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"Are you alright, brother?" Mimir's accent echos through the quiet room.

Kratos glances at Mimir, "I am alright," he says, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed. His eyes roam to Atreus, or at least where he was, "where is Atreus?" Kratos stands from the bed.

"I dunno, brother. I nodded off myself, but I can't imagine the boy went far," Mimir responds.

Kratos grits his teeth as he stares at Mimir, turning to grab his weapons from the bed. The blades of Chaos sit snug on his back along with the Leviathan ax, and finally, Mimir takes his place at the god's hip.

"I'm sorry, brother. I would have woken you if I was awake myself," Mimir says as Kratos exits the room.

"Quiet, head. I will find the boy," Kratos responds.

Kratos reaches the bottom of the stairs quick, and the chairs are now set with the backs hanging off the tables. The pub is dark save for the sunlight permeating through the windows. The Greek God trudges to the bar, and Mama Mia stands behind it, cleaning a pot with a rag, "Where is the boy?" he asks.

Mia looks at Kratos with furrowed brows, "He's outside... Don't look at me as if I'm supposed to take care of your son. He seems able to take care of himself," she says.

Kratos grunts, turning to walk towards the front door. Mama Mia watches the man exit the building, and through the dim light of the pub, she sees two glowing points of light at the man's hip. A shiver runs up her back, "What is that?" she asks, but her words question goes unanswered.

The door creaks open, and Kratos steps into the light of the day. He looks down at the steps that Mia spoke of, and Atreus sits at the top, seeming to be so focused on the passing crowds that he doesn't notice his father behind him, "Atreus," Kratos calls to the boy.

Atreus jolts, turning to look up at Kratos, "Oh, you're awake," he responds.

Kratos hums, stepping to the bottom of the stairs. He turns and stares at Atreus, a shadow covering his expression, "Why did you not wait for me?" he asks.

Atreus looks up at Kratos with pursed lips, "...I tried to wake you up, but you... You tried to hit me..." he says.

With wide eyes, Kratos stands stumped, "...Are you certain?" he asks.

"Yeah... You kept saying these names over and over, 'Lysandra' and 'Calliope'... Father, who were you talking about?" Atreus asks, worry leaking through his voice like a fountain.

"I..." Kratos feels the words clumped in his throat, and the man stands with no idea of how to answer his son. He looks down at his hands, ghost-white with callouses littering his palms and fingers. Memories torment his mind, and that bloody ocean with vicious tidal waves bears its fangs before Kratos. A moment passes like this, and Kratos closes his hands into fists. He exhales hard, his brown eyes set to Atreus' icy blue, "...Come, boy. I will tell you when it is needed... But we have a debt to pay for now," his rugged and harsh voice holds some care, a trait reserved for one person in the man's life.

Atreus stands on the top step, and he nearly stands eye to eye with his father, "We're going to the dungeon?" he asks with a giddy smile.

Kratos nods in response. Atreus pumps his fist with a small "Yes!" and his small feet land on the bricks of the street. The duo returns to the crowded river of adventurers and civillians, and Atreus is once again amazed by the number of people in this massive city. Every person he sees he had not seen the day before, and that confuses the boy, "How can a city even be this big?" he asks in his mind. It confuses him, but even more so, the idea of meeting so many new people gives Atreus a feeling he's only experienced a few times in his life.

Meanwhile, Kratos, being the anti-social murderer he is, looks at these people with one emotion in his mind: paranoia. Kratos knows the greed of humans and gods all too well, and as he feels the eyes on him and his son, the Ghost of Sparta feels his skin prickle, and his muscles tighten, ready for any one of these people to try their luck with the two gods.

Suddenly, Kratos' eyes dart to the distance, at that tower standing proud above the city, like a certain mountain. A familiar energy enters Kratos' senses, something he had experienced quite recently, though it vanishes as quick as it came.

"Should we visit that lady before we enter the dungeon?" Atreus asks as he walks beside his father.

Kratos is broken from his staredown with the tower, and his eyes trail down to Atreus, "For what reason?" he asks.

Atreus shrugs, "I dunno... But, shouldn't we have as much information about the dungeon as possible?" he asks.

Kratos hums, "I suppose we should," he says, "Only for information... Do not let yourself lose track of our objective."

"Yes, Father," Atreus says, and the bricks fall away under the duo's steps. Shops showcase swords and axes in their windows, small tags hanging from the displays with ridiculous prices. Save for the homes and facilities in between, this exact thing repeats for the entire trip.

"It seems this city revolves around that dungeon. Almost every business sells some weapon or item to be used in combat," Mimir says, "Oh, Brother, the boy has stopped."

Kratos hums, turning to find Atreus staring into one of the shop windows. He steps behind the boy, finding his eyes to be scouring a bow displayed on a wooden shelf. Atreus seems to be studying the weapon intensely. The boy suddenly turns to Kratos, "Father, do you still have the Bifrost?" he says.

Kratos reaches around his hip and feels the smooth trinket still attached to his person, "Yes... Why do you ask?" he says.

Atreus hums, "Do you think we could transfer the light of Alfheim to another bow? Like with what Freya did to mine?" he asks.

"It is possible..." Kratos responds, glancing at the tag on the bow. Though he cannot read the language, the '70,000' still tells him what he needs to know, "...We will need funds first. Come, let us continue and we will find out."

"Okay," Atreus says, taking a final glance at the bow. For the first time in his life, Atreus actually worries about how much money he and his father have. In Midgard, Kratos was always the one handling the hacksilver, but now, Atreus feels he must have money to get what he wants; food, a place to sleep, weapons, and possibly something more important than simple objects.

The duo reach the building from yesterday, and Atreus glances up at the sign above the door, "Guild," it reads, "Huh, Father, what is a guild?" he asks.

Kratos hums as they approach the double doors, "I will let the head answer that," he says.

"Oh, well, Laddy, a guild is basically an organization of merchants. They usually reside over something, and I guess Asgard is something close to that, without the merchant part... Why do you ask?" Mimir says.

"The sign on this building said something about a guild," he responds as the doors creak open.

Mimir scoffs, "Ahh... That would make sense with the whole dungeon thing. I'm guessing these people watch over everything that goes in and out," he says.

"Leave it for another time," Kratos interjects, stepping into the short line of people before counter. Atreus waits beside his father, his eyes scanning the adventurers surrounding them, some with a smile, and some with their shoulders sagging. It seems the life of an adventurer has its highs and lows.

"Imagine. The legendary Kratos and his son... waiting in a line," Mimir chuckles by himself, "...No? I thought was a good one."

Kratos grunts, shrugging off Mimir's joke as the the line moves forward. Farther up the line, Kratos sees a woman wearing a dress with the back open, and a large tattoo spreads across her fair skin. He looks to other adventurers, and notices a similar tattoo poking out from their armor on almost every person in the building, and Atreus seems to notice the same thing, "What are those tattoos?" The boy asks.

"I do not know... That woman should know," Kratos responds. The line moves again, and the duo finally reaches the counter. Eina stands with that same friendly smile, which seems to falter for a moment as she glances at Kratos, "Hey, it's you two again! How can I help you?" she asks.

"Mhh... We need information on that dungeon," Kratos responds.

"Oh, okay..." Eina glances behind the duo and notices that there is no longer a line, "...I should have a little time. Come, we'll talk at the same place as yesterday," she says.

The Guild seems to be a little busier than yesterday, the sofas taken up by adventurers and other advisors save for one closer to the front door. They settle into the comfortable fabric, Eina opposite of the duo just like before, "Oh, I almost forgot. What are your names?" she asks, glancing at Mimir sitting beside Kratos.

"Kratos," the god responds.

"I'm Atreus."

Eina hums, "Kratos and Atreus, interesting... Now, what did you need to know?" she asks.

Atreus pulls his notebook out and slides forward in the sofa, his quill ready above the page. Kratos asks most of the questions, with Atreus chiming in occasionally and scribbling in his notebook. Eina answers the question with a smooth rhythm, her extensive knowledge of the dungeon and its dangers allowing her to give more information than the godly duo could have ever hoped for.

The number of floors, the layout of each, monsters, and environmental details. Eina tells all, and Atreus organizes each detail in his notebook with ease, "On the 17th floor, there is a what we like to call a 'boss monster'. It's encased behind a huge wall of crystal. With the name Rex Goliath, it's a giant humanoid monster that has several different powers. Regeneration, ranged attacks, and brute strength. I would not recommend even thinking of fighting the Goliath until you join a Familia and gain falna... By the way, I noticed that one of the magic stones you traded in yesterday was large enough to be from a middle floor monster. How did you obtain it?" Eina asks.

Kratos grunts, "We slayed a monster, and that stone dropped. How else would we obtain it?" he says.

Eina's eyes widen, "So you were in the middle floors?" she asks.

Kratos nods. Atreus looks up from his notebook, "What's so weird about it?" he asks.

Eina sits silent, her mouth ajar as she looks between Atreus and Kratos, "...Have you not been listening to me? Every single human and demi-human is a normal person until they gain falna from a god... And you're telling me you were in the middle floors with not only no falna, but only a two-person party. If people were to find out about this... It would shake the very foundations of Orario," she says.

Kratos and Atreus exchange looks with the latter raising his brows. Kratos looks back at Eina with cold eyes. He stares at her, and that same feeling of perpetual doom bogs her mind, "...Then you will not let it leave your lips," he says.