Sitting on the back of the red cardinal-shaped Palisman, Willow and Gus were looking down on the city. Technically Willow could have done it on her own, but she knew it would take a lot longer and be a lot more effort, and the bird's presence also served as protection. "You know, I'm really glad we met Vee. Unlike Terra and Adrian, she doesn't give me bad vibes" Gus said. "Do you think Camila will agree to take on another daughter with her?"

"Oh, that's for sure" Willow answered. Most people would have thought twice before adopting a little girl they just found on the street, especially if they were poor like Camila since it meant having an extra mouth to feed, but she wasn't like that. That woman was too good to dwell on economic issues when there was a person in difficulty. Willow almost started laughing: who knows how Camila would react when she and Luz finally met again and, after giving the puppet a good scolding, she would discover that she now had not just one daughter but two. "I hope that Vee is less naughty than Luz, otherwise that poor woman will have a heart attack. But something tells me that between the two, she will be the judicious and obedient daughter"

Gus nodded. He had that impression too: they had known Vee for less than an hour, yet she seemed to be significantly more careful about the consequences of her actions than Luz. Not that it took much effort. "So, from now on the family will consist of a puppet maker, a troublemaker marionette, and a shape-shifting basilisk, plus an illusionist spider and a strong cricket as pets, and an unreliable middle-aged woman as a fairy godmother. It's just me, or does this seem like the beginning of a rather cheesy joke?"

Willow giggled: in fact, if anyone outside of their circle had heard such a thing they would have probably thought that whoever was talking about had eaten some very hallucinogenic mushroom. "I'm proud of Luz" she said then. "She didn't hesitate for a moment in wanting to help that poor basilisk and welcoming her as a sister. She didn't judge her and she didn't even blame her because she is related to the person who lords over this town. Not everyone would have done that in her place"

"Luz is a piece of cake, you know. She may be a disobedient girl with little desire to study and listen to good advice, but she has a heart of gold" Gus said, then his face darkened. "I'm really sorry for what happened to her. She didn't deserve to be deceived like that"

Willow sighed. Just remembering the sadness in Luz's eyes as she recounted what had happened was enough to hurt her. The puppet had been really hurt by Adrian and Terra's betrayal; Willow couldn't believe someone could do something like that to a good person like Luz. And she also felt guilty, and she was sure that Gus felt the same: after all, they should have been able to understand the deception and warn her. Perhaps they had been too exposed to magical things in the last few days to the point that they had come to think that anything was possible, and that was how they had allowed themselves to be fooled in turn. "We will find a way to resolve the situation. As I said, we have always managed in any situation. We'll get her out of prison, we'll get her out of here, and then we'll figure out how to find Adrian and Terra and give them what they deserve"

"Yeah, but how?" Gus asked her. "I have no idea how to get Luz and Vee out of prison, and even if we did, Vee's aunt would definitely come after her. We certainly can't fight a greater basilisk. And even if we spent the rest of our lives escaping, we couldn't never go back to Camila or Eda because we would put them in danger too, especially the fairy"

Willow bit her lip; in fact, she didn't even have any idea what to do. As Gus had pointed out, it was useless to think about an escape plan: regardless of whether it worked or not, Vee's aunt would surely have chased her niece to prevent her from revealing her secret, condemning her and Luz to a life of fugitives. And with a greater basilisk on their tail they would not have been able to return to Camila, since they would have put her in danger, and even less to Eda, since she would have risked being killed by that monster. The only possible solution would have been to eliminate the aforementioned aunt, but defeating a magical creature was easier said than done. Definitely easier said than done. "Let's go to the central building. Maybe by looking at the place where Vee's aunt lives we'll come up with a plan" she proposed, as she couldn't think of anything else, and then turned to the Palisman: "Do you agree, or do you prefer that we go on our own?"

In response, the red bird rushed towards the central palace with such speed that it seemed to have been waiting for nothing else; it was as if it wanted to reach it at all costs. Gus and Willow had to hold on to its woody feathers to keep from falling. When they arrived the Palisman rested on a windowsill and from it they could observe the surrounding environment.

The central palace, where the master of the town lived, was built with fine white marble chiselled with gold, and all the windows had diamonds instead of glass and the doors had silver instead of iron handles. The building appeared to be at least seven stories tall and had seven towers on which there were what appeared to be harpoons. The courtyard was surrounded by walls at least five meters high above which numerous guards were present, and even more guards were to be found patrolling the garden, checking the doors and windows, and making sure that no intruders could enter. These guards had masks similar to those of the prison or the Warden Wrath, but they looked more like the hooked beaks of a bird of prey, and their cloaks were white and hooded, and they had long spears in their hands that seemed to be able to spear anything. "Wow. Security is really the name of the game here" Gus commented.

"Yeah. There's no way to get in without being seen" Willow murmured. Vee's aunt must have been quite paranoid if she had surrounded herself with so many defenses, but on the other hand, given the state she had reduced the town to, she must have made many enemies. "I don't think we can... hey! What are you doing?"

Suddenly the Palisman had taken flight without any warning and had gone slightly beyond the wall, and was staring intently at the guards above it. Willow and Gus didn't understand, but then, looking closely, it seemed to them that something had moved nearby; an instant later, the guards were all on the ground and a strange individual jumped over the wall. He was dressed similarly to the guards, although the style of his white cloth was different, and he also wore a mask that looked like a simple golden face covering with a slit for the eyes rather than a bird's head; in his left hand he held what looked like a spear, but with a curved tip and a strange red orb on it. "Who is that?" Gus asked confused.

But a few moments later they were even more surprised. Under their gaze, the strange individual made his way unseen into the garden, and all the guards he passed were cut down without uttering a sound; it moved quickly and silently, with extreme fluidity. His every movement was studied and calculated to achieve maximum efficiency. He almost looked like an elite soldier. She was approaching the front door when Willow suddenly noticed an archer with a large crossbow leaning out of one of the towers. Without even thinking, he jumped off the Palisman and flew towards the stranger, but seeing that he wouldn't reach him in time he approached the mouth of one of the stone gargoyles that adorned the walls and shouted through it: "Watch out! They're going to shoot you!"

Although the cricket's voice was rather loud, the sound boomed through the gargoyle's mouth and reverberated throughout the courtyard, and everyone present jumped when they heard it. "Huh?" the guy looked up and saw the archer, and moved his spear to block the blow, but before the arrow reached him the Palisman whose back was still Gus got in the way and grabbed it with its beak, blocking it. The stranger seemed surprised, but that moment of confusion lasted just a second: the next instant he raised his spear and a red beam shot out from it which hit the archer squarely, knocking him out. Immediately afterwards the guy, realizing that many more guards were arriving alerted by Willow's scream, abandoned any intention he had of entering the building and rushed back over the wall. Willow jumped on top of the Palisman and yelled: "Quick, chase him!", but she didn't even need to because the bird had already taken off after the stranger.

Eventually the four reached a nearby neighborhood where they hid in an alley. "Who are you?" the stranger asked, speaking for the first time. His voice was quite deep, but it was probably amplified by the mask he wore; however the note of annoyance in his voice was unmistakable.

"Mph! You could at least try not to act hostile, you know? We just saved you!" Willow grumbled. She certainly didn't expect kisses and hugs, but she didn't appreciate being treated that way.

"That arrow wouldn't have killed me. I was wearing magical protection, it would have shattered before it even reached me" the stranger replied. "On the contrary, if you hadn't screamed, I would have eliminated that guard without being discovered. Now because of you everyone has noticed me and today my prey will surely be on alert, and I will have to come back another day"

Willow was fuming, and Gus was also very annoyed: "Hey, she was trying to help you! Maybe she made a mistake, but still a thank you would be the least!"

"Of course, of course. However, you still haven't answered my question" the stranger said without any empathy in his voice.

Willow was tempted to punch him, but then decided it wasn't worth it. "I am Willow"

"Gus" the spider added.

The Palisman chirped, and the stranger looked confused for a moment. "Flapjack? Seriously, your name is Flapjack?"

"What? Wait, did you understand what it said?" Gus exclaimed in amazement. "Can you speak the Palismen language?"

"Palismen language?". Only then the stranger seemed to realize what the red cardinal in front of him really was, and for a moment a strange light seemed to pass beneath his mask. Only for a moment though. "I understand. However, no, I don't speak the language of the Palismen, it's the first time I've heard one speak". The bird chirped again. "Oh, and apparently he wants you to know that his pronouns are he/him"

Willow scratched her head. She remembered that Bump seemed to be able to understand what her Palisman was saying, and Eda also spoke to her wand as if she was able to understand it. Perhaps a Palisman could only be understood by its owner? But in that case, did that mean...? "It doesn't matter now. Rather, why were you breaking into the palace?"

"I have no reason to reveal it to you" the stranger retorted.

"Oh, come on! We just saw you commit what I'm sure in this town is considered a capital crime given the number of guards, at least tell us why!" Willow exclaimed.

The stranger made a muttering sound. "Whatever. Simply put, I'm a hunter, and my prey is in there"

"Are you talking about the greater basilisk?" Gus asked.

The stranger turned towards him abruptly. "What? You guys know?"

"We have our sources. The question is... how do YOU know?" Willow asked doubtfully.

"I have my sources too" the guy replied, and he moved to his staff: the red globe on it lit up and a tiny light emerged from inside it, pointing towards the nearby building.

"You have a lot of magic too, I see" Willow commented. "How do you get these things? Are you a wizard or do you know one?"

"I don't have to answer such questions, especially to a cheeky cricket" the stranger replied sourly, and in response the Palisman (who was apparently called Flapjack) began pecking him on the neck. "Ow! What do you mean I was rude and inappropriate? Do you think I care?"

Willow reflected. That guy seemed to be even more arrogant and stubborn than Luz, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He knew how to use magic and had easily avoided numerous guards, and he knew how to fight and sneak into a building without being seen. And what's more, he seemed intent on capturing Vee's aunt. An unhealthy idea began to make its way into the cricket's mind, and in the end, against all common sense, she decided to follow it. "Look, I don't want you to get me wrong, you definitely seem like an expert hunter... but have you ever faced a greater basilisk? As far as I know they are very rare"

The stranger turned his attention back to her, and for a moment he looked offended, but then he admitted: "No, I never have. But I know enough about that species to be able to defeat that creature without too much effort"

"Maybe, but we know someone who knows that species better than anyone!" Willow said. She knew very well what she was doing was a gamble and that she was playing with fire, but that stranger was literally the only hope they had of keeping Luz and Vee from having to run for their entire lives. "That person could tell you all about their weaknesses, even ones that no other human knows about. So? Do you want to make a deal?"

Gus didn't seem convinced at all, and Flapjack looked a little unsure too; for once, Willow felt like she was the one who was behaving recklessly. The stranger looked at her and seemed to think, then he said: "Okay, you've piqued my curiosity. Speak freely, I'm listening"

Willow took a deep breath to give herself courage, then she explained: "I'll make it short for you: you want to take the greater basilisk that is in that building, and we want that greater basilisk to disappear forever to prevent a certain friend of ours from being in danger. So let's work together and achieve a common goal". She flapped her wings slightly and made a hissing sound to better emphasize her words and appear more authoritative. "Here's the deal: first you have to help us break out two of our friends from prison. I doubt it will be difficult for you since you seem quite powerful, and Gus and Flapjack and I have already inspected the prison security and will tell you where best to attack. And then, I want your word that you won't hurt us or our friends, no matter what happens. The person I told you about is one of those friends of ours, and once she's out she'll tell you everything that it's worth knowing about that greater basilisk, so you can go capture it and get your trophy. So, are you in?"

The stranger listened to everything carefully, then he remained silent for a moment and cocked his head slightly to the side, and finally he made an amused noise. "Tsk! You're not very good at making deals, cricket. I could easily pretend to accept and then eliminate you and all your friends once I get the information you promise me. What guarantees do you have that I'll keep my word?"

"None. But I decided to take the risk" Willow admitted. They had no other alternative after all. She hoped that monster hunters had their own sense of honor. "So?"

The stranger remained silent for a few seconds, then he shrugged. "Okay, you've got me curious. Fine, I'll accept the deal... with some changes. You have my word of honor that I won't hurt you or your friends, but that will last only until I get my trophy. Something tells me that this friend you're talking about is someone very interesting, so I don't intend to risk losing another potential precious trophy. You will still have plenty of time to escape from me; this is the most I can give you"

Willow wasn't sure she had made the right choice and those words confirmed her doubts. But now she could no longer go back. "Well, let's go then. By the way, can you tell us your name? We told you ours, but you still haven't said yours. And take off that mask, it's hideous"

The stranger looked undecided for a moment, then he grabbed the golden mask and took it off, and to Willow and Gus' surprise behind it there was the face of a boy of about sixteen. He had a pale complexion, a slightly hooked nose, dark magenta eyes, thick black eyebrows, a small gap between his front teeth, strange shadows that looked like bags under his eyes, and ash blonde hair shaved underneath the top, with a long jagged quiff. There was a nick on his left ear and a long scar on his right cheek. The stranger was silent for a moment, as if giving them time to get a good look at him, and then said in a much less loud voice now that it was no longer amplified by the mask: "My name is Hunter"

Spoiler: unlike in The Owl House canon where Hunter is often a pushover, here he is a real badass (which from my point of view he should have been in canon too since he was trained from birth to be a soldier, instead of being almost incapable of actually fighting without his staff or without Flapjack!), so get ready to see him kick the ass of everything and everyone.