Chapter 30
Page after page Kratos scaned the report that had taken him two days to obtain. No longer having to resrain himself to shield Lloyd, Kratos had traveled to Derris Karlan. He had walked the days and flown at night. It had been a hellish journey, his body normally imune to fatigue decided that it didn't like the strain of journeying day and night without rest. He had no choice, had left Noishe in PalmaCosta, instructed the Protozoan to make for Luin. Kratos had gone to Derris Karlan first, in secret, had been so descreet that even Yggdrasil did not know of his presence. In the cold Hell that was the city of Angels Kratos found what he needed, then left, none the wiser. He now knew where Kvar was, he now knew which ranch the Desian called his own. Armed with that knowledge Kratos had some leverage, had a weapon.
If Kvar would take everything from him, Kratos would return the favor.
He'd destroy the ranch, all of Kvar's pet experiments, all of his research, all lost in the cleansing blaze of angelic mana. Everything Kvar had worked for, everything he cherished, would be gone... and while that sank in Kratos would kill the bastard. It would be a slow death, a long hard death. But first he would save his family.
He cursed himself for not just going to the ranch by Luin. For not just knowing to head there instead of taking this side trip. But he had to know, needed to be sure. Still his emotions did no bow to reason, they never did. Anna could help him sort it out, Noishe at the very least could pull him out of his own despair with a bite if it came down to it, Lloyd could just calm him by being thier. But he wasn't, none of them were, for the first time in almost five years he was alone. It chaffed him, the silence he had once longed for. He ached as the echos of nothingness whispered around him. The sense of thier absence was a festering wound in him, that chafted against his control, his strength. Without them he was weak, in that Laric was correct. Without them he bled, felt a numb death crawling into his soul.
How did I live before them, was I even alive at all
He knew the answer to that one, he wasn't alive. He had been a 'droid, as soulless as the failed vessel's of Martel. With trembling hands he put the papers back in his packs, considered the inn at Hima. He was of course playing the role of servant, hopping through the hoops that Kvar wanted, well the one hoop. Kratos was only coming here to put aside any fears that Kvar might hold of him not obeying. He hiked up the mountain pass, the sun setting behind him, and for a moment thought of the artisan Rumswell. It was a fleeting thought, a glimmer of memory that was buried under his mission. To fill that silence, to know they were safe, that was what he needed to do. To get them back, no matter the cost to himself, no matter the pain he must inflict on himself. Pain, his existence was pain, his soul bleed, his flesh screamed due to the strain. Having not eaten, nor slept, nor rested, nor taken a sip of water... Kratos was pushing himself to his limits, drawing on his angelic nature to keep going forward, he was running on nothing, drained down to so little...
He would not be this bad had he just gone to Hima, but Kvar wouldn't know that, nor would Kvar's agent.
As the third day bleed magnificently into the third night Kratos entered the inn. His expression was enough to make the inn keeper not pester him about pay or the like. Smart man, wise man, Kratos might have just lashed out with his blade, spilled the man's life out on the floor boards. He was that worn down, almost down to the animal instincts that had kept him alive after his exile. He brushed by the scared inn keeper, went to the common room. No one seemed to recognize him, at least not in his first scan of the room. Recalling last time he allowed his gaze to go to the darkest corner of the room. A chair was pulled out, an invitation. He went through the handful of people, wove around the few tables, then sat. Laric looked at him, took his disheveled appearance and "tisk"ed.
"You should take better care of yourself Kratos, you look like Hell."
"Shut up and hand me the damned note you bastard."
The soilder chuckled, drew out an envelope, then mockingly snatched it back, out of the mercenary's grasping hand.
"Really, you wont be up to much more at the rate you are pushing yourself. Please, dine with me, rest, then over the meal we will discuss this like gentlemen."
"You do not qualify as a gentleman, much less a human." Kratos growled. "Give me the letter."
"Why should I? I can hold onto it indefinitely, merely tell my employer that you never came."
"Kvar, your employer? Be realistic dog, he is your master, and you are his slave."
Laric hissed through his teeth, his eyes burned in rage.
"Shut up old man, or I swear I'll throw this in the fire."
Kratos stiffened, put on a reasonably good act of fretting.
"Please, there is a menu booklet, pick something we will talk over a bite."
"I do not take nourishment the same way you do. Order what you will, then talk."
Kratos shifted in his seat, looked at the man with a neutral expression. All the while Laric wondered over Kratos' cryptic words, worried.
"Certainly all men eat..."
"I do not, now then..." Kratos gestured, one of the servers came up to them. "I hope you have something you wish to eat in mind?" Kratos met Laric's eyes, his own telling him the man better damned well not take too long.
Unnerved Laric made his order, stuttered a bit, then handed the girl his menu. At the girl's wait for him to order Kratos asked for some water. The girl waited a bit more, at least until he snapped at her to leave. Baffled, because no one in their sane mind ever ordered just water when one of the best chief's in Sylvarant worked here, she left them. When she was gone, safely out of earshot, Kratos dropped his polite facade. He let Laric see the madness that boiled in his soul, the hatred.
"I have been raveling hard for three days, not to talk with you, but to get that note." Kratos smiled. "Kvar gave me permission to kill any of his pawns, and since I know you have that note your life now holds no meaning. So you can hand it over right now, or I can gut you right now. Decide before the girl comes back, I am in a bit of a rush to move on."
"Here." Laric handed the letter over in a sulky manner more befitting a child then a man.
Kratos ripped the letter open, tenderly pulled out another lock of Anna's hair and wove it in his fingers even as he read.
"Your master needs to develop a larger vocabulary, these one line notes are beginning to grate on my nerves."
He saw the serving girl leave the kitchen with a plate of food and water on a tray. When she came up to them she lay it on the table between them with a bow. Annoyed Kratos took the glass, drained it in one swallow, then stood. He noticed how the girl was subtly flirting with Laric, nausea rouse in him.
"Do not waste your life child, you talk to a snake who would put any to the sword to farther himself."
The girl pulled away from the soldier, perhaps believing him, perhaps not. For a moment Kratos considered the glass, considered Laric. It would have felt good just to throw it at him, to dispel some of his rage in a weak attack. No, now was not the time. Kratos placed the glass on the table, took a step back and regarded the human for a long moment.
"I have something to give to your master." Kratos produced an envelope of his own, lay it on the table. "Be a good slave, make sure he gets it." With a meek sound, the girl got Kratos' attention. Annoyed he turned to her, listened to her ask if he was taking a room for the evening. "No, I plan to be in Luin tomorrow." He said that for Laric's benefit, no one else's.
Laric stared at him, unbelieving, then took the letter off the table.
Satisfied, Kratos excused himself, and left.
"Do you think he was joking, about being in Luin tomorrow?" Laric asked himself, the girl looked at him for a moment.
"No sir, he wasn't joking, he meant it."
"Bloody Hell..." Laric whispered, and wondered for the first time in his life if he had gotten himself in too deep. Banishing his regrets with a shake of his head he decided that the food in front of him wasn't going to go to waste. He'd make his report to Kvar after he ate.
She walked into nightmare, into her darkest most twisted nightmare. And if she cried out, if she whimpered or shook their would be no one their to wake her up. She wasn't asleep, she was awake, though she wished to the core of her being that Kratos would gently shake her shoulder to wake her up. There was no awakening, the only slumber that could take her now was the eternal. She couldn't though, she would not abandon her son, not like that.
"Ahh home sweet home!" Kvar cackled, held onto Lloyd who had strangely been sleeping the whole day.
Anna had been frantic, trying to wake up Lloyd that morning. Kvar, annoyed and awoken by the human woman's attempt to rouse her son, had ordered her to stop. The boy had had a nightmare, her merely forced the child into a deep cationic slumber. When Anna had dared to inform him that's not how one dealt with the a child's nightmare Kvar had slapped her.
Guards approached them. They bowed to Kvar, and said something in a language Anna heard all too much of. She didn't understand the words, but knew the tone all too well.
"No, take her to one of the Black Rooms, the one with the monitor in it... Fed her, bring her water, then leave her alone. She wont escape, she knows what I'll do to her child if she tries. Hmm leave my tools in the room, then lock the door behind you. I'll give you fuller instruction later on." They bowed again, then restrained her, and dragged her off. "Don't worry about your son, Mrs. Aurion, continue your good behavior and he shall continue to be in good health!"