Sad Supporter and Addicted Drunk Familia
Eina is doing some shopping at a general store to pick out a cream for dry skin trying to see which brand is the best.
"Ah-ha! Look Riveria, wine from the Soma Familia!"
That voice caught Eina's attention and turns around seeing the Goddess Loki with the Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia, Riveria.
"Come on, let's get it! Pretty please, momma!" Loki begged exciting.
"Don't call me that." Riveria annoyed of how her Goddess behaves like a child and she has to be the mature one.
"We're here to restock our supplies, not to buy you a bunch alcohol." Riveria reminded making Loki sad.
"Lady Riveria." Eina walked up to them.
"Eina, what are you doing here?" Riveria asked surprise to see one of the guild workers here.
After a little convincing, Riveria buys the wince for Loki much to her joy as she can't wait to drink it at home.
"Thank you so much for buying her that. I don't know how else I was gonna get her attention." Eina thanked.
"I would've been force to do so anyway. At least I'll take comfort knowing it'll be useful to you." Riveria said, feeling good to help out a friend.
"Okay, you promise, answer her question please." Riveria said to the joyfully Goddess.
"Okay, okay, so you want to know what the Soma Familia is all about, right?" Loki recalled Eina's question.
"Yes, please." Eina begged.
"If you don't mind, I too would like to know about that as well." Yuit said as she and Vante appeared from above landing behind Loki.
"Hello there, Eina, it's been a while." Yuit greeted and Vante greeted too in her own way.
"Yuit, what are you doing here?" Eina asked shock.
"I'm here to dig up a good story, and a certain rumor about the Soma Familia has caught my interest like with one of their adventurers suddenly gaining lots of money than one should. There were also other things I've been trying to figure out, then I heard you were about to talk about the Soma Familia." Yuit explained.
"Oh yeah, now I remember. You're the little elf running that news business to spread word all over Orario." Loki realized.
"At your service, I hope you wouldn't mind sharing the tale to an extra pair of ears." Yuit said as she took out her notepad and pencil.
"Well, you've always piqued my interest with those news of yours. So, I'll give you that interview." Loki smirked.
"I thank you, Goddess Loki." Yuit bowed.
"Now, about the Soma Familia, how should I explain this? I know what those guys worship and it isn't Soma, it's wine." Loki snuggled her cheek on the jar of the Soma wince.
(With Bell and Leina)
Bell and Leina are waiting for Risty and Lili at the entrance of the Dungeon, walking up to them is the man from before named Ged wanting to have a "private" talk with them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A woman said appearing right behind him.
"What the…?" Ged gulped when a blade with red color at the sharp half is hold close to his neck.
"It'd be a waste to talk to those two about dumping Risty and Lili, they're not the kind of people who would abandon those in need and they certainly wouldn't care if they get stolen by them." The woman informed as she licks her lips.
"Now, I would leave them alone if I were you because my little friend here doesn't like bullies." The woman warned and a snake slithering on his waist.
Ged got so scared of both this unknown woman and the snake that nodded his head rapidly without saying and word and ran for his life.
"Huh, wasn't that the man who was picking on Lili and Risty that night we first met them?" Leina noticed the guy.
"Huh, was that really him?" Bell asked.
"Probably not, he was running so fast I didn't get a good look at his face." Leina shrugged.
"Yo, we're you waiting long?" Risty asked as she and Lili arrived.
"Not long, glad you two could make it." Bell smiled.
"Of course, let's get going." Lili smiled and the group walk towards the Dungeon.
"Hey, Lili." Risty whispered getting the short girl's attention.
"I think those two might be the ONLY Adventurers I'll ever trust now, and I think you might feel that way too." Risty said earning a confusing look from Lili.
Lili looks down thinking about Risty just said to her and feels a little angry on those words.
"(Risty, you should know better why I hate Adventurers.)" Lili thought.
(Flashback)
"Back then, I was alone. Always alone."
The scene shows a younger Lili being all alone and poor in the streets with some other poor people who are struggling hard to get by, her parents were members of the Soma Familia which makes her a member by birth and she hated being born there. Her parents didn't look after her and they just told her to earn money for herself until they died while going with other adventurers.
Lili was left to fend for herself as she keeps getting bullied by the other members of the Soma Familia which only made lonely and isolated from other people. She tried being an Adventurer but didn't have the talent and decided to become a supporter which still became worse for her as the Adventurers she partied with looked down on her and bullies her too like getting hit by rocks when she gets tired during a job. And when she wanted money or food, they beat her up before giving her a small scarp of food.
Lili tried running away from the Soma Familia, trying to act like a normal citizen, but the Familia kept on finding her and destroyed any place she settled in even taking their money like when Lili lived with the old couple working at their flower shop only for one beatdown and they kicked her out.
Lili has kept on hating Adventurers ever since as she is forced to keep working with them.
"I thought I was always going to be alone, to never have at least one true friend by my side as I thought at the time was wishful thinking."
Lili is knocked down to the ground again by three Adventurers from the Soma Familia as they laugh at her, calling her pathetic and weak.
"That is until she appeared."
One man was about to punch Lili on the head again, but the fist was caught by Risty with a serious death-glare in her eyes.
"What the fuck you punks are doing bullying this little girl?" Risty demanded.
"Who are you?" The man asked and got punch right in the face breaking his nose.
"Hey, don't you know this is business between Familia members?" Another man asked pointing his dagger at her.
"I could give a damn about Familias because I'm not part of one, I'm a mercery, Risty Benevolent Bandit of the Wilderness." Risty introduced herself and swing her mace sending the dagger man flying crashing to a wall.
"What's the deal with this woman?" The third man scared and Risty suddenly appeared right in front him and smash his head to the ground.
Lili became awes and amazes of this woman suddenly showing up out of nowhere and actually protecting her from the bully members, she turns around facing Lili and kneels down to her eye level with a kind and concern expression.
"Hey, are you okay, kid?" Risty asked.
"Uh, yes, it's just a scratch." Lili tried play off the pain from the bruises on her face.
"It looks like shit if you ask me. Come on, I'll take you to my place and get that treated." Risty took Lili's hand and dragged her away.
"W-Wait, those men are from the Soma Familia same as me!" Lili warned.
"So, I'll just kick their asses again to show not to mess with you. And luckily for you, I'm a Mercery meaning you can always hire me for anything." Risty smiled making Lili's heart soften a bit.
"I still hate Adventurers, but Risty said that she isn't one and I started to grow closer to her. Like a little girl longing for her mother."
"So, you got a name, kid?" Risty asked.
"Lili, Liliruca Arde." Lili answered with a smile.
"It was then that Risty became the one person I can always count and no one else matters."
(Flashback End)
"(After everything we've been through, why would tell me to start trusting Adventurers now?)" Lili thought wondered.
"So, far how do you think we should go down today?" Leina asked.
"That's a good question, maybe just one more floor." Bell suggested.
"It's nice to keep going at a steady pace, but it wouldn't hurt too much to push yourself in order to get any stronger and to move forward." Risty advised.
"Speaking from experience of being a mercery?" Leina asked.
"You could say that, I had my fair shares of going through hardship in life to becoming the woman I am today." Risty clutched her fist.
"It must have been hard for you, I'm sorry." Bell apologized.
"Why are you apologizing for my hardship? You're so weird." Risty commented.
"Lili, if you want, I can carry that backpack for you so you can feel at ease on the back." Leina offered a helping hand to the supporter.
"Oh no, it's okay, Lady Leina. I'm fine, promise." Lili rejected the offer kindly.
"Okay, just let me know." Leina said as the group enter through the gate entering the Dungeon for another day of life-threating, thrill-seeking adventure below.
Unknown to them, the same woman with the pet snake is watching the four going in the Dungeon together with a little seductive smile on her face.
"Risty and Liliruca, you two may thought the only thing you need is just each other to survive in this world, but life always has a way of showing you of a special place where of you belong." The woman said and walks away while swaying her hips where the snake is.
(Twilight Manor)
Loki and Riveria took the curious two elves, three if you include Vante, to the Twilight Manor where Loki will explain the rest there while she excitingly enjoys the Soma wine, Ais is also in the room as she wanted to get her statue check. Although, she is still sad that Bell ran away from her again from the Dungeon earlier this morning when she was trying to comfort her.
"I haven't had Soma wine in forever!" Loki laughed happily.
"Very interesting, the members are worshipping the wine instead of the God himself." Yuit said while still sitting on Vante's shoulder because it's more comfortable to her.
"Yep, that's about the gist of up, yeah. And this stupidly expensive cast is actually a reject patch." Loki revealed.
"Reject? So, it's not the deal Soma Wine." Yuit guessed.
"Hit the dart in the bullseye. So, the one they worship is the finish masterpiece you can't find in the market anywhere." Loki said.
"Masterpiece?" Eina wondered what's so special about some wine.
"Uh-hu, now that's stuff is hardcore. One sip and you're drunk right down to your soul, in fact some people became part of the Soma Familia just to get a little taste of it, even for just one tiny sip." Loki explained.
"Really, that's it? That's the only thing holding them together?" Eina asked shock to hear this.
"Exactly, but in order to make wine, you need to make money first." Loki stated.
"I see, they offer a little simple of the wine to get more Adventurers to join them to roll in the cash and give the reject wine to ones bringing in the most." Yuit said as she writes all of this down.
"All it takes is one taste and they became enslave to get another taste, they get desperate for more. Enough to betray their friends, and even sacrifice each other." Loki said with slight evilly smile.
"My goodness!" Eina shocked.
"I see, so that's the whole story." Yuit finished writing on her notepad.
"That's all I know, does that answer all your questions you two?" Loki asked the two elves.
"Yes, thank you very much." Eina thanked.
"Yep, I believe I got enough info that will be a good headline for the newspapers." Yuit smiled proud that she just got herself a big scoop.
"Now come on, how long are you going to be all pouty about some dude running away from you?" Loki asked Ais.
"Let's go check on your statue, shall we? Might do you some good." Loki suggested.
"If you say so." Ais said opening the door for Loki as she leaves the room.
"And if you're lucky, you might get a message." Loki smiled perverted.
"If you try anything, I will cut you." Ais threatened.
"Oh, come on!" Loki complained as Ais leaves and closed the door.
"Goddess Loki is certainly an interesting one." Eina commented.
"Goddess Loki can be a big childish at times, but she is quite clever, and we have a great deal of trust in her." Riveria said as she is drinking her tea.
"You know, I actually heard this little rumor that Loki tried to marry Soma sometime ago but was rejected, is that true?" Yuit asked.
"I remember that, Loki wanted to have Soma's hand so she can have an endless supply of free wine including his special wine, but he rejected her instantly and just went back to making his booze." Riveria chuckled.
"I bet she was pretty upset of the rejection." Eina chuckled.
"She was, but she gotten over it and moved on." Riveria said.
Eina's mind went to thinking about Bell and Leina, worry for their safety of being around with Lili as she is part of the Soma Familia could part their very lives in danger and fear that something bad could happen.
"You're at Level 6 now!" Loki shouted in shock which causes Eina to spit her tea out in shock as well.
(With Lili and Risty)
Lili is making some little potions to get herself ready for the next exploring through the Dungeons and looks up at the crescent moon.
"Hey, Risty." Lili said.
"What's up, little squirt?" Risty responded, resting in the little mat next to Lili.
"What makes you think that Bell and Leina are the ones we can trust more, even thought their Adventurers?" Lili asked.
"Call it a gut feeling, something about those two separates from the other assholes we dealt with over the years like they have a big heart or something." Risty answered, surprising herself of actually trusting those two.
"But what if they end up betraying us in the end and leave us to die?" Lili asked.
"I don't think they would do that, if our lives were in danger right now, they would come saving our ass right now." Risty believed.
Somewhere deep inside Lili's heart, she believes Risty's words and believes that those two newbie Adventurers can be her friend to trust the most though she still wasn't entirely sure.
(Hestia Church)
"So, you two are worried about that supporter girl." Hestia said after hearing everything about Lili from Leina and Bell.
"That's right, from what Risty said the Soma Familia doesn't seem to be a good Familia at all and she's been going through some hard times." Bell nodded.
"There was also this Adventurer who tried to hurt her if Risty wasn't there, and I think they used to be partners before breaking off." Leina recalled that Ged said Lili took more than her share.
"Oh dear, how could such people do that to a little girl who is only so young?" Melpha asked sad.
"Well, it makes me wonder can we fully trust her?" Hestia asked shocking the three.
"Sorry, that didn't sound like a nice question, but judging from what you two told me, I think I'm getting the idea this girl doesn't trust anyone being Adventurers and this Risty woman is the only exception because she's not in any Familia." Hestia pointed out.
"I didn't say to you, Bell, but I believe Risty and Lili were the ones who stole you knife the other day after we came out of the Dungeon. I remember Ryuu mentioning about Risty having a thieving habit." Leina revealed.
"Not to mention, there could also be the fact that the reason Risty hasn't joined a Familia is because she doesn't trust them like with the Soma Familia of how they treat Lili." Hestia added.
"…Even so, I still want to help them, to show them a better life." Bell determined with his usual bright smile which made the Goddess and the two young women smile.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
The past of Liliruca Arde has been revealed of why she has to be sneaky with hatred towards Adventures and how she became friends with Risty when the two first met, despite knowing they could be plotting to trick them, Bell wants to help save them no matter what. It would seem that Lili may start to have second thoughts about Bell and Leina being compared to the awful Adventurers she always gets entangled.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!