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!

6. Blue Skies of Doom

Chapter 5: Blue Skies of Doom

Welcome back! Glad to see you've decided to join me for another action-packed gossip sesh, because I've gathered a ton more delicious deets to dish out to ya! Only THIS time, the intel I gathered pertained to a separate adventure that was happening concurrently to the one we were following last time. Crazy, right? Actually, no need to answer that, because I know you agree. Either way, just bear with me; we've got quite a bit of ground to cover this time, too, so I won't waste time. Let's hurry up and dive right on in…

So, while Shantae and her trusty sidekick Bolo were investigating that lead in the Tangled Thread Temple, it turned out that two of the Half-Genie Hero's other friends had embarked on a separate excursion in a location miles upon miles in the exact opposite direction at around the same time. I'll tell you who, when, and where in just a bit, though I'll go off the cuff and admit that it's… tough to keep track of such huge developments when there are so many things happening all at once. Makes me wish I had the old narrator's odd ability to outline the approximate locations, dates, and times that major events were taking place. I'm still new at this, and I… wasn't able to collect all the details to tell you everything in one fell swoop. But believe me when I say that from what I COULD gather, things were INTENSE! Oh, and just in case you were wondering just how much more unruly this ride could get in such a short time from what I just told you…

"Hmm… Scuttle Town is finally within view…" muttered everybody's favorite blue-skinned, buxom buccaneer as she stood atop the crow's nest of her ship, peering through a spy glass to observe the humble city in question from a distance. As her vessel coasted along the calm, sparkling waves of the Sequin Land Sea, her dutiful minions performed all sorts of menial tasks across the ship's main deck down below to keep the crew on the path toward their target. "Soon enough, I'll find you, you slippery DOG…! And when I do, I'm gonna make you WISH you stayed dead…!" Risky bitterly vowed, gritting her teeth as she never removed her eye from her spy glass. Brimming with anticipation for an impending encounter with a certain 'dog,' Risky practically trembled with a dark, twisted excitement as she patiently awaited the moment her ship made landfall. However, her anticipation would be halted and replaced with mild surprise when she caught sight of a giant, prismatic avian creature suddenly soaring out from the town.

"Huh… That bird… and its utterly ATROCIOUS colors… No doubt that it's that hideous chicken beast belonging to one of that genie brat's idiot friends…" Risky identified said 'chicken beast' in a heartbeat as she peered into her spy glass once more, watching the creature intently. She noticed that it had been slowly, but surely gaining altitude as it beat its gigantic wings against the crisp, salty air. Just as this mysterious avian behemoth began to create some distance, however, Risky spotted another anomaly. "The beast has two passengers… one of them being the irritating bird enthusiast, and the other… a man with dreadlocks dressed head to toe in green and silver? And… is that a HALO over his head? Hmm… Could that be? I wonder… And just where are they going…?"

Just then, a Tinkerbat had just hurriedly made its way up to the crow's nest as though it had some important news to tell her. As soon as it climbed inside, the Tinkerbat frantically tugged and poked at Risky to get her attention. Not one to be fond of being bothered in such a manner, Risky reacted accordingly.

"WHAT IS IT, YOU LITTLE SCALAWAG!?" she capriciously shouted at the Tinkerbat as she aggressively turned toward it and angrily swatted a hand at it. As you might imagine, the startled Tinkerbat nearly panicked as it jumped back to narrowly avoid getting popped in the face. "I was BUSY with something! What do you want!?"

The Tinkerbat made a series of… incredibly odd gestures through its frightened stupor that… if I had to guess, explained to Risky that it saw something important. It additionally made specific gestures that included a thumbs-up, a ring sign over its head, and a point in the direction where Risky was watching the flying chicken monster. At that, Risky reeled back in a mixture of surprise… and instantly BOLSTERED determination.

"So, our target is exactly who I just spotted, is it? PERFECT…!" she excitedly remarked with a truly sinister grin as her ruby-hued eyes flashed and shined with nothing but evil intent. "Looks like the ghost hunt's already reached its most exciting part, then. Tell the navigators to activate the jet boosters. There's no better time than right now to claim our bounty… And without that ponytailed little minx in the way, this 'ghost' is as good as BUSTED…!" And with that vow and… questionably clever pun, Risky Boots set her sights on an unsuspecting duo of adventurers with whom she evidently had a HUGE bone to pick. Trembling in inconceivable fear, the Tinkerbat hurriedly exited (by which, I mean it stumbled and unceremoniously fell out of) the crow's nest, hitting the deck face first with a most emphatic *WHAPLOCK* from at least 50 feet high. Yet, instead of being dead on impact like most humans would be, the clumsy creature simply picked itself up without anyone present to even attempt to assist it. Heck, they hadn't even noticed… Jeez, Tinkerbats seem to be such durable, yet such oblivious creatures… E-er, anyway, the Tinkerbat shook and rubbed its head before it hurried up and did what it was told. The Tinkerbat wasted no time as it scurried itself over to its allies responsible for guiding the ship, and issued their leader's command.

Within seconds, and as Risky Boots had instructed, her pirate crew saw to it that her vessel initiated a short, but VERY interesting alteration process. With a series of *WHIIRRs*, *KLIKLINKLINKs*, and steam-powered *FWOOOSHes* of machine parts shifting and grinding, both sides of Risky Boots's pirate ship found themselves suddenly equipped with… with what looked like speedboat engines in the shape of skull-decorated rockets! Oh, man… Accordingly, her Tinkerbats had also lowered the sails and made other preparations for their sudden change of direction and plans. But then, before I got to take a closer look…

"AVAST, MEN!" Risky hollered at the top of her lungs to gain the attention of her entire pirate army. Likewise, each and every Tinkerbat stopped what they were doing to listen to her. "OUR TARGET IS ON THE MOVE BY AIR! AND IN THE SPIRIT OF REINTRODUCING HIM TO OUR PIRATE ARMY'S UNBRIDLED WRATH, WE'RE GONNA GIVE HIM A SURPRISE 'WARM WELCOME' WHEN HE AND HIS ALLIES LAND AT THEIR DESTIONATION! TO KEEP OUR 'WELCOME' AS MUCH OF A SURPRISE AS POSSIBLE, OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO TRAIL THEM TO WHEREVER THEY'RE HEADED! WE'LL NEED TO KEEP OUR DISTANCE WHILE WE FOLLOW TO KEEP FROM BEING DETECTED, BUT YOU'D ALL BE WISE TO STAY ALERT AND BE PREPARED FOR THINGS TO GET MESSY ONCE WE SPRING OUR TRAP! NOW, LET'S SHOVE OFF WHILE THE OPPORTUNITY'S GOLDEN!" the ruthless pirate captain announced and ordered of her men as she stood tall atop her crow's nest and pointed in the direction of her apparent targets.

Risky's minions dutifully saluted her from port to starboard, bow to stern as they unified and mobilized to follow her command. And within seconds… and an amazingly powerful *KERPWOOOOOOOORRRSH* of the pirate ship's jet boosters, Risky Boots and her Tinkerbat crew were off, for sure ready to cause all sorts of trouble for the individuals branded as their 'targets'.

"You miserable punks are IN for it the very SECOND our paths cross again…! I can't wait…!" Risky ominously threatened as she secured herself in her crow's nest, never taking her eyes off her apparent sworn enemies. Speaking of whom…

Later, during a seemingly mundane air ride…

"Still been busy searchin' for a new college t' go to, eh, Sky?" asked one of our two unsuspecting adventurers, a familiar muscular golden-eyed, scar-faced, green-and-silver-garbed man with dreadlocks and a halo as he and his fellow explorer raced through the sunny skies toward some yet-to-be-known destination. It's worth mention that they were riding on this utterly GIGANTIC purple-and-blue eagle/hawk/pheasant… monster bird as they zoomed along, but you probably knew that by this point. I just still can't help but be amazed by the sheer size of this thing, or even how it was apparently domesticated enough to be used for transport…

"Yeah… Granted, Genie's Hem University was perfect in terms of its location, its reputation, and its reasonable tuition," confirmed an equally familiar blonde bird trainer dressed in an undoubtedly eye-catching mauve-and-turquoise bustier and white capri pants as she used a set of reins to steer the avian behemoth through the air. "It's just so aggravating that Hypno Baron sunk his claws into it, completely destroyed its credibility, and then took the entire institution down with him when he went under. It was my DREAM college before ol' Skull-Face mucked it up for everybody!"

"I guess that's what happens when ya buy a business out, terrorize the city the business is stationed in with a horde o' supernatural monsters, an' then have the nerve t' commit all sorts o' fraud, embezzlement, an' full-blown unjustified price hike scams t' bleed your student body dry for all the money you think you can take from 'em. It's no wonder that he has everybody an' their grandmother suin' him for every MOLECULE he breathes by this point…" the halo-adorned passenger joked as he had his arms wrapped securely around Sky's waist to make absolutely sure he didn't fall off the airplane-sized bird.

"Hah! That's a good one, Tay!" Sky laughingly complimented, evidently enjoying the quip. "At this point, it'll be a wonder if he spends more time in court or in jail…"

"Or in hidin', considerin' he's been on the run since last November," Tay joked once more, eliciting another laugh out of the avian aficionado.

"Also true," Sky agreed wholeheartedly.

"We can only wonder how that saga plays out from here. He can't run forever…" the ghost man theorized with a momentary tilt of his head. "That aside, what else have you been up to lately?"

"Not a whole lot new, really. I've pretty much been on my regular grind of taking care of my birds, occasionally hanging out with some friends, and even finding more time to plan some personal trips abroad."

"Planning more personal trips…? Already? What, that vacation you took t' Paradise Island wasn't enough?"

"Tay, stop playing," the bird tamer laughingly retorted. "That couldn't have been farther from a 'vacation' if it tried. I need time where I'm NOT stressed out with helping Shantae deal with the ridiculous antics of Risky Boots and the rogues' gallery we always get tangled up with, or helping her save the world from total disaster. So yeah, I'm planning a couple of REAL vacations coming up this summer and fall. You're welcome to join me on at least one of them, y'know! You could certainly use a break yourself with how busy you've been these last few months."

"I appreciate the offer, but we'll have t' see. I've already got a trip or two o' my own planned, an' one o' them is Shantae an' me goin' abroad for a weeklong belly dance tour this comin' July," Tayshan offered his reply with careful consideration. "That aside, I've been pretty tied up tryin' t' help Scuttle Town build a strong enough backbone t' defend itself even when Shantae ain't available."

"Fair," Sky acknowledged with a nod. "Offer's still on the table, of course, so keep me posted when you get a big enough break in your schedule."

"Will do."

"Awesome. That aside, your efforts have definitely shown some progress as far as getting Scuttle Town to be less reliant on Shantae. It goes without saying that the increased Palace Guard presence, as well as the fact that you were appointed your own task force through the Sultana herself has been a HUGE benefit. There's no doubt that your investment in beefing up Scuttle Town's law enforcement was a primary reason I and the rest of our crew were able to take that trip to Paradise Island at all."

"Thanks, Sky," Tay accepted her gratitude. "It's… still a work in progress, though, because Scuttle Town's general crime rate is alarmingly high. It's worse that the majority o' people who even commit those crimes don't even live there. Far as I see it, Scuttle Town's a bastion for shady business dealings on par with the likes of Ammo Baron an' Techno Baron… An' don't even get me started on all the petty Item Shop heists an' muggings I've had t' stop…"

"What? I understand the Item Shop and the general crime rate, but muggings? Scuttle Town definitely does NOT have a mugging problem, Tay," the incredulous war bird trainer pointed out.

"Not unless your name is Mayor Scuttlebutt," he flatly half-joked, catching Sky by surprise. "You have any idea how often that man gets his life threatened for doin' the things he does? Refusin' t' allocate government funds toward renovations around the town, constantly gettin' caught eatin' Bento Boxes an' Steak/Lobster dinners when a chunk o' the town is poor, starvin', displaced because of all the disasters, and/or livin' paycheck-to-paycheck… or when he's goofin' off every other day with his girlfriend—whose company I'm VERY certain he pays for—when he's supposed t' be overseein' the town's reconstruction an' signin' off on legislation meant t' provide extra resources t' the town's citizens… The list goes on," At that, the bemused falconer shook her head in complete disbelief that Scuttle Town apparently had such an incompetent lummox for a leader.

"Jeez… It's only a wonder how that oaf is still the one running the town, even AFTER Shantae helped him get his job back… Of course, she mainly only did it, so she could get HER job back," she lamented. "And then the ingrate fired her again as soon as another fresh face blew into town. I can't even remember who it was, but as soon as they were gone, he hired Shantae right back. Can you believe that?"

"Trust me, I know…!" Tay remarked, seeming to be quite bothered by the mention of the half-genie's bad relationship with the mayor. "I… had some 'choice words' with him about that."

"Choice words like what?"

"Like kindly tellin' him that he was NOT gonna fire her again while y'all were on vacation, an' that if he tried it, then he'd better have a VERY good reason. Otherwise, he an' I would have uh… let's just say, an 'issue' that would only be 'resolved' when he learned, with my help, how… 'delicious' every wall AND the floor in his office tasted," he euphemized with increasing enmity in his tone as he went along. It's… pretty clear that Tayshan did NOT like Mayor Scuttlebutt very much.

"Yikes, Tay… I sure don't wanna know what THAT means, knowing what you're capable of… But then, how do you not get yourself in trouble, threatening your boss like that?" Sky questioned with a raised eyebrow. Understandably so, if I had anything to say about it…

"He's not my boss; the Sultana is," the ghost man very quickly clarified. "I'm only contracted t' work with him through her, an' at HER sole request. She never said he an' I had t' get along. She just needs me t' help him avoid gettin' beat up for the sake o' Sequin Land's reputation an' respect for authority figures. Mind you, the guy won't stop runnin' his mouth about how much more money he'd have if he could 'cut the defense budget,' A.K.A. fire Shantae as Guardian Genie."

"Wow, what a jerk! He WOULD be the kind of guy to try and give someone the ax for the sake of saving a gem or two!" Sky proclaimed, a heaping ton of sympathetic ire in her tone. "I'd guess it was probably so he can fuel his expensive eating habits if you ask me… Even worse that he contemplated firing Shantae while she was on vacation! Almost makes ME want to run for office just to get him out of there and bring Scuttle Town some much-needed stability. Or at least, some peace of mind in knowing HE'S not in office to keep tampering with the town's safety protocol for his own gain."

"I'd say go for it. There's no way you or anyone could do worse than him unless you flat-out quit the position… and even THEN, he'd be doin' everybody a favor if he resigned…" Tayshan griped with a shake of his head.

"You speak facts, hon. Though, much as I'd like to run for office, I don't think I'd want to tie myself down to Scuttle Town forever. There are certainly greener pastures elsewhere, much as I enjoy having my hatchery there. Say, how do you know so much about Scuttlebutt, anyway?"

"Because unfortunately, I was tasked with bein' the man's part-time bodyguard as part o' the agreement that allowed me t' fast-track the process o' me obtainin' citizenship in Sequin Land. The amount o' contact I'm made t' have with him gave me plenty o' firsthand insight int' how he runs things…"

"Oh? Well, that makes enough sense. I can only imagine being in your position, so I feel for ya, sweetie. Still, despite that frustrating condition, I'm glad to know you can legally be called a citizen now. The Sultana didn't mind that you're technically deceased? Or… y'know, the other thing with you uh… being from an alternate timeline? Or planet? Or universe, or whatever the case was?" Sky so casually asked, though… I'm not sure if I heard her right. Did… Did she just suggest that Tayshan was from a DIFFERENT TIMELINE!? PLANET!? OR UNIVERSE!? Surely, she must've meant from a different country or something… that, or she was just joking. She HAD to be…

"She surprisingly didn't seem all that bothered about me bein' a wraith, no. She an' her council have apparently seen far worse than me, though they'd never heard of anybody comin' back from the dead t' apply t' be a citizen. Go figure that I had t' get both an official birth certificate AND an official death certificate despite all the information missin' on the birth certificate… An' I never even got the chance t' tell 'em that the reason I was completely undocumented before I died was because I technically didn't even exist here until last September. They had enough trouble tryin' t' wrap their heads around the idea of a deceased person comin' back t' the livin' world as a ghost t' basically be granted permission t' legally 'haunt' Scuttle Town. Anything else probably would've made their heads pop like party balloons," Tayshan casually answered, which… wait, WHAT!? He DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE LAST…? What the heck does THAT mean? That he was some sort of time-traveling ALIEN before becoming a wraith!? Was the 'alternate timeline' comment NOT actually a joke!? What in the world!? I'm so confused…

"I can't really blame them," Sky remarked with a chuckle. "You're too much of an anomaly for MOST people to wrap their heads around. I presume that means we'll just casually skip over the whole 'you being an alien' thing for the foreseeable future, then?"

"You know it, homegirl. No need t' overload people's minds with details o' my existence that I'M not even sure about," the apparent alien-wraith that was Tayshan affirmed, sharing an additional laugh with Sky. And with that, it seemed like we weren't going to be exploring this whole 'alien invader from a different plane of existence' topic, as they dropped that part of their discussion like a stack of bricks off the top of a tower without batting an eye. "But as far as bein' declared a legal citizen goes… Of course, I'm only granted basic rights with a few… specific exceptions. I won't ever be allowed t' vote, nor will I ever be able t' run for office. Not that I'd want to anyway…"

"Well, shoot! I was counting on your vote if I ever changed my mind about running for office myself," Sky joked, getting Tay to chuckle a bit more.

"Such a bummer, I know…"

"Eh, we'll probably have to settle on you being my running mate. Still, why do you have to be punished with a chore like babysitting Scuttlebutt as a part of your citizenship agreement?"

"As far as I was told by the Sultana, it was so I could learn what NOT t' do as a citizen, as well as learn what it was really like t' be part of a security force in what's apparently known as Sequin Land's 'Eternal Disaster Magnet.' T' be honest, though, I think she actually just made me do it because she thought it was funny. She couldn't hide her laughter when she made the suggestion in the first place…"

"Heh… Rumor has it that the Sultana has a twisted sense of humor…" Sky graciously informed, stifling a giggle as she did so.

"I can personally confirm that she does," Tay flatly confirmed without hesitation. Sounds like he wasn't all that appreciative of the 'humor' of Sequin Land royalty in giving undesirable jobs to people for kicks and giggles. But, I digress. Anyway… "She… also wanted me t' keep an eye on him an' take note o' how many more laws he can break before she eventually steps in an' ousts him herself…"

"And when's THAT supposed to happen?"

"I'm not at liberty t' give explicit details, but that will happen nowhere NEAR soon enough…" he complained, eliciting another hearty giggle out of the bird trainer as she reached behind her and patted him on the leg.

"D'aww… I feel for ya, hon. I really do," the avian aficionado offered her condolences through her laughter.

"Your false show o' sympathy has been read, Sky," the disgruntled wraith remarked with every word dripping with sarcasm, making the amused falconer crack up.

"Sorry, sorry! Er, l-let's change the subject, then. I wouldn't wanna get you all worked up over the babysitting—er, bodyguard gig you've got there."

"Sure thing," Tay agreed with a sigh of relief and a small chortle. "So… Anything else new with you?"

"Not really. I think I've covered everything that would sound even slightly interesting to talk about," Sky remarked with a casual shrug. "What have I mentioned so far? Taking care of my birds, occasionally hanging with some friends within our group as well as outside of it… Planning more vacations… hmm… Oh! I'm also trying to figure out what to do for my 18th birthday, even though it's still not quite here yet…"

"The big one-eight, eh? That's the magic year… or, so they say…"

"Yeah, but after doing a bit more soul-searching, I realized that simply turning 18 doesn't mean nearly as much as I thought it would."

"Why not?" Tay asked in mild surprise. "You spent so much time gettin' pumped up for the year you could officially call yourself a traditional adult. Now that it's almost here, you ain't excited no more?"

"I'm afraid not…" she confessed with a sigh. "I mean, there are still things I haven't done yet that I thought I'd have done by now, and even then, I don't know if completing those goals would be enough to really cover all the bases…"

"Ownin' your own place, gettin' a job that pays you comfortably well, an' travelin' around the country as much as you do whenever you want at 17… an' you STILL ain't feelin' like you've got enough goin' on?"

"Of course not! What, do you think I should just settle for what I have and never look for ways to make my situation more comfortable?" she defensively asked.

"No, not at all," he candidly replied, remaining calm. "I'm just sayin' that there are a lot of other people your age that would kill t' be as free as you are. Shoot, I didn't have NEARLY the kind o' freedom at 17 that you do. An' I didn't really even get t' experience real freedom when I joined the military in my old timeline at 18, either. If anything, things took a SERIOUS turn for the strict an' rigid…"

"Fair, but you had a much rougher upbringing than anyone I've ever known. You basically had to be an adult in all the toughest ways imaginable before you even came close to turning 18," Sky countered, evidently knowing the apparent ghost-alien military affiliate very well. "And I suppose joining the military would be a major contributor to you not having as much freedom as the average person. Still, even for you being 19, you've got a LOT of things figured out that I thought I had figured out… Seriously, you've got wisdom that would've made me think you were in your FORTIES if I didn't know better…"

"Ah… W-well, I can't say the lessons I learned in life came t' me very easily, all things considered, but I hear you," Tay rather… hesitantly concurred with a raised eyebrow as he took a deep breath. Huh… Makes me wonder about his background for him to suddenly be so cagey about it… "Still, how much more experience do you feel like you need before you consider yourself ready t' be an adult?"

"I don't know if I can quantify it, but I DO know that I don't know enough yet."

"Oh, really? An' what if I told you that one o' the keys t' bein' an adult is knowin' enough t' know you're never gonna know everything? Or that keepin' your mind open t' new experiences is one o' the most useful ways t' gather new info?" Tay asked with a slight grin. "A lot o' people in our age group don't even know how t' conceptualize that yet, so I still think you're ahead o' the game, Sky."

"See, there you go… Getting all philosophical on me again," Sky teased him with a giggle that Tayshan shared with her. "You're lucky that's one of my favorite things about you…"

"O-oh… Er, thanks… Heh," the wraith acknowledged, suddenly flustered as he cleared his throat.

"Mm-hmm. Also, I feel bad for all those who don't have the same kind of insight that you and I do at our age, but I've got ambitions that can't be met simply by waiting for a magical day where it all just happens or gets tossed out in front of me. For one thing, finishing my homeschooling with my parents at 16 allowed me all the time I needed to get my hatchery set up and plan for my future. And even with my hatchery being as big as it is, it's only a matter of time before I wind up with too many birds and not enough space," Sky explained her situation in deeper detail. "And my travels have been somewhat limited because I still haven't found a balance between birdkeeping, finding a suitable college to enroll in, and… uh… well, y'know… looking for Mr. Right…" she admitted, getting a bit sheepish toward the end there as she blushed.

"I see… Sounds like you're on 'Go' pretty much all the time."

"You should know, Tay!" she countered. "You and Shantae are already LEAGUES ahead of me, and you only started dating her a few months ago! You two may as well be married, you're working so well together! Seriously, she's so much more mature and open-minded than she used to be, and she's even been catching on with keeping herself consistently prepared, well-adjusted, and organized without my help. You should've SEEN her and how she handled things on Paradise Island. She's totally different from how she was just a few months ago… And she seems happier than ever! And you, with your career, the fact that you also have your own place, as well as the fact that you've been making such huge investments into improving Scuttle Town while also maintaining your reputation as Shantae's partner and LITERAL soulmate… You're killing me over here!" At that, Tay let out a nervous chuckle as he found himself even more flustered.

"Well… she an' I both still have a lot t' work on, but we take it as steadily as we can. Neither one of us pressures the other. I'd say it's because we generally bring out the best in each other. I just try t' be her biggest support as she continues t' climb t' greater an' greater heights as a hero an' as her own person. And… if it means anything, then you'll find somebody t' call your own soon enough. Er… Knowin' how much of a catch you are, you're bound t' connect with a guy truly worth your attention," Tay did his best to console, though he also seemed unable to shake off this dense air of nervousness that only grew denser with each passing moment. Huh… What's that all about?

"Gee, thanks, Tayshan. That means SO much coming from someone I used to have a massive crush on, but who decided he was in love with my best friend instead of me," Sky sarcastically remarked, revealing that the two of them had… some sort of romantic history? Whoa… No wonder they knew each other so well…

"Hey, hey, you ain't gotta nail me to a wall over it," the moderately anxious wraith shot back with an additional titter. "Look, I'm sorry it didn't work out between us. I really am. It's just… I-I can't really put it int' appropriate words, but… w-well, Shantae an' I bonded pretty strongly when we met. It only got stronger from there, even though we didn't initially even want t' be in a relationship. Plus, you made it clear after a while that you valued the stability of our friendship with her above all else before it became evident that she an' I liked each other. You an' I both know how complicated things were back then. If it makes you feel better, though, I'll be honest an' say that I… er… that I…" he faltered, growing more reticent as he momentarily cast his gaze elsewhere in contemplation.

"What, that you might have actually reciprocated my feelings for you at the time?" Sky dared to ask, her curiosity certainly piqued by this point.

"Uh… Hmm, I-I… would say that I was interested, at least. I mean, the signs were there in the beginning, back when I figured Shantae an' I were ONLY gonna be platonic friends," he brought it in himself to admit. "Especially after you caught me starin' at you the second time you an' I met…"

"Oh, REALLY?" Sky remarked in poorly hidden surprise, almost whirling around before she reminded herself that she was piloting a giant bird. The furious blush on her face spilled the beans, however. "If you liked me back then, then why didn't you come out and say so!?" she demanded to know.

"Because I wasn't sure if what I felt at the time was just physical attraction or a true feelin' that we clicked as more than friends…"

"Fair enough, but it certainly would've been easier if we talked more about it. And at the VERY least, it would've avoided all that drama with Twitch! I get it that it was tough being under all that pressure, but come on! I can't believe you're telling me NOW, when it's way too late, that you actually might have had feelings for me if the dice rolled in the right direction…!" she griped, her heart thumping in her chest as she processed her increased frustration. From the sound of it, though, it was the classic case of a missed opportunity. Ooh, that's rough… "Do you understand how awful that is, Tay? You're terrible!"

"The worst… I know, I know… Again, I'm sorry. As I realize now but didn't realize back then, Twitch was mainly only in it for the sake o' gettin' her own needs fulfilled… not necessarily mine," he clarified. "I also eventually realized that I couldn't trust her the way she wanted me to, even BEFORE the Inseam incident, an' I'm convinced she'd have lost interest after a while anyway. If anything, I remember her tellin' me she got herself a new boyfriend while she an' Vinegar were on their vacation last year. I don't know if she an' that guy are still together, but Bolo keeps in better touch with her than I do at this point."

"Well, good for her," Sky dismissively remarked. Seems like she didn't care much for this other girl they were talking about. "Still… If only, if only you'd have had these bright realizations of yours sooner… Who knows what could've happened between us…"

"Sure, but we still can't factor out that my feelings for Shantae were—and still are—strong, but super complicated at the time because I didn't know that she felt the same until she eventually told me. I would never want t' do that t' you, datin' you only in the event that she didn't like me back. That would be messed up on so many levels, an' you deserve FAR better than that. If you an' I were in a relationship, then I'd go into it knowin' I'm givin' you my entire heart with no conditions, secrets, or settlements involved. You would be my one an' only choice, no matter what. I chose Shantae with these exact thoughts in mind…"

"…I-I see… W-wow, Tayshan…" Sky barely found it in herself to reply, her heart thumping harder as she contemplated his words.

"On that same note, things were even more complicated because o' the whole 'rebound' thing you were dealin' with at that time, were they not?" he further pointed out, causing the bird tamer to flinch.

"Ah… R-right…" she sorely remembered, her face contorting into a rather guilty frown.

"Yeah, I… wasn't real sure on how close we could've gotten if the whole idea behind it all was that you didn't want t' be single. You an' Barracuda Joe seemed t' still have a lot o' beef between y'all back then, an' I don't know if datin' me would've been the right solution for you. An' I feel like I'd have not given you my all if the basis o' that connection was me helpin' you get over him. If anything, though, I'm glad you called it off before it got that unhealthy between us. It seems like you've been holdin' up well since that whole ordeal came to a close, no less. I… also presume you're over both me and Joe by now, right? An' that you've become comfortable bein' independent?"

"…Sure…" she halfheartedly confirmed, her tone rife with bitter disappointment. It seemed evident that… maybe she didn't necessarily agree with him…? Huh… Does that possibly mean Sky still likes Tayshan like that? Man, oh, man…

"Good!" Tay inattentively praised, none the wiser to his friend's dejection in that moment. "Granted, I'll admit I also thought back then about if it was really possible for you an' me t' potentially act on the proposition you made the night after Shantae an' I got back from Kitschy Quilt… which, as we know, had a LOT o' weight behind it. After our trip t' Siren's Requiem, I realized that she was special t' me. As in… VERY special t' me. But because she an' I decided t' keep it platonic at the time, she went ahead an' started datin' Aashiq instead."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about how sudden that was…" Sky remarked, knowing the basics of that story already.

"Yeah. I… acknowledged that I had romantic feelings toward Shantae by that point, but I was ready t' put them aside if she was happy with Aash… only for her to tell me later that night that they broke up because Aash regretted how much we all got hurt durin' that trip an' because he felt like he wouldn't be able t' protect her or accommodate for her busy schedule," Tay further explained. "From that point on, I tried t' get a solid read on her t' make sure we were still on the same page, but… the more time we spent together between Siren's Requiem an' Spider Web Island a week later, the more signs she was showin' me that her feelings toward me had changed… An' if that argument she got into with you the night we went t' Spider Web Island wasn't enough, then I'll let you know she accidentally confessed t' me later on when she meant t' tell Rottytops in secret that she had a crush on me."

"…Wow…" was all Sky could comment with, having been caught by complete surprise yet again.

"Yyyyeah, so… it was complicated even before we had that talk the next mornin', Sky."

"I can tell," she acknowledged. "What a whirlwind that whole scenario was…" she added, looking upward at the clouds as she reminisced about some of her recent relationship-oriented turmoil that evidently involved her best friend and her current passenger. After a moment of silence, however, she sighed a rush of hot air from her lungs before she spoke again. "Hm. It all worked out for the best, though. You're doing really well in taking care of her, and I wish you and Shantae nothing but good fortune, Tayshan."

"Much appreciated, Sky," Tay humbly acknowledged with a confident nod. Sky merely nodded back. At that point, the duo went silent as they let the crashing ocean waves and their transport bird's wings against the crisp springtime air fill their ears. In the meantime, their destination had steadily been coming into view… a heavily vegetated island. It wasn't particularly huge by any means, but it had this almost… dreamlike appearance. At a glance, it looked like your average crowded, tree-laden rainforest. One would be remiss, however, not to notice that the treetops were glittering and glowing… and they were also frequently shifting colors between cobalt, watermelon pink, amber, and jade… almost like staring into a kaleidoscope…

Yet, this was NOT what was immediately on a certain ghost man's mind. As he and Sky approached their designated landing spot, he seemed to get a bit lost in thought… as he looked at his partner and raised an eyebrow in curious concern. He… wrestled with himself as he opened his mouth to say something, only to NOT say it… and the open his mouth again, only to say nothing once more. But then, after a deep breath, he gathered up the courage…

"I hear you breathing pretty heavily back there, hon. Something on your mind?" Sky wound up breaking the silence to ask, startling Tayshan in the process.

"Uh… y-yeah…" he admitted, growing hot under the collar as he anticipated how he'd ask his next question.

"Well, what's up?"

"So… about that Halloween party last October…" he shakily started. Sky, suspiciously enough, perked up as her eyes widened.

"W-what about it…?" she practically forced herself to ask, seemingly ready to panic herself. Oh, man… That must've been SOME party.

"Um…" Tay hummed, already burning hot with curiosity as he recalled a certain thing Shantae said to him. "S-so uh… In regard… to the uh… to that 'costume' I wore…"

"…Why are you asking me about that of all things?" she warily questioned, though her face grew hotter than a freshly used pancake skillet. "And why are you choosing NOW to ask it?"

"…Just curious, I guess…" he sheepishly admitted, though he already knew he was digging into something he really shouldn't have felt the need to. "Uh… I was just… wondering… if you had any though-!" he was about to prod, unknowingly sending Sky's nerves into overdrive as she searched for a way to stop him from finishing his question. Thankfully, the very thing she needed was right in front of them.

"Oh, look! The Phantasmagoric Forest!" she announced with all coordinated hastiness of a rabbit that had one too many cups of coffee. Luckily for her, Tay followed her gaze toward the mystical jungle they were approaching. "Looks like we're here!"

"Huh… Looks… dreamy," Tay remarked, though it did Sky no favors as she blushed again… Yyyyeah, something about the way she reacts to him definitely makes it seem like there's still an elephant in the room between them…

"…'Dreamy' WOULD be the word you'd use…" she grumbled with a blushing pout, unable to shake off her nervousness in the moment.

"I should've asked earlier, but how'd you find this place?" the wraith inquired.

"I happened to catch a glimpse of it last week, and I was planning on bringing Shantae along with us once we got a chance," she explained, quickly using the opportunity to calm her nerves. "She wasn't home, though. You wouldn't happen to know where she went, do you?"

"Believe it or not, I ain't got a clue," Tay shared with some sense of confusion "She mentioned somethin' the other day about some errand she had t' run with Bolo, but she wouldn't tell me anything about it. I tried t' ask her why she was bein' so tight-lipped about it, but she told me she wanted t' surprise me an' basically shooed me away right after she got back from her uncle's lab. After everything we 'planned' for that night, too…" he further grumbled with a most disappointed pout, evidently a bit sore about something he was expecting, but didn't receive. Hm…

"That's weird… I wonder what that's all about. You two aren't in the middle of a squabble, are you?"

"Not that I know of. We went on a date that day, an' we had plans t' spend more time together after she an' I regrouped at her lighthouse. When we did, though, that's when she hit me with the idea o' this 'surprise,' an' told me it'd be worth the wait. She didn't seem mad at all."

"Hm. Interesting… Maybe we'll find out after we wrap things up here."

"Ain't no doubt about that. Speakin' o' which, what exactly is it here that you wanted us t' investigate?"

"I heard a rumor not so long ago about this place. Upon further research into said rumor, I discovered that its name, as I mentioned, is the Phantasmagoric Forest. I also found out that it's said to house a powerful Relic somewhere deep within its prismatic, leafy confines," Sky explained, giving some much-needed insight into their adventuring location. "The catch, though, is that this place only appears for one week every ten years, and I'm not sure how long it's been visible at this point. The other catch… is approaching us at our twelve… oh, boy…" she murmured in worry as she spotted some ominous creature… from the looks of it, a navy-blue diurnal man/goat/hawk creature barreling straight at them from up ahead.

"Ahh, I knew THIS wasn't gonna be that easy…" Tay agreed, removing one hand from Sky's waist and flexing his fingers as he stretched his arm out. With a sudden, sparking *KRAKAZISH*, his free hand ignited with a surging current of light blue electricity. "HaaarrrrrAAH…!"

"I don't suppose you brought any firepower with you by any chance, hon?" Sky asked as she signaled for her bird to slow its approach.

"No, but I've got the next best thing…!" Tayshan assured as he seemed to charge up enough energy into his hand that it looked like he'd basically caught lightning in a bottle… only, the bottle was his hand. And the lightning was crackling around it like it was ready to strike at any given moment. "Slow Wrench to a crawl, then duck low. I'll assess."

"You got it," Sky obeyed as she pulled on her avian friend's reins to get him to halt his advance while remaining airborne. Afterward, she bent forward, allowing Tayshan a clear shot as he aimed his electricity-shrouded hand at the intimidating chimera that approached them. As soon as it got close enough, however, it bared its claws and its vampire-like fangs as though to prepare an attack. The hair all over its legs and back stood on end, flaring up in such a manner that it only made its potential enemies even more watchful of it.

"Hold it right there!" Tayshan demanded of the beast, his hand crackling with *KRAKRAK* after *KRAZACK* as he held his arm firm. The beast man had not necessarily heeded the wraith's call, though it remained in its defensive position. "Are you able t' communicate? An' if you are, then will you pose a threat to us?" At that, the beast man hissed at such a high frequency that it pierced the ears of its adversaries. Sky covered her ears as she remained low while Tay endured it enough to keep his hand aimed ahead.

"Humans are NOT welcome here!" the creature spoke in a raspy, gravelly voice that sounded ANYTHING but friendly. "You must be terminated in the name of the Great Maya, Overseer of the Phantasmagoric Forest!"

"That's what I figured…" Tay murmured, though he still made no move to attack. "We're not here t' harm anyone or cause any sort o' commotion," he reasoned. "We're just here t' investigate somethin' havin' t' do with this island."

"Something like WHAT, human?"

"A Relic thought t' be hidden somewhere within the deepest reaches o' the jungle below."

"Then you, like all those who failed before you, are looking to procure the fabled fragment of the ancient, accursed Spirit Fuser…!" the beast man deduced, throwing Sky and Tayshan off as it refused to let its guard down.

"…Spirit Fuser?" Tay remarked in wonder, glancing at Sky as she looked back at him. "Do you know what that is?"

"Not a clue," the bird tamer denied with a shrug. "That may very well be what we came here for, but I don't have any additional info at the moment."

"You sticky-fingered poachers will NOT pass!" the beast man threatened as he prepared for combat. "I, Aloysius of the Nightmare Mirage Brigade, will see you PERISH before you even get the chance to complete the Trial of the Surreal Shadow Rings!"

"…The what?" Tayshan asked in continued confusion, though he did not let his guard down.

"I think he's talking about the myth surrounding how to actually get into the forest," Sky explained. "Believe it or not, we apparently can't land anywhere inside the forest right off the bat. It's said that if one expects to gain access to the secrets of this island, they first have to complete an incredibly dangerous challenge of flying through seven 'shadowy circles' in succession. No one has ever been able to do it, though, and anyone who tried was rumored to have disappeared in the otherworldly confines of this island… as in, if they're sent down into the canopy before they complete the trial, they'll be completely disintegrated the instant they touch the forest's protective magic barrier. Of course, other rumors suggest that ill-fated travelers were wiped out by the forest's guardians before they had a chance…"

"Yes, and I am the main reason no one has successfully completed the trial!" the beast man aggressively claimed. "That WILL NOT CHANGE TODAY! Prepare to DIE, invaders!"

"Hey! We don't have t' fight," Tayshan attempted to reason. "Again, we don't come with the intent t' harm or cause a panic. We're just here t' collect info about the Relic."

"Fools! Anyone who comes here at all comes here at their own peril! And NO ONE after that abominable Relic could possibly have any good intentions. NEITHER of you intruders will leave here alive!" Aloysius shouted as he, with a *FWOOF* of his wings, went racing toward his enemies. "HREEEAAAGH!"

"Okay… Looks like we're doin' this the hard way…! Kyaaaaaah!" Tayshan shouted as he aimed and fired some sort of barely visible burst of force from his hands that ripped through the air with a sudden *BWEEEERSH*. The beast man was suddenly hit with a *KRAZZZAAKAZAP* within a second, hurtling away after the impact was made.

"GRAAAAHAAAGH…!" Aloysius could be heard groaning in unfathomable agony as he was flung away.

"Whoa, Tay! What the heck was that!?" Sky asked in shock and wonder as she rose back to a seated position and signaled for her pet bird Wrench to start soaring ahead.

"One of a few new techniques I picked up," the wraith shared, shaking some residual pain from his hand as the duo took off. "I call that the Specter Flash."

"Impressive…! Was it lethal?"

"Not at that level. I only gathered up enough power t' stun that monster with a mixture of heavy air an' electricity," he explained, though he kept his eyes open for any additional threats. "He should be alright, but this doesn't go t' say he won't try an' attack us again when he recovers."

"I see… So, is that what you meant when you said you had the 'next best thing' to a gun or some sort of firearm?"

"Yeah. I learned from Shantae an' Aashiq… as well as from a certain set o' past experiences how t' shoot magic blasts from my hands, but it ain't exactly the same as usin' my old guns from way back when. I also still don't have full control o' my magic, so I have t' be mindful o' how much I use for attacks like that," he shared as he spotted a frighteningly large number of winged creatures rising from the foliage of the forest's canopy to give chase after them. Meanwhile, Sky spotted a barely visible smoky ring hovering over the wide-spanning landmass just ahead. "An' it looks like now's gonna be a great time t' get more practice in. We've got contacts on our six!"

"Heard! It also looks like our trial has just begun because we're approaching the first Shadow Ring! Whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, use them to the best of your ability, Tay! I may not be able to call for assists while I'm focused on guiding Wrench through these rings as fast as we can manage!"

"I gotcha, Sky! Alright… I guess we'll get started with THIS…!" he trailed off, taking a deep breath as he tensed his hand up while turning to face their pursuers. He retracted all but his energy-infused index and middle fingers on one hand while he kept his other hand firmly wrapped around Sky in the meantime. He took aim, and within seconds… "SNIPER'S JUDGMENT!" he shouted as he fired a white-hot magic beam from his finger that ripped through the air with a whistling *TWEEERSH* like he'd fired a laser from a cannon… And just when you think you'd be surprised enough. Nevertheless, the beam struck an incoming assailant, an ENORMOUS red-and-yellow Atlas Moth the size of a parade float! With a scorching *KAPWEEERRSH*, the 'Sniper's Judgment' attack pierced through the creature and sent it spiraling down toward the canopy below. "Hah… Got it…!"

"WHOA! Dude, when the heck did you learn to do THAT!?" Sky asked in complete shock as she momentarily split her attention between flying through the first of many mysterious floating rings. Meanwhile, a disembodied, melodic *SHWRRRIIING* rang out as they successfully cleared the first obstacle.

"Maybe about a month ago, but it won't be enough t' keep these monsters off us," Tay admitted, shaking his hand in apparent recoil-related pain. "There's more of 'em comin', an' I'm gonna have t' switch between techniques to make sure we get enough time an' space t' clear this puzzle."

"Then I'll do my best to get us through as quickly as possible," Sky vowed, turning her full attention ahead as she spotted the second ring hovering above the opposite end of the island. "Hang on tight, hon, because this ride's about to get bumpy!"

"Roger that, Sky!" Tayshan complied, tightening his grasp on the bird tamer while also scouting the skies to gauge how he'd approach keeping their enemies at bay. "An' here, I thought we'd at least get some time t' explore a bit before we got tangled up in yet another monster ambush…"

"Yeah, but we both know by now that no adventure we go on is EVER that simple. Now, let's kick things off with a bang, shall we?"

"Most def! On your mark, then…"

"FIGHT AND FLIGHT!" Sky announced, thus marking the official beginning of their journey.

"WITH LIGHTNING'S STRIKE!" Tayshan uttered a most enthusiastic battle cry immediately after Sky as he set his sights on a pair of giant green dragonfly behemoths that had been rapidly gaining on them. Meanwhile, Sky spotted a trio of diurnal brown man-bats coming at them from up ahead.

"Pressure's on already, Tay! We've got some additional visitors up ahead!"

"Heard! SPECTER FLASH!" he hollered as he shot another *BWEEERSH* of a force blast from the palm of his hand. With a confirming *KRAKAZAAAP*, Tay eliminated one of the dragonflies as it disappeared in a *POOF* of smoke. However, the other one's eyes began to glow a bright, frightening pink as it locked its sights on its targets.

"Uh-oh…! Sky! Pull up! This dragonfly is about to attack!" Tay requested as he charged another current of magic into his hand as fast as he could.

"Shoot…! Will do! Just make sure to take it down! I'm almost at the second ring!" With that acknowledgement, Sky directed Wrench to alter his flight path to where he was rapidly gaining altitude. In JUST that moment, a scorching *KAKWAAAASH* of a pair of blindingly bright pink energy spheres went zooming out of the dragonfly's eyes at the speed of a hummingbird's flight. Realizing it missed, the dragonfly opted to remain hot on their tail as it sped up.

"Goin' for it now! KYAAAH!" the wraith affirmed and shouted as he aimed his hand and let loose another *BWEERSH* of his 'Specter Flash' technique. The second dragonfly hardly had a chance to dodge, its wing being struck with an explosive *KRAKAZAAAAP* that sent it careening toward the prismatic forest canopy in a smoking downward spiral.

"Nice! Okay, we're passing through the second ring! We've still got to worry about those bat creatures coming, though, so be ready!" the war bird trainer warned as she instructed Wrench to perform a shuttle loop through the next shadow circle.

"Whah! Aww, jeez…!" Tay murmured, clinging tighter to Sky as he momentarily shut his eyes to avoid the wonderous experience of debilitating airborne motion sickness.

"Gah…! Mmmh…! H-hey, Tay, take it easy on a girl, would ya?" Sky complained, her cheeks flushing as she did her best to keep her focus on the task at hand. And speaking of hands… it… didn't necessarily help at all that Tay had unknowingly squeezed his hand onto a most sensitive part of his teammate's body in his blind bid to keep his composure. Nevertheless, the second *SHWRRIIIING* rang out, allowing for Sky to direct Wrench to complete the loop maneuver and straighten himself out. "We made it, but you're squeezing on my boobs! Could you at least move your hands down just a bit, hon?"

"Ooh! Shoot…! S-sorry! Oh! Lay low! There are still contacts at our twelve!" Tay frantically apologized and warned as he obediently, albeit VERY hastily readjusted his grip to where his hands rested on Sky's waist to make things slightly less unsavory. Tay and Sky would get little time to address the awkward mishap, however, as the enemies he spotted came racing toward them from the front. The enemies in question, a group of extremely unfriendly brown man-bats, were charging ahead with the full intent to stop our heroes from succeeding in their Surreal Shadow Ring challenge.

"Got something for them, too?" Sky asked as she crouched again, all of her focus placed on navigating through the chaotic dogfight she and her allies found themselves ensnared in.

"Yeah… Hopefully, this works as well…!" he assured, reaching his free arm behind him, his fist clenched as he charged up another supply of Light Magic into it. Wincing from the pain as the power built up, the wraith did his best to maintain his focus as he locked his gaze on the hostiles in front of them. Meanwhile, all three of the angry chimeras let out simultaneous *SCREEEEECH* noises as they split up and attempted to surround our heroes at different angles. "No, y'all don't…! REAPER WIND BURST! HRAAAH!" he shouted as he opened his hand and, with a mighty *FWOOORSH*, swiped it across his body as hard as he could. The instant he did so, a sudden gale force *HWOOOOOOFFFFSSH* of superheated wind sliced through the immediate area, expanding as it traveled just a few yards ahead before dissipating. With the burning *SCHIRRRSH*of the boiling hot air against their bodies, two of the nefarious amalgamates met a truly unpleasant end as their screeches echoed through the skies. Within a second or two, they… vanished into thin air? What in the…? "Shoot, those were illusions…!" Tay realized as the third and final one of this trio of man-bats screeched and charged directly at them to take advantage of the diversion.

"Oh, no! Shoot, shoot, shoot…!" Sky cursed in near panic as she attempted to get Wrench to turn to the side to avoid the incoming attack. This would prove mostly fruitless, however, as the creature's agility outmatched the gigantic bird's. Just as it came within arm's length, its fangs and claws at the ready to slice its adversaries up, however…

"SHYAAH!" Tayshan shouted as he reached forward and managed to grab the man-bat by its wrist with a *KAPLOCK* of its appendage against his palm before it had a chance to even cut one feather off of Wrench with a swipe of its jagged claw. Immediately, the unruly chimera screeched, flapped its wings all over the place, and tried vigorously to wrest itself free. "Hrrrgh…! That was too close…! Graaah…!" Tay further acknowledged as he squeezed the adversarial beast's wrist as hard as he could while charging up more magic in his body.

"GWAAAHAHAAAAH! O-OH MY GOSH, TAYSHAN! GET RID OF THAT HIDEOUS THING! QUICK! WHUAWHAAAAH!" Sky humbly… by which I mean frantically requested as she couldn't help but flinch and shield herself to the best of her ability to keep the wild chimera from hitting her.

"You got it! Hrrrgh…!" Tay affirmed as he held his grip tight and summoned more of his unusual power into his arm. "Let's see how you handle THIS! HRRRAAAAAAH!" he shouted as a sudden rush of electricity raced from his shoulder through his arm… and then through the entire body of the man-bat with a blinding *KRAKRKAAKAKAKAKAZAAAAAP* that saw the creature flashing white, black, and like… X-Ray for a few seconds that honestly must've felt like HOURS for it before the crafty wraith let go of its wrist. Rather than plummet to its demise below, the man-bat instead exploded with a loud, smoky *POOF*, where gems came flying out of it. Tayshan managed to collect them before they fell into the forest below. Meanwhile, Sky took the moment to breathe a sigh of immense relief as she instructed Wrench to pick up the pace as she identified the third ring just ahead.

"Whew… Good grief, this is turning into total calamity… and we only JUST got here…" Sky complained as she guided her pet bird through the ring, where it cleared off with a *SHWRRIIIING* to confirm they were still on the right track. "Tay-Tay, do you see anything else coming our way?"

"We've got a few unfriendly faces comin' at us from multiple angles! Especially our old friend who tried to attack us in the first place…!" Tayshan warned, charging up more crackling energy into two of his fingers on one hand as he took aim. Ripping through the skies with no sense of restraint were more dragonflies, another man-bat, another gigantic moth, and the chimeric beast man that led them on their relentless offensive. Said beast man instructed his allies to spread out and take a series of different positions to try and stop Sky and Tayshan from completing the trial. "The next ring is at our six across the way an' just a bit higher up. There's another one o' those moths gettin' ready t' block it, though, so we'll need t' coordinate."

"Understood. Just keep using those fancy ghost powers of yours, and we'll smash through this trial in no time!" she encouraged as she set her sights on their next target. "Okay, Wrench! Let's go!" she further cheered for her avian ally as she steered him around to the next obstacle. The mighty falcon/wren/albatross creature let out a hearty caw of determination as it whirled around and bulleted through the turbulent skies with nothing but sheer majesty in its every wing flap. As the aerial adventurers neared the fourth ring, however…

"I'll personally see to it that you interlopers BURN TO ASHES BEFORE YOU EVEN COME CLOSE TO BESTING THE NIGHTMARE MIRAGE BRIGADE!" a truly agitated Aloysius shouted, quickly approaching as he inhaled enough air to potentially suck in an entire forest… and, with a completely FLABBERGASTING *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRSSSSH*, emitted a scorching PILLAR of green-and-blue flames from his mouth directly at the adventurers and their sherbet-colored bird.

"WHOHAH! Hang on tight, hon! We're gonna have to start wheeling and dealing!" Sky warned Tayshan as she secured herself on Wrench's back.

"Ah, shoot…!" the wraith cursed as he grabbed onto the war bird trainer while keeping his arm charged up. "Go for it!"

"Got it! Also, HANDS!" Sky blushingly reprimanded Tayshan once more due to his hand once again finding itself on her chest.

"Aw, jeez…! I'm sorry, Sky! I swear I ain't doin' that on purpose! I wasn't payin' attention t' where I was holdin' you!" Tay hastily apologized, blushing himself as he shifted his hand back down to the bird trainer's waist as their transport bird continued to soar like an avian fighter jet.

"It's fine, but at least be gentle if you're gonna keep grabbing hold of me to keep yourself seated! Your grip can be a little too hard on me at times!" she further advised, though it caused a bit (by which, I mean a LOT) of confusion. "At this rate, my girls are gonna be sore for the next week…!" At that, the ghost man's eyes almost blasted out of his face as his jaw dropped almost as hard.

"…Wait, wha-!?" Tayshan tried to ask after a good five seconds of flabbergasted processing, COMPLETELY thrown off by Sky's suggestion.

"Wrench! CORKSCREW TWIRL!" the determined blonde bird pilot commanded as she cut Tayshan off, prompting her bird to immediately flare out its wings and lean to one side. With a most astounding *WROOOOSH*, Wrench performed the evasive maneuver without a hitch, dodging the fire blast as it whizzed by with an incinerating *FROOOOOOOOOWSSSSH*. It took little more than a second for Wrench to reorient himself and continue pressing forward while the beast man was recoiling from his surprise attack. "Tayshan! Take him down!"

"Copy that! SPECTER FLASH!" the wraith announced as he aimed his free hand forward and unleashed another shocking *BWEEEERSH* of an electricity-laden shockwave through the air.

"What in the-!?" Aloysius tried to utter as he attempted to dodge the incoming projectile. However, with another discombobulating *KRAKAKAZAAAAAAP*, the mysterious creature found himself fried out of his wits once more. "GHRAAAAAHAAAGH!" he shouted as his every limb locked up… including his wings, which caused him to plummet toward the Phantasmagoric Forest's canopy once more. "Ghaaaah, not again…! I swear, I'm gonna slice that ghost's arms off and EAT them when I get the chance…!"

"Nice shot!" Sky cheered as she commanded Wrench to speed up with her reins.

"Much obliged!" Tay acknowledged as they closed the distance on the fourth ring, at which point that giant red-and-gold moth fluttered into their path, the massive *FWOOOFs* of its wings sending gale force winds belting across the open airspace. "I'm gonna need a few seconds t' charge my next attack, though, so we might wanna be careful o' what this moth might have in store for us…!" he further warned as he switched hands and began to charge up magic into two of his fingers once again.

"I hear ya! In that case, we'll slow down until you're ready to attack!" she suggested as she kept her eyes on the prize.

"We might not get that chance unless we get creative! Another one o' those man-bat things is gainin' on us from behind…!" he warned as he opened his hand while turning around. Meanwhile, the man-bat in question let out a horrifying screeching noise as it, with an ethereal *VWEEEERRZH*, split into three of himself and sped up with the idea to flank the adventurers. "Ghaah…! Need t' think o' somethin' quick…!"

"What do you have in mind?" Sky asked, turning to notice the imminent danger approaching them. Meanwhile, the giant Atlas Moth began to beat its wings harder and faster, whipping up hurricane-level winds with a terrifying *VWOOOOOORSH* accompanied by an obnoxiously *BABZZZZZZZZZZZZZRRRRZZZZZZZZGH* that jarred the heroes and their transport bird. "Ghaaaaaaaaagh…!" Sky groaned as she tried to hang on tight while enduring the irritating noise. Wrench found himself stuck as he did his best to resist the stiff, windy opposition. It was of little use, however, as the enormous bird began to lose its coordination and be pushed back.

"Aaaaahaaagh…!" Tayshan also groaned in auditory discomfort as he clenched an arm tighter onto Sky. And just in case you thought he accidentally groped her again… well, you'd be absolutely right, because he couldn't see anything. Sky, fully aware of his horrible hand placement, merely groaned in awkward discontentment as both of them did their best to brave the Atlas Moth's boisterous buzzing attack. Barely able to keep his eyes open, Tay hurriedly aimed his magic-charged hand forward while holding onto his partner for dear life. It was at this precise point that his entire body sparked with a quick *FWOOOSH* of Light Magic. Still struggling mightily against the buzzing noise and strong winds pushing against them, the ghost warrior did his best to get a lock on his target. Within a couple seconds… "SNIPER'S… JUDGMENT!" he announced, however inaudibly due to their extremely noisy situation. Nevertheless, and with another whistling *TWEEERSH*, he managed to fire off his attack. Immediately, the relief-inducing *KAPWEEEESH* of his attack striking the Atlas Moth rang out. Pierced by the blast, the gigantic insect immediately went hurtling toward the forest canopy in a smoking heap before vanishing entirely in a massive *PWOOOF* of glittery dust. Just as suddenly, the buzzing and gale force winds ceased, allowing Wrench to regain control as Sky shook off her disorientation to direct him forth.

"Goodness… This is getting so intense…!" Sky warily acknowledged as she quickly directed Wrench through the fourth ring with another satisfying *SHWRIIIIING* with hardly a hitch. "Oh, and hon?" she further called to her partner, tapping a finger to his hand as she glanced back at him.

"Wha-? AGAIN!? Shoot, man…!" Tayshan blushingly grumbled, extremely upset with himself as he hurriedly removed his hand from Sky's breast for the THIRD time and made sure to just grab the saddle instead. "Listen, I give you the full right to punch me in the face as hard as you can t' make it up to you once we're done here. I'm REALLY sorry about constantly gropin' you in the middle o' this ambush… I'm not bein' fresh with you, I promise. I feel like such a jerk…"

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not gonna hit you," Sky forgave, chuckling as she blushingly readjusted her top. "And believe me, I'm a hundred percent positive you're not a creep. I know you well enough by now, sweetheart."

"Ah… Thanks for understandin', homegirl…"

"Sure. At least you were gentle this time like I asked," she added, catching her teammate by surprise once more. "Plus, I can admit that it can be a bit difficult to avoid incidents like this when we're zipping through the air at nearly the speed of sound in the middle of a superpowered dogfight. I'd be crazy to think it wouldn't happen at least once, if I HAVE to say it…"

"…Uh… I-I don't know how t' resp-!"

"Of course, if you cop another feel of me again, I'm making you clean my chicken coops AND my bird cages for the next two weeks. You got that, Tay-Tay?" she warned as she turned and pointed a finger at him, pressing said finger against his nose as she shot him a stern pout.

"Ooh… N-noted, Headmistress Sky…" the repentant ghost warrior submissively acknowledged his teammate's insidious threat to make him do her bird-related chores for her for half a month. Ooh, very scary indeed… At that point, Tay locked his grip harder on the saddle to avoid making the same mistake again.

"Good," Sky happily accepted Tay-Tay's 'agreement' before she refocused her attention on the task of finishing the Surreal Shadow Rings challenge. "Alright, so we've gotten through four rings so far… and I see the next one up ahead! Two more of those dragonflies are on their way to try and block it, so I hope you don't mind if we speed up!" she further advised.

"Heard! Hrrrraaaah…!" Tay responded as he turned to see the man-bats well on their way to surrounding them. Opening his free hand while charging more power into it, he kept a sharp eye on the besieging creatures. It was then, however, that he noticed each of the aggressive monsters keeping pace with them as they succeeded in positioning themselves to attack. "Sky! Three, six, nine! They're about to strike!" he called out what appeared to be a series of random numbers to his partner as she guided her bird toward the fifth ring. Meanwhile, the man-bats each clasped the palms of their hands together, simultaneously charging up what appeared to be bolts of black-hued energy balls outlined by a menacing shade of orange as they spread out further and slowed their flying pace to a crawl.

"We're surrounded, then…!" Sky acknowledged as she noticed the dragonflies advance on them while charging up their own projectiles. "I know what we have to do, but it's gonna be a tight window…!"

"What do you have planned?"

"I'm gonna perform an evasive maneuver to dodge as many of their attacks as we can, but it's no guarantee that we'll get out unharmed," the bird trainer informed, keeping her eyes locked on the dragonflies as she shifted her position to where she was set to give Wrench the crucial command. "Get ready, Tay!"

"…Hmm…" he hummed, seeming to ponder his own options as he anxiously took a look around to see what exactly it was he could do in this situation to keep himself and his ally protected. Just as Wrench began a short dive to prepare for the next evasive maneuver, their enemies struck simultaneously. With *KAKWAAAASH* after *PRAKAKAKRKAKRAKRAKRANG*, a gigantic fusillade of bright pink energy balls and orange-outlined black arrows came zooming toward them. Holding on tight, he seemed to take special note of one of the man-bats as its beady red eyes glimmered… while the eyes of the others did not.

"WRENCH! ROLLING LOOP!" Sky commanded, tugging on her reins to maneuver her bird into a motion of swooping all the way up from its dive with the full intent to perform an inside loop. The majestic avian beast NARROWLY avoided total disaster as all of the projectiles collided with one another. The eardrum-shattering *KARPWEAAAAARRRSHes* and *BRABLOOOOOOOMs* would certainly have been enough to make an entire city district go deaf from thirty miles away! Smoke, electricity, and flickers of multicolored energy scattered about on impact, making it look like someone was lighting fireworks in broad daylight. Yet, just when this scenario seemed crazy enough…

"Now or never…!" Tayshan murmured, taking a deep, shaky breath while closing his eyes for a moment. Soon after, he pursed his lips and whistled in… this odd, ritualistic way that made it seemed like he was practicing some sort of bird call… after which, he LET HIMSELF FALL OFF OF WRENCH AS THE BIRD HIT THE APEX OF HIS SHUTTLE LOOP!

"What the…!?" Sky prepared to ask herself in a sudden sense of panic, feeling a sudden shift in her position. Within a second of turning her head, she spotted the wraith seeming to plummet toward the confines of the jungle below with no way to save himself. "TAYSHAN!" she hollered in complete distress, her every instinct at that point being driven toward saving her falling teammate. Yet… instead of helplessly plunging to his doom, the completely INSANE ghost man flipped himself right side up and landed… on a platform made of multicolored FALCONS!? What in the heck is…!? H-huh… Okay, that's gonna need some explaining for sure. Er, anyway, he landed on this hovering bird platform with two fingers extended on one hand while the other magic-charged appendage was open and crackling with electricity… It's… also worth mention that the fingers on his one hand were glowing hot like branding irons ready to burn something fierce.

"Here goes nothin'! FIRE!" he announced, hurriedly aiming one hand at the man-bat that had been trailing them from their right. And with a lightning-quick *BWEEEEERSH*, Tayshan fired another Specter Flash attack that zapped the targeted man-bat with a positively EXPLOSIVE *KABLAAAAAAM!*. Instantly, the man-bat vanished into smoke, which then caused its clones to completely vanish into thin air. The spirit marksman wasn't done just yet, however. "TSHEERRYAH!" he shouted, aiming the fully flexed fingers of his other hand at one of the dragonflies that tried to shoot them down. Another *TWEEEERSH* of a Sniper's Judgment attack from his other hand, followed by another *KRABLOOOM* of the dragonfly exploding into smoky, electricity-charged bits, Tay managed to eliminate it from an incredibly sizable distance of at least half a football field… My gosh, these people are CRAZY to be pulling death-defying stunts like this on the fly, much less SUCCEEDING at it…! Yet, the bombastic battle raged on. Right after he finished clearing the pathway for Sky and Wrench, the bird platform began to dissipate from under him. As it seemed, these mysterious birds could only hold him afloat but for so long. Thankfully, Sky and Wrench completed their shuttle loop and had placed themselves in a position to sweep him back up.

"Jump NOW!" Sky shouted her command as she slowed her transport bird down. Heeding the bird trainer's call, Tay jumped off the falcon platform just as the last few of them vanished. Just as he began to descend, Sky managed to line Wrench up under him, allowing him to plant himself right back on the behemoth's saddle alongside his teammate once again.

"Whew… Hah…! Gahh…!" Tay panted, seeming to be growing a tad weary as he charged more energy into one hand while grabbing hold of Sky (this time, VERY CAREFULLY wrapping an arm around her waist) once more for security with the other. "Almost there…!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" the worried war bird trainer admonished as she glared at him, CLEARLY not happy with her partner's unexpected move. "WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU GO AND DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"

"S-sorry, Sky…" Tay sheepishly apologized with an uncertain grin, seeming to know she was going to scream at him. "I saw a chance t' clear out some o' the opposition, so I jumped on it… literally."

"Yeah, well you'd be wise to LET ME KNOW next time you get any bright ideas that involve you JUMPING OFF OF WRENCH MID-FLIGHT! You could get yourself KILLED pulling stunts like that!"

"…Um… I'm already d-!" he was about to morbidly pun at the worst possible time.

"Ah! None of your back-sass, buster!" Sky further scolded him before he got the chance to put on a brazen show of inconceivable insubordination. "Unless you've got a good reason to do that again, you better keep your butt planted FIRMLY on this saddle until this crazy ride is over! And just to reiterate, you'd BETTER LET ME KNOW before you do anything that reckless! Got it!?"

"…Yes, Headmistress Sky," Tayshan rather… submissively acquiesced once again, sinking a bit as he let loose an absolutely adorable pout of sadness. Jeez, I can't figure this guy out… but I find myself more eager to keep trying. Anyway, Headmistress Sky neared the next shadow ring and spotted the remaining dragonfly as it attempted to charge up its next attack. Meanwhile, it zipped forth to try and attack at point-blank range.

"Tay! Got a lock on this next dragonfly?" the presumable de facto team leader asked of her daredevil sidekick as she prepared herself and her bird.

"Affirmative! Hrrraaah…!" the wraith assured as he shook himself out of his funk and took aim. He would find it difficult to gather enough energy to launch another attack in time, however. A debilitating *KRAZIZZAK* of electricity spouting off in the ghost man's hand caused him to wince once again in fatigue-riddled agony. "Hrggh! Ghaaah…! Darn…! I'm already overdoin' it here….!"

"What? A-are you sure you can't fire off another blast right this second? Because that dragonfly up head is about to-!" Sky tried to ask in a tightly contained panic while Tayshan tried to fight through his pain-addled magic fatigue to charge up another attack. Just then, the dragonfly fired its energy blast with a *KAKWAAASH* aimed directly at Wrench's face. "Shoot…!" Sky cursed as she maneuvered Wrench as quickly as he could. The prismatic beast curved to its side, though it still found itself hit with a *PRAKLOWGH* of an impact on its wing. Wrench squawked out in agony as he jerked upward and nearly began to fall from the air. "Gwaaahaagh!" Sky bellowed, barely able to keep hold of her feathered friend's reins to keep from falling off of him.

"Hwaawaaaah!" Tay also shouted, ACTUALLY tumbling off Wrench by accident this time. Thankfully, he managed to snag the bird's long, silky tailfeathers before it was too late.

"TAY!" the frightened bird trainer shouted for her non-feathered friend, noticing right away the danger he was in.

"I'm fine! Keep goin'!" the disadvantaged ghost warrior urged as Wrench reoriented himself. "If we gotta finish it this way, then so be it! The sooner we get this done, the better!" he further asserted, his free hand still surging with arcane energy as he locked his sights on the creature responsible for their predicament.

"R-right! Just hang on tight back there!" she acknowledged as she turned her attention to her bird. "You okay, Wrench?" she asked her avian transport vehicle. Wrench responded with a few effortful caws as he regained full control of himself and kept racing forth with fiery determination in his topaz-hued eyes. "Alright! We're almost there! Let's finish this!" At that, Wrench cawed once more as he took the initiative to charge directly at the dragonfly that shot it. The dragonfly, seeming to realize the danger it was suddenly in, attempted to turn and flee in utter panic. Fueled with an unprecedented, hungry wrath in his eyes, Wrench sped up without Sky giving him the command as he seemed ready to DEVOUR the gigantic insect. "Whoa there, buddy! I know you're mad, but let's keep our heads in the game!" Sky tried to reason. It would serve little use, however, as Wrench sped up even more. On the plus side, he beamed through the fifth ring as it chimed with a *SHWRRIIIINNNG*.

"Ghaaaah…! Aw, man…!" Tay could barely complain as he found himself more or less at the mercy of Wrench's extremely angry flight path with the almost suffocating, chilling winds blowing on him. Meanwhile, Wrench caught up to the fleeing dragonfly and clamped down on it with a powerful *CHOMP* of his beak on its thorax. Without needing to go into TOO much detail, the avian behemoth absolutely TORE through that poor dragonfly, practically swallowing it piece by piece as some sort of revenge. After doing so, Wrench let out a fearsome war cry that… well, if I could rely on my limited knowledge of bird-speak, then I believe he was letting out a shout of triumph that let us all know that despite his job as a transport bird, Wrench was MOST CERTAINLY a bird of prey. Oh, boy… I could NOT imagine what it would be like to be on this finch/parrot/pheasant's menu.

"Wrench! Slow down just a bit! Tayshan's still hanging onto your tail!" Sky advised Wrench, though the agitated beast was hardly in the mood for calming down. Despite this, he seemed to take a moment to heed his master's call before a sudden *FWOOOOOOOORRSH* of green-and-blue flames came erupting from behind them. "WHOA!" Sky hollered once again as Wrench veered to the side to avoid the blast.

"CONTACT ON OUR SIX! NEXT RING AT OUR NINE!" Tayshan shouted, hurriedly aiming his hand at the source of the sudden fire blast once he seemed to finally gather the energy he needed. "GO! NOW!"

"Roger that! Come on, Wrench!" Sky hurriedly commanded of Wrench after acknowledging Tay's call. Chirping in understanding, Wrench wasted no time changing direction and speeding up while being mindful of the precarious situation his passengers were in.

"YOU FIENDISH HUMANS WILL PERISH!" a certain blue-furred man/goat/hawk guardian shouted as he ZOOMED through the turbulent skies to prevent his enemies from completing the trial.

"HRRRAAAAH!" Tayshan shouted, firing off another *BWEEEEERSH* of a Specter Flash at the beast man with the hopes that it would stun him again. However, the vengeful chimera known as Aloysius fired another *FWOOOOORSH* of flames from his mouth, causing a startling *KABWOOOOSH* of a dazzling, prismatic explosion from his attack colliding with Tayshan's. Meanwhile, another Atlas Moth, another man-bat, and SIX more dragonflies made themselves present to surround the sixth ring. "Hooh…! Darn it…! This is about t' get real ugly…!"

"YOU! I WILL SEE YOU VANQUISHED FIRST, WICKED REVENANT!" the furiously determined beast man directly challenged Tayshan as Wrench managed to dodge the incoming *KAKWAAASHes* and *PRAKAKAKRKAKRAKRAKRANGs* of pink energy balls and black energy arrows galore. Cawing in increased determination, Wrench sped up even more, bobbing, weaving, and twirling about as he also came face-to-face with the Atlas Moth that directly blocked their path.

"Hrrrgh…! Gotta find a way t' do somethin' before-!" Tay was about to urge himself as Aloysius CAUGHT UP before he could finish his statement. The angry amalgamate grabbed hold of Tayshan's ankle, gripping it as tightly as he could as though he was going to tear his leg off. "Gaahaagh! Get off me!" the wraith demanded as he tried to kick his attacker in the face. It would do him no good, however, as the malevolent chimera dodged it and grabbed hold of his other leg.

"Now, you ALL BURN!" the vengeful forest guardian began to charge up another flame blast in his mouth with the full intent to roast Tayshan, Wrench, AND Sky to cinders in one fell swoop.

"Ah, shoot…! No other choice at this point…!" Tay urged himself, fighting through sharp stings of pain in his ankles to figure out his next move before Aloysius made his. Within an instant, however, he acted… by LETTING GO OF WRENCH'S TAIL!

"Wha-!? GRAAAGH!" the beast man groaned, suddenly pulled downward by the shift in weight just in time for the next fire blast to come erupting from his mouth with a monumental *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOORSH* aimed downward and away from his intended target. "Gaah…! Confound you, you foul apparition!" he cursed the ghostly adventurer as he watched that gigantic sherbet-colored bird and its rider go charging into the Atlas Moth while it tried to let loose a buzzing gust of tornado-level winds. However, with an emphatic *KARPWOOOOOSHK*, the bird slammed into the gargantuan insect, causing it to explode into a mass of bluish-green goo, red fur, and gigantic chunks of shredded bug flesh. Shortly thereafter, the *SHWRIIIIING* of the penultimate ring sounded out. "No…! No, this can't be-!"

"HEY!" a voice called from below, causing Aloysius to look downward and meet the anger-fueled, golden-eyed glare of the ghost he'd just moments ago tried to incinerate. He immediately took note of the fact that the man's entire body was suddenly enveloped in an arcane bluish-white light as he hung upside down by his legs.

"You are going to PAY for your insufferable insolence, wretched spirit! PREPARE TO-!" Aloysius was about to threaten as he began to whirl around with the idea to fling Tayshan into the canopy of the forest.

"TAARRAAH!" the charged-up wraith shouted as a sudden burst of electricity went surging upward from his dreadlocks to his feet. And before this aggressive chimera could figure out what was happening, he found his entire body ROCKED with a sudden, blinding, flashing *KRAKAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAZAAAAZZAAAAAAAP* as though he was struck by five bolts of lightning in all at once.

"GHYAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the beast warrior shouted in absolute soul-rending agony as his entire body flashed and sparked nonstop. The electrocution lasted a good four or five seconds, though it looked like the chimera was thoroughly roasted for over an hour in a broiler. Immediately following this truly… well, SHOCKING development (pun partially intended), the heavily damaged beast man had finally let go of Tay… because his hands suddenly turned to stone.

"Whooahooah!" Tay bellowed in sudden surprise, realizing that he was about to fall. Hurriedly, he let loose that same unusual whistling sequence. Thankfully, another team of falcons flocked toward him, forming yet another platform beneath him. Landing on his back with a *PLOUGH* of his body against the feathery surface, he found himself safe… at least, for a moment. Nevertheless, he climbed to his feet to see that the beast man that attacked him had suddenly burst into green-and-blue flames as his body continued to petrify. "Hah… Huh… Hah…" he panted, extremely short on breath as he watched his enemy disintegrate just above him.

"…You… fools…" the dying chimera managed to speak as a smoky ring began expelling itself from his withering form. "You… know not… the potential terror… you wreak… upon this world…"

"Terror…?" Tayshan remarked in wonder, having little clue what the beast man was attempting to chide him for.

"…The terror… of the Spirit Fuser…" Aloysius weakly continued, though his body became more and more ashen as he continued to be swallowed up in his own flames. "…The secret… weapon of… the siren… that sought… to… to turn this world… into her feeding ground… This world's fate… will now lie in YOUR hands…!" he uttered just one more warning before he exploded with a smoky, ash-riddled *PWOOF*.

"…Huh…" was all Tay could think to say as he watched the chimera's ashes dissipate and scatter in the wind. "I wonder just what it is we're gettin' ourselves into this time…" he further murmured as he further observed what appeared to be a seventh smoking ring hovering in the late beast man's place. Before he could contemplate any further, however, he noticed that the falcons he had been standing on… had been growing weary as they began to disperse under his feet. "Uh-oh…! Shoot, shoot, shoot…! SKY!" he shouted, frantically hopping up and down as his time on the avian platform quickly ran out.

Meanwhile…

"Good job, Wrench!" Sky cheered for her feathery adventuring partner as they zipped through another fusillade of arrows and energy balls with unrivaled agility. As it appeared, Sky and Wrench were still occupied dealing with the horde of forest-dwelling monsters that had been trying to shoot them down. It… stood to reason that they were both matted with splotches of a sticky, tannish, gooey substance as they deftly soared past *KAKWAAASH* after *PRAKAKAKRKAKRAKRAKRANG* of their enemies' ruthless attacks. Yet, as they hovered over the forest's canopy…

"Where in the world is that last ring…?" Sky asked herself, scanning the area under pressure to try and locate the final obstacle of the trial. When she couldn't spot it after a few seconds, she figured her teammate would have some idea from the… alternative angle he had. "Hey, Tay! Do you see the… ring… any…?" she was about to ask before she noticed that Tay was nowhere to be found. "What the…!? Where the heck did he go!? Did he fall off!?" she asked in a panic, suddenly scanning the forest's leafy ceiling to see if maybe he got caught up in some tree branches, or maybe activated that unusual birdcall technique, or SOMETHING. Her search wouldn't be long, however, before…

"SKY! HEY! OVER HERE! SKY!" a familiar voice could be heard shouting from behind her in the distance. Sky quickly turned her head to see none other than her ghostly teammate, halo and all, frantically hopping on a rapidly dissipating falcon platform with the final ring hovering nearby. At that, Sky's brow immediately furrowed in high agitation.

"D'oh, for Pete's sake, Tayshan…!" she grumbled as she pulled on Wrench's reins to direct him to turn around. "Alright, buddy! Home stretch! And let's make it quick! Our friend's in trouble!" she urged her feathered friend as she pointed ahead. Following her directions, Wrench let out one more caw of indomitable enthusiasm as he just ROCKETED forth toward the final ring and their endanger comrade with a mighty *FWOOOSH* of his feathery body against the open air. Dragonflies and man-bats alike attempted to get in the way as they chased after Sky and Wrench, though they found themselves ill-prepared to match the alarming, blistering speed of the prismatic behemoth and his skillful rider. They got to the final ring and cleared it with a most satisfying *SHWRRIIIIIINNNG*, after which the remaining monsters in the area suddenly ceased all their efforts to take down the intruders. It seemed as though they found no more point in continuing to hound the travelers that just achieved the impossible by completing the Surreal Shadow Rings challenge. Of course, just as Sky and Wrench cleared the final Shadow Ring…

"HWOAWAAAAAAAAH!" Tayshan shouted in peril, having run out of falcons to balance himself on. As such, he began to plummet.

"WRENCH! DRILL DIVE!" Sky commanded, prompting her trusty transport bird to whirl himself upward, followed by him immediately pivoting and flaring his wings out to execute his daring maneuver. Wrench managed to outspeed Tayshan JUST in time to straighten himself out just above the forest canopy. Not a moment too soon, the plummeting ghost found himself landing right back on Wrench's back with a relieving *PLOOMPH*

"OOGH…!" Tay grunted, flopping flat on his stomach on the goopy saddle. While it took him a moment to realize it, he eventually registered that he was safe… though, he couldn't help but find himself a bit disquieted by the gross, sticky fluid coating it. Nevertheless, he adjusted himself just enough to look up and see… a VERY UNHAPPY goo-splotched Sky glaring at him like she was waiting for him to explain himself. "…Uh-oh…"

"You're going to tell me you lost your grip on accident this time, right?" Sky demanded to know with nothing but crossness in her tone.

"Ah… N-no…?" the petrified ghost man frightfully replied as he sunk into himself, knowing full well his reply would only get on her nerves more.

"Seriously, Tay? What did I JUST tell you!?" the thoroughly unamused scolded like a total mom yelling at her troublemaking kid.

"O-okay, so hear me out," Tay hastily requested, wanting nothing of his teammate's ire. "There was a better reason this time…"

"And your reason is…?" she invited him to share.

"That blue goat/hawk/monster man showed back up an' caught up to us while I was hangin' off Wrench's tail," he elucidated as he straightened himself up on the saddle to where he was once again in a seated position. "He blasted through my last Specter Flash an' grabbed my ankles. He tried t' roast us all to a crisp from the angle he had on us before I had a chance t' charge up another attack, so I let go o' Wrench t' throw off his aim. I managed t' finish him off after the fact, which caused the last ring to appear."

"Oh. Huh… I guess that's a lucky break. Who'd have guessed he was hiding the last ring? It would've been impossible for us to finish the trial if we didn't take him down…" Sky realized as she simmered down a bit.

"Yeah… Who even knows how long it would've taken for us t' figure that out…?" Tayshan also pondered as he adjusted his frazzled hair to where it wasn't in his face.

"Hm. Well, good call, either way. I guess you get a pass THIS time, but you're seriously driving me nuts over here with these outrageous stunts! Shantae would KILL me if I let something bad happen to you!" the bird tamer further complained, still not happy with her partner nearly giving her a heart attack over his unusual battle strategies.

"Aw, come on…" Tay groaned in mild discontentment. "I get it that you're worried, Sky, but I'm not the same impressionable rookie I was back when we first met. I knew what I was doin' in the heat o' those moments, an' I did what was necessary t' protect you an' Wrench while we was zippin' through this warzone full of all these monsters straight out o' somebody's worst nightmares."

"I get that, hon, but it's a matter of making sure we're all safe and accounted for," the bird trainer argued back. "I can't do that if you're jumping off Wrench's back on a whim before I even know what's happening. Granted, I know we were in the middle of a tense situation, but my first priority is always to preserve the safety of my birds, my passengers, and myself." At that, Tay's shoulders sank as he cocked an eyebrow in observable annoyance. It seemed he was preparing himself for a most unnecessary earful about the importance of team safety. Only, before Sky began her rant, Tay looked over to the side and noticed the prismatic swirl of the leafy canopy toward the center of the island's forest. With a windy *WROOOOOOOOORSH* and blinding flash of an otherwise invisible magic force field, the forest's barrier began to open up. Meanwhile, Sky continued her lecture. "The only way we're able to do that is if we communicate, coordinate, and cooperate in a way that lets us know we're on the same page at all times. These adventures are-!"

"Sky," Tay called once.

"…stressful enough as it is. It's a wonder how we get through so many quests the way we do when there's so little sense of-!"

"SKY," Tay called twice.

"…planning and situational awareness most of the time that it feels like we're winging it—no pun intended—whenever we visit a new place. I trust you completely, and you helped us pull through, but-!"

"SKY!" Tayshan practically hollered the third time to get her to stop lecturing him long enough to observe what he was seeing.

"What?" the unaware falconer replied in a sense of surprise that he would cut her off so suddenly.

"Check out the forest over there. The barrier's openin' up…" the wraith informed his partner with a point of his finger toward the kaleidoscopic leaf tornado whirling about as an increasingly massive clearing opened up. Following his finger, Sky was prompted to turn her head in the direction he was pointing in. Lo and behold, and much to her amazement, the leafy tornado continued to spread, scattering multicolored leaves and bits of foliage all around as the glittery whirlwind raged on. Only, just as suddenly as this whirlwind appeared, a series of *RATATTATs*, *KRABOOOMs*, and *PRAPLOWWGHs* rang out from the same direction. Not long after, a billowing cloud of black smoke began to pour from the opening. The monsters that had previously been trying to stop the heroes from completing the trial had immediately vanished into glittery dust as though they never existed in the first place.

"Oh, no…! What in the world is happening down there?" Sky asked, growing increasingly concerned for the brewing conflict taking place in the confines of the Phantasmagoric Forest.

"I'm not sure, but I-!" Tay was about to share his thoughts when…

"GHAAHAAAAAAAAGH!" the shout of a woman in peril pierced the vicinity from within the opening, the apparent suffering in her voice putting both Sky and Tayshan on high alert as the bird trainer nonverbally commanded Wrench to remain on his guard with her reins.

"Shoot…! Somebody's in trouble down there…!" Sky observed, already wondering what they should do. "All those noises, though… They sound like gunshots and magic blasts… I swear I hear a cannon or two being fired as well…" At that, Tayshan went silent as he peered around the area. As it seemed, he was especially wary as he picked up a sneaking suspicion that he and Sky were not the only ones to pay the Phantasmagoric Forest an unscheduled visit. It took little more than a few seconds of him searching the area to spot something… a distant blot of brown and purple from the farthest end of the island from where they were hovering. "Is… that a ship over there…?" he asked himself, his every nerve firing up as his suspicions grew exponentially. Yet, just as he was about to make his deduction…

"HOOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH!" the diabolical cackle of some unscrupulous, malevolent woman echoed through the entirety of the forest and the surrounding skies.

"…Th-that laugh…" Sky remarked with a horrified gasp, her eyes widening as she drew a conclusion of her own. "It… It couldn't be…!"

"RISKY BOOTS…!" Tayshan growled with the intensity of a lion ready to attack as, with a sudden *FWOOOORSH*, he suddenly became engulfed in an intensely blazing aura of bluish white that… scarily enough, had flickers of dark purple mixed in…

"Whoa!" Sky yelped in shock, flinching at the sudden burst of scorching hot energy erupting from her highly agitated teammate before she recollected herself and turned toward him. She could read the… the absolute, unmitigated RAGE in his eyes as he continued to glare in the direction of the forest's clearing with his teeth bared. Making things more worrisome was that the revenant's scar-riddled eye… began to GLOW as it rapidly shifted color between gold and silver… huh… That… doesn't look ominous at all… "Er… What do you think we should do? And… are you sure it's really HER of all people down there?"

"Nobody has a laugh as obnoxious as hers. Plus, I'm pretty sure I see her ship docked on the other side o' the island. I couldn't give you even the first guess as t' why she's here, but it's HER alright…!" Tay affirmed, full to the brim with desire to confront the impending threat.

"Ah… Aw, man… Just our luck…" Sky murmured in evident terror, wanting nothing to do with the likes of Risky Boots. Taking a deep breath nevertheless, Sky prepared for what she knew was inevitable at this point. "So, we're going in to stop her from wreaking havoc down there… aren't we?"

"Exactly. Ain't like we got a choice now, so let's get down there A.S.A.P. Whatever chaos she plans on causin', she WON'T be allowed t' get away with it…! Not THIS time…!" Tayshan reasoned, though his supreme distaste for the Pirate Queen of the Seven Seas was palpable. This… looks like it's gonna get REAL ugly, REAL quick…

"Heard. Okay, Wrench. Let's roll. We've got a pirate problem to solve…" Sky ordered Wrench, however reluctantly, to descend into the Phantasmagoric Forest. Wrench responded by cawing in obedient determination to reassure his trainer that things would be okay. Nevertheless, and with a mighty *FWOOOF* of the bird behemoth's wings against the open air, Sky, Tayshan, and Wrench proceeded toward the forest clearing.

Aaaand, on that note, we are JUST about out of time. Sorry, I've got a bit of a tight schedule to keep, and I'm not that great at multitasking. Much as I'd love to welcome you along as I kept dishing out these deliciously daunting tales, I'd get distracted and wind up losing focus. And I'll let you know that it would pain me greatly to let you down… So, come on back the next time you're free, and I'll certainly keep you up to speed! I just hope that the trouble our heroes are about to get into isn't TOO big, considering who they're about to tangle with… Anyway, catch ya later!