“I- I still can’t believe this! Do you know how much this knowledge represents!? It means there is no real animosity between the gods and religious conflicts are all human-“

“Ercole, I don’t think I can understand you right now.”

“But- We’ve discovered that the conflict between the gods, long established for thousands of years- It ended! I- I need to rest now… Maybe pray to Athervi and Aphradori since it seems like I won’t be punished for it.”

He sighed untying the ties of his shirt and throwing it aside with his scarf. Leaving his chest completely bare as he bent over on his seat.

Both Hreysti and Dyo couldn’t help but stop and blush at the sight of his tanned muscular chest.

“Going to tease them?” Shani asked, looking between them.

“No… I- I have to process this and catch my breath… This day…”

She shrugged, turning to the other two, “I suppose this is your time for free looks. But control yourselves. You look like drunken wives. Not a good look.”

Dyo swallowed, “We will be drunk soon though…”

“So, save it until then and focus. I can make fun of you better with the drink too.”

That would be an argument not to give you it.

He tried to pry his eyes away, nudging Hreysti in the elbow to do the same.

Before him was the Krater, filled with red wine that filled the entire bronze interior with a dark red reflection. It was beautiful… Not as beautiful as Heysti or Ercole but still-

Did he really think that!?

He felt the urge to slam his head into the krater as his face flushed further. Fucking wine…

It was such a nice vintage that he couldn’t help but take a sip and let his magical tolerances slip. And somehow that small sip had gotten him thinking like this… And it couldn’t have been anything else!

He’d be keeping those tolerances on when he took the full cup. Then he’d also be able to properly savour the pristine vintage Ercole had reserved too. Talking to the man who made it would be a priority for him if he ever got the chance.

But that might not be for some time.

He picked up the herb, looking it over in his hands before dropping it in. He then picked up a jug of fresh water and poured it in. Then, to mix he picked up a staff he prepared and started to pound the herb in the jar. Forcing all of the oils and flavour out, into the drink.

Finally, he placed his hand against the side of the Krater, stirring the stick as he muttered. He wasn’t sure what he was saying, really it was anything that came to mind, the words carting themselves to his mouth to be spoken. A spell seemingly forming.

And, with that, it should be done. Hopefully.

He drew the stick out, grabbing a cup and dipping it in. A large swill of it coming out with it.

It was time to see if it actually worked…

Slowly, he put it to his lips, drinking the entire cup’s worth in one.

The flavour was beautiful, the flavours combining together in perfect harmony. The taste tingling on his tongue.

He swallowed.

He didn’t feel any different after that, but perhaps…

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“Shani, can you speak some Cudeshian to me?”

“Hmm?” She looked up, surprised for a moment before clearing her throat, “Uh- Have you ever witnessed the true azure of the Cudesh at sundown? When the work settles and life sleeps, leaving nought but the blue of the river and the black of night.”

He blinked. That- That couldn’t be her speaking Emoran but it registered as it, and not at the same time.

“That’s the most elegant thing you have ever said! Where did you learn it!?”

Ercole bolted up as Shani stared, wide-eyed at the sudden fluent Cudesian.

“It fucking worked?!” She sputtered.

“It fucking worked!”

Ercole laughed, dashing to the krater and grabbing a cup of his own. Quickly he dipped it in and guzzled the contents. Letting out a small sigh of satisfaction as he did.

Shani quickly followed, taking her own cup and dipping it in, taking a small sip of the wine.

“This’ll make contracts easier to negotiate…” She muttered in what Dyo recognised as fluent Emoran.

Dyo filled his cup back up, looking at it and then Hreysti.

He was about to do something stupid. There was probably another way to express it, but he wanted to make the gesture.

He pulled his gladius from his belt, slitting his finger. Blood started to drip out, blood he then put it into the cup by poking his entire finger in and swirling it. Mixing his own blood into the wine.

“I- I thought you might get some sort of idea of the taste with this.”

“You didn’t need to put your finger in though…”

“It was the best idea I had for mixing it…”

Hreysti chuckled, taking the cup from before taking a long drink of it.

He closed his eyes, savouring that wine-like bloody tang inside the blandness of the rest of the drink.

“I can finally honour you…”

Dyo couldn’t tell what language Hreysti spoke there, it wasn’t any he had ever heard of… But he didn’t ask what it was. This was a moment to be left to Hreysti.

So, all that was left was Agrippa.

They slowly walked up to it and took their drink. Their eyes closed, their body tensing, bracing for some great impact. That then never came as they looked around, not seeing anything different. Nothing felt different it was… Anticlimactic, to them.

“I thought I’d feel something…”

“It’s just something that happens Agrippa, you can tell I’m not speaking Emoran now, right?” Dyo asked in Cudeshian.

“Wait- I-It does! Y-You didn’t even do anything special to it!”

“Divine power works in mysterious ways Agrippa,“ Ercole answered, “And magic is not always visible to the eye.”

“That makes sense, b-but still! It’s amazing!”

“It stops me from sounding like an idiot for one…” Shani grunted.

“And it will make our next leg a lot easier.” Ercole continued, “The empire doesn’t have a lot of Emoran speakers, so we’d have been in a little trouble without this.”

“And you didn’t mention this before!?”

“I assumed it would be a given! The academic language in the Charin world is Thessalian, and several sects deliver their sermons in it. So, you need to know either the local language or Thessalian to get by.”

“And we now know them all…”

“Exactly! But-”

“But what is it?” Dyo asked.

“There is one city that we should visit while we are passing through. Uribhafen. It’s possibly the largest of the five trading cities of the north Luvari sea. There are a few things I might need to buy from there and it’ll make a good resting point.”

He raised an eyebrow, “What “things” do you need to buy?”

“Just a few things for my sister. I’ve told you about her before, right?”

“You have a little.”

“I’ll tell you more about her once we get moving. But-“ He sighed, “She’s getting married soon, part of an alliance my father is arranging I think. So, I need something for that as well… Oh-! Actually, all of you might be able to tag along with the proceedings if we get you nice and presentable for then!”

“That would be- uh- interesting?”

“Oh, it’ll be a sight into another world for all of you!”

“It would be…”

“Though there is one thing that all of you need to know. Don’t mention any other gods or figures other than Yaawha and the three saints. Don’t say gods, say god and don’t say hells, say hell. Or else you will have the church on you, and we do not want that. Got it?”

Dyo swallowed, “I’ve got it. I’ll make sure to keep the hood down.”

“Good, and Hreysti, you should either get a story straight or get a hood yourself. Vampires are known around the empire, but not everyone is fond of them. Especially when they don’t have a reason to be around.”

“So, like the knight then?” he growled.

“The knight is one extreme, yes. So, stick with us. Once we get back in Emor and when we are going through the free states a lot less people will be aware of them. So, you can go back to normal once we get out.”

“Oh, that’s fucking great…”

“The inquisition that was going around has been halted luckily a few years back. So, it should be safe for all of you if you just don’t run your mouths.”

Dyo’s eyes flew open “Sorry, Ercole, Inquisition!? What’s that!?”

He chuckled nervously, “Just a massive investigation of the church into heretics and heathens that involved a few militant individuals. And those individuals might have done some- uh- violent things but they are gone now. Hell, they were the cause of it being cancelled. But I guess now with the revelation we now had…”

Ercole sighed, taking a bit more of the wine as he sat down.

“I guess it was done for nothing but for violence’s own sake. To our adventure!”