My Kitsune System-Chapter 39: The Fortress

*** Third Heaven

The goddess Inari stood at the edge of the heavens and looked down into the second. She watched as the three began moving on their journey, headed deep into the second heaven.

"Are you worried about him?" a soft voice called out to her.

Inari turned to see the goddess of the heavens draped in her long dress, as it flowed downward.

"I really don’t know if I should be worried... I feel he is a strong one, and he has all the tools he needs to succeed."

"Yes, he has all he needs." The goddess smiled as she came closer to Inari

"The fate of the world depends heavily on him."

"Don’t worry, you have chosen a worthy champion." With those words, the red-draped, dressed goddess stood up to leave. As she did, a crow flew over to her and came to whisper something in her ear.

Inari then turned back to look at Dan with his companions. Her face turning a bit grim as she watched them go.

****Second heaven

It was as if the sun was at its highest. Dan was sweating buckets, even Nate seemed to be having a hard time under this scorching heat. But she didn’t seem to mind. In fact she broke no sweat at all but instead held on to her fur coat tightly on her body.

Pretty, she’s another greater demigod, too

"So you know I can feel your gaze upon me?" she turned to look at Dan. On her face, there was no trace of a smile or friendliness.

What’s with the sudden change of mood? She was smiling a few hours ago

"I actually never knew your name."

She kept quiet and looked at him, her eyes saying she didn’t believe him.

"It’s Sigrid," she said.

Sigrid. Huh, so you’re of norse descent then I take it?"

"From the axes to the coat and the hair cut"

Nate immediately stopped. His eyes began to widen as he slowly turned to look at Dan. Sigrid stopped in her tracks too.

"You shouldn’t have," Nate said as he began moving away from Dan.

"What did you say about my hair?"

"I, um."

Compliments: Dan always compliment them. How could you forget?

"The thing is, having been here a while, I haven’t seen someone so pretty Dan lied between his teeth."

Did she buy it? Come on, just buy it

She immediately stopped in her tracks. Her expression was now blank.

"Do you mean it?"

Nate turned perplexed. He looked at Sigrid, confusion written all over his face. Then, he turned to look at Dan.

"Yes, I do," Dan smiled.

Yesss!!! she bought

BOOM!!!

The air within Dan’s lungs was knocked out. Dan immediately clenched his fist. His shadow had already begun stirring.

Soul Reaper was already calling his name. Blood dripped from his lips. With the corner of his eyes, he had caught a glimpse of Nate who shook his head in horror for Dan not to do anything.

Dan watched as his blood dripped to the ground. As the sun scorched his blood.

Sigrid then looked Dan in the eyes.

"Lie to me again, and I’ll kill you."

With those words, she walked away.

Kill me?. Dan smiled with his bloodied lips

"We’ll see about that," Dan said as he stood up.

"Did you say something?"

Sigrid’s aura began to burst forward. The plains began to turn chilly.

Her hands had begun to reach for her axes when Nate came and stood beside her.

"Hey, Sigrid, I am getting really cold" he said as he was shivering.

The temperature began to drop and return to normal. She turned her back and continued walking ahead.

As she left, Dan started panting heavily. It was like he was being suffocated before, and now he finally had the chance to breathe. Though the place had turned chilly, Dan found himself sweating buckets.

Greater demigod, you wait for me. He thought to himself before he continued on the journey.

The trio continued walking in silence, with no one saying anything to the other.

And they finally reached their destination.

Before them wasn’t actually the usual camps and tents Dan had been seeing all round the second heaven. But this place was much more different.

A large shadow was cast upon them by a great fortress. It was were high that it put the building on earth to shame. Its walls were pitch black, probably from the years of being scorched by the sun.

The fortress held no flag but every now and then demons could be seen patrolling the fortress. And most of this demons weren’t far from being mid-tier.

If these are the guards just on patrolling then how powerful is the strongest foe in there?

But that wasn’t even what bothered Dan the most but the fact that they left the comfort of the camp of demigods and are casually walking into a den of vipers.

This can’t be our destination right? He thought as he began looking around. But there was no other camp, tent or persons for miles.

She can’t be serious

Dan’s face had now started to turn grim.

"You don’t expect us to infiltrate that, do you?"

"No, I don’t," came her voice flatly.

"So what are we doing here?"

"Escorting you."

"Escorting me? what... Why"

"You have been given the task to prove your loyalty and that your not in cahoots with the evil fox. So, do you accept?"

What is wrong with these people? Are they trying to get me killed

Sigrid then moved; from her back, she pulled out one of her axes, its sharp edge glistening and shining in the sun.

"Failure to do so will lead to your immediate execution."

Silence descended on the trio. The wind blew against their hair. Dan could see Sigrid’s bloodlust rising.

Eerie whispers began reaching his ears....

"Cut off her head..."

"She deserves to die."

"Let’s sink our blade into her skull... let the sun lick her blood."

Dan knew that whatever choice he made was ultimately a death sentence.

I just need to find a way to survive for today

"What do you need me to do when I reach the gates?" he asked.

"Once you have passed the walls. You are to gather information about the vile fox that is working with them. Also any information about the whereabouts of the stone should be taken"

"How am I to?"

A burning rage within his chest began to rise.

His shadow started swirling and from within it Soul Reaper came forth.

Dan looked at her in the eyes; in it, he saw nothing but a cold resolve. The eyes of a natural-born killer. A predator among prey. Dan closed his eyes, his face then turned up towards the sun and it’s scorching heat.

Elise I will kill them all.... every lasts one of them.

With those words echoed in his heart he turned and started heading towards the imprenetable fortress.