Book 1: Chapter 43: Agreement and Intoxication

Book 1: Chapter 43: Agreement and Intoxication

"Bah! 'Master ma left nutsack! That Seloph wench can hardly control ah fookin' torch, let alone ah whole blasted forge! Tae ave the gall tae call 'erself a master What an insult to try experts at the craft, Grimsley hollered.

Currently, Lone and Soph were sat in the man's house in a very dirty and messy living room-slash-forge.

A peculiar combination of rooms, that was for certain, but who were they to complain considering the building's size? Lone did have to wonder why he was operating out a slum though if he was so skilled.

I take it you arent friends? Lone asked.

The dwarf scoffed. That whores only friend is the coin the nobles an daft local adventurers funnel down er arsecheeks.

Colourful Well, the guy manning her shopfront looked down on me solely for being a demi. Didnt even give me the light of day, Lone explained.

Aye, ats how it works ere in this shitehole. Good thing, ah guess, or ye might ave actually become er apprentice. Yell learn more fae me in ah day than she could teach ya in ah month, Grimsley boasted.

Grimsley poured three pints of ale and handed one to Lone, one to Soph, and then kept the last one for himself. Homebrew fae Krieg Aftor. Its the good shite. Fookin costs an arm an ah leg tae import, so yes better enjoy it.

Whats the percentage on it? Lone asked as he carefully took a sip.

Immediately he felt some vertigo and his vision was clouded by system messages.

The host has developed the passive skill [Intoxication Resistance].

Passive Skill: Intoxication Resistance

A skill rewarded to those with an iron gut and a low enough intelligence to make getting drunk a regular sport.

Alcohol is weakened by 5% when consumed by the host.

Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1

Fuckin Christ alive! Lone yelled. It feels like my throats on fire!

Haha! At least ye can still speak! Look at yer lady friend! Grimsley cackled as he chugged his own mug of ale.

Soph had drunk about as much as Lone but her cheeks were already rosy and a silly grin was spread on her face.

'I bet with that much time, I can get advanced or maybe even expert rank in the skills related to this shit. That'll be a good enough base for me to experiment on my own with,' Lone decided internally. "Perfect. A gold coin it is."

Lone took out the promised coin from his pocket and placed it on a nearby table. "What time do we start?"

Grimsley held his neck as he thought. "Well, no time like the present, aye? May as well gae ye an introductory lesson now if ye'd like."

Lone shook his head. "I actually have other plans for today. I honestly didn't expect to get myself apprenticed right now. I thought it'd take a few days of showing my worth. Should I come back tomorrow or the day after?"

Grimsley gave him an odd look. "Ye'r ah good sort, huh? Cannae say ah hate at. Yer lady friends as quiet as ah moose though. Vastly different fae yerself. Mind ye, shes pissed oot o' her socks.

Soph smiled sweetly as she wobbled about a bit on her chair. Clearly, she wasnt all quite there.

Haha, anyway, aye, tomorrow morn'll do. Dinnae ever come by in the afternoon or evenin' though. Ah'm busy completin commissions at those hours. Ah'll cancel this whole shite if ye ever break at rule, ye hear me, laddie?"

"Yeah, I understand. We'll be back tomorrow morning then," Lone said as he finished his drink and got up.

Grimsley stayed seated as he glanced at Soph. "She'll come back anaw? Ah'm only teachin' ye, naw er anaw."

Lone smiled. "That's fine. She'll just watch. I don't feel safe keeping her out of my sights. Milindo is a harsh place for demis, true, but that doesn't mean that it's perfectly safe for beautiful young human women as well."

Grimsley shrugged. "True 'nuff. Ah cannae say at ah find her tae be in ma tastes, but ah'm ah Stone Dwarf, so that's nae surprisin ah suppose." He cracked his neck as he said, "Well then, see ye the morrow, laddie."

Stone Dwarf? That would explain why some of his skin has hard grey patches. I thought they were injuries Guess it was lumps of stone. Thats pretty fuckin metal, Lone thought before replying, "Yeah, see you then."

He pulled Soph by the hand, and once they were back on the streets, he asked her a question. "Out of curiosity, where exactly was the second person in Grimsley's workshop?"

"Huh? I love you I really do, yknow? Hehe.. Oh. Uh, the other person? Uh In the... hehe. In the basement sleeping on a bed, I think... Is there supposed to be eleven twelve thirteen tails? I thought you only had nine" Lone was shocked by what he got as an answer.

Glancing down at his little companion, he saw that Soph's eyes were half open and her face was obscenely red as she wobbled along next to him. "You need to get Intoxication Resistance or to never drink that dwarven stuff again. I dont know if youre a lightweight or not but this is something.

"I'm very light! And small! And cute... Hehehe... Lone told me I'm cute... He tells me that a lot, you know? Hick. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... Like now, but a different kind of warm and fuzzy..." Soph almost fell over as she rambled on, but he leaned down and wrapped an arm around her waist.

He picked her up into a princess carry and laughed a little bit. "What will I do with you now? I doubt we can go to a bookstore or the library like this without making a scene, can we? And you're not a fan of The Summoning Room, now are you? Hmm..."

He glanced at her face and saw that she had fallen asleep as he was holding her. "Huh... Well, I guess we should go back home for now. I can always visit the bookstores and the library tomorrow after Grimsley's lesson."