Chapter 28
Following their unpleasant meeting with the Snatcher, the two children continued walking down the path in order to find Subcon Village. Neither of them spoke a word to each other, they were still in shock and disbelief at what just happened. They couldn't believe they had to sign a contract with a soul-stealing shadow and give up their souls to save their own lives. Not just that, but they were now forced to do whatever the Snatcher asked them if they wanted to get their souls back.
They didn't know how to feel about this. In fact, they didn't feel anything at all. The moment their souls left their respective bodies, it was like all of their emotions left them too. Any forms of happiness – which Arthur already lacked of – sadness, sympathy, etc, were like all gone in a puff of smoke. Misery, emptiness, numbness, and hopelessness were the only things they felt right now; even Hat Kid, who is normally cheerful and happy, felt devoid of any sorts of emotion. Is it how Arthur feels most of the time? It surely isn't fun...
The duo just hoped that once they complete their contract, the Snatcher will honor his part of the deal and give them their souls back. Also, they had to make sure to not forget about the Time Pieces. It was stated in the contract that they could keep anything they find on the way; therefore, they could try to look for Time Pieces while they deal with their contractual obligations.
At some point, they arrived at an intersection with the path continuing to the right and a bridge on the left. In the middle of the intersection was some sort of cage made of bones and a... weird-looking skull with a big green eye. It seemed to be staring at two huge purple cherries resting on the ground. There were also some snake-like ghost creatures wearing animal masks floating around on the spot. As Arthur and Hat Kid walked near them, the serpentine creatures stared at them curiously, not speaking a word or doing anything. The two children did their best to ignore the stares, even though it was quite unnerving for them.
And finally, there were two shadow-like cloaked figures, similar to the one the duo tried to chase earlier before meeting the Snatcher. They seemed to be talking to each other as they looked at the bone cage.
"Ah great... More of these guys looking like the one who screwed us over back there," Arthur said bitterly. The two figures heard him talk and turned their attention to him and Hat Kid.
"Oh, you're the newbies who recently signed a contract with our boss, right?" one of them asked.
"Yeah... and you are?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"We're minions working for the Snatcher. He summoned us to keep an eye on his forest and deal with anything that appears to be causing trouble for him," the other figure explained. Minions summoned by a soul-stealing ghost? Sounds about right.
"So you're just doing his dirty work then," Arthur remarked unamused.
"Uhh, yeah, in a sense..." one of the minions answered uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, would you mind helping us with a little problem we have? The boss asked us to get rid of this cage here," he asked, pointing at the bone cage with the skull on it.
"We've been trying to do that for hours, but no way to make a dent into the cage or the skull. Maybe you both can help?" the other one said.
"Well, I'm afraid we don't have time for it. We have to get to Subcon Village to do the things the Snatcher told us to do," Arthur explained.
"If you help us, we can take you there," the minion offered.
While they were talking, Hat Kid spotted something inside the bone cage. She squinted her eyes and noticed it was a yarn. It appeared to be different from the ones she collected previously, which means she can use it to make a new hat – probably the one the Badge Seller told her about earlier.
The purple-hatted girl tugged at Arthur's arm to get his attention and pointed at the yarn inside the cage. The young boy eventually noticed it. It is true that Hat Kid could use the yarn to make a new hat, and if the minions were ready to show them the way to the village if they helped them, then perhaps it was worth trying to get rid of the cage for them.
"Alright, we're gonna help you," Arthur said with a nod. The two minions seemed happy to hear that. "So you really got no clue on how to destroy the cage then?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips, as he stared at the cage in wonder.
"Not really. We tried moving it, cutting it, smashing it... but nothing worked so far. I think it might be indestructible," one of the minions explained. Arthur decided to make a test. He pulled out his crowbar and walked up to the cage. He tried hitting it and pulling on some parts that looked weak, without any success.
"Yeah, you're right. It's not going anywhere like this. You sure there's no other way to destroy it? I mean, it's not like you can actually destroy something that's meant to be indestructible," Arthur said as he put his crowbar away. The two minions put their hands on their chins in thought.
"Well, the skull on this cage seems to have its eye on those cherries for some reason," one of them said, motioning to the two big cherries on the ground. "I know they have a specific name, but I don't remember it."
"Yeah, me neither..." the other one added.
"Hmm..." Hat Kid hummed, putting her hand on her chin in thought, as she looked at the abnormally huge fruits.
She walked up to one of them and picked it up, then she noticed that the skull on the cage kept eyeing the cherry as she picked it up. She began walking away with it, and the skull simply continued to stare at the fruit while she was moving. While she was walking, she passed near one of the snake-like, mask wearing spirits and the latter suddenly flew right inside the cherry, startling the girl. To her surprise, the fruit turned bright red and began... flashing and beeping?
"Uhhh... Why is it beeping?" Arthur asked nervously.
"Oh, now I remember its name... It's a cherry bomb," one of the minions said nervously.
"A WHAT?!" Arthur yelled in shock.
"A cherry bomb! TAKE COVER!" the minion shouted as he took cover behind a tree stump, alongside the other minion and Arthur.
In a state of panic, Hat Kid threw the cherry away as far as she could, before running away to take cover behind the tree stump. The cherry pulsated and beeped faster, and then... BOOM! Everyone covered their ears as it exploded. After that, the minions, Arthur, and Hat Kid all peeked over the tree stump to see the small explosion mark left on the ground with smoke coming out of it.
"Yep, it was a cherry bomb..." the same minion, who remembered the name, said nervously.
"You don't say," Arthur said sarcastically and nervously.
To everyone's surprise, the same serpentine spirit that entered the cherry reappeared and floated back to its original spot, completely unharmed.
"What are those things?" Arthur asked, looking at the spirit confused.
"Oh, they're called Dwellers. We've seen them all around the forest, and apparently they've been living here even before the boss summoned us. They don't talk to anyone though," one of the minions explained.
"But they seem to love those cherry bombs," the other one remarked.
"Yeah, and the results are quite... explosive too," Arthur said with a grimace. At least, the cherry's explosion was small, so it seems to give enough space to stay out of harm's way.
Arthur and Hat Kid then noticed that the skull on the cage was now looking at the remaining cherry bomb, and it gave them an idea. The twelve-year-old boy walked up to the fruit and picked it up.
"Oof... Damn, this is heavy!" he said, struggling a little with the cherry's weight. He then walked up to one of the Dwellers and it flew inside the fruit, setting it off. Arthur then tossed the cherry away and ran away from it. The fruit exploded seconds later and the Dweller that went inside of it returned to its original spot.
The skull on the bone cage looked around to see if there were any other cherries left, but it wasn't the case. Since it no longer had anything left to keep its eye on, the skull vanished alongside the cage, freeing the yarn inside of it.
Hat Kid picked it up and examined it. It was a green and red yarn. Nice! Now she could make a new hat! She pulled out her umbrella and eleven yarns she had been keeping on her. She surprisingly managed to threw all of the yarns in the air and, with quick movements of her umbrella, a new hat – or in this case, a mask – fell into her hand.
"Tadaaaaa!" she said with a proud grin, holding the mask up in the air. It was a fox mask, similar to the one that some Dwellers were wearing. Therefore, she decided to call it: the Dweller's Mask.
"Awesome!" the two minions cheered as they clapped, impressed by the performance. Hat Kid bowed down to thank them, before putting the mask in her pocket.
"Thank you for helping us get rid of that bone cage, newbies! As promised, we'll take you both to Subcon Village," one of the minions said gratefully.
"Thanks," Arthur said appreciatively.
"Oh, before we go, since you're new and all, there's something we gotta tell you both," the minion said in a serious tone.
"What is it?" Arthur asked.
"You see that bridge over there? Don't go that way," the minion said, pointing at the bridge blocked off by the fire wall that seemed to be leading to a snowy area.
"Why?" the twelve-year-old boy asked as he and Hat Kid gave him confused looks.
"Well, there's a big manor a bit further ahead," the minion explained.
"Yeah, and there's someone living there... and trust us, you don't wanna meet her," the other one added, shivering at the thought of her.
"Even the boss doesn't want to go over there. Don't tell him we said that though..." the other minion said.
Arthur and Hat Kid looked at each other worriedly. If even the Snatcher didn't want to go near that manor, then the person living there must be the real deal. They made a mental note to stay away from the manor if they can.
"Anyway, follow us. We'll take you to the village," one of the minions said, motioning for the duo to follow them. Arthur and Hat Kid did as they were told.
The group walked further down the path, passing near the swamp, some tombstones, and a few other minions; until they eventually reached their destination.
"Here we are, newbies! Welcome to Subcon Village!" one of the minions accompanying the duo said enthusiastically, extending his arms out to show the place.
The village was a large opening with tree trunk houses, mushrooms, flying hooks, a few scattered cherry bombs, and some roaming Dwellers and minions.
"Looks like a cozy place," Arthur said as he looked around. To be honest, that wouldn't be his top choice for a home, but at least it seemed livable. Some minions inside the houses were peeking from behind their doors, watching the two children with curious and skeptical looks. When they passed near them, the minions shut their doors immediately. "... and welcoming too, for that matter," the young boy remarked sarcastically.
"Oh, don't pay attention to that. Some of us are a bit shy around newcomers," one of the two minions explained.
"But don't worry, they'll warm up to you eventually!" the other one reassured the duo.
"If you say so," Arthur said with a shrug.
"Anyway, we gotta leave now. It was nice meeting you both!" the minion said.
"Yeah, thanks again for the help! Feel free to visit our village if you've got time!" the other one said.
"Okay, see you," Arthur said with a nod, while Hat Kid waved her hand at the minions. The latters then walked away to go about their business, leaving the two children alone. "Alright, we made it to the village. Let's check that contract again to see what we have to do here now," the young boy suggested. Hat Kid nodded, before removing her hat to take the contract inside and read it.
After unrolling the paper, the duo checked their next objective. 'Find Subcon Village' was crossed off of the list; now they had to 'Murder the Spirits'. It probably meant the Fire Spirits that the Badge Seller told them about.
"So we have to kill the spirits next... Not really sure how you can kill an immortal being though, but I guess we'll figure it out," Arthur said in a casual way. Normally, the idea of having to kill somebody – even if it was a spirit – would horrify him, but that wasn't the case this time because of the lack of soul. And he wasn't the only one, Hat Kid didn't look bothered by the task given to them either.
"Alright, let's go find those Fire Spirits then," the young boy said. Hat Kid nodded, before rolling up the contract and putting it back in her hat.
The two children walked through the village, looking for the Fire Spirits. Eventually, they spotted a fire pit with three foxes made of fire dancing around it. They must be the Fire Spirits in question. As they were about to head towards the spirits, something suddenly came out of the ground in front of the children, causing them to jump back in surprise. It was the Snatcher.
"WHHHHYYYYYYY HELLO THERE! You didn't forget about me, did you?! Don't tell me you forgot about me!" the soul-stealing shadow said obnoxiously.
"If I could just forget about you, I would," Arthur said bitterly, earning an annoyed look from the Snatcher.
"Whatever, kiddo. Anyway, what's up? You both working on any contractual obligations lately? You better be! Remember our little deal!" the Snatcher reminded them with a stern expression.
"We didn't forget," Arthur said annoyed.
"Good," the Snatcher said, before looking at the fire foxes. "Check it out. Those incredibly annoying Fire Spirits are sitting right there, in the middle of my village. Their little dance is creating these incredibly annoying barriers that stop me from getting to parts of my forest. It's almost like they're trying to put an end to me... how adorable." Looks like their intuition was right; these foxes are the Fire Spirits indeed. And like the Badge Seller said, they were the ones creating the fire barriers all around the forest.
"Dispose of them. I don't care how you two do it, as long as they suffer for entering my domain! HEHEHEHE!" the Snatcher ordered, laughing evilly and making the duo uncomfortable. "Anyways, back to work, troopers! This isn't a vacation, and I'm getting impatient!" he said in an impatient tone.
"Alright, alright, we're on it," Arthur said, exasperated by the shadow's impatience. Satisfied with the answer, the Snatcher vanished into the ground to let the two children do their task. The twelve-year-old boy sighed and said, "Great... now that he made us sign that piece of paper, he bosses us around like we were in a goddamn military service. I swear, if he makes us clean his toilet at some point, I'm gonna throw a fit!", in an irritated tone. Hat Kid nodded, agreeing with him. Fingers crossed that the Snatcher won't make them clean his toilet if he has one. It'd be pretty gross!
"Anyway, let's move," Arthur said after calming down.
The two children made their way up to the Fire Spirits. When they got near them, one of the spirits stopped dancing and looked at the duo.
"We want to die! Yay!" the Fire Spirit said in an creepy way.
'Heh... Welcome to the club, buddy,' Arthur thought with a blank expression.
"We want to burn bright, and then burn out! Become a cloud of smoke!" the Fire Spirit continued. "Our bonfire needs more fuel... only the finest paintings will do! Can you help us?"
"Uh, sure... if it does you a favor," Arthur said with a shrug. Even those Fire Spirits got more guts than him when it comes to commit suicide... The spirit nodded gratefully at the two children, before going back to dancing around the fire pit.
"Let's go find some paintings then," the young boy said to Hat Kid, who nodded in response.
When looking around for the paintings, they spotted one not too far from their position. To their shock, the painting was trying to suck up a Mafia man into it. The latter was dangerously close to it and was attempting to run away to escape it. Unfortunately for him, the aspiration of the frame was too strong to escape from, so all he managed to do was run in place.
"Help! Little hat kids, help!" the Mafia man pleaded after spotting the two children, while still attempting to escape his doom.
Normally, when seeing someone in need of help, Arthur and Hat Kid would attempt to save them, but because they were soulless, neither of them really cared. The lack of souls was really putting a dent in the good side of their personalities... Arthur shook his head to try returning to reality. Just because he had no soul didn't mean he had to be the worst person on earth. He made a promise to the Mafia Barman that he would try to help his fellow Mafia friends if he saw them, so he will force himself to help the goon out of this mess.
However, as Arthur stepped forward to help him, Hat Kid suddenly ran at the Mafia man and kicked him between the legs. The man howled in pain and got on his knees as he clutched to his private part. The Mafia goon suddenly noticed he wasn't running anymore and said, "Uh oh...", before screaming as the painting sucked him in, trapping him inside for good. A bright light flashed from the painting, before it faded away. A distorted image of the Mafia man with a horrified expression now appeared on the painting.
"What the hell was that?" Arthur asked Hat Kid, visibly troubled by her actions. The small girl simply shrugged, feeling completely indifferent at what she just did.
At this point, Arthur began to feel worried. It was so unlike Hat Kid to do something like that, even when it comes to a Mafia man. It was clear that having no soul was starting to have a negative effect on the both of them. Even more reasons to finish their contract as quickly as possible, so they can get their souls back.
Arthur sighed and said, "Let's just bring that painting to the bonfire." He picked up the painting with the Mafia man trapped inside and tossed it into the fire.
"More! More!" one of the Fire Spirits chanted.
To the Fire Spirits' request, the duo began searching around Subcon Village for more paintings to bring to the bonfire. They found one with an Express Owl trapped inside on top of a tree trunk, and another one with some sort of orange-furred cat with a red bandana and scarf trapped inside on a wooden platform. They brought them back to the fire pit and threw them in it.
"Yes! More!" one of the Fire Spirits chanted happily.
"More? Geez, how many of those paintings do we have to burn yet?" Arthur asked annoyed.
"Just one! Yay!" another Fire Spirit responded.
"Alright then, let's get it over with," Arthur suggested. Hat Kid nodded in agreement.
As they searched for the last painting, the duo found two yarns, as well as two relics in the village – a stereoptypical UFO much to Hat Kid's annoyance, and a cow toy. Some of them were imprisoned in ice cubes, so the two children had to use cherry bombs to blow them up and free the collectables.
Eventually, they found the last painting imprisoned inside another ice cube, and used a cherry bomb to free it from its ice prison. However, Arthur's eyes widened when he recognized the person trapped in the frame.
"Wait! That's the Badge Seller!" the young boy said, stopping Hat Kid from picking it up. The small girl's eyes widened in shock. Oh no! The Badge Seller got caught in the painting! They couldn't just burn this painting with the glitchy vendor in it; the latter helped them in more ways than one since the beginning of their adventure. Is there no way to free them from the painting?
"Do not worry, I am right here," a voice said from behind. Arthur and Hat Kid turned around, and to their shock, the Badge Seller was here, outside of the painting. The two children glanced at the painting that still had the Badge Seller's image on it, then back at the glitchy vendor with confused expressions.
"But... you... what...? How?" Arthur asked, pointing at the painting, then at the Badge Seller in total confusion.
"The painting began to suck me in during a moment of distraction, but I managed to escape it thanks to my magical powers. The one you see in the painting is a double of my being... to put it simply: a clone, not the real me," the Badge Seller explained with a smile.
"I guess that makes sense..." Arthur said with a shrug. The glitchy vendor then sensed the lack of soul coming from the two children and their smile dropped.
"I take it you both met the Snatcher," the Badge Seller said. Arthur and Hat Kid both nodded.
"Yeah, unfortunately... He made us sign a contract and took our souls. Now we're forced to do his dirty work in order to get them back," the twelve-year-old boy explained with an hopeless sigh. "Is there a way you can help us? Can't you use your powers against him, or to at least get our souls back?" he asked in a pleading tone.
The Badge Seller shook his head and sadly said, "Unfortunately, my powers aren't strong enough to match against the Snatcher... The only way for you to retrieve your souls is to complete all the tasks on your contract." Arthur and Hat Kid looked down with glum expressions.
"Easier said than done. I mean, who knows if he's even gonna let us go once we complete our part of the deal... He could be plotting our deaths once we're no longer of any use to him. And seriously, how can we beat a ghost? We all know they're invulnerable to attacks from mortals," Arthur said in a depressed tone.
"If that is the case, then remember to see through his weaknesses. For that, remember the Mafia Boss's weakness," the Badge Seller explained. The two children gave them confused looks. Then, their eyes widened as it finally clicked.
"Of course, the blue attacks!" Arthur said as he and Hat Kid looked at each other in realization. Indeed, during their fight with the Mafia Boss, the latter would occasionally turn blue and it was the only moment he was vulnerable to the duo's attacks. If it worked the same for the Snatcher, then maybe they stood a chance against him if they ever have to fight the soul-stealing shadow to earn their freedom. Hopefully, it'll never come to that.
"Now you understand," the Badge Seller said with a smile.
"We do. Thanks, Badge Seller," Arthur said appreciatively. Hat Kid nodded at the glitchy vendor with a grateful smile.
The Badge Seller nodded at them, before saying, "Anyway, I must take my leave now. You can use the painting with my double trapped inside for the bonfire. I do not mind. I will see you both another time."
"Alright then. See you, Badge Seller," Arthur said.
"Bye!" Hat Kid said, waving her hand at the glitchy vendor.
The Badge Seller nodded, then walked away, vanishing behind a tree. After that, Hat Kid picked up the painting with the Badge Seller's clone trapped in there and brought it back to the Fire Spirits' bonfire, before tossing the frame in it. Right after she did, the fire grew higher and brighter.
"Thank youuuuu!" all of the Fire Spirits said gratefully, before the bonfire exploded into a pillar of flame. The spirits were consumed by the fire and they vanished out of sight. Shortly after that, the fire pit extinguished itself; the Fire Spirits were now gone, along with the fire barrier surrounding most parts of the forest.
"Burn, burn, BURN!" Hat Kid shouted with an evil grin. Arthur rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. It was like dealing with an evil version of Hat Kid. Not that he was any better at the moment...
Suddenly, dark clouds surrounded the duo, causing them to look around frantically in panic. Shortly after, the Snatcher appeared before them after emerging from the ground. He wore a satisfied grin on his face.
"WELL DONE! Please tell me they suffered. You murdered them, right? I bet you strangled them. Good kids! Ha Ha ha ha!" he said with a sinister laugh.
"Sure..." Arthur lied with a grimace. Hat Kid nodded to back up his lie.
"Don't think I'm done with you two yet, though! There's more of these pests around my forest, and I need you both to take care of every single one," the Snatcher said sternly.
"Fine..." Arthur said with an annoyed sigh.
"Good! Next on your to-do list: Clean up the Subcon Well. That's right, you're plumbers now! Congratulations on your promotion!" the Snatcher said mockingly.
"Hooray," the young boy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. The Snatcher ignored him and continued speaking.
"I also have some... other... work for you that I cannot do myself. And hey, as long as I need you two, you both get to stay alive. What a deal, huh?" the soul-stealing shadow said. He then snapped his fingers and two other contracts popped in front of the two children. "But enough talk! You kids look like you can handle multiple things on your plates at once! Let's get you an additional contract! Pick one, but only one! Isn't it thrilling to sign your lives away?" he said tauntingly. Arthur and Hat Kid glared at him after hearing that.
"Hang on a sec, you wanna give us more? We only signed for one contract! You didn't say anything about another!" the twelve-year-old boy spat angrily. In response, the Snatcher leaned closer to the children enough to make them uncomfortable and lean back in fear.
"As your contract maker and partner, I own you both. It's do or die, kiddos. Now pick a contract and sign your names on it, or else I'll put them on a gravestone for each of you!" the soul-stealing shadow said in a threatening tone. Arthur and Hat Kid both gulped in intense fear.
With no other choice, the duo approached the two floating contracts and read the first one. The title said 'CONTRACT: GET ME SOMETHING FROM THE MANOR', the list of objectives was 'Enter the Manor, Find out what's in the attic', followed by 'The following parts of the forest will be available: The Manor' with two pictures – one of a frozen cave and another one of the manor – and 'I'll be keeping the following hostage: your souls... but keep anything you find on the way,' then finally the space where they have to sign. The second contract's title was 'CONTRACT: DELIVER SUBCON MAIL', the objective was 'Deliver packages to 10 of my minions'. The rest of it was about the same things as the other contract with a few differences: the whole forest will become available, and the pictures showed the Snatcher wearing a mailman's cap and a purple mail delivery scooter with the shadow's face on the front and the side of the vehicle.
Hat Kid looked between the two contracts, her hand on her chin as she thought about which one to pick. The delivering task sounds easier and it will save them from having to go to the manor that the minions told them not to go to, but the other contract says that there is something inside the attic of the manor... it could be one of her Time Pieces. If that was the case, then it might be worth checking the manor out, despite the minions' warning.
She took the quill pen and was about to put her name on the contract for the manor task, but she was stopped by Arthur who grabbed her arm and looked at her as if she was crazy.
"The manor?! Are you out of your mind?! The minions told us not to go there!" the twelve-year-old boy reminded her. Hat Kid whispered in his ear to tell him that one of the Time Pieces might be there. "Come on now, we don't know that for sure!" Arthur insisted. He really didn't want to meet whoever or whatever lived in that manor, because the way the minion described her clearly didn't sound good.
"Come on, kids, I don't have all night. Make a choice already!" the Snatcher said with his arms crossed, getting impatient.
Hat Kid crossed her arms and gave Arthur a firm look, showing that she wasn't going to change her mind. Having no choice but to accept, Arthur sighed in defeat and muttered, "Fine." He had a feeling that going to that manor will be one of the worst decisions they ever made... but that was Hat Kid's call so... peck it. He let go of Hat Kid's arm, allowing her to sign the contract, which she proceeded to do. The small girl then gave the quill pen to him, and he signed his name as well.
The Snatcher checked the contract they signed and his grin dropped. His expression was blank as he stared at the paper, and the duo could see a hint of... fear on his face? The soul-stealing shadow shook his head to regain his composure and stamped the contract, before snapping his fingers and making the two contracts vanish.
"Good choice! Let's hope you're both up for the task!" the Snatcher said in an almost nervous tone. Well, looks like the minions were right: even the Snatcher seems to fear the one living in the manor. Hat Kid was already starting to regret her choice, but it was too late now. "Oh, by the way, you're looking for Time Pieces, right?" the soul-stealing shadow suddenly asked. Arthur and Hat Kid's eyes widened.
"Wait, you... know about them?" Arthur asked in shock.
"Yup! They're no secret to me, kiddo," the Snatcher said. The two children were dumbfounded. How did he find out about the Time Pieces? Neither of them told him about them. "What? It should be ringing a bell to you kids: I'm a shadow! Anything I see, I instantly know what it is," he explained smugly.
"I guess that makes sense," Arthur said with a shrug. Hat Kid nodded as she rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably. Hopefully, it won't be give the shadow any idea...
"Anyway, I found one of them while haunting some poor soul! You can keep it, but this is the only time I'll reward you two for completing parts of a contract! Because guess what? I'm not legally obligated to! HA HA HA HA HA!" the Snatcher said mockingly. He then snapped his fingers, then a Time Piece appeared and floated down in front of the children. Hat Kid grabbed it and smiled as she looked at it. Even though they lost their souls and were forced to do the Snatcher's bidding, getting one of her Time Pieces back made it all worth it. There has got to be more around Subcon Forest, and maybe if they do their job very well, the soul-stealing shadow might reward them with more Time Pieces.
"Now enough chatting! You've got a well to clean up. Have fun! AHHHHAHAHAHAHA!" the Snatcher said with an evil laugh, before vanishing into the ground. The clouds around the children cleared and they were back in Subcon Village.
"Bastard..." Arthur muttered angrily under his breath. He sighed and said, "Well, we've got another contract on our hands... At least, now we know for sure there are Time Pieces in this forest... and that the Snatcher knows about them too. God dammit..." He shook his head, before saying, "Well, let's bring this one back to the spaceship at least."
With a nod, Hat Kid grabbed Arthur's hand and held the Time Piece up in the air. However, nothing happened. The duo looked at the Time Piece confused.
"Uhh... Why isn't it working?" Arthur asked puzzled. Hat Kid shrugged, feeling confused as well. That's weird, it never happened before. "Can I give it a try?" he asked. Hat Kid nodded and gave him the Time Piece. He held the Time Piece up in the air, but nothing happened either. "What's wrong with it? Why isn't it sending us back to the ship?" he asked in a worried tone.
The Snatcher's head suddenly popped out of the ground and he said, "Oh, I forgot to mention... Since you gave me your souls, the Time Piece thinks you two are dead, so you can't use it to leave my forest. You're stuck here until you finish all of your contracts! That's too bad! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" And with that, he left again. The two children were dumbfounded and shocked at this newfound information.
Arthur's eye twitched, and soon his voice was heard through the whole forest, forcing Hat Kid and all of the minions in the area to cover their ears, and startling a flock of crows that flew out of the forest, as he yelled, "ARE YOU PECKING KIDDING ME?!".
A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked this new chapter! Sooo... about the whole lack-of-soul thingy, I would think that being soulless, in addition of feeling empty, it would also remove every bits of humanity you have within you. Therefore, that's why Arthur and Hat Kid don't really care about having to kill someone or do bad things – and unfortunately that Mafia man paid the price of their lack of souls – although they acknowledge it's not right. And also, having no souls has another side effect in which the duo can't use the Time Pieces to return on the spaceship. Therefore, they're stuck in Subcon Forest until they complete of their contractual obligations. Whoops! Looks like they'll be sleeping outside tonight. *nervous chuckle*
Anyway, time to answer a few reviews!
To Katoptris12: Indeed, Arthur and Hat Kid know that the Snatcher can't be trusted after pulling something like that. But he's still a 'soon-deh-ray' anyway! XD
To pokemonsora01: You'll see very soon. ;)
To Rub37: Thank you! I'm really happy with the drawings I made. Arthur is exactly how I imagined him in my head, and now, you have an actual visual of his appearance instead of a written description.
To HexoSpikeZ: Alrighty! Anyway, thanks! And yeah, things will get tougher for the duo from now on. And don't worry, I'm pretty sure some readers 'ship' Arthur and Hat Kid together. Eh, it's not canon in my story, so I don't mind. XD Oh, and sure, you can make as many artworks as you like about Arthur or anyone else in my story! I'll also be happy to see it, if you wanna show me your drawing. The same goes for everyone else, if you ever want to make an artwork on my OCs and/or stories, you have my permission. ^^
Anyway, that's all for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!