Chapter 501: A Vengeful Spirit Still Yet Wanders

Bang

"What's up!?" Ares burst into the meeting room with his arms spread wide as though he was throwing some kind of surprise birthday party for someone. Drai and the fellahin elders all showed the exact same reaction at the exact same time which gave Ares a good deal of amusement. Their twitching eyes, low growls and groans of agitation, and the many many sighs of exhaustion and face palms of resignation were all a treat to witness! Feelings of... Not quite abject negativity towards Ares but something more akin to fake detest was a kind of fuel that charged his batteries for at least a week or two. "Hehehe, damn... Everyone in here is all dried up!" Ares couldn't help but snicker at his dumb joke. Drai was an homophone for dry and all the old elders were basically walking withered mummies so his one two punch was a very revenant styled blow to everyone present.

"What do you want now?!" One of the elders, from back when Ares first met them, kicked up a fuss with a tone of slight anger. He never much liked this annoying 'Ares', or whatever the hell his name was, and this problematic kid was the last person he wanted to see right now or just about ever. Ares had siphoned so much talent out of Xasca, with Sandy being the big loss, and seeing his face was enough to make this old fogey want to punch it.

"Aww c'mon, don't be like that. I solved all your western monster troubles and even dealt with the unknown entity that was the Riddlemyd. Don't be like that!"

"Tsk, and how many other problems are you responsible for?! That entire section of the desert near where the Riddlemyd was is now impossible to live in and countless businesses, some that we the fellahin found convenient due to its location, have been destroyed. And what about our hunters who all perished because of the grudge match between you and that rumoured stepper mutant?! When do we get those brave men and women back!?"

"Ok, first of all, that second complaint is a low blow. I feel guilty for it to some extent, sure, but, ironically, you won't be able to guilt trip me because I know I wasn't the one who did it. Let's not act like I'm somehow at fault for that issue because I could have just ignored the mutant stepper and let Xasca suffer eternally with a monster nobody here could ever realistically beat. I'm not expecting thanks but I'm definitely not expecting condemnation for my actions either. What happened to the hunters was tragic but don't exploit it to pick a meaningless fight with me, that's pathetic and an insult to the dead.

And second of all, regarding the Riddlemyd region, it was already ruined anyway by the time the Anubis fight was done. Any businesses destroyed there have nothing to do with me either, you can blame Tom Tom for sealing the hounds under that area and the business owners for being greedy and careless. Is it my fault its currently uninhabitable with all those sand pillars and tornados? Sure, if you want to blame me instead of my alter ego wolf friend then go for it, but who really cares? It was never anything other than a pop-up mercantile hub of sorts anyway. Despite all the time the Riddlemyd had been there it's not like houses were ever built in the area or anything so why do you suddenly care about that line of thinking now?! You were never going to turn it into a residential area to begin with so what does living in that area have to do with you when you've got an entire base elsewhere? There's an entire desert out there and that one specific region is the hill you're going to die on?

Tsk, old man, you're shameful, you know that?! All this because you're mad I'm taking Sandy away, huh? Look pal, I'm gonna be a sect master and important figure going forward, out of necessity I know how to argue with fools like you! If anything, you owe me a debt! Hell I even have another little toy for you crusty old folk to play with so I don't wanna hear any more complaints out of your dusty lips from now until the day I die which, as a revenant, is never." Ares slid a rod across the table everyone was seated at and it landed right in front of Bala who picked up and inspected it. "That's a pretty weak artifact compared to the perfected one but I don't know where the real one ended up and it's probably broken into millions of pieces regardless. Anyway, if there are any western monsters left in this country, that I somehow missed, that rod will allow you to control them and use them as a force of your own. I don't think there are any remaining monsters but you never know, maybe there's one or two that didn't get wiped out due to some kind of miraculous circumstance. I'm giving this to you, despite your attitude, because I am now officially declaring, with or without your permission or consent, that our debts are squared away. I owe you nothing more and you owe me nothing more. That is it between us, I will no longer interfere in your business and you will not interfere in mine, capiche?"

...

...

All the elders silently looked at one another but they could all tell none of them had any sort of cunning plan or political trickery up their sleeve to get them out of this dead-end situation with more than they already had. The only other method from here would be reliant on force but... Well.. It was sufficiently well known across the entirety of Xasca now how powerful Ares was exactly so nobody was stupid enough to even suggest it.

"Good. I'm glad we got that sorted. Now for the person I was actually looking for..." Ares turned to face Drai and gave him a nod. "I was going to inform you that I'm leaving the sect today and Xasca tomorrow. I'm sure not having me rummaging around in your sect and country any longer will give you some peace of mind so I was informing you of my departure lest you start worrying where I've disappeared off to." Ares wasn't suggesting Drai would be concerned about his health, he absolutely did not care, rather Drai was worried Ares would take up residence in some hidden wall of the sect and become a permanent little gremlin ticking time bomb waiting to explode for whatever reason. Drai was evidently never comfortable around Ares because one wrong move and he'd be the recipient and proud owner of a brand new!... Armillary... To the face....

Not having a nuclear warhead generator lounging about, less than a mile away from his current position at all times, was relieving for Drai so he was very happy to hear this. So happy, in fact, that he decided to present Ares with his gift here and now as a sort of thank you for understanding his woes and not making a scene about the treatment. Of course he owed Ares anyway but he'd gone pretty above and beyond and was offering him a choice of what he wanted from a respectable selection of impressive goods. Drai took a wooden box out of his spatial ring, opened it like a horizontal suitcase, and gestured towards three different materials that lay within.

"Your gift for foiling the Torchbearer plot, killing the mutant stepper, eliminating multiple eastern monster settlements and partially cleaning up the region, and solving the Riddlemyd. You can take any one of these extremely rare materials and do with it as you wish. Build an artifact, upgrade one, create a piece of gear... Whatever your heart desires. Xasca is grateful for your many contributions. If you'd like to know more about any specific material in this box then feel free to ask... Though I see your eyes have gravitated towards one specific item already?"

There were three items in the box neatly lined up side by side with only slight gaps between them. Each object had partially sunk into a black pillowy substance that they lay atop that prevented the materials from rubbing up against the box itself, so they were all stored immaculately, but that was understandable given their rarity. Ares could tell each of the materials in this box had some pretty incredible stories behind their acquisition and he didn't even need Omniscience to figure that much out.

First up was a hollow ball of sand. Between the many grains Ares could see a clear gap that went straight through to the other side. It almost looked like a wire chicken ball just with much smaller open spaces between the interlinking material which, in this case, was sand. Ares wasn't entirely certain about the origin of this thing but it was perhaps a sand golem core of some type? No doubt this monster would have been pretty powerful back when it was alive but, alas, it was most definitely six feet under right now hence the appearance of its core as a mere material. As for the properties of this core; it would work well as a building foundation, allowing the finished project to reposition and reshape itself freely... But Ares had no need for this! He could maybe take it for his sect master residence, and install it there whenever he moved in, but that seemed pretty pompous. He had a much more valuable option here inside the box so making his life in his house more comfortable at the expense of more worthwhile materials... It just felt wrong;. It's not like he'd spend a lot of time in his house for the most part either as he'd be busy with exploration! In other words, though useful, Ares ruled out the first material. Perhaps if he was a more skilled blacksmith he would have seen some other uses for it but, again, better options awaited him! Also, and this was the final nail in the coffin regarding this internal debate, there were plenty of sand golems out there! If Ares really wanted the core of a mighty sand golem he could just wait patiently until he left the Primordial Blade barrier and hunt one elsewhere. Plenty of supply but, unfortunately, not much demand so this golem core was a bust.

Number two of the offered options was a metal cube. Ares didn't know the function of it but he remembered the Roving Elliot lore and was pretty sure this metal had come from somewhere in the eastern region of Xasca. Metal endlessly piled up over there and was unintentionally safeguarded by monsters, who couldn't even use it, for multiple generations until an intrepid adventurer came along and stole it from under their noses. As for this cube, Ares could detect the lingering smell of various powerful monsters so, though he wasn't certain, his guess for this thing was that it served as a natural monster repellent. The lingering scent of dangerous creatures was embedded into it over the course of however many thousands of years and so it would be effective no doubt. You could craft this metal cube into a portable tent and have both a resilient and somewhat hidden, from monsters at least, home on the go. Ares' Zephyr had a warding rune that he used back in Baja forest after the mecha dryad fight, when he hid in the cave and was found by Enyo and the other Legions, so it's not like this metal was really beneficial to him in a way he didn't already posses.

Ares could maybe take the cube and give it someone else, perhaps fashion a piece of armour out of it, but none of the people he would be interested in gifting a safety measure like this to would even need it. What? Was Enyo going to need protection from monsters? Highly unlikely unless it was an incredibly dangerous entity and multiple realms above her but, at that point, you'd be talking about Vraizon monsters and this material probably wouldn't affect them anyway. It was entirely redundant for everyone Ares knew. Put simply, this cube had limits and nothing within those limits was threatening to anyone Ares would consider offering this to. Maybe it could be useful for the sect, or maybe Ares could sell it at the Red Sun auction house, via a proxy because he was still banned from it after last time, but that was also true of the other two materials so this one was a hard pass. Option one was superior in just about every way, because it actually served a purpose even if it was one as superfluous as comfort, so if he had to pick between the first two options it would be the golem core... But Ares had his sights set on something else! Something determinably useful to his path as a cultivator!

Option numero three. The feather that Drai mentioned Ares was interested in. It was a pitch black feather that seemingly multiplied whenever Ares stared it at for too long. It possessed illusory properties, perhaps? Something of the sort and it was intriguing to say the least, it definitely warranted closer inspection and due consideration. The reason Ares gravitated towards this was... For a certain birdbrain he'd been meaning to upgrade and give some extra pzazz lately. This feather was the kind of material that would no doubt do many good things for the biome eagle, and Garuda would benefit big time from this, so Ares couldn't help but think this was the correct option here... Even if he wasn't too keen on giving Garuda a reason to inflate his already Narcissus styled ego...

Garuda was a moronic bird, and quick to peck those around him, but he was incredibly useful in many situations. He was a subtle carrier of Ares' magic at longer ranges, allowing Ares to get the jump on foes as well as summon a distraction in combat. Adding on, potentially, illusory capabilities to Garuda would bring untold benefits depending on how it worked. If nothing else, if Garuda could visually distort itself and create multiple clones, then it would look maybe somewhat more natural when Ares wanted to blend in. A pack of birds could be useful in obscuring the real one hidden away behind them. The carrier bomb bird would be able to get much closer to people before they realised something was amiss if this material could improve Garuda the way Ares wanted it to. Plus it would improve the artifact in general which would make it more competitive in combat with Ares' other myriad options. Garuda, and even jsut plain bullets fired from the weapon, inflicting more hurt was never a bad thing so Ares knew what he wanted. Asking about the history of this feather, and for potentially a few more clarifying details, couldn't hurt so he nodded at it, hinting at his interest, and asked Drai to explain. "What's the deal with the feather?"

Drai opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by one of the fellahin elders kissing their teeth behind him. Drai gave a wry smile, bowed to the elders and offered an apology, before he turned back around to Ares. "Well, you see, this feather once belonged to the fellahin elders. It was gifted to me a few years back after I helped them out and effectively passed legislation that meant their land was to be owned by them in perpetuity, thus establishing a fellahin dynasty of sorts. You would think the land was theirs to being with but some crafty devils in the past negotiated unfavourable deals for them and complicated relations between Xasca city and the fellahin. In exchange for making the land theirs permanently, and helping out with some other small things here and there like trade routes and monster hunting rights in the east, they would aid us in protecting this city against western monsters. They also gave me this feather to sweeten the deal so you taking it... I don't personally mind, I have no use for such a thing, but they aren't happy with you and so me giving this to you is like them indirectly giving their hard earned, rare material to the guy they really seem to dislike. I'm not rescinding my offer to give it you, though, as you've more than earned it and I don't think they have a right to have a say in matters between us. The feather is mine now and I am free to do with it as I please."

"I see." Ares understood the situation but he didn't give a damn! He would have picked this feather regardless but if the insufferable pensioners over yonder were bothered by this transaction then that just made Ares even more inclined to do it! "So, again, what's so special about it anyway? Which monster did this feather come from?"

"A twin headed vulture. More specifically, a vulture that combined with a shadow. There aren't many cases in which normal monsters get along with shadows for extended periods of time but this was a rare case where it all worked out for the duo... Or trio, I suppose, what with the twin headed nature of the bird. Anyhow, the trio terrorised the western side of Xasca for a good few years, growing stronger together than they ever possibly could have separately, until the elders came and fought them to the death. In the final moments, as the story goes, the vulture seemed to converse with the shadow and the latter agreed to sacrifice itself so that the vulture could stand a chance. The vulture consumed the shadow and took on a lot of its powers for one final spurt in the fight and the elders suffered many wounds as a result of the shadows last ditch heroics. The elders won in the end, however, and that was when they plucked this one special feather. Supposedly it may still harness the soul of the shadow that imbued itself into it but, regardless, it's a pretty rare resource. It isn't often you get to kill a monster that has merged with a shadow permanently like this.

You can use this material for a variety of projects but I would recommend upgrading an artifact with it as its more combat oriented, in terms fo the benefits it provides, than anything else. You could maybe make a mirage effect and add it to a runic formation, to obfuscate its purpose and how to unlock the formation, with this feather but, again, that isn't recommended at all because, by far, the best option is to just upgrade your gear. You seem pretty keen on this material so I assume you already have something mind for it? I won't pry but I will say this is a wise choice as it's objectively the rarest material here and by a decent margin at that. It's truly regrettable that I have nothing to use it for myself but I suppose it's being useful here and now so I can't complain." Translation; 'I'm giving you something very good so leave me alone and never come back! Also, until you leave for Vraizon, we have 'ties' and are 'allied' with one another so take this as a token gift of commemorating this moment... But also still go away please.' 

Ares got the gist of Drai's request so he took the feather, stored it away, gave a theatrical bow and middle finger to the elders, and left the room never to return and crash another of Drai's meetings ever again. That last part was a shame because Ares did so enjoy it. Alas, he had no more reason to be here so it was time he headed out. He did stop by Sandy's lovely floral house in the core area of the sect, though, and he cut it out with his Primordial Blade as he promised Sandy he would being it back to Red Sun with him. Thankfully it wasn't too large and he was able to store it all with one attempt without needing to cut it in half or anything. The same could not be said of the desert Ares left to go and plunder, unfortunately. He wanted the fellahin that came along to Red Sun to have their own little sandbox to play around in at some point so Ares headed up to the far north of the country and began digging up an isolated area. Nobody would miss this plot of land, or even really notice it disappeared, so Ares was free to do as he pleased and take a few miles of the desert away with him as a souvenir. Annoyingly, however, his Blade was not able to cut it all up in one go so Ares took a few hours out of his day to trod around lazily and half-heartedly drag his Blade through the desert piece by piece with a bored look on his face. By the time he was finished he was craving entertainment so he returned to the Elliot and interacted with Sandy, chatting about whatever took their fancy until it was time to sleep. This was Ares last night in Xasca and he slept like a log while reminiscing on his journey. Did he enjoy it?

...

Of coarse! Ares giggled in his sleep at the sand pun but, while he was having fun, miles away something interesting was happening back in Red Sun. 

Inside Vargaraad's tomb a strange man, wearing a brown overcoat and a homburg hat, had meandered his way through the caves until he reached the very end where all the treasures and resources should have been piled up, awaiting his return. Or, at the very least, his legacy treasure, the lantern, should have remained. He was willing to give up the other stuff if it meant people assumed he was dead, and left behind various rewards from the grave, but the lantern should never have left this place. The requirement to take it away was pretty strict and everyone who made it this far should have been rejected by it anyway. He was quite shocked to find his legacy treasure missing but it wasn't much of an issue as he could go to some lengths to track it down and get it back, at least. "Interesting," the man muttered under his breath... Or, well, if one couldn't see his face they would assume that to be the case. In reality, his mouth was occupied by a cigar and hadn't said a word. The voice came from a second mouth on his right cheek that typically did all the talking for him. Was it a second personality? A different person entirely? It was hard to say but this was a man with two mouths and, naturally, this was an extremely uncommon sight. Then again, it wasn't everyday a dead man rose from his supposed grave and returned to the land of the living. What was fairly certain about all of this, however, was that Vargaraad seemed to want his lantern back and the person who currently had it... Well he was heading to Isasz soon so a meeting between these two would inevitably take place in the frosty and barren land. Their future was interlinked in ways that might not be relevant for a long time to come but it was undeniable that Vargaraad was involved in something quite complex involving the Legions behind the scenes. Eagerton and Edgerton had once discussed rumours and deciphered truths about what Major was up to and it was safe to say nobody knew better than Vargaraad about the truth of that particular matter...