YAY! It's funny, each time I sat down to try and work on this chapter, something crazy would come up that I would have to deal with. (Like my water heater! As well as a sudden storm!) Anyways, I finally was able to crank this one out, and I am feeling proud! I hope you all enjoy it!

 

 

I've Been Reincarnated as a Bunny Girl?! (Chapter 12)

 

 

by

 

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

Kiana sat at the table in her cream-colored sundress, fidgeting a little in her seat. She was sitting on the patio of the new cafe in town, a few other customers at other outdoor tables, each with big bright yellow and red umbrellas shielding the patrons from the sun. From their location, everyone had a clear view of the falls, which were catching the sunlight just right to create a rainbow. The cafe itself was a small and cozy wooden building, with green, blue, and turquoise stained glass windows, including one on the door. Outside, Kiana's fur was neatly brushed and she was without any weapons, aside from her bare hands and feet. She actually jumped a little as a small plate with freshly baked pink cookies was set down in front of her. Kiana looked to see Lilith smiling at her brightly.

 

"Don't worry, Kiana," the short brown-furred mouse beasta said with a knowing wink, "Davtio will show." Kiana remembered how shy and reserved the mouse used to be in school. The fact that Lilith not only seemed much more confident nowadays, but even had the gumption to start up her own cafe, brought a smile to the bunny beasta's face. Lilith was wearing a light orange sleeveless dress with a white apron tied around her waist.

 

"I'm sure he will too... I guess I'm just a little nervous, is all."

 

Lilith put a paw on her hip and cocked her head to the side. "Nervous? About Davi? This coming from the same bunny who, when she found out that all of our bake sale money had been stolen by those ogre boys, immediately charged after them and beat them up?"

 

Kiana chuckled at that. "Well, hey, the school needed the money for that fancy new library, and we all worked so hard at that bake sale to earn as much as we did. I wasn't gunna let the McCreason boys just up and take it."

 

"I remember that you got in trouble with your mother for hogtying both of them," a voice chuckled, catching both Kiana and Lilith by surprise. Davtio was taking a seat across from Kiana. Kiana smiled and felt a little bit of a blush heat up her face beneath her fur, but chose to ignore it. Lilith smiled and welcomed the blonde elf man wearing a green shirt and brown trousers. While simple, the clothes were clearly well-kept and clean. The mouse beasta gave Kiana a wink and a thumbs up before scurrying off to see to her other customers. Kiana had to keep from rolling her eyes as she clearly saw one of Lilith's ears turning to face the two of them. Kiana smiled at Davtio's amused chuckle, fidgeting a little less in her seat.

 

"I was in trouble because I tore open the broad side of their family barn to get to them," Kiana responded with mock annoyance.

 

"Kiana, the adorable little terror." At his words, Kiana felt the blush on her cheeks deepen a bit.

 

The silence that followed caused Kiana to start tapping her foot under the table as she thought of what she wanted to say. Luckily, the elf beat her to it.

 

"And, based on the series of tremors as well as the tornado of fire and the general rumormill going, I take it that you and your family had yourselves a bit of an eventful evening last night?"

 

"Uh... you could kinda say that. Another group of bandits was trying to lay siege or something. Don't worry, we took care of it with extreme prejudice."

 

"I... see," Davtio said, his smile faltering a bit.

 

"Is something wrong?" Kiana asked, her ears starting to droop a little.

 

"It's nothing," Davtio said, unable to meet Kiana's eyes.

 

"It doesn't sound like nothing," the bunny beasta said. "Look, Dav, if you're worried about me, I promise I'm just fine! I've fought bandits, trolls, werewolf and weretiger pirates, zombies, a necromancer, and lots of other even scarier things without getting so much as a scratch. Those idiots last night didn't even make it into my top five."

 

"I wouldn't call all that nothing, Kiana," Davtio said with a frown. "In fact... that's kinda what I was hoping we could... talk about..."

 

"I," Kiana said, feeling suddenly defensive, "okay, look Dav, I think I see where this is going. Being an adventurer is something that's really important to me! I'm fighting monsters and saving lives."

 

"And I'm happy that you have a career that allows you to do that... I just..." Davtio was rubbing the back of his head, looking as awkward as Kiana felt.

 

"Just what?"

 

The elf let out a sigh. "I don't know. It just seems like, with all the stories about you and your adventures, you keep taking on bigger and bigger challenges. Not to mention the stories about Shuta."

 

"I wish people would just Shuta up about that," Kiana said with a snort and crossing her arms.

 

"Kiana, I'm serious."

 

"I'm serious!" Kiana felt her blush return, but now for a different reason.

 

"All I'm trying to say is that... you keep throwing yourself into these increasingly dangerous situations so... recklessly, that sooner or later, you're not going to walk away without a scratch. And I... w-well, I'm worried about that."

 

Kiana was silent for a moment. "Dav... what's going on?"

 

Finally his eyes locked onto hers, and the piercing hazel eyes before her were troubled. "Refugees from the south have been coming across the border in droves. Many are injured, some in the worst ways I've ever seen. Anyone with healing abilities has been volunteering their time over in Ghostflower on and off to help and..." Davtio hung his head at the same time Kiana's ears fell against her back. "There were some adventurers that needed treating too, apparently they helped the refugees cross. Their rankings were each Fire Opal... of the six of them we tried to help, only two are still alive... and we exhausted our energies, potions stock, and our physical selves doing everything we could to save them. In the end... we failed them... and there was just so much blood..."

 

"Oh, Dav," Kiana said in a soft voice, reaching over to rest her hand on his. She hadn't heard anything about anyone with the Fire Opal rank dying recently. She thought folks who reached that ranking were effectively immortal! Focusing on him, she barely took notice of Lilith's ears drooping too. The brown mouse now seemed less bubbly and more subdued. "I'm sorry."

 

Davtio looked up and took her hand in his. "That was a few nights ago... and I guess it opened up my eyes to the fact that even the strongest of us can be hurt."

 

"And now you're worried that I might meet a similar end," Kiana mused aloud. Davtio nodded and fixed her with his gaze.

 

"I'm sorry, Kiana... I guess I was just... anxious."

 

"Don't be," the bunny said with a reassuring smile. "I know that I seem pretty cavalier about running into a fight, and I guess my strength might play a bit of a role in that. But please know that I am being somewhat cautious. I'm not going to let fear paralyze me, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be careful. I'm just trying to live this life to the fullest that I can. And that doesn't mean dying until I'm good and old too."

 

Now it was Kiana's turn to look off with a faraway expression on her face. "Some people... make plans when they're young, about how they want to go out and experience the world. And then life plays a cruel joke. It starts to pass by faster and faster, until before you know it, you're middle-aged, working in a job that you hate but don't have any realistic other options to let you leave, every day becoming one of growing stress and anxiety. The only thing you can do is look back on when life seemed so bright and exciting, before all the colors started to fade and your soul was steadily ground down to a nub. And then, it's just suddenly over, not even reaching eighty."

 

"I suppose that you have a point there," Davtio said with a chuckle. "Though you're still a bit of a ways off from middle-age, Kiana."
The bunny's ears snapped back up in surprise, her blush returning.

 

"I suppose though, that we're just two really different people," Davtio said, letting go of Kiana's hand.

 

"I guess we are," she said, her ears starting to droop again. "That's not a bad thing, though."

 

"No, of course not. Just... please be careful, especially if you decide to head south, for whatever reason."

 

"I will. I promise." It was then that Lilith returned, carrying a tray with tiny chocolate pastries on it. She seemed nervous and awkward, just like the little mouse girl she had been growing up.

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

"You're certain that you've seen this style before?" Felixin asked Archibald, who was examining the helmet that Kiana claimed came from the bandit the assassin she chased had answered to. While the silvery metal was dented with a perfect indentation of a fist right where the temple would be, and it still had some blood splattered on it, it was otherwise still in good condition.

 

"Yes, I'm certain of it. A small start-up smithing company showed me a prototype. They were working with an alloy that they smelted themselves, they were calling it Rosethorne Steel." Archibald continued to turn it over in his hands as he said this.

 

"Now why would they name it that?"

 

Archibald looked up to Felixin and gave a smile. He held the helmet in his mechanical arm. "If you wouldn't mind casting a spell on it, you'll see why."

 

Felixin nodded, quirking an eyebrow, before looking at the helmet. His eyes started to glow red as he muttered under his breath. He snapped his fingers, and a ball of flame the size of his fist appeared before him, suddenly flying at the helmet. It hit the piece of armor, instantly going out. The helmet glowed with an oddly dull silvery light for the briefest of moments, Felixin's Magic Gaze allowing his to see a series of odd runes and equations running along the metal and shifting like liquid, before they disappeared and the metal morphed. In the blink of an eye, long spikes grew out from all over the helmet.

 

"The goblin smith and inventor who was trying to get my family to invest in his business claimed that this little quirk was discovered as an accident. Sevlin was the gentleman's name. He explained that during the smelting and refining process, he casted some enchantments on the molten metal before it cooled. It was to offer additional protection from magical attacks, and be set so deep in the metal that it couldn't be immediately detected and make it that much harder to try and disenchant. Apparently he got some of his math wrong in an equation and instead caused it to grow large dangerous spikes whenever the enchanted armor was exposed to magic of any kind. He was starting a second round of enchantments when he found out that little quirk. Said he almost lost his only good eye as a result."

 

"Interesting. And do you know where he might be found?" Felixin was rubbing his chin, pacing back and forth. He stopped and looked at the other pieces of armor. He created a Faerie Light in the palm of his hand, and sent the pink glowing orb over to the pieces. As soon as it got too close, it dissipated, and all the metal pieces sprouted spikes of their own.

 

"Not quite. While I was interested in other applications for this little discovery, Father resoundly rejected the proposal. After that, Sevlin left Shuta and headed south. When I later inquired about him, a mutual associate of ours said that he had mentioned a potentially lucrative investor south, in the Leoluna Empire."

 

Felixin frowned at that news. "Is it possible that an armory or a caravan down south were robbed?"

 

"Well, yes. Despite what they proclaim, the Empire has just as much, if not more, of a problem with banditry than those of us here to the north. However, they would more than likely try and clamp down on a bandit group that managed to pull off a successful heist that allowed them to steal as many pieces of armor as Kiana recounted seeing back at their burgeoning base of operations."

 

Felixin sighed and threw his arms up into the air in exasperation. "If only the tunnel hadn't mysteriously collapsed like that, we could have covertly gone in and investigated for ourselves out on the other side without anyone knowing!"

 

"I don't think it's a mystery as to what caused the tunnel to collapse. Remember, Kiana did say--"

 

"Yes, yes, I'm just glad that my little princess had the sense not to enter it before it collapsed. She is just so delicate and fragile that I worry so much."

 

"Uh, w-well, I think that she might be more sturdy than--"

 

"I will, begrudgingly, admit that I am glad that she found you and Geth to accompany her on her travels and protect her!"

 

"..."

 

"Heh. And I'm no stranger to the adventuring life, myself." Felixin puffed out his chest again. "Why, I and some good friends even formed our own party. We got into a few... shenanigans now and again, but overall, we came out on top because we had each others' backs, and got to see and experience some amazing things too."

 

Archibald smiled at that, the wolf unknowingly describing the camaraderie and friendship and adventure he had dreamt about ever since he was a young boy. Thinking back on the days when he would actively read about the exploits of adventurers and their parties, getting excited and attempting to reenact his favorite stories, before being found by a servant or a tutor and being scolded for acting so improperly; a sudden memory sparked in his mind. A memory of a party that had a wolf beasta as its wizard.

 

"I beg your pardon, Felixin, but you wouldn't happen to be the same Felixin... from the Dire Wolves party?"

 

The wolf turned to the young man with a smirk on his muzzle.

 

"The very one and the same. I see that word of our adventures reached as far as Shuta."

 

"Didn't your party awaken a great and terrible subterranean monster that destroyed two-thirds of the city of Malambi?"

 

"... Maybe... but really that is such an exaggeration. It was, I think, maybe just one and a half-thirds of the city! Also, everyone was able to evacuate safely at the time. And what most forget is that while, yes, we were technically the ones who awakened the great Golden Worm of Devouring, we were also the ones to slay it! And the solid gold of its scales was more than enough to pay for repairs and... legal fees." Felixin crossed his arms and looked away.

 

"So, wait, then doesn't that mean that Pumala is the legendary ranger, Pumala the Silent Blade?" Archibald found himself in awe to be standing in the presence of such a legendary wizard, and floored to learn that he and his party-mate had married, to settle down in such a sleepy little town.

 

"She only got that nickname because, when she wants, she can stalk just about anyone or anything unheard and unseen, and is so quick and sure with her blades that she can even cut the rain. I swear, you eliminate one despotic ruler and all of his generals with a single throwing knife, and everyone makes such a big deal about it!"

 

"Do you mean the mad King Offra and the sadistic twelve demon generals he summoned that were all eliminated on The Night of Blood Rain?!"

 

"Yes, I believe that that was his name. While Pumala was busy taking them out, the rest of us were in charge of getting the innocent enslaved civilians out of the city of Befront. You know, normal adventurer jobs."

 

Archibald had no words. "Perhaps this is a clue as to why Kiana is so strong?" he mumbled to himself. Felixin, who hadn't heard, just hummed to himself as he gathered up the armor pieces for further examination.

 

 

Later...

 

 

"And that's the long and short of it," Archibald explained from where he was sitting on the couch of Kiana's family's living room. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, a few flameterpillars were making cooing sounds as they wriggled along the fiery logs, one already having formed a cocoon that looked like it was made from spun lava. Archibald was holding up the spiked helmet, which now that it had been a few minutes since it was exposed to magic, was withdrawing the metal spikes back into itself, the metal seeming to melt and flow like water as it reshaped back into an ordinary-looking piece of armor. "The only clue we have about this attack is to the south."

 

"It would make sense," Geth mused, sitting next to Archie. "Despite their moratorium on information about the goings-on within the empire, word about their bandit troubles still trickles through."

 

"I don't like this," said Felixin. He and Pumala were sharing a love seat, the pregnant bunny beasta leaning against his shoulder, smiling tiredly. "The more I think on it, the more wrong this just feels, like we're missing something crucial."

 

"Our town has been attacked by bandits twice, and Ghostflower was struck by some riding wyverns," Pumala added. "What's more, the survivors that we captured that I was able to interrogate all couldn't tell me anything. While you'll find some stubborn bravado in abundance amongst bandits, you also find a lot of cowards, the kind of men and women who have no qualms about attacking innocent people for their belongings, but will run at the first sign of armed soldiers. The three I was able to speak to... well, they were different. More... rigidly trained than anything... almost like interrogating a soldier. I actually did get one to crack a little and start telling me that there were more on the other side of the mountain, and something about an old man, but then his eyes flashed green, he screamed in pain, and then collapsed. When he finally came to, he acted as though he were suffering from amnesia. I had some healers and the Glendril sisters tend to and examine him. They confirmed he wasn't lying, he truly couldn't remember anything, even his own name. The forensic magics revealed a rune tattooed at the base of his skull, partially burnt and faded, signifying it had been triggered. Examining the others showed similar runes. It's of fey origin, and is designed to go off if the bearer of the rune speaks of secrets they're forbidden from mentioning."

 

Kiana thought this over as she scratched Mirabelle under the chin, the large blue snake coiled up to fit inside the house and rest her head on Kiana's lap. The reptile's tail started to thump while Kiana adjusted the large pink bow tied around her neck. "That's pretty hardcore. And it takes a lot of years to learn enough fey magic to make a simple fire or frost rune. Something that specific has got to be way more complex. Something that takes a proper education in fey magics."

 

"That's my girl," Felixin said, his tail thumping the cushions of the loveseat. "I still say that it's not too late to start taking after your old man and start training to become a wizar--OOPH!" Pumala elbowed her husband in the stomach, making the others in the room laugh.

 

"We agreed that we wouldn't push her towards wizardry, sweetheart."

 

"Y-yes, dear," Felixin wheezed out, looking chastened. Pumala smiled a little at her husband, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before turning to look out the window to the front yard, to see Valay and Malay playing fetch with Bolt and Snowflake, the two wolbets playing with the gentle tenebricorn and frost wyvern, seemingly without a care in the world. She turned to look at her oldest daughter, so grown up, yet still so young, She felt a pang in her heart as she asked her next question.

 

"You three are going to be traveling to the south to investigate this, aren't you?"

 

Kiana looked to her friends, who both nodded to her. She smiled and nodded back, turning back to regard her parents.

 

"Yeah, Mom. Something big is happening, and we need to find out what. Also, this house was attacked by bandits or whomever it was that was dumb enough to come here looking for a fight. I can't just leave that unanswered." Kiana left out the part about also wanting to find out more about the adventurers who had been helping refugees to escape. She learned from Davtio that the news of four Fire Opal-ranked adventurers dying would be a shock to everyone, and grounds for panic, therefore all healers that had worked on them were sworn to secrecy about it until more information could be learned about what happened, and the two survivors were still in comas. There was also the fact that they were working covertly, and the situation was being hushed up to keep any hostilities from escalating.

 

"I... understand," Felixin said, much to Kiana and Pumala's surprise. The wizardly wolf sat there, looking worried, but trying to smile. "This is so much bigger than the rest of us. And the longer we remain in the dark about what is happening, the more dangerous things are going to become. My wizard's intuition is telling me that, loud and clear. You two," he said, snapping Geth and Archie to attention, "are to keep my precious little baby safe, understood?" Kiana pretended to roll her eyes, but as she looked away, Pumala saw her daughter smile.

 

"Yes, sir," Geth said with a bow. Archie followed up with one of his own, adding in a little bit of a cape flourish.

 

"You can count on us, good wizard, that your fair daughter shall remain unharmed under our dutiful watch!" Kiana felt her face heat up as she blushed. She knew that Archie was trying to lighten up the slightly somber mood, but having traveled with him, she could also pick out the sincerity of what he was saying.

 

"Mom, Dad, please don't fret. Whatever trouble that may come along, I can take care of, no problem. On top of that, I got these two knuckleheads, plus Mirabelle here, and Snowflake to boot! And Geth will be bringing Bolt with us too. I promise, I'll be fine."

 

"I... I trust you, sweetie," Felixin said, clearing his throat a little. "Your mother and I can't help but worry, but I promise, I have my emotions under control. No repeat of what happened last time you left."

 

"... Thanks, Dad." Kiana smiled brightly at her father.

 

 

The Next Day...

 

 

"I should have known," Kiana said as she walked with a slight waddle. Around her left leg was a sobbing Felixin, curled up in a death grip, looking up at her with tears streaming down his face.

 

"I take it that this is what happened last time?" Archie asked with a bemused chuckle in his voice. They were heading to the cart, which Geth had hooked Bolt to, and they had laden with fresh supplies for their journey.

 

"More or less," Kiana said with a sigh, trying to shake her father loose from her leg. Townsfolk looked on and also found amusement in their local wizard's antics. "Though I wasn't wearing a dress when I left."

 

"Remember what Geth said, we have to look respectable when we head to the checkpoint. He was able to use a contact of his to get us a temporary pass, but the empire has some strict decency rules."

 

"And ladies are expected to wear dresses or skirts, not shorts and shirts that expose their midriffs," Kiana recited, Geth having taken it upon himself to remind the bunny beasta about this multiple times after they had awoken and started getting ready. She acted like she hated this rule, and she did truly find the idea of a government dictating what people wear based on sex wrong. But she couldn't deny that wearing this robin egg blue short-sleeve dress with the bow tied around her waist made her feel happy and rather... feminine.

 

"You can wear all the pretty dresses you like if you stay here!" Felixin sobbed and hiccupped. Kiana groaned and redoubled her efforts to shake her father off.

 

"Dad, I like wearing my adventuring outfit, it's comfortable and I don't have to worry about it tearing from punching and kicking," she explained, finally managing to dislodge the crying wolf. He quickly got up and moved towards her, only for a lasso to suddenly appear, falling past his neck and shoulders, and suddenly pulling taut, binding his arms to his sides. Behind him was Pumala, holding the other end of the rope. Her husband fell over, and walking over, she made quick work of hogtying him.

 

"There, now we don't have to worry about him trying to tie himself to the underside of your cart." Pumala smiled at the adventurers brightly, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

 

"I would never do such a thing!" Felixin scoffed.

 

"Feli, you wrote and sketched out your plan to do just that at your workstation. You even wrote the name of your plan at the top. Operation Hidden Wolf. And underneath that you signed your name!"

 

"... Well, I mean, I don't want anyone taking credit for it..."

 

"Feli!"

 

"Okay! Okay... you can untie me. I won't try it... now..."

 

"That's wonderful to hear, sweetheart, and I will untie you... just as soon as Kiana and her friends are across the bridge and I have Nicole raise it for a few hours."

 

Felixin just huffed in annoyance and grumbled to himself, knowing better than to try and argue with his beloved Pumala. The older bunny beasta turned to regard her daughter and the dumbstruck Archibald and Geth, who had come over to see what the commotion was all about.

 

"Now, you three, don't go taking any unnecessary risks, understood?"

 

"Yes, Ma'am," Geth said, bowing, having taken a moment to find his voice. Archibald nodded, remembering what he had learned of this humble sheriff and her past the day before. Two gray blurs shot past the bound Felixin, to be caught up in Kiana's arms. Malay and Valay hugged their big sister, their tufted tails swishing in excitement.

 

"Come back soon, Ki-ki!" Malay said.

 

"Yeah! And tell us more stories about your adventures!"

 

The budding sorceress and ninja wolbets looked up at Kiana with adoration in their eyes. She looked back down at them, a warm smile on her face, and leaned down to hug them tight again.

 

"Count on it!"

 

With their good-byes said, the party loaded up into the cart, Geth taking the reins. As Bolt started to trot, Snowflake took to the skies, and Mirabelle began slithering at a pace to match the speed of the cart. Kiana, Archibald, and Geth waved at Kiana's family, as well as to other townsfolk who watched them go. Kiana caught sight of Davtio, the blonde elf waving to her, looking forlorn. She frowned a little and looked away. They approached the town gates and the drawbridge, being waved on through by the guards. Once across, the bridge was raised, causing Kiana to chuckle as she knew that Pumala was right to arrange it happening. And like that, a new adventure had begun.

 

 

And there we go, folks! Be sure to consider leaving a comment or review, as those really just make my day!