Chapter 18: Clash of Arms, Pt. 2: Full Blast
Welcome back. Hope you weren't kept waiting. Not that I'm not excited to see you again, but as you know by now, we're finally closing in on the epic conclusion to this spiraling, pivoting, planet-orbiting galactic roller coaster of a saga. It's been one heck of a ride through thick and thin, and even at this point, it still isn't over. But you knew that already. So, I'll cut to the chase instead of teasing you endlessly like I admittedly have a habit of doing. Now, when we left off, Risky Boots had enacted a rushed, yet highly lethal version of her grand scheme of taking over Sequin Land with brute force and an extensive supply of intergalactic weapons of mass destruction after it became increasingly apparent that her enemies were rallying to stop her in her tracks over the course of the last month. In return, Shantae and friends staged a valiant, collaborative countermeasure to hinder the Pirate Queen's ambitious quest before she could ever get the chance to stage the bloodiest coup Sequin Land would have ever bore witness to. And, while our heroes emerged victorious in the short term, it came bearing a series of heavy costs that rendered all but Shantae and a certain extraterrestrial ally unable to continue fighting. On the plus side, of course, Risky was forced to retreat to her base once the opposition proved too great for her and her Tinkerbat crew to handle. Of course, Risky Boots was never the kind to take such a crucial loss lying down. And Shantae knew that. As such, she soldiered on in pursuit of Risky with her trusty partner/beau Tayshan at her side while their other allies sought temporary refuge following that absolutely deadly sea battle and the tumultuous boat chase that came after. All caught up to speed now? I hope so. Now, then…
LOCATION: UNCHARTED ISLAND, WESTERN EDGE, SEQUIN LAND
DATE: OCTOBER 2ND, 16 P.G.F.
TIME: 1928 HOURS
We start off with a brief check-in on the portion of our band of heroes that found themselves unable to continue participating in the battle against Sequin Land's most fearsome foe. As the sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon, our recognizable anti-pirate crew hastily made landfall on an island spotted by a group of the war bird trainer Sky's handy owls. The group found little in the way of suitable resources once they reached the earthen shore of the lonely landmass, though they would not let that stop them from trying to figure something out…
"So now that we made it somewhere less utterly frightening than the middle of the sea to just hang around, does anybody have any bright ideas on how we can get somewhere that has some form of civilization settled on it? Or at least a place with a decent amount of light available?" Vinegar was very quick to ask, avoiding any mention of her little… 'problem' with light source deprivation. Meanwhile, she and Twitch carefully carried an unconscious Admiral Nila onto the beach and laid her on a bed of sand once they reached a suitable distance from the effervescent evening tides.
"According to my owls and the one falcon I had scout the area, the closest place with any civilization from here would've been the Inseam Municipality," Sky explained as she, Bolo, and Rottytops climbed from the boat and followed their Ammonian comrades onto the dark, isolated beach's sandy surface. "They say it's really far northeast of here, to the point that my needle-tailed swift, my fastest straight-flying bird, took a good half-hour to forty-five minutes to get there flying at top speed the whole way through."
"Which means…?" Vinegar prodded, not immediately understanding Sky's bird lingo.
"It means that it would take us way too long to sail from here to Inseam, simply put. We'd never make it there from here like this. I'm not sure how fast that boat of yours can move on water in comparison with my swift in the air, but considering how much of a struggle it was to keep up with Risky's ship, I'd bet money that my bird can move at least twice as fast as this boat could at top speed," the knowledgeable falconer explained, doing the math. "Other than that, it also means we must've passed Inseam a while ago in the middle of us chasing Risky's ship. The other thing is that they didn't seem to spot any lights of any kind there…"
"Right… I… guess they haven't recovered from the invasion…" Twitch guiltily acknowledged as the rest of the group got settled in.
"Yeah, we're gonna need to have a word about that while we have the time," Sky crossly stated, still finding herself wary of her Ammonian allies.
"What more is there to say, Squawks?" Twitch asked, expecting Sky's irritation. "Our forces were coerced into helping Risky conquer Inseam, and now we're paying for it in the form of the heavy losses we took immediately after the old bat got what she wanted."
"And I'm sure we'll get into the nitty-gritty of that later," Rottytops cut in to avoid another pointless argument. "Right now, we should be figuring out a way to either help our friends fight Risky from here, or at least find somewhere safer to crash."
"I agree with Rottytops," Bolo added in, studying the empty beach in search of viable survival tools. "I'm leaning more toward finding a way over to Risky's hideout, of course. Sky, are you absolutely sure none of your birds can give us a lift right this minute?"
"Unless it's Wrench we're talking about, then no, none of my birds can help us that way," she confirmed. "And based on what my other birds are reporting on his condition, Wrench is having a lot of trouble with his wing because Risky shot him…"
"Ah… Darn it…" Bolo murmured, though his disappointment was quick to dissipate when he spotted a collection of trees in the distance as the soft, whispering winds wafted through them.
"Well, how about you two buxom blondes?" Rotty rather impertinently asked Twitch and Vinegar, who were still busy tending to Nila.
"What about us?" Vinegar asked, brushing Rotty's comment aside while acknowledging her question.
"Don't either of you two have those fancy walkie-talkies to call in some support with?"
"Yeah, but next to no one is gonna be able to help us," Twitch answered. "We lost all of our planes when Tay-Tay attacked our base this morning, and the only boat we have left is the one we rode to this island on. We may be able to signal someone to let them know where we are, but as far as them coming to pick us up? Not too likely to happen; especially with Ammo Baron himself in the hospital… unless…?"
"You thinking Barracuda Joe could lend a hand?" Vinegar asked out of nowhere.
"…That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking, however ironic it is that we'd need his help," Twitch confirmed, though she did little to hide her disappointment at the fact that they would need Barracuda Joe of all people to rescue them.
"Where is he, anyway?" Sky found it in herself to ask despite the history she had with the Ammonian serviceman in question.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Squawks. We wouldn't be calling him over here to console you because Hairball got lucky and convinced Tay-Tay to choose her as his girlfriend instead of you," Twitch rather bitterly replied. "If you're a real woman like me and Vinni, you'll accept it with some maturity and start moving on."
"D'oh, that is NOT AT ALL why I'm asking!" Sky shouted, immediately aggravated by Twitch's propensity to disrespect her at every turn. "Ugh, why do I even bother talking to you?"
"The sooner you stop, the better it'll be for both of us," Twitch continued to berate.
"Alright, lay off," Rotty intervened again on Sky's behalf. "We both may dislike her, but that's a little low, kicking her while she's down. You don't need to go there."
"Why are you defending her?" Twitch asked in surprise.
"Because she's still something of a friend to me, as much as I hate to admit it," Rotty shared while crossing her arms and shooting the shorter Ammonian affiliate a disapproving look.
"Seriously?" Twitch incredulously asked, taken aback by the zombie maiden's admission.
"Yes, seriously. I guess that's where you and I hit our crossroads. Also, you looked pretty bummed yourself when you found out Shantae and Tayshan began dating each other, so don't go picking on Sky when you're in the same boat as her. We've gotta draw a line somewhere."
"Hmph. Fair enough, Brains," the bespectacled blonde begrudgingly acknowledged. "Fine. I'll ease up," she further conceded as she took off her ruck sack and dug into it to pull out an Ammonian Transceiver.
"Wow… Thanks, Rottytops. I uh… I don't know what to say," Sky expressed her gratitude in the wake of the zombie maiden sticking up for her. "You… consider me your friend, even though we've always butted heads with each other?"
"Eh, sure. It's only because we're both friends with Shantae, though. Don't read too deeply into it, egghead," Rotty indifferently remarked with a nonchalant shrug. "I also think we've got better things to be talking about right now, and I'm sure Shantae wouldn't let you be made fun of for your feelings either. That, and... well, I feel like I owe you one for all your troubles; boyfriend-related or otherwise," she further suggested, though she remained vague on why exactly it was she owed Sky anything.
"Ah. Of course," Sky acknowledged, though she couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Well, thanks anyway. I... appreciate it."
"Yep," Rotty acknowledged, shooting Sky a quick, neutral glance before turning to see that Bolo had been walking toward them with a collection of twigs, fallen tree branches, and leaves in his arms. "Er… What are you up to over there, Bolo?"
"In case we're stuck here for a bit longer than we'd like to be, I'm thinking we should at least set up a campfire," he suggested, throwing Sky and Rottytops off.
"A campfire?" Sky pondered. "I mean, not to say it isn't a good idea, but are you sure you know what to do?"
"Yes, I do," he tersely replied, taking offense to her question. "I'm not a moron, and it makes perfect sense to start a campfire in a situation like this," he added, setting the burning supplies down and got set creating the bed by molding a sizable patch of sand.
"Jeez, Bolo, I didn't mean it like that," the bird tamer somberly clarified, still sensing some tension from her friend. "I was just wondering if you needed some help."
"Oh. Uh… yeah, I could use a hand," he hesitantly accepted her offer, feeling somewhat guilty for making such a preemptive remark. "Could you and Rotty maybe gather some more firewood from the forest over there? I'm gonna secure the base for the campfire and lay the foundation for it."
"On it," Sky agreed as she and Rotty took their opportunity to heed their comrade's request. Before they could get too far, however…
"Sky?" Bolo called, causing the bird tamer to stop in her tracks.
"Yeah?"
"…Sorry for earlier," he did his best to apologize as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "I… uh… I hope you're not too upset with me…"
"Nah, you're fine. Apology accepted," Sky assured him, though she couldn't help but feel a pang in her abdomen once Bolo confessed his regret for their recent disagreements. "I'm sorry for giving you a hard time," she further replied with an apology of her own. "I know I can come across as a little harsh sometimes, but I hope you know I care about you."
"Of course. The feeling's mutual," he acknowledged with an instinctive gulp as he turned and continued working on the fire pit. "Um… If there's… anything you want to talk about, though, I'm… all ears…"
"Good. You were listening to Tayshan and me after all…" Rotty murmured, making evident that she and the extraterrestrial soldier played some part in Bolo's sudden change of heart toward Sky as a result of a side conversation they'd had.
"Eh, it's all water under the bridge," Sky replied with a flick of her hand. "Anyway, we're gonna go ahead and get that firewood, alright?"
"Cool…" the young handyman acknowledged with a nod. With that, the bird tamer and the zombie maiden committed themselves to assisting their mutual friend with constructing the campfire. Meanwhile, Twitch and Vinegar used their fancy portable two-way radio to signal for a potential assist. With a *SKZZT* of the device, the seconds-in-command of Ammo Baron's forces took their shot.
"Joe? Joe, come in," Twitch called into the walkie-talkie. "This is Twitch. Do you copy?"
"Copy, ma'am. What's the sitch?" a familiar low, gruff voice spoke through the other end of the transceiver almost immediately after Twitch called him.
"Thank goodness you're quick to respond," Vinegar lauded through her steadily increasing anxiety surrounding the encroaching darkness of the night. "So hey, are you still in Scuttle Town?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. So, the situation is that we're stranded on an island way out at the western end of Sequin Land. We don't have any one else to call for help, either, so I hope we're not catching you at a bad time."
"Base has been compromised, I know," Joe informed them, making them aware that he knew how dire their circumstances were, as far as the Ammonian Army in general was concerned. "Got the heads-up from our guys over in the Baron Desert not too long ago. Either way, ladies, I'm always at yer service."
"Yeah, our hard times only got harder in this last month," Vinegar agreed. "And hey, we appreciate that you're willing to lend us a hand. That said, our speed boat's out of juice and we may need a ride if you can get us one. That, or at least a refill for our speed boat's gas tank? We don't have access to any of our planes, considering they were all destroyed. We lost our last one earlier this afternoon when Risky blew it up."
"Heard. Also, speed boat? What, did you call them there K0414 jokers for help?" he asked in a very flat and difficult-to-decipher sense of disbelief.
"Yeah," Twitch confirmed. "And all but one of their boats got taken out in the middle of our fight against Risky Boots and her crew earlier this afternoon. The one boat we have left ran out of gas before we could make it to Risky's base. So now, Vinegar and I are sitting on this island with an unconscious Admiral Nila and three of genie girl's friends; one of which is your ex-girlfriend, if that makes any difference to you. If you can find some way of helping us out, it'd be much appreciated."
"Roger," Barracuda Joe acknowledged, not at all seeming bothered by the suggestion that Sky was counted as part of the group. "Where's Ammo Baron?"
"At the Bandit Town Medical Center. He… had an unfortunate encounter with Risky's crew and now he's out of commission until further notice. We'll explain it in full later, but we'd appreciate it if you could get over here as soon as you can."
"Heard. Hope A.B.'s still kickin'. Gonna take me a good couple hours ta get to ya, though," he bluntly informed. "It's gettin' dark. Light a campfire in advance, so's I can spotcha when I get there," he further informed.
"We're already working on it," Vinegar affirmed, looking toward Bolo as he, Sky, and Rottytops continued to gather supplies to construct a monumental campfire. As Bolo had just finished up building the base, Sky and Rotty came in with varying stacks of firewood. Whereas Sky held mostly twigs and leaves, Rottytops was seen carrying stacks of logs and branches over her head like they were made of pillows. That unusual super strength of hers appeared to be showing some use after all…
"Copy. Gonna go look fer some fuel an' fetch ma emergency private plane," Barracuda Joe informed his superiors, much to their surprise. "Only got room fer two passengers, though. Everybody else is gonna have ta ride the boat back home, if'in it still works. Unless I can get some extra help."
"Emergency private plane?" Twitch dared to ask. "Who authorized…? Ah, never mind," she quickly relented, though she made it evident that not everyone in the Ammonian Army was entitled to an emergency vehicle. "We can accommodate. We'll be waiting patiently."
"Maybe you can also see if he can swing by Naga Mountain to ask Giga Mermaid to come with him if he can't find any gas for the boat?" Sky suggested from the side as she, Bolo, and Rottytops worked together to organize the material for the campfire into a neatly oriented pile.
"Ohh, yeah. I can't believe we didn't think of that sooner," Twitch acknowledged. "Good call, Squawks!"
"Sure," the bird tamer plainly accepted her not-so-friendly teammate's gratitude before turning her full attention back to the project in front of her. In the meantime, Twitch and Vinegar radioed into Barracuda Joe one more time.
"Joe? Still there?" the shorter Ammonian commander asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Joe replied with his normal monotone.
"In case you can't get enough gas to fill up our boat with, maybe you can take a quick trip to Naga Mountain to see if that giant mermaid can come get us," Vinegar instructed him. "She wasn't in the best shape last time we saw her, but if we're lucky, she'll at least be able to follow you and help us. Get that gas either way, if you can."
"Roger that, ladies. When I get started, I'll be checkin' in every once an' again ta pinpoint your location. On my way," Joe assured before cutting contact to embark on his search and rescue mission. Just then, a sudden *FWOOSH* of bright, dancing flames erupting off to the side startled Twitch and Vinegar. When the Ammonian acolytes turned toward the source of the noise, however, they were quick to identify it as their non-Ammonian comrades successfully building the campfire as it blazed and illuminated the otherwise dim, hazy, frigid beach. Never the type to waste time, Twitch and Vinegar picked up Nila and carried her over toward the campfire before joining Sky, Bolo, and Rottytops in surrounding their light/heat source and absorbing its enrapturing warmth for themselves.
"So, to give you guys the scoop, Barracuda Joe's gonna make his way over here from Scuttle Town," Twitch informed as she held her aching hands out toward the crackling campfire. "He's apparently got access to another plane, but it's only got a couple seats. To make up for it, he's going to get some gas for the boat. Also, per your suggestion, birdie, he's gonna make a stop at Naga Mountain to check up on mermaid lady to see if she can come get us."
"Sweet!" Rotty exclaimed, excited by the news.
"Don't celebrate just yet," Vinegar advised. "The drawback is that we're still gonna be sitting here for at least a couple hours because of how far away we are from everything. Our best bet at this point is to keep this campfire going as strong as we can manage, because he's going to be checking in with us periodically along the way. He'll be looking for the smoke from the campfire when he gets close."
"Not a problem, though our situation's still kind of a bummer," Bolo replied with a nod of his head as he massaged his aching stomach and made himself as comfortable as he could at the impromptu campsite. "I would really have preferred that we got the chance to go in with Shantae and Tayshan to take Risky down once and for all…"
"True that…" Rotty worriedly agreed. "I… I hope they'll be okay on their own from here…"
"Shantae always pulls through, so we shouldn't have too much to worry about," Sky assured to the best of her ability, though she still felt a pang of uncertainty in her gut as well. "And with Tay there to back her up, it should hopefully be a cakewalk."
"I don't really know if it'll be easy, considering what we've seen of Risky Boots lately," Vinegar chimed in, tending to Nila as she did so. "Tayshan alone fought her tooth and nail in Inseam and it seemed to take everything out of him just to slow her down to a point where victory could've maybe been possible for him. And that's a HUGE 'maybe.' Granted, Risky was seriously struggling against him despite the fact that she had her Tinkerbats and our army backing her up, but still. I don't know how much stronger Shantae's gotten since the last time she clashed with Risky, but it's no mystery that Risky's beefed up a ton since then."
"Yeah, but it isn't like any of us has just been twiddling our thumbs since we last stopped Risky," Bolo interjected, wanting to make his opinion known. "We've all gotten stronger in some way or another. Especially Shantae. At least, that's what I'd like to believe as far as this situation is concerned. Still… That battle in Inseam was that intense, huh?" Bolo inquired.
"Sure was, Spiky," Twitch answered. "And personally, I agree with what you said last night. I think Tay-Tay could've actually taken Risky out right then and there if she didn't sucker punch him and swipe his Beef Wellington off him while he was distracted. That and maybe if we'd have done something different… And even if it was the case that he couldn't score a clear victory, then he could've at least fought her to a stalemate with the way things were going…"
"It sounds like it was a tough situation to be in from all angles, with him fighting your army, Risky, AND her Tinkerbats all by himself…" Rotty pondered, only able to imagine the chaos that unfolded in the Inseam Municipality. "I can't imagine anyone other than Shantae facing those types of odds with any chance of success."
"It's crazy to imagine, but we couldn't possibly make up anything about what we saw over there," Vinegar assured. "It was like watching a raging bull taking on a pack of wolves and a pack of tigers at the same time, however morbid that sounds."
"Goodness…" Sky remarked in total surprise at the notion. "I mean, I know we've all seen bits and pieces of what he's capable of, but to fight Risky Boots nearly to a draw while being swarmed by Ammonian soldiers and Tinkerbats without Shantae there? That's insane…! I couldn't imagine anyone that wasn't a genie being able to handle all that opposition all at once and at least living long enough to tell about it. Is… Is Tay that strong?" Sky questioned, bewildered by the possibility.
"Well… He did completely demolish our base and incapacitate most of our army before almost killing both Ammo Baron and Techno Baron mostly by himself this morning…" Twitch rather uncomfortably shared. "Granted, we were already hurting from when Risky attacked us a week prior, but we were supposed to still be strong enough to handle any outside threats aside from that cantankerous hag. Mind you, I haven't even mentioned what we saw of him in our time in that Prickle Stitch Valley place or the Sheared Spool Shrine."
"Right…" Sky acknowledged with a nod as she reflected on the experiences in question and brought her speculations of the soldier into perspective. "I can only imagine what you went through being chased down by Tinkerbats with flamethrowers and all those guns in Prickle Stitch, but I can definitely agree that Sheared Spool was a total nightmare. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about when he carried you and me over that massive lava pit at the same time and almost passed out from exhaustion… not to mention everything else that happened there…"
"You're not lying about that one," Twitch concurred with a nod, sighing away some reflective anxiety and shaking her head. "We barely survived, no matter what way we slice it. Crazy, convoluted tower mazes and puzzles, ferocious monsters galore, and a massive Tinkerbat ambush to top it all off… Jeez, it's a wonder we all pulled through."
"Yeah… but the important thing is that we did. Still, I couldn't imagine where we'd be if we made one wrong move in that temple…" Sky murmured, sighing to dispel some reminiscent stress related to past adventures.
"Huh. Wow, I didn't know your adventures were that intense," Rottytops chimed in, surprised to hear about her allies' recent survival stories. "I kinda wish I was there to see what you guys went through. Also, if it's worth anything, Tayshan also beat up a gigantic, maniacal, revenge-hungry tarantula monster over on Spider Web Island by himself while Shantae and I were busy trying to rescue him after that same tarantula kidnapped him," she added, also reflecting on her experience as she held out hope that the the half-genie and the serviceman could defeat Risky Boots together.
"Whoa… Really?" Bolo asked, astonished by the stories he'd been hearing. Sky, Twitch, and Vinegar shared in his surprise as they turned their attention toward the zombie maiden.
"Yep. Neither of us got to actually see what happened, but by the time Shantae and I got to the spot Tayshan was dragged off to, we saw that half of the spider's legs were broken, he was all bruised up, and he flat-out told us that Tay did something involving Dark Magic that completely overwhelmed him. I mean, we still had to rescue Tay because the spider webbed him to the floor and attacked Shantae and me almost immediately after he saw us, but still. All in all, I'm thinking that if Tay can handle whatever you guys went through, in addition to his adventures with Shantae, plus what I got to see of him on Spider Web Island, and whatever happened in that Inseam city, not to mention the Baron Desert thing, then… well, Shantae had more than enough reason to take him along with her instead of leaving him here with the rest of us. Shantae has never let any of us tag along on the final battle of her adventures before, so her taking Tayshan as readily as she did speaks volumes about how much trust she has in him to stand by her side… especially after what we just went through with keeping Risky away from the Sequin Land Palace and chasing her all the way out here."
"That's true, isn't it?" Sky realized, taking in the full gravity of the situations they'd been in and how it led to the point that, for the first time ever, Shantae took an ally with her to face Risky Boots for the conclusive confrontation that would decide the fate of Sequin Land as a whole. "Huh…"
"There's a lot to consider. No doubt about that," Vinegar acknowledged with a nod, doing nothing to hide her total shock that found itself shared by Bolo and Twitch. "Well, with that kind of track record, I'd like to say there isn't much room to question how well they'll handle the pirate witch. Of course, we know how Risky loves to get the drop on people when they least expect it. But then… weird as it might be to say, I'm… pretty confident the two of them can handle Risky if they play their cards right… which, I'm really hoping they do…"
"Huh… Wow…" Bolo hummed, taking a deep breath as he and the group made their speculations. "I mean, it sounds like they've got this in the bag, but we still can't underestimate Risky Boots," he further pointed out. "Like you said, Vinegar, she's definitely gotten a LOT stronger herself. And based on what I saw of her in the Thimble Canyon, she's definitely been picking up on Shantae's battle habits."
"Whoa. You serious?" Rotty asked.
"Yeah. The way the two of them faced off was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. Both Shantae and Risky have gotten a lot stronger, but when I also factor in the short one-on-one battle I had against Risky herself in Inseam, I could tell right away that she got a MAJOR power boost from seemingly nowhere…"
"Wait… YOU fought Risky one-on-one!?" Sky just HAD to ask, finding herself incapable of believing such a claim.
"Yeah, and she would've mopped the floor with me if Tay didn't come in and save me… much as it pains me to admit that," the young handyman confessed, much to the surprise of everyone except Twitch and Vinegar.
"Hold on a sec... I'm still stuck on how it would ever be possible for you of all people to face off against Risky by yourself and still be alive to this very minute… unless you're a ghost or something right now," Rotty joked through her own shock at Bolo's claim.
"Spiky's not lying," Vinegar attested to back him up. "We saw a tiny bit of that squabble ourselves up until Tay saved him."
"Oh. Well, then…" the zombie maiden acknowledged, the wind promptly being taken out of her proverbial sails in that moment.
"Yep," Bolo affirmed. "That said, it seems to me that Risky, even up to this point, is probably holding back her true power while she lets her beefed-up Tinkerbats to do most of her dirty work for her as usual with those stolen weapons… It honestly wouldn't surprise me if she was still holding back on purpose in this last battle and letting her Tinkerbats wear us down before she unleashed the full extent of her ability to make short work of us…"
"Scarily enough, that makes a lot of sense…" Sky agreed, growing increasingly worried for the safety of the half-genie and the alien soldier. "And we've seen for ourselves what horrible things her Tinkerbats are capable of accomplishing, even for how clumsy they still are… And based on how well we fared against her today? I'm… I'm not gonna lie, you guys; I'm worried that Shantae and Tayshan won't make it out of there unscathed."
"It's Risky we're talking about, so that's pretty much inevitable," Vinegar affirmed as she tried to hide her growing sense of nervousness about the idea that Shantae and Tayshan wouldn't succeed in defeating Risky Boots. "At this point, though, we've just got to hope that they can take care of her before this situation gets any worse…"
"As antsy as I am about their battle, I'm confident they're gonna win," Rotty offered her vote of confidence.
"What makes you so sure, Brains?"
"Because even if the three of them are way up there in terms of power level, Shantae always has a plan on how to beat Risky and save the day," she explained. "She's not to be underestimated, because the minute you let your guard down—which Risky ALWAYS does—Shantae will completely demolish you for it in some amazingly flashy way or another. And, considering how he rescued me and Sky when it seemed like we had no chance to escape Risky's clutches on top of how he helped us develop the strategy we needed to stop Risky from attacking the Sequin Land Palace, Tayshan is as smart as he is strong, too. And from what we've seen, he's clearly SUPER strong. That combination is not a common sight for a guy around these parts…"
"Hey!" Bolo complained, taking offense to Rotty's assertion that there was a shortage of men in Sequin Land that were both smart and strong.
"Together, snack cakes and stud muffin can't lose," the zombie maiden assured, ignoring Bolo's protest entirely.
"I suppose that's true as well, though I am curious about how you and Squawks were set free now…" Twitch pondered.
"Well, if you want to trade stories about the adventures we've all been having since Risky began her latest complicated, cockamamie conquest while we wait for our rescue team to come in, we've got nothing but time on our hands," Rotty shared, seeming just as eager to tell her stories as she was to hear stories from her teammates.
"Good point," Vinegar acknowledged. "Whelp, if nothing else, we may as well pass the time by, and we don't necessarily have anything better to do. So, if you want to start first, Brains, go ahead and enlighten us."
"Gladly. So, there Sky and I were, locked in giant cages in Risky's base from the minute we were stirred awake one stormy morning…" Rotty began as the entire group settled in around their temporary campsite and began conversing with one another about their very eventful quests throughout various parts of this latest dramatic saga. As it appeared, the team had been making the best of a bad situation by at least learning to get along with each other and orchestrating their own survival plan. Of course, it couldn't be ignored that they wanted to play more active roles in the upcoming final confrontation with Risky Boots. However, they remained cognizant of the insurmountable danger Risky posed, in addition to their awareness of the fact that they had very little to work with from their position. As such, they could only remain hopeful that the two remaining members of their squad not present on the beach would be okay handling Risky Boots on their own. So, we depart from the isolated beach camp and shift gears as we get ourselves prepared for the imminent battle to come...
Elsewhere…
LOCATION: JUST OUTSIDE RISKY'S BASE ENTRANCE, RISKY'S BASE, WESTERN EDGE, SEQUIN LAND
DATE: OCTOBER 2ND, 16 P.G.F.
TIME: 2009 HOURS
As the night set in and the waves of the turbulent ocean continued to endlessly crash against the outer surface of a giant, craggy, skull-shaped cave, the lack of outside light made it nearly impossible for one to see their own hand in front of their face. There was not a single lighthouse, boat yard, town, or dock to be seen surrounding the grim, ominous image of doom. The near pitch-black, cloudy atmosphere made the toothy, gaping maw of the monstrous stone-carved skull look as though it would come to life and devour all who dared approach it. The constant rush of the ocean's current against its incredibly slim coastline appeared to make any potential entry into the foreboding cavern virtually impossible without some form of seacraft. And even then, those unwise enough to actually venture into the cavern did so at their own risk. Chances are, any unassuming adventurer would likely not make it out alive, considering what was inside, lying in wait for any potential prey…
Of course, if you were anything but human… like, say, a genie-human hybrid with access to an incredible and enormous array of magic-oriented superpowers, then your luck going into a place as terrifying as a secret (sort of) base filled with ravenous pirates armed to the teeth with weapons known by this point to have turned entire cities into desolate, burning wastelands in mere minutes… would probably be at least a LITTLE bit higher in terms of survival. Granted, you also still had some chance of braving the extremely lethal and aggressively territorial inhabitants of this unsettling island cave if you did happen to be a mere human. That is, if you still had access to those magic superpowers… Otherwise, I wouldn't place my highest bet on you having a very good time in a place like this. Nevertheless, a certain pair of adventurers matching those exact vague descriptions defiantly traversed toward this cavern with a rather simple goal in mind. And as the duo arrived and made landfall on the island, one of them emerged from a gigantic bubble with a *Pop* of its filmy exterior. The other, initially donning the appearance of a mermaid, suddenly morphed into a young humanoid woman with a sudden, smoky *POOF*.
"Well…" The woman began with a sigh, tightening her massive, yard-long ponytail as she approached her partner. "We finally made it, Tay. This is it…"
"Yeah… It almost feels unreal…" the man we all knew and grew accustomed to addressing as Tay concurred, brushing some of the excess water off his bare chest as he oriented himself to life outside of the bubble he'd been trapped in before arriving to the spooky, secluded island. "We're really about t' draw this battle to a close… I'm so eager t' finally put this t' rest, but I can't help but be nervous about what to expect…"
"Right… although, speaking of what to expect, Tayshan…" the woman addressed her partner, a tinge of high concern evident in her tone.
"What's up, Shantae?" Tay addressed his travel companion, already picking up on the worry evident in her statement.
"Uh… So, I've been fighting with myself all day to find the right way to address this with you… and even now, I haven't really figured out the best way to begin. But at the same time, I can't bring myself to put it at the back of my mind right before we go in and put an end to Risky's scheme once and for all…"
"Ah, I see… Well, then…" Tay acknowledged, his heart beginning to thump in his chest as he focused all his attention on the half-genie as they looked one another in the eye under the obscured evening moonlight. "Whatever it is on your mind, feel free to ask away."
"Okay. So…" Shantae began before immediately hesitating as her heart pounded hard enough that its sound could potentially be heard over the howling wind and volatile ocean tides surrounding them. "Hm… S-so, I'll try to make it as quick as I can, but I guess I'll start with this. When I was unconscious yesterday, I… had a dream…"
"Alright…"
"And most of this dream was about what happened to you and Bolo in the Inseam Municipality while Sky, Rottytops, and I were battling Techno Baron," she continued to explain. "And I'm not sure if I mentioned to you how dreams work for me sometimes…"
"If I recall, then you said that sometimes, your dreams can show you the future, right? That, or they give you some idea of an impending danger comin' in the wakin' world?" the serviceman guessed.
"Yeah. And what I saw in my dream… You being brought to Inseam by Twitch and having a talk with her about how she shouldn't be pressuring you into a relationship before she left, only for Bolo to find you and team up with you… which led up to you and Bolo being betrayed by Ammo Baron's crew, and then you and Bolo fighting Risky until you gave him a way out at the expense of your own safety, after which you went toe-to-toe against Risky, her Tinkerbats, and the Ammonian Army by yourself until they eventually overwhelmed you and captured you… I saw that entire sequence all the way up to the point where Risky had you put in shackles, made you swallow that Dark Magic shard, and led you to her ship," she confessed, causing the soldier to tense up even more as he made his own speculations about the young woman's extrasensory ability.
"…So… you know everything about that trip, huh?"
"Only as much as my dream would allow me to see," she answered. "And… if I don't get another chance to say it, Tay… I just wanna say that I'm… sorry for not being clear on my feelings toward you sooner. I'm aware I made you mad at me, and I'm aware Twitch tried one last time to win you over. And, excuse me for prying, but…"
"You ain't got nothin' to apologize for, homegirl," he assured her. "If you did hear everything Twitch an' I talked about, then I'll come out an' say that I was feelin' really messed up about how yesterday was goin' after you an' I got int' that fight the night before. I was upset about potentially losin' you, Sky, an' Rotty as friends all at once, an' I spent a good few hours talkin' t' Twitch about what happened. She tried t' cheer me up, an' then she hit me with her confession right then an' there after a week o' not sayin' anything t' me over the walkie-talkie she lent me. Yet, even then, I was… I'm not sure how t' put it, but even when I was presented with the chance t' start a relationship with her there, I couldn't help but keep thinkin' about when you first told me you had a crush on me…" he further admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You were?" she asked him, her face growing hot at his mention of her accidental confession.
"Yeah. Of course, there were a LOT of other things on my mind as well, but that was one o' the biggest things. I mean, I was almost positive you hated me at the time Twitch brought me t' Inseam, but I kept wrackin' my brain over whether I heard you right back on Spider Web Island, if maybe I was trippin', or if it was appropriate t' tell you that I had a crush on you, too. Granted, I will say that Twitch caught me at a vulnerable time. I admit that outright, an' I was close t' makin' a decision I know now that I'd have regretted if I did. At the time, I couldn't shake the thought out o' my head about how you'd feel or what it would look like down the line in a general sense if I went with my gut instead o' my heart…" Tay continued to confess. "It was the same deal when Sky confessed t' me after Kitschy Quilt. Regardless, Shantae, I'm sorry if anything I said t' Twitch offended you. Like I said, I was upset an' I was tryin' t' collect my thoughts on the situation while I was ventin' t' her."
"I wasn't offended at all," she assured him, though she did recollect some of the conversation the serviceman had with the Ammonian acolyte and understand his reasoning for apologizing to her. "To be fair, I didn't hear all that much of what you said about me, but I understand what I did hear, considering that we were angry at each other… Regardless, I at least know that I should've done a better job being your friend instead of trying so hard to be your teacher and treating you like a sidekick instead of my partner that I completely forgot about how close we became since we met."
"Eh, I wasn't mad at you. At least, not as much as you might be thinkin'. And I appreciate the sentiment. I mean, in general, I hope we can both take our experience an' grow from it. It ain't a good feelin' at all t' think about losin' you. Either way, babe, it seems like we should've talked about this sooner. And… for what it's worth… Even though I ultimately turned Twitch's offer down…" he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I… I wasn't sure of how you'd feel if I told you about my feelings after we agreed t' stay platonic friends; especially after what you said about hatin' it when a guy befriends you an' then tries t' drop the 'love' bombshell before you get a chance to figure anything out. "
"Wow… You remember that all the way from back then?"
"Yep. That conversation was one o' my biggest motivators for keepin' our friendship platonic, no matter what happened. An' I kept tryin' that when we talked that one night in Scuttle Town after our first two-day split. Of course, I remained frustrated at myself for not bein' honest with you or the other girls from the start. A lot o' that situation could've been avoided if I didn't hesitate… But then, when you linked up with Aash, I figured you really didn't like me that way after all an' I was bein' foolish by catchin' feelings for you. I was ready t' close the book on it an' allow both of us t' grow apart, so you could be with Aash and I could either go back t' my own world or at least find some way t' cope with life in Sequin Land on my own… or rather, I thought I was ready t' do all that at that time… I hope I don't sound like I'm babblin' a bunch o' nonsense."
"No, I get it. I totally get it. Gosh, I feel so bad now… but then, It's like you said: I did a fine job of scrambling your brains like eggs," she mercifully interrupted with a giggle that eased her nerves a bit before taking a deep breath. "And… considering I initially told you I didn't have feelings for you when the complete opposite was true… Yeah, I see exactly where you're coming from."
"Ah, a direct quote. Also, yes. Yes, you did scramble my brains like eggs," he played along with a chuckle of his own, though she certainly caught him by surprise with her quotation of his statement.
"Sorry, hon… I'm sure we'll need to talk more about this later, but I'll go ahead and admit that you scrambled my brains like eggs, too," she teased with a quick smirk. "You have no idea how confused I was about how I felt toward you since we started really getting to know each other… and especially after… well…"
"What, after we kissed in Kitschy Quilt?" he guessed, figuring he would never stop hearing about such a significant milestone in their relationship.
"Surprisingly… No," she bashfully answered, shocking him nearly stiff.
"Really now?"
"Yeah. Since we're coming clean about this, I'll go ahead and admit that I've had feelings for you ever since the night after we got home from the Prickle Stitch Valley…"
"Huh… Wow, Shantae… That long?"
"Y-yeah, I know, I'm awful…" she admitted with a nervous chuckle. "I tried to deny it at first, but just from the way that whole day went… from our bittersweet hangout that morning, to Sky and me teaming up to rescue you after Twitch and Vinegar kidnapped you, to us trying to bust you out of that cave, to… well, to that conversation we had that night, when you told me about your time in the Grotto of Judgment… and especially about your old friends…"
"Ah… R-right…" he sheepishly acknowledged as he was made to reminisce about the night he broke down in front of her while they were discussing his experience meeting his deceased friends from his old world and the following battle with the physical manifestation of his previous inner demons.
"I know that's still a bit of a sore spot for you, but… Um…" she trailed off for a moment, growing increasingly apprehensive. Sighing away some of her tension, she pushed ahead nevertheless. "But throughout that whole day, you showed me just how insightful, how determined, and how… well, how compassionate you really are behind your amazing good looks and your unbelievably rough upbringing, Tayshan. And ever since then, even though I definitely took your company for granted, I've noticed more and more about you that… made me deeply admire you… and, weird as it is to say, kind of look up to you."
"Whaaa?" he remarked in total surprise. "You? Look up to me? But, you're Sequin Land's hero. You're seen as the beacon of light an' hope by the people around you. I know you said you're not terribly comfortable with the celebrity status you've earned, but you earned it with good reason. How could it be possible for you t' look up t' somebody like me? At the end of it all, I'm just some hoodlum-turned-soldier with a point t' prove. You're way above an' beyond me in terms o' growth an' development."
"Don't be modest about it now, honey," she advised him, grinning at his astonishment. "And trust me, you're not just some 'hoodlum-turned-soldier.' You're a wonderful man who has always wanted to do the right thing, but just needed a push in the right direction, and who has a much broader range of insightful and enlightening ideas in his mind than I could've ever anticipated. I… hope I helped give you that push in the right direction, of course."
"Er… y-you definitely have, Shantae," he asserted with a nod, though he found himself honestly surprised to hear her confession the way she'd been giving it.
"Glad to hear it, babe. Also, I'm not 'above' you, nor am I 'above' anyone else. I'm a hero, sure, but as you've helped to remind me, I'm not perfect. I'm as far from 'perfect' as can be. I've still got lots of room to grow and learn about myself, my status as a guardian genie, my perceptions on life and the world around me… and even our friends and how much you all really mean to me. You've inspired me to learn so much more about everything, and you've helped me get so much stronger than I've ever, ever been… Not just as a hero or as a genie either. As a person. Both mentally and physically. I especially love that you're always looking to make yourself better and better, even when it seems impossible to do that. And even then, you're always finding some way to improve. And to imagine you went through as much as you did, all the while being a seemingly regular, full-blooded human? Tay, you may not believe me when I say this, but it's for that reason above all the rest that you've earned my eternal respect and admiration."
"Uh… W-well, I'm glad t' be that much of a motivator for you, but it goes without sayin' that nobody's perfect. Everybody can improve," Tay sheepishly replied, growing more nervous with the more she confessed her opinions of him. "I… I just know that I wasn't aware o' how much more I needed to improve until I met you."
"And I'm always glad to help you in whatever way I can, Tay. But… in a way, you remind me of how I was back when I lost my powers… except, you never worried about whether you had powers or not, nor did you ever let your status as a full-fledged human discourage you from accomplishing tons of great things throughout your time here in Sequin Land. Even when you found out you were granted powers like no other human here has had in the form of the magic in your body, and even when you're faced with situations that challenged your entire outlook on life, you've always either learned and adapted, or you stuck to your guns… both figuratively and literally. You approach every challenge with unmistakable confidence without ever backing down. You use your mind to solve problems in creative ways whenever you figure that using your muscle wouldn't be the best option. You've stuck by my side through thick and thin, and you've protected me at times where I didn't at all think I needed protecting… and shoot… For what it's worth, you somehow took complete control of the Dark Magic in your body and, even with its drawbacks, you're using it for the greater good. You may not know it, but that is one of the most incredible things anyone's ever done when it comes to magic. It opens my eyes on how complicated magic in general can really be. Even I haven't figured out how to accomplish something so incredible, and I'm dying to know how you did it. If I could learn that from you after we beat Risky, I know for a fact that I'd be so much stronger and more prepared for if something happens to my magic again. If someone came and told me a month ago that it was possible to use Dark Magic with good intentions, I'd have called them crazy! Yet, here you are, as living proof that anything is possible…"
"Goodness, homegirl…" Tay murmured as Shantae showered him with praise that he felt was a tad unnecessary.
"I mean, heck, in just a few weeks, you went from being a total stranger to this world, to becoming one of Risky Boots's most feared enemies aside from me just by getting stronger and learning endlessly about how to navigate a world you had no idea existed until you were whisked into it one fateful day."
"I see. You give me too much credit, though," he modestly replied. "I wouldn't have learned even a fraction of anything I picked up here if it wasn't for you. I'd literally be dead if it wasn't for you findin' me in that desert tower that same fateful day, Shantae. An' it's only because you gave me a chance in this world that I was ever able t' survive as long as I have, much less get strong enough t' actually contribute t' the crusade t' stop Risky Boots from destroyin' Sequin Land. An' it goes without sayin' that I could never have gotten as strong as I have without you. You've more than proven time and time again why you're called the Half-Genie Hero. That's why I've always looked up t' you. That's why I've always strived t' earn your approval an' your respect. You inspired me t' be the best I could be, even with me havin' confessed my troubled past t' you. You accepted me for who I am instead o' bein' intimidated by my history, an' through thick an' thin, no amount o' praise I shower you with could ever amount t' the level of admiration an' appreciation I have for you."
"Oh! Huh… W-wow, Tay… You feel that way about me?"
"Without question," he confidently assured her. "You're the most amazin' woman I've ever been lucky enough t' meet, Shantae, an' I'd never let you forget that."
"Goodness… Th-thanks for that, Tayshan… That… that makes me feel so… so… happy…!" she admitted, clutching her hands to her chest in tightly contained glee as she processed his revelation of his true thoughts on her as a person.
"I'm only tellin' the truth," he asserted with a thumbs-up.
"I… I see… I guess it's the case that we inspire each other, which is even more amazing when we put it all into perspective."
"Seems like it. I wouldn't have it any other way, an' I hope we can keep makin' each other better an' better."
"I completely agree. And, thanks to all the time we've spent together, I know I've grown a ton in every way since this wacky journey began. Other than that, Tay, you… just… the more we talked, the more we embarked on adventures together, and the more we hung out between trips, the more I realized that… well, the more I understood that I really, really, really, REALLY like you," she admitted with a furious blush that could very well have been mistaken for a nasty sunburn with how red her face was.
"Oh, my…" the serviceman commented, trying his hardest not to explode with amazement at his half-genie girlfriend's admission. "...I can't say I was expectin' you t' say that... er, I-I mean, the feeling's a thousand percent mutual, but... huh..." he continued to stammer as he looked for the right words to respond with. Reading his nervousness, Shantae mirthfully giggled a bit, her sapphire-hued eyes glimmering in the moonlight as she disarmingly cast her gaze upon the flustered serviceman before her. This only further threw Tayshan off his game as he struggled to register his teammate's affectionate sentiments.
"You're the first person who's ever made me feel the way I do right now," she further admitted, her face steadily heating up as she continued to share her sentiments. "This is probably a bad time to say it, all things considered, but I want you to know how much I've grown to appreciate you."
"Really?" he asked, again caught by surprise as he tried to formulate a coherent reply. "Huh... Well, I'm honored t' know that, Shantae, an', like I mentioned a second ago, I appreciate you, too. But... considerin' what you're sayin', I've gotta ask... How exactly do I make you feel?" he asked, growing a tad worried as he nearly drove himself crazy trying to figure out what she meant.
"Well... Tay, I'll be honest and say I'm not really sure how to put it into words, so I'm sorry if I'm not being clear. That said, you make me feel... special in a way I never thought I could feel. Like, I feel like I'm eternally wrapped in the world's softest, most snuggly blanket while also endlessly soaring through Sequin Land's skies," she did her best to explain. "I've... I've never had feelings that came close to anything like this for anyone else on the whole planet before. Not even Aash, and you know for yourself how much I liked him. It's so weird… in a good way, I guess… like, I initially didn't like it because I was so confused, but now that we're here and our thoughts are clear… I… I can't help but feel totally overcome with happiness that we're together now. My stomach's all tingly and my heart is pumping like I drank a thousand cups of coffee before running two straight marathons… and when I look at you now, I just want to… to… Gosh, I-I don't know if I should say right this minute, but Tay… You bring out a side of me I didn't even know I had… L-like, I never knew I could feel this attached to another person in my life… even with us switching bodies and then being bound together with this Soul-Link thing."
"In… what regard, if you uh… if you don't mind my askin'?" he hesitantly inquired her, though his apprehension was outmatched by his curiosity about how she felt toward him.
"Well… forgive me if this sounds a bit strong, but… like, I guess it's… sort of like, that tingly feeling in my stomach I mentioned a second ago just keeps going on nonstop and keeps getting stronger and stronger when I'm around you, not counting the Soul-Link. That feeling gets so strong and so overwhelming that it spreads throughout my entire body like it was Light Magic, except that it's a lot more intense and a lot more… I guess 'pleasant' is what I'd describe it as. It's… happening right now, actually. My heart is fluttering like it's ready to fly out of my chest, I feel like the air around us is thick and hot despite how freezing cold it is out here right now, and my mind is racing a million thoughts a minute as we speak… Like, I'm fighting the urge to hug you and never let you go in case this was just a dream. I want to kiss you over and over and over as I feel your arms wrapping around me to assure me everything's gonna be okay. I want you to… to snuggle with me, warmly embracing me and kissing me the same way we kissed earlier this morning as we endlessly gaze into each other's eyes like nothing else in this entire universe or multiverse or timeline or whatever reality we're in matters… and… I… I want to… I-I want to… um…" she trailed off once again, losing her nerve as she momentarily broke eye contact, shyly tucking her hands between her trembling legs as her heart raced faster than the combined speed of a million space shuttles launching at once.
"…Ohh, wow…" Tay droned, evidently so befuddled that this conversation was happening that he could do little more than gawk at the flustered young woman as though she'd grown six extra limbs, two extra eyes, a tail, and an extra mouth. Suffice to say, he was… just slightly overwhelmed by the unexpected intensity of Shantae's romantic confessions. His heart, too, had been racing fast enough to rival a million space shuttles as a rush of butterflies erupted in his stomach.
"Oh! I-I'm getting carried away again…" she realized, hearing his flustered comment as she nibbled on her finger. "I hope I didn't say too much there and totally freak you out."
"N-nah, you all good… But, wow, you've got me feelin' way different now than I could've anticipated…" he admitted, though the half-genie's confession sent an enormously powerful wave of tingling exhilaration throughout his entire body that threatened to annihilate the entire planet if they weren't careful. As such, he pressed a hand to his rapidly thumping heart and took a deep breath to calm the euphoric rush of temptation and steer his mind away from thoughts of what… er, 'romantic' things the two of them would do together when they had the time. "I… I didn't know I had that effect on you. Granted, you definitely have that exact same effect on me, if we're both gonna be honest about that…" At that, she giggled in such a jovial and disarming manner that the serviceman could've sworn every blood vessel connecting to his heart ruptured with enough force to send the organ bursting out of his chest. Shantae, hearing his agreement with her, resisted the urge to jump to the moon in… mild shock. "Gosh... You're just... so unbelievably beautiful on the inside an' out, that I feel like just takin' my eyes off you for a minute is a punishment I couldn't bear."
"Whoa…! G-goodness, Tay…" the half-genie remarked in surprise, though the surprise was drowned out by the electrifying rush of euphoric bliss that came with hearing his admission of just how much he appreciated her company.
"It's true. I've never felt like this before in my life… an' it makes me so glad that we're here together. And… just so you don't have t' be alone in sayin' it, uh… I… would also like to kiss you deeply as many times an' in as many ways as we conceivably can. I'd also… l-like it if we held each other tight, cuddlin' the day an' night away as we… uh… a-as we indulge ourselves in each other's boundless affection… t' put it lightly," he bashfully let her know, causing her to grin as her blush deepened immensely. She could hardly believe they were actually having this conversation… but it excited her immensely, nevertheless.
"I had a feeling, and I'm so glad we feel the same way about each other… O-of course, I'd be more surprised to hear you admit that to me, but… based on recent experiences between you and me, it was… too 'hard' to miss…" she teasingly trailed off as she blushingly twirled a finger through her ponytail, gathering up just enough courage to look up at him to take in the flabbergasted look on his blushing, pouting face.
"…You ain't right, Shantae…" he grumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment at her calling him out for his intense… 'interest' in her. "Of all times t' take another cheap shot at me because I'm admittedly super attracted t' you, an' you choose now? How rude…" he further jokingly complained. Ecstatic to see such a disarmingly grumpy look on her boyfriend's face, Shantae let out another mirthful giggle at his expense.
"Sorry… I-I'm not quite used to the idea of us wanting to be so much closer together than we ever expected, so that's my attempt at coping with it… But, if it makes you feel better, I'm just as... well, super attracted to you as you are to me. Physically and emotionally. Just looking at you is enough to trigger that tingly feeling in my stomach, and just talking to you like I am now makes me happier than I've ever been. I admit it, so there. And... in case it needs to be said... Uh... Whatever you've thought about me in that uh... 'certain' light… I'm… er, I've... been thinking about you, too," she bashfully shared, not knowing at all how he'd react to her telling him something so... intimate as a way to normalize their feelings toward each other.
"Oh, yeah? What do you think is on my mind when I think about you, then?" he took the golden opportunity to ask her with a mischievous grin on his face despite his monumental surprise at her admission of her mutual overwhelming romantic desire for him. His rather impertinent question caused her to flinch in comical surprise as he turned the tables on her. "An' for that matter, what runs through your mind when you think about me?"
"Things that won't be explored here of all places, mister," she humorously refused to share, pouting as she shot him a most scrutinizing look and pointed at him. Of course, she'd also inadvertently revealed that her thoughts about her boyfriend were… not exactly what we'd call 'innocent,' despite how innocently the two were exploring their newfound passionate and companionate love for one another. In turn, Tay chuckled as he secretly hoped we would've gotten her to tell him just a bit more of what she was thinking about. "Just know that what we feel is mutual. I-I think that makes us even for now…"
"Hm. Fair enough, I suppose…" Tay acknowledged with a flustered shrug, rubbing the back of his neck as he blushed almost as hard as she did. "It… looks like we've got a LOT to unpack here, huh?"
"Yeah, we do," she agreed before breathing a deep, heavy, shaky sigh of her own to dispel the enormous wave of nervousness welling up inside her. Meanwhile, Tay breathed a pressured sigh hot enough to bring the entire Sequin Land Sea to a boil if he'd blown into the ever-flowing, crashing waves surrounding them as they went silent for a moment. During that moment, however, a rather unsettling thought entered the serviceman's mind as he and the half-genie stared at one another.
"...Your uncle is probably gonna kill me when he finds out about this..." he murmured in a sudden sense of intense dread, causing Shantae to burst into a small fit of giggling as pulled a most peculiar subject change. Despite him chuckling with her, he was super serious.
"Uncle won't be too mad..." the half-genie innocently suggested, though she realized for herself that Tay... could very well have been right to fear the wrath of Uncle Mimic if and when he found out she made the alien soldier her boyfriend like she told her legal guardian she WOULDN'T do.
"You sure about that?" he incredulously asked, reading the pure uncertainty on her blushing face.
"...No?" she admitted, guiltily pressing her index fingers together as she shot him a most adorably innocent, puppy-eyed facial expression. Evidently, Shantae had given approximately ZERO thought to the possibility of Mimic finding out that the rumors about her and Tayshan were (in some degree) true. At that, Tay shook his head in reflective dread.
"Hm. Well, I hope he's merciful about it when he uses one o' his science experiments t' turn my body into a giant puddle o' melted sherbet on the spot after we tell him..." he lamented, gulping in justifiable fear of what Mimic would do to him for dating the half-genie without his permission.
"Aw, come on, babe, he's not gonna do anything crazy like that..." Shantae tried to assure him. "...I think. And... well, maybe we can figure that part out a little later," she further suggested, not wanting to delve too deeply into the topic of her inevitably getting herself in trouble for becoming active in the dating world before she turned twenty years old.
"For all intents and purposes, I think that's a good idea," he agreed, though he wasn't quite able to shake off his nervousness at revealing his and the half-genie's relationship to her surrogate father.
"Good," she concluded, though certain bits of their banter session tipped her off that she still hadn't addressed her main concern regarding the extraterrestrial serviceman. After shaking her head to refocus, she continued. "Er, before we get too sidetracked, none of this is the reason I'm bringing up my dream now."
"It ain't?"
"No, though it's still nice to know we've apparently been hiding our massive crushes on each other basically this entire time…" she half-joked, making him laugh a bit more.
"Ain't that the truth…?" he agreed, though he still wondered what she was getting at. "But, as far as your dream goes… um…" he paused as his smile faded and his face took on a very worried expression. The serviceman nearly went stiff with apprehension as he contemplated his next question in relation to what Shantae appeared to be getting at. And, as much as he really didn't want to bring it up after they just confessed their feelings to each other in full… he felt like he'd be doing both of them a grievous disservice if he didn't address it. As such, and with a deep, heavy sigh of extreme nervousness… "…does… does it have t' do with… what Risky made me do after she…?"
"No. My dream never went even a minute past what happened at the Inseam Municipality," she hastily denied, a strong pang of frustration at Risky and reflective guilt hitting her simultaneously as he nervously brought up the event in question. "Granted, she's gonna answer directly to the both of us for making you swallow that gem the way she did. And if it's the last thing I do… I swear, I'll personally make her regret the torture she put you through after she captured you. Regardless, Tayshan, I… I hope you know that I don't value you any less for what she did to you. Right? If anything, I value you more because, despite what happened, you turned that horrible experience into an opportunity to save our friends. I'm not holding the incident at the Baron Desert against you either, because I know you were trying to find a way to cope with the frustration you were dealing with. Not to say I approve of such an incident, but like we talked about earlier today, I say this with the full knowledge that you wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for that Dark Magic gem warping your mind at the time like Risky wanted it to."
"Of course," he somberly acknowledged with a nod, though he instinctively gulped as he felt a sudden wave of… how do we say, a maddening 'uncleanness' wash over him as he instinctively clenched a fist that he held at his side. "An' trust me, as long as I remain in control o' myself, the Baron Desert thing won't ever be repeated. I… I won't lie, though, Shantae… I can't help but feel… like she permanently tainted me in a way this Dark Magic doesn't account for, y'know…? And I… even now, I'm not sure how you feel about datin' a guy who Risky… uh…"
"Tay, it's okay," Shantae assured, taking his hand into hers and looking him in the eye to make sure he understood her. "I can't even hope to know what you're feeling, and I can acknowledge that the feeling won't go away in an instant just because we want it to. But if it helps at all, then I'll tell you right now that I'm here with you through thick and thin. And at the end of the day, I like—no, I love you for the person that you are, not for the experiences you've had or for the thing Risky took from you. I understand that what she did to you was wrong on every level, but I would never blame you for it. At all. It's clear from top to bottom that she did it out of jealousy, spite, and bitterness toward us, and with the intent to turn you into something she thought would cause both our downfalls. And thankfully, her disgusting 'tactic' didn't work in the long run. Regardless, sweetie, you're still the same loyal, dependable, adorable guy you've always been, and that's what's most important to me. We may not be able to make Risky give back what she took, but we're definitely going to show her why it was one of MANY terrible decisions she made that resulted in her most epic defeat yet."
"…I see… wow…" Tay murmured, taking her words into consideration as he held her hand and took a few breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. "Th-thank you… I… I honestly don't know what I'd do without you, homegirl…"
"No need to thank me, Tay," Shantae assured him as she gripped his hand just a bit tighter. "We're in this together. Trust and believe, okay?"
"Right. Trust an' believe," he repeated, confidently nodding as he placed his trust in her. "Although, you said that also wasn't what you wanted to address with me here, right?"
"No, unfortunately. To be honest, I kinda wish it was, but… er, what I want to address with you is… weird as it is to say, a lot more serious…" she hesitantly informed him, never letting go of his hand as she momentarily glanced elsewhere.
"Oh… Well, if you wanna get it addressed before we go in t' fight Risky, then there ain't no better time like now. In that case, honey… I'm all ears," he consented.
"Good. Because what I'm about to say, Tay, is something I hope is just a simple case of a bad dream. So…" she started, taking another deep breath as she let go of his hand, though she kept her gaze locked on him. "Before I saw the events of the Inseam Municipality in my dream yesterday, I… I found myself mentally transported to the Genie Realm…"
"Okay…?"
"And, when I awoke there, I was greeted by a woman in a blue and gold sari wearing a jackal mask…" she shared, causing him to instinctively exhale in shock as his eyes widened. "Judging by your reaction, I presume you know who I'm talking about…"
"…Cat's out o' the bag now, then," he worriedly murmured, gulping as he collected his nerves. "Yeah. That woman is the same one I met in the Grotto of Judgment…"
"Yeah, that's what she mentioned," the half-genie attested. "I didn't get to talk to her much before I was whisked out of the Genie Realm, but she mentioned something about her ability to foresee possible futures… and… if I remember correctly, something about a decision you made directly impacting the fates of me and the rest of our friends throughout the course of our crusades to stop Risky… and… and… um…" she stammered, growing frightened as she lost her nerve at the very thought. At that, Tay frowned in inconceivable concern as he watched his girlfriend struggle to make her assertion.
"…She most likely told you that I'm… probably going to die here. Didn't she?" Tay very gravely asked, his heart about ready to explode as his voice quaked with intense apprehension. The very instant he uttered his question, poor Shantae tensed up as she looked him directly in the eye. However, she couldn't find it in herself to confirm his suspicion. She wanted to say 'yes.' She really did. But she didn't even want to believe it for herself. She COULDN'T believe it for herself. Worse yet, Tay just basically admitted to knowing about the possibility that he wouldn't make it to see the end of their battle against Risky Boots. The longer she stared at him, however, the more he realized that she was scared for him. "I'll take your silence as a 'yes.' Is that right t' say?"
"…Y-yeah…" she finally gathered the courage to confirm, though she was completely floored by the harrowing detail. "B-but… if… you knew it was a possibility all this time… and a strong one, according to the jackal lady, then why…?"
"Why did I still choose t' fight alongside you, you mean?"
"Yeah. Why? I could've handled this whole situation on my own if I knew sooner that you were…"
"That's the thing, though, baby," Tay carefully addressed her point. "As far as that jackal lady said, it was either I continue t' help you fight Risky an' potentially die myself, or take a step back, but pretty much guarantee that you and/or at least one of our friends would die in my place…"
"What!?"
"Yeah…" he confirmed with a nod. "After I finished up with my old friends an' the 'evil' version o' myself, that jackal woman an' I had a short chat about the future. Or rather, the possible futures she saw. An' while sparin' you most o' the details behind the concept o' core events an' branchin' sequences, she told me that most o' the ways our adventures would play out from that day would hinge on whether I chose t' keep fightin' at your side or t' sit back an' let you an' the others handle it on your own."
"And… what did she say would happen if you chose not to fight by my side?"
"Well… in a nutshell, it's like I said a second ago. She said that in most o' the possible futures she saw where I didn't participate, you, Bolo, Sky, and/or Rottytops were guaranteed t' die at some point before this situation reached its end," he shared, shocking Shantae yet again. "I don't know how strongly her prediction factored in Aashiq, Twitch, Vinegar, or anyone else we teamed up with, but yeah… She said that it didn't even factor in whether you won or lost against Risky; only that somebody was almost guaranteed t' die. An' all things considered about what happened to us since the Prickle Stitch Valley, it makes sense why her predictions played out like they did…"
"…Wow… So… How does that tie into your choice to keep fighting?"
"By choosin' t' keep fightin', she said I'd at the very least make the odds of everyone survivin' this ordeal much higher, whether we win or lose… as in, you an' the others would be guaranteed t' live, no matter what," he explained, pausing to take yet another deep breath before continuing. "…but in exchange, there'd be no less than a ninety percent chance that, one way or another… I would be the one t' die."
"Tayshan…!" Shantae murmured, barely above a whisper as her heart was hit with a sudden, stinging ache as he looked her right in her eyes with a most solemn facial expression.
"Trust me, homegirl, it wasn't as hard a choice as you might be thinkin'. Knowin' what the stakes were, I couldn't bear t' think o' what it would look like, knowingly choosin' not t' fight an' indirectly sacrificin' somebody else's life t' save my own. An' knowin' what the stakes were, I… I chose t' stay by your side an' do what I could t' help protect everybody. An' so far, we've been pretty lucky. Thank goodness…"
"Yeah, but Tay…" the half-genie worriedly, yet hesitantly prepared her next question. "Why… why didn't you tell me about this sooner? We could've discovered some way of keeping ourselves safe and out of any situation where any of us could've potentially died…"
"That jackal lady told me not t' say anything until she got the chance t' tell you, like I mentioned the night we got back from the Prickle Stitch Valley," he confessed while reminding her of their previous conversation regarding the mysterious jackal woman. "An' evidently, she found the opportunity she was lookin' for. That said, Shantae, I'm sorry for not bein' forthcomin' with you about this until now. I personally wanted t' tell you sooner, but I'm not even sure how our adventures would've gone in the case that you knew…"
"Probably a lot differently, to be completely honest," she confidently asserted, though she was on high alert from this point on. "I most likely would've kept trying to convince you to stand down and let me handle everything rather than keep working together with you… but then, when I'm made to think about all the times you've saved me, Aash, Rotty, Bolo, Sky… and even Twitch and Vinegar… Scary as it is to say, that jackal lady's prediction makes a lot more sense than I care to admit…"
"Believe me, I know…"
"And I'm so glad you stuck by us and protected us, despite how much it cost you over the course of this journey. I can't thank you enough for... for..."
"No thanks are necessary," he assured her before she could finish her statement. "I didn't make my decision based on how much gratitude I thought I'd receive for it. My 'reward' comes in the form o' seein' you an' our friends livin' an' breathin' up t' this very moment an' beyond; especially when we consider what the jackal woman predicted..."
"Hm... Right. That's incredibly noble of you, Tayshan, and as if it wasn't possible... I... I love you even more for being so willing to lay your life on the line to protect me and our friends; especially with such a scary prediction being made to you the way it was... Not to say that I'd want you to keep laying your life on the line for our sake if I had anything to say about it, but..."
"I get it, Shantae," Tay acknowledged with a smirk that did little to communicate how ecstatic he was to be with her. "Regardless of how ominous the situation is, though, the important thing is that we're all still alive. And, as long as we continue to work together, that won't change. I love you, too, and it's in large part because o' that, that I'd do whatever I had to do t' protect you, no matter how dangerous the situation."
"You're not wrong about that, I suppose, and I'd do the exact same for you if our roles were reversed..." Shantae acknowledged and reciprocated, though it did little to ease her internal dismay at the extremely high stakes presented by the grim prediction of her significant other's potential fate. "That said, sweetie, you probably know what I'm going to ask you next…"
"You're gonna ask me if I still want t' fight Risky with you or if I want t' leave the rest up t' you alone. No?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "I… I can't bear the thought of going in there, knowing that your chances of not making it out alive are as dangerously high as the jackal lady said they are. But, if I know you well enough, you're probably going to say you'd rather go in to protect me, if nothing else…"
"You know me better than I thought," he confirmed. "An' yeah. If my participation thus far has ensured that our friends get t' remain alive an' well, then my mission t' protect an' serve has realized its purpose. An' as such, my mission doesn't end until Risky gives up on her plot t' take over this country, in addition t' when that busted Tinker-Portal is completely incinerated. An' right now, those are the only things left for us t' do before we can work on closin' the book on this situation."
"Are… you sure about that?"
"Positive. Besides, if it's t' protect the woman I fell in love with, you'd better believe I'm ALWAYS gonna choose t' fight for you," he boldly confessed, throwing the young lady for the loop of a lifetime as her heart nearly burst with the power of an atomic bomb. "Granted, I know you're the strongest there is an' you've always been able t' take care of yourself, but that doesn't change my stance in the slightest. I want t' support you in every method I can. I at least owe you that much, Shantae."
"What…? I-I mean, thank you, but… You're… i-in love… with me of all people…?" she asked, her phrasing and her tone indicating that she may have felt... unworthy.
"Ooh… Heh, sorry… I get it if it's way too early t' say that… Was… was that too strong…?" he asked, involuntarily smirking as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Despite how bashful he'd been in that moment, Shantae needed little time to read the sincerity in his tone and in his glimmering eyes when he looked at her. And once she ascertained it for herself, she offered her reply.
"No, you're perfectly fine, Tayshan…" she assured, clutching her pounding chest with both hands as an inconceivably humongous rush of butterflies erupted in her stomach. "I… I feel the exact same way. I'm sure of it now. The way I feel when we talk, the way I feel when we spend time together, and even the way I feel right now, with us tackling yet another grueling adventure, standing together through all our hardships… I can't imagine life without you anymore, and it's with absolute certainty that I want to make sure you stay alive beyond this battle with Risky Boots if you're willing to fight at my side after everything we've been through. Above all else, I want to spend a LOT more time with you, Tay; especially because you're here to stay with me instead of going back to your old world. I… I'm in love with you, too…" she shyly admitted, stepping closer to him as though the two were magnetically drawn to one another. In response, he wordlessly approached her as they professed their mutual feelings toward one another once more.
"Wow… I never thought I'd hear that from you, but… huh… Wow…" he stammered, awed by the mere concept of someone enjoying his company as much as the half-genie evidently did. "Goodness, this feels like a dream…"
"You're telling me…" she murmured, equally as flustered as she twirled a finger through her ponytail in anticipation for how the two of them would push their last-minute conversation forward. Of course, the moment found itself fleeting, as the elephant in the room in the form of a certain prediction remained at the forefront of their minds. "I've got to be straightforward with you, though, Tay… I… I still don't know if it's a good idea for you to come along on this one…" she further shared, though he found himself far less than surprised. "I-I don't want to see you get hurt… or even…"
"I know what you mean, Shantae… but if removin' myself from the equation brings about even the slightest chance that I'd lose you forever, then I'm not gonna gamble on those odds. Plus, we've seen for ourselves how much of a threat Risky poses."
"Yeah, but if you do go, then I'd potentially be losing you forever, if the jackal lady's prediction turned out to come true…"
"I hear you. But even now, there's still a chance we both make it out o' this alive if we play our cards right," Tay assured. "There's no guarantees about how safe we'll be once we go in there, but as long as we work together from start to finish, our chances o' this workin' out in our favor should increase by a lot. At least, I hope."
"Tay…"
"I 've come too far an' been through too much t' turn back now. An' I'mma be real with you: When I signed up for duty in my old world, I did so while bein' presented with the possibility o' givin' everything up in my mission t' protect an' serve. That acknowledgement, of course, came with a LOT o' deep thought about what that means…" he trailed off, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of metal tags suspended by a ball chain. "An' nothin' has opened my eyes up quite like our adventures have…"
"Huh? What… what's that?" Shantae asked, her eyes drawn to the gleaming metal object in her boyfriend's hand.
"These are my dog tags… with no relation to actual dogs, if I gotta make that clear," he answered, though he got a bitter taste in his mouth at the mention of the word 'dog.' "Matter fact, scratch that. These are my I.D. tags," he corrected as he handed them to her.
"Your… I.D. tags?"
"Yep. They're meant to identify the body of a deceased soldier. In case somethin' goes wrong here, Shantae… I… I want you t' hold ont' those…" he confessed, shocking her nearly stiff as she returned her mortified gaze back to him.
"What? Tayshan, come on… We're gonna get through this together. We'll stop Risky, and we'll be okay. You'll be alive, so we shouldn't even need to talk about this," she tried to assure him, though she was rattled to the point of practically trembling with anticipatory fear of the possibility of the soldier dying in battle.
"I'm hopin' with every fiber o' my being that you're right. Believe me," Tay acknowledged and assured, though his tone remained low and solemn. "We've… gotta be prepared for anything, though."
"But-!"
"Please, hear me out," he humbly requested. "I want nothin' more than t' spend as much time with you as you—or rather, as we want together, livin' it up to the fullest once this is over. But, to be honest, I've got no choice but t' be prepared for anything… even death, if that's on the table…" he shakily admitted through a terrified sigh. It was clear just from the wavering in his voice, the hesitation in his speech, and the slight trembling in his hands that Tayshan… was scared. Yet, he knew that if he didn't help Shantae at this point, he would've indirectly resigned her to a terrible fate she didn't deserve. And that possibility, he couldn't even think to entertain. As frightened as he was at the idea of losing his life in the battle against Risky Boots, he was utterly horrified by the thought that Shantae wouldn't make it if she went in alone. As such, he continued. "I gotta at least make sure you'll be okay if I die here," he continued to explain, though the heroine could hardly even believe they were on this topic after having just confessed their love to one another. Nevertheless, she listened. "You're the hero this world's been dependin' on for however long you've been protectin' it. And as far as I know, you're the only one who can keep protectin' it. If my purpose here is t' help you do just that, then even at the cost o' my own life, I will accept that. But hey… if I don't make it, Shantae, then I want you t' take these tags an' show them to the clerk at the Crown Jewel Inn whenever they're up an' runnin' again. They'll know…"
"…Wait… Did… Did you make up a plan for if you…?" Shantae asked as she got Tayshan's I.D. Tags, though she found herself too stunned and frightened to finish the question.
"Sort of, but only in the case that I died on any of our adventures since the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth, not because I thought I was actually going to die," he admitted. "Trust me, that's the only 'plan' I've got. Aside from that, those tags would serve as somethin' of a keepsake. They have a bunch o' my basic information on 'em… or rather, they used to, but they somehow wound up gettin' scratched and bent up t' the point that you can only see part o' my name an' random letters an' numbers that wouldn't make sense t' anybody who didn't know better."
"I see…" she quietly replied in understanding, holding the dog tags close to her chest for a moment before putting them in her inventory. "I-I don't really like that we're even entertaining the conversation about what to do if you died, but… I see…"
"Trust me, I wouldn't be bringin' this up if I was never warned by the jackal woman," he admitted once again. "Regardless, my goal here is not t' die, babe. My goal is t' help you make sure Risky Boots never gets another chance t' do any o' the horrible things she's done since the day we began our crusade. That said, I'll be blunt about this next question: The idea here is that we don't kill her. Right?"
"Yes…" she answered, hiding her initial shock at the fact that he would ask her such a thing. "We're heroes, and heroes don't get the right to choose whether someone lives or dies… no matter how evil the person we're stopping is. At least, not if there's some other way we can get them to stop being evil. But then… I'm saying this, knowing that I've… um… That I've…" she stuttered as she looked downward and away, her breath catching in her throat when she suddenly found herself reminded of times where she had to permanently dispatch enemies in the past.
"Sometimes, Shantae, that's… what it takes," Tayshan stated as he laid a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Granted, you're right in that as heroes, we should never cross that line if we don't have to. An' for what it's worth, I've crossed that line many times myself recently. So, in a sense, I know how you feel…"
"You do?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, not everyone we try t' give a chance t' redeem themselves is gonna use that chance for that reason. Some will continue t' harm other people, some will try t' get back at you and/or attempt t' kill you, an' some might even try t' convince themselves that they ain't wrong for what they did," he explained as carefully as he could. "Sometimes, it's a matter o' the cost of crossin' that line versus lettin' an enemy go. Back on my base, my commandin' officers always told me that it's kill or be killed when we're out on the battlefield. I never fully agreed with that notion, which is why I sometimes chose t' talk to whoever was in our path an' give them their chance then and there. Some of 'em listened an' helped us. Others didn't, which resulted in us havin' t' dispose o' them in self-defense. There's never gonna be a definite, undisputed chart or graph or list o' guidelines outside of the law that determines whether someone's actions condemn them t' the point where their right t' live is revoked or upheld dependin' on the choice o' someone else. An' even then, the law ain't perfect, either. At the end o' the day, it's often a split-second judgment call. I mean, I say this after I destroyed the Baron Desert, wiped out a bunch of Ammonian soldiers, an' almost killed Ammo Baron an' Techno Baron, but it stands t' reason that when I was about t' finish the job on those two, you talked me down instead o' fightin' me like you could've."
"Well, I was never going to attack you because you were angry at them. And you were never my enemy if that's what you mean. I'm just glad I got you to snap out of it before you went too far. Either way… I get it," Shantae acknowledged, though her boyfriend's words did little to ease her discomfort surrounding the topic. She knew for herself, however, that this discussion was important to her. "As much as it pains me to say it, I get it… I mean, everything you're saying makes sense. I never did think much about this before you came along, but it makes a lot more sense now than it did before. And I think my biggest wake-up call on this was the Emperor Spider."
"Mr. Fuzzles?"
"Yeah. I've had time to think about that situation, and you were right about him, too, Tayshan. He was one example of crossing the line when I didn't have to. I know that overall, the situation was super stressful, and a lot of split-second decisions were made because we weren't on the same page, but the main point holds true. I crossed the line when I shouldn't have… I can acknowledge that now."
"Mr. Fuzzles was a rough situation all around, no doubt," Tay agreed. "He had the clear intention on wipin' you an' Rottytops off the face o' the planet, but he was doin' it out o' grief over his wife. He wasn't evil, but his method of lurin' us over there just so he could get his opportunity t' kill you is as messed up as it gets. We can't ignore that he did, in a sense, orchestrate his own downfall. It's with a lot o' respect t' him that I say that, but like we agreed upon, there were many different ways that situation could've played out."
"Right…"
"That said, Risky Boots is nothing like Mr. Fuzzles," he continued. "Risky is, as she told me when she had me chained up in her ship, rotten to the core. She would just as soon smile in your face as she would straight up tell you she'll blow up your home… if not just go ahead an' blow up your home because she felt like it. Risky ruthlessly terrorizes, manipulates, and extorts everyone she interacts with an' has no qualms stompin' all over anybody she deems t' be an obstacle in her path. Risky… Risky hurts people an' laughs at her victims with not even a shred o' remorse. Shantae, I don't know how long you been dealin' with her, but it's honestly a surprise t' me that somebody hasn't tried t' kill her by now. An'… I know we agreed not t' go that far, but… after what she just did t' Sky, Bolo, Rotty, Giga Mermaid, Twitch, Vinegar, an' all those Ammonian soldiers mere hours ago… She doesn't care… an' I don't see another way of effectively stoppin' her over the long term," he admitted, putting on the table his consideration of permanently eliminating Risky Boots.
"We're not going that far under any circumstance. We'd be no better than she is if we did that," Shantae fervently reasoned. "I know that sounds bad after what she did to us, Tay, but that's not what we're about. We're supposed to work to preserve peace and prosperity in the world. We're not mercenaries or assassins, nor do we operate based on getting any kind of revenge, like you said. We've been over that. Besides… as far as Risky Boots goes… and even though I know she's done such terrible things over and over again… especially to the point where she directly hurt you, me, and all our friends…"
"It wouldn't be about revenge in this case; it would be about makin' a decision for the greater good, so no more of Risky's antics get repeated. That said… You still think she's got some ability t' redeem herself?" he guessed, causing her to pause for a minute as she studied his perplexed facial expression.
"I… I don't know," Shantae admitted, looking Tay in the eyes as she took a deep, wavering breath. "I've been fighting her for years, Tayshan, and even now, I don't know if she's capable of turning over a new leaf. Based on some of my interactions with her in our past battles, I've always had this hunch that she was on the cusp of giving up her ways or at least considering another path… but then she always follows up by doing something awful that makes me doubt that she'll ever change. Naïve as I might sound, I… I still hold out hope that if maybe, just MAYBE this time, when we beat her, she'll finally stop…"
"I see," Tayshan acknowledged, though he could hardly fathom how the half-genie could entertain the idea of keeping Risky Boots alive after the numerous war crimes the Pirate Queen perpetrated. "I mean, I'll be honest and say I strongly disagree, but I see…"
"Considering what she did to you, honey… You have every right to disagree with me," she humbly acknowledged, taking his hand into hers once more. "But killing Risky Boots is not an option I'm willing to entertain. Like we've been talking about, we're heroes. We don't kill bad guys if we don't have to. Granted, I've learned that more from you and your ability to talk some of our past opponents down than I have anywhere else. We both know Risky can't really be reasoned with, but that still doesn't give us the right to do such a thing to her… even with her having done the same to so many others."
"For some, that'd be reason enough t' kill her," he countered. "If it was t' make absolutely sure she couldn't potentially hurt anyone else anymore, there are people out there that would consider that."
"I know, but I can't bring myself to do that, nor could I accept the idea of letting you do it, because I know that deep down, both of us would regret it. You said it yourself that if you blew up Risky's ship using that 'Sun's Wrath' cannon we picked up in the Thimble Canyon, you'd have regretted it for the rest of your life."
"I did say that, but I don't feel too confident in Risky's ability to change if we left her alive after she just tried t' kill us all for simply tryin' t' protect our home."
"I hear you, babe, but we shouldn't stoop to her level. Believe me, I understand where you're coming from. We should absolutely do more than simply beat her to end her scheme once and for all. If we can, maybe we should at least wrap her up and take her to the Sequin Land Palace to answer for her crimes. Y'know, let the justice system hand her her just deserts. That way, we know that the authorities would take care of her appropriately…"
"I suppose…" he acknowledged, though he did little to hide his lack of faith in that game plan. "You're completely sure about that?"
"Yes," she confidently answered. "We cannot, unless under some extreme circumstances, allow Risky, or Ammo Baron, or any of the bad guys we face to push us that far. I personally don't think anyone would look at us the same if we crossed the line again… or rather, if we crossed the line with Risky Boots in particular. And Tay, as much as I know you hate her, killing her is not going to make you feel any better about what she did to you. I'd rather she stay alive to shoulder the responsibility for her actions against you and everyone else she hurt."
"Right…" he acknowledged with a nod, holding her hand as he took in the uncertain expression on her face. "I won't pretend you don't know how hard a decision this is t' make on my end, nor will I pretend I don't know how difficult it must be for you t' hold your stance. That said, Shantae, I'll… I'll follow your suggestion," he offered, though every nerve in his body threatened to spontaneously combust from just the immeasurable searing hatred he harbored for the Pirate Queen for what she'd done. It was to the point where, outside of the realm of hyperbole, Shantae could actually FEEL the heat in his hand as he struggled to accept the idea of defeating Risky Boots without… well, 'finishing' the job, so to speak. As such, the half-genie felt a pang in her abdomen that vaguely tipped her off to her partner's inner turmoil.
"Sweetie?" Shantae called to him.
"Yeah?"
"Come here…" she beckoned, releasing his hand and stretching her arms toward his face. Though caught by mild surprise, Tayshan obeyed by leaning forward and allowing Shantae to gently clasp her hands to each of his cheeks. She pulled him closer, quickly readjusting herself to where she slung her arms over his shoulders and around his neck and pressed her lips to his before he could fully register what she was going to do. Rather than resist, however, he accepted her embrace despite not knowing why she chose that point in time to kiss him. In that same moment, Shantae slowly peppered the serviceman's lips with a lengthy series of very strong, very steamy smooches that he found himself returning after a moment of registering her actions. Before long, however, the two partially separated, though they remained wrapped in each other's arms.
"What… What was that for?" Tayshan asked, thrown off by her sudden show of affection.
"Because I know it's not the easiest thing in the world, listening to me telling you not to go too far against Risky Boots," she asserted with a heavy heart. "And believe me, I know with every fiber of my being that she deserves to be brought to justice for all the harm she's caused. But trust me when I say that we'd be better off keeping her alive to regret what she's done. Meanwhile, I want you to know for absolutely sure that I'll always be here for you. Anything you need in terms of support, I'll do anything in my power to give it to you."
"Just bein' able t' talk t' you is more than enough, baby. I couldn't ask for anything more. As for Risky, though… Even if she does eventually come t' regret her actions, it'd probably take a lot longer than we might be hopin'," Tay voiced his opinion on Risky's ability to change (or lack thereof). "Regardless, I… can see your point. Fine, then. We'll defeat her, but we won't kill her."
"Thank you for understanding, Tayshan…"
"Hm. As much as I can understand it. Of course, I'm not pullin' any punches against her in the heat o' the battle," he warned her in advance.
"Oh, trust me, neither am I," Shantae agreed, a rush of adrenaline suddenly hitting her as she thought of ways to make Risky pay for hurting her friends. "We'll both go full force and put her and her Tinkerbats down with extreme prejudice. We've got a lot of innocent people to avenge, and like you once said… Not one life she ruined will go unaccounted for. Not one."
"Heh, those dreams of yours must've been REAL vivid if you can remember things I said all the way down t' the letter."
"'Vivid' is an understatement. I may as well have been there in spirit," she hinted, though she knew he wouldn't know what she meant. The duo ended their hug as they shared their laugh before shifting gears once more. "Anyway, Tay, what's your health reading look like?" she asked, prompting him to study his Heart Monitor for a few seconds before looking back at her.
"Looks like I'm at 739 points o' health, but my magic supply decreased by a bit. Looks like the lamp thing's about three quarters full, but it's still the same color it was this morning," he explained to her. "I'm still strugglin' t' keep this Dark Magic under wraps."
"I've been picking up on the Dark Magic influence," Shantae replied. "That Soul-Link thing's really doing its job of letting me know when it's starting to hurt you."
"Hm. Hypno Baron's got a lot t' answer for there… I assure you, though, I've still got it under control."
"Yeah, we're gonna need to pay him a visit soon. Other than that, you've still got a lot of health and magic, which is good. I'm still in pretty workable shape myself, considering the Potion I drank earlier, but we've still gotta be careful. We don't have much, if anything substantial in terms of healing items now, and chances are, Risky's gonna go all out the second she sees us coming."
"Right. An' we still need t' figure out a way t' destroy that portal while we're at it," Tay reminded her. "You think there's maybe a way t' sneak in an' lure her far enough away from it that I have the time t' destroy it with the Sun's Wrath?"
"Good idea. Hmm…" the half-genie pondered for a moment, crossing her arms and tapping a finger to her chin before she came up with an idea. "I've got it. There's a certain transformation I have that'll be perfect for the job."
"What, one o' your animal transformations?"
"No, actually. Something a lot more… appropriate for sneaking into Risky's hideout undetected," she hinted, only making Tay more curious.
"Somethin' like what?"
"I'll tell you after we figure out a strategy."
"You're choosin' now of all times t' be cryptic about it, huh? Now you've got me itchin' t' find out what you're hidin'."
"Babe, it's gonna knock you off your feet when I show you," she teased to his amusement.
"Knowin' you, I bet it will," he agreed, though he found himself compelled to explore just one more topic before they committed themselves to brainstorming their plan. "Er, that reminds me… I have quick question, if you don't mind my askin'."
"Hm? What's up?"
"Excuse me for bein' random with this, but… as a genie, are you capable o' grantin' wishes at all?"
"Wow, that is a pretty random question to ask at a time like this," she observantly informed him. "That said, I can only do that under very specific circumstances, and I haven't had much practice with trying lately. The last time I granted a wish was when Mayor Scuttlebutt had me get rid of all the weapons-related enhancements Ammo Baron and the Ammonian Army made when they turned Scuttle Town into Ammo Town."
"…Wait, what? Ammo Town?"
"Long story short: When Ammo Baron temporarily became mayor of Scuttle Town, he industrialized the entire city and turned it into a second base of operations until I defeated the Pirate Master and got my magic back. At that time, I had just enough magic in me to grant Mayor Scuttlebutt's wish of restoring Scuttle Town to its former glory when he got his job back."
"…Huh. I… probably should've asked about that ages ago…"
"I thought we talked about that already, to be honest."
"There was a lot we talked about, but that… might've been missed," Tay assured her. "Anyway, what circumstances have t' be in place for you t' be able to grant a wish? I'm curious…"
"I have to be filled with magic beyond my normal limits, for one," Shantae took the liberty of explaining. "And, as a genie standard, the desire of the person making the wish has to be as strong as it is pure. As in, devoid of any ulterior motive of any kind. Otherwise, it won't just be a matter of if I could grant the wish; it'd also be a matter of if I even would grant it. Why do you ask? Are you thinking maybe we could somehow wish for Risky's scheme to be foiled or something? Because even if I could grant a wish right now, I can only do but so much. My powers haven't developed enough to handle anything other than the basics, like making inanimate objects appear or disappear, as far as I know…"
"That's perfect," Tay commented, much to Shantae's surprise.
"Really? Wow, most people I've told that to have told me my wish-granting powers were basically useless…"
"Well don't listen t' them fools," Tay assured her as he tapped her on the shoulder, eliciting a disarming chuckle out of her. "Anyway, Shantae… I don't know what we'd have t' do t' charge your powers up enough t' grant the wish I have, but in case we figure it out, I have one."
"Oh?" she remarked in surprise, wondering just what her significant other had in mind. "In that case, what would you want to wish for?"
"Hmm… I'll… I'll tell you as soon as we figure out our plan for destroyin' the Tinker-Portal."
"Oh. Okay… That's… very interesting, Tay," Shantae remarked, studying the shirtless soldier up and down as he smirked at her.
"An eye for an eye, sweetie pie," he teased with a wink, making her grin and chortle in amusement. "That said, I've got somethin' of a genie wish o' my own t' grant in the form o' destroyin' that Tinker-Portal. My wish t' you can come after that an' after we deal with Risky on the priorities list."
"Ah, right, how could I forget? You're a genie, too," she playfully 'remembered,' poking him in the chest as she made a joke about a certain coincidence regarding Tay's place of employment.
"Indeed I am. That said, let's figure out how we're gonna do this…" he suggested as the duo huddled together. "We've spent a lot o' time clarifyin' what our end goal is... in addition t' clarifyin' at least a few other things, so it's about time we bridged the gap between us goin' in an' us takin' Risky down."
"My thoughts exactly, babe…" she readily agreed.
"Hm. Gotta say, you warmed up t' the pet names a lot faster than I thought you would," he pointed out at an extraordinarily inopportune time, flustering the poor girl in the process.
"W-Well, so have you," she defensively countered, not terribly fond of his observation as she grew slightly (read: incredibly) nervous. "I'm not sure how fast you thought I'd get comfortable with it, all things considered. What, is there some sort of time limit I should be aware of?"
"Nope," he answered, reading the sarcasm in her tone. "Just glad t' know we're that close as a couple already, Shantae."
"D'aww, Tay…" she affectionately remarked with a cheerful grin, causing him to nervously chuckle a bit.
"I don't know if what I said is worthy o' that reaction," Tayshan commented with a nonchalant shrug in an attempt to hide his momentary embarrassment. Seeing her smile, however… it strangely invigorated him. Or rather, maybe it isn't so 'strange' when we think about the context. Either way, he found himself more motivated to finish the fight alongside Shantae.
"Yes, Tayshan, it is worthy of that reaction," Shantae playfully taunted, nudging him with a hand. "Anyway, let's get started with our plan. I'm sure Risky's probably thinking she shook us off by now, so we should take advantage of the opportunity while we can."
"My thoughts exactly," the serviceman agreed, prompting him and the half-genie to begin discussing the stipulations of their strategy for getting the drop on Risky Boots. Whatever it was, it certainly had me on my toes. Of course, rather than continue to listen to the two of them prattle on like the had been, we'd be better off keeping this portion of their discussion a... sort of 'situational secret.' After all, it's better to show than to tell…
Meanwhile, a bit later…
LOCATION: RISKY'S BASE, WESTERN EDGE, SEQUIN LAND
DATE: OCTOBER 2ND, 16 P.G.F.
TIME: 2223 HOURS
Deep within the confines of the lair of Sequin Land's most infamous buxom buccaneer, the Tinkerbat crew (and their leader) had been frantically scrambling about in the aftermath of their latest plot being halted in its tracks. With plenty of light provided by the wall-mounted candles lining the perimeter of the isolated sea cavern, Tinkerbats left and right were rushing to and from their heavily damaged vessel in hopes of repairing it before Risky Boots completely lost her temper. And speaking of which…
"You miserable clods had better hope we can clean up this mess by midnight, because if we don't, I will personally feed each and every one of you to the sharks!" threatened none other than Risky Boots herself, her outfit tattered up and littered with splinters as she oversaw the fear-based collaborative effort by her minions to salvage their plan to take over Sequin Land. As her minions fully committed themselves to either making a host of last-minute repairs to the ship, taking an inventory of their remaining arsenal, or vigilantly patrolling the front and back entrances of the base, Risky herself angrily approached the dysfunctional Tinker-Portal.
"I can't believe this…! I can't believe this!" she shouted, beyond ticked off at the humiliating blow she'd been dealt by none other than that wretched half-genie and her circus freak friends. "All that time… All that planning… All that effort…! And for what? For me to get stifled and humiliated again!? This shouldn't be possible, darn it!" she continued to rant, her frustration with the poor turnout of her scheme getting to her as her fists began to flicker and glow dark purple. "This isn't over yet, Shantae… Mark my words, I will DESTROY you AND your little friends the next time we meet. And you'd better believe we'll all be crossing paths again VERY soon…!" the infuriated Pirate Queen vowed. "And after that, Sequin Land will be mine for the taking like it always should've been. Of course, there's still the matter of how to get this thing to function again…" she trailed off, studying the partially melted contraption; specifically, the Hypersonic Propulsion Generator that had been burned and fried the last time it was used. "Hm. It should at least still be possible to rebuild my Tinker-Portal, so I've still got that much going for me. Even for not having been able to push past that meddlesome halfling, there's no doubt the weapons we collected from the other world have proven their worth. We're going to need more if we plan on actually accomplishing our goal, however. I'm also starting to wonder if maybe the Tinkerbats are ready to upgrade to the standard ammunition these guns were supposed to use, however little of it we have before we eventually traverse back to that other dimension…"
As Risky pondered how to proceed with an appropriate measure of properly pushing her plan forward, she caught sight of a single Tinkerbat that had been placing random objects near the Tinker-Portal. She didn't remember giving any of her underlings any orders related to the portal, so it immediately seemed suspicious to her that this Tinkerbat was not following directions. The objects in question being placed near the Tinker-Portal were a huge stack of purple handheld cases that, as far as she last remembered, housed the samples of interdimensional ammunition for the bulk of her stolen arsenal… that she stored exclusively in the captain's quarters of her ship. At that, she became supremely irritated.
"HEY! WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING!?" she shouted, startling the poor minion as it panicked and dropped the cases it had been carrying near the Tinker-Portal. "Who told you to touch those bullet cases!?"
The Tinkerbat, startled out of its wits, began haphazardly waving its arms around to convey that it was merely trying to do its part in helping her to reorganize. The Tinkerbat, however, seemed to be rather uncertain of itself as it stared in fright at its leader.
"If I wanted to 'reorganize,' you imbecile, I'd have specifically told you to do that! Stop screwing around, put those cases back where you found them, and get back to work!"
The Tinkerbat made another series of gestures that didn't exactly communicate a clear message to Risky, though it still seemed incredibly nervous.
"You're not making sense," Risky bluntly pointed out, growing steadily more irritated with this minion's antics.
The Tinkerbat tried once again to tell Risky what it was thinking, but its mannerisms still didn't communicate a clear message. The Pirate Queen could only decipher that its message had something to do with the Tinker-Portal, as it had been pointing at the device. The Tinkerbat was also pointing at her and somewhere behind her.
"You're really starting to grind on my nerves, you little whelp!" Risky indignantly shouted as she raised a fist to the frightened minion, causing it to flinch. "If you're so scared of me that you can't make a simple statement about what the heck it is you're doing, then you're wasting my time! Now, do as I told you, put those bullet cases back, and go fix the ship! If you waste one more second fooling around, then so help me, I'll…?" she was about to threaten when she noticed something blue and cylindrical sticking out of the back of the Tinkerbat's pants. "What the…? Are those my blueprints to the Dynamo!?" she demanded to know, shouting loudly enough to scare every Tinkerbat in the vicinity into freezing as they all turned toward their leader. The atmosphere had suddenly fallen deathly silent, save for the restless ocean waves outside… and some strange hissing, ringing noise coming from seemingly nowhere.
The Tinkerbat tried once again to explain itself, waving and flailing its arms about and hopping around like it was dancing. It was at this point, however, that the Tinkerbat had completely stopped making sense. And at that point, Risky ran out of patience.
"Stop, stop, stop! Not another word out of you!" she hollered, causing the Tinkerbat to freeze in place, standing at attention as it also suspiciously glanced toward the front entrance of the cavern at the other end. Risky didn't notice this, however, as she was busy reaching toward her unruly underling. "You're clearly too stupid to speak plainly and clearly, so you will blather on no longer! Give me those blueprints right now, or else I'll hang you upside down from the crow's nest of the ship! I don't know how you got your grubby little mits on them, but I'm gonna get to the bottom of it! You've ticked me off enough as it is! Give it here!" she demanded, attempting to snatch the blueprints off her minion. In a sudden act of ill-advised defiance, however, the Tinkerbat hopped back, slapping Risky's hand. The tiny *smack* of the Tinkerbat's hand against hers struck such shock and monumental collective fear in the rest of the crew that, if they were capable of any form of audible communication, they'd have all gasped simultaneously. And at this, Risky… was… furious.
"YOU MISERABLE LITTLE CARPET STAIN! I WILL TURN YOU INSIDE OUT!" Risky roared, lunging forth to grab the Tinkerbat by its scraggly little throat. The Tinkerbat, in yet another unprecedented act of defiance, turned tail and scurried away, prompting Risky to doggedly chase after it. "And now you want to play stupid games and run from me!? Oh, I am going to make the BIGGEST example out of you! Get back here!" she shouted as the Tinkerbat zig-zagged across the floor of the base. Still not understanding in the slightest what was happening, the rest of the Tinkerbats remained paralyzed in aggregate terror, knowing for a fact that Risky would punish every single one of them for their peer's idiotic shenanigans.
Surprisingly, Risky found it quite difficult to get ahold of the Tinkerbat whose neck she wanted to wring like a wet towel. It wasn't particularly quick in terms of speed, but its agility threw her off. She tried lunging at it, only for it to suddenly cut in a different direction before she could get close enough to grab it. She tried leaping ahead of it to try and cut it off, only for it to turn and bolt toward one of the far corners of the base before she could snatch it up. Soon enough, some of the other Tinkerbats attempted to intervene by surrounding their insubordinate ally. When a group of Risky's minions circled around the wayward Tinkerbat in the center of the base, however, the Tinkerbat jumped as high and as far as it could, stepping on the head of one of its teammates and leaping off while the rest of the group clamored over one another to try and catch it.
Within seconds of this daring feat, the Tinkerbat continued to zigzag and run unpredictably around the base while the rest of the team tried to get it to stop acting so strangely. Risky had furiously been giving chase until the sound of something revving up and ringing hit her ears. The second the sound registered in her ears, she stopped in her tracks and looked toward the entrance of the cave. In the meantime, the Tinkerbat she'd been chasing had finally been subdued by its peers. Although, they only managed to do so when the Tinkerbat in question stopped and, with a sudden flash of fire, burned the Dynamo blueprints to ashes in an instant. While it was preoccupied, the other Tinkerbats tackled it to the cold, stony ground and grabbed onto all of its limbs. They were about to bring their rogue ally to the Pirate Queen for judgment when…
"What in the world is that noise…?" Risky murmured in curiosity as she also picked up what looked like a blinding light rivaling the sun in intensity forming from within the watery tunnel that served as the main entrance. "And… what's that light?" she further asked, compelled to carefully approach pathway as she mentally guessed away at the source of the unusual disturbance. As she approached however, the light grew bigger and brighter like a fire had been set within the entrance. Additionally, the high-pitched, humming *WHIIRRRRRR* of some unidentified object had been getting louder by the second to the point where it almost enveloped the atmosphere of the Pirate Queen's hideout. "Who's there!?" Risky demanded to know, drawing her stolen handgun and rushing toward the entrance. "Show yourself, or I'll-!"
"RISE AN' SHINE, RISKY BOOTS!" the voice of a familiar male called out from within the entrance of the base where Risky was headed. Within a second of this brazen statement being shouted loud enough to echo throughout the entire cavern, a sudden, deafening, immensely powerful *KAPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRSSSHHHH* had rung out, prompting everyone in the cave to hit the deck. Risky, who'd planted herself on the ground for cover, looked up from the side of the cave, being forced to shield her eyes as a massive… and I mean MASSIVE beam of concentrated light the size of a bullet train came racing through the cave with frightening velocity.
"Ghah…! What the…!?" Risky tried to ask herself as she and her Tinkerbats remained grounded, shielding their eyes as the temperature of the cave suddenly spiked to scorching levels like they were inside a volcano all over again. The entire room lit up like someone had brought in ten tons of fireworks and ignited all of them at once. It The unsuspecting lady pirate would get no time to register what was happening before the beam smashed into the Tinker-Portal with an ear-splitting *FRRRISSSSSSHSHHHHHH*, scorching the device in its entirety and melting it and everything else in its path into molten magma, if not completely disintegrating it instantaneously. Immediately after, the light beam of total, unthinkable destruction crashed into the wall behind it, where the extremely thunderous *KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* utterly ROCKED the cave, causing it to quake as a massive, gaping hole was blasted through. The energy beam, seeming to have no end to its path of utter annihilation, continued to travel through the gigantic hole in the wall at light speed, vaporizing anything it touched. The water that the beam passed through had been rapidly superheated to the point where voluminous clouds of steam were puffing and billowing out with such speed and volume that it almost seemed like literal storm clouds were being formed. The unforgiving laser practically parted the sea, its heat and strength was so intense… Heck, I'm not even sure I'm doing it justice by describing it the way I am. So, if you'll excuse me for a moment, let's give you some additional context…
Back on the deserted island, mere moments earlier…
The unofficially-named anti-piracy gang we'd previously observed setting up a campsite and calling up an emergency rescue team had been making the best of their forced quality time together. As the group sat around their bright, blazing campfire that provided their only reliable source of light, they shared snacks, traded stories, and collectively pondered about the chance of success in their mission to stop Risky Boots. They were none the wiser to anything going on within the confines of Risky's base, but they held out hope that things would turn out like they needed to.
"Whelp, that's basically how I was raised," Sky stated, seeming to have been concluding a story she'd been telling. "Loving, but overbearing parents, something of a perfectionist streak by my own admission, and a lot of situations that made me prove my abilities as a worthy bird tamer, and boom. That's me in a nutshell."
"Wow. No wonder you're always acting like you've got a stick up your butt," Rottytops very brashly observed, making Twitch and Vinegar giggle. Sky didn't find the comment funny in the slightest, however, as she glared hot death at Rottytops.
"Don't go there with me, okay? I just opened up to you, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't use it to take another cheap shot at me," Sky very sternly warned.
"Yeah, Rotty, that was kinda mean," Bolo agreed, also taking no humor in the zombie girl's comment. "I know you two don't get along that well, but we've gotta draw the line somewhere, like you said earlier. Sky's a hard worker in her own right and she's got lots of goals to accomplish in life. You can't really knock her for that."
"Relax, you two," Rotty nonchalantly assured as she pacifically held her hands up in front of herself. "I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was that it makes sense why birdie's got that tendency to take things more seriously than everyone else."
"If that's what you meant, then your phrasing is way off," Twitch interjected, still chuckling along with Vinegar.
"Yeah, that's like me calling you a lonely, desperate attention seeker after you told us about why you spend so much time chasing after Shantae and trying to 'corrupt' her," Vinegar humorously added, though Rotty saw little humor in it.
"I do not 'chase after her,' first of all!" the zombie girl defensively remarked in ire as she blushed and crossed her arms. "I said that she's my closest friend and that I generally enjoy her company more than others! And I was joking about the 'corrupting' thing! Jeez!"
"Hey, hey, no need to get upset," Vinegar assured, taking her turn to hold her hands up to signify that she meant no harm. "We're not judging you for having your… 'feelings.' We were just making an observation about how your comment about Squawks could be interpreted differently from how you meant it."
"Hmph…!" Rotty pouted, turning her head away from the Ammonian girls as she internally acknowledged their point.
"And now I've heard it all. You two, suddenly agreeing with me?" Sky asked of Twitch and Vinegar, the former of which merely shrugged while the latter nonchalantly tilted her head.
"Eh, it had to happen eventually," Twitch remarked. "Doesn't mean anything, so don't read into it." At that, Sky chuckled a bit.
"Right. Well, I'll take it for what it is. Anyway, what were you saying earlier about how you two met? Take this as you will, but I'm interested to know," the bird tamer asked, prompting a separate discussion about the respective histories of Twitch and Vinegar.
"'Feelings?'" Bolo asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned toward Rotty and observed her flustered facial expression. Noticing right away, the undead maiden shifted in her seat as she looked right back at him.
"What are you lookin' at?" the zombie girl irritably asked.
"Huh… I'm curious now…" he pensively commented to her, causing her to tense up a bit as her eyes widened.
"Curious about what, 'Spiky?' How weird you look, staring at me like you're in love with me or something? Because newsflash: Girls don't like peeping toms," she rather bitterly remarked, though she was doing so more to protect herself than to offend him.
"Eh, you're not exactly my type, so don't get your hopes up," Bolo rather bluntly remarked, inadvertently offending Rotty in the process.
"You have a 'type?' Good graces for the races, Bolo has standards!" she sarcastically teased, lashing out at him to get him to leave her be.
"Yeah, though you'll never find out what they are," he shot back, matching her irritation with his own.
"Trust me, kid, I'm pretty sure I already know your type. Young, pretty, breathing, and female, as long as it isn't me, Sky, or Shantae. You're not that hard to read." At that, Bolo found himself even more irritated as he shot her a disapproving frown.
"Yeah, well neither are you, Ms. I-Secretly-Have-A-Crush-On-Shantae," he challenged, his remark frightening the zombie girl stiff as her eyes grew wide like satellites.
"…What… did you just say to me?" Rotty found just barely enough courage to ask as she ignored the thumping of her heart against her chest.
"Y-you heard me," Bolo shot back, standing his ground through his sudden, crippling fear of what Rottytops would do to him if he actually repeated his statement. At that, Rotty's facial expression changed from shock to a sudden, burgeoning anger as she stared daggers into the handyman.
"Well if you've got any guts, you'll say-!" she was about to issue her challenge before a sudden, jarring *KABOOM* of a massive explosion in the distance cut her off. "Huh?" she hummed, turning in the direction of the startling sound to see that an enormous beam of light had raced out of a certain island cave, incinerating everything in its path.
"Whoa, what the heck is THAT!?" Twitch asked as she and the rest of the group turned toward the disturbance to witness the phenomenon for itself.
"Is that coming from Risky's hideout?" Sky asked in wonder, also looking above the beam to see the numerous steam clouds and the brief moment where it almost looked like daytime around the area of the blast. The water surrounding it had been instantly evaporated, kicking up into gigantic clouds of steam and fog as the tides became wild and unpredictable. One could hear the *HIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS* of the ocean's currents sizzling the instant they crashed into the blazing light beam.
"Looks like it…" Bolo observed, though he wasn't rightly able to identify it. "But what in the world could've caused THAT? That looks like an energy blast from Lummox Egg Z!" he further remarked, tipping Rottytops off and reminding her of something while also making yet another mention of this oh-so popular 'Lummox Egg' manga to draw a curious comparison.
"…The Sun's Wrath…" she murmured in total shock, causing the rest of the team to turn toward her after the blast dissipated and left pure, unadulterated darkness-shrouded devastation in its wake. "He wasn't joking about how strong that thing was…"
"The what?" Vinegar pressed for information.
"The Sun's Wrath," Rotty reiterated, exchanging glances with her comrades. "Stud muffin's secret weapon. That's what that massive beam of light and that huge explosion were from."
"How do you know that?" Sky asked her.
"When Shantae, Tayshan, and I went to the Thimble Canyon, we picked up some big, bulky super cannon that Tayshan called the 'Sun's Wrath,'" she explained. "He said it was a prototype weapon from his timeline and that it could basically vaporize anything in its path by shooting a gigantic, all-consuming beam of concentrated heat energy at whatever target he aimed it at… He most likely used it just now, and that's what we just saw."
"Really, now?" Twitch asked with some incredulity. "The weapons from that world of his are a force to be reckoned with, for sure… But, if that's true, then why didn't he use it to completely obliterate Risky and her pirate ship earlier?"
"Because he wanted to use it to destroy the portal thing that brought him here instead of doing something inhumane like aiming it at her directly. He didn't want to kill her, even after what she did to him. Plus, even if he did want to use it on Risky, we'd have talked him out of it anyway."
"And let her live on to keep terrorizing people for her own sick kicks? Come on, you don't get power like THAT, and then squander it instead of using it to eliminate threats as big as Risky is," Vinegar argued.
"That may be how you guys operate," Bolo interjected. "But as heroes, we don't push the envelope quite that far."
"'Hero,' Spiky?" the taller Ammonian acolyte asked, not the least bit accepting of his notion. "What did we talk about before?"
"If you're going to mention what happened to the Baron Desert, then let's at least mention how lucky we are that we got Tay to snap out of whatever Risky did to him before he hurt us," Sky defended the soldier in his absence. "Or hurt Ammo Baron and Techno Baron worse than he would've if we couldn't get him to stop, for that matter..."
"Plus, he still gave you guys another chance to help us, even after what you did to contribute to him turning evil and almost icing your leader and your business partner," Rotty also intervened.
"No, I wasn't going to mention that," Vinegar denied. "We understand the context of this situation now. Believe us. I was just going to say that the 'hero' thing can only fly but so far when your 'heroic' deeds include sparing bad guys as ruthless and violent as Risky Boots."
"Yeah, she's clearly got a goal in mind, and she's not gonna stop until she accomplishes it or dies trying," Twitch added. "That, or she completely wipes out everyone and everything in her path. And as long as she's not going to stop, she doesn't deserve any mercy if she's put in a spot where she gets a taste of her own medicine."
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," Sky advised. "And even if you could somehow justify dealing out the same level of cruelty to Risky that she deals out on a regular basis, you'd be spending a lot of time thinking about it afterward. Plus, you'd be no better than she is if you stooped to her level. You don't just walk away from an experience like that if you've got a heart."
"A fair point, but it's a matter of eliminating one person to potentially save millions of others," Vinegar made her next point.
"Regardless, stud muffin made his decision and he presumably just destroyed that mystical portal thing that Risky used to bring him and all those awful guns here," Rotty conclusively stated, not wanting to get into the semantics of how the Sun's Wrath was used. "And now, he's here forever. I only wonder how he's feeling right about now…"
"…That means he also probably just destroyed the Hypersonic Propulsion Generator we were supposed to take back… Shoot…!" Vinegar cursed.
"Ah, well… We'll get Techno Baron to build another one," Twitch remarked with a shrug, though she found herself curious about the little lizard's absence. "Say… Where is Techno Baron, anyway?" she asked, causing Sky and Bolo to look at one another before turning their attention back to the Ammonian affiliates.
"Do you really wanna know?" Bolo asked back, raising their suspicions immediately.
"…You handed him off to that giant mermaid earlier before he even knew what was going on. Didn't you?" Vinegar very tersely guessed, remembering the 'deal' he made with her.
"Yyyyyyep," Sky answered for him.
"We should've known you tricksters would pull something sneaky like that," Twitch remarked, agitated by the revelation that Techno Baron was now Giga Mermaid's prisoner. "We could've used his help. Don't you realize that?"
"He did help us," Bolo assured. "He helped us by being the reason Giga Mermaid joined the battle."
"Ugh, this is why we don't usually delve too deeply into these non-Ammonian partnerships," Vinegar remarked with a disapproving shake of her head. "Somewhere down the line, someone's just GOTTA do something that sours the whole deal…"
"Takes a deal-breaker to know a deal-breaker, huh?" Sky asked, knowing full well they wouldn't like to hear that.
"…Y'know what? We hate you for it, but that's fair. That's totally fair," Twitch acknowledged to her partner's shock.
"Fair…? Vidi, what do you mean…?" Vinegar whispered.
"For one thing, they're right..." Twitch whispered back. "We don't have the cleanest track record out there right now, and we've got an image to improve from there. The more important thing, though is this... When we go and 'rescue' ol' Tin-Head from that mermaid, we'll do it with the condition that he clears our tabs, so we can start fresh with him… A.B. DID say he was in way too much debt to realistically pay our little lizard friend off, so we may as well make the best of it…"
"Ahh, I see… Genius…!" Vinegar agreed, nodding as she approved of the underhanded method they would employ to get out of crippling debt free.
"Rrrrrrright…" Rotty droned, overhearing just enough of the Ammonian girls' bantering that she picked up on their egregious idea. "Well, until we figure out what to do before we get off this island and hope for the best for snack cakes and stud muffin, your little extortion scheme's gonna have to take a back seat. In the meantime, I think it was your turn to share what makes you tick, Bolo," she volunteered him as they shifted their focus.
"What? Me? I thought it was Twitch's turn?" Bolo griped, evidently not wanting to spill his guts in front of a bunch of girls.
"Nope. She and Vinegar finished theirs, but you were too busy talking to Rottytops in private," Sky set the record straight. "So, let's hear it, Bolo. What makes you do the things you do, eh? I'm sure you'll have loads of insight for us ladies," she further goaded him.
"…Aw, maaaan…" he whined as he crossed his arms, hating the idea of opening up to the girls even more than he hated it a second ago. Nevertheless… "Well, I guess I'll start here, but don't expect me to say much," he warned as he began discussing his personal background, thus giving us the perfect opportunity to jump back into the action. And awaaaaay, we go…
Back in the base…
"What… How…? Ah…!" Risky Boots stammered, gawking at inconceivable damage inflicted upon her base by the Sun's Wrath. Where her Tinker-Portal and a chunk of the weapon supply (including the original ammunition for it) were, was now a colossal, smoking, gaping hole whose perimeter was dripping literal magma. The immediate vicinity around the hole was littered with chunks of metal and burnt rocks. Occasional splashes of water came rushing in through the gaping opening, initially sizzling upon contact with the molten rock outlining the hole. "What in the world…?"
"Hm. An' with that, no more planet invasions or weapons theft schemes for you," a familiar man spoke out as he walked into the base through the entrance with a notably humongous firearm mounted on his shoulder. The firearm in question had been glowing a bright orange and was smoking heavily like it was about to explode in his grasp.
"You…! What… What did you DO!?" Risky shouted, immediately full to the brim with murderous wrath as she glared at the man, who (unsurprisingly) turned out to be Tayshan. "And where in the heck did you get that ca-!" she was about to further demand to know. However, to her surprise, he quickly turned around and…
"Haaaar-yah!" he shouted as he flung the super weapon into the ocean behind him, the burnt-out cannon hitting the water surface with a sizzling *KASPLISH* as he turned back to Risky and drew a single handgun from his holster. "I just did what should've been done ages ago an' made sure that this was your final attempt at invadin' any other worlds for as long as you live. Next, we make sure that this is your last attempt at takin' over the country," he vowed, aiming the firearm at Risky. Though shocked and appalled, her minions scrambled around the area to gather weapons of their own to defend her with.
"Hmph. Everything I provided you in the last twenty-four hours, and this is how you repay me, Tay-Tay? You disappoint me," she taunted with a shake of her head once she regained her composure. In the meantime, all but one of her Tinkerbats spread to the three remaining un-exploded corners of the base, getting their hands on what little weapons they could find as they also ducked for cover and awaited Risky's order. Knowing this, Risky held up a hand to command them to hold their fire, but take aim. That one Tinkerbat stayed behind her as though it didn't know what to do, however, as it hadn't even drawn a weapon. It kept its eyes glued to Risky, however.
"Like I said before, you connivin' demon witch, you ain't 'give' me nothin'," Tay bitterly spat. "You tried t' take away my resolve t' fight for peace in this world. You tried t' break me down an' brainwash me t' take away my ability t' think for myself. You tried t' turn me against my friends…!" he further pointed out, swirls of Dark Magic emanating off his body as he kept his aim firm. "An' you VIOLATED me because you couldn't tolerate the idea of havin' somebody else standin' at Shantae's side against you! There was NOTHIN' I could've gained from what you've done, other than another ten reasons t' take you down!"
"Oh, you poor, deluded mess of a man," Risky carelessly remarked with a shrug. "See what I did there, by the way? I called you a 'man.' You know why? Because I made you a man last night, in case you've forgotten," she coldly 'reminded' him, causing him to scowl with such intensity that he could've made her explode just by glaring at her. "There are very, VERY few in this world who hold that honor, you know," she further 'asserted,' displaying just how little she cared about the repercussions of her actions. "That said, it certainly almost makes me wonder how you broke the control of the Dark Magic gem, but I already know that a certain genie tart had something to do with it. That also begs the question of where she is right now, because I doubt you'd have seriously come all this way by yourself just to uselessly defy your master yet again."
"You are no 'master' o' mine, so save your high-an'-mighty shtick for your bat cronies here," Tay spat in disgust. "An' all you need t' know is that I was granted the chance t' reel myself back in before it was too late. An' as you might've guessed, I'm here t' put a stop t' your schemes once an' for all."
"You tried that and failed already. When will you learn that you can't stop me, even in your wildest dreams? When will you realize that you're throwing away a golden opportunity to be truly successful in this world? I gave you the gift of manhood, Tayshan. Don't you see? I even gave you a power boost in the form of that gem, whose magic is flowing from your very core as we speak. And had you not just completely obliterated my Tinker-Portal and forever stranded yourself in Sequin Land, I could've given you a lot more. Power. Riches. A much better purpose than whatever tawdry little grocery list of 'heroic' goals you have now. Clearly, I wasn't thorough enough with making you see things my way. And now, I have to punish you harder for your insolence and complete disrespect of my offers to you, in addition to what you just did to my machine…!"
"I was a man before I ever crossed paths with you, Risky, an' I remain so at this very moment. You could never have that sort o' control over me," Tay rebutted, taking a deep breath to remain as calm as he could. "An' you know full well that there's NO honor in what you did t' me. An' as far as this gem shard goes, the power it grants t' me comes at the cost o' my sanity. Or at least, it would've… But then, you already knew that, which is why you made me swallow it when you kidnapped me. So I'm not thankin' you for that, either. But all of that is beside the main point o' why we're here now. Despite all your desperate, merciless, downright diabolical plans and manipulation tactics over the course o' this month, you're in a corner now. Play it off all you want, but you knew you were closin' in on this dead end. You had t' know."
"Ah, there's no use talking sense into you. You're too fixated on your dumb little girlfriend and those worthless peasants you smuggled out of my captivity, in addition to blindly playing the 'hero' who's going to save the day. I've got a special punishment lined up for you that you won't forget this time. No one pulls the wool over my eyes and lives to tell about it. Also, 'Dead End?' Hah! Don't make me laugh," Risky assured, staring bullets into the soldier as she prepared to make her move. "You're here seemingly by yourself with nothing but a single gun, standing against me, my crew, and the remainder of our weapons after you just ditched that strange super cannon by hurling it into the water. After I beat you into submission again, you're going to explain to me where that thing came from and how you're going to get me another one of them," she warned, evidently having had no clue of the Sun's Wrath's existence while also finding herself VERY interested in its destructive power. "Other than that, this scenario is almost an exact reenactment of the day we met. You do remember what happened back then, as well as the last few times you tried to fight me on your own, don't you?"
"Yeah, I remember. Of course, you only beat me outright the first time. Every time after that, I got the edge on you, only for you to pull some cheap trick to turn the tables at the last second," Tay knowingly replied, keeping his cool. "It's clear by now that I've become too big a threat for you an' your crew t' handle straight-up, an' it's nobody's fault but your own. That's why you've been tryin' t' intimidate an' control me. That's why you sent multiple squads o' your little Tinkerbats t' ambush me when you thought they could deal with me. That's why you duped our Ammonian friends int' stabbin' me in the back. That's… exactly why we're here right now, with you havin' t' run from me with your tail between your legs when you can't rely on underhanded tactics t' fight me. Even now, you got all your goons lined up an' ready t' try an' mow me down the minute you tell 'em to. But most of 'em know, an' even YOU know what I'll do to 'em as soon as you bark that order, Risky. So, go ahead. Try it."
"You overstate your worth, you scurvy dog! You couldn't beat me in a hundred years, and you've accomplished nothing! You were a pathetic weakling without my assistance, and now you're just a foolhardy ingrate who needs to be taught not to bite the hand that feeds!"
"Oh, I touched a nerve there, didn't I?" Tay remarked, smirking at the sight of Risky getting angrier at him. "That's because you know I'm right."
"Not even close, you hopeless traitor," the Pirate Queen spat, obviously finding his assertions to be ludicrous. "I'm stronger than you. FAR stronger. You could never hope to contend with me. And the day you manage to scare me is the day I give up my status as the most powerful woman—no, the most powerful BEING on this planet and settle for a life of pitiful mediocrity like you."
"The power gap between you an' me is nowhere near as big as you think, but you keep tellin' yourself that. I'll just go ahead an' let my skills do the talkin' from here on. Funny you should make that claim either way, because I was about t' make another point," Tay cryptically remarked, throwing Risky off.
"…And what idiotic 'point' is that?"
"That there's one person stronger than either of us that I know for a fact that you're scared of," he answered, still smirking as he continued to aim the handgun at her. "An' if I had t' guess, I'd say she is the most powerful being on this planet. Not you," he concluded, suspiciously taking a hand off his weapon to raise it high and give a thumbs-up.
"Well, it's painfully obvious who you're referring to. And just when I think you couldn't get stupider, you just keep running that foolish mouth of yours," the buccaneer dismissed. "You DO know I'm-!"
"About to learn exactly what he means, Risky Boots!" a female voice called out from behind Risky, finishing the Pirate Queen's statement for her.
"What!? Who dares-!?" Risky tried to ask as she turned around, only to notice a Tinkerbat rushing toward her. In a matter of seconds, however, she saw the Tinkerbat vanish with a *POOF* into a cloud of pink smoke, only for a certain red-garbed, purple ponytailed, teenage heroine to come lunging forth. Before Risky had time do properly defend herself…
"Kyaaaaaah!" Shantae roared, gracefully twirling through the air with her leg cocked as far back as she could manage. And, within a second of her shedding her disguise and leaping into the air, she flung her foot forward with full force. The half-genie's foot blasted her archenemy's chin with a jarring, devastating *KATHRAASH*, sending Risky flying across the damaged base in debilitating pain. Risky soon found herself careening toward the ground, hitting it with a dense *THUD* before rolling and sliding across the ocean-soaked cavern floor. "That was for Sky!" she triumphantly declared, her entire form coated in Light Magic as she wore a highly determined facial expression and focused her glare on Risky Boots.
"Good work, homegirl!" Tay lauded her, dropping his stance and tensing up for a second. And, with a painful burst of Dark Magic enveloping his body and a sudden *FWOOSH*, the soldier appeared to power up in preparation for the imminent battle. In that same moment, however, every Tinkerbat in the cave went into high alert as they mobilized to begin containing the two-pronged threat that had revealed themselves. "Agh…! I'll get the Tinkerbats! Keep Risky on her toes in case she can't be taken down outright! An' make sure you account for the fact that she can charge herself up with Dark Magic as well!"
"Count on it, Tay! Make sure not to overuse your Dark Magic, alright? We don't want it to overwhelm you. And call for me if they get to be too much!" Shantae also advised as the dynamic duo lined up back-to-back, studying their surroundings to pick a suitable point to begin the final phase of their outrageous counterattack.
"Copy that," the serviceman acknowledged as he also pulled an explosive device from his inventory. "Say the word when you're ready, because they ain't gonna wait."
"Ret-2-Go!" Shantae announced, dashing off toward Risky Boots while Tayshan pulled the pin on the grenade in his hand and flung it in the opposite direction toward a group of Risky's minions. And with that, the final battle had begun.
SHANTAE VS. RISKY BOOTS, ROUND TWO: AGGRESSIVE ADVERSARIAL ALTERCATION & TAYSHAN VS. TINKERBATS: PERILOUS PIRATE PANDEMONIUM!
"Finish the Fight…!" the now-Sequinean serviceman announced to begin the truly catastrophic conflict as his grenade went off with a *BOOM*, though his intended targets had all cleared the area as soon as they saw him launch it. In return, many of Risky's minions scattered themselves around the arena and returned fire with a mixture of their regular guns and the stolen interdimensional ones. As Tay dashed toward the spot where he flung his first grenade, he let out a flurry of rounds from the handgun, vanquishing three Tinkerbats while the remaining four in the immediate area scrambled away while shooting at him with blunderbusses and semiautomatic rifles alike. Managing to avoid taking damage, Tay hopped over a stack of empty Weapons Crates, immediately ducking for cover as at least ten more Tinkerbats came charging in to try and contain him.
"Yeah, that's right… Come here an' get a giant helpin' o' what I got for y'all," he murmured, shooting down Tinkerbats one by one with short periods of ducking beneath his minuscule cover. As he held his ground, he pulled out another grenade and snatched the pin from it. In that moment, an entire squad of Risky's minions came charging in, knowing from their past encounters with this utterly insane, ruthless human that he should NEVER be allowed to run rampant through the base. As such, most of them unleashed an unforgiving fury on him, firing *BANG* after *KABLAM* after *BABOOM* of their firearms at him while others brave enough to do so went charging in with scimitars. "Grgh…! Heh, I see how it is…!" Tay observed, having been struck by some of the relentless gunfire as he pressed himself harder against the metal boxes serving as his cover. Faced with no choice but to improvise under the mounting pressure, he flung the grenade toward another pile of Weapons Crates, where it exploded and harmed no one as it knocked the boxes down. Through the corner of his eye, however, he noticed that one of the boxes opened upon impact with the ground, revealing a semiautomatic rifle. Just then, a barrage of three enemy grenade came hurtling in, hitting the wall behind him with a series of *clinks* that alerted him that his enemies were ready to take him out at all costs.
"Darn it…!" he cursed, hurriedly leaping out of the way of the explosives just as they went off with nearly simultaneous *KABOOMS*. The Tinkerbats were far from ready to allow him to escape, however. One of the Tinkerbats wielding a scimitar attempted to catch him off-guard by swiping at him when the opportunity seemed appropriate. "Gah!" Tay shouted, leaning back to narrowly avoid the *SCHWING* of the sword before being forced to make another Propeller Boots-boosted jump toward his destination. A hurricane of flashing marbles came careening toward him as he dashed away from the stiff opposition and fired potshots with the pistol he had until it ran out of ammo. Within seconds, he reached his destination and got M4 Carbine and a magazine lying on the ground. He was forced to rush across the base as he loaded it, however, as his enemies were still doggedly pursuing him, shooting at him and throwing grenades left and right. Rounds high and low were zooming past him as he dashed across the Tinkerbat-infested cave. Risky's minions, more desperate than ever to vanquish who had become one of their most hated foes, rapidly increased their pressure on the serviceman they were so certain they could eliminate with sheer numbers and firepower. "Okay, so it's clear they're not gonna let me breathe without bein' punished for it…!" he eventually figured out, hurriedly slapping the magazine into his rifle and cocking it as he sprinted toward the gigantic, watery hole in the wall caused by the blast from the Sun's Wrath. On his way there, he caught a glimpse of Shantae and Risky Boots mercilessly swinging away at one another as they whirled around the destroyed arena, their startling blows echoing throughout the cave with *THRASH* after *PLACK* after *KAPROCK* that ripped through the battlefield like gale force winds.
"Everybody's givin' it everything they've got from the gate…" he realized as he aimed his rifle and fired into the crowd of Tinkerbats hounding him. He managed to take down a few of them, but their numbers were too great for him to mount a decent counterattack in such an enclosed space that lacked appropriate options for cover. "An' at this rate, I'm not gonna last if I don't do somethin' myself…" he further realized for himself as he narrowly avoided another spray of gunfire, followed by another pair of grenades hurled in his direction. Making matters worse, however, was that some of the members of the Tinkerbat mob began attacking Shantae while she was busy tangling with Risky Boots. And as if things couldn't get more perilous, they had an immediate impact in the form of the half-genie taking hits from all angles as she was forced to retreat and create some space for herself. "No…! They'll overwhelm her if I don't act now…!" he murmured, a mixture of burgeoning anger and immense concern for the half-genie's safety radiating from his very core. His concerns were only exacerbated when he watched Shantae take a brutal *THWACK* of a hook from Risky that forced the half-genie to retreat while desperately trying to avoid rapid sprays of gunfire from Tinkerbats high and low. "Darn it, we can't afford t' lose here! Not like this...! Not so soon...! I was hopin' it wouldn't come t' this…! Sorry, Shantae, but I don't have a choice now…!" And with that, he stopped in his tracks after flinging a flashbang grenade toward a swarm of Tinkerbats hounding him and using the distraction to jump as far away as he could. He would only be certain that he'd bought himself some time when the flashbang went off with a *KABLAM* and stunned some of his enemies as he retreated. Taking the very limited amount of time he bought for himself, he took a deep breath and focused his energy as best as he could. Tensing up every muscle in his body as he clenched one fist while holding his rifle in the other, Tayshan appeared to begin powering up as swirls of Dark Magic began to emanate from his skin. "Alright, Dark Magic… It's not the best of ideas t' do this, but if you're what I have t' rely on t' prove my worth here, then I gotta make you work t' the fullest...! And now's the time t' do it if we expect t' come out on top, or else we'll crack under the pressure...! This time, we're gonna work together…! This time…! I'm… agh…! I'm gonna go… all out! Haarrgh…! But this time… Hah...! This time, we'll fight… on MY terms…!" he urged himself as burning, stinging jolts coursed all over his body that he tried his best to ignore as the purple and black swirls around his body grew thicker and denser. "Hagh...! Hah...! Don't... let your passions... burn you...!" he recited as a way to mentally keep himself in check as he continued building up energy.
Despite having little time to practice utilizing the malevolent energy trapped in his body outside of when Risky Boots corrupted him with it previously, Tay at least understood that the arcane ability of his was brought forth chiefly by high, intense emotion. And with intense emotion as the key motivator for any form of magic to flourish, Tay figured that, for once, he would at least try to sublimate his rancorous anger at his enemies and his undying desire to protect his beloved half-genie partner at all costs as his method of willingly tapping into the same evil energy that threatened to destroy him from the inside out. He could only hope at this point, however, that he didn't wind up overdoing it and having such a chancy procedure completely backfire on him. The continuous stings and burning pricks across his body did him absolutely no favors in keeping himself under control. Worse yet, the searing discomfort shooting across his form only grew more intense with each passing second he allowed the Dark Magic to flow through him. His only saving grace, however, was that he had two very clear, very incorruptible goals in mind; those goal being to protect and assist Shantae against Risky in any method he could, and to make sure that, by all necessary means, Risky and her goons got their due comeuppance. Keeping his goals in mind as he kept his focus, the burning, prickling sensation slowly began to fade as he built up power. Soon enough, and with a sudden *WHOOOSH* of wind sweeping around him, and against the odds, he successfully tapped into his tainted magic.
"HeeeeeaaaaarrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" he suddenly roared loudly enough to cause the ground beneath him to quake as tempestuous winds began to swirl around him like a full-force tornado about to form. Within just a few seconds of charging himself up, a deafening, electric *FRWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORSH* of a fully tangible black and purple aura shrouding the serviceman rung out, the continuous hum of his malevolent energy stopping Risky's minions in their tracks. *CRACKLE* after *CRACKLE* of violet-hued lightning endlessly flickered and coursed over his body, the white-hot bolts threatening to electrocute anyone who dared to go near him as his aura grew darker, stronger, and more intimidating by the minute.
It appeared one of the Tinkerbats' worst nightmares was coming true right in front of them. Glancing at one another, they thought in a collective panic about what to do, terrified about what was in store for them if they didn't stop him. Those that didn't get too distracted by the mesmerizing light show shot at him with various firearms, the *RATATATs*, BANGs*, and *KABLAMs* almost drowned out by the incoming hurricane that was the soldier fully embracing the Dark Magic in his body in a desperate bid to protect his ally. Yet, despite the henchmen landing many direct hits, the aura surrounding the serviceman only grew stronger and more overwhelming to the point that the bullets the Tinkerbats fired suddenly began disintegrating off the red-hot, burgeoning energy waves before they could reach him. In turn, the swirling winds around his body grew more turbulent and more intense as though that tornado I mentioned a second ago was about to become a SUPER tornado as the winds picked up to the point where they could be heard all across the cavern. It was also to the point that another Tinkerbat attempted to fling a flashbang grenade to see if that would distract the human enough to get him to stop powering up. Yet, before the explosive device could even hit the ground near him, it was struck with a *CRACK* of a lightning bolt the instant it came within a few feet of its intended target. The circling winds also blew the grenade out through the hole in the wall, where its *pop* of an explosion was subdued by the ocean after it landed in the water outside. Realizing they were in for it from that point, Risky's minions desperately gesticulated to each other on how to put the enemy soldier down before he set out to massacre them again.
"Don't just stand there, you morons! Get him before-! Gahagh!" Risky Boots tried to warn before being struck in the face by a *THWACK* of Shantae's Hair Whip. The Pirate Queen just barely dodged the next Hair Whip coming in, following up by throwing a vicious hook while holding a certain silver pistol that struck the half-genie's cheek with a horrifying *CRACK*. "You're dead meat, brat!" Risky threatened as she continued belligerently trading blows with her most hated nemesis. Risky and Shantae, despite being well aware of the horrific phenomenon, relentlessly tore into each other with *THWACK* after *BANG* after *PLOCK* after *CLANG* as the ladies' respective Dark and Light magic auras began to surface. "Grrrgh, why won't you just lay down and perish already!?" the Pirate Queen demanded to know as she swung with just about the most brutal hook she'd ever thrown, only for it to whiff with a *SWISH*, of her Magic-bathed fist against the thick, musty air surrounding her and her opponent.
"Doryaaaah!" Shantae bellowed, her foot bathed in Light Magic as she performed a graceful spinning kick aimed at her archrival's face as a counter to her missed hook. With a crushing *WHACK*, Risky barely managed to block the incoming roundhouse with her Dark Magic-bathed forearm. The resulting impact resulted in an explosive clash whose sound rivaled that of a detonating grenade. Nevertheless, Risky tried to counter by aiming the Desert Eagle at her nemesis's face and pulling the trigger. Despite the gun going off with a deafening *BANG*, however, Shantae performed another magnificent spin move that allowed her to narrowly dodge the incoming round at point-blank. She followed up by throwing a vicious uppercut of her own, her fist colliding with the Pirate Queen's chin with a devastating *CRACK*. Shantae immediately followed up by landing a trio of lightning-quick *THWACKs* from her ponytail that sent Risky stumbling back a few steps before she dug her heels into the dirt beneath her to catch her balance. Needing to swing the momentum of the one-on-one scuffle in her direction, Risky Boots aimed the Desert Eagle and fired a haphazard flurry of *BANGs* directly at the half-genie while attempting to retreat to create some space. "Bubble!" Shantae called out, summoning her Reflector Bubble just in time for Risky's rounds to bounce off the barrier with a collection of *plinks* that sent the rounds back to their sender.
"Just as I figured you'd do…! Now, let's see what you do when you try to close the distance again…!" the calculating buccaneer murmured as she carefully watched the half-genie come charging in like she'd predicted. Shantae, seeming to have learned to use her Hair Attack sparingly against the likes of Risky Boots, dashed in while flinging a fireball from her hand with an intimidating *FWOOSH*. While not exactly what Risky was expecting, she had no issue sidestepping the incoming projectile while still waiting for Shantae to slip. The lady pirate's opportunity came when the half-genie got in close, dug her foot into the ground, and attempted to clean Risky's clock with a mighty Light Magic-infused haymaker aimed at her face. "Hah…!" Risky grunted, ducking under the speedy punch with the reflexes of a star-nosed mole and charging up a scarily huge supply of Dark Magic into her foot as he cocked it back. And, with unprecedented speed and a soul-shattering *THRASH*, Risky Boots kicked Shantae in the stomach hard enough that I swear you could see the indent of the Pirate Queen's foot in her back for a split second.
"Gaaagh…!" the poor half-genie choked out in a terrible mixture of shock and excruciating pain, never having been hit quite so unmercifully hard in her life as her feet left the ground for a few pulse-pounding seconds.
"Feel that!? Good… Now, have a taste of thi-! What!?" Risky was about to threaten as she aimed her stolen handgun at Shantae's face, only for Shantae to grab Risky's wrist while she was still recovering from the nasty stomach punt she'd been subjected to. Without waiting a single millisecond, the determined heroine fought through a tidal wave of abdominal discomfort partially caused by her partner's massive increase in Dark Magic exertion to engage her next attack.
"Haaaaaaryaaaaaaaaah!" Shantae roared as she, with another rush of Light Magic fueling her every move, reeled Risky in by her wrist and directed the gun away. And, with another earth-shattering *KAPLOCK* of her opposing fist against Risky's face, she hammered the ruthless villainess in the face hard enough that it would've knocked all the teeth out of a regular person while also smashing their jaw into bits. Risky, however, was no 'regular person,' and as such, lost none of her teeth or the use of her jaw. That said, the unsuspecting Pirate Queen certainly felt every bit of the explosive impact coursing through the entirety of her head as she was sent rocketing backward like she'd been flung from a catapult. Barely able to keep her coordination as she hurtled across the cavern, Risky quickly planted a hand onto the cold, wet ground, pushing off to somersault back to a standing position. Feeling the unbearably forceful impact of Shantae's unusually powerful hook, however, the Pirate Queen massaged her jaw. She would get no more time to register the impact, however, as Shantae fired a *CRACKLE* of an electric bolt at her, forcing her to hop out of the way while returning fire with another barrage of rounds from the Desert Eagle.
"For pete's sake…!" Risky complained as Shantae, bathed in a steady flow of Light Magic, dodged every round fired at her with impressive reaction time while racing forth to close the distance again. "This rowdy little pipsqueak's giving me a bigger headache than I thought she would…! At this rate, she'll force me to-!" she was about to further gripe while firing an additional spray of rounds before Shantae, having dodged every round in this second barrage, closed the distance again and came charging in with a powerful thrust kick. Having little time to react, Risky was forced to block by raising her knee. "That's it, you filthy little wench! I've had enough!" she warned, shoving the half-genie and swinging at her with the pistol, only for it to clash against her bracelet with a resounding *CLANG*. "Grrrrraaaaaah!" the Pirate Queen further shouted as she threw another punch that Shantae dodged. Shantae, saying nothing in the moment, attempted to counter by throwing a jab-cross combo at Risky's face, only for Risky to weave around the jab and block the cross by raising her forearm in front of her face. Within a second, the half-genie and the buccaneer traded another series of mutually destructive blows as each one of the women tried to rip the other apart.
And, before we even had the chance to fully process the high-stakes, high-speed brawl between hero and villain, Shantae and Risky Boots entered another rampaging cyclone of Magic-fueled punches, kicks, gunshots, fire and lightning blasts, and the kitchen sink as the combined wrath generated from their battle caught the attention of the Tinkerbats still trying to contain the other major threat to their safety. Though incredibly concerned with the wellbeing of their leader in the wake of her latest tussle with the genie menace they despised, they understood Risky's order and proceeded to continue their onslaught against the otherworldly serviceman.
"HRRAAAAAAAH!" Tayshan shouted as a sudden, crackling *CHA-PROCK* rung out from the aura surrounding his every limb. He'd finished allowing his Dark Magic to come bursting forth in full, the intimidating, crackling aura circling him like a storm cloud ready to annihilate everything around it. Both of his eyes glowing a truly horrifying shade of gleaming gold rather than silver, his glare struck unspeakable fear into the hearts of the Tinkerbats burdened with the unfortunate task of facing him in combat. His teeth were bared and gritted like a wolf ready to voraciously devour its next meal without even a modicum of hesitation. There were multiple pulsating veins protruding from his forehead, his neck, his arms, and his bare chest. He'd been panting heavily as he maintained this astonishing transformation, the high-risk maneuver seeming to hurt him immensely to pull off. Nevertheless, he was more than ready to end this tumultuous scuffle as early as possible. However, there was an immediate difference in the quality of his energy. It was mostly black and purple and crackling with electricity, sure. But, upon closer inspection, sporadic streaks of white and light blue rose from it, puzzling all who saw it. Of course, this was no time to be ogling the phenomenon, as the soldier had just prepared himself to go full force against the Tinkerbat army. "Now, come on! The only one you cowards should be worried about is ME!" he roared, taking aim with his rifle and fired *TATATATs* of rounds in short, controlled bursts at his enemies. In an instant, he took some of them out before dashing off toward another pile of Weapons Crates sitting in a massive puddle of water rushing in through the hole in the wall.
Alarmed, the Tinkerbats dispersed into smaller groups in preparation to surround him and converge on his position to subdue him before he went wild. Even the ones who'd previously been helping Risky gain an unfair advantage on Shantae found themselves worried about what would happen if they left Tayshan unchecked. As mentioned earlier, they were aware of how much of a threat he alone posed. Wanting to save themselves as much as they wanted to save their leader, they reluctantly engaged Tayshan with multiple sprays of gunfire from all angles while leaving Risky Boots to battle Shantae on her own.
Meanwhile…
"You punks think you're so clever, huh?" Risky rhetorically asked, throwing another nasty hook at Shantae, who'd ducked under it and tried to counter with another uppercut of her own.
"Clever? Try 'tired of your schemes,' Risky!" Shantae shot back as Risky dipped back to dodge the uppercut. The unrelenting would-be conqueror followed up by attempting to grab her enemy's wrist while she was recovering. However, a sudden *THRASH* of the half-genie's knee against her stomach sent Risky doubling over.
"Ghagh…!" Risky choked out in a burst of nausea and incredible pain.
"Hiiii-yaaaaah!" Shantae hollered, doing a speedy, graceful spin to deliver a devastating *THWACK* of the back of her fist against Risky's face. The infuriated heroine continued her onslaught by striking Risky with five swift, powerful Hair Whip attacks that sent her adversary stumbling back. Not ready to end her combo just yet, Shantae finished up by charging fireballs in both of her hands, which grew to the sizes of basketballs. She soon joined the two flaming projectiles together, creating a super fireball that she blasted from her hands with a *PAPLROOMPH* like a cannon. The sizable projectile hit its target with a devastating *PWASH* of a mini explosion, nearly knocking Risky off her feet as she was sent reeling back in a mixture of surprise and burning agony.
"Grrrgh…! Hah…!" Risky panted, sliding backward with a *Skrrrrsh* of her boots on the soggy plateau of the base's floor. It didn't take her long to recover, though she couldn't help but momentarily glance to the side to be greeted with the sight of a rampaging, Dark Magic-shrouded Tayshan dashing through sprays of Tinkerbat gunfire with a scimitar and a handgun in his possession. The *Plangs*, *Booms*, *Pops*, and animalistic shouts were more than enough indication that her Tinkerbats had their hands full.
"That was for Bolo!" Shantae declared, pointing at Risky as she found herself growing more determined by the minute to defeat her archnemesis once again. And judging by the fact that she was dedicating her attacks to her friends individually made it all too clear that it was personal this time.
"That's enough of this FOOLISHNESS!" Risky shouted, pounding the ground with a Dark Magic-bathed fist and causing a *CRACK* of an impact in the process. Refusing to be outdone in such a ridiculous fashion yet again by the same obnoxious teenager who always got in her way, Risky Boots prepared herself to go to war all over again. "You'd better be ready for the fight of your life, you miserable brat, because now I'm out for blood!" the Pirate Queen vowed, immediately aiming the stolen Desert Eagle and firing a series of rounds at her adversary, each one causing an ear-splitting *BANG* from the unwieldly handgun.
"Bubble!" the heroic maiden called out, surrounding herself with another blue force field before dashing in to punish her opponent further. Having already learned the function of the shield from her very recent previous experience, Risky Boots countered by suddenly dashing in and delivering a bone-shattering *KATHROCK* of a roundhouse kick that Shantae barely had enough time to block with her forearm before reaching for the gun.
"Not a chance! Take this!" Risky shouted, immediately throwing a full-force haymaker that struck Shantae in the eye with an awful *PLOCK*.
"Gwaaah!" Shantae hollered in pain, stumbling back as she tried to catch her balance. Risky wasn't done yet, however.
"Grrrrraaaaaah!" the Pirate Queen roared as she dashed forward, tackling her enemy full-force and basically carrying her toward the wall at the far end of the cavern at top speed. And within seconds, Risky Boots slammed Shantae into the wall with a *KAPLACK* hard enough to cause the stone to crumble behind her.
"Aahaaagh…!" the half-genie choked out in agony as she found herself barely able to register the unspeakable pain radiating from the back of her head.
"I'll make you regret the day you crossed paths with me, you peasant-loving pest! Now take this!" Risky shouted, wasting no time capitalizing on her advantage. She started with a horrifying *CRACK* of a punch to her enemy's face, followed by another *THUMP* of her other fist against Shantae's exposed stomach. She continued with an additional disturbing *CRASH* of an impact of her knee against the half-genie's abdomen that threatened to force all the wind out of her.
"Gaaahhagh…!" Shantae groaned, suffering immensely as Risky attempted to beat her into a pulp. The underhanded Pirate Queen wasn't finished just yet, however.
"That's right. Go ahead and cry out in pain as you take it in that you should never have messed with me, little girl!" the belligerent buccaneer taunted, reaching forth and grabbing a tuft of Shantae's hair. And, with a violent jerk of her hand, she yanked the half-genie forth by her hair and attempted to deliver another disgusting cheap shot. However, she found herself suddenly winded as another horrifying *THRASH* rang out. "Gha-huhgh…!" Risky coughed, forced to let go of the half-genie's hair as she also felt an unbearable burning sensation in her abdomen. Looking down as she tried to resist doubling over, she found the cause of her terrible abdominal discomfort; Shantae's Light Magic-covered fist ramming into her with enough force to potentially shatter a hundred cinderblocks in one fell swoop.
"Grrrrrraaaaaaaagh!" Shantae roared, beyond enraged as she immediately took advantage of the change in momentum. The half-genie, whose hair had suddenly gone red to match her unbridled fury, delivered a flurry of Fiery Hair Whips that struck Risky in various places, causing the compromised Pirate Queen to attempt to shield herself. One of Shantae's whips, however, found itself striking the pistol with a scorching *PLACLINK*, immediately severing a chunk of the barrel while melting the rest of it. Before either woman realized what happened to the Desert Eagle, Shantae capitalized on Risky's fire-related discomfort by rushing forward and delivering a *PLOCK* of a haymaker to her archenemy's face. Filled with determination to punish Risky, Shantae followed up by grabbing Risky's wrist and raising it up high while launching another frightening *THWAP* of her Fiery Hair Whip. "Eat THIS!" she exclaimed, suddenly maneuvering herself to where the back of her leg was stretched behind her opponent's while she kept her grip on Risky's wrist firm. Pulling Risky's arm downward to where it was bending behind her head, Shantae also stretched her free arm through the loop made by the Pirate Queen's arm and grabbed her by the throat. "Hoooo-yaaaah!" the half-genie bellowed, stretching her extended leg forward and, with a sudden burst of energy, sweeping Risky's feet out from under her. Risky would find no comfort in the slightest from the resulting voluminous *THUD* of her head against the damp, rocky surface. The additional *CRACK* of her shoulder didn't do her many favors, either.
"Gwaaaaahaagh!" Risky hollered out in a torrent of pain no one had ever seen her in as she immediately rolled over to her side, clutching her aching shoulder with one hand and the back of her head with the other. "Ow, argh…! Gah-hagh…!"
"That was for Rottytops…!" Shantae declared once again, panting heavily as she ran her fingers through her hair to realize that it was on fire. Clashing her vambraces together, she returned her hair to its normal royal purple shade as she took the opportunity to catch her breath. She would get little time to relax as a nagging discomfort in her abdomen caused her to look toward the other end of the vast cavern. And what she saw truly worried her.
On the other end of the cave was utter pandemonium. Tayshan, seeming to be using an alarming amount of Dark Magic, was racing around the arena with a rocket launcher in his grasp as he narrowly avoided the massive *KABOOM* from a the round of a grenade launcher fired by one of the many remaining Tinkerbats he'd been fiercely engaged with. The second he found an opportunity to do so, he used his Propeller Boots to jump high enough to almost touch the super high ceiling of the cavern while also angling his leap away from his pursuers. Almost immediately after, he the rocket from what he judged to be a safe distance. He took a heaping load of direct hits from rounds as a result of this chancy maneuver, but they didn't seem to faze him in the moment. Within seconds of the ear-splitting *FWOOSH*, the explosive round when barreling toward the congregation of Tinkerbats, all of whom hurriedly dispersed in every direction as the warhead crashed into the ground and exploded with a mighty *KABOOOOOOOOM*, catching a many of the unfortunate pirate minions in the blast while kicking up an enormous cloud of smoke and rocky debris.
"I'm not done yet! Have some more!" Tay shouted, taking two flashbang grenades from his inventory as he landed, hurriedly pulling the pins from them and flinging them across the battlefield while his adversaries were recovering from his previous attack. The instant the Tinkerbats saw him preparing another attack, however, many of them retaliated by taking a two-pronged countermeasure. Some of the Tinkerbats retreated to the corners at the opposite end of the cave and hastily readied a collection of sniper rifles. Others dashed in toward him with flintlock pistols, semiautomatic rifles, and shotguns at the ready. A select few, feeling particularly unsure of how they'd fare, played it safe by readying flashbang and frag grenades and keeping their distance.
The second the soldier's grenades were spotted hurtling through the air, the Tinkerbats he aimed them at got out of the areas of effect as quickly as possible. However, their avoidance of the stun grenades caused them to be unprepared for the other weapon he had in store for them. With a *THOOM* of the grenade launcher he'd been holding, Tay fired a round toward a collection of Risky's minions. Just as they'd realized the trouble they were in, the squad of Tinkerbats were hit with another *KABANG* of the round's explosion, obliterating many of them in a single shot. Growing desperate and highly frustrated, the Tinkerbats upped the ante as they began raining bullets and explosions on him. Faced with no other option, Tayshan bolted to an unoccupied corner of the base, firing another round from his grenade launcher just as a collection of deafening *BOOMs* and *KAPLOWs* from grenades and guns alike filled the atmosphere.
"Tayshan…" Shantae murmured, worried about how hard he'd been pushing himself in the wake of the deadly close quarters conflict. Knowing that this was no time to get distracted, however, the ponytailed maiden took a deep breath, assuring herself as best as she could that things would turn out okay. "We've got this…" she further proclaimed as she noticed the gleam of something on the floor. When she looked, she saw the separated pieces of the Desert Eagle. Silently taking the sight of the broken weapon in, she merely nodded in acknowledgement. With that, she turned back toward Risky, who'd climbed to her feet, grimacing as she held her shoulder.
"Why, you…!" Risky growled, her eyes glowing a haunting shade of crimson as radiant swirls of Dark Magic began to rise from her skin.
"Give up, Risky!" Shantae demanded, striking a most determined battle pose as she prepared to potentially go another grueling round with the Pirate Queen. "You can't beat me, and you know it! This has gone on long enough!"
"Grrrraah, you arrogant little wretch! That tears it! I'll destroy you once and for all!" Risky threatened once again, clearly not liking Shantae's suggestion one bit. Fired up in the wake of her plans being dismantled once again, the Pirate Queen blasted off. She charged at Shantae with the intent to demolish her. With a terrific *CRACK* of Risky's fist against Shantae's, the eternal rivals continued to fight each other tooth-and-nail. Instantly, the girls found themselves entangled in yet ANOTHER brutal, high-stakes, high-speed tempest of punches, hair whips, kicks, elbows, knees, and furious, open-handed swipes, each *PLACK*, *SMASH*, and electrified *PLOCK* continuing to send ripples and actual shockwaves through the entire cavern. In the midst of it, of course, the archenemies barreled through the firefight between Tayshan and the Tinkerbats.
"Whoa…!" Tayshan murmured as Shantae and Risky passed in front of him while they tried to viciously tear each other to pieces. He was forced to come to a screeching halt, momentarily getting distracted as he watched his partner and their common enemy attempting to obliterate each other with their bare hands and feet. "Hm… They're about ready t' kill each other…!" he observed, though his attention would be redirected by the *BANG* of a sniper rifle, whose round struck him in the chest with a disturbing *POCK*. "Daargh!" he grunted in pain, stumbling back a few steps as the Tinkerbats swarmed around him to try and subdue him. Burning hot with a bolstered rage, Tay fired the final round of his grenade launcher at the Tinkerbat sniper that shot him. In the same instant that the *KABOOM* of the round sounded off, he flung the empty weapon at another Tinkerbat's face before searching his inventory for any weapon he may have had on him. "Shoot…!" he cursed. "I'm out o' guns…" he further revealed as he jumped out of the enclosing circle of Tinkerbats to buy some time. During his jump, however, he noticed that some of the Tinkerbats had been rushing toward Shantae and Risky Boots with the intent to interfere while the rest were charging at him, firing guns left and right.
"You little abominations don't learn…! I told you, the only one you should be worried about is ME!" he shouted, another rush of Dark Magic flowing from his body as he dashed toward the Tinkerbats attempting to interfere in the latest legendary deathmatch between the Half-Genie Hero and the Queen of the Seven Seas. His dash was so sudden and full of such bursting speed that it seemed like he'd potentially break the sound barrier. And, with a sudden *CRUNCH* of his boot on a Tinkerbat's torso, he punted the unsuspecting creature hard enough that it hit the nearby wall with a grotesque *CRACK* before it disappeared. The other Tinkerbat that dared to shift its focus was forced to flee while its partners came to its defense and poured another hailstorm of bullets in his direction. Glancing at Shantae and Risky as they ferociously locked horns in combat, he took a deep breath to keep himself under control, though the ache in his chest made it difficult. "We're almost there…! Keep goin', Shantae…!" he quietly cheered her on as he rushed in a direction opposite of where his team leader and her archenemy were in his effort to lure the Tinkerbats away. In the meantime, Shantae and Risky continued trying to kill each other, matching blow for explosive blow in the wake of their most brutal confrontation yet.
"I've come too far and worked too hard for for this! I REFUSE to lose to you again!" Risky vowed as she launched a flurry of punches that came shooting at Shantae like bullets. Trusting her reflexes, however, the half-genie adapted by going on the defensive. As Risky chased her around the arena, Shantae somersaulted to avoid a vicious hook, after which she performed a spinning backdash to create just enough distance to counter.
"Face it, Risky! You can't ever be allowed to win! No matter what!" Shantae shouted, dodging Risky's incoming thrust kick and whipping her ponytail at her infuriated opponent. With a *SNAP*, Shantae's ponytail hit the palm of Risky's hand, though Risky caught it before she could pull away. "Gah…! Ow! Jeez, you've been pulling my hair a lot lately! Are you that scared of losing to me now that you can't fight fair!?" she complained as she tried to free herself.
"Don't get cocky! It just seems to me that what you thought was your greatest strength…!" Risky began as she pulled Shantae in by her ponytail with her full might. Or at least, as much of it as she could muster as a stabbing pain shot through her shoulder. "…turns out to also be your greatest WEAKNESS!" she finished her statement as she wound up her free arm and, with a Dark Magic-powered *THROCK*, hammered Shantae in the face with her fist.
"Gaah!" the half-genie hollered out in pain, still trying to claw Risky's hand out of her hair.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere anytime soon, brat…! Seems you and your precious boyfriend suffer from the same aggravating little problem of getting way ahead of yourselves. And since I'm so generous, I've got a few lessons to teach you on HUMILITY!" she proclaimed, pulling Shantae in once again, ramming her knee into the half-genie's stomach with a *THRASH* that threatened to empty her lungs of all the air in them. "Just like I taught him after I captured him in the Inseam Municipality…! Only, your punishment's gonna be a LOT more excruciating…!" she further taunted as she relished in having the upper hand.
"Ghohogh…!" Shantae coughed out yet again, really feeling the nasty impacts of Risky's relentless attacks as she nearly crumpled to her knees. Unbeknownst to Risky, however, Shantae wasn't even close to giving in.
"You're not taking any breaks on my watch, brat! Stand up!" Risky demanded with a malicious grin on her face, yanking Shantae's ponytail again to force her to remain on her feet. It was at this point that Risky got herself ready to do her nemesis in. "Try mouthing off to me now, since you're so busy gasping for air! Haaaaaaah!" she roared, full to the brim with hatred and anger as she cocked her fist back to punish the heroine more. However, with a *CLANG* of her wristbands, Shantae ignited her hair as it flashed and turned from purple to bright, blazing red. And, with a scorching *FROOSH*, Shantae burned Risky's hand with her hair. "Yeowch!" Risky hollered, forced to let go as she shook her smoking hand while glaring at the panting half-genie. She would get little time to react, however, as Shantae almost immediately arose and fired a blast of lighting from her hand that hit Risky with a devastating *KRAAAAKAZAAAP* that threatened to fry the Pirate Queen on the spot. "Ghaaaaahaaaaaaghaaaaah!" Risky shouted in unrelenting pain as every nerve in her body went into overdrive and her entire form flashed like she'd been made into a human strobe light.
"ZZZRRRRRRRAAAAGH!" Shantae roared with the intensity of twenty full-grown lions, pushing through the tidal waves of pain coursing through her body as she dashed up to Risky while she was paralyzed. Once she got close enough, the immensely angered half-genie dug her foot into the ground, cocked her fist back as hard as she could and just… HAMMERED, and I mean HAMMERED Risky in the face with the HARDEST hook she'd ever thrown. With an utterly explosive *BRABLAANG* of an impact that rocked the entire cavern to its very foundation like rolling thunder. The impact was so fierce that Risky's minions stopped dead in their tracks, turning to figure out where the explosion came from. Instead, what they saw was Risky being sent hurtling through the air from the center of the vast cavern toward the wall far behind her.
"Hm?" Tay hummed just as he finished blasting a Tinkerbat in the face with his fist and prepared to fight the next four that were closing in on him. He and the Tinkerbats noticed Risky barreling in with such blistering speed that she had basically resembled a human torpedo. "Whoa-hah!" he uttered, jumping back as Risky soared by him and smashed into the wall with such a debilitating *CRAKLAMPH* that the wall behind her cracked and crumbled like it was made of flimsy wood. Adding to the dramatic effect was that everyone watching the buccaneer's grisly impact with the wall collectively cringe from just the gruesome sound. Risky fell flat on her face soon after, motionless for a moment as everything seemed to freeze. Astonished, Tayshan looked toward Shantae, who at this point had looked to be suffering from a black eye and multiple bruises across her face and torso. She'd been panting heavily as she glared death at Risky Boots, and her hair was frazzled and blazing red, but she still stood as tall as she could as she caught her breath.
"That was for Tayshan…!" Shantae declared to herself once more, the Light Magic surrounding her body only growing brighter and more intense as she rose to a full stand and rubbed her cheek with the back of her aching hand.
"Wow… I knew she was makin' a lot o' progress on how t' hit harder with her fists, but goodness…!" Tay quietly observed, thoroughly surprised to see the phenomenal boost in Shantae's power. "She's incredible…!"
"Ghurgh…! Ghah… Ah…!" Risky groaned, gingerly picking herself back up to recover from the half-genie's brutal counterattack. Realizing they were still not done, Tay jumped away from Risky and readied himself for anything she may have had in store. When she got up, however, he noticed that she was in even worse shape than Shantae was. Bruises were littered across her body, her outfit was torn in various places, and her eye was darkened and swollen from Shantae's vicious mega punch. Panting and spitting on the ground in burgeoning anger, Risky shook off the nasty headache she suddenly sustained and glared daggers into Shantae. Not the least bit intimidated, Shantae glared back at her. If the shared hatred between these two ladies could be made tangible, reader… then let me tell you, the sheer density of it would've sunk this entire cave to the bottom of the sea. However, things took a rather unsettling turn when Risky began chuckling. That chuckle turned into a full blown cackle within seconds, putting both Shantae and Tayshan on high alert. Heck, even her Tinkerbats didn't know what was so funny.
"I don't have a good feelin' about this…!" Tay muttered, locking his eyes on Risky with no intent to avert his gaze.
"Y'know what? That's fine… Just fine…!" Risky finally spoke, massaging her aching shoulder while she used her other hand to make a suspicious crossing fingers gesture to the nearby Tinkerbats. "Clearly, you two miserable, worthless cretins have a death wish…! And as much as I was going to hold off on it, you've left me no choice. The way I see it now, neither one of you peons is leaving here alive unless it's in shackles," she revealed, making it scarily apparent that she was now set on killing the both of them if she had to. Otherwise, it appeared she planned on taking them prisoner. "You have foiled my plans for the last time, Shantae. The LAST TIME! And you…!" she trailed off, turning her icy death glare toward Tayshan, who'd remained vigilant as he waited for her to make her move.
"What about me?" Tay asked, returning her enmity-laced stare with one of his own.
"You, my boy, have been just about the biggest thorn in my behind next to your precious peasant princess over there," Risky snidely remarked.
"Hmph. I'm pretty sure you were warned about that the last time we fought here," he shot back, recalling his first hostile conversation with Risky. "It must burn you up that I was right all along. Don't it?"
"Hardly, because as I told you before, you've accomplished nothing by trying to play the 'hero' next to your brat girlfriend," she bitterly deflected. "You had your chance to join me willingly, and you even had your chance proving your worth as a member of my crew. And both times, you blew it. Both times, you went crawling to that ponytailed pipsqueak for help. And now, Tayshan, I hope you know what's in store for you when I completely demolish you myself…!" Risky threatened, charging up a supply of Dark Magic as the swirling aura around her grew stronger.
"If I didn't know better, it sounds like you're about t' fight me because you couldn't handle Shantae," Tayshan observed, though he didn't back down from the challenge. "In that case, fine. If you think I'll be any easier t' deal with than her by this point, then try me, Risky!"
"Whoa, whoa, hang on!" Shantae objected, rushing forth to try and intervene. The *BOOM* of a sniper rifle to the side stopped her in her tracks, however, as she was forced to hop backward. The round struck the cavern floor with a *PWING* right before her feet. "What…?" she murmured, turning her attention to the Tinkerbat that shot at her. It was then that she noticed that all the Tinkerbats that were focused on Tayshan were now focused on her. "Oh, so that's your game now, huh? Risky, you snake-in-the-grass…!" she further griped before turning her attention to her partner. "Tayshan!"
"What's happenin', Shantae?" Tay responded, keeping his gaze locked on Risky to give her no chance to get the drop on him.
"Looks like Risky and her Tinkerbats are swapping their targets. I can see you've put in a lot of work in on these creeps, but I'll still be a bit busy with them before I can join you. Don't hesitate to call for help if she proves to be too much for you to handle, okay?"
"Yeah, Tay-Tay, don't be afraid to have your girlfriend fight your battle for you after I mop the floor with you," Risky brazenly taunted, causing Tay to chuckle… which was not at all the reaction she wanted to garner from him.
"Heh. Even now, you underestimate me, honey," Tayshan confidently assured Shantae, seeming to ignore Risky's comment entirely. "I've already got a handle on it, but actions speak louder than words. On your end, don't let her Tinkerbats gang up on you. That's all they're good at, so keep on your toes until the last one of 'em falls at your feet."
"Understood. Alright, I believe in you! Take her down!" Shantae offered her support as she clashed her wristbands together to return her hair to its regular royal purple hue and readied herself to fight Risky's heavily armed henchmen. Although, she remained nervous about Tay taking on Risky alone once again. Given how many times he almost had her, only for her to pull some dirty trick to win out in the end, she felt her uncertainty was justified.
"You arrogant little snot…!" Risky spat at Tay as she sized him up and prepared for battle. "You must really take me for a fool. Do you SERIOUSLY think you can handle me, with your track record? You've lost to me three times on your own!" she laughingly pointed out. "This time won't be any different!"
"Wrong. I lost t' you once one-on-one, in case you didn't get it through your thick skull when I mentioned it t' you earlier," he corrected. "An' since you need the clarification… The second time we battled, I had the upper hand before one o' your minions interfered. You hit me with a gun while I was distracted an' pinned me t' the ground. Shantae kicked you off me before we had the chance t' continue from there. It may as well have been a draw. The third? Well, let's be real, Risky: This IS the third time. Last time we fought, you had Ammo Baron, your Tinkerbats, and a coerced Ammonian Army at your disposal. All that against just me. An' even then, I almost took you down before you sucker punched me an' took my food t' heal yourself. This time, nobody's comin' t' save you. An' if anybody tries, then it looks like Shantae's got that covered."
"Excuses, excuses…" Risky dismissed with a flick of her hand. "If that's how you want to rationalize your humiliating defeats, then be my guest. It's clear by now that there's only way we'll settle the debate of who was right all along," she further asserted, putting up her Dark Magic-enshrouded fists.
"Hmph. Have it your way, then," Tay remarked, getting himself ready for battle. "Of course, after the beatin' you just took from her, it'd be a wonder how you expect t' do any better against me. It's hardly worth it, takin' you on the way you are now. It might almost be too easy finishin' up what she started…" he further jeered with a smirk.
"Oh, don't you worry about that, Tay-Tay…" Risky shot back with a malicious grin of her own, reaching into her cracked breastplate and pulling out a Beef Wellington (of all things) and devouring it whole right in front of him. And, with an instantaneous flash, many of the Pirate Queen's bruises disappeared. Hopping up and down a few times and massaging her shoulder that had still been suffering unbearable aches, Risky appeared to be, for the most part, back in fighting form. Ignoring the nagging shoulder pain, she took up her battle stance once more. "There. Luckily, I had leftovers. Now, this fight is as 'fair' as you want it to be. Hope you're ready to submit to me yet again, you insubordinate mutt."
"It would be another Wellington you'd eat just t' spite me," the soldier calmly acknowledged with a momentary tilt of his head before he struck a battle pose of his own. In turn, the Dark Magic surrounding his body continued to flicker and burn like an inextinguishable purple and blue blaze. "Regardless, thanks for gettin' rid o' the handicap. Now, I don't have t' feel so bad about takin' you down myself." At that, Risky merely chuckled at him.
"Talk all the smack you want, dog. It'll only make you look more foolish after I utterly annihilate you. Now, I believe that's enough chatter," Risky dismissed, growing more and more eager to punish Tayshan as she found herself practically tingling with malevolent excitement. "You think you stand a chance against me? Prove it!"
"My thoughts exactly…!" Tay obliged, grinning with determination as he readied himself for his rematch against Risky in the same place where this stolen weapons mess began. "An' this time, you're gonna learn for real that Shantae's not the only one capable o' knockin' you down a peg…!" And with that, the switcheroo had been officially realized.
TAYSHAN VS. RISKY BOOTS: RADICAL RAGE-FUELED REMATCH & SHANTAE VS. TINKERBATS: DANGEROUSLY DUPLICITOUS DEBACLE!
"Take 'em all down!" Shantae announced to begin the unexpected second phase of the turbulent final battle. Risky's pirate crew, at this point desperate to gain some form of an advantage, started off by scattering around her as she backed up to prevent them from surrounding her. Not seeming to care if they got close enough or not in the heat of the battle, the remainder of Risky's active crew began firing their weapons at her all at once while chucking handfuls of grenades, hoping to completely overwhelm her before she even had a chance to think about what to do.
"You guys are so predictable!" Shantae brashly shouted at them, immediately summoning a Reflector Bubble that returned every round fired at her to their respective senders. Even the grenades bounced off the barrier, hurtling back toward the Tinkerbats who threw them. Realizing their attempt at a hyper aggressive all-out offensive wasn't working, they resolved to dodge their own deflected rounds and explosives as they all went off with *BOOM* after *KABANG* after *BLAM*. Taking the brief ceasefire as an opportunity to make her move, Shantae began rhythmically rocking her hips as fast as she could, channeling her energy to the best of her ability while the Reflector Bubble remained active. "Haaaaaaah…!" she hummed, charging up as she clasped her hands over her head to maintain her focus. Knowing what it would mean when the menacing teenager began hypnotically moving her body in the way she had, many of the Tinkerbats had gone charging in with scimitars and handguns at the ready. Others scurried to find propeller packs lying among the wreckage of their weapons stash. Once some of the Tinkerbats obtained their flight-granting equipment, they took to the air with semiautomatic rifles and grenades of varying types at the ready. And, just when Shantae's bubble popped on its own…
"TRAAAAANSFORM!" the half-genie announced, morphing with a *POOF* into Spider-Shantae. Thinking quickly, she pointed her thorax upward and shot a line of web to the ceiling as her many adversaries continued their onslaught. With a swift *ZIP*, Spider-Shantae managed to just barely escape the cyclone of bombs and gunfire aimed at her from all directions. Refusing to let her get away, however, the Tinkerbats opened fire toward the ceiling as they watched the arachnid girl scurry through the stalactites. Those with propeller packs made it their business to fly up toward her while she was using the shadows cast by the stalactites to hide. They would find this action to be their worst mistake, however, as a gigantic blob of corrosive green acid came pouring over them. The *SKISSSSSSSSHH* of the viscous liquid instantly vanquished the airborne Tinkerbats while completely dissolving their propeller packs into sizzling mush that fell to the ground with a pair of goopy *SPLATs*.
The Tinkerbats that remained on the ground did not take this turn of events lightly. Further infuriated by the resistance posed by their greatest enemy, they turned up the heat… literally, as two more Tinkerbats armed themselves with flamethrowers while the rest tried to keep the gigantic arthropod at bay by emptying magazines of rifle and handgun ammo at her while she crawled all over the ceiling at super speed. Meanwhile, Spider-Shantae took the opportunity to spit additional gobs of acid all over the Weapons Crates she spotted sitting in the corners of the cavern when she noticed Tinkerbats running over to them to collect more weapons. Each *SKISSSSSSSSH* of her acid on the Weapons Crates began a most astonishing process of the crates and their contents either being dissolved or being so drenched in it that the Tinkerbats were no longer able to access them. Just as she was hastily making her way toward the last two or three piles of available Weapons Crates, however, a sudden *FROWOOOOOOOOSH* of flames towering up toward her stopped her in her tracks. Despite her narrowly avoiding being barbecued, however, the Tinkerbats had other plans. With another furious barrage of *BANGs* and *POWs*, the fiendish creatures managed to wound the half-genie while she'd been distracted.
"Gahagh! Ow…!" Spider-Shantae groaned in agony, though she was quick to recognize that she wasn't safe. As the Tinkerbats poured it on, she changed direction, crawling down the wall closest to her while her enemies tried to riddle her with holes, blow her up, or burn her alive. "Shoot, I can see what he means now…!" she realized, transforming with a *POOF* back to her human self before ducking under the cover of the remainder of the Tinker-Portal that wasn't vaporized by the Sun's Wrath. "Regardless, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve…" she murmured, summoning another Reflector Bubble before emerging from her cover to begin another belly dance number. Spotting her right away, the pirate minions began to charge at her before a voluminous *PWROOARGH* rung out from their side. Immediately turning in the direction of the noise, they noticed Risky Boots hurtling through the air again, though she caught herself and landed, skidding across the wet, stony floor on her feet and hands. Immediately following this development was the sight of a magic bathed Tayshan darting toward Risky through the air with his fist cocked back.
"Am I still a joke t' you now!? Huh!?" Tayshan hollered, careening toward the Pirate Queen with the intent to utterly decimate her in a single strike. Yet, with an explosive *KRAKLAP*, Risky blocked his incoming punch by catching it and attempting to counter by ramming her Dark Magic-smothered fist into his stomach with the intent to impale him with it. Dodging it by stepping to the side, Tay attempted to follow up by throwing an incredibly heavy side kick to Risky's face, which she blocked with another ground-shaking *THRASH* against her forearm.
"HRRRRAAAAAH!" Risky Boots bellowed with such murderous intensity that a bear could've heard her a hundred miles away and run scared. She'd countered Tayshan's attack by wrapping her arm around his ankle and reeling him in with all her might. As he found himself flung off his feet and hurtling toward Risky, the dastardly Pirate Queen buried her elbow into the soldier's exposed abdomen with a terrifying *CRASH*, slamming him into the ground with a *THUD* that should very well have knocked him out cold. Though his stomach radiated with howling agony, he remained alert. "Learn to heel, you miserable DOG!" Risky vulgarly shouted, lifting her foot up high and thrusting it downward to stomp Tayshan's guts out while he was down. However, with a crackling *PLACK* of her foot against his hands, he caught her foot mid-stomp. Acting quickly, Tay pulled Risky's foot outward to force her off her balance. Before she could think of a counter, however…
"TAKE THIS!" Tayshan yelled, taking one hand off Risky's foot and stretching his arm across his body in preparation for his next attack. And, with a mortifying *CRACK* of his elbow against the Pirate Queen's other ankle, Tay delivered a powerful strike that stopped Risky's momentum in its tracks.
"DAAAGH!" the compromised lady pirate yelled in terrible pain, though Tay took the opportunity to fling Risky off him by shoving her other foot upward and away. Though she felt the horrible impact of her opponent's cheap shot to her ankle shoot up through her entire leg, Risky recovered by somersaulting backward, catching herself with her hands before climbing back to her feet. Meanwhile, Tay rose to a seated position, twisting his body and rolling onto his back afterward. Within a second, he pushed himself off his shoulders with his hands while he was spinning to spring back to his feet.
"Hah…! Hah…! Darn it, how is this happening…!?" Risky muttered, clenching her fists as she struggled to accept the idea that her opponent was anything close to a match for her.
"You ready t' give up now or what!?" Tayshan yelled at Risky, his fists up and his aura flaring. And, with that simple comment, the soldier sent the pirate woman's rage past its boiling point as she stared bullets into him.
"Never in a thousand lifetimes would I EVER concede to you! HAAAAAH!" Risky challenged, dashing toward Tay with such amazing speed that he didn't even see her coming until he felt the *KABLANG* of her fist digging itself into his jaw, causing him to be flung back. As he caught himself and landed on one hand and both his feet, Risky belligerently pursued him. With another *CRASH* of their forearms, the soldier and the Pirate Queen immediately found themselves entangled in another ferocious typhoon of violent strikes. *PLOCK* after *SMACK* after *WHACK* after *THOCK*, the soldier and the Pirate Queen had begun spinning around the arena, trading blow after ferocious blow like they were ready to exterminate each other's entire existences. And, just like earlier, every impact of their collective strikes, whether landed or blocked, sent shockwaves ripping through the air like the sound barrier was just a thin piece of film on a drum. It was all too clear by this point, however, that one slip-up from either side would potentially be their downfall if they weren't careful. Both combatants taking this unspoken knowledge into account, they continued to hammer away at each other like no tomorrow. Hearing and seeing the tumultuous skirmish for themselves, many of the Tinkerbats present began looking in their captain's direction in worry about how she'd been faring.
"He's really doing it this time…! Thank goodness…" Shantae observed, some of her previous apprehension about her partner taking on her nemesis in her stead once again diminishing despite the fact that her Soul-Link related dread due to Tay persistently using Dark Magic to fight Risky Boots remained salient. Nevertheless, the Tinkerbats' momentary distraction and increased worry about their leader's condition bought her the time she needed to engage in her next maneuver. And, with another flashy pose… "TRANSFORM!" the half-genie announced, startling the Tinkerbats back into focus as she, with a *POOF*, turned into Monkey-Shantae. Despite the underwhelming appearance of the miniature violet primate, Risky's minions took no chances. Expecting her to pull another cheap trick, they dispersed into groups, covering as much ground as possible as they took aim with their rifles and flamethrowers. "Looks like they're prepared for me this time… but not prepared enough…!" she ominously stated, leaping backward as high as she could to attach herself to the nearby wall. Soon after, Monkey-Shantae's entire body began to glow bright blue as a *whish* of her building energy filled her ears.
Despite not exactly knowing what she was up to, Tinkerbats left and right opened fire once more, trying their hardest to take her down with their diminished might. However, with a sudden *TWEEERSCH*, the monkey girl seemed to completely disappear. None of the unsuspecting henchmen knew what was happening until a sudden *CRASH* of the half-genie primate's cranium against a Tinkerbat's jaw alerted them to her position… more than halfway across the cave from where she previously was. The Tinkerbat she hit was immediately knocked out with a *POOF* of its body against the floor. The second Monkey-Shantae landed, however, she charged up again, turning toward another group of Tinkerbats running toward her while letting off *KABLAM* after *KABANG* of shotgun blasts while two Tinkerbats behind her tried to simultaneously burn her to a crisp with their flamethrowers.
"Whoah!" the tiny simian girl shouted, jumping as high and as far away as she could to avoid the pillars of flames ripping through the air so intensely that the heat alone threatened to raze her fur right off her body. "I'll have to do something about those flamethrowers…! Here goes!" she shouted in her tiny monkey voice as she scurried off as fast as she could toward the nearest wall while many of her enemies doggedly pursued her. Managing to dodge all but a few sporadic flashing marbles, Monkey-Shantae managed to get herself over to a wall next to a sizzling, melting pile of Weapons Crates. As she scaled the uneven rocky surface, however, she glanced toward the center of the cave to see Tayshan and Risky locked in a deadly grappling match while a sizable portion of her Tinkerbats began running in their direction with their guns drawn. "Oh, no…! They're already trying to gang up on him!" she realized, hopping along the wall to avoid additional fusillades of gun fire as she charged herself up. And, with another *TWEEEEEESCH*, she darted toward the Tinkerbats with flamethrowers, looking to knock them out first and foremost.
Meanwhile...
Tay and Risky were in the thick of it, their hands interlocked as the two of them tried their hardest to outmatch the other. With neither combatant able to gain a clear advantage over the other, they remained entangled against one another as they each tried to figure out a method of outmaneuvering each other. Risky attempted to kick Tay when it appeared he wasn't able to guard his legs, but he managed to block the kick by raising his knee. Tay attempted to counter by snatching one hand away from Risky's grasp and throwing a punch, though Risky caught his fist and held it as their grappling match intensified.
"What's the matter, pirate girl? Runnin' out o' steam?" Tay very brazenly taunted, though he kept his eyes on the prize that was his highly anticipated victory over Risky Boots.
"I'd watch that sharp tongue of yours, because the minute you slip up, I'm gonna cut it out of your mouth!" the incensed lady pirate threatened as she, with a sudden influx of power, ripped one hand away from Tay's fist while yanking him forth with her other arm. Wasting no time in her effort to obliterate the foolish serviceman, Risky flung her elbow forth with all her might as she reeled him in. However, with a hot, crackling *PLOCK*, the Pirate Queens punishing elbow collided with Tay's open hand as he narrowly blocked the incoming attack.
"Grrgh…! N-Nice try…! Hrah!" the soldier taunted as he attempted to counter with a knee aimed at Risky's stomach. Seeing the attack coming from a mile away, the Pirate Queen hopped backward to force her opponent to miss completely as she still kept her hand interlocked with his. Realizing that Risky was up to something, Tayshan tried to rip his hand from Risky's grasp, though the sudden *CRACKs* of his knuckles as the dastardly pirate woman employed a crushing death grip on it showed him that he wouldn't escape quite so easily. "Gaaahhh…! Let go o' my hand!"
"Sure, right after I give you the ride of a lifetime!" Risky Boots 'obliged,' yanking Tay forth once again by the same hand. Of course, she had other plans this time around. As such, she swiftly turned around as she hooked her other arm under the ensnared limb of his that she'd been holding so tightly onto. And then, with a MIGHTY burst of strength… "HRRRRRRAAAAAHH!" Risky Boots roared as she put all the power she could muster into flinging Tayshan as hard as she could over her shoulder. With a startling *WHOOSH*, Tay went hurtling through the air with hardly a thing to stop him from having a brutal encounter with the rocky ground beneath him.
"Whoooaaaaaoh!" he yelled, surprised to be flung so easily like he were a stuffed toy. Nevertheless, he thought quickly as he tried to reorient himself before he hit the ground. By some miracle, he managed to at least flip his position to where he was set to land on his feet. Bending his knees as he cleared at least half the distance across the cavern, he landed with a *PLACK* of his metallic boots against the stony surface of the cavern floor. His landing would get no standing ovation, however.
"Heel, dog!" Risky shouted from behind as she came racing in from behind with no form of mercy evident in her approach. Before anyone knew what she was planning, she rammed Tayshan in the back with a debilitating *KAPLOCK* of her elbow against his spine.
"Gaaagh!" Tay hollered out in extreme agony as he was propelled forth, landing flat on his face with a soggy *PLARCK* against the cold, wet cavern floor.
"Now, you feel my wrath!" Risky roared, leaping high as Tay hurriedly tried to clamor to his feet and prepare for Risky's incoming attack. As soon as he flipped himself over, however, he noticed a gigantic purple-and-black blur careening toward him with the full intent to erase him from existence if he didn't act. Having no time to traditionally climb to his feet, Tay opted to fling his feet over his head while he was face-up on the ground to generate enough momentum to roll off one of his shoulders. Just as he was pushing off his hands to complete the last-second back roll that ended with him back on his feet, Risky's fist went crashing into the ground with a quake-generating *KACLACRASK* of her Dark Magic-infused appendage against the ground beneath her. And, much to Tay's surprise, Risky punched a hole in the ground the size of a beach ball. "Grrrgh…! Lucky move…!" she growled, glaring at him as she gingerly rose to a stand.
"If that's how you wanna play it, then I got somethin' for you, too!" Tayshan yelled, dashing toward Risky with his energy-cloaked fist cocked back like he was ready to throw the meanest Dark Magic haymaker he'd ever thrown. Expecting him to try some underhanded sneak attack, Risky played it wise and hopped over him while he was charging in. Not seeming to expect her to jump, Tay halted his approach to adjust for the Pirate Queen's position in the air.
"Take THIS!" Risky proclaimed, coming down feet-first as hard and as fast as she could with the intent to squash her opponent like a bug. Faced with little option once again, Tay crossed his arms over his head and grounded his stance, the painful *PLOCK* of Risky's feet against his forearms stinging like he just tried to block an incoming asteroid. The sheer weight of her impact brought Tay to a knee as he poured a great deal of his strength into keeping Risky from crushing him under her heels. Risky wasn't finished, however. "Right where I want you! Now lick my boots!" she demanded, capitalizing on the opportunity. In a moment's glance, she jumped off Tay's arms and cocked one foot all the way back. And, just as he was recovering from her stomp attack, Risky let loose her fury in the form of the most brutal, most heinous, most… unbelievably cheap Dark Magic-powered kick she'd ever released. With an EXPLOSIVE *KAPRACK*, Risky Boots kicked Tayshan so hard in the face that the unprepared soldier went bulleting the rest of the way across the cave, after which he hit the ground with a nasty *THUD* as he went sliding across the ground. Meanwhile, Risky Boots landed on one foot and one knee as though she was attempting to avoid putting too much pressure on one of her ankles. Nevertheless, she grinned with malevolent glee as she took pride in the unforgiving punt that could very well have broken someone's neck if they weren't prepared. "Good. And, just for good measure, I'd better make sure you stay down!" she further urged herself, jumping toward her injured opponent as he slowly rose to his hand and knees while holding his other hand to his mouth.
"Grrgh…! Gah, that one hurt…!" Tay griped, spitting on the ground as he massaged his aching jaw that somehow wasn't shattered into a billion pieces. "Mmph…!" he further groaned, though he knew right away from the incoming ball of hatred, vanity, and Dark Magic that was Risky Boots wasn't going to let up. Hastily climbing back to his feet and shaking off the migraine he may have suffered, he prepared himself for anything Risky may have had in store. Of course, he also found himself growing increasingly angry with how she'd been keeping her edge over him the entire time they fought this time around. He would get no more time to ruminate on the thought, however, as Risky came dashing in as soon as she landed. And, with another *CRASK* of their forearms, Tay and Risky entered another bombastic clash as Tay narrowly and unknowingly avoided the *FWOOSH* of a sniper rifle aimed at him from the other end of the cavern that whizzed by his face. That sound was followed up by a distant *PWASH* of a fireball roasting the offending minion to cinders before it could fire another shot.
"Where's all that bravado now, Tay-Tay!?" Risky taunted as she threw a monstrous uppercut toward the soldier's stomach, which he countered by parrying the incoming fist. "As expected, I'm mopping the floor with you right now!"
"Not likely!" Tay defiantly countered, following up on his parry with a quick jab that struck Risky in the face with a loud *THOCK* that sent Risky stumbling back a couple steps. Wanting to capitalize, Tay rushed toward her, looking to connect with an energized body hook with his opposite hand that would've opened her up to a devastating combo. However, Risky recovered with more than enough time to tuck her elbow in toward her side and block the incoming hook. Immediately after blocking his attack, Risky countered by winding up and delivering a most life-threatening *KATHROCK* of a fist to Tay's face faster than he was able to comprehend while he was recovering from his attempted attack. Jarred nearly into a daze, Tay stumbled back as he tried to keep his balance.
"Not likely? More like 'Certainly!"" she hollered in sheer disrespect as she dashed in and, with another burst of Dark Magic coursing through her body, delivered another utterly reprehensible thrust kick aimed directly at Tay's exposed chest. And, with an utterly abysmal *KAPLACK* of her boot against his chest, Risky sent Tayshan packing as he went flying all the way back into the wall behind him. The poor soldier hit the wall with a horrible *WHACK*, though he somehow remained on his feet.
"Grrgh…! Hah…" Tay grunted and groaned, trying his hardest to at least attempt to put up a decent fight. As he let it sink in that he was losing, his anger grew more ferocious… and as such, the Dark Magic surrounding his body steadily began to increase in its intensity. Risky, of course, continued to capitalize on her advantage while she had it. Racing over to Tay in the time it would take someone to hiccup, she came smashing her fist right into his stomach with another *THRASH* that threatened to force the serviceman to vomit out everything he'd possibly eaten in the last MONTH. "Haaaaaaagh…!" he barely managed to choke out, having also been pressed against the wall while Risky pushed her fist harder into his abdomen to maximize his suffering.
"Hrrrrah!" Risky shouted, following up on her unforgiving gut punch with massive hook that landed with a *WHACK* against Tay's face. She followed that up with a devastating *THROCK* of an elbow to his ribs. As if that wasn't enough, she continued her merciless onslaught with a massive *CRACK* of an uppercut against the soldier's chin. Soon enough, Risky unloaded an utterly wrathful barrage of punches, kicks, elbows, and knees to the serviceman that he did his best to tank by at least guarding his face and his torso by employing a boxing-styled body block. Not that Risky cared in the slightest, of course. She continued her unrelenting assault, looking to bury Tayshan under a heavy, HEAVY downpour of blows that landed with *THWACK* after *PLOCK* after *WHACK* across various parts of his body. "Come on, you scurvy dog! Fight back! Or maybe you were hoping I was going to use you as my personal punching bag again!?" Risky taunted, still wailing on him with all her might as her magic coursed through her body.
"Grrrrrgh…!" Tay growled, enduring the full brunt of the vicious mauling he'd been subjected to. Despite feeling every stinging, burning, and utterly torturous impact of Risky's attacks, he couldn't allow himself to fall. He wouldn't allow himself to fall. Not again. Not after getting this far and surviving this long just to get another shot at battling Risky face-to-face one more time. There was too much at stake for him to possibly lose to her again. Too much…! Too many lives…! Too many lost homes…! Too many people made to suffer…! He could NOT afford to lose! However, his window of opportunity, wherever it may have been, had been closing… and quickly as she whittled away at him. Yet, as Risky continued trying to torture him, he felt the burning in his limbs from his own magic grow stronger… more prevalent… and a lot more… dare he say, wrathful as he remained in his disadvantaged position. It was then, however, that he spotted a glaring flaw in Risky's attack… namely the fact that she had only been putting a fraction of her power into her right arm every time she threw a punch with it. Even more peculiarly, Tay noticed her wince once as she landed a punch with that same fist against his forearms. "Hmm…!"
"After all this, it seems that, as usual, you're all bark and hardly any bite! Just like the dog you are!" Risky Boots continued to hurl dog-related insults at him as she kept up the pressure of trying to beat Tay into a bloody pulp. However, the instant she wound up and threw her 500th punch with her right hand, Tay made his move.
"Hyah!" Tay bellowed, suddenly brimming with Dark Magic as he lowered his arms and intentionally took the blow from Risky's face right in his chest, the punch landing with a startling *PLOCK*. Thinking as quickly as he could, he grabbed onto Risky's wrist with a magic-enhanced grip that rivaled a trash compactor in terms of strength.
"What the…!? Hey! Unhand me, you filthy mongrel! Hrrrrgh!" Risky very angrily demanded, trying her hardest to pull her arm out of his grip. A sudden shock of excruciating pain ripped through the Pirate Queen's shoulder, however, as she winced again while attempting her escape. She would get zero time to mount an appropriate counter, however, as Tayshan immediately reeled her in while twisting his body, so that his opposing arm stretched across his chest. And, as soon as he got himself into the exact position he needed to be in…
"HORRRRYAAAH!" he roared, unleashing his retaliatory rage in the form of an utterly EGREGIOUS *KATHRACK* of his elbow against the Pirate Queen's face that stopped her momentum dead.
"Gaaahagh…!" Risky grunted in unbearable pain, clutching her cheek as she registered the counterattack that felt like someone swatted her across the face with the world's thickest wooden baseball bat.
"HAAAARRRAAAAAH!" Tayshan roared again, racing toward Risky Boots with another ominous, overflowing current of Dark Magic pouring off him as he sought to turn the tides of the battle in his favor. And, by all means, he was ready to make sure she felt every bit of it. The rage-consumed serviceman stepped into his next attack, digging his heel into the ground and cocking his fist as far back as he could manage. In the next instant, Tayshan let loose possible the most merciless uppercut he'd ever launched at any enemy. With a *WHAPLAAAAASH* so voluminous and so profound that even the Tinkerbats could hear it over the rapid *BANGs,* *POPs*, and *POWs* of their guns as they tried to chase down Shantae (who'd also heard the impact, but opted to keep fighting), Tayshan's Dark Magic-shrouded fist rammed so hard into Risky's exposed stomach that he lifted her off the ground and temporarily left a fist-sized indent in her back. Not even waiting for her to return to the ground, Tay charged up another burst of energy, initiated a spin that rivaled the speed of a tornado, and with a metallic *KAPLACK* of his heel against Risky's face, he sent the Pirate Queen hurtling across the arena like a spinning hummingbird. Soon enough, Risky hit the ground on her back with a disturbing *THUD*, rolling across the cavern floor as she writhed in unfathomable agony.
"Gaaah…. Hagh…! Daah…!" Risky groaned, the pulsating impact from the soldier's counterattack ripping through her like a tsunami through an unprepared seaside village as she hurriedly rose to her feet again. "Miserable, traitorous dog…!"
"I ain't done yet! Hrrrrraaaaaaah!" Tay roared again, the rapid, echoing *Placks* of his Propeller Boots against the stony ground within the war-torn cave notifying Risky right away that her opponent was not going to let up. Preparing herself just in time to at least defend herself, Risky threw a punch that collided with Tayshan's incoming fist with a crackling *CRASH* that sent Dark Magic sparks flying in all directions. Risky attempted to counter him by throwing out another kick aimed at the serviceman's legs, though he saw it coming and blocked it with his knee. He tried to counter her by throwing another devastating hook to her face, though Risky weaved under it and quickly unleashed an aggressive cross that wound up being parried by Tayshan. He tried another counterattack in the form of another punch that Risky blocked with her forearm. And, within the amount of time it took someone to sneeze, the two warriors locked themselves into another grueling thunderstorm of attacks being flung at each other at the speed of sound as they raced and danced all over the arena once again.
"Wow… He's really giving her a run for her money…" Shantae, who'd returned to her human form, commented as she caught a glimpse of Tayshan and Risky Boots fiercely going toe-to-toe with one another. "I just hope he's still being mindful not to let his magic overwhelm him… These sinking feelings haven't gone away since we started, and it doesn't look like either of them can get the edge over the other…! I'd better get over there and help as soon as I can," she further revealed as she somersaulted backward to avoid a sniper round from a cowardly Tinkerbat, followed by her activating another Reflector Bubble to block the incoming swarm of bullets aimed at her by a bunch of the other cowardly Tinkerbats.
"Come on! Is that all you've got!?" she confidently taunted, racing forth with the bubble intact and punching a Tinkerbat hard enough that it went hurtling across the cave and disappeared with a *POOF* as soon as it hit the ground. She followed up by leaping high into the air while charging a pair of fireballs in each of her hands while her enemies scattered about, looking for some way to counter her when she was hiding behind her projectile-blocking shield. "You're slacking on the job, and you're about to be fired!" the half-genie quipped, performing a graceful midair spin as she flung the fireballs as hard as she could. One of them struck the Tinkerbat sniper that moments ago tried to shoot her. The other hit the ground with a *PWOOSH* as its intended target rolled out of the way and joined a large group of its allies for the sake of their own safety. Meanwhile, other Tinkerbats accommodated by forming other, smaller groups with the intent to surround their genie adversary and wait out her protective barrier before unloading on her. Seeing them trying to organize themselves in such a fashion, however, Shantae quickly adapted by charging an electric current in one hand while racing toward the group she deemed most likely to capitalize on any form of distance-related advantage. And, as soon as her barrier dissipated with another *POP* while she was running…
"If you think you're getting the drop on me, then here's a real shocker for ya!" she punned again, leaping high to avoid another spray of rounds coming from all angles. Immediately after, she extended her hand and fired a *KRAKAKLAKAZAP* of electricity that may as well have come directly from a storm cloud that bulleted toward the Tinkerbat group in question without mercy. Most of the group, despite their collective panic, managed to sprint out of the way. There were a couple, however, that found themselves not quite so lucky as they were electrocuted on the spot and vanquished with a pair of *POOFs*. Taking it as no time to celebrate in the wake of the increasing pressure, however, Shantae landed near a wall where some of the previously melted, sizzling Weapons Crates were. As one of the other groups of Tinkerbats were set to corner her right there, the half-genie remained well prepared. With another bout of rocking her hips in irresistibly captivating fashion, morphed with a *POOF* back into Monkey-Shantae. Hastily, she hopped onto the wall, scaling it with incredible agility as she dodged a salvo of incoming rounds as her tiny monkey body became highlighted in a luminous blue glow.
The Tinkerbats were wise to the miniatue primate's special ability of what they presumed to be instantaneous teleportation at this point, and as such, prepared themselves accordingly. Five Tinkerbats in one of the groups took the lead and aimed grenade launchers and rocket launchers alike at her location while she charged herself up on the wall. With a truly terrifying series of *FWOOSHes* and *THOOMs*, the explosion-happy Tinkerbats sought to totally obliterate Shantae while the opportunity seemed to present itself. Others in a separate group put on additional pressure by firing a storm of bullets at her. Yet, with a miraculous *TWEEEESCH*, Monkey-Shantae seemingly vanished as all those explosives converged on the spot she was just at. And, with a series of earth-shattering, deafening, and truly monumental *KABOOOOOOOMs*, the warheads blasted a series of dents and smoldering craters along the wall while also roasting those melted Weapons Crates into metallic, acid-soaked chunks.
"Hyyaaaaaaaah!" the tiny voice of the primate-formed half-genie could be heard as a sudden series of bone-crunching *THWACKs* sounded out from within one of Tinkerbat groups. Just as suddenly, a good seven or eight Tinkerbats were flung out of the group in defeat, disappearing with *POOFs* left and right while the remainder of that particular squad cobbled together as they caught sight of Monkey-Shantae racing away to create another opportunity to attack. Just before they could fire away, however, Tayshan and Risky Boots crossed their path while they still relentlessly swung and kicked away at one another.
"Huh?" Monkey-Shantae hummed, happening to notice Tay and Risky duking it out with that same ferocious intensity as they continued to chase each other all across the cave. As she momentarily watched the soldier and the Pirate Queen tearing into each other and taking their tussle away from her location, Shantae grew even more worried that her partner needed her help. Knowing she wasn't done with her part just yet, she turned her attention toward the Tinkerbat groups, who'd still been aiming at her while also keeping an eye out for their master and the other interloper. Worse yet, the feelings of dread in her stomach continued to amplify, signaling that Tay was using more and more of his Dark Magic to contend with Risky Boots as they carried on. "Shoot…! We've got to find a way to draw this to a close before-!" she was about to urgently observe before she heard a part of Risky's and Tay's violent exchange that horrified her.
"Whoa! Wha-!?" Tay was about to comment as he missed a soul-shattering hook he was so sure was going to land. Before he could even attempt to recover from it, a horrifying *KRAPLASH* of Risky's fist went barreling into his gut with the force of a hundred pistons. "Gwaaahaagh…!" the unfortunate serviceman choked out as his feet momentarily left the ground from the sheer force of the impact the same way he'd done to her earlier. Once his feet did reconnect with the ground, however, he found himself doubling over in explosive agony as he clutched his stomach with one hand. "Kaahgh…! Ahagh…!"
"That's good…! I want to hear you suffer more…!" Risky sadistically whispered into his ear as she prepared to deliver another devastating blow in the form of her raising her elbow as high as she could over the back of his head.
"TAYSHAN!" Shantae yelled in horror, having witnessed Risky landing her terrible blow from across the cavern. Hurriedly transforming back to her human self with another *POOF*, the half-genie bolted toward them, causing the Tinkerbats who were approaching to turn toward her and unleash another storm of pistol and rifle fire at her. Only growing more worried and frustrated, Shantae immediately activated her magenta-hued Invincibility Bubble and tried to charge past the Tinkerbats while they tried to slow her down. She was only stopped when the *KABOOOOOOOOM* of an incoming rocket slamming into the ground in front of her sent her hurtling backward from the sheer force of the explosion. Though a bit disoriented, Shantae landed on her feet after performing a graceful backflip to readjust in midair. It was clear by this point, however, that she was in no mood to play games. Tayshan was in danger and these foul monstrosities were trying to stop her from saving him. And if she had anything to say or do about it, she was NEVER going to let Tay die on her. As such…
"GET OUT OF MY WAAAAAAYYYY!" she roared as loud as humanly possible with explosive fury, supercharging herself with a deafening, windy, crackling *FRRRRRRRRRROWWWWWWSSSHH* of white-hot Light Magic that nearly caused the cavern's 135th internal Category 5 Superstorm as she bolted toward the entire team of Tinkerbats in her path and began unleashing an unrelenting fury like no other on them. With one light-speed *CRACK* of a punch to one Tinkerbat's jaw, she demolished it. With a follow-up *THRASH* of a roundhouse kick to a second Tinkerbat's face, she decimated it as it went hurtling off toward the entrance of the cave. And when a third Tinkerbat dared to try swinging at her using its rifle, she dodged it by ducking under it while charging a fireball in her hand. "HRRRYAAAAH!" she shouted as she rose, slamming the projectile into the Tinkerbat's vulnerable gut with a monumental, fiery *KLAPWAASH* that roasted the Tinkerbat on the spot. Quickly realizing that the half-genie was gunning for their leader, every Tinkerbat in the area dropped their previous strategic approaches and collectively began bull rushing the ponytailed maiden as she went full Rage Mode, taking them out one by one with her bare hands and magic.
As this wildly catastrophic display was rapidly unfolding, however, Risky was still in the midst of attempting to clean Tayshan's clock. Though she noticed that Shantae was attempting to interfere in her battle against the soldier, she didn't let it break her focus as she raised her elbow way above her head with the goal of breaking the serviceman's neck with one foul strike before moving onto getting her revenge on the accursed half-genie.
"Let's see how well you handle THIS!" Risky shouted in a bloodthirsty rage as she brought her elbow down as hard and as fast as she could. As far as she saw it, Tayshan would get no opportunity to recover from what unspeakable horror she had in store for him. However, her attack would not proceed as planned.
"Haaarrragh!" Tay grunted, recovering just quickly enough to yank his head to the side as Risky's unforgiving elbow strike came in with a menacing *WHOOSH*.
"Gah…! What!?" Risky yelled in complete surprise, the momentum from her full-power strike carrying her all the way downward as she tried to register that she missed her target.
"HYAAAARRRAAAH!" Tayshan shouted at the top of his lungs as he quickly used the momentum from dodging Risky's attack to spin around, jumping as he did so while cocking his foot all the way back. And, with an utterly BRUTAL metallic *PLAKANG*, Tayshan blasted Risky across the face with a jumping, spinning crescent kick that sent the Pirate Queen reeling back, nearly falling over in the mixture of extreme pain and disorientation as she tried to recollect herself. The soldier wasn't done, however. "Let's see somebody bail you out o' THIS, Risky Boots! Haaaaaah!" he further yelled as he charged at his opponent with no intention on letting up. Letting his instincts almost completely take him over as his Dark Magic flared like a star's explosion, he followed up by launching a monster of a hook aimed right at Risky's face. Despite her disadvantaged state, however, Risky managed to regain enough of her composure to weave backward to dodge it. But then, when she tried to counter with a kick of her own, Tay reacted by grabbing her by the leg, reeling her in to deliver a merciless punch that landed with a *THWACK* against her chin.
"Guhagh…!" Risky grunted in pain, though the onslaught of her former 'crewmate' had only begun. With hardly another word, Tay laid into Risky as hard as he could with hook after cross after knee after uppercut after side kick after devastating elbow, driven into a frenzy in his desire to defeat her once and for all. And despite Risky's best efforts in blocking and dodging some of his relentless attacks as she went on the defensive, she soon crumbled under the pressure when one step she took caused a jolt of pain to shoot through the ankle of hers that he'd struck moments earlier. And from there, it seemed to be a done deal. In full on Rage Mode just like his partner who was busy eradicating Tinkerbats in droves, Tayshan poured every ounce of his frustration into every *PLOCK*, *CRACK*, *THRASH*, and shockwave-generating *WHACK* as he tore into the Pirate Queen responsible for all his suffering since the day they met. He punished her with absolutely ZERO mercy, hammering her with each and every Dark Magic-fueled blow as he blasted her all over the rapidly deteriorating arena. As if this display of sheer, unadulterated brutality wasn't frightening enough, it only seemed like his strikes were steadily getting harder and faster to the point of threatening to disrupt space-time as he capitalized on the sudden advantage he'd been granted. While his aim was not to kill her, he felt absolutely sure in that moment that he was going come as close to it as he could manage in the heat of the most grueling battle he'd ever been involved in. Whatever it took to get Risky to give up, in addition to regretting her numerous crimes against Sequin Land's citizens, he was willing to go just that length as he continuously laid into his most hated enemy. At this point, it didn't matter how directly or indirectly Risky harmed anyone. Whether it be the likes of the late Naga Sana, or the deceased Archer Priyanka, or the dearly departed Siren Melody... or the thankfully living, yet badly injured Giga Mermaid... or especially Sky, Rottytops, Bolo, Twitch, Vinegar... and one needn't even mention Shantae, as the mere thought of the half-genie being harmed by Risky or her miserable bat servants consumed him with an unrelenting desire to make the Pirate Queen pay for what she'd done...! ANYONE he could think of that Risky had any hand in hurting over the course of his time in Sequin Land, no matter how small or great, he was going to make her feel their pain through every single bone-crushing attack he landed on her as he also... for some reason, blocked out the thoughts lingering in his mind about what the nefarious Risky Boots had done to him directly... His wrathful barrage carried on without a foreseeable stop, nevertheless.
Meanwhile, Shantae had been cleaning up shop, blasting away any and all Tinkerbats that dared to attack her. Those that weren't busy frightfully watching Risky get destroyed were desperately trying to get a handle on the half-genie as she fired bolts of lightning and pillars of fire from her hands at one point, then whacked away at Tinkerbats that got too close with *THWAPLASHes* of her Fiery Hair Whip, monstrous haymakers, and aggressive, heavy kicks that sent every one of her opponents packing and *POOFing* in alarmingly high numbers. And despite their tireless efforts to overload her and eventually wear her down, it just seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Only seeming to grow more powerful by the minute, Shantae mowed them all down the second they got close enough to try swinging a scimitar at her or tried to take her out from a distance using a firearm. It was only when the jarring, thunderous *BRABLAANG* of an explosive impact rang out, followed by the *SMACK* of something crashing into a wall and hitting the ground with a dense *THUD* did the Tinkerbats suddenly stop trying to attack Shantae. Not immediately realizing their halted effort, Shantae attacked three more Tinkerbats with fireballs and hair attacks, knocking them out cold. When she scanned the area to find them motionless and staring off somewhere else did she stop.
"Huh? What's the matter? You guys finally…?" she trialed off, looking in the direction the Tinkerbats were staring and noticing a truly shocking sight from across the annihilated cave. "Whoa… H-he… He actually did it…!?" she felt all but compelled to ask herself, stunned beyond belief as she tried to register the sight. Only when she blinked a few times and really took in the surprising image did she finally realize it. "He... actually did it...! And without my help..." she remarked in insurmountable relief, clashing her wristbands together to return her hair to normal again. It seemed that, despite all the doubts she had and all the uncertainty she'd been wrestling with since they began this terrible bloodbath of a battle… that Tayshan had actually defeated Risky Boots. Were it not for the image of him in his weary, battle-damaged form, standing over Risky as she panted heavily, planted on one knee while glaring up at the soldier, Shantae would never have believed it.
"You… You vile, repulsive barbarian…!" Risky Boots spat, trying to catch her breath as she stayed in her kneeling position for the moment.
"Says the war criminal who destroyed countless lives in the span of a few weeks," Tay shot back, also trying to catch his breath as he recovered from the merciless onslaught he'd unleashed upon her. "Face it, Risky. You can't win, no matter which one of us you fight."
"Absurd...! You were not this difficult to deal with yesterday…! You don't even seem to have gotten that much stronger, even with that gem I gave you…! If anything, you should be weaker because you've been resisting its influence…! So, how could I be LOSING to a punk like you…? This doesn't make any sense...!" the weary Pirate Queen griped, refusing to believe it possible that she could be defeated by ANYONE other than the Pirate Master and Shantae.
"You underestimated me yet again. Can't help but notice by now that that's a real problem for you," the triumphant soldier 'kindly' reminded her.
"Oh, please… You're still not as strong as I am, no matter how much power you think you're hiding," she coldly dismissed, still on one knee as she winced in throbbing pain. "This is just a fluke...! It has to be..."
"Power alone doesn't always win fights. Strength ain't all about how much power you've got, though I won't waste time givin' you a crash course on it. Between Shantae an' me, you should've picked up on it by now that we have our own special ways o' dealin' with the likes o' you. She's stronger overall, sure, but I've got all the technique, resilience, an' motivation I need t' complement my power."
"Technique…? Resilience...? Motivation...? Seriously…!? How cliche...!" Risky dismissed again as she massaged her aching shoulder.
"'Cliche' ain't the word for it. I may not be-no, I know I'm not as strong as either o' y'all when it comes t' raw power or magic ability, even with this gem you made me swallow. Even now, it took far more out o' me t' simply beat you than it did for Shantae t' completely dominate you earlier. Yet, I more than make up for the power difference between us with my training, my experience, the promises I made t' help Shantae bring you down, an' a lot o' straight-up willpower; even through what you've done t' try an' sabotage or hinder us at every turn," he explained, doing his best to ignore the shocks of throbbing pain coursing through his body as a combination of Dark Magic overuse and the battle itself began to wear on him. "How else do you think I've been gettin' as 'lucky' as I have been with fightin' you in the past? An' while we're on that note, how else do you figure I managed t' finally defeat you this time? Unlike you, I learn from and draw positive info from my experiences, an' I used them t' get stronger. A LOT stronger. I grew wiser t' your nonsense, too. An' now, here we are, much t' your disappointment as you continue t' wonder how you lost to a man you thought you had pressed under your thumb this whole time."
"What a load of rubbish…" she dismissed, refusing to believe his claims about his technique and determination being key to defeating her. It was preposterous. "Never mind that you'd go this far to attack a woman… If this is the kind of skill you were packing all this time on top of the power granted to you by my gem, then why would you squander it fighting against me…!? Don't you understand what you're giving up by siding with that worthless brat instead of putting it to better use?"
"You keep pullin' that gender card on me, an' it's gotten old," Tayshan countered, thoroughly irritated by her statement as he caught his breath and kept himself calm enough that the Dark Magic around his body finally began to settle. "You beat me down, tortured me, violated me multiple times, an' tried t' brainwash me, all while you plotted t' have all my friends detained or killed in your bloodthirsty campaign t' take over Sequin Land that cost hundreds, if not THOUSANDS o' people their lives. An' somehow, you still have the nerve t' ask me why I'm fightin' against you?" he asked back, offended that she wasn't even acknowledging the numerous war crimes she'd committed in just the past month. "Man, woman, animal, or anything in between, you reap what you sew. With the things you've done, you're lucky somebody hasn't managed t' kill you. Yet, you wanna complain t' me about why I'm not usin' a power you FORCED on me for the purpose o' helpin' you ruin people's lives? You're completely irredeemable. It's only a wonder why we should let you live…!" he further spat, making evident that he was still on the fence about how appropriate it was to keep the ruthless lady pirate alive.
"And it's that sort of weakness that holds you back…!" Risky shot back in disgust, spitting to the side as she rose to her feet, still holding her shoulder as she glared at Tayshan. "You may have been a soldier in your old world, but you lack that killer instinct in your current state. You're too attached to your pathetic morals and your worthless friends to accomplish anything meaningful in this life. You almost make me regret the efforts I put forth to help you 'discover' your true purpose, were it not for you apparently actually destroying Ammo Baron's little campsite mere hours ago like you said you would. Of course, I have reason to believe that you didn't even finish the job like you said you would there, either."
"…You know about-!?" Tay tried to ask in shock, having had no clue that Risky found out about the Baron's Desert brawl that left much of the Ammonian Army in shambles.
"I should've known better than to let an incompetent, lily-livered punk like you loose so soon after I corrupted you. As soon as you found little miss Goody-Goody over there, you completely lost your way. You just don't get it, and unless I give that pitiful brain of yours a thorough scrubbing or I eliminate all your distractions and rebuild you from the ground up, you never will. I've had enough going about the easy way of making you see things the way you should see them…!" she interrupted as she, with a rush of Dark Magic coursing through her body even in a moment of vulnerability, suddenly leapt high and far across the arena.
"Hey! Where do you think you're goin'!?" Tay shouted, chasing after Risky as she landed with a *PLOP* of her boots on the ground in front of Shantae and the heavily diminished remnants of her Tinkerbat crew. To say the sight of her crew in such a pitiful state infuriated her was a grievous understatement. However, she held onto her explosive wrath just tightly enough that she didn't blow her top on them.
"And you, brat…!" Risky addressed Shantae, pointing directly at her as the half-genie in question braced herself by striking a battle pose as Tay approached, stopping within a few feet of the Pirate Queen as he warily stood behind her. "You're a complete disgrace…!"
"There's nothing else either of us has to say to the other, Risky. Give it up," Shantae urged as she readied herself to potentially go another round against her worst enemy. "You just learned the hard way that you can't beat either of us, so quit while you're behind!"
"Avast, men!" Risky announced, raising a hand to call the attention of her Tinkerbats. Perking up, the frightened, weary minions stood as tall as they could to respect her call. "It's clear you still haven't been disciplined enough to handle this little wench or the insolent scalawag standing behind me, even WITH all the weapons enhancements that I now notice were heavily compromised in this battle," she further observed, taking note of the numerous Weapons Crates that were either blown to bits or apparently melted with corrosive green slime. "You're all hereby relieved of duty regarding this fight, effective immediately unless I say otherwise. As of right now, I'll handle these interlopers myself."
"What!?" both Shantae and Tayshan asked out of total collective shock.
"Risky, are you crazy!? You just lost two straight fights to me and Tayshan. What in the world makes you think you can handle the both of us at the same time now!?" Shantae was all but compelled to inquire.
"Shut up!" Risky yelled at Shantae before turning her attention back to her Tinkerbats. Of course, her Tinkerbats were also staring blankly at her, wondering if she even knew what she said. "YOU IMBECILES HEARD ME! I KNOW YOU AREN'T DEAF!" she hollered at the top of her lungs, immediately getting fed up with their lack of understanding. "Too many of you have been taken down throughout the course of today, and at this rate, I won't have a crew by the end of tonight if you keep getting yourselves killed like sheep in a slaughterhouse! Get out of here! All of you! Now!" Though Risky's order came across as entirely abrasive and demeaning, the remaining Tinkerbats fully understood their leader's order as a request for them to mind their health and leave a dangerous situation before it resulted in any additional casualties for the crew. As such, the entirety of Risky's pirate crew scurried along in droves, completely disengaging from the fight to climb onto the damaged ship that had still been idly wading on the ocean surface in the cave's front pathway.
"You do understand what's going to happen to you if you intend to keep fighting us, don't you?" Shantae dared to ask. "We can call it quits here and now, Risky. You lost already, so-!"
"Hey. You two," Risky interrupted, ignoring Shantae entirely while addressing two Tinkerbats who were on their way to the ship. The Tinkerbats in question turned and stood at attention, prompting Risky to approach them. "Your weapons. Hand them over," she demanded, prompting the Tinkerbats to surrender a scimitar and an M9 pistol that she was quick to swap the magazines of. The Tinkerbats also handed her a few other miscellaneous weapons in the form of a portable cannon, a pair of Loaded Baked Potatoes that she downed in an instant to recover a great deal of her stamina in an instant, and a second M9 pistol.
"Alright, that's as far as you go!" Tayshan yelled, marching toward Risky to stop the weapon exchange. He was stopped in his tracks when Risky immediately aimed the first pistol at him, daring him to take another step. "What, you gonna shoot me with that thing if I take another step? I ain't afraid o'-!" he tried to warn her before the *BANG* of the gun being fired cut him off. Shantae, witnessing the event as though it happened in slow motion, gasped in utter horror. Were it not for his magic-enhanced reflexes, Tayshan would've been dead where he stood. Why, you may ask? Because Risky fired an actual round from the pistol at the soldier's face. As in, an actual bullet instead of a flashing marble. Tay barely managed to avoid being taken out right then and there when he instinctively dodged the round by jerking his head to the side at the last second. However, the bullet grazed his cheek ever so slightly, cutting into it with the heat of a lit match being pressed directly to his face. Staring at Risky, Tay froze in total shock at the fact that the ruthless buccaneer nearly murdered him on the spot.
"Nice reflexes. It's clear that the magic in your body's been treating you quite well, as I suspected," Risky nonchalantly 'complimented' him as she paid no mind to the fact that she had just nearly killed him. "Let's see how well you fare on the next shot, because I don't intend on missing again," she warned, keeping the gun aimed squarely at him as she dared him to try making another move.
"You… You really just shot me in the face… with the real ammo for that gun… an' you didn't even think about what would've happened if I…" Tay stammered, his total horror and dismay gradually transforming into a rage so scorching hot that he began to tremble with a mixture of anxiety and determination to stop Risky at all costs. It stood to reason, however, that his looming fears of dying in this conflict were brought to the forefront of his mind as his body began to glow with a gradually increasing supply of Dark Magic.
"Trust me, that'll be the LEAST of your worries when I'm through with the two of you," Risky threatened, nudging her head toward her Tinkerbats to command them to leave the battlefield. In that same moment, Tayshan glanced over at an equally appalled Shantae, whose face was wrought with seething, incinerating wrath as she glared at Risky while her entire body was suddenly enveloped in an effervescent, luminous Light Magic aura. It went without saying that at this point, Shantae had seen enough. She had dealt with enough. She had HAD enough. Risky's complete disregard for the safety of another human being, in addition to the fact that the Pirate Queen almost killed her beloved boyfriend right in front of her… jeez…
"RISKY BOOTS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!" Shantae hollered, glaring at her most hated adversary with enough anger in her very core to potentially erase her from existence in an instant.
"What, you want to try your luck t-!" Risky tried to taunt with a grin, turning toward Shantae. Only, she didn't see the half-genie coming at all, despite how far the two were away from each other. In the time it would take to blink, Shantae rushed toward Risky Boots and grabbed hold of the gun's barrel. Acting quickly, the half-genie raised the gun high into the air, where it wouldn't hurt anyone as she tried to snatch the lethal firearm from the Pirate Queen's grasp. Another terrifying *BANG* rang out as the adversarial women wrestled for control of the deadly weapon, the round striking a stalactite and causing rubble to rain down toward the three combatants. "You've got some nerve…! Unhand me, you dirty little rugrat!" Risky demanded, also charging up with Dark Magic as she attempted to snatch her gun out of Shantae's hand. With neither woman able to overpower the other in that moment, Shantae employed the best alternative option she could think of. Charging a fireball into the hand she was holding the barrel of the gun with, she melted the accursed pistol just before Risky, with a burst of Dark Magic, delivered a hefty thrust kick that, with a *THUMP*, sent Shantae sliding back in moderate pain, though she remained on her feet.
"Shoot…!" Tay cursed, hurriedly rushing to Shantae's aid once he snapped out of his trance to register what had just happened. "You alright, babe?" he asked, still trembling with anger at Risky as he focused on checking up on Shantae in the moment.
"I'm good. I'm more worried about you, though, Tay. How's your cheek?" Shantae asked back, stretching to mitigate the pain in her stomach from Risky's brutal kick.
"It burns like no tomorrow, but I'll manage," he assured her as the two lined up next to each other in preparation for Risky's next dirty tactic.
"Hmph. Pathetic…!" she spat at the couple, though her attention was soon drawn elsewhere. Hearing the sizzling of the weapon in her hand, Risky lowered her hand to examine the pistol she had, where she was greeted to the sight of a clump of red hot, liquefied metal. "Gah, you're a sneaky little tart…" she grumbled as she tried to take the magazine back out to no avail. Shantae had, in mere seconds, melted the gun so thoroughly that its magazine was welded into the dysfunctional firearm. "Darn it…!" she cursed, carelessly tossing the neutralized weapon to the ground before pulling out the other M9. Firing this one, the *POP* revealed a much less lethal flashing marble traveling at a comparatively milder speed than the round Tay had dodged moments earlier. "I guess this'll have to do unless there's some other semblance of this gun's original ammo lying around..." she pondered, looking around to get a clearer image of all the acid-soaked Weapons Crates littered across the badly damaged island cave. In turn, the pitiful sight before her reminded her of Shantae's Tinkerbat-related escapades. As such, she glared right into the faces of Shantae and Tayshan once again. "You cheeky snots won't get away with any of the dirty tricks you pulled on me... especially not that foolish Tinkerbat disguise you pulled off," Risky warned, pointing directly at Shantae as she glared at the half-genie. "...which, I'm almost positive she would never have done if it wasn't for you...!" she further accused, pointing at Tayshan.
"What can we say, Risky? You let your guard down after you thought you blew us out o' the water, an' we took the opportunity we had t' hit you right where it hurt most," Tayshan rather bluntly explained, harboring no patience for Risky's endless complaints. "Blame us all you want, but in the end, you ain't got nobody t' blame but yourself."
"Hmph. All the more reason to tear the both of you limb from limb...!" she threatened, glaring at them like she was trying to melt them into puddles as her crimson eyes glowed like lasers.
"That sounds like another challenge if I ever heard one. So, you're really about t' go down stubbornly fightin' t' the bitter end when you've already lost, huh?" Tay found it in himself to ask as he and Shantae pressed their backs together, glaring at Risky while they were both shrouded in Dark Magic and Light Magic, respectively. "This is really how you want this t' go down?"
"You fools haven't won yet," Risky proclaimed, sheathing the pistol and pointing her scimitar at the heroic duo. "I figured I wouldn't have to push myself this far to accomplish my goal of putting you down for the count, Shantae, but once again, you've forced my hand."
"I'm not 'forcing' anything, Risky!" Shantae protested, beyond fed up with her archenemy's antics. "You keep pushing this situation farther and farther into a direction it doesn't need to go, like you always do! You're too stubborn to understand that you will never beat me and you will never take over Sequin Land as long as I'm alive to stop you! I've made sure of it every time we've fought, and you refuse to learn your lesson! What will it take for you to finally give up your evil ways? You can't keep this up forever, and the longer we have to keep doing this, the more you're going to wind up hurting innocent people for absolutely no reason! The more you're just going to get yourself hurt!"
"Oh, how nauseating it is to hear you utter those tired, old, childish statements to me like you're still expecting me to 'turn good' because you want me to," Risky scoffed, locking her gaze on her opponents as she tensed her body up. In that moment, and much to the collective shock of our heroic duo, the Pirate Queen's curvaceous form began to glow a sinister black and midnight purple once again; only this time, it was FAR more intense than either hero could've expected. "Get it through your thick skull, little girl! Not everyone on this miserable planet thinks the same moronic way you do, and you have NO place to tell me how I'm allowed to conduct myself! I earned my fearsome status my way, and I've got goals in mind that can't be accomplished by playing nice! I continue to maintain and build on my reputation how I see fit, and it's working wonders for me. There's not a flounder's chance on a hot skillet that I'd give any of it up! Especially not because some naive, bratty little genie 'princess' tells me to! If you can't be bothered to at least comprehend that in your feeble adolescent mind, then do yourself a favor and keep your nose out of my business!"
"When your 'business' involves you hurting other people, it becomes my business, too! And I don't get how it's 'working wonders' like you say, when you've been beaten at every turn!" Shantae continued to argue, though the assertion only made Risky angrier as the Pirate Queen powered up even more. "Even now, when you not only lost to me again, you also just got beat one more time by someone other than me, who you've caused no small amount of harm to! I'm warning you one more time, Risky Boots. You're making a huge mistake challenging us again after what just happened. For your sake, just stop!"
"See, that is exactly why I won't 'stop' until I see you crumpled up on your knees before me!" Risky shouted, scowling as her eyes began to glow bright like lasers ready to disintegrate everything in their path. The swirls of Dark Magic began surrounding her form grew larger and more voluminous to the point that it looked like a tornado of black and purple flames had formed around her. "I'm sick and tired of you always getting in my way and screwing up my plans! I would've had this country under my iron heel ages ago, had it not been for you and your dim-witted do-gooder circus troupe constantly sabotaging my efforts! And let's be real, Shantae: After the things I've accomplished over the course of my career, what idiotic delusion must you be holding onto that makes you believe I'd ever give up my vast riches and my luxurious lifestyle to live among the peasants like you!? How absurd!"
"You an' Shantae are total opposites, Risky Boots. An' it shows," Tayshan interjected, his assertion surprising both the heroine and the villainess. "It doesn't even have t' be that way, but it's too apparent not t' see it right in front o' me."
"Oh, how incredibly observant of you, Tay-Tay," the Pirate Queen mockingly commented. "How many brain cells did it take you to figure that out? I would hope a lot less than the amount this brat uses on her lurid fantasies about her and me getting all 'close and cuddly' with each other…"
"Wow," Tay flatly remarked with a shake of his head, appalled by Risky's senseless derision in the wake of her last desperate attempt to salvage her doomed plot for world domination.
"Ugh, gross…" Shantae practically gagged, shuddering at the implication of Risky's morbid assertion. "Look, I just want you to be happy without making other people miserable. I never said anything about it meaning we had to get close to each other or be friends. Everybody deserves to be happy, but your happiness shouldn't come at the cost of stealing it away from others. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Yes, genie girl, it IS hard to understand," she blatantly answered in the opposite way to what Shantae was hoping. "What's even harder to understand, however, is how you still at this moment think I care worth a lick about your sugary little suggestions. I'm not turning 'good' for you, so just stop trying already!"
"You're spittin' in her face when she's offerin' you mercy, Risky, an' I won't tolerate it!" Tayshan spoke up again, his absolute disgust and contempt for Risky Boots growing with every time the Pirate Queen opened her mouth. "I personally don't care what you do with yourself after this, but the point is that as long as your deeds involve you terrorizin' other people for your own sick, twisted pleasures, you will never be happy, an' we will always be there t' stop you."
"Oh, I'm so sure, Tayshan, because you've certainly been around the block," she sarcastically shot back. "But then, you know from experience what happens when fools stand in my way and get crushed with no one to save them. It usually only takes once for a would-be 'hero' to learn their lesson, but you? Oh, you're just a glutton for punishment. I learned that much about you last night…~" she very, VERY crudely mentioned with a lascivious, smirking wink, utterly appalling the young man as he shot her an ice-cold death stare.
"You…!" Tayshan growled, his skin heating up as Risky dared to bring up that awful situation.
"The first time I demolished you, you decided to magically 'rise from the grave' to help this brat muck up my plans again. You came back for more punishment, however; multiple times, I might add. And then Inseam happened. Oh, how you fought to the bitter end, expecting anything but a humiliating defeat to come your way by the time it was over…" she laughingly 'informed' him, causing both of her unwanted guests no small form of revulsion and anger. "And with no Shantae to save you then, what else could you have expected? As I said, you only got lucky with beating me this time around, and it's so... unironic that it happened while Shantae was here to lead you along the way. Honestly, I find myself more disappointed in you than anything else. Regardless, my main point is that you always seem so eager to get my attention in one way or another..."
"Risky, you do NOT want t' finish that statement…!" Tay very sternly warned, knowing exactly where she was going with it.
"I mean seriously, after I had to go out of my way to whip some sense into you the first time we battled, only for you to continue pretending anything you were doing since you got here was 'heroic?' Hah, what powerful delusions you held onto this whole time… And here I was, thinking you'd finally let those foolish fantasies go when you so eagerly agreed to… well, be my lover for a night after our little 'date' in the Inseam Municipality," she flat-out stated, staring right in Shantae's face when she said it. At that, Tay nearly exploded with embarrassment and fury, though he held onto it VERY tightly once he realized what Risky was trying to do. As such, he took a deep, heavy breath that was hot enough to rival the temperature of the planet's core as he somehow prevented another rush of Dark Magic to come bursting forth from his body.
"You…! You're proud of what you did to him? You're completely awful!" Shantae shouted, burning from head to toe with unbridled wrath as she took in Risky's spiteful grin. "Grrgh, I swear, I'm gonna-!" she was about to further threaten as she took a step toward Risky, only to be stopped by Tayshan holding a hand out in front of her. Surprised, Shantae looked up at him, though he was still glaring at Risky. Despite the thoroughly displeased look on his face, however, he remained calm enough that she could pick up on it. As such, she decided against charging at Risky... for the moment.
"Is that the lie you want t' spill this time, Risky? That I 'eagerly agreed' to it?" Tay rebutted, practically quaking with TIGHTLY contained indignation as Risky pulled her dirtiest trick yet in bringing up an extremely disquieting incident as a ploy to destabilize the bond between her enemies.
"Well, what do you call it when you tenderly and voraciously accept my irresistible offer to join the Dark side, hungrily indulging yourself in the immense physical pleasure of being with a real woman like me?" she asked, turning her attention back to him and grinning wider with malicious delight. "Even if only for just a few hours after such a busy day of you vying for my attention? And in case it needs to be pointed out, you lasted the whole night through with no issue aside from your initial reluctance. And after so many steamy, pulse-pounding rounds… You can pretend you weren't into it all you want to save face for the brat, but considering how much 'fun' you and I had, I already know how you really feel, Tay-Tay…" At that, Shantae nearly blew her top before she heard Tayshan take in the deepest breath he could muster. After what felt like a full minute of him sucking in air, he exhaled a rush of air hot enough to potentially turn the ground beneath them into magma.
"...Tay..." Shantae quietly called to him as she read the internal distress brought on by Risky's relentless taunting of him. Nevertheless, Tayshan took a moment to collect his thoughts before offering his rebuttal.
"...You forcin' yourself on me when I was beaten, weary, an' in shackles like an ANIMAL after I tried t' stop you from destroyin' anyone else's lives, while you were prancin' around in nothin' but a bath towel in your ship's cabin, threatenin' t' kill or otherwise harm me AND my friends if I didn't keep you 'occupied' long enough is NOT consent, Risky. I don't know how you really see it, an' I can't be bothered t' bring myself t' ask about your opinion. Pure an' simple, that incident should NEVER have happened. You used me for your own satisfaction as you saw fit, even after you eventually corrupted me int' believin' what you were doin' t' me was anything close t' 'pleasurable' at the time...! You played with our lives like bargainin' chips, an' you made me me do whatever you wanted as long as you hung our friends' safety over my head, usin' my own beliefs against me. If you're 'satisfied' because you forced me t' comply with your ultimatum, even while you sunk your claws int' me, then you're even more despicable than I thought. Even worse, you took advantage o' me because you wanted t' turn me against Shantae in the most heinous way you could think of while you also robbed me of my…!" he very matter-of-factly educated her, though he trailed off before he could finish his statement. The instant he flashed back to the terrible event in question, however, he shot her a vicious scowl as his aura sparked up a bit. "All just so you could 'permanently ruin' the connection between her an' me out o' sheer spite… You're disgusting…! An' the fact that you could stomach the idea of even bringin' this up now, coldly starin' in Shantae's face like you're expectin' her t' be devastated about it is even more revolting…!"
"It also isn't working to do anything but tick me off even more," Shantae interjected, her incendiary wrath evident in the tone of her voice and the sudden increase of Light Magic radiating from her skin as she and Tay remained side-by-side to one another. "For your information, Risky, I was informed about what happened long before we got to this point. I know what you did to him, and you are going to PAY for hurting him…!" she further revealed to the mild shock of the manipulative lady pirate.
"Hmph. Of course, you were told… Ever heard of keeping a secret for once, Tay-Tay? You don't have to blab our business to her all the time, you know," Risky mocked some more, evidently disappointed that what she thought would be her greatest mind trick was anything but.
"Miss me with that garbage, Risky," Tay deflected her comment as calmly as he could manage. "I don't have anything else t' say t' you except that you should prepare t' get what you deserve."
"And prepare for it to HURT!" Shantae vowed, her shining blue eyes sharp with insurmountable anger as she readied herself for what seemed to be an inevitable confrontation. "Chance after chance, you're given to do anything other than be ruthlessly evil day in and day out. And at this point, I've just about run out of chances to give you. When you go down this time, Risky Boots, you're gonna STAY down until you realize the error of your ways…!"
"Oh, are we finally ready to fight now?" Risky nonchalantly asked, readying herself as her adversaries had. "Good, because I was getting bored with you scalawags preaching your obnoxious 'new leaf' drivel. And just so you know, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not holding back one bit. This time, the both of you will feel the full extent of my insatiable fury. If my Tinkerbats can't help me get the job done, then as I said, I'll do it myself."
"Whelp, we've finally hit that point, Shantae," Tayshan spoke, breathing deeply to dispel some of his rampant nervousness and residual frustration as he stood alongside the half-genie. "If the plan is still to avoid killin' her, then we've gotta at least find a way t' put her down as hard an' as fast as possible before this gets any worse."
"I know…" she replied in an equal sense of nervousness as she breathed with him. "We've just got to keep working together like we have been, and we can't allow her to get carried away. You got any idea on how we can do that?"
"We either go all out ourselves an' risk burnin' out early, or we pace ourselves an' wait for her t' burn out. No matter how strong she is, she has t' have a limit. An' considerin' the two rounds o' this battle she lost earlier, she's probably gonna hit us with everything she's got from the beginnin' this time around. The swirlin' Dark Magic energy surgin' around her as intensely as it is, is the biggest indicator o' that."
"Right," Shantae agreed, listening to his advice. "Well, whatever we decide to do, we'll do it together. It's important that we stay focused and stay on the same page. And while we're on it, how's your health looking?"
"522 Hit Points an' my Magic, while still Dark, is at maybe half, if not a bit less…" he informed her after taking a peek at his Heart Monitor. "I can't say I got off the cleanest. I took a few big hits from them Tinkerbats, much as I hate to admit it. Risky clocked me a good couple times, as well."
"We're in the same boat, then. I've used up half my magic and took a lot of damage from Risky and her minions, too" she revealed as she stretched out the kinks in her arms and legs. "In that case, I think we should mainly be conservative and wear her down. We should also be careful to avoid taking any damage, if possible. As far as this looks, this is Risky's last stand. All we've got to do is drive it home, and then this'll be over..." the ponytailed heroine further asserted, hoping they could get the remainder of the battle over with before anything... undesirable happened to either of them as a certain prediction crept up in her mind.
"My thoughts exactly. Turnin' this into a battle of attrition won't be easy, but it's the best option we got," the serviceman reasoned, also stretching to limber himself up for the final round... as if this awful, miserable, grueling battle wasn't long enough.
"Took the words out of my mouth, hon," Shantae agreed, striking her battle stance. "Are you ready, then?"
"Alongside you, I'm always ready," Tayshan confidently affirmed, striking his battle stance alongside the half-genie.
"I feel the exact same. We'll do this. We'll beat Risky Boots, and then we can go home and rest…" Shantae conclusively stated as she and Tayshan stared Risky down. In return, Risky sized up her opponents and prepared to find the quickest and most effective way of destroying the biggest obstacles in her path for world domination.
"That's right, you little punks. Map out your pathetic 'strategy' all you'd like. You're only delaying the inevitable…!" Risky murmured to herself, confident that her newfound increase in Dark Magic utilized at its fullest would be more than enough to handle the half-genie and the soldier. It was during this stare-down, however, that Risky Boots contemplated the entirety of her plan in a nutshell. She had rebuilt and improved upon her Tinker-Portal right off the coattails of her last great defeat at the hands of Shantae at this point. She had managed to invade another world and abscond with a collection of advanced weapons of all shapes and sizes… at the cost of also bringing along a certain interloper who would go on to warn her nemesis of her schemes for world domination.
Yet, after a messy series of delays, semi-successful invasions followed by crushing defeats, multiple last-second adjustments to the doomed Operation: Bombardment of Artillery Rainstorms and Fusillades Across Regional Territories to the point that even its name had to be 'adjusted' to Operation: Bombardment of Artillery Rainstorms, she wound up here of all places. Her base was in shambles, more than half her pirate crew had been vanquished in a series of bloody conflicts with these obnoxious do-gooders, her Tinker-Portal was reduced to a smoldering heap of twisted, melted metal… and most of the weapons she worked her Tinkerbats so hard to obtain were either lost, stolen, blown to smithereens, burned up, or melted with acid. And here she was, alone to face her fiercest rival… who defiantly stood alongside that same irritating interloper who'd weeks ago futilely attempted to stop her from taking her weapon supply. Oh, how irony hits like five trucks moving at the speed of light when you least expect it.
Nevertheless, Risky refused to lose. If it was the last thing she did, then she was at least going to claim her most triumphant victory over the legendary Shantae by any means necessary. Equipped with little more than her usual pirate gear, Risky Boots prepared herself for battle against the courageous heroes who dared to get in her way yet again. And with that, we wrap up until next time, where we finally hit the climax of the Clash of Arms saga. It's been a long, long, LOOOONG ride, folks, and we're hitting the final stride. Finally. You won't want to miss it, so stay tuned and, like always, I'll catch you in the next chapter. Peace. I'm gettin' goosebumps just thinking about how this is all wraps up...!
