Case 000 (cont): A Whole New World

[Katrielle Layton]

Kat's eyes were momentarily overwhelmed as they passed through the gate, a chill coming on immediately afterwards. Lights flickered in her vision as she tried to blink the stinging sensation away, and only after she rubbed them could she see the world ahead of her. Blank distances were replaced with blue skies, with dirt roads, and with lush trees. Normally these surroundings would be normal for someone that lived in London, but seeing it appear all of a sudden gave it a mysterious, awe-inspiring quality, and the detective couldn't help but admire it. The air smelt fresh, and she relaxed as the wind blew past her face.

...Wait, wind?

"W-what happened to the truck?" Ernest asked, realizing what Layton had just realized. The two were so engrossed in the realm around them that they only just now noticed that their ride had changed; in place of the truck drove a roofless carriage, carried along the track by horses made of bronze. The gears within the mechanical equines clicked and whirred and they galloped, steam blowing out of their noses like an angry train. Instead of a wheel, Erastelle now held a set of reins in her hands, and her confident look indicated that she was used to that change. Behind them, a large wooden platform with wheels had been chained to the main part of the vehicle. Now that there were no longer any walls to block her view, Kat could see the countless amounts of seafood piled on top of it. The fish, lobster, crabs, shrimp, and oysters were sealed within separate little mountains of ice-- at least that's what she thought they were until one of the frozen stacks raised up its serpentine head to look at her.

"Pay it no mind," said the shark, glancing at the assistant whom had fallen silent in surprise. "These sub-verses try their hardest to keep their technology level consistent. So more modern things tend to change when switching verses. Here in Camelot, everything is usually run by stuff you'd find in medieval times-- plus a lot of magic."

That statement finally shook Ernest out of his surprised stupor. "Camelot?" he asked, growing giddy. "You mean THE Camelot? The one with King Arthur and all that?"

"Yes, it's that Camelot. Not sure you'll find Arthur, but I'm betting it'll be mostly the same as your version of it."

"Wow..." The lad returned to soaking in the scenery, eyes aglow. "I can't believe we're actually going to Camelot! I still remember all the stories I've read about it as a little boy. It almost seems so surreal... isn't it exciting, Miss Layton?"

Katrielle stayed silent for a moment before answering. "It'll be interesting, that's for sure."

"You don't seem too happy about this."

She sighed, glancing over at her partner. "Don't forget I was brought here against my will. Camelot is probably gonna be really cool, but I have unfinished business back at home."

"Hey," the trucker butted in, "I should probably tell you this now so you don't get your hopes up: you're probably not going home for a long time. Only Omni can decide when you can leave, and I've heard of Primes that have been living here for decades. The best thing you can probably do right now is to get yourself established-- get your name out there, earn a reputation, make connections. Maybe you'll find a way out of here one day. Who knows? But you should prepare to live the rest of your life here."

While Layton was determined to return to her world, she had to admit that Erastelle was right; she lacked the power and resources to do so. The thought that she might not see London in years sent her spirits plummeting, but she managed to work up the energy to ask the shark "So do you know any good places to set up here?"

"In order to get to my restaurant, I have to go through Minas Tirth to get to one of the nearby duchies; I can drop you off there. You'll like Tirth-- it's a pretty accepting place. And given that your little friend here seems to like mythology, I'll bet he'll absolutely adore it there."

Kat nodded forlornly. "...Alright. I can't thank you enough for this. I'll have to pay you back someday."

"I certain we can figure out a deal."

"Hey, one last question?"

"Shoot."

"Have you seen anyone named Professor Hershel Layton? Kind of a short guy with a giant top hat?"

"I haven't. Sorry."

[Katrielle Layton]

They drove on in silence for a while, Katrielle messing around with the Omnilium inside her. The iridescent material morphed and distorted into various shapes-- books, hats, weapons... now that she thought about it, maybe a weapon would be necessary; after all, if Erastelle was right, the Omniverse was a dangerous place and they needed something to defend themselves.

"Hey, Ernest? I know this may sound odd, but if you needed a weapon, what would you want?"

Her assistant crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Um... uh-- a shovel!" he blurted out, obviously saying the first thing that entered his mind.

"You sure?" Layton asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you want a more... useful weapon? Like maybe a sword or a gun?"

"If they don't see an actual weapon, they'll underestimate me. Who would expect someone like me to be able to defend myself with a shovel?"

The detective paused, surprised at his train of thought. "That's... actually kind of clever. I'll probably stick with a sword though." She concentrated harder, working on molding the element into a pair of weapons-- a curved sabre and a sturdy shovel eventually appeared in her hands, and she tossed the latter into Ernest's lap. Placing the blade underneath her seat, she focused on creating a sheath for her weapon, eventually bringing it into existence and sheathing her sword.

It was around this time that the shark pulled back on the reins, slowing them to a stop. They had not arrived at Minas Tirth, but instead they had stopped in the middle of the road in front of, oddly enough, a slew of police tape. Knights atop griffins surrounded the perimeter, consulting wizards and searching the area.

"Police tape doesn't even exist in medieval times," Ernest mumbled underneath his breath, knowing that didn't actually matter as they exited the vehicle. They walked up as close as they could to the yellow-and-black blockade, trying to catch a glimpse of what was beyond. Kat gasped a little when her eyes fell onto a man on the ground in a pool of blood, the guy twitching and shuddering violently-- even his arm, which had been torn off, was quivering like it was still connected.

Ernest stood on his toes to see what was going on, and while the detective tried to keep his mind from seeing the mess in front of him, she was too late. Her friend cried out in shock and backed up, a sea of nausea washing over him. "What... what was that?"

"It's a murder," said a new voice, deep, gruff, and coming from beyond the border. A man in a suit of armor approached them, his silver suit clinking about. "This road is blocked off while we investigate this."

"But what even happened?" Ernest asked, swallowing his sickness for a moment.

"We think it involves someone on a Fleek-rush."

"Fleek-rush?" Kat questioned.

"Fleek. It's a drug that's sold in the lower-class duchies. People under its influence go absolutely insane. Many turn violent. Even after the effects wear off, they don't go back to normal."

"That's horrible!" Kat said, momentarily glancing back at the body. "Is there anything I could help you with? I was a detective back in my world, so--"

"We don't need a rookie P.I. getting in our way. The best thing you could do right now is to move along and let us do our job."

Layton wanted to tell him that she was well-established back home, but relented, given that it was only back home and for all the knight knew she could've been lying through her teeth. She sighed and nodded. "Alright. Hope you catch the guy who did it." And without another word, they parted ways.

"I hope you know another route to Tirth," Kat said as she and Ernest climbed back into the carriage, once again having to go through the song and dance of situating themselves on one seat.

"A lot of roads lead to Minas," Erastelle replied. "Although a good chunk of them are dangerous and not actually roads. There's another one not too far away from here that'll do the trick."