"I'm sure they'll manage..." While stargazing, Ares remembered he left the rest of his group with the Elliot and that the river was an obstacle they'd have to overcome. Granted it probably wasn't all that difficult, Enyo could just create a bridge of barriers to drive over; she might even add a little lip to the end of it to turn it into a ramp for Bellona's enjoyment. In hindsight getting out of the Elliot to cross the river earlier was probably unnecessary but, then again, getting Bellona away from the wheel of the metal deathtrap for a while was for the best. As for Ares' current predicament, 'stargazing' was actually just a polite way of saying he'd been laid out and was lying flat on his back after a beating from Grove. By all accounts he could see the stars overhead but he was also seeing a few extra after being smacked upside the head. He'd sparred with Grove enough to last longer than one single attack ending the fight but not long enough to make meaningful progress towards beating him. The consolation here was that Ares had plenty of time and opportunities to practice so he wasn't in a rush to improve which might ultimately distort his understanding of what he was trying to learn. Picking up something like this in a hurry would lead to fatal flaws and gaps that were crucial to avoid so he much preferred getting whooped like this for an extended period to a short and easy quicker path. Had he less time on his hands he would have already resorted to using annihilation pressure as a means of evening out the playing field to some degree but he would absolutely gain less from this if he did.
Ares groaned as he sat up like a stepped-on rake and hopped to his feet. he still had another round or two of human sized sparring before grove would want to have a back and forth with Garmr for a while. Ares had negotiated the terms and conditions in his favour so there was a lot more human vs bear action than wolf vs bear but that didn't mean he could renege on his side of the agreement. He had all the power here realistically. So what if the bear could beat him in a fair fist fight? It's not like Ares would give him one if push came to shove so who cared? Grove hadn't even seen destruction magic, annihilation pressure, or Ares' scythe yet so he had no real cards up his sleeve that could compare. Grove had heamomancy magic, and was probably adept at combining it with his martial arts to a degree even Dirk couldn't, but that was still nowhere near the level needed to threaten Ares. If Ares didn't get more out of this arrangement than Grove he was free to up and leave with everything. The bow and Garmr would disappear from this region forever so the ball was firmly in Ares' court. Also, it was only fair. The fights between him, in human form, and Grove were inevitably much shorter during the initial stages while Ares accustomed himself to a fighting style that was all in all his least used. Of the weapons he wielded with any degree of regularity his own bare fists were at the lowest end of the spectrum so he needed to be more proficient before the fights lasted longer than under a minute. If Ares alternated between human and Garmr fights fairly he would spend no more than ten minutes fighting as a human and upwards of hours as Garmr which wasn't as helpful right now. Thankfully Grove conceded this concession pretty easily. It was a rare opportunity to fight against someone stronger than him, it pushed his martial arts in a way he wasn't quite used to and so this was an equally valuable learning experience for him too. He could never pass it up and was maybe even willing to sacrifice a little more had Ares pushed further but, in the end, there wasn't anything Ares wanted and he still felt like being friendly to some degree. Everyone in Akarala seemed to have some degree of fondness for this bear so he wasn't going to drive it into a corner over nothing. Ares wanted three things out of this trip to Akarala; training with Grove, the bow, and souvenirs for Bahru and the sect. Anything else was a bonus and he was already treading on two thirds completion of his goals so being antagonistic purely to be greedy over stuff he didn't want was silly.
Speaking of 'silly', it was time to get smacked silly by the bear again as rest and recovery time was not granted in Grove's arena. At least not much anyway as you had about thirty seconds before the bear started mauling you again whether you were up or not. That was the number for regular humans too, stronger contenders got less and Grove seemed to notice Ares' innate regenerative capabilities so he was given even less. It's not like Grove was wrong though, Ares, though beaten black and blue, still looked peppy and ready to go for another round. The bear could paw him much harder than he had been but that would defeat the point as Garmr could crush him into a paste whenever so there was still some restraint but not to the same degree as earlier. Ares strafed slowly and carefully around the guardian and, to his credit, this was the one realm he was somewhat superior to the bear in. His footwork had always been outstanding, navigating busy cities in a rush while being chased by adult guards twice his size really enabled him to watch his step, but he'd always made an effort to keep upping his tippy toe game even during down time. This was a rare skill he'd improved all on his lonesome and had nothing to do with anyone else but he'd done an excellent job and it was singlehandedly keeping him in these fights against Grove. Once the bear launched an attack without interference the sparring session was almost guaranteed to come to a close but Ares' nimbleness was really throwing the guardian off his rhythm. Though Grove was the stronger contender in this particular rule set he was made to look a fool once or twice by going all in on a match-ending punch only to really he was actually a step or two too far back to actually reach his target. Maintaining distance to stay out of reach, shortening it to force uncommittable swings, or sometimes doing neither and standing still to make Grove's predictions irrelevant and ruin his momentum; Ares had an expert grasp on all of the above and was being a menace in his own way despite not landing a single hit yet. He was aiming for a counter hit in the gap before or after confusion at his incomprehensible movements but had accomplished little in that regard as of yet and that was understandable. He was like a mosquito trying to nibble a sleep[ing person, he was attempting to take advantage of beneficial situations instead of earning his right to smack the bear properly and it hadn't paid off. In relation to the mosquito analogy, Grove would just wake up and slap him against a wall on the spot. Every time he tumbled missing a strike on Ares, every time he was leaning too far forward, every time his fist was in the complete wrong position, Ares would make a move and fight himself on the floor for underestimating the bear's skill. Yes Grove was missing the initial strike but he was actually showing respect for Ares' obnoxious talent for dancing around combat and keeping methods in reserve for after his initial failure to land a decisive blow. Put simply, if Ares wanted to hit the bear he was going to have to do more than be a twinkle toes and learn how to throw a punch worth actually dodging.
The circling continued not because Grove couldn't beat it, everything that happened up until this point proved falling for Ares' trickery didn't matter, but because this was yet another chance for him to learn something too. This spar was proving to be mutually beneficial as there were shortcomings aplenty on either side. While Grove was fleet footed it was incorrect to call him agile. He flowed less like calm water and more like a maelstrom, charging viciously into close proximity then using his overwhelming talent and innate strength to overwhelm the opponent swiftly. His hand to hand prowess was exceptional but he couldn't tango with anyone when it came to manipulating limbs below the belt. he didn't kick much, if ever, and they merely served as a tool to get him from point A to B. He was more able to keep up with someone like Ares if he got down on all fours, that was his natural inclination and it gave him extra leeway in controlling his body, but it hampered his martial arts considerably. He had a style developed for all-fours combat, which he used regularly against four legged creatures as it was actually optimal, but it wasn't correct against bi-pedal existences because it focussed heavily on sweeps that could be hopped easily by a strong enough cultivator. Ares would be more than capable of capitalising on that particular style and it wouldn't even close the gap enough to make Grove equal to Ares in the movement department. To that end, staying standing and learning about subtle adjustments and step-timings was Grove's current goal during humanoid combat. He would still much rather be fighting Garmr but he wasn't strong for no reason, he was more than able to look for self-improvement where others would find none. In that sense, he was quite similar to Ares who often found himself experimenting against foes to weak to push him in any meaningful way.
Grove broke the standoff with a carefully measured slide through the mud. He'd kicked off and put his right foot forward, maintaining a low posture with his top half leant slightly back enabling him to react to Ares' movements without committing to anything aggressive. He knew he had the upper hand when actually succeeding in reaching Ares so he didn't need to be the first one to launch an attack, it was even preferable if he didn't under the current circumstance. By leaning back he could widen his field of view and net him more time to react to whatever strike Ares gravitated towards as it would take longer to reach anything vital to defend. It was a very flexible approach and incredibly safe but it conceded the priority in launching an attack he otherwise would have had if barreled at Ares with less restraint. As ever, Ares responded to this in a seemingly rehearsed manner; as in his decisions were so swift it felt as if he'd had his this exact fight before and planned out every back and forth. Of course he hadn't but his rapid reaction and responses were immaculate enough to question whether or not he had Yulo's prophetic magic aiding him. As for what he did, exactly, he lunged forward with his own right foot and stepped on Grove's toes, hard, to lock him in place. It was the perfect counter measure... Provided there was anything he could do from here, that is. He'd effectively chosen to lock himself in the rage cage with Grove who, despite being stepped on, was more than happy to be stuck in a close range struggle like this. Ares' foot had to stay where it was, if he moved it then Grove could simply full body tackle him at this range and it was light's out for the puny, in comparison anyway, human. Unfortunately, however, having his foot stapled to the floor like this curbed his one advantage and he couldn't navigate around the fight like he used to. Had he any more talent in hand to hand combat this would be ideal but it was a strange choice given the skill disparity between him and the person he was battling.
Ares took a basic approach with a simple downward-aimed punch at Grove's head. There was nothing flashy or technical about it, it wasn't a palm infused with mana or a poke to disable and break down nerves internally, it was jsut a good ol' fist in face classic. Grove couldn't count how many times he'd seen such a normal attack but he took it seriously regardless and raised both his hands in a defensive manner lest there was some kind of ruse going on. There wasn't and Ares' fist struck the furry arms plainly before he backed off and made no follow-ups, his foot remaining on top of Grove's. Evidently he'd been planning something but the guardian's sensible, simple response hadn't enabled it. Ares was expecting a counter attack but never received it so his plans bit the dust due to Grove's passivity. He wasn't just the hardest opponent Ares had faced because he was talented but rather because he was cautious like none other. He was less a bear and more a turtle content with curling up in his shell and waiting for the Armageddon of blows to cease on its own. Ares preferred to fight like chaos incarnate, no plan all instinct and adaptability. Ares wanted to force other people into his unnatural flow and beat them in unpredictability but somebody sturdy, resilient, and unwavering like Grove, someone who didn't play his games or stoop to his level, was a very real problem. Ares didn't like it as he was being forcefully dragged into Grove's tempo and fighting a very normal battle that didn't align with his winning condition. There was no way Ares bat Grove in these early stages without catching him off guard but Grove's steadiness was unbreakable because he knew that sticking to the basics was key to dismantling Ares' game plan irrespective of whether he could be doing more.
Following that train of thought, Grove threw a simple punch with his left arm forcing Ares to make his move on the wrong terms and it paid off for the bear spectacularly. Ares' original goal was to punch Grove's head to force him to block with at least one arm and have him be greedy with his spare arm to launch an attack. In that instance, Ares would have grabbed the arm defending, pulled it toward him, and used his free foot to jump on the arm, lift his other foot, and kick Grove in the face while his other arm was missing its mark and accomplishing nothing. That was the ideal outcome Ares had been after. He tried to replicate it now but the circumstances were different. Yes Ares managed to block the simple the punch, and even grab the fist afterwards to turn the outstretched arm into a platform, but when he put his left foot on the misplaced arm Grove's other free hand, not currently doing anything, simply swiped Ares away and caused him to stagger backwards without him making any headway or progress. Having that one extra hand on deck to upset Ares' little revolutions was enough to doom him eternally. There would ne no unexpected swings or twists and turns so long as Grove didn't get over-excited and fall for the 'opportunities' Ares was seemingly gifting him. Grove had long since realised that Ares liked to draw every defensive option out of a combatant, encouraging people to use their protective measures aggressively so he could manufacture an upset out of seemingly thin air, and so he wouldn't ever fall for it no matter how long this spar went on for. grove had better endurance and wasn't pressured by anything Ares had to offer, the latter was especially relevant as typically Ares would be the dominant force with his magic, pressure, or Garmr, and the opponent would feel forced to take 'opportunities'. When the playing field was even, though, there was a glaring weakness in Ares' strategy so it was obvious to Grove why he sought out training in the first place as t would shore up his weakness and make him an omni-threat in all conditions and scenarios. There were plenty of legacy vaults, tombs, deadly and hazardous wildernesses with all sorts of terrible restrictions. There were vaults that restricted cultivation, there were ablaze domains wherein simply circulating mana would cause spontaneous combustion and burn you to death, there were all sorts of reasons Ares might one day have to actually bare-knuckle brawl a person without Garmr and this was his preparation for it.
Well it would be better 'preparation' if Ares was making actual improvements but right now he was still in the phase of finding out if his usual strategy could possibly work against someone of this caliber. Spoiler alert, it did not. While he was stumbling backwards Grove chased with no hesitation this time and took confident strides forward while his wrist swayed and his palm followed to launch a devastating slap. Ares couldn't block it right now so he took the palm to the rib while trying to get what he could return but the problem was threefold. First, he was smacked so hard he skidded back a small inch which was enough to disrupt his own attack considerably. Second, the injury itself wasn't something he could brush off so he lost a lot of power in his rebuttal which, combined with the first issue, meant he wasn't really going to get much out of it. Third and finally, again Grove had kept a hand handy for precisely this so Ares weak attack met a hard wall of bear meat and fur and now he was royally screwed as he was on the back foot, taking body blows, and unable to fight back. A complete disadvantage but he kept attempting to swing whenever he could or prevent more bodily damage but none of it mattered as a death by a thousand cuts, or bear paws in this case, slowly whittled away at him until he was, once again, stargazing except this time he had more bruises than he did previously. It was at this point he realised things were not going to work out if he stuck to his usual approach. Or, rather, he already knew it wouldn't work but this was the final nail in the coffin for him and he was ready to give up on that idea and start the actual learning process. He wasn't disregarding his own style he was just learning another that he needed for times when his own didn't pan out for whatever reason, such as literally right now. Still, if there was any consolation to all this, it was that now it was finally time for the reverse of what had been happening as Garmr was going to make his entrance and beat up the bully that had been treating Ares like a pinata for the last day straight. It would feel good to get some revenge on this ever-calm bear and Ares was quite looking forward to it. Also, in general, it was good to have someone who could fight back against Garmr. Long story short, Ares was pretty inclined to stay here with Grove for the foreseeable future until he was content. Maybe if there was a major issue worth addressing he'd take his leave temporarily but, at the very least, Ares wasn't leaving Akarala until this bear was seeing Ursa Major!