Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, nor do I own any part of La-Mulana or the Castlevania series which inspired some of this fanfiction.

Chapter 1: Crash Landing

The chipmunk groaned as he rubbed his eyes, slowly coming to. He was unsure how long he was out cold, but what he did know was what had occurred previous to the crash landing.

At first, it seemed like a typical, if not odd in presentation, case. There was someone who had heard of the Rescue Rangers a far ways away from the city, who requested their aid. The person claimed to be an aristocrat and would have preferred not to disclose the information on the case, and also sent a private plane for the group.

The flight was also quite typical at first. Chip was thinking over the mission specs, pondering what could possibly be so private and urgent that the client would not disclose such information. Dale was busy goofing around, seeming quite restless and more than one breaking Chip's concentration. Gadget was, as usual, tinkering with various knick-knacks and producing inventions from them. Monty, as one would expect, was helping himself to the cheese that the group had been offered as an in-flight snack. And Zipper was busy catching a quick snooze as the plane made its course.

All seemed well until a sudden fog appeared, hazing out the view of the tiny plane's destination. Even more sudden was a short-circuiting in the plane that sent it in a tailspin hurtling toward the nearby location: a fort in the middle of some dark woods.

"Chip… Chip! Hey, Dale, he's alright!"

Chip groaned out once more, his vision still blurry, removing his diminutive fedora to rub his sore head. "Ohhh… Gadget? Is that you…?"

Running into view was indeed the young mouse girl. She helped Chip up onto his feet, Dale trailing not too far off. Chip felt like he had just barely survived a TKO from a professional heavyweight boxer. Finally getting his footing, his thoughts were once again shattered as Dale spoke. "Boy, you had us worried!" Dale exclaimed. "How ya feeling, Chipper?"

"Awful", replied the other chipmunk. "…Where's Monty? And Zipper? And the pilot?"

Gadget frowned, staring toward the sky briefly before replying, "…The pilot didn't make it. He passed away just a few minutes ago… as for Monty and Zipper, they went to go get help, but they haven't returned yet".

Chip frowned. "Well, ol' Monty can take care of himself, and Zipper can help him if need be…" He sighed. "…So. Where are we, anyway?"

Gadget shrugged. "Beats me", she said. "Apparently we were on-course… the fort shouldn't be too far off from here… that's why I'm worried about Monty and Zipper. They should have been back by now!"

"Well, no need to worry, Gadget", said Dale. "Just like Chip said, they ought to be fine!"

As Dale said this, Chip turned about and saw that he must have been dragged out of the wreckage, for the plane was roughly a yard away in human size. He saw the craft still smoldering, smoke billowing up from the wrecked metal. He turned back. "…were we able to salvage anything?"

Dale nodded. "There's plenty of soda and cheese left to keep us from going hungry", he replied. "We also found a survival kit; it has even more food, and some cooking supplies. Oh, and I also saved your whip, too. You can thank me later".

Gadget also added, "There should have been a radio transmitter though… it would have been really helpful to send for help. All we found though were a brass knuckle where the transmitter should have been in the pack -- there are indentations for the supplies in the kit. There was also a survival knife… but I can't help but think that guy was expecting a fight more than a crash…"

"How right you are, young one", said an old man's voice from a ways off. The three turned and spied an old rat approaching them. He was wearing a sackcloth robe with a hood over it. There was something very strange about his movements; though there was a mild wind and he was walking, his clothing did not move a bit.

"Where did you come from?" asked Chip. "And who are you?"

The old man chuckled softly. "Oh… I came from my mother, of course, but I was merely observing you now. I sensed the disturbance of the crash and came to offer my advice. As for why I am, my name is Sirocco. It is nice to meet you… but are you all okay?"

Chip shook his head. "What do you think? Our pilot's dead, we crashed here who knows how long ago, and we're missing two of our team", he said, his voice somewhat exasperated.

"Calm yourself, young one", said Sirocco. "I am sorry for your losses, yes, but I must warn you of greater threats right now. Do you know anything of these woods?" The group shook their heads. "The fort up ahead was built most recently, despite its ancient look. These woods are a mysterious one, said to fortify one's paranormal abilities…"

Gadget blinked. "Uhm, what? 'Paranormal abilities'? What are you talking about, there's no such thing as those! At least, not with any irrefutable proof!"

Sirocco chuckled once more. "That so, dear? What if I told you I myself was not of the living?"

Dale hastily replied, "Then I'd call you a real nutzo". He walked over to Sirocco, holding out a hand. "I mean, if I touched you, there's no way my hand would go through--" As Dale reached for Sirocco, he at first felt nothing. Guessing that he did not reach far enough, a gasp a moment later from Chip and Gadget and his look toward the old rat concluded his fears: his hand had flowed through the ethereal phantom.

"Y-y-you're a ghost!" cried Dale, running behind Chip in safety.

Sirocco shrugged. "Quite so", he said. "And I have a feeling that if you are not careful, you may end up the same way as I". He sighed. "Up ahead lies the fortress of a powerful witch… she is talented at creating monsters. If she is not taken care of she will surely be able to unleash all kinds of malevolence upon our kind. It was actually I who sent that case to you… I know this is a lot to soak in, but I have faith in you all and hope you will be able to stop this plot"

The group, still in utter disbelief, stood there for a few seconds. Despite seeing a ghost, Chip was, much to his wondering why, not afraid. Gadget was incredulous about seeing the ghost and what he was talking about. And finally Dale was still shivering, paralyzed in fright.

After a fair pause, Chip advanced a step and asked, "…okay, we'll do it".

"Are you nuts?!" exclaimed Dale. "We're talking to a ghost here! And if he's right, we'd never stand a chance against a witch or monsters!"

Gadget shook her head. "…All I know is that I want to make sure Monty and Zipper are alright, and to learn more about all of this. And of course, I'll do my best to help if you're really up for this, Chip". The chipmunk in question nodded to the mouse, feeling somewhat more confident that he'd be able to handle this new 'case'.

Chip nodded. "Thanks, Gadget. Okay, Sirocco, do you know any way we can stop this witch?"

Sirocco nodded slowly. "Her magic cannot save her from strong enough heroes such as yourselves. Try to find your way through the fort and fight your way past her beasts. But I warn you… it will not be easy, and the fort is quite an odd one at that. Its interior is almost like its own microcosm. To get through, search for my belongings. They ought to still be there, as I was once affiliated with this witch before she turned evil. Go now, and do your best. I will appear before you periodically to provide further aid". With that, Sirocco slowly faded away.

Chip sighed. "Well, looks like we have no choice in the matter, do we? C'mon, let's go to this fortress".

End Chapter 1.