A sly smile emerged on her heavenly features. “Future hubby, you created this wonderful bath for us to enjoy. As a lady with the noblest of hearts, I wish to return the gesture.”
Having said that, she reached into her storage ring with a flourish. A moment later, a heavy, ornate bottle materialized in her grip. It was a deep obsidian flask with veins of glowing crimson running along its surface, pulsating weakly like molten metal beneath a cooled rock. A thick, silver wax seal covered the top, embossed with a stylized hammer and anvil.
“Molten Anvil Mead,” Vex announced in a sultry tone. “Brewed by the famed dwarven master brewer, Torbjorn Emberdraft, high in the frozen peaks of the northern parts of the Alliance of Elvardia. They say it’s so potent it could melt an anvil—hence the name.”
This chaotic woman then tilted her head to the side innocently, but obvious mischief was brimming in her eyes. “Would you care to share a drink with me?”
The way she said it—smooth, confident, yet laced with a dare—made it clear she wasn’t merely offering alcohol.
“How did you even get your hands on such a drink? Even I heard rumors of this brewer dude, but he is more like a myth in these lands. They not only don’t trade with humans but this specific drink can’t even be found in normal dwarf homes. Isn’t this something only royalty can afford?”
“Did I hear Molten Anvil Mead?!” A new feminine voice shouted excitedly, followed by sounds of eager steps rushing toward us. It was none other than my cheeky elf, she had just finished changing into her bathing garbs. We’d kept her in the loop, so she knew the cat was already out of the bag—Vex knew her race.
Instead of being annoyed or worried, she was outright overjoyed for this meant she would no longer have to wear boots.
Without any reservations, she gracefully stepped into the bath and moved closer to Vex, observing the item in her hand. “I’d always wanted to try this, but my mother said that not only was this too expensive to purchase, but that I would also kill myself by drinking it!”
… She was oddly excited while saying those words.
Unlike me, Vex found no issues with her statement. “Hehe, I know right? That midget is a genius, I love this drink. I simply can’t go back to liquor brewed by anyone else.”
“How did you even get your hands on this bottle?” Ayame asked puzzledly.
Based on the glint in Vex’s eyes, it must’ve been a tale she found amusing. She began detailing it.
“Whenever my schedule permits, I cross the border and massacre enough yellow kittens until I’m momentarily satisfied or have Orianna call me on repeat, screaming at me to return to my duties immediately. On one such vacation, I got severely injured and blacked out. A dogkin trader found me and must’ve assumed me to be an abused cattle.
Cattle is a term used for non-beastkin captives of apex predators who are bred and fed to serve as food for them, basically farm animals. Anyhow. Thinking I was a cattle who somehow managed to survive the attack that befell on the exterminated lionkin settlement, he decided to be an opportunist and sell me as a slave in catkin territories.
Catkin are lazy creatures that want to be pampered at all times. As such, they’re one of the few beastkin who use slavery very prominently, to the point they’re the race boasting the largest per capita slave ownership. Bascially, each catkin household has its own slave, no matter how poor they are.
It took me a few days to come to, and once I did, I killed the man and looked around. Finding myself on the other side of the beastkin lands, I decided that since I’m here, I might as well hop over to the Alliance and check this famed brewer out.”
A satisfied grin accompanied her “one of the best decisions of my life” sigh. “Long story short, I broke into his highly guarded cellar and stole about 20,000 gold worth of liquor. I’ve been drinking that haul for the past 40 years…”
“You’re crazy…” Aurora muttered.
“Hehe, you’re confusing me with my big sis! She has pink hair not white like mine, dummy,” Vex deflected as easily as she breathed.
Aurora wasn’t alone in her shock. 20,000 gold? The most I ever had to my name was the couple hundred I went to the auction with. I never had four digits’ worth of cash on me. Besides the money mentioned, the rest of her story was just as crazy. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with this eccentric woman.
“I’m game,” I replied, accepting her unsaid challenge.
“Can I join too?!” Sera exclaimed with exhilaration.
“I gotta make friends with my sister-wives-to-be… You’re more than welcome.” Vex accepted her request, after which Eira moved to take the bottle from her hands. Poor girl was trembling as if she was freezing in a snowstorm, the value of that item made her heart beat rapidly. She feared dropping it.
“I’m not one to accuse one’s subordinates of bad behavior, but just to be safe, I’ll say it nonetheless. Don’t let your fellow maids take a sip from this, even a single drop would kill a level 1 person.”
Let’s just say Vex’s words didn’t alleviate any of Eira’s worries. Knowing she was dreading the journey to the bottom on the stone steps, I gave her a windlift. Once her feet landed on the solid ground of the plains, our eyes met and a great deal of gratitude could be observed.
“So this Molten Anvil Mead can kill with a single drop…?” Lucille asked apprehensively. She didn’t want me to drink it.
“That it can. This drink is brewed for high-tier combatants using a very unique method. They enchant the barrels using a family secret method of theirs before placing them in lava chambers where they’re left to ferment for over a century. As you should know, the higher one’s Vitality is, the more resistant they are to poison. Some of us only have unique brews like this that are capable of making us feel lightheaded.”
Damn.
“While we’re waiting for the drinks, I’ll call big sis,” Vex announced and immediately did as said.
“Hello?”
“Big sis, we found a necromancer!”
A lengthy silence descended on us, before Orianna sighed, “Details, please…”
Honestly, I never understood why Vex kept calling this woman crazy, Orianna seemed the only normal one of the bunch.
Vex did as asked, and just as the four maids asked me for an airlift, Orianna gave us new orders. “Your idea of her being a member of the Covenant sounds solid. I’ll relay your findings to the seven heads. However, you don’t need to wait for permission to act in the Beastman lands, you’ve already been given to act as you see fit. I recommend you take this matter to the leaders of the various tribes, giving them all the justification they need to declare war. That is all for now.”
With that, the communication line had been terminated.
It was thus time for us to light the flames that were about to consume the Beastman Confederation in a mighty inferno, where the opportunity to complete the requirements needed to unlock my soul-based necromantic class would be presented before me.
But before that, I would first get arrogantly drunk where I may or may not chance upon enough luck to share some skinship with the goner of a woman titled ‘Hexblade.’
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