Companion armor, as Dallion found out, turned out to have the exact meaning he feared. When he had initially asked Nil, the old echo had paused for ten full seconds before going ahead with the explanation. Apparently, a few centuries ago having armor with companion guardians in them had been extremely popular, to the extent that guardians had been specifically selected and taught how to perform that function to perfection. Dallion didn’t need to hear the details, but for all intents and purposes, the shield he had gone through so much trouble of procuring was the living equivalent of “female armor” to coin the phrase of the world’s past.

That definitely explained the guardian’s appearance and demeanor, not to mention the awakening realm of the item itself. The fact that the shield was actually useful in combat made everything arguably worse. While in the awakened realm, the shield segments could increase in size and number, stretching to become a tower shield, or wrap around his entire arm like a gauntlet.

Dallion’s guard skills had also changed, displaying guard markers allowing Dallion to extend the shield so as to form a barrier. While initially it seemed comical, after a bit of practice, Dallion discovered this ability to be quite useful. However, there was one annoying thing that remained…

The world sure has changed a lot, the shield guardian said while Dallion was on his way to Yarn-file alley. Back in my day, Nerosal was a dump. I never imagined I’d end up here.

Dallion gritted his teeth. Being the only one capable of hearing the shield, he couldn’t do anything about it in public. Instead, he had to listen to the melodic ramblings as he walked about. It was bad enough listening to advice how Dallion could do his job better during lunch. He could only imagine what would happen when he went to visit Eury. Sadly, he had little choice—he needed to return the shirt she had given him.

Know any good forgers? The shield asked. Been ages since I saw an adequate one. The ones the general brought couldn’t even make an adequate hairpin.

“I’ve only been in the city for a few weeks,” Dallion whispered through gritted teeth.

A few weeks? Can’t say you’ve missed much by the looks of things. Then again, you came from a village in the middle of nowhere, right? I guess this is a step up, but if you really want to kick things up a notch, you must find a way to get to a country capital. That’s where the important things take place. Everything else is nothing but a reflection’s shadow.

An interesting metaphor, no doubt, but right now that was the least of Dallion’s concerns. The only things in his immediate agenda were to earn enough money from guild jobs to pay for an awakening trial in one of the city’s awakening shrines and then break through his level ten gate. Once that was done, he could finally complete his selection trial… and possibly claim the armadil shield as his own. Despite the constant talking and the guardian’s somewhat uncomfortable behavior, the shield was a level two.

As he reached Euryale’s workshop, Dallion noticed that a few more statues had been added to her garden. Thankfully, most of them were of animals. The realism with which they were made, nonetheless, made him question whether they had been sculpted or the result of instant petrification.

You’re going to see a gorgon? The shield asked. That’s cool. Gorgons are quite nice in general. A few of my exes were gorgons.

Probably half the world were your exes, Dallion thought. Thinking about it, though, he couldn’t imagine the catastrophe that might occur if Euryale and the shield actually met. The world was suddenly going to become a much stranger place, that was certain. For the moment, maybe it was a good idea to keep certain details regarding the shield to himself.

“Eury?” Dallion said loudly as he entered the workshop. “I’ve come to return—”

He suddenly stopped. Unlike the previous times, the gorgon wasn’t alone. Three quite massive figures clad in full plate armor glanced in his direction. While Dallion had only been in the city for less than a month, there were a few basic things he had picked up. One of them was instantly identifying the city guard insignia. Two of the people standing in the room, a few steps away, held the rank of captain, while the third had a pair of silver swords and a crown on his pauldron, indicating he was the city guard’s lieutenant commander.

“Give me just a minute, Dal,” Euryale looked at him while simultaneously looking at everyone else. “I’m just finishing something here.”

“Sure.” Dallion smiled, doing his best, trying to keep that smile from turning guilty. “I’ll wait outside until—”

“Stay here,” one of the captains said. Her tone of voice made it difficult to determine whether that was a request or an order. Dallion decided not to risk it and quickly moved to the nearest wall.

“What do you think?” The lieutenant commander turned back to the gorgon, not overly bothered by Dallion’s presence.

“It’s possible,” Euryale said as she examined one of the captain’s gauntlets. “Could also be a coincidence. All in all, it’s a coin flip‘s chance. Is the first time it has happened?”

“The second. The first one happened two months ago.”

“I see what you mean.” The gorgon focused on the gauntlets more. From where he was, Dallion had no direct line of sight to see what the discussion was about. “It might not be a coincidence, though it’s still too early to tell. I can ask about it, but aside from that I don’t think I’ll be of much help.”

“Right.” The lieutenant commander nodded to his subordinates. With a nod of their own, they made their way out of the workshop, passing by Dallion as if he weren’t there. “Tell me if you learn anything.”

“As always,” the gorgon said. “Think you can handle it on your own?”

“For the moment. If things get worse, I know where to go.” The man left as well.

“Just don’t wait too long,” Eury shouted behind it.

Dallion swallowed. He had no idea what exactly he had stumbled upon, but he could feel the seriousness of the situation. Should he ask her? Or should he pretend as if nothing had happened? It was at times like this that Dallion felt his recklessness being too reckless.

“Hey, Dal!” the gorgon said with a wide smile the moment the city guards had left. “They come here from time to time, to consult me on stuff. Not the best arrangement, but it pays, and I don’t have to worry about my statue problem. What brings you here?’

“Err…” Dallion tried to maintain his composure. “I thought I’d return the shirt you gave me.” There was a slight moment of hesitation. “And buy a few more.”

Smooth, the shield criticized.

“Oh, that’s a gift. Though, it’s always nice to have you visit.” She placed her on his shoulder. ”What have you been up to? New shield?” She glanced at the item on his back.

“Yea, something I got for rent,” Dallion said quickly. “Thought I’d need one if I’m to take more exploration missions.”

“Not a bad choice, though I’d have gone with something a bit more basic. By the looks of it, you’ll need some time to get used to having this in battle.”

You have no idea, Dallion thought.

“So…” Dallion cycled through a few topics of conversation. He could always ask something they’d already spoken about, or he could ask her for a new lesson. Somehow, he doubted that would be the best approach at present. Maybe, it was best to continue with the clothes line. “Anything you’d recommend?”

“Too many things.” The gorgon laughed. “I’m not sure you’d be comfortable with either.”

She’s a keeper, the shield guardian said. I like her.

“Did you get used to the trick I taught you?”

“Oh, yeah.” Dallion nodded. “Definitely. Very useful.” This was the point at which he avoided sharing that he had been a packrat on his first mission. “On that note, I was wondering how I can call for a weapon, or shield, to my hand directly.”

“That?” Eury asked, as she went to the single rack of clothes in the room “You can’t at this point. You need to get your skills above ten. You’ll soon get there, though.” She took out a grey shirt with rather long sleeves. “How much do you have to spend?”

“A gold and change.” Dallion replied.

“A gold and change…” Euryale let go of the grey shirt, then took a white one. In every aspect it seemed normal, Although Dallion suspected that not to be the case. “This would suit you. Try it on.”

Of course, she’d ask that. Knowing her for this long, though, Dallion had gotten used to it. Taking the shirt with a smile, he proceeded to put it on. The difference was felt immediately. He didn’t need to awaken the item to know it was at least fifteenth level, if not more. Wearing it felt as if he was wearing a cloud.

“It suits you. Win some more money and I’ll make you a few things to match.”

“I’ll do that.” Dallion considered putting his armor-thread shirt back on, but found he preferred to remain in this one. Maybe he’d change back once he’d had an actual job. Until then, this was loads better. “Another thing, I was thinking about buying some proper armor. Do you think there’s a point, or should I wait till after I pass my double-digit trial?”

“Who said there was no such thing as smart eye-candy?” The snakes on Eury’s head moved about. “Given that you don’t have money to spare, I’d say wait. Once you enter double digit territory, you’ll know a lot more about yourself than now. Then you can decide what direction you want to go to. There’s always a cost, as well as a benefit. Decided on a short blade?”

“Not yet. I’m thinking of putting that off for later.”

“Suit yourself. If there’s one thing, I’d waste money on, it’s that. Short blades are useful everywhere.”

“I can see that, but I have my sights on something. If all goes well I’ll get it as soon as I become a double digit.”

“I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.”

I bet she will, the shield guardian said, almost causing Dallion to choke.

“There’s something else, I wanted to ask,” Dallion said once he had cleared his throat. “If I get a choice of skills, which should I choose? Athletics, Acrobatics, or Forging?”

“Forging?” Half of the gorgon’s snakes moved about in chaotic fashion. “That's an unexpected jump.”

“I was offered it once before. I’m unsure whether I should pick it if I’m offered again.”

“Well, that’s a question only you can answer. Unless you’re talking about magic. There’s no such thing as a good or bad skill. I know forgers who spend their days minting coins two months per day in a noble’s mansion. I also know acrobats that have become theater celebrities. Some even send me invitations to performances that cost more than I make in half a year if I were to buy it using normal means. The trick is to know what you want.”

Dallion sort of expected this sort of answer, but he had to admit, hearing in this fashion made the thought much less stressful.

“Chances are you won’t be offered a choice. Usually, a person received a new skill when breaking through this gate. Whatever you get, it’ll be useful, as long as you don’t neglect it. Seeing your style of awakening, though, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

“Probably not.” Dallion smiled. “But still, what would you choose?”

“Honestly? Acrobatics. There’s always something fascinating in having full freedom of movement. But as I said, that’s me. Each of the options will help you in battle.”

“Even forging?”

“Even forging. Of course, there will be a lot of things you’ll need to learn before you can make adequate use of it. Tell you what.” She crossed her arms. “If you even get forging skills, become my apprentice and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

And then some, the shield added.

“It’s a deal then.” Dallion ignored the guardian. “If I become a forger, I’ll become your forger.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. But enough of your sweet-talking. Both of us have work to do and you still owe me a gold for the shirt.” She extended her hand, waiting to get paid. “Just one piece of free advice. When you’re a packrat, try not to get involved in combat. If you do your party will start expecting that from you and you’ll never be off the hook.”