"I see..." It had been about thirty minutes of silence by this point but it seemed Mako was finally done assessing all of Ares'' convoluted responses.


    "What do you see?" Ares queried as he was curious if Mako had figured anything out.


    "Abso-fucking-lutely nothing! Don''t ''what do you see?'' me after Gish-galloping me for however long you just spent babbling about tangentially relevant bull crap!" Mako wanted to chuck his plate of food at Ares and storm off but he held his temper together. Now that Terros wasn''t around to remind him to calm down Mako had to take care of himself in that regard and, though he wasn''t as good at noticing his boiling anger as Terros was, he could still keep himself in check when getting more agitated was pointless.


    "Tsk, you ambushed me at a wedding and have the nerve to complain about the way I handled things? Speaking of, I''m guessing you''re gonna be on your way soon, then?"


    Mako sighed and just allowed the change in topic to happen as he really didn''t wanna try and drag things back around only to get non-sequitur responses out the wazoo. "Yes, tomorrow. I''ll be going back with Serene to Vraizon then entering a pocket dimension I found a while back. It''s not open yet but should be by the time I return so hopefully I''ll find some good quality stuff in there. Dunno what I''ll be up to after that but I think I''ll stick around in Vraizon instead of coming back down here as I imagine I''ll find better opportunities waiting or me. plus directly competing with you over resources is pointless and a waste of both our time. You have Sheryashka, I''ll take Vraizon. Anyway, I don''t think we''ll see heads or tails of one another for a while so if you have any questions for me you ought to get them over and done with here and now. Terros isn''t around but he''s told me a fair bit about the outside world, and I remember most of it, so ask away."


    "Nope. No questions."


    Ack


    Mako felt insulted! He had a bunch of questions for Ares but Ares was so disinterested in his rival he had nothing to ask of him or the information he knew! Punk!... Still, maybe this was for the best. Ares would inevitably come up with annoying questions anyway so Mako was partially glad there was nothing more to discuss lest he be driven up the wall by this fool. "Well, in that case, I''ll gladly take my leave. Don''t slack or I''ll catch up and overtake you... God, saying this to mini you is so disheartening, it feels like I''m scrapping with a child... Not that the real you isn''t basically just a child in a grown man''s body anyway... Whatever, I''m going. Goodbye for now."


    "In a while, crocodile." Ares gave the elf a lazy salute and a wave. "Oh, actually, hold on a sec..." Ares rummaged around in his Primordial Blade for a moment or two before bringing out a container with some spring rolls in them. "Here, for you and Serene while you''re travelling back."


    Mako took the container and looked down at mini Ares. "... I would have preferred soup... But thank you none the less..."


    Ares shrugged. "I''ll be sending you stuff via Transmit in the future anyway so if you really want soup I can give you it down the line."


    A single eyebrow was raised on Mako''s face as he was curious about the ''stuff'' in question that was going ot be sent to him. "Transmit? That delivery company? What are you planning on sending me?"


    "Not you, specifically, Terros. There''s something I''m working on that I mentioned to him before. I want him to be my taste tester both because he''s the only one who can actually help me in that regard but also as thanks for the bits of aid he''s given thus far and promised to via his main body. When I send anything for him I''ll throw in soup too for the middle man... Elf... Whatever you are..."


    "Hmph, gee thanks."


    "Don''t get mad you''re an afterthought, it makes you look clingy! Get outta here! Go on, shoo!" Mini Ares pushed away at the air in Mako''s direction while the departing elf flipped him the bird in response.


    "Yeah yeah, don''t think I won''t remember this when I pummel you when next we meet!" Mako gave a light threat as he walked away for good this time and rounded the corner of the exit of the venue.


    "Pft, see you around too, bastard." Mini Ares sauntered back over to the food table now that Mako was gone and not going to bother for him for the foreseeable future. It was good to be free from prying eyes regarding the destruction pillar because being interrogated like that was stressful! Watching his mouth was a pain in the neck as Ares much preferred running his mouth unapologetically and without restraint. Not putting up with Mako, or anything else fundamental related, for a while meant Ares wouldn''t have to answer any more uncomfortable questions any time soon so that was a positive. It was kind of shame, though, as training against Mako would be worth its weight in gold and Ares would literally never find a better sparring partner. His only other option was to go on the adventures he was planning and find rare, strong monsters to whoop the asses of.


    Speaking of, the time to leave the sect for the Freeride Federation was drawing ever closer. Only a few more minor events, that would all fly by, really stood between him and his next journey. Hell this wedding was already nearly over as the day had rapidly flown by while Mako and Ares were discussing their matter. Everyone had left the two alone because there was a rather serious atmosphere building in their corner and it was obvious at a glance that no one else should interfere. Now that all that hubbaloo was over, however, Ares could enjoy the rest of his time in peace. His first order of business was bringing out the spring rolls! It was about time and, honestly, if he didn''t, he was worried slobbering Sadie was going to bite his head off. He''d promised her spring rolls and she was just sort of hiding around a corner, one roughly a ten second walk away, staring at him and waiting for the goods. The food before was delicious as well but she''d hand picked spring rolls herself and was seriously in the mood for them right about now! The second Ares placed them down on the table Sadie manifested a few feet in front of him, picked up the tray, and started trying to run away with it... She was promptly stopped and berated by Calla who put the tray back and swore she would keep and eye on the troublesome trainer to make sure Sadie didn''t gobble them all up when nobody was looking. Sadie cried tears of frustration into the bottle of alcohol she was wielding like a club but, alas, Calla was ever watchful and everyone else attending the wedding got a chance to enjoy the spring rolls properly. Luckily for Sadie, Ares had been pretty kind and made a separate batch, just for her as thanks for helping him out, so she happily received the extra rolls and sat in a corner, nibbling away at them like a mouse would cheese.


    Anyway, that aside, the event continued and everyone had a grand old time. The number of women gathering around Li Li had reached critical mass and Ares was worried a black hole of oestrogen was about to form on that side of the venue... They were all incredibly pre-occupied with wedding talks and Ares wanted no part of it so he instead mingled with the men who were just sort of loafing about and trying to look busy. Ares eventually managed to find something fun to do when he located Rud, who''d done his marrying duties already, and had a quick spat with him just to mess with the guy. Other than that, time flew by and it was eventually time for everyone to leave and head back home as it was getting pretty late. Li Fray and Poniard gave thanks to everyone for attending before seeing everyone out of the venue. They gave a quick nod to Ares as he was going to pretty important for their respective clans going forward as they were reliant on him bringing them to Vraizon and beyond.


    This, Ares'' plan for Red Sun, was a once in a lifetime opportunity for these clans and they were some of the most excited people in the whole city. They were thanking their lucky stars Ares had been born in Red Sun because if it had been somewhere else nearby these two would have been extremely jealous, so much so they might have even moved their clans off their heritage sites just to get in on the action. The fact they got to keep their respective clan locations as well as have early adopter status, granting them privileges latecomers wouldn''t ever get, was phenomenal and they both had a gut feeling this was going to be massive for them in the long run. If it wasn''t for Enyo having a ''polite'' word with them earlier, they would have absolutely been trying to inappropriately throw some of their clans'' prettier women at Ares in a bid to tie a knot of some kind and have personal connections. As that wasn''t possible, however, Dirk and Li Li being in Ares'' good books would have to do! Ares showed them preference as they were notably strong cultivators, who would eventually go on to become elders without a shadow of a doubt, so that was a pretty fantastic outcome all things considered. Plus these two clans were the top two around so Ares would no doubt be partial with them for hopping aboard the Red Sun train and lending even more prestige to the place. It was a very good position to be in for them and they were looking to exploit it, one day becoming the two biggest clans in the world if possible. Dream big!


    Ares bid them goodbye for now, as he''d probably see them again at some point in the future given their status within Red Sun, and went back home with everyone. On the way back, Enyo and Bellona were discussing wedding dresses and Ares wisely avoided interrupting them. Had he not been mini right now he would invariably have been dragged into the conversation at some point with the question of ''when are we next'' and he didn''t have a response for them! At least not one they would be excited to hear because chances are that wouldn''t be happening until he was done in Vraizon. Anything before that was asking for trouble with Major who would inevitably try to crash the event and ruin it. That aside, talks slowly died down upon returning home, everyone went to sleep shortly thereafter, and the night passed without incident... As long as you ignore Blo Blo drooling on Ares'' mini head as she slept... This silly woman was getting way too comfortable! Well, that was a good thing so Ares just ignored it and cleaned his head on her arm... Which was a terrible rookie mistake! Sleeping Blo Blo had clearly misunderstood the situation and took Ares'' actions as a headbutt challenge, returning fire and smacking mini Ares'' arm. Ares had to hide in Enyo''s arms lest the sleepy assault continued, rendering him trapped, but he was finally safe in Enyo''s care at least. Blo Blo was a cultivator, those headbutts would seriously start to pile on the hurt if he ignored them long enough! Fortunately Ares was able to get to sleep pretty easily afterwards and that was that as even sleepwalking Blo Blo knew better than to wake the sleeping demoness Enyo as she would claim a lewd tax as compensation.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Morning came and Ares snuck out of the bed to go look for Calla as mini Ares was going to hit the town! He naturally couldn''t go by himself but Calla could bring him to Hans, his intended destination, without much effort and so he was going to go and make his request. Naturally the fluffy matriarch agreed and actually did sort of want to meet the guy who looked after her son while she wasn''t around. Some stardust as thanks was in order. That or she could just go and murder anyone giving him and Windsor trouble right now. It wouldn''t fully pay back the debt she seemed to think she owed, according to her anyway as Hans himself likely wouldn''t care, but she figured she might as well do it because it wasn''t much effort for her. Mini Ares was slung over Calla''s shoulder and one quick blink later and they were already at the mayor''s residence. Apparently Windsor was staying here in one of the guest rooms until the C.O building was finally completed, at which point she would get her own penthouse looking over the entirety of Red Sun. The building was going to wind up being the tallest in the entire city... Hans had restricted how wide of an area they had to work with so they were expanding upwards instead of horizontally and Hans had no qualms with that even if it did ruin the skyline a bit. Not that it mattered, in the future it was likely a lot more tall buildings would show up anyway during the expansion process. Red Sun wasn''t going to be some poor little city forever and there would one day be big bucks and bigger investments rolling in.


    Calla and Ares entered the mayor''s office and found Hans handing over some paperwork to Windsor. The two took a quick break as Ares introduced his mother who then proceeded to give thanks to Hans. He tried to tell her that he''d gotten out of Ares just as much as he gave but Calla was insistent on lending any kind of help she could which led to her running off to go kill some nuisance who was plotting to cause havoc. Apparently the idiot in question placed an extremely large bet on Mako after seeing him in action earlier during the nationals and wanted payback after Ares beat him. Ares was inaccessible so the idiot was going to try and cause large scale damage to Red Sun, devaluing Ares'' pet project and hampering him going forward. The guy was nearly at peak transition realm and was a hassle no matter how Hans looked at it. Yes Hans was stronger than this clown but fighting him in the city would lead to destruction on a scale that was considerable and that aligned with the idiot''s goals anyway. If Hans didn''t pay this guy off by the end of the week he claimed he was going to go on an indiscriminate rampage until he felt satisfied. Hans wasn''t entirely sure what to do about this maniac, and was going to just try and assassinate the fool himself, but Calla offering timely aid was much appreciated even if he''d tried to deny it at first.


    Calla returned shortly after with the head of the person in question and that was that matter settled then and there. After that it was mostly just Ares checking in to see how things were going with the onboarding process for various interested parties and apparently things were going very well. Windsor was a massive help, as was predicted, and so Ares gave her a thumbs up to which she borderline hissed back at him for dragging her into this mess in such an underhanded way. She hadn''t gotten much sleep as of yet as her workload was significant. Still, everything was running smoothly right now and the ascent to Vraizon was looking promising. Red Sun might actually be in a better position after leaving Sheryashka just due to the sheer number of interested businesses that would be coming along for the ride, raising the overall prestige of the area and the credibility of starting investments here. Monetary gain would slow to a crawl for a period of time after leaving Sheryashka but ought to spiral out of control once they got set in Vraizon. There were plenty of reasons for cultivators in and around Vraizon to come to Red Sun thanks to the businesses Hans was doing deals with and so it was all looking promising.


    Red Sun would definitely be ready to leave by the time Ares was done with Neo Gear and a new name was apparently already in the works... Which just reminded Ares he needed to come up with one for the sect too. Anyway, ignoring that, as there was still time to worry about such things later, once all the business talks were done Hans obliged to a request Calla made of him and started reminiscing about the kind of tyke Ares was when he was younger, going over some of the trouble he caused. Like the one time Ares made a bet with a Li member that he could drink more alcohol than them without keeling over. Ares was about fifteen at the time and Calla was about to reprimand him for being loosey-goosey with alcohol until Hans chuckled and told her the full story. Ares had Aejaz off to the side stealing the alcohol into his own glass every time Ares lifted it to his mouth. It looked like he was drinking it but he didn''t swallow even a drop of the stuff, leading to him outlasting the Li expert and walking away with a bundle of stardust. Aejaz was the thief but Ares had always been the brains and was more than capable of plucking stardust out of unsuspecting people if he really needed any. Normally a parent wouldn''t be too happy with their child cheating a grown adult like this but Calla was over the moon and taking notes about this story with pride... Revenants were just generally really weird... An hour or two later, when Hans'' stories had run dry and he needed to get back to work, Calla took mini Ares back home and that was that for the day.


    The next minor event was a final get together for the two clans as they were hosting separate farewell parties. One for the Legions and one for the Umbras. It was on the same day at the same time and, while they very much could have joined the two together, there was no need to do it. It was just an immediate family thing on both ends wherein only direct kin where being invited. It was a really small scale thing and both matriarchs just wanted it to be on the down low before they went back to their respective planets and didn''t see their children again for a while. That being said, Calla would be hanging around in Heaven''s Path even after the party, even though the other Umbra kin would be leaving the country, because she owed it to mini Ares to look after him. Plus she finally found him after all this time and wasn''t going to leave just yet! So really it was mostly just about the Umbra kin, the Legion kin, and Rhea all taking their leave from this country in the next few days. Obviously Bellona and Enyo were staying, that was a given, but also Sadie was too. Sadie hanging around was somewhat self-explanatory as she wasn''t going anywhere Dominus wasn''t, he was too valuable a resource to pass up on and Rhea understood that clearly. In fact, Sadie was relieved of her training duties on the Legion planet, by Rhea, until further notice so she''d essentially just become a permanent elder in Heaven''s Path which was extraordinary news for Ares. More strong people were always welcome!


    There was also a chance Phobos might want to stay after Ares directed him to Remmy''s... Which would also mean Palioxis was staying too... That all remained to be seen, however, and Ares would send word of Remmy''s to Phobos via Enyo. The little guy could go check it out in his own time and come to his own conclusion on the matter. Also Fate was going to stay because she liked Ares'' cooking... That was it. The munchkin had no other reason to stay but she had even less reason to leave and so she was going to become a proper member of the sect form now on. Regardless of who was staying or leaving, the two parties happened a few days later and everyone said their respective goodbyes for now... Venus excluded. She was not permitted to go anywhere near mini Ares and Calla had even bought a muzzle and put it on her to restrain her and prevent the usual antics. Mini Ares was saved and so Venus had to dejectedly wave goodbye from afar without opening her mouth. She wasn''t the most depressed of the kin, though, as that title went to Verv who was still wishing he could have a fight against Ares, doomed to fail though he was. Losing was not more important to him than taking part but, alas, that would have to wait for some other time.


    The next point at which the kin were likely to meet would be back on the Umbra home planet in Vraizon so they promised to see one another then and that was that. A similar sight was playing out somewhere else in Red Sun as Rhea was giving her children hugs and having them promise to take care. She might actually be able to come back down every now and then, though, as Calla wasn''t going to chase her down to look for Ares anymore. Still, she had her own things to take care of, and so her returning to Sheryashka was unlikely, which was why she was giving proper goodbyes to everyone now. In particular, she spent a bit of time on Enyo because seeing her be so different to before was still quite a shock to the system even after all the time that passed since she first laid eyes on her. She told Enyo not to worry about Major as any issues he wanted to cause would be stifled by Rhea and wasn''t anything worth fretting about. Rhea gave Enyo and Blo Blo her blessings for their relationship with Ares once more, as he was annoying but a good enough person, and then took her leave to return to Vraizon.


    With that, excluding Calla, all the extras that had arrived for the tournament were gone a couple days later. Even though they didn''t appear too frequently outside of get togethers, things definitely appeared to be quieter without the other kin / matriarchs around. Appa, specifically, felt the hug deficit the most as only Calla was left to pay it regular attention. Ares didn''t have much to do, however, so he frequently played with Appa instead and that was good enough for the happy shade. As time continued to pass, nearly a month''s worth, Ares was gradually returning to his normal form. His cultivation was currently a little under sensory enhancement so he was very nearly back to normal. He''d gone through his early and mid teens and was nearing his proper age and body once more. On the one hand, mini Ares being lost to the annals of history was a sad event for those who were interested in babying him. On the other hand, Enyo wasn''t complaining as there were... Certain things... Only adult Ares could do...


    It had been a whole month! Do you have any idea how disastrous that had been for her?! Enyo had distracted herself with cute mini Ares but she had needs and wants that Ares had to man up, literally, and fulfil! To be fair, as Ares went through his teenage years, he was starting to get in the mood too and was also patiently waiting for his body to return to normal... Although it was going to be immediately put through its paces as Enyo was not going to let him off lightly nor was she going to get him off lightly. That event would likely mark the return to normalcy and herald the arrival of the end of all the messing around as of late. Calla would leave, Ares would go on one final, quick date with the two wives, he''d do a bit of training with Esme and Li Li as promised, let Dominus out to train Sadie and Rox once more, check on some stuff he''d been meaning to in town, finish up pressurising the Backfire Bindings, and... Actually, that was it! That was all that was left for him to do before checking out of the sect to go to the Federation. Speaking of, he''d need to go and have a word with Rud in the mission hall to accept the job soon. Anyway, this stuff was all relatively minor and would happen in the blink of an eye, roughly as quickly as all the other recent events that had happened, and before it hit him Ares would be on the road with his brother once more!