Atreus and Kratos were having a rough time.

A full week had passed since Myne had falsely accused the two of them of a crime most vile. Since then, Atreus and Kratos became social pariahs throughout Melromarc, viewed as monsters. Most of the people didn't want anything to do with Atreus, thinking him to be a cruel man. Even Erhard, the Weapon Shop owner, had initially been hostile towards him.

Atreus wasn't the only one. News had quickly spread throughout Melromarc that Kratos had massacred the knights that had arrested Atreus and threatened the King's life. Since then, people became terrified of Kratos and were too scared to go near him. Whenever Kratos and Atreus appeared, people would regard Kratos with intense fear and would keep their distance from him. If the two of them walked down a street, the people would scramble to get out of his way. When Atreus and Kratos once entered a building packed with people, they were all terrified that Kratos would massacre every last one of them, the same way he had killed the knights.

That was fine with Kratos, however. As long as no one threatened him or his son, he didn't care what other people thought of him. With no one in the town willing to support them except for Erhard, Atreus and Kratos spent most of their time camping outdoors, far away from the castle. It was a struggle for both of them to survive out in the wild. Every night they would have to hunt to feed themselves. As they slept, they would take turns watching for anything that could threaten them. Kratos did not want a repeat of what happened last week. An ordinary man would've broken under the pressure.

Thankfully, Kratos and Atreus were used to living in rough conditions. They had lived through three years of Fimbulwinter AND survived Ragnarok. They were ready for anything by this point.

Atreus, Kratos and Mimir sat by the campfire, eating meat that they had hunted. They had spent the last several days out in the fields and forests, slaying monsters. By now, their levels had gone up greatly. The wolf form proved to be immensely useful to Atreus. Though he couldn't use his bow, he could still attack. That was all that mattered to him. Atreus had been absorbing everything they found during their training. Soon, he had unlocked so many shields that it was difficult to keep track of them all. Atreus was busy absorbing grass that he had picked up earlier today when the shield suddenly emitted a beeping noise. Text appeared in his vision:

Leaf Shield Conditions Met

A bit surprised, Atreus opened up the weapons menu and took a look.

Leaf Shield
abilities locked equip bonus: gathering skill 1

'Abilities locked?' Atreus said. 'Equip bonus? Gathering Skill 1? What does all this mean?'

'Maybe you should look it up in the "help menu" lad?' Mimir replied. Atreus nodded, before going into the help menu.

Changing the weapon and unlocking Abilities

Changing the weapon refers to changing the form of your currently equipped Legendary Weapon. If you hold your hand over the weapon and think of the name of the weapon you wish it to become, the weapon will change into that form.

Abilities can be unlocked simply by using the equipped weapon for a certain amount of time. Once unlocked the equip bonus will be applied to the user at all times.

Equip Bonuses

Equip bonuses are abilities that can only be used when a specific weapon is active. For example, if a weapon has the Air Strike Shield ability, that ability can only be used if that specific weapon is equipped.

'I think I understand,' Atreus explained. 'Abilities allow me to perform a specific action. Abilities can be unlocked if I use a certain shield enough times. If I unlock an Ability, I can use that Ability regardless of what shield I'm using. Some abilities are only active if I have a specific shield equipped.'

'Aye, that makes sense,' Mimir said.

'Yeah. I still don't understand what "gathering skill 1" means, though.'

'Maybe it means you can gather things better?'

'Maybe. Won't know until I try it.'

The three of them sat staring into the fire for a while. Then, Atreus got up, putting his hood over his head.

'I'm heading into the town to sell loot,' he said. 'Stay here, Father. I don't think the people will be eager to do business with me if you're around.'

Kratos only grunted in reply. The only time they ever set foot into Melromarc was when they were selling loot, or buying equipment. The first time they sold loot was after their sham trial. The two of them had been out in the fields. It had been raining quite heavily in Melromarc. They had been slaying Balloon Monsters all day and had collected quite a lot of loot. The two of them reluctantly head into the town to sell off the Balloon skins they had acquired. As they strolled through the town, people pointed towards Kratos with terror in their eyes, gasping and murmuring to one another as they pushed and shoved each other to keep as far from Kratos as possible. They entered into the marketplace, where they found a small stall that sold an array of wares. The stall owner was doing business with a man who had a few Balloon skins to sell.

'For these little things? How does 1 copper for every 2 pieces sound?' The stall owner said.

'Yeah sure,' the other man said. 'You've got yourself a deal.'

'Heh, splendid!' The stall owner took the Balloon skins and put a few coppers into the man's hand. 'Come again, now!'

'Thank you.' The man put the coppers into his pocket and turned. He froze when he stood face to face with Atreus, then gasped when he saw Kratos behind him and cowered in fear, his eyes widening in surprise, before slowly walking away as Atreus went up to the stall.

'Welcome sir,' the stall owner said with a smile, before frowning when he realised it was the Shield Hero. Atreus pulled several Balloon skins out of his bag, putting them onto the counter.

'How much for all of these?' Atreus asked. The stall owner seemed to think for a second.

'Orange Balloons are they? Sounds like 80 of them. How about 1 copper for the entire lot?'

Atreus frowned.

'But you gave that other guy 1 copper per 2 pieces,' he said. The stall owner only chuckled.

'Did I?' He seemed to smirk at Atreus. 'I don't remember. You must understand I have a business to run.'

Kratos growled and stepped in front of Atreus, slamming his hand onto the desk. The stall owner's eyes widened in fear as he looked up at Kratos, his eyes piercing the owner's soul. If looks could kill, the stall owner would be dead right where he stood. He swallowed as sweat dripped down his forehead.

'H-how about 3 copper for every 2 pieces?' he said. 'H-how does t-that sound?'

'Works well enough for me,' Atreus said. The stall owner took the Balloon skins and gave Atreus 1 silver piece and 20 copper pieces. Atreus took the copper and silver and put them into his pouch. It wasn't much, but it could last. The stall owner sighed in relief as the two of them walked away. News of that particular incident had spread like wildfire throughout Melromarc. No one ever tried to swindle Atreus and Kratos out of a payment since. They were too terrified of what Kratos could do to them if they tried.

Keeping his hood over his head, Atreus entered, alone, into the streets of Melromarc. The streets weren't as packed at this time of day, so it was less likely he'd run into trouble.

Atreus held a small pouch full of medicinal herbs close to him. He had seen an Apothecary that sold medicine and herbs. While out in the forest, Atreus had come across several grasses and herbs that he recognized from looking into the store. He figured he could sell these for a good price.

He entered the Apothecary minutes before it was meant to close. He handed the herbs to the store owner, who in turn examined the herbs closely for several seconds. He seemed impressed.

'Wow, this is excellent stuff,' he said. 'Where did you even get these?'

'In the forest, right outside the castle,' Atreus replied. 'Didn't you know?'

Atreus kept his hood over his head to keep the store owner from recognising him. The Shield he also kept in its Book Shield form to make recognizing him even more unlikely.

'Well, yeah. But I've never seen them of such a high quality. I was certain it was much more average.'

The shop owner took the herbs and paid Atreus 75 pieces of Silver. Far better than what Atreus had been making previously. Atreus accepted the silver and put it in his pocket, before leaving the Apothecary.

It was the dead of night within Melromarc. By now everyone had gone inside their homes for the night. Everything was dead silent. Walking briskly throughout the town, Atreus decided he would take a shortcut through a nearby alleyway. He was disappointed when he discovered the alleyway had been a dead end and turned the other way. He could hear the sounds of footsteps behind him, getting louder and louder. Finally, he turned and saw three men standing behind him. He could barely make them out in the moonlight. They all looked middle-aged and wore tattered clothing.

'Hey, kid,' the one in front said. 'You're the Shield Hero, aren't you?'

Atreus cringed. How did they recognise him so quickly? Maybe his disguise wasn't as good as he previously thought.

'Maybe,' he replied, making sure to keep his distance from them. 'What does it matter to you?'

'Well, we'd thought that maybe you'd want a few allies,' the one on the left said. 'Ya know, help ya out?'

The three of them laughed. None of them looked trustworthy to Atreus.

'Sorry, but I'm not looking for any allies right now.'

'Oh? Come on! We could prove useful. We're good at fighting.'

Atreus eyed all three of them, backing away whenever they stepped towards him.

'N-no,' he said, 'I..I don't need any allies. I'm good on my own, thank you very much.'

'Aw come on, just give us your loot!'

The three of them all drew daggers from their cloaks. Atreus took a step back, eyeing all three of them. He stood defiantly as he prepared to use his wolf form, channelling his rage through his body and preparing to release it.

An axe plunged into one of the men, cleaving his skull in two. The man groaned as he fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his wound as he expired. The other two turned and became terrified. Within the moonlight, Atreus could barely make out his father.

'M-M-Monster!' one of the men screamed, and the two of them ran for their lives, terrified. Atreus made a small sigh of relief.

'That was close. Thanks,' he said.

Kratos grunted as he pulled his axe out of the man's head, putting it onto his back.

'Wait, how did you know I was here?' Atreus said.

'You were taking a long time,' Kratos replied. 'We were beginning to worry something had happened. So we looked for you.'

'Aye, lad.'

Atreus nodded, betraying a small smile.

'I could've taken care of myself,' he said. 'But I appreciate it.' He sighed, lowering his head.

'All these people look at you and run away in fear,' he said. 'But you don't care about that, do you? You're used to people seeing you as a Monster.'

'Are you angry, Atreus?' Kratos asked. Atreus simply nodded. There was no point in hiding it from him.

'Yeah. I hate it here. Branded like an animal for something I never did. Everyone thinks of me as a monster now. I thought…I thought things would be great here. In the new world. I didn't think it would turn out like this.'

Kratos betrayed a sigh and put a reassuring hand on Atreus's shoulder.

'If you do not wish for them to see you as a monster,' he said. 'Then you must prove to them that you are not a monster. Harness your anger, but do not let it control you.'

Atreus looked up at his father's eyes and nodded.

'Okay…I think I can do that.'

'Say, you seem troubled,' a voice called from behind Kratos and Atreus. They both turned and saw a small, stout man, peeking his head from behind a corner. He was roughly the size of a Dwarf, if they even existed in this world. He wore strange, elegant-looking clothing coloured many shades of purple. He wore a tall hat, and his eyes were hidden behind two round glasses, set firmly on his nose. He had a short, thick pointy moustache. He was grinning from ear to ear, exposing large teeth.

'Who are you?' Atreus asked. 'Are you some kind of Dwarf?'

'Dwarf? Don't think I've ever heard of a Dwarf,' the man replied. 'But, you may call me Beloukas. You appear to need an ally or two.'

'An ally? I think I'll pass. My father fights for me.'

'True, true, but what I offer may prove to be far more convenient.' Beloukas let out a short chuckle.

'And what would that be, may I ask?' Mimir asked.

'Interested, are we? If so, follow me, and we can discuss more.'

Atreus raised an eyebrow, considering. The man certainly didn't look very friendly. If he was anything like Myne, he'd be able to see through him. And yet, he didn't appear to have any ulterior motives. He looked to his father briefly, who only grunted. Then Atreus looked to Beloukas, his face becoming stern.

'Show us,' he said. Beloukas smiled, far more widely than Atreus thought was possible.

'Right this way.'

Beloukas led them through the dark streets, eventually leading them to a building in the middle of town. It looked like a gigantic tent. Atreus eyed the tent with curiosity as Beloukas led him and Kratos inside.

The inside of the tent was dark, barely lit by dim candles. Cages were lined in rows, and stacked upon one another. The sounds of crying and howling could be heard all around them. Within the dim light, Kratos and Atreus could barely make out shapes within the cages. Most looked like humans, but with animalistic characteristics, while others looked more feral. Kratos's mouth hung open as he looked at the crates all around him, dumbfounded.

'What…Is this?' He asked.

'Can't you tell just by looking? They're slaves, man.'

Kratos swivelled his head to Beloukas, feeling anger begin to surge within him.

'Slaves?' he asked, his eyes narrowing.

'No way,' Atreus replied.

'Yes, way!' Beloukas said with a chuckle. 'I run a slave trading business!'

At that, Kratos's anger rose tenfold. He gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage. For a moment, he had the incredibly strong urge to tear Beloukas to pieces. He took several breaths to hold back his rage, but only barely.

'Why would we be interested in a slave?' Atreus asked.

'I don't know, the fact that they can't lie or betray their master?'

'How?' Kratos asked, a bit more aggressively than he intended.

'We keep them under a curse, a tough seal that punishes disobedience, up to and including death.'

Atreus shifted uncomfortably, feeling a bit disturbed.

'Could you show us more?' he asked.

'Of course! Right this way! I knew I could count on you to be a loyal patron!'

Beloukas led the two of them around the slave tent. Kratos noticed that some of the slaves were young enough to be children. They looked dirty and miserable, and most of them were crying. Kratos growled as his anger flared up within him. He had to take several deep breaths to keep his fury under control.

'Some of these don't even look human,' Atreus said, eyeing the more feral ones.

'Oh, I assure you, they still are, technically. We call them Demi-Humans.'

'Demi-Humans?'

'Yes. They are a subspecies of humans. Demi-Humans are easily recognizable by animal-like characteristics, such as ears or tails. Other Demi-Humans are more on the animalistic side. We call those Therianthropes.'

'Why enslave them?' Kratos asked, his voice dripping with fury. Beloukas turned to face him, raising an eyebrow.

'You sound enraged,' he observed. 'Does any of this anger you?'

'I remember the feeling of a yoke around my neck. I would not wish it on another.'

Beloukas shifted uncomfortably, readjusting his glasses.

'I see. I understand this may be distressing for you. But there's a good reason for it. You see, Melromarc is a country that practices Human Supremacy. Demi-Humans are in a low social standing in this country. So low, in fact, that they are treated like monsters, and people can kill them without facing repercussions for it. As such, we treat them as slaves. It is usually the only protection they can have.'

Kratos let out a single deep breath as he clenched his fist. Even Beloukas's explanation did nothing to quell his anger.

Atreus looked into one of the cages. Inside was what looked like to be a large wolf. His status told him that it was a Wolfman, and it was at lvl 70. It reminded him of the Wulvers back home.

'So these "slaves"...They're bound to people by a curse?'

'Yes, my boy. And…'

He snapped his fingers, and something on the Wolfman's chest began to glow. The Wolfman howled in pain as he was electrocuted. Kratos and Atreus watched in horror as the Wolfman was tortured. Kratos curled his hand into a tight fist, his anger reaching its limit. Even if the beast was feral, it still did not deserve this kind of treatment.

'...Punishment can be at the snap of the finger.' Beloukas said.

Kratos turned, unable to bear it. Then, he heard coughing coming from a cage in front of him. He knelt in front of the cage, looking inside. It was a little girl. She had short, puffy ears and a long puffy tail. She wore nothing but tattered rags. She kept her gaze on the ground, tears forming in her empty eyes.

Kratos's lips quivered as he slipped a hand through the bars. Very gently, very carefully, he put one hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly and looked up at him with fearful eyes. Kratos stared at her, feeling pity for her situation. He moved his hand from her shoulder and gently touched her cheek, wiping a tear away with one thumb. She said nothing but let out a small cough. She seemed sick. Atreus knelt beside Kratos, looking at her.

'You want to buy her?' Atreus whispered to his father.

'No. Not buy. Set free.' Kratos replied.

Atreus nodded, before getting to his feet.

'This one,' he said. Beloukas raised an eyebrow.

'That sickly-looking thing?' he asked. 'Her previous owners complained of her suffering night terrors. It might take a lot of work with her. She might not be long for this world anyway. You sure you want her?'

'I'm sure,' Atreus said with conviction. Beloukas chuckled.

'Good eye, then,' he replied. He opened up the cage and let the girl out. A servant stepped out of the darkness, carrying what looked like black ink.

'Now, if we may,' Beloukas said. 'The slave crest?'

Kratos quickly pulled the girl away, protecting her.

'No,' he said. 'We are leaving.'

'But, we must apply the slave crest,' Beloukas protested. 'For the payment to be made, she must be made a slave and-'

'NO!' Kratos suddenly yelled out in a burst of rage, making Beloukas jump back in shock. Sweat beaded down his forehead as he looked at Kratos with fear. For once, he had lost his smile.

'No,' Kratos said, more firmly. 'Come,' he said to Atreus, turning to leave. Atreus took the girl's hand gently but firmly. When he did, a Notification appeared in his vision, saying he had gotten a new party member.

'Come along,' Atreus said. The girl followed them with fear as they led her out of the tent.

'O-one more thing,' Beloukas called out. 'M-make sure you keep her close, you hear? Unmarked Demi-humans don't tend to last long in Melromarc.'

'Noted,' Atreus replied. 'So, do you have a name?' he asked the racoon girl.

'Ra-' She suddenly started coughing violently, covering her mouth. 'Raphtalia,' she finally said once her coughing ceased.

'Raphtalia? That's a good name,' Atreus replied. 'Alright, Raphtalia. Right this way, please.'

Erhard had been working in his store when Kratos and Atreus walked in, Raphtalia following behind them obediently. Erhard smiled when he saw them come in.

'Well, hey there, Hero!' he greeted.

'Hey, Erhard,' Atreus replied. 'I need a weapon. Preferably one that's cheap.'

Erhard was confused until he saw Raphtalia, hiding behind Atreus's leg.

'Who's the girl with ya?' he asked.

'Her name is Raphtalia,' Atreus explained. 'Father and I saved her from a slave trader. Do you have any weapons that she could use?'

Erhard thought for a moment, then nodded.

'I may have a weapon at the back of the store. I'll be right back.'

Erhard went to the back of the store, searching through his wares.

'What do you plan on doing with her?' Kratos asked Atreus.

'Teach her how to fight,' Atreus explained. 'To hunt, to survive, to take care of herself. We need her to be strong. If we're going to fight the waves, we'll need all the help we can get.'

'Might be wise to give her some medicine as well,' Mimir said. 'She doesn't sound very good.'

'Yeah. Should probably bathe her as well. She smells.'

There was a river in the fields, where Atreus and Kratos had moved their hunting. There were plenty of fish there as well. Kratos had been teaching Atreus how to catch fish, as best as he could.

It was a moment of waiting later that Erhard came back out with a cheap dagger, handing it to Atreus.

'Oh yeah, I found some fresh clothing for her as well,' Erhard explained, handing over a bundle of clothes as well. Atreus took the clothing.

'Thank you,' Atreus said, handing the clothes and dagger to Raphtalia.

'Get changed, okay?' he said. Raphtalia nodded and silently headed into the changing room to change. After a moment, she came back out wearing her new clothes, the dagger in her hand, and then ran to Atreus. It seemed she thought he'd hurt her if she disobeyed. Atreus knelt so that their eyes were even levelled.

'Alright Raphtalia, I expect you to fight monsters from here on out. Understand?'

Raphtalia nodded, remaining silent.

Atreus nodded, before pulling a Balloon from out of his cloak. He had been storing several since he learned they couldn't hurt him. They had been chewing on his body for a week straight.

Raphtalia jumped back with a shriek, eyeing the Balloon with fear in her eyes. Atreus held it out.

'I want you to stab this,' he said.

'I-I…No!'

'You have to. I know you're scared, but you must. Do it for me, okay?'

Raphtalia hesitated, then gripped the dagger tightly, charging at the Balloon. Her dagger plunged deep into it, causing it to pop. Words flashed in Atreus's vision, showing that she had gained +1 exp.

'There we go!' Atreus said. 'Good job, Raphtalia.' He rubbed her head gently.

Raphtalia looked up at him with confusion, then nodded.

'T-thank you…?' she said. She couldn't understand why he was being so kind to her.

'Alright, I think it's time we head out,' Atreus said, paying for the new equipment. 'Take care, Erhard.'

'Same to you. And you take good care of that little girl, alright?'

'Will do. Goodbye.'

Atreus and Kratos left the store, Raphtalia following behind them meekly.

They left the castle grounds and entered into the fields. They headed to the river, where they bathed and clean Raphtalia. Once that was done, they continued further into the fields, where they were set upon by several Balloons. Atreus turned to Raphtalia.

'Okay, we're gonna need you to fight all those Balloons,' he said. 'Can you do that?'

Raphtalia eyed the Balloons with fear, then slowly nodded.

'Alright,' Atreus said.

Atreus stood in front of Raphtalia, baiting one of the Balloons to him. He held out his arm as a Balloon bit onto it, chewing aimlessly. He turned to Raphtalia.

'Attack, now,' he commanded. Raphtalia obeyed, and lunged forward with her dagger, popping the Balloon. Both their EXPs went up.

'Good job, Raphtalia. Again,' Atreus said, grabbing another Balloon and holding it out for her. Raphtalia obeyed, popping the Balloon just like she did the previous one. Several more Balloons Atreus grabbed and held out for Raphtalia. At Atreus's command, Raphtalia stabbed them and killed them, one by one.

They spent the entire day training this way. Atreus would grab a Balloon, while Raphtalia would attack it. Kratos stood nearby, watching as Atreus trained her. He couldn't hide the pride he felt for Atreus.

'He has grown so much,' he said.

'Aye, I'm proud of him,' Mimir replied. 'You've trained him well, Brother.'

'So you have told me.'

It was mid-afternoon when they finally stopped. Raphtalia had gone up a few levels by the time they were done. By that point, Raphtalia was nearly exhausted.

'W-was I good?' Raphtalia asked. Atreus smiled and rubbed her head.

'You were great! Good job out there,' he said.

Raphtalia was confused by the gesture but smiled regardless. Her stomach rumbled loudly then, causing her to rub her belly.

'Hungry?' Atreus asked. Raphtalia nodded slowly.

'Come along. We should find something to hunt around here.'

Atreus, Kratos and Raphtalia walked through the fields for a good while, until they entered into the forest, where they came upon a monster in a small clearing. It looked like a deer, but larger and more vicious looking. A Notification told Atreus that it was a Poleona. Raphtalia eyed the creature in fear.

Atreus was the one who charged. The Poleona bellowed as it lunged at Atreus, ramming into him with brute force. Atreus was nearly knocked to the ground with its strength, but he held on and eventually had it pinned to the ground, holding its massive antlers

'Alright, kill it now!' Atreus commanded. Raphtalia shook her head quickly.

'Raphtalia, please!'

'B-but if I stab it...It'll bleed…I-I'm afraid of blood!'

'Raphtalia, I know you're scared...But if you don't kill it, how are we going to fight the Waves?'

Raphtalia looked up at Atreus, confused.

'Y-You're going to fight the Waves?'

'Yeah. But if we're gonna fight it, then we need all the help we're gonna get! If we die, we may not be able to protect you. We need you to be able to fight. Understand?'

Raphtalia seemed to hesitate, before gripping her dagger tightly.

'O-okay!' she said, before yelling as she lunged at the Poleona. Her dagger plunged into the Poleona's neck, causing blood to splatter onto her face. The Poleona roared in agony as it lashed about, before going still, dead. Raphtalia and Atreus both gained enough EXP to level up.

'I…I did it,' she said. Kratos took a small cloth and wiped the blood off her face.

'Well done,' he said.

'You did good. Great job Raphtalia,' Atreus said.

Kratos made a low grunt. He was reminded of when he had taken Atreus hunting for the first time. Like Raphtlia, Atreus had also struggled to kill the animal. It had taken some prodding from Kratos for Atreus to do so.

'A-alright,' Raphtalia said. 'I may not have a choice, but I'll fight for you. I'll fight the Waves alongside you. I will be your sword.'

Atreus smiled, rubbing her head again.

'I know you will,' he replied.

Evening came before long. The three of them sat around the campfire, cooking the Poleona that they killed earlier. Atreus and Kratos had already begun to eat, while Raphtalia stared into the fire, holding her portion absent-mindedly. Atreus noticed and raised an eyebrow.

'Eat up,' he said. Raphtalia looked up at him with confusion.

'R-really?' she asked. Atreus nodded.

'Of course,' he replied.

Raphtalia seemed to hesitate, before beginning to scoff down her dinner. Her previous owners didn't feed her enough, and it showed. She began to choke when she swallowed a piece too fast, her eyes widening. Kratos gave a soft blow to her back that made her spit it out.

'T-thanks,' she said.

The three of them sat around the fire for a while. Raphtalia stared into the flames, seeming troubled. Then she looked up at Atreus.

'Who are you? Really?' she asked. Atreus swallowed the portion he was eating.

'I'm…I guess I'm some kind of hero,' he said.

'Y-you mean, one of the four Cardinal Heroes?' Raphtalia asked. Atreus shrugged.

'Kind of.'

Raphtalia's mouth hung open. Then she ran up to Atreus and grabbed his arm, pulling it out. Her eyes widened when she saw the shield strapped to Atreus's arm.

'Y-you're the Shield Hero!' she exclaimed, looking up at Atreus with excitement. 'What do I call you?'

'My name's Loki. Though you may call me Atreus if you like. This is my Father and Mimir.'

'How do you do, lass?' Mimir asked.

'Mr…Loki. M-Mimir. A-A pleasure to meet all of you.'

Raphtalia suddenly started coughing, covering her mouth with her hand. Atreus handed her some medicine. Crafting medicine was surprisingly easy in this world. All he had to do was put some materials into the shield and they'd get compounded. He wondered why his homeworld didn't have this feature.

Raphtalia took the medicine and drank it. Her face scrunched up as she pushed it away.

'It tastes bitter!' she whined.

'Good, that means it'll work,' Atreus replied.

Raphtalia groaned, before finishing off the medicine. The coughing stopped for a time.

'T-thank you, Mr. Loki.'

'No problem. Probably be best to sleep now. We've got a few busy days ahead.'

'O-okay…'

The group retired for the day, sleeping peacefully around the campfire. The group was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of Raphtalia screaming. Atreus and Kratos quickly sat up, thinking she was being attacked. They turned and saw Raphtalia. She was still asleep but was screaming.

'No…No…Help!'

'Nightmares,' Kratos said, knowing full well what it was like to be plagued by that sort of thing. Atreus immediately took her into his arms, trying to calm her down. He realised then what the Slave Trader meant by night terrors.

'Hey, it's okay! I'm here!' Atreus said, hugging her tightly.

'No! NOOOOOOOOO!'

Atreus hoisted her into his arms, rubbing her head to calm her down. She remained asleep but still screamed.

'This isn't good, she could attract monsters,' Mimir said.

'Raphtalia! I'm here! Please, calm down! It's all gonna be okay!' Atreus said, clamping his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming.

'F-father! M-mother!'

Rustling sounds could be heard in the bushes nearby. Several Balloons jumped out of the bushes and into the open. Kratos immediately grabbed his axe and charged at them, roaring.

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone, I hope you're all enjoying reading this so far! I've been enjoying writing it. I plan to have a lot more in store in the future chapters. I want to take this moment to thank all of you for your feedback and criticisms. After considering them, I've gone back and reworked the previous chapters a bit, so I hope they address your concerns well enough. If not for your feedback and criticisms, I would have never hoped to improve this story. I will take them into account as I write the future chapters.
As always, thanks for reading my fanfic!