Chapter 1, New World, New Life

The weekend. A time to rest and recuperate from work or school. A time for everyone to relax in their own way. I chose to spend mine with some friends. We had all decided to go out and see a movie and since there were only four of us, it had been easy to get tickets.

The movie we were going to watch was playing at a theatre in the local mall and, having arrived a bit early, I had decided to drop by a game and tech store on my way over. It was one of my other favorite places to be. Good company, good service, and patience like no other. If I had to list how many bad ideas had come to being here, it would be a mile long.

The mall itself was rather large. Along the tall, wide walkways, stalls and stores decorated the sides and center. People were all around, seeing what they could buy or just wondering with friends of their own. Hovering in the air were holograms of new tech and on the market and where to buy them. Apart from being a bit more on the tall side, I didn't stand out much in the crowd.

My clothes are rather basic, being only a pair of khaki shorts, black shoes, and a Black, form-fitting hoodie with the top everything a bit below my shoulders being black. On my back and a khaki canvas backpack. It was a large, cylinder-shaped pack with one large strap going over my right shoulder and under the left, with a smaller one under the right. Under the large strap and behind the pack was heavy padding to make it very comfortable, even with a heavy load. I used it for a large variety of things from hunting, to carrying components, to just hauling around schoolwork, each one making more of a pack mule than anything. My short, hair and eyes were a soft brown and my body was paler.

I wasn't weak or out of shape, far from it. Mandatory service requirements made sure everyone was in shape to fight. I certainly wasn't winning any competitions though.

Walking in, I was greeted with an open front that quickly gave way to row upon row of technology. To my left, I could see some tables where many people were either gaming together, designing projects of their own, or studying for what one could only assume were major projects.

When I had first come here, I quickly learned that the store had a sort of community within itself full of gamers, geeks, and designers of all sorts, and had quickly joined. Walking in, I was waved over by someone everyone knew.

The Quartermaster. A nickname for the owner who worked at the store and enjoyed the company that it had brought in. He was an old friend of mine I have known since we were kids. It was only recently that we met back up as moving to different schools made us lose touch.

He greeted me with a nod and waved me over. He wore a grey jumpsuit with black trim on the shoulders. It gave a sort of sci-fi appeal to it that matched the shop perfectly. His skin and short hair were both rather dark with his eyes being dark brown.

When we had first met up, he explained that he had gotten his hands on some cheap 3D printers and CNC machines and, after some patchwork, got them working again. He opened the shop a little later. A laser cutter got added not too long ago.

"Hey John, how ya' been?"

"Good Zach, how about you?"

"Pretty good. It's project week so I've got people here just about every day using the printers and cutters."

"I guess that is kind of a payday for you huh. You call me over?"

"Yeah, found this when I was opening up this morning." Reaching under the desk he brought out something that made me raise my eyebrow. "I knew you liked that 'Rising of the Shield Hero' anime thing but I didn't know you liked it this much." He pulled out a small red book with some markings on it forming what could be construed as a magic circle of sorts. On it read 'The Four Cardinal Heros'.

"Uhh... pal, this ain't mine."

"Really? Got your name in it and everything." Surely enough I opened the book up and behind the hardcover was my name, 'John C. Carter.' I even had my phone number and address in it.

"Where'd you find it?" I asked flipping through the pages.

"Lying on one of the tables where you normally are. Figured I'd give it to you later today, knowing how often you show up here."

I nodded my head from side to side. "Fair point." I flipped the book back to the front and looked at Zachery. "I wonder how close it is to the one in the show." Feigning a cough to clear my throat, I adopted an overly posh and formal accent. "The Four Cardinal Hero-should I just drop the accent?"

He pursed his lips and nodded. It was pretty clear what he thought about it.

"Alright, Four Cardinal Hero's. Once upon a time, four heroes, the spear, bow, sword and shield, yadda yadda yadda, summoned to another world, some bitchy princess, yadda yadda-yeah this is pretty accurate."

He raised an eyebrow. "Bitchy princess?"

"Oh yeah," I said flipping to a page where a solid color depiction of the princess was given wearing a dress. Her hair was full and overall she was rather lean with her dress hugging her form tightly. "Basically there was some princess who accused like the one 'not ass-hole' hero of being a rapist and it pretty much went downhill for him from there. More stuff happens and he gets his name cleared but it's just a struggle-fest for the guy."

"Huh…" He said while processing what he had been told. "What happens to her?"

"She gets stripped of her title but past that not much. Was gonna get the death sentence but the same guy was feeling generous."

"Jeeze. Sounds rough for him."

"You have no idea." I continued flipping through the pages out of curiosity. I eventually came to the part where the writing stopped and was just a series of blank pages with no meaning. "Huh, even got that part right-" Before I could say anything, the floor below glowed a golden yellow.

"Shit!" I called out. My hand immediately shot for Zachary. He saw what was happening and tried to grab my hand as well, despite not understanding what was happening. He only managed to grab the book before the floor gave way and was sucked down, the book still firmly in his hands. I closed my eyes and braced.

My shoulder met cold stone with a hard thud and metal clang. Opening my eyes, I was in some sort of chamber. In front of me was a group of men, robed in dark purple and yellow trim garments. Standing up I could see three others, each one with a silvery weapon in hand with an accompanying gemstone. On my right arm was a silver shield with a green gem in the center. The back of the shield was angled like a square but the front curved down into more of a point. There was a black trim around the top edges and through the middle until it wrapped around the gem.

I quickly put two and two together but didn't believe what I was seeing.

"Where are we." I immediately picked out who said it. Looking back to my left I saw a short, blonde man with a green blazer and dark pants with a white shirt. In his hands was a silvery bow with a yellow gem. His hair was blonde and overall he was rather short and skinny.

'Itsuki… something.' All I really knew about him was he a justice crazed highschooler that was really bad at being the vigilante type.

Looking over I could see the other two were who they were before as well.

'Ren and Motoyasu… still no idea what their last names were… or was it their first names? Either way, it's all I'm callin' em'.' My mind was still processing everything but somewhere in the midst of it, I decided 'sure, let's go with it' and didn't bother trying to figure out the rest. Motoyasu was the first to speak.

"The hell do you mean? What's going on here?" It was Motoyasu who spoke next. He had a red jacket and khaki pants on. He was rather tall with long blonde hair and a chiseled face. Underneath his jacket was a white shirt.

"What we did to bring you here is complicated. But to surmise, we performed an ancient ritual to summon the four cardinal heroes. When it was complete, you four were the ones who appeared."

The other three stood there, taking in what they were told. "You see, our world is under siege by the waves of calamity. An event prophesied long ago. There is much more to be told about it but it is better said by our king. So will you save our world dear Hero's?"

Ren spoke up with the others. His clothes were rather casual as well. Black pants and a dark purple jacket were around his feature. His hair was long and dark, even darker than mine. Everyone from that I could see had pale skin like my own.

"Absolutely not."

"You pulled us away with our asking and expect us to just say yes?"

"Can you open a portal back to our homes? Answer that and then we'll talk.

'Seeing these guys be total assholes is one thing. Listening to it in person is a whole 'nother experience.' I thought.

The priest spoke up again. "Please. Any request you have is better said to our king. We can take you to him right away."

Motoyasu spoke up. "Fine by me. I don't really care who I talk to." The other heroes followed each one with their own opinion on the matter and none too pleasant to listen too. I tagged behind them silently. It wasn't long till we found ourselves in a stairwell. Looking out a window in the spire, I was given a view of the city.

It was stunning. The city reminded me of what old Italy would look like, with old stone buildings and clay tile roofs. Vendors and stalls decorated areas of the streets and signs hung with various symbols painted on them. I let out a whistle out the sight without thinking.

Itsuki gave his own comments at seeing the view of the city. "I guess we really are in another world."

"Got that right," I responded, I looked at him and held my hand out. "John Carter."

"Itsuki Kawasumi." He hesitated but shook it.

Looking up at the others who had stopped to wait for us. "What about y'all? What are your names?"

With a grin and no small amount of pride, "Motoyasu Kitamura."

And with a straight face and no emotion, "Ren Amaki."

I nodded. "Nice to meet y'all." I looked back at the sight. "Hell of a thing ain't it?"

"Definitely."

"From what I can tell it's a standard Mediterranean climate. Shouldn't be too far from the coastline if the humidity is anything to go by."

I nodded. "Feels like it. You travel a lot back in Japan?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and didn't say anything. 'Shit, I slipped. It was small but knowing him, he might be suspect of me now.' It was clear I wasn't Japanese by any means. The other three had characteristics, with Motoyasu being the closest thing to American other than myself. 'Play it off, make it funny, do something.'

"Good talk we should it again sometime." The others snorted and started on their way again. 'That was close though Ren might suspect something now. I'll probably tell him later so this isn't bad, but I can't let the priest know. He'll relay it to the King and Melty and make avoiding framing harder… How am I gonna do that anyway.'

We had finally made it to the king's chamber and I was met with the sight of a very large and decorated man. The room was large with high ceilings and pillars along the sides. Many people wearing extravagant clothing stood along the sides, obviously nobility and political leaders. The King wore white garments with a large, light purple cloak. Fur lined the top and sides and golden jewelry hung on his head and from his fingers.

He spoke with a deep, booming voice. "Greetings heroes. I am King Aultcray the XXXII. I would like to know your names?"

Jumping in, Motoyasu spoke first. "Well guess I'm first. Motoyasu Kitamura, Twentyone, college student."

"Ren Amaki, Sixteen, high schooler."

"Itsuki Kawasumi, seventeen years, high schooler."

My turn. "John Carter-"

"Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki." The King spoke.`

'Of course, he does that.'

Lifting my voice up. "Excuse me, sir." The king looked at me. "You skipped me."

I could see a flash of annoyance from the king but I didn't flinch under it. "Yes, my apologies."

'Welp, time to shut him up.' "John Carter, twenty years old, Militia rifleman, first class." The three other heroes looked at me with surprise and the king flinched a bit.

The Militia wasn't a go-to defense force. It was instead a civilian force for when police officers were unable to respond quickly enough or when extra manpower was required. Service requirements made sure everyone had to be ready for combat, should war be declared again, and the Militia was the easiest way. It was only after they'd seen combat that personnel began to climb up from third class.

The king grunted. Not letting him off so easily I stepped forward.

"Now if we are done with introductions, I would like to jump straight to business."

The king wanted to retaliate but opted not to. "Yes, now, if you may, could you check your status."

'Status… Oh yeah, forgot about that.' The others seemed confused and talked amongst themselves. I ignored the conversation going on as I had already heard it and gone to browse through my stats. Sure enough, in the bottom right-hand corner of my vision was a little icon. It was a green, semi-transparent circle with three dots in a line inside a pair of brackets.

I stared at it, looking through the information.

'John Carter, Shield Hero

Level 1

Small shield (Legendary Weapon)

Otherworld clothes, Otherworld backpack'

Just like I expected, all basic. At least I get to keep my backpack. I looked through other menus and saw nothing that surprised me. I had no magic, no special items apart from the shield, and no special abilities. Looking at my skill set, it appeared to reflect my current person.

My intelligence and agility were both fairly high to start. My strength and dexterity were only a bit higher than normal but not as much. Looking at more abstract things I could see I had naturally affinity for skills around forging and blacksmithing.

It made sense given my what I did back home but I was relieved nonetheless.

"Heroes," the king called out "the palace servants shall escort you to a room to spend the night. Please, do make yourself comfortable."

The king must've had the other status confirmed while I was looking through mine. If he did call on me, I must've not heard him. Though it's more likely he just ignored me entirely.

"When we arrived at our room, we found food already set down on the table. The assortment of fruits and sandwiches all looked delicious. The room itself was quite spacious with four beds to the left of the door and a desk to the right. Behind the table was a couch and behind that was an open door to a balcony. The walls and flooring were all dark woods, with carpets and tapestries.

Picking up one of the sandwiches I sat down on the couch and began taking in what was going on. Earlier I was only going with everything without thinking as to keep my cool. But now that I could sit down, the reality of the situation had hit me like a freight train.

The fighting, the betrayal, the uprising, the true nature of the waves, the choice we'd have to make.

The accusation. I knew that it was vital to Naofumi's development, the original shield hero, but now that I knew what was happening and the best course of action, it was possible I could work my way out of being convicted, yet still have the advantages Naofumi had.

Acquiring the rage shield might be difficult to pull off otherwise, but the core of the dragon Ren kills… and then causes a plague with, was giant to its advancement for the rage shield. I might be able to avoid needing to get angry if I can force it absorbing a being filled with rage.

"Hey Carter," My thoughts were cut off by Motoyasu. "You agree with me right. This world seems a lot like Emerald online right?"

'And an opportunity has presented itself. Let's see if I can save myself some trouble later.'

"Sorry pal, this doesn't remind me of any games." I proceeded to get up and walk towards the table. I waved my hand towards me to gesture them to come towards the table. I learned in and, thankfully, they did as well, getting the message.

"Look," I said in a low whisper. "I need ya'll to listen to me and listen closely. All of us are from a different world. To all of you, this looks like a game, but this showed up to me as an anime. So far the only thing that has changed is me. Originally it was another man from Japan named Naofumi Iwatani."

"Alright, you know something we don't. Why do we have to whisper than."

"Right now we're being listened to and if they don't have a visual on us, they should have taken the bait and tomorrow will talk about a rumor of me having no knowledge of this world."

"Why is that?" Itsuki asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you much past that or I risk messing up future events more than they already will be."

"You are not making this easier to believe you." Ren said.

"I know, but I need you to trust me. Tomorrow, we will be given people to join our parties. No one will join mine but after a few minutes, someone will leave Motoyasu's party and join my own. That same person will accuse me of rape after stealing all my stuff."

They stopped and stared.

'They're skeptical. I don't blame them but that doesn't make it any easier for me.'

"How exactly does this go down?" Ren asked.

"Tomorrow night, we'll be at an inn having dinner. I'll go to bed early. During then, she'll steal all my stuff, give it to Motoyasu, and frame me for rape. The next morning, I get carried away to the palace and see you wearing my jacket. If you want proof of that it's mine, I'll put a note in it or something so you can confirm it."

Surprisingly, yet unsurprisingly, it was Motoyasu who spoke up first. "How do we know we can trust what you say. For all we know, you might be planning something and getting a cover story."

"I'd tell you more but I'm not sure if it'll hold up or not. It may change depending on what I do to try and avoid it myself."

They were quiet. It was good for a while but now it might be too long. "I think we've been 'quiet' for long enough. Start talking about something else, make it sound like we didn't just have a whole other conversation." I looked at them with pleading eyes. "Please." Motoyasu grinned and walked towards Ren.

"Hey Ren, you got someone special back in your world?" He said putting his arm over his shoulder. I was confused for a second but then realized what he was doing. I gave him a thumbs up. It didn't help with Rens annoyance which was perfect.

"No. Why do you care?"

"I'm just asking. You know in case we get sent to each other's worlds instead of our own when this is all said and down. You wouldn't want her wondering where her sweet little emo has gone." Ren only looked more annoyed.

"I don't date. Now get off me!" By now, Itsuki and I were both laughing.

"What about you, John? Got someone special?"

I laughed a bit more but stopped to talk. "I did but she didn't like me the same way. It sucked when I finally got the confidence to tell her."

Motoyasu put on a joke salute to me and said, "To our brother in the friend zone. May you rest in peace." with that, we all started laughing again. We talked about our lives in our old worlds while eating the food we were given. During the conversation, the topics of weapons were brought up. Motoyasu, once again, was the most outspoken of the three.

"Look, man, nobody goes shielder because it sucks, and no serious gamers ever play it."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing I was the one who got it wasn't it. You see, I had a tendency of exploiting and getting away with it with some friends of mine. But in order to exploit, you have to know the rules in and out. And let me tell you, I know a little rule within the game that doesn't specify to well."

They leaned in to hear.

"You see, there's this little rule I found that says you can't wield any other weapon but your own legendary weapon. Seeing as the shield is stuck to me, that means I can only wield the shield. However, there's a second rule about weapon copying. And if you have the same kind of weapon as you legendary one, you can copy it and then use it later."

"And seeing as I have a naturally high affinity for blacksmithing and forging, I could, hypothetically, create a 'shield' with some 'very sharp and pointy ends' that may or may not be really good and stabbing things." I said with a grin. I leaned in and waved for them to as well. "Also, even as cool as it would be, I don't have a brainwashing shield." They looked at me with confusion for what had to be the eighth time tonight. "You'll get it when it becomes relevant."

Looking out the window I saw that it was well into the night. Looking back at the table I saw that all the food had been eaten. With a yawn and got up and moved to one of the four beds. "Well, it's late, we got stuff to do tomorrow, so I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Yeah, we probably should head to bed." Itsuki spoke up. The others agreed and got into their own beds as well. I didn't bother changing my clothes were getting in, only taking off my shoes.

"Night, see y'all tomorrow."