Kratos tenses slightly at the question from Zelos-- having been quite certain no one was paying him any attention-- but waits until he's picked up the last core crystal and placed it in the bag with the others (not the kindest place to store them, but he does not have anywhere better at the moment) before he answers. It seems Zelos has passed out before Kratos could answer. Convenient, though Kratos supposes Zelos isn't the only one curious.

"Well I wasn't going to leave them here, where they would be unlikely to be found again," Kratos explains for whoever is listening, slinging his bag over his shoulder and straightening.

With Zelos down that makes only three of them concious, and only two of them uninjured. They should really hurry. (The longer they stay here the longer Martel remains in that cannon.) Kratos wonders if he should offer to help Anna, but he's quite certain the somewhat-fragile hold he has on his sanity right now is going to shatter if he has to endure the sensation of anyone touching him, even if it is his wife, even if she is unconcious, even if he willingly picked her up. So he lets Malos handle it, grateful that if Irvings are anything, it's stubborn. Malos seems to be alright.

So Kratos takes point as they make their way out of the mines, figuring the least he can do is take care of anyone else who might attempt to ambush them at this point. It's a good thing there's very little mines remaining before they're out in the open air again. From there it will only be a matter of deciding whether their wounds are bad enough to risk venturing into town for a healer or not, but that decision isn't on Kratos.

(If they do decide to go into town, Kratos might just go ahead on his own.)