43 An Effort to Drink (2/2)
Li closed the door behind him and let the crowd's energy flow through him. He took a seat by Vahid and Old Thane. He spied Old Thane holding a mug of beer and said, ”Where's my drink, old man? You didn't get drunk without me, did you?”
”Not at all, lad, and I'll be a little loose on the drink, aye,” said Old Thane. ”Never in a thousand years would I behold your success with anything less than a clear mind.”
”Expected nothin' less of the honorable Bloodfist,” said Vahid. ”But I ain't no abstainer.” He jerked his head back and poured the entire contents of the pitcher into his mouth. The beer waterfalled into his mouth and emptied out completely, as if disappearing into a void. With a grunt, he took the empty pitcher and tossed it behind him, towards the barkeep's counter. ”Barkeep! Bring the easterner here some liquor! The finest you've got – prettyboy moneybags over there is payin' anyway.”
Vahid pointed to Launcelot, and the shield-bearer by this point mustered up a half-lucid thumbs up.
The barkeep, a stout man with a bald head that reflected the lantern light around him and a thick moustache, caught the pitcher, cleaned it in one swift motion with a rag, and took it under a barrel where he poured out a dark brown liquid.
”Say, easterner,” said Vahid.
”Don't call me 'easterner'. It's Li.”
Vahid nodded vigorously, his matted black dreadlocks swinging. ”Sorry bout' that. So, Li, you a drinker?”
”I've drank my fair share,” said Li, remembering when he used to use his money to chase after party after party to find something that would give him some excitement in life. ”But nowadays I don't really consider myself one.”
Old Thane shook his head at Vahid. ”You're meaning to challenge the lad?”
”Whiskey, vintage 850, barreled and aged from the golden grains of Duvin, coming up!” The barkeep shouted from behind before tossing the pitcher full of expensive liquor expertly towards Vahid. The giant of a man didn't even look behind him as he caught the pitcher, keeping his pale gold eyes squared on Li with a massive grin.
”Don't be sweatin', Old Thane, this here's a man's man, I can see it in his eyes.” Vahid took the pitcher and slid it towards Li. ”You see, Li, I got a little challenge goin' for me. Outdrink men from every corner of the world. I've downed plenty of capitol pansies, beat out the roughshod northmen, stood number one amongst my fellow hinterlanders, and those so called alcohol experts down south in Duvin?”
Vahid grimaced. ”All tasters, no drinkers. Drank em' under the table all in one go. Hells, I even edged out against them beastmen, tough bastards they were. But a man from the east? That ain't somethin' you see every day. So how bout' it?”
”Lad, don't mean to take from your moment, but you don't have to do this,” said Old Thane.
Li smiled at Vahid. ”Old man, the only thing you should be worrying about is who's going to manage to carry this guy back home, because it sure as hell won't be me.”
Around so much energy, so much human energy, Li couldn't help but find himself drawn to all of it, a sense of nostalgia washing over him. In his past life, he had isolated himself from the world and all it had to offer because it could never offer him what he wanted, but now that he was living his dream, he could finally enjoy everything around him for what it was – just something to be enjoyed, not meant to fill voids in his heart.
”That settles it!” Vahid stood up, standing several heads taller than anyone in the room, and slammed his hand onto the table, the liquor in the pitcher sloshing dangerously near the top. ”Everyone! Time for a challenge! Li here's gonna drink me under the table, he says!”
The adventurers grew quiet for a second before eagerly gathering around the table, forming a ring around it.
”Gods, ain't this like the fightin' pits in the capitol?” said Vahid as he eyed the eager faces around him. ”Ain't nobody in this whole damn guild beat me, and I ain't bout' to lose today.”
”A whole lot of talk, but I'm not seeing any drinking,” said Li.
Vahid grabbed the pitcher and it looked like an ordinary size mug in his massive hand. ”Alright, let's get to it. We ain't playin' like pansies here, Li. We drink full pitchers til' one of us knocks on the doors of Valhul.”
”Your game, your rules.” Li shrugged.
The crowd murmured among themselves, awed at his confidence. It was evident that Vahid had made a rather big name for himself doing this challenge, but Li's confidence wasn't unwarranted. The thing was, he had incredible poison resistance, and he doubted any amount of alcohol would do something to him.
The match was over before it even began.
Vahid knocked down the pitcher of whiskey, and the crowd would cheer when he slammed it down on the table, empty.
The barkeep, noticing the commotion, tossed another pitcher, and Li caught it before drinking everything in one fell swoop.
The crowd cheered even harder at this unexpected development. Li was tall, sure, but he wasn't imposingly built. Weight wise, he should never have matched Vahid who was not only freakish tall but freakish big.
This continued, the barkeep tossing pitcher after pitcher until finally, there were six empty pitchers crowding the table. Vahid and Li had each drank three, but the winner was easily apparent.
”Genius all right damn the gods and-”muttered Vahid before he slumped backwards. Before his brawn could fall on a table and shatter it, he froze in the air, levitating. The mage from before, the same one who had used [Force Pull] on Vahid at the stall, had caught him.
”That settles it!” she said. ”Li, the wonder from the east and our new supplier, is victorious!” She turned to Vahid. ”And as for you, you big dumb oaf, you'll be going home. Excuse us!”
The mage gave a congratulatory wink to Li before she left, the adventurers making a path for her as she magically carried Vahid's body behind her.
It was only when the door shut behind her that the crowd snapped back to reality, fully realizing that Li had won. The crowd broke out into an uproar, adventurers slapping Li's back, some asking if he was okay.
”You easterners are beast-tamers, immortal, live in palaces of jade, and drink without limit? Hells, I was born in the wrong corner of this world,” said a man.
”Trust me, things are better here,” said Li as he washed away the taste of strong alcohol from his mouth with some water. ”Convenience always comes at a price.”
Old Thane squeezed Li's shoulder and laughed. ”Gods, what a show. Aye, laddie, you're a right warrior, you are, no wonder I saw so much in you.”
”Come on, old man, I hope drinking liquor isn't the biggest thing I've done to impress you so far,” said Li.
”Haha! Of course not, but it does show me you've got stones a plenty!” Old Thane raised his mug. ”Another cheer for Li, Aye!”
”Aye!” shouted the crowd in unison, dozens of mugs and glasses rising in the air with drunken coordination, drops of wines, beers, ales, and liquors splashing on the ground like rain.
The doors opened again. It took a few seconds to register, but as people at the back realized who had come in, a dead silence passed through the entire tavern, abruptly cutting off the energy from before.
Li cocked his head before he shifted his chair to face the door.
A man stood in the doorway, a golden bodysuit accentuating his bodybuilder's physique. His eyes and spiked hair were golden, shining not because they were blonde, but because they literally flashed with light. He smiled, a twinkle of light sparkling from his teeth.
He held the door open as a hooded figure walked in. Shorter and slighter in build, with steps that were quick and precise. When the figure pulled down their hood, the room broke out into murmurs, the adventurers glancing at each other with confusion, looking to each other to find someone who knew what was going on.
Li only saw a regular woman under that hood. Sharp and refined features, similar to those of count Alexei, and piercing, hungry blue eyes under jet-black hair that betrayed a warm and friendly smile. She looked older, but not overly so, perhaps in her mid-thirties, the faint beginnings of crows feet starting at the sides of her eyes.
”My deepest apologies, dear adventurers, for I truly do appreciate your service to me. But a few eyes and ears have informed me that a certain easterner is to be here, and I wish to meet him. Alone. Call it a meeting of the state.”
Li understood now. It was the duchess.