"Ahhh, this is the life." Ares sunk into the bath with a content smile. The body tempering resources were pretty weak and, given his new physique after consuming the fine grind, he basically didn't feel it whatsoever. It wasn't doing much for his body but it was better to use them if he had them rather than just let them waste away in his storage for all eternity. Generally speaking, if you couldn't feel the sting of a resource it was probably no longer doing anything for you but tiny pricks on Ares' legs informed him there was still more gains yet to be had and so he absorbed it all while thinking about the future. Specifically a bigger bath. The sect master's residence would be his soon and he was wondering how much space he'd have exactly and whether he would need an extension for a bigger bath. Who knows, maybe the residence already had one? It was impossible to know but the likely answer was that it didn't. That was fine but it meant Ares was going to have to locate an interior decorator, renovator, plumber, etc... It wasn't just the bath he could alter and one day his residence would need to be massive to accommodate everyone who needed to live in it.
The question, then, was who should he pay to work on it? Or maybe it would be better to find someone to stay at the sect permanently as a builder, an expert at their craft who was worth keeping around to develop the sect and keep it up to date with whatever new domains required of it. Maybe the sect's walls would need to be extended to house more disciples, maybe the different biomes required for different encounters (such as the Scylla heart needing water and the Anubis brothers needing sand), and maybe the facilitation of crafting a perfect, modern and technological sect meant a dedicated professional was in order. Where Ares would find such a person he didn't know but an architect was sounding more and more likely the further he looked into the future. The C.O had some contracted builders but Ares was more so the type of person to look for stand out prodigies who were capable of becoming one-man armies in their chosen field. Like Onno, for instance. He would have people working under him but all the executive decisions regarding finance would still fall to him. Experts tended to be fiercely individualistic and have strong preferences for their own particular methods, clashing often with others. It's not that they couldn't find middle ground but that they operated better when given full executive control over a matter and could direct everything to their heart's content. Ares would much rather have someone like that onboard the sect because it meant they could function well without a higher power around. Ares wanted the sect to be as strong without his presence as it was with him there and that meant he couldn't compromise on the quality of disciple / elder he picked. It was deranged to try and make every single person in the sect a superhuman expert but, then again, Ares was a fundamental champion and he could afford to shoot for the stars and aim big. To that end, he wasn't going to just hire some Joe Shmoe builder and call it a day, he would keep his eye out for someone worth recruiting. Dominus mentioned there should be some bionic dwarves living in one of the nearby domains so Ares chose to keep his eyes open for that in the future... But how far in the future was that, exactly? If he needed changes sooner than that then maybe he wouldn't be able to be this fussy forever... Oh well! That was a problem for Ares down the line as he wasn't likely going to make changes to the sect before leaving for Vraizon anyway. He had his hands full right now and couldn't afford to focus on luxuries at the moment.
Ares rested peacefully... Up until he heard the sound of the front door opening and a horde of people streaming into the house. It seemed everyone who was out and about returned at roughly the same time so there was practically a stampede happening right now. All sorts of chatter filled the house but, more importantly, Ares could hear someone stomping towards the bathroom and he could practically imagine the look on Enyo's face. She knew Ares would return soon but hadn't expected him to already be in the house after she came back from a fun little shopping trip so she seemingly dropped everything and came running over the second Bellona mentioned it. Sure enough, the door opened and Enyo peeked her head in with a grin. Ares smiled back and nodded towards his side of the room, inviting her in to relax with him and have a chat. Enyo slipped through the door, shut it behind her, and removed her clothes layer by layer. She hopped on one leg as she removed her thong and then got into the bath, lying down right on top of Ares and placing her hand and right cheek on his chest while feeling up his new body. "Ha, went straight for the new toy? It's good to see you again Enyo." Ares leant down and went to give Enyo a kiss but she was quicker on the pulse and took his own lips by meeting him half way. She aggressively held onto his cheek and passionately welcomed back her man from his overseas trip. She held back from throwing her tongue into the mic because she wanted to chat with him a bit first before going crazy... Though she did fiddle with his lower half and place it inside her like a warm and cosy popsicle / seat warmer. Being connected again after so long felt right, snug as a rug, and Enyo was happy as can be. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned on Ares' chest and looked up at him with incredible warmth and affection. Ares stroked her face and chuckled. "I missed you."
"I missed you to... All of you..." Enyo's tongue poked out and tickled Ares' chest as she 'innocently' looked back at up at him. Ares rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Some things never change."
"Same to you. Stories of your deeds have been getting passed around by travellers from the Federation you know? Only loose details here and there but I know full well that you've blown up a lot of scenery since you've been gone! What did I tell you about leaving 'potholes' in landmarks!" Enyos' eyes narrowed and she gave Ares a telling off much like how one might scold a pet for peeing inside. Ands by 'potholes' she clearly meant 'wiping famous scenery off the face of the planet'. Arse had left permanent marks signifying his presence across multiple countries. In fact it was impossible not to follow in his footsteps and witness the destruction he wrought because it was all pretty stubbornly refusing to budge or disappear. A hollowed-out section of the ocean the Federation had to pass by looked like something out of God mythology, like parted water or a fantasy cove of treasures carved out by a higher being. In Xasca, an entire region became filled with deadly sand tornados that inverted and broke gravity, tearing apart anything that crept within its range. He even left the ruins of the Riddlemyd strewn about for hunters to scavenge from for a quick buck but the area itself was no longer populated due to a massive income source disappearing just like that. Then in Isaz he blew through the Mutated Mountain multiple times and even left a mountain toppled, on its side, less than a mile away from the 'capital'. Throw in destroying the two leading forces for good measure and Ares was a golden volcanic eruption, a revenant in a China shop. Enyo not knowing the context behind these events didn't mean she was going to take it easy on him, not after she explicitly warned him about restraining his destruction magic! Bad Ares!... Though perhaps her argument would be more convincing if she wasn't wriggling her waist to satisfy herself on Ares' rod while she reprimanded him.
"Pft, me? Those stories are missing key details! At least I was just defending myself! What about you, cheeky minx? You've been bullying Bellona plenty haven't you? And I bet Sandy hasn't gotten off lightly either! You've already taken her to Bea's shop right!?"
Enyo turned her face to the side with a knowing, cocky smile. "I was just showing her the ropes... And chains..."
"You..." Ares shook his head and sighed. Boys will be boys, men will be men, women will be women, Enyo will be Enyo... Ares wrapped his arms around Enyo and held her close to feel her warmth and soft skin. "You need to be punished far more than I do." Cutting her off at the pass, Ares beat her to her own point. Justification. Enyo was going to suggest that Arse had been naughty and needed disciplinary action but Ares found his own avenue to direct the conversation in that direction himself. He wasn't going to let her take control that easily, he had a goal to accomplish here after all!
"Mmm..." Enyo looked up at Ares and teased him with the sight of her licking her lips and lifting her rear for him to see. "... Do you have it in you to punish me?" A bold faced challenge but one Ares was ready to accept! Enyo held a massive advantage over him in the bedroom before he left, he had to admit it. Enyo's debauchery, pleasure pillar affiliation, and superior cultivation meant she had the technique, desire, and stamina to put Ares down for the count more often than not. He wasn't so weak he could never come out 'victorious' but it was a herculean effort not to tap out early and really drive his point home. Enyo's flesh was soft as can be, her hair silky smooth, and she always smelled like fresh flowers. it was hard to embrace a woman like this and not falter especially when she could go for days straight without breaking a sweat. The ability to mould her insides at her own will was deadly and she'd dedicated herself to learning all sorts of unspeakable things that were best not mentioned in polite conversation. it was only natural she would assume Ares was incapable of actually making her submit in any way, he hadn't come close in quite a while and it was looking ever more likely she would have free reign over him more than vice versa. However! Things had changed. Enyo knew Ares was different, his changes were subtle but not to Enyo who would probably notice if he lost a single hair on his head. Enyo knew he stood a fighting chance but not to what degree necessarily. Bloodline awakening was important to revenants... But how much so? Also, how much did he temper his body? How many resources did he take? How impactful was the fine grind? For once, there was something that supercomputer lewdbot 5000 couldn't calculate and that didn't even broach Ares' 'creative tendencies'. If there was one thing Enyo knew about her husband, it was that he was rarely baselessly confident. He had a knack for whipping out crazy ideas but ones that had a hidden genius to them in hindsight whenever they actually worked. If he was brazenly challenging her here there was one of three possibilities.
1) He was at a level of physicality now in which he could just straight up take what she dished out and return it in full.
2) He wasn't quite there yet but had a trick up his sleeve to supplement his weakness. Either a treasure to enhance Enyo's pleasure and tire her out quicker or maybe a resource of some kind to keep him going longer.
3) BOTH
In the case of number one, Enyo hadn't been slouching either and her own cultivation had risen too. She could maybe hold her own and, at the very least, not lose too embarrassingly in the bed wars. In the case of number two, no amount of extra external help was really going to push Ares over the finish line. Enyo had arts galore, more than she did before he left, and even her own new array of toys and perfumes and such. She'd really leaned into learning about the pleasure pillar as of late and, though she didn't have much with her here in the bath, she could still run rings around Ares if he was desperate enough to bring in outside help. Enyo's arts would not be triumphed over by some random artifact Ares found in the middle of nowhere!... But then there was option three... See, Enyo and Ares enjoyed making love but they each got a real sense of satisfaction out of wrecking their beloved and leaving them exhausted in a pool of their own sweat, gasping for breath. If Ares had improved his body, his stamina, his strength, his mental resilience, AND came equipped with other tools... Enyo might be on the losing end today and wind up a wreck. It had been a while since Ares really dominated her and after all her teasing... If there was a fire burning within him whatsoever, and he had the means tp really punish her, if his statement wasn't merely an empty threat... Enyo was really going to take it hard... Maybe that was why she was smiling at him with a mocking gaze, driving him to lay it on her thick. She was swaying her legs out and in over and over again to tighten around Ares and the mood was getting hot and heavy as he gripped her chin... It seemed the time for talk was over and Enyo couldn't have been happier... Well, that was what she thought anyway. Ares was about to make her a VERY happy woman...
Not even five minutes later...
"Hahahaha, I made quite a mess huh? Well I'm sure you can clean it all up when you're done recovering. It's a shame you didn't last very long but I wasn't going to hold back and I won't next time either. Don't worry, we can take your training nice and slow and get you used to the new me. Until then, expect to be bullied a lot, your debts are due princess." Ares smirked evilly and looked over his shoulder at Enyo was laid out in the bath like a run over frog. Her head was leant all the way back and she stared at the ceiling with a look of wonder in her confused eyes. Her arms were lazily draped over the sides of the bath and her legs followed suit. She was sweating as though she had heatstroke, her hair was a mess, she looked slovenly and her body was red all over where Ares had grabbed and held her in place while he did all sorts of intimate acts. In the end, she hardly lasted any time whatsoever and the deed was done quick enough to call her premature. Th Goddess of pleasure had been toppled and no longer was she a mighty foe but Ares mere plaything. To his credit, his new invention was a difference maker and really sent Enyo into the depths of pleasure. Her poor body and brain couldn't keep up and Ares was feeling particularly kingly now that he'd recovered his crown. Large and in charge, he openly mocked Enyo much the same way she did him whenever she came out of the ring a champion. Ares was being serious though, he wasn't going to stop tormenting her any time soon. This bath was jsut a warm up and he had all night to really play with her and put an end to her streak of dominance. It was nice to make her be submissive again and Ares wasn't going to let her off the hook. He planned on working her to the bone all week at bare minimum until he etched it into her soul that he would always find a way to put her in her place. No matter how talented she became at this whole pleasure pillar thing, Ares would surpass her, hold her down, and remind her who the head of the harem was. Ares looked at Enyo one last time, nodded in self satisfaction, took a mental picture to share with Bellona who'd be over the moon to see vengeance enacted, and left feeling right as rain. Enyo's soft and supple skin had been successfully devoured. Raid boss down! Although, arguably, that just meant Arse had taken her place and role himself. It's not like he wasn't going to also give Bellona grief in due time... But she didn't know that yet...
Ares arrived in the living room with a stretch and a yawn but the ego evident in his mannerisms let Sandy and Bellona know who won between him and Enyo in their fierce struggle. Allie, Aejaz, and Trixie had all gone to their room and would come back out later, they were deciding something regarding a holiday in the future and Aejaz was recommending the Oasis sect in Xasca. Also Appa went with them because she was playing with Leo so it was just Ares and his partners in the living room right now which meant they could ask him more... Detailed questions about what went down in the bathroom. They hadn't expected him to win after all. He took on a legendary behemoth and came out pretty much unscratched! No ragged breaths, no belaboured breathing, no aching bones... Something was definitely afoot! "How'd you do it?! How did you sate the unsatiable? Quench the unquenchable?!" Bellona was a piece of paper and pen away from taking notes but that was because she'd experience Enyo first hand and knew how much of a terror she could be. Sandy was still unwise in that regard but at least knew the bedroom was Enyo's domain after having been given the full tour of Bea's shop. Regardless of how impressive Enyo was, it couldn't have been easy taking her out in no time flat like Ares had done so there must have been some kind of revenant trickery involved and she was curious to know it. If experienced Enyo was tranquilised that fast then how rapidly would she fall herself if subjected to 'it'?! It was easy to fear the unknown so it was with trepidation she wanted to know what on earth he'd done!
Ares flopped back onto the couch between Blo Blo and the rhino, gave the latter a kiss as he hadn't seen her in a while even if not for as long as the sisters, and then asked a simple question with a devious smile on his face. "Do you want to know my secret?" Both partners nodded and Ares gave an answer that was cryptic and mysterious. "Everything." What could he possibly mean? Bellona and Sandy were on tenterhooks, fully entrenched in the story now. It seemed like Ares was extremely proud of whatever this new method was he'd discovered. "Ahem." Ares tapped Bellona on her right shoulder before placing his hand on her other shoulder and keeping it there. "What do you feel?"
Bellona looked left and right before giving her answer. She knew Ares magic well enough to understand what was happening here. " You put a patch of nothingness on my right shoulder so I can feel your hand on both shoulders at once. Nothingness allows you to be in multiple places simultaneously, right? Though I can't visually see it, your one hand is technically on both my shoulders right now isn't it?" Bellona's response was met with Ares verbalising a correct answer in a game show.
"Ding ding ding! Correct. Now Sandy, if you'll please." Ares opened his mouth to encourage Sandy to do the same. When she did so, Ares lined her teeth with nothingness and brought a piece of bread out of his storage ring. It was piping hot and looked delicious. Sandy's eyes lit up and she subconsciously leaned closer towards it but Arse chuckled and help up a single palm to obstruct her advances. He used his nothingness magic to coat the bread and Sandy jumped in her seat before gnashing away at empty air. Or, at least, that was what it looked like. With every bite she took the bread in Ares' hands disappeared chomp by chomp until it was all long gone. If Sandy had a tail, it would be wagging right now. She wanted more bread but Ares would hand it over later, right now he had a question to ask, one that was rather revealing. "Let's say, hypothetically, I put nothingness magic on my buddy downstairs... Now let's say I put nothingness magic inside all of Enyo's holes at once... What do you think would happen if I began vigorously thrusting?" Bellona's face reddened but Sandy's face lit up as she enjoyed the cleverness of Ares new magic more so than she worried about the prospect of it being used on her. if anything, a part of her might have been interested. Still, though, the end result was pretty ingenious. "A one man gangbang! If Enyo likes one of me, now she can experience three, or even more, of me! Hair, armpits, thighs, etc... I can put the nothingness mark wherever I want and enjoy it all at the same time! Ah, don't get me wrong, enjoying all of Enyo's body at the same time is draining, I would have lost if my physique hadn't improved as drastically as it did... But Enyo? Taking it was probably harder than giving it and so she, uh, she's a little delirious right now and will be cleaning herself all over for another few minutes. Hehehe, no matter how incredible she is having to take on multiple of me at any given time will run her ragged in no time flat!"
"Wow... That's honestly kinda demonic..." Bellona almost felt sympathy for Enyo.. Almost...
"Ha, maybe, but you know I bet this magic would sell like hotcakes if I found a way to sell it. If I turned nothingness patches into a kind of gel that could be applied freely... Men would put in on their soldiers and women would put it in their caves and, voila, that would make a pretty great sex toy no? I'm sure there are plenty of people who want to experiment with that sort of thing but aren't looking to share their partners like that. Plus its bliss for men too as they can feel everything at once... Maybe I've really outdone myself with this one... I'll have a chat with Bea about it and see if she'd be willing to sell it."
"Does it have a name?" Sandy's apprehension seemed all but gone and she was actually rather interested in it now.
Ares thought for a brief moment before giving up and shrugging. "Nope. Hadn't thought about that. Maybe I'll leave it to Bea to come up with something, she should be better at naming an invention like this than I'll ever be. It's her passion more than it is mine. Maybe Enyo will help come up with a name too, she did get to taste test it first after all and knows best what it feels like. Though she might want more samples before she gives her opinion... Even if she can't handle it right now she won't give up. Its admirable in its own way. if she wants me to crush her pride over and over again I'll do it!" Ares was determined but also quite proud. His new magic worked like a charm. He wasn't aware how big a deal it would become down the line but, for now, it had more than done its job!