It's a Whole New Number's Game
A Deltarune OC Series
(Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking; 'WHERE THE HECK IS TOON'D PART 3?!'. Sorry, it's been on a brief haitus, mainly because 1., school has been BRUTAL lately and 2., I lost the story THREE TIMES, due to my cat stepping on the power button, a bad storm, and then my own stupidity. I will get to chpt 3 VERY SOON, I promise! For now, I'm going to contribute to the Deltarune fandom with this interesting spin on your typical Jevil story; this one has a SERIES attached to it! And yes, I am biting of more than I can chew, but I promise that I'll have a LOT more time in the future. I hope any readers enjoy!)
(Also, this chapter is super short, so think of it as a prolog!)
Chpt 1: A Role Accepted
"S'cuse me! The store's closin' in ten minutes 'ere!"
"Hm?" Jacob Stone looked up from the partially broken china doll he was currently holding when he heard the deep, gruff voice of the shop owner.
"You heard me, mister. Store closes at three 'clock. SHARP. And I don't plan on hangin' here one minute more!"
"Three? That's a little...earlier than normal..."
"It's SUNDAY! I'm allowed to close early, ain't I?"
"Yes, but-"
"Shaddup! Just buy your crap already and leave!"
"Okay, okay! I'll be out in a second!" Jacob called back, slightly annoyed. Shaking his head, he turned and placed the doll back on the shelf. It was too broken for his collection, anyway. Sighing, he grabbed the old, grimy plastic shopping basket and briefly glanced at the contents. In there was a wooden antique pocket knife (Priced $5.00) and a bundle of three dusty antique books (Costing $20 EACH).
He was shopping at Woodrow's Antiques and Treasures, an antique store almost as old as some of the things it sold. It had been run for over four generations, though the current owner, Mr. Brian R. Woodrow, couldn't care any less about running the place. He often just sat at the front counter reading magazines and grumbling at customers. Jacob hated him, but since this was the only antique store within 20 minutes from home, he had to put up with him.
Jacob began to casually make his way towards the front of the store, a little disappointed. Sure, he liked the little knife and the books, but the best kinds of antiques, to him, were the bizarre ones. Like the sixty-year-old animal bone collection he had bought over in Maine, and a music box with a miniature gargoyle on top a friend had given him. Those were the antiques that he loved, cherished, and remembered the most. But here, at this tiny store in an average suburban area, such oddities were hard to come by. Most of the time it was just the same kinds of things; creepy dolls in old dresses, dusty porcelain figures, vintage hats, and the like. Old stuff in an old shop in an old town.
Then, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Something...interesting. He stopped in his tracks and leaned in for a closer look among the clutter.
The mannequin it was on was old and partially busted, but the outfit itself was in very good shape. It looked like some variation of a jester's suit; It had a purple shirt with long, slightly poufy black sleeves and a diamond pattern down the middle. The pants were a pair of what looked like long black pantaloons, also being slightly fluffed out. The shoes were slightly pointed at the end, with them being mostly black with green spots on the ends. It also had a long cape, with the neck being a similar shade of green and had triangular tassels circling around it, each with a little bell on the end.
The part Jacob liked best about it, though, was the hat. It was a simple fool's cap, with only two 'horns' protruding from it, one purple and one black. Each one had a large, shiny bell at the end of it. Finally, the band at the bottom was bright green, like the shoe tips and collar.
Overall, it was a very colorful, if a bit dark, outfit. It was, however, showing some signs of age. The smooth fabric showed clear signs of wear, probably from both years of usage and abandonment. It had obviously been much shinier in the past than it was now. Even the bells seemed to have lost their playful gleam a little over time. The cap sagged loosely on the mannequins' head, its horns drooping down limply. Still, as he inspected it, Jacob could not find a single scratch or tear at all on the costume.
Another thing he noticed was how small it was. It must've been a child's costume, judging by its size. A child of about 8 or 9 years, and it certainly wouldn't fit a 22-year-old like Jacob. 'Even then, he thought, this would look amazing in my collection!' He checked all over it for a price tag, but found nothing.
"Ahem..."
Jacob jumped at least 3 feet in the air when a hand suddenly placed itself on his shoulder. Whirling around, he found the shopkeeper, looking pretty pissed, standing right behind him. An angry glare was on his face.
"There's only five minutes left, mister. What's takin' yer ass so long?! Get yer shit and go!"
Jacob just about wanted to punch Mr. Woodrow right in the face, but instead meekly pointed to the costume and asked "How much for... this, sir?"
Mr. Woodrow snorted. "That thing? Yer a grown man, but if ya really wannit, then it's a hundred-fifty."
Jacob blinked "One-hundred and fifty? But that's..."
"Take it or leave it, bub." Mr. Woodrow glared harshly at him. Jacob gulped slightly. "A-alright..."
"Good! Now hurry so I can ring ya up." The old man grunted, making a quick speedwalk towards the front.
"But what about the thing it's on-"
"You can take that with you, ok? I'm replacing it anyways! I don't have the time!" Mr. Woodrow sounded angrier now. Now REALLY wanting to leave, Jacob held his basket in the crook of his arm as he used both arms to pick up the mannequin. Struggling under its weight, he made his way towards the front of the store, ready to make his purchase...
And now, for a super convenient time skip...
Now, Jacob sat at home, exhausted. He had just gotten back and had spent a good 5 minutes lugging the heavy, dusty mannequin from the car- and it had already been hard enough to get it in to the car. Now, it stood plainly in his small living room, a little less dusty than before. His other purchases laid on the side table next to him.
'Well, at least that's taken care of,' he thought, 'now I just got to find a place to put it...' Maybe he could place it next to the baseball outfit he owned. (Baseball was another hobby of his.)
He cocked his head curiously as he looked at the costume. Now that he took another look, he realized something unusual about the hat. Proportionally, it seemed to be larger than the rest of the outfit. If put on an actual child, the hat would probably be quite loose. Jacob found this a bit weird; maybe it was intentional, for a goofy look? Heck, it may even fit him...
Suddenly, Jacob had an idea. A silly one, but he just had to try it. Grabbing the hat from the head of the mannequin, he quickly dusted it off before grabbing the band with both hands. Raising the cap up, he then proceeded to place it on top of his shaggy brown hair. So far, so good. He tugged on the cap a few times, inching it slowly down his head, the bells jingling softly as he did. Finally, he managed to get it a good way down his head before he stopped and let go.
It was a pretty snug fit, but he had done it. Smiling, Jacob turned around and looked into the mirror next to the kitchen entrance. Back at him stared a face with bright blue eyes, a large, clean-shaven grin, and a few dark brown hair strands poking out from under the tight cap. He just had to chuckle; he looked so silly!...
"Well, that's enough goofing off for now," He said to himself, reaching to take the cap off, "Time to..."
Then the power cut off.
Suddenly, Jacob found himself plunged into darkness- all of his windows were blocked by curtains. He nearly fell back in a panic, blindly reaching out to thin air. Before he could fully process what happened...
He heard a laugh.
At first, it was soft. Then it grew louder, and louder. It was the most sinister laugh Jacob had ever heard, constantly wavering as it went on.
Jacob was just about to have a heart attack! What was going on?! It grew louder, and louder, and more and more maniacal, until...
It stopped.
The lights suddenly flickered back to life, just as abruptly as they had died out. Jacob suddenly felt the most relief he had ever felt in his entire life, letting out a wavering phew...
"W-what was that even?..." He mumbled to himself, turning around to look at himself once again. Nothing but him, his hat...
And a little hand on his shoulder.
"HELLO, HELLO!"
Jacob let out horrified scream as he whipped around, terrified at the... thing behind him.
Before him stood what looked to be some small demon. It had smooth, pale purple skin, and it was about the size of a young child standing up. It had no nose on its face, and its eyes were shaped like ominous black crosses, with tiny glowing yellow specks for pupils. It also currently had the most sickening grin on it's face, it's mouth wide with what seemed like dozens of sharp, yellow teeth. Oh, yeah, and it was floating too!
What was most bizarre about it, though, was the fact that it was wearing the exact same outfit as the one on the mannequin, except looking much newer. Even the bells on the hat and collar looked exactly the same!
Jacob couldn't even speak right now; his jaw just hung open in silent fear and confusion. Slowly, slowly he started to back away, raising his hands in front of him. As he backed away, the demon just grinned even wider and started creeping forward, staring him right in the eye, as it lowered itself to the floor.
"What's wrong? Afraid of little ol' me, me? Can't say I'm surprised..." the demon said, his voice low and menacing. The lump in Jacob's throat just grew larger. He continued to back up...
Until he hit a wall.
He turned to find that he had nowhere left to back up to. Turning back around, he could only tremble as the demon, or whatever it was, came closer...and closer...until it was right in front of him. Jacob could hardly breathe at this point.
Finally cornering his target, the demon chuckled lifted up his hand... and Jacob screamed.
"Please! Please don't kill me!..." Jacob lifted his hand over his eyes, begging for his life.
To his surprise, the demon abruptly stopped, suddenly sporting a confused look on it's face. "Kill you? Oh nononnono, no! Where did you get THAT idea, idea?" It then regained its composure, and its sinister grin too. All Jacob could do was blink in confusion. What was going on right now?
"Wh-who are you? And WHAT? What the hell are you doing here?! W-" just as Jacob started his panicked rant, the demon suddenly floated in midair again and put a gloved finger to his lips.
"Now, now, I believe we've gotten off on the wrong foot here. Let's try this again, again! The name's Jevil. Jevil the Devil! Well, an Incubus, to be more precise, precise! Now, what's your name?" Jevil chuckled loudly and placed the finger on Jacob's chest. Jacob chuckled back, nervously. Maybe this guy meant no harm?...
"M-my name... is Jacob. Jacob Stone..."
"Stone? You don't look like a rock to me...Hah! I kid, I kid! A lovely name, name!" Jevil laughed louder this time, lowering himself to the ground.
"Heh...glad you think so...Mr. Jevil..." Jacob sweated nervously.
"Mr.? It's just Jevil. No need for formalities here, here! However..." Jevil paused, his face suddenly looking serious. "I'm not here for small talk, either. You see, that hat on your head is a very, very special hat, indeed. For, since you have put on the sacred Fool's Cap..."
Jevil, with no warning at all, leapt up into the air, suddenly looking ecstatic, and grabbed Jacob's hand in a forceful shake, "YOU'VE BEEN HIRED!"
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Prepare for a long as heck 2nd half! I warn you that there is slightly immature themes in the next chapter, but nothing described in detail, since I'm keeping this T-Rated. I hope you enjoy!)