Masked (A Hat In Time)

Seeing Red

Believe me readers, I wish I wouldn't have to be so vague about this new character.

But the problem with this is that I want this to be a surprise.

It's hard writing a character in a way you won't recognize him.

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This time there wasn't a standoff or a warning before the fight.

The servant moved immediately, wielding the red string. It extended and moved in an impossible way, almost like a whip. Bow Kid gasped as the string passed just above their heads, barely missing them.

"HA!" Hat Kid jeered. "You missed!"

Despite his solemn look, the servant lifted an eyebrow. "Did I?"

And that's when Bow Kid noticed their hats entwined in the string. He stole our hats!

Oh, that peck neck! Bow ran at him with her umbrella drawn. The string loosened and deposited the hats behind the servant and then swung back around to meet Bow Kid. She lashed out at it, but it only wrapped around her umbrella and yanked that away too.

Hattie rushed forward. "I'll distract him!" she called. "Get our things back!" She charged towards the servant, jumping and ducking his swings with the string.

Bow ran towards him too, aiming to get behind him and grab the hats and her umbrella. Just as she could almost reach it, the servant swung the string back around, and it caught Bow Kid in the back, knocking her down. Instead of getting up immediately, she waited for the string to come back around above her so she wouldn't get knocked down again.

As soon as it was gone, she leaped to her feet and grabbed her umbrella. But before she could get the hats, the servant kicked her in the gut. Bow cried out and stumbled back.

Hattie leaped forward, close enough to land hits on the servant now. But every time she swung at him, he blocked it with crossed arms and retaliated immediately.

Great. They had to fight the only person experienced in hand-to-hand combat on this stupid planet. Just wonderful.

The moment Bow caught her breath, she jumped to her feet. The servant was momentarily preoccupied with Hattie, so Bow Kid took that opportunity to grab their hats. She immediately put her Time Stop Hat on. Oh, now that she had her hat back, she would abuse it before it got taken away again.

She stopped time. The world now painted in darker colors, Bow trudged through the slowed time and made her way to Hattie's side. She managed to get a look at the expression on the servant's face before time resumed its normal speed again. He didn't really look that angry at all. He had a master poker face, she had to admit. But there was still something wrong about him. Bow couldn't put her finger on it.

Time restarted. The servant recoiled, his eyes widening in shock at the sudden appearance of Bow Kid. Bow quickly passed Hat Kid's Brewing Hat to her. She put the hat on gratefully. "How did you-" the servant began.

"BAM BAM!" Hattie yelled, interrupting him, throwing a potion bomb at him. The servant was engulfed in an explosion, and he coughed at the smoke that came from it.

Hat Kid glanced at Bow Kid. "You okay?" she asked.

Bow nodded. "Yeah."

The smoke cleared, and the string shot out again. Bow Kid leaped over it, but it caught Hattie, and she was swept to the side. Hat Kid managed to get to her feet and dodge the string again just before it wrapped around her foot.

It was oddly mesmerizing, now that Bow Kid could see it up close. The servant moved so fluidly with the strings wrapped around his wrists and ankles that it was impossible to see whether they pulled him or he pulled them.