(Author's Note) This is something that I have been wanting to work on before it was too late, so as a second Holiday present. Here is the first chapter of my new and upcoming Owl House story. I know that not everyone will like it, but I still hope you will try it. Enjoy and Happy Holidays.
Chapter 1
Bonesborough, hometown of some of the most fearsome Demons and most powerful Witches in all the Demon Realm, and hometown of some of the biggest suckers of a dimension full of annoying Demons and even more annoying Witches. At least, that's what one grey haired, pointy-eared woman likes to think of it. She stands at her stall in the marketplace waiting for a special someone to come meet her.
Low and behold, that specific someone finally emerges from the tent behind her, towing along a large sack in his beak. The woman reaches into her pocket and produces a small, wooden key. She presses the protruding eyeball located in its head down and drops it back into her pocket. With that done, she then picks up the little owl, and places him atop the long, wooden staff in her hand. She then grips the owl's head and twists her wrist, spinning the little creature until he is returned to his original state, disguised as a wooden ornament.
The Witch then begins sorting through her trash, tossing out what she deems as "useless junk" and keeping what she believes the "suckers" would want to purchase. So far, her day is going rather calmly, with no distractions nor interruptions. With such fortuitous conditions gracing her business, her only thought is
"When will it be ruined?"
"Hey, you! Stop right there!"
And there it is. This woman recognizes that sound anywhere; it's the town guards and they're heading her way. With a single 360˚ swing of her magic staff, all of her wares on display in front and behind her become encased in a yellow glow, floating through the air and piling onto the table in front of her. She then begins to magically raise the tablecloth; however, to her surprise, she finds someone hiding underneath her table. The boy looks up at her, wearing his own look of surprise, but then his attention is drawn to the sounds of footsteps drawing near.
"He went this way!"
From the guilt written all over this brat's face, it's apparently obvious that they aren't after her, they are more than likely after him. He prepares himself to bail, but just before he could move another muscle, the Witch drops the cloth.
"Stay put and shut up." She whispers through her teeth, pulling her bandana further over her face and pushing most of her wares in front of her.
"Hey, you!" Calls one of the guards.
The woman chances a glance, peering her golden eye around her mountain of merchandise to find two guards standing in front of her. As per usual for all guards, their rotund bodies are dressed in grey tunics, belts tightened to their waists, holstering swords at their sides. A white fabric is draped over their shoulders, held in place by a golden, triangular pin over their chests. Their heads are covered by grey cowls, and their faces are obscured by conical masks, only allowing their blue eyes and black sclera to be seen.
"Can I help you?" She asks sweetly, raising her voice an octave in hopes that the guard wouldn't recognize it.
"We're looking for a blonde-haired delinquent. Have you seen anything?"
She chances a glace at the table and then back to the guard smiling like nothing is wrong.
"Sorry, can't say that I have."
"Darn it!" He swears.
"Calm down." Orders the other guard beside him. "He couldn't have gone far. Split up and search the area!"
At his command, he and the other guards scatter about the marketplace. Once her stall is clear of any guards, she lifts up the tablecloth only to find the underside completely baren. She searches around and discovers something tragic; her money is gone. The slippery little thief made off with her earnings. That is something she cannot and will not stand for. She pulls her staff close and angrily whispers to it.
"Did you see anything?"
With a wing, the little owl gestures to the tent. She pulls back the curtains and finds some of the dirt disturbed, as though someone had been rolling or dragged across the ground. She hurries to the back of the tent and emerges on the other side, only to find that the boy is nowhere in sight. Where did he go?
Looking back, he could see no one. To him, that seems like proof enough that he is in the clear. With a sigh of relief, he leans back, relishing a job well-done. Just him, his hard-stolen money…
"Got 'ya!" …And the guard he just leaned back into, grabbing his shoulders. "Now you're gonna get just what you deserve!" Well, when in doubt, attack! "Dah!" With a heel to the guard's toes, the boy takes the opportunity to drop his loot and high tail it out of there… "Get! Back! Here!" leaving the hopping guard to tend to his throbbing toes.
The young thief rounds a corner, hoping to make a clean-enough-getaway; unfortunately, while he has successfully escaped one guard, he manages to find three more standing like a blockade before him. They close in on him, fingers already drawing glowing circles in the air. It would appear that, after so long, his time has finally run out. Or so he thinks. Without warning, he is lifted up by the shirt collar and brought face to face with the grey-haired Witch that he had just robbed, now without her bandana.
"Going somewhere?" She asks with a triumphant smirk, looking at him with squinted eyes.
Looking down, he discovers that she is sitting on her magic staff that was now floating several feet above ground, the wings of her wooden owl at the end now flapping his wings.
"Hey! That's the Owl Lady!" Calls one of the guards from below. "Get her!"
All at once, magic of various natures is thrown their way.
"Woops!" The grey-haired Witch says as she dodges the bombardment, gaining more and more altitude with each movement. "Let's finish this chat somewhere quieter."
She lets go of his shirt, dropping him in front of her, onto her staff. She pulls back and then lunges forward, taking off into the sky, boy thief and bag of wares in tow. The boy shuts his eyes and holds onto the staff with a vice-grip, clenching his legs together, his grip growing tighter by the second.
"You can open your eyes now, kid." He heard her say, her impatient voice laced with annoyance.
"I think I'd rather wait until we're on the ground." He finally speaks, his shaky voice sounding like he's fresh out of puberty.
"C'mon, you act like you've never been on a staff before."
"I haven't!"
"Wait! Seriously?!" She almost laughed at that. "Your folks never gave you a ride to school or anything?"
"No! Just let me know when we're on the ground!"
"…We're on the ground." He opens one eye, and low and behold, there it is, the ground, just three feet away. He looks up at her with both eyes open, carefully lowering his foot onto the dirt and grass, pulling his leg off of the stick of wood and finally planting his other foot onto the ground… before bolting away. "Not so fast!"
Unfortunately, once again, he doesn't get far. After a few steps, he finds his body completely unresponsive. Looking down at himself, he can see a yellow light surrounding him, and from there, he can guess what happened. The woman had caught him with her magic. With a wave, she brings the boy over to face her.
"Look, lady, I don't have your money, okay?! Those guards took it!"
Now that she is close enough, he can finally truly see the peculiar woman that one of the guards referred to as "The Owl Lady". Huh. For some reason, that name sounds familiar to him. She is wearing a faded, maroon dress torn at the bottom, exposing her tights, but only her left ankle and right leg up to her thigh can be seen. Pinned to the center of her chest is a bright, yellow jewel. Her high-heeled boots certainly aren't anything new, but they are far from worn, so they're still good enough for everyday use. Her piercing yellow eyes stand out from her pale face. Her wild, grey hair reaches to her lower back, almost resembling a beast's mane only slightly straighter. Orb-shaped earrings hang from her pointed ears, and a golden snaggle tooth sticks out from the right side of her mouth, her lower lip painted red.
Now that he is close enough, the older Witch can finally get a good look at the brat who thought he could steal from the best and get away with it. His dirty hair is so messy, it looks like the world's filthiest mop. Doesn't this kid ever shower, or own a comb? In fact, does this kid own anything clean? His crimson tunic and black britches appear brand new, but they're covered in dirt, probably from the rolling and crawling from earlier. He is wearing a pair of old, worn leather gloves, and while his boots are mostly shiny, they are also covered in dirt accompanied by a few scuffs. A single lock of hair falls over his eyes, but what is truly eye catching are the dark bags under them. He doesn't have any cuts or bruises anywhere, he looks completely unharmed, save for his clothes, so that's something.
"Oh, I know." She says as a matter-of-factly. "Which is why you are going to pay me back every last snail."
"What?! How do you expect me to do that?! I'm just a kid!"
"True, but you're a kid who managed to get away from me… for like… five minutes. And you escaped the town guards twice, so clearly, you can hold your own. And to me, that means I can use you."
"'Use me'?! Who do you think you are?!"
She takes a step back, spreads out her arms and introduces herself.
"I'm Eda, the Owl Lady! The most powerful Witch on the Boiling Isles!"
Oh, right. That's where he remembers her from. He had seen her wanted posters placed all around the Isles. The "Owl Lady;" a criminal wanted for the crime of not aligning to a Witch's coven among… other things he can't quite remember at this time. He thinks there was some thievery in there somewhere?
"Okay. So, what do you want with me?"
She walks off to the small house nearby and gestures a "come hither" motion with her figures, and the boy is carried off by the magic, forcing him to follow behind her. Resting beside the hut is what appears to be the ruined remains of some kind of stone tower. The most eye-catching feature on the shack is the large, eye-shaped, stained-glass window placed just above the front entrance.
"Ever thought of relocating to somewhere less obvious?"
"No other place has a security system better than mine."
Upon closer inspection, the boy can see what appears to be a design resembling an owl's face placed on the front door. Imagine his surprise when the face suddenly starts speaking to them, revealing itself to actually be a house Demon.
"Hoot. Hoot. Password please." It requests, only to be shut down by two skinny fingers poking out both of its eyes.
"We don't have time for this, Hooty." The Owl Lady, Eda, tells the Demon, Hooty.
After verbally expressing its physical and emotional discomfort, Hooty's beak widens to envelope the entire door, allowing access to the building's interior.
"Ew." Is all the boy can say in response to… that.
Eda walks into the house, dragging the boy along and the mouth behind them closes, darkening the area around them even more.
"Welcome to," with a snap of her fingers, the entire room becomes illuminated with warm light, "the Owl House."
Roll Credits
At Eda's command, candles alight, the fireplace ignites, the cauldron bubbles and cleaning implements dance across the floor and walls, sweeping away dust, cobwebs and the like. On the wall above the boy's head, to his further amazement, a mural depicting a large, avian beast glows with yellow light, acting as a final light source.
"Whoa." Is all he can say in response to this.
"Pretty nice, huh?"
"You live here?! With that… thing on your door?"
"Hey!" Hoot can be heard from outside.
"Well, I have one other roommate."
All of a sudden, the whole room shakes as a massive impact is heard from the doorway ahead of them.
"Who dares intrude upon I," a deep menacing voice booms from down the hall as a giant hulking shadow darkens the walls. The boy's amazement is suddenly trumped by a feeling of immense fear, but then, the fear is gone, all at once, as soon as the voice's owner steps out from behind the wall, standing at around a shocking 3 feet tall and his voice almost instantly rising several octaves to resemble that of a grade-school student, "the King of Demons?!"
His furry little body is like that a puppy or a fox kit, and his head is a literal skull with two horns (one several inches tall, the other missing the top half), his unreflective, magenta eyes with yellow sclera glare at the boy. He is draped in two rubber ducky printed bathing cloths around his head and waist, and in his raised hand sits a rubber ducky that he squeezes to demonstrate its ability to squeak. The boy was dumbfounded, but soon finds himself unable to hold back his laughter, erupting at the miniscule Demon. Now he remembers; in the posters, a little Demon is standing at the Owl Lady's side. This must be him.
"How dare you laugh at me, mortal! You shall be one of the first to feel my true wrath! You shall know true terror!"
With each empty threat, the boy's laughter grows harder and louder.
"Oh, give it a rest, King." Eda says, rolling her eyes and twirling her finger, freeing the little Demon of his bath-time possessions. "This brat's gonna help us with a job."
The Owl Lady's words bring a stop to the boy's laughter.
"What?!" Asked the boy. "I never agreed to that!"
Eda turns the boy to face her.
"Well, it's either that, or I could just throw you back to the guards."
And with that, after a few short seconds to reevaluate his options, the boy decides on the former.
"Fine, what's the job?"
Using her magic, Eda projects the little Demon, King's, origins, depicting him a gargantuan overlord of Demonkind with a golden crown atop his head. After it is taken, Eda then projects the Conformatorium, a correctional facility designed and run by its order-driven overseer, Warden Wrath. His loyalty to the empire is displayed in his desire to maintain order by removing all who act too out of the ordinary. But what can possibly be considered "too out of the ordinary" in a world as chaotic as the Demon Realm? Surely, whoever or whatever is kept there must be nothing short of monstrous or perhaps even immensely powerful criminals who seek chaos. But now, to buy his freedom, this child must sneak inside and steal a crown of immense power and return it to such an individual.
"So, here's the deal. You help us steal the crown back, and we can forget about how you lost all my money. What d'ya say?"
Again, he weighs his options, steal a crown that will probably doom the world… or get arrested. I mean, running away is out. The Owl Lady is clearly far too powerful and she's clearly too smart to fall for one of his tricks. With a heavy sigh of defeat, he accepts the terms with an exasperated "Fine."
And so, in the dead of night, the boy finds himself standing outside the gates of the Conformatorium, centered in a chasm filled with inward-curving, spiny rocks, the walls concealing the main yard outside the bottle-shaped correctional prison.
"So, I just go in there, get to the top of the tower, retrieve your crown, and then get out without getting caught, and then my debt's paid off?"
"Yep." Eda answers the boy.
"Uh-huh. And just how exactly, do you expect me to get inside without getting caught?"
With his thumb, his gestures to the main entrance behind him, where a small, white, ball-shaped Demon with a nose too big for her face is attempting to tip-toe past one of the guards.
"Hey!" Alas, her efforts are thwarted by one guard seeing her, resulting in an alarm sounding followed by at least ten other guards answering the call, dog-piling the little Demon woman. A final guard runs out and skids to a halt beside the pile, crossing his arms and then swiping them out, announcing "Safe!"
"Relax, kid." Eda scratches her chin, her mouth pulling up into a knowing grin. "I have a fool-proof infiltration plan."
"Really?" The boy raises an eyebrow in skepticism.
"Yep, its right around the corner."
Eda points to the darkened area behind the boy. Still cautiously skeptical, but still curious, he walks ahead, occasionally looking back at the pair to make sure they don't try and attack him while his back is turned.
"You really think this kid can get my crown back?" King askes his roommate, clinging to her shoulder.
"Of course not! Everyone knows only a human can pass through that barrier. I'm just gonna let the kid find that out for himself. And while the guards are busy arresting him, we will be looting the place for every snail we can carry and then get your crown… somehow. Besides, he's just a kid who stole some money. They'll probably hold him over night, give a speech and then toss him back to his parents."
"Can't argue with that logic. Let's go get my crown so that I may reclaim my former glory!"
Minutes later, King is seen standing atop the boy's head, whereas the boy himself is holding his eyes shut, shivering, but not from the cold breeze.
"C'mon, the window's open." Whispers King.
The boy reaches over and grasps the stony surface, inching forward. From down below, Eda is painfully aware that they can't waste time, so she just tilts her staff, which then raises the back end of the magic platform, launching King and the boy through the window and into the tower.
"Ow." Was all the duo could say at that moment, due to having landed face-first on the stony floor.
The boy raises his head, rubbing the pain out of his nose and then gapes at the ominous sight of the Conformatorium's interior. The floor spiraled from the top to the base, doorways every few feet, most of which were prison cells, each one identical to the one beside it. Between every seven or so cells, there would be a wooden door or a hallway. Although, he couldn't see the prisoners themselves, the boy could still make-out their silhouettes, as well as their eyes, reflecting the light shining in from the top of the tower. He didn't know who these Demons were, nor did he desire to.
"Alright, so we'll split up, you search that hallway. And I'll search the top of the tower."
"Wait, why am I—?" His query is cut-short, however, for his compatriot was nowhere to be seen. "(sigh)"
"Hey, kid." Suddenly, his attention is drawn to a woman locked in a nearby cell, her back to him, but her face turned to look at him. Her dark hair had been done up into a ponytail and she wore a dark plum dress. The humanoid features and pointed ears gave away that this woman was a Witch. "How'd you get out of your cell?"
Clearly, this woman has mistaken him for an inmate. With no desire to stick around for idle chit-chat, he ignores her and walks away.
"Hey, kid!" Again, he ignores her as he passes her by. "That's the wrong way, y'know. Down that hall is the contraband." Well, that was helpful. "Kid! You're just gonna get yourself caught and locked up again!"
The boy halts his advance and looks back at the woman, now extending her head through the bars, staring at him with piercing eyes. In response, he glares at her.
"I may be a thief, but I don't belong here. Not with you criminals."
With that, he continues his advancement toward his goal. Behind him, the older Witch's eyes widen, and her mouth opens before clenching her jaw shut as she glares at him, her eyes now full of rage.
"Criminal? All I did was write some fanfiction!"
He halts.
"What?"
He looks back at her.
"All I did was write some stories about food falling in love. How's that worse than stealing?"
He looked her in the eyes but saw no deceit.
"I just like to eat my own eyeballs." Said a pale, bluish-green skinned Demon who only wore pants with five holes in his head from the cell beside the woman. Only three of his holes had eyes. "Is that worse than stealing?" He then demonstrates his 'crime' by pulling one of his eyes out of their sockets and putting it into his mouth, eating it, only for it pop out and occupy a different one of the three empty eyeholes.
"Hold on! You guys are telling the truth?!"
"That's how it works around here." Says the woman. "Stupid warden just locks you up if you don't 'fit in'."
"Wait! That's what 'Too out of the ordinary' means?! You're locked up for being weird?!"
"Yep."
"Pretty much." The man eats another one of his eyes, only for it to slide into a new hole almost immediately after he swallowed it.
"Our world is nothing more than animated entertainment for the enjoyment of our superior overlords!"
The boy… stops and stares in bewilderment at the randomness that was just shouted from the cell on the other side of the Witch's cell, only to widen his eyes in realization that it's the same small Demon woman from outside, her face now covered in bruises and two small bandages on her nose and above her left eye.
"Yeah, she's way into conspiracy theories." Says the woman, pointing to her cell neighbor.
"But those aren't crimes. They're annoying, but they're not crimes. I mean, I know I'm a criminal, but how can someone lock up so many people just for being weird?"
Suddenly, the floor shakes from powerful impacts, one after the other, growing louder and more powerful.
"Here's your chance to ask. That's him now."
Thinking fast, the boy rushes into the nearest vacant cell and hides in the shadows, pressing his back into the stony wall and sucking in his gut so that his body is completely covered in shadow. From somewhere nearby, wooden door can be heard slamming open and a deep, menacing voice follows the noise.
"I can hear you." With each step, he looms closer to the trio of prisoners until he's right outside the boy's cell. "Just what are you fools whispering about?"
Warden Wrath's giant hulking form is dawned in a white button-down tunic with sleeves too small for his gigantic biceps. His black hood covers his head, and his face is blocked by a mask resembling a narrow beaked bird with eyes like buttons. In his anger, his hand changes shape into a mallet which he slams into the wall separating the boy's open cell with the small woman's, who then chooses that moment to express her discontent.
The warden does not take too kindly to her words, and opens her cell, making her believe that she is being set free, only to have the rug pulled out from under her. In one swift motion, Wrath grabs the tiny Demon with one hand and holds her out before the rest. He warns the prisoners that if they don't fit in, they will never have place outside of the walls around them. And with that, he carries the small woman away to who-knows-where. The boy waits until the door is shut before coming out.
"He's insane."
"Sorry for the rude wake up call, kid, but that's just how the world is." Said the woman in the dark dress.
"He's right." Said the bald-headed Demon. "Weirdos like us have no place in society."
'No place in society'. 'Don't belong'. These words resonate with something within the boy. He slowly turns his back to the two incarcerated adults and looks down at his gloved hands and then removes a single glove, staring at it and its… its many… well… His hand soon closes into a fist, and he shakes the memories away.
"That's not his decision to make." He declares, placing his glove back onto his hand.
The boy then walks over to a switch similar to the one beside the smaller woman's cell and the one beside the vacant cell he originally hid inside of. He takes a firm hold of the switch's handle and pulls up. The scratching of the rusted metal makes a high-pitched screeching sound until it finally reaches its limit. As soon as the metal rod makes contact with the edge of the gap, the metal bars of the mutli-eyed Demon begin to rise until the door is completely unblocked.
The Demon gasps before taking a step outside the door. The boy ignores him, walking on to the next switch, repeating the previous action and freeing the dark-haired woman. She stares at the boy in confusion as he then begins making his way to the contraband lock up.
"Hey, wait!" She calls and he stops. "Why did you do that?"
The boy hesitates to answer, his fists tightening.
"…You shouldn't be punished for being different."
With that, the boy breaks into a run down the aforementioned hallway, not stopping until he finally reaches a giant wooden door with the word "Contraband" engraved in the center in big, capital letters. He pulls the doorknob, but it's been locked; fortunately, he has the key, two bobby pins. With some work, the lock clicks open and one of the pins break. Oh well, he can always get more. He then twists the doorknob and pushes the massive door open. His jaw nearly touches the floor at the sight of the giant pillar of white light shining before him. After a second, he swallows his intimidation and steps forward. Surely, the crown must be behind the light, but the question was
"How am I supposed to get inside?"
"You're not."
At the sound of the threateningly deep, booming voice, the boy about faces and looks up to see the ominous mask of the giant Warden Wrath baring down at him. The boy notices that one of his hands is raised, and in it wasn't who he had previously seen occupying it before. Instead of the tiny, red-haired Demon woman with the large nose, he saw King. Apparently, while the warden had left to torment the previous prisoner, he had somehow come across the skull adorned dog-like Demon.
"Uh-oh!" Was all the boy had time to say before becoming encased in a giant, brown, leathery glove. The grip nearly cut off his circulation.
"I don't know how you got here," the warden raises the boy up to his face to glare at him with the button eyes of his mask, "but you won't be leaving any time soon."
The boy hadn't felt so intimidated in so long, he feared what fate awaited him now that he and King were in his clutches. But his train of thought was derailed by a familiar voice.
"Spicy toss!"
Wrath's head is thrown forward by an explosion to the back of his noggin, forcing him to drop King and the boy. Recovering quickly from the impact, the boy looks up to find Eda, sitting atop her magic staff. She had come back to help them.
"Eda!" King and the boy say in unified relief.
"Let's get out of here, k—!"
She had been cut off by a blast of magic fire to her back, knocking her off her staff.
"Eda!" They say again, this time, in worried fear.
The boy looks behind her to find a duo of guards, fingers pointing at them. King rushes over to the fallen Witch, but they are both soon ensnared in grey tentacles. Confused, the boy looks to the warden, and his suspicions are confirmed when he too becomes trapped in the tenacles that were once the warden's hands.
"Finally." The warden pulls them close and holds them all up to his face. "After all this time and trouble, I finally have you."
"Have him"? Now? Is this truly the beginning to his end? He looks around in a panic, but he's too far away from anything useful, wrapped in up in this disgusting, squirming flesh. This could finally be it.
"No!" The boy shouts, crunching his teeth into one of the tentacles.
Warden Wrath roars out in pain, swinging his arms in hopes of loosening the boy's bite, but the teen just clenches his jaw tighter until the warden has had enough. Mustering a majority of his strength, he swings his arm and releases his hold on the boy. The inertia of his entire body from the neck down pulls him away from the appendage and his teeth slide off of the warden, sending him flying straight for the glowing barrier. The boy screams out in surprise while Eda and King look back in shock. Everyone in the room watches as he flies right into the wall… and passes right through.
"What?!" Asks the warden.
"What?!" Asks Eda and King.
"What?!" Asks the two guards in front of the door.
The Witch, warden and smaller Demons stare at the barrier.
"How is this possible? Only a human can pass through that wall." Warden Wrath turns to his subordinates standing guard by the door. "What are you waiting for?! Go get him!"
"Huh?! B-but sir—!"
"Get. Him. Now!"
Not wanting to upset their boss, the two guardsmen rush right into the barrier only to slam face-first into the wall, receiving a small but painful shock before falling to the ground in pain.
"Ow…"
How can this be? The barrier is still fully operational, yet a boy flew right through it. Wrath could clearly see his pointed ears, so he was clearly a Witch.
"Get some guards in here and wait for him to come out." The guard slowly gave him a shaky thumbs up, but it drops onto his belly almost instantly. The warden then eyes up Eda and pulls the Witch closer to him. "What did you do?"
Her response is accompanied by vast confusion.
"How should I know?!"
In anger, he squeezes them.
"Don't play games with me Owl Lady! You came here to steal back the crown I took from your little pet!"
"I'm not a pet!" Roared King in frustration.
"I know you wouldn't steal from me without a plan. So, what did you do to that thief to allow him to pass through my barrier?"
"I didn't do anything… to him. And besides, what do you care about some kid? Or me for that matter?"
"I knew you'd come running if I took your precious pet's toy, I didn't think you'd bring that criminal right to me."
Eda stares at the warden, first surprised, but almost instantly after, confused.
"What d'ya mean 'criminal'?! All he did was take some money. Just send him back to his parents with a slap on the wrist. I'm sure they can think of a punishment far worse than you can."
"That thieving child has no family." And that is what finally silences the Owl Lady. "For the past ten years, we've been in pursuit of a blonde-haired thief who had been stealing from homes, stalls, even pickpocketing pitiful people for their precious paraphernalia."
"Say that ten time fast. Ouch!" Eda elbows King for adding that.
"For so long, we weren't even aware that he was a child, but regardless, he's burgled people all over the Isles, so we've been on the lookout for him. Now after all these years, he comes here, freeing my prisoners and trying to steal from me. His final mistake. As soon as he sets foot outside that wall, he'll be sent to spend the rest of his life as a statue."
"Petrification?!" Questioned King.
"For stealing?!" Questioned Eda. "He's just a kid!"
"He's a kid whose stolen from lots of very important people."
Just who was this boy and whom did he steal from before today to earn him such a punishment.
The boy opens his eyes to the distant sounds of voices, surprised by how soft the landing was. He had expected to smash into the wall of light, maybe experience a deterring shock that would throw him off. While he did feel something as he was passing through the barrier, it hadn't resisted him at all. Now he's here, right inside, sitting on an old mattress. He pulls himself up and looks around, seeing two other piles and light on all sides of him. And below him, he can see many items that he expected to see; weapons, tools, armors, even bones. Some of the stuff he can identify as common everyday objects, but mixed in, he can find devices of strange and unfamiliar designs.
Suddenly, he hears two collisions followed by a light "zap". Two guards had just attempted to pass through the barrier just like he did, but they failed, meaning no one else can follow him through the barrier. He looks up to the top of the tower of contraband and finds something reflecting the light of the barrier. It takes him a second to recognize the shape; it's a crown. Surely, that must be the fabled crown that the Owl Lady spoke of. He climbs to the top of the tower but freezes in place as he inspects the coveted headwear… its cardboard.
Wait, this can't be right. I mean, while that little Demon was surely lacking in the brains department, the Owl Lady herself was clearly not that far gone. In fact, she gave off the impression that she was just as aware of reality as he was, if not more so, and she said that King's crown would restore him to an all powerful "King of Demons". Is this a trick? Is this the wrong crown?
He looks around him, but while he does indeed find many trinkets and ornamental jewelry, no other crown is in sight. Confused, he picks up the cardboard headwear, gold painted with a red circle printed on the front and the words "Burger Queen" written in bold white letters in the red. He raises it above his head and hesitantly puts it on.
Sweat emerges from his pores as the cardboard presses his hair down, and as soon as he feels the crown fully pressed in, there is suddenly… nothing. There was no surge of power, no visible enhancement of his body, not even a spark. He's, quite honestly, partially disappointed. Did this crown only work for King, or was it actually nothing more than some burger restaurant toy used for playing dress-up? All evidence pointed to the latter.
This could only mean one thing; the Owl Lady had lied to him. This was all some trick. Perhaps his purpose in this ridiculous scheme had been to only serve as a sacrificial pawn meant to distract the warden and guards while they rob the place. He had been fooled, but their plan had failed, and now they were caught. He's free. Surely the warden would be distracted enough with the Owl Lady, and any guards he leaves behind to wait for him would be no problem for him deal with. He can just leave her and King behind to be captured while he gets away.
As usual, he would be fine on his own. Self-preservation must come before all else. He eases his way down the mound of contraband, unintentionally sending the crown tumbling after. He listens to the conversation outside, prepared to wait for his chance to make his escape, and he didn't care how many guards he'd have to fight through… although, he hoped it wouldn't be many.
"And once that boy is taken care of, that'll leave you to me."
"Well, if I'm what you want, then just let those two go!"
Wait what?
"After ten years? You must be joking."
"He's just a kid!"
"He's a thief. And so are you."
"Okay, how about I make you a deal. I come quietly, and you let King and the kid go."
She's bargaining? For his safety? He thought she planned to sacrifice him. Regardless, the warden just laughs off the notion.
"You're in no position to bargain here, Owl Lady."
"Alright. You had your chance." Suddenly, sounds of crashes, thrashes and explosions can be heard from beyond the barrier. "Kid! Run now!"
The boy is stunned. Is the Owl Lady actually risking her own life to protect him? If it was for King he could understand, but why him?
"What about you?" He hears King ask incredulously.
Curiosity getting the better of him, he eases part of his face through the barrier, and what he sees shocks him. Then entire room is a mess of debris and unconscious guards, and all over the place there is evidence of fire, ice, even some giant vines growing through the cracks and from the windows outside. And in the center of it all, there stands the Owl Lady, Eda, fighting the monstrous warden, magic staff in hand. Off to the side, there awaits King, the tiny Demon watching helplessly as his guardian fends off the muscular foe.
"I'll be fine!" She shouts calmly. "I've been in worse spots. Just make sure you and the kid get out of here!"
Thrusting her staff forward, she unleashes a blast of magic, but the warden simply swipes is away with his arms, both now transformed into sets of tentacles. The boy reevaluates his situation and then waits for an opening. He doesn't have to wait for too long, luckily, for an opportunity reveals itself when the warden's massive bulk impacts the floor in front of the boy, outside the wall of light.
Eda swings her staff, but Warden Wrath manages to catch it in the air. With his superior strength, he is fully capable of prying the magic stick from Eda's hands with ease, tossing it behind him.
"It's over, Owl Lady. You have no cha—NM?!"
Warden Wrath suddenly finds himself unable to pull his jaw closed. For some reason, his mask is being pulled into his mouth. Confused and struggling, a scream is heard, and suddenly, something collides into the bulky Demon's back, clinging to his neck. Pulling his jaw as close as it can get to his skull, he realizes what's stopping him from talking, a chain.
With his teeth, he can feel the inch-thick, iron links wrapping around his head twice, but he is still blind to what's hanging onto his back. Eda, having recovered from the fall, sees the boy on the warden's back. He's holding onto both ends of the chain, riding the warden like a crazed bull at a rodeo.
"What are you doing?!"
"Helping!"
He holds onto the chains for dear life as more guards enter the room. He jerks the chains, directing the warden's struggle into a charge, rushing right into the guards, who hesitate out of worry of doing harm to their boss. After bowling over the enemy cavalry, the warden changes his hands into tentacles once again, and makes a grab for the boy, but he was expecting this and backflips off of the massive man, the tentacles missing him by a hair.
He lands safely, his absence allows the warden to stop struggling and crush the chain in his mouth with his bare hands, accidentally ripping off his mask in the process. The boy nearly flinches at the sight of Wrath's true face, which was basically just a giant mouth with big, sharp teeth. Enraged, the warden lets out a roar and then breaths in, revealing an orange light emanating from the back of his throat. Knowing what comes next, the boy bolts for cover, but there is none, and the warden bellows out a blast of fire from his gaping maw. The boy throws up his hands, preparing for the worst, but fortunately, the worst does not come. Instead, Eda falls in front of him to block the fire with her magic shield.
"You alright?" She asks, turning to look at him as the fire ceases.
"I've been better!" The boy points to the warden, who has now changed both of his hands into giant hammers.
"One way or another, neither of you will leave here ali—Hey!"
The hulking foe is once again cut off, this time by King, jumping from his head and pulling his hood over his face.
"Nyeh-heh-ha!" He laughs as he races to Eda.
The Owl Lady readies her staff and takes a seat, pulling up King and the boy to join her before racing around and out of the room. Warden Wrath roars again once his hood is no longer obstructing his vision and uses his tentacles to give chase. As Eda and co. race down the spiral ramp, they couldn't help but notice that over half of the cells in the Conformatorium had been opened and are now empty. All the while, the warden gives chase, bellowing more fireballs at them, which they narrowly dodge.
Unfortunately, at the last turn to freedom, one final fireball strikes the ground behind them and explodes. Having slowed down to make the turn, they were just close enough to the blast to be sent flying through the double doors leading outside, slamming them into the two guards stationed on both sides of the entrance before the Witches and Demon themselves finally hit the ground. The boy's ears ring from the explosion followed by the impact of the fall. Dizzy from the experience, he barely notices becoming ensnared in the warden's massive tendrils once again, one of which covering his mouth. His full sense of awareness returns once he's face to face with the towering figure, the tentacles a hand once more, but still covering his mouth.
"For the past ten years, you've done nothing but cause trouble for everyone. It's no wonder your family didn't want you. But don't worry, you will be well cared for as a lawn ornament."
Wrath laughs and the boy, with his mouth covered, can do nothing but listen and…
SPLICK
Lick his hand.
"GAH!" The warden screams as he throws the boy away with all his might.
"Kid!" Shouts Eda.
The boy flies with enough force to crush him upon impact with any hard surface, but instead, he impacts something soft.
"You okay?" He opens his eyes to see that he is now in the arms of the large Demon with five eye sockets, all of which now house an eyeball.
"You saved me?" He asks in bewilderment.
"You saved us." He looks to his left to see the Witch with a ponytail.
"But why didn't you run away with the rest of them."
"You mean them?" She points to the wall serving as their only obstacle to the outside world.
Standing atop the high structure is, surprisingly, the red-haired Demon with the oversized nose, surrounded by dozens of other Demons and Witches of various shapes and sizes.
"No longer shall we become slaves to your wicked hierarchy!" She shouts before the others around her push a giant cauldron over the side.
"You disgusting little—" The warden shakes his hand, doing everything he could think of to clean the spit from his flesh. "Do you have any idea how many germs—?!"
CLANG
The oversized pot slams onto his head and he falls back, unconscious. From the wall, cheers of victory can be heard.
"Well, that was unexpected." Eda comments, walking over to the boy, holding King in her arms.
The boy looks around at the people around him, a little confused, but all in all, relieved and grateful.
"Thank you." He says, first looking between the quinticlops and the dark dressed Witch, and then to the older Witch and tiny Demon. "All of you."
"Thank you." The bald-headed Demon returns, grinning ear to ear.
"What you said and did before really made us think." The dark-haired Witch smiles at him and holds up a white covered book. "Maybe we are weirdos, but that shouldn't be a crime. And they all agree."
She gestures to the group above, some still celebrating, others leaving, and as he watches, he feels something, something he hasn't felt in a very long time, appreciation.
"Not bad, kid." Says Eda, patting his shoulder. "You know, for a thief."
"Yeah!" Announces King. "And you still owe us! So don't think that—" The boy cuts the pint-sized Demon off right there by reaching into his tunic and pulling out a folded piece of golden cardboard tucked into his britches. Unfolding it, the little Demon gasps at the sight, and once it's completely restored, he nearly leaps out of Eda's grasp as he reaches out to grab it. "My crown!"
"And with that, I believe my debt is paid in full." Says the boy as the little Demon places the crown atop his head, announcing how his powers are returning, yet he remains completely the same. "That crown doesn't give him any powers does it?"
"Nope!" Eda says proudly.
"Hey, kid." Says the younger Witch. "You've got a little stowaway in your back seat."
The boy looks behind him and sees a small stuffed animal lodged in the belt of his tunic. He pulls out the worn plush toy and reveals it be a rabbit with a blue button replacing one of its eyes.
"Must've fallen back there when the warden threw me."
"Yes!" King proudly declares, jumping up and pulling rabbit away from the boy. "My first subject in my army of darkness. I shall call you Francois!"
"Aww!" The two Demons present gush at the sight.
"That is so cute!" Says the young woman.
"Yeah, he is." Eda agrees. "Now let's bounce before Warden 'Rash' comes to."
"Good idea. I've got a love story about a rump roast and some vegetables to write." Says the young woman as she walks away, hugging her book tightly.
"Bye!" Says the five-eyed Demon as he follows, pulling out an eye and eating it.
The boy watches as the former prisoners walk away, and he is left thinking "Where should I go now?"
"Hey, kid, you comin'?" He turns around and is surprised to see Eda and King, sitting on her staff with her hand outstretched to him, smiling warmly.
"Me?!"
"Well, sure. Unless you already got a ride. And don't worry, you can close your eyes, and I'll fly low."
Looking back at the rest leaving, he decides that it isn't a bad idea. Besides, there's something he wants to discuss with her. So, he reaches out and takes her hand so that she can help him onto her staff. One staff ride later, and he was safe on the ground once again.
"Well, a deals a deal. You got King's crown back and you are free to go."
"Um, thanks. But first, I've gotta ask. I know you were planning to use me as a distraction for the guards from the start." Eda and King startle at his words. "So, why did you try help me escape?"
Eda hesitates and looks down at the gem on her chest, frowning at the memories it brought.
"I-I…" She takes a second and sighs. "I didn't know you were an orphan… Or a criminal for that matter. I mean, your clothes are dirty and your hair's a mess, but I just assumed you ran away or something."
The boy's hands tremble as he raises them up, staring into the brown leather.
"I've been alone since I was six. I stole these clothes and anything else I needed to survive." He lowers his hands and looks at her with a serious expression. "But why would that make a difference?"
"Because we're orphans!" King confesses nonchalantly.
"King and I don't have much in this world, but we have each other." Eda shares. "If I had known you were alone, too, I would've just taken back my money and let you go." The boy takes in this information, lingering for some reason on "let you go." Eda picks up on his expression and an idea comes to mind. "Say kid, I've got a deal for you."
He looks at her, surprised for a second but then sighs.
"What d'you want me to steal this time?"
"Nothing like that…" She responds with a wave of her hand. "Yet. Here's the deal, you agree to come work for me, and as payment, I'll let you stay in my attic."
The boy's eyes widen in shock.
"W-what?!"
"I know it doesn't sound like much, and you're free to go at any time, but if you agree, then you gotta earn your keep. I'm not putting up with any more freeloaders."
"Hey!" King shouts in offense.
"So, what d'ya say?"
What can he say? "Yes?" "Definitely?" "Absolutely?" No word sounded right to express his jubilation at the offer. Acting solely on instinct, he runs at her and wraps his arms around her, squeezing tightly.
"Whoa! What are you doing?! What is this?!"
It finally dawns on him what he's doing and he pulls away, his face tomato-red in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry! T-that was just something I saw other kids do to their… um… to other adults…" He clears his throat, but then takes a minute to compose himself. "Yes. I will accept your offer, Eda the Owl Lady and King of Demons."
"Ah, forget the formalities." Eda waves it off. "Just call us Eda and King."
"By the way, what's you're name?!" King askes.
"Oh yeah, I guess I never bothered to ask."
The boy scratches his head in, unsure if he should, but then decides that it's only fair. He clears his throat and introduces himself with a smile. His ruby eyes are almost sparkling in his state of joy.
"My name is Hunter, Hunter Wittebane."
ROLL CREDITS (literally, I suppose)