Serum

“We’re going to take a teleporter to one of our border camps. After that we’ll have to drive to the Horizon Capital. But since we’re saving a lot of time with the teleporter, it shouldn’t take more than a week to arrive. And this time, you get to drive.”

“Fine.”

Dirk readily agreed. He already appreciated Pandora driving them for as long as she did, so he didn’t mind getting them to Horizon. 

Besides, he was sure that she wanted to work on her magic as well. Now that they had grabbed everything they needed from the Dark Kingdom, there shouldn’t be anything keeping her from advancing her power. 

Pandora drove to the edge of the outer city beyond the chained capital. It was there that they stopped, particularly in front of a large teleporter nexus. 

The place was relatively crowded, and the building that housed all the teleporters covered as much ground as a magic academy. 

It was there that they met up with somebody. Not a soldier, but a woman. 

And she was dressed in a maid’s dress. 

“Dirk, meet my personal maid, Nova. She’s a few years older than me and was assigned to me at birth. You could say we’re sisters with how we grew up together. She’ll be traveling with us.”

“...”

Dirk was silent as he observed this maid. She was a bit taller than Pandora, and unlike Pandora, had a bit more of a petite build. She was cute, if anything, with short hair that seemed to be cut that way for practical reasons. 

But Dirk could sense a sharp aura from her. It made him smile a bit, because he recognized it so clearly. 

The training of an assassin, someone skilled in the art of subterfuge. It seemed the personal maids or butlers of the royal family were there to do more than just clean up food scraps. And in this world of power, perhaps only powerful people were allowed to serve the powerful. 

And it seemed Nova could sense the same thing in Dirk, because he could sense her wariness toward just about every action he made. 

The slightest twitch of his finger made her focus shift, her body tightening as if getting ready for battle. 

Then, Dirk put his hand out. As he did so, her breath became shallow, until it stopped in front of her. 

“Nice to meet you, Nova.”

“...”

She remained silent, staring at his hand for a few more seconds before realizing what he was doing. 

Then, it was like her etiquette kicked in as she hastily accepted the handshake. 

“N-Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Sir? I’m pretty sure I’m younger than you. Just call me Dirk.”

“I understand, Dirk. 

“Heh.”

Dirk couldn’t help a chuckle as the girl bowed, to which Pandora rolled her eyes. 

“Stop scaring her. Now let’s go.”

“Right this way, my lady. A train is awaiting your presence.”

Taking the lead, Nova led them through the terminal and toward a particularly high class train. 

They boarded without pause, and before long, were already moving. 

Inside the train, Dirk found an entire bar, dining facilities, and all other kinds of comforts. This was definitely a first class train. 

“We should be there by night. Do whatever you want until then. I’ll be inside one of the cabins.”

Pandora spoke those words before disappearing into one of the many rooms of the car alongside her maid. 

……

“My lady.”

“Hm?”

Nova asked when the door to the room closed, Pandora responding while taking a seat on a bed. 

Nova took a seat behind Pandora, beginning to gently brush her purple hair with her sharp nails. Pandora accepted it with a pleased smile.

“Dirk Strider… He’s dangerous.”

“I know. You were practically oozing anxiousness. That’s unlike you.”

“I apologize, my lady.”

“It’s fine. If there’s anybody you can compare to, it's him. Although not nearly to the same degree, you both went through similar experiences and training. That also means you should recognize the kinds of things he’s capable of. In front of that, it's no wonder you lost your cool.”

“...Yes.”

Nova nodded, recalling the things she felt while confronting Dirk. 

Well, it felt like a confrontation to her. But she could tell that he was nothing but relaxed. It was like he had her in the palm of his hand, could kill her at any time. There was simply no need to fear someone who couldn’t threaten you in any way. She understood that. 

It made her incredibly uncomfortable. As a maid, she was there not just to serve Pandora, but up to a certain level, protect her. Against Dirk, she was utterly incapable of that, so it left her with a bad feeling. And beyond that, the feeling of helplessness in front of him made her clench her teeth. 

After a few moments of silence, Pandora spoke again. 

“Nova. I didn’t bring you with me so that you could fight for me or protect me. I brought you so that you could help me with the lesser tasks that need to be completed. The battles we will be encountering in the future aren’t something you can affect. Still, having you nearby is a comfort. Can I rely on you for that?”

“Always, my lady. I’ll be by your side so long as I live.”

Nova smiled, combing Pandora's hair repeatedly. 

She did so until her mistress completely relaxed and dipped into a period of meditation. Once the mana around her began to flicker, she pulled away, leaving Pandora be. 

……

Exos wandered off around the train, seemingly enraptured by its architecture. 

As for Dirk, he found himself drifting toward the bar. 

It was there that he got curious, seeing many types of alcohol, most of which were enhanced with both mana and anima. 

The bartender smiled at him from behind the counter. 

“What will it be, good sir?”

“...I’m curious, so give me something interesting.”

“Very well. This one is called the Salamander’s Tongue.”

“Appetizing name.”

Dirk laughed while sitting, and the bartender started preparing a fancy drink with all kinds of coordinated movements. He even cast magic, integrating it into the drink. 

Then, the drink was finished. A small glass of a fire red liquid swirled before Dirk. Occasionally, tongues of fire flickered above the cup, generated from the fire mana within the drink. 

Dirk looked at the glass before him. Although he had laughed earlier, his face turned a bit somber, the amusement fading from his visage. 

He stared at the glass for a while, the bartender waiting behind the counter, unsure of what to do. Was Dirk unsatisfied? There wasn’t anything wrong with the drink itself. 

But Dirk had asked for this, so he just waited, deciding that this was simply a peculiar customer. 

Eventually, Dirk seemed to force himself past something. Swiping the glass, he tipped it into his mouth, the red liquid flowing down his throat. 

Moments later, Dirk felt his body heat up. He couldn’t help the belch that arose, and with it came a breath of fire, the heat within him flowing out with the flame. 

*Woosh*

The bartender dodged the fire with a chuckle. 

“Seems like you’re compatible with this drink. How about the Tainted Diamond, if that’s alright with you?”

“Yea, it’s fine.”

Throwing around a couple more bottles, the bartender introduced another drink that looked like liquid glass with hints of a blue fog within. 

Dirk nodded to the man and drank it as well. It felt like he was gulping down something similar to a slime, only a bit duller and more viscous in nature. 

And the taste hit him with a wave of sour sweetness. The sour made him want to spit it out, but the sweetness made him enjoy it, striking an odd balance between the two that made him smile oddly. 

After finishing the glass, he nodded pleasantly. 

“That was cool.”

“I’m honored. But you seemed apprehensive about drinking. Is there something wrong? Perhaps you’d like to know more about them.”

“I would, but that’s not the issue. I guess I’ve got a little bit of… a fear, you could say.”

“Of drinking?”

“Something like that. It’s stupid, but I thought maybe alcohol might teach me to push past it.”

Dirk spoke as another drink was placed in front of him. He observed the colorful liquid before downing it as well. 

The bartender spoke while mixing more drinks, all of different colors and containing various balances of elements. 

“You shouldn’t say it’s a stupid fear. Surely a man such as yourself doesn’t fear anything that doesn’t deserve to be feared. And regardless of its nature, you’re here now, making an effort to push past it. That takes great courage.”

“Even if it's out of potential necessity?”

“I believe the reasons for bravery are irrelevant. Does a soldier who is ordered to battle become any less brave simply because it was his order? Surely he pushed past the fear all the same.”

“Unless he faced one fear to avoid the consequences of another, such as the ire of his commanding officer.”

“Are you being ordered to drink alcohol?”

“No.”

“Then I assume you’re not running from a greater consequence, and thus, you are brave for doing as you are.”

“Hmm.”

Dirk hummed, taking a sip from a taller glass of what seemed like champagne. 

In truth, upon seeing this bar he got the idea that he could use it to attempt to surpass his fear of potions. 

Ever since Asura’s Mountain, Dirk abhorred potions of any kind. The mere sight of them made his stomach churn. But he hated the fact that this trauma was instilled so deeply, so he wanted to overcome it. 

Alcohol resembled those potions, although not completely, making it a good candidate for somehow easing his way back into using them. Because if there came a time where his life, or the lives of others, hinged on him using a potion, then he needed to be able to push past that fear. 

His healing skill was useful and fast, but it couldn't replenish his energy in the middle of a battle. Potions were also known to modify the body in some ways, like how Dirk’s blood had been genetically altered and enhanced by Garel at the academy after having one forced down his throat. 

Potions and the Alchemy that produced them were marvelous things. They could become invaluable tools not unlike his nanites that could repair or boost his body on the fly, but Dirk needed to be able to use them. He also felt bad that he rejected Pandora’s help back then. 

Dirk sat there, occasionally receiving a new and exotic drink from the bartender. After some time he stopped downing every glass and just stuck to tasting them. 

However, he felt queasy every time he lifted a glass to his mouth. The very thought of drinking something that could affect him in any way made him sick. But he forced past all those mental blocks, forcefully conditioning himself. 

“Hey.”

Dirk called after he finished another glass. He felt no less sick, only more so as he drank more. But he had no intentions of stopping. 

“I want to take all the drinks you have here. I also want you to teach me to mix drinks. We have about half a day to do so. I’ll pay you if necessary.”

“Hm, well, I can’t very well turn down someone in need. Here, come behind the bar. Mixing drinks is not unlike alchemy, just without all the complicated magic. How good are you at memorizing things?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just tell me everything you know.”

Dirk pulled himself into the bar. After that, the bartender started spilling all his knowledge about mixing drinks. 

All the types of alcohol, all the different mixers, myriads of fruits that you could add to spike the tastes, plus all the different ways to mix these vast combinations of liquids. 

It was years worth of information being spilled across the span of about 10 hours. Never once did he stop talking, and never once did Dirk interrupt him. He, or more specifically Spyte, simply focused on absorbing the information. 

And the concepts were simple enough. The bartender managed to teach Dirk a drink utilizing every bottle of alcohol there was behind that bar. He even pulled several more from a back room. 

So by the end, Dirk had a slew of knowledge available to him, stored and cataloged by Spyte for later use. 

Not only that, but he stashed every single bottle of liquid, fruit, and all kinds of tools into his pocket ring. 

“By the way, if you ever stop by the Elven paradise, be sure to ask about their alcohol. I hear its the best in all the lands.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Taking the last piece of advice, Dirk stumbled out from behind the bar. 

All the drinks he had tasted, which was all of them, had started to affect him. And he let it instead of isolating it with his nanites, because doing so would ruin the point of conditioning himself to ingesting something that affected him. 

He took a seat on a couch, leaving behind the now empty bar along with a sack containing a generous amount of coin for the bartender. 

Not long after, Pandora exited her room, finding a slightly drunk Dirk and Exos nowhere to be found. 

Her brow raised amusedly, seeing a bottle in his hand. 

“What’s this? Found yourself a new hobby?”

“I don’t enjoy this one. I’m tired.”

“Well, we’re about to arrive. And I hope you can drive drunk, because I’m not.”

“Have Exos do it.”

“He doesn’t know how.”

“As if that smartass couldn’t easily build his own car.”

Dirk muttered with drowsy movements. From behind Pandora, Nova looked at Dirk with confusion. 

Sensing her gaze, Dirk’s head picked back up, his aura sharpening as he looked at the maid. 

He pointed the bottle at her. 

“I can still kill you.”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“My, you really are drunk.”

Pandora chuckled at the exchange, walking over and grabbing the bottle from Dirk’s hands. She tasted it and nodded.

“Good stuff. I guess you do need to learn to operate even while impaired.”

“I already do.”

“You do?”

“They drug you during the program to teach you how to work around it.”

“Must be something they introduced after my class. Well, at least that means you can still drive.”

“...”

Dirk went silent, frowning, causing Pandora to smile. 

Then, a horn blared, and the train came to a halt. Exos appeared at around that time.

“Time to go.”

Pandora led the way, everyone leaving the train station, Dirk walking smoothly behind. 

At first glance it didn’t seem like he was impaired in the slightest. From Nova’s perspective, his movements weren’t as sharp. But she knew better than to test his ability to fight even in that state. 

Like that, they made their way to the edge of the city. 

And from there, they drove toward Horizon territory.