Journey to Castle Csejte Chapter 6:

The Cult of the Rabbit

After splitting into two groups, one led by Ritsuka and the other led by Carmilla, each one agreed to go into the opposite sides of the city. Alongside Ritsuka's group were Mashu, Iris, Gunnhild and Eric Bloodaxe, while Carmilla and Mata Hari would make the next group. The first group soon found themselves in the seedier parts of town, where a cult would be more likely to have followers. The area was indeed filled with some of the afflicted, but it seems that they were in early stages of the plague. However after a couple of hours, no matter how many times they asked about this Cult of the Rabbit, none of the sick or poor would answer their questions.

"Well, this is proving more difficult than I thought," Iris muttered. "I wonder if this little cult is popular around here."

"It's possible," Gunnhilde answered. "Whenever plagues or outbreaks come about, it's always the poor that suffer first, and cults seem to love taking them in to swell their numbers."

The comms beeped and Roman appeared on the screen, hiding a snicker. "Hey guys, we ran some tests on that Wulbren guy, and guess what? One of his descendants works in Chaldea!"

"Seriously?" Ritsuka asked. "Who is it?"

Tatsuko couldn't help but break out in laughter. "It's fucking Gary!"

Ritsuka, Iris and Mashu looked at each other, all three of them stifling a giggle. That was not what they were expecting.

"Well, that explains why we all wanted to hit him." Iris said. "I wonder how Gary felt about that."

"Oh believe me, I'd have tried hitting him too!" Gary said from his seat. "He definitely looked punchable, I mean seriously, who names their kid Wulbren?!"

"He also gave us some good information," Eric Bloodaxe replied. "He's an odd one, but useful."

"Yeah…." Ritsuka muttered.

"Is something wrong, Senpai?"

"O-oh, nothing, it's just that seeing this reminds me of a bad epidemic in Fuyuki back when I was a kid," Ritsuka said. "Though this one seems much worse."

"When was this?" Gunnhild asked.

"Oh, I'd say it was about….nine years ago?" Ritsuka answered, uncertainty in his voice. "Actually, that reminds me of something…Can you guys get Emiya in the room with you, I have to ask him something!"

"I'm already here," Emiya answered from behind Da Vinci. "I was brought in just in case I need to rayshift and give you guys some more fire power."

"Okay, so did you ever have a case of SARS in your version of Fuyuki in 2006?"

"Ah, so it looks like that outbreak was not just in my timeline then," Emiya said. "It was a pretty bad one, and lots of people died because of it."

"That's putting it mildly," Ritsuka said. "It hit Shinkaichi really hard, and it claimed a lot of people. We lost a few of the prostitutes to it too….."

"I'm so sorry, Senpai…." Mashu muttered. "But how did you handle it?"

"Oh, I also got really sick," Ritsuka answered. "I was with the other surviving prostitutes who got it, and Doc worked tirelessly trying to heal us. I apparently had it the worst according to Mai. It was…..really painful."

"How did you recover?" Iris asked.

Ritsuka shrugged. "No clue, I just assume that Doc's medicine managed to take hold."

"In any case, we should try to resume our search for this cult," Gunnhild countered. "We've distracted ourselves long enough as it is."

"She's right." Eric Bloodaxe said.

"Well how do we get any answers, if no one's willing to talk to us?" Iris asked.

"What if we ask them more gently?" Mashu asked.

"That won't work," Gunnhild said. "I think that I could use some potions that can ease their pain, and use that to cooperate."

"If I may add onto that," Eric said. "Why don't we simply lie and say we're new to the cult and are trying to find their hideout again."

"Oh, I like that last one," Iris said. "That's really clever!"

Gunnhild chuckled deviously as she brought out some of her potions, and walked towards a prospective informant. As she gave him one of her tonics, everyone else looked around for more potential candidates to give them information on the cult's hideout. As they did so, Mashu suddenly thought about Mata Hari and Carmilla, and wondered how their progress went.

(Meanwhile)

While Ritsuka's group handled the more run down areas of the city, Mata Hari and Carmilla decided to handle the markets and more affluent areas of the town. Unfortunately, just like the other group, they were not having any luck whatsoever regarding any information about this cult.

"This cult really is a slippery one," Mata Hari said sadly. "I'm surprised that none of these people actually know anything about this cult…."

"They certainly know about the plagues spreading across the country," Carmilla replied. "So they're not entirely ignorant."

"Maybe we should try a different strategy," Mata Hari said. "Why don't we ask if anyone's seen Kiyohime and Liz."

Carmilla nodded and turned towards one of the merchants selling their wares. "You there, have you seen a creepy blue haired girl, and a bratty singer wearing a pointy hat?"

Mata Hari sighed and rubbed her temples. "How did I know she would say those things…I really should be the one asking the questions."

An idea popped in her head, and a devious smile formed across her lips for the briefest moment before putting on a face of mock concern and gently pushing passed Carmilla and clasping her hands together. "I apologize for her less than specific question. You see, we are trying to find my nieces. They're…pretty sheltered. We were simply looking through the market earlier today, and they simply vanished. Could you please tell me if you saw anyone matching those descriptions?"

"Well I don't know about any girl in a pointy hat, but I did see a girl with blue hair and some strange clothes run into an alleyway a couple of hours ago," The merchant said. She then pointed exactly where she saw her. "She looked like she was in a hurry, but she seemed to be fine otherwise."

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Mata Hari said, blowing the merchant a kiss, making the woman blush a bit. "I'll be sure to thank you later by purchasing one of your wares!"

"I-it was no big deal," The female shopkeeper said. "I just hope you find your nieces!"

After waving their farewells, Carmilla and Mata Hari and Philip the donkey made their way towards the alleyway where the shopkeeper saw a possible hint of Kiyohime. As Mata Hari searched around the area, she felt a stare peer into her. She turned around to see Carmilla staring back at her with an amused smirk. "You certainly enjoyed making that girl flustered. I can't help but wonder if she's your type."

Mata Hari giggled. "No no, I just enjoy flirting. She's not my type of woman."

"Then what is your type of woman?" Carmilla asked. "It's obvious we share a type when it comes to military men, but you seem to be all over the place regarding girls."

"That's a secret!" Mata Hari answered playfully.

Carmilla scoffed. "Fine, have it your way. But I also have another question, why did you call Kiyohime and my bratty younger self your nieces instead of your daughters?"

"Simple, a good mother would never be careless enough to let her children out of her sight," Mata Hari answered. "But an aunt? That gives more leeway."

"That sounds very specific," Carmilla muttered. "Well, it gave us some results, so we might as well check these footprints."

"Need some help?"

The two women turned around and saw Wulbren standing right behind them, waving with a small smile.

"Mr. Wulbren? What are you doing here?" Mata Hari asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Wulbren answered. "Why are you here instead of working with the others?"

"I don't see how this is your problem," Carmilla said harshly. "You were useful in giving us a lead, but aside from that what else can you do to aid us?"

"I don't know," Wulbren answered sheepishly. "I was just curious why you two were here instead of finding that cult."

Mata Hari was about to inform him of their goal, but Carmilla pulled her aside and the two women whispered to each other so that Wulbren could not hear them. The man raised an eyebrow the entire time until they stopped and Carmilla walked towards him with a stern glare. "You are going to help us, understand?"

"I-I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, you will come with us and help us search." Carmilla said coldly.

Wulbren looked at the silver haired woman for a few moments before shrugging and giving a small nod. "I guess I could help a little more."

"Excellent!" Mata Hari said with a clap of her hands. "Good news is that we found some footprints, and they lead out of the alleyway on the left."

"Then let's follow the trail and see where it leads." Carmilla replied. The two Assassins turned around and Wulbren followed behind them. Unbeknownst to the two women, their guest started to smirk as they continued to follow the trail of footprints.

A lone figure wearing a dark cloak sat at his desk, dipping his quill into ink before resuming his writing. He chuckled as found the right words to make his mandates clear, knowing his authority was absolute. Unfortunately for him, a knock on his door broke his concentration, causing him to sigh. "Enter!"

The door opened and several of his fellow cultists entered, with two girls tied up in silk rope and ribbons, being held by the woman who tied them up. "Dear husband, we have found intruders."

The man looked up slowly, eyeing Kiyohime and Liz sternly from underneath his hood. The two girls did not pay much mind to him at first, and simply looked around the room and gasped.

"Wow, this is a very nice room!" Liz shouted. "This is worthy of an idol and noblewoman such as I."

"At least this man has some class, unlike these boorish men who mocked us." Kiyohime said haughtily.

The woman who held their rope giggled. "Like I said, they don't know how to treat ladies such as us."

The man at the table looked at his wife for a few moments before raising his hand. "Everyone but Francesca and the prisoners, leave now."

The hooded men gave a small bow and salute before slinking outside of the room, leaving the two Servants at the mercy of the woman and her husband. The man got up from his seat, circling around the girls with a stern look in his eyes. "Where did you find them, Francesca?"

"They were following us back to the hideout," Francesca answered. "Though they weren't very subtle…"

"HEY!" The two girls shouted in astonishment.

"We thought you were on our side!" Liz shouted.

Kiyohime immediately decided now was the best moment to attack and readied herself. Francesca saw this and leapt to her husband's side and created a bounded field, surprising the two girls at the sheer speed of her incantations.

"Wait, you're both Mages?!" Kiyohime asked.

"And it seems that we found very powerful familiars," Francesca said with a mischievous smile. "Why they are part reptile is a mystery, but they're both so adorable."

The man continued to stare at the girls calmly. "You might want to reconsider attacking us."

"And why is that?" Liz asked. "We can easily beat you!"

"Oh there is no doubt about that. But if you do, then you could bring this entire place down upon us," The man answered. "How many people above us do you think would die as collateral? How many people down here who had nowhere else to turn to do you think would die?"

The two girls remained silent, but the expressions on their faces showed that they never considered that. If they didn't promise to follow Chadlea's policies, things might be different, but given the situation, there was little they could do. The two girls sighed and relaxed their bodies to show they would stand down. Francesca released her bounded field, and walked alongside her husband, who circled around the girls in a graceful stride. "You should choose your next words carefully. Now, why did you follow my wife and those men?"

"Well…..we were minding our own business in an alleyway when we saw them, and we wanted to see what they were up to." Kiyohime answered.

"That was mighty foolish of you," The hooded man said. "Now you have no one to help you."

"You're the ones who are fools!" Liz said. "You dare act suspicious and arrogant in my city? Who do you think you are?!"

"We are the Cult of the Rabbit," The hooded man said. "And we will be the ones to save this city."

"Save the city?" Liz snorted. "You're all nothing more than thugs who kidnap innocent maidens like me and Kiyohime!"

Francesca giggled. "Well given the situation, they do have a small point."

"It doesn't matter what they think," The hooded man said. "They have discovered our base, and therefore they cannot leave."

He turned to face Francesca calmly. "Keep them here for now. I must attend to my duties elsewhere and prepare for a ceremony."

Without skipping a beat, Francesca nodded and dipped her head in respect as her husband left the room and slowly closed the door behind him. The two Servants looked at each other in curiosity and confusion. Why would he leave his wife here all alone instead of delegating it to her instead? He seemed to be too important to do everything himself. Francesca grinned from under her hood and laughed haughtily. "Oh how silly you two girls are. You really shouldn't have followed us."

"What did he mean by ceremony?" Liz asked.

Francesca laughed. "This ceremony is to honor our messiah. When it is performed, you only have two options; convert to our faith, or be sacrificed to our lord and savior. Needless to say, everyone has chosen the former. So I suggest you two do the same."

"We're not scared of your so-called messiah!" Kiyohime said.

"We shall see if that bravado will hold when you see our savior." Francesca countered.

Liz raised an eyebrow as she realized something was off about all this. Instead of just denying their faith and walking in circles, she could try to get information out of the woman, and in the event she and her Berserker ally can escape, bring this to the others. "I have a question, how did you manage to get any followers or even an elaborate hideout in a few days?"

Francesca smiled deviously, making the two Servants even more suspicious. "You will just have to use your imagination. Oh do not fret, we're not the enemy here, and I for one don't see you as enemies."

Kiyohime raised an eyebrow at her words. Ever since Francesca tied them up, she's been so cheery and playful, indulging them and even talking to them now. While it is true that she is suspicious, what really got Kiyohime confused and uncertain was the fact that even in this very moment Francesca was not lying.

"You're helping your husband in leading a cult while there's a plague spreading around," Liz countered. "That makes you suspicious!"

Francesca stared at the Lancer in slight surprise for a few moments. It was clear that Liz managed to stupefy her with her retort, making Kiyohime even more unnerved. Soon, Francesca began to laugh. "Ohohoho! You have a good point, this doesn't exactly paint me or my husband in a good light, now does it?"

A knock on the door startled everyone present and soon another hooded woman came inside. "The high priest requires your aid, milady."

"Does he now? Well, I guess there's not much choice but to see what he wants!" Francesca said as she walked towards the door. Before she left the room, she turned to face the two Servants with an impish smirk. "Do remember to not cause any violence. Otherwise you might cause some serious damage to the people above!"

Before they could utter another word, the door closed on them, leaving them all alone in the office of the high priest. The two of them were absolutely astounded at the fact that they could be trusted to be alone, but then again Francesca did have a point that if they did anything, their attacks could bring down the walls of their underground prison ... They could only wait for the others to come rescue them…..

(Meanwhile)

"So let me get this straight, you were one of the many people to catch SARS back in 2006?" Iris asked.

"Correct," Ritsuka answered. "The one that happened in 2002 to 2004 was the more well known strand, of course, but Fuyuki managed to get another case of it in 2006."

Roman's mouth was agape. "The fact that you survived yourself is pretty surprising."

"I was just lucky to have lived with Doc," Ritsuka replied. "Otherwise it probably would have ended much worse for me."

"That's putting it mildly." Gunnhild muttered. The group had managed to get some information from some thankful townsfolk after alleviating some of the pain caused by the plague. So along the way, they decided to talk more about themselves to pass the time until they reached the shack that some of the townsfolk mentioned where strange people gathered. After telling some jokes and curiosity about the epidemic that swept through Fuyuki, the group finally managed to reach the shack, but were surprised as Mata Hari, Carmilla, Philip the donkey, and surprising everyone, Wulbren.

"What's he doing here?" Eric asked.

"Miss Carmilla asked for my help." Wulbren answered.

"Why do I get the feeling her version of asking him was her demanding he help…?" Iris muttered.

"He just showed up without any explanation," Carmilla chided. "It would be better if he made himself useful to our search instead of just wandering off."

"But you could have been more polite about it…" Mashu countered.

"Mashu…" Mata Hari said. The Shielder saw the look in the brunette woman's eyes, and saw a certain….steeliness in them. The lilac haired girl flinched a bit, realizing that Mata Hari was wanting her to drop the subject, but she could not understand why.

"So, I guess your search brought you here too?" Eric asked.

"It did," Mata Hari answered. "If it were Kiyohime alone, it'd probably be more difficult, but we found Liz's hoofprints, and they led us here."

"Then let's not waste any time," Ritsuka said. The group then slowly and quietly their way towards the windowsills to see if they could sneak in. Those thoughts were dashed as they soon saw that the glass was missing, and that there didn't seem to be anyone inside. But the foot prints clearly went in the shack. After making sure Philip the donkey would be tied to one of the posts, the group slipped inside and scoured to try and find any trace of where these cultists could have gone. Every step they took, a creak could be heard, making them feel uneasy and cautious about their every step. Soon, Mata Hari noticed something off about the wooden floor and gasped.

"Guys, come over here." She whispered. The group came over as quickly as possible, and when they did so, they noticed a puncture in the wood. "That's got to be from Liz."

Crack…..

Everyone looked around in confusion as they heard that sound.

Crack….

The noise was much louder now, and they finally realized what was happening. The floor was about to give out. Before they could get out of the way, the floor finally collapsed from all the weight on it, and everyone screamed as they fell into the cavern below. The entire group crashed into each other before they all fell to the ground in a heap. After some groaning and labored movements, they all managed to find their bearings, but Ritsuka gasped and blushed as he realized he fell right atop of Mashu's breasts.

"I am so sorry Mashu!" He said as he quickly got up.

"I-it was an accident, Senpai," Mashu said sheepishly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but that was pretty scary."

"Oh my head…." Mata Hari said as she rose her head from its previous position. She heard some muffling and saw that Iris was beneath her and suffocating under her generous chest. The Assassin gasped and tried to get up, but could not as Mashu, Ritsuka, Carmilla and Gunnhild were atop her as well. So she could only lift her chest up a little bit so that the green haired woman could breathe. "Are you okay, Iris?"

The Irish woman stared at her with an envious gaze. "Oh yeah, I'm fine being reminded of how small my chest is compared to yours…."

Mata Hari giggled sheepishly. She couldn't blame the Irish woman for feeling inadequate, but she didn't think her chest was really anything to brag about either. Perhaps it would be best not to tell her the truth as to why her chest was this bountiful….. "Wait a minute, where's Mr. Wulbren?"

A small groan could be heard from underneath Eric, making everyone look down. Wulbren apparently was the first person to have landed on the ground, and became everyone's cushion. "Has….anyone seen my spleen?"

"You can live without your spleen." Ritsuka said. Everyone slowly managed to get out of their entanglements carefully, and dusted themselves off. After looking around they soon saw they were in what looked like a hallway, with torches on the walls. The hallway stretched as far as the eye could see, and the walls looked old, almost as old as the shack.

"Just how long has this been here?" Wulbren asked with awe in his voice.

"Hang on…." Ritsuka said. The black haired boy closed his eyes and sniffed the air around him. He turned to the right, and continued to sniff until he caught the familiar scents. "Kiyohime and Liz are in this direction."

"Are you certain?" Iris asked.

"Definitely."

"Then let us get going," Eric said. "I'll take the front of the formation alongside Kyrielight, while the Master stays in the center alongside the dancer."

"Sounds good to me." Ritsuka said. With the plan set in stone, the group slowly, and silently made their way in the halls, preparing to rescue their missing comrades.

"So do you know what this place is, Carmilla?" Iris asked.

The white haired Assassin looked around for a few moments to notice anything distinguishing about the halls. The torches were new at least, but that wasn't much to go on. However, she did notice some of the architecture of the halls seemed very familiar…."Ah, this must be one of the secret tunnels that connect to Castle Csejte. In the event we needed to either escape you see."

"How come it took you until now to recognize it?" Gunnhild asked.

"I never used these tunnels myself, so I wouldn't have known what it looked like." Carmilla replied.

Wulbren's eyes beamed as he stared at the walls and the floors. "Oh this is just amazing! I could study the bricks for hours!"

"I didn't know you liked architecture, Mr. Wulbren." Mashu said.

"I'm a mason by trade, Miss," Wulbren answered. "As was my father, and his father before him, and hopefully my son will follow in my footsteps when he becomes a man."

"So you have a wife and son?" Eric asked.

"Yes I do!" Wulbren said. "Married the girl I've known since we were children, and she gave birth to our son a few months ago."

"Well that's lovely!" Mata Hari chimed. "I hope they're safe from the plague."

Wulbren smiled weakly. "Y-yeah, they're okay…..but I am still scared for their safety…."

"As long as they don't do anything foolish, then they will be safe, most likely." Carmilla said coldly.

"You know what I find hard to believe?" Ritsuka whispered to Iris. "The fact that Gary's ancestor is actually likable."

Iris snickered. "I'm having a hard time seeing them being related."

"Well he's definitely more pleasant to talk to." Mata Hari whispered back.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Wulbren asked.

"Oh no one of importance." Ritsuka said, a wicked grin appearing on his face.

"Everyone be quiet!" Eric said. "I see the exit, and I hear some chanting."

Everyone immediately went silent as they crouched down and slowly made their way to the exit of the hallway and hid under the arch. The chanting grew louder and louder with each step, something sinister, something almost….alien. They soon saw dozens upon dozens of figures hooded and cloaked in elaborate robes continuing their chants and singing with their backs turned on them. Carmilla furrowed her eyes and observed a hint of a small set of steps in front of the figures, clearly meant to be an altar of some sort. Behind that altar was a pathway that led to a large cave, with torches hanging from the sides. Ritsuka smelled the faintest hint of incense, a pleasant, albeit powerful scent invaded his nostrils. Gunnhild tapped his shoulder and pointed at a series of stalactites riddled near the stairwell, and the group slowly snuck behind them to continue to observe from a distance. As luck would have it they settled on a place where they could observe the altar better, but what they saw made Mata Hari nearly gasp, and almost blew their cover.

Upon the altar was Kiyohime and Liz, and both of them were still tied up, sporting uninterested and bored expressions on their faces. Mashu was about to move to try and help them, but Ritsuka shook his head and took a breath before establishing a telepathic link. "Liz, Kiyohime, are you two okay?"

"Oh, Anchin! I knew you'd come and rescue me!"

"Hey, I'm here too!" Liz shouted at the Berserker telepathically.

"We're all here," Ritsuka responded. "Listen, we have reason to believe that this cult is responsible for the plague. Just sit tight, and don't act like we're here for a bit. Wait for my signal and we can strike them when their guard is down."

"We should strike now while their backs are turned," Eric said telepathically. "We spring our own trap and they won't have time to mount a counter until it's too late."

"Wait wait wait, that won't work!" Liz said. "The high priest of this cult said that the area here is unstable so if you're not careful, the entire ceiling will crash on us!"

"Then we can simply stay on the ground and not use Noble Phantasms." Ritsuka countered.

"Anchin, I have another suggestion," Kiyohime said. "Apparently their so-called messiah is here in this hideout. It would be wise if we pretend to be helpless damsels for a little longer, and when their leader arrives, you swoop in and sweep me off my feet!"

"OUR feet!" Liz chimed.

"You have hooves," Kiyohime said haughtily. "Albeit they are cute hooves."

"Oh you really think so? Thanks!"

"If I may be so bold," Mashu said. "I believe Kiyohime's plan might be best. If we wait until their leader comes and we strike, they will not have time to mount a defense."

"Then we should tread with caution," Eric replied. "Their leader chose this location for a reason, so we already have the disadvantage."

"Just wait for my signal then, for their high priest is here." Kiyohime said. The group then saw that the high priest slowly made his way towards a podium at the center with his wife by his side. Francesca walked beside him, and raised her hand and grinned from under her hood.

"Please be silent in the presence of our high priest!" She said with much gusto. Everyone knelt down and went silent as the high priest stood behind the podium. Ritsuka and Iris scowled as they looked at how this man carried himself. The hood and robes obscured his face, but it was clear that whoever this person was, he was of noble stock, and more than likely the majority of the cultists were among the lower born, so this man not only could be responsible for causing this plague, but taking advantage of those less fortunate than him. The high priest looked back at the captives for a few moments before pulling out a book, placing it on the podium and clearing his throat.

"Oh mighty rabbit, we are your humble servants," He said, his tone concise and energetic. "Cleanse this land of the impure, the evil, and of course, the non-believers."

A deep, guttural growl could be heard across the room. The Chaldeans and the cultists turned their attention to the cave's entrance, and saw a shadow through the torches starting to form. The shadow itself loomed closer and closer, and it gave a clearer picture of what this messiah could be. It looked to be a monstrous creature, ready to devour anyone who came near. The high priest removed his hood, and showed his face at last. He had an easy face, blonde hair, and a miraculously well groomed golden mustache. The Chaldeans and Wulbren could not help but be in awe of the man's mustache, for it was glorious to behold.

"I am the high priest, Goredon Musik," The high priest said. "And your humble servants have brought you tribute."

The growling grew louder as the shadow grew bigger and bigger, making everyone uneasy. Ritsuka turned to Kiyohime and stared at her with uncertainty. "Are you certain about sticking to your plan?"

"Yes, let's just wait until we see what this thing is before we act." She answered with slight concern. Soon, all the cultists removed their hoods, with Francesca being the last, revealing her own face. She was a beautiful woman with short ashen brown, mischievous golden eyes, but the thing everyone found most odd, and indeed stood out the most, were the fact that she had bunny ears on her head. Not some fake bunny ears, but actual, functioning bunny ears.

"Looks like the high priest has a homunculus amongst his number." Gunnhild said telepathically.

Wulbren, on the other hand, stared at some of the cultists, and went pale. "I….I know some of these people…."

"Are you sure?" Mata Hari whispered.

Wulbren nodded. "That one on the left is the apprentice to one of the blacksmiths. And the girl next to him lost her parents to a fire two years ago. And…oh no…not Tomas…."

"Who's Tomas?" Mashu asked.

"He's the son of one of the best bakers in town," Wulbren said sadly. "I've known him since I was but a young boy and he was in swaddling clothes…..if he's here, then that means….."

"We can figure that out later," Carmilla whispered coldly. "We just need to focus on waiting for the moment to strike."

The sounds of growling and snarling brought everyone back to attention. Goredon turned his attention towards Liz and Kiyohime, his face sharpened as he pointed at them. "These two girls are intruders, oh mighty rabbit. They have two choices before them, and it is by your will that their fates shall be decided. Conversion, or death."

The growling was now at an all time high. The Chaldeans felt a hitch in their throats as the creature loomed closer to the edge of the cave, hunched over as if ready to pounce. They could see the twitch of its nose, the huff in its breath as it snarled and growled. Without waiting a second longer, the creature finally leapt out of the shadows, making the Chaldeans widen their eyes in disbelief as they finally heard the creature let out a mighty bellow.

"Fou!"

OC (Sniffs the air with a wide smile): Ahhhhhhhhhh, it's so good to be back! Hey guys, it's been quite a long while. Sorry for the long absence, but Yatsu had been away for some time and it was only recently that we managed to regain contact with each other, so that was one of the reasons why this chapter took so long to make. And I cannot think of a better time to have made this chapter with him other than the third year anniversary of Chaldean Chronicles. That's right, today is the three year anniversary!

(Cheers and applause erupt in the studio)

OC: And what's more, we have hit over 110K views of Chronicles as well! And to make this chapter even more special, this is officially chapter 100 of Chaldean Chronicles! We made it to the triple digits everyone! I know that we'd have a special guest here, but given the time and also how chaotic it's been, we had to cancel our guest for tonight and will have to wait for another time. Now before we get to the commentary, I just want to say thank you all for your patience and understanding. It really means a lot to Yatsu and me, and we really appreciate the amount of support this fic has been getting.

Mini Nobu OC: Nobu Nobu Nobu!

OC: Right you are! Now as I've said, Yatsu and I just managed to regain contact with each other, so now chapters might be coming out more regularly, but probably without a set schedule. He's had…..some crazy things happening on his end, and so have I. I had to work several long shifts, so it was really impossible to even try and sit down to write even if I could. But things are going well between us, and it has been a crazy few months. I managed to get Kukulkan in one summon ticket, Tlaloc before her ... .well let's just say I will keep my opinions on the latter Servant to myself for now and reveal my opinions on her at a later date. But more than that, I also finally got Murasaki too when her banner popped up! So yeah, it seems my gacha luck is turning around!

Mini Nobu Y: Nobu Nobu. (Special translation: Don't tempt fate now. Tiamat is next month….)

OC: How could I forget Tiamommy? I'm sure it'll work out, right Yatsu?

(OC points to the cardboard cutout of Yatsu and crickets chirp)

OC: I really need to get a new cardboard cutout.

Mini Nobu V: Nobu Nobu Nobu? Nobu Nobu. (Special Translation: Why do you keep that cut out anyway? That gag might get old.)

OC: Because it's still funny and I had to pay good money for it so I have to use it for all its worth. Anyway, now onto the commentary! So not a whole lot happened in this chapter as Yatsu wanted the next chapter to be where all the big reveals are. So we decided to just make it more of a slow burn chapter. And how do we begin it? By having Ritsuka reveal that he got infected with SARS…..yeah so this part was something Yatsu and I had planned for a while now, but we never really decided on what the epidemic would be that would sweep Fuyuki when Ritsuka was little. At first when writing this chapter we considered small pox, but due to it being extinct in the wild, there would be no real way for it to make it to the city unless it was in a lab. So we decided that in 2006 another SARS outbreak appeared in Fuyuki, and Ritsuka got infected. As for why this didn't really bother him much? Well, knowing him he knew others who had it far worse and as we all know, he does tend to look out for others happiness as well as his own. We were also going to delve further into his childhood and reveal some other unsavory aspects, but as we wrote scene 3, we decided to just skip that and just write those parts at a later time. The infection seemed to be a decent revelation in itself.

Mini Nobu Y: Nobu Nobu Nobu.

OC: Exactly. And for those of you wondering why we made a point in scene 2 and three about the foundations on this little hideaway being unstable? That will have to wait until the next chapter. For now, we can just enjoy the banter between the characters. And yes, we made the high priest an ancestor to Goredolf hehehe. That was something we had planned since oh…..the second or third chapter of this halloween arc. Yatsu really likes the Musiks, and I love Goredolf, so it was easy to write them in. But of course the big reveal….Fou is back baby! And he is the head of a cult!

Mini Nobu OC: Nobu Nobu? (Special Translation: Should we really be surprised?)

OC: No, no we should not. We shall all worship Fou in all his glory, and purge the heretics from the land!

Mini Nobu Y: NOBUUUU! (Special Translation: PURGE THE HERETIC SCUUUUUUMMMM!)

OC: See? Mini Nobu Y gets it! And with that, we are out of time everyone. It's been a while, but thank you all for your patience and for reading this chapter of Chaldean Chronicles. Please stay tuned for the next chapter where things finally start coming to a head. Owen Chaser and the Mini Nobus, signing off!