Shantae: The Eternal Spirit Chronicles

by IllusoryNomad

Following Shantae's latest crusade against the forces of evil, a new Relic is revealed that has the power to LITERALLY change (or even DESTROY) the lives of all who come into contact with it! Added to the emergence of a rogue, vengeful half-genie, as well as the unwelcome return of a certain marauding Pirate Queen, the Half-Genie Hero and company must spring into action once again!

5. Deadly Discoveries

Chapter 4B: Deadly Discoveries

Ah! So, you've come back for more, have you? Good, because you wouldn't want to miss out on the bombastic shenanigans we're about to get into. I imagine that to be a given by now, so if you haven't caught on yet, then catch on! So, last we left off, the heroic duo of Shantae and Bolo were ripping through the vacuous, watery, trap-infested confines of the Tangled Thread Temple in search of some mysterious soul-altering artifact. This artifact, named the Spirit Fuser, was rumored to hold unspeakable power that potentially granted its wielder the ability to absorb the life energy of most, if not all other living things! That, or it could possibly allow the spirit of a deceased individual to rejoin the world of the living, as long as the conditions were right. For the latter rumored purpose, Shantae and Bolo had bravely traversed to this dilapidated temple in hopes to claim a fragment of the fabled Relic, as it was said to have been split into five pieces hidden in various secret locations across the land. Our Half-Genie Hero eagerly embarked on this perilous expedition for the sake of hopefully reassembling it to revive her fallen comrade and lover.

Yet, while Shantae and her trusty sidekick Bolo were on their hunt, the potential presence of some other entity looking to claim that same artifact made itself apparent in the form of our titanic twosome discovering that the place to be ransacked through and through before they'd even set foot inside. Now, much as I wanted to start us off from where we parted ways last time, I… made something of a 'discovery' myself while you were away. That discovery? Well, I just so happened to find out who exactly it was rampaging through the innermost confines of the ancient sanctuary, believe it or not. And MY GOODNESS, did it not look pretty. Of course, I'd rather not explain too much before we get into the action, and I'm certain that's what you're actually here for. Sooooo…

"DIE!" shouted a certain strawberry blonde-haired, orange-eyed half-genie as she descended upon a giant, green-scaled dragon-human hybrid creature with a spear made entirely out of Dark Magic. With a sickening *SKIIRSCH*, she pierced the dragon through the back just above the collar of his golden armor.

"GHRAAARRGH!" the unfortunate dragon-man roared out in agony before disappearing with a *POOF* into a cloud of smoke and multicolored gems.

"Hah! What a letdown! I expected the oh-so fearsome guardians of this place to be FAR stronger than this!" the malevolent half-genie taunted with a sneer as she rushed toward a collection of other dragon-men with differing colors of scales and armor sets. Meanwhile, each of the three other dragon-men charged at her wielding axes and shields. "Maybe you three clowns will give us a bigger challenge than your mouthy friend back there!" she taunted once again as her Dark Magic-borne spear clashed with the axe of a yellow-scaled, silver-armored dragon-man with a startling, sparking *CLEERSH*.

"Fiendish genie!" the yellow dragon-man spat as he repelled her and attempted to swat her away by turning and whipping his tail at her with a mighty *WROORSH*. The genie flipped backward with unrivaled grace and form just in time to dodge her opponent's attack. "Your own ancestors were the ones who sealed the fragments of the Spirit Fuser away in the first place! What is the meaning of this!? Why do you seek to violate the pact they made with the Saurzian tribe to guard it!?" the reptilian defender, evidently of Saurzian descent, demanded to know.

"It won't matter if I tell you or not; you'll be DEAD like the rest of your kind either way!" the half-genie threatened as a red-scaled, azure-armored Saurzian warrior made a massive bound over the length of the wide, sparkling, battle-damaged platform they each stood on as said platform slowly and precariously levitated toward a vault door in the distance.

"Not if we SLAY YOU FIRST, wicked child!" the red Saurzian guard challenged with a gravelly growl in his tone as he brought his axe down with extreme prejudice. The wicked half-genie was prepared, however. Gyrating her hips as she held her energy spear up, she began to surge with a *FWOOORSH* of sinister purple energy. Before anyone knew it, and with a sudden *SHWEEERNG* as she struck a pose, her spear had suddenly morphed into an energy SCYTHE… uh-oh…

"Heh…! I'd say 'don't lose your head over it,' but…" she menacingly murmured with an evil grin as she awaited her enemy's assault.

"PERISH, EVIL ONE!" the red reptile valiantly announced as he followed through with his swing… only to miss with a *WHEEERSH* due to his target pulling a graceful spin move at the last possible second. "WHAT!? How could she have dodged it so f-!?" he was about to ask as he landed with a solid *PLOUGH* of his talon-adorned feet on the cracked, stony platform.

"SHOORYYYAAH!" the genie roared as she used the momentum from her spin move to perform perhaps the most merciless counterattack I'd ever seen. With an utterly malicious swing of her weapon, and with a disturbing *SCHWEEERRSH*, the half-genie sliced clean through the exposed neck of the ill-prepared warrior. Before the poor guy could even pick up on what happened, his body vanished into smoke with a *POOF*… only for his head to follow suit a truly disheartening second later.

"NO! ISHAZAR!" the yellow-scaled Saurzian shouted in horror as he watched his comrade be slain in cold blood by this apparently traitorous half-genie. Within a second, however, the half-genie stood tall and pointed her scythe at him.

"You won't need to mourn him or your other friends in this forsaken dungeon. You'll be joining them in the next dimension in a second!" the evil half-genie threatened, her eyes consumed with an unreasonable burning hatred for the guardians she evidently planned on slaughtering.

"You… You miserable, bloodthirsty WRETCH!" the thoroughly enraged Saurzian spat in inconsolable rage, his green-and-orange eyes glaring hot death at the slayer of his allies. "You will PAY for-!"

"Hashanah! I could use some back-up!" another voice belonging to another woman on a separate floating platform called out as she did battle with another squad of lizardmen. The red-haired, bespectacled, Ammonian-affiliated woman wielded a semiautomatic bayonet-adorned rifle that she fired off with an ear-rupturing *RATATATAT* while dodging the axe swings from a pair of other Saurzian creatures. The rounds from the weapon, marble-like projectiles that flashed red, white, and blue, hit their mark as the creature she aimed them at stumbled back in collective shock and jolts of agony. Meanwhile, a blue-scaled Saurzian guard wearing copper-hued armor came dashing in to try and catch her off-guard. The genie's accomplice would find her situation further complicated by the assistance her adversary received from at least three more temple guardians rushing her all at once.

"Nila, be careful!" the malevolent half-genie known as Hashanah warned her partner as the yellow-scaled lizard warrior engaged her in combat. "Grrgh…! These lizards are weak, but they'll gang up on you and get the drop on you if you let them!" she further explained as she, with a *CLARSHK*, forcefully crossed her scythe with her enemy's axe.

"Read loud and clear, but-! GHAGH!" Nila furiously shouted as she was struck with a *PLAWNG* of one of the lizard men's shields swiping her from the side. She was flung across the platform, soon after landing with a harsh *THUD* that nearly knocked her out of commission. Keeping her wits about her in an increasingly desperate situation, however, Nila quickly recovered, shook off the pain, and readied her rifle for the horde of reptilian warriors that ruthlessly pursued her. "DIE, YOU REPULSIVE MUTANTS!" the Ammonian admiral shouted as she let loose another startling *RATATTATATAT* of rounds from her rifle to keep her foes at bay.

"Gah…! Come on, Nila…! Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here?" Hashanah complained, seeming to be rather frustrated with her partner's apparent lack of success in dealing with their shared reptilian foes.

"Your friend will suffer just as YOU WILL!" the yellow-scaled Saurzian warrior declared as he and Hashanah remained locked in combat with one another. "I'll avenge my clan, and I'll see to it that you traitorous genies are vanquished in your ENTIRETY once we finish with you!" he further vowed as he and Hashanah viciously clashed their weapons with *PRAKANG* after *PLANG* after *SKRANG* all over the crumbling floating platform.

"Fat chance, 'friend.' You could NEVER be a match for a genie, and this is where…!" she menacingly trailed off as she parried her enemy's axe swing in such a way that she, with a *TWANG*, hooked its blade with the inside of her scythe and ripped the Saurzian's weapon from his hands with unprecedented strength. The axe flew far over the platform, hitting the nearby wall with a *PLOWNG* before plummeting into the pitch-black abyss below. Meanwhile, Hashanah followed up with a *KERTHWACKRASH* of her Dark Magic-charged foot against the reptilian guardian's chest that caused him to fall to his knees in unimaginable pain… added to the fact that her kick BROKE THROUGH the armor he was wearing.

"Gah…! N-no…!"

"…YOUR STORY ENDS! DEATH SLASHER!" the rogue half-genie announced the name of yet another brutal, horrifying technique as she morphed her scythe into an electricity-spewing, Dark Magic-borne scimitar. And without a SHRED of mercy, Hashanah lifted the sword over her head as she dashed toward her defenseless enemy and… with a terrifying *SCHWEEERSH*, she sliced the Saurzian warrior diagonally across from the base of his neck on one side of his body to his hip on the OTHER side of his body. The lizard warrior hadn't even uttered a cry of defeat before the two halves of his body separated and fell to the platform's surface with naught but a heartbroken expression on his face… jeez… "Hmph. You deserved that for getting in my way. Pathetic waste of space…!" Hashanah coldly spat as she withdrew her energy weapon before she turned her attention to the other platform where Nila was still holding her ground against the remaining Saurzian guards. Rather than find some way to leap across the platforms, she raised her hands to the air and began to gyrate her hips. With a truly sinister *FRWOOOOSH* of evil energy quickly enveloping her curvy form, the wayward genie girl began to charge up power for a purple-hued fire blast of some sort. Meanwhile, Nila managed to take out one of the temple's guardians with a calculated spray of her rifle that, with another *RATATATATAT*, vanquished the enemy soldier in a barrage of glowing marbles. Despite this, the rest of the brigade cornered her as she was attempting to reload.

"Gahh…! Hashanah! What are you…? Ah, blast it…!" Nila was set to complain as she turned to her teammate, only to notice the rogue half-genie summoning up energy for a truly devastating energy attack. Knowing that she wouldn't be safe in her current position, the Ammonian affiliate opted to disengage her targets and activate her jetpack. With a sudden *FWOOOOSH*, Nila quickly bailed from the platform, causing her enemies to attempt to give chase. Only, before they could even make a move to pursue her…

"SEE YOU SCALY WEAKLINGS IN THE NEXT WORLD! TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah announced the name of a familiarly fearsome attack of hers as she, with a monumental *KAPWEEERRSH*, flung an energy blast the size of a beach ball directly at the other platform. Moving almost too fast for the naked eye to track, the sinister energy ball almost immediately collided with the platform with a deafening *KRABLOOOOOOOOOM* of an explosion that completely OBLITERATED the hovering slab of stone in an instant. As you might imagine, chunks of rock went scattering in all directions while every last Saurzian warrior standing on the platform was instantly plunged an uncountable number of feet... yards... miles... meters... kilometers… Whichever unit of measurement you use, just know that those warriors were history as they all went plummeting into the endless abyss below. Nila landed on the other platform with Hashanah as the smoke from the explosion had been wisping through the air. "Hah. Easy…"

"A little warning would've been nice, y'know!" an evidently unhappy Nila shouted at her teammate as they regrouped.

"What? You asked for help, and I gave it to you. What's got you all fouled up now?" Hashanah asked, seeming not to see an issue.

"The fact that you didn't say anything before you launched that attack!" Nila argued. "I was expecting you to come over and help me fight those lizards off, not completely demolish the platform we were all standing on!"

"Cool it, alright? It isn't that big a deal," Hashanah dismissed with a shrug as she turned her attention to the open vault entrance at the end of the hall. "I heard your call for help, and I helped you. You knew what to do when you saw me charging my attack, and you got out of there. You're safe now."

"That isn't the point, Hasha! What would've happened if I didn't turn and see you!? What would you have done if you launched that blast and wound up sending me to my doom, too!?"

"Ni, stop it!" the agitated half-genie warned as she turned back and glared at her girlfriend. "You need to stop worrying about what could've happened and understand that we've got more important things to focus on. Now, are you ready to go get this Relic piece and get out of here or what?" At that, Nila found herself stunned. She thought for a moment as she stared into the rogue half-genie's eyes, though she didn't seem to be able to come up with a reply she deemed appropriate. As such…

"…I certainly hope this doesn't become a trend with you, because this ISN'T the first time you've picked doing what's convenient for you over what was safe for both of us… I'll tell you right now that I DON'T like people who think it's okay to sacrifice their comrades to complete a mission…!" she muttered as she angrily marched forth past the seemingly lifeless remains of the Saurzian warrior Hashanah had slain moments earlier. Seeming to finally register something, Hashanah's disposition changed to one of immediate concern as she approached the other woman from behind.

"Nila, honey… Come on, I didn't mean to make you upset…" she expressed her concern as she slung her arms around the Ammonian affiliate's shoulders and hugged her from behind.

"Get off of me, please," Nila rebuffed, attempting to slip free from the half-genie's grasp to no avail as Hashanah latched on just a bit tighter.

"Look, I'm sorry… You're right. I should've given you fair warning. I'll do better next time. Okay, schweetums?" Hasha apologized, turning up the charm factor as she shifted to where she was hugging Nila from the side and cutely nuzzling her face into her girlfriend's neck. When Nila didn't seem to budge, Hashanah upped the ante by pecking away at the other woman's neck with her lips.

"Hmm…~" Nila hummed, though she tried her absolute hardest to stifle it. "What did I tell you about buttering me up to get what you want…?"

"I'm not buttering you up…" Hasha teased as she continued to pepper Nila with kisses on her neck and cheek. "I'm just trying to cheer you up because I made you mad at me… You know I don't wanna see my sweet little tangerine upset… Come on… Smile for me, Ni…"

"…Y-you're so annoying…" Ni continued trying to protest, though her heart began to pound in her chest as Hasha continued to play with her. And… as hard as she fought it, Nila couldn't resist cracking just the smallest of grins as she turned her head toward the other woman to meet with one particularly enticing peck on the lips.

"I love you too, Ni-Ni~!" Hasha flirted some more, giving the other woman one more playful kiss on the lips before… pulling off a most cheeky move by poking out her tongue and licking Nila's neck in just about the RACIEST way I'd ever seen, making the unsuspecting redhead shiver in a mix of surprise and evident delight.

"Ghaaaahah~! Oooh, you know I HATE it when you do that!" Nila complained further as she flinched and broke the hug, blushing furiously as she glowered at Hashanah and wiped her neck with her hand. At that, the renegade half-genie giggled in amusement.

"Heh, riiiight. You 'hate' it. That's why your face is as red as a tomato right now, right?" the mischievous genie maiden teased as she grinned at her teammate. "And you know… I can do a lot more for you once we finish up here… Y'know… as a 'reward' for a job well done…"

"D'oh…! You play too much! Let's go get your silly toy already, alright!?"

"That's the spirit! Now, take us away!" Hashanah excitedly agreed, leaping toward Nila, who'd caught her in a most intimate bridal carry as the Admiral powered her jetpack. With hardly another word between the two duplicitous lovers, and with another powerful *FWOOOOSH* from Nila's jetpack, the two of them were off to what seemed to be the final area of the Tangled Thread Temple… Yet, just as the dust seemed to settle…

"…Ghaaaah… We… We couldn't stop them… Someone must…" the weak, raspy voice of the yellow-scaled Saurzian warrior uttered as he seemed to barely be clinging to life… Huh… I didn't think he'd still be conscious after everything that happened. Still… Seeing the poor dragon barely clinging to life in this thoroughly bombed-out chamber with its shattered windows, crumbling walls, scorch marks, and chunks of metal… and dragon scales littered about the heavily damaged floating platform… it was haunting, to say the least…

A little while later…

"Okay… Looks like we've finally found our way to the end…" the voice of a much more familiar, much friendlier half-genie remarked as she, in the form of a Harpy, came gliding in with an equally friendly blue-haired fledgling warrior riding atop her back.

"Yeah, and not a moment too soon…" the blue-haired young man agreed, though he appeared to be drenched with water and almost entirely devoid of energy at the moment. "The next time we have to race through a life-threatening, twisty, tangled-up, broken, trap-infested waterslide while I'm stuck in a bubble, and then play multiple rounds of Bat Sonar Hopscotch in the dark through a giant trap-infested obstacle course, I'm bringing a flashlight, a jetpack… and a medic to restart my heart…"

"Is that an admission of defeat I'm hearing back there, Bolo?" Harpy-Shantae humorously questioned, not nearly as bothered by the perilous nature of their treasure-hunting expedition as her teammate was.

"No, Shantae. Of course not," Bolo rather unconvincingly denied. "I'm just saying that this quest was a TAD more… completely insane than usual. I'm just not used to having so many death traps straight out of Risky Boots's most deranged fantasies coming at us so soon and with such brutal intensity. I'd almost think SHE designed this place to be the way it is if I didn't know better."

"Fair, but that's why you always expect the unexpected, homie. You never know just how dangerous any adventuring location can be, so it's always good to have a strategy in mind," Harpy-Shantae assured him as they advanced deeper into the dungeon. Although, they would get another 'unexpected' surprise when they came across a long, mostly empty corridor with naught but a single floating, heavily battle-damaged platform slowly hovering back and forth over yet another wide, dark, empty chasm.

"Jeez… whoever else is here, they are showing NO mercy…" Bolo acknowledged in concern, noting the numerous burn marks, cracks in the walls, shattered statues, and… strange splotches of purple splattered all over various spots along the walls… and especially on the platform Harpy-Shantae was descending toward. "This hallway's been completely GUTTED… And the stench… it's so much stronger here…"

"You're telling me…" the half-genie also acknowledged, growing a bit uneasy herself as she landed on the platform, allowing Bolo to dismount her. As soon as he did so, the heroine transformed with a *POOF* back to her famous purple-haired, red-and-gold-garbed human form as the two of them tried to gather clues. What seemed most chilling to Shantae, however, was the sight of the bisected remains of a yellow-scaled lizard lying still on the platform. Though she found herself hesitant to do so, Shantae warily approached the seemingly deceased creature to get a closer inspection…

"H-hey, is… is that thing as dead as it looks…?" Bolo asked with an equal amount of reservation as he kept his distance and continued to scour the vicinity with his eyes.

"I… I'm not sure. If it was dead, though, then I'd have thought its body would've-!" Shantae was about to theorize before she heard the 'dead' lizard take a short breath before letting out a startling cough that scared her and Bolo senseless. Preparing for the worst, both of them lined up next to each other with Bolo readying his chain mace while Shantae prepared a pyrokinetic fireball in her hand with a *FROOSH*.

"Gaah… I… I do not know who you are…" the severely injured lizard man somehow spoke, though the heroes remained vigilant. "…b-but you should not have come here…"

"I… had a feeling we'd get a warning like that at some point," Shantae remarked, though she kept her guard up. "Why not? Is there something going on?"

"Yes… Agh…! I-Intruders… are… are running wild in this… s-sanctuary… destroying everything they touch…! It…! Ghahack…! It is not… safe here…"

"So, someone else IS here, intentionally wrecking everything as they go along…" Bolo acknowledged, his eyes widening in shock as he tuned all the way in.

"I see…" Shantae also acknowledged with a nod. "I can tell just by the look of this place that someone else came here with ill intent. What happened here? Where can we find the people who did this to you?"

"Ghaaah…! I've… no time to tell you everything about what happened… Whoever you are… you must leave this place for your own good… but… hah… if you have the power… then I beg of you… Y-you must stop them…"

"Stop who?" Shantae asked with a raised eyebrow, growing more curious.

"The traitorous genie… She slew me… and… agh… and my Saurzian brethren…"

"Traitorous genie?" the heroine asked in total surprise, her stomach dropping at the idea that a genie caused as much carnage and suffering as she and Bolo were witnessing. "Wait… Did you say you were Saurzian? I thought you guys went extinct after the Genie Wars…?" she further pondered, canceling her attack as she approached.

"Careful, Shantae. We don't know the danger this lizard poses," Bolo warned as he remained behind, keeping watch.

"Please… You must either go… or stop the genie traitor yourself… as my brethren and I could not…" the ailing Saurzian warrior pleaded as his waning view was filled with the face of a blue-eyed, pointy-eared, purple-haired young woman. "…Ah… you are… another genie…"

"I am," Shantae confirmed as she drew nearer to the dying warrior. "And I swear to you, I'll find whoever did this and bring them to justice. But… are you positive a GENIE came in here and caused all this destruction?"

"Yes… she slaughtered everything in her wake… alongside her accomplice… a red-haired human female… wearing… eye protection… wielding… a strange weapon…"

"What? What sort of genie would do such a thing…? Why would she come to a place like this and completely demolish it from the inside out? And for her to have a red-haired human woman wearing eye protection wielding a strange weapon…? Who could've…?"

"Could he possibly mean Nila and that half-genie that attacked Scuttle Town the other day? Um… Hashanah, I think her name was?" Bolo asked after a moment of thought, uncovering a crucial clue.

"Y-yes…" the unnamed Saurzian confirmed, much to Shantae's shock.

"That Hashanah girl and Nila… THEY were the ones in here?" the half-genie asked for confirmation, though she remained unsettled that the same half-genie that attacked her friends in Scuttle Town was in the Tangled Thread Temple wreaking havoc with reckless abandon.

"I-indeed… They seek to collect… the five pieces… of the Spirit Fuser… I do not know why, but they… they cannot be… allowed to possess its power… It… threatens to destroy all life as we know it… they know not what terrors they… may inflict upon the world… They… must be… kaaaaaagh…" the Saurzian warrior did his best to warn before he eventually succumbed to his terrible injuries. Within a second, both sections of his body vanished with a smoky *Fwooosh*, turning to dust and withering away. And, as unfortunate as it appeared, he was the final member of his entire race… Nevertheless, Shantae grew increasingly worried by the minute as she looked ahead and noticed the wide-open vault door.

"…Shoot…! I KNEW this wouldn't be so easy…" Shantae cursed as she prepared herself to move ahead.

"What do you figure is happening?" Bolo asked as he approached his teammate.

"Hashanah and Nila are here, and they made a complete mess of the place in their own quest to gain the five pieces of the Spirit Fuser," she explained, immediately putting Bolo on high alert. "I can't imagine what they'd expect to do with it if they were allowed to get all five pieces, but it seems like the race is on now. We CANNOT let them have it if there's anything WE can do about it!" she declared as she put on another enticing belly dance show. Within seconds, and with another *POOF*, she morphed back into Harpy-Shantae. "Come on, Bolo! We've got to get that piece before they do! With any luck, we'll either find it first, or stop them from taking it!"

"You got it!" Bolo affirmed with utmost determination as he climbed aboard the Harpy-Shantae express. And, with a mighty *FWOOF* of her wings, Harpy-Shantae took off as fast as she could, racing through the vault entrance to prevent a potential disaster from taking place…

In the vault…

"TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah shouted, firing off a *KAPWEEEERSH* of a Dark Magic blast as she and Nila found themselves standing before a gigantic shrine that… unironically looked like an entangled, intertwined mass of stony threads surrounded by unlit torches. The monument was ENORMOUS, towering over its unwelcome visitors by hundreds of stories as the lone, giant circular platform it rested on one end of found itself supported by another tangled thread pillar that extended DEEP into the infinite reaches of the abyss below. Hashanah's attack struck the monument with a thundering *KRABLOOOM*, causing an eruption of electricity-charged smoke… though her attack appeared not to even chip the structure once the smoke cleared. "Gaaah…! DARN IT!" the rogue half-genie cursed in frustration.

"Huh… Not even a scratch after the third time…" Nila observed, rubbing her chin in wonder as she got a closer inspection on the obstacle before them. What seemed to catch the Femme Fatales' interests was a locked compartment within the towering monument that displayed a symbol of a genie-like character pointing to its forehead and making some sort of beam shoot out of it. Also worth note was the fact that the monument was scorched and smoking as though she'd tried her attack multiple times, though it remained unscratched.

"Is it possible we missed something on the way here? If even your Tyranny Blazer couldn't break the seal, then what possibly could…?"

"I don't know, but there's no way we're leaving here without this Relic!" Hashanah ranted as she clenched her fist, ready to try and punch through the lock if it meant getting the prize she worked so hard for. Just as she began to charge up the energy necessary to do so, however…

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" demanded the voice of another female, startling Hashanah and Nila into turning their attention to the source of the disturbance. It was then that they spotted a chimeric bird creature carrying a blue-haired boy wielding a chained flail flying into the vicinity totally uninvited. Within seconds, this oh-so mysterious duo made their dynamic entry when the bird creature landed with an authoritative *PLACK* of her talons on the platform, after which the boy hopped off her back and immediately struck a battle pose without a word. Following that, the bird morphed with a *POOF* into a certain heroic half-genie with lavender hair longer than your average line at an amusement park. This half-genie also struck a battle pose, seeming to be in no mood for idle chatter.

"SHANTAE…!" Hashanah hissed, her tone full to the brim with hatred as she glared at her fellow half-genie while turning her full attention to her. Meanwhile, Nila stood juxtaposed to Hashanah as she pulled out an onyx-hued pistol and aimed it at their enemies. "What the heck are YOU doing here!?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Shantae shot right back, warily sizing up her opponent as she and her teammate stared their adversaries down. "I know who you are by now, Hashanah, and it's obvious you know who I am."

"No need for formalities, then," Hashanah remarked with a shrug, though she had no intention of letting her guard down.

"What I don't understand, though, is why you've turned to the Dark side and why you completely trashed this temple! As a half-genie, you're supposed to be PROTECTING the people of Sequin Land, not trying to HARM them!"

"If you're going to stand there gabbing on with some preachy 'You should be a hero' garbage, then I'll kindly tell you to cram it where the sun don't shine and stay out of my way!"

"Wow, okay," Shantae remarked in understandable surprise, shooting Hashanah a contemptuous scowl. "Fine, then. You've chosen the path of evil. Got it. Unusual for a half-genie, but unfortunately, anything's possible. Of course, that still doesn't explain why you're running around, attacking cities full of innocent people and vandalizing ancient temples the way you are now."

"Ask your arrogant moron husband why, then! I'm not wasting my time explaining myself to you!" Hashanah barked in unbelievable frustration that managed to catch her enemies by surprise.

"Hmph. My 'husband' told me you were looking for revenge for you losing your job as the Guardian Genie of the Inseam Municipality after Risky Boots's invasion of it five months ago," Shantae explained, though her fiery glare remained strong. "And just so we're clear: Don't you DARE talk about him like that."

"What, is that supposed to intimidate me?" Hashanah brashly challenged with nothing but displeasure in her tone. "You'd be as angry as I am if you even came close to understanding what I've been through… and some of it has been BECAUSE of him."

"I can understand how it would hurt you to lose your status, but that wasn't HIS fault! You had NO business trying to take your anger out on him, either! If it was such an issue that someone else tried to do your job for you, then where were you in the first place!? Why didn't YOU stop that invasion when you had the chance!?"

"It doesn't matter to you where I was! I was ROBBED of my status and humiliated despite everything I did for those miserable ingrates over a span of YEARS! A single DAY where I'm not around, and the city comes under siege with those pitiful humans having no plan for how to deal with an invasion! And they have the nerve to blame ME for it! They fired me, shunned me, and took nearly EVERYTHING away from me! You could NEVER understand what it's like for a half-genie to lose her status, and then be treated like an outcast as though she never did a single favor for the people who eventually turned against and ostracized her!"

"It may surprise you, but I actually DO know what that's like. As in, to a 'T,'" Shantae corrected, only making Hashanah angrier at her. "Try being robbed of your powers, being forced to destroy those powers, and then embarking on an entire journey to stop one of the world's biggest threats while teaming up with AND using the weapons of your WORST ENEMY, who was responsible for causing you to lose your powers in the first place. And then imagine eventually earning those powers AND your status back the hard way."

"Oh, right, your overrated 'crusade' to stop that ancient idiot Pirate Master from restarting his campaign of darkness and mass destruction," Hashanah dismissively retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, what a great example THAT is…"

"Belittle it all you want, but you should understand the point that you shouldn't have resorted to turning evil over your personal grudges against me and my boyfriend," Shantae further argued. "It's rough when the people of a town you protected lose their appreciation of you! I know! But that's why it's up to you to prove to them that you're still a good person! A capable hero! Or at least that you're willing to acknowledge a mistake and make up for it! THIS? What you've been doing? THIS is not proving any of those things! You're only worsening your situation for yourself with every bad decision you make!"

"Ugh, SPARE me the lecture, Shantae!"

"No, because maybe you need to hear it!" Shantae shot back. "You could have come directly to us if your biggest issues were with us in particular! Y'know, instead of taking it out on EVERYONE around you and hurting COUNTLESS innocents in your misguided quest for vengeance! That ISN'T the way genies handle business! And for that matter, I don't even know why you hate me or why you want any sort of revenge against me! We'd never even MET before the other day! What did I ever do to you!?"

"Nothing directly, but I simply CANNOT STAND being compared to you! It's one of the BIGGEST reasons I was exiled the way I was! 'Oh, she's so perfect' this, and 'Ooh, she's so beautiful and strong' that, and 'Oh my, oh my, I'd love to make her my wife' the third! Or especially 'Hashanah, you should be more like Shantae because she's the best'! There is NOTHING you've EVER accomplished that any other half-genie couldn't! And then you go around, putting on this fake, haughty 'nice girl' routine, which honestly INFURIATES me because you don't deserve ANY of the praise people mindlessly hurl your way! No one EVER wants to acknowledge how insufferably dumb, lazy, inconsistent, oblivious, and completely incompetent you really are!"

"WHAT!?"

"Everyone just casually ignores how most of your biggest battles have been won on sheer luck and blind, bumbling stupidity on the parts of your enemies instead of skill, discipline, or any reasonable level of awareness of the situations you were in! Instead, they'd rather blindly call you a 'hero,' and then fawn over you like the pitiful, perverted little SHEEP they are! Ugh, and the things they SAY about you! It's NAUSEATING! And don't even get me STARTED on how they waste as many of their limited brain cells as they do fantasizing about how 'great' it would be if they could have you to themselves or be the ones 'lucky' enough to take advantage of you or have you grant wishes for them! I swear, you are SO OVERRATED! You're not even THAT attractive, for crying out loud! I don't have a CLUE what people see in you!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on just a se-!" the good half-genie tried to fight through her building anger and confusion to cut in, though the bad half-genie was in full-on Shantae-Hater Rant mode by this point.

"Oh, and your 'skills,' or lack thereof? It's SO obvious you don't even know what you're doing on ANY of your adventures! Seriously, you just wing it and jump headlong into danger without a SINGLE THOUGHT about what you're getting yourself into, and then you wind up getting trapped, taken advantage of, or tricked into doing something stupid that makes things WORSE before they get better! And then the only way you get out of any of those binds is by having someone bail you out, or by having your enemy screw up hard enough to just HAND you your cheap, easy victory! I mean shoot, your BIGGEST reason for having as much trouble with Risky Boots as you always have, for example, is because you let her manipulate you OVER, and OVER, and OVER again with the most OBVIOUS, most TRANSPARENT ruses that even a TODDLER WITH A FUNCTIONING PAIR OF EYES could see through! And then you just shrug your shoulders and let her get away with it EVERY time! It's no wonder why so many people think that despite her numerous losses to you, she's still stronger and smarter than you… and that she's just waiting for the right opportunity to catch you off-guard and either kill you off or make you into her personal genie slave once she eventually beats you…" Hashanah continued on, really laying into her fellow half-genie. As one might imagine, Shantae reeled back in a STRONG mixture of shock and revulsion, rendered nearly speechless by such a scandalous idea.

"Y'know, you sure do seem to have a LOT of opinions about Shantae to 'hate' her as much as you say you do," Bolo angrily cut in on his team leader's behalf. "You sound more like you're OBSESSED with her! Why don't you just admit to it already and spare us the longwinded, childish rants about everything you THINK is wrong with her!?"

"Stay over there and keep being a useless goofball sidekick, little boy! The women are talking!" Hashanah barked at Bolo. "You aren't even worth acknowledging, so you should feel honored that I wasted my breath in the past four seconds addressing a braindead loser like you!"

"What!? Who do you think you are!?" Bolo shouted at her, incensed by her toxic words.

"What's your problem!?" Shantae additionally yelled at Hashanah. "You're being such a-!"

"Anyway, as wonderfully cool and admirable as Risky is, even with what she did to my city, I could NEVER understand how you haven't put her down permanently when you had the chances to do so! CHANCES! As in, PLURAL!" Hashanah continued, refocusing on the other half-genie while showing some odd favoritism for the Queen of the Seven Seas… who, as she was already aware, DESTROYED HER HOMETOWN! "She should NEVER have been as big a problem as you allow her to be, but you're too STUPID and caught up on your fame to do anything about her that makes sense! If anything, I reckon YOU'RE the one truly to blame for Inseam's destruction because you FAILED to stop Risky before anything of the sort could ever happen!" she added, giving some much-needed context for her line of thinking. "For all I know, you're probably just keeping her around, so you have someone to milk for the showers of attention you crave so much! Good heavens, if we EVER had to imagine a world where Shantae wasn't the center of attention all the time, right? Trust me, if I was in your spot in ANY of the situations you were in, I'd have done FAR better than YOU, and I'd have CERTAINLY not let anyone who posed a big enough threat LIVE, much less WALK AWAY UNPUNISHED! All this boils down to, of course, is that I realized something by the time the disaster at Inseam happened…"

"…And what's that?"

"That YOU, SHANTAE, ARE A FRAUD!"

"HEY!" Shantae yelled in high offense, glaring specifically at Hashanah. "I don't know how ANY of those venomous insults translates into a legit reason to despise me as much as you do, but if your problem is that you're not as widely recognized as I am, then that sounds more like a problem you have with YOURSELF than with me! I earned my status! I earned my reputation, and I'm improving on it every day! And no matter how you try to diminish my accomplishments or foist your hateful judgments on me, you have to understand that I stepped up and saved the world when no one else could! And you'll have to explain to me how 'lucky' you think I am when I've been doing my job as well as I have, for as long as I have. No one could ever go through what my friends and I have been through and chalk it up to just luck."

"Oh, don't even get me started…" Hashanah shot back with a cackle and shake of her head. "I've got tons of examples to draw from, but y'know what? I think the most telling example of them all… has specifically to do with your boyfriend…" At that, Shantae grew tense as her eyes widened and her brow furrowed.

"Leave him OUT of this!" she immediately shouted, not at all interested in hearing what Hashanah was about to say.

"Ooh, you really don't like me talking about him, huh? I wonder why…" Hashanah feigned ignorance, though she reveled in agitating the other half-genie. "And you know, I did my research after I lost to him the other day. Among a litany of other infuriating things I found out, I happened to discover just the JUICIEST detail on why he's got that sparkly little angel halo hovering over his head… and why everyone's been referring to him as a 'wraith…'"

"Hashanah, I'm WARNING you…! STOP IT…!"

"How come? Is it because you don't want me to remind you of the rumor that YOU LET TAYSHAN DIE AT THE HANDS OF RISKY BOOTS during your big battle with her a few months ago? Or the other rumor that it happened to be because she was going to finally kill YOU before he jumped in the way at the last possible second to spare you a fate you ABSOLUTELY deserved? Tell me how you think that's ANYTHING but luck being EXCLUSIVELY on your side! Oh, and from the look of it, you let her get away with THAT, too! She's still free as a bird, doing whatever she wants as we speak! If Risky can KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU and STILL walk free, then what WON'T you let her get away with? Personally, I would've ENDED her on the spot if she did that to anyone I was dating. If it's true, then it's a wonder how the poor guy still sees you as a decent enough girlfriend after that, that he somehow comes back from beyond the grave to be with you. I may have my beef with him, but it's VERY clear that you DON'T deserve him!" she dared to prod, which sent Shantae's temper through the roof in an instant.

"Do NOT go there!" Shantae roared, full to the brim with insurmountable rage and… dare I say, reflective grief as her eyes grew watery and her fists began to tremble and glow with Light Magic. "I swear, I'll make you REGRET it if you make one more comment about what happened to him…!"

"Oh? What's with THAT reaction? Is this to say that it's more than just a few overdressed rumors? Hmmmm?"

"Hey, are you sure you should be agitating her like that, Hasha?" Nila chimed in, the apprehension evident in her tone. "Whatever her situations have been, she's a lot stronger than she lets on. You know that. The last thing we need is to provoke her into KILLING us."

"Oh, please, Ni. I can take her, no sweat!" Hasha confidently assured with a menacing grin and shrug, keeping her glare locked on Shantae. "I know what she's capable of, and I've got all I need to wipe her and her idiot friend over there out of the picture…" she further asserted. "So, Shantae… You think you won't screw up and let ANOTHER one of your precious friends die in battle this time?" This comment only served to further infuriate the heroic half-genie as her fists charged up with even MORE Light Magic.

"Alright, that's enough!" the blue-haired sidekick of Shantae cut in once more as he stepped ahead and readied himself further. "If you're gonna resort to low blows and disrespect to shake us up, then we'll warn you that you do it at your own peril! And whatever happens here, you're NOT leaving with that piece of the Spirit Fuser!" he further challenged, bringing the tense conversation back to its main point.

"You know about the…?" Hashanah was about to ask in shock before she stopped herself, closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep, exasperated breath. "OF COURSE, you morons are here for that… In that case, we may as well get down to business…!" she further threatened, charging Dark Magic into her fists as she prepared for battle. "Neither of you is going to stop me, and if I have to eliminate you now, then I'll do just that!"

"Careful, Bolo," Shantae warned as she pulled him back while keeping her own temper in check. One could tell by the luminescent, glittering glow of her Light Magic, however, that the heroic genie was in a PRETTY FOUL mood following her unpleasant conversation with Hashanah… "This is going to get real ugly, real fast."

"You certainly aren't lying about that…" Bolo acknowledged as he set his sights specifically on Nila, who immediately recognized the challenge.

"Think you can handle Nila while I deal with Hashanah?" Shantae suggested, to which Bolo nodded with utmost determination.

"You got it, sis! I'll keep her nice and busy… Just be sure that you're gonna make that other half-genie eat EVERY SYLLABLE of what she said to us here," he assured, to which Shantae wordlessly nodded with a look of utmost determination. Soon after that, Bolo reached into his pocket and pulled out a supply of what looked like tiny red Pike Balls no bigger than knucklebones balls… and for those who are wondering, 'knucklebones' is another name for the game 'Jacks.' Neat, right? …What's that? Not the time for jokes? Right, sorry, sorry… Er, a-aynway, Bolo clutched his tiny weapons in one hand while readying his mace in the other. The four combatants were set as they stared each other down with every intent to destroy the opposing team. Before too long, though, Shantae and Hashanah immediately charged at each other. Meanwhile, Bolo and Nila launched into action when Nila aimed her pistol at Bolo, who responded by flinging one of his tiny red Pike Balls at her. And as it seemed, the battle had commenced.

SHANTAE & BOLO VS. HASHANAH & NILA: SHORT FUSE SHOWDOWN!

"Genie vs. Genie!" Shantae announced as she and Hashanah clashed fists with an almost deafening *KARPRASHK*. At an immediate glance, the girls relentlessly tried to tear into each other, trading blow after blow as they went whirling around the arena in a tornado of fists, feet, elbows, knees, and copious amounts of both Light Magic and Dark Magic. *PLOCK* after *THWACK* after *KAPRACK* after earth-shattering *THROCK*, every mountainous attack exchanged between the two half-genies went off like an EXPLOSION as the girls held nothing back out the gate! Man, you could even SEE THE SHOCKWAVES ripping through the air with every time either genie landed an attack, blocked or otherwise!

"It's about time we got the chance fight it out! I'll finally show you why you're nowhere NEAR as good as you think you are! I'll finally prove to you, and to EVERYONE, that I'm better than you!" Hashanah vowed as she threw a wild hook that Shantae blocked with her wrist. Shantae countered by attempting a roundhouse kick to Hashanah's side, though the evil half-genie read it and responded by hopping backward while charging energy into a hand. "Take THIS!" she hollered, pointing her hand at Shantae and launching a purple fire blast with a *PWOOORSH* of the projectile.

"TYAH!" Shantae grunted as she, much to Hashanah's surprise, batted the fireball away with a *TWEEENG* of it against her forearm without missing a beat. Shantae charged directly at her immediately afterward. Seeing a window of opportunity, the heroic genie girl leaned her head back before flinging it forward with all her might to connect a startling *THWAP* of her world-famous Hair Whip attack that smacked Hashanah right in the face.

"GAGH! Grrraaah, the first thing I'll do is SLICE THAT HIDEOUS PONYTAIL OFF YOUR HEAD!" the rogue genie threatened, though she found difficulty getting away as Shantae relentlessly pursued her, whipping away with *THWAP* after *THWICK* after *THWACK* of her most reliable weapon against various parts of her opponent's body. More surprising, however, was that Shantae was whipping her hair faster than a helicopter's blades at full speed! Goodness, anyone else would've LONG since started complaining of whiplash… This wouldn't last terribly long, however, as Hashanah soon got the idea to charge up another blast and launch it at the ground. With a sudden, smoky *PWAARSH*, Hashanah created just big enough of a diversion to cause Shantae to stop chasing her, giving herself the opportunity to hop back while charging more Dark Magic into her hands.

"You can surrender now while you have the chance!" Shantae offered, though she showed no signs of letting her guard down. "This is a battle you really don't have to fight! We can talk it out instead!"

"Talk to THIS, you condescending witch!" Hashanah spat back in contempt as she, with a most intimidating *SHWOOOORNG* of her magic-charged hands, crafted a Dark Energy Scythe.

"Ooh! Wow, I had no idea it was possible to conjure up weapons made of pure energy! That's impressive! I wonder if I can do that once I get some time to figure it out…" Shantae pondered not in fear, but in intrigue as she anticipated her fellow genie's aggressive approach. Rather than brace herself, she instead began a motion of rhythmically stepping side to side as she swung her arms in tandem. Huh… Alright… Looks like Shantae discovered a new battle pose, if not a new fighting style? This should be interesting…

"I'LL CUT YOU DOWN TO SIZE!" Hashanah threatened as she belligerently raced toward Shantae and swung her scythe downward with the intent to slice her enemy in half. However, she missed as the blade of the Energy Scythe met the ground with a sharp, electric *KRPLARSK* that left a large, burning divot where it struck. Shantae, seeming to be getting into the spirit of dancing instead of fighting, initiated a graceful spin to the side that hardly anyone could track for how quickly and nimbly she moved. "Grrgh…! Take THIS!" the strawberry blonde half-genie roared again, this time swinging the scythe horizontally. This time, Shantae dodged by cartwheeling into a stance where she was suddenly doing a handstand with her legs spread. Infuriated further, Hashanah swung again with a *WROOORSH* of her weapon against the air. Shantae responded by twirling to the side WHILE STILL STANDING ON HER HANDS. Just as Hashanah was recoiling from her attack, however…

"Let's see how you like this! FLORAL BLAST FESTIVAL!" Shantae announced the name of her next technique as she, while still balancing herself on her hands, tucked in a leg and flung it upward, landing her first strike with an absolutely jarring *KAPLARCK* against Hashanah's chin.

"GAH!" Hashanah bellowed in agony, stumbling back as her weapon dissipated in her hand. Shantae wasn't done yet, however…

"TOOYAAAH!" the lavender-haired half-genie yelled as she delivered another powerful *KRACK* of a handstand kick to her enemy's face before twisting her body as though she were about to spin herself like a top. And spin, Shantae did. Immediately shifting into some sort of breakdancing move, she whirled herself around, kicking her legs out into a lightning-quick windmill that, with twin *KATHROCKs*, swept Hashanah off her feet. Following her windmill technique, Shantae performed another windmill spin before propelling herself off her hands and back to her feet. Rather than be done with her move, however, she quickly began to hypnotically gyrate her hips while stretching her arms out from her sides.

"You think this is some kind of j-!?" Hashanah was about to angrily ask as she picked herself up before a sudden, magic-charged *POOF* cut her off. Suddenly, she found herself confronted by… seemingly nothing at all as Shantae disappeared into thin air. "What…? Where in the heck did she-!?" she was about to ask before she felt a sudden, sharp stab of pain in her ankle that came accompanied with an emphatic *chomp*. "OUCH! What the-!?" she hollered, swatting at her ankle with a hand before she felt another *chomp* of pain in her shoulder… where one could see a tiny bluish-gray mouse resting out of seemingly nowhere. "OW! Okay, I'm gonna MAKE YOU-!" she tried once more to finish a sentence before, with another *POOF*, Shantae reappeared… standing on the other half-genie's shoulders. "GRRRAAAAH!" Hashanah yelled even louder, quickly growing irritated with her enemy's antics as she whirled and attempted to grab Shantae by the ankles. Shantae was quicker on the draw, however, as she kicked off of Hashanah's shoulders, performing a graceful backflip as she leapt high. Stumbling forth from the momentary loss of balance, Hashanah attempted to get a grasp on the situation. But then, by that point…

"HRRRAAAAH!" Shantae roared as descended upon her adversary with nothing but determination in her eyes… and a healthy supply of Light Magic in her hand as said hand was seen to have been cocked back. Before Hashanah had the chance to defend herself, Shantae's fist went SLAMMING into the other girl's face with a bombastic *KATHRAASH* that would've SHATTERED BOULDERS TWICE HER SIZE! The ponytailed maiden followed up by performing a gymnastic twist, smacking Hashanah in the face with an additional *KATHWACK* that sent her flying backward. Shantae landed gracefully on her feet after concluding her maneuver and returning to a stance where she had been stepping side to side again. Meanwhile, Hashanah hit the ground a few feet away, and with a most uncomfortable *THUD*. A bit slow to get up at first, she rubbed her face and shook off the stinging aches she felt all across her body as she rose back to her feet. As soon as she did, though…

"Okay, so you must take me for a fool…" Hashanah murmured, her orange eyes practically BLAZING with seething hatred for the other half-genie as she glared at her. In that moment, Hashanah immediately began to power up, clouds of Dark Magic swirling around her like she was about to spontaneously combust. Within an instant, however… "HYYYYAAAAAAAAAH!" she ROARED as a sudden, explosive, windy *KAFWWEEEEERRRRSH* ripped through the arena that sent ripples of air swirling all over the place!

"WHOA! She's stronger than I thought… I'd better be ready, then…!" Shantae acknowledged, though she remained calm while never shifting from her dance-oriented battle stance. Meanwhile, she also began to glow from head to toe with Light Magic.

"Just like your ghost boyfriend, you like to play STUPID games instead of getting serious from the start! I'm SICK of you both, and I'LL SEND YOU BOTH TO THE AFTERLIFE IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Hashanah screamed at the top of her lungs, having already completely lost her temper.

"If you think you've got what it takes to beat me, then BRING IT ON! I'll show you EXACTLY what happens when you mess with me and my friends!" Shantae further challenged, not at all intimidated by her fellow genie's idle threats.

"HWAAAARRAAAAAAH!" Hashanah continued to yell loud enough to rupture eardrums ten miles away as she, with blistering speed, took off with a *FWEEERSH* directly at Shantae. Within a half-second, she found herself face-to-face with her target as she attempted to punch a hole in the other girl's face.

"Hooh!" Shantae grunted again as she, with equally blinding speed, performed a split-second spin to completely dodge Hashanah's attack. Not at all satisfied, Hashanah threw a barrage of at least five attacks in the time it took the average person to throw one punch. Yet, Shantae kept herself focused as she kept her rhythmic dancing routine going, dodging every one of the strikes with grace and style. Soon afterward, she dodged a jumping roundhouse kick by ducking and weaving under it while continuing to step side to side. She followed up by dodging a downward axe-handle by cartwheeling to the side, returning to a flashy handstand position. She countered an incoming sweep aimed at her hands by hopping off her hands to avoid the burning *SHWOOOSH* of Hashanah's foot against the thick, hot air of the arena, after which she caught herself on her hands once more and, with a bit of windup beforehand, twirled herself around while extending her feet outward to her sides. With *THROCK* after *THWACK* after painful *KAPRACK*, Shantae performed a most stylish three-hit helicopter kick that sent her opponent stumbling back… only for Hashanah to charge back in immediately afterward and attempt to blast Shantae at point-blank range with a Dark Magic-charged energy blast.

"DIE!" Hashanah demanded as she flung the blast toward the floor. Recognizing the danger, Shantae sprung as hard as she could off her hands to launch herself out of harm's way just as her enemy's attack hit the arena floor with a deafening *KABWOORRRSH* that sent chunks of marble and crystalline glass scattering all over the place. Just as Shantae landed, however, Hashanah took full advantage of the opportunity. With a scarily dense *KATHROCK*, she landed a vicious hook to Shantae's face that sent the heroic half-genie stumbling back. "Gotcha! Now, let's see you survive THIS!" the evil genie gloated as she let loose as much wrath and fury as she could muster. A *THRACK* of a knee to her enemy's stomach, followed by an uppercut to the chin that thundered with a *KAPROCK*, followed by a flurry of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows that landed with *KAPLOCK* after *THROCK* after *WHACK* after bone-shattering *PLOCK*, Hashanah took full advantage as she hammered Shantae all over the arena. Oddly enough, Shantae hadn't even uttered a single grunt in pain or suffering as she seemed to be getting beaten into submission. Nevertheless, Hashanah continued her brutal assault, attacking the other half-genie as hard and as fast as she could for what had to be a solid ten seconds before a sudden *PROCK* of her fist rang out as it… found itself ensnared in Shantae's hand while she precariously teetered over the edge of the arena. "WHAT!? How are you-!?" Hashanah attempted to ask as she tried to pull her hand back.

"I can see how you gave Tayshan so much trouble in Scuttle Town the other day…" Shantae pointed out, a bit short on breath as she kept an iron grip on Hashanah's hand as the rogue genie struggled to wrest herself free. "Of course, if THIS is your best… then there's no doubt in my mind that HE was holding back against you, too…" she further asserted as she grinned. In that same instant, her body was suddenly set ablaze with another *FWOOOOSH* of Light Magic.

"MOCK ME AT YOUR OWN PERIL! I'LL BUTCHER YOU FOR IT!" Hashanah threatened, using her free hand to summon a Dark Energy Scimitar with a frightening *SCHWOOORNG* to attempt to hack away at Shantae with. Just as she tried to bring the blade down to potentially slice her opponent into chunks, however, a sudden, DEVASTATING *KATHRAAASH* ripped through the arena loud enough that it could've been heard a mile away and mistaken for a bomb going off. Just as suddenly, Hashanah froze in place, all the air suddenly torn from her lungs as she dropped her sword and registered an EXCRUCIATING, radiating pain that traveled through her stomach. Looking down, she saw Shantae's Light Magic-bathed fist digging hard enough into her abdomen that it felt like the other half-genie had IMPALED her with her fist. "Ghaaagh…! Ghahaaah…!"

"Still think I'm just some dopey weakling who gets lucky all the time!? Huh!?" Shantae dared to mockingly question, evidently taking the other half-genie's previous harsh words to heart. As one might imagine, Hashanah was too winded and in too much crippling agony to give a sensible reply in that moment. "That's just a SAMPLE of my TRUE power! Now, have a taste of THIS! STAR BURST STAMPEDE!" the lavender-haired warrior announced as she let go of Hashanah's hand… only to immediately perform a spinning backhand that landed with a *THWACK* against Hashanah's face, followed by a forehand *SMACK* of her other hand in that same spin. Immediately following this, Shantae spun one more time, this time adjusting her head to where her ponytail swiped Hashanah across the face with an additional stinging *THWAP*. Shantae followed up with one MORE spin, this time bending forward and pressing her hands to the ground. With her back facing her enemy, Shantae seemed to finish her punishing dance number by flinging her legs upward while they were fully extended, smashing Hashanah in the chin with a frightening *KARPLOCK* of her heels against it. Hashanah was sent hurtling into the air while Shantae performed an additional front flip off the momentum of her kick before turning around while gyrating her hips as though to perform another Animal Dance.

"TRAAAANSFORM!" she announced as she, with a *POOF*, morphed into a miniature gray elephant wearing her jewelry and what appeared to be a royal blue mat on her back… which we may recognize as Elephant-Shantae. Locking her sights on Hashanah as the rogue genie plummeted, it seemed Elephant-Shantae was set to finish her combo with extreme prejudice. Digging her hooves into the ground, she seemed to be waiting for the opportunity to ram Hashanah as soon as she fell far enough. Only, Hashanah recovered while performing a backward somersault as she descended.

"TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah announced as she suddenly charged up a sizable amount of Dark Magic into her hands and, with an astonishing *KAPWEEEERSH*, launched a surprise attack to catch her adversary off-guard. It worked, as Shantae had little to no time to react while in the form of a relatively slow-moving pachyderm.

"Ahh, shoot…!" Shantae cursed as she morphed back to her humanoid self with another *POOF*, hoping she had enough time to counter the attack. Try as she might to block the blast, the sheer, unparalleled force of it nearly overwhelmed her. With a mountainous *KABWOOOOORSH* of an explosion, the Tyranny Blazer made direct a direct impact as it sent Shantae hurtling backward through the air. "GWAAAAHAAH!" she hollered out, soaring through the air and over the edge of the arena with next to nothing to stop her… until a Pike Ball attached to a chain swung her way, wrapping itself around her ankle before she had a chance to fall.

"I've gotcha, sis!" Bolo announced as he reeled the chain of his weapon in and swung it in such a manner that he assured a safe landing for his teammate. Within a second, Bolo managed to reel Shantae in just enough to where he was able to retract his weapon. Using the momentum to her advantage, Shantae made a rather rough landing on the arena as she hit the floor with a *THUD* of her feet against it. She was forced to tuck and roll, sliding across the ground for a few feet before eventually making a decent enough stop to where she sprang back up on her feet.

"Whew… Thanks, Bolo! I don't know what I would've done without you, homie!" the half-genie cheered and praised her teammate, who responded with a grin and assuring thumbs up before he turned his attention back to the Ammonian affiliate he had been battling.

"Just as I expected would happen! You got lucky! AGAIN!" Hashanah roared in disdain and frustration as she, with another *FWOOOORSH* of her Dark Magic surging from her body, charged at Shantae again. "This time, when I drop you, you're gonna STAY DROPPED!"

"Not likely! You should realize already that you can't beat me! Not in a hundred years! Give up while you still can, Hashanah!" Shantae demanded as the two half-genies met once again with another thunderous *KAPLASHK* of their energy-infused fists against one another. And before long, the two of them were suddenly engulfed in a violent, whirling tempest of lightning-fast blows with *THRACK* after *KAPLOCK* after *KRACK* after *PLACK* of their fists, feet, elbows, and knees flying at each other at the speed of sound as they ripped all around the crumbling arena. It… certainly didn't help that every attack they landed sent even more of those literal SHOCKWAVES blasting through the area, shattering the stained-glass windows with *KAPLAARRSK* after *KAPLEEESHK* without being anywhere near them.

"Not on your life! YOU! WILL! DIE! HERE! RRRAAAAAAH!" Hashanah stubbornly refused, redoubling her efforts as she and Shantae traded blows at such a dangerous velocity that it threatened to take the entire temple down.

Meanwhile…

"So, why ARE you teaming up with this psycho, anyway!?" Bolo demanded to know of Nila as the two of them did battle. Bolo, who seemed to be a bit worse for wear with his torn clothing and frazzled hair, kept himself at a safe distance as he flung one of those fancy red Pike Balls at her. Meanwhile, he'd been dodging bursts and sprays of flashing marbles from Nila's gun that had been ringing out with *RATTATATAT* after *RATATATATAT*.

"That 'psycho' is my girlfriend, you snotty little punk!" an equally disheveled Nila declared as she took to the air with a *FWOOSH* of her jetpack. "And the reason for my allegiance to her is none of your concern!" she added as she attempted to dodge the incoming Pike Ball, only to realize that it homed in on her as she hovered through the air.

"Then you've got bad taste in girls, Nila!" Bolo brazenly accused as he dashed across the arena to avoid being struck by another fusillade of rounds while also avoiding getting tangled up in the brawl between Shantae and Hashanah. "And after all we did working together to stop Risky's takeover of Sequin Land just a few short months ago, you STILL haven't learned to put your petty grudges against us aside!?"

"You could NEVER understand, so keep your ignorant judgments to yourself-! GHAH!" she bellowed before the Pike Ball eventually caught up to her and, with a small but voluminous *KABLAM*, exploded and damaged her jetpack. "Darn it…!" she cursed as she made an emergency landing, flinging the smoking jetpack off just as said smoke had turned into fire. Bolo, cognizant of the opportunity, capitalized by readying his mace and charging at her.

"Twitch and Vinegar understood that we were fighting for the greater good, and they became two of my closest friends because of what we went through! And THEY'RE your commanding officers! Why is it so much harder for you to accept peace!? What's the point in what you're doing!?" Bolo kept pressing on as Nila prepared herself for his approach. Pulling out her rifle, she attempted to fire another spray of rounds at him… only to realize with a *click* of her weapon that it was out of ammo. Bolo leapt high and descended upon her with his mace ready to punish evil wherever it may arise. Nila narrowly dodged the incoming attack by dive-rolling to the side as the chained Pike Ball came raining down with a ground-demolishing *PLONK* against the arena floor, sending debris scattering all around.

"Those two baby-soft, yellow-bellied, bumbling cowards are NOT my superiors anymore!" Nila revealed with nothing but venom and apparent disillusionment in her tone, much to Bolo's shock as she recovered and pulled out a Combat Knife and charged at him. "I'm still loyal to the Ammonian Army, but I REFUSE to associate with anyone who DARES call that WRETCHED PURPLE-HAIRED GENIE MENACE OR THAT MISERABLE, HEINOUS ASSASSIN THEIR FRIENDS! THEY ARE NO 'ALLIES' OF MINE! If anything, they're TRAITORS…!"

"Figures you'd go rogue on them over something so meaningless… Ironic that you think THEY'RE the traitors!" Bolo acknowledged with a shake of his head as Nila closed the distance and slashed at him with her weapon. Though caught by mild surprise at Nila's readiness to slice him into lunch meat, the young adventurer did his best to stay alert as he ducked under the first mortifying *SCHWISSH* of the blade against the air. Nila swung at him again with her weapon with all her might, swiping upward with another *SCHWING* and forcing Bolo to hop back. The *SCHRRRSH* of the warrior's shirt brought about IMMEDIATE concern as he created some distance and pulled out a tiny yellow Pike Ball with one hand while readying an attack with his mace in the other.

"Don't you dare run from me, boy! If you're going to fight by your friend's side, then you'd better be ready to DIE by her side, too!" Nila shouted as she raced toward him with seemingly EVERY intent to make good on her threats to kill him.

"See, now it makes sense! Saying things like that proves that you're just as much of a deranged psycho as your girlfriend is! HRAH!" the blue-haired adventurer accused as he performed an airborne spin with his mace ready. With a metallic, clinking *VWOOORSH*, Bolo swung his Morning Star with the intent to at least get Nila to stop doggedly chasing after him.

"Shooh…!" the furious Ammonian affiliate grunted as she clashed her knife with the Pike Ball of the mace with a startling *KATRINK* and parried her enemy's weapon to the side. Meanwhile, she showed no signs of slowing down as she raced on with her target in her sights. "That all you-!?"

"Take THIS!" he shouted, flinging the yellow Pike Ball as he landed. Just as Nila got ready to slice the projectile out of the way, she caught sight of another flying red Pike Ball bulleting right for her. Turning her knife on the red Pike Ball, she sliced it with a *SCHKRING* of her blade against it, causing it to explode with an astonishing *KAPOW* in midair before continuing her mad dash across the increasingly unstable arena. Little did she realize, however, the yellow Pike Ball latched itself onto her jacket. "Shoot…! I've gotta hurry up and pull this off before it's too late…!" Bolo urged himself as he attempted to position himself for another mace swing.

"Gotcha!" Nila announced as she found herself right up in Bolo's face, striking him with a horrifying *THROCK* of her fist against his face.

"GWAHAGH!" he hollered out, stumbling back a few steps before reorienting himself and shaking off the burst of physical discomfort.

"You're FINISHED, kid!" the wayward accomplice further threatened as she dashed ahead and attempted an upward running thrust to try and plunge the knife into her opponent's abdomen.

"Not a chance!" Bolo defied as he saw the incoming attack just in time to react. He stepped to the side just as Nila's weapon came ripping through the air with another sharp *SCHWIP*. Taking full advantage of the slim window of opportunity, he wrapped and locked his arm around hers while she was recovering from her knife thrust. And man, did he hold on TIGHT. "TORYAH!" he shouted as he twisted his body at such an angle that it would force Nila's ensnared arm into an uncomfortable enough position to drop her weapon. When she didn't immediately do so, he followed up by momentarily dropping the mace from his other hand, cocking his fist back, and utterly DECKING the unsuspecting woman in the face with a solid *THROCK* of his gloved knuckles against her chin.

"GHAGH!" Nila groaned in pain, though she still hadn't let go of the knife. If anything, she was more focused than ever on trying to pull her arm out of her enemy's grasp.

"DROP IT!" Bolo demanded as he reeled her in by the arm he was still holding onto, twisting his body inward while reaching his free arm across his body, crouching, and delivering a swift, powerful elbow to his adversary's stomach. With a gut-blasting *THRUNK*, he scored another hit that jarred Nila, though she held strong. Adapting to the situation, he opted to turn all the way around while twisting Nila's hand outward until her grip loosened JUST enough for her to drop her knife. Hurriedly, Bolo kicked the weapon as hard and as fast as he could. The *Thrick* of his sandal against the handle of the knife sent it sliding across the arena floor before it went careening off the edge. He still wasn't safe, however…

"You want to play a game of C.Q.C., then? Fine! Let's do it YOUR way!" Nila challenged with an acronym whose definition I had no clue about as she, with considerable force, ripped her arm out of Bolo's grasp and countered with a bone-smashing *KRAKROCK* of a merciless hook to her enemy's face. Following up while he was stunned, the enraged Ammonian affiliate continued to lash out at him with *KRACK* after *THOCK* after *PLOCK* of her fists and boots against various parts of Bolo's body. Her attacks becoming increasingly more aggressive with every successive strike, she wasted little time beating Bolo toward the edge of the arena with the apparent intent to knock him off the edge.

"Ghaah…!" Bolo groaned in agony as he gathered himself just enough to see Nila about to deliver a truly brutal thrust kick to his stomach. With BARELY enough time to spare, Bolo performed a sort of… spinning backward dash that caught Nila by surprise as she stumbled forth from missing her attack. "She's WAY stronger than she looks, that's for sure…" he cautioned himself as he took a quick look around to see that he was only one or two steps from the edge of the arena. He'd also caught a quick glimpse of Shantae and Hashanah relentlessly tearing into each other as the genies blitzed all over the battlefield, though he found himself relieved by the sight of his teammate remaining in control on her end. "Shantae's really handling business, so I'd better pull my weight, too!" he further urged as he reached into his pocket to pull out another red Pike Ball. Just as he did, though…

"Oh, no you don't!" Nila challenged once again as she whipped out her pistol, aimed, and fired it with a ferocious *BLAM* just as Bolo flung the projectile. Nila would immediately find herself disarmed once again as the Pike Ball struck the gun with an explosive *KAPLOWGH*, blowing the firearm into metallic chunks in an instant. "GAH! OWWCH!"

"DAAGH!" Bolo also shouted, having been struck in the shoulder by the bullet Nila fired at him. Clutching his aching shoulder as he stumbled back further, he stopped himself just as he realized there was nowhere else to go from his position. He remained determined, however, as he kept his sights on Nila. Speaking of whom…

"That's it! I'm gonna put you down for a nice, long nap at the bottom of this pit!" the Ammonian Admiral threatened as she charged at him and threw a vicious haymaker intended to knock the living daylights out of him.

"Hah…!" Bolo grunted as he stood his ground as best as he could, dodging the incoming punch before trying to counter with a haymaker of his own. He would find little luck, however, as Nila caught his fist with her hand, reeled him in while cocking her leg back, and utterly OBLITERATING his guts with a monumental *KATHRAAASH* of her knee against his torso. "HAARGH!" he eked out in extreme agony as he doubled over.

"Say goodbye!" Nila commanded as she attempted to thrust kick him in the face to knock him over. Bolo, ever the valiant fighter, kept his eyes on the prize as he stepped aside while still in his compromised position. As Nila stumbled forth again, Bolo carefully aimed his next move as he kept an eye on Nila's position. And right when the moment was presented…

"SKULL CRASH!" he announced as he tucked himself in for JUST a second before launching forth with all the strength he could muster with his legs. And, with an absolutely GHASTLY *KRATHUNK*, Bolo headbutted Nila square in the face.

"GWAAHAAGH!" Nila bellowed in a rampaging mixture of shock and incredible agony, stumbling back as she held her hotly aching face. She would find little time to recover, however, as Bolo immediately charged in and delivered a powerful *KAPLOCK* of a spinning thrust kick to Nila's stomach to force her farther back. After that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like… some sort of remote control?

"This should finish it…!" he swore as he pressed the button. The instant he did so, the yellow Pike Ball attached to his enemy's clothing suddenly detonated with a most alarming *KRABLAM* that sent Nila packing.

"HAAGH…!" she groaned once more as she flew through the air, landing with a *PLOP* of her back against the floor of the arena while another *KRABLOOOOM* from a magic-charged energy attack rocked the arena once more. It was at this point that the pendulous platform truly began to lose its stability. If the sudden rains of debris from the ceiling and the *KRAKRKUMBKRUMBKRUMBLE* of the platform itself weren't any indication, it surely was the fact that it had begun to shake and tilt more and more with the longer this chaotic clash went on.

"Uh-oh…! Gah…! We've gotta wrap this up before-!" Bolo was about to acknowledge as he noticed the sudden increase in difficulty keeping his balance. However, he was cut short by the *VWOOOOOSH* of a stray energy blast from Shantae's and Hashanah's battle that forced him to dive forward and hit the deck with a *PLOP* of his body against the battlefield floor. "MAN, was that close…" he murmured as he gingerly picked himself up to take another gander at the genie battle still raging on. As it appeared, Shantae had a clear advantage as she forced Hashanah on the defensive. Hashanah had been trying to keep her distance, hastily launching blasts of fire, lightning, and pure evil energy while Shantae summoned up a magenta-colored force field around herself and kept the pressure on with Hair Whips and fireballs of her own. Before Bolo got too distracted, however, he noticed something in the corner of his eye barreling right toward him.

"HRRRAAH!" shouted a thoroughly INFURIATED Nila as she recovered, picked herself up, and swung BOLO'S OWN MACE at him when she saw the opportunity.

"WHOA!" the blue-haired adventurer bellowed in shock as he ducked low once again to narrowly… and I mean NARROWLY avoid having his head smashed to pieces with his own weapon as the Pike Ball went whizzing by with a deadly *VWIIIRSH*. "HEY! What's the big idea trying to catch me off-guard like that!?" he angrily shouted at Nila, evidently not too pleased. The immediate thing he noticed was that the thoroughly enraged Admiral was bleeding from her mouth and that her glasses were cracked, partially revealing a veiny green eye that glared DEATH at him.

"I AM GOING TO BEAT YOU INTO A GELATINOUS PULP!" Nila shouted loud enough that it could've been heard miles away as she charged at him again, this time with his weapon in her hand.

"You've gotta be-! WHAHOW!" Bolo tried to complain as he ran to the side while hopping over a low *VWOOOSH* of his mace being swung at him again by Nila. "…Kidding me! Shoot, shoot, shoo-! YIKES!" he panicked again, this time sliding under a high swing that went by with another *FOOOSH*. This time, however, he felt a sharp twinge of pain in his shoulder when he pushed himself up off the ground. "Gaah…! D-darn it…!" he cursed, flinching for a moment as he readjusted himself to try and get back up.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" Nila announced as she leapt high and far with Bolo's Morning Star cocked behind her head while her long, frazzled red hair flowed with the wind. As it appeared, Nila was NOT messing around.

"AW, JEEZ!" Bolo yelped in panic, realizing just how much danger he was in. Rolling to the side, he barely missed being crushed under the *PARPLONK* of his mace against the stony floor that saw the Pike Ball get LODGED INTO THE ARENA as more chunks of rock were sent scattering around the immediate area. "Whoa… I can't believe I-!" he was about to observe as he hurriedly climbed to his feet… only to find Nila right there to punish him with a most astoundingly mountainous *KAKRASHK* of her fist against his face, sending him soaring off toward the shrine monument, where his back met it with a painful *PLOCK*. Remaining on his feet nevertheless, Bolo did his best to try and recover and get an eye on Nila… who was still rushing him down with no intent to relent as she let go of the chain mace and let its handle fall wherever it may.

"I WON'T STAND TO BE HUMILIATED BY THE LIKES OF YOU AGGRAVATING CIRCUS FREAKS AGAIN!" Nila brazenly insulted as she closed the distance between herself and Bolo and threw another punch meant to cave the poor guy's skull in. With his back pressed against the monument and his stamina running low, Bolo did his best to defend himself. He dodged Nila's first incoming swing before blocking the next by crossing his arms over his face. The *KERTWACK* from the forceful impact caused him to smack his back against the monument, however, which jarred him just enough to cause him to let his guard down. And you'd better BELIEVE Nila was going to capitalize on it. Grabbing Bolo by his hair with one hand, she pulled him forth while cocking her other hand back and… with another gut-wrenching *KAPRAAASH*, she rammed her fist into her adversary's stomach as hard as she could.

"GHAAAAAGH…!" Bolo barely found it in himself to choke out with all the wind being pillaged from his lungs. He wouldn't get a chance to recoil, however, as Nila grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him forth, and then flung him back into the shrine with a disturbing *THRACK* of his body against the solid stone structure. She followed up by landing two more world-destroying haymakers to his face that landed with *KAKRACK* after *KAPLOCK*, after which she grabbed him by both sides of his head, pulled him downward, and flung her knee upward as hard as she could. She caught the disoriented adventurer with an utterly disgusting *THRACK* of her knee against his face against it, after which she thrust kicked him in the chest, causing him to go crashing into the monument with yet another despair-inducing *THROCK*. Weary and nearly incapable of getting a grasp on things, he fell into a seated position, panting as he attempted to register the debilitating stings and pains coursing all across his body. Yet, he STILL wouldn't get a break. Nila, equally as breathless and ragged as he was, still found it in herself to grab him by the collar of his vest, yank him up, and pin him against the monument as forcefully as she could muster.

"Understand…! Hah… That you NEVER had a chance to beat me, kid…!" Nila set the record straight, momentarily turning to the side and spitting as she caught her breath. "Now… you got any last words before I kill you…?"

"Ghaaaagh…!" Bolo groaned, trying as hard as he could to pull himself free. This show of resistance only caused Nila to press him harder against the pillar, however, which made it even more difficult for him to escape. "Wh… Why are you doing this…? I don't understand…! We helped you guys out…! Gave you the chance you needed to rebuild when Risky was set to completely destroy you…!"

"I told you before…! That truce had nowhere near as much sway over me as it did Twitch and Vinegar…!" she impatiently retorted. "The fact is…! I've got a personal bone to pick with your so-called 'sister' back there and ESPECIALLY THAT MURDEROUS REPROBATE ASSASSIN she calls her lover…! And if you associate with them… then one way or another, you're ALL gonna be made to pay for the losses of my comrades…!" she vowed, nothing but venomous hatred dripping from every rasping breath she took as she prepared to finish Bolo off.

"Ghaah…! Sh… SHANTAE!" Bolo hollered out to catch the attention of the half-genie while she was preoccupied. Meanwhile, he struggled, kicked, and writhed to try and break Nila's grip on his shirt as she pinned him up and pulled out ANOTHER knife with her free hand… Oh, boy…

Across the arena…

"TYAAAH!" Shantae hollered as she blocked an incoming Dark Magic-charged punch from Hashanah, swung her leg across, and belted the other half-genie in her side with a most impactful *THROCK* while they were in midair.

"DWAAGH!" Hashanah shouted in pain, being flung across the crumbling platform. Within a second, she hit the ground with a dense *THUD* before using the momentum to roll back to her feet. Her hair frazzled, her entire body drenched in sweat, her clothes torn, and with various scuffs and scratches littered across her body as she practically gasped for air, Hashanah looked every bit like she was having a REALLY rough time. Meanwhile, Shantae landed gracefully, entering a battle stance a few yards away. And while Shantae appeared breathless and sweaty herself, she appeared to be in far better shape.

"D… Darn it…! I… I can't believe this…! I'm… I'm not strong enough to beat her…! Not even close…! Is… Is this REALLY my limit here…?" Hashanah seemed to realize in sore disappointment as she glared at the other half-genie, who'd glared right back at her. Only…

"SHANTAE!" Bolo called out once again, alerting both half-genies to the situation at hand.

"Huh?" Shantae hummed in wonder, hearing her name being called just as she and Hashanah were anticipating one another's next move. Immediately, she saw the cause for concern as she caught sight of Nila… preparing to STAB a weary and defenseless Bolo as she pinned him up against the pillar at the other end of the battlefield. The sight alone was enough to jar Shantae into a thoroughly mortified, and… dare I say, frightened stupor as she froze and gasped with her eyes wide open. Huh… "Bolo… Ghaah… N-no… No, not again…!" she muttered, seeming to completely lose her sense of self in all of a split-second. "No… No, no…! NO! I… I-I can't let this happen again! I CAN'T!" she anxiously muttered to herself as she began to tremble… almost like some sort of nightmare scenario was playing out before her eyes. Meanwhile, Hashanah hopped back a few paces before preparing her next attack without a care in the world that Shantae wasn't paying attention.

"Now's my chance…!" the underhanded rogue half-genie murmured as she attempted to summon another Energy Weapon… only for her magic to fizzle out with a painful *Krakrkakakrackle* of fatigue-borne electricity shooting through her arm. "GHAAAH…! Sh-shoot… Lousy Dark Magic… No matter… I'll still finish her anyway!" she presumed as she took just a few steps into her mad dash to try and catch Shantae by surprise. Only… she stopped when she noticed something odd. Shantae wasn't attempting to defend herself. She wasn't even LOOKING in her direction. The part that confused Hashanah the most, however… was the sudden emergence of a swirling purple cloud of energy emitting from her fellow half-genie's hands. "What the…?" Hashanah murmured in surprise, halting her approach as she began to feel a sudden, ominous, sweltering heat radiating off her opponent.

"I… I WON'T…! LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN…!" Shantae continued to urge herself, her demeanor changing once again from being frightened… to being absolutely, inconsolably FURIOUS as her terrified gaze turned into a most gruesome, soul-chilling GLARE aimed squarely at Nila. "I WON'T…! LET THIS…! HAPPEN AGAIN!" she kept telling herself louder and louder as the swirls of Dark Magic grew stronger… the arena grew hotter… and the charming, disarming ocean blue in Shantae's eyes… suddenly changed to an ANGER-RIDDLED, CRAZED, and… dare, I say MURDEROUS shade of GOLD. In that moment, Shantae's instincts kicked in as she pressed her fingers to the ruby in the Crimson Laser Headband she obtained earlier. And, without fail, the laser began to charge up with a most frightening *Oooooowweeeeeeesh* as the gem grew brighter and brighter…

"What… HEY! What the heck do you think you're DOING!?" Hashanah screamed, getting the idea right away that Shantae planned to do something horrible to Nila. "I'm NOT gonna let you shoot her in the ba-!" she threatened as she rushed toward Shantae to try and interfere. She leapt high with the intent to kick the other half-genie senseless. Only, she didn't even come close to landing her attack. Shantae, without even looking at Hashanah, dodged the attack in the time it takes a person to blink, and in that exact amount of time in the next moment, reached out and caught Hashanah by the throat. With no sense of reason present in that moment, she squeezed tight as she lifted the other young woman into the air.

"HRRRAAAAGH!" Shantae let out a most… unsettling animalistic growl as she strangled Hashanah and aimed her laser directly at Nila with seemingly no regard for what it would do to her if it hit.

"Ghaaaack…! Ghah…! N-Nila…! H-HEY…!" Hashanah tried to gather enough air to warn while she also tried to break free of Shantae's sudden death grip. Her constricted words fell on deaf ears, unfortunately, as Shantae continued to choke her nearly into unconsciousness her while focusing all her attention on Nila… who had curiously halted her attempted murder to turn around once she heard the activation of what sounded like some weapon being charged up.

"What in the-!? HASHANAH!" Nila cried out in shock and distress as she instantly dropped Bolo and tried to rush over to her girlfriend. It was right then, however, that she ALSO noticed Shantae glaring at her while that gem in her forehead was glowing… while the enemy half-genie was ALSO brimming with the same kind of magic she was aware Hashanah used. It was then that Nila realized… "Shoot! She's aiming at ME!?"

"I'LL PUT AN END TO YOU BEFORE YOU EVER THINK TO HURT HIM!" Shantae uncharacteristically ROARED out in seething RAGE, her voice even taking on that same spooky double effect we'd witnessed her boyfriend exhibit just a few days ago. And RIGHT after she uttered her threat, the sudden *KAKWAAARSH* of the Crimson Laser Headband's laser rang out, the beam shooting so fast that it looked like a shooting star in the night sky.

"WHOA!" Nila yelped as she hit the deck as fast as she could. She was EXTREMELY lucky, too, because the laser singed her jacket as she went down. Meanwhile, the laser BLASTED the monument just above the recovering Bolo's head with a most eardrum-shattering *KRABLOOMOMBOMBOMBOMBOMBOMBOOM* of an explosion. Sending fiery chunks of debris all over the place as Bolo was propelled forward onto the floor, the laser had done what Hashanah's attacks couldn't before. Shantae managed to destroy the monument in one accidental shot, sending a golden, gem-encrusted Relic hurtling through the air and on to the floor. The cylindrical treasure piece landed near Nila with a series of *klinks* and *klangs* as it bounced and slid before coming to an eventual stop. "Huh…?" the Admiral hummed as she glanced at the shining, sparkling artifact in wonder, though she was aware she didn't have much time to fawn over it. Knowing… or at least, making a presumption about what it was, she grabbed it, stuffed it into her pocket, and climbed back to her feet. She sprinted as hard as her feet would allow her to as she rushed toward a dazed and out-of-sorts Shantae, who had still unknowingly been strangling Hashanah.

"Whooh… Waaauuuagh…" Shantae droned as the Dark Magic swirls dissipated, leaving her confused and unaware of her surroundings for the moment.

"GET OFF HER!" Nila demanded, grabbing Shantae by the arm she was using to choke Hashanah out and, with a powerful *THROCK*, kicking the disoriented hero off to the side as she was forced to let go of her enemy.

"Khaaagh…!" Shantae grunted in agony, though she remained disoriented as she hit the ground with a sudden *Plough*.

"SHANTAE!" Bolo shouted from across the way as he hurriedly regained his own senses and raced over toward her to tend to her.

"Gahh…!" Hashanah groaned as she soon fell into a quick coughing fit, clutching her aching neck as she sat on the crumbling platform.

"Hasha, we need to get out of here… NOW…!" Nila urged as she reached her teammate and helped her to her feet.

"What…? Ahackh! What in the world are you talking about…!?" the compromised half-genie did her best to retort through coughs and her raspy voice, still trying to reorient herself as Nila allowed her to sling an arm over her shoulders. "We might not be in the best of spots, but we aren't leaving until I have that-!"

"This thing?" Nila asked for confirmation as she pulled the shining Relic out from her pocket, catching Hashanah by surprise.

"That… That's it! That's the piece!" Hashanah confirmed, her eyes wide with amazement as she stared squarely at it in her partner's hand. "How in the world did you get it!?"

"Ponytail over there blasted the pillar open while she was aiming at me," Nila explained as she continued to make sure Hasha was alright. "Next thing I know, it was laying right on the floor for me to grab before I came over to you. Now, can you do us a favor and get us the HECK out of here, please? She's gonna KILL us if we don't move!" she further urged, expressing her STRONGEST desire to end their quest while they were ahead.

"You certainly don't have to tell me twice…" Hashanah agreed as she, while holding onto Nila, began to gyrate her hips. She soon became enveloped in Dark Magic as she tightened her focus and closed her eyes.

"Hey! We're not through with you yet! Hand over that Spirit Fuser piece!" Bolo shouted at the adversarial pair of women as he propped Shantae up to a seated position. Once he secured her, he dashed toward Hashanah and Nila in an attempt to stop them from whatever it was they seemed to be planning. He would not get far, however, as the two of them vanished with a smoky *POOF* before he had a chance to intervene. "Darn!" he cursed as he skidded to a screeching halt while clenching his fists. "Gah, they got away…!"

"Hmmph…! Man…" Shantae complained as she gingerly picked herself back up while blinking her eyes a few times and shaking her head. As it appeared, the Dark Magic surrounding her had disappeared, and her eyes turned back to blue. She still presented as rather disoriented, though she seemed to regain at least some of her senses. Curiously enough, a glowing platform emerged from the arena floor, sparkling as it did so. Odd…

"Hey, are you alright, sis?" Bolo asked as he ran back toward her to further check up on her.

"Ah… Y-yeah, I'm as good as can be," Shantae affirmed as she slowly, but surely regained the rest of her senses. Once she did so, she blinked a few more times before turning her attention to Bolo and… became a bit worried herself. "The real question is, are YOU alright? You look like you got mauled by a bear…" she remarked, noting the young man's torn shirt, multitude of bruises across his face, tussled hair, and swollen eye.

"I'm as good as good can get, based on the situation. That Nila chick is a force to be reckoned with, for sure…" Bolo assured with a nonchalant shrug, though he seemed to be a tad bothered at the mention of the Ammonian Admiral. "I'm not sure at all how Rottytops beat her…"

"Aw… Well, you did your best," Shantae offered her support. "We only get stronger with every adventure we go on. You'll get her next time."

"Y-yeah, thanks…" he halfheartedly accepted her vote of confidence, not at all cheered up in the wake of his recent loss. "Anyway, I've got some bad news…"

"What's up?"

"Nila and Hashanah escaped with the Spirit Fuser piece," he revealed, much to Shantae's shock and dismay as her heart sank.

"What!? A-are you sure!?"

"Yeah. When you shot your Crimson Laser at Nila, you wound up hitting the pillar she was pinning me to," he explained, gesturing toward the ravaged, smoking remains of the monument across the way. Neither of them seemed to mind the sudden appearance of that other platform, though. "I saw it in her hand while I was checking up on you, but they teleported out of here before I could get close…"

"No…! DARN IT!" Shantae cursed as she stomped a foot on the ground, causing the entire platform to shake and rumble with a *KRKRUMBLULBUM* for a moment that nearly knocked Bolo off his own feet. Meanwhile, Shantae found herself highly irritated by their unsuccessful hunt. "All that time and work, just for the two of them to get in the way at the perfectly WRONG time!" she practically shouted as she vigorously scratched her head, glaring at the ground like she wanted it to explode from the intensity of her agitated gaze.

"Hey, are… are you sure you're alright?" Bolo asked once more in concern as he studied his best friend up and down. "I don't know what happened back there, but you seemed to lose control of yourself. And… you seem to be REALLY angry. Did Hashanah put up that much of a fight that she pushed you past your limits?"

"Huh? Er, n-no…" Shantae rather reticently answered, shrinking into herself just a bit as she was suddenly reminded of the events leading to the conclusion of the battle… something she seemed rather… unsettled about, if I had to say so. Taking a second for herself, she took a deep breath, straightened her face, and relaxed herself before returning her gaze to Bolo. "Hashanah wasn't much of an issue at all. She was exceptionally strong, but I had everything under control with her."

"I see. Then… why was it that when I saw you charging up your Crimson Laser, you looked like you were about to pull a Tayshan and go totally berserk?"

"What? What are you talking about? And… what is 'pulling a Tayshan'?" Shantae questioned with a raised eyebrow, though she had a harrowing feeling he was onto her about something she'd been trying to keep secret.

"You already know. It's the point where he becomes so overwhelmed with anger in the middle of a fight that he suddenly throws caution to the wind and attacks literally ANYTHING that poses a threat to him in a merciless rage. Remember what I told you about what happened in the Inseam Municipality that day?" he explained as though he'd seen such a phenomenon before. And yet again, they mention of the Inseam Municipality. I wonder just what happened there…? Shantae, shocked by his words as she seemed to know what Bolo meant, flinched as she grew increasingly worried… Huh…

"Uh, er… I-I see…" she began, though she hesitated for a moment as she searched her brain for the right words. After a few seconds, she spoke again. "Well, that only happens when someone becomes consumed with Dark Magic… as well as when someone you care about is in serious danger. I saw that Nila was about to stab you, so I… I must've panicked and did the first thing that came to mind. It… was kind of a blur, so I don't remember much… I don't think I did anything that would compare to THAT kind of anger, though…"

"…Huh…" he hummed in acknowledgement, raising an eyebrow in worry as he kept his gaze on his teammate. Noticing this, Shantae grew disquieted as she looked right back at him and crossed her arms over herself.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I know you've been awfully stressed out since last October, but you know I'm all ears in case you want to talk about anything. Right?"

"Yeah, Bolo, of course!" Shantae acknowledged with a humored sigh, putting on her best smile as she patted him on the shoulder. "I'm fine. Don't worry, homie! If anything's bothering me, I'll be sure to fill you in."

"Hm. If you say so, sis," he accepted her assurance as he smiled back at her. Not long after, the two separated. "Also, I see you're REALLY trying to convince me that you saying 'homie' is gonna eventually sound natural. It isn't working," he further teased with a chuckle that Shantae, for obvious reasons, did not share.

"D'oh…! Shut up…!" the half-genie retorted with a comical pout as she crossed her arms and turned her head away. Bolo laughed a bit harder as the tension settled.

"Sorry, sorry… I'll try to get used to it. I promise," he did his best to cheer her up before switching gears. "Anyway, uh… We've got a bigger problem on our hands than we thought we would, huh?"

"You can say that again…" Shantae agreed, still feeling sour about the recent encounter as she relaxed her stance and turned her attention to her partner. "We've got to get that Spirit Fuser piece from those two before they cause more serious trouble than they already have. We've also got to get a move on with getting the other pieces as soon as possible…"

"You think it's about time we clued the others in?" Bolo asked as he glanced at the glowing platform and FINALLY acknowledged its existence as he and Shantae began walking toward it. "I was figuring we'd do that before we came to the Tangled Thread Temple."

"Yeah, but I was hoping we'd gain some more info on these Spirit Fuser pieces before we got anyone else involved," Shantae explained, revealing that she and Bolo acted on their own volition. "Of course, we now have to figure out how to get a move on before-! GAAH-hagh…!" she was set to elaborate before she flinched and jerked again, doubling over in a sudden burst of what seemed to be excruciating abdominal pain. "Hrrrgh…! Hah…!"

"Shantae! Hey, what's going on!?" Bolo frantically asked as he rushed to her aid and placed a hand on her back.

"S-Soul-Link sense…!" she uttered, doing her best to straighten herself out through this sudden wave of extreme discomfort.

"Oh… Oh, man…" Bolo remarked in increased concern, knowing already what she meant.

"H-he's in trouble…! Gaah, just when today seemed to turn out bad enough already… Come on, we've gotta go save him!" Shantae suddenly urged, grabbing Bolo by the hand and practically dragging him toward the glowing platform. Without wasting another second, the duo hopped onto the platform, expressions of utmost seriousness on their faces as they stood and awaited… something. Before I even had a chance to figure out what, the two of them suddenly vanished with a *POOF* as they were warped off the platform. And right after THAT happened, the entire temple began to quake and rumble with *KRAKRUMBLE* after *KRAKRKAKRAKRUMBLE* after *KAKRAKRKRKAKRKAKRAKRAKAKRUMBLE*. Within seconds, platform that served as the arena floor crumbled apart, taking that fancy glowing podium with it. Next came the pillar that previously housed the Spirit Fuser fragment. After that, came the walls… and then the ceiling… it seemed as though the place was about to collapse on itself! Hang on, we need to get a better view…

One inexplicable transition later…

Ah! Y-yep! From the outside looking in, the temple was completely falling apart! Almost like it was melting, the sanctuary, the oasis it rested on… even Bolo's malfunctioning speedboat were caught up in this MASSIVE disintegration process as it all came apart piece by giant, rocky piece. Before one could even think about what was happening, the entirety of the Tangled Thread Temple seemingly shook itself to pieces with an almost explosive *KRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRRRRRRRRUMMMMMMBBBBBBLE* that caused everything around it to sink into the sea. An enormous wave erupted from the ocean with a gigantic *KERSPLOOOOOAAAARRRSH*, seemingly causing a torrential downpour in an instant as the remains of the temple and the speedboat were completely submerged and swallowed up by the turbulent sea. Additional waves dispersed all over the sparkling water body as all traces of the Tangled Thread Temple were completely washed away…

WOW… huh… Well, then. THIS certainly picked up out of nowhere. It seems like we're witnessing history in the making as the next epic adventure of the Half-Genie Hero and friends kicked off in a totally awe-inspiring flash. A highly dangerous scavenger hunt for fragments of a sacred, all-powerful Relic, fiendishly formidable enemies old and new popping up out of the woodwork, and high stakes that seemed to have the lives of Sequin Land's humble citizens hanging in the balance… again! Yet, even with all we've seen so far, I've got a gut feeling is just the beginning… I'm not sure of all the details behind what's going on here, but I'll figure it all out! But if you figure it out before me, don't be afraid to explain it to me even though it's my job to explain everything to you! In the meantime, let's call it here. Hopefully, Shantae and Bolo will be alright as they charged immediately from one adventure to the next, but you'll definitely know for sure in the next episo—er, juicy gossip-fest that is Shantae: The Eternal Spirit Chronicles! See ya next time!