Chapter 13
"Weeee!" Hat Kid beamed as she spinned on Rumbi after it accidentally hit a wall.
The small child was sitting on her robot vacuum cleaner while it was busy cleaning the main room. Rumbi continued to move around, but it was struggling due to its owner's weight on it. Its circuits struggled to process, and it would occasionally hit a wall by accident and spin in one place for a second. Its LED face showed a pained expression that was silently screaming 'Help! Get her off of me!'.
"You done giving that robot a hard time?" Arthur asked with an unamused expression. He was actually sitting at the corner of the room, continuing his unfinished drawing from the day before.
Hat Kid crossed her arms and pouted at him as to say 'But it's so much fun!'. The young boy only rolled his eyes at her, before he went back to drawing.
While he was drawing, he thought back on the events from the day before. Mafia Town being submerged in lava, he and Hat Kid going around to save people and stop the lava by turning off the faucets, being seen as heroes by the Mafia, and being rewarded with a Time Piece. Arthur still had a hard time believing that he was called a hero, when he had been called a 'freak', a 'liability' and a 'mistake' his whole life. It was something new to him and he still needed some time to process it.
Despite that, he was happy that this was over with. It was so damn hot down there, and he had felt like he was going to melt any second. When he and Hat Kid returned on the ship, they were both a sweating mess, so they had to take a shower and wash their clothes.
They had been able to enjoy a good night of sleep after all that. With seven Time Pieces, Hat Kid had been able to unlock her bedroom and sleep in her bed. She had offered Arthur to sleep in her pillow fort, but he refused by saying that 'Someone had to stay on watch to protect the Time Pieces in case anyone tried to sneak on the ship'. In reality, it was because he still wasn't comfortable being around her. Hat kid could see that, but she had decided to let him do as he pleased nonetheless.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
Arthur was pulled out of his thoughts when a knock was heard coming from the hatch. Hat Kid hopped off of Rumbi and walked up to the hatch to see who was knocking. She smiled upon seeing that it was Cooking Cat. The cat chef seemed to be carrying a white box in her hands. Hat Kid opened the hatch to allow her in.
"Hello, dearies!" Cooking Cat said with a smile as she stepped into the spaceship.
"Oh hey, Cooking Cat. What's up?" Arthur said as he set his drawing aside and got up to his feet.
"I just came by to say hello to our little heroes," Cooking Cat said with a smile. 'Hero'... Arthur really needed to get used to that word. "The lava has cleared off during the night. Never thought I'd say this but... it's good to see water flowing again in Mafia Town," she added with a chuckle.
"Yeah, water isn't really your cup of tea, right?" Arthur asked, chuckling as well. It is true that Cooking Cat was... well... a cat. No wonder she didn't like water.
Cooking Cat shrugged and said, "Well, I'll take water over lava any day," jokingly.
"I'm inclined to agree," Arthur said with a chuckle, making Hat Kid giggle as well.
"Anyway, I wanted to thank you both for saving everyone's life in Mafia Town. So I've baked you some cupcakes. Freshly made," Cooking Cat said as she opened the box in her hand to show the content.
The two children's eyes widened, seeing all the cupcakes with different colors and flavors. Hat Kid drooled at the sight. She couldn't resist the taste of pastries and anything with sugar in it. Arthur was also tempted to take a bite in these cupcakes. He hadn't had the chance to eat any for years.
"Wow, that's... Well... Thank you, Cooking Cat. You didn't have to do this, you know," Arthur said gratefully.
"I know, but I wanted to. You both have earned it! Anyway, we should probably go eat them before you flood the spaceship with your own saliva," Cooking Cat said in a joking tone.
"Yeah, that'd be preferable," Arthur answered jokingly. Hat Kid and Cooking Cat giggled in response.
With that said, the trio went in the kitchen and they started eating the cupcakes made by the cat chef. Hat Kid was devouring her cupcakes like a tiger was eating its prey. They were just so delicious! The sight of her eating made Cooking Cat chuckle. Arthur was also enjoying the cupcakes.
"Man, I haven't had one of those since my mom..." Arthur trailed off at the end, his smile dropping and turning into a frown.
His mom was the one who used to make cupcakes for him until she... Arthur sighed. He didn't want to think about that now... Hat Kid and Cooking Cat noticed the boy's change of mood and they gave him a concerned look. The young boy noticed that.
"Ah, it's nothing. Don't worry about it..." Arthur said, brushing off their concern.
"You sure, dearie?" Cooking Cat asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah..." Arthur simply answered. He didn't want to talk about it. Not now. Maybe not ever...
The cat chef slowly nodded, deciding not to push it. Hat Kid continued to stare at Arthur in concern. The boy seemed alright until he mentioned his mom, and then he had become depressed all of a sudden. Did something bad happen to his mom?
"Alert. Time Rifts detected."
The trio jolted at the sudden alarm. Arthur and Hat Kid's eyes widened. Another Time Rift? Wait... Did the alarm say it with an 's'? The two children rushed out of the kitchen under the confused look of Cooking Cat. They ran to the main computer and Hat Kid made the research on it. It gave the results and Hat Kid gasped at what she saw. There was not one, but two time rifts.
Hat Kid pressed a button to receive the informations on the first time rift.
Rift Status: Blue.
Localization: Mafia Town.
A blue one. The computer sent a photo of the time rift and it seemed to be at a blocked off entrance area. Okay, that wasn't too bad. But what about the other one? Hat Kid searched for the informations of the second time rift... Then she gasped.
Rift Status: Purple.
Localization: Mafia Town.
"Purple? Oh, that's not good..." Arthur said with a worried look.
The computer sent a picture of the purple time rift. It was in the beach area, between a tent and a cannon. At least it was easy to find, but they should make that one top priority. From what the book said, a Purple Time Rift had to be taken care of quickly before it becomes too unstable and causes damages to time itself.
"Alright. We should take care of this now," Arthur said. Hat Kid nodded seriously.
"What's going on?" Cooking Cat asked curiously as she approached them.
"It's... something we have to take care of, because if we don't, it's gonna cause trouble," Arthur explained briefly.
"'Cause trouble'? What exactly?" the cat chef asked concerned. Arthur looked at Hat Kid to ask if he should tell her the truth. Hat Kid nodded. Cooking Cat had always been so nice to them, so she trusted her with the truth on the Time Pieces. Arthur sighed and began to explain more clearly.
"So you see these shiny hourglasses? The ones you saw falling from the sky?" Arthur asked. Cooking Cat nooded. "Well, they're called Time Pieces. They're powerful items that rewind time when they break. But sometimes, it happens that some of them create Time Rifts. And if not sealed quickly, they can put the whole universe in danger."
The cat chef's eyes widened. Hourglasses that rewinded time and created Time Rifts? It sounded... incredible and scary at the same time. There was no doubt that such power could create disasters if misused.
"So we're collecting them to keep them safe. And if there is any rift, we go in there and seal it. Right now, we have two time rifts and one of them is unstable. So Hat Kid and I have to take care of this now," Arthur explained.
"I... I understand. Isn't this going to be dangerous though?" Cooking Cat asked, concerned for the children's safety.
"Probably. I've never been in one of those, but Hat Kid did. Guess we'll see if we come back in one piece. I don't see any other option right now," Arthur said.
Cooking Cat slowly nodded. She hoped that nothing bad will happen to them, but it was clear that these time rifts had to be taken care of quickly and these two kids seemed to know a lot more about them.
"Alright. Just be careful, dearies," the cat chef said. Arthur and Hat Kid nodded. "Oh, before you go... May I use your kitchen? These time rifts seem like hard work, I'm certain you could use some food after that."
Hat Kid thought for a second, then nodded. She wouldn't mind having someone cooking for them. She hoped that Cooking Cat will make more of these cupcakes. They are so yummy!
"Well, if you're gonna stay on the spaceship, just know that we may have some... 'competition' regarding the Time Pieces. If you see a red-hooded girl with a blond mustache, don't let her in. She's after the Time Pieces as well, not for good reasons. And she's not really on friendly terms with us either," Arthur warned the cat chef.
"Fear not! Cooking Cat is here!" she answered confidently, promising that she won't let Mustache Girl go near the Time Pieces.
"Thank you," Arthur said in appreciation.
With that said, Hat Kid opened the hatch. She and Arthur jumped off and aimed to land in Mafia Town.
"Hope they'll be alright. Now what am I gonna cook for them today?" Cooking Cat asked to herself as she headed towards the kitchen.
The duo landed at the entrance of Mustache Girl's cave. Just like last time, there was no sign of the red-hooded girl in there. She was probably away trying to find the Time Pieces. Well, for now, she was the least of their problems. The time rifts had to be dealt with as quickly as possible, especially the purple one.
"Alright, so we know the purple time rift is our priority, but we should not forget about the other one. We don't want it getting worse. I think we should split up to cover both. Which one do you wanna take care of?" Arthur asked.
Hat Kid thought for a few seconds, before making a decision. She figured that she could take care of the purple time rift, while Arthur goes to seal the blue one. The boy had never entered any time rift before, and he wasn't use to platforming. So if a purple time rift was the most unstable of the two, it might be too dangerous for him to deal with. Therefore, the blue time rift seemed like a good start for him.
Hat Kid made a few gestures to tell Arthur about her plan. The boy nodded, agreeing with her idea.
"Alright then. Yours is easy to find, it's at the beach. Me, well... I hope I won't have to get far to find it," Arthur said. Hat Kid nodded. She was about to walk away when Arthur stopped her.
"Wait, uhh... How do I enter a time rift exactly?" the twelve-year-old boy asked her.
"Just touch it," Hat Kid answered with a shrug.
"Alright. Seems simple enough. I'll meet you back at the beach then," Arthur said. Hat Kid nodded.
And with that said, both children walked away from each other and began to search for their respective time rift. Arthur walked along the rocky side, looking around for the blue rift. Thankfully, he didn't have to look very far. Climbing up the rocks and going into some sort of bazaar, he spotted the rift at one of the blocked off entrances.
"There it is," Arthur whispered to himself as he approached the glowing orb.
He looked down at his hand and back at the time rift, remembering that Hat Kid told him to touch it to enter it. He was a bit nervous, he had no idea what to expect once inside of it. But now was not the time to be a coward. He had to go in there and seal this rift before anything bad happens. Taking a deep breathe, he hesitantly brought his hand forward and closed his eyes, bracing himself for what will come next. He touched the rift and he could feel time freeze for him suddenly. And even though his eyes were still closed, a white light filled his vision.
Seconds later, his vision cleared and he opened his eyes to observe his surroundings. His jaw dropped in awe when he saw he was in a place made of white and blue floating platforms, an underwater atmosphere with clock towers and flying whales in the distance. And of course, bubbles floating around and escaping from his mouth when he breathed out.
"Wow, okay... That is not what I expected," Arthur said with widened eyes.
This place looked so peaceful, he liked it. It was like he was in his own bubble, away from all of his problems. If only it wasn't all part of a rift that could put the whole universe and time itself at risk.
Arthur shook his head. He had to focus on the task at hand. Looking at the end of the parkour, he could see the faint light of the Time Piece that he needed to grab in order to seal the rift. He looked at the rotating and floating platforms he had to cross and at the blue void below. It was such a long drop and it seemed like there was no end to it. The badge that the Badge Seller had given him will definitely come in handy here.
Nervous but determined, he stepped forward. The balance of time is at stake and Hat Kid is counting on him. He will not back down until he gets his hands on this Time Piece and fixes the rift.
Hat Kid made it to the beach area and spotted the purple time rift. As she approached it, she could notice a small difference compared to the blue time rift. Sure enough, the orb was purple, but the small girl could also notice some small sparks coming out of it. The unstability of the rift must be causing that. Even more reasons to seal that purple rift as quickly as possible.
She brought her hand forward and touched the rift. Time froze for her and her vision turned white. When it cleared off, Hat Kid found herself in a strange place. She seemed to be in a small dock-like area with an odd glowing hatch. Instead of the blue time-space area with floating bubbles, it was gray and giant purple crystals could be seen in the background from a distance. Unlike the peaceful atmosphere from the blue rift, this one was... dreary. Almost dead. Hat Kid didn't like it.
The purple-hatted girl spotted a Mafia man leaning against the hatch. Huh? What was he doing here? Curious, Hat Kid approached him.
"Hello, little child. This is Mafia time rift. Time Piece hit Mafia in head, and now time rift filled with Mafia thoughts and dreams," the Mafia man explained. "This time rift is simple. Simple like Mafia, just how Mafia like it. Rules of time rift: If you fall, you start over."
Hat Kid's eyes perked with interest. So you can't die when you fall into the void of a Time Rift? That's actually good to know, but that still didn't mean she wanted to give it a try. Though that meant that it probably works the same in a blue time rift. Therefore, if Arthur fails one of his jumps on his end, he could still come back and try again. This new information made Hat Kid feel a bit relieved.
"You need Rift Pons to go deeper," the Mafia man continued as he pulled out a golden pon containing a crown inside it. "Mafia let you have this pon. This hatch only needs one. Others might need more. Make sure you look everywhere." The goon handed the Rift Pon over to Hat Kid, and she took it.
"Thank you!" Hat Kid said with an appreciative smile. The Mafia man nodded at her.
"That is all the rules. Please tread carefully in Mafia time rift. Mafia like to experience past," the goon said as he leaned back against the hatch. Hat Kid nodded.
The purple-hatted girl approached the hatch with the rift pon in her hand. Suddenly, the pon was sucked towards the hatch, and it opened after that.
Hat Kid was about to jump in, but then she spotted something poking out from the top of a small building on her left. Curious, she climbed up and saw a pile of fish. But what caught her attention was the picture on the ground. She picked it up, but she couldn't read it since the picture was blurry. Despite that, she had a feeling that it was important somehow.
Hat Kid shrugged and put the picture in her pocket. If there are more of these in the next levels, she should try to look for them. For now, there doesn't seem to be any more pictures here. So she should probably move on.
The small girl jumped in the hatch, ready to proceed to the next level.
Arthur had been able to cross the first rotating platform. He then jumped on other platforms that were turning on themselves, while avoiding sleeping raccoons on the way. After that, he jumped on... giant floating cookies to get across? Strange... He continued to jump on a few more platforms. All that jumping above an endless void was a bit stressful for him, but he was getting better at it.
Finally, he had almost reached the end. The last platform was a long rotating one with blue spikes, and at the end of it was the Time Piece. It seemed to be stuck on one side of the platform, which means he would have to time this right and grab it when the surface it was on faces upward.
'Alright, Arthur... You can do it,' Arthur thought as he took a deep breathe. He was preparing himself mentally for this.
After a minute, the twelve-year-old boy nodded and readied himself. He waited until the platform was in the right position, then he jumped on it and rushed to the end as fast as he could. He dove and grabbed the Time Piece just in time before the platform would flip him downward and into the blue void below.
As soon as he grabbed the magical hourglass, his vision turned white and cleared within a few seconds. He looked around and found himself back in the bazaar. He turned around and noticed that the blue time rift was now gone. He then looked down at the Time Piece in his hands. He... did it? He managed to jump from platforms to platforms and seal a rift? It almost seemed unreal, but he did.
Arthur smiled and put the Time Piece in his pocket. Now that the blue time rift was taken care of, he should probably go at the beach and wait for Hat Kid to finish her job with the purple time rift.
After Hat Kid jumped in the hatch, she found herself in a different dock area with crates and piles of fish laying around, and a ship called 'S.S. None-of-your-business!' could be seen in the distance.
The small girl spotted the hatch that led to the next level. The number '3' appeared above it. She concluded that it was the amount of rift pons she needed to unlock the hatch. She looked around and saw a few of these rift pons laying around. She proceeded to collect all of them, and she also found another picture hidden behind a small building. After that, she used three of her pons to unlock the hatch and jumped in it.
She landed in another dock area. A few Mafia men were here, cheering at the same ship she saw in the previous level. From a distance, Hat Kid spotted the Mafia Boss, or what seemed to be a representation of him, giving a speech to other Mafia men on the ship. Though she couldn't hear what he was saying. It didn't matter, she was here for the rift pons and that was it.
Three Mafia goons gathered around a huge pile of fish spotted Hat Kid and tried to attack her. The purple-hatted girl retaliated with a homing attack and a few good whacks of her umbrella, and all three were out within a few seconds. Two of them each dropped a rift pon after being knocked unconscious. She picked them up and continued to search around for the other pons. She found them on top of a few buildings, as well two other pictures. She unlocked the next hatch with four rift pons and jumped into it.
The next level was different. Hat Kid was on the ship now. She could see piles of fish laying around with a few rats nibbling into them. Gross... The Mafia Boss was also here at the front of the ship, standing on top of a crate with a pile of gold behind him, looking at the horizon. A few Mafia men were also here, just dancing. None of them paid attention to the purple-hatted girl, except for one near the hatch who motioned for her to come over. It was the same Mafia man who spoke to her when she first entered the time rift. She approached him with a smile.
"Has little girl noticed that unspent Rift Pons are kept each floor? No need to get every single pon," the Mafia man explained. Hat Kid's eyes widened. She checked her pockets and pulled out two rift pons that were left of what she collected in the previous levels. That new information was good to know. If she needed to, she could always use the unspent pons she collected to proceed to the next levels more quickly.
"Good luck! Mafia has opened entrance to next floor for you!" the goon said with a smile. Hat Kid smiled and nodded in appreciation. Maybe not all Mafia men were jerks after all.
Before she could proceed, Hat Kid spotted another picture on top of the ship. She used an opened parasol to boost herself up, and she grabbed the picture. She returned to the hatch and jumped into it.
In the next level, she landed on top of a fountain in a mini plaza, and was confused to see Mafia men rolling around on top of huge morsels of meat. She collected the pons of this area, while being careful to not get rolled over by the giant meats. She also searched around for more pictures, but she couldn't find any. After that, she proceeded to the next level.
This time, Hat Kid landed in some kind of small town. Some Mafia men were here and spotted the small girl. Not appreciating her presence, they began to throw empty cans at her. Hat Kid quickly dodged them in anticipation, before giving the goons an irritated glare. How rude! She proceeded to beat every single one of them with her umbrella. After that, she was able to collect the rift pons and a picture under a quay. She unlocked the next hatch and jumped into it.
Hat Kid landed on a platform and her eyes widened. Sitting on an abandoned bird nest was a sparkling purple orb. The heart of the Time Rift itself! At last, she found it! Remembering what was said in her book, she had to destroy it and grab the Time Piece to fully seal the time rift.
With a nod, she pulled out her umbrella and walked up to the rift. She whacked it and the orb bounced away, though a small crack could be seen in it. She whacked it another time, the crack grew bigger. She did a homing attack on it, then finished it off by jumping on it.
The heart exploded, flashing many colors, before it vanished. A Time Piece appeared in its place. Hat Kid smiled and grabbed the Time Piece. White filled her vision, and after a few seconds, she was back at the beach in Mafia Town. She looked down at her hands to see the Time Piece and... a book? Where did it come from?
"Welcome back to the world of the living, kid," a familiar voice said.
Hat Kid looked up and saw Arthur leaning against the tent with his hands resting on his belt. She smiled and walked up to him.
"Took your time, I see. A little longer and I was gonna have to sleep on the sand through the whole night," Arthur said in a joking tone. Hat Kid teasingly stuck her tongue out at him in response.
However, now that she thinks about it, it was already sunset in Mafia Town. Wow, did it really take her that long to seal the rift? Well, it is true that she had to go through some levels and gather a few things to proceed. No wonder it took her so long.
"On a more serious note, the blue time rift is no longer a problem too," Arthur said as he pulled out the Time Piece he grabbed in the blue rift as proof of his success. Hat Kid smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
Arthur then noticed the book in Hat Kid's hands and asked, "Whatcha got here?" curiously. Hat Kid shrugged. She had no idea how she got the book. It just appeared when she left the time rift. Arthur got closer to read the title.
"'Mafia's Grand Voyage'? Huh... You got that in the time rift?" Arthur asked perplexed. Hat Kid nodded. "Well, let's give it a read then. Perhaps it will tell us more about the Mafia."
Hat Kid turned the first page. It showed a picture of numerous Mafia men standing in front of a factory that had a sign at the entrance showing the face of a smiling Mafia Boss and a fish drawn on it.
The next page showed the Mafia Boss holding a broom in his hand. He had a tired and glum expression on his face. He seemed to be dreaming about living on an island paradise, away from all the stress and problems from work.
The third page showed the Mafia Boss and a couple of Mafia men standing on a large ship. Mafia women dressed in pink instead of blue were waving them goodbye. It seemed like the Mafia was ready to venture into the unknown, probably to find the island paradise that the Mafia Boss was dreaming of.
The fourth page showed the Mafia men having fun on the ship. Two playing volleyball, while one was relaxing on a chair with sunglasses on.
The fifth page showed the ship nearing a cozy island town with a castle-like tower in the middle of it. Hat Kid and Arthur figured that it was the island that would soon become Mafia Town.
And finally, the last page showed the Mafia men messing around, trashing the whole town, throwing TNT barrels and rolling huge pieces of meat everywhere. The Mafia Boss was proudly planting a red flag on the ground with 'Mafia Town #1' written on it, officially declaring the island as 'Mafia Town'.
And that was the end of the book. So Hat Kid closed it.
"I guess that explains how the Mafia got here in the first place," Arthur stated. Hat Kid nodded. So that must be what the pictures she found in the time rift were about. They tell the story of whoever had their head hit by the Time Piece. Interesting. She will have to read the Time Rift section again to learn more about it.
Arthur sighed and said, "You know... I understand why the Mafia wanted a change of place. I mean, the way they were living was clearly not the best. But trashing a town and ruining people's lives to build yourself a piece of paradise... It's wrong. No wonder Mustache Girl wants them out."
Hat Kid nodded, agreeing with the boy. Sure, the Mafia may not have had the best lifestyle before and some of them might be nicer than others, but taking over this town and bullying the townfolks were bad things to do. She can't imagine how much Mustache Girl must have lost after the Mafia set foot in her home town. The small girl couldn't help but feel bad for her, understanding her motivations for wanting the Mafia dead. Despite that, she still couldn't let Mustache Girl get her hands on the Time Pieces. Who knows how much damage she may cause with them in her possession.
"Anyway, we should get back to the spaceship. It's getting dark," Arthur said as he watched the sun set behind the ocean.
Hat Kid nodded and put the book away. She grabbed Arthur's hand and held her Time Piece upward. They flew up and disappeared in the sky.
A/N: Hey everyone! So, aside from Cheating the Race, it's worth to say that the chapter about Mafia Town is officially done with. Next up is Battle of the Birds. Honestly, I'm glad to be done with Mafia Town. I think I need a change of scenery for this story, and the next chapter comes right in time.
I just have one question for you guys. What do you all think of Arthur and his character so far? I like to hear my readers's opinion on the characters of my stories to know their reaction and what they think of them. It's a way for me to see how I can improve the characters's development.
Anyway, it's review time!
To Katoptris12: And the light of it will come in the next chapter. ;)
To Mr. Mega1423: I'm really glad you're enjoying my story. You are the one who inspired me the most to write a story about AhiT, so I'm glad you like it. The Battle of the Birds will start in the next chapter. Be ready for it! ;)
To PatoMayo: Yeah, I feel like Mustache Girl deserves more appearances in the story. During the whole game, we don't see her between Act 4 of Mafia Town and the Final Act. But it is clear that she affected the events of the game more than it shows (In the basement of Dead Bird Studio for example, where you can see her signature drawn on one of the boards in the office.) Anyway, thank you! ^^
To Shadow Necro: Hmmm, maybeeee... UwU *chuckles* On a more serious note, no, I'm not planning to add romance between Arthur and Hat Kid. I see them having another kind of bond. One that will be revealed near the end of the story. And yeah, we all know what happens to the Mafia Boss after the previous chapter. XD
To Mad King C: Yeah, I remember him acting nice and reassuring Hat Kid when you sit on one of the stools at the bar in Act 4. So I figured I could give him a bigger role in my story. I'm glad you like this addition. :)
That's it for today, folks! See you in the next chapter!