Kratos and Atreus spent the entire day in the fields, slaying nothing but Balloon Monsters. Atreus wanted to get in as much training as possible before night came. If they were going to help defend this world from the Waves of Destruction, then the two of them needed to get as strong as they could before the next Wave hit in less than a month. It helped that both of them had years of experience fighting monsters, making them more than ready. The Balloon Monsters they slayed were cannon fodder compared to what they faced in the past. Kratos mainly did all the fighting, but that didn't mean Atreus didn't contribute as well.

It was late at night when Atreus decided that they should stop for the day. If they didn't get a good night's sleep, their performance would suffer. They all sat around a large tree as they gathered themselves. The Balloon Monsters that they had slayed had left some loot behind. They were essentially the Balloon Monster's skeleton. When Atreus had touched them, his shield began to beep. Upon bringing the loot to the shield, the material was absorbed.

'What a great first day we've had, huh?' Mimir said.

They had gone up several levels by the end of their training. Atreus's stats had gone up greatly. His defence stats in particular had gone up a lot. He believed that the higher he went, the more defence he would get. He just hoped he was able to get some offence as well.

'Yeah,' Atreus replied. As he absorbed the loot they had collected, words flashed in front of his vision.

Orange Balloon Acquired

The weapons book icon had begun to glow as well. Atreus inspected the weapons book and saw something called the Orange Shield.

'I think if I absorb different stuff into my Shield, I'll get different shields,' Atreus said. 'I'm seeing a shield called the Orange Shield. I haven't absorbed enough Balloons to unlock it, though.'

'So is that how you make the shield stronger?' Kratos asked.

'Yeah, apparently,' Atreus replied. 'I should absorb everything we come across, see what happens. I gotta say though, I hate the way this weapon works.'

'I know, right? It all sounds so bloody impractical,' Mimir replied. 'The weapons discouraging the heroes from working together and forcing them to work separately discourages cooperation between them.'

'And being restricted to only one weapon discourages versatility or variety in battle,' Kratos said.

'Even more so because the shield is the only weapon I can use,' Atreus said. 'I can't attack at all, and I can only defend against attacks for so long.' Why would the Legendary Weapons be designed like this?

'Oh well. At least I can attack as the wolf. That's gotta count for something.'

'So, what would you like to do now?' Mimir asked.

'Well, the sun's starting to set. Maybe we should go back to the town and get better equipment from Erhard before it gets dark. I wonder if we can sell these Balloons?'

And so, the three of them began to make their way back into town. They made their way through the streets, which had become emptier since people were closing up for the night. They entered into the Weapon Shop, minutes before it was supposed to close. Erhard smiled when he saw Atreus.

'Well, welcome back, Hero!' Erhard said. 'What can I get for you this time?'

'We're looking to get better equipment for our adventures. Gotta have good gear when you're facing the waves, right?'

'Heh, you sound pretty wise. Come take a look at what I've got.'

Kratos took a look at what equipment to buy, while Atreus pulled out the loot they collected from a bag.

'Hey, are we able to sell these?' Atreus asked.

'Yeah, though they fetch a low price,' Erhard said. 'They sell for around 1 bronze piece per 2 Balloons.' He thrust one finger towards the door.

'There's a shop for buying loot right down the street,' he explained. 'I'm sure they'll take the loot off of ya.'

'Thanks. Hey, how does the currency work here?' Atreus asked.

'It's simple. Our currency consists of minted coins. Bronze is the lowest form of currency, followed by Silver and finally Gold. One hundred Bronze pieces make up one Silver piece, while one hundred Silver pieces make up one Gold piece.'

Atreus nodded.

'Okay, I understand,' he said.

Kratos finally came back with some expensive-looking leather armour. Atreus inspected the armour and frowned.

'How much for that?' Atreus asked.

'About 480 silver,' Erhard replied.

'What?! But we only have 200 silver! How much are you willing to discount?'

'20 percent off, nothing more.'

'What?! No way! 40 percent off!'

'Tenacious, aren't you? 30 percent up!'

'76 percent off!'

'45 percent up!'

'Stop raising it! 100 percent off!'

'Now I'd just be giving it away for free!'

'Free's fine by me!'

Kratos smiled, letting out a small laugh. Erhard turned to Kratos, raising an eyebrow.

'And what do you find funny?' he asked.

'You remind me of a pair of dwarves,' Kratos said. 'Back in our world. Their names were Brok and Sindri. They were blacksmiths like you are. They crafted our equipment for us. They were our friends. Or, rather, they were our family.'

'Oh?'

'But then, it all went wrong,' Atreus said, feeling sadness come over him as he looked back to that fateful day. 'I made way too many mistakes. Brok ended up getting murdered by someone we thought was an ally, but was really our enemy in disguise.'

'Aye,' Mimir replied. 'Sindri became stricken with grief over his brother's death. He ended up cutting us off out of sadness.'

'We are giving him his space,' Kratos said. 'We are allowing him to grieve, in his own way. We shall let him reach out to us if he decides he's ready.'

Erhard shook his head, feeling sympathy.

'Well, I'm sorry for your loss,' he said. 'They must've been really good friends, from the sounds of it.'

'Yeah. You should've met them,' Atreus replied. 'You would've liked them.'

'I'm sure I would. Now, for that armour, I could probably give you a 25 percent discount, nothing more, nothing less. How does that sound.'

'I'll accept it,' Atreus replied. 'We can always make more money with the loot we collect.'

'Well, if we've got a deal then.'

Atreus paid for the new equipment. It nearly chewed through their entire funding, leaving them with only 25 silver pieces. Thankfully, they knew that they could sell loot in this world. They went to the shop that Erhard told them about, and sold the loot they had, for a total of 65 bronze pieces.

It soon became late at night. Atreus, Kratos and Mimir decided to set up camp outside Melromarc for the night. Atreus had collected firewood, while Kratos got a fire started with the flames from the Blades of Chaos. They had hunted a monster that evening. They cooked the meat on the fire, before beginning to eat. They sat around the small fire, in silence.

'What a day we've had, have we lads?' Mimir said. 'Hey, do you think there's a realm between realms that we can travel through in this new world?'

Atreus raised an eyebrow at Mimir's question.

'Oooh, you mean the mystic gateways? From back home?' Atreus asked.

'Yes!' Mimir replied. 'Perhaps when we discover new places, we can travel quickly from place to place!'

'Perhaps there are other realms in this new world also?' Kratos asked.

'Oh yeah, like the nine realms! That would be cool to see!'

'I guess we shall have to learn more as we go on,' Mimir replied. 'So, what shall we do for tomorrow?'

'Let's see.'

Atreus opened up his bag and pulled out a roll of paper. He unscrolled and opened it up, revealing that it was a map. He had bought it at the shop where they sold their loot. He showed Kratos and Mimir the map.

'Here's a map of the area around Melromarc,' he explained. 'There are a few villages here and there, but some of them are too small to be named.' He pointed to what looked like a forest.

'There's a forest here I wanna check out, south of the castle,' he said.

'Sounds like a plan,' Mimir said.

'I would like to go there as well. Perhaps we shall find loot and equipment that shall help us,' Kratos replied.

'Wow. You sound eager, Father.'

Kratos looked into Atreus's eyes, putting a hand on his shoulder.

'I have missed having you by my side,' he explained. 'Going on adventures. Finding loot, and equipment. I am glad that you are here with me once more.'

Atreus smiled.

'I'm glad as well.'

The three of them sat by the fire for a time, before Atreus yawned.

'It's getting late. We might as well sleep. Big day tomorrow.'

Kratos grunted in reply. He and Atreus both lay down by the fire, falling asleep.

'Aye, sleep well, you two,' Mimir said.

Early morning had come. Atreus had been the first to wake up, feeling drowsy. Kratos was still asleep. Mimir was still awake. He did not need to sleep, being a reanimated head and all.

'Morning, lad,' Mimir greeted in a whisper.

'Morning, Mimir,' Atreus replied as he wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. 'Father's still asleep?'

'Aye. Mind if I wake him?'

'...Nah. Maybe let him sleep for a bit. We've got all day.'

Atreus yawned before helping himself with some leftover meat for breakfast. The morning was cold but peaceful. It appeared that it was going to be a pleasant day today. Mimir appeared to be watching something from the distance, then frowned.

'Lad, there's some knights from the castle heading straight towards us,' Mimir said.

'What?' Atreus replied, before turning to see the knights closing in on them. There were roughly several of them, all holding spears. Atreus quickly got to his feet as the knights reached him.

'You are the Shield Hero, yes?' One knight in front said. He sounded oddly aggressive.

'Yeah…?' Atreus replied.

'You have been summoned by the King. You will come with us now!'

'Summoned? What for?' Atreus asked.

'You WILL come with us. NOW!' the knight barked. Two of them stepped forward and grabbed Atreus roughly by the arms.

'Hey! That hurts!' Atreus shouted. He struggled as the knights began to drag him away. He struggled with all his might, but the knights were somehow stronger. Mimir panicked as he watched them take Atreus.

'Atreus!' Mimir shouted, watching helplessly as they dragged him away. 'Brother! BROTHER!'

Kratos woke up then, in a shock. He quickly sat up, as if there was danger.

'Mimir?' he asked. 'What is wrong?'

'Knights! They've nabbed your son! They're taking him to the castle!'

Kratos panicked when he saw Atreus missing and desperately looked around. He saw Atreus in the distance, being dragged by the knights back to the castle. Atreus reached one arm out towards him in vain.

'Father!' he shouted. Kratos felt his anger and worry flare up.

'Atreus!' he shouted. He quickly got up and grabbed both his blades and his axe, putting them onto his back. He quickly grabbed Mimir and put him on his hip, before breaking out into a run. He huffed as he ran as fast as he could, driven by fury, as he chased the knights and his son back to the castle.

Motoyasu, Ren and Okaya were all waiting in the throne room, along with Myne, who was cowering behind Motoyasu with fear, and the King, who was filled with rage and fury. All of them waited patiently for the Shield Hero to be brought to them so that they could put him on trial.

It was a while of waiting before the doors swung open. The knights entered the throne room, gripping Atreus tightly by the arms. He struggled as they dragged him to the middle of the throne room, before throwing him to the ground, before they all surrounded him. He quickly got up onto his knees and looked up at the King. He noticed Motoyasu, Ren and Okaya were there as well. He also saw Myne cower behind Motoyasu, staring at him with fear. Or, at least, she was pretending to.

'Hey, King! What's this about?!' Atreus asked, incredulous.

'SILENCE, SCOUNDREL!' King Aultcray suddenly yelled, shocking Atreus with his aggressiveness. He turned to Myne, sighing.

'Myne Sophia, I hate to ask this of you again, but may you please give us your testimony?' he asked.

'Testimony? For what?' Atreus asked. He had so many questions, but he was starting to understand where this was going.

'You mean you really don't remember?' Motoyasu asked, suddenly stepping forward and pointing his spear at Atreus. 'After everything you've done?'

'What are you talking about?!' Atreus asked.

'Silence, Devil!' King Aultcray barked, before turning back to Myne. 'Give us your testimony, please.'

Myne began to sob, or at least fake sobbing, as even faker tears began to stream down her cheeks.

'Y-yes,' she began. 'I-it happened last night. At roughly 1 A.M. I was with Motoyasu when we decided to stay at the Inn for the night. We were all sleeping in separate rooms. As I was sleeping I was suddenly woken up by the sound of glass shattering. I looked up and saw the Shield Hero, along with his father. They had broken the window and had climbed inside. I tried to flee, but the Shield Hero grabbed me and threw me onto the bed. I tried to scream but he put a hand over my mouth. He told me not to fight back, to just let them have their way with me.' She sobbed as she wiped a fake tear from her eyes.

'They started touching me all over and tore off my clothing. Thankfully, I was able to fight both of them off and escape before they could do any more to me. I went to Motoyasu as soon as possible and told him everything.'

'If Myne hadn't told me to wait until dawn to tell the guards I would've cut you down myself.'

Atreus was shocked but stood defiantly. The whole throne room was filled with murmurs all around him as people were horrified at Myne's testimony. The King spoke up again.

'To think, you'd be capable of such a horrific crime,' he said.

'What do you mean?!' Atreus asked.

'Even attempting to rape a woman in Melromarc is punishable by death,' a noble said.

'If you weren't a cardinal hero, I'd have you executed where you stand!' King Aultcray barked. Atreus only stared at him, defiant. There was no way he would take this lying down.

'It's just testimony, you idiot!' Atreus barked. 'She has no proof! Where's the evidence?!'

It was then that one knight stepped forward.

'When we investigated her room, we found that the window had been shattered,' he explained. 'Several pieces of furniture were thrown over. Not only that, but we found this.'

He raised his hand and showed a pink bra that apparently belonged to Myne. Myne sobbed loudly as she hid behind Motoyasu, terrified as she put both hands into her face.

'You animal!' Motoyasu yelled as he stood in front of Myne, determined to protect her. Okaya frowned and sighed.

'What a shame. I knew something was different with you, Loki. But I never thought you'd be capable of a crime as horrible as this.'

'You thought that just because you were a hero you could do whatever you wanted? Disgusting,' Ren replied.

Atreus stood tall, remaining defiant despite everything. He noticed Myne standing behind Motoyasu. Even when she was sobbing, she still had a horrid, wicked smile on her face. She wasn't even trying to act traumatized.

'Are you really that stupid?' he asked.

'What nonsense are you going on about this time?' Motoyasu asked.

'You think one testimony, a shattered window and a bra are enough to prove I did a crime? Or that the lack of witnesses isn't suspicious? Or the fact that she waited until dawn to tell the guards wasn't suspicious either?'

'There's no need for further proof! That's all the evidence we need!' the King barked back, enraged.

'Then consider this: How was I even able to overpower her in the first place? I'm the Shield Hero, right? I have no attack power! So she should've been able to fight me off easily!'

'Pure attack power alone doesn't prevent harm to another, so you could've easily raped her and get away with it!'

'Then what about the fact she shows no sign of struggle? Or that I don't have any visible injuries? Or even that I rejected her from my party completely?!'

'Enough!' Aultcray yelled. 'Your points are irrelevant and are simply mad ramblings! This trial is already over!'

The nobles began murmuring to one another again.

'I knew it. It was a mistake to summon all four heroes here at once,' a noble said.

'But who would've known that the Shield Hero would be a rapist?' another replied. Atreus groaned, his anger beginning to flare.

The doors burst open then. Everyone in the room gasped as Kratos burst into the throne room. Sweat beaded down his forehead like blood. He snarled as he saw Aultcray, utterly furious. Myne cowered behind Motoyasu, terrified.

'It's him!' she wailed. 'The Shield Hero's father! He raped me as well!'

'You!' Aultcray said. 'You're the Devil's ally!'

'King!' Kratos yelled. 'You shall return my son! Now!'

'And why should I listen to the likes of you, God Killer?!' Aultcray barked.

'You know my past?'

'The Ghost of Sparta thing? Yeah!'

'Then you know what I'm capable of! Now release my son!'

Aultcray only growled as he glared at Kratos, fury in his eyes.

'You demon! For the vile crime you have committed against this woman, you shall be executed where you stand! Knights, kill this spawn of the Devil!'

All the knights turned to face Kratos, their spears drawn on him. Kratos glared at all of them, his anger burning hot.

'Die, Demon!' the knight in front of him said. 'You shall-HRRRRRK!'

The knight dropped his spear. Kratos had just thrown one of his Blades at the knight's head. The blade impaled the knight's face, splitting it in half. The knight fell when Kratos pulled back the blade, letting out a horrid gurgle noise as he expired.

Another knight to the right charged at Kratos, just as another one lunged at him with his spear. Kratos took out his axe and swung at the knight that was lunging at him. The knight yelled in pain as Kratos' axe was plunged into his shoulder, clutching at the wound, before Kratos ended his misery by chopping his head clean off. Kratos threw his axe at the other knight, striking him right in the face. The knight gurgled as he fell to the ground dead, his blood pouring out of his open wound.

Five other guards all charged Kratos at once, determined to kill him. Kratos swung one of his blades at the knights, decapitating all five of them. He took out the Draupnir Spear and lobbed it at another attacking knight nearby. The spear plunged into the knight's shoulder, sticking out the other end. The knight groaned in pain as he clutched at the spear. The Draupnir Spear materialised back into Kratos' hand, and he slammed the spear onto the ground. The duplicate spear in the knight's shoulder exploded, reducing the knight's upper body to bloody guts and viscera.

Four more knights attacked Kratos, utterly terrified but determined regardless. Kratos plunged one of his blades into one knight's shoulder, before wrapping the burning chain around the knight's neck and pulling, taking their head clean off. He parried the other knight's spear with his shield, before calling his axe back to his hand and swinging downwards, plunging it deep into the knight's head and cleaving his skull in two. The knight fell to the ground when Kratos pulled out, gurgling as pieces of his brain spilled out of his skull. Kratos threw a punch that knocked the third knight to the ground, before grabbing the knight's spear and stabbing the knight's shoulder with it. The knight yelled in pain as Kratos pulled the spear out, before plunging it into the knight's face, killing him. Kratos plunged the Blades of Chaos into the last knight's chest, before pulling them horizontally. The knight yelled in agony as Kratos ripped him in half. Both halves fell to the floor, the knight's guts spilling onto the floor.

Kratos huffed. All he could see was red. The knights in the throne room were all dead, by his hand. Blood soaked his body, stained his blades and axe, and even stained the walls and floor. The nobles, the King, Myne, and the three other heroes were dead silent as they stared at Kratos, utterly horrified at the bloody massacre they had just witnessed. Atreus stood by his father's side, staring at the King with defiance. Aultcray stared at Kratos with horror, yet frowned as he tried to maintain anger.

'H-heroes! Stop that monster!' he yelled, pointing at Kratos. 'Slay him!'

The heroes seemed to hesitate out of fear for Kratos, but regardless they all raised their weapons. They yelled as they charged at Kratos with full force, attacking all at once.

'Die, Monster!' Ren yelled, swinging his sword.

'Perish!' Okaya yelled, pulling back on his bow.

'I won't let you hurt Myne!' Motoyasu shouted as he thrust his spear.

Kratos growled, before igniting his blade and swinging it, before slamming the blade onto the ground. The impact created a massive explosion that hit the three heroes with its flames and blew all three away. They all fell to the ground, dropping their weapons in the process. They looked up at Kratos, fear in their eyes. Aultcray cowered, trying desperately to remain defiant.

'M-monster!' he shouted. 'You are absolute scum!'

'Alright, I think I want me, my Father, and Mimir sent back home,' Atreus said. 'You can do that, right?'

Aultcray frowned, putting his hand over his forehead.

'Oh, believe me, I would very much want to send you back, after your vile actions this morning,' he said. 'But alas, it cannot be done. The Waves of Destruction will not allow it.'

'What do you mean?!' Kratos bellowed.

'According to the texts, the four heroes cannot return to their home worlds until the Waves have been completely stopped. The only way to summon new heroes is if the original four are all slain. And if just one hero perishes, then the waves shall become worse.'

All three heroes turned to Aultcray, in shock.

'What?!' Okaya said.

'You're kidding!' Ren said.

'Are you saying we'll need to fight alongside a rapist and a murderer?!' Motoyasu exclaimed.

'So we can't even go home again?!' Mimir exclaimed. 'You rotten bastard!'

'So, what are you gonna do now?! Throw us in prison to rot?!' Atreus asked.

'Since you are a Legendary Hero, you are still needed to fight the waves,' Aultcray declared. 'Already news of your crime has spread throughout Melromarc. That is your punishment; You shall never expect to be able to live a decent life in this country.'

Kratos growled, his anger flaring again, as he strolled up to the throne. Aultcray quickly panicked as he cowered into his throne. Myne shrunk back in fear as Kratos got near her. Motoyasu raised a hand out towards her.

'Myne!' he called out. Myne raised her arms to defend herself, as Kratos struck her in the head with his fist and knocked her to the ground. Kratos went straight up to the King, grabbing him roughly by the robe collar and pulling him close.

'We will help defend this world from the Waves of Destruction,' Kratos said. 'You will NOT hinder us! You will NOT attack us! You will NOT harm my son! If you hinder us, attack us, or harm my son, I will hunt you down, and you will meet the God that I once was! Do you understand?!'

Aultcray looked up at Kratos, horrified as he pissed himself, slowly nodding.

'I-I understand,' he replied meekly. Satisfied, Kratos let go of him. Aultcray sat in his piss, terrified and deeply embarrassed, as Kratos turned and walked away.

'Come,' he said to Atreus. As he, Atreus and Mimir left the throne room, Kratos punched a nearby pillar in a rage, taking off a good chunk of the pillar. Its pieces flew everywhere, lying scattered on the ground.

The three of them left the castle and made their way through the town. By now, the sun had already risen in full. Most of the people got out of the duo's way as they strolled through the town, muttering to one another and pointing at Atreus. News of his false crime had already reached the town. The people also seemed to regard Kratos with great fear, scrambling to get out of his way when he got near. Already the two of them were regarded as vile monsters within Melromarc. Atreus sighed as he lowered his eyes, then shook his head defiantly. No. There was no way he was going lie over and die. Not like this. He had a job to do. He'd show them, he vowed. He'd show them that he was a hero. Not the monster Myne made him out as.

'Atreus, if you don't mind me asking,' Mimir said. 'What happened? In that throne room?'

Atreus sighed, lowering his head.

'Myne,' he answered. 'The horrible, manipulative princess. The one we rejected from our party, remember? She accused me of breaking into her room and assaulting her. Along with Father as well. But it was all lies. We never went near her at all.'

'Now doubt she falsely accused us as revenge for rejecting her,' Mimir concluded. 'That rotten, horrible woman. She is vile, isn't she?'

'I knew we shouldn't have trusted her. Even her sobbing sounded forced. She's not a good actor. I can't believe anyone would fall for that.'

'Aye. You were right about her, lad. So, what do we do now?'

Atreus sighed as he tried to think.

'I don't know. I just…I want to go into the forest. Let off some steam, clear my mind.'

'We shall follow,' Kratos replied.

'Hey, kid!'

Kratos and Atreus turned. It was Erhard, standing in the middle of the street. The two of them had walked right past his shop. What did he want?

'I heard what you did to that woman!' he said, as he began strolling over to Atreus. 'Come here!'

He raised one closed hand, almost as if he wanted to strike Atreus. Kratos growled as he stood between the two of them, grabbing Erhard's wrist tight.

'Do you have a problem with my son?' he asked, frowning as he glared daggers at Erhard. Erhard stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up at Kratos, fear in his eyes. If looks could kill, Erhard would be dead where he stood. Sweat beaded down his forehead. Then he swallowed.

'Uh…N-no, sir,' he replied. 'I…I just wanted to hear what happened from his side, that's all...C-cause I've just been hearing only hers.'

Atreus frowned in frustration. Was even Erhard against him now? He sighed as he folded his arms.

'We didn't do it,' Atreus said. 'We were camped far outside the castle last night. We didn't go anywhere near her. Besides, do you see any injuries on me?'

Erhard seemed to eye him up and down. He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing.

'A-alright…I believe you. I-I mean…I know you didn't do it. You don't seem like the kinda guy who'd do that sort of thing. Besides, her story doesn't make sense.'

Atreus sighed and lowered his head, unfolding his arms.

'Let's go,' he said to his father. Kratos grunted as he released Erhard's wrist. They both turned to walk away, only for Erhard to stop them.

'Wait a sec!' he said. 'You two are gonna get killed out there! Here, take this!'

He threw a bag at Atreus. Atreus caught it and looked inside. Inside was a green cloak, some armour, and even a few tools.

'How much is this?' Atreus asked.

'Somewhere around 70 silver pieces. I had them in the back,' Erhard replied. Atreus smiled and closed the bag back up.

'Thank you,' he said. 'I'll pay it back. I promise. Take care.'

'Pay it back at your convenience. Good luck, kid.'

Atreus nodded. He and Kratos turned and left through the city gates, entering into the fields.