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Hey there, readers! I'm so happy to bring you this new chapter! I really hope that you enjoy it!

Edit: Whoops! I accidentally uploaded chapter 13 before chapter 12! I have fixed the issue!

I've Been Reincarnated as a Bunny Girl?! (Chapter 13)

by

Shadow Lion

"We're coming up on the checkpoint," Geth said in a quiet voice, looking back at Kiana and Archie. The bunny beasta smoothed out her dress while Archibald gave her a smile. As they had approached the canyon chokepoint, one of the few natural openings in the sheer rocky mountains that made up the border with the Empire, the party had prepared for scrutiny. Mirabelle was wearing her best bow around her neck, and Snowflake was up above, soaring so high that he was just a speck in the wild blue yonder. Bolt nickered as the cart approached the checkpoint, rounding a curve in the road to reveal a fort-like structure. Light gray stone bricks built to form a tall, square structure, crenellations running along the top, where Kiana could see several archers posted, some watching them closely, others looking out over the opposite side. There were numerous guards just outside the portcullis gate on this side of the border. All of their uniforms bore the symbol of King Gnaseff on their chests and helmets, a wolf howling to three stars above.

"Halt!" One guard, a very large and burly man beneath his uniform and armor, approached. "Who are you and what is your business here?"

Geth stopped the cart and bowed respectfully to the guard, wearing his full suit of armor. He held up a scroll with a wax seal.

"I am Getholon the Mystic. My party members and I have business to the south that is considered classified. All relevant information is within this scroll." Geth stated this evenly, seemingly to Kiana to be choosing his words carefully, all while he held out the scroll. The guard nodded and took the parchment, quickly breaking the seal and unrolling it. His eyes traced the writing on the pages, widening in surprise. He quickly re-rolled the scroll, the wax seal resealing, only now, in addition to the symbol of a smiling cat face imprinted in the red wax, there was what looked to Kiana to be a Roman numeral I in the center of the cat's forehead.

"I see... then by Lady Sinna's orders, you may pass. But, be warned, there is very little that the kingdom can do should you or your party members run into any... trouble." The guard was frowning.

Geth nodded and bowed again. "We are grateful for your concern, however, this is a most pressing matter that cannot be helped. We understand fully that the kingdom cannot intervene on our behalf on the foreign soil belonging to the Empire."

The guard nodded again before turning and waving his gauntleted hand in the direction of the gate. Slowly, the portcullis raised, and the party was instructed to head through. They did so, the portcullis slamming closed once they were all through. Kiana saw before them another fort-like structure with its own portcullis. The square patch in between the two mountains was clearly serving as some kind of shared borderland, with guards from both countries inhabiting the area. Some more of the kingdom's guards were right behind them, hands resting on the hilts of their swords or the butts of their pistols. The Leoluna guards were doing the same, though all of their armor was polished silvery metal and crisp white cloth and dyed leather. Up above, their archers had nocked arrows drawn, pointing right at the party. A single guard strode up to them, snorting as Geth bowed respectfully, holding out a hand for the scroll.

"Remove your helmet, please," the guard said, lazily opening the scroll, and looking its contents over, keeping an eye on Geth. The paladin sighed and slowly removed his red metallic helmet.

"Eugh... can't believe that we're letting in a damn orc," said the guard, disgust prominent in his voice. Kiana gripped the side of the cart in anger, making some of the wood splinter in her hand. She felt the guard's eyes move on over to her, and heard him chuckle. "And a rabbit beast," he said with a lecherous laugh. "I can at least understand not wanting to leave such a valuable concubine alone. Considering that the rabbit ones will hop into bed with anything when left to their own devices."

Geth had warned Kiana and Archibald.... but especially Kiana, that the guards at the checkpoint, and indeed other such guards they would encounter, would most likely try to bait them into a confrontation. While they still needed a valid excuse, they would try to find an excuse to arrest and interrogate any foreigners, at least those that were without significant financial or political influence. The gentle hand that Kiana felt Archibald place on her shoulder helped quell her rising anger. Kiana turned to look at him, the two sharing a smile. Now it was Archie's turn for the guard's scrutiny.

"Greetings, good knight," Archibald said with a bow that involved him sweeping his feathered cap off his head. "I am Archibald Nunarin, of the Nunarin family in Shuta. Before we continue with this inspection, I do believe that you owe my two traveling companions an apology."

"What are you on abou-- did you say the Nunarin family?"

"Indeed, the one and the same, as you'll find listed in the scroll there." Kiana had to fight back a smirk as the guard's face beneath his helmet quickly paled. She looked back to Archibald, whose previously rather lackadaisical smile had become a much more wolfish grin. The guard stepped back and read and then re-read the scroll with more focus. He then called over two more guards and had them read it as well. With a few words whispered that Kiana couldn't pick up on, she watched as guards ran back to their stations, standing at attention. The one holding the scroll gulped and walked back over, rolling the scroll back up and handing it to Geth. Kiana could see the cat in the wax had two Roman numeral II's on its forehead now.

"M-my apologies, m'lord, I meant no offense," he said, bowing first to Archis, and then to Kiana, then to Geth, and even to Mirabelle, who had poked her head up over the side of the cart, having been taking a nap in the warm sunlight. The guard briefly did a double take before gesticulating at their own portcullis. It began to hastily rise.

"Once more, I apologize f-for any inconvenience for you and your party members, Sai Nunarin," the guard said with one last bow. "Welcome to the glory of the Leoluna Empire. May his holiness' benevolence shine upon you all."

Geth, only with a hint of a smile, bowed to the guard. Bolt snorted and, to Kiana, seemed to roll his eyes before beginning to trot, pulling them through the gate. After they had left the checkpoint behind them, Kiana let out a sigh of relief, before reaching over and nudging Geth's shoulder.

"And you were worried I was gunna cause another international incident." At that, Archibald couldn't contain his laughter anymore, while Geth sighed.

"Once we finish our investigation and return back home, only then I shall be impressed, Ki-ki," Geth said with a chuckle, wincing a little from the light swat to the back of his head that almost sent him sprawling.

"Only my little brother and sister get to call me that," Kiana said with a huff.

A short while later, the party came upon the outskirts of what appeared to be a large walled city. The walls looked to be carved from giant slabs of white glittery stones, forming a perfect circle, broken by a single gate facing the cobblestone road they were traveling down. Giant crisp white banners hanging fron the tops of the walls fluttered in the wind, bearing the symbol of the lion and the crescent moon in shining golden embroidery.

"Well... that's not creepy at all," Kiana said, making Archie snicker.

"Kiana, focus," Geth said, turning to give her a look. "I've only been here once before, and that was before the Empire became more militaristic. Even then, outsiders, orc or not, were always under a lot of scrutiny. I imagine that it's only gotten worse. Unless you want to be the reason that an outright war breaks out, please, try not to say anything that might cause offense and keep in mind the mission."

Kiana sighed, but nodded. "Alright, fine. So we'll be all courteous to the religious zealots despite anything they say or do, and ask around to find out information on that Sevlin guy who invented the spikey armor stuff."

"Rosethorne Steel," Archibald corrected, smiling at the bunny beasta. Kiana felt her face heating up and looked into the sky instead. She saw the tiny glittering white speck that was Snowflake, flying in big lazy circles around them.

"You guys think Snowflake will really be okay flying up there while we're in the city?"

"A frost wyvern like him can fly for days on end without tiring," Geth said, turning to look back at the gate they were slowly approaching. "And since he's imprinted on you, all you need to do is just wave him down, and he'll not only be able to see it from way up there, but he'll come right towards you as fast as possible."

Kiana was about to ask where Geth had learned about frost wyverns when the cart came to a stop, and they were immediately approached by a contingent of guards. As before at the checkpoint, there were archers above the gate standing on some kind of crenelated platform built into the wall, arrows nocked and pointed in their direction. They had to repeat the handing over of the scroll and a once-over inspection by the guards before the portcullis was raised and they were allowed to enter. Their cart was directed towards a vehicle storage area that was next to a stable, which was where Geth set Bolt up in, the tenebricorn snorting as he began chewing on some offered hay.

"Enjoy your stay in the holy city of Wishlighte," said the guard who had accompanied them to the stable for their 'protection'. Kiana had to physically stop herself from snorting or saying something sarcastic.

"Okay," Geth said in a soft voice to Kiana and Archibald as they were walking away from the stable and the ever so helpful guard. Mirabelle had been left behind with their belongings, having been promised a special treat for being a good guardian. "The missive is only good for one week at the most, but the longer we stay on the Empire's lands, the better the chances we could wind up being arrested get. So we locate this Sevlin as fast as possible, and learn as much about his production as we can. Then we make a hasty retreat back home, all without raising any suspicion."

"Judging from the looks, I'm afraid that it may be too late to not raise any suspicions, Geth," Archibald said. Kiana looked around and noticed that there were several sets of eyes watching their party walking through the street. Some came from guards who were doing their rounds; a lot came from the average citizen going about their days, clearly not used to seeing strangers even in a city as large as this one. Kiana's ears twitched as she picked up snippets of conversations about 'the outsiders' being whispered.

"Even so, so long as we all remember to act upstanding, we should be fine." Kiana sighed, having heard Geth's special tone one would normally use for a child being directed towards her.

"Yes, Mom, I get it," she said out loud, making a group of elderly women that were passing by stop and stare at them. Kiana's ears flopped down to her back as Geth once more turned to look at her. "Sorry."

They set off, immediately heading off to find the shop that Sevlin had set up. Geth had thankfully unearthed the shop's address thanks to some of his contacts. Kiana had to admit that she would've been lost in this labyrinthine city that Geth seemed to know how to navigate. They made turn after turn, crossing over two bridges with a burbling river running beneath, and at one point she could have sworn that they'd doubled back. Yet the paladin strode with purpose and familiarity, even offering a wave and a kind word to some of the few friendlier faces that watched them pass. Thinking more about it, if left to her own devices, Kiana would probably have just jumped atop the different buildings and leapt from rooftop to rooftop until she either found the address in question, or at least someone who knew its location.

However, as they rounded a corner to find a street with a charred and mostly burned down building amidst the row of other shops, all of which seemed largely untouched by the flames from the one in the dead center, Kiana had a feeling that their initial plan of just going to the shop and asking to speak with Sevlin was now no longer viable. That feeling was confirmed when she heard Geth quietly curse under his breath.

"I take it that of all the shops here, the one that Sevlin owned is not counted amongst the ones that have not been burned down?" Archibald asked. Geth double-checked the paper he had written the address down on and let out a frustrated sigh.

"You would be correct... and it seems a bit suspicious that only his shop would burn down."

"Maybe he did it for the insurance money," Kiana said, slipping her sunglasses on and crossing her arms.

"Really, Kiana?" Geth asked.

"I guess you could say that we've got some burning questions to ask," she said while Archie pretended to cough to try and disguise his snickering.

Geth lightly bapped her on the nose with the rolled-up missive.

"No. Bad, Kiana, bad," he said.

"Oh come on! Who would take offense at me putting some glasses on and making a pun?" Kiana quickly slipped the shades back into the small purse she was carrying that matched her dress.

"Alright, let's... just go and see if any of the neighbors know anything," Archibald offered, giving Kiana a smile and a wink.

Doing just that was much easier said than done. They had no problems entering the shops or getting a chance to talk to those that worked there, or just happened to live in the area. Yet every person they asked about the burned down shop all claimed that they had slept through the entire ordeal. Many seemed hesitant to even divulge how long ago it had happened. Thanks to a rather nervous-looking gnome jeweler, the party was able to ascertain that the fire had taken place just two nights prior.

"I-it was truly such a frightful sight," he said, running a hand through his long disheveled crop of white hair. "I saw some wizards from the city's fire brigade guild, standing around it in a circle, looking like they were using spells to contain the flames and keep them from spreading. I... I thought that it was rather odd that they weren't conjuring great and powerful blasts of water like they normally do for a fire. But... I decided it would be best not to ask them any questions... the few whose faces I could see due to the light of the flames appeared rather... angry, I suppose." The gnome then hung his head, slowly shaking it with a melancholic expression on his face. "Poor Sevlin, he put in so much effort to build up his business."

"Was he there that night?" Geth asked.

"Thankfully, no. He'd left the city a few days prior to go and visit his sister over in Oredraught off to the east a ways. Not too far from the city. I'm not sure when he'll be returning, but I just know that he's going to be devastated."

"Did anyone else come by, asking about his whereabouts?" Archibald asked, stepping forward with a soft and assuring smile. The gnome looked a bit nervous, his eyes darting left and right for a bit. He then exhaled a breath that he had been holding.

"S-some guards started asking everyone in the area if they knew his whereabouts. I... uhm... well, I may have withheld that information... but there's no telling who else in these parts knew where he went."

"Thank you, you've been a big help to us," Archibald said with a bow. They exited the shop a short time later, Kiana blushing as she looked down at the new pendant she was wearing. On a gold chain, there was now a silver carving of a storm dragon coiled around a sapphire in the shape of an egg, the size of a robin's egg no less. Her blush deepened as Archibald slipped an arm around her hip and pulled her in closer.

"Do you like your new pendant, darling?" he asked; Kiana's ears perked up in surprise. Not that she hadn't known that this was going to happen. With all the eyes watching them, simply entering the jewelry shop and then leaving after talking with the owner would have looked rather suspicious, especially to any authoritative eyes belonging to someone also on the hunt for this elusive Mr. Sevlin. So they had decided a noble electing to buy his fiancee a beautiful piece of jewelry was the best cover story they could come up with.

"I love it," Kiana said when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a pair of city guards who were trying not to look like they were keeping an eye on them from across the street. She let out a girlish giggle as she rested her head on his chest, very aware of the strong muscles beneath his fine silk shirt.

"Nothing is too good for you, my love," he said, kissing the corner of her mouth. Kiana was starting to feel hot as she realized that she didn't mind the feel of Archie's touch.

"Ahem," Geth said with a cough that was enough to break Kiana out of her inner thoughts. "M'lord, we really must stick to our schedule. This detour will cost us an extra day alone if we wish to make it to Scarvale in time." Geth made sure his voice carried so that anyone listening in would hear it. He had chosen Scarvale as their false destination, as it too was to the east.

"Alas, there are so many lovely sights that I wanted us to visit. Though, none of them are nearly as lovely as the sight I see before me," Archie said to Kiana, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Kiana suddenly felt her face heat up again. She smiled, a blush beneath her fur. When he offered her the crook of his arm for her to link hers through, she did so, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

Kiana felt even more keenly aware of the eyes on them as they started to head back the way they had come, stopping at a couple more shops at Archie's 'insistence', also part of the cover story of the foreign noble treating his fiancée on a romantic, unscheduled detour from the official business he was to hold elsewhere. They ended up getting a few more souvenirs, though Kiana paid little attention as to what was gotten, every now and again looking down to her chest to see her new pendant. As they returned to the cart, Kiana was resting her head on Archibald's shoulder. Her blush threatened to turn the fur on her cheeks crimson as Archie offered her his hand to help her up into the cart. Soon, they were back out through the gate they had entered, and now on the road, turning east.

"I apologize if I at all made you uncomfortable, Kiana," Archie said while the bunny beasta looked off into the distance, her eyes unfocused and not actually watching the passing rolling hills.

"Huh?" She turned to look at Archie, her blush returning in full force. He repeated what he had said, the corners of his mouth turning up a bit. "O-oH! It was no problem, Archie, my man," she said, closing her eyes and smiling while gently clapping him on the back. He went sprawling on top of a napping Mirabelle, who let out a hissing yawn and slowly started to wrap herself around the source of warmth. Kiana, her eyes still closed, was oblivious to this. Internally, she was trying not to freak out.

"Uh, Kiana?" Archibald asked with a slight wheeze to his voice.

"No, please don't worry about it. We just had to play the part, that's all." She turned her head away as she opened her eyes, reflecting on how she had felt earlier.

"K-Kiana?!" The noble's voice had more of a gasp to it.

"What?" Kiana asked, startled out of another reverie. Her eyes went wide as she saw that Archie's face was beginning to turn a shade of blue that was actually a close match to Mirabelle's scale color. The large snake herself was wrapped around Archie, his arms pinned to his sides as the air was being forced out of him. "Mirabelle, off!" Kiana said in a stern voice that was enough to jolt the guilty reptile awake. She thumped her tail while rapidly uncoiling herself, slithering over to the bunny girl with a soulful look in her eyes. Kiana sighed and reached over, scratching Mirabelle right in between her eyes, causing her to let out a happy hiss, her tail starting to twitch.

"You okay, Archie?" Kiana asked, looking over to him, seeing that he was on his knees, taking in deep gulping breaths. He held up a thumbs up with his mechanical hand, letting out a series of gasping chuckles.

* * *

"Were you followed?" Liama Von Hollow asked, looking out from the ring of crumbled and fractured stones and gazing down at the swampy marshland it overlooked. The ruins on the hillock had once, ages past, been the Tower of Gaspiel, a great wizard and philosopher. The elvish woman's platinum blonde hair was braided into a ponytail, with an emerald jewel set into the leather that tied the very end of it. Inside the twinkling gem was a scorpion. Her gleaming silvery armor shone in the afternoon light.

"Someone tried." Kazim's whispering voice seemed to come from all around the interior of the circle of stones, while the hooded shadowy revenant paced around the perimeter. His glowing red eyes shone brighter as he murmured a spell too quiet for anyone else to hear. "However, I managed to give them the slip."

"Anyone else showin' up?" Fubar asked, holding a tankard of something foamy in one hand. The teal goblin drank deep while the others of their little emergency meeting briefly wondered where he had even gotten it from.

"I would think not," Vashka said, crossing her arms. The lioness beasta was dressed in some rather nondescript road leathers with simple-looking chainmail underneath. Yet the other assembled guildmasters could easily sense strong enchantments coming not only from said chainmail, which to Liama seemed to be mithril.

Hiama was wearing a green hooded cape, with the hood down. Her chestnut brown hair now had some blue and magenta flowers intertwined within its locks. At her feet rested a fox that was curled up and napping, letting out little snores.

"Dark times are approaching," the halfling said, reaching down to gently scratch the fox's exposed belly, making it kick its little legs and make murr sound in its sleep.

"We could not assemble everyone again all at once, not after what's happened," Kazim explained, still stalking the perimeter of the stones.

"How bad was it?" Fubar asked, his ears lowering as he remembered why this emergency meeting had been called.

"Only two survived," Liama said. She was blunt about it, but even the goblin could pick up on a note of sorrow in the normally stoic elf's voice. "Nivash and Juliem. We were able to have them safely moved with the story in place being that they're comatose."

"So it's true then," Vashka said with a growl, "the old man is finally making his move."

"He's been making moves for a while now," Kazim explained. "This was no random patrol accidentally stumbling onto Zero and the party. It was an ambush, by at least three platoons, at least from what I gathered. Complete with their archangels. The fact that Nivash and Juliem survived at all, let alone helped get the others back across the border, as well as help save what refugees they could, was nothing short of a miracle."

"I-is... is Zero truly... gone, then?" Hiama's eyes were filled with tears as she asked it, the flowers in her hair starting to wilt a little, a couple shedding some petals. Liama approached and scooped the halfling into her arms. They embraced for a few moments before breaking apart, Liama setting the other guildmaster down.

"Well... it's true how Zero has a habit of coming back from the dead," Liama said, looking troubled as she said it.

"HA! That's putting it mildly! Remember how he kept coming back to annoy that lich that kept zapping him with that enchanted reaper scythe? No one else could even get close without sharing a similar, if not more permanent, fate. Yet he would just pop back up after a few minutes and be right as rain, ready to charge at the abomination again and again and again. O'course, it took a bit longer when that volcano hydra got ahold of him... but mark my words, Hiama! He'll be back!" Fubar said it with such confidence that the others wanted to believe him.

"Perhaps... we can only wait and see," Kazim said.

"However, it might be a good idea to discuss the real reason only us five are here." Vashka looked around at the others, noticing even Kazim had stopped his pacing.

"Yes... as the rest of you have probably guessed by now why that is..." Liama looked away, unable to bring herself to say it.

"Woah... wait a second," Fubar said, his ears perking up at the sudden realization that clicked in his mind. "You don't think that... one of the others coulda been responsible for the operation goin' bad?"

"It's unpleasant to even think about," Hiama said, suddenly clenching her fists, the flowers in her hair growing out their stems a bit, sharp thorns suddenly protruding from them, an aura of anger radiating from the diminutive guild master. "But the only ones who could have known about our intentions were those involved in the planning. Someone is not who they seem!"

"It is too early to tell who or even how many of our party has been compromised," Kazim said, his eyes shining brighter beneath his black hood. "But I will find out who it was that betrayed us so."

"And then we shall make them pay," Vashka said with a snarl, her claws extending and glowing orange. "For Zero, and Hijam, Nikoto, and Tulip!"

"I agree," Liama said in a soothing voice. "Of course, we cannot play our hand just yet, let alone go around accusing the rest of our friends willy-nilly."

"I got twenty platinum that says it was Mathhew," Fubar said with a snarl. "Ever since he got that title when his dad passed away, and started going around demanding to be called Lord Phoenix, he's gotten way more stuffy than he used to be!" The goblin grumbled and shook his head. "He and I used to go out drinking and get into a bar brawl at least twice a month. Then all of a sudden he changes. Somethin's goin' on there."

Liama pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "Fubar, I just said we can't just go throwing accusations around, at least not until we have proof. This is something we're going to have to play close to the chest."

"Oh fine, spoilsport," Fubar said with a snort, looking away. "Sorry about Hijam," he said, in a softer voice. "I know she was like a daughter to you."

Hiama took one of Liama's hands in both her own, looking up into her eyes, the tears threatening to return. "She was a daughter to both of us."

Liama smiled sadly down at Hiama, who could see a tear at the corner of the elf's eye that was quickly blinked away. Letting go, Liama cleared her throat.

"Regardless, we have some planning to do. And it would seem that our time is growing short."

And there it is, folks! I hope that you liked the new chapter!