CHAPTER II

It was the usual hustle and bustle in the port city of Scuttle Town. The townsfolk were welcoming their neighboring citizens and making accommodations. They were still repairing the damage that had been done by the recent pirate raid. Other than that, business and bartering went on as per usual. Everything seemed normal other than a quick green blur that shot down though the main part of town. A few changer tables were overturned as the blur knocked them over by accident, but it didn't slow her down.

"Huff, huff, huff! ROTTY!" Shantae yelled from the opposite stretch of the street. A few townsfolk cast wide-eyed looks at her outburst. She was mildly irritated that her friend was being so difficult. "Will… you…*huff* PLEASE slow down."

"Aww, come on snack cakes. You gotta get out more! Get some exercise and run a few miles!" Rottytops said with a smile; running in place to emphasize her point.

"I DO. I've saved this place many times… I'm not exactly out of shape, you're just too energetic!" She exclaimed. '... and don't call me snack cakes!' Shantae thought as she wiped sweat from her brow. She was slowly catching her breath, her nine-foot ponytail swaying in a delicate breeze.

"Okay, now that we got the info, what do we do now?" Rottytops asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

Shantae adjusted her crimson top and had an idea. "Well, we could ask Sky for help. Mermaid Falls is a long way away, but with Sky and Wrench, we'll get there in no time!" She said.

"Sky? I… I don't know Shae-Shae. She gives me the stank eye every time I drop by." Rottytops looked away and shuffled her foot, placing her hands behind her back.

"Ah, don't worry Rotty. Once she sees you're with me, she won't mind." Shantae reassured her friend. "Whaddya say?"

"Alright. Let's do it!" Rottytops said with a newfound excitement. She was still a bit shaky on the idea of Sky helping them out. Sky was never a fan of the zombie trio, as they had earned a terrible reputation even amongst other zombies. Not to mention, Sky was hawkeyed of Rottytop's habit of trickery to get whatever she wants; mainly, her best friend's brains. Just as they were headed back to the place where Shantae left her two fellow heroes-in-arms, a young lady dressed in fashionable white clothes and a long braid was coming in their direction. She seemed like she was looking for something, or someone, as she was questioning the local townsfolk. The man from the item shop pointed in the general direction of the half-genie and her zombie bestie.

"Hey, Shae-Shae… you ever seen that girl before?" Rottytops asked, pointing in the general direction of said stranger.

"No. I've never seen her before. She must be new." Shantae replied.

Suddenly, the young maiden took notice of the lavender haired lass and hurried to her. "Oh! Excuse me! Are you the notorious half-genie Shantae?" She asked. Her face was beaming; I guess being a half-genie does get you fans.

"Oh! Um, yes. That's me." Shantae responded with astonishment.

"Oh, thank heavens, I thought I'd never find you." The girl said with glee.

Rotty poked her head out from behind Shantae and was casting a bit of a glare at this new arrival. "So…. Who are you?" Rotty asked with a certain suspicion.

"Oh, where are my manners. Ahem." Neha announced her person. "My name is Neha. I am the head representative of Water Town and close confidant to the Sultana of Sequin Land." Neha took a bow.

Oohs! and Ahhs! came from some of the nearby Scuttle Town natives. Most of the folk from Water Town recognized her and began murmuring amongst the people of her celebrity.

"I oversee all business and safety related to the town and its allies. That is why I am here." Neha concluded.

"I see." Shantae said. She smiled and was rather ecstatic about meeting such a pretty and important person. "Let me properly introduce myself too! I'm Shantae, protector and guardian of Scuttle Town. Pleasure to meet'cha!" She offered her hand.

Neha shook the half-genie's hand and continued. "I know! I've heard so much about you. Most of my people say you're a real hero. You have saved Sequin Land from pirates, evil magic and monsters more times than I can count. If anything, I'd say you deserve more recognition in my town than I do. Not to mention, that hair of yours! I heard it's quite magical." Neha let out a giggle.

Shantae blushed at this barrage of flattery and retreated into a coy pose. "Oh, well… you know. Little ol' me." Shantae twirled a lock of her hair.

"Ah, eh eh EHM." Rottytops interrupted with much irritation as this intruder was muscling in on their current quest. "So, what do you want?"

"Rotty… come on, be nice." Shantae whispered to her friend.

"I have come on behalf of the Sultana herself. She wishes to meet you and discuss some very important topics. Especially the one plaguing my poor town as of late." Neha said, putting her hands behind her back.

"I had heard of that." Rottytops said.

"Yeah, Bolo said most of the people suddenly started vanishing into thin air. Never to be seen again." Shantae followed up.

"Unfortunately. We don't know who or what is responsible! However, that is why I sought you out. You're reliable, dependable and the people love you. They look up to you and you keep this town safe. So, I nominated you myself to consider this matter." Neha stated.

"Well… I…" Shantae suddenly found herself tore between the two girls.

"Shae-Shae?" Rottytops looked at her friend with those sad round eyes. She batted her eyelashes, doing her best to emphasize her pleading. "We gotta get that stuff from the falls and help the zombies!" She exclaimed.

"I am under orders to bring you back. Believe me, I would not impede on any kind of task you're currently on, but this is most urgent. The Sultana is not someone you would want to resist." Neha challenged the zombie girl with her own pleading. The half-genie knew this all too well, plus it would look bad if she didn't comply with the laws of the land she swore to protect.

"Well… if I don't want to my hair chopped off…" She muttered, assuming that would be one of many punishments she would face if she didn't comply. Shantae pondered her options: Should she go with her friend and help save zombie-kind, or go with the head rep and possibly save those who were kidnapped? Shantae turned to her green-skinned companion and sighed. Rottytops suddenly donned a hopeful expression, but that sigh told her something.

"Rotty, you know I would do anything to help, but the Sultana has summoned me. I'm sorry, but…" Shantae swallowed a lump in her throat and looked down. "…we have to go." This stung the zombie-girl to her core.

"Ah… about that." Neha interjected. "She ordered that you came alone."

"What?! That's ridiculous! Why can't I come?!" Rottytops shouted and stomped her foot. She was fuming. As if being whisked away from their current task wasn't bad enough…

"I'm sorry, but the Sultana gave me specific instructions…" Neha said and put her hands up in a defensive posture.

"Rotty, please." Shantae put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, c'mere." They took a few steps away and whispered to each other.

"…but what if we don't?" Rottytops asked.

"We will. As soon as this is over…" Shantae assured.

After a few minutes of talking, the two agreed to the Sultana's conditions. "Alright, well let's go!" Shantae beamed.

"Splendid!" Neha exclaimed and clapped her hands together. The two walked off leaving poor Rottytops alone. Neha turned her head to see the despondent zombie lass and gave a wave. Rottytops gave her a fake smile and pathetically waved back. She watched as her best friend walked off until the two were no longer visible. Looking a lot less like her flirty, bubbly self, she really felt dead inside.

"This sucks major butt…" Rotty sighed under her breath and headed back to Mimic's research domicile.


After passing through the old Romanesque ruins of Lilac fields, which is now refurbished and monster-free and looking more like an elegant garden than a wildflower field, Shantae and Neha eventually came upon the palace of Sequin Land. Shantae was relieved that the royal guards quickly got to work in cleaning up the mess in the fields shortly after Sultana left. It was a hassle trying to get through those scarecrow-infested fields every time she wanted to come to the palace and return a book for Sky or fetch Bolo from his day job. Of course, battling monsters with her friends always resulted in a good workout.

'They even made a shortcut though Tangle Forest. I gotta hand it to those guys, they really know how to clean up.' Shantae thought as she beheld in awe and amazement at the immense stronghold.

"Shantae." Neha said as she turned back at her acquaintance, snapping her out of her daze.

"Oh, sorry." She said as she made her way to the portico which was guarded by two ornate statues sitting beneath a pair of ornate columns. The statues weren't the only guards standing about, as two tall armored guards stepped aside as if in unison. The two then proceeded through the main hall. The decorative paintings of female dancers and scenery and huge Arabian oriels adorned along the walls. Small piles of decorative, multicolored pillows littered the areas near the oriels; they looked comfy enough to flop on and take a well-earned midday snooze. Shantae had passed through this hall many times before and it always stunned her to be in such a wonderful place. It even doubled as a public spa and bathhouse. Maids and menservants were running here and there, tending to guests. Even though this place was open to the public, zombies usually got the clue they were not welcome.

'I wish Rottytops were here… I don't think she's ever seen the inside of the palace.' Shantae thought. Her expression became troubled as she had to leave her friend. 'I wonder what the Sultana has in store for me this time.'

The pair arrived at the main foyer and a set of elevators.

'This is new.' Shantae thought. In her previous trek through the palace, she had to use Risky's cannon to get up to the next floor. Since the Sultana's return, the place got a bit of a makeover. The stairs were repaired, the fields were safe to pass through and now there are elevators of all things! They stepped into the "birdcage" and Neha twisted a small knob on the left of the elevator.

"W-whoa!" Shantae was surprised as the caged platform gave a shake before heading straight up to the top floor.

"You act like you've never seen an elevator before." Neha said with a wry smile.

"No, actually… I mean I've hoped on floating platforms and have been spit out by warp monsters, but this…" Shantae trailed off as she looked down from inside the cage. They were very high up the tower. 'Oh my…'

Chime, Chime~

The cage door opened.

"We're here." Neha said in a singsong voice. The two stepped out onto an overlooking walkway that led to the Sultana's chambers.


Rottytops was in a rather opposite mood. The rather depressed lass kicked a pebble along the road; it was not her day. First, her friend had to ditch her because of some dumb summon by the Sultana. Then, her favorite icescream store was closed due to repairs. The despondent zombie walked into the large tech-looking dwelling and sat down at the kitchen table. Noticing the sound of footsteps, Mimic walked into the dining area and sat down across the small round table.

"Hey." Mimic said with a soft tone. He saw the look on her face and was greatly troubled. "You're back mighty early."

Rottytops just looked down at her hands.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Mimic asked of her.

"Shantae ditched me…" The zombie girl muttered.

Confused by this, Mimic wanted to know what had her so depressed. "She ditched you?" Mimic inquired. He stroked his large, white beard.

"Yeah. This new preppy girl comes up and totally ruins everything. We were gonna get Sky to help us and take us to the falls. They said I couldn't go with them…" Rottytops said as she shuffled her feet. She had a childish pout on her face.

"I believe I'm a bit uninformed here. Mind explaining exactly what happened?" Mimic asked.

Rottytops just sighed.

"Here goes…"


"My Sultana." Neha greeted her queen and bowed.

"Ah, Neha. I see you have returned with our mercenary." Sultana was sitting at one of the large archways, caressing her two pets.

"Yes. I believe she will help us." Neha said.

Standing to her feet, the Sultana approached the half-genie. Sultana's robes were flowing as she walked and she carried an air of intimidation about her. She was rather petite in appearance, but had the physique of a well-toned woman. She had her hands behind her back much like the way you would see an admiral on his great ocean vessel. Her eyes were sharp and deadly, like that of a stealthy tiger stalking its next victim, or a hawk narrowing its gaze at its hopeless quarry.

"Shantae. I've been looking forward to meeting you personally." The Sultana said with a slight smile on her rose-blushed lips.

"Y-yes ma'am." Shantae bowed deeply. She wanted to make a good impression.

"Now. To get down to brass tacks." Sultana said and clasped her hands together returning to her desk. Shantae jumped a bit and straightened immediately, startled at the sound of the clap. She wasn't sure what to expect from her queen. Neha took her place at the Sultana's side.

"My representative here says you are willing to help with the current crisis. Given your track record, you have defended this fair domain more times than I can count. For that I am grateful." Sultana said.

"Thank you, ma—." Shantae said before she was cut off.

"However, I am displeased at your inability to dispose of a certain sea rat plaguing your town." Sultana tapped her fingers.

'She must mean Risky Boots.' Shantae thought. "Well… you see…"

"How can I count on you if you don't dispatch a single pirate? You don't have a problem taking out her master or any of her henchmen." Sultana stated rather firmly.

"Risky is…well, she has her faults I'll admit. It is a pain dealing with her when she raids our town but…" Shantae said before being silenced once more.

"You find some good in her?" Sultana inquired of the tanned half-genie.

"Yes. She saved my life and if anything, she deserves more credit for defeating the pirate master than me. If it wasn't for her… we'd still be in darkness." Shantae answered. She stood a bit more confidently now, if not still sweating a few bullets.

"Impressive, to see that you value that scum. However, she is still a threat. She has yet to show any sort of remorse for her actions and to top it off, she has caused more damage in your town than any other sort of criminal I know. We would not be dealing with any attack from the pirates if she were dead." Sultana's words struck Shantae's heart like arrows of ice. Shantae, though oftentimes has her peeves with the nefarious lady pirate, could never bring herself to dispatch her rival. She had grown somewhat fond of her and even considered her a friend, and to hear that someone—the Sultana—wanting her dead sent chills down her spine.

"But we're getting off the subject… What I want to know is are you really up to the task of finding the missing people of Water Town? Can I trust you will get the job done and do it well, no matter the cost?" Sultana asked of the half-genie.

Shantae just nodded her head.

"You will speak when spoken to." Sultana narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Yes ma'am. My Sultana." Shantae said and bowed.

"Good. Now, I have a meeting with the officials at Oasis Town. Neha will brief you on all the details in regards to this matter." Sultana arose from her desk and, gathering up a few documents, walked out of the room. Neha sat down in Sultana's luxurious seat, covetously brushing her hand against the polished arm of the chair.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to business." Neha said in a cheerful tone.

Shantae pulled up a chair and sat across the desk from Neha. "I know she's our queen and all… but she scares me."

"She's supposed to do that. She must keep up her image, but she does have a soft side. Worry not, she has no ire for you or your kind." Neha reassured. "She just… has little trust in others."

"I see. So, what can I do to help Water Town?" Shantae asked, reclining a bit in her seat.

"Well to start off… here are the recent eyewitness accounts." Neha said and opened one of the folders she carried. It had no pictures, which was odd to Shantae.

'Shouldn't there be some physical evidence?' Shantae thought suspiciously. "Um… ma'am. There aren't any photos of whatever abducted these people."

"Yes. I know. It troubles me to no end of what could have done such a thing and what reason it would have for taking young mer-maidens. However…" Neha pulled out a small jar with some sickly looking black goop inside. "This was discovered at one of the kidnappings. One of my citizens gave it to me as evidence. Maybe you could tie a connection?"

Shantae wrinkled her nose at the stuff. It wasn't pleasant to look at, but she took the bottle in her hand and observed it more closely. "Looks like bog slime." She answered.

"As in…" Neha muttered

"Like Mud Bog Island slime." Shantae said. She recalled her time back on the depressing, freak-infested splotch of land. She still couldn't get the smell out of her nose when she thought of that horrid place.

"But why would creatures from Mud Bog abduct my people?" Neha asked of her young acquaintance.

"Not sure. Not even sure if it was really mud creatures that took your people. You also mention in your reports that most of the abducted are mermaids?" Shantae asked, placing the jar on the desk.

"Yes. So, I have an idea." Neha said with a wry smile. It seems like both girls had the same idea.


"So, she's in a meeting with the Sultana and she wanted a private audience with my daughter." Mimic said.

"Pretty much. The whole thing just stinks." Rottytops replied.

"Seems like it's just official business. You really need to give it a rest, sis." Abner said.

"Look, Mimic gave us this lead to help us with being zombies! Now we get stopped because of… something stupid." Rottytops folded her arms.

"You need to be a bit patient. I want to have infinite coffee just as much as you do, but let's face it Rotters. She'll be back soon and you'll have your time to go get the stuff needed for the machine." Abner said, placing his large clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Since when were you so sappy?" Rottytops said smiling, raising an eyebrow at her hard case of a brother.

"Ahh." Abner breathed and waved it off, walking over to the fridge looking for something to munch on.

"The sooner we get that machine completed, the better. I can't wait to get started on it." Poe said as he was doing a little science experiment of his own.

"Hey now, don't mix tha—!" Mimic rushed to the hunchback.

BOOM!

Both the relic hunter and Rottytops' scoliotic brother had their faces covered in black soot. Mimic's beard sizzled on the ends as he snuffed them out with his fingers. Pshh.

"Hahahaha! You two should see your faces!" Rottytops laughed at the two and rose from the table, heading for the door.

"And just where are you going, girl?" Abner said, with that scolding tone she couldn't stand, propped against the counter with his monstrous arms crossed.

"Just a little walk. I'll be back before dark." Rottytops smiled at her daunting sibling.

Abner eyed her… she was plotting something and he didn't like it. Abner let out an irritated sigh. "…Fine." He couldn't pen her up forever.

Rottytops beamed and headed off down the street.


"Undercover?" Shantae asked.

"Yeah!" Neha said excitedly. "You have the power to transform into different creatures and if you masquerade as a mermaid, maybe we could find out the perpetrator! It's the perfect plan."

"Seems like the obvious idea. But wait… you're coming too?" Shantae asked.

"I don't see why not." Neha said as a matter of fact.

"It might be dangerous for a highly important person like you." Shantae said. "What if you wind up getting taken or something?"

"Don't worry, I can handle myself. I was trained in tai chi and the arts of hand-to-hand combat since I was a child. I'm not worried about myself, so don't underestimate me." Neha informed her hired hand.

"Well, alright." Shantae agreed. She had a bit of unease about this.

"Let's get going." Neha stood up and smiled.