Memories Will Sustain You

Kratos set off into a run straight into the forest. Lloyd wobbled after him, his legs swaying back and forth and becoming the equivalent of jell-o. Everything was blurry, and Lloyd smacked into several trees while trying to keep up with his father. While not watching where he was going, Lloyd’s face collided with a low branch and everything went black and he collapsed to the leafy floor with a dull thud.

Kratos heard and turned back, sighing. He guessed Lloyd needed a good long rest before he would be ready to do anything. The man scooped up his younger son in his arms and set off at a fast walk, weaving through the trees. It would take a small hike to reach his destination, and night falling before he got there would only mean trouble.

About thirty minutes later, as the sunset was casting its last rays upon the island, Kratos came upon the spot he remembered so well. It was in a small clearing in the forest, right next to a wide, sprawling river that ran fresh with spring water. Kratos had always wondered how the water was so pure, because the water was dumped here straight from the ocean, but he never lingered too long on the thought. Some things were better just left alone, to be marveled at and not understood.

Kratos set Lloyd on a soft patch of grass and then kicked off his own boots, sitting down on the small embankment and soaking them in the cool, clear river. The feeble light that shone through the trees was dimming, and would completely black out any moment. Kratos turned back and stared at his son. A small ray of orange and pink light had been thrown upon his face, and the father smiled. Lloyd was still very young, but there was just something about him… something Kratos couldn’t quite place. But why did he resemble Anna so much?...

“Wake up, Wake up!”

Lloyd awoke, startled, by the sound of Kratos’ yelling and the smell of… smoked fish? The swordsman sat up, his nose sniffing wildly. He glanced towards where he heard a sizzling sound and glanced at a small kettle of fish roasting over a small fire.

“Those Fireball spells really come in handy.”

Kratos grabbed to the two fish and twirled them in the air, then while they spun he effortlessly skewered them with two sticks gracefully, then caught them as the came back down.

“If there’s one thing I know how to do in this world it’s cook fish.”

Kratos stated as he handed one of the smoking sticks to a surprised Lloyd and tore a large bite out of his own and began chewing. Thoroughly surprised, Lloyd took the hot stick and fumbled with it for a moment, but gave it a strong blow and began biting off small pieces of it. He was feeling much better then he had the night before, and this surprise meal was a welcome relief.

“Wow… that was good.” Lloyd stated a couple minutes later, as they had finished their small breakfast and the fire had been put out.

“Now come Lloyd, it’s time to get started. I trust you have all your materials gathered?”

Lloyd patted his two scabbards where his twin blades rested, then followed Kratos to another small clearing in the forest. Kratos took a few steps ahead, then swiftly turned around and drew his sword.

“We will duel once more for starters, but the only thing is… you can’t let me lay a hand on you. Not a single scratch from my blade. Understand?”

Lloyd had already begun charging forward, his two swords drawn out like twin scythes. He swung wildly with each. Kratos thrust his sword up and blocked both easily. He sidestepped and thrust the blade forward, while Lloyd swung to the side, narrowly avoiding. Their swords collided once more, and the sound of metal on metal resounded through the forest for the next several minutes. Lloyd, who was beginning to lose his strength, lost his footing and momentarily tripped. Kratos caught the mistake and within a second had his sword pressed against Lloyd’s throat.

“Mistake number one: Don’t just focus on the enemy, but also on yourself. One simple mistake like that could cost you your life. See how easily I could have just killed you right now?”

Lloyd nodded, his breath coming in short gasps. He was afraid for a moment that Kratos really was going to hurt him, but Kratos relinquished his blade and began walking towards a tree. He beckoned for Lloyd, and the red fighter chased after him.

“Look at this tree… It has been painted with the figure of a body, and several small dots have been placed along precise points that are guaranteed a win in battle, or at least a handicap that will tip the hat in your favor during combat.”

Small dots were painted on the points where the neck and shoulder met, a spot just above both knees, a spot right across the ankle, and near the wrist.

“The almost always caused instant knockout, the knees and ankle render the legs useless, which leaves the opponent almost without movement, and the wrist causes them to lose the power to wield a weapon, depending on the weapon of course.”

Kratos fished around in his pocket and pulled out a blindfold, then tied it across Lloyd’s face and knotted it in the back.

“Now, you’re going to swing for each of these spots, for doing it blindfolded will make you truly a master of aim. Now, go.”

Lloyd swung with his twin blades for each spot, until four small sword marks had been dug into the bark. He removed the blindfold and sighed. The neck mark was almost to the right shoulder, the knee was way up the thigh, the ankle was down on the foot, and the wrist was up near the elbow.

“Just keep trying. There are ten figures on these trees, try them all and see how well you do.”

Bark and bits of tree blew everywhere for the next couple of minutes, and by the final figure had been struck, Lloyd almost had it. The neck mark was exactly on the spot, the knee was just slightly off, and both the ankle and wrist were perfect.

“Excellent!” Kratos noted. “Just some simple exercises and a little bit more and we’ll be done for today.”

Kratos’ idea of “simple” and “little” was utterly ridiculous, thought Lloyd. He took them on a five mile sprint along the sands of the beach, had him do 150 sit-ups and push-ups each, then along on another two-mile jog to cool off to keep from straining himself. During the final stretch of the jog, Lloyd had sweated profusely and was beginning to get dizzy. He twisted around and fell into the sand... At least he had a cushion this time…

Kratos rolled his eyes and bent down to examine his son. He had passed out from the heat, most likely. Kratos bent down, and with nimble fingers, stripped off the red tunic shirt and the tank top underneath to try to reduce the heat. He threw the clothes over his shoulder then gazed at Lloyd again.

Despite his somewhat young age, Lloyd was really developing. His muscles were showing through, and his chest looked strong and developed. Kratos rolled a trembling hand across Lloyd’s tight chest, smiling. What was it about this boy that got to him? Why was he acting like this?

Kratos picked up Lloyd and began walking away, barely able to take his eyes of his son’s masculine figure. He shook his head, throwing the thoughts from his mind. What was wrong with him? This boy… man, was his son. He sighed and hurried back to the camp for the night.

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So what'd you think? I thought that bit at the end was a bit weak... eh, I'll let you think what you think. Also, all that stuff about a guaranteed knockout and handicap stuff I kinda made up, I'm not really sure what would happen if you were struck there with a blade. (It was just for the story) Anyway, thanks for the read! Next chapter, probably the next-to-final, will be up soon. Please review if you have the time! Thank you!