It was a beautiful evening. The world was painted with the silvery sourceless illumination of twilight. The last ribbons of orange and yellow had faded from the horizon only a few minutes earlier. Kratos walked down the main thoroughfare of Havverfjord towards the inn, Lydia by his side as she so often was. There were many people still out and about in the town, seeing to their errands or simply hurrying home now that the sun was down. All of the townsfolk bobbed their heads and let out various respectful murmurs when he passed. They knew better by now than to make any large fuss, as it was something that he had shown on numerous occasions he had absolutely no patience for. Kratos still found the entire experience to be strange and at times unsettling. To this point he had found that he more often inspired terror and revulsion than anything else, his presence interpreted as little more than a bloody omen of black times on the horizon. Then came his time of self-imposed exile when he had withdrawn from the world, retreating from all contact. For all of that, though he would not admit it, his new life was… pleasant. He had a people that needed him, a responsibility and the power to fulfill it. He merely hoped that this time he would prove sufficiently wise as well as sufficiently powerful.
Lydia's voice shook him out of his tangled ruminations, "Septim for your thoughts my thane?" He glanced to his right and took in her cocked brow and the slight smile gently tugging at the corners of her lips. Here indeed he was fortunate as well. Lydia had been essentially, foisted upon him by some cultural quirk that he had known nothing about and yet she had grown to be his closest companion. He looked away momentarily looking out across the town. Kratos gently nodded in response to another passing couple who had given him a deferential head bob and saw their faces light up as they went on their way. Their regard had little meaning. Lydia's did. She knew him for who he was. A bloody god of ill-repute. A kin slayer. And knowing this, still she honored him.
Kratos glanced over at her expectant face, clearly still waiting for his answer. He let out a sharp exhale through his nose, "I find their regard for me strange. They do not know me." The smile that had been pulling at the edges of Lydia's mouth now pulled harder and she let out a soft chuckle.
"Kratos, for all that you are and can do, at times you are blind to very simple things. They do know you. Or at least they know enough." She gestured broadly, "All these people know that you levy no tax for yourself, only to support the soldiers. They have seen you work with your own hands on the longhouse or on the roads for your planned city." Her voice dropped somewhat, "They have heard rumors at least of what you did for Jens and Sylvie. They have heard rumors that you knew, even before she told you, that something was wrong and that you would not allow anything to happen to your people." She turned to him slightly as they continued their walk and gave him an exaggerated shrug, "The real question is, how could they not?" In reply Kratos merely let out a low rumble, prompting another chuckle from Lydia.
They slipped into an easy and companionable quiet as they approached The Red Fox. The wooden steps leading up to the door let out a strained creaking as Kratos' weight fell on them. They entered to find the common room pleasantly full but not overly crowded and made their way to a table away from the more crowded area next to the bar, Kratos' preference of having his own space being well known. No sooner had they sat down than the inkeep bustled up himself holding a bottle and two tankards.
"Thane Kratos, I heard from Hulda at the Bannered Mare in Whiterun that this is your preferred wine. I wanted to let you know that I've placed the appropriate orders to have some on hand." He immediately set down the two tankards, the one full of mead before Lydia and the empty one in front of Kratos.
Kratos spoke as the man poured the wine, "Thank you. That is kind."
"Of course!" The man beamed back. "And besides, I'd be a poor host if I didn't have my thane's drink of choice." He set the bottle on the table and stepped back, "Please let me or one of the girls know in case you need anything else. Always happy to help." With a final smile and nod he bustled off to go see to the busy crowd which was only growing as more and more people trickled in.
Lydia looked at Kratos across the table and raised her mug with a grin, "To a day's work and having your drink of choice." Her smile broadened as his only reply was a low gravelly noise, but he still raised his tankard and gently tapped it against hers. He sat back and drank deeply, letting out a pleased breath.
After a minute or two of nursing their drinks Kratos broke the silence, "It has been some time. What do you make of the new men?"
"Lars and his boys?" Kratos made an affirmative rumble. Lydia took another slow sip thinking over their performance to date. This was a positive thing about Kratos. He did not demand immediate answers when there was no need for urgency, he was content to wait the necessary time for a thought out response. "They are good soldiers. Loyal. They have never balked at any command and have taken to the life with an almost religious fervor." Her gaze searched Kratos' impassive face for any reaction to that. "I believe they know, my thane. About you. And I have never heard them mention the Divines once. At least not relating to their personal beliefs."
Kratos was silent for a time. One broad finger slowly and soundlessly tapping the table. "Is this something that requires dealing with?"
Lydia's eyes narrowed, "In my opinion?"
His amber eyes caught hers. "In your opinion."
She immediately shook her head softly, "No, my thane. I understand your reticence… but I do not believe they would ever willingly betray you. Or ask you to be other than you are." She blew out a gusty breath, "The truth of the matter is that, if anything, they are loyal to a fault. I think Lars primary weakness is that he is too prone to following orders. I worry about him in a role that requires too much decision making in the field. He may be too committed to the original orders rather than applying his judgment to the situation on the ground and adapting."
Kratos let out a pleased and somewhat surprised grunt. "Good." He paused, "Insightful"
Lydia gave him a pleased smile, "We will see. I will continue to keep an eye on them and let you know if anything changes." She drained the rest of her mug and sat staring into the bottom of it for a minute, idly swirling the residue. They common room had grown even more crowded and now was bustling with activity. "Well," she said, standing, "I believe I could use another. You?" She nodded as Kratos merely gestured vaguely. Lydia set off towards the bar, weaving between various groups in the crowded room. She reached the bar and leaned against it. Seeing that the innkeep was quite busy she settled in for a wait. No need to add to the man's stress.
A smooth voice spoke out behind her, "Excuse me." Lydia turned to see a tall breton man. He was handsome enough, with warm eyes that had a wicked glint to them. The kind of wicked that had gotten more than a few women in trouble Lydia was sure. "I don't usually do this sort of thing, but you are the most beautiful woman in here by far and I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least try to strike up a conversation." Lydia let out a surprised chuckle at his boldness. "See?" He said with a boyish grin, "I've already given you a laugh. I'm an excellent conversationalist."
Lydia cocked a brow at him but couldn't help a small smile on her face. It was somewhat nice to be treated as a woman despite his obvious intentions. No one in town saw her like that given her station, so he must be a stranger. "Well you're certainly something, I'll give you that."
He made an exaggerated pained expression, "Lady you wound me! At least let me know the name of the woman who has abused me so."
Lydia was struggling to stop her smile from growing, "Lydia."
He bowed with a purposefully humorous flourish, "And I am Sam. It is lovely to meet you Lydia." Lydia's looked over to check the innkeep's progress, still working his way along. Sam's voice brought her back, "You know I would love to get to know you better, but I think that at the very least I need to buy you a drink to thank you for putting up with me so far."
Lydia let out a laugh and gave him a shrug, "Why not?" There were worse things than having some fellow flirt with her and call her pretty. She glanced across the room to Kratos. It's not as if he would mind her dallying for a few minutes.
Sam smiled broadly at her, "You won't regret it. I promise you that." It was at that moment that the innkeeper made it over to them. "What timing! Another for the both of us." Sam paid for the drinks and turned to hand one of the tankards to Lydia. When she had it in hand, Sam raised his tankard with a grin "To a night to remember." Lydia raised her brows a bit at that, but despite the toast raised her own mug in a salute and drank. Her brows shot up, she was surprised at how good the mead was.
She took another drink before replying, "So, Sam, what brings you to Havverfjord?"
He chuckled, "Business. I'm a merchant by trade, not that I'm a particularly good one, I'll admit. I rather seem to be better at finding a bit of fun and maybe a bit of trouble wherever I end up rather than finding a deal." They continued on chatting and drinking for a few minutes and no one, not even Lydia, noticed when Sam seemed to pull more full tankards out of nowhere for them to continue drinking once they had run dry.
Sanguine was having a lovely time. He had been so dreadfully bored of late. He may as well have been keeping company with Akatosh, that absolute wet blanket Juliannos, or even his bore of a brother Malacath. So gloomy that one. So, of course, he had put on this handy little skin and nom-de plume to go wandering about Mundus as Sam Guevenne. That always made him happy. Sam Guevenne. He really could be quite clever sometimes.
In any case, after a few less entertaining starts he had arrived here at The Red Fox and this was shaping up to be a lovely time. He eyed the woman across from him. She was interesting. He could feel something hanging about her, it was the same essence that hung over this whole town. It was subtle, only something that he had consciously recognized after arriving. There was almost certainly some form of daedric cult here but he couldn't tell quite whose it was. It didn't have the flavor of any of his more notable siblings. It didn't matter to him really. This woman though was clearly special in some way. So of course he had to play his own prank on whatever petty lesser-known daedric lordling had set up shop here and take their favoured mortal out for some fun.
Sanguine smiled as Lydia drained her tankard, "Here, let's us two go outside and get some fresh air." Lydia just bobbed her head agreeably, eyes glazed. Sam smiled broadly and taking her by the elbow led her towards the door. Oh what a fun night this was shaping up to be! But what to go with? A marriage? Certainly. And there must be a dash of some petty crime across multiple holds. Oh! Embarrassing antics. A must. Sanguine let out a gusty sigh as they stepped out into the night air. Oh, what night to remember!
Kratos at the table lost in thought, one finger slowly tapping against his tankard as he turned things over in his mind. So more people knew or at least believed, and that was perhaps even more insidious. However no matter how he examined it he could see no recourse. He would certainly not kill them, nor would he cast them out or spend their lives needlessly. They were his soldiers now and as such his duty to them as their leader was clear and unfailing. He grit his teeth in frustration. No conversation would help this either. Whatever was said would simply be spun to feed their growing faith and proto-religion. Kratos sat back and rubbed at his beard in growing frustration. There was no action he could take that would not be a betrayal of himself, of his duty. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that he could do nothing. The situation however could not be ignored. He would have Lydia keep a close eye on the situation.
Kratos' amber eyes refocused on the world before him as he shook himself out of his gloomy ruminations. He stiffened abruptly as he became aware of a presence. It had been hidden before but he could feel it now and recognize that it had been nearby - very close - but simply too subtle to pinpoint. He stood quickly and surveyed the common room, eyes roaming. He was just in time to see the inn door closing behind Lydia.
He set off immediately parting the crowd before him like water off the prow of a ship as they scattered from his path. His abrupt change in demeanor caught the attention of others in the Red Fox. Several of his soldiers who were there on their own time exchanged glances and then broke into a mad scramble to follow after him, struggling much more with the crowd.
Kratos burst out of the inn and turned his gaze flying directly and unerringly to Lydia. She and another figure were across the street in an alleyway standing before a doorway of twisting blue light that somehow gave no illumination. They were just stepping through the portal when Kratos saw them. The other figure, a man, turned and looked back at Kratos, his eyes flashing a startling red and his teeth shining far too brightly in the swiftly failing light. Kratos did not hesitate as the strange portal closed but exploded forward nearly faster than the eye could track, the boards of the inn's porch shattered as they failed under the strain.
Sanguine stepped through the portal still smiling. Honestly, he couldn't have planned it better. That being, whoever or whatever he was, was clearly the one that controlled that place, and Sanguine had had the perfect opportunity to proverbially thumb his nose at him. The portal snapped closed with a crack and a hiss behind Sanguine leaving him and his quarry in lovely grove perfectly outfitted or a party with tables full of food and drink and hanging lights all around. A momentary frown crossed his face. It was very strange though that this being had appeared itself, in a body. That was not something of minor daedra. In fact even of the major daedric princes Sanguine was one of the few who actually chose to, or could, walk Nirn in flesh. How very curious. He had to admit that he was now rather intrigued, which added an additional delightful spice to the night.
Sanguine cast a parting bemused look over his shoulder back towards where the portal had once stood and - What in oblivion?! He froze and turned back fully, staring intently at something floating where the portal had been. Are those fingers? Sanguine's jaw slowly dropped in shock as he felt the fabric of this particular one of his myriad realms being pulled asunder as two hands, through brute force, began to tear back open the portal he had come through. He was brought forcefully back to the moment when he saw through the widening gap a snarling bearded face and a pair of blazing rage-filled amber eyes.
Sanguine's own brows snapped down. Now this simply wouldn't do at all for him. This sort of audacity in the face of a daedric prince was untenable. With a hiss he gathered the raw entropic power of oblivion, formed it into an eldritch bolt, and hurled it through the widening gap.
Kratos saw the incoming blast but ignored it, instead focusing on prying back open the portal. The dark crackling energy slammed into him, tearing him from the tear in space and sending him hurtling back into the street behind him. When he landed, he rolled in a backwards somersault, coming up in a crouch. However the portal had already snapped closed and this time he had not been there to catch it. Kratos let out an enraged shout through clenched teeth and punched the ground.
"Thane!" he turned and looked up the street to see Aranea sprinting towards him. As she neared him she slowed and took in the scene. Aranea let out a string of dunmeri words that were clearly profanity. "I was too late! I thought I saw something coming and came as quickly as I could but…" She hesitated as Kratos stood and immediately began pacing, every muscle taut and corded.
Kratos voice was dark and low, "It has Lydia. Where did it go?" It was more of a statement than a question and seemed almost a threat. Aranea closed her eyes, extending her senses and drifted over to the spot where the portal once was. She slowly extended a hand towards it, sensing the ripples in aetherius and oblivion that converged here.
She turned back to Kratos, "This was Sanguine. I saw his coming but too late to provide warning. This portal must lead back to his plane of oblivion, a diverse place called the Myriad Realms. It is a thousand, thousand worlds, each tiny realm its own place of hedonistic revelry."
"Who is Sanguine?" Kratos managed to bite out into the air.
Aranea tucked her hair behind an ear, "He is the daedric prince of debauchery, revelry and darker passions." Kratos snarled at the description. Whatever this being had planned would not be good. Aranea continued, "I will examine this site and commune with Azura. Perhaps we can track Lydia." Kratos only nodded and continued pacing, growing ever more agitated. He could feel an old familiar black rage building inside him, his lips naturally drew back from his teeth in a silent snarl. He could always feel Lydia, like an extension of himself, something that became more pronounced in battle. He sought for that connection, pulling at it, trying to locate her.
Sanguine stood in the misty grove staring at the spot where the portal had once stood, one hand still extended and smoking. He did not think that his bolt had killed the being. In fact if its face was anything to go by, Sanguine had just made it angry. This was, in fact, turning out to be a very strange night. He had intended for it to be a night to remember, but now was having a seed of doubt that perhaps the night might be memorable for different reasons than he had originally intended. He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed at his forehead. He should really get more information. That meant talking to his siblings. Horrendous. Not what he was hoping for tonight.
He turned and looked out at the gathered revelers in the grove who had quieted somewhat and focused their attention on him, "Well you all just continue to have a good time. I'll join you in a moment." They let out a cheer and went straight back to the food and drink, laughing and singing. Sanguine gave Lydia push in that direction and then set off into the mists surrounding the grove. He paused where the mist truly deepened and turned to look at a dremora hidden in the foggy woods surrounding the grove, "Keep an eye on everyone. Especially our special guest. I will return shortly."
The dremora responded in a dry, harsh voice, "As you will it, lord." Sanguine nodded perfunctorily and set off, stepping through the twists of oblivion to his own private sanctum in the center of the Myriad Realms. The dremora merely turned back to face the revelers, sinking again into the fog and darkness between the eternal trees surrounding the grove. It watched as the revelry continued in the glade. It was not concerned. Time flowed more quickly in the Myriad Realms, all the better to be gone an hour and revel for four. No pursuit would come quickly and how would they even arrive if Lord Sanguine did not allow them? It smiled a silent and cruel smile. Besides, a fair number of those revelers in the grove were actually dremora wearing human or merish guises.
Lydia couldn't seem to focus on anything very well. She was caught in a fog and everything was somewhat hazy. That didn't bother her though, she was having a lovely time after all. She really could not say how long she had been at the party either, which was strange, but again, didn't really matter. She was laughing and reaching for another drink when she felt something odd. It was almost like feeling light of the sun warm her back. The feeling grew stronger and seemed to clear her head, just like the rising sun burning away a morning's mist. She sat abruptly, feeling very strange. Lydia shook her head trying to clear it to no avail. She strained towards that warming feeling, reaching towards it…
A man leaned down and placed a mug in her hands, "Here now, this will help whatever ails you! Trust me. You just need another drink!" Lydia hesitated, growing more aware as the moments ticked by that she certainly did not need more of whatever was in that tankard. The man's eyes narrowed and he pressed the tankard against her lips, "Drink!"
Lydia reached desperately for that sun behind her… and with a sudden clarity, found it. It was not a sun. It was, however, an inferno, a blazing and all consuming reckless anger held together and directed by iron control. Lydia touched it and its strength rushed through her, searing the fog of daedric magic from her mind and leaving her clear and filled with a rage she had never felt before.
Lydia knocked the tankard to the ground and rocketed to her feet, one leg continuing to rise as she leapt off of the stool she had been resting on. Her knee came up like a piston, slamming into the man's midriff. The air burst from his lungs as he doubled over; Lydia helped his descent, siezing him by the hair and slamming his face into the trestle table once, and then again for good measure. Each resounding impact was punctuated by an enraged scream that tore from her throat.
Sensing more than consciously recognizing the approach of another, Lydia snatched a candle stick and spun. With a dull thunk another man went down, bleeding heavily from the temple. The crowd generally was clearing a space around her, the revelers all letting out shouts and cheering on the brawlers. The dremora in the crowd were working their through the commotion towards Lydia. The next man approaching found a candlestick, now adorned with blood and hair, spinning towards his face. He raised his arms to protect his face, taking his eye off Lydia in the process and as a result was wholly unprepared for the tackle that took him to the ground. He let out a grunt as he hit the ground, flailing at her. Lydia slammed his head up, the heel of her hand under his chin and with sharp staccato motions drove her stolen fork into his throat.
Lydia leapt back to her feet, spattered with nigh black arterial spray, hands dripping, the fury sustaining and driving her. Fight. Kill. Escape. She dragged her free hand down her face, over one eye, painting a streak of blood down her visage. She saw more men rushing at her down the line between the long trestle tables in the grove. Lydia shouted her defiance leapt up on to the table next to her and down the other side, shoving other party goers out of the way. They jostled in to each other and, with the now frantic energy of the gathering, an altercation began, and the brawl began to spread like wildfire amongst the manic revelers.
Kratos felt the instant he 'reached' Lydia, though that was entirely too physical a word, implying distance and contact, for what seemed to have occurred. His blazing eyes snapped to where the portal once stood and he stopped his pacing if only for a moment. Aranea was examining the site, casting spells and attempting in her own arcane way to ascertain the destination of the portal and how to track it. Kratos' voice jolted her out of her muttered examination, "Move!" Aranea leapt back out of the way as Kratos stalked forward.
He hesitated briefly, considering what he was attempting to do, but remembered his experience with magicka earlier. It was not the process. It was will and strength. With a shout Kratos' hands shot forward, seizing upon nothing, but his muscles bulged and strained as if moving a titanic load. He snarled through gritted teeth as slowly his hands drew apart, rending the fabric of oblivion, the shimmering realm between realms visible in the gap. In a final burst of effort Kratos tore the rift wide enough for a man to pass through, and stood holding it open, breathing heavily.
Aranea rushed up to the rift and immediately began chanting and casting spells, after a moment or two her red eyes opened again and she turned to Kratos, "I believe that I have stabilized it for now. It should hold while you do what you must." Kratos said nothing, but nodded his thanks to the dunmer mage.
"Thane." Kratos turned to see a loose group of his soldiers with weapons drawn, Valdr standing in the fore, "We are with you, my lord."
Kratos nodded, "Come then. I have no time to waste." With that Kratos leapt through the breach in space and time. There was an abrupt and unsettling lurch, similar to what he had felt when he arrived in Skyrim, but only the barest fraction of it. Kratos burst out into the open grass at the edge of the grove and took in the riotous scene before him. An enormous brawl was taking place in the center of the grove, the participants howling with rage and laughter in equal measure, and every now and again more serious faced men with glinting red eyes raced from the misty woods that infinitely surrounded the grove to join the madness.
Kratos turned to Valdr who had, without hesitation, come through hot on his heels, "Hold this ground. No one comes through." He looked back to the chaos before him and growled, "I will find Lydia." Valdr nodded and immediately began calling out orders. Kratos did not hesitate but charged straight at the heart of the madness.
Lydia was exhausted but the fire in her veins kept her moving. She shattered a bottle over someone's head, ducked a wild haymaker and stabbed the offender repeatedly with the bottle's broken, jagged neck. Her muscles burned with effort as she continued to beat down any who drew too near. She had nowhere to run, she had seen the endless trees and knew that there was no escape there. All that was left was to spite her abductors with every effort.
Something struck her in the back of the head and she went down heavily, falling across the bench next to her. She felt herself hauled up onto someone's shoulders. She shook her head, trying to concentrate only for the inferno's rage to course through her again, searing away her grogginess. Lydia suddenly hurled her weight to the side, causing the one carrying her to fall, cursing in surprise, against a table, losing his grip on her in the process. Lydia rolled off onto her feet on the other side. Quickly she reached out, grabbing the man's head and slammed it against the table. He lolled stunned for a moment, laying halfway on the table, facing the night sky. Lydia could see the red glint in his eyes and knew this was one of the true monstrous denizens of this place. With a shout she brought a fist down on its solar plexus, driving the wind from its lungs. Lydia reached over and grabbed it by its belt and shirt, with a grunt of effort she heaved it further on the table until its head was hanging off her end of the table. The dremora recovered just in time to hear Lydia's furious snarl and see her descending elbow before its neck snapped.
Lydia could feel that unseen source of strength drawing nearer, but was tackled from her feet as she tried to stand. They went to the ground and the dremora quickly rose up and began raining punches down on her. Lydia bucked wildly trying to displace her attacker while simultaneously attempting to fend off his blows. A nasty shot slipped through, splitting her eyebrow and making her vision swim, her eyes cleared just in time to see a booted foot come out of nowhere and crash into the dremora. She heard its ribs shatter as it was hurled spinning through the air, landing somewhere amidst the brawlers.
Lydia turned her turned her head, coughing and spitting blood. It was then that she registered the furious roar above her and saw Kratos standing over her, axe flashing, cleaving clean through anyone foolish enough to come near them. Lydia took the opportunity to stumble unsteadily to her feet, using a nearby overturned stool as an aid. She stood fully, head spinning, and then stumbled on her first step. She would have fallen but an impossibly strong arm caught her around the waist and held her up. She smiled through bloody teeth when she heard his voice, somehow soft despite the surroundings, "I have you, girl. I have you."
Kratos set off immediately back towards the portal, the leviathan axe in his free hand cutting them a path whenever necessary despite his encumbrance. Kratos broke through the main brawl and set off over the open grass towards the portal where Valdr and the others had established a beachhead. There were a dozen dead dremora surrounding them, these armed, armored and in their true forms. Valdr barked an order and he and three men ran to Kratos, Valdr and one soldier carefully took Lydia while the other two acted as an additional shield for her. As they jogged back to the portal, Valdr put a forced smile on his face and looked into her bruised face, "Here now Redhand. You went and started proper scrap without inviting us! So rude. I expect an invitation next time!"
Sanguine was sitting in his chamber, it was an opulent affair and various beings cavorted in state of undress throughout it. He, however, sat pensively before a large mirror that served as his means of communication with the other princes. They had been remarkably unhelpful. Malacath hadn't known anything. Boethiah had refused to answer. Azura, who given their past relationship had been a long shot, had simply laughed at him for a while before severing the connection.
His ruminations were interrupted by an armored dremora rushing into the room and up to him, "My lord! There are interlopers in your realm! The misty grove is under attack." Sanguine stood, snarling in anger. The audacity! With a wave of his hand the fabric of oblivion parted and he stepped through the opalescent blue portal he had formed.
Sanguine stepped out into a scene of mayhem. There was an enormous brawl going on in the center, which under other circumstances would be entirely fine. A brawl is its own sort of party after all. But there across the grove were the invaders and their presence could not be tolerated. Sanguine marched towards them, the revelers subconsciously parting before him leaving an open avenue towards his uninvited guests. Sanguine saw the ashen giant from before. This upstart daedra would need to be taught a lesson. They locked eyes across the field and despite wearing his true form now, Sanguine saw recognition in the giant man's eyes. Recognition and fury. Sanguine pulled together another bolt of energy as the man reared his head back, arms splayed, and screamed his rage. He loosed his eldritch blast at the being but he simply barreled straight through it, the bolt splashing across him but accomplishing nothing, as he crossed the intervening space in a single bound.
Sanguine had a moment to consider that he may, in fact, have misjudged the situation as an immense and impossibly hard fist rammed into his face. The blows came so hard and fast that he didn't even have the opportunity to defend himself. What was terrifying was not that there was pain, he had felt pain out and about getting into trouble as Sam, no, he felt damaged. As if it was not just the shell that he was occupying was taking injury but he himself, whatever Sanguine was, was taking the beating as well. As blood leaked from split lips Sanguine had the chilling thought, "Can I die?"
The rest of the fighting in the grove had died down as the attention of every being was now focused on the furious, systematic, and brutal beating Kratos administered to Sanguine. Kratos seized Sanguine's head between his two huge hands and delivered a punishing headbutt. Dazed he went momentarily limp and Kratos lifted him off the ground by his head. Kratos waited then, examining the daedra he had so taken by surprise.
When Kratos saw Sanguine's eyes regain their focus he spoke softly, almost to himself, "There are consequences to killing a god." His face hardened then as Lydia's bloody face flashed across his mind's eye, and his hands hands tensed. His eyes bored into Sanguines and his voice was low and dark with rage, "Next time I will pay that price." After a pause he dropped Sanguine to the ground and stepped back. "If you or any of yours cross me or mine again, I will return. And I will bury you in the ash of your shattered realm." He turned and walked back towards the portal. As he neared his mean he stretched out his hand to catch his axe as it came soaring back to him. Valdr and and rest watched him with wide-eyed astonishment. Kratos ignored their eyes, "We go now. Before his pride pushes him to madness." Valdr shook his head quickly and oversaw a well ordered, if hasty withdrawal.
Kratos cast a final look back as he stepped back through the portal. He heard Sanguine's laughter echo through the grove as he pulled the edges of oblivion closed behind him, sealing the portal. They all stood in the alley back in Havverfjord, every one of their number looking at each other in shock, trying to reconcile in their minds what they had just seen, what they had just done. The moment was broken when Lydia let out a pained cough, from where she sat, leaning against one of the buildings.
Kratos went quickly and knelt next to her, gently brushing her hair back from her bruised and bloodied face. A small, lazy smile appeared on her face, showing her red stained teeth, as he cupped her face,"I knew you would come."
She saw the crinkles form around his eyes in his near smile. Kratos gently laid his forehead against hers for a quiet moment before drawing back, "Always." He stood then, and approached Valdr and Aranea who were speaking in low tones. His voice was tense as bit out, "Mage, you will watch for Sanguine or his people." He looked to Valdr and growled out "If they come, they die."
Valdr glanced away to where Lydia was resting before saluting and nodding, his own voice heavy, "With pleasure, my thane."
He nodded to them, "Good." He strode back over to Lydia and gently lifted her into his arms before setting off at a careful pace back to the longhouse.
AN: So it took a bit of time in coming. I fell off the writing horse for a bit. I built a nice new PC and got sucked into some games. But I'm back on a decent writing cadence so hopefully the wait for the next one won't be quite so bad.
I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did please let me know. If you didn't please let me know specifically why. I am doing this for my own creative outlet, but I'd sure like to become a better writer along the way.
Thanks everyone for reading and immense thanks for those who take the time to review.
