"Look here, it's daddy." Ares said as he peered down at Runar, who had finally managed to open her eyes for prolonged periods of time. He bobbed his head from side to side, letting Runar follow after a moment to adjust to the new sight. He beamed with joy down towards her.
"My daughter is the cutest, isn't she?" He asked rhetorically to those around him, the milk mothers of his children, as well as Rori. Rori didn't reply, he had gotten used to Ares saying this multiple times a day now, only agreeing with him.
He continued to play with Runar until Jorgan finally called for him, the oxfolk were ready to brawl. "Make sure you keep your eyes open for me, Runar." He rubbed her head gently and kissed her forehead.
"The boy's have their eyes open too." A milk mother by the name of Shoni said, and then he swiftly snapped his attention to them.
"That's right, you guys are the cutest too, aren't you?" He went to fawn over them as well. They had no names as of yet, but Ares was coming up with them. He had a few in mind, but he wanted to cement them so they sounded cool.
After a small while of him embarrassing himself for his children, he got up. The sun was high up, and he had warmed up and changed in the morning already.
He walked towards the centre ring he had ate at last night, and there he saw the seven oxfolk he'd be facing, as well as Grita, who was given the task of arbitrating. All of the oxfolk were unarmed, so he undid the belt of his sheathe and then planted it onto the ground. He began to strip out of his gear, folding the cloak, taking off his ring and letting it slide down the handle of the blade until the crossguard, and then he wrapped his cloak over it.
"Please take good care of my items." He said to Rori. Then, for good measure, he undid his shirt and then folded it, revealing his new, muscular form to the oxfolk. Then, in his comfortably snake skin boots, he marched over towards the oxfolk, cracking his neck.
"The bouts shall commence in a moment. I wish to confirm with you, Ares, that you will not use any weapons or your magic."
Ares nodded his head. "I will not use any weapons or magics. My body has innate abilities that I cannot control, like you're horns that sprout out of your head. Since they are a part of your body, I'm happy for you to use them, since I have abilities of my own. Also, I'm happy for you to go feral if you are able to, since it won't be fun otherwise. I'll go feral if I need to too." He smirked.
Grita bowed her head. "This is acceptable." Once she had finished, she went to ask, but Torak stepped forward to stop her words.
Grita nodded at Torak, who nodded in return. Then he turned to face Ares. "I wish to face you first, at your strongest." Torak puffed out his chest.
"Unfortunately, I'm at my weakest right now." Ares laughed. "I haven't warmed up yet, so I'll be a little rusty."
Torak seemed to mull it over. "I have already asked my companions for the permission to go first, so I shall commit."
"I respect that, Torak. I'm glad you're feeling better, I've been rather excited to face you."
"Then… may we begin?"
Ares stepped back and then stretched out his legs. "One second…" He glanced back to see if his children were watching. "Don't blink on me, alright?" He joked to them and then turned back to nod at Torak.
"Then, I shall oversee the bout. May Rivea smile fortune upon you." Grita said. Then she clapped her hands once.
Torak's body grew red hot, before then they shifted into a more beastly creature. Their muscles engorged, their horns enlarged, and they towered over Ares further. Then, with swiftness that betrayed his size, they were upon him.
They charged towards Ares and then aimed a fist at his head. Ares, being the show off that he was, took the blow head on. However, once the fist connected, he twisted his head with the blow to lessen its impact, but still flew backwards onto the ground.
Torak halted for the moment as Ares lay on his back. Then he sat up, looking at Torak. "First one was free." He hopped onto his feet. "The next one will cost you." He flashed a grin.
Then Torak was on him again, but this time he met Torak's fist with his open palm, and grabbed at it. Torak was stopped in his tracks, eyes filled with surprise. That lasted only a moment as Ares then twisted his body, pressing his side against their front. Then he pulled Torak over his shoulder and then slammed them onto the ground as roughly as he dared. The dirt cracked as Torak grunted, Ares stepping back from them.
Torak very slowly shifted into their feet, and then charged once more. However, this time Ares ducked under their swing and aimed a jab at their face, crashing against their bovine nose, which almost crumbled under his blow, blocking off their ability to breathe through their nose.
"Sorry." Ares said as he then wrapped his arms around them from behind, then lifted them up to slam them behind him in a move he learned from watching television as a kid.
He let Torak fall from his arms before he stood up and then raised both arms in the air. "Did you see?" He said to his audience, though aimed it towards his tribe in particular. He grinned at them and then let Grita hoist Torak away.
Grita bowed her head, she had seen no funny business on his end.
"I really wish I could have faced him at his strongest, but he fought well." Ares nodded.
When he saw who his next opponent was, he smirked. Then he called out. "No. All three of you, come at me." He said, to the muscle trios children. "From whichever one of you three manages to land the finishing blow, you can have my mithril sword, how about it?" He then turned to face Grita, who cracked a smile. She nodded her head and the three stepped forward.
"I am Or-"
"Don't worry about introductions, let's have some fun!" Ares exclaimed and then squat into a sumo stance, punching the ground under him like he was about to go up a gear.
Grita nodded, and repeated the phrase before the three shifted and went feral, charging towards him. He smirked and then leapt over the three, watching them skid and then nimbly turn to face him, one charging him instantly.
Ares inhaled deeply and then he did go up a gear, for now he was against three opponents. He slid under the oxfolk that charged him, then flipped toward to drop kick off of one oxfolk, landing and then almost like he was doing ballet, hopped up and then spun, kicking the one that had been behind him. Each blow almost imprinted his boots onto their bodies, and the oxfolk skid back. The third had taken the opportunity to charge at him, in which he grabbed onto their horns and then flipped backwards to slam them against their companion. The other charged him down, having recovered from the drop kick, but he did the same with them too, causing them to pile up on one another.
Then he circled around the arena. "Come on, make some noise! Let them hear your hope!" Ares roared, then turned back to his tribe. "Show me your faith too."
However, since he had turned and allowed the three a moment to gather themselves, they were upon him again. This time he let them charge and slam into him, as if he had dropped his guard, causing him to tumble away from them, though he caught himself quickly. "How rude." He teased.
This time he turned to face them, bringing up both fists. He cracked his knuckles and then nodded at them, letting them surround him. The three charged him right away, and he didn't move. They obviously hadn't expected it, so they sped up their charge. Ares had hoped he had times it right, squatting down as he made to leap up, causing them to jump to meet him, but he then pushed his waist down as hard as he could, his legs burning from the effort as he had really motioned to jump, but this time he went ass to grass and shuddered.
The three oxfolk slammed against each other, headfirst as they head butt one another. They only just managed to scrape their horns against one another's, a couple snapping from the effort as their skills rattled against each other's and they dropped down.
'Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh shit.' Panic set into Ares' heart, he hadn't actually expected them to meet each other with their skulls. He was facing his tribe when they saw the widespread terror that crossed his eyes as he went to go check on the three. "Grita!" Ares exclaimed.
"Ares!" Called out Rori, and Ares snapped his attention to them. Rori just nodded, and the panic seeped away. Ares returned the nod as he watched as Grita dragged them away, letting the shamans tend to them.
Ares inhaled deeply, shaking out his arms as he limbered up, trying to get rid of all the panic from his limbs.
Grita then turned to face him, nodding her head. "Are you ready to continue?"
"Yeah, yeah." He stated and bowed his head. It was then Grita's grandson had arrived. They did look a little like her, but they were on the thinner side, like Kask. Their eyes were filled with intelligence, and Ares could tell they were trouble.
"Give me a good show." Ares said to the man, who merely bowed his head.
"Akir." Grita said, though in a tone that probably Akir understood.
Then they were blessed in Rivea's name, and Akir stepped forward. They hadn't shifted, instead they cautiously stepped forward.
Ares crouched slightly, his legs apart, with his right food ahead of the other. His fingers continued to snake around, trying to remain loose like several snakes writhing.
The pair circled around one another, and Ares paused. 'Did he just shift a leg?' In that instant, Akir was right ahead of him, swinging his leg to his face. Ares managed to duck, when Akir skid away and turned. Then they were slow, deliberate again, like a hunter stalking their prey.
Ares' heart pounded. Of course, it made sense that others could shift certain parts of their bodies too. He heard the crowd had let out an intrigued ooing sound.
Akir's face remained neutral, as if he was staring at a statue. Not a single twitch have away and intention, and again, within an instant of Ares noticing they had shifted, they were on him again. This time Ares took the blow across the side of his neck, but he grabbed their leg and then spun with them, tossing them aside as they slammed down many metres away, but they flipped onto their front, skid on all fours, and leapt at Ares by the time he had barely recovered from his tumble. He panted for air as he managed to grab onto Akir's horns, though they unshifted and then planted their feet onto the ground, then shifted again as they threw their head back, causing Ares to fly forward, until he landed on his feet. 'Shit."
He leapt up into the air, narrowly dodging the charge from Akir. However, now he was in the air, about to fall onto a rather pointy set of horns. 'Damn…' He could avoid it, but he wanted to wow the oxfolk when he finally revealed his true strength. So instead he curled up and then began to spin like a ball towards Akir, gaining momentum quickly as he approached the oxfolk. Then, at the last moment, he brought out his foot and slammed his heel against their skull, which caused them to stumble back. In that moment, Ares dropped and then spun a kick along the ground to trip them over, then stood on his hands, aiming a kick down into their abdomen, before hopping up onto his feet, and then he slammed his boot onto the ground above Akir's head.
"It's my win." He managed between pants, not realising just how much effort he had to realise in order to beat them.
Grita walked over, noting the large crack on the ground that could have been her grandson's brains, and then nodded her head. She said something in their language and then bowed her head to Ares, leading her kin away.
Some of the oxfolk howled out, a few clapped. His own tribe had done the same, and he turned to face them. He was feeling a little thirsty, so he asked Grita if he could grab some water. Grita obliged, offering him some from her waterskin, which he happily drank, thanking her. No reason to decline and bring suspicion about himself.
Then remained the last two, the most fearsome duo. Lana and Sohka. They had watched until the end, so no doubt had a few on his abilities. He focused on healing what little damage he had sustained.
"You are rather powerful, we acknowledge your strength. Would you face us both together?" Lana asked.
What a terrifying prospect. "Oh? I thought I would be able to dance with you alone." Ares frowned, though playfully so.
Lana narrowed her eyes and then smiled. She stepped forward alone. "I cannot refuse such a request."
"Am I as charming as I think?" Ares laughed.
Lana smirked in response. "Not half as much."
Ares winced and then clutched at his side. "You wound me so, yet we haven't gotten Rivea's blessing as of yet. Surely this is against the rules?" He laughed towards Grita and then he started to stretch out his hamstrings. He had planned to take out Lana as quickly as he could, facing her for long would cause him to make too many mistakes.
Ares was also glad she actually wore a top, otherwise he would have had a much harder time.
Grita checked to see if both were ready before she gave the bleeding.
Lana charged right at him, not shifting to her feral form. Ares waited, standing tall with his hands at his side. He inhaled deeply and then braced himself. She then turned her shoulder up at him, and he then pushed on his heel and slammed his own shoulder against hers, both meeting one another with force. As Lana tried to catch herself onto her feet, Ares floated up like a butterfly and then writhed around her like a snake. He wrapped his thighs around her neck, twisted his legs to bring her toppling forward so that she landed with her horns on the ground, and then grabbed at her thickly built thighs. 'Please don't think I'm a pervert, and please just pass out!' He thought as he began to choke her out. She gasped for air and then tried to grab at him, and though it did hurt him as she clutched at his skin, he didn't relent. She tried to go feral, but she just squirmed and then grew limp. In that instant he was off of her and then quickly pulled her horns out of the earth and placed his ear at her chest. He could hear the steady, slow heartbeat, and he pulled back with a sigh of relief. He nodded to Grita who came to check on her.
"She'll come to in a few seconds." Then he stepped away.
Lana twitched and then threw out a lazy punch as she looked around. She saw Grita and then looked around as she became familiar with the environment, then up to Ares. She was still a little confused, but stood up and was about to step towards him as Grita then led her away.
He let Grita explain that she had lost, taking a moment to breathe. He clenched his fists and then relaxed them as he looked over at Sohka. Sohka didn't change his facial expression, remaining as calm and as neutral as he had been earlier.
Then Grita took her position between them, waiting for the pair to give their okay. Then she gave the blessing.
Sohka smiled towards Ares, which caused him to shudder.
"It has been a long time since I last fought, I do hope you show this old man a little mercy."
'Oh no.' Ares thought.
"I can't handle this form for long." Sohka said as he shifted into a larger, yet quite lean feral form.
'Oh no.'
The mass wave of pressure began to consume the very air around him, and that's when Ares realised what he was in for.
'He's going to kill me.'