Disclaimer: I own nothing

Content warning: this chapter holds a section of the game where Shantae, and 3 other characters wear super revealing outfits, I describe them each once, and that is it, but still, keep in mind that there are images not suitable for people under the age of 15. 13 is a bit iffy.


Pirate's curse chapter 5: Tan-line Island part 1: Mummy sketches, and Princesses

Shantae and Risky walked onto the dock of the next island, Shantae looking at the map that lead them to this place.

"According to the map, this is Tan line Island." The purple haired hero said, looking at Risky. "It's hot." She stated, since the island was pretty much a desert.

"Don't let the immense heat distract you. There's a den of evil here." Risky sighed at Shantae's antics for the umpteenth time that week.

"Find it and destroy it without delay!" The pirate lady ordered.

"I'll go and have a look-see. You just leave everything to me!"Shantae said as she headed off onto the island. She encountered monster after monster on her way to what looked to be a large palace oasis in the distance.

More of those strange creatures with the weird heart emblems showed up, this time they were dressed more like bandits wielding scimitars, even ones that were taller than her showed up, they were rotund and breathed fire.

However, those large bandits were weak in the back so she had to sneak around them to get them to go down. Along with the small and large bandits there were even pots that grew 4 spider-like legs that attacked her, a single yellow eye being seen in a crack in each pot.

It reminded her of tinkerbats, but they were most likely different. Other than those monsters the usual Archer monsters, human bandits, and even a Scorpion Gal tried to sneak up on her during her journey.

As she walked she found a sword buried in the sand, a sarcophagus like she found once on Saliva island which she really didn't think would be of any importance. She also found a place where a sarcophagus once was, torn from the ground it must've been somehow connected to.

And soon she made it to the palace, the door however was shut and her keyblade couldn't unlock it. There seemed to be a combination puzzle she had to look at and there were several symbols of animals, Lions, Birds, Fish, Alligators. But she soon noticed a familiar red blob, it was Squid Baron who was groaning like he had wasted his time.

"Hey, Squid Baron... What are you doing here of all places?" Shantae asked.

"My vacation... it's ruined." Squid Baron sighed, this must've been a scam vacation area from one of those brochures that man back near the Sequin Land Palace sold.

"Oh right." Shantae said, remembering that he wanted a vacation.

"I came here expecting to relax in the surf... to feel the ocean breeze on my face and watch with feigned disinterest as nearby beach bunnies apply copious handfuls of sunscreen to each other's bodies in order to be practical and sun-safe." Squid Baron said, describing a part of the perfect vacation for him.

It weirded Shantae out to have that image in her head, but she just kept listening to be nice.

"...Ok." She said with disinterest.

"But I didn't know this is the off season! The only sights at this time of year are the elder beings and scorpion folk." The giant squid sighed. "I give up." He said, dejected.

"I'll be purchasing a lavish home nearby with amazing square footage and gravel landscaping at this rate." He added.

"I won't let you do that! Buck up! There's still something amazing out there waiting for you!" Shantae exclaimed, trying to cheer Squid Baron up. "Something cliché like a lonely lady squid!"

"Maybe you're right!" Squid Baron said, starting to cheer up. "If I'm not going to stick around, then here. Take these X-ray specs." He said, giving Shantae some actual working X-Ray glasses.

"I won't be needing them apparently. Use them to see through things if it please you." He added before leaving Shantae on her own with the realization that he was going to use those in a not so innocent way.

She walked ahead a bit more, coming to see several men in wolf pelts and tribal loin cloths mining away at some old ruins, she caught the eye of the foreman due to her curiosity and he walked over to her.

"The chief wants these old ruins removed. But this is going to take my men and forever at this rate. Our ancestors on Saliva Island never had it so rough." He explained with a sigh before getting back to work.

The ruins must be in the way of the next Den of Evil so Shantae decided to trek back to the ship, fighting her way through more monsters and even using the X-ray specs on the sarcophagus from earlier. Finding it had a symbol, which must've belonged to the door to the palace on this island so she sketched it out before officially going back to the ship.

"Why are you back so early runt?" Risky asked in a rude manner.

"We have to go back to Saliva island, then I need to back to the mainland to prepare, the way to the den of evil is blocked by a bunch of ruins and I think I need to get a tool from the palace on this island to help me get through to it." Shantae explained.

"There was a sarcophagus that had a symbol inside on the mummy which I believe is part of the combination for the palace door, another sarcophagus is on saliva island, as for the third, maybe Sky's Dad took it and he could be visiting her soon, hence extra preparation." She further explained as to get to the point.

Risky sighed and nodded, it took two days to get to the main land, one day to travel to saliva island and for Shantae to get the second mummy sketch there, and another day to make it back to the mainland.

"You better hurry this up." Risky told Shantae with a huff. The purple haired hero only nodded and went to Sky's Hatchery finding Sky's mother was there as was a man from the Ammonian army, Barracuda Joe.

"Shantae, look who decided to make a surprise visit." Sky said with a sigh, motioning to her mother. Her mother was tall, had blonde hair with very light green highlights, blue eyes, wore a blue short cape, a blue and purple top, purple sleeve-like gloves, a pair of plain pants and brown boots.

"Sky's mom! How are you?" Shantae asked with a smile.

"On cloud nine!" Sky's mother exclaimed. "When I heard my sweet widdle bedwetting baby bunsies found herself a handsome young man I just had to come and meet him." She said, embarrassing Sky immensely. "Oh and look at his fun hat." She motioned to Barracuda Joe's ammonian army cap.

"Pleasure ma'am. Yer got quite a gal here." Barracuda Joe said, rather politely for a man of the Ammonian army. He wore a rectangular raccoon-styled cap, a blue army coat, a red shirt, and a pair of khaki pants with decent boots.

He wasn't exactly handsome in Shantae's mind, but his mustached face seemed to make Sky happy.

"You and JOE!?!" Shantae said in shock once it fully registered.

"I caught him removing one of my bird's nest and we got to talking over coffee, and we sort of just hit it off." Sky explained with a light giggle.

"She 'bout broke my arm bein' causin' of the bird I done touched." Joe said with a sigh but he couldn't deny he liked Sky.

"Soon there will be the sounds of wedding bells and piles of crying grandbabies!" Sky's mother exclaimed happily.

"Mom!" Sky yelled at her mother before another voice broke the awkwardness.

"Shove over kids, heavy load incoming!" The voice said as a man with a slight horse-like face and wild greyish brown hair walked into the hatchery carrying a sarcophagus on his back which clearly hurt. He set it down and stretched, popping his back.

He wore a faded green blanket under a large back pack and over a plane grey long sleeved shirt, a blue belt, and a pair of khaki's with some boots.

"Owtch! There goes the back." He sighed in pain, slouching. "Hope I hold out long enough to see these two lovebirds tie the knot before I croak." He said with a very faint chuckle and a smile.

"Oh daddy." Sky said with a laugh at her father's jokes.

"This the guy?" Sky's father asked as he looked at Joe.

"Sir." Joe said, greeting Sky's father politely.

"What'cha do for a living Joe?" Sky's father asked.

"I tears down schools and whats converts 'em to long range cannons." Joe explained.

"That'll work." Sky's father said with a sigh. "My daughter could do a lot worse." He said in a joking, but still serious manner, causing Sky more embarrassment.

"Also she smells like the barn I was raised in." Joe said with a nostalgic tone in his voice.

"Hold up now! Look at you, daughter!" Sky's father said, getting a better look at Sky. He continued to comment on what it was like to raise Sky and mentioning how it felt like it all passed in a blink of an eye. He was proud that his daughter was getting married.

He also mentioned the sarcophagus as a gift and asked Joe what he thought about it.

"I'll have ter get real close to read it..." Joe said, reading the inscription on the Sarcophagus.

"It says here.. Death ter them what reads it." He said before he stood up straight looking like he was sick. "Hmph. I feel a fit unnatural." He said before suddenly turned to stone.

"DADDY, WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Sky yelled at her father.

"Jiminy! Who'd think something this old could still pack such a wallop!" Sky's father said with surprise.

"Shantell, looks like your 'ol Uncle Mimic was right again. He always says; "Evil curses stay fresh with age!" He added with a chuckle. "Man's the better Relic Hunter. Any day of the week."

Sky's parents and Sky got into a argument shortly after which ended with Sky's dad saying that Shantae would end up fixing the problem.

Shantae quickly took a look at the sarcophagus with her X-ray specs, got the final mummy sketch and was on her way to go back to Tan-line Island, Which took another day's of travel, enough time to get over her confusion.

Once she made it back to the Tan-line Island Palace she input the combination and the door opened, as she walked inside she swore that the people in the entrance were mistaking her for a princess of theirs. When she got to the chief she wasn't even able to get a word out before he gasped.

He was a rather portly man, not unlike her uncle, but he had fancier wolf pelt clothes and he carried a golden snake scepter.

"Oh my stars and garters! Princess, is it really you!?" He asked, his eyes must've been deceiving him.

"Ummm... you're talking to me right?" Shantae asked after looking around.

"It is you! You've returned to us after ages beyond passing! Everyone listen! OUR PRINCESS HAS RETURNED TO US AFTER ALL THIS TIME!" He exclaimed like a lunatic, but everyone else was agreeing with him and cheering. Just how many nutty people was she going to meet this adventure, she was used to it but still.

"Whoh! I think you got the wrong gal!" Shantae tried to dissuade them.

"She doesn't remember!" The chief exclaimed. "And yet she is the spitting image of she who has long since passed! Now she has returned to rule over us all with her infinite wisdom!"

"Princess, please take your proper place on the throne at once!" He pretty much ordered. "Royal Vassals! Adorn her highness in ceremonial garb! See that she does not wander while I prepare the coronation!"

"Oh boogers." Shantae sighed before she was captured by the guards who took her to a dressing room where some women dressed her in an outfit she couldn't see until she was in a surprisingly comfy cell of sorts.

"Hello?" She asked as she looked around and then at herself in a mirror. She was wearing a very showy outfit, most of her body being on display. She wore several golden accessories, in fact most of the outfit if not all of it was gold.

Her top was nothing more than a golden bikini top that was cold against her skin, a matching golden bikini bottom covered her unmentionables, a golden heart with blue fabric inside it that formed a loin cloth, gold chains connecting the front and backside, the backside was the rest of the blue loincloth.

She even wore a golden serpentine head dress with blue gem earrings, and her hair was braided behind the head dress.

"I'm dressed like a space princess..." she sighed. "CAN WE TALK THIS OVER NOW?" She asked, but no one answered. "Anyone?" She asked with a sigh.

She looked around the room and sighed once again. "Great. They took my items away, too. Well, most of them." She said, summoning her keyblade with a smile. She opened the lock on her caged door and stepped out into a large main hall, noticing two locked cages on the other side, one above the other.

She assumed that there must be people in danger here so, she assumed there was a fourth cage above hers and climbed up to it, unlocking it with her keyblade. As she walked inside she saw a very familiar purple-ish grey skinned woman.

"Risky, is that you?" Shantae asked and the woman stood up from the couch in her cell.

"Who else would it be?" Risky asked in reply, a scowl on her face. She was wearing the same outfit of Shantae only instead of blue cloth it was a purple that matched the color of her hair. She stood there in a sassy pose, clearly hating the outfit despite how it was made of precious metals.

"I came looking for you but instead I found myself here, getting mistaken for some dead princess. I can see why you were taking a long time now." She sighed. "I'll pound those imbeciles into fish paste when I get my hands on them." Risky threatened.

"We're wasting time, Let's go!" She ordered as she left the room. Shantae of course went to the other two cells, finding Sky, and Rottytops in their own respective princess outfits. Sky, like Risky was annoyed at this, but Rottytops was having a ball.

Sky's outfit had a light blue loincloth, while Rottytops' had a light purple loin cloth, similar to Risky's. Once they were all let out they met in a room where they had to pull down a giant rope to open the door. Once open they rushed into a giant hall where they saw the chief talking to the real princess, who turns out not to be dead, looks nothing like any of them, and was just at the store.

As an apology for the mistake they were allowed to keep the princess outfits, given back their belongings, and Shantae was given a golden pickaxe, that was actually an alloy of gold and titanium.

Shantae would find another cacklebat after this, inside of their palace, defeat it and collect the dark magic before she headed back to the area where she saw the group of miners.


Chapter end. Sorry for the fast and abrupt end to the chapter. I'm gonna take a day or two to work up some better ideas and continue the fanfic from here.