Chapter 31
After narrowly escaping from the manor in one piece, Arthur and Hat Kid didn't stop running until they passed the bridge. Once they did, they stopped as the adrenaline left their bodies and they took a moment to catch their breath.
"That was... close..." Arthur said in between breaths. "This is the first and the last time... I'm going to that manor... no exception...". Hat Kid nodded in agreement as she breathed heavily as well. Of all the adventures and missions she went through in her life, it was without a doubt the most terrifying experience she ever had.
Suddenly, something emerged from the ground and shouted, "WHYYYYY HELLO THERE, KIDDOS!". Arthur and Hat Kid both yelped in surprise and held each other in fear at the sudden voice. However, they frowned when they saw it was the Snatcher. The soul-stealing shadow grinned mischievously, satisfied that he scared the socks off of the two children.
"Wow, you're actually both still alive! I'm impressed! Are you okay though? You kids look like you've seen a ghost!" he said teasingly. Arthur and Hat Kid let go of each other and glared at the shadow in annoyance.
"Very damn funny, noodle," Arthur hissed angrily through gritted teeth. The Snatcher huffed at the insult and crossed his arms.
"'Noodle'? Is that all you found to insult me?" the soul-stealing shadow asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"That's because you look like one," Arthur said snarkily.
"Excuse me, kid? Do you have a death wish or something?" the Snatcher threatened with a displeased look, leaning closer to the boy. Sensing that any further remark would get him killed on the spot, Arthur looked down and remained quiet. "That's what I thought," the soul-stealing shadow said as he leaned back. He then looked at Hat Kid and spotted the Time Piece in her hands.
"So you found another Time Piece in the attic, I see," he remarked. Hat Kid hesitantly nodded, hoping he wouldn't ask her to give it to him. To her relief, the Snatcher merely shrugged and said, "Eh, you can keep it. It's not like you can make much use of it anyway," in a teasing tone, referring to the fact they couldn't use the Time Pieces to leave the forest.
Arthur shook his head and asked, "Who is this... queen, princess, monster or... whatever-she-is, by the way?". Upon hearing this question, the Snatcher's grinning expression turned into a scowl.
"Just someone I wish I never met," the soul-stealing shadow said bitterly. Arthur and Hat Kid looked at him curiously. He really doesn't seem to like Queen Vanessa. They wondered what she did to the Snatcher for him to hate her and, from the looks of it, to even fear her. Well, they didn't blame him honestly... she was the scariest thing the duo ever saw. Though, it was weird to know that the Snatcher feared someone else, since he was a shadow who is supposed to scare others and not the other way around. The Snatcher shook his head, before returning to his usual gleeful and mischievous behavior.
"Anyway, this contract is done now," he said, snapping his fingers. A small *poof* was heard inside of Hat Kid's hat, meaning that the contract about the manor vanished since it was now complete. "Now, you have to deliver packages to 10 of my minions. Looks like you've become mailmen now!" he added teasingly.
"So it's just delivering mail, right? No crazy old woman turning people into ice statues or anything that involves us getting almost drowned into water?" Arthur asked skeptically.
"Nope, it's just a boring and uninteresting job of delivering mails to my minions. Nothing more," the Snatcher explained in a bored and casual tone. "And guess what, it's your last contract too!" he added enthusiastically. Arthur and Hat Kid's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"What?" Arthur asked surprised, wondering if he heard him right.
"That's right! I have nothing left for you to do in my forest after that, since you've both been doing surprisingly well and all. You even took all the contracts for yourselves and left none for any potential future contractors, which I still think is very rude," the Snatcher explained.
"Does that mean we'll get our souls back soon?" the young boy asked expectantly.
"We'll talk about it," the Snatcher simply said. The two children gave him suspicious looks, though the soul-stealing shadow ignored them. "Anyways, I need a moment to get everything ready for your new delivery job. That should give you both enough time to do what you mortals call 'sleeping', which I don't even need to do at all!" he boasted, making the duo roll their eyes at him. "I hope you don't mind the hard floor though, because I don't have any beds for you, kids. I guess that's too bad, right? Anyway, I'm off! Try not to have nightmares! HA HA HA HA HA HA!" he mischievously added, before vanishing into the ground.
"Just one last contract, huh? That's good. I just hope he won't screw us over after that. Though, I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up with a shadow..." Arthur muttered. "Anyway, let's try to get some shut-eye," he suggested. Hat Kid nodded at him.
With that said, the two children started looking for a place that was comfortable enough for them to sleep. They eventually found a good spot under a big tree and decided to rest there. They then set a little camp fire to stay warm, making sure that it was safe enough so that it doesn't set the whole forest on fire. After that, they both lied down on the ground and they quickly fell asleep, exhausted from their experiences in the Subcon Well and the Manor.
Arthur slowly opened his eyes, before slowly sitting up. He rubbed his eyes, before looking around as his vision readjusted itself.
"The hell?" he asked, his eyes widening in a mix of surprise, shock and confusion. He wasn't in Subcon Forest like he expected to wake up at. Instead, he was in an extremely familiar place... His bedroom.
"I'm... home?" he asked himself as he looked around in confusion. How? All he did was fall asleep and now he was back home? Was he... dreaming at the moment? Because it felt extremely and unpleasantly realistic...
Suddenly, a loud knock was heard on the door, causing Arthur to jolt in surprise.
"ARTHUR! OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!" a familiar voice said from the other side as they knocked louder. Arthur gasped in fear. It was his father. Oh no no no, not him! Anyone but him! "Arthur! If you don't open up now, I'm gonna knock that door down and I swear I'll knock you into next week!" he repeated angrily, knocking harder on the door.
Arthur felt like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He didn't want to deal with his father now. However, he knew it was going to be worse if he didn't open his door now. He gulped nervously, before getting up from his bed and making his way to the door, before relucantly unlocking it and opening it with a trembling hand.
Sure enough, his father was here... an empty bottle in his hand and he smelled of alcohol. He had been drinking again. Arthur felt extremely anxious as his father glared at him.
"Where the hell were you?!" he hissed angrily as he entered the room, forcing Arthur to step back in fear.
"Oh uhh... I... I was, uhh... o-out," the twelve-year-old boy lied, stuttering. He couldn't tell his father where he really had been. He would never believe him if he did and he would probably beat him up for 'lying'.
"'Out', huh? For a damn MONTH?! WHERE. WERE. YOU?!" his father shouted angrily, causing Arthur to flinch and place his arms in front of himself protectively. Suddenly, his father noticed the scar on the boy's cheek and he grew even more furious. "What's that? A scar? And it's already been sewed back up?! Do I have to pay the hospital again for this?!" he asked through gritted teeth, clutching the bottle in his hand tighter.
"N-no! Y-you don't have to pay anything! It's, uhh... already b-been dealt with," Arthur stuttered, hoping it would calm his father down. However, it was the exact opposite that occured...
"WHAT?! Did you take money from my wallet to pay the hospital?! No wonder I never have any money! You've also been stealing from me, you damn brat!" his father shouted angrily. However, Arthur suddenly frowned and gritted his teeth at the sudden accusation.
"I never took anything from you! Open your damn eyes! You never have money because you keep spending it at the bar where you drink like a damn leaky barrel!" Arthur retorted angrily before he could stop himself. He soon regretted it when he saw his father's eye twitch.
"What. Did. You. SAY?!" he yelled angrily as he threw his bottle on the floor, causing it to shatter on impact and making Arthur flinch.
'Ohhhh no...' the young boy thought, trembling in fear. Why the peck did he say that? Now, he was in big trouble for sure...
"First, you go missing, only to return with a blasted scar, and now you dare talk to me like that?!" his father shouted through gritted teeth. He took a few steps towards Arthur, forcing him to back away until he reached the wall. "Well, guess what, Arthur... I'm gonna have to punish you for this," he added, his voice resonating and becoming deeper and darker on the last words.
To Arthur's horror, his father's eyes glowed red, his skin and clothes became darker, and his form changed into a familiar creature with a crown and a torn dress, as darkness filled the room. He had morphed into Queen Vanessa. Oh no... not her again!
Arthur attempted to run away, but the shadowy queen grabbed him by the throat with one hand and pinned him against the wall, causing his cowboy hat to fall on the floor. He coughed and let out strangled sounds as Queen Vanessa's hand squeezed his neck. Tears ran down his face as he desperately punched and pulled on the monster's arm to make her let go in vain. Suddenly, he felt a freezing sensation on his neck and it just seemed to spread on his body. Arthur panicked upon realizing what was happening. No... not like this! Sure, he wanted to die, but not that way! He didn't want to become an ice statue for eternity! Anything but that! No! NOOOO!
"Arthur~. Arthuuuur~," Queen Vanessa repeated the boy's name as she watched him slowly turn into ice. It was cold. So cold... It was-
"Arthur."
"Arthur?"
"Arthur?"
"ARTHUR!"
Arthur gasped heavily as his eyes shot open, sweat dripping from his forehead. He lifted himself up a little and looked around frantically, while breathing heavily and quickly. He recognized the trees and the dark atmosphere of Subcon Forest, except it was slightly brighter, probably because it was now morning. He looked down at himself and was relieved to see that there was no ice on his body. It was just another nightmare, thank goodness... He looked up and saw Hat Kid kneeling in front of him and looking at him worriedly. She probably must have seen him squirm around during his sleep and had proceeded to wake him up.
"Oh h-hey, Hat Kid. It's... it's nothing, I just, uhh... had a bad dream, that's all," Arthur said in between breaths as he sat up, trying not to worry her. Honestly, a 'bad dream' was an understatement... it was more of an horrible nightmare that felt extremely real. But he didn't want to talk about it.
Hat Kid could see how shaken the young boy was. Even without her soul, she was concerned about him; not as much as usual, but still enough. Judging by the breathing and sweating mess that Arthur was, the nigthmare he had must have been really bad. Hat Kid moved her arms forward to hug him, but Arthur turned away from her and wrapped his arms around his knees, while remaining in a sitting position.
"I'm fine," the young boy lied, keeping his back turned on his friend. Hat Kid sighed sadly. Now he was back to brushing off her concerns and saying he was 'fine'. Whatever dream he had, it must have clearly bothered him.
"Hey, newbies!"
Arthur and Hat Kid both jolted at the sudden voice. They looked around and saw a minion standing behind them.
"Oh... hey," Arthur greeted him with a blank expression.
"Boss just finished the preparations for your next contract. He sent me over to fetch you both," the minion explained. He then noticed Arthur's state and asked, "Are you okay, kid? You don't look too good."
"I'm fine," the twelve-year-old boy lied. He got up and simply said, "Come on, lead the way." The minion eyed him for a moment before he shrugged and began leading the duo through the forest. While they were walking, Hat Kid continued to stare at Arthur, clearly worried about him. Nonetheless, she could see that he didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to let it slide for now.
"Okay, newbies, there he is," the minion said, pointing at the Snatcher who was waiting near the clearing with a mailman's hat on his head. Next to him was a grandfather clock with a mailbox under it, standing between two cases with some letters in them. "I gotta leave now. See you!" the minion said before he took off.
The two children approached the Snatcher who grinned upon seeing them.
"GOOOOOOOD MORNING! Are you both ready to complete your contractual obligations?" the soul-stealing shadow asked gleefully.
"Not like we have much of a choice anyway. So let's get it over with," Arthur simply said.
"Good! You kids should know that I'm not heartless! Every so often I sneak into mailboxes and steal letters, then deliver them to my minions. That way it's almost like someone cares about them," the Snatcher explained.
"You do?" Arthur asked as he and Hat Kid gave him surprised looks.
"Only to a small extent, because they're working hard to keep my forest in order," the Snatcher deadpanned, making it seem like it was no big deal... or at least trying to from Hat Kid's perspective. It's not every day that you hear a big scary shadow that steals souls say that he cares about his minions. Is it possible that the Snatcher is not as bad and heartless as he is or tries to be?
Hat Kid smiled. Since they had been working hard on their contractual obligations, perhaps he started caring about them too? That'd be so sweet coming from a shadow! The purple-hatted girl wrapped her arm around Arthur and pointed two fingers at the boy and herself, asking the Snatcher if he cared about them too.
"Don't go get any ideas, kiddo. You two don't count," the soul-stealing shadow said unamused as he crossed his arms.
Somehow, it sounded hard to believe for Hat Kid. She let go of Arthur and simply shrugged, although a slight smile was still present on her face. Maybe he is just what people call a 'soon-deh-ray'. Maybe he just likes to pretend he doesn't care when he does in reality.
"Anyway, since our last mailman has gone *poof*, you'll both have to do the delivery," the Snatcher said, before snapping his fingers. A white and red gift box then appeared at his side. "I've got a 'gift' for the occasion. Although it requires a special kind of hat to use – I hope you've got it! Ha ha ha!"
The two children approached the gift and Hat Kid opened it. Her eyes sparkled as she took the content out, which was a purple badge with a golden scooter drawn on it. It was the same badge that the Badge Seller tried to sell her back when they were about to enter Dead Bird Studio to retrieve her lost Time Pieces; and unfortunately, she didn't have enough pons to afford it back then. This time she gets to try it for free!
"This badge is only a rental. I need it back before you leave! Remember to put it on your Sprint Hat, or it does absolutely nothing! HA HA HA HA HA!" he said mockingly. Hat Kid crossed her arms and pouted, clearly disappointed that she doesn't get to keep the badge after that. Nonetheless, she pulled out her Sprint Hat and placed the new badge on it, before putting the hat of her head in place of her top hat. "All of the minions who are awaiting mail will wave at you when you pass near them on the mail delivery scooter. Once you're done, come back here and 'clock' out. Get it?" he said with an eager grin as he motioned his head to the grandfather clock, hoping they got the joke. Hat Kid gave the shadow a confused look, while Arthur crossed his arms and stared at him unamused. The Snatcher's grin faded and he sighed in exasperation.
"You kids have no sense of humor," the soul-stealing shadow said, shaking his head. "Whatever. Just go deliver that mail already," he ordered, waving his hand dismissively.
"As you wish, boss," Arthur said annoyed, making the Snatcher roll his eyes at him.
With a nod, Hat Kid closed her eyes and focused to activate the new badge's ability. Suddenly, a purple scooter with a blue delivery bag containing mail at the back was summoned with a puff of smoke under the duo, causing them to yelp in surprise as they found themselves sitting on said scooter. Hat Kid was the front and Arthur was sitting just behind her. The small girl grinned in excitement as she placed her hands on the handlebars.
"Uh, have you ever driven a scooter before, kid?" Arthur asked in a nervous tone. Hat Kid looked at him and shook her head no, while still keeping her excited grin on her face. How hard can it be? "Figures... Well, just don't send us crashing into a tree please. Anyway, you drive and I'll throw the mail," he suggested. Hat Kid nodded at him.
"Alright, let's goOOOOOOOW!" Arthur yelped when Hat Kid unexpectedly pushed the wrist of the handbars forward, causing the scooter to go forward at fast speed.
"Weeeeee!" Hat Kid giggled in amusement as Arthur wrapped his arms around her to prevent himself from falling off while she was driving. This was so much fun!
While they were driving, Arthur spotted a minion who was waving at them on the side of the path. He must be one of the minions awaiting for mail. The young boy asked Hat Kid to slow down so he could throw the mail at him, which she did. Arthur dug inside the bag behind him, taking a package out of it before throwing it at the minion who caught it effortlessly.
"Thanks, newbies!" the minion shouted, waving at the duo happily.
The two children drove down the path and made a stop at Subcon Village, delivering mail to four more minions. That makes 5 minions out of 10 who received mail so far. That was quick! The duo returned on the path and headed to Subcon Swamp next to find more minions to deliver mail to. So far, the task was simple enough: just drive around the forest and deliver mail. Easy! No terrifying monsters or anything yet. It was certainly a big change from the contracts they did last night.
Hat Kid stopped at the entrance of the swamp, so she and Arthur could try to spot the minions waiting for mail from their position instead of blindly driving in and risking to fall in the water.
"I think I see some of them up there in the trees," Arthur said, pointing up at a few minions waving at them from atop of the leafed branches in the trees. "I can't throw mail that high though. We'll have to climb the trees if we want to get to them," he said.
"Mmm..." Hat Kid hummed as she put her hand on her chin in a thinking manner. She then spotted a noose nearby that seemed to be hanging from the top of a tree. Maybe they could use it to climb up the tree and be able to reach the same level as the minions. She looked at Arthur and pointed at the noose to show him what she had in mind.
The twelve-year-old boy shrugged and said, "I guess that could work," though he felt a bit creeped out by the sight of the noose. However, it seemed like the only way to go up in the trees, so... peck it.
The two children got off of the scooter, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. Hat Kid approached the noose and placed her hands on it to start climbing.
"Why hello there. You two look... new around here," the noose suddenly spoke, glowing blue as it talked. Both children froze in place upon hearing the voice.
"Am I going crazy or did that noose just talk?" Arthur asked with a shocked expression.
"Yes. It was me who talked, indeed," the noose answered, causing Hat Kid to remove her hands from it in surprise. She and Arthur looked at each other with scared expressions. Even the noose was alive? That is freaky as peck. "You know, I haven't seen good solid necks like yours for a long time. I wouldn't mind being strapped around cute necks like yours," it added creepily. The two children held their necks and gulped nervously at the thought.
"Uhhh... thanks, but we, uhhh... still kinda need our necks intact, Mr. Uhh... Noose... We just wanna climb up the tree, that's all," Arthur said with a nervous chuckle. Hat Kid nodded with a nervous grin.
"Oh, that's a shame. I would've been honored to be the one who squeezes the life out of you both," the noose said sadly, causing the duo to shudder. "Oh well, you can grab onto me and I'll give you two a lift up the tree if you want," it offered.
"You... will?" Arthur asked surprised and nervous at the same time.
"Of course. As long as I get a glimpse of those necks of yours," the noose said.
"Ahem... sure alright..." Arthur stuttered nervously. He then whispered in Hat Kid's ear, "Let's just go look somewhere else. I wanna get away from this... crazy, neck-obsessed talking noose as far as possible." As much as the small girl wanted to get away from the noose as well, she didn't want to leave the minions in the trees hanging. She shook her head and firmly pointed at the noose to tell him they should use it to climb up. Arthur sighed and whispered to her, "Fine... but just this once."
Not comfortable with using her hands to grab onto the noose anymore, Hat Kid pulled out her umbrella and grabbed Arthur's hand, then she used her Hookshot ability to latch onto the noose. Remaining true to its word, the noose lifted the two children up until they were at the level of the leafed branches. Hat Kid swung on it and landed on the nearest branch, along with Arthur.
"Come see me again if you need another lift... or a hanging," the noose said, before it lowered back down to its original position.
A moment of silence occured, before Arthur eventually said, "A talking noose... The next thing I know my hat will start talking too."
"Arthur~... Arthuuur~..." a tiny voice was then heard, seemingly coming from his hat. Arthur flinched before he turned around, only to see Hat Kid standing close behind him and teasingly trying to imitate a voice for his hat.
"Very funny, Hat Kid," Arthur said sarcastically with an unamused look. Hat Kid let out a small laugh, amused by the boy's reaction.
Shortly after that, Hat Kid summoned the delivery scooter back, then she began driving and hopping from branch to branch. She did that while still being on the scooter, despite Arthur's protests as he kept his arms tightly wrapped around her anxiously. Surprisingly, she managed to do that without falling or driving the scooter into a tree. After Arthur was able to throw packages at three minions, Hat Kid hopped the scooter down from the tree, causing Arthur to let out a scream as she did, and landed safely on the path before she drove off. Arthur was impressed. For a first time driving a scooter, she was doing surprisingly well. Although, he wished she could go a bit slower and take less dangerous paths... but she was too excited to listen to him.
The duo drove to a part of the forest they hadn't explored yet. To their shock, the trees were burning in this part, although it didn't look like it was spreading. They wondered what started the fire in the first place and how it was not spreading. Maybe the Snatcher's magic was keeping it at bay, but why didn't he extinguish it yet? The two children decided not to question it. They were able to find two minions waiting for mail there, and they proceeded to deliver them packages.
And with that, a total of 10 minions had received mail. Their last contract was complete! Now, all they had to do was return to the Snatcher's side, and hopefully, he will agree to return them their souls and let them go since they had been doing all the hard work for him. The duo drove back to the starting place where the soul-stealing shadow was waiting for them.
"Alright, it's done," Arthur said as he got off the scooter alongside Hat Kid, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Great job! Although, the challenge wasn't very high bar if you consider it. But, eh, whatever," the Snatcher said with a shrug. He then snapped his fingers, causing a small *poof* to be heard coming from Hat Kid's top hat and Sprint Hat each. The small girl pulled out her top hat and removed her Sprint Hat from her head. The last contract in her top hat was gone, along with the rented badge on her Sprint Hat. Right... now that the task was complete, the Snatcher had taken the badge back. Hat Kid sighed sadly, before placing her top hat back on her head and putting her Sprint Hat away. Riding a scooter was fun while it lasted at least...
"Also, my minions found a Time Piece while taking care of something in my forest. They actually asked – no, scratch that – begged me to give it to you two as a thank you for the mail. So... whatever. Take it, I don't care," the soul-stealing shadow said, before snapping his fingers. A Time Piece appeared in front of the children. Hat Kid took it with a smile, before she pocketed it.
"Well, I'm all out of contracts. You both actually managed to complete them all successfully. I gotta admit, I didn't expect you two to even get pass the first one. That's quite impressive, I must say," the Snatcher explained, earning satisfied smiles from the duo. "So-"
The soul-stealing shadow was abruptly interrupted when a large pipe suddenly emerged from the ground a few feet away from him and the children, followed by another one nearby. A dark purple and yellow ghoulish magic was spouting out of the pipes.
"What the hell is going on?!" Arthur asked, looking at the pipes in a mix of surprise and confusion. The Snatcher frowned as he had a feeling of déjà vu. He snapped his fingers, making his mailman's hat vanish, and he flew down the path, heading for Subcon Village. Arthur and Hat Kid glanced at each other and shrugged, before following the shadow out of curiosity.
As the children ran after the Snatcher, they saw more pipes coming out on the sides of the path and further down in the forest. When the trio arrived at the village, their eyes widened in horror. Pipes were emerging everywhere from the ground, the minions were running around while screaming in panic, and the Dwellers did the same except they remained quiet and were floating around instead.
"Holy hell..." Arthur said to himself as he watched the chaos unfold before his eyes in shock.
"Boss! Boss!" a minion shouted in panic as he ran towards the Snatcher, before stopping in front of him and breathing heavily.
"What's going on here?" the Snatcher asked... worriedly? Arthur and Hat Kid were surprised to see him look so concerned, considering he was supposed to be an evil shadow.
"It's the Toilet of Doom, boss! I-it's back!" the minion said, panicking. The Snatcher's eyes widened in shock, before an angry look formed on his face.
"WHAT?! I thought that nuisance was dealt with after I destroyed the bridge and sealed it away in the arena!" the soul-stealing shadow said with a growl.
"The Toilet of Doom? What's that?" Arthur asked confused.
"An old possessed outhouse! It's been going around the forest, causing havoc several times a few years ago. So the boss lured it to the arena, fought it, defeated it, sealed it inside a magical prison, and destroyed the bridge to keep it at bay. But somehow, it managed to break free of the spell and now it's back!" the minion explained in panic.
"Damn..." Arthur said as he and Hat Kid gave each other shocked looks. As the Snatcher was thinking of a way to get rid of the possessed outhouse for good, he glanced at the two children and he grinned as an idea came to his mind. If they managed to get pass Queen Vanessa, they could certainly deal with this as well!
"Tell you what, kiddos. How about we make one LAST contract before you go?" he asked, before snapping his fingers and making another contract appear in front of the duo.
"Wait, what?! You said our previous contract was the last one!" Arthur stated angrily.
"Well, too bad! Now I've got another one for the both of you and that's a big one! So don't question it and sign the paper already," the Snatcher firmly said.
"No way! We already completed all of our contractual obligations! We. Are. Done. So give us our souls and our freedom back, and go deal with it on your own!" Arthur hissed through gritted teeth. The Snatcher's eye twitched angrily at the boy's answer.
"Ohhh no..." the minion said nervously, before turning away in anticipation.
Suddenly, the Snatcher wrapped both of his hands around Arthur's neck and slightly lifted him up in the air, before he began to strangle him. The young boy let out a choked gasp and pulled on the shadow's wrists reflexively in a desperate attempt to make him let go. Hat Kid gasped in horror and pulled on one of the Snatcher's arms to make him let go of Arthur, without success.
"In case it hasn't gotten through your tiny skull yet... YOUR OPINION. DOESN'T. MATTER. TO ME! SO SIGN THE DAMN CONTRACT ALREADY OR I'LL END YOU BOTH HERE AND NOW!" the Snatcher yelled at Arthur's face in pure rage, his voice echoing throughout the whole forest.
"Ack! Alright, alright...! We'll sign it...! Agh!" Arthur said, letting out strangled sounds while speaking. The Snatcher then harshly threw him back on the ground. The twelve-year-old boy gasped for air and coughed as he placed his hands on his sore throat. Hat Kid ran to his side and helped him up, before shooting the Snatcher a death glare, which he brushed off.
With no other choice, the two children both signed their names on the contract without taking the time to read the details; though, it was clear it was about fighting the Toilet of Doom, judging by the title and the current situation going on in Subcon Forest at the moment. After they did, the Snatcher stamped the contract and made it vanish.
"Now get to it! And don't come back before you dealt with that nuisance!" the Snatcher ordered angrily. Arthur and Hat Kid nodded quickly in fear.
"I'll lead you to the arena, newbies! This way!" the minion said as he motioned for them to follow him.
With that said, the two children quickly followed the minion through the village, heading for the arena to put a stop to the Toilet of Doom's rampage for good.
A/N: Hey everyone! That wraps up the easiest (and most boring) act of Subcon Forest. I made sure to include the noose in this chapter, just so you guys could see the kids' reaction to it. Now, it's time for the two children to face off the Toilet of Doom! Looks like they're gonna need a plunger for this one! Grab some popcorn and get ready for a fight between the duo and the old possessed toilet!
Alrighty! Time to answer some reviews!
To pokemonsora01: Well, unfortunately she made another appearance in Arthur's nightmare... but you can be sure that's the last time she appears outside of the Time Rift's Storybook. Anyway, thank you!
To Nothosaurus: She reappeared inside Arthur's nightmare. The Time Rift's Storybook will be the last time she appears in the story though.
To nico2411: Honestly, I'm used to Queen Vanessa's Manor act after watching it on Youtube so many times. Now I just play the level casually without getting scared or anything, since I know it by heart at this point. I'm also aware of the skip, though I never take it because YOLOOOOOOOOO! :D
To Mad King C: Thank you! Yeah, this act is a bit confusing and scary on the first try. Thankfully (or unfortunately), I already knew what to do after watching it on Youtube, so... yeah. ^^;
Alright, that's all for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!