+Mafia Town, Act 2:+

-Barrel Battle-

Footsteps echoed in the hallway as the boy drew nearer towards his destination. He had a meet-up with the head honcho himself, the boss of the mafia. Who, funnily enough, goes by "Mafia Boss" which the boy finds stupid, but does anybody have a real name in this planet?

The boy began wondering about the kid he encountered. He didn't know anything about her, but she seemed like the quiet and mischevious type. In a way, she reminded him of himself to an extent. Well, before he came here and all.

Taking a turn to the left and going through a set of double doors, he came across a hallway with golden mafia statues and a red rug, heading to a throne with two large golden mafia statues behind it. Along with four smaller ones in front of it, slightly masked by red curtains that also masked the walls, with pillars in-between. Torches sat in front of said pillars, lighting a way through. A small set of stairs separated the throne from the rest of the hallway.

Sitting on the top of a throne was a stout man wearing blue striped trousers, a large white toque and a red coat on top of a white shirt. Compared to the other Mafia men, which the boy practically assumed were cloned because there's no way they can't look similar otherwise, the man had larger features and a wide, shorter nose.

That there was the boss of the Mafia. Getting into the Mafia wasn't very easy. Thankfully he set the boundary of not doing any tasks that involved violence. Though that wasn't always easy to do considering the Mafia were as smart as rocks and at times he just felt like punching them.

There was a specific reason why he set the non-violence boundary, but it was a personal thing so he never said it. Besides, it's not like the mafia cared about reasons anyway. They'll do what they want to do and the only thing that'll get them to stop is if a greater threat threatens them. Or they get scared shitless, which happened more often than they want to admit.

The boss noticed the boy's entrance and got up off his throne "Ah, so has the errand boy finally arrived!" He let out a chuckle at his own words, the boy simply faked laughter. "So, did you get it?"

"Yes, I got it." The boy pulled out a sparkling blue potion in a flask, with a cork in it so it didn't spill. "What's it called again?"

"My boy, it's called the death wish. Any sucker lucky enough to drink this rare item that only comes from the Subcon forest will get a power boost so big it's impossible to lose!" The boss explained. "However, it's got a six-minute time limit, and leaves quite a hefty amount of fatigue in the aftermath."

"Uh-huh. It doesn't sound very worth getting much less consuming. I lost my soul getting this, you know." The boy spoke. "That damned specter with that yellow mouth and eyes."

"At least you're alive. If you didn't come back I'd have no use for you! Since you'd be dead and all." The mafia boss let out another chuckle. The boy just scowled.

"Oh yeah, did you hear about those little hourglass things falling from the sky?" When the mafia boss nodded, the boy continued, "That's not all that fell. A little girl also fell, saw it with my own eyes. I managed to get my hands on one of those hourglasses." He pulled an hourglass out of his pocket, "Not all of them seem to glow, however. But it doesn't take a genius to see that they are capable of doing something."

"I am aware of these magical hourglasses. But that is not important at the moment. Right now, all that matters is that we have another problem. We already got one little girl attempting to terrorize the mafia, we don't need another." The mafia boss turned his gaze away for a moment.

"I already warned her while I was making my way here. She beat up Jeoffrey for one of those hourglasses."

"Ah, that guy. Always getting into some form of trouble. Heard he stole a rocket last week claiming he was the fastest man alive." The mafia boss shrugged. "Nothing to worry about though. He'll recover easily."

There was a small, awkward silence in the room before the boss asked: "So, what's she up to now?"

Hat Kid walked up to the large stack of barrels that were labeled 'TNT' to find four Mafia dancing around another mafia on the top row, who was holding Mu. "If you don't put me down right now, I'll bite!"

The Mafia to the right of Hat kid noticed her and turned to face her, "Hey! Child! Shoo! Mafia can't have child witness when Mafia teaching child lesson."

Hat Kid simply looked at the Mafia. There was an awkward silence that followed. They were both simply staring at each other, right before Hat Kid blew a raspberry at the guy, who gave a shocked expression in response.

"This awkward for Mafia. Mafia not sure what to do."

The Mafia to Hat Kid's left spoke up "Boss, what do we do with eyewitness?"

Without even looking at Hat Kid, the Mafia at the top spoke up, "Teach her lesson, boys!" In response to the Mafia's answer, two of the Mafia got off of the barrel stack and began walking towards Hat Kid with intimidation. "Come to papa Mafia!" One said.

Hat Kid gave a confused expression. Why did he just say that? She got knocked out of her thoughts when a fist came flying at her face. She quickly ducked while her top hat went over the fist. She retaliated with a quick hit with her umbrella to the nearest Mafia goon.

These are certainly stronger than the one I fought near the fountain! She thought, nearly getting swept off her feet when the other goon tried jumping onto her. Quickly retaliating with more strikes of her umbrella. After another bout of dodging hits and retaliating Hat Kid struck one down.

When she struck the first goon it sent him into the air, exploding! Do people on this planet do that often? Didn't happen to the guy at the fountain. Did I kill someone!? She was lost in the thought of having killed someone, not noticing the fist that came flying toward the back of her head.

Hat Kid felt something collide with the back of her head, she stumbled forward a bit, quickly finding her footing. She turned back with a slightly angered and pained expression. She hit the Mafia goon and he, too, went in the air and exploded. He dropped two weird green orbs with a jewel in them and a red orb with a cartoonish heart in it.

Grabbing the three orbs, she felt a small amount of relief as her injuries seemed to disappear. Huh. Neat. Was it that red orb that did this? She thought.

She was immediately snapped out of it when the other two Mafia goons jumped off of their positions. This time, Hat Kid was ready and immediately attacked the nearest one. But she wasn't prepared for the strange red glow, in addition to the weird flames, that appeared on the one she attacked.

Although the flames weren't dangerous, she could tell her umbrella wasn't working anymore, so she quickly booked it. What was she supposed to do now? How am I supposed to attack him now? She thought.

A voice called out, "Hat Kid! Jump on him!" It was Mu!

"What good will jumping on him do!?" Hat Kid replied.

"Just trust me, I've dealt with these guys much longer than you have!"

Yeah, and look where that got you. She thought, before jumping into the air and dived forward. Please work! She thought. She felt an impact and heard the goon say "You can jump!?"

Dropping to the floor, she quickly struck the goon two more times until he went flying and exploded into more of those weird green orbs. I thought these guys were intimidating before, but now they just seem like total pushovers.

She looks at the other goon and strikes him a few times, the goon getting the same red aura the other one had. However, this time Hat Kid knew what to do. She quickly jumped into the air and hopped straight onto the Mafia goon and with it, the aura vanished "I'm so confused!" He said.

After a few more strikes, he went down. Hat Kid felt victorious, but jumped when the Mafia at the top yelled, "ENOUGH! Mafia won't bow to little girl! Prepare to feel Mafia's wrath!"

Hat Kid watched him pick up a spiked barrel and throw it off, it bounced on the floor and then exploded. Hat Kid gulped.

"See if girl can handle this barrel!" The mafia threw another one down. This was around the fifth one he threw. Hat Kid wasn't as scared as it first began, because they were rather easy to dodge.

It was when he threw a seventh barrel that she began to get scared again. Because this time it began circling the pile of TNT barrels instead of staying in a single direction. What kind of sorcery is needed to accomplish that!? She thought.

"Stand still!" The goon shouted, to which Hat Kid replied, "If I do you'll just hit me so no thanks." then blew a raspberry. Hat Kid then had to duck to not get hit by the barrel that bounced next to her.

After a few more the goon spoke again "This lead nowhere! Mafia need to take care of this Mafia-style. Prepare to feel what Mafia do to old ladies!"

Hat Kid felt offended at that statement, "Excuse you I am perfectly young and you BETTER take that back."

The goon chucked Mu to the side and got off the stack of barrels, prepared to fight. Hat Kid prepared to make him eat his words. They neared each other and the Mafia moved in for a swing, But Hat Kid's superior reach, thanks to her umbrella, allowed her to take the first hit.

They take turns exchanging hits, Hat Kid dodging them with great speed and the Mafia had a red aura once or twice. But eventually, the Mafia collapses, unable to fight any further.

Hat Kid spots a time piece next to where the Mafia lay. Oh jeez. He had one too? She thought, picking it up.

"Pfft. Can you believe them? What a bunch of losers." Hat Kid looked up to see Mu walking towards her from where she was thrown. "You're not bad, Hat Kid. For a rookie, anyway."

Hat Kid remained silent but had a small smile on her face from the compliment. "I noticed you don't talk much. You shy? That's cool, you're a 'less talk, more fighting' kind of girl, I take it."

Mu looked to the time piece in Hat Kid's hands, "That thing you have there. Are you collecting them? Because I know where there's more of them." She pointed to the strange building being supported by water. "They've been raining from the sky ever since you've arrived. I've seen the goons bring them to their headquarters waaay up there."

Then Mu gasped, "We should go up there and get your junk! It'll be fun! I'll take any opportunity that involves messing up the Mafia! You with me buddy?"

Hat Kid thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Great!"

As if they could read what they were thinking, both jumped up and gave each other a high five. Hat Kid knew this was going to be the start of a great friendship.

As they fell to the floor Hat Kid suddenly remembered her space ship. She turned to look up at the sky and noticed it staying up there. "That the thing you came down from?" Mu asked, looking to the ship, then to Hat Kid.

Hat Kid nodded, "I don't have any way to get back up there with the power all gone out as it has though."

Mu got a devilish grin. "I know of a slingshot that'll take you right to it. I don't know how the Mafia got it or why they thought going into space was a good idea, but it'll have to do."

Hat Kid nodded, following Mu to the slingshot.

Hat Kid finally finished repairing the hatch. The power was still out, but once the time pieces went in the vault, she could restore power to the kitchen.

Mu whistled "This is quite the establishment you have here."

Hat Kid threw open the vault and put the two time pieces into it. Then shut it and began waiting. It didn't take long for power to be restored in the living room and kitchen.

"Wow. So those things are like a power source for your ship. Now I get it!" Mu said with astonishment.

There's more to them than that, but I'd rather not say… Hat kid thought.

Mu cleared her throat. "Are you ready to take down some Mafia!? Let's do it! I'm psyched!"

Mu began pacing around the room. "Let's go over the plan. All assaults need a good plan, or it'll be a flop! I've had enough of those already thanks to that kid with the hairpin."

She must be talking about that kid Hat Kid saw in the alley before the barrel battle. "First, we strangle them! Choke 'em and watch them beg for mercy! That'll show those creepily similar mafia goons!"

So I'm not the only one who noticed- wait to strangle them!? That's a bit overkill… Hat Kid thought. "No, wait. Strangling is too kind." Mu sighed, going back to the drawing board.

What part of strangling someone is too kind!? Hat Kid thought, beginning to think this was a bad idea. "We smash them together into mush, and put their remains in a jar!" Hat Kid grimaced, That's even worse!

"Then, we sell the jar for pocket money! That'll be the ultimate salt in the wound!" Mu chuckled, then cleared her throat. "But first, we have to make it through their Mafia HQ."

"Once we dethrone the Mafia Boss, the rest will follow. Then our mush and jar party will be no problem!" Hat Kid was against the idea of having a mush and jar party, and the idea of the remains in a jar thing. But she wasn't against dethroning the Mafia boss.

"But first, we've gotta get you geared up! Your hat is… Basic," Excuse me what did you just say? "and we don't do basic in this gang! Yarn can be found around Mafia town and used to stitch new hats. You'll need to look snazzy if we're going to fight the kingpin himself."

"Now let's go and prepare to defeat the Mafia boss! We'll commence operation: take down the Mafia, tonight!"

Admittedly, I was a bit lost thinking of a start for this chapter. I tend to get roadblock when writing a certain path, so I scrapped the original start and instead started with the OC talking with the Mafia Boss since we didn't get to see much of the boss in the game aside from when he was stuffed into a jar and right before his boss fight.