Journey of the Sword Hero

Chapter 2

A Call to Arms

Summoning room

The transition was only mildly disorientating. One moment Shirou was bleeding on the side of a building and in the next moment he was healed and standing in a large stone room surrounded by unknown people standing within a glowing formal craft circle of some kind.

He was not however at 100%.

'Assess the room. Five unknown people outside the spell circle, three other unknown men together with me within the circle, the smell of magecraft saturates the room. Two doorways to escape the room, one of them currently open, several open windows are high up on the wall leading outside, they are withing a reinforced jump distance, light shining through the windows means I have been moved far away or I was asleep for some time, the spell circles' magic beneath us is fading and I feel no restrictions to my movement.

'I am mentally exhausted, low on mana, and my armor is still ruined. I could not project a sword even if I wanted too…?'

As he takes a defensive stance, he feels the weight of an unknown sword in his hands.

'This sword is not one of mine.'

The Legendary Sword

A sword of white, blue, and gold rests in his hands. The leaf blade shaped sword has gold accents with a sapphire gem resting centered in the cross guard and another as the pommel of the handle.

Looking into the sword's history is slow and confusing, it is both new and old, weak and strong, and as he tries to look deeper, he can feel something looking back at him, something… curious?

Before he was able to analyze the sword any further a voice called out.

"We did it, the summoning was a success! O' four Saint Heroes of old! Please help save our world!"

'Where am I?' Shirou thinks as he takes notice of the three additional armed figures next to him. Three young adults, all male, they seem to be just as surprised to be here as he is.

"The hell is this?" The man armed with a shield Naofumi Iwatani says while looking at his shield in confusion. The young man has short black hair and green eyes.

'They are unaware how they were summoned, there are five others around us who were clearly intending to summon four individuals for an unknown purpose. Based on the staffs they wield (focus?), the matching robes they wear, and the large spell circle we are in, it is likely to be a workshop or ritual site of some kind.'

Each of the young men beside him have a jeweled weapon on their person or in their hands. One armed with a spear and a ruby gem, one with a bow with a golden citrine gem, and the last holding a shield with an emerald embedded within.

The Legendary Spear, Bow, and Shield his eyes supplied for him.

'If it comes to conflict my priority is getting all four of us to safety, wherever that is, better play along for now.'

The boy armed with a bow, Itsuki Kawasumi, speaks. "Seriously? What do you mean by that?" The boy, almost an adult, is the youngest and shortest of the group with short light brown hair and golden eyes.

The speaker of this unknown group continues. "There's a long and complicated story behind this but we summoned you four Cardinal Heroes here using an ancient ritual. Our world teeters on the brink of destruction, we beg you, o' brave heroes, please help us!"

Naofumi seemed open to appeal "I guess we could hear you out at least"

Not all of the summoned group seemed instantly empathetic.

"I refuse" Itsuki states.

"Me too, you can send us back to our world, right? Don't you feel any guilt at all for bringing us here without our consent?" The spear holder Motoyasu Kitamura asks. The young man has long blonde hair, orange eyes, and is the second tallest of the group.

Shirou mentally notes the multiple holes and blood stains in his shirt. 'Considering his other option was probably death, I do not see any reason he should complain too much.'

Itsuki accuses the priests "Were you intending for us to risk our lives, until peace is restored, only to send us back with nothing?"

Motoyasu presses even further "Are you willing to accommodate us? Depending on your answer, we may end up becoming you enemies instead."

Shirou holds back a scathing remark 'Are these two idiots? While it is a good idea to gain information about your current situation and to establish details of an intended mission, you do not antagonize an unknown power until you are sure of their strength and commitments. We do not know how much influence this group has or how many assets they can call down on us.'

Shirou believes now is the time to speak.

"Hold a moment, explain a few things first. Who are you and who do you work for?"

The speaker of the priests gives a nervous response.

"We are priests in service to our King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and the Church of the… Heroes. If you have further questions or wish to negotiate, we ask that you all please have an audience with our King first. I'm sure he can come up with a suitable reward."

'Why the hesitation on the name of their church?' Shirou thinks.

Seemingly mollified the Bow and Spear Heroes lower their aggressive stance in acceptance "Fine, I suppose we can consider their offer, it's not like our demands will change however."

The priest motion for the party to follow them.

Before the group can start moving Shirou speaks "Please wait a moment Lancer er, Spear Hero"

Motoyasu looks at Shirou in confusion "What's wrong?"

Shirou points to Motoyasu's bloodstained shirt and to his own bloody armor.

"If we are about to meet a king, you might want to close your jacket, we should at least try to look presentable even though it is their fault for giving us such short notice and no time to prepare for a royal audience."

Motoyasu realizes the state of his current clothes but is shocked once he sees Shirou's state "Holy crap! What happened to you man?"

Shirou unwraps his blue shroud and, when loosened, covers most of his body. The shroud covers him like a cloak and leaves his hands and legs below the knees visible. A brief wipe of a cloth to his face removes most of the dried blood leaving unmarked skin.

Shirou's response was simple "Vampires. What happened to you?"

Motoyasu seemed embarrassed "Um… I kind of got in the middle of a fight between my two ex-girlfriends. I kind of thought I was going to die there. So, vampires are real? Wait! Are you going to turn on us any moment now!?"

Shirou tries to calm him down "There are different kinds of undead in the world but "vampire" is a simple enough explanation for now. Do not worry about me suddenly turning, it takes something more intentional and powerful to turn someone into vampire kind or the undead." Shirou felt no need to keep magic or the supernatural a secret when everyone was summoned in a very magical, possibly true magical, way.

Itsuki is still somewhat cautious "Are you sure you are feeling, ok? Now that I look closer, you look really ghastly for someone "not" undead."

Brushing the suspicion aside Shirou responds "I am sure, I have looked like this for a while now and it is my own fault. Now we should probably follow the priests to the King, it is not good to keep royalty waiting unnecessarily."

Itsuki and Motoyasu confidently follow the priest out of the room. Naofumi hesitates to follow.

Shirou tries to reassure him "It is ok to be cautious when in an unknown environment. Make sure you take your time to find out who has power here, what interests and concerns they have, learn what laws and rules the people here abide by, and then decide who can be trusted. For now, try not to be antagonistic until at least we know who and what we are dealing with. Knowledge is power after all."

Naofumi is surprised by how calm Shirou is "You seem pretty calm, aren't you scared? Have you seen something like this before?"

Shirou's face drops into a frown "I have some experience; previously I was the summoner however. Now let us hurry to not get left behind."

Taking the hint that the memory is something unpleasant, Naofumi drops the subject and catches up to the group with Shirou.

As the group passes by a window, Naofumi briefly stops to admire the view of the city below.

"Wow, we really are in another world, aren't we?"

Itsuki and Motoyasu seem amused "This your first time out of Japan?" "Going by the breeze I'd say we are in a standard Mediterranean climate"

Naofumi seemed embarrassed "Yeah it is, please excuse me for my lack of knowledge."

Shirou responds "Do not worry about it. I did not first step foot outside of Japan until I was 18 but some people never leave even once or get the chance to."

The Audience Chamber of the King

The party arrives to the king's audience chamber, it's classical red carpet and opulent decorations leaving no room for doubt that it is fit for royalty. The chamber has many in attendance today, many nobles, courtiers, servants and aides are also in attendance. It seems the hero's arrival was planned well in advance.

The King, an older gray-haired man dressed in purple, white and gold decorated clothes sits upon his throne. The King addresses the party with a clear voice that stretches across the chamber.

"So, these men are the four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend? I am the King of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Heroes, name yourselves" His tone of voice made it clear this was not a suggestion.

This will be the first time Shirou hears their names from their own mouths.

Motoyasu speaks first "I am Motoyasu Kitamura or Kitamura Motoyasu as it might be said here. I'm a 21-year-old college student."

Itsuki Spoke next "I suppose I'm next, Itsuki Kawasumi or Kawasumi Itsuki, 17 years old high school student"

Shirou decided to speak next "I am Emiya Shirou or Shirou Emiya. 26 years old, the closest job title I would have would be Hunter or Agent." 'Enforcer, Mercenary and Executor have negative connotations to those unaware of what they actually do."

The three other heroes gave him a surprised look while thinking 'Eh? I thought he would be much older' Motoyasu thinks 'Is Vampire Hunter a profession? Do they have schools?"

Naofumi speaks last "And lastly me, I'm…"

His introduction is interrupted by the King.

"I see, so Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Shirou…"

Naofumi interrupts "Y-yo King, aren't you forgetting me?"

The king responds "Hmm? Oh, forgive me."

Shirou, who previously experienced clocktower's "Elite" can feel the 'I am apologizing because I have to, not because I actually care' in the Kings response.

After a brief conversation on how to properly address the king Naofumi finishes his introduction "My name is Naofumi Iwatani, I'm a 20-year-old college student."

The King now goes to address the Heroes again.

"My country Melromarc and the entire world is heading towards destruction"

"We are witnessing an apocalyptic prophesy being fulfilled."

"Within our country of Melromarc, vicious demons in large numbers have crawled out from a dimensional crack, and are exposing everyone to great danger."

"Our country's knights and adventurers barely managed to eliminate the first wave of demons, but the hourglass is already indicating the next wave of calamities will soon be upon us. These dragon hourglasses can predict the start of each wave and each will grow more powerful than the last."

"If these waves are not stopped then not only our country but the entire world will be doomed."

"The next wave is predicted to occur one month from now and based on our experience with the first one, we realized we are not prepared to fend off another stronger wave. We followed the old legend and summoned you four heroes in our time of need as we no longer have any time to lose."

Three of the heroes seem to have a moment of realization on their faces as something familiar comes to mind from the King's words.

Itsuki speaks up "I think we get the general idea but surely you didn't summon us expecting us to save you all for free?

One of the king's court members speaks "Of course after the waves are defeated and peace restored, we will reward you handsomely."

Motoyasu replies "Will you now? Well, as long as we have your word, we will work for you provided you don't turn on us later. Just don't think we will mindlessly bend to your will."

Itsuki continues "Exactly, don't look down on us. You need us more than we need you."

Shirou, while not exactly approving of their wording can not call their actions unfamiliar. He decides to ask for something more tangible. "Travel and housing can add up over time. Can we least have enough of your currency upfront to buy supplies and pay for needed services?"

The King responds "Do not fear, your efforts will be compensated by the kingdom itself and you will each be given aid and coin. Now heroes, you should all check your statuses."

Naofumi is visibly confused "Check what?"

Shirou thinks about seeing his old servant's stats but this time tries to focus on himself.

A familiar but somehow softer? Voice speaks directly to his mind again.

"Self-Parameters requested. Status screen opening."

Name: Shirou Emiya

Class: The Sword Hero

Level: 1

Experience: 0/20

Age: 26

HP: 160/160

SP: 50/50

MP: 4/40

Attack: 15

Magic: 12

Physical Defense: 14

Magic Defense: 14

Dexterity: 17

Elemental Defense: All: 0

Equipment:

Short Sword (default sword)

Otherworldly Armor (damaged)

Otherworldly Shroud

MP Up Accessory

Magic:

Water Affinity

Help Window

After taking a moment to view his current screen and comparing it the servant stats screen that he is more used to, Shirou hears the voice again.

"Detecting previous experience in candidate prior to summoning."

"Would you like to import prior experiences and skills into current state?"

"Warning! Experience and skill integration may cause unexpected results in current world."

"Player will still start at Level 1"

"Enable import?"

YES/NO

Motoyasu speaks "I think there is an icon in the corner of our screen. Do you see it? Try focusing on it."

"Yes" Shirou absently replies out loud before realizing how he answered 'Wait!'.

"Import initiated. Please wait while processing."

"Full processing may take some time and will continue to run in background."

"Note, otherworldly skills may mutate and become integrated at time of use."

"This system will alert the Hero when these additions and changes take place."

"Applying changes… please hold."

"Reinitializing Status Screen. Compatibility annotations enabled."

Name: Shirou Emiya

Level: 1

Experience: 0/20

Class: The Sword Hero, Saber Class

Parameters:

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: D

Titles: Ghost of Fuyuki, Magus Killer II

Age: 26

HP: 160/240 (Endurance scaling: B)

SP: 50/90 (Endurance scaling: B)

MP: 5/100 (Mana Scaling: A)

Attack: 25 (Strength Scaling: B)

Magic: 30 (Mana Scaling: A)

Physical Defense: 25 (Endurance scaling: B)

Magic Defense: 40 (Endurance scaling: B + Magic Resistance Scaling: B)

Dexterity: 30 (Agility scaling: A)

Elemental Defense: All: +/- 0

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance B

Territory Creation: B

Appreciation of Swords: A

Personal Skills:

Clairvoyance: C

Mind's Eye (True): B

Shirou's Home Cooking: EX

Magic:

Water Affinity

Healing Affinity

Magecraft: C

Equipment:

Short Sword (default sword)

Enforcer Combat Armor (damaged)

Holy Shroud Quality: Excellent

Sapphire Mana Reservoir Quality: Excellent

Help Window

'What just happened?' Shirou thinks. He will not have much time to ponder.

Itsuki speaks to the group "Level 1? Well, that's concerning."

Motoyasu seconds his statement "Yeah, not sure if we can fight like this."

Naofumi asks about the magic "What is all this anyways?"

The Kings aide replies "Status magic, an ability exclusive to the heroes. Do you not have knowledge of any magic?"

A look of fascination shows on Naofumi's face "Wow, this is like a game in real life"

Motoyasu agrees "I played a MMO just like this once."

Itsuki however states "Seems similar to a console game I played."

Shirou shares some of his experience "The format is different from the status magic I am used too but this system seems to have already fixed that problem."

The King speaks to the heroes "Heroes, you must leave on an adventure. To develop and upgrade the legendary weapons that you have equipped."

Naofumi seems saddened "They aren't maxed out of the box? Mine is not even a weapon."

Itsuki and Motoyasu gives him a pitying look.

Motoyasu asks "Can't we just use something else till these are usable?"

Shirou says "We should at the very least practice with them to see what they can do. I feel these weapons are more than how they appear."

Itsuki adds "We should level up as much as we can."

Naofumi asks "So we should all form a party?"

The Kings aide speaks to the party "I'm afraid you will all have to find a party of you own and train separately."

Naofumi questions "Why's that?"

The aide clarifies "It is said the Legendary Weapons repel each other by nature. If you work together, it will hinder your development."

A notice screen appears before Shirou as a feminine voice speaks.

*Help Notice*

"When two or more wielders of the legendary Weapons operate together"

"This causes an adverse reaction in the weapons."

"Working separately is strongly advised."

"Thank you for confirming" Shirou tells the voice projecting from his sword.

"Further information can be accessed in the "Help" tab. Or by asking a relevant question."

Shirou asks the party "You all get that message as well?"

Naofumi confirms "Yeah, he's telling the truth, huh?

The King gives one final message for the night "Now the sun has begun to set. You should all get some rest and, in the morning, set forth. We will gather the best of the best to form your parties."

A servant approaches the party "Please come this way, we have prepared rooms for you."

The party follows her down the now torchlit hallways.

As the party traverses the hallways, Shirou asks their guide "I don't suppose you have a washroom I can use to make myself more presentable?"

Authors notes: (possible spoilers)

I'm going to be taking events and conversations from both the Rising of the Shield Hero manga and anime.

I don't like how similar this start seems to be to the original but I feel that touching base with cannon events is a good way to keep readers aware of how much time is passing with more familiar events. I know realistically, not much would change immediately from Shirou being here instead of Ren besides the tone being a little less aggressive.

I tried to at least give some inputs from Shirou to give his perspective on events and at the least show some hints at what changes are to come.

As I have said before, I'm going to mess with fate and the sword hero mechanics and this will spread to Shirou's party members as well. It won't take too long to see large changes. Shirou's skill set will change to have more specializations but less versatility.