Night 46: Hall of Armor

[itstaichoutoyou.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Since he had been down here before, Hitsugaya wasn't surprised by the armored figures lined up against the walls. He counted nine of them in all, each armed with some sort of weapon. Hitsugaya recognized some of the armor and weapons as Japanese in origin, but the others were unknown to him. He knew of western armors, but he wasn't really knowledgable about them. Since the room was well lit by lanterns hanging from the ceiling, he could see clearly, unlike the hallway he had just come from.

He approached one of the samurai armors and tried to see if he could take some of it. From the other night, he knew that they could take the weapons, but while wearing armor wasn't his style, that kind of protection could be valuable here. Without the benefits of his spiritual body, Hitsugaya was just as vulnerable to physical injury as any other mortal. Unfortunately, it appeared that the armor was stuck in place. No matter how much force he exerted, Hitsugaya the gauntlet held in his grasp wouldn't budge. He attempted to take a different piece but was met with the same problem.

"It looks like we can only take the weapons. The armor won't move," Hitsugaya said, unsheathing a katana and examining the blade's edge. The craftsmanship was impressive, more than the blade he inheritted from Matsumoto. The katana had to have been forged by a master blacksmith.

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[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

And now they had come first circle, returning to the same hall where the team had ended upon their last foray into the basement. As before, sets of armor greeted them, and Kratos allowed himself a longer chance to observe these different suits. The designs were all foreign, but here and there he could see concepts he recognized: the full-body plate armor of the Papal Knights, the old look of the Mizuho before they had become entirely intelligence-based, the ornate suits favored during the Kharlan War. It was strange that they would be present here on an entirely new world, especially the Kharlan-era armors. Those had been crafted with magitech in mind, and Kratos knew that no one at Landel's had such things.

"So it seems." Kratos tested Hitsugaya's observation on a suit at random and was met with the same resistance. And how were they accomplishing this?

He turned to the weapon that the armor held - an arming sword, meant for one-handed use - and slid it out of the sheath, turning it one way and then the other. "Curious indeed."

[akarusa.livejournal.com]

"I'll say." Hokuto took down a naginata; she'd been looking for a bladed staff of some kind, but she was surprised to see some that looked like they were made more for real combat than sparring. The handle was strong wood, with a wickedly sharp blade on top. She hefted it, then tried a strike; it was remarkably well-balanced.

"Nice," she said, impressed. Looking at her teammates, "So what do you think the catch is?"

[itstaichoutoyou.livejournal.com]

Hitsugaya's eyes widened as they settled upon a katana that looked strangely familiar. No, there was no way he could mistake it for anything else. His hand reached out and grasped his zanpakutou, Hyourinmaru. The presence of his partner caused Hitsugaya's stoic mask to break; in it's place, a look of relief settled in. As he held the weapon, Hitsugaya felt a sense of calm and security wash over him.

Hyourinmaru? Are you there? Answer me! Hyourinmaru! He called out with his mind, but his partner would not answer. He could feel the frost spirit beneath the surface, but something was interfering with their spiritual bond. With his back turned to his teammates, they probably didn't see the look of frustration on Hitsugaya's face.

What had he expected? His zanpakutou was still sealed. Their captors wouldn't give him back all of his powers. They knew that if they did Hitsugaya would strike back at them immediately. Even though he knew all of this, Hitsugaya felt a little better with his zanpakutou back. After reeling in his emotions, he turned to his companions.

"I don't know Hokuto, but they wouldn't arm us so generously without some price. I suspect there might be something dangerous on the other side." Hitsugaya gravely said. Whatever was in the next room should not be taken lightly. "Kratos, cover the rear; Hokuto, support us with your techniques from the middle. I'll lead."

Hitsugaya approached the door. "Let's go."