Chapter 32: Chapter 108 – New Champion of the Sea

Miria also giggled, slowly coming back to herself. She still stayed in Ast’s arms, leaning onto him, a pleasant smile painting her lips. With careful steps, Asterios walked up to the sitting Selene and helped her up as Umbra popped out of her shadow and perched himself on his shoulder.

Moreso’s crew made it onto the deck and looked around in disbelief and horror. 

Disbelief because it was unimaginable to create such a mess out of Finards, not even mentioning dealing with the whole swarm that fast. Their previous encounter with the monsters—those who lived through it to tell the tale—was a long battle of life and death.

Horror because the whole ship, from top to bottom, was painted red, including the sails. And somebody had to clean everything up. It wasn’t hard to guess who.

It would take hours if not days to return the ship to its previous state. But, at least not a single part seemed to be damaged, besides a few singed spots on the wooden deck here and there.

The captain approached the group and made a heavy sigh. “Well… You did keep the promise… I guess I can only blame myself for not expecting this…”

“Don’t worry, Captain. It’s not like we’ll hole ourselves in our cabins and not come out until you are done. We made this mess so it’s only natural we’ll help get rid of it too,” Asterios said.

“Master is right. I just need a few minutes more, ehehehe…”

“Take as many of them as you need. All of this would be us and not these fishbrains if not for all of you. Alright, I need to head to the helm. Better change the course slightly. I ain’t taking any more risks before we reach Dagger’s End even if we have to waste a day or two.”

“A wise choice with how much food we have just recently deposited into the water.” Selene chuckled.

Moreso raised his brow at her and waved his hand with another sigh. He started walking towards the stairs leading up with visible struggle. Besides the circle around the group, pretty much everything else was wet with blood and he slipped a few times on the steps. They could also hear an occasional thud as someone from the crew landed on their back after moving too fast.

Asterios turned his face to look at Miria and she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. A slight blush peeked from under the blood splatters on her slightly embarrassed face.

“Let’s wash you up before all of this dries off. We don’t want your beautiful fur and hair to get damaged.” Her cheeks reddened a little more and she nodded, snuggling her face to his vest. “We’ll be leaving for a moment then. Sver—”

Asterios was going to ask Svertaniel if they could talk about some of his spells later but stopped after seeing the man supporting himself on the mast as his legs were all wobbly again. Svertaniel smiled at him wryly.

“I’m fine. I’ll just wait here until someone clears up the path to the door…”

“Selene, would you kindly assist our friend to his room?”

“With pleasure, my Lord.” She bowed and turned to the man. He had a bad feeling about her smile.

Picking Miria up into his arms, Asterios headed under the deck without looking back. If he did, he would witness how a quite scary-looking demon with ashen skin and four short sharp horns on his forehead was being princess-carried by a charming fox lady with an angelic expression.

She delivered Svertaniel to his cabin just like her master had requested and quickly walked to the bathroom cabin that Asterios and Miria were in, joining the duo under the pretext of washing the sweat off her body that accumulated quite a lot during her very exhausting technique. 

They could tell that was a huge lie, partially at least, but it’s not like they had anything against showering together. They spent twenty minutes inside as Asterios thoroughly cleaned Miria’s whole body, to the panthergirl’s delight, and did the same for Selene, albeit focusing more on her actual skin rather than fur and hair, knowing well that she just wanted to feel his gentle fingers roam over it. She grew to love his touch from their training sessions and massages.

After drying up and getting into fresh clothes—Miria held some spares for Asterios in her own room in her realm—they moved back to the surface to help with the cleaning. The other two tried to convince Selene to rest, but she insisted on coming with them, saying that a short moment in her third stage was not that straining now due to all that progress she had thanks to Ast’s support. It was pointless to argue so they just went with it.

With Selene’s ability to create spiritual platforms, it was much easier for them and the crewmates to access all the spots around the ship and the operation was proceeding fairly quickly. Asterios utilized Umbra’s Shadow Movement, using the chance to practice it and experience the feeling of being lost in the Abyss more.

They couldn’t finish before it got dark and left the last touches for tomorrow. Fortunately, during the night, they stumbled on a small but quite ferocious storm that got rid of almost everything they had left for later and just some hard accessible spots had to be taken care of in the morning.

The following evening, they were around a day’s worth of sailing from Dagger’s End and Captain Moreso asked some of his men to roll out a few marked barrels. They set up a table in the middle of the deck. He brought everyone to the surface, including Svertaniel, and stared at them with a mysterious smile, putting his hands on his hips.

“Alright, you landlubbers. Time for a little celebration in thanks for your valiant efforts in protecting our precious vessel. We have brought out our best spirits. But, as the tradition requires, since this is a first-time voyage for a few of you, we have to host a challenge. Fortunately, its contents align with what we would be doing anyway.”

Asterios could notice Svertaniel's pupils narrowing for a brief moment, looking quite distressed before he hid his reaction. Naturally, Asterios and his companions knew nothing about the tradition and Miria was already getting very excited.

“I… I still don’t think I feel well enough to participate… I should return to my cabin and let you guys—”

“Nonsense!” Moreso shouted and wrapped his arm around Svertaniel’s neck. “There’s nothing better to deal with a little seasickness than good alcohol! You are their senior in this! Act like it and be an example for your juniors!”

Svertaniel swallowed his saliva and nodded faintly. 

“Um, Captain? What’s this challenge about?”

Moreso turned to Asterios. “I’m glad you asked! It’s very simple! We open the barrels with increasingly stronger alcohol and everyone has to down their glass during the turn! If you can’t stand it and have to chase it down with something else, you get eliminated! Or when you are unable to even bring the cup to your mouth!”

“Oh, interesting. I do enjoy some good alcohol. I’m curious what the people of this realm have in store.” Selene glanced at one of the barrels.

“Me too! Mom loves drinking! Dad always goes down first when we attend parties!” Miria was clearly getting into it.

Asterios could only smile wryly. He barely drank anything in his life. In his opinion, it was a little risky to hold such a contest in the open sea, but a tradition was a tradition. 

Even if his girls got completely wasted, he had a way of nursing them back up to peak performance with a technique or two. He just had to keep himself from blacking out. But, he was sure he would get eliminated in a flash.

Not seeing any other objections, Moreso sat them down at the makeshift table. Besides Asterios, Miria, Selene, Svertaniel, and him, a few of the crew members joined in on the fun too, to increase the competition a little and prevent the game from instantly moving to the final showdown.

A human woman with short hair and half of her face tattooed brought the first barrel and opened it. She filled everyone’s cups and placed them on the table. Holding the wooden tray she had used to distribute them to her stomach, she bowed sarcastically and stepped away.

“So, for our incredible saviors!” Moreso lifted his drink and everyone made a toast with him.

He and the other sailors emptied their mugs in a flash, letting out a sigh to the side afterward. Svertaniel followed suit, scrunching his face when he was done, trying not to show it too much but failing completely.

Selene took a quick sniff of the liquid and raised an eyebrow, nodding to herself. She then proceeded to gracefully gulp it down bit by bit until no more was left. She placed her cup down and smiled at the others.

Miria downed her drink almost as fast as the captain and his crew, bringing out a wide smile afterward. Her tail was gleefully dancing behind her back and her eyes were glued to the woman standing further behind, clearly announcing how much she was looking forward to the second round.

As for Asterios, he took a slower approach, and like Selene, also gradually emptied his mug, with a bit more struggle than her. It wasn’t the worst thing he had drunk in his life, but his throat was already pretty spicy. That was only natural with his inexperience. Although, he still seemed to be doing better than their demon friend.

“Good! No one got eliminated in the first round! Let’s start for real then!”

Moreso snapped his fingers and the woman filled their cups with different alcohol from the next barrel. This one had a deep scarlet color and the surface of a glistening mirror.

“Oh, wine? I thought we were going to turn up the difficulty each time?” Selene pondered out loud.

“Hahaha! Try it first before assuming things!”

She brought the drink to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes instantly widened but Selene still nodded and finished it slowly, wiping her dainty lips with the back of her hand after finishing.

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“I must admit, it did take me by surprise. It’s really good, though. Could I hear the name of this liquor?”

“Bloody Mary. You are a lucky lass. It’s the specialty of Ashen Barrel, the port town to which we are heading. If you like it that much, I can whisper a few words to a good merchant or two for a nice discount. But, they usually sell in bulk.”

Selene glanced at Asterios and he nodded with a smile. Space wasn’t an issue for them. Neither was money. Unless they would be trying to buy something truly priceless. And, they could perhaps send a few barrels back home for Ast’s family.

She thanked him mentally and Asterios tried the drink himself. He immediately noticed how much stronger it was when compared to the previous one and almost choked on it from surprise. 

But, after calming himself down, he managed to empty the cup and couldn’t deny that in any other situation, this liquor could possibly be really nice with its very unique taste. He understood where the name came from. It had this metallic aroma of blood while still being quite sweet.

Naturally, Miria had no issue with it either, finishing her share in a blink, staring at his reaction. Asterios smiled at her and Miria’s own grin grew bigger. She really enjoyed drinking with him and Selene like this.

Unfortunately, Svertaniel didn’t survive the second round and chugged a full bottle of water after gulping down half of his drink. One of the crewmates also surrendered, albeit without such a heavy reaction.

The game continued, turn after turn. Asterios withdrew during the fourth one. He was having issues just pouring the pitch-black liquid down his throat. The whole challenge was happening shortly before dinner so it also quickened the effect the alcohol had on their bodies.

After leaving the table, he filled a green-colored crystal with mana while holding it in his hand and felt his mind clearing up. His body gradually regained stability. Just to be respectful, he didn’t do it openly. He preferred to be safe. Someone had to take care of the girls and the others if anything happened.

Five people entered the fifth round. Miria, Selene, Moreso, and two people from his crew. Everyone was at least slightly tipsy. One could expect the captain to be the strongest, but one of his friends was clearly a much heavier drinker than him. The girls were pretty much on par with Moreso.

The captain admitted defeat during the seventh turn. Just a whiff of the pure white liquid caused his whole body to shake and he knew there was no chance of the cloudy delicacy making its way down his throat. He still made a brave attempt but ended up with his face in a barrel containing drinkable water shortly after.

Only three people were left for the next round. Everyone watching the spectacle was starting to cheer loudly at the final trio, amongst which were both of Ast’s girls, facing off against supposedly the best drinker in Moreso’s crew.

Selene was visibly swaying and a jubilant smile didn’t leave her soft lips even for a moment. Miria was giggling to herself at random times for no clear reason while supporting her body with her elbows placed on the table. Their opponent also showed clear signs of getting weaker, but less than them.

The panthergirl who turned way more cheerful and merry from all the alcohol was eliminated in the ninth round. She toppled her drink instead of lifting it up and spilled the mesmerizing contents of orange and red liquor, looking like a colorful and sparkling galaxy.

When Miria dropped her cheek onto the table and started using her tongue to desperately lick the spirit off it, giggling uncontrollably during the motion, Asterios knew it was time for him to pull her aside, even though her actions looked unbelievably cute. She was in no state to continue so he wiped her cheek and placed her on his lap. Miria immediately started to snuggle to him while purring loudly, giggling occasionally, and hiccuping from time to time.

It was time for the final showdown. Moreso stumbled towards the table and slammed his hands onto its hard surface, catching his balance.

“Con... gratelotions… We ha… have… oar final con… tenders… Drovia! Bring the… the… the… Dragon’s Piss!”

Even in her very muddled state, Miria immediately caught on to the word Dragon and her ears twitched as she turned her face towards the table. Asterios chuckled at how much she loved these majestic and mythical creatures. She was squinting her eyes to see what all of that was about so he brought them closer to the table.

The woman who had been serving drinks the whole time didn’t reach for another barrel after Moreso’s request. She saluted and ran under the deck, coming back in less than a minute. In her hands was a dark fancy bottle, labeled “DANGER” with countless stickers over its surface.

She replaced their mugs with much smaller glasses that had the capacity to hold one or two swigs of liquid at most. It looked like for the final round, they were switching to shots. Asterios could already imagine how much stronger this Dragon’s Piss would have to be if this was necessary.

Everyone went silent when the bottle was uncorked, observing the table intently. A faint grey mist came out of the unsealed opening. The woman poured the liquid into the two glasses. Those for whom it was their first time seeing it, immediately understood where the name came from.

The alcohol had a clear golden color, very enticing and noble. But, the moment the glasses were filled, the surface of the drink caught on fire and beautiful rainbowy flames burst out. Miria gasped at the sight and hiccuped again while trying to clap her hands, failing at hitting them together.

The two final challengers glanced at each other and then at the magnificent drink. Selene marveled over its beauty. It almost felt like a waste consuming something so dazzling. She could stare at the pretty flames for eternity. But, the curiosity got better of her and she lifted the glass with her slightly wobbly hand.

They glanced at each other again and poured the contents into their mouths in one go. Selene’s ears started twitching furiously and her eyes widened to the brim as the magma-hot liquid traveled down her throat.

In a flash, she felt like her whole body was consumed by a ferocious inferno. The scorching hot energy reached the very tips of her fingers and then bounced back, gathering in her stomach. She grabbed it and sensed something rushing up her windpipe.

Her lips parted before she could do anything and a ball of a rolling flame of rainbowy shade left her mouth, accompanied by a loud burp. Selene’s whole body shivered and she banged her elbows on the table, trying not to fall onto it. She wanted to rush for water instantly but tried her best to fight back the urge.

A loud wave of cheering reached her still-spasming ears and urged her to struggle in raising her gaze. To her surprise, the man wasn’t in front of her anymore as the people around kept shouting and screaming in excitement. Someone walked up to her opponent’s seat and she saw the man’s unconscious body being lifted and dragged away. It took a few long seconds before Selene’s brain registered what had happened.

“Captain! The verdict!” the waitress shouted, looking around.

Everyone quieted down and also searched for their captain. They noticed loud snoring and immediately found him sleeping soundly while hugging one of the barrels making the makeshift table’s leg. They all laughed heartily and the woman shook her head with a wry smile.

“Alright, boys! We have a winner!” She walked up to Selene and raised the fox lady’s hand into the air, almost causing her to slam her face into the table. “Selene of the Foxkin is our new champion!”

“AYE!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“AYEEEEEE!”

“Come on! Are you seamen or noble ladies stuck in the castle!”

“AYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

After the loudest wave of cheering, she let Selene’s wrist down. Asterios was already by her side and supported the very unstable foxkin by leaning her onto himself, still having Miria latched to him from the front, sitting on his lap.

Selene turned her face to look up at him while steadily gasping for air. Each breath she took resulted in a tongue of rainbowy flame shooting out of her mouth.

“Ehehehe~ Hiccup… Slene… Dragon… fox… Ehehehe~”

Miria reached out to catch the flames and kept giggling to herself while hiccuping occasionally. Selene showed a silly smile and also chuckled. 

Then, with no warning, she pushed herself at Asterios, wrapping her arms around him and Miria. He completely didn’t expect that and fell to the back, hitting the deck with a loud grunt.

“Ehehehe~ Mashterrrr… I luv youuuuuu… So mushhhh...”

“My Lord~ Fufufufu~”

Both of them started kissing or licking his face and neck, causing him to chuckle from the sudden show of affection and the ticklish sensation. The sailors exploded into a laugh again and the waitress showed him thumbs up.

 

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