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!

29. Revival Instinct

Interlude: Revival Instinct

Ah, look who's come back once again to hang out! Good to see ya again! I'll bet you're itchin' to find out how our heroes recovered from that last disaster smash and a half of bombastic adventures that took them through the luxurious, albeit extremely dangerous kingdom of the Lucky Laces Lagoon. And I shan't disappoint you! It'll be a lot to recap on in case you missed any details from last time, so bear with me…

So, last we left off, Shantae and Tayshan embarked on a mission to the Lucky Laces Lagoon on a mission to... well, 'escort' a gigantic immortal despot named King Khalid from this mortal coil. Should've been impossible, all things considered, I know. Yet, the mission was accomplished after a slew of mishaps, misfires, and misadventures leading up to the fateful battle. Shortly thereafter, Tayshan was abducted by the likes of Risky Boots, who'd conspired with the guardians of the Lucky Laces Lagoon to take him as their new monarch following his hard-fought victory over Khalid. As you might have guessed, however, this turned out to be a ruse designed to disguise Risky's true plan of brainwashing the ghostly guardian into challenging Shantae herself to a battle to the death. Shantae went through absolutely devilish trials and tribulations with the help of some of the locals to get him back, though it wore on her sanity to the point that she had eventually snapped and went on something of a rampage before eventually reaching Tayshan. From there, the Cosmic Couple actually DID engage in that deathmatch… and therefore nearly KILLED each other before they both managed to come to their senses. Risky slinked away after the chaos ensued and while our heroes were to weary to give chase, though she'd earned her share of bumps and bruises before she escaped. Shantae and Tayshan returned home safely, though they had quite the uncomfortable discussion ahead of them…

At Tayshan's House…

"Water?" a certain halo-adorned wraith offered as he walked out of his kitchen and into the living room with a glass of water in his hand. He'd been thoroughly cleaned up, wearing his blue track pants with no shirt and his dreadlocks tied up into a ponytail… though one would be remiss not to notice that his left hand was… well, completely missing and the remaining part of his left arm was wrapped in bandages up to his elbow. Also worth note was that his nose ring was gone.

"Thanks…" an equally certain half-genie accepted as he approached her and handed the beverage over to her. She'd also been cleaned up, wearing her frilly white two-piece pajama set with her hair down and flowing freely. Shantae had… evidently not been in the best of moods. She was sulking with a crestfallen look on her face, her head hung low as she stared at the ground beneath her feet. It was night, and the two heroes had been unwinding after their journey to the best of their ability. The lights were on in the humble abode, though the atmosphere was anything but lively. Nevertheless, Tayshan sat next to Shantae on the couch and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She did not make a move to return his gesture of affection. She didn't even look at him…

"…Look, I… I'm sorry about not bein' able t' shake off Risky's mind control sooner," he began with an apology in hopes of kicking off their discussion. "An' I'm really, really sorry that I hurt you, Shae… I feel awful for what I did t' you while I was hypnotized…"

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked, sullenly sipping her water as she did so… after which, she let loose a heavily constricted sneeze. She shook it off, however, before she continued. "Neither of us knew that that Diamond of Devastation was actually a Dark Magic Diamond, or that Risky would use it to brainwash you. Plus, she took advantage of the situation after you wore yourself out taking down Khalid. I'm not upset at you in the slightest, Tay."

"I… I appreciate that, an' I can't thank you enough for your forgiveness. But still, I was hopin' I'd be able t' shake off anyone's attempt t' control me," he reasoned as he expressed his disappointment in himself. "It's just rough that it still takes just a big enough Dark Magic gem t' do the trick… I'll have t' figure out how t' keep it from happenin' again, but that gem drew upon the Dark Magic in me an' amplified it while dullin' my senses t' the point where I completely blacked out until you broke it. I… I can't remember anything from when those girls dragged me out o' that arena up until right after you shattered the gem in our fight. Thanks for rescuin' me."

"I didn't break that gem to rescue you, Tay," she admitted, pausing only to sneeze again. "Ugh… My temper boiled over by that point because I was getting so frustrated that I couldn't get the edge over you that I tried to hurt you as much as I felt like you hurt or humiliated me… And if it means anything to admit it, well… You… you really have become a much better fighter. Much better than I ever expected…"

"Oh… Well thanks, I guess, but it doesn't sound like that's comin' from a place o' pride," he pointed out, choosing his words along the way. "If anything, it sounds like you're not happy that I've gotten stronger."

"N-no, that isn't…" she tried to rebut, though the worried look on his face told all. As such… "…Well, I guess I'm just… shocked that you got strong enough that you could realistically take me down…" she relented and confessed… right before… "Achoo!" she sneezed again, this time a bit louder before sniffling and shaking her head to refocus.

"I see," Tay acknowledged, hiding his surprise at her admission. "But it ain't like I'm tryin' t' take your place as Guardian Genie, nor am I trainin' specifically t' surpass you. Even with our mostly one-sided rivalry, I thought it was all in good fun because we weren't goin' all out durin' our sparrin' sessions. We always tested ourselves and each other t' measure how far we've come. What reason would you have t' feel threatened by my progress at this point?"

"The fact that you nearly beat me in a serious fight is reason enough."

"Oh, really? You think it was that close?" he asked, barely able to take in her confession as his eyes widened.

"Considering you made me draw out enough of my power that I went berserk and tried to kill you with a magic attack that next to NO ONE else could've survived… I'd say it was PRETTY DARN close, Tayshan," she regretfully admitted, further shocking him.

"I… I see…" he murmured, his thoughts nearly taking him elsewhere as he momentarily glanced at his hand. After a moment, and with a nod, he put his hand back down and turned his gaze toward the genie sitting next to him. "On one end, my trainin' really IS payin' off. On the other, I definitely don't wanna push you into a corner ever again. You're scary when you're angry enough in a fight…"

"How very reassuring of you to say, babe," Shantae jokingly remarked with a giggle, though she gulped down a knot in her throat as she tried to settle herself down. "But yeah, your hard work really shows. Even with that, though, it's still a wonder how you pulled off everything you did while you were holding back."

"What? Holdin' back?" he asked for clarification through his abundant shock.

"Yes. You might have been under Risky's mind control, but you still restrained yourself. Less than usual, but you were definitely pulling your punches. As a matter of fact, you didn't throw a single actual punch at me. You used mostly open palm strikes. On top of that, you totally scaled back the strength of your magic attacks. Don't act like I didn't notice," she accused, followed up with her resisting the urge to sneeze once more as she sniffled, rubbed her nose, and took another sip of water.

"I… would have had t' be conscious at the time t' notice it," he revealed to her mild confusion as she finally turned her head to him and raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm serious. I don't remember a thing about that fight, but it still makes sense that I'd recognize you enough t' keep from hurtin' you."

"…Huh… Ya don't say?" she pressed a bit more, uncertain of how he could have managed such a feat.

"I promise you, I ain't lyin'," he vowed, momentarily holding his left arm up… before realizing his hand wasn't there. As such, he hurriedly switched to holding his right hand up for a second before hastily changing the subject. His gesture did not go unnoticed, however, as Shantae frowned and guiltily sunk into herself. "Still, why would you need t' be scared o' me? Haven't you gotten stronger, too?"

"Sure, but… I'm not out here killing supposedly immortal beings and launching magic blasts the size of United Seams skyscrapers," she countered with a somewhat sour look on her face. "Even considering the thing with your Dual Magic, your power level just… SHOT UP out of nowhere! It shouldn't be possible."

"An' yet, here we are. I've been workin' as hard as I can t' not only contain that power, but t' also improve on my regular human strength an' ability wherever possible. Of course, I'm sure you've taken on much bigger threats t' the world than King Khalid, but is it really that unfathomable that someone that isn't a genie or some high-born monster or evil spirit from an era past could get as strong as I am?"

"Considering you started out as a regular, powerless full-fledged human being… Yes," she confirmed before another tickle in her nose nearly caused her to let out another sneeze. At this point, however, her nose began to turn red. Hmm… "No other human has been able to achieve what you have up to this point, Tay. You're treading entirely new ground… new ground that has even me wondering just what humans are capable of."

"Hm. In that case, it sounds like you'd better stop slackin' off on your training," he took the moment to tease, much to Shantae's chagrin as she reeled back in shock and offense.

"And what's THAT supposed to mean!?"

"It means that you don't have an excuse at this point not t' be leagues ahead o' someone like me," he held his stance firm. "If you're really supposed t' be so strong as a genie that no human, dead or alive, could even DREAM o' catchin' up t' you, then you have your work cut out for you in terms o' provin' it."

"Oh, don't get all high and mighty now because you made me struggle just a bit," she challenged with an irritated pout as she crossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure I can still take you down if you were to TRULY turn ev… ACHOO! Turn evil…"

"You'd better make sure you can," he remarked with a wink and grin, though something about the way he said it… made it seem like he was totally serious. "If I still can't fully resist mind control even at this level, then there's no tellin' the kind o' harm I could cause if Risky was able t' permanently turn me t' the Dark side… An' if YOU can't stop me in the case that I go rogue, who will?"

"…R-right…" the half-genie uncomfortably acknowledged, sniffling some more as she did so.

"Of course, we also need a failsafe in case YOU'RE the one who pulls the dreaded Heel turn," he added.

"…I know…" she acknowledged again, even more uncomfortably so as she gulped. "If I can't figure out this Dark Magic business, it gives rise to the possibility of me completely slipping… and much as I'd hate to say it… I'd rather DIE than let myself become Nega-Shantae with no way to turn me back. Speaking of which…" she trailed off as she gave him a very telling look, catching him by surprise.

"What, you want ME t' KILL you if you turn evil?" he asked, flabbergasted at the very notion.

"Well… Much as I want to say 'no,' I… think that'd be the only reasonable option if I couldn't snap out of it," she explained as solemnly as she could manage.

"I get that, but… with the Soul-Link in play, killin' you would kill ME, too," he reminded her. "An' even if that wasn't the case, what makes you think I'd go through with that?"

"It isn't like Sky, Rottytops, or Bolo could do it," the genie somberly remarked. "Plus, you're the only one I could trust to do the right thing if the time comes for it. I know you'd try to turn me back to normal first, but… given what I saw of your fight with Khalid and how you never let yourself lose focus as you battled him to the bitter end, I know I can count on you to do what's necessary without hesitating. It's also worth note that you have certain moves in your repertoire that I at least imagine would make it quick and painless."

"Sure, but I-!" he tried to interject.

"And… well, if there IS no way to turn me back to normal at that point, then I'm sure I'd at least thank you for trying before we both left this world together… I would just hope that there's someone out there who could take our place in dealing with Risky Boots if she was left to her own devices without us here to stop her evil schemes," she finished her statement with a contemplative sigh as the two of them looked one another right in the eye.

"Jeez, Shantae… That's awfully existential o' you," Tayshan worriedly expressed, tempering his astonishment at the heroine's suggestion. "But… it seems like we're both on the same page there, if I have t' admit it. I don't ever want it t' come t' that, an' I'm sure we'll both try our best t' stay as far away from any outcome that includes one of us killin' the other as possible."

"You certainly got that right. I wish I could figure out Dual Magic like you did, so I at least know I'm in control of the Dark half of it. That way, there would be no worries about me turning evil in the first place, much less needing to be executed over it if I completely lost control… Achoo!" Shantae expressed, though she couldn't resist the urge to sneeze it up some more. At that point, Tayshan began to take notice as he eyed her up and down for a second before he offered his reply.

"Be careful what you wish for, babe," the wraith warned. "While figurin' it out would at least allow you better control o' your powers, remember that this Dual Magic thing has a really bad drawback in that if your Light and Dark Magic aren't in total sync with one another, they'll get stronger separately inside you without a foreseeable end while they constantly try t' overpower each other. Also, even when they ARE in sync, my body struggles t' stay solid…"

"I saw that much during our battle… and it honestly worries me to no end about whether that means your time limit's been shortened some more," Shantae voiced her concern as she focused her attention on him. "You already lost two months' worth of time with the Phantasmagoric Forest incident. I'm scared to ask Uncle how much more time you may have lost on adventures after that…"

"True… An' I ain't asked Pops t' run any other tests on me since then, either," Tay agreed in an equal level of contemplation. "I suppose we'll have t' ask him next time we see him…"

"I guess… Though I wonder if it's better at this point to just let it be unknown while we just try to be more careful from here on out…"

"I feel ya there, but I'd rather not play guessin' games with this an' have it turn out I could vanish in a week as opposed to a few months."

"That's a fair point to make."

"I would hope it is. This does get me wonderin', though… As in, this has made me wonder at times if I'd have survived for long after our last big battle with Risky Boots had she not killed me."

"What do you mean?" Shantae requested his elaboration as she took a sip of water and rubbed her nose.

"I mean that I've realized that this Dual Magic had the potential t' tear my body apart from the inside out when I was human," the wraith revealed to his lover's shock. "Your uncle also confirmed that theory the last time he an' I spoke about it."

"No way… Seriously?"

"Yep. I've been able to be more liberal with my power because I'm a ghost comprised entirely out o' the magic that was in my body when I died. Convenient that the form it took was my physical appearance at the time o' my death, but yeah…"

"Right… I always forget that because your touch feels so normal… so natural," Shantae pondered as she looked him up and down. "You still have a heartbeat, you still breathe, and you still function like a regular human. Next to all that, you've still been making human changes to yourself after you came back. You're getting stronger, smarter, and more in-shape than ever, and you're doing it the normal way… and of course, your hair's been getting longer," she added as she reached a hand up to twiddle her fingers through his locs for a moment. "Y'know, I never did get to ask what inspired you to get such a unique hairstyle…"

"Oh! Er… well, I suppose I got tired o' havin' t' comb all the knots out o' my hair every mornin'," he bashfully admitted, blushing hard as he tried not to completely melt in the half-genie's clutches. "An' since I couldn't bear t' part with it or trust anybody t' properly trim it, I went with what I thought would be most convenient…"

"That makes sense, since you can just tie it up like it is now if it gets in the way," Shantae acknowledged, still fascinated as she kept on playing with his hair. "And yet, it maintains that coarse, fluffy texture… I wonder what it would be like to use a Hair Whip attack with all these… I'd bet you could hit from multiple angles all at once."

"I'm sure you'd figure out a way t' make that happen if you went with this hairstyle," he joked with a chuckle that she shared.

"Yeah, but I honestly think this style suits you more. From the look of it, I'm gonna guess that once you have it this way, there's no way to loosen your hair back to its natural form?"

"Wow… How'd you know?"

"I can tell by how tightly packed in these locs are," she expertly observed as she rolled one of his locs between her thumb and index finger. "You'd have to grow new hair under it and then cut the ends off to get it back to the 'afro' you used to have, right?"

"Right once again… Though, it wouldn't take that long t' make that happen if I used that unusual magic shampoo an' conditioner o' yours that makes my hair grow a mile long in as little as a week," he further teased, getting her to laugh again as she finished up with running her fingers through her boyfriend's hair.

"I'm almost curious enough to try it out again just to see the results," she teased right back, this time making him laugh. "All this being said, though… If it wasn't for the halo, I'd think you were still alive."

"Me, too," he concurred as he reached his right hand up to touch the ethereal floating ring above his head, soon after which his eyes widened in realization. "Matter of fact… I just thought about somethin'… "

"Something like what, babe?"

"Well… I can survive things in this 'wraith' form that would've killed me multiple times over if I was still alive. An' as I recognize that here, it comes t' mind that this rampagin' Dual Magic is the thing that would've killed me the soonest, as Mimic once explained t' me. He never gave me an estimate o' how long I'd have lasted, but I can only guess I wouldn't have had much time at all."

"What did he say would happen to you?"

"In no shorter words, he theorized that I'd have probably either exploded into glittery pieces, cooked myself to cinders from the inside out… or possibly even just suffered multiple organ failure an' keeled over because the magic would build up so much that it'd completely overload every inch o' my body… So much so that my organs would short-circuit startin' with my brain an' shut down one by one… No matter which way ya slice it, it would've been QUITE ugly…" the haloed young man explained to the absolute horror of his genie companion as she gawked at him and did her best to register what he was telling her.

"Goodness… How is it that you luck out in the coolest ways ever, but then deal with the absolute WORST consequences at the same time?" the half-genie lamented as she shook her head in disbelief… right before… "A-ACHOO! Excuse me… ugh…" she complained after sneezing, sniffing once again as her nose got redder and she began to shiver a bit.

"You all good… At least, I think you are," Tay remarked, studying her closer with just his eyes without her noticing.

"I'm fine. Still, I never knew Uncle told you all that, though… Wow…" Shae remarked to bring the conversation back on topic.

"Yeah, it's a real treat. Evidently, though, I still have limits t' what I can survive as far as injuries go," he clarified with a sigh. "I'm not technically immortal, an' aside from this wonky 'time limit' thing an' the deal with the Soul-Link, I can still be hurt enough t' be put in serious danger under certain circumstances… as evidenced by my missin' arm," he pointed out, though Shantae was the farthest thing from comfortable acknowledging it.

"R-right…" she guiltily murmured in understanding.

"Yeah. An' now that I think about it, we never did explore what would happen if I was revived while knowin' that this Dual Magic is still an issue…" Tayshan further pondered as he reached up to scratch his head with his left hand… before realizing once again that it wasn't there. As such, he switched to his right hand to initiate the gesture.

"I… I-I guess that's true…" she acknowledged, her mood lowering once more as she shot him an immensely worried look. "Maybe the Spirit Fuser will correct the issue, hopefully? Or maybe by that point, Uncle will have invented something that would either help you control it or at least buy you enough time to master it?"

"One can only hope either o' those things is true," he remarked with a nonchalant shrug. "I've been gettin' closer t' figurin' this Dual Magic out myself, at least. The more o' these quests we go on, the more I found myself understandin' how t' properly harness it. The biggest thing is how t' balance between constantly needin' t' discharge excess magic in a way that doesn't involve this Spirit Fuser fragment, and needin' t' be sure I don't overdo it an' drain myself," the wraith further explained as he glanced at the Spirit Fuser fragment resting on the coffee table in front of them before turning his attention back to Shantae. "I need t' maintain a steady flow t' avoid conkin' out like I did in the Phantasmagoric Forest an' potentially costin' us more precious time. That give you any hope?"

"It does, and… I guess all we can do for now is trust that there's a solution that'll work out in our favor," Shae offered her vote of confidence, though she couldn't seem to take her eyes off Tayshan's left arm. "Tayshan…"

"Yeah, Shantae?"

"…I'm seriously REALLY sorry I hurt you," she apologized again, gulping down a huge knot of guilt as she struggled to remain composed. "I… I promise you that I'll do better. I HAVE to do better. There's no way I'm EVER gonna let anything like this happen to you again."

"Ah, you're fine. I'm well aware that you didn't do this on purpose. One way or another, we both still came out of it okay."

"Okay? Tayshan, how can you consider this 'okay' when I'm still struggling with containing my Dark Magic to the point where it cost you your hand?" she asked, growing sadder as she placed the half-empty glass of water on the coffee table. "I should NEVER have pushed it that far. I WOULDN'T have pushed it that far if I'd stayed in control…"

"Puttin' it that way, it's clear that neither of us had a solid grip on the situation," he did his best to point out, however uneasy it made him. "We both, in one sense or another, fell victim t' the influence o' Dark Magic today, an' it shows us that neither of us is immune to it."

"But I thought I was," she countered to his surprise, fighting back another urge to sneeze as she did so. "It's way too far into my career as a hero to still be dealing with this…!" the genie vocalized her anger at herself as she clenched her fists at her sides for a moment before relaxing and unfurling her hands. "I should be ready to take on any and all challenges without even a passing thought about me potentially turning evil in the middle of an adventure. I… I can't let this happen to me again…"

"Hm… Well, if that's where you're at, then what do you think caused you t' lose control?" he asked, wanting to understand her.

"I'm… not sure. I mean… I was angry that Risky pulled the wool over our eyes and dragged you away again…" she began to explain. "I was worried that she'd done something to hurt you again… and I just remember being sick and tired of dealing with adventures where monster girls high and low are constantly throwing themselves at you as though I'm not right there."

"I see… So, a lot o' anger an' worry, huh?"

"Yeah… Speaking of which, Tay…"

"What's up?"

"Don't mind me for asking this, and I know you said you don't remember anything about our battle, but… Do you at least remember if Risky or any of those girls DID do something to you while you were hypnotized?" she asked with notable discomfort in her tone, startling him into a point of near speechlessness as the two of them exchanged worried looks. As such, a truly awkward silence washed over them as he eventually broke eye contact to look elsewhere in contemplation. The fact that he wasn't answering right away only served to make Shantae even more nervous. But eventually…

"I… I don't know," he hesitantly gave his response with a worried shake of his head.

"You don't know? How?"

"Like I said, I… I completely blacked out after we got ambushed in the colosseum," he elaborated as he turned his eyes back to hers. "I only remember Venus kissin' me t' sap what little energy I had left at the time… an' right after Risky Boots attacked you… well… she kissed me, too…" he revealed, making Shantae ball her fist in an ever deepening, insatiable hatred for the Pirate Queen. The expression of absolute, inconsolable anger on the half-genie's face was enough to scare a horde of Sequin Land's most ferocious monsters into submission… though she relaxed herself after a second to avoid making Tayshan worry about her. Meanwhile… "…that's all I can bring up in my mind, though," Tay continued his explanation. "Everything went black within a minute or two after the fact. I don't know how we got int' the castle, but I do vaguely remember breakin' free for a second just outside the castle before they restrained me an' dragged me in… I don't remember anything about what could've happened there before you showed up… except for tiny glimpses o' Risky's face as she shot me her usual arrogant smirks… an' some glimpses o' Venus an' Risky together lookin' at me with these… weirdly lustful expressions on their faces… but I can't remember if they did anything t' me… " he confessed, though he grew worried as he tried to recall more specific details. "I'm… honestly scared t' know if it could've been the case that they took advantage o' me in that state…"

"…Hmm…" she hummed in deep, concern-addled contemplation as her boyfriend attempted to recall the events of his Lucky Laces kidnapping

"Aside from that, I don't remember much of anything about the battle between you an' me other than the pangs in my stomach from the Soul-Link that caused me t' eventually recognize you. An' even then, I still couldn't control myself. It was only after you destroyed the Diamond o' Devastation that I snapped completely back t' normal. Like I was sayin' a second ago, though… I can only hope Risky didn't force herself on me again… I… I wouldn't know what t' do with myself if it turned out she did…" he clarified, his voice wavering and his eyes becoming glassy as his hand began to tremble… Worse yet, his breaths grew shallow and labored as though he had the wind knocked out of him.

"…I see…" the worried half-genie pensively acknowledged, though she remained unfathomably bitter toward Risky in that moment. "In that case, let's just… HA-CHOO! Sorry… but yeah, let's presume she didn't and move on. Okay?" she suggested as she took hold of his hand to get him to calm down.

"…Sure, I guess…" the troubled wraith apprehensively agreed after a moment of the two of them looking one another in the eye for reassurance. Once he found it, he took a deep breath as he clasped her hand into his… and got himself back into gear as he stopped trembling. From there, he released her hand.

"Good. I… I also have to admit, though, that once we started fighting… I may have found myself getting a bit… well, envious of you for how you came so far, so quickly… I may have said some… hurtful things to you that sort of spelled it out how I really felt…"

"Of what little I do remember o' that fight… I… I remember that much," he shared, surprising her as her eyes widened. "Somethin' about you thinkin' I was 'pathetic' an' 'trying to be better than you.' That sound about right?"

"Yes…" she dejectedly admitted. "I promise you I didn't mean any of it. I was just mad, and my Dark half was taking over, and-!"

"Shantae…"

"Yes?"

"One thing you gotta understand is that in the wake o' knowin' yourself as a person, 'Light' traits and 'Dark' traits don't make decisions or conjure up thoughts for you. You do," he explained. "They can influence your thoughts based on your emotions, sure, but there's always gotta be a level o' confirmation within yourself about how you wanna act or what you wanna think. You ain't gotta look no further than at me t' know what it's like t' let my magic influence my thoughts, moves, an' speech. At the end o' the day, my actions reflect on ME. Not whichever form o' magic is runnin' through me at any given time."

"Tayshan…"

"So, even if you didn't mean t' call me 'pathetic,' there's still a fundamental truth in this idea that you don't want me t' be 'better' than you," he cut right to the point. "Is that safe t' point out?"

"…Y-yes…" she admitted, sniffing up more air and shaking her head to keep herself oriented.

"Then acknowledge that an' bring enough peace t' yourself t' stay in control. An' if it really bothers you that your status as the strongest person in the world is bein' challenged, then use it as motivation t' get stronger. NOT as an excuse t' lash out at the people you think are inferior t' you, especially when it turns out they have a way t' catch you off-guard."

"I hear you, but please understand that I don't think you're 'inferior,' Tay," Shantae clarified. "I think you're great! Awesome, even! You've proven that time and time again! And you know I'd NEVER even THINK about pretending to be higher than anyone on this planet. It's just rough knowing the kind of pressure I'm under to be the best there is as Sequin Land's protector. As its strongest current hero. It's even worse knowing that I have to do everything in my power to maintain that status while keeping from being surpassed or left in the dust by literally anyone at all for fear of losing the respect I worked so hard to earn over the years… if not so much more if the person that has the potential to surpass me turns out to be evil…"

"Ohh, I see…"

"Yeah. And while there IS truth to me not wanting to lose particularly to you at any point, I swear to you that that's just my competitive spirit. I'm always in it to win it. I'm almost never so challenged by one of my closest friends that I ever have to consider pulling out all the stops to win at anything. You can ask Rottytops about that, considering our footrace through the archipelago at the Crackling Crystal Castle site," the half-genie elaborated. "The only difference is that while she pushed me to a higher level of speed than I thought I was capable of during our race, you… YOU pushed me to the point where I actually came close to using my absolute FULL POWER to win our fight. Only Risky Boots has pushed me that far… and yet, even SHE hasn't seen my full potential."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yes, really. She's extremely tough, sure, but Risky almost never takes me seriously enough to show me what she's REALLY made of. She spends more time looking down on me, plotting and scheming, and being full of herself than actually fighting me. And even then, she usually gets a ton of help from someone else or makes them fight her battles for her when it comes time for us to face off. It makes it difficult at times to remember how strong she is on her own. You, on the other hand, challenged me today at my healthiest by yourself, hypnosis or no. We matched blow for blow until you started adapting and putting me on my toes, which got me more and more fired up as I eventually stopped holding back on you. That's a definite first for us… Not under the best circumstances, but still."

"Shoot, that makes me wish I actually remembered this fight if THIS is your take on it…"

"Trust me, I feel the same. But even though I stopped holding back and started hitting you with everything I had, I couldn't just bury you with one attack like I thought I could. Instead, you kept getting up. You kept countering me. You kept fighting like you had ZERO intent to lose despite you not using your full power, and it played into something Risky told me while she was undercover watching your fight against Khalid with me."

"What did she end up tellin' you?"

"She said that you were dealing with him in such a way that you were basically countering everything he was doing and creating opportunities to hit him where you knew it would hurt him most," Shantae explained. "She said that you were fighting with a specific purpose of taking him down as early as possible in your own way when you knew that using brute force wasn't going to work."

"I see. But then, ain't that how YOU normally fight in Boss Battles?" he asked, somewhat perplexed at her assertion. "Let's not forget that I picked up a lot from you on how t' deal with them…"

"True, but we've developed separate strategies since my days as your mentor ended. I usually find a specific weak point the enemy already has and attack it during small windows of opportunity, or I tire them out and attack the weak spot while they're trying to recover. On the other hand, you work around your enemies' strengths and attack them in ways that make them either reveal or forget to cover their vulnerable points. That, or you straight-up CREATE weak points on your enemies to attack in cases where they don't already have any. And once they slip up, you hammer those points with lethal force that basically makes them panic and immediately change their approach on the fly. Then you capitalize on their discomfort and sudden fear of you. You don't wait for your opponents to get tired; you just go for it and either tire them out quickly or take them down right away."

"Oh, I gotcha… Huh. I didn't think our fightin' styles were that different…"

"They definitely are, which pains me to admit because you were fighting me much the same way earlier today. It didn't help that I was thinking you were still worn out from fighting Khalid, only for you to give me so much trouble that I thought I'd possibly end up losing to you when you weren't even in your best shape. That… honestly infuriated and… even scared me, which is… now that I realize it, the biggest reason why I lost control…" she reached her epiphany, momentarily looking down at her hands as she let her own words sink in.

"Wow…" Tayshan remarked in surprise as he kept his attention focused on her. "That's one heck of a conclusion t' come to, eh?"

"Without a doubt. But you have a point. I… I have to keep my head in the game and get stronger," she continued as she turned her gaze back to him. "I have to keep myself under control and avoid cracking under pressure. I have to be okay with the idea that I can't just brute force my way to victory in every battle I fight… and… as you once said, I can't let my passions burn me…"

"A series o' lessons we both will continue t' learn," he wholeheartedly agreed as he patted her on the shoulder once more. "Now, let's just spend the rest o' tonight kickin' back. We earned the break, don'tcha think?"

"You can say that again…" she agreed without hesitation, though she pinched her nose to avoid sneezing. "Jeez, my nose is really acting up right now…"

"Hm. You feelin' alright?" Tay asked in concern as he reached for a box of tissues on the coffee table… using the left hand of his that wasn't there. "Let me get you a… ah… r-right," he lamented as he realized what he was doing. He couldn't help but stare at the space at the end of his arm where his hand used to be. Shantae silently witnessed Tayshan's face contort into a saddened expression as he shifted on the couch to reach for the tissue box with his remaining hand. And judging by the sudden shift in her own facial expression to one of extreme guilt… it was safe to say that just the sight of him suffering from an injury she caused broke her. As he fetched the tissues and handed them over to her… she almost immediately fell into a fit of tears as she found it too difficult to even look him in the eye. "H-hey, hey, what's happenin'? Why are you breakin' down like this?" he asked as he set the tissue box down on the couch and patted her on the back.

"…Because I HATE myself for doing that to you…!" she admitted through her tears as she huddled over herself and buried her face into her hands… and let her tears flow free.

"Shantae, it's okay. I PROMISE you, it is…" Tayshan did his best to comfort her as he reached further over and pulled her closer. The guilt-addled young woman responded in kind by turning around and wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest.

"How can it be? I lashed out at you because I was mad at Risky!" she confessed, her tears quickly turning into a full-blown spell of sobbing as she lifted her head to look at him. "I hurt you in a way that I can NEVER take back when my goal is supposed to be to revive you! I can't STAND that you're in this condition because of me!"

"Babe, you're trippin'! Slow it down for a minute!" Tay urged her as he held her tighter in his one arm. "Just… take some time t' collect yourself. I get it that you feel bad, but you don't need t' dwell on what was basically an accident."

"An accident that's left you permanently disfigured," she countered, still sobbing into his chest. "I need to make it up to you. I HAVE to… What can I do to make things right…?"

"Stop blubberin' like a kid who lost her toy at the bazaar, for one thing," he joked, moving his hand to lift her chin up. And against the odds… she managed to crack a smile through her sniffling and crying. "There ya go. Now, the next thing you can do for me is… well… this…" he further requested as he leaned forward while tilting her head up further, at which point the lovers' lips met in an emotional embrace designed to bring them both some peace of mind. "An' listen," he added right after they separated their lips. "After our debriefin', the Sultana arranged for me t' get a top-notch prosthetic that's supposedly gonna be like the real thing, an' neither of us has t' pay a single gem for it. The new hand should be here by tomorrow, an' she made sure I knew that Sequin Land's top tech experts an' magicians put their best efforts int' this thing."

"Really?" the genie asked as she sniffled and tried her best to get herself back under control.

"Yes, really," he assured before giving Shantae another kiss on the lips. "She really talked this thing up like it was gonna basically fuse t' my arm an' become my new left hand with hardly anybody noticin'. She described it as an… 'emergency gift' in case I ever got hurt on any o' the jobs she assigned me. An' as it turns out, some o' the Palace Guards have prosthetics from the same company an' I almost couldn't recognize 'em until they told me."

"Oh. I-I see… Well, that makes me feel a LITTLE bit better…"

"Good. Now, how do we go about makin' you feel a LOT better? Hm?" Tayshan teasingly asked as he pulled Shantae closer to the point of her taking the initiative to climb onto his lap and straddle him. And in the time it would take you to lift a single finger, the genie made herself nice and comfy on top of her ethereal boyfriend as she cupped his face with both hands and laid a hot, wet smooch upon his eagerly waiting lips. And I mean she REALLY laid it on him, complete with her arching her back as she pulled him in. He responded in kind by sifting his hand through her enormous curtain of hair to… well, caress her in the most sensual way possible. From there, the two lovers got themselves nice and entangled in a sweltering storm of ecstasy as they made out with *pop* after *squick* of their lips meeting, parting, meeting, and parting, and meeting some more.

"Hmmh…~" Shantae lustfully hummed into Tayshan's mouth during one of their many kisses, upping the ante as she began to fluently undulate her hips like she was performing a most… intimate belly dance. "Hanh…~" she moaned again as the wraith continued to pepper her with smooches, tightening his grip on her backside while occasionally slipping something extra into their kisses. "Mmmaah…~" the mesmerized young woman practically sang as the two of them gazed upon one another with half-lidded expressions of complete obsession with one another, swirling their tongues around one another as their heaving breaths synced up together to create a most enticing melody…

"Haah… So much for waitin' a week, eh?" Tayshan blushingly teased in a breathy whisper after momentarily and VERY slightly pulling back from their bout of tongue wrestling.

"Yeah…" was all Shantae could think to say as she refused to break eye contact with the love of her life. This portrait of boundless affection between the two heroes was accentuated by her heaving chest, her HOTLY blushing face… and especially the way she was still pressing herself into her partner's lap and clutching his face as she appeared to nearly want to swallow him whole. "And… y-you're sure you aren't mad at me? Because I still feel really bad about hurting you…" she anxiously asked him.

"It's okay, Shae," Tay assured once more with a confident grin aimed directly at her, patting her backside. "What's done is done. I'm sure it's gonna take some gettin' used to, but we'll get past this hurdle together…" he added as he moved his hand to her shoulder. He followed up by trailing a finger down her left arm until he reached her hand… at which point, he took her hand into his and glanced at the glittering golden ring securely wrapped around her ring finger. Silently following his gaze, Shantae's heart skipped a beat when she realized he was looking at the Heavenly Engagement Ring. At that point, she returned her eyes to his, her face hot with blushing anticipation as he smilingly (and also blushingly) looked back at her.

"…T-Tay…" she whispered, firmly set in place as she wondered what they would do from this moment on. The signs were certainly there that SOMETHING spicy was about to go down. Before she could collect enough of her thoughts in her flustered state to say anything else, he leaned closer and craned his head to level his mouth to her ear. And in the deepest, sultriest voice he could muster…

"An' you know what else, kitten…? This won't change the fact that I want t' give you so much pleasure in every way you can think of in that pretty little head o' yours… that you'll forget how t' BREATHE by the time I'm through ticklin' every inch o' you from head t' toe…" he promised as he trailed his hand up her trembling thigh and lightly dug his teeth into her neck. And as soon as his hand reached its destination…

"OHH-HAH…~!" the mesmerized genie gasped loud enough that people in the neighboring Oasis Town could probably hear it as she shivered in a level of delight she'd never experienced before. "Hmmmmnnaaah…~" she mellifluously sang out her pleasure as her naughty boyfriend continued to toy with her. His nibbling… his breathy sighs… his dimly glowing hand massaging the young woman's most sensitive spot… "T-Tayshaaaaanh…~" Shantae hummed again as she began to grind herself into him once again. She'd even spiced it up herself by reaching a hand downward to grab hold of something in his pants that was also… twitching with excitement. Reading her move, Tay relented on nibbling Shae's neck as he brought himself to meet her gaze once again… while their hands remained busy, of course.

"So it's clear this ain't exactly gonna be where the night ends for us…" he slyly remarked as he watched beads of sweat begin to form on the aroused genie's forehead. Meanwhile, she heaved and sighed in his clutches like she was ready to melt. "You sure you can wait another few days for us t' have ourselves a long-overdue night o' passion, Shae-Shae?" At that point, 'Shae-Shae' seemed to lose her sense of reason as she planted another AIRTIGHT, sloppy wet smooch on her boyfriend that ended with a particularly squelchy *pop* that left him dazed, but VERY MUCH aroused…

"You're right… I… I can't push it off anymore, Tay-Tay… I wanna do it. I'm literally CRAVING you, and I have been for what feels like YEARS…! I'm literally ACHING to have you in me…~ I wanna do it right here, right n… ah… ahh… haaah…!" she was about to let completely loose, initially exciting him to the point that his eyes began to glow gold as he awaited her spicy confession… only for her to stop everything she was doing. Instead, she scrunched her face up and pulled her hands away in an attempt to cover her mouth and nose. Buuuut it was uh… well, I'll let the situation speak for itself.

"H-hey, are you go-?" Tayshan was about to ask in concern before…

"HAAT-CHOO!" Shantae let out a sneeze loud enough… not to mention MESSY enough that it may very well have woken the entirety of Scuttle Town up. And what do I mean by 'messy,' you mean? Well… "Oh jeez, I-'I'm so sorry! That sneeze just snuck up on me out of nowhere!" the highly embarrassed young lady profusely apologized as she covered her mouth and nose with one hand while reaching over toward the tissue box with the other to wipe her nose with. Meanwhile…

"…Neat…" a er… a MILDLY annoyed and flabbergasted Tayshan remarked with a sigh as he uh… processed the fact that there was a nice, healthy splattering of spit and snot all over his face. His hand had predictably gone limp after he moved it back to his side as he tried to figure out how to recover from being blasted with Shantae's sick germs.

"Ohh… H-here, let me clean it up for ya…" she offered as she finished blowing and wiping her nose. She hurriedly collected a handful of tissues and proceeded to carefully scrape all her spittle and nose goo from his forehead and cheek. Afterward, she bashfully climbed off her boyfriend's lap and sat next to him, recognizing right away that the mood was as good as killed. "S-sorry…" she apologized again, reaching for even more tissue to blow her nose with as it began to run.

"Eh, it's fine," Tayshan casually forgave with yet another sigh as he collected himself and turned his attention to her. "But evidently, you're gettin' sick," he added as he reached his hand over to rub her head. "Looks like we'll both be spendin' tomorrow recoverin' from the enormous mess that was today's trip t' Lucky Laces…"

"But we can't take the day o… ah… AH-CHOO!" Shantae tried to object before letting out another powerful sneeze into her tissues. "Oogh… Ah, now I feel a headache coming on… and it's starting to feel a bit cold in here…"

"That's not good…" he murmured in concern as he moved his hand to brush her hair aside and place it on her forehead. "An' as suspected, your forehead's scorchin' hot. Yep. You ain't goin' nowhere tomorrow."

"Dang it…!" Shae cursed in disappointment, sniffling through her statement as her nose grew redder. "This is the WORST possible time to get sick! We need to go with Rottytops to the Crackling Crystal Castle tomorrow to try and get that next Spirit Fuser piece. I think I can push through it enough to still get the job done if we're quick enough."

"I knew you'd say that, but we both know that's gonna be anything but quick," Tay countered as he went back to rubbing her head. "An' if Risky Boots and/or Hashanah are anything t' consider, they'd have a field day tryin' t' kick you around while you're sick."

"Those two are the EXACT reason we can't just let the Crackling Crystal Castle sit unattended," the half-genie emphasized, balling up her tissues and setting them on the coffee table before reaching for yet another handful of them from the box. And as she continued tending to the leaking faucets that were her nasal cavities…

"Gotta admire your determination, babe, but even YOU have t' know the costs o' chargin' out on another adventure when you're not feelin' well. Especially after a doozy like this last trip was… An' before you mention it, I don't think any o' Scuttle Town's doctors are gonna just patch you up with a shot like that one doctor did when that archaeologist got you sick in Tassel Town."

"Yeah, true… That doctor retired and moved halfway across the globe as far as I heard, and he never bothered to pass his knowledge onto anyone else in the practice…" Shantae lamented as she leaned over toward Tayshan, resting her head on his chest. "Which reminds me… You're probably gonna get sick, too. All that kissing we were doing is bound to take you down as well… if me sneezing in your face didn't do the trick."

"Yyyyeaah, about that…" the wraith began his rebuttal as he chuckled. "I can't get sick."

"I'm so sure," she sarcastically remarked as she giggled with him. "What, are you gonna tell me you have a super strong immune system or something?"

"No, actually. I literally cannot get sick. As in, I'm immune to all forms o' viral afflictions an' illnesses," he clarified, causing her to reel back in surprise as the two locked eyes once again.

"What!? That's not fair! How the heck is THAT possible!?" she complained, demanding to know his secret.

"It's part o' this whole 'being dead' thing, as far as I can tell," the wraith explained through another chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders. "No matter what way I'm exposed to 'em, viruses have no effect on me. I've been sneezed on at other times before tonight, I've had experiences with sick kids throwin' up on me, I've had to sit for hours on end guardin' sick clients who were spreadin' their germs EVERYWHERE… an' if you remember, I even had a situation about three-ish months ago when I picked up smoothies for me an' Sky while she was laid up in bed with that highly contagious new supervirus that swept through half o' Sequin Land. We accidentally switched drinks and I ended up takin' a giant swig o' her germs before we realized the mistake."

"Ohh, I DO remember… You wouldn't so much as hug me for a week after the fact," Shantae humorously recalled with another giggle. "And come to think of it, you never showed a single symptom of what Sky had! Not even a slight cough! I was wondering how you got so lucky!"

"Yeah, it's certainly a perk," he acknowledged with a nod. "Of course, I'm not exactly ready t' experiment with bein' a potential carrier for anything, so I still treat it like I still could get sick if it poses a risk of infectin' anybody else. That said, kitten, I think it's better if you sit this one out."

"Ugh…" she groaned with a pout as she sunk into her seat. After just a couple seconds, though… "Eh, you're probably right. Do you plan on leading the charge alongside Rottytops, then?"

"Can't," he denied in a word, perplexing the pajama-adorned genie in the process.

"Why not?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but… I'd need a hand," he remarked as he raised his left arm for her to view. Shantae… didn't exactly take kindly to it as she glowered at him.

"Not funny, Tay," she complained.

"I wasn't jokin'," he straightforwardly clarified. "I need t' wait for that prosthetic hand t' come in."

"…Oh. Right… S-sorry…" she morosely apologized, sinking into herself before he lifted her head back up by cupping her chin with his right hand.

"You're fine. Also, I'm still completely drained o' magic from our trip today. I'm surprised I'm even still awake right now, given how much of it I spent. It was definitely a TON more than I spent in the Phantasmagoric Forest…" he pondered, momentarily glancing downward at himself. "Regardless, I'd be little more than cannon fodder for any enemy I went up against in this state…"

"Well, shoot… We can't just let Risky and/or Hashanah take that Spirit Fuser piece, though," Shantae worriedly remarked. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Would it be too much t' ask Rotty an' the others t' cover for us?"

"I guess, but none of them are equipped to deal with the kinds of danger Risky and Hashanah pose," the genie pointed out, setting her tissues aside as she sat up on the couch. "Plus, who even knows how Nila would react if she saw Rotty, Sky, or even Bolo there…"

"Can't be any worse than how she'd react if she saw me," Tay countered with a slight nudge of his head.

"Fair point."

"Believe me, I know. But then, Rotty can handle Nila as she did when you an' she raided that Ammonian stakeout the other day. You make a good point about the other two, though… but then, it ain't like we'd EXPECT them t' fight as opposed t' goin' in an' at least tryin' t' get the Relic, right?"

"That's the hope," Shae affirmed with a nod. "They'd more than likely have to play into their strengths… and MAYBE Risky and Hashanah's weaknesses."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well… Rotty's clearly the strongest and the fastest of our three friends, so she can probably take point and zip through while taking care to at least protect the others. Sky is the smartest, so she'd probably be able to solve any puzzles while mapping out an escape plan in case of an emergency. And Bolo… er…" she faltered as she looked upward in wonder and scratched her cheek with a finger. "Um… Bolo can… umm… hm…" she REALLY tried to think of something… ANYTHING Bolo would be capable of, though it seemed to escape her.

"Well, he's certainly got the sharpest sense for potential danger," Tay threw in with a shrug. "Despite his impulsiveness an' need for maturity, Bolo is a lot more perceptive than we give him credit for. That, an' he really knows how t' read his environments. If he wasn't so busy chasin' personal glory an' tryin' t' be recognized on the same level as you are as a hero, then he'd be an excellent detective. He'd… probably also be a much better technician an' handyman."

"Yes! Yeah, that's true!" Shae excitedly agreed, glad that he covered that base for her. "He's got a surprising wealth of survival skills and situational awareness that might coordinate with Sky's book smarts and Rotty's strength and speed."

"Yeah, there we go!" the wraith concurred. "Now, it's just a matter o' how the three o' them will coordin-!" he was about to suggest to engage in the next phase of discussion of their contingency plan before a sudden *KZZZT* of a peculiar blue walkie-talkie startled them both out of their train of thought. "Ah, jeez…!" Tay remarked as he breathed a sigh of relief. "That thing's been collectin' dust so long, I forgot it was even there…" he remarked as he reached for the device with his left arm… only to then remember once again that he no longer had a left hand. "Shoot, I keep doin' that…!" he complained, at which point Shantae frowned as she gulped down another wave of guilt.

"Twitch to Tay-Tay. Do you copy?" a familiar feminine voice announced over the speaker, prompting Shantae and Tayshan to momentarily gaze at one another in shared confusion. "I repeat: Twitch to Tay-Tay. Do you copy?" the voice, evidently belonging to Twitch, requested again. Tayshan promptly answered the call by reaching to grab the transceiver with his right hand and pressing a button on the side.

"I hear ya loud an' clear, Twitch. Everything alright?" he asked as he and Shantae scooted closer together to listen in on the call.

"There he is!" Twitch cheered from the other end of the device. "Been so long since we last chatted that I almost forgot we even gave you that thing! Not very sporting of you to completely ghost—no pun intended—your favorite buxom blonde bombshell, Tay-Tay! I know you've missed me bunches~!"

"Hrrrmmmph…!" Shantae quietly growled, none too fond of having this other woman randomly call in to flirt with her boyfriend.

"Twitch, cut it out…!" another female voice was heard scolding the first woman. "Hairball's probably right there to hear you…!"

"Ah, it's fine, Vinegar. She knows I'm only joking! Mostly… partially… not really…" Twitch half-joked (or maybe less than half-joked?), naming the other woman beside her in the process. "Hello to you too, Hairball!" she further hollered her greeting, presumably addressing Shantae. Y'know, given the context of the apparent nickname.

"Long time, no see, girls," Shantae casually greeted back as politely as she could, though the discomfort was written all over her face. "What have y'all been up to lately? We're surprised at the sudden call."

"Eh, it's been a real hoot these past few weeks," Twitch answered. "Doing regular patrols around the Baron Desert, getting tons of VERY recent reports of YOU meddling with our plans and tormenting us again, occasionally wondering how we can still be friends with the likes of you when all you do is make our jobs harder… The usual." At that, Shantae scoffed.

"Well, EXCUSE ME for keeping the Ammonian Army in check whenever you guys start getting rowdy again," the half-genie shot back. "It isn't like I WANT to spend hours or days at a time sniffing out and stopping your schemes, so maybe you should tell Ammo Baron to… ha… HAT-CHOO! …to give it a rest!" she further dug into her 'friends,' sneezing it up all the while.

"We weren't doing anything wrong, Hairball!" Vinegar shouted back. "We're pretty sure our guys were minding their own business just camping out near that bubbly archipelago until you and Brains ran afoul of them, terrorized and beat a bunch of them up for no reason, and then blew up that SUPER EXPENSIVE warship of ours! Then a bunch of them were wailing to the high heavens about the 'Ghost of the Assassin' coming back to haunt us or something… You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Rottytops and I had important business to attend to there and we heard there were some shady dealings Admiral Nila was making, so we had no choice but to investigate," Shantae rebutted again.

"And… uh… when I arrived t' pick the two o' them up after they were done blowin' up said warship, I… MAY have spooked a few o' your colleagues in the process t' shake 'em down for info," Tayshan added with a nervous titter.

"Figures…" Vinegar lamented with a sigh. "You guys are an odd bunch. I hope you know that."

"Takes odd t' know odd, Vinni," the wraith teasingly remarked. "Your soldiers certainly know as much from when they tried t' sprinkle holy water on me to… 'exorcise' me."

"Cute," the same Ammonian supporter flatly remarked, though Twitch could be heard giggling in the background.

"Anyway, we're aware Nila was present during that time," Twitch interjected. "She nearly got fired for that operation gone wrong until Ammo Baron took pity on her through our suggestion and let her back in… at the cost of a demotion and the total dissolution of Unit K0414. So, thanks a bunch for THAT, Hairball…"

"Yeah, I was absolutely thrilled to make that happen," Shantae bitterly shot back. "And speaking of Nila, maybe you can tell her to think twice before having another one of her random outbursts of attacking innocent people who have done nothing wrong to her. You girls had to have learned SOME kind of self-restraint from Ammo Baron, haven't you?"

"Oh, you are SO lucky we're on halfway decent terms, genie girl, or else I'd come over there right now and break my foot off in your-!"

"Hey, HEY!" Tayshan interjected, wanting nothing to do with the brewing argument about to happen between the girls over the transceiver. "Come on, now, I thought we was past this bickerin' mess."

"She started it!" Twitch was quick to blame Shantae, who responded by simply rolling her eyes.

"Either way, I'm sure we'd all prefer t' keep things friendly, yes?"

"Fine, whatever… You're just lucky I can't resist hearing your super sensuous, deep, buttery smooth voice over this radio…~ Makes me wanna get all nice and snuggled up in those toned, muscly arms of yours and listen to you whisper to me while we cuddle all night long~!" Twitch flirted some more, making Tayshan cringe as a hot, steamy blush formed on his face. The Ammonian commander also succeeded in further agitating Shantae as she seemed to be ready to go out and hunt the other girl down.

"Twitch, seriously. Cut it out before you press the one button of Hairball's that provokes her to turn you into a cantaloupe and squash you," Vinegar warned, though she could be heard laughing through her statement.

"My powers don't work that way, but sure," Shantae dismissively remarked, already wanting to end the conversation. "That aside, I've warned you before about overstepping your boundaries with MY boyfriend, didn't I?"

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots right now," Twitch defiantly remarked, seeming to enjoy antagonizing the half-genie despite them being 'friends.' Not sure how the heck THAT works, but I dare not question it at this time. "Just be ready to lose him the second you slip up, genie girl. He's as good as MINE when—and I do mean WHEN—you fumble the bag." At that flippant remark, Shantae tightly contained her temper as she very… VERY angrily glared at the transceiver. I could swear she was about to set the thing on fire while it was still in Tayshan's hand. Speaking of whom…

"…Rrrright," the wraith uncomfortably droned, uncertain of how to proceed, though he knew he needed to change the topic. And quickly. As such, he soldiered on. "Soooo anyway, you ought t' be careful, Twitch. Wouldn't your boyfriend hate the idea o' you flirtin' with another guy like this?"

"Nah, me and Stephan broke up ages ago. Been single ever since. Long story short, he was a two-timing scumbag jerk with a weird fetish for greasy old hags. You'd know if you didn't spend all this time ignoring me, Tay-Tay! I'm surprised Spiky didn't tell you!" the disgruntled young woman accused, none too happy with the ghostly guardian in that moment.

"I was NOT ignorin' you, homegirl, come on…" the disquieted ghost man disagreed before shaking himself back into focus. "Eh, we'll talk about all that later. I'll admit that I'm curious."

"I'll bet you are. I'll dish all the deets you wanna hear, puddin' pop," she obliged, though her nickname for him caused him to glare at the transceiver with the blushingest pout I've ever seen a man give to a technological device that embarrassed him to such a legendary degree.

"DON'T call him that. EVER," Shantae demanded immediately, refusing to take any additional flirtatious nonsense from the Ammonian affiliate.

"Cry about it, Hairball," Twitch refused outright. "I'll call him whatever I want. He was my potential boyfriend before ya stole him from me, so nyeh!" I'm… not sure how accurate Twitch's claims were, but it certainly seemed to prove the point that Tayshan was… quite popular with Sequinean women. MUCH to Shantae's chagrin, I might add. Oh, and right as Shantae took in a breath to begin completely losing her temper on the other young woman…

"Changin' topics again!" Tayshan hastily and VERY frightfully intervened once again as he nudged Shantae's leg with his own, shaking off his previous embarrassment as he did so and getting her to settle down enough to at least not fantasize about murdering the other girl in cold blood. "Jeez… Anyway, what's happenin'? What made y'all call us out o' the blue?"

"Well… Nila's in the hospital right now, and we need to ask you two a few questions about it," Twitch explained, eliciting confusion out of the genie and the wraith.

"Hospital? Is she alright?" Shantae was the first to ask.

"Unfortunately not," Vinegar revealed. "She's got multiple broken bones, second and third degree burns all over her body, and she's barely hanging on. We found her badly beaten and unconscious in her home, and the place was totally trashed. Like a bomb went off inside the place, basically…"

"YIKES…" Tayshan murmured in notable shock. "Sounds like somebody tried t' kill her…"

"Yeah," Twitch affirmed. "What's worse, there were magic-borne scorch marks all over the place… and two broken halves of a silver bracelet latched around her wrist that looked an awful lot like the ones you usually wear, Tayshan…" she further explained, shocking the two heroes once more.

"I see…" he acknowledged with a contemplative nod. "Well then, I might already have an idea o' why you're callin'."

"Glad we're at an understanding there. That said… Did you have anything to do with Nila being attacked in her home?"

"It wasn't me. I promise you, it wasn't," Tayshan made abundantly clear.

"How can we be sure?" Twitch urged him to clarify, evidently not willing to immediately give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Among other things I'll explain in a second, neither Shantae nor I know where Nila even lives," the ghostly guardian reasoned.

"Yeah, and depending on when you found her, I'm pretty sure we've got an alibi," Shantae added in his defense.

"Got it," Vinegar acknowledged before revealing her next detail. "Nila reached out to us by transceiver yesterday evening. Time was about 8:00 PM, maybe a quarter after."

"Tayshan and I were in Genie's Hem at that point," Shantae established. "We were in the middle of a dance competition that started at 4:00 PM, and we didn't leave until maybe around 11:30 PM."

"Figured as much. I remember catching a glimpse of you two spicing it up onstage while I was flipping through channels later that night," Twitch corroborated, causing Tay to blush as he sunk into the couch a bit more.

"Y-yeah…" he nervously acknowledged, hoping to avoid having the dance show mentioned further. "That said, it definitely wasn't either one of us that hurt Nila."

"Understood. In that case, do you have any clue why or how your bracelet wound up at her place?"

"Probably because of another half-genie Nila's been gettin' chummy with," Tayshan was quick to explain. "That half-genie ambushed me a few days ago while I was out on a uh… a 'hunting' trip gone wrong an' broke one o' my Inhibitor Vambraces in the middle of my fight with her. She swiped the pieces of it off the ground an' took off before I knew she had 'em."

"A half-genie other than Hairball making moves in these parts, eh? And she attacked you recently? Hmm… That doesn't give me a very good feeling…" Vinegar lamented. "There's only one person that comes to mind there… but just to be sure, what does this other half-genie look like?"

"Strawberry blonde hair, tan skin, orange eyes," Shantae gave the description. "She's young, but definitely older than me or Tay. Early twenties, if I had to guess? A little on the short side. Probably about my height, if not maybe a couple inches taller."

"Ah, so it IS her!" Twitch exclaimed, though she didn't sound happy to draw the conclusion.

"Y'all know who she is?" Tayshan asked in surprise.

"Yeah, we do! It's that no-good, lazy, FLAT-CHESTED, sleazy stick-in-the-mud 'Guardian Genie' from Inseam that got fired for being bad at her job! That crotchety Hashanah girl!" the agitated Ammonian commander hollered out in evident disdain toward the half-genie in question.

"HOOH-HOO-HOO, wow…!" the ghost man remarked as he reeled back, aghast at the vitriolic statement Twitch made.

"THAT'S a zinger for sure…" Shantae also remarked, covering her mouth as she tried and failed to keep from laughing. After collecting herself, however… "It almost sounds like you girls have some bad history with her…"

"That's because we do," Twitch emphatically confirmed. "The story's too long to get into right now, but I'll at least say she's a real piece of work."

"Noted. So, what's the connection you girls are drawing between Nila and Hashanah?"

"We TOLD Nila to stay away from her because she was bad news," Vinegar explained, her tone becoming rife with irritation at the new details revealed to her and Twitch. "The two met not that long ago and I guess they hit it off without us noticing. We don't know much about it because Nila got all bent out of shape over her grudges against you two. She branded us as 'traitors to the cause' and stopped talking to us because we wouldn't endorse the idea of making you guys our enemies again. As soon as Hashanah entered the picture, Nila REALLY got secretive and started acting different. We couldn't pry her for any info on what she was up to these past few weeks, and she started lying through her teeth to everyone around her about where she was and what she was doing."

"Yeah, and we only found out the other day that she apparently went to Scuttle Town to 'handle some personal business' within the past month," Twitch added. "We got reports that she was seen around there with someone nobody recognized…"

"That was most likely when Nila an' Hashanah attacked Scuttle Town in some sloppy, miserably thought-out attempt at assassinatin' me an' gettin' some sort o' revenge against Shantae by destroyin' her home while she was away," Tayshan confirmed, however bitter his tone was.

"Right… We heard," Vinegar acknowledged. "Sorry about that. But yeah, that explains a ton. And Shantae, what exactly were you and Rottytops doing in that archipelago the other day when our guys encountered you? Even for what happened, there's no way you two would've just shown up there for the sole purpose of harassing our soldiers…"

"We were scouting the place out for an ancient temple that's supposed to appear there soon," Shantae candidly answered, taking a moment to grab a tissue and blow her nose before she continued. "It turns out that Nila ordered your Koala unit to stake the place out at Hashanah's request. At least, that's what Rotty and I were able to dig out of her before she and Rotty fought each other. Nila wouldn't tell us much else, but the most recent encounter she had with any of us was when she set up some sort of private meeting with Sky just yesterday. In fact, I would guess Nila and Sky met up just a couple of hours before you girls found her…"

"Any chance that Squawks was the one who did Nila in, then?" Twitch wasted zero time asking.

"Doubtful," Tay just as quickly shut the notion down. "Sky met with Nila at about 5:00 PM on a remote island called the 'Soldier's Ascension Beach,' accordin' t' the letter Nila sent her," he added, causing Shantae to flinch in silent shock. Although, she did not vocalize her sudden concern as Tayshan continued to speak to Twitch and Vinegar. "We was told Nila left the island after learnin' what she needed t' know from Sky. Besides, I don't think she would invite Sky t' her house if she considers us her enemies…"

"Hm… However annoying it is to acknowledge that… That tracks," Twitch halfheartedly agreed.

"Why is that annoying?" Shantae dared to ask.

"Because I was hoping to pin this on Squawks, so I'd have another reason to hate her guts," the younger of the two Ammonian affiliates joked (at least, I think she was joking).

"That definitely ain't petty at all," Tayshan sarcastically remarked with a chuckle that was shared by Twitch herself.

"Either way, it appears that Hashanah manipulated Nila this entire time, and then tried to kill her when she served her purpose and was no longer useful to her," Vinegar theorized. "And if that's the case, then we've now got a MAJOR bone to pick with little miss Hashi 2x4…!"

"…Hashi does what now?" Tayshan asked in stark confusion at the term.

"2x4?" Shantae added in equal confusion.

"It's our… term of 'endearment' for Grouchy McFlatterson," Twitch preemptively clarified. "Y'know, because of her tiny boo-!"

"Yeah, alright, we got it," Tay mercifully cut in, though he did so while trying not to laugh.

"Hm. That's awfully meanspirited of you two, but I would guess this animosity is coming from your anger at her for what she did to Nila?" Shae asked, not at all amused by the rampant name-calling.

"Partially. The other part of it has to do with how much of a high-and-mighty, insufferable, uppity snob she was in high school," Vinegar made sure everyone knew, causing both Shantae and Tayshan to reel back in shock. "We couldn't stand her back then, and we definitely can't stand her now."

"Yikes…"

"Yep," Twitch commented before letting out what sounded like a yawn. "Anyway, we've gotta get settled in for the night. Thanks for the heads-up. It seems we'll be working together once again. Just like not-so-old times, though with a lot less betrayal… if it's okay to say that."

"I presume that t' be the case this time around," Tay acknowledged with a nonchalant nod. "How exciting…"

"Darn tootin', stud muffin!" the younger woman remarked, causing Tayshan to blush once again as he growled at the mention of a certain zombie girl's affectionate nickname for him.

"Can we PLEASE only let Rottytops be the one t' call me that?" he practically begged.

"No promises! Oh, and uh… This may come as a shock, but we'll see you two much sooner than ya think."

"How much sooner?" Shantae dared to ask.

"Tomorrow, actually," Twitch excitedly revealed. "We understand that you guys are in need of a top-notch, state-of-the-art, technology-and-magic-crafted prosthetic left hand, courtesy of Embroidery City Industries?" she further asked, causing Shantae to gasp in heart-sinking shock while Tayshan nearly dropped the transceiver.

"…H-how did y'all get that info?" the frightened half-genie asked, her nerves firing off like a barrage of cannons out of a battleship.

"Who do ya think the Sultana called after your debriefing on that trip to the Lucky Laces Lagoon you two took earlier today?" Vinegar asked to Shae and Tay's continued astonishment, revealing that the two of them knew more than the Cosmic Couple could've ever expected. "Nice job offing that gigantic, four-armed dictator, by the way. We caught the fight on TV and… let me say you made QUITE a name for yourself, Tayshan."

"…N-neat…" Tayshan lamented, gulping as he sunk into the couch.

"I'll bet it is," Twitch concurred. "Especially with you in that positively FETCHING pharaoh costume~! But yeah, we'll swing by and drop off the new hand tomorrow. Although, I gotta ask… What happened to your left hand, Tay-Tay? You didn't seem to lose it fighting that tyrant. Did something happen afterward?" she further inquired, making evident that neither she nor Vinegar were aware of the fiasco that took place after Tayshan defeated King Khalid.

"Uh, er, i-it's a long story," Shantae nervously stammered over herself to blurt out before Tayshan could say anything. "We'll uh… W-we'll explain it to you when you get here tomorrow. What time will you be here?"

"Probably by 1:00 PM, depending on if the errand we have to run beforehand takes long," Vinegar straightforwardly answered. "Better be ready for us, because we plan on being there as early as we can. Oh, and Tay?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"The installation process for this thing is anything but painless, so I hope you'll be prepared. No need to see a grown man cry like a hangry baby, but I'm sure you can handle it."

"The fact that you even have t' give me that warnin' fills me with dread…" he worriedly retorted, sighing out a hot rush of his anxiety as he began to anticipate what he'd have to do to attach his new hand.

"Don't worry, big guy. Mama will bring a bottle and some extra diapers in case you need a changey-wangey," Vinegar grilled him some more, even going as far as to use a baby voice as she and Twitch laughed it up.

"I'm crackin' up over here…" Tayshan flatly remarked, evidently not very amused by the joke. "I just hope you don't mind usin' a few o' those diapers yourself when we go out on a trip t' the Spider Forest at midnight with YOU handcuffed t' me," he further joked back, making Shantae laugh while Twitch laughed even harder on the other end of the radio. Vinegar, on the other ha… er, never mind that. Vinegar, instead of laughing, gasped in shock.

"Why, you…! Ooh, just you wait till I see you, ya big lummox!" Vinegar insulted, evidently highly agitated by the comment.

"We'll be waitin' with bells on," Tay triumphantly accepted her challenge as he and Shantae continued to chuckle.

"Alright, alright, let's settle down before another war between you two pops off," Twitch humorously interjected. "Catch you folks in a little while!"

"Good night, Twitch an' Vinegar," the wraith bade his farewell.

"See ya soon!" Shantae also offered a parting word. Afterward, the line went dead with a *KZZZZT*, prompting Tayshan to put the transceiver back onto the table. From there, the two of them sighed in collective anticipation of events to come… right before… "Haa… HWATCHOOH!" Shantae sneezed extra hard. "Ooorgh… I think I'm ready to turn in for the night…" she complained, wearily rubbing her aching head and taking more tissues from the tissue box to blow her nose again.

"Ya might as well bring that tissue box t' bed with you, babe," Tayshan worriedly informed her. "You're gonna need 'em for a while."

"Yeah, I… I guess so…" she acquiesced with a sigh as she yawned and got up off the couch to head to the kitchen with the empty water glass in hand. "There's one more thing I've gotta ask you, though…"

"What's up?" Tay invited her to pose her question as he got to work cleaning up Shantae's used tissues from the living room to toss in the trashcan in the kitchen.

"During our battle… right when I was about to fire off that gigantic magic blast at you…" Shae began as she rinsed the cup in the sink and put it away shortly thereafter.

"Yeah?" the haloed young man prodded as he searched the cabinets until he found a container full of disinfectant wipes. He attempted to reach for it with both hands before once again recognizing that his left hand was absent. Silently shaking his head, he opted to reach for the object with just his right hand. Through a bit of finagling with the container, he was able to open it and pull out a couple of wipes before committing himself to the task of wiping down the coffee table.

"I… I remember you picking Risky Boots up and tossing her out of the way right as I launched my attack…" she revealed the purpose of her question as she searched the drawers and found a container of vapor rub, a bottle of medicine tablets, a thermometer, and a packet of throat lozenges. It certainly appeared that she was ready for battle, even if she had to fight that battle sick in bed. Nevertheless… "Why?"

"I… can't say for sure why I chose t' rescue her…" he pondered as he set the wipes container on the coffee table after he was done wiping it down and turned his full attention toward the half-genie. "I just remember wantin' t' clear everybody else out o' the way. As soon as I got t' grabbin' Risky, I… will admit, I contemplated throwin' her INTO the blast as you fired it."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," the feverish young woman acknowledged as he tossed the used wipes away. From there, the two of them headed out of the kitchen and toward the hallway leading to the bedroom, with Tayshan picking up the box of tissues along the way. "And yet, you didn't. Even after what we talked about… What was running through your mind?"

"Not a whole ton other than figurin' out how t' come out o' that situation in one piece," he remarked as they strolled their way through the corridor, turning out the lights along the way. As they walked by one of the closed doors, light snoring could be heard from the other side. Evidently, they weren't as alone as they thought they were. "Huh… I didn't know Rotty was already home. She sleeps like a rock…"

"Tell me about it," Shantae agreed with a sigh of relief. "Good thing we didn't stir her awake, or else we'd never hear the end of it…" she added as they continued their trek, albeit a bit quieter. At that point, she continued their discussion. "That aside, I understand your point. But then, what else was on your mind?"

"Hm… Well… if there WAS one other thing I remember crossin' my mind in those few scary seconds before I saved her, it was that I… I guess I didn't want t' take that opportunity knowin' that you weren't in your right mind at the time."

"What do you mean by that?" she curiously asked as the two entered the bedroom, at which point Shantae headed to one side to put all her sickness survival supplies on the nightstand next to her side of the bed. Meanwhile, Tayshan stretched and yawned as he approached the opposite side.

"Well… I figured that that if you REALLY meant t' kill Risky, then you'd do it with a clear head instead o' doin' it while bein' possessed an' overwhelmed with Dark Magic," he explained his case as the two of them climbed into the bed together. They each slid under the covers, resting their weary heads on the fluffy pillows as they faced one another. "It didn't sit right t' just have you vaporize her while you were in that state, no matter how much I wanted her dead. I wasn't sure how you'd react once you came to…"

"I see…" Shantae acknowledged, appearing to contemplate his words as she got as comfortable as she could. "I suppose that makes sense…"

"I hope it does, though I understand that that's not an opportunity that comes very often," Tayshan lamented.

"Yeah, but it's like we discussed; Risky goes down on OUR terms, not hers," the sleepy genie clarified as she quickly began to doze off. "Much as I hate to say it, Tayshan… I think you made the right call, though she's more than likely gonna be a real pain later on…"

"The very thought fills me with enthusiasm over what's supposed t' happen next," he dryly remarked, getting her to giggle it up some more. He didn't laugh with her, however. Instead, his left eye lit up and flashed between gold and silver before settling down. This went unnoticed at this point, however, as Shantae had drifted off to sleep. The change in her breathing pattern confirmed it for Tayshan, prompting him to give her a light kiss on the forehead before turning around… and taking one last look at his left wrist. He said nothing else as his face contorted into a contemplative frown. But before long, he had also drifted off to sleep almost instantly…

Aaaand there ya have it, folks. Another saga for the books. There certainly is a lot to consider here, no doubt. Shantae and Tayshan completed yet another difficult journey through one of Sequin Land's most hazardous landscapes, though it seemed to cost each of them more than they gained. And with it being the case that both of them would be out of commission when they needed to be most active, it certainly leaves one to wonder how their allies would handle taking their places in the fated expedition to the Crackling Crystal Castle. With the likes of Risky Boots and Hashanah also gunning for the Spirit Fuser fragment hidden in its depths, time was of the essence for our heroes to get into gear and come up with a strategy that allowed them to lay claim to the mystical Relic before either of the evildoers did. As usual, I suppose we'll have more answers next time we meet. Till then, you go on and enjoy the rest of your day… or night. Sweet dreams either way~!