Hey guys, here's chapter 5 of Rise of Zeo. This chapter will be the episode Escape of the Palisman. Enjoy.
It was a nice day on the Boiling Isles. The residents of the Owl House were enjoying their time at the park, with Zeo leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, and Luz and Eda sitting on a bench while watching King play on the jungle gym with some kids. Luz, however, was a bit on edge.
"What if he gets hurt? What if the kids are mean to him?" Luz gasped, "My parental instincts are freaking out, man!" she said, freaking out a bit.
"Relax, Luz. The little runt isn't completely helpless" Zeo commented.
King reached the top of the slide. "Ha ha! A throne fit for a king. It's from here my empire will rise!" he proclaimed, "You two," he pointed to a pair of kids, "Bow down before your ruler!" he commanded them.
"Ok!" The kids again, doing little dances instead of bowing.
"He is, however, completely pathetic" Zeo said.
"Zeo!" Luz looked at him with a scolding expression.
"What? He is!" Zeo replied, "I mean, look at him. He's commanding respect from little kids!"
"Well, I think it's cute" Luz told him.
"Yeah, of course you do" Zeo rolled his eyes.
The card user then spotted a bug, a tick to be exact, crawling up his forearm. Getting an idea, he pulled out his sketchpad.
Meanwhile, King was standing on the slide.
"This isn't for standing, it's for sliding. You try" a kid with a visibly runny nose told King before pushing him down the slide.
King screamed as he slid down the slide, grunting upon hitting the ground. Seeing that out of his peripheral vision, Zeo chuckled.
"Just when I thought he couldn't get anymore pathetic" Zeo muttered while putting the finishing touches on his latest project, before touching the glyph on the back and turning it into a card, "You may not be very strong, but your uses are limitless" he whispered, putting it with the rest of his cards.
"Eda!" King shouted, running over to them, "That monster took my throne" King told the Owl Lady.
"You mean the baby?" Eda questioned.
"No, the usurper" King said, possibly not getting they were talking about the same thing, "I want you to go over there and blow him up. Kaboom!" he told her while making an exploding sound effect along with the gesture to match.
"Kaboom!" they heard the kid repeat.
"Yeah, I'm not using Owlbert to blow up a five-year-old" Eda told the small demon, "He's got more important things to do. Like this…" she scratched the tiny owl under his wing, causing him to release a tiny hoot.
"Aw, he's so sweet" Luz commented.
"And King's so pathetic" Zeo added.
"You're pathetic!" King shot back.
"At least I'm not intimidated by a kid with a runny nose" Zeo countered.
Ignoring the bickering, Luz simply asked, "Where'd you get him?"
"Get? I made Owlbert from the branch of an ancient tree" Eda told her, Owlbert releasing a hoot, "Oh, he's my palisman and we're bonded for life. I'd annihilate anyone who'd hurt him" she said, clenching a fist.
"Well, there's something we have in common" Zeo spoke, "I'm the same with these guys" he patted his deck.
"Hey, Zeo, can you—"
"No!" Zeo cut King off midsentence, "I'm not wasting their powers on a kid" he told him.
"Fine. Don't help. Revenge will taste all the sweeter if they fall by my hand alone" King said, laughing evilly.
"Yeah, good luck with that" Zeo muttered sarcastically.
"Tag, your it!" the snot-nosed kid shoved King to the ground before running of with a playful laughter.
"Oh, man. Here we go. King's squeak of rage" Eda said with some hint of amusement. King grunted, flailing his limbs around before standing up with a high-pitched squeal, squealing while running back to the playground. Eda laughed, "He's like a little teakettle" she snorted, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Yeah, a little, wimpy teakettle" Zeo added.
"Hey, what's that?" Luz pointed to a keyhole on the bottom of Owlbert's foot.
"That's his interlock. So he only fits under my staff. Every palisman has one" Eda told them, only find herself in a dark void. "Luz? Zeo? Hello?" she looked around with no one to be seen.
"Eda?" Luz's voice echoed.
"Luz?" Eda called out.
"Mom?" Zeo's voice echoed.
"I don't think I'll ever be used to being called that…" Eda muttered under her breath.
"Eda! Eda! Wake up!" Luz told her.
The Owl Lady's eyes the shot open.
"Mom, are you ok?" Zeo asked with concern.
Eda grunted, "I… I'm fine. We need to get back to the house. Now!" she told them, grabbing her staff.
"It's the curse again, isn't it?" Zeo assumed, receiving a nod of confirmation from Eda.
"King, we have to go!" Luz told the small demon.
"Five more minutes, please!" King replied, his hand reached out to the snot-nosed kid as if he were planning to strangle him.
"Now, you little runt! Or I'll make Knight Owl grab you by force!" Zeo yelled in a threatening manner.
King grunted with irritation, "This isn't over" he told the kid before joining the others.
The Owl House…
Upon arriving home, Eda plopped face first on to the couch with a yawn.
"We'll go get you elixir" Luz said.
"Don't worry about it. I'll get it myself in a bit" Eda waved her off.
"Do you need me to stay home and take care of you?" Luz asked, and then gasped, "I could fit King in a little doctor's outfit" she offered.
"Eh?" King looked over his shoulder at her in confusion.
"No one wants to see that" Eda said.
"I do" Luz said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"So do I, but for a completely different reason" Zeo added, chuckling sinisterly at the thought of the supposed king of demons in a tiny outfit of anything.
"Look, I know how to take care of myself. I've had this curse longer than either of you've been alive" Eda told them.
"How'd you get this curse anyway?" Zeo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Eda grunted, "I don't know" she replied.
"You don't know?" Zeo and Luz asked in shocked unison.
"Somebody gave it to me. I don't know who and I don't care because I'm fine, alright?" Eda said, a bit sternly.
"Alright, geez" Zeo narrowed his eyes.
"Anyway, don't you have plans with Tweedledum and Twerpledee?" Eda asked.
"Well, Zeo and I are meeting Willow and Gus and are going to the Grudgby match between Hexside and Glandus High" Luz told her.
"Since when are you two into sports?" Eda asked.
"Since I discovered a little something called "Hexside pride"!" Luz beamed, "To think that Glandus, whoever they are, would dare face us"
"Yeah… and I've got nothing better to do" Zeo shrugged, "You sure you don't want us to stay and look after you?" he asked.
"Gross. Sympathy. Go! Go have fun at sport" Eda waved them off.
"Hooray! Hooray for sport!" Luz cheered as she headed for the door.
"Whatever" Zeo rolled his eyes, following close behind.
"Hugs and kisses, King" Luz bent down to hug the tiny demon who was sketching with a crayon, and then kissed his temple, "Don't spend all night plotting revenge" she told him.
That drooly-faced heathen will know my wrath" King replied.
"He's a kid, King" Zeo told him.
"Doesn't matter!" King shot back just before the duo left the house.
Hexside Academy…
"Hexside is gonna wreck your side. No…" Luz attempted to chant, "Hexside is the best side in the west side" chanted.
"Stop. Please" Zeo said with a hand on her shoulder.
"Gus! Willow!" Luz ran up to her friends, Zeo casually walking up behind her.
"Woo-hoo!" Luz and Willow cheered in unison.
"Game day roar!" Gus shouted. The three of them then looked at Zeo for him to say something.
"Uh, yeah. Go, Hexside!" Zeo in a fake, half energy cheer, doing a half fist pump.
"Happy game day, fellow, uh… Are we Hexidians? Hexies?" Luz asked, and then gasped, "Hexoleos?"
Zeo pinched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head.
"Actually, most people call us winners" Willow said with narrowed eyes.
"Grudgby games are the best" Gus said, "The players go through these action-packed trials. And the audience gets to wave flags. Look, I practiced" Gus explained, doing flag waving movements.
"Yeah, keep practicing, dweebus" Zeo told him.
"Is it weird that we're not wearing anything Hexside?" Luz asked, concerned about her and Zeo's fashion choices.
"Um, It's weirder that you're wearing Glandus colors" Willow said, pointing to a nearby Grudgby poster that had the colors of both school teams.
"Get ready to be creamed, Glandus nerd" a giant kid said as they walked by.
"Hey! I'm a Hexside nerd" Luz shot back, "Gotta change out of these shirts. Where can we get Hexside ones?" she asked her friends.
"I know. There's a lost-and-found box in the cafeteria" Gus informed her.
"Ah! The lost-and-found. Where mouthguards go to retire" Luz commented, "Come on, Zeo" she said to Eda's clone.
"I'd rather take my chances than wear that" Zeo replied, "You go on, I'll be here when you get back" he told her with a small smile.
"Your choice" Luz shrugged before entering the school. Moments later she came back out wearing a Hexside sweater, drinking hat, cheerleading skirt and pom-poms, "Go, Hexside!" she cheered before doing a split… and immediately regretted it, "Well, never did that before" she said.
Zeo chuckled a bit. He then walked over to Luz and helped her up, "You ok?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks" Luz replied.
"That skirt… it looks nice on you" Zeo told her, causing Luz to blush a bit.
"Thanks" Luz giggled. "Hey, where'd everybody go?" she asked, noticing that most of the other students of the school had left.
Hearing a demon growl, they looked to the sky to see the bus had already left.
"Hexside rules!" one of the students shouted from the bus.
"Huh. Ain't that a bitch?" Zeo said rhetorically.
"Why didn't you guys board the bus?" Luz asked them.
"We weren't going to leave you behind" Willow said with her usual friendly smile.
"I would have" Gus admitted, before he felt a small zap to his backside, "OW!" he yelled, rubbing his butt as he turned to see Thunder Snake behind him, tail armed.
"When did you summon Thunder Snake?" Luz turned to Zeo.
"The second he started talking" Zeo told her.
"Nice" Luz said with a small chuckle, "But how are we supposed to get to the game?!"
"Can't we walk?" Zeo suggested.
"It's too far. The game would be over by the time we got there" Gus told him.
"And my parents are working, otherwise I'd see if they could give us a ride on their staff" Willow chimed in.
"A staff… because staves fly. Of course" Luz said, getting an idea, "I can get a stuff" she told the others.
"You can?" Gus asked.
"Yeah, come on" Luz said as she and the others ran off to the Owl House.
"I know what she's up and I already know this won't end well" Zeo said to himself before following them.
The Owl House…
"Eda! Great news. I thought of the perfect way to get revenge on that usurper" King said, walking into Eda's room with a piece of paper that read fire, "Now, don't be put off by the complicated premise. I'll break it down for you in small pieces" he said before hearing a growl, "Huh?" upon looking up, he screamed, "Owl Beast!" he shouted, seeing Eda in her beast form, who then charged, causing him to scream, "Stay back! Please don't eat me again!" he shouted shielding himself with his arms.
Surprisingly, Beast Eda came to a halt.
"Did you just listen to me?" King asked, "Uh… sit?" He told her, which she then did. He noticed one of her eyes was pitch black while the other was normal, "Oh, you're only partly transformed" he said in realization, "Forget fire. Zeo's no the only one who can command a beast like this!" King said, "I'll just grab some elixir in case you go rogue on me" he put a bottle of elixir into a bag.
"King, are you up?" He heard Luz ask.
"Sit. Stay" King told Owl Eda before exiting the room.
"What's going on, runt?" Zeo asked as he and Luz approached him, hands in his pockets.
"Oh, nothing much" King replied nervously.
"Is Eda up?" Luz asked.
"Uh, no, she's asleep. Out like a light" King told them. A growl could be heard from the other side of the door, "Oh, man. Can she snore" he commented.
"Oh, no. I wanted to ask if I could borrow her staff, but I know she needs her rest" Luz said.
"Oh, I'm sure it's fine. It's fine. Just take it" King offered her Eda's staff.
"I can't. Not without Eda's permission" Luz shook her head.
There was then a scream from the other side of Eda's door.
"Well, there's your permission. Off you go" King said.
"I really owe Gus and Willow one. And it's just for the afternoon. I'm sure Eda wouldn't mind" Luz said, accepting the staff.
"Not our generous, kindhearted Eda. Big heart on her" King swung an arm from one side to the other.
"Uh, yeah. Big heart…" Zeo said suspiciously while rummaging through his cards.
"We'll be back soon" Luz said as they walked off.
"Yeah, see ya, runt" Zeo added, following the human girl.
"Now, let's get this started!" Luz said as she and Zeo stood outside. She swung the staff around, only to accidentally drop it, causing Owlbert to hit his head, "Oops, sorry, Owlbert, but we just need to help some friends" Luz told the tiny owl on the staff, showing him to Willow and Gus.
"Why do I get the feeling this is going to backfire horribly?" Zeo asked rhetorically.
"Who's ready to board Air Luz?" Luz asked playfully.
"Feel that power-to-weight ratio" Willow commented as she and Gus boarded the staff along with Luz.
"Next stop, Glandus High" Luz began.
"Wait, there's only enough room for three. What about Zeo?" Gus asked.
"Don't worry about me; I've got my own ride" Zeo said, pulling out one of his cards, "Knight Owl, arise!" he shouted, calling fourth his armored owl.
Knight Owl released a powerful screech which frightened Gus and Willow. Knight Owl bowed his head, allowing Zeo to climb aboard.
"Well, now that that's settled… to Glandus High!" Luz shouted. Unfortunately, Owlbert took off too fast for them to react.
"This can't end well…" Zeo muttered, "Follow them and make sure to keep a close eye out" he told the armored owl, who immediately took off after them.
Knight Owl was flying above them as he watched closely to make sure nothing happened. However, that's when Luz and the others crashed.
"Oh, crap!" Zeo cried, "Go down" he ordered Knight Owl, the avian doing so.
The rest of the group was falling through the trees and soon crashed, but Owlbert took the worst of it. The little bird had a huge crack on the top of his head.
"Oh no. Owlbert!" Luz cried with concern, scooping the little bird into her hands. In that moment, Zeo and Knight Owl descended, "Zeo, Owlbert's been hurt!" Luz showed him the damaged owl.
"I knew this was going to backfire…" Zeo muttered as he got off Knight Owl, "Poor little guy" he rubbed the smaller owl's head with a finger.
Scared and confused, Owlbert escaped from Luz's hands and ran of into the nearby dark forest.
"Owlbert!" Luz called out.
"Knight Owl, follow him" Zeo told the armored beast.
Knight Owl took off into the forest as the group followed him.
"Oh, man. If we don't get Owlbert back, Eda's going to kill me!" Luz said with worry.
"Don't worry, Luz, with Knight Owl's excellent eyesight, we'll find him in no time" Zeo said, trying to comfort her.
"This is my fault. I knew I shouldn't have just taken King's word for it!" Luz said.
The Playground…
Back at the playground, the kids were minding their own business, just playing around… when the ground shook. They looked up to see the Owl Beast with King riding on top.
"Now then, where were we?" King asked mischievously.
"Uhh…" the snot-nosed kid said before weeping and running away crying.
"Ha ha! Who's pathetic now, Zeo?! You're not the only one that can command a terrifying owl beast!" King said as he ascended the slide, only for Eda to bite and eat a part of it. "Hey!" King snapped at Eda, "No eating the throne!" he told her, only for her to keep eating it, "Stop that!"
Dark Forest…
The four teens had followed Knight Owl into a large cavern.
"Are you sure he flew in here?" Luz asked.
Knight Owl hooted.
"He says he's sure" Zeo confirmed.
"Wow, I keep stepping on some crunch twigs" Willow said.
"Those are bones, Willow" Luz corrected her.
"Not if I never look down!" Willow replied
Knight Owl continued to survey the area, but then suddenly stopped, hooting in alarm.
"Careful. Knight Owl says there's something ahead" Zeo said as three baby bats appeared, "Aw, crap, it's Bat Queen's babies. I remember when we had to babysit you little turds" he said, and then realized, "But then that means…"
"This is her home" Luz finished.
"Wait, the Bat Queen?" Gus asked.
"I think I'd rather take my chances with Eda" Willow said as she and Gus backed up.
Knight Owl then descended and started screeching at the babies.
Zeo snapped his fingers, "Knight Owl, restrain yourself!" he commanded his beast. The owl hooted, standing in place.
"What's going on? Knight Owl never disobeys you" Luz said.
"He's an owl, they eat bats" Zeo replied, "And if these guys are here, and based on his stance, it goes without saying that she must be near" he said, "Good thing I've got these" he held up Knight Owl's command cards. However, before he could use them, Knight Owl became trapped in some sort of thick, sticky thread, "Knight Owl!" Zeo ran to his best monster, only to get captured in the same kind of thread.
"What's going on here?!" a booming voice said. The Bat Queen appeared, her babies running to her.
"Bat Queen, what the hell?!" Zeo asked with annoyance, Knight Owl chiming in with a hoot, "I understand, buddy. You sensed her and your predatory instincts kicked in; them she sensed you and her maternal instincts kicked in. Circle of life's a bitch" Zeo said.
"That was pure poetry" Willow said, shedding a tear.
"Thanks. But that doesn't excuse trapping me too!" Zeo yelled, "Seriously, what the hell's with trapping me, Bat Queen?!" he glared at her.
Luz then saw something riding on Bat Queen's shoulder, "Owlbert!" she looked at the smaller owl, "Owlbert, thank goodness you're ok" Luz said, "Come on back to me and we can head home" she told him in soothing tone.
Owlbert, however, refused.
"Owlbert, what are you doing? It's me, Luz" Luz said before Knight Owl let out another screech.
"Knight Owl says Owlbert is scared" Zeo said.
"Scared?" Luz repeated with confusion.
"Ohh, it's probably because you crashed horribly and caused him to get that huge gash on his head" Zeo said with a bit of a cringe.
"He speaks the truth. The young owl has told me all" the Bat Queen said as both her and Owlbert's eyes glowed.
"That still doesn't explain why you trapped me" Zeo spoke up, "Knight Owl, talk some sense into your little friend" he told the armored beast.
Knight Owl then unleased a series of screeches. Zeo's face winced upon hearing said screeches.
"What did he say?" Gus asked.
"Mainly a few choice words aimed towards Bat Queen. None of which I'd like to disclose" Zeo informed them, "Look, I understand trapping Knight Owl, but you have no reason to trap me!" Zeo told the Bat Queen.
"You associate yourself with the predator, so you meet the same fate as him!" Bat Queen said, making her foot glow, causing the wrappings around them to grow tighter.
"Ack!" Zeo felt some of the wind come out of him, "Fair enough. Willow, be a pal. Grab my Razor-dillo card and put it in my mouth" he looked at the plant witch.
"Right. Which one's Razor-dillo?" Willow asked.
"Just look for a card depicting an armadillo with sawblades along its back!" Zeo said.
"Listen, we don't mean to hurt anyone. We just came to get Owlbert back home" Luz said, trying to defuse the situation.
"Ok, let's see. Cards, cards…" Willow rummaged through Zeo's pants pocket. She felt something warm and fleshy that made her blush, "Oops! That's… something else…" she giggled, making Zeo blush as well.
"Uh, go more to the left" Zeo told her, averting each other's gaze. Will then found what she was looking for.
"Found them!" Willow said, pulling out Zeo's cards, "Ok, Razor-dillo, Razor-dillo… Here it is!" she took the card from the deck and placed it in Zeo's mouth.
"Razor-dillo, arise!" Zeo said through his lips as he tossed the card as hard as he could, summoning the sawblade covered armadillo, "Great. Now, quick, grab the command card that comes with him!" Zeo told Willow. The plant witch then grabbed the command card and put it into Zeo's mouth, "Command Card: Razor Spin!" he tossed the card, allowing it to enter Razor-dillo's head.
The armadillo then curled up into a ball and charged at the thread tying up Zeo, with the blades on his back cutting through them.
"Good. Now, do the same with—" However, before Zeo could finish that command, Bat Queen's foot glowed, once again entrapping Zeo. This time though, it captured Razor-dillo on a way that the blades couldn't cut through.
"Would this one help?" Willow showed him a card of an orange lizard.
"Magma Lizard! Yes!" Zeo said. Willow placed the card in his mouth, "Magma Lizard, arise!" Zeo tossed the card, summoning the fiery reptile.
Unlike Razor-dillo, Magma Lizard didn't need its command card to set him free due to already having a mane made of flames.
"Yes!" Zeo cried as the pyro lizard burned through the wrappings that captured him, Knight Owl and Razor-dillo, "Now, let us go with Owlbert" Zeo said, before struggling to keep Knight Owl at bay, "Knight Owl, return" he commanded, retreating his beast to its card form, "Sorry, my friend" he said to the now grey card, "Now, as I said before, let us go with Owlbert" he demanded.
"No!" Bat Queen said, despite Knight Owl being gone.
"Alright, Bat Queen, what's it going to take for you to set Owlbert free?" Zeo asked, walking up beside Luz.
"You must earn forgiveness. And the only way to do so is for you" Bat Queen pointed at Luz, "To face trials!" she said as several flames lit up.
"Trials?" Gus said excitedly.
"Luz, the Bat Queen is known for her impossible trials. No on has ever succeeded!" Willow warned.
"I don't care. It's my fault we're in this mess, so I must be the one to get us out" Luz replied.
"Good luck with that" Zeo said, walking over to a nearby walk and leaning against it with his arms crossed, knowing there'd be no talking Luz out of this.
"Don't worry, Luz, we've got your back!" Gus said, only for Bat Queen's to glow, tying up everyone else again. Even Zeo.
"Seriously?!" Zeo said. Unfortunately, as he discovered by looking at Magma Lizard, these bonds were fireproof.
"No help! She must do this alone!" Bat Queen told them, "Now, first trial: Milk the spider demon!" she said as a spider-cow hybrid appeared.
"I put Knight Owl away and you still tie me up?!" Zeo glared at Bat Queen.
"The predator may be gone, but no one can interfere!" Bat Queen said as Luz tried to approach the udders of the spider demon.
"Ugh! I wonder what the other trials are like" Zeo groaned with a roll of his eyes.
Soon the spider demon was milked.
"Next trial: Remove bee's nest!" Bat Queen said, pointing to a nearby tree with what appeared to be a beehive in one of the branches.
However, once Luz got close enough to remove it, it turned into a giant wasp that started chasing her. Meanwhile, Gus was currently using his flags to try to break free of his bonds. Incredibly, he succeeded.
"Hah! Take that, Bat Queen. You will rue the day you tried to—" However, he was cut off when she summoned more bonds, this one dangling him from the ceiling.
"Ooh. So close, dweebus" Zeo mocked.
Soon the wasp was dealt with.
"Next trial: Give babies a bath!" Bat Queen said.
"Good luck, Luz" Zeo called out. Soon Luz was scrubbing the babies, "How is this even a trial though? Seriously" Zeo asked before Bat Queens foot glowed and his mouth was covered. Zeo growled in annoyance.
Gus soon escaped again, landing in a handstand, only to be trapped again in this position.
"Luz, you don't have to do this! Let us go, we can help!" Willow said.
"No! I should've watched Owlbert batter. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. This is the only way to earn his forgiveness" Luz replied. She then dumped water over the babies, leaving them fresh, clean, and downright adorable, "Awww!" Luz gushed, only for the babies to shake and go back to their normal appearance with a shriek, "Ahh!" Luz recoiled.
The Playground…
"No! Bad owl beast! You do not eat the empire!" King said in a scolding tone as he smacked Eda as she ate a swing.
This, however, caused to screech at him.
"Ahh! She's not listening to me anymore!" King said, backing up in fear until he hit the backpack he brought, "Of course!" he said, remembering the elixir he brought. He took out the bottle of elixir and tossed it into Eda's mouth. "Ok, turn back into Eda now…" King said nervously. However, rather than doing so, she just screeched in his face, "Oh, that's not good…" King said.
Just then, a siren could be heard.
"This is where we got the call about the beast?" one of the animal control employees asked.
"This the place" the one with an eyepatch said.
"I can't believe we've been forced to do this just because we let one animated house get away" a blue-haired one said.
The three saw the owl beast. The surrounded her, each drawing a circle in the air. The owl beast then found herself trapped in a magical net.
"Oh, no. Eda!" King said, trying to get her, only to get tangled in the climbing rope net thing.
"Put her in the truck!" the head officer ordered as his partners did so before driving off. After much struggling, King managed to break free.
"I've got to save her" King said, "Ugh, Zeo's never going to let me live this down…" he muttered, shaking his head, "Good thing he's never gonna find out!" he added before running to catch up to the animal control officers. Unbeknownst to him, right on his nose, was a barely noticeable object.
Bat Queen's Cave…
"Alright, I've finished what was the last trial. I've finished your chores" Luz told Bat Queen, and Owlbert stood on Luz's shoulder, now curious, "Owlbert, I'm so sorry I let this happen to you. I assure you it was completely accidental. Please come back to me. Back to Zeo. Back to King. Back to Eda" Luz begged the palisman.
Owlbert hooted and nuzzled Luz's cheek.
"Aww!" Willow said.
However, Bat Queen gave a nod to one of her babies, signaling him to grab Owlbert off Luz's shoulder.
"Hey! What's the big idea?! I passed all your trials and earned Owlbert's forgiveness!" Luz said.
"You may have earned his forgiveness, but not mine!" Bat Queen told her, "In order to do that you must face one, last trial: combat against me!" she said, charging towards Luz.
"Whoa!" Luz rolled to the side.
The whole time, Zeo had been leaning against a sharp stalagmite, rubbing against it. Eventually he cut himself free and removed the straps from his mouth.
"Knight Owl, arise!" he tossed the card, once again bringing out his armored avian who released a powerful screech, "Knight Owl, save Luz!" he commanded.
Without hesitation, the armored bird stepped in between Luz and Bat Queen.
"Oh, Knight Owl, am I glad to see you!" Luz said, giving her savior a hug.
"Luz, take these!" Zeo tossed her Knight Owl's command cards, "They won't have as much power if used by you, but they should help" he told her.
"Thanks, Zeo. Go help Willow and Gus!" Luz said.
"Right" Zeo nodded, "Knight Owl, do what Luz tells you"
"So, the predator has returned" Bat Queen said with disgust in her voice.
Zeo freed Razor-dillo and Magma Lizard, who then freed Gus and Willow respectively.
"Uh… Command Card: Shadow Rush?" Luz tossed the card at Knight Owl.
The card entered Knight Owl's back, triggering his transformation into a shadow that charged at Bat Queen, striking her. Like Zeo said, it didn't have the normal punch, but it was enough to send her flying back a bit. When she did, Luz thought she saw something, but it wasn't enough of a glimpse to confirm.
"Command Card: Shadow Wing Slice!" Luz tossed another card, this one entering Knight Owl's right wing.
This time the wing formed a shadow blade. Unfortunately, Bat Queen was able to fly out of the way. Once again, Luz saw something. This time she had a good idea of what it was, but needed one more glance just to be sure.
"Command Card: Feather Knife Storm!" Luz tossed a third card which entered Knight Owl's chest.
Knight Owl then flapped his wings, sending several razor-sharp, metal feathers at the bat. However, she countered with her own gust of wind which was able to counter the feathers. Just as she was doing so, Luz looked up and saw what she had seen twice.
"Is that… it is! Zeo," she said as the card user joined her, "Look, do you see what I see?" Luz asked.
Zeo looked and he did, "I do" he replied.
The two then looked at each other and nodded in understanding.
"Knight Owl, return!" Luz said, signaling the armored avian to return to grey card state, surprising Bat Queen.
"What do you think you're doing? This trial isn't over!" Bat Queen demanded as Zeo collected his cards.
"Oh, I think it is, Bat Queen" Zeo said.
"You've got an interlock. You used to be a palisman, didn't you?" Luz asked.
Bat Queen was shocked at the fact that her secret was discovered.
The Playground…
King grunted as he struggled with the rope. Upon getting free, he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Your pride has destroyed you. The throne belongs to me now" the snot-nosed kid said.
"Over my dead body" King countered, only to her Eda screeching, "Eda!"
"Yes, leave and forfeit your reign" the snot-nosed kid said in a somewhat mocking tone.
"Well then, forfeit I shall" King said, hanging his head in defeat, "I'm coming for you, Eda!" he said while chasing after the animal control truck. After some maneuvering, King had managed to get into the back of the truck, "You in there, Eda?" King asked.
Eda turned and snarled at King, causing him to fall on to his butt.
"Eda, I'm sorry. I used you for your strength 'cause I felt weak" King told her, "I'm your friend. If only there were some way to remind you of who I am" he said. That's when it hit him, "Wait a sec. Eda loves my rage squeal. Like this…" King grunted, squirmed around and released a high-pitched squeal. This made Eda snort and laugh, even in her beast form.
"So tiny. So angry" she laughed. Surprisingly, this somehow managed to revert her back into her normal state.
"Eda, you're back" King jumped into her arms, the two hugging.
"What happened?" Eda asked.
"Ok, so, I went into your room and you were the beast. And then—And then I woke up here one second before you did" King said, obviously lying.
"Uh-huh. I'll deal with you later" Eda pointed at him as she stood up, "But for now, you wanna bounce?" she asked.
"Yes, please" King replied.
Eda then formed a spell circle that blew a hole in the back of the truck.
"Hey, lady" the head animal control guy said to Eda, "Have you seen a monster that kinda looks like you?" he asked her, only for Eda to walk way while flipping her hair with a hand, "Lady!"
Bat Queen's Cave…
"You were a palisman, are we right?" Zeo asked.
"Yes, it is true" Bat Queen confirmed, "I was once part of a grand staff. A staff made for a giant" her face then fell with a saddened expression, "But I was broken, discarded"
"So that's why you're so protective of Owlbert" Luz said.
"I protect… all!" Bat Queen shouted, her eyes glowing, revealing several other damaged palismans, "I made home in forest. I'm here to take the lost. The forgotten"
"How noble" Zeo commented, "So, can we have Owlbert back? If we don't get him back, my mom's going to kill us. Well, she's going to kill Luz at least" he said.
"Hey!" Luz glanced at him, "But he's right. These may have been forgotten, but Owlbert isn't. He has someone at home that loves him very much" Luz pleaded.
"He will not go with you" Bat Queen said, turning around.
"Uh-huh" Zeo said, "Should I…" Zeo whispered to Luz, holding up Frost Lizard and his command cards between two fingers.
"No, let's try being reasonable first" Luz told him.
"Fine. Do things the hard way" Zeo rolled his eyes, "But the moment things get messy, I'm putting her on ice" he told her.
"Just like Eda" Luz couldn't help but chuckle before getting serious, "Bat Queen, you saw how willing Owlbert was to forgive me. All I'm asking is for you not to listen to how you feel about people who damage their palisman, whether accidentally or on purpose, but listen to… whatever palismans have that pass for a heart and let Owlbert come back with us" Luz said.
"I won't let him!" Bat Queen shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Alright, that's it, prepare to be on ice. Frost Lizard, a—" Zeo started saying, only for a hoot to cut him off.
The hoot came from Owlbert. They all looked at the tiny owl. Owlbert's eyes then glowed and so did the Bat Queen's. The two palismans shared a telepathic communication.
"I hope he said what I think he said" Zeo narrowed his eyes.
"Can't you understand them?" Luz asked.
"My psychic link only does so with my beasts, it has no effect on palismans and whatever telepathic conversations they have" Zeo explained.
"Oh" Luz said, "Wait, you have a psychic link?!" she asked in shock.
"How do you think I've been able to understand what Knight Owl's been saying all day?" Zeo asked rhetorically.
"Good point" Luz replied.
"Yeah, I think it's one of the side effects from staring at the Wailing Star" Zeo figured.
"Well, that's a pretty cool side effect then" Luz smiled.
"He… He says he wishes to go with you" Bat Queen said.
"Oh, thank goodness" Luz sighed with relief, her hand over her chest.
"Good choice, little dude" Zeo told the small owl.
"With such conviction, I cannot deny such a wish. You and your friends may leave with him" Bat Queen told them.
"Oh, Owlbert, you're such a sweetheart!" Luz said, gently picking him up and kissing him on the forehead.
"Well, now that that's handled, let's get out of here" Zeo said.
"Just one minute" They heard Bat Queen say, making Zeo groan. Bat Queen approached the card user, "Zeo, correct?" she asked.
"Yeah, that's me" Zeo confirmed.
"Owlbert told me all about you. Quite an interesting story you've got" Bat Queen said, "I couldn't help but think about what you said about that predator, Knight Owl, correct?" she asked.
"Yes, he and the rest of my deck are to me what Owlbert is to my mom" Zeo told her
"You said that when under the command of the human, he isn't as powerful as normal. Which is why I'd like to say, if push comes to shove, I hope to be able to fight him at his full power" Bat Queen told Zeo.
"I'm not sure you'd want that. He once obliterated a death worm" Zeo said. Luz then thought of something.
"Hey, Bat Queen, if you don't mind me asking, do you know what happened to your old owner?" Luz asked.
"It has been thousands of years. I've forgotten" Bat Queen said, looking down.
"If you ever want to search for the truth, Zeo and I will help you" Luz told her.
"Thank you" Bat Queen nodded.
"Now, wait just a minute—oof!" Zeo tried to object, only for Luz to elbow him in the stomach. Bat Queen the returned to the back of the cave, "You could've just put your soft hand over my mouth!" Zeo glared at the human girl.
"Yeah, but that's not as fun" Luz said, "Wait, soft?" she raised an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked.
"You called my hand soft" Luz said.
"Uhh… Oh, look, Willow and Gus!" Zeo said as their friends approached them, "Willow, dweebus, it's good to see you're safe and free" he said, trying to change the subject.
"That was amazing!" Gus said.
"I can't believe you took on the Bat Queen!" Willow said.
"Yeah, what a rush" Luz said, "Too bad we had to miss the game though" she said with a tinge of regret.
"So? That was better than any Grudgby game by far!" Gus said.
"Yeah, I guess. Come on, let's all go home" Luz said.
The Owl House…
"And now you're a part of the boo-boo buddy club" Luz placed a bandage over the crack on Owlbert's forehead. Owlbert hooted.
"Owlbert" Eda appeared in the doorway, "Why are you off the staff?" she asked. Owlbert hooted, flying on to Eda's shoulder. He hooted again. "Luz and Zeo took you to get ice cream? Aw, that… a horrible lie" she said, seeing through the deception
Owlbert hooted and Luz gulped.
"Well, luckily for you both I don't care right now. Where is Zeo anyway?" Eda asked.
"He's in his room" Luz told her.
"Speaking of rooms, I'm going to take a nap" Eda said as she walked upstairs.
"I'll, uh, be at the playground" King ran out the house.
It was then that a small insect flew into the house. It flew past Eda and into Zeo's room.
"Ah, you've finally returned" Zeo said, sitting down with as the insect landed on his index finger.
[Flashback]
"Uh, yeah. Big heart…" Zeo said suspiciously while rummaging through his cards.
Zeo found the card he was looking for. It was the new card he had created this morning. It was a level one dark-type beast. The image depicted a small insect with its wings fluttering as it crawled on a wall. Its name: Tracker Tick. It was the ultimate spy tool, capable of flight, camouflage, and recording everything it saw.
"We'll be back soon" Luz said as they walked off.
Zeo subtly tossed the card behind himself. Tracker Tick was the size of a ladybug. Its body rapidly alternated between a multitude of colors. The small insect turned invisible and quickly flew on to King's nose.
"Yeah, see ya, runt" Zeo added, following the human girl.
[End of Flashback]
Tracker Tick had shown Zeo everything he had recorded by displaying it on a large, virtual screen in the air. Large enough for him to see in full view. It showed everything from when Zeo and King left, to when King and Eda returned home. Soon, the video ended.
"Very good, Tracker Tick. Return" Zeo said, calling the insect back into card form, "I can't believe he'd actually compare controlling Mom like that to me and Knight Owl" he said referring to King, "But I'm more worried about the elixir. This just proves two things. One: That the curse is getting stronger, and two: the elixir is losing its effect on the curse and its going to take more of the elixir to keep it at bay" he said to himself.
Zeo thought about it for a moment. The elixir was losing its effects on Eda's curse…
"She's going to need help keeping that side of herself under control, even if she doesn't want it" Zeo said, "Looks like I know what track I'll be entering when I start attending Hexside. Guess I'm following in her footsteps. Potions track, here I come" he said that last sentence unenthusiastically.
Unbeknownst to him, Eda had been watching and listening. She was pissed off at King for using her while she was in her beast form, but she'd deal with that later. What worried her was that her elixir wasn't working on the curse anymore. She'd either have to drink multiple bottles of the elixir she had now or find something stronger. She looked through slightly opened bedroom door at her card using clone.
Was he serious? Was he really going to enter the Potions track just to help her? A small smile formed on her face.
"If I can rely on anyone, it's you, Zeo" Eda muttered to herself before heading to her room.
And that's the end of this chapter. Looks like we know what track Zeo will be entering when he attends Hexside. Will he be able to create something stronger for Eda's curse? Maybe.
Also, I realize I kind made Zeo act like a jerk towards King. I plan on them having a brotherly relationship where they argue a lot and Zeo's kind of the jerky older brother, but deep down he still cares about him even though he doesn't always show it. Just thought I'd mention that.
So, this rewrite was co-written with JTWAS1995. We didn't remember every line of dialogue and/or moment, so we improvised a bit (this'll most likely apply to all episode rewrites). We also added a few things to this episode, such as the fight between Bat Queen and Knight Owl. I was originally going to have Luz and Eda watch the video with Zeo, but I thought this would be more secretive.
Which reminds me, events in this fanfic might be different from those from the show. For example, certain ships may or may not happen. You've been warned.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.