Gamelover41592: Thanks
Matt (Guest): They are and it drives Jasmine and Sky insane.
Alright, so it's time to go after the final baron(and the one with the most fetish artwork).
After finding the place that the forest key unlocked, Shantae was able to relearn her elephant dance, letting the girls smash through some obstacles that had been blocking them before. Upon leaving the area, they were greeted by two male zombies, who Jasmine quickly remembered were Aber and Poe, Rottytops's brothers.
"Heya brainiacs," Aber said gruffly. "Where ya going?"
"Yes, where to?" Poe asked.
"What do you two want?" Jasmine asked.
"We're here cause we got a proposition for ya two," Aber said.
"Like?" Shantae asked. She didn't trust these two at all.
"Like, we know your stop is the Hypno Baron," Aber replied. "His oceanside fortress is impenetrable. There ain't no way you're breakin' in there without our help."
"It's a labyrinth that bores deep into the seaside cliffs," Poe elaborated. "It's filled with tricks and traps. Very, very dangerous." Jasmine raised an eyebrow. This could be tricky. Some help would also make things easier. Shantae also seemed interested in what they were offering.
"Our offer is this. We get you in. In return, you gotta brew us some coffee," Aber explained.
"Are you serious?" Jasmine asked. There was no way it was this easy.
"Dead serious," Aber replied. "You know about wild brain-eating zombies? A strong cup o' joe's all that separates us from them. So do it. You don't want to be there when sis's eyes roll back and she goes freak show on ya." Shantae did seem a bit worried about this. Jasmine on the other hand, was sure she could handle it.
"You're going to need a coffee machine and some fresh coffee beans," Poe said. "Oh, and I like mine with a little rotten egg mixed in."
"Sounds easy," Shantae said dismissively.
"Drop it off at the old boat house and we'll hook you up with a way into that labyrinth. You got all that?" Aber asked.
"We hear you," Jasmine said, wanting to get searching quickly. She wanted this adventure to be over so that sense of dread would go away.
"But...we seriously have to do a coffee run?" Shantae asked, trying to make sure she heard this right.
"You ain't gotta do it," Aber assured her. "But good luck getting inside the Hypno Baron's digs if you don't!" With that, they walked off.
"Geez, are we just errand girls now?" Jasmine asked.
"If we are, time to look for a new job," Shantae joked back. With a laugh, the two girls headed off. They had an idea on who to ask for where they could find what they were looking for.
"Hey, look who's back!" Rottytops said when she saw Shantae and Jasmine coming up to her wagon.
"Can you help us find some stuff for your brother's coffee?" Jasmine asked, her arms crossed.
"Sure thing! It was so sweet of them to help you out," Rotty said.
"Yeah, in exchange for some kind of coffee drink," Shantae grumbled. "Can we really trust these guys?"
"Of course! There my brothers!" Rotty said with a wink and a smile.
"Why does that lower my faith?" Jasmine mumbled to herself.
"That says it all," Shantae said aloud.
"You know, I used to have a coffee machine, but I lost it the last time I came to this forest. If you find it, it's yours. For the coffee beans, why not try that tiny brained chef gal?" Rotty pointed out.
"Alright, we'll give that a try. Thanks, Rotty," Shantae said before turning to Jasmine. "Let's split up! You find the machine and I'll go bean hunting!"
"Works for me!" Jasmine said before turning into a hawk. She flew off. She knew that she most likely wouldn't be able to see it, but she could find the coffee machine faster if she was moving faster.
"What took you so long?" Jasmine taunted when she saw Shantae, coffee beans in hand.
"As it turns out, the nearest coffee beans were in a cave," She grumbled. "Let's just make the stupid coffee and go."
"Uh...the machine is broken and we still don't have the egg," Jasmine pointed out. Shantae just groaned. Sky was able to fix the machine and had an egg that was rotten (it was the Mayor's fault apparently).
"You owe me one," Sky bluntly told the girls when she had finished making the coffee. "No more zombie barista."
"You make it sound like we wanted to do it," Jasmine replied.
"Thank you Sky! Wrench!" Shantae said cheerfully. "You're the best!"
"Let's get moving," Jasmine said. The coffee smelled really bad.
Thankfully, the trek to the boat house wasn't too long. What was bad was that it was riddled with mermaids, who were not happy to see the two girls.
"I never thought something so pretty would be so vicious," Shantae admitted.
"No kidding," Jasmine agreed. Aber and Poe were waiting inside.
"Look who's back!" Aber marveled. "Wasn't sure you'd keep your end of the deal."
"Whatever," Shantae said.
"Here's your stupid drink," Jasmine said as she held it out.
"A latte! That's a chick's drink!" Aber exclaimed. "Well, you remembered Poe's egg anyway, so at least he'll shut his gab."
"It smells wonderful!" Poe gushed as he downed the drink. "You can't tell where the foam ends and the scrambled eggs begin!"
"So anyways, here's the ticket to getting into the Hypno Baron's joint!" Aber said as he handed the girls a plastic explosive. Jasmine's eyes widened. This was going to be fun. Of course, Shantae seemed to have other ideas.
"Oh boy it's a blob," She snarked. "What am we supposed to do, sculpt our way in?" Jasmine and Aber both face palmed.
"It ain't clay," He explained. "That there's enough plastic explosives to blast his wimpy door into next week!"
"All you need now is a detonator!" Poe said.
"This is gonna be fun…" Jasmine said as she rubbed her hands together. Mindless destruction wasn't really her thing(it was more so Bolo's) but she had a soft spot for blowing things up.
"Just stick this wad to the Baron's door, hit it with an electrical spark, and stand back for the fireworks!"
"This had better work!" Shantae exclaimed as she walked out, Jasmine following her.
"Look at it go!" Jasmine exclaimed when the explosives worked. Shantae thankfully had a few Puff Cloud spells on her, so they didn't have to search too hard for the electrical current.
"Time to head in!" Shantae said as she rushed inside, Jasmine hot on her tail. To put it bluntly, the place was creepy. All kinds of creepy monsters lived inside and the scenery wasn't much better. Creepy green liquid was everywhere as were spikes and other hazards. It felt fitting for someone named Hypno Baron. Somehow, Shantae getting a mermaid transformation was both fitting and out of place. By the time the girls found him, the Hypno Baron was already ready for them. He was a hooded figure with a skull-like face.
"You must be the sisters, looking for the magic seals, yes?" He asked.
"That's right!" Shantae answered.
"You have two, and now, you're here for the final one! You've outsmarted Risky Boots. You're very very smart!" Hypno Baron said. Both girls didn't know what to say. How did he know all of that? "She will never be able to restore the magic lamp now! You two are heroes! The townspeople will thank you!"
"What game are ya playing!?" Jasmine demanded to know. "Ya got something to say, then say it!"
Hypno Baron chuckled. He wasn't finished. "But your uncle. He is keeping secrets from both of you!"
"What do you know about that?" Shantae asked. "What does this lamp do anyways?" The baron laughed. He used his magic and there was a flash. He had changed into a ghostly clone of Mimic.
"Information that valuable is not given away for free!" He bellowed. "But if you have what it takes to destroy your uncle, then you deserve to know the lamp's true power!
"You might look like him, but you are not our uncle!" Shantae boasted.
"Give us everything you got!" Jasmine roared as she shifted into a tiger. The Hypno Baron quickly began to teleport around. The girls learned that was his favorite trick and it only got faster as the fight dragged on. He would also throw shockwave causing potions or ones that caused explosions, use a literal finger gun. The girls were able to defeat him, but he fled rather then explain.
"That's all three magic seals," Shantae noted as she grabbed the final one.
"And still no answers on anything," Jasmine pointed out. That feeling of dread she had been getting was only growing stronger and it only got worse upon walking outside.
"That's strange. Now that we've got all three magic seals, I half expected Risky Boots to make a grab for them," Shantae said.
"Let's just get back to town before she decides to," Jasmine said as she started the trek home.
...Anyone who has played the game knows what is coming and it's not good. But for those that haven't...things aren't going to end well.