“Fuck. Finally. To think they'd be almost on the opposite side of the continent, in the fucking snowy northeast. My poor slimes had to travel this far. You would think they would be near the Holy Runa Kingdom, who are near the center of the continent from the fact that they're their closest trade partners. Fuck.”
Noah had finally arrived at the monster tribe after over two and a three-quarters months had passed since he began the search. He would direct slimes to prominent sites across the continent to scout the location based on likelihood that the monster tribe, who hid themselves with a non-perception barrier, would exist at that location. After sending them out and retrieving them everyday for several hours at a time, he had finally found the monster tribe when one of his slimes had accidentally rolled into the barrier.
Noah the nymph did not look out of place in the monster tribe. Walking past rows of snow covered houses and other monsters of all sizes, a part of him forgot the reason he was here in the first place, as he marveled at the village-like town.
‘To think all of this was built by monsters, and that these guys aren't attacking me. How? They must be sentient and intelligent then, but how can monsters be sentient, yet not demonic? Is there something about demonism I'm not aware of? There's also the dragon I saw, which was a demon even though it was already sentient. Another puzzle. Monster sentience without demonism in one case, and demonism in already sentient monsters in another. What a riot. Whatever. That’s not what I'm here for today, though I'll have to put it on my bucket of questions.’
Noah came to a stop outside a structure that looked like any other house, but just slightly larger. Opening the swinging door, he was greeted by the familiar thick stench of alcohol and sweat, one he had gotten all too accustomed to back from his year-long expedition towards the demon lord, when he and the three others would hit up taverns in disguise in relatively more rural areas to get full themselves up with any sort of sustenance before another day of battle.
‘Ah, good times.’
This tavern in particular, seemed to have many monster patrons crowding around a certain table, cheering and laughing. In curiosity, he trudged over, and craned his neck to try to get a look at the center of the commotion, and a smirk broke out on his face at the figure he saw.
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‘Well, Well, Well. My favorite alcoholic. ‘
It looked like she had been competing against another in a chugging contest, and that the cheers were for her victory.
“Watch your walk, kid!”
“Oy, kid!”
Noah squeezed his way through, disgruntling the monsters watching, prompting them to raise a fuss. His next move silenced the few cheers, and also the unhappy jeers.
“I'll hand this over if you drink more than me.”
Noah had slammed down a white-gold coin on the table, the symbol of universal wealth. A moment later, the monsters around began to wildly cheer.
“Wuooooh!!”
Clearly, they were happy to see something new. The woman did not quite react the same, however, as her eyes widened in clear disbelief.
“How…”
“Alright, let's get to it!”
“Wuooooh!!”
Noah ignored her and began to chug, and she, despite her initial surprise, went with the flow once the monsters began to cheer and chugged as well.
She had only gone through one bottle when she heard a thud and the monsters being abruptly silenced. She lowered the bottle to see Noah face-down on the table. He had collapsed from one bottle. The corners of her lips curled up. She was well aware of his pathetic alcohol tolerance.
For months, she had used her gift on language and her powerful aura to intimidate hostile monsters that sometimes accidentally stumbled into the settlement. Despite their hostility, the monsters here hated seeing their own kind get hurt, and so this person who had mysteriously showed up one day who could communicate with any intruder and either talk them away or frighten them off without harming them, had become something of a local hero to them, despite her lost arm that they knew was unhealable.
Which was why Noah’s next words were so impactful to everyone here, which he spoke after she cast a First Circle - Heal on him to sober him up.
“I could hand this coin over, but instead, think about this. Who has two thumbs and could restore one of yours, unlike that shitty Saintess?”
Silence. No one laughed.
“...you know, since restoring your arm means you get your thumb back…and the ‘who has two thumbs thing’ means someone pointing at themselves…funny joke…Fuck, I'm tryna say I possess the ability to heal you now.”
Silence, but this time, it was from shock, as Noah dispelled his mimicry, and the monsters realized the identity of the Mimic Hero.
Five minutes to sunset.