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!

12. Ruinous Reacquaintance

Chapter 6C: Ruinous Reacquaintance

Good lord, is it windy out here… I feel like a weather forecaster ready to throw their whole lives away for a good scoop… Hm? Oh, hello again! Fancy meeting you here! Or rather, I'm glad you so eagerly decided to rejoin me as we step back into a questionably safe realm of exploration alongside our teenage motley crew of talented adventurers. If you know what I mean, then you know what I mean. Anyway, pretending that NOTHING WEIRD AT ALL HAPPENED last time we convened, I would like to give you some good news, and some… other news. The good news is that I managed to find Sky after she got sucked into that tornado! It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be, despite her not being in any form of a convenient space to be found. However, the 'other' news is… well, why don't we go ahead and dive on in (or should I say prepare for liftoff) as we join her on this increasingly perilous voyage, so you can get a hint…

Way up in the clouds…

"WHOOAAAAHAAAAH!" everyone's favorite war bird trainer Sky continued to scream in recognizable terror as she continued to be whisked into the heavens by a divine and mysterious golden light. She wasn't in any danger at this point, mind you, as she was far, far, FAR above the reach of that awful tornado… and even the turbulent storm clouds it formed from. Heck, there wasn't even any debris from the Cyclic Season Island following them up. Instead, there was nothing but broad sunlight, blue skies, and a rapidly shrinking island to see from this angle. The poor girl was panicking and flailing about because she had zero idea what was happening as she was endlessly pulled upward. Her only immediate company on the way up was her trusty avian sidekick Wrench, who had remained calm as he hovered around, pecking at the mysterious magic barrier encasing them. *PRISK* after *PRISHK* of Wrench's beak against the barrier sent a message right away that they weren't going anywhere that this alien abduction beam didn't want them to go.

It wouldn't be terribly long before they reached their destination, however, as the rapidly growing image of an airborne temple of a shining, glittering sapphire came into view. It… was relatively simple in its presentation, but MAN, did this temple have a stunning allure to it. It was also HUGE! Hovering comfortably among the wispy clouds, the unusual shrine bore relatively little in terms of its overall decor other than the face of… what looked to be a masked man with horns protruding from his forehead sculpted into its front wall. That wall was also littered with crystalline spikes that looked like they could pierce even the toughest of metal walls… The other odd feature, however, was the fact that each of the of the temple's other outer walls had some symbolic design etched into its scintillating surface.

One side bore the image of a raging storm swallowing up unfortunate ships except for one, whose stunningly curvaceous captain defied nature itself by ordering her… suspiciously familiar-looking bandana-wearing, weapon-toting bat creatures to attack some ferocious sea monster. The opposite side depicted an image of a young girl with… a familiarly long ponytail and equally familiar genie clothing, frolicking in a sun-kissed meadow and making friends with various chimeric creatures… The third side at the back was entirely blank, which greatly contrasted the presumable front of it. By the time I tried to scope out any additional details, however, the light that had been drawing Sky and Wrench toward the temple grew brighter, strengthening its pull on our heroes.

"GWAAAAH!" Sky screamed again as Wrench flew right into her arms to be with her. Ceasing her panic just long enough to notice her companion coming toward her, Sky hurriedly wrapped Wrench in her arms to protect him as they went zipping with a *FWISZHOOM* into the temple's underside through a hole in the bottom. In the following few seconds, Sky and Wrench found themselves sucked right into a tunnel that completely blacked out their vision like they were being swallowed up by a vacuum cleaner. A few twists, turns, a shuttle loop, and a massive winding slide later, the woman/bird duo were spat out into an unknown room within the temple with all the grace of a pair of rocks being catapulted into a glass shop. "HOOOWWAAAH!" Sky screamed yet again before hitting the sleek, glittery, stony surface of the room's floor with an unceremonious *PLAPLOUGH*. She would not be joined by Wrench, who got the idea to take flight as soon as he got the chance. Meanwhile, the hapless bird tamer rolled, plopped and slid all over the floor with enough momentum that one would've mistaken this enigmatic room for a bowling lane. Nevertheless, she eventually stopped sliding once she gained enough composure to stop herself with her hands.

"Oogh… What a crazy ride that was…" she murmured to herself in a mild daze that she shook off in a few seconds while climbing to her feet. "Whoa… What… is this place?" Sky further queried as she fixed her headdress and looked around while Wrench perched himself on her head. What she laid her eyes upon almost immediately took her breath away harder than that tornado did as she exhaled in awe. The chamber she was in was ENORMOUS. Walls of that same enchanting, sparkling sapphire that had murals of women of varying heights with varying hairstyles and varying sets of stylish dancer costumes striking a plethora of exotic and mesmerizing poses… A floor of the finest gold-tinted marble that gleamed so brilliantly that the young woman and her bird could see their own reflections in it… Pillars that seemed taller than mountains in each corner, perfectly sculpted in the images of beautiful, curvy goddesses in the most fabulous Roman-styled dresses that each held up the mile-high ceiling with one hand while holding brightly flaring torches in their other hands that extended toward the center of the room… Even the lone doorway atop a steep set of sparkling stairs the farthest end of the room was as extravagantly decorative as could be, with its enormous size, the gigantic pillars around it shaped like azure knights whose two-hander swords held up the triangular canopy. The door itself had some strange engravings on it, too…

"W-wow… This place is incredible…! Everything about it completely blows me out of the water… Even the ceiling is a marvel to look at," Sky observed in total amazement as her eyes were drawn to the upper portion of the foyer… only for her to see her own glittering, crystal clear reflection staring right back at her in equal astonishment. She didn't let her amazement overwhelm her, however, as she refocused herself. "Hmm… It's certainly a wonder how getting sucked into the deadliest tornado we've ever seen would wind up taking us into a gigantic airborne temple up in the clouds that shines like fine jewelry… and yet, I'd STILL venture to say this isn't even close to the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me…" she half-joked as she scoured the room with her eyes to see if there were any exits. A statement like that, I'd imagine would need LOADS of unpacking for sure, buuuut… I digress. "How you holding up, Wrench?"

"Brrt, brrrrt…" the wren/finch hybrid cooed in confirmation that he was alright, though just as befuddled as his comrade was on how and why they wound up here.

"Glad to know I'm not alone on that, buddy. I'm… starting to wonder if this is maybe the place we were supposed to be looking for? If so, then we've gotta find the Spirit Fuser piece… or at least find a way out of here. But where…?" she was about to ask herself as she continued searching for a starting point for her impromptu spelunking excursion. Before she could figure anything out, however…

"OOF! AHAGH! WOAAAAAAAHHAHAAAH!" another feminine voice could be heard grunting and shouting in agony from within the walls of the unknown labyrinth, startling Sky and Wrench into high alert as they stuck close to one another and prepared for any impending threat headed their way.

"Stay sharp, Wrench… It's only you and me, so we can't really afford any big surprises. Get ready to attack on my command, okay?" Sky advised her feathered friend, who had taken flight to hover near her. Wordlessly and with intense determination in his amber-hued eyes, Wrench nodded in understanding. With that, the war bird duo listened out for whatever may have been planning to attack them. Their wait would be short-lived, however, as the voice's owner came rocketing out of the same hole in the wall that they had just emerged from. "Oh? It's another woman… but… she looks… familiar…" Sky observed, keeping her guard up as she watched this other woman come shooting out of the tunnel. Only…

"HWAAAH!" the woman, dressed in a very stylish, but VERY intimidating red, black, and silver ensemble, shouted with effort as she extended her glowing hands toward the ground while she fell. And with an arcane *VWHOOOSH*, a rush of concentrated air burst forth from her, slowing her descent as she graciously reoriented herself like an Olympic gymnast. Within a second, the young lady landed with a soft *Plack* of her feet against the ground. Afterward, she canceled out the magenta glow in her hands and took the moment to stretch and run her fingers along her long, braided strawberry-blonde hair. "Hm… Wasn't expecting the last part of the trip up here to be such a bumpy ride, but I made it…" she spoke, not yet noticing that she wasn't alone. Nevertheless, she gave her surroundings a quick once-over as she recomposed herself. "Huh… The Capricious Titan Shrine isn't as shabby as I expected it to be. Of course, I'd better get going and find whoever else is in here before they…?" she trailed off as she simply turned her head to the side to notice Sky and her bird warily staring her down. "Oh. Hello there," the woman casually greeted as she turned all the way toward them and approached. Knowing better than to let their guard down, Sky and Wrench backed up and kept their battle poses strong. In response, the woman halted her advance.

"It's you…!" the bird trainer pointed out, evidently recognizing the other girl as she gazed into her blaze orange eyes. It additionally unnerved Sky that this woman's outfit, despite how stylish it was, had splotches of mud… and other, more concerning red-hued stains all over it…

"It's me… who?" the second girl prodded with a tilt of her head and a raise of an eyebrow.

"You're that Hashanah girl who attacked Scuttle Town last week!" she accused, her tone rife with enmity.

"Hm. Word of my travels spreads quickly, I see," Hashanah acknowledged, not even bothering to hide her identity or her actions as she shrugged.

"Word? I SAW you attacking the city that day! You've got a lot of explaining to do, because you put innocent lives in jeopardy with your antics! What are you doing here? Who sent you? And why are you-?" Sky further reminded and chided, though Hashanah hardly listened. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the silver vambrace on Sky's wrist.

"…Hey, where did you get that bracelet?" the renegade genie asked, ignoring her potential adversary's accusations while cutting her off entirely.

"What? Why would you care about this of all things?" Sky defensively asked, pressing the vambrace in question to her chest.

"Because if I'm not mistaken, that bracelet belonged to a certain wraith that got in my way last time I visited that backwater hick town," she coldly spat, her impatience already getting the better of her. "Now, where did you get it?"

"Hey! That 'hick town' is my home! And I don't appreciate you trying to destroy it!" Sky argued. "It's none of your business where I got this vambrace! All you need to know is that you've made some powerful enemies out of the people who live there; not the least of which is Shantae herself!"

"Hmph! As if that's supposed to make me quake in my slippers. Also, I'd watch my mouth if I were you…!" Hashanah threatened, clenching her fist as she took a step forward. "From the looks of it, Shantae isn't here to protect you now. So, you'd better be careful how you address me if you want to end this encounter alive…!" That threat made Wrench nearly fly into action on his own volition, though Sky halted him before he made a move.

"Resorting to bullying and empty threats isn't going to work on me," Sky daringly challenged, though one could tell that she'd become tense with apprehension as she began to tremble. "My friends and I are well aware of you and your accomplice Nila by now, Hashanah, but it doesn't make sense why you and she would go out of your way to hurt so many innocent people with no discernible rhyme or reason. Especially when SHE helped SAVE Sequin Land less than a year ago! What are you two up to? What's your end goal?"

"It doesn't concern you, so I'm not wasting my time explaining myself OR her to you," Hashanah quickly deflected. "And I presume by 'friends,' you mean to tell me you're personally associated with the likes of the so-called 'Half-Genie Hero'?"

"So what if I am?"

"Then you'll be lucky to know that I'm barely containing the urge to spill your bird-loving blood right here, right NOW…!" she threatened again, charging a startling concentration of Dark Magic into her hand with a crackling *VRRWOOORSH*. At that, Sky couldn't hold up her brave front any longer as she flinched in surprise. Wrench, ever ready to attack, hovered in between Sky and Hashanah as he prepared himself to defend his closest ally at all costs.

"You're… You're really going to kill me over the simple fact that I'm friends with Shantae?"

"It's a strong possibility, and it isn't like I'd lose anything for it…!"

"I beg to differ…!" the bird tamer found it in herself to challenge, mildly surprising the renegade genie.

"And why exactly is that?"

"Because if she found out you hurt me in any way, she'll search every corner of this planet to hunt you down, no matter where you try to run or hide. And when she does find you, she won't show you ANY mercy. She would unleash uncontained wrath on you that has brought literal DEITIES to their knees, and she'd punish you to the fullest extent of her limitless ability…"

"Hmph. Big talk, but-!" Hashanah was about to counter, agitated by the reminder that Shantae was stronger than her.

"And for that matter, she wouldn't be alone; you'd also have to hide from Tayshan…!" Sky added, making Hashanah pause entirely.

"…What about him?" the genie bitterly asked.

"I've seen firsthand what Tayshan's capable of, and it's more than enough for me to tell you he went EASY on you in Scuttle Town. In fact, I know from recent experience that he would, with no exaggeration, literally OBLITERATE you on the spot for harming me…!" At that, Hashanah barely resisted the urge to flinch herself, though she held her threatening composure as best as she could.

"You think so?"

"No; I KNOW so. I'm not clear on whatever your problem with us is, but you'd better believe that my friends are more powerful than you can even imagine. And there's no doubt you'd be made to regret it if you tried anything here that would provoke them to find you…!"

"Hm… A theory I'm sure neither of us wants to test out, but that I'm not entirely against seeing through. Fine, then…" Hashanah… surprisingly relented as she eased her stance and cancelled her magic's effect. "Only thing that would completely stop me from starting THAT party, of course, is if you can answer me this one question…"

"…A-and that question is…?"

"What in the heck are you doing here?" she demanded to know. "And don't you DARE try to play dumb with me, blondie. I want to know the EXACT reason you're here right now. There's no way you stumbled upon the Cyclic Season Island, much less this temple, by pure chance. What are you looking for?"

"…" Sky wordily replied as she glared at Hashanah, unsure of what the evil half-genie would do following her confession of her reasons for entering what was apparently the Capricious Titan Shrine.

"…Well? You gonna start fessing up or not?" Hashanah urged, flaring out her hand as she anticipated the possibility of Sky's refusal to cooperate. "Because I've only got but so much patience for people giving me the silent treatment before I silence them for good…!"

"…Shoot…!" the anxious bird tamer cursed under her breath before breathing the deepest of sighs while clenching her fists at her sides.

"If you make me guess why you're here, it's NOT gonna be a pre-!"

"…I'm… here in search of the Spirit Fuser fragment that was rumored to be here…" Sky finally admitted with absolute regret in her tone. Hashanah, despite being surprised, eased her stance once again.

"I had a feeling that's what it was, but what in the world would YOU need the Spirit Fuser for? Did Shantae put you up to this?" Hashanah interrogated, growing tense as she found herself reminded of her previous Spirit Fuser excursion.

"No. I came here on my own volition," the war bird trainer further admitted, however hesitant she was to do so.

"A likely story. There's no way she didn't tell you about it if you two are such great friends like you imply. And there's DEFINITELY no way you'd risk your life coming here alone if you know just what you're dipping your wings into, bird girl," Hashanah incredulously spat.

"She did tell me about it, and I am aware of the Spirit Fuser's abilities, yes. But I promise you that she didn't tell me to come here. Not that it matters to you, but… um… a-aside from my primary job as a war bird trainer, I'm… I-I'm a Relic Hunter."

"Whoa, really!? A RELIC HUNTER!? No way!" Hashanah remarked in stark surprise. "I thought that profession went out of practice AGES ago! Are you serious, or are you lying to me?"

"I'm dead serious. My father himself is also Relic Hunter, and I'm getting my feet wet in the trade to possibly take his place one day. This… just so happens to be one of my most valuable… if not most dangerous hunts yet," she shared, further surprising Hashanah as the rogue genie's expression went from entirely scrutinizing to… moderately intrigued? Huh…

"Well, it certainly doesn't make sense to come here without protection!" Hashanah remarked with a raised eyebrow and half-smile. "But y'know what? We may be able to work something out here…"

"…Work something out like what?"

"I'll cut you a deal. You help me find and secure that Spirit Fuser piece, and I'll let you live to tell the tale!" she 'offered' with an enthusiastic flair to her tone that betrayed the truly grim nature of her proposition.

"Well, THAT'S reassuring," Sky sarcastically remarked, not at all amused or impressed by the offer. "And I don't know how crazy you think I am if you think I'd ever agree to that. If you're looking for these fragments, then I can only guess you definitely have some deranged, power-hungry goal for them that would threaten Sequin Land as we know it."

"What? What in the world would give you THAT idea?" Hashanah tried to play off with a nonchalant scoff. It… didn't really work.

"The fact that you threatened to 'destroy' my friends AND Scuttle Town as a whole after Tayshan defeated you there last week," Sky matter-of-factly replied. "And there's no reason for either of us to pretend we don't know what the Spirit Fuser is capable of if we're both searching for it. I'm not offering my 'assistance' to the likes of you!"

"Yyyyeeah, I don't think you understand, sweetie," Hashanah set herself up to counter, keeping her tone as calm as could be. "You don't exactly have a choice here. Or rather, your choices are A. Help me, or B. DIE. Does that sound clear enough to you?"

"And if you kill me, there's very little chance you'll get through this temple and find that piece alone before the place disappears for the next ten years. And even if you did find the fragment and a way out of here, my friends would hunt you down and destroy you before you got the chance to find the rest of them."

"They'd have to find out you were dead first…!" Hashanah reminded Sky, growing agitated almost instantly. Before either of them could continue the tense conversation, however, she took a moment to collect herself by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Afterward, she continued. "Alright, look. I'd really prefer to make this trip easy, and I'd prefer not to get my hands dirtier than they already are. I've put in more than enough work even getting up here, and if you as a Relic Hunter can help me out just this once, I promise you that you'd be rewarded with more than just your life."

"Oh, really? Rewarded with what, exactly?"

"Depends on what you want. You may have figured this out by now, but I AM a genie. I can grant you any one wish you want… within reasonable limits…"

"A wish? You can grant wishes as a half-genie?"

"Yeah, but only minor things like money, materials, or to make someone fall in love with you. I'll admit that I still need more training on granting bigger wishes. That, and it takes a full year for me to regain the power after I grant one. Lucky you, that power was restored for me just the other day."

"Hm. Tempting, but I feel like wishes such as those come with some serious drawbacks," Sky flatly retorted, catching Hashanah off-guard. However, the half-genie kept her poker face on.

"Maybe they do, and maybe they don't, but you'll only find out if you help me find this Spirit Fuser piece and earn the wish…" she propositioned with a wink.

"Eh, I'm not really interested," she denied without even a second of consideration, much to Hashanah's surprise yet again.

"What!?"

"I have more than enough money to support myself, so I can buy whatever I need whenever I need it. And if anyone's gonna fall in love with me, they'll do it the natural way instead of being mind-controlled into it. That's just cheating." At that, Hashanah rolled her eyes and sighed.

"…Jeez, you must be one of those boring, strait-laced types who always takes the moral high ground to prove how 'mature' she is. I can tell just by the overconfidence in your tone."

"And what's THAT supposed to mean!?" Sky bellowed in offense.

"Have you ever even been in bed with anyone, or are you ALSO the type who's 'saving herself for the right person' or whatever?" Hashanah rather intrusively asked out of nowhere.

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" the indignant bird trainer shouted, obviously not appreciative of the other woman's derisive prying.

"…Yep. Virgin. Got it," Hashanah drew the very disrespectful conclusion with a chuckle that only infuriated Sky further as the poor falconer's face grew redder than scarlet beetles.

"D'oh, you…! Gahh…!" the bird trainer groaned in a mixture of embarrassment and agitation, rendered speechless by the other young woman's invasive observation.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, feathers. It's fine if you're just looking for the right person to share the experience with. It's honestly a surprise that a girl as hot as you are hasn't gone all the way with anyone yet," the rogue genie 'complimented.'

"I really don't want to talk about th-! Wait… Wh-what?"

"So… just out of curiosity… Do you happen to like boys? Or girls? Or both? Neither?" Hashanah took the initiative to keep on digging in places she was not permitted to dig.

"…C-can we just go back to talking about forming an alliance?" Sky humbly requested after an awkward pause, the inconceivable discomfort written ALL OVER her face.

"Ah, so you're not sure. Well, listen. You help me out here, and maybe… you and I… can do a little 'experimenting' as a favor to help you discover yourself. I don't know you, but I'd hate to see you so confused. And who knows? Maybe if you play your cards right, you and I can form a… 'Special friendship' of sorts from the experience." And at that, Sky went from moderately uncomfortable to utterly FLABBERGASTED in 0.216246347 seconds.

"…WHAT!?"

"Offer's on the table. We may not necessarily be on the same side, but it doesn't mean we can't get better acquainted with one another. And… I think you're kinda cute, to be honest," the genie admitted with hardly a shred of hesitation.

"…Er, th-thanks, but… uh… I think we've got more important things to talk about than this. We've only got but so much time before the Capricious Titan Shrine disappears, and we won't get anywhere bantering with each other like this. And… I'm flattered, but I'm… not really looking for that kind of connection with anyone at the moment."

"Hm. Suit yourself, birdo."

"The name is Sky."

"Ah! Okay, Sky. Nice name."

"Uh… Th-thank you?"

"Not a problem. So, now that we're on the same page about this alliance, what would you like in return?"

"…I think I'm good on return favors at this point. Um… unless you let me… 'borrow' the Spirit Fuser piece when we find it, pretty please?" she tried to ask nicely, though Hashanah laughed in her face as a result.

"Yyyeah, that's not happening. When we find it, it's as good as mine," Hashanah countered, though Sky expected her to do so. "And you'd better not do anything to try and swipe it from under my nose in any capacity, or else you're as good as dead. I don't care how pretty you are; I don't tolerate backstabbers."

"…Noted."

"Good! So, anything else you might want before we make our partnership official?"

"Nothing that I can think of. I… I'm okay just exploring this place for the experience, I guess…" she somberly remarked with a notable tone of dismay.

"Aw, don't be sad, Sky!" Hashanah encouraged as she approached the bird tamer and offered her a handshake. "It's rough, but I've got priorities to keep track of, and I'm afraid I need that Spirit Fuser fragment more than anything. How about this, then: I'll swear to you that I WON'T destroy Scuttle Town. That make you feel better?"

"Not really, because you're still planning to attack my friends," Sky deflected as she refused Hashanah's handshake as she crossed her arms. "Suddenly putting on a 'nice girl' act and hitting on me isn't going to win me over, either. Let's just work together, see what we can do about getting your fragment, and then we can get out of here. The most important thing I can ask for right this minute is your protection, now that I think of it. I don't know what lurks in the shadows of this temple, and I realize I'm not exactly well-equipped to deal with whatever springs out at us. In return, I can solve any puzzles that might be in the way."

"That's perfect!" the renegade genie cheered. "This temple IS pretty puzzle-heavy, and a Relic Hunter would be best suited for the task of sleuthing through the puzzles. And considering I almost didn't get the last piece because of a puzzle I didn't solve, this arrangement would make it SO much simpler!"

"…Right, you DO have a fragment already…" she murmured under her breath, put even more on-edge about Hashanah.

"Whelp, I think this works just fine as an arrangement! I'll protect you throughout our trip, and you solve the puzzles we come across along the way! And if it makes you feel any less tense, I promise not to hurt you during or after our arrangement. Deal?" the genie offered as she still held her hand out.

"Can you… also throw in the possibility of you NOT attacking my friends?" the wary war bird trainer made sure to request.

"Ah, of course you'd ask that…" Hashanah irritably acknowledged, though she kept her temper in check. "I'll see what I can do, but I've got a PRETTY nasty vendetta against them."

"For what, exactly?"

"I'm not at liberty to explain until you agree to hold up you end of the bargain. So, hurry up and make your decision, Sky, because this is a limited-time offer."

"…Fine. Deal," Sky acquiesced with a heavy sigh, reaching forth and shaking Hashanah's hand to seal the deal on forming their alliance.

"Excellent! Alright, so I know enough about the Capricious Titan Shrine to know that it works like a maze," Hashanah began to explain. "If we're smart about it, we can avoid encountering most enemies outside of the Capricious Titan himself, but that requires us to pick the correct rooms and solve each puzzle we're presented in a certain amount of time that varies with each room we enter. We also have to enter the correct rooms in the correct order, or else we get teleported back to this area to start all over."

"Wow, you've certainly done your homework."

"Indeed, I did~! I didn't come here completely unprepared, but I… will admit I'm not great with puzzles. Like I said, it's a huge benefit to me that we met here."

"Yeah, I'll bet. I was DEFINITELY looking for new 'friends' on my way up here myself…"

"That biting sarcasm's also a great sign that we'll get along well," Hashanah complimented with another lighthearted chuckle as she encroached upon Sky's boundaries and wrapped an arm around the bird tamer's shoulders. Sky, despite her intense dislike of being touched by a potentially hostile stranger, kept herself as calm as possible. Wrench, not at all fond of anyone potentially making his master uncomfortable, prepared to attack Hashanah. He would only be stopped when Sky glanced at him, shaking her head to tell him not to engage. Reluctantly, Wrench relented, tough he kept a SHARP eye on Hashanah in case she tried anything to hurt Sky. Meanwhile, the girls took a… 'friendly' stroll up the enormous staircase and approached the foreboding doorway that would evidently serve as the starting point to their adventure. "So, exactly how good are you at solving puzzles?"

"You'll find out as soon as we get to this door," Sky rather tersely replied, removing herself from Hashanah's grasp as she approached the door to read the inscription etched into it. Within maybe fifteen seconds of studying the engraving, however… "…Huh. Is that all it takes?"

"What? What does it say?"

"It says, 'The greatest of gifts come to those with patience. Press close as a shadow and soundless as empty air. The passage of a consecutive two out of sixty chronological cycles will reveal the path…'"

"…Which means…?"

"Press against the door, don't move, and don't make a sound for two full minutes. The door will open on its own after that."

"Whoa, you gathered all that from that incredibly vague hint?"

"Yep. I've seen enough of these to know how to break down the language," Sky candidly remarked as she pressed her hand to the doorway and let Wrench perch on her head. "Now, as I said, neither of us should move, talk, or make any noise for two minutes. Understood?" Rather than reply with words, Hashanah merely nodded as she stood and waited eagerly to see if Sky's observation was correct. Sky had also gone silent, keeping herself almost statuesque as she focused her full attention on the giant stone door that blocked their path. And…

Two minutes later…

With a rumbling *BWRGLRGLRGLRGLRRRRGGGH*, the door automatically slid downward into the floor, allowing the girls entry into the next section.

"Wow… That's impressive!" Hashanah praised. "Makes me wonder if the next little brain teaser we come across will potentially stump you."

"We'll see. Now, are you ready to roll?"

"You bet I am," the rogue genie affirmed with a determined grin on her face as she took point. As she did, she took the moment to announce the beginning of hers and Sky's journey. "LET'S CRUSH THIS!"

"EYE OF THE EAGLE!" Sky also announced as she and her 'partner' marched ahead through the entrance and into the corridor leading to the next room. They would only need to pass through a small, harmless corridor to find themselves immediately greeted by a room roughly the same size as the previous one. Only…

"Hm. Just as I expected…" Hashanah remarked, remaining calm as she peered around the gold-hued chamber.

"Whoa… One… two… three… There are EIGHT different paths to take in this one room alone!?" Sky remarked in intense disbelief at the sight of eight different open doorways surrounding them at every angle, most of which sported a sparkling, floating series of platforms laid out before them. This room wasn't nearly as decorative as the last, but it remained mesmerizing all the same.

"Don't worry, I know what to do," Hashanah assured. "We're gonna want to go to the room diagonally to the left. That should take us to a room with another puzzle in it…"

"How do you know?"

"I have… reliable sources that clued me in on the basic structure of this temple's maze," the genie cryptically replied.

"I see. So, does that mean you—?"

"Know how to navigate us to the end of this maze with as little trouble as possible? Yuppers!" she gloated. "Only things I'm not entirely sure about are what sorts of monsters may try to attack us, and how to deal with the puzzles."

"Huh. Well, I guess this really DID work out conveniently enough."

"Of course!" Hashanah agreed as she and Sky approached the only doorway that DIDN'T have a staircase lined up in front of it. "Now… How exactly should we go about getting up to this doorway? It's too high for either of us to climb or jump…"

"I've got this one," Sky assured as she stuck two fingers into her mouth and blew a whistle that came out like some sort of code.

"…What exactly is whistling going to do… here?" the rogue genie asked, though she trailed off when she spotted a multicolored team of falcons flittering in from the previous entrance to congregate and form a makeshift platform in front of Sky. "…Huh?"

"Come on, Hashanah! This is our best bet! Wrench, get ready!" Sky ordered of her allies as she stepped onto the falcon platform.

"BrrrKAW!" Wrench obliged as he took flight and ascended by a few feet before flaring out his wings to hover in place. Meanwhile, Hashanah curiously approached, joining Sky atop the falcon boost stool.

"Wh-what IS this?" Hashanah asked in wonder, glancing down at the birds serving as their floating platform.

"It's my Falcon Call. One of my many bird training commands. I'll tell you more as we go along, but we've gotta make this quick," Sky explained as she kept herself focused.

"Understood…"

"Okay, Wrench! We're about to make a transfer," Sky offered fair warning to her avian partner as the falcon platform raised just high enough to reach even altitude with him. "Good. Okay, so Wrench will remain stationary as we step onto him. We'll need to make our jump quick, so he doesn't tire out from holding us up for too long," she further instructed Hashanah, though the renegade genie found herself befuddled. Before Hashanah could ask what she meant, Sky stepped onto Wrench and, with a mighty leap of incredible grace and majesty, she cleared the remaining 20 FOOT gap under her own power and, with a most majestic spin move like a figure skater, she landed safely on the pathway leading to their next destination.

"Whoa…! Goodness, girl, you've got hops!"

"Yeah, I catch a lot of people by surprise with that. Now, it's your turn. Step onto Wrench and jump."

"Right… Um…" Hashanah uncertainly obeyed as she went to step onto the wren/finch hybrid. Wrench, of course, would let her know just how he felt about her the second she set foot on him. How, you may ask? By deliberately shaking and destabilizing his flight, glaring at the rogue genie all the while. "WHAHAHAAAH!" Hashanah bellowed in a panic, nearly falling off the bird before finding her balance.

"Wrench! Cut it out!" Sky admonished, seeing already that her most trusted teammate wasn't fully sticking to the plan.

"…Oh, you're lucky we have an alliance, or else I'd fry you up like chicken for that…!" Hashanah mumbled a most unsettling threat just low enough that Wrench could hear it. Nevertheless, the evil half-genie turned her attention toward Sky and gave it her best shot leaping up toward the other young woman. While she jumped to an impressive height herself, it took Sky catching her by her wrist and pulling her up for her to make it. Once the girls were secure, the falcons dispersed while Wrench joined them in front of the open doorway. "Gotta say, Sky, I like what I'm seeing of you. I didn't think you'd be such a utilitarian."

"Eh, it comes with the job," Sky nonchalantly acknowledged with a shrug of her shoulders. "I can summon all kinds of birds for a variety of assistive purposes, which should make clearing any gaps or bottomless pits easier on us."

"Ah… Okay, well I'm glad you serve more purposes than one."

"Hm. I'll take that as a 'compliment,' I guess. Anyway, ready for the next part?"

"Oh. Er, y-yeah. I'll lead the way," Hashanah agreed as the girls jogged right along into the darkness-shrouded corridor. While their trek through the opaque hallway was slightly longer than the last and included a lengthy slide downward, it would still take little time for Sky and Hashanah to enter the next room… which was jade-hued and sparkling, though it was comparatively small in size. It bore a lone, floating platform at the center whose only connection to any wall was a rather unsteady, narrow stone pathway. Mind you, this 'pathway' was also hovering over miles upon miles of empty, skull-smoking darkness with naught but a singular blocked doorway the size of an entire house to be seen at the far end of the room. Additionally, there was an odd, lone, narrow beam of light shining directly onto the center of the platform from a shadow-shrouded ceiling way, way, WAY up high above. Sky and Hashanah watched their steps as they each reached the platform, which began to jumble and shake as the girls braced themselves. Once they were as secure as they could manage, however… "So… got any ideas on how to crack this one? Because it already doesn't look like we're getting far, even with those fancy birds of yours."

"Don't sweat it," Sky assured as she pointed her finger toward the door.

"Kakaw!" Wrench obeyed, taking flight once more to investigate the door for any clues or hints that would allow them to pass.

"Really? You expect your candy-colored bird to solve this one? You DO know that birds, no matter how well-trained they are, can't read human languages, right?"

"Hmph. Goes to show how little faith you have in the abilities of me or my birds, despite your kind words just a little while ago. Give him a second…"

"Oh, THIS'LL be rich…" Hashanah doubtfully remarked, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes as she patiently anticipated Sky's perceived failure. Her wait, regardless of her expectation, wouldn't be long, however. Wrench quickly soared back to Sky and, while remaining airborne, offered his report.

"Krrrakakaw! Brrrrkaw! Chip, kaw, krrrrbrt! Chrp, chrp, kakaw, brrrt!" Wrench informed, though I'm… not sure exactly what he said…

"So, we need to 'become the guiding light that shines ahead and forges the path,' hm? And the other part says, 'The truest progress comes not from magic or from tools, but from ingenuity'?"

"Brrkakaw!" Wrench confirmed, though the entire exchange seemed to completely floor Hashanah, who wore a most dumbfounded look on her face at the exchange. The renegade genie merely gawked at the bird trainer and her pet bird, unable to make sense of the fact that a human and a bird were interacting like they were speaking the same language.

"…What in the…?"

"Hm. Well, then. I guess keeping Tayshan's Inhibitor Vambrace was a good idea after all," Sky remarked, shocking Hashanah further. Before she could ask another question, however, Sky motioned to take off the giant, gleaming silver bracelet and hand it over to Wrench, who'd taken the accessory into his talons. "Alright, so all you need to do is angle the vambrace, so that the beam of light from above is angled at the door's center."

"…Wait… Did… Did you just say INHIBITOR V-!?" Hashanah was about to ask, though she wouldn't get a chance to complete the question.

"Brrokay!" Wrench agreed, taking the wraith's Inhibitor Vambrace and positioning himself while in midair. Wrench wound up turning ever so slightly to the side as he floated above the girls and the platform they stood on. The beam of concentrated light hit the vambrace, initially reflecting the light toward the wall on the side.

"Turn a little to the left and fly a little higher, buddy! You're almost in the perfect position!" Sky coached. With wordless obedience, Wrench followed her command. Steadily, the hybrid bird rotated himself, stabilizing his flight as best as he could while he calculated his every move. "Just a little more… A little more… aaaaaaand… Right there!" Sky further coached, prompting Wrench to almost freeze in place save for his wings flapping. As directed, the beam of light shining from the ceiling hit the vambrace at JUST the precise angle that the light was redirected toward the center of the door. And within a few seconds, and another rumbling *KKRBRKBKRBRKBRKBKRGLRGLRGLRGH*, the doorway opened. Additionally, the floating platform detached from the pathway and floated toward the doorway. "Good work, Wrench!" Sky cheered as she received her borrowed jewelry piece from her avian companion.

"Kakaw!" Wrench cawed in acknowledgement as he perched back onto Sky's head. Meanwhile, the resourceful falconer clapped the Inhibitor Vambrace back onto her wrist. And while Hashanah was impressed by her temporary partner's uncanny ability to crack codes like whips on ripe apples (don't ask how I came up with that simile)…

"…H-hey, mind if I ask you a question?" the rogue genie queried as the platform reached the doorway.

"Hm? What, are you gonna ask how I know how to speak bird? How my birds are trained so well? Or how it's possible we're moving through this maze so quickly so far?"

"No… W-well, yeah, I'd like to know about all that, too, but…"

"What's up?" Sky prompted Hashanah to pose her question. Although it took a moment of careful thought for the genie to form her inquiry, she eventually came out with it…

"…How much power do Shantae and Tayshan have, if it happens to be the case that Tayshan has to wear vambraces designed to suppress his magic? And… does Shantae have the same kind of equipment?"

"Hm? What… exactly do you mean?"

"You… said that vambrace there was an Inhibitor Vambrace, didn't you? On top of you confirming it belongs to him?"

"I did?" Sky asked back before realizing what she said to Wrench previously. "Oh… R-right, I did…"

"Yeah. So, spill. How strong are those two, exactly?"

"Um… You might not like what I have to say, but I… don't really know if I can give you an accurate estimate. I know you're trying to dig into me to see if I can tell you how to defeat them, but even if I WANTED to tell you, I… don't have that kind of intel."

"Hmph. And how do I know you're not lying through your teeth to protect them?" Hashanah impatiently pressed.

"Because neither of them needs my protection. You saw for yourself. You've fought them both at least once by now, haven't you? At least, as far as the rumor goes about your encounter with Shantae in the Tangled Thread Temple, right?"

"…Y-yeah… but it doesn't help that all of you keep saying they held back on me, but still beat me," Hashanah opened up to share her frustration. "And if you're really that close to them, then you MUST have some kind of idea of how strong they are. Don't you?"

"I don't. All I can tell you, Hashanah, is that they've both accomplished feats most people WISH they were strong enough to accomplish. If you're a Sequin Land native, then there's no doubt you've heard everything about what Shantae's done to protect the world over the past few years."

"To a nauseating degree, yes. Defeated Risky Boots many times over, defeated the Pirate Master despite initially having her powers temporarily stripped from her, apparently saved the Genie Realm from imploding on itself after one of Risky's inventions went on the fritz, apparently beat up some ancient vampiric Siren Queen that preyed on half-genies and tried to destroy the world a week or two ago, a bunch of other theatrical stunts in between, blah, blah, blah…" she dismissively ranted. "I'm certain she can attribute most of those oh-so-amazing feats to pure luck, no less," she incredulously rebutted. "It's not a very impressive skill or superpower to be lucky all the time."

"You certainly aren't the first to say that, but believe whatever you want about her. Shantae is the strongest entity in Sequin Land, if not the world, either way. She doesn't look like it at a glance, I'll admit, but that girl is unfathomably powerful. It's to a point where I'm not even sure if she knows how powerful she is sometimes… and even still, she keeps getting stronger with every passing day…"

"That right? Hm…"

"Yep. And Tayshan… well, he's been through a LOT in his time here, and there's little doubt you already know what I mean."

"To an equally nauseating, not to mention INFURIATING degree, yes…! I heard enough about HIM in Inseam…!"

"Understandable, all things considered, but the man wasn't always as strong as he is now. He had to claw, scratch, and push his way to his current level… and even though he died at Risky's hands, he only got stronger after the fact. I don't even know what he dealt with while he was on his way to the afterlife, nor do I fully comprehend the story of how he came back to the world of the living, but he came back more powerful than ever. And since then, he's only ever kept on pushing past his limits to become one of Scuttle Town's… no, one of Sequin Land's most reliable defenders next to Shantae herself. It's to a point where she considers him her most reliable ally because of how long and how well they've been working together."

"I'm SO sure," Hashanah disbelievingly shot back. "But that doesn't explain how a mere HUMAN, dead or alive, gained genie-level strength out of nowhere, much less found himself capable of using it to his advantage."

"I don't have all the answers to that either, but I do at least know it's thanks in part to Shantae initially taking him under her wing as a student before he branched out on his own. It… may also be a factor that Risky Boots made him swallow a Dark Magic-infused gem shard with the intent to brainwash him the day she captured him in your hometown," Sky revealed, much to Hashanah's surprise.

"She did WHAT!?" the rogue genie hollered her question at nearly the top of her lungs, not at all prepared for such a grand reveal.

"Yeah. Not a lot of people know about that, but Risky inadvertently gave him a substantial power boost by forcing him to swallow that gem in her attempt to turn him against Shantae. But somehow, he resisted the mind control and made the Dark Magic power from the gem his own. Mind you, he was already incredibly powerful BEFORE she did that, so it's still a wonder to me how far he's come since then. For reference, rumor has it that he ALSO took on some form of deity or all-powerful ancient warlord while he was stuck in the Village of Lost Souls… and KILLED them in just a few hits…"

"You're KIDDING!"

"I couldn't make that up if I tried. And… between you and me, he battled Risky Boots by himself again just the other day, and he actually managed to defeat her despite the fact that Risky is also even MORE powerful than she's ever been. I was there to watch that battle play out."

"Are… A-are you serious!?"

"I am, though that's all I can tell you right this minute…" she assured, remaining certain that she did not want to speak too freely about the exploits of her closest humanoid allies. "Long story short, they're both incredible in their own respective rights."

"…In that case, I've got a LOT of 'catching up' to do myself…!" she murmured to herself. "I… I CANNOT allow myself to slip further behind…!" Hashanah pondered, the new details given to her not sitting well with her in the slightest.

"I know we're not necessarily friends, you and me, but I'll still offer you a friendly suggestion to not cross them more than you already have. Maybe if you gave me a chance to understand you, we can hash out your grudges against them. Maybe you don't have to go down the path you're on now."

"Hmph. Save the 'searching for the good in me' charade for someone who actually cares," Hashanah sternly refused. "I've made my choice, and I'm not reversing myself just because a super cute girl thinks she can win me over with sugary votes of sympathy."

"…Uh-huh…"

"Not for a lack of appreciation for you trying, no less, but nothing will stop me from becoming the strongest genie on the planet," Hashanah finally revealed, piquing Sky's curiosity.

"Oh, is that your goal?"

"It is. What about it?"

"Nothing. I just happen to think you're picking a really interesting way to go about it…"

"Oh, it'll be well worth your curiosity once you see what I can do… Just you wait and see…"

"All things considered, I'd prefer to 'wait and see' you go about a slightly different method of achieving your goal."

"Oh? And what would you suggest?"

"I dunno… Hard work and disciplined training, spending time with friends to appreciate your connection with them… literally ANYTHING that doesn't involve you trying to destroy everything you come across if it so much as looks at you funny… Y'know, stuff that doesn't make you look insane," Sky strongly recommended. How did Hashanah receive such a contemptuous response to her question, you ask? Weeell…

"Hahahahahah! Gosh, I really had you pegged wrong, huh?" the humored genie laughingly observed, nearly doubling over as she guffawed. "You really deliver some ZINGERS when I least expect it. I love that!"

"…Uh…" the bird tamer stammered, not at all certain of what to make of her adventuring partner's tickled response to her advice.

"Y'know what? I changed my mind," Hashanah declared as she calmed herself down and reoriented herself. "I really like you, Sky!"

"Oh! Ah… O-okay… Thanks?"

"Sure, sure," the genie accepted her teammate's gratitude as she took a breath. "Normally, I'd totally DEMOLISH anyone who got smart with me like that, but you just have this… this incredible natural charm to your remarks that honestly gets me wondering how we'd go back and forth for the fun of it together. You're so funny!"

"…Glad you think so, I guess…" the thoroughly unsettled falconer remarked once again, glancing at an equally disquieted Wrench for a second before turning her attention back to the half-genie.

"That said, I'm totally interested in seeing where this goes beyond today if you are."

"Where what goes?"

"Our partnership, silly!"

"Uh… No offense, but I don't really think tha-!" Sky was about to refuse Hashanah's offer before the rogue genie cut her off.

"Before we get too distracted, though, we should go and clear the rest of this temple. You ready to rock on?"

"…Hm. As I'll ever be," Sky apprehensively replied with a shrug, keeping her guard way up.

"Excellent! I'm just itching to do more of this Relic hunt with you!"

"I'll bet," the bird trainer uncomfortably acknowledged, growing wary of her teammate's sudden change in attitude toward her.

"Just make sure you place that 'bet' on the right card. Now, come on. We've only just begun to really dig into this maze," Hashanah urged, taking Sky by the hand and pulling her along into the next corridor. Within the next couple of minutes, the two young ladies found themselves in another room of extra corridors to traverse through to reach the next piece of the puzzle. This time, however, the room was small and triangular with only two other pathways to take. It appeared not to be such an easy feat taking either path, as one of them was up two steep flights of stairs that had gigantic boulders rolling down them with *PRLAKAKRARGH* after *PRLAKAKARAGH* of the spherical stones against the sturdy marble surface of the room's floor. The boulders rolled down each flight, crashing against a wall midway through before tumbling into a triangle-shaped abyss in an endless cycle. What really drew the girls' attention, though, was…

"The path on the left seems like… a LITTLE overkill for not allowing intruders to pass through, huh?" Sky remarked, observing the pathway opposite to the one I just described. This one happened to be located FIVE flights of stairs up and had these utterly DIABOLICAL overhead spike crush traps that came down with startling *PLAKRAAANGs* at random times. It… didn't help that certain parts of the stairwells would spew up towers flames with monstrous *FWOOOORSHes* wherever the spike traps didn't cover. Oh, and for good measure, that pathway was also littered with the scattered remains, skeletons, and articles of jewelry and clothing presumably belonging to travelers past that… definitely weren't so lucky getting here. "S-so… any chance you know which one we're supposed to go through?" she turned and asked Hashanah, who'd still been holding her hand.

"The boulder one, but we need to be quick about it," Hashanah confirmed as she studied the pattern of the first path. "I doubt there's much chance your birds are fast enough to buy us time. I'll take the lead on this one, babe."

"Oh. Okay, sure th-! Wait, what did you just call m-?" Sky was about to ask before the questionably noble and determined half-genie took it upon herself to sweep Sky off her feet and pull her into a most unexpected bridal carry. "…Uh…"

"I'll get us to the next puzzle without breaking a sweat," Hashanah assured with the friendliest smile she could muster… which, honestly, was QUITE friendly. It was almost like she wasn't even evil, her admittedly gorgeous grin gave off such a reassuring energy. Sky, as one may imagine, was thrown off.

"…A-and how do I know you're not gonna do something underhanded like throw me into the pit or into one of those boulders on the way up?"

"Aw, come on, Sky. What kind of messed-up question is that? I'm NOT gonna hurt you. We're in this together at least until we find my prize."

"Well, THAT'S super reassuring…"

"It better be. We need each other for every step of this little adventure. Of course, I'm… not above scoring an additional 'prize' in the form of a beautiful new 'partner' like you by the end of this…~" the rogue genie teased with an even brighter, albeit more… suggestive grin.

"…What… do you mean by that? Are… you planning to kidnap me once we're done here? And if you are, then what are you gonna do to me?" Sky suspiciously asked, evidently uncomfortable with the position she was put in. At that, Hashanah let out a genuinely humored giggle as she continued to hold the bird tamer in her arms.

"Jeez, you've got such a vivid imagination!" the genie girl remarked through her laughter. "I may be a wild card of sorts, but I'm not desperate if that makes you feel better. I'm just saying I'm digging your chill vibes, and I'd… well, y'know… I'd like to explore the potential connection between you and me. Is that so scary to you?" she further explained her presumably wholesome intentions for getting closer to her temporary tag partner.

"Considering you threatened to kill me not that long ago, I can't say I like the odds of you being for real here," the falconer sarcastically remarked, making Hashanah laugh more.

"Ah, lighten up, honey. I'm being sincere, I promise," the former Inseam guardian cheerfully assured as she held Sky closer and got set on progressing further through the Capricious Titan Shrine. "Gotta say once again, I love your sense of humor. You come across as super smart, too, which I bet makes you great for conversation. Now, are you ready?"

"…Ah, what other choice do we have…?" Sky lamented with a sigh as she left it up to chance and wrapped her arms around Hashanah's shoulders and got as comfortable as she could. Meanwhile, Wrench remained airborne as he shot the rogue genie a scrutinizing stare that she completely ignored.

"Excellent! We'll be done faster than you know it! Hyaaaah!" Hashanah let out a most enthusiastic battle cry as she, with a humming *FWOOOOOORZH*, coated herself in Dark Magic and dashed ahead up the first of two giant staircases with hardly a warning. Her teammate jostling around in her arms, Hashanah held onto Sky tight as she bolted forth with the speed of a gazelle. The first incoming boulder barreled down toward them with the intent to crush, quaking the ground beneath them with every inch of ground it covered. The evil genie was prepared, however, as she charged up energy into her eyes…? Huh… That's a new development. I wonder what she…? "Spirit Shift: Thrasher Rhino!" she yelled, at which point she and Sky were, with a sparkling *ZHROAULNG* enshrouded in a brilliant, glittering topaz-hued aura that… took the form of one of those GIANT RHINOCEROSES FROM THE CYCLIC SEASON ISLAND!? Er, o-okay! And just as the girls reached the boulder, Hashanah leaned forward before thrusting her head upward like she'd been imitating a rhino's ram. And wouldn't you know it? The rhinoceros-shaped aura shape mirrored her movement and SMASHED through the boulder with an explosive *KRABLOOORGHORGH*, sending gravel and stones scattering about!

"W-whoa…!" Sky murmured in amazement as she continued to hold on tight and trust in Hashanah's abilities.

"Here comes another one! HRRRAAH!" Hashanah roared as she rhino-rammed her way through the second giant boulder with another monumental *KRABLOOORGHORGHORGH*, sending debris scattering all over the place. Within the following second, however, the rhino aura wore off, leaving the girls vulnerable as they quickly approached the end of the first stairwell. "Sky! Use your Falcon thing to give us an avenue for a shortcut! Call 'em to the outside! Now!" she requested as she kept her eye on the boulder rolling down toward them. Though Sky wasn't initially expecting to be called upon for assistance, she heard the command loud and clear.

"You got it!" the falconer complied as she whistled her bird code to summon another team of falcons to congregate in midair at the side of the deadly obstacle course. "They're ready for you! Jump now!"

"Will do! Yah!" Hashanah cooperated as she, with a surprising level of leg strength, leapt high and far to land with a *PLOOMPH* of her feet on the backs of the falcon platform as another giant boulder came within inches of squashing them flat. "Alright, we're almost there! So, to save us another grueling leg workout, I'm gonna use another Spirit Shift to jump the rest of the way across!"

"Whatever you do, make it quick! We've only got a few seconds before my birds lose their strength!" Sky warned as she directed her falcon team to hover just close enough to the stairwell to give the genie a fair shot.

"No sweat! Now, then…" Hashanah trailed off as she focused on the dropping boulders. It was then that she noticed that each boulder came dropping down in a sequential pattern. It was tense for her, though, as she did her best to time-! "Got it…! Spirit Shift: Leopard Gal!" she abruptly shouted, her eyes glowing once again. Immediately afterward, the girls were encased with another *ZHROAULNG* in an aura of a mesmerizing hazel as the energy took the form of the apex predator in question. "Hold on tight, Sky!"

"Any tighter, and I might wind up suffocating you!"

"Oh, you won't hear any complaints from me, hon~! HoooWAAAAH!" Hashanah joked and jumped just as the falcon team dissipated. Her jump was low in its arc, but VERY far as she strengthened her grip on her teammate and focused on her landing zone. Midway through the leap of faith, one more boulder came pounding onto the top of the second stairwell with an almost deafening *SHPWAAAM* before it began rolling down. And within a second of that boulder slamming down, Hashanah and Sky made their… hmm, I'd estimate about a 30-yard-long jump, though the landing was anything but graceful. "Gwaaahah!" Hashanah yelled as she and the falconer went toppling over due to the sheer momentum of the jump with the Leopard Gal transformation dissipating almost immediately afterward. *PLOP* after *PWOFF* after *PLACK*, the ladies bowled head-over-heel over each other, rolling through the next downward-sloped corridor JUST as another boulder came down with a thunderous *WHAPRAAM* against the floor. Wrench stuck close by, following the girls' every move to avoid being crushed himself. Within a few bumbles, rumbles, and tumbles, however, the girls finally stopped just shy of the entrance to the next room.

"Oof… Wow, that was close…" Sky murmured as she picked herself up and dusted herself off. She then walked over to Hashanah and helped the half-genie up to her feet as well.

"You're telling me… Excellent teamwork, by the way," Hashanah praised, patting Sky on the back.

"As I'm sure we'll need to continue to exhibit along the way. Let's keep going, though. We're on a roll," the falconer acknowledged before stepping ahead toward the next room. Following suit, Hashanah let out a light giggle.

"Heh… I see what you did there…" she murmured as they stepped into the next room. The two young ladies were introduced right away to a massive, mauve-hued, pentagon-shaped room with a singular marble-crafted pentagonal platform in the center with some inscription on it. The platform hardly looked big enough to fit more than one person on it, mind you. Worse yet, the platform was surrounded by a rapidly flowing, whirling cyclone of sparkling, crystal clear water that couldn't have possibly looked less safe to go swimming in. "Ah, right, THIS room…"

"Got any intel on it?" Sky asked in wonder, scanning the room to see a series of tunnels lined across the top section of the room all around. Most of the tunnels were infinitely pouring water into the whirlpool, save for one that appeared to be sealed off. There… were also some others that had what the falconer could swear were pairs of eyes staring directly at them.

"Not a ton, but I do at least know we need to do something with that platform at the center of this chamber," Hashanah did her best to inform as she stared at the violent rapids swirling around the platform like a watery tornado of aquatic fury. "I… also know that if you get sucked into the whirlpool here, you're pretty much done for. It's bottomless, and there's no way to escape, as far as I know…"

"Oh, ya don't say…?" Sky frightfully acknowledged as she glanced at the raging rapids… though she found her attention drawn more toward the pairs of red, purple, and orange eyes glaring at them from the shadows.

"Hm? What are you looking at…?" the other young lady asked, peering back at the falconer to see where her attention was drawn. Hashanah followed Sky's gaze to the tunnels that were basically staring back at her. "Ah. Right, this'll be the first of at least a few rooms that has enemies in it despite it being on the correct path. Mind you, we still have to solve a puzzle to get past it, so we might as well get it over with. Ready?"

"I guess. But how do you suppose we get over to that platform without risking falling into the water?"

"We're just gonna need to put our heads and our skills together on this one," Hashanah assured. "I'm thinking we can use a combination of your bird platforms, after which I'll use a Spirit Shift to land us on it."

"Hmm… From the look of it, we MAY be stretching it, but it's our best shot…" Sky acquiesced once more. "Although… What exactly is that 'Spirit Shift' technique of yours? You don't belly dance to turn into animals like other half-genies?"

"Nope. At least, not anymore. You wouldn't have known this beforehand, but when I turned my Light Magic into Dark Magic, I surrendered my ability to shapeshift into animals in exchange for the ability to craft certain energy weapons on the fly," the rogue genie explained. "My dances are reserved specifically for stronger spells and more powerful weapons than the ones you'll most commonly see from me. Trust me, it's a HUGE change for the better. Needing to dance for my spells all the time always left me wide open to attack…"

"Oh. W-wow, I… didn't know that was possible…"

"Yeah, but I'll save the story behind that for later, should you be interested. Anyway, the Spirit Fuser fragment I have lets me take on the forms of any animals I take down once I absorb their spirit energy into it. Thankfully, I don't have to belly dance to get that to work, either. As long as it's in my possession, I can Spirit Shift anytime I want. Although, it still costs me a pretty good deal of magic in return when I'm only using one piece of it…"

"…Oh…" Sky remarked in absolutely understandable dread. "So… I… suddenly have a question…"

"Do you? What's up?"

"…You… didn't happen to use that thing to absorb the souls of any animals on the Cyclic Season Island, did you?"

"Ah, an interesting question," Hashanah plainly acknowledged. "What would give you that idea?"

"The fact that the transformations you used thus far resembled animals I encountered on my way up here…" the bird trainer hesitantly revealed.

"Perceptive, you are! Also, yes. I only got a few of them, though. And even then, only one or two are anything worth bragging about," the guiltless genie openly confirmed, which did the other young woman no favors in easing her flaring nerves.

"I… I see…" was all Sky could think to say in that moment, her immense concern written all over her face.

"Yep. I think that's all you need to know for now, so let's get on over to that platform and get this puzzle done."

"Right… Okay, here we go…" the bird tamer obliged, sticking two fingers into her mouth and whistling to summon another Falcon Call. Within a few seconds, another kaleidoscopic team of falcons made themselves available for the duo to climb aboard. Just before they did, however… "Wrench, get in position. We're gonna make this a quick one," she commanded her right-hand bird.

"Brrokay," Wrench agreed, flying over the rapids until Sky gave a nonverbal signal for him to hover in the position she designated for him.

"Good. Alright, Hashanah, get yourself ready. We need to do this in two big jumps, considering the distance and the limited time we're working with," Sky further instructed as they stepped onto the Falcon Call platform, at which point the falcons steadily moved over the swirling rapids.

"You got it, girl," Hashanah agreed, summoning a smidgen of her power as her body became coated in her signature evil energy. "Let me know when to jump."

"Sure thing… Alright, on my mark…" Sky ordered, keeping her eyes locked on Wrench as he kept himself in position. And as the Falcon platform began to falter along the way… "Three… two… one… NOW!"

"Heard! Spirit Shift: Leopard Gal!" the determined genie announced as she swept Sky up into another bridal carry. And with another mesmerizing *ZHROAULNG* of a glittering topaz-hued aura surrounding the girls, Hashanah activated her quasi-transformation into a Leopard Gal. Wasting no time, Hashanah made an INCREDIBLE leap across the first of two giant gaps as she lunged off the Falcon platform with Sky in tow. Ready and waiting, Wrench shifted himself to where he was stretching himself straight, his wings flared out and steadied to serve. Within a second, and with a mighty *PLOMPH*, Hashanah managed to hit her mark as she landed on Wrench. Rather than wait for a chance to gauge her next jump, however, she made another mile-long leap with next to no preparation.

"Wh-whoa, hang on! We had time to work with! What are you doing!?"

"Making this quick, like you said. Or rather, making this quicker," Hashanah explained while they were already soaring toward the pentagonal platform at the center of the watery chamber. Deactivating her transformation midair, the genie held onto her partner tightly as they BARELY cleared the gap. With a stunning *WHAPLACK* of the half-genie's feet against the uneven marble surface, Hashanah landed… if not a bit unsteadily, as she went slipping right off her feet the second her feet touched down. "Whoawhahahaaaah!" she shouted, her feet slipping right from under her, resulting in her falling flat on her back with a damp *FLWOP*. It didn't exactly help that Sky went down right with her, their heads banging into each other with a skull-crunching *THROCK* as they NARROWLY avoided slipping off the platform entirely as they rolled over one another and stopped JUST before tumbling off the edge.

"Dagh! Ow!" Sky practically shrieked, instinctively clasping her hands to her forehead as she rested on her back, nursing the potential headache that came with the girls putting their heads together in the wrongest way possible.

"Agh…! Man… That wasn't exactly my proudest highlight…" Hashanah complained as she motioned to pull herself up, only to be greeted with the sight of the other woman pinned beneath her as they lay parallel to one another with the rogue genie facedown on top of her. "…but the view from here DEFINITELY makes up for it… My gosh, she's gorgeous…" she… blushingly remarked with a… peculiar grin, evidently not all that bothered by the fact that they just barely avoided certain death. Again.

"Hm…? What… are you doing?" Sky stirred from her daze just enough to ask, recognizing she couldn't readily get up because of the other girl pinning her down. It took little more than a simple glance at the genie's blushing face, however, for the falconer to immediately grow unsettled. "Um… a-and what exactly are you looking at?" she further asked, blushing herself as she covered her chest with her arms.

"Oh! Ah, s-sorry… Heh, I uh… just got a little distracted there. Forgive me," Hashanah hastily corrected her 'mistake' as she pushed herself back to her feet, helping Sky to hers almost immediately afterward. Oh, and by 'corrected her 'mistake',' I meant that she opted to blushingly stare Sky in the face instead of staring somewhere else.

"Thanks…" she hesitantly offered her gratitude, though she couldn't help but recognize that Hashanah had her eyes locked on her. "And… is there something on my face? You're still staring at me…"

"Wha? Oh, n-no, I uh… Heh, I just… I-I mean, I hope you don't mind my saying this, but uh… You're… really cute… especially looking at you up close…" the surprisingly flustered strawberry blonde-haired woman stammered through her response, nervously batting her gaze away and twirling her fingers through her braided ponytail.

"…Uh-huh…" the suspicious bird trainer acknowledged with a raised eyebrow before turning her attention to the message carved into the platform. In turn, Hashanah breathed a heavy, awkward sigh as she joined Sky in looking at the inscription. "'A warrior's mettle is measured not by the number of challenges he has overcome, but by his determination to succeed despite impossible odds. Stand your ground and prevail against five formidable foes prior to the passing of five chronological cycles…' Oh, boy…"

"What does it mean?" the genie asked in mild concern over her teammate's reaction.

"It seems like we have to fight off five different types of monsters in under five minutes…"

"Oh, is that it? That isn't ba-!"

"While never taking our feet off the platform here," Sky finished, shocking Hashanah nearly stiff. "So, basically, we're gonna be stuck in the exact positions we start this challenge off in until we complete it. That, or if we do have to move, we move without lifting either of our feet from the platform."

"…Ah. Of COURSE, it wouldn't be that easy… There's always a catch. In that case, I'll do most of the leg work here. I can already tell our most favorable strategy is going to be to keep our opposition as far away from us as possible."

"Got it. Just to be safe, though, I'll cover you from behind," Sky offered, turning around as Hashanah got into position as well. The girls pressed their backs to one another, making certain that they could cover one another from all angles.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Plus, I'm dying to see how you handle yourself in a battle."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not necessarily a fighter by nature. My attacks are geared more toward self-defense and distracting the enemy to either make retreating easier, or to allow someone I'm aiding to land more powerful attacks without being interrupted."

"A support specialist, eh? Interesting… In that case, do what you can to keep our enemies occupied or otherwise distracted. I'll handle the rest and wipe out anything that dares to try and throw us off our game."

"You got it. On that note, here comes the first one…" Sky acknowledged and pointed out, pulling an egg bomb out from her inventory in preparation. Coming from one of the tunnels was a-!

"TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah shouted, aiming a hand up and preemptively firing a *KAPWOOORRSH* of her signature technique toward the tunnel Sky pointed at. With a sudden, fiery *PRAPWAAARSH* and resultant agonized screeching of a creature we would now never know the appearance of, the impulsive genie destroyed the potential threat as it roasted to cinders that poured in from the opening.

"Hey, you could at least wait until we see what we're dealing with first!" Sky admonished, getting past her initial surprise just enough to refocus.

"No way! Anything coming out of these tunnels is immediately getting fried to a crisp!" Hashanah disobediently retorted, charging up another Tyranny Blazer with a startling, crackling *KRAKRAWOOOORRSH* of a Dark Magic orb in her hand.

"I get that you want to finish the puzzle as soon as you can, but just slow your roll for a second! We at least need to be sure that-!" Sky was about to suggest as the form of the second tunnel-borne challenger began to emerge from a tunnel that the bird trainer was facing toward. And yet, just as the crimson in the creature's membranous wings became visible…

"DOWN YOU GO!" Hashanah shouted again, whirling around and firing her attack with another haphazard *KAPWOOOORSH* at the approaching black-and-red Bat Gal. And with another *KRAKAZAFWOOOOORSH*, the unsuspecting monster girl was set ablaze on the spot. She shrieked in unbelievable scorching pain as she went plummeting into the rapids with a sizzling *WHAPLOORRSHIIISSH* before disintegrating into nothing. "Hah! Child's play!"

"Hashanah!" a very disquieted Sky yelled, turning around to glare at the half-genie.

"Eyes ahead, Sky! The third one's headed right for you!" the genie warned with a point of her finger upward, paying her partner's frustration no heed. Registering the warning, Sky turned back around to see a particularly rotund golden Giga Ursid WITH WINGS swooping in with one of its front paws stretched out and ready to maim its enemies something fierce. How a bear THIS big was flying around despite its presumably exorbitant weight is beyond me…

"Ah, shoot…! HYAH!" Sky nearly panicked before realizing she only had a few seconds to react. As the gigantic flying mammal zipped in for an extremely brutal paw strike, Sky flung her egg bomb at it, splattering yolk all over its face with a loud, crunchy *KWAPLOOSHK*.

"GROOAAARROOOAH!" the flying Giga Ursid roared in surprise, losing its coordination as it hurriedly tried to clear its vision.

"Oh, no! DUCK!" the bird trainer warned as she crouched low to the very limited ground she and Hashanah were standing on. Hashanah obeyed this particular command, though she was also charging up another concentration of Dark Magic into both her hands. With a terrifying *VWOOOORSH*, the flailing Giga Ursid flew over the girls' heads, NARROWLY missing them in the process. With a most unceremonious *KERSHMACK* of its gigantic, furry… and partly feathery body against the wall, the Giga Ursid more or less found itself at a loss on being able to defend itself. That… wouldn't stop the apparent animal-hating Hashanah, however…

"Back to your creator, you filthy abomination! GENOCIDE SPEAR!" Hashanah roared as she, with *VWEERZH* after *FWEEEERRNG*, flung two Dark Magic energy spears at the Giga Ursid without so much as a modicum of hesitation. And without saying too much… and… uh… with two grotesque *SKRISCHes*, the rogue genie brutally dispatched the unsuspecting creature as it disintegrated with a *PWOOF* into glittery smoke.

"…Jeez…!" was all Sky could think to murmur, having had to shield her eyes from the utterly barbaric display she was made to bear witness to. The ladies wouldn't get much of a break, however, as the next monster came dropping in from another tunnel… and had landed with a *KWASPLOOSH* into the water before either adventurer could rightly identify it.

"What was that? Where did it go?" Hashanah asked, charging more magic into her hand as she hurriedly searched the rapids with her eyes.

"I-I'm not sure… b-but I-!" Sky was about to answer before Wrench sounded off.

"Kakaw! Prakakawww!" the avian hybrid warned, nudging on Sky to get her to crouch as fast as she could.

"Wah! G-got it! Hashanah, Wrench said duck!" Sky warned as she squatted as low as she could go.

"What? What fo-?" the genie was about to ask before, with a mighty, watery *FWAPLOOOOSH*, their next enemy came zooming out of the dangerous water current. The creature turned out to be this utterly HORRIFYING purple-scaled, shark-tailed, ram-horned, piranha-faced, quadrupedal amalgamate with claws long and sharp like surgical needles ready to pierce through anything.

"SKWOOOAAAAAAAAAGH!" the fearsome creature shrieked and screeched as it went zipping across the room at just the height to try and take one of the girls' heads off as it thrust its claws forward.

"Shoot…! An Aquamodo…! HRRRAAAH!" Hashanah named the creature as she charged an even heavier supply of magic into her hands. With a sudden, earsplitting *KRACHOCK* of Hashanah's hand against the Aquamodo's claws, she parried the creature's attack with BARELY enough time to avoid it slashing her face. "Ghahagh…!" she grunted, nearly being knocked off her feet as she shook her aching hand. Meanwhile, the Aquamodo soared the rest of the way across the room and stuck itself with a wet *SPLACK* of its webbed feet to the wall. The creature wasn't done, however, as it turned its head and shot an ENORMOUS blast of boiling water out of its mouth with a powerful, blisteringly fast *FWAKREEEEEEESH* directly at Sky. "Oh, shoot…! I can't pull up a barrier fast enough…! Sky! Look out!"

"Oh, no…! WHAAH!" the defenseless bird tamer shrieked in terror as she did the best she could to cover herself by shielding herself with just her arms. Yet, just as it seemed she was as good as wet toast… the Inhibitor Vambrace on her wrist… began to GLOW!? What in the…? Okay, s-so, the silver bracelet affixed to Sky's wrist glowed with a blinding light blue aura as it activated with a ringing *Whreeeaaang*. Within the next millisecond, and with an astonishing, humming *VWOOM*, the vambrace created a protective shield around her!

"Kakaw…?" Wrench rightfully questioned, also coated in the aura himself as he remained perched on his ally's head. Within the next second, however, and with an explosively loud *TWAPWEEEESCH*, the Aquamodo's attack was DEFLECTED back at it! The Aquamodo quickly took evasive maneuvers as it hopped off the wall and back into the rapids to conceal itself and plan its next attack. Its hydro cannon shot smashed into the wall with a deafening *KWASPLOOORSH* hard enough that it blasted chunks out of the wall and left a massive dent.

"WHAT!? H-HOW!?" Hashanah bellowed in total surprise, having witnessed the entire phenomenon firsthand.

"H-huh…? Why… do I feel all tingly out of nowhere…?" Sky finally removed herself from her limited cover to ask herself before she noticed what was happening to her. Once she did, however… "Wh-whoa…! How…?" she additionally stammered as she scanned her entire body to see a glittering light blue aura surrounding her. Left speechless, she took a few glances at herself before taking special note of the glowing Inhibitor Vambrace. "Is… Is this thing… protecting me?"

"Hm… THAT'S definitely going to need an explanation," the equally astonished half-genie remarked as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. "For now, though, stay alert. That Aquamodo is still lurking around in the water."

"Ah, r-right," Sky acknowledged, shaking off as much of her confusion as she could as she pulled out another polka dotted egg bomb and scanned the endlessly rampaging whirlpool as well. It was then, however, that ANOTHER monster entered the fray from the tunnels above. What nightmarish behemoth of epic proportions came bursting from within the walls of the temple to attack our dynamic duo this time? Well…

"YOU ACCURSSSSSSED INTRUDERSSSS SHALL NOT PASSSSSSS!" yelled a feminine voice as its owner emerged. The owner? How about a GIGANTIC snake/woman hybrid with long, flowing teal-hued hair, scaly goldenrod-hued skin, and a long, thick forest green and lilac purple-striped snake tail for a lower body? Yeah, this is getting wilder by the second…

"A Giga Naga just showed up!" Sky was the one to announce the identity of the latest threat to their safety as she watched the creature in question dive into the spinning water current with a resounding *WHAPLOOSH*.

"Well, isn't THAT just grand…?" Hashanah complained, seeming to have locked her sights on the troublesome Aquamodo in anticipation of its next move. "We're gonna have to speed this up! If not for the time limit, then at least so we don't wind up getting overwhelmed!"

"Any ideas on how to do that?"

"Hm… One, but it involves that fancy vambrace of yours."

"Not that I even know how or why this thing's protecting me, but what's the idea?"

"Wait for it… Three… Two… One…"

"Wha? Why are you counting do-!"

"NOW! Hold your position!"

"WHAT!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'HOLD MY PO—!?'" Sky tried to ask before the Aquamodo emerged from the water again with another *SKLOOOSH* as it rocketed forth to try and slice away at the girls.

"Not this time, you scaly freak…!" the rogue genie remarked as she summoned an energy scimitar out of her Dark Magic with a humming *VWROONG*. And with a subsequent *KRACHIING*, she parried another of the opportunistic beast's strikes, causing it to retreat through the air and cling to another wall. Just as it had last time, the lizard chimera fired another *FWABLAAAARSH* of another water cannon from its mouth directly at the magic-protected Sky. Rather than sit and watch, however… "Perfect!" Hashanah cheered as she pivoted while making certain to keep her feet planted on the platform, grabbed her teammate by her bracelet-adorned wrist, and directed it forward at an angle.

"Gah! H-hey! What the heck are you do-!?" Sky tried once again to question before the Aquamodo's ruthless projectile went bouncing off the Inhibitor Vambrace with a magic-borne *TWAPWEEEESCH*. Instead of going anywhere near the aggressive lizard hybrid, however, the wayward, watery projectile went careening toward the rapids below. Before the Aquamodo could take another dip into the whirlpool, however…

"Since you're so hungry, why don't you choke on THIS!?" the resourceful Hashanah shouted as she flung her energy scimitar in the lizard's direction like it was one of her spears. With a startling *VWOIIRSCH*, the magic sword went sailing through the air like a torpedo made only of steel and unbridled hatred. Just as the Aquamodo got within inches of submerging itself once again, it was struck with a most… unsavory *SKWIRSCH* of the scimitar in its back. The wicked blade pierced all the way through the poor thing's back as the insanely powerful momentum from the sword toss propelled it back into the wall it previously jumped off of. With another sharp *TWIIING*, the sword embedded itself into the wall with the badly injured Aquamodo impaled on it. Just when things couldn't get more awful for it, however… "Time to finish you off! TYRANNY BLAZER!" the ruthless genie announced, shooting another *KAPWOOORSH* of an especially powerful magic force ball at the incapacitated chimera. And, with a truly gruesome *TAPWOORKAZAAAARSH*, Hashanah obliterated the poor thing in an instant. Seriously, that Aquamodo was DUST by the time the smoke from the genie's blast dissipated.

"What the heck was THAT!? You totally shoved me in the way of that blast!" Sky complained in a mixture of anger and moderate fear for her life.

"Hardly! That protective barrier you have around yourself served a purpose, and I made sure to capitalize on it!" Hashanah defended herself. "Hey! To your right! That Giga Naga is about to attack!"

"You are both FOOLSSSSS for ssssstepping into the Capricioussssss Titan Shrine! You will PERISH here before you get anywhere near our massssster, or my name isn't SSSSSSSSvetlana the Sssssssavage!" the determined, albeit prideful Giga Naga warned as she took a deep breath as she let the water current rapidly rotate her around her enemies. Couldn't help but notice all the hard 'S' pronunciationsssssss with anything she ssssssaid that had that particular letter in it. Makesssss me never want to utter another word with that letter in it ever again. However, I digresssssss… "Prepare yourselvesssss, humanssss, because I'm about to-!"

"Sky! Throw your egg bomb before she launches her attack!" Hashanah ordered, seeing a golden opportunity to counter.

"I had a feeling you'd ask that… Here goes!" the bird trainer complied as she focused on an area other than where the Svetlana the Savage was, flinging her hard-shelled projectile as hard as she could. Although the magic surrounding her suddenly flared with a brighter glow for a split-second. "Whoa! W-wow…!" she murmured in surprise just as she let the giant egg fly like an eagle. And… it appeared Sky intentionally threw her egg bomb in a different direction to time it with the Giga Naga's position. The sheer speed of the yolky projectile, however, was truly something to marvel. Seriously, that thing BULLETED through the air like she fired it out of a cannon! And the best part? Sky actually HIT HER MARK, striking Svetlana directly in the mouth with a goopy *KERSPLARSCH* of the egg against the unsuspecting Naga's face!

"Not bad! You've got quite the major league arm there, huh?" Hashanah complimented, though she was primarily focused on aiming another Genocide Spear at the incapacitated chimera wiping and scratching away at her own face to at least restore her vision. "Not to show you up, of course, but now I've got something to prove… RRRAH!" she further roared as she flung her weapon with a crackling *VRWOOOORZH*.

"Gah…! Dissssssreputable sssssscoundrel…!" Svetlana griped as she finally wiped off the remaining strings of super sticky egg yolk from her face. "Not a bad move, though it will not ssssstop me! I relish thissssss mossssst exhilarating chal-!" she was about to further declare as she opened her eyes… only to find a long, glowing, incredibly sharp object flying directly into her face. And… I-I honestly couldn't look at what happened next. All I can tell you, though… is that Svetlana never had a chance. With a disturbing *SCHKRISH*, followed by an indescribable wail of blood-curdling agony and subsequent *PWOOF*, Svetlana the Savage was no more.

"Oh, my gosh…!" Sky remarked with a gasp and wince, shocked and appalled as she pressed her hands over her mouth. In that same moment, the water's endlessly crashing current suddenly came to a screeching halt. The water pouring in from some of the tunnels stopped flowing. Silence quickly overtook the atmosphere as the girls took the moment to process what happened. Or at least, Sky took the moment to process as the magic aura surrounding her calmed down and faded out of view. Hashanah? Well…

"Ah, man… We did it! Quicker than I was expecting, too! I didn't even need to use the Spirit Fuser, this was so easy! Good work!" the brutal genie cheered, turning toward her partner with hopes to share her excitement over completing the latest puzzle. She would only be met with a look of concern and mild displeasure from the bird trainer, however. "Uh… What's with that look, Sky? You seem upset…"

"You took things WAY too far here," Sky wasted no time letting her issue be known. "We only had to defeat those monsters, not MASSACRE them."

"Wait, seriously? THAT'S what you're so worked up about?" Hashanah incredulously asked with a shrug. "We were in a tight situation, and I highly doubt showing a bunch of ancient, mindless beasts any mercy would've gotten us anywhere. They were trying to kill us, remember?"

"Whatever their intentions were, it doesn't give us the right to be that unnecessarily violent," the disconcerted falconer fervently retorted. "At worst, we only need to defend ourselves and neutralize threats as they present themselves, not take a sick sense of pride or enjoyment out of hurting other living things the way you did here."

"Are you kidding? You DO understand that there's no room for manners and consideration in the middle of a battle, don't you?" Hashanah argued back, crossing her arms. "It's kill or be killed, no matter how 'nice' you try to be to your enemies. I see you and your gal pal Shantae think exactly the same, so it shouldn't surprise me that you're taking issue with the way I handle things. That said, I'll at least go easy on you and drop a 'subtle' hint that that kind of thinking is exactly why people like Risky Boots are still around to do what they want without a care in the world for consequences."

"What!? How could you possibly compare what you did here to how Shantae deals with the likes of Risky Boots? Risky's not some unsuspecting endangered creature in a forgotten temple trying to protect her home! And while I see the point you're trying to make, it doesn't excuse using such excessive force in every situation you find yourself in."

"Alright, look," Hashanah remarked with a sigh, waving her hands in front of herself for as second. "Clearly, you don't like the way I do things, and I get that. But in a situation like this, we don't exactly have a heaping ton of time to burn trying to learn the most 'merciful' ways to clear our opposition out of the way, nor will we in any future battles. Was what I did a little on the brutal side? Yes. But we've gotta be quick in getting through the Capricious Titan Shrine, as well as any other temple holding a piece of the Spirit Fuser. If these monsters try to stop us, and there's no other option of getting past them, then we've gotta be ready to handle our business by any means necessary… which most often includes lethal force. You can't seriously be telling me you and your friends have NEVER gotten your hands dirty on any quest or adventure you've been on for the sake of making your jobs easier…"

"…Well… No," Sky reluctantly admitted with a tilt of her head. "But we at least try to only do what's reasonable and humane. That's not the same as outright slaughtering everything we come across and doing it with a smile."

"Hm. So, your biggest issue is that I had too much fun? Goodness, Sky, you really ought to loosen up a little. I was only really enjoying the experience of us working together like a real team," Hashanah dismissed and 'clarified' with a chuckle as she patted her concerned teammate on the shoulder. "Look, we can argue about this when we have the chance, but we've still got a time-sensitive Relic hunt to complete as of right now. If it makes you feel better, I'll TRY to be a little bit less extreme with my approach to fighting our enemies. Okay, sweetie?" However condescending the half-genie's tone came across, Sky seemed to at least recognize the major point she made. As such…

"…Fine, but please ease off on the pet names. We're not that familiar with each other," the bird trainer acquiesced with an uncomfortable sigh. At that, Hashanah giggled again.

"Ooh, you're feisty! I like that in a girl," the overly friendly genie teased, though she wouldn't get the warmest reception from her teammate as the disgruntled falconer glowered at her. "Also, I'll do my best to respect the request, Sky."

"Hm… Anyway, how do you suppose we move on into the next chamber?"

"Well… If I remember right, then another tunnel should have opened up directly above us, and this platform should lift us up toward it, so we can climb in."

"I see. Funny that that hasn't happ-!" the falconer was about to point out before a thunderously loud, frightening *KRAKRAKRAKRAKRARKAKRRRRRUMBLBLBLBLBLBLE* of a massive circular tablet exploding into stony chunks interrupted her. The girls covered themselves as the rocky, dusty debris scattered and rained over them and into the empty lake surrounding them with *sklish* after *splorsh* after watery *KAPLOOSH*.

"Yikes… This place sure does know how to keep you on your toes, even when you KNOW what's supposed to happen…" Hashanah murmured, peering upward through her arms… only to be caught by surprise again when the platform she and Sky were standing on began to slowly lower in tandem with the water level. "Gah!" she bellowed, hurriedly grabbing onto her teammate for security after nearly falling off.

"WHAHOW! H-hey, what are you doing!? You scared the living daylights out of me!" the bird tamer complained as her trusty sidekick Wrench opted to tuck himself into one of Sky's arms where she held tightly onto him.

"Sorry, but you MAY want to brace yourself…" the apprehensive genie girl warned as she gripped the other girl's shoulders tighter.

"Brace myself for wh-?" Sky tried once again to ask, keeping up an astounding track record of being interrupted before asking an important question. What interrupted her this time? The platform sinking almost completely into the water, only to ROCKET itself upward with a voluminous *PRATWOOSCH*. Immediately, Hashanah and Sky were sent hurtling upward into the tunnel with hardly a thing stopping their impending trip to parts unknown from being undoubtedly very unpleasant.

"WHAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAAH!" both young ladies hollered in unison, gripping tightly onto one another along the way. Before you could even blink, the bombastic blondes were well on their way into the next potentially perilous section of this incredibly unforgiving temple. *PLOMPH* after *THWOP* after *PROUGH*, coupled with occasional pained grunts from either girl along the way, it seemed like their ride was going to be a… bumpy one, to say the least. And my goodness, did it carry on for a longer time than I figured. As we waited here, the girls could be heard rolling… and rolling… and rolling some more… and we MAY have to take a short break, because it didn't seem like they'd be done for a while. Give me a second…

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Five Minutes Later…

…Oh, sorry! Sh-shoot, I lost track of time! I should've brought a watch with me. Uh, the girls aren't quite done tumbling along the pitch-black tunnel, so why don't you come ba-!

"OOF! GHAHAGH! OW! GACK!" one of the girls could be heard grunting in pain with every other *PLACK* and *PLOP* of her body against the cold, sleek marble of the tunnel.

"GAWGH! H-hey, what's the deal with this-! OHAGH! T-tunnel! It's long as h-! ACK!" the other girl tried to complain through almost rhythmic *PLOCK* of her helpless form ALSO slamming against the smooth surface of the floor. And if I must say so myself, we came back at a perfect time (don't tell them I left you hanging), because Sky and Hashanah FINALLY finished doing their impression of the tumbling rocks they dodged just two sections before. With a most unceremonious *KERFLOP* in an enormous, silver-hued, hexagon-shaped room that sparkled with enough sheen to make you blind. As the ladies were recovering after such a long, dizzying trip that I totally envy them for (not), they took a moment to reorient themselves. That is, until…

"Whoa… An even nicer view than before," Hashanah remarked as she lay flat on her back. Let me be clear, though, that she wasn't looking at any of the gigantic, magnificent marble knight or genie statues lined across the walls, nor was she looking at the fantastic mural on the ceiling that depicted a harmonious union of genies and humans alike frolicking throughout a bustling community from a time long past. Instead…

"My eyes are up here, thank you," Sky flatly remarked with a blushing sneer, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat on the other young lady's lap, straddling and facing toward her.

"Ah, r-right. My bad," Hashanah apologized with a giggle as she watched Sky climb back to her feet, after which the rogue genie climbed to her feet herself. "Er… I know I've said it before, but I gotta admit, Sky… You are really pretty. It's insane how you can be so beautiful. It's beyond comprehension, now that I've gotten another good look at you. I'm honestly a little jealous."

"Oh! Er… I-I think you're laying it on a bit thick at this point, but I appreciate the compliment. I'll remember it and the 35 others you paid me in the last hour," Sky uncertainly remarked, making Hashanah laugh once again. Shocked once again, Sky grew even more uneasy as she tried to get a better read on her frenemy.

"Ooh, I'm really enjoying your dry sense of humor. You're snarky, but not obnoxiously so," she further pointed out as she remained jovial. "It matches the cool, sophisticated air you have about you."

"Hm. What happened to you thinking I was just boring, strait-laced, and moralistic not so long ago?" Sky questioned, not keen on forgetting the initial hostility established between her and her temporary adventuring partner.

"Hm? Oh, I was just saying that to get under your skin, and I apologize if that offended you," Hashanah quickly atoned. "I think you're cool now."

"I'll bet you do, as long as we've got a common goal… Let's see you keep this friendly energy up when we finish in here," she shot back in disbelief at the other young lady's overtly amicable demeanor as she walked across the silver room. Hashanah, wordless for the moment, stared at Sky as the bird trainer sauntered toward the middle of the chamber while scanning her surroundings. And as the rogue genie stared, she crossed her arms, tilted her head, and… raised an eyebrow.

"…Huh. Anyone else, I would definitely have put in their place for being so dismissive toward me. She certainly isn't as easy to win over as Nila was, that's for sure. Just… have to be a bit more patient with this one, I guess… One way or another, I'll find out what makes her tick…" she… very casually stated, though the implications sent my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach. Meanwhile, Sky unassumingly strolled across the puzzle chamber… only to discover that most of the floor was made of ash-colored quicksand.

"Wh-whoa!" she panicked as she nearly lost her balance, prompting Wrench to fly on over and give her a ha… er, wi… er, talon. Quickly, Sky grabbed onto her avian ally's foot, which allowed him enough leverage to pull her out. "Much appreciated, buddy. This floor's deceptively smooth at a glance. I only wonder what would've happened if I sunk all the way in…" Sky observed as she was hoisted back to a point of being able to move freely. She followed up by whistling to summon another team of falcons to serve as a platform for her, after which she climbed aboard. This time, however, the falcons showed little signs of struggle as they were able to carry her all the way to the end of the room. There, another gigantic door with inscriptions on it was waiting for her to crack its mysterious code. Once she landed safely on the solid block of ground near the sealed pathway entrance, she got cracking.

"What's the door say over there?" Hashanah asked from the other side of the chamber, learning from Sky's previous mistake not to try and walk over the sandpit disguised as a harmless floor.

"Hmm… It says, 'With light comes darkness. Light is the essence of a truly discovered purpose. Darkness is the root of all desire for deeper meaning. The light disperses the darkness, but it also complements and feeds it. When the seeker of equilibrium appears in three chronological cycles, bring forth that which harnesses both the darkness and the light, and is empowered by them. The adventurer's path will grow ever clearer.' Ooh, that's an interesting one…"

"When the seeker of equilibrium appears in three chronological cycles, bring forth that which harnesses the darkness and the light, and is empowered by them?" Hashanah asked, already gathering a hint of her own regarding the cryptic message. "Hmm… Ooh! I got it! This one is easy, even for me!"

"What do you suppose the answer is?"

"It must mean we have to wait three more minutes for some sort of monster to appear, and then we have to show it something dark and something light to have it grant us permission to pass. At least, if I'm starting to pick up on all the cryptic metaphors drizzled into the language. Right?"

"Hm… It's possible, but-!" Sky was about to answer before the room suddenly began to rumble with a nearly deafening *KRKAKRAKRAKRAKRKRRRRUMBLE* that shook both girls off their feet. Hashanah, prepared for the potential of an incoming threat, picked herself up as quickly as she could and entered a battle stance, though she didn't immediately summon up any of her Dark Magic. Instead, she waited… watched… and anticipated the arrival of the potentially unwanted company as the quicksand in the middle of the room began to shift, rise, and metamorphize. "Oh, man…! I can't say I have a good feeling about this…!" the startled bird trainer murmured as she clung to the wall to pick herself back up. Meanwhile, Wrench went into defense mode, ready as always to lash out at anything that dared to harm Sky.

The sandy mass twisted, swirled, and shifted its effervescent, initially shapeless form into a humongous, glittery blob with three crests. The blob quickly began to take another shape, however, as two of the crests formed into gigantic, muscular arms. The body and base of the mass shapeshifted into an incredibly well-toned, masculine torso that remained connected to the pit it was borne from. The middle crest transformed itself into the head, shoulders, and neck of a bald man with a long, sandy beard. Not certain of what to make of it, Sky and Hashanah remained ready to make a move if absolutely necessary. Once the sandman monster/creature/thing formed, it (or rather, he) towered far over the girls as though they were basically staring up at a monument. By comparison, I would have guessed this enigmatic sand creature's size rivaled that of the average two-story house. Yeah. THAT big… Nevertheless, the sand monster made hardly any noise as his grainy body endlessly ran downward, giving his appearance an added flair of constant shifting to maintain his form.

"WHO DARES ENCROACH UPON THE SANCTUARY OF THE GREAT FIDDAH, GUARDIAN OF THE GLITTERING CHAMBER AND THE SEEKER OF EQUILIBRIUM!?" the guardian, evidently named Fiddah, demanded to know as his booming, albeit distorted voice caused an additional tremor throughout the room. When no one would give an immediate answer, he swiveled around full circle, his arms out and seeming to be ready to attack before he spotted Hashanah on one end of the room. Curious, he swiveled around again to see a frightened Sky with Wrench at the other end, pressed up against the door. Yet, despite him clearly seeing those who disturbed his rest, he did not make an immediate move of aggression. "Why do you not speak, travelers? It is most unmannerly to refuse to address the entity whose home you so brazenly invade. Speak now, or I shall smite you!"

"…Er, h-hey…" Sky was the first to very, VERY hesitantly address Fiddah, though she remained pressed against the wall for her own safety. "Um… s-sorry to disturb you, but um… Did… you happen to say you were the guardian of this chamber?"

"And the Seeker of Equilibrium, yes," Fiddah rather impatiently reiterated, crossing his arms as he sized Sky up. It didn't seem he was impressed with what he saw, however, as he scoffed and shot her a most disapproving glare as he leaned forward to get a closer look. "What is the meaning of this? How does one as frail and dainty as you make it this far into the Capricious Titan Shrine without injury? And what exactly does someone as impertinent as you seek that would lead you here?"

"Um… w-well, we've been solving the puzzles that we've been coming across, and… and we don't mean to be rude. Sorry if we disturbed you, Mr. Fiddah, sir." At that, the guardian widened his eyes in a… most peculiar show of surprise as he softened his stance.

"That is… an appropriate manner by which to address me," Fiddah permitted as he cleared his throat, immediately calming down. "Now then, what are you doing here?"

"Uh… W-we're looking for a way out of this temple, and it seems our only way out is to solve the puzzles. Speaking of which-!"

"HALT!" Fiddah suddenly cut off by screaming at the top of his lungs, startling Sky into total silence. The silver sandman found himself fascinated by something he saw on Sky's person as he stared at it hard enough to make the bird trainer instinctively cover her chest. Yet, as he continued giving Sky the most uncomfortable visual exam of her life… "That object affixed to your wrist there… It is… a magnificent, gleaming silver, much like the entirety of my chamber…"

"Oh! Uh, this? Y-yeah, it's… it belongs to a dear friend of mine. I'm holding it for him. Would… you like to-?"

"I… also sense… an astonishingly large concentration of magic in it… Dark… but… also Light? They are in equal, constant flux within it… EQUAL… Constant… Flux… Neither form overwhelming the other, intertwining endlessly… Achieving… unity, perhaps? Or mutual coexistence? Hmm… Profound, this is…" he observed, shocking both Hashanah and Sky as he became further fixated on the Inhibitor Vambrace on Sky's wrist.

"There's magic trapped in this thing…? Both kinds, at that? Huh… I guess that explains to some degree what happened in the last room with it…" the puzzled falconer murmured to herself as she also stared at her borrowed fashion accessory. "But it doesn't explain why it activated to protect me back then…"

"Intriguing… I have marveled nothing of the sort before today… That which harnesses the darkness AND the light… and is empowered by both… My word…!" Fiddah continued to marvel, stroking his sandy beard with his sandy fingers.

"Hm? Er, i-if you don't mind my asking, Mr. Fiddah, sir, then wha-?"

"You have successfully solved the riddle of light and dark, and you may therefore proceed, O equalized one," he suddenly permitted, waving a hand upward. In response, the door lifted itself open with a rocky *KRAGRGRAGRAGRUMMMBLE*, revealing the pathway to the next section of the Capricious Titan Shrine.

"Whoa, what? A-are you serious? It was THAT easy? I-I mean, I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I-!"

"GO NOW, BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!" Fiddah shouted, not one for idle chatter or reasonable explanations for his decisions.

"Ah! Uh, g-got it! We'll be on our way! Thanks!" Sky hurriedly offered her gratitude as she grabbed Wrench and scurried along through the doorway.

"H-hey! Wait for me, girlfriend!" Hashanah called after her frenemy, quickly running toward the other end of the puzzle room toward the exit. She would be stopped, however, when Fiddah shifted around and slammed his hand with a rock-solid *THWABRAAAANG* against the ground in front of the half-genie to stop her in her tracks. "Wah! Hey, what's the deal!? I'm with her!"

"You… You REEK of Dark Magic, duplicity, and impurity… and the pungent stench of blood only compounds your foul aura…!" the guardian coldly accused, his expression taking on a grim and incredibly agitated inflection. "You WILL NOT pass, ye corrupt genie…!"

"…Oh, you certainly know a lot about me, huh? Or, so you think…?" Hashanah very darkly queried, the surprise on her face quickly morphing into a sinister grin.

"I need only to bear the misfortune of sensing your dastardly intentions to know that you must NEVER be allowed to escape this chamber! I shan't even describe the atrocities you committed mere MINUTES before you ran afoul of me…! You will SUFFER for your despicable transgressions!" Fiddah practically growled, his anger beyond inconsolable in no time flat as he glared at the offending half-genie.

"Hey! Hashanah, what's going o-?" Sky tried to shout out to the other maiden, though the door to the next pathway slammed shut with a thunderous *WHAPAAAM* before she could finish her statement, shutting her out.

"You really don't wanna do this, Fiddle. You're making a grave mistake getting in my way…!" Hashanah warned, not even coming close to backing down. If anything, she was DARING the sand guardian to make a move.

"Fool! My name is FIDDAH! It will be the last name you learn before you meet your end!"

"I'll forget it as soon as I put you out of your misery, should you provoke me…! Now, I'm gonna be generous to you for the sake of convenience. Give up and let me through…!" she warned, trailing off as she reached into her jacket and pulled out her Spirit Fuser fragment and brandished it in front of a thoroughly astonished Fiddah. "…or else I'll make certain your last moments are spent screaming in fear and agony while I absorb your soul…!"

"You… You miserable REPROBATE! That Spirit Fuser fragment was supposed to be kept hidden within the walls of the Tangled Thread Temple! The fact that YOU have it… means…"

"Your Saurzian friends are all waiting in a single file line to enter the afterlife," Hashanah morbidly finished for him, a crackling, swirling aura of dark purple radiating from her form as she stared Fiddah down. "And you're gonna join 'em if you want to keep trying to play gatekeeper…!"

"Then you are no doubt here for the piece contained within the walls of the Capricious Titan Shrine, as well as the other remaining fragments. And chances are, you coerced that other young lady into assisting you with the riddles to streamline your path to the Capricious Titan himself."

"Bingo, Captain Obvious!" the evil genie unabashedly confirmed. "You should also know that I'm about five seconds away from making your decision for you, because I'm already tired of talking to you. Open that door for me now, or DIE! Those are your options."

"Pah! You genie lot always were full of yourselves," Fiddah spat in defiant agitation as he prepared himself for battle, his hands beginning to whirl and shift into sand-crafted mallets. "In that case, and for the sake of all those who would otherwise be threatened by your insatiable evil… and especially for those who have already suffered and perished by your hand, I will put a PERMANENT end to your debauchery…!"

"Hm. Well, I hope you enjoyed your life while it lasted. You won't even live long enough to regret your decision…!"

Whelp, looks like things were about to get incredibly chaotic in a flash… as is the apparent usual around these parts. Buuut just when things get to be at their most tense, we always happen to run out of time. When we return, we'll find out if—!

"You don't have to do that just yet," Hashanah cut me off out of nowhere. "Go check on Sky right quick and see if she's waiting for me on the other side of that door, why don'tcha? You won't be missing much here, and it won't last NEARLY long enough for you to need to witness it…"

Ooookay… I… guess we're NOT going to end off just yet. I… honestly am afraid of what's about to happen if we obey her order… or rather, I'm afraid of what's gonna happen next in general. But, under such extreme and honestly dangerous circumstances, we… don't really have a choice but to listen to her. So, let's leave Hashanah and Fiddah to have their unfriendly 'chat,' and check on Sky just once more…?

On the Other Side of the Door…

"Jeez… What a mess this has turned into…" Sky lamented as she sighed and crossed her arms while Wrench perched atop he head and began preening himself. "This is what I get for thinking this trip would be ANYTHING close to simple. Being forced to team up with a known bloodthirsty criminal for the sake of your own survival, even if it means indirectly betraying our friends? Shoot…! To some degree, I now know how Shantae must've felt when she had to team up with Risky Boots…" she further soliloquized, evidently quite distraught about her difficult position.

"Brrrkaw… Krawkawkaw…" Wrench agreed, stating that while Shantae would be understanding, it was truly a most uncomfortable predicament for them both.

"You said it, pal. I at least hope Bolo's holding up wherever he is…" the bird tamer further pondered. That's… all I'm going to speculate there. You know why.

"Aawwwwkaw, brrrt! Brrokokokaw," the wren/finch opined, clarifying that he couldn't care less what happened to Bolo in the wake of he and his master needing to keep the Spirit Fuser fragment away from the deranged, power-tripping psychopath forcing them to work with her. "Rokakaw, krokaw!" he added, pondering the idea of just leaving Hashanah to deal with Fiddah while they went the rest of the way to find the fragment themselves.

"I hear ya, Wrench, but I'm not sure at all if it'll be possible for us to swipe that Spirit Fuser piece for ourselves in this situation. We may know how to solve at least some of the puzzles in here, but Hashanah knows the way to the end. The other thing is that we've only got so much time before this temple disappears with us stuck inside it. Plus, if she finds out we tried to renege on our end of the deal, she'll kill us for sure. The very thought of what she'd do to us scares me senseless… Ohh, I wish either Shantae or Tayshan were here…!" she worriedly murmured as she clutched her hands to her chest, her gaze falling toward her Inhibitor Vambrace… which, oddly enough, flickered with a hint of bluish-purple electricity for all of maybe a second and a half. "H-huh…? Is this thing about to activate again…?" Sky was about to further ask herself before a sudden series of deafening *BOOMs*, *KRABANGs*, *FWOOOOOORSes*, and *KRAKWAAAMs* rang out from the other side of the sealed door.

"SAY HELLO TO YOUR FRIENDS IN THE NEXT WORLD, FIZZY! TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah could be heard shouting as another electric *KRAKAFWOOOORRSH* rang out, followed by a devastating *KRABWOOOOOM* that rocked the vicinity to a point of making the ground beneath the falconer's feet tremor for a second.

"GWOAAAAAAARHAAAAAAAAAGH!" a booming male voice, presumably Fiddah's, wailed in agony and apparent defeat, which was followed by some odd *FWAFWOOORSH* noise like gale force winds blowing around within the chamber that lasted but a few very uncomfortable seconds. The sound of the fierce scuffle on the other side nearly paralyzed Sky stiff as she wondered just what the heck was going on. She wouldn't need to wonder for long, however, as the door reopened with another rumbling *KRABRUMBRUMBRUMBRUMBRUMBLE*, revealing a… truly GRISLY scene that… I'm not sure I should describe. Hashanah herself appeared frazzled with a few scratches here, some splotches of silver sand on her outfit there, and her hair a bit ruffled, though she stood tall as vestiges of Dark Magic could be seen ebbing off her body. The room itself was in shambles, however. Burn marks, broken-off chunks of wall, busted statues… and the limp, motionless body of Fiddah, lying still in a puddle of burnt, dark crimson sand.

"Whew! That was one heck of a workout…" Hashanah casually remarked, wiping sweat from her brow as she stretched and approached her 'allies.' Once she noticed an astonished Sky and Wrench there, however… "Oh! Aw, you decided to wait for me! You're so sweet, Sky!"

"Er… Y-yeah… um…" Sky stammered as she tried to look past Hashanah to see what exactly went on. She wouldn't get the chance, however, as the door came rumbling back down with another rumbling *KRABRUMBRUMBRUMBRUMBLE* while the half-genie stood in front of her, blocking her view. "Wh-what… happened in there? Is Fiddah okay? Did you have to fight him to get through?"

"Yeah, the big oaf wanted to 'test my worthiness' as a true balancer of Light and Dark or whatever because I didn't have a fancy Inhibitor Vambrace like yours, and I… well, in so many ways, I 'proved' myself by battling him for a bit," Hashanah explained with an eerie cheerfulness that didn't make Sky feel any better about associating with the rogue genie.

"I see. Well, what did he sa-?" Sky was about to ask before Hashanah cut her off.

"Anyway, enough about him. I'm just glad he didn't attack you," the genie offered her vote of concern as she approached the bird trainer unprovoked and… very boldly kissed her on the cheek.

"Gah! H-hey! What's the big idea!?" Sky rightfully protested, caught off-guard as she backed away and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Ooh! My bad… I should've asked for permission first," Hashanah nervously admitted through an uneasy, blushing titter as she rubbed the back of her head with a hand.

"Permission? We don't know each other that well in the first place, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't go on forcing your affection on me!" the agitated falconer further admonished. "Not cool!"

"I know, I know… I'm sorry. Seriously," Hashanah apologized again, taking a breath and reorienting herself. "It's just that I thought we uh… that we had a 'connection' of sorts forming between us."

"…Connection?" Sky questioned with a raised eyebrow after a most jarring pause filled with the empty air of the temple's corridor. "What 'connection' are you talking about?"

"Well… I had thought we were getting closer to each other as we worked together, fighting and exploring our way through this place, y'know?"

"We haven't been here that long, and we've barely spoken about anything of substance," Sky incredulously shot her teammate's suggestion down. "Sorry, but I don't know if we're on the same page there."

"No, I totally get that, but… I really want to be on the same page with you, Sky," Hashanah pleadingly requested, catching her temporary partner off-guard once again as Sky stared at her. "That is, if you're down for that. I know we didn't start out so well, but I'd hate to see this team-up amount to nothing because of how we met."

"…Um… Wh-wha-?"

"I guess what I'm saying is… is that I'm enjoying this adventure more than I thought I would, thanks to you and your help… Don't you feel the same?"

"…Are… uh… O-okay… um… Huh…" the thoroughly discombobulated birdkeeper stammered, seeming to have been entirely thrown for a loop as she tried to figure out how to reply.

"…What? Why are you suddenly so tongue-tied? Is it something I said?"

"In a sense, it was… but… It's… more that I now have another question…"

"Aaaand that question is…?"

"Do… you… like me? Like, like like me? As in, you're trying to tell me you have a crush on me?" At that, Hashanah bashfully giggled.

"Heh, yeah. What was your first clue, sweetheart? Oop! Er, I-I mean, Sky?" she blushingly asked, evidently anticipating her teammate's response.

"I've gotten plenty of clues, but… this is… new to me…" Sky uncertainly answered, not at all certain of how to take the news.

"What is? The fact that another girl finds you attractive enough to prefer your company, or the idea that somebody you're supposed to consider an enemy isn't treating you like an enemy?"

"The first thing, mostly."

"Hah! Goodness, you really need to get out more! Whelp, here I am! I've got nothing to hide, and nothing to be ashamed of! I'm a lesbian, and I'm proud of it!" Hashanah boldly proclaimed, owning her identity without hesitation.

"I see. Well, I'm glad you're open about yourself," Sky respectfully acknowledged with a moderate blush on her face, taking a deep breath as she did so. "I… suppose I'll also admit I'm flattered that you find me so appealing, though I hope you're not offended when I say I don't feel quite the same as you do."

"Ah, I figured you'd say something like that… May I ask how come?"

"Because you still have it out against Shantae and Tayshan, first off. I can't exactly see myself dating someone who wants to kill or otherwise harm my best friends."

"Oh, right. A fair enough point, I guess. I suppose we'll have to settle on being frenemies."

"Despite everything I've seen and heard of you, Hashanah, I'd actually prefer it if we could be legit friends. At least, that's the impression I started to get from you before you told me about your crush on me. Still, if you want us to associate with each other in any friendly capacity after this, then that would require you to perform the very basic and simple task of dropping your grudge… and MAYBE, JUST MAYBE turning over a new leaf." And despite the suggestion genuinely catching the half-genie by surprise…

"Ooh, sacrifices, sacrifices… You may have to check back in with me on that," Hashanah playfully teased, though it was evident she still intended on getting her revenge against her fellow half-genie and said fellow half-genie's boyfriend.

"Okay, but if I don't 'check back in' with you, they will. I've already told you what they might do to you if you don't consider changing your ways. Even with what's happened thus far, it isn't too late for you."

"Hm. If ya say so," the renegade genie dismissed with a nonchalant shrug, not at all interested in Sky's appeal to her morality.

"You don't have to believe me now, but at least consider the possibility. Anyway, the second reason is that I heard you were already IN a relationship. You're dating Nila, aren't you?" Sky speculated, which caught Hashanah by complete surprise as the rogue genie flinched and widened her eyes.

"O-Oh! I uh… Heh, I-I wasn't aware you uh… S-so, it's… a bit complicated between me and her. We're more like… friends… or rather, it's like… l-like we're business partners, but with the added perk of keeping each other 'special' company… Heh…" the flustered Hashanah tried to explain as she scratched the back of her head. At that, the falconer suspiciously eyed her teammate up and down. After doing so…

"…Rrrright… Y'know, she probably wouldn't appreciate you eyeing up other girls if the idea she has is that you and she are together romantically," Sky warned, considering her words carefully. "Even if it IS just the case that you're friends with benefits."

"W-well, sure, but like… it isn't like she and I are super serious or anything! We're… W-we're still open to explore other opportunities!"

"Hmm… I'm not exactly in a spot to judge you or anything, Hashanah, but you don't sound too sure. Not that you need to hear me preach it to you, but maybe the first thing you and Nila should do is clarify whether you two have the same impression of your relationship with her."

"Oh? Well, you've certainly got some nerve… What, are you some sort of illustrious dating guru or something?" Hashanah defensively asked, not appreciating Sky's suggestion in the slightest.

"No, but I at least know what it means to respect the person I'm dating enough to not try fooling around on them."

"What was that!?" Hashanah demanded to know, agitated by the remark.

"I said I would advise against fooling around on someone you're dating," Sky reiterated, showing nowhere near as much fear as she had moments earlier. "It's never a good experience for anyone to find out their partner was cheating on them."

"And you know this because…?"

"I've been cheated on before," the bird tamer candidly replied, shocking Hashanah into near total silence.

"…O-oh… I see… um… w-wow, I'm… really sorry…" she apologized in a surprise show of repentance after a moment of tense consideration.

"Eh, it was what it was. The jerk thought he could pull the wool over my eyes while he was slobbering over a fruit shop attendant in Oasis Town. My buddy Wrench here showed him what it would cost to break my heart, that's for sure… and without saying too much, it cost him an eye and two fingers."

"Yikes…! That's hardcore! Also, I suppose that means you're into guys…?" the genie pried, still uncertain of her adventuring partner's romantic preferences… or at least, uncertain of if she still had a chance with Sky in general.

"I figured you'd ask me that again. Right now, I'm into improving myself as a person before I jump into another relationship with anyone, regardless of gender," Sky cryptically replied with a wink, causing Hashanah to raise an eyebrow in increased curiosity. "But, we should probably keep pressing ahead instead of wasting time prattling on about my dating profile."

"S-sure, but… I wouldn't mind hearing a story or two as we went along. That is, if you're not holding anything against me about hitting on you. Or, anything else I did that you didn't like up to this point…"

"Not at all, as long as you understand where I'm coming from. And… I don't suppose I mind trading stories with you while we're still on this ridiculous quest. Now, shall we continue?"

"We shall. And don't skimp on the details, alright? I really am interested in getting to know you better…" Hashanah offered her vote of encouragement as they traversed deeper into the shadowy hallway leading deeper into the Capricious Titan Shrine to continue their journey. Okay, NOW I think we're good to take a break… Goodness, this certainly evolved into something WAY off my radar. A young man being 'rescued' from a raging tornado and carnivorous monsters by ANOTHER carnivorous monster… and then making the presumably regrettable decision to sleep with said other carnivorous monster to soothe some mysterious sense of loneliness in his heart? That, coupled up with the morally conflicting tale of a vengeful, evil half-genie befriending the ally of her sworn enemies and… potentially trying to score a date with her as they found themselves trapped in an ancient airborne temple housing an extremely dangerous, soul-sucking artifact they needed to work together to obtain? Sky and Bolo were neck-deep in it now, without a doubt. I certainly wonder what sort of dramatic craziness lies in store for us next time we meet up. So, with all that nice and summarized, stick around! Your eternal curiosity will (hopefully) be rewarded. Ciao!