"That wasn't as easy as I made it out to be." Ares admitted to Rori, his arms crossed. He was still fairly bruised, but he was still healing. He then closed his eyes and put in the effort to heal up, and once he had, he looked over to see Rori's face. Neutral as always.
"You're hurting my feelings when you don't react to all the cool stuff I do."
"Cool stuff?" Rori asked.
"Yes. Cool stuff. It means the things I do that are amazing."
"I do not think anything you do is surprising."
"What?"
"Your goal is to conquer this land. Something like this is not surprising in the least, you need to be able to do it if you want to accomplish your dreams. Whatever dreams you have, I think you'll be able to make them a reality."
Ares flushed somewhat and then puffed out his chest. He nodded his head, smiling wide.
"Chief, we've started the stew. Would you like us to cook any viper meat?" Amal asked.
"Oh! Right." Ares then placed down some viper leather, then a large amount of meat. "I don't have much left beyond this, but make sure everyone can have some. Also use at least this much for the donner, I want some for when we eventually leave. I'll be taking the leather back later."
Ares went towards the middle where Lana, Grita and Torak had brought along their families as well as a few of their tribes to eat with them. Ares had been invited, so he brought along his own family; his children, their milk mothers, Rori and Rala and her family.
"Excuse my intrusion." Ares said playfully as he sat opposite Lana, who was still glaring at him. He avoided her gaze.
"So, how many thousands of oxfolks have decided to join?" He laughed.
"We will know by tomorrow evening. There are many who have been swayed by your words, but this is all they've known. You are still but a stranger to them, though you have gained some renown."
Torak had been patched up, and his words were slightly muffled. "You seemed to have healed quickly."
"Yeah, it's a part of my abilities. I have quick recovery, quicker still if I actually concentrate on it." He didn't mention his instant healing though. "After enough healing, I do get a little tired. I'm glad we got to fight." Ares nodded to Torak, who nodded in return.
"I'm much better with a weapon in hand." Torak noted.
"How interesting, so am I." Ares smirked in response.
"I believe you used no magic in the fight, however some may not believe such a thing." Grita bowed her head.
"I'm fairly certain I did not use any magic. The magic I have displayed to you, I have shut off in a sense. I can use it now, but I was unable to during the fight. I have some natural abilities, but I cannot stop them, for they are a part of my body." Ares shrugged.
"What magic did you use against me." Lana finally spoke up, sitting up straight, though she rocked her head back so she was looking down at him.
Ares glanced over at her. 'Is she sulking? Damn, she's really cute.' He raised a brow at her. "I didn't use any magic."
"You use void magic don't you? Isn't that how you took away my breath?"
"A void magic user?" Ares asked.
Lana's forehead twitched. "Don't play stupid with me! You use void magic, everyone knows that!" She stood up.
Ares looked to Grita and then to Rori, who was nearby. "What?"
"You use void magic, that's the magic you use when you carry our items, and then are able to bring things out in midair." Rori said.
"Oh. Void magic, is it?" Ares asked as he cocked his head. "Hmm. I'll have to learn more about it."
"Are you saying you had no idea what magic you were using?" Grita asked.
"No, I didn't. I… gained the ability incidentally."
Grita stared at him, shocked for once. Ares quickly looked over to Rori, whose brows were raised for a moment, before they withdrew to a neutral position. Ares smirked at them.
"That's… there… you didn't know?" Lana asked, cooling off rapidly.
"No." Ares shook his head. "I'm figuring out many of my abilities." He admitted, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Are you an idiot?" Lana asked.
"Of course I am." Ares stared at her as if it were that obvious. "The way I cut off your breath was using knowledge."
"Knowledge?"
"Yes. Knowledge of the body. I have studied it a little, so I was able to manipulate your breathing." Ares said ominously.
Grita and Torak perked up, eyeing him up with suspicion. Ares looked at them and then sighed.
"Sorry, I'm just joking. No, well, you see… I just cut off your breath and blood temporarily, so your body and mind were screaming for more, temporarily shutting down so that it could conserve what little remained. If I kept it up, you could have died, if I had done it improperly, perhaps something could have gotten wrong, but I was confident in my abilities. Out of everyone there, you were the one I didn't want to fight in a prolonged manner." Ares admitted.
"Why did you not wish to face me?"
"It's a secret." Ares said, though he mostly didn't want to fight her because he quite liked her. "I won't say, so don't ask."
Grita couldn't help but to crack a smile and Ares cleared his throat.
"Sorry about disappointing you, Lana. Sorry for disappointing you too, Grita. I was about to go feral in the fight with Sohka, I was a moment away. He didn't really give me a chance to breathe, so I was going to go feral."
"Why didn't you go feral?"
"I was really mad. He was showing me up in front of my kids, if they grew up and remembered how badly I was beaten, they wouldn't think I was strong." Ares half joked, chuckling. "Though, I didn't want them to see how merciless I was either." He shrugged.
"I don't believe you are merciless." Grita said.
Ares exchanged a look with Rori. "I think I've already mentioned how I executed the soldiers, haven't I?"
"Soldiers, yes. But what of normal people."
"I'm sure I could. I'm sure I will, one day."
Grita raised her brows in surprise, but Ares looked into the flames. His eyes narrowed slightly and he somberly stared at the flickering flames.
"I've heard so many stories of the evils people can commit. I think everyone has the ability to commit atrocities without feeling sorrow. Some can even lead others to do it, keeping their own hands clean. At least when I do so, the blood will be on my hands, the sins too."
"I'll clean up after you." Rori said. Ares looked back at him, his brows raised in surprise. "There's no need for you to shoulder all the burden yourself, you will become a monster."
Ares smiled and then started to laugh wildly. From behind him the babes began to cry, and he went to go pick the boys up. He left Runar to Aspara, since she was already quite close to the little one. He held them both, resting their head against his biceps. He began to soothe them quietly with some humming.
"Ah, right. I still need to make you two, huh? Damn, there's way too many names…" He kept thinking about it for some time.
"May I suggest a name?" Rori asked. Ares looked up at them and waited. "Ozar was the name of a great hero many generations ago, the son of a powerful King in the west."
"Azen, the Bear King?" Grita asked.
Torak continued. "They say Azen had almost conquered the Dragon's Spine, but turned back when he received a vision from Rivea. Then he founded Dusk Breath in the west. Ozar followed in his father's footsteps in trying to conquer the Dragon's Spine, and he too received a vision. It was he who faced the first humans that tried to settle. He died at a river crossing, holding off hundreds of humans as his father prepared his troops. The Bear King managed to drive the humans back, but died of grief soon after."
"Don't worry, Ozar. I won't let anyone kill you." Ares kissed the boy's forehead. He rubbed his cheek against their forehead as the boy stared up at him, their tiny fingers reaching up to grab at his chin and neck.
"Are there any more great heroes?" Ares asked Rori.
"A number." Rori nodded.
"Did Ozar have any relatives that managed a similar feat?"
"In another manner. Ozri was a descendant that held great power, but he divided his people to spread along the land. Even now his people still rule in the far West, where he rules over Dusreath."
"Is Dusreath Dusk Breath?"
"Yes, they shortened it much after."
"Ozar and Ozri. I'll make sure that you guys go down in history as great warriors, or scholars, or whatever you like, if you want that." He continued to gently sway them in his arms. "Whatever you want, don't worry…" Ares began to whisper. "I'll make sure you're able to live the life you want…" Ares hugged them close to his chest, a shadow cast over his face from the flames.
Once they had quietened down and had fallen asleep, he handed them back to their milk mothers, and then food was served. Grita poured everyone their food, and Lana did their drinks.
The food was good, large slabs of meat that were light salted and covered in herbs, grilled until there was a little charring. It was tough, but when pulled apart, it tore easily into flakes of meat.
Once Lana was drunk, she began to ask and prod Ares. "Why are you so close to those kids? They aren't related to you by blood, they aren't even the same race."
"So?" Ares replied calmly.
"So why did you adopt them?"
"Baby murder is wrong."
"Yeah, but why did you adopt them? Why are they your kids?"
"It's my responsibility. Adopting one or two kids is easy, looking after them may be a little difficult, but that's life. It's my duty."
"What if there were twenty of them?"
"Then I'd share them among the families in my tribe."
"Isn't it your duty?"
"It's my duty to make sure they grow up properly. If there are too many and I can't raise them all at the same time, then it's my duty to make sure they are with loving families."
"What if their new family does a bad job?"
"They won't."
"What if they don't raise him properly, and don't treat him right?"
"Then they die."
"So you'll let someone else kill the babies?"
"No. The parents that I assigned to the child will die."
The conversation stopped. They all stared at Ares, who chewed on the meat. He could feel all the gazes upon him.
"You'd kill the parents?" Lana asked again.
"Yes. I would execute them."
"... You would kill two adults for the sake of a child?"
"What use are adults who will not fulfill their duties? If it was quite literally they were unable to feed everyone in their family, then I won't. That would be a failure on my part. In which case, I will have to atone."
"You're crazy." Lana whispered, though covered her mouth.
Ares smiled. "Yeah, I am." He said as he then began to laugh. "You have to be as crazy as me to try and conquer the Dragon's Spine, right?"
"Yeah…"
"What if Rori tried to kill Runar?"
"He'd die before he could even take a step towards my princess." Ares replied casually.
Lana stared at him. "You're crazy, don't you know loyalty?"
Ares stood up, and he could feel the heat flow through him. "What loyalty should I have to a man that would try to hurt my family? He'd be the disloyal one."
"Enough, Lana." Grita stared at her. "You have drunk too much, you aren't making any sense."
Lana drank some more and then tossed her mug down. Then she stared at Ares. "You're crazy, Ares."
"Yeah, I am."
"I'm going to join you." Lana said as she walked over to him.
"What?" Ares cocked his head, not having expected it.
"My tribe will join you." She said as she then grabbed at his arm. "Now lead me to my tent." She then dragged him away.
Grita just sighed.
Ares stopped. Lana was unable to move him along, and then he walked back to where he was sat and went back to eating.
Lana sat beside him to eat.
"Children are the future of my family, and anyone that tries to destroy the future of my family, I will show them no mercy." Ares stated for them to hear.
"You care too much for those children who aren't even related to you by blood." Lana said.
"They are my children, blood or not. I bleed for those who bleed for me."
"You want a family, is that it?"
"Yes. I want a family." He said, looking into her eyes. "If my friend didn't ask me for help, that would be what I would be aiming for. Since he asked me to help, I'll just have to have a family whilst helping. Otherwise I'd be aiming to find myself a wonderful woman who I can connect with, find a small place to live together, read, write, draw, and study. Have a large family, grow old, and die."
"You aren't doing that because your friend asked you to help?"
"To help the beastfolk of this land, yes."
"So you're only doing this for your friend? Won't you stop? You're doing this because a friend asked you, you don't have a stake in this."
"I do have a stake in this, three stakes. Also, I've already said yes. If I won't be able to look them in their eye if I don't do my best."
"That's it?"
"You and I have different morals and ethics. If Rori asked me to get him a flower to help save his family and I said I'd do it, he'd either have a flower, or he'd lose both his family and myself. This is my conviction." Ares stated simply.
"You are crazy, Ares." Torak said. "I don't know if anyone from my tribe will join, but I will." Ares looked up at Torak. "I believe you. You helped me when you had no real stake in doing so, and you helped my son, even though you disliked him."
"It would be my honour to have you with me." Ares reached over and then grabbed their forearm for a handshake.
"I'm joining too." Lana said again as she grabbed onto his side.
Ares shook his head and then looked to Grita. "Would you mind taking care of her?" He asked as he stood up. "I think I've had my fill." He said as he then dunked down the rest of his drink, his mind growing slightly hazy, though he could still think clearly.
"No, you can take care of me." Lana them grabbed at his forearm, then gently rubbed the side
Ares reached over and rubbed her elbow. "I will tomorrow, when you are a little less drunk." He said as he slapped her arm gently and then pulled away.
Then he made his way out back to his own tent, letting the milk mothers and his children follow suit.
Rori had followed as well, and the other followed him. Lana had been stopped by Grita, who wouldn't allow a fellow horn to embarrass themselves further.
"Good night, Rori." Ares waved him off and then went to check on his kids, wishing them a good night, and then
"Good night, Chief."
Ares waited to see if they would mention the talk earlier, but Rori went to go sleep. Ares closed his eyes, let out a soft sigh, and then went to sleep.