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!

7. Fire Hazard

Chapter 5B: Fire Hazard

Alright! Nice to see you returned, because boy (or girl, or person who I appreciate unconditionally), do I have a DOOZY for you this time around! So, last we left off, we witnessed the dynamic dogfighting duo of Sky and Tayshan taking on a most arduous aerial challenge of completing the deadly Surreal Shadow Rings trial to gain access to the mysterious Phantasmagoric Forest while being immensely pressured by the relentless protective force that identified themselves as the Nightmare Mirage Brigade. Despite nearly being completely annihilated on multiple occasions, our heroic two-person Lightning Strike squad persevered and braved the monstrous assault as they dedicated themselves to investigating the mystery of the lonesome jungle island and its enticing secrets. Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain buxom, blue-skinned buccaneer had tailed them to their destination, and she had been keen on intercepting them. For what reason, I'm… unfortunately not sure just yet, but I suppose that's where we dive in and figure that out. So, without further ado, as well as with GREAT caution…

"Hm. I'm not sure what this place is, or why those fools traveled here…" the illustrious Risky Boots herself commented as she stood tall atop the island's rocky shores, examining the multicolored, glittering trees blowing in the wind as her ship waded in the salty, crashing waters of the Sequin Land Sea where it was anchored. "…but considering I don't even have this island marked on my map, there MUST be something important they're looking for. And as long as that's the case, whatever they're looking for is as good as MINE…!" she vowed, showing already just how much she reviled the idea of anyone else have anything that she didn't. "I'll deal with them after I've taken their 'prize' for myself…"

Just as she made her statement, a crew of about four of her loyal Tinkerbats, each armed with a propeller pack and varying forms of firearms that included a couple of flintlock pistols, a knife, a long-range semiautomatic rifle with an oddly… militaristic design, and what I hope WASN'T a flamethrower, gathered up around her. They each made nonverbal gestures to her that signified that they were ready to get down to business.

"We'll start off quietly, but the instant any danger makes itself apparent… we're BLASTING AND BURNING THROUGH all opposition until we dig up what our 'friends' up above are apparently sniffing around here for…" she menacingly commanded, making a quick gesture up toward the prismatic transport bird soaring through the air while its passengers fiercely defended themselves from an onslaught of what she assumed to be indigenous creatures. "They seem awfully busy, so we may be able to make this quick and clean before we engage them. I sure hope you boys are ready to make a most memorable entrance…"

The Tinkerbats uncertainly exchanged glances with one another before turning their worried gazes toward their leader.

"I hope you imbeciles understand that if you show me even the SLIGHTEST sign that you've become spineless, lily-livered landlubbers, I'll keelhaul you MYSELF…!" she growled, NOT AT ALL pleased with the lack of morale being displayed before her.

Startled into standing at attention, each of the four designated accomplices to the horrible crimes about to be committed straightened themselves up, readied their weapons, and put on their best game faces. At Risky's command, they were ready for war…

"That's what I thought, boys. There's no room for weakness in my crew, and there's no better time to prove that than right now," she 'assured' them as she reached a hand to her side and, with a most ominous *SCHWIISSH*, pulled out that horrifying scimitar she was always known to carry. Only… it looked like there were these brownish-red stains spattered all over the blade… Hmm… I-I presume it to be rust, but… I don't like the look of it at all… It seems… quite haunting. Nevertheless, she adjusted her pirate hat, took a deep breath, and prepared herself. "Okay. Let's move," she ordered. With that, Risky Boots and her crew carefully approached the tree line of the arcane jungle before them. Within just a few paces, however, Risky noticed something. "Avast!" she called with a raise of her hand, prompting her minions to stop behind her. Seeing that something was up, the Pirate Queen located a nearby rock in the grainy sand and picked it up. Scanning the forest up and down, she seemed to notice something.

One of her Tinkerbats was set to ask her what it was she noticed by shifting its eyes between her and the forest.

"We're about to find out," she answered as she prepared to fling the stone into the woods by winding her arm back. "HRAH!" she grunted as she, with a mighty *Fweersh*, launched the rock into the forest as hard as she could. And, just as she expected, the rock collided with a sudden, electrical *PWEEERZZGH* against an almost entirely invisible force field. In an instant, the rock was completely eradicated into a smoking crisp without even hitting the ground. "Just as I thought. There's a magic barrier protecting the place. So, there's DEFINITELY something up in this forest… and whatever it is, it's keen on keeping any outsiders out. In that case, why don't we go ahead and give a little 'knock' and see ourselves in…?" she muttered to herself as she, with a sharp, metallic *SKIRRSH*, planted her sword into the ground by its blade. Soon after, she approached the edge of the forest to size it up once more. "Hmm… This doesn't seem to be the work of any genie. That much can be confirmed…" she somehow surmised, taking note of the crack in the force field where she flung the rock. "In that case, I've got all I need to break through… right… here…!" she assured herself as she grounded her stance, tucked one fist at her side, and… summoned a sudden rush of Dark Magic from within her!? Ohh, no… "HrrrrrAAAAAH!" she shouted as she powered up, swirls of black and purple clouds kicking up as swaths of sand and gravel got whirled up in the mix.

The four Tinkerbats, realizing they were about to see another incredible feat from their leader, backed up a few paces and braced for impact as Risky's power grew more monstrous by the second. Before long, and with a sudden *FWOOOORRRSH*, the capricious pirate captain drew out a startling supply of the macabre energy as it engulfed her body from head to toe and caused a sweltering, windy heatwave that erupted from around her.

"Alright…! One good strike should do it…!" she observed as she chambered her fist, took aim with her other hand, gritted her teeth, charged up even more Dark Magic into her fist… and… "SHRYAAAH!" she shouted as she let loose her attack without warning. And… as one might imagine, Risky BROKE THROUGH the barrier in a single strike. With a shockingly loud *KAPLEERRGZHGHZGH* akin to a window being shattered, the force field burst wide open. A furious, intensely humid, wailing *VWOOOOOORRRZH* of an unsettling wind blew through from the car-sized hole she just punched through the supposedly impenetrable barrier, though she didn't even flinch. Her Tinkerbats, on the other hand, were all blown back by the unexpected shockwave as they barely resisted being catapulted into the sea from the sheer force of it. This frightening phenomenon would only occur for a few seconds before the winds died down and the barrier began to close again. Risky was quick to calm her power down, grab her sword, and race into the forest through the barrier's steadily shrinking hole. "Alright, let's get in here and get a move on, mateys! The sooner we wrap this up, the better!"

On their leader's command, the Tinkerbats clamored over themselves, picked their weapons up off the ground, and raced forth to help Risky by whatever means she deemed necessary. It wasn't long before the Risky crew found themselves surrounded by all manner of colorful, exotic foliage, sturdy vines, and glittering leafy shrubs abound. Tipping them off to the potential dangers in the area, however, was the sight of some ominously unfriendly woodlands, the unbearable humidity, the unwelcoming darkness, and the frighteningly voluminous roars and cries of potentially hostile creatures that called the Phantasmagoric Forest home. Risky scanned the immediate area without a word, readying her sword as she channeled a small, concentrated supply of her energy through her body. She wasn't fazed in the slightest. Once she was sure she was ready to move, however…

"PILLAGE AND PLUNDER…!" she gave a most CHILLING starting phrase… which means… OH, SNAP! Looks like we're doing a VILLAIN adventure this time around! Yikes… Well, buckle your pants, grab your snacks, and weigh anchor! This just got real scary, real fast… And you wanna know just how I figured that out? "Hey," she immediately called to the Tinkerbat wielding the flamethrower.

Perking up as though it was ready to obey any command given to it, the Flamethrower Tinkerbat reported for duty with nothing but servile determination in its repulsive yellow eyes.

"It's a little dark and VERY cluttered in this dreamy little bug-infested terrarium. I personally think we'd do this place a huge favor by doing a little… 'weed whacking' as we also took the liberty of applying some pesticides here. Tell me what you think about that, why don't you?"

The Tinkerbat, though absolutely willing to do whatever depraved, hazardous thing Risky requested, made a series of unique gestures toward her. By drawing a dome-like shape with its fingers and then wiggling its fingers as it moved its arms up, and then grasping its neck with one hand while fanning itself with the other… it… seemed to tell its captain that following her 'suggestion' would potentially be harmful to them because the resulting noxious fumes, combined with the fact that there was a magic capsule surrounding the area, would turn the already extremely humid jungle into a deadly heat dome that would threaten to roast or suffocate everything inside alive… including them.

"Ah, you're right," she surprisingly agreed with a bothered sigh. "I suppose we'll scorch these hideous woodlands sparingly until we find a way to disable the force field. In the meantime, it seems we're going to do this the old-fashioned way. Either way, make yourselves useful and take cover within the trees to maintain the element of surprise. And whatever you do from there, make sure to follow my lead… and CLOSELY. You lubbers got that?"

The faithful Tinkerbats each nodded in understanding as they obeyed her command, turned on their propeller packs with collective *WHIRRWHIRRWHIRRWHIRRs*, and took the liberty of locating designated spots within the trees' leafy branches to conceal themselves. Once her minions were positioned and ready, Risky got herself set.

"Okay, then. Better now than never…!" she menacingly murmured to herself, readying that horrifying scimitar of hers and… with a monstrous glowing *WHOOORSH*, she took off sprinting into the Phantasmagoric Forest, hacking and slashing at shrubbery, bushes, vines, and tree branches alike. *SCHEERSCH* after *THWOARK* after *SKEWRSH*, Risky Boots laid waste to the uncharted jungle without a care in the world for the damage she was doing to the poor, defenseless ecosystem. Only, as she sliced and diced her way through… everything she cut into wound up somehow healing within seconds of her ripping through it with her razor-sharp sword. None the wiser for the moment as she raced through the woodlands with a rapid *PATAPATAPATAPATAPATPATAPATA* of her boots against the muddy, mossy, leafy, sticky, wet forest floor, Risky continuously ravaged the jungle with her sword as she remained focused on finding out what potential secrets it held. Her mad dash would only truly face a challenge in the form of a series of pit traps that were covered in blankets of loose, multicolored leaves. Risky only found THIS out when she took one wrong step and felt a leaf pile give way under her with a crunchy *FWAFWEESH*.

"WHOA! Cheap little trick…!" she complained as she swiftly switched out her sword for a miniature PORTABLE CANNON that she pulled from seemingly nowhere during her descent into the pit. Oh, and upon closer inspection, this pit was filled… and I mean FILLED with wooden spikes that had skeletons impaled all across them… most likely from other ill-fated travelers that somehow got into the forest. Nevertheless, Risky fearlessly aimed her cannon downward and fired an explosive *PRAPLOWGH* of a blast from it that propelled her upward and out of the pit… while unknowingly striking at least one of the skeletons with a *PLAOWGH* of the ejected cannonball and sending a spray of dust and bones everywhere. Soon after, she switched back to her scimitar and landed on her feet with an authoritative *PLOOMPH*. "Figures this place is rigged with traps. And from the look of it, these poorly hidden spike pits are all over the place. In that case, I'll just have to watch my step…!"

And with that, as well as another monumental *WHOOORSH*, Risky went right back into sprinting across the trap-laden forest floor as she slashed and sliced through thickets of vines, bushes, low-hanging tree branches, and even TREE TRUNKS with more *SCHWISHes* and *SHWOOORNGs* of her metallic blade against the regenerating foliage. It was even to the point where she slashed through a particularly sturdy tree and kicked it down with a powerful *THWACK* of her boots against the trunk. The tree tilted from the inconceivable force of her kick, but it didn't fall over. Curious, Risky momentarily stopped her sprint to turn and investigate. As she seemed to suspect as she went along, the tree began to glow with an almost blinding, glittering turquoise aura as it shifted itself back to its original position and… in a sense, 'healed' itself from her attack. She also witnessed this phenomenon affecting the other plants she cut through behind the tree.

"Huh… So, this forest repairs any damage done to it within seconds of it being inflicted?" she asked herself, though she didn't spend much time pondering. "Hmph. Only makes me wonder what would happen if we DID set this jungle on fire…" she voiced her interest a most dangerous idea before turning and sprinting ahead to continue slicing and whacking through the prismatic shrubbery surrounding her while occasionally leaping over gigantic leaf pits and shooting cannonballs into them with *PRAPLOWGH* after *PRAPLOWGH* to expose the diabolical death traps hidden below. Most of them had more skeleton-laden spike pits… and when I tell you there were a lot of skeletons… I mean that there were a LOT of skeletons. Some even had exploration clothes on, for crying out loud! You could only WONDER how many people found their way here and perished in their hunt for whatever treasure was hidden within the hazardous confines of the Phantasmagoric Forest… B-but, I digress…

As Risky Boots made dashing through this incredibly dangerous forest look like a leisurely stroll through a flowery meadow, she had even come across at least three different traps along the way. Upon the Pirate Queen slicing through certain vines as she raced on, gigantic logs suspended by other vines came swinging in and slamming into each other with a *WHAPLOCK* hard enough to crush watermelons. To avoid this particular obstacle on every occurrence, Risky leapt as high and as far as she could while sprinting, only to then switch to her cannon and fire a *PRAPLOWGH* of a cannonball to give herself just enough extra height to avoid the NUMEROUS leaf pits conveniently placed right next to them. On one of these instances, however, she fired a cannonball into a pit and… oh, boy… she wound up disturbing the nest of a pair of GIANT, GOLDEN DRAGONFLIES! And for reference, this particular pair of dragonflies were at least THREE TIMES as big as the ones we bore witness to in the last chapter. It's probably also worth mention that these dragonflies were NOT happy to be disturbed from their presumable slumber.

With a truly disturbing, ear-piercing, low-humming *BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*, the colossal dragonflies took to the air and immediately gave chase to the intruder that they had witnessed slicing and slashing through their home with reckless abandon. They were fast, too, because they were gaining on Risky Boots like heat-seeking rockets ready to explode on contact. As the dragonflies gave chase, each of their magenta-colored compound eyes began to glow bright and flash as they also hummed with a high-pitched *WHREEEEEEEEEEE* that had DANGER written all over it. One could certainly guess that they were about to flash-fry their shared target on the spot as soon as the opportunity came. Only, just before either of them could get a shot off, a sudden *RATATATATATATTTAT* from an unseen weapon hidden in the trees rang out. Immediately following, a series of flashing marbles came ZOOMING out of the tree branches, striking one of the dragonflies with a smattering of *POPs*, *POCKs*, and *THWOCKs* that saw it fall and tumble all over itself before vanishing with a monumental smoky *PWOOOOF* before it ever knew what hit it.

"Huh?" Risky hummed as she turned around to notice the commotion behind her. "Oh, we've got our first welcome party greeting us? It's about time… I was starting to get bored. Let's hope you're ready for what I've got in store for you…!" she ominously murmured as she slyly pulled out her cannon and… deliberately slowed herself down? Uh-oh… None the wiser, the dragonfly raced ahead, spinning and dodging *RATATATTAT* after *BANG* after rapid-fire *PAP-PAP-PAP* of projectiles being shot at it with expert agility. Meanwhile, the dragonfly continued to charge its eyes full of energy to attempt to take down its sprinting target. Despite its incredible dexterity and astounding speed, however, it could never outmatch the unpredictable cunning of the Queen of the Seven Seas. Wanna find out what I mean? You're gonna wish you hadn't, but I'm not one to deprive you of a juicy… if not slightly overly violent experience. Aaaanywaaaaay…

The dragonfly, after dodging another spray of marbles from various weapons hidden in the trees with zig-zags and corkscrew twirls, fired its laser blast from its eyes with an extremely shrill, light-speed, blazing red *KAKWAAAASH*. Risky, keeping her eye on the beastly bug the entire time while watching her step, leapt high as she continued to deliberately keep her pace slow. The very INSTANT Risky jumped, the laser attack went ZIPPING past her, narrowly missing her feet as it scorched through shrubs and tree trunks alike with *SCHREEESH* after *VWEEEERZH* of the light beam against the forest's foliage. That isn't where this encounter ended, however. The dragonfly, not at all catching onto its target's maneuver, zipped ahead to try cutting Risky off. Just as it got under her in its effort to get ahead and block her path, however…

"Perfect…!" the evil Pirate Queen muttered with a most soul-chilling grin as she pulled out her scimitar, raised it high above her head, and angled the blade downward. And within the next half-second, in addition to the intimidating *FWOOORSH* of Dark Magic coating her form from head to toe, she IMMEDIATELY propelled herself down toward the dragonfly with such speed that she left blue-shaded AFTERIMAGES following behind her! "PERISH!" Risky roared as she descended upon the defenseless bug with hardly a care in the world for its wellbeing. And before you knew it, and with a sickening, squelching *SKIRSCH*, the malevolent buccaneer IMPALED the dragonfly in its upper back. And as if catching the poor thing off-guard wasn't enough, Risky made absolutely sure to maximize the pain factor as she sadistically dug the sword into its back while she took a comfortable seat on top of it. The dragonfly didn't immediately go down, as it was still flittering along with its wings beating harder than ever against the muggy air. It wouldn't go down without a fight, that's for sure… Yet… "Thanks for the ride…! Now, you're going to spend the last few minutes of your miserable existence giving me a chance to rest my tired feet! GO!" Risky demanded, torturing the dragonfly by pressing down on her sword while it was still jammed in the bug's back.

Unwillingly and under extreme duress, the dragonfly pressed on, zig-zagging and twirling around haphazardly to try and shake its target-turned-tormentor off of it. Risky would prove herself to be quite the dedicated passenger, however, as she held on tight and twisted her sword in as many excruciating ways as she saw fit to force the dragonfly to keep buzzing forth. However gruesome and unsavory her method was, the Pirate Queen somehow managed to gain some semblance of control over the ailing dragonfly despite its efforts to defend itself. In its last agonized moments, the bug flew Risky through the remainder of the section, skipping past another five… ten… THIRTY additional leaf traps, at least half of which were accompanied by log traps, another quarter of which had untouched tripwire traps, and at least three of which were surrounded by trees whose branches reached out and attempted to GRAB Risky and the dragonfly as they zipped by.

It wouldn't be long, however, before the giant golden dragonfly breathed its last. In midair, and after being forced to carry Risky past the final few leaf traps in the forest path, the dragonfly eventually hit the ground with a most unsettling *KARPROUGH* of its lifeless body against the leafy forest floor. Risky, considerate as ever, yanked her sword out and gracefully leapt off the deceased bug the second she saw that it had perished under the weight of her immeasurable cruelty. With a *PLOOMPH* of her own feet against the ground, the Pirate Queen landed with unrivaled class as she smirked with diabolical glee. The dead dragonfly rolled at least another ten to fifteen yards to her feet from the momentum of its awful, pain-addled flight. Immediately afterward, it exploded with a monumental, glittery *KAPWOOOF*, where it left behind a massive… and I mean MASSIVE assortment of multicolored gems that could've filled up the inside of a king-size mattress!

"Ooh-hoo-hoo, JACKPOT!" Risky cheered in avaricious glee as she immediately partook of her spoils. Handful after handful, the ruthless pirate captain collected every shiny, glittering stone and stuffed her pockets full of them until there was nothing left. And after Risky got Gem Fortune… "Now, THAT makes this slog of a trip slightly more worthwhile… but I know there's an even BIGGER prize waiting for us if the protection around this forest is this stiff. I just wonder what it is they're so fiercely protecting…? I'm even more curious to find out…" she further pondered, ceaselessly advancing through the forest with her hidden Tinkerbat crew in tow.

Mere moments later, Risky and her crew were introduced to a wide, gaping, swampy clearing with murky waters that seemed to have been able to swallow entire vehicles whole. As if the foul-smelling, bubbling water and the copious, warring swarms of bloodthirsty flying insects weren't enough, one would surely not be able to ignore the massive horde of gigantic, muscly, red-eyed, black-scaled alligator monsters roaring up from the mucky lake with the intent to eat any intruder alive. Disturbed from their apparent slumber by Risky's previous murderous slash 'n' dash frenzy, the monsters hungrily prepared themselves for a pirate-themed snack as they bared their jagged, gnarly, mud-soaked teeth.

"Hah! Is THIS all I had to anticipate next? Child's play!" Risky daringly challenged as she set her sights on the series of floating platforms hovering up and down over the deadly nightmare swamp. Not even stopping to sightsee or size up her opposition in the wake of her nefarious goals, the dastardly Pirate Queen continued to charge on, full to the brim with Dark Magic and darker intentions. "Alright…! SHYAH!" she further hollered as she made what seemed to be a completely unplanned leap of faith toward the first platform… which, I might add, was at least THIRTY FEET in the air! Anyone else who tried this would've IMMEDIATELY become alligator food for sure. Even the gator men themselves were counting on the buxom blue buccaneer biting it, so that they would be biting her (ignore that cheesy quote, I swear I didn't come up with that on my own!). The reptilian monstrosities gathered around the area of the filthy lake where they thought she'd land, mouths wide open and ready to rip Risky Boots to Risky… Bits…? Okay, seriously? Who in the world told me to say something so-! Ah! Sorry, getting distracted… Er, a-anyway…

"Why don't you boys chow down on THIS instead!? You could use the iron in your diets!" Risky very cleverly quipped as she, while in midair, withdrew her sword and whipped out her portable cannon without a modicum of hesitation. And without missing a… ugh, a Risky Beat… as well as with an ear-splitting *PRAPLOWGH*, Risky Boots fired the cannon downward, which gave her an immediate boost in her altitude. Meanwhile, the dense, ENTIRELY METAL cannonball she launched found itself FIRMLY jammed into the throat of one of the gator men with a disquieting *PRAPLARCK* that sent most of his teeth scattering across the swamp. Additionally, the unsuspecting beast wound up swallowing the ball to the point where one could see its beach ball-sized indent in its throat as it clawed, choked, and scratched away at its own neck. Before any of the other beasts could lend a hand, however, two more *PRAPLOWGHs* rang out, followed by two more subsequent *PLAKANGs* that knocked two of the other lake dwellers out of commission.

As she left the unfortunate forest lizards to their fates, Risky prepared herself to land on the floating platform just ahead of her. However, just as she reached the apex of her cannon-propelled leap, the platform suddenly began to waver and fade from view. Though surprised by the fact that her only means of avoiding taking a HEAVILY unneeded mud bath was vanishing right before her eyes, the Pirate Queen improvised. In the blink of an eye, Risky put away the portable cannon, reached for her pirate hat with both hands, and lifted it off her head. With a sudden *PHLOOMPH*, the hat expanded to at least five times its original size like a parachute. Hanging on tightly to the hat, Risky Boots glided over the monster-infested mud lake as she swiftly scanned the immediate area for a floating platform to land on. Meanwhile, the gator men that weren't victimized by her surprise cannon attack raced through the swamp in hot pursuit.

With a continuous *SPLORSHSPLIRSHSPLOSHSPLOSH*, the ravenous reptiles poured all their power into making sure Risky wouldn't escape the situation in one piece. In fact… one of them, whose eyes glowed a truly chilling shade of crimson, outsped all the others and caught up with hardly an issue. With a startling *KERPLOOSHK*, the monster zipped right out of the swamp just as its target spotted a new platform mysteriously materializing ahead of her. While in midair, the aggressive gator man clenched his jaws and took in a breath as though to prepare some sort of attack. And wouldn't you know it? The creature's maw immediately began to glow bright orange as though it had suddenly swallowed a mouthful of molten lava. And as you may come to realize… I wasn't exactly off the mark. With a sudden *KRAKLOORSHISSSSSK*, the gator man spat out a heaping DOLLOP of boiling, smoking lava spit directly at the Pirate Queen while she was vulnerable. Hearing the beast's attack just as she landed safely on the platform, Risky turned to see the imminent danger she was in.

"Wha!? Shoot…!" the buccaneer cursed as she braced for impact… only for one of her Tinkerbats to go soaring in at the last second with a *ZIVROOOOM* of its propeller pack as it held its twin flintlock pistols in its hands. The Tinkerbat wound up taking the hit with a most horrifying *KAPLISSSSSSSHHHHK* that… well, without mincing words, dissolved the poor minion and its equipment to smoldering chunks before it even had a chance to land in the swamp. Caught by surprise, Risky immediately grew frustrated as she processed the disquieting sight of her loyal servant LITERALLY MELTING out of existence before her eyes. With little time to dawdle, however, Risky turned her gaze toward the airborne gator man homing in on her like a missile about to strike a designated target. Rather than be intimidated by the sight of a giant, scaly, hulking behemoth of a chimera descending upon her, however… Risky smirked as her eyes ALSO flashed and shined crimson red. "If you want to be made into Gator Steaks that badly, then I'LL be your butcher…!" she ominously murmured as she drew her scimitar and patiently waited for the beast to close the distance.

And… well, you tell me what you expect when a deranged, homicidal, Dark Magic-powered pirate with a sword that could probably cut through diamond meets a ferocious, bloodthirsty reptile that tries to devour her alive… No? You'd rather put the burden on ME to tell YOU? Ah, of course… well, don't say I didn't warn you, cuz I ain't pullin' punches… So…

With a mighty reptilian roar, the gator man landed on the platform, its gaping maw open, salivating profusely, and waiting for the chance to clamp down on some delicious Pirate Queen cuisine… only for the beast to find itself falling well short of its goal with a sudden, vicious *SKISSSHK* of a metal object striking its abdomen. Saliva still dripping from its jaws, the beast found itself suddenly bereft of energy as it peered down… only to see that its prey had plunged a sharp metal object into its stomach.

"Don't you worry… Your demise will be quick enough that you'll barely feel a thing," Risky taunted with a depraved snicker as she drove her scimitar deeper into the gator man's abdomen. "Of course, you'll be ejected from this mortal coil knowing who's REALLY at the top of the food chain here! HRRRYAH!" she further threatened as she, with astonishing force, ripped the blade from her would-be predator's abdomen, charged up a hefty supply of Dark Magic with an accompanying *FWOOOOORRSH*, and performed a spinning swing at top speed aimed directly at the gator man's midsection. And… with a most disturbing *SCHWEERSH*, Risky Boots SLASHED RIGHT THROUGH her enemy without the SLIGHTEST shred of mercy. The gator man hardly stood a chance, its body splitting apart within a second after Risky dealt the fatal blow. Just as it began to split, however, the beast suddenly vanished with a smoky *PWOOF*, leaving behind… a GIANT STACK OF FLOATING GATOR STEAKS!? Jeez, I thought she was… Ah, I shouldn't even be surprised anymore. Er, a-anyway, Risky got Gator Steaks and quickly shifted her focus ahead as she noticed the platform beneath her begin to fade.

"Heh… Didn't expect to come here and be treated to top-quality choice cuts on top of the generous cash prize, but I appreciate it nevertheless. Still, it must pale in comparison to what I'm REALLY after in this filthy little terrarium…!" the Queen of the Seven Seas coldly muttered as she switched out her sword for her cannon and took a running leap off the platform. With *PRAPLOWGH* after *PRAPLOWGH*, Risky soared over the gunky swamp as she gained more height with each successive downward cannon blast. This, of course, came accompanied with her switching out the cannon for her parachute hat as it inflated with another *PHLOOMPH*. Only this time, she would not see another platform as she steadily lost altitude.

Seeing this as an opportunity like no other, two more gator men went charging through the dreamy marsh with every intent to finally capture their next meal. Only this time, another Tinkerbat wearing a propeller pack came soaring in to block their path. Hardly intimidated, the gator men each clenched their monstrous jaws and began charging up lava blasts from their maws. The Tinkerbat, as you will soon find out, had far more sinister plans in mind as it aimed the long, tubular nozzle of its weapon at its adversaries. Like I said, I ain't pullin' punches here, so be prepared. Just as the gator men got set to launch their joint attack, the Tinkerbat let loose an EXPLOSIVE jet stream of an unforgiving blaze that roared out with a truly terrifying *FWOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRSSSSSSSSHHH* that no one without heatproof skin would survive. Howling and roaring in collective agony, the gator men were roasted to a crisp, disappearing within seconds of being given an unscheduled shower of scorching flames. Seconds after the Tinkerbat stopped burning its enemies alive, the raging fire dissipated, leaving clouds of thick, black smoke in its wake. Satisfied, the dastardly minion turned and raced back into the treetops to await its next objective.

"Where's the next BLASTED platform!?" Risky shouted as she hovered closer and closer to the mucky swamp with no other kind of safe landing spot available. Frantic as she was furious, the Pirate Queen hurriedly searched the immediate vicinity, only to spot the next platform warping into view a fair distance above and behind her as though to mock her. "Gahh, curse this miserable forest…! As soon as we're done here, we're burning it off the map...!" she swore as her boots nearly began to skim the gross, filmy surface of the swamp. Even more infuriated by the fact that she was about to take a most unceremonious dip into the Phantasmagoric Forest's funky, filthy waters, Risky searched around for any form of footing that would keep her from meeting with misfortune. Luckily for her (depending on how you look at it), another creature suddenly emerged from beneath the surface of the swamp. It didn't come out in full, but one would IMMEDIATELY be put off by its big, puffy pink lips, its long, slippery whiskers that looked like squid tendrils, its creepy, wide-open bluish-purple fish eyes, and its… its… oddly tie-dye scales that sparkled and glimmered ruby, turquoise, and goldenrod. "WHAT IN THE HECK IS THAT THING!?"

"WwwwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa…!" the unidentified fish-like creature moaned as it opened wide, unleashing possibly the FOULEST of foul stenches into the air like surströmming (look it up, it's a real…ly STINKY thing).

"No! No, no, no, nononoNONONO, WHATTHEFU-!" Risky very calmly assessed the situation… by which I mean she panicked while rapidly kicking away at the monster's spacious, smelly gaping maw as she held onto her hat for dear life. Helplessly, the Pirate Queen descended right into the fish monster's clutches as it sprang up with a mightily goopy *KERPHLOORSH* of its body from the swamp.

"HAAAAA-GOOMP!" the hideous marine creature let loose its… eating cry(?) as it engulfed Risky in one big *SCHLAP* of its fishy jaws before landing back in the swamp with another *PLAKWOORSH*. Seeming content for the moment, the nightmarish fish monster got set to turn and dive back into its marshy home. That is, until the Tinkerbat that was most closely following Risky came rushing in to try and save its master from what could very well be her watery doom. Uncertain of what to do when its only weapon was a flamethrower that would've roasted the beast AND Risky Boots alive, the frantic minion decided to latch onto the beast's side and hammer it with *THWACK* after *THWACK* of its little black fist against the monster's thick hide.

The other two of Risky's Tinkerbats came shooting out of the canopy with their propeller packs active and their guns at the ready to try and assist. *RATATATATATATTATs* from one Tinkerbat's… oddly non-pirate themed rifle proved mostly fruitless, as the glowing, fast-moving projectile pellets merely bounced off wherever they hit the marine behemoth or hit the mud with *plickplickplickplickplick* like raindrops. The other Tinkerbat, wielding a cutlass knife, clung itself onto the scaly creature's fin and tried hacking away at it with *SCHING* after *SCHWINK* after *TING* of its blade against its body. It was to little avail, however, as it seemed this fish monster was practically made of steel! The knife couldn't even scratch a scale on it, much less penetrate it.

"Waaaaarrrrrraaaaaanngh!" the agitated pirate eater moaned out as it wrathfully began to spin and violently jerk its body around to shake off its attackers. *KERSPLOOSH* after *SPLARRSKH*, the prismatic fish monster flipped, flopped, and floundered all over the place as it found itself increasingly bothered. Holding on strong in the midst of this most unceremonious turn of events, the Tinkerbats continued their barely coordinated effort to save Risky from becoming the newest part of this ferocious marine creature's diet. It especially grew angry after another *RATATATATTAT* of the rifle Tinkerbat's weapon caused another series of its rounds to go bouncing off of it. Without warning, and with a most astonishing *KERFWOOOOOORSH*, the behemoth spun around, batting its gigantic tailfin through the marsh and completely engulfing the offending intruder. The Tinkerbat barely knew what hit it as it was entirely swallowed up in a tsunami of muddy, mossy, gunky water that hit the swamp's surface with another *KAPLOORSHK*. The other two Tinkerbats were so caught off-guard by the monster's powerful swing that they were both flung right off. Luckily for them, they activated their propeller packs with twin *VWHIIIIRRRRZHes* just in time to avoid meeting the same fate as their teammate. Just as the befuddled cohorts of the Pirate Queen tried to figure out what to do next, however…

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT AND FEED IT BACK TO YOU, YOU REPULSIVE MUTANT! LET ME OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Risky Boots could be heard shouting from within the creature as it suddenly began to emit clouds of purple smoke from its mouth and gills. As if the fish beast hadn't gone through enough, however, it suddenly began to be involuntarily jerked in all sorts of directions with *PLORK* after *PLOCK* after stomach-churning, echoing *KAPLARCK* that rang out from inside it. It was worth mention that one could even SEE the momentary indents made in various parts of the fish monster's gut as its 'food' thrashed about inside of it. "I WILL TEAR YOU ASUNDER WITH MY BARE HANDS AND USE YOUR ROTTING CARCASS AS BAIT FOR YOUR REPUGNANT, STINKING FISH FRIENDS! DO YOU HEAR ME!?" Risky continued to violently threaten as she evidently grew angrier with every passing second she remained inside the fish's belly. *KATHROCK* after *KRATHRACK*, Risky's strikes grew increasingly more aggressive as more and more of that unsettling purple smoke continued to billow from the fish monster's every orifice.

"Ghoooowaaaaaoogh…!" the unfortunate animal groaned, growing increasingly nauseous as it continued to be jerked around with every startling *THRASH* of an impact from Risky's relentless attacks. It took only a few more of these incredibly brutal strikes before a most vicious *KAPLOORSHK* of an attack from Risky against the fish monster's cheek saw to it that her Dark Magic-shrouded fist POKED OUT THROUGH IT! "Gaahwaaaaaaaaaaarrgh!" the fish monster howled in agony as it desperately turned in a direction deeper into the forest, inhaled a mouthful of swamp water to the point that its cheeks were full… minus the stream of it leaking from the hole in its cheek… aimed upward… and… "GWATHOOOOOF!" the monster spat out a jet stream of water rivaling a geyser far over the horizon… with a Dark Magic-bathed Risky Boots herself at the head of it.

"WHOOAAAHAAAAAAAAAAH!" Risky hollered out in surprise as she was spat sky high, though she oriented herself enough to ride the unintentional water slide. Quickly gaining insight as she was granted a temporary view over the entire forest from within its magic dome, she spotted at least three other clearings hidden within the multicolored canopy. One of them, however, seemed to house a golden-hued, shambling, moss-bathed temple with statues of leopards decorating the entrance. Within seconds of her spotting this peculiar point of interest, however, the jet stream had dissipated, meaning that she was in for a truly unpleasant meeting with a network of tree branches and unforgiving foliage if she didn't act quickly. But then, this IS Risky Boots we're looking at here. "Hah!" the Pirate Queen shouted as she hurriedly whipped out her portable cannon and, with a startling *PRAPLOWGH*, blasted it downward to stall her descent. At the apex of her midair cannon jump, she swapped to her hat. With a watery *PAPHLOOOMPH* that sent a most unpleasant torrent of swamp water cascading over her, Risky activated her hat's parachute ability. "Not a half-hour into being here, and I ALREADY hate this wretched forest more than I've ever hated anything in my life… There's my trade-off for the huge bounties, I guess…" With that most unenthusiastic statement Risky steered herself over the forest's canopy toward the temple she spotted.

Meanwhile…

Two of the three remaining Tinkerbats quickly gave chase to their leader after watching her get launched across the jungle like she'd been fired from a cannon. The third of them had barely recovered from its unwanted mud soak and had tried to activate its propeller pack to follow suit. However, with a *SKIZZZRRT* and startling *KAPOW*, the device shorted out. Panicked as it waded in the dirty bayou, it tried to signal for its allies to lend a hand. It… would not receive such mercy, however, as the injured, angry, and still VERY hungry kaleidoscopic fish monster turned and glared at it with nothing but malicious intentions as its eyes gleamed to emphasize its impending fury. Realizing its dire situation, the Tinkerbat flopped and splashed around to try and beat as hasty a retreat as it could. But let's be real… If you were stuck neck-deep in some filthy swamp in the middle of Nowhere, Sequin Land with nothing but the clothes on your back to defend yourself, and one of the extremely savage, ravenous inhabitants of said swamp saw you as a meal, then your best bet would be to hope your journey through that monster's digestive system and into the afterlife would be a quick and merciful one. As such…

"WHAAAAAAAAAH!" the irate fish monster roared as it, with another gooey *KAPLORSCH*, jumped high into the air with the full desire to get some sort of consolation snack for losing its violent, blue-skinned lunch. It took mere seconds for the Tinkerbat to be swallowed whole, but it felt like HOURS as the poor thing watched helplessly and accepted its fate. With just one more sloppy *KERSPLOORSCH*, the starving aquatic menace submerged itself and its prey beneath the surface of the swamp. It revealed itself just a moment later to burp up some busted, splintery chunks of wood… and a red bandana flowing from the hole in its cheek that pretty much spelled it out for us what transpired. Of course, this is probably where you'd think this nightmare ended. Alas, my friend, there was ALWAYS an unexpected twist…

Seeming none too satisfied with the trouble the unidentified fish creature caused them and their leader, the Tinkerbat with the flamethrower instructed the other one to find Risky Boots and receive their next orders, which the other Tinkerbat agreed to without question. This Tinkerbat had a score to settle for some reason, and it made sure to settle it with EXTREME prejudice. Hovering back toward the swamp just as the fish monster made a delicacy out of its teammate, the Tinkerbat readied its weapon. And right when the monster resurfaced to burp up the remains of the other Tinkerbat… this particular minion unloaded an UNFORGIVING HURRICANE OF FLAMES ALL OVER THE PLACE. OH! MY! GOODNESS! With a most gut-wrenching *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSSSSH*, the henchman made sure to hatefully INCINERATE the unsuspecting behemoth before it had a chance to defend itself or escape. A raging tower of fire immediately took hold, the poor fish monster's roasting body serving as a prime source of fuel. And while the fire didn't hold for too long, I… only kinda wish it did, considering what was left once the Tinkerbat was done… was the charred, crumbling skeleton of the fish that wound up disappearing with a *POOF* of rainbow-colored smoke. Jeez, these Tinkerbats are BRUTAL… Nevertheless, the Tinkerbat disengaged its weapon, dusted its hands off, and left its heavily smoking, environmentally unfriendly mess right where it was as it returned to its leader's side.

Rejoining Risky just ahead…

"Took you boys long enough," Risky Boots jeered toward her two remaining loyal servants within her task squad as they caught up to her while she was still hat gliding toward the Phantasmagoric Forest's temple. "What, did you help yourself to some fried flounder first? I can smell the stench from that burning lake all the way from up here."

The Tinkerbat with the flamethrower gestured to its captain that it was merely tying up a loose end as a return favor for that hideous fish trying to eat her. It let her know, however, that they were looking a bit rough because of the two comrades they'd already lost.

"It'll be fine," Risky dismissed as she scoured the area to see a slew of unusual monsters that included bat demons, giant Atlas moths, and smaller dragonflies alike flying up through the barrier in a hurry. To her, it seemed they had some other business to take care of. "They knew what they were signing up for, and we'll do their sacrifice an honor by avoiding any additional blunders. Speaking of which, you may want to get that flamethrower ready again…" she hinted, gesturing her eyes downward toward an incoming troop of ferocious, bronze-furred, glowing pink-eyed gorilla demons climbing and racing through the treetops. It seemed the pirate crew's arrival was anticipated, yet unwelcome all the same. This was only emphasized by at least five of the gorillas opening their mouths once they got into position along the canopy, unleashing almost deafening screeching noises, pounding their chests, and… CHARGING UP BRIGHT, CRACKLING, MULTICOLORED BEAMS FROM THEIR GAPING JAWS!? And from the look of it, some had shifted their fur color to a dim, frosty blue while some others had their fur turn a rusty gold color? Oh, man… what animal in this forest DOESN'T have some absurd, demonic superpower around here?

"Oh, for the love of…! Alright, we're making an adjustment!" Risky angrily announced, already knowing she wasn't safe in the air as she suddenly deflated her pirate hat to its normal size while HUNDREDS of feet in the air. Thinking on her feet while in midair, Risky switched to her mini cannon and fired another *PRAPLOWGH* of a cannonball directly into the canopy where one of the laser beam gorillas was taking aim. The feral creature noticed the incoming projectile and canceled its charge to swing and hop across a few branches to get a better vantage point. Only… it should've picked a better point. "Looks like I've found my landing cushion…!" the brazen buccaneer murmured with the most sadistic grin on her face as she switched from her cannon to her scimitar… positioned herself to where she was perched on the hilt of the weapon while its blade was aimed downward at the gorilla monster she'd just shot at. "SHRRYAAAAAAH!" she roared as she, with a blistering *FWEEEERRRSH*, went BULLETING downward while bluish-purple afterimages suddenly began trailing after her.

Meanwhile, a handful of the other gorilla monsters fired their blasts with *KRATHOOOM* after *KAPWEEEERSH* after *KAKWAAAAARRRRRSSSSH* of… what looked like FIRE, LIGHTNING, AND ICE!? Ah, jeez… Crazily enough, Risky and her Tinkerbats managed to BARELY avoid being burned, electrocuted, or frozen by the beams as Risky careened toward the one beast that hadn't had a chance to launch an attack. Whizzing around the fusillade of elemental energy beams, one Tinkerbat opted to descend behind Risky Boots. The other? Well… let's just say it was quite… FIRED UP. Excuse that horrible pun with worse timing, but this Tinkerbat took the first opportunity it saw to COMPLETELY SPRAY THE CANOPY with a *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRSSSSHHHH* of a fire blast from its flamethrower with seemingly no rhyme or reason to its sudden case of frightening pyromania. As one might expect when fire interacts with VERY FLAMMABLE shrubbery, foliage, and all manner of plant life… THE CANOPY WAS ENGULFED IN A RAMPAGING INFERNO that seemed to overshadow the forest's ability to instantly heal itself as we'd seen earlier. Some of the energy ball-spitting primates managed to flee by climbing back down into the rapidly deteriorating safety of the forest. Others… well, they were not so lucky, as they'd been swept up in the tempestuous Tinkerbat-spawned blaze and vanquished en masse. Oh, and as for the one gorilla Risky Boots distracted by shooting at it with her cannon? It… hardly fared any better.

"DIE, BEAST!" Risky maliciously shouted as she descended upon the ape without a MOLECULE of hesitation. With a most terrifying *KAKRISCHK*, the Pirate Queen impaled the gorilla, sending herself AND the unfortunate animal crashing through a thicket of trees with *KRACK* after *TWAKRAK* after *SHAPRACK* of tree branches big and small snapping from the overwhelming force and combined weight of Risky and the slain gorilla demon. Within seconds, they hit the damp, muddy forest floor with a monumental *KAPLOORGH* that left MASSIVE dent in the marshland beneath them. As Risky recovered and rose to a stand, the gorilla vanished almost instantly with a smoky *POOF* that left behind a strange, unmarked glass vial of a glowing red liquid in its wake. Curious, Risky got Eccentric Gorilla Serum and stashed it away before turning around to see her minions joining her within the confines of the burning jungle as they hovered with their propeller packs. "Good to see you two are still alive. I… can't help but smell the fresh aroma of incinerated wood, of course."

The Tinkerbat with the flamethrower nodded in confirmation, letting her know it set the forest on fire to try and get rid of the threat of the gorillas that were about to blast them out of the air.

"That right? Y'know, I'm starting to think you're having a little too much fun with that flamethrower," she pointed out, growing just a TAD concerned about how eager this Tinkerbat was to burn everything in sight and have a convenient excuse for it. "Ironic that YOU were the same one who advised against turning this forest into an uninhabitable heat dome…" she further commented before she heard the HIGHLY agitated screeches and roars of the surviving gorilla demons as they swung from tree branches and sprinted across the ground from various directions to corner their shared targets. "We're in the thick of it now either way, so I don't suppose it really matters…" she dismissed as she readied her sword by tucking the hilt to her side while the blade was pointed forward. Meanwhile, her bodacious form erupted with another low *FWOOORRSH* of Dark Magic while she grounded her stance. "We're gonna have to pick up the pace on this little excursion. Try to keep up, and TRY not to go overboard with that thing. We've only got but so many of them after having to rebuild them from scratch with nothing but memory to rely on…" And with that, Risky prepared herself, her Dark Magic aura intensifying as she set her sights on the barely visible forest clearing. Meanwhile, the stench of roasting foliage permeated the barrier-protected jungle as its sunlight became increasingly blotted out by the burgeoning blanket of smoke rising from the burning trees above. It… probably went without mention that as the plant life attempted endlessly to restore itself, the fire only grew more intense as it had a basically endless fuel supply. Yyyyeah, this forest was as good as doomed by its own magical ability…

"OOGHAAAGHOOH! HOOH! HOOH! HOOHAAAAAH!" the distorted, frightening roars of one of the gorilla demons could be heard as its owner, as well as said owner's allies, rushed through the forest and set their sights on the vandals who'd set their home ablaze. Risky, keeping herself alert, laid eyes on the beasts as they attempted to surround them from positions high and low, their elemental energy attacks charging in their drooling, gaping, jagged-toothed maws.

"Looks like that's our cue. Here… I… GO! HRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the brave, brutal Pirate Queen let out a roar of her own as she, with a sudden *FABWOOOORSSSSH* of a burst from her magic, took off sprinting at a speed that would rival sports cars as she made a mad dash through the maze of burning trees toward the heart of the jungle with her sword tucked at her side and ready to maim anything in her path. Though alarmed, her Tinkerbats followed suit as best as they could as they remained alert. Just then, and with another cacophony of *KRATHOOOMs*, *KAPWEEEERSHes*, and *KAKWAAAAARRRRRSSSSHes*, another barrage of elemental energy blasts came ripping from all directions within the forest aimed directly at the racing racketeer that was Risky Boots. *KAPWOOORSH* after *KAKWARKAKRAKZ* after *KRAKAZAAAAP*, the energy balls either roasted, froze, or electrocuted every tree trunk, bush, vine, or part of the leafy forest floor they touched. Risky Boots, fully aware of the furious belligerence of her simian adversaries, spun around, slid under, or leapt over their attacks as she practically FLEW through the woods. Meanwhile, with *SCHWISH* after *THRACK* after *SCHRING*, she slashed, sliced, and slayed as clear a path as she could manage as she set her sights on hers and her minions' destination. As far as she was concerned, no man, beast, or magical environment ALIVE was going to stop her.

Her Tinkerbats, thoroughly convinced Risky wouldn't be stopped, opted to stick to their guns (or, in one of the henchmen's cases, its knife) as they also kept watch for any gorilla demons that might try to get the jump on them. And as if it would come as any form of surprise by this point, three of the demonic beasts came charging in from multiple angles behind (and even ABOVE) our villainous squad of forest-burning fiends. The Tinkerbat with the knife made its next attack a truly swift and brutal one, as it deliberately slowed down while one of the gorilla beasts descended upon them from the sturdy leaf-smothered branches above. The blue-furred behemoth fired an icy *KAKWAAARRSSSSH* directly at the Tinkerbat to freeze it in place before presumably ripping it limb from frosty limb. The Tinkerbat had other plans, however, as it narrowly swerved around the projectile. In the same moment the ice ball hit the ground with a sub-zero *KAKWARKAKRAKZ*, the gorilla attempted to grab hold of the unruly pirate minion, only for it to suffer a gruesome chest wound from the sudden *SCHWIRSH* of the minion's knife. Howling in agony, the gorilla monster recoiled and fell to its back, clutching at the glowing slash ripped across its bare chest. To finish the job, the Tinkerbat took the most dishonorable liberty of delivering another brutal *SCHWING* of a knife swipe to the gorilla. The beast was vanquished with a *POOF* of smoke, leaving behind treasures for the Tinkerbat to hurriedly swipe up before dashing off to catch up to its teammate and leader while other gorilla demons gave chase. At least two other gorillas tried taking it down, only for it to repeat the same merciless method of dispatching them along the way.

As for the Tinkerbat teammate… Of course, it went without saying that it was pulling its weight by attempting to cause as much deforestation as possible in its efforts to protect itself and its tree-hating leader from the jungle's guardians. *KAFWOOOOOOOOOOORRSSSH* after *FWAREEEEEEERRRRRSH*, the Tinkerbat went total Scorched Earth on the Phantasmagoric Forest, setting blazes wherever it spotted highly agitated primates attempting to shoot them down or maul them. For every gorilla blast Risky Boots had to jump over, slice through with her sword, or dip past, the Tinkerbat would retaliate with extreme prejudice. It was made even worse by the fact that every time it would blaze out a hiding spot or vantage point, it would cause more and more of the jungle to be devoured in a rapidly growing curtain of flames.

"Hey! Ease up on the flamethrower!" Risky surprisingly warned her crony as she kept on dashing ahead and slicing foliage out of their way. "We're still gonna need to secure an emergency exit in case something gets fouled up here, and we won't be able to do that if everything around us is on fire! Just focus on keeping yourself out of harm's way and only use that thing when you see any of those simian beasts getting too close to us!" Heeding her command, the Tinkerbat obediently gave it a rest on trying to turn the forest into a desert in as little as a day. As its esteemed leader ordered, the Tinkerbat restrained itself to only shooting blasts of fire at the belligerent gorillas when it seemed they'd catch up or get the drop on them. *KWOOOOORSH* after *FWOOOORSH*, the loyal little arsonist sent cascading waves of incendiary fury upon any gorilla that leapt out from the canopy, attempted to fire an energy blast at them, or simply be unfortunate enough to be in their way. This, as one would imagine, did NOTHING to spare the forest from the rapidly spreading, towering flames as the view of the sky quickly became blotted out by thick, black clouds of smoke. If left unchecked, there would be no doubt that the Phantasmagoric Forest would become Sequin Land's 3534th DESERT in record time. Yet, just as Risky and her crew were slicing and burning their way through…

"What in the—!?" she stopped to ask herself as she suddenly came to a literal screeching halt with a *SSSSKIIRRRRRRSH* of her boots against the dirt beneath her. Her Tinkerbats, despite being airborne, stopped just as suddenly. What stopped them, you may ask? Why, it was the fact that the forest had suddenly begun to COMPLETELY SHAPESHIFT in front of her! The image of a pastel-colored rainforest began to bend, twist, contort, and swirl with an enigmatic, warping, humming, windy *VWOOOORRRZZZZHHHGZHH* like a black hole ready to devour everything around it. Bracing herself right away for the potential incoming danger, Risky powered herself up with another *FWOORSH* of her Dark Magic as she readied her sword.

"MALICIOUS INTRUDER!" shouted a disembodied, echoed, booming feminine voice with enough volume to potentially break the sound barrier. "YOU DARE DESECRATE THE SANCTUARY OF THE PHANTASMAGORIC FOREST!? ALL THOSE WHO SEEK TO DEFILE THESE SACRED GROUNDS WILL PERISH BEFORE THE EYES OF MAYA THE OVERSEER!"

"Gahh, that's loud…!" Risky complained, though she was hardly affected by the fact that some sort of spiritual forest goddess was threatening to oppose her. As she attempted to gain some semblance of insight into the sudden ethereal windstorm, she felt a sudden sting of pain that radiated from her very core outward. "Ghaaagh…! What…!?" she further eked out as she found herself momentarily frozen in place, her body flashing a mixture of turquoise, neon pink, and neon orange. Within a second, a floating ball of a shadowy purple light came rising out of Risky Boots, immediately making a beeline toward the twisting vortex in front of her. Though caught by surprise, Risky managed to keep her eyes on the phenomenon unfolding in front of her. However, what she would see next would both shock and IMMENSELY infuriate her. With a sudden, ear-splitting, sparkling *KAPWOOORRSH*, the vortex violently dissipated and sent shockwaves ripping through the immediate area as Risky and her crew momentarily shielded their faces. Once the startling display was over, however…

"And what better way for a scoundrel like you to meet her end than at the hand of the one she FEARS MOST?" spoke a most… distorted, yet VERY familiar voice as its owner levitated in the air where a wide, gaping, trap-infested forest clearing suddenly manifested behind her. And when Risky laid eyes on this familiar individual, who bore a striking resemblance to a certain Half-Genie Hero…

"You…!" Risky growled with enough ferocity to intimidate an entire pack of wolves as the sheer, burning hatred exuded from her form in dark purple swirls of foul magic energy. Her brow furrowed as her eyes glimmered with brimming enmity, the Pirate Queen was not the LEAST bit amused by the sight of her hated archenemy.

"Aww… You don't seem too happy to see me again, Risky," this… ethereal, shadowy, glittering manifestation of Shantae mockingly observed as she continued to levitate. Despite the doubled effect in her voice, however, it sounded just like our favorite genie down to the last syllable. "Can't say I blame you, considering you're always finding the most extravagant ways to completely EMBARRASS yourself on a routine basis. Your Pirate Master would be ashamed of you…" the shadow clone taunted some more, making evident that her resemblance to Shantae was purely on the outside.

"WHAT!? I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR TH-!" Risky was about to VERY brutally threaten as she brandished her scimitar.

"You know how this is gonna end. Aren't you tired of being beaten, dominated, and humiliated over and over and OVER again? You never learn, Risky, and it's about time you were made to answer for your crimes once and for all… And to think that you would create your own grave HERE of all places… A shame that this beautiful forest must bear such an unenviable burden as keeping wretched criminal filth like YOU swallowed up in its earthen trenches. Alas, it's a burden that must be taken up for the sake of this world…" this enigmatic Shantae clone further threatened, only making Risky more furious. The flamethrower Tinkerbat raised its weapon to try and incinerate the clone before she could utter another word… only for Risky to halt it with a gesture of her hand. When the Tinkerbat looked at her in mild confusion, Risky glanced back at it and shook her head. Getting it, the minion stood down. Meanwhile, Risky stared down the Shantae clone, sizing her up and down to get a read on who… or WHAT she was looking at. Certainly, it looked like Shantae through and through. From the lavender hair to the gold jewelry to the scarlet genie costume, it was her… only, her entire form was at least a few shades darker, and her eyes were bereft of irises or pupils… not to mention that they were glowing a bright magenta. Once Risky got her read, however…

"…Hmph," the Pirate Queen scoffed, though she kept herself entirely ready for battle as she gripped her sword. "This cheap imitation hardly 'scares' me, however surprising it was. Shantae or not, I'll SLICE YOU TO RIBBONS all the same," she threatened with a most… DEVILISH grin as she stared the Shantae clone down. "Whoever you are, I'll show you TRUE fear as I make you the lightning rod for EVERY LAST OUNCE of the towering, seething HATRED I bear toward the despicable, filthy, miserable, scum-sucking WENCH whose form you so unwisely chose to take today…!" Good lord…! Whelp, if that didn't mean Risky Boots was walking away from this encounter with blood on her hands, I don't know WHAT would. It… was also clear that Risky was holding the absolute MEANEST of grudges against our main heroine. Yikes…

"I'm not surprised to see that you're so foolish as to face your own demise kicking and screaming, but be my guest. Either way, I WON'T let you live long enough to harm another plant or creature here! HRRRRAAAAAH!" the Shantae clone roared as she stretched out her limbs and emitted a flash of white from her very core. Forced to shield their eyes once again, Risky and her Tinkerbats braced themselves for what this mysterious doppelganger had in store for them. And, with a mighty, luminescent *SCHIFWEEEEEEEEN*, a giant chunk of the terrain completely transformed!

"What in the…?" Risky asked the first half of her question as the blinding light vanished almost as suddenly as it was summoned. Taking just a moment to look ahead, it became immediately apparent what had just happened. What was once just a straight, lengthy line of magic trees and leaf-blanketed mud (or spike pits) in her way… had suddenly become the obstacle course from any adventurer's WORST NIGHTMARES!

For just a TINY bit of context, what had suddenly taken form was a long, wide, spacious clearing. And MAN, was it frightening. Where there should have been a swamp or lake, was instead a gigantic, miles-deep abyss that… had a heaping TON of pairs of glowing eyes peering up from them. One could even hear the ferocious growls of some foul beasts lurking in the shadows, ready to devour anything unlucky enough to fall in. Added to that mess was a series of very unsteady platforms floating precariously over the chasm that were very few and VERY far between… with at least two incredibly long stretches of floating, decrepit, moss-covered stone walkways that looked like they'd crumble if someone even breathed on them, much less walked on them… And to make matters worse, the gorillas that were previously pursuing Risky and her task force were perched atop whatever remnants of the area's trees surrounding the massive death pit that weren't roasted to a smoking crisp. Need I even mention the GIGANTIC, GLOWING ORANGE, FLASHING, FLOATING, RUSTY PIKE BALLS that hovered all around the obstacle course!? Because those were there, too… Of course, I'm probably saying too much at this point. What you really want to know, I'm sure, was Risky's reaction… which, by the way, was a rousing…

"…Seriously? THIS is all you can think of to try and slow me down?" the Pirate Queen defiantly remarked with a most overconfident shrug and chuckle as she grinned at the image of her archenemy. "This is CLEARLY the shoddy craftsmanship of a rank amateur at best. I've come up with better deathtraps in my sleep… when I was THREE YEARS OLD," she further harshly criticized. Oooookay, I uh… I DO NOT want to know what kind of backwards, messed-up, totally deranged childhood Risky had to make such a horrifying comment, but uh… yeah. Suffice to say, she wasn't even amused by the sight of the obstacle course. The Shantae clone, as one might imagine, was anything BUT thrilled to receive such disrespect after working so hard for the seven seconds that she did.

"You think this is some kind of JOKE!?"

"It HAS to be if you're just going to make me run through a silly little playground for five minutes before I cut you down and claim the treasure hidden in that temple up ahead," Risky shot right back as she laughed some more. "But fine. If this is really what you want to do before you die along with this burning forest, 'Shantae,' then let's go for it. What sort of hunt would this be if I didn't play along and let you run around and tire yourself out trying to get in my way first? Let's have a little fun while this jungle is still standing, why don't we? That treasure is as good as mine no matter WHAT you do, so you can at least try to make the trip a bit more fun before I claim it."

"I KNEW that's what you were here for!" the Shantae clone proclaimed in shock and increased anger as she charged up a flow of magic into both her hands with a threatening *SHOOFWEEEERSHH*. "In that case, my purpose is clear. You WILL NOT be allowed to claim the fragment of the Spirit Fuser while I'm alive to stop you!" At that, Risky's eyes widened in curiosity.

"…Spirit Fuser?" Risky murmured to herself in wonder, thoroughly intrigued at the revelation that I'm sure EVERYBODY wishes didn't occur to her. Oh, no… "So, THAT'S what you're hiding, hm? It must be quite powerful if there's THIS much effort being put into guarding it… Makes me wonder if it's some sort of forbidden Relic…"

"PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END, INTRUDER! HYAAAAAH!" Clone-Shantae warned with absolute fury in her tone as she flung a magic fire blast at Risky with a startling *KAPWEEERSH*.

"KEEP DREAMING, IMPOSTOR! HRAH!" Risky challenged without a modicum of fear as she, with a powerful *KRASHLING*, slashed right through the projectile with her scimitar. Soon after, she turned toward her minions. "You two keep the gorillas around the perimeter busy in whatever ways you can! This little 'game' of Cat and Mouse will be over before you can even blink! Now, GO!" she hastily ordered her Tinkerbats before dashing toward the ledge just ahead and just… ROCKETING herself over it with nothing but her incredible leg power. While her Tinkerbats obeyed their master's command by flying off to either side of the death course laid out in front of them, Risky herself made her first move by attempting a flying sword slice aimed directly at Clone-Shantae.

"What the-!? WHAH!" the doppelganger hollered out in shock, narrowly avoiding being sliced in two by the atom-splitting *SCHWING* of her adversary's weapon against the sweltering air of the ignited jungle. Before she could even process the sudden assault, however, a *PRAPLOWGH* of a cannon being shot startled her out of her momentary daze. Once she turned to see where the noise came from…

"Never take your eyes off the prize, honey! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a fancy new trinket to collect! Try and stop me if you DARE!" Risky very brazenly taunted in midair as she switched from her portable cannon to her inflatable pirate hat and floated herself to the first of many dilapidated, crumbling platforms to begin braving the obstacle course.

"Oh, you sneaky…! Let's see how you like THIS!" Clone-Shantae shouted as she flew toward Risky while firing a massive *KABLEEESH* of another magic fire blast at the platform Risky was standing on.

"HAH!" Risky shouted, leaping off the platform JUST as her enemy's projectile came racing in to obliterate the structure with a mighty *KABLAAAAM*. Risky, thinking quickly, switched to her portable cannon and fired two successive *PRAPLOWGHs* from it before switching to her hat parachute to sail toward the next platform.

"Gotcha right where I want you! ATTACK!" Clone-Shantae commanded as she fired another magic attack at the platform the Pirate Queen was looking to land on. With another frightening *KABLAAAANG*, the platform was destroyed before Risky's eyes. Meanwhile, two pairs of the creepy glowing eyes locked their sights on Risky while it appeared she was vulnerable.

"Shoot…! Should've known you'd start getting desperate enough to start playing dirty…! Fine, then… TWO can play at THAT game…!" Risky ominously murmured to herself as she held tightly onto her hat parachute and kept an eye on the abyss she was descending toward. Just then, the two pairs of eyes glowed brighter before their owners came SOARING out from the shadowy trench to reveal… Oh, my goodness… IT WAS TWO MASSIVE, SCANTILY CLAD, LOIN CLOTH-ADORNED, VOLUPTUOUS LEOPARD/WOMAN HYBRIDS! Good lord, these leopard ladies were easily TWICE the height of a MALE body builder, and they had the sculpted muscle tone of seasoned huntresses! One could easily assume they were Amazonian! Their razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws bared and their long, flowing ebony hair blowing in the wind, these vicious, busty cat girls zoomed through the air with the full intent to maul Risky Boots to pieces.

"Leopard Gals, huh? And here, I thought they went extinct…" Risky pointed out as she switched from her hat to her cannon and aimed it beneath her intently. Evidently, she knew exactly what she was getting into if she could identify the species of her enemies.

"GROWOOWWOOOWL!" one of the Leopard Gals roared as she rocketed forth toward Risky ahead of her ally. Only, Risky was prepared.

"Looks like I'd better make that assumption a reality! EAT THIS!" the buxom buccaneer shouted as she, with another deafening *PRAPLOWGH*, fired another cannonball at the Leopard Gal. With a dense, metallic *PRAPLAAAAANG*, the Leopard Gal was struck directly in her snout, knocking her out completely as she went hurtling back into the abyss.

"SISTER!" the Leopard Gal hollered out in dismay as she watched her kin fall, her voice coming out as light, yet gravelly. Her shock quickly turning into a bloodthirsty rage, she turned back toward hers and her sister's enemy. "YOU! I WILL GNAW YOUR BO-!" she was about to shout before a sudden *SKISCH* of a sword stabbing into her shoulder cut her off. As it appeared, Risky took the distraction as an opportunity to launch a most dishonorable sneak attack by using her sword dive attack on the unsuspecting catgirl. It didn't end here, however.

"Thanks for the BOOST! SHAAAH!" Risky roared as she gained her leverage by pulling her sword out from under her and delivering a BRUTAL double-foot kick to her adversary. With a disturbing *KAPLOCK*, the diabolical pirate woman kicked the injured Leopard Gal into the abyss. Immediately following this, Risky switched to Cannon mode and fired two more *PRAPLOWGHs* from her cannon. Just NARROWLY missing being roasted to a crisp by another *BLEEEERSH* of an energy blast from Clone-Shantae, Risky landed safely (a term I use VERY loosely) on a long, stretching row of crumbling platforms with those scary Rusty Pike Balls floating all around them. As soon as she landed, however, Risky wasted not even a single millisecond hesitating. Switching to her sword once more, she tucked it to her side, enveloped herself with another startling *FWOOOORSH* of Dark Magic, and took off BLASTING ahead with afterimages following closely behind. The platform, of course, went crumbling away with every step she took with a continuous *KRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRAKRRRRRUMBLE*, but Risky remained focused.

"No…! She's a bigger headache than I thought she'd be…" Clone-Shantae murmured in intensified frustration as she raced ahead with another fireball at the ready. Determined to stop this forest-hating madwoman at all costs, Clone-Shantae pulled another trick from her book… by shooting her next attack with a whistling *PAPWOOOOOSH* at one of the Rusty Pike Balls floating ahead of a racing Risky Boots. And wouldn't you know it? She struck the deathtrap directly… which caused an utterly MASSIVE *KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* of an explosion that sent aftershocks ripping through the vicinity. Fiery, spiky chunks of metal scattering everywhere and a smoke cloud immediately forming, the Rusty Pike Ball's detonation threatened to completely deafen ANYBODY who came within a mile of it without earmuffs… unless your name was 'Risky Boots.' Y'know why? Because Risky not only found herself minimally affected by the explosion… SHE LEAPT STRAIGHT PAST IT DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE REMAINING PART OF THE FLOATING PATH WAS COMPLETELY ANNIHILATED! "WHAT!?" Clone-Shantae (much like you and me, I'm sure) shouted at the top of her lungs in total shock. Meanwhile, Risky switched to her hat parachute and glided her way toward the next part of the obstacle course. As she was hovering, three more Leopard Gals came shooting up from the chasm with the full intent to avenge their fallen allies.

"Perfect timing, ladies! You're all gonna serve as my shortcut straight to my destination…!" Risky Boots threatened with the most SADISTIC grin on her face as she swapped to her cannon and… with another *PRAPLOWGH*, she fired the cannon… AWAY FROM THE LEOPARD GALS, only to immediately switch to her scimitar while the girls were still ascending.

"Fiendish poacher!" one of a Leopard Gal shouted as she slashed at the air with her claws. With a startling *SCHIFWIING*, the apex predator sent forth what looked like some sort of red-orange shockwave-like projectile that careened directly toward Risky. "We will DEVOUR you!" At that same time, the other two Leopard Gals performed this enigmatic air slash attack with additional *SCHIFWIIINGs*, sending multiple fast-moving claw projectiles racing toward their enemy to try and get her to slip up. Though surprised, Risky kept herself focused as she slashed away a bunch of the projectiles with a swing of her sword. *TWING* after *TWANG* after *SKRING*, the projectiles were rendered ineffectual as they collided with the blade Risky's weapon. And just when things couldn't get insane enough…

"NOW! HRAAH!" Risky shouted as she tucked the sword beneath her knees and initiated another one of those AWFUL sword-dive attacks that, with another *SKISCH*, stabbed one of her feline adversaries. She then removed her sword and kicked the Leopard Gal away with another *PLOOMPH* of her boots against the poor girl's face. She followed up with another switch to her cannon and *PRAPLOWGH* of her cannon boost maneuver to keep herself airborne while gaining altitude. Clone-Shantae immediately recognized what Risky was doing and became distraught at the realization as she raced forth.

"No, wait! Stop! She's using you as footstools to get ahead! Coordinate your atta-!" the genie-disguised double tried to warn as she flew ahead, only to watch another, and then another Leopard Gal fall victim to the same underhanded technique. All three of this trio of Leopard Gals plummeted back into the pit, where one could safely assume they would not reemerge as Risky uncaringly used her hat parachute to soar… PAST the platforms she was supposed to land on to continue the obstacle course! Instead of following the course, the lady pirate used her position to her advantage and sailed over the abyss with what seemed to be more than enough hangtime to land near the temple! Oh, NO! RISKY WAS BREAKING THE RULES AND SKIPPING EVERYTHING! Astonished beyond belief, Clone-Shantae raced after Risky and fired another *KAPWOOORSH* of a fireball at her. "HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? YOU'RE COMPLETELY RUINING THE CHALLENGE!"

"Challenge, shmallenge!" Risky taunted as she turned and spotted the incoming projectile. Acting quickly, she switched to cannon mode and fired another *PRAPLOWGH* that allowed her to gain just enough height to narrowly avoid the blast. Afterward, she went right on gliding with her pirate hat. "I said I'd 'play' your stupid little game, but I never said I'd 'play' fairly! Sucks to suck, huh? Hahahahahahaaaaah!" the utterly disrespectful pirate woman… er, disrespected with a most maniacal cackle as she soared right on.

"Why, you no-good, miserable, cheating…!" Clone-Shantae grumbled in notable disdain and frustration at how horribly this situation was unfolding for her and her allies. "Grrrgh…! She CANNOT be allowed to get her hands on that Spirit Fuser fragment…!" she further urged before hurriedly turning toward her allies in the abyss and the treetops in the vicinity. "Hey! Why aren't you guys helping me deal… with…? Oh…" she was about to ask before laying eyes on a truly disheartening sight… of the ENTIRE perimeter of the forest roasting to cinders as one of Risky's minions apparently went completely WILD with that flamethrower. To emphasize, that exact Tinkerbat aimed the weapon at a trio of gorilla demons that were about to attack using their elemental blasts.

With an immediate *KERFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSHH*, the gorillas were vanquished and the treetops they stood on were set ablaze. It had even gotten to the point where a bunch of the remaining Leopard Gals within the chasm had resorted to climbing over each other to return to the surface, scurrying through the burning jungle in aggregate fear for their safety. To make matters worse, any remaining gorilla demons that remained unincinerated called it quits as they also fled the grisly scene in hopes of escape before it was too late for them. The Tinkerbats responsible for causing all the carnage and mayhem on the sidelines patted themselves on the back and flew off to join their leader.

"N-No… I can't believe this…! I can't BELIEVE THIS!" the distraught doppelganger lamented with nothing but grief and rapidly building frustration in her tone. "She and her nefarious pirate lackeys… They broke into the forest and laid waste to EVERYTHING in their path…! I… I'm failing my mission…! No…! NO! HRRRAAAGH!" she ranted as she, with a sudden, glitter, smoky *PWOOOOF*, transformed from her Shantae-themed disguise into what appeared to be her true form. Bearing cyan skin, luscious, long, wavy navy hair, sparkling magenta-hued eyes, jade ankle and wrist bracelets, and a form-fitting… if not moderately revealing backless halter dress of an alluring midnight purple, this curvaceous forest goddess seemed to mean business as she hurriedly turned and raced after Risky and her crew. "Our defenses were nowhere near as potent as they should've been…! Aloysius and the rest of our Nightmare Mirage Brigade should have been able to do away with the airborne intruders by now…! What's taking them so…?" she continued to rant to herself as she peered upward to look at the barrier surrounding the forest as the wildfires continued to rage and spread. She would only find herself more distraught to see the barrier opening up around the top with a resounding *VWEEEEEEEZH*, seemingly without prompt.

"You're KIDDING! Shoot…!" this mysterious cyan-skinned woman cursed, the desperation even more evident in her tone as the smoke began to pour out of the opening. "That can only mean the intruders outside completed the Surreal Shadow Rings challenge…! No, no…! I MUST protect that Relic at all costs…!" she urged herself as she, with a sudden *TWEESCH*, vanished into thin air. Although, one could see the sparkling trail of blue light zooming from her previous position toward the temple in the clearing that Risky and her Tinkerbats were closing in on…

Switching back to Risky Boots once more…

"Ah, there you boys are," Risky contentedly addressed her Tinkerbats as they flew on either side of her as she glided over the last few clusters of treetops and closed the distance on the sacred temple in the heart of the jungle. "I presume your rejoining me means you've tied up those loose ends?"

One of the Tinkerbats made a series of gestures involving swatting its hands across its chest before raising its arms upward with its scraggly little fingers spread out. I… suppose it meant that they did a thorough job of strategically burning the forest down while leaving enough room for an escape route once they collected their bounty.

"Perfect…!" Risky praised with a most malevolent grin, no doubt proud of the carnage she caused all across the flaming Phantasmagoric Forest. "Of course, I don't happen to see that idiotic Shantae impersonator anywhere. I figured she'd be hot on our tail. Did you deal with her, too?"

The other Tinkerbat shook its head and shrugged, communicating that it had not laid eyes on her in the middle of them completing their task.

"I see. In that case, keep your eyes peeled. She could show up again at any moment. Of course… I've got something special JUST for her in case she decides to show her face again…" the Pirate Queen ominously remarked as she and her minions reached their destination. Disengaging her hat parachute, Risky Boots landed with a *THOOMP* of her feet against the clear, sparkling grass of the pristine forest clearing. Appearing to have been untouched for millennia, the clearing was wide, spacious, and yielded many beds of colorful flowers that I certainly hoped Risky and her team of bandits didn't get the idea to torch… Of course, the most eye-catching wonder in the area was the golden-bricked pyramid shrine that rested at the very center. Gleaming in the limited sunlight despite the smog from the burning forest nearly blotting out all outside light, this magnificent temple stood tall and bore torchlit statues of Leopard Gals and other chimeric beasts that resembled the protectors of the Phantasmagoric Forest encircling it. At the top of the shrine, however, appeared to be some bright, scintillating object encased in a jade bubble. This place seemed so… serene. So beautiful… Wow… "Hm. Not the worst eyesore I've ever had the misfortune of witnessing," Risky rudely remarked, completely undermining anything I just said as she looked directly at the bubbled artifact at the shrine's summit.

The Tinkerbat with the knife gesticulated to Risky as if to ask if that shiny gold tube in the green bubble was perhaps what they were looking for.

"It may very well be," Risky casually assured. "Only way we're gonna find out is by getting up there and taking a closer look. So, let's g-!" she was about to command before a sudden *TWEESCH* cut her off. In that same instant, a beam of blue light zipped past her and struck the ground directly in front of the shrine. And, with an unexpected, smoky *PWOOOF*, that beautiful cyan-skinned woman appeared. And judging by the agitated look on her face, it seemed she was having NONE of what Risky was bringing to the table. "Hm? Who in the heck are you?"

"You will NEVER be allowed to take this Relic from this island, you miserable pirate scoundrel!" the woman barked at Risky, full to the brim with hostility as she raised her hands and began to summon up magic energy of a swirling bluish-green mixture into them. Though surprised at first, the Queen of the Seven Seas picked up on the clues right away… as she also laid her hand on a weapon she had tucked away in a holster attached to her thigh.

"Oh, I see. You're the braindead scalawag who disguised herself as that detestable genie brat, aren't you?" she brazenly asked, tightening her stance as she kept her eyes locked on her enemy as if to anticipate a potential attack. "Goodness, is this your true form? Hah! You look ridiculous! No wonder you were too scared to show your hideous face earlier," she further goaded with no regard for the presumable goddess.

"SCUM! You speak to the great Maya the Overseer!" the forest guardian revealed, her anger only increasing as she continued to charge up magic in her hands. As she did so, the airspace around her digits began to bend and warp like she was bending time and space at her leisure. "And for your many transgressions against the humble denizens of this sacred land, you will be cursed to spend eternity in a nightmare of your own making! PREPARE YOURSELF!"

"How droll…" Risky apathetically remarked, unsheathing the weapon strapped to her thigh to reveal… a sliver pistol? Only, this pistol didn't look the slightest bit like a standard flintlock she or her minions would normally carry. It was big, blocky, and dense like it was made entirely of steel. If anything, it… kind of looked like a weapon belonging to someone in the military. And even THEN, no military in Sequin Land carried any weapon of the sort. It was the same case with that rifle from before. I… can only wonder where she got this kind of gun, but it looked EXTREMELY dangerous all the same. Chambering a round into the gun's barrel, Risky took the initiative to aim the weapon directly at Maya without even an inkling of hesitation. "Y'know, I'm feeling oddly merciful despite everything you tried to do to annoy and inconvenience me today. Step aside and surrender this 'Spirit Fuser' piece, and you MAY be given a chance to escape this encounter alive. This is your ONLY warning."

"Never! The Spirit Fuser's power is far too great and far too dangerous for a greedy, lowlife crook like you to abscond with! BEGONE!" Maya fervently refused, aiming a magic-powered hand at Risky while said hand hummed with a tense *VWOOORN* of ethereal energy. And just like that, we had a tense, potentially deadly standoff unfolding right before us, with neither woman ready to yield to the other.

"Oh, you think so? What do you think an honest, hardworking woman like me would EVER do with something supposedly so powerful, hm? Certainly, it can't be THAT important or dangerous…"

"The Spirit Fuser has the ability to absorb the souls of all living beings except those of genie descent, at which point it grants its user all the powers of those absorbed by it," Maya revealed, none the wiser to Risky's manipulative bluff. Risky, as you might have guessed, reeled back in genuine surprise. She did her best to hide it behind her unreadable poker face, however. "It is for this reason that the Spirit Fuser was broken into pieces and scattered across the land by the genies so long ago. And if I must, I will do everything in my power to prevent this fragment from falling into evil hands!"

"…So, it works just like the Empress Siren's ability… only, it's reversed and anyone who gets their hands on it can wield its power as they see fit…" she murmured in an oddly bitter intrigue while she was looking at the object in question. "Interesting… I could certainly use that to get the edge I need…" she further acknowledged before turning her attention back to Maya. "In that case, that Spirit Fuser piece is as good as mine! If you value your life, you'll heed my word and get out of my way. Of course, I have NO issue taking you down the hard way if that's how you want this encounter to play out. Now, move!"

"I THINK NOT! PREPARE YOURSELF, PIRATE FIEND! HRRRAAAAAH!" Maya shouted as she sent a magic shockwave forth with a startling *KAWOOOOORSH* that slid across the ground and left skid marks across the grassy terrain.

"Hrah! The hard way it is, then. Fine by me," Risky accepted the challenge, grinning with macabre delight as she and her minions dodged the incoming magic attack. It sliced through a few trees with resounding *SCHAKWARK* noises before it dissipated, though the battle was on from this point. So, I think this is the part where we come up with a fancy Boss Battle title… at least, that's what the standard always seemed to be. So, in keeping with tradition…

MAYA THE OVERSEER: MYSTICAL MAIDEN OF-!

"NO CHANCE! PERISH!" Risky shouted as she dodged another *KAWOOORSH* of a projectile from Maya, aimed her pistol, and fired while on the run. With an utterly EXPLOSIVE *KRABWAANG*, the Pirate Queen shot what looked like a SPEEDING FIREBALL WITH A SHARP-EDGED POINT AT THE FRONT OF IT! Oh, no… Worse yet, the bullet had to be zipping through the air at a speed that I SWEAR rivaled lightning. Maya stood little chance as she barely had the time to register what was happening. Within a half-second, and with a most disturbing *PWEERSK*, the forest guardian was struck as the bullet pierced right through her stomach.

"GHAAHAAAAAAAAGH!" the unfortunate Maya hollered at the top of her lungs as she was sent hurtling backward, exploding with *BOOM* after *BANG* after *BWOOM* after *KABLAM* along the way. The explosions grew more and more rapid until a conclusive *KABOOOOOOM* sent the mortally wounded goddess flying even farther back. Hitting her back against the shrine with a *KAKRACK* hard enough to SHATTER some of the stones she hit, Maya fell to the ground. "Gh… Ghaaah…! Hah…! Hagh…!" she struggled to breathe, tightly clutching her hotly aching wound as her magic did its job of at least temporarily sealing it shut. It... took little more than a glance to see that she was in horrible shape, however. The unfortunate guardian was clutching her stomach for dear life with both her hands as she writhed in unending torment. Worse yet, her dress became drenched in dark crimson from the spot in which she was shot...

"HOOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH!" Risky cackled in sadistic delight as she marveled at the harm she caused. "I TOLD you not to get in my way, but you didn't listen. NOW look at you," she coldly taunted as she walked up and watched Maya crumple up against the shrine's wall, gasping for breath. "That's just too bad, sweetie. Looks like you lost our little 'game.' Now, you'll have to sit there and watch, clinging to the last vestiges of consciousness you may have as I go ahead and help myself to MY new Spirit Fuser piece. Thanks for the entertainment, either way. Too bad we won't get to do this again, but I had fun. I only WISH I could say the same for you."

"Ghrrgh…! Y-you heartless fiend…!" Maya weakly cursed through labored breaths as she tried to get up, only to fall back down in unrelenting agony. "E-even if… even if I have to give my life to do it… I-I'll stop you… from claiming the Spirit… Ghaaaagh…!"

"Hmph. You're too weak to even STAND, much less stop me. You never had a chance, you pathetic little forest nymph. You should be so lucky I don't make your demise even more painful for that miserable excuse for a scare tactic you tried to pull on me. Disguising yourself as that irritating genie and showing me such disrespect… Pitiful!" Risky cursed right back, glaring at the gravely injured Maya as the forest protector's condition rapidly worsened. Seeing no more use in talking to Maya, however, Risky began to trot right past her with her Tinkerbats following closely behind. "You deserved this, and you know it. Let that sink in on your way to the afterlife. Meanwhile, I'll be collec-!"

"SPECTER FLASH!" a masculine voice shouted from the heavens as its owner came racing downward through the smog. In that same instant, a massive shadow began to eclipse the barely visible sunlight as it grew bigger and wider by the second. Within that time as well, a sudden *BWEEEERSH* rang out as though someone had fired a missile.

"Huh? What in the-!?" Risky was about to ask as she looked up and spotted a swirling ball of electricity bulleting toward her… in addition to a blur of black, silver, and green headed directly at her behind the incoming attack. Thinking quickly, Risky and her Tinkerbats hopped backward by at least a few yards as the blast collided with the ground, emitting a deafening, crackling *KAPWARSHAKAKAZAAAP*. Chunks of dirt, burnt grass blades, and rubble flew in all directions upon the blast's impact. Immediately after the surprise attack, a team of daring interlopers entered the fray. One of them, a certain dreadlocked, bearded, halo-adorned, green-and-silver-garbed ghost, landed with a dense *PRAPLOCK* of his feet on the ground, his body surging with a mystical blue aura. He was accompanied by a giant kaleidoscopic war bird with a familiar buxom young blonde falconer riding on its back. The falconer and her war bird glided downward with a massive, windy *FLOOF* of the avian creature's wings before it touched down on the ground just a few feet in front of Maya. Hurriedly, the blonde woman climbed off her bird and tended to the injured Overseer, who could only look on in shock, fear, and confusion.

"…It… It can't be… Is that…?" Risky Boots murmured in shock as she got a good look at the man who dared to get in her way. Meanwhile, the man stood tall and glared at her… with eyes that gleamed gold like fresh treasure. Or rather, one of his eyes was gold. The other one was rapidly flashing between gold and this bone-chilling shade of silver as he stared LASERS into Risky Boots's face. Risky, while shocked nearly speechless by the sudden appearance of this intruder, took special note of the plethora of disfiguring claw marks that ran down the left side of the man's visage over his flashing eye, in addition to another mark scraped across his left cheek. "Those scars…" she murmured, studying the marks up and down as though she'd seen them before. The stare down wouldn't last long, however, as one of Risky's Tinkerbats suddenly panicked. Seeming to have been stricken with inconceivable terror at just the sight of the ghost man, the Tinkerbat readied its flamethrower, raced ahead of its master with the idea to protect its squad, and aimed. "Hey, hey, what are you-!?" Risky tried to ask her minion before a massive *KERFWOOOOOOOOOOORSH* of unforgiving flames erupted from the Tinkerbat's weapon.

"HWAAAARRRAAAH!" the ghost man roared as he stretched a magic-charged hand behind his back, entered a battle stance, and with all his might, swatted his hand upward. Following his action, a sudden, violent *FWEEEEEEEEERRFF* of wind rivaling that of a tornado kicked up, DIRECTING THE FLOW OF THE FIRE BLAST UP AND AWAY FROM ANY LIVING THING THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED OTHERWISE!? HOLY SMOKES! No pun intended…

"WHAT!? How…!?" Risky remarked in complete surprise, seeming not to have expected such a turn of events herself. The Tinkerbat, seeing that its attack wasn't working, stopped discharging flames from the flamethrower for a moment and opted to try and gain an aerial advantage. However, as soon as the last few embers from the flamethrower were blown away by the gale force wind… a sudden *FWEERSCH* could be heard as the ghost man in question rushed right up into that Tinkerbat's face with his fist cocked all the way back. And, with a gut-blasting *KATHRAAAAASH* ringing out loud enough to echo around the vicinity, the man delivered a DEVASTATING uppercut to the Tinkerbat's stomach hard enough that you could LITERALLY see the imprint of his knuckles protruding from the henchman's back. Oof…! Yet, it didn't end there. As the Tinkerbat was flung into the air from the sheer, unbridled force of the gut punch without its ability to process what was happening, another *TWACK* of the man's other hand snapped the Tinkerbat back to reality. Granted, what it was experiencing in reality seemed to be worse than any nightmare it would be capable of having. Why, you may ask? Because the man was holding the Tinkerbat high in the air, his fingers tightly clutched around the minion's throat like a vise as he stared bullets at it. Try as the Tinkerbat might to break its attacker's grasp, it found itself completely unable to as the man's freaky glowing eyes never moved from it.

"DO THIS WORLD A FAVOR, YOU FILTHY LITTLE PARASITE… AND DIE!" the man commanded, his voice booming with EXTREME anger as he basically began to STRANGLE the Tinkerbat in his hand. Feeling the mounting pressure on its throat, the Tinkerbat entered full panic mode and began to frantically struggle to break itself free. Its efforts would not pay off in the slightest, however, as the undead warrior's arm began to crackle with electricity. And before anyone could predict it, a sudden *KRAKAKRKAKRAKRAKRKAKRAKAZAAAAAAZAAAZAAKRAKRAKRAAKAZAAAAAAAAP* filled the air as the Tinkerbat in the man's hand began to flash, crackle, smoke, and violently convulse while it was being choked out. Rapid, unforgiving volts of electricity continuously ran through the man's arm like he was plugged up to a generator as he refused to relent on this brutal method of dispatching his perceived enemy. It was even to the point where the Tinkerbat's propeller pack caught fire and completely disintegrated… And yet, the man kept the electric current running as he glared at the Tinkerbat like it was the most disgusting thing he ever touched. Now, this could be a hunch, but… something tells me… that this man REALLY didn't like Tinkerbats. Seconds went on like hours as Risky and the other Tinkerbat watched in shock. Before too long, however, and with a truly startling *KABWOOOOORRSH*, the flamethrower Tinkerbat exploded into a cloud of electricity-riddled smoke, leaving only its charred, melted flamethrower behind as the weapon fell with a soft *Plough* on the ground at the ghost man's feet.

"…Interesting… The powers are new, but it's him… It's REALLY him…!" Risky quietly realized, though she still seemed not to believe it. The buccaneer would get an additional bit of confirmation, however, when the man turned his gaze back to her with his one eye still gold and the other one still rapidly flashing between gold and silver. Meanwhile, the remaining Tinkerbat began to tremble in fright as it backed up, seeming to want NOTHING to do with the phantom that just vaporized its friend with his bare hand.

"Wassup, Risky Boots? Been a while…!" the angry ghost greeted the Pirate Queen, though one should not be fooled. His tone, however calm it sounded, was DRIPPING with vitriol and unfathomable hatred. Rather than be shocked or intimidated by the man's hostile method of addressing her in the wake of him electrocuting one of her minions in front of her… Risky… grinned with a most SINISTER delight.

"Heh… I suppose it has. Nice to see you as well… Tayshan," Risky greeted her adversary back, her tone equally as deceptively calm, yet full to the brim with enmity and disdain. And at that point, the wraith and the pirate captain stared one another down hard enough that their wrathful gazes could very well have caused the entire island to EXPLODE in the snap of two fingers. And before anything of the sort happens, we're gonna get ourselves as FAR away as possible for our own safety! At least, until temptation kicks in and calls us right back into the action… which is to say it's time for us to take a bit of a breather after such a nightmarish sequence of events. Next time we meet, of course, we'll get to see a most epic… and potentially most BRUTAL clash between the notorious Pirate Queen Risky Boots and the tenacious Warrior Wraith Tayshan. Don't miss a beat! Stay tuned for next time!