Chapter 111 – Not Again

  “We have catalogued divine beings into many categories and can compare them in several ways. We have active, inactive, singular, multi-point and missing. Even these can be broken down into smaller groups like Hestia, technically very active but makes no actual appearance other than some magics of the home and hearth…” – Excerpt from a display in the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum in Chicago Illinois.

  ‘I can do this I can do this I can do this I can…’ Val thought to herself, her internal dialogue repeating the mantra, desperately hoping that it was true. Of everything she regretted, it was the timing of this point in her life. It was also very early, based on what her mother’s clan’s sages and doctors thought.

  She channeled the mana in the battery that she had ‘borrowed’ from Kurt. It had taken days for her to slowly fill it in preparation for this eventuality. Not the hunting of more wendigo, nor even the casting of a powerful illusion, but for her advancement as a kitsune.

  It hurt that as she had deceived Kurt and Kristi, she knew that they trusted her, but this was something inherent to her nature. She wanted to fight it but just… couldn’t. At this point she was just hoping for forgiveness and if not that, at least understanding.

  Val once more felt a warmth in her mouth with the taste of blood as she clenched her teeth hard and accidentally poked her lip with her fangs. Yeah, fangs were new, maybe Kristi would give her some pointers on them if they couldn’t be shifted like her other fox features.

  A tingling sensation at the base of her spine slowly built up. It rapidly became a larger circle of pin pricks which turned into a burning pain. She knew that was her second tail about to make an appearance. That sensation also came with her blood feeling like it was both on fire and filled with ice as it rushed through her veins.

  The fox features that she showed, her tail, ears, legs and forearms, all seemed to be changing too but she couldn’t tell how. There were just too many sensations happening all over her body for her to truly keep track of.

  Amidst all the physical changes Val was experiencing, she was trying to uphold the illusion that she had cast over the small clearing. It was an ambitious undertaking, and likely what spurred on the current problems she was having. Instead of casting an illusion over something to hide it from the world, she cast an illusion to hide the world from everything within the glade.

  She had spent a lot of their walk taking in the scenery. Her observations had been because they wanted to be on the lookout for trouble but it allowed her to pick up some other details. She was currently forming a bubble around the wendigo and human-things, replicating the breeze and the swaying of trees to make it seem real. She let the light through, thankfully not having to recreate that, but that was all the outside visual and audible stimulus she allowed.

  Val was faintly aware of the movement around her as she screwed her eyes closed to focus. She knew that Kurt was standing right next to her and could feel Kristi’s hand on her shoulder as they directed the rest of the troops. She just hoped that she would be able to hold on long enough. I can do this I can do this I can do this…

  There was a sudden strain on her illusion and it started drawing more and more energy. That extra draw was followed by the sound of several explosions. She held the illusion for what felt like hours but was likely only seconds and channeled all the mana she could from the battery and into the spell. It was also that sudden influx of energy that finally pushed her past the edge and her world faded to darkness and the only thing she saw was a slowly expanding point of light.

  *****

  “Push right and set up good sectors of fire. Watch the overhead so the forties make it.” Kurt said and directed Justin to position his people around the southwest side of the clearing. He wanted them to be far enough back for their grenade launchers to arm, so they would have to shoot over the front line who was initiating with hand thrown grenades. He did not want a repeat of the last time he fought these things and thought overwhelming firepower was the best way to handle it.

  “Decimal in place.” Rupert said from the north side of the now L-shaped formation.

  “Pack one and two are set.” Jade pipped up a moment later.

  “Papa is set.” Justin said just after his people settled down and found good lines of sight.

  Kurt was confident that they could handle this without micromanaging the situation. What he wasn’t so sure about was Val. She had been kneeling on the ground since he called up the rest of the assault force but was now shaking slightly as blood ran from the corner of her mouth.

  He didn’t like the look of that and wanted to call off the whole operation, but she had assured him she would be fine. She didn’t look fine to him, and he shared a worried look with Kristi as she hefted her machinegun.

  Kurt turned to the fourth person who had joined them in the little brush pile. “Anna, watch her. I don’t know what is going on but keep her safe.” He was going to get this over with quickly so they could figure out what was wrong with Val.

  “All units, this is One. Initiate in three… two… one…Go!”

  His counting was accompanied by a series of scrapes and jingling as the majority of the assembled troops pulled pins on fragmentation grenades. The word ‘go’ heralded the sound of over twenty spoons being released followed by thumping as the throwers flattened themselves to the ground. A second later there were a half dozen muted bangs as everyone with a grenade launcher fired.

  Kurt watched as the grenades flew out from each of the rough skirmish lines. They all seemed to find their way through the gaps in the trees and land in the bent and trampled grass all around the clearing. Some of the wendigo stood up from where they crouched after hearing the series of thumps from the steel balls hitting the dirt all around them. Two began approaching, their heads tilted in a strange, curious expression. Even the humanoid things moved toward the sound and turned their ghastly faces toward them.

  A moment later, the six forty-millimeter grenades entered the clearing, glinting briefly in the sunlight before they impacted against the rocky outcropping. They had specifically targeted the hard stone to ensure they detonated. In Kurt’s experience the 40MM HEDP grenade had a nasty habit of not detonating on soft surfaces.

  BOOM-Bang-BOOM-BOOM-Bang. A cacophony of explosions erupted in the clearing, shredding all the vegetation and throwing gouts of dirt and body parts into the air. All that was followed a moment later by the sound of dozens of rifles and machine guns being fired into the clearing on full auto.

  Kurt saw a few the wendigo lifted into the air, missing several body parts and leaking massive amounts of black blood. Those that weren’t shredded by the explosions became the focus of the vast majority of the gunfire with Kristi and the other machine gunners focusing on the two wendigo that were slowly getting to their feet.

  As resistant to mundane weapons as the creatures were, not much could save them from cumulative thousands of rounds per minute of armor piercing ammunition. The vast majority of the human shaped creatures had perished from the grenades which left their larger kin to take the brunt of the ambush. Limbs were torn off and the skull like masks shattered from the sheer amount of concentrated fire that rained upon them.

  While the attack was his main focus, Kurt couldn’t help but glance down as Val began to subtly glow in his aura sight. He could see the ghostly apparition of a second tail begin to manifest as she lay on the ground in a fetal position. He had thought there was something strange going on but was now seeing the extent of the strangeness as her body began to actually glow.

  Returning his focus to the fight after his momentary glance at Val, Kurt keyed his mic. “Cease fire!” He had to say it a couple times until everyone got the hint and stopped shooting. “Papa, overwatch. Decimal, Packs one and two, push through the objective.”

  He got to his feet and looked down to Kristi. “Please stay with her… huh. This is familiar.” Kurt began to say as a portal suddenly opened right next to him and Jay stepped out.

  The sudden appearance of a handsome, well-dressed man in a suit in what was mostly a swamp should have startled Kurt, but he was past that. “Can you help her?” He asked.

  Jay nodded and crouched next to Val. “Go, I have this.”

  Kurt trotted off to take his place behind the line of troops pushing through the brush on the edges of the clearing. They had enough people to form a tight line with only ten or so feet between each of them. That helped as there were a number of new craters that had to be navigated around as they crossed the open field. A few of the troops stopped and put a few shots into downed enemies from a safe distance before walking over them, being extra sure that the creatures were dead. It was completely unnecessary but still a ‘best practice’.

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  Wandering along the back line, Kurt went over and double checked the wendigo that had fallen from gunfire alone. He was most worried about them due to the resistance they had displayed in the past. It turned out that not many things recovered from basketball sized holes in their chest or limbs being set to ‘Bluetooth’ mode, laying several feet away.

  After the first team pushed through the objective, the second line went on a perpendicular path, making sure everything was spotted and dealt with. Justin’s men did an admirable job of it and communicated very well as they cleared the scene.

  Kurt waited until they had crossed to get a status from both Justin and Rupert before calling into his radio. “All leaders, this is One. Objective is secure.”

  “One, this is Warden.” Came the voice or Michelle. “Outer Cordon will push in and search for stragglers.”

  Looking for Rupert, Kurt picked him out and waved him over. “You have the objective, I need to check on Val. Get a status from everyone. Ammo, injuries and everything. We will conduct a search and BDA when the outer cordon arrives and we call the ritualists to clean up the circle.”

  Kurt had seen the circle on the stone outcropping and had managed to figure out that this group was connected to the one that had summoned a wendigo in his territory. His territory? When did… His introspection was interrupted as Rupert asked a question.

  “What is a BDA?” The kobold-halfling asked, blinking up at him as his scaled face scrunched in confusion.

  “Battle Damage Assessment.” Kurt said. “If you need specifics, talk to Justin. He should know.” With that, he turned on his heel and trotted back to where Jay was still kneeling over a faintly glowing Val.

  The demon looked up at this approach. “Looks like you are rubbing off on your companions.” He said as way of explaining what was happening.

  “Wait, she’s not a werewolf.” Kurt said while crouching down and grabbing Kristi’s hand. He looked at Val and noted that not much had changed in his few minutes’ absence other than her second tail was no longer just a faint outline in her aura and seemed to be completely solid.

  “You think that werewolves are the only supernatural beings that had or have patron deities?” Jay said with an implied ‘duh’.

  “Is she going to be ok?” Kristi asked.

  Jay nodded. “I believe so, her genetic patron is likely much more… ah, gentle than Kurt’s.”

  *****

  Val slowly came into consciousness. She felt like she was underwater and lazily floating upward in complete bliss. She smelled the scent of fresh earth and cherry blossoms in the breeze. Her body was comfortable, remarkably so after the pain she had felt a moment ago. That, more than anything else, made her open her eyes. The first thing she saw was another pair of eyes staring right back at her.

  “Eap!” Val said and tried to back away only to press herself against something soft and very fluffy. She looked behind her quickly and found another, nearly identical face.

  Rolling to the side and getting tangled in her kimono, Val scrambled to her feet in a very ungraceful manner. Why was she in a Japanese style bedroom? Why was she dressed in a kimono with a lovely floral pattern? Why were there two giant white foxes staring at her? How did she know they were laughing?

  All these questions and more fled her mind as she heard a voice behind her. “Welcome, child. I am glad you have woken as we don’t have much time together, for all that time means anything here.”

  Val risked turning her back on the foxes who had begun to roll on the floor while laughing at her. She looked over her shoulder to see the back of a woman sitting atop a pillow, overlooking a lush farming valley.

  “Please, join me for a while.” The woman said, gesturing to the pillow next to her.

  Val hesitantly stepped forward while taking a quick look to the room behind her. She found the foxes had vanished and the bed she awoke on was no longer there, leaving a completely blank room. She returned her attention to the woman on the balcony only to find the foxes had appeared beside her and basked in a sun beam a few feet away.

  “Wh-who are you?” Val asked while tip-toeing forward. The woman had long black hair that was unbound, falling around her shoulders. Her features were clearly Japanese, and she appeared to be in her late thirties with only faint creases around her mouth and eyes.

  The woman laughed gently as she looked over her shoulder, casting a glance through her cascading dark hair. “If only you had been this cautious before. But alas, you went and got yourself involved with the scion of Lycaon.” Her voice sounded chastising, amused and motherly, making it hard for Val to gauge what she felt about this scion or whoever.

  “I am not involved with any ‘scions’ much less any … Lycaon… wait, Lycaon or lycan as in lycanthrope?” The name suddenly clicked in her mind as she said it.

  “Theakval, please sit and we can discuss properly.” The woman said, surprising Val with her full name. The words held so much weight to them that Val simply couldn’t resist and plopped onto the pillow in as graceless a fashion as possible without missing it completely.

  “There, now we can speak politely.” The woman said before going silent and watching as a flock of cranes flew into the valley to land in a rice paddy. “It is polite to introduce ones self…”

  Val startled, having become completely engrossed in the view before her. “Huh? Oh, I am Theakval Kraknovi of House Krakno.” She said after turning to face her and giving an awkward bow. “B-but my friends call me Val.”

  The woman turned on her pillow, somehow making the awkward shuffle graceful and elegant. “Hmmm, I suppose we can be friends. Welcome, Val. It has been such a long time since I have had one and even longer since one of them was as unique as you. I am Inari.” She said with a nod of her head.

  Val was struck by the beauty of the woman before her. While she wasn’t what many would consider a model or ‘hot’ there was a simple grace that she possessed which seemed to transcend those shallow and often short-lived qualities. Then the words caught up to her brain and she froze mid breath.

  “Inari like the god Inari?”

  The woman smiled coyly. “Goddess at the moment but yes.”

  Trying to recall everything she knew from her mother’s clan and the proper etiquette, Val once more bowed, placing her forehead firmly on the floor and not daring to look up as she spoke. “Please forgive me, I didn’t know. I meant no disrespect I-I-I… “ She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Child, please. If I were to take offense, I would have already.” Inari said in a soothing tone. “Let us not waste our limited energy on such formalities as you have begun to walk the path of peerage.”

  Val picked herself back up. “Yes… goddess?” She wasn’t sure how to address the deity.

  “Just Inari is fine for now.” She smiled then observed Val with that same scrutiny that Kurt had been using lately. “It seems your closeness with the scion of Lycaon has started many things before their time. It has even set into motion that which normally would not have occurred.”

  “What is happening to me? For that matter, where am I?” Val asked. She was starting to remember the situation she was in before waking up. A sudden panic arose in her. “AM I DEAD?”

  Inari shook her head. “No, not dead. You are spiritually visiting in my divine realm while your body is still in…” Her eyes drifted off for a moment before she pulled a face that looked like she bit into a lemon. “…in Florida. And a swamp, to make matters worse.”

  “Yeah, we are on a job and things kinda got out of hand.” Val answered sheepishly.

  Frowning, Inari shook her head. “I will say you are a most unusual member of my line.” A soft smile returned to her lips as she looked back to Val. “Perhaps that is a good thing. It has been a long time since I have seen something so unexpected.”

  “Sooo… what is happening to me?” Val repeated.

  “Simply put, you are stepping onto the path of gods.” Inari held up her hand to stall Val’s impending questions. “You have a long way to go. Both you and your mate are but candles in the light of the sun. Visible but yet to be noticed.”

  “I see. Is that why my second tail came so soon?”

  “Not quite, but it plays a role.” Inari answered without answering. “But that is for later. For now, we need to talk about keeping you alive. There are others within my peerage who don’t appreciate your… heritage.”

  Val had suspected that, after all the hints Jay had dropped it was pretty obvious. “What do I need to do?”

  Inari smiled and held out her hand, palm up. Val placed her hand into it and the goddess immediately covered it with her other hand. “I need you to not fight it.” Inari said before her hands began to glow a bright blue which began to spread up Val’s arm.

  Val tried very hard to not fight the reaction and was thankful that her hand was held so firmly by her new patron. The sensation was not painful yet was still very unpleasant. It was like a muted version of the feeling she had before passing out where her body was both hot and cold. The sensation spread with the blue light before finally fading, leaving her panting.

  “I have shared a very small portion of my divinity with you.” Inari told her after letting go of her hand. “Don’t worry, I will recover on my own but yours will only grow.”

  Val bowed her head after regaining the ability to move. “Thank you, Inari.”

  The goddess smiled warmly. “Think nothing of it. We will be talking again very soon in a much less painful version of what your mate went through.” She then looked off into the valley before them. After a deep breath and a sigh, she returned her attention to Val.

  “Know that the path you all walk is one of great import. While there will be struggles, there will also be triumph and joy to be had.” Her words we solemn as she intoned them onto what felt like Val’s soul. “Know that what the remains of Lycaon did for your mate and what I did for you are not the norm. If Kristanazal is to walk the path, she will need to start her divinity another way. Neither dragons nor angelic beings are so charitable with their power. Just know that there exists more than one way for you to help her reach her goals and fulfill her wishes.”

  And with that, the goddess touched a finger to Val’s nose. “Go now and wake, my little fox.” She then pushed her softly and Val was suddenly falling.

  She found herself once again lying on her back. This time she wasn’t comfortable, and everything smelled like a swamp mixed with gun smoke. Her awareness sharpened when she heard a voice she recognized.

  “There she is.” Jay said in his sarcastic tone. “Looks like we got another one on our hands.”

  “Uuughhhh, cherry blossoms.” Val groaned, for some reason the smell of Inari’s realm sticking with her in an odd overlapping sensation.

  “I don’t know. I think this one might be defective.” Kristi said, snarking to hide the emotion behind her words.

  A snort of derision from Jay preceded his next quip. “Perhaps. We can’t have a bunch of gods suddenly becoming active again.” He paused. “Kurt and Penny, go ahead and get her back to the rally point. I will handle clean up with Rupert. Jade!”

  “Yes sir?” Penny said, questioning the odd order a little. Jay was definitely not dressed for this occasion.

  “Go with Kurt’s team. Take Anna too.” He reaffirmed before carefully stepping out of the brush pile and over to clearing

  Val suddenly felt strong arms under her and realized that Kurt had lifted her. She risked cracking her eyes open, shading them from the sun poking through the trees. He was looking down at her, worry covering his face.

  “I’m sssorrrryy.” Val whispered, reaching up to touch his face.

  His expression softened, the stress melting off his brow. “We can talk about it after we get to the rally point and get you cleaned up.”

  “Still love me?”

  “Always.” He answered, returning his attention to where he was walking.

  There was a sudden pinch on her butt before Kristi spoke. “But you are so getting a spanking if your explanation isn’t a damn good one.”

  Val sighed. She supposed that she owed them some answers. She had a few more now, after the ordeal and her conversation with her patron. But for all the answers she had, there were somehow even more questions. As she clung to Kurt, she wondered if this was how he felt after his encounters.