Chapter 5: Soma Wine

"Are you quite finished?" Caster asked once Lily stopped crying.

"Yes…" Lily nodded before bowing. "Please…help Lily leave her Familia."

"Very well," Caster nodded. "I accept your request."

"But…how do we help?" Bell asked as he sat down on the bed beside Lily. "I mean…would just giving her money be enough to get her out?"

Caster tapped the side of his forehead for a moment before glancing at Lily again.

"What exactly is the process in meeting the God Soma?" He asked.

"Yes…the Familia members give money to Captain Zanis Lustra and he allows them to meet with Lord Soma."

"I see…that makes the money path useless," Caster said. "It would simply 'disappear' while in that mongrel's possession or at the very least, the amount would change no matter how much you give him or how many times you do so."

"Should we just assault them then?" Archer asked with no hint of seriousness in his voice. "Lily, what's the highest level in your Familia?"

"Level 2…" Lily replied, suddenly feeling very worried.

"Between you and me, we can just walk up and 'request' an audience."

"It is an idea but one low on the list," Caster nodded. "We should not bother Goddess Hestia with such trivialities such as dealing with the Guild."

Caster then stood up.

"I shall dwell on this further," he declared. "In the meantime, Arde is not to leave the home. If you have anything important in your previous dwelling, tell them to Archer to retrieve it. Cranel, you are to keep guard tonight and come morning are to go out and gather supplies for the next journey into the dungeon."

"What are you planning to do?" Bell asked as Archer took Lily to the side with a large map of the city.

"Arde, what is the name of the wine that intoxicates your Familia?" Caster asked.

"Soma Wine," Lily replied. "The same name as our God." Her eyes then widened. "But…the wine isn't sold outside the Familia. Only the failures are…and they cost up to sixty thousand Valis. They are marked with the emblem of the Familia. A wineglass and a crescent moon."

Bell let out a chocking noise at that amount while Caster raised an eyebrow at him.

"It is nectar created by the hands of a god," Caster reminded him. "If it did not go for that much it would fall into the hands of every mongrel that wished for it. The Soma Familia would not be a collection of such rabble if it were not so expensive."

"Ahh…you have a point…" Bell admitted.

"I shall go and acquire a sample of this wine to understand the weakness of the Soma Familia. In the meantime, you have your orders. Carry them out."

And with that Caster turned and left the room.

Once Lily was sure he was far enough away, she turned to Archer.

"Lily now fully understands what Master Archer was talking about earlier…" she said as Archer let out a wry chuckle.

"Well…he's surprising even me right now," Archer admitted. "Now where do you live? And do you have stash houses or something?"

X-x-X-x-X

Archer left once Lily had pointed out her old apartment as well as all her hidden stashes spread throughout the city, leaving her alone with Bell.

"Hey Master Bell?"

Bell had been laying on he couch, trying to fall asleep when Lily's voice from Hestia's empty bed.

"What is it Lily?"

"Lily is sorry for lying and getting everyone involved."

"Don't worry about it. I told you right? That's what heroes do."

"Master Bell keeps saying that," Lily noted. "Does Master Bell want to become a hero?"

"…Yes," Bell nodded. "Before that though, I want to be able to stand beside those two heroes."

"Those two? Master Archer and Lord Caster are heroes?"

"Ah…" Bell realized what he had done but for some reason he didn't feel worried. "Hey Lily. What level do you think those two are?"

"Lily hasn't ever heard of them before so Lily didn't think they could be that high level…" she admitted. "But, Lily thinks that Master Archer is at least Level 3 and Lord Caster Level 5."

"Nope," Bell smiled under the darkness. "Both of them are Level 1."

"Hah!? Master Bell are you making fun of Lily!?"

"I'm not, I'm not," Bell said with a chuckle as he flipped his body on the side to see Lily was sitting up in the bed and looking at him. "They joined the Familia only a few days ago. They're both still Level 1…and barely have any points in any of their Status."

"How is that possible?" Lily asked. "Master Archer moved as fast as a high Level 3 or maybe a low Level 4! There's no way that is possible!"

"Hey Lily. What race do you think those two are?"

"Race? Are they not human?"

"Nope. They're Spirits."

"Spirits!?" Lily shouted again. "There are Spirits that actually want to join a Familia?"

"Huh? Did you know a Spirit, Lily?"

"Yes. One takes good care of Lily but they own a little shop out of the way and don't really do anything with adventurers aside from Lily…but…so that's…Lily understands now."

"I was really surprised myself," Bell admitted. "I was about to be killed in the Dungeon but then Archer showed up and saved me. He and Caster say that they are Spirits formed from the Legends of Heroes."

"Lily both sees and doesn't see…" Lily mumbled as she fell back down on the bed. "Lily doesn't know much about Spirits in the first place but she never heard of one taking form of a legend."

"People want to believe in heroes after all," Bell said with another chuckle. "Especially Adventurers."

"Lily thinks so too."

"Right? They're spirits with a contract with me so they're doing their best to help me too. I want to become someone like them too."

"Lily thinks that Master Bell will be able to do so."

X-x-X-x-X

The next morning, they were woken up by Archer returning with several items, mostly money from Lily's stashes but also her clothes and various other tools for diving into the dungeon.

"Lily always wants to be prepared," she explained as they placed the boxes in a corner of the already crowded room. "The Dungeon is dangerous after all."

"Can't fault you there…" Archer nodded as he went to the kitchen area. "I'll whip up some breakfast then you can do your work while I keep an eye on Lily."

"All right," Bell nodded as a look of confusion appeared on Lily's face.

"A hero who does housework?" She muttered quietly as she watched Archer throw on a rather tiny apron and turn on the stove.

X-x-X-x-X

Caster made his way down the stone road of the city. As expected, the wine was a elusive mark. Only so-called failures were put out into the market to be sold after all and as the maker was a God, lack of divinity or not, their number would still be far and few in between, meaning that whenever one was out on the market, it would be bought out instantly.

But the king was patient. He treaded the path before him and came across a store with a serpent coiling around a bottle on its sign and a sneer broke on his face.

Entering the shop, he accepted the greeting from the clerk and made his way through the aisle until he found his prize.

With prize in hand, he made to go pay for it properly when a loud scream reached his ears. Turning his head the bare minimum amount, he spotted a rather familiar face, although one he'd only seen once before in passing.

"Noooo!" The Goddess Loki cried out. "That was the last one!"

"Give it up, Loki," the green haired elf beside the crying goddess said. "We aren't here for that any way."

However, the goddess refused to be denied and immediately walked up to Caster.

"Hey, hey, please let me buy it instead?" Loki begged Caster, causing the king to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I'll get Riveria to pay you double…no triple its price for it!"

"Denied!" The elf shut down her goddess with impunity and grabbed her by the back of the shirt. "My apologies. Please go about the rest of your day."

"Nooooo! Mama! I want it! Mama!"

"Who are you calling 'Mama!?'"

As the elf dragged her crying and whining child (goddess) away, Caster weighed his options.

Certainly, there could be a benefit in being owed a favor from a Goddess of a more powerful Familia and it wasn't as though he was going to do more than sample this failure anyway. Just the fact that it was a failure meant that it didn't deserve a place in his treasury, however it tasted. And if not a favor then perhaps more concrete information or a different perspective than what that Supporter provided…

Yes…that would do…

"I do not mind," Caster spoke aloud for the first time since entering the store, causing Riveria to pause and Loki to look helpful. "I was not planning to drink more than to sample this failure anyway…"

"Oh really?" Loki asked as she squirmed out of Riveria's grip. "So what's the catch?"

"You purchase it and I will take a portion of it," Caster said. "The rest will be yours."

Caster held up a bottle that was much smaller than the jar of Soma he was holding. It would probably only fill five glasses at best.

"However, I would also want the opportunity to chat with such a powerful goddess such as yourself. Over a drink perhaps?"

"Hahaha, I like ya," Loki said wrapping her arm around Caster as if he was an old friend. "Still, ya hafta be some big shot if you were ready to shill out sixty grand just for a few sips of Soma Wine, even if it's just a failure. Where'd ya come from? I'd say you'd be some merchant or something but ya got the grace on ya back. Which Familia do you belong to?"

"One you know rather well," Caster said with a smirk as Loki opened her eyes and blinked.

She then let out another loud scream at Caster's answer.

X-x-X-x-X

At a private location a few blocks away, a goddess and a king were sharing a drink while an exasperated elf princess watched.

"I can't believe you're part of that chibi's Familia…" Loki muttered as Caster poured out enough Soma to fill his bottle before Loki filled up a small glass for herself. "Certainly explains how she could afford that dress the other day. So why'd you join her anyway?"

"There was no particularly deep motive," Caster admitted as he poured himself some Soma from his bottle. "A Familia is required to take in everything this city had to offer. She was merely the first Goddess I came across."

"Tch…that's chibi's getting lucky lately," Loki growled as she downed the glass of Soma and her face brightened instantly. "Puhaaa! That's the stuff! Oh right…completely forgot."

She then refilled her glass and held it up to Caster who let out an amused huff from his nose and clinked his glass against hers.

He then swirled the glass of amber liquid in front of him, taking in its scent before taking a sip.

"I see…" he said before setting it down with a frown. "So that's how it is."

"Hohoh," Loki noted as she too a good gulp before setting her glass down. "Not even a bead of sweat. In fact, I'd say you're thinking it's not good enough for ya."

"It is, after all, a failure," Caster admitted. "By that label alone it is unworthy to be enjoyed by one such as myself. However…" he then brought the glass to his lips again and finished every last drop of wine. "It would be rude to the lady who purchased it if I did drink it."

"It is no problem," Riveria said with a sigh. "I apologize for you to have to see our goddess act in such a way."

"You need not worry yourself. Unfortunately, the goddess of the Familia is the same."

"So? Whatcha wanna talk about Goldy?" Loki asked, ignoring their jibes at her. "Thinking of asking Aiz out? Cuz that's a no."

"The Sword Princess?" Caster asked with a raised eyebrow. "Certainly her beauty shines above the masses but I have little interest in single-minded children."

"Hah? Ya saying my Aiz ain't good enough for ya?"

"Loki…are you trying to turn him away from Aiz or push her onto him?" Riveria asked with a sigh.

"Moving on…" Caster said as he closed his eyes, slightly regretting his decision to talk to the Trickster Goddess. "Trouble has ran into my path and limped away with broken bones and broken spirits and I am in need of some information of how to deal with it."

"Oh? What kind of trouble?" Loki asked, curiosity peaked.

Caster answered by flicking his finger against the jar, causing its contents to wobble a bit.

"Ahh…" Loki nodded in understanding. "Got shaken down by a bunch of idiots looking for a rich wallet?"

"Not me, but a retainer that I had paid for their good work," Caster replied. "She was caught on the way home and was nearly robbed of her reward when I happened upon them."

"Hoh? A few days old Baby Level 1 took on some drunkards from Soma Familia?" Loki asked, sounding more interested. "And you don't even have a scratch on ya from the sounds of it. What's your secret?"

"The secret is as obvious as the difference between a masterly crafted castle and a peasant's hovel," Caster said, waving off the question. "My retainer was able to explain what she knew and I have a good understanding of the internal politics of the Soma Familia. Thus, to understand the desperation of those mongrels, I attempted to secure a taste of the Soma for myself. However…" He pushed against the empty wine glass with his finger and it feel over onto the table and rolled around for a moment. "This failure does nothing to further my understanding of it."

"It can't be helped after all," Loki shrugged. "It's not nearly as potent as the real stuff and you got a good proper head on your shoulders. You ain't even seein' the tiniest fraction of what those drunken bums are seein'."

"This is true…" Caster admitted with a frown. "Is this line of investigation a dead end then?"

"Well, tell me what ya know and I'll see if I can't fill in any blanks for ya," Loki offered. "I kinda like ya so I'll even do it for free!"

Caster shook his head for a moment before repeating what he had learned from Lily to Loki.

"Hmm…I see I see…" Loki nodded. "Ya got most of the details I know down already except anything concrete about ol' Soma himself sounds like."

"So it seems," Caster nodded.

"What your little worker said is pretty much right. Soma don't care nothing about anything that doesn't involve making his wine. I wandered into the middle of his Familia to get my hands on the real stuff and it was the darnedest thing."

Caster shot a glance at Riveria who had buried her head into her hands at the thought of her goddess wandering into the middle of another god's territory and even barging into the Familia home without invitation.

"There wasn't anyone there ta stop me," Loki said. "Like no one. Everyone was gone and the only one inside was ol Soma himself. Thanks to that prize of his, giving a taste of the real Soma to people who bring in enough cash. It ain't like this thing," Loki poked the jar like Caster had done. "It takes ya. Like it grabs ya by the very soul. None of the Familia members help with the makin' of the wine. It's all Soma himself. Nothing bad goes in it like drugs or the like. Ya mind's still your own but everything else? Right out ta door. Not even any withdrawal symptoms once the stuff wears off. The addiction ain't strong and doesn't last very long either. The bigshots in the Familia drink even better stuff then the rest and they're completely functional. The problem is that-"

"Is that there are too many fools that lose themselves to it," Caster finished for her and Loki nodded. "Before the addiction wears off completely."

"Righto," Loki nodded. "It's all that Soma idiot's fault for not bothering to control his Familia properly after all. He's too obsessed with his hobby."

"There is no problem with that," Caster shrugged as Loki raised an eyebrow. "It is in his nature, and by extension, the nature of all gods to devote themselves to what they are known for. It would be far more worrisome if he did not, just like it would be worrisome if Goddess Hestia did nothing to care for her home or if you did not play the fool to the expense of those around you. Even if the Gods have sealed away most of their power to live and walk amongst the mortal races, such things are an integral part of your existence. That is what it means to rule over an aspect as a god."

"Hahaha! I knew I like'd ya!" Loki said, reaching over the table and thumping Caster on the shoulder. "You really get us dontcha?"

"I have been told that my only talents are appraising humans, gods…and alchohol."

"Smart one whoever told ya that," Loki said before sitting back down. "Let me ask ya something. You now what happens when a buncha donkeys have a carrot hung in front of them just always outta reach?"

"They will trample over each other to reach it," Caster answered. "And once they are done, they will take the carrots of the weaker ones."

"Ya got it," Loki nodded, clapping her hands once. "There are only carrots hanging around that familia of jackasses. Nothing's gonna stop them so long as that keeps going. But say…what happens when there's one donkey that keeps on gettin' up no matter how many times it's kicked down? A smarter one than the rest of the jackasses? One that's smart enough to draw sympathy from a different master? Ya think he'll realize how many carrots are left in his garden before its too late?"

Caster said nothing as a golden portal shimmered beside him and he tossed the bottle of Soma wine in it before reaching in and pulling out another bottle.

"As I suspected, it is worrisome when you no decide to no longer play the fool," Caster said as he placed the golden bottle filled with colorless liquid in front of Loki. "A god's warning is to be taken seriously. This is my gratitude for that and your time. Accept it."

"Hey, no need ta tell me twice!" Loki cheered, throwing her arms up in the air. She then quickly poured herself a glass of the new wine. "And no worries, I gotta chat with a golden hunk like you so it's all good. Though I still like my girls more."

She brought the cup to her lips and froze, eyes wide open. Her cheeks suddenly expanded as she clasped both hands over her mouth in shock.

"Loki!?" Riveria asked in concern and was about to wheel on Caster before Loki held up a hand to stop her before she managed to swallow the wine.

"Hey…" Loki said, eyes slightly open as she turned her head to Caster who had stood up and was heading toward the exit. "Where'd you get this stuff?"

"All the treasures of this world belong to the king," Caster said as he walked past Riveria without concern. "Be they wines or swords, only the absolute best belong in my treasury. You need not return the bottle when you are finished."

And with that, Caster left the room, his footsteps echoing as he descended the staircase.

"Loki…are you sure you are all right?" Riveria asked.

"Yeah," Loki nodded as she poured herself another glass of Caster's wine but didn't down it like the previous glass but instead swirled it in front of her taking in its odor. "I was just surprised at the quality is all. Almost spat it out but I sure as heck couldn't waste something like that. If I did, I would have probably tried to lick it off ta ground if you don't stop me."

"What do you mean?" Riveria asked as Loki slowly drained the glass, emptying every last drop.

"I ain't tasted wine like that in a long time," Loki said with an uncharacteristic smile. "Not for a very, very long time."

Riveria remained confused as Loki leaned back in her chair and looked out the widow just in time to see Caster walking down the street.

"Ya picked up a fun one didn't ya, Hestia?" She asked with a laugh.

X-x-X-x-X

"Drink."

The moment Caster returned to the Church, Bell saw him place a bottle in front of Lily as well as a glass to pour it in.

"W-what is it?" Lily asked.

"Soma wine."

At that, Lily stiffened and backed away from the bottle as if it was some venomous snake.

"Well, it's a failure though," Caster shrugged as he gestured toward the wine and looked at Bell. Understanding his Captain's order, Bell picked up the bottle and uncorked it.

"Wow…that smells really nice…" Bell commentated as he poured some into the glass on the table. "Though I don't know much about wine and the like in the first place since I'm underage."

Once he finished pouring, he stepped back, bottle still in hand so that only the glass was on the table for Lily to see.

"That's an order," Caster said again. "Drink. It is but a failure so if you lose your soul to it like the rest of the rabble in your Familia, we will end our association here."

"Eh!?" Bell shouted. "But that isn't what you said last night! I thought we were helping Lily!"

"This is helping her," Caster said. "However, she must overcome this trial regardless. Soma cares nothing for his Familia except as pursestrings for his hobby due to the fact that all who drink it become enslaved to the taste. In order for her words to be heard, Arde must overcome it through her own will. If you cannot even overcome this failure then your fate is sealed."

Lily's face switched from fear to determination as she crawled forward off the bed and sat down at the small table, staring a the innocent looking glass as if it was the highest mountain in the world she had to climb over.

"Lily will do it!" She said as she grasped the glass with shaking hands. "Lily will not waste this chance Lord Caster has given her!"

"Good," Caster nodded as the glass moved closer to Lily's lips before its contents fell down her throat.

Near silence reigned in the room as Bell and Archer moved closer in worry while Caster remained on the couch as Lily's tiny gulps seemed to sound like cannons.

Finally she placed the glass down on the table and shivered, holding onto the edge of the table for support.

"Lily understands now…" she muttered as she stared at the glass. "The wine is amazing…and all of them in Lily's Familia drank the real one…"

Archer raised a brow as he took the bottle from Bell. He looked toward Caster who inclined his head a bit before Archer poured himself a glass.

"I see…" the bowman nodded. "It's so sweet it numbs the tongue a bit…and the aftertaste is…invigorating. I'm both surprised and impressed that you haven't fallen unconscious Lily."

"Lily can't," she said, breath filled with determination. "Lily will not lose to some drink!"

"Good," Caster said again as he nodded with approval before bringing out a golden bottle and filling her empty glass with a clear liquid. "Wash out that failure wine from your mouth with this."

Lily nodded as she accepted the drink without second thought.

When she took a sip, her eyes shot wide open as she looked at the glass with amazement.

"What is this?" She asked happily. "It's amazing!"

She then carefully drank the rest of it without spilling a single drop.

"It is the finest of the wine in my treasury," Caster said, causing Lily to freeze in place. "Drink it with pride and care."

"T-t-t-t-t-this is wasted on Lily…" Lily said, shaking even more than when she was drinking the Soma wine as tears filled her eyes like she felt she had just accepted a luxury far beyond anything her life was worth.

"Are you questioning the King's judgement?"

"N-never!" She said quickly.

"Good," Caster nodded as he pulled out another item from the space behind him and placed it on the table between them. "Tell me. Are there any mages in your Familia?"

"Mages?" Lily repeated. "No. Lily has never heard of one. They do carry magic swords like the one that Raccoon used against you the other night, Lord Caster."

"As expected, they're all mongrels," Caster sighed in disgust. "But that works in your favor. Accept that ring."

Lily nodded as she picked up the ring. It looked like a simple band but considering who it belonged to, there was no way it was just a mere piece of jewelry.

"Do not be so worried," Caster said. "That thing is merely a parlor trick, not unlike your little disguise magic. Put it on and you shall become invisible to anyone without magic power. A perfect tool for a thief such as yourself, is it not?"

"Why would Lord Caster give a thief like Lily such a thing?" Lily asked, not bothering to deny it.

"Because everyone in this room can see through it," Caster said simply. "It is highly unlikely that the Gods will be fooled either. As I said, it is a mere parlor trick after all. One that I found amusing at one point in my youth. I have more powerful treasures in my treasury than that so it is no loss to me and more fit in the hands of a confused child such as yourself. Accept it."

"Y-yes! Lily will treasure it!" Lily nodded.

"If you're giving her that then…" Archer began as Caster nodded.

"It will not do for a promise to go unkept," Caster said. "The two of you said you would take her to Monsterphilia and have her show you around. Take the time to yourself until Goddess Hestia returns. Once she returns, she will decide if we are to continue helping her."

"I see…" Bell said as Lily put the ring on her finger and covered it with a glove. "This way she can hide from her Familia even if we can't keep helping her. You're amazing, Your Majesty."

"Telling me what I already know is not praise, boy," Caster said with a laugh. "But I will accept it nonetheless."

"You coming along?" Archer asked.

"As riveting as it would be to herd you around, I have business in the morning to attend to and then I will enjoy the festivities my own way," Caster shrugged before a sneer appeared on his face. "Unless you are all helpless without your king to guide you?"

"As if," Archer scoffed. "I'll get dinner started then. Anything you want to eat, Lily?"

"Lily would not say no to those stuffed cabbages again," Lily said happily.

"Oh by the way Lily," Bell began as Archer nodded and started rummaging through the pantry. "If…no…when you get released from your Familia, what are you going to do? Are you going to find a different Familia or are you going to live as a regular citizen?"

"Eh? Ahh…Lily…hasn't thought that far," Lily admitted.

"Well, if you aren't sure I'd love it if you joined our Familia," Bell said with a smile. "I mean, we only have this tiny basement room now but we have enough money for a bigger home once we find a place…though if you don't want anything to do with Adventurers and the dungeon after this i'd totally understand but…if we can still keep in contact after it'd make me happy."

Lily stared at Bell while Caster chuckled quietly as the boy ran his mouth.

"Lily…Lily will think about it carefully," she replied.

"Oh…okay, take your time," Bell said, looking slightly disappointed that she didn't say yes immediately but remained hopeful all the same. "We'll be waiting with open arms all the same."

"Thank you, Master Bell," Lily said with a toothy smile.