“It’s going to be rather difficult to capture all of your men and take you. Still, I can’t let so many of you flee away, after all, you know too much.” He could hear a few soldiers beginning to shift. “If any of you leave, I won’t promise you that I’ll show you mercy.” He stated and then water flooded across them and then swayed them towards Ares. He kept a blade at the Commander, a soft smile on his face.

He peered passed the Commander to the beastfolk. “You seem rather uncomfortable. Let’s get you untied, shall we?” He asked, raising a hand and then dropped down a handful of spears near them.

A soldier stepped back, startled, and he was whipped with a water tendril across the face. “No moving. Don’t worry, I won’t be killing any of you, yet.” Ares said, his voice as sweet as sugar, though the darkness could not be understated.

“So. Diplomacy. Let’s see…” Ares said as he began to hum quietly. “You say you’re useful to me alive? How so?”

“If you kill me, you will bring the wrath of our great Hero upon you.” He said as Ares pressed his sword against the Commander’s throat, nicking him ever so slightly.

“Oh? That’s exactly what I want though.” Ares smiled again. “It’s rather troublesome to march to your army, I’d rather you come to me.” Ares continued to smile as the Commander shuddered under his gaze.

“The Emperor would pay good money for me. I am a Commander of a regiment, my price would be quite high.”

“How high?” Ares asked.

The Commander swallowed. “At least a thousand rimars.”

“Oh? Doesn’t sound like a lot to me, honestly. Though, I guess I might let you go for so little… what about your soldiers? How much would he pay for their freedom, no, their lives?”

“Another thousand rimars, no doubt.”

“So, each man is worth what, three rimars? Perhaps four? Just how much do you pay them for a day’s worth?”

The Commander swallowed and then Ares stepped a little closer, forming beams of water around them which went from high into the air. “Now, Commander, I do hope you realise that I will understand when you lie to me, so I do hope that you do not lie to me.”

“Two rimars a day.”

“Ah, two rimars a day?” He looked out to the soldiers. “Now I wonder. How much would he pay for one soldier’s armour?”

The Commander swallowed, feeling the blade at his throat. “Fifty rimars.”

The soldiers here did wear quite different armour than the others. “How much for the other armour, these ones.”

He summoned the old armour, it landed with a thump beside the Commander. He tried to look down and then Ares tutted. “No, no. I haven’t given you permission, yet.” Ares waited for a moment or two. “Now you can.” He said as he let the Commander look down to see the armour.

“Thirty rimars.” He said with a swallow.

“What do you think of this. I will allow the strongest twenty soldiers remain with you. Twenty soldiers and for you, three and a half thousand rimars?”

The Commander swallowed. “Very well. That sounds like a good price. What will happen to the other men?”

“Your soldiers are going to fight each other. The remaining twenty and yourself will be safe, by my word as King, you will not die by my hand or another, and those that may seek to cause you harm shall be punished. We will keep you safe for as long as the payment is received. I shall send someone along with the message on your instruction. How does that sound?”

“How do I know you will keep your word?”

“You don’t know that I will. However, if I wanted to torture your army, I would make sure to keep all of you alive and then do that as Peros returned back to the camp. I alone am more than enough to handle the likes of you.” Ares said, though he did feel as though it may take quite a bit of effort to handle them all simultaneous, as the original display of power had taken a little out of him.

“Very well.” He swallowed. “Those of you who are most loyal to the Emperor, slay your brothers in his name, so that we may return to him!”

There was silence for some time as Ares raised a hand and then encompassed himself, Peros, the Commander, in a dome of water, and then those beastfolk that had freed themselves, who all remained together.

A few soldiers had them come to attack the domes of water, yet the water was moving so rapidly that the sword and spears bounced off of it. Even the arrows crashed and splintered off of the water.

“Well then, it seems as though your soldiers have chosen for you to die. Any last words?”

Arteon exclaimed out. “You traitors! I have issued the command!” They raised a hand out towards the soldiers and then stared at a soldier. “Listen, or repent!”

The soldier buckled under the pressure and then turned, slashing down towards the other soldier beside them. Then the camp was in chaos as the soldiers began to scatter around, some trying to flee. Ares closed his eyes and then created a small wall that then began to enclose around the entire area.

“Peros, I suppose it’s time for you to have fun.” Ares said, though his mind felt heavy. He then opened up a small area in the dome, which Peros happily stepped out of. With their blade of light in hand, Peros set to cutting down the men, easily cutting them in half. “Remember. Twenty of them should remain.” Ares warned.

“We’ll see.” Peros chuckled and then went about bringing upon death in such a graceful manner it was as though he was painting the landscape red. The chaos that surrounded them was loud, filled with terror and pain, and finally, bittersweet.

Even now Ares felt like he wanted to pass out, partly due to straining himself with the new abilities that he had discovered.