{"sf1_id":585171,"sf2_id":null,"title":"A Deadly Contest","author":"The Wizened Raconteur","words":3475,"posted_at":"2013-09-03T18:26:00.000Z","tags":["Contest","Horse","Human","Story Progression","Story Series"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/585171-a-deadly-contest","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/585171","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=585171\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#8 of Robbin Red\n\nSomething dark is hidden in the bowels of the earth.","content":"\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The next morning, Jon-Tom found he had to pull the sheets from his skin. They were  \nadhered with blood, even if the skin underneath was now whole. His wife was  \nback to normal, gently snoring, her hair mussed and sprayed across her pillow.  \nHe figured that if her changes were once only, he wouldn't have to deal with  \nthat kind of abuse again soon. On the other hand, there might be more than one  \ntype of anteater, and there was always the aardvark and the pangolin. The  \nlatter one hadn't been near the trouble Sybeele had been in this larger form.  \nEven some of the felines he had bedded hadn't left him with so much damage. He  \nwasn't blaming her, but he was damn glad to have his healing ability.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; His\u0026nbsp;fumbling with the sheets woke her up. She turned and gasped. In a blink of an  \neye, the sheets fell away, completely bloodless. The blood, it seems, had now  \ngone to her cheeks. \"Oh God! I'm so sorry about last night. I guess I forgot I  \nwas in a different body.\" She got a dreamy look in her eyes. \"Whatever you were  \ndoing last night, I hope to have you repeat it many times over! It drove me  \nright out of my senses.\" She crawled to a sitting position and physically turned  \nhim to look at his back. \"You know husband, I'm glad you have your former  \nabilities. You would have died last night from the loss of that much blood. I  \nshould really be a little easier on you!\" He would have accepted her apology  \nexcept that he had been having a great time too. He was definitely jaded after  \nall of these years.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; She popped out of bed, still unclothed, and proceeded to throw together a breakfast.  \nHe was watching her, thinking things like \"sunny side up\", hard rolls, and a few  \nother indelicate thoughts. He started giggling to himself, but she overheard  \nand gave him a quirky grin. \"Eat! I'd love to hit the bed again, but you filled  \nthe day with this stupid contest of yours. You didn't even set a time. So I  \nguess it's eat, head over to Priccolo's, and await Huntchy and whoever else is  \ngoing to come. I have a feeling that might include a lot of folks. They will be  \nfascinated watching you try to win against a horse.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom stood tall, his present interest in his wife standing tall with him. \"If I win?  \nI'll win alright. It's a lopsided contest; only just the two of us know that.  \nIf it serves as nothing else, it'll teach the town not to mess with me. If I  \ncan drink a horse under the floor boards, who knows what else I'm capable of?\"  \nShe gave him a wink. \"Get dressed Mr. Mayor. I already told you no, so you  \nmight as well not waste time.\" He shrugged his shoulders. \"I'll get dressed  \nwhen you do.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; She sighed in exasperation. In a flash, she had on the most formal looking  \nschoolmarm dress, complete with her hair in a tight bun and glasses. He hated  \nto tell her she looked just as good in that as she did naked. But he got the hint  \nand retrieved his old outfit and put it on. He felt almost normal in it. And  \nsitting in a tavern with an over-imbibing ne'er do well was going to be almost  \ncomforting. He hadn't realized until recently how much he missed Mudge. He completed  \nhis ensemble when he grabbed his duar. His instrument and his memories somehow  \nmade him feel better.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; They exited the house directly into a large crowd. Apparently the whole town knew about  \nthis contest. Graven was at the forefront. \"My dearest Lord Mayor. Do you think  \nthis is a wise choice? Many of us believe that this action on your part is  \nbrash and reckless. We hold nothing against any citizen of this city, but  \nallowing the lower classes to run wild because of your whim seems foolhardy  \nindeed.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom listened patiently to the marmoset's speech. \"My Lord Deputy; rest assured that  \nthe outcome of this contest has already been decided. Carrying through with it  \nis a mere formality. You have little reason to trust my judgment, which I grant  \nyou seems presently impaired. By the end of the day, I think I will prove to  \nthe good people of Hobarrow that I am in my right mind. However, if this many  \nof you wish to see this matter to the end, I believe we may have to move our  \ncontest out-of-doors. Priccolo's place will never fit this many inside.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; It was a little parade that wound its way through the streets. The Lord Mayor and his  \nlovely wife; the Deputy Mayor, and every guild leader made up the front of the  \nline. Behind them were several hundred folks of differing size, sex and  \nspecies. As they turned the corner to the final stretch to the tavern, an  \nequally sized group was already gathered. It was made up largely of Huntchy's  \nbackers, though the wizard was already there with the parchment and pen. There  \nwere plenty of hoots and cheers coming up from that group, which rose in volume  \nas Jon-Tom was espied.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Ho! He arrives. And in style too!\" The jackdaw was sitting on a ledge with a few other  \nflyers, screeching down at the incoming crowd. Huntchy was silent, his long  \nface having nothing to do with his species' facial construction. This human was  \nway too serious about this whole thing, which gave him a bad feeling. His  \nfriends seemed to think this was some kind of holiday, but despite his attempts  \nto warn them away, they came in droves. There was the possibility they were  \ngetting themselves into something deeper than they knew. Of course, if he lost,  \nhe would lose most of them anyways, for he only acted stupid. Most of them  \nhardly remembered when he had been the...\" His thoughts were cut short.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Well Huntchy, shall we get this started?\" It was the Lord Mayor. The horse came  \nforward. \"I suppose so. Have you figured out how we are going to quantify the  \nresults?\" Jon-Tom stopped and looked at him. \"Excuse me. Where's the bad grammar  \nand practiced simplicity?\" The horse hung his head low. \"I believe it has flown  \npremature to my losing this ill-accepted contest. Must we go through with it?\"  \nHis friends derided him for such a response. There were calls of \"quitter\" and  \n\"bastard\" thrown at him. They hurt nearly as much as sticks and stones would  \nhave.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom raised his hand. \"Quiet! This contest is to settle an official matter in an  \nunofficial and unsanctioned manner. Therefore, the contract that will be drawn  \nup binds only the participants. If you wish to take Huntchy's side, then you  \nwill have your name included on the document. You will then be as bound to it  \nas we both will be. However, I would recommend that no one takes my side. I am  \non the side of good, and you will accomplish nothing for yourself by including  \nyour name. However, if you wish to share in Huntchy's fate, under the terms I  \nlaid down yesterday, by all means do it. The contract will be sealed by a  \nspell, irrevocable until its terms have been carried out.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"And what's them there terms?\" called a shifty looking\u0026nbsp; howler monkey. A few others agreed with his  \nquestion. Jon-Tom stepped up on a table. \"The matter is simple. I have proposed  \na drinking contest with Huntchy. If he wins, he gets the freedom to do as he  \npleases without fear of retribution. Anyone who wishes to take his side can do  \nso, and they will be granted a one month reprieve of the same sort. However,\"  \nhe let that clause linger in the air a moment, \"if he loses, he gives up  \ndrinking and returns to using his brain for something more than a sponge. And  \nanyone who backed him must give up a full month in doing good deeds around the  \ntown, at my discretion.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Sign me up!\" was the general call. Huntchy looked miserable. Whatever this human had  \nplanned, he was too damn sure of himself. In cards, he would call it a bluff.  \nIn real life, it was almost over confidence. But this human was unwavering in  \nhis dedication to this contest. If Huntchy's \"friends\" wanted to back a sure  \nthing, they would have been better off doing so with the human. He noticed that  \nthe Lord Mayor was writing rapidly, consulting now and again with the wizard.  \nWhen the document was done, it was read aloud by the Deputy Mayor..\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_\u0026nbsp; \"Be it known, that on this day, as witnessed below, a contest of wills was held between the Lord Mayor of  \nHobarrow, Jonathon Thomas Merriweather and the Horse Huntchfeld, known  \nfamiliarly as Huntchy. The object of this contest is to determine whose will and  \nstamina is stronger, to be determined via a drinking contest. Since there  \nexists a considerable size difference between the competitors, it has been  \ndecided by a third party to reduce the amount of water involved, therefore  \nkeeping the intake of alcohol on more equivalent terms. To this end, there will  \nbe no consumption of beer, ale, stout or other brewed drink, but only distilled  \nliquors._\n\n_\u0026nbsp; The first participant to pass out or give in loses. The cost of losing is thus; if the Lord Mayor wins, then  \nHuntchfeld must forgo his bad habits, quit drinking for good, and return to the  \nacademy as a teacher, filling in and participating in other guild matters as  \nthe situations may see fit. If Huntchfeld wins, he is given freedom from all  \nthe rules of Hobarrow._\n\n_\u0026nbsp; Lastly, if anyone should wish to take Huntchfeld's side in this matter, let it be known that they will be  \ngranted the same privileges as he, for the period of one full month, beginning  \nafter the settlement of this contest should he win. Should he lose, they will  \nserve at the discretion of the Lord Mayor for the same time period._\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_ Jon-Tom came forward and signed the document. Huntchy put his hoof on the paper. The   \nparchment glowed for a moment. The wizard motioned to everyone gathered around the tavern.  \n\"Anyone else?\" He was swamped with takers. It took an hour before the line was exhausted  \nof signers. By then the document looked like the wall of a bus-stop john stall.  \nThe wizard made a gesture, and the parchment lit up again. \"All who have signed  \nhave been bound. You may start your contest when you like.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp; The horse looked to the human. \"So, my Lord Mayor, what shall we be drinking?\"  \nJon-Tom looked to Priccolo. \"I don't feel like drawing this out all day, so why  \ndon't you start us with the strongest thing you have in stock.\" The muskrat  \nwavered. \"The strongest sir? For real?\" The human stared him down. \"I said as  \nmuch, didn't I? It's going to take quite a bit of alcohol to sink either of us,  \nI assure you, so let's get rolling with the hardest liquor you've got. Perhaps  \nLythgoria brandy?\" The muskrat scratched his head. \"I ain't got nothing that  \ngoes by that name sir. But I do have something I found deep in the cellar when  \nI bought this place. I'll be glad to be rid of it, if I'm not being too  \ntruthful. Perhaps it will do?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom nodded, looking at Huntchy. The horse nodded in agreement. The muskrat shrugged  \nhis shoulders and called to two of his helpers. Together they went inside. They  \nwere gone long enough for the crowd to begin fidgeting. Finally they returned  \npushing a cart with a large black barrel strapped to it. Its mere presence  \ncaused several of the guild leaders to blanch and back away. Phourteg,\u0026nbsp; who was both brave and wise, nearly fainted. Gorcheal  \nhad to adjust his sunglasses to see what the fuss was about. When he was able  \nto focus, he scrabbled away as fast as he could.\n\n\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom knew the cask was old. It was black as pitch, covered with a layer of dust and  \nmold. The outline of a dragon could be barley discerned on the side. It had  \nsome sort of lettering, but it was obscure and illegible. It wasn't in the  \npresently used language, but Jon-Tom seemed to read a few letters, D...R...A...A...K.  \nIt must be something quite old and quite potent for everyone to be making such  \na fuss. As murmurs passed amongst the crowd, everyone began backing up. Soon it  \nwas Jon-Tom, Sybeele, and Huntchy. The horse looked sick.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom had no choice but to ask. \"OK, what the hell is in the cask?\" Huntchy saved  \neveryone else the trouble. \"It is, my suicidal Lord Mayor, a death sentence.  \nPriccolo here took you to your word, though he should have disposed of this the  \nmoment he discovered it. This is Draaken Nourew. Translated it means Dragon's  \nBreath. It is not a brand name, but an apt description. It was brewed a hundred  \nyears ago by the distillers Marnit \u0026 Kubrit for the wizards' guild to fuel  \nthe old dragon Maarteel, whom they had bound into service for the First Plated  \nFolk war. However, his ability to make flame had diminished to nearly nothing.  \nThis was made for him to replenish his natural supply. It is four hundred  \nproof, a trick only accomplished with magic. As far as was known, all supplies  \nof it were carefully disposed of after the old scaly died. I see that's not been  \nthe case.\" He looked up at Jon-Tom. \"You don't really intend for us to drink  \nthis do you? By all the stories, old Maarteel himself could barely stomach the  \nstuff!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; All this fuss made Jon-Tom curious. What kind of brew would make a dragon choke?  \nInstead of putting him off, it made him more determined. \"It sounds like an old  \nwives' tale to me. However, if you wish to call it off, and concede that I am  \nthe winner, I'll be glad to accept your defeat.\" That got the horse's dander  \nup. If the human wanted to die in a spectacular manner, then why shouldn't he  \njoin him? It would save him in the eyes of his cronies. The horse that went  \ndown in flames, literally! \"You know human, you've got spunk. If I am to die,  \nwhy not with a bang?!\" He stressed the last word so strongly several people in  \nhis vicinity jumped.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Priccolo motioned for them to take their places on either side of a table. He then gingerly  \nworked a thin blade around the wax seal on the bung of the barrel. Jon-Tom was  \nsurprised, as most barrels needed to be tapped just prior to use. Priccolo  \nexplained. \"The stuff that's in here isn't going to go bad. However, if you go  \nhandling the cask too briskly, you're likely to set the whole thing off. It's  \nwhy I'll be glad to be rid of it. In the past, these things have been known to  \nexplode. The miners have even used them in years gone by to blow open mountain  \nsides. Despite this, remember that it's only alcohol.\"\u0026nbsp; The horse gave a worried whinny. \"Alcohol  \nconcentrate is more like it;\" said Huntchy, \"concentrated down from four  \nhundred casks of wine, with just a touch of demonic fire spells added to liven  \nit up!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Priccolo's assistants handed over two unusual goblets. They were as old looking as the  \nbarrel. The muskrat answered their questioning stares. \"These were with the  \nbarrel. The barrel itself is strengthened with magic. As far as I can tell,  \nthese are made of dragon scale, fashioned by some long dead sorcerer. It is  \nsaid to be the only thing the liquor won't eat through. They've been sitting in  \nmy tavern for the past ten years, gathering dust. I guess it's time to see if  \nthe legend is true!\" Huntchy looked down at the one set before him. He was  \nhardly amused, despite his present predicament.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I can't drink out of this! I haven't hands to hold this tiny thing.\" The resident  \nwizard came forward. \"Perhaps I can help. If this is all true, then I think I  \nhave a spell that will help.\" He waved his paws over the goblet. It immediately  \ngrew until a horse could fit his nose inside. Huntchy was impressed, but it  \nonly meant that he would be dying faster. Jon-Tom read his mind.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I'll pour some into my goblet, and then pour it into yours. That way, we are  \ndrinking identical amounts. I want this to be a fair contest.\" Sybeele had been  \nquiet during this whole thing. She leaned in to her husband. \"I think you're  \nbeing stupid. This stuff will kill him. It would kill you; I should say it  \nmight even kill you despite your healing ability. This liquid was fuel for a  \ndragon! Have you any idea how hot a dragon's fire is? I learned about it in  \nschool.\" He whispered back. \"Remind me to tell you about the time I _was_ a dragon. I used my flame to  \nincinerate one of my children. It was the best thing that could ever have  \nhappened to him.\" Her eyes went wide.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; He took from Priccolo a tap, shaped in the form of a fire drake. It was apparently made  \njust for this use. He pushed it in, and with an effort, the cart was lowered so  \nthat the contents of the cask could flow. He turned the spigot, but nothing  \nhappened. Well, not at first. Then, almost like it was alive, the stuff curled  \nout like an animated vapor. The tap grew hot. The liquid seemed confused as to  \nwhat it should do, finally allowing gravity to pull it into the chalice. It  \nflowed in, and then back up the sides, nearly coming over the edge. Jon-Tom  \nburned his fingers closing the tap. He poured the contents into Huntchy's cup.  \nIt rolled around inside it like it was a living being.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom poured another glass, watching with rapt fascination as the stuff reacted like  \nit had its own consciousness. He pulled his glass away a bit too soon, allowing  \na drop to hit the table. Smoke rose from the wood as it burned through it to  \nthe ground below. There was no explosion. Perhaps it had lost some of its  \npotency over the years. However, it sputtered its way deeper into the ground  \nwith no sign of slowing. Huntchy lost his nerve.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"No way am I drinking that! I may be a lot of things, but I'm not crazy. I thought I  \nwould tough it out until you gave in, but it seems to me that this town has gotten  \na lunatic for its leader. I may be a lot of things, including a dismal failure,  \nbut I have a sound enough head on my shoulders to look death in the face and  \nrun away. I thought maybe it was a good day to die, but this stuff is not a  \ngood way to die. I'd prefer to do so in my sleep, on my own terms. When I  \nagreed to this contest, I thought that it was something we could actually do.  \nThis stuff might as well be labeled as poison!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Jon-Tom nodded knowingly. \"You realize that in giving up, you have committed yourself  \nto my demands? And in doing so, everyone who signed the document is hereafter  \nconstrained by its words? Can you live with yourself under those terms?\"  \nHuntchy lowered his head. \"I think it will be far better to try living my life  \nover in a better fashion than to die a fast and painful death. I hope that you  \ndidn't plan this little caper knowing full well that Priccolo had this stuff on  \nhand. I would be most irritated!\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Priccolo came forward. \"No one knew I had that down there except me. Do you think anyone  \nwould have allowed it to stay had they known? I left it were it was, in a dark  \ndeep corner, far away from any possible discovery. I only brought it out now  \nbecause I promised to provide the strongest alcohol I had. This certainly is  \nit. There has never been anything close to it ever since.\" The horse was  \nsatisfied with the explanation. He looked to the Lord Mayor. Jon-Tom smiled,  \nheld up his now glowing goblet and poured its contents across his lips and down  \nhis throat. Several cries and screams came from the crowd.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}