Chapter Four "Heracles Encounter"
Shirou continued with his dissections and research into the monsters when he felt the first alarm go off. He wondered who it was. The first alarm told him that the Bounded Field he had placed in the warehouse to keep the warehouse hidden didn't work on the newcomer. It meant one of two things. They were skilled in magic or had some kind of ability to detect the Bounded Field concealing his workshop. His frown deepened as none of his defenses or traps were triggered. This meant someone he knew was coming. In this world, besides Hephaestus, there were no friends he had made besides acquaintances.
"Come in!" Shirou called out as he detected the newcomer at the front door.
"I didn't expect to see you again, Shirou Emiya." A deep, masculine and familiar voice replied as the front door opened to reveal the speaker.
The newcomer revealed to be Heracles. The fact that he had been able to walk through the many Bounded Fields around Shirou's workshop without being harmed showed that the Heracles, which Hephaestus had told Shirou about, was the Heracles that Shirou knew from his life on Earth.
"So, you came," said Shirou as he saw Heracles. "Given that you seem to imply that you know me, I believe you are the Heracles I knew from my past life. Am I correct?"
"That is correct," Heracles nodded as he grabbed a chair and sat near Shirou. "It is good to see another person from Earth."
"You caused quite the scene with your assault on the Freya and Loki Familias' HQs. Is there any reason for that? I know you well enough that many of the rumors about your motives are not correct." Shirou asked.
"If I had my way, I wouldn't have done what I did," Heracles sighed. "I do so at the request of my father, Zeus."
Shirou cocked a brow. "Zeus? He hasn't been banished to Tenkai as so many believe?"
"No, he is currently in hiding with his new Familia." Heracles chuckled.
Shirou's expression turned serious. The Genkai restrictions on the gods might have turned the powerful God-King of Olympus into a normal man, but if his Familia's past records were anything to go by the Zeus Familia was a powerhouse, even if it had been banished from Orario. The bloodshed and destruction that the Zeus Familia could cause were easy for Shirou to imagine.
"Is Zeus preparing to wage a war of revenge on the Freya and Loki Familias as many are expecting?" Shirou asked.
"It's hard to tell. I didn't interact with my father's familia for long and they didn't trust me to tell me their plans." Heracles shrugged. "If I am to meet them now after the assault on the Freya and Loki Familias' HQ, I am sure their opinion would have changed. Are you asking me to find out about the Zeus familia's plans?"
The serious expression of Heracles made Shirou reconsider his original plan. Heracles might not have any personal connections to the Zeus Familia, but the very nature that they were led and managed by his father had created a link that Heracles couldn't ignore. It looked like Heracles didn't want to reveal the Zeus Familia's plans. Yet, Shirou got the feeling that if he pushed enough Heracles might cave in, but at the cost of damaging their relationship.
"My father requested that I protect Aflia and Bell Cranel," said Heracles. "Yet, I cannot be around to protect them all the time. So, I thought showing off my power and will to use it might deter most people from thinking about having nefarious intentions to my charges."
Shirou groaned. The public display of power seemed over the top to Shirou. At least that was to the normal person's mind. Still, Shirou couldn't deny the effectiveness of Heracles' actions. Many of the gods had been scared shitless and had ordered their familias to stay away from Aflia and Bell. Only the most powerful and influential gods hadn't been scared by Heracles's display of power but they were still cautious enough that they were having second thoughts about doing anything to Aflia and Bell.
"You imply as if you're not going to be around? What do you intend to do then?" Shirou asked.
"The One-Eyed Black Dragon needs to pay for killing so many adventurers of my father's and stepmother's Familias," said Heracles. "I plan to hunt down and kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon. To do that I like to request you to watch over Aflia and Bell in my absence."
"I'm really can't help out." Shirou shook his head. "My influence as a god is non-existent and I cannot use any more power than a Level 1 Adventurer right now."
"If you are really limited as you claim to be then you have a simple way of resolving your issue. Just summon a couple of Servants to help out." Heracles replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world to do.
Shirou scowled. Summoning Servants was normally beyond the reach of most. It was the Holy Grail and FATE systems that made it possible to summon Servants. If he wanted to summon a Servant, he would have to recreate either the Holy Grail or FATE systems before thinking about summoning a Servant to help him out. The resources required to even think about doing such a task were current beyond him.
"You could return to Tenkai for a short while and use your powers to Trace a couple of Noble Phantasms. Maybe gods would be dying to get their hands on such powerful weapons or to collect the legendary weapons of their favorite heroes. Doing so wouldn't take long to collect the resources you need." Heracles suggested.
"I want to keep a low-profile as possible. Your suggestion would destroy those hopes of mine forever." Shirou replied in an annoyed tone. "Besides from what I heard Aflia doesn't need any protection. She is a Level 7 adventurer. She could easily protect her nephew too."
"Haven't you learned to prepare for the worst, especially given your experience in Chaldea?"
"Pfft." Shirou snorted as he stared at Heracles. "Your mere existence is the greatest deterrence right now. The only existence on Genkai right now that could rival you on Genkai would be the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
"That isn't true," Heracles shook his head and looked at Shirou seriously. "There is much more you don't know about Genkai. Alas," He sighed. "I made a vow that I cannot break. I can't tell you those secrets unless you were able to reach a certain level of influence and power amongst the gods. The only thing I can tell you is that Genkai isn't as simple as you think."
Shirou frowned. He was curious about what was causing Heracles not to speak. At his level, there were few methods to make Heracles keep something a secret. One of the most obvious methods being that someone of greater strength than Heracles was forcing him to remain silent on a topic. Another was powerful magic surpassed Heracles' formidable magic resistance. The urge to ask was stronger than ever but Shirou didn't question Heracles on the matter. Heracles would be the one to suffer if he broke the secrecy, and Shirou didn't want that to happen.
"I promise to protect Aflia and Bell as much as I can from those that might seek to exploit or harm them," said Shirou. "That is on the condition that they are not seeking out danger. So, if Bell becomes an adventurer like so many other boys and young men then there isn't much I can do."
"Understood," Heracles nodded. "If Bell places himself in danger on purpose his death will not be on you. My father said the same to me when he gave the job."
"Is there anything else you want to talk about? I don't get the feeling you came over to have a friendly chat."
Heracles shook his head. "I don't have much more to talk about," He said as he got off his chair and stood up. "I hope you with the very best with whatever endeavors you seek. Don't forget my request until I get back from hunting down the One-Eyed Black Dragon."
As soon as Heracles left his workshop, Shirou finally let out a sigh and relaxed. The sense of power that Heracles projected was much more than he remembered from his past life as a Chaldean Master. Whatever had happened to Heracles since coming to this world, he was much more powerful and experienced. Shirou wondered what Heracles had done to become even stronger.
A book, detailing anything about Heracles, from Shirou's Noble Phantasm, appeared and he started to update the information about Heracles. He called upon his experience of the allies and enemies Shirou knew to assess the Heracles that had just left. The present Heracles was no longer just qualified for the regular six Servant Classes of Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Assassin and Berserker. Shirou felt that Heracles now qualified to be a Caster. Why did Shirou think that Heracles could qualify to become summoned as a Caster? He had come to that conclusion after looking at Heracles' self-made magical equipment that Heracles had worn.
Heracles's self-made magical equipment might not be made out of powerful or complex magic that some of the most renowned mages like Merlin, Medea and many humans to become qualified as Caster-class Servants might be capable of but Heracles had been a genius in his own right with his handiwork. While simple and basic magic spells had been used, it had been done so an intricate and difficult method to create items worthy of the greatest Mystic Codes and comparable to lesser Noble Phantasms. The greatest being Nemean Lion leather armor that Heracles had created to demonstrate his qualifications to be worthy of being a Caster.
Shirou finished noting down the difference he had noticed Heracles from being one of Chaldea's trump cards to the one he had just met, especially paying attention to Heracles's new skills as a magical craftsman. He wondered if Heracles's new skills as a mage expended beyond crafting. If so, Shirou was curious what other new magic abilities Heracles's possessed and how it translated to combat prowess.
He continued to update his notes on Heracles before closing the notebook and storing it within his Noble Phantasm. Shirou summoned another notebook. This notebook was where Shirou kept track of what he was going to do in the near and far future.
"It seems I can no longer just rely on my ears to keep track of what is going on Orario. I cannot rely on the use of third parties such as information brokers anymore as they may betray me as long as enough money is offered…" Shirou sighed. "If only I could the help of any Servant qualified to be an Assassin to help me out it would be great. It is times like these that I miss Sherlock Holmes… He might be the greatest detective, but he is also an unrivaled spymaster."
As Shirou thought more about the future the more apparent it became that he missed the diverse and skilled experts that made up Chaldea's human staff or the Servants, who were masters of their respective disciplines, at his disposal during his time as a Chaldean Master.
"I might have to create an organization that answers to me if I am to fulfill my plans for the future," Shirou remarked as he started to create a basic outline to do such a thing. "My identity as a god might help as I could attract potential recruits under the ruse of creating a Familia."
Shirou wondered if he should recruit Aflia and Bell into his organization. If he was to do that then it would be easier to carry out Heracles's request in taking care of them. It wouldn't be just to watch and protect Aflia and Bell. Aflia could be a great way of a recruitment tool. She was after all the only known Level 7 Adventurer in Orario besides the Freya Familia's Ottarl. People would be attracted in droves if a Level 7 Familia was in his organization. Just as he was about to think more about how to advertise Aflia's presence, Shirou dismissed that notion.
He shook his head. "No using Aflia would be counter-productive. I need to create solid foundations for my organization before any plans for rapid expansion. It would only collapse on itself if I rush to create a large organization." Shirou crossed out several lines of writing in his notebook. "I already have two potential recruits. Liliruca Arde and Welf Crozzo. One has a connection to supporters. The other is an expert in his field. All that is left is poaching them from their patron gods…" He paused in silence at the thought he just had. "I was planning to create an organization to answers to me. Not a familia… Damn, I must have hung out with the gods for too long to subconsciously desire to make a familia…"
His pen continued to write down on his notebook as he thought about potential ideas and crossing out those that didn't seem feasible.
- O -
"Aunt, look! That's the entrance to the Orario Dungeon!" Bell shouted in excitement as he pulled Aflia's arm.
Aflia suppressed the urge to sigh. The recent visiting spree that her nephew, Bell Cranel, had been going on ever since they had arrived at Orario was starting to get on her nerves. She cursed Bell's completely ordinary grandfather. If she could go back in time before Bell had been raised by Zeus then she would never have allowed Zeus anyway near Bell. Her poor nephew had been utterly corrupted by Zeus. She missed the innocent young boy that Bell had been before meeting Zeus, it was a time that she recalled dearly.
It's not completely Zeus's fault, said her inner angel. You also took part in it.
Didn't you enjoy corrupting Bell? I recall you encouraged Bell that it wasn't wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon. Her inner devil added.
That was before I arrived at Orario… Aflia refuted her inner angel and devil. She was about to continue debating with her inner angel and devil when she detected a hidden presence. "Bell here is some money to enjoy yourself for a while. There is someone I need to meet."
"Who is it, aunt?" Bell asked as he took in the small amount of money handed to him.
"Someone I knew before I started to take care of you," Aflia replied. "Off you go. You can explore the nearby areas for a while until I finish my talk with an old friend. Don't wander off too far away."
"Okay, aunt!" Bell shouted as he excitingly ran away, eager to explore the nearby area of Orario.
"It is funny to watch how Bell acts like such an obedient and nice boy when he is around you," said a deep and masculine voice. "Bell doesn't act the same with others."
"Bell only started to act like this when his grandfather 'died.' If Zeus was still around Bell wouldn't be acting like this. He would be much more mature." Aflia replied in a displeased tone. "So, what brings you here, Heracles? I thought you had decided to act as an invisible guardian angel. Why suddenly stop?"
"I have watched over Bell for long enough. He is nearly old enough to be counted as a man. It is time for him to start experiencing the world for himself." Heracles responded.
"If you thought Bell no longer needed protecting then you wouldn't have attacked the Freya and Loki Familias' HQs as a public display of power and warning to not touch Bell or me. Secrecy was our greatest defense. No one would have targeted us if they don't know we existed."
Heracles made a wry smile. "Secrecy that would have been destroyed eventually because of Bell's desire to become an adventurer. Bell was bound to draw attention. You trained him too well. His fighting prowess is beyond those of his age and many Level 1 adventurers despite not even having a Falna for himself. People would have investigated how he was so skilled despite lacking any real combat experience. Eventually, they would have figured that a high-leveled adventurer had trained Bell."
"What did you want then? If I hadn't trained my nephew, the best I could it would mean increasing the unnecessary risk he faced as he pursued his dream to become a hero." Aflia huffed. "Besides even if they managed to figure that out it didn't mean they would discover Bell's and my true background."
"You are overestimating Bell…" Heracles sighed. "I cannot deny that Bell is intelligent, but he is too simple-minded and naïve. It will not be surprising if someone managed to extract information out of Bell without him even realizing it. They wouldn't have to be a master spy. Any proficient spy would have been able to dupe and manipulate Bell."
Aflia wanted to defend Bell, but she couldn't deny that her nephew was rather simple-minded and naïve as Heracles put it. That was one of the reasons why she had never revealed her identity as a Level 7 Adventurer or anything related to the Zeus/Hera Familia to Bell. Her nephew would never understand the infighting and wars amongst Familias. He knew the world as black and white, not the grey it really was.
"My public display of power was to deter the majority who were sane enough that they would fear my retaliation." Heracles continued. "Still they were by those that are insane, foolish or ignorant to believe that they can exploit you and Bell. I just visited an old friend of mine to ask that they protect you in my absence."
"Who is this old friend? Another god?" Aflia asked.
"He is a former mortal, who had ascended not too long ago," said Heracles with a smile. "I trust him more than I do with my parents or other siblings. So, if you need help and don't want to deal with the gods go to him. He hasn't gotten used to being a god and still thinks like a mortal. He should understand your plight."
Aflia blinked in surprise. "Mortals can really become gods? I thought that was a myth born from the nearly-godlike powers that high leveled adventurers can achieve." She stared at Heracles. "Are you telling me that a mortal can become a god?"
"I am amazed that my mother, your patron goddess, Hera, never told you as you have already reached Level 7 and had the potential to go higher if it wasn't for your incurable disease." The legendary Greek demigod said in shock. "The answer is yes. There are many methods of achieving godhood but the two most common methods are to surpass Level 10 or the fame of your deeds so widely known that you are basically worshipped."
It was too much for Aflia. What she had shaken her so greatly that her mind for a while just stopped working and focused only on what she heard. Heracles's words repeated in her mind countless times before she regained conscious awareness of her surroundings.
"C-ca-can," Aflia stammered in shock before stopping herself and taking a deep breath. "Can ascension cure my disease?"
"If we were on Earth your disease would likely have been cured," Heracles grumbled without thinking.
"Earth? There is somewhere I can go to get cured?" Aflia asked with glowing eyes.
"Forget what I said," Heracles quickly replied as he realized what he had said. "From what limited medical knowledge I have it is unlikely any mortal can heal you. A god could easily cure you but that would mean breaking the rules against using divine powers. No god would risk being forever banished from Genkai for a mortal. That was why Hera was so helpless in curing you."
Aflia became saddened by what she heard. "What about I had asked earlier about? Can ascension cure my disease?" She asked hopefully.
"Nearly any injury or disease can be cured by ascension." Heracles nodded. "If it isn't then the other gods can use their powers to eliminate your disease as only a god or the dead are allowed into Tenkai."
A fire that had been long extinguished lit up. Aflia, who had long given up being an adventurer to take care of her nephew, felt a passion that she had thought would never come back burn so brightly that Heracles could literally see fires burning in her eyes. She was so tempted by the allure of a cure that Aflia even thought about forgetting about her self-imposed vow to hide her past as an adventurer from Bell.
"It seems like I will have to visit Hermes to see if he could get something to change my appearance," said Aflia passionately. "Oh, by the way… Who was that newly ascended god you were talking about?"
"Shirou Emiya. Odin gave him the moniker, God of Heroes, given Shirou's divine domain covered heroes…" Heracles replied, half-seriously while holding back the urge to laugh.
"Shirou Emiya…" Aflia muttered as repeated the name in her mind. "Got it. He should be the one I look for help while you are absent. Where can I find him?"
Heracles produced a map where he had drawn the location of Shirou's hidden workshop. "This is where Shirou is. You will likely find nothing there but that is because of the magic he had put up to protect his workshop. I have placed a magical key on the map so it will allow you to see and safely transverse the magical defenses of Shirou's place. So, make sure not to lose it."
"Thank you," said Alfia as she took the map. "So, are you going to hunt down the One-Eyed Black Dragon, or is that an excuse for another goal?"
"It's not an excuse. Not really… I am going to hunt down the One-Eyed Black Dragon, but I am concerned that no one has seen the One-Eyed Black Dragon since my father's and step-mother's familias failed to exterminate it. The One-Eyed Black Dragon might be trying to break the seals placed on the other Dungeons around the world. If those seals were to break then Genkai will once more be thrown back into the era of monsters. Gaia and her children's revenge would cause a bloodbath and destruction unseen since the gods decided to descend from Tenkai and sealed away Gaia. So, while I am hunting down the One-Eyed Black Dragon I am going to investigate any sealed dungeons on the way."