Chapter 125: Five, Six, Mako Falls for Tricks and Calla Licks

Ahem

Ares decided to take the simple path and start with Scar who was supposedly the easiest to get along with... Although really that title belonged to Fate because he was already familiar with her and knew how to treat her and what to expect in return. "Hello. I've heard about you all from Fate over the last couple of days so it's nice to finally meet you all in person..." Ares was mid introduction when a certain someone woke with a start, yelling in excitement.

"BROTHER!" Verv smiled energetically as he looked around the table. When he finally found his target, Ares, he leaned over the table and stretched out his hand. "Let's get along and fight plenty of times with each other!"

Ares reached out with his own hand in kind and shook Verv's, wincing as his hand was one-sidedly crushed. "Uh, yeah, that sounds like an oxymoron to me but sure. A new sparring partner is never a bad thing. I look forward to training with you..." Ares turned to Scar and held up his palm to the side of his mouth as if he was trying to secretly discuss something with him. "Uh, after training with him, do I need to give the guy treats or anything?"

Scar snorted but smiled a little. "No. A good beating is more than enough for this unruly pup. Fate mentioned you're still new to the whole revenant bloodline so I'll let you know this now. When you do turn into a wolf you don't inherit an animal's sense of taste. You won't like dog treats no matter how fluffy you are... Being petted and scratched behind the ears can feel good sometimes, though, but that's because your body physically changes. Anything that involves bone structure, muscle mass, or the shape of your form can be affected when you transform. Extraneous and intangible things like taste, mindset, and intelligence remains the same... Mostly. If you're an adept that last one actually can change but it's rare. You're a strength type adept, right? If it's alright with you, when you get your revenant transformation, I would also like to spar with you. As a cultivator who focuses primarily on brute strength an adept sounds like a fantastic challenge to better myself against."

With a nod, Ares agreed to the request. As he'd just said, the more the merrier. Practicing against a single person all the time would be repetitive and unhelpful. Yes Sadie was good at wielding multiple weapons and there was variation in that regard but her fighting style was not all encompassing. There were a lot of people out there and the more experience Ares could have the better his chances of success would be going forward. "Alright. I take it you've transformed before? Could you tell me a little more about the process and when it can happen?"

"There's a few things to mention. First of all, transforming is almost always impossible until bloodline awakening. There is only one known method of accomplishing an early transformation and not only is it temporary, but you can only do it three times throughout the entirety of your life. Even if you die and revive it won't refresh. You have to be careful when and where you choose to use this method so as not to waste your chances. Unfortunately I do not have any vials on me otherwise I would hand them over to you now. It's not typically something just any ordinary revenant can get their hands on but you are a child of the patriarch so that's a non-issue. I imagine Calla will have some vials on her person and she'll give them to you without you even needing to ask. As for how the vials work, after taking one you will be forcibly transformed into your revenant transformation for five minutes. During this time you will be at the peak of bloodline awakening and your strength / mana reserves will increase appropriately. It's a neat little trick for weaker revenants in dangerous spots to overcome any and all obstacles. Be warned, though, controlling yourself the first time around will be difficult. There are repercussions to using a vial, one of which is that you will go berserk if you don't control yourself properly. The other is that when the five minute duration is up you will be completely exhausted. Being unable to move for an entire day afterwards is not uncommon. They should be a last ditch resort and not something you haphazardly waste. Also, you're expressly banned from using them during the tournament unless you want to be disqualified.

As for your normal transformation, you'll know you can use it when your human form mutates. Maybe some sharper fangs, maybe a tail, maybe some claws on your feet, etc. When you notice a change, that means it's time for you to become a revenant. This will happen at any point during bloodline awakening. It can be during 1st stage,10th stage, or any stage in between. One day you will increase your cultivation and your body will start changing. From then on you can transform whenever you want with no downsides. You lose the ability to transform if you die and your cultivation resets but it comes back under the same conditions. For the record, normally, I have patches of fur along my arms, a patch around my navel, and some more on my knees. You lose the wolf aesthetic too when you die so it can help you hide your race until you cultivate it back.

As for the process itself, your body, when it morphs, feels no pain so you don't have to be concerned about that. The only thing you should remember is that the time it takes to transform varies on a few factors. How many times you've done it before, how big of a wolf you are after transforming, and how skilled you are at undergoing the process all matter in their own ways. For the most part, experience in transforming matters most of all. The first time you transform may even potentially take up to a minute, it wouldn't be the first time that's happened. It could also be smooth sailing and not take more a second. It varies from person to person so you'll just have to wait and see. As for what happens after you transform... Well you can still walk around like a bipedal animal, and most people tend to, but you can get down on all fours and sprint with relative ease. I felt like that was something that came naturally when I tried it and that's also the general sentiment amongst other revenants. You'll also have claws on your hands and feet to swipe with, sharper teeth to bite with, more physical strength, and better senses overall. If it weren't for the fact that revenants are despised it would generally be better to walk around as one... Usually. You're an adept so it will lock you out of that incredible magic you used earlier... Although I can only imagine how strong your adept trait will become when fuelled by that mana... Still, you can cast race-based arts if nothing else. You won't find any to learn here in this domain but we have plenty back on our home planet. You could also always just create unique arts if that takes your fancy. Long story short, the transformation is a huge boon to your overall strength and shouldn't be underestimated. It's like a tiger growing a pair of wings."

Ares had to resist the urge to mention the fact that treetop tigers already had wings. Leo was in this room somewhere too so he could literally show this man a tiger with wings if he wanted to see one for whatever reason. "That's all good to know. Thank you. As an aside, I'm going to be hosting a banquet for the Legion family, likely tomorrow, and I was thinking of doing something similar for our family. Might as well, right? If you're all free and interested then I'd be happy to cook for you all. I don't know if Fate mentioned it but I happen to be a pretty decent chef so if you have any favourite meals I can make them for you."

"You're hosting a banquet for the Legion family?" Venus stopped peering at Phobos for a hot minute and looked back at Ares.

"Yeah. I lost a bet a while ago and this is the result of it. Actually, I would have been ok with doing it regardless but I can't deny that's how it all started. I know it might be awkward getting used to the Legion lot but they seem like good people. Granted I haven't known them long, mind you."

"Yeah yeah, only one of 'em is worth giving a toss about. Tell you what, you want to be a member of this family then do me a favour and I'll consider treating you like one."

THUD

Skyzo chopped Venus' head and spoke in a quiet but steady voice. "Sorry about her. What she's trying to say is that she would like an item that belongs to Phobos and she would be grateful if you could fetch it for her when you host the Legion family. It's an unreasonable request but it would make her happy... I'm sure an autograph or something similar would also suffice. If it's too much of a hassle then don't worry about it. you don't need Venus' permission to be a part of the family and she will treat you like one regardless of whether you succeed with her request or not. She's just trying to use you. Try not to feel bad about it, she's like this with everyone is all. You'll get used to it."

"Ah, I see. Well I'll try to do as she asked anyway. Not like I have anything to lose. By the way, on a tangentially related note, I hear you're close to Pele?"

Skyzo lifted up his scarf and didn't respond.

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"I take it the conversation is over now?"

"It is."

Well, uh, Ares was certainly starting to understand what kind of people his family were. Venus was the hardest to decipher until you realised everything she did was in order to get closer to Phobos. Verv was the most extroverted but always wanted to fight you after every conversation. Skyzo was caring but usually unwilling to speak about personal matters and would happily end conversations he didn't want to take part in abruptly. Scar was normal... And in a family like this that probably meant he was actually the strangest person at the table. Fate was Fate. Ares was Ares.

"As for the banquet..." Scar spoke up and brought back the original topic of conversation that Ares had brought up. "... That sounds good. I'm sure Calla would be more than willing to have a get together and it's been a while since we've all had a home-cooked family meal together. None of us are busy the day after tomorrow..."

"I'm busy!" Venus interrupted.

"... None of us are busy the day after tomorrow so if that's alright with you we can have it then." Scar completely ignored Venus. She was not busy, not in the slightest. At least not busy with anything important enough to so rudely skip a family meal like she was attempting to. She would probably just be out and about shota hunting anyway. Letting this woman roam Red Sun unsupervised was dangerous and she'd become a wanted criminal by the end of the week. "I'll make sure to round up everyone and have them arrive on time. As for our favourite meals, you really don't have to go that far. I imagine it would be a long endeavour to undertake, especially after hosting the day prior too."

"Thanks for the concern but it really is alright. I do this stuff frequently and enjoy doing it on top of that. Whatever you want I'll make."

"I see. In that case I won't be polite. I'll make sure to write down what each of us likes, Calla included as I already know."

"That's a real help. You could also just tell me though, I'd remember it."

"I believe you, but trying to tell you everything right now is probably going to be impossible. A certain someone seems to have come back and is looking for you..." Scar nodded behind Ares who then turned around and sighed in exasperation.

Mako was back... And he was looking straight at Ares with indignation. When Mako saw the explosion he started running towards it, thinking that was where the destruction pillar champion was, but Terros had to correct him then and there otherwise he would have spent the entire night chasing a ghost on the opposite side of town. Ares accepted his fate and stood up before walking over to meet Mako halfway. The reason for this was simple; this way Ares could walk away from this person! If he stayed seated how was he supposed to escape this bozo without directly asking him to get lost? Hopefully this guy would understand what the words 'not tonight' meant and Ares could go back to what he was doing before.

Mako rushed up to Ares with his pointed finger waggling all the while. "YOU!"

Ares responded in kind by pointing to himself and being unnecessarily aggressive, "ME?"

"YOU!"

Although Ares was aware laughing at Mako's face directly like he was currently doing was unhelpful he simply couldn't stop himself. Of all the people Ares had met he could tell Mako was going to be the easiest to bully of the lot. Even so much as greeting him was unbearably funny to Ares. "Alright alright. Stop yelling. What do you want? Another red herring maybe?" While Mako seethed and almost blew his top, Ares turned to Terros. "Stone?"

Terros' carapace rolled over his body and produced a grating noise that was essentially a golem's way of 'kissing its teeth'. "No, I am a rock."

"Stone."

"No... Rock."

"Stone!"

"Rock!"

"Balderdash."

"No, and before you say it, I am not a boulder either!... It has been a while since the last time I spoke to a revenant... Clearly not long enough. I would feel sorry for Ignizz but he probably deserves you as much as you deserve him... Where is he anyway?"

"I have no idea. He's sleeping, wherever he is, and I haven't seen him at all yet. I fully intend on chewing him out when I get the chance. I will not go easy on that dumb lizard."

"Hear, hear. I do not pity Ignizz. He is well and truly stupid. That aside, you seem familiar with the idea of fundamental pillars if seeing Mako doesn't bother you. How do you know about everything if you haven't made contact with Ignizz yet? Did your family over there give you a quick rundown? They should be aware of the basics of the situation at least."

"No, through sheer luck I managed to come across another God. That one explained it to me instead and even allowed me to form a contract with them."

"Ah, that's good... But who was it? No other God should be down here in Sheryashka..."

"That's a secret." Ares brought his finger to his lips and smiled provocatively. Unfortunately Terros, the king of boulders himself, did not fall for Ares' incitement and just ignored him. Terros was mainly probing for selfish reasons anyway. He couldn't see the future but he was convinced Ares and Mako would fight during the tournament. When he was summoned, Ares would summon his contracted God in response. If Terros could know who it is early he could formulate a means of attack that would be efficient and effective. Not knowing who it was was actually troubling because they would know about him... Terros could only hope it was the Goddess of the lightning pillar. He had a pretty hefty advantage over that twerp and she also fit the bill. She frequently looked in on Sheryashka, specifically searching for her old friend who'd gone missing, so she very well may have done it again and come across Ares this time. Actually, as Ares was a revenant just like the person she was after, the chances were quite high that was the case. Although Terros didn't hard commit to the idea that it was her he was up against, he did make plans for the lightning Goddess in case she showed up.

Ares turned to face Mako again after completely disregarding him. When he swivelled back around Mako was pushing his face up towards Ares and fully exhibiting his eyes and their mutation while whining like a frustrated child. "Why are you ignoring me? Punk! You literally just asked me what I wanted and then started a conversation with someone else! Not to mention sending me on a wild goose chase. The hell is your problem?! You looking for a fight?!"

"Yes I am, actually. Go outside and wait for me at the training grounds. I'll be there shortly so we can settle this!"

"Fine by me!" Mako started marching towards the door but after Terros whispered something in his ear he came marching right on back. "BASTARD! Stop tricking me damnit!"

"You are very lucky to have Terros by your side. I would have sold you a bridge by now if it wasn't for him. Seriously though, I'm just minding my own business tonight. I don't want to deal with you because you reek of annoying. I can smell the nuisance in you."

Sniff Sniff

"See? Smells like petrol... Actually, why do you smell of petrol?"

"None of your concern! Unlike you I work harder to get stronger instead of just messing with people all day long. Here I was worried you might actually be a threat to me but it turns out you aren't even competition."

"I am competition, I'm just not competing with you. I have standards. You can compete with me all you want but I'll only show you respect after you've earned it from me the hard way. I look forward to working with you in the future for the sake of saving the world. That was satirical by the way. I feel the need to clarify because you couldn't tell a lie from a truth if it slapped you across the face. Well..." Ares clapped his hands together and gave his best fake smile. "... We've been conversing here for a while so I think we should end it here for today. Not that this hasn't been enjoyable, it's just that time really flies when your having fun and what not."

"We've only been talking for like a minute at most?"

"Exactly!" Ares started walking away but unfortunately Mako chased him down.

"Stop! Stop! Damn you, stop you halfwit!"

"Halfwit?" Ares did stop and face Mako again. "Me? Halfwit? Have you looked in a mirror lately? If I'm a halfwit what does that make you? A quarter wit? A one-fifthwit?!"

"Why are you like this? What have I ever done to you? You're more annoying than Eagerton for fuck's sake."

"You've bothered me on a special day. I have a lot going on and rather than dealing with it all I'm stuck here dealing with you. Regrettably, and I do mean regrettably, you and I are going to have get along for a long time to come. Thanks to the Xhilihx matter all of us fundamental champions are tied at the hip. I am going to be seeing your ugly mug for hundreds of thousands of years. I do NOT need to see it today as well. If you have something that direly needs to be said then say it now because if you don't I would like to go back to my long list of tasks for tonight.

While Ares was squabbling with Mako, who insisted telling Ares he was better than him was imperative, the double doors opened again. People were pretty distracted by everything that had happened recently so the attention this person got was minor but there were a few people who instantly twisted their heads upon sensing this person's presence. Rhea, Serene, and Margaret who was raising her camera in anticipation, all watched Calla enter the room. She was in a joyous mood and her bushy tail was wagging back and forth as she sniffed the air. Her sniffs eventually pointed her nose in the direction of her long lost son and she looked at him bickering with Serene's son as tears formed in her eyes. The Stygian Zephyr was a dead giveaway but, more than that, she just knew. She had smelled his scent from outside the building and already had a really good feeling but the second she saw him in the flesh she exploded with exhilaration. That same smell she'd memorised on the day he was born, his father's features, the Zephyr. It was him! Definitely him! Calla blitzed across the venue faster than anyone other than the three other matriarchs could see, swatted aside Mako who was flung into his mother's arms, and bear hugged Ares from behind.

Ares was at a complete loss for words as the person he'd been walking away from, Mako, disappeared from his vision and suddenly he was being manhandled by some crazed woman who kept sniffing his neck. He immediately knew the answer though. The other three matriarchs were already here so someone at this level could only really be one person. His mother. He was lifted off the floor and dangled side to side as his mother squealed happily in his ear. He could only imagine the gleaming smile on the face of the person behind him as she swayed back and forth. Still, he couldn't judge as he was just as happy sitting here in her warm embrace... Although it was a little weird when the sniffing stopped and she licked his cheek. A display of affection? Something scent related? Grooming him clean? Didn't Scar say becoming a wolf didn't change personality? This woman seemed to be more wolf than human but Ares didn't say that aloud.

Calla bit into the collar of the shirt Ares was wearing and dangled him in front of her as she took her cub over to the table with Rhea on it. She sat on the seat between Enyo and Bellona and plopped Ares onto her lap before wrapping her arms around him again. "Rhea! Lookie lookie! It's my baby! I found my baby! Isn't he a handsome baby? He looks so much like Aster too!"

Rhea smiled wryly at the adorable dork Calla had become. She was always like this around her kids... Even now her tail was wagging in her seat. Of course with the limited space available to it the tail was kind of just flopping around like a fish out of water, jumping up and down in every which way. "Yes Calla, I see your baby. I'm happy for you. Ares, this is your mother."

Ares still hadn't technically 'seen' this woman yet because he'd been ambushed from behind and dragged around by the scruff of his neck ever since. As his arms were bound by Calla's he only really had one choice left. He leaned his head as far back as he could until he was looking at her upside down. He smiled when he saw her soft features and her motherly aura that resembled the blurry memory of his past, brief life.. "Hey mum. Sorry I was gone for so long and worried you."

Calla sniffled and pet Ares' head. "Ares, I'm so sorry for not protecting you. I let you down as a mother so don't apologise. It's not your fault. None of it is. It was a mistake your father and I made. You can be mad."

Ares leaned back onto his mother's chest and smiled gently. "I'm not mad. Not at all. I'm just happy to have such a caring mother, thank you."

"Rhea! Lookie lookie! My baby is so sweet! He's the kindest and most amazingest sweetie!... Ah! Hot chocolate. Ares, sweetie, do you want hot chocolate? Stardust? Treasures? Ooh, I've got plenty of treasures! You want some?"

Ares couldn't help but chuckle at his mother's bipolar antics. "No, thank you. I think those treasures should go to Fate. She needs them more than the rest of us do."

"Awww, you're so nice! Rhea! Lookie lookie! My baby is so caring!... Ah! Canis Stimulant! You want that sweetie? I bet you do! Here!" Calla whipped out three vials filled with a cloudy white substance. Based on what he'd talked with Scar about earlier, these were the things that would allow him to temporarily transform early. "They're made from the bones of dead revenants! Good stuff! Mix your blood into them and presto! Ready for consumption! Here you go sweetie!" She shoved the corked dials into Ares' hands and went back to merrily humming as she looked down at him. Ares heard an 'oooohhhhh' as he put the vials into the Primordial Blade. Calla could tell there was a secret here! The vials had disappeared but there was no space ring! Her baby had a secret! "Oh! What's that! Tell me tell me tell me! Actually, tell me everything! What were your first words? Were did you grow up? Who looked after you? What's your favourite food? What's your favourite drink? What hobbies do you have what's your favourite colour are you in love where is she she better be acceptable I'll judge that oh and where did you get that fantabulous suit?"

"Uh, about the disappearing vials... And about most of the stuff you just asked me... I'm sorry to delay things after finally meeting you but would you mind waiting until tomorrow?"

"Awwwwwww.... Ok! But you have to tell me tomorrow! Why tomorrow anyway? Are you busy today? I don't wanna let go of you..."

"Well... I can answer one of your earlier questions, and that ought to answer some of the newer ones too. I am in love."

GASP

Calla bobbed up and down in her seat excitedly and shook Ares. "Love? Like love love? Marriage? Wedding? Who is it! I'm not going to let some unqualified woman steal my babies! You are handsome, sweetie, have high standards! Who is it? Lemme smell her!"

"Uh, about that." Ares lifted both hands in front of his chest. He pointed left with his right hand and pointed right with his left. Calla's eyes nearly split in two as she tried to follow both directions simultaneously. She looked left, saw Bellona, got giddy, and then looked right, saw Enyo, and squealed. She hadn't noticed it before because she hadn't been paying attention but these two were cute! Bellona and Enyo were very cute today! Also, Calla figured it out! Her best buddy Rhea's children had both fallen in love with the same man! "Hehehe, Rhea! Lookie lookie! My baby has wooed two of your girls! We're gonna be in-laws! Also, your babies look exceptional today! Congratulations!..." The mood shifted rapidly as Calla's voice turned frigid. "Rh~ea, how long have you known about my baby? If I'm not mist~aken you came down a while ago, no~? Rh~ea? Explain, Rh~ea. Explain to me why you didn't tell me Rh~ea. I want to know why you'd keep this from me, Rh~ea. That was awfully mean of you Rh~ACK"

Serene and Margaret came to the rescue and bopped Calla upside the head to forcibly exit her from demon mode. Margaret put her hands on her hips and looked down at Calla who was rubbing her head and cutely muttering 'ouchie' under her breath. "Silly woman, you know you can't leave TPMZ early. Actually, we also knew, before even Rhea did in fact. If you weren't such a menace we could tell you these things."

Nodding in agreement, Serene picked up where Margaret left off. "Also, is now the time to be concerned about all of that? Shouldn't you just be happy to have your son back? And he's in a relationship with Enyo and Bellona no less. It's cause for celebration, not cause for drowning everyone here in a tidal wave of poison. Also, Ares, I'm terribly sorry about my son. Please treat him well in the future. He's a bit annoying but he has a good heart... Somewhere, I'm sure. Although he'd never admit it, he's just looking for a rival because he has no idea how to make friends. I really do worry about Mako..."

Ares wasn't sure how to respond to that but then again he had no reason to hate Mako. He was like an overly aggressive puppy that wanted attention and it just made Ares instinctively want to toy with him. "I mean I'm fine with him. I'll try not to be too mean... But I'm a revenant you know? He kinda has it coming..."

"That's fine, putting up with a revenant will help broaden his horizons. Defiance is not something he's familiar with you see. Thank you for the reassurance. At the end of the day, all four of us matriarchs are doting mothers and we do deeply care about out problematic children." After preventing a Calla cataclysm, Serene and Margaret bid everyone goodbye for now and went back to doing their own things. In particular, Margaret was thrilled. Calla's happiness, Ares' explosions... Inspiration had struck! She felt the urge to paint so she rounded up her own children and started working on a painting of the two of them in the corner of the room. Eagerton didn't pose as he was too busy writing down his own notes and Edgerton's 'pose' could only really be described as 'sulking because I'd much rather be anywhere but here'. You would think this wasn't ideal but Margaret was content. This was her children in their own natural habitat and that was precious to her too.

Back on the Legion table, Ares had just explained that he was planning on proposing to Enyo specifically today so he didn't want to complicate the evening. Calla fully understood and didn't push any further... But Ares did have one more bomb shell to drop on her. Calla was disappointed she wouldn't get to go to sleep hugging her baby tonight but Ares could give her something, no, someone else to hold onto instead. Ares bent over and picked up Appa who'd wandered over after receiving a mental message from Ares. Appa had been hanging around Allie for a spell but now she'd received a task! Ares looked over his shoulder at Calla and grinned. "So, I have another piece of good news."

Calla looked down at the shade that was looking back at her. She was curious as to what Ares was going to tell her as it probably involved this adorable little munchkin.

"This is my adopted daughter, Appa."

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Ares hopped off of Calla's lap and put Appa on it instead. Ares hadn't known his mother long but he could tell... He could tell there was about to be some waterworks.