When I first woke up, it was like pulling myself from a pit of molasses. My consciousness did everything it could to stay asleep. I just didn't want to stay awake. I suppose it might have been easier if I did.
My first sight was of stone walls, braziers, torches, and a bunch of weirdos in weird clothes. Robes, and maybe three or four people just looking around as dumbfounded as I felt.
Not gonna lie, more than a few details weren't catching on as well as they should. I felt someone holding me close as people were yammering on around us. He looked as confused as the rest of us and I was in no hurry to join the conversation. It felt right being attached to his arm and I wasn't about to start fussing over small things.
As my mind started to clear up I let a green eye wander over everything again. People were chattering about summoning people, money and heroes. Most of it was going over my head. I was more concerned with how stiff I felt, and where I was this time. The setting looked sort of medieval. The whole knights and castles sort of setting you would see in thousands of Dungeons and Dragons spin offs.
Sometimes I wonder how much Wizards of the Coast would have made in lawsuits if they didn't have that whole 'open source license' thing…
Thoughts for some other time.
Some preachy king was giving a speech. It was not thrilling and was so stereotypical I would have skipped it like it was the intro to a J-RPG. The other more properly dressed idiots were using gamer speak too… Was this some sort of game simulation?
I doubted it.
Very much.
Usually you feel your senses in a kinda off way. I could feel everything fine. I could hear the various background characters yapping. I could see the Royal folk being all "I am superior to you because I am inbred, Obey Me." I could still feel the guy I was cuddled up to. By the way, still nice. Still couldn't smell or taste, but that was a given since I've never had a nose or tongue.
Honestly if I could have, I would have already wandered from the room.
I sat by idly until arm candy wanted to open his menus. I felt the command and transmitted the data to his eyes like I was supposed to.
Hmm. Naofumi… A nice name. I would have given him something silly like Guy Birdnesthair, but that's because I got tired of normal names a long time ago.
Now that I think about it wasn't I supposed to be with a bunch of beast people? I was tired of my handle being stained with the stink of sweaty fur wrist, and smooth skin was much easier to clean… But I could have sworn that I was supposed to be handed off to a summoned hero in the territory that was loaded with animal peoples…
And then of course that's when it hit me.
I'm a shield.
The Legendary Shield. (Please take note of the capitalization.)
I'm not supposed to be in the human country. I'm not even supposed to be awake!
Something has gone wrong. So very, very wrong.
…
or…
This could be something else…
I was supposed to sleep while my selected hero did the whole adventuring thing. My subconscious would give him the barest grace of assistance, what rules not to break and all that other garbage that I was normally forced to enforce…
but now…
I could be awake for the whole ride!
I could be a huge help on his quest!
Make my hero the best of them all!
Or even the best there had ever been!
I like this idea.
I like it a lot. A very, very, very huge wholesome lot.
If I had a mouth I would smile.
Maybe that's a shield form I can get him to unlock later.
It was fortunate he was outside the castle when I spoke. The screen popping up on its own would have been enough of a surprise.
[Hello Iwatani Naofumi, I am your shield.]
[How may I assist you?]
I just wish he didn't squeak like a girl either...