The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

Chapter 164 Training Arc • 11: Sparring Mate II

seeing delva flying through the air like that with a speed that he would usually expect from a fellow awakened player, aeric was struck with the element of surprise.

he found himself retreating back, but she flew closer, sword stretched forward. the first attack was deceptively simple, a quick thrust aimed at his midsection.

aeric found confidence and pushed himself forward once again, using his sword to parry it easily, but before he could counter, she pivoted with startling agility, her blade sweeping toward his side.

stunned again, aeric twisted his body to dodge, but she was already repositioning, pressing her advantage with a series of lightning-fast strikes.

he blocked and blocked and blocked, moving back as she kept advancing. clang! clang! clang! their swords kept kissing viscously.

'she's so fast!' aeric thought, gritting his teeth as he blocked another strike. he didn't block it perfectly, and his arms vibrated from the impact. the strain crept into his muscles, causing him to draw backward.

delva gave him a spin kick and he fell back, finding his feet quickly after. "ugh." he petted his jaw then looked up, seeing her coming close. explore more at empire

'it's like she's ten steps ahead of me. how is she reading me this well?'

"your footwork is sloppy, aeric," alzera called out from the sidelines, arms crossed as she observed. "stop letting her dictate the pace! use your reach. force her to play your game."

easier said than done.

aeric glanced at her and smirked. 'like she's not secretly enjoying this after i beat her ass in player x player.'

suddenly, he felt a movement. a rush of air.

aeric looked up to see delva jumping high, about to land on him. he quickly got out of the way and once she landed firm on the ground, their battle of swords began again.

every time aeric tried to create distance and use his longer reach to his advantage, delva closed the gap effortlessly. her strikes were fast and extremely precise.

an attack is meant to have a purpose, and every one of delva's did. each of them was aimed to exploit a weakness in his defense. he was not as fast as her, but he had quick reflexes and comeback stratagem. she wanted to push that to its limits.

even her movements... they were smooth, fluid, almost like a dance. aeric was no match for her, he'd been in the defence ever since they began fighting.

"focus, master aeric," delva said calmly, her tone measured even as their swords clashed again. "you have a fast response mechanism to being in danger, but you hesitate a lot. your hesitation will cost you your life on the battlefield."nôv(el)b\\jnn

aeric grew frustrated. he decided to force an attack in the midst of delva's onslaught, so he swung his blade in a calculated arc. but delva sidestepped it with ease, her sword snapping up to tap the flat of his blade.

the move sent his weapon slightly off balance, leaving him open. she didn't exploit it immediately, instead giving him just enough time to recover — almost as if she was teaching him as they fought.

that made aeric feel a bit pampered and insulted, he couldn't lie. but he also couldn't lie that she was better. she was leagues ahead when it came to battle skill, strength and technique.

"yeah?" he raised a brow.

"when was the last time you had... sex?"

dum! a drum banged in aeric's head. he froze, stunned by the question and his eyes moved to delva. then back to alzera.

"what?"

alzera blushed a little, seeing his reaction and understanding, but then she coughed. "don't get the wrong idea. i'm only asking because your technique was a little rough back there and you seem to have a small clog when using your physical divinity. good sex is important for one's growth as an awakened player."

"oh." aeric cleared his throat and glanced at delva who said it's true.

"well, thank you for telling me that." he said to both women who seemed really interested in the answer to the question. "i'll put sex into my weekly routine."

alzera smirked at him. "daily will be preferable," she said. then leaned to whisper in his ear. "since your training will be daily, that means i'll be available as well."

he cleared his throat and looked at delva, smiling nervously. "she... didn't say anything."

the girl smiled.

the training ended with maidens arriving in the chamber with trays of food.

they all sat together, eating and laughing as the tension of the day melted away. kael tore into a leg of pheasant, grinning as he recounted aeric's earlier victory over alzera.

"i'll never forget the look on her face!" he roared, earning a playful glare from alzera.

as the evening fell, they left the crystal chamber, their laughter echoing through the halls of the castle of starlight.

aeric waved goodbye to his companions, but instead of heading inside, he turned back toward the training expanse.

~ ~ ~

from a window high above, mother guinevere watched her son with a quiet smile. jontel stood beside her. "he's grown so much," she murmured. "both physically and mentally. he'll need that strength, but... i hope the weight of leadership doesn't fall on his shoulders."

jontel chuckled softly. "it might already be too late for that, your grace. you may not see it yet, but aeric was born to rule."

guinevere glanced at him, then back at aeric. down below, her son was relentlessly slashing at the dummies, sweat dripping from his brow as he groaned with effort. "ngh! ngh!"

"perhaps," she said softly, her expression contemplative. "perhaps he was."