Chapter Text
It was the last and hottest day of the May, in a town Gravesfield, Connecticut. It was an unpleasant day for a hybrid named Luz Noceda, who was standing on the sidewalk not too far from her house, with a satchel on her shoulder, waiting for the bus to take her to one place for whole summer; at Dr.Harrison.
The 'best decision' that principal Hal and her mami would ever come up earlier, was sending her to the Summer Camp Reality Check - a camp assigned for special, gifted kids, and of course troublesome kids like her; Luz would wish to go somewhere else, but knowing the current situation, it would never happen, since her mother insisted to not sending her daughter to that camp for obvious reasons; it left Luz no choice, so she needed to be humble, try not to cause a trouble or bite someone, and try not to disappoint her mami by it while staying with Eddith Harrison.
A latino woman in her thirties, dressed in her vet scrubs with the red glasses and white shoes.
It was her mother, Camila Noceda.
A gentle and happy smile formed on her lips, as she came closer to her daughter, "Oh, my baby", she said before hugging Luz gently.
No matter how sweet this affection was given from her mother, it didn't change the Luz's mood, as she was thinking somewhere else - mostly it thinking about being sent to Harrison.
"Do you think it was really worth it?"
"Mija, that's the greater good for you. Staying at Harrison's is only going to be for three months. You'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to....help Doc with his work, the time will fly by!"
"I'm not buying into this"
"Besides, you should try to behave yourself and make some friends, if you're so 'superior metahuman'"
"But I am!" Luz said aloud to her mother, pointing her hands to her chest "I can control my powers, well, not yet, they're still not developed..."
"This was the only way to control your behaviour. We've already discussed about this, yet you always missed important things through your ears. Especially when it comes to metahumans"
"But, mami" grumbled vet's daughter "I had everything under my control. And I'd keep maintaining this despite my recklessness!"
"Really? Like you've beating up Stoutmore brothers when they picked you up?" Luz didn't show her expression, but felt the heart's grasp.
Kristopher and Johann - were known for their mutual plans of pranking, rapping and toppling the weak on their way to be the Kings of Gravesfield school, but that'd be lasted one day, when they've picked up Luz of all people, making their another antic a fatal with the huge cost for messing with her way, she 'taught' them through fight to the next day - ending up with broken bones of limbs and sored eyes, Johann's knocked three teeth and Kristopher's broken nose, was enough to send them to the hospital.
Luz still remembered the angry faces of Stoutmore parents. Especially when she, her mami and principal Hal had to listen the Stoutmore's complaints, insults, even threating Luz to be expelled for hurting their sons. Fortunately for Luz, Hal did gave her a job to pick up the trash for two weeks after the lessons for punishment. Even though, the principal's decision didn't cease the tension in Gravesfield school off and Camilla's disappointment in her daughter.
Week later, the Stoutmore family with their sons discharged from the hospital, moved to another town, away from Gravesfield for their own sake.
"They got it for facing the tough girl like me" Luz said, regaining some bits of glory.
"Then how the 'tough girl' can explain the Gertman's grandson being hanged on the flagpole?" but Camila's response quickly toppled down the hybrid's glory to dust.
Jimbo Gertman - a richy smart kid, who was resided in the simple house with his grandparents, he have played as their well-mannered goody two shoes. But underneath of it, there was a rotting and annoying bore, that Luz was about to beat him up for his snobbish behaviour, bribing his 'friends', and then, pay them with his pocket money to do the dirty for him, he was like their personal king.
But his mind didn't suppress the Luz's ambition to show where he belonged to, even his money couldn't save him.
One day, when the Jimbo was outside of the school, Luz out of the blue have smeared his face by her own napkin that was soaked in green a 'salva', which made Jimbo freak out before fleeing away. And a cherry on the top, she caught him during the chase, and she has hanged Jimbo on the flagpole by his underpants.
This another incident ended up with a long conversation, blaming, and verdict to punish Luz to wash down her classroom for five nights, adding another brick of the mami's disappointment and forcing Gertman's grandson to attend another school, not wishing to face this 'terrible girl' again.
"That upstart deserved it too for getting on my nerves, especially from accompany of his 'friends'"
"Is that so, mjia?"
"Si, mami. He was such a rotting bore that i wish i would beat him up straight to the face... and I've done it in different way."
"By hanging him on the flagpole by the underpants?"
"Perhaps after this, I didn't mind to cool off with washing down the classroom, because of you and principal... and, you know..." her last words were quite down a bit, with lowering her head down to her feet, regretting something that would cost her a life.
"I guess you're still thinking about that day when you had a fight with Anna last two weeks? Isn't it?" Camilla asked her daughter, as a hybrid girl nodded a little, confirming the mother's worry.
Anna 'the Drama Queen'. This blondie cheerleader was the pain in Luz's back, an archenemy and, pretty richy girl of lawyers family, comparable to Gertman's wealth, this girl was a pretty nasty brat with a rat's smuggling face.
Since she moved to Gravesfield two years ago, Luz and Anna declared a cold war with eachother and at the same time, they were attempting to dump dirt on each other with their own antics they were able to pull out - some were harmless, and some were noticeable enough to call both of them to the principal's cabinet and explain what happened. Until one day, Anna stepped the line, when she said the bad things about her and her mom during the lunch, it got her into the bones. Who the heck she was to say that?
Luz could just ignore those thoughts, but not with the bad talk about her and her mom.
Especially calling her one name, that hurt her glory and nerve, she couldn't leave just like that without a punishment.
So, she was waiting for the moment where she could find Anna, and beat the crap out of her. Both girls struggled with former winning over the latter until Jeff the Janitor came, when he saw both girls fighting in hallway, which raised a question of what happened and a reason to call both girls to the principal cabinet with their parents. What a controversial, stressful and loud talk, it was between parents and schools staff, that made Luz pretty much badder than ever she was, leaving her a haunting memory.
"I've tried as I could, I swear, but, i can't believe that I've given my place to this... " as Luz tried to finish her sentence, but failed due to the mother's look, she couldn't just swear in front of her mother, or could, she didn't know of what to say.
Camila noticed the upset look of her daughter, remembering the same moment, that would end both for them horribly.
"Listen hjia, this act was taken too far. I'm afraid to even think about it, if your cover would've been blown away by that."
That part poked Luz's heart, knowing it was true. Despite the acts Luz have committed, this one relating to choke someone, would've been the nail to coffin not for her mami, but for her own life as well. And ending up to someone's like MRT or PRI could bring bigger troubles and questions.
So for avoiding this trouble that had put Luz on the edge, Camilla suggested a therapy from acquainted of hers; Principal Hal agreed on this, as the Merians too, saving both Camilla and Luz from the 'investigation of incident'.
Her mother on hand, was thankful for it, but for Luz on another, it still hurt her glory: "I know. I wouldn’t do that 'reckless act' if she hadn't say the bad things about me, and you... " She sighed "i couldn't just stand there and listen, or leave it... "
"Oh mija... "
"I just can't help it but feeling this wild urge to either fight or... or even an urge to defend your glory from the ones, who's talking about someone you care of..." she said with frustration, turning away from mother's gaze. "Even when i have those powers, i still feel weak"
Camilla gave a sympathetic expression, before giving her hybrid daughter a hug.
"Mija, there'll be people like Anna talking about those things, they would try to hurt you; You shouldn't let yourself down into the state to harm someone or cry. Yet, you’re still just a young ertzehian who's still getting used to growing powers, just give it a time."
"I am, mami... " Luz quietly grumbled in mother's embrace.
"The point is, I do appreciate your efforts to be better, but your jabbering about your 'dominance' brought a lot of trouble not just for you, but everyone around you, so, you've to put down that 'superiority' complex of yours. Besides, Harrison is not bad man since you met him as kid, right?"
The hybrid girl nodded a little.
"So, you shall try to make some friends, but don't go so for, okay? For my and Harrison's sake"
“I'll try it” Luz said, as she returned the hug.
The embrace didn't last long as Camila's phone vibrated. "Oh, I’ve got to get to work.” she said, pressing another kiss to Luz’s forehead; “Your bus is coming soon. Text me when you get there, and don't forget to take your medicine. Cuídate mucho, Mija. ¡Qué te vaya bien!" and hurried off to work, as Luz behind waved at her.
Once her mother was gone, Luz opened her satchel and pulled out her hemt - a cube shaped metallic object, that contained various information you can put in, whenever it's digital, textual, acoustic or visual. This hemt was a gift given from her papi before he passed away. It was her a little door to the small cosmic world, where her ertzehian Papi came from.
All those stories, tales of space, all of this this were true, giving the sign they weren't alone in the cosmos, afterall. And another question arose - was there anyone else on Earth? Perhaps magic with witches and wizards living among mankind?
What a childish fantasy. Luz thought. She also had one book labelled 'The Good Witch Azura', a present from her mother since she was a little - it was a story about a good witch, one who helped everyone and always made things right with her magic.
Even if there was a magic afterall, she was a skeptical about it, aside from existence of metahumans, MRT, PRI that were a thing. What about the good parts being the one who's helping everyone and make things right from the children's book and be a hero?
One of her side would laugh at this, while other would feel the bitter shame at what Luz had become. But still, she got something to read, besides hemt, even if it was too flowery.
Luz sat down on the sidewalk, and started to 'open' the hemt, pressing the buttons on chosen sides. As Luz followed each turn to open it, her hearing suddenly caught a sign of movement off to the side from her.
Luz stopped opening her hemt, she turned to look to the moving source and was surprised to find a little brown owl pulling various pieces of garbage out of the trash can beside her and into a sack.
How can any regular owls be so small? Luz thought. By size and color like this, this one definitely did not look like an ordinary owl for sure.
Luz's eyes widen in disbelief, as the owl looked at her, before it grabbed the sack and began hopping away, apparently unable to fly while carrying such a load.
Luz's perception organs started to clicking in her head, that made her to follow the owl by sensing something. There was some presence in that thing, that sparks curiosity inside of Luz, as she followed the little owl across the road, who was surprisingly fast despite carrying the sack of collected garbage.
Could it be a prey? No. Simply not. Curiosity took over the Luz's ertzehian instincts, as she followed the owl to the woods near her house and up to an abandoned house. There was something in this house. She can feel it by increased ticking in her head, but her focus was remained to follow this owl. Luz couldn't just left this thing, taking a deep breath in and out, she rushed into the house.
A vertigo came over Luz, and when it passed, she suddenly felt the world around her suddenly filled with the same presence she sensed it from the owl and the house. It was new feeling, but an uncomfortable one for her perception organs.
Not paying the attention to dizzy feeling, Luz glanced at her surroundings, which made no sense. How? She had walked into an abandoned house, but now found herself in some kind room, with the shelves full of trash, from broken tech and toys to the books, crazy effigies, statues and so on.
"The heck is all of this... ?" Luz said quietly enough, trying not to draw attention, as she barely noticed the little owl hopping out the curtain in front of her.
“Finally, you’re back.” hybrid quickly covered her mouth, as the voice said behind the curtain. It was apparently the owner of this strange building. If so, then why not to peak to make sure where she was, and maybe ask the owner of this building? But still be careful, and always be on the guard.
Slowly, walking on her toes towards the curtain, Luz crept to open the curtain to peek out.
She saw more odd surroundings than inside of the room, with bizarre feature of mix between the old fashioned victorian and monstrous features of teeth, eyes and horns, all of this were made of the wood.
Then, Luz saw a woman with a long hood that was the part of her large dark-blue coat that covered her whole body, looking into the sack of trash that the little owl had placed in front of her, on the market counter. The owl was now sat on top of the woman’s staff, and to Luz’s surprise, the woman turned the owl into the wooden craving.
It gave the hybrid an uneasy feeling of this situation, perhaps, her clicking felt there was something off, and they weren't wrong - the strange little owl, the stock filled with garbage and odd features of the room. Maybe there was a door to let her out, since she ended up here somehow?
Luz then crept backward to find the way where she'd came from, before her back stumbled into the physical presence. She turned her head back and saw a rectangular wooden door, covered in various patterns and giant yellow eye of cat in the middle, that seemed to be staring at her back.
The sudden surprise of it made Luz flinching back, before she stumbled into the near shelf. As the shaken shelf was about to crash right onto the Luz, hybrid managed to roll away before the shelf fell to the floor, attracting the attention to itself with a loud thud.
The resulting of shelf's crash made Luz blood ran cold, feared to move an inch of her muscle.
Idiot. A reckless being of ertzehian girl.
Luz's reception felt a presence behind her, and slowly turned her head to see same woman from the counter behind. She's in big trouble now, the feel of panic clicked in. A front side of the woman showed a sharp features, with very pale skin, golden eyes, pointed ears, red lipstick, most notable feature was her wild grey-silver mane with pulled hood down. On her chest underneath of the blue coat, she wears a partially torn red dress with an amber-like gem on it, and she had a single gold fang sticking out from behind her upper lip.
It could be anyone, metahumans, mutes, ANYONE, but not witches. They're not real, they're not-
"Well, what do we have here?" a pointy eared woman asked with a grin.
The ertzehian hybrid looked at the woman, still planning of what to do in this situation, she felt a flowing menace from the woman by buzzing. Luz swallowed the lump, trying to regain her composure, not wishing to surrender to this woman.
"Nobody... i guess?" Luz's words crumbled up immediately. This woman will think that Luz sounded like a coward. How humiliating.
"Nobody?" the woman raised her eyebrow at Luz's response. "You sound like you were bitten by a fairy or somethin'. So, tell me what are you doing here or I'll figure this out by myself" the woman said with last part hinted a threat, hoping her trick will work on Luz. But not today. Without any thought she rushed to the door, only to be suddenly slammed and folded into luggage that vanished in thin air.
Luz turned her head back to the woman who holds a wooden key with yellow eye on it.
"Bad choice, kid" the witch smirked.
This situation left Luz no choice but do something stupid - she, on all her strength she had, rammed into woman, rushed out the curtain and ran away where her eyes paid attention on - from the hall with already seen monstrous design, to outside and to the left.
Luz continued running until she stopped near the cliff's edge, overlooking the most unearthly and inhumanely town she'd even seen, neither the planets nor structures described in her hemt, would be compared to the beauty and horror of this monstrosity - the town was the mix between medieval and monstrous, with grotesque architecture, a few places that looked more organic than constructed, their inhabitants didn't look like a humans at all, and not aliens too. Most of them had a features of part humanoid, part animalistic, part inanimate in various forms and sizes, while the other part of them that looked like a human, only had the pointy ears instead of circly ones. Like she has entered into the twisted version of some fantasy story, with the light purple sky, light pink sea and red grassed land.
This view overwhelmed her mind, as she didn't notice that a hand suddenly landed on Luz’s shoulder, making her turning her head up, meeting the eyes of the same woman she had just rammed to flee. Of course, this option was dumb, but Luz didn't have any choice at this moment, still feeling the panic in her body. All she had to do, was try not to provoke this woman, be silent and watch of what she'll try to do.
The woman gave her small smirk, removing her hand from Luz's shoulder.
"If you think I wanted to eat you after you rammed me. I wouldn't do that as I have something to do with you" Luz's eyes still stared at woman, not trusting this woman when she'd like to try pulling out some tricks. The woman's eyes of interest didn't fade away, overlooking at Luz's appearance.
"I shouldn't be here"
"Is that so?" another silence came in, not wanting to say anything to this stranger, leaving her a short time to figure this out.
"I guess you followed the Owlbert that led you here, isn't it?" Luz was still being silent for a moment, before the she took a glance into woman's eyes, making sure she wouldn't do anything wrong and then nodded for 'yes', as her clicking feeling reduced a bit, feeling no danger flowing from the woman.
That was a good sign, but Luz still kept her guard straight to the woman.
The woman continued on, softening her tone as possible "As the part about 'I shouldn't be here in this place', do you really want to go home so badly?"
"Will you do that?"
The woman smirked "Well, I might be willing to send you back to your realm. But there's one thing i need to know." she finished her sentence, narrowing her eyes right into Luz.
The hybrid gulped nervously. Does this woman have sensed something? A psychic? No, no psychic couldn't look like this, or they could? Luz's perception organs tickled a bit higher, feeling the growing panic again, like this woman can see through her - who she really was.
The woman continued again, directly observing Luz's appearance "I do know about your realm, and your kind too, sorta" and took Luz's left arm for closer examination "and I can sense there's something strange about you, human", before Luz would try to take her arm off, the woman removed the black glove off Luz's hand; underneath of it, Luz's left hand didn't look like human's hand, expect for the brown colour of her skin, the rest was covered in chitin shell with the gaps on her clawed fingers and wrist for movement, there were also a small amount of head lices and four bumps on knuckles, resembling an organic gauntlet.
Ertzehians - while they had a chitin shell that covered their body making them 'invincible', plus big amount of training to gain agility, endurance and strength, made them more dangerous and powerful, but their chitin armour didn't last long, as it has a period to shed off due to growing, a natural causes to break some day whenever it's high concentration of acid, cold or heat for instance and mostly, it didn't cover thighs, throat and abdominal cavity - their weak spots. Luz once experienced this, when she tried to rid off her own chitin hand 'manually' when she was a small kid, but it ended up painful and uncomfortable. If she was a human fully, she wouldn't have this 'gauntlet' for a hand, but without it, she'd have a broken hand.
The woman continued examining Luz's hand, intrigued by it's form. Fantastic. Now this woman saw her true form, a partially, and Luz is in a big trouble, a much BIGGER trouble now!
The woman's lips slowly turned to grin "Say Kid, you're not fully human at all", Luz took her arm and her glove the woman's hand, after putting the glove on hand back.
"Maybe I've seen this before on Isles, but not like this. Like, what kind race does your half part belong?"
"I'm...ertzehian, half-ertzehian. Just don't tell anyone, please..." the last words were sounded like a begging with unsure tone.
"Ertzehian you say?" the woman questioned herself, stroking her chin. Then, the woman chuckled, confusing Luz, until this chuckle into laughter with realization that came upon woman who's talking to.
"Ertzehians, eh?" She asked between giggles, ceasing her laughter "I never thought I'd see one on Boiling Isles"
"Huh?"
The woman stroke her chin, keeping her smirk "Your presence is quite rare around here. Be grateful that I'm not one in people trafficking; those evil creeps would make a killing off you, even if you’re half-a human. So, how about to gimme your couple of blood in exchange of-"
"Like heck I would do that!" Luz abruptly bared her teeth while backing from the woman to the precipice, seemed like she was about to jump from it.
The woman quickly raised her both hands defensively, as she was backing away from the girl, not wanting her to take one more step off the cliff "Relax, the blood is for potion ingredients. But fair enough; I won't force you to do so. Maybe, you'll be more useful in helping me with something instead".
Luz raised her eyebrow at the woman's words with giving a skeptical stare right into her eyes, which made woman to sigh out of this misunderstanding situation.
"Yeah, we both did wrong steps, so, how about you're going to introducing yourself first? I swear that's not a trick"
Luz who continued to look at the woman skeptically, realized for a moment that her threats would end badly by this course and would close her only way to Gravesfield, to her mami, even she has to going to stay with Dr.Harrison for summer, it's better to get out of this place when she has to be humble to this stranger, whenever Luz liked it or not. She stepped further away from the cliff.
"My name's Luz Noceda" Luz said quickly and sensible, without scrambling her words under the woman's watch.
"Pleasure to meet you Luz. As for me… I am Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!”
The newly introduced Eda summoned her owl staff and spun it around, causing the display of mini fireworks to go off her staff. Despite her persisting worry and suspicion, Luz was a bit amazed of the mini showmanship; futhermore, the question rised about 'Eda' being a 'powerful' witch.
"The most powerful witch on Boiling Isles, you say?" Luz asked with wonder, still in skeptical tone "I thought that witches and magic were nothing but a parts of childish fantasy. Except some stuff that is real in my place"
Eda was briefly offended by these words, but quickly relaxed; "Kid, I think you're getting a bit bore here with some stuff. You," Eda hand pointed at Luz's chest "are standing on the land where magic and witches do exist."
"Then, why aren't you forcing me to reveal my secret identity, here, publicly, when you're so powerful witch? And If you'll do it, I'll bite you"
Eda raised her eyebrow a bit from Luz's last words with the doubt "You sure you would dare to do it? And will you survive on your own without guidance?"
A reckless ertzehian being as usual, as Eda was right. What a silly tendency to prove everyone that Luz is superior when she's in the tighten clutch of trouble right now. This 'Eda', owns a door that was her only passage to bring her to home. And Luz, was standing on the land where she had no specific knowledge about it, do something stupid against this woman, even if she lied that she was powerful, will provoke her to swoop Luz down, she has done enough troubles in the school, so, it was time to stop to being a reckless being and act carefully. Perhaps, she should pay attention to history classes about those 'witches'?
"I don't think so" the hybrid looked up at witch, with another question popped up "If you heard about my kind, that means you've grown with stories about us being savages?"
Eda shrugged; "Sorta. I've heard about your kind, and being described as 'bugfaced savages' on Demon Realm; and yet, we haven't seen one on Boiling Isles since Savage Ages. Not to mention, this whole shtick made me irritated that I've done some research about, sorta, and I'm telling you, your kind is quiet complicated than what those goons"
Luz tapped her chin, taking witch's words; It was true that Ertzehians were complicated by biology, culture and abilities (obviously), especially with information of planets where her kind resided. But she didn't remember that hemt had any information about Ertzehians being in Demon Realm. Whatever, the questions will wait once she'll get out of this situation.
"Still, if I'm going to help you with something, will you send me home without any tricks?"
"Clear as crystal. So, we have a deal then?" Eda extended her hand for a handshake, as Luz still stared at her, the witch sighed "I swear, that's not a trick, just shake it and our deal is settle in."
Without any thinking, Luz's hand instinctively shook Eda's; "Now kid, when the things are settled in. Follow me to my stall before we'll be-"
"HALT!"
The familiar voice stopped Eda's movement, the goosebumps ran down her spine when she turned her head towards the voice, and saw a group of eleven witch guards in the doctor plague's masks, four armoured with crossbows, two with swords, two with long halberds and two with spears.
Eda grimaced as she shouldn't do the fireworks, it was late for realization, when the captain of the guards came closer to her. A man with long beaked mask, was dressed in white, while the rest of nine were dressed in gray, the captain also possessed his own sword.
The vulture masked man looked sternly right into familiar face of Eda, then, his gaze turned to Luz's side. The ertzehian teenage in the growing worry, took a side behind Eda's back.
"It's has been awhile, Eda" the man in white said calmly, keep looking at Eda and someone behind her back.
Eda's hands gripped her staff tight, from growing hostile towards the one she knew very well.
"'So glad' to see you here, Rene" Eda said with a sarcastic tone.
But the captain named Rene, didn't react on Eda's response, seemed like it happen before.
"I see you haven't changed a bit. Still as rebellious as ever" the captain said, as he was taking the scroll from his satchel, and began to read it a-loud, much to Eda's boredom and Luz's confusion:
"Eda the Owl Lady, by the law of Bonesborough town and the common law of Boiling Isles - you're wanted witch criminal for misuse of magic and demonic misdemeanors."
"You're a what!?" Luz bared her teeth back at Eda, over the growing confusion.
"Not now kid" Eda shushed at Luz back, returning her stern gaze towards the vulture masked captain.
"And according to the following punishment - you are under arrest, thus, you're hereby ordered to come with me and my men to the Conformatorium, either willingly or by force" captain said, with the hint of threat to use the necessary force.
"Would you cut that reading crap out Rene? I've heard this many times, you and many men have tried to catch me, so, why don't you take your guards and tell them to quit following me around? I haven’t even done anything today!” Eda protested.
“Today!?” Luz exclaimed, looking at the the surrounding group of two spearmen, swordsmen and halberdiers, surrounded her and Eda in circle.
"Don't be foolish, Edalyn. The law is on my side. And you, must follow them, like it or not."
"Only in your dreams"
"Sir, what are we going to do with the kid?" one halberdier addressed to Rene with a question, pointing his halberd towards Luz, as she took one step back from it.
Much to Eda's growing panic and Rene's curiosity, his gaze layed on Luz. He hadn't seen this kid before, yet, he was wondering if this child was fraternising with the Owl Lady or wasn't, he couldn't judge any children, not without the proper investigation, and he'll figure out who is that kid and what's the deal between her and Eda.
"Take her to Conformatorium too. We shall investigate, whenever she was fraternizing with a criminal, or not."
"Aye, sir. Always waited to get some reward and promotion from it" said the halberdier, as he was approaching to capture Luz, the latter was still in confusion and fear of what's going to happen to her. The halberdier made another step further and-
*STOMP*
She stomped her foot right into halberdier's, that stomp had enough power to make halberdier drop his halberd and yelp in pain. Luz had a opportunity to run, but immediately two of the masked guardsmen came to hold her with their force, preventing the suspect's escape.
Eda’s eyes widened in surprise looking at the scene.
The former halberdier, who's kept holding his stomped foot, looked at Luz with hostile gaze.
"Just who the heck is that rascal!?" the halberdier exclaimed, as he was approaching to the struggling Luz, while she was looking at approaching guard who had called her a rascal. Bad enough to made her blood boil.
"I dunno pal" said the guard on the Luz's left side, holding her left arm "this little lassie seems to be so stubborn"
"But she won't get away from us" the guard on the right said proudly, holding Luz's right arm.
"So, kid" the halberdier cracked his knuckles, as he kept looking at Luz "if you won't stop struggling and will try to do something stupid, I'm going to give you a good old-"
*HA-PAH*
The halberdier's eyeholes of mask was covered in green secretion, right after Luz had managed to spit out from her mouth, much to everyone's surprise and disgust. Halberdier's hands reached to his mask, as he was removing it. Much to Luz's a bit of glory.
"What the hell is that!? An acid!? Is it corroding!?" halberdier shouted, wiping his mask off the substance.
"Your mask is not corroding. That's just a salva, not acid"
"What!?" halberdier snapped, finally wiping all 'salva' off his mask, his eyes locked right into Luz, feeling a growing anger "Just wait till I'll zap you, you little-"
Luz gulped nervously, with a realize that she didn't develop acid spit, and her face was about to be face worse from the angered halberdier.
He was about to zap the 'rascal' who had spat his mask, by drawing his spell. Suddenly, a metal presence touched his neck, a sharp one, that was about to pierce his carotid artery. Halberdier turned his head a little to see the owner of this sharp object - and he was a little surprised, to see a captain Rene holding his sword that was a bit inch away from his neck.
Rene's guardsmen, even Luz, were surprised from captain's sudden move, except for Eda, who raised her eyebrow, and having a headache over the ongoing situation - If she'll let those guards and René take Luz to the Conformatorium, and find out that she's not only a human but also something else, this report will draw the Emperor's attention to bring Luz to the Palace.
With profit or not, she couldn't let this kid being dragged to the worst place for hybrid her like her. Time to take action to run away, even if the crossbow's arrows will follow them.
"Stop what you're doing, sergeant." said Rene, continuing holding his sword right to the halberdier's neck "you know this was reckless for a guard"
"But sir, are you serious about defending the suspect who has-"
"We'll take her with the Owl Lady to Conformatorium, and properly investigate this case whenever she was fraternising with the criminal or not. She's still a kid"
"But that rascal stomped my foot, and then, she spat at my mask, why can't I just-"
"Can you two stop bickering please?" Eda used the chance to say a-loud to draw the attention from this ridiculous scene, and arrange her escape plan. "Kid and I will come with you"
"Huh!?"
"Really?" Rene skeptically asked Eda, removing his sword from sergeant's neck "Are you sure you won't flee?"
"I won't. We'll go with you, but first, let me take something and-" Eda suddenly span her staff above her head, casting a spell and knocked it's butt to the ground, that shake had enough strength to throw everyone in distance.
Eda quickly rushed towards fallen girl, took her hand and quickly lead away from Rene's guardsmen, right toward the bazar. Eda then, reached her hand into the bushy hair, pulling out a wooden key with yellow eye on it, she pressed the said 'eye', making the door a few steps away from them appeared and collecting all shrinking stuff, then, it morphed into leathered luggage, with all gathered things, leaving only an empty building.
It made Luz confused over this, still not fully wrapping her buzzing head about the ongoing situation - first, she followed the small owl towards the woods, then, stumbled into the building inside of garbage, stumbled into the world she had never seen before, stumbled into the local guardsmen and now, they're on the run away from them. She, was running away from guardsmen with the criminal, and yet - what some kind action Eda has done to earn it?
"I still have a questions to ask-"
"I'll tell you later, Kid, until now, we've to get out before-"
A sudden whistle attracted Eda's ears, before she dodged the upcoming dark red arrow of the crossbow, hitting right into the wooden frame door to the left, and then, it dissolved, leaving it's trace.
"Resistance is futile, Eda!" Eda grimaced at the upcoming voice of Rene and his guardsmen, she may be blinded them temporarily, but it won't stop him to catch her and Luz, and there'll be a Rene's assistance to chase them. No time for waiting, they're getting closer.
Eda took the luggage, hanged on the staff, took Luz's hand and ran away, as she and Luz were able to, dodging the incoming tracking arrows fired from the crossbowers, fireballs and lightning bolts, running straight deeper from the bazar.
"This is insane, not comparable of what I've done, but still," Luz shouted, running on all her legs she could, following right behind the witch "I regret that I didn't bite you for not telling me that you're a criminal!"
"Like I've told you, I'll tell you about it! Besides, you're pretty valuable here to being dragged by the guards. Now, hold your hands to my staff, we are about to take off!"
"Wait, what do you mean by tha-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?!?"
Luz didn't finish her words, only screaming in sudden moment, when she took the staff's end. It took her and Eda to a drastic flight right into the sky. Rene and his guards were late to catch The Owl Lady and this newly kid, leaving captain do nothing, but stare up to the sky, where they took the flight. It left the guardsmen dissatisfaction, but to Rene, the unbearable feel of failure.
"Boy, I can imagine what kind of questions we'll face from authority" grumbled the crossbower.
"Aye, Sam, we've missed our chance to catch Owl Lady, and get promoted. We're screwed, again" the swordman agreed. The sergeant halberdier angrily looked down at his feet, disappointed to not giving a 'good old lesson' to that 'rascal'.
"So, Captain, what are we gonna do now?" one of the guards said unsure of what to do, Rene kept looking up to the sky, where Eda and kid with her flew away from him.
Doing his duty as a captain of the guardsmen for the past twenty years, he had kept peace and order in Bonesborough from any threats and danger to his people, but, he has missed any exact moments to catch her and bring her to the Emperor's Court to decide her fate. And every time he and his guardsmen were so close to her, and then, she's slipping away, it boiled his heart and his blood with desperate anger of losing, Rene clutched his right hand into fist, keep looking at the sky, as a new plan flashed in his mind and was awaiting for it's realisation.
"First, we'll report to the head of Emperor's Coven about the current situation. With a note that we have a unknown guest on Isles. Secondly - I'll talk to Warden Wrath"