“Whoa… what forest is this?”
“Boy, don’t wander too far. Do you feel something?”
“I do. It’s like everyone here went crazy, but now everything’s calm. What do you think, father?”
“We shall see. Come.”
サガ –ashes–
Now, heed a tale that you might not have heard before. A mysterious god from a distant land and his young son find themselves in unfamiliar woods just after this age witnessed a new beginning! But I can’t tell the whole story from the outside, can I? You’ll have to delve into the woods…
Miss Nakhl just finished an unexpected favor. Even though she aided a certain mercenary once before, she had no regret failing as a neutral discerner of things. After completing the task, the girl witnessed the blonde woman and her reunited companion depart from these woods for now. Her mentor, Lady Quanzitta Marison who had died just recently, should be buried by now, so Nakhl headed back to Doaiho hoping to get there before sunrise. As she did, she noticed…
There was a stranger in the woods. A boy with a bow and quiver gazing at the tropical scenery around him. Judging by his attire, he didn’t look like a native of Gazth-Sonika. Truth be told, he wasn’t even Asian. As this boy studied the exotic vegetation, Nakhl studied him not too far away. He looked up to the brightening sky just beyond the tree tops, and then someone joined him. From behind the tree, the girl saw the boy’s father. A man of physique, age, facial hair, but as pale as white ash! Nakhl had never seen a man like this one, but then noticed that the boy was glancing to where she was! She quietly hid from sight – hoping that she wasn’t seen.
“Father,” the boy said. “I think someone’s following us.”
“Do you think that or do you know that?”
What the father didn’t know about his son was that he could listen in onto other people’s thoughts – animals mostly. He must have heard a girl’s thoughts on his father’s stature and trying to mask her presence. As for the girl, she froze there slowly breathing trying to hear the boy’s answer. Instead, she heard something wielded…
Something flew just by her head causing her short hair and braid to wave! It landed wedged into another tree with a chopping sound! Nakhl was shocked! It was a battle axe! Etched with foreign markings and covered in frost! And then, it moved by itself… it flew past the girl again! Nakhl turned from the tree to see where it flew – and it flew back into the hand of its wielder!
“Child,” the pale old man barked clenching his axe! “Why do you follow us?!”
When Nakhl looked into his hazel eyes, she saw within him the essence of an aged warrior. He had an infuriating rage that was surprisingly under control, but everything else about this old man was cloaked in shadow. Was he different? Did he have the Gift?
“She won’t hurt us,” the boy said. His father looked down at him putting his axe away. “My name’s Atreus. This is my father.” The old man looked the other way. “So who are you?”
Atreus’ blue eyes hid no good thing. The girl saw within him a warrior in training, but he was still a boy. Nakhl had no need to defend herself; she trusted him instantly. “Nakhl is my name. You and your father just happen to have found me. I do not mean any harm.”
“Oh, are we trespassing?” Atreus asked with a little guilt.
“No,” Nakhl answered. “Are you two going somewhere?”
The old man felt his patience being tested, but he knew better than to interrupt. He did not know where he and Atreus wound up, so perhaps this girl could offer directions, he thought.
“We’re on a journey to take my mother’s ashes to the highest peak in the realms.”
Nakhl looked around and then replied “you would be hard pressed to find a tall mountain in Gazth-Sonika.”
“Wait, what?” Atreus stuttered. His father grimaced at the thought that they could be lost, completely and hopelessly so. “Are we still in Midgard?”
“We should head back to where we came.” The boy’s father insisted. “Come boy.”
As Atreus and the old man turned away, both of them and the girl noticed something lurking in the forest mere steps away and breathing. Two man-looking beasts emerged. Heaving, vile, undead monsters of pure rage…
Atreus screamed “DRAUGR!”
“GET BACK, BOY!” His father wielded his axe! The markings glowed blue as the blade enlarged and sharpened!
Nakhl leapt to safety and saw the action! One draugr charged, the man swung his axe leaving a trail frost that cooled the air! The other draugr raised his sword against Atreus, he dodged, reaching for an arrow and fired!
After knocking back the first monster, the old man turned to his son and yelled “Space your shots! Speed costs accuracy!”
“Yes sir!”
Returning to his battle, he hurled the axe into the draugr’s shoulder chopping the creature into pieces! Atreus took his shots! With a few arrows, his enemy dropped and disintegrated. The battle wasn’t over yet…
Four new draugr spawned!
Two of them charged at Atreus! He evaded their strikes, but then one of the two raised his sword above him! But then it yelled out falling to ground face down! A knife jotted out of its back! Nakhl leapt into battle pulling her knife out of the slain draugr and avoided the other’s strikes. Atreus shot an arrow into its side stunning it, Nakhl sweep kicked knocking the draugr off its feet, and then Atreus finished it off with a shot to its skull!
“Nice!” She appreciated the boy’s compliment, but there was no time to celebrate!
The remaining draugr were on both sides of Atreus’ father. He focused on one, throwing his axe into it sending it flying and pinned to a tree! It froze solid in snow and ice! Turning to the other with bare hands, he pummeled the last draugr into oblivion! The battle was done.
“Now they were following us,” Atreus remarked.
“We have to keep moving,” his father added. He extended a hand, and the axe flew from the tree and back into his hand. The frozen draugr disintegrated. “Follow me.”
“Yes sir.”
Atreus and his father set off to where they started from hoping that it would return them to Midgard. As the old man pressed on into the tropical brush, the boy looked back.
“I wish you good luck on your journey.” Nakhl bid farewell with a bow and glee. Atreus smiled back at her and he too bowed. He didn’t a thing about Asian customs…
“BOY!”
“Bye.” Atreus joined up with his father in the brush.
“You can think about her later,” the old man murmured.
Nakhl resumed her path to Doaiho. She then looked back with worry.
Kratos, your son has the same essence as you. Please teach him how to control his rage. It could kill him.つづく
