Chapter 117: Caning It

If Ares wasn't mistaken the shorter of the two brothers, and the one standing further back, was Deimos. This wasn't a hard guess to make as his Legion armour was pretty unique within the clan and he rarely took it off. As for what was so special about it; it was far more sleek, it was covered in red racing stripes, there was nothing covering his arms, and there was a white gourd on his hip. His helmet was also shaped like a peaked motorcycle helmet and there was good reason for this if what Enyo had told Ares about Deimos was true. In fact, just based on the awkward situation at hand, it was likely Ares would get to experience it for himself in just a minute... As for Deimos' facial and bodily features, it was nigh impossible to tell underneath all the armour so Ares had to go by what he was told by Enyo. He was average height and had slightly darker skin tones like his mother. In fact, of all of Rhea's children, it was said Deimos' wild and strong appearance most closely resembled Rhea with his bulky jaw and pointy black hair. One of his ears were pierced and he had tattoos along both arms in the shape of flames that lit up in white whenever he used his unique art. As he wasn't covering his arms these tattoos could actually be seen unlike the rest of him. Personality wise, he was a miracle. He may very well be the only Legion clan male to be the exact antithesis of everything the Legions stood for. Even Rhea was pretty taken aback when his personality developed in this direction without any outside interference. Rhea had guided a few of her children but Deimos was ahead of the pack in that regard. He rarely took anything seriously and always looked for a way to have fun in his current predicament no matter how serious. To that end he annoyed his relatives somewhat frequently as he rarely took their complaints seriously. Still, that also meant he was someone non-judgemental that could be confided in, it's just that expecting him to do anything after he heard you out was pretty pointless. Deimos marched to the beat of his own drum and was somewhat similar to Verv in the sense that he valued entertainment more than anything else. He wasn't quite as manic as Verv though and he was capable of remaining calm when he deemed it necessary. He had a curious heart and was perpetually un-swayed by other's opinions.

Then there was Tyr. If Deimos closely resembled his mother, then Tyr closely resembled his father. His sharp features and blue eyes gave him an imperious look but when combined with his blonde hair that swayed in the wind made him a bit of a pretty boy behind the domineering edge. His armour was on the light side, only really covering his shoulders and his waist. Armour aside, he wore a white and gold, high-collared, side button blazer, white gloves, and white trousers with a few black straps and accessories adorning his arms. He was kitted out in in predominantly white but it didn't look tacky, more so regal if anything. Attached to his shoulder pauldrons was a small black cape that covered roughly half his back and had the word 'Legion' written on it in pure white. He only really subtly sported the Legion armour, minus the emblazoned name on the back, but he was still easily identifiable as Legion regardless, even from the front. Everything from his silent pride to his resolved aura oozed heroism and stoicism that reflected his personality. He was like a quiet Enyo before she changed and became more lax. He wasn't so outwardly violent when dealing with crime but a fire still burned within him. His appearance was that of a man perpetually at peace and he was someone who wanted to spread that peace to everyone else. He was unflinching when making decisions and had inherited his father's uncompromising attitude and ruthlessness to most issues. He was the child that cared the most about the war and dealing with revenants but it was not because he hated them. He didn't follow in his father's footsteps because he agreed with him but because he saw it as a means to an end. Revenants were immortal and thus disposable. If a particular group had to suffer until Tyr took control of the Legion clan and set it on the right path, then he would pick the revenants. It was unfortunate for them, he acknowledged that, but they were the perfect candidates to bear the brunt of everyone's ire until then. He didn't want to see his clansmen die for good so he valiantly pointed his blade at enemies he didn't hate for his own brand of justice. If the revenants hated him after then so be it but at least he could try to end the war and all the suffering it entailed. He mostly kept this ideology to himself, however, because he knew Major wouldn't be supportive. In a way, he was trying to usurp control of the clan by acting the obedient son. He had the hardest job compared to the other siblings who'd distanced themselves from the man but he was up to the task. Just as Deimos was similar to Verv in some regards, Tyr was similar to Scar. Both detested the war for ruining so many lives and were pained by their own involvement but still felt it necessary lest their side incur greater losses should they stand idly by. Tyr had killed many revenants and he'd been diligent in his hunt for them. The more he killed the less there were roaming around getting into fights with the other clans. He pushed himself hard but he got results. Although he wasn't as strong as Enyo or Bellona, he wasn't far off and the combination of his anti-magic pillar expertise combined with his Sword Of Damocles personal treasure was deadly. He wielded a white and jade green staff with wings in one hand, his silver sword in the other, and was more than capable in combat with either. Both were rare treasures with powerful arts that synergised nicely, one being good at dealing with magic and the other being good at dealing with physical attacks. He was a hard nut to crack. He wasn't as strong defensively as Enyo and her barriers, and he wasn't as offensively devastating as Bellona with her magic, but he was a solid all-rounder with a good mix of both offense and defence at a respectable level. To put it simply, he was just a better Trew in every possible way. In fact Trew idolised Tyr more than anyone else in the clan so the comparison was especially ironic. Sometimes, more than even his own father, Tyr was the personification of everything Legion.

Ares steeled himself and tried to snake his way out of the situation by pretending to be innocent again. "There are more of you fiends!? How dare you corner an innocent woman?!"

Tyr simply stared Ares down and replied flatly. "The just need not justify."

Ack

So straightlaced! How blunt and uncaring! Ares couldn't tell if this was the sharpest or dullest human he'd ever met but Tyr was certainly one of the two. Ares figured he had one shot to get out of this place by utilising one other piece of information he knew about these two knuckleheads. It applied to Tyr more than Deimos but ought to be effective against both regardless. Ares really didn't want to kick his brother in laws' asses so he sent Fate a mental message to run as soon as he was finished speaking. She nodded slyly behind him and Ares turned to the two brothers. His gaze passed by them and looked off into the distance. He squinted narrowly before waving his hand with a smile on his face and yelling "ENYO! OVER HERE!"

Tyr and Deimos, being the massive sis-cons they secretly were, turned on the spot and fell for Ares' ruse. They scoured the street across from them long and hard but eventually realised they'd been duped. They were curious as to how this random person knew their secret weakness but that was a matter they could settle later after they caught the scoundrel! How dare some random bastard utter the name of one of their sisters!? He wasn't worthy! To that end, they turned around and watched him dash around the corner. Fate had already skulked off somewhere after turning invisible so catching her was impossible. Instead, both brothers chose to chase down the mysterious man as he was the more pressing issue anyway.

Deimos scavenged around in his space ring before bringing out his personal treasure, the Grand Prix. This beauty was a motorcycle with speeds of up to 350 mph. It had its own arts too that could be used to run down foes and Deimos' unique art synergised with it well; or rather he invented the unique art specifically for this treasure so that was to be expected. Deimos was frequently seen riding this thing around and cruising back on his home planet in his spare time. It used mana as fuel so he could run it for a good while before needing to stop and take a break. This treasure had pretty much shaped his identity ever since he first got his grubby hands on it. He even pestered the Legion's resident blacksmith to reforge his armour into what it was now for bonus style points to fit the 'holy rider' image he was going for. Of course, when he got on the motorbike and brought out a grungy baseball bat that image was marred slightly. Whether or not chasing down a criminal and whacking them over the head in this fashion could be considered justice or not was pretty debatable... Either way, he was good at hunting down escapees so he set off first.

Tyr was about to follow but he halted in place when some civilians 'accidentally' blocked his path. The stream of civilians walking by was unnatural so he accepted that the will of the people was not aligned with him and sighed. Clearly this person was a bit of a local legend if these people were willing to go to bat for him. Rather than pester them for information or give them trouble, Tyr just turned around and left things to Deimos. Whether Deimos was successful or not didn't matter as Tyr was no longer involved so he didn't care anymore... Or so he tried to tell himself over and over in his head. Why some local scoundrel knew Enyo well was beyond him. Maybe his poor sister had been hunting down this nuisance unsuccessfully for some time now? He could always ask her directly tomorrow when they would inevitably meet at the party. For now he had to go and sort out Calla's children and his own siblings who were probably still clashing like fools in broad daylight, hassling the locals. He wasn't in too much of a rush though as he figured Scar would be minimising the damage dealt to the surroundings and preventing any harm from befalling the onlookers.

Meanwhile, Ares was being chased down various alleyways as the roar of the Grand Prix's engine threatened him from behind. He managed to peek over his shoulder and get a sight of the magnificent bike that literally radiated holiness. The bike itself was covered in the Legion clan's armour as a sort of plating and there was a slight glow radiating off it thanks to the nature of its fuel source. It was a compact and modern design, more focussed on sharp edges that were functional as opposed to elegant curves that were fashionable. It lent itself towards a more 'by any means necessary' type of holiness that implied violence was right around the corner when this thing caught you; almost like an inquisitor vigilante's preferred mode of transport. Still, there was little it could do in these tight corridors. Even an expert rider like Deimos had to slow down for sharper turns and so the distance between Ares and Deimos refused to shrink. Ares didn't fancy being a whack-a-mole target for his brother in law so he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, even going as far as to run annihilation mana through his body and heighten his physical traits. He could have just started Shifting away or even used Voidwalk to escape into the air but he really wanted to see Deimos' magic. Apparently it was quite the sight so Ares intentionally stuck to the alleyways to incentivise Deimos to use it. Ares got his wish about a minute later when he heard Deimos loudly chant over the hum of his bike.

"Burning Rubber!"

Deimos tapped the side of his helmet, causing it to open up near the mouth as he reached downwards to detach the gourd from his hip. Pop. The gourd was opened and dangled above Deimos' tilted head, pouring its contents directly into the man's mouth. There was far too much to reasonably swallow at once and so some of the extra, see-through liquor, splashed onto his helmet before trickling onto his bike and the floor. A trail of the alcohol formed behind the wet bike as Deimos took a deep breath before exhaling and letting loose a torrent of white flames. The fire ignited the liquid the second it touched it and everything that was wet previously was now ablaze. The trail behind the bike, the bike itself, and even Deimos' helmet were all alight, burning bright with a pure white flame. The fires clinging to the bike formed a set of ephemeral wings that drastically sped it up as Deimos continued breathing out the fire. This time, instead of aiming it at himself to buff his treasure and himself, he shot it forward to chase down Ares. This art had two parts. One, it spread the holy pillar passive buffs in a large range and not just to people either; treasures could now also receive it. One could stand in the trail behind the bike or get caught in Deimos' all-purging flames, either worked and would make you and your treasures significantly stronger. He used this art on his own armour to strengthen himself but also his Grand Prix to turbo-boost it. As for the second half of the art, that was simple, the fire breath burned people alive. It was a dual purpose art that cleansed allies and enemies alike, albeit with different results, as Deimos rode around like a menace. If you were on the side of justice, then you had nothing to fear. If you weren't, he would chase you down and burn you to a crisp before hopping off the bike and beating you with the baseball bat. Fighting Deimos was actually really annoying because his bike was capable of evasive manoeuvres and this was especially true if it had been buffed by Burning Rubber. Not only were it's turns tighter, and its speed higher, but it could also make small jumps thanks to the new wings it generated. It couldn't fly or anything, at least not at the moment anyway, but jumping over arts that were aimed low to the ground was certainly possible.

Ares looked back as the spewing flames surged towards him in the alleyway. Beyond the fire he could see Deimos' tattoos light up as well as magic rolling off his helmet and treasure. He was like a streamlined, holy bullet and Ares had to admit he looked cool. More than anything though... Ares wanted to ride the bike! He'd never driven a vehicle before but he suddenly felt the urge to give it a go even if the chances of him crashing were extremely high. In this moment Ares felt like he understood Aejaz' compulsion to steal... Still, Deimos was going to be a relative so he would rather not take from him in such a manner. It would be easier to make a good impression first and then ask nicely afterwards! Of course if all else failed Aejaz and Ares could always go for a little, heh, joyride.

Worrying about the future while the flames came barrelling towards him in the present wasn't a good idea, though, so Ares refocused himself and activated Voidwalk. As the next turn reared its head, and the fire began singeing Ares' ass, Deimos expectations were defied when Ares jumped at the wall in front of him, instead of rounding the corner, and ran straight up it. Ares clambered up the building and vaulted onto the roof but Deimos was undeterred as he gave chase. He performed a wheelie and made the bike hop as he approached the wall, landing on it vertically. His bike whirred and his wheels spun rapidly as they pushed him up the wall too in pursuit of his target. The Grand Prix couldn't climb walls particularly well, or for too long, but it had enough juice in the tank to make it up the one it was currently riding so Ares wasn't out of the woods just yet. Of course Ares could have just taken to the skies but that was boring! There was a chase afoot and Ares wanted to know just how far Deimos could go in order to keep up with him.

Ares leapt from roof to roof, dodging the fire breath whenever it tried to smother him and incapacitate his legs, whilst also occasionally chucking Shock Beads backwards. He didn't detonate them, that would be way too excessive, but he was interested to see how Deimos would react. Deimos swung for the fences and batted them all away, that was how he reacted. Ares muttered the word 'touché' under his breath and kept Voidwalking. It wasn't a refined solution, brute forcing the Beads away, but it did work. Ares wanted to test him a bit more but any larger arts would tear open a few roofs and Ares was reluctant to piss off Red Sun. He was in a weird love-hate relation with them currently whereby a lot of the more 'in the know' crowd really liked him but the rest were cautious. Those he'd helped previously and those who only knew of him what they'd seen him in the tournament. Those were the two crowds and, although he cared more about the former, he had to appease the latter too. It would complicate becoming the sect master of the local sect otherwise. He wanted his ascension to the role to be smooth sailing and not fraught with dissatisfaction so he erred on the side of caution when dealing with the general public.

There was a massive gap coming up, one that Ares could easily just Voidwalk over. The real issue was whether or not Deimos could cross it. His bike's jump was decent but not enough to clear this chasm so Ares smiled maliciously and picked up the pace. Deimos fully expected the scoundrel to jump down and onto the streets where he would finally be able to catch him. The bike was better in straight paths and all this turning in the alleys and jumping over the roofs hadn't allowed the Grand Prix to shine. Down on the streets he would weave through the civilians and pluck his prey out from amidst them. Deimos sped up and prepared himself for the fall but his eyes nearly widened to twice their size when he saw Ares just keep 'running' across the gap. This guy can walk on air?! NO FAIR! Deimos could no longer brake and he was hurtling towards the edge of the roof. Landing below wouldn't be an issue but he would lose the culprit if he allowed that to happen... There was only one solution so Deimos cleared his mind and floored it! He wouldn't make the jump, that was certain, but the bike didn't have to do all the heavy lifting on its own. The front wheel of the Grand Prix rolled over the lip at the edge of the roof and the bike jumped, catapulting it into the air. Ares turned around to watch Deimos sink but was surprised to see the man leap of the bike, abandoning it mid fall to gain some extra height and distance. The bike landed perfectly fine, as it could automate itself to a degree, and proceeded to roll down the street slowly to keep up with its master. As for Deimos, he fell through the air as he stretched out his hand to reach for the building Ares was on. Genuinely, Ares couldn't tell if Deimos was going to make it or not. He was close but not close enough to make it comfortably so this was going to be a 50/50 toss up. Deimos' hand shot towards the ledge and his fingertips barely, just barely, managed to cling to the roof. He sighed in relief as he looked down at the drop beneath him before pulling himself up... Or he would have if there wasn't a particularly smug Ares staring down at him with his foot hovering above Deimos' fingers. Under his helmet, Deimos gave a wry smile and chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, lend a friend a hand?"

Ares smirked and snickered with a toothy grin as he lowered his foot and spoke in a condescending manner, "Long live the rooftop king."

Crunch

Ares foot flattened Deimos' hand against the roof and caused him to let go on reflex when the pain set in. "BASTARRRRRRRRRRRD!!!!!!!" Deimos' yell was subject to the Doppler effect as he descended down to earth with a bang. The fall wasn't so bad thanks to his armour, and the Grand Prix catching him, but it certainly looked unpleasant at least. The last thing Deimos saw as he looked upwards with a growl was Ares walking through the sky, leaving him in the dust. It occurred to Deimos that his scumbag could probably have flown away all along, meaning he'd just been toying with him this entire time! Deimos made it his mission to hunt this guy down and make him pay at some point! I will not forget this mockery, rooftop king!

As he sauntered through the sky, Ares had a fit of laughter that repeatedly almost caused him to fall over. How he was going to make amends with Deimos was impossible to figure out but how could he not have taken that opportunity? The power of standing over a man hanging from a ledge was too great. This was 1000% a story he had to go tell Enyo about so he scurried off to go looking for her. Of course, after he told her, he would ask for a method to smooth things over. Ares really wanted to ride the bike, after all. 

Ares arrived at My Fair Lady and peeked inside to see if Enyo was still here. He realised shortly after that everyone on the street was looking at him and one lady was even running away screaming 'guards, there's a pervert!' Ares was starting to get fed up with these misunderstandings! He kissed his teeth and ignored the onlookers, entering the shop and heading near to the back where Enyo was browsing some clothes. He said 'hello' to make his presence known before hugging her from behind. "Hehehe, I ran into some of you clansmen, hehehe. I may have pushed one of them around a bit. Hehehehe."

Enyo snorted as she held aloft some panties and inspected them in detail. "Stop laughing like a creep inside this shop... I am curious though. What happened?"

"So, get this, there were two guys, one one was called Tyr, and the other one was called Deimos..."

Unable to resist, Enyo started giggling immediately because she could tell stupidity was on the horizon. As Ares explained the encounter from the very beginning, Enyo's laughter grew louder by the minute. By the end of it she was wiping tears from her eyes and leaning backward on Ares' chest.

"So yeah, I want to apologise."

"That's unlike you?"

"I want to ride his bike."

"That's more like you." Enyo shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry, Deimos isn't the kind to take things like that personally. As for riding his bike, he's never let anyone else even touch it so good luck with that."

"I see... Anyway, how've you been? Found anything you liked?"

"Yeah, everything."

"I shouldn't have asked... What about the other two?" Ares looked around but couldn't spy Bellona or Rhea.

"They seem to really like this shop too. Not as much as me, obviously, but they're having fun looking around. I've already bought some stuff for my playdate with Bellona in the Grecian lands. Hehehe, she has no idea what' going to hit her, hehehe."

"Now who's laughing like a creep!?"

"It's ok when a woman is a creep."

"No, I don't think it is. Well whatever, you're Bellona's problem now."

"You say that with such a confidence but aren't you forgetting what day it is tomorrow?"

Ares leant down and kissed Enyo's neck. "I would never forget a day as important as that. Your chances to run away from me are dwindling, you know?"

"Hmph, the same can be said to you. When I get my claws in you I won't let go."

Ares and Enyo continued flirting to their heart's content until Bellona and Rhea returned, at which point they paid for everything they'd bought and went on their merry way. All of the deals regarding funding had already been taken care off so they said their goodbyes to Bea before heading out for lunch. Ares treated everyone to some sandwiches from Fixer that went down a treat before returning back to the sect. Along the way, Ares had to help his brother who was escaping from a Legion clan member that discovered him in the midst of 'completing a contract'. Ares shoved his brother into an Ebon Nightmare Zone via the Nyxian Prowler and dragged him safely back home before kicking him out. The rest of the day passed normally with all the usual suspects, Sadie and Fate, popping 'round for some grub before the day ended. Everyone slept in the same rooms as the night prior which meant Enyo would be alone for one more night while Ares cuddled Bellona. Enyo was going to explode with pent up aggression tomorrow, and Ares knew he wouldn't be able to escape her clutches at night for at last week if not longer, so he got some alone time with Bellona out of the way ahead of time. After that 'week long or maybe even longer' period was over, Enyo had already proposed all three of them sleep in the same room together. Whether Bellona would agree or not was still up in the air. Then again, agreeing to it was probably for the best. If she disagreed then when Enyo snuck into her room at night she would have to deal with Enyo by her lonesome. If she agreed then Ares could take the 'Enyo bullet' for her. That was in the future though. For now, as everyone went to sleep, they were more focussed on the shitshow the party tomorrow was going to be. Enemies, friends, family, first impressions, fundamental pillars meeting. Everything was well and truly going to hit the fan tomorrow.