The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

"I choose Celestia," he said, his voice clear and confident.

Celestia's eyes widened in surprise, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

'Yeah, well of course. Who's surprised?' Aeric heard Aryanne's thoughts. Even though he wasn't even trying to.

The room buzzed with whispers as all eyes turned to her. Celestia hesitated briefly before standing, her curvy features moving with her, although her usual poise had slightly faltered because of the way Aeric had just proudly selected her in front of everyone.

It gave her a kind of validation she didn't even know she was wanting, and it also overwhelmed her at the same time, as she walked to join Aeric's team.

"Hey," Aeric said to her with a smile as she joined them.

"Hey." She smiled back shyly and stood beside him.

Melina watched jealously from her team, then humphed and looked away.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Magda clasped her hands together. "Great choices all around," she said. "Now, it's time to assign roles within your squads. Each team will need a Vanguard, a Leader or Strategist, a Ranger, Support, and a Courier. Take a few minutes to discuss and finalize your roles."

Meira's and Linnette's team immediately went into game planning. Already, Aryanne took control of Linnette's team, and Melina took control of Meira's. Both taking the roles of Team Leader and Strategist.

Aeric turned to his squad, who were much quieter, probably because of his presence. Apart from Celestia, he wasn't really acquainted with any of them.

Phoebe he knew nothing about except she cried a lot. Misty always acted weird and nervous around him, and Nyx always looked at him as though she wanted to put something inside his asshole.

"Alright, let's sort this out quickly," he said, taking dominance. "What role do you think it's best suited for you?"

Nyx shrugged, her voice prideful but also playful. "Obviously, I'll be best as Team Leader."

Aeric lifted his brow at her. "Why's that?"

"Cause I've cleared more Dungeons than all of you here. Three."

'Hmm,' Aeric thought. 'That is a good reason.'

Misty chimed in, her voice still clearly nervous. "I can do Courier! I'm quick on my feet, and I don't mind running around."

"Misty, your Class is Junior Elementalist. Don't you think your Skills could be wasted as an ordinary Courier?" Aeric asked her.

"Maybe so," she mumbled. "But I haven't really unlocked that many Skills, and I've not gotten good control of my element."

Aeric saw that she was still Bronze Ranked. That was very disappointing. Especially for a Junior Elementalist.

Celestia looked at Aeric. "Since you don't have a Class and a Main Skill, wouldn't it be better for you to be a courier?"

Aeric looked at her, then smirked. "You're not worried about me getting hurt, are you, Celestia?"

"What?" she reddened. "No, of course not."

"Well, I'll just inform everyone now that I do have a Class and a Main Skill, but it hasn't been Declared, remember? So I can't tell it to you." He looked at Celestia, seeing her still uncertain . "But don't worry about me, I'll be just fine. In fact, I'm so certain of myself that I propose to be the Team Leader."

Nyx snapped at him. "What?"

"What?"

Celestia looked at him with an eyebrow perked. "Aeric, are you being serious? This is your first Dungeon Challenge."

Aeric smirked. "I am being serious."

Nyx giggled. "Aryanne and Melina are leading the other teams. They're way more experienced and you think you're going to win."

Aeric's eyes darkened at her. "It's amusing that you think I care about them. There's no other discussion to this. I'm the Team Leader, and that's final."

Nyx had a smile on her face as she looked at him, then, slowly, she licked her lips as though entertained by his assertiveness. "Whatever you say, handsome. I am better as a Ranger anyway."

"Good, then you be the Ranger." Aeric then looked at Celestia, "That leaves you and Phoebe."

Phoebe looked up at him, but brought her face down immediately, mouth wriggling.

Celestia had been staring at Aeric, still stunned at what he had said earlier. She asked if he was sure about this, then he asked her if she didn't think he could lead.

Celestia retreated then before speaking again. "I'll be the Vanguard. I am very good with Light Shields."

Aeric gave her a nod of assurance, then focused on Phoebe. Before he could say anything, the girl already began to sob.

"I'm really sorry, guys! I'm not good at anything. Nothing at all. I'm useless here!!"

'Mhm?' Aeric stared at her with a confused but not very expressive face.

"Yeah, she does this a lot," Nyx whispered.

"Hey, you're a Daughter of Elysium, right?" Aeric asked Phoebe.

The princess lifted her head, and pushed a strand of green hair behind her ear. "Yes," she answered with a sniff.

"You guys create the most powerful healers in all the Realm. And if I'm not mistaken, your Class is Soul Mender. If you can mend souls, you can sure as hell protect our Divine Bodies as that's part of our soul. You're our Support."

Phoebe dried her tears and looked up at him. "You mean... I can actually help?"

Aeric smiled at her. "Of course, Pheebs. Everyone has a part to play."

A smile slowly stretched on the Elysium Princess's face, and she gazed at Aeric with gratitude and affection in her eyes. "Thank you," she uttered.

Celestia and Nyx, who were watching, looked at Aeric, separate thoughts that were undoubtedly similar, gracing their minds as they seemed to admire him at that moment.

"Alright now," Aeric said, bringing an end to that. "Looks like we've got a solid team, babe."

Celestia glared at him, red cheeked and startled. "Don't call me that."

Enjoy new chapters from empire

Aeric grinned.

Meanwhile, the other squads were finalizing their roles.

Linnette's team worked seamlessly, Aryanne naturally stepping into the Strategist role while Rosette took Vanguard. Faelys took Ranger, Elara was Support, and Linnette filled the Courier position.

Meira's team was equally smooth, with Melina as Leader, Erebelle as Ranger, Meira as Support and Nyssa as Courier.

When Aeric announced his team's positions and declared that he was Team Leader, everyone was shocked. His first Dungeon Challenge and he was being Team Leader? That wasn't possible.

How can someone with no prior experience in a Dungeon lead the team? It is possible they must have read a lot of study books and scrolls, but still, the practical aspect was a bit difficult, wasn't it?

However, with the teams ready, Magda clapped her hands. "Good. Now, step forward and enter the Dungeon."

The hall buzzed with anticipation as the students watched the three squads approach the Dungeon Entrance.

Lady Magda explained that their results will be displayed on the glass cuboids above the Dungeon. The amount of points each time got depended on the amount of beasts killed, the time taken in clearing a Lobby, and level of teamwork.

The teams all slowly disappeared into the dark entrance. Aeric's squad was the last to enter, stepping into the ominous arch. A faint shimmer of energy rippled across their forms as they disappeared into the depths.

Mock Dungeon.