//------------------------------// // Isekai Shenanigans Part 1: What's This? (Nightmare Before Christmas) // Story: Sunset's Isekai // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Isekai Shenanigans Part 1: What's This? (Nightmare Before Christmas) By Wanderer D "Um, I'm not certain that we should go in there." Rozemyne blinked, stopping short of the entrance to the library section they had discovered. "Whatever do you mean, Philine?" "Well, it seems even Weiss and Schwartz are reluctant to go in there, Lady Rozemyne," Judithe whispered. "It's no wonder Philine would feel uncomfortable." Philine—who was standing apprehensively next to the two rabbit-like automatons—nodded vigorously. "Dangerous," Schwartz said, its long ears twitching.  "Forbidden section!" Weiss added. "Maybe we shouldn't go in there then?" Hannelore said, tugging at the edge of her Library Committee armband like she was reconsidering her life choices. "It would be for the best if we maybe waited for permission?" The archduke candidate from Dunkelfelger glanced dubiously at Rozemyne, clearly not wanting to displease her friend, but also trying her best to suggest caution. The small group was gathered outside a gated arc that separated a small area of the staff section in the library from the public area. With the renewed mana-flow towards the library, it had been one of several mana-intensive devices that had eventually started working again. Little could be said about Rozemyne's reaction to suddenly witnessing a shimmering stone portcullis appearing on one side of the room, then slowly rising to reveal a pair of gates that opened to a long corridor full of books other than it had been… exuberant. Cordula, Hannelore's attendant was quietly discussing something with Solange, and they didn't even seem to have noticed anything amiss. If Rozemyne was going to get away with taking a look without fussing from a group of paranoid noble adults. "Is… there another barrier?" Rozemyne asked, looking at the shumils(1). "Lady Rozemyne," Judithe said slowly, "I don't like where you're going with this." "No barrier. Just old," Weiss answered her mistress, ignoring Judithe. "Old!" Schwartz agreed. Curious, Rozemyne cast a basic scanning spell, but nothing happened. No warnings, or traps activated to her vision, and the magic was particular enough in this world that she'd notice something. "Schwartz," she said, "Weiss… why is it dangerous?" She glanced back at the rows of books just past the threshold. So many books! "Has anything happened to anyone going in?" "No," Weiss responded. "It is forbidden," Schwartz said. "But nothing has happened to anyone that entered there, right?" Rozemyne insisted, turning her gaze from the automatons to gaze adoringly at the books past the gate.  The two automatons hesitated. "No," they finally both said, and Rozemyne smirked at her three friends. "And I didn't detect anything strange." Rozemyne nodded, then turned again to the automatons. "Please bring me any books related to this hidden passage." "Yes, Milady!" the shumils echoed, then bounced off on their mission. "W-we should still be careful," Philine said in an almost-whisper, "I didn't bring my card if anything goes wrong." Rozemyne pressed her lips. "I didn't bring my key either," she muttered, "Ferdinand asked me for a diagram of it, and I um… left it on my desk," she elaborated when Philine gave her a startled look. "Card? What key?" Hannelore asked, while Judithe narrowed her eyes, studying first Rozemyne, then Philine. "I remember a key being mentioned, and this card… are they related?" Judithe asked carefully, shooting a quick glance at the adults and Hannelore. "Is that what you're talking about?" She gave Philine a suspicious look, which turned into a frown when the laynoble scholar looked down and started touching her fingertips together. "Philine!" she hissed. "Don't tell me you're involved with Lady Rozemyne's escapades!" Judithe's eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth, glancing at the adults. "I don't think there will be any issues, even without the keys…" Rozemyne trailed off, blinking, as Hannelore pushed the gates open. "Um. Dunkelfelger takes what they want," she said, mustering a miniature smile, which faded as the sound around all four of them became muted, and it felt like the world was suddenly compressing around them. "Lady Rozemyne?" Hannelore called, worry creeping into her voice. "Oh no," Rozemyne said, quickly grabbing onto Judithe. She barely had time to shout a warning as they both were sucked by a sudden warm air into the corridor. Tumbling through the air, she saw Philine valiantly grab hold of Hannelore's outstretched arms as the pair was also sucked in. Beyond them, the two adults in the room turned, startled as the gates clashed closed and the light faded into the distance. The world came back in a cacophony of sounds, smells and sensations. Too much was going on for Hannelore's senses to initially make sense of things, but slowly things started to register in her mind. She was lying down flat on a cold, forest floor. She was surrounded by lush, green-leafed trees, but she could hear the distant sounds of a town nearby. She felt her ears twitch at the sounds of birds chirping, and her nose wrinkled at the earthy scent of rich soil and grass after the rain. She groaned, carefully pushing herself up into a sitting position, then rubbed her head with a soft paw as she recalled what had happened… She had opened the gates, taking a very Dunkelfelger approach to things, something she usually didn't do, but hearing the whispered secrets about Rozemyne's apparent adventures had stirred something within her. Something almost competitive, but… not quite.  Lady Rozemyne was already ahead of everyone else, but Hannelore had not expected her bookworm friend to also be involved in dangerous adventures. Her duchy wasn't known for knights errant, as it was, but Rozemyne had always had this mysterious air to her and… well, Hannelore honestly wanted in.  In retrospect, or rather from an outsider's perspective her actions had been a bit too daring, but, while she wasn't as obviously aggressive as her brother, she was not afraid to take matters into her own hands, especially now, after her Ditter match against Ehrenfest. Dunkelfelger was renowned for its people's assertiveness and fearlessness, and Hannelore had been trained in combat and even feybeast hunting. The thought of Rozemyne—who was arguably her closest non-duchy friend (possibly even including her own duchy)—daring the unknown fearlessly and decisively hadn't made her jealous, but it definitely had inspired her to act.  She always felt like she was holding the Ehrenfest archduke candidate back, so now she had taken the initiative. And ended up in an unknown forest. She vaguely remembered the laynoble, Philine, breaking decorum and grabbing onto her. But it hadn't been fear in the other girl's eyes that she had seen, when they had looked at each other's eyes. It had been concern… for her. "How brave," Hannelore muttered to herself, smiling slightly. "It seems all of Ehrenfest is surprisingly strong." It was then that she realized something and looked down at her hand. Except, it wasn't a hand. It was a paw, of sorts. Similar to a hand, but not human like. She had claws, and lavender fur all over her arm. She turned it around and then looked at her other arm, then she stood up and felt her face, where she could now feel a muzzle, and whiskers that tickled her when she touched them, and even more fur and… she slowly looked over her shoulder behind her and confirmed her fears. She had a tail. St. Patrick's Day Town had more than a few rowdy folk, was always ready for a throwdown (or dance-off), and liked to party hard in between preparing for the next year's celebration. But even though they had increased awareness of otherworldly visits after the Sandman had invaded their Holiday Town, they were not prepared for the cat-creature that barreled into town, knocking down several carefully stacked kegs of beer, and sending several nearby leprechauns rolling into the street. "Damned mutated Faoladh!" one of the short, human-like creatures she had barreled into shouted at Hannelore. She realized immediately that they weren't human, and carried on trying to look for help. At any other time, she would have stayed composed even as she tried hard not to stare in wonder at the decorations, the bright green plants, the rainbows and green and gold-decorated banners… she would have gazed at the strange clothes they wore, or laughed with them at one of the circles of dancers. But not now. Not as she was, transformed into some strange zantze(2)-human hybrid! She didn't know who to ask for help, or if these strange creatures were benign, human-like as they were. This town made no sense, it was too small, and isolated, too colorful, too overwhelming to her terrified mind. Were these fey-creatures responsible for her transformation? Could she be changed back?! She slid to a stop when several armed creatures surrounded her. She let out a feral growl that seemed to rattle them, but utterly terrified her. What was to become of her? Could she even use her magic in this state? Regardless, Hannelore would not go down without a fight. She crouched a little, instinctively, but her schtappe materialized in her claws as readily as ever. The creatures warily aimed lances at her, and that distance, it was going to be hard to dodge them or even use her schtappe quickly enough to transform it, surrounded as she was. Her armored undersuit might offer some protection, but without knowing their capabilities, it was a risk she would rather not take. Just as it seemed the creatures were about to push forth, a loud roar made the short people yelp in surprise, while Hannelore crouched down further covering her ears as a shadow flew over them. She barely registered as something landed next to her, and she wondered what type of monster she would have to fight now, but then she got a look at the creature… which was wearing familiar-looking robes. "Are you injured, Lady Hannelore?" Hannelore blinked, staring at the creature as the familiar voice finally registered in her mind. "L-lady Philine?!" Philine had also changed. However, she wasn't some sort of furry zantze-human, like herself.  Although still humanoid in many ways, the Ehrenfest laynoble had been changed into something more similar to an eiderot(3), with black, shiny scales, a pair of leathery wings & bone-white horns on her head. Philine's face was that of a reptile—also with black scales, except from the neck down which were more of a muddy yellow color as far as she could see before they were covered by the Royal Academy clothes she was still wearing. A long, flexible tail sprouted from her lower back, also covered in black scales with a similar underside of yellow. "That is correct, Lady Hannelore, please take a moment to compose yourself, we are in no danger." Gulping back a retort, Hannelore stood straighter and closed her eyes, dismissing her schtappe as she concentrated on taking a deep breath as she allowed herself to recover her dignity, which he had to admit had been strongly tested today.  Now that a familiar presence was here, she could only look back in shame at her actions. What sort of Archduke candidate was she if she lost all sense of herself so quickly? What kind of Dunkelfelger noble could she call herself if she acted with so much fear? After a few moments, the fact that she looked more relaxed seemed to get through to the strange creatures surrounding them, the presumed guards lowered their weapons as the townspeople slowly emerged from the houses where they had hid to stare at the pair of them curiously. The biggest of the soldiers stalked over to stare up angrily at Philine, then, rather rudely, pointed a finger at Hannelore. "Oi! Coinnigh do chat ar iall nó déanfaidh mé cinnte é a craiceann, a laghairt diabhal!" he shouted, practically spitting in the process. His red-faced angry scowl landed squarely on Hannelore—who didn't understand a word he said—before returning to Philine, who surprised the Dunkelfelger noble by taking it in stride. Instead of backing away, as Hannelore would have expected of the meek scholar, Philine leaned down to plant her reptilian face very close to the short man's, glaring in return. "Éasca, a chara, nó gheobhaidh tú amach gur féidir leis an dragan seo níos mó ná tine a análú," she all but growled. The small man's fist balled up before he spat to the side and waved a hand dismissively. "Bah! Imeacht gan teacht ort." Philine straightened up and crossed her arms, also looking dismissive. "Sin é an plean." The short man turned around grumbling and muttered something to the others, who moved away back to their posts, except for a couple that stepped away, but still remained within eye distance, clearly keeping an eye on them. "What… what was that?" Hannelore asked. "What did that strange man say? What kind of language was that?" "Oh… it was… um, some friends taught it to us…" Philine looked away sheepishly. "And um… He has strong feelings about cats." "Cats?" Hannelore wondered. "Ah, it's what many other cultures would call creatures similar in appearance to zantzes or fetzes." She paused and touched her scaled cheek in thought. "Another word they could use is 'feline'. Given that you are currently some sort of feline person, possibly a Caitian, although I've never seen one with lavender fur." It would make sense that one of Lady Rozemyne's prodigious scholars would know this kind of cultural detail, even for strange lands, she supposed. But that didn't explain the rest. How was Philine so comfortable in this situation? Although she had seen Ehrenfest Scholars participate in Ditter, this was a completely different thing!  Hannelore looked down at herself. "Is that what happened to me? I'm a… cat? What about you? How can you be so calm?" Philine's cheeks managed to turn slightly rosy under the scales. Somehow. "Oh. I was turned into a dragon. A black dragon, to be specific, acid included." She smiled slightly. "Just like Khisanth…" When she caught the look Hannelor was giving her she looked nervous. "Not that I expected this! I'm… familiar with the species, that's all. I'm just used to them being much bigger than I am, though." Hannelore blinked. "Black dragon? Is that some sort of fey creature that lives in Ehrenfest?" she had never heard of such a beast. And who was this Khisanth? Philine chuckled nervously instead of answering, and Hannelore felt a slight pang of annoyance. The scholar was acting too strangely. Too casual, and not just with their status—which was not actually offensive in her opinion, since Hannelore considered Philine close enough to be a proper acquaintance/possible friend, although her retainers would have been very upset about the breach in etiquette—but also with the fact that they were both in a strange land, transformed into feybeats of some sort and as far as she could tell completely lost… yet the scholar looked almost happy to be turned into such a creature. She took a deep breath, but, before she could ask further questions, another of the humanoid creatures approached. This one seemed to be female. Once more she spoke in that strange language, then—apparently noticing Hannelore's look of confusion—spoke again in the common tongue. "Might I interest ye in some food and drink?" she asked, smiling at both of them, her grin widening when Hannelore's ears twitched in recognition. "Can't have visitors saying St. Patrick's Day Town is not hospitable, can we?" "T-thank you," Hannelore said, looking at the strange creature in bewilderment. "But that other… man…" "Bah, Fergus? Ye can mostly ignore ol' Fergus, lass. He's always had his knickers twisted into  knots. Ye both be from Halloween Town I imagine. Found yer way here fer a visit, didn't ye?" "Halloween Town?" Hannelore repeated, confused. "I'm afraid not, we are students at the Royal Academy." "Fancy name. Don't know it." The woman shrugged. "But ye wouldn't be the first lost souls to find yer way here, would you?" She cackled. "Come on, let's grab some grub and I'll tell you how to go to get help. I hear the Pumpkin King and the Pumpkin Queen know about many different towns. I'm sure they can help." Hannelore was about to say she wasn't hungry when a growl made her look down in surprise (and embarrassment) at her stomach. Philine grinned and the woman let out a loud laugh, then proceeded to escort them to a long table full of food. After sitting painfully on her tail, she finally managed to find a way to be comfortable, and soon resigned herself to getting a full stomach while their host talked about doorways leading to other places. She wasn't sure how she felt about this whole situation, but if a laynoble scholar from Ehrenfest could take it with such aplomb (even if Philine was one of Rozemyne's retainers), then she as an archduke candidate could do no less. She paid attention to the woman's tales and promised herself that she'd do better from now on.