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!

13. If Looks Could Kill

Chapter (!?): If Looks Could Kill…

Yo, yo, yo! Once again, fate crosses our paths like streams being crossed in a movie about ghost… hunting… er, forgive me for that. I didn't come up with that one myself, I swear. I-I was told I'd be fired if I didn't squeeze that corny reference in there, and now I ponder just how desperate I am to keep this job… Ah, a-anyway, we last left off with Sky and Bolo getting separated during their adventure to the Cyclic Season Island. Bolo had been kidnapped/rescued from certain doom by a member of the endangered Leopard Gal species named Klawdia, whom he'd eventually (by which, I mean very quickly) get… VERY intimately acquainted with. Meanwhile, Sky found herself sucked into a tornado and spat out within the labyrinthic confines of the Capricious Titan Shrine… where she encountered the maniacal renegade half-genie Hashanah, with whom she struck a very unwilling 'nonaggression pact' that saw the two of them working together as closely as they needed to despite the very high stakes of teaming up with an enemy to accomplish a very dangerous common goal… Buuuuut before we continue THAT amazing tale, we've got something of an… intermission to cover this time around.

So, remember when Shantae abruptly parted ways with Bolo and Rottytops a couple chapters ago to investigate a Tinkerbat-related lead? Yyyyeeaaah, well, turns out there was a new development with that! One that certainly should NOT be ignored. You'll find out why in just a sec, but I figured I'd make a habit out of giving you a heads-up just in case you're one of those impatient types who either skims, skips, or skimps on past material to catch up with the current events. I gotchu, fam. So, before I waste more time babbling on…

Out on the Sequin Land Sea's sparkling waves…

'Twas a tepid and mildly windy afternoon, with the ocean's waves endlessly cascading over themselves and the sun shining bright in the partly cloudy sky. Aboard Risky Boots's gigantic pirate ship, Tinkerbats high and low were minding their own business, taking care of various tasks to keep the vessel on-track to an undisclosed location. For Risky's loyal crew, it seemed to be just another average day of them tirelessly toiling away at her command. Only, Risky herself was nowhere to be seen on the deck or in the crow's nest. One could only assume she was still resting from her adventure in the Phantasmagoric Forest, or that we had simply dropped in at an inopportune time. Either way, the Tinkerbats carried on with their business as usual, maintaining the upkeep of the ship. One particular Tinkerbat that had not previously been on the ship had flown its way onboard with its propeller pack while holding onto a pair of binoculars. Others that had noticed its arrival had stopped what they were doing to approach their ally, seemingly in expectation of some sort of status report. However, just as this Tinkerbat removed its propeller pack and had begun to divulge its intel…

"HRAAAH!" an aggressive feminine voice shouted from above, followed by a fiery *FWEEEERSH*. Before any of the minions could figure out what was going on, the returning Tinkerbat was suddenly engulfed in a tower of flames as its allies jumped back in all directions. Its entire body igniting with an astonishing *FROOOOOWSH*, the Tinkerbat spontaneously combusted… or, so it seemed before the lavender-haired half-genie responsible for the surprise attack landed with a voluminous *PLACK* of her sneaker-adorned feet on the ship's main deck. And man… she did NOT look happy. Donning the same training outfit in which she sparred with her friend Rottytops, an incredibly peeved Shantae made her presence known as she glared icy blue-eyed DEATH at any Tinkerbat that dared make eye contact with her. "You sneaky little creeps have spied on me for the LAST time! You hear me!? THE LAST TIME!" she roared, making evident she was ITCHING for a fight. "I will PERSONALLY make sure none of you gets the bright idea to come within five hundred MILES of my home ever again! Now, where's your boss at!? I'd like to have a 'word' with her…!" she further demanded as she prepared for battle, an exceptionally large fireball at the ready in her hand.

For a solid minute, EVERY Tinkerbat on the ship froze, panicked beyond reason that SHANTAE of all people would pay them such an unwelcome ambush of a visit… especially when THEY were the ones who normally did the ambushing. One could hear a pin hitting the ocean's surface if they were standing on the MOON, the silence was so tense… And without Risky Boots immediately available, none of them knew what to do right away. Many of them merely glanced at each other, drawing their swords and guns in case things got ugly. Others made it a point to scurry off into the cabins, either wanting no parts of an agitated Shantae or wanting to do everything in their power to protect Risky, wherever she may be.

"Well!? One of you answer me! WHERE IS RISKY BOOTS!?" Shantae demanded to know once again, the fireball in her hand growing in tandem with her EXTREME agitation. "If none of you start talking, I start BURNING! Am I making myself clear!?"

At that, the Tinkerbats that had drawn their weapons exchanged befuddled and… honestly frightened gazes with one another, though it was obvious what they planned to do in response to the half-genie's hostile drop-in. And so, following their instincts, the Tinkerbats that chose to stand their ground had all begun to charge at their shared enemy from as many different angles as they could manage. Shantae merely sighed and shook her head in increased annoyance.

"Fine, then…! I already knew you nasty little gremlins wouldn't make this easy…! HRRRAAAAAH!" she grumbled at the inconvenience as she dug her heels in and took the challenge head on. She started off by flinging the gigantic fireball upward at a few Tinkerbats that were dropping in from the crow's nest. And with a white-hot *FWOOOOOOOOOOSH*, she incinerated at least five of Risky's minions in one shot while a bunch more narrowly dodged. In response, many of the Tinkerbats wielding guns rained a hailstorm of bullets at her with *POP* after *BLAM* after *BANG*, *BANG*, *BANG*. It was no secret that they wanted her dealt with IMMEDIATELY. In response, however, Shantae stretched her arms out as her hands glowed bright, sparkling blue. "REFLECTOR BUBBLE!" she shouted, after which, a periwinkle-hued, spherical shield formed around her with a sudden *VWOOOORNG*. And as she raced ahead and unleashed a furious flurry of *THWAPs* from her iconic Hair Whip Attack to vanquish some of Risky's grounded minions up close, any bullets that were fired at her were bounced off her protective barrier and sent right back to their shooters at twice their initial speed. While many were able to dodge their own deflected projectiles, a handful of Tinkerbats both in the air and on the ground went down to their own gunfire, disappearing with *POOFs* into clouds of black smoke. Paying little heed to this, Shantae continued on.

"Yah!" she shouted as she spun around the *SCHWISH* of a downward sword slice from a Tinkerbat before delivering a skull-crushing *KRATHWACK* of a wheel kick to its face, annihilating the foolhardy creature in a single strike as its scimitar was flung high. Jumping for it, Shantae got Scimitar as her Reflector Bubble did its job of protecting her from all incoming projectiles. Realizing the disadvantage right away, the Tinkerbat crew altered their approach to where more of the ones with swords would engage her directly while those with guns mostly hung back and awaited an opportunity to strike. Noticing the shift herself, Shantae sprinted to the stern of the ship to minimize the chances of Risky's minions surrounding her. Her trip from the center would be a hectic one, however, as she clashed with sword Tinkerbat after sword Tinkerbat. *KRANG* after *KRATWAANG* after *SHKATRONG* of her borrowed melee weapon against those of her enemies, Shantae gracefully parried, sliced, and slashed her way to her intended vantage point. Tinkerbats that were prepared for her sword attacks, she would punish with *THWAPs* of her Hair Whip. Those that were smart enough to stay out of her Hair Whip's range, she surprised by dashing in and either attacking with stylish kicks that landed with *PRAKRAK* after *WHATWACK* or launching a mixture of lightning bolts and fireballs that obliterated Tinkerbats one by one with *KRAKAZZAZZZAP* after *KAFROOOOOOSH*. At a glance, she seemed completely INVINCIBLE against the legion of her worst enemy's minions. The momentum would take a slight shift, however, when Shantae's Reflector Bubble dissipated on its own just as she reached the stern of the ship.

"Alright, I've gotta coordinate here," she urged herself. "They've got no way to sneak behind me unless they've got Propeller Packs, but there's no doubt they're gonna start going heavy on the guns because my shield is down…!" she further observed as another deafening barrage of *BANGs*, *RATATATATTATs*, and *KAPOWs* of the Tinkerbats' firearms polluted the daylights out of the otherwise serene atmosphere. Forced to take a defensive approach in the heat of the moment, Shantae danced, spun, vaulted, and flipped over another relentless storm of bullets and cannonballs alike despite the shrinking amount of space she had to work with. Seeing this as a potential advantage, some Tinkerbats ran in close with swords and pistols, ready to put an early end to the Half-Genie Hero before she potentially wiped out the entire crew. Showing off incredible dexterity the determined heroine began BLOCKING SOME OF THE INCOMING BULLETS WITH HER SCIMITAR! *BWEEENG* after *TWINNG* after *PWOOONG*, Shantae parried and deflected incoming rounds left and right as she also dodged additional sword swings and other sprays of gunfire. Meanwhile, she was still taking out Tinkerbats left and right with fireballs, lightning bolts, sword slashes, power-packed kicks, and Hair Whips galore. It was only when Risky's henchmen began to shift their strategy to where they were trying to get behind her using propeller packs did she make another adjustment herself. Spotting an opportunity, the determined young woman sprinted toward the port of the ship, running along the perimeter toward more Tinkerbats that tried to light her up with *PAPs*, *BANGs*, and *POPs* of gunfire.

"TORRAH!" Shantae shouted as she dodged the flurry of flying, flashing rounds, jumped high, and came crashing down with a *KRAKLOCK* of a flying kick to the face of a Tinkerbat with a pistol. The unprepared lackey was propelled a fair distance away before vanishing with a *POOF* into smoke like many of its allies before it. In the same instance, Shantae grabbed hold of the Tinkerbat's weapon and got Mysterious Pistol as she recovered from her attack and kept on sprinting. "Hm… So, you've been trying to recreate weapons from the other timeline. This proves it…!" she rather… interestingly murmured to herself, momentarily studying the blocky, onyx-colored firearm as another pair of Tinkerbats tried to dash in and slash her from the side. "Hoo! Nice try!" she remarked as she used her unrivaled agility to spin around the blade and wind up next to the offending Tinkerbat with her newly acquired firearm aimed at its face. "Your move, Tinkerbat! Give up or be destroyed!" she threatened, showing little mercy toward the servant of the Pirate Queen as other Tinkerbats hurriedly entered the fray. Mindful of the situation, Shantae glanced around the ship to see more of Risky's goons crawling from the woodwork high and low to gain some kind of advantage over her. She particularly spotted a Tinkerbat headed up to the crow's nest with a long-range rifle strapped to its back.

"Huh… Figures you guys wouldn't learn your les-!" the half-genie was about to observe before the Tinkerbat she held at gunpoint tried to lunge for her weapon. Thinking quickly, Shantae pulled her gun out of the way and, with a graceful spin, slashed the Tinkerbat into oblivion with a *SCHRRISSSH* of her scimitar that resulted in an immediate *POOF* of the minion's body into gems and a Potion that she collected. She went on to fire a flurry of rounds from the pistol herself with *BLAKOW* after *BLAKOW* as she kept herself mobile. With the initial four shots she fired, Shantae struck down two airborne Tinkerbats and one grounded one while she also blocked a barrage of incoming rounds with the broad side of her scimitar. She followed up by Hair Whipping another trio of sword Tinkerbats with *THWAP* after *THWAP* before they got a chance to gang up on her, followed up by her spotting a Tinkerbat wielding a bomb with a fuse on it. "I'm having a blast! How about YOU!?" she announced a most… questionable pun as she aimed her pistol and fired it with another *BLAKOW*. The round struck the bomb Tinkerbat square in the chest from what I'd guess was at least a good fifteen or twenty yards away. The Tinkerbat was flung backward, accidentally dropping its bomb next to an assortment of at least ten other Tinkerbats with guns that were hiding behind a stack of boxes situated near the centerline of the ship next to its mast. And within a second, as well as an enormous *KWABWOOOOOOOOOOM*, the bomb exploded, sending Tinkerbats, broken planks of wood, and burning articles of clothing scattering to the wind to pollute the ocean with *SPLISHes* and *PLOOSHes* abound.

It was at this point that the Tinkerbats began to realize that they may not have been able to contain the incredibly hazardous threat of an angry teenage girl wielding a gun and a sword on their own. As such, most of them took more protective maneuvers by standing their ground across the bow, port, and starboard of the ship's deck. Noticing the sudden drop in pressure in the tense situation, Shantae also skidded to a halt as she scanned the ship. And in that momentary pause, the natural serenity of the ocean's waves crashing against the hull of the vessel and the crisp afternoon winds returned. Yet…

"Hah… What's the matter? You boys thinking about giving up yet?" she brashly asked, though she knew better than to let her guard down. Taking the moment to catch her breath, the cognizant young genie kept a watchful eye on the crow's nest as the gleam of some shining object reflected sunlight onto her face. "If you're done messing around, then you'll do me a favor and go get Risky." Rather than respond, however, the Tinkerbats held their stances aboard the ship to avoid further casualties. Meanwhile, the gleam of the light from above steadied itself on the half-genie's face. At that, she sighed. "…Okay, I guess this is what we're doing. In that case…" she trailed off, intentionally dropping her battle stance as though she was certain the scuffle was over. "I'm just gonna assume you've learned you can't beat me on your own. So, I'll ask again. Can at least one of you go and-?" Shantae was about to ask as a sudden, distant *BWANG* rang out from above. "BUBBLE!" she shouted, stretching her glowing sword-wielding hand outward to summon another shield. With another *VWOOORNG*, the barrier took full shape just as the round seemed it would do major harm to her.

In that instant, the bullet was propelled back upward, RIPPING through the air. With a stunning *KAPRACK* of a piece of the crow's nest being taken off, followed by the distant *POCK* and *POOF* of the Tinkerbat sniper being eliminated by its own weapon, Shantae assured that there would be no surprise the Tinkerbats could cook up that would work on her. And within a second, the emphatic *PLOCK* of a piece of the crow's nest slamming against the surface of the ship further startled the remaining Tinkerbats into second-guessing any ideas they had about engaging her further. And as Shantae disabled her Reflector Bubble on her own, the atmosphere grew quiet once again…

"…Well? I'm not leaving until I see her, and we can do this all day if you force me to. So, I'll ask one more time before I REALLY lose my patience with you…" Shantae warned, at this point certain that there would be no more misguided attempts at ambushing her. "Where is R-!"

"WHAT ON THIS SOAKING WET COSMIC ROCK ARE YOU LUBBERS DOING OUT HERE!?" shouted a familiarly abrasive, rage-consumed voice as its owner came marching out of the cabins and onto the deck. Dressed head to toe in her usual stylish pirate gear, the one, the only, the dastardly, the dangerously seductive… with an emphasis on DANGEROUS… and seductive… Risky Boots, the Queen of the Seven Seas herself… had finally revealed herself. The only peculiar detail in this case, however, was the fact that her right arm was in a sling. Standing tall as her minions fell into line nevertheless, Risky commanded total obedience as her sycophantic servants all emerged from their hiding spots to salute her. Risky was more preoccupied, however, by the disarray her eyes bore witness to. Her ship's deck was in shambles. Burn marks, broken off planks of wood, tattered clothing, dropped guns and swords, and… even a few strands of hair she KNEW wasn't hers… and the putrid smell in the air. It was all an IMMEDIATE point of inconceivable ferocity for her as she glared at her crew. "You all better have a GOOD reason for this mess, or else I'll EVISCERATE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU AND FASHION YOUR BONES INTO MONUMENTS FOR THE NEXT CREW! And why does it REEK of genie magic out here?"

"It's about time you showed that awful face of yours, Risky Boots!" a most defiant and unafraid Shantae boldly yelled as she dropped her weapons and made an astronaut's moon leap from the port of the ship to land right in front of the Pirate Queen. And when I say Risky was FURIOUS… I mean that just the sight of her veiny red eyes would've been enough to turn you to stone, melt you into clay, and then set you on fire to burn away every last molecule of your being. Shantae, however, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. If anything, she seemed JUST as angry as the two ladies glared hard enough at each other that one could see the vicious bolts of electricity clashing between their eyes. "Been a REAL long time since we last saw each other…!" she sarcastically remarked, her tone full to the brim with bitter resentment.

"NEVER long enough, you repugnant little cockroach…!" Risky shot back, not even attempting to hide her immense displeasure at seeing Shantae. "Ignoring the fact that you're wearing these HIDEOUS rags to disgrace my presence, what in the burning blue BLAZES are you doing here!?"

"I thought I'd drop by and give you a proper 'welcome home' greeting, since your gross little minions were so keen on 'inviting' me here and letting me know you were still up to no good," Shantae rebutted, not at all in the mood for Risky's shenanigans. "Oh, and I'll say this once, just so it's clear to you: KEEP YOUR DIRTY TINKERBATS AWAY FROM ME AND MY HOUSE!" she further demanded, shouting in Risky's face to make sure her message was received. Risky, rather than flinch, only found herself more annoyed to the point that a vein protruded from her forehead as her glare intensified.

"My Tinkerbats can go wherever I TELL them to go!" Risky shouted back. "I'm not at all sorry that their interest in your dilapidated little stone shack bothers you so much. Cry about it, brat."

"Don't test me, Risky…!" Shantae warned, practically GROWLING with frustration. "I will BURN this ship to its last PLANK before I let another one of your little freaks peep in on me and my friends…!"

"You wouldn't DARE…!"

"After all the stunts you've pulled over the years, I DEFINITELY would. But go ahead and keep pushing me…!" she dared, her hand glowed bright with Light Magic. In response, Risky's Tinkerbats prepared to protect their leader by any means necessary. They would only stop when Risky raised her free hand to wordlessly command them to hold their positions. "I already told you on Paradise Island that I was sick of your antics. I already told you what might eventually happen if you kept trying to pull off these ridiculous schemes and endangering the lives of everyone unlucky enough to be around you…! Yet, you KEEP pushing…! You KEEP acting like you won't be made to suffer every time you act up…!"

"Hmph. Just who do you think you are? You've certainly got a LOT of nerve to come onto MY ship unprovoked, damage MY property, and then tell ME that I need to watch my back," Risky brazenly retorted.

"Unprovoked? Are you SERIOUS!? Your Tinkerbats were SPYING on me and led me right to you when I tailed one of them back here!" Shantae argued. "And if I catch another one of them within five MILES of me, my friends, or anyone I think you might be a danger to, I PROMISE you I'll make you pay for it! And while we're at it, why don't we take a minute to talk about what you did to that Phantasmagoric Forest place the other day?"

"What about it? There's nothing you need to know except that I encountered your undead boyfriend there… who, might I add, you did a FINE job of trying to hide from me," Risky accused with a point of a finger at Shantae, refusing to budge. "But you HAD to know I'd find out eventually that he was still lingering around here like a foul odor that just won't go away. Granted, he's still dead, but I didn't think he would be turned into a wraith. At the very least, it's an apparent upgrade despite the fact that he only got it because you let him die by my hand all those months ago…"

"Do NOT go there! YOU MURDERED HIM IN COLD BLOOD, YOU HEARTLESS DEMON!" Shantae was quick to accuse, her temper flaring as she glared even harder at her archenemy. "You're LUCKY to have walked away from that battle alive! So help me, I would've-!"

"Come on now, Shantae… You and I BOTH know that's not true…" Risky interrupted and countered with a mischievous grin. "After all, YOU were supposed to be the one meeting the business end of my sword that fateful day. HE just got in the way and saved your sorry butt at the last second," she 'corrected,' though her recitation of the events made Shantae angry enough that her hand began to glow brighter. "That said, were you scared that I'd cross paths with him again after he came back to you? That I'd potentially do something to take him away from you again? Is that why you barely said a word to me during your stupid little 'vacation' and made sure to especially avoid talking about him when we battled on Paradise Island? I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was because you were trying to protect him from me, but you KNOW I was going to find out eventually."

"It's none of your business why I didn't tell you Tayshan was still around!" Shantae countered, though Risky took the brazen reply as a confirmation as she grinned even more sinisterly. "But congratulations on sticking your nose where it didn't belong yet again, only to find that he's now strong enough to take you down on his own, too!" At that, Risky scoffed and shot the half-genie a derisive sneer.

"Please… That foolish dog almost got his clock cleaned before he pulled out a secret trump card to catch me by surprise… like he ALWAYS does…!"

"That's what you get for underestimating him, like you always do," Shantae shot back, mocking Risky in the process. "Mind you, the biggest fact of that matter is that you wiped yet ANOTHER location off Sequin Land's map for next to no reason outside of your own selfish greed, and he happened to be there to stop you! And you'd better BELIEVE I'm not keen on letting you get away with what you did to him OR to Sky OR to the guardian you killed…! Even if it takes everything in my power, I am going to make you REGRET hurting them…!"

"Oh? Is that talk of REVENGE I'm hearing, Shantae?" Risky teased, seeming to enjoy the half-genie's frustration with her. "My, my, that is most unbecoming of a 'hero' like you. What exactly do you plan on doing? Beating me up? Having me sent to prison, where you KNOW I'll escape?"

"Whatever it takes, you wouldn't li-!"

"Or maybe… just MAYBE… You want to KILL me like your precious boyfriend tried to do in that gaudy forest," the Pirate Queen cut the half-genie off to proclaim, shocking her into a momentary silence. Nevertheless, the adversarial women continued to coldly scowl at one another as the air grew thick enough to slice with a sword. After a moment, however, Risky grinned… after which, she let out another trademark cackle right in Shantae's face. "Ohhohoh, right… YOU'RE too much of a WEAK, SOFT LITTLE PANSY to go THAT far."

"Why, you…!"

"That's where you and Tayshan differ. He at least has the guts to finish what he starts when YOU'RE not around to lead him astray. Behind all your fame, your friends, and your sneaky genie tricks, you're just a lily-livered sap who thinks she's better than everyone around her because you surround yourself with morons who allow it without question. You're so pathetic, it almost makes me sick just being near you… It's a surprise to me that I haven't had the urge to VOMIT at your pitiful weakness in the last five minutes…"

"Hmph. Always with the scathing words, Risky, but it won't make up for your track record being marred with failure after failure after spectacular failure," Shantae barked back, refusing to take Risky's browbeating lying down. "And call it whatever you want, but at least I have people who actually WANT to be around me and DON'T have to be scared I'll hurt them if they don't obey my every command. It's pretty clear by now that you get a sick kick out of taking your soul-crushing loneliness out on people who've never done anything wrong to you. To be honest, I've pitied you since the day we met," Risky, upon hearing that scalding observation, boiled over with unforgiving WRATH that was only tempered by the fact that she… judging by the grin that crept back onto her face, had other tricks up her sleeve.

"Is that what you think? Well, I'd rather be alone and be my true self at all times than pretend to be something I'm not, putting on a sugary 'girl next door' routine and starving for the approval of weaklings, perverts, and total nobodies like YOU do, you pedantic little SELLOUT," the Pirate Queen lashed back, her confidence holding strong as ever. "And yet, you continue to gallivant around in your ugly, tacky, skimpy outfits with that ridiculous cheese-eating grin on your childish face, acting like you're a 'hero' when you can't even figure out a reasonable way to permanently stop me from accomplishing my goal of turning Sequin Land into a pirate's dominion. To think you could come here, barking your empty threats at ME like I'm scared of you because you continue to get lucky in EVERY battle we fight against each other… The unadulterated blimp-sized EGO on you is as obnoxious as it is sad, not to mention ironic!" At that, Shantae let out an appalled scoff of her own.

"If you're gonna call ANYONE out for having an inflated ego, then you should do yourself a favor and look in a mirror. And I don't need you to fear me, Risky," Shantae calmed down just enough to offer a reply, though she was HOT with tightly contained rage harbored SOLELY for Risky Boots. "I DO want you to understand that this charade WILL NOT be allowed to go on forever, though. And this childish game of hurling insults at me isn't going to throw me off like you think it is. You will NEVER be able to push me far enough to stoop to YOUR level as far as dealing with enemies goes, and you will NEVER be allowed to get away with all the horrible things you've done. Not before, not now, not EVER."

"Oh, so now killing the enemy is 'stooping to my level,' is it? Well, I certainly hope you had this same high-and-mighty, sanctimonious lecture with Tayshan," Risky countered, shocking Shantae yet again. "Or maybe we should call back to the many times YOU were made to break that flimsy 'rule' of yours…"

"I know what you're doing, and that isn't going to work either," Shantae rebuffed. "This isn't about what happened in other situations, nor is it about me 'lecturing' you about how you operate versus how I do. I'm telling you straight-up that you're going to get HURT worse than anyone you've ever harmed in your life if you keep going the way you are…! The fact that your arm is in a sling after you fought Tayshan should be warning enough that we're NOT gonna tolerate your antics anymore, and that your actions are only making things worse on you with every fight you pick. Give up while you're behind…!"

"You'd certainly think that with how naïve you are, but you don't know me NEARLY as well as you think you do. If you did, we wouldn't keep running into each other so wearily often. If you knew better, then YOU'D know that your days are numbered, you repugnant genie minx, and that your best bet is to STAY THE HECK OUT OF MY WAY while you're still alive to do so. Each battle we've had, I've gotten closer and closer to wiping you out of the picture, and you know that… Even better, the mere thought of me finally knocking you off your pedestal scares you senseless. That's why you're over here trying to threaten me into submission, I'm sure. But just so you understand and stop wasting my time, I'll let you know that you will NEVER control me or tell ME what to do. And if you think an unlucky encounter with your ghost boyfriend whose death YOU were responsible for is enough to scare me out of pursuing my ambitions, then you're even dumber than I EVER thought you were."

"You go ahead and keep trying to insult my intelligence while you go on proving just how short-sighted and stubborn you are. Hope that irony's as sturdy for you as the irons you'll find yourself clapped in…!"

"Hah! What a miserable attempt at a cheesy pun," Risky taunted with another derisive cackle, digging into Shantae on a personal level. And while I wish I could say Shantae remained unshaken… the slight shift of uncertainty in her glare made it all too apparent that that wasn't the case… "That doesn't make nearly as much sense as you think it does. All an idiotic comment like that does is prove my point about how stupid and immature you are. Just as I said the last time we unfortunately crossed paths, I'd have more respect for you if you were even the SLIGHTEST bit smarter than the average five-year-old. Leave the 'witty' one-liners to the corny superheroes you so mindlessly idolize, eh? Oh, wait, that's right… They're not real, and YOU'RE not a real hero, either. You never have been, and you never will be."

"…Watch it, Risky…!"

"Aw, am I making you upset?" Risky poured it on, reveling in picking on Shantae as she approached and towered over her, scornfully looking down on the younger woman. "Good…! Because I'll say it again: You are NO hero, no matter what those brainless rubes in that filthy cesspit of a town you fester in say about you. You're not a role model or a symbol of good virtue, either. At your core, you're just some stupid kid with delusions of grandeur who was just lucky enough to be born with genie powers. That's all you are, that's what you were when we first met, and that's all you'll EVER be, you IGNORANT LITTLE STRUMPET…! If it wasn't for your powers, you'd just be wasting your meaningless existence dancing around from town to town in your cheap, scanty costumes, servicing creepy old men and living off the table scraps they'd make you beg and parade yourself for like the bottom-feeding HARLOT you are…!"

"I said STOP…!" Shantae warned with a notable crack in her voice, seeming to be running low on words as her eyes became… glassy? Oh, no… Risky… Risky was hurting her… Risky was hurting her…!

"Honestly, what DOES Tayshan even SEE in you? I mean seriously, he must be wearing the THICKEST blindfold in the universe if he was dumb enough to FIGHT AND DIE for you, and then claw his way up from the pits of whatever eternal plane of condemnation he was sent to… just to come here and waste his afterlife entertaining an obnoxious, spoiled little BRAT like YOU," she continued to relentlessly insult through a disrespectful fit of laughter, not noticing that the bright blue aura surrounding Shantae's hand… had begun to grow… dark purple…? Ohh, sh… "It remains abundantly clear that YOU DON'T DESERVE HIM if you couldn't even protect him from me after so much effort on your part to keep his return under wraps."

"I am going to tell you one last time, Risky Boots… SHUT…! UP…!" the thoroughly frustrated half-genie made her demand one final time through an uncharacteristically rancorous growl, having heard far more than enough of her nemesis's baseless insults as the aura around her hand grew darker…

"Ooh, looks like I touched a nerve~!" Risky continued to bully with another jeering snicker, not caring in the slightest how Shantae felt. "Get used to it, brat, because I'm just as SICK of you as you are of me. And as long as we continue to have the grievous displeasure of knowing each other, I will NEVER stop reminding you of what a useless, pitiful excuse for a lowly genie you really are…! And you know what else?" Risky rhetorically asked as she leaned in close enough to whisper into Shantae's ear. "Everything your boyfriend knows about how to 'please' you? There's no doubt he learned it from being with me first…!"

"…" Shantae replied with no words, seeming to have been shocked into a state of distress… or inconsolable anger as her eyes widened and her brow furrowed. She began to stare proverbial LASERS into the floorboards beneath her as she began to tremble. Worse yet… her breathing got heavy and ragged like an animal about to attack… Paying no heed to this sudden change in the genie's behavior, Risky continued.

"And just in case you don't believe me, I'll bet he starts off real nice and tender, fooling around with you and teasing you using his mouth and his fingers… and then once you two get down to business, he most likely spends the rest of the encounter making sure you get to enjoy the experience as much as possible before he indulges himself. Chances are, he also makes sure you 'finish' as many times as he can make you… Tell me if I'm wrong…" the ruthless Pirate Queen brutally and inappropriately taunted with the most mischievous of grins on her face.

"…Grrrrrrgh…!" the increasingly agitated half-genie growled once more, her voice low and full to the brim with unspeakable HATRED as she seemed to be ready to go completely ballistic… Oh, no…

"That's exactly what I thought. So, you're welcome for me doing you the 'favor' of teaching that DOG a new trick or two when I had my way with him…! And be prepared to LOSE him again as soon as you so much as turn your back on him…!" Risky Boots continued to heartlessly tear into her hated adversary in as many ways as she could. It was perhaps against her better judgment, however, as a sudden, voluminous, windy *FWOOOOOOOORRRRRRSSSSH* erupted from the half-genie's form. "Gah…! What the…?" the astonished lady pirate murmured as she jumped back. Meanwhile, a swirling aura surrounded her unwelcome guest. Only… the aura wasn't its usual glimmering, sparkling shade of a heroic blue… Instead… it had twisted and malformed into this cloudy, glittering mixture of black and purple…!

"RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Shantae roared with the power of a million angry lions, standing tall and stretched out with her arms by her sides as she clenched her fists… which also began to FUME with… with what I could only presume at this point was DARK MAGIC as she completely lost control of herself…! Her eyes… her eyes had once again changed color from blue… to this HORRIFYING shade of gold… and she glared at Risky like she wanted to kill her right then and there. Her inconsolable wrath growing in tandem with her unprecedented power, Shantae went WILD out of nowhere… Her mere PRESENCE was causing the massive ship to destabilize as though it were caught in the middle of a monumental tempest. Tinkerbats high and low all over the ship had to grab onto anything that was basically bolted to the ground to keep from being blown completely away. Anything that wasn't nailed to the deck was pushed, jostled, and blown either to a far corner of the ship, or had been flung completely overboard.

"N-no WAY…! H-how is she still able to tap into DARK MAGIC…!?" Risky was barely able to mutter as she grounded her stance as best as she could, protecting her face with her free arm. It… would do little, however, as… with an EXPLOSIVE *PWOOOOOOORRRSH*, this… dark and extremely angry version of Shantae charged at the Pirate Queen with speed rivaling a comet, her fist cocked all the way back… and those chill-inducing golden eyes ALL THE WAY focused on the enemy she wanted so badly to annihilate.

"I'LL DESTROY YOU! HOWWWRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shantae hollered once again at the top of her lungs, her voice suddenly becoming distorted as she launched an incredible lightspeed haymaker that Risky couldn't have EVER hoped to dodge in the minimal amount of time she had. And, with a deafening, DEVASTATING *BARBWOOOOOOOOOOOM* explosive enough that one would've thought a SKYSCRAPER was being leveled, Shantae landed her attack…

Meanwhile, in Scuttle Town…

"Grrgh…! Hah… Hmmph…!" a certain wraith grunted, his slumber seemingly disturbed as he twisted and turned in the bed he continued to rest in within the confines of Mimic's Workshop.

"Hm? Lad? Are you finally awakening?" asked the elderly Relic Hunter Mimic as he turned away from his studies at the worktable nearby to see Tayshan evidently struggling to awaken while a much more peaceful Rottytops lay asleep in the bed beside him. "Hmm… It seems you're trying to wake up, but-!"

"Sh… Shantae…!" Tayshan called out in his sleep as though he was having a nightmare, alerting Mimic to a potential development. "Chill out…! Shantae…! You're… losin'… control…! Ghaaaagh…!" he further mumbled, sweating and wincing in pain as he clutched his abdomen.

"…That isn't a good sign… Is it possible he's sensing Shantae is under some form of duress, even in his sleep? And… what exactly is that girl up to that she'd be causing his Soul-Link sense to go off…?" Mimic asked himself as he got up and approached the struggling ghost man for further investigation.

"S… stop…! Now…! Don't… let her play you…" Tayshan murmured once more, flipping over to where he was facing Rottytops before suddenly settling back down. Rottytops, interestingly enough, remained entirely undisturbed as she snored away. If anything, the only shift she made was unconsciously reaching a hand forth and laying it on her bedmate's face as the both of them rested up. Significantly concerned about the wraith's cryptic messages, Mimic opted to keep himself alert as he observed the two sleeping teens for any additional signs of trouble. A few more tension-riddled minutes went by without another incident, however, which prompted him to warily return to his worktable to continue studying the Spirit Fuser piece in his possession.

"Hmm… Whatever may be happening, I certainly hope you're alright, Shantae… Please make it back here in one piece…" Mimic prayed as he picked up where he left off…

Back on Risky's ship…

"Ghaaaagh…! Shoot…!" Risky Boots cursed as she stood her ground, her hand clamped over Shantae's Dark Magic-bathed fist. One… would be INCREDIBLY remiss not to notice the WRECKING BALL-SIZED DENT in the ship's deck, however, as the Pirate Queen barely defended herself from the enraged genie's onslaught.

"RAH!" Shantae roared again, snatching her fist from Risky's hand as she whirled around and tried to kick the living daylights out of her archenemy. Risky was quick, however, as she dodged the incoming wheel kick and countered with a thrust kick of her own to create some space… only, Risky's kick would be caught with a *PLOCK* in Shantae's hands. And as the Queen of the Seven Seas looked with shock into the flaring golden eyes of this utterly RUTHLESS version of the Half-Genie Hero, Risky saw for herself… that she wasn't dealing with the Shantae she knew and hated so much.

"You…! You've gone completely INSANE!" Risky accused as she tried to use her free arm to attack. Charging up a bit of Dark Magic with a quick *FROOOWSH* into her fist, Risky hopped forward to try and clock the genie girl good. She missed, however, as Shantae pulled Risky forward by her leg, cocked a fist back while stepping forth past Risky's compromised leg… and within a second, Shantae landed an utterly GUT-BUSTING uppercut that I thought should very well have IMPALED Risky from the second it landed with the most THUNDEROUS *KRATHRAAAAAASHK* I had ever heard. Seriously, the impact sent visible SHOCKWAVES ripping through the air that could reasonably be heard from a mile away! The resilient captain held as strong as she could, however, as she reeled back and doubled over in excruciating pain. "Ghahagh…! D… Darn yo-!" she was about to curse before Shantae aggressively raced toward her. Shantae grabbed Risky by the sides of her head while cocking a leg back, ready to CAVE RISKY'S SKULL IN with her knee…!

"HRRRYAAH!" Shantae shouted as she prepared to launch her potentially fatal attack. Risky would have none of it, however, as she ripped her injured arm from her sling, charged it with another *VWOOORSH* of Dark Magic as she cocked it back, and landed a stone-shattering *KATHRACK* of a hook to the unsuspecting half-genie's face. "Gwaaagh!" Shantae groaned as she stumbled back in a mixture of pain and surprise.

"NO WAY I'm letting you off the hook after that, you miserable BRAT…! TAKE THIS!" Risky Boots shouted at the top of her lungs as she raced toward Shantae and delivered a MASSIVE Dark Magic-charged football punt right to the other young woman's abdomen that I swear had enough force to BREAK THROUGH DIAMOND! With a devastating *WHAPRAAAASH*, Risky kicked Shantae hard enough to send her SOARING from one end of the ship to the other. Soon after, however, she winced in debilitating pain as she breathlessly fell to a knee. "Ghaaaagh…! D-darn it, I'm still not recovered from my last battle…! Ahagh…!" she quickly recognized as she also held her injured arm close to her chest. Realizing the danger their esteemed captain was in, every last one of Risky's Tinkerbats rushed to her aid as fast as they could. They wouldn't be quite fast enough, however, as an incoming projectile the size of a VAN came barreling in with a blazing *FWOOOOORRRSH* toward the disadvantaged buccaneer with a mixture of blistering speed and unforgiving rage. "Ghaah… Gotta move…!" Risky urged herself as she forced herself up and began staggering away from the blast as it closed in. Thankfully for her, a dedicated pair of Tinkerbats flying in with Propeller Packs swooped in, picked her up, and carried her out of the path of the fireball before it landed with such a deafening, world-shattering *KWABWOOOOOOORRSSSSH* that it practically ANNIHILATED a portion of the deck and rocked the ship hard enough that it nearly capsized. Tinkerbats that were standing on the deck were flung all over the place, some of them even going overboard as they and a hefty supply of crates and cannons went rolling right off the side. That's not where this nightmare ended, however, because just as Risky was being carried to safety…

"DIE!" Shantae roared, somehow having found herself at least 50 feet high in the air as she came BULLETING down toward Risky and her rescue team with her feet coated in Dark Magic. Without saying too much, Shantae STOMPED Risky right in her abdomen with the force of a meteor, the *PWAKRAAAASH* emitting a shockwave powerful enough to blow the airborne Tinkerbats way out to sea as they helplessly tumbled through the air. Meanwhile, Shantae and Risky Boots went SMASHING through the upper deck with an additional *PRIKRUNCH* of the floorboards giving way as soon as the ladies made contact. With an additional *KRAKRUNCH* of the floor of the lower deck, Risky wound up being PLANTED into the floor. Shantae, on the other hand, had lost her footing on the first crash and had been flung across the way. With a series of *THUMPs*, *WHAPs*, and *PLOUGHs*, the evil-possessed half-genie haphazardly tumbled across the spacious lower deck before rolling into position and skidding the rest of the way on her hands and feet.

"…Guuaaaagh…! I… I swear, I am… going to ERADICATE these insolent maggots when I get the chance…! Hrrrrgh…!" Risky murmured, her entire body rife with scratches, scrapes, and numerous tears in her outfit as she painstakingly pried herself out of the floor with a *Krrrreakrack* of the boards snapping with every move she made.

"Still alive, are you…!?" an… evidently disappointed Shantae questioned as she menacingly approached Risky, her eyes glowing gold in contrast with the shadowy atmosphere of the lower deck. Her glare, I swear, could literally scare a herd of bulls to DEATH, she seemed so angry… This… I had no idea a girl that seemed so sweet could have such a VIOLENT mean streak… Yet… "I figured that stomp would've crushed your ribs into the world's most disorganized jigsaw puzzle…!" she spoke further, her voice distorted and doubled… "How's THAT for a 'witty' one-liner, Risky…!?"

"Heh…! Slightly less cringeworthy, but still hopelessly PATHETIC…! That aside, you remain infinitely DUMBER than you look if you thought you could do me in THAT easily…!" Risky dared to defiantly taunt as she got herself ready to fight, doing the berserk half-genie no favors in calming herself down. "Who'd have thought… that simple words would turn you into such a monster, huh…? If it's seriously THAT easy, I'd have torn your ego to shreds ages ago…! Silly me to forget the glaring Achilles' Heel that is your fragile adolescent self-esteem after all this time…" she further breathlessly lambasted, fearless in the face of her possible impending demise. "You're more sensitive than I thought, Shantae…"

"I hope you'll keep making your lame jokes while I'm BREAKING YOU APART one limb at a time…!" Shantae uncharacteristically threatened, her approach remaining slow and foreboding as she stared Risky down without even blinking.

"Come over here and try it, then…! Show me just how much of a hypocrite you really are, if you really CAN kill me. Only ONE of us walks away from this fight alive, and if you can't kill me, I'll kill YOU instead…!"

"Much as I'd HATE to grant a wish to a no-good scumbag like you, I think I'll make an exception in your case," Shantae… obliged? "Your wish is my-! Gagh…!" she was about to 'grant' Risky's 'wish' before she flinched, stopped walking, and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, grabbing at her stomach with a hand. In that same moment, EVERY trace of Shantae's Dark Magic vanished almost instantly. "Ghaah…! Whoo…!"

"…Huh?" Risky murmured in surprise, not at all certain what she was witnessing. She had no idea why her archenemy had suddenly halted her hostile approach, though she kept a watchful eye. Meanwhile, a large assortment of the Pirate Queen's minions poured into the gaping hole in the deck, weapons drawn and at the ready to defend their leader with. The Tinkerbats were ready to attack, though Risky once again held a hand up to stop them. "What is going on…?" she asked herself, never taking her eyes off of an apparently disoriented Shantae as the half-genie seemed to come back to her senses.

"Hmmph…!" the half-genie grunted in evident discomfort as she continued to rub her aching stomach, though she opened her eyes to reveal that they had returned to that familiarly disarming shade of ocean blue. "Ah… I-I'd better go…" she murmured to herself, no longer willing to continue her hatred-fueled deathmatch with Risky Boots and her minions. Just as she was about to channel some magic into her form to perform a spell with, however…

"And just where do you think you're going!?" Risky demanded to know, not keen on letting Shantae escape. Shantae, in response, halted her dance despite refusing to look Risky in the eye. The disquieted heroine remained silent at the initial request, which only agitated the pirate captain further. "ANSWER ME! You must seriously have a screw loose in your head if you think you can show up here, go berserk, trash my ship, ambush me, and then leave without an explanation! I will rend your hide if you keep silent for a second longer!" she further yelled, though it didn't seem to faze the other young woman at all. Instead, Shantae stared bullets into the floor of the opaque lower deck as she gave her reply…

"…Risky, I really, REALLY don't want to continue this feud with you. I… I just want to see this reach a peaceful end where neither of us has to try and kill the other," Shantae spoke candidly, though her tone sounded rife with a potent mixture of tightly contained anger… and concern. "At this point, I've long lost all hope for you reforming into a good person. You've harmed too many people in too many ways with not even a droplet of remorse for your crimes. It's too much for me to hold onto such a naïve idea any longer, and I will personally NEVER forgive you for what you've done. That being said, you… you still have a chance to walk away from all of this with your life. Use it wisely… I'm URGING you to use it wisely…"

"More of your moralistic preaching, brat? You should kn-!" she was about to ridicule, though she was cut off when Shantae finally turned her head and looked her right in the face… with this frighteningly icy stare that shocked Risky into momentary speechlessness.

"You should consider the chance while you have it… because if you blow it this time and you force my hand, I promise you that I will NOT be held accountable for what will happen to you then. Just know that your survival might not be an option…"

"Oh, is that right…?" Risky dared to question, her morbid curiosity at Shantae's grim implication piqued.

"Yes. And whether it's me OR Tayshan who eventually kills you… You should know that in either situation, you'll have brought it on yourself. If you're smart, you'll take me seriously and make sure never to cross paths with me or my friends again, or cause us to chase after you with the intent to stop you from hatching another tired, half-baked scheme for world domination."

"Hmph. Careful, brat. Your ego's showing again," Risky spat with nothing but enmity in her tone. "And if you think for a SECOND that this encounter's supposed to make me scared of you, I'll dash your hopes right now and tell you it didn't. If anything, you've only made me MORE eager to knock you off your high horse…!"

"…Fine, then. You were warned. Goodbye," Shantae coldly remarked before doing a quick belly dance number. Before Risky or her Tinkerbats could do anything to stop her, Shantae wordlessly vanished with a sparkling *POOF*, leaving the pirate captain and her crew to pick up the pieces of the mess she left for them.

"Hm… What an interesting display that was…" Risky murmured after a moment of silence, doing her best to hold herself up. She would find the task extraordinarily difficult, however, before she found herself supported by two Tinkerbat volunteers. They allowed her to rest her weight on their shoulders as she slung her arms around them, careful not to compromise her right arm further than she already had. "She's certainly changed since that battle last October. Still the impulsive, foolhardy scalawag she's always been, but she's been moving like she's scared to lose something… it was evident on Paradise Island, and even more so now. And now, I know exactly what that 'something' is…!"

A Tinkerbat that had been listening to her made a series of gestures to ask what Risky meant.

"Her SANITY…!" Risky ominously remarked, making evident that she found an opportunity for an unfair advantage. "Seems our least favorite genie is still susceptible to some influence of Dark Magic if she's provoked enough. And if today's demonstration was any indication, then it must mean she's been wrestling with it… wrestling HARD… to keep herself composed…"

Another nearby Tinkerbat gesticulated its arms to ask if it was a good thing that they potentially found a weakness that would help them finally beat Shantae, or if it meant they should be careful not to agitate her so severely again for fear that she may kill them.

"Depends… As I am now, I'm not sure I can handle her if she loses control and transforms into her Nega form," Risky explained as she seemed to ponder what the near future had in store for her and her crew. "I'll need to be prepared if that happens, because there's no doubt she'd destroy everything in her path… us included, if she's left unchecked."

A third Tinkerbat raised its arms at its sides and tilted its head to ask what they should do to be prepared for an evil, out-of-control Shantae should the genie girl succumb to the influence of Dark Magic.

"Our best bet at this time is to lay low, collect the pieces of that Spirit Fuser… and then use it to absorb the most powerful non-genie being we can find. That way, I'd be able to outmatch and potentially dispose of her for good before she becomes too big a problem…!"

The final Tinkerbat cupped its chin with one hand while gesturing its other open hand toward Risky to ask who or what they would find with such an absurdly large power level that absorbing them would give her the ultimate edge.

"Isn't it obvious? It'll be none other than the same wraith that's helped that irritating squirt get in our way for the better part of this past year… and who himself has recently proven to be an almost equal threat to my plans as she is… TAYSHAN…!" she name-dropped with a menacing growl, which… oh, no… Oh, man… This situation is now SO much worse than I thought it could be… Shoot…! "We've got research to do, and not a lot of time to do it. Let's get a move on and figure things out while we… search for a pitstop to repair the ship…" Risky further ordered, prompting her volunteer Tinkerbats to walk her out of the lower deck while the remainder of the crew dispersed to begin tending to the ship and inspecting its condition after the short, albeit catastrophic battle that had just transpired…

Back at Mimic's Workshop…

We weren't quite done yet, believe it or not, because there was another small development in the confines of the laboratory of Shantae's legendary uncle. Since the last time we checked in, the two of Mimic's guests were sound asleep in his guest bed, with neither of them shifting from the positions they rested in. Mimic himself, however, had taken a snooze trip of his own, having fallen asleep at his worktable as he rested his head on his arms and sat upon a sturdy wooden stool. By all accounts, it seemed there was not a soul awake within the quaint little workshop. That is, until…

"Hrrmm… Hah…" a certain ghost sighed as his eyes flittered open. "Hm…?" he further hummed as he found his sight filled with the image of an adorable zombie girl soundly resting next to him with her frigid, clammy hand planted on his cheek. Raising an eyebrow in mild confusion, the perplexed young wraith blinked a few times to register if he still dreaming or not. Once he was certain he had truly, finally been awake, he gently removed his bedmate's hand from his face and laid it at her side. Soon after, he raised himself up to a sitting position, using his right arm for leverage. "Grrgh…!" he grunted and winced in a jolt of pain that caught him by surprise. Wondering what was going on with his arm, he raised it to eye level… to see that it was still a few shades darker than his left arm… and had still been missing the silver vambrace he'd taken off days prior. He was then prompted to take a good look at himself entirely, at which point he noticed that he had still been in the same torn-up outfit he'd been wearing on his last adventure.

"…I look like a hot mess…" Tayshan finally spoke, evidently none too pleased with how he looked in the moment as he brushed his dreadlocks out of his face and gave himself a good stretch. "Ah… How long was I out for…? An' where…?" he was about to interrogate none other than himself as he glanced around the area to notice he was in Mimic's Workshop, with Mimic himself sleeping at his workstation. "Hm," he hummed in wonder as his gaze was eventually turned toward the slumbering zombie maiden who'd seemed to be comfortable. "…Why is Rottytops in this bed with me? Where's everybody else…? An'… why does my stomach feel so uneasy…?" he further pondered as he rested a hand on his bare abdomen, though he wasted little time in climbing the rest of the way out of the guest bed to rise to a capable stand. He could see no immediate signs that any of the rest of the crew were in the workshop, which further puzzled him. Through his endless confusion, however, Tayshan was certainly clear on one thing… and, with a sniff of himself and resultant flinch of pure disgust...

"Oof… I'd better go home an' hit the shower before I do anything else…" he observed of himself as he motioned to leave the workshop, though he took one more look at the elderly Relic Hunter and pondered if he should wake him up first. Upon further thought, however… "Maybe I'll let him rest up. That worktable looks like he's been at it for days with whatever it is he was workin' on. The six jumbo coffee mugs are clue enough…" he acknowledged as he also turned his attention to the sleeping Rottytops… at which point, he felt a pang in his heart as his face contorted into a contemplative frown. "…Hm… I wonder why you decided t' sleep here of all places… I… also wonder why you're dressed up in your workout clothes, but I suppose that's beside the point," he further pondered as a slight grin crept onto his face. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Princess…" he further quietly offered an apology to the undead maiden as though she could hear him. "I'll be back in a little bit. Maybe you'll be awake by the time I get myself back in order. We can catch up then…" And with that statement, he approached Rotty, leaned over the bed… and planted a surprisingly nurturing kiss on the sleeping zombie girl's forehead as he brushed her hair aside. And for a split second, Rotty's entire body flashed with a glittering bluish-white light… What in the…?

"Mmm, that feels shoooo good, shtud muffin… Ooh, you're such a frisky boy… Hey, shnack cakes, shtop being shy and join ushhh… Mmmh…" Rotty cutely grumbled in her sleep, shifting to where she turned around and swaddled herself up in the guest bed's blanket. Understandably astonished by the young woman's delirious mumbling, Tayshan raised an eyebrow as he also quickly rose back to a full stand and shot the most… flabbergasted of wide-eyed, pursed-lip stares one could give to a sleeping friend who was speaking out her uh… presumably not safe for work dreams in her sleep.

"Uh… I won't even BEGIN t' question what she's dreamin' about in that twisted mind o' hers… or rather… I wonder how her other half's doin' right about now…" he muttered to himself in surprise, though… I have NO idea what he meant. Rotty's 'other half?' As in, like she had some unknown romantic partner? Or did he possibly know about her involvement with a certain handyman…? Nah, that couldn't be it. Not enough evidence. Maybe she was missing part of herself or something? "Hm. Well anyway, I ain't gettin' cleaner by standin' here…" he dismissed, not even giving me a chance to try and ask him what he meant. Within a few seconds, the wraith exited Mimic's Workshop, making sure to lock the door behind him before he took a mildly uncomfortable stroll down the bustling Scuttle Town street…

A short time later…

As Tayshan quietly passed on through the town, taking in the crisp, chilly afternoon sun and wind, he casually greeted citizens here and there despite many of them giving him odd stares due to the state of his outfit… and especially because of his darkened arm. It didn't take him long to start hurrying up his pace as he powerwalked his way to his destination while avoiding further social interaction. Little did he know, he caught the attention of someone he didn't notice as he blew right by them. This person tried to call after him, but his hasty stroll through Scuttle Town's busy streets made it difficult for them to find an opportunity to reach him. Before long, the person in question was lost in the hefty crowd of peaceful civilians as the wraith sped up his trek even more because of his looming discomfort over the way people were staring at him in his disheveled state. The person who'd been tracking him did not relent, however, as they sifted through the crowds to try and keep pace with him.

After close to a half-hour of awkwardly avoiding the gazes of curious denizens left and right as he strolled through the modest port town, Tayshan made a turn onto smaller, narrower street lined up with one-story, onion-domed houses whose rooves bore a wide variety of mesmerizing colors. Within another minute, he would find himself stopping before a particularly large one-story onion-domed house near the end of the street whose roof gleamed a shining turquoise in the afternoon sunlight.

"Alright, finally… Home, sweet-!" he was about to utter the most classic of classic lines related to returning to one's place of residence when…

"Tayshan!" a feminine voice called out to him from behind, startling him senseless as he whirled around to face the voice's owner. And wouldn't he know it? It turns out the person stalk—uh, I mean following him was a certain lavender-haired, blue-eyed half-genie dressed head-to-toe in tousled training gear that bore numerous rips and tears all across. Meanwhile, her hair had looked like she hadn't combed or brushed it in months despite it still being tied up in her trademark ponytail.

"Shantae!" he called back to her, happy to see her. He couldn't help but notice the truly ruffled condition she was in, however. "Hey, what's goin' on? Why do you l-?" he was about to ask, though Shantae would give him no time to finish the question as she raced over to him and leapt forward with her arms wide open for him to catch her. And, with an emphatic *PLOMPH*, he caught her and wrapped her up in the most loving hug he could muster. "Oogh…! Heh… I missed you, too… I-I hope I didn't-!"

"I'm so glad you're okay…" she worriedly remarked before he could get a word in edgewise, squeezing him tightly enough that he winced in discomfort.

"Y-yeah, but I won't be if you keep squeezin' me as hard as you are…!" he half-joked, though his action of hugging her tighter betrayed his complaint. "What about you, though? Are you alright? You look like you just got back from another adventure…" he further pointed out as the two lovebirds relaxed their grip on one another just enough that they were able to look one another in the eye, their smiling gazes meeting each other in full. It was then, however, that Tayshan noticed something… "…You… also seem a bit sad…" he observed as his expression changed to one of utmost concern.

"H-huh? What do you mean? I'm not…" Shantae tried to counter, caught by surprise that he would make such a statement about her mood without her giving any indication.

"You can tell me what's botherin' you," he implored, at that point realizing why Shantae may not have been in the best of moods. "Matter o' fact, I… I apologize for worryin' you when I passed out. I'm also sorry for makin' you upset when I lost my cool against Risky in that forest, Shae. I know I-!"

"Please don't apologize for that," she candidly cut him off, catching him by surprise as the two finally separated with Tayshan gently placing Shantae back onto her feet. "Had I not known what happened leading up to that, I would've been upset. But I… I understand. I'm just glad she didn't hurt you worse than she already did, and I'm especially glad you're awake again, Tay… It's been three whole days…"

"Three DAYS? Shoot, I was out longer than I thought. Still… This… was NOT the reaction I was expectin' from you," Tay remarked in total perplexity as he studied the half-genie up and down. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I had a feeling you'd say that, but I promise you, I'm fine. After some time, as well as another… 'enlightening' experience, I… I'm not sure how to put it, but I realized how you must've felt when it happened… and that you were only trying to make things right…" she explained herself, though it only confused the wraith further. He additionally noted that she began to frown when she made the statement. As such, he studied her for another few seconds that made her just a bit wary as she studied him right back. "Why are you staring…?" she was about to ask before he took a knee in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her directly in the eye.

"…You don't have t' hide it from me, Shantae," Tayshan fought through a mountain of worry to let her know. "You've still been experiencin' bursts of Dark Magic… haven't you?"

"Wh-what? How… How did you know?" she asked in utter astonishment as her eyes widened at him.

"I sensed one of 'em in the middle o' my fight with Risky in the Phantasmagoric Forest," he shared. "Was everything okay on your end?"

"…R-right, I forgot that the Soul-Link works both ways," she admitted, feeling ashamed of herself. "But… y-yeah… I… um… I had a moment where I started to lose control during the adventure I was on with Bolo. Um… I-I managed to reel myself back in, but… the fact that it happened at all…"

"I can only guess somethin' happened there that forced it out o' you?"

"Yeah… I thought I had it completely under control because it hadn't happened since last October, and I thought I'd moved on from the situation when I was on vacation," Shantae explained. "But… I have to admit, I'm still really stressed out, Tay… I'm still having nightmares about the day you died, I'm still finding myself overly worried about you and the others, I still feel beyond guilty and upset at myself about what happened to you, and… I was trying so hard to hold it all in, hoping it would get better… but I guess all I really did was let it build up inside me to the point that I snapped when I saw Bolo in trouble back when we visited the Tangled Thread Temple the other day…"

"Tangled Thread Temple? Is that where you went while Sky an' I went on our trip?"

"Yes. We've got a lot of catching up to do, but the long and short of it is that Bolo was put into a dangerous spot during our adventure, and I flashed back to what happened to you when I saw him. After that, I just… completely lost control. I can't really remember all the details, but I wound up saving him despite the situation causing me to become overwhelmed with stress… and by extension, Dark Magic…" she hesitantly shared, clenching a fist in concern.

"Ah… Well, you know you can talk to us about it, right? You really shouldn't hold your emotions in like that."

"Yeah, and I appreciate all of y'all for being there for me," she assured. "But… I-I don't know… I don't want to burden you guys with my issues when you've all got other things going on… I've already talked to Bolo and Rottytops about it, but I guess I haven't let their words sink in. At least, not until very recently… Still, a hero is supposed to be able to push past their struggles and succeed without question. How can I do that when I'm on the verge of panicking or mentally falling apart over something that happened so long ago, or if I'm in constant need of emotional support?"

"I understand your stance. Trust me, I do. I was in that same spot not that long ago. Matter o' fact, this is similar t' what you told me at that time about not lettin' myself crack under the pressure our adventures put on us t' do well. You've gotta trust yourself, trust us as your allies, an' trust that things will be okay in the long run," the wraith carefully posed his point.

"I guess, but this just… feels different. Back then, you were worried about how things would play out because you were uncertain about the future," the anxious half-genie countered. "Here, I'm stuck worrying about something that happened in the past, and I've been worried about it potentially happening again. To make things worse, I can't get the constant thoughts about it to stop…"

"A fair point, but hear me out. No matter what, you don't want t' give any Dark Magic in your body any reason t' exist. I… can't exactly say much beyond that because the magic inside me is inherently Dark thanks t' that gem Risky made me swallow way back when, but you gotta let us know what's botherin' you sometimes. Holdin' in extreme negative emotions instead of expressin' 'em will give that evil energy a food source that becomes VERY hard t' remove once it's there. Nobody with half a brain is gonna think you're weak for needin' support, Shantae, an' I don't know if you use that support enough if this is what you're still goin' through after all this time."

"Right… But… it's like, I should be able to handle this by myself. I should be able to move on from it like you and the others have, and I should be able to keep from getting so caught up on something that happened almost six months ago that any thought of it makes me flash right back to it like it happened yesterday… It's just frustrating, frightening, and unsettling to me that I'm still so swayed by the stress from the last time we saved Sequin Land together that it's making me vulnerable to Dark Magic that I also still have no control over… which only worries me more. I'm still trying to figure out how to consistently control the Dark Magic like you can. I remember what you said way back when about self-acceptance, understanding of emotion, and willpower, but… I don't know if I really understand it at all after so long…"

"I get it, hon, but if you're still grievin' an' processin', there ain't no way t' rush that along," Tay reasoned, his concern for his lover only growing. "Your best bet is t' take it for what it is, an' figure out how t' lessen the impact o' the memory at your own pace. Forcin' yourself forward is only gonna make it worse. An' as for how I control my Dark Magic, I had t' start by learnin' about not lettin' my old personal demons overwhelm me… literally… Since that trip t' the Grotto o' Judgment, an' especially since you helped me come back t' my senses before I completely lost my way, I've learned to experience every emotion I feel for what it is an' process as I go along instead o' lettin' any of 'em, anger an' grief especially, get the best o' me."

"Yeah?"

"Most def. I'm always doin' my best t' temper my frustration, at which point I use it as a drive t' do what I gotta do. It helps that I'm in tune enough with the Dark Magic by now that I control it without lettin' it control me. Most o' the time, anyway… I'm not at all perfect at it, as you've recently seen, but trust me. You have t' be in a calm enough state o' mind t' not let it catch you off-guard you when you feel it startin' t' take effect, an' you have t' keep your wits about you no matter how much stress you're under. It's much easier said than done, but still."

"…I guess that makes sense…" she dejectedly responded as she lowered her head, making evident that Tayshan's statements did little to ease her mind despite her agreement with him. Seeing this, Tayshan frowned in increased concern as he considered his next statement. After a moment, however…

"I see you're still upset. An'… if my gut feelin' is right… then another part of it is because o' that 'enlightening experience' you had not too long ago," he postulated, getting her full attention as she looked him in the eye. "I have reason t' believe you encountered Risky Boots within the last couple hours, an' that she provoked you into another Dark Magic outburst. That sound about right?" At that, Shantae's eyes widened in total shock.

"Y-yeah…! You're spot-on…! But how did you know I was fighting Risky…? How did you know what happened…?"

"I'm… not really sure how t' explain it, but when my Soul-Link sense started goin' off while you were fightin' her, I was still asleep. I swore, though, that I could see through your eyes in short, vague spurts… Feel what you were feelin'… Hear through your ears, though I couldn't hear everything y'all were talkin' about. If I didn't know better, I'd have almost thought I was just havin' a nightmare. The fact that you seem t' be so down, though, makes it clear that it wasn't just a dream."

"That's incredible…!" the half-genie remarked in amazement, though she tempered it to ask her next question. "But… how do you figure you were seeing things from my perspective and not just dreaming?"

"Because… aside from the fight itself, I was made aware through the visions I had… that Risky said some really hurtful things t' you that got you upset enough t' snap on her…"

"Oh… So, you really could see and feel what I was going through… Wow…"

"Yeah. Again, I'm not sure at all how it happened, but… I'd elect to guess this Soul-Link works in mysterious ways…"

"I don't doubt that at all, though I'm still surprised at what it can do. But… to answer your original question, Tayshan… Y-yeah, Risky did say a lot of really mean things to me… and… um…" Shantae somberly admitted after a moment of silence, her face contorting into a most melancholy frown despite her continued surprise at the accuracy of his guesses. It was to the point that the poor girl broke eye contact with him, cutting her eyes to the side as they began to water. And though she tried to hold it in, she took in a sharp gasp… and began to weep. Seeing the tearful distress on Shantae's face filled Tayshan with absolute grief as his own eyes widened in surprise. Despite this, he slid his hands from the half-genie's shoulders to her cheeks, cupping them as he wiped away her tears.

"Hey. Whatever that miserable witch said t' you, you know it ain't true, right? You know that she was only sayin' it because she can't stand that you have more in every avenue than she EVER will…"

"…Do I, though, Tay?" she asked as she continued to cry, catching him off-guard once more. "What if she was right? What if Hashanah was right?"

"Hashanah…? What does she have t' do with…?" he murmured, though he wouldn't get a chance to address the mention.

"What if I really am just in over my head and not seeing the bigger picture? What if I really am only as useful as my powers make me, even after everything that happened up to this point? Why can't I seem to protect you from Risky, no matter how hard I try? Why won't any of the villains we fight learn their lesson? Am I still just letting them get away with everything they do, blindly hoping they'll stop on their own after so many instances of them hurting other people and destroying everything they touch until I come in and save the day for the umpteenth time? And even then, am I really only just getting lucky all the time when I stop them? What if I am only putting on an act and surrounding myself with people who never hold me accountable for what I do, whether right or wrong? Do people only tolerate or want to be around me because of the reputation I've built up over the years? Or just because they think they need to be in my good graces all the time? Or possibly so they can take advantage of me when I least expect it? And… am I really as immature and as naïve as they say I am? Do people really only care about my looks, my powers, my status as a hero, and my dancing ability…? Do… Do you only care about my-?" she tearfully bombarded him with question after question, her self-doubt growing more evident with every one of them she asked before her boyfriend had heard enough.

"Shantae, STOP," Tayshan urged her, growing frustrated with her rapid-fire self-deprecation. "This is not you. The way Risky described you IS NOT you," he further reminded her, his injured hand beginning to glow with Light Magic without either of them noticing. "An' I don't have a clue what that other genie said t' you, but I can only guess that means you ran int' her at some other point, an' she ran her ignorant mouth like she did when she showed up here last week. Regardless, neither o' them knows you like that. Especially Risky, whose game is ALWAYS t' try an' tear you down t' make you feel as bad about yourself as she probably does about herself every day. She only wins if you let her bring you there."

"How do you know that?" she asked, stopping her tears for a moment to hear him out.

"Because rippin' on people's personal insecurities is the only thing she's good at. You don't think she tried the same thing with me an' Sky in the Phantasmagoric Forest? She spent the whole time pickin' away at what she thought were our biggest points o' discomfort until she hit somethin' she could keep harpin' on. She's nothin' but a loudmouthed, arrogant bully behind all her bravado, her Tinkerbats, an' her Dark Magic. You already know that. An' believe me, she brought up everything from our past battles with her, to my death, to the relationship you an' I have, to…" he explained, though he trailed off in hesitation. After a second, a heavy sigh, and a deep gulp, however, he continued. "…to when she kidnapped, tortured, an' forced herself on me… t' try an' get a rise out o' me. An' I'll admit that it still burns me up that she keeps diggin' a knife int' that wound, but it will never be enough t' provoke me the way she wants to."

"Then why did you lose control and try to kill her? Was it not out of revenge or because she said something to you that got you really mad?"

"Absolutely not. I haven't forgotten what you taught me about not seekin' revenge, an' nothin' anybody says t' me is gonna make me want t' go as far as killin' them. I tried t' kill Risky then because she shamelessly killed that Maya lady an' deliberately harmed Sky, who hadn't even done anything t' her. It was almost enough that she burned down that entire forest an' had not even a single care in the world for who or what she destroyed in the process. Even worse, all she did the entire time after we ran int' her was show me proof beyond a reasonable doubt that she wasted the chances she was given t' live after the last time you an' I fought her together. An' I have t' be clear when I say this, Shae: If anybody poses a big enough threat t' the world around them like Risky Boots has done time an' time again, there's only gonna be but so much consideration I have for them before I have t' use lethal force. I don't know how you feel, but I'm convinced she ain't changin' her ways, even after the other day," he directly answered, his eyes glimmering with concern.

"I understand where you're coming from… It reminds me of the conversation we had right before our last big battle with Risky."

"Exactly. I've taken your teachings t' heart t' this very day, an' I've done my best t' respect your wishes while also trustin' my judgment. That said, I promise you that my original goal was t' defeat an' arrest Risky. She pushed me past my limit when she shot Sky right in front o' me after everything else she did that day, though. At that point, I knew for a fact that she was NEVER gonna stop hurtin' other people as long as it meant gettin' what she wanted. I felt like she had t' be stopped before she could hurt anybody else, though I won't deny or make excuses for the anger I personally felt over the fact that she hurt our friend. I… I'll still refrain from usin' lethal force if you want me to, but let's at least consider what's at stake by this point…"

"Oh… W-well… It seems like it's kind of a touchy subject right this second, so let's revisit that in a little bit…"

"Sure thing," Tay affirmed with a nod. "I'll explain myself in as much detail as you want when we get in the house… But gettin' back t' the main point, lettin' Risky get in your head like this is only givin' her a way t' beat you. Same goes for that deranged Hashanah girl, if I need t' throw her in there, too."

"You… Y-you're right…" Shantae admitted, sniffling as she managed to collect herself. "But… I-I don't know… Sometimes, I question just how good a job I'm doing as Guardian Genie, y'know? I… I can't stand the idea of not being useful enough. I can't stand that Risky doesn't learn her lesson and winds up putting people in more danger with the longer she remains active. I also can't stand how she can still get to me like she did earlier today, even after all the years I've been dealing with her… I want to be a reliable protector of the peace, and I want to be sure I'm confident enough in myself to do this job well. At least, well enough that nobody doubts my abilities or keeps trying to attribute my success to pure luck. And… I especially don't want to lose you again, Tayshan…"

"I hear ya, babe, but it's like we always talk about," he reassured her as he shot her a comforting grin… one that she returned with gusto. "Nobody on this planet can do your job like you can, even with unusually good luck on their side. If just anybody could be you, there would be a thousand Shantaes runnin' around, savin' the day all day, every day. An' let me tell you… Tryin' t' be you for a week, even with Rotty's help, was a job I DO NOT recommend t' just anybody," he further teased, getting her to let out an adorable giggle as she laid a hand on one of his while they remained pressed to her cheeks. "An' Risky will be dealt with in whatever way she walks herself into. You an' I both need t' guarantee that."

"I agree…"

"I'm glad. An' in case it needs t' be said, kitten, I ain't goin' nowhere. Not even death could keep us apart, an' there ain't an entity on this planet strong enough t' split us up. More importantly, you are the most beautiful, most powerful, most talented, most unique, most genuine, an' most spectacular woman I have ever known, with no room for questionin'. Don't forget that for a single second," he endlessly praised his half-genie companion, making her blush as her eyes widened and glimmered. "Take that t' heart, honey, because I've been in three different planes of existence up t' this point. That means I'm an expert on knowin' a good person when I see one," he… oddly remarked with a smiling wink, which honestly made me REALLY wonder if he was really fond of that kind of joke, or… if maybe there was some actual weight behind such an outlandish claim…

"Oh stop, Tay~!" Shae playfully admonished, her face growing hotter as she let out a hearty, elated laugh that he shared. "How do I know you're not just showering me with words made of candy and cupcakes to win me over? I already told you I was worried about surrounding myself with people who never question me or call me out." At that, the wraith playfully scoffed.

"Have you forgotten that it's become my favorite pastime t' question you or call you out when you start trippin'? I basically do it every day because you always trippin,'" he joked, making her laugh even harder.

"Ooh, you're such a pain!" she teased as she reached a hand forward and mushed his forehead. "You're lucky I love you…"

"Trust me, not a day goes by that I don't think that myself. Now, much as I also love you, I'mma call you out by tellin' you t' stop trippin' over criticism comin' from people who don't even know the definition o' the word 'happy.' It ain't a good look for you."

"Touché, Tay-Tay…" At that, the wraith pouted, which only brought the half-genie more joy.

"You know I still ain't fond o' that nickname, OR the fact that you keep rhymin' it like that…" he grumpily protested.

"Oh, I definitely know. Truth is, I just like seeing that adorable pouty face of yours whenever you hear it. It cheers me up more than you might know…~" she openly admitted with a brighter grin as she stuck her tongue out, flustering her boyfriend even further as he instinctively pouted harder. After a second, however, he quickly began to chuckle along with her as he softened his expression.

"Hm. You are such a cheeky little kitten…"

"Yeah, I am… but I'm your cheeky little kitten, Tay-Tay… and I doubt you'd want me to be any other way…" she flirted right back as they shared another hearty laugh together while she cupped his cheeks with her hands. Within the following five seconds, the two lovers shared a quick, yet incredibly passionate, heartfelt kiss through their enjoyment of one another's company. And just like that, the incessant, mile-a-minute drumroll that was Tayshan's heartbeat picked up at a speed that could probably rival the sprint of a hundred ostriches. Hearing it for herself and drawing motivation from it, Shantae upped the ante by planting a hotter, heavier smooch on the unsuspecting wraith's lips as she reeled him in and parted her lips. Tayshan was caught by surprise, though he offered no resistance as he opened his mouth to invite her in. With one more squeaky *pop* of their lips and a literal flash of Light Magic between them, the lovely couple completed a public display of affection steamy enough to overheat an entire sauna. Sheesh… I'm getting a little jealous over here, if I must admit…

"Whooh… Now, that was intense… You've definitely gotten a lot bolder with your kisses since we started goin' out," he breathlessly observed, his face redder than cardinal feathers.

"I take that to mean you like what we just did?" she teasingly asked with a bright, blushing grin of her own as they held each other. "Because if you do, then I wouldn't mind doing it a lot more with you…~" At this point, one could hear her heart beating a thousand miles a second as well.

"Yeah, an' you better believe I can't wait for you t' indulge me… That said, I'm glad we're finally on the same page again, Shae-Shae," he teased her back as he let go of her face and rose back to a stand, still not taking note of his glowing right arm. He additionally failed to notice that the arm had stopped glowing after a second, returning to its normal hue. "Now, let's get up in this house an' wash ourselves off before we continue. I ain't spendin' another minute stewin' in this forest filth."

"After being conked out for three days straight, I don't suppose I can blame you," Shae pointed out with a nonchalant shrug as she happily walked side-by-side with Tay toward his abode.

"Tell me about it. I definitely SMELL that way, too… I'm honestly surprise you ain't pluggin' your nose up as we speak," he quipped at his own expense, making the young heroine laugh again.

"When you've been a hero for as long as I have, you tend to build up a tolerance for strong smells. You couldn't even IMAGINE the stenches in some of the places I've been…"

"Oh, well thank you SO much for bein' able t' tolerate my horrible post-battle odor…" he flatly remarked with a chuckle.

"You're welcome, babe!" she unsarcastically and cheerfully replied. "Besides, you're not alone in this situation. I spent half the day sparring with Rottytops before going on that side quest to fight Risky."

"That explains why she was in the trainin' clothes, now that you mention her…" Tayshan remarked as he found himself reminded of their zombified mutual friend. "Didn't think she'd be brave enough t' challenge you herself just yet."

"Yeah, well, she did. And she's actually pretty decent!" Shantae praised her best friend. "I'm confident enough in what she's shown me that I'd say she's at least good enough to beat Bolo in a match without breaking a sweat!"

"No offense t' Bolo, but couldn't Rotty already do that?"

"Well… Okay, that's true, but I'm sure that she could do it much easier now. And y'know… She had an AWFUL LOT to say about her trainer…" she suggested as she eyed Tay up and down, making him laugh as he raised a hand to stroke his chin.

"Yeah, well… She's a good student when she's focused. I just hope you was ready for some o' her surprise techniques."

"I wasn't before, but now that I know the way you've been mentoring her, I'm ready for just about ANYTHING she may have to throw at me the next time I get to spar with her."

"Then I'd better toughen up her trainin' routine, so you don't get ahead o' yourself," he playfully teased.

"You'd better toughen up YOUR training routines, because I'm not pulling punches next time you and I spar," she warned with a confident grin. "It's one thing to teach Rotty the techniques she knows… but YOU, sir, have been MAJORLY holding out on me in terms of what you know by now."

"I'm not sure what you mean," he teasingly feigned cluelessness, scratching his cheek with a finger as he chuckled.

"Yeah, okay, Mr. Sun's Wrath Cannon," she remarked with total scrutiny in her tone as she dropped her smile, eyeing him up and down as he flinched in surprise.

"Oh. Uh… Y-yeah, um…" he stammered, unsure of how to explain himself.

"Sky gave me a little insight on it, but you're gonna be spilling some SERIOUS details on that one, for sure," Shantae demanded, though she wasn't able to hide her abundant curiosity. "I have an idea of what that technique was based on, but for you to actually LEARN how to use it as a magic attack? And for it to be strong enough to LEVEL HALF OF AN ENTIRE RAINFOREST in one shot!? Tay, just how much power are you packing now?"

"More than I thought I could, but still not nearly enough if one use o' that move, even while half-restricted, could cause me t' pass out…" he cryptically answered with total straightforwardness, though the uncertain expression on his face made it seem like he wasn't too keen on getting into it.

"Another one of your oh-so-mysterious replies, I see," Shantae expertly pointed out. "Don't expect me to just drop this topic. Especially not after you told Risky you used it before and actually killed someone with it…"

"…Ah, I DID say that…" he realized after pausing for a moment to consider her accusation.

"You definitely did. So, who did you kill, and why?" she demanded to know right then and there.

"…I'm… not at liberty t' discuss out in the open, but I will at least let you know it was a last resort situation against somebody who threatened the Sultana's life not too long ago. I'll tell you more when we go inside," he hesitantly, but candidly offered his answer.

"Ah. Okay, that's… uh… well, I see what you're getting at," she acknowledged, softening up just a bit. "But you're sure you only used it because you had to and because you had no other options?"

"Affirmative. I definitely did not have any other viable options in that scenario, babe," he assured with a solemn nod. "Ask me whatever you want, an' I'll explain. I got nothin' t' hide."

"Got it. But then… were you planning on telling me at some point on your own before I asked, or…?"

"Yeah, but it isn't exactly the easiest thing t' just out an' admit without scarin' you," he openly admitted. "I'm definitely doin' my best to avoid usin' lethal force if I don't have to, like we just talked about. Hence, why I didn't try t' kill Hashanah an' Nila for attackin' Scuttle Town. Granted, a question there is if you really want me to report every enemy casualty t' you that was caused by my hand."

"No, but I at least want us to stick as closely to our 'no killing' rule as possible. I'm not sure what jobs the Sultana has you doing when you're not babysitting Mayor Scuttlebutt, but I get a vibe that they're… not always the cleanest… At least, that's what I'm guessing as far as why you're not able to freely divulge details to anyone who asks. On that same vibe, I'm suddenly reminded about you going all hush-hush about a job you and Rottytops took up when she mentioned it at our sleepover last week."

"Right, I remember. And… In a few words, you ain't wrong, Shantae. I'll come out an' confirm that with you. But from what little I can tell you in public, I can confirm that the Sultana's not always makin' me carry out assassination contracts. At least, not most o' the time… Not for a lack of effort on her part in her tryin' t' convince me t' do it more often, of course. At this point, I've been made t' do three, includin' the one Rotty mentioned. The Sultana's recently been pressurin' me t' do another one, too… Worse yet, she wants it done soon…"

"Ah, I see…" she barely found it in herself to reply as she took in the shocking revelation for what it was. "But then, how did Rotty get roped into that one job?"

"Because she 'volunteered' herself t' be my backup… A.K.A. she stowed away on the boat we took t' the location, and when she was caught, she was told t' either help me complete the mission or be taken apart an' buried in as many different places across the globe as they could take off body pieces t' keep her silent. And believe me, she only got the offer t' help because I vouched for her."

"What!? Jeez, how unnecessarily cruel of them…!"

"Ah, don't worry about that," Tayshan reassured with a flick of his hand. "Rotty took up the offer without hesitation, tellin' them that whatever jobs the Sultana offered me, she wanted in on to… 'protect' me."

"Hm… Yeah, that sounds EXACTLY like something Rottytops would do to avoid missing out on any action…" Shantae remarked with a sigh and shake of her head. "The trouble that girl can get herself caught up in for the sake of hanging out with a friend…"

"Yeah, you're tellin' me… For what it's worth, though, she turned out to be an asset t' me. That's… all I'm gonna say there, though, if you don't mind," the wraith proposed with a chuckle.

"Trust me, I don't think I need to hear much more to know how helpful she was. I'm just glad you were able to keep her safe throughout that ordeal."

"Indeed. That aside, I'm not exactly fond o' the idea o' the Sultana makin' me earn the title of 'The Assassin' like Nila branded me with, but the reputation I've had since the 'Ammo-Boots Battle at Inseam' an' the 'Baron Desert Disaster' has made me a favorite for the Sultana's mission requests in that light. She… also somehow found out I have military experience, which wound up puttin' me at or near the top o' her list o' candidates for these kinds o' jobs…"

"I see… And knowing her, as soon as she has an idea about you, it becomes VERY difficult to get her to change her mind."

"You ain't lyin' about that."

"I'm sure. I have experience dealing with her directly," Shantae affirmed. "Still, it's not like you HAVE to take that job if you don't want to, right?"

"Were it so easy t' refuse, then that would've been true. But… she made it clear that NOT takin' these jobs, this new one included, would yield consequences FAR too gruesome t' describe out in the open… an' based on how she describes these jobs, I'm honestly worried about if any hit I refuse t' carry out would really bring about the catastrophic misfortune she said it would…" At that, Shantae seemed to realize something.

"Ohh, I see what she's doing to you now…" the half-genie proclaimed, tapping a finger to her forehead as she perked up.

"Do you?" the wraith asked in wonder, tilting his head.

"Yep. She's been using her mind tricks on you, too, just like she used to do to me to get me to run certain 'errands' for her. Ahh, I had a feeling…" Shantae lamented, much to her boyfriend's surprise. "I should've warned you about that before you started working under her…"

"Wait, what? She's tried t' use you as a hitwoman before?" Tayshan was all but compelled to ask in total intrigue.

"Yep. I've never actually taken any of the hit jobs she's offered, mind you, but I've at least taken on a few espionage and recon tasks every now and again to get her off my back," she shared. "She's once told me I'd make an excellent kunoichi because of how great I am at sneaking into places and gathering intel without being detected, but I told her I wasn't fond of how dirty I'd have to get my hands if any job involved me killing anyone other than wayward, tyrannical Boss Monsters. Those hit jobs would also be bad for my reputation if anyone found out in the event that I wound up taking them. I'll still do a recon job or two for her every now and again to at least help pay off my debts for the charges held against me for attacking Ammo Baron when he was mayor here, but I try to keep a strict limit on it to avoid her becoming too reliant on me."

"Wh-whoa… You serious?" he asked, the admiration and endless intrigue evident on his face as he resisted the urge to ask her more about the deeper aspects of her job.

"Yeah. Why do you seem so surprised? Have I not told you about my escapades as a secret agent before?" At that, Tayshan shook off just enough of his amazement at Shantae's skills to let out a chuckle.

"No, but considerin' you're supposed t' be a secret agent, I guess not tellin' people comes with the position." Seeing the irony her boyfriend pointed out, the half-genie shared a chuckle of her own with him.

"Fair enough, though I trust you enough to tell you about my experiences as long as you're okay sharing your experiences with me. That should come natural anyway, since we're basically coworkers!"

"Hah! That's true, huh?"

"Yeah, it is. But still… If you can help it, let the Sultana know that you're not comfortable carrying out hits for her, Tay," she offered her friendly advice as she got a little more serious. "I won't ask you how many more assassination contracts she's 'recommending' you for at this point, but I'm aware that the Sultana has a habit of dressing her requests up and presenting them like you don't have a choice."

"True…" Tay confirmed with a nod, though he remained uncertain. "Hm… How devious of her if that's really the case…"

"Right. To wrap up this topic, though, I want to reiterate and be certain for both of us that aside from these contracts the Sultana's had you do, you aren't taking anyone's lives under ANY circumstances if you don't have to. Debatably including Risky Boots…" Shae… rather interestingly finished her point, making her ghostly lover raise an eyebrow in wonder.

"Roger that, boss. As mentioned before, I've not lost sight o' your teachings. Although… Debatably includin' Risky? What's that mean?"

"I'm not sure just yet, but… we've just gotta watch our backs about her," she rather curtly replied, giving Tayshan the most solemn facial expression she could muster. And… it seemed that just looking at Shantae as she made such a peculiar statement made him feel… slightly uneasy for more reasons than one. Rather than attempt to dig in on her reasoning, however, he closed his eyes for a second, breathed a light sigh, reopened his eyes to return his gaze to her, and…

"…You got it," he confirmed with an equal level of seriousness. "If it comes down to it, an' the job needs t' be done… then we'll get the job done."

"Thank you for understanding me," Shantae acknowledged with a nod, to which he stood tall and saluted her without a word. Jeez, how intense… Yet… "In the meantime, I certainly hope you aren't expecting an easy sparring match with me when the time comes for it. No matter how much stronger you've become on your own, count on it that I may have a few techniques up my sleeve as well…" she teased, changing the subject. At that, the halo-adorned ghost grinned.

"Hm. Duly noted, but let's see you keep that same energy when that match happens," he teased right back, accepting her challenge.

"You bet I will. And… before I forget to ask, what's Rottytops doing now? When was the last time you saw her?"

"She an' Mimic were asleep in the workshop when I left there a little while ago. She was layin' in the guest bed next t' me with her hand on my face when I woke up, oddly enough… I don't know how long she was there for, but I could swear she spent a lot o' her time there watchin' over me as I slept before she dozed off herself…" he curiously pondered, seeming to have had a bell or two rung in his head regarding the zombie maiden.

"Oh? Huh… Okay…" Shantae murmured in momentary wonder before she let the thought go. "She was probably wiped from our sparring match, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she's napping now. Still, between sparring with her and getting into a real fight with Risky Boots an hour or two later, I've had QUITE the day…"

"…An' you smell that way, too…" he slyly joked, causing the half-genie to turn and exhale at him in total surprise.

"Tayshan!" she angrily shouted at him, not at all happy about his pointing out the pungency of her post-battle… aroma.

"Sorry, but you walked right int' that one," he laughingly teased, unable to hide his humor at her reaction.

"Make another wisecrack like that, and your face is gonna walk right into my fist! Ya got that, homeboy?" she warned, laughing all the way as she shook her fist up at him.

"Read loud an' clear, Drill Sergeant Shantae," he joked once more as the couple finally reached the front door. As Tayshan reached into his pocket and began searching for his keys, however, Shantae took the moment to reflect on her recent experiences… as the cheerful grin left her face and her contemplative gaze fell to the 'Welcome' mat on the doorstep. She seemed to lose herself in her thoughts for a pretty hefty moment as she went totally silent. The silence would be cut short, however, when Tayshan found his house key and turned to her. "Somethin' on your mind, babe?"

"…Yeah, actually…" she hesitantly answered after a heavy sigh before turning toward him with an expression of worry.

"What's up?"

"Um… W-well… This might be a bit personal, so I-I hope you don't mind…"

"Presumin' we're about t' take a bath together, I don't think anything you ask could be more personal than that," he assured as he was about to insert the key into the lock.

"Good point, and yes to the bath, but… um… I… I just want to know… er… Is… is it true that the um… the 'intimate' things we do together… like… your experience and how you know what to do for me to… to 'pleasure' me… is it because… of… um…?" she tried to ask, shocking him nearly stiff as he almost dropped his key. Knowing where she was going with the question, however, he took a deep, incredibly shaky breath… and offered his response.

"Not at all, though I understand the reason behind your question," he straightforwardly answered as he inserted the key into the lock while making direct eye contact with Shantae. "All I 'learned' from Risky was how uncomfortable it is t' be forced into an encounter I wanted no parts of. I know how t' 'pleasure' you because you taught me about what turns you on, an' because we openly explore each other's interests together."

"I see… And you're absolutely certain that none of your experience comes from her?"

"Yes, I'm certain. What are you askin' me that for?" Tay rather tersely replied and questioned with a cocked eyebrow, catching Shae by mild surprise. "I ain't never wasted a single MINUTE o' the time you an' I spent together thinkin' about her triflin' behind. An' I ain't startin' now. Like I said, Shantae, DO NOT let her psych you out an' make it so that you're thinkin' about her when you an' I get romantic. That's what we agreed on before, no?"

"Yeah, but I never thought she'd be so insistent on bringing that incident up as much as she has," Shae reasoned. "And it doesn't help that she keeps throwing out these explicit details of what it was she did to you. Especially what she said today about… w-well, about the 'methods' you use for me…"

"I don't doubt that she DID say somethin' out o' pocket like that, but you an' I both know that's somethin' she ALWAYS does t' get people upset," he acknowledged, his discomfort only growing as he took another deep, wavering breath. "Whatever 'methods' she told you I use, I'll bet could very well be attributed t' ANYBODY whether they have experience gettin' intimate with a partner or not. She saw how much it bothers you, an' then she kept on diggin' into it. She did the same thing t' me last time I saw her, an' she's done it many times before with us an' other people."

"True..."

"Right. Either way, let's be mindful that anything she told you I did for her, she forced me t' do it. She also went ahead an' made sure I knew the consequences if I didn't obey her every command as she hypnotized me with the influence o' that Dark Magic Shard. That's NOT the same as me willingly pleasin' someone, an' it never will be. I would never even STOMACH the idea o' usin' that experience as a basis for you an' me makin' love, Shantae. For more reasons than I can count… I PROMISE you that."

"I… I suppose it's relieving to know that. But still… This whole situation, now that she's constantly harassing us about it… It just… leaves a bad taste in my mouth, is all. You understand where I'm coming from, don't you?"

"I do, but believe me when I say she's only throwin' out extra details because she wants to make it seem like I enjoyed bein' taken advantage of. An' before you ask… No, I did not 'enjoy' bein' taken advantage of by her. Not in the slightest. Every excruciatin' moment o' that experience made me want t' jump out o' my body an' turn my mind completely off. It's the single most humiliatin' thing I have EVER been made t' do, and I still HATE that I can't do anything about it but acknowledge it as part o' my history... She knows that, an' she won't let either of us live it down. An' every time she 'reminds' me of it, it makes me want t' put her in a cannon an' shoot her int' the moon for it…! I… I don't know what else t' say about it, but please…" he did his best to explain himself, though it was clear he was becoming significantly unsettled by the conversation. His hands had begun to tremble as he maintained eye contact with Shantae. His trembling hadn't gone unnoticed, as she glanced at the hand of his that wasn't gripping his key and recognized the signs.

"Hm… I get it. I'm… I'm sorry, Tayshan…" she somberly apologized, looking into his eyes with immense concern. "I… I just want to be sure that we really are as solid a unit as we've always been, and… I guess I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Risky has zero chance of interfering with our relationship or taking either one of us away from the other."

"You ain't got nothin' to apologize for, an' I hear you all the way. I… I don't mean t' be short with you about this, so I'm sorry if I'm comin' across like I am. Still, as we already know, Risky really wants t' make both of us think she has ANY sort of influence on our romantic life, which is honestly as weird t' me as it is petty of her t' do," Tayshan surmised, breathing out a very heavy sigh to ease his nerves. His statement seemed to ring a bell in the Half-Genie Hero's mind as she perked up, however.

"Yeah… but I realize now that we're talking about it, that she's most likely been making all these nasty claims and complaints because she's jealous deep down," Shantae casually proclaimed, confident in the conclusion she drew.

"Jealous? What makes you say that?"

"Your explanation of your experience talking to her in the Phantasmagoric Forest, the comment she made to me before she escaped… and especially the way she kept harping on me earlier today with comments like, 'what does Tayshan see in you,' this, and 'he was with me first,' that, and other bold, frustration-riddled statements that made it seem like she's REALLY not happy you and I are together. I think she outright hates it, to be perfectly honest."

"That right? Heh… Gotta say, that sounds just like some nonsense she'd spew, an' it especially makes sense that she'd hate somethin' she can't control or have for herself."

"Exactly. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that she's trying to use that incident as leverage to split us up. It's… right up her alley, actually. I just can't believe I didn't recognize that sooner."

"You ain't lyin' about that. But listen… I won't front on you an' say I haven't thought about the possibility of drawin' that conclusion myself at one point or another early on. I recognized, though, that by drawin' that conclusion, I'd have let her lies become truth. I'd have given up any chance I had o' makin' you happy for the sake o' makin' you happy. I'd... I'd have truly lost myself to a situation I never wanted t' be in, an' it would've plagued me for eternity..."

"Oh... W-wow, Tay..."

"I'm only speakin' facts. That said, I promise you that you're the only person I think about when we're together. And I DOUBLE promise you that everything we do together is with you in mind, an' you alone. All the way back to our first night together, every experience is all about you, all for you on my end."

"I… I see. Then there's nothing to worry about…" she affirmed with a blushing sigh of relief as Tayshan opened the door to his house with a *click* of the lock being turned.

"I would hope not, but if you're still bothered, please let me know. I want t' make sure there's no room for error between us."

"Trust me, babe, there isn't. I'm… just glad to know we can actually have a conversation about this and be okay with each other."

"I agree a hundred percent. Our love life is the LAST thing that pirate demon should have any control over."

"No doubt about it," the half-genie concurred with a sigh o relief, after which point the 'Cosmic Couple' went silent... while also still not entering the home despite the fact that the door was wide open. Seconds passed as Tayshan looked around, scratching the back of his head and clearing his throat. Meanwhile, Shantae raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what was getting him so fidgety all of a sudden. And JUST before the threshold of the silence becoming awkward... "Something on your mind now, sweetheart?"

"Ah... Y-yeah... So... I realize this may be a weird time t' ask, buuuuut... speakin' of our love life…?" he trailed off as he mawkishly introduced the next conversation topic, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows as he turned his full attention to the half-genie.

"Hah, I knew you were gonna bring this up eventually," Shantae remarked with a humored chuckle and shake of her head as her cheeks flushed. "But I suppose I'll ask first to spare you the trouble: Wanna make love? Because I'm ready if you are, and I DEFINITELY need the stress relief after the week we just had..." she summoned up all her courage to request, trying to act nonchalant as she shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath to TRY (and fail) to calm her thumping heart.

"Oh! Er, yes. Yes, I would like t' make love. Although, I was gonna... be a bit more specific..." he sheepishly prodded, an obvious blush forming onto his face as he ran his fingers through his hair. One need not even mention the stampede of a million bulls that was the wraith's ridiculously rapid heartbeat...

"Hmm… I don't know if the BATH is the most appropriate place for us to do it, Tay. We'd probably not have a good time with all the soap getting everywhere. Just like the last time we tried in there…" she remarked as though she read his mind, though the revelation made me nearly blow my top… WOW…

"I suppose, but that was because there was shampoo all over the tub's floor," he explained, wincing a bit as he did so. "Doesn't help that the height difference between us makes it so you needed t' stand on the rim an' hold the shower curtain…" Ooh, SCANDALOUS!

"Yeah, well that's what you get for being 6'5" as compared to my minuscule 4'10". Nobody told you to be so gigantic, dude."

"What can I say? I drank a lot o' milk as a kid..." Tay remarked with a chuckle and shrug.

"So did I, and yet I still wound up being cheated out of at least a good five or six inches in height. I swear it went right to my boobs instead..." Shae countered, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at him for a moment. At that, her apparently freakishly tall boyfriend laughed it up some more at her expense. Jeez, these two are a couple of oddballs...

"The wonders o' how milk oh-so-unfairly discriminates based on gender. Not that you're gonna hear me complain..." he joked as he sized her up with his eyes.

"Of course, you wouldn't complain. Like I don't know how you think by now, ya perv..." she accused with a comical glower, feigning offense as she blushingly shifted to cover her chest with her arms.

"Don't pin that on me like I'm the only one who has dirty thoughts around here, ya double-perv. The bathtub thing was originally YOUR idea, after all. I just happen t' like the concept, an' I thought we could give it another shot," he accused right back as he crossed his arms, though he couldn't hide the cheesy grin on his face.

"Hmph. Yeah, well mistakes were made and lessons were learned. Besides, it was YOUR idea for us to do it standing up. And because of that, you almost got a concussion slamming your face into the tub when the shower curtain rod snapped in the middle of us doing the deed. Meanwhile, I messed up my ankle and had to hide my noticeable limp for a week. You can IMAGINE how many excuses I had to come up with for everyone, especially with Uncle being as nosy as he is about what we do behind closed doors..."

"Don't remind me…" he requested, pouting a bit as he momentarily cut his eyes elsewhere.

"I won't need to if we agree not to go with such an admittedly terrible idea ever again. Maybe after we clean ourselves up and at least make it to the bedroom, can we finally do the thing we're LONG overdue for. Although, I wouldn't mind if we got a little… touchy-feely in the bath. Y'know, getting ourselves… 'ready' while we rub each other—er, I mean, scrub each other. After that, we'll finally get to do more of our… 'romantic exploration,'" she laughingly replied, evidently just as much 'in the mood' as her frisky boyfriend was. Despite this, he comically sulked and groaned.

"Oh, fine… I GUESS I can wait another three hours or however long it's gonna take to wash each other up… an' especially because I know you're gonna make me wash your hair again, which takes forever an' a day t' do…" he grumbled, just a tad sour about the 'arrangement' involving extra steps that didn't exactly come across as… particularly enticing.

"Aw, I can tell you're upset because we… kinda had to take a raincheck on our 'lovey-dovey' date the other day, but we should be in the clear THIS time. Plus, if you wash my hair for me, I'll grant you a wish~!" she smilingly assured and… offered with a wink and cutesy pose, which I presume was totally innocuous.

"Hmph. I don't wanna…" he playfully refused, puffing up his cheeks, crossing his arms harder, and turning away in feigned irritation. "An' no wish you can grant is gonna make me change my mind."

"Is that insubordination I'm seeing out of you?" she asked, playing right along as she grinned wider.

"It is. Whatchu gonna do about it?"

"Well, I guess I'll need to do some 'convincing' to get you nice and warmed up…~ And I've got plenty of… interesting and creative ways to do just that, my big, buff honey bunny…~" At that, Tayshan flinched and turned to Shantae hard enough that I thought he'd have slipped a disc in his neck. Mind you, the flustered young man had just… the goofiest, most flabbergasted blushing look on his face as he completely dropped his stoic demeanor. Shantae ate the expression up, resisting the urge to giggle at his total discombobulation.

"…You let anybody hear you call me that, an' I swear I will move to the other side o' this PLANET to avoid the embarrassment…" he sternly warned as he shakily pointed a finger at her, though it was difficult to take him seriously because his face was redder than cayenne pepper. Knowing just what she was doing to him, Shantae shot him her most… alluring, glittery-eyed, half-lidded grin as she herself began to blush again… and HARD. Taking in every bit of the astonishing, unquestionably mesmerizing beauty of the ecstatic genie lady, Tayshan's heart barely resisted the urge to explode hard enough to level his house, it was pounding so hard and so fast… No, seriously, I could hear it from here. It was THAT loud. Like a hundred fists pounding on a speed bag. Dude should probably go see a cardiologist about that…

"Noted, honey bunny. Now, as for those 'convincing' things I can do for you…" Shae continued to kittenishly seduce him, working a special kind of magic on her boyfriend that had him practically spellbound.

"…A-an' what's that…?" he dared to ask, seeming to expect something truly… enthralling, though he eagerly anticipated her reply all the same.

"Come here and lean in close… I'll tell you…" she flirtatiously tempted him as she gestured an index finger for him to approach her, really playing up the romance as she kept that hypnotic gaze of hers locked on him.

"I see… Okay…" Tay relaxed himself just enough to obey Shae's command. As such, he walked over to her, leaned in, and enthusiastically awaited the answer she was making him wait so painfully long for. "So… what do you have in mind, kitten?" he asked, his tone suddenly super low and sultry… Hm, now, this is getting REALLY interesting… Or rather, it was. Why? Because Shantae switched things up on the fly by brightening her grin, booping Tayshan on the nose with a finger as she shot him the cheesiest of cheesy grins.

"I wish you would wash my hair!" she… commanded? What? Huh… I've only ever heard of genies GRANTING wishes, not MAKING them… and as far as I know, Tayshan was not a-!

"D'ohh, you…!" Tayshan grumbled as he let loose the grumpiest of grumpy pouts at the half-genie as he puffed his cheeks up and rose back to a full stand. Meanwhile, Shantae began busting a gut at his salty reaction to her flirty prank. After a moment, though, Tay softened his expression to the point of smiling at her while she kept on laughing it up. "Fine… Your wish is my command, Mistress Shantae…" he humorously obliged, thereby confirming his status as Shantae's personal genie. However that works…

"H-hey! Hahah, save that name for the bedroom, my faithful genie!" she teased some more as she got out the last bits of her laughter and took a breath. "Also, I knew I'd get you to come around!" she further proudly proclaimed, standing tall and crossing her arms as she continued to beam at him.

"Yeah, you're a real hoot," he flatly remarked, chuckling a bit himself. "But that's alright, because I got somethin' for you…" he further grinningly vowed his 'revenge' for Shantae making him look silly.

"Ooh, do you now~? You know it always gets me nice and riled up when you say that… and I'm sure whatever you have in store will be nothing short of breathtaking…" she flirted right back, though she perked up once again after a second. "Which reminds me… I've got one HECK of a surprise for you regarding the story on why I had to take that raincheck on our date the other day."

"Is that right? Then by all means, enlighten me," he permitted as he held the door open for her.

"You bet I will. I'm not sure how you'll react, but what I'm about to tell you is gonna be HUGE…" she began to explain as he followed her inside the house and shut the door behind him. And on that note, it seems we've run right out of time once again. Whelp, our two main lovebirds were back up and ready for action (not that kind of action, ya perv… okay, maybe that kind of action, but that's not what I meant because I don't know anything about their love life), with both of them getting each other up to speed on their respective adventures. Although, it seemed the tension was continuing to build up. The more we see attention being drawn to that Sprit Fuser thing, the higher the stakes seem to keep getting. And with Risky Boots officially throwing her hat in the ring, who even KNOWS how much more hectic this tumultuous tale can get? I… also wonder if Shantae is truly okay, or if there's something about her we should watch out for. Only time will tell there, for sure. Of course, when we return, we'll check back in on the wild, arduous, morally gray journey of Sky and Hashanah as they traversed through the Capricious Titan Shrine. Don't miss a beat, and don't blink! See ya next time! Byeeee~!