"Here ya go." Ares and co had arrived at the queues leading towards the Federation and he was currently handing out spatial rings filled with provisions and various other things of use. Food, resources to be allocated towards the sect which Aejaz was going to be handing over on his behalf, and some Shock Beads and Block Rocks in case this group got into a fight on the Federation for whatever reason. Most of the monsters along the Red Sun route had been obliterated by Ares but it couldn't hurt to be cautious and give them some extra tools. Sandy wasn't exactly at her strongest atop a massive body of water... Neither were any of the other fellahins, actually, so Aejaz was probably going to be the strongest person aboard for this trip other than maybe Geordie. Speaking of, Ares' name was worth a fair bit of prestige so if Sandy and Aejaz headed over to speak with Geordie he'd probably give them a good place to stay. Onno was gone, back in Red Sun with Nibbler and Esme, so he and his extensive networks couldn't be relied upon at a time like this. Thankfully Geordie had a considerable position himself and could manage something and, even if not, Cash was technically an option. He didn't have the best opinion of Ares but he also knew when to bow his head properly and Ares had rapidly become a monstrous force in Sheryashka he couldn't openly provoke. If push came to shove Aejaz and Sandy could go pester Onno's father for lodgings but hopefully it wouldn't need to come to that. "And here's a bit extra..." Ares handed a spatial ring over to Sandy and he clarified the contents. "There's 333 high grade stardust in there for you. Well there's actually one thousand in total but that's to split amongst you, Enyo, and Bellona so obviously don't touch their share. Feel free to spend your own money to your heart's content anywhere you like and get comfortable back In Red Sun. If you want to buy stuff aboard the Federation, or in Red Sun, be it food, resources, clothes, furniture, or treasures, then go buck wild..."
Aejaz' puppy dog eyes were out in full force as he snuck up to Ares' flank with a hint of expectancy. He was subtly nodding up at Ares as he remained hunched down low, looking like a servant eagerly awaiting some sort of payday. Unfortunately for him, however, Ares was a ruthless slave driver. Pay? What pay? How about no pay and Aejaz works even harder! "Aejaz... I'm not giving you any money until I return, at the very least, because I want to see you making some good progress with Hans' assassination requests you hear me!? You've been slacking off here in Xasca so your holiday is officially over. If I get back and Hans isn't notably satisfied with your work then me, my fists, and you are all gonna sit around and have a nice little chat. You've avoided my personal training for a good while now but don't think it won't make a return if it needs too!" Aejaz sunk low to the ground with tears in his eyes. No moolah and plenty of threats was all he got for his troubles! Mean Ares had returned in full force...
Fortunately the Federation guards working the dock recognised Ares and so he was free to have his companions waved through the checkpoint with basically no hassle. All the fellahin, so Arla, Lara, Jack, Sandy's other brother, and any other miscellaneous individuals were already boarding so it was finally time to say goodbye temporarily and go their separate ways. Ares started with Aejaz by giving him the Nyxian Prowler. Ares could resummon it down the line if he really needed it but he would try not to so as not to screw over Aejaz in the near future. Ares could do without it for now so this was a a token of goodwill between brothers and he admittedly felt bad giving him literally nothing to play with. He'd been given plenty of stick not enough carrot so the Prowler would even out the treatment... Though Ares was tempted to send Aejaz off with a kick to the rear and nothing else because bullying his younger brother was oddly satisfying. When Ares mused such a thing aloud Aejaz took the hint and ran away, leaving Ares alone with Sandy so he could give a more intimate goodbye. He leant over as she raised some of the fellahin clothes blocking her face and the two shared a quick but heartfelt kiss on the lips with one another. Sandy smiled, said her goodbyes, and followed everyone else with a slight spring in her step. Ares was happy for her as she was really looking forward to he start of her own new adventure and, on top of that, and this was the real kicker in her eyes, she had plenty of money to spend on good food! Ares had informed and recommended her to basically every place he knew worth visiting so she would pay them all a visit with her Ares-food-pimp-fund... That was honestly probably what this gourmet rhino was most excited about right now above all else...
The Federation still wasn't setting off for another hour or so but Ares wasn't going to wait around for them to set sail so he waved goodbye and Voidwalked away without drawing things out. As he was leaving he could have sworn he saw, out the corner of his eye, fake monk Massai and the Lighter Duo walking side by side and chatting about something but Ares couldn't be bothered to check in with them because they were both bothersome! The Kazaz prince had gotten cocky, although perhaps that calmed down somewhat after witnessing Garmr beat Tom Tom senseless, and Massai was still a complete fraud. Point being, Ares had no obligation to put up with them! He might not even see Massai ever again which was A-O.K in his book! Apparently he'd received more information about his past sect or clan or whatever it was, from Drai, and so he was going to go do some investigating into whatever fate had befallen them. Ares had no clue where that monk's journey would lead him but he couldn't care less!
Ares bought a shawarma from the stall owner who tried to con him back when he arrived, and got a reasonable price and good quality product this time because his face was well known, and then left Xasca city for the last time while heading west. Isaz was the next destination and he wouldn't stop until he made it there so he was looking at a journey of around... Six hours? It wasn't bad at all for someone in the sensory enhancement realm. And by 'not bad' it was actually probably a world record pace! It would take more than one day to get from Xasca city to the border of Isaz if anyone had the patience to go by carriage and cultivators at Ares' level would typically not have access to something as convenient as Voidwalk.
Ares, to keep himself occupied during his journey, began sorting out the brood mother by chucking it onto Jebben's land. His face was pretty priceless when the giant alien crash-landed onto his crops but Ares was remorseless and merciless because he was the boss around here and nobody was going to stop him from doing as he pleased. Jebben was still a prisoner at the end of the day so punishing him every now and then by destroying a yield or two was perfectly normal! Plus he was going to be farming something entirely different from now on anyway so out with the old and in with the new! Jebben looked like he wanted to bawl his eyes out when Ares explained he was going to become an alien farmer but Ares didn't budge an inch which led to quite a humorous sight of the alien actually seemingly pitying Jebben. They were in the same rough boat and, as soon as Jebben understood that, he realised something very important. Every friend in this Blade space was extremely important! It was actually better to deal with this seemingly empathetic and friendly alien than Ares! Better yet, bring more aliens! At least he wouldn't be alone anymore... Though the thought of harvesting alien limbs was... Quite something. Still, he understood the value of it as Ares made him eat a stepper limb to get a grasp of just how important his job here actually was. Ares wasn't pulling his leg on this matter, Jebben might actually one day become the linchpin behind his whole stepper farm operation and that was no small role to play. He didn't much deserve it but he'd changed a fair but since the Firestarter incident and he wasn't entirely as insufferable as he used to be. In fact, aside from Sandy, he was the bravest of everyone who'd been offered a stepper limb and tried it with little coaxing necessary. It seemed he was now capable of recognising that gourmet food was not all there was to life and mucking about in poor conditions to eat food grown from dirt had broadened his horizons and opened his eyes to reality.
Regardless, Ares left satisfied once he saw the captives getting along well and so he was once again looking for something to do during his trip as he wasn't even halfway there yet. He had a few different options, actually, and he could pressurise treasures on the move, cultivate in a bid to keep learning passive cultivation which he hadn't done in a while, or he could have a quick chat with Old Light about feeding Visitation. The latter was the simplest to get started but was actually probably more troublesome than everything else in the long run.. But that would always be true no matter how much he put it off so Ares created a Godly and ephemeral hologram of himself inside the Blade once more, just as he had done with Jebben a short while ago, and looked to strike up a conversation with the light elementals. His current form was actually rather similar to an elemental as this incarnation of him was completely invincible, he could be considered a space elemental. This was his Blade and personal dimension, after all, so he was untouchable to the extreme. Being able to manifest a form in here, without needing to actually step inside, was a helpful ability he'd learnt recently and now he could communicate with the various people and monsters he kept storing inside this place all the damn time. Bit by bit this place was getting more and more crowded so learning to communicate with the inhabitants properly was going to be an important step. Of course there was still plenty of empty space left for people but Ares had big plans for this dimension and would get around to developing it extensively one day when he was actually capable of interfering with this world more than he was currently.
"Yo Old Light, having fun playing with the little one?" Ares chuckled as Visitation leapt on top of his head with a friendly meep to say hello.
"He's rather spirted... Pun not intended..." Old Light floated over in his natural form without hiding anything. not that he could in this Blade anyway. The light in the nearby area was manipulable freely by Ares and even if Old Light stubbornly persisted with his illusory mist for five minutes he would wind up being exposed afterwards anyway. Then again there was no point to hiding in front of Ares, who already knew about his race anyway, so he didn't bother. "Seriously, that tiny guy is going to be quite powerful. Visitation is extremely intelligent for one so young. All the various tests I've conducted led me to believe he's going to be a generational talent even by his own merits alone, external aid be damned. You could let him out into the wild and he'd come back a legend in his own right without needing any input from others. Of course that's not what you're going to do, right? And that's why you're here so how about a practical demonstration? It will be the easiest way to learn what to do with Visitation going forward. I won't bother mentioning any times limits that you have to fill Visitation with mana before, because it's not something you'll likely have to worry about, but don't forget to take care of him at least somewhat regularly. If you end up forgetting there is a chance he'll wind up incomplete and that's not beneficial for anybody. Don't waste his precious talents and be prepared to dedicate some spare moments to him here and there instead of your own cultivation, it will be worth it. I'll be pushy about this every time I see you." One of Old Light's claws formed a small platform next to Ares' head and Visitation rolled onto it with two little triangular indents appearing at the top of its eyes. It had learnt how to smile just like Appa did! Very cute! "Pay good attention; the process isn't hard or complicated exactly but it's not easy either. It's actually quite like weaving pressure so it might take a while for someone as young as you to get used to it. Experience is key for this sort of thing. That or hard work and lots of practice anyway..."
"..." Ares' eyes twitched because this cranky old elemental clearly didn't know who he was talking to! "About that... Have you ever heard of Veteran?"
"Of course. Shame what happened to him but that's what life as a cultivator will do to you. Can't really avoid death and despair in this world, you have to minimise it and work around it instead. He lost everything and yet gained immaculate pressure control unlike anything the world had ever seen. Truly impressive."
"Yeah and I beat him."
"Oh ok I see... WAIT WHAT?!" Old Light's eyes spun and his claws all fidgeted about and rotated without purpose in clunky spirals.
"Yeah I beat him. I'm the new examiner at the top of the pagoda. Him and I get along well too so I'll be restoring his magic when I'm finally out of this trapped-off domain. Anyway, the point I'm making here is that if this process you're about to teach me is like pressure manipulation then I think I'll get it down pat real quick. No need to take things slow, is what I'm trying to say. Worry more about the intricacies of the steps of the process rather than any technical considerations I'll have to make. I can adjust well enough on the fly."
"... Well duh... If you can beat Veteran then that much goes without saying..." Old Light's claw smacked his head and he couldn't help but be amazed at Ares because what he was saying he'd done was no small feat. Still, if somebody was going to be the 'owner' of a light elemental as special as Visitation they'd better be impressive with a considerable track record! Old Light wouldn't let a talent like this go to waste serving alongside some worthless cultivator so this was reassuring at least. "Ok, then watch carefully." Ares activated his Omniscience in response to this request and did as he was told. He'd never been lectured before so he was fully invested which was actually somewhat surprising given his usual attitude. Apparently he wasn't a complete flunky and could actually study like normal kids if he had to!
"First of all, you're going to channel your mana into Visitation much like how you would if you were doing a combination art with somebody. That's step one." Old Light used pressure to demonstrated instead of mana but it was the exact same idea so there wouldn't be any confusion when Ares attempted this himself afterwards. Old Light didn't want Visitation to absorb random mana and muddy his foundation if it could be avoided. "Be sure to be careful with how much mana you put inside the little guy, he's still young and can't take too much at once with his undeveloped reserves after all. It'll hurt him a teensy bit if you go overboard so be receptive to his behaviour and make sure you aren't filling him up 'till he bursts. As for which mana you use during this step, if you aren't great at controlling mana you can just do them all one by one. If you feel confident then you can do all the mana types together at once but, again, don't overdo it if you aren't sure. There's really no need to rush so doing things the slower but safer way is perfectly fine if your mana manipulation isn't perfect.
Anyhow, step two. Once the mana is inside Visitation he's going to start absorbing it like a greedy munchkin. This will feel strange and your body will naturally attempt to prevent your mana getting sucked away. It's an inherent response and one you're going to have to learn to train to mind its own business. It might end up benefitting you in the future in other ways but it's important to learn restraint for this otherwise you'll just keep stealing your own mana back from Visitation and he might feel a bit ill. Having mana absorbed into you and then dragged back out is not a pleasant feeling so make sure to get the hang of it quickly and, also. let this little one take breaks while you practice it. You'll have to experiment with it a bit before you get the hang of it but if you're that good with pressure then I'm sure you'll learn it relatively fast. Visitation won't feel anything more than a bit of dizziness so long as he's not pushed overboard.
Step three, guiding the mana again. This time you'll be guiding it through his body to key locations instead of just the initial absorption spot. The end goal is to have Visitation's entire body filled up with mana but there is a preferable order to accomplishing this. Say you fill up one path with mana but want to fill up something behind that path later, it will be awkward right? Whenever you want to fill up Visitation with mana let me know and I'll tell you the optimal place to start with so as not to make things harder down the line for yourself by accidentally creating annoying blockages. As for actually moving the absorbed mana around, it will be identical to what you would have done when you were starting off with pressure and accessing your reserves. You probably trained yourself to locate the reserves rather quickly, right? Like a thread through a needle, one you needed to practice your precision with. Well you're going to be doing that again, this time from a slightly different perspective. Think of it as accessing somebody else's pressure reserves although it will be somewhat harder because you aren't controlling pressure but, instead, mana.
You'll need to spread out the mana evenly too otherwise certain parts of Visitation will be better at some types of magic than others and there's no real reason to do things that way unless you're after something specific for whatever reason. For instance, let's say you were using fire and water pillar mana on visitation. If the fire pillar mana was sent to his left half, and the water pillar mana to his right, he would be incredibly lopsided and need to stay like that forever, only able to cast fire pillar mana with his left claws and water pillar mana with his right claws. Sometimes people and elementals do it on purpose but, generally speaking, it's better overall to spread all mana types out evenly. The multiple mana types can safely blend together inside Visitation so you don't need to worry about that. Really, the biggest risk is feeding him too much mana. In order to avoid that you're going to have to learn how to reduce your output significantly and develop a touch of finesse and grace in your mana handling. This practice will be good for you too because, from what I remember, your magic is pretty wild and haphazard. The mana of tha golden magic seems hard to shape but you'll have to overcome that at some point and now is as good a time as any. I'll say it again, Visitation is like a cocktail. You'll fill him up and mix the mana until he's filled to the brim but you have to be a professional about it or the end result will be subpar! Anyway, once he's finally filled with mana, Visitation will evolve like a butterfly and become a fully fledged adult not unlike myself. Well, he's still young age wise but his body will undergo the appropriate metamorphosis, I mean."
"Alright... I'll keep that in mind... For next time!"
"Eh?" Old Light was taken aback because he thought Ares was going to set aide some time and officially start he process now. He'd been bamboozled!
"This seems like something I'll get rather invested in and right now that would mean halting my journey to Isaz. I'll need to be here in person to do this so, for now at least, I'll practice controlling and refining my annihilation mana. Disintegration will be fine, it's part of its nature to be thin and free flowing... But annihilation... I'm going to need to really work on it. I think there's no point starting on Visitation now before I make any headway so while I'm travelling I'll play around with my mana and see what comes of it. If I make any headway I'll return and get started with Visitation immediately, though, you have my word."
"... Fine..." Old Light couldn't really chide Ares here because he was actively working towards the task set. He simply watched the Ares hologram dissipate into space before patting Visitation and letting him take a nap on his claw.
Back outside the Blade, Ares did as he promised he would and strung annihilation mana between his fingertips like a web of playdough. His mastery over it was great, especially considering how difficult and unwieldy it was compared to other mana types, but there was still plenty of room to grow. Perhaps once he was done he'd be able to create more interesting annihilation arts compared to what he could do now? This thought, and improving Visitation's foundation, pumped Ares full of energy and motivation and so he spent the remainder of his journey to Isaz slaving away. The journey seemed to fly by, however, and he arrived at the border long before he'd made even the slightest bit of progress. It was understandable, this wasn't something he could learn in a day flat, but it was rather humbling to say the least. It had been a while since he last had difficulties learning with anything cultivation related so it was interesting to be back in the struggle seat.
That aside, however,... Isaz was impressive! He was still merely on the outskirts but there was a pinpoint line in the sands of Xasca where the desert ended and a frozen landscape began. Frosted mountains, iced floors as far as the eye could see, cultivators bundled in heavy clothing... The works! Snow occasionally drifted over from Isaz into the Xasca desert but it promptly melted and vanished from sight as droplets of water sunk onto the sands. It was unknown how exactly Isaz survived the harsh sun overhead but there were rumours about some rare treasure being buried underneath the region that kept it frosty!
Even before Ares stepped foot in Isaz he could tell the place was extremely bitter! Cold as a polar bear's arsehole! Fortunately, however, he had a trick up his sleeve thanks to a certain donation he'd 'willingly' been 'given' by a 'friend' back in Red Sun that would play its role brilliantly here. Ares reached around in his Blade and plucked out the Scaled Insulator! This Bad boy was going to be his ticket to comfort in this region! It was the perfect tool for the job. Sure it would hamper his mobility and physical capabilities somewhat, due to how thick and bulky it was, but not suffering from frostbite all the time was definitely a better outcome! Unfortunately, this action of his, putting the draconic parka on, had stirred some trouble elsewhere. The guards at the border just so happened to be discussing their clan's missing young master and who should happen to show up wearing said young master's parka in broad daylight if not Ares?
The young master Ares brutally tortured and slayed back in Remmy's restaurant, during his dinner date with the Legion sisters, was a big name in Isaz. It's not surprising his treasure would be recognised instantly by those affiliated with him. The reason behind the young master's disappearance, and the person responsible for it, was going to be very clear at this rate... Ares had forgotten about this minor detail but it was already far too late as the cat was out of the bag and he was being glared at rather provocatively by the two guards for 'some strange reason' that he couldn't quite figure out. He'd learn in due time, though, as the persistence of that young master's clan was going to be quite something... Reinforcements were already being called in right this very moment via communication talismans...