FOR NEED OF A GOD

CHAPTER 1

DECIDE

Peace. That was something he knew very little of. In all his time he had never experienced this stillness and he had more time than any man had any right to have. Not surprising, for Kratos was only half a man and half…something else.

How he came to find himself in these surroundings he remembers not. But he was grateful for it. The turmoil and storm that normally raged within him has been quieted, by his solitude in this snow-covered landscape. He was no fool, he knew it would not last, after all, there was no rest for the wicked. No true rest. Eventually, he would have to fight again, to kill, again. When such a time came, he would do what he must, just as he had always done, but for now he shall enjoy this moment of respite, fleeting as he knew it was.

His time in this perpetual winter had seen him grown a beard, and he wore more now than he ever had, save when he wore plated armor. Though that was not to say he was fully clothed. No, he had thick white fur from mid torso down to his feet and the same around his forearms to his wrists, all held in place by band of red cloth pulled taught. His chest was bare. He had gotten the fur from a bear that was stalking him, he had killed it with his bare hands for it troubles and flayed it with a small knife he had on his person.

There was an axe strapped to his back as well as a bow. The axe had a handle of deep brown wood with golden etchings on it and on the flat of the blade, on both sides, runes were carved into the metal. It had an ever-present chill coming from it and may-haps, it was his connection to it that allowed him to not feel the cold as he ought to.

The bow he had fashioned from a branch he took from a tree that bore his coloring. The bark was almost as white as the snow that surrounded it and the leaves as red as freshly spilt blood. There was a face on the trunk of the tree that looked to be crying, tears of blood. Kratos had a suspicion that his resemblance to the tree would be cause for much annoyance on his part. He was hoping that would not be anytime soon. He was fool to hope.

He knew there were people in these lands. How could he have not known? But he had intentionally stayed well away from any of their camps or villages. He would extend his isolation for as long as he could if he had his way. The world and his luck would have none of that though. How dare he know peace? How dare had a life finally free of provocation? That is why he was not surprised when, while hunting, he came across a small group of said people, about thirty or so looking haggard. Dry lips, panicked eyes, boney figures, women, and children all and They looked as if they were fleeing for their very lives.

Some of them were too old to make it extremely far if that were the case, Kratos knew. What they were running from he could not tell, but it must have been something truly terrifying. None of his business. He grunted and was about to turn and leave these people to fend for themselves when he heard a blood curdling shriek. It sounded like a fury or a harpy that was suffering. Whatever that was, it was not natural. He battled with his self for a while, he knew that if he stopped whatever it was that was attacking this group of woman and children, it would mean the end of his peaceful days. He was not sure he was ready to give that up. There was another shriek, closer this time. He looked to see what became of the group and noticed they had frozen in fear. 'Why do they always freeze in fear?' he asked himself.

He heard footsteps and whipped his head to see what this creature was and from path the people had appear, came a…something. It was shaped like a man but a man it was not. Its skin was hard and had the pale blue hue of ice, it had white wispy hair, which looked more like frost, coming from its head. Its eyes were a stunning blue, glowing even and devoid of all feeling for anything living. It carried an unrefined spear made of ice and was wearing all black. The approach was slow, confident, it knew these people would not outrun it and it was in no rush, savoring the fear falling off them in waves.

Kratos' decision was made for him when heard the wail put fort by one of the children when they saw the creature. He unstrapped his axe from his back and sprinted towards them, his fur covered feet barely making any noise in the thick snow. The …thing was now close enough to the group, 'who had stopped moving!', that he raised his spear to slash down on the nearest victim, but it must have had tremendous instincts for it turned quickly to see that kratos had leap towards it with his axe pulled back to deliver a devastating blow. It lazily set the spear in a position to block, as if he did not expect the attack to do any damage. It would regret such hubris.

When the axe and the spear met there was a flash of light and a deafening clang. when the light had faded, the group were surprised to see the creature had flown through a few trees and was now laying sprawled out on its back. 'Impossible,' 'by the Old Gods' and 'have the Gods come to save us?' were among the multitude of thoughts going through the heads of the woman and children who witnessed the feat. They were of the belief that this was an act of divinity and when they got a good look at their savior, they were more certain of that fact.

"Are ye the champion o' the Gods?" asked one of the women hopefully.

"I champion no one. Especially not the Gods" Kratos replied, in his deep baritone voice.

"But ye must be! Ye bare the look o' the weirwood tree! The Old Gods must o' sent ye 'ere to save us from the Great Other!"

There it was. Damn that tree to the pits of Tartarus. Kratos knew, he Knew! That tree would become a thorn in his side and behold, those hades be damned Fates must be taking their pound of flesh from him at last. He grunts, as was his wont but he did not bother replying. 'They are already convinced; my denial would do nothing to change that' he counseled himself.

"Wh-!" one of the older women were about to say something but was startled by the rising of the other? That is what they had called the creature, an explanation for after the battle. The other arose and took stock of its surrounding. Kratos was not sure if that were confusion he saw in its eyes, but such a feeling would make sense…at least to it.

Kratos readied himself for the inevitable attack, which indeed came. Immediately he could tell this thing had no skill whatsoever and instead relied on its superior strength and evident invulnerability to win its battles. Any normal man would not have been able to hold it at bay, much less claim victory over it. Unfortunately for it, it did not face a normal man, its opponent was the Ghost of Sparta. The God of war was no mere mortal man, his strength far eclipsed that of this block of ice.

Strength aside Kratos, however, noticed that his axe did not do much to damage the Other. He suspected that had to do with both the axe and the creature being of the cold. This did not deter him in the slightest. He simply slung the axe into a near by tree, took hold of the creature by the head, spun around to hold its neck over his shoulder and snapped it. The moment he did this the Other combusted into shards of ice and then became frost mist in the air.

It was deathly silent, there was not a sound in the forest. The only sound that could be heard was deep breathing.

"What did I just kill?"

"T'was an Other. Ye o' all people should know tha' champion" it was one of the old ones that answered him.

"hmmmm"

"They be man's great enemy, from time o' our forebearers. Least s'what ma Maa learned me an' her Maa 'fore tha'"

"So, in truth you know nothing…very well. Where are the men in your tribe?" Kratos asked while scanning the surroundings for threats.

"Men folk stayed back to fight. Give us a chance to get way" said a young woman in the group, looking as if she was about to cry.

"Then they are dead" Kratos the ever gentle. Voicing that apparent truth appeared to have been too much for the young woman, who broke out in tears immediately, swiftly following were most of the children also, of which there were 9.

Kratos knelt by a little girl and wiped a tear from her cheek. "This is no place to linger, and these are no times for tears. You must move, where were u going to begin with?"

"we 'eard there's be a gatherin,' biggest one yet. Some Mants, Manz? or somthin' the other is uniting the free folk, 'posed to be to lead us south, 'posed to be, he can get us over the wall" she said reverently.

'Wall?' that was information he would have to find out later, for now…" Keep heading there, do not stop, do not rest. These forests are not fit for women and children."

"Yer no' comin' with us?"

"No. I have my own matters to attend to. Things I need to do."

"Then Who'll protec' us?"

"I am no protector."

"What u save us fer than!"

"…It is what my Faye would have had me do" he said with as much vulnerability as a Nemean lion. "No more words, you keep moving or you die in these woods, decide for your selves. I will take my leave"

He stalked off into the woods in the direction he was initially coming from, not sparing a second look at the stunned party he left behind him.