I gulped down the gem, and a wave of warmth coursed through me, followed by a burp that left a sour tang in my mouth.
[Master, your breath is worse than after you chugged troll blood.] I chuckled, earning a groan from him.
"Apologies, my friend. If only we had some other blood to wash this taste away, but the company we keep might not appreciate it. Just a thought."
"Come on over, we promise we won't bite," I called out with a grin, addressing our little observer.
The elf who'd been following us ever since we left the tree opened his eyes wide in surprise. "You can speak elven tongue! Even while in bat form!"
I paused for a moment. Good going, Bane! "Yeah, I'm not a regular bat."
