasn’t that hard,” Vel said, looking down and scratching the back of his head.

“It’s not just the words. You do have to get the pronunciation correct, or at least close enough,” Iah replied.

“Well, I’ve always been good with languages,” said Vel, “It’s helpful on the frontier. I’ve picked up a few languages to help sell my goods at the market.”

“That is quite the skill to have for a spellcaster. Given enough time, I could make you a match for myself.”

“Let’s hope I have that time then,” Vel said.

Iah nodded in agreement with that before moving Vel over to the final cub, a male this time. Again, he recited the spell perfectly, and Iah gave the cub a gentle smile. He was asleep, as with most of the cubs. Just existing was a struggle for many of them with the shape the world was in. But, once weak and fitful movements began to settle down and they looked like they were at peace for the first time in a long while. Iah reached out with her free hand to stroke the two cubs Vel had healed affectionately but gently so as to not disturb their sleep.

“Thank you for healing my cubs, Vel,” Iah remarked.

“These two are yours? I would have thought your children would be the first ones you healed,” Vel said, sounding surprised.

Iah said, “I’m the matriarch. Looking after the needs of the clan first is my responsibility.”

Vel looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked, “What are their names?”

“The girl is Saesh. She turned six not that long ago. My precious little boy isn’t even two years old. He doesn’t have a name yet. There’s usually no point in naming them before they reach three years of age. They have the highest chance of death before then. But, with his ailment dealt with, I think it’s time to give him one.”

“Did you already have one in mind?”

“I had been thinking about Izz,” Iah said with an amused smile, “But, now I think I’ll call him Vel.”

Vel stammered in surprise as he looked up at Iah, “What? Why would you want to name him after me?”

As Iah talked, she started lifting a finger for each point she made, “For one thing, you did heal him. For another, you are the last surviving gifted person of your generation after being saved, or rather abducted, by myself and being targeted by crazed cultists, dragons, and a crafty nine-tails. Then you’ve been a part of helping expose some secrets as old as time, and your very survival has helped preserve creation. You seem to be very lucky to have around, and I’d like to gift my son with a lucky name if you don’t mind.”

Vel looked like he turned a little red as he responded, “I suppose it would be an honor to have a giant that will live a thousand years named after me.”

“Thank you, Vel,” Iah smiled down at Vel, “May your name bring him fortune when it comes time to seek a tribe of his own.”

“You’re kicking him out?”

Iah chuckled, “Not for years to come. But all males leave their birth clans and join another eventually. It helps spread ideas and skills even if most come from and join hunter clans.”

“Is that why Ryrrg is such a good tracker,” Vel asked after a while, “He came from a clan of hunters?”

That caused Iah to laugh quietly so as not to disturb the slumber of the cubs, “I can’t blame you for thinking that. But no, he was never a hunter. He actually came from a clan of bards. You should ask him to sing you a song someday. His voice is beautiful.”

“You’re teasing me,” Vel said incredulously.

Iah gave her cubs one more loving look before standing up and responding to Vel, “I thought he was a hunter too when I was younger. But it’s true, he really was a bard. He doesn’t sing as much as he used to, but he will put on a show during a celebration.”

Iah was not quite sure if Vel believed her or not. She hoped they would all survive long enough for Vel to be shown the truth. And it was time for Iah to prepare for their journey to ensure that happened. She stopped by her clan’s armory and set Vel down on a table where he could stay safely out of the way. Then she began changing out of the light armor she had been using since the two of them had met. It brought a smile to her face when she saw him turn away to avoid looking at her.

“It’s not like I’m completely nude. I’m still in my undergarments,” Iah chuckled.

“It’s still polite.”

“Vel, you sleep in my belly fur, and you ride in a pocket that rests against my chest,” Iah smiled at her tiny companion.

“That’s different,” he said with a wave of his hand, still looking away from her.

“As you wish,” Iah said with a hint of amusement in her voice. But she left Vel alone and started changing into armor more appropriate for going to war. When she was finished, she finally asked, “How do I look, Vel?”

Vel stood there in stunned silence for a moment before Iah coughed to get his attention, and he said, “Before, I thought that the Empire might be able to defeat you if they could bring all the legions together to fight you.”

“And now?”

“I’m not even sure we could scratch you in armor like that. It looks thicker than I am. Even the joints look just about impossible to penetrate. I know you don’t like to hear this, but you look exactly like what I picture a warrior goddess descended from the heavens would look like. And are the claws on the gauntlets and boots really necessary,” Vel asked.

“Most predators don’t feel comfortable without them,” Iah explained, “Not having them makes us anxious, even more aggressive than normal. It can make us sloppy in a battle. And you’re right, I don’t like hearing that, and not just because it borders on blasphemy. If I look that far beyond your capabilities, it only confirms my worry about what is going on in your world. I was hoping you were keeping a secret weapon hidden from me, something capable of fighting something my size.”

Vel sighed, “Iah, the only thing I’ve ever heard of that even comes close to approaching your size are whales. Never seen one myself, but from what I’ve heard, they only reach around the size of a small giant. And they certainly don’t use armor or weapons capable of reducing a castle to rubble in a few swings. What am I talking about? You don’t look like you even need weapons to do that.”

“And you don’t have anything capable of fighting something my size?”

“We’ve never had to fight something your size,” Vel said, sounding frustrated, “Maybe if we had enough time, someone might be able to come up with something that isn’t completely useless, but not in just a few days. And I doubt anyone could come up with something to fight off an entire army of titans in my lifetime.”

Iah grunted, “That’s not what I wanted to hear, but it is what I expected.”

“We need your people,” Vel said, looking up at Iah with pleading eyes.

“And you will have us,” Iah said, giving Vel a reassuring smile before picking him up and carrying him back outside. The rest of her warriors soon met up with her, fully armed and armored. They each had provisions ready and other supplies that would be placed in carts when they reached their destination. With everyone together, it was only a matter of reciting a spell and transporting everyone to their rally point.

Teleportation was not instantaneous, as many people thought. There was a slight time delay, but it was usually not noticeable unless one tried to teleport a considerable distance across Patch. Even then, it would have taken longer to recite the multiple teleportation spells it would take to travel that distance, at least without access to the network the elder races had constructed to vastly boost the range of teleportation spells. That was why Iah was able to teleport her clan over a distance that should have taken her weeks to travel in a matter of seconds.

The sight that greeted Iah upon arrival was a busy military camp. From what Iah could see, there were around 100 soldiers there, with others teleporting in every so often. That meant around a third of the force was there already. Some races were teleporting in on their own, while others were being brought in by elder races. Not all races had managlasses or proficient spellcasters available to them.

Iah’s arrival was noticeable to the rest of the camp as she still carried Vel. Leaving him behind had been discussed, but that had been rejected. There was a chance the Djallowuo would ascertain his location through means of magic, and it was better he be traveling with an army for protection than with a small number of bodyguards. If they managed to capture Vel and complete their plague anyway, that would have rendered all this effort pointless. This also helped to reduce the chance that someone on their own side would have to kill Vel to keep that from happening. After the wrongs that had been done to him, he deserved their protection, and Iah planned to handle that duty herself.

Currently, Vel was hanging on to the collar of her armor so he could look at the outside world. He could retreat back into his pocket under her armor if he needed to. For now, his glow was getting the attention of the other soldiers in the area, and many briefly stopped what they were doing to look in his direction. Vel was getting a good look at them, too, and there was something that she noticed that she was sure would get his attention, as well.

Vel asked, “Was that a unicorn that just flashed in and out with those…reptilian creatures with the sails on their backs?”

“Those reptiles are spinosauri. And yes, that was a unicorn,” Iah explained to Vel, “While the Djallowuo are led by unicorns, they only make up a minority of the unicorn population. The rest of them don’t like us, mind you, but they don’t want all of creation destroyed. We probably have not managed to negotiate the cooperation of their peoples, but some of them are assisting with our military buildup, along with the other elder races. You might see a phoenix or griffin, too.”

Vel said, “I’m seeing a lot of things I’ve never seen before, some things I’ve only heard talk off, and things that are right out of myth.”

“You know, it’s the same way for all of them when they look at you.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Vel, I know it is intimidating for you to be around people of our size, especially ones that you don’t know. But, would you be willing to let me take you out and let everyone get a good look at you,” Iah asked of Vel.

Vel sounded a little hesitant as he responded, “Sure, if you think that is for the best.”

“It is,” Iah said, “Just need to make sure everyone here really grasps the situation we are in.”

Iah put her hand up next to her collar to let Vel climb into it, and then she spotted a nearby table that looked like it had been set up for someone like her. There were smaller ones around for the shorter races as well, but Iah did not want Vel to be towered over that badly by races of her size if she used one of them. There were platforms at the table Iah had picked out that smaller races could use to see on top of it. Once she set Vel down and made sure he was still up for this, she started calling over members of the various races that made up this army.

After climbing onto one of the platforms, a female secretary bird, one of the mid-sized races, ventured to say, “Greetings, General Splithallow. What is this about?”

“I wanted to start introducing myself to those under my command,” Iah said as others gathered at the table, “And I wanted to show you what we will be saving. Vel, would you please introduce yourself.”

After Iah gestured to Vel, he looked around at what, to him, was a group of giants. He took that time to compose his thoughts and said, “Greetings. I am Vel Apelles, farmer turned soldier, and now I suppose I am something like an ambassador. I’m grateful to all of you for coming to the aid of my people.”

Iah tried to stifle a smile at the reactions of those around the table. None of them had been to the human world, and it was hard for them to grasp that the things from that world were so small. Vel was small enough that even a member of the small races could easily swallow him whole. No one had ever encountered an intelligent race that small. To have someone that small addressing them was something of a wonder.

One of the dinosaurs at the table, a Chenanisaurus, was the next to speak up, “I thought they were exaggerating about how small the humans were.”

“I’m afraid not,” Vel said.

“And that is why I want you all to take a good look at Vel, and keep in mind that he is above average in height for a human,” Iah said, which was met with disbelieving noises all around the table.

Iah waited for them to calm down before continuing, “We are going to be following after the herbivores in their wave of destruction, but I suspect they will miss the occasional human. They will be moving fast and may not have the time to hunt down every human.”

“As if they were great hunters to begin with,” scoffed a spiny orb weaver.

Iah reminded the spider, “They do have a considerable amount of kobolds in their ranks, and a few other predators have willingly joined the cultists and are helping them with this extermination effort.”

That comment did get a few curses out of the assembled group. Herbivores that joined the Djalluwuo Cult were bad enough, but carnivores that joined their ranks were looked upon with a special disgust. As a general rule, carnivores were as quick and efficient with their kills as possible, but an exception was made for those carnivores. If captured alive, their deaths could take days.

Once Iah had their attention again, she went on, “This is just another reason why any surviving humans may try to hide from us on top of our already frightening size. So, it is upon all of us to watch our step for any humans trying not to be noticed. I know it won’t be easy, but preserving enough humans to maintain a breeding population is imperative for us all.”

A few more words were exchanged, and Iah started getting as acquainted with all her subordinates as possible. This was her army. She had been selected as one due to being one of the few with any experience in the human world, along with her experience as the leader of one of the more prominent warrior clans in the Daghai Federation. The table Vel was on pretty much became her command table as some left, and others came to meet her and Vel as they were teleported in.

It was a couple more hours before the army was fully assembled and ready to depart. The only surprises for Iah were in the elder races that had been assigned to her army. All the armies had elder races assigned to them to ensure everyone had spellcasters talented enough to counter any unicorns they may encounter. Plus, they also needed people who could hold the portals between worlds open wide enough and long enough to allow an army to pass through. Iah had been expecting some younger members, though. Instead, she had some familiar faces in the form of Lanzui, Masumi, and Oshiko. It also looked like her dragon units were Lanzui’s personal bodyguards, meaning they were an especially tough-looking lot.

Among the three, Iah was the most inclined to be friendly towards Lanzui, greeting him, “What are you doing here? I thought you would be in command of your own army.”

Lanzui waved that off, “Qandryd wanted command of his own army, but I think we’re both 200 years too old to be running around leading armies anymore. And he would have been insufferable to serve under, so I decided to come here. I have always liked you, Splithallow.”

“And the two of you,” Iah turned to Masumi and Oshiko.

“I’ve seen this story from the perspective of the little human on the table for a while now, and I’d prefer to see how his story ends,” Masumi said with a shrug.

Oshiko was actually wearing armor this time, though she was still wearing as little as possible, probably depending on magic to protect her, almost as if she were still trying to seduce Vel. She tried to slyly saunter over to the table Vel was standing on, prompting Iah to remain close and keep a protective hand on the table close to him.

This only managed to get a smile out of the nine-tailed vixen, “My people decided that we needed to make sure our adorable little gifted human friend was properly protected. So, here I am. And if I should happen to convince him that he would be best off with us during this time we spend together, all the better.”

Iah frowned at that but accepted her presence. She would be of great benefit to their cause if she behaved herself. However, with everyone assembled, it was time for their army to head out. It was back to the human world.