Ichigo stood before the towering hourglass in awe. It was something to behold, all the while the grains of red sand trickled down. When he had asked when the Wave would arrive, Yasaka had led him here with Oogawy following, the others going off to do their own thing. Seemingly only present to greet the summoned Hero.

The Hour Glass itself stood well over seven meters tall, towering over everything else. It was covered in detailed decorations that caused the object to have some kind of mystical feel to it. Ichigo could almost feel a sense of foreboding come from it.

"Please, approach the hour glass." Yasaka instructed and Ichigo did, walking up the steps. The closer he got the more aware of it's strange presence gnawed at him. Taking another step his eyes shot wide as a high pitched beep echoed in his ears before a beam from the hilt of his Zanpakuto shot forth toward the hourglass where a jewel was located that illuminated brightly upon being hit with the beam. After the shock passed Ichigo noticed something in the right hand corner of his vision, a timer of some kind?

4 - 21:39

Ichigo watched it for a moment and soon the [39] turned to [38] showing that it was counting down, and if he was right the [4] was how many days were left. Meaning there wasn't a lot of time before the first wave came. His status appeared before him and he lightly glared at the [LV 1] next to his Class. He figured after everything he had been through it would be at a higher level, but it seemed that being summoned here just reset all his stats to zero. Well considering he had given up his powers he'd be at Zero. What would his level had been had he not?

"No point thinking about that." Ichigo mused, deciding not to go down that path of what ifs. Turning to where Yasaka stood, the woman hadn't taken her eyes off of him for a moment. There was also Oogway who was quiet, seemingly observing for now. "Can I have a minute?" Ichigo questioned. "I just need to think things over."

"Of course." Yasaka bowed her head. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. Once you're done, we'll discuss the next step." Ichigo nodded as both Yasaka and Oogway walked from the room, Ichigo noting that Yasaka made a slight hand gesture and several hidden robed figures also followed them out, probably ones to oversee the hour glass. At least with that, he knew he was alone and could trust that Yasaka would do as he asked when he needed something. Letting out a soft sigh he relaxed somewhat before cracking his neck.

"Alright." Turning back to the hourglass he reached up and pulled forth his Zanpakuto before sitting down before the hourglass, legs crossed. Resting the blade across his lap with his hands upon it, taking up the familiar position of Jinzen, he relaxed his mind reaching out as he once did when connecting with Zangetsu.

Feeling the pull he opened his eyes and was greeted with the Inner World that he had become so accustomed too over his time as a Shinigami. Looking around he tried to spot Zangetsu, surely the old man would be here right? He had his Zanpakuto once again, so why shouldn't his Zanpakuto spirit be present? Looking around there was no one, not a single entity apart from himself.

"Damn…" He really thought that he might not have to go at this whole thing alone, to at least have the old man by his side to guide him like he once did. Hell, right now he'd even accept the hollow imitation of himself. About to leave his inner world he paused, seeing an icon blinking in the lower left hand side of his vision. It was apart of the Status Magic and it hadn't been blinking before coming here. It was going to take some time before he got used to this whole status thing.

Focusing on the blinking icon, expecting another pop up to fill his vision. Instead, it was his inner world that completely changed around him. It was like the Status Magic was completely re-warping his innerworld.

[Weapon Tree]

A pop-up filled his vision causing him to blink in confusion, not exactly sure what it was supposed to mean. Willing it to disappear, it cleared from his sight and he got a proper look of the new layout of his innerworld.

It was way too weird.

Hovering before him, illuminated by an unknown source of light was the same sword he currently held in his hands in reality. Between himself and the sword, there was a line drawn on the ground with a luminescent glow. Taking a few steps forward towards the blade, he saw a pop-up window appear over the blade.

[Zanpakuto [Zangetsu Sealed]

[LV 1]

[Zanpakutō are the trademark weapons of the Shinigami.]

Ichigo stopped focusing on the pop-up and it shrunk back into the blade. It was definitely Zangetsu, so where was the old man? Or maybe the spirit just wasn't present? Glancing behind the illuminated sword, he could make out something in the darkness. Stepping around the sword, he saw two more branching away, but weren't illuminated. But he could tell by the shapes exactly what they were, even in the darkness.

The first was an oversized khyber knife that he was all too familiar with. The weapon he had stormed Soul Society with after his training with Urahara to regain his Soul Reaper powers. It was the unsealed version of Zangetsu, the Shikai. The other one next to it was just as Familiar, Tensa Zangetsu. Approaching the the shadowed blades, two more pop-ups came, however this time different.

[Level Requirement not Met]

It appeared over both of the shadowed blades. He should have known, this was all working like a game. He was [LVL 1], there was no way that he'd be given shikai and bankai right off from the get go. He'd have to work his way up to them. Grinning slightly to himself, if he was going to be in another world, at least he had his partner with him. Casting a gaze off over the rest of the darkness… wasn't it a bit of wasted effort in re-creating his entire inner world for just this?

"Eh…" Ichigo had to blink as his eye caught something in the darkness. Walking quickly over to what he had seen he stopped upon seeing another shadowed blade, just a simple katana this time. Eyes widening he hurried to the blades after it and stopped. "You've got to be kidding me." He muttered as he immediately recognised Zabimaru's Shikai and it's enormous Bankai.

Taking a step back in shock he looked around once more… just like here there were more swords, more familiar Shikai's and Bankai's… swallowing nervously he stood amidst the mass armoury of Zanpakuto's. Is this what it meant to be the Zanpakuto Hero? Access to all of the Zanpakuto that the Shinigami wielded?

A hand landed on his shoulder and his eyes shot wide open.

"Get stronger." Zangetsu's voice reached him and as he turned back around to look, he was back in reality, sitting cross legged before the Dragon Hourglass.

"Well… shit." Ichigo breathed out. "That's a lot to take in." He muttered as he picked up his Zanpakuto and rose to his feet, sliding the blade back into the sheath along his back. "You're right Zangetsu, I need to get stronger here. It's my only way of making it home."

Ichigo shifted his shoulders awkwardly. All throughout his time as a Shinigami, he wore a Shihakusho. He was honestly expecting to just adorn one that fit the description of his old battle attire. However, upon hearing his request, Yasaka had deemed it unsuitable and had issued him a set of armour. It was big, clunky and didn't fit well.

True, there were numerous cases as a Shinigami that the Shihakusho would have been better suited as something more armored but really, defense relied on one's own reiatsu so armor would be pointless. But this armor was uncomfortable, hot and just all around irritating to the teen. It was also taxing on his maneuverability. Plus the time to put it on was just unforgivable. He couldn't continue to wear this if he was planning on being effective in battle. Atleast Yasaka had agreed to introduce him to a Blacksmith so he could get proper equipment before the Wave started.

Currently Ichigo was outside the Capital of Siltvelt. Away from the onlookers that had been eager to meet the Hero that had been summoned. Apparently word had spread around Siltvelt that a Hero had been summoned. He didn't like the fact that he was the cause of such uproar, as not everyone in the country was happy that he wasn't the Shield Hero. Apparently it wasn't just Ino that expected to have the Shield Hero summoned for them.

Not to mention there seemed to be discrimination against humans in Siltvelt. It was a country populated by Demi-humans and the only humans that he had seen… were slaves. He knew he wasn't from this world, that they had to have different standards to different things. But it didn't sit right with him and made anger swell deep within him at the very sight. But what could he do about it? Who knows how long slavery had been acceptable here and if he did change anything while here, wouldn't it just go back to the way that it was before once he left? He was conflicted on what to do and had been taking his anger out on the monsters that he came across.

Speaking of which.

Brandishing his Zanpakuto, he rose it above his head and sliced through the orange balloon that had been approaching him. Man these things were weird, popping on impact and turning into shreds of orange material.

[EXP 1]

This whole status thing was starting to bug him. It took the reality out of the situation. Making it feel like a game when it was clearly not. Zero had cast the Status Magic on him when he arrived, but apparently everyone in this world had access to the same type of status.

If others were being summoned, and they saw that it was like a Game, how would they treat it? Would they think of it as reality, or would they treat it like a game where their consequences didn't matter? They could have a real negative impact on this world if they saw it that way. Resting his Zanpakuto on his shoulder her took a glance around the grassy plains, the imposing capital of Siltvelt off in the distance.

He was glad for the solidarity. He had been told that others would be gathered for him to choose his party from. He didn't like the idea to be honest. Here he was to be thrusted into a group of people he may not get along with and was expected to fight alongside them? No doubt issues would arise in the group. He knew that a party would be better to fight the Waves, a larger group to rescue others, fight off the monsters and bring the Wave quickly to an end. But he didn't know these people, half of the ones he had met so far didn't like him because he was human.

"Cross that bridge when I come to it." Ichigo sighed as he brought up his Status, he had been at this a while.

Ichigo Kurosaki

Class: Zanpakuto Hero LV 8

Equipment: [Zanpakuto [Zangetsu Sealed] (Unknown Weapon)] [Heavy Armour]

Skills: [None]

Magic: [None]

Soul Trait: [Locked]

He'd gone up a couple of levels at least, but still he hadn't reached the required level to achieve Shikai, and he didn't know if there would be any other requirements to unlock the Shikai either.

Sheathing his Zanpakuto, seeing as the afternoon was dwindling, he'd make it back to the Capital just before dark.

The trek back was mostly uneventful, facing a few more monsters but not enough to Level up again. The monsters around the Capital were small fries and didn't offer much in the way of Experience points. He'd have to venture further to do so serious leveling, and right now there wasn't much time before the first Wave. He'd have to make due until after.

"Hero!" A voice called out to him making him look over to see what appeared to be a young girl, but Ichigo knew better than to judge by appearance alone. Toshiro was a fine example of that.

"You're Sylvie, right?" He asked, having been introduced to her before he went leveling. She led the Adventures guild here in the Capital. Like most in Siltvelt, she was a demi human the rabbit ears and tail a dead give away. She has short red hair and unfortunately, her outfit left little to the imagination. From what Ichigo had seen so far, it was a custom among certain races, or at least they didn't care much about what they wear or how much skin showed.

Her outfit was mostly a thin layer of cloth that exposes her belly button with some ornate ornaments. Around her waist looked to be a long white loin cloth with large green gems on her hips keeping the fabric together.

"That's right, you remembered." Sylvie smiled at him. "Woah, looks like you increase your level a bit." She said eyeing him with a smile. "Good work. It seems like you really know what you're doing, should expect nothing less from a Hero."

"Can you stop calling me that." Ichigo sighed as the two walked in stride with one another through the streets. "It's hard to increase my level with so little time before the Wave starts."

"The fact you boosted your level that much is a testament that you're not just an average person." Syvlie commented. "Do you have prior combat experience or something?"

"Or something." Ichigo commented off handedly. Sylvie simply smiled and nodded.

"Yasaka reached out to the guild saying you were looking for a blacksmith." Sylvie continued, picking up that Ichigo wasn't going to speak on the matter about his past experiences any more. "So I thought I'd meet you at the Gate and take you there." Ichigo shifted his shoulders once more, the armour had really been troublesome.

"The sooner the better, with any luck the armor will be ready before the Wave hits."

"You've got that right." Sylvie nodded. "You really don't look comfortable in that suit of armor." Ichigo grimaced slightly, he'd never figure in a million years he'd wear one and it was clear that it didn't suit him. "I'm sure you'll find something, otherwise no doubt have it crafted to suit your tastes."

Sylvie led them through the maze like streets, Ichigo spotting numerous demi-humans around taking in the sight of a human passing by. The news of a Hero being summoned had certainly spread wide and far. Sylvie soon stopped and Ichigo paused… the door, it was massive. Ichigo stood 5'11… he knew Chad to be around 6'5 or so. But this door stood even taller than that.

"Aren't blacksmiths in fantasy settings usually dwarves or something?" Ichigo pondered as the sound of someone hammering away within echoed in his ears. The building itself stood out, the other building nearby didn't nearly have such a large entrance, in fact the entire building looked to be built for someone of a larger size. Looking to Syvlie, she simply smiled and ushered him to enter.

"No doubt you'll head back to the palace after you're done. Do you think you can make it back on your own?" She questioned.

"I should be able to manage." Ichigo nodded, Syvlie took it as the okay to leave him alone and headed off. The teen figuring that as the head of the Adventures Guild she probably had a lot going on with the Wave coming up. Maybe she was organising Adventurers to aid in the rebelling of the Wave?

Turning back to the large entrance he thought about knocking, but figuring it was probably a store he didn't bother and pushed the door inwards. As soon as he entered he was hit with a massive heat, probably from the furnace that would be hard at work. Sweat already started to drip from his brow making the armour that was already too stuffy overbearing.

The front of the shop was what he expected, a store. Numerous kinds of armour and weapons lining the halls. Standing and looking around he didn't see anyone that he could talk with. Once more hearing the sound of something hammering against metal he called out.

"Hello?" For a moment there was a pause before the creak of a floorboard as someone shifted their weight. Ichigo had to guess that whoever was coming was going to be on the rather large side. Hearing footsteps, that certainly didn't sound human he waited for them. The blind covering the door that led to the back opened and Ichigo froze.

"Naked Apron!" Was the first thought that shot through Ichigo's mind doing his best to stop the blood spurt from his nose before his next thought. "Holy Cow!" The woman that came through with a smile on her face was huge, not in a robust way, just huge in general. She stood well over seven feet tall and everything was just as large to match.

She was darker skinned and had long flowing white hair with two massive bull horns adorning the top of her head. Despite the obvious a curvaceous body and large breasts that frankly put Lieutenant Matsumoto to shame, through the leather apron Ichigo could make out defined musculature features, even her arms had defined muscle texture.

"Hello there." She smiled down at him, the smile was genuine, the teen could tell that much. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you enter." Her cow ears twitched as she spoke. Now that he was passed first impressions, he could clearly see that she wasn't pulling the naked apron stunt, there was evidence of a cow print bikini behind the leather apron. But that just left the question of… why a bikini?

"The head of the Adventures Guild sent me." Ichigo spoke, doing his best to keep his eyes on hers. First Yasaka's body tempted his eyes now he had to deal with this? He wasn't a damn pervert!

"Sylvie?" She questioned. "I wonder why." She tapped her chin. "I figured with the Hero being summoned, she'd be busy dealing with that."

"I'm just after some armour." Ichigo said seeing as she might be a little bit inclined to be distracted by her own thought process. Her eyes turned him again, this time taking in his armour clad form.

"Yeah, that armour you have on now is ridiculous." She smiled. "It wasn't made for you, was it?" She questioned walking around him taking in the armour.

"Not in the slightest." Ichigo agreed, beginning to take it off the Minotaur helping him along, undoing the straps easing the process. Now that the heavy armour was off he felt so much better. Rolling his shoulders he watched as the Minotaur placed the pieces on a bench.

"It's not the best work, but it's not dodgy either." She explained. "It's suited for someone with a more built upper body." She continued.

"Think you can reforge it or something?" He asked as she lifted up the breast plate, just how strong was she, that thing weighed a ton and she lifted it like it was nothing.

"I can, but I won't." She told him surprising Ichigo at her refusal. He watched in astonishment as she turned to face him and with a smile on her face easily crushed the breastplate between both of her hands like it was nothing. "It'd be weaker than this if I did. If you reforge armour, again and again it loses its strength."

"Uh huh…" Chad might have even struggled in crushing something like that.

"I would like to make you some armour Mister, but I don't have that much materials left." She explained causing Ichigo to sigh.

"Let me guess." He began. "I'd have to go get you some."

"Yep." She smiled happily.

"And it's probably in a really dangerous place."

"Once again, you're right!"

"Oh, and you can't go because you've got something else to do." Ichigo knew what the hell a fetch quest was when he saw one!

"No, I'll be coming along." Ichigo stopped there, that was a first. "It'd be hard for you to carry it all the way back here, so you'll need help." She smiled. This might be worth it.

"How long to get there?" Ichigo asked, eyeing the countdown clock in the corner of his vision. Time was still something that was against him right now.

4 - 15:18

"If we leave now, we should get there by morning, with proper rests between so we're not already run ragged before entering the Labyrinth." She tapped her chin. "Another two to three hours after that to fight through some monsters and find the raw materials. Another two days to initially craft the armour." She finished.

"Meaning we should have enough time." Ichigo commented to himself. "You're sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "I wasn't doing anything but hammering my anvil." She told him causing him to blink, why would she be doing that? "I was bored." That answers that question.

"When can we leave?" Ichigo asked.

"Just let me gather some things." Ichigo nodded and headed for the exit of the shop. This seemed to be working out well so far. Sylvie wouldn't have brought him to her if she wasn't a blacksmith worth the time. Plus, heading to a Labyrinth with monsters, it might give him the experience he needed to level up a bit more. With any luck, he'd be stronger before the Wave hit with decent armor.

Leaning up against the side of the door, he stood out more now that he was dressed in what he had been summoned to this world and not covered in armour. The door to his side opened and he took a step to the side as the minotaur still ducked to exit through the door. Ichigo once more had to bring a hand to his nose, pinching ti to stop it from bleeding. The Minotaur still wore the cow print bikini, but now also wore bulky armor that covered her arms, shoulders, and legs and a helmet shaped like a bull's head with a golden nose ring. For some reason the armor was dyed a light pink.

However what made the armor useless in Ichigo's opinion was the lack of chest or stomach protection. However considering the size of her chest, it might be hard to find armor that was suited. In her hand was a pole connected to a giant hammer that she lifted with ease and rested it on her shoulder.

"All ready to go." She told him beginning to walk away from her shop before she stopped and looked back at him. "I'm Asterio." Ichigo's vision distorted as a pop-up appeared before him. "Let's form a Party."

"Yeah." Ichigo approved the pop-up notification, Asterio's name and Lv appearing just underneath his own status bar.

Party Created

Asterio Lv 49 added to Party

"That's a massive gap in our levels." Ichigo mused to himself as they walked side by side, heading for the exit of the Capital, the same way Sylvia had walked him through the streets. The gap in level might be something, but it also proved that Asterio was strong. Meaning where they were going to find the materials for his armour, there would be strong monsters. He was definitely going to be stronger by the time the Wave came around, even if his armor wasn't ready he'd still be strong enough to get through it.

"I never introduced myself." He began. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Uh huh." She nodded happily. No doubt, she also got the same notification as him upon the party's creation so the introduction was probably unnecessary but it hadn't sat well with him not to introduce himself. "Oh! Did you hear! Apparently the Hero's been summoned! Isn't that exciting?" She exclaimed.

"Uh… sure." Ichigo replied awkwardly.

Character List:

Yasaka (Highschool DxD)

Navi (Dragonar Academy)

Oogway (Kung Fu Panda)

Zero (Grimoire of Zero) with added feline features.

Ino (No Game No Life)

Asterio (12 Beast)

Sylvie (How Not To Summon a Demon Lord)