With little to no ceremony, Lan was dragged to the Silver-haired Maiden Inn, where the celebration was in full swing. Despite the time, almost every table was filled; the only reason there were any left being that most had too much energy and money to sit.

The atmosphere in the hall was without equal, Like Lan had stepped into a legendary tale when the heroes gathered to celebrate the defeat of a dark lord and remember those that had fallen.

Only none had fallen, and Lan was being dragged to a table by a boy, who could have been his younger brother and a Dwarf, who didn’t seem too bothered about paying for everyone's drinks.

Lan was ushered to a chair before Vulk all but glided off to buy the first round. Sora took the chair to his right and grinned, and Olivia took the one to his left before Giving him a sweet smile and a wink. Lan had to stop himself from looking away too quickly. Then they just looked at him as if waiting for a show to start, clearly enjoying the secret too much to share it with him.

‘Alright, you two, if you keep this up, you are going to scare him off,’ Locke said. ‘How are you holding up?’ He asked Lan.

‘I… I am.’ Before Lan could answer, his stomach did for him. ‘hungry.’

To this, Sora's grin grew even wider before Locke shot him down with a look.

‘That’s something I can fix.’ Looking up, Lan found Leah with a lump of meat, cheese and bread in a large bowl.

‘Wait, you are working?’ Lan asked. Leah had changed out of her armour and back into her uniform and apron

‘Someone has to,’ she shrugged with a wry smile.

‘Well, thanks.’ Lan smiled back, guessing it helped to be a high level, but he had no idea where she got the willpower from. Lan heard the bowl rattle on the table, and when he looked down, he found it empty as it spun to a stop.

‘Oh, what is wrong with you thugs?’ she snapped, thumping Sora with her tray as he shoved fists full of cheese and meat into his face.

‘Ah! What? We have to eat too, you know,’ the young man protested.

‘Yeah, right,’ Leah sighed. ‘I’ll go and get more.’ Looking around at the gleefully chomping faces, Lan turned to Locke for an explanation. Only he seemed too preoccupied with something as the others just smiled at him.’

When Lan was about to ask what was happening, Vulk slammed four mugs of beer on the table while Drevin placed a tray with more next to it. Sora, Vasha and Olivia cheered as the dwarf started handing out beers.’

‘Yes, yes, I am the best. Now shut up and drink. That goes double,’ Vulk said as he slammed two mugs in front of Lan. ‘For you.’

‘Sorry,’ Locke shrugged as Lan looked up at him, ‘the worst member buys.’

‘And the one that did the best drinks. Everything put in front of them, including the extra round for being the best.’ Vulk laughed.

‘It’s a dumb rule, but it’s our rule,’ Locke shrugged again apologetically. Their rule, it was clear that no matter how ridiculous this may seem, it was important to them. With a nod, Lan picked up one of the mugs.

‘Oh, and you have to finish it before we go up for the next round, or you get punished.’ Vulk said as one; they all picked up a mug for what Lan thought was going to be a toast. Instead, from Locke to the noble Olivia and even Cassandra and the caring knight, Drevin began to chug their beers.

‘W-wait, what!’ Lan managed to say as Vulk slammed his mug.

‘Better be quick. I'm already done.’ Vulk’s booming laugh rang in his ears as Lan wondered what the consequences would be of not finishing. Bracing himself, Lan quickly dove into his own mug.

Although he wasn’t the biggest drinker, Lan found strength in the devilish glee in the eyes of those around him. Lan pulled hard and finished the first one a moment before Locke, Drevin, and Cassandra thumped their mugs on the table. Luckily for him, the others were a little slower, but not by much.

Lan had started on the second one when Vasha thumped her mug, and he could see the bottom of the mug begin to peek out before he heard another hit the table. Looking out the corner of his eye, only Olivia and him were still drinking. Lan was almost there; just a few more pulls, he thought when he heard the last mug hit the table, followed by a cheer that the noble mage waved off.

‘Oh please, you’re too kind.’ She said before giving Lan a sweet smile as he placed his mug down.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

‘Hey, don’t look down. It was a good try,’ Sora said, patting Lan on the back, ‘but…’ he grinned.

‘Not good enough,’ Vulk laughed as he sprung up and back to the bar.

As Lan’s head slowly started to swim, the sound of a lyre played over the dull roar in the hall. With each pluck of the strings, all other sounds in the room fell away until only the player's fingers commanded a sound in the room. A moment later, it was joined by humming from a voice that was so beautiful that it seemed to have more of an effect on Lan than the alcohol, and Lan wasn’t the only one as the singer seemed to ensnare all those in the room as she began to sing about an adventure that somehow seemed to be about a specific event while also representing everyone in the hall, well except for himself.

And as the song ended, it became clear that the celebration truly began only then. Loudly told jokes to the sound of thundering laughter mixed with singing along with the bard, competitions of strength and the clearing of the dance floor for the more spirited adventurers. Because of those around the bard, Lan couldn’t get a good look, and as a band joined her singing, he had to tear his gaze away and back to the table, only to find Vulk had returned, not only with more beer, two mugs of which were sitting in front of him but also a shot glass of something.

‘Here you are… along with your punishment shot.’ The bearded demon said, pushing the liquid Lan’s way.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

The liquid was clear with a light green colour. It looked harmless enough and nothing like the drinks Lan had learned of during his time as a merchant apprentice that one had to turn down if offered during a negotiation. However, the harrowed looks on the other's faces and Vulk’s mirth worried him.

‘Oh, it’s just a little drink from the Black Scar. Although we use it to make fire bombs,’ Vulk shrugged.

‘Maybe this is a little too far,’ Drevin shivered.

‘Well, you could always have it for him, Lord Guardian.’ Vulk offered to which the other man didn’t answer, only giving Lan a sympathetic look.

‘Now it’s best if you don’t let it touch the inside of your mouth when you drink it, also better not savour it too much.’ Vulk explained like he knew how little sense he was making and loved every moment of it.

Lan picked up the glass and downed the contents without giving himself time to think.

There are times in life when instant regret is punishment enough as is, and there are times when you learn that you are ignorant to the true horrors of the world only when you are made to face one. Lan gained a true understanding of both at that moment.

First was pain like he had placed hot coals in his mouth and tried to swallow them, it was only alleviated when his face went numb, but that did not spare Lan from the fetid taste, which made his stomach lurch, a taste that there was no description for nothing could do justice to its true horror, which in its final moments left him with the pain one felt in their core as if he had been kicked in the groin. Before, just like that, it was gone leaving only a memory of the chaos it had wrought.

[New skill acquired]

‘Mother of all creation!’ Lan’s body shook as he immediately grabbed one of the mugs to wash the taste out of his mouth, almost missing the voice of the world as Vulk slammed his fist on the table, making the other mugs jump a good inch.

‘That would be the Orc-hag liver you are tasting.’ He leaned in. ‘and you know the best part? Try to describe the taste.’

Lan did, knowing it would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life. Or so Lan thought. As he tried, Lan realised only the visceral reaction he had remained. The taste itself was gone.’ The Magic of the liver makes it so that you forget what it tasted like a moment later. So every time you drink it.’

‘It’s like your first,’ Lan finished as an icicle dragged itself down his back as the true horror hit him.

‘That is the beauty of the forget me not,’ Vulk laughed. ‘Only the best for our winner.’

‘As you can guess, having to pay all night isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. Especially when you are surrounded by sore losers.’ Locke explained as the others chuckled like grizzled veterans recounting a campaign.

‘Right…’ Lan breathed.

The only good thing was the shot made him feel sober again, so he felt ready for the next time Vulk went up. Taking another sip, Lan remembered that he had gained a skill and asked the voice.

[You have gained the skill: Poison Resistance.]

Lan almost spat his beer all over the others.

‘What, how?’ Lan thought to the voice.

[Although technically safe for consumption, in the moments of its effect, the forget me not mirrors a deadly poison enough to unlock the skill in your body.]

Lan blinked at that before looking around the table. All of them wore knowing looks mixed with a determination that told Lan that they didn’t plan on losing the next one.

Lan prepared himself just as determined to never taste that drink again. But as the indescribable taste faded again. Lan knew he was in trouble.

There was one more round of drinking with consequences before Locke, and the others seemed to really join the party.

Drevin and Vulk were in the middle of a conversation that involved a lot of pointing to their arms.

Cassandra was dominating an impromptu arm wrestling competition while looking a little bewildered.

Sora was juggling everything people were throwing at him until Vasha threw a chair, leading him to chase her around with a leg while Leah chewed them out.

Locke seemed more than happy to just drink and watch, while Olivia was content to just work on her mug of beer, barely moving it from her lips before suddenly placing it on the table and looking at Lan with a determined frown until he noticed her. When he did, she was inches away from his face as she smiled and pulled him onto the dance floor.

It took some time before Lan noticed what he was doing. He was dancing in an inn full of warriors who lived a life like no other, seeing the world in a light that most would never. If that wasn’t enough, he was dancing with a noble, something he wasn’t sure he should be doing. Lan would have said the teller was drunk if this was a story. But In that moment, none of that mattered.

As he looked at Olivia, her face flushed from the alcohol and her usual teasing replaced with glee, Lan realised he was having fun. At least, that was until Vulk shouted,

“Drink!”

In the middle of spinning around the dance floor, Olivia threw him out of the way and into a group before the two scrambled to get back to the table. Luckily, the taste of the shot disappeared just as fast as the first two times. Even still, it marked a beginning of a very long night.

[New skill acquired: Alcohol tolerance]