"Bah! 'Master ma left nutsack! That Seloph wench can hardly control ah fookin' torch, let alone ah whole blasted forge! Tae ave the gall tae call 'erself a master What an insult to try experts at the craft, Grimsley hollered.
Currently, Lone and Soph were sat in the man's house in a very dirty and ssy living room-slash-forge.
A peculiar combination of rooms, that was for certain, but who were they to complain considering the building's size? Lone did have to wonder why he was operating out a slum though if he was so skilled.
I take it you arent friends? Lone asked.
The dwarf scoffed. That whores only friend is the coin the nobles an daft local adventurers funnel down er arsecheeks.
Colourful Well, the guy manning her shopfront looked down on solely for being a demi. Didnt even give the light of day, Lone explained.
Aye, ats how it works ere in this shitehole. Good thing, ah guess, or ye might ave actually beco er apprentice. Yell learn more fae in ah day than she could teach ya in ah month, Grimsley boasted.
Grimsley poured three pints of ale and handed one to Lone, one to Soph, and then kept the last one for himself. Hobrew fae Krieg Aftor. Its the good shite. Fookin costs an arm an ah leg tae import, so yes better enjoy it.
Whats the percentage on it? Lone asked as he carefully took a sip.
Imdiately he felt so vertigo and his vision was clouded by system ssages.
The host has developed the passive skill [Intoxication Resistance].
Passive Skill: Intoxication Resistance
A skill rewarded to those with an iron gut and a low enough intelligence to make getting drunk a regular sport.
Alcohol is weakened by 5% when consud by the host.
Cost:N/A Mastery:Beginner Level 1
Fuckin Christ alive! Lone yelled. It feels like my throats on fire!
Haha! At least ye can still speak! Look at yer lady friend! Grimsley cackled as he chugged his own mug of ale.
Soph had drunk about as much as Lone but her cheeks were already rosy and a silly grin was spread on her face.
Her eyes were unfocused as they watched Lones tails slowly sway back and forth.
Lone sighed. Thats gonna be a pain to deal with
Och, yell be fine. Look at her. Shes barely any taller than . Just carry er o. Yer doin better than ah thought yed be doin, in truth, Grimsley said.
Lone took another sip of the beverage and only winched a little bit this ti.
Congratulations! The hosts passive skill [Intoxication Resistance] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2.
He grinned a bit wryly at both the observation and the notification. Where Im from hard liquor is kinda common, not that I'm an avid drinker. Ive had my experiences though. Ive also got a lets say tough constitution.
Lone could already feel his Basic Regeneration trying its best to clear all fogginess from his mind and restore his motor control.
Grimsley groaned in pleasure as he sat down and cracked his back before he slouched and sipped on his ale a bit more. "Well, laddie. Ye wan tae be ma apprentice, aye?"
Lone nodded. "Yes. I'd love to. I really want to learn more about weapons, armour, tal, leatherworking, just everything to do with smithing, really."
He took a big gulp of his drink as he looked around a bit. 'I wonder where the other person is that Soph detected? Through that door? Maybe they're sleeping...'
"Aye, well, yeve co tae the right bloke. Ah dinnae mind, but what's in it fae ? Ah've ti tae spare, aye, but nae enough tae just throw at so whelp with nary ah care in the world. Primals be damned if ah do this fae free. Ah'm sure ye understand," Grimsley said as he used his sleeve to clean up the ad that had missed his mouth and ended up on his beard.
Lone smiled. "Of course. Like I said, I can pay you. How does a gold coin sound?"
"It sounds like ye only wannae get apprenticed tae fae ah month or two. Practice materials arnae cheap, laddie. Ah also need tae go buy ah contracting scroll, an' those buggers sell for ten-silvers, an that's even after ah've gone an' haggled it down at the black market," Grimsley claid as he finished his drink once again.
'Black market? That's interesting... Whyd he tell that off the bat? Solidarity in us both being demis?' Lone frowned lightly as he pondered. "Well, I can give you more money if you need it. I'm not the royal mint, but I'm also not poor. A month or two should be enough for to learn the basics, right?"
Ive yet to use my magic to make coins but Im sure it cant be that hard. Theyre small, after all. Ive got enough on though to pay for a few months apprenticeship, he thought.
"Hahaha! 'Ah'm naw the royal mint'! Ah'll fookin' rember at one, laddie." Grimsley bounced back up to his feet and returned to his ad keg.
He smacked it a few tis in anger when the tap only filled up half of his mug before running dry. "Aw, fook off! Ah'll need tae order another bleedin' barrel today anaw."
He slumped back down into his chair and said, "Aye. If ye've talent, ye should be smithin' iron in ah month or two nae bother. Maybe even steel."
'I bet with that much ti, I can get advanced or maybe even expert rank in the skills related to this shit. That'll be a good enough base for to experint on my own with,' Lone decided internally. "Perfect. A gold coin it is."
Lone took out the promised coin from his pocket and placed it on a nearby table. "What ti do we start?"
Grimsley held his neck as he thought. "Well, no ti like the present, aye? May as well gae ye an introductory lesson now if ye'd like."
Lone shook his head. "I actually have other plans for today. I honestly didn't expect to get myself apprenticed right now. I thought it'd take a few days of showing my worth. Should I co back tomorrow or the day after?"
Grimsley gave him an odd look. "Ye'r ah good sort, huh? Cannae say ah hate at. Yer lady friends as quiet as ah moose though. Vastly different fae yerself. Mind ye, shes pissed oot o' her socks.
Soph smiled sweetly as she wobbled about a bit on her chair. Clearly, she wasnt all quite there.
Haha, anyway, aye, tomorrow morn'll do. Dinnae ever co by in the afternoon or evenin' though. Ah'm busy completin commissions at those hours. Ah'll cancel this whole shite if ye ever break at rule, ye hear , laddie?"
"Yeah, I understand. We'll be back tomorrow morning then," Lone said as he finished his drink and got up.
Grimsley stayed seated as he glanced at Soph. "She'll co back anaw? Ah'm only teachin' ye, naw er anaw."
Lone smiled. "That's fine. She'll just watch. I don't feel safe keeping her out of my sights. Milindo is a harsh place for demis, true, but that doesn't an that it's perfectly safe for beautiful young human won as well."
Grimsley shrugged. "True 'nuff. Ah cannae say at ah find her tae be in ma tastes, but ah'm ah Stone Dwarf, so that's nae surprisin ah suppose." He cracked his neck as he said, "Well then, see ye the morrow, laddie."
Stone Dwarf? That would explain why so of his skin has hard grey patches. I thought they were injuries Guess it was lumps of stone. Thats pretty fuckin tal, Lone thought before replying, "Yeah, see you then."
He pulled Soph by the hand, and once they were back on the streets, he asked her a question. "Out of curiosity, where exactly was the second person in Grimsley's workshop?"
"Huh? I love you I really do, yknow? Hehe.. Oh. Uh, the other person? Uh In the... hehe. In the basent sleeping on a bed, I think... Is there supposed to be eleven twelve thirteen tails? I thought you only had nine" Lone was shocked by what he got as an answer.
Glancing down at his little companion, he saw that Soph's eyes were half open and her face was obscenely red as she wobbled along next to him. "You need to get Intoxication Resistance or to never drink that dwarven stuff again. I dont know if youre a lightweight or not but this is sothing.
"I'm very light! And small! And cute... Hehehe... Lone told I'm cute... He tells that a lot, you know? Hick. It makes feel all warm and fuzzy inside... Like now, but a different kind of warm and fuzzy..." Soph almost fell over as she rambled on, but he leaned down and wrapped an arm around her waist.
He picked her up into a princess carry and laughed a little bit. "What will I do with you now? I doubt we can go to a bookstore or the library like this without making a scene, can we? And you're not a fan of The Summoning Room, now are you? Hmm..."
He glanced at her face and saw that she had fallen asleep as he was holding her. "Huh... Well, I guess we should go back ho for now. I can always visit the bookstores and the library tomorrow after Grimsley's lesson."
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