"Do you feel the rage that drives your blade? That is my doing. All your strength comes from me!"
-Ares
The soil from the earth lifted from the thousands of steeds carrying and endless cry of war rallying behind their marked captain with a roar so loud it was heard from across the field.
The Barbarians stood calmly waiting for the Greeks with thick woolly armour and weapons as long as spears. Their King stood at the tip drawing his great long-bow at the charging army. Kratos gripped his sword with an endless thirst for blood eyeing the king from afar. The King arched and let the arrow loose. The arrow flew over the field like a thrown spear with the Greeks in its line.
Blood spewed across Kratos' face from his fallen solider but he didn't look back without any mourning for his fallen Spartan brother he charged into the Barbarians like fire through a forest.
"For Greece my brothers! For the glory of all of Sparta for Lord Ares!" He roared like a lion with his brothers and swung the first blow.
Hours had passed. The field had become a crimson river of broken bodies of fallen Spartans. The Barbarians were relentless using their mere hands to crush skulls between their fingers. A soldier's shield was smashed by the axe the barbarian kicked him in the jaw finally throwing his axe into the Spartan's chest.
Kratos still fort with heavy breathes. He swung round by the hammer slicing through the barbarian's fur, suddenly a spear missed him by his cheek growling the captain roared leaping into the air driving his sword into the mouth.
He turned quickly stabbing the third ducking from a swung axe he sliced through the flesh with a rain of red dripping from his eyes. But as infinite as Kratos was in battle his brothers were torn by the very hands of their enemies cheering in such savagery, Kratos was as unmerciful as they were. Suddenly his head swung from a thrown body.
Spartans were thrown to the ground like seeds to a harvest. Crushed by the sheer weight of his giant feet. The Barbarian King. His great hammer dripped with Spartan blood from its steel spiked face. A solider charged with one swing his armour smashed against his chest. The King turned and swiped a second with his left hand finishing him off with the hammer.
The Spartan's came from all sides screaming without hesitation. The King grinned smashing his hammer against them, he kicked a solider from his feet with a second meeting the hammer's face. Spartan's fell by his feet as it grew into a hill of red. He grabbed a solider by the throat throwing him into the ground.
Kratos could only look on as the King's foot sprayed red beneath him. It was then he and the Barbarian met eyes both stained with the blood of the fallen. His chest fuelled with a rage that blinded him from his fallen brothers. With sword-in-hand he screamed charging through the bloodied fur by his sword. The King grinned lifting his hammer stepping over the crushed bodies.
Kratos aimed his eyes leaping into the air with a cry shrieking the sky and swung down.
The King pushed him off swinging his hammer he missed the first blow. Kratos grabbed a spear thrusting it forward suddenly the king grabbed breaking it in two. Kratos moved in but his sword bounced of the spiked steel. The King roared smashing the hammer into the ground, the captain leaped and swung at the barbarian's shoulder.
Growling from the pain it was nothing more that scratch to this king. Kratos swung back meeting sword with wood. Their muscles clenched the dirt from their ankles lifted sinking into the soil. Kratos could only hold on until his skin began to sweat with a foul smell of wet fur. He pushed the king of as if by a mere luck thrusting his sword forward.
Thick fingers grasped round his wrist loosening his sword the King kicked the Spartan in the chest. Grinning down at this red-marked warrior the King stepped towards him with heavy shudders from his feet. Kratos threw his fist but the king struck him with the steel wooden handle. The warrior coughed out blood his arms shacking and strength wailing he stared down at his own refection staring back at him. He turned lying on his back gazing at the giant towering over him beneath a darkened sky: no weapons, no brothers and no hope lay before for him.
The Hammer rose over the barbarian's head when lightning struck. Kratos now in this moment could only look to the sky and do the unthinkable for a victory for a price he did not care for. Lifting his chest he roared at the clouds.
"ARES! DESTROY ME ENEMEIES. AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!" And the sky roared with lightening.
The Barbarian King's face darkened by the shadow that darkened the clouds. Stricken with terror the sky split apart and the God of War descended. In that moment everything became still as the great god himself hovered above the aww stricken Kratos.
The God's hair blazed with endless flames blazing over chin and pale cheeks. His armour a crimson red-black with silver carvings of a three-headed war dog. His leggings and gauntlets were chained around his ankles to his thighs and shoulders. The ground shook from his very step towering over everything that was little to him he cast his gaze at the bowed Spartan with such gracefulness.
Kratos' heart was in his mouth here he was at the mercy of the God of war himself hearing his offering, Kratos gazed up at the god and spoke,
"My life is yours, Ares. From this day I shall carry forth your will." He paid with that that kept him sane. Ares' smiled down at him lifting his arms the fire began to spread from his very body striking the Spartan.
Kratos screamed from the blaze his very skin burned with the rage of a thousand battles tore beneath his skin. Ares watched with ill pleasure hearing the dying screams of dead barbarians being spit in half by a force they could not see.
Kratos could glimpse the face of Ares as the shrieking screams came from the sky with ugly feathered wings. The Harpies screamed through the flames with fangs as long as daggers holding Kratos by the shoulders lifting him from his feet.
A harpy clutched in its talons chains that carried with them a red hot orange glow. The chains lashed into Kratos' arms burning into his very flesh the pain was unlike anything he'd felt, sinking into his skin his screams reached the god of war's ears and with one smile the pact was sealed. Kratos breathed deeply as the flames vanished steam sprayed from his skin. Within his very hands he grasped at the blades ugly and startling they glowed with a blood-red flame.
"The Blades of Chaos will serve you well, Spartan. With them your enemies will cower before you, cities will be conquered beneath banner of your glory and all will know the name: Kratos will echo for all that bow beneath you." Ares bellowed and vanished.
Kratos' breathed deeply with no regret he turned facing his enemy with a strength he'd never thought had and swung. The Barbarian's head rolled within the air with a still face of fear staining the ground of his torn brethren leaving his body to kneel before the Spartan.
The blades in-hand his chest was filled with an unnatural rage the blood beneath his feet poured from his very wrists. The Barbarian's that survived fled in terror from the lashing of the chained-blades. His eyes glowed red thirsting for more tearing through them like wheat, Kratos roared into the sky reaching the very tips of the mountains to the ears of the God of war.
Ares watched from his keep through the well that saw all of battles. His smile lifted the flames of his hair to the ears of his lover. Her hips swayed with blackened sharp nails with glowing yellow eyes. She licked her lips caressing Ares' masculine arms.
"It seems our plans have changed, My Lord Ares." She hissed. The God of war grinned pulling her hips towards him. "It seems so. But it does not matter. I have found the perfect warrior that will fore fill our plans. And you Alecto. Shall be by me side, when Zeus will fall beneath me."
Kratos could feel the strength through every part of his body an ecstasy he could taste like whine or the pleasures of a woman. Nothing would no mortal could stand before him without knowing the unbarring price that would come to haunt Kratos for all his days.