A Song for Winter: Spilt Drink

    William was no stranger to the inns and taverns having spent plenty of time traveling. While he preferred smaller quiet places occasionally, the inn with the noisy party tavern attached to it was the only place with any room. A nice quiet meal could be quickly interrupted by an adventuring party returning from a successful quest and eager to celebrate. Suddenly drinks were flowing and songs were being sung off-key as things got rowdy quickly. Inevitably someone would bump into William spilling their drink all over him. At this point, one of two things could happen when William turned to see who had spilled their drink on him.

 

    If William turned to find himself facing someone who he knew he could easily beat in a fight he would wave them off with a growl. There was no honor in winning a fight against someone inferior to yourself and as such William didn’t make a habit of picking fights he knew he could win. Most of the time the growl and wave were enough to discourage anyone from trying anything stupid but on a rare occasion that the drink spiller wanted to try to be tough. In those instances, William would hand them a couple of coins and tell them that if they were that eager to meet Hel he wasn’t the one who was going to send them to her before walking away. 

 

    However, if William turned and found himself facing down someone who appeared stronger either physically or magically that is when he would start a fight. Weapons were never drawn during these brawls as the goal wasn’t to kill his opponent but rather to beat them enough that they regret whatever path in life brought them to this point in life. William may have been a trained swordsman but he was no stranger to the art of a down and dirty fistfight. 

 

    There was one time William was trying to have a quick drink before heading to his room when a party erupted around him. Trying to avoid the party he got up quickly to leave only for someone to spill a drink on him as he left. The perpetrator in this instance was some brown mouse dressed as a merchant with no noticeable magical aura. Waving him off with a growl William walked away only to find another drink spilled on him. This time it was a female black bear standing a few inches taller than William built like a wall muscle. Leading with a headbutt, William started an all-out bar brawl. A table was smashed, chairs destroyed, and glass shattered as William faced off against the she-bear. She was bigger and stronger but William was faster and used bits of raw magic to enhance his punches. In the end, William toppled the black bear with a kick to her left knee and an uppercut to the jaw that dislodged a tooth. With victory secured William paid for the damages to the tavern and went to bed knowing he had earned himself an honorable victory.