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!

17. Vigorous Incursion

Chapter 7B: Vigorous Incursion

Buenos Dias/Tardes/Noches, mi amigo! Been SUPER long since we last encountered one another… is what I WOULD say if it wasn't for the fact that we are literally ALWAYS running into each other like this. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I hope YOU'RE not complaining, either. And if you are, then too bad. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. Anyhow, we last left off with the Lethal Leading Ladies Shantae and Rottytops infiltrating a militarized island campsite and completely decimating everything in their path to uncover the secrets of the Crackling Crystal Castle… the biggest 'secret' being where it was in the first place. In their search across a five-island archipelago with bubblier waters than your average bottle of soda, our dominating duo of determined debutantes discovered an unusually heavy presence of Ammonian soldiers scouting the place out, and had made it their mission to demilitarize the point of interest one battleship at a time until they reached the S.S. Blue Barbara, an exceptionally humongous vessel said to belong to the fearless Admiral Nila. As you might imagine, the enthusiastic young heroines planned on being VERY thorough with their quest in hopes of eliminating the potential competition for the retrieval of the Spirit Fuser's fragments. How did that transpire THIS time around? Let's strap in and find out…

Inside the wheelhouse of the S.S. Blue Barbara…

"Unbelievable…" grumbled a familiar…ly angry red-haired Naval leader as she glowered through her fancy sunglasses (and the window) to see a certain pair of obnoxious teenage girls hard at work making a total mockery of the Ammonian Army after boarding the mighty sea vessel. *KRABWOOOM* after *THRACK* after *KAPROCK* after *RATTATATTAT*, she observed a small-scale war breaking out on the main deck of her battleship. "UNBELIEVABLE!" she shouted, pounding her fist on the dashboard with a resounding, metallic *DURONNNG*, startling the handful of anxious soldiers manning their stations behind her. "What in the HECK does it take to stop two little girls from blasting and barging their way through a LITERAL ARMY of grown men and women!?"

"Considering who we're dealing with here, should we really be surprised?" a spring green-haired female subordinate asked as she suited up and prepared to enter the fray, strapping a rifle to her back. "Those 'little girls' are well-known for the kinds of trouble they've brought even the MAIN branch of the Ammonian Army. Or at least, one of them is. The other one must be her apprentice or something."

"No… Not with the way she fights…" Nila disagreed, staring harder at the chaos unfolding on the deck of the ship. And as one might imagine, what she saw only made her MUCH angrier. From her position, she witnessed the Half-Genie Hero Shantae ripping, burning, zapping, and hair-whipping her way through DROVES of Ammonian soldiers as they tried to contain the uncontainable magic-borne threat to their entire operation. Worse yet, Shantae appeared to be deliberately vandalizing cannons, turrets, and miniguns alike with *PWOSH* of a fireball here, *KRAKAZATWOOOOM* of a lightning bolt there, and even the *SKRISSSCCH* of acid to boot after the genie performed one of her crazy belly dances to turn herself into a giant spider. On the other end of the deck, Nila witnessed the zombie girl she grew to despise with a burning passion as said zombie zipped, zoomed, and zinged all soldiers who dared approach her in combat…

The Zany Zombie Hero Rottytops had also been making quick work of her opposition, heavily relying on a certain dragon-themed shield to block gun rounds by the dozen as she also kicked, smashed, and socked her Ammonian enemies into oblivion. Each *KATWAAAANG* of her shield as she flung it into the face of one soldier after another with it ricocheting right back to her after every hit, each *PRACK*, *KATWOCK*, and bone-shattering *KRATHRAAAASHK* of her ferocious fists and feet as she cleaned the clocks of all unlucky enough to encounter her as an enemy… and each time she either removed her head and flung it across the deck and teleported or encased herself in magic to dash around the ship at nearly the speed of sound to gain the element of surprise…

"Aside from the weird parlor tricks she's pulling off… That zombie's fighting style… it resembles HIM…!" Nila grumbled, clenching her fist even tighter as she rancorously observed Rotty.

"Him? 'Him,' who?" the green-haired female soldier asked.

"THE ASSASSIN…!" the infuriated Admiral venomously spat through gritted teeth as she clenched her walkie-talkie in her hand tightly enough that her knuckles went pale.

"Oh. That… doesn't sound too reassuring…" the female subordinate acknowledged as she curiously took her rifle off and warily began to back away from the door leading out of the main quarters of the battleship.

"I'm sure it doesn't, but we CANNOT let this heinous FARCE go on any longer…!" Nila growled as she adjusted the signal on her transceiver and radioed in with a *SKZZZT*. "Admiral Nila to Corporal Levi." And with another *SKZZZT*…

"Here, boss," a male voice affirmed his presence through the device. "These brats are really giving us a run for our-!" he tried to inform before a *KAPWOOOORSH* cut him off. "GHAGH! TAKE THIS, YOU POINTY-EARED WITCH!" he shouted at presumably Shantae before a *RATTATTATTTATATAT* went off.

"What was that!? I'll show YOU a witch!" the offended genie could be heard threatening the Corporal before a *POOF* sounded off.

"What in the heck!? OH, GOODNESS, NO! I-I HATE SPIDERS! NO, NO, NO, GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"CORPORAL! GET IT TOGETHER AND GET THAT GOOFBALL GENIE!" Nila shouted into her transceiver, though she would only be met with a sizzling *SKRISSSSSCH* on the other end.

"GAHAAAH! She melted my gun! H-HEY! I SAID GET AWAY! ST-STAY BACK YOU FIE-!" Corporal Levi tried to scream as he found himself running away from his adolescent adversary before a sudden *KRATHROCK* silenced him.

"LEVI! HEY! STATUS REPORT! NOW!"

"Not cool, Rotty," Shantae was heard complaining through the transceiver in tandem with another *POOF*. "I totally had that guy. You didn't have to knock him out cold before I could squeeze some information out of him."

"Ya snooze, ya lose, snack cakes," Rottytops remarked, laughing it up. "But hey, check it out. This guy's walkie-talkie is still on. Let's see who's on the other end! Maybe they can entertain us for a bit…" she further remarked as her voice grew clearer. And before long… "Hellooooo~! Power Drill Captain Rottytops to whichever one of you kooky jarheads is on the other end of this thing! Come on, don't be shy! I won't beat you up as bad if you tell me what I need to know!"

"YOU…!" Nila growled into the transceiver.

"Yes, it's ME…!" Rotty mockingly growled right back. "Who the heck is this?"

"When I get my hands on you, zombie, I am going to rip you into a thousand pieces and send EVERY shred to a separate, more permanent watery grave!" At that, the zombie in question began guffawing in amusement.

"What a weirdly specific threat. You must really know me, huh? That's interesting… Your voice sounds familiar, too… How could that be…? Unless… Oh, wait a sec: Is this Nila!?" she questioned after a moment of contemplation, evidently excited to be reacquainted with an old… frenemy.

"Displeased to make your acquaintance once again, you filthy flesh-eater!" Nila angrily confirmed.

"Totally knew it! Hey there, you red-haired raccoon-looking REJECT! Been a long time since I last pounded your ugly face into the dirt! My fists miss you bunches!" the rambunctious revenant taunted with no form of fear or hesitation.

"Rotty, cut it out. If there IS someone on the other end, we should probably try and negotiate with them instead of-!" Shantae was about to chide as another *KRATWOOOM* rang out, followed by the screams of other Ammonian soldiers being flung overboard. "…Sorry. I was about to say negotiate with them instead of egging them on."

"Why do that when we're just gonna flatten 'em anyway? You know these morons are only capable of licking the boots of their precious meathead army general… including Ol' Ketchup-Head on the other side of this radio."

"KETCHUP-HEAD!? YOU…! YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY!? Ooh, as soon as I get down there, I'm gonna ram my boot RIGHT UP YOUR STINKIN' A-!" Nila was about to shout in unmitigated offense.

"So anyway, Ni, where are ya?" Rotty cut her off at the PERFECT moment to ask. "You have all your brainless goons out here failing miserably to stop us, and yet I don't see you anywhere on the deck."

"NEVER call me that, either! I will have your HEAD!"

"Yyyyeah, see, that doesn't scare me, Ni. My head's detachable, remember? But seriously, where are you hiding? Why ya bein' such a scaredy cat that you aren't down here getting your butt handed to you like all the rest of these creeps?" Rottytops continued to taunt as another series of *BANGs*, *BOOMs*, and *KRATHWOCKs* could be heard in rapid succession. "Come on, I promise I won't bite you this time. I'll settle on beating you up again for what you did to my friend Bolo the other day."

"Oh, is that right? I'm SO SORRY that your blue-haired BOZO of a boyfriend was so weak that he needed a dirty little CORPSE-WOMAN to fight his battles for him! Trust me, when I see you, I'm going to CUT YOU UP like I almost did him!" Nila unabashedly taunted back, totally unrepentant about nearly killing Bolo earlier on.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Rotty shouted, immediately highly agitated by the comment. "KEEP PLAYIN' WITH ME, NILA! I SWEAR ON MA MOMMA THAT I'MMA SMACK THOSE PANCAKE-SIZED FRECKLES OFF YA FACE! AND I'MMA STOMP YA TRIFLIN' BEHIND INTO NEXT WEEK, TOO! ON-SIGHT! YOU HEAR ME!?" the zombie maiden… very aggressively yelled, suddenly getting SUPER street, SUPER quickly.

"Rottytops, what in the heck are you saying!?" Shantae yelled as she could be heard approaching the zombie maiden. "Gimme that thing!"

"Wha-! Noooo! I'm not done telling these goons how much trouble they're in! H-HEY! I'm not-! Gah!" Rotty refused and grunted, leading to a spattering *SKZZKZKZZKZKZZSKZKZZZKT* and a ton of rumbling around as the girls evidently began to fight over the walkie-talkie.

"Stop goofing around and give me the radio!"

"Make m-!"

"TRANSFORM!" Shantae announced, followed by *POOF*, and then a subsequent *Thwissssk* and even more subsequent *THUD* and another *POOF*.

"HEY! NO FAIR, SHANTAE! YOU'RE SO MEAN! I know we're having a lot of fun together, but you shouldn't just go squirting your hot, sticky, wet secretions on me like that without letting me know first! It's all over my-!" the zombie's voice complained before being cut off with a *PLAP* of something over her mouth.

"Stop being trifling! Jeez…" Shantae was heard angrily commanding her friend, who merely giggled in inappropriate glee. "…Hello?" she more politely spoke into the transceiver once she recollected herself.

"…Hello to you, too, Assassin-Lover. It's such a GRATUITOUS ANNOYANCE to know you're here," Nila rudely greeted, absolutely enthralled (read: ticked off) to be speaking to the Half-Genie Hero.

"Glad to know YOU'RE in such great spirits, Nila. So anyway, whatcha doin' out here? Why are you and all your guys scouting these islands out? And is Hashanah here?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, YA LITTLE MINX!"

"Thaaaat's what I thought you'd say. That's also why Rottytops and I are gonna blow up your ship," Shantae very matter-of-factly dropped a major bombshell (pun… intended?).

"Yeah, well I-! Wait, what?" Nila asked, stunned by the… 'explosive' revelation.

"I said we're going to blow up your ship," the half-genie casually reiterated, almost as though she had a smile on her face as she said it. "I don't think you have very good intentions for being here, and we KINDA need you guys out of the way for us to do our thing. So, maybe if I ask REAL nicely, you'll possibly clear your crew out of here and find a different place to hang out? Pretty please?" At that, the highly vexed redhead sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with a hand before…

"…You two must take me for an ABSOLUTE JOKE…!" she accused.

"That's because you ARE a joke!" Rottytops shouted out of nowhere.

"D'ohh, you-!" Nila was about to lash back.

"Enough, girl. Save the rest of your trash talk for when we actually see her face-to-face," Shantae reprimanded her teammate before turning her attention back to the stolen transceiver. "Anyway, what do you say? You move your army out of this area, and no more of your vessels have to be sunk or blown sky high. Deal?"

"Stick it where the sun don't shine, ya meddling genie! We are NOT moving, and you are NOT blowing up our ship!" the fiery Admiral barked, not at all intimidated by the ultimatum.

"Wrong answer, homegirl. Just so you know, we're headed straight for the engine room, and we know the way because one of your guys told us where it is. You have ONE more chance to change your mind. We'll be there in about five or ten minutes. Meet us there if you want to negotiate."

"WHAT!? NO! STAY AWAY FROM THERE, YOU FREAKS! If you go ANYWHERE near that room, I'll-!"

"The Lethal Leading Ladies have spoken, Nila. See ya soon! Shantae out," the half-genie issued one final, deceptively friendly warning before cutting the transmission with an obnoxiously loud *SKZZZZZZT*.

"Hey! HEY! You stupid, bratty, snot-nosed punks are gonna REGRET CROSSING THE AMMONIAN ARMY AGAIN! Don't you DARE go near my engine room! You hear me!? YOU HEAR ME!?"

"I'm… pretty sure they're done talking, Admiral," the female subordinate cautiously advised her superior as she pointed and peered out the window. Nila followed her comrade's gaze to see the genie girl in question tossing her transceiver into the air and vaporizing it with a *KATWOORSCH* of a fireball flung from her hand. She further watched Shantae help Rottytops up to her feet and tear some sticky, viscous substance off the other maiden before summoning more magic, performing another belly dance, and transforming into an elephant with a *POOF*. Following this, Rottytops hopped aboard Elephant-Shantae, who took the liberty of leaping high into the air before coming down HARD like a meteor coming from space. And with a MASSIVE *PRAPWOGABLOOOORRMMM* that sent tremors rippling through the ship, Elephant-Shantae smashed through the floor into a lower section, leaving an elephant-sized hole in her midst. Of course, Rotty added a flair of disrespect to it by flashing an 'L' symbol with one hand, pulling down one of her lower eyelids with the other hand, and grinningly sticking her tongue out at the window the Ammonian group were watching her from. "…Aaaaaand they just took a major shortcut to the engine room… Oh, boy… I already see where this is going…"

"Gaaaah, CONFOUND IT!" Nila roared as she spiked the walkie-talkie on the floor, shattering it with a startling *KRAKRUNCHISHCK*. Paying no heed to the fact that she scared the living daylights out of everyone in the wheelhouse, the agitated Naval leader rushed to gear herself up for the fight of a lifetime. "Darn it…! If they get there before I do, we can basically kiss Sector K0414 goodbye…!"

"What should we do at this point, boss?" asked a male subordinate as he worriedly watched Nila frantically gather supplies and rush toward the exit.

"Make an announcement to evacuate the ship, and then get yourselves out of here in case these idiotic whelps actually make it down to the engine room…!" the Admiral commanded, further surprising everyone.

"But what about you? What happens if you-?"

"The worst thing that'll happen to me if I can't stop these girls is that it'll cost me my job. I don't need it to also cost you guys your lives… We've lost enough good men in the last year alone…"

"We get that, Admiral, but we're not going to leave you high and dry," the female officer retorted. "We can at least try to slow them down."

"That'll be up to the guys on-duty in the lower decks. They're our best shot, and even then, I fear it won't be nearly enough," Nila shot back. "At the very least, you guys can return to the main branch if this operation blows up in our faces. After all, I had to borrow you and this ENTIRE crew from the Big Man himself after I lost my old crew to that degenerate pirate scourge Risky Boots… And I'd sooner go down with this ship than be made to grovel at Ammo Baron's feet… or worse yet, the feet of those spineless, assassin-loving SYMPATHIZERS Twitch and Vinegar…!"

"Nila, come on… You don't have to go out like th-!"

"That's enough, Sergeant. I gave you an order. Now, I need to go. The longer I wait here, the less time I'll have to stop that genie and that zombie from making an even bigger mess of things than they already have. Wish me luck…" Nila solemnly stood by her word as she exited the wheelhouse with a *CHRAKLONG* of the door behind her.

"…Shoot… Is… Is this really as bad as it sounds right about now?" one of the male soldiers asked as the group weighed their options.

"Must be, if it's got her THIS shaken up," the nameless female Sergeant remarked with a scratch of her head from under her blue raccoon-themed hat. "It's especially worrisome that she'd go charging in alone to battle against Sequin Land's most powerful half-genie without a plan, but once she's set in her ways, there's no stopping her. That said… I… I'm pretty sure she already knows she can't stop those girls from destroying the S.S. Blue Barbara…"

"Then why is she going down there anyway?"

"To buy us time to get everyone out before they destroy it," the Sergeant pointed out, much to the rest of the group's surprise. "This may very well be Nila's last mission as a member of the Ammonian Army, and she doesn't want more blood on her hands than she already feels she has. On that note, we'd better get a move on," she further urged as she geared herself back up to fulfill the Admiral's request. "Private Sara Deen, get on the intercom and make the announcement of our unwelcome company. The rest of us will open up the escape routes and get everyone to safety who's not willing to fight. Those that do stick around for the action… I just hope they know what they're getting themselves into… Am I clear, ladies and gents?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," the remainder of the Ammonian group remarked and saluted in unison.

"Good. Alright, troops, let's move out…" And with that, the cabinet of Nila's trusted allies put their emergency plan into motion.

In the Lower Deck of the S.S. Blue Barbara…

"Whew… Alright, we've only got a little bit more to go, and then we can consider this mission as good as complete," Shantae remarked, evidently having transformed back to her human self as she wiped sweat from her brow and peered around the long, wide, mildly rusty, multi-doored corridor.

"To think these guys put forth all this effort to establish their presence here, only to be THIS easy to bowl through. This almost seems TOO easy…" Rottytops observed, also looking around the corridor of the ship.

"Let's not forget that the Ammonian Army hasn't been quite up to speed recently. Especially not their Naval unit," the half-genie countered. "That said, don't let your guard down for a second, Rotty. You never know what could-!"

"ATTENTION, ALL UNITS! ATTENTION, ALL UNITS! INTRUDERS HAVE INFILTRATED THE BLUE BARBARA AND ARE HEADED TO THE ENGINE ROOM! I REPEAT: INTRUDERS HAVE INFILTRATED BLUE BARBARA AND ARE HEADED TO THE ENGINE ROOM! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! YOUR ORDERS FROM ADMIRAL NILA ARE TO EITHER EVACUATE THE SHIP OR STAND YOUR GROUND AND FEND OFF THE INTRUDERS! EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, CONSIDER THIS A STAGE-5 COMBAT SITUATION!" announced a booming female voice through an intercom that startled our heroes nearly stiff as the alarms went off and the door at the other end of the hall was blocked off with the *KRATWOOM* of another metal door shooting up from the floor.

"…Yep, there it is," Shantae remarked with a sigh, though she would be far from deterred by the warm and welcoming announcement of their visit. "Whelp, we knew this was coming, so we'd better dig in and push ahead."

"Right behind ya, snack cakes," Rotty assured her best friend as they got ready to roll. "So, how do we get past this first door? I don't see any…"

"There," Shantae announced as she pointed upward toward a pocket in the ceiling with a flashing red light, accompanied by a conveniently placed mirror adjusted at an angle a few feet away on the ceiling. "Looks like we can get the door to open back up if we hit the shut-off switch at the right angle."

"And how do we do that?"

"It's gonna take a bit of teamwork involving my new Crimson Laser and your Draco-Steel Shield," the half-genie suggested as she trailed a finger in the air to measure the trajectory she needed.

"What, like we need to reflect the beam from your laser off the shield, into the mirror, and then into the button to open the door?"

"You guessed it! You feel like you're up to the task?" the ponytailed heroine asked, turning her gaze to her undead best friend.

"Without a doubt," Rotty happily agreed as she pulled out the Draco-Steel Shield and took a good look at the obstacle for herself. And after a moment… "Okay, I'll get into position," she further assured as she ran ahead by a few paces, turned, set the shield up, and crouched behind it to hold it into position. "Let 'er rip, Shae!"

"Got it. Just keep your stance strong," Shantae advised as she pressed two magic-bathed fingers to the gem in her headband. And with a familiar *Ooooowwweeeeeesh*, the beam charged up. "Alright… Steady…!" she urged herself as she adjusted her position ever-so-slightly and grounded her stance. Within the following few seconds, the *KAKWAAARSSH* of the Crimson Laser rang out, sending a beam zipping straight toward the angled Draco-Steel Shield. And surprisingly… it worked! With a *TATWAAANG*, the laser beam bounced off the shield, followed by another *PAKEWWWSH* of it bouncing off the angled mirror, and concluded with a *KRATWICK* of the switch being struck by the laser. And just like that, the metal barrier that blocked the way receded into the ground, allowing the girls to progress.

"AWESOME!" Rottytops cheered as she rose from behind the shield and peered ahead. "Good thinking, sugar brains! You're a genius!"

"Thanks, girl. I'm sure we've got more to look forward to, though, so let's get cracking," the determined genie advised as she ran ahead.

"Aye aye, Captain Shantae!" the excitable zombie girl cheered, following closely behind her teammate as they braved the Blue Barbara's interior together. With that, the dynamic duo fearlessly charged ahead into the fray, ready to take on any challenges that came their way. The first of many obstacles came in the form of a long, narrow catwalk in a steam pipe-laden hallway. The catwalk had multiple long, wide gaps in it, and pipes hidden within the shadowy abyss below spurted out scalding hot steam blasts with *PSSSSSSHT* after pressurized *PSSSSSSHT*.

"A simple enough start… I've got a couple of ideas already," Shantae shared as they approached the first of many gaps.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" asked her undead sidekick.

"Bust out that shield," the half-genie requested. "We may be able to use the steam blasts to our advantage to save us time."

"In what way?"

"We'll jump onto the shield and go for a little joyride, if you catch my soon-to-be-literal drift…"

"Aaahh, I see! You're really putting that delicious brain of yours to work!"

"Just figuring out ways to make this as quick as possible, is all," Shantae remarked with a shrug, trying not to be proud of the idea as she… also completely ignored Rotty's many morbid puns about eating her brain. She must've been used to it by this point, but man, would that skeeve me out if I were her… "That aside, let's get ready…"

"Got it," Rottytops obliged, pulling out the Draco-Steel Shield as they reached the first gap. "Alright, so when should we go?"

"One… Two… Three… NOW!" the intuitive genie counted down and commanded as she grabbed Rotty by the shoulders. Reading the prompt, the zombie girl leapt ahead with Shantae leaping alongside her. Immediately after the ladies went airborne, Rotty moved the shield to where was facing downward to block the steam from below. The girls huddled close together, each of them holding the straps of the shield for stability just as the first *PSSSSSSSSHT* of a steam blast came shooting upward.

"WOOOOOH!" both Shantae and Rottytops cheered in unison as the steam propelled them and their shield upward and forth to the next gap. And with another well-timed *PSSSSSHT*, the girls were propelled even higher and farther across. And while they were getting massive hangtime, the half-genie spotted the entrance to the next room in the distance… and another pair of glowing switches hidden in the shadows above.

"Hmm… I wonder why there are two of them this time…?"

"Two of what?"

"Two more switches. I'll try to hit them on the next pair of steam boosts. Hang on tight for me!" the lavender-haired lady requested as she took one hand off the shield strap to activate her Crimson Laser once more with another *Ooooowweeeeeeeeesh*.

"Roger that…" the equally focused revenant woman obliged, gripping the shield tighter as another *PSSSSSSHT* of a steam blast propelled them upward once more. And right as the girls reached the apex of their next jump, Shantae fired a *KAKWAAAARSH* of a Crimson Laser at one of the switches and struck it with a *Kraklick*. Rather than have the door open, however, a treasure chest fell from seemingly nowhere on the other end of the walkway in front of the door. "Huh… Looks like some goodies were just dropped off for us…"

"I see. Hopefully, it's something we can use. Get ready for the final jump, though, because I'm about to shoot the other switch," the heroine advised, charging up another *Oooooowweeeeeesh* of her Crimson Laser. "I just wish this thing would charge a LITTLE bit faster…" she further complained to herself about her newest utility.

"Leave it to me, Shae!" Rotty acknowledged, keeping herself focused as the two of them descended toward the catwalk, only to be blasted upward by another sweltering *PSSSSSSHT* of one more steam burst from below. Taking full account of the situation, Shantae aimed and fired one more *KAKWAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser to strike the remaining hidden switch with another *Kraklick*. And just like that, the girls made short work of the steamy catwalk as they safely descended and landed on the other end of the room with a wide-open door and a sparkly red treasure chest awaiting them.

"Nice work, Rotty!" Shae smilingly congratulated her teammate with a pat on the back. "You're incredible!"

"Thanks, but you're definitely more amazing for even coming up with that plan," the excited zombie shot back in equal appreciation. "What do you think is in this treasure chest, though?" she further asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm not sure, but we may as well not drown in the suspense before we find out," Shantae joked as she took the initiative to open the sparkling box. And with a lock-breaking *CHAKLIK*, two strange items came floating out of it. One of them happened to be a choker not too dissimilar from the one the half-genie was already wearing, though it bore a most eye-catching shade of shining amethyst that matched her hair. The other item was a pair of platinum skull earrings with little rubies embedded into the eye sockets. Each item floated over to the hands of each girl without warning, certifying that Shantae got Ethereal Unity Choker while Rottytops got Devil's Omen Earrings.

"Huh… Stylish new fashion accessories? You won't hear me say no to these things…" Rotty pondered as she swapped out her original skull earrings for the Devil's Omen ones.

"Par for the course, though I wonder what they'll do for us…" Shae additionally observed as she took off her choker to put on the Ethereal Unity one.

"WHAAAHOOOOOH!" Rottytops uttered a cry of surprise as her body was suddenly enveloped in a spooky aura of a dim, glittering red. In that same vein, her eyes began to glow redder. "Whoa… I… I suddenly feel TWICE AS STRONG out of nowhere…!"

"Whoa…! That's amazing, if not a bit scary-looking… But I don't feel any different. Unless…" she trailed off as she turned in a direction where she was facing away from Rottytops and curiously pressed her finger to the ruby in her headband. Rather than be greeted with the charging noise she'd grown familiar with, the ruby immediately fired a *KAKWAAAARSH* of a laser that caught both girls by total surprise. "YA-HOW! This choker makes it so that I don't have to charge the Crimson Laser anymore! Talk about a wish come true!"

"Sweet! We totally lucked out on this treasure, then! I can't WAIT to see what we can do with our new bling!" Rotty cheered, practically bouncing off the walls in excitement.

"Then let's not wait. Let's GO!" Shantae commanded in equal excitement as she took point and ran ahead. Rottytops put away her Draco-Steel Shield and followed suit deeper into the S.S. Blue Barbara. After traversing down two steep flights of stairs littered with easily avoidable spike traps, the Lethal Leading Ladies came bursting through a hatch-adorned door to enter another bright blue chamber full of doors. Only this time, they came face to face with a collection of Ammonian guards who'd stood their ground at the other end, blockading the other end of the room. They were hiding behind a giant levee of sandbags, their guns drawn and in position to light up any intruder foolish enough to trespass into their territory.

"Hold it right there, you adolescent interlopers!" one of the soldiers shouted at the girls, his rifle pointed squarely at them as he barked his command. "If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and leave this ship NOW! If you don't, we'll send you to your makers before either of you can take a breath to ask what happened!"

"Whoa, they sure did come prepared THIS time around…" Rotty acknowledged, taking in the sight.

"It won't make a difference as long as we work together. Ready to push on through?" Shae asked, not at all backing down.

"As if we have a choice. Let's do this!" the zombie sidekick cheered, prompting the team leader to nod in confidence before turning her attention back to the Ammonian soldiers blocking their path.

"Alright! If you guys don't move out of our way, you're not gonna like what happens next! Final warning!" the valiant genie announced, standing tall (for a given definition of 'tall,' considering her height) as she heroically pointed a finger at hers and Rotty's enemies.

"YOU'RE warning US!?" the same Ammonian soldier indignantly asked. "Do you know who you're dealing with, little girl!? We are a team of ELITES within our ranks! You couldn't HOPE to escape this room in one piece!"

"We'll see about that! Rotty, get your shield ready!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rottytops obeyed as she pulled out the Draco-Steel Shield once more. Immediately after doing so, both girls crouched behind it for cover to prepare themselves for a miniature war. Before another moment of unprecedented tension could pass, however…

"FIRE AT WILL!" the Ammonian commander shouted, at which point every soldier in the area unleashed a HAILSTORM of bullets at the two heroines with *RATTATTATTATTATAT* after *KABLANG* after *POW, POW, POW*. Any other noise you MIGHT have been able to hear was totally drowned out by the relentless barrage of bullets that bounced off the Draco-Steel Shield with *plinkplinkplink* after *PLAKONG* after *Plackaplackaplacka*, making evident that it was ON now…

"Grrrrgh…! Wow, they're DEAD serious…!" Rotty acknowledged, doing her best to hold strong with the shield despite being pushed back by the unbridled force of the Ammonian onslaught.

"I've gotcha covered. Just hang on for me, alright?" Shantae encouraged as she took a second or two to analyze the situation.

"I'll do my best… Hrrrgh…!" the zombie agreed despite sliding back bit by bit with every shot she tanked with her shield. Meanwhile, Shantae peered around for an opening until she found one in the form of a pair of mirrors hanging from walls on either side of the chamber.

"Got it! EAT THIS!" the resourceful half-genie announced as she aimed her Crimson Laser and fired it with a *KAKWAAAARSH* of its incendiary beam at one of the mirrors. The laser bounced off the mirror with a *KATWAAANG* directly into the Ammonian stronghold before colliding with a crashing *KWABWOOOOOM*.

"GHAAHAAGH!" two Ammonian soldiers hollered out in agony, flung into the wall behind them with twin *BADWOOOMs* that rendered them unconscious.

"Yes! Now, have another!" Shantae cheered as she turned her attention to the other mirror and fired another *KAKWAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser toward it. With another subsequent *KATWOOM* and *KRABWOOOOM*, the genie girl knocked out another Ammonian soldier that was using a turret to suppress them. At that point, the gunfire came to a momentary halt as the remaining units scrambled to cover for their fallen comrades.

"Awesome job, snack cakes!" Rotty praised, breathing a sigh of relief as she began pushing forward. "Shall we proceed?"

"Yes, but we'll need to stay close. They're not giving up yet," Shantae warned as she and her teammate carefully advanced on the bunker with the Draco-Steel Shield being their only line of defense. Meanwhile…

"Okay, you little brats…! You think you've got what it takes to play with the big boys? Well, how about THIS!?" the Ammonian Elite officer challenged, pulling out a ROCKET LAUNCHER, followed by three of his comrades ALSO pulling out rocket launchers! Oh MAN, this looked like it was about to get ugly already…

"Aw, jeez! Rotty, get behind me! They've got rockets!" Shantae hurriedly urged as she moved to step in front of her teammate. Only…

"Oh, no you don't! HRRRAAAH!" Rottytops took the initiative to challenge the Ammonian soldiers right back, dashing ahead with the shield in front of her.

"H-HEY! WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU'RE-!?" Shantae worriedly shouted, chasing after her to try and stop her from doing something extremely reckless. She would hardly get the chance, however, as the Ammonian soldiers fired their rockets one after the other. *FWEEERSH* after *SHROOOOOOFFF* after *TARRRRRSSCH*, every single warhead went careening DIRECTLY toward a minimally prepared zombie girl with naught but a metal shield to protect her. "ROTTYTOPS!"

"YAAAAAAAH!" Rotty shouted just as the rockets reached her. Rather than be completely OBLITERATED by multiple explosions that should've woken up people napping in the neighboring COUNTRY, however, the zombie girl's entire body was suddenly draped in that same foreboding red aura we saw mere minutes earlier. And despite the rockets making DIRECT CONTACT with Rotty's shield with *BOOM* after *KABLAM*, the explosions… were IMMEDIATELY CONVERTED INTO RED ENERGY AND ABSORBED INTO HER WITH A LOW, HUMMING *VWOOOOONG* AS SHE KEPT CHARGING!

"WHAT!? What in the world is happening!?" Shantae remarked in total astonishment as she watched Rottytops's aura intensify with every explosion she absorbed. Before she could think to ask another question, however…

"YOU CLOWNS ARE DONE FOR! HRRRRYAAAAAAH!" Rotty shouted at the top of her lungs as she leapt high while putting her shield away and cocking an aura-bathed fist back.

"Ohhhhh, MyyyYYYY GOOO-!" an Ammonian soldier was about to shout in terror before Rotty's fist came crashing into the wall with a startling *KAKRUNCH* as the soldier BARELY had enough time to dodge. Only, that wasn't where that encounter ended. With an utterly DISASTROUS *KRABWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* rivaling three exact ROCKET LAUNCHER EXPLOSIONS COMBINED, ROTTYTOPS BLEW UP THE ENTIRE ROOM!

"GWAAAH!" Shantae hollered out, flung backward like she'd been swept up in a hurricane before summoning up a protective magic barrier. This wouldn't save her from hitting the wall behind her with a startling *PWAAANG*, however, before hitting the floor facedown.

"AAAHRRAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa…!" the entire Ammonian Defense Force screamed in unison as they were blown THROUGH THE CEILING, THROUGH THE DECK, AND A GOOD 500 FEET INTO THE AIR! Good lord… I don't think I've EVER been more thankful to NEVER have to be directly involved in these kinds of utterly ludicrous shenanigans…

"…Uuuuhhhhh…" hummed an absolutely DUMBFOUNDED Rottytops, frozen in her post-punch pose with the goofiest of flabbergasted expressions on her face as the smoke cleared… to reveal that the NUCLEAR BOMB of a punch VAPORIZED the next room and half of the one behind that room while leaving a gigantic, smoke-bathed MESS in the room the girls were in. Most of the doors in the room were blown completely off their hinges, there was sand EVERYWHERE, and the remains of the levee at the end of the room were ripped apart and strewn all over the place. Suffice to say, Rotty made a HUGE mess in just one move…

"Ooooh… Man, what a bombshell THAT was…" Shantae remarked, doing her best to shake off her disorientation as she picked herself up off the floor to get a good view of the utter CARNAGE before her eyes. "WHAT IN THE…? Rotty, what the HECK!? What just happened!? What did you do!?"

"I-I have no clue!" the astonished zombie replied in equally clueless surprise, turning to face her teammate as she studied her hands to see that the scary red aura surrounding her had disappeared entirely. "I just remember tanking those rockets with my shield, being supercharged with energy, and then jumping over the barrier to throw a punch that I missed! My fist hit the wall, and next thing I know, that HUGE EXPLOSION just happened! I… uh… I-I'm still trying to wrap my head around it…"

"Huh…" the half-genie hummed in wonder as she looked her partner up and down… and quickly took notice of the Devil's Omen Earrings she was wearing… "Maybe it had to do with your new earrings? The gems in them are flashing on and off," she pointed out, approaching the other woman to get a closer inspection. And as she pressed her hands on Rotty's cheeks and nudged her to either side… "Yeah, I see…"

"See what?"

"My guess is that you absorbed the energy from the rocket explosions when you charged in, because I noticed that weird red aura surrounding you get a lot denser. My other guess is that you expelled ALL of that power when you attacked," Shantae theorized, much to Rottytops's surprise. "These earrings… I can FEEL the energy radiating off them…"

"So wait… You're telling me that these awesome new earrings… give me the power to ABSORB ATTACKS, AND THEN DISH OUT ALL THE COMBINED ENERGY WHEN I ATTACK BACK!?"

"That's what I'm thinking, but I'll bet you can only use it every so often. It probably won't work while the gems in the earrings are still blinking," Shae suggested as she let go of Rotty's face.

"Hm… You're better at figuring this out than I am, so I'll trust your word. Maybe we should test that theory out before we move on, just in case," the zombie girl drummed up an idea as she leaned a shoulder toward her teammate. "Hit me."

"What?"

"Hit me! Just a slug on the arm should do it!" Rottytops suggested once again, wiggling her shoulder to prompt Shantae to punch it.

"Rotty, I don't want to hurt you… I especially don't want to hurt you just to test out a random theory I just made up," the half-genie worriedly refused, waving her hands in front of herself.

"I know, but I'd rather we find out now than find out later where it may not work because we didn't take the time to figure this out. So, go ahead and punch me just once in the arm. We'll see how these earrings react."

"Hmm… Good point. Okay, I'll do it. I'm sorry in advance…" Shantae preemptively agreed and apologized after a moment of thought, hesitantly clenching a fist and winding back.

"I can take it, babe. No need to hold back…" the undead maiden assured, jutting her shoulder out a little more to give her friend a clearer shot.

"Understood. Here goes…! YAH!" the uncertain heroine announced and grunted as she threw a monstrous hook that collided with a *THROCK* against her teammate's arm.

"GAH! YAAHA-HOWWW!" Rotty yelped in INDESCRIBABLE, searing agony as she hopped around and frantically rubbed her aching limb where Shae had punched her. Meanwhile, the Devil's Omen Earrings rapidly flashed on and off a few times while making a *Krazik* noise.

"Ooh! Sorry, Rotty! I should've pulled back a little more! Are you okay?" Shantae apologized again as she tended to her best friend's aid.

"I will be in a minute, but GOOD, GRAVELLY GRAVESTONES, girl! You punch like stud muffin! Remind me to NEVER ask you to hit me again…" Rotty half-joked as she took a few deep breaths to mitigate the stinging pain in her arm as she continued to rub it.

"Yikes… Noted. My bad…" Shae offered her remorse once again as she nervously rubbed the back of her head with a hand.

"It's cool… Whew… That's a waker-upper for sure," the undead walking Weapon of Mass Destruction forgave as she settled down. "Anyway, what did the earrings do? I heard a noise, but I'm not sure what it was."

"The gems flickered for a second, but they're right back to slowly flashing on and off," Shantae pointed out. "I didn't see your aura come back, though. I can only guess that means your new ability has a cooldown period."

"Ah… Of course, it does…" Rotty remarked in mild disappointment. "I guess that's only fair. Otherwise, this ability would be TOTALLY O.P."

"You're telling me… Still, even when the ability becomes active again, I'd be careful to avoid getting reckless and taking too much damage if I were you."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't make you invincible. It just increases your attack power for a moment, and then it turns off… most likely until a certain amount of time passes."

"Ah… Well, I guess we'll find out as we go along, huh?"

"Yep. That said, are you ready to roll? Need a quick heal or anything?"

"Nah, I'm still in good shape for now," Rotty assured, bouncing on her toes to prove her point. "Let's keep going. We're on a really good run so far, and we-!" she was about to further remark before the *KATWAANG* of the door behind them at the far end of the room being kicked open startled the girls. And when they turned their attention to the intrusion…

"THERE YOU IRRITATING BRATS ARE!" hollered none other than Admiral Nila herself as she barged in, wielding a grenade launcher.

"Oh, wow! How'd you find us so fast!?" Shantae questioned in surprise.

"Are you KIDDING ME!? YOU MORONS BLEW UP THIS ROOM! THE EXPLOSION COULD'VE BEEN HEARD ALL THE WAY FROM GENIE'S HEM!" Nila shouted, evidently insulted that the half-genie would ask a question with such an obvious answer.

"Oooohhh… R-right, I guess that WOULD be a pretty big tip-off, huh?"

"You think you're being cute, genie girl!? Well, how's THIS for 'cute!?" the agitated Admiral hollered as she loaded the grenade launcher and aimed.

"Oh, jeez! Rotty, let's get out of here!"

"You ain't hearing ME object to that!" the zombie girl agreed, prompting the Lethal Leading Ladies to make a leap of faith into the massive gap in the floor ahead of them. And just as they made their daring escape, Nila fired her weapon with a *THOOM* of the warhead from the barrel. And with a devastating *KARPWOOOOARSH*, Nila exploded the room even MORE and created an even bigger gap in the floor.

"DARN IT! These miserable punks will get to that Engine Room over MY DEAD BODY!" the frustrated redhead vowed, her determination bolstered as she dashed ahead and leapt into the hole after them…

A quick, yet surprisingly lengthy drop later…

"TOOH!" Shantae grunted as she performed a graceful somersault and landed on her feet into the next section of the endangered warship.

"WAAAAH!" Rottytops hollered as she… less gracefully flailed around in the air with hardly a thing to break her haphazard fall.

"I gotcha!" the half-genie called out as she braced herself and stretched her arms out. And with a reassuring *PLOUGH*, the heroine managed to catch her teammate in a most comforting bridal carry.

"Thanks for the save, snack cakes," Rotty offered her gratitude as she patted her partner on the shoulder.

"Sure, but we're not out of the woods yet. There's no doubt Nila's gunning for us, so we'd better-!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Nila shouted as she descended upon the other young women with the intent to destroy them.

"Aaaaand that's our cue! HAAAH!" Shantae hollered out, still carrying Rottytops in her arms as the zombie maiden hurriedly wrapped her arms around the genie's shoulders.

"Heh! Now, this brings back memories…" Rotty joked, finding some form of nostalgic humor in being carried along.

"Not the fondest ones, but yeah!" Shae remarked as the two of them dashed ahead. Meanwhile, Nila stuck her landing and immediately pursued them. And as the girls ran (or were carried) for their lives, Shantae scoped out the immediate area and noticed that they were dealing with another fragmented catwalk. Only, instead of steam pits, they faced a series of swinging anchors, floating switches, and an EXTREMELY homicidal Admiral hot on their tails. "HAH!" Shantae hollered as she made the first of many daring leaps across the catwalk's many gaps.

"Whoa! You've seriously got hops, Shantae!" Rottytops complimented, though she had to tighten her grip to keep from falling.

"Thanks, but you can gush more about that later!" the genie countered, hopping over another gap and flinging her head forward while in midair to strike a floating switch with a *THWAP* of her Hair Whip. With a clicking *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK*, a broken-off section of the catwalk shifted backward, allowing the girls to land safely and keep running.

"Oh, no, you don't! DIE!" Nila shouted from behind as she fired another *THOOM* of her grenade launcher high and far.

"Snack cakes, look out! Ketchup-Head just fired another shot at us!" Rotty frantically warned.

"Think you can cover for me? You have some Pike Balls on you, right?" Shae requested as she shifted and readjusted Rotty's position while running at full speed.

"Sure do! But I don't know if you should trust my aim…" the uncertain zombie warned.

"Doesn't matter where you aim; just make sure you can either stop those grenades in midair or slow Nila down!" the hurried half-genie assured as she hopped over another gap and struck another bridge-shifting switch with a *THWACK* of her Hair Whip. Accordingly, another section of the catwalk slid over with another *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK* to give the girls another safe spot to land on. Just as they landed, Nila's grenade launcher round struck the surface and blasted a chunk of the catwalk away with another fiery *KRABLAAAM*.

"Ohh! Well, in that case…" Rotty trailed off with a mischievous grin as she reached into her top and jostled her hand around… um… I-I'm not sure why she picked NOW of all times to start playing with her body, but I'm sure it was for a good reason. "D'oh, come on…! This must be the wrong sized bra or something…! Mmph…!" she complained as she kept on trying. She seemed to have a bit of trouble at first because of how much jiggling and bouncing she was doing while being secured in her genie teammate's arms, which prompted her to carefully let go of Shantae's shoulders to wrap an arm under her own breasts to squeeze them together. Rotty then dug her other hand deeper into her top to try and find what she was looking for. This didn't go unnoticed by the genie in question, however…

"Come on, girl, what's the deal?" Shantae questioned, momentarily glancing at Rotty's chest before looking her in the eye while she kept up her sprint and hopped past a swinging anchor over another small gap in the catwalk. Hitting another switch along the way with an additional *THWAP* of her Hair Whip, the Olympic athlete that was Shantae caused another *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK* of a catwalk shift that allowed them to continue trying to get away from the Ammonian lunatic trying to blow them to pieces with her grenade launcher. "I get it if the ride's a bit bumpy, but you might want to wait until we're in a safe enough spot for you to adjust your bra."

"Sorry! I'm looking for the Pike Balls you asked for… which…" Rotty explained, though she trailed off as soon as she grabbed hold of something in her shirt. And within the next instant… "Got 'em!" she announced as she pulled out two spiked metal balls that each had to EASILY be the size of her head! Just then, Nila fired another round at them from behind with a most nerve-wracking *THOOM*. "HYAH!" she grunted as she threw one Pike Ball after the other. One of them collided with Nila's projectile, causing a deafening *KRABLAAAANG* of an explosion in midair. The other went whizzing straight at their assailant's head.

"WHAH!" Nila hollered, dive rolling under the lightning quick spherical projectile before making a most impressive leap across one of the gaps to keep herself in the race. "Oh, I'm going to make you PAY for that!"

"Looks like that slowed her down just a bit, but she's still in hot pursuit," Rotty warned Shae as the half-genie jumped over another gap just in time to BARELY miss being hit by the clinking, rattling *GAZHWOOORRRSH* of a swinging anchor along the way.

"Figured as much. If the pressure gets too heavy, then maybe we can use your Concealer Ring to throw her off our trail!" Shae suggested as she kept her focus on the obstacles ahead.

"Ohh, yeah! I forgot I HAD this thing!" Rotty realized, glancing at the onyx, amethyst-encrusted ring affixed to her finger. "Why don't we use it right now?"

"Because we want to at least try save it for when we really need it. For now, let's just keep moving while you distract her," Shantae advised as she hopped over one more gap and hit another switch with a *THWAP* of her Hair Whip that moved the floor with another *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK*, followed by her sprinting along the platform to hop over one more gap that had not one but TWO pendulous chained anchors swinging across it. "If we use the Concealer Ring too soon, Nila's gonna catch on for sure."

"A good enough point, I guess, but… HAH!" Rotty began her point as she pulled out another Pike Ball and hurled it as hard as she could at Nila, who destroyed it with a *THOOM* and *KRABLOMBOMBOOOM* of a round from her grenade launcher. "…but how much better is it to keep running from her like this when we're in plain view?"

"Not much, but at least we'll have the element of surprise on our side when the opportunity presents itself. Plus, I'm sure there's gonna be other Ammonian soldiers waiting for us in the lower area… Speaking of which…" Shae trailed off as she reached the end of the corridor, where a downward ladder awaited the duo. Rather than take the ladder the conventional way, Shantae opted to jump down with Rottytops held tightly in her arms. "WOO-HAH!" she hollered just as another *KRABLOOOWWSH* of a missed explosive round blew the ladder to smithereens.

"What in the WORLD…!? These brats are slippery, I'll give 'em THAT much…! But there's no way they'll get past the next part…" Nila murmured to herself as she did her best to catch up…

Another surprisingly steep drop later…

"SHOOM!" Rottytops acrobatically somersaulted through the air, landing on her feet.

"WHAAHAAAAH!" Shantae… not-so-acrobatically flailed her limbs as she haplessly fell.

"I'll save you!" the zombie heroine announced as she held her arms out and braced herself. And with a reassuring *PLOUGH*, Rotty caught her teammate in a comfortable bridal carry… Wait, didn't I say the exact same thing a section ago?

"Whew… Thanks for the assist, Rotty," Shae smilingly offered her gratitude as she wrapped her arms around her teammate's shoulders rather than take the opportunity to get down.

"No biggie! Although, it looks like it's my turn to carry you. Hope ya don't mind the shaky trip, babe, because we're going up and down and all around!" Rottytops excitedly informed as she took off sprinting through the next section of the trap-infested catwalk maze with Shantae in tow.

"I'm trusting you know what to do by this point, right?" the genie asked for assurance.

"Of course not! I'm just winging it!" the zombie sprinter oh-so-comfortingly informed as she hopped over the first massive gap while avoiding another anchor swing. Despite not getting the reassurance she was looking for, Shantae took the liberty of hitting the next airborne switch with another *THWAP* of her Hair Whip. And with yet another *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK*, the catwalk shifted again to give Rottytops a safe landing space.

"Ah, I had a feeling you'd say that. The obstacles are SLIGHTLY more difficult this time around, so try to pace yourself and I'll guide you through," she warned, taking note of the incoming floating Pike Ball fields congregated between some of the gaps.

"I'm counting on you, then!" Rotty offered her vote of confidence just as another *THOOM* of a certain Naval officer's weapon went off behind them.

"Not a chance, Nila! YAAAH!" Shantae hollered as she charged up a small supply of magic into her hand and flung a fireball with a *FROOOWSH* at the incoming explosive. And with another glorious airborne *KRABOMBOMBOOOOM*, the explosive was neutralized. Shortly afterward, however, Rottytops began closing the distance on the massive WALL of Pike Balls blocking their path.

"Snack cakes! What do we do here!?"

"Keep going! I've got this!" Shantae assured as she looked ahead, took aim, and pressed a magic-charged finger to her tiara gem. And with an immediate *KAKWAAAARSH*, the Crimson Laser was fired directly into the Pike Ball wall, where every last one of the spiky obstacles was blown sky high with an enormous *KABLOMBLOMBLOMBOMBOMBOM*, allowing Rottytops to long jump through the thick smoke clouds and onto the next piece of the catwalk.

"WHOA-HO-HO-HO! That was totally KILLER!" the zombie maiden cheered in amazement, though she didn't miss a step. She followed up by hopping over another gap after the fact that had THREE swinging anchors blocking their path. *VWOOOORSH* after *WHUUURFF* after *FWOOOMMF*, the girls sailed past the anchors in one well-timed hop, after which Rotty kept on dashing forth once she landed on the next catwalk section.

"WHOO!" Shantae also cheered, holding onto her best friend for dear life as they kept their unorthodox teamwork strong. "You're a lot better at this than you gave yourself credit for, y'know!"

"I would hope I give that impression, considering our footrace not so long ago! Plus, I'm not exactly an amateur when it comes to hazardous obstacle courses! You already know!"

"Indeed, I do! Now, let's keep going!" the genie passenger commanded as she pointed forward, motivating her teammate to pick up the pace. The Lethal Leading Ladies continued to emphasize their undeniable teamwork when they came across another Pike Ball-laden gap while Nila fired another grenade launcher round. Rather than panic, however, our adolescent adventurers kept it pushing. With a *KAKWAAARSH* of Shantae's Crimson Laser and subsequent, gloriously flashy *KRABLOMBOMBOMBOMBOOOM* of the Pike Balls in front of them exploding all at once, the half-genie cleared the way. Right on cue, Rottytops took a MAJOR leap of faith, confidently sailing over the gap and onto the next catwalk section as she sprinted along with her partner comfortably held in her arms. And just as it seemed Nila's round would make a direct hit, Rottytops turned her head for just a second to notice it coming.

"Incoming frag, snack cakes! Six o'clock!" Rotty warned as she turned her gaze ahead to stay focused.

"Gotcha covered! TYAAAAH!" Shae acknowledged as she charged up another fireball in her hand and flung it at the airborne warhead. And with another *FWOOORSH* and following *KRABLOMBOMBOOOM*, the sharpshooting half-genie eliminated the explosive before it could do either of them any harm.

"Thanks a bunch, kitten~!" Rotty offered her gratitude with the brightest of grins on her face.

"Not an issue, Rottytops! Also, I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" a hotly flustered Shae demanded with a slightly embarrassed blush on her face as she shot her friend the most adorable scowl she could muster.

"Oops! My bad…" the rambunctious zombie girl 'apologized,' though it was clear by her laughter that she took humor in using the Forbidden Nickname. Nevertheless, the Lethal Leading Ladies continued on.

"You have got to be KIDDING ME!" Nila shouted in increased frustration as she did her best to give chase, hopping along and dodging many of the same obstacles with hardly an issue. "How in the heck are these freaks so fast, even when they're LITERALLY TAKING TURNS CARRYING EACH OTHER!? That does it…! You brats wanna treat this like some dumb game? Then be prepared to lose HORRIBLY…!" she growled as she pulled out a whistle and blew into it as hard as she could. Upon the screeching *WHIIRIRRRRRRRR* of said whistle, a group of Ammonian soldiers came charging through some doors on the lower levels with guns loaded, aimed, and ready to completely blow away the opposition. Meanwhile, Nila fired another *THOOM* of a round from her weapon.

"Uh-oh… Looks like they're about to-! HAH!" Shantae was about to mention before launching another fireball with a *FWOOORSH* at an incoming grenade launcher round, exploding it in the air with another *BABLOMBOMBOMBOMBOOOOM* while Rottytops hopped over another giant gap to avoid another pair of swinging anchors. Shantae made sure to hit the next bridge-shifting switch with another *THWIP* of her Hair Whip to move another portion of catwalk toward them with another *WHIRKRIKRIKRIKRIK*. "Looks like they're putting the pressure on now!" she pointed out as the soldiers on the lower catwalks opened fire with *RATTATTATTATs*, *BANGs*, and *KABLAMs* galore.

"YIKES!" Rottytops bellowed in surprise, ducking low as she could to avoid the heavy precipitation of gunfire while she kept her sprint up.

"Just a little more, Rotty! We're almost at the next ladder!" the heroine cheered on as she aimed a Crimson Laser at another wall of floating Pike Balls. And with one more fantastic *KAKAWAAAARSH* and subsequent *KRABLOMBOMBOMBOMB*, the obstacle was cleared just in time for the girls to make another leap of faith over the final gap of the section. Only…

"Not THIS time, you brats!" Nila shouted as she fired a *THOOM* of a grenade launcher round aimed low.

"What the…? Where did she just shoot her next round?" the frantic zombie girl questioned, though her curiosity would turn to dread as soon as she saw the round zip under her feet while she was in midair. "Oh, no…"

"Shoot, shoot, shoot…! BUBBLE!" Shantae hurriedly announced, summoning up a reflective barrier with a lifesaving *VWOOORNG*. Why did I say 'lifesaving,' you ask? Well, check THIS out… Nila's grenade launcher round struck the final strip of the walkway directly JUST as the girls were about to land on it. And with the MIGHTIEST *KRABWOOOORRSH* of the explosive detonating right in front of them just as Shantae summoned up her Reflector Bubble, she and Rottytops were sent RIPPING downward in the opposite direction toward the next catwalk… while stuck in the bubble.

"WAHAAHAAHAA-BLOH-GHAHA-HA-BORGHO-GAGOGOHOGH!" both heroines could be heard shouting and grunting in collective pain and terror as they went BOUNCING AND BOWLING ALL OVER THE NEXT CATWALK! Seriously, it was like the girls got tossed into a washing machine set on the strongest spin cycle imaginable as the they rolled, bounced, and bumped all over this nightmarish obstacle course with *BADWOONG* after *BISSSHK* after dense, yet ethereal *BWABWIRRSH* of the barrier against every surface it hit.

"COME ON! LET'S SHOW THESE PUNK KIDS WHO-!" one foolishly brave Ammonian soldier tried to encourage as he stood in the way to try and catch the girls in the bubble… only to be flattened with a *KAPRACK* of the speedy two-woman wrecking ball smashing right into his face. "…Owww…"

"DON'T JUST LET THEM SPIN ALONG LIKE A TIRE DOWN A HILL! SHOOT THEM!" Nila demanded, noticing that her subordinates were more than a bit distracted by the increasingly bizarre phenomenon unfolding before them. Snapped back to attention, the soldiers redoubled their efforts chasing down the hapless heroes as they hit another wall and were sent tumbling down an INCREDIBLY long, gap-riddled stairwell… And I now come to realize that, for a ship that seemed so state-of-the-art, its interior seemed AWFULLY hazard-prone. Seriously, this thing is one bad workplace accident away from a massive lawsuit… "It's by design! Shut up!" Nila correctively shouted at me… SUPER RUDELY SO, might I add! Hmph!

Anyway, Shantae and Rottytops continuously bounced and hurtled down the ridiculously long, steep stairwell with no form of control over where they were going. Meanwhile, Ammonian soldiers from all directions tried to shoot them down with endless *POPs*, *POWs*, and *PAKRASHes* of their guns. It… wouldn't exactly work, however, as any bullets that DID strike the barrier were sent ricocheting back at their shooters, causing them to duck out of the way. Worse yet, Ammonian soldiers who'd initially been climbing up the stairwell would find this to be their second greatest mistake… by way of them being crushed or knocked out with *PRAKLOCK* after *THRAK* after *KAKROCK* of the evidently LETHAL shield against their fragile faces and bodies… but mostly their faces. Even better, the girls found themselves SOARING over multiple gaps, switches, and swinging anchors… only to be faced with ANOTHER Pike Ball wall at the bottom of the staircase while the barrier finally wore off.

"WHAAAAH!" the zombie maiden screamed, flailing about as she helplessly tried to keep from crashing face-first into a pile of spiky metal spheres.

"Gotta make this one quick…! HAAAH!" the half-genie somehow found herself focused enough to urge herself as she took aim while in midair and fired a *KAKWAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser at the Pike Ball wall. And with a resultant *KRABWOMBOMBOMBLOMBOOOOM*, she cleared the obstacle out of the way! Now, if only she had a plan for how to cushion their landing… I say this because the young ladies IMMEDIATELY smacked into the wall with twin *KRATOOOOONGs* of their bodies against the dense, metallic pipes lined up across the wall. Soon after, they landed with a collectively loud *THUD* against the platform with Shantae falling flat on her back while Rotty fell on top of her. "Oooogh…! That's gonna sting in the morning for sure…"

"No kidding…" Rotty agreed, shifting to a seated position while straddling the other young woman beneath her and shaking her head to reorient herself. The Lethal Leading Ladies' moment of peace would be short-lived, however…

"THEY'RE VULNERABLE! GET THEM NOW!" Nila was heard shouting from three or four levels above, prompting soldiers that WEREN'T flattened or crushed by the two-woman wrecking ball to immediately take aim.

"Oh, crud!" Rotty cursed as she turned her head and spotted at least seven soldiers along the previous stairwell preparing to unload entire magazines of ammunition on them.

"Rotty! The shield! Cover us with the shield!" Shantae frantically suggested, making no immediate move to slip from under her teammate.

"Ah! O-okay!" the mildly frightened zombie girl acknowledged, pulling out the Draco-Steel Shield, pressing it to her back, and bending over to cover herself and her partner. The girls also made sure to slip their feet under the shield to basically treat it like a turtle shell as a HEAVY fusillade of *RATATATATINKTINKTINKTINKs*, *KRABLOOOWMs*, and *TRADWOOONGs* of all sorts of rounds collided against the sturdy weapon. "Heh… S-so, I know this might be a bad time to say this, but I… was wondering when the day would come where we'd get this close to each other, snack cakes. I just… had a slightly different idea about—!"

"Save your trifling jokes for AFTER we get out of this mess, please. Now is NOT the time to start being fresh with me," a thoroughly unamused Shantae shut her teammate down as the two pressed tightly against one another for protection.

"Oh? Then when would be a good ti—?"

"FOCUS!" the half-genie commanded as she grasped her teammate by the cheeks, shutting her down even harder. "This might be a really good opportunity to activate the Concealer Ring. With any hope, it should buy us enough time to maybe use your Head Warp to teleport down to the Engine Room undetected."

"Ah. Yeah, good plan. Just hang on tight, then. I'll take care of the rest…" Rottytops acknowledged and obeyed. As such, the undead sidekick stretched out a hand and pressed a finger on the other hand to the ring on her opposing ring finger. And… W-WHOA! They… They disappeared! The girls… their shield… all of it… They completely vanished! Or, so it seemed… Either way, the Ammonian soldiers immediately stopped firing when they watched the dragon-themed shield disappear into thin air without warning. Clueless, the soldiers nearest to their adversaries kept their guns aimed as they slowly, but surely approached the spot the girls were last seen. Of course, there was ONE soldier who knew better… and in response to the sudden disappearing act…

"What the heck did you stop firing for!? They're still there! Just invisible! Keep shooting!" Nila shouted as she hopped over the railing of one of the catwalks to fall a good two or three stories to land with a powerful *PATWOOOONG* of her boots against the metal flooring at the midway point of the steep staircase.

"How do you figure that, Admiral?" one of her subordinates asked.

"Because the zombie has some sort of weird ring that allows her and whoever she touches to vanish from sight for a short time. I've seen it for myself in the recent past… They're trying to delay the inevitable! Now, come on! Keep on firing before-!" she was about to order once again before a distant *thud* was heard coming from near the bottom of the ship another four or five stories below. "…Did… Did you just hear that?"

"Yeah… What do you think that was?" another soldier inquired out of utmost curiosity as she peered around the hazardous catwalk.

"…Another DIRTY TRICK OF THEIRS!" Nila realized after a couple seconds of thought, beyond INCENSED at the potential unfavorable development. Aiming her grenade launcher at the spot the girls were last seen, Nila had ZERO intention of letting the pair of punk teenagers escape her sight… or her fiery wrath as she fired a *THOOM* of her grenade launcher in hopes of destroying the intruders once and for all. Only, right as soon as she fired the round, a small, swirling purple vortex appeared at the spot in question. A series of skeleton hands came sprouting up from the portal, grasping onto some object that couldn't be seen, after which the hands retreated into the portal… and then the portal disappeared with a *Whoosh* before the grenade launcher round hit the platform and OBLITERATED it with another startling *KRABWOMBLOMBOMBOMBOOOOOOM*. "NO! DARN IT!"

"I… I'm confused… What happened?" a third clueless officer queried as he scratched his head and lowered his rifle.

"ALL OF YOU GET OUT! GET OFF THE SHIP AND GET YOURSELVES TO SAFETY!" Nila ordered out of nowhere, scaring the wits out of her subordinates.

"Good graces, Admiral! What's the ma-!"

"Those intruders just TELEPORTED down to the Engine Room, and they're planning on destroying the ship! Get everyone else and get out of here NOW! I have to go and stop them, but I need you all to be safe in case I can't!" she hollered, drawing collective gasps from all the soldiers who were in earshot.

"But wait! Admiral, we can-!"

"THAT'S AN ORDER! GO!" Nila hollered as she dashed through the staircases floor by floor, leaving a hefty collection of worried soldiers behind her. And while they were not as certain of the severity of the situation as their commander was, the soldiers followed her orders nevertheless. "Darn it…! This is going to cost me a TON more than my job if I can't pull this off…! Hashanah's gonna be FURIOUS…!"

At the aft of the S.S. Blue Barbara…

The trip to the bottom of the big, blue battleship was a lengthy one, but our lovely Lethal Leading Ladies persevered and smashed through all challenges. Their valiant efforts paid off in full as they braved the dangers posed by the Ammonian Army, and they succeeded through no shortage of blood, sweat, and tears… is what I WOULD say if the girls didn't skip the latter HALF of the obstacle course with a couple of sweet, nifty tricks to make their job a LOT easier than it would've been for anyone who DIDN'T have access to vast reserves of magic, invisibility, teleportation, jewelry-borne laser beams, and a whopping PLETHORA of other resources… but I digress. Still, the girls certainly had their work cut out for them, and their tireless efforts to get to this point should DEFINITELY not be taken lightly. That said, the girls were foisted from another interdimensional skeleton portal in full view with an enigmatic *Vwoosh*, with both of them landing squarely on their feet.

"Hah… We finally made it…" Shantae remarked, taking a breath of relief as she peered around to see that she and her partner were surrounded by dim, dingy, rusty walls and TONS of pipes that ran across the walls and ceiling that stretched and curved many, MANY different directions. The only lighting to be offered were the blinking alarm lights… and the much brighter rays of light coming from beyond the locked, heavily secured door in front of them that read 'ENGINE ROOM.'

"Looks like it…" Rottytops additionally acknowledged as she straightened her head and took in the not-so-welcoming view for herself. Meanwhile, Shantae inspected the door to notice that it had a series of complicated locks and bars all over it, making certain that no unauthorized personnel could simply wander on in.

"Darn… This door is sealed tight," the half-genie observed as she scoured the corridor with her eyes. "And much as I'd like us to simply smash our way through, I don't want to risk setting off other alarms or potentially causing an explosion from being too reckless…"

"Hm. Well, if this room was anything like the first one we entered, then maybe there's another little switch puzzle we have to solve to get in?"

"Come on, Rotty. That would be WAY too simple. There's no way they'd use the SAME security measure for the most delicate room on the ship."

"Homegirl, we're talking about the AMMONIAN ARMY here. As in, the raccoon enthusiast doofuses that unironically follow an arrogant, smooth-brained gorilla like AMMO BARON," the undead young woman sardonically remarked, eliciting a chuckle out of her teammate.

"…Smooth-brained? Never heard that insult before…"

"Yep, and the saying goes that the smoother one's brain is, the dumber they are. There's no doubt that Ammo Baron's brain could be compared to fine silk, by that logic. And speaking of brains like silk…" Rotty transitioned as she pointed up to the ceiling to reveal… TA-DAAAAH! The EXACT SAME overly simplistic reflector puzzle they solved when they first began their trek through the interior of the S.S. Blue Barbara. As Shantae took a gander for herself…

"…Oh, my goodness. They REALLY did that…" she remarked with a sigh and slap of her hand on her forehead. Evidently, she had expected far better than the sheer, smooth-brained, incompetent corner-cutting perpetrated by the Ammonian Army. "Now, THAT'S just sad…"

"Sad for them, convenient for us," Rottytops uncaringly remarked with a laugh and shrug as she busted out the Draco-Steel Shield and got herself into position. "Mind doing the honors, snack cakes?"

"Sure thing," Shantae obliged as she also took up her own position, took aim, and fired a *KAKWAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser at the shield. With another *TWAAAANG*, *TWOOOM*, and *Kraklick* of a switch being pressed by a ricocheting laser, every lock on the door to the oh-so-protected Engine Room disengaged automatically. Within seconds, the door swung open to invite the supposedly unwelcome guests into the well-lit confines of the chamber that served as the ENTIRE REASON the boat was able to move at all. "Whelp… That was a lot easier than I was expecting. Let's roll on through and seal the deal here, Rotty."

"You got it, Shae," Rottytops obliged, putting away the shield and following Shantae's lead as the girls strolled unhindered into the Engine Room. And once they were in, they were greeted with a spacious, bright, blue-hued room full to the brim with all sorts of complicated machinery I wasn't sure I could rightly describe. Across nearly every wall were meters, wires, pipes, and tubes of various sizes going in all sorts of different angles, safety signs high and low, and all sorts of tanks and containers abound. And as the girls walked into the Engine Room and climbed down a small flight of stairs… "Wow, this room is A LOT bigger than I thought it'd be… Where are we supposed to find the engine?"

"What do you mean? They're right in front of us," the informative genie revealed, pointing to four gigantic, cylindrical tanks with railing surrounding them and piping that stretched in multiple directions leading all across the Engine Room and through the wall at the back of the room with another door on the side.

"Oh… Heh… I-I knew that. I was just… seeing if you knew," the flustered zombie tried her best to play off as she tittered and rubbed the back of her head. "But just to test your knowledge… You said here THEY are? As in, there are multiple engines?"

"Yep. I'm not an expert on technologically enhanced ships, but I know they generally have multiple engines, fuel tanks, and even heating and cooling apparatuses designed to keep the ship moving while also keeping it from overheating or overclocking. There's even a separate room down on the other end of this room where you'd find the ventilation system, though we don't have to worry about that for this trip. That aside, if the ship was in motion, there would usually be people down here who routinely manage and monitor the conditions of the engines while also screening for potential errors that, if left unchecked, could cause a MAJOR meltdown."

"Oooooh… How do you know all this stuff?"

"Partly from Uncle going on a tangent about it when he used to homeschool me, and partly from Tayshan giving me the quick and dirty of it once upon a time when we went together on one of my dancing tours in the Nation of United Seams back in January. We happened to stumble upon a museum exhibit when we had free time to spend together," she casually explained as she scanned the machinery up and down with her eyes. Huh… This young lady is full of surprises, that's for sure.

"I… Wow. I see… I guess I should take notes for the next time we get the chance to infiltrate a military battleship with the intent to blow it up," Rotty half-joked with a shrug and scratch of her head. "Still, it's a wonder why no one's in here to-!" she was about to point out.

"WARNING! WARNING! THE INTRUDERS HAVE REACHED THE ENGINE ROOM! I REPEAT! THE INTRUDERS HAVE REACHED THE ENGINE ROOM! WE HAVE NOW ENTERED A STAGE-6 COMBAT SITUATION! CLEAR THE S.S. BLUE BARBARA UNTIL THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED AND THE INTRUDERS HAVE BEEN NEUTRALIZED!" shouted the same voice from earlier over the intercom.

"Well, I guess THAT would explain what I was about to say," the zombie maiden acknowledged with a shrug. "I guess they figure they can't stop us now that we're down here. It's just weird that they'd give up like that, though."

"Not really, when you consider just how sensitive this equipment is," Shae countered as she continued to walk around, looking the engines up and down.

"What do you mean?"

"If they came in here with their guns blazing and their bombs booming, they'd risk damaging the equipment here, which would spell disaster for EVERYONE involved. Seriously, one stray bullet that hit the wrong spot could cause a MASSIVE explosion. Seems like they'd rather play it safe, though I wouldn't be surprised if Nila was to barge in here alone."

"Hm. Putting it that way, you make a lot of sense. And if Ketchup-Head DOES show up, I guess we'll need to be ready. Although, a thought just occurred to me because we're on the topic…"

"What's up?"

"What do we do to blow this ship up without being caught in the explosion ourselves?" Rotty asked, raising an excellent point. "It's one thing to destroy the engines themselves, but if we aren't careful, it could spell total disaster for us if it's true that they could explode. Unless that magic barrier of yours can withstand explosions happening right in your face from as little as four feet away…?"

"A good question, though I've already got SOMETHING of an idea…"

"Oh, yeah? What do you have planned?"

"It's tough to know if this will work without having tested it before, but…" Shantae trailed off, pulling out an odd, olive-colored, pine cone-like object with a lever and metal key stuck in it.

"Wait… Is… Is that one of those FRAG GRENADES from way back when!?" Rottytops asked her next question in total surprise as she took a good look at the weapon in her teammate's hand. "I… I thought you made all the weapons from that other world disappear!" she further remarked, though I don't really understand what she meant. 'Other world?' Like, the Genie Realm? Hm… Not sure…

"I did. This is a replica Tayshan made once upon a time," she explained as she examined what I guess we'll call the Replica Frag Grenade. "He made this and the other three I have purely from memory, so they may not be as strong as the ones from back then. That said, we can set them up near the engines after I tie the keys together with some of my Spider form's webbing that I crafted before we boarded the ship. It'll give us the ability to pull all the pins at once after we set the grenades near the engines. After that, we'll have three or four seconds to escape. And before you ask, I'll Warp Dance us back to the island we first landed on to get enough distance to watch the fireworks. It's our safest option by far."

"Huh… Wow, Shantae…"

"Hm? What?" the genie asked as she turned her gaze back to her friend.

"I… I have to say, I'm REALLY impressed with how amazing you've been today," Rotty praised out of nowhere, catching the half-genie by surprise.

"Wha? I'm not sure what you mean. We're only doing our usual thing…"

"I suppose, but like… I've noticed again and again since we began our date… You're so much more coordinated now… more self-assured and confident… more knowledgeable… and more capable of thinking on the fly and coming up with all these incredible strategies for us that have saved us or cleared the path for us time and time again… Honestly, I can't help but be blown away by how much you've improved inside and out, and I'm beyond glad you took me along to witness it for myself today…"

"Rotty, what… w-what are you going on about?" Shantae dared to ask, growing flustered as her cheeks flushed and she batted her gaze away. "We're just… uh…"

"…Is… Is this what being in a healthy relationship really does for you? Or like, is this what it's like to really know yourself and be comfortable in your own skin?" the zombie maiden asked in genuine curiosity. And despite the strong nature of her endless compliments and questions, the genie heroine got a clue as she nodded to herself for a second before turning her attention back to her teammate.

"I see what you're getting at. And to that, I'll say it's… a mixture of growing at your own pace… and… well, making improvements alongside someone who motivates you just as much as he motivates himself to improve," she shared, her blush only growing deeper as she took a moment to breathe. "I'm surprised to see you've noticed a difference in me, but… y-yeah, you've just gotta believe there's always room to grow, and then you embrace your growth with every lesson you learn."

"I gotcha…"

"Yep. And… w-well, it helps a lot… to have a boyfriend who accepts you without question or condition and encourages you to always look ahead while staying true to yourself… It… I-I can't really explain it well, so I'm sorry if I sound like I'm rambling, but the major point is… that the love Tayshan and I share… beyond the Soul-Link, beyond the nearly impossible odds that we'd even meet each other, and beyond the trauma we've both suffered… it's always warmer than morning sunlight… genuine like a sparkling diamond dug from a mine… just as unbreakable… and absolutely driven by a mutual desire to make each other as happy as can be… and that makes me doubly motivated to always handle myself on adventures like I've got some sense."

"Huh…"

"I'll go on the record and admit that I've taken some influence from his approach to adventures, which is why I've gotten so much better at improvising," Shantae shared with a modest chuckle. "And I'm sure you've noticed from when you guarded Scuttle Town with him that he's taken some influence from me as well. He tends to trust his instincts more, and is quicker on his feet like I am."

"…That's… true when you put it that way, but I suppose I have to watch him in action one more time to get a better clue on his part…" Rottytops remarked as she rubbed a hand under her chin and listened intently.

"You'll see when you go on your next adventure with him. Buuut we can discuss this more after we wrap things up here. You about ready to set off the fireworks that put the cherry on top of our little 'date?'"

"Oh! Hah, you BET I am! Goodness, who'd have thought you'd be so romantic about the way we bring our quality time to a most spectacular finish?"

"You know me. I always do things big," Shantae remarked with a giggle and a wink as she was about to get set with laying the grenade trap. That was, before…

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU FILTHY LITTLE WENCHES!" shouted a familiarly unfriendly feminine voice as its owner came stomping in through the entrance to the Engine Room, catching her enemies' attention as they stopped in their tracks.

"Ah, it's about time you caught up, Ketchup-Head!" Rottytops was first to disrespectfully address the angry grenade launcher-wielding redhead.

"No thanks to your insipid shenanigans, zombie!" Nila shouted at the undead maiden in equal disrespect. "Now, if neither of you wants to be sent home in a box today, you'll leave this room, leave this SHIP, and GET THE HECK AWAY FROM THESE ISLANDS! If you don't, I'll demolish the two of you…!"

"Yeeeeaaaaaah, no, that's definitely NOT how this 'negotiation' thing works," Shantae bravely, albeit casually shot the hostile suggestion down. "I was hoping you'd take the time to think about what to say before you got down here instead of chasing us and trying to blow us up with that grenade launcher this entire time. Buuut now that we're here, do you want to reconsider?"

"What!? NO, I don't want to 'reconsider!' I want you idiots OFF MY BATTLESHIP!" Nila fought through a moment of intense vexation to demand once again.

"And we'll gladly leave…" the half-genie calmly communicated her willingness to oblige, catching the Admiral by surprise yet again.

"You will?" Nila asked, though she anticipated her enemy's reply.

"Yeah, what? We will?" Rotty also asked, raising an eyebrow at her teammate.

"Yes. After we rig it to explode," Shantae reiterated to Nila's continued agitation and Rottytops's amusement as the zombie maiden giggled. "That is, unless you agree to take your ship and your crew, and go home, never to return, Nila. You're in the way of something important to us, and we don't exactly want to get our hands dirtier than we already have."

"You've got SOME nerve, genie girl…!" Nila growled in frustration as she put the grenade launcher away. "I won't let you destroy my ship! I also won't let you try and strongarm me into bending to your will! I'm not one of your spineless lackeys!"

"Shantae doesn't have any 'spineless lackeys.' She has excellent friends and allies. YOU, on the other hand, are Hashanah's spineless lackey," Rottytops cut in, only infuriating Nila further to the point where the poor Admiral looked like she was about to have an aneurysm. "Speaking of which, I'm surprised she isn't here to bail you out. You DO know you can't beat either of us by yourself, don't you? You're completely outmatched here, and it's honestly a surprise you still followed us down here instead of turning tail like the rest of your gang. What's the deal?"

"Shut your brain-munching yap, zombie! And my 'deal' is none of your business!" the furious redhead roared, her patience having long since worn out.

"Listen, Nila, we really don't have to fight," Shantae urged, her tone remaining calm. "Why do you even want to guard these islands so bad? What use would some random archipelago in the middle of the ocean have for the Ammonian Army?"

"…" Nila remained silent, refusing to give the girls any information. Unfortunately, her disquieted facial expression gave her away.

"Not ready to admit it yet, huh? Well, how about I tell you the real reason we think you're here. Chances are, this has nothing to do with the Ammonian Army. Instead, Hashanah must've put you up to this," the half-genie guessed, shocking the Admiral nearly stiff.

"Gah…! Ergh…" Nila grunted despite her best efforts to keep silent. Her actions would give her away, however…

"That's what I thought," the ponytailed heroine expertly deduced. "You know the secret these islands hold, and you're guarding this place because Hashanah told you to. Aren't you?"

"…Hmph. How very perceptive of you…" Nila admitted after breathing out a heavy sigh of frustration.

"It wasn't really that hard to figure it out, considering the last time you and I ran into each other," Shantae continued to press. "But you have to understand that we CANNOT let you get in the way of our hunt for the other pieces of the Spirit Fuser. We'll also need to have a word with Hashanah herself after we're done here, so we hope you'll deliver our message to her."

"Yeah, well good luck with THAT…!" the Ammonian zealot spat in disdain. "Because as we speak, she now has TWO pieces of it, and you wouldn't stand a chance…!"

"Oh, we know she's got two pieces now. That's particularly why we're here to collect this piece. We're putting a stop to your efforts to help her get her hands on the rest of it."

"Yeah, well I-!" Nila was about to argue until she registered what Shantae had just told her. "Wait… What? What do you mean you KNOW she has two pieces?"

"I meant exactly what I said. We know she got her hands on another piece. Why are you so surprised about that?"

"Because there's no way you should know! She went on the excursion for the second fragment completely alone, and she never mentioned running into either of you two along the way!"

"Oh, didn't she? That's interesting…" Rottytops pointed out with a scrutinizing look aimed squarely at hers and Shantae's shared adversary. "Did she at least happen to mention she ran into our other friend there?"

"What 'other friend?'" Nila dared to question.

"Oooh, that doesn't sound good…~" the zombie maiden further observed, shaking her head. Nevertheless, she offered her explanation. "She ran into a friend of ours who she forced to help her get that Spirit Fuser fragment. Our friend Sky, the blonde girl with the birds. They worked together to have her wind up with that fragment."

"WHAT!? You're LYING! She went there alone! She TOLD me she went alone! And she got the Spirit Fuser piece ALONE!"

"Well, we know from certain sources that she wasn't alone. At least, not the entire time, she wasn't. She bumped into Sky, and then she forced Sky to work with her to get her hands on the fragment in question, like I just said. Why would Hashanah leave that little detail out, hm? I wonder…"

"Rotty, I… I don't know if we should be the ones to tell her…" Shantae cautioned, suddenly nervous about how the Ammonian affiliate would react.

"Tell me what?" Nila questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That Hashanah totally tried to two-time on you by getting all 'close and comfy' with Sky when they ran into each other in the Capricious Titan Shrine," Rottytops unabashedly revealed, driving Nila's nerves through the roof.

"And you expect me to BELIEVE that load of hogwash!? I should execute the both of you RIGHT NOW for that!" the agitated Admiral outright threatened, refusing to believe the notion presented to her.

"No one said you had to believe us, but you should really consider why it is we're telling you in the first place," Rotty remarked with an uncaring shrug.

"Yeah, it isn't like we have anything to gain from it," Shantae added, though there was a slightly stronger tone of concern in her voice. "And do you seriously think Hashanah is REALLY so trustworthy if she's hiding things from you like this? Think about it for a second, Nila!"

"Argh, I don't have time for these LIES! You're clearly playing some stupid mind game, and it isn't going to work!" Nila rebutted in fury, clenching her fists as though she was preparing to punch through a wall of steel.

"Why would we waste time playing mind games with you? We're telling the truth! If you don't believe us, you should probably think to ask her! We know from Sky herself that she and Hashanah ran into each other in the Capricious Titan Shrine, and we also know from Sky that Hashanah was awfully fond of her nearly the entire time," Rottytops insisted. "How else would we even know the name of the place, on top of knowing Hashanah got the second Spirit Fuser piece from there?"

"Hm. Fine, I guess that makes enough sense as far as how you'd know she had it," Nila begrudgingly acknowledged after a moment of thought. Yet… "Your claim that Hashanah flirted with that blonde bird enthusiast, though? There's no way that happened! Even if they did meet in that ancient temple and it turned out they had to temporarily join forces, who's to say your friend isn't lying herself about the way their interaction went!? I'm not falling for your useless trick, nor will I entertain your baseless rumors!"

"We're not the kinds of people who play tricks or gossip like that, and you know that from working with us once," Shantae remarked in defense of herself and her friends. "And even if you don't believe what Sky said about Hashanah's interactions with her in the Capricious Titan Shrine, you at least have to take into account that the two DID run into each other there, and you DEFINITELY have to take into account that Hashanah apparently didn't tell you. The question you should REALLY ask is why Hashanah wouldn't give you all the details of her adventure. If she had nothing to hide, then she would've given you the full account as soon as you two met up again! Think, Nila!"

"Grraaaaah, ENOUGH! You fools are going to pay DEARLY for the trouble you've caused me and my army today, and you won't distract me with your tall tales about Hashanah! Get ready to perish!" Nila challenged, having reached her limit for how much arguing she wanted to do with the other young women standing before her.

"Ah… Well, I guess we're doing this, then," Shantae lamented with a sigh as she prepared herself for battle. Or at least, that was the case until…

"Don't worry about her, snack cakes. I can take her by myself," Rottytops volunteered, much to the surprise of the half-genie… and NONE of the surprise of the Ammonian affiliate standing before them as Nila glared and gritted her teeth.

"Whoa, what? Rotty, that's awfully brave of you, but I don't think we need to-!"

"Trust me, Shantae, she's not worth your time. Plus, I've got a point to prove to you, and a PERSONAL bone to pick with HER over what happened the last time you ran into her and her psycho girlfriend…! I'll GLADLY beat the lesson into her if she wants to pick a fight now…!" the determined zombie vowed retribution, her ruby-red eyes glimmering with vigor as she glared piping hot DEATH at Nila.

"Ooh… Wow, I can tell you're serious…" Shantae acknowledged in surprise at Rottytops's sudden change in tone and mood. "I guess this WOULD be a good time to see what you're capable of outside of a sparring match, so… Sure. Okay!" she further acknowledged and agreed to let the zombie maiden fight Nila alone.

"Oh, you wanna 'teach me a lesson' over what almost happened to that bumbling blue-haired buffoon, Dirt-For-Brains? Come on, then… I DARE you to try me…!" Nila basically GROWLED her challenge to Rottytops, growing more eager by the second to destroy her.

"Keep that energy up when I'm hardening my knuckles on your UGLY face, Nila! Now, get ready!" Rotty demanded, entering a most intimidating boxing stance as she squared up with the Admiral. Meanwhile, Shantae took the liberty of moving out of the way. Evidently curious to find out what her best friend had in store for their shared adversary, the genie girl walked toward one of the engines and leapt high to take her seat atop it as a spectator.

"I trust that you'll get the job done, Rotty, but don't be afraid to call for help if you need me," Shae advised. "Good luck!"

"Sure thing, girlfriend," the undead pugilist acknowledged with a nod, keeping her attention focused on the angry redheaded Ammonian commander standing before her. Yet, rather than simply get ready for the rematch of a lifetime right away… Nila… she seemed to grow IMMEDIATELY more agitated as she studied her opponent.

"…That fighting stance…!" the Admiral murmured, scowling hard enough that veins protruded from her forehead. "It's… It's just like HIS…!"

"Hm? Just like whose?" Rotty asked with a cocked eyebrow, though she didn't move from her battle pose.

"You… Now, I get it… That explains EVERYTHING about the last time you and I fought…! And especially what I've seen of you up to this point…! It's true…!"

"What's true, Ketchup-Head?" the impatient zombie girl asked again, growing agitated with her adversary's mumbling. "Spit it out already! You're starting to bore me."

"You got your fighting style from THE ASSASSIN!" Nila accused, pointing an accusatory finger at Rottytops.

"Oh, that? Yeah, what about it? Does it make you scared of me that I might know how to fight JUST LIKE the guy who singlehandedly wiped out your entire army, Nila? Hm?" Rotty taunted, shooting a brash, confident grin at her opponent as she took pride in making her more upset.

"No…! It makes me want to BURN YOU TO ASHES!" the Admiral shouted as she ripped her hat and coat off and tossed aside her sunglasses, revealing her burgundy sleeveless turtleneck and shining green eyes. She also revealed that her arms were fitted with some sort of cybernetic exoskeleton with what appeared to be a battery pack strapped to her back. "You should be so lucky I can't use firearms in this room, but I'll destroy you all the same…! If anything, ripping you into smaller chunks with my bare hands will be MUCH more cathartic…!"

"Whoa…! Wow, she came prepared…" Shantae acknowledged in mild surprise. Rottytops was not nearly as impressed, however, as she sneered at the Ammonian faction leader.

"Indeed I did, genie girl," Nila bragged, slamming a fist into the palm of her other hand, causing a steam-powered *PWOOF* of air to shoot out of the technological enhancements. "And you'd better BELIEVE I'll give YOU a run for your money after I finish putting your little friend down under where she belongs…!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Shantae quickly shut her down. "I only said that you were prepared. I didn't say anything about you actually standing a chance against me OR Rottytops. At best, you'll just give Rotty a halfway decent workout before she mops the floor with you."

"What was that!?" the angry Ammonian affiliate shouted, her anger only growing more intense with every disrespectful comment hurled her way.

"Does that mech upgrade cost you your ability to hear or something? She said I'm gonna mop the floor with you, and I'm about to give you a demonstration of what that's gonna look AND feel like for you!" Rottytops confidently taunted once again. "It's just such a shame you're so scared of being made to eat your own words again that you brought some fancy new toys to cheat your way to victory this time. You're so pathetic!" the zombie further laughingly derided her opponent.

"We'll see how much your tune will change AFTER I've gotten my revenge and given you a proper cremation, you ditzy zombie…!"

"Well then, ding ding, homegirl! The bell tolls, and I'm ready to roll…! Only, I have ONE thing to suggest before we get down to business."

"And that is…?"

"When you lose, you're fessing up EVERYTHING you know about the Crackling Crystal Castle. There's no way your cheating girlfriend sent you out here without telling you what to expect about this place."

"I'm not telling you ANYTHING of the sort! And stop accusing Hashanah of cheating on me! She would NEVER do that, and you have NO evidence to prove otherwise!"

"Then how about this?" Shantae interjected once more, seeming to have a proposal of sorts. "You tell us what we want to know after your fight with Rotty, and we'll MAYBE reconsi-!"

"CRAM IT, GENIE! I'M NOT NEGOTIATING WITH A DUET OF DUNDERHEADS LIKE YOU!" Nila roared in endless annoyance.

"Fine. Have it your way," Shae remarked with a sigh and shrug. "In that case, Rotty will beat you in this Boss Battle, and then we'll blow up your ship. That's the choice you've just made, so I hope you don't regret it in the next five minutes."

"Provided this shambling, cannibalistic, airheaded abomination you call a 'friend' can actually win…!" Nila spat her next scathing comment, IMMENSELY agitating her undead opponent in the process.

"And just like that, I'm about ready to make you eat your words AND your own mud-soaked boots, starting with those raggedy shoelaces…!" Rottytops threatened, only growing more eager to fight Nila one-on-one. "You need to be put in your place!"

"And YOU should've been put in a casket coated in concrete when you died!"

"HEY! Watch what you say to her!" Shantae angrily retorted in her best friend's defense.

"No, no, don't worry, Shantae. It's cool," Rottytops assured with the flick of a hand.

"Oh. Are… are you sure?"

"Yep. All she's doing with this smack talk is digging her hole deeper, and I'm only MORE motivated to BURY HER ALIVE in her own regrets by the end of this…!" the zombie girl threatened, suddenly FAR more serious than I thought she could ever be… Yikes, I would NOT want to get on her bad side at this point…

"Well, since you're so sure this'll go down like it did last time, let's stop jabbering on and fight already!" Nila urged, getting set in her own battle pose.

"Gladly…!" Rotty agreed, her temper flaring as she cracked her knuckles with full determination to put the Ammonian affiliate in her place.

Hooo, MAN, does this look like it's gonna be an all-out, melon-smashing slobber-knocker! However, I must unfortunately pump the brakes on this exciting adventure to inform you that I must clock out. But don't expect to wait long! When we come back, we are DEFINITELY taking our front-row seats to a most exciting duel of epic proportions! The charismatic, chaotic corporeal crusher Rottytops versus the absolutely adamant and astoundingly aggressive Admiral Nila! The fight card is in, and our combatants are set! Who do you think will win? My money's on Rottytops, but Nila surely can't be underestimated. It's even better when you know that this is a grudge match that NEITHER girl had any intention of losing. That aside, come on back, and come back soon! Oh, and bring us some poppin' corn, please! Wouldn't make sense to watch a spectacular show like this without refreshments! Till then, catch ya later!