(I'm still writing a continuation of this chapter, but figured I'd upload this one before I'm done with it.)
Tremendous tremors repetitively coursed through the trapped alliance leader's entire being with each of his teacher's footfalls. Helplessly, Claude was dragged further into the humid abyss of her boot- though of course she was none the wiser of his whereabouts. As far as Byleth was concerned, her student was off who knows where, scheming up some way to get the advantage in their next sparring session. There was no reason she had to suspect he was now tumbling deeper into the leathery confines of her shoes. And so she hurried to the closet where one of her other students had become trapped. She brushed past some of the other Golden Deer, who had begun to gather.
"Ignatz?" She called as she came to a halt in front of a large supply closet door near the stairs leading to the second floor.
"P-professor! I'm sorry, I hope I'm not bothering your schedule…" His voice sulked in a muffled tone from behind the wooden frame.
"Nonsense, but just how did you get locked in-" She cut herself off as she blindly reached for the handle only to find her fingers wrapping around naught but air.
Her eyes ballooned slightly upon seeing that there- in fact: was no handle. More specifically, it looked as though the handle had been ripped from the door, leaving an empty metal ring where one once was secure. Her brow furrowed as she pulled at the door itself, after all with no handle it should just swing open, right? First she gently nudged at the door, then proceeded to put some weight behind her pulling. Eventually though she found herself in an all out wrestling match with the closet's blockade, and it was FIERCE.
Byleth slammed her feet down into the stone tile beneath her to cement herself in position before digging her fingertips into the entryway once again. With all her might she ripped at the door, even activating her crest by accident for just a moment, but even that was not enough to break through the door frame's impressive defense stat.
Exasperated, Byleth's head swayed to meet her student's gazes. "Wh- How!?"
"Well…" Ignatz's meek voice could be heard from beyond the invincible wall, "I had come in here to see if we had any paint thinner…"
----
Claude's experience up until now had been nothing short of disastrous. Obviously, being sucked further into the depths of his professor's humongous boot was a horrific, if not oddly surreal, development. But worse yet was the terror of knowing what would happen should he reach the bottom. The miniature house leader could only imagine he'd been crushed instantly- like a grape, he doubted she'd even notice in the moment either. Despite this however, Claude was unable to fight against gravity, or his teacher's unknowing movements.
That is, until the quaking finally halted.
A groan echoed through the tight ebon hall he'd found himself pinned in as he tried to regain his barings. Pressed tightly against his back was what Claude could only assume was Byleth's floral(?) stockings, or more specifically- her shin. He assumed this because what was in front of his face was all too clear. Chafing against his nose was the rough black leather he had just climbed from the outside not even 10 minutes prior; the unmistakable scent of worn cowhide infused with at least a half years worth of fighting, working, and a whole lotta sweating was striking at his nostrils.
He had finally been able to collect his thoughts, because of that Claude realized he was no longer being jostled around. "Did she stop?" His voice cracked. "Good, I could use a breather… I'd prefer fresh air, but: beggars, choosers, and all that."
He writhed in his stationary position in an attempt to fully understand his situation. looking up in the pitch blankness, he hoped against hope that he'd see even a glimmer of light from the boots opening. Alas, he did not. His sight having failed him, Claude decided to rely on his other senses. Well, other than smell or taste- for obvious reasons.
Desperately Claude wriggled his left arm, which had gotten caught between his back and Byleth's leg, free. Whereupon he let it dangle. To his ire, it rose above his head.
I'm upside down. Claude thought to himself. This is gonna make things a tad bit more difficult.
Even beyond the fact that turning around in such a cramped space seemed night impossible, there was one more issue that arose from this revelation: his blood. More specifically that his blood was headed to, well, his head. That meant Claude was on a time limit- the average person could last for 10 hours minimum before they die when hanging upside down. Not to mention the fact that he'd likely pass out long before that. He gave himself 6 hours tops to change his situation.
"If only Teach could help me out-" Claude's monologue was cut short as one last Grand earthquake shook his entire world (and caused him to bite his tongue).
His now bleeding tongue was the least of his worries however as he was just then jostled with enough force to lower him deeper into the boot. So deep in fact that the apex of his skull was now pressed firmly against the top of his instructor's foot, his forehead rubbing against the crease where her shoe's neck curved, just behind him- her ankle. One more quake like that, and Claude would be done for before he even hit 15 minutes.
----
"... And that's how it ended up like this." Ignatz finished the tale of his woe.
Byleth had the bridge of her nose gripped in a vice between her indeed finger and thumb. Long story short: Ignatz spilled glue, sealer, and other fast acting adhesive resins while searching for thinner. Of course, it had all spilled onto the door and its point of closing. Before he could clean it though, Bernadetta came bolting by (apparently yelling something about Felix coming to kill her) and bumped into the door, slamming it shut. Ignatz, now sealed inside the room, began calling for help.
"And the handle?" Byleth asked monotone.
In response, Raphael stepped forward, knob in hand. "Here it is, Professor! I rushed over here as soon as I heard Ignatz was trapped!"
Byleth was beginning to worry, if even the hulk that was Raph couldn't remove the door: who could? Actually, there was one person…
"Hilda, go find Dimitri and do your thing!" Byleth ordered.
"Huh?! What thing?" The bubblegum pink haired girl questioned.
"You know, that thing you do. Where you act like a helpless princess and have people do stuff for you." Byleth explained without a hint of social awareness. "That thing."
"Professor, that's a bit rude don't you think?" Hilda griped. "And beyond that, how am I supposed to find Dimitri? That seems like a lot of work…"
"You're not proving her wrong you know." Leonie chimed in with a faltered smile.
"Ughh. Fine, I guess it can't be helped." The lazy woman groaned as she walked past her teacher. "This will be quicker. Hey Ignatz, stand clear!"
Without warning Hilda walked up to the door where she gently lay her hand on the corner of the door. Everyone watched in an array of bewildered and confused emotions as the door flew open, bursting into chunks and splinters of miscellaneous sizes as it hit the wall. Where once there was door: there was no more.
"Oopsy…" Hilda chuckled a bit with a cocked wry smile. "Ignatz, would you mind cleaning that up for me? I'm afraid of getting splinters."
The young painter stood dumbstruck in the supply closets now roomy interior. Upon recollecting his sanity he responded. "Uhhh, yes, it's the least I can do after you helped me!"
Byleth probably should have been upset or even shocked that her student had just obliterated a door to its molecular level, but instead she was now planning ways she could incorporate Hilda's absurd power into the girls curriculum. She was already wielding a great-axe into battle… but maybe she could do bigger… two? Dual wielding!
"Aww, thanks Iggy! Maybe I could get you to help me with some homework later too?"
And then Byleth remembered, Hilda: was a lost cause.
The professor said her goodbyes to the students and began to walk back to the classroom...
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