CHAPTER 7
(WARNING: sexual content and a rape scene in this chapter)
Kratos reached into his pocket, and pulled out Niseag's silver horn, twirling it a little in his fingers.
"What's that supposed to do?" asked Pele.
"Watch and see." said Kratos.
Kratos threw the horn into the water, watching as the lake began to bubble, and once the bubbling stopped, Niseag rose her head from the water.
Preparing herself, Pele stepped into a fighting stance, and her skin shone bright lava-red in surprise.
"Do not worry, she's not an enemy." said Kratos. "I control her, she's here to help."
Kratos let out a whistle, and Niseag sped from her position in the lake over to Kratos and Pele, sticking her head and some portion of her upper body onto the lake's bank. Kratos patted her muzzle, and she droned affectionately as he did so.
"Niseag, this is Pele, she is a friend." gestured Kratos, Niseag turning her face towards Pele. "We're going to need you to take us both to the other end of the lake's bank, we need to continue on our journey."
Understanding Kratos perfectly, Niseag dipped back into the water, and sprawled out with her back parallel to the lake's bank. Lifting her head up, she motioned for Kratos and Pele to both climb aboard her back.
"Well then, let's climb aboard." said Kratos. "Just hold onto one of the ridges on her back and the rest will be easy."
Pele started to board, hesitantly.
"Are you sure you can control this thing Kratos?" asked Pele.
Kratos stifled a chuckle.
"For the goddess of war, chaos, creation and destruction, I'd think you'd find the idea of climbing aboard a vicious monster to be right at home." said Kratos. "Come along!"
Once they both had climbed aboard Niseag's back, Kratos tapped his foot, pointing towards the other side of the lake.
"To the other side Niseag, quickly!" said Kratos.
Without any further instruction, Niseag took off like a jet in the water, her tail fanning the water underneath back and forth like a rudder, and traveling in a straight yet slightly serpentine pattern. Kratos held on, enjoying the breeze and splashing water, whereas Pele held on, yet seemed rather perturbed by the water splashing in her direction from Niseag's movements.
Within what seemed like less than a minute, Niseag had stopped at the other end of the shoreline, grabbing a mouthful of about 6 sheep from a flock that came there to drink, and straightened her body, her head resting on the shoreline. Kratos began to walk from his position down to her head, and plucked the silver horn from her as he left. Pele followed behind, clearly unhappy from the journey. As they disembarked from Niseag, Kratos patted her muzzle in praise.
"Very good girl." said Kratos, speaking in the tone that he had spoken to dogs and horses of war in his past. "Now run along, and if we need you, we will summon you."
Before leaving, Niseag licked them both with a mighty swipe of her forked tongue, and then disappeared below the water. Kratos chuckled at the lick, yet Pele didn't seem too happy.
"I could have gotten us across the lake just as easily with my abilities." said Pele disgustedly.
"Is that so?!" said Kratos in good humor. "Well your all-high chaos-ness, why don't you show us next time, or will that get us both plunged into chaos?"
"I guess you'll never know unless I show you." said Pele, shaking herself to get the ictho-reptilian tongue slime from her body.
Kratos laughed, and the duo walked away from the edge of the lake, further inland.
"The Eyes of Dalbeach point this way." said Kratos. "We would do best to follow. I wonder who I shall battle next."
"Hopefully nothing like your pet lizard we just encountered." replied Pele.
"You may be a goddess, but you are still a woman." chortled Kratos.
"Say that again, and I will take away my blessing, and plunge you into lava from my hottest volcano, over and over again, so you can feel the full burning experience of a Lua pele yourself!" snapped Pele.
"My greatest pardons then, o great goddess!" mocked Kratos, holding his hands above his shoulders.
The 2 traveled upon their journey, and as Kratos kept his company with Pele, flashbacks of his previous life, before he became the Ghost of Sparta, began to manifest in his memory.
"I don't care how famous you will be one day!" laughed a young girl. "I won't be your wife or lover, ever!"
"I will make you mine Lysandra!" said a determined, pre-teen Kratos.
"Try it, and I will spill your brains across the ground with this stick." said Lysandra, picking up a thick stick.
"My greatest pardons then, o fierce Lysandra." said Kratos in response, holding his hands up. "Your fierce gymnastics make me tremble in fear! Yet, have already you forgotten our past together?"
"If 'our past' includes burning my hair, and cheating at races by tripping me, then yes, I haven't forgotten." replied young Lysandra.
"Is my son harassing you yet again?" asked Callisto, Kratos' mother, amusedly observing the banter between the 2.
"Of course my lady!" said Lysdandra. "Yet I've already told him, my heart is already promised to Pythis!"
"As I'm sure young Kratos respects that promise." said the voice of Isagoras, Kratos' stepfather, laying a hand on Callisto's shoulder. "No doubt he respects the wishes of his dear brother Pythis, isn't that right Kratos?"
Isagoras was a prominent Syntagmatarchis among the Spartan Army, having served in that role well for the Achaens prior to Sparta. In a battle between Sparta and Achaea, Isagoras was spared, having giving over his resources and his intelligence, and thanks to the endorsement of the Ephors, he was allowed to integrate into Spartan society, allowed to keep what wealth and station he had from Achaea, and granted full equivalency into the Spartan ranks, much to the objection of the King of Sparta. Once Isagoras arrived, he proved his fighting prowess by defeating several Spartan champions in a contest, earning the reluctant approval of King Cleomenes I. Despite the wearing of his skin, the age that shown in his gray goatee, and what was left of his hair on the sides of his bald head, Isagoras was a towering, muscular figure.
Isagoras gave Kratos a stare which stated "Disagreement with me means death!", and Kratos gave scowl back in return, before his reply. Thought it was highly irregular for a non-Spartan to ascend to such a high post in the Spartan military, Isagoras' fighting won him his place in Spartan society, which earned him just as many enemies as allies. To secure his safety, he set his eyes upon Callisto, widow of the mighty Thirio of Sparta, and wed her, providing her with his fortune and station he'd brought from Achaea. Yet along with all of this, he brought his son, Pythis, whom Kratos and Deimos were always finding themselves at odds with.
"He's just a stepbrother!" replied Kratos. "I owe him nothing!"
Isagoras began to step towards Kratos, clear anger upon his face, yet Callisto gently put her hand on his chest, intent on stopping him.
"Do not pay him any attention Isagoras." said Callisto. "He's merely an 11-year old paide, not at all serious about facing you."
"Let him come mother!" said Kratos. "He is not even a real Spartan!"
Callisto motioned to silence Kratos, but Isagoras chuckled, waving a dismissive hand in front of her to let her know he was not worried, and neither should she be.
"I do not spar with boys, Kratos." said Isagoras. "I'm a warrior of Greece, and have earned my place as a Spartan, and therefore only fight true warriors. Perhaps one day you too will earn your place as a Spartan, perhaps sometime after Pythis. As for Lysandra, your claim to her matters not, for Pythis is clearly the better man for young Lysandra one day soon."
"In that case, he should have no problem proving it against Kratos." said another voice, who approached behind Isagoras.
"Greetings Kolovotis!" said Isagoras, sounding almost startled. "I didn't expect your presence."
"Well, it is here." said Kolovotis.
Kolovotis was the legendary maternal grandfather of Kratos. Having served under King Anaxandridas II as a mere soldier in the Spartan Army, and rising to the rank of Taxiarchos, Kolovits carved out his reputation in victory and blood, known throughout all of Sparta for his wise reputation as a master tactician, and also for his brutality. Where his left hand would have been, there was a jagged blade, jammed into his body after having lost a hand during a victory from a skirmish with Athens. In a long and brutal conflict between Argos and Sparta, Kolovotis turned the tide of the conflict by single-handedly butchering over a quarter of its citizens, causing Argos to surrender, and Argos never dared rise against Sparta ever again. When the mighty Thirio had perished in battle, Kolovotis dedicated himself to filling the role of father for both young Kratos and Deimos, seeing to it that both boys grew up as proper Spartans. Eventually, Kolovotis' daughter wed the Achaean Isagoras, yet despite this union, Kolovotis never ceased to play a role in the upbringing of his grandsons Kratos and Deimos, and despised both Isagoras and his son Pythis.
Isagoras greeted Kolovotis with a bow of respect, and Kolovotis nodded in agreement.
"You earned your place as Syntagmatarchis in the Kingdom of Sparta by a blessing from the Ephors, which allowed you to transfer your title of Syntagmatarchis from Achaea to Sparta." said Kolovotis. "An honor not easily given, being you were never a born and blood-earned Spartan. The King also granted Pythis a place in the Agoge, among the paide, as an investment in the Army of Sparta."
Kolovotis withdrew his gladius from its scabbard, and thrust it downward, the blade impaling the earth.
"It is time to see the fruits of this new investment, pitted against a trusted and hand-reared investment." said Kolovotis. "Kratos and Pythis must battle, and the winner shall have Lysandra. Do you object Isagoras?"
Kratos stood up, battle ready and determined to spill all of Pythis' blood he could for the hand of Lysandra.
Isagoras did not let his worry nor wounded pride show, but remained stoic and steadfast in his appearance.
"Of course not." said Isagoras. "I look forward to the spectacle. Pythis, up!"
Pythis rose slowly, all the while Kratos not taking any eye contact off of him, except once, turning to Lysandra.
"Do you wish to be free?" asked Kratos. "Will you have me if I free you?"
"Yes." said Lysandra, without hesitation or lack of conviction in her voice.
"It certainly is getting much more rockier the further down we go." said Pele. "I feel this was once a volcanic valley, I am pleased."
Pele was right, for as the duo continued along their journey, the Scottish Lowlands welcomed them. On and on they traveled, through the rocky, grassy, often wind-blasted landscape, and though the journey was downhill, it seemed to stretch on, and the Eyes of Dalbeach glowed brighter the closer they got.
Eventually, they came to a rocky valley, some of the rocks with symbols and swirls carved upon them, and some stones piled in cairns. It was in the instant that they entered the valley, that the Eyes of Dalbeach surged in brightness, and the storm clouds that announced his impending foe appeared, as Pele was whisked away.
Before Kratos could see the foe that faced him, large stones embedded with symbols flew from the earth and crashed into him, knocking him backward, taking him by surprise. Gathering himself back up, Kratos saw his foe standing in front of him, looking down at him with a smug smile.
This warrior looked similar to Cruuach, but was clearly a woman, and more petite in appearance. She had a mop of wild, curly red hair atop her head, the right side of her body painted in blue, and the right side of her body painted in white. She wore stone shin plates and a breastplate as armor, the rest of her clothing made of deer hide. Her pupil-less eyes glowed a deep yellow as she sized up Kratos.
"Ach, ye canno' be th' one who brought down the mighty Cruuach!" laughed the woman in a Scottish accent. "I've seen mere pups put up a better defense'n that!"
"Clearly you don't fight with honor, foreign Amazon!" said Kratos, standing up to face this new fighter. "I will vanquish you with the might and discipline of Sparta!"
"Well'en, ye best come put me down then!" said the woman. "For I am Scathach, Mother of Stones, goddess of warrior Scots, and trainer of mighty heroes! Ye won't be the fearst foreigner I've smashed te rubble on th' valley floor of Glen Coe here!"
"With little effort!" said Kratos, brandishing the Nemean Cestus.
Taking a defensive tactic this time, Kratos let her make the first move, which he fully expected. Scathach levitated a large cairn, and sent the rocks flying in his direction. With a powerful flurry of punches, Kratos reduced the stones to dust, which flittered to the ground.
Scathach exhaled deeply, then inhaled, and as she did, the stone dust began to come towards her. She held her right hand in a position as if she were holding a cane, and with her left hand, she motioned over her right over and over again, curling her fingers. As she did this, the dust began to take a material form, and when she was finished, she had a two-handed bow staff in her hands, made completely of stone.
"Be quick now lad!" said Scathach.
Kratos lunged at her with a powerful forward punch from the Nemean Cestus, but failed to connect, and she countered by zooming towards him with lightning speed, knocking him off both his feet with her staff, then twirling the bow to crack him on one side of the face, then the other, driving the staff into his gut as he fell backwards. Kratos attempted to swipe a backhanded swipe with the Nemean Cestus once his back hit the ground, in hopes of shattering her staff, but she was too quick, and backflipped out of danger, countering with a smack across the top of Kratos' head, and a jab to his throat.
Kratos gagged and coughed as the staff's jab temporarily deprived him of air. This goddess was relentless, and Kratos knew he had to think of something to get him the upper hand, quickly.
Anticipating that Scathach would anticipate a counterstrike from Kratos, Kratos feigned a forward swipe with the cestus from his right hand, which she dodged, but then flanked her right side with a swipe from his left hand, as the cestus wrapped around her leg. Thrashing his left arm, Kratos swung her and then threw her into the trunk of a large tree, getting to his feet and then following up with a Hermes Rush so powerful that Kratos slammed Scathach straight through the tree. Scathach managed to trip Kratos forward on her way down with her right leg however, and used her left knee to pitch him forward and over her head. Kratos rolled to the side, drawing the Blades of Chaos to face her again. Scathach stood, her stone staff at the ready, waiting for Kratos to make the next move.
"Ye have supearb fightin skills, I'll give that to ye!" said Scathach, circling Kratos who circled her in return. "Mayhap 'fore I destroy ye, I'll mount ye t' make a pure warrior child, yer last duty in submission t' Scathach!"
"Kratos is mounted by no one!" remarked Kratos. "For it is KRATOS who does the mounting!"
"We shall see!" laughed Scathach.
Striking each side of the ground with her staff, Scathach summoned 2 large boulders, each coming in front and from behind Kratos, to barrel in his direction. Seeing the first boulder, Kratos dodged to the side, causing the boulders to crash into each other in a blast of splintered stone. Thinking quickly, Scathach summoned the broken stones to fly in Kratos' direction before hitting the ground, piercing his skin as shrapnel, but doing little damage. In response, Kratos clashed his blades down into the ground in a mighty Poseidon Tremble move, sending a powerful ice wave sweeping over Scathach, freezing her in place, and followed immediately with a powerful Cyclone of Chaos, thawing her yet ensuring every single strike from his blade counted, slashing her skin and causing her to howl in pain.
Flipping backwards, Scathach landed on her feet, and rushed towards Kratos, stone staff pointed forward as if she were about to joust. In a quick switch, Kratos summoned the Spear of Hermes, and just as her staff was about to come within striking distance of Kratos, Kratos parried with his spear, using the momentum to toss her to the side. Kratos approached her, spear pointed and ready for battle, as Scathach circled Kratos once again with her staff.
"Let us see who is the master of the staff, shall we?" said Kratos with a grin.
"Aye, we shall lad!" growled Scathach.
Feigning a forward thrust, Scathach did a 180 degree spinning attack in Kratos' direction, knocking him in the stomach but Kratos still managed to recover quickly and grip his spear, clashing against her staff. The 2 warriors clashed blow after blow, Kratos' spear always trying to crash through Scathach's stone staff, and Scathach's staff always trying to smash the blade of Kratos' spear.
Scathach attempted another vicious speed attack as she did in the beginning, but Kratos was ready, and quickly deflected her attack back on her using the Golden Fleece, knocking her backward from her own recoil. Kratos leapt forward, driving his the spear downward, aiming for Scathach's heart, but Scathach rolled out of the way in time, Kratos' spear merely piercing the soil. Once back up, Scathach swung her staff towards Kratos' head with full force, which Kratos was able to duck, and knocked her off her feet with the back end of the spear, causing her to fall backward to the ground. Using the Wings of Icarus, Kratos sailed with a burst into the air, and slammed his heels into Scathach's abdomen, knocking the wind out of her. Scathach swung her staff towards Kratos' side, which he caught with his free hand, but then surprised him with an ear-piercing shriek.
As she did this, every stone from the surrounding crags, in the ground, and visible above the soil, flew straight forward towards Kratos with unstoppable force, causing him to fly backwards, and all the stones to pile atop him in nothing short of an avalanche.
Scathach stood up, and waited for the dust to settle, before walking over to the pile of rocks. From the edge of the pile, she could see a muscular, yet limp, arm, lying still beneath the rubble. Kicking Kratos' hand, Scathach looked down, laughing at her work.
"It appears the Stones o' Scotland have come t' mark yer grave lad!" said Scathach. "Y'ere a handsome one, but clearly no' worthy o' being a foe, much less lover!"
Scathach walked away gloating, but did not walk very far, for she heard a great rumble from beneath the stones, and from the very bottom, Kratos arose in a blast, fragments of rocks flying in every direction, and he swung the Blades of Chaos, slicing straight across Scathach's forehead. As she fell backward, Kratos switched to the Nemean Cestus, and delivered a powerful Nemean Roar, sending a shockwave throughout Scathach's body, as well as the full force of the cestus slamming into her ribcage.
"YOU are not worthy of Kratos!" roared Kratos.
Wobbling to her feet, Scathach could barely gain her composure when Kratos flew at her with a flurry of strikes, still brandishing the Nemean Cestus. His fists flew with merciless fury, striking her in the face, her jaw, the ribs, the abdomen, and she could barely put up her hands to defend herself. With a mighty strike to the face, Kratos delivered a forward jab, knocking Scathach to the ground.
"You mount me?! Ha!" laughed Kratos. "Forget what you've had of your 'Scot-tish' men, you will feel the libido of a TRUE warrior before I destroy you! Consider yourself honored!"
Scatach scurried to escape, but Kratos pinned her hands to the ground as she was getting up, her knees to the ground as well. Scatach resisted, trying to run forward, but Kratos swung his Blades of Chaos, the chains binding her in place. Kratos tore off the bottom of her tunic, and penetrated from behind, thrusting his erect manhood into her vagina, roughly and without mercy. Kratos growled and groaned as he continued to thrust himself inside her, her moans a mix of both pleasure, pain, and rage; clearly, Scathach had never experienced any man, mortal or divine, like Kratos before. Feeling both disgraced and pleasured, Scathach eventually gave over to the mix of pleasure and pain, realizing she was no match to fight it.
Just as Kratos was about to climax, Kratos withdrew his cock from her crevice, and thrust it with full force into her anus. Scathach moaned in pain, and Kratos pumped several times, eventually releasing his seed into her posterior. Once the deed was done, Kratos released his bindings from her, and allowed her to gather to her feet.
"As you see, I am the one who dominates you!" said Kratos. "But you will bear no child of Sparta! You will never even be close to worthy, Scottish wench!"
At the moment Kratos finished his sentence, the same eerie voice that he first heard when finished off Athena.
"KRATOOOOSSSSS!" the eerie voice cried out. "IS SHE TRULY WORTHYYYYYY?! TRULY UNWORTHYYY?! WAS LYSANDRAAAAA?! WAS I?! YOU FORGET ME, BUT I AM THE ONE TRULY WORTHY!"
Kratos was caught off guard by the voice, originally thinking it was a trick of Athena's, but now seeing it was something more. What was the meaning of this?
With a howl of rage and fury, Scatach leapt towards Kratos, her staff swinging wildly, catching Kratos off guard, and causing him several lashes to the face and upper body.
Giving Kratos time to recover, Scathach pulled something from her abdomen, and shown a glistening, diamond-like gem within her hand.
"Ye want tha power of th' stones?!" growled Scathach hoarsely. "Come and get it, if ye've th. stones!"
"Oh, I've more than the stones!" said Kratos with a chuckle.
Throwing his arm in the air, Kratos summoned the Head of Euryale, and put the head in full view of Scathach's line of site. Freezing momentarily, Scatach turned to stone, then jumped forward, leaving a stone clone of herself behind.
"Fool!" said Scathach, knocking Kratos backward with her staff. "I'm the Mother of Stones, none shall harm me!"
"So you think!" said Kratos.
As Kratos fell backwards, he grabbed Scathach by the throat, and slammed her into the ground. Her hands flew up in the air, and Kratos grabbed the gem she possessed, grasping it in his palm and throwing into his inventory, then allowing Scathach to get up.
"Farewell, Mother of Stones!" said Kratos triumphantly. "Long Live the Father of Stones!"
From beneath the earth, pointed stones flew up from the ground, and Scathach dodged them by backflipping, only to be impaled in the back by more stones rising from the grounds. Raising his hands, Kratos brought down massive stalactites from the skies, driving into Scathach's body, reducing her to nothing more than a pile of shredded flesh and bone.
As expected from previous battles, Gatherer appeared picking up what remained of Kratos' foe, and Kratos collected his allotted orbs from this victory.
Withdrawing the Eyes of Dalbeach, Kratos held them in his hand, and saw them spinning around uncontrollably.
"What is the meaning of this?!" said Kratos.
Before him, a path flamed with indigo flames, and Kratos felt compelled to follow the path.
After what seemed like miles, Kratos finally reached the end of the path, which appeared to be nothing but blackness. Before him, a flash of fire materialized, and a figure that Kratos had only seen once before, appeared to him once again.
"Papa Legba!" said Kratos.
"Oui!" replied Papa Legba. "We meet again mon! An' now, you be faced wit another choice Kratos! Yon pwen oswa Dezyèm
pwen ?! "
Papa Legba struck his staff into the ground, and 2 paths of raging, firelike mist appeared before him and Kratos. Kratos examined the situation, trying to determine as best he could which path to take.
"As I tell you before, mon ami!" said Papa Legba. "Any path ya choose be open, and da choice shape your path, but only you control you destiny mon! Choose, and you ride da mist to ya destination; you have 2 choices: forward, or de right hand pat'. So tell me Gè de Bondye, what it gonna be?!"
Kratos pondered his choice yet again, and came to the conclusion that the more unknown path would likely bring him to the desired endgame.
"The right hand path." stated Kratos.
"Se konsa se pou li!" said Papa Legba, as he struck his staff into the ground, the mist disappearing from going forward and wrapping itself around Kratos. "De right hand pat' it is!"
Kratos's eyes flashed a fiery green for a moment, then felt an immediate sensation that felt like running and falling very quickly at the same time. After a few seconds of this feeling, Kratos found himself sitting to Pele, their feet dangling in the water, and they appeared on the edge of the island. Papa Legba stood in front of both of them, and placed something in Kratos' hand.
"Keep dis egg handy, and when you finish 'ere, you smash dat egg and it take ya to ya next destination." instructed Papa Legba.
Kratos threw the egg into his inventory, then turned back to face Papa Legba.
"Where exactly are we?" asked Kratos.
"Isle la nan Nonme." Said Papa Legba. "De Isle of Man, off de coast of Scotland; de center of da island is where ya next foe be. Now, I be leaving you, aur revoir!"
Papa Legba disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Kratos and Pele stood up, looking at their surroundings.
"Who was that?" asked Pele. "A friend of yours?"
"I'm not sure yet." said Kratos. "But there's no sense in speculating. Time to venture into this, Island of Man."
(Check out character artwork from this book at under RealPMP's folder "God of War – Eternal Claim")
