The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Rosette was out to catch Aeric in the act and possibly ruin his disguise and his lie. However, the Prince of Starlight had one thing in his favor.

Aeric's Dungeon was irregular, and Lobby Progression within it operated differently compared to regular Dungeons. While his team faced those grueling spikes of difficulties in their Lobbies, other groups in standard Dungeons progressed more steadily.

So the only way the girls could ever get to him was if Aeric's team remained suspended in the Lobby for way too long. But even with that, catching up to them was difficult, especially because they were different types of Dungeons - regular and irregular.

But it wasn't impossible.

Since regular Dungeons followed a more predictable structure, these groups would first clear several Lobbies at a manageable pace. Over time, they would pass through their own sequence of challenges. Eventually, as both Dungeons aligned, the strange spikes in difficulty in Aeric's progression could possibly allow Rosette and Misty to meet in the same Lobby, despite initially entering the Dungeon at different times.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Aeric was oblivious to all of this though. Because he had no idea that he was being hunted by his sisters.

~ ~ ~

The air in the narrow passage was quickly becoming very stifling. Dust clung to the walls, the only light was a faint, flickering glow from the enchanted crystal wedged into Alzera's belt.

Aeric let out a curse after carrying a large stone from the pile of obstruction, and he slumped against the rock wall, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his exhausted breaths.

Nearby, Alzera was still steadfast. She was kneeling, her fingers trembling as she tried to claw another rock free from the pile. Clearly she was very tired as her usually steady movements were faltering. But she didn't stop. Just like her to be so stubborn.

Aeric tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "Take a break, Miss Alzera," he muttered between breaths. "You're going to pass out at this rate."

"I'm fine," she replied stubbornly, though her voice lacked its usual bite. She grunted as she yanked at another heavy stone.

"You're not fine." Aeric straightened slightly, his dark hair sticking to his sweat-slicked forehead. "Sit down. Five minutes. There's barely any air here, all this heavy lifting will lead to heavy breathing which leads to less air. Just... rest a little."

Alzera hesitated, her pride warring with her exhaustion. "Okay," she mumbled. Finally, she let the rock slip from her hands and collapsed beside him, her head leaning against the same wall. She panted softly, chest rising up and down, face up and her hair plastered to her cheeks.

Aeric glanced sideways at her, his gaze lingering. In the poor light, the hard edges of her persona seemed to soften. He saw the roundness of her full breasts rise and fall with each heavy breath as sweat trickled down her cleavage.

Her dark brown hair framed her face like a raven fur, and the sharp determination in her sea blue eyes had given way to something more vulnerable. She was still beautiful, even in this disheveled state. Aeric's eyes continue to undress her, to admire the sweat that made her model, curvaceous body glimmer — from the curve of her jawline to the faint scar running along her wrist.

'This is my moment,' he thought. 'We're alone.' If he wanted to break through and find a way to [Claim] her, now was the chance, now was the time for him to choose his play. Experience tales at empire

However, he had to be careful. Alzera wasn't Lady Edna whose sexual needs were clear for him to see. She was a conceited and clever woman, fierce as well and she had all the right to be.

His Charisma stat was still at a 30, but he wasn't going to let that bring him down. If he was able to [Claim] Alzera, certainly the Charisma would increase exponentially. There were so many advantages in playing his game right here.

Aeric cleared his throat.

"So," he began with a clear and careful tone. "The MegaSquid? Why were you so determined to kill it? I mean, sure, it was a monster, but there was something personal in the way you fought it. Even when the rocks came falling you refused to let go until it was dead."

Alzera stiffened slightly. She turned her head, staring at the pile of rocks in front of them. "That's... a long story, courier. We have a job to do."

"We're resting, remember?" Aeric said gently. His tone was soft yet insistent, coaxing without pressuring. "Talking is a good way to recreate."

Alzera's lips parted as if to respond and clearly to disagree, but then she hesitated. She swallowed hard, and for the first time since he'd met her, she looked uncertain.

Finally, she spoke. "During my early days challenging the Dungeons, I was in a team. We were young, excited to begin our leveling up as Players after our Declarations." Her voice trembled, and she exhaled sharply to steady herself. "It was our third Dungeon, we had already cleared two previously at that point. And we were so close in clearing the third, but... There was a MegaSquid in the second-to-last lobby. It wiped us out. My brother... my partner... they didn't make it."

Aeric's chest tightened. He turned to face her fully, his eyes soft. "Hells, that is... I'm sorry, Miss Alzera," he said quietly. "I can't imagine how that must've felt. Losing people like that, watching them... you don't forget something like that."

She nodded, her jaw tightening. "You are right. I didn't forget it, and I haven't. I hate those beasts. Every time I see one, it's like I'm back in that dungeon, losing everything all over again. That's why I can't stop. I won't stop until I've killed them all. All the Dungeons in Erothyria will be rid of those slob creatures."

"Mhm," Aeric leaned back, resting his head on the wall.

Alzera glanced at him. "What is it?"

He downturned his lips, his voice dropping to a soothing murmur. "I get it. I really do. But you don't have to let that control your life decisions forever. The way I see it, once something happens to me in every moment, I can either continue to fulfill whatever it is that my future holds for me, or I ignore it all and focus on that event that has pretty much forgotten about me."

Alzera's brows raised.

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A/N

Please, we are halfway to completing my win-win mission of a thousand unlocks. I urge you to assist me in reaching, pretty please (⁠´⁠;⁠︵⁠;⁠`⁠). Consider purchasing the privilege chapters.

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com