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!

24. Tales From the Cryptic

Chapter 9: Tales from the Cryptic

Howdy! Funny running into you here. Again. Like we always do. Because like, we've been meeting like this for so long now, but I'm still gonna treat every encounter like… well, ALMOST like us meeting for the first time. That aside, I'm sure you've been biting your nails with utmost anticipation over what wacky, wild adventure I have to share with you now. And believe me, you won't be disappointed. So, last we left off, Tayshan and Bolo had wrapped up a most perilous side quest that had a LOT of surprising long-term implications regarding the S.L.A.P.S. crew's main quest. And just when things seemed to be calm enough after the Burning Zipper Volcanic Field Fiasco (at this point, crudely branded as the infamous 'Zipper Incident'), Sky received a not-so-friendly 'invite' to another new location called the Soldier's Ascension Beach by a mysterious individual by the name of 'Lina' while spending quality time with her not-quite-best friend Rottytops. She was additionally told to be there within two days of her receiving the foreboding letter, or else its writer would come to her home and potentially bring harm to her and her avian allies. Rather than ignore the warning, Sky opted to travel to the point of interest as requested… only, instead of going alone, she sought out reliable company for the trip. So, two days after the Zipper Incident…

Joining Sky and a TOTALLY unexpected guest during an afternoon lunch date… Sorry, I forgot to add that. Don't you judge me for transitioning into a transition to transition into a… er… where was I going with this again…? Daaah, forget it. Just ignore that first one. Take Two: Joining Sky on a previously scheduled lunch date…

"Hm… So, a random person shoots you a letter from out o' nowhere, doesn't leave a return address, an' then expects you t' take a four-hour flight on a whim t' simply 'answer some questions'?" questioned a certain halo-adorned ghost as he and an equally certain blonde-haired bird trainer sat across from one another at a well-dressed table at a modestly busy Scuttle Town diner. The two of them were seated in an outside section, surrounded by other tables occupied by other patrons enjoying their meals while waiters and waitresses alike shuffled between tables to cater to the guests.

"That's… just about it in a nutshell, hon," Sky affirmed as she nibbled on a steamy vegetarian panini. She'd certainly been dressed for the occasion, as she wore her long, silky blonde hair down without her trademark headwraps. She'd also been wearing an eye-catching low cut, midriff-baring pink t-shirt and a fetching pair of blue denim short shorts. I… could also swear she'd been wearing… makeup? Wow… She looked gorgeous! Seriously, this girl could be a MODEL if she wanted to! Good lord! Ah! Er, s-sorry, getting distracted. VERY distracted. Ahem. Whew… Anyway… "I can't make heads or tails of who'd just up and send me a note like that," Sky further explained. "And I really don't know what it is they truly want…"

"I wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it, given the context," Tayshan remarked as he took a sip of lemonade from a glass and finished off a giant bowl of beef curry with rice before sitting it next to two other empty bowls. He… was also dressed for the occasion, as he was wearing a teal polo t-shirt that hugged his torso, white denim jeans, and particularly stylish sneakers that matched his shirt. He'd also been wearing a sports watch, a gold necklace that matched his eyes, and his hair was neatly tied into a ponytail. And… not that it counted as an 'accessory,' per se, but Wrench was perched on his halo, seeming to be vigilantly keeping watch for any funny business. Gotta say, though, he looked RAVISHING in this casual attire. Now, HERE'S a man who knew how to keep himself clean. Ooh, I wish I could just… oh, shoot, I'm doing it again… Gah! Focus!

"Can't say I blame you," Sky agreed with a sigh. "And to be honest, I'd rather just ignore it and go back to minding my own business. But I'm worried that because they know where I live, it's pretty likely they'd make good on their threat to pay me and my birds an unwanted visit…"

"Yeah, I get that…" the wraith acknowledged with a nod. "Whoever this is, they must be either desperate to meet you, or they have some ulterior motive in mind. Where are y'all even supposed t' be goin'?"

"Dah, um… W-well…" Sky stammered, suddenly rife with nervousness as she momentarily batted her eyes downward and away, clenching her hands. "It's… uh… tough to say…"

"Hm? Why would that be?" Tay asked out of curiosity, evidently unaware of some… particularly important detail about the bird trainer's quest. "I mean, I get it if you have t' keep it a secret or somethin', but I'd hope that wherever it is you're goin' ain't potentially a setup for another trap. We all know we've had enough o' THAT happenin' by now."

"Ah… Yeah, you're right. Sorry," she apologized after taking a deep breath and turning her gaze back to him. Once she was relaxed enough to continue the conversation… "Anyway, I'm just getting caught up in my own nervousness about this trip."

"I figured as much," the wraith understandingly acknowledged with a nod. "You're makin' the right move in not actually goin' alone, in that case. Rottytops will provide you with all the cover you need. She'll keep ya safe."

"Thanks, but… are you sure you can't come with me and Rotty today?" she asked, a twinge of uncertainty in her tone. "I'd feel a lot safer if you could…"

"I'd like to, Sky, believe me… but I'm booked," he reluctantly confirmed. "The Sultana has me playin' bodyguard to a VIP for the day while said VIP does a last-second dance competition in Genie's Hem t' represent Scuttle Town."

"Oh. I see. And, just out of curiosity, who's the VIP in this case? I can't imagine Scuttlebutt to be good enough at dancing to be entered into a competition…"

"No, thank goodness," Tay denied with a chuckle. "This time, the 'VIP' is your best friend Shantae."

"Oh! Well, that's ironic," Sky pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Of all people, they make you guard the one who is probably the most capable in all of Sequin Land of protecting herself. What's up with that?"

"Beats me. I didn't get much of an explanation, but the Sultana made it apparent that I stick t' Shantae like glue today despite there bein' no discernible cause for concern," he explained with a shrug. "Only thing is that we're not allowed t' give any indication that we're a couple. For the sake o' this 'mission,' we'll have t' pretend I'm just her bodyguard an' nothin' more."

"So, that basically clarifies that this can't be described as a government-sanctioned date between you two…" Sky remarked with a chortle that Tay shared.

"Yep… just gonna have t' bite my tongue on that one…" he lamented with a sigh and shake of his head before refocusing. "Anyway, it's almost time for me t' get ready. Hope you ain't mad at me for cuttin' our date a little short, Sky. I'll make it up t' you," he apologized as he waved for the waiter to bring them their check.

"No need to apologize, sweetie. I appreciate the time we got to spend together today, and I especially appreciate you opening up to me about… well, y'know…" the bird trainer assured as she finished her meal, though she seemed to lose her words toward the end as she looked at him.

"Eh… R-right," the mildly disquieted young man acknowledged, his smile quickly deteriorating into a self-conscious frown as he cast his gaze downward and rubbed his head with a hand.

"Sorry… I just… I just want to be sure you're okay after all you've been through," she reassured, though she was particular about her words. "If I'd known sooner, I'd have certainly been there for you more since you came back to us."

"I… er… w-well, I appreciate that, an' I'm sorry I didn't say anything before… but…" he tried to reason, though he found himself unable to find the proper words to explain himself. After a moment, however, he sighed and continued. "…it ain't exactly the easiest thing t' share, much less seek support for."

"What do you mean?"

"In no simpler words, I'm a male who was taken advantage of by a female. Even if the female in question was Risky Boots, the stigma behind it stays the same," the ghostly guardian apprehensively shared, though his date didn't immediately understand.

"The stigma being…?" the curious bird tamer prodded as she listened closely.

"That any man who finds himself in a position like that either actually wanted it or is lyin' about it because it's supposedly impossible for men t' be forced t' do… certain things," he meekly explained his stance. "I tried tellin' Bolo when he asked me the other day, for example, but he wound up givin' me responses that reflected both those ideas like almost anyone else I've told."

"Hm… I see. Well, who else knows about it?"

"Outside o' you, him, Shae, Rotty, Twitch, an' Vinegar, I've only ever told some o' my colleagues in the guard. An' as you might imagine, some didn't believe me. Some others told me I should've married Risky after the fact… Heck, a handful of 'em congratulated me on bein' 'lucky' enough t' have had… 'relations' with both Shantae and Risky Boots at separate points. There were even some that told me I was either embellishin' the tale o' my background or just pretendin' I didn't like what Risky did t' me an' that I 'wouldn't hesitate' t' fool around with her again if given the opportunity… an' then there were the few that just ended up laughin' at me or crackin' jokes about it, but yeah… the general feedback hasn't exactly been encouragin'," he further admitted, clenching his trembling fist as he rested it on the table and laid his gaze toward it.

"Jeez, how insensitive of them…! Well, nuts to whoever believes those harmful stereotypes or whoever has the AUDACITY to make light of your situation for ANY reason," Sky confidently offered her vote of support. "For what it's worth, Tayshan, you don't need to be ashamed of yourself for going through something you had no control over. We know the circumstances, and we've gotta do our best to be there for each other when we need support. And you'd better believe I'll always be in your corner."

"Thanks for that, Sky…" he expressed his gratitude as candidly as he could, nodding as he focused his gaze on her.

"My pleasure! Anything you want to have a heart-to-heart with me on, I'll absolutely make time in my schedule for you."

"Gotchu… I appreciate that, but you've done enough as is," Tay politely acknowledged as he took a deep breath to try and ease his nerves. "Thank you for always lookin' out for me."

"No problem! And… well, I never got to say it back in the Phantasmagoric Forest, but thank you for protecting me, Tayshan. I'm forever in your debt."

"There's no debt t' be spoken of. Trust an' believe," the ghost man promised as he flashed her a disarming grin. "There will never be a time where I won't do whatever it takes t' keep you safe. I'm just glad t' see you happy, healthy, an' ready as always t' make the best of each passin' day despite what happened back there."

"You're too sweet, hon… It's great to know you're still as compassionate as ever. I've always loved that about you," she smilingly shared with him, locking her eyes exclusively on the man sitting across from her.

"Dah, uh… heh, I… aim to please?" he rather mawkishly replied, blushing something fierce as he scratched his head and nervously gawked at his lunch date. At that most shocking display of discombobulation, Sky giggled as she continued to look right back at him. She'd even upped the ante by leaning over the table, interlocking her hands and resting her elbows on the table before resting her chin on her fingers.

"Oh, you'd better believe I know that~!" the bold blonde bombshell teasingly remarked as she winked at him, further flustering the halo-adorned guardian sitting before her. In response, she laughed it up some more at his expense. At that, Tayshan sighed out… maybe a tiny bit of the behemoth of nervousness sitting in his gut before offering his reply.

"…On the real, Sky, you have got the most hypnotizin' charm in the world. You always have. Even after all the time we've known each other, it still makes my mind fuzzy… Heh… Shoot me for sayin' this, but it makes me wonder sometimes what would've happened if you an' I did get the chance t' be in a relationship, had things played out differently between you, Shantae, an' me…" he sheepishly blurted out his compliment to her as he scratched his head and cleared his throat. Sky's response? Well… in the kindest words I could muster, she… sort of flipped her lid a bit. Her face got five hundred degrees hotter as her smile instantly disappeared, her eyes widened to the size of monster truck tires, her heart skipped… maybe three or four beats at once… and she seemed to resist the urge to blast off into space right from her seat as her jaw dropped hard enough to potentially put a mile-long dent in the ground beneath them. "…Uhh… D-did I say too much…?" Tayshan worriedly asked, recognizing the impact of such a scandalous confession. Rather than be stunned forever, though, Sky shook (and I mean REALLY SHOOK) her head to bring herself back to reality before sitting up in her seat, crossing her arms, and angrily pouting at the flustered wraith sitting before her… with a notable blush on her face.

"…Sometimes, I honestly can't stand you, Tayshan…!" she grumbled, much to his dismay as he flinched in shock and regret. "You think it's funny playing with my feelings like this!?"

"What!? N-no! I was just bein' honest, Sky! M-my bad!" he frantically apologized, reaching a hand over toward her to make her feel better.

"Hmph. Well, I'm not forgiving you for this," she held her stance as she pouted even harder… which only made him sheepishly sink into his seat. "You're gonna have to live with it just like I have to." That last comment of hers caused Tay to raise an eyebrow once he seemed to realize where this discussion was going.

"…W-wait… So, does that mean you still…?" he asked, though he trailed off. Knowing what he would finish with, Sky breathed a heavy sigh and relaxed herself before answering.

"…Yeah," she rather sorely admitted with a shrug. "But it's not gonna get us anywhere digging into it now, so let's just leave this topic here. As I said before, you're a far better match for Shantae than for me, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I'm sure you feel the same way."

"Right, but that doesn't mean I'd rather have you lock your own feelings away an' be tortured by just the sight o' me… especially at times when I'm with Shantae. I feel even worse now, especially because I naively assumed you just 'got over me' in the snap o' two fingers. I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it, hon. It's fine. We're both mature people, and mature people handle issues like this with grace," Sky advised and asserted with a confident smile and flick of her hand. "We're still best friends, we can still hang out, and we can certainly still talk to each other about literally anything in the world. Wouldn't you agree?" And while it took Tayshan a second to register what she was saying…

"…Y'know what? Yeah. I do agree, homegirl. You're right," the haloed man concurred with a smiling nod, feeling reassured that he and his bird-loving bestie remained on good, platonically friendly terms.

"Awesome! And with that, we climb over that hump and wrap it up with a bow on top. Even better that we can simply be honest with each other without trippin' over the small stuff," she conclusively exclaimed with a knowing grin, making him grin with her.

"Fa' sho', Sky," he laughingly agreed. "I was wonderin' when that word would end up in your vocab, by the way."

"Much as I've tried to resist it, it still found its way in eventually thanks to you, Shantae, and especially Rottytops. We've certainly got to do this more often, though! Just relaxing, going on about life, enjoying good food, and picking each other's brains for hours on end…" the excitable bird trainer further cheered as she reached over and grabbed his hand, beaming with delight.

"My thoughts exactly. I always enjoy kickin' back an' coolin' with you. Let me know when your schedule opens up again, an' we'll figure somethin' out. Hopefully soon," he assured with a smile of his own as he looked back at her and returned her gesture by interlocking their fingers. Just then, a tiny purple bat with yellow eyes came flittering into view from behind Tayshan with no one but Sky… and Wrench noticing.

"Hey, is… is that-?" the bird trainer was about to ask, pointing in the bat's direction when Wrench, suddenly on high alert, whirled around.

"BRRKAW! KRAKAWWW!" the hybrid bird screeched as he flared his wings and darted toward the bat. The bat, in a sudden panic, began flittering around the air, NARROWLY avoiding being clamped in the iron grip of Wrench's beak.

"Wrench, no! Don't attack! That's not food!" she frantically called as she got up from her seat and watched Wrench ferociously attempting to eat the supposedly nocturnal creature alive. As one might imagine, many of the diner's guests panicked and fled into the restaurant as fast as they could, knocking over plates, chairs, and tables alike as the battle of the bird and the bat went into full swing out of nowhere.

"What in the-? WHOA!" Tay tried to ask as Wrench and the bat whizzed over his head, forcing him to duck as soon as he got up and turned around. "What is goin' on? What is he chasin'?"

"If it is who I think it is, then-!" Sky tried to answer before…

"H-hey! Cut it out, Wrench! Don't you recognize me!?" the apparent talking bat questioned in a familiar high-pitched feminine voice as it zipped and zoomed around the area while its predator was hot on its tail.

"Wait a second… Is that…?" Tayshan tried to ask as he stood and witnessed the bat pull an airtight U-turn and beam straight for him.

"He's gonna devour me if I don't transform back now…! LOOK OUT BELOW!" the bat shouted, further alarming the wraith and the bird trainer. Within a second, and with a sudden, smoky *POOF*, the bat had morphed into a certain purple-haired half-genie wearing an extremely flashy, glittery costume that appeared to be from an era past. A frilly neon green miniskirt, loose baby blue leg warmers and matching fishnet sleeves on her forearms, black and white sneakers, a bright yellow, long-sleeved tube top with a giant pink star on it… and her hair tied into a ponytail with a gigantic pink bow… ah… Er, anyway, Shantae had morphed back into her humanoid form in midair as she began a quick descent… toward Tayshan. "WHOOAHAHAHAAWAAAAAAH!"

"WHAT IN THE-!? DAAAH, OH SH-!" Tay tried to formulate a coherent sentence as he panicked at the sight of the colorful genie-themed projectile hurtling toward him. He would hardly get a chance to defend himself before the shapeshifter crashed the party with a voluminous *KWAPLARCK* of her body against the hapless phantom's face.

"YIPE!" Sky hollered as she lunged out of the way while her date and their party-crashing mutual friend went tumbling all over the outside dining area, knocking over and destroying a bunch more tables and chairs along the way. *KERSMASH* after *PLASHHK* after cacophonous *PRADWOONG*, the genie and the wraith became a two-person demolition crew for all of a glorious (by which, I mean totally chaotic) three seconds before they eventually came to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, Wrench took it upon himself to halt his hunt once he recognized that his 'prey' was in fact, not prey at all.

"…Owww… Talk about a crash landing…" Shantae complained, shaking her head as she propped herself up to her knees and rubbed her backside. Seeming to register the misunderstanding, Wrench calmed down, perched himself on the half-genie's head, and nuzzled his face into her hair.

"Brrt, brr…" the repentant bird cooed his apology.

"Ah, it's alright, bud. An honest mistake," Shantae forgave as she reached up and patted Wrench on the back. Soon after, she sighed and collected herself while Wrench took flight to go check on Sky. "And here I was, hoping to make a clean surprise appearance…" she further griped, though her disappointment would quickly shift into surprise. Why? Well…

"…Gwrrrrgh, mrrr…" grumbled a disoriented Tayshan as he lay flat on his back. I… couldn't decipher what he was saying because… uh… w-well because…

"Ahn~!" the genie girl yelped, flinching as a suspiciously strong blush formed on her face. Almost immediately afterward, she pressed her hands into her skirt, further suffocating the poor young man whose… face… she was sitting on… "H-hey! Haven't I told you about doing that? That tickles!" she had the nerve to complain, shooting her victim a flustered pout. I… can only imagine that means this isn't the first time this has happened… Well then, this just went from zero to lewd in record time… They DO NOT pay me enough for this… Aaaaanyhow, Tay slowly lifted his arms up, hooked his hands around her thighs, pushed them slightly apart, and shifted his head to where he could at least breathe as he narrowed his eyes at her. In response, she quickly dropped her initial perturbance as her eyes widened. "Ehh… So, I know that look on your face. But like… Just gimme a second to-!"

"Shantae…"

"Um… Y-yeah?"

"What are you doin'? Was this your newest idea of a prank? Because if it is, then you should probably stop goin' t' Rottytops for inspiration from this point on…" he queried and advised as he glowered at her, though he made no immediate move to get up. And for that matter, neither did she as she took in his disapproval of her 'prank.'

"No, this wasn't a prank… S-sorry, babe… Heh… Was this a bad time to drop in?" she asked with a most innocuous embarrassed grin as she innocently sunk into herself.

"A bad time? No. A bad method? Ooh, most definitely. Gonna be feelin' THIS one for the next three days…" he half-jokingly remarked, eliciting a nervous titter from her.

"My bad…"

"Jeez, girl, there are certainly far less… destructive ways to make an entrance," Sky chided as she climbed to her feet and rushed over to help her best friend.

"Yeah, there definitely are… I wasn't expecting Wrench to try and eat me, though," Shantae acknowledged as she took Sky's hands and allowed herself to be pried off her boyfriend's face. After the fact, Tayshan gingerly climbed back to his feet with the girls' help.

"So… Gonna explain why you decided t' divebomb us from out o' nowhere without at least givin' us a fair warnin'?" Tay asked, dusting himself off and getting himself back together all the while.

"I uh… I wanted to surprise you guys," Shae answered, nervously scratching her head with a finger as she chuckled. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, but it'll be more of a surprise if the restaurant doesn't bill you for damages," Sky remarked. "Nice outfit, by the way. Is that what you'll be wearing to this dance competition supposedly happening in Genie's Hem today, according to what I've heard?"

"Yep! It's got a retro theme to it, and I'm hoping to earn the top spot. Speaking of outfits, though, you look absolutely beautiful, Sky! I swear, you're like, the hottest girl in all of Sequin Land! I'm actually kinda curious about if you'd be willing to share some of your secrets with me. Seriously, I REALLY love this outfit of yours! And I adore what you did with your hair! And your makeup is on-point! Wow, I'm so jealous! I WISH I could look half as good as you do in a casual outfit!" she gushed, her eyes glimmering with excitement over how much of a fan she was of Sky's alluring ensemble.

"Ah! Er, how kind of you to say, Shantae. Thanks…" the bird trainer bashfully remarked, blushing a bit as she momentarily cast her gaze elsewhere and smilingly rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't mention it!" the half-genie acknowledged her friend's gratitude before she turned to her ghostly partner. "And I can see you dressed to impress as well, honey! I think this might be my favorite casual outfit for you! I'm shocked you haven't worn it before. You look so handsome!"

"Heh. Yeah, well, y'know… There were a few special occasions today," Tay modestly remarked with a chuckle. "I wasn't gonna step out the crib lookin' tore up from the floor up like I was the other day. I always wanna look my best in front o' you ladies."

"Tore up from the floor up? Hah! Nice one!" Shae complimented as she and Sky shared a laugh. "Totally borrowing that, by the way. And it's SO great to know you value our opinions as highly as you do," she further joked.

"Shoot, y'all know it."

"That we do, babe. Oh, but before I forget… We're due to leave in the next hour. The Sultana said we need to head to the palace now, so you can fly us out to Genie's Hem. At this rate, we'll get there about an hour before the competition begins if we stay on-schedule," the half-genie reminded him.

"Understood, boss," Tay acknowledged with a nod before turning to Sky. "I suppose this is where our lunch date draws to a close, homegirl. You go on ahead. I'll take care o' the bill… or, BILLS, considering…" he suggested, glancing at the post-apocalyptic wreckage that used to be the dining area.

"Much appreciated, Tay-Tay," Sky thanked with a giggle as she approached and hugged him tight. "I've got you covered for lunch next time. We'll also go somewhere a bit more… peaceful if you'd like."

"Thank ya kindly. An' most definitely! I have a place or two in mind for next time that I think you'd enjoy," he accepted and shared as he returned the hug in full, squishing her tightly as she wrapped her arms around his waist. After a second (or ten), they eventually separated, though Sky was slow to end the embrace. She'd also found herself beaming with glee at Tayshan like he'd just given her a million gems and a passionate kiss on the lips.

"Wow, you must've really had a good time with him for you to be smiling that hard, Sky. I'm a little jealous that I missed out," Shantae teased with a knowing grin, causing the bird trainer to flinch and blush as she attempted to collect herself.

"Ah, w-well… Let's just say Tay and I bonded in a way I didn't think we would before today," the taller girl nervously stumbled through her words as she took a deep breath. Soon afterward, she approached the half-genie for an overdue hug. "Oh and thank you for letting me borrow him for this little excursion. He made our date perfect!" she further offered her gratitude. "Are you okay letting me borrow him again sometime soon?"

"No need to thank me, Sky! And come on, it isn't like you needed my permission! He's right here for you to ask him on another date yourself!" Shantae assured as she returned the hug. After a second longer and a shared laugh, the girls separated.

"All things considered, I'd still like to be courteous enough to humbly request your blessing first," Sky joked, making Shantae laugh more while Tayshan cocked an eyebrow in evident confusion, tilting his head as he shifted his gaze between the two young women. His perplexed expression went unnoticed, however. "I figure it's the polite thing to do."

"Aw, I appreciate that! Still, and between us, I feel like you're the one I trust the most with him. Don't tell Rotty I said that, though…"

"Ooh, scandalous!" Sky laughingly remarked. "My lips are sealed, nevertheless. It's a badge I'll wear with honor," she further joked, eliciting a chuckle out of her best friend.

"Indubitably! That being said, I hereby decree that you have my exclusive approval to take Tay on a date whenever you'd like! Within reason, that is…" Shantae offered, though she emphasized her point by shooting Sky a feigned look of scrutiny as she looked the buxom blonde up and down.

"Oh! Heh… Neat! Hope ya don't mind me cashing that ticket in on a… let's say, 'semi-regular' basis, though you have my word I won't do anything with him that you wouldn't like," Sky promised with a smiling nod, though one could tell by the rosiness of her cheeks that she was… more than a little excited about the proposition.

"Awesome!" Shantae cheered with a thumbs-up, thereby sealing the deal. Tayshan, on the other hand, found himself just a bit disquieted by the conversation being had about him, right in front of him as his look of perplexity contorted into a sour pout.

"Y'all talk about this like I'm some cheap male escort t' be passed around for your personal pleasure…" the wraith grumbled, shocking both girls out of their wits. "More fuel t' the 'I'm a concubine' fire…"

"TAYSHAN!" both Shantae and Sky yelled at him, each of their faces going bright red like freshly picked apples.

"What?" he quizzically asked, seemingly none the wiser to the reason behind the girls' collective embarrassment. "Why y'all lookin' at me like that?"

"That's a little TOO spicy a fantasy to just blurt out in public, don'tcha think?" Sky admonished, though she barely tried to hide her laughter at his provocative joke.

"'Fantasy,' is it? Hm. Depends on who's drummin' up that fantasy, Sky…" he joked right back, shooting her a comical scrutinizing, grinning stare. "An' especially what it is that person is thinkin' about…" At that, she gasped as her blush deepened.

"Are… Are you IMPLYING something about me, Tayshan?" she pushed through an avalanche of hotly blushing nervousness to ask, tensing up like she was being interrogated on the spot for some impure thoughts she may have been having about him. Goodness, these people and their hormone-charged interactions…

"Of course not. That is, unless you have somethin'… scandalous you wanna confe… uh…" he was about to joke again with a grin before he felt the jab of a certain genie's elbow dig into his abdomen. Wisely cutting his statement short, he turned toward Shantae to see… that she had been shooting HIM a scrutinizing, narrow-eyed look as she pouted at him. Startled into line, Tay hurriedly cleared his throat, shook his head, and turned his attention back to the bird trainer. "Er, I misspoke. You ah… You are a classy lady who never has a dirty, pervy thought at all ever, and I admire your unwavering wholesomeness, Headmistress Sky. An entire generation of children could learn from your scintillatin' example. Heh…" the poor guy babbled to save face while sweating bullets, causing the girls to bust out laughing at the quick, nervous reversal.

"Good boy! Hahahahah!" Shantae laughingly teased, patting him on the stomach as she yukked it up.

"Hah! You two are a mess!" Sky also laughingly remarked, making the haloed young man sink into himself and angrily scowl in defeat. "Well, I appreciate that you know wholesomeness when you see it, hon," the bird trainer further offered her gratitude to Tayshan as she winked and smirked at him. "On that most wholesome note, I'll be on my way…" she bade with one final clever quip, turning and making her way out of the dining area of the restaurant to get ready for her mission. That was, before…

"Yo! Sky! Hold up a second," Tay called to her once he shook off his embarrassment, prompting her to turn around.

"Yes, Tay-Tay?"

"Take this with you," he suggested as he pulled out his remaining Inhibitor Vambrace from his pocket and tossed it to her. Sky got Inhibitor Vambrace, though she found herself alarmed by the gift.

"Wha? Why are you giving this to me? Don't you still need it?"

"Not at this rate. If we had more time, I'd explain, but as for right now, that thing's better off in your hands. Hopefully, it'll protect you like it did last time in case you an' Rotty run into any trouble."

"I hope not to have to use it, but it's good to have it just in case. I think I've got an idea of how to get it to work, though. Thanks, Tay!"

"Not an issue."

"Be careful out there, Sky!" Shantae added. "And I hope you and Rotty have fun together!"

"We'll… see what happens," Sky did her best to assure with a shrug and nudge of her head as she turned and exited the restaurant grounds. "Catch you lovebirds later!"

"See ya later, homegirl!" both Shantae and Tayshan bade once more as they waved her off. And once she and Wrench were out of sight, the two turned to one another.

"So… You Ret-2-Go, honey bunny?" the half-genie cutely asked of her lover with the brightest of grins on her face. He… would share no such sentiment, as he blushed, sunk into himself yet again, and comically scowled at her. Seeming to know her question would agitate him, she stifled a giggle as she humorously took in his embarrassment.

"Yes, kitten, I'm Ret-2-Go… At least, as soon as I pay mine an' Sky's bill… on top of askin' how much we owe for your batty demolition stunt," he irritably answered, making the young lady crack up again as they made their way past the plate-and-table graveyard toward the restaurant. "Also, I'm super serious about movin' t' the other side o' the world if anybody hears you call me that. Don't tempt me."

"Duly noted, Tay-Tay," she laughingly remarked, taking more amusement out of delightfully antagonizing her boyfriend with her pet names of doom.

"An' as we pay off the tab for this restaurant, you just keep runnin' up YOUR tab for pickin' on me. But soon enough, that tab will be repaid tenfold…" he remarked with a sly grin as he cut his eyes at her.

"Heh… Don't threaten me with a good time…" she dared, slyly grinning back at him and blushing as her heart skipped a beat. She was quick to recompose herself, however, as she let out a hot sigh before turning her gaze back to him. "Alas, we shall save that energy for after our trip to Genie's Hem… and after a week goes by. For now, we should hurry and report back to the Sequin Land Palace."

"Right, I almost forgot about the 'cycle' thing…" he lamented as he scratched his head in mild vexation. Yet, with a sigh of understanding, he cleared his mood up. "Nevertheless, your orders have been received and acknowledged, Mistress Shantae."

"Sorry…" she apologized as she grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his. In return, he clasped his fingers around her hand. "When nature calls, there's hardly a thing we can do about it but answer it and let it run its course."

"Yeah, I feel you," he acknowledged with a nod. "No need to apologize for what's out o' your control."

"Thanks for understanding, sweetie. Of course, we'll more than make up for it with our next spicy role play… So, savor the thought while we figure out which cosplay outfit you want me to wear for you… and as some food for thought, I'm thinking sexy kunoichi…~" she cleverly added with a wink, visibly flustering the wraith into a DEEPLY blushing speechlessness (that Shantae ate all the way up as she giggled at him) while they entered the restaurant to handle their business and kick off their day... although…

"Hey, quick question," Tay posed, stopping just before they stepped foot inside the establishment, shaking off his flustered disposition almost immediately.

"Hm? What's up?" Shae acknowledged, stopping as well and turning her head around to look him in the eye.

"Did… you seriously mean it when you told Sky she could 'borrow' me pretty much whenever?" he found himself compelled to ask.

"Yeah. Why? Is that something you're not comfortable with?" Shae asked back after confirming her stance.

"Not necessarily, but I figured that'd be something you would be uncomfortable with. Y'know, considerin' your reaction the other day when she asked me on this date in the first place. That, an' our previous conversation about you not wantin' t' share me with anyone outside o' this 'double date' deal with Rottytops…"

"Right…" the half-genie remarked with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders. "Well, I figured that maybe I was being a little too… territorial. Sky and Rotty ARE our friends, after all, and it wouldn't make sense for me to hover around you like a guard dog ready to maul them for simply wanting to spend time with you."

"Really now?" the wraith asked in abundant surprise as he looked the heroine up and down. "Are you feelin' okay? What sparked THIS complete 180?"

"Nothing in particular. It isn't that big a deal, Tay, so don't sweat it too much," she shut down the topic before they could explore further, even more to his surprise. "Now, come on. We're running low on time, and we've got a busy schedule ahead of us," Shantae concluded, taking a puzzled Tayshan by the hand and leading him into the restaurant before he could utter another word…

Elsewhere, a little while later…

"So, you ARE going to behave yourself on this trip… Right?" Sky asked her passenger as the two of them rode atop Wrench (in Giga form) over Sequin Land's glittering waves and sunny skies. Sky had switched back to wearing her usual falconer garb, as well as wearing the Inhibitor Vambrace she'd received earlier on her wrist.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Rottytops as she held onto the saddle of their ride, also dressed in her usual attire. "Why must you have so little trust in me, birdie? Have you forgotten that I reliably helped Shantae on an adventure and soloed the Boss Battle with her as an eyewitness barely a week ago?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, but you're still unproven as far as I'm concerned."

"What exactly would I have to prove to you?" Rotty indignantly asked with a scoff. "It isn't like YOU'RE the one who saves Sequin Land on a regular basis"

"Maybe not, but I still think we need to set some ground rules as far as how this little excursion goes."

"Ground rules, schmound rules! As long as I don't go ditching you to get laid by some random, handsome monster guy, I should be good," she joked, though Sky didn't laugh. "Certain people set the bar REAL low there."

"Alright, enough with ragging on Bolo," the falconer admonished, causing her passenger to sourly pout at her. "You should really focus on finding more productive ways to deal with that negative energy."

"I am, thank you very much. I'm currently engaged in rigorous training routines that would have a scrawny weakling like you crying home to momma. It's been… well, if I had to pick a bird nerd word to use, I'd say… Cathartic."

"Tee-hee, I'm cracking up over here," Sky flatly remarked with a roll of her eyes. "At least you're doing SOMETHING other than perseverating on the incident."

"Purr sever-a-toe does what?" Rotty inquired in a tiny bit of confusion.

"I mean you're doing something other than dwelling on the issue like you'll never recover from it," the bird tamer clarified while using less… 'bird nerd words.' "That said, PLEASE don't do anything that'll make things worse than they already could be. This is the first time you and I have gone on an adventure alone together, and I hope you won't make me regret it."

"Relax, Sky. Jeez, why are you being so uptight about how I'll handle things?" the undead woman prodded as she pated her partner on the back. "I'll admit I'm no Shantae, but I can hold my own! I'm bringing a lot more to the plate than you are anyway."

"Such as…?"

"Super strength, super speed via Zombie Zoom, Head Warps, my Concealer Ring, a Draco-Steel shield my beloved bestie Tayshan gave me, and even this nifty new pair of Devil's Omen Earrings I got during my date with Shantae," Rotty explained her abilities in a single breath. After pausing to take another breath, however… "Also, my Symbiotic Brain Chomp, though I don't have any Fake Brains on me at the moment…"

"Ignoring that last one entirely, I… I suppose you ARE pretty stacked at this point. I'll admit that," Sky conceded. "Still, a good adventurer knows how to use her abilities handily and with responsibility."

"This, coming from the girl with NO powers outside of talking to birds and little more than an Inhibitor Vambrace pumped full of someone else's magic that she may or may not know how to use? That's rich. Keep throwing stones through that glass house, birdbrain," Rotty remarked with an incredulous swat of her hand against the open air.

"I know a little more than you think I do, and unlike YOU, I have the ability to transport myself AND any passengers from location to location," she matter-of-factly reminded her tag partner. "And however relevant this is, I can naturally jump the highest of anyone in our group. So, there."

"REAL useful when we've got a genie with nearly limitless magic potential and a ton of powerful animal transformations and magic spells, a ghost who can shoot hurricane-level wind, electricity, and laser beams out of his hands while also having the strength and durability of a hundred elephants combined as well as loads of martial arts expertise, and a zombie who can teleport, run faster than a hummingbird, AND is twice as strong as herd of hippos. Yeah, you're SO special for being able to jump slightly better than us as long as we don't use magic."

"How incredibly reductive. Of course, I don't need to waste my energy comparing myself to other people like it's gonna make me feel better about myself. I can appreciate who I am and what I can do. The rest of the S.L.A.P.S. squad, I'm certain would agree."

"Ugh, do you HAVE to call our team that? I'd really prefer if we dropped that cringy name…" Rotty complained in irritation as she sulked in her seat.

"You didn't have an issue with it last week," Sky pointed out in mild surprise.

"And you can imagine why I do now."

"Eh, it'll grow on you once you get over your issue with Bolo," the bird pilot dismissed with a shrug. "Anyway, we're getting close to Soldier's Ascension Beach. Get yourself ready in case we need to defend ourselves."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Rotty casually agreed as she and her teammate closed in on a heavily forestated beach that seemed almost entirely untouched by human civilization. It was then that Rottytops found herself growing more unsettled with the closer they got to making landfall. "…S-so, uh… it's been a while since we've been here…"

"And if I could help it, I'd prefer that coming here could wait a little while longer…" Sky remarked, evidently just as disquieted about the prospect of traversing the new location. "This is the only beach we've ever been to that has more bad memories attached to it than good ones…"

"You can say that again…" the zombie maiden remarked, a look of growing sadness and discomfort forming on her face as she shifted her gaze downward. Before long, the girls and Wrench landed on the sandy surface of the tiny tropical island, taking in the eerily quiet ambience as they scoured the beach with their eyes. "Hm… If I remember right, we were supposed to land on the other side of the beach… right?"

"Yeah, but in case this 'Lina' person is as dangerous as she made herself sound in that letter, I want to be able to keep the element of surprise," Sky explained as she continued to visually inspect their surroundings.

"Ah, not a bad idea. So, what do you suggest we do?"

"We'll go in through the forest and lay low until we can lay eyes on her… and make especially sure that she isn't about to spring some crazy trap on me."

"Wow, how cautious of you. Didn't figure you'd be thinking that many steps ahead."

"After the shenanigans that have carried on with being trapped by the enemy between the Clash of Arms conflict and the Seven Sirens saga, I'm not taking my chances…"

"Is that right? Y'know, it certainly begs the question of why we always stumble into bad guys' traps so easily…" Rotty pondered as the two of them cautiously approached the modestly leafy forest. "It's only a wonder how we always either bail each other out or get extremely lucky when the bad guy goofs up and gives us a way out of an otherwise inescapable situation."

"An unfortunate trend that we'll hopefully get to change today. Now, then… Are you ready?"

"Sure am, Chirpy."

"Don't call me that."

"Oop! Sorry, Squawks."

"Ugh… Just stay close and follow my lead."

"Don't you think I should take point? I'm the strongest between the two of us, and I doubt you have what it takes to handle whatever threats loom inside this forest."

"Rotty, for the love of-! We're not here to argue! Just listen and stick to the plan!" Sky commanded, quickly losing her patience with Rottytops's badgering.

"Hmph. Well, excuuuuuse me for trying to look out for you," the disgruntled young zombie sarcastically remarked with a shrug. "Stash the sass in a chicken coop, would ya? I'm being for real here."

"So am I. But if it makes you feel better, I'll let you know when to switch places with me."

"Whatever, Sky. If you want to be in control so bad, then go for it," Rottytops dismissed with an agitation-fueled flick of her hand and roll of her eyes. "Just be sure you don't wet your pants when something bigger than the average goblin comes chasing after you."

"MOVING ON NOW! Jeez…!" a highly irritated Sky announced as she and her contentious teammate lined up next to one another. "Ready?"

"Ready." And with that, the girls got into position and prepared to embark on their quest. Within the next second…

"BIRDS OF A FEATHER!" Sky was the first to utter her battle cry.

"ARISE FROM THE NETHER!" Rottytops uttered hers right after, though she quickly earned a disapproving look from her teammate.

"Hm… Couldn't make THAT sound more morbid if ya tried…" Sky murmured, none too fond of her teammate's adlib as they began a steady jog into the modest forest.

"Deal with it, birdie. I like it, so I'm sticking with it."

"Sure, Rotty. Whatever you say," the bird tamer concluded with a shrug as she and her partner hopped and skipped over a series of fallen trees and quicksand pits. Sky and Rottytops went mostly silent from this point on as they got themselves familiar with the landscape, initially unhindered by any form of animal, monster, or supernatural creature. For all intents and purposes, it appeared this place was truly deserted.

"Hm. I figured this forest would be a bit more difficult to get through," Rotty pointed out as the duo came across a series of floating stone platforms that split into two separate upper and lower paths. The upper path had less platforms on it, though it housed a single treasure chest at the apex of its arc. Seeming to know their way around such a rudimentary obstacle, the girls made short work of engaging in their own unique methods of traversing it. Rottytops took the lower path by way of detaching her head and throwing it onto the middle platform of the lower path, followed by her repeating the same tactic to warp herself all the way across. Meanwhile, Sky engaged in a mixture of elegant jumps and utilizing Wrench as an extra platform until she reached the top center platform. She quickly opened the treasure chest on the platform and got Fake Brain (gross…) before hurriedly leaping and platforming her way over to the other side to join her friend on solid ground.

"Ugh… Here, you take this…" Sky remarked in evident disgust, her face contorted into an appalled sneer as she handed the disembodied cranial organ to her teammate.

"Oh, neat! That's super convenient!" the undead young lady cheered, taking the Fake Brain with no issue whatsoever and stashing it directly into her tank top. "Now, we have a failsafe in case you get hurt out here!"

"Yyyyeeeah, HARD PASS," Sky fervently denied with a shudder. "I'd sooner ask Ammo Baron to MARRY me than let you use that funky Brain Chomp 'technique' on me ever again. If I get hurt and none of our supplies can do the trick in healing me proper, promptly leave me here and look for help."

"Wow, rude much?" Rotty remarked with an offended scoff as she sneered at the other young woman. "I'd like to think my Symbiotic Brain Chomp would be at least SLIGHTLY more appealing than an idea as miserable as getting hitched to THAT blustering oaf. And would you SERIOUSLY prefer that I DITCH you here to get ripped apart by monsters over us kissing just one more time to save you? Not that I'd ever WANT to use this technique on you, but still…" Uhh… Ooookay, so I think I'll ignore the implications here and move right on… Yikes…

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Rotty, but it's the truth," the bird tamer laughingly answered back with a shrug before turning toward the next section of their obstacle course. "Anyway, it looks like we've got a bit more on our plate than we were expecting. Let's keep going."

"Sure," Rottytops agreed. With that, the girls pressed ahead as they sprinted along. They would find themselves mostly unimpeded as they came across a sizable pond teeming with alligators, flocks of aggressive-looking black and purple ducks, and a shadowy figure lurking around beneath the surface too low for either of them to see. This time around, there were no floating platforms that would allow them to cross the perilous body of water on foot.

"Shoot… How are we gonna-?"

"Oh, this is easy," Rotty observed and commented before Sky even had a chance to ask her question.

"How do you figure?"

"All we have to do is let Wrench carry my head over to the other side, and then I can Head Warp us across."

"Ah. I… guess we COULD do that. Good idea, Rotty."

"Don't patronize me," the zombie girl dismissed as she pulled her head off and held it high in her hand for Wrench to take. As one might imagine, however…

"…Brr-ka-wakaww…" Sky's most loyal avian ally cawed in apparent reluctance.

"It's fine, buddy. She won't warp out of your back like she warped out of Tay's stomach that one time… right?" Sky tried to assure before turning toward Rotty, though I'm not certain I understood what they meant. Rotty warped out of Tay's stomach? That… doesn't sound pleasant at all, and the thought of it is making MY stomach turn.

"Yeah, no, he'll be fine… I think," Rotty… almost promised, I guess. This halfhearted 'confirmation' did precisely zero favors for either the bird tamer or her bird.

"Rotty…!"

"Okay, okay, I was kidding! Learn to take a joke, you guys!" she revealed with a chuckle at their expense while they scowled at her. "Besides, Wrench in this form would be too small for my Head Warp to work on him. And the incident with Tayshan was an accident, I swear! I know it was uh… just a LITTLE rough on him, but he took it like a champ! Of course, I'm sure he's the only one who could handle me rearranging his guts and coming inside him as hard as I did that time…" Rotty made sure to clarify in the absolute grossest way imaginable, shooting a knowing, blushing grin as she did so. Good lord…

"Well, that's good to know," Sky acknowledged with a sigh of relief before glaring at her adventuring partner. "Also, for the LAST TIME, will you STOP wording it like that!? That's DISGUSTING!"

"Wording what like what?" Rotty asked, feigning cluelessness as she tilted her head and grinned at the scrutinizing bird trainer.

"…Y'know what? I'm not even going there. We've got a big enough issue to deal with regarding you and him as it is…" Sky refused with a particularly repulsed shake of her head.

"Hey! What the heck is THAT supposed to-!?"

"Anyway, you about ready, Wrench?" Sky asked her bird, ignoring Rotty's gripe entirely.

"Kabrr-kaw…" Wrench cooed, indicating that he 'guessed' he was game for the plan. With that bit of unusual clarification, Wrench got into position as he allowed Rottytops to gently place her disembodied head onto his back.

"Make it quick, bud. The sooner you get over there, the better for you," Sky assured.

"Brrokay," the prismatic bird agreed as he began his flight over the pond as quickly as possible. Wrench's trip wouldn't exactly be the easiest, however, as the evil ducks wading in the pond immediately spotted him from below. As soon as they did, they immediately worked themselves up into a squawking frenzy and… oh, jeez, they began SPEWING STREAMS OF STEAMING HOT WATER at him. "KRAKAWW!" the wren/finch hybrid screeched as he quickly began taking evasive maneuvers to avoid being scalded and sniped out of the air by *SKRIIIISH* after *SKIIIRRSCH* o the piping hot water blasts.

"Ghawahaaaah!" Rotty's disembodied head also hollered out as Wrench did his best to split his attention between keeping her on his back and avoiding the enemy onslaught. "H-hey! On your left! And please, for the love of all that is good, don't dro-! GYAAH!" she further tried to warn before another jet of scalding water zipped by them, nearly taking Wrench's wing out. He was forced to corkscrew out of harm's way, thus dropping the zombie girl's head.

"BRAKAWWW!" Wrench hollered as he swiftly twisted, twirled, and spun his way through a ferocious onslaught of searing hot water blasts to eventually catch Rotty's head on his back JUST before she hit the surface of the deadly pond. Immediately after, Wrench poured his focus on regaining altitude as he skidded over the goopy water. It would become abundantly clear that they weren't safe when the shadowy creature hiding within the pond sprang forth, mouth wide open as it tried to eat Wrench and Rotty's head in one bite.

"GWAAAAH, HEY! UGLY FISH MONSTER ON YOUR SIX, BIRD!" Rotty hurriedly warned, though Wrench was painfully aware of the impending aquatic threat.

"KAWWW!" Wrench screeched as he rocketed himself forth to narrowly avoid being eaten alive.

"Ah, shoot…! It's another one of those awful Aquamodo things! Wrench, be careful!" an understandably worried Sky shouted as she prepared to whistle to summon up reinforcements. The ducks would have none of it, however, as at least three of them turned toward her and aimed their boiling jet streams of skin-melting water at her with *TWISSSCHes* and *SKRIIIIISHes* abound. "GAH!" Sky howled in fright as she threw Rotty's body to the ground before hiding her face behind her arms. And as one might expect, the Inhibitor Vambrace did its thing of highlighting the otherwise defenseless bird tamer in a coat of ethereal Light Magic that emitted a low *VWOOORNG*. Before she could realize it, three separate streams of boiling hot water ricocheted off her and went beaming back toward their sources. And with three simultaneous *SPATWACKs*, three evil ducks went up in *POOFs* of purple smoke. Surprised, Sky gingerly recovered as she observed the magic-borne phenomenon for herself. "Huh… Saved by the vambrace yet again. Whew…" she breathed before…

"RAKAKAWW!" Wrench shouted as he dodged another attempt by the Aquamodo to leap from the pond to try and eat him.

"Zero to hectic in no time flat…! Don't worry, Wrench! Reinforcements incoming!" Sky assured as she took a deep breath, stuck two fingers in her mouth, and whistled a tune akin to a birdcall. And within the next three seconds, a charm of at least ten hummingbirds came zipping in at breakneck speed. The hummingbirds were quick to relentlessly peck and pester the Aquamodo, forcing it to change course as it dipped back into the pond. Meanwhile, the remaining ducks scattered around the pond, taking flight and firing off additional streams of searing hot water at Wrench and Rottytops.

"GYAAH!" Rotty shouted in astonishment as Wrench weaved to the side to NARROWLY avoid being instantly cooked to the core with twin streams of water beams that crossed with a startling *SKRISSSSSSH*. In performing his evasive maneuver, however, Rotty's head went rolling off his back once again.

"KRRAAAW!" Wrench cawed with determination as he flared his wings and pulled a maneuver of dipping low to avoid another *FEEEEERSCH* of a wayward water jet while turning to his side. In a swift and desperate move, he went full circle as Rotty's head helplessly plummeted toward the pond… and with a sudden *PAPLOCK* of the avian hybrid's head against the back of his zombie passenger's, Wrench sent Rottytops careening the rest of the way across the pond JUST as the Aquamodo emerged from right behind him.

"GAH-HA-HOWW!" Rotty hollered out in evident excruciating pain as her disembodied head soared over the pond and toward solid ground, where she landed with a most emphatic *PLOP* against the forest's cold, damp, gravelly floor. "Gahh, that smarts…! Looks like I made it, though, so I'd better hurry this up. SKY! GRAB MY HAND!" she commanded her teammate from across the hostile body of water.

"Got it! Hang in there, Wrench! We're almost done!" Sky acknowledged and encouraged as she took hold of the zombie maiden's hand as a mysterious purple portal formed under them. Within a second, a group of skeleton hands pulled them both into the vortex. "WHAAaaa…!" the bird trainer yelled in understandable fright as she and her undead friend's headless body were dragged into the void… only to pop right back up on the other side of the enemy-infested lake. "…aaaAAAAH!" Sky finished her scream before realizing she and Rotty had accomplished their task.

"Chill out, featherhead. We made it," Rotty informed as she patted her teammate on the back.

"Right," Sky acknowledged with a nod before turning her attention to her feathered partner frantically dodging the Aquamodo and the evil ducks as they hounded him. "Shoot, my hummingbirds couldn't distract that thing long enough…! WRENCH! DISENGAGE! WE CAN MO-!" she was about to command before…

"RAKAKAWW! KRAKA-!" Wrench was about to acknowledge his owner's command before he was suddenly struck with a horrifying *KRASKISSSHHHHH* of a water jet not from one of the ducks… but from the Aquamodo. "AKAAWWWRH!"

"WRENCH! NO!" Sky hollered in absolute shock and devastation as her trusty sidekick was sent hurtling through the air with hardly a thing to save him from what would be a brutal fall. That was, before…

"I gotcha!" Rotty announced as she hurriedly raced over to where Wrench appeared to be plummeting. The Aquamodo had other ideas, however, as it lunged out of the water with a mighty *KWASPLOOORSH* and toward the zombie maiden as she made her effort to catch Wrench. "Gah! Aw, sh-!" she was about to curse as she successfully caught the injured bird in her arms. It seemed all hope was lost for them, nevertheless. That was, until…

"No, you DON'T!" Sky yelled, full to the brim with grief and anger as she… she SUDDENLY BEGAN TO GLOW WITH LIGHT MAGIC! Presumably stemming from her Inhibitor Vambrace (at this point serving as a Magic Boost Vambrace), her glorious, sparkling light blue aura enshrouded her as she dashed forth to protect Wrench and Rottytops. As if on impulse, Sky pointed her vambrace-adorned hand forth, at which point… and I kid you not, an orb of violent wind and crackling electricity formed in her hand! "HRRRRAAAH!"

"WHAT!? HOW IN THE HECK ARE YOU DO-!?" Rotty was about to ask before Sky made her next move.

"TAKE THIS, YOU JERK! TYAAAAH!" Sky shouted as she fired off a completely flabbergasting *BWEEEERSH* of what looked like a certain wraith's signature move at the descending mutant creature. The blast sent Sky stumbling backward into Rotty, knocking both girls over as the projectile careened right into the airborne Aquamodo's face. And with a most gruesome *KAPRAKAZAAAAAP*, the foul creature was vanquished in an instant. The girls watched in wordless awe as the Aquamodo flashed, twitched, and crackled in midair before vanishing with a violent *POOF* of electricity-riddled smoke and raining a sizable collection of gems all around them. The evil ducks that bore witness to their apparent leader being vaporized right before their eyes… got the idea to take flight and hastily bail from the battlefield for their own safety. And after a few seconds of processing what happened…

"…Um… S-so you're gonna expla-?" Rotty tried one more time to ask before Sky whirled around.

"Wrench…!" the bird trainer called as she hurriedly took the injured bird from her zombie teammate's hands and cradled him in her glowing arms as she remained on her knees. "I'm so sorry, buddy… Are you okay?"

"Borrrakaw, kakaw," Wrench cooed, indicating that it was nothing to worry about and that he'd be fine.

"Judging by the scorch mark on your wing, it's more than just a small burn. Here, let's get that wound patched up," she offered as she gently set Wrench down on her thigh, reaching into her inventory and pulling out an avian first aid kit. She was quick to wash and dress the wound in a specialized ointment before wrapping his wing in bandages and a splint. "Okay, I'm calling in an evac for you. The sooner you get home, the sooner you can recover," she further offered as she rose to a stand with Wrench carefully cradled in her hands.

"Bukaw, brrt, brrrr…" Wrench protested, explaining that he would rather continue on with the adventure alongside her and Rottytops for her protection.

"I get that, bud, but Rotty and I have got it. This won't be a long trip at all, and we should be back by tonight. Now, come on. Get yourself prepared. I'm gonna call Icarus to bring you back."

"Brrt, brr! Brkaww, brrrt!" the hybrid bird further refused, explaining that he didn't trust Rottytops to protect her, nor did he feel comfortable leaving her be after she herself was either injured or put in danger on her past adventures.

"Yeah, I know, but Rotty's more reliable than you're giving her credit for," Sky explained.

"Wha? What the heck is he saying about me?" Rotty queried with a perturbed look on her face, though she wouldn't receive an immediate reply.

"And within certain limits, I can protect myself. Don't you worry," Sky assured, petting Wrench as he moved to perch himself on her handling glove as she held the corresponding hand outward. "That's especially true thanks to this fancy vambrace Tayshan gave me. I'll… admit I still don't know exactly how it works, but it's clearly in tune with my wishes."

"Kakaw, brrrt, kaw," Wrench made another point about how he'd still rather at least stick around and see for himself how useful the ghost man's old accessory was for her sake.

"Oh, fine… I can't argue you down when you get like this, now can I?" Sky remarked with a chuckle, to which Wrench nodded and nuzzled his face into her cheek.

"Okay, so what's the prognosis, Madame Bird Whisperer?" Rotty impatiently asked as she and Sky began to advance toward their next destination on foot.

"Wrench's wing is damaged, so he's not gonna be able to fly us out of here. We're gonna have to see this through the normal way."

"I figured that much," the undead maiden remarked with a sigh. "We'd better make it quick, then. Also… Are you gonna eventually explain how you managed to use that vambrace the way you just did?"

"I couldn't even begin to explain it to you if I tried, Rotty. Believe me," Sky remarked with a shrug as she glanced at the accessory in question. "This thing just knows when I'm in trouble and activates accordingly, I swear. Everything that happened at that point was pure impulse."

"Impulse? Sky, you used one of Tay's favorite magic attacks like you're the one who taught it to him!" the astonished zombie girl emphatically pointed out. "That COULDN'T have been just impulse!"

"Presuming I even knew WHAT I fired out of my hand. I just saw the glow, trusted that SOMETHING would happen, and-!"

"And you vaporized that hideous lizard mutant with a Specter Flash."

"I… guess? I don't really know what came out of my hand, but sure," Sky remarked with a dismissive shrug, prompting Rotty to frown in disappointment at the bird tamer's lack of interest in talking about her amazing feat. "Either way, I think I've gotten a better idea on how to make this thing work for me."

"Hm. I doubt that, but I suppose I'll leave that there and ask you what we're supposed to do about finishing this trip out if your bird buddy's too injured to take us back home himself."

"Thankfully, I prepared for that. Either we use the Ammonian Transceivers we got from Twitch and Vinegar to see if they'll hitch us a ride, or we can use them to call Tay over… provided he and Shantae aren't terribly busy in Genie's Hem and they're allowed to make an unscheduled pit stop out here…"

"Hm. I dunno about all that…" Rotty voiced her doubt. "You and Twitch still can't stand each other, and I'm PRETTY sure she and Vinegar would sooner make out with the back end of a dead porcupine than do YOU a favor."

"Gross!" Sky shot back in complete revulsion as she reeled back.

"It's also true. And it's kind of a long shot to ask Shae-Shae and Tay-Tay to drop what they're doing to sweep us up in a plane that most likely doesn't have enough seats for all four of us… It'd probably be a really tight fit, too…" the undead young woman further explained as a rather… suspicious blush formed on her face for a moment.

"And what ideas would YOU have in this case? The only other possible suggestion is that you make out with Wrench with your weird Brain Chomp move…"

"At the cost of at least half my face, I'm sure. No way am I doing THAT! I've seen how he stares me down… Like he's ready to swallow me whole the first chance he gets…" Rotty half-joked, glancing at the bird in question… as he also stared right back at her, prompting her to turn her gaze forward once more out of discomfort.

"Hmm… Can't say you're wrong there, unfortunately."

"Thanks for the very reassuring confirmation. Besides, I don't think it works on people that aren't at least partly human."

"Have you experimented with it to figure that out?"

"No, and I don't plan on starting today. So, I guess we're stuck on this island until either your bird heals, or we luck out and spawn up a Stage Clear platform to wrap up our business."

"In that case, let's press ahead and get this over with as fast as we can. We've got one more section to clear before we're done…" Sky warned as they approached the next part. "This time, it'll just be you and me combining our abilities, so-!"

"You mean it'll be me using my abilities to bail your feathery butt out of this mess before you meet up with your secret admirer," Rotty smugly corrected with a snide chuckle.

"Hmph. You're hilarious, Rottytops. Seriously, I'm busting a gut over here," Sky flatly shot back with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, while we have a moment, I've got a question for you."

"Shoot. Whatcha got for me?"

"Um… I don't know how comfortable you are with me asking this, but… like… What do you think it would take at this point for you to forgive Bolo? If there was ever even a chance at all of that happening, I mean…" At that, Rotty stopped in her tracks and spun around while wearing a look of total astonishment.

"And what would I do THAT for?"

"For the fact that he's been trying to apologize to you since the day he told you about-!"

"The 'secret' both he AND YOU were trying to keep from me about that Leopard Gal? Yeah, he could apologize a million times over, and it still wouldn't come close to being enough," Rotty sternly remarked. "And you can imagine I'm upset with you for trying to help him cover it up, as a matter of fact!"

"I know, and I take full responsibility for the way I handled it. Believe me," Sky acknowledged. "But for the record, I wasn't trying to help him keep his affair a secret. I was trying to help him figure out a place and time to tell you what he did."

"Hm. Makes sense coming from you, but it wouldn't have cushioned the impact."

"Fair. But… listen. A broken heart can be mended if-!"

"Heart's not broken, birdie. I never loved him like that," the zombie girl very irritably interrupted.

"If that were true, then you wouldn't be taking this as hard as you have."

"And how would YOU suggest I take it, then? Since you're such a master at dealing with getting your heart broken and all!" Rotty suddenly lashed out, her temper quickly reaching its boiling point.

"What!? And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean!?" Sky indignantly demanded to know.

"Do I REALLY need to bring up your dating profile again?" Rotty bitterly shot back, causing Sky to reel back with an appalled expression on her face. "Yeah. I thought so. I don't need YOU of all people lecturing me on forgiveness when you can't even figure out how to smooth things over with YOUR giant laundry list of exes. Especially when they're the ones breaking up with you. You sound like such a hypocrite, and I'm tired of you sticking your beak in my business like you know better than I do. Do us all a favor and stop trying to fix me when you don't even know how to solve your own issues. No one asked you." And while Rottytops expected to get a voluminous earful from the bird tamer…

"…That was low, Rotty. You didn't have to go there…" Sky responded not with anger… but with a notable sense of hurt in her tone. Realizing it for herself, the zombie maiden's expression switched from anger to crushing regret. "There comes a point where some of the things you say hurt a lot more than you expect them to…"

"…Aw, jeez… I-I guess that was a little too far. S-sorry…" Rotty tried to offer her apology, sorely wishing she could take back what she said.

"…Whatever. Let's just get this over with and go home," the despondent bird trainer dismissed as she walked ahead, not even bothering to look the other young woman in the eye. "And here I was, thinking we could ever really be friends… I've tried my hardest to put aside my grudges and be cordial with you, but if that's how you want to be when I was just trying to help you, then forget I said anything to you. I'm done."

"…What? Sky…" a thoroughly shocked Rottytops called to her evident former friend.

"You can do whatever you want after the fact, but don't you dare act like I never gave you a chance and tried to be in your corner."

"No, w-wait. Sky, I'm really sorry I said that. I didn't mean any of it. We're still friends. Please, just… just hold on a-!" Rotty attempted to plea, reaching forth as she followed Sky and pressed a hand to the other girl's shoulder… only for Wrench to peck Rotty's hand as hard as he could with an emphatic *PLOCK*. "OW! What the heck, Wrench!? I-!"

"KREAAAAWWRRAAAAGH!" Wrench shrieked at her, flaring his feathers as though he planned to attack Rotty on the spot. Understandably frightened, Rotty jumped back and flinched as she widened her eyes at the bird trainer's pet.

"It's alright, Wrench. It isn't worth it. Let's just get this meeting done, so we can heal your wing…" Sky advised her avian partner as she petted him to get him to settle down. In response, Wrench nuzzled into her cheek. Nevertheless, she continued her trek independent of whether Rottytops was following or not.

"…Man… When are we ever NOT going to be dealing with drama and pointless squabbling in this group…?" the zombie griped to herself as she reluctantly followed her adventuring partner along. Soon enough, the girls reached the final part of the impromptu obstacle course… and boy, did it look intimidating. Another giant pit teeming with various monster girls, from Archer Ladies to Nagas to even the rare and majestic (not to mention super attractive) Harpy Gal flittering about as she seemed to be curiously surveying her surroundings from the canopy of the trap-laden forest. Lining the bottomless pit the size of a lake was a series of crumbling floating platforms, in addition to towers of flames that spouted upward and dissipated seemingly at random between the platforms.

"Hm… We are SO underprepared for this…" Sky remarked with an anxious sigh as she scouted the vicinity with just her eyes. "But we're already here, so we may as well push on through…"

"No kidding…" Rotty agreed as she fought through her own discomfort to walk up and stand beside her estranged teammate while getting a good look at the obstacle course. "It's pretty obvious that we'll need to put our heads together on this one… in some parts, literally. I can probably Head Warp us across the platforms, seeing as they're so far apart from each other. Just a matter of how we divide our attention between crossing the gap and dealing with the monster girls…"

"Speaking of which… here one of them comes," Sky warned as she clutched her Magic Boost Vambrace and focused her attention on the incoming Harpy Gal quickly approaching through the air. The chimeric woman looked none too dissimilar from Shantae in her own Harpy transformation, save for a few key differences. She was at least two feet taller than the half-genie's Harpy form with wings of a warm tickle-me pink up top that faded into a vibrant sunflower yellow and pale bluish-white at the very tips. Her silky white hair was much longer and draped over her shoulders, and the sclera of her eyes was a rich minty green. Her talons were a pristine marble white while her feathery lower half bore a darker pink than that of her wings, save for the marble white tips of her tailfeathers. It… was also worth mentioning that this particular Harpy Gal was… ESPECIALLY well-endowed where it counted most. You'll get what I mean in a sec…

"Ah, shoot… Well, here's to hoping they aren't TOO tough…! This one looks like she could do some real damage if we aren't careful…" Rotty muttered as she entered her battle pose, ready to rumble. In that moment, the menacing Harpy Gal closed the distance between them, and…

"Heya! Welcome to Soldier's Ascension Beach!" the Harpy Gal… casually greeted with a smile on her face? Uh... Alrighty, then…

"…Heeeey," Sky was the first to respond, doing nothing to hide her wariness as she remained in position and tensed up. Rottytops did much the same.

"How ya doin'?" the Harpy Gal politely asked.

"…Good?" Sky answered while scanning the monster girl up and down with her eyes. "And… how about you?"

"I've had less stressful days, but I'm hanging in there. Thanks for asking! You two came here at the perfect time, by the way, because we need your help," the Harpy Gal informed the bird trainer and the zombie, throwing both of them for a loop.

"Our help? With what, exactly?" the falconer inquired in surprise.

"And who are you, for that matter?" the undead young woman added in wonder.

"Hm? Oh, right… Um… My name is Liasha! I'm a Harpy Gal who recently migrated to this island from Naga Mountain along with my friends here!" the mysterious prismatic avian woman revealed without a modicum of hesitation or apprehension in her tone. It was like she'd run into two new friends at a shopping center instead of in the middle of a monster-infested forest on a random beach in bumblefumble, nowhere…

"Oh? Huh… Wow, we haven't been to Naga Mountain in ages…" Sky remarked as she settled down and rubbed her chin with a hand. "And last time we were there, we didn't happen to spot any Harpy Gals. I thought you were native to the Great Button Province…?"

"We are, but I decided to move out this way for a chance to meet Shantae," Liasha calmly explained with a disarming grin. "I started out at Naga Mountain, but some things happened that I won't bore you with the details of… and well… now, we're here! By the way, you two are Shantae's best friends, are you not? Sky and Rottytops?"

"Oh! Er, y-yeah! You… you know us?" Rotty asked in surprise, also calming her nerves a bit as the conversation grew more casual.

"Yep! Stories of your exciting adventures with Shantae have become super popular overseas and over on Naga Mountain! Especially when this new book, Shantae: Clash of Arms, came out detailing one of your most epic adventures yet! It's an honor to meet you!" Liasha happily proclaimed. "I'd offer a handshake, but y'know… Wings instead of hands," she further joked with a cute little giggle as she momentarily flared said wings.

"The pleasure is ours all the same to meet you, Liasha," Sky graciously acknowledged with a friendly wave. "Although, I almost completely forgot someone wrote about that whole saga… Glad to know it's at least given you a good impression of us. Anyway, what is it you need our help with?"

"There's this suspicious-looking lady who's been skulking about on the beach beyond the end of this forest," Liasha revealed with a notable tone of concern. "My friends and I were preserving the monument built to honor the 'Unknown Hero' who died in the Clash of Arms conflict when this lady showed up in a metal monster with metal wings and scared us off with her pellet poppers of doom. She kept on screaming about how she would burn this entire island to the ground, starting with the monument. When we tried to stop her, she shot at us and chased us into this forest. We need to find a way to get rid of her…"

"Hmm… Did you happen to get a glimpse of her? What did she look like?" Sky inquired, already having an idea of who Liasha may have been referring to.

"Not sure… She was wearing a dark blue coat with a hood over it, so we couldn't see her hair or her face. We only know she's female by the sound of her voice…"

"What are the odds that this creepy, angry hooded lady Liasha's talking about is the one who sent you that note?" Rottytops asked Sky.

"I'm almost certain, though I guess now's a good time to take extra precaution…" Sky answered before turning her attention to Liasha. "What is she doing now?"

"Last I saw, she was just standing near the monument, waiting as she kept herself heavily armed and dangerous…" Liasha further revealed to Sky's and Rotty's collective dismay.

"…Thaaaaat's unsettling…" Rotty expertly pointed out in apprehension.

"So, will you help us?" the Harpy Gal reiterated her request.

"We'd be crazy not to," Sky assured with a nod, thereby forming an alliance with the local monster girl. "Although, we're probably crazier for taking this mission on without more context…" she further muttered her true feelings as she momentarily cast her gaze elsewhere, though it fell on deaf ears.

"Yes, yes, yes! Awesome!" Liasha cheered in a mixture of excitement and relief. "All you have to do is get past this pit, and you'll be home free to deal with the intruder."

"And… what are the odds you can carry at least one of us over to the other side?" Rotty asked, already studying the dimensions of the bottomless pit.

"Eh, about that… I'm afraid to say that I cannot," Liasha plainly denied with an innocently jovial smile and a nervous titter.

"Why not?"

"Because while I am able to fly, I don't have the upper OR lower body strength to take on any luggage or passengers beyond a certain size. At most, I might be able to carry a small child. It's most unfortunate…"

"That's seriously all you can manage? With knockers like THOSE!? Could've fooled me." Rottytops very bluntly pointed out, noting the Harpy Gal's… particularly sizable breasts. "They're even bigger than mine! Like two giant, perfectly round, fully grown watermelons… I can hardly believe you aren't getting regular wing workouts just by flying around with those big, bouncy bombshells," she further complained, crossing her arms over herself in apparent frustration and shame. "And don't even get me STARTED on those super wide, bodacious hips of yours or those thighs that look like they could crush a man's skull in a heartbeat. Goodness…" Don't say I didn't warn ya…

"Rotty! Are you SERIOUS right now!? That's so inappropriate!" Sky chided in complete astonishment, though Rottytops rolled her eyes at the bird trainer. Liasha, on the other hand, merely chuckled.

"It's fine, because it's true! I am fully aware that I am quite… 'blessed' for my species," the Harpy Gal cheerfully acknowledged, even giving a 'demonstration' of sorts by er… by bouncing up and down a couple times to prove her very… jiggly point. "This, however, is a rare mutation amongst my kind. Harpy Gals aren't supposed to be this… erm, curvy, and it makes it difficult for me to stay airborne, even without a passenger. If I could ferry you across, I would, believe me. I'll be sure to uh… engage in more 'wing workouts' as you suggest, so that I may be of more use in the future," she did her best to be sympathetic, though she cutely sunk into herself as her cheeks turned rosy.

"Ah, it's fine," Rottytops acknowledged with a sigh and nod. "It wouldn't necessarily be a quality adventure if we could do it the easy way…"

"At the very least, my friends and I won't attack you!" Liasha happily informed her newest allies. "Instead, we will continue as we were, keeping watch for any additional problems or unwanted company that comes along, or otherwise, simply hanging out. Would that make things more manageable?"

"I suppose that's as good as it's going to get," Sky answered, however unenthused she sounded. "That'll be fine…"

"Awesome! Thanks for taking up this task, because we'd have had no idea how to deal with that crazy hooded lady otherwise," Liasha expressed her gratitude with a bow.

"Don't sweat it, Liasha. We've got this," Rotty vowed.

"Cool, cool. In that case, I'll leave you lovely ladies to it!" the Harpy Gal bade as she turned and began to fly away… only to suddenly turn back around as though she had forgotten something. "Oh! And one more thing…"

"Yeah?" Sky was the one to ask.

"Is… Is it true that the spirit of the 'Unknown Hero' still roams free in this world? I've heard rumors, but I'm not sure."

"Oh! Uh… Yes, it's true."

"Wow, neat! I'm so happy to hear that!" the Harpy Gal cheered, doing her best to hide her overabundant excitement. "In that case, I wonder what he's up to… probably doing more 'Unknown Hero' stuff, I bet…" she further gushed.

"He's a busy guy these days, but he's managing," the bird trainer affirmed with a nonchalant shrug. "Why do you ask? Is there something you want to know about him?"

"Uh! N-no, no! I don't really have a reason for asking! Heh…" Liasha sheepishly dismissed, a rather curious blush forming on her face as she sunk into herself again.

"You sure? Because I think you've got a few more questions on your mind…" Sky pressed, herself curious at Liasha's sudden change in demeanor.

"…I do…" the Harpy Gal shyly admitted after a moment of silence as she shook off her nerves and stopped hiding behind her prismatic wings.

"You don't have to be nervous. Ask away, and we'll do our best to answer. So… What's your next question?"

"…W-well… forgive me for how forward this is, but… er… Is… Is he…? Like… um… Is he single? And… if he is, then… is he possibly… into monster girls, by any chance?" Liasha blushingly popped a pair of questions that shocked both Sky and Rottytops nearly senseless. "Asking for a friend! Heh…" the Harpy Gal made ABSOLUTELY sure to nervously clarify, though no one bought it.

"Ah, how bold of you," Rotty remarked, laughing off some of her discomfiture all the while. "And from personal experience, I think it's safe to say it's entirely possible he's into monster girls…" she further explained, gesturing a thumb toward herself… an action VERY MUCH noticed by a highly displeased Sky.

"Whoa, what the he-!?" the bird trainer tried to intervene.

"…Buuuuut I WILL have to break it to ya that he's taken. Specifically, he's dating Shantae," the zombie finished her answer.

"Aw, really? Dang… Well, I guess I can't be mad at that. If he's with her, then there's hardly any room for competition. Especially considering she can turn into just about any monster girl she wants to be… including my species," the Harpy Gal voiced her mild disappointment.

"Huh… Y'know what? I NEVER thought about that…!" Rotty remarked in wonder, letting her thoughts trail off somewhere entirely inappropriate for a moment. "Now I'm curious… Is it possible that snack cakes uses her animal forms when she and stud muffin have s-?"

"EXCUSE my friend's comments," Sky THANKFULLY cut in, still focused on addressing Liasha. "But yes, the 'Unknown Hero' is very much off the market, unfortunately."

"Understood. Oh well, worth a shot. Anyway, best of luck!" the evident fan of Tayshan that was Liasha bade as she turned one more time and took flight toward the canopy of the miniature jungle, leaving Sky and Rotty to embark on the final stretch of their trip. And just as Rottytops reached toward her head to pull it off and toss it…

"Watch it, Rottytops…!" Sky warned. Rather than give a characteristically snarky retort to the bird tamer's admonishment, however…

"…Sorry," the undead young lady somberly apologized, taking her teammate by surprise.

"Whoa, what? You… Did you just… APOLOGIZE?"

"Yeah. I did. I'm sorry for making that comment. And I'm sorry again for what I said a little while ago. I… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Um… We're… still friends… right?"

"Oh! Uh… Y-yeah, we're still friends," Sky assured after recovering enough to collect her thoughts. "And… I'm sorry for snapping at you. I should've kept my cool."

"Sure. And… hey, while we do this last section… Is… Is it okay if we talk about some things? Much as it pains me to ask, I could use some insight…"

"Yeah, no problem, Rotty," Sky affirmed. "What do you want my opinion on?"

"A few things… Like… how to figure out what to do about Bolo… and like… how to keep myself motivated to press forward like you do… and… a-and… well, you probably know the last thing… regarding my um… my 'thing' for our mutual ghost friend… and how that would make our mutual genie friend feel if she found out… though, I'm sure she knows already…" she shyly requested, blushing as she turned away for a moment and cleared her throat.

"Hmm, I see… Looks like this'll be one heck of a conversation between us, huh?"

"Yeah… and, all things considered, one I'd like to have in private while we have the time here," Rotty oh-so-subtly hinted, though I got the message loud and clear. Looks like you and I are taking a hike in another direction, dear reader. "Thanks. We'll be sure to fill you in on the most important details once we reconvene," Rotty further assured.

On that note, we leave new friends Sky and Rottytops to handle things independently. Buuut with what little time we still have for this goaround, we may as well sneak a small peek at whoever might be waiting for Sky at the end of their maze…

Further ahead…

"Hmph… Kill hundreds of innocent men in the span of one day with hardly any provocation… and still be regarded a 'hero' because you saved ONE life at the cost of your own… What a joke…!" a lone mysterious woman venomously spat as she stood on the sandy surface of the beach far beyond the lush, voluminous forest behind her. As the waves of the ocean ubiquitously crashed over one another and the wind howled in the distance, the cloaked individual appeared to be observing a gigantic stone monument depicting an enormous shield with an epitaph beneath it that read, 'The Final Resting Place of the Unknown Hero, Who Gave His Life to Protect Sequin Land's People From Evil. May He Find Eternal Peace in the Great Beyond.' Surrounding it was a collection of bouquets of wilting flowers and unlit candles in mason jars, as well as jewelry, cards, and other various forms of tribute.

"Soon enough, I'll avenge them… and soon enough, this world will finally be rid of you, Assassin…!" the woman vowed, branding the Unknown Hero with the moniker of a cold-blooded killer. "And after that, I'll burn this entire island to its last grain of sand if it means wiping you out of Sequin Land's history books forever…! The men you murdered deserve to be remembered, not YOU…!" Jeez… Whoever this is, REALLY seems to hate a certain wraith… and from the sound of it, her hatred was borne from some deep-seated grudge she had against him over him apparently killing her friends? Wonder what that's all about…

"Hey, you!" called another feminine voice from behind the cloaked woman. Seeming mostly unbothered, the cloaked woman slowly and deliberately turned to face the source of the command… and it turned out to be a lone purple-skinned Archer… only, this one was a lot smaller than your average Archer Lady. Or, more specifically, she was a child who appeared no older than the average grade schooler. Nevertheless, the young Archer Lady (or in this case, Archer Girl) stood tall, her shoulder-length aquamarine-hued hair blowing in the wind as she aimed a bow and arrow at her perceived enemy. "Leave the Unknown Hero's grave alone, or I'll put one right between your eyes!"

"Hmph. A kid Archer Lady? Didn't think they were even capable of procreating the way humans do…" the cloaked woman remarked in mild surprise, though she hardly moved. "I only wonder what hapless buffoon was dumb enough to take an Archer Lady as his mate, much less start a family with her…"

"I'll give you five seconds to back off, get back in your metal bird beast, and GET THE HECK OFF THIS ISLAND!" the Archer Girl demanded, tugging harder on the string as she prepared to fire.

"Heh… And what makes you think you'd be able to harm me with that little toy, kiddo?" the hooded woman unflinchingly dared to ask.

"This is no toy! I said get out of here! If you make one more move that isn't you leaving, I'll shoot!" the Archer Girl made herself abundantly clear. Yet still, the hooded woman refused to budge.

"We'll see about that. But you know what? I've got a question for ya if you'll simmer down enough to let me ask it."

"Question…?" the Archer Girl murmured in confusion, though she held her position and contemplated whether to entertain the intruder's request. After a second, she made her decision. "What is it? And make it quick!"

"Do you have any idea whose grave it is you're defending? Who the 'Unknown Hero' really is?" the hooded woman posed.

"I do," the young monster girl answered with utmost certainty. "And it's for that reason that so many of my family and friends moved from Naga Mountain to here to protect this grave and the legacy of the man it belongs to from scum like you!"

"Oh, is that right? Then would you like to hear a story about how… unheroic your 'hero' really is? Because I've got one that would make you change your mind in a heartbeat."

"What story?"

"Just a little tale of how he ruthlessly slaughtered countless innocent people during a senseless siege in a little place called the Baron Desert that led to-!" the hooded woman was about to share, though the island's sworn protector caught on.

"Oh, you mean the day he gloriously wiped out the Ammonian Army for what they did to Naga Mountain," the Archer Girl deduced, much to the taller woman's surprise.

"WHAT!?" the hooded woman shouted back her question in shock and ire.

"Yeah, I know about that. A bunch of those traitorous raccoon lovers betrayed him and sold him out to Risky Boots while their dastardly associate Techno Baron ravaged my home and blew it to smithereens. It's because of Techno Baron, the Ammonian Army, and Risky Boots that I lost my mother that day…!" the girl venomously spat. "And while it didn't bring me back my mommy, I still felt happy when I heard someone stood tall in her place and punished her killers! Every last one of those ruthless, miserable, bloodthirsty SAVAGES deserved everything they got for what they did! I hope they're all suffering for eternity in the next dimension…! Good riddance to all of them!"

"Grrgh, you…!" the hooded woman growled before reining herself in and taking a deep breath before continuing. "You ought to do a bit of fact-checking before you belt out such ludicrous accusations, little girl. The Ammonian Army would never have claimed your mother's life. They aren't coldhearted like that."

"Then explain why they attacked and tore apart an entire city full of other defenseless humans alongside the likes of Risky Boots! Explain why they invaded my home for no reason, and then had their leader's closest ally show up to my home with a giant mechanical dragon and a group of Risky's minions, BOMBING it to kingdom come without a care in the world for who they hurt! Explain why they DESTROYED my family and most of my friends! Explain why they killed my mom!" the girl demanded over and over again, growing frustrated to the point of tears as she glared at the unwelcome visitor.

"There's context you're missing there, kid. Don't act like you know-!"

"And you know what? Why are you even defending those rotten scumbags, anyway!?" the Archer Girl demanded to know, cutting the cloaked woman off in the process as she steadied her aim. "Are you one of them?"

"And if I say I was?"

"Then I'll KILL you…!" the girl menacingly threatened, her expression morphing into one of an intense, seething anger one wouldn't think a child could muster…

"Is that right? That's an awfully bold remark to make for someone so yo-!" the cloaked woman was about to remark when the *THWIP* of the Archer Girl's bow rang out, sending the arrow beaming toward its target faster than one could blink. "WHOA!" the woman hollered out, weaving to the side to just NARROWLY avoid being struck in the face with the arrow. Instead, the dangerously sharp projectile ripped clean through her hood, tearing it apart as it fell from over her head. The arrow continued to soar through the air for a few more yards before sticking with a *KATRINK* into the base of the monument behind the supposed intruder. Speaking of whom, said intruder hurriedly brushed her familiar red hair out of her face as she recovered and immediately shot the Archer Girl a cold-blooded, green-eyed death glare from behind her aviator shades. "You…! How DARE you…!? You miserable BRAT!"

"You should be so lucky you were fast enough to dodge that one, but the next one's going through your eye! Those stupid glasses won't save you, murderer!" the Archer Girl wrathfully declared as she picked another arrow from her quiver and loaded it into her bow with the intent to take the intruder (revealed to be none other than the former Admiral, Nila) down without a second thought.

"You're making a huge mistake, kid!" Nila warned as she braced herself for the incoming projectile. "Shoot another arrow at me, and I'll be forced to-!"

"DIE!" the Archer Girl yelled as she fired another *THWIP* of an arrow at her target. Nila, quick on her feet, dive rolled out of the way just in time to see the arrow zip by her and skid across the sand. By the time she recovered, however, the Archer Girl had already loaded another arrow into her bow and had taken a few steps back to avoid the former Admiral getting too close. "Figures you'd dodge that one…! Let's see how you like THIS one, then…!"

"Cut it out! You're on your way to making me do something you'll regret!" Nila hollered as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a pistol… and aimed it at the little girl firing arrows at her.

"How's THIS for regret, murderer!?" the Archer Girl shouted as she launched her next arrow. With a vicious *THWIIRSH*, the metal-tipped projectile was sent rocketing toward Nila… who had this time caught the arrow in her hand by its shaft JUST before it could dig into her otherwise vulnerable forehead.

"Your toy is useless! Now, drop the bow before I…" Nila was about to command before noticing that the arrow she caught began to glow and flash white. "What the…? SHOOT!" she cursed as she turned and flung the arrow into the air, where it detonated with a *KRABWOOM* as though she'd just lit a firework. Just as she turned to face the Archer Girl, however…

"TYAAH!" the Archer Girl bellowed as she hurriedly shot another arrow, this time managing to scrape her enemy's arm as the arrow ripped through the former Ammonian affilate's sleeve with a *TSCHEERSCH*.

"GAH! Agh… Hrrrgh…!" Nila howled in pain and groaned, sucking in air through her teeth as she examined her wound. Rather than be deterred, however, the red-haired gunslinger found herself incensed as she glared at the Archer Girl and aimed her gun at her once more. "That's it…! You're lucky you're young, or you'd be DEAD ON THE SPOT for that!"

"And YOU'LL be dead, period! Now hold still and let me put one in your cold, black heart, you dirty, conniving ASSASSIN!" the Archer Girl threatened right back, though it caused the Ammonian affiliate to momentarily stop in her tracks as she processed what she'd just heard. And after a moment of tense silence…

"…What did you just call me?" she found herself compelled to ask.

"You heard me! You and your filthy, raccoon-obsessed gang are ASSASSINS! And I'm about to give you a taste of your own medicine just like the Unknown Hero did!" the Archer Girl valiantly promised, ready to continue their deadly scuffle.

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH, YOU IGNORANT LITTLE CRUMB SNATCHER!" Nila roared with an astonishing and intense anger as she glared at her school-aged enemy. "You know NOTHING about the Ammonian Army to make such an insane accusation! We didn't kill your mom like your so-called 'hero' killed my friends! That was Risky Boots's doing, and you're taking your frustrations out on the wrong target!"

"Make all the excuses you want, Assassin! You and your crazy blue raccoon cult are ALL evil, and for my mom's sake, I'll kill every last one of you I find!" the Archer Girl declared as she readied her next arrow… and within a second, she fired it with another air-piercing *THWIP*.

"Gah! Hrah!" Nila grunted as she leapt out of the way and avoided the incoming projectile as it whizzed by her. By the time she recovered, however…

"Do us all a favor and DISAPPEAR!" the angry Archer Girl shouted as she pulled out three arrows, loaded all of them into the string between her fingers, hopped backward to create more distance, turned her bow sideways, and fired a triple threat of an iron-tipped assault on her target.

"Darn it…!" Nila cursed as she brandished her pistol and fired a *BANG* of a hurried shot that easily shattered the middle arrow with a startling *KAKRACK*. She followed up by dropping to the ground to let the other arrows pass over her before climbing to her feet and racing toward the Archer Girl.

"Gosh, you're annoying…! I need to hurry this up before I run out of arrows…!" the Archer Girl urged herself as she dashed across the sandy terrain away from her nemesis while reaching into her quiver for another arrow. And as soon as she got ahold of it… "Let's see how ya like THIS one! YAH!" she hollered as she loaded the arrow on the run and fired it with another *THWIP* while on the run.

"I've had enough of this!" Nila declared as she fired a volley of rounds with *POW* after *BLAM* after *BANG* at the Archer Girl while also making sure to shoot the incoming arrow out of the air as she had the previous one. This time, however, the arrow exploded with a *KAPWOOF* of smoke on impact with the flashing pellet that was Nila's bullet. "Gaah…! Shoot, this little punk is REALLY starting to get on my nerves…!" she further complained as she dug her heels into the sand and skidded right into the smokescreen while covering her mouth.

"Perfect…! Got her RIGHT where I want her…!" the Archer Girl confidently observed as she pulled out her final three arrows and loaded them all at once. Steadying herself as she positioned herself next to the Unknown Hero memorial, she locked her focus exclusively on her target as she narrowed her eyes, pulled back the string, and… "This is for you, mom…" she whispered, letting all three arrows soar with a simultaneous *THWIP* through the thick, humid air at breakneck speed as they zoomed toward the smokescreen in which Nila was expected to be standing. Yet, before any of the arrows could reach their destination, a frightening *KABLAM* rang out from within the murky cloud. "Huh? What the heck was tha-?" she was about to ask as a spray of flashing rounds from Nila's direction completely shredded her arrows and careened toward her from multiple angles.

"Whahow!" the Archer Girl yelped as she dove out of the way of the barrage of bullets that wound up piercing the monument behind her with a smattering of *Plinks* and *Ploowms*. Ignoring the debris sprinkling from the damaged structure, the Archer Girl gingerly picked herself up just as another *KABLAM* rang out, sending another spray of wayward, scattering bullets her way. Having no time to dodge and having no arrows to return fire with, she held her bow up and braced for impact… rather than be safe, however… "GYAAAAHAAAAGH!" she hollered out in excruciating pain as her bow shattered with a *CHAKROCK* of some of the incoming rounds tearing right through it. And with an additional series of *POCKs* and *PRACKs*, she was flung back to the sandy ground beneath her as she was hit multiple times.

"Hah…! Alright, let's see where the brat is now…!" Nila grumbled as she stepped out of the dissipating smoke cloud while covering her face with her cloak. In her other hand was a shotgun that she was quick to stash into the cloak as she peered around the mostly empty beach to search for her target. It took mere seconds before Nila locked her emerald eyes on the injured girl in question as said girl curled up on the ground, sobbing in unrelenting agony. "Hm. Down for the count, I see… Not that I meant to hit her directly, but it is what it is…" she lamented, though she breathed a heavy sigh and drew closer to the crying child. She stopped within a few feet, however, as she stood tall and crossed her arms. And once the Archer Girl looked up and noticed…

"You… I swear if it's the last thing I do, I'm… I-I'm gonna make you PAY…!" the fledgling markswoman vowed, trying her hardest to stop her tears as she remained on her knees, clutching her stomach. "Y-you… And the rest of your murdering goons…! I won't let you get away with any of it…! Ghahagh…!"

"Hmph. Once again, you've got the wrong idea," Nila dismissively shot back. "And had you listened to me earlier, little girl, you wouldn't be in this position. You only have yourself to blame."

"Gah…! Spoken like a truly cold-blooded assassin…!" the injured Archer Girl spat as she fought through a tidal wave of agony to push herself up to her feet, only to stumble back into the monument and fall into a vulnerable seated position… where one could… without saying too much, clearly see the crimson mess she was trying to keep under control as she continued to clutch her hotly aching stomach. Her tears hadn't stopped falling. She had been breathing raggedly and irregularly. And yet… she glared at an astonished Nila like the fire in her eyes could never be extinguished.

"…J-jeez…!" Nila muttered as her expression switched from one of agitation and indifference… to one of immense concern as she unfolded her arms. "H-hey, listen. We… we should probably get you checked out before you bl-!" she was about to offer as she took a couple steps forward, reaching out a hand.

"G-get away from me…! GET AWAY FROM ME!" the understandably frightened Archer Girl hollered in a tearful rage as she backed herself up against the monument, picked up a rock, and flung it at her attacker with all the strength she had left. She missed Nila completely as the projectile sailed over her head and into the sand behind her, but Nila stopped her approach all the same.

"Cut it out, kid! I'm trying to help you! Now, stop panicking and-!"

"You killed me! You and your band of savages killed my mom! I will NEVER forgive you, and I… Gah…! I'd rather DIE than take help from an assassin like YOU!" the Archer Girl raged on as her pain only grew more intense.

"You don't know what you're saying," Nila tried to plead, though she remained stationary as she watched the young girl writhe in torment. "Look, I couldn't care less at this point about what you think of me, but I promise you that I'm not the demon you think I am. Now, come on… Let me-!"

"GET AWAY FROM HER! YAAAAH!" shouted another feminine voice as its evidently agitated owner came racing in from behind.

"What? Who in the-!" the former Ammonian associate was about to ask before she was smacked with a heavy, electricity-riddled *PRAPWOOASHAKAZAAP* of some unknown glowing force slamming into her from behind with the power of an especially large cannon shot. "GHAAH!" she bellowed as she was sent tumbling along the sand past the monument. Despite her initial shock and disorientation, however, she managed to roll onto her hands and feet and stop herself from skidding along further. "Who in the world DARES…!?"

"I knew you Ammonian creeps stooped to devious lows to get your way, but harming CHILDREN!? You TRULY have NO shame!" complained the unknown attacker as she stood tall, her curvaceous sun-tanned form surrounded by a glorious sparkling aura. Nila shook off her disorientation and caught a glimpse of the blonde haired, scarf-adorned, bird-accompanied beauty that was the one, the only… Sky the War Bird Trainer engaged in as ready a battle pose as she could muster as she aimed a silver vambrace-adorned hand at Nila while it was crackling with violent *KRACKs* ad *KAZOKs* of electricity. Her pet bird had been perched on her head, glaring with a ravenous intensity at the Ammonian affiliate.

"YOU…! So, you actually showed…!" Nila spat, glaring at the other young woman with nothing but seething rage in her eyes. Meanwhile, a particularly curvy, prismatic Harpy Gal came gliding in behind the bird trainer to tend to the injured Archer Girl.

"By the lords above! Kimalvi!" the Harpy Gal called out in shock and horror as she hurriedly landed near the ailing child and inspected her for damages. "What happened to you!?"

"Gah…! H-hey, Auntie Liasha… The hooded lady… Sh-she wounded me with one of her… ah…! One of her exploding stick machines…! She's… S-she's an assassin working with Ammonian Army…" the Archer Girl (evidently named Kimalvi) fought through her ceaseless tears to share as she continued trying to hold herself together.

"For the last time, I am NOT an assassin!" Nila screeched at Kimalvi, though the correction fell on deaf ears.

"Ohh, dear girl… This is why I told you not to try and fight her on your own!" Liasha chided, not at all pleased with the child's condition or her actions that led to her being put in this predicament.

"How's she looking, Liasha?" Sky called over while still holding her position. "Do you need any help patching her up?"

"She thankfully isn't too seriously hurt from what I see, but she's still gonna need some attention before her injuries get worse. I'll take care of her while you deal with this vicious, psychopathic invader," the concerned Harpy Gal gave her report and request, wasting little time in turning around and squatting further down. "Get on right now," she commanded Kimalvi. "We need to have you seen by Giga Mermaid immediately. She can fix this for sure, but we must be quick. She should be returning to Mermaid Falls from the Lucky Laces Lagoon, but she'll be out again before we know it if we don't hurry…"

"B-but what about the hooded assassin…? And who is the glowing girl with the weird bird…?" Kimalvi asked as she found the strength to pull herself up and plop herself onto Liasha's back, wrapping her arms around her apparent guardian's neck.

"That's one of the trusted allies of Shantae and the Unknown Hero. She'll take it from here, so let's be on our way."

"O-Okay… Sorry about this, Auntie…" Kimalvi apologized as she settled down as best as she could.

"No need to apologize, girl. I'm just glad we found you in time… Gonna have to dig in and pour my all into this two-hour emergency flight…" Liasha acknowledged with a sigh of worry as she flared her wings, gave them a few flaps to achieve liftoff, and immediately took off soaring into the skies as fast as she could. "Oh! And thank you for helping us take care of that wretched intruder, Sky! Be careful!" the Harpy Gal bade the bird tamer, prompting her to turn her head for a moment.

"You got it!" Sky bade back with a determined thumbs-up before turning her attention back to Nila, who'd climbed back to her feet and focused all her attention on the falconer. "So, I presume YOU'RE the one who sent me that threatening letter, 'Lina.' Or would you rather I stick to calling you Nila?"

"Oh, how wonderfully perceptive of you," Nila shot back in a feigned show of congratulations. "Hope you're proud of your genius-level deductive skills."

"Right… So, what do you want? Why did you call me out here? Because in case you have some funny business going on, just know I came prepared!" Sky warned, tensing up a bit and brandishing her Magic Boost Vambrace as its astounding blue glow enshrouded her.

"…Of course, you did…" Nila growled before sighing and relaxing her stance. "But lucky you, I… I didn't come here or call you out here to fight. No one else is with me, and no one knows I'm even here."

"And you expect me to believe that? After what you did to that little girl!?"

"No, no. Seriously, hear me out…" the Ammonian supporter began to clarify as she raised her hands up high. "That Archer brat attacked me first by shooting a bunch of suped-up arrows at me in her misguided attempt at killing me. I didn't mean to hurt her, but she forced my hand."

"I find that incredibly difficult to believe, considering it looked like you SHOT her. How can a girl THAT small force your hand that far, even with arrows? Even if I was to buy that excuse, it still doesn't justify that you harmed a child, Nila," Sky scolded, not at all dropping her guard. At that, Nila sighed in irritation.

"…Believe whatever you want, then. I don't care what you think. Either way, I didn't come here to stir up trouble. I came here and invited you out here simply to talk to you. But if you want to turn this meeting into a brawl, then be my guest…!" the red-haired woman dismissed and challenged, bracing herself in the event that Sky went on the offensive. And as much as Sky felt justified in engaging Nila in combat… the hesitation in her step made it clear she wasn't exactly itching to fight either. Nevertheless…

"Hmph. For someone who so brazenly accuses people of being 'assassins,' you sure as heck don't show a lot of compassion yourself… I also find it ironic that you don't want to fight now when you tried to kill two of my friends on separate occasions and badly injured that little girl," Sky accused, still holding her stance as strong as she could manage as Wrench remained perched on her head, glaring at Nila. "Your track record isn't exactly the cleanest, so excuse me for being distrustful of you." At that, the former Ammonian affiliate scowled in boiling anger.

"…Don't you DARE stand there and compare me to HIM…!" Nila growled in newly flaring frustration, pointing at the monument while never taking her eyes off Sky. "What happened to that girl was an accident! And even then, she'll survive! Also, that blue-haired poser you call a friend put himself in danger, getting in my way alongside that meddling ponytailed squirt! Same goes for that irritating, egotistical zombie! ESPECIALLY that irritating, egotistical zombie!"

"And that justifies you almost plunging a knife into Bolo's chest HOW!? He was trying to stop you from stealing the Spirit Fuser piece you and Hashanah made off with! And as far as I was told, YOU attacked Rottytops first when you fought her! She was defending herself! Add that onto what happened here, and you can probably figure out that you're NOT the innocent one here! Not by a long shot! How could you ever think your misdeeds DON'T make you seem like the same kind of person you accuse Tayshan of being!?"

"Don't go there! No one actually died during my encounters with them! Meanwhile, your beloved ghost pal SLAUGHTERED my friends without a shred of remorse or hesitation!" Nila roared, growing more agitated with Sky.

"After they, along with Risky's Tinkerbats, cost thousands of innocent people in Inseam AND on Naga Montain their lives! Including that little girl's mother!" the falconer accused once more, shocking the other woman nearly stiff.

"What? How did you-?"

"The Harpy Gal that accompanied me told me about her on our way over here before we heard your gunshots. Either way, none of what happened back then would've taken place had your allies not betrayed us and sided with Risky! I can't ever speak for Tayshan on what he did, but you have to understand that yours and Hashanah's dark crusade against him and Shantae serves no real purpose! Revenge isn't the answer! I'm sorry you lost your friends in that conflict, but trying to hurt my friends won't bring yours back! And even then, they were responsible for an unspeakable number of casualties themselves! For you being as angry as you are at Tayshan, have you ever stopped and thought about how angry all those other people are at YOU and the Ammonian Army? It's precisely why that Archer Girl attacked you as soon as she found out who you were!"

"…You know what? I'm going to skip the lecture before you make me do something you'll CERTAINLY regret...! My beef is with the Assassin, even though I find it ABHORRENT that you could still call that murderer your friend and defend him…!" Nila warned as calmly as she could, though one could tell by the vein in her forehead that she was tightly containing her anger. "Anyway, I called you over here because I want to know something…"

"Something like what?"

"Like what the connection is between you and Hashanah," Nila accused pointing a finger at Sky, who reeled back in surprise.

"WHAT!? What connection could you POSSIBLY think I'd have with her!?"

"Depends. Maybe if I ask you about the little 'date' you two went on in a place called the Capricious Titan Shrine, you'll cough up what I'm looking for."

"Ah… So, THAT'S what this is about," Sky acknowledged, settling down just a bit as she fielded Nila's intrusive inquiry. As such, she finally dropped her stance as she deactivated her Magic Boost Vambrace. Her aura almost completely vanished in a flash, and the bird tamer took the moment to stretch away any residual discomfort from having a nonstop flowing current of magic and electricity running through her.

"Yes, it is. And with a response like that, I presume you two have something going on behind my back? Because if you do, then I-!" Nila was about to brazenly accuse before…

"Nila," Sky called to her.

"What?"

"I have nothing to hide. I'll explain to you in full what happened between me and Hashanah in the Capricious Titan Shrine," the falconer calmly offered. "But before I do, I need you to promise me something."

"And that promise would be…"

"That you… Well, that you take into account the kind of person Hashanah really is once I share everything with you. And maybe, possibly reconsider trying to hunt down Tayshan for revenge?"

"Don't push it. I'll at least hear you out, but you'd better not utter a single SYLLABLE of a lie to me, or else I'll END you!" the Ammonian supporter threatened.

"Do that, and Shantae and/or Tayshan will end YOU. Let's leave the death threats out if it, please. And like I said, I have nothing to hide, and no reason to lie to you."

"Gah…! Hmph. Fine," Nila ceded, settling down herself when it became apparent that Sky was choosing to cooperate with her. "But I still won't give up on making the Assassin answer for what he did, no matter what you tell me."

"Of course not. Worth a shot… I'll leave that be for now, but I will continue to suggest you figure your grudge out before you make your next move against us," Sky acknowledged with a shrug and sigh. "Anyway, you may want to sit down. We've got a lot to cover."

"I've got nothin' but time, so sure," Nila agreed as she warily took a seat in her position. In return, Sky drew closer by a few paces and took a seat directly in front of her potential adversary. She then took in a deep, mildly shaky breath, at which point the last vestiges of her sparkling magic glow disappeared almost instantly.

"Okay. So… First, I'll ask you what you may have heard from Hashanah regarding our meeting, so I can fill in the blanks where she left them."

"That's the thing. She left almost nothing BUT blanks," Nila admitted. "At first, she didn't even mention that you were there. It was only after I ran into Shantae and that loudmouthed idiot zombie friend of yours the other day that I even found out. And when I pressed Hashanah on it, she told me you worked as business partners of sorts, but then she kept acting like she was hiding something… almost like she was trying to keep it a secret that you and she hooked up or fooled around or did… SOMETHING behind my back that she didn't want to tell me… So, what do you have to say to THAT?"

"Ooh, quite a lot, actually…" Sky remarked with a sigh. "Figures that she wouldn't give you the whole story…"

"…I don't have a good feeling about that."

"I figured you'd say that, and now I wonder about what exactly it was she even told you. But, since we're here, I'll start from the top. So… It started off with me being sucked into a tornado that wound up shooting me into the shrine itself…" Sky began a long, heavily detailed account of what happened between her and Hashanah at the Caprecious Titan Shrine…

Whelp, this isn't exactly how I expected things to go, but we are certainly movin' along here. But trust me, this little saga is far from over. We just need to come back when these two get to a point of covering things we haven't already witnessed for ourselves. And when we do, I've got a feeling something BIG is gonna happen regarding our not-so-honorable genie/Ammonian soldier duo. I just hope Nila doesn't get any funny idea to do anything to Sky while they're having this… slightly less comfortable than casual chat with one another about Hashanah's intentions for them. On that note, I'll be seein' ya real soon! Arrivederci!