Well, I'm back. College and work has been a pain but the semester is over and now I'll have more free time.
Enjoy this new chapter everyone.
It was a few days after the Covention. Inside the living room, Luz, King, and Hunter were watching Eda and Owlbert, who was wearing a green visor hat, playing a card game. Eda shuffled her deck as Owlbert narrowed his eyes and hoots.
"Watch closely, kids. Hexes Hold'em is the most tricky game on the Boiling Isles. Any proper witch knows how to play." She said as she continued to shuffle her deck.
"Oh boy, cards! The paper rectangles that old people think are fun!" Luz said.
"This is surprisingly tame for someone like you, Eda." Hunter said as the teens continued to watch. The elderly witch puts a card down on the table. A flash of lightning comes from the cards, sending Owlbert flying for cover behind the side of the table as the cards come to life and roar. Owlbert's deck surges forward and attacks Eda's cards, making the palisman smirk. "And there it is." Hunter said.
"Now when it looks like the deck is stacked against you, that's when you break out the wildcard." Eda said as she pulled out a red card with the image of a tower. She placed it on the table, causing it to glow green and spew out a wave of fire that disgrates Owlbert's cards. The flames rise in the air, spelling out "WINNER: EDA" before disappearing in a flash. Owlbert hops back on and hoots at Eda, bowing with his wings extended. "Woo, I win! In your adorable owl face." She gloated. "Ah, I love the feeling of victory; it feels... fluffy?" She said in confusion.
"Oh no." Hunter said as he looked at her arm.
"Uh, Eda? It's happening again!" Luz said in concern.
"What's happening again?" She asked.
"Your curse is returning!" King said as he pointed at her arm. Eda looked and gasped as she saw that several feathers had appeared in both of them.
"I gotta go get some elixir." She said as she made a run towards her room, with the rest following closely behind. She reached her elixir chest and opened it, but the gang found it completely empty. "Oh boy." Eda muttered. "This is terrible. I'm out of elixir."
"Uh, last time this happened, you turned into this thing." Luz said as she held up her phone to show a picture of the Owl Beast roaring at the camera.
"I know I should be repulsed, but damn, that look is fierce." Eda replied.
"Eda!" The siblings said, upset that she isn't taking this seriously.
"You're right, you're right. We need to head to the market right away." She said.
"Okay, let's go before things get worse." Hunter said as he began to leave the room.
"Yay, the market." Luz cheered as he followed her brother.
"I'm stealing everything that's not nailed down!" King said as he joined them.
"Before we go, would anyone like to play one more hand of Hexes Hold'em?" Eda said as she patted her rear dress pock, but found it empty. "What the? Where are my cards?" She said as she looked around herself. Unbeknownst to her, Luz had secretly stolen them and hid them behind her back. She turned to Owlbert and gave them to him.
"Take these and fly ahead. She'll have to follow us." She whispered to him. Owlbert hooted as he flew away. Eda saw him fly away with her deck and gave chase.
"Owlbert, you sore loser, gimme back my cards!" She said as she tried to catch up to her palisman.
"That was really clever of you, Luz." Hunter said. "Now come on." He said as the group followed Eda towards the market.
The gang arrived at a closed potion shop in Bonesborough. The Noceda siblings and King sat at a nearby bench as Eda began to bang on the shop's metal grate.
"Hey, open up, Morton!" Eda said.
"Oh, uh. Ju- just a minute." Morton groaned.
"Is there anything better than people watching in the Demon Realm?" Luz asked as the gang watched a giant egg roll to a stop by a bus stop occupied by two random witches and the eye-eating orge. It cracked open, revealing a giant featherless bird that screeched before flying away. The bus stop group then hopped in the empty egg before one of them closed it. The egg rolled away just as Tiny Nose ran up to the stop.
"Wait, wait!" She yelled, but it was too late as it continued without her. "Aw, dang it." She said in defeat.
"This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger." Hunter said.
"The curse of tiny legs." Luz said.
"I know the pain." King said somberly.
As Tiny Nose moped about missing her transport, a series of loud footsteps snapped her back to reality. She looked up and ran yelling as a large male gray witch with two large lower fangs stopped where she stood. He was wearing a worn brown hooded cloak with a metal right shoulder guard, brown boots, a large sword slung on his back, and an eyepatch over his left eye. He scanned the area and with his hand, signaled two other witches to come forward. One was an olive skin ogre witch with a large chin and the other was a female witch with wild purple hair. Both of them were wearing the same brown cloaks. With them they brought a giant red bug demon with large horns and fangs that was tied down to a wagon. The creature thrashed, trying to break free with no avail. The teens walked up to Eda.
"Hey Eda, look at that ominous parade." Luz said as she pointed at the three witches.
"I don't think that's a parade, sis." Hunter said.
"He's right, Those are demon hunters." Eda explained as the captured demon continued to trash and struggle, letting out several roars. The two witches who were escorting the wagon held the ropes down as the creature tried to free itself. It tried to bite the female witch, who yelped as she took a step back. "Dangerous nomads who capture and sell the most powerful beasts. On the isles." She said as the olive ogre witch traced a spell circle, creating green lightning in his hand. He grunts as he shocks the demon unconscious. He turned and looked at the Owl House group with a hardened face, making Luz gasp and Hunter to tense up. "Which I'm about to become if you don't open up, Morton!" Eda yelled as she banged on the metal grate again. It opened up, revealing a lanky, young male witch with light skin, light brown eyes, and thick brown long hair. He wore a mint green, long-sleeved top with fingerless gloves. On top of it, he wore a long, brown overlay dress, with a dark brown belt and a frog necklace, two-toned teal pants, and brown shoes. The most notable thing about him was that he was a gray liquid funnel on his head.
"Sorry, Eda! I was up all night poison tasting and for some reason, I don't feel great." Morton said as he clutched his stomach.
"I wonder why?" Hunter sarcastically said.
"That's terrible but I have my own issues to worry about. I'm all outta my juice, pal." Eda said as she took out an empty potion bottle.
"Oh, gee. Lemme see what I can do." Morton said as he took the bottle and searched under his desk for any remaining elixir. The teens looked back at the demon hunters and found that they were continuing on their delivery. As they watched, they saw Gus and Willow walk by.
"Willow and Gus!" Luz said as the siblings ran up to them but noticed their sadden faces. "Wait, what's wrong? Who hurt my babies?" She asked.
"Them." Willow said somberly as she pointed to a food stand. Over there was Amity chatting with a group of female witches in their Hexside uniforms. One had dark brown skin, gray eyes, hair that came in the colors of stone-gray and black in a ponytail style with a red band, and wore red sleeves and leggings, gold studded earrings, and dark gray boots. Another had a lighter shade of brown skin, brown wavy hair with a side bang, brown eyes with red lipstick on her lower lip, and was wearing black glasses, blue sleeves and leggings, and black clog shoes. The last girl stood out the most. She had a thin figure with light pink skin, grayish-blue eyes, and mid-back length reddish-violet hair tied back in a bun and wore looser yellow sleeves and leggings with black boots. But the most striking feature was her third eye on her forehead. "Amity's having a moonlight conjuring and invited everyone but me." Willow explained.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Penstagram account." Gus said as he summoned a small purple scroll that acted as a smartphone. He opened Amity's post, showing her posing with the same group with a text message, followed by several emojis.
""It's conjuring night! No dorks allowed"? What a jerk!" Luz said as she scowled at the group. "What's a moonlight conjuring?" She asked them.
"You spend the night at someone's house, telling stories, playing games…" Willow explained.
"Like a slumber party! We have those!" Luz said smiling.
"Then you bring something to life with moon magic!" Willow continued as she pulled out a book and showed a page of three figures sitting around an object holding each other's hands.
"A slumber party with a hint of Boiling Isles weirdness." Hunter said as Luz still kept her smile.
"Gus and I have never been to one. You need at least three people and-" Willow said before Luz cut in.
"I'm three people- well actually, we're four people, and we're way better than them!" Luz said as Amity's group walked by laughing.
"Hey Skara, look over there." The glasses girl said to the gray haired girl as she pointed at the Noceda siblings.
"Isn't that Willow's abomination and that blond kid from a couple days ago, Cat?" Skara asked her. The three-eyed girl turned and looked at the group.
"Well, look who it is." She said. "Sorry you and your weird friends couldn't get an invite to the conjuring, Willow. Only real witches are allowed." She laughed, which pissed Hunter off.
"As if anyone would be sad about not being able to hang out with you and your group of fake friends." He said, catching them by surprise.
"Oh look at that, blondie thinks he's better than us." The girl replied. "Word of advice newbie, pick better friends so that other witches don't think you're a total loser. Oh wait, too late for that." She chuckled.
"And here's my advice, stop acting like a pretentious brat so that other people don't think you're one, but I guess it's too late for you." He fired back, causing Skara and Cat to gasp as the three-eyed girl leered at him.
"Well at least we're not some weird outcast like you and "Half-A-Witch", right Amity?" She said to the green haired witch, causing her to sigh.
"Leave them alone, Boscha. We have better things to do tonight. Besides, it's not Willow's fault she was born without talent." She said somberly as the group walked away.
"Pinche puta." Hunter quietly said as he glared at the group while Willow clenched her fists and growled, causing several vines to pop out from the ground.
"Whoa." Luz said as she slapped them away before hugging Willow. "Don't waste your time getting thorny over them. 'Cause we're gonna have our own moonlight conjuring." She declared.
"Wait, what?" Hunter said, confused.
"Are you serious? This was on my bucket list. After owning a real human bucket!" Gus said as he pulled out a list and crossed out 'Go to a Moonlight Conjuring'.
"That's a really weird thing to want, but I appreciate your enthusiasm. I'll go tell Eda." Luz said as she ran towards Eda.
Back at the shop, Morton finished up searching his shop for any extra elixir and came back to talk to Eda. "I've got bad news and good news. Bad news is I'm all out 'till next week. Good news is feathers are a good look for you." He said as several feathers sprouted from the elderly witch's hair, who was not happy at the lack of elixir.
"Morton!" She yelled.
"Well gee, E. Why'd you wait to re-up 'till now?" He asked her.
"I've been very busy." Eda pouted, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, busy playing Hexes Hold'em. She's obsessed with it." King said from the bench.
"I am not obsessed!" Eda retorted.
"You're playing it right now!" He said. Both Morton and Eda looked down and saw several cards were on the stand, with Eda suddenly holding a deck in her hand.
"Am I winning?" She asked as the shopkeeper gave her a deadpan look.
They were interrupted as a young male adult witch walked up to the stand, causing Eda to move aside. He had light tan skin, green eyes, and black hair in a wavy slick back style with short sideburns. He wore a dark red tunic with a gray overcoat, along with gray trousers with a black belt and boots. He was carrying a small crate, which was filled with various potions bottles and brew supplies, and placed it on the stand.
"Hello Morton. I'm here with a new shipment." He said.
"Oh hi, Henry. You came early." Morton said.
"Well today is my day off as long as I deliver this crate to you. At least that's what my dad told me." Henry explained.
"Is there any chance there might be some elixir in this crate?" Morton asked.
"No. That shipment will arrive in five days." He said before leaving the stand. "Anyways, I got no time to talk, I'm off to enjoy my day."
"I see. Well tell your dad I said thanks." Morton said as Henry walked away. Eda watched the male witch as he shopped at another stand nearby.
"Who's he?" She asked.
"That's Henry Walters. He's a delivery man for his father's, Alexander Walters, potion supply business. They have every available potion and brewing item known in the Isles, but they charge a hefty price." Morton explained.
"Hm, so he's the son of an elite robber baron." Eda said as she turned to look at Morton.
"Yeah. But you know that elixir you buy here? Well rumor has it he and his father have developed a more effective brew, and Henry's father is teaching him the recipe for it." The shopkeeper explained.
"Really now?" Eda said as he turned to look at Henry with a renewed interest. She narrowed her gaze and smirked as an idea formed in her head. However, her thoughts were interrupted as the Noceda siblings ran up to her.
"Hey Eda, Gus and Willow and I are gonna do a moonlight conjuring and stick it to Amity. So can we-" Luz said before Eda cut her off.
"Not tonight, I'm going out." She said as she picked up her staff. "I need you and Hunter to watch the house, I have many precious objects in there."
"Like me! Whoa!" King said as the elderly witch picked her up by his collar.
"You're coming with me. I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for guards and pickpockets," Eda said to King before looking at the teens. "and an extra pair of hands in case I want to pickpocket."
"Pickpocket!" The two cheered.
"Then, maybe they can come to the house and provide extra-" Hunter said before Eda cut him off.
"No! Besides, conjurings are dumb; sitting in a circle holding hands. Pft. It's like magic for babies." She scoffed as she and King walked away, leaving the two teens worried as they now wondered how they were going to break the news to their friends. However, before they could come up with an excuse, Gus and Willow ran up to them.
"Luz! Hunter! What did Eda say?" Willow asked in excitement.
"Oh, um… Well-" Hunter began before Gus pointed at the sky.
"Oh, look! The moon is rising into place. And the celestial powers only align once a year." He said smiling.
"Oh, I can't believe I finally have enough friends for a Moonlight Conjuring! Thanks, you two! Did Eda say it was okay?" Willow said, her excitement not dwindling. Hunter took a breath as he readied himself to say that the event was off, but Luz quickly stepped in.
"Uhm... yes. She said yes. We can do it at the Owl House. As long as we don't make a mess or touch anything and never bring up that we did it!" She said with a nervous laugh.
"Yes!" Gus cheered as he raised his fists in the air.
"Oh, you two are the best!" Willow said as she hugged the siblings together before leaving with Gus.
"We're gonna do a conjuring! We're gonna do a conjuring! Conjuring! Conjuring!" The two chanted as they walked away. The two stood there for a moment before Hunter spoke.
"Luz… why did you tell them that?" He asked.
"I-I-I didn't want to disappoint them. Besides, all we have to do is not make a mess at the house, sounds pretty easy right?" She said as she looked up at the moon with a nervous smile, causing Hunter to groan.
Later that night at the Owl House, the two teens sat on the couch as they watched Eda put on a dark red cloak. She combed her hair and removed any noticeable feathers as she looked at herself in a hand held mirror.
"Luz, Hunter, you two will be in charge while I'm out meeting with someone. Make sure Hooty doesn't get into any trouble." She said as she put on her hood. This caused Hooty to open the door to look at her.
"Hoot hoot! I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big boy house!" Hooty pouted.
"Then how come we have to keep telling you not to eat random things you find on the ground?" Hunter said, causing Hooty to scoff. "Anyways, you don't have to worry about us, Eda. Have fun on your night out."
"You can count on us; We'd never betray your hard-earned trust." Luz said as she nervously laughed. Hunter gave her a light elbow tap to make her stop. The elderly witch narrowed her eyes as she noticed their strange behavior.
"You two are acting suspicious. You guys are doing that thing where you hide in your hoodie and avoid eye contact." She said.
"Meow I'm not." Luz said as she hid her face inside her cat hoodie.
"Yeah, eh… we're totally okay." Hunter said as he slightly turned his head and shifted his eyes from left to right. Luz quickly pulled down her hoodie as Hunter turned to face Eda, who was giving them a questioning look.
"Oh, where's King?" Luz asked.
"He's right here." Eda said as she opened her cloak, revealing King strapped to a pink baby carrier sleeping. "His little body just conks out when he's weightless. Check this out." She said as she moved her body side to side, causing King to swing like a ragdoll. Luz found it to be adorable.
"Aww, he's so dangly." She cooed as Hunter smiled.
"Anyway, really going now." Eda said as she closed her cloak and walked outside before stopping. "And you two…" She said as she turned to look at them, making the siblings nervous. "...if any of you mess up the house, I will never trust you kids again." She said in a menacing tone while glaring at them. Luz and Hunter tensed up a bit, with the former gulping at her warning. "No pressure! Byeeeeee!" Eda said in a lighter tone before hopping on her staff and flying away, with Owlbert hooting. The teens watched as she disappeared over the tree line.
"Well, hopefully she doesn't bring her guest to sleep over like last time." Hunter said.
"Yeah. We don't have any more beds in the house, where would he even sleep? It would be really awkward." Luz said. Hunter turned to give a deadpan stare at his sister over her naive comment before looking back at the night sky.
"Yeah. That would be awkward." He said in a sarcastic tone.
'Should I really be doing this?' Luz thought as she began to doubt her plan. 'No, no, Willow is counting on you.' She reaffirmed herself. "Okay, she's gone." She said to two bushes next to the house.
"Release!" Willow's voice yelled out as the two bushes began to emit a light blue glow before exploding, revealing Willow and Gus. The young illusionist wore a cyan tunic with gray-white sleeves, charcoal gray tights, dark purple boots, and a black belt. Willow wore a long-sleeved yellowish-tan dress that had a blue tie with an oval chartreuse gem on it, light and dark gray striped leggings, and brown boots. "I'm a sneaky sneakster!" She said.
"I've got leaves in my pants...and I like it." Gus said as he gave a thumbs up.
"Alright. Now that everyone's here, let's head inside and kick this thing off." Luz said as she lead the group inside.
"Company! Hooray! Finally someone to listen to my stories!" Hooty said. "Okay, one time, a sparrow flew into my mouth, and then I-" He continued before Luz shut the door. "Hey…" He said as he realized that he was excluded before he coughed up a blue sparrow out of his mouth, which flew away.
"Welcome to the living room." Luz said as Gus and Willow looked around. "We call it that because it's technically living! The walls are breathing, look." She said as she pointed to a wall. Willow approached it and saw that it was breathing as it gave out heavy sighs with each movement.
"Enchanting." Willow said in awe.
"I don't know how you can be amazed at something like that?" Hunter said as he walked next to her, looking at the wall with a concerned look. Meanwhile, Gus was rummaging through a large wooden chest with various items from Earth.
"And look at all these human treasures." He said as he pulled out a Rubik's Cube, a giant white jawbreaker, a Magic 8-Ball, a green backpack with two big white rocket thrusters on the side, a book with a gold hand on the cover, and finally a human skull. "And actual humans!" He said in excitement as he held it.
"We've got snacks, we've got weird music!" Luz said as she got a bowl full of snacks and turned on a gramophone, which produced an evil cackle as the record played.
"We've got a bucket!" Gus said as he put on a large red bucket on his head.
"Gus, my man." She said.
"And best of all we have actual friends to do the conjuring with! This is so exciting!" Willow cheered.
"So how does this conjuring stuff work?" Hunter asked her.
"Well first, we find an object to animate. Since it's our first time we should pick something meaningful." She said as she walked over to a pot of flowers. "Something beautiful."
"Like this strangely buff little man?" Gus said as he popped through the flowers, presenting a muscular action figure with a red shirt saying "Beefy Bob" before squeezing its stomach.
"I'm half beef, half Bob!" It said.
"Yes! He's perfect!" Luz said.
"That's not exactly what I meant by "beautiful", Gus." Willow said. The group heard whimpering and saw that Gus had a sad expression with large, watery eyes.
"Oh no, he's doing the sad puppy look." Hunter said.
"Okay, buff boy it is." Willow said, giving in to his act.
"Yes!" Luz said as she hugged her.
"Tonight he shall be risen!" Gus cheered as he threw his fists in the air.
"Well the moon won't be in position until another hour, so let's have some fun together in the meantime." Willow said.
"Oh! This is a perfect chance to try out these human rituals!" Gus said as he pulled out various board games from the chest.
"Or how about we practice this Moonlight Conjuring ritual, since it is our first time trying it. We don't want anything to go wrong and end up trashing the house." Hunter said.
"Come on, Hunter. This is our first sleepover ever. Let's just try to have some fun." Luz said.
"I do want to have fun, as long as I know you're not gonna do anything crazy or weird, Luz." Hunter responded.
"Relax hermano, We'll make sure things don't get out of hand." Luz said. "Now let's have some fun." She said as she picked up the stack of board games.
"Woohoo!" Gus cheered as he and Willow joined Luz. Hunter stood with a concerned look on his face before sighing and joining them.
Meanwhile in Bonesborough, Eda and King were walking towards Grimgrub's Pub, the latter still in the baby carrier. The elderly witch was checking herself out in a small mirror in her hand.
"Oh yeah, mama's still got it." She said as she puffed up her hair.
"Remind me what we're doing again, Eda?" King asked. "I don't see how spending the night here is going to help you with your problem."
"Allow me to explain." Eda said as she finished up. "Remember what Morton said about that Henry guy earlier today? Well I'm going to introduce myself to him, have a few drinks, and get him to reveal that elixir recipe to me. If things go south, then I'll have you to help me out." She explained. "I'll soon be able to brew my own supply after this."
"Well, what makes you think he'll just give it to you so easily? I think you're biting off more than you can chew here, Eda." King said.
"Don't underestimate me, King. I might look old, but I'm still as cunning as ever. Besides, who could resist a foxy beauty like me." She said as she struck a pose, causing King to give her a deadpan stare.
"Whatever. Just remember that you're here for business and not for pleasure. And don't bring him back home unless you want another awkward moment like last time." He said.
"Hey! I don't make myself easy for everyone. However, it doesn't hurt to have fun every now and then." The elderly witch said as she walked to the door. "Just stay outside and be ready." She said as she walked in. The pub was a bit busier as there were more patrons than usual, either drinking or socializing. Eda walked around, trying to look for any sign of her target but was having trouble doing so. 'Wow. A large crowd here tonight, but I'm sure he's around here.' She thought as she continued to search. It wasn't too long before she found him sitting at a table alone with a drink. 'A-ha. Got you now.' She walked over to him. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude but mind if I sit here? There's not enough space here for me tonight thanks to all these people." She said to him.
"Don't worry, I don't mind. I was starting to feel a bit lonely anyways." Henry said.
"Really? A good looking lad like you shouldn't be alone." She said as she sat down.
"I can say the same thing about you." He replied with a wink, making Eda giggle. "Excuse me, can I get a drink for my new lady friend here. It's on me." He said to a nearby waiter.
"Yes of course." The waiter said as he went to the bar counter.
"A gentleman I see. I believe I haven't introduced myself yet, my name's Eda." She said.
"I'm Henry. Would love to get to know more about you, Eda." He said.
"Oh I bet you do." She chuckled as the waiter returned with her drink. The two began their conversation as King watched from a nearby window.
'Alright, she's leading him to her trap. Now I just gotta wait here until she gets the recipe.' He thought as he continued to watch the elderly witch, who began to lightly flirt with Henry. 'And hope she doesn't have too much fun for her own good.'
Back at the Owl House, the gang began to prepare for the Moonlight Conjuring after an hour of playing board games. Willow and Gus had a bit of trouble understanding how to play them, but the Noceda siblings were happy to teach them, much to Gus' excitement.
"Okay, the moon is almost in position everyone." Willow said as she watched the moon slowly rise in the night sky from a window.
"Just in time too." Gus said as he placed Beefy Bob in the center of a circle of lit candles. "And now we sit."
"So how does this conjuring go anyway?" Luz asked.
"According to the conjuring books I've read, we sit in a circle, hold hands, say the incantation, and make a connection with the doll." Willow explained as she joined Gus.
"Figurine." He corrected her.
"That's it? I was expecting something more complex." Hunter said as he and Luz sat down, "So how does the incantation go?"
"Like this: Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight take this chance. Moonlight come tie the string. Moonlight start the dance." Willow recited to him.
"Alright, simple enough. Got that Luz?" He asked as he turned to look at his sister, who was looking at the moon.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Don't worry." She said, though Hunter couldn't help but be skeptical.
"It's time!" Gus said excitedly as he looked at the moon. Everyone quickly held their hands and began to chant.
"Moonlight, we call, we sing. Moonlight take this chance. Moonlight come tie the string. Moonlight start the dance!" Gus, Willow, and Hunter said together as the group began to emit a blue glow. However, Luz struggled as she tried to remember the incantation.
"Moonlight tie... string... and I don't know the words!" She said in a haze. Meanwhile, Hooty was looking around outside the house, trying to find anything interesting happening to kill time until Eda and King returned. As he did, his eyes stopped and focused on the moon. He didn't know why, but something about it grabbed his full attention and he could not break his gaze from it. The moon stops moving and a burst of blue light comes out of it. That same light bursts out from the group, spreading around the living room and extinguishing the candles. The group took a peek at the doll to see if it worked, but it didn't move.
"That's your cue, little man." Gus quietly whispered. Still nothing happened.
The group were about to sulk when suddenly the room began to shake violently, with items on the shelves and counters falling onto the floor. The teens watched in terror as the rumbling continued to increase. Outside, Hooty continued to stare at the moon before blinking and his eyes glowing blue.
"Hooooot~" Hooty howled as the house continued to violently rumble. Several birds that were perched on the roof flew away as the ground around the house began to crack. With one final shake, the Owl House rose on two large bird legs as the teens inside screamed as they fell around the room. The rumbling stopped as the living room was left in a state of disarray.
"Guys? Did the whole house just hiccup?" Luz asked as she got up from the floor and looked at the group to see if they were okay.
"Little buff guy, what did you do?" Gus asked the figure as he squeezed it.
"A real man never takes accountability!" It said.
"No, I think—I think we might've animated the house by accident!" Willow said as she looked around and rubbed her head.
"The whole house?! There's no way?!" Hunter said. Luz gasped as she ran outside and nearly fell off the ledge. "Luz!" Hunter yelled as he quickly got up and ran to grab her, with Gus and Willow joining them. Hooty let out a ghastly howl as the house began to walk, the group screamed as they ran back to the door but found it locked.
"Hooty! Open the door!" Hunter yelled as he tried to force it open.
"Hooty? Hooty! Hooty, you have to stop!" Luz pleaded.
"By the power of moonlight, I have risen. Hoot hoot." Hooty responded.
"He's in some kind of trance!" Gus said.
"Our magic must've spread through the house instead of the doll!" Willow said.
"Figurine!" Gus corrected. The house began to walk into a forest with uneven terrain, causing it to sway side to side. The change in movement caused Gus to fall off the ledge, but thankfully, Hunter and Luz caught him by his hands.
"Gus!" The siblings said as they struggled to pull him up. "Willow! Help us!" Hunter said. She quickly ran and grabbed their hands, causing the blue glow to appear around them.
"Hooty, stop!" Luz yelled out, causing the house to stop before it could walk off a cliff and into the Boiling Sea. The three pull Gus back up to safety and let go of each other, staring at their hands and causing the glow to disappear.
"What just happened?" Hunter asked.
"How'd we do that?" Gus asked as well. The group looked at Hooty, then at the moon. Luz suddenly had a thought pop into her head.
"Everyone. Hold hands again." She said. The teens do so, causing the glow to return. "Hooty, back away from the cliff." She said. The Owl House slightly shook before taking several steps away from the cliff and back into the forest.
"We're controlling it with the power of friendship." Willow happily exclaimed. "Uh, and the moon. Probably the moon." She meekly said.
"Well at least we know how to control it." Hunter said.
"This is amazing! What do we do now?" Gus said with excitement as the group stopped holding their hands.
"On the one hand, we should probably stay put." Luz suggested.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you Luz." Hunter said.
"On the other hand, we've got a giant walking house and should totally take it on a joyride!" Gus said.
"Don't give her any ideas." Hunter warned as Luz looked at the moon.
"Okay, but we gotta be back before the moon sets or Eda will kill me." Luz said, causing Hunter to groan.
"Yeah! Joyride!" The group, aside from Hunter, cheered as they commanded the house to walk through the forest. A couple moments later, Willow noticed someone walking on the ground nearby.
"Hey, is that…" She said before gasping at who it was. The group stopped the house and looked at who she saw.
"It's Boscha. That girl who made fun of us." Gus said.
"What's she doing here?" Hunter asked. The three-eyed witch was walking down a dirt path, carrying a pink duffle bag and talking into a crow-phone. The group watched her, wondering where she was going.
"Ugh! Yes, Mom. I'm going to a moonlight conjuring. No, Mom. You can't come. And yes, Mom, it's sad that you're asking." Boscha said as she let go of the crow, which cawed as it flew away, before opening up her bag. "Alright, let's see if I have everything for this conjuring thing tonight." She said as she shuffled through her things before turning around and spotting the Owl House. "What the?"
"She noticed us. What do we do?" Willow asked. The siblings pondered for a moment before Luz came up with an idea.
"Hey Gus, can you summon a magic megaphone?" She asked as he quickly did. "Hey. H-Hey you. You should, uh, stop being so mean to people. You're kind of a jerk." Luz said with a howling voice. The group laughed as Boscha scoffed.
"Ew. A talking house is giving me a lecture? Whatever. I'll just TP you like I did with the rest of the neighborhood." She said as she pulled out a roll of toilet paper.
"My turn now." Hunter said as he moved close to the megaphone and gestured to the group to hold hands. "But don't you see? I am no mere house." He said in a deep menacing voice. The house slowly stood up as Hunter gave out a roar. The scene caused Boscha to scream as she dropped the toilet paper and ran away. The group laughed as they watched her disappear through the trees.
"I've never pranked anyone before. And now I have a taste for it. I want more." Gus said as he gave a mischievous grin.
"We should follow her to Amity's house to show off our conjuring. That will show her who's got no talent." Willow said as she narrowed her eyes and shook her fist.
"Actually, I'm starting to think we should head back before we get ourselves into trouble." Hunter said.
"I agree, let's go back guys." Luz said.
"Amity's updating her Penstagram." Gus said as he showed the siblings his scroll. It contained an image of Amity and her friends happily preparing their own Moonlight Conjuring, with Amity flashing a peace symbol and giving a wink.
"Shout out to my fellow witches. #Humans can bite it." Luz gasped as she read the message. "Let's go."
"Now, Luz. There's no reason to go and crash her party. It's not worth it, we promised Eda we wouldn't mess up the house." Hunter explained. "Besides, getting mad over something like that isn't worth-"
"She updated it again." Gus interrupted as he showed it to Hunter. The new image depicted Amity styling her hair with a duck face expression.
"Green might not be a creative color, but at least it's not dirt blonde? #No loners allowed?!" Hunter read the caption before narrowing his eyes. "...Where to?" He said to Willow in a low voice, causing her to smile. Shortly after, The Owl House began to walk in the direction towards Amity's home, with the gang cheering as they planned to one up her conjuring night. Unbeknownst to them, several shadowy figures were following behind flying on magic staffs.
Back at the pub, Eda and Henry continued to chat. The two were a couple of drinks in and feeling tipsy but that didn't stop them. Eda snorted and chuckled as Henry finished telling her a joke before breaking out into a laughing fit.
"Oh wow, that's a good one." She said. "You know how to make a woman laugh." She overly complimented him.
"What can I say? I'm a funny guy who aims to please." He chuckled. "Especially one whose dad is a famous potion supplier."
"Oh, that's interesting. Care to tell me about it." She said, luring him into her trap.
"Eh, it's… not that important." Henry said as he rubbed his head.
"Come on. If it's one thing you've shown me tonight, it's that you're not boring." She said as she walked her fingers up his shirt. He gave her a smirk before responding.
"I'd love to, but… that's confidential business matters." He said with a sly smile. Eda's face dropped to an annoyed look. She was about to speak when she noticed a deck of Hexes Hold'em sticking out of his overcoat's pocket. An idea formed in her head.
"Say, you play Hexes Hold'em?" She asked, which grabbed Henry's attention.
"Oh! Is that what that game is called?" He said as he pulled out the deck and held it in his hand. "I'm not much of a cards game fan." He said, which caused Eda to smile as she thought of a way to get him to spill the secret elixir recipe.
"How about we make it interesting? I win, you tell me about your potion supply. You win, I'll pay your bill tonight." She explained as she held out her hand. "Whaddya say?"
"Ooooh, a chance to win free drinks. You're on." He responded with a smile as he shook her hand. Eda smirked, she felt that she had secured a way to get that secret elixir. Henry set down the deck and the two quickly began their game.
Meanwhile, The Owl House was walking through the town of Bonesborough as the residents screamed and ran for cover to avoid getting stepped on. The group watched the ground as they were careful to avoid hurting the locals.
"Sorry everyone!" Luz yelled out.
"Are you sure cutting through the town was the fastest way to get to her house?" Hunter asked.
"My idea involved less destruction when I first thought of it." Willow said as she nervously laughed.
"Well it doesn't matter now. We're here." Gus said. The house stopped a quarter mile away from a large manor made out of purple and gray stone with a brown shingle roof, a purple door, stone chimneys, and a large spire sitting upon a hill. It was surrounded by a large fence with an entrance gate reading "BLIGHT MANOR" in front of it.
"Time to show Amity what a real conjuring looks like." Willow said. The house began to walk forward, but it shook and made a sudden stop. The teens looked and saw a giant rope that was draped over the roof.
"Where did that come from?" Hunter asked.
"Guys, is that a... giant crossbow?" Luz asked as the group looked and saw a group of witches in brown robes preparing a giant crossbow. One witch gave a signal to fire, causing another bolt with a rope to entrap the house.
"Everyone quick! Get inside!" Hunter yelled as the group ran into the living room and locked the door. "Barricade the door!" He said as everyone quickly pushed a bookshelf, the couch, and other large objects in front of it to prevent the witches from coming in. They continued to place other objects to reinforce the barrier until they heard several loud bangs on the other side, knocking several objects out of the door. The group froze and backed away in fear, but Hunter quickly ran to try and reinforce the pile using his body. "Guys! I need some help here!" He said. The rest joined in as the banging continued, causing even more objects to fall off. It wasn't long until a powerful bang forced the door open and knocked the barricade down along with the group. Hunter was left unconscious as he hit his head against the ground while the rest were left stunned. Luz noticed her brother and quickly ran to check if he was okay.
"Hunter! Hunter! Are you okay?!" She said.
"Um, guys." Gus said nervously as he pointed towards the entrance. Luz and Willow looked and saw the large male gray demon hunter standing there. He gave a look around the room and saw the teens on the floor.
"Knock, knock." He said, giving a smile as the rest of the demon hunters entered the house.
A while later, The Owl House was tied down to a large cart that was being pushed by the demon hunters towards their small base in the woods. One demon hunter that stood upon a small lookout blew a horn, alerting the rest in the base to prepare for their arrival. Inside the living room, The teens were individually bound with rope, but were sat together. Hunter was still unconscious as Willow sulked while Gus tried to bite through his rope. Luz kicked the door several times as Hooty continued to howl in a trance.
"Hooty! Hooty! You have to wake up! Please!" She said as she continued to kick.
"If you want this to end as you say, the group must hold hands. It's the only way." Hooty said, peeving Luz.
"¡Oye, no me hable así!" Luz snapped back. "Willow, will you help me out with Hooty?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, Luz. I should have listened to you and Hunter on returning the house back, but I just had to show off to Amity." She said somberly. "The truth is… she and I used to be friends."
"Whaaat?" Luz said in surprise.
"Guys, is now the best time?" Gus said before Willow continued.
"We played together as kids, but when she got her magical powers and I didn't, she stopped hanging out with me." She explained as she sighed. "I just wanted to prove to her that I was a powerful witch, too."
"Willow." Luz said before the house suddenly stopped, knocking them to the floor. "Did the house stop moving?" She said.
"Uh, my insides didn't." Gus groaned.
"Guys? What's going on?" Hunter asked as he regained consciousness. The door swung open as the gray demon hunter entered, along with the olive green orge demon hunter. The group gasped as the two grabbed and pushed the teens out of the house. Two witches ran up to the gray demon hunter.
"Brutus, what do you want us to do?" One said.
"Take the house and rip out the house demon. We can sell it to the local restaurants as exotic meat." Brutus ordered.
"No! Hooty would taste terrible." Luz said.
"Hey, I'm a refined taste. Hoot! Hoot!" Hooty retorted.
"Damn it, Hooty. We're trying to save you." Hunter said before he was grabbed by Brutus.
"Hey! Let me go!"
"What do we do with the other worms?" The olive orge asked. Brutus looked at the teens as they shook in fear.
"Throw them over the cliff, Tom. I'll deal with this one personally." He said with a smile. The teens gasped in shock as Brutus dragged Hunter away while Tom pushed the others towards the cliff.
"Luz!" Hunter cried out.
"Hunter!" Luz yelled.
Back at the pub, Henry and Eda finished their game of Hexes Hold'em. The elderly witch sat in shock as she stared at the ashes that were once her deck. She had lost the game as Henry gave a sly smirk at her.
"Oof. That was painful to watch." King commented as he watched from the window.
"Wow. Some crazy beginner's luck to win on my first game, or maybe you're losing your touch." Henry remarked, causing Eda to growl at him.
"You card shark. You hustled me!" She angrily said as Henry chuckled.
"Looks like you forgot about my wild card." He said as his wild card hopped onto the table and did a victory pose. "But as you know, a deal's a deal. I'll be generous and end my night here so that my tab isn't too expensive for you. Let's do this again sometime." He said as he got up and walked out of the pub. Eda quickly followed him, hoping to somehow still get the secret elixir recipe.
"Hey! I'm not done with you yet." She said.
"Oi, get back here and pay yer tab!" The bartender said. Eda ran out of the pub and began to look around the street, but wasn't able to find him.
'Damn, where did he go? He couldn't have gone too far.' She thought as she continued her search, and noticed that King wasn't at the window where she told him to stay. "King! King, where are you! King!" She called out.
"Eda!" She heard him yell out from a nearby alleyway. She quickly ran towards it and saw King was being held hostage by a large male orge wearing leather armor over his clothes. "Eda, help me!" He said as he struggled to break free from the orge's iron grip.
"Hold on King!" She said as she drew a spell circle, but it disintegrated. A large amount of feathers soon covered her arm as she remembered her curse. She grunted as she could do nothing to save King from this mysterious menace.
"Having trouble, are you?" She turned around and saw Henry standing behind her. "It's a bit difficult to get out of this without your magic, right?" He said with a smirk.
"I'm only gonna say this once; let him go." She warned as she got into a fighting stance. "I might not have magic, but I still know how to fight." Henry quickly drew a spell circle, which summoned a pair of chains that shot out of the ground and wrapped around Eda. She fell to the floor as she angrily glared at Henry, who continued to smugly smirk at her. "You think this can stop me? I can still bite your ankles." She said.
Henry let out a laugh. "You don't think I know who you are? Eda, the Owl Lady." He said, causing her to gasp. He then pulled out her wanted poster. "That's right. A stroll around the town led me to discover this. I asked around and learned more about you, and your curse." He explained as he pulled out a bottle of elixir from his coat. "I figured that you wanted this to help you control it, an improved elixir to help combat the curse more effectively. But a simple bottle isn't what you wanted right? You want the recipe. Well you're not going to get it. Instead, what I'm going to get is a reward for your capture." He chuckled. "I wonder how much the Emperor's Coven would pay me to hand you over? Probably way more than the price of my pub tab." He taunted her.
Back at the woods near the demon hunter's camp, Tom shoved the three teens near the cliff.
"Alrighty, kids. Here's the end of your short little lives." He said as they nervously watched the sea waves crashing against the cliffside. Gus began to breathe rapidly.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Is this really what you wanna be doing with your life? Tossing kids from cliffs?" He tried to reason.
"Actually, yes. It's been my dream since I was a boy." Tom said with a smile, which caused the teens to stare at him in shock. "I was a strange child. Now let's get this over with." He said as he approached them. Gus quickly glanced at the sea and back at Tom, his breathing became more erratic as the demon hunter drew closer. He was not ready to meet his end.
"Don't do this. P-please don't." He pleaded as his body began to emit a light blue glow. Tom continued as Gus' breathing drew quicker. "Stay away! STAY AWAY!" He yelled as his eyes and body glowed brightly as soon as Tom touched him. The light quickly consumed the demon hunter as he immediately recoiled in fright as he covered his face.
"Aaaahhh! Aaahh-ha! Aaaaaahhhh!" He screamed as he stumbled around. He opened his eyes, which were glowing a light blue before he continued. "N-n-no! Get back! Get Back! Aaahhh!" He cried out as he swung his arms around at some invisible threat. "Stay back you beast!" The teens watched on as he retreated back to his base. They quickly seized the opportunity to try to break free from their ropes.
"Come on, come on." Gus grunted as he began biting his rope. Luckily, he managed to rip a tear into one of the strings, which caused the bondage to loosen enough to free his arms. "Yes!" He cheered as he drew a spell circle to disintegrate it, along with the other ropes binding Luz and Willow. The human girl quickly ran up to him.
"Gus! How did you do that?!" She asked.
"I… I don't know. I just got really scared and… that happened." Gus said.
"Um, guys. I think we need to deal with something right now." Willow said.
"Oh no. Hunter! Hooty! The house!" Luz exclaimed. "We gotta save them."
"Let's go." Willow said as she summoned a large flower plant to carry them across the woods and back to the base.
Back at the base, the rest of the demon hunters were preparing to gut Hooty to collect as meat. The two demon hunters from before were talking to each other, inspecting the house.
"Woo, Brutus sure got a good bounty tonight." One of them said.
"Yeah, but I think that doesn't matter to him right now." The other said.
"What do ya mean?"
"Did you see the look he was giving to that kid?"
"Which one?"
"The blonde one. Looked like he had some unfinished business with him. I don't know why though." The first demon hunter said.
"Well… I heard this… rumor awhile back-" The other began to explain before he was interrupted.
"Aaaahhhh!" They heard Tom scream. They turned and saw him running out of the woods before tripping and falling to the ground. Everyone quickly ran to check on him.
"Tom! What's wrong?! Don't tell me those children got the best of you?" One asked before a large root shot out and knocked him unconscious. The rest turned to look at what happened before more roots appeared and took out two more demon hunters. The remaining ones readied themselves for a fight before a large shadow fell over them. It was Luz, Willow, and Gus, who were standing on top of the large flower that was surrounded by thorn covered vines.
"We may be children, but we're also witches. Powerful ones." Willow said before the group charged at the hunters.
Meanwhile, Brutus was dragging Hunter deeper into the woods as he continued to struggle. He grunted as he was tossed to the ground by the demon hunter leader.
"You're gonna pay for this dearly if you don't let me, my sister, and my friends go." He said as Brutus just sneered at him. "I mean it. Let us go now!" He threatened.
"Shut up! I don't care what happens to those kids, my business is with you." Brutus said as he brandished a large knife. "And someone like you is too dangerous to be left alive."
Hunter recoiled in fright as he scooted away from him. "W-what's your deal?! None of us didn't do anything dangerous… Aside from.. Bringing a house to life with the conjuring." Hunter said. Brutus scoffed as he approached the teen. "But that doesn't mean we deserve to die!" He retorted.
"That trick with the house is not why I'm doing this. It's the mere fact that you exist in the first place." He explained, which made Hunter look at him in confusion.
"What are you talking about, you psycho?!" He said.
"Don't play coy! I've heard about the folk stories about you, the harm you bring to witches and demons alike. But now I can take comfort in the fact that there's one less in the isles thanks to me." He said as he readied his knife as Hunter frantically struggled to break free. Fortunately for the teen, a series of loud thuds and yelps from the direction of the base caught Brutus' attention. "What in Tartarus is happening over there?" He said before turning to look at Hunter. "Hey! What di-!" He wasn't able to finish his question as Hunter quickly delivered a sidekick to one of his legs, knocking down to the ground. The demon hunter groaned in pain as the teen delivered another kick to his face before running off in the direction of the camp. Brutus got up and chased after him. "Get back here! You're gonna pay for that!"
Hunter picked up his pace as he got closer to the fight that was happening at the camp. He feared the worst had happened to his sister and friends. However, when he arrived, he saw the demon hunters were fighting a large flower that was using thick thorn-covered vines and various magic spells to assault the base. Even more to his surprise; Luz, Gus, and Willow were controlling it. He smiled. "Guys! Over here!" He yelled out. The trio looked over and saw him.
"Hunter!" Luz cheered as she saw her brother was okay. However, she noticed Brutus behind him, ready to stab him with his knife. "Hunter! Look out!" She warned. He turned around and saw the demon hunter, and quickly dodged his attack. Brutus didn't relent as he continued his assault, but thankfully, a large root wrapped around and stopped him. The teen turned and saw that Willow was the one who summoned it. She threw Brutus towards some foliage near the tree line as she lowered the flower near Hunter.
"Hop on!" She said. Luz and Gus grabbed and pulled him onto it, with the former hugging him tightly.
"You okay?" She asked in concern as she began to free him.
"I'm good. How did you escape? They didn't do anything to you guys, right?" He asked.
"No. That Tom guy was about to throw us off the cliff, but Gus did something that caused that dude to freak out." She explained.
"Wait, what? How?" He asked.
"Um, guys. Can we save the questions for later? We need some help here." Willow interrupted as she and Gus continued to fight back against the demon hunters.
"Luz, do you have any magic glyphs on you?" Hunter asked. Luz did a quick search on herself before responding.
"No, I don't." She said. As the group continued to fight, Brutus emerged and saw them, specifically Hunter, on top of the large flower. He growled as he wielded his large sword and charged at it. He delivered a deep cut into the flower's stem, causing it to shake and alerting the teens.
"He's back and he's about to cut down the flower!" Hunter said as he watched Brutus deliver another strike to the stem, causing Willow to nearly lose control of the plant. The demon hunters used this opportunity to regroup and position themselves for a more effective attack.
"We need to get to the house, fast!" Luz said.
"I got an idea, everyone gather together!" Gus said. Luz, Hunter, and Willow quickly huddled around him as the flower shook from another strike from Brutus.
"Whatever your plan is, Gus. Do it now!" Hunter yelled. Gus drew a large spell circle above them as the group began to emit a light blue glow around them.
"Jump!" He said. The teens did so and immediately after, dozens upon dozens of illusion clones of them appeared in mid-air as they landed on the ground. Brutus and his group stood in shock at the sheer amount that appeared around them. "Go!" Gus said he and the others made a dash for the house while the illusions ran around, causing chaos and attacking the demon hunters. They struggled to gain control of the situation as they tried to find the real teens, but were soon overwhelmed.
"Find the boy and bring him to me." Brutus said as he slashed at several illusion clones, causing them to disappear in a cloud of smoke.
"Which one?" One of the hunters asked.
"The blonde one!" He clarified as he continued to eliminate more illusions. Meanwhile, the gang arrived at the wagon where the house was bound to.
"Willow, cut the ropes and get us onto the house." Gus said. Willow summoned several roots and used them to slash through the ropes. She then used a large root to carry them towards the front door.
"Everyone hold hands!" She said. They did what she said and regained control of Hooty and the house, which arose from the wagon and back on its feet. They looked and saw that Brutus was the only one left fighting the illusions, the other hunters were either overwhelmed or knocked unconscious.
"Let's deal with him." Hunter said. "Hooty, take him out." Hooty let out an echoing hoot as the house began to walk towards Brutus. The demon hunter continued to fight off the remaining illusions, unaware of the danger approaching behind him. He had finished eliminating the last one before noticing a large shadow looming over him.
"What the?" He said as he turned around and saw the house with its bird leg raised in mid-air. "Uh oh…" He said as the foot stepped on him. The teens looked over at the sea and saw that the moon was beginning to set on the horizon.
"Oh, no. I don't mean to step on this victory but we gotta get home before Eda does." Luz said.
"Hooty, take us home as fast as you can!" Hunter said. The house began to walk away, leaving Brutus on the ground groaning in pain and the camp in ruins.
Meanwhile, Eda continued her efforts to break free from the chains with no avail while King sat nearby with shackles around his ankles. The elderly witch yelled in frustration once she realized the chains were too powerful to break out.
"You know, we wouldn't be here right now if you remembered to stock up on elixir instead of playing that stupid game." King remarked.
"Shut up." Eda pouted.
"You know I'm right, Eda." He said, causing Eda to sigh.
"Look. I know I have a problem. I get obsessed with Hexes Hold'em, to the point where I ignore everything else. But from now on, I'm done with that stupid game." She said as she ate a random card near her. "See?"
King chuckled at the sight. "Okay, okay, you proved your point. Much to my amusement. I'll grab you the elixir and then we can bust out of here." He said as he managed to squeeze his feet out of the shackles. He quietly crept up beside a corner and saw Henry and his bodyguard standing nearby, with the former talking to a crow-phone.
"Yes, I have her detained. Though before I turn her in to you, I want to discuss the payout. I believe that it might not be enough considering her status and the risk I put myself to." He said as King snuck up behind him. "Well since the Emperor's Coven had trouble catching her, I think it's fair that I get a bonus." He argued. He listened as the other caller continued to talk. "Alright, just get someone here to pick her up and we'll discuss more at the station. Bye." He said as he hung up and let the crow-phone fly away. "What a night. I beat a wanted criminal at her own game, gonna collect her bounty, and best of all, I got free drinks. Ain't this marvelous, Chuck?" He said.
"My name isn't Chuck, sir. It's-"
"Yes, it has been a night to remember, Chuck. Nothing can ruin this." Henry interrupted, causing "Chuck" to leer at him. Seeing his chance, King quickly pounced on his head, catching him off guard.
"Surprise King attack!" He yelled out as he tugged on his hair and pounded on his face using his fists. "Give me that elixir!" He said as he crawled inside Henry's coat.
"Get off me you dirty mutt!" He angrily said as he tried to catch him, but to no avail. "Chuck! Do something! Help!"
"Don't tell me that small dog is giving you that much trouble, kid." "Chuck" said as he continued to watch him struggle to detain King. "...Alright. I'll help." He said as he began to walk towards Henry. He grabbed and lifted the witch up by the collar of his coat before reaching inside and pulling out King, who had the bottle of elixir in his hands. Henry quickly snatched it away before "Chuck" threw King to the ground.
"King, are you okay." Eda asked as she squirmed her way around the corner to check on him. Henry stood on his feet and dusted himself off before shooting an angry glare at King.
"Bold act you did just there, bone boy. But a stupid one at best." He said. "Don't even think about trying to escape again. The Emperor's Coven is already on its way to send this witch here to the Conformatorium." He said. Unbeknownst to them, the ground rumbled slightly.
"You won't get away with this!" King retorted, causing Henry to snicker.
"You still don't get it, do you? Well let me drill this through your thick skull, you mutt." He mocked. Another small, but more noticeable rumble shook the ground. This time, Eda noticed thanks to a water puddle vibrating nearby. "I've got the cards stacked in my favor." He continued with another rumble happening immediately after, though Henry failed to notice it. "And nothing can stop me. Nothing!" He declared in triumph, failing to notice the Owl House before it kicked him away towards a stack of wooden barrels. Everyone stood in shock at what just happened before a voice broke the silence.
"Sorry, mister." Luz said as the house continued on its walk home. King noticed the elixir bottle on the ground and went to get it, while Eda sat up and laughed at Henry's sudden misfortune.
"Wait, what—Was that my house?" She suddenly realized.
"Eda, quick!" King said as he threw the bottle to her. She manages to catch it with her mouth and downed the elixir quickly. Feeling re-energized, she drew a spell circle to break free from her chains. She smiled as the feathers around her body began to fall off.
"Ooohh… D-did.. Anyone catch the number of that… House?" Henry groaned before aching in pain.
"Sorry rich kid, but it looks like you forgot about the wild card." Eda taunted as she grabbed King and her staff before flying back home. Henry sat up and watched in frustration as the elderly witch left him in a defeated state.
"Damn you, witch. Damn you, bone boy. This isn't the end between you and me! I'll have my revenge!" He yelled before groaning in pain. "Chuck! Since it's your fault that the Owl Lady escaped, I'm going to deduct your pay! Now get over here, help me up, and take me home." He demanded.
"You know what, kid. My skills are better at being used for anything else than being a babysitter for an overgrown baby. Get your dad to find you another bodyguard, cause I quit!" "Chuck" snapped as he walked away, leaving Henry all alone.
"Fine! I don't need you! There's a whole line of witches and demons that are willing to work for my father. Goodbye Chuck!" He yelled out.
"And my name is not Chuck!" "Chuck" retorted.
"Oh whatever!" He said dismissively.
"Hey, you there! Go back to the pub and pay your tab." The barkeeper said as he approached Henry.
"You have no idea what I've been through tonight. I'm not in the mood to pay for anything right now." Henry said.
"That wasn't a suggestion." The barkeeper said as two muscular male witches appeared by his side. Henry took a quick glance at them before groaning in frustration.
The Owl House quickly raced back to its crater as the moon began to disappear over the horizon. Thankfully, it settled back down just in time as the effects of the moonlight conjuring wore off. The group sat inside the living room, eyes closed and still holding each other's hands. Luz opened up her eyes and looked around the disheveled room.
"Did we do it?" She asked the others as they began to look around as well. The front door caught their attention as it opened.
"Woah, is the room spinning or is it just me?" Hooty said before chuckling. "Ah. Just a little house humor. Ooh."
"You feeling alright there, Hooty?" Hunter asked.
"It's okay. I'm just glad I was included." He said, easing the group's worries. However, their relief was short lived as the door slammed closed, revealing Eda and King on the other side. She stepped forward and gave the teens a stern look.
"Oh, boy." Luz said in concern.
"You kids are so busted." Eda said.
"Here we go." Hunter said.
"You two held a moonlight conjuring." The elderly witch began.
"We did." Luz said meekly.
"And you animated my house. My house!" She said.
"Yes, we did." Hunter said. However, Willow stepped in between the siblings and Eda.
"No. Don't punish them. We're the ones who pushed them to do the conjuring." She explained.
"Yeah." Gus said as he joined Willow. "If you're gonna eat me, just do it now. Do it now!" He said, causing Eda to look at him in disgust at the idea.
"Hey, you and Gus don't have to take the fall for us." Hunter said to Willow.
"Yes I do, the conjuring was my idea." She said.
"Well I'm too tired to deal with this thoroughly." Eda said as she summoned various cleaning supplies in the kids' hands. "You're all guilty, so you'll all be punished by cleaning my house top to bottom." She explained. "And another thing…" She gave a stern look to the group as they gulped nervously. "That was totally amazing. And I'm so joining you for next year's conjuring. Now get to work." She said as the teens went to work on cleaning the house. Eda and King decided to get some rest on the couch. "Welp, tonight was a total bust, but at least I'm not laying down on a bed inside the Conformatorium." She said.
"I wouldn't say it was a total bust, because look what I got." King said as he pulled out a torn piece of paper from his collar, causing Eda to gasp. It was a list of ingredients for the new elixir formula. "I managed to snatch it from that rich punk's notebook inside his coat. I believe a thank you is in order." He said smugly as the elderly witch took and read the list. However, she noticed that the bottom portion was missing, which unfortunately contained a key ingredient.
"Well this might not be the complete recipe for the new elixir cure, but it's enough to make my own normal supply." She said as she tucked away the list in her dress. "You did good, King."
"Thank you." He said as he looked at the teens. "I can't believe they animated a whole house." He said.
"Yeah. You're right. That takes some powerful magic." Eda said as she watched the group clean the living room.
"Man, tonight was amazing. I can't wait for next year." Gus said as he swept the floor.
"Well I'm just glad that we managed to fight off that Demon Hunter group before they hurt us. We need to be more careful next time." Hunter said as he wiped down a coffee table.
"Same, but I still kinda wish we got to show up Amity." Luz said as she rearranged a lamp.
"Yeah. Too bad no one will know of our daring adventures." Willow said as she sprayed a wall with a surface cleaner before wiping it down.
"Come on. Move." A female Hexside student said. She had short light green hair, light skin, green colored eyes, and was wearing her school uniform, which had green sleeves and leggings. She, Skara, Cat, and Boscha sat around a stuffed rabbit doll. The group had spent the majority of their night trying to do a Moonlight Conjuring in Amity's room, but it turned out to be a waste of time since they failed to animate the doll.
"Ugh, just stop Ameila. It's not gonna work." Boscha groaned at the girl. "So what if we couldn't move a doll. Now we have time for what really matters. Penstagram." She said cheerfully as she summoned her scroll and began browsing with a bored look, the other girls followed suit. Meanwhile, Amity sat by her window and looked outside with a somber expression. She figured out that her group's conjuring efforts would yield no results after the first tries failed, so she spent the majority of the night doing her own thing away from the group. However, a gasp from Boscha caught her attention, followed by the muttering of the other girls. She turned and saw the three-eyed witch and company staring at her scroll in bewilderment.
"What's wrong everyone?" She said as she walked towards them. She got her answer as she looked at the screen, becoming surprised at what she saw. It was a collage of posts on Penstagram showing the Owl House group riding around with the house across Bonesborough, with several residents looking on in marvel and complimenting their feat. Both Boscha and Amity looked at each other, saying one thing that perfectly captured their shock along with causing a flock of crows to fly away from the roof of the manor.
"What?!"
Back at the destroyed campsite, the demon hunters were recovering from the Owl House group's attack. The wild purple haired witch and a couple of other members were tending to Tom, whose illusion effect finally wore off. He groaned as the other hunters used their healing magic to keep him calm and stable.
"There, there, Tom. Just relax, you'll be back on your feet soon enough." She said.
"Sierra! Where are you?!" Brutus called out as he walked around with a cast on his right arm.
"I'm coming!" She said as she turned to the other hunters giving aid to Tom. "Stay by his side. He should make a full recovery in an hour or two, but keep an eye on him in case he starts to act up." She instructed as she left to meet with Brutus. "I'm here Brutus, what do you need?"
"Give me a healing potion, I need to be back in action as soon as possible." He demanded as he held out his injured arm.
Sierra groaned. "You've already been taken care of. Besides, the others need my help if we want everyone to be back on their feet." She argued.
"This isn't a suggestion, but an order, Sierra. Heal me so that I can plan and organize our next move as quickly as possible. We have a threat we need to deal with." He said sternly, but she sighed.
"Brutus, if this is about those kids, I get it. I want those brats to pay for making a fool of our group. But if we attack now, they're gonna hand us another beating on a silver platter. We need to rest before doing anything else." She explained, causing him to grunt.
"Fine. But once we finish gathering our bearings, we're going after those kids, especially the blonde one. Someone like him is dangerous to roam around the Isles." He said.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Haven't you heard about the stories of them? Many thought they were the stuff of obscure myths, but not me." He said ominously. Sierra looked at him in confusion before it dawned on her on what he meant.
"...No. Brutus you must be mistaken. There's no way-"
"I know what I saw!" Brutus interrupted the now concerned witch as he continued. "It's no mistake. The boy, he's a grimwalker."
Well that's the end of this chapter. Apologizes again for making you wait this long. Hopefully, another leak doesn't happen in the meantime (heh).
So two things: Tibbles will appear later in the story. The recipe sub plot will be explored as the story goes on.
The Demon Hunters will be more involved along with the leader knowing about Hunter's true identity. I wanted them to act as a second antagonist group since they literally just appear for two episodes and are never mentioned again, which felt like a waste.
Mando Whisky: Hunter will have a thing with Willow, but that will happen around the time both him and Luz are attending Hexside. Pivoting off that, "Something Ventured, Someone Framed" and "The First Day" will be combined into one chapter. The plot will be different due to Lilith ordering the school to accept the siblings as students.