To All of Eternity

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

God's Message

Ichigo stared at the vast night sky. His brown eyes reflecting the twinkling lights of the stars. The cool breeze brought the smell of booze and food into his nose, neither making him thirst or hungry.

"Are you alright?" a calm, almost serene voice asked from behind him.

Sparing a glance, he found a green-haired elf waitress carrying some food presumably to some patrons. Her blue eyes looking at him with mere passing interest.

"I am good," he responded as he kept his gaze on the stars.

"I see," the elf responded half-heartedly. "Here is your meal."

Confused at the mention of a meal, Ichigo once more looked at the elf and then to the outstretched tray of food. "Er... Thank you?" he asked questioningly, "but I didn't order-"

"God Hermes was the one to place the order for you," she explained smoothly. "Now, if you would."

Ichigo looked to the dual blades of Zangetsu laid on the table and moved them aside, putting them against the wall on his right.

Now seeing that space was now freed up, the elf laid the food out on the table. The aroma of cooked fish wafting the immediate area.

"If that is all, then excuse me."

"I have a quick question," Ichigo said, as he turned to the elf. "How fast do people grow in the dungeon?"

The elf looked at him with a judging gaze, her blue eyes discerning his character through his eyes. "It depends," she said as she put the tray underneath her arm, "on how you want to grow."

Once she imparted her words, she turned heel and walked back to the busy main dining area.

Ichigo stared at the waitress for a moment before turning his gaze to his hands then to Zangetsu. "On how I want to grow, huh..."

-

"You want to go into the dungeon without falna?!" Hermes said in shock, his volume attracting attention to himself. "If you want to be hasty, I can certainly provide you with my blessing!"

Ichigo looked at the intoxicated god with a slight look of conflict. "I just want to see what the fuss is all about," he said simply as he sent a glance at the observing people around. "Besides I think I can hold my own."

However, in his intoxicated state, Hermes seemed to have filtered the information to the point that it twisted it in his mind. "Wha?! You just want to make a fuss and see if you can see if the security can hold you?!"

Ichigo just sighed at the distortion of his words. "No," he said simply, truly not wanting to expend more brainpower in explaining his plan.

"Was that truly the first time you have drunken alcohol, brat?" the boisterous dwarf woman, Mia, asked. "You sure as hell drunk Hermes into madness."

Ichigo shrugged, not too sure of why either although having a hint as to why. "It's either that my old man was such a drunkard that I inherited his tolerance or one of my abilities." Probably the latter.

"Well, it is not often I see a mortal outpace a god in alcohol tolerance. I heard that they drank almost every day back in heaven."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so I heard."

The shinigami sighed as he stretched a bit, feeling a bit drowsy due to the traveling. "Can I have some water?" he asked and almost immediately, a mug of water was placed before him. "Thank you."