"Do better than your friend, please." Ares gestured with his palm at the Anubis, seemingly taunting it. That wasn't his real intention, he didn't care about plainly taunting something weaker than him in such a fashion for the most part, but his blunt honesty certainly came across that way. He meant what he said, it's just that he had low expectations and didn't believe the Anubis could even really do it. The tinge of sarcasm was just his way of expressing how woeful it was for him to have to fight two incompetent dogs one after another. If the Anubis took umbrage with that it could prove Ares wrong and he wouldn't mind that one bit, actually.
SNAP
"Oh? Wait a minute... Are you actually smarter than the other one?" Ares was surprised because the Anubis had learnt from its partner's mistakes. Maybe the other one could have done this too if it didn't get beaten first but there was a non-zero chance these two Anubis weren't the exact same after all! This one had just snapped its cane across its knee and broken it into three small stave-like batons. They were still covered in the sharp sand but it was a much easier weapon to wield and could be swung way faster. The main detriment to the cane was that it was large and heavy but breaking it down to smaller sizes, and then throwing aside some of the extra worthless pieces, meant that the Anubis could dual wield with increased speed and keep Ares on the rope. It didn't matter how hard it struck if the strike could never reach Ares in the first place. Also a single clean strike with even this weaker weapon was still enough to kill Ares so using the cane was utterly pointless in comparison to these impromptu batons. Would this allow the Anubis to win? No, not at all, but it was an infinitely belter option and plan than whatever the other Anubis had been doing previously. It was almost a shame the fight was ending so soon. If this Anubis wasn't damaged, missing an eye and half its chest because of the point blank Grand Annihilation earlier, and the other Anubis hadn't been removed from the room, this could have been a lot more interesting. Plus the Anubis could both control sand so there would have been twice as much magic to contend with if they were both still here and fighting. Alas, the eagle fighting the flag, and Ares' eagle, was still the best one Anubis could manage at any given time. The current Anubis had taken control over the eagle when its brother disappeared but it wasn't looking too good over there. Ares' eagle just had to fly straight through the sandy one to deal damage, as Ares picked disintegration for the Adaptive Shot, and the flag would block any attempts at revenge attacks. The flag could pierce the sand eagle with its tip or sue the fabric to absorb any stray sand attacks that would otherwise trouble the disintegration eagle. By repeating the attack-defend process the duo were dominating the skies without breaking a sweat and it really helped that the disintegration eagle was a smart cookie. Being sentient allowed it to work in conjunction with the flag nicely, hiding behind it occasionally whenever it was necessary to do so, so Ares had to give it credit as plain magic would have just kept carelessly suicide bombing over and over again until it was dead. Normal magic would have lost here, even with the flag's aid, but this was why having magic develop sentience was pretty handy. Ares really had to name the eagle at some point and improve the artifact...
As for the Anubis' current predicament... It was impossible. Even if the Anubis pulled off a miracle and beat Ares it would not be able to beat the other cultivators hiding at the back of the room afterwards. This was going to be a loss on their official debut, and that was upsetting, but this Anubis didn't let its emotions overcome it. Ares now remembered this Anubis as the one that made a mistake during their last encounter and got berated by its brother so he was starting to get a feel for their personalities. One was somewhat stronger than the other but lacked mental fortitude whereas this Anubis was smarter but lacked in technique, power, and speed. Ares did just batter the stronger Anubis but this one was a bigger threat because it could control itself and not throw away all of its advantages when nothing else worked. The batons were a clear enough indicator this one was a more problematic foe overall. Then again, Ares was an anomaly. If the other Anubis had been allowed to fight the other cultivators it would have been a bloodbath. Though the cane swings earlier were slow to Ares anybody else would get blindsided buy the sheer speed and turned into meat paste. This Anubis was only a bigger threat to Ares specifically, because both of them were weaker than he was and needed strategy rather than brute force, but even then it changed little.
Ares and the remaining Anubis slow-walked in a semi circle opposite one another, sizing each other up before the clash. The Anubis witnessed how its brother was bested and knew that exploiting itself carelessly, by leaving itself open after high committal attacks, would result in a one-sided loss so it opted to take a more defensive stance despite the time limit imposed on it. If the sand eagle died, and the flag returned, then all hope was well and truly lost. It couldn't be rushed into making a bad decision, however, and Ares respected that enough to not sit around passively and wait for the inevitable. Ares dashed forward, staying low to the ground, and kept a hawkish eye on the two weapons in the Anubis' hands. They would come at him quick so he needed to be observant and pay them due attention....
WHOOSH
Ares threw himself to the side as the Anubis' foot tore through the space he was just now standing in. In a clever twist, the Anubis didn't even bother using the weapons as they were an excellent distraction. Ares almost didn't see the foot coming because he was too busy staring at the weapon wielding hands. The Anubis even tried to raise the weapons high to fool Ares into looking further up but this was counterproductive, actually, as it was the exact kind of thing Ares himself would do if he were that size. He was no magician but he understood the value of drawing attention away from the real target so Ares immediately sensed something was off and took in the bigger picture to make sure he wasn't being conned into a beatdown. He was, and spotted the foot lifting and charging at him, so he gave up on his approach and backed off to avoid the kick but not without kicking the sole of the Anubis' outstretched foot with an Echo for good measure. The Anubis had made the right decision, and done extremely well, but it wasn't going to work against Ares and so it was punished all the same despite luring him in successfully. Sighing deeply, the Anubis regained its calm and made no moves to chase down Ares and avenge its loss. It simply took up a stance again with its dual weapons and prepared itself for round two. It only needed to win one round, as it had the strength to beat Ares to a pulp if he hit him, so it wasn't going to cry over one minor loss like this.
Ares approached again, this time more carefully so as not get caught by surprise, but the Anubis actually used its weapons this time. It tried to backhand Ares, stabbing him with the end of the baton and then subsequently slapping him to pulp, but Ares stepped around it with a quick lean. The second attack came in hot immediately after, as he Anubis expected to miss its first attack, but Ares diverted the incoming fist by slapping it aside. The Anubis' fist was nearly as big as Ares' entire body and yet he struck a nerve, weakened the incoming blow until it could barely hurt a fly, and diverted it with an Echo. Fortunately for the Anubis t was aware of the gap between itself and Ares so it was already on the move and retreating from its current position. Ares' retaliatory palm missed by an inch and its life was spared once more. The Anubis took the initiative, as the sand eagle was on its last legs, and pounced towards Ares, utilising all of its colossal size to maybe try and crush Ares. If Ares dodged then the Anubis would be able to catch him during his retreat by using its weapons an that might maybe work. Ares did not do as was expected of him, however, and slid forward underneath the giant leaping Anubis, winding up safely behind him. Why retreat haphazardly when he could move forward risk free instead? The Anubis spun around with a wide swipe to try and catch Ares but he was already gone again like a slippery menace. Ares was darting around the Anubis, punishing it for being so massive, bulky, and slow while tapping Echoes into its body over and over again. No matter how tthe Anubis twisted it was suffering a constant barrage to the back and the Echoes were getting closer and closer to hitting its heart. It threw itself forward, diving at the floor, before rolling onto its back to prevent Ares from sneaking up on it anymore. Though it was now in an indefensible position it could at least prevent the bullying from before in this manner. If anything, this position was arguably the best way to fight against Ares of all. That or curling up in a corner as then he couldn't utilise his speed to position himself in blind spots any longer.
Ares stopped his pursuit and simply pointed at the floored Anubis with his golden finger. "Grand Annihilation." The Anubis hadn't come up with a terrible strategy.. If it was against anyone else. Ares' magic Was nothing if not brilliant against sitting ducks so this was not a valid strategy that could be utilised against him no matter what. Maybe if the Anubis controlled its sand to remain fully defensive that could have worked for at least a little while, before getting inevitably whittled down by progressively larger and larger arts, but then the flag would have free reign to come back over and become a massive problem. There was no real answer to Ares as he had a tool for every job making him quite the handyman. Ares leapt into his own art, allowing it to tickle his flesh and give him a slight burn even though he could have prevented it, and searched for his exploding foe. He got the drop on the Anubis and kicked out its knees form under it, forcing it back down onto the floor, by combining that strike with a Genuflection Mandate, after it had just been battered to its feet by the raging explosions. It was unable o control its own stance and was being puppeteered by Ares and his explosions, kicked about mercilessly like a toy on a strong. Ares was about to let loose a hailstorm of palms against the stumbling Anubis but it vanished suddenly just like its brother and was saved from is fate.
The Anubis were definitely stronger than before, and could have killed literally anyone other than Ares, but Ares was just in a league of his own at this point and something more was needed to force him to be a bit more respectful towards them. Their third form could probably do it but that was or later. Right now, Ares was hoping for a juicy reward for his efforts! This was the halfway point of the Riddlemyd and the Anubis were a massive boss fight worth celebrating victory over. On top of all that this was the first time this floor had ever been cleared and there was almost always a present for that sort of thing in the kind of games Tom Tom liked to host. Tom Tom might be a bit grouchy after everything that happened here today but he was a good sport and wouldn't go back on his principles and start being stingy. Really, the ones Ares really had to worry about right now were the other cultivators who might try to get a bit frisky with Ares' well earned rewards. They ended up doing nothing this whole time so they had no business looking for loot here but were probably going to try anyway. Ares' performance should have quelled any dangerous notions floating through their brains but stupid is as stupid does and some of them definitely seemed like the reckless type. Back when the first group ran ahead and got crushed Ares had seen a glimmer of greed in he eyes of a few others too, they just weren't fast enough to get in on the action or had been too slow on the uptake to make a quick decision. If given a second chance to be greedy they would no doubt be on the ball and raring to make a mistake just like the others. In fact Tom Tom also likely realised this and was no doubt going to make a big show of giving Ares the goods to pit everyone against one another. He couldn't conceal what the reward was nor would he hand it out in private, he was going to air the secret out in public and let Ares deal with the fall out....
"Congratulations." Tom Tom's voice coincided with the shifting of a doorway. The path forward was now accessible to those who'd been after it for however many countless years but nobody left yet. Even those who weren't interested in trying to steal from Ares were at least curious to know what the reward for such a hard task was. What could they have possibly gotten for involving themselves in the fight if they'd been less reserved? Would it have been worth the risk or was it all a big sham after all? There were some floors were Tom Tom had previously given out candy as a joke reward for first clears so anything was possible given his perchance for deviousness and impishness on occasion. Perhaps the worst example of this was an adventurer who was given a chest as a reward but never returned from the Riddlemyd alive as he was eaten by a mimic. His group heard the sound of crunched bones and that was that. There were many complaints directed at Tom Tom for such a ridiculous stunt and, though he had his fun and didn't regret it, he acknowledged he went a bit too far trapping a reward and promised not to do it again... Though, really, if the fancy struck him, he would no doubt not hesitate for even a second to pull such a prank. On April fools day a couple years ago he pickpocketed from the adventurers and rewarded them with their own gear and goods. Gifting someone a rare medicine was great, and the looks on their faces were precious, but when they realised they'd been duped the anger was like music to Tom Tom's floppy ears... In some cases the adventurers never even realised, left the Riddlemyd, and happily sold off their gear and treasures thinking it was jsut a copy of the original, never to get their stuff back again... Tom Tom had a bit of a mean streak in him and he was pretty excellent at manipulating people and their expectations...
"The reward for this fight is proportional to the number of people who took part..." Tom Tom explained. "... As only one person fought both opponents, the reward will be the greatest it could have possibly been as it doesn't need to be shared amongst multiple people. Instead of three good treasures or two great treasures, Ares will receive one legendary treasure instead. Well its a resource, and not a treasure, but you should definitely 'treasure' it because of how rare what I'm gifting you is." Tom Tom coughed up a small piece of cardboard and it fell to the floor with a clack. There was still a bit of saliva and drool near the edges which made Ares hesitant to pick the thing up with his bare hands... In the end he just used telekinesis to lift it up and his Deep Blue to wash it down... Why this cat had to spit out the reward like that he didn't know...
" I can tell this thing means serious business..." Ares looked at the cardboard emitting a mystical aura. "... But what exactly does it do?"
"Ah, don't fret. I was planning on telling you loud and clear anyway as I hope to see a fight break out between everyone here!"
"Wow... Subtle much?" Ares wanted to boop this damn cat's snoot and teach it a lesson but this Tom Tom would actually fight back and punish Ares unlike the one from the last riddle. Ares still didn't know what the scale of punishment was for attacking Tom Tom but, to be honest, he really didn't want to find out.
"That piece of carboard is what's known as 'fine grind amplifier'. It does exactly what it sounds like it does and amplifies the effect of any fine grind you take, or have taken, by about fifty percent! If you've taken a one year fine grind, it will effectively become a year and a half tier fine grind instead. The better your fine grind is, the more impressive this effect becomes and can do a lot of good for anyone hosting a fine grind of two years and up. This amplifier will merge with your internal flesh and increase the effect of any treasure that grinds against it, including various other body tempering items, but it's most impactful with fine grind specifically and that's where it shines. This resource is so rare that you'll generally only see one cropping up once every hundred thousand years or so and they go for a small fortune, enough to buy an entire set of well developed planets or maybe even an empty domain depending on how the bidding unfolds. Utmost privacy is given to the buyer of this resource in an auction as as owners of these amplifiers are hunted down and assassinated very often! Going from a two year fine grind to technically a three year just like that is enough to make anyone and everyone drool so competition for this resource if fierce. My master left it here with me as he expected it to be particularly relevant in a place like this. Xasca used to be a global for fine grind farming and trading, even better than most higher domain fine grind farms, so this is a perfect resource to give away here in the lower domains. Fine grind can be born anywhere, and it only needs time to improve so mana quality in the air is irrelevant. It's not inconceivable that lower domain plebs like you lot might actually have better fine grinds tucked away in your clan vaults than even some nobles in the higher domains if you're lucky or have lived long enough! This resource ought to be appealing to everyone here in this room so go ahead, fools! Kill each other and amuse me to no end!"
Ares quickly shoved the amplifier into his Blade because he understood the value of this resource immediately. If anything, Tom Tom was underselling it as this was a priceless resource with theoretically infinite value. Sure fine grind blues detonated often, and so anything above three to four years was an unthinkable existence, but a hypothetical five year fine grind would become a seven and a half yearfine grind thanks to this amplifier... If Sandy going from a one day fine grind to a roughly eighteen-month fine grind allowed her to block a Perish Wheel with her bare skin... Then what would it be like to go from five years to seven and a half?! Fine grind would probably never go beyond five years, it seemed unachievable and unrealistic, but again this amplifier only got better with time, as more rare fine grinds would be discovered, and had no upper limit. Even if Ares took a decent fine grind now, and replaced it later, he would still maintain the effect of this amplifier as it was just a permanent increase to strength that never left his body and was utterly absurd in every way. With Ares adept trait the value of this resource transcended even some of the other great things in his possession despite being so simple in nature. Tom Tom had given him something fantastic here and Ares was now fiending for the fine grind he was hiding away more than ever!
Even if every other single person in this room wanted the amplifier Ares would emotionlessly massacre them all, he might even have a smile on his face while doing it as this reward was just way too good! He'd picked up something really amazing here in Xasca and this trip was more than worth it! War aura and now this? His cultivation foundation, including everything else he'd ever gotten or integrated with, was impossibly amazing. Even nepotism-baby prodigies in the higher domains wouldn't have half the advantages Ares did currently and he was in an excellent position to take the world by storm once he stepped out beyond the barrier. Mako's pocket watch seemed pretty insignificant now in hindsight! This was why Ares was adamant about going on adventures and not remaining cooped despite being a sect leader, there was no way he could pass up any of these goods and opportunities and not feel immense regret later on when what he failed to obtain was brought to light publicly. What was better? Ares staying at Heaven's Path and overseeing an entrance exam or something or becoming this much stronger and catapulting the sect's reputation thanks to his insurmountable power? Sure there needed to be a balance but right now this was superior in every way!.. Though he was being eyed up by a bunch of jealous cultivators... This was unavoidable and competition arose wherever cultivators congregated, this was a harsh fact of life and it looked like the tension in this room was about to come to a head... Ares simply sighed. He would rather not have to do this but, if he did, he would at least make it quick and painless for everyone involved...