Chapter 264: To smack a lady.

Smack! Smack!Lee helplessly looked around and saw other people slapping each other. This surely wasn’t a game that could become his favorite. He wasn’t against a good spar – the problem was that people were hitting each other without trying to avoid the incoming hit!

SMAAAACCKKK!

Lee’s opponent landed his oar-sized palm on Lee’s cheek with a boom that resonated through the whole establishment. Every single head turned his way, and people began to happily laugh.

Poor guy!

Jonas found another newbie!

Did he kill him?

Lee didn’t hear the chatter because of the ringing sound in his ears. Clearly he had a concussion and letting the guy hit him another time could turn into a lethal endeavor. The problem was – to the great surprise of the drunkard and onlookers, Lee didn’t fall over.

He didn’t exactly remain standing either. Swaying like a tree branch in a storm, Lee staggered back and forth for a few moments until he regained his foothold.

"Now you have to dink one and smack him." Lee heard Lieve’s voice far in the distance.

His vision swam and he saw double, but after taking a deep breath, he steadied himself on the table and emptied one of the cups. A burning sensation rushed through him, as if he had swallowed a handful of living fire. A regular person would surely suffer internal burns from the drink, and probably did Lee, but the feeling of something melting inside helped him to regain his senses.

Crack!

Lee’s palm, infused with earth particles, fueled by the wind element landed on Jonas’s cheek, loudly breaking the jaw. He didn’t give a fuck that according to the rules people didn’t use elemental skills. Since the guy looked for trouble, it was fine if he lied in his bed for a month or two before getting back on his feet.

The most eye-catching about the slap was the fact that Jonas’s jaw broke without him flying into a wall or in other patrons. He stood for a moment, blinking wide eyes in disbelief, and then lifelessly collapsed on the floor. The crowd gasped, while two waiters quickly pulled him away. They arrived earlier expecting to take care of Lee, but just like the rest were surprised by the unexpected outcome of the Slapshot round.

"Well ... at least we got free drinks ..." Lee said, sitting across Lieve, but immediately regretted his words.

Several challengers with sparkling eyes and swaying gait were rushing over. Lee hoped his earlier performance would’ve worked as a deterrence, but instead it ignited the competitive spirit of half a dozen drunkards.

"I’m ffsorry!" Lee turned to plan b and faked being injured, "My jawff isff bffroken ..."

A couple tried to persuade him that the other side was fine, but Lee refused all provocations, and promised to return as soon as he had recovered.

Clearly this wasn’t the best place to hang out, and the two already intended to leave, when Lee noticed a poster on the wall. In fact, every wall had this poster on it, a picture of a young woman. Inside of the tavern was as dim as everywhere else in Stonegate, but it would’ve been weird if he couldn’t recognize the drawing of the person he had spent almost a month with.

"Ok, so I’ve landed into a deeper shit than I though." He said, "Care to explain?"

"No"

The answer was short and didn’t allow any compromises. Luckily, everyone around them was drunk, and hadn’t recognized her yet.

Lee thought for a bit, and said, "I don’t know what’s going on, but you can’t run around the place looking like this. It’s a wonder no one recognized you on the street. In fact, I’m sure Minnie is already telling the authorities about the two people she was on the steamrunner with."

His idea was that they had to change her appearance, shave her head and apply make-up, but Lieve, probably because of desperation, was more resolute.

She picked the set of eight cups of ironbite that were left after Lee’s duel, walked over to the table few feet away where a woman drank with a couple of men.

Putting cups on the table, she said, "You’re a bitch!"

Needles to say, to the great joy of the men witnessing the scene, her challenge was immediately accepted. The woman tossed a coin and happily grinned – apparently she had won and was going first.

After gulping down a cup in one go, she smacked Lieve with a loud plop, and the crowd cheered at the sight. Everyone was surprised, though, when the challenger didn’t go down right away.

Lieve, slightly swaying, drank her cup, and smacked the woman. Unfortunately, compared to the hit she received, hers was akin to a baby’s punch. It was obvious how this particular Slapshot was going to end and Lee already prepared to take care of unconscious Lieve, but she managed to surprise everyone again by not falling over after receiving another hearty smack.

This time her answer was much better, or at least louder. Her opponent actually would’ve fallen if not the crowd behind supporting her. It was clear that two ladies having a round of Slapshot wasn’t a regular sight, and within moments their duel was spectated by the whole tavern.

Lee could only facepalm at Lieve’s reckless idea, but he guessed what she was aiming for. Undoubtedly after another slap or two no one would be able to identify the attractive woman for half a month – assuming she wasn’t spotted right away. The swollen cheek would distort her looks so much that even her own mother would probably struggle to recognize her.

Once again Lee was able to witness Lieve’s unbelievable willpower that allowed her to survive alone and shackled for days. She was clearly weaker than her opponent, but she made through all four cups, braving every slap that might’ve knocked out a weaker man. She passed out after the fifth, when a fan of the duel bought them another round, and Lee could only pick her up afterwards.

’I hope you didn’t lose any teeth!’ He though to himself. He didn’t have that problem because his would grow back again, but for a normal person, especially a lady, to loose their teeth could be disastrous.

"Thanks, buddy, for bringing your wife over tonight!" A slightly buzzed man interrupted, Lee’s thoughts. He said, "I’m Goos! Come, sit with me! Let’s have a drink!"

Lee thought for a bit, then looked at Lieve in his arms, and said, "Only if I don’t have to play Slapshot!"

"Sure, sure!" The man said, "I wouldn’t dare anyway. I saw you earlier, you know ... but your family is crazy! How can you deal with her at home?!"

"That’s why we come here." Lee said, suddenly getting an idea, "That’s the only way for her to release some steam. Afterwards she’s particularly, well, you know ..."

His new companion gave a knowing wink, and Lee continued, "I must say, Stonegate is full of feisty damsels. Look, there’s even a picture of one of them on the wall!"