Sparda's Revenge: Story 2

Sparda watched as the harpies took the Oracle with in the temple. Her screams soon faded away from Sparda's ears. Sparda looked around him to see if there was another way inside the temple. Disappointed, he looked back at the broken bridge that was the only way over the two hundred drop into the sea. The bridge was about seventy feet long before being shattered by the fireball. Sparda thought for a minute and backed up a few feet back. Just before he was about to jump, an old laugh came behind him. Sparda stopped forcefully, nearly causing him to fall off the ledge. He turned around and heard a sound of a shovel piercing the ground. He listened and headed for the sound of he heard. Soon he heard the sound of soldier's cries and sword blades clashing. He walked over a hill that was right beside the garden to find the soldiers of Artines fighting off Demons. Hundreds of them where preoccupied trying to run their blades through the Demons. Though the soldiers had more numbers, the Demons where stronger and had different warriors ten times bigger then the soldiers. It seemed as when the soldiers killed a Demon, the Demons would kill off six soldiers. Sparda just stood until he once more heard the sound of the shovel but only it was right next to him. Sparda turned his head to find a massive hole of a grave. From inside the sound of the shovel could be heard. Sparda cautiously walked over to the grave to take a look inside it. As he did, a few Demons that fought in the battle ran towards Sparda. He quickly noticed and rolled to dog them. While rolling he drew his blades out and leaped at the Demons. His blades pierced three demons at once through the chest. The other Demons didn't take long before they where slaughter by Sparda. Sparda picked one of the surviving Demons by the throat and held him in the air. Instantly, he punched a hole in the Demons chest and withdrew its still beating heart. He let the corpse of the Demon fall but watched the heart. He started to cluck it between his hands before it burst. Sparda sighed in angrily as he cracked the bones in his neck. He then slowly held out his hand from behind as he watched the battle below. Suddenly, his hands enclosed around a gorgon's throat that tried to secretly leap at Sparda. It screeched at Sparda as well did the snakes on her head. Sparda simple twisted his hand to the right causing the gorgon's neck to snap. The gorgon's head fell back as Sparda continued to hold it by the neck. He let the Demon fall as its snake tail twitched a bit before remaining motionless. Sparda placed his hand in his other and cracked the finger's joints. A laugh came from the grave once more when Sparda turned towards it. A old man cover in dirt emerged from the huge grave. He wore rages over body and had a long white beard covered in dirt as well. He stepped out of the grave and headed for Sparda, using the shovel as a cane.

Grave Digger: "Good my boy, good. Sareena has chosen wisely, I knew it was so."

Sparda: "Who are you?"

Sparda watched the man silently and noticed his wild beard looked like tentacles.

Grave Digger: "So you have the blades. You are the one in dead…perhaps Artines will survive at that."

The old grave digger looks back at the city of Artines as it burned.

Grave Digger: (Laughing) "But be careful. Don't want you dieing before I'm done with this grave."

Sparda: "A grave? In the middle of a battle? Who will occupy it old man?"

Grave Digger: "You will my son."

Sparda's face formed to show a shocked expiration

Grave Digger: "Hm, I've got a lot of digging to do indeed. All will be revealed in good time, and when all appears to be lost Sparda, I will be there to help."

Sparda: "Wait old man, who are you?"

Grave Digger: "Don't disturb me now, son! I've got my work to do, and you have yours! And precious little time left to do either!"

The grave digger reentered the grave he was digging. Sparda, still not done with the old man, headed for the grave but found no one inside. He turned from the grave still confused. He shook the ideas out of his head and focused at the temple once more. He took a deep breath and broke out running towards the building. He leaped with his might over the broken bridge. He flew through the air till he grabbed the ledge to the temple's side. He held on the ledge with one hand as he looked down on the ragging waters. He pulled himself up with his one hand and put his other on his shoulder. Looked back and started to think about what the old grave digger said. A scream of a woman from the temple broke Sparda's thinking. He ran inside the temple to find the harpies carrying the Oracle out towards the sixth story window.

Sparda: "Oracle!"

He looked around the temple to find a stairway to follow the oracle up but found it collapsed. All he could see was hundreds of harpies flying inside. The screeches of the many harpies pierced through Sparda's ears. They flattered around in the stories of the tower like temple. Sparda slowly headed toward the collapsed stairways, hoping the harpies wouldn't see him. He was knocked off his feet when he felt someone crash to his side. Sparda flew back and hit a pillar with his back. He recovered from his sudden attack and looked at his harpy assailant. His eyes widened when he saw the harpy holding a head with dead snakes on its head.

Sparda: "Give me back my weapon harpy!"

It screeched at Sparda, alerting other harpies. They stopped fluttering and started at Sparda. So enough, all the harpies stopped flying meaninglessly and looked down at Sparda. As the harpies looked at him, Sparda slowly drew his blades lifted them. Suddenly, a burst off lightning hit many off the harpies causing the rest to dive at Sparda. He hewed the harpies as they dived towards the Demon. Harpies fell to the ground as they were slay but where replaced by the other harpies. Soon enough, Sparda was overpowered as the massive numbers of harpies crowded him from all sides. They clawed him and peaked him through his though Demon skin. He could barely move around the violent creature as they attacked him.

Sparda: "Get off of me!"

Out of rage, Sparda hacked a few harpies in half with his free hand. As the dead harpies fell to the ground, they left a open path out the attacking harpies. He dove out to the opening and rolled to the head of Medusa. Still crouching, he picked the head and held it towards the harpies. In that instance, the screeching bird women froze in mid-air. The hundreds of harpy bodies fell from the sky. Sparda didn't have time to dive the stone corpses as they fell on him. He could fell the heavy stone bodies fall on him as they completely covered him. Sparda had lost conscience as he lay under the mount of dead harpies. As Sparda was knocked out, he felt the nightmares returning to him through his sleep. Just as he was seconds away from his nightmare, the scream of the oracle awoken him. He disposed the mount of statues off him with one powerful push off the marble floor. He could still hear the oracles screams coming from the other side off the temple. He switched his heard around in hopes off finding an exit. Once the oracle screamed again, Sparda lowered his stare. He lowered his head and pointed his horn at the thick stonewalls. His body charge at the wall causing it to shedder itself in a form of a hole. His force propelled the stones a few yards away from Sparda. Sparda picked his head up and stumbled around a bit dizzy. Shaking his head, he focused his glance towards the screams of the oracle. Looking into the sky, he saw the oracle being held by the two harpies.

Oracle of Artines: "Sparda, help me! "

The harpies spotted Sparda on the grown and started to panic. Sparda held the head of Medusa towards the oracle and harpies.

Sparda: "Oracle, close your eyes."

The oracle listened and closed here eyelids shut. Soon she felt the harpies' talons becoming heavy and cold. She opened her eyes to see herself falling from the sky with two statues of harpies. Sparda watched as the oracle fall from the sky towards the ground. He turned towards the temple and used his sharp claws to grab the outside walls. In great speed, he began to climb the walls of the tower temple of the oracle. He stood fifty feet from the ground and waited for the oracle to fall by him. When she was only a few feet away, he leaped at her and grabbed her from mid-air. Sparda landed on the ground so softly that the oracle though that she was still falling. She looked at the Demon that held her with relief.

Oracle of Artines: "Please let my feet feel the ground."

Sparda realized her and helped her to her feet. She looked Sparda as he transformed into his humanoid self.

Oracle of Artines: "Sparda. As Sareena herself has foretold, but you are late. Perhaps too late to save Artines… Or is it Artines you have come to save?"

She picked her hand up and placed them on Sparda's shoulder. She looked at him at his red eyes for a while before placing her hands on his head.

Sparda: "No! I, I can't…"

The oracle's head fell back and her eyes turned blue. She was looking into the past of Sparda, the champion of the Gods. His past was shown though the oracle's mind. She saw Sparda fight in battles against the Azarathians and the Demons. He killed hundreds of enemies in gory deaths. She watched how Sparda punished those that though of him bad and who dared to lift a sword over him. Sparda twitched as he felt his memories being drained through the oracle's hand. His kingdom expended from the lands on the deaths and falls of other kingdoms. She then watched him meet the God of War and give his loyalty to him. The memory of those he killed by mistake in his own kingdom was too over whelming for the oracle. As she was about to let go of Sparda's head, a memory was shown that she stopped at. Sparda was about to leave with his thousands of soldiers for a battle. His wife, Arella queen of Halassar, was by his side. She seemed upset and looked like Sparda had beaten her. She stood behind him as he exited the chamber of her royal room. Arella ran after him as he avoided the guards of Halassar.

Arella: "How much is enough Sparda! When will it end!"

Sparda: "When the glory of Sparda is known throughout the world!"

Arella: "The glory of Sparda... You did this for yourself!"

Arella's eyes began to fill up with blood and it ran down her cheek. The oracle released Sparda and backed away.

Oracle of Athens: "By the gods! "Why would Sareena send one such as you!"

Sparda grabs the oracle and throws her away from him.

Sparda: "Stay out of my head!"

The oracle regains her balance and swings her hair back.

Oracle of Artines: "Choose your enemies wisely Sparda, your brute strength alone will not be enough to destroy Ares."

Sparda: "So I've heard."

Oracle of Artines: "Only one item in the world will allow you to defeat a god..."

She turned away from him and headed towards a small shrine by the temple. Using her powers, the doors opened by themselves. Stopping by the door, she swung her hand to notify Sparda to follow her. He entered the shrine to find the oracle waving her hand over a small pool of water in a large golden grail. An image slowly started to form in the clear liquid. A image of a desert was shown with wild sand storms and ruins of an ancient city.

Oracle of Artines: "Pandora's Box, which lies far beyond the walls of Artines, was hidden by the gods across the desert to the east. But be warned Kratos, many have gone in search of Pandora's Box, none have returned..."

Sparda: "Where do I find the box within this desert?"

Oracle of Artines: "You will find the answers you need when you reach the gates of the ancient city of the Dragon King."

She then vanished, leaving Sparda alone in the shrine with gorgons and Demons surrounding it.

Sparda: "I have a journey ahead of me."

He drew his blades and headed out the shrine's doors. All that could be heard outside was the screams of Demons and the splattering of blood.