After Lana's conversion, she got a tour of Animalia and the various things to do there. While she was impressed at many things, including Claw Coliseum and the Worldmeet Glade, she was more interested in reading up on Animalia before actually doing something.
Of course, there were quite a few surprises for her that weren't tied to Animalia as a whole. She was registering her new ID for classes at Claw Coliseum when she met Lena, Animalia's Guennol Lioness. She might have thought she was big after her conversion, but she was even more surprised to meet a big cat that was just as big, if not bigger. Fortunately, Lena and Lana were able to have a decent conversation, even if Lena still stuttered some.
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It wasn't just Lana that was learning new things, especially since Labor Day was when both schools and many workplaces were closed. Miles was assigned to do some coverage of the new Bara House, and while he was able to do it without too much trouble, it was clear he was a little nervous since most of the inhabitants had chosen predators, and at least some of them were known to eat rabbits. If anything, his nervousness helped make the video of it interesting. What the video didn't show was that the guys wore considerably less clothing inside than outside, with some only wearing leather G-strings and "matching" leather harnesses.
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There were also some other meetings going on, since the Meat Market was also closed for Labor Day. Henry and Beatrice took advantage of this to meet with Antonia Soon, or Susan B. Anthony, which was not only her stage name. It wasn't Susan's story or her appearance that made her uncomfortable, but Beatrice's suggestion that they have a threesome with her since he was still getting used to Animalian 'polyamory', as some on the internet called it.
What was probably the biggest thing overall for Animalia was the second part of the Series Finale of 'When Worlds Collide...'. When Hide and William, unexpectedly aided by Yoshitsune (who said he was 'paying back a debt') and the white wolf from earlier, entered the Moon Cave, where the Yamato-No-Orochi made its lair, it was discovered that the middle of the flight of stairs to the main cavern had crumbled away, leaving behind such a massive gap that everyone had no choice but to enter the hole and "take the long way around".
Inside, they were surprised to find a full-on fortress filled with demons, but when two Underworld Soldiers wearing white veils with red meandering patters over their faces turned them away because they "weren't any real threat", Hide suggest that they also wear similar veils over their faces. While William was initially skeptical about it working, it worked so hilariously well that it would generate a new meme later about "minions of evil" being stupid.
After a successful "infiltration", during which they found a badly tarnished silver ring which Hide put in his pocket almost without thinking, they made it to where the Yamato-No-Orochi dwelled, and when it revealed itself, it first focused on the white wolf that had accompanied them.
"O wild god of the heavens," it had said, much to William's surprise. "It is 216 years since last we did battle. 216 years in a cold, dark tomb. You reek of decay."
"It has only been 16 years since we fought at Lake Biwa." Said William, drawing attention to him.
"That wasn't my true form." retorted the serpent, "That was only an aspect of my true power, corrupted by gaijin magic." After that, battle against it began. But it only took one blow glancing off its scales to reveal that he had a magical barrier up, which some would consider cheating.
It was just when the Fire Element head was about to devour Ieyasu's granddaughter when Otakemaru revealed himself. Then the Yamato-No-Orochi began talking to him in the Yokai Tongue, but Hide was able to understand it, even if the implications were rather scary.
"'A blood pact with the Gozen Clan is required to unlock Orochi's true power.'?!" translated Hide in disbelief, "Is that thing trying to tempt him back into an Aratama?!"
Fortunately, Otakemaru refused, and a gourd that Hide had brought with him, which was taken from the Aratama lord Shuten Doji, began miraculously pouring glittering, golden sake out into eight pools surrounding Orochi.
"Eh?" said Hide in confusion, "Shuten Doji's favorite sake... was 8 Purification Sake?! Now we've got a chance!" Sure enough, every time a head roared, the white wolf was somehow able to make said sake shoot into the gaping maw getting the head extremely drunk. When four of the heads were completely sh*tfaced, a booming laugh echoed throughout the cavern.
"Ha ha ha! This takes me back! You alright there, Hiddy?"
It was Kintoki-no-Sakata, but he hadn't come alone. He had also brought Minamoto-No-Yoshimitsu and Abe-No-Seimei along for the fight. While William was intrigued by the fact that Kintoki, or Kintaro, knew Hide, it would have to wait until the battle was done. Once all eight heads had passed out, Seimei's magic revealed that the temple bell, on the terrace supported by Orochi's central body, was the source of the magical barrier. With that, Kintoki, Yoshimitsu, Yoshitsune, and Hide raced up the necks and began ringing that bell like crazy until it cracked and exploded.
When the bell finally destroyed and the barrier down, everyone began attacking the heads in turn. When Orochi was sufficiently weakened, Otakemaru gave a sincere prayer to the moon, and his three swords, the Sanmyoken, were suddenly revealed as holy relics, which Otakemaru used to sever seven of the eight heads, leaving only the Flame head intact. This one was finished by Hide unleashing Sohayamaru's true strength and splitting him right down the middle from top to bottom, terrace included, in a single blow. At that, a black smoke appeared from the ruined terrace, but it took the shape of a skeleton half formed of smoke and ash with a single eye in the center of its face. When it flew toward them with a similar shriek to the two that had ambushed them at the fallen dwarf Kingdom, Hide leapt to the front, causing it to pass through him and render him unconscious.
When Hide came to his senses, he was back in Edo (the capital of Heiya Island was now unofficially named Mido City, after the Ming Dynasty and Edo Period) and William was delivering his report to Nobunaga, Tokichiro, Ieyasu, and Earendil. But it was what Hide reported that filled Earendil with worry. "The last thing I remember seeing, before I lost consciousness, was a great red eye."
"It is as I feared then." said Earendil, "The one who has cast this pall of shadows over the world is none other than Sauron, the Enemy of old." He then proceeded to tell Nobunaga, Tokichiro, and Ieyasu about Sauron, also that his spirit had been rejected by the Valar after his Ring of Power was unmade. At that, Hide suddenly remembered and pulled the ring he found in the Moon Cave out of his pocket and handed it over to Earendil. While everyone was alarmed when he held it in tongs over a candle flame, everyone was more alarmed as well as surprised when Elven letters in blue flame appeared around the ring, outside and inside.
"These are not the letters I expected to find." Said Earendil after studying them, "So this proves that this is not the One. It is also not one of the Nine, Seven, or Three, for they each have their proper gem. It is, however, a Ring of Power. So, I'm afraid I'll have to take this."
"What? Why?" asked Tokichiro.
"I'm taking this to the Undying Lands, so the Valar can consecrate it. That way, Sauron will never be able to touch it, even if he wanted to." explained Earendil.
"War is coming," Said William, who had a pretty good idea what was going on, "And it's going to be big."
"I shouldn't worry too much," said Earendil, reassuringly. "It'll take at least a year for Sauron to mobilize his rebuilt forces."
"That's good," said Nobunaga, "for when he does get here, we'll be ready for him."
"But that's for later," said Kintoki, opening the door, "For now, it's Obon. So, come on, Hiddy, you're keeping the others waiting."
During the festivities, Kintoki was able to introduce William, not only to Yoshimitsu and Seimei, but her other retainers/friends/allies as well: Watanabe no Tsuna, Usui Sadamitsu, Urabe no Suetake, and Fujiwara no Yasumasa. Yasumasa also introduced Hide to his wife, the poet Izumi Shikibu, and Hide introduced them all, including Yoshitsune, to his mother Suzuka and her, now revealed, older brother.
"So that means... You're Hide's uncle?!" said Kintoki to Otakemaru in surprise, before suddenly bursting out in laughter again. "Now I know where he got it from."
"Got what from?" asked Suzuka in surprise.
"Well, let me tell you about when Hide was living in the capital with us when we all were alive..." began Kintoki.
"...oh no, not the one about the thirty-six crickets and that samurai..." mumbled Hide, seemingly blushing in humiliation while also laughing at the memory.
The episode finally ended with everyone being returned to their rightful nations/kingdoms, while also promising to be there when Sauron reappeared. This was also considered a sneak peek for the upcoming 2023 IAC.