A sudden weight on Nick's shoulder pauldron stopped him from heading up to the roof.
"Sir Silver... out on patrol?" a deep echoing voice stated behind him.
Nick mentally gulped as he turned his helmet head around, seeing one of the animated armors behind him with its glowing eyes through the shadows in its helm.
"Of course... making sure no... malevolence is performed upon the... castle..." Nick replied, struggling to sound knightly. He's not sure what the weird magic is changing the frat house into, though the marble Greek pillars decorating the walls imply things are still changing.
"In your state?" another suit of armor commented from its podium, almost gossiping like if it weren't for the same deep echoing voice.
"Yes... uh... not rain nor sleet nor snow will stop a knight on their quest..." Nick replied. "Now, sir knight, if you please release me from your grip?"
"Where is your sword and shield, Sir Silver?" the animated armor asked, its gauntlet hand still on Nick's shoulder pauldron, not loosening its grip.
"I am going to get it from the roof..." Nick replied, only for a second gauntlet hand to land on Nick's other shoulder pauldron.
"No armor knight would be as careless as to leave their sword and shield behind, let alone outside where rust and rot will come faster and degrade the enchantments that make us." the knight's helmet head then turned around to face the others. "Come brothers! Sir Silver requires our support! We must bring him to the master smith-enchanter at once!"
Seeing the other suits of armor sheathed their swords, placed their shields on their backs, and stepped off their podiums to surround him, Nick tried to run up the stairs, only for the animated armor to grab his foot boot and pull it off.
Nick wailed as he fell onto the stone steps and practically fell apart into pieces in a loud crash. He then felt many gauntlet hands picking him up piece by piece until the first animated armor picked up his helmet head. He found himself looking at the ceiling as said suit of armor looked into his helmet head from his neck opening. A glance revealed that the other suits of armor were inspecting his other pieces.
"Sir Silver..." the deep echoing voice of the armor knight said in a tone of horror. "This is even more serious than we imagine. Your etched enchantments has faded in places. You must be repaired as soon as possible. It is fortunate that we discovered this lest you degrade into nothing more than inanimate rusted metal and rotted leather." the armor knight then moved Nick's helmet head so that they face each other. "Do not worry brother, we will find your sword and shield and bring it to you at the master smith-enchanter's forge. Once you are fully repaired and recharged, we shall help polish you to a shine! Only the best for the armor knights!"
Despite Nick's attempts to struggle and beg, the band of animated armor marched off down the halls carrying his pieces. Some doors opened up in the process as some curious frat brothers checked on the commotion.
"Just the armor knights. Rather late for their training though." Nick overheard a horseman said to his pantherman roommate.
"Given the rusted parts they're carrying, they're either reforging or polishing a knight." a purr was then made. "Say... I got a fun idea for a prank on the knights..."
Unfortunately, Nick wasn't able to hear the end of that sentence as he found himself in a large room. A strange mix of a dorm room, a library, and a blacksmithing forge with a strange addition of a muscular featureless mannequin. He then watched and felt the armor knights putting each piece of him on the armor rack on the wall next to the mannequin, tying each piece on it before his helmet head was put on it.
"Good news Sir Silver! It seems that the master smith-enchanter has found your missing sword and shield. What good fortune!" the animated armor said, pointing to a sword and shield that's as rusted and rotted as Nick's costume, almost like it was part of the set.
"No! You got it all wrong! I'm not suppose to be a suit of armor!" Nick wailed out, trying to shake his pieces off the armor rack wall.
"Not to worry, Sir Silver, once your enchantments are repaired and recharged, you will be a proper armor knight once more! We shall alert the master smith-enchanter for your repairs." the animated armor said before leaving.
Nick still try to shake his gauntlet hands off the rack, as surreal as it is to be disassembled yet still mobile and feeling.
He stopped his struggling when the mannequin turned its plastic white featureless head at him.
"You too huh?" a familiar voice said. Despite the near moaning monotone, Nick recognized him.
"Manny?" Nick said in shock as he looked at Zach's roommate, currently a featureless yet muscular plastic mannequin on a pole with a joint on his groin implying his masculinity was detachable though currently popped off. "Right... you put on a white body suit over a muscle suit as a joke costume." Nick recalled the costume idea from weeks ago.
"Yeah, now I'm buff and always hard." Manuel, Manny for short, joked before he shuddered in pleasure. "W-what's going on man... my head's getting foggy each time... feels so good..."
Nick turned his gaze at the entrance of the room. If Manny's here, then this might be Zach's dorm room as well. Nick hoped he could convince him. He's not even sure if Zach's still human at this point.