Rum (DanMachi - FGO Reincarnation Chapter 5)
"So how long until you can get it done?" I asked the God Soma.
After meeting with my Familia Head, I explained my need for a stronger version of his wine. I didn't need to if it was possible. Soma was a wine-making god. He can make it happen.
At the moment I had been as sober as whenever I seriously dealt with the dungeon as an actual threat. So half drunk. My mind was working well enough, that I was taking too much notice of my surroundings. Trying not to think about the past, meant concentrating on the present or future. However this meant focusing intensely on my surroundings. Being too aware of my senses. It was painfully overwhelming. Thank fuck, my planning Skill was combat related. I couldn't deal with all this stimuli while thinking in bullet time.
The Soma fragrance in the room was ever present as always. A by product of the wine making, but enough to make any person who never experienced it dazed, and anyone who does parched. The smell alone was enough to make me taste it, and like always the Soma pleasantly felt like worthless elation. Like sitting at a cafeteria content with friends at Chaldea after another cooking contest, but without any of the reasons for contentment.
"I don't think that's how it works?" Soma said, thankfully breaking me from my thoughts, and giving me something to focus on.
"What doesn't?"
"Skills." Soma said, making me blink at the non-sequitur. "Skills are passive or active. Some skills are conditional, that need something to turn them on, but they don't get stronger."
"I drank seven whole bottles, and was aware after a day and a bit. That's not normal." I said back.
"Purge Engine is far stronger than I thought." Soma muttered in surprise.
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying it got stronger." I said starting to feel annoyed at repeating myself.
"No," Soma shook his head. "I'm saying it was already that strong, you just never used it that high before. That's what surprised me. Did you encounter something that made you subconsciously activate it at a higher state?" He sounded far more interested in usual.
A funny white haired Adventurer running and screaming covered in blood, that reminded me of Meteria.
"Nothing sticks out." I answered.
"That's..." Soma tilted his head, looking at me confused. "Are you lying...to yourself?"
I blinked at the odd statement.
"Huh?"
"Doesn't matter." He waved me off. "It's none of my business." I guess I should be thankful for that. "As for your request, yes. I can make a stronger version. However it's gonna take me time to buy the materials needed."
"How much do you need?" This was more my wheelhouse, as I thought and anticipated about how many magic stones I would need to get.
I could just farm the Goliath a few times, but they only spawn once a week, and I might end up having to fight other Familias while carrying the giant magic stone up the Floors every time. Hmm, 14th Floor would be better. Almiraj are pretty spawnable, as the Middle Floors' Killer Ants.
"Money isn't a problem when it comes to you." Soma shook his head. "It would take time as I would like to work with better material. Those, well..."
"Come from Deep Floors?" I frowned. The problem was getting the materials themselves, and they are probably the type that's in high demand.
"Not that far," I sighed at the minor good news. "But they do come from the Lower Floors. I need a few things, all of them from the Water City, but mainly Amphisbaena's Dragon Liver drop item."
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would need stuff that come from plant monsters, if you need materials that far down."
"It's not an ingredient, as much as a distilling agent." Soma clarified, sounding a bit energetic.
"How would..." I tried to understand how a monster's liver would work in making wine. Maybe it has mystical properties, or it's used in forging a distiller-I raised my hands up to halt the conversation. "You know what, no. I'm not interested in the process."
Soma deflated on himself. The mood in the room felt more dragging than before, and I could swear he was pouting.
"Alright," Soma nodded slowly, and wrote me the list of ingredients needed. The awkward silence was only filled up by the quiet pencil scribbling.
I took the finished list and couldn't help but grimace. Most of the stuff on it needed to be got from the 25th to the 27th Floor. Fuck, I'm gonna have to spend a lot of time sober for this, aren't I?
"Okay, I'll try to get this as soon as I can." I said as I turned to leave. "But if you do buy them, just make an extra dose and I'll buy it."
Soma nodded, and I walked away as that was the end of our conversation.
Yet before I opened the door of his office, he spoke out.
"Michael?"
"Yes?" I expected his question to be quick, but hearing only silence, I turned to see my Familia's god in an contemplative mood.
"What do you think of it?"
"Hmm?"
"My Soma, what...does it taste like to you? What do you like about it?"
I blinked at the unexpected question. Soma had never asked for my opinion before. What changed now?
"It..." My first instinct was to dismiss him. Then I though of just saying something he would like to hear. But I can't really say I care whether Soma like my opinion or not, just as long as he keep proving the wine. Also Gods can see through lies. Right, there is that. "It tastes like dull bliss." Soma was listening far more intently than I expected. Weird. "It gives the feeling of all the stuff you feel from positive experiences, but without the context... Without memory or associations."
"So...it's better if it connects to happy memories to provide that context."
"NO!" My shouted surprised me, as much as Soma, watching him flinch back, and blink at me in surprise. "No," I repeated in a lower voice. My throat felt a bit dry, so I swallowed my saliva, and sighed, trying to explain without criticizing him. "The...emptiness of it, is its best quality. Maybe others would disagree, and rather regain the feelings of their happier times by drinking the Soma, but for me the way it removes all context, leaving nothing but bliss for bliss's sake is what makes it...empyrean." I tried to finish on a sophisticated word, so it sounds more impactful. "A divine drink should rip apart mortal attachment, not reinforce them, right?"
Soma calmly took in my words. For what felt like a long while, he said nothing. After finally coming to some sort of opinion on my words, he nodded, and went back to his work.
With that obvious dismissal, I finally left.
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Liliruca Arde never felt more trapped in her life.
Why the hell did I come here? She cried out in her head as she was sitting next to some Amazon and fucking Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia.
Right, because Michael drank seven gods be damned bottles of Soma, somehow still lived, then threw Lili on his shoulders, laughing like a madman, and made exploding spears rain throughout the dungeon.
Lili couldn't even comprehend everything that happened, because it was too fast.
An Adventurer covered in blood ran past them in the fifth floor, then Michael was unresponsive for a second, before he started to chugging Soma bottles, like it was water. When Ais Wallenstein met and reached them, he finished the seventh, and the Dungeon started not only spawning monsters, but an irregular Minotaur eating magic stones appeared.
Ais said that she would take care of it, but Michael just giggled and brushed off the Sword Princess's concern. He sounded like all Lili's familia member lost to the wine.
Then he made a spear that started glowing bright, like it was heating up from the inside, till it was glowing orange, and threw it fast enough to whistle through the air, and cause shockwaves. He grabbed and threw Lili on his shoulders after that, summoning those glowing spears, and letting them fly everywhere in the dungeon as he laughed and skipped his way to the surface.
Lili was far too dizzy and her ears were ringing from all the explosion by the end. The Fucking Asshole then dropped her by the dungeon's entrance, disappearing to who knows where (thank god), and she was then left with the confused Sword Princess looking at her.
When Ais then said to follow her, Lili had no recourse but to obey the Level 5. What else was she to do?
Buying Lili food afterwards at the Hostess of Fertility was odd, and Lili couldn't refuse, specially with the intense calm look Ais was giving her.
She's a very scary person.
Everything about the Sword Princess was terrifying. Michael had pissed her off, and now Lili had to carry the burden of it.
"Please eat. As an apology."
Lili didn't really hear what Ais said beyond her order, because she was too scared to disobey the Level 5. Was this some kind of torture? Make indulge in food and drinks till its painful.
Then the rest of the Loki Familia arrived, and somehow Lili found herself the focus of Finn Deimne.
"So, you're Orpheus's latest protégé, huh?" Finn asked with that heroic charmish smile.
"'Protégé' sounds far too dignified for what Lili goes through." Lili said in a voice that was easily washed away in the noise of the celebrating familia, yet Finn heard her all the same. "Lili is forced to survive against hordes of monsters, till she drops. Lili isn't sure when Mr. Chaser just won't pick her up, and let the dungeon eat her, one of these days." Trying to gain sympathy from a powerful Adventurer would save her, not just from Michael, but the Soma Familia all together. Likely not (as if Adventurers would care about her), but it's worth a shot.
"Isn't that just normal training?" Said the flat chested Amazonness next to Lili.
Lili just looked back incredulous, only to see Ais nodding in agreement.
"Maybe because he hadn't gotten to the point of teaching you how to fight, it doesn't feel like training." Finn offer.
"Mr. Chaser has..." Lili was about to disagree, but remembered that there were times where Michael would give her instructions. Ways to maneuver or wield her weapon better. Things to focus on when fighting, or mistakes to amend.
Yet, it all happened in the heat of battle so much, that she just integrated the knowledge to survive, rather than focus on what it was, or that he was teaching her.
"Orpheus? Orpheus?" Bete, the werewolf called out, trying to recall where he heard that name before. "Heard that name a few times. Isn't he that Level 3 from Soma? Why are we talking about weaklings like that?" He laughed and drank his mead.
"Well, a lot of our recruits that got to be high ranked were trained by him, right Emma?" The Goddess Loki spoke out from her place at the table.
"Eh?" Lili looked on in confusion as a girl with long pink hair and pink eyes, chuckled and looked at Lili with understanding for some reason.
"Yeah, Michael is brutal, but everything he teaches end up really helpful in the end." Emma Flores said. "Just...hold on and don't cry too much. You need to keep your body hydrated, you know." She said with a sympathy that instantly made Lili feel a connect to the girl, as realization dawned on her.
"W-Wait, are you also..." Lili asked with a shaking finger.
"I guess you can say I'm your 'Senpai' in leaving the Soma Familia." Emma rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Lili's jaw dropped.
"So the guy trains weaklings that just get snatched up by other Familia? Holy shit, that's hilarious!" Bete laughed out loud, slapping his knee.
"Bete," Loki spoke out getting his attention. "Yeah, the guy trains anyone that wants to leave the Soma Familia, but you wanna know why anyone bothers remembering a Level 3, even years after he Leveled Up and his story was told?"
"Yeah, what is it?" Beter asked nonchalantly, but was actually interested a bit.
The only Adventurers that people talked about were those whose story was consciously told. Level 5s and 6s, and of course Ottar. The strongest and most active Adventurers, would naturally gain the most attention. Anyone else, just stays for the limelight a bit, and the forgotten. For a Level 3 to be referenced for years on end, it could only be because of the Adventurers he trained, right? Yet it sounded like there might be a more interesting reason.
"Well," Loki said slowly to build anticipation. "It's only natural that Freya's disowned child would be something to talk about."
Disowned. For a god, the context would be a child they let go of. Yet...
"Wait, he was in the Freya Familia?" A young Elf asked.
"I thought people can't leave the Freya Familia?" Asked another Loki Adventurer. "Only way out is..." He mimicked a hand cutting his throat.
"Oh you can leave, but no Adventurer ever wanted to." Loki grinned. "For all those who joined her Familia, the only way they would want to leave was through death. Orpheus however," Loki paused to take another gulp of her mead. "Since her Familia's inception, he was the only brat to walk out on her." The trickster goddess smiled at her captivated audience, and another chance to dunk on Freya.
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I need to be stronger. I need to be stronger. I need to be stronger.
That one thought kept echoing in Bell Cranel's head, as he slashed War Shadow after War Shadow in a room in the Dungeon's Sixth Floor.
The laughter of that Adventurer from the Loki Familia kept ringing in his ears.
Weak. Weak. Weak.
He wasn't worthy to show Ais Wallenstein and thank her for saving his life.
Bell dodged another swipe, from monster's long claws, to the right, then dashed close into War Shadow's personal space, and slashed with the longsword through it.
His triumphant grin was wiped away, as his swing dulled in power after being stopped by another monster, not cutting deep into it. Two other came from behind.
He needed to pull his sword, kill the one in front of him, then deal with the incoming two, then all the others afterwards.
Yet everything changed when rains of metal fell everywhere.
Bell screamed and covered his head.
He looked up and saw all the monsters were impaled by different swords and spears.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Eh!?" Bell turned to meet the eyes of a confused and disbelieving Michael Chaser.