From what little Hat Kid knew about spiders, she thought they bit into their prey and such out their juices—much like a vampire. It turned out she was wrong and that the process was much more gruesome than she ever could've realized…
Mental scars aside, both she and Bow left the nest unscathed and with a modest troop of arachnids following them in the treetops. Two legs were hardly a match for eight, so they were soon outpaced as they neared Subcon's largest tree. However, neither girl minded, eager to make some distance between themselves and the giant bugs while Snatcher took the reins from there. He couldn't give them orders without first speaking to the Widowmaker, but she herself directed them with ease. Within moments upon arrival, they scattered into position.
There was a feeling of success, a warm bloom nestled in Hat Kid's chest from rallying the last of the spirits to their side. Nevertheless, it came with a cluttered mix of other emotions. There was the worry that maybe they hadn't done everything they could after all, especially since they'd failed to get Moonjumper's or the snow women's help. What if, even with this many spirits on their side, it wasn't enough? Above all though was the anxious anticipation of the battle to come.
"Let's go, come on!" A minion shouted, darting around the young aliens followed by a trio of Dwellers. They ran toward the burning section of Subcon, which was being used as a kind of temporary haven. Although they would fight to the bitter end to protect the village, there was just no guarantee that the ice wouldn't takeover in the end—just as it had done before. Since Vanessa's magic could even trap lost souls in a frozen state, it was better to move everyone who couldn't fight to a safer place.
Bow Kid grabbed her by the shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze despite the nervous look on her own face. "We should probably check on the fire spirits now," she encouraged, "and get those tufts like the Badge Seller said."
Hat nodded in agreement. It was time to ready their own defenses. Besides, she saw no point in asking Snatcher where he wanted the two of them to go.
They walked to the village first, where a large group of fire spirits had planted themselves not at all far from where she'd first met them. The atmosphere surrounding the once hypnotic, fluid dancers had changed: Their movements were slightly faster and more aggressive, as if they were bobbing and weaving around imaginary enemies. Those who weren't twirling around the searing bonfire were busy melting whatever ice dared to near the quiet settlement. A young fox carrying an armload of sticks quickly tossed them into the hungry flames and immediately turned back into the dark wood for more with urgent steps.
Even Kit now had her hands full: Standing near one of the hollowed-out homes, she kept her gaze locked on the wild expanse of forest beyond them. Her fire seemed to be just as powerful as the spirits'. At the sight of a strong line of ice coursing toward them, she'd send a stream of flames to counter it. The fear she'd come here with had never truly left her, but there was something fierce in her expression as well: A terrified determination that refused to let whatever threat she felt take any more ground than it already had.
The girls made sure to approach the woman within her line of vision to avoid startling her. She offered them a strained smile in attempted reassurance with no such luck, "Are you two still feeling alright? You've really been running all over the place."
"We're fine," Hat Kid replied, "We just wanted to ask your help with something again."
One of Kit's ears wiggled curiously before dipping back. "I don't think I can go with you on another adventure right now. Actually, to be frank, I think you little ones have had enough adventure for now. It's dangerous here, you know."
They shook their heads before she could say anything further. "No, it's not that. We need help getting tufts from the fire spirits." They briefly explained what they needed them for, choosing to leave out the bit about possibly facing Queen Vanessa themselves. As expected, Kit's demeaner switched to satisfied relief.
She looked around before calling one of the slightly older fire spirits over, explaining the situation to it in simple words it could understand. The fox was less pleased with the idea of having some of its beautiful fur snipped off. Nevertheless, a bit of pleading and admiration on Hat and Bow's part—and the promise of snacks from Kit later—convinced it to change its mind.
Hat Kid brushed the spirit's fur with her fingertips, truly in awe of the bright colors and eternal warmth its kind naturally emitted. Kit knelt down beside them to hold out a lock of long enough for the child to clip off without changing how the fluffy tail looked overall. It was done in seconds, the fox then pulling away to double-check their work and tenderly stroke the snipped place before running off again. The girl examined the piece, pleasantly surprised that the lavender hairs continued to glimmer with a fiery shine.
"I doubt any of the fire spirits will let you clip away any more than that at a time," the woman stood back up with a light stretch, "You'll definitely need to ask around. For something as small as a badge, three tufts about that size should be enough for each of you."
That left five more to go then. Hat Kid gave a single nod, already trying to map out where they should go next. "Thank you!"
"Just be sure to get somewhere safe when you're done!"
The children were already on the move once more before Kit could finish, her words trailing after them. As they headed back the way they came, Bow Kid stopped to climb across of one of the nearby bridges and higher still to a second-level platform. She paused, squinting hard in all directions, only for her mouth to twist into a soft frown. "The fog and snow's gotten so bad, I can't see anything very far off."
Hat looked up at her with empathy, "It wasn't like it was any better before this anyway." The miasma that always hung over Subcon was so dense that it was a miracle she was able to find her way around and complete all of Snatcher's contracts as quickly as she had. "I think I know a few other places we can check though."
Taking the lead, she ventured down Subcon Forest's winding paths. Surely not all of the fire spirits would be in the same places they were last time, but there were other landmarks they could check. They happened upon a second bonfire along their way, following one of the trails that led toward the swamp. It wasn't exactly a strategic location, so the fire spirits must've been planted there by Thane Fen's request.
Speak of the devil, the girls spotted him not long after, harassing one of the foxes with Lily hovering off to the side. If either of them was concerned about the growing storm, they didn't show it. However, while the thane wore an ugly expression of grim pleasure, Lily just looked tired—like she would rather be anywhere else.
"Do you honestly think your dry, dreary home could compare to ours?" he sneered at the fox, "Hardly any creature can even survive there except for your kind. It's completely inhospitable."
"Maybe you not tough! You not tough!" it replied, turning its nose indignantly at the more humanoid spirit. Its chopped-up speech was even more noticeable compared to the other's more eloquent language, a fact which he seemed to revel in.
Just not enough to ignore that kind of insult. An offended, scary look flashed in his eyes. He kept his voice even, "Is that so? Maybe you'd like to follow me in the swamp for a dip then. I've always wondered how long one of you can last underwater before that fire of yours is snuffed out!"
The fox huffed at him, its tail swishing in aggression, "Can live long than smelly, cooked fish!"
Bow Kid saddled closer to Lily, eying the two spirits nervously, "What's going on?"
Seeing the girls, her expression softened. She folded her arms across her chest, "Nothing new: Just rival spirits going at it like they've done since the beginning of time itself."
Since Hat Kid had only really ever met the spirits once at a time before this, she'd never seen them clash firsthand. It didn't look like mortal ghosts they'd marked were their only targets, and from the threats they hurled at each other, she was worried how far they'd take things. Surely if they were going to fight among themselves, they would have done it already though…
She made sure to whisper, "Do you think they'll…?"
"Go for each other's throats? Not until this whole mess is over anyway. They may hate each other, but they hate the queen more—and they're both strong enough to keep each other in check."
Although he would have seen them as soon as they neared, the Thane turned his gaze on the girls as if spotting them for the first time. He waved Hat Kid over, "You there, Dweller—you're marked by these beasts. Have you been to their territory yet?"
A lump formed in her throat. The last thing she wanted was to be dragged in the middle of their argument. The two spirits looked at her expectantly, but she couldn't think of anything that would please them both. For all the fire spirits had done, they were still good creatures overall and she didn't want to insult them. She didn't really mind insulting Thane Fen except there was a fair chance he'd try to kill her if she did. Really, she still didn't know how boundaries went where any kind of spirit was concerned.
She carefully chose her words somewhere in the middle, "It was a nice adventure..."
The fox raised its head a little higher as if in victory. Thane Fen continued to stare at her, eyes narrowing and insisting that she continue.
Bow stepped in before she had to, "But I'm sure it's just as nice below the swamp—with lots of fishes, and amphibians, and underwater plants…"
While his stern gaze didn't leave Hat for another moment, the other child's words seem to pacify his ego enough to finally let the subject go. "Yes, it is rather lively! It's a pity you mortals can't see it for yourselves," he raised his shoulders in a lax shrug, "Perhaps someday, if your souls still linger around these woods. Impress me and we might even accept you like we did our dear water lily here."
The Florist's face was unreadable. Hat and Bow could only offer up nervous grins, both inwardly recoiling at the idea. Meanwhile, the fire spirit stepped closer, circling the girls to brush against each of them before squatting in-between, as if making a silent notice of possession. Thane Fen smirked back at it.
"So anyway, what do you want? I imagine your on more of the Shadow's business since he hasn't killed you both yet."
Rather than reveal her and Snatcher's BFF contract as ammo for him to use, Hat Kid got straight to the point, "We're collecting tufts from the fire spirits."
The explanation and bribing went almost exactly the same as it did the first time, but ended with the Thane laughing at the fox out of spite after its fur was cut with the girls giving extra time to reassure the creature that its tail looked just as beautiful as ever—if anything, the old fur clipped away would just allow it to grow back even prettier than before.
Since Thane Fen's strong aura dominated over the other swamp spirits, it was hard to say whether he was just a bully or if it was just the nature of his species. Hat Kid assumed the truth was closer to the latter, and if any of the others held the same position he did, they'd act just the same. They seemed to be a warrior-focused bunch after all, from their value of physical strength to how quickly they could organize their numbers.
"You children are joining the battle then?" he asked with the first note of approval either of them had seen. Under that, they heard an eagerness to voice. As much as he had protested against joining forces with Snatcher, he was clearly itching for a fight.
"It's not like we could just leave anyway," Bow Kid answered, "We've come this far. We want to help where we can."
"If you can, but so long as you keep out of the way, who would I be to discourage you?"
For once, Lily spoke against the Thane, her lips dipping into a frown, "I don't think that's such a good idea," she looked at Hat and Bow, "You kids are tough, but remember what we're dealing with here. It's not just the battle you'll have to worry about: If the ice catches you, you'll become another frozen statue for the queen to redecorate with."
They didn't need the dark reminder… Nevertheless, Hat Kid waved their newly acquired tuft pointedly, "If we hurry, that shouldn't be a problem."
"Please do survive," the Thane encouraged, but with no genuine concern. "Your perseverance thus far has piqued my curiosity. It would be a shame if you died now."
"We don't plan to."
Leaving with that foreboding goodbye, the young aliens continued on their way—this time toward the ruins. It was a lot of ground for them to cover, and besides: There was something important there that Bow had yet to see with her own eyes.