Hat Kid rushed into the woods, following where her top hat was guiding her. The Snatcher was busy in the village, trying to fix any pipes that shot out of the ground. She wondered, as her feet crushed the enchanted grass, about the Snatcher. Her body was still sore from the strange soul voodoo he did, and she was terrified. It would've been worse if it had been Cloak Kid in that position. What's more, she saw Cloak Kid skulking around after telling him to leave. That boy just never listened, even after the whole ordeal from Deadbird Studio. She said in her head that she was scared, but mostly, she was just angry and frustrated.

Why was something telling her that the Snatcher did care at least a little for his Subconites? He sounded more concerned about the village than making Hat Kid suffer in that moment. And for some reason, she considered the thought of those sentiments pointless and a waste of time. She had a job to do, and it was… taking down some stupid toilet. Just for now, she would be a good little servant.

Up in the heights of the trees, Cloak Kid followed the girl to where she was heading. Parts of the forest were still on fire, but somehow it wasn't spreading. He tripped over a branch, running into some heated bark that was hot to the touch, but somehow soft. The boy squeezed it in his hand, just adding a little bit of his power and it set it ablaze, only temporarily. He tucked the material away, hoping to use it for something later.

Hat Kid made it into an open space where many spirits were locked up in cages that were hanging from above. At the center was some kind of lake of, what she could only assume was acid and there was an outhouse and it was shaking up a storm.

She didn't know how in the world she was supposed to fight it, but it wasn't moving. She approached with caution, putting on her Brewing Hat and held out a bottle.

The second she threw it, she and it were blasted away from a shock wave. The vial of explosive potion fell nearby. The outhouse had come to life. As she stood , she didn't realize that an outhouse could even let out a monstrous roar like the one it did, but at this point, she wasn't surprised anymore.

It started spitting out dirty bubbles of water, with various pieces of junk inside. They were bouncing around, and looked kind of acidic like the pool of acid in the middle, so she ran. Until one had one of those purple cherries. She picked it up and tossed it into the air, a spirit going into it and she used her umbrella like a bat and whacked the cherry into the outhouse. The explosion knocked it back.

Several Subconites were showing up, as Hat Kid was fighting back against that outhouse. Several of the cages were being swung at her, but Hat Kid quickly ran, tripping a few times, and holding back screams, to grab onto the single lantern that was above her with her hookshot and swung towards the out house feet-first and knocked it back once more.

Jumping around was hard enough for the outhouse to not only knock the girl off her feet, but send Subconties flying upward, as well. Hat Kid took to jumping whenever it was just about to hit the ground, staying in the air when the ground moved. She picked up another cherry, held it near a spirit and threw it into the outhouse that was lying down from jumping too much. She landed on the ground, kneeling as the bomb exploded.

The outhouse landed at the center, a wave of water casting over the area. Hat Kid, for once, used her umbrella for its intended purpose. She blocked as much of the water as she could yelping when some of it still got on her knees.

It hurt. It burned, but she wasn't deterred and she wasn't frightened. If anything, she was just irritated. This was her favorite outfit, and she only really wore one, so there was a lot of room in her closet for skeletons, but the outhouse kept doing what it was doing, like it knew it was the only way to keep Hat Kid immobilized. And it was right. She couldn't move unless she wanted an acid shower. She squeaked as holes began to make themselves known in Hat Kid's umbrella.

Suddenly, a cherry bomb cut through the sky and exploded once colliding with the house from the side. It fell down, motionless while more cherries fell from the trees. Hat Kid wasted no time. She ran around the vulnerable toilet throwing and whacking all the cherry bombs she could until it broke into a million pieces. A Time Piece flew out from the wreckage, and yet, as the girl looked up at it, she didn't even react as it went into the trees.

Cloak Kid caught it in hands. Spirits were behind him, eager to possess more cherries as their vessels, but the boy waved them off.

Hat Kid stood, clothes torn, bits of her skin burning, but alive. "I'm done!" she shouted. The Subconites rushed forth, surrounding the girl and cheering.

"Way to go, newbie!"

"That was amazing!"

"It's a miracle!"

"Where did all those bombs come from?"

Hat Kid's jaw dropped. She had never received so much praise. Yet, she couldn't feel any happiness. She didn't get it. She felt… numb.

The Snatcher arose from the ground, knocking Hat Kid off her feet. The Subconites backed away to make room for their boss. He looked down at the hat-wearing child. She had certainly been through the wringer, but was still standing and drawing breath. The child did just save the village. He'd give her that.

"Well, look at you," he said. "Still standing, huh?" Hat Kid just nodded. She had nothing to say, and just… really wanted to take a bath.

The girl just nodded. "I guess so. What's next?"

"See? Now you're getting it!" The Snatcher exclaimed. He dove into the ground and came back with another contract. "I do… have this issue with… Oh, whatever. It's on the contract. Isn't it thrilling to sign your life away?"

Hat Kid huffed. She took the paper. On it, it said that she was to explore some kind of manor and find out what was in the attic. It didn't sound too bad, but there had to be something behind it. It wasn't like she had any other choice. So, she signed it with the quill.

"This one should be a breeze! I think… Actually, I don't think anyone's come back from there. Oh, well. Not my problem! Smell ya later!"

The Snatcher dove into the ground. While she didn't know where the mansion was, she was sure her hat could just guide her, seeing as it was her goal now. She twisted her head, slightly, gazing up at the trees, and barely could see two green eyes staring back at from the darkness. The girl huffed and went on her way.

Cloak Kid, still in the trees, sighed. He felt a cold chill, but knew it wasn't because of himself. Hat Kid looked okay, but not really happy to see him. He knew he was putting himself in danger, but he had to when she was, as well. Why was she angry? He called for the ship, wanting to secure the Time Piece the best way he could.

He thought this was what she wanted.

The Subconites were regrouping by the Snatcher's little house. It was quite a shock to see that the girl was still alive, but now he was sending her to the mansion. The mere thought of it should've made him smile… but he grimaced instead. The Subconites seemed concerned, but he told them if they found anything. Each and every one of them replied that they hadn't seen a thing.

The Snatcher was puzzled. He didn't send those spirits up above where that possessed outhouse was. They wandered aimlessly, and they would talk to just about anyone.

Like an intruder.

Whoever was lurking around the forest was helping Hat Kid. But why? Why would they walk around these grounds to protect her… like some kind of guardian angel?

The shadow growled. An intruder on his grounds, and he couldn't even sense them. He should be able to, whether they were dead or alive.

"Well, check the forest again!" the Snatcher ordered. "Do whatever you must! I want to know who dares step into my forest and skulk around like a shadow! Only I get to do that! I want them alive, so they can know the full consequences of their actions. Now, go!"