Good Instincts 1.14 - ING. VERSIÓN

-Boy- Kratos shouted from the backyard of his house -boy, it's time to train-

Viggo hear him loud and clear from his cave. He was lying on his bed, wrapped in wolf skin and eyes closed. He frowned upon hearing it, at the same time that he was aware of the pain in his hands. His knuckles were injured, his bones were sore, and his arms were full of wounds. Well, his whole body was in a similar state. He had been without his divine energy for two months and now every part of his body hurt.

-Boy, hurry up, we don't have all day- Kratos roared.

-I'm coming- Viggo shouted from his bed, opened his eyes with difficulty and sat down suddenly to remove the tiredness from his eyes. He looked everywhere, he was in his room, covered with animal skins to avoid the cold of the mountains. Everything was covered in shadows and the silhouettes were barely elucidated. Viggo uncovered himself and sat on the edge of the bed. Then I stretch out his right hand and groping the chest of drawers in front of him. He opened the top drawer and found a t-shirt. He lowered to the second drawer and found a pair of pants. Then he went down to the last drawer and found a furry jacket. He dressed, put on shoes and tied himself around his legs with leather ropes so that the pants would stick to the taps. Then he advanced through the cave until he reached the end. I pass through the illusion that worked as a cover for the cave and I reach the backyard. I was almost blinded by the powerful glow of the sun on the horizon. On the other hand, he felt the pleasant cold of the morning and the pure air of nature. Everything would have been pleasant, but with his master standing in the center of the courtyard, with arms crossed and frown, it was difficult to enjoy this beautiful day.

-Hurry up- Kratos said.

Viggo yawned and walked as fast as he could over the cold, wet earth. The patches of snow had disappeared and the trees were filling with the green of spring. However, as sunny as it was, it was still cold. So Viggo put his hands to his mouth and breathed his breath between his palms. Then I rub his palms against the other in an effort to warm his hands.

Once he arrived in front of Kratos, he looked into his eyes. It had dark brown irises, but with the usual stern gaze, it seems that they turned gray according to the angle of the light. However, something that was constant in those eyes, no matter the occasion, was that deadly glow like that of a sword. It was as if Kratos never left the battlefield. As if he was always anticipating an attack or an ambush.

You said we wouldn't have any training- said Viggo -that's why I slept more than I could-

-That's right, boy- Kratos said with a serious face -but we have a job-

-¡¿Eh?! -

Kratos let out a growl and narrowed his eyes. Viggo had the impression that his eyes became more severe, he swallowed saliva and covered his mouth with both hands.

-Go get your axe and eat something at the house- Kratos said. He turned his back and began to walk in the direction of where the logs were, behind the house -chop some firewood for Faye, you have until when I finish-

-Ok- Viggo said and ran to get his axe. Then he ran to the house, passing by Kratos while he lifted his axe and cut a piece of log in two with a single axe. Then pass through the shed and turn left in the corner of the house, until reach the huge door. Always intrigue him with the runic drawings on the side posts. He knock on the door and from the inside, a female voice said -pass-

Viggo pushed the door and saw Faye and Atreus carrying vessels. They walked to the right side of the house and left the vessels in an inn that was almost next to the door. Atreus left the vessel at the inn and walked to Viggo. On the other hand, Faye went back to where the campfire was where they cooked.

-How are you brother?- asked Atreus.

Viggo looked at the little Atreus, with an innocent and laughing face. Short, coppery hair and dressed in clothes made of animal skins. Viggo stretched out his right hand and combed his hair to the side.

-Fine, what about you?- asked Viggo back.

-Fine, super good, mom made a super-rich meal-

-Oooh, it seems that everything is super today-

-Yes, that's right, look come- said Atreus and take Viggo's hand and pull him to follow him. The latter frowned in pain but held on and let Atreus guide him. They went to where Faye was, next to the campfire. She took a wooden spoon to a cauldron on top of the fire and took it out with food, which she deposited in a wooden bowl. Viggo sat on a log next to the campfire and Faye passed him the bowl.

-How are your hands?- asked Faye as she passed the bowl of steaming soup to her.

-I tolerate it- said Viggo receiving the bowl. He took his right hand to the stick spoon. He stirred the food and then took out food and put it in his mouth. His eyes widened by the tasty taste of spices and he looked up to see Faye and Atreus.

-You see brother, I told you, this super- Atreus said with a gentle smile.

-Mmm, it's true, it's very good- replied Viggo, looking from Faye to Atreus.

Faye smiled and then went to the inn where they left the vessels. She set a candle and began to move several vessels, as if she were looking for something. Viggo kept eating and Atreus sat next to him.

-Do you want to?- asked Viggo.

-Well, if you give me- replied Atreus.

Viggo smiled and stretched out the bowl to him. Atreus just took the spoon with the soup and tasted it. Then he left the spoon in the bowl while smiling.

-You'd better eat the food, otherwise I will take it from you - Atreus said with a smile -Mom keep only the Viggo part. Dad ate more than usual and now we must do more-

Viggo smiled and kept eating while listening to Atreus.

Once Viggo finished eating his meal, Faye arrived with a glass of clay. This one seemed to have hot water because it emitted a faint steam. Viggo looked up and looked into her eyes. Different from his master, Faye's eyes were kind. Her long copper hair arranged in braids with colored threads made her look youthful, as if she were in her thirties. On the other hand, her reddish cheeks made her look adorable. He lacked the feminine charm that his father's wives had, but it emitted a pleasant air.

-Take Viggo- Faye said, holding out the glass to him.

-What is it?- asked Viggo, stretching out his hand and taking the glass.

- You remember that a while ago I told you not to eat a reddish mushroom- said as she handed him the glass. Viggo coiled his head in a gesture of confusion and Faye made an uncomfortable, but continuous smile –the fact is that I have processed it for you. With this, your arms will hurt less and your wounds will heal faster-

-Thank you- said Viggo with some doubts -Is it bad?-

-Something, you better take it all at once-

Viggo nodded and drank the contents of a single drink. He wrinkled his nose in a gesture of disgust but endured the bad taste. Then he stretched out the glass, Faye received it and Viggo began to feel a pleasant warmth in his chest, then felt his airways clear and his hands less sore. He looked at his hands, he still had those scabs and wounds, but they hurt less.

The door opened tightly, and the three of them looked in that direction. Kratos was standing under the lintel of the door, like a dark and imposing shadow. Of great stature, stocky build and intimidating aura. He walked at a slow pace, advancing through the darkness of the house and arrived in front of the campfire.

-Are you ready?- asked Kratos

-Yes, master, I'm ready, come on- replied Viggo.

Kratos grumped in agreement and Viggo stood up, taking his axe with his right hand. He started walking ahead, heading towards the door, and heard Faye send Atreus with him. Atreus walked to Viggo's side and together they came to the door. Viggo took the door knocker and as it closed, he saw Faye approaching Kratos as he stretched out his arms in a gentle gesture to hug her, as if he were taking glass in his hands. They both brought their faces closer and Viggo saw how they were going to kiss. However, Viggo closed the door before his curious friend next to him kept watching.

-Do your parents also kiss?- asked Atreus

Viggo smiled and nodded —my father loves and kisses all his wives— he said.

-Do more than one wife?! - Atreus scream with an expression of disbelief

-Let's say yes...-

Viggo and Atreus sat on some logs in front of the house and talked for a long time. Then they were interrupted by the grinding of the door as they opened. Kratos came out followed by Faye. He had a serious face as always, where his mouth was lost in that thick beard. On the other hand, Faye smiled with a kind expression.

Viggo stood up and waited for the command.

-Come on- Kratos said, and Viggo followed. Neither said much, but they heard behind their backs parting words, both from Faye and Atreus.

Both advanced along the path to the right of the house, until they reached the palisaside and continued through the forest where they were looking for edible mushrooms. At the end of that forest, they found a staircase carved in stone. Viggo had seen it before, and it always caught it attention. However, on Faye's advice, he never approached that place.

Upon reaching the top of the staircase, they encountered another forest. However, very different from the other, this one looked wilder, gloomy and abandoned. Viggo was holding the axe in both hands, almost as big as his own body. He looked around, his senses attentive to any sound or change in the air. The foliage of the forest seemed to push away the light and everything looked darker.

Kratos noticed Viggo moving slower and slower and patted him on the shoulder. Viggo gave a jump, jumped to the side, and put himself in combat position, ready to launch an attack with the powerful axe. However, when he saw his master, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked everywhere.

-What about this place?- asked Viggo with an expression of concern -it emits the same air as the valley, where we face the draugrs-

-Mmm- grumpy Kratos -surprises don't work with you. This is not where the danger is, but nearby, in an abandoned fortress-

-Why are we going there?-

-What else could it be for? You have been learning how to handle the axe for some time, but you need the real experience-

Viggo let out a sigh and nodded, then relaxed his posture. Kratos kept advancing through the forest and Viggo followed him to the tail. Then he saw that, ahead of Kratos, there was a huge stone monolith. It was as if they had laid a large rock on a base made of four pillars of solid rock. The base was 20 meters wide by 3 meters high and the huge stone should be about ten meters high by 20 meters wide. It looked like a real tower.

Viggo continued to advance through the forest, until he reached a pass between two large rocks. Once crossed the pass, he goes down a staircase of five steps and reach the base of the monolith. The ground was also solid rock, with a carved pattern that looked like a whirlpool.

The four stone pillars looked solid, and the base holding the huge rock was only a square. I only had an incredible view of the size, since the rock inside was hollowed out, similar to a cone. Viggo, from the center of the monolith, raised his face and looked at the walls of the cone, until he reached the top and looked at the blue sky through the hole at the top of the monolith.

-This way- Kratos said, advancing along a path on the left side of the monolith. Viggo looked in that direction and saw a bridge carved in stone crossing a wide river. His gaze kept advancing into the distance and 100 meters beyond, he saw a huge fortress built of rock. Half of the left wing was demolished to what appeared to be the second floor. Only the right wing looked in good condition. However, for Viggo, the whole place looked just as gloomy, as if emitting dark miasma.

Viggo followed Kratos, advancing along the road and looking at the long bridge carved in stone. Below, the water flowed in a strong current from a river on the left, which descended from the mountains. It crossed the bridge colliding with the pillars and continued to the right until it reached 100 meters beyond and went down a precipice.

-Are we going to hunt something big?- asked Viggo.

-No, just fight- Kratos replied -you must know your new limits-

-You say that, but I just feel weaker and soreer-

-It is the price of power, to become strong, one must break its limits, both physical and mental -

-If you say so- Viggo replied with a smile. Kratos took a deep breath and grumpy.