AN. So begins one hundred moments with Kratos and Anna. I'm planning on writing their story in one-hundred serialized, but not necessarily connected chapters. I'll try to keep them in chronological order, but I don't know when I'll be hit with inspiration. ;)
I hope you enjoy my depiction Kratos and Anna's story. :3
Introduction.
The early evening air was surprisingly warm and Kratos Aurion felt his eyebrows slide together in a slight scowl as he picked his way easily through the forest, overstepping low hanging branches and the occasional cluster of rocks. It had been over a week since he had descended from the sterile white and purple world of Derris Kharlan to the tree strewn, dirt covered land of Sylvarant. The angel was mildly surprised to find that he much preferred the imperfections of the real world to Mithos' vision of perfection.
Yet another reason… Kratos' frown deepened as he continued his way through the forest aimlessly. Having decided not stay the night in towns, while Mithos was no doubt fretting about the location of Origin's Seal, had meant finding clearings in the woods as he worked his way across the waning world. He had been stunned (and later he realized, horrified) when he had heard of Mithos' plans for the inhabitants of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla – The Age of Lifeless Beings. He had been so unsettled by this revelation that he had fled the comet, though he doubted being back on the planets would do anything to convince him of the virtues of Mithos' ideals.
A soft whine broke Kratos from his reverie and he glanced down at Noishe his face relaxing from its perpetual scowl.
"You don't mind being down here, do you?" he asked his closest companion of many millennia in hushed tones and the arshis barked softly, almost silently, in assent, brushing his head against Kratos' half-gloved hand affectionately.
It was the warmth that was the most unsettling, Anna realized as she gingerly tried to heave the standard issue Desian butterfly sword from the belly of its owner. Her hands slipped across the hilt as she glanced down at the warm crimson blood soaking her hands and the front of her dirty gray smock. The atrophied muscles in her back and arms protested as she took a step back from the guard, her breath coming more quickly than she would have liked. As much as being armed would have been to her benefit, exhausting herself to the point where she couldn't move would make this golden opportunity worthless.
She squatted down next to the guard and rummaged around his front before she felt her fingers brush the cool metal of the key card. Her excitement sparked as her heart leapt in her chest. This was nothing like her previous rebellions or escape attempts, she had a key and the layout of the ranch worked out in her mind. Others had made it out before and not even Kvar knew how. They were always found and killed immediately, but Anna was confident that she was smart enough to not head straight for Luin and into the Desians' traps.
She had been moved to solitary confinement earlier that day to find that another person had been thrown in the single row of isolation cells. The cells had solid walls except for the gated front, which did not offer complete isolation, but were much more private than the group cells that most host bodies were herded into. As her luck would have it, the captive in the other cell had lost his mind and starting making a mess out of the cell with his own bodily fluids. If there was anything the Desians hated, it was cleaning. Even making the humans clean messes meant they had to supervise and be near enough to smell. Making a mess always got them moving. As the guard had passed her cell on the way to man's she had grabbed him by the cloth of his armor and shoved a shiv made from a sharpened bit of wood she'd found working in the yard into his neck. He had collapsed in pain and surprise, unable to shout as the wood pierced his trachea. She had then grabbed his sword from its sheath as he fell and ran him through with it.
As she glanced over her shoulder now, looking towards the cell the man had occupied, it was eerily quiet after what had seemed like hours of screaming, thrashing and the squelching sound of fluid on the slick floors.
Anna slipped through the doors easily enough and clutched the key card tightly in her sweat and blood covered palm as she came up to what was the first branch in the hallways. Left. She continued down the hallway as quickly and quietly as she could, staying close the walls where she knew the cameras had blind spots. She had seen the screens in Kvar's offices before. A part of her 'privileged' status as a living member of the Angelus project meant she was led to wherever Kvar wanted so he could inspect her stone personally. She had learned quickly that they could watch nearly all activity on the ranch, but she'd also learned that they were arrogant in their confidence and intelligence. No doubt they couldn't even imagine a mere human being able to figure out their technology, let alone its weaknesses.
As she turned right around the second corner her heart jolted in her chest, her arms and legs flinching in surprise as the ear splitting sound of the alarm echoed across the ranch, a bright red light flashing at every corner. She winced as she ran the last several paces to another door, swiping it open, coming face to face with a stunned Desian.
His hand immediately reached for his whip and Anna felt her heart rate spike as she put all her weight on one foot and kneed the man between the legs as hard as she could. He crumpled to the ground. Elation bloomed in her chest at the simple act of retaliation and spread to a smile on her face, the unfamiliar expression caused her chapped lips to crack painfully. She licked her lips gingerly, grimacing slightly at the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. She hurried over him and past the control panel at the center of the room ignoring the throbbing ache of the tired muscles across her legs and stomach.
She glanced up at the vent that, ranch legend held, led out into the forest beyond the gates. The grid slid easily to the side and she took a deep calming breath before beginning the process of hauling herself up into the metal vent. Her arms protested as she kicked and managed to swing a knee onto the edge of the vent and scramble the rest of the way into small rectangular passage. Crushing herself against one edge she was able to reach forward and slide the grill back into place. Taking in a deep gasp of air she turned around and began crawling her way forward and down as the vent sloped slightly underground.
She felt the paradox of being helpless and free at the same time cause a swirl of nausea to rise in her stomach. The blackness of the vent was terrifying, she could see nothing of her surroundings, only feel the inky wind as it pressed against her heavily and the metal of the vent on her hands and knees.
Anna shivered slightly as the blood on her smock was caking slightly to the skin on her stomach, the small space of the air shaft leaving her with only her thoughts and anxieties. She had killed that guard and it scared her how little taking a life bothered her. She bit her bloodied lip gingerly as she stopped for a moment to rub her hands along her bare arms, her calloused fingers catching on the scrapes and scars that traced across most of her body. It was cold and dark in the tunnel and she was completely blind in the darkness, moving only by touch, her sense of smell overwhelmed by her own rankness and the blood that covered her.
She felt relief begin to set in as a rush of fresher smelling air blew past her from the direction she was headed. The vent had no branches at this point and she continued along the metal passage, her light weight barely making a sound against the tinny material.
The sun was setting across the forest outside of Luin, staining the evergreen trees with the orange shades of the dying sun and Kratos watched the shadows of the trees with interest. How long had it been since he'd enjoyed the setting sun? He was amazed with himself and his self-imprisonment on Derris-Kharlan as he absently studied the stark shadows of the pine needles against the dusty dirt ground. Noishe's loud bark reverberated around the small cluster of trees around them and the arshis leapt off through the forest quickly and Kratos frowned after his friend before continuing after him. He knew that if the protozoan wasn't running at breakneck speeds he wanted Kratos to follow.
Kratos trailed Noishe across nearly a mile of forest before they reached another clearing and Kratos felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck, they were encroaching on Desian territory – Mithos' territory.
"Noishe!" he called after him and the green and white dog whined in response. He was snuffling and snorting with interest around a large boulder and Kratos sighed as he walked forward and kneeled down next to the boulder, Noishe still sniffing around him. "What…" Kratos muttered under his breath and he spotted the vent hidden behind the boulder and he felt a wry smirk slip onto his face. Was this Mithos' subordinate's idea of security, a vent hidden by a rock? The smile fell rapidly as his angelic hearing picked up soft breathing from the vent and he stared at it before glancing over at the arshis who had, during Kratos' investigation, run around to the other side of the rock and was still sniffing and whining at it.
Noishe then began to nudge his head against the boulder and the giant rock shifted slightly under the war dog's strength. Kratos took a step back and watched with some amazement as the rock was pushed to the side. He walked around to stand in front of what was left of the air vent, the grating had been destroyed through weathering and age, a large hole was all that remained.
Noishe padded back a few steps to stand behind Kratos as he watched the vent astutely, his canine gaze not wavering. Kratos put a hand on the pommel of his sword as he waited with his long time friend. It was the least he could do to allow Noishe his curiosities, after keeping him enclosed within Welgaia for four millennia as his entire species died out.
He took a half a step back as a brown blur emerged from the dark hole of the vent and he hardly had time to react as the figure crashed into his chest. Kratos stumbled backwards a few steps as the small form collapsed against him and he felt his instincts act as he caught what he subconsciously recognized as a human from the ranch.
The captive struggled slightly against his hold before glancing up at him and Kratos felt surprise flit across his thoughts. It was a woman, her exsphere had been implanted in her chest rather than her hand and Kratos gave her a curious glance as she took a step back and fell down onto the dirt, a small cloud of dust rising from around her.
She stared up at him, her hazel eyes standing out green against her dirtied, bloody form and Kratos watched her silently, staring back down at her and she glanced behind her at the now empty shaft. Kratos felt the cold weight of guilt in his chest at the fear in her face. He had created and helped maintain this world; he had a duty to every living thing on this world.
He kneeled down holding a hand out to the human and she glanced at him suspiciously, her eyebrows slanting ever so slightly as she inspected him. Her expression relaxed and she grabbed onto his hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.
Kratos felt the nerves in his hand twitch at her touch. Human contact after so many years of isolation caused his instincts to jolt at the warmth and life her hand contained. Her hand was very small in his and worn from hard labor. He resisted the instinctive urge to analyze her further and he turned his gaze back in the direction of the ranch.
The alarms had increased in volume and Kratos' angelic hearing could easily pickup the wails from across the grounds as well as the distant shuffling of plate mail and weapons as battalions started to move from the Asgard Human Ranch.
"We should go." He spoke to her curtly and she blinked at him once before glancing over her shoulder quickly and she looked up at him again, her mouth parted in wonder.
"Thank you." Her voice cracked with emotion and Kratos felt an unfamiliar warmth in his chest as he let her go and led her quickly across the forest leaving Noishe to roll the stone back in place.
AN. It's been three and a half years since I've published something I've written, be gentle. I have several installments already written, aiming for one post a week if it's well-received =)