The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Chapter 125 Beast Battle • 1

Far away from most of the activities in the Institution grounds, the stables were quiet, save for the occasional shuffle of hooves and the soft rustling of straw.

Aeric pushed the wooden door open, the scent of hay and animal musk greeting him. He had finally gotten himself some alone times after asking Celestia to wait behind so he could get Sylver.

His eyes immediately fell on the Beast Companion seconds after he walked in. The majestic Silverwolf was lounging in his pen, his metallic fur shimmering faintly.

Seeing his masters Sylver's ears perked up and the wolf gave a low bark of recognition. Aeric's lips tugged into a faint smile as he approached, reaching into his pocket to produce a small treat.

Sylver sat upright, tail wagging in anticipation, before leaning into Aeric's hand and gobbling up the snack as Aeric ruffled the soft fur around his ears.

"That's a good wolf," Aeric said. "Uh. What the hell even happened today, Sylver," his voice showed his weariness. "What did I just go and do now?"

His thoughts wandered, unbidden, back to the Dungeon.

Flashes of what happened struck his mind. The picture of the Abyssal Terror lunging for Celestia, that one played in his head like a haunting replay.

He felt the rush of fear and adrenaline that had overtaken him in that moment. The way his heart squeezed and the Divinity Blast that erupted from him with an intensity he didn't even know he possessed, scattering the threat into oblivion.

It had been overkill.

Aeric exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.

'Why did I do that? Celestia would have been fine. She wasn't going to die, the injuries in the Mock Dungeon weren't permanent and she would have been healed once we left. I didn't need to step in like that. Why, why did I do it?'

'Ughhh!' he facepalmed. 'Is this what liking someone does to you?'

His chest tightened at the thought. His entire plan of being close to Celestia to prove he cared about her, was it going to backfire? Would it lead to him being excessively instinctive in more things like this?

He's already shown so much to everyone and now they're starting to see just how powerful he was. Or could be.

He had even heard Lady Magda's thoughts after the Dungeon training. She was already planning to report his abilities to the Disciples. It wouldn't be long before Aeric became a target, and they're bound to take those investigations even more seriously.

'I would have to talk to Lady Magda later,' he thought. 'And the Divine Priest as well. I think now would be the best time to pull the blackmail card on him.'

He shook his head and looked at Sylver, who nuzzled his palm with an eager whine.

"At least you don't care about politics," Aeric said, not even knowing what he meant by that. He ran his fingers through Sylver's fur one more time. "Hope you're ready, we have a Beast Battle to win, buddy."

Sylver barked, his tail wagging with unbridled excitement. The Silverwolf was a war beast, and Aeric knew he had been restless. Taking him to school and sitting idle had left him hungry for action.

'Alright, let me see if I can spend those Beast Tokens.' Aeric summoned his interface and tapped into the Beast Companion tab. Sylver's stats appeared in a glowing holographic display before him.

[Alias: Sylver]

[Name: Silverwolf]

[Species: Evolved Wolfkin]

[Rank: Legendary]

[Tier: Four Star (Upgradable)]

[Synergy: 5/10]

"Oh! Yes!" Aeric celebrated. "Our Synergy increased by two points. That's very wonderful. I think [Claiming] the Main Skill of Lady Lysandra had something to do with it. Since she's from Twilight."

He looked at Attributes.

[Attributes]

[Strength: 7]

[Agility: 10]

[Endurance: 8]

[Intelligence: 6]

[Divine Power: 8]

[Charisma: 6]

"Pretty much the same, except Charisma has increased by 6. That's great."

[Core Skills]

[Combat: 8]

[Stealth: 9]

[Perception: 8]

[Flight: None]

[Swimming: 2]

[Communication: 7+]

"It seems Communication is on the verge of an increase as well."

Aeric swiped to the Abilities section, where Sylver's six unlocked abilities were listed alongside the several empty slots.

[Shadow Cloak]

[Silver Runner]

[Howl of Terror]

[Power Claw]

[Silver Blast]

[------] [Unlock Ability with BT]

[------] [Unlock Ability with BT]...

He noted the cost: 100 Beast Tokens per skill. Aeric checked his balance and saw that he had 120 BTs which he had gotten through the course of winning the Heart Hunt, clearing the real Dungeon and the Mock one.

He then decided to unlock one ability. "Let's give you something new to work with, Sly."

He tapped one of the locked Abilities, and it highlighted.

[Unlock Ability?]

[Yes/No]

[Price: 100 BT]

Aeric briskly chose [Yes] and a notification flashed across his interface.

[Ability Unlocked: Luminous Fang]

[Description: The Silverwolf channels Divinity into his fangs, delivering a devastating bite that deals radiant damage to foes. These Fangs can shatter shields, tear through metal and thick scales.]

'Mhm. Not a bad Ability.'

Satisfied, Aeric then directed the remaining tokens toward upgrading Sylver's Tier.

[4 Star (Upgradeable)]

He tapped upgrade, and the stars appeared on screen.

[?????????] = [4/10]

The interface shimmered as the Silverwolf's rank increased from 4 Stars to 4.2 Stars. One of the stars, filling up a fair bit.

"Not bad," Aeric said, rising to his feet. He smirked at Sylver. "Once you get to 5 Stars, your stats will jump even more. Let's get there soon, yeah?"

Sylver barked in agreement, his eyes gleaming with newfound vigor.

"Come on," Aeric said. "Let's go to the Arena."

At the back of the tall Royal Institution, the arena was a marvel of magical craftsmanship.

It had silver gleaming walls that pulsed faintly with energy, their surfaces etched with shiny, magical inscriptions.

There was a transparent barrier that surrounded the circular field, shimmering faintly. It's job was to contain the chaos of the battle within, so that others can not be harmed by the beasts' animalistic warfare.

As usual, whenever they had off battles or games in the Royal Institution, spectators filled the stands, their excitement palpable. Conversations buzzed, punctuated by laughter and cheers, while magical projections displayed the combatants' stats for everyone to see.

Aeric looked at the crowd and froze when he spotted Delva.

She sat with her arms folded, her expression as impassive as ever, but her presence here surprised him. He didn't take her as one for the spectacle, but he'd always suspected that she was intrigued by the life of the Awakened Players, since she herself was Dormant.

He tore his gaze away, seeing Celestia approaching him. He smiled at her.

"Hey."

"Hey," she replied,worry in her gaze. "Are you sure about this? It's Melina and Aryanne, you should be careful," she said.

Aeric raised an eyebrow. "Hey... don't worry. I'm not the one fighting, remember? And Sylver will be fine as well."

"Still…" she hesitated, glancing at the large wolf beast. "Just don't underestimate the others."

"I won't," Aeric said, his voice steady. He turned to the field as Sylver trotted into the arena. "And neither will Sylver."

On the opposite side of the field, he saw Melina standing calmly and back to her usual antagonistic demeanor. She'd probably finished a talk with her sister.

Her Beast Companion, the infamous Nightpanther padded forward. The beast's sleek black fur seemed to absorb light, its amber eyes locked onto Sylver with predatory intensity.

They both entered the squared field, the transparent shield crackling around them, the air between them crackling with tension.

Aeric's gaze shifted, catching Aryanne sitting across the arena. Her narrowed eyes bore into him with barely concealed anger. He didn't flinch.

Then, a booming voice cut through the chatter, silencing the crowd.

"Welcome to the Beast Battle!" the announcer bellowed, their voice amplified by magic. "Two challengers stand before us today; the one who defied the Laws of Divinity and brought himself into our world by his own will, Aeric, Son of Starlight!"

There were surprisingly some cheers.

"And the glorious ray of the beautiful moon, Melina, Daughter of Moonlight!"

There were louder cheers for her, mostly Moonlight residents who had come to show their support.

"Their Beast Companions are standing face to face in the squared circle, ready to prove their strength! Rules are simple:

1. Each beast will fight within the bounds of the squared circle.

2. Apart from simple orders and directions, there will be no interference from their masters.

3. Victory is achieved by incapacitation, surrender, or ring-out.

4. Strategy, power, and synergy will determine the winner!"

The crowd roared in approval.

"On one side, we have the Beast Companion of the Son of Starlight, a descendant from a rare breed of enchanted powerful wolves, the legendary Silverwolves, Sylver!" Cheers and applause came from people who were happy to see a real Silverwolf in action.

Sylver howled, his moonlight fur shimmering. Enjoy new tales from empire

"And on the other, the Beast Companion of the Daughter of Moonlight, descending from a lineage of powerful black cats, Drex the Nightpanther!"

Louder cheers came and the Nightpanther growled, crouching low as if preparing to pounce.

"Let the battle begin!"

Aeric folded his arms, summoning the interface of Sylver's Abilities. The arena turned to a game on the screen of his monitor.

He'd played multiple games like this before, and this was what he was best at doing; giving directions and controlling the fighter.

Let the battle begin indeed.