Veteran was coming to terms with his loss but also now understanding how others viewed him as he could see himself in Ares... It was a bit unfair, honestly. A completely insurmountable wall, one that couldn''t be seen over no matter how high you jumped... Maybe he deserved this for making countless others feel the same way. Either way, he was not looking forward to becoming Ares'' punching back for the remainder of his time here...
What is this defeatist attitude?
Where did it come from?
Am I not still a legend in my own right!?
Veteran shook his head and stood up with renewed vigour. He may have just lost but all that meant was that now Ares was the new overseer and he''d become the challenger. Ares may win a lot of their matches from now on but that didn''t mean he was out of the woods just yet. Until Ares reached 100% Veteran would sneak in as many wins as he could! Plus, there was one more thing to look forward too. Even if Ares won... The pagoda wouldn''t reset the floor until someone died and right now it couldn''t be Veteran otherwise the challenge would end! No matter how much Veteran lost at least he could take out his frustrations on Ares after very match! It seemed like Ares had just realised this too as his mouth was agape and his palm had just slapped his own forehead... Veteran was a little disappointed in himself for losing to this idiot. Still... Ares was a clever idiot if nothing else. For him to have come up with telekinesis on the fly... Ares was no scientist but Veteran was realising that, actually, this kid was way smarter than he let on... Ares'' stupidity was a particularly well crafted veneer and Veteran couldn''t help but wonder why he wore it all the time. Sure it was fun for Ares to mess with people using that fa?ade but it seemed like there was a deeper reason...
Maybe if Veteran asked he''d get an honest answer? Then again, knowing Ares, maybe not. Still it was worth a shot so, before he killed Ares, he asked away. Surprisingly, Ares was straight with him and gave him an answer that his brain took a minute or two to comprehend fully... This world was far more interesting than Veteran knew, that was for sure. Apparently Ares had clued in his wives to the truths he''d whispered to Veteran under a blanket of disintegration, and no one else, and Veteran felt grateful to be trusted to that degree. Of course Ares held his future in his hand and Veteran wanted his affiliations back so obviously he wouldn''t snitch but that wasn''t the point. Through all the repeated beatings and back and forth silly arguments he''d come to consider Ares a good friend, actually, so it was nice to know Ares felt the same. It seemed that, going forward, they would have each other''s backs if ever they needed it. This wasn''t like how Terros or Caribou were lending Ares their aid for the sake of saving the world but, rather, was just because these two guys got along and respected one another. Veteran in particular was thrilled about Ares because, more than anything, he couldn''t die! So many people Veteran had once cared about were mortal and sacrificed to the damn war... But Ares? He definitely wasn''t going anywhere, not if his revenant bloodline had anything to do with it. This friendly relation would benefit them both, absolutely, but it certainly wasn''t transactional, it was very real and based on more than what they could do for each other.
And thus, Ares had gained his first reliable friend in the cultivation world. Someone he knew he could call upon in tough times and someone he was more than willing to be called upon by during their own tough times. His first mentor!... Although really, he was about to also become his first student... Ares could definitely teach Veteran a thing or two about pressure and, actually, he was planning on it. How he accomplished 100% enhancement... He was willing to tell Veteran on the off-chance the guy could restart and fix his mistakes. The guy obviously had the potential, he just needed the know how. And, naturally, Ares would be more than willing to share it. If Veteran went on to share that information himself then that was fine, it didn''t really affect Ares anyway. Ares'' enhancement wasn''t overpowered because he had 100% available but because he could mix his destruction magic into it. That was the real kicker. Still, this was mostly irrelevant. Veteran would maybe share it with one or two other people but he wouldn''t make it widespread or give the keys to the kingdom to anyone who would betray his trust in them. This would be a secret that only a select few people ever knew. So before Veteran killed of Ares and reset the floor, Ares clued Veteran in.
Meanwhile, while Ares was revealing his dumb secret to Veteran about how to cook a banquet while calibrating pressure enhancement, Bellona had just finished the third floor. Her biggest struggle was a toss up between understanding Golgo''s explanation of the trial and actually managing to hit the speedy targets. She''d accustomed herself to the idea of physical pressure quite quickly but her aim was, quite frankly, atrocious. She''d never wielded any kind of ranged weapon before and most of her magic was targeted so this trial was completely out of her wheelhouse for all the wrong reasons! it was supposed to be a pressure trial and yet Bellona was struggling with her aim of all things... Anyway, she''d eventually passed and was now free to ascend to Candy''s floor. Before she did, though, she had a brief word with Golgo, who was surprised to learn that ''Bee-lo-no'' was one of Ares'' wives, because there was a non zero chance he would become a relative at some point if the whole Havannah thing went any further. It was a pleasant chat, albeit frustrating whenever Bellona struggled to correct Golgo''s mis-pronunciations, and Bellona learnt a lot about the kind of place Golgo came from. She even ended up being more knowledgeable than Ares in that regard. Anyway, the chat ended and Bellona left the pagoda. She was going up to the fourth floor today, yes, but Enyo had pestered her to give her a call when it was time so she could also join. Bellona was tempted to sneak up to the fourth floor on her own because dealing with Enyo could be a nightmare sometimes as of late but the risks were too great. If one of Enyo''s bizarre sensors kicked off and she caught Bellona red-handed then the consequences... They were truly unimaginably frightening to even consider... It was better to just go back home and be upfront, inviting her to come along and accepting her innocuous presence at face value despite knowing full well there was a lecherous beast dwelling beneath the waves.
Bellona arrived at the house and knocked on the door to Ares'' and Enyo''s room. Enyo poked her head out, saw her sister, and ducked back into the room. Clearly she was going to go get changed and Bellona knew this for no other reason than that Enyo left the door slightly ajar as if she was encouraging Bellona to go inside... Bellona shut the door and walked towards the front of the house. As she did so, the door to Aejaz'' room opened and Trixie came out all smiles... Bellona was, once again, the only person, not including Leo or Appa for obvious reasons, in this house not getting laid. And here she thought she had a spiritual companion in Trixie. The two had gotten along thanks to their similar propensity to act like a playful imp every now and then but Trixie had just left her in the dust. She hadn''t even been here that long! Still, Bellona had to give her credit for shooting her shot. Trixie just went straight for the jugular and now Bellona was wondering if she should do the same. After all, she was the only one slowing things down. She wanted to wait a bit before she and Ares went any further and she was actively avoiding Enyo. Running away from the open door earlier was proof of that. She had no one to blame but herself for this snail''s pace. Maybe she should change her approach? Nothing needed to happen with Ares just yet but maybe she could be more accepting of the Enyo situation? Apparently Enyo wanted Bellona all to herself before Ares anyway so she was going to be the first hurdle... Fuck it. Bellona turned around and walked back over to Ares'' room and slipped inside.
Enyo was in the nude right now and humming away to herself when Bellona entered. She paused and looked at her sister in disbelief. She couldn''t quite fathom the fact that she''d walked in here of her own volition, like a dear leaping into the lion''s enclosure, especially not after closing the door earlier and presumably walking away. Enyo realised this was an important moment of sorts and didn''t act unnecessarily aggressive because spooking Bellona after she''d done this was counter productive. Instead, she simply kept getting changed and minded her own business... Which was incredibly hard to do when her excitement was bubbling away inside her. The desire to run over and rugby tackle Bellona was immense but, for all her faults, Enyo wasn''t a woman without a strong will. She was impatient, not incapable of controlling herself... Although she did make an effort to flaunt her curves a little. Bending over a bit more when picking up her clothes, lifting and spreading her leg a tiny bit wider as she put her leggings on, etc... Surprisingly, Bellona didn''t turn around or look away and Enyo was wondering what prompted this behaviour. She knew what it entailed and could guess her sister''s thought process, they were close enough that it was obvious to her, but she had no idea what happened in between Bellona leaving and returning. Bellona was a stubborn woman unless she was confronted with the downsides of her own beliefs. If nothing happened, Bellona wouldn''t have turned back and come in here... That was when it hit Enyo that Trixie had gone into Aejaz'' room earlier so if she''d just come out... Actually, that made a lot of sense... Enyo''s respect for the woman went up a fair bit because Enyo had also been talking to her recently and Bellona was a topic that was raised briefly. The conversation was about getting the other partner comfortable with their presence and Enyo had expressed she wasn''t sure how to incorporate Bellona... If Trixie had taken that minor, off-handed comment and actively left the room at that specific moment to enable this situation then she was clearly an incredible schemer. No less than Fate even. There were some serious strategists in this family...
Being naked like this made it hard for Enyo to keep down her dominant alter ego, the one that demanded the other wives call her mistress, but she managed it nonetheless. Despite controlling herself, she wasn''t going to do absolutely nothing, however, as that would be wasting this God-given opportunity. Enyo felt a ''next step'' of sorts needed to be taken with her and Bellona''s relationship, she just needed to not be needlessly silly about it. Her sexual deviant side needed to be put to the side and this was to be taken seriously. No drooling, no heavy panting, no crazed look in her eye... Ok maybe a little bit of that last one wouldn''t kill anybody... But the point remained, no going over the top!
Enyo, still almost completely naked, walked over to Bellona and looked her in the eyes. Their relationship was going to change at some point and delaying the inevitable was pointless and cowardly. It didn''t have to stray far from what it already was but there was a part to the relationship currently missing that needed to exist to facilitate their family''s way of functioning going forward. To remedy that issue, Enyo pushed up against Bellona, grabbed her face, and kissed her on the mouth. She didn''t falter even seconds later and, instead of slowing down, poked her tongue out. Bellona''s heart beat quickened as she obediently opened her mouth to let Enyo in... Or that was what Enyo assumed was happening. The second her tongue ventured in and located Bellona''s, her sister gripped the back of her head, pulled her in close, and took control. Bellona was a hesitant woman but not a shy one. There were no such things as half measures with Bellona and now that she was taking the next step, she would do it in a single, giant leap. Her tongue coiled Around Enyo''s while her free hand paid Enyo back for all the groping by darting straight for her rear. Enyo was a beautiful woman and Bellona had always planned on enjoying her body when the time finally came even if she was reluctant to advance to that point. Again, Bellona was either all in, or not in at all. That line in the sand had been crossed now so she made out with Enyo with fervour. Putting this stubborn mule in her place was electrifying and all her pent up agitation with the years of Legion bitchiness meant Bellona had a score to settle so she pushed out Enyo''s tongue and threw hers into Enyo''s mouth. Enyo had to lean her head back as Bellona went wild but the trill was far too great for her to care. This was a side of her sister she really liked.
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Eventually their bonding ended with Bellona spanking Enyo and pushing her back onto the bed. She swiped the saliva off her mouth and told Enyo to finish getting changed before leaving the room. Enyo had to wipe herself down with a tissue lest she wet her clothes after putting them on. It was a struggle to get changed as Enyo''s lust wasn''t settling down as she kept remembering the interaction but she knew better than to push things here. There was really only one step left to take but it didn''t need to happen yet. Enyo had already planned out the ''when'' and ''where'' and rushing things wasn''t a good idea. She would let Bellona come to terms with things for a little while then pounce when the time was right... Although a few extra sessions like that weren''t out of the cards. In fact Enyo would make sure they weren''t because Bellona was too good of a kisser to let her talents waste away. Her mouth needed to be put to good use!
Enyo exited the house, found Bellona, and jumped on her back. Bellona likened her to a koala the other day so this was her just deserts. Besides, Enyo wasn''t wearing her armour today so the gorilla could handle her weight and then some. She was a strong cultivator with a sturdy back! Enyo demanded a piggyback ride! Bellona sighed to herself, accepted the dead weight, and carried her sister all the way to the pagoda without any fuss. Enyo did try to nibble on her ear at one point but Bellona threatened to turn the ride around and march back to the sect so Enyo kept her teeth in check. It had been a while since these two went out on their own somewhere so they had a fun time of it in spite of the countless curious looks that came their way. They didn''t chat too much, because they were saving most of their conversation topics for when they met up with Candy, but it was still quite a nostalgic outing for the sisters.
Though Enyo used to be the sulky justice lady that didn''t mean the two didn''t still get along during their younger years. The conversations were duller, more monotonous, and formally cordial but they still happened frequently. Bellona and Enyo were definitely closer with each other than they were with any of the other siblings. Pele was also quite close, and a close second to each of the other sisters, but these two had always been around each other more than any other sibling combination. It was a shame Pele wasn''t here otherwise she probably would have joined in, maybe even jumping on Enyo''s back and demanding a two person piggyback ride. Regardless, it was safe to say Enyo and Bellona''s relationship was better than it had been in the past, even though it had already been good, and that was for a number of different reasons. What had just happened was one of them, sure, but even before that things had been quite solid. The two enjoyed living under the same roof and having each other around to bicker or chat with. There was no guarantee every single one of Ares'' wives would get along merrily with each other but, at the very least, these two always would. Even if they argued they would settle the score in their own way at some point so Ares had nothing to be concerned about... Or rather, he should be concerned about what would happen when they started working together against him! He''d already seen a glimpse of the future back when they both smacked him across the head sequentially way back when. The dreaded double thwack. He was lucky that hadn''t happened in a while but it seemed like these two were more in sync than ever and it was going to start cropping up again. Double trouble indeed.
After paying Transmit, Bellona carried Enyo to the front of the pagoda and knocked on the door. It scanned them both and they were teleported to the fourth floor together. Usually they would be forced into separate places but the pagoda, thanks to Candy''s intervention with the runes in some manner no doubt, seemed to recognise Enyo. If Enyo brought anyone else along they would be able to hitch a ride to Candy''s floor. Bellona didn''t need this, as she was already capable of entering the fourth floor herself, but it did mean the two sisters spawned into the room with Enyo still riding Bellona''s back. Candy saw this, tilted her head like a curious fox, and tittered behind her limp hand. "You too, huh?" ''You''re also at the beck and call of this loony woman?'' was the loose translation of what Candy was implying.
"Yeah..." Bellona shrugged, throwing Enyo off her back and onto the floor in one fluid movement. "... But as her sister I need to put her in her place every now and then." Enyo landed on her back and, for a split second, looked like a helpless turtle which had Candy belly laughing uncontrollably. Had Enyo been wearing her armour, solidifying the helpless turtle look, Candy would have been shedding tears right about now. Bellona looked the foxy lady up and down and instantly understood why Enyo liked this woman... She was damn sexy! Although Enyo was undoubtedly more beautiful from an objective stand point, if Bellona had to pick a woman she would actually lean more towards this mature lady. Ignoring the way Enyo acted, her beauty gave of a ''holier than thou'' sort of feel but the quick and dirty, sly, mad scientist vibe she got from Candy was more up Bellona''s alley... Plus there was a tail! A fluffy tail! Bellona still had a preference for cute things and Candy doubling as both a cute and light-hearted fox and an evil kitsune of sorts was a shock to her system. Right out the gate Bellona actually really quite liked this wife! Her coy gestures and witty gaze... This woman Bellona''s cup of tea and any and all thoughts she''d had on the matter before, about not getting along with her, had flown out the window. Hell, she might even like this lady more than she did Enyo! Spirit animal! Enyo could have Bea as a best friend if she wanted but Bellona had just chosen Candy as hers! "Can I stroke your tail!? Pretty please?!"
Candy turned away while glancing over her shoulder with the nail on her pointer finger teasingly resting on her lip. Candy''s tails multiplied into nine separate, equally fluffy, appendages of joy and she chuckled. "Take your pick cutie."
Bellona almost jumped for joy when she was given her pick of the litter. She chose the middle one and reached out to stroke it... But the tail dodged! Bellona looked up at Candy who was smirking at her. She looked back down at the tails and threw her hands at them in a bid to grab even one but her attempts were in vain. The tails were like slippery snakes dancing in and out of her range. Candy''s laugh echoed in Bellona''s ear as she kept losing the game of cat and nine mice. Bellona gave up on the standard approach and cheated, catching Candy unaware with a rugby tackle. Pinning the devious fox to the ground with her gorilla strength, Bellona shoved her face into the bunched up tails and rubbed her cheek against them with a grin on her face. The two rolled around on top of each other, laughing like playing children as Candy''s nimbleness went toe to toe with Bellona''s physical strength.
Enyo watched on from the side with a smile as things were going well. Moments like this made her feel like she''d made a wise choice allowing... Forcing... Ares'' harem to be a thing. Bellona never really had ''friends'' but she''d clearly just made one and, as her sister, Enyo was pleased with the result. How she felt now must have been how Bellona felt seeing her fall in love and become her own person. They''d both separated from the legion clan and discovered a family that truly cared. Of course Rhea and their siblings also counted but this was a bigger family now and one that had changed everyone involved for the better. Ares was great, Enyo was great, Bellona was great, Candy was great, and no doubt all the future wives would be great too. The prospect of having so many wonderful people around, and having them all be in meaningful relationships with one another, warmed Enyo''s heart. It was a far cry from the environment she grew up in even though she was partially responsible for it with her cold attitude. This, all of this, had been the right choice and she would never regret it. Ares didn''t even really matter. He was the head of the harem for the most part but, really, this was just Enyo''s passion project. Sexy, funny, kind, and talented woman. Enyo wanted her own collection of such people to live alongside. The eight other wives didn''t need all of the above traits, and Enyo was interested to see exactly what their ragtag group would look like at the end of it all, but Enyo wanted every one of the prophesised other eight by her side and she would spare no effort in making sure they all safely joined the family. Even just watching Bellona and Candy roll around assured her it was worth the effort it would take.
Enyo really did love these two in her own psychotic way. The other wives may not be keen or fond of every other single wife, even if Candy and Bellona were friendly, but that meant nothing to Enyo who planned on being intimate with all of them regardless of their preferences. She would not take no for an answer. She would be the pillar to which everyone was leashed. She would be the glue that held this harem in place and, if need be, she would use her naked, sweaty, soft body to hold them all together... Enyo was panting like a degenerate again... Her delusions were running wild because her lust wasn''t satiated after the Bellona incident earlier... She was daydreaming about having eight other women service her at the same time. Some of them were in maid outfits, some were butt naked, some were in lingerie... Yeah, no, Enyo had definitely lost the plot and gone pre-emptively mad with power. It was honestly a miracle she wasn''t concocting plans to usurp the harem from Ares fully but, then again, if there was one greater obsession in her life than the harem, an obsession even greater than her rampant desire for sexual pleasure, it was her husband... Her husband who she really wanted to ''have a word with'' right about now. The thought of having eight women licking her all over was great but the reality of having Ares inside her was greater. He had something the other wives just didn''t and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it.
By this point, Bellona and Candy were just dumbfoundedly staring at Enyo who was petrified on the spot, drooling as she stared at the ceiling where her imaginary encounters were playing out in full like a feature film. An XXX film at that... And one both of the women here featured in. All eight wives and Ares simultaneously treating her like a queen was Enyo''s ultimate bedroom fantasy. She was dragged out of her happy thought bubble by the other two wives who pulled her down to the floor. They all sat in a triangle and thus began the very first ever ''Conclave'', an event that would become famous in its own right. One in which all of Ares'' wives got together to either discuss important matters, solve various disputes, take various actions, or just generally spend time with one another. The nickname would be given at a later date but history would record this meeting as the first of its kind.
As for what was being discussed in this Conclave? Honestly, not much. They were just getting to know each other better so, once their lives were laid out in full, it somehow devolved into a talk about fetishes. Unsurprisingly, Enyo both brought it up and had a lot to say on this topic but the other two had no issues listening to her as she spoke with a kind of magnetic passion that was hard to look away from. It was like watching an expert in their craft detail the intricacies a layman would be blissfully unaware of. Make no mistake though, when Enyo was done listing off things she wanted to try, and boy was it a long list, she turned the question over to Bellona and Candy. Candy wanted to tie Ares up and toy with him or maybe have him pull on her tail from behind. Both of which Enyo nodded fervently in agreement with. As for Bellona, she seemed to be oddly interested in using her mouth on him. Especially if he dyed his hair blonde, got all dressed up, and looked down at her with a demeaning glint in his eye... And maybe had an ear piercing again... She seemed to have a thing for well-dressed, slick bad boys. This was something very doable in the short term! Enyo decided to help her sister out and enable this fetish when Ares came back from his trip to Xasca. Their relationship was going to deepen at some point, although not any time soon because Bellona was still coming to terms with everything, but a few months from now when he returned would be the perfect time to dress him up for Bellona! Plus Enyo would have already enjoyed Bellona to the fullest so it was a-ok in that regard too. The fetish conversation continued for a good while because Enyo was reluctant to let it go. She had many wild ideas drifting around in that head of hers... And this was only the stuff she had planned for Ares. She hadn''t even begun mentioning the things she wanted to do to these two yet... They clearly had a long conversation in store but they were having fun. Candy could take her mind off the reality looming precariously over her head, Bellona was chatting with a friend for the first time ever, and Enyo was laying it all bare... Verbally. All in all, it was just a girl''s chat between a trio of family members but, despite the plainness of it, they were all smiles. So far, the cohesiveness of the harem was off to a flawless start! So good, in fact, that Candy had sneakily whipped out the alcohol Ares had made for her even though she promised she wouldn''t... How could she not share it with her fellow wives and get a bit tipsy?! Plus Ares should have known Candy wasn''t the type to obey unimportant promises! Neither Bellona nor Enyo reprimanded her for her actions, instead praising her for her generosity in sharing. There was a bit more tumbling around after the drinks were devoured, and Enyo in particular had a field day groping Candy''s chest, but it was all in good spirit and the floor had become one in which the sound of giggling was ever present. Good drinks, good company, good times.