Hey there. Are you guys enjoying this story? Well, I mean you ARE on chapter 2, so I guess I must be doing something right...
After being dragged through the monitor, I felt myself weightless, and falling through empty darkness. A cold sweat permeated my body, unsure of what was going to happen next. Wildly flailing about, I tried to find something to slow myself down with. Anything!
"Gah!"
Finally, out of nowhere my back suddenly hit solid ground once more. The air was knocked out of my lungs, and light suddenly flooded my vision. Laying there with pain shooting through my body, I quickly realized this wasn't a dream. But what the heck is going on here?! How is any of this even possible?!
"Ugh..." unable to move just yet, I could only slowly open my eyes as they began to adjust to my surroundings.
I seemed to be in some sort of fairground. Tents of all shapes and colors filled my vision. Farther off in the background, I could see a town with many kinds of creatures moving about their daily life. Some of them resembled humans albeit with pointy ears. Others were more monstrous in appearance, some of them looking like Eldrich horrors.
I shuddered as I saw a disgusting giant blobby worm creature with a human face scuttling past. Yep, this seems to be the Boiling Isles from the show alright...
Weakly lifting a hand, I pinched my thigh and...ow. Yep, still not a dream...
"Ah! Sorry, that's mine! I'm just gonna grab this!"
I looked up as I heard Luz's voice. The girl had grabbed a book from Eda, who was wearing a pair of broken Groucho glasses as a disguise, and was running away.
Eda merely lifted her finger, creating a small circle in the air. Luz's direction was changed without her noticing, now running toward the gray-haired witch. Luz stopped in confusion, seeing she was suddenly back where she was before.
"Huh? But wait, I was-"
"Nice try there sticky fingers." Eda gave a sly smile, snatching the book away from the confused girl in triumph. "You'll have to do better than that to pull one over on me. Buuuuuuut." the witch's smile became bigger as she waved the stolen item. "If you're that interested in this human junk, I'm sure I can give you a good deal on it."
"Wha? But that book is mine! Inside the cover it should say Luz Noceda. That's me!"
Eda scoffed, before opening the book and glancing inside, and frowning. Sure enough, it seemed like Luz's name was on it.
"Alright kid, you win." she sighed, before tossing the book to Luz. "But!" the woman instantly returned to business mode. "You already lost that book of yours once! It could happen again!" she picked up a thin tube of superglue from her stand. "With this human sticky slime I stole, I mean...acquired, just apply it to your hand, and your book will never leave your side!"
"Hahaha." Luz laughed, taking the tube of glue. "Actually, this is kinda meant to fix stuff." She gestured at Eda's broken glasses and mustache disguise. The nose on the item had almost fallen off and was just barely hanging on, awkwardly tilted sideways. Eda raised a brow at the girl for a moment, before taking them off and handing them over.
Luz carefully put a small amount of glue on the glasses and blew on it for awhile before returning them to Eda fixed.
"Huh...would ya look at that." Eda seemed impressed. "I guess a human would know human junk better than anyone." she gave a sly grin, suddenly interested in this girl. "What else can you do?"
Finally picking myself up, I considered approaching the two of them, when the familiar red words I saw from before suddenly appeared in the air.
WELCOME TO THE OWL HOUSE!
"Don't give me that 'Welcome' nonsense, you eyeball freak! Send me back!" Seriously, what is the nerve of this thing?
YOU HAVE THREE QUESTIONS.
"Three questions, ARE YOU KIDDI-" I fiercely clamped my hand over my mouth, forcing myself to calm down. I don't know what's going on, so I need to keep my cool and make the best decision. If I can only ask three questions, then I might not get another chance ever again.
'Even if I ask this thing why it brought me here, that answer won't really improve my situation.' I thought bitterly. 'My three questions need to be used carefully. What I need to do is ask a question that forces it to explain multiple things at once.'
"Okay, so my first question..." I said, slowly replaying everything that happened in my head. "You brought me to this fictional world, and against my will I might add, because I'm some 'alternate solution'. So...what is it that I have to do, in order to survive and return to my world?"
At my question, the words appeared once more.
YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CHANGED THE COURSE OF EVENTS. THE CORE OF THIS WORLD "LUZ" CANNOT SURVIVE IN THIS VERSION OF THE BOILING ISLES. FOR THAT PURPOSE YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE IN HOPES TO CHANGE THAT. SHOULD LUZ DIE, THIS WORLD SHALL CEASE TO EXIST. INCLUDING YOU WHO ARE STILL INSIDE IT. IN ORDER TO RETURN HOME, YOU MUST REACH THE END OF THE STORY WHILE LUZ STILL LIVES.
"You gotta be kidding me!" How on Earth did I get roped into this bull?! I just wanted to watch a more realistic version of the show for fun!
A few people on the street seemed to give me odd glances as I shouted at some red words in the sky they couldn't see. But right now I could care less.
Taking a deep breath, I continued my second question. "Earlier you said Luz's chances were like 2 percent or whatever. What's the percentage of survival now if I help her?"
CALCULATING...
CHANCES FOR SURVIVAL ARE AT 10.32%
I couldn't help but let out a scoff at such a low number. "Great job. You REALLY think any of us can survive like this?"
Oh wait...that was my last question wasn't it...
This time the red words didn't appear immediately. There was a long pause as I waited in silence.
NO.
After saying that, a red screen in front of me with various options appeared in front of me.
YOU MAY PICK TWO TRAITS IN ORDER TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES.
Holy cow, I didn't actually mean to ask that last question. Did I just luck out and make that thing reconsider?
Turning my attention to the new screen in front of me, I carefully looked over the options.
Bookworm: You are quite used to reading, and can read significantly faster than normal.
Spontaneous: Your body has a lot of energy and doesn't easily tire out.
Desensitized: Pain felt by your body and mind is greatly reduced.
Low-Maintenance: You can make the most of food eaten, and don't need very much fuel.
Memorable: Your memory is impressive, and you forget thing much less often.
Charismatic: When you speak, people listen, and are convinced more often.
Perceptive: Your eyesight is perfect, nothing gets past you.
Shrewd: Naturally skilled in business, can find the best price to buy or sell.
Most of these traits kinda...suck. When I saw I was gonna be given options to pick from to help me survive, I was expecting something more...powerful? Flying, fireballs, turning into an animal, those kinds of cool powers. Most of these things are just stuff a normal person could obtain if they worked hard enough. And none of them involve magic.
"This is all I get?"
YOU HAVE USED UP ALL OF YOUR ALLOTTED QUESTIONS.
"I was being rhetorical..."
I sighed, running my hands through my hair. "I guess...if I put two traits that have good synergy together, it might be at least decent..."
There are a couple of good combinations. 'Bookworm' plus 'Memorable' for example, would make someone who could learn very quickly. 'Charismatic' and 'Shrewd' could make me a lot of money.
Thinking it over for a moment, I decided on picking 'Memorable' and 'Desensitized'.
Immediately, the monitor spat out a glowing red ball hovering in the air, before shooting into my body.
"Ah!"
Feeling waves of warmth course through my body, I shivered for a moment as the two traits took hold. I don't know how much time passed, but when I opened my eyes again, the monitor was gone, and I could only see two faintly red glowing words in the air, slowly disappearing.
GOOD LUCK
"Hah..." In a foreign world, with dangerous monsters, while homeless and not having a single bit of money to my name. Good luck indeed.
All of the sudden there was a commotion all around the fairground as music played. Many others at their stalls and tents immediately looked up, turning towards Eda's stall as she held a mini playing television.
"Whoa! Hey come o-ugh!"
Dozens of people and creatures pushed past me, forming a large crowd around the owl lady's stand.
"I...remember this. It's been a while since I watched this part."
"I'll pay forty snails for the screaming box!"
"I'll give you a hundred!"
"Can I eat the tiny person inside?"
As everyone excitedly argued over the TV Eda held, I found my eyes looking at the stands and tents behind me. All of them had left their businesses unattended. Alone. Unguarded...
I felt a nervous pit in my stomach as I realized something. "If no one is around...they wouldn't notice if I stole anything right?"
It was the wrong thing to do, but I'm desperate right now. Certainly I could be forgiven for trying to look out for myself...right? The feelings of guilt inside me continued to increase, fighting with myself between what was right, and what I NEEDED. I feel worse and worse, until.
'Desensitized has been activated.'
Hearing a small voice in my head, the feelings of guilt that were furiously brewing inside me vanished.
"Of course. Of course I should steal from these guys. They've probably got plenty to spare. And one of those guys in the crowd asked to eat the person in the TV. Some of them probably DESERVE to be stolen from!"
Now feeling emboldened, I quietly made my way towards the empty tents.
"So...'Luz', you're pretty useful."
Eda's smile grew wider and wider with every item sold. As she expected, this girl turned out to be an opportunity. Customers who barely even glanced at her items, and called her a junker, were now lined up and fighting over her items.
"Thanks." Luz gave a shy smile, sitting behind the counter with the Owl Lady. She picked up various human items, identifying them, and how they should be used.
"What do you say about working with me, huh? I could use a good appraiser like you."
"Huh? M-me? You want me to work for you?"
Eda laughed. "Yeah come on, I don't bite."
"W-wow, I mean, working with a real life witch. I can't BELIEVE I'm actually getting an opportunity like this! Of course I-"
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A gruff voice angrily yelled out.
The crowd immediately quieted down, parting to the side as a large guard with a pointy cone mask appeared holding a wanted poster. He glanced at the picture of Eda on the poster and back at Eda wearing the disguise, and his eyes narrowed.
"It's you, isn't it? The Owl Lady?"
Eda grimaced, suddenly looking annoyed. "Owl Lady? Never heard of her. I'm just your average business woman. By the way, I have some FANTASTIC deals for the noble guards who work so hard to keep the peace." She said, trying to butter him up.
"Nice try." The guard took a step closer to Eda, holding out the poster. "Long gray haired woman, one gold eye, the other silver. I can't think of many who match the description."
"Ah, poo." Eda muttered, her hand stealthily reaching behind her back and grabbing her staff. "I knew I should have gone with the sunglasses..."
"Besides." the guard continued, grabbing onto her arm. "You can't hide how old you ar-GUH!"
He was interrupted as a golden blast of magic hit the guard square in the chest, sending him flying back several feet. Eda jumped onto the table letting out a snort as she looked down at him.
"Who are you calling old?"
"Ugh..." the guard weakly moved, grabbing his whistle and blowing it.
As a shrill sound cut through the air, three more guards appeared, drawing their swords.
"HALT!"
"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR!"
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"
Luz's eyes widened at the sudden development. As one of the guards turned towards her behind Eda's counter, she nervously gulped.
Meanwhile the Owl Lady only looked amused.
"Looks like it's time to scram, kid."