Burell looked over to his friend Yngvar. "Looks like we're getting somewhere!"
Yngvar nodded. "He's smart enough to know when to talk. But how are we going to gain their trust?"
"Well, if what I read about dwarven culture is true? Then I'm going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow." King Burell looked back up to Hodur. "What can I do to gain your trust, Hodur the Coldforged?"
"Well, we dwarves only trust those who can hold the liquor! And if you're half as good with drinking as you are with your words, we'll accept your deal, King Burell!"
The king smiled and clapped his hands together. "Then I accept your challenge!"
Hodur grinned upon hearing those words and quickly prepared for the challenge. He ordered barrels of ale to be brought down from the brewery. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the challenge with the King.
The Dwarves opened the gate as Hodur and his men brought a table, chairs, and two mugs for their battle arena. Two dwarves were carefully carrying a barrel full of dwarven ale and put it down on the northern side of the table.
After the king's men cleared the area around the gate, the king dismounted his horse and walked towards the table, where Hodur had his patented grin. Once Burell came within three feet of the table, the king stopped and sat down on the other side.
"Now, Hodur the Coldforged, what are the rules to this challenge?"
"If you can out-drink me, we will accept your offer as we can see that you're a man of honor."
"Sounds simple enough. And if I win, I want to see your mining operation! I've never seen such a place!" The King said out loud as he looked at all the dwarves standing behind the table.
Hudor and the rest of his men glared at the King, "Oy! You're acting like you've already won! If you can't hold your liquor, you'll die before you reach the bottom of that barrel!" Hodur laughed as his men cheered.
"Well... I have my work cut out for me," Burell said with a smile as he stared down the cocky dwarf sitting across from him with his golden eyes.
"Hmph!... You are either the bravest human I know or the dumbest!... Well, I have nothing against brave men. Life's boring otherwise! So let's start the challenge!" Hodur laughed as he pulled a large knife from his belt. He stabbed the blade into the cask and began filling both mugs.
The crowd of humans and dwarves cheered as the two contestants began their contest.
Yngvar had a concerned look on his face as he watched his king start the challenge.
"Now remember! You must finish the whole mug!" Hodur shouted out.
Burell picked up the first cup and drank all of it.
"Hmm? So this is Dwarven Ale?" Burell asked.
Hodur finished his first mug and then slammed it down on the table with a loud thud. He looked at the King, "We don't serve any other kind here!... Worried that you can't handle it?" He said while filling up the two mugs with more ale.
Burell took his second drink and finished it swiftly. He slammed the mug onto the table just as Hodur did.
"No, I find it tastes like water. I just thought you dwarves like stronger stuff?" Burell said with a smirk while waiting for Hodur to finish his mug.
"You! You dare insult dwarven ale!? You'll pay for that! I'll make sure that the whole world knows of your humiliation! You won't be able to see straight for a month once I'm done with you!" Hodur shouted as he drank the second mug and filled both mugs back up with more ale.
"Hmm? You really think this stuff will put me down? You need some honor, dwarf!" Burell poked Hodur's pride.
Hodur slammed the third mug down and waited for Burell to finish his, which the King did with ease. Hodur and the rest of the Dwarves couldn't believe how unfazed the King looked after the first three mugs.
The Dwarf glared at the King, but his vision was beginning to blur a little. 'Why this little!... How the hell can he still see straight!? I need to change things up a bit...' Hodur thought.
"Hmph, you wouldn't know what honor is! Even if it hits you in the face, Burell! And since you think you can go toe to toe with us, why don't we up the stakes!?"
Burell just smiles at Hodur, which makes the dwarf even more irritated. "Well, what did you have in mind, Hodur the Coldforged?
Hodur had had enough of this human's smug face, and he was going to make sure that he lost this contest as the Dwarf stood up and grabbed the sides of the table. "Cocky are we!? Time to put you in your place! Daedric! Get the Cognac!"
After a moment, Daedric returned to the table and pulled out a bottle of the finest cognac. He then poured two shot glasses full of the golden liquid.
"Time to finish what you started! Oh, mighty King! Or should I call you a coward?" said the cocky dwarf as he grabbed the first shot glass and drank it in one go before slamming the empty glass on the table.
"Well... here's to the Kingdom," Burell cheers to the dwarf before gulping down his shot glass full of liquor and placing the empty glass softly on the table.
Hodur was starting to get lightheaded and felt like he could barely stay standing. He shook his head to regain his focus.
"Hmph! Is that all you've got?" Hodur said as he filled up both the shot glasses with Cognac.
The dwarfs behind him were shouting their encouragement. They were getting a show they would never forget, but they were starting to worry about Hodur's condition. He was putting on a brave face, but the human was clearly winning.
A smile came across Burell's face as he downed the next shot and placed the empty glass on the table.
"You know I'm going to beat you, right?... Oh, and it's your turn," Burell said, smiling while watching the dwarf struggle to stay standing.
Hodur looked up at him with a dazed look on his face.
"I-I'm g-oing to teach yo-u a lesson in humility, you b-bastard!"
He slammed the last of his shot glass down and poured himself another.
"Oh yeah, and how are you going to do that?" Burell said as he watched the dwarf pour his third shot for their sixth round.
Hodur wanted to retort, but he tried holding back a belch that wasn't going to be pleasant. "D-Don't get cocky! This is-s dwarven cognac, the best there is!" He shouted.
Burell took his third shot with ease. But now the King had three shots of liquor in him, which is an equal amount of alcohol to eight regular-sized mugs of dwarven ale. The King looked unfazed by all the alcohol, but it was finally catching up to him as his cheeks were getting rosy. He made sure that his golden eyes remained focused on Hodur, who was struggling to keep himself standing.
"You call me cocky, but it's just confidence. You're the one who's cocky. You think that you can win this battle when you've already lost?"
"W-We'll see about that, Burell. Now s-shut up and take your fourth shot, and then you can take a piss outta my ass."
"I will once you finish your third shot. But, since I'm such a kind person, I'll help you finish it."
The King leaned over and grabbed Hodur's shot glass before drinking it in front of him. This made Hodur very angry, and he slammed his hands down on the table and grabbed the bottle of Cognac. He filled the two shot glasses and pounded down one after the other. The dwarven ale had already affected him, and now he had drunk the equivalent of fifteen mugs of dwarven ale.
The two men were now both drunk, but Hodur was clearly much worse off.
"Blah! A-Are yooou p-part ee-elf-f? H-Howw aree you not-tt drunk?" Hodur slurred his speech as the liquor was taking its toll.
Burell laughed and downed his fifth shot before staring down the dwarf, who still couldn't believe that this human continued to drink. But Hodur had to maintain his dignity as the leader of Ironside, even though his men were starting to murmur about how the King was destroying Hodur's pride, which infuriated him.