The Demon King’s Hero Of Light - Volume 1 Chapter 156 156 A Drinking Competition

“Do you think this is a good idea?” asked Alfred softly as they stood waiting for everyone to find a seat.

“What?” asked Aella, feigning ignorance.

“You know what,” he growled. “Why do you want to get drunk? There is no telling how you will react when drunk. People act in all different ways, and the morning after isn’t pretty.”

“I’m participating in this competition because they’ve requested I join in. It wouldn’t be very fair if I didn’t get drunk, and besides, we don’t want them to find out that I’m completely immune to poison, do we? I’m not as good at acting as you are.”

Alfred’s frown didn’t go away, but he stopped questioning her. Frederik kept looking around, trying to keep track of the many dwarves that had flooded into the room. Aella was sure Bob kept expanding the room to make it big enough, but she could never quite catch it happening.

“We’re about to start!” cried the king from the raised platform Aella and the princess were also on with him. “All of you need to get a seat or get out!”

There was laughing as the dwarves all found seats and then looked up at them in anticipation.

“Our guest, King Aella, has graciously put on this drinking competition in honor of our late royals, the Prince and Princess Silvermane, and in celebration of my getting crowned king!”

A cheer made its way around the room before he could continue. If she didn’t know any better, Aella would think they were glad the twins were gone.

“This competition will be straightforward. Everyone will get as much ale as they can drink, and the last person awake wins!”

Another cheer made its way around the room, but died down as he held up his hands to get their attention. “The winner will get free ale for a year from Bob!”

Aella raised her eyebrow as Bob’s head spun around in surprise. That must not have been something any of them agreed to, but she just laughed and waved at Bob to make sure he knew she would take care of it. Bob’s eyes narrowed at that, but he nodded eventually and went back to overseeing the many workers he had prepared to start handing out the ale.

“There will be pitchers on the tables to refill your mugs as you empty them! Enjoy!” Laughed King Voluri, picking up his mug and saluting everyone. They all held up their drink as well, and everyone took a drink at the same time, to signal the beginning of the competition.

Aella looked down at her drink, feeling it warm her belly unlike anything else she had ever had before. The flavor reminded her of warm cookies straight out of the oven, and oranges. Bob had told her, when he handed it to her, that it was a special brew from Joseph’s private chef, Stu. The chef had developed it over a hundred years for celebration of Joseph’s 100-year anniversary to Stella. Aella wasn’t sure how she felt drinking such a special brew, and wondered how much she would owe Bob after this.

With a sigh she closed her eyes briefly. When would she learn to work out the price first with him? Glancing back at Princess Daefina, who was laughing and chatting with the dwarven king, she couldn’t help but admire the curves on her. If only she was a guy instead of a girl! It was probably a good thing that her brother wasn’t here, or she might have taken the princess’s offer up on courting him.

“Frederik, why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” asked Aella, setting her mug down after the third drink. The room was really hot, and she was tempted to take off her shirt, only, she didn’t have a shirt on. Looking down, she made it change to a more revealing cut, to allow air to circulate around her. The breeze made her hair wave a little.

“Aella, I’ve never seen you acting like this!” said Frederik, his eyes wide as he watched her splay out on her chair.

“Of course not! I’ve never been drunk before!” she slurred, possibly a little too loudly, which caused Daefina and Voluri to glance at her in amus.e.m.e.nt. They knew she wasn’t drinking the same stuff as everyone else.

The noise in the room was becoming louder and louder, and dwarves were beginning to get rowdy. The night was going to be a long one if she remained here. The best thing might be to get out and get some fresh air.

“Aella, let me take you outside for a breath of air,” offered Alfred, noticing her muttered train of thoughts. “It wouldn’t be good to jump anywhere right now.”

Aella nodded at him, letting him pull her to her feet, and Frederik stepped in to help steady her when her feet didn’t want to work right. She did still have two, right? Glancing down, didn’t seem to help much, but she could fly to keep from falling.

Alfred pushed her back down before anyone noticed she wasn’t on the ground, and started pulling her out of the room with Frederik close at her side. The dwarves all laughed, thinking she was calling it a night.

They stumbled to the main room of Bob’s bar, where he was waiting for them.

“The drink from Stu was pretty strong. I’m sorry it’s affecting you so strongly, but it shouldn’t last long. You only had a few sips. No one can see you now, if you want to teleport outside for some fresh air. I’ll expect payment later,” said Bob.

“What do I owe you?” asked Aella, slurring her words a little as she struggled to stand straight.

“Quite a bit, as well as new bar sites along your travels,” he answered with a grin.

“Where else am I going, other than the elves?” she asked with a groan.

“The other tablets are with the halflings and gnomes. I want a bar with each of them.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, teleporting with Alfred and Frederik to the landing on the side of the mountain entrance.

It was full dark outside, with a brisk wind whipping around the side of the small building.

“The weather’s turned nasty,” groaned Frederik, wrapping his wings tightly around him, and looking up into the pitch black around them. “I think it might storm soon!”

“Oh, yes!” laughed Aella, holding her arms up to the welcome of the air as it swirled around her in greeting. “I’m going to go play!”

“Wait, what?” cried Alfred and Frederik as she jumped into the air and let the wind guide her.

“Aella!” cried the two, standing far below her, waving at her in horror.

Aella could only laugh as she let the air pull her higher and higher into the air, tugging on her short hair and pulling at her clothes. The clouds rushed down to meet her, wrapping her in their chilly embrace, soaking her through in moments with their heavy load of moisture.

A rumble in the distance heralded the coming rain, and she welcomed it. The wind loved her carefree attitude and took her flying over the mountains, towards the east, away from the dangerous magic that could hurt her if she got too close. She flew along with the wind, following its random course as it sped through the mountain passes, skimming along the edges of cliffs and trickled through densely packed trees hidden in mountain valleys inaccessible any other way. Glimpses of roving bands of orcs and goblins hunkered down in caves or cleared patches of forest sped by as she raced with the wind.

A huge hulking green figure, clinging to a cl.u.s.ter of rocks, glanced up at her as she flew by, watching in silence as she laughed and played in the wind. It tilted its head as if in confusion, before resuming its climb to a cave she spotted above it.

The only thing that would have made this better, would have been if she had her pet lion with her, but as the coastline came into view, Aella realized she must have been flying for most of the night. Settling down on a cliff ledge, on the very end of the mountains, she looked out over the water in the predawn light and realized how silly she had been. Alfred and Frederik must be worried about her. What if the elven king or some of his people had seen her zoom off into the air, or watched her teleport from inside the dwarven keep?

The storm hadn’t reached this far yet, and the calm waters below her reflected the increasing light of the morning dawn. With a sigh, she left its beauty behind and teleported back to the small building that protected the entrance to the dwarven city. Alfred and Frederik were waiting for her there, having stayed the whole night in the small room while the storm outside beat against the side of the mountain.

“Aella!” cried Alfred, zooming to her side and looking her over, as if worried she had been hurt.

“Are you alright,” asked Frederik, walking up to her, but keeping his hands behind his back.

“Yes, the drunkenness seems to have passed. Thank you both for taking me out of the room before I made a scene in front of the entire dwarven people.”

“It was our duty,” said Frederik with a bow, strangely formal.

“Duty? Hell, it’s what friends do!” exclaimed Alfred, shaking his head. “Let’s go back and see who won.”