Chapter 12
As soon as the duo entered the atmosphere, they were hit by a wave of heat and it got worse as they got closer to Mafia Town. Landing on top of the observatory – where the cannon that gave them access to the Mafia HQ was – Arthur and Hat Kid could observe the disaster that occured here. The normally blue ocean was now replaced with lava, and it even got on lower parts of Mafia Town. Some Mafia men have been able to get to safety on the rooftops. Others were less fortunate and burned to death in the lava – some were even comically bouncing up and down, while holding their burning behinds, every time they touched the lava. Even the geyser was made of lava! How did that happen?
"Little kids! Over here!" a Mafia man called the children over.
Arthur and Hat Kid recognized the man. It was the same Mafia goon who mistook Hat Kid for a 'slimy space alien' when she was covered in mud. For short, they have decided to call him the Goofy Mafia.
"Look at mess! This is terrible!" the Goofy Mafia said in a panicked tone.
"Yeah, the sea is lava and people are cooking like steaks on a grill. How the hell did that happen?" Arthur asked with a shocked expression.
"Someone turn on all faucets in Mafia Town... same faucets that control the town's volcano!" the goon explained. Arthur and Hat Kid gave each other a puzzled look. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to plug in these faucets that are directly linked to the volcano all around town?
"Was it you, child?" the Goofy Mafia asked Hat Kid with a stern look. The small girl shook her head, denying the accusation. "No? Mafia think he saw a little girl turn on all faucets." A little girl? Wait... Oh no... Mustache Girl. She was the one who turned on the faucets and flooded the town with lava.
'Mustache Girl, what have you done now?' Arthur thought as he put a hand on his face in disappointment. He knew that her obsession for revenge would make her go too far. He had already warned her about that, but of course this stubborn mustached girl didn't listen!
"Little hat kids, can you save Mafia Town by turning off all faucets? If you close all, maybe water start flowing again!" the Goofy Mafia asked the duo. Hat Kid nodded with determination clearly showing in her eyes. Even if the Mafia were jerks, she didn't want to let them suffer. Another reason is she knew it was because of her Time Pieces that Mustache Girl did that. Therefore Hat Kid felt a bit responsible for this. That is why she had to make it right and fix the mess that Mustache Girl had caused.
"We'll... do our best," Arthur answered with hesitation. The idea of burning to death in the lava made him extremely anxious. The intense heat wasn't helping either. He could already feel sweat dropping from his forehead.
"Thank you! There are six faucets in town. Fellow Mafia will show you where to find faucets if you ask them. Good luck!" the Goofy Mafia said with a smile. Arthur and Hat Kid nodded in response.
The two children walked to the edge of the platform to locate the faucets from afar, while making sure to stay behind the barrier. For now, they could only spot one on the bell tower, near the construction site. Lava was flowing from the faucet.
"There's one on that bell tower over there. For the others, we're gonna have to search around town, and hopefully... not get cooked in the lava," Arthur said as he nervously glanced down to see the deadly hot liquid flowing below.
The young boy had to stop looking at the lava and take a step back to prevent himself from hyperventilating. He already had a hard time breathing because of the heat, and if he started to hyperventilate now, he could suffocate on the spot.
Hat Kid could see that Arthur was panicking, so she tried to think of something less dangerous for him to do. She then had an idea. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. She then showed the paper to Arthur, and he could read: 'Save the goons who need help! I'll turn off the faucets.'
"You... sure about this?" Arthur asked hesitantly. Hat Kid nodded with a smile.
The twelve-year-old boy sighed. It felt wrong to let Hat Kid find the faucets on her own, but she was more agile and collected than he was, and with his anxiety... Maybe it was best to do as she said.
"Alright. Just... be careful, okay?" Arthur said in a worried tone. Hat Kid gave him a thumbs up to say that she will be fine. "I'll meet you back here then," he said. Hat Kid nodded.
And with that, the duo walked away from each other to do their given tasks in hope to save Mafia Town from disaster.
Arthur made his way across several rooftops, trying to help as many Mafia goons as he could. He told the ones who were at lower levels to get to higher ground for safety. The Mafia men listened to the boy and made their way up to the higher parts of Mafia Town. He walked a bit further and spotted a Mafia man hanging onto the edge of the rooftop, struggling to get back up.
"Help! Little hat boy! Help Mafia please!" the goon pleaded. Arthur's eyes widened and he ran up to the Mafia man.
"Ah hell! Hang in there! I'm gonna get you up somehow!" the twelve-year-old boy said as he crouched in front of the hanging man. He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to help him up considering he was just a kid, and therefore he didn't have enough strength to pull him up. He had to try though. Maybe if he managed to lift him up a little, the Mafia man could climb up easier.
Arthur grabbed the man's arm and tried as hard as he could to pull him up. The Mafia man tried to help him by pulling himself up, but even with the boy's help, he was unable to climb back up. Suddenly, another Mafia man rushed to Arthur's side, grabbed the goon's other arm and began to pull him up. With the extra set of hands, the goon who was struggling was finally able to climb up on the rooftop safely. Arthur let out a sigh of relief now that the goon was safe and sound.
"Little hat boy! Mafia glad to see you again!" the Mafia man who came to the rescue said to Arthur happily. As soon as he said that, the young boy immediately recognized him.
"Mafia Barman?" Arthur asked. The goon nodded in response. "Thank you. You... you came right in time," the twelve-year-old boy said in appreciation.
"Thank you, fellow Mafia! You too, little boy," the Mafia man who was rescued thanked the two.
"Don't mention it. Head to the observatory, it's safe up there," Arthur said. The goon nodded gratefully and ran off towards the observatory. The young boy looked back at the Mafia Barman and said, "You should go too, barman."
The Mafia Barman shook his head and said, "If little hat boy save fellow Mafia, then Mafia will help. Mafia strong, so Mafia come with you."
Arthur was surprised to hear that he was willing to help him. For a goon from the Mafia, the barman was so selfless. Well, without him, Arthur would have been unable to rescue the other Mafia man, so he wouldn't mind the strong man's help.
"Alright, just be careful around the edge. I don't want you to fall," Arthur said.
"Little boy not worry. Mafia will be careful," the Mafia Barman reassured with a smile. Arthur nodded.
Continuing their progress through the rooftops, Arthur and the Mafia Barman continued to help the Mafia goons who needed saving. At one point, the twelve-year-old boy looked down to the side and saw a familiar figure stranded on top of a big crate in the middle of the lava. Someone with orange fur and a chef's hat... Arthur gasped. It was Cooking Cat!
"Cooking Cat!" Arthur shouted as he ran to the edge of the rooftop. The chef cat heard him and looked up.
"D-Dearie?! W-What are you doing here?" Cooking Cat asked in a panicked tone. It was needless to say that she was terrified. Here she was, forced to remain on a crate to stay safe from the lava.
"No time to explain! Right now, we gotta get you out of there!" Arthur answered, not wanting to wait any longer to rescue the chef cat. He turned to the Mafia Barman and asked, "Do you have something to get her out? A rope or something?".
"Mafia have rope to tie up prisoners. We can use that," the Mafia Barman said as he pulled out a rope. Arthur grimaced upon hearing that this rope was used to tie people up, but he shook his head to focus back on recuing Cooking Cat.
"Good. Throw the end of the rope at her and then we'll pull her all the way up here. I just hope it will hold," Arthur explained. The Mafia Barman nodded.
With the plan set, the goon threw the end of rope at Cooking Cat.
"Grab the rope! We'll pull you out of there!" Arthur shouted to Cooking Cat to make sure she could hear him. The chef cat did as she was told and grabbed the rope. She then nervously nodded at the boy to tell him she was ready.
Arthur and the Mafia Barman then pulled on the rope with all of their strength. Cooking Cat was very nervous as she was being pulled up. She already didn't like water due to her being a cat, but lava? It was way worse and deadlier than water. After some efforts, Cooking Cat had finally reached the edge and grabbed it to pull herself up on the rooftop, with Arthur's help. Cooking Cat breathed heavily as she allowed herself to recover after this traumatic experience.
"Thank you... dearie... I would've become... 'Cooked Cat'... if you weren't here..." she joked in between breathes.
Arthur chuckled and said, "Yeah, you would have," jokingly. Cooking Cat chuckled before looking at the Mafia Barman.
"Thank you too, uhm... Mafia..." the chef cat said, unsure how to name the goon.
"Don't mention it," the Mafia Barman said with a smile. The chef cat then noticed that Hat Kid wasn't with Arthur.
"Where's the little girl?" Cooking Cat asked concerned.
"Hat Kid? She's trying to turn off all faucets. I'm supposed to meet her at the observatory when she's done. In the meantime, I'm saving folks who need help," Arthur explained.
"That is very kind of you two. Will she be okay though?" Cooking Cat asked in a worried tone.
"I hope so. As far as I can tell, she can handle herself. I've seen her do things that even adults can't do," Arthur said, confident about the girl's abilities. Hat Kid clearly showed that she knew what she was doing, so there was no doubt she had already been in dangerous situations before. He just hoped than nothing wrong will go along the way and that she will be able to make it back safely.
While Arthur was off to save as much people as he could, Hat Kid was searching around town for all faucets. First thing she did was head for the one on the clock tower, walking on tightropes to get across the lava. When she got on it, she tried to turn it off with her hands, but it remained stuck. Therefore, she opted for the hard way and whacked it shut with her umbrella. And it worked! The lava had stopped flowing from the faucet. She smiled and continued to search for the other ones.
Going to lower parts of Mafia Town, she closed another one near the dock. She asked a Mafia man for some directions and he told her that there was one at the lighthouse. Going down the rocky side of the town that wasn't submerged in lava, she jumped on tightropes and floating balloons to reach and close the faucet on the lighthouse.
She continued and spotted another faucet in the distance. It was on some weird machine a bit further away in the lava ocean. The only way to access is to jump on some barrels and floating platforms. With a confident nod, she jumped on them to reach the faucet. However, when she stepped on the first floating platform, it began to vibrate and it suddenly started to fall. Panicking, Hat Kid jumped on the next platform to avoid getting cooked in the lava. She continued to jump from platform to platform, and every time she stepped on one, it gave under her feet.
Eventually, the purple-hatted girl was able to reach the machine. However, in her haste, she miscalculated her jump and landed off balance on the edge. She flailed her arms around in panic and unfortunately lost her footing. Thankfully, she was able to grab onto the edge before she could fall in the lava.
Hat Kid looked down, and immediately regretted it when she caught sight of the deadly boiling lava below her. She attempted to pull herself up, but the surface of the machine was a bit slippery and she almost lost her grip by doing so. She panicked and decided to stay still to stop herself from falling.
Sweat was dripping from the girl's forehead. To be honest, she wasn't scared... she was absolutely terrified! It was needless to say she really in trouble this time. She never thought she would have to say it but...
"HELP!" Hat Kid screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping anyone would hear her.
Arthur, Cooking Cat, and the Mafia Barman have been able to save a few more Mafia goons. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to save everyone as some had unfortunately disappeared in the lava. It was especially heartbreaking for the Mafia Barman as he had known them for a long time. However, the group knew that in a situation like this, some casualties are to be expected. It didn't make the feeling any easier to bear though.
Eventually, the trio made their way on top of a few houses in the market that was now flooded with lava. Suddenly, a distant screaming stopped Arthur in his tracks and he looked towards the source of the voice. In the middle of the lava ocean, there was a strange machine emerging from it and hanging on the edge of it was a small figure in purple and yellow outfit- Arthur gasped. It was Hat Kid! She was in trouble!
"Oh crap! Hat Kid!" the young boy screamed in panic. Cooking Cat and the Mafia Barman had spotted her as well.
"Oh dear!" Cooking Cat said as she put a hand on her mouth in horror.
"Little hat girl is in trouble!" the Mafia Barman stated in panic.
Arthur's worry soon replaced his instincts as he saw the purple-hatted girl in danger. Even if he didn't trust her yet, he couldn't let her die! Without her, the Time Pieces will remain lost forever and some people might want to abuse their power, like Mustache Girl wants to. And besides, Hat Kid was his only ally in this world, and also the only one who provides him shelter at the moment. If she dies, then where would he go? No... Screw his anxiety and screw the danger! He is going to save her, even if it costs him his life!
"Dammit! I have to go over there and help her! Can you guys save the rest of the townsfolks without me?" the twelve-year-old boy asked his two allies.
"Are you sure? You might get hurt too, dearie," Cooking Cat said concerned.
"Screw this! I'm getting her out of this mess, even if it's the last goddamn thing I do!" Arthur said in an angry and determined tone. Cooking Cat was a bit taken aback by his tone. She was worried about the boy's safety, but she admired his bravery and Hat Kid did need help at the moment.
The chef cat sighed and said, "Just be careful, okay?".
"We will help fellow Mafia. Go save little hat girl," the Mafia Barman said. Arthur nodded at the two, before he ran off to save Hat Kid. Cooking Cat watched him leave with a worried expression.
"Do not worry. Little boy is strong. Stronger than he looks. Stronger than he thinks," the Mafia Barman reassured the worried chef cat. Cooking Cat really hoped that the goon was right about that.
Arthur rushed down to the rocky side as quickly as he could. When he got down, he could see the parkour that Hat Kid used to get there. He looked down at the sea of lava before looking back up at the girl hanging on the edge. From the looks of it, it won't be long before she loses her grip and fall to her death. Arthur didn't have much time.
Ignoring the obvious danger, Arthur jumped on the barrels, then onto the floating platforms. They gave under his feet, but the boy didn't stop and continued jumping to the next platform. He was in an adrenaline rush right now, and the badge on his hat was really helping him as well.
Hat Kid had less grip on the edge than before, and now she was hanging with only one hand. She could feel her hand slip more every seconds. So that was it then? After all the missions and adventures she had, she was going to die in such a stupid way all because she got careless and failed a stupid jump?
The purple-hatted girl closed her eyes, bracing herself for her imminent death. However, just when she lost her grip, a pair of hands grabbed her arm, stopping her from falling in the lava below. Hat Kid opened her eyes and was shocked to see that Arthur was the one who caught her.
"A-Arthur?" she asked in a surprised, yet relieved tone.
"Hang on! I'm gonna pull you up!" Arthur said as he used all of his strength to pull the small girl back up on the machine.
After some efforts, Arthur managed to pull Hat Kid up to safety. Both children layed down on their back and breathed heavily as they tried to recover. After a moment, Arthur was the first one to speak.
"Ughh... You goddamn idiot! I told you to be careful, dammit!" Arthur scolded Hat Kid. The small girl flinched at his tone.
"I'm sorry..." Hat Kid apologized shamefully. She never meant to make him so worried to the point that he risked his own life to save hers.
"Forget about it... Just be glad I made it in time," Arthur said with a sigh. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he had literally jumped from platform to platform above a sea of lava to make it here. And not just any platform, they were unstable ones! He could have died here and then, but he made it. He just keeps surprising himself sometimes.
"We should probably turn that faucet off," Arthur reminded as he got up to his feet. Hat Kid nodded and got up as well.
The purple-hatted girl walked up to the giant faucet and whacked it several times with her umbrella, successfully closing it.
"How many of those have you turned off so far?" Arthur asked. Hat Kid raised four fingers, meaning that she turned off four faucets out of six.
"Alright. Well, I ran into Cooking Cat. She's okay. She and another Mafia man are helping the rest of the townsfolks," the twelve-year-old boy explained. Hat Kid sighed in relief, knowing that the chef cat was okay. "So in the meantime, we can go and turn the rest of the faucets off," he continued. Noticing the girl's confused expression, Arthur gave her a serious look.
"That's right, miss. I'm not letting you outta my sight again. Not after what happened. Otherwise, you're gonna get roasted and end up on the menu for a Thanksgiving dinner," he said jokingly and sternly at the same time.
Hat Kid felt a bit guilty for laughing at his joke. There was no doubt that he got so scared after seeing her on the verge of death. So even if he tended to act cold and bitter, Hat Kid could see that he had a good heart. She made the right choice by asking him to join her on her adventure.
"Thank you," Hat Kid said with an appreciative smile.
"Don't mention it," Arthur simply said.
The two children went back to the shore, while being careful with their jumps along the road. As they searched for the next faucet, they came across a small cave with a fire pit in the middle. On the wall, there was 'Mafia Sabotage' written in red, along with a few lines indicating the amount of success. On a rock at the front of the cave, there was a crossed off drawing of the Mafia Boss's face with a silly expression. The words 'Sod off' were written multiple times around it. The duo concluded that this was probably where Mustache Girl was living.
Arthur let out a sad sigh. Even if what Mustache Girl just did is unacceptable, he still felt bad for her, knowing the horrible conditions she was living in ever since she was driven away from her house. It reminded him of himself... about the way he was living with his alcoholic father in a house that was in a poor state. Hat Kid gave him a confused look seeing his expression. She wasn't aware of Mustache Girl's past yet. Arthur noticed her look and shook his head.
"It's nothing. Just... living in a cave doesn't seem easy is all," the twelve-year-old boy lied. He didn't want to tell her about Mustache Girl's past yet. He knew that it was a sensible topic and he respected it, which is why he didn't want to tell Hat Kid about it right now.
The small girl could sense that he was lying, but she decided not to push it. They had more important things to worry about right now. Hat Kid did a motion with her head to tell Arthur that they should keep going.
"Right... Let's go," Arthur said, focusing back on the task at hand.
The duo continued to make their way around and were able to close another faucet that was near the slides at the submerged beach. Now, they had just one more to find. Arthur remembered seeing one at the market before he went to rescue Hat Kid. Sure enough, they were able to find it and close it.
After turning the last faucet off, lava disappeared from the geyser and was replaced with water again. The temperature of the area slowly decreased, and even though the lava remained in town and in the sea, Arthur and Hat Kid were now sure that it won't cause any more damage. It was only a matter of time before the lava would clear off and Mafia Town would retrieve its normal state.
"That did the trick. We should go back to the observatory and tell the Goofy Mafia it's done. Hopefully, Cooking Cat and the other Mafia man are waiting for us there too," Arthur stated. Hat Kid nodded in agreement.
The duo had returned to the top of the observatory. They were met by Cooking Cat and the Mafia Barman who have been waiting for them to return.
"Good to see you two made it," Cooking Cat said, relieved to see the two children safe and sound.
"Yeah, we were able to close all faucets. Hopefully, Mafia Town will be back to its normal state soon," Arthur said with a smile.
"Thank you, little children. You should go to Mafia HQ. Fellow Mafia are waiting for you there," the Mafia Barman said, smiling at the two. Both children looked at the cannon that leads up to the Mafia HQ.
"Great... I was hoping I wouldn't have to use that thing again," Arthur grumbled, remembering his first experience of being launched up by the cannon. "Oh well... Let's go," he said, walking up to the cannon, climbing into it, and closing the hatch.
The cannon pointed up and launched Arthur in the air. The boy screamed as he was being launched upward and he landed face first on the platform where the Mafia HQ is. Arthur groaned. He was definitely not getting used to it. He tried to get up but was forced back on the ground when someone landed on top of him. He looked up and saw that Hat Kid had landed on him... again!
The small girl giggled in amusement, earning an annoyed look from Arthur. She got up, allowing the young boy to get up as well. When they looked up, they were shocked to see a crowd of cheering Mafia men clapping for them. And that wasn't all. They had set tables with lots of different food, two golden statues representing Arthur and Hat Kid, and a large red sail with 'Arthur & Hat Kid!' written on it was attached at the front of the HQ. The two children were surprised by all of this. They didn't expect this warm welcome from the Mafia.
The Goofy Mafia approached the duo and said, "You did it! Small children saved Mafia Town! Now Mafia no longer need to eat lava for breakfast... amazing!".
"Sounds like you would melt from inside if you did," Arthur said jokingly, causing Hat Kid and the Goofy Mafia to chuckle. "Well... You should rather thank Hat Kid. She was the one who wanted to save you all. Me, I just... followed along," he said, giving all the credit to Hat Kid.
"Mafia saw little boy go around town and save all fellow Mafia. You are hero too," the Goofy Mafia said with a smile.
The Mafia man whom Arthur saved earlier stepped forward and said, "Is true! Mafia was hanging on edge for dear life. Then hat boy came and saved Mafia! He is true hero, like little hat girl!" gratefully.
All the other goons nodded and said that Arthur had either saved them or saw him save other Mafia men. The young boy felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Cooking Cat and the Mafia Barman nodding at him gratefully. Even Hat Kid smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Arthur felt a bit overwhelmed. It was the first time anyone was praising him for doing something good. For once, he wasn't seen as a nuisance or a liability... but as a hero. A true hero! It was... a different feeling. A good one. It was a lot to take in, and it took him a lot of efforts to not get all emotional in front of everyone.
"I... I don't know what to say... I... Thank you, everyone," Arthur said with an appreciative smile, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.
"Don't mention it. Mafia glad that little hat children showed up," the Goofy Mafia said with a smile, before pointing at a silver platter covered by a cloche on the table. "Please, take this as trophy. You are truly the heroes of Mafia Town!".
The two children walked up to the table and Arthur lifted up the cloche. Their eyes widened as they saw what was under it. It was a Time Piece! Saving Mafia Town was definitely worth it. And not just for the Time Piece, but also for all the lives that were saved today.
Arthur wanted to grab the Time Piece, but then he saw that Hat Kid was about to do the same, so he stopped himself from doing it. However, the purple-hatted girl noticed that. She grabbed the boy's hand and placed it on the Time Piece, while putting her other hand on the other side of the Time Piece. She wanted to make him understand that they were now a team and that no one would be left aside.
Arthur gave her a surprised look, but Hat Kid only smiled at him in response. The twelve-year-old boy smiled back and nodded in appreciation.
Unknown to the duo and everyone else, a red-hooded figure was peeking from around the building, watching them. The blond mustache on their face was recognizable. Indeed, it was Mustache Girl... and she was not happy.
"'Heroes'? Pff, right! They're helping the Mafia. They're bad guys, alright," Mustache Girl muttered bitterly.
The red-hooded girl was really disappointed in the duo. She thought that she could trust them after coming up with a plan to get rid of the Mafia. When she found out about the power of the Time Pieces, she was hoping that the three of them could use them to prevent the Mafia from arriving to the island and fight every bad guys they could come across together. But noooo, it was too much to ask! Hat Kid just wanted to keep the Time Pieces for herself. How could this girl be so selfish?
But the one that Mustache Girl was mostly disappointed with was Arthur. She had told the boy about what she went through, what the Mafia did to her and her family. She thought he understood her reasons for wanting to use the Time Pieces, but all he wanted was to cut and run to save himself. He was nothing but a coward and a liar! And to add salt to the wound, he teamed up with the purple-hatted brat. That traitor!
But they won't stop her... She will do everything she can to get all of the Time Pieces and use them to rid the world from evil. Even if it means she would have to get rid of Arthur and Hat Kid at some point to get what she wants.
"Speaking of bad guys..." Mustache Girl said as she turned around to look at a Mafia man. And not just any goon... It was the Mafia Boss. He was tied up and a scotch tape was over his mouth to prevent him from screaming. "I have a special treatment for you..." she said in a dark tone.
The Mafia Boss trembled and had a terrified look on his face, as Mustache Girl cracked her knuckles and slowly approached him with an evil grin.
A/N: Hi everyone! That's a new chapter wrapped up! We're almost done with the 'Mafia Town' acts. I just have to write a chapter about the two remaining Time Rifts before moving on to 'The Battle of The Birds' acts. I know there's still 'Cheating the Race' to write, but that won't come until later in the story, since Hat Kid needs the Time Stop Hat to beat the Mafia man on the rocket.
Alright! Time to answer the reviews for the previous chapter!
To Katopris12: Nope, that was Cooking Cat. XD
To Mad King C: It's true that it resembles 'Megacharge' with the reversed roles, but I did mention in the Prologue that it was inspired from this story. I'm trying to make sure it's not too similar to it. But don't worry, I'm not mad at you for making the comparison. ^^
To PatoMayo: The one responsible for bringing Arthur to this world will be revealed near the end of the story. It's a good theory though. Anyway, thank you. ^^
And that's it for now! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!