Chapter 36
'Okay... Alright Arthur, you got this. You got this...'
Arthur was standing at the foot of the zipline, mentally encouraging himself to use it. Well, trying to at the very least... His anxiety was through the roof as he stared at the distance between himself and the other side of the huge gap covered by the sea of clouds.
He was already starting to regret his suggestion to split up. Of course, it was the most logical to do to find Time Pieces quicker... but his GODDAMN fear of heights was such a pecking nuisance to him.
He wished Hat Kid was here right now; she'd know what to say to give him enough confidence to cross this vertiginous gap. Arthur sighed. To be honest, he felt extremely ashamed for being so dependant on the young alien when it comes to facing his fears. Just... come on, seriously. She was younger than him, and yet she got more guts when it comes to facing dangers and threats. That's embarassing... Hat Kid has better things to do than babysit him all the time. No, he had to try and overcome his fear alone without holding hands.
'C'mon, you sissy. You can do this... You have to!' he thought, shaking his head in an attempt to pull himself together.
Taking a deep breath, the young boy aimed his crowbar at the zipline, his hand trembling and his teeth clenched. He shut his eyes, bracing himself for the intense ride, then he pressed the button, shooting out the hook and latching it onto the zipline.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" he yelled, gripping his crowbar as tightly as he could as he went off. He kept his eyes shut as the wind blew violently in his face.
Upon reaching the end, the hook detached itself from the zipline and dropped Arthur on the ground. "Ahh- Oof!" Since his eyes were closed, he couldn't anticipate the landing and fell face first on the ground, sliding forward a bit as his legs bent up and fell flat when he stopped.
"I hate ziplines..." Arthur groaned, his voice muffled because his face was burried in the ground.
"Whoa there! You okay, kid?"
The twelve-year-old boy lifted his head up – revealing his face slightly covered in dirt – and saw two nomads sitting around a campfire, near a green tent with yellow Egyptian symbols. The first one looked like Makhir, but he was wearing light and dark blue clothings instead, with the only exception being his pink scarf. The other one looked different; he wore red clothes, a pale yellow belt, and his hood was different, having a white feather on top of it instead of being sphinx-like.
They gave him a concerned look as they each held a stick with a sausage at the end above the fire to cook it.
"Like someone who just splatted his own face into the ground after a crazy ride on a zipline," Arthur deadpanned as he got up to his feet and wiped the dirt off his face. "Other than that, I'm good."
"That's your first time using the zipline, huh?" the blue nomad asked. Arthur nodded. "It's always a bit... impressive on the first try."
"Funny way of saying 'scary, intense, and extremely dangerous'," Arthur remarked nervously.
"Well, you get used to it after a while," the red nomad shrugged. "Most important thing is to never look down and not be afraid of heights."
"Obviously..." Arthur muttered, looking at his feet. Not looking down, that he could do – when the situation doesn't force him to. But not being afraid of heights? That was more difficult to do. He shook his head, wanting to change the subject. "So what are you guys doing here? You camping?"
"Uhh, kinda sorta... We've been stuck here for the past couple of days after the goats withdrew the ziplines," the blue nomad explained as he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.
Arthur's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah, we went for a hike across Alpine Skyline, and when we came back the ziplines were gone," the red nomad explained. "Good thing we brought this tent and some food with us to keep us going."
"Yeah," the blue nomad agreed. "This hadn't happened in years – the ziplines being removed I mean. The goats must've felt some kind of danger nearby."
"So it seems..." Arthur placed his hand on his chin in thought. This 'danger' that the goats apparently felt sure intrigued him. Whatever it was, he had to make sure that he and Hat Kid were done retrieving the Time Pieces as quickly as possible so they can withdraw the ziplines again to keep Goat Village safe. "Any idea what kind of danger it could be?"
"No clue," the red nomad shrugged. "Well, the ziplines are back on now. So whatever it was, it must be gone."
Arthur nervously scratched his head. "Actually, uhh, me and my friend are the ones who drew them back out." The two nomads looked at him surprised and questioningly. "Don't worry, the village chief gave us permission to do it. We're just trying to retrieve the hourglasses that have fallen around here."
"Oh, they're yours?"
"Yeah, we're trying to be quick about it. Hopefully, we'll be done before the end of the day and then we'll draw the ziplines back in for y'all."
The two nomads nodded understandingly. "So you're headed to the Birdhouse then, right?" the blue one asked.
"Yup."
"Then it's right this way." The nomad pointed at the path on the left. "You gotta go through the Yellow Band Hills first. There's a zipline up ahead that splits in two paths." He paused to check the cooking of his sausage before holding it above the fire again. "One of them normally leads to those hills, but I recall this path has been closed too. To draw it out again, you gotta take the zipline to the Serpentine Bird Peak and blow the horn at the top."
Arthur sighed. More ziplines... Couldn't they have built bridges instead? ...Then again, seeing how far away these peaks were, it would've probably taken too much time and resources to build them. Not to mention that they would have needed to add pillars to support the weight, and at such altitude... it was clearly not possible.
Seems he had no choice but to get used to it, even if it was easier said than done.
"Alright, guess I'll go that way then. Thanks for the information," he thanked them.
"No problem," the blue nomad nodded.
"Oh wait! There's something you should know first," the red nomad interrupted. He pointed towards the path on the right. "This way leads to Purrloined Village, the Lazy Paw Gang's den. If you wanna hang on to your belongings or even your life, stay clear of this place at all costs. These thief cats will give you one heck of a scratching and they don't care if you're a kid or not."
In the distance, Arthur could see the village in question on a secluded cliffside. Several tall pillars covered with cat paw engravings stood around it, with large rocks shaped into cat heads resting on them. A red burnt-looking zipline, similar to the one leading to the Lava Cake, was the only access to it.
"Yeah, the village chief told us about them," Arthur nodded, crossing his arms. "Well, I surely ain't gonna take the risk of getting turned into cat food."
"Yikes, I know right? Some of our friends came back with scratch marks and half of their pons missing. It wasn't pretty," the red nomad grimaced.
"Brr..." the blue nomad shivered at the thought.
"Jesus..." Arthur grimaced nervously. He remembered getting scratched by a feral cat back in his home world. That's one of the reasons he prefered dogs, and the existence of these criminal cats here just adds another reason to the list. He'll make sure to stay away from Purrloined Village. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'm gonna get going now. You guys should probably head back while this thing's still on." He motioned his head to the zipline leading back to Goat Village.
"No problem! We're just gonna finish eating lunch, then we'll pack our stuff and leave."
"Alright, good day."
"You too, kid! And watch out for the crows, they're quite feisty!" the red nomad said, before taking a bite of his cooked sausage.
Arthur nodded and waved goodbye to the two nomads who waved back. He walked a bit further ahead, only to freeze in place when he arrived at the edge of the cliff.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" he grumbled in frustration.
The 'path' ahead was a huge gap with only tightropes to stand on as the only way to get across. Another ordeal for his fear of heights. That was the last thing he needed...
After using the zipline, Hat Kid arrived on a different peak. Not too sure where to go next to reach the Windmill, she decided to ask for directions to a nearby nomad.
The latter informed her she was currently at the Goat Outpost Peak and she must blow the horn at the top to open up a new path on the zipline. It would take her to the Windy Passage, and after that she would have to go into the Lazy Paw Gang territory to summon the last zipline and make it to the Windmill. Lastly, he warned her about some of the bridges on this peak being 'old' and told her to be careful when crossing them.
The young alien thanked the nomad and began her ascension to the top of the peak, using the wooden ramps and the tightropes. Like the nomad said, she had to cross some old and deteriorated bridges, which were thankfully shorter than the one she crossed with Arthur earlier. She ran as fast as she could as they collapsed under her steps and managed to get across each time.
On her way, she found a yarn inside a wooden birdhouse and took it. Just two more and she'll be able to make that Time Stop Hat. Ohh, she couldn't wait!
She continued her way up, fighting off any crows and raccoons that stood in her way. And eventually, she reached the top. After she blew in the horn, a new path appeared on the zipline she came from. It was leading to a cliffside in the distance; probably the Windy Passage.
Nodding in satisfaction, she went back to the bottom by using her Ice Hat ability on a blue trapdoor. She then rode the zipline back to Goat Village, then hooked onto it again. When she neared the junction, she swung on the left, making the grapple of her umbrella take the new path.
She landed at the cliffside and the sign confirmed it was the Windy Passage. The first thing she noticed was the presence of strange purple flower buds under a small windmill. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, she approached them and knelt down to get a closer look.
"Hmm..." Hat Kid frowned, intrigued by the flowers. She had no idea what kind it was. Some sort of weird tulip, maybe? They haven't bloomed yet, so she couldn't tell for sure.
Curious, she began to move her finger forward to touch them, but she flinched when she heard loud and heavy footsteps behind her. She suddenly gasped when she felt a large and strong hand on her shoulder and jolted around in surprise.
Her jaw dropped when she came face to face with one of the goats who still had its hand on her shoulder. The large creature shook its head as it looked at her with a seemingly worried expression. It appeared to be telling her to not touch the flowers.
Hat Kid rose an eyebrow in confusion before looking back at the flowers. Why didn't the goat want her to touch them? Were they poisonous? Or maybe it didn't want her to risk damaging them? It was hard to tell since these big goats don't talk. Either way, she decided to listen to it and stepped away from the flowers. The goat seemed satisfied and walked away, his loud hoofsteps going along with it.
Hat Kid shrugged and looked up at the cliff before her. It was too tall to reach the top, even with a double jump. However, this windmill could help... She hooked onto one of the blades and it slowly raised her up to the top of the cliff.
As she continued her way towards the Windmill, she wondered how Arthur was doing and hoped he wasn't having too much trouble on his own.
"Whoaaa, WOW! Whoa, okay now, easy there! Easy..."
Arthur wiggled a little as he tried to balance himself on the tightrope. He had managed to get past the first three tightropes and was currently standing on the last one.
The young boy was extremely tense right now, his teeth clenched and a grimace on his face. Here he was, standing who-knows-how-many feet above the ground hidden by the sea of clouds to get to the other side of this huge gap. He was thankful for the badge on his hat that gave him the same abilities as Hat Kid to help him stand on tightropes. Otherwise he'd probably have fallen down the moment he jumped on the first tightrope.
After regaining his balance, Arthur looked at the cliff before him. He was almost there, just one good jump. Holding his breath, he bounced slightly on the tightrope to gain some height for a jump.
"Alright, three... two... one..." And then, he jumped and dove forward. "AAAAH- Oof!" He safely landed flat on his stomach on top of the cliff. "Holy effin' hell..." He breathed heavily to try and recover. Crossing a whole gap with only tightropes to stand on has got to be one of the craziest things he ever did in his life. Sure, he did a lot of crazy stuff these past few weeks, but this one's got to top it all.
After calming down, he got up and looked at the gap behind him. He was still a bit shaken but he felt something that he rarely felt... it was pride. Pride for crossing such a dangerous obstacle despite his fear of heights. He may have jumped over lots of gaps in this world but nothing such as high as this. It brought a smile on his face and gave him more confidence for the rest.
Speaking of which, his next step was to use another zipline. According to the nomads, this one leads to the Serpentine Bird Peak.
Arthur took a deep breath. "Alright, let's do this again," he said to himself with a look of determination, before aiming his crowbar at the zipline and hooking onto it.
He went off at high speed, but this time he forced himself to keep his eyes open in order to anticipate his landing. And upon reaching the end, he positioned himself correctly and landed on his feet. It wasn't perfect but at least he didn't land on his face again.
'Alright, I think I got this now,' he thought with a smile.
Now back to the task at hand; the nomads said he had to blow the horn at the top to summon a new zipline to get to the Yellow Band Hills. He looked up, and sure enough, there was a red horn at the top of this peak. With a nod, he made his way to the top, going up the ramps, using the springboards, and knocking out any crows and raccoons on his way.
However, the last obstacle was an old bridge in a poor state. Flashbacks of the bridge he crossed with Hat Kid earlier came through his mind, making him feel extremely anxious. Nonetheless, he pulled through in order to make some progress and ran across the bridge as it collapsed under his steps, successfully making it through.
"Seriously... *huff* Can't they just... *huff* fix their damn... *huff* bridges?" Arthur huffed, trying to catch his breath.
He shook his head and jumped on a springboard to get to the horn. He approached it and blew in it, producing the same low-pitched sound from the horn in Goat Village. While he caught his breath, he saw another path appear on the zipline he took to get here. It went to some hills in the distance, which he assumed were the Yellow Band Hills.
'A zipline junction... Ingenious I guess,' the young boy thought.
He then made his way back down to the zipline. While he did, he wondered how Hat Kid was doing on her side and hoped she will be okay when heading through the Lazy Paw Gang's territory.
Hat Kid stood at the edge of the highest point of the Windy Passage. One hand on her hip and the other above her eyes to cover the sunlight shining on her face. Secluded behind small cliffs was the Old Windmill. Its tall and imposing white structure with large, rotating red windmill blades at the top stood high in the blue, slightly star-filled sky. And behind those blades shone a bright light, undoubtedly produced by the Time Piece.
From her position, the purple-hatted girl was impressed. Makhir was right, this Windmill was HUGE! Like massively huge! It'll be quite the climb to get to the top of this building, especially if there's no stairs.
However, the peak was currently out of reach. She remembered Makhir and the nomad from earlier telling her she had to blow an horn on Curly Tail Peak, where a part of the Lazy Paw Gang was holed up, to summon a zipline leading to the Windmill.
Looking on her left, she noticed a telescope pointing towards another peak with a village on it. Judging by the big rocks shaped into cat heads and the large paw engravings on the cliff faces, that must be Curly Tail Peak. Well, if she was headed into enemy's territory, it might be a good idea to do some recon from afar first.
She walked up to the telescope and looked through it. Sure enough, she could see the horn at the farthest end of the village. As she took a look around said village, she noticed some graffiti of the gang members on the walls and such. No cats in sight though. Strange...
However, she could see two nomads at the entrance. One of them seemed to be tending to the other. Was the latter injured or something? Deciding to investigate, Hat Kid used her Ice Hat ability on a nearby blue trapdoor to reach the yellow paw-printed zipline and hooked onto the latter.
Upon landing at the entrance, she ran to the nomads. Both had blue-colored clothings. One of them was wearing a sphinx-like hood, and the other had a normal hood with a feather on top of it. The latter looked like a mess; some parts in his clothes were ripped off and he had scratch marks all over him. He was sitting against the tree where the zipline was attached, while his friend tried his best to bandage his wounds. An open first aid kit laid down at the latter's side.
"Oh, hey kid," the nomad with the sphinx-like hood greeted. "I wouldn't go that way if I were you. My friend here got attacked while wandering around the Lazy Paw Gang's village."
"They stole... my mother's pendant..." the injured nomad said weakly. "I was just trying to- Ow! - get it back..."
"Easy there, buddy," the sphinx-like hooded nomad said worriedly as he wrapped a bandage around his friend's chest. He looked back at Hat Kid. "These cats are sneaky. They hide in the shadow and you can't see them until they steal something from you or attack you. They did a real number on my friend."
The injured nomad looked at Hat Kid weakly. "They got my mother's pendant... Stole it from her about... a week ago." He winced when his friend applied some bandage on a painful wound.
"Sorry, buddy."
After the pain went away, the nomad continued, "I thought... I could... handle them. But these cats... There were so many... and they took me by surprise... I was lucky to escape." He sighed sadly. "It was a fool's errand... There's no hope in getting anything... back from them..."
Hat Kid looked at the injured nomad sadly, feeling bad for him. He tried to do something heroic and retrieve what was stolen from his mother, but it backfired. These Lazy Paw Cats are so mean! She hadn't met them yet and she already hated them.
Placing her umbrella on her shoulder, she turned to the village and said with a determined glare, "I'll get the pendant back."
The two nomads looked at her with widened and horrified eyes.
"No kid, that's suicide! See what they did to him?" the sphinx-like hooded nomad warned her in a worried tone, motioning his hand to his injured friend. "They'll do the same to you, whether you're a child or not!"
Hat Kid only responded by doing a couple swings with her umbrella as to say 'it's not my first time fighting bad guys'. Then, she walked towards the village.
"Kid, no!"
Ignoring the nomad's attempts to stop her, Hat Kid entered the Lazy Paw Gang's territory. Umbrella still in hand, she slowly made her way through the village. She remained quiet as she scanned her surroundings, trying to listen to any suspicious sounds. The place was quiet. Too quiet. She couldn't help but feel like she was being watched though, despite not seeing anyone around.
And indeed, some feline figures were hiding in the shadow, watching the girl carefully walking through the village. Some whispers and snickers were exchanged between them as they waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Hat Kid stopped in the middle of the village, a focused frown on her face as she tried to detect the presence of those evil cats by any ways possible. A single sound or even a glimpse... Nothing, though. At some point, she began to lower her guard as she thought of the two things she wanted to do here: blow the horn to open up the path to the Windmill and retrieve the pendant that belonged to the nomad's mom.
That's when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly from behind her. Before she could react, someone suddenly shoved her on the ground, causing her to yelp. A snicker was heard and she bounced back up on her feet, getting in a fighting stance as she turned to face the one who shoved her.
It was an orange and white cat wearing a red headscarf on his head, another red scarf around his neck, a brown belt, and brown boots. His outfit clearly showed he was one of the Lazy Paw Gang members. The cat made a snide smile as they held a certain purple hat in their paw.
Hat Kid gasped and placed a hand on her head. Her hat was gone! That mean cat just stole it from her!
"HEY!" she glared angrily at the cat. The latter only chuckled at her.
Suddenly, she could hear more cats approach her from behind. This time she anticipated that and swung her umbrella around, successfully hitting her attackers across the face and knocking them out.
She turned back to the spot where the cat who stole her hat was, only to find it empty. She looked around frantically and eventually spotted the culprit running further in the village.
"Catch me if you can, kid!" the cat shouted tauntingly at her.
Gritting her teeth in anger, she ran after him. The cat ran up the wooden ramps, going higher and occasionally taunting Hat Kid while she continued chasing him. On the way, the small girl got ambushed by a few other gang members who managed to steal some of her pons and tried to attack her with their claws. However, she quickly figured out their tactics and disposed of them all.
Eventually, she caught up with the thief cat who was waiting for her at the top of the village, near a large red house with a large board shaped into a cat face above the door.
"Want your hat back, kid?" the cat taunted with a sly grin, waving the girl's top hat in his paw. He placed it on his head and got in a fighting stance. "Then come and get it!" He bent his fingers back and forth to tell her to come at him.
As she readied herself, Hat Kid noticed something around his neck. A certain necklace with a heart-shaped ruby dangling downwards. A gasp escaped the girl's lips. It was probably the pendant that belonged to the nomad's mother. This cat was surely the one who stole it.
Okay, now that does it! She'll make sure to give that mean cat the beating he deserves!
Hat Kid made her first move, running at the cat and swinging her umbrella twice in his direction. However, the Lazy Paw Cat dodged the first swing, then jumped over the girl at the second swing and landed behind her. He tried to swing his clawed paw at her, however, Hat Kid anticipated this and rolled out of the way.
"Wow, you got quick reflexes! I'm actually impressed!" the cat said, before grinning excitedly. "This should be fun!"
He did a front flip, landing in front of the hatless girl, then he began swinging his claws and legs at her, attempting to scratch and kick her. Hat Kid dodged and blocked his attacks with her umbrella – and sometimes her arms if it's a kick – then counterattacked by swinging her weapon and trying to land a few kicks on him, which the cat dodged or blocked.
After a struggle between the two, Hat Kid eventually managed to whack the cat with her umbrella, causing him to hiss and pushing him back. The thief cat dug his claws in the ground to stop his sliding caused by the hit, creating a scratch trail on the ground.
Glaring furiously at the child, the cat jumped on top of the house and whistled loudly. Suddenly, the door opened and a few Lazy Paw Cats ran out of the house, lunging at Hat Kid. The small girl did her best to dodge their attacks. One of them almost scratched her, but she rolled out of the way just in time. She then proceeded to beat each of them up, either by whacking, kicking them in the face or doing a homing attack on them.
After seeing his allies down, the 'leader' growled and jumped from the house's rooftop and onto the ground. He smirked before turning himself invisible. Hat Kid looked around frantically, attempting to figure out where the cat went. After a few seconds, she felt a presence behind her and spinned around to perform a back kick, knocking the thief cat on the ground before he could hit her.
The cat growled angrily, before bouncing back on his boots. "Why you little...!" He then swung his claws at the girl more rapidly and aggressively, eventually managing to scratch her violently on the chest.
"Ow!" Hat Kid yelled as she fell on her back, dropping her umbrella in the process and clutching her chest in pain. She looked down to see her purple shirt torn where she got hit, revealing a large scratch injury on her chest.
The cat grinned evilly in satisfaction. He got on all fours and pounced on the girl, attempting to finish her off. Reacting quickly, Hat Kid raised her legs up, stopping the cat with her feet, and pushed him over and behind her.
While the Lazy Paw Cat tucked and rolled upon landing, Hat Kid grabbed her umbrella and got up before turning around to face her foe, while clutching to her injured chest. The two glared at each other with hatred as they sidestepped in a circle like lions ready to pounce on their prey.
The thief cat got on all fours again, then charged at Hat Kid. However, she stepped aside and whacked him with her umbrella. He hissed and tried attacking her again, but the girl dodged and hit him across the face again. The cat swayed back and forth a little, stunned by the hit.
"AAAAYAH!" Seizing the moment to strike, Hat Kid jumped forward and whacked the cat across the face once more, making him spin on the spot and fall on his back. Her top hat fell from the cat's head and rolled at her feet. The small girl wore a happy smile as she picked it up and placed it back on her head.
The Lazy Paw Cat groaned as he rubbed his head to ease the pain, his eyes flickering ever so slightly. Fear then filled his eyes when Hat Kid began to slowly approach them, gripping her umbrella tightly with one hand, clutching her chest with her other arm, and a scowl on her face. He crawled away until his back was against the wall of the house.
"Hey! W-w-wait! D-don't hit me please! I-I give up, okay?!" he begged, raising his arm above his head protectively as sweat rolled down his forehead. Hat Kid pointed her finger at the pendant around the cat's neck, glaring firmly into his frightened felin's eyes. "Y-you want the pendant? S-s-sure, take it! It's yours!" The cat removed the pendant from his neck and tossed it at Hat Kid's feet.
Smirking in satisfaction, the young alien picked it up and put it in her pocket. After that, she looked on her left and spotted the horn at the top of a ladder. She began to make her way towards it, turning her back on the thief cat.
Grinning slyly, the latter got up and ran to attack her from behind. Unfortunately for him, Hat Kid had expected his move. With a smug face, she stepped aside, causing the cat to miss her and comically faceplant in the cliff wall. He slid down the wall before falling backwards and passing out on the ground.
Hat Kid laughed at the cat's misfortune, then she made her way up the ladder. Standing behind the horn, she took a deep breath and blew in it. After that, she looked back at the Windy Passage, and saw a blue zipline appear and connect to the Windmill. She smiled happily, putting her hands on her hips.
Now that she opened the path to Windmill and got the pendant back, she made her way back down, making sure to blow a raspberry at the still-unconscious Lazy Paw Gang member, and joined the two nomads at the entrance of the village.
"Kid, you alright?" the sphinx-like hatted nomad asked with concern. Hat Kid nodded with a smile, although the nomad saw her clutching her chest. The edges of the scratch injury were unhidden by the arm. "You're hurt!"
Hat Kid looked down at her chest and shrugged, saying it was nothing. She then pulled out the pendant she retrieved from the cat. The two nomads' eyes widened upon seeing it.
"You... you got it! You got my mom's pendant back!" the injured nomad exclaimed happily. Hat Kid nodded before handing it back to him. The nomad had a tear running down his cheek as he stared at the pendant in his hand, before giving a grateful smile to the girl. "I... I don't know what to say, kid... Thank you. Really."
The purple-hatted girl nodded with a smile, placing her hands behind her back, as to say 'you're welcome'. She then winced, clutching her chest, as the pain manifested itself in her wound again.
"Here, lemme try to fix you up, kid. It's the least I can do," the sphinx-like hatted nomad offered, pulling out a few bandages from his first aid kit.
Hat Kid nodded, still grimacing, and sat down on the ground to let him do his thing. Kneeling down at the child's side, the nomad raised her shirt so he could see the wound and began wrapping the bandages around it.
"Nghh..." the small girl winced as the bandages were applied on her injured chest. It stings a little, but she did her best to ignore it and relax.
"Good thing the scratch ain't too deep. You're gonna be fine," the nomad reassured her, earning a grateful smile from her. "I'm... really impressed that you got out of there in one piece, and with the pendant in hand." He looked at the girl curiously. "You're no ordinary kid, are you?"
Hat Kid chuckled a bit shyly but proudly at the same time. It might not look like such a big deal where she comes from, but it certainly was the case on this planet and many others she visited before. Her species is stronger and more resistant than regular humans. Despite that, she was considered as one of the best elements by her superior and many other people from her species; a status she treasured without being too cocky about it.
"In any case... thank you for doing this. My friend was really desperate to get his mom's pendant back."
"She's gonna be thrilled. Mom was really devastated when she lost it to this bunch of feline thieves, but we got it back thanks to you," the other nomad said, smiling at Hat Kid.
"Say, what's your name, kid?" the sphinx-like hatted nomad asked curiously.
"Hat Kid," the small girl answered with a smile.
"Well, that's a real pleasure to meet you! I'm Dr. Alkhar, Goat Village's medic. And that's Seth."
"Happy to meet you, Hat Kid!" Seth smiled.
Eventually, Dr. Alkhar was done bandaging the girl's wound. "There, all done!"
Hat Kid looked down at her chest and touched it, feeling the fabric of the bandages wrapped around it. It didn't hurt as much as before. She pushed her shirt down, glancing at the scratch holes in it. Right, she would have to sew it back together once she returns to the spaceship.
She looked back at the doctor and smiled. "Thank you."
The nomad nodded, placing his medical material back in the first aid kit. He glanced at Seth for a second, before looking back at Hat Kid. "Uhh, if you're up for it, could you possibly help me carry him back to the village, please? The Lazy Paw Gang messed him up pretty good and in his condition I don't think he can walk properly."
"Oh no, that's alright. I can mana-" Seth tried to get up, only to stop when pain manifested itself in his wounds. "Ow ah...!" He immediately sat back down. "Okay, nevermind... I could definitely use a hand," he admitted shamefully.
Dr. Alkhar nodded. "All right. So I'm gonna carry him by the arms and you kid can carry him by the legs-"
"WHOA!"
Both nomads were shocked and dumbfounded when Hat Kid easily picked Seth up with one hand while putting her free one on her hip proudly. She grinned. It was always funny to see people's reaction to her superstrength.
"Wow... okay then. I, uh, guess you don't really need my help after all," Dr. Alkhar chuckled, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"You were right, Alkhar. She's no ordinary kid," Seth remarked, still trying to process the fact a little girl was able to carry him with one hand, and causing Hat Kid to giggle.
"Heh, yeah... Anyway, let's go."
Dr. Alkhar made his way to the zipline, used a grapple of his own to hook onto it and sped off. Hat Kid followed him, holding her umbrella in her hand to grapple onto the zipline while keeping her other arm wrapped around Seth so he doesn't fall off.
After climbing down the Windy Passage, they used the other zipline to go back to Goat Village. Dr. Alkhar led Hat Kid to his house and suggested she lies Seth down on his bed, which she did.
"I'm gonna keep him in here until he gets better," the doctor said. He got close to Hat Kid and placed his hand on one side of his mouth as he jokingly whispered, "His mom sort of overdoes it when he's hurt, so I'm saving him from a bone-crushing hug and a thousand-page lecture from her."
Seth, who had heard him, covered his face in embarrassment. "Alkhar, please!"
"What? It's true!"
"But don't talk about that to the kid! It's embarrassing!"
Hat Kid had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing as she watched Dr. Alkhar tease his friend.
"Anyway, thanks for your help, kid. I'll take it from here," Dr. Alkhar nodded at Hat Kid. "Have fun and watch yourself out there."
"See you around, kid!" Seth waved his hand weakly.
"Bye!" Hat Kid waved her hand. Then, she walked out of the house, leaving the two nomads alone.
After that, she made her way back to the zipline and returned to the Windy Passage. Next stop: the Windmill.
"Well, shoot me now. That's gotta be the biggest birdhouse I've ever seen in my life."
Arthur had managed to make his way across the Yellow Band Hills. Aside from having to lower a few bridges and fight off any crows and raccoons standing in his way, his ascension went pretty well.
Right now, he was standing atop the hills, staring in awe at the gigantic Birdhouse with leaves covering the thick, metallic cage bars. He could see wooden structures inside the giant cage, probably house-sized nest boxes, as well as the light produced by the Time Piece at the highest point inside the Birdhouse.
The size of this cage was impressive, but it made the boy also worry about the possibility of meeting giant birds inside of it. Regardless, he had to head in there to get the Time Piece. Hopefully, he won't run into any bird of abnormal size.
Arthur pointed his crowbar at the zipline on his side and latched the hook onto it. He wasn't out of the woods yet regarding his fear but he was getting more confident about using the ziplines. It took him to a peak inside the Birdhouse where he landed on something soft. A large amount of straws and feathers covered the ground, producing crunching sounds under the boy's feet.
Now that he was inside, he could have a better view on the structures inside the Birdhouse. Sure enough, there were wooden bird nest boxes about the size of regular houses. Some of them were built on small cliffs, while others were hung in the air by solid chains. Bird nests also rested on top of platforms allowing access between nest boxes.
Looking to the left, he spotted the glow of the Time Piece atop the highest point of a series of isolated small peaks. However, at the left of the glow -
"Jesus pecking Christ!" Arthur saw a giant black crow asleep on a bird nest next to the peak with the Time Piece. "Holy hell, a gigantic bird! Just my luck... At least, this one's sleeping like a big baby."
"Quite a bird, is it not?"
Arthur flinched upon hearing the voice and looked to the side, but he soon relaxed as he recognized the person. "Oh hey, Badge Seller." Indeed, the glitchy vendor was standing at his side, staring at the giant bird in the distance. "Yup, this one really didn't skimp on sunflower seeds."
The Badge seller chuckled. "That is one way to put it." This made Arthur chuckle as well. "Anyway, I am glad to see the Hat Badge is working out well for you."
The twelve-year-old boy raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Have you noticed you are able to breathe easily despite being as such a high altitude?" they asked, looking at him knowingly.
"Oh. Yeah, I did," Arthur admitted, recalling the event on the bridge and the conversation with Makhir. He touched the Hat Badge on his hat. "So that was your badge's doing, right?"
"Yes," the Badge Seller nodded. "I knew you would have to visit these mountains eventually, so I included the ability of your friend's species to breathe in places where there is a low amount of air."
"Convenient," Arthur nodded as he crossed his arms.
The Badge Seller then smiled and said, "You seem in a better mood today."
The twelve-year-old boy rubbed his arm shyly and said with a smile, "Yeah, I... had a conversation last night and... it really helped me in a way."
"A conversation with the girl?" the Badge Seller asked with a smile, referring to Hat Kid.
"...Yeah. With the girl," Arthur nodded. "I guess I kinda needed it, even though at the time I didn't want to talk about... well... something personal."
They nodded. "Talking about traumatic experiences is never easy, but when you have a friend who understands them it is a heavy weight off your shoulders. It is worth it."
Arthur opened his mouth to ask how he knew that but he quickly shut it after realizing it would be a dumb question, considering this guy always know what's going on here and there with their 'mysterious ways' which they never seem willing to reveal.
"Yeah, I... kinda forgot how it felt..." he admitted. Normally he wouldn't say the following to anybody, but the Badge Seller had always been supportive of him since day one and they already know a lot more than they were supposed to, so... peck it, he'll just say it to them too. "I used to have a friend and my mom to talk to about my problems in my home world." He sighed, going back to a depressive state. "Both are dead though. Just... taken away like that." He snapped his fingers. "Because life has decided that I wasn't allowed to have anyone to support me. And now, I got Hat Kid in my life and... I'm afraid she'll..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word. "Y'know... It feels like a curse."
The Badge Seller nodded understandingly and said, "Life is unpredictable sometimes. It is full of pain, suffering and tragedies; and it is never easy when you have to go through those feelings." They paused as they stared off in the distance. "But not everything is at dark as it seems. Somewhere in this dark place, there is a door hidden in the shadow. A door that inhabits the light that you need. It does not always show up when you want or expect it, but it can show up at a time you need it the most. You always have to seize the chance when it presents itself." They looked back at Arthur with a smile. "Which you did when your friend offered you that chance."
The young boy chuckled. Not sarcastically or in disbelief, but more in amusement. "Yeah. Of all the people, never would've guessed Hat Kid would be the one to give me that chance. I mean, we despised each other when we first met. Heh... something funny about that."
"Sometimes, true friendships blossom from the most unexpected roots."
"Yeah..." Arthur looked around – not the Birdhouse specifically, but his whole surroundings. "This world... the people here are so... different... More understanding. I mean, most of them tried to kill me but... compared to folks in my home world, they're... not so bad. With a few exceptions of course." He thought about Mustache Girl, the Mafia Boss, and the Snatcher on the last statement.
He rubbed his arm as he continued, "What I'm saying is... it's better than my home world. Had a bad start, but then just... crazy stuff I didn't expect to happen actually happened, if that makes any sense. Aside from all the betrayals and times where I almost died, I had good moments on this planet, and I made more friends here in one month than all the years I spent in my home world. This universe is, well, not the best but it's not the worst either. It's weird... it almost feel like..." He then went quiet and shook his head, refusing to finish his sentence. "Nah, that's just stupid."
"Like home?" the Badge Seller finished his sentence for him, smiling.
"No... No, I can't think like that," Arthur shook his head again, walking a few steps away from the glitchy vendor before stopping.
"Why is that, young man?"
Arthur sighed sadly, keeping his back turned on the Badge Seller. "It's just... it doesn't feel right. I wasn't born in this world. I don't think I'm even supposed to be here. Makes me an outcast, probably an anomaly."
"Maybe not. Maybe fate has brought you here because maybe this is where you truly belong."
The young boy simply looked down, feeling a pit forming in his stomach. His guts were begging him to stay in this world and let himself be a part of it because he dreaded at the idea of returning to a life he knew was just mental and physical torture; a hellish life that never got him anywhere and where people despised him.
However, his mind – the pragmatic side – was telling him it couldn't be possible, that he didn't belong here because he came from another world and, well... just like Time Pieces breaking and rewinding time, maybe his presence in this world could have consequences in the stability of the universe or some crap; and therefore he shouldn't stay.
For now, there was still no way for him to return to his home world, so it was fine (and honestly, he was fine with that too for now). But when the time comes... he knew he would have to go back where he came from. It's just the way it is...
"I don't know... Maybe. Maybe not," Arthur shut his eyes in sorrow. "Either way, I can't stay here... The hourglass that brought me here, I broke it by accident. My presence here is plain accidental and wasn't supposed to happen. I don't think the stability of universes wanted this to occur and... maybe something will happen if I stay here too long."
There was a silence for a few seconds before the Badge Seller spoke again. "Perhaps it is time to start thinking about what you really want for yourself instead of what you think others want, Arthur."
Arthur turned around and opened his mouth to answer. However, the Badge Seller was gone again.
'What I really want?' he pondered on the glitchy vendor's words. This made him think a little, but he still had mixed feelings about it and, honestly, he wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Well, it was not important at the moment, he had to focus on getting to that Time Piece without waking the giant bird up.
He made his way forward, climbing on the nest boxes. And sure enough, he encountered a few crows and they were not happy to see the boy trespass their territory. Thankfully, despite being aggressive, they were quite slow, so Arthur was able to take them out without a problem.
After getting rid of the birds, the young boy kept moving. He passed by a couple of purple flower buds that he glanced at out of curiosity but decided not to linger on them. As he went near a straw nest, something big, white and oval shot out of it; probably a giant egg. Smoke was coming out of it as it began to make its way towards Arthur and it was... pulsating and ringing?
"What the-" Flashbacks of the cherry bomb from Subcon forest suddenly surfaced in the boy's mind. "OHH CRAP!"
SPLASH!
Arthur dove away, landing on his belly and covering his head with his arms, as the egg exploded upon hitting one of the haystacks laying around. Pieces of eggshell and yolk flew everywhere and landed around the spot of the 'explosion'.
Arthur rolled on his back and sat up to see the mess. "Exploding eggs?! What the PECK?!" He shook his head. Thankfully, he was unharmed, but he would have to watch out for those eggs, it was probably not the only one in this Birdhouse.
Pulling himself together, he got up and patted the dust off of himself before moving on. He made sure to avoid stepping in the yolk, a disgusted look forming on his face. He went inside a nest box and had to defend himself against a crow and run away from another exploding egg, before going up the ramp to the exit.
He ran into another crow but this one looked... different. It had some black Elvis-styled hair and red glasses. To Arthur's shock, it lunged at him at high speed and rammed him in the chest.
"Oof!" The hit threw Arthur backwards and he would have fallen back down to the bottom of the nest box if he didn't catch the edge in time.
He quickly pushed himself back on the surface, and when he looked up, he saw the fast bird charging at him again. He dashed to the side, successfully avoiding the bird who fell off the edge and landed in the pile of straw at the bottom.
The crow came out of the straw, shaking the stalks off of itself. It looked up at Arthur and cawed angrily, before rushing towards the ramp to get back up and attack the boy again.
However, Arthur decided he will not let this Elvis-looking bird take him by surprise again and positioned himself at the end of the ramp, holding his crowbar up like a baseball bat. And when the bird lunged at him, he swung his crowbar and hit it, sending the crow fly against the wall. It passed out as it hit the floor.
"Well damn, that's what I call a home run. Should've taken a class for baseball," Arthur joked, tipping his hat.
With a satisfied smirk, he headed outside. He walked up a ramp and was on a wooden platform with a better view on the cliff with the Time Piece and the giant bird sleeping next to it. It was so close but he had no way to access it from his position. Darn.
He flinched when he heard a ringing sound coming from another egg walking towards him. Thankfully, he spotted another haystack nearby and methodically led the egg to it while keeping his distance, causing it to explode upon touching the hay.
When Arthur uncovered his eyes, he saw the yolk and the eggshell mess left by the 'explosion'. Looking a bit closer, he spotted a yarn in place of the haystack; it was probably hidden in it and the egg revealed it by blowing it up. It was half-covered in yolk and straw remains, but Hat Kid would still be happy to have it.
"Ugh... Gross..." Arthur picked it up with a disgusted face. He shook it a little to remove a bit of the yolk on it and wrapped it in a tissue before putting it his pocket.
Suddenly, a distant scream was heard, surprising the boy and causing him to look around frantically. It seemed to be getting louder and closer by the second, and when Arthur looked up, he formed a shocked expression when he saw an elevator falling from the sky.
Time seemed to slow as the elevator reached his level off the platform, and the boy could see a person inside it. It was a young woman with blond hair tied in a ponytail, green eyes with a white eyepatch covering her right one, a black fedora hat, a black suit with white sleeves and a green tie, black pants and dark brown shoes.
Arthur and the woman made eye contact with each other, both of them having a startled and confused expression. Suddenly, time returned to its normal speed and the elevator continued falling down into the void with the scream of the woman following it. The twelve-year-old boy ran to the rail and looked down over it. He only had time to see the elevator vanish through a strange rift which disappeared soon after.
"What in the hell...?" Arthur muttered, completely lost and confused.
Suddenly, a loud chirp made the boy jolt in alarm. He saw the giant bird slowly open one of its eyes. Crap, the woman's scream must have waken it up.
Arthur quickly crouched behind the rail to not get spotted as the massive crow lazily scanned the whole Birdhouse with its half-opened eye. If that thing saw him, he'll probably serve as breakfast for it. Thankfully, it didn't... for now. He held his breath, fearing that the bird might hear him.
The bird looked around for a few seconds, but all it saw with its tired eye were the smaller crows and the giant eggs scattered around the birdhouse. Eventually, the gigantic crow felt its tiredness take over again. Its eye slowly closed before it went back to its slumber.
Arthur let out a relieved breath. That was close! He stood up and his thoughts went back to the scene that occured before. Where the hell did that elevator come from? Where did that weird rift take it? And who was that woman? What is going on here?
'Weird... I hope she landed somewhere safe,' he thought, not wanting to imagine the worst case scenario for the young woman.
As strange as this experience was, he had to keep moving and find a way to reach the Time Piece.
With that, Arthur continued exploring the Birdhouse. On the way, he found a relic at the end of a parkour that required the ability of his Dweller Badge to get through. It was an empty crayon box which can fit three crayons. The young boy pocketed it and made a mental note to give it to Hat Kid later.
He made progress through the nest boxes, taking out any crows on his way and avoiding the exploding eggs. Eventually, he reached a horn on top of the farthest nest box and blew in it. It drew out a zipline nearby that leads directly to the small cliffside where the giant bird is.
Arthur headed down and stood at the foot of the zipline. He gulped nervously, staring at the giant crow. It was still sleeping like a baby but damn... it was so huge... and the Time Piece was on the cliff right after the bird. God, why did he have to get past this thirty-feet-tall crow to reach the Time Piece? Why couldn't the zipline lead him directly to it?
The twelve-year-old boy sighed. He didn't have a choice. It was either that or go back to the village empty-handed.
'Well... here goes nothing,' he thought, before latching his hook onto the zipline and taking off.
Once he made it to the other side, Arthur took a step back after finding himself face to face with the giant crow. The snoring of the abnormally large creature filling the boy's ears. Saying that being up so close to this thing is intimidating was an understatement.
The young boy looked behind the bird and could see the Time Piece atop of the cliffside; a ladder conveniently placed against it was providing a way up to the powerful hourglass. He will have to proceed slowly and quietly if he didn't want to wake up the 'beast'.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur began tiptoeing towards the ladder. He froze and looked down when a slight crunching noise was heard beneath his foot. Straw... Peck, there was straw everywhere. He was in the giant bird's nest, of course there would be straw all over the place.
He grimaced and quietly cursed under his breath. This is going to be much harder than he anticipated. Thankfully, the first sound didn't wake the crow up, but he'll have to make sure not to make too much noise.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur continued moving step by step, trying to place his feet in spots that had the least straw to create as little sound as possible. He could feel his anxiety increase with each steps he took and he had to take deep and quiet breaths to make sure he didn't start to hyperventilate.
'So far so good. So far so good,' he repeated in his mind to give himself some confidence.
The boy suddenly heard a low and deep cooing noise escape the giant bird's beak, making him freeze in place, worried that he might have woken the crow up. However, the bird was still sleeping. It was probably in the middle of a dream, which might explain the sound it made.
Sighing in relief, Arthur continued sneaking through the nest, going around the crow and eventually making it to the ladder. He thought things would be easier at this point. Boy, he was so wrong... As soon as he set his hands and foot on the ladder, a creaking sound could be heard. It was an old wooden ladder that probably went through years without maintenance. Just his luck...
The Time Piece was right at the top though, and it wasn't too far up. If he proceeds carefully, he will be fine... hopefully.
After making sure the giant crow was still sound asleep, Arthur began climbing up the ladder as slowly and quietly as possible. He gritted his teeth with each creaking sound produced by the ladder in bad shape.
He was almost there. So close... Just a little furth- CRACK! Arthur gasped as one of the rungs snapped in half underneath his foot, almost making him fall. He quickly caught himself by setting his foot on the next rung. However, the giant crow suddenly tweeted and stirred a little, its left eye slightly opening.
"Craaaaaaap..." the young boy silently cursed through gritted teeth. His face was crunched up in a grimace and sweat dripped from his forehead. Good thing he was already behind the bird, otherwise he would've been spotted immediately. But because of that stupid cheap-quality ladder, he had accidentally awaken the beast.
He remained still on the ladder as he hoped the giant crow wouldn't turn around to find him on the ladder and eat him alive. The bird didn't seem to have caught the direction of the noise as it didn't turn around, but Arthur knew it was looking around to see where it came from.
After some intense seconds that felt like hours, the bird cooed, its eye slowly closing. Eventually, it began snoring again, meaning it fell back asleep.
Arthur let out a deep breath in relief. That was so pecking close... Almost got himself killed right here. He waited a few more seconds before he continued climbing up. Finally, he made it to the top and found the Time Piece on the rocky floor.
"Finally gotcha," the boy whispered as he crouched and picked up the hourglass. It was tough but he finally got it. Now he had to go back to the zipline and avoid waking the giant crow again, because if he does, he knew it would get too suspicious to go back to sleep, and then he'll be screwed.
He put the Time Piece in his pocket and climbed down the ladder, avoiding the broken rung as he did. Then he snuck through the nest again, using the same path as before. He was more careful this time and it paid off as he managed to reach the zipline without alerting the bird.
Arthur didn't waste time to use the zipline and go back to the safe area. Once he was out of danger, he leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he took a few breaths to calm himself down.
"Man, that was close..." he sighed.
It was nerve-wrecking... but nonetheless the young boy couldn't help but smile, seeing that his efforts paid off. He got the Time Piece; and now he could go back to Goat Village and meet up with Hat Kid. He hoped she didn't have too much trouble getting past the Lazy Paw Gang and climbing up the Windmill to retrieve her Time Piece. But hey, she was a capable one, he knew that.
Having accomplished his task, Arthur went back to the bottom of the Birdhouse. He passed by the same purple flower buds from earlier, not paying much attention to them.
However, as soon as he went away, the flowers suddenly bloomed. They pulsated and a dark purple smoke emanated from them. The wind took some of its pollen away. Meanwhile, a goat was standing on top of a cliff not too far away from the Birdhouse, watching over Alpine Skyline. Suddenly, the pollen from the strange flowers flew right towards its face and went inside its nose.
As soon as it did, the goat began feeling weird. It twitched for a few seconds, sneezing loudly a few times. It shut its eyes and tightened its fists for a moment. And when its eyes opened again... they were glowing red and a feeling of rage slowly overtook the goat as it growled angrily.
This was the beginning of a disaster soon to come...
A/N : Hey everyone! Well... long time no see! I guess I owe you all an explanation on why I haven't posted any new chapter for four months. Eheh... Well... to be honest, I think I needed a break as I had a loss of motivation during this time. Not to mention that I got a new game called Dead By Daylight and I've been busy playing it a lot, which drained my motivation even further.
These two reasons together were the cause of why I haven't been writing for the past four months (plus, this new chapter took longer than I expected to write). But finally, I managed to gather the courage and motivation to write and finish this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!
So in this chapter, I decided to include a little sub-boss fight as well as a side-mission for Hat Kid as she entered the Lazy Paw Gang territory to make it more interesting and add some action. And on Arthur's side, I decided to add a moment where he had to sneak past the giant sleeping crow in the Birdhouse instead of having him jump on the bird's head like you do in the game, as it makes more sense. (No seriously, I doubt you guys would be able to jump on a giant bird's head without waking it up in real life. And if you somehow manage to do it... well, I guess this bird is an extremely heavy sleeper.)
Oh also, I made Konan720's OC, Julia, appear as a cameo in this chapter since she did the same with Arthur in Chapter 22 of her story "A Hat in Time: Julia's Return". I recommend reading it if you guys haven't. But before that, make sure to read her other story "A Hat in Time: Amnesiac's Journey" since it tells the events that happened before the former.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Now moving on to the reviews!
To pokemonsora01: Heh, you're right about that. Anyway, thank you!
To Mr. Mega1423: Thanks! I figured it would be nice to give characters some names, as well as a more important role in this part, considering you don't meet any real major character in the Alpine Skyline section. Makes things interesting. About Arthur's fear of heights, thankfully he's working on it by forcing himself to go through ziplines and gaps. He's not out of the woods yet, but he's doing his best for Hat Kid and the Time Pieces. (Also don't worry, I'm aware of Arthur's cameo you made in your story. I'll include it in the next chapter. ;))
To HexoSpikeZ: Thank you! Hmm, that's a nice theory. Who knows? ;) Also if you reread the first chapter, in Hat Kid's previous adventure, the planet did blow up but the inhabitants didn't die as she helped them evacuate before the explosion. Although she wished she could've prevented that.
To Konan720: Yeah, Arthur had it rough, but you're right, this newfound support helped him mature and is slowly helping him to overcome his fears. Also, glad you managed to catch up! Hope you'll enjoy the future chapters to come! ^^
All right, that's all for today! I'm sorry for taking so long to release this chapter, but don't worry guys, I'm not done with this story yet and I'll continue writing it to the end. See you all in the next chapter! (^_^)/