Having left the insides of the Academy, Aeric and Celestia were now at the Academy grounds.
For a while now, Celestia had been thinking of a way to bring up what had happened in the Dungeon, but Aeric was doing his best to dodge all of her advances with perfectly tid topic changers.
However, it seed everywhere they were, there was at least a pair of eyes from one of the Daughters, staring at him.
This was recreation ti and Aeric wanted to spend it in a way that earned him XP, but all he kept being reminded of was what happened in the Dungeon.
Deciding to try the weapon challenge, perhaps he could choose a weapon from there to craft, he and Celestia headed for that section on the grounds.
They had barely made it five steps though before Aryanne's voice cut through the air like a whip.
"Well, well, look who's still pretending to be the quiet little nobody," she sneered, her words dripping with mockery.
Aeric stopped but didn't turn. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Not this nuisance. Not now.'
Celestia shot Aryanne a cold glare. "What do you want, Aryanne?"
Aryanne ignored her, striding forward with her usual entourage close behind: her sister lina, Nyx and Nyssa, Rosette, and even Misty trailing hesitantly at the back. The group ford a semi-circle around Aeric and Celestia, effectively blocking their path.
Other Daughters lingered nearby, their curiosity piqued, whispering amongst themselves.
"Quiet little nobody?" Aeric asked. "How could I be pretending when that was what you called ? Don't you rember, Classless? Unawakened?"
Aryanne tilted her head, her smirk reducing but then returning once again as her sharp eyes settled on Aeric. "Whatever," she snapped, folding her arms.
"I heard a little rumor. They're saying you created physical Divinity in the Dungeon. And not just that you used it to kill the Abyssal Terror. Is that true? Our final boss was Magma Tarantula, and I killed it with my blade. So tell , is yours true? Did you kill the Terror with physical Divinity?"
Aeric finally turned to face her, his expression blank, though there was an edge of annoyance in his gaze. "What about it?"
Aryanne's smirk faltered slightly. She hadn't expected him to be so blunt. "What about it?" she echoed mockingly. "Well... uh... I don't believe it! Clearly it's so kind of trick... or sothing. A Player at your level pulling off sothing like that? Please. You must have used so kind of item. Sothing dark. Sothing evil."
Aeric sighed again, this ti more audibly. "Well, I didn't. I used physical Divinity," he said simply. "If you don't believe it, I don't care. In fact—" he paused, his voice dropping slightly, "—I'd prefer it if none of you believed it."
Aryanne's brow furrowed. "You'd prefer it that way?"
"Yes," Aeric replied, sinking his hands into his pocket while his tone remained even. "Much quieter. Much simpler."
Aryanne took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "Are you saying you've been intentionally hiding your power all this ti?"
Aeric raised a cold eyebrow at her. "Define 'intentionally.'"
Her face flushed with anger. "You're playing with . I feel insulted. Don't think I'm not a person that you won't take seriously."
"Yes, you are very frightening, Aryanne. I take you extrely seriously."
Aryanne's face reddened at how flat and unreactive he was. Misty even smiled at her brother's wittiness, Nyx had to hide hers.
"Nng! I know sarcasm when I hear it, Starlight!" Aryanne growled, then her gaze dropped to his pocket, where the faint outline of the elixir protruded. Her lips curled into a scowl. "I really wanted that potion," she said, her voice low and almost sad.
"Too bad," Aeric replied, but his tone was clearly devoid of sympathy.
Aryanne clenched her fists, her anger boiling over. "How about... You put it on the line. Let's challenge each other in a ga!"
Aeric tilted his head slightly. 'This again.' "A ga?"
"Beast Battle," Aryanne declared. "If my beast wins, you hand over the elixir."
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Aeric blinked, clearly unimpressed. "Not interested," he said flatly, already turning to leave. "Especially not after the stunt you pulled during the Heart Hunt ga."
Aryanne stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "No tricks this ti," she said, her voice rising. "It'll be fair and square. Let your beast face mine. Winner takes all."
Aeric paused, considering. He didn't trust her, not one bit, but Beast Battle was a legitimate competition. He was still spamming any objectives he could find, needing the XP to unlock the last tier of the [Project] Skill and he could also use the Beast Tokens to strengthen Sylver.
The problem was, Aryanne's Dreadhound was far stronger than his Silverwolf. If he agreed, he'd have to be smart — very smart.
Aeric looked at her for a mont, scheming in his mind.
Aryanne grew impatient. "Are you in or not?!"
"Alright," he said finally, his tone asured. "But if my beast wins, you'll accept to be tattooed with a Crest of Obedience. The Crest will last for one day. And for that day, you would be bound to and do whatever I want."
The murmurs around them exploded into outright gasps. Even Celestia looked at him in shock.
Aryanne's face twisted in outrage. "You pervert! That's not even a fair deal!" she snapped. "I'm asking for a potion, and you want to be your literal slave?!"
"It is only for one day," Aeric said calmly. "You, on the other hand, get to keep the potion forever. Sounds fair to ."
Aryanne glared at him, her fists trembling at her sides. "That's ridiculous. I'm not doing it. Never. I will never allow myself to be bound to you even if I ever accept a Crest of Obedience."
"Suit yourself," Aeric said with a shrug. "But if you're so confident in your beast, why not take the risk? Or are you worried you'll lose?"
Aryanne's jaw tightened, and her eyes flicked to her sister lina, who stood quietly behind her. After a long mont, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. But instead of —" she grabbed lina by the arms and dragged her forward, "—it'll be her beast fighting."
lina's eyes widened in surprise. "Aryanne, what—"
"You'll fight him," Aryanne interrupted, her voice sharp. "Your beast is strong enough, isn't it?"
Aeric's gaze shifted to lina. He didn't like her any more than Aryanne, so it didn't matter to him. "Fine by ," he said coolly.
lina looked at him, her expression a mix of fear and uncertainty, but Aeric didn't care. Without another word, he turned and walked away, his hand brushing Celestia's arm as a silent signal to follow.
"Let's head to the arena then," he said with nonchalance.
The Daughters stood for a while as he and Celestia walked away, the whispers and stares intensifying.
Celestia glanced up at Aeric as they walked, her lips pressed into a thin line. "What are you thinking, Aeric?" she asked softly. "Don't you rember what happened last ti?"
"I do," Aeric said with a smug smile. "I one hundred percent rember."
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