Chapter Text
“Once upon a time, there was a realm of magic, of excitement, and chaos, known now as the Demon Realm. It was a world crafted by Gods known as the Archivists. To protect the sanctuary they created, they made the Titans, beings of mystery that worshiped the Archivists and shielded their creation from evil. When a Titan died, it became part of this realm, creating new islands. Camila was the head caretaker of these beings. She was a dreamer with fantastical ideas for what the magic of this realm could accomplish. So, she watched with excitement as the Titans began to create more and more, until one day, they created Philip Wittebane, the first witch. Camila was scolded by the Archivists for letting this happen, cursing her insubordination. What if this “witch” decided to destroy this balance they so carefully supervised and recorded? Camila came up with a solution. Using the Archivist’s magic, she created The Collector, a child-like God to watch over Philip, ensuring the Demon Realm’s safety. But despite this, Philip demanded control, and the Collector refused to submit to his will at Camila’s warnings. Philip hated this god, wishing to be the one harnessing their power that they kept away from him. He offered a deal to the Collector, their power in exchange for curing their painstaking loneliness. And the Collector accepted. But this deal came with a price. For with this single act of disobedience, the Archivists’ perfect world was shattered. Philip wiped out the Titans, trapping the Collector, and bringing disruption into this Realm. As punishment for failing and letting the Titans perish, the Archivists cast Camila away to live on a corpse of a Titan, as a reminder of her epic failure. It was named the Boiling Isles. Here, rain burns your skin and the sea boils (Not very creative, I know), but disorder and crime was everywhere. Magic was wild. Too wild. Murder was commonplace, and the land was ruled by Overlords, masters of magic types. Soon, a new witch rose to the top, promising order amongst the chaos. His name was Belos. He created the Covens, and the Archivists celebrated the arrival of this new witch, and the disappearance of the old one. And yet, ashamed, Camila lost her will to dream. But demonkind thrived, creating a new world upon the ashes of the old. And as the numbers of the Boiling Isles grew, so did its power. Threatened by this, the Archivists made a truly heartless decision. That every year, they would send down an army, an Extermination, to ensure the Boiling Isles and its inhabitants could never rise against them by forcing the residents to join a coven. The consequence for refusal was death. It was led by Belos himself, encouraged by the gods. Despite all of this, Camila’s dream of magic accomplishing great things was passed down to her precious daughter, the Princess of the Isles, master of all the magic types. Luz Noceda!
...Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make you proud.” Luz looked out into the Isles, Bonesborough bustling with it’s usual screams and explosions. She didn’t notice a purple haired witch standing in the doorway.
“Are you okay, batata?” Amity stands in the doorway, a concerned look on her face as she looks at Luz.
Luz: “Agh! Oh, shrooms, did you hear all of that?” Luz looked up from her book at her girlfriend. “Sorry, I just get really nervous after an extermination. This helps.”
Amity: “It’s okay, I enjoy your theatrics. Besides, I know it’s always hard on you.” Amity walks over to Luz, putting a comforting arm around her. “Come on, Eda said she has something to show us.”
They walk down the stairs, Luz’s thoughts still on the Extermination. She needed to fix things. This hotel might just be the only thing to save her people. She could do this. She had to do this. She turns to Amity, who smiles softly at her. She can do this.
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“Well, hey, you totally scammable mark! Do you like having all your magic totally cut off or else you die? Of course you don’t, but this is the Boiling Isles, baby! But what would you say if I told you there was a place to stay that had a small chance of not having that? Welcome to the Owl Hotel, a misguided path to freedom! Founded five days ago by Camila's delusional daughter, Luzura Noceda! Come place your fate in her inexperienced hands, as she tries to work through her mommy issues by getting the gods to give you a drucking break! Here we offer, uh, fun things, such as somewhat functional staff (cuts to a clip of Willow drinking apple blood and Gus crying) and 24-hour pest control! (King eats a bunch of bugs, and Hooty licking the windows) Custom rooms, and just look at this tacky parlor! Enjoy riveting conversation with our singular resident. (clip of Hunter flipping off the camera) Wow! All this, and more at the Owl Hotel! Your last desperate attempt at getting a handle on your weirdo magic starts here!”
The crystal ball shuts off.
“Soooo? Whaddya think?” Eda opens a bottle of apple blood, rather proud of herself for creating this.
Amity: “……. I’m sorry, what the druck was that!?” Amity stands up, totally appalled by the commercial.
Eda: “What? It was amazing! I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Boots.”
Luz: “Uh, what she means to say, Eda, is that it’s so great you did this. Literally awesome. Thank you so much. But, it didn’t really capture what we’re trying to do here, exactly. We’re trying to make this look like an opportunity for betterment, but this makes us look…”
Amity: “-Bad. The word you’re looking for is bad.”
Eda: “Huh. I was going for hilarious.” She takes a sip of her apple blood.
Luz: “Eda-”
Amity: “You made us look like a drucking joke! This is supposed to tell witches about how we’re trying to rescue them from covens, but this makes us look pathetic!”
Eda: “Hey, you told me to use this weird camera, I did what you told me. I just happened to have a little fun with it in the process.”
Amity: “Oh, fun? Well, you’re not supposed to. When you told Luz you’d help, we all expected you to help run it, not mock it! No one is coming to a place you think is a waste of time!”
“If you’re running a commercial, I could help out a bit. I mean, why not take advantage of a celebrity you have right here?” Hunter walks in, a smug smile on his face. He grabs a bottle of apple blood and lays on the couch.
Amity: “Hunter, you're an actor for action movies.”
Hunter: “Yeah, but I’m good at it, and a famous fighter too! I’ll get all the most desperate weirdos who want second-hand fame knocking down the zhamn doors.”
Amity: “Hunter, we’re not filming you almost killing someone.”
Hunter: “Why not? Action sells, doesn't it? And I promise you, if you even film me going at it with even illusion boy over there-”
Gus, who had just walked in, did a double take.
Gus: “Wait, what-”
Hunter: “-You'd be rolling in participants willing to stay at this tacky hotel.” He smirked, taking a drink of the apple blood as Gus tried to figure out what was going on.
Luz: “Hunter, we appreciate you trying to use your, um…. talents, to help the hotel, we really don’t want to exploit you in that way, y’know? There’s other ways to help. It just feels kind of… wrong.”
Hunter: “Oh please. This was made to be exploited! I got the looks, the strength, the stamina, the speed, I got the looks! The focus, the scars that I somehow make work, the ability to suppress trauma-”
Luz hears her phone ring, and sees who it’s from. Her mom. Okay, Luz, so you haven’t spoken to your mother in years due to her isolating herself this whole time, you can do this! I mean, it’s not like she’s a total stranger, just a mom who was super depressed after the Archivists prevented her from raising her daughter, and therefore you never really spoke and you aren’t sure how she’ll react to your dream of proving magic can be good, therefore carrying on your mother’s legacy and proving to the Archivists they have nothing to worry about, and- Oh yeah, she has to actually answer.
Luz: “Uhhh, I’ll be right back. I gotta take this. Hey, Mom…”
She walks out, leaving Amity, Eda, and Hunter in the lobby. Gus left, trying to look for his chameleons he named Emmeline. Seriously, all of them are called Emmeline.
Hunter: “I could go all night, baby!” He laughs and takes a drink of his apple blood, before a question comes to mind. “Hey, so if Owl Lady here is “the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles”, why can’t she just make people come here?”
Eda: “Oh, trust me. I can, I just don’t want to.” She says this nonchalantly, not caring. She knows she’s powerful, but why waste her time on this stupid thing, when she has people to swindle with cool stuff she “found” in Luz’s room?
“Would have been nice if you said that a long time ago.”
Everyone looks at Willow, who was manning the bar, drinking apple blood. She looked very annoyed, per usual. Having been forced to come here by Eda, she befriended Luz and Gus shortly after and decided to stay. Not like she had much of a choice. Free will wasn’t an option in her situation. And she never forgot to remind everyone how much she hated being there. Hunter didn’t make her life any easier, that’s for sure.
Willow: “You guys actually think I would stay here if Luz and Gus weren’t here with me? She gives me plants, and I give you drinks. That’s our deal. Staying out of the kindness of my heart is overrated, especially with Blondie over there.” She glares pointedly at Hunter, who just smugly smirks at her in return.
Hunter: “Aw, you telling me you don’t enjoy my company, Captain? Real shame, I thought I was a great friend.” He chuckles sarcastically, enjoying getting under her skin. This has been going on ever since Willow got forced to come here. They’ve been at each other’s throats since day 1, especially since Hunter has a habit of deflecting and being a bit too cocky for his own good.
Willow: “Uh uh. You don’t get to call me “Captain”. That’s reserved for teammates only.”
Hunter: “Ah yes, your boring-krass game and your nerdy-krass teammates who worship you. How could I forget?” He rolls his eyes, while Willow’s flare in anger. She loves Flyer Derby with her life, and he knows she hates it when he pokes at it. It was rather infuriating.
Willow: “Watch it, you Dollar General Ken doll-”
Hunter: “Ouch! Ooh! Such an insult. Lemme know when you come up with something creative to call me, you sack o-”
Amity: “OKAYYYY!” This happened all the time. The two fought so much it was a shock one of them wasn’t dead already. But Amity was sick of it. Luz was still out, so she figured she had to take things into her own hands. “Hunter, just let Willow do her job, for the love of Titan. And shut up, we’re not filming you fighting people. And we can’t force people either, we’re trying to make people choose to be here.”
Hunter: “Hey, I’m choosing to be here, and I think all of it is stupid. It’s the Boiling Isles! Everyone’s crazy! There’s no fixing that. Witches don’t wanna learn how to use magic for good if they can just set some kid’s abomination on fire.”
Amity: “Maybe, but it’s worth a shot. And Luz is really excited about it. If she believes, then I do too.”
Hunter places his hand on her shoulder, taking another drink of apple blood.
Hunter: “Hey, whatever means I can keep crashing here rent free.” She glares at him, so he replies deadpan. “Cane is expensive.”
Just then, Luz comes running back into the room, looking absolutely ecstatic. She just got the best news of her life! Amity sees this and smiles. Luz’s positivity was always infectious.
Luz: “AMITYHOLYSHROOMS!”
Amity: “What, what's going on?” She laughs, amused once again by Luz’s theatrics.
Luz bites her lip and waves Amity over to the hallway. The purple-haired witch walks to her girlfriend, who is literally bouncing off the walls with excitement.
Amity: “Okay, okay, you got me. What’s going on?”
Luz: Mama just called, and said Belos wants to meet! SHE ASKED IF I COULD GO INSTEAD!!
She grabs Amity, spinning her around and laughing. Amity tried to be happy too, but she was skeptical. The Extermination just happened, what could a lord want this soon?
Amity: “But, they were just here, what could they possibly want with-”
Luz: “-I can do this. I know it. I can get the Covens behind my plans!”
Amity: “Batata, hold on-”
Luz: “You’re right, Tinella would murder me if I started singing. I’m just so excited! This is going to be amazing for us, sweet potato! A chance to change their minds, touch their hearts, and hope they actually listen to me! This could be great, Amity. Maybe they’ll take down the systems!”
Amity: “I just don’t want you being disappointed if people don’t- Oh shrooms, where’d she go?”
Hunter: “That witch is halfway down the street!”
Amity: “Titan help us…”
Amity sighed as the love of her life ran down the street, hopes of a better life fueling her resolve and her legs.
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