"I would recommend this one. It is made using a fruit that only grows around Antim Lake and I find it to be quite delicious." Zilre said, handing a bottle of brandy over to Marcus.
Taking the bottle Marcus uncorked it and immediately the strong scent of alcohol along with the subtle smell of the fruit that it was made from wafted around him.
Excitedly Marcus poured some into one of the many glasses around him and watched as the amber colored liquid filled it up.
When it was around half full, he stopped and began drinking the brandy.
'That is pretty good. This place is certainly not serving cheap stuff.'
Once Marcus had finished the brady he set the cup down and took a good look at the tavern he found himself in.
The place was pretty high class as one would expect an establishment chosen by a grand elder of Aezam to host their guests.
But the most surprising thing was that other than the staff only Marcus, Mrazivý, Zilre, and Igna were inside.
Certainly, it had been agreed upon by Akeem and Ghazi that they would be given their privacy, but Marcus had figured that all manner of hidden guards would be lying in wait, or that agents of the two clans would be acting as members of the staff.
However, this was not the case. Marcus could not sense anyone hiding within the establishment, and none of the staff were practically high level or had any skills that a spy might have. It was possible that there was someone skilled enough able to avoid being detected, but Marcus doubted that as the case. More likely both clans realized that anyone they sent in would be noticed by their four high level guests.
"So, how did the two of you end up as guests of the Sulb Clan?" Mrazivý asked in between drinks.
Yet instead of giving a straight answer Igna had two bottles of a type of liquor they had not had yet brought over and slammed it onto the table.
"How about this. If you can beat us in a little drinking coemption I will answer your question. But if we win you will answer one of ours."
"Sure. But I should warn you that we are not going to lose at a drinking competition." Mrazivý said, grabbing the tall bottle and bringing it over to her and Marcus.
"I would not be so confident about that. This drink is called Flames of the Phoenix. It does not go down easy. Most people will find their mouths numb and burning after just one sip." Igna said.
She then opened hers and her sister's bottle and a very pungent smell began filling the area.
Immediately Marcus could tell that some sort of spicy pepper had been used in the creation of this beverage.
Opening their own bottle, Marcus looked inside and peered down at the light red liquid within.
"I am sure that you can tell now how strong it is. If you want to back out now, I would not blame you." Igna said with a smirk on her face as she poured out a glass for Zilre and herself.
In response Marcus and Mrazivý exchanged a glance, and Mrazivý pushed the entire bottle over to Marcus.
"I am ready to start whenever you to are."
"Um, aren't you going to pour it out into some glasses first?" Zilre asked, a look of confusion on her face.
She and Igna currently had two full cups sitting in front of them, but Marcus was just gripping the bottle without having poured it into anything.
"There is no need for that. I will drink the entire bottle myself." Marcus said confidently.
Both Zilre and Igna went wide eyed at this declaration.
This was not the kind of alcohol that could be drank all at once. Not only was it quite spicy, but it was around eighty percent alcohol, and it was in a three-liter bottle.
Surely individuals at a higher level could handle drinking far more alcohol than a normal person, but they were not immune to it. Even Zilre and Igna were certain they would be fairly wasted if they drank an entire bottle each in one sitting. Half a bottle was doable, but a hole one would be a bit too much.
"Very well. Just don't start crying to us when you hurt yourself." Igna said lifting up her glass and getting ready to begin.
As Mrazivý gave the signal to start, Igna and Zilre both took large gulps of the liquid from their glasses and drank the highly alcoholic liquor.
Except when they looked across at Marcus, both of them were stunned to see that he had simply tipped the bottle over and was drinking it like water.
Both of them hurried and finished their first glasses, but before they could even finish their second Marcus put the bottle down.
"You know I was expecting it to be a bit harsher and not taste all that good. But whoever made this did a pretty good job. It was much smoother than I was expecting, and it was not given a bad taste just to make it spicier." Marcus said, commenting on the drink.
Of course, Zilre and Igna were barely even paying attention to his assessment of the drink. Instead, their mouths were hung open as they stared at him in disbelief.
Marcus had just easily emptied the entire bottle without one stopping to take a breath or swallow. He had simply poured it straight down into his body. A feat that would be impossible for any flesh and blood person, but certainly not for a ghost.
'I still do not know where it all goes though.' Marcus thought once again pondering what happens to the items he consumes.
"That's just not possible." Zilre said.
"It must be some kind of trick. He probably just opened up his item box in his mouth and poured it into there." Igna accused.
"Nope, Marcus really did drink the entire bottle. Did you forget that he is a spirit. The only physical limit he has is how much he can fit in his mouth at one time." Mrazivý said, wearing a haughty expression as if Marcus's achievement was her own.
Zilre groaned when she heard this, and Igna rubbed her face and took another drink. Neither of them had ever shared a drink with a spirit before and did not even consider that a being without a flesh and blood body would be unaffected by alcohol.
"And here I thought we might be able to beat you two at something after our loss in the tournament. Still a win is a win, even if we never stood a chance." Igna said, before stuffing a handful of dried meat into her mouth.
She and Zilre then had a quick discussion, before Zilre looked intently at Marcus and Mrazivý.
"Okay, if we are going to tell you how we became guests of the Sulb Clan, you have to promise not to mention any of this to anyone else."
"Sure, we are not the types to go gossiping about people behind their backs. We will keep it to ourselves." Marcus said, a sincere expression on his face.