Although Hat Kid was still curious about the singing she'd heard the day before, she took Moonjumper's advice and made her way to the other side of the mountain the next day instead. The path was rough, but it wasn't as far of a walk as the forest and she got to see a new part of the village. This section seemed less developed, more craggily and even less populated than the rest of the town—more boulders and dusty, broken trails to match the wasteland across the ravine than and the buildings here open, almost completely vacant. They weren't decrepit, but their somewhat worn look—matched with the dreary setting and lack of people—made her feel like they were.

Rather than focus on the unnerving feel of the place, the child gave her full focus to the half-eaten muffin in her hand. It wasn't much of a breakfast, but she'd woken up with a headache and had been more than happy to find it with a second sitting on a plate in her room, both still warm. Having eaten the other and packed away the first for the round, she'd watched the dishes clean themselves up and see themselves out in delight before beginning her own day.

If only the cups and plates on my ship did that, she thought, licking crumbs on her fingertips. If they did, it would've been one less chore for her to do. She doubted Moonjumper would trade them though, and to be honest she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about inanimate objects that had a mind of their own.

She looked at the berries nestled in with the dough. Cooking Cat had been helping her learn about different types of crops on the planet, but no matter how hard she tried, Hat Kid couldn't recognize these. It wouldn't have surprised her to learn that the Horizon's flora was entirely different—she'd passed a few, small gardens in the village and was hopelessly ignorant to some of the strange things that she saw growing in them—she just wished she understood more. Maybe she'd meet some of the nature spirit's she'd heard about and could watch them work.

Well, strange as they were, at least they still tasted good.

It was a while before the child saw her first Dweller along the empty trail. He was impossible to ignore though: Body a dark Byzantium—not as rich as Snatcher's and with a much fainter glow creating a kind of outline around him—and a large, devil-like mask with dark, bleeding eyes and bright red and white patterns. Bigger than most, he was at least a head taller than her, even hunched and coiled as he was hovering in the air.

Upon spotting her, he immediately dove behind one of the buildings in a burst of panic before she could so much as wave at him. He eyed her cautiously, one the "horns" of his mask protruding out of his cover. By now, Hat Kid figured that the best thing she could do was keep going. She was used to some of the Dwellers acting flighty from her time spent in Subcon: It took weeks for them to get used to her and even then, not all of them did. She couldn't expect much else from the Dwellers here. Even if a couple of them had been friendlier toward her, most still kept their distance.

But then he started following her. She didn't notice it at first, the way he moved without a sound, but he wasn't very good at hiding. Every time she glanced behind her and he ducked around a boulder, his mask or the tip of his tail stuck out in the open.

It was funny for a while, then she quickly had enough. Finishing her muffin as she stuffed the last chunk in her mouth, she turned around with her hands on her hips—waiting first to see if he'd reveal himself when she so obviously knew he was tailing her. When he didn't come out, she stared hard in his direction and shouted, "I can see you, you know! I know you're there, so come out or stop following me! It's rude!"

A minute passed before the Dweller finally did, slowly creeping up from behind his rock to stare back at her. He then looked around sharply, his head snapping from one direction to the other in a fretful way. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but he was muttering a string of words under his breath.

He dove for her, swiftly twisting through the air and wrapping his tail around her arm. However, the ghost moved so quickly that he couldn't get good grip, only succeeding in pulling her a few feet before she immediately wriggled free with an indignant cry and her umbrella drawn at her side. She might've lashed out in self-defense were it not for the desperation she felt behind his heavy gaze.

Keeping a tight grip on her weapon, she asked him with a quizzical look, "What do you want from me?"

Again, a long stare followed by frantic glances at their surroundings. Either he was scared of something or he wasn't right in the head and needed more help than she was capable of giving. Eventually though, he was able to calm down enough to utter a warning, "You shouldn't be here, kid. Go back home while you can—while he's not looking."

She just balked at the Dweller, baffled and inching away as he shuffled closer. What was he talking about? Who was watching? They were alone.

When she didn't respond fast enough, he seemed provoked to greater urgency. "It's the Prince," he explained in a rushed tone, "He's not—he's not our Prince, not like he was, he's changed! Right, not that you'd know…" The ghost paced in the air before continuing, "Just don't trust him, alright? He's not in his right mind, and if you're not careful you'll be trapped here like the rest of us!"

The way he acted, she doubted that he was one to judge. And was he talking about Moonjumper? She still didn't know what was going on—why they called him that or why Moonjumper went along with it—but she really didn't understand why the Dweller seemed so afraid, especially when none of the others she'd met reacted this way. Besides that, she liked Moonjumper: He was creepy, but had been honest and helpful.

Nevertheless, she decided to prod for answers. "How are you trapped here?" True, the Badge Seller had told her that this place was a kind of limbo, but from what she'd seen they could still cross over to the physical world easily. Maybe their souls couldn't always move on, but she didn't think that meant they were trapped. Not in the way he seemed to mean it.

"He gets in your head!" the Dweller exclaimed, making less sense by the minute, "And he's watching—always watching, eyes everywhere! Nothing goes on in this place without him knowing. Give in and he'll never let you leave. Run away, kid. I'm planning on escaping myself, as soon as—"

He froze. For a moment, Hat Kid thought he was staring again, but then she noticed his subtle glance to her right. He was looking off at something behind her. That is, until he bolted without another word, weaving through the empty homes and scattered rock until he disappeared further down the path. Hat Kid watched him go, standing tersely with her umbrella still tight in her grip.

This time, when she glanced over her shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see nothing. Everything about that Dweller had thrown her for a loop. If there was something fishy going on, he was apparently the only one who knew about it. She shook her head.

Maybe it couldn't hurt to talk to Moonjumper though… It didn't hurt to be cautious and there was still a lot she didn't know—like why the Dwellers here insisted that Moonjumper was their prince, for starters. The Time Pieces were her priority, but she did care about them. If something was wrong, she couldn't not get involved. In the very least, there was one Dweller who certainly needed help…

She could ask questions later. Right then, she still had a job to do. Although she followed the same trail that the purple Dweller had flown down—curving around the mountain along the side of another steep drop she couldn't see the bottom of—she didn't run into him again. Instead, the rest of her short journey was uneventful until she came to the mouth of a wide cave supported by rudimentary crossbeams of a strange design. They looked primitive, but strong.

It had to be the place. There weren't any other landmarks and Moonjumper had specifically said that the goblins were on this side of the mountain.

She didn't see any though. She heard one first.

"Excuse me, lil' misses," came a gruff voice near her feet, coated with a heavy accent, "but I'm afraid I can't be lettin' ya in."

When Hat Kid first saw the goblin, she couldn't help jumping back a small step in surprise. In fairytales, goblins were always described as nasty, ugly creatures. This one wasn't, not really. Like in books, he had course, green skin but it was so greyed that he blended in with the surrounding rock. Aged, piercing eyes and two upturned fangs were all that distinguished him from the stone. Even his 'clothes' looked like a plated suit of tiny, smoothed out pebbles. Short stalks of unruly hair curved around two large ears ad he was balding a bit. He had a rough look and a hardened jaw, standing firm by her side even though he was just under a head shorter than herself.

"I don't know how ya made yer way this far," he continued, "but this is no place for a child! Get along now! Get!"

She didn't really know how to handle a tiny man barely chest-high waving her away like he was shooing a fly. She had to hold back the urge to giggle, for starters, biting her lower lip. "I'm looking for something. Moonjumper sent me!"

He paused, eye widening a bit at that, "He did, eh?" She didn't know what the phantom had over spirits, but clearly enough to make the goblin reconsider. He scratched his chin, "What for, misses? I can't really say no t' him, but I can't exactly let ya run around the mines either."

"I'm missing an hourglass," she explained, "It's really important." Explaining the Time Pieces was always a struggle for her, because she never knew what someone would do with that information. Fortunately, she typically didn't have to, but given that that secret was one of the reasons why she and Mustache Girl had become rivals and how so many people had tried to abuse their power since, being completely honest about them wasn't a risk she could take.

However, the goblin didn't need much, cutting her off with a raised hand and a subtle, disgusted eyeroll, "I know what ya want then! You'd be lookin' for Tuff!" He began to walk away, "I told him keepin' that bobble would bring nothin' but trouble! Though why the prince would send ya after it is beyond me, misses."

Hat Kid jogged after him. Upon entering the mouth of the cave, she could just make out more goblins peering at them from the shadows, resting against the stone walls with digging tools and spoils of their work tucked in burlap sacks by their sides. They looked at her with curious interest, but said nothing. "You know where it is then?"

"Sure, sure! Deep in the mines," he answered dismissively, "That's where the ol' earthworm's been hidin' ever since he got his hands on it. If he brings the prince's ire down on all of us…" he tapped his large foot on the ground in agitation, a sour look on his face, "I assure ya, misses, we respect his lordship, we do—made sure our kind had some place to call home. We don't want no trouble here!"

She hoped that meant he was going to help her out. The goblin walked over to a minecart, loaded with miscellaneous junk, that been pulled off the track. He continued to grumble to himself.

"We get barked at and chased out all across the mortal world," he grunted, leaning over the side of the cart to hunt through the mess, "just for bein' lovers of treasure—nevermind the dwarves and leprechauns, but nobody ever talks about their crooked sorts—finally find a place here and now that idiot'll give us all a bad name!"

As he continued his search, Hat Kid did her own, brief one. The cart held a mess of odd 'treasures,' most of which couldn't be found in any mine: Jewelry, watches, metal toys and trinkets all mixed in with various tools. It made her wonder if he was being completely honest with her, if the goblins could really play the victim as much as he let on. The way a couple of them eyed her cape's large, decorative clutch didn't help either. She couldn't condone it, but she wasn't going to make any rash judgements.

Her foot kicked against something lying on the ground. Squinting in the darkness, the girl picked up a cylindrical piece that looked like it may have fallen out of the cart or off a nearby crate. It was hard to tell, but she thought it looked like half of a spyglass.

With a shout of triumph, the spirit fished out a hardhat and rebounded back to the ground. As he rubbed the dust off of it and smacked at the light attached to get it to work, Hat Kid noted that it was far too big for him or any of the other goblins sitting around. It was the perfect size for a human though…

"If ya want to find yer bobble, you'll need this," he held the hat up to her, then made a nervous expression as he saw the piece in her hands. He pointed to it meekly, "Ah… we found that near the cliffsides one day. Might be the prince's—he's the only sort we know who likes to stargaze. Sad that it's busted, but take that back to him anyway, would ya, misses? Let him know there's no bad blood between us fairy folk."

She nodded, tucking it into her backpack. Before she sealed the pouch shut, Hat Kid paused to look at her money bag. She'd gathered a fair amount of pons on her adventures. It seemed to hurt the goblins a bit to have to give as much as they were for her sake—whether the items were originally theirs or not. She felt she might as well give back a little.

She withdrew a handful of pons inside the cover of her pack before looking back at the goblin, "Is this enough for the hat?"

The twinkle in his eyes as she showed him her hand was more than enough an answer. Although a part of her wondered how much good they really were to him, the goblin still swiped up the pons and traded off the hardhat in their place before she could blink. "That'll do, misses! Plenty enough!" he gave her a toothy grin, his demeanor much more pleasant, "Yer not half bad. Ya'd suit as Moonjumper's vassal anyhow."

She wasn't entirely sure she knew what a 'vassal' was, but she offered an awkward, sideways grin in reply anyway.

Shuffling over to the start of the minecart track alongside her as he pocketed the pons, the goblin pointed into the depths of the cave, "Just go straight on down, misses: You'll bump into ol' Tuff sooner or later. Might give ya a chase, but we'll block the exits for ya. We can do that much."

The hardhat's light flickered as she set in on her hand in place of her usual piece and she gave it a hard rap to get it to stay on. It was bright enough to cover several meters ahead of her. Small minerals in the rock glistened when they fell under the steady beam and the path ahead way pretty straightforward.

Goal in mind and a light to guide her way, she raced deeper in fearlessly.