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Skyrim Spartan
Chapter 27: Bleak Falls Barrow III
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Wind whipped loudly around Kratos as he fell. Directly beneath him, the troll leader snarled and struggled to break free from his grasp. Kratos pushed away a little to give himself some room to maneuver. Minor streaks of pain erupted on his back as the troll leader clawed at him with both its hands, its long nails like daggers digging slightly into his skin.
Kratos responded by slamming his fist into its side several times. Flesh and bones caved beneath his strikes. The troll cried out in pain and let go of him, twisting in a reflexive attempt to get away from the punishing blows. Kratos stopped punching and held the troll leader tightly with his left hand instead, reaching back with his right hand for the sword on his back. Before he could fully draw it and take a swing, however, the troll leader grabbed his right arm, using all its strength to stop him as it seemed to realize what he was trying to do.
There's no time, Kratos thought with urgency. Only a few seconds had passed since they had fallen off the edge, but from his estimate there were only another handful of seconds left before they reached the bottom. And he needed to get to Anske before then.
The young woman in question was screaming and tumbling not too far away from where Kratos and the troll leader were embroiled in a fight. It was so dark that Kratos could barely see her, and likely would have already lost sight of her had she been even a little further away.
Making his decision, Kratos jerked his body to the left, causing him and the troll leader to start spinning. At the right moment, he let go of his hold on the beast with his left hand while simultaneously kicking hard with his feet, using the troll's body as a surface to launch himself towards where Anske was. But even as he separated violently from the troll leader, his right arm broke free of the troll's grip and in that split second as they were launched apart, Kratos swung and threw the greatsword right at the big troll.
The troll leader roared in pain a moment later, but Kratos failed to see if his sword struck true and killed the beast or not as the troll disappeared far into the darkness. With no time to think about it, Kratos turned his attention to the rapidly approaching Anske, who he was able to grab hold of within another second.
"Kratos!" she cried, recognizing him even in her terror.
The wind still whipped loudly around them as they continued to fall.
"I have you," he declared, though he was unsure if she heard him.
He pulled her to his chest and spun them around so that he was beneath her. Wrapping his arms around her protectively, he held her close and tensed his body in preparation for impact.
Ω=o=Ω=o=Ω
Lydia used one hand to hold tightly to the back of the thief's clothes, preventing him from falling to his doom, while her other hand gripped the handle of her sword, which she had stabbed into the stones to anchor herself. Her heart was racing and her mind whirling after having just witnessed both her master and Anske plummeting into the darkness below.
"Can you uh… help me up now? Please?" the Dunmer said nervously, snapping Lydia out of her momentary stupor.
She heaved him up with some effort and threw him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. He groaned in pain but was wise enough to say nothing given his situation.
Both of them were breathing heavily, and other than the final sounds of dying trolls in the distance where Uthgerd was finishing off the last of the beasts, there was no other sound.
BOOM.
A sudden explosive sound from below echoed across the cavern, and the bridge trembled ever so slightly.
Lydia, who was now kneeling by her sword that was still in her grasp, whipped her head back around to stare into the chasm below. She knew what that sound meant. And she tried hard not to imagine what the scene below might look like.
"THANE KRATOS!" she suddenly yelled, her voice echoing into the vast space. "THANE KRATOS!"
She waited. And waited. But there was no reply. She yelled a few more times, her voice starting to strain. Still nothing.
Uthgerd finally appeared beside her, causing her to look up.
"Thane Kratos… and Anske… they…" Lydia started to say, her voice hoarse from all the shouting. Her mind was in turmoil, and she felt numb.
"I know." Uthgerd held her warhammer close as she glanced towards the darkness below.
"Do you think they…?" Lydia couldn't even bring herself to say it.
Uthgerd could only shake her head, before she turned her attention to the dark elf. Bringing her warhammer up to rest over her shoulder, she loomed over the bound elf, who could not help but look up at her warily.
"Tell us exactly what happened, thief. And do not even think of lying," she said.
The dark elf swallowed hard and nodded. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before opening his mouth to carefully recount the last couple of minutes.
"I really tried my best to save her," the elf added, but then raised his bound wrists for them to see. "But there was only so much I could do."
At this point, Lydia had gotten to her feet. She had yet to sheath her sword, holding it beside her in case she might have need of it still. Her shield was somewhere on the bridge behind her, having tossed it aside when she rushed over earlier.
"We're not cutting you loose, if that's what you're trying to ask for," Uthgerd said in a brisk tone. Then she turned away from him and faced Lydia. "We should keep going. There must be a way to get down there from here."
Lydia looked surprised. "You think they're still alive?"
Uthgerd shook her head. "We won't know for sure until we see for ourselves." Then she shrugged. "If what the elf says is true, it seemed like he intentionally threw himself off the side. That should tell you something."
Lydia looked down into the darkness below once more, a faint ray of hope shining within her. "You're right. Thane Kratos' strength is on another level. After all, he has slain a dragon. Perhaps he really can survive such a fall…"
Uthgerd clapped her on the shoulder. "Let's go."
Lydia quickly collected her shield and then returned to them just as Uthgerd hoisted the elf up onto his feet. After telling the elf not to try escaping, they set off. This time with Uthgerd in the lead this time, Lydia following closely behind her.
"Hey… did you really just say that he slew a dragon?" the elf quietly said with disbelief as he struggled to keep up with the two women.
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Kratos felt the pain across his entire body begin to dissipate. The chasm was only a little deeper than he expected, and the landing was hard, but he had fallen from higher heights and hit the ground harder many times before. There had been no doubt in his mind that he would survive, nor that he would be able to reach Anske as they were falling. The only worry he had was if she would survive the fall even with his protection.
The girl in question was wrapped in his arms and lay on top of him since he had positioned himself beneath her before they hit the ground. Though Anske did not appear to be moving at present. For a moment, he worried that perhaps he had not protected her properly or she might have been positioned in such a way that the force of the impact resulted in serious injuries regardless of him taking the brunt of the punishment.
But thankfully, she finally stirred and spoke up after a few seconds. "Am I… dead?"
"No," Kratos answered her, feeling a sense of relief rising up within him at the sound of her voice.
Anske let out a soft sigh. "I really thought I was going to die…"
Kratos let out a sound that was halfway between a snort and a grunt. There was some obvious pain tinging her voice, but she alive and any injuries could be healed with some potions. What was important was that she survived the fall. For all his powers, Kratos could not bring anyone back from the dead.
"I told you to watch your footing," he said.
"It wasn't really my fault, you know."
They settled into an easy silence for a while.
"Are you hurt?" Kratos finally asked.
"Are you hurt?" she asked in return. "You're the one who broke our fall and protected me!"
"I am fine," he rumbled.
"You really need to stop falling from great heights," she mumbled, but she was close enough and it was quiet enough that Kratos clearly heard her. She apparently was recalling the time when he fought the dragon. He did not respond.
After a moment, Anske sighed, pushing herself up with her hands. She suddenly stiffened, seemingly realizing something, and then hurriedly slid off of him and got to her feet. There was barely any room for her to stand next to him for they were at the bottom of a tight crater that was newly formed thanks to the impact of their fall.
Noticing her bow on the ground, she grabbed it and immediately inspected it, glad to find it was still intact. Though given the material it was made out of, she shouldn't have been so worried. Satisfied that her bow was in good shape, she began to scramble up the side of the crater on all fours.
Kratos stood up once she was clear, and soon followed her up the crater, taking swift note of their surroundings as he emerged onto the cavern floor.
Down here at the bottom of the cavern, there was also bioluminescent moss and fungi that provided at least some illumination with their greenish-blue glow, so it was thankfully not pitch black. That made it easier to move around, though the problem now was where they should go.
The area around them was barren save for the many rocks that littered the ground, and the patches of glowing moss or mushrooms. In the distance he could still hear the sound of rushing water, but it was much louder now, which meant the underground river was much closer. And based on how loud it was, Kratos figured there was also a waterfall here.
Looking up into the darkness that covered everything above them, Kratos realized he could not see the natural stone bridge from where they had fallen. Even with his superhuman eyesight, he saw nothing but darkness overhead. He thought of shouting up at Lydia and Uthgerd to tell them that he was alright, but because of all the ambient noise, he did not think they would hear him.
He scanned the area around them again, looking for any sign of the troll leader, but he neither saw nor sensed anything dangerous. They were safe for now. But until he saw the beast's corpse with his own eyes, he was going to assume that it was still alive and was therefore roaming around down here with them. Those beasts could apparently regenerate themselves, after all.
"What now?" Anske said, looking up at Kratos expectantly as she stood next to him.
"This way," he said as he began to walk in the direction of where he thought the underground river was. If they followed the river, they were likely to find a way out of this place.
Ω=o=Ω=o=Ω
Anske shivered as she splashed some of the frigid water onto her face. Though the water of the underground river was freezing, it was refreshing and served to wake her up a bit. She had been feeling weary after the rush of the battle with the trolls and the subsequent fall from the bridge—she could still scarcely believe that she had even survived such an ordeal.
She looked over at the massive pale form of Kratos nearby, marveling at his strength for what seemed like the thousandth time since she had first met him. The memory of him plummeting from the clouds after dueling the dragon in the sky was forever etched in her memory. A scene right out of legend.
Anske recalled the dread, shock, and sorrow she had felt upon witnessing that moment. She thought he had surely died back then, and it had made something within her snap. Thinking back on it now, she could only shake her head and smile at her foolishness. She had really sought out the dragon in an attempt to kill it so as to avenge Kratos. Her, a weak young woman with barely any combat skills to speak of, choosing to face down a dragon!
In the end, with a lot of luck, she did manage to finish off the dragon, which had already been seriously injured thanks to Kratos' efforts. And that was when he had appeared again. Walking around alive and seemingly uninjured. It had been a mystery to her how he could have survived that fall, which was at least ten times as high as the fall they had just gone through earlier.
It was a feat that seemed impossible, and yet he had done it. Anske was curious, as were many other people who witnessed it that day, but no one ever had the courage to ask. Some chalked it off to the intervention of the Divines, thinking that perhaps he was one of their blessed.
Others rationalized the spectacle as simply the feat of a true hero, a legendary figure in the making who was simply durable to a level normal humans couldn't comprehend. While others considered that he might have some magical abilities that helped save him.
Anske, on the other hand, somehow had the feeling that none of those were the reason. A part of her wanted to know the truth, but a part of her also cautioned that she shouldn't stick her nose in places where it didn't belong. The last thing she wanted to do was to antagonize Kratos, her teacher, mentor, and protector.
Everyone had secrets of their own, but she could tell that Kratos likely had many, and that some of them might be big secrets. Perhaps one day, he might trust her enough to share some of them. All she could do was learn from him, make herself useful, and earn his trust, little by little.
Anske returned her attention to the rushing waters nearby. She was kneeling at the damp stony banks of the river, where she had been washing herself as best as she could. Having drunk plenty of water, she was feeling refreshed both internally and externally. With one last splash of water on her face, and after refilling the waterskin she carried with her, she wiped her face with a small traveling towel and got back to her feet.
Kratos had only briefly washed himself in the river and drank before he was soon standing and keeping a vigilant watch over their surroundings. Since falling down to this place, they had yet to come across anything living down here besides the glowing flora, yet he was still wary. His constant vigilance was likely the reason he had survived many past ordeals.
Anske noticed pretty quickly that he no longer carried around his sword, but she didn't ask about it. He had probably lost it during the fighting on the bridge, or perhaps even during the fall. Maybe part of his vigilant scanning of the surrounding area was to look for the sword in case it had fallen down somewhere here.
"I'm ready to go whenever you are," Anske said as she drew closer to him. Truthfully, she was feeling tired, more mentally than physically, and wanted nothing more than to rest again, but she could hold up for a little while longer. Even though she was still a novice at adventuring, she at least knew well enough that it wasn't wise to camp in the open in the middle of a dark cavern like this. Who knew what other dangers lurked beyond their sight?
"Good. We will rest when—" Kratos started to say but suddenly he lunged towards Anske and roughly pushed her away.
It happened so suddenly that Anske didn't even realize what was going on until she was already tumbling painfully away to the side. She vaguely sensed something fly over her in the split second after Kratos had pushed her away, but she had no idea what it was.
A beastly roar suddenly erupted from somewhere nearby, and Anske looked sharply in the direction it came from. It was too dark for her to see clearly, so she couldn't tell what it was, but fear gripped her all the same.
The ground shook from the unknown beast's footsteps shortly after, coming quicker and growing louder by the second. It was closing in on them!
In a slight daze, Anske pushed herself up on all fours and turned her head to better take in the scene.
There was something sticking out of the ground near where Anske had been standing, but she couldn't immediately tell what it was. For a second, she saw the pale figure of Kratos standing where he had pushed her away, but then a large dark figure rushed in from the side and ran into him, and they both disappeared.
The sound of a massive splash, and the feeling of water spraying over her shortly after, meant that Kratos and whatever beast he was fighting with had plunged into the river.
"Kratos!" Anske cried out with alarm.
She shakily got to her feet and drew her sword—it was too dark for her to use her bow. And besides, she had lost all but one arrow after they had all slipped out of her quiver after their fall off the bridge.
In the direction of the river, she heard the sounds of splashing and snarling: the sounds of a frantic fight. She peered into the murky darkness, but the dim light wasn't enough for her to see anything useful. Suddenly, there was a single loud clapping sound accompanied by a powerful roar of pain. Then something big and dark soaring through the air and landing heavily on the ground near Anske.
This close, Anske could finally see more details of the unknown beast. It was the large cave troll from the bridge! Its dark fur had patches of white that she remembered noticing earlier. From the way it was moving, it appeared to be heavily injured. It was struggling to get back to its feet when it caught sight of Anske, who was frozen in place staring at it with her sword held in front of her.
The troll was as tall as Kratos, perhaps even taller, and it was big and bulky like him. Definitely bigger than the other trolls. The size difference between herself and the troll was enough to give her pause, fear seeping into her at the thought of what the beast could do to her if it got its hands on her.
It can probably tear my limbs off pretty easily, she thought morbidly. Then shook her head. Don't think about that, stupid! She chastised herself as she tried to marshal her concentration and willpower to fight.
The troll was clearly in tremendous pain, but upon seeing her it roared and scrambled forward. One of its arms appeared to be broken and partially mangled, but it managed to get close enough to her that she panicked and backtracked, tripping over a loose rock. She landed on her butt, sword dropping uselessly next to her.
It was one thing to shoot arrows from afar at such creatures, but to actually be face-to-face with one this big up close was more harrowing than she expected. Her lack of confidence in her swordsmanship didn't help matters either. Despite all the practice she had been doing, it had only been a short time since she began properly learning under Kratos.
Raising its one working arm in an attempt flatten her or swipe at her with its big hand, the troll growled menacingly as it stared down at her with its three beady black eyes.
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl in that moment as Anske's mind went into overdrive. She didn't want to die. Not yet. It was too soon! But what could she do? She didn't have the strength or confidence to use her sword. Nor did she have the time to pick it up and wield it anyway. Neither could she safely dodge the incoming strike.
Then, it dawned on her that she did have one power that she could possibly use at this moment to save herself. One power that she had already used once before, and it had been fairly easy and quick to execute back then. Except it hadn't been exactly voluntary—it had almost been forced out of her. Coming unbidden and unwanted like a hiccup.
But now… Well, there was a first time for everything, right? Without really knowing why or how she knew, she reached within herself for that power. It felt familiar to her, almost natural. As if she had been born with it and had been using it all her life.
Her eyes glowed with power as a thrumming energy filled every fiber of her being. A symbol appeared in her mind, clear as crystal, representing a word in a language she never learned and yet fully comprehended as if she came into this world with the knowledge already fully formed. Her mouth opened as the energy within her reached its peak, and she spoke this word into existence.
"FUS!"
Instantly, an expanding circular wave of energy rushed out of her mouth with frightening speed and a resounding boom echoed around her almost like a thunderclap. The battered troll was violently shoved backwards by the wave of energy, its intended blow failing before it could even begin.
Before Anske could fully comprehend what she had done, Kratos suddenly reappeared. The whole sequence had lasted only a few seconds, but to Anske it had seemed like several minutes.
With one swift movement Kratos leapt onto the troll's back, wrapping one of his arms tightly around its neck. With his other hand, he slammed his fist into the troll's face repeatedly, breaking bones and drawing plenty of blood. At one point, Kratos even ripped one of the troll's eyeballs out of its head as it flailed and tried in vain to throw Kratos off. Then, with an audible crack, Kratos broke its neck, and the giant troll instantly went limp. It should have stopped there, but Kratos kept squeezing on the troll's neck while using his other hand to pull upwards on its jaw.
Within seconds, the sounds of tearing flesh and spraying blood could be heard, ending with the troll's head being ripped off entirely as Kratos let out a brief growl from the effort. Only then did everything finally quiet down, the only sound the constant rushing of the nearby river.
The savagery of Kratos' assault on the troll should have shocked Anske, but she was too engrossed in her own thoughts and feelings to really register what was going on in front of her. And within her, there was a whirlwind of emotions. Joy. Surprise. Fear. Excitement. All because she had truly used the Thu'um. This time of her own volition.
She really was a dovahkiin.
Ω=o=Ω=o=Ω
After the death of the troll leader, Kratos was confident that this area was relatively safe for a while. Similar to the giant spiders earlier, the cavern seemed to be within the territory of the trolls, and with their forces decimated and their leader dead, it was unlikely for any surviving trolls to come looking for trouble anytime soon. Even if they did decide on such a foolish course of action, Kratos had already defeated their kind before, and he had no issues doing so again.
The fight with the troll leader had been messy at the end, leaving Kratos covered in blood and gore. Not an unfamiliar situation for him, to be sure. But he did not wish to walk around in such a state if he could help it, so before they could continue on, he took another quick dunk in the frigid waters of the underground river.
Even after beheading the creature, Kratos made sure to toss the head some distance away in case it might somehow reattach itself if left too close to its body. It was better not to risk it, especially when he had no idea how potent the troll's regenerative abilities were.
To his surprise, Anske had gone and retrieved the severed head in the short time that he went to wash himself off.
Kratos found her resting on a rock that was high enough for her to comfortably sit on. The severed head lay on the ground at her feet, and she appeared to be staring at it intently. It was missing an eye from when Kratos had ripped it out of the troll's face, the bloody edges of the gaping hole ragged from the brutal extraction.
Kratos spoke. "What are you doing?"
Anske stirred at the sound of his deep voice, straightening her back and blinking as if she was only now aware of her surroundings. Her eyes eventually landed on him.
"I was waiting for you," she answered quickly as she stood up.
Kratos resisted the urge to sigh. "And the head?"
"Oh. That." Anske looked down at it. "I uh… heard that some people might pay a good price for a troll's head. Or its skull, specifically. And this one's a pretty big one." She glanced towards the headless troll corpse only a few steps away. "Troll fat is also supposed to be quite valuable, you know. If we want to take the time to harvest some, it might be worth our while…"
"Have you harvested fat from a troll corpse before?" Kratos asked her.
Anske grimaced. "Well… no." She shifted her feet uncertainly beneath Kratos' unwavering gaze. "But I've done it for wild game that my dad and I hunted." Her voice softened at the mention of her father, and Kratos noted the sad look in her eyes.
They descended into silence for a moment, and Kratos used this time to contemplate their next move. It was going to be messy work, and would definitely take some time, but harvesting the troll leader was real world experience that was likely to be valuable to Anske later on. And having more loot and resources would be beneficial as well.
Plus, he could use this time to point out mistakes he's noticed her making and areas where she needed to improve—as well as to discuss this so-called Thu'um.
"Take out your knife," Kratos told her at last, stepping closer to the headless corpse that stank of filth and blood.
Anske suddenly brightened up as she took out the dragonbone dagger that he had given her.
Kratos dragged the corpse closer to a dense patch of glowing mushrooms not too far away, which provided them with more light for the task. Then, taking out his own dragonbone dagger, he proceeded to skin and butcher the troll corpse.
Anske watched closely, and when Kratos stopped halfway and gestured for her to continue, she did not hesitate. With an approving nod, he then watched over her as she finished the job. The stench was terrible, and the work was grisly, but they endured it and soon collected a fair amount of fat, which they then placed into a rough sack made out of the slain beast's skin.
They saved some of the meat too, though Anske said troll meat didn't taste that good. Still, meat was meat, and it might come in handy if their rations proved insufficient. They made sure to only take meat from the most tender parts.
As they were washing up in the river one last time, Kratos began to point out the things he had been noticing that she needed to improve on, as well as the mistakes she was making. He was her teacher, after all, so he needed to start acting like it more. Beyond just giving her training exercises.
The most glaring issue was the fear that seemed to be paralyzing her when in close quarters combat. She did fairly well at long range with her bow, but when any enemies got too close, she tended to freeze up and panic. That was liable to get her killed sooner or later, so it was something that needed to be corrected immediately.
"You move well in practice with your sword, girl," Kratos pointed out after they dried off. "You know what you need to do and how you should move. Why are you so afraid in battle?"
"I'm just… afraid of dying," Anske said with a shrug after a long pause. "When someone gets too close, I can't help but think that I might die. And my whole body locks up, making it hard to move."
Kratos stared at her. "Do you still wish to be a warrior?"
"Of course I do!" Anske responded with indignation.
"A true warrior must be ready to face death in every battle," Kratos told her. "Fear of death is normal for any mortal. But in a fight, whether it be fear or anger, you must not let your emotions control you. Instead, learn to use your emotions to your advantage. Conquer your fear. Only then can you truly step onto the path of a warrior."
A part of him felt like a hypocrite for saying such things. After all, it had been his all-consuming rage that had guided much of his recent past, blinding him to almost everything except the desire for vengeance. Still, he knew there was truth in his words. Even though he had let his anger consume him and control him before, it was that anger that had allowed him to accomplish incredible feats that nobody thought was possible.
What he was trying to do now was to impart the wisdom of using emotions instead of being controlled by them, so that Anske might reap the benefits of the lessons without paying the heavy price that Kratos did.
"But… if fear is making me freeze up right now, then how can I stop that from happening? How do I use fear to my advantage?" Anke looked confused.
"I have been too soft on you," Kratos said with a weary sigh. He suddenly reached for the sword on his back and drew it. "I will now help you conquer your fear."
"N-Now?" Anske subconsciously took a step back, eyeing him warily.
"Draw your sword, girl."
Anske placed her hand on the hilt of her sword but didn't draw it yet. Her breathing quickened and her eyes went wide.
"You're not actually thinking of—"
"I am going to try and kill you now." Kratos interrupted her without any emotion in his voice at all. "If you do not want to die, then I suggest you do your best to dodge."
"Kratos, this isn't fun—" Anske didn't have time to finish as she yelped and jumped out of the way at the last second, her eyes wide and fearful.
With a loud thud, Kratos' massive great sword sliced into the ground where Anske had been standing a moment ago.
Kratos had done his best to telegraph the move, moving deliberately slower than he would have in an actual fight, but the strength was there once he was certain she was actually going to move this time. His eyes, focused and filled with killing intent, watched her closely to read her reaction properly. If it seemed like she would not actually get out of the way in time, he would pull his attack back at the last moment.
After all, he was only trying to teach her in the most direct and efficient manner that he could think of. He was not actually trying to kill her. But she did not need to know that. And if she got a little injured in the process… well, they had healing potions for that.
"I told you to draw your sword," he said as he glared at her, giving her a brief moment to comply.
Anske immediately obeyed this time, settling into a fighting stance.
Upon seeing this, Kratos swiftly extracted his sword and struck at her again. This time, he did not let up, coming after her again and again and again. Each missed strike showcasing the damage that would be wrought if she did not move out of the way in time. Boulders were destroyed and the rocky ground was sliced up as the exercise wore on.
Sure enough, with each passing moment, the girl began to move with more confidence, reacting quicker and better to his attacks. She became increasingly sure of herself, and more determined not to falter. Because if she did, it would mean her death.
At that point, Kratos gradually began to speed up. He was still a far cry from his full battle speed, but training her reaction speed was not the point of this exercise. Already, he was satisfied with her progress, and he was sure that fear wouldn't paralyze her again. At least, not to the extent that it did before.
"Stop." Kratos commanded as he brought his sword up to his chest, blade facing the sky as he turned to the side.
Anske, breathing heavily and sweating profusely, relaxed a fraction. Though she still had her guard up and was alert enough to react if he decided to swing at her again. That was a good sign that she was learning.
"This is the final test for today. Stand where you are and look at me. Raise your sword, and no matter what… Do not move." Kratos emphasized his instructions clearly. "Is that clear, girl?"
Anske hesitated for a moment, as if she was about to ask why, but then she simply nodded and did as she was instructed to the best of her ability. She was still out of breath, and feeling tired, but she steadied herself as best as she could.
Without warning, Kratos roared and unleashed his killing intent at the same time that he brought his sword down and then lunged at her in one motion. He moved with such speed that even if she had tried, Anske would not have been able to react in time. His blade sliced forward, passing within an inch of the left side of her face.
Her hair fluttered from the wind generated by the near-miss, and her eyes nearly popped out of her eye sockets as she realized how close she had come to dying. Her whole body was shaking, and her rapid breaths were the only sound that could be heard above the constant din of the river nearby.
Kratos, meanwhile, remained as stoic and unmoved as ever. He did not appear to be sweating nor out of breath, as if he had not spent the better part of the last half hour trying to kill her.
"Good." Kratos finally nodded, retracting his blade and returning it to his back. He made no other move to attack her, signaling that the ordeal was over.
It was at that point that Anske finally sagged down to the ground in relief, letting out a long breath. Kratos gave her some time to recuperate.
When she managed to calm herself and catch her breath, she looked up at him.
"I think… I understand what you were trying to do." She deliberated for a moment longer, than added, "Thank you, Kratos."
Kratos let out a grunt in response.
"By the way," she said, "What you said earlier about fear being natural and using emotions instead of being controlled by them… does that mean even you are afraid while in a fight?"
Kratos stared at her. "I fear nothing."
Anske could only stare back at him in surprise, unsure of what to say to that.
A few heartbeats passed before Kratos changed the subject and said, "It is time for us to talk about your power. The one they call the Thu'um."
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AN: For those of you wondering, yes I've been dealing with some unfortunate and unpleasant things in my life that have prevented me from writing regularly, hence the serious delays in updates. Things are a bit better now though, and after taking a month to travel and reset myself, I can now start devoting some time and energy to this lovely craft again.
Thank you for your concern and well wishes, dear readers, and I do appreciate you all and apologize sincerely for the long delays between chapters. To make it it up to you all, here's another one. :)