Aside from a few dips and climbs, it was a steady walk further within the caverns. She passed a handful of side tunnels, but the track never split off its straight course. She only crossed paths with a few other goblins that were walking back the way she came. For a while, all that accompanied her along the short trek were the clanking of pickaxes and mechanical rumble of minecarts in the distance, echoing off the walls.

Then everything suddenly opened up around her, spilling her into a huge chamber that dropped several levels into a deep chasm. Aside from dim lanterns hung sporadically along the walls, nothing except her new hardhat lit the massive scene. The singular track turned into a series of overlapping bridges and pathways, the carts stationary along the heavy, metal rails as if abandoned. Most of the ores for several levels seemed to have already been stripped from the earth, with wide nooks gouged out of the walls from previous digs. There were rustic ladders and stairwells leading deeper down into the abyss—where the goblins continued their search for cave's treasures.

Hat Kid bit her lip as her stepped along the nearest bridge, unable to resist looking down as the drop. Then she recoiled as a high-pitched, bird-like shriek belted behind her. Scrambling back to the safety of the ledge, she snapped her gaze around to find a Dweller Crow locked within a cage dotted by strange runes, still screeching at her angrily from behind the bars. She pouted at it in annoyance.

Guess that's what works for a canary in a coal mine here, she thought, although she bristled at the idea of what for. If there were gas leaks, they wouldn't affect the dead and the spirits were largely immune in a similar fashion. Could it be the ether? No, they thrived in it. It had to be some other danger.

The sound of metal hitting metal and a string of mumbled curses echoing off the walls drew her attention upward. Across the chasm and up two levels—near the ceiling of stalactites—she squinted to see another goblin shuffle out of a small tunnel barely any larger than himself. He wasn't much taller than the first she'd met, but he was stout and his flesh wrinkled. Wiry hair sprung from his head and knotted around his face in a thick beard, the sight reminding her of disjointed pipe cleaners. Thick goggles sat on a fat nose, and one of his fangs was longer than the other—curled at the tip as if it were trying to poke back through his cheek.

Dust rained around him as he worked him way out, then checked the load cradled his arms. It was easy to recognize the vibrant light that radiated from his hold, manifesting from an hourglass shape. Hat Kid stepped further into the open, craning her neck as she shouted at him, "Hey! Hey, you're Tuff, right?!"

He jumped at her call, drawing the Time Piece protectively against his chest as he looked around for her. "Who's askin'?!" he barked, his voice harsher than the first goblin she'd met. Soon enough, his suspicious gaze landed on the child and he raised a thick, curious brow, "Ah. Yer a tiny thin', aren't ya…?"

Hat Kid ignored the comment, "I'm here for the Time Piece! Moonjumper sent me!" If the goblins respected the phantom enough, she hoped mentioning him again would save her the trouble of having to fight over the mystical relic.

No such luck. Tuff sneered at her, drawing back, "No way I'm handin' it over! This is old magic—strong, powerful stuff even before my time. With just this one, I could do just about anythin'! I'm not gonna give it up, not even fer that masked madman!"

Then she'd have to climb up for it herself. Scaling a nearby ladder, she leapt away from the wall to reach a higher bridge. The goblin cried out in surprise, watching as she landed and broke into a run. Using a parked minecart as an added platform, she hurtled through the air a second time to reach him, but as her feet touched solid ground he sprinted away. He jumped—surprising her by the distance—and landed near a large lever.

He pulled it and the entire chasm seemed to rumble around them. The young alien felt the track quiver under her feet as the dull hum of grinding machinery started around them. At the sound of wheels speeding toward her, Hat Kid looked behind her and dodged just in time to avoid a charging minecart—nearly stumbling off the track as it tore past her.

She landed just in time to see Tuff stamp his foot along the switch and rip the lever out of place, tossing the now useless bar into the depths below with a confident smirk. Then he jumped away a second time, landing on one of the now active carts with a loud slam and riding it into the distance. Hat Kid chased after him, lunging off of the track to land down on another below.

Metal creaked and groaned all around her like the cries of a dying beast. Everything was moving now: Minecarts raced along the tracks and the bridges they ran across wavered in place from the momentum. The goblin darted beneath her from the level below and she dropped down to try to land on top of him—just missing as he sped ahead. A second barreled toward her from behind, but she was ready for it. Vaulting over to a nearby support beam, she managed to jumped onboard this time and ride after him.

If it weren't for getting the Time Piece, the child would've enjoyed the ride. With its chaotic dips and turns, it was like a rollercoaster. Aside from flight training, the experience was new to her and her stomach leapt with each whir of motion. She braced herself, feet planted against either side and one hand clenched tightly to the front.

It was steady going, but her cart was gaining on Tuff's. Soon enough, the latter realized it as well, turning around with a stunned look. Hat Kid braced her umbrella tightly in her free hand, ready to wallop. He hurriedly searched the floor his minecart, then reached for something with another smirk, giving her pause. There was a spark and then a thin, blurred shape went flying toward her.

She ducked and soon heard a loud explosion just behind her head. Tentatively raising back up with a grimace, she looked back just in time to see a cloud of smoke dissolve into a thin fog before vanishing completely. A lump formed in her throat, Dynamite?! He was one to call Moonjumper crazy: The Time Piece wouldn't do either of them much good if he blew up the track!

Against her best hopes, he had explosives to spare. He readied another one, although this time the toss was lower and too far to the right. It would strike her cart directly at the side. In a surge of panic, Hat Kid thrust her body in the opposite direction, the cart skidding on its left set of wheels. She couldn't contain a fearful scream, eying the dark descent beneath her and fighting to maintain her balance while the device soared past. All of this happened in seconds, the bomb once more going off behind her before she fell back into place, rocking back on the full set of tracks.

When he threw another, they were rounding along a rocky wall. The collapse of stone made her doubly grateful for her hardhat as she once more ducked for cover. Then the carts flew down a steep slope. Tuff's slowed first at the bottom—by too much. At last, Hat Kid was able to close the gap enough to reach him with her umbrella, giving him a good swing., and he fell back with a pained grunt.

Unfortunately, the force behind the hit was enough to push him further ahead of her once again. One after the other, the two continued to zip along the tracks. The goblin found more dynamite. He chucked a pair toward either side of her. Gritting her teeth, she flung her body one way, then the next—narrowly missing the second to where the bomb went off right next to her. She covered her face as her vision went blind in a haze of smoke, the light of her hat the only thing piercing through it.

It was so overwhelming that she almost got hit the next time, shoving her weight again to the right in a scrambled effort to avoid getting hit. Something clacked underneath her and she looked over the edge of the cart to see a piece of metal fall away from the bridge they were crossing and off into darkness. If she had any luck on her side, she prayed that the crude track would hold together.

Again, she was able to get close enough for another swing. Tuff was prepared for her though. Despite taking the brunt of the attack, he had another explosive ready. Hat Kid was too close to dodge when it threw it, only able to toss her own body back as the dynamite struck the front of her minecart and the blast toppled her over. Overall, the cart's thick layer of steel protected her from serious harm, but it flipped—dumping her out onto the track. She curled up in a defensive ball as it rolled off, falling away.

She quickly pushed herself back up with a determined expression, pursing her lips as he began to speed away from her a second time. Once more, he circled on a lower track. There was a second that merged with it, and another minecart running along that. Darting along the course, she threw herself over to it, hooking her umbrella along its rim and jumping inside.

The goblin wasn't so quick to underestimate her know, watching her as she started gaining once more. As she neared, he threw another piece of dynamite her way. Hat Kid was already braced for it, ducked low inside the cart.

She'd swung her backpack off and rapidly fished through it. The girl withdrew her brewing hat to the loud eruption sounding just past her head. Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine! She ripped off one of the vials strapped to its crown—filled with her own attempt at Snatcher's blue potion. She'd have to aim carefully: She only had a few of them prepared in advance and a good portion of them were still buried somewhere in her bag. There was a straight section of the track just ahead of them. She'd wait for that.

Another round of dynamite was chucked her way. Again, she veered to the side to dodge. When Tuff spotted the vial in her hand though, he glowered at her. He grabbed three stick of dynamite this time, each thrown in a rapid sequence. Right, left, duck! The cart bucked and rocked so much that she was certain it would fly off the track anyway, only this time with her still in it!

Another right as he tossed a fourth piece, but she had him right where she wanted him. As they reached the targeted area, Hat Kid propped herself against her cart, leaning forward with her legs set back to balance her. She was farther than wanted to be, but it was fine: She could throw far enough to reach him!

And she did. With a grunt of effort, she sent the little, glowing vial flying straight for Tuff. It landed inside his cart, erupting in a blast of blue smoke. Like her earlier, he was thrown out of the minecart as it lurched off-course and dumped him onto the track, coated from head to foot in the potion. He lost his grip on the Time Piece, unable to reclaim it as Hat Kid's own cart sped by and nearly ran him over, forcing him to roll out of the way and land to the level below.

The child anxiety hissed through her teeth, watching as the relic bounced off of beams and continued to fall. She grabbed her umbrella, jumped out of her own cart, and ran, but there wasn't any way for her to reach it.

The biggest piece of luck for that day was when the Time Piece finally touched ground and rolled not far from where she'd entered, it's light flickering wildly before settling down at it came to a halt on its side. She released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, thankful that it hadn't shattered. Without any further delay, she jumped after it, the hourglass at last in her grasp a moment later and miraculously without a scratch.

She heard cursing behind her, looking over her shoulder to watch as Tuff shambled into view across the chasm. He rubbed his head with one hand and wiped his goggles with the other, dragging clear streaks through the blue mess. "Ya know what? Fine!" he shouted at her angrily, "Fine, fine, fine! Ya want it? Keep it! Though what's a youngin' like ya need one o' those fer is beyond me!"

"I need it to go home!" she barked back, already putting the Time Piece safety away in her pack. Despite his words, he was so waspish that a small part of her worried that he still might try to grab it back, as if he could leap over the massive gap between them.

Much to her surprise though, he laughed at her words. It was a harsh, wheezing sound that shook his whole body. He let the moment pass, leaning forward on his knees to steady himself until he could catch his breath.

Then he flashed her an angry, ugly grin, "Well, with a thin' like that, I don't doubt that ya could! So long as Mad Moon doesn't have a thin' t' say about it!" Seeing the confused look on her face, he continued in a brash tone, "Sure, sure, he's a good man, youngin'! But mortals rarely come t' the Horizon with their heads on straight! And his Highness is the worst o' cases, I can assure ya! If ya value yer safety, ya'd be best t' keep yer distance."

Hat Kid pouted as he shook his head at her in amusement, then stuck her tongue out at him in reply. Thus far, the only two people who told her that Moonjumper was crazy weren't exactly on the stable side themselves: She figured she could take his words with a grain of salt.

Replacing the hardhat back on her head and adjusting the straps of her bag, she saw herself out.