Chapter 11
"…did you really need to show that?" Riveria asked Zelretch with a glare
The mood among the audience…is tense. Some are clenching their fists while some openly shedding tears. While they had witnessed even more gruesome sights within the Dungeon, what they have just seen…is completely different. Those that are soft-hearted like Bell, Lefiya, and Haruhime feels like they want to puke their breakfast out.
"I had to. That event was the catalyst for Heracles' adventures and all other deeds that he will accomplished" Zelretch said, without any ounce of regret.
That was to be expected. Zelretch is not 'normal', his sense of morality is completely different. Sure, he might have skipped several parts before (WHICH add nothing to the story) but the one regarding Heracles is very important for his growth.
"Ok…I have to say…that Hera are far worse than OUR Hera…" Hermes sighed
"Yeah…the Hera from our world might be arrogant and can be unbearable sometimes, but I kinda doubt she will go that far…" Loki nodding in agreement. She doesn't really like Hera, but she at least knew a tad bit about her personality.
"Well…not while Astraea is around I think" Hermes replied
Ryuu flinched when she heard the name of her goddess, something that Bell noticed. He would pretend that he did no see that so not to draw any attention to them.
Overwhelmed by his guilt and despair, Heracles headed towards the Oracle of Delphi for words of advice on how he can redeemed himself from such a great sin.
"To seek penance, you must serve Eurystheus, King of Tiryns, for 10 years and obey every commands he would give you."
"Eurystheus…"
"What's wrong? Having a second thought on this?" the Oracle asked with a smirk
"None. I'll do everything, though I knew it would never be enough to redeem me from my sin." the hero calmly said as he left for Tiryns
"Ooh, so this is the kind of story where the hero will accomplished various feats for redemption, right?" Freya chuckled
"Ohoho, so stories such as this also exist in your world?" Zelretch said with a small laugh
"There are some, though most ended up in failure" Hermes quipped
"Or the feats they accomplished just kind of too ordinary and mundane for our taste!" Loki laughed
Heracles stood emotionlessly in the middle of a throne room. The sheer power exuded from his body is so terrifying that it caused almost all of the room' occupants to tremble in fear.
"W-well well, isn't it my dear cousin?" Eurystheus, King of Tiryns, said
Though his tone is mocking, his body's trembling in fear, and sweats dripping down from his face.
"You knew." Heracles said without showing any emotion
"Y-yes, goddess Hera told me." Eurystheus answered
"…."
Without saying anything, Heracles bowed and on his knees, his right fist on the floor before saying.
"Then I'll be in your service. To pay for my sins, I'll do everything you want for 10 years."
Silence engulfed the entire room before Eurystheus starts laughing in delight.
"Yes! For 10 years, you'll be my slave Heracles!" The black haired King got off from his throne and walks toward the great hero with a malicious grin. When he finally reached the kneeling hero, he put his left foot on the hero's head.
"Your penance will start tomorrow, be in this throne room before 8 in the morning or I'll have you flogged a hundred times!"
"That's his cousin?" Ryuu said in disgust
"Looks like it…." Bell replied
"Soo…he'll be that man's slave for 10 years? I don't think I can stand him for more than a week." Tiona muttered
"A week? I'll kill him right where he stands!" Bete snarled, causing some of the audience to snicker quietly.
"Hmmm, I bet that he's following Hera's order…" Loki muttered
"Most likely. He already jealous of Heracles, and now he got the support of Hera." Hestia said
The next morning, Heracles had arrived at the throne room 1 hour earlier before Eurystheus. The king looks startled when he saw his cousin already in the room and warily sit on his throne. After waiting for the other noblemen to arrive, Eurystheus dramatically said:
"Let us start with the penance for this sinner! The man that murdered his entire family in cold blood!"
Eurystheus' supporters are clapping in delight while some are jeering and throwing insults to Heracles who stood there defiantly, weathering the abuse.
"For your first labor, I want you to slay the Lion that had been plaguing the city of Nemea!" the king proclaimed, shocking many of the room' occupants
"The Nemean Lion!?"
"T-the unassailable lion…"
"That man's fate is sealed…"
"I heard the lion destroyed an entire army that was sent to kill it!"
But Heracles did not say even a single word, unfazed by the others mutterings. After hearing his first task, he turn his back on his cousin.
"Very well." That's the only word he said before leaving the room and the city
"Unassailable lion?" Finn asked
"Hmmm, from how they're describing the lion…I think it would resemble something like the Goliath." Gareth replied
"Because of the skin right? Goliath's hide is a very tough and durable material after all." Welf said, a little bit excited when talking about it which caused Gareth to laugh
"A lion with a skin as thick as the Goliath? Can't really imagine that." Tione smiled
"….don't tell me this would be another divine beast?" Hestia muttered, the only answer she got from Zelretch is a small shrug
Heracles has finally arrived at the city of Cleonae, the place that Eurystheus said had been terrorized by the lion. He had tried to ask the citizens of the city for the lion's exact location, but many answered that they don't know or fled when they saw him. His height, forever waving hair, and completely tanned skin made him looks terrifying for those who haven't seen him before.
"Look at him…"
"Is that!?"
"The kinslayer…"
"What a monstrous appearance…"
"Mom, I'm scared!"
"He truly is…a monster."
Those are the whispers that he had picked up while walking around the city, though he paid the no mind. He has already got used to it. After several hours with no success of acquiring any useful information, he decided to leave the city and to search the lion by himself. Not far away from the city, he stumbles upon an elderly shepherd.
"…You're planning to slay the lion, aren't you?" the shepherd asked
"I am."
"Many had tried before…they were all slain by the lion."
"Then I'll slay the lion before it get the chance."
The man didn't say anything in return for few minutes before opening his mouth once again
"My son…he was killed…and eaten by the lion. I don't really know you…but I had this feeling that you'll succeed. Tell you what, if you came back within 30 days…a ram would be sacrificed to Lord Zeus. But, if you did not….I'll sacrificed it to you as a mourning offering."
"….very well. I'll avenge your son, this I promised."
Saying farewell to the shepherd, Heracles once again set out for the hunt. On his back, a large bow that only man of his stature able to use. Heracles is pretty confident of his archery skill, having learn of it from his mentor, Chiron, who was taught by the Goddess of the Hunt.
After searching in the surrounding woods, he finally found his target. There, standing on top of massive boulder, a massive black lion with equally black mane.
"…I see. No wonder no one able to slain it. A divine beast, with the concept of 'rejecting' human civilization."
"Another divine beast? Your world really are full of them." Freya said with a hint of amusement
"Hahahaha, well they were pretty common during the Age of Gods." Zelretch laughed
"Is it just me, or it's kinda similar with the Lygerfang? Well, minus the mane and skin color." Tiona quipped
"Same size, but the lion is obviously stronger just from the status alone." Bete shrugged
Lygerfang, a massive tiger-like monster that spawned from Floor 15 to Floor 17 within the Dungeon. Classified as Level 2 monster, they can easily kill unsuspecting adventurers as they usually move and attack in groups.
"…I'm kinda confused tho…" Bell said
"…what is it?" Aiz asked, turning to face the white haired boy
"Heracles said it has the concept…of rejecting human civilization. What does it mean?" Bell asked
"Hahaha, no need to be confused young man. Your answer will be answered soon." Zelretch said with a small grin
With a speed and strength that should not be possible for a human, Heracles let loose an arrow which targets the lion's thigh. The lion keeps looking at Heracles as the arrow neared him, and it hit.
Nothing
The arrow that had the strength to easily penetrate a stone wall, bounced harmlessly from the lion's skin. Heracles frowned when he saw that, notching another arrow and letting it loose once more…with the same result. Suddenly, a look of understanding appears on his face.
"I see…so that's how it is." He said before throwing his bow and arrow into the ground
"As expected of a divine beast. Your concept of 'rejecting' humanity was so ingrained into you that your hide retained that concept as well. It's like an armor…one that cannot be pierced by any tools created by humans."
"W-wait a minute! What does he mean by that!?" Welf stammered
"Can't be pierced…by anything made by humans?" Riveria muttered
Zelretch keeps chuckling for a full minute before replying
"It is as you heard. Weapons created by humans can't harm the lion. Only weapons made by the gods or powerful conceptual weapons and magic can damage it."
"Well…that would be a very expensive monster to slay." Finn weakly smiled while Gareth just laughed.
"So…only something like Bell's knife can do any sort of damage to it?" Mikoto asked
"Oh yeah…I forgot that Bell's knife was personally crafted by Lady Hephaistos." Welf said, nodding his head while Bell just chuckling with a little bit of sweats dripping down when he remembers the price of his weapon
Then, a titanic struggle between Heracles and the Lion start. Heracles charged forward, same with the Lion who leaped directly towards the tanned man. The lion opened its jaw, revealing arrays of very sharp teeth with intention to tear off the flesh of its challenger. Dodging the lion, the hero sent a strong punch to the lion's face causing it take a step back while staggering. Quickly shrugging the after-effect of the punch, the lion once again charged forward…this time using its claws. Instead of dodging, Heracles punch it. The punch sends the lion's paw away, but the lion able to recover within a second and continue its attack. This time, the claws made contact with Heracles's right arm which caused it to leak out a small amount of blood.
The battle between the demi-god and the beast lasted for another hour and soon turned into a wrestling match. In a moment of carelessness, the lion allows Heracles to wrap his hands around its neck and strangled it. Trying to get its adversary to let go off him, the divine beast thrashed its body around while unleashing a fearsome yet desperate roar that can be heard by the people living in the city of Cleonae.
With a mighty yell, Heracles tighten his hold and snapped the lion's neck. Thus end the lion's reign of terror and Heracles 1st Labor. Feeling satisfied, he picked up the massive lion and went to find the shepherd. There're much celebrations within the city when news of the lion's death spread and many lauded Heracles as their savior. After all that done, Heracles returns to Tiryns to inform Eurystheus of his success…with the lion's corpse on his shoulder.
"Hmm…that's quite a fight." Gareth murmured
"Indeed, that lion would be very difficult to handle without any preparation…well, unless you have the brute strength to do it anyway." Finn said, his eyes wandered to Ottar's figure who hasn't said even a single word
"...so a brute like Tione then." Bete said with a smirk, causing a tick mark to appears on said Amazon's forehead
"What's that!?"
"What? It's the truth!
"There." Was all Heracles said when he threw the lion's corpse onto the floor of the throne room.
Those who are present in the room gasped in astonishment when they first saw Heracles walked in to the room with a body of a lion on his shoulder. Those astonishment turned into fear and respect when they realized it was the body of the infamous Nemean Lion.
"Y-you r-r-really killed it?" Eurystheus shuttered
"I am." Heracles calmly answered
"B-but, the lion were supposed to be invincible!" the king shouted
"Nothing is invincible, not even the gods." The hero replied
"B-blasphemy!"
Heracles opted to ignore him before speaking once more
"What is my second task?"
That shuts Eurystheus up and a joyful expression appears on his face
"Ah, yes! The gods had tasked me to inform you your next labor…you must slay the Lernaean Hydra!"
Heracles' eyes slightly widened when he heard the name of his next target. Lernaean Hydra, an extremely poisonous monster with 9 heads. It is said that the creature is nigh impossible to beat due to its regenerative ability. Still, a task is a task and he will do everything to complete it.
Heracles nodded in acceptance, he once again lifted the body of the Nemean Lion and headed towards the door. Before he steps out, he heard Eurystheus shout:
"Oh, and you'll no longer welcome in this room. Next time, I want you to present the proof of your labor outside of the city. Additionally, I will give you your tasks from the city's wall. Now, scram!"
"…what a pathetic man." Ryuu calmly said, turning Bell's attention to her, gawking
"Ehhh?"
"The King, Eurystheus." The elf clarified
"Oooh, I thought you're talking about Heracles." Bell said, rubbing his neck slightly which caused the elf to chuckle. Both of them didn't notice a pouting blonde swordswoman which currently pouting as she took small glances at them
"I mean….Heracles is a really patience man. I would definitely kill that king if I was in his position!" Tione said with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest
"Ehh, I don't think he has any choice in that matter." Her twin sister replied
"Yeah…but, still…."
"Patience is one of the main quality that every hero has." Hermes commented with light chuckle
"Not all of them." Freya suddenly chimed in as she took a glass of wine offered by Ottar
"Ah yes….I forgot about 'them'." The god face-palmed
"Them?" Lily asked
"Nah, don't think too much about it." Hermes dodged the question
"Well, I'm more curious about this 'Lernean Hydra' though. I wonder how it would looks like." Loki said
"I sincerely believe it would be another divine beast…" Riveria sighed
"True, it must be something even more powerful than the lion or else it won't make sense…" Hestia muttered
"Uncle, please take me with you!"
Not long after he left for Lake Lerna, the lake where the hydra resides, he stumbles upon a teenager with black hair waiting for him in the middle of the road. He recognized him. Iolaus, his brother's son.
"No. It's too dangerous."
"I'll survive!"
"And how would you know?"
"I promised father and mother that I'll return, and I never break my promise!"
They keep arguing for hours until Heracles was too tired to continue. Finally, he let the boy join him. Though he promised himself that he would keep his nephew as far away as possible from the fight. He just can't lose any more family member. Ignoring that, he wonders how Iolaus able to found him. He asked of course, but the boy won't elaborate and saying that he received some kind of 'divine help'.
"By the way, is that the pelt of the infamous Namean Lion!?" Iolaus giddily asked in which Heracles nodded
The pelt covered some part of his back and head. It honestly took him hours to skin the lion as he can't use normal utensils which will just break. Hopefully the pelt will give him some kind of protection against the hydra.
"We're almost there." Heracles stated, stopping Iolaus on his track
"Really?" the young man asked
"Yes, cover your nose and mouth." In which the teenager obeyed, using a piece of his clothing to do that.
As they advanced forward, they noticed as they're getting closer that almost of all the plants are dead and rotting due to the poisonous air. They even found skulls of animals and humans, with some had melted beyond recognition. Undeterred, they kept marching on until they came across a massive poisonous lake. They can't see clearly due to the thick mist, which is also poisonous.
"This is…" Iolaus muttered
"Where the hydra lives." Heracles finished as he scanned the area
"Are you okay? The air is so toxic that it's very difficult to breathe…" Iolaus asked
"Yes…this much is nothing for me."
"Very impressive….anyway, I don't see the hydra though."
They have been standing in the edge of the lake for several minutes now, and for some reason the hydra haven't come out.
"I see...Iolaus, create a fire." Heracles ordered as he took out his bow
"Okay!" from his backpack, Iolaus took out a medium sized branch and a bottle of oil given to him by one of the castle's physician. The physician said that it would easily combust when it make contact with the air. When he poured the oil onto the branch, it instantly lit the branch on fire. Satisfied, he lifted it and offered to Heracles.
Heracles took one of his arrow and lit it on fire. After that, he notched it and let it loose. Iolaus, confused, asked his uncle why he shot at that direction. Not even a minute after that, a loud and terrifying shrieks can be heard from the distance.
"W-what is that!?"
"There's a cave and I assumed that the Hydra lives there. It seems that my assumption was correct."
Then, they can feel the ground is shaking and waves of water start to collide with with the shore. Heracles quickly grab Iolaus and threw him several feet away from their current location.
"Run!" the hero ordered
Before his nephew can reply, the mist disappeared and reveals what is hiding in it. A massive serpent like monster with jet black scales that covered its entire body like an armor…and it have 9 different heads, all with extremely sharp teeth and spitting out poisons. When the hydra noticed Heracles who's standing on the shore, it let out a shriek to the heaven.
"…" Heracles prepares himself for, without a doubt, the most difficult fight he would ever have in his entire life
"That thing….is massive!" Bell said
"It is 2 times the size of the Amphisbaena!" Mikoto said in fear
"With 7 more heads." Tiona cheerfully added
Amphisbaena, the monster rex of the 27th Floor. A white twin-headed long necked dragon that able to move between floors. It is capable of two different breath attacks: the right head uses a crimson mist which surrounds itself and diffuses magic while the left one able to breathes blue flames that can burn even on water. A level 5 monster in terms of strength, but the Guild listed it as a Level 6 due to the area being water.
"Interesting….I wonder if such monster exist in the Lower Floors of the Dungeon." Freya mused
Even Ottar shows large amount of interest in the fight with how focused his eyes were. As the strongest Adventurer in Orario and bearing the title 'The King', the boaz always look for challenges to push himself even further. As of right now, his status are all maxed up and he just need some sort of challenge to reach Level 8.
"Hmmm, let us see how the hero will tackle this." Loki smirked
"Kinslayerrrrrrr."One of the hydra' head spokes
Heracles' eyes widened slightly
"We had been waiting for you." another head said
"To kill you is our sole purposeeee."
"As Lady Hera has commanded."
"She had raised us for this moment."
Heracles gritted his teeth. How much hatred does his step-mother held for him to the point she will raised such monstrosity to kill him.
"Wow…that world's Hera really is a bitch!" Hestia said, her mouth's gaping in shock
"Usually I would remind you to watch your words Lady Hestia, but I can't help but agreeing with you on this!" Mikoto said
"To raise a monster like that…that Hera really has done it now." Loki frowned
"Well, I just need to remind you that it was quite common for something like that to happen in my world. Don't forget that the Goddess Ishtar sent the Divine Bull to wreak havoc onto the world when she got rejected by Gilgamesh." Zelretch chimed in with a small smile
"Damn….that must be quite a headache to deal with." Bete muttered
Not waiting for any sort of reply from Heracles, the Hydra let out a combined attack of poisonous liquids. Heracles is able to narrowly dodge it, taking note on how the ground quickly melted when the liquids made contact. Not even a second later, one of the hydra's neck slammed into the left side of his body which sends him flying into a line of trees. Shrugging of the damage from the attack, Heracles quickly stands up and let loose an arrow into one of the heads.
The arrow tears off one of the head, causing blood to sputters out from the decapitated neck. However, not long after that, 2 more heads appears from the gaping wound. Now, the Hydra have 10 heads.
Heracles did not say even a word after witnessing that. He quickly closing the distance between him and the monster once more. For full on 10 hours (mirror time lol), the titanic struggle ensues. Heracles used everything he has in disposal to do as much damage as possible. Every time the hydra lunges in for an attack, he chopped off it' heads using his swords. Every time it intends to let loose its poisonous breath and acid attacks, he tears off the heads with his bow.
In the middle of the fight, a giant crab suddenly came out of the lake and targets Heracles with its ginormous claws. A mere distraction for the hero, as he easily jumped onto the crab's back and crushed it with his feet. After making sure that the crab is dead, he continues his fight against the hydra.
It finally reached the point where the hydra now have full on a hundred heads. All of the heads are looking at him as if they are mocking him. The hydra' 100 heads let out a massive roar simultaneously, one that can be heard throughout Greece, instilling fear in the hearts of the people.
" .hell." Bete whispered
"That thing….is unkillable." Lefiya said as well
"A monster that regenerates every time it lost its head…" Finn muttered
"What a terrifying monster." Ryuu said, which Bell and Aiz nods as well in agreement
"There's a way."
Everyone turned their attention to the sole Level 7 of Orario.
"Ooo, you knew of its weakness, Ottar?" Freya asked of her Captain
"Yes, Lady Freya."
"Such a good boy, as expected of you." The goddess said with a smile
"Well? Feel free to explain it to us." Hermes joked
Bell intensely listens, any inputs by 'The King' are valuable and priceless for any adventurers. After getting the permission from Freya, Ottar speaks.
"This might be different with the monsters we found in the Dungeon as all we need is to target their core. However, even a monster needs a brain to function. When you faced a monster that keep regenerating after a fatal blow, what you need to target is their brain. That Hydra have 9 heads in the beginning…which mean there're 9 different brains. Even if it lost 2 or 3 heads, the rest of the heads still able to function and making use of its regenerative ability. When it comes to an opponent like this, you need a powerful attack that can destroy all of its heads in one go."
Then, he focused his sight back to the mirror.
"I do believe that man is completely aware of that. It just that he either doesn't possess an attack like that or the hydra doesn't give him any chance to do so."
"You've failed."
"Just accept your fate, son of Zeus."
"No, we'll give you one more chance."
"To attack ussss. Though it won't make any differenceeee."
Quickly taking advantage of the Hydra's arrogance, Heracles once again prepares his bow. He remembers all of the advices given to him by Chiron, all of the skills he have learned under the centaur's tutelage…he will used all of it. He will bet everything on this one attack.
He pulled the string of his bow with all of his strength….and he let it loose while muttering the name of his new technique.
"Nine Lives: The Shooting Hundred Heads."
And the one arrow splits into a hundred different arrows, and all of them meet their respective targets. The force behind all of those arrows are so great that even after tearing off the hydra' heads, they kept going until a hundred different explosions can be heard. The hydra doesn't even have any chance to utter even a single insult before its massive body slowly fell to the ground. It's lower half still buried within the lake while its upper body is on the land. All of its necks oozing out highly toxic liquids until it create a small pool.
"…It might be useful in the future."
When he reached the hydra's corpse and the small pool of poison gathering under it, he took out some of his arrows and dipped them into the poison. Finished, he tucked them safely and looked for his missing nephew.
And so end Heracles's 2nd Labor
"Wow…." Bell can't even describe how amazing that was
"Very impressive." Even Ottar gave his own praise, something that he rarely do
"Yeah, beating that kind of a monster would be impossible without a perfectly structured team." Finn said with a small smile
"So, 0 chance for us?" Riveria asked
"Hahaha, no. maybe 20-30% chance. We don't know how your magic will fare against something like that." the prum answered
"The poison is the most troublesome part." Gareth nodded
"Still, that truly is something I have never seen before. A lone man, standing against the near invincible monstrosity raised by a goddess and yet still came out victorious. He truly is worthy of the status 'Hero'." Hermes proclaimed with a grin
"He would've been a huge asset had he existed in our world when Zeus and Hera Familia fought against the Black Dragon." Freya commented
"Indeed. Though we don't know the full capability of the dragon, I firmly believe that things could have gone differently." Hermes replied
"Well, 2 of the heroes that vampire had shown us before are completely broken though." Loki sourly said
"Ah yes…the King of Heroes and the King of Magic. Those 2 without a doubt could face the dragon, no questions about that."
"That won't do!" are the words Eurystheus yelled from the wall of his city
Heracles stares up at him, unimpressed, which cause his cousin to yelped in fear. After taking a moment to gather himself, he finally speaks once more.
"Don't think for a second that the gods are not watching you, Heracles. They watched your fight against the Hydra and said that you had help from Iolaus!"
"He only gave me a torch." Heracles said, slightly raising his brows
"That still counts as helping! As such, this task won't be counted!"
Heracles can only sighed in resignation. It's useless to argue as he had sworn to do everything Eurystheus ordered.
"…so even the gods in that world are in favor for more entertainments." Loki chuckled
"That's not fair…." Lefiya whispered, her ears dropping
"Yeah, what a crappy reason!" Tiona booed
Bell and Ryuu only sighed while Aiz kept her blank look.
"What can top off slaying a monster like the hydra though?" Welf asked
"Eh, I don't think that world has any shortage of divine beasts to hunt." Hestia said, rubbing her forehead. Her comment caused Zelretch to chuckle in amusement.
"To compensate the previous task, you'll need to capture Ceryneian Hind of Artemis!"
"The Golden Hind of Lady Artemis?"
"Yes, bring it to me alive!"
"A hind belongs to Artemis?" Hestia incredulously said
"Well…that would be difficult." Hermes responded
"I think so…capturing something alive is far more difficult than killing it." Asfi said
"Speaking from experience, huh?" her god cheekily asked
"Shut up!"
While Heracles had gone to various hunts before, they were never reach the level he's currently in. After tracking the deer for almost a whole month, he finally spotted it in the plain field of Oenoe. The female deer is larger than any bull (Except for the Cretan Bull), with golden antlers, hooves of bronze, snow colored fur that are marked with some spots, and for some reason it snorted fire.
"What kind of deer are you keeping as pet, Lady Artemis…" Heracles sighed as he crouched, hiding himself among the tall grass
After several minutes of inspecting the hind, he slowly crawled towards it. However, a small branch under his stomach suddenly snap which alerts the hind…causing it to run away as fast as the wind. Heracles groaned before giving chase.
"Looks like a really frustrating labor…" Bell said with a smile, chuckling a little bit
"Especially when your target belongs to the goddess of the hunt herself." Ryuu said
"Heh, Artemis always has a soft spot for animals." Hestia commented with Hermes agreeing
It took Heracles almost a year before he finally saw his chance to capture the hind. He had chased after it through Hyperborea and the mountain Artemisius. Now, the hind had finally stopped for a drink in the river Ladon. The river is full of jagged rock and strong stream of water, which without a doubt would slow down the hind's speed. In his hand, is a rope made of fiber and animal skins that he had crafted during the hunt.
Heracles finally leaped away from his hiding spot while the hind once again tries to run away by leaping into the river. However, the strong stream and rocks gave Heracles the opportunity to closing and throw his rope. The rope landed on one of the hind' horns and Heracles pulled the rope with all of his might. Turns out, the hind still have some fight in her and she pulled back. It turns into a tug of war between Heracles and the Hind for 10 minutes before the hind finally gave up and allows herself to be pulled into dry ground.
"I'm sorry, but I really need to do this." Heracles gently said as he stroked the hind with his hand. Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated the entire area. Not far away from where Heracles's standing, a beautiful woman stood.
It's a young woman with round blue eyes and long white hair, with the bottom of her hair attaches to a large circular ornament. She wears a long white dress that kinda reveal her figure with red tip at the bottom, a silver necklace, and a pair of sandals. On her back is a large silverish bow.
The Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, herself
"Hey, what are you doing to my hind!?" the goddess pouted as she approached the hero
"Lady Artemis?"
"HUH!? That's Artemis?" Hestia yelled, slamming her hands onto the table in front of her
"Something wrong, Lady Hestia?" Welf asked, confused
"She looks completely different!" Hestia answered
"Well duh, chibi…that Artemis is from different world." Loki said with mocking tone
"Grrr, I know. Just shocked at how different they are."
"Well, we already saw a different Zeus, Ishtar, Athena, and Poseidon." Hermes said
"Shut it!"
"I truly apologize for hurting one of yours, Lady Artemis. But this is something I must do." Heracles sincerely apologized, bowing his head to the goddess
"Muh, is it for one of your labor?" the goddess asked
"Yes. I was tasked to bring and present your hind to my cousin, Eurystheus, alive."
"So, you promised that you'll release it back after you're done?"
"I am."
"Well okay then." The goddess simply said
Heracles can't help but blink. He thought that dealing with the goddess would be more difficult than this.
"I wish you a safe trip! Bye!" the goddess said her farewell with a wave before disappearing once more. Heracles just shook his head and took the hind back with him to Tiryns.
The journey back took him almost a month. When he finally near the city, the guards alerted their king. Once again, Eurystheus stood on the city's wall while Heracles stood right outside the gate with Artemis's hind.
"Took you long enough, Heracles." Eurystheus sneered
Heracles did not deign him with any answer.
"Well now that you finally bring it, the hind is now belong to me." The king declared
Raising his brows, Heracles answered
"Come down and take it yourself then." Eurystheus looks insulted but the desire to own the hind for himself won out and he went towards the gate. When Eurystheus about to take the rope from his cousin, Heracles released his grip on the rope which caused the hind to sprint away, looking for Artemis.
Eurystheus can't help but gaped in astonishment.
"Looks like you were not fast enough." Heracles simply said
"HAHAHAHA, that was hilarious!" Loki laughed
It's not only her, but almost the entire audience (With Ottar as the exception, of course) are either chuckling or openly laughing.
"Serves him right!" Tiona said
"Yeah, the look on his face is just so satisfying to see!" Tione said
Angered by the humiliation, Eurystheus dispatched an envoy to Heracles to tell the demi-god about his next task. To capture the Erymanthian Boar, which also belongs to Artemis and can only be found on Mount Erymanthos.
It's a massive boar, almost as big as a house, with thick brown fur and 4 tusks. Just like the golden hind, Heracles followed after the boar for almost 5 months. Sometimes he fought the beast and tries to overpower it, with no success whatsoever as the beast is very agile and quite smart as well. He finally able to lure the boar into thick snow, trapping it. Heracles tries to tame the beast with no avail, so he had to drag the boar all the way to Tiryns. When Eurystheus saw the appearance of the beast, he hid himself and ordered Heracles to get rid of the animal.
And so end the 4th Labor
"Well…that's not as exciting as the previous tasks." Tiona sighed
"It's still not an easy task, though. Capturing an animal of that size requires large amount of patience." Asfi said
"Still, it's boringggg!" the Amazon replied
"Hmmm…so that one is a normal beast right?" Welf asked of Zelretch
"Who knows, I'm not even sure." The vampire chuckled
"…what?"
"You heard me! I want you to clean the stables of King Augeas." Eurystheus said with a laugh, while one of his advisors continue to read the document to Heracles
"As you know, King Augeas had a large number of cattle in his stable…and all of them were blessed with perfect health and immortality, well…they produced a lot of waste. The stables had never been cleaned in thirty years. The King asked of you to clean them within a day." The advisor finished
Heracles can't help but gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Oh, what's wrong? Is the mighty Heracles is turning down a task?" Eurystheus asked, a smirk on his face
"….fine, I'll do it." Heracles relented
"Very good. You have 24 hours, use it well."
"….cleaning the stables?" Bell asked in disbelief
"A shaming tactic." Ryuu said
"Ahhh."
"Whelp, Demeter would be very happy to have those cattle. Perfectly healthy and immortal cattle? That would something directly come out from a dream for her." Hestia said
"…which produced tons of waste." Welf whispered with a small smile
"Hmmm."
There are literally hundreds or even thousands of cattle grazing right in front of Heracles. Sighing, he left for the stables….then he saw it. Mountains of dung.
"….really?"
After that, Heracles spent almost 3 hours cleaning the stables. However, no matter how much he cleans them…the cattle keep letting out new batches of dung into the stables. In his moment of frustration, Heracles realized that the stables are located in the middle of the two rivers, Alpheus and Peneus. He quickly built trenches which divert the water of the two rivers to pass through the stables and wash them out.
As a reward, he received one tenth of the cattle. Thus end Heracles's 5th Labor.
"Smart man." Riveria nodded her head in respect
"Heh, very lucky of him to have all of that power. It would take several days for normal human to do that." Loki said
"All of that dung…disgusting."
"Hehehe, luckily Bete will never do any task like that. I think he would prefer death over that." Tiona said
"Oi!"
"Hmmm, I'll ask Demeter if there are similar quests like that!" the trickster goddess said with an ominous laugh
"Damn it, Loki!"
A week after his 5th task, an envoy was sent to Heracles with a letter regarding his next task.
"Slaying the Stymphalian Birds?"
"I-I don't know anything about it!" the envoy stammered
"I know. You can go now." Heracles grunted
"Y-yes sir!" and the envoy ran off back to the city
Heracles know almost nothing about these 'birds' and he doubt that they're any ordinary birds. The letter told him that they can be found in the area of the Lake Stymphalia. If he remembers correctly, there are various towns and villages near the lake so he'll gather more information there.
The journey took him around 15 days before he finally reached one of the town. Once there, he asked many of the citizens of what they know about the birds. From all of the responses he got, he's able to get a basic understanding about these Stymphalian Birds.
Large birds with wings made of metallic feathers that could be thrown against their prey, bronze beaks, living deep within the swamp and they preyed on humans. It was said that they belonged to the War God, Ares, and they had terrorized and destroyed many of the surrounding towns and villages. The
The citizen of the city had begged to him to stop the birds or they'll the birds' next target. Heracles had come to complete his task, but now he also has another purpose.
He wants to save these people.
..
The swamp is too deep
Not only there's possibility that he might drown, it would also hinder his movement if the birds attack him. Even with his eyesight, he can't see any of the birds due to how well they concealed themselves and the trees are blocking the sunlight.
To solve this issue, his hand reaching to his pouch and he took out…
A rattle, given to him by the Goddess Athena right after he left the city. At first, he didn't understand why she had given him the item but now he understood.
With his super-human strength, he shakes the rattle. The loud sound produced by the rattle resounded throughout the area. Not long after that, hundreds of the birds came out of their hiding places, scared by the rattle's sound. Taking advantage of their temporary panic, Heracles took out his mighty bow and notched the arrows that had been dipped in the hydra's poison. At the same time, he prepares his most trusted technique
"Nine Lives." Which struck and killed almost 90% of the birds while the few remaining ones scattered themselves.
Although he was not able to destroy all of them, Heracles is satisfied. He had fulfilled his task and the populace in the area is safe from now on. Without him noticing, one of the bird changed its trajectory and launched itself towards Heracles while its metallic wings shine brightly (Imagine Pokemon Aerial Ace).
His instinct kicking in, Heracles jumped away from the bird's path and instinctively grab both of its wings with his hands. With a mighty roar, he tear off the metallic wings with his bare hand and throw the bird away into the swamp.
Huffing, he quickly heads back.
And so end his 6th Labor.
"Hmmm, I must say that those birds are really pretty." Freya said with an amused smile
"…when they're not trying to kill you." Hestia muttered, drawing a small chuckle from the silver-haired goddess
"Well, I think you can find similar monsters like that in the Dungeon." Loki said "isn't that right, Finn?"
"Well….The Jack Bird or the Firebird can fit those criteria." Finn answered
"Hoo, perhaps I'll ask Ganesha if he can tame some of them for me then." Freya said
"Please don't…." Hermes whimpered
"For your next task, I want you to capture the Cretan Bull!"
"The Bull of Minos?"
"Yes, the divine bull of Poseidon. I want you to bring it to me, alive." Eurystheus proclaimed
"Are you really sure? There's possibility that you would bring Poseidon's ire upon you." Heracles reminded his cousin
"Huh! I have the protection of Lady Hera!"
"….fine."
"The white bull? The same bull that fathered Asterios?" Bell asked Zelretch
"The very same." Zelretch nodded
"Heh, so there's a possibility that Heracles would meet Theseus?" Tiona asked, she really wants to see how the two heroes would interact with each other, an enthusiasm that she also shared with Bell.
The moment he landed on the island of Crete, he was welcomed by the people and even King Minos met him directly at the port.
"Ah, brother…I welcomed you to Crete." Minos said with a smile
"Minos." Heracles returned the greeting with a small smile as well
"Oh yeah…I forgot they're both Zeus' sons…" Hestia said
"And there're still many more, I bet!" Hermes laughed
"We're quite lucky that deities can't have children….can you imagine little Zeus running around in Orario…" Riveria sighed
"Eh, just imagine little Loki running around. That would be a nightmare." Bete suddenly said with a smirk
"I agreed!" Hestia yelled
"Oi, fuck you both!" Loki glared
"You want to capture the Bull?"
"Yes, as part of my penance. I believe you've heard of that."
"Who haven't?" Minos chuckled, causing Heracles to frown a little bit. Minos coughed a tad bit before saying
"Well…you have my permission to capture it. That bull…it has been the source of misfortunes for both this city and my family." The king sighed before continuing
"After that…incident, I released the bull into the wild as it brings unpleasant memory. However, it seems that Poseidon still hold anger and resentment over my misconduct and the bull has wreaked havoc on the island ever since then…destroying crop, land, and even killed dozens of people. Honestly, it would bring me peace if you're able to capture it and take it away."
Heracles nodded in understanding.
"I see. Very well, I'll capture the bull not only to fulfil my task but to also bring peace to this island as well."
Minos gave him a small smile
"You have my gratitude, Heracles."
Heracles found the bull when it's eating farmers' crop not far away from the city. He immediately challenged the bull, knowing that the divine bull can understand him. The bull let out a massive roar, as if telling Heracles that he accepted the challenge. Stomping down the ground, the bull charged with an incredible speed. Instead of dodging, Heracles held his ground. The moment they collided, the impact created a massive crater on the ground.
Heracles firmly planted his feet into the ground, his hands tightly grabbing the bull' horns. In term of raw power, the bull is stronger than any of his previous opponents but it's not very versatile. Once again, Heracles lets out a mighty battle cry and lifted the bull off the ground. The bull, of course, won't let that happen easily and tries to back away but Heracles firm grasps preventing him from doing that. The moment the bull left the ground, it's all over.
While in the air, the bull can't build its momentum to do any sort of damage to the demi-god. As such, it can't do anything but watches helplessly as Heracles lift him high into the air and slamming it back into the ground…hard. The bull let out a groan of pain and was knocked unconscious.
The battle between the demi-god and divine beast was over within the span of 5 minutes.
"That's a very quick battle…" Haruhime said
"Yup." Welf replied
"Uahh, I hoped he battles stronger opponent after this…this is getting boring." Tiona wails
"Not everything must involves a battle, you battle-freak." Tione sighed. Instead of replying, Tiona just stick her tongue in childish manner.
"Y-you really did it?" Eurystheus stammered
"Of course."
"F-fine, I'll send guards to fetch it!" Eurystheus then orders 10 guards to take the bull into the city. Knowing his task was done, Heracles left and to return to his wood cabin.
"M-my lord, what should we do with the bull?" one of Eurystheus' advisors asked, staring at the divine bull in fear
"Well…I honestly don't know. Might as well sacrifice to Lady Hera." Eurystheus replied. His suggestion was accepted by all of his advisors. By sacrificing the bull to the Queen of Olympus, they can gain her favor while at the same time ward off any malicious attempts by Poseidon.
They then gathered at one of the temple dedicated to Hera. However, the chief priestess said:
"While it is without a doubt a mighty offering, the goddess rejected your offer as it would glorify Heracles' success even more."
Left without any other choice, Eurystheus released the bull. The bull would went to the area of Marathon, getting the name Marathonian Bull and was later caught by Theseus and was sacrificed to Athena and Apollo.
"So, that's Heracles 7th task right?" Lefiya asked
"Yes." Was the only answer provided by Zelretch
"Heh, its so fun watching Hera got humiliated like that. She refused such an offering just because she can't stomach the thought of receiving anything from her most hated enemy." Loki chuckled
"Honestly, that world Hera is way worse that our Hera…" Hestia huffed. She didn't really like the arrogance goddess, but at least she has some redeeming qualities. That world Hera however….urgh.
"Steal the Mares of Diomedes." Eurystheus said
"….steal?" Heracles doesn't mind being called all sorts of derogatory stuffs, but he would take offence of being called a thief…and now Eurystheus wants him to steal something. From the King of Thrace himself.
"Yes, don't you hear what I had just said?" the King glared
"I am not a thief." Heracles tries to reigning his temper
"And? A task is a task. Get on with it!" was the last thing Eurystheus said before he left the city's wall
For a moment, rage took over him and he slammed his fists into the ground…creating massive crater. All of the city' guards stationed on the wall trembles in fear, fearing that the demi-god had finally snapped. They breathed huge sigh of relief when Heracles regain control of his temper and left to complete the task.
"The king is playing with fire right there." Asfi said
"Indeed, it's never a good idea to tramples upon someone's pride." Riveria nodded in agreement
"False sense of security. While Heracles might obey him for now due to his oath, it would be very dangerous the moment he finally fulfilled his oath and got released from Eurystheus's service." Finn explained to some of the audience who looks clueless on the topic of the discussion
"Heh, we shall see of what's going to happen." Loki smirked
"Huh? The King' mares?"
Heracles had begrudgingly travelled to the Kingdom of Thrace to fulfil Eurystheus's order with several companions. When he arrived at Thrace, he asked several Thracian on what they know about Diomedes' mares.
"No reason. I just want to know." Heracles replied
"Well, they're fearsome animals that's for sure." One of the civilian answered
"Those mares…they were seized with madness. The king often used prisoners of war to…well, fed them."
"I know one of the stable-boys, he said those mares can breathed fire as well!"
"It's like…they're coming straight out of Hades itself."
"Ummm, Heracles…I'm not sure about this." One of his companion, Abderus, said
"We'll do it tonight." Heracles affirmed, causing his companions to sweat nervously
"Another man-eating creatures?" Gareth chuckled
"It's almost like your world is the world version of the Dungeon itself." Hestia muttered
"Well, you can say that." Zelretch lightly laughed, ignoring the weird looks he got from some of his audience
Having knocked all of the guards and stable-boys unconscious, Heracles and his companions able to escape with the mares. However, the mares have proven themselves to very difficult as they thrashed around and launched their fire breathes towards their stealers. The ruckus done by the mares attract the attention of the other guards who soon alert their king. Having heard of what's currently happening, Diomedes mustered his army and chased after Heracles and his companions.
"They're closing in on us!" Abderus shouted when he spotted over a hundred soldiers charging at their direction with Diomedes leading at the front.
"You all go…I'll hold them off." Heracles ordered as he turned his back on them and faced their pursuers
The group didn't question his order. They know how powerful Heracles is, so they don't have any doubt that he will defeat Diomedes and his soldiers.
"Heracles! I never thought someone like you will do such cowardly act!" Diomedes bellowed
Heracles didn't respond, instead he took out the massive stone club on his back and ready himself for the battle. Diomedes decided to challenge Heracles for a duel and ordered for his soldiers not to interfere. The duel lasted for over 10 minutes, but not because of how powerful Diomedes is and more of the fact that Heracles tries to buy time for comrades and hold himself back so he won't hurt Diomedes too much. While they're an enemy, they're an enemy due to circumstances. After all, Heracles was the one that ignited the conflict by stealing Diomedes' mares.
20 minutes have passed, and Heracles decided it's the right time to end the duel. With one swift move, he disarmed Diomedes and knocked him unconscious with one punch into the gut, shattering the king's armor. The soldiers quickly rushed to their King's side while Heracles sprinted away. He spotted the mares from far away…and he stopped.
All of his companions…had been devoured by the mares. There's literally nothing left of them except for their blood and torn parts of their clothes.
"Damn…." Bell clenched his fists
"His companions can't handle the mares…" Aiz solemnly said
Adventurers being devoured by monsters in the Dungeon are quite common in their world. Though they don't like it, that's the rule of the world. The strong devoured the weak. That especially applies when their world are plagued by monsters.
Enraged by what had befallen his comrades, Heracles return to where he had left Diomedes and his soldiers. Seeing that they're still there, Heracles quickly knocked out all of the soldiers that are trying to hold him back from reaching his target, Diomedes. With no more guards protecting him and still injured by their previous fight, Diomedes can't do anything when Heracles drag him by pulling on his long hair. Several feet away from where the mares are standing, Heracles threw the king right into the center of the mares' gathering.
It's a death sentence.
Diomedes didn't even have any chance to scream before he was devoured by his own prized mares. The only thing left of him is his torn armor and small patches of blood.
"….that was a very dishonorable act." Riveria frowned
"Yeah…that was going too far. He was so enraged by his own miscalculation that he condemned someone else." Finn commented, also frowning
All of the audience are silent. Their expressions are ranging from disapproval to fear. They had just witnessed one of the reason why the hero would someday classified for the role of the Berserker class in the upcoming Holy Grail War.
A month after that, Heracles returns to Tiryns with the mares. After devouring their owner, the mares finally calmed down and Heracles used that opportunity to bind their mouths shut. Eurystheus received the mares and he sacrificed one of the mares to Hera while letting the others roam free now that they had become permanently calm.
2 months after the 8th Labor, Eurystheus had determined the 9th Labor for Heracles.
"What is it now?" the hero asked
"I want you to steal the girdle belonging to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons."
Notes: Honestly, Artemis should not have the same appearance as her FGO counterpart as it is said that her appearance was influenced by Orion's taste, however I had decided to use her FGO design because I think it just fits lol. Anyway, I had decided that Achilles would be the last Greek Hero in this story. I had also discarded Medusa's story as her event took place long before Theseus and Heracles...which is my fault because I'm not reading the timeline (The timeline of the Greek Myth is a mess) correctly lol.
Because of college, I won't be updating as frequently as before. I'll try to write the chapters in the weekend.
I apologized for any grammatical/structural errors in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!