“Hmm? Where is ‘e?” Dabble really wanted to know where Ares had gone to cause Rud to raise his voice in such a manner.
“He’s snuck into the highest floor of the arts library! Give me a minute to talk to him.”
---------------------------------
Ares had skipped straight to the top floor of the library and was trying to find a suitable technical. He was a little annoyed at how poorly laid out the library was. It had no blasted rhyme or reason to it at all! It didn''t help that the library was as large as a stadium. Ares felt a presence appear directly behind him and he instinctively turned and threw a fist.
Rud caught Ares’ hand and dragged him back down to the entrance in less than a second flat. “What do you think you''re doing on the highest floor?” Rud had a stern tone.
“Looking for arts? Isn’t that what this place is for?” Ares knew he was in the wrong but decided to play it off as an accident.
“You aren’t allowed up there.”
“Strange, no one stopped me. The Elder in charge must not be very good at his job.”
“Listen up you little shit, stick to the damn rules whether they’re enforced or not. Be a good samaritan. It’s not like I don’t have enough problems to deal with without you giving me more.”
“I’m sure figuring out which position is the most comfortable to sleep in is incredibly taxing.”
“Tsk, what are you even doing here anyway brat? Did you come here for a sword art? I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but you won’t find anything related to your pillar here.”
“I know, I’m actually looking for a specific kind of technical. I want to create my own using another as a base.”
“A technical? Why do you need a technical?”
Ares briefly explained his cultivation requirement and thoughts about the inconveniences of the annihilation aspect.
“Hmm, in that case, what kind of technical are you looking for? I know someone who might be able to help you find something.”
“I’m looking for something that can affect airwaves, soundwaves, and/or create ripples.”
---------------------------------
“Hey, Lizzy! Could you spare a minute?” Rud’s real body called out to a woman who was just about to leave the meeting hall.
Lizzy had long, chestnut coloured hair and wore a plain shirt and beige shorts. She was covered from head to toe in soot, dirt, and oil as she’d come straight over from the gadgetry department. She’d even forgotten to take off her welding goggles that were resting on her forehead before coming over to the meeting. Lizzy had an obsession with gadgets but wasn’t actually in charge of the department, it was more of a hobby. Her real passion was the technical pillar, but a pillar as niche as that rarely saw any interest from disciples. She could often be found working sleeplessly through the night on both tech and technicals. She was a real aficionado and the sect’s only technical expert. She was also the person who made the recording device that Rud had used earlier to record the entrance exam.
“Yeah sure, what’s up Ruddy?” Lizzy replied in a peppy voice.
“Ugh, whatever. I’m looking for a specific type of technical in the library. You should know where they all are and which one would suit what I’m looking for.”
“No probs. watcha lookin’ for Rudster.”
“Ugh, I swear you do this to annoy me. I’m looking for a technical that can create or affect ripples, airwaves, or soundwaves. Anything along those lines will do.”
“Hmm, there’s only really one that matches that description. Mind if I ask why you want something like that, Rudaroo?”
“... It’s not me that wants it.”
“Who wants it then, Rudrigo?”
“Can you stop doing that!?” Rud sighed. “It’s Ares. He said he’s trying to create a technical using one with those properties as its base, I have no clue what he’s making.”
“Oooooooohhhhhhhh a technical!? Where’s this kid? I wanna meet him! He has good taste! Where’s he? Where''s he? Where''s he?” Lizzy’s eyes lit up immediately. It was rare to find someone who was willing to learn technical arts, let alone someone who wanted to experiment with the creation of them.
“You can talk to him tomorrow if you’d like, he’s going to be setting up the stall today which takes precedence. Same goes for you Dabble. Let me know which times suit you two and I’ll let him know to come see you both.”
“Oh aye, in that case, I’ll see the laddie in teh afternoon,” Dabble gave his preferred time and left after saying his goodbyes.
“Hmmm, I''ll be busy in the morning… In that case, he can come over whenever he’s done with Dabble. As for the technical, it’s called ‘Water Walking’. It’s a technical that lets you walk on water by creating magic at the sole of your feet. The technical creates ripples on the water when it’s used so I think that should meet his criteria. Unfortunately, the technical is kinda useless. It takes a long time to learn and you can get the same effect when you reach the transition realm and learn to fly, so not many people bother with it. If he’s trying to create a movement technical, people have tried many times to no avail.” Lizzy got really into the conversation when it shifted to technicals.
“No, I don’t think that’s his plan. He already has a superior movement art, the one he used in the entrance trial. He mentioned briefly he was looking for a method of attack that wasn’t as dangerous to wield in tight spaces as his annihilation arts, so it’s probably some kind of offensive technical.”
“Ahhhh, I can’t wait to ask himmmmmm. Make sure you let him know about tomorrow, ok Rudley?” Lizzy turned around and was about to leave.
“Lizzy? Where exactly is that art? You know what the state of the library is like.”
“Oh, right, you still haven’t fixed that Rudolph? Shame on you! I think it should be on the top floor in the water pillar section. The last time someone tried experimenting with it, that was the route they took.”
“Thanks, I’ll let him know... Lizzlo.” Rud gave Lizzy a mischievous smile. See how you like it, crazy woman!
“Aww hell yeah. Now you’re getting it, Rudsdale!” Lizzy gave Rud a thumbs up and left.
“Fuck. It appears I’ve lost,” Rud admitted defeat and took control over his clone once again.
---------------------------------
“Wow, I must admit, I’ve never seen anyone who can fall asleep as quickly as you.” Ares was lightly clapping his hands.
“Do you want the technical or not? Actually, forget it. If I tell you where it is, I won’t have to put up with you anymore. It’s on the top floor under the water pillar section. It’s a technical called ‘Water Walking’. Don’t come complaining to me if it isn’t what you’re looking for.”
“So, what you’re saying is, after all of that, I’m going back to the top floor that you just told me I wasn’t allowed to be in?” Ares started lightly clapping his hands again. “I can see why you were made the vice sect master; your mind truly works in mysterious ways.”
“Alright, fuck off you rascal.” Rud booted Ares across the library, all the way to the base of the elevator. “Oh, and by the way, tomorrow, head to the forging department in the afternoon and the technical department after you''re done. Also, don’t forget to go and set up your stall today.”
“Yes mother!” Ares smirked as he tried to hold back a laugh. Ares got into the elevator and went back to the top floor, heading straight to the water pillar section. He quickly found the technical’s tome and gave it a quick check to make sure it was what he needed before heading back down.
Ares’ next stop was the market area. On the way, he ran into Onno. “Hey Onno, are you heading to the market as well?”
“Hey. Yeah, I’m going to set up a business.”
“Haha, why am I not surprised.”
“It’s good practice, what about you? Are you setting up your stall?”
“That’s correct. What are you going to sell?”
“Alchemy materials mostly. I got given a hefty amount before I left home to help kickstart a small business in the sect. Actually, would you mind if I helped run your stall? I could use all the practice I can get. I can help you get assistants if necessary.”
“Sure, go ahead. I have no experience running a business and I have no idea how to price the Beads anyway. Your expertise is greatly welcomed.”
“Alright then, sounds good to me.”
The two walked and talked, discussing business ideas. Onno came up with the idea to give a discount if people bought a set of five as Shock Beads would only get stronger the more of them you used at a time. Eventually, they reached a tent at the start of the market area. They gave their names to the guard who then went in and checked with a Rud clone if they were allowed in. The guard came back and the two were let inside.
“Long time no see.” Ares grinned and waved.
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“Not long enough,” Rud spoke through gritted teeth. “At least you aren’t slacking on our agreement. I’m guessing you''re going to set up shop too, Onno?”
“Yep, Ares and I were talking and we decided to run his stall together as well.”
“Fine, it makes no difference to me. I already made sure some of the better locations were available, but can I personally recommend this one?” Rud pointed at a vacant store on a small-scale hologram of the market.
“It’s certainly in a great spot, but can I ask why you’re recommending this one?” Onno couldn’t help but wonder.
“Between us… That shop is currently Fen’s, if you don’t take it, he’ll get to keep it.”
“Strange, that particular location has suddenly become a lot more appealing for no apparent reason,” Ares mumbled with his hand on his chin, looking as though he were appreciating the intricacies of fine art.
“Hmm, very strange indeed,” Onno agreed.
“Alright, that area is yours. There’s already a storefront set up, so you can go check it out whenever.”
“Thanks Rud,” Ares said.
“I’m guessing the location for my store won’t be so convenient?” Onno laughed slyly.
“Don’t even think about it.” Rud was only helping Ares because it was imperative to the sect. Rud and Onno discussed available locations for a while before coming to an agreement.
Onno and Ares headed over to check Onno’s stall location first as it was closer. Ares had no idea what he was looking at, but Onno seemed to be deep in thought so he let him ponder over his stall’s specifics while waiting off to the side. After a short while, Onno made some mental notes and headed off with Ares to the centre of the market to find his new stall.
“Lucky you, this place is really quite good,” Onno congratulated Ares. “I know you gave each of our little group ten Beads each, but do you have any more to sell today?”
“Yeah, I made sure to make another hundred or so. It’s not much, but it should be ok for today at least.”
“When business really takes off, you’re going to be working like an animal you know?”
“So be it. Besides, that’ll only be while I’m here. I’ve been planning on eventually taking Aejaz on foreign missions to show him the world. Of course, I’ll still make sure there’s a stockpile before I leave, and I’ll make some when I’m gone for when I come back, but there might be times when the Beads aren’t available.”
“It’s unfortunate, but you''re the only one who can make them so this is just the way it has to be. Let’s get everything in order and see what the baseline level of interest is.”
“That reminds me, what should we name this place?”
“Hmm, how about… Shock Rocks?”
“I’m fine with that, but does it matter if that’s not actually their name?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Besides, that name is catchier anyway. It’s also a good thing that you can keep your own identity, you''re the only one that can use ‘Shock Beads’ and their respective art anyway. You can also just call them that until they catch on then go back to using their original name if it gets confusing. Now all we need is a slogan.”
“Hmm, when Aejaz heard about the stall, he kept hassling me to make the slogan ‘Bang for your Buck’. I don’t really mind if that ends up being the slogan or not but, if it isn’t going to ruin our business, I''d prefer to give him this little thing if there’s no reason not to.”
“Aww, how nice. It’s almost like you two are actually brothers. Makes me jealous. My brothers are assholes. You know, when us Honesty children are born, we’re all assigned a company that will be ours in the future. One of my brothers actually tried to screw me over and buy me out! And you wanna know the worst part? My father was proud. PROUD.”
Onno clearly had some repressed feelings but Ares was hardly a psychologist. “That’s… Really unfortunate. Are you gonna try and get back at him?”
“Hell yeah I am. Not just him either, all of them. Even my father! Sadly, I don’t think he’d even mind. He’d probably be incomparably joyful if I managed it. I really can’t win, but I’ll do it anyway!”
“Well, erm, good luck with that.”
Onno and Ares got down to business and set up the stall. Ares used disintegration magic and a feather from his Stygian Zephyr to carve the name into a long plank of wood. He then imbued it with annihilation magic so that it would give off the same ancient, destructive aura that Shock Beads would. Might as well make the shop thematic.
While Onno was finishing up the stall, Ares went to go have a look around for something… Specific.
Sometime later, everything was set up and Onno and Ares sat behind the counter. There was a sign with the prices for the Beads just in front and trays of Beads along the counter. ‘25 pieces of low-quality stardust for one, buy 4 and get one extra free!’ Originally, Ares was going to write something along the lines of ‘buy 5 for the price of 4’, but Onno taught him the value of the word ‘free’ and the attention it would grab. It was a good idea to let Onno help, he really knew a lot about business practices and marketing.
In the back of Ares’ mind, he couldn''t help but realise that he had really sold himself for cheap during the trial. He and Aejaz only got 100 low grade stardust from their little transaction, that was the price of 5 Shock Beads! Ares and Aejaz never really interacted much with currency previously as they practically always stole everything, so neither of them realised just how little 100 stardust actually was in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, Onno and Ares were intentionally selling Shock Beads much cheaper than they would go for if they were to be sold outside the sect as the whole point was to make them accessible.
A few passer-bys noticed the store, but were hesitant to come over for two reasons. First, the product was too cheap. Advertising a life-saving treasure, weapon, or medicine and selling each for 25 low quality stardust meant they were probably really not all that valuable. Secondly, no-one wanted to go anywhere near Ares because he scared the shit out of them. He didn’t look malicious, but everyone remembered that he was placed directly into the fifth tier and they were worried his looks might not be synonymous with his true character. He was previously a bandit, after all. Many people here had suffered losses at his hand!
One or two brave souls eventually started to walk over when another disciple jumped in front of the store and started yelling, “Don’t buy from these frauds! Look at their prices! How could these so-called ‘treasures’ have any value whatsoever? They''re just trying to rob you of your hard-earned stardust! Imagine you buy one and try to use it in a life-or-death situation and it does nothing! Don’t regret your actions!”
Contrary to what this disciple was expecting, Ares and Onno didn’t seem to care. In fact, they were smiling, and quite evilly at that too. It seemed they had expected this; or rather, they were hoping for this.
“Perfect, and on the first day too, no less,” Ares said to Onno.
“That guy just couldn’t help himself, could he?” Onno replied.
It was obvious who had sent this man. Chen Fen did. Fen had been robbed of this spot, naturally he would keep an eye on it to see who would take over. When he learnt it was Ares, he would inevitably send some random disciple to act as a naysayer and try to ruin his business. No other disciple would have the balls to do this to Ares and Onno, two of the biggest names in the outer court. Maybe a courageous inner court disciple with a grudge, but they wouldn’t have found out about the business this quickly as they weren’t living in the outer court. Of course, this was expected so an appropriate response had been prepared long in advance. That was what Ares had gone to go search for earlier. “Our friend here makes an excellent point! No one in their right minds would buy an untested product with no guarantees,” Ares spoke to the crowd, confusing the naysayer.
Why was he agreeing with him? Little did he know, he had just given Onno and Ares the perfect chance to demonstrate a thing or two regarding their product.
“We conduct fair and honest business here. We only offer the highest quality, functional goods. Naturally your concerns are valid, but just like any good salesmen, we would be more than happy to show you first-hand that our wares are not faulty. Ares, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate for these kind ladies and gentlemen.” Onno put all his practice into good use.
“Right, of course. Everyone, I apologise for the inconvenience but would you please follow me to our special testing grounds? It’s only a 20 second walk from here and I promise it will be worth your while.” Ares convinced about 85% of the onlookers to follow him to a corner of the market.
“Umm, we’re still in the market? How are you going to show off those Shock Rocks here?” a random disciple looked around before finally raising his concern.
“Excellent question, the answer is really quite simple. As everyone here is aware, I happen to have an enmity with a vile creature by the name of Chen Fen. The current location of our stall previously belonged to Fen and as such, he sent over someone to try and slander our good business. I’m about to use this Shock Rock as a form of retaliation! That stall over there…” Ares pointed at a stall to the side. “... Belongs to Fen now that his old one has been repurposed! For the sake of this demonstration, I’m going to treat his stall as though it were an enemy of mine! As though it were a vile creature from the depths of hell that would be better off dead! Please pay attention to the raw power these Rocks hold as I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with the results!” Ares lightly tossed the Rock over his shoulder and it landed perfectly in the entrance to the storage area of the stall. Ares had already checked to make sure no one was inside. He was an asshole sometimes, sure, but he wasn’t a murderer… at least not without good reaosn anyway. It’s not like it was Fen that ran the shop himself either, otherwise he might have actually considered waiting for him. All in the name of demonstrating his wares of course!
BOOM
A dark gold dome completely mutilated the stall, bringing it to ruin without leaving behind a single identifiable trace. Even the ground had caved in and formed a small pit. Naturally, this little light show had attracted the attention of many people who were wandering about nearby. Ares looked around and was satisfied with the number of agape mouths as it was a good indicator his business strategy was very effective. He clapped his hands to drag the audience back to reality and focus their attention on him. “Good sirs and madams, this is the destructive power I wield. I only seek to offer you all a chance to wield this power yourselves to save the lives of my fellow disciples when they find themselves in a crisis! Rogue cultivators, evil spirits, cruel beasts and vile vermin roam and infest these dangerous lands! Think of all the brothers and sisters we’ve lost during missions! It doesn’t have to be this way any longer! Onno and I want to make the Heaven’s Path sect a true force to be reckoned with, and that starts with all of you! A single Shock Rock is enough to complete an extermination mission worth eight, nine, maybe even ten times its worth! If you’re still worried about the legitimacy of our business, then now would be a good time to mention that we are OFFICIALLY endorsed by the sect. You may ask Rud himself for verification! Please stop by our humble shop in the future, we promise it’s worth your time!” Ares gave a quick speech off the top of his head and walked back to the stall. A large number of people followed him back. The only ones that didn’t were the cautious type and went to go find Rud.
Onno wasn’t surprised at this development. He’d expected this much, after all, he could see the fireworks from here. If you put on a grand enough show, you’ll naturally attract customers. It’s just that simple.
If you build it, they will come.
If you destroy it, twice as many people will come.
“As today is our first day of business, we only have 100 Shock Rocks for sale. We’ll be here every other day for the foreseeable future and we’ll have a lot more stock from now on.”
Less than ten minutes later, all the beads had been sold and the stall was closed for the day. A guard that had been outside Rud’s tent came over and called for Ares, saying that he needed to go and see Rud immediately.
“Uh oh, looks like the fun police are calling,” Onno jabbed fun at Ares.
“Ha, seems like it. Thanks for your help today. Lemme know if there’s anything I can do to pay you back in the future,” Ares said his goodbyes to Onno and followed the guard back to Rud’s tent.
---------------------------------
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Rud was tapping his finger on the desk in front of him.
“Uh, business is booming?”
“Mhm, and what do you call this?” Rud held up a tiny bit of cloth from Fen’s store that somehow miraculously managed to not get blown to smithereens.
“A sales pitch?”
“Good, good. Do you know what this is?” Rud raised his empty palm in front of Ares.
“Oh, I know this one! That’s a high five for doing such a good job right?” Ares extended his own palm towards Rud’s.
Slap
Ares had a fresh palm mark on his cheek. “I’m confused, did I give a wrong answer, or was that slap the actual answer?”
Slap
“Both.” Rud made sure to mirror the palm pattern on the other side of Ares’ face so it wouldn’t look strange by itself.
“Ah, I see.”
“Do you though? Do you really?” Rud took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
“Oh come on, it was just one lousy store.”
“That’s not even what I’m mad about!”
“Ok, now I’m really lost.”
Rud banged his fist against the desk. “Who said you could tell people the sect was sponsoring you? Do you have any idea how many people have come here and asked me to verify that statement of yours? I haven’t caught a wink of sleep because of you!”
“...” Ares was stunned, he had truly underestimated Rud’s laziness.
“If you pull a stunt like this again, the next Rud clone you’ll be talking to will be the disciplinary hall Rud!”
“When you say ‘stunt’, do you mean blowing up a stall, or keeping you awake? ‘Cos if you’re giving me permission to thin the competition, then I’ll get started right awa…”
“GET OUT OF MY TENT YOU LITTLE SHIT!”
Ares promptly ‘left’ the tent, although it would be more accurate to say he was kicked out. There was only really one other thing he wanted to do, but now probably wasn’t the best time for that. He had originally planned to go to the treasury and see if there were any good swords up for grabs. He wouldn''t have the money for it but it would have been good to know if there was anything worthwhile for the future. Now though, he figured it would be better to avoid Rud for at least the rest of the day. You know, to give him some breathing room.
Ares went to the mission hall instead to check something and then went home.
No one else was back yet. He set aside some time to make a large batch of Shock Beads and then went into a cultivation room. He wasn’t going to actually cultivate, so the mana deficiency compared to the fifth-tier area was irrelevant. Ares took out the Water Walking technical’s tome and read through it until he understood its core principles. Understanding was the easy part, putting it into practice was where things got difficult. Thankfully though, he was just after the main principles. Things like how to manipulate the mana and what form it should take to get the desired result.
The creation of the technical went surprisingly well. It seemed his knowledge of annihilation magic tied in quite nicely with the design of this new technical, making his life considerably easier. By the end of the day, Ares had already established the technical’s principles and had even given it a name, ‘Echoes’. Ares tried to use the technical but it was a fairly difficult process. He managed to make it work on a small scale once but the price was accidentally dislocating his shoulder. It was a small price to pay though as his bloodline fixed it as soon as he pushed it back into place. He also now had confirmation that the Echo technical was functional and could be practised by literally anyone!
Ares had actually rather enjoyed the creation process and decided to give technical creation another go at some point. First, he wanted to master Echoes though as he was still a long way away from the technical being usable in combat. Maybe he could get some help from the technical department tomorrow. Perhaps someone there would be able to aid Ares in refining the art and fixing a few loose screws, so to speak.
Ares could tell it was getting late as he was starting to feel a little tired, so he left the cultivation room and checked to see if anyone else had come back yet. He noticed Aejaz had already come back and went to sleep so he didn’t bother him. Ares went to the kitchen to get some water before heading off to sleep himself. On the way back to his room, he passed by the living room and noticed Appa was squished against the floor in its ‘sitting’ position.
Ares couldn’t tell if Appa was asleep or not so he just left it as it was, but then it rose up off the floor and clumsily floated over to the doorway. “I’m sleepy. Can we go to bed now?” Appa spoke in a quiet, tired voice.
“Were you waiting this whole time?”
“Mhm, going to sleep now feels weird without a hug.”
“Ok. Let’s go to sleep, and I’ll be sure to give you all the hugs you want.” Ares didn’t ask why Appa hadn’t gone to someone else for cuddles, he was just happy it had picked him. Appa and Ares went to sleep and had a good night''s rest, after cuddling, of course.