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!

10. Natural Selection

Chapter 6: Natural Selection

Hey-yo! Back for more, I see? I knew you couldn't resist. My selling points are too strong! Nah, but seriously, I'm glad you came back, because we've got another little… conundrum on our hands. The conundrum, I hear you ask? Weeeell…

"Jeez, gramps! How much longer will it be until he wakes up?" asked the one and only Rottytops, still decked out in her training clothes as she, Bolo, and a newly revitalized Sky all rested at the laboratory belonging to the legal guardian of the world-famous Half-Genie Hero. Evidently, they were anxiously waiting for a change in the status condition of said Half-Genie Hero's ghost warrior boyfriend, who had been lying face-up on a comfy bed wearing the same tattered-up outfit he was seen wearing during that disastrous Phantasmagoric Forest trip. As Rottytops pointed out, he was still unconscious…

"Tough to say, lass," the elderly former Relic Hunter known as Mimic replied with a shrug as he sat at a nearby worktable, vigorously studying a certain Spirit Fuser piece and jotting down notes as he went along. "It could be another day, or it could be another week. It really depends on how much magic Tayshan used during his and Sky's last excursion. Judging by the darkened tone of his right arm from whatever massively destructive energy bomb he flung at that no-good Risky Boots, I imagine he nearly tapped himself completely out."

"That's the impression I got," Sky spoke up, still wearing the silver vambrace belonging to the wraith in question as she studied his aforementioned limb. As Mimic pointed out, the arm was still a couple shades darker than his other one, and one could see the purple-hued outlines of his veins. "Who'd have thought it would've wiped him out like this, though…?"

"Indeed. This is exactly what those Inhibitor Vambraces were supposed to prevent," Mimic pointed out, never taking his attention away from his work. His statement wound up shocking all three of his conscious guests, nevertheless.

"Wait, what? Inhibitor Vambraces?" Bolo questioned in surprise, turning his attention away from the window he was staring out of to tune in.

"As in, they're supposed to SUPPRESS his power?" Sky additionally asked, glancing at the vambrace she was wearing for a moment. "That explains why he took it off right before he attacked Risky… huh…"

"Correct. I modified that set for our ghostly friend here to assist him with controlling his magic. They're designed to place a reasonably strict limit on magic output for the sake of balance and longevity," the retired Relic Hunter explained. "However immensely powerful it is, his Dual Magic is still FAR too unstable for him to realistically rein in on his own by this point. It's worse that his power keeps rising with the more intimately familiar it becomes with his ethereal form, which I fear further compromises his ability to remain present in this world. He was supposed to always keep those bracelets on while out on duty."

"Oh… Has it been that much of a cause for concern?" Bolo asked for clarification, uncertain of how to take the revelation.

"Absolutely, it has. And believe me, I'm going to give him an EARFUL for taking one of them off to launch such a reckless attack… even if it WAS against that marauding pirate…!" he further forewarned, a tinge of worry in his tone. "There's far too much at stake for us to be so irresponsible…!"

"Ah… Stud muffin…" Rotty also worriedly murmured as she scanned her fellow undead teammate up and down, sitting by his side as she took hold of his hand.

"All things considered, it makes perfect sense how Shantae picked up on it with that Soul-Link sense the second he activated his magic, then… Which reminds me…" Bolo spoke once more as he rubbed his chin in wonder. "Professor, have you had any additional thoughts about what I mentioned regarding what I saw of-?" he was about to ask before being cut off.

"Hey, where is Shantae, anyway?" Sky asked in wonder as she looked around the workshop, unintentionally interrupting Bolo. "I thought she was hanging out with you before you guys came here, Rotty. Is she on her way?"

"We're… not sure," Rottytops apprehensively answered. "She and I were training outside her house, but she said something about needing to run an errand by the time Bolo came to give us the heads-up about you and Tay."

"Yeah, and she didn't even mention what the 'errand' was," Bolo chimed in. "She only told us she'd be back."

"Huh… Okay… That's a little out of the ordinary…" Sky acknowledged, growing more curious as she took a moment to ponder the situation. "She hasn't been here since we all came back from the Phantasmagoric Forest three days ago. Where could she possibly go that she'd just take off without at least letting you guys know beforehand? And has she been that busy that she hasn't had time to stop by or something?"

"Beats me," Rotty replied rather plainly, though she also found herself a bit worried. "I just chalk it up to her needing to handle something privately. What that is, I don't have a clue, but she seemed to be in a really huge hurry out of nowhere… And I… I'm not really sure why she hasn't been here. All I know is that she's still a little stressed out."

"I see…" the disquieted falconer acknowledged as she turned her gaze toward the unconscious wraith. "Hm…" she further hummed, her face forming a saddened frown.

"Shantae has her unique methods of dealing with stress, so I wouldn't put too much stock in worrying about her schedule. As for why she left so suddenly earlier today, perhaps she has gone to locate another Spirit Fuser piece independently?" Mimic hypothesized as he finished up his research on the Relic fragment in his hand.

"She'd have to know where it is first, and even so, she'd have taken at least one of us with her," Bolo denied with a scratch of his head.

"That is true…" the elderly scientist agreed. "Well, my only other guess is that she spotted something suspicious or had a premonition about something, and she's on her way to investigate it. She most likely didn't let you know right away, so she would not cause any alarm."

"That's awfully specific. What makes you so sure, gramps?" Rotty asked, lightly strengthening her grip on Tayshan's hand.

"It could be either the fact that we've seen her embark on similar endeavors before, or the fact that I raised her for seventeen years, and I've grown accustomed to her method of research and reconnaissance," he matter-of-factly rebutted.

"…Touché…" Rotty conceded, though she didn't seem entirely pleased as she pouted.

"Hm. Well, presuming that's the case, we can only hope whatever she discovers isn't a sign of impending disaster like the trend has been recently," Sky remarked with a sigh of anticipation for what was to come. "That said, any chance you figured anything out about that Spirit Fuser fragment, Mr. Mimic?"

"Hmm… I've got a couple of potential theories about its uses while separated from the other pieces, but I'll need more time with it to be sure," the scientist candidly answered.

"Theories like what?" Bolo dared to ask with a curious eyebrow raised.

"Simply put, I'm wondering if it's true that each of the Spirit Fuser's components can function separately, or if the entire thing must be reassembled to access its abilities. As you might imagine, I am quite apprehensive about testing it out because of how dangerous this Relic can be. Plus, I don't want to potentially jeopardize our chances of removing that halo from our sleeping friend here…" he further postulated, though the statement made Rottytops worriedly flick her eyes toward the elderly researcher. Soon after, she refocused her gaze on Tayshan, seeming to be lost in thought about something.

"I still can't wrap my head around the fact that we just stumbled upon a Relic that can either save or DESTROY lives, just by getting lucky enough to catch sight of a seemingly random forest…" the falconer murmured in amazement. "Granted, we're apparently gonna be dealing with some stiff competition from the likes of Risky Boots and that other half-genie that attacked Scuttle Town this past week."

"Which basically means that, with or without Shantae and Tayshan, we'd do best to keep our search efforts as consistent and as swift as possible," the determined blue-haired adventurer Bolo surmised, clenching a fist in a sudden burst of motivation. "There's no way we can sit on the sidelines when things are getting so tense, so quickly. That is, unless there's some reason anyone here believes we can't handle the task."

"Ah, taking a more proactive approach, eh? What an interesting twist!" Mimic observed in pleasant surprise.

"Well, yeah. We wouldn't really be a solid team if we only let two of our members do all the hard work while the rest of us sat around and doted on them. And believe me, I've had FAR MORE than enough of not being useful. We've all gotta pull our weight in one way or another," Bolo asserted, making his stance firm. "That said, who's with me?" he further asked with pep in his tone, hoping Sky and Rottytops would immediately jump on-board. Only…

"…Eh, I'm not all that sure," Sky admitted with a look of concern on her face as she clutched her newly healed shoulder. "I'd feel safer if we had someone available who could handle bigger threats than the three of us could on our own…"

"Exactly. I'm not going anywhere until either Tayshan wakes back up, or Shantae comes back to town. No offense, but they're the only two I feel safe going on these wild Relic scavenger hunts with at this point," Rottytops declared with a shake of her head that emphasized a most decisive refusal.

"Aw, come on, you two!" Bolo griped in mild disappointment. "We shouldn't limit our cooperation based on whether or not we can take one of our group's two most powerful members! That's not fair to them, and it certainly isn't productive for any of us! If we don't move now, then we're playing with fire in giving Risky and/or Hashanah more time to reassemble the Spirit Fuser themselves!"

"I see your point, but you and I both almost got killed during our adventures the other day," Sky pointed out. "Nila tried to stab you to death, and Risky shot me point-blank without hesitation. I don't even think I need to mention the hazardous, monster-infested obstacle course that came before we made it into the Phantasmagoric Forest. Who knows what would've happened if things played out slightly differently in either scenario or if Shantae and Tayshan weren't around to protect us?"

"As if we've never been directly faced with danger before, Sky," Bolo sardonically remarked. "Since when has that stopped us from jumping in and going on adventures of our own?"

"To be fair, Bolo, adventuring was never truly an interest of mine. I've accepted my role as more of a support and recon specialist, as opposed to a direct field adventurer," Sky explained. "There were a few exceptions here and there, but I'm more comfortable assisting someone I know is going to benefit most from it while they can also provide adequate protection from any unexpected threats. Hence, why I brought Tayshan with me to the Phantasmagoric Forest instead of going on my own."

"Then why not support me this time around? I'm plenty reliable, and we've gone on adventures together without Shantae before!" the young handyman vouched for himself.

"Yeah, except we've always either worked together to assist Shantae behind the scenes, or we were assigned specific roles by Tayshan when we needed to strategize in a tough situation. Unless you're telling me you can somehow match at least three years of Guardian Genie experience OR two years' worth of military expertise AND six years of street-based survival instincts, you're gonna have a tough time convincing me to rely on you alone. No offense."

"Ah, right… W-well, now's our chance to take some initiative and maybe earn some experience of our own! We can strategize and spring into action, learning as we go along. No one's expecting it to go perfectly, but this is our chance. I mean, you're always the one talking about getting a scope on things, and I'm always ready to improvise wherever necessary. And Rotty, with as powerful as she's become in recent times with her new and enhanced abilities, she can cover for us in a bind."

"Yyyyyeah, no," Rotty disagreed in a heartbeat, knocking the wind out of Bolo's sails before he could get anywhere with his motivational teamwork speech.

"What? What do you mean 'no?'" Bolo dared to question, the agitation clear in his tone.

"I mean I'm still not convinced you're ready for that kind of responsibility," the zombie girl matter-of-factly rebutted. "You're coming off of nearly being turned into butcher shop merchandise before Shantae saved you again, dude. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking you anywhere, knowing that the second you were left alone, someone or something could spring out and rip you to chunks because you let your guard down."

"Hey! That situation in Tangled Thread was a little rough on me, but you shouldn't use that against me like I can't handle myself!" the indignant young man shouted. "It was ONE TIME that I was caught by surprise!"

"Among all the OTHER times you were 'caught by surprise,' Bolo?" Rotty retorted, standing her ground.

"Other times? Like when, Rotty?"

"Ooh, you REALLY don't wanna go there," the undead young woman sternly denied. "That list would be long enough to wrap around the town, and we'd be here all week pointing out every incident. Our recent camping trip alone seemed to almost be too much for you to handle, and I was actually worried you'd soil yourself if we spent too much time away from home," she further joked, though she wouldn't exactly be met with laughs.

"D'oh, you know what!? I'm getting so SICK of you talking down to me like that! You've got a LOT to say about-!" the incensed explorer was about to shout as he marched toward Rotty with the intent to give her an earful.

"Guys, guys, relax!" Sky intervened, stepping in front of Bolo and laid her hands on his shoulders to stop him. "This is no time to be squabbling!"

"Seriously, what is it with you two that you can't get along?" Mimic queried with a raised eyebrow as he exchanged glances with the three conscious members of the antipiracy squad. "I thought you'd learned your lessons by now, but you continue to argue like an old married couple to this very day!"

"WHAT!? Ew, gross! Not in a BILLION years!" Both Bolo AND Rottytops harshly denied, each of them blushing with furrowed brows. However, upon hearing one another's vehement denials of a Bolo x Rottytops ship potentially setting sail…

"Excuse you! As if I'd even WANT a clumsy, airheaded dolt like YOU as a husband! Don't flatter yourself, Bricks-For-Brains!" Rotty yelled nearly at the top of her lungs.

"Trust me, I'd RATHER have bricks for brains than have someone as wishy-washy, stuck-up, and rude as YOU for a wife! At least I wouldn't get a heaping ton of mixed signals from the bricks!" Bolo shouted right back, standing his ground. "Seriously, you can't even make up your mind on what kind of meat you want on a sandwich, let alone how close we should be as friends! I couldn't even imagine how obnoxious and indecisive you'd be if we were anything more!"

"Jeez Louise, you two! Cut it out!" Sky shouted, growing frantic as she continued to try and pull Bolo away.

"Why, you-! Ooh, you're LUCKY I'm tending to stud muffin right now, or else I'd come over there and CLEAN YOUR CLOCK!" the highly agitated zombie maiden threatened with a fist raised in Bolo's direction, staring bullets at her blue-haired friend like she wanted him to disappear on the spot.

"Ugh, for the last time, STOP calling him that! Tayshan is SHANTAE'S boyfriend, not yours! And as far as 'cleaning my clock' goes, Rotty, you wish! You wouldn't even-!"

"ENOUGH!" Mimic shouted at the top of his lungs, startling all three teens into total silence as they all turned their astonished gazes toward him. "I've told you kids before that this pointless verbal jousting has NO place in my workshop! If there's an issue we must address, then we'll do it with some sense of civility! Is that understood!?"

"…Y-yes, sir," Sky, Bolo, and Rottytops agreed after a most tense moment of silence.

"…Hmmrgh… Loud…" a certain wraith mumbled as he suddenly shifted, further shocking everyone as they thought he was waking up.

"Tay…?" Rottytops called in a whisper, keeping her grip on his hand. However, it turned out to be something of a false alarm when the ghost man rolled over to his side to where he was facing Rotty. Immediately afterward, he went limp once more. Or, so I initially thought…

"…Rotty…" he murmured in response to his friend's call, barely opening his eyes for just a bit. Responding to the prompt, the zombie maiden brushed his dreadlocks off his face with her free hand, examining him closer. Tay's eyes were almost entirely hidden under his eyelids, but they were open enough for Rotty to catch sight of the gold in them as they locked their gazes on one another.

"H-hey, stud muffin… Are… you okay…?" she hesitantly asked, uncertain of if her ethereal friend was truly awake. In response, Tayshan slowly and very shakily raised his other hand toward her. It seemed to take him forever, but he eventually managed to gently press the hand to Rottytops's face, at which point he wound up delicately grazing his fingers along her cheek like he was petting a cat. Though surprised, Rotty nuzzled her cheek into the wraith's surprisingly warm palm as she pressed one of her hands to his. "I'm here for you, honey… Take your time…"

"…appreciate… you… Princess…" the ghost guardian mumbled in his sleepy stupor. It wasn't long, however, before he drifted off as he closed his eyes once more. Accordingly, the hand he had pressed to Rotty's cheek went limp. Her heart skipping a beat at his delirious response, Rotty was prompted to gently lay the ghost's darkened limb back down on the bed. Afterward, the otherwise silent workshop was filled with the sound of the guardsman's light breathing as he went from being unconscious to simply being asleep. Stunned by the brief interaction as her heart began to race, Rottytops tightened her grip on Tayshan's other hand with one of her own as she laid her other hand on his cheek. It went without saying that she was quite worried about him…

"Hm. Seems like his recovery's going along," Mimic acknowledged in relief, his tone much quieter. "Thank goodness… That said, we'd better be considerate and keep it down. On another note, what are your plans for embarking on the next trip? Because I'm afraid that none of the three remaining locations are available right this second, according to my notes. The next one is said to appear within a week, though I'm not entirely certain. My notes could potentially be inaccurate."

"Then we can at least scout that location's surroundings for any potential threats to be prepared for, or at least signs that it's going to show up on cue," Bolo eagerly suggested. "All we need is a point in the right direction, and I'm on it."

"You're really determined to take the lead on this next hunt, huh?" the retired Relic Hunter asked in mild surprise.

"Yeah. I'm figuring I can at least gather some clues and intercept any unwanted competition before they give us too much of a headache," the blue-haired spelunker reasoned.

"Good point, I suppose… and you're ABSOLUTELY certain you don't want to wait for Shantae or Tayshan?"

"Positive. We rely on them enough as it is, and it's about time we started doing something productive without needing to be told. I'll go, no matter who says what at this point."

"Ahh… Alright, if your mind's made up, then I'd at least feel more comfortable if you had some company. I'll go with you for back-up, I guess…" Sky acquiesced, raising an eyebrow at Bolo as she uncertainly studied him up and down. Meanwhile…

"Awesome! Trust me, Sky, you're in good hands with me! There won't be a thing to worry about!" he did his best to assure her… with limited results, as the bird trainer remained at least a mite skeptical. "At least SOMEONE in here knows how to be a team player!" At that, Rotty glared directly at Bolo. Realizing the inflammatory nature of his statement, he clammed up as soon as the two made eye contact. After a second, however, Rotty shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"…Whatever, man. Go on and do your little scouting job. Just try a little harder to not get yourself in trouble this time," the zombie maiden rather coolly remarked with a deep sigh, softening her expression as she turned her attention back to the sleeping wraith. It was evident, no less, that she wasn't participating in this recon mission.

"…Roger that…" Bolo tensely acknowledged, still coming off as a mite agitated as he turned his attention toward Mimic alongside Sky.

"So, what area do we want to be on the lookout for?" the bird trainer took the initiative to ask.

"My records suggest the next temple's location is about 200 klicks east of Frostbite Island… which is to say it's PRETTY far out from here, but not all that far from the frozen oasis. There should be an island by the name of Cyclic Season Island appearing out that way."

"Cyclic Season Island? Never heard of THAT one…" Sky remarked, rubbing her chin in wonder.

"That is because this island hasn't been recorded in most modern geographical texts. Its appearances are extremely rare, and no one has ever been lucky enough to go there and gather enough substantial information to mark it on a conventional map. It, as well as the other locations, are considered mythical, so research has been limited."

"Go figure," Bolo acknowledged with a befuddled shrug. "So, how do we even know if this place is actually gonna be there when you say it's gonna be, Professor?"

"Truth be told, we don't," Mimic candidly replied. "Like I mentioned earlier, my notes may be inaccurate despite them being our most reliable source of information. We can only really go by what little we know, in addition to pure luck, much as I hate to say it."

"I see… Whelp, we've had less convenient situations to make sense of, so I can't say I'm surprised…" Sky remarked with a sigh, though the look of perplexity on her face told all.

"It's also worth note that the Cyclic Season Island will appear in tandem with a temple located a few hundred kilometers directly above it… aptly named the Capricious Titan Shrine," Mimic continued to explain.

"Aptly named? How do those two things relate to one another?" Bolo inquired.

"As far as I'm aware, the temple and the island exist together much like the Phantasmagoric Forest and its late guardian Maya," the Relic Hunter elaborated. "The Island will appear one week before the temple appears, and it will disappear one week AFTER the temple disappears… mind you, the temple itself is usually only accessible for about 48 hours before vanishing, followed by the island vanishing in its entirety. After that, we won't get another shot for about ten years."

"Man…! We REALLY have to be mindful of the timing on this one, huh?"

"Indeed. You should also know, however, that during the period before the Capricious Titan Shrine makes its appearance, the weather becomes incredibly unstable, switching between the four seasons of the year in a matter of anywhere between minutes and hours at a time. And it isn't like it's calm or quiet there, either. The weather is often violent, switching between heat waves, blizzards, hurricanes, and even sandstorms with little room for prediction or warning. You never know what you're going to get, traveling to this island. Rumor has it that the weather's frequent changes represent the truly capricious nature of the guardian of the Capricious Titan Shrine. Of course, the Cyclic Season Island is also the ONLY known way to directly access the shrine. Otherwise, nothing can slip through the temple's anti-magic barrier."

"Oh… Er… Point taken…" Bolo pensively acknowledged, his heart beginning to thump in his chest as he anticipated the truly daunting nature of his next quest.

"Still think you can handle the task, my boy?" the elderly scientist queried, reading the apprehension on the young man's face.

"Um… Y-yeah! I've totally got this!" the plucky young traveler accepted the challenge, though one would question if he really knew what he was getting himself into… "We'll just dress appropriately for the weather, and as long as we're careful, we should be in and out of there in no time!"

"…Are you ABSOLUTELY sure about this, Bolo?" Sky asked for extra clarification, herself sounding more than mildly nervous. "This is by no means a walk in the park. I'll still go with you, but it seems just a TAD dangerous…"

"Yeah, I got it! Jeez, why are you all acting so anxious about this? I promise you, it'll be okay. Just trust me on this one, alright?" he did his best to assure everyone, prompting Sky to exchange a wordless, worried glance with Rottytops while Mimic took a moment to quietly observe his guests. It… didn't take very long for things to get just a TOUCH awkward due to there being such a jarring pause in the conversation, as you might imagine. "…Uh… You DO trust me, right?" Bolo asked once again, wondering what everyone else was thinking. Before TOO long, however, Sky breathed a heavy sigh and shrugged.

"…Alright, I'll take your word for it… much as I'd really prefer not to," the bird trainer acquiesced as she strolled toward the entrance of the workshop. "I'm gonna go gather some supplies and get Wrench ready. Be prepared for liftoff in about an hour. And bring a lunch with you, because that flight's gonna take us AT LEAST two hours."

"Roger that, Sky!" Bolo excitedly obeyed as he went scampering off to collect some materials of his own within the workshop.

"Rotty, are you sure you're not coming with us?" Sky took it upon herself to clarify with the zombie maiden once more, though the unsettled look on the falconer's face told all.

"I'd like to, but… No," Rottytops somberly denied, her gaze falling toward the sleeping wraith she'd been tending to once more. "I… I want to be here for him…" At that, Sky raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"He's in good hands with Mr. Mimic. I know it looks rough now, but Tayshan will be alright. Before we know it, he'll be ready to get back in the game."

"I get that, but I'd rather be here to do what I can to help him recover. You and Bolo be careful out there, alright?" Rotty insisted, only momentarily meeting Sky's gaze with her own again as she tightened her grip on Tayshan's hand.

"…Okay, girl. Well… We'll be back. If Shantae gets back before we do, just let her know where we went, alright?"

"Got it," Rottytops assured with a nod. With that, Sky left the workshop to get herself prepared for her impending trip to the mysterious Cyclic Season Island.

"You are… awfully worried about our friend there. Something on your mind?" Mimic questioned, evidently also finding Rotty's disposition to be a point of concern.

"No, sir. At least, nothing worth talking about right this second. I just… I just want to make sure Tay's gonna be okay…" Rotty shared, though her tone came across as wavered and filled with sadness. Her eyes became glassy, and as though she recognized it for herself, she hastily turned her gaze away from the Relic Hunter while moving a hand to wipe her face.

"…I see. In that case, I won't pester you about it. Just make sure you take a little time for yourself to rest and recuperate, too," Mimic offered his advice as he turned and walked toward the nearby kitchen/dining area and grabbed a drinking mug out of a cabinet. "Coffee?"

"Yeah… Thanks," the zombie maiden accepted, though her attention was transfixed on her slumbering crimefighting partner. Yet, just before our regularly scheduled transition…

"...Hmm…" Bolo hummed to himself, peeking past a doorway of an adjacent room with his eyes locked onto Rottytops. He bore a look of… what I could only interpret as uncertainty as he instinctively frowned in contemplation. Odd… I grow even more curious about what was going on between these two that's been making them seem so… uncomfortable around each other…? But, I suppose that'll be found out in due time. We've got a schedule to keep, as usual, so let's go ahead and call it here. We'll regroup in a little while, so see ya in a bit!

Later, on Cyclic Season Island…

"Hah… Man, this place is one heck of an experience to see… I can see that it lives up to its reputation…" murmured a certain half-genie… and no, I don't mean THAT half-genie. This time, I'm talking about the evil one. With the reddish-blonde hair and the penchant for causing chaos and turmoil wherever she went. That's right. You know her (barely), you love her (or hate her), and she'll surely leave a mark on you (VERY literally if you provoke her)… The one, the only… The renegade half-genie HASHANAH, as she stood atop a grassy hill as turbulent winds blew in all directions around her. Dressed in a stylish metallic red cropped bomber jacket with a silver dancer top hidden underneath, as well as equally stylish jet-black harem pants with a silver sash and metallic red slippers to really NAIL that evil genie look, Hashanah peered around the truly disorderly terrain as though to figure out where she was supposed to be headed. Shielding her face with one hand while gripping tightly to a glowing energy spear she evidently planted into the ground to keep her balance, Hashanah seemed just SLIGHTLY uncertain of her next move…

"Hm… I'm not gonna get far just charging ahead without a strategy, that's for sure…" Hashanah further soliloquized, taking note of the extreme freezing winds nipping at her as she observed an open, snowy field rife with icy death traps and ferocious monsters galore. "There was just a massive, extremely humid thunderstorm not three minutes ago, and now it's a blizzard… There is absolutely no way to be dressed appropriately for this place. Regardless, this is the only obstacle standing between me and the next Spirit Fuser fragment… and with THIS one here, I should be able to grant myself a decent amount of 'preparation' to wipe out any unwanted competition…!" she… darkly alluded as she pulled Spirit Fuser Fragment #1 from her pocket. The rogue genie grinned with a sinister delight as the artifact shined in her grasp. Just then, the environment shifted once more. A sudden, brutal heat wave overtook the island, immediately starting the process of melting the snow blanketing the perilous landscape. "Alright, now's a good time to begin. I just need to get to the heart of this island to figure out where the entrance to the Capricious Titan Shrine is, so… Here I go…!" Hashanah urged herself as she, with a most majestic leap, hopped off the hilltop she was standing on. With a graceful somersault and subsequent *PLOMPH* of her feet on the snowy ground as the icy crystals evaporated, Hashanah made her grand entrance. Spirit Fuser piece in hand, she readied herself to dash through the open, yet thoroughly unwelcoming terrain.

"LET 'ER RIP!" she announced, thereby declaring that this adventure was as good as commenced. Oh, man… Guess we'd better buckle in for another surprise villain quest that I hope didn't get too crazy, too quickly… Nevertheless, Hashanah raced forth like her pants were on fire. Her every rapid step emphasized by the sploshy crunch of the snow and ice puddles disintegrating in the intense heat, the renegade genie aggressively charged through. Not long into her trek, however, Hashanah ran into her first of many obstacles in the form of a long, gaping mud pit with unstable floating wooden platforms that rocked and swayed with the wind. With the wind blowing at her back, the determined genie sprinted forth, putting faith in her legs as she took a sprinting long jump over the pit. With assistance from the wind, Hashanah was able to land safely on the first platform with a *PLORK* of her feet against its rickety surface. "Whoa…! Heh… So, this might take a little longer than I expected," she acknowledged as she steadied herself. Within seconds, however, Hashanah bravely made another seemingly impossible wind-boosted long jump onto the next platform. It was then that her first sign of opposition appeared in the form of a giant, dark purple, red-eyed elephant that emerged from the mud pit below.

"VHEWEREERRRRAAAAARH!" the hostile creature uttered its deafening cry before raising its trunk and shooting a spray of mud at the platform Hashanah was standing on.

"GAH! Shoot…!" Hashanah cursed, well aware of the situation as she made another massive leap of wind-based faith high and far to narrowly catch the next platform with her hands. It didn't help her that the platform rocked and jostled, nearly causing her to lose her balance. In that same moment, and with a startling *PRATHROCK*, the elephant obliterated the platform she'd just hopped off of. "Hm… Of all the rotten things to run into first…! A Pachydoomer…!" she complained as she climbed aboard the next platform, naming her foe in the process. That would not be her only concern, however, as the wind suddenly changed direction to where it was blowing the opposite way. Additionally, the weather had switched from a heatwave to a blizzard as a heavy flurry of snow quickly began to fall. "Okay…! Expected as much, but I see where I need to go next… Hryah!" the rogue genie murmured as she changed directions and spotted the next platform. Trusting the wind despite her vision being hindered by the sudden snowfall, Hashanah made another impressive bound to another platform higher up than the last. Meanwhile, the Pachydoomer shot another spray of mud at the previous foothold, destroying it with an icy *KRACKACKLE*. Oh, and speaking of ice…

"Wuuaaahawhoa!" Hashanah bellowed as soon as she landed on the new platform, only to realize that it changed from being made of wood to being made of ice. Hurriedly, she summoned up an energy spear and, with a powerful *KRAKROOSH*, jammed it into the platform to barely avoid her slipping off. "Whew… Alright, I'd better not waste ti…? Wait, is that a flock of Scorcher Hawks?" she noticed as she made another leap to an even higher, even icier platform while the Pachydoomer below did its job of demolishing the platform she was just on. As she secured herself on the next platform, the wind had suddenly stopped, as did the blizzard. The blizzard had, without warning, switched to a torrential downpour while the platform she was standing on changed from ice to crumbling stone… that was crumbling FAST. "What the-!? Shoot, I've only got one shot at this…!" Hashanah murmured as she recognized the danger she was in. She also kept her eyes glued to the ferocious trio of giant gold-and-red-feathered hawks that had been bulleting toward her with the seeming intent to attack. Preparing herself, the genie summoned up two more Dark Magic spears in each hand.

"KRASQUEEEEAAAAAWW!" the lead Scorcher Hawk squawked as it and its fellow avian predators zoomed through the rain to try and claim their meal… only for said 'meal' to hurl her energy weapons in quick succession. With *VWEEERNG* after *VWOOONG*, followed by twin *SKIRSCHes*, Hashanah violently eliminated two of her three airborne enemies. The third, never halting its onslaught, opened its beak and fired a ball of fire no bigger than an adult human's fist as it homed in on its target.

"No better chance than now…! HWAH!" Hashanah urged herself as she, with another astounding jump off the disintegrating platform, found herself narrowly avoiding the seemingly nonthreatening fireball. And just as the Scorcher Hawk got close enough to potentially drill its beak into her, Hashanah followed her instincts and LATCHED ONTO THE SCORCHER HAWK while it was trying to ensnare her! She wound up hitching a ride on the avian behemoth's back as it zipped on by, though the Scorcher Hawk was anything but pleased with the turn of events. Meanwhile, that teensy, tiny little fireball it shot struck the mud pit below… and, with a truly astounding *FWAKROOOOOOSH*, setting the entire pit ablaze like that mud was actually oil. "Whoa…! This thing's got quite the powerful ability. I could use that…!" she found herself impressed enough to mention as the bird she was clinging onto began twirling and haphazardly flapping in an attempt to shake her off. Hashanah would prove herself resilient, however, as she clung even tighter. "Agh…! You're not getting rid of me THAT easily…! I need you for just a little longer…!"

"HRREEEAAARRRRH!" the Pachydoomer roared out in fury as it charged out of the fiery mud pit and gave chase, its gigantic hooves beating against the sopping wet ground with *PRAPOOMPH* after earth-shaking *PRAPOOMPH*, smashing through trees, boulders, and piles of hardened snow alike with *KRATHROCK* after *PRABLOOOMOGH* after *KRAPRAKLARSCH*. It kept its focus locked on its target, firing stone shot after stone shot from its massive trunk.

"WHA-HOH!" Hashanah yelped in shock as one of the many rocks the Pachydoomer shot whizzed past her head while she rode the Scorcher Hawk. "Alright, you've definitely overstayed your welcome…! Time to…? Huh?" she remarked as she prepared to defend herself against the aggressive animal as the Scorcher Hawk swerved and zoomed around the projectiles. Without her explicit control over it, the Scorcher Hawk took on evasive maneuvers, flying higher across swaths of splotchy vegetation, crags, and massive, platform-decorated mud pits of the Cyclic Season Island to avoid being struck by the Pachydoomer pursuing them. It was almost as if the Scorcher Hawk had forgotten she was on top of it. This wouldn't last long, however, as the weather changed once again to a violent, foggy windstorm that wound up obstructing the giant bird's view and messed up its flight pattern just enough to make it an easy target.

"HWEEEEAAARRRRAAAH!" the ferocious Pachydoomer uttered another horrifying war cry as it shot a gigantic glob of hardened mud that struck the distracted Scorcher Hawk in its wing with a debilitating *KWAPRUNCH*.

"HEAAAARRRGH!" the injured Scorcher Hawk cried out in agony as it immediately spun into a haphazard nosedive toward a rocky forest clearing.

"Ahhaaagh…!" Hashanah grunted as she held on tight and braced for impact, all the while charging a hefty supply of Dark Magic into her hand. Meanwhile, the Pachydoomer chased after its prey, still barreling and bowling over any and all vegetation, smaller animals, crags, and other obstacles in its way. Heck, the ten-ton animal even, despite my previous belief that elephants couldn't jump, LEAPT OVER a massive trench I swore you'd have to buy a plane ticket to fly across, landing with a most intimidating *THRABWOOOM* of its gigantic hooves on the ground as it continued to tail its prey. It would take a few perilous seconds that passed like hours before Hashanah and her improvised living ride met the ground. With a feathery *PRAPLAWGH*, the Scorcher Hawk smacked into the ground at nearly full force, sending the half-genie sailing off toward a massive, rapidly flowing river a good thirty yards away. Hashanah was able to catch herself, however, doing her best to adjust her position before landing on her feet and hands with a stinging *SKIIRRRRRSCH* of her digits against the ground. In doing so, she narrowly avoided slipping off the cliff face and into rampaging rapids with nothing but more unevenly (not to mention VERY widely) placed, rickety stone platforms littered across the watery gap.

"SKREEAAAAAW!" the ailing Scorcher Hawk screeched, immediately alerting the genie to the imminent danger they were in as it tried and failed to charge another fire blast in its beak. The flames within its mandible fizzled out almost immediately as the bird struggled to even pick itself up. Meanwhile, that relentless Pachydoomer came blitzing in toward Hashanah while paying little mind to the Scorcher Hawk it picked off out of the sky. In a surprise show of perceived altruism, however…

"No, you don't…! TIME TO MEET YOUR END, BEAST!" the rogue genie roared as she bravely charged at the Pachydoomer like she planned on playing a game of chicken with it. Only, rather than simply run into the behemoth with no other plan of defending herself, Hashanah fired off a Tyranny Blazer attack with a voluminous, crackling *KWABWOOOOORSH* directly at her foe as soon as she got close enough. The Pachydoomer noticed and tried to stop itself by digging its hooves into the ground, though its weight and momentum carried it forward. And, with a truly horrifying, burning *KRAZAAKABWOOOOOOOSH*, Hashanah sent the unsuspecting animal packing, KNOCKING IT OFF ITS HOOVES as it hurtled backward over the Scorcher Hawk. Soon after, the Pachydoomer slammed into the ground with a thunderous *PRAPLOOOOMMPH*, seemingly defeated in a single strike… JEEZ…! "Whew… What a hassle this already turned out to be…" she complained, though she wasted little time in pulling out her Spirit Fuser fragment and activating it. As soon as she did so, the mysterious Relic began to glow with an arcane golden aura… and… she approached the immobilized Scorcher Hawk… Uh-oh…

"Welcome to my collection, birdie…! HAH!" Hashanah remarked as she held the Spirit Fuser fragment toward the badly beaten bird while standing triumphantly over it. She charged the device with a *KAFWOORSH* of her Dark Magic, soon after pointing the device to the injured creature. And… Oh no…! With a disturbing, swirling *FWAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSSSSSSHH* of an ominous, howling energy, the Spirit Fuser began to SUCK THE LIFE OUT OF THE SCORCHER HAWK! The poor bird could do nothing but yelp in agony as its very essence was siphoned into the mysterious Relic. It took mere seconds for the Spirit Fuser's vampiric spell to work in full, draining the Scorcher Hawk thoroughly. By the time it was finished, the Scorcher Hawk was left an entirely grayed-out, lifeless husk that almost immediately withered into dust blown away by the wind. "Haaah…! Yes, your spirit is now MINE…!" the malevolent young woman darkly cheered to herself, relishing the success of her 'hunt.' It wouldn't be enough to satisfy her, however, as she set her sights on her other target. "Your turn now, Pachydoomer…!"

"WHREAAAH! WRRRRAAAAAHAAAAAAAARRR!" the Pachydoomer, despite being badly hurt, roared louder than ever as it hurriedly climbed to its feet and assumed as ready a battle position as it could. Its mighty ebony tusks angled toward its half-genie adversary, the wrathful elephant almost instantaneously coated itself in a sudden *KRAVWOOOORSH* of a protective black aura as it got set to engage in the most aggressive mad dash of its life.

"Gah…! Sh-shoot, I forgot these things did that…!" she cursed, hopping backward and bracing herself for a truly unpleasant experience. I… wasn't sure exactly what she meant when she said she didn't-! "The Doomer Burst Dash… A last-ditch, caution-to-the-wind, explosive kamikaze tackle that'll take out just about anything this Pachydoomer views as a threat… at the cost of its own life…! And it's got its sights set right on me. Never thought I'd be on the business end of it, but here we are. Only one way to prepare for this with any chance to survive… Hooooom…!" she cut me off to explain as she pocketed her Spirit Fuser fragment and began to belly dance. Engaging in a sequence of swiveling and sashaying her hips as she raised her hands to the sky, Hashanah began to channel a flow of Dark Magic into her form. She followed up by lowering her outstretched arms to either side. Soon after, she intensified the flow of her magic as she clasped her hands together, her fingers immediately interlocking with a startling *KRAKROSHK* while she gyrated and sashayed her hips in full focus. Afterward, she ceased her hip swinging to ground her stance and extend her arms out to either side with her palms facing outward. And, with an astounding *GAVWOOOORNG* of a black-highlighted, shiny force field… "BOMBER BARRIER!" she called out the name of her defensive technique, putting a great deal of energy (and faith) in this maneuver's capabilities. We wouldn't have to wait long to find out how sturdy it was, however…

"VHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!" the desperate Pachydoomer roared one last time, ready to end this vicious encounter once and for all, as… WH-WHOA! It… It totally BOLTED toward Hashanah faster than the eye could see! I…! I didn't even see it lower its head to charge! Within the next instant, however, and with a skyscraper-demolishing *KRABLABWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM*, the Pachydoomer EXPLODED with a force I swear rivaled a military warhead! It very literally DECIMATED the entire area, turning a lush, mountainous plateau in its entirety… into a massive, gaping crater the size of a football stadium. The mushroom cloud shot up high enough that you'd probably be able to see it from Propeller Town! Yeah. THAT big…! That Pachydoomer thing is a MENACE! Only a miracle they're presumably not found anywhere else… And in case you're wondering whether Hashanah somehow survived an explosion big enough to wipe out an entire city's worth of people AND their homes… well…

"AHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaa…..!" the INCREDIBLY LUCKY genie hollered out in understandable panic from inside her appropriately named Bomber Barrier shield as she was sent careening high and far across the Cyclic Season Island. Over the rapids with the rickety platforms, over an entire forest's worth of trees, over a mountain, and… almost halfway into SPACE before she began to lose altitude. It… seemed it would be a little while before we saw her again, so uh… Let me figure something out, and I'll be riiiiight back…

Three very, VERY long, VERY difficult minutes later…

Okay, so… If I take into account the trajectory of Hashanah's angle, carry the 4, and then twist my brain into funnel cake trying to do basic geometry for the purpose of figuring out where the heck a half-genie would land if she survived an explosion that should have all but guaranteed death… Ah, forget it! I'm not sure where the heck she was gonna land. Huh… Whelp, I guess this is where we presume the evil genie got launched into space and call i-!

"…aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" an entirely familiar voice came into earshot as its owner, still encased in her black magic force field, continued to shout like she had lungs of steel. And before too much longer… as well as a truly frightening *PRATWAKARSCH* of her Bomber Barrier busting into thousands of magic-charged shards upon impact with the stony, snowy ground beneath her, Hashanah made her triumphant, albeit unceremonious return to the planet's surface. Upon landing, she tucked and rolled, bowling all over the place at the speed of a sprinting cheetah for, like, thirty or forty full YARDS before skidding to a stop that was only made possible by the tree she slammed into with an emphatic *THRUNK*. Miraculously, she remained conscious! Extremely dizzy and disoriented for a moment, but conscious! The brazen genie decided against making a bed out of the oh-so-comfy snow blanket as she gingerly collected herself and rose to a mildly unsteady stand and dusted herself off. "Oof… Wait'll Nila hears about THIS one…! Jeez, my ears are still ringing from that explosion…!" she complained as she made a full recovery. "I'll be sure to take that as a note to NEVER, EVER absorb the soul of a Pachydoomer if I know what's good for me. Hah… Anyway, back to the temple hunt. I need to figure out the…" she was about to begin theorizing before she heard loud, heavy rustling coming from some of the snow-covered foliage nearby. Taking it as another of many, MANY signs of danger, Hashanah put up her guard as she scoured the vicinity for potential threats as the snowfall suddenly stopped.

And wouldn't you know it? Emerging from a collection of nearby bushes was a pair (yes, A PAIR) of vicious, extremely hostile polar bears whose coats were in the midst of morphing from white to reddish-brown right before her eyes. Oh, and it's probably worth mention that these bears were THE SIZES OF TRACTOR TRAILERS! Before Hashanah could do anything to hide herself, the bears spotted her and made it abundantly clear that escape was no longer an option for her. Baring their razor sharp, drool-soaked teeth as they growled and approached on all fours, these bears looked like they were ready for a feast…

"Of course…! The Giga Ursids must've been woken up by that explosion… I guess it really is true when they say rest is a luxury afforded only to the dead…" the disgruntled genie grumbled as she stood her ground she was standing near, reached a hand out beside herself, and summoned up an energy spear with a frightening *ZHEVWOOOORN*. "Hm. That's alright, though, because I was actually HOPING to run into at least one of these things a little later on. Might as well make the most of the opportunity while they're here, so… let the next exotic animal spirit hunt begin…!" she threatened as the giant bears, evidently called Giga Ursids, rushed toward her without warning. It went without saying that they intended to devour her piece by piece.

"GWOOARRRRRGH!" both bears roared simultaneously, their ravenous maws on full display as they hungrily advanced upon their prey. Yet, Hashanah didn't move an inch to retreat right away. Instead, she waited for the bears to get close enough to try slashing at her with their claws… which, by the way, were SHARPER THAN BUTCHER KNIVES! BIGGER, TOO!

"Horyah!" Hashanah grunted as she, with a most elegantly coordinated backflip, narrowly dodged a small flurry of *SCHWINGs* and *FWIIRSHes* of the Giga Ursids' claws as they tried to descend upon her. "Gotta time this right…! I need to separate them first…!" she murmured as the humongous bears charged at her again with the full intent to maul her. They attacked once again with another pair of claw swipes each, only for Hashanah to roll out of the way and swiftly dash behind a nearby tree that had quickly begun to produce leaves and acorns like it was on fast-forward.

"ROOOOAAAWR!" the Giga Ursids bellowed in unison once more, preparing another claw swipe… only this time, THEIR PAWS WERE SUDDENLY SET ABLAZE as they readied their attack! In addition, their eyes began to glow a truly soul-shaking shade of bright red as they went on a full bear-versus-half-genie offensive. With twin strikes, and a burning, echoing *KRATWARKRACK!*, the Giga Ursids struck the tree. As one might imagine, the poor wooden tower went tumbling over, its leafy, barky chunks scattering all over the place in an explosive, fiery blaze of wooden carnage. Yet, when the voracious animals peered around the burning tree stump… no one was there. Perplexed, the bears sniffed around the immediate area to try and pick up the scent of their prey. Only…

"Hey! Over here, you oversized floor mats! SHYAH!" Hashanah shouted at them from behind another tree at least twenty yards away as she flung her energy spear with no form of hesitation whatsoever. The weapon ripped through the air at a speed rivaling that of a baseball pitcher's best fastball with an emphatic *HWRRING* with one of the Ursids as its only method of stopping. Rather than be impaled by the lightning-quick, energy-based weapons, however, one Ursid whirled around and swatted at the spear with one of its flaming claws. And, with an astonishing *TWAZAKRAK*, the spear dispersed into electric particles that blew away in the thick, musty wind. "Ah…! Shoot, these things are just as strong as my notes said they'd be… Guess I'll have to be a bit more creative…!" Hashanah murmured, evidently knowing what she was up against as she turned and dashed forward through the windy plains as all the snow melted and made way for the rapid growth of all sorts of flora ranging from chrysanthemums and petunias to mighty oak trees to common, unsightly weeds abound.

"GRWOOOOOAAAAR!" one of the Giga Ursids let out a roar I could've sworn was loud enough to deafen anyone within ten MILES of it. Within seconds, they angrily gave chase to the brazen young woman that dared make them work for their meal. Slicing through the rapidly burgeoning foliage with *SKWIRSH* after *SKRAARCH* after burning *SKRAKRASH*, this pair of giant bears meant BUSINESS.

"Darn it…! They're pushing me back… I need to surprise them…!" Hashanah reminded herself as she zig-zagged through the increasingly leafy landscape, creating another energy spear along the way. She scoured the morphing landscape for an element of surprise. Meanwhile, the bears were slicing, tearing, and charging their way through EVERYTHING to try and get their paws on her. Sensing the urgency of the situation in the form of the bears getting closer and closer by the second, Hashanah kicked it into high gear. However, as she was racing through the landscape toward a collection of trees near an open marsh pit, a sudden *ZZZKRAKATWAAARSH* of a lightning bolt struck right in front of her. "GWAAAH!" she hollered out, jumping back as she barely processed the fact that she was almost electrocuted on the spot. Hurriedly shaking off her disorientation, she kept on sprinting as she searched the area for a suitable vantage point or hiding spot. Just then, another *ZZZKRKATAK* of a second lightning bolt struck. This time, it struck a tree she had just sprinted past, which ignited the gigantic plant while scattering chunks of wood everywhere. Fortunately for that tree, it didn't burn for long before a sudden *KRAKATWAAK* of a flaming Giga Ursid claw sent it toppling over. As one might imagine, the burning tree landed onto a bed of beautiful flowers, setting THOSE on fire as well. Paying no heed to this, the Giga Ursid pair continued to doggedly pursue their ornery prey.

"For flip's sake, what is going on with these lightni-!?" Hashanah tried to complain before yet ANOTHER *ZZZAKRAKATAK* of a THIRD lightning bolt came zooming down right behind her, propelling her forth with explosive force into the scalding hot marsh pit ahead. "WHOAWAAAH!" she shouted as she was sent flying at least ten to fifteen yards toward the swamp. At the very least, the marginally lucky genie landed on a tree trunk that had been knocked over within the swamp's bubbling, boiling waters. "Hm… It might be my spear that's attracting them… And the best way to test THAT out…!" she murmured to herself as she kept her eyes on the enormous brown bears barreling toward her. As soon as she saw a golden opportunity. "HRAAH!" Hashanah shouted as she leapt off the fallen tree trunk and, with a mighty *FWISSSH*, flung her spear directly at one of the Giga Ursids as they emerged from the metamorphizing woods. Just as the bears clawed their way into the mud-bathed clearing, the spear hit with a gruesome *SKSCH* as the weapon got lodged into its target's shoulder.

"ROWWWAAAAAAARRGH!" the Giga Ursid shouted in incredible pain, immediately sent into a calamitous frenzy as it began to claw away at everything in its sight. *KRATWACK* after *KRACHAK* after *SCHWIKRACK*, the injured bear thrashed and rampaged all over the forest, knocking down, burning, and shredding trees left and right with reckless abandon. The other bear, recognizing the immediate threat its ally posed, retreated a bit for its own safety. The worst was yet to come, however, as an intimidating *BRABLOOOM* of the thunder clouds above made it heavily apparent that another lighting strike was on the horizon.

"That slowed them down just a bit, but will it work…?" Hashanah asked herself, having hurriedly hopped and skipped her way off the swamp to land on its muddy coastline a short distance away. The rogue genie took note of the swirling vortex of storm clouds as she also took cover behind a particularly sturdy tree. She would not have to wait for very long, as another *ZZZKRATAKAKRAZZAAP* of a DEVASTATING lightning bolt struck from the heavens above. Its target? The makeshift lightning rod that was Hashanah's energy spear stuck in the Giga Ursid's shoulder. The following *BRABOOOOOOM* of thunder rang out loud enough that it could've been heard on the other end of Sequin Land as a brilliant, blinding flash of light flared all across the chaotic landscape. The Giga Ursid that was struck was immediately charred from head to toe and had been severely disoriented, though it remained barely conscious. Its ally, remaining wary, hid behind some of the other trees in the vicinity for fear that it would also be struck. The injured bear's woes would not end here, however…

"Now's my chance…!" Hashanah urged herself as she, with incredible speed, dashed out from behind her cover as the storm suddenly came to a halt. Summoning up a Dark Magic-borne scimitar with a disquieting *VWOOOORNG*, the evil half-genie set her sights on the distracted animal while it was stumbling about in an electricity-influenced daze. The spear still stuck in the bear's shoulder did few favors for it, however, as it found itself unable to balance itself on all fours. Try as the bear might to recoup, it appeared that the lightning strike had quickly taken its toll. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to do something truly awful, however… "I'LL PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY!" Hashanah roared as she leapt high and across the swamp, magic sword in hand as she descended upon the unsuspecting creature without a modicum of hesitation. And… with an absolutely sickening *KWASCHIRSCH*, Hashanah plunged her weapon deep into the Giga Ursid's back.

"GOWWWOAAAAAARRH!" the bear hollered out in agony, falling to the ground with a mountainous *PWAPLOWGH* as it registered the sudden debilitating agony inflicted upon it. Hashanah wasn't done, however.

"Suffer, you filthy beast!" she venomously shouted as she ripped her sword from the Giga Ursid's back and… well, she made sure that it wouldn't be living its final moments peacefully. *SCHISCK* after *SCHWIRSH* after *SKRISCK*, the unruly young woman stabbed the Giga Ursid an unnecessary number of additional times to make sure it wouldn't get back up to defend itself. The bear had quickly lost its will to fight as it struggled to move, much less attempt to fling the murderous genie off its back. Eventually, Hashanah withdrew her sword as though she was done… only to then pull out the Spirit Fuser fragment she'd been holding onto. Charging it with a *KAFWOORSH* of her Dark Magic, she stood tall as she aimed one end of the Relic at the dying bear beneath her feet. And with a disturbing, swirling *FWAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSSSSSSHH* of the Relic's ominous, howling energy, the Spirit Fuser did its job of draining the poor Giga Ursid of its life force… Struggle as it might, the poor bear found itself completely incapable of escaping the wrath of this nefarious soul drain attack. Its fur rapidly shifted from brown to a sickly ashen gray, its eyes lost their glow and completely faded out, it grew weaker and weaker by the second, and… eventually, it stopped moving altogether. Only after a solid minute of absorbing the bear's life force did the Spirit Fuser's effect come to a halt. However…

"Yes…! YES! I can FEEL my power increasing! I… I feel INVINCIBLE! HRRRAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAH!" the cold-hearted Hashanah cackled in delight as she flexed every muscle in her body. The energy she stole from the Giga Ursid entered her body, sending startling shockwaves ripping through the area with the power to shred through some of the nearby trees. As the white-hued energy swirled around Hashanah, it quickly began to crackle and turn a nasty shade of purple. Hashanah's eyes flashed red like those of the Giga Ursid whose life force she siphoned off. And as if this horrifying new power-up of hers couldn't be dastardly enough, the evil genie glanced at a hand as she raised it up in front of her. "HWOOOOOARAH!" she shouted as she concentrated her newfound magic into her hand… that suddenly ignited with a *KERFWOOOOSH*, morphing into a fiery bear claw. "Haaah…! It worked…! This is incredible…!" she murmured with the most ecstatic evil grin she could bear in that moment as she reveled in her senseless brutality.

"…Gwwooaaaarrhhh…" the nearly lifeless Giga Ursid groaned in an unending mixture of fatigue, agony, and disorientation as it barely clung to life.

"Huh… This bear's still alive… Barely clinging to consciousness and on its way out, but still alive," Hashanah noticed as she canceled out her fire claw ability and observed the results of her 'experiment.' "I was able to completely drain the Scorcher Hawk before… But then again, I don't remember the Scorcher Hawk disappearing like it was supposed to, either... Hm, I suppose that goes to show that the Spirit Fuser's ability is drastically diminished if it's not all put together. I should've been able to absorb more… It's better than nothing, but I'll definitely need the rest of this thing at this rate…"

"GRRRRWWWOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR!" roared the other Giga Ursid at the top of its lungs, crying out in unmitigated wrath at the sight of its comrade being so brutally dispatched. Alerted to its presence, Hashanah hopped off of the bear creature she'd just maimed and prepared to face its kin in battle… that is, until a smattering of other creatures that included a pair of Scorcher Hawks, a trio of giant black, green, and yellow toads, a trio of Leopard Gals, a quartet of these giant, metallic ant monsters with glowing neon blue eyes, a THIRD Giga Ursid, a rhinoceros that appeared to be made of stone, and another Pachydoomer came rushing into the scene after having witnessed Hashanah's brutal transgression. Ooh, boy… Hashanah done ticked off the ENTIRE ecosystem here, and now they've all banded together to save their home and each other from her… And in tune with a sudden rush of wind that threatened to blow away everything that wasn't rooted to the ground accompanied by a rapidly forming, lightning-riddled funnel cloud above, it appeared things were only going to get more chaotic. Yet, after shaking off her initial surprise to look around…

"…Heh… Okay, so we've got a bunch of supernatural animals here, a world-ending tornado there, and a TON of research still to do, JUST to find the entrance to the Capricious Titan Shrine…" Hashanah acknowledged, smirking with a chilling sense of confidence as she prepared for battle. "Fine, then. I've got a little time, and a lot of new things I want to learn…!" she further threatened, examining her Spirit Fuser fragment for a moment before turning her malicious gaze toward the army of animals ready to dispatch her at a moment's glance. "If any of you vile creatures think you can handle me, then step right up and be my guests. I WILL let you know, though, that perishing in the incoming tornado would be your BETTER option by a long shot…!" Hashanah offered one more utterly malicious word of 'caution' as she raised her fists up in front of her. And then… "HRRRYAH!" she shouted as she channeled a powerful, crackling flow of magic through her arms. Within the next couple seconds, in addition to a startling *SHIFWIIIRSH* like swords grinding against one another as she flared her fingers out, the evil half-genie's hands suddenly became encased in glowing orange gauntlet-like shields… shaped like GIANT BEAR CLAWS!? Oh, no… Reasonably shocked, the animals tensed up and took defensive stances as they each bared their own teeth, claws, and other natural weapons. It seemed none of them were keen on letting this wretched intruder desecrate their home further than she already had.

"Sticking around for the impending bloodbath, are we? Fine, then… I could use the stress relief, anyway…!" Hashanah remarked one more time with one of her trademark sinister grins as she went into a battle pose of her own. And before I could even get in another word about what was about to happen… "HRRRRRAAAAAH!" the rogue genie roared as she charged ahead at full speed to engage the animal creatures…

…Aaaaand with that, I'm just gonna go on and say that if you're the kind of person who was fond of animals… then you would NOT want to know what happened next. Of course, this won't be the last we hear of not-so-good ol' Hashanah. Sooooo…

Meanwhile, a little later…

"Okay, so… Be honest with me, Bolo. Is there something going on between you and Rottytops that the rest of us aren't supposed to know about? Like, you and she are a couple and you're trying to hide it?" asked Sky as she and Bolo rode atop the bird trainer's closest avian ally Wrench in a hurry toward their next adventuring destination.

"Wh-what? No, of course not!" Bolo swiftly denied as he sat behind Sky, trying to avoid getting hot under the collar as he gripped his seat with both hands. "What would make you ask something like that?"

"Just… kind of a hunch, really. Y'know, women's intuition."

"…Rrrrrright…"

"It also stands to reason that you and she have been picking on each other an awful lot over the last month or two, which makes me think one of you at least has a crush on the other and won't admit it..."

"Jeez…" Bolo groaned with a roll of his eyes. "Not every time a guy and girl argue, does it mean they secretly like each other, Sky. Plus, why would I ever want to date Rottytops of all people? She's… She's…"

"What? A zombie?" the curious falconer preemptively guessed.

"No, but that does kinda play a factor into it in the sense that I wouldn't want her trying to eat my brain in my sleep or something…" the pensive adventurer… only partially denied? Interesting. "It's more that she just… she's just so…! Gah, I-I don't know… I just don't think it would work between us…" he further dismissed, shaking some complicated thought out of his head.

"An… interesting reply, if nothing else. I'm still not convinced you're being entirely honest with me, though…" she continued to prod, making her passenger suspicious.

"Why do you care so much about the 'relationship' between me and Rotty out of nowhere, anyway?"

"No real reason. I'm just making an observation and asking for clarification."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Yeah, though I'm also a bit worried because you've hardly said anything since we embarked on this trip. You're usually a lot more talkative, but you seem like you've been lost in thought these last couple hours. What's going on with you?"

"Oh. Uh… W-well, I am lost in thought, but it has nothing to do with Rotty. I'm more concerned about how this adventure's gonna go, is all."

"Is THAT all it is? Hmm…" Sky remarked, though she seemed not to want to buy Bolo's excuse.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing… It's just interesting to me that you were so excited about this trip earlier, and now you're all stuck inside your own head like someone stole your pet and sold it to a circus overseas."

"I told you already, Sky, I'm fine. Why is your 'women's intuition' telling you to ask me about Rottytops? There's absolutely nothing romantic going on between me and her at all," Bolo rather defensively replied. "We're just friends… I think."

"What? You THINK you're just friends? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah! E-er, nothing. I misspoke. I-I meant that uh… despite the argument we got into, I uh… I-I think we're still on good terms."

"If that was the case, then why are you so bothered about it now?" Sky took the liberty of asking in wonder. "You two have made a habit out of squabbling with each other in the recent past, so I wouldn't imagine it to be such a big deal that you had another minor spat with her today."

"I know, but it isn't the argument we got into at Professor Mimic's place that has me all bummed out about her…" he shared, though he seemed to let something slip. I could only tell because he flinched as soon as he finished his statement.

"…So, there IS something weird going on between you and her," the bird trainer adeptly pointed out.

"N-no, no! Shoot, I messed up my words again," Bolo hastily tried to correct himself again, mentally kicking himself as he contemplated his follow-up. "What I meant was uh… T-that um… Er…"

"…You know you can tell me anything, especially if it's bothering you this much. Right, Bolo?"

"…" Bolo loquaciously responded as he stared at Sky, seeming to be unable to figure out the best way to respond. It took little more than a few awkwardly silent seconds as the increasingly potent winds rushed by them before someone got the idea to say something else.

"I'll take your silence to mean that whatever's on your mind must be pretty heavy," she presumed as she turned and looked at Bolo, who suddenly and vey shyly batted his eyes away from her. "I'll stop badgering you about it, then. If and when you feel ready, just let me know. I'm here for you, bud."

"…Thanks, Sky. Um… I-I'll eventually figure it out, though. Thanks for checking in," Bolo reticently offered his gratitude as he turned his attention back to her. Although, when he looked ahead, he caught sight of a landmass up ahead that seemed to be plagued with a thick blanket of clouds in the distance. "Hey, is… Is that the place there? The island that looks like Mother Nature herself wants it wiped clean out of existence?" he asked, changing the subject entirely.

"Hm?" Sky hummed in wonder as she turned her attention forward to notice the island in question, with its scattered patches of snow, trees that were either leafy and green or completely devoid of any foliage, mountainous crags that housed what looked like polar bears whose fur was mixed between white and brown, giant tortoise-dragon creatures, and ghostly fennec foxes… which, by the way, DO NOT normally exist in the same habitat. "Oh. Yep, sure is… Hmm… Considering the weather, we'd be wise to land as far away from that funnel cloud as possible," she added as she directed Wrench to gradually decrease his speed and altitude as they approached. "Moreover, we'll need to fly in low. We can't afford to be in the air while this storm is raging like it is, unless we want to see how strong we are against random lightning strikes and winds strong enough to fling elephants like pebbles."

"Hm… Well, shoot. If that's the case, then why don't we wait it out and see what happens?"

"Because we won't know how long we'd be waiting for. And if that funnel cloud forms and touches down, the resulting tornado could last anywhere from a few minutes to an entire day. Plus, Wrench still can't stay in Giga form indefinitely. He already needs a break as it is with how brutal this flight was…"

"Ah… And here, I thought this would be as simple as it sounded…"

"Having second thoughts, are we? We can turn around and come back at a more reasonable time after Wrench gets a few minutes to relax his wings… Granted, we won't know what a 'reasonable' time might be for a place whose weather is in constant flux and shifting between every natural disaster known to humankind…"

"Hmm… Nah, we're already here, so we may as well make the two-hour trip worth it. We'll just do our best to keep from becoming casualties of bad weather."

"True, though I will also warn you that, according to Mimic, there exist monsters that are native only to this island, too. FEROCIOUS ones, at that."

"…Wait, what?"

"Yyyyeah, so we REALLY need to be careful. The main threats I heard we should look out for are Giga Ursids, these man-eating amphibians known as Velocitoads, these MASSIVE fire ant-like insects that I hear can shoot massive sprays of foul-smelling lava ink that can melt through titanium… I think they were called Magma Ants… giant, extremely aggressive rhinoceroses called Thrasher Rhinos whose hides are so thick that they look like they're made of stone… and we need to especially watch out for Leopard Gals."

"…Leopard Gals…?"

"Half-woman, half-leopard hybrids known for their vicious appetites, hunting ability, and especially their tendency to be EXTREMELY territorial. They were supposedly extinct, but they've seen a small resurgence in recent times. They're known to hunt ANYTHING within a 30-kilometer radius that they find appetizing enough… INCLUDING all the other monsters I mentioned. Just to clarify, they'll hunt, kill, and eat literally anything… and sometimes, they just hunt and kill for sport. Don't even get me started on how they're known as the deadliest and most efficient hunters this side of Sequin Land…"

"…Yikes…"

"And for your sake in case we see one of them, they're known to be capable of human communication. They're also known to be incredibly attractive because of their toned, often conventionally curvy physiques."

"Oh. Huh… Y-ya don't say…?"

"More like I don't want to say, but knowing how quickly you let your guard down against a pretty girl, it HAS to be said."

"Aw, come on, Sky. I'm not THAT obsessed with beautiful women anymore. I've been working on that… And besides, if they're as dangerous as you say they are, I think I'll know better than to try and date one of them. Grandma always said that I shouldn't date a monster girl anyway…"

"Hm. I won't say I don't believe you, and I'm glad you're taking your grandmother's warnings to heart despite her own tendencies to get distracted by girls she thinks are beautiful enough… Only a wonder that such a thing can run in your family…"

"Hey! That's my Gran-Gran you're talking about!"

"Noted. But, I'll still throw in the warning that Leopard Gals can smell fear… AND 'desire,' whether you show it outwardly or not. If we're spotted by one, do your best to not even look at her…"

"…I'm starting to wonder if I'll need to use my headband as a blindfold."

"Not the best thing to say in good faith, but I'll keep you in check if I ne-!" Sky was about to joke before a sudden *KRABWOOOOOOOM* rang out from within the mixed confines of the island. Immediately, Sky and Bolo turned their attention to the island to see what appeared to be total pandemonium erupting as flashes of multicolored light and more explosions rang out. Additionally, the sounds of animals either attacking one another or being attacked entered their earshot as they continued to approach the lonely, inclement weather-afflicted landmass. It… also didn't help that there was a massive mushroom cloud billowing up high enough that it towered over even the tallest mountains on the island with no sign of dissipating.

"…That can't be good," Bolo remarked, his gut filling with dread as he instinctively reached for his weapon.

"Just our luck… It sounds like we're REALLY stepping into the danger zone on this one," Sky additionally acknowledged as she guided Wrench toward a designated landing spot at the clearest edge of Cyclic Season Island they could find. "As if I didn't have enough trauma to process just going to the Phantasmagoric Forest…"

"You think we can make this a quick one? I mean, all we really have to do is find the entrance to the temple, then come back when it becomes available in a couple days' time, right?"

"Yeah, presuming it hasn't appeared already… Only, I've got a bad feeling that it won't be that straightforward…" Sky admitted with her tone dripping in anticipation of the potential hazards that awaited them. Meanwhile, she looked up toward the funnel cloud to observe the surging lightning bolts ripping through them… in addition to the fact that the atmosphere grew windier and windier by the second while the funnel cloud quickly took on a threatening form and stretched down toward the ground on the other end of the island. "The tornado's actually forming…! Shoot…!"

"On second thought, maybe we should turn-!" Bolo tried to suggest before the gigantic bird he and his teammate were riding on began to flash white like a strobe light… which, I can't imagine meant anything good when a bird became a living distress signal out of nowhere.

"Darn it! Wrench's transformation's wearing off… We don't have a choice but to land…!" the disquieted falconer acknowledged as she hurriedly directed her bird's path to the turbulent shore below. Once Wrench landed, Sky grabbed Bolo by the hand and pulled him off Wrench along with her as she jumped off and touched her feet to the island's surface. Just then, and with a sudden smoky *PWOOF*, Wrench suddenly shrunk all the way down to his regular bird size. Immediately afterward, he perched himself on Sky's handling glove. "Phew… We made it, even if only just barely… You alright, pal?" Sky asked her avian partner, to which he cawed and cooed in confirmation as he rested his wings.

"Jeez… I don't even WANT to think about what would've happened if we tried turning around," Bolo observantly pointed out as he immediately took to scouring the foreboding wildlands. "I thought you said you improved the bird seed you feed that thing to make it grow bigger…"

"Excuse you," Sky tersely shot back, none too pleased with her human teammate's disrespect. "First of all, Wrench is a 'he,' not an 'it.' Second, I did, but it's still heavily dependent on how much energy Wrench has in general. He's had two big trips in the last week, so cut him some slack."

"Sure, alright. Sorry. But I was just thinking that he could've stuck it out-!" Bolo dared to open his mouth to rip on Wrench some more, at which point… Wrench had heard enough. Squawking and chirping as he flared his wings and glared piping hot DEATH at Bolo.

"Hey, hey! Easy, buddy! He didn't-!" Sky tried to console her feathered friend, though he would hear none of it. Immediately launching himself off Sky's glove, Wrench took flight and bulleted toward a frightened Bolo with the full intent to maim him something fierce…

"WAAH! Agh! AAAHHAAAHAAAGH!" the unfortunate young man shouted in an… honestly justifiable panic as the sherbet-colored eagle/hawk/vulture aggressively flapped its wings, angrily jabbing and pecking away at Bolo with a surprising hatred in its every move. Bolo, the poor guy, wound up sprinting around the beach, desperately swatting away at Wrench as the unruly bird tried to eat him alive. "OW! AHAGH! Sky, get your crazy bir-! GAH, YOU PECKED ME IN THE EYE! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU CRAYON-FEATHERED ABOMINATION! OUCH! AH-HA-HOW!"

"Aw, jeez…! Wrench, settle down! Remember, Bolo is FRIEND, NOT FOOD!" Sky tried once more to plead with the heavily agitated bird as it chased the young man through a marshy path barely covered up by bushes of all manner of autumn colors. "Bolo, stop swatting at him! You're going to tick him off even more!"

"OW! It isn't my fau-! GAAH-HAGH! That was my EAR!"

"KRAKAW! KAW! BRRRAKAKAW!" Wrench continued to angrily squawk (yes, I'm finally going to tell you what he was saying despite my ASTOUNDING inability to speak bird), presumably telling Bolo to watch his mouth before he thought to disrespect him OR Sky, as he poured it on with his pernicious pecking punishment.

"Wow, you actually nailed it there. That was good for someone who doesn't know bird-speak. I'm impressed!" Sky praised me out of nowhere…? Wait a second, what!? YOU can see me t—!? "Wrench, calm down! He didn't mean to get you upset! Come on, now!" she further demanded of the angry bird as she chased him AND Bolo further into Cyclic Season Island despite the roaring gale force winds blowing everything around. I'm now… starting to wonder if I'm as inconspicuous as I thought I was… I suppose we'll get to the bottom of that eventually. And speaking of 'eventually…'

Moments later…

Super smooth transition, right? No? Too sudden? Aw, that's too bad… Anyhow, Wrench continued chasing and attacking Bolo, squawking and pecking away like he was trying to have himself a post-trip meal while Sky tried tirelessly to put a halt to her feathered friend's mauling of her non-feathered friend. The avian assault came to a cease once the two adventurers and their transport animal began to observe the area they wandered into. Wary of any potential danger in the vicinity, our heroic explorers fell momentarily silent as they scanned the torched and scorched remains of a partly icy, moderately foggy savannah plagued with moderately high whirling winds. The mere sight of the desolate, muddy field as the storm clouds surged and flashed above them was more than foreboding enough to put them on their toes as they did their best to brave the relentless gusts.

"Whoa… This place looks like…" Bolo began in surprise as he did his best to ignore all the new talon and beak wounds littered across his arms and face.

"What, like a tornado hit it?" Sky guessed as she also peered around, figuring her teammate would make a joke so obvious that even a person with no eyes could see it coming.

"No. More… like someone with fire powers ROASTED this place without mercy," he plainly corrected and non-joked. He was busy inquisitively sniffing the air around him while also observing a nearby downed tree that, at a glance, had possibly been struck by lightning.

"That's… awfully specific of you," Sky remarked with an amused grin as Wrench perched himself on her handling glove while she adjusted the silver vambrace affixed to her other wrist. "And what exactly has you on such high alert so suddenly that you're going into Detective mode and sniffing around like some sort of hunting hound?"

"…The stench of untold suffering and unspeakable evil…" he darkly pointed out, wiping the grin off the falconer's face as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oookay…? Way to really pile it on with the melodrama, Bolo," Sky joked again as she fought through the wind to approach her teammate. "Let's not forget that we're in the middle of uncharted territory and that there's a massive, violent windstorm happening around us as we speak. That tree was probably struck by lightning."

"No. The burn marks here don't match the kind you'd see from lightning," Bolo adeptly explained as he continued to study the bark, though he pulled out his signature Morning Star chain mace as he obsessively scanned the savannah with his eyes. "If this tree was hit with electricity, then the trunk would've had marks on it stretching all the way down. This tree, in addition to a bunch of the other ones in this area, have marks like someone or something attacked them and knocked them over. This one looks like it was taken down by an explosion. Other trees like the ones to our left look like they were taken down by something with either an axe or REALLY sharp claws."

"Huh… I suppose I see where you're coming from, at least…" Sky remarked with just a tinge of skepticism in her tone as she watched the young super sleuth work.

"If that isn't enough to convince you, then the rest of this area has a ton of other burn marks all over it, almost none of which match what's nomally done by lightning. Lightning wouldn't strike the same area so many times. And even so, all the burn marks are fresh. They're all still smoking. Heck, this tree feels like it's a thousand degrees…" Bolo further observed, pressing his hand to the burn mark on the tree's trunk.

"I see… I didn't know you knew that…" she admitted, looking around the area herself to see that there were more than a few spots that were smoldering or wracked with disfiguring burn marks.

"I figured you'd say that, but trust me on this. The scent here is way too pungent for this to have been caused naturally. And as much as I hate to say it… it smells too… familiar…"

"Oh… Uh… W-well, how do you-?" she was about to ask before a sudden roar of a bear sounded out in the distance, startling both travelers.

"Come on. We shouldn't be sitting ducks in this area," Bolo urged as he grabbed Sky by the hand and pulled her partway through the savannah.

"Whoa, hey! Where are you going?" Sky requested to know as her younger teammate practically dragged her toward a lone, particularly leafy tree that, despite the current weather conditions, was in full bloom. On the way there, however, they caught glimpses of what looked like the footprints of various animals scattered about in an alarming surplus. "Huh… Why… does it look like there was a stampede out here…?" she asked herself as the thunderous windstorm raged on. The winds continued to pick up as the tornado in the distance grew in size. In that moment, however, and with a *KRAKABOOOM* of thunder, a hailstorm suddenly whipped up. Pellets of ice came pouring downward on Bolo and Sky as they ran up a hill and reached their temporary safe haven under the protective leaf shield that was this tree.

"Yikes… A hailstorm of all things? It feels like it's at least hot enough to be the middle of summer out here…" Bolo murmured in surprise.

"I guess that's how this place earned its name. The weather is changing so rapidly that no one can place a… Huh? What… What is that…?" the bird trainer trailed off and asked as she noticed something… a gigantic lump covered dead, soggy, wheat-colored grass as she stood on it.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Bolo asked as he continued to scour the area while another series of animal shouts and growls rang out from the distance.

"Whatever it is we're standing on," she pointed out as she knelt down to inspect it further. "It feels unnatural… Almost like we're standing on something alive…" she theorized as she poked and rubbed her fingers along the uneven surface… only to see that the grass came clumping off of the ground WAY too easily. Like the grass had already been picked and was being used to cover something up. Panic immediately set in as Sky continued to brush away the loose grass blades while Bolo looked on in his own brand of increasing worry. It only when Sky brushed off enough of the apparently fake grass and uncovered a patch of brown-and-white fur and saw that the fur was moving up and down that she and Bolo realized… that they were NOT safe.

"GRROOOWWAAAAAAARRRH!" a sudden, deafening roar came EXPLODING out of the living mound of dead grass, causing Bolo and Sky to reasonably freak out as they scrambled and scattered to get themselves off of it. Immediately afterward, the 'hill' in question suddenly shot up, clumps of wilted grass being flung everywhere to reveal that it was NOT a hill at all… but an EXTREMELY agitated Giga Ursid whose fur was splotched white and brown… while also peculiarly stained red in some parts.

"…Oh, sh-!" Bolo was about to utter, nearly petrified in terror as he recognized the immediate… IMMEDIATE threat they were faced with.

"It's a Giga Ursid!" Sky finished with perfect timing, herself ready to go into full panic mode as she wrapped Wrench up in one of her arms. Before either of the two could eke out another syllable, the bear let out another eardrum-obliterating roar as it raised one of its long, jagged, razor-sharp claws to attack.

"SKY!" Bolo called out, rushing toward his teammate and yanking her out of the way as the bear came down with all its might, swinging its foreleg with the mightiest *SCHWIIIIRSCH* that it could muster. As though it was slicing through the fabric of reality itself, the Giga Ursid's claws against the humid air created a sort of piping hot energy trail that immediately went racing toward its perceived enemies. Luckily, Bolo pulled Sky out of the way in JUST the nick of time as the ferocious magic bear monster's attack sliced at least six whole inches deep into the spot where Sky was standing.

"Whoo…! Th-thanks for the save, Bolo."

"You got it, but we're gonna need to get creative right away if we want to survive! There's no way we're outrunning this bear without a ton of improvisation. Speaking of which…" he trailed off, pulling a tiny blue Pike Ball out of his pocket as he and the bird tamer ran for their lives. As one might imagine, the highly agitated bear went racing after them at a speed WAY too fast for our heroes to match. As the Giga Ursid was gaining on them in the midst of this freak hailstorm, Bolo pressed a button on the pike, making it grow from the size of a marble to that of a tennis ball. Within three seconds… "STUN PIKE!" he shouted, flinging the improvised projectile at the bear as it got close enough to nearly sink its teeth into the adventurer's throwing hand. Yet, with a sudden, startling, flashing *KAPWOWGH*, the blue Pike Ball exploded in the bear's face. Dazed and blinded for the moment, the Giga Ursid stumbled and fell all over itself with a mighty *PWOPLOUGH* while swatting away at its eyes and ears in evident unrelenting torment. Meanwhile, Sky and Bolo beat a VERY hasty retreat.

"Whoa… What the heck was that!?" Sky asked in total shock as she and Bolo booked it for the hills… that were NOT actually giant, extremely irritable supernatural bears in disguise, if I must be clear.

"My newest invention," Bolo explained as they went along. "I made a new type of Pike Ball that works like those specialized grenades from that alternate timeline. I think they were called 'Flashbangs,' if I remember right…" he explained, though I still wasn't understanding all the 'alternate timeline' speak… That HAD to be some sort of inside joke between them…

"Wait… SERIOUSLY!? How in the world did you come up with something like THAT!?" Sky questioned in no shortage of total surprise.

"A true artist never reveals his secrets, Sky, but trust me when I say that bear is gonna be dealing with some serious sight and hearing problems for at least the next few minutes. That said, we should find somewhere to hide before it catches onto us again…"

"There won't be many places for us to hide unless we go by air," Sky warned as they sprinted through a small collection of weeds and trees, soon entering a long, winding riverbank laden with foliage that I'm sure would have been lush… if it all wasn't on fire like someone committed arson. It… also didn't exactly calm their nerves to see a MOON-SIZED CRATER nearby that was emitting that gigantic black mushroom cloud they saw before they landed. Huh, wonder how THAT happened… Meanwhile, the hailstorm suddenly morphed into a torrential downpour while the winds continued to kick up. "…And all things considered, we're probably not too safe in the air, either…! Gah…!"

"Well, we've gotta come up with something!" Bolo urged as he and Sky ducked eventually found cover behind a tree that thankfully WASN'T on fire and seemed promising enough to provide them shelter from the rain. There, they tried to take a moment to catch their breath hide them from the Giga Ursid until they found a way to get to safety. Meanwhile, the aggressive bear had recovered from its previous disorientation and had resorted to sniffing out its perceived prey with relentless determination as it pressed its snout against the soggy ground and searched. "Jeez, are you kidding me…!? It's headed right for us…" the young man complained, disheartened by the stunning accuracy of the bear's keen senses. Sky, on the other hand, had her attention drawn to something hidden within the tree. She needed only glance upward for a second before she found herself nearly spooked enough to jump out of her boots. Hurriedly, she turned her attention to her friend.

"Bolo…!" Sky called to him through a whisper in fright as she tried to keep from staring back at a set of greenish-gold eyes peering at them from directly above.

"What's up, Sky?"

"We… may still be in SERIOUS trouble… We're being watched…!"

"What? What do you-!?"

"This tree… There's another monster hiding in it, and it's staring RIGHT at us from above…!" she whispered again, trying her hardest not to panic as that Giga Ursid drew closer and closer while still only relying on its sense of smell to locate the adventurers. Just then, however, a *fwishfrishfrish* of rustling from the leaves on the tree they were hiding behind nearly sent them into a frenzy of terror.

"…Oh… Oh, no…" the young man murmured in unadulterated anticipation of a potential one-way trip to the afterlife as he slowly, warily looked upward. As soon as he did so, he saw EXACTLY what Sky meant. Two menacing greenish-gold eyes glaring right back at him as though their owner was ready to pounce any second.

"Come on, we've gotta get the heck out of here!" Sky urged, taking the lead as she pulled Bolo by the hand and took off sprinting with him in tow. Just then, the tree they were just under rustled some more before something furry with teeth and claws like saw blades came dropping out of it.

"GRRRAOWOWOWOWWWLL!" roared the would-be assailant, an all-too-familiar half-woman, half-leopard with long black hair, as she planted her paws on the mud-soaked ground. Seeming to have taken a most unsettling interest in the two full-fledged humans she spotted, the Leopard Gal immediately took off sprinting after them.

"Oh, no! It's a Leopard Gal! And she's gaining on us!" Bolo shouted as he hurriedly rummaged through his inventory for a weapon to use against the apex predator doggedly pursuing them.

"Gahh, we bit off WAY more than we could chew here…!" Sky complained, her heart thumping faster than an Olympic sprinter's feet as she reached into her scarf and pulled out a giant egg with pink Polka dots on it. "Guess it's MY turn to save our skins now, so here goes nothing! HYAH!" she shouted as she flung the egg backward toward the Leopard Gal.

"HRAAAAH!" the hostile cat woman shouted as she swiftly slashed the egg with a *SHRIIING* of her claws against the egg's crunchy shell. Suddenly, the egg exploded (eggsploded? Sorry…) with a mighty, yolky *KASPLAARRCK*, soaking its intended target in an especially sticky, filmy coat of purple goo that left her shouting and flailing to try and get herself out.

"Whew… That bought us just a few more seconds to live, but-! Oh, no… That Giga Ursid is back on our trail!" Sky pointed out as she and Bolo sprinted on through the windy thunderstorm, looking back to see that the Giga Ursid in question charged past the incapacitated Leopard Gal with its sight and hearing restored. And man, did this thing NOT look pleased with Bolo and Sky.

"Darn…! Guess I'd better bust out another Stun Pike…" Bolo suggested of himself as he found the projectile in question. Hurriedly, he activated it in his free hand and waited just a couple seconds before flinging it at the Giga Ursid… who had already grown wise to the sneak attack, because the behemoth opened wide and, with a startling *KRACHOMP* of its drool-soaked, butcher knife teeth on the Pike Ball, bit the daylights out of the projectile. As one might figure out, the bomb didn't go off as a result. "Shoot…! The bear bit right through it!"

"And would you be surprised if I said that was the least of our problems?" Sky arbitrarily asked as they sprinted through the riverbank with every intent to save themselves if they could help it.

"What do you mean?" the perplexed Bolo questioned.

"Look ahead!" the frantic falconer warned, absolute terror all too present in her tone. Just as she offered her suggestion to Bolo, an entire pack of at least six stampeding Thrasher Rhinos came racing out of various hiding spots and even from within the river to apparently lay claim to their presumed dinner.

"WHAT IN THE-!? We're totally surrounded!" the frenetic young man pointed out as they stopped in their tracks.

"You're telling me! Man, this is insane…! What the heck are we supposed to do…!?" the baffled blonde complained, evidently bereft of resources that would save them from being utterly MAULED by the cat woman, the rocky rhinoceroses, OR the giant bear that was still hot on their tails. Yet, in a sudden twist of fate, Bolo spotted a nearby gap with a badly damaged floating wooden platform hovering over some violent rapids spanning at least a mile long. Taking the initiative, Bolo pulled Sky in toward the potential saving grace while the Leopard Gal, the Thrasher Rhinos, and the Giga Ursid closed in all at once.

"Sky! Use your Falcon Call! Hurry!" he commanded, getting himself ready for the stunt of a lifetime.

"Falcon Call? I don't know how well my falcons can adapt to these awful weather conditions, but here goes…!" she complied as she stuck two fingers from her free hand into her mouth and whistled a peculiar tune as best as she could. It seemed to work, nevertheless, as a multicolored team of avian assistants came rushing in to create a platform for the heroes to board. "Looks like we've got it, but my falcons won't last all that long because of the wind, rain, and overabundance of predators! Whatever it is you're planning on doing, Bolo…"

"You can count on me! Now, hang on tight and direct your birds to fly us to that platform hovering over the rapids!" he urged as he whipped out his chain mace in his free hand. Meanwhile, the two of them stepped onto the falcon platform. The falcons hastily achieved liftoff, though it came with a heavy burden in the birds' inability to gain altitude at a fast enough rate.

"Dang it, they're struggling to lift us…! And these monsters are about to rip us to shreds if we don't do something fast…!" Sky warned as she clung tightly to Bolo and watched the animals clamor over each other for a chance to knock them out of the air.

"I had a feeling…! Okay, then we're gonna have to buy ourselves just a bit more time…!" Bolo realized as he momentarily put away his mace and pulled out a handful of at least twenty red Pike Balls and flung them all out in a myriad of different directions. "Homing Pikes, do your thing!" he announced as the red Pike Balls flew through the air before stopping and floating for a second. And once that second had passed, the projectiles went swarming in different directions, hurtling specifically toward the Giga Ursid, the Thrasher Rhinos, and the Leopard Gal hounding them from every imaginable angle. The diversionary tactic seemed to work, as a series of *POCKs*, *PWACKs*, and *POPs* went off with every detonation of the Homing Pikes to momentarily keep the insistent monsters at bay. Meanwhile, Sky's falcon team did their best to accomplish their task. Try as they might, however, they could only grant Sky and Bolo so much before they succumbed to the pressure of the gale force winds, heavy rain, and the combined weight of their passengers.

"My falcons aren't gonna hold up for much longer, Bolo, but I hope that mace of yours can reach that platform!" Sky urged her teammate as she whipped out another pink polka-dotted Egg Bomb and flung it at an incoming Scorcher Hawk (because of course one of THOSE would also be here) attempting to charge up a fire blast as it flew in and made the decision to roast them alive. She scored another direct *KERSPLAT* of a hit, alleviating some of the immense pressure they were under as the bird was knocked into the rapids with an emphatic *KASPLOOSH*.

"Hmm… I think we've got JUST enough. Tighten your grip, and don't let go! We're taking a little swing!" Bolo advised as he began to twirl the mace, its chain links jingling and shuffling as he prepared himself. Meanwhile, Sky obliged Bolo's request by wrapping an arm around his shoulders while he wrapped his free arm around her waist. "Now, I've just gotta mind the wind and my timing…"

"Okay, so let me know when you're about to make the jump! My falcons are about to-!"

"NOW! HOO-WAAH!" the spontaneous young man shouted as he, with a mighty thrust of his arm, swung his weapon toward the floating hook that had to be at LEAST a hundred feet high… Yet… The mace's links immediately began to extend!? Wow… So, with a continuous *klinkklinkklinkklinkklink* of the expanding weapon, Bolo's Morning Star stretched out JUST far enough that it was able to reach the edge of the wooden platform, where the Pike Ball latched on with a definitive *PLARCK*. Added to the fact that he angled his throw to accommodate for the inclement weather, he did quite the impressive job telegraphing what I'm POSITIVE should have been an impossible technique. Nevertheless… "Alright, Sky, we're off! HERO SWING!" the plucky adventurer announced the name of his next move as he and his teammate jumped off the falcon platform. Or rather, HE jumped. Sky, on the other hand…

"GWAAAH-WHOA!" the unprepared falconer yelped in a sudden panic, instinctively squeezing Bolo's face into her chest as he, with the press of a button on the mace, retracted the extra links bit by bit. It's probably worth a mention that the two of them NARROWLY avoided having at least three Thrasher Rhinos jump simultaneously (because that was somehow possible) to gore them from three different angles as they all went smashing into each other with a stony *KRAPLOKRAROK*. However, the Leopard Gal managed to slip past the rhinos and leap high enough into the air to wind up grazing Sky's thigh with a slight *shrip* of her claw on the bird trainer's capris. "Gah! Ow, that hurt…! Aah…! If I never go on another one of these utterly RIDICULOUS 'adventures' again after this, it'd still be WAY to soon…" And, as Sky was contemplating an early retirement from the adventuring should she and Bolo survive this disastrous journey…

"Shky… Y-you're shquerzrng mr trr trght…!" Bolo complained, though it was difficult to hear him… on account of half his face being buried in the bird tamer's bosom. "I crn brrly brrthe…"

"Well, excuse me for needing to secure myself! This is what happens when you don't warn someone before you do something so rash as jump off a transport bird while throwing caution to the LITERAL wind! Between you and Tayshan, you boys are so insanely impulsive! It's driving me nuts!"

"Hry! R'm tryrng tr srve our brtts from crrtrn drrm! Thrr's nr trme frr-!"

"D-dude! Could you stop talking while we're stuck like this!? I can feel you huffing and slobbering all over my boobs! Gross!"

"WHRT!?"

"And you'd better not get any funny ideas down there, or else I'll have Wrench turn you into a bird cage decoration! You got that!?"

"Urrgh, nr wry! R'd nrver rn a mrllrn yrrs wrnt tr br thrs clrse tr yru!" Bolo protested as he did his absolute best to keep his focus on trying to swing across the rapids to the other side of the river. Back and forth, Bolo and Sky went as he built up momentum to make the daring attempt. Only, while he was swinging, a sudden *HISSSSSSSSSSSS* permeated the stormy air as its source… Oh, my goodness… A-A GIANT, NEON PURPLE, LAVA LAMP-LOOKING ANT THE SIZE OF A LION WITH GLOWING TURQUOISE EYES, came skittering through the foliage on the side of the ravine our heroes were trying to land. As soon as it spotted Sky and Bolo in their desperate situation, it got the bright idea to open its grody drool-soaked pincers, gnashing and gnawing on something bright orange, sticky, and STEAMING like it was boiling hot. And before anyone could realize what was happening, the giant ant aimed its head up toward the floating platform barely holding Bolo's chain mace. And… with a very disgusting *THWOOORSHK*, the ant spat its dangerous concoction high up and at such an angle that the glob of steaming orange liquid wound up being carried by the wind onto the airborne wood planks. As you might have guessed, of course… this was NOT good for Bolo and Sky. Why? Because the platform immediately began to dissolve just as Bolo was preparing to swing.

"Huh?" Sky hummed in wonder, hearing the sizzling noise coming from above. It took no more than a glance upward to send her heart sinking halfway to the planet's core as the apparently corrosive liquid destroyed hers and Bolo's only useful means of saving themselves. "Bolo! BOLO! THE PLATFORM IS DISSOLVING! WE NEED TO COME UP WI-!" she did her best to urge before a sudden *KRASNAP* of the horribly deteriorated wood block crumbling into lava-soaked chips cut her off. It wasn't long before the two of them went plummeting toward the rocky river, where they had little to no chance to survive the violent riptides that awaited them from below. Of course, as if this chaotic development couldn't be heart-stopping enough…

"MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!" shouted that particularly determined Leopard Gal as she sprinted past her situational allies, vaulted off the back of a Thrasher Rhino, and made a daring leap across the riverbank to snag Bolo… and ONLY Bolo, from Sky's grasp. The jungle cat lady cleared the gap easily with her intended target in tow, landing safely on the other side of the riverbank.

"GWAAGH! H-hey, what the-!? OH, NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! DON'T EAT ME!" the unsuspecting handyman pleaded and flailed about as he found himself saved (or doomed, depending on the way you look at it) by the Leopard Gal. The giant ant that tried to kill him and Sky turned and glared at the Leopard Gal, who had Bolo locked in her jaws by the collar of his shirt. The Leopard Gal hissed back at the ant before promptly turning around and dragging Bolo off to parts unknown with the Thrasher Rhinos and the Giga Ursid watching from the other side of the ravine. The ravenous giant ant gave chase immediately, not at all willing to lose its perceived prey to a natural enemy. "NOOOO-HO-HO-HO-HOH! NOT LIKE THIS! NOT LIKE THIS! THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HOW I DI-HI-HI-HIE!"

Meanwhile, Sky found herself almost entirely helpless as she… was BARELY saved by Wrench. The trusty bird, despite not being in his Giga form, took measures into his own ha… er, talons as he hurriedly took flight and latched his claws onto the back of his master's bustier. The little guy flapped, and flapped, and FLAPPED his wings as hard as he could to support his and Sky's combined weight. And, despite the clear difference in size between Wrench and Sky, he was JUST strong enough to keep himself afloat with her in his talons.

"Aw, shoot…!" Sky cursed as she watched Bolo get dragged away by the monster girl with no way for her to save him right then and there. "BOLO!" she called to him to no avail. "Darn it, darn it, darn it…! This is bad…! Thanks for the save, Wrench, but we need to go and rescue our friend!"

"Brrkakaw! Kakaw! Brrrrt Brrrr!" Wrench reasoned, figuring that Bolo was a goner anyway and that he'd be more useful as some wild animal's next meal. Evidently, Wrench was NOT fond of Bolo in the slightest.

"Wrench, that's not nice! I know you can't stand him, but he's still one of my best friends!" Sky chided, none too happy with Wrench's willingness to leave Bolo to potentially get eaten alive by strange animals on a mysterious, disaster-prone island in the middle of nowhere. "We've got to help him!"

"Brrt! Brrr, brr! Kawkaw!" the prismatic eagle/vulture/parrot warned… and in case you were wondering what he said… er, he said that if they have to go and save Bolo, then Bolo would be lucky if he didn't find himself on Wrench's menu the next time he went Giga. "Brrt! Kawkaw! BRRT!" he further yelled at me, telling me that he's tired of people not knowing that he's half Wren and half Finch and can be used as a certain mechanical maintenance tool, hence his name, WREN-CH. Oooooohh… Wow… I uh… I am so sorry, Wrench. I had no idea. I'll remember it for future reference. "Brrokay."

"Hey! It's great that you're finally starting to use your voice, buddy, but we need to get going before… Oh, no… No, no, no! The TORNADO!" Sky tried to warn Wrench before panicking at the sight of the utterly MASSIVE whirling cloud of wanton destruction and devastation that was the tornado terrorizing the island. By this point, the tornado had grown TWICE its original size since it touched down, and it had whirled its way across the island to where it seemed to be approaching Sky and Wrench's position. Accordingly, the winds RAPIDLY picked up to the point where one would barely even be able to breathe. Trees, rocks, bushes, ice blocks, and CACTI alike were ripped from the ground and swallowed up in the gigantic twister. Realizing the impending danger themselves, the Giga Ursid and the Thrasher Rhinos in the area turned tail and ran… Yet, none of them were spared the tornado's whirling wrath. The Giga Ursid struggled to run due to an apparent injury to its leg that began to severely plague it. The Thrasher Rhinos were simply too slow. As such, they all also found themselves being lifted off their paws and hooves… and within seconds, they were dragged toward the growing tornado to their doom. As for Sky and Wrench, you may ask? Well…

"BRRKAW! KAWBRRRKAWWWW!" Wrench hollered out in desperate determination, losing his ability to flap his wings against the vicious gale force winds that threatened to swallow him and Sky whole. They did not fall into the rapids, of course… but only because they found themselves being sucked into the tornado like everything else had been.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sky rightfully went into a fear-addled frenzy of flailing, screaming, and panicking as she helplessly found herself whisked into the twister. Round and round Sky and Wrench went, helplessly flailing about as they whirled into the cloudy cyclone as it continued to consume and shred everything in its path. Jeez… I-I hope those two are gonna be alright… I mean, I'm not at all sure what the odds are that someone being sucked into an EF5 tornado are, but rumor has it that they are NOTORIOUSLY low if you're hidden in appropriate shelter. Out in the open, subject to suffocating 200+ mile/320+ kilometer an hour winds, chunks of debris and GIANT ANIMALS flying all about, and lightning that surged and ripped through the clouds above with the full ability to VAPORIZE anything they struck? Yyyyeah… B-but I'm sure Sky and Wrench will be okay! I-I hope. We won't know until the tornado eventually dissipates. Although, I couldn't help but notice something bright… gleaming… and… and… BEAMING INTO THE TORNADO FROM ABOVE THROUGH THE CLOUDS!? Ah jeez, just when things can't get outlandish enough… and I could've sworn I was seeing things, but… I'm PRETTY sure I saw our favorite bird tamer and her favorite bird getting drawn into the beam and carried upward past the storm clouds…? I… only hope that doesn't mean what I think it does…

Meanwhile…

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Hashanah as she charged ahead and ran a Dark Magic-formed spear through a particularly sizable toad with a sickening *SKISCH* of her blade against its oily skin. The massive orange amphibian had been trying to confound her with its unfathomable speed, evidenced by the army of afterimages crowding the stormy, craggy desert area the evil genie found herself traversing into. And judging by positions of the afterimages as they began to disappear, the giant toad had been running circles around its target, lashing at her with its extra long, extra sticky, extra sopping wet tongue before she eventually caught onto its gimmick and impaled it the very SECOND she sniffed out the opportunity. "Hmph…! I swear, the Velocitoads are the most obnoxious ones of the whole stinkin' bunch of animals here…!" she complained as she tried to catch her breath. The chaos didn't end there, however, as two Leopard Gals and another one of those neon purple, lava-spitting ants came charging in after their shared enemy.

"Fiendish intruder! You will PERISH for what you've done to our comrades and our home!" one of two Leopard Gals shouted as she bared her claws and lunged ahead of her allies.

"Not likely, but you shouldn't worry about me. You SHOULD be worried about who will carry on the legacy of your dying race after I…!" Hashanah trailed off as she tore her spear out of the badly injured toad and kicked it away before she, with a sudden *VWOOOONG*, transformed her spear into an energy scythe and whirled around with the full intent to cause some UNSPEAKABLE harm with it.

"NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM HER!" shouted the giant, glowing ant in a sophisticated, masculine voice as it picked up the pace and bolted toward Hashanah to stop her from horrifically maiming the endangered cat woman. Meanwhile, it opened its salivating maw in an apparent attempt to spit its blisteringly hot secretions on the half-genie. "If it is the last thing I do, I will-!"

"DIE IN HER PLACE, YOU MISERABLE VERMIN!" Hashanah roared with absolute malice in her tone as she, with a truly reckless *SCHWIIING* of her scythe, sliced across her body and bisected the poor ant. The noble insect didn't even know what hit it before it vanished with a *POOF* of glowing purple goo that splattered all over the place.

"ANTONIO!" cried the Leopard Gal that previously lunged at Hashanah as she halted her assault in pure shock and evident despair. Staring at the spot where Antonio used to be, the Leopard Gal practically trembled with grief. This soul-crushing grief, however, quickly turned into a boiling rage as she turned toward Hashanah with hatred in her eyes and BULLETED toward her with revenge on the brain. "I WILL EVISCERATE YOU, AND THEN EAT YOUR INNARDS WHILE YOU WATCH!" the incensed Leopard Gal savagely threatened as she raced toward the half-genie.

"Don't get so worked up, honey! You're gonna be JOINING him in the next world soon enough!" the rogue genie taunted as she swung her scythe once more. Proving herself nimble, however, the Leopard Gal ducked under the blade as it whizzed by with a mighty *VWIISH*. Immediately following, the Leopard Gal attempted to slice the genie's abdomen open with her long, jagged leopard claws… only for Hashanah to jump back while conjuring up a Dark Magic energy sphere in her hand. "Here's your parting gift! TYRANNY BLAZER!" she shouted as she wasted ZERO time letting loose the deadly blast with a powerful *KAPWOOOORSH* that hit its mark with frightening accuracy… and an utterly cringe-inducing *PRAKAZZAAZZZAAAAAAAPWOOOOOSH*.

"GHWAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the unfortunate hybrid woman wailed out in agony as her body quickly began to disintegrate within the electrified force field created by the impact of the blast.

"SISTER!" called the other Leopard Gal in unfathomable shock and grief as she was made to watch her kin be reduced to ashes on the sandy spot where she took her last steps. When the Tyranny Blazer fizzled out, it left only a smoking cloud littered with multicolored gems… that Hashanah picked up while stepping all over said spot with a triumphant grin on her face. "Y-you… How… could you…? Why…?"

"Because you didn't give me the info I was looking for, and then you and these other hideous zoo attractions you called your friends had the nerve to attack me," the evil genie coldly replied, staring the devastated Leopard Gal right in the face in the middle of the turbulent tornado/thunderstorm. "I can certainly make this situation less painful if you want me to, of course. I can reunite you with your precious 'sister' and your friends in an instant if you so wish it… OR you can take the OBVIOUS hint and scurry on away while I'm still feeling even slightly merciful. Your choice," she further threatened as she flared out a hand and channeled another *FWOOOOOOORSH* of Dark Magic into it.

"…W-why are you doing this to us…?" the frightened chimera dared to ask, tears running down he furry face that were nearly indistinguishable from the rain pouring down on the soggy desert. "What… have we ever done to you?"

"I just told you what you did; you got in my way," Hashanah succinctly countered as she pointed her hand toward the Leopard Gal with the intent to fire another Tyranny Blazer at her. "And much as I'd like to make you beg for your pathetic life as you put on these useless waterworks, I'm kinda busy right now. Unless you know something valuable about how to get into the Capricious Titan Shrine, your only options are… to…"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaahahaaaaaaah!" the shout of a female voice came echoing from the distance, causing Hashanah to turn her attention toward the tornado.

"Huh…? Is… Is there someone else here…?" she asked as she turned her head toward the gigantic, swirling twister in the distance to see something that truly threw her off. "WHAT IN THE…? Someone's been sucked into the tornado… and being RESCUED FROM IT!?" she practically shrieked as she noticed the otherworldly phenomenon just as we had moments earlier. "Hmm… What exactly is it that's pulling that person upward? They look completely unharmed when that tornado should've ripped them to pieces in one way or another… And that mysterious light… It extends way beyond the reach of the clouds…" she continued to observe, though it wouldn't take her long to have a most… stunning epiphany. "Wait a second… Is… Is THAT possibly the way to get into the Capricious Titan Shrine from here?"

"She's distracted…! Now's my chance…!" the Leopard Gal murmured to herself, seeing the opportunity of a lifetime. "Your sacrifices will not be in vain, friends…! I'll slay this demon for all of you…!" And with that statement… and with questionable judgment, the Leopard Gal charged at Hashanah while the half-genie's back was turned. Picking up on this, however, Hashanah merely turned her head just enough to where she was glancing at the daring monster girl from the side. Wordlessly, Hashanah finished charging up Dark Magic into her hand as she patiently waited for her moment to strike. Said moment would come in the blink of an eye, as the Leopard Gal lunged as soon as she got close enough to use the element of surprise. Except…

"Wrong choice, furball! GENOCIDE SPEAR!" the malevolent genie shouted as she, with an almost instantaneous *VWOOOORNG*, crafted an energy spear in her hand. And in the next few blinks of an eye, Hashanah coldly whirled around while flinging her spear at the unsuspecting Leopard Gal. And… with a sickening *SKSCH*, she hit her mark.

"HWAAAAGH…!" the unfortunate Leopard Gal groaned in incalculable agony as she was flung backward. Within the next few seconds, she hit the ground flat on her back with a dense *PLOUGH* of her body against the wet sand beneath her. "Gaaaah…! Ghaaah…! Hah… Y-you scoundrel…!" she tried to speak as she tried to sit up. She would find nothing but debilitating agony in her movements, however, as she laid herself back down and grasped at the Dark Magic weapon stuck in her chest. "H-haah… C-Can't… breathe…"

"Whelp, you've got no one to blame but yourself for that," Hashanah rudely dismissed with a shrug as she turned toward the tornado that had continued to be on its haphazard warpath. "Hope your last moments aren't too painful before you rejoin your island pals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a tornado to catch…" she further remarked before turning and bolting off like a cheetah with the full intent to investigate it… if it didn't outright kill her. She didn't have to travel all that far, of course, before the winds quickly became too strong for her to withstand on her own two feet. The closer she got, the harsher the conditions as the half-genie also sprinted through barrages of debris that included uprooted trees and broken-off branches, boulders of varying sizes, and especially the occasional *KRAZATAKs* of lightning bolts that seemed to REALLY have it out for her. What she couldn't dodge, she opted to slice through with *KRASCHINGs* of an energy scythe against the trunks of some swirling trees, smash her way through with the *KRAKRUNCHes* of a magic-borne SLEDGEHAMMER against boulders that threatened to crush her like a pancake, or… well, rely on her unbelievable agility as she dipped, ducked, and dodged *KRAZAK* after *KRAKAZAAAP* after *KRRAKATOK* of lightning bolts striking left, right, and center like they were deliberately trying to strike her down. Any additional animals she came across were either being swallowed up in the tornado, or were sprinting away from it for their lives. Unfortunately for those who were getting away from the tornado, they would not be so lucky when they ran into Hashanah.

"HWAAAR-YAH! TWAAAH! HRRRAAH!" Hashanah shouted and grunted with every time she attacked, not at all discriminating between living beings and inanimate objects. As she braved the storm and chased it to its source, Hashanah hardly offered any sense of hesitation as she occasionally struck a passing Velocitoad with a *KERSPLAAAANG* of her hammer or stabbed or impaled an escaping Magma Ant with a disturbing *SKISCH* of her spear when it had not even acknowledged her presence. Heck, she even went as far as to target Thrasher Rhinos and Giga Ursids as she went along, firing *KAPWOOORSH* after *KAPWOOORSH* of her Tyranny Blazer for reasons I couldn't even hope to know, much less give to you. Whether her attacks struck an unsuspecting animal with a roasting *KRAKAZZAAZAAAAP* or missed and exploded on some mountain crags, the ground, or in the rapids of a long, raging river, she couldn't care less. Her only goal at this point was getting to that tornado before it disappeared. And, within a few very unsettling minutes she eventually caught up enough… to be whisked off her feet and pulled feet first into the tornado.

"Agh…! Huh… I… I'm being pulled in, but I can still breathe…" she murmured to herself as she did little to resist the tornado's force outside of dodging debris and the bodies of animals that had also been ensnared in the twister's windy wrath. Within the next few seconds, Hashanah found herself pulled through the lightning-charged clouds of the tornado. There, she also found herself suddenly bathed in an arcane glowing light that shined through the clouds and into the rainy cyclone. And just like that unidentified individual before her, the evil half-genie began to be pulled upward and out of the tornado by some unknown divine force from above the clouds. "This must be it…! This must be the way into the Capricious Titan Shrine. I thought I'd have to come back here with Nila after a few days, but thank goodness… This is PERFECT…!" she cheered to herself as she embraced whatever unusual twist of fate led her to willfully throwing herself into one of nature's deadliest events. If nothing else, she certainly was brave… "That next Spirit Fuser piece is as good as MINE…!"

And on that note, it appears we are just about out of time. Seems like things are REALLY picking up here… Another uncharted island in the middle of nowhere, where heroes and villains alike found no small form of trial and tribulation. With Bolo being snatched up and abducted to parts more unknown, and Sky and Hashanah being whisked away to parts even MORE unknown than that, one could only hope that the good guys and gals found a method of surviving and reuniting soon enough to make their way back to safety. The BAD guy/gal? Yeah, I don't know if I care AS much about what happens to her, but don't tell her I said that. Her shameless cruelty seems to know no bounds, and I'm especially not fond of how disrespectful she is to nature and animals. Buuut, that's my heavily biased opinion, and I'm supposed to be impartial, so that's all I can say there. Alright, you know the drill… I think. And even if you don't, you do anyway because I said so. Catch ya in the next exciting installment!