Chapter Text
Luz darted through the frozen shadows of the Fridge, a place aptly named, given how cold she was. The Fridge was an old Dahl Mine, deep underneath the Tundra of Pandora, in a massive underground cavern. It had been abandoned and left to rust, and ended up being taken over by the wildlife, the Rats, crazed cannibalistic criminals left behind by Dahl, and of course, the frozen icy wastes that crept in, coating everything in a thick layer of snow and ice.
It was difficult for her to stay out of sight of the Rats that roamed around, but luckily for her, hopefully, the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed from a distance away, drawing the Rats attention away from her location.
She took advantage of the situation, slinking through the shadows as silent as she could, just as Zer0 had taught her. She shivered, all she had with her was her normal clothes, a purple and white striped shirt and a pair of denim shorts and leggings, and a black fingerless glove on her left hand.
Looking around, Luz took stock of her supplies, and considered her options. She looked around, and patted herself down before realizing she must have dropped her Echo-2 somewhere in her rush to get to safety.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the flash of something small and brown dart across the white frozen landscape. Upon not hearing any sounds she recognized, and not sensing any connection like she usually would, she decided to take a risk and peek out from her shadowed hideaway.
Hopping away with a sack far too large for its small frame, a small brown owl. She was well educated with all the Flora and Fauna of Pandora, she had to be, Lilith and Maya were adamant about that, so she was surprised to see an owl in the Fridge, they were not normally down here. It was small, no larger than her two fists put together, and brown, with two oddly intelligent seeming golden eyes. As she watched it, the little owl pecked the ground revealing her Echo underneath some loose snow, before picking it up and tossing it into its sack.
“Hey, that’s mine! Give that back, I need it!” Luz said, suddenly lunging towards the small creature. It looked over at her, eyes widening in surprise at being spitted, and started hopping away, to Luz’s shock and fear, in the direction of the approaching gunfire.
“Hey, wait up little guy, it’s dangerous!” Luz exclaimed, before flinching at how loud her voice echoed. “Damn, if Zer0 heard me shout like that, he’d be so disappointed, I think, the mask makes it hard to tell” she thought to herself.
As the owl dragged the sack around a corner, Luz saw it come across an intricate, wooden door. It appeared to be made of intricately carved wood, with a handle in the center with a large, old fashioned keyhole, and a large golden eye like design on the top half of the door. As the little creature came to a stop in front of the door, it suddenly swung open, emitting warm, golden light, as the creature jumped through.
“Dammit, what should I do? I need that if I’m going to get home!” Luz said to herself. “Axton would tell me to examine the situation, then just run in guns blazing, but Maya would tell me it’s too dangerous if I got caught, and to hide and not be seen…” As she kept rambling to herself, she saw the door start to close, “sorry Maya, but I hope this works!” She said as she jumped through the closing door.
As Luz stepped through the door, the first thing she noticed was a shift in the ambient energy. It wasn’t much, but with how saturated Pandora was with Eridium, as well as her own unique connection to the mineral, she could recognize the lack of the energy she would usually detect.
The next thing she noticed were her surroundings. She appeared to be in a tent and it was warm, which was confusing, didn’t the door she came through lead to the Fridge?
The tent she was in was a purple-greyish color, on the old side, with a couple patches and holes sewn up. It appeared to be a decent size, especially with the space she had to move around, even with all the boxes, and assorted… junk? That was odd… What kind of door did she step through?
As Luz was looking around, she heard a voice come from the outside of the tent flap. “Oh good! You’re finally back!” A feminine voice said. Moving closer, trying to be as quiet as possible, Luz listened closer. “Now, let’s see what you brought home to mama!” The Voice said as a rustling sound could be heard.
Luz looked through the tent flap, and saw a woman with long grey hair tied back in a green bandana, wearing a long red dress torn at the ends, and an odd looking golden fang. She picked up the bag the small creature had brought her, as thebowl perched on a wooden stick beside her, before turning to wood as well? What did she stumble across?. “Let’s see… junk…” She threw aside an old precious golden watch, “junk…” now it was a golden chalice, “ahh, this will make me rich!” She said, now holding up what appeared to be a rainbow colored slinky. “What is this?” The lady asked, holding up Luz’s Echo device. The owl came to life again and looked towards the woman, before its eyes flashed a bright golden color.
Luz saw its eyes go golden, and hid back behind the tent flap. “What was that?” She whispered to herself. “I never knew an animal whose eyes could flash like that… But I’ve also never seen an animal who can turn to wood like that…”
Before she could finish her thought she heard the lady on the other side speak up. “You saw what?” There was a pause. “A kid? On the other side of the portal? You said she dropped this? Where is she?” Another pause, as Luz hid behind a nearby crate. “Why didn’t you say so when you arrived!” The voice exclaimed as she threw back the tent flap, and looked around for Luz.
“I know you’re in here… I just wanna ask you some questions. Come out please…”
Luz jumped out of her hiding spot, before pushing her way past the lady, and darting out the tent by crawling underneath the bottom edge. Darting away, she finds herself at the edge of a cliff. Looking out across the horizon, she sees a sprawling town before her. A town of equal parts flesh and stone, with a hand growing from the land, and grabbing an overhead dragon of some kind before pulling it down to the ground.
“What is this… Where… where am I? Did that door lead to a Vault? Is this what they look like?” Luz thought. As she was starting to panic, a small pink pixie appeared at her side. “Are you a tiny Vault creature? Can you help me figure out what’s going on?” The pixie looked at her before opening its face which turned out to be a wide maw of teeth. “GIVE ME YOUR SKIN!”
Luz yelped, then uppercutted the pixie, knocking it out of the air and throwing them back. “Just like Sal taught me… Ow… how does he not hurt his hand doing that?”
“You need practice, but that was good form.” The voice of the Lady from before said as she laid a hand firmly on Luz’s left shoulder. “Now, come with me.” She said, directing Luz by the shoulder back towards her tent.
“Are you going to eat me?” Luz questions.
“Eat you? Why would I eat... a potential customer? Can I introduce you to some large human candy?” She asked as she held up a Hyperion Power Cell. “How about some odd human picture box that reflects sadness?” Now she’s holding up an old tabletop television with a black dead screen.
Luz chuckles. “Hold on, that’s not all that can do!” She grabs the television and the power cell, putting the cell in an opening on the back and turning the television on.
As it turned on, it started playing one of Handsome Jack’s messages about his “Glorious City of Opportunity!". Luz jerks back slightly as Jack starts to say "Emigrate to Opportunity, and live in my paradise!”, before the video glitches and he keeps repeating himself.
Onlookers around the market start looking over at the stall where Luz and the lady are. “I want the box of Handsomeness!” one person yells, while holding up a small coin pouch.
Another speaks up, “Can I eat him!” while holding up another coin bag, this one slightly larger.
“I want him to talk to me as I sleep…” a third one says creepily, holding a large bag of coins.
The lady looks over at Luz, and smirks. “That was pretty smart, for a human at least!” Luz looks over confused. “That’s odd for another human to say?” Luz replies.
The lady laughs, throwing her head back and removing her green bandana, revealing her noticeably pointed ears. “Oh, I’m not a human! I am Eda the Owl Lady! The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles!” She declared as she summoned her staff and posed dramatically.
“A witch?” Luz asked.
“Yes, I am the most feared and respected witch on the Boiling Isles!” Declared Eda.
SMASH
Luz jumped as a large gloved hand slammed down, destroying the television. “Eda the Owl Lady! You are wanted for misuse of magic, and refusing to join a coven! Come quietly, or face the wrath of our dogs!” One hand grabbed Eda and began casting a restraint spell, while another large gloved hand landed on Luz’s shoulder. “And you, you are coming with us for associating with a criminal!”
“Hey, leave the kid alone! I haven’t broken any of your laws, today, in front of you… And the kid hasn’t done anything!” Eda said.
Luz frantically looked around for a way to help her escape, and then saw, behind the guard, an odd, four headed dog of sorts. “Well, it’s not a Skag, but it’s worth a try… Hopefully this works!” Throwing out her left arm, flashes of blue light pulses under her shirt sleeve, and she feels a connection grow between her and the four headed dog.
“Hey there buddy…” Luz “said” through their connection. “I need help, I’m not supposed to be here, can you help me get out of here? I’m not a criminal, or a bad person, I swear.”
The dog tilted its head in contemplation. After a moment, it suddenly started running around the guard, tangling them up in its leash. “Wha-what are you doing! Stop! Heel!” “I will aid you, but I recommend you run, I cannot stall forever!” The dog replied.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Eda used a spell to pack up her tent and stand before looking over at Luz, having noticed the blue lights from her arm. “I don’t know what you did kid, but come with me if you want to get out of here!” She said as she grabbed Luz by her arm pulling her onto her staff and taking flight.
By the time Luz dared to open her eyes, she saw that she was sitting in front of Eda, who was flying them at a rapid speed over the land. Upon noticing this, she suddenly turned around slightly and clung tightly to Eda to stay secure, causing the witch to slow down slightly.
“Don’t be afraid, human… I won’t let you fall.” She said
“What is this place? Where are we?” Luz asked, looking around at the odd environment around them, with odd boney protrusions, a purple tinted sky, and red trees and grass.
“Welcome to the Boiling Isles! The bones down there come from a being we call the Titan, his body forms our island. Occasionally a little bit of our world, seeps into your world, causing myths and rumors, and the occasional monster to slip over to your side.”
“Monsters?” Luz asked warily. “What kind?”
“Eh, nothing to worry about! Ages ago some of our animals got banished through a portal, some dog-like creature called a Skag? We banished them because they ate everything, and the face that was just a mouth? Yeesh… No thank you!” Eda replied.
“Oh, just the normal wildlife then… I thought you meant… Nevermind” Luz said.
“If you call Skags your local wildlife, then you must be tougher than I thought, for a human!” Eda jokes. “Anyways, here we are! Home sweet home!”
As Eda lands her staff, Luz looks at the house before her. It seemed like a nice, little brick house, with several windows scattered seemingly at random, with what appeared to be three floors. There seemed to be a shed off the left, while looking towards the house, as well as a gray brick extension built off the right side. There also seemed to be an old stone tower built out behind the building, but it was unclear from this angle if the tower and house were connected.
As Luz got off the staff, she felt something crawl up her back onto her shoulder. She looked over, and yelped slightly, before grabbing what appeared to be Eda’s severed hand, (how was it not bleeding?), and handing it back to Eda. “Uhh, Eda? I think you lost this?”
“Oh, thanks kid! I would have been looking for that everywhere!” Eda replied, taking her hand back and seemingly screwing it back onto her wrist.
“Aren’t you worried about guards coming after you again?” Luz asked.
“No, not when I have a top of the line security system! Hooty! Wake up!” Eda replied, looking towards an owls face that was carved into the front door.
“HOOT HOOT!” Luz jumped back as the carving turned out to be a living creature that looked a lot like a worm tube of sorts as it stretched out of the door and moved towards Luz. “You brought home a new friend! How fun!”
“Move aside Hooty, we’re going in. Stand guard, and don’t let anyone else in without my permission!” Eda said, as she pushed the door open, revealing the inside of her home.
The inside of Eda's home was surprisingly neat, considering the way her stand was displayed. There is a fancy red couch, with a smaller green couch next to it. There are different types of old chipped weapons ranging from swords to axes, and even a crossbow hanging from the wall, and on the back wall, right behind the red couch, was a large wanted poster of Eda, and what appeared to be a small black dog of some kind, posing in a very cliche villain pose. In front of the couch was a brown coffee table, with what appeared to be a crystal ball in the middle of it.
After looking around the room in a mix of awe and confusion at what she saw, Luz looked back towards Eda. “This place is beautiful! Do you live here alone?” Luz exclaimed.
Eda smirked, pleased with Luz’s reaction, and posed dramatically. “Thank you, and welcome to the Owl House! As for your question, no, I have a couple housemates. You already met Hooty, and you met Owlbert earlier. I have another roommate who should be around here somewhere…”
“Who’s Owlbert?” Luz asked.
Eda smirked. “He is the one who led you here, don’t you remember?” She summoned her staff and tapped it against the floor. “Well, I guess now you can formally meet Owlbert. My friend, palisman, and partner in crime!”
Owlbert flew off the staff and looked at Luz, then back to Eda and hooted. “What was that? Oh, that hunk of metal was hers? Why didn’t you say so earlier! Here kid!” Eda said, tossing Luz something wrapped in cloth. “Owlbert says that belongs to you. He also said he’s sorry for taking it, he thought it was salvage before he realized it was yours.”
“No hard feelings. I’m just happy it’s not damaged!” Luz said, as she unwrapped the package to find her Echo device within. She clipped her Echo to her belt, and upon doing so, a small purple light lit up on a small box no larger than her fist that was clipped to her belt as well.
“What was that?” Eda asked. “Oh, reconnecting my Echo must have rebooted my Inventory Storage Module, good to know!” Luz replied.
“A what?” Eda asked.
Before Luz could answer, there was a loud thudding noise from a connecting hallway, and a loud booming voice echoed through the room. “WHO DARES DISTURB I the King of Demons!” As the figure came around the corner, the booming voice rose in pitch to be a cute childlike pitched voice halfway through the statement.
“And there’s my roommate." Eda said, as a short, black and grey animal of some kind with a skull for a head, walked around the corner around the corner, holding a rubber duck, with two duck patterned towels, one around their waist and one around the top of their skull.
“¡Ay, que lindo!” Luz exclaimed as she rushed towards the small creature, tackling them in a hug! “Eda, you didn’t tell me your roommate was so adorable!”
“Ahh! Unhand me! I’m not adorable! I’m a fearsome king of demons! Eda! Who is this!” The self proclaimed king exclaimed while struggling.
“Luz, stop smothering King for a minute. As for your question King, she is just the type of person we need to solve our problems.”
“Problem? What problem? Listen, I don’t know why you need someone like me, I’m not special, just a normal human!” Luz said, nervously backing up.
Eda looked at how nervous was getting and tried to calm her. “Easy kid, I’m not going to hurt you. King and I just need a human's help to get past a certain obstacle. If you help us, then I can open the portal wherever you wish, and you can go home.
Luz seemed to calm down slightly. “You just need a human? Nothing special? And you won’t hurt me?”
“Of course not kid, I may be a criminal, and a thief, but I don’t hurt the innocent. Listen, if you really don’t want to help, then I will open the portal for you. But I wasn’t lying when I said we do need your help.” Eda replied.
“Okay… I always help those who need it, all my friends and family do… so if you really need my help, and promise you won’t hurt me, then I’ll help you… What do you need?” Luz said, her demeanor changing quickly.
King spoke up. “Long ago, I was a horrible demon lord, King of all Demons, but something happened, a horrible incident occurred, and I lost my crown of power, and was reduced to this pitiful form… I need your help to reclaim my crown, but… unfortunately, it is locked behind a barrier that no witch or demon can pass through…”
“To be clear, all we need you to do is pass through a barrier, and grab his crown. We will worry about getting you in, and out safely.” Eda stated.
“Well, I guess that sounds simple enough. But, uhh, where is the crown being kept?” Luz asked.
“Somewhere super fun! Now come on, I’ll tell you more on the flight over!” Eda said, excitedly, leading King and Luz outside before getting them on her staff and taking flight.