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!

28. A Ghost of a Dance

Chapter 10, Pt. 3: A Ghost of a Dance

Heyo! Nice of you to rejoin me yet again! I mean, I knew you were gonna come back, but I'm always pleasantly surprised, nevertheless. So, I hope you're ready… because my goodness, do we have A LOT to cover this time around. Last we left off, the legendary Cosmic Couple Shantae and Tayshan had basically gone through an entire adventure before even LANDING in the Lucky Laces Lagoon… Fighting off hordes of Tinkerbats and monster girls alike in the air atop flying carpets after the plane they were riding in on was blown up, engaging in the world's most dangerous mountainside toboggan race (where Shantae used Tayshan as a Tay-Boggin), and the undead serviceman almost immediately facing off against the great and terrifying King Khalid in a one-on-one deathmatch for the ages. Totally a lot to pack in, right!? I know! Tayshan managed to barely edge out a victory over the late king (who, by the way, is totally dead now), but his and Shantae's troubles would only worsen when a bunch of the monster girls in the audience banded together and, at the instruction of one diabolical, scheming Risky Boots, ambushed and kidnapped the wraith guardian and dragged him off to be their personal plaything! As one might imagine, Shantae was NOT happy about the development, and she sought to remedy the issue… as swiftly, and as VIOLENTLY as she could. Case in point…

"SHYAAAAAAAAH!" hollered the half-genie of the hour, her voice doubled as she raced across the cobblestone streets of the Lucky Laces Lagoon. Before I could even figure out what she was doing or where she was headed, a sudden *KRAFROOOOOWSH* of an enemy erupting in a tower of purple flames caught me by surprise as the enemy's attacker blitzed past them. Following this, a building behind the genie exploded with a ground-shaking *KRABWOOOORSH* as smoky rubble scattered miles high in all directions. As it turned out, Shantae was dashing through the lagoon in a frenzied attempt to rescue her teammate and love partner… and she was taking NO prisoners as she went along. There were multiple buildings that were either toppled over, burning and shrouded in smoke, or otherwise damaged as the heroine left a warzone of destruction and chaos in her wake.

"STOP HER! STOP HER BEFORE SHE BURNS THE ENTIRE TOWN TO THE GROUND!" commanded a frantic Harpy Gal as she narrowly avoided being zapped into oblivion by a *KRAZAKAKAKROK* of a wayward lightning bolt fired from the angry half-genie's fingers. The lightning bolt struck another building and obliterated a chunk of it with a thunderous *KADWOOORSHKRGH* that LEVELED the entire structure. The house came crumbling down like it was made of glass as more debris littered the streets, prompting many of the late King Khalid's guardswomen to shield themselves as they either stood their ground or ran for their lives.

"GRAWOAOWOWOWWWL!" bellowed an armored Leopard Gal as she and another Leopard Gal simultaneously charged at the half-genie on all fours with their claws bared and ready to tear their shared enemy to shreds. Shantae, however, wasn't the least bit concerned or frightened by the stiff opposition as she locked her golden eyes on them.

"Oh, you wanna double up? TRY ME!" Shantae brazenly challenged as she dashed forth and gracefully spun around an incoming fireball launched with a *PAPWOOOAARRFF* from the open maw of the airborne Harpy Gal that gave the initial command. As the blast smashed into the ground with a stone-shattering *KAPWOOORSH* that sent debris and dust all over the place, the furious golden-eyed genie engaged her would-be hunters. *SCHRISH* after *SCHWIPE* after *SHKRIIING*, the twin Leopard Gals immediately tried to dig their claws into Shantae without an ounce of hesitation… only to find out that they couldn't even scratch her as she dodged every last one of their many, MANY strikes and swipes at seemingly the speed of light. And as the three women whirled, spun, slashed, and exchanged blows like a tornado of hatred and murderous intent in the middle of the pandemonium-plagued streets, Shantae held her own with utmost determination as she parried, dodged, and blocked every claw attack as they rained in like she was dodging raindrops in a torrential downpour. Before too long, however…

"TAKE THIS, YOU ORNERY LITTLE WEASEL!" one of the Leopard Gals roared as she backed up, arched her back, and then pounced while her partner was still actively engaging the genie. Yet, just as it seemed she would catch Shantae off-guard, the enraged genie leapt high while wiggling her hips and spinning like a ballerina. And before either animal/woman hybrid could tell what she was up to…

"TRANSFORM!" the heroine announced as she, with an airborne *POOF*, morphed into Elephant-Shantae and then came down on her hooves as hard as she could. And with a thunderous *KRADWOOOM* of her hooves on the ground that crushed the cobblestone beneath her, the pachyderm-formed heroine generated a massive shockwave that immediately paralyzed both of her assailants with a simultaneous *KRAZZZAKAAZOK* like they'd touched a downed powerline. She wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity as another Harpy Gal launched another oral fireball at her with an explosive *POKWAARRRFF*. Transforming back with another *POOF*, Shantae swatted the fireball out of the way with a *KATREEENG* that sent it hurtling into the air before spinning around and HAMMERING one of the Leopard Gals in the face with a jaw-decimating *KRATHROCK* of a lunging left hook that sent the furry maiden off to dreamland before she even hit the ground. Worse yet, that Leopard Gal smashed with a rumbling *KABROGLOUGH* into a brick-made house that left a gigantic hole in its wall. The other Leopard Gal would be just as unfortunate as Shantae cocked her leg back and with another spin and following *KRATHRAAAASHK*, BURIED her knee into the mammalian hybrid stomach with the force of a speeding fighter jet.

"Guhaaagh…!" the Leopard Gal uttered in shock, her eyes bulging out of her face as she was sent careening into a nearby shopping center, whose structure contained a mixture of cobblestone and glass. And within the next second and another monumental *KRABROGLOWOGH*, the Lucky Laces guard smashed through the wall and found herself rained on by stony, glassy rubble. Not the slightest bit interested in the wellbeing of her enemies, Shantae angrily turned her attention toward the hovering Harpy Gals that were trying to burn her alive.

"Get in my way, and YOU'RE NEXT! YOU HEAR ME!?" she hollered at them, her curvy, sweat-bathed form billowing wisps of that ominous dark purple aura.

"Shoot, we're not going to be able to stop her like this…!" one Harpy Gal complained. "Come on, let's go!" she further urged as she turned tail and flew in the opposite direction, quickly followed by her equally feathery teammate.

"And just WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Shantae hollered as she was about to perform a transformation dance, only to be interrupted by a swath of arrows headed right for her from the rooftops. "Darn it…! BUBBLE!" she announced as she stretched her hands out and, with a *VWOOORN* summoned up a blue-hued bubble shield that took the entire salvo of pointy projectiles that broke upon contact with her barrier with *plick* after *katrark* after *platink* like they were simply throwing stones at a wall of steel. She would not be safe, however, as another enemy made herself apparent when she bull-charged Shantae from behind and bowled into her with a mighty *KRADOOSH* of her sleek red scorpion-human hybrid body against the half-genie's back. "Gaah…! Hah!" Shantae grunted as she adjusted in time to avoid eating dirt as she fell onto her hands and sprung herself into an expert somersault to land back on her feet as her shield disappeared. And once she got a good look at what ambushed her… "Great… The Scorpion Gals, too?"

"I have been eagerly awaiting the day I got to challenge the Legendary Super Genie to a legendary battle for the ages!" the black-haired, busty, orange-eyed Scorpion Gal, who towered over the half-genie by at least ten feet, announced as she drew a spear and readied herself for the clash of a lifetime.

"Graaah, I don't have TIME for you! BEAT IT!" Shantae roared as she raised a hand, charged it to the brim with Light Magic that had wisps of Dark Magic in it, took aim, and… "GENIE BOMBER!" she hollered as the brilliant beam of light flashed forth from her hand with a *KRATWOOOOORSSSH*.

"Wha-!? HRGH!" the Scorpion Gal grunted, hurriedly crossing her arms in front of herself as the Genie Bomber collided with an explosive, smoky *PADWOAARSH* against her forearms and chest and sent her hurtling into a particularly large building that looked like a sort of convention center. With an additionally chaotic *KARBLOARGGH*, the stony structure collapsed all over the Scorpion Gal and immediately began to emit clouds of magic-borne smoke.

"That should take care of her…! Now, I've gotta get a move on…!" Shantae urged herself, turning around and sprinting off as the Archer Ladies on the rooftops gave chase from their vantage points and prepared another flurry of arrows to rain upon her. And with a cacophonous series of *phtwooms* and *thwoongs, the Archer Ladies commenced their next onslaught of projectiles. "Hoo! Yah…! Hm! Gahh…! Can't transform with all this heat on me…" the agitated genie complained as she zigzagged through the streets while arrows struck all over the place. *TRINK* after *TINK* of their metal heads hitting stone walls and streets, *DWEEGLARGASHes* of them hitting and smashing windows, and the occasional *whiirrrlirllir* of the whistling projectiles whizzing past the genie's head, it was all but apparent that these archers didn't plan on letting Shantae leave this collapsing concrete jungle in one piece. Shantae wouldn't be deterred, however, as she flipped, spun, bobbed, weaved, and expertly danced her way around every arrow that came her way. Yet, just as she made her umpteenth turn into a narrow alleyway with a dead end…

"Hold it right there, genie girl!" commanded the Scorpion Gal from earlier as she made herself known from the rooftop. She made an epic entrance by leaping from the five-story building and coming down at the center of the alley with an impactful *PWOOSH* of her scorpion legs and claws on the ground. Immediately after landing, she pulled out her spear and pointed it at Shantae once again. "You got lucky with that cheap little parlor trick from before, but I-! What the heck…? What do you think you're doing!?" she demanded to know as Shantae kept on running toward her. Within the next second, the genie put all her strength into her capable slender legs as she propelled herself upward and forward. She first landed on the neck of the Scorpion Gal's spear, prompting its wielder to try and shake her off.

"TYAAAH!" Shantae yelled as she performed another acrobatic leap off the spear, performing a gymnastic somersault along the way before landing on the Scorpion Gal's head.

"H-hey! Get off me!" the arachnid warrior demanded as she raised her stinger-adorned tail to try and sting the genie. And with a *KATRICK*, she managed to actually SCORE A HIT! Specifically, she got Shantae in the forearm as the genie blocked the attack from getting her in the face instead.

"Ouch…!" the genie groaned, wincing a bit as she somehow still held her position atop her adversary's head.

"Gotcha! Now, you'll only have mere MINUTES before my venom incapacita-!" the Scorpion Gal was about to gloat before…

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you're wasting your time if your big idea was to poison me. I'm immune to scorpion venom," Shantae casually dropped a total bombshell of a revelation as she tore the chimera's stinger out of her arm and swatted it away.

"WHAT!? HOW!?" the Scorpion Gal demanded to know.

"I have a certain Scorpion Man from the Kitschy Quilt Desert to thank in part, though that's all YOU need to know," Shantae condescendingly informed to her would-be captor's continued shock.

"Kitschy Quilt Desert… That CAN'T be! There's NO way Alsumu would've-!" the thoroughly astonished Lucky Laces agent was about to rebuff, evidently not believing a word of what her target had just confessed.

"Up and AWAY!" Shantae remarked, her voice still carrying that spooky doubled effect as she made another powerful leap off the Scorpion Gal's head. Oh, and just when ya think she had enough tricks up her sleeve, get this… She charged a supply of magic into one hand, stretched that arm back behind herself while she was looking downward… and… "REAPER WIND BURST!" she yelled while swatting her arm toward the ground beneath her. And with a tempestuous *WOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRSH* of gale force winds blowing hard enough that it could've knocked over an entire VILLAGE, she pulled off one of Tayshan's signature techniques in a single attempt! Honestly, though, I'm just surprised she didn't try to rename it. Probably under too much pressure or something. Anyway, she cleared the gigantic, vine-covered walls of the alley and landed with grace on the burnt red half-circle tiles of the rooftop. There, she got a much clearer view of the path to her destination.

"Ah… So, I have to get to the other end of this city, leap over the wall, and then get through a trap-infested desert to get to King Khalid's palace…" the half-genie observed as she peered ahead with a hand shielding her eyes from the intense sunlight. "But where…? THERE!" she further deduced as she spotted the distant image of a certain scantily clad, halo-adorned man being hauled into a massive, stony castle by a sizable militia of monster girls as he writhed and wriggled around. The castle was certainly fit for a king of Khalid's stature, with its GINORMOUS stony towers, gold-laced banners bearing his silhouette, flags of varying colors set up and flowing in the wind atop multiple royal blue rooftops, and stained-glass windows bearing images of mythical beats roaring to the heavens. This, all capped off with twin life-size statues of Khalid on either side of the castle entrance. made of gold and encrusted with jewelry depicting him as flexing his four muscular arms. On top of its sheer outer beauty (as well as Khalid's vanity), the castle looked like it may have actually DWARFED the Sequin Land Palace by at least a good three or four sizes. Goodness, this castle was ENORMOUS! Admittedly, though, it looked utterly STUNNING in the afternoon sun as its rays shaded the castle to look like something you'd only see in an exquisite portrait by the world's finest artist.

Worth note, however, was that as he was being pulled into this magnificent and extremely decadent stronghold, Tayshan emitted a jolt of electricity loud enough that even from the incredible distance between Shantae and her boyfriend, the shock rang out with a *krakazaazow* like a distant lightning bolt. She further observed that he'd struck some of the monster girls restraining him, causing them to drop him on the ground as he managed to break free of his binds. Before Tayshan could climb to his feet and escape, however, a group of Slime Gals hurriedly pounced and smothered him in their gooey forms to stop him from electrocuting them or putting up further resistance. From there, the rest of his captors dragged him into the castle as he kept on struggling against them.

"I've GOT to get over there…! I'm on my wa-!" Shantae was about to declare as she took off sprinting before…

"Not so fast, Shantae!" hollered one of the Archer Ladies as a whole squad of them raced to her position with their arrows at the ready. Meanwhile, a group of Harpy Gals made themselves known as they hovered in… joined by propeller pack-wearing Tinkerbats with firearms ready to light her up. "Tayshan is OUR property now, and you will not take one more step toward King Khalid's palace! Do so, and you will suffer the wrath of the Lucky Laces Lagoon's most elite defense force! Stand down now or be skewered by an unforgiving storm of bullets, blasts, and arrows!" And while she was initially shocked to see herself surrounded so quickly, she quickly took a deep breath… and smirked as she looked the Archer Lady in the eye while her own eyes still radiated with that ominous golden glow.

"…Then I guess you're gonna have a fun time practicing your aim…" she menacingly remarked as she touched two magic-charged fingers to the crest in her snake tiara. "And so am I!" she further challenged as she fired off a *KAKWAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser that, in as little as a half-second, struck the Archer Lady with a DEVASTATING *DWOOAARSHK* that sent her careening off the roof. The other monster girls reacted in varying levels of shock as they watched the Archer Lady fall from five stories up into a random wheelbarrow stuffed with hay near a horse stable, where she landed with a voluminous *KAKRATAKRARSHK* that obliterated the transport device and sent hay scattering everywhere. "Now's my chance…!" Shantae urged herself as she blasted off, firing a *TWAKRAKAZAAAAP* of a lightning bolt from her fingertips to electrocute two Tinkerbats and *POOF* them out of existence in a flash.

"GET HER! GET HER BEFORE SHE BLOWS THROUGH US!" hollered a levitating Harpy Gal, prompting her fellow Harpy Gals in addition to the platoon of Archer Ladies and Tinkerbats to unload another massive hailstorm of projectiles at her. This time, however, the Harpy Gals mixed it up when some of them flapped their wings to fire razor-sharp Harpy Talons at her while others launched mouth fireballs at her. Meanwhile, Shantae stretched out her arms, rapidly sashayed her hips, struck a pose, and…

"TRAAAANSFORM!" the half-genie announced, morphing with a smoky *POOF* into a familiar little lavender monkey as she somehow also avoided a barrage of feathers and fire. Afterward, she began to glow with a bright, crackling blue and purple aura as she reared up. Then, with an emphatic *TWEEEESCH*, she blitzed ahead long before any of the bullets, arrows, or talons fired in her direction could hit her. And so began a frantic rooftop chase that consisted of Archer Ladies, Tinkerbats, and Harpy Gals alike doggedly pursuing her while they haphazardly shot up chunks of the roof with *RATTATTAT* after *THWIP* after *POKWOOORFF* after *FLISHK* of their mixed projectiles hitting everything but their target. Meanwhile, Monkey-Shantae used her smaller stature and increased agility to her advantage as she made incredible leaps and bounds (and I'm talking leaps and bounds spanning multiple YARDS) across the rooftops, making it a point to stay on the high ground to fast-track her way to King Khalid's castle. *TWEESCH* after *TWEEEEESCH*, the monkey girl air-dashed across some gaps here, swung from signs and windchimes with her tail there, and wall-jumped between buildings all over the place while consistently dodging every bit of her enemies' endless barrage of arrows, bullets, harpy talons, and fireballs. At this rate, it seemed no one would stop her. That is, until…

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY!" shouted a certain Scorpion Gal as she fired a powerful blast from her tail with a *KRISHWOOOOM* from the streets while she gave chase.

"YAAH!" Monkey-Shantae grunted, evidently aware of the impending threat as she leapt from the edge of the last rooftop of a particularly large watchtower. In that same moment, the Scorpion Gal's attack collided with the watchtower. And with an eardrum-rupturing *KABWOOOOOOOORSH*, the blast utterly ANNIHILATED the tower and sent the slippery simian hurtling toward the city's stone defensive wall. "WHOOAAHAHAAAAH!" Monkey-Shantae bellowed, flipping all over herself as she tried to gain some level of awareness of what was happening.

"We've got her right where we want her! FIRE AT WILL!" hollered the Scorpion Gal as she raced ahead and charged another tail blast from her stinger. Meanwhile, her cohorts obey the boisterous command and proceeded to dump the contents of their quivers, guns, harpy wings, and presumable magic mouth blasts at the seemingly vulnerable half-genie. Buuut of course, if we know one thing about Shantae by now, it's to never count her out when her back is (literally) against the wall. As such…

"Hooh!" she grunted as she managed to somehow CLING TO THE WALL despite it being smooth and therefore having no way for anyone to scale it. And as if things couldn't get wild enough, she began hopping upward in a sort of zigzag motion, dodging the heavy fire coming in on her as she poured her determination into her effort to get to Khalid's castle. "Whew… All this just to make it past the first SECTION…! I swear, I'd better get there on time for all I'm dealing with here…!" she grumbled like this was simply a minor inconvenience for her as she made it up the wall almost entirely unhindered. Her efforts did not go unnoticed, of course, as a pair of Harpy Gals got enough of a read on the situation… that the entire group of them disengaged and flew toward the castle ahead.

In the air…

"Shoot, she's ripping right through us and is already about to clear the wall…! We need to find a different way to hold her off!" yelled a small, petite, canary-colored Harpy Gal to her taller royal blue-feathered comrade.

"Calling in the Monster Guy brigade right now! If she makes it past the city's gates and into the desert, then they should hopefully be able to wear her down enough for capture!" the second Harpy Gal revealed before taking a deep breath and screeching into the open air, presumably to signal for more of their comrades to get ready for the upcoming one-genie, one-versus-one thousand castle siege.

"At this rate, I'm not so sure… She's more powerful than we could've imagined, and she seems to be FAR more aggressive than we could've possibly expected," the yellow chimera assessed. "At this rate, we'd be lucky to stave off her onslaught for a meager few minutes before she breaches the castle walls…"

"Then we'll have to keep trying to outmatch her aggression and overwhelm her! We have Risky Boots on our side, so we should be able to manage better than if we executed this plan on our own like we intended!" the blue Harpy Gal did her best to assure. "By now, Venus and the others should be getting our captive set up for the Triumphant Patriarch ritual, but if we can't stop this genie, it's never gonna happen."

"You don't have to tell me twice…" the first Harpy Gal agreed. "What shall we do now?"

"We will monitor the desert and give directions to our Monster Guys as they get into position beneath us," the second one instructed as she and her teammate peered downward to see a host of muscular half-animal, half-man creatures getting into formation all along the desert. Additionally, there appeared to be at least one more of the terrifying sand creatures that were present during Shantae's Tay-Boggin ride. Oh, boy… "You take the right side, and I'll take the left. Got it?"

"Got it," the bright yellow bird woman acknowledged, at which point they got themselves into position and readied themselves for the battle ahead…

Back on the ground (sort of)…

"Shaaah!" the monkey-formed half-genie hollered in effort as she gracefully spun and twirled her way around a diverse salvo of projectiles while in midair. She had just made it over the heavily damaged, smoking, talon and arrow-covered wall and quickly latched onto the other side of it. Most of her pursuers could only look on in varying degrees of dismay as she hurriedly hopped herself down to the ground from the mile-high wall. She then transformed with a *POOF* back into her human form and immediately dashed ahead as she took in the sight of a palm tree and cactus-laden, dune-filled desert with hardly anything but the ruins of ancient buildings… and a HEFTY supply of proximity mine Pike Balls in the way. "Hm. It's a long way there on foot, but I should be able to… oowowowowow-OW! HOT, HOT, HOT!" she frantically complained as she took her first few steps into the desert area, only to find that the sand was FAR too hot to walk on. She was forced to hop backward toward the wall she'd just scaled to avoid burning her feet, though doing so gave her another unwelcome clue about the terrain as she nearly lost her balance on the jump. "Gaah, jeez… I know it's stuffy out here, but why the heck does the sand feel like I'm stepping on burning coals? And…" she trailed off as she patted her smoking feet and took a closer look at the sandy path ahead… to find out that it was no 'path' at all.

"You're KIDDING! This ENTIRE desert is QUICKSAND!" she yelled out of surprise and frustration as she observed the sand shifting and bubbling on its own… while it also emitted scalding hot steam. "Darn it…! I'm gonna have to go Harpy for this section, but I'm done for if I get picked off out of the air before I can reach the castle… What do I do?" she asked herself as she contemplated her options, though she wouldn't get much time before her train of thought was interrupted by the voluminous, rocky *KRABLOWGLORGH* of the wall behind her being blasted through. Hopping out of the way, the heroine avoided being crushed under the rubble. Her troubles were only beginning from there, however.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU SLIPPERY LITTLE SHAPESHIFTER!" the belligerent Scorpion Gal announced as she pointed her spear at her sworn enemy. Meanwhile, a sizable swarm of airborne Tinkerbats joined her in cornering their shared enemy. Ready for a fight, Shantae quickly entered a battle pose with the idea that she would have to put her enemies down by force instead of eluding them if it meant rescuing her beloved partner. "How do you like our Molten Quicksand Minefield? Find it difficult to traverse on bare feet?"

"You should've taken the hint from before!" Shantae yelled back, ignoring her adversary's taunts. "Keep messing with me, and you're gonna get yourself hurt! BADLY! If you know what's good for you, you'll quit while you're behind!"

"And miss out on the rare and auspicious opportunity to finally see Sequin Land's so-called Half-Genie Hero fall before me? I think not! Now, prepare yourself for-!"

"Hey, Shantae! Over here!" called a Harpy Gal from behind, prompting the half-genie to turn and be surprised.

"Huh? Who are you?" the understandably wary genie questioned, keeping her guard up as she stared at the smiling Harpy Gal. It was worth note, of course, that this Harpy Gal was colored differently from any of the others she'd seen previously. It was also worth mentioning that she was a lot… well, 'curvier' than your average chimera and had a purple-skinned, aquamarine-haired child Archer Lady sitting on her back, waving at Shantae.

"I'll tell you on the way to the castle, but we must hurry! The Unknown Hero is in trouble, and we're here to help you rescue him!" the Harpy Gal explained as she nudged her head to urge Shantae to climb aboard. "This quicksand cannot be traversed on foot by normal means, as it is designed to trap, cook, and bury any unsuspecting visitor alive."

"Oooh… Yikes," Shantae acknowledged, glancing at the bubbling, smoking terrain in a state of shock.

"LIASHA!" shouted the agitated Scorpion Gal as she found herself thrown completely off-guard. "What the heck do you think you're doing!? Why are you offering to ASSIST the half-genie!?"

"Because I refuse to stand idly by and let my sisters and friends partake in this egregious FARCE of doing Risky Boots's bidding!" Liasha angrily shouted back at the Scorpion Gal as Shantae hurriedly approached her. "The Unknown Hero protected this land from Risky Boots at the cost of his life, and the LAST thing I'll do upon our discovery of his return is let him fall back into her clutches after he also just liberated us from King Khalid!"

"…Unknown Hero? Does she mean Tayshan…?" Shantae pondered with a raised eyebrow as her eyes reverted from gold back to blue and her voice changed back to normal, though her question would go unanswered for the moment.

"Liasha, don't do this! If you proceed, we'll be forced to destroy you along WITH this interloper!"

"Then you'd better hope you trained hard enough to finally keep up with me to do so, Baseemah!" Liasha challenged with a scornful look on her face as Shantae wasted no time taking up the Harpy Gal's generous offer.

"Okay, I'm trusting you!" the half-genie informed Liasha as she and the Archer Girl Kimalvi made themselves comfortable. "Think you can fly us across like this?"

"No, unfortunately. My wing is injured, so we must rely on the speed of my own two legs," the prismatic Harpy Gal explained to the half-genie's concern.

"Uh… Are you sure? Because it seems like that'll be a bit difficult with two passengers," Shantae worriedly questioned.

"I assure you, it's not a problem. My wings may not carry us across, but my legs are top-notch. Matter of fact, I'll prove it. Right…" Liasha began as she crouched and readied herself to take off.

"Uh-oh… Get ready, Shantae, because she's about to REALLY put these lightning legs of hers to work," the Archer Girl warned as she grabbed on tight. Nodding in understanding, Shantae also leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Liasha's neck. Oh, boy…

"HEY! You'd better not, Liasha! This is your FINAL WA-!"

"NOW!" Liasha announced as she, with a truly startling, feathery *SHAFWOOOOM, practically ROCKETED herself forth. Seriously, this girl went sprinting ahead like an ostrich hopped up on five hundred cups of the nation's strongest coffee!

"Whahahohohoahahahaaaaaaah!" the half-genie bellowed out, nearly losing her grip as Liasha kept on running. And just like that, they were off, with Liasha's feet kicking up sand with every step as she blitzed across the dunes without a care in the world for the quicksand's unbearably hot temperature. She'd also quickly proved a point about her agility as she zoomed, hopped over, and juked her way past broken stone structures, Pike Balls, and cacti alike. It certainly made for a bumpy ride, but it seemed Shantae was in good hands… or wings, in this case.

"Oh, son of a…! GET THEM!" Baseemah the Scorpion Gal hollered her command at the top of her lungs, prompting the aerial Tinkerbat horde to zoom through the air in hot pursuit. Following them was… well, no one, actually. The Harpy Gals had disobeyed the command as they perched on the top of the wall and looked on. The Archer Ladies in the area had also stayed behind, each of them with empty quivers. "HEY! What's the big idea!? Why aren't you going after them!?"

"If Liasha says we don't fight Shantae, then we don't fight Shantae," one of the Harpy Gals answered, making hers and her sisters' stances firm. "Harpy Gals never turn against each other, and Liasha is one of the most respected of our kind."

"And as for us… This is embarrassing to admit, but we're all out of arrows and have no way to give chase if the Harpy Gals are refusing to pursue them," an Archer Lady added. "We also find it in bad taste to attack little Kimalvi and therefore refuse to raise our weapons against our own kind. Especially the late, great Priyanka's last surviving daughter…"

"Are you for real!? Gahh, you're all USELESS! I'LL DO IT MYSELF, THEN! I'll at least TRY not to hurt the harpy and the archer child if it makes you all feel better, but that genie is as good as MINE!" Baseemah vowed as she, with a *TAKWOOOSH* of her scorpion legs, took off sprinting after the genie/Harpy Gal/Archer Girl trio.

Up ahead…

"TAKE THIS!" Kimalvi shouted as she hurriedly fired an arrow from her bow that struck a Slime Gal in the face, after which the arrow exploded with a *KAPWOOAARFF* that sent chunks of pink goo scattering all over the immediate area. In retaliation, other Slime Gals and Mermaid Gals emerged from nearby dunes and began trying their hardest to stop the trio from advancing up an incoming dune.

"Wow! Nice shot, kid!" Shantae complimented as she turned around and fired a *KAKWAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser at some besieging Tinkerbats and fried two of them to a crisp in one shot with twin *POOFs* of smoke. Meanwhile, the Tinkerbats bombarded them with rapid *RATTATTATs* and *KABLAMs* of flashing marbles from their firearms.

"Gah, I never did like these filthy, scum-sucking sycophants of Risky's…!" Liasha complained as she sprinted up a sand dune while using her agility and speed to her advantage to dodge the incoming gunfire on the way across the trap and obstacle-infested desert. She'd also been forced to hop over proximity Pike Balls and hop side to side to avoid running smack into the remains of an old building.

"You and me both, sister," Shantae agreed as she charged a supply of magic into her hand and stretched it out to her side while turning to face their assailants. And with a single swipe of her hand across her chest… "WIND BURST!" she shouted as she sent a suffocating *FWOOOOOOOOOOOORSH* of wind blasting toward the Tinkerbats and Baseemah to hinder their pursuit. And while she managed to temporarily stun Risky's minions, Baseemah was undeterred as she fired a *KRADWEEERSH* of an energy ball from her tail at them. The blast would miss its mark, however, as it struck the ground behind them with an explosive, sandy *PWOOORF* that sent hot sand scattering all over the place.

"WHOAHAHAHOO!" Liasha cheered in evident excitement as she picked up an incredible speed boost from the half-genie's borrowed magic maneuver. Within a couple seconds, the Harpy Gal reached the summit of the dune and leapt high enough to get a momentary bird's eye view of the path ahead. "Hey, this ride's gonna get a bit bumpier from here on out! Make sure you keep your grip and stay with me!"

"Heard!" both Shantae and Kimalvi acknowledged as they each took aim at pursuing enemies with their weapons. With a *KAKWAAAARSH* of Shantae's Crimson Laser, the heroine struck Baseemah in the chest with loud, startling *KRATWIING* of the laser against her armor.

"HAH! Is THAT all you got, genie!?" Baseemah taunted as she remained in hot pursuit, gaining on them as she went along and charged up another tail blast. "You're as good as MINE!"

"Shoot, she's tougher than I thought she'd be…!" Shantae lamented as she switched her attention to a Slime Gal about to pounce on them and fried it to gooey cinders with a *TWAKRAZZAP* of lightning from her fingertips.

"Yeah, Baseemah's annoying like that," Kimalvi agreed as she, with another *THWIP* of one arrow, struck down three Tinkerbats in succession before focusing on her next target. "Her armor's the hardest thing around these parts, and she never shuts up about it. It takes real fire power to slow her down…"

"Ya don't say?" Shantae acknowledged in wonder at the Archer Girl's insight. "In that case, I'd better start playing hardball…!" she further remarked, charging another current of crackling magic in one hand while aiming her other one upward and shooting a *KRAFWOOOOOORSH* of scarlet flames at her and her allies' airborne pursuers. Some of them were caught in the towering blazes, though others swiftly dodged the attack and kept pouring on the pressure. Just when they thought they were safe, however… "GENIE BOMBER!" she announced as she aimed her other hand at Risky's belligerent minions and fired off a glorious *KARPWEEEEERSH* of a light blue magic blast that took out two more of them.

"Nice job, girls! Now, prepare yourselves! The pressure is on now!" Liasha cheered and warned as she descended and landed on the scalding hot, bubbling sand far past the dune they had just climbed and kept on sprinting. It became immediately apparent what she was talking about, however, when she was made to take even more evasive measures to avoid running smack into one of the many, MANY proximity Pike Balls littered all over the terrain from there. Making things worse was the fact that one of the pursuing Tinkerbats aimed at one of the Pike Balls and fired a *KRABWAAANG* of a shot from its rifle. The round almost immediately struck the obstacle with a solid *TRINK* as Shantae and her teammates were passing by, causing it to flare up and flash red.

"Sh-shoot! Hey, watch o-!" Shantae tried to warn before the bomb detonated with a boisterous *KRABWOOOOOM* that nearly sent the Harpy Gal toppling over from the unfathomable force of the explosion.

"Gwaahaagh…!" Liasha groaned in agony as she stumbled and struggled to stay on her feet, slowing down significantly in the process.

"Auntie! Hey, are you okay!?" Kimalvi asked, heavily concerned for her guardian's health as she inspected the Harpy Gal. She gasped in horror as she quickly discovered that the chimera's wing had a spike from the explosive Pike Ball stuck in it.

"Could be better, sweet pea, but it's nothing I can't handle…! Keep things up on your end with taking down our enemies as we move along! You're doing a great job!" Liasha did her best to save face and advise as she kept on running. "Haah…!"

"You're injured, Liasha! Stop this madness this INSTANT!" Baseemah warned as she aimed her scorpion tail. "If you don't, I'll be forced to blow you all to smithereens!"

"Bite my tailfeather, Baseemah!" Liasha roared back as she began to pick up speed and narrowly dodge the incoming *RATATATATTAT* of rapid gunfire and leapt over another collection of cacti that was directly in their way. In response, Shantae and Kimalvi fired a combined barrage of arrows and laser beams with *KAKWAAAARSHes* and *THWIPs* alike. The two managed to strike down a few more of the besieging Tinkerbats with a few more collective *POOFs*, lightening the load for their shared ally. "If you had any sense, you'd stop this ridiculous chase before you got yourself hurt!" Liasha further shouted at Baseemah as she dodged the incoming cascade of *SPLOOORSHes* from a group of Mermaid Gals with tridents who were trying to take them down from a distance.

"WRONG ANSWER, BIRD GIRL!" a highly agitated Baseemah shouted back as she aimed her tail blast and fired it off with a *KRADWOOOORRSHHH* in hopes of stopping the other girls in their tracks.

"Not today! BUBBLE!" Shantae announced once more as she raised a hand and summoned an amethyst-hued force field with a *VWOOONG* to protect them. This, of course, earned the collective shock of the Archer Girl and the Harpy Gal.

"WHOOOOA! SO COOL!" Kimalvi gushed as her eyes glimmered with delight.

"Indeed, though I find myself curious… What does this d-?" Liasha was about to ask before Baseemah's magic attack bounced with a sparking *DWEERNGSH* off the surface of the barrier and rocketed back to sender. "Oooh, wow! SO COOL!" she repeated Kimalvi's praise as she committed herself to dodging Pike Ball bombs and running across the scorching hot sand dunes.

"WHAT IN THE-!? YEOW!" Baseemah bellowed in shock before narrowly dodging her own attack by diving out of the way as it zipped by with a crackling *VWAZHEEERRNG*. She didn't let the hindrance stop her completely, however, as she shook off her shock and kept on pursuing her targets. "Ooh, this crafty little genie minx…! I'm gonna collect her head as a TROPHY!" she further vowed before turning her attention toward a specific sand dune up ahead, where a suspicious lump could be seen shifting around. "HEY! BILLIAM! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT HERE AND RAM THESE INTRUDERS INTO THE NEXT WORLD!"

"Oh, these conniving little—! SPEEDING UP!" Liasha griped and warned as she picked up speed and dashed past a trio of Pike Balls and through a decorative set of broken-down marble pillars, cacti, palm trees, and statue pieces on the way up another dune.

"Whoa! H-hey, what's up? Who's Billiam?" Shantae asked as her reflective bubble dissipated, prompting her to switch to firing off *PWORRRF* after *KRAZZZAKAZAP* of fireballs and lightning strikes to fend off belligerent Tinkerbats and the occasional opposing Mermaid Gal or Slime Gal. Meanwhile, Kimalvi kept herself busy shooting *THWIP* after *THWIP* of her arrows to strike down Mermaid Gals, Slime Gals alike, as well as the occasional airborne Tinkerbat, before they had a chance to complicate things further with their attacks.

"Billiam is a Goat Guy with enhanced abilities, and a mercenary of sorts," the Harpy Gal explained as she kept up her efforts of sweeping by obstacle after obstacle while Kimalvi kept opposing monster girls at bay. "He can run fast enough to outpace even me, and he makes a living off of being paid to knock unwitting travelers into this sandpit!"

"I see. We'd best be on our guard, then!" the genie acknowledged as she kept a watchful eye on Baseemah. The Scorpion Gal, of course, continued to angrily chase them through the hot, sandy minefield as she charged another tail blast. "Let me know when this Billiam guy shows up! I'll zap him good if he tries to ram us!"

"Great to know, because he's headed right for us as we speak!" Liasha pointed out, prompting the heroine to look ahead. Sure enough, an enormous, hulking dusk blue goat/man hybrid came blitzing in toward them with sand kicking up a mile high with every *PWOOSH* of his hooves against the sand. His marble-hued horns long, coiled, and ready to demolish anything in their path, Billiam the Goat Guy leaned his head in and charged full speed ahead.

"A shame what I gotta do to you pretty ladies, but boss's or-!" Billiam was about to taunt as he rapidly closed the distance before…

"SUCK ON THESE, YA BIG, BALD, BLEATING, BLUNDERING BLOCKHEAD!" shouted an especially determined and motivated Kimalvi, a trio of arrows firmly locked into her bow as she took aim and cocked the string back.

"Kimalvi! Where in the world did you get that langua-!?" the Harpy Gal tried to scold before a simultaneous *THWIP* of all three of Kimalvi's arrows interrupted her. The three projectiles flew straight and with heaps of their owner's determination packed into them as they zipped through the air.

"Oh, you think arrows can stop me!? Well, try THIS!" Billiam challenged as he lifted himself up and attempted to tank the arrows that seemed to be headed for his chest. Except… the arrows were actually aimed at his face. Er… as such, and with a gruesome *SCHWIRSCHK*, one arrow got him right in the eye. The other two, with subsequent *SHKRICKs*, penetrated his nostril and his shoulder. "GAGH! GWAAH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AAAAAAH!" Billiam bleated in agony, completely losing his way as he continued to haphazardly sprint on. It was at this point, however, that he immediately stopped trying to hit Shantae and the girls and instead focused his attention on un-gouging his eye, thus causing him to veer off course as he ran around and tried to pull the arrow out.

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GO-! AGH!" Baseemah tried to warn as Billiam, in his limited awareness and frantic state, barreled into her. The two chimeras collided with an unceremonious *PAPLOWGH*, causing both of them to go tumbling and rolling in the sand while their targets made their daring escape.

"YIKES… You've got some killer accuracy, girl," Shantae complimented Kimalvi as the Archer Girl picked another arrow out of her quiver and got set to load it.

"Thanks, Shantae! That means a lot coming from you," the young lady happily accepted the compliment. "And if it means anything, you're even cooler than my mom said you'd be."

"Aww, thanks!" the half-genie modestly acknowledged the kind comment, though she remained focused as she charged up a fireball in her hand and flung it with a *FROOOWSH* at a Slime Gal that sprouted up and attempted to ambush them from the side while they ran by. "I'd like to meet her someday!" she added, though her comment didn't have the effect she thought it would.

"I appreciate that, but… my mom isn't alive…" Kimalvi revealed to Shantae's shock, though the Archer Girl kept her focus as she shot another *THWIP* of an arrow at one of a LENGTHY set of Pike Balls partially buried in the sand up ahead while Liasha slowed down and watched the projectile soar through the air.

"Oh… Jeez, I'm sorry… When did you lose her?" the half-genie sympathetically asked, patting Kimalvi on the back as her arrow struck one of the Pike Balls. And with a series of *KRABWOOMs*, *FWABLAAAAMs*, and *KRAPROOOOWSHes*, a whole minefield's worth of the explosives were instantly cleared out.

"When that tinhead Techno Baron and a bunch of that crotchety hag Risky Boots's minions came and destroyed my original home of Naga Mountain," she revealed, shocking her purple-haired companion even more. "You and your friends were there trying to help my mom and her allies defend it that day, if you remember…"

"I… I do remember. I remember like it happened yesterday," Shantae somberly acknowledged as she looked through the sand and smoke that the trio dashed through and spotted Baseemah charging forth after them. "Who was your mom? What was her name?"

"Her name was Priyanka," she revealed, making the heroine gasp in continued astonishment.

"No way…! You're HER daughter!?"

"Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well… I got the chance to meet her that day right before the attack happened," Shantae explained as she charged up a supply of magic into her hand with the intent to launch an attack at Baseemah, who'd remained determined to stop them despite the significant damage she'd sustained over the course of this maddening desert chase. Meanwhile, the Scorpion Gal dashed her way through the smoke clouds and aggressively caught up to them on their way up the next Pike Ball-laden sand dune. "We worked together to try and protect Naga Mountain. She was brave and ready to stand by her allies to the bitter end, if it means anything for me to tell you that. You'd have been proud of her."

"W-wow… Really?"

"Yeah. And I'm not sure if you were aware, but a little while before that day, my boyfriend met and became friends with her," Shantae further revealed.

"That, I knew…" Kimalvi shared with a smiling, albeit somber nod. "My mom told me all about it and the adventure you two went on to oust Squid Baron from the Naga Queen's throne while collecting weapons of mass destruction that Risky's minions stole from some kind of distant land. I'll never forget it… And while I still miss her, it makes me at least somewhat happy that the Unknown Hero avenged her when he charged into her killers' hideout the day after she died and wiped them all out with extreme prejudice. As much as I respected the Unknown Hero, though, I didn't know how true the stories about him were until he saved me from King Khalid and then killed him earlier today. So strong… and so cool…! Now, I know he's the real deal! I respect him more than ever, and I hope to be at least half as strong as he is someday…" Shantae found herself especially shocked to hear Kimalvi's sentiments as she glanced at the Archer Girl, though she tempered herself as she processed the girl's words.

"…Yeah. Yeah, you're right," she affirmed with a somewhat uncertain nod. "And now, we're gonna save him from the forces of evil. Together," the half-genie added as she pressed two fingers to the gem in her tiara and prepared to fire another Crimson Laser before…

"KRAKOLOTCH! YOUR TURN!" Baseemah shouted, evidently summoning yet another ally of hers into the fray as she fired off another *KADWOOOORSH* of a tail blast.

"Ah, shoot…! Gotta adjust on this one…!" Shantae urged herself as she converted from preparing to shoot her Crimson Laser to stretching her magic-imbued arm outward as she faced toward their pursuer. "You girls best be prepared for what I'm about to do!"

"What would that be?" Liasha asked as she hopped over another Pike Ball on the way down the dune.

"This…! REAPER WIND BURST!" the half-genie announced as she swung her arm across her body, generating another mighty *WOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRSH* of gale force winds that blew her and her teammates forth.

"WAAHAHAHOW!" Liasha hollered in… a presumable mixture of excitement and surprise as she suddenly began to run twice as fast due to the speed boost she got from Shantae's technique.

"Whoa…!" Kimalvi remarked as she held on tight, impressed by the genie's show of unfathomable power. "Almost as cool as the Unknown Hero…!" she added as she watched the wind blast counter Baseemah's tail shot by blowing it upward and disintegrating it in seconds.

"Heh… Hope he doesn't mind me borrowing this wind burst move. It's super useful…" Shantae slyly muttered to herself with a chuckle as she charged up another supply of magic to fire off a Crimson Laser with. Just as she was aiming at the increasingly sandy and agitated Baseemah, however…

"LOOK ALIVE, GIRLS! KRAKOLOTCH IS COMING FROM UNDER THE SAND!" Liasha warned as she sped up.

"Wait, seriously!? Where at!?" Shantae asked, hurriedly scouring the sand as the three ladies passed through another scattered array of Pike Balls… some of which were FLOATING and flashing red as though they would explode any second.

"Right there!" Kimalvi shouted as she shot an arrow at what looked like a moving sand dune to their side. Her projectile would accomplish little, however, as it bounced off the dune like it was made of metal. "Shoot…! Shantae, maybe you can handle him!"

"Or maybe you CAN'T!" the sand dune talked before erupting with a sandy *PWOFF* to reveal a gigantic, scarlet-scaled, onyx-eyed, reptilian beast man with jagged teeth and claws like combat knives. "FROOOWWWAAAARRRAAAAAAH!" he roared, his voice low and rumbling like an abominable nightmare as he landed on his hind legs and sprinted after the girls with unprecedented blistering speed.

"OH, JEEZ! SHANTAE, SHOOT HIM!" Liasha desperately requested as she kept her balance and kept on sprinting along.

"Dah, r-right!" the half-genie frantically complied, pressing her magic-charged fingers to her gem and firing off a *KAKWAAAARSH* of another Crimson Laser.

"TWAAAARGH!" Krakolotch shouted as he opened his mouth wide and, with a loud, snapping *CHOMP*, he literally ATE Shantae's attack like a midday snack. "THAT ALL YA GOT, HERO!?" he taunted as he sprinted harder, catching up to them at a much faster pace than Baseemah had.

"No flippin' WAY!" Kimalvi cursed in total shock.

"Okay, so you can't be taken out quite that easily… Then try this…!" she murmured as she charged up another crackling current of magic into her hand as quickly as she could. "Hey, I'm gonna need a second! Launch an arrow at his eye if you can!" she instructed Kimalvi.

"Oh! Er, s-sure!" the Archer Girl agreed, getting her bow ready and lining up her shot while Krakolotch continued to gain on them. Within a second, and with a *THWIP, Kimalvi took her best shot. Meanwhile…

"Gonna tip the SCALES with this one!" the Gator Man roared as he raised his scales on one arm, used his opposing hand to SCRAPE THEM OFF (after which new ones immediately grew and hardened), roll them into a ball of sandy, slimy alligator skin, and cock back his arm to throw it while he ran. "SCALE HAIL!" he shouted as he flung the grotesque ball of dead reptile skin at the girls as hard as he could. Kimalvi's arrow struck the projectile with a *TWACK*, though it broke and scattered into pieces with little effect.

"Aw, jeez!" the Archer Girl panicked in understandable fright. Shantae would share no such sentiment, however…

"Figures he'd have a dirty trick up his sleeve…! WIND BURST!" the heroine hollered out as she swung a hand upward, causing another *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH* of wind to howl. Within milliseconds, the protective wind current sent the Gator Guy's projectile soaring upward and away from its intended targets.

"You're KIDDING me!" Krakolotch complained in disbelief as he stayed in hot pursuit. "In that case, I'll just dip into the sand and ca-!"

"GENIE BOMBER!" Shantae announced as she aimed her other hand squarely at her reptilian adversary.

"Genie Bomber? What in the blazes could THAT be-?" he was about to ask before he heard a *KRAFWEEEEERSH* of a brilliant blue light spring forth from her hand. And right as he was about to turn his attention toward the girls, he was hit squarely in the chest with a mighty, breathtaking *PAKWOOOOOORSHHH* of the magic blast. Only thing, though… was that not only did the attack hit Krakolotch… it PIERCED RIGHT THROUGH HIM! "GWAGHAAAAAARGH! H-how did she know my weak spot…!?" he asked as he was flung backward, only to be caught by Baseemah as she lifted him high in her arms.

"Seriously? You monster guys are USELESS! One shot for each of you so far, and you're down for the count!" the agitated Scorpion Gal complained as she kept on plowing forth in her endless determination to capture the half-genie. "It's certainly a wonder why there are so few of ANY of your species left…!"

"M-my bad, sweetheart…" Krakolotch fought through a torrent of hot, stinging agony to apologize as Baseemah whipped him around and put him on her back. Clutching his smoking, gaping chest wound with one hand, he did his best to hang on with his other as he held on tight. "I'm not quite what I used to be in my younger days…"

"…It's fine, Krako," the Scorpion Gal forgave after breathing an exasperated sigh. "But for all intents and purposes, it's probably time you retire from the Khalid Desert Guard effective immediately. I didn't plan to raise our kids alone, and a slip-up like this does no favors in helping me believe you're still cut out for this line of work at your age."

"Ah… That stings worse than this wound does, but… You're probably right."

"Glad you see it my way, dear. Plus… In case this breeding ritual with that meddlesome genie's absurdly powerful wraith boyfriend doesn't pan out, we're gonna need to keep our society alive SOMEHOW… Just sit tight and let me handle things from here. Hopefully, the last of you three will do SOMETHING to slow these pests down before they reach the castle doors…"

"I can't… ergh…! I wouldn't count Enrique out just yet," Krako assured as he settled in. "No one, no matter how strong or fast they were, has ever gotten past him…!"

"We've never had a half-genie step foot on our lands before, so we'll see how he stacks up…" Baseemah offered her insight as she committed herself to her mission.

Just up ahead…

"Whew… Maybe I should've held back on that one," Shantae pondered as she shook the magic-borne smoke off her hand.

"That was INCREDIBLE!" Kimalvi praised, brimming with excitement as she smiled at the heroine. "I see the Unknown Hero's taught you a thing or two!"

"Ah… Well, you can say that," the genie girl humored her younger teammate with a chuckle as they continued to be ferried across the desert on the Liasha express. "Thanks, no less. The truth, though, is that I lear-!" she was about to add.

"I mean, that attack wasn't nearly as powerful as the Unknown Hero's was, but it still got the job done!" the Archer Girl interrupted, causing Shantae's grin to contort into a sour frown. This went unnoticed by Kimalvi as the young girl shifted her focus back toward shooting arrows at potential threats to their journey.

"…Y'know, there's a lot more that I taught him than he's taught me," she found herself compelled to argue instead of focusing on the task at hand. "After all, I'm the strongest between the two of us."

"Hmm, I dunno about that now. You've never fired off a magic attack that looked like it could completely vaporize an entire town before," Kimalvi countered as she shot a *THWIP* of an arrow that took out one more Slime Gal. "Plus, your best moves I've seen so far were borrowed from him. Are you sure you're really stronger than him at this point?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" an evidently offended Shantae emphatically affirmed as she found herself highly agitated out of nowhere. "What kind of question is that!?"

"Why are you yelling all of a sudden? Did I say something to make you mad?"

"N-no!" Shantae yelled her answer before clearing her throat and settling down. "It's just… you haven't seen enough of me yet to know who's the strongest between me and the… 'Unknown Hero,' but I can assure you that it's definitely me."

"Then how come it took a giant chunk of our monster girl army to take him captive despite him being tired from fighting Khalid, while you slipped up and got your clock cleaned in just two hits from Risky Boots despite you being at full health?" That question irritated the half-genie something fierce…

"That's not at all a reasonable question to ask! Risky Boots is literally one of the STRONGEST people in this whole world, and she caught me off-guard!"

"Yeah, well that probably shouldn't be happening THIS far down the line for you, considering how long you've been dealing with her," Kimalvi argued some more as she scoured the immediate area to see no more enemies in their line of view. "If you and the Unknown Hero swapped places, he would've had the whole situation wrapped up LONG before you could be dragged off to Khalid's castle. He probably would've killed Risky Boots on the spot, as a matter of fact."

"And how would you know!?" Shantae demanded an answer, at this point having lost her temper at Kimalvi's insistence that Tayshan was stronger than her.

"Because that's apparently what he tried to do to her in this place called the Phantasmagoric Forest not all that long ago."

"Yeah, well I-! Wait, WHAT!? How do you know about that!?" the genie bellowed her question, doing nothing to hide her complete shock at the Archer Girl's revelation.

"One of the Leopard Gals that used to live there told us after she escaped," the Archer Girl revealed. "Apparently, she was hiding out in the trees and watched the whole battle go down until that exact point where he tried to take her down with a Sun's Wrath Cannon. The Leopard Gal was literally blown out of the forest by the blast and almost drowned in the ocean a couple miles from the shore of that place. Fortunately for her, a team of mermaids rescued her and the other Leopard Gals that got separated from their pack and were brought here. At least, those that the mermaids could find were rescued…"

"…Jeez, word spreads FAR around these parts… and evidently, so do Leopard Gals," Shantae contemplated with a scratch of her head.

"You got that right. Buuut yeah, your days of being the strongest in the world look like they're numbered if it's even true that you're still stronger than the Unknown Hero. I'd be surprised if it wasn't the case that he already surpassed you, but didn't tell you yet to spare your feelings," Kimalvi blurted out again, shocking Shantae into a surprising silence as she let the younger girl's uncomfortable words sink in.

"…N-no, that… that wouldn't be the case… I'm definitely still stronger than him… R-right…?" the genie muttered her question to herself as she cast her gaze downward. She seemed… uncomfortable with the suggestion that she may not be the strongest being in Sequin Land. More so than I'd have thought, that's for sure. Huh… It must mean a lot more to her than most would assume.

"No answer to that, huh?" Kimalvi kept going. "Sounds like somebody just discov-!" she was about to further goad before…

"That's enough, Kimalvi. Shantae is plenty powerful in her own right, and it's not good to compare her and the Unknown Hero like that," Liasha cut in and chided her child. "Now, say you're sorry."

"Fine… Sorry, Shantae," Kimalvi apologized, however halfheartedly, as she continued looking around and… still seeing no enemies.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Sorry for uh… for overreacting," Shantae modestly apologized, though she grew curious. "Er… What exactly are you looking for, though? You've been looking around a lot in the last couple minutes."

"I'm looking to see if there's anyone else in the area that wants to get in our way," the youngster answered, evidently suspicious of the sudden lack of opposition. "Especially the last monster guy of the group, wherever he is…"

"Yes, I'm also a bit suspicious of how quiet it's suddenly gotten," Liasha spoke up as she scurried over one more giant sand dune and zigzagged past one more row of Pike Balls. "The castle is just up ahead at this point, but I expected the guard to be at their most active. Not that I'm complaining at this point…" she added as she huffed and puffed.

"Oh, shoot… H-hey, are you okay?" Shantae asked out of concern, acknowledging the Harpy Gal's condition. "You've been charging through this desert the entire time without stop. Do you need to take a break?"

"Much as I'd like to, I cannot stop moving or let either of you off until we reach the castle's front gate. This quicksand is far too dangerous."

"Ah. Well, maybe I can change into my Harpy form and carry little Kimalvi here the rest of the way?" the genie suggested. "Or is it possible that if I transform and take off, you can fly and carry her yourself?"

"That would've been a great idea, but as I mentioned earlier, my wings were injured during the Unknown Hero's battle against King Khalid," Liasha explained. "We must remain grounded. It's our only option, though you don't need to worry. I'll be okay."

"Ah. Well, in that case, let me-!"

"YOU'LL COME NO CLOSER, INTERLOPERS!" shouted a booming voice from seemingly nowhere. Within the next three seconds, a silhouette of a majestic, winged hybrid man/bird creature emerged from within the castle walls and soared high above. "PREPARE YOURSELVES TO BE VANQUISHED IN THE NAME OF THE LATE, GREAT KING KHALID!"

"…Oh, boy. He actually IS here…" Liasha grumbled with a roll of her eyes, evidently not a fan of the final member of the Monster Guy Brigade that was tasked with halting their progress.

"Who is that?" Shantae asked out of pure curiosity.

"Enrique the Eagle Guy," the Harpy Gal explained as she picked up the pace. "He's the strongest of the Monster Guy brigade, and a force to be reckoned with. If we don't get off these sands before he strikes, we're in serious trouble…!" And just as she made her remark, the Eagle Guy in question descended upon them and revealed himself. Let me tell ya, though... this guy was a LOOKER! Big, broad, muscular humanoid frame with rock-hard abs with no feathers on them, impressively large golden wings in place of human arms… thick, meaty thighs covered in brown feathers that stopped at the ankle, where his orange bird feet connected with sharp black talons that looked like they could tear through just about ANYTHING. All of this was eagle man perfection was completed by a gorgeous, fair-skinned humanoid face with brilliant blue eyes and short, spiked-up alabaster hair that matched his gloriously long, feathery tailfeathers… and a cute little beak in place of his nose and mouth.

"Ah… Wow, he uh… he looks like he'll be a real challenge…" Shantae observed, her eyes wide with uh… I guess we'll call it 'anticipation,' though the blush on her face told a slightly different story. The look, however, was noticed by an annoyed Kimalvi as the younger girl scowled at the half-genie.

"Pick your jaw up off the ground and focus, Shantae! Jeez!" the Archer Girl scolded, much to the heroine's chagrin as said heroine scowled right back.

"H-hey! I wasn't staring at him like THAT!" she hastily denied (which may have been a bit of a fib) as she shook off her initial distraction.

"Yeah, sure, I TOTALLY believe you when you're basically drooling with your eyes as wide as a Giga Lummox's belly," Kimalvi continued to deliver copious amounts of back-sass without fail.

"I mean it! Don't accuse me of things you don't understand, kid!" the genie further admonished as she reoriented herself, having none of this shtick of being called out by a girl half her age.

"Whatever you say, but you should probably fix your taste in guys if Enrique of all people catches your eye. The Unknown Hero's MUCH hotter than this feathery meathead poser could ever DREAM of being, anyway," Kimalvi just up blurted out for the whole world to hear. Goodness, this girl's got a mouth on her…

"WHAT!?" Shantae shrieked, completely stunned by the Archer Girl's confession.

"Kimalvi!" Liasha hollered at her adopted daughter once again. "That's entirely inappropriate! You're FAR too young to be interested in boys at your age, and you really shouldn't continue to mouth off to the Half-Genie Hero the way you've been doing today! What has gotten into you!?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry…" Kimalvi halfheartedly apologized once again, sighing and rolling her eyes.

"…Am… Am I being ignored?" a perplexed Enrique asked as he hovered in the air. It wouldn't be long, however, before he got mad. "I'll show THEM to ignore me! SHRAAAAH!" he shouted as he nosedived toward his targets with the full intent to attack… until he saw who he was attacking, at which point he came to a halt while he followed them. "Wait… Liasha?"

"Enrique," the Harpy Gal plainly acknowledged without even looking at him as she kept on running.

"…Pleasure to see you, too, I guess…" he nervously remarked. "Er, what are you and Kimalvi doing? Why are you ferrying Shantae the Legendary Super Genie across this desert on your back? You know that she plans to disrupt the ritual, do you not?"

"That's exactly why I'm helping her, not that it's any of YOUR business."

"Cold as usual…" Enrique lamented, making evident that the two bird hybrids had a history with one another. "You DO know I'll have no choice but to stop you if you're helping her, no?"

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Because Risky Boots demanded it, and she promised to pay us. Plus, it was agreed between all of us that the man who killed Khalid would be deemed the new king and be given the privilege of blessing our society with his progeny. Risky helped us set the stage for that new king to earn his place atop the throne."

"Is THAT how she convinced them to do all this…? You've gotta be KIDDING…!" Shantae murmured, highly displeased by the revelation. "I am gonna MESS Risky up for this…!"

"Moreover, why would you want to stop that when you could very well also be given the opportunity to carry a child of this great Unknown Hero?" Enrique asked Liasha in what appeared to be genuine confusion.

"I never wanted to FORCE him into it, Enrique, and it disgusts me that ANY of you could stomach the idea of working alongside the reprobate responsible for his death to make our ritual happen!" Liasha barked at her fellow avian hybrid. At that, Shantae reeled back in initial surprise at Liasha's apparent intentions for Tayshan, though she managed to contain herself as she absorbed the context of the situation.

"…I'm pretty sure this is the point where I yell 'What!?' again, but I'm just… WAY too confused at what's happening right now…" Shantae remarked, shaking her head and sighing in complete exhaustion.

"Tell me about it…" Kimalvi agreed with a sigh of her own.

"To set up this elaborate, underhanded ruse to have Khalid assassinated, and then abduct the person who defeated him just to take advantage of him for the sole purpose of populating the Lagoon? On RISKY BOOTS'S orders!? It makes us look and sound like the depraved savages Khalid proclaimed us to be!"

"Mind your tongue, Liasha!" Enrique shouted, though he still did nothing to impede the girls' trek. In fact, they all made it past the desert and past the giant gold Khalid statues. They'd reached solid ground via a gigantic stone bridge that rested over a massive bubbling, fuming, dark purple moat as the castle's entire…ly glorious front face came into view. It was only then and there that Enrique landed in front of them, flaring out his wings with a *FLOOOF* to block their path. As such, Liasha came to a screeching halt and allowed Shantae to climb off her. "You won't be going any further! Make one wrong move, any of you, and I'll cook you all alive with my Ten-Thousand Degree Searing Phoenix attack!" he threatened as his wings began to glow white and an immense heat emanated off them that could be felt for miles.

"Try that, and I'll… I'll laser you into oblivion!" Shantae threatened back as she stood in front of Liasha and Kimalvi. Only, rather than press her magic-charged fingers against her tiara gem in preparation for a Crimson Laser… she instead extended two fingers on one hand as they glowed purple and surged with electricity. Rather than simply hide behind the half-genie, however…

"Hmph! It doesn't surprise me that you'd threaten two women and a little girl just because you want to line your pockets, you lousy sack of bat guano!" Liasha roared at him with a SPECIAL kind of venom that seemed to strike Enrique to his core as he… surprisingly stood down and cancelled out his attack.

"Liasha, come on… You don't have to be like that. I said I was sorry a hundred times over, and I've tried to make it up to you…" Enrique pleaded out of a sense of guilt.

"'Sorry' won't bring back my family's fortune that you squandered after you swindled us!" she unforgivingly shouted at him. "You were supposed to be my closest friend, and you BETRAYED me! I wish you would've gotten caught in the Unknown Hero's blast that killed Khalid!" At that, the Eagle Guy gasped in shock as an even more confused Shantae quietly stepped out of the way and deactivated her magic charge.

"Ouch… You're really that mad at me?"

"YES! Now, if you even HOPE to make it up to me and my family, then you'll get out of the way and let us save that man before he also suffers the consequences of your insatiable greed!"

"…C-can we at least ta-!" he was about to request before the sound of scampering bug limbs approaching them distracted everyone. "Ah. Hey there, Baseemah…"

"Enrique," the Scorpion Gal cordially greeted the Eagle Guy as she carried Krakolotch on her back and pointed her charged stinger at Shantae. In kind, the half-genie braced herself once again as she tried figuring out who would attack first. "Why aren't you doing your job of stopping these hooligans?"

"…I-I can't raise a wing against Liasha or Kimalvi," he admitted, his guilt becoming even more evident as he carefully considered his next move. "I-if they're asking to go through and stop the ritual… then… then I won't get in the way," he ultimately relented.

"WHAT!?" Baseemah bellowed, utterly appalled at her teammate's downtrodden answer as she shifted her aim from Shantae… to him. "Oh, I am so SICK of all the incompetence and subterfuge going on around me! What happened to the proud, unified collective that was SUPPOSED to be the society of the Lucky Laces Lagoon!? First, the Leopard Gals get knocked out in a flash despite their supposed 'elite' fighting skills, then the Archers AND the Harpy Gals decide they don't want to help because everyone's precious, prismatic-feathered Liasha and her adopted archer BRAT turn traitor to help this obnoxious genie in thwarting our plans, and then our so-called 'strongest warriors in all the known land' are felled by an arrow to the eye from a CHILD, a magic laser beam, and… and what, did Liasha scream at you and hurt your poor little feelings enough to make you sulk like a pathetic crybaby again?"

"W-well, no, but I-!" the Eagle Guy was about to defend himself before…

"Hey, BACK OFF, Shrew Bait!" Kimalvi challenged as she hopped off Liasha's back to stand up to the disgruntled Scorpion Gal. "You've got a lot of smack to talk for a grumpy old lady who made it her mission to kiss Risky Boots's behind and help her kidnap the Unknown Hero for some dumb 'new king' ritual!"

"EXCUSE ME!? Why, you little sh-!" Baseemah was about to holler as she marched toward Kimalvi before…

"WHOA, WHOA, HEY! ENOUGH!" Shantae stepped in to stop all the squabbling, holding her arms up to make everyone pause in their places. "Okay, look. I'm not sure why it is you people plotted to work with Risky Boots of all people to kidnap my boyfriend, but I want no part of it except to rescue him and go home. You keep mentioning mating rituals this, and proliferating your society that, and replacing King Khalid the third, but none of this makes ANY sense! Neither of us planned on doing anything but taking care of your tyrant problem and then GOING HOME! Tayshan doesn't want to be your new 'king,' I CERTAINLY don't want ANYONE here putting their hands on him to make him into a baby factory, and NO ONE ON THIS ENTIRE ISLAND should trust Risky Boots as far as you can throw her!"

"But she promised us vast riches and an entire generation of the strongest warriors the Lucky Laces Lagoon would ever know!" Baseemah protested, not at all taking in anything the genie said.

"And you believed her? She is the most notorious, most dishonest, and most manipulative woman in the ENTIRE WORLD! She'd sooner BLOW UP this castle and take my boyfriend for herself than give you even a bronze coin out of her fortune, much less a 'generation' of offspring spawned from him!" Shantae argued right back. "She's more than likely playing you guys and gals against me, so she can make her grand escape!"

"Well, as long as the Unknown Hero remains here to become our new king, then it doesn't matter how little she pa-!"

"Aren't you listening!? She's going to TAKE HIM WITH HER! And if anyone tries to stop her, she's gonna wipe them right out unless they're luc—OWAAGH! Haah…!" the half-genie continued to angrily protest before flinching as a flash of magic coursed through her abdomen. She hunched over in moderate discomfort. She did her best to contain the extremely painful and nauseating feeling as she took a series of labored, ragged breaths to get herself back together and clasped her arms over her stomach while falling to one knee.

"Whoa… H-hey, are you alright…?" Liasha asked, both surprised and immensely concerned as she walked over and inspected the heroine's condition.

"No… Something's happening to him…! Something bad…! I've gotta move!" Shantae urged herself as she suddenly picked herself up and desperately dashed ahead toward the castle's front doors, running past an astonished Enrique while Liasha and Kimalvi watched. There was at least one person, however, who had other plans for the half-genie.

"Oh, NO YOU DON'T!" Baseemah challenged, aiming her tail at Shantae. "You're not interfering with our plans any longer, genie! PERISH!" she further threatened, racing ahead a few feet and discharging a *ZWAKREEESH* of a magic blast that careened toward its target.

"Baseemah, NO!" Liasha shouted in horror, though it was far too late for her to do anything about it.

"Huh…? Grrgh…!" Shantae growled as she whirled around midtrip and noticed the attack coming her way. Yet, rather than dodge it or simply stand and be hit by it… "I don't have time for this! I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" she hollered as her voice took on that same frightening doubled tone in the middle of her statement. Worse yet, her eyes suddenly reignited with that sinister golden hue as she raised a hand forward, charged it up full of a surging purple aura, and… "TYAAAAAAAH!" she yelled once more as she launched her counterattack. With a startling *WHAAPWEEEEEEEERSH*, her blast came ZOOMING through the air hard and wide like a speeding pillar of… dare I say, EVIL energy. The unnamed magic blast from the agitated Shantae crashed with a deafening *DWOOAARRSH* against Baseemah's tail attack, shattering and dissipating it in an instant. However, that wasn't where this encounter ended…

"Gah! N-no way…!" a thoroughly shocked Baseemah murmured as she watched the energy beam bullet right for her. She was frozen in terror at what was about to happen to her, unable to do anything but register her impending doom as it approached. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Kimalvi and Liasha were also RIGHT THERE to potentially be hit by the attack along with the Scorpion Gal.

"I-I'LL PROTECT YOU ALL! SHYAH!" Enrique urged as he hurried to get between the monster girls and the dark magic blast. The bright side was that he barely made it. The not-so-bright side, however… was that as soon as he stood in the way of the attack, he was struck with an utterly THUNDEROUS *KAKRAWWWAAARRKAZZAAAZZZAAASHHH* that saw him lighting up like strobe lights at a rave. "GYAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the Eagle Guy squawked and writhed in agony in midair, not moving from his spot as he took Shantae's attack full-force.

"ENRIQUE!" shouted a thoroughly horrified Liasha as she covered Kimalvi with her wings and hunched over the little girl to protect her. Shantae didn't stop to realize what she'd done, however. She instead turned around and continued to race up toward the castle doors, charging up another magic attack in case she needed to blow the doors open. She hadn't even bothered to look back to see the aftermath of her Dark Magic-fueled action of pure impulse as she raced up the gigantic, sleek marble stairwell toward the enormous, decorative blue steel double doors. And when she discovered upon reaching her destination that the doors were locked, she charged up magic into both her hands, took a few steps back, took aim, and…

"HRRRAAAAAAAH!" she roared, firing off an astonishing *KAFWEEEEEEEEEEERSSHH* of a blast that punched right through the supposedly sturdy portal in an instant. Immediately following her unconventional knocking technique, she slid through the searing hot, glowing, smoking hole she created and continued her pursuit without hesitation. We'll get back to her journey momentarily, however, as we still have just one more loose end to tie up…

Back at the base of the stairs…

"Enrique…!" Baseemah called, utterly horrified as she, Liasha, Krakolotch, and Kimalvi huddled over the badly injured Eagle Guy. The avian chimera lay sprawled out on the ground, smoke pouring from his form as his charred wings twitched. His body had been crackling from head to toe with purple electricity, and he appeared to be unconscious with his eyes rolled back into his head… It went without saying that he was not okay.

"How could that horrible genie do this to him…?" the devastated reptile asked, still clutching his injured chest as he knelt beside his comrade. "He was only trying to do his job…"

"That's a question that SHOULD be posed to THESE two traitors!" the Scorpion Gal redirected, glaring at the Harpy Gal and the Archer Girl she deemed responsible for Enrique's condition.

"Us!?" an indignant Liasha remarked in shock. "We were simply trying to help her get to the Unknown Hero after you and the others kidnapped him! This wouldn't have happened if you didn't play along with Risky Boots's nasty scheme!"

"Easy for you to shift blame when your new best friend ruthlessly maims one of our own!" Baseemah bitterly countered. "If you'd have stuck to the plan, you and your fellow Harpy Gals could've stopped her LONG before Enrique was needed! And then for you to guilt-trip him into letting his guard down because of your stupid grudge!? Disgraceful! You should be so lucky you're held in such high regard around here, or else I'd SKEWER you for betraying us for that filthy, conniving genie! Enrique's blood is partially on YOUR wings!"

"Hey, back off, Baseemah!" Kimalvi shouted, sticking up for her legal guardian. "I don't know where you get off acting like you didn't have a hand in this situation turning out like it did, but you need to understand that your stupid, one-sided grudge against Shantae got ALL of us in a ton of trouble!"

"Oh, the NERVE on this brat!" Baseemah remarked with a scoff, unwilling to hear any of the little girl's mouthy tirade. "You owe Billiam a new eye, by the way. When he gets up, he is going to tear your little behind up for shooting him in the face the way you did!"

"OH, YEAH!? WELL, !-!" a highly offended Kimalvi was about to yell at the top of her lungs before…

"That… That's enough… All of you…!" Enrique spoke up through a weary rasp as he finally came to. He did not make an effort to move from his position, though it didn't stop the group from turning their collective attention on him.

"Oh! Y-you're still alive… Thank the heavens…" Liasha of all people remarked with a sigh of relief despite what she'd said earlier.

"Perhaps not for much longer, but… listen… th-that genie… is not to be trifled with…" he fought through unspeakable agony to warn them.

"What do you mean, comrade?" Krakolotch asked, pressing a hand to his teammate's chest.

"That attack… was full to the brim with Dark Magic…!" he painstakingly revealed, drawing a collective gasp from the rest of the group. "Ergh…! Her eyes… they're normally blue, but… ah…! B-but what I saw when she launched her attack… it was a menacing… sadistic hue of yellow…"

"Yellow…?" Liasha frightfully pondered.

"Oh, yeah…" Kimalvi remarked with a nod as she also worriedly looked over Enrique in his dying state. "Her eyes DID start glowing gold when she fired that magic blast. Why is that such a big deal, though?"

"Because…! Because she's been corrupted…" the ailing Eagle Guy shared to the continued shock of the rest of the group. "I… I do not know what is corrupting her or how, but… that blast had far more malice behind it than we've usually seen… of her… Had it hit you, Baseemah… You would have been dead…" At that, the Scorpion Gal gasped, stunned at the information given to her.

"Then we must go in after her and stop her before she hurts anyone else!" Krakolotch proclaimed, eager to prevent a potential massacre despite his injured state.

"None of us have the strength to face her as we are… Our only hope… is in either Risky Boots… or the Unknown Hero… provided Venus has done her part…" Enrique hinted through labored breaths.

"What part?" Liasha asked in worry, not at all liking what she was hearing.

"We'll… find out soon enough… but for now… Liasha… Kimalvi… please… go into the castle and… and trail her while being careful not to incur her wrath… At least… some of us must at least bear witness to what will transpire… and act accordingly… if she has truly gone to the Dark side…" he humbly asked in his weakened state. "I… I will not be able to… do anything at this point… but please be sure that you are ready…" he requested as Baseemah and Krakolotch got set to jointly lift him up to where he was laid up on the Scorpion Gal's back in Krakolotch's place.

"We are settled, then. If we do not make it back to the Lagoon in time to get you medical attention, Enrique… Then I will at least let you know that it's been an honor serving with you."

"…L-likewise…" the Eagle Guy returned the sentiment with what little strength he had as he struggled to remain conscious.

"Indeed… Let's go," Baseemah urged as she turned back toward the desert with the intent to race back to town. "Be prepared to defend yourselves if this genie truly does go rogue as Enrique predicts. Even if it is YOU two who brought her here in the first place…!" she warned, turning her head toward Kimalvi and Liasha as she glared at them while they made their way toward the castle. "If even one more life is lost due to your collective incompetence, so help me…!"

"Hm…" a worried Liasha hummed, lowering her head as she wondered just what they'd gotten into by helping an evidently corrupted Shantae infiltrate King Khalid's Castle on a violent rescue mission. Speaking of which… the moment of truth…

A little later, deep within the reaches of the castle…

"Hmm, yes… This is beyond excellent…" hummed the one and only, the notorious Risky Boots as she rested atop a gigantic, magnificent, jewel and gold-encrusted velvet throne at the center of a humongous room while being fed a plate of grapes by some of her Tinkerbats. The throne room was as every bit as extravagant as one owned by royalty with extremely expensive tastes. Pillars of the finest marble with designs of dragons coiling around them. The highest quality royal blue carpets from the most famous factory in Embroidery City. Multiple diamond-bearing chandeliers hanging from a ceiling that bore a mural of the late, great King Khalid posing triumphantly over a crowd of prostrating subjects… Stained glass windows that bore kaleidoscopic images of various monster girls posing in… rather provocative positions, to say the least. The cushiest, fluffiest gem-covered furniture known to man that included loveseats, benches, dressers, a fireplace, and even a bed big enough to fit twenty people in it that was draped in the purest, silkiest alabaster sheets and blankets ever to be imported from Propeller Town… They were almost cloud-like in their comfy appearance… Yeah, you could tell that King Khalid spared no expense here, outside or inside the castle…

"Well… we are glad you find the pleasures of Khalid's castle so enjoyable," spoke a Harpy Gal as she and a group of her peers stood at one side of the throne.

"…But when will we be able to initiate the Triumphant Patriarch ritual?" asked an armored Leopard Gal as she, a few of her sisters, and a collection of Mermaid Gals and Slime Gals stood at the other side of the throne. "Time is of the essence. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can ensure that at least some of us will be able to carry on the future generation." As one might expect, Risky Boots rolled her eyes at all of them as she shifted herself from a relaxed position to one where she was sitting upright on the throne. Oh, and in case you were wondering where a certain wraith was in the midst of all this…

"Patience, ladies," Risky hid her immeasurable annoyance at the other women in the throne room to instruct them. "The ritual will begin in due time, but we have to be sure we can tie up the approaching loose end that is that insufferable genie," she added as she wiggled herself into her seat… which was already occupied by the haloed ghost man of the hour, still dressed in the tattered fragments of his Pharaoh costume. Only, something was wrong. VERY wrong… As he idly sat with a Snake Princess costume-adorned Risky Boots on his lap, he… he didn't talk. He didn't move. He just… sat there with his arms limp at his sides… with shackles around his wrists, ankles, and neck attached to the throne itself from various spots. Given the sheer size of the regal chair, the shackles binding Tayshan to it were at least a couple of feet long for each limb. Worse yet, his eyes… were glowing purple as they had earlier, the scars on his face and body were glowing orange, and he seemed… completely out of it. Like he was hypnotized…

"But there would be no way Shantae could traverse the Molten Quicksand Minefield AND get past our forces lined up at every corner to counter her," argued an Archer Lady that had been standing near the throne room's gigantic, double-doored entrance alongside another of her kind. Both of them were armed with their trademark bows and arrows, ready to skewer anyone fool enough to enter without permission.

"You'd be surprised at how obnoxiously crafty she is," Risky countered with a shrug as she stretched and… and wrapped her arm around the incapacitated Tayshan's neck while making herself nice and comfortable on top of him. Yet still, Tayshan didn't move or react. Ah, jeez… "Any minute now, we'll probably hear a commotion within these very walls that will clue us in on her impending unwanted arrival."

"Impossible!" another Leopard Gal objected. "The forces of the Lucky Laces Lagoon are elite! Not even Sequin Land's most powerful half-genie could possibly-!" she was about to add before a sudden *krakrummmbllle* prompted her to eat her own words. The noise shocked everyone except Risky Boots into a state of quiet panic before shouts, *takraaangs*, *papweeeershes*, *braBWOOOMs*, and a host of other cacophonous noises began ringing out in quick succession.

"…Sh… Shant…" Tayshan began to mumble as his skin began to radiate with an ominous purple energy. His breathing had also grown heavy and raspy as he began to tense up.

"Hm, yes… She's on her way here to see us again, my pet…~" Risky… flirtatiously addressed him as she shifted her seat again to where she was laying crossways on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. There, she pulled a key out from within her breastplate and undid the shackle around his neck with a *KraKLOCK, allowing the restraint to fall where it may. "And won't it be such a pleasant surprise for her to greet the new king and queen of the Lucky Laces Lagoon? Heh…!" she sinisterly remarked with a derisive chuckle, though her comment caused the other ladies to exchange glances with one another in varying levels of perplexity.

"If those sounds are Shantae invading the castle, then that means our forces outside have fallen…! We would be no match for her by ourselves…!" remarked a worried Harpy Gal as more noises rang out, getting progressively louder to the point of them beginning to send quakes through the throne room.

"Which is why no one here will be fighting her when she gets here. No one, of course, except our precious new 'king' here," the Pirate Queen suggested as she ran the fingers of one hand through the immobilized wraith's hair and continued her… unsettling antics.

"And potentially have her either snap him out of his trance or kill him? That would be ludicrous!" objected yet another Leopard Gal.

"You've seen what he's capable of. Besides, if things get bad, I can certainly jump in and tilt the impending battle in our favor. All you ladies would have to do is find a secure place to stash him while I get rid of our little genie problem once and for all," Risky informed, never leaving her position. "Of course, she wouldn't dare use enough of her power to hurt her lover that badly… which would give him the perfect opportunity to strike her down while he's under my—er, OUR control if this goes the way it needs to."

"Nrrgh…! Sh-shan… tae… Grrugh…!" Tayshan continued to groan, his magic picking up steam as the gem affixed to his nose also began to radiate a similarly foul aura.

"Huh. He's still fighting it… At this rate, I'm not sure the Diamond of Devastation is going to keep him hypnotized for much longer," spoke a certain Bat Gal as she approached the throne from the side.

"Well, why not make yourself useful and pump him full of some more of those bewitching pheromones of yours to keep him under control?" Risky practically demanded.

"Because I've used up most of my power just to hypnotize him enough for the two of us to potentially… er… w-well, I mean, I've used up most of my power to make him obedient enough to us that he'd actually fight Shantae when we give him the command," Venus shared, though her midsentence hesitation and suspiciously deep blush made it apparent that… that she and Risky had other plans for Tayshan that none of the other monster girls were aware of. Hm… "And it doesn't help that I couldn't absorb much power from him after he burned himself out fighting Khalid, nor does it help that the juice has turned out to be far too potent to be worth the squeeze…"

"Which means…?"

"Whatever the kind of magic is that he has in him… it's like nothing I've ever experienced before in my thousand years of living. This entire time, and even with him having seemingly exhausted his reserves… it's still raging inside him like a violent thunderstorm that never stops. I can't tell if it's Light Magic or Dark Magic, or neither, or both, but it's WAY too strong for me to contain either way… and it's clear that it's only getting stronger if it's even pushing through the hypnosis as we speak. I'm honestly afraid that trying to absorb more of it would actually kill me," Venus explained to Risky's displeasure.

"That so? Well, that's annoying…" she dismissively remarked, though her confidence in her plans remained unshaken. "We'll play around it, then. He'll battle Shantae with everything he has, burn himself out whether he defeats her or not, and if needed, I'll finish the fight against her myself. That should buy us enough time to find a way to contain and control his power before it gets out of hand."

"Wow, you're a quick thinker," Venus remarked in amazement. "You sure it'll be that simple, though?"

"It had better be," Risky Boots gave her own version of reassurance as she shifted her position one more time… to one where she was straddling the hypnotized ghost pharaoh while facing him, ensnaring him in her embrace. She used the moment to very seductively undo the cuffs around his wrists with *KraKLOCK* after *KraKLOCK*… after which she moved his hands to make them cup her backside while she got nice and cozy planting herself into his open palms. "We'll make it work one way or another. And when we do, he'll finally… be… all.. mine…!" she further avariciously asserted, marveling at her success in bringing her archenemy's trusted partner under her control. She additionally reveled in her triumph as she drew a finger up his chest and under his chin while her other hand was pressed to his shoulder, grinning with malevolent glee all the while. Yet, Tayshan demonstrated increased resistance as he shifted his gaze toward Risky… and soon after, his face contorted into a seemingly displeased scowl.

"R… Risky…!" he called through a growl, grimacing as though he was in some sort of distress. Even more interestingly, his left eye briefly flashed gold and silver before returning to that unsettling purple hue.

"Oh? There's still a little of that obnoxious willpower shining through in you, eh?" she questioned in mild surprise, though her curious expression was quickly replaced by another of her trademark evil grins. "We're gonna have to fix that…" she whispered, drawing her face closer to his as the rumbling noises grew louder and more frightening for everyone in the throne room except her. "But first, let's give our unwanted guest a show she'll wish she could forget. Shall we~?" And as soon as she uttered her statement, the throne room's doors burst open with an eardrum-shattering *KRADWOOOAAAARSSH*, sending bits and pieces of it scattering across the area as a heavy cloud of smoke poured in.

"OH, SUGAR! SHE'S HERE!" a Harpy Gal called as she and her kin… scurried and flew to the back of the room in collective fright. Likewise, the other guardswomen and even Venus ran to different corners of the room instead of directly engaging the intruder in combat. The intruder, as you may have already guessed, was revealed to be a certain scantily clad Princess costumed half-genie. Her outfit was in tatters, her hair was slightly frizzy, and she was coated in sweat and splotches of dirt, but it was the one, the only, the 'Legendary Super Genie' herself. And she did NOT look happy.

"RISKY BOOTS! WHERE ARE Y…? Huh?" a golden-eyed Shantae was about to shout as the dust settled and she scoured the room. She needed only to look ahead to witness a most infuriating sight. Her sworn enemy in all her equally scantily clad glory, seated comfortably on the lap of the man the genie loved the most… who had been chained by his ankles to a glorious throne… and whose lips were forcibly locked in an unholy embrace with the Pirate Queen herself while his hands appeared pressed to her rump. Pretending to only just notice Shantae, Risky Boots deliberately took her time finishing an entirely calculated kiss on an immobilized Tayshan with a wet, sloppy *pwock* of her lips separating from his before craning her head back while remaining seated.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise! Good to see you again, you obnoxious twerp!" Risky gloated, looking a HIGHLY agitated Shantae in the eye as the Pirate Queen grinned in delight. "You ought to have picked a better time to drop by, though. My new lover and I were just getting ready to… 'consummate' our relationship when you so RUDELY interrupted us. What brings you here, though? I wonder…" Shantae was at first confused and on the cusp of feeling hurt by this truly heartbreaking display of betrayal… before she noticed that Tayshan hadn't moved or spoken at all since she broke in. He was staring a thousand yards into a void of nothingness as his purple-hued eyes glowed like colored lights. It was then that she realized…

"You… What did you do to him!? Did you HYPNOTIZE him!?" the half-genie quickly caught on and demanded to know, further angered by Risky's evident meddling.

"Aw, you spoiled the surprise!" Risky taunted again, feigning disappointment as she climbed off Tayshan's lap and planted herself on her feet near the throne. "Very perceptive for someone as dumb as you usually are, no less. We were actually waiting for you to rear your ugly head, believe it or not."

"Why? Because you're so eager to know what it's like when I ram my dust-covered knuckles down your throat for all the stupid stunts you pulled here!? And ESPECIALLY for putting your filthy, grubby hands on my boyfriend AGAIN!?" Shantae VERY aggressively asked, her aura flaring something fierce as she tightly contained the urge to charge at Risky Boots right then and there. "You'll be lucky if your Tinkerbats don't have to carry you out of here PIECE BY PIECE after I'm through with you!"

"Oh-ho-ho, my~! Such colorful language, Shantae! I'd be proud of you if I wasn't already so sick and tired of looking at your ridiculous face!" Risky shot right back.

"Just like I'm sick and tired of YOU ENTIRELY, I'm sure!" the genie barked back, evidently in no mood to banter. "Now, you have two choices… with the first being this: Snap Tayshan out of the trance you have him under, and I'll think about going easy on you when I beat your face into a puddle of tar."

"And if I don't?" Risky daringly asked with a scoff as she confidently placed her hands on her hips.

"Then you and EVERY SINGLE MONSTER GIRL IN THIS ROOM are going down FULL FORCE!" she threatened, her temper flaring like we'd never seen before. "And I'll start by making a CLEAR example out of you and that backstabbing, conniving she-devil Venus!" At that, all but one monster girl in the throne room gasped as they pushed themselves further into their corners out of fear. The one monster girl who didn't react that way?

"Hey!" Venus indignantly called out, though she took to the air with her wings and kept as far away from Shantae as she could manage. "What's your vendetta against me for, Gorilla Girl? I was just doing my jo-!" she was about to argue before Shantae angrily pointed two magic-charged fingers at her and fired a startling *TWEEEEERSH* of what looked like a Sniper's Judgment without saying a word. "GWAAAHAAAGH!" Venus howled in unfathomable pain as the resulting piping hot laser blast pierced through her shoulder and her wing, causing her to plummet to the ground with a sickening *THUD*. "Haaaaagh…! Y-you'll… You'll regret that…! I swear it…! Ghahugh…!" the injured Bat Gal swore as she remained on the floor, clutching her smoking hot wound as other monster girls frightfully rushed to her aid while keeping an eye on the rampaging half-genie.

"…Wow, I wasn't expecting THAT level of cruelty from her…" Risky Boots commented, surprised once more. It wouldn't be long, however, before Shantae refocused her attention on the Pirate Queen.

"See that, Risky? That's YOU in about five seconds if you don't release Tayshan THIS INSTANT…!" the angry genie warned, glaring at Risky with a brimming, seething rage that only someone who'd truly done something heinous would know.

"Hm. Big talk, though I'd be glad to make you eat your words AND the dirt under my feet," Risky threatened right back. "Buuuut I've got a much more fun idea on how THIS is gonna go," she hinted as she moved to break the shackles off Tayshan's ankles and allowed him to hop off the throne to his feet.

"T… Tay?" Shantae called to him in shock, though he did not answer.

"Don't waste your breath trying to call out to him," Risky callously advised. "He's completely under my control. I'm not telling you how or why, either. You'll just have to settle on finding out the hard way once and for all why you should've quit LONG before our little 'rivalry' got to this point." And with that statement, she turned toward the wraith. "Tayshan! See to it that our unwelcome guest gets the WARMEST welcome she's ever received… by which, I mean ROAST HER TO CINDERS!" Tayshan again offered no words as he… obeyed Risky's command and hopped over the staircase leading up to the throne with a *PLACK* of his bare feet against the floor, came face to face with Shantae… and silently struck a battle pose.

"Gaah, are you KIDDING me…!?" Shantae grumbled, after which she took a deep breath and shook off enough of her anger that her eyes turned back from gold to blue and her voice returned to its normal sound. Worth note, however, is that she didn't even bother attempting to reason with her incapacitated boyfriend as she also struck a battle pose. "In that case, I'll do whatever it takes to wake you back up, Tay. I promise. Just… know that I'm sorry in advance if I hurt you…"

"…" Tayshan gave a most thought-provoking speech as his aura flared in tandem with Shantae's, though his was sparking with electricity and purple in color. And just like that…

SHANTAE VS. TAYSHAN: FATED LOVERS' QUARREL!

"Rescue the Wraith!" Shantae uttered her battle cry as she and Tayshan charged at one another. Tayshan started with a lightning-quick, magic-charged swing of an open hand that Shantae ducked under. Shantae followed up by launching a powerful glowing fist aimed right at her boyfriend's exposed chest. Her attack, however, was blocked when it connected with a *TWACK* against his hand as he caught her. "Shoot…!" she cursed as she attempted to snatch her hand away, though Tayshan had other plans.

The mind-controlled wraith pulled her in, cocked a knee back, and with an utterly devastating *KATHRASH* that echoed throughout the room, rammed said knee into the genie's stomach. Shantae was flung into the air before she could even register the impact, though he wasn't quite finished. He almost instantaneously charged Dark Magic into both his hands and followed through with a *PAKKAKRASH* of one palm against her face that sent her hurtling through the air. He finished his onslaught by aiming his other hand forward and firing off a *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash at her.

"Hoom!" Shantae grunted as she regained enough of her senses to recover in midair. She somersaulted backward before adjusting herself to land on her feet and one hand, sliding back a couple extra feet on the marble floor beneath her bare feet. Seeing the Specter Flash incoming, she hurriedly picked herself up and with a humming *VWOOM*, summoned up a protective Bubble that blocked the attack for her. The electric force ball clashed with a *TAKWIIRSK* against the barrier, sending a weak current of electricity running over it before the half-genie dispersed it. "Gah, that smarts…!" she complained, rubbing her stomach and her cheek with each of her hands before shaping herself back up to fight.

Tayshan, remaining silent and blank in his facial expression, simply entered another battle stance as wisps of his magic emanated off him. I'd guess if I could play translator while he was in this state, he said with just his actions… that he was only getting started.

"Hmph. He's not at full power, or else those attacks would've had a lot more oomph behind them," Shantae analyzed as she studied her opponent up and down. "It's safe to say he's still worn out from fighting Khalid, but… maybe it's also the case that he's holding back because he knows it's me? He didn't actually try to punch me just then when he could've, so I wonder…" she further observed, though she refused to back down.

"What are you waiting for!? DESTROY HER!" Risky Boots ordered Tayshan with a point of her finger toward Shantae, not at all a fan of classic standoffs between enemies. Without even looking at Risky, Tayshan obeyed the command as he tensed up every muscle in his body and… with just this FLABBERGASTING *CHAFWOOOOOOOOOOORRSSSSSH*, he let loose a suffocating gust of swirling winds that blew furniture and fabrics around the throne room all over the place and caused the host of monster girls in the area to huddle behind knocked-over couches and dressers for protection. Risky Boots, of course, sat comfortably on the throne as she prepared to watch her sworn enemies duke it out. Meanwhile, Tayshan's form surged with a tempestuous mixture of blue and purple lightning while intensified wisps of his aura radiated from his skin as he struck a different, much more aggressive battle pose.

"Ah, jeez…!" Shantae remarked in shock as she stood as tall as she could, shielding her face with a hand. "His magic's building back up a lot faster than I thought it would by this point…! In that case, I can't afford to pull my punches…! HYAAAAAAAH!" the genie remarked and roared as she also erupted with a *KRAVWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORSSSSSH* of Light Magic that managed to shine just a bit BRIGHTER than her opponent's. The astonishing burst of her magic aura sent another massive shockwave ripping through the throne room that caused even more hurricane-force winds to swirl around and blow over furniture, statues, and other items all over the throne room. Her aura, bright and gloriously glittering blue, sparkled and danced around her curvaceous form as her braided ponytail blew in the ensuing wind. There were, of course, spots of purple in her aura, but it seemed she was still in full control as she braced herself. "Alright, Tayshan! Come at me with EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

Wordlessly taking up the challenge, Tayshan got started by striking a very familiar pose in which he aimed one hand forward while chambering his other fist while grounding his stance. At that point, his open hand had begun to glow.

"…That stance… That's gotta be the one move he used on Hashanah back when she invaded Scuttle Town…!" Shantae recognized as she prepared to counter. She started off by charging a supply of magic into one hand while she watched him intently. She wouldn't have to wait long, however, before Tayshan struck with a *FWOOOORSH* of his fist sending a shockwave through the air. Prepared, Shantae gracefully whirled around the invisible projectile, allowing it to hit the wall behind her with a thunderous *KRADWOOORSH* that left a gigantic dent in the wall and shattered the nearby pottery.

Tayshan reacted by quickly racing forth toward the young woman with… not a fist, but an open hand cocked back while she was recovering. As soon as he got close enough, he lunged ahead, lightning crackling with *KAKROK* after *KRAZZAZZAP* in his hand as he thrusted it forth. Shantae was quick on her feet, however, as she parried the incoming attack and redirected her opponent's hand away.

"Take THIS!" she hollered as she countered by whipping her ponytail into the possessed wraith's face with a *THWAP* of her braided ponytail against his face, forcing him to stumble back. Shantae dashed forth while the opportunity was hot and unleashed a flurry of attacks on him. A *THRACK* of a spin kick to his knee to knock him off balance. A jumping, spinning *PATHRASHK* of her elbow against his face that sent him reeling as he stumbled some more. Meanwhile, she performed an alluring dance number mid-combo to transform with a *POOF* into Elephant-Shantae and raced toward him with her hooves pounding with *PATWOOM* after *PRATWOOM* against the marble beneath her. She attempted to ram Tayshan as hard as she could, though the wraith recovered just in time to leap over her.

And while Tayshan was in midair, he quickly charged and fired another *BWEERSH* of a Specter Flash that VERY NEARLY caught Shantae off-guard. She responded in kind by morphing with another *POOF* back into her humanoid self and going prone to avoid the projectile as it careened into a stained-glass window and shattered it with a deafening *PWEAALRGKSHKLSKLSH* that sent colorful fragments flying everywhere. As soon as the ruthless spirit landed, however, he immediately went on the offensive and dashed toward Shantae while she was still on the ground.

"Here he comes…! Tah!" the genie acknowledged, springing right back to her feet right as her boyfriend closed the distance with a magic-charged fist cocked back and ready to destroy everything in its path. Yet, right as he launched the attack, he… strangely opened his hand up and opted for a decidedly less lethal palm thrust that Shantae ducked under with a *KRAFWOOORSH* of his hand against the open air before she ensnared his hand in her grasp. Shantae wasted no time punishing the mistake by charging up as much magic as she could in that moment, cocking it back, digging her foot into the ground and… just BLASTING Tayshan in the abdomen with a *KRAKATHRAAAASH* of a gut punch hard enough to shatter TITANIUM. The impact was SO hard, as a matter of fact, that Shantae ended up sending a shockwave through the entire arena that sounded off like a localized thunderclap.

Tayshan, somehow STILL not uttering a sound with his voice, was knocked airborne as his glowing purple eyes widened in shock and unmitigated pain. By all accounts, he could still feel EVERYTHING happening despite not being in control of himself. Shantae was only getting started, however.

"RUYAAAAAH!" the genie yelled as she stepped forth and jumped high, landing a follow-up kick with a jaw-smashing *THRACK* against the ghost man's chin. Next, she performed a forward somersault midair and charged magic into her feet and unleashed a flurry of kicks that hit with *TWACK* after *TWACK* after powerfully stinging *TWACK* against her (presumably temporary) enemy's chest. On maybe the tenth and most powerful *KATHRACK* of her heel against his chest, Shantae sent Tayshan hurtling back toward the ground while she pushed off him to gain some air. As she did so, she danced once again in midair to transform with another *POOF* to turn into Monkey-Shantae. Immediately following this, her miniature simian form became encased in a bright, almost blinding blue glow as she took aim and prepared to pummel the guardian's guts with her Monkey Bullet attack. With a split-second *TWEESCH*, she made the attempt.

The attack, however, would be thwarted outright when Tayshan hastily rolled to his feet and swung an arm across his body while on the ground to unleash a *FWOOOOOOOOOSH* of a Reaper Wind Burst to heavily slow Monkey-Shantae's momentum. It was enough that the tiny purple monkey couldn't even make contact. Hurriedly, he rolled backward onto his feet before lunging forth and punting Monkey-Shantae with a *PATWEESHK* of his bare foot against her face.

"GYAHAK!" Monkey-Shantae bellowed in shock as she was sent hurtling up toward the chandeliers, smashing into one of them with an extremely noisy *KAKREAARKSKLSHKLSHKL* that sent more broken glass and jewel fragments scattering across the place. Worse yet, the chandelier was hit so hard that the entire thing snapped from the ceiling and hit the ground with an even noisier *TWEEASSHAKALAKASHIGRLGH* that caused even more of a mess. Monkey-Shantae was not deterred, however, as she managed to latch onto the next chandelier with her tail. She quickly swung her way up on top of it before changing with another *POOF* back to her human form. "Hah…! Wow, he really HAS gotten stronger…! Last time I hit him that hard, it took him a solid few minutes to recover… and now, he's shrugging off most of my attacks like I'm only tickling him…" she murmured, evidently having underestimated her teammate-turned-Boss Battle opponent… who had been glaring right at her as he charged both his hands up with magic. "…Uh-oh…" Shantae remarked in a sudden show of concern as Tayshan took aim.

Rather than go with the standard Specter Flash, Tayshan fired a *TWAPWEEEEEEERRSSHHH* of a Banishment Blast up toward Shantae's position. Rightfully startled, Shantae hopped from one chandelier to the next as the attack DECIMATED the chandelier with another *KAKRASHKIKLIK* and punching a MASSIVE, burning hole in the ceiling above with an additional *DADWOOOSH* that caused more debris to trickle in. Keeping his eyes on her, the wraith took aim with his other hand… before scaling back his charge and aiming two fingers at the half-genie while she was trying to gain her footing on the chandelier. And with an almost instantaneous *TWEEEERSCH*, he fired a Sniper's Judgment… at the hook holding the chandelier to the ceiling. The laser beam hit the hook with a *TRINK*, sending it on a one-way crash course with the extremely hard ground below.

"WHOAWHAWAAAH!" Shantae bellowed, hurriedly busting out another alluring belly dance to morph with another *POOF* into Spider-Shantae and shoot a web up with a *krithwissk* to the ceiling to break her fall. She was successful in getting a link up there and therefore ending her downward ride into crash town with the third chandelier's unceremonious *TRAKRASKAKLISKLIKSHK* against the marble floor. "Goodness, that was close…! What's it gonna take to snap him out of this trance…?" she asked herself as she detached herself from her web and landed on her eight spider legs before morphing back to human form with one more *POOF*.

Tayshan, evidently displeased with this outcome, raced ahead while coating his feet in magic with a *Vwooorrzh* of purple and blue aura surrounding them to protect against the THOUSANDS of glass shards all over the floor. As one might expect, the glass shards crunched with every step he took toward the half-genie as he sprinted ahead and prepared to engage her once more.

"Huh… That's actually a smart idea!" she complimented, having noticed Tayshan's protective technique… and in typical Shantae fashion, she copied it as her feet began to glow with a quiet *whiireeesh* of Light Magic. Soon after, she also charged ahead and met her adversary with a shared *DWEERSHK* of their forearms against one another. From there, all bets were off. Tayshan began the exchange with a *WHISH* of an open palm strike that Shantae blocked with a forearm before countering with a magic-imbued hook that Tayshan weaved around before dashing in with a magic attack charged into his hand. He attempted to press his hand into Shantae's abdomen while charging the attack, though she was quick to catch on. "YAH!" she yelled as she performed a spinning backdash that also included her kicking his hand with a *TWACK* to the side right as he launched the *BWEEERSH* of his Specter Flash. The blast, ironically enough, wound up being redirected toward Risky Boots as she eagerly watched the battle. Rather than panic or be shocked, however…

"Tooh!" the Pirate Queen grunted as she charged a hefty supply of Dark Magic into her arm with a startling *KRAVWOOOORRRZH* and swatted the Specter Flash with a *DOWARGH* that erased the attack from existence in no time flat. Afterward, she settled right back into her seat and continued to observe. "Perfect…! They're tearing each other to ribbons…! Just a matter of how long it'll take for one of them to finally go down…" Risky further murmured to herself as she watched Shantae and the mind-controlled Tayshan trade blows. And it goes without exaggeration that they were absolutely VICIOUS in their scuffle as they began to whirl all around the makeshift arena like a cyclone of fists, feet, fire, lightning, palm thrusts, hand chops and mutually shared anger.

Back in the fight…

"YAH! FWOOH! HAH! TYAAAH!" Shantae grunted and hollered sporadically as she and Tayshan locked themselves into the fiercest combat situation this side of Sequin Land. Both of their respective auras raging like twin infernos, the genie and the hypnotized wraith seemed to pour their all into their battle. *THRACK* after *PWISSH* after shockwave-inducing *KATHRASH*, the Cosmic Couple turned the once-elegant throne room into a total warzone as their battle destroyed everything around them. Fists clashed with elbows, feet smashed against shins and forearms, and open hands clashed with knees as they rapidly exchanged deafening blows with each other. For a while, it seemed they'd battle their way into a stalemate. That was, until Tayshan parried a punch Shantae threw at him to throw her off balance. "OWAH!" she shrieked as he deflected her attack, at which point he charged magic into his hand at lightning speed and SLAMMED his open hand into her stomach with a debilitating *KATHROCKAZZAAAPAZZAAP* that had her entire body flashing like she was plugged into an electrical outlet.

The wraith wasn't done there, however. He followed up by standing as tall as he could over her, his hands clasped together and cocked over his head. In the next second, he came down HARD with a double axe-handle that plowed into the half-genie's cranium with a concussion-inducing *KAPROCK* that actually sent her plummeting into the ground. Worse yet, she hit the ground with such a heavy *PAPLOCK* that she ended up BOUNCING off of it like a basketball! Tayshan capitalized by cocking a leg back and delivering a rib-shattering *KATHRASH* of a jumping knee that hit the compromised genie in the stomach once again and sent yet another vicious shockwave ripping through the room that caused all the spectators to duck for cover once again.

"GHAAAH…!" was all Shantae could utter as all the air was forced out of her lungs. That wasn't where this rodeo ended, however, as Tayshan followed up by grabbing her by the ankle, whirling her around as his feet touched the ground, and bringing her down with a literal ground-shattering *KARPLASHK* of her body against the glass-laden marble floor. YIKES…! I CRINGED at that impact, it was so loud… There was even a gigantic crack on the surface where he slammed her! He wasn't done yet, however. He lifted her up before she got a chance to even register what happened, flung her high and far while charging more magic into his free hand… and then firing off a deadly *KRAKAPWEEEEEEERSH* of a Banishment Blast that hit the airborne genie with an explosive, smoke-heavy *KRABLOOOORSH* that sent her ZOOMING across the room before smashing with a *PAKRACKALASH* against some of the furniture in a corner of the room and tumbling to the ground.

"W-whoa…! Is she even ALIVE after that…?" a horrified Harpy Gal asked as she and some of her fellow monster girls warily peered over their cover spots to investigate. And though it took a moment, they would be reassured to see Shantae gingerly climb to her feet, panting heavily and hunching over herself as she recovered. Her head was initially lowered upon rising once again with her eyes closed… but a second later, she reopened them and glared directly at Tayshan to reveal… that they'd begun flashing between blue and gold… Oh, no… "She… looks… FURIOUS…" that same Harpy Gal observed, prompting everyone else to duck back under their cover in case things got more chaotic.

On the other end of the throne room-turned arena, Tayshan approached without an ounce of apprehension. He was ready to either strike or defend at a moment's glance as he also kept his eyes locked on Shantae. He gave no indication of how he was feeling through any form of facial expression as he readied himself, his body surging and crackling with electricity all the while. He merely stayed focused on his target.

"Why, you…! I… I'M GONNA MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR THAT!" a surprisingly vengeful Shantae roared at the top of her lungs, her temper having flared as her body was engulfed in a windy *SWOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRSH* of magic that remained mostly blue… but that had been showing more flashes of purple in it. Meanwhile, the force of her power surge sent debris flying everywhere at a much higher intensity like a deadly tornado had whipped up in the room, further startling the spectators as they shielded themselves to the best of their ability. She hopped over the busted remnants of furniture she crashed into and charged at Tayshan at basically Mach speed. Tayshan was prepared, however, as the angry genie started off with a flurry of haphazard punches and kicks that the wraith blocked with hardly an issue. He wasted no time countering her once the opportunity arose. On one particularly heavy spin kick from Shantae, Tayshan caught her leg and flung an open, magic-charged palm forth that struck his enemy's cheek with a forceful *KRATWAKAZAP*, knocking her to the ground once more. He followed up by racing ahead and performing an axe kick that Shantae rolled out of the way to dodge as his heel came crashing with a *KATWARK* into the floor with enough force to CRACK the marble! Just when she thought she was safe, however, he performed a handstand and hit her with a *THWACK* of his ankle over her head, causing her to stumble back. This lapse in her defense allowed him the chance to suddenly swing his legs low and fast in a windmill motion that, with a bone-smashing *KATHRACK*, knocked the half-genie's feet from under her and sent her swirling in the air.

While Shantae was in the air, Tayshan spun himself back to his feet and let loose another wild Dual Magic-imbued palm thrust that collided with an organ-decimating *THAKWOOSHK* against Shantae's exposed abdomen. However, Shantae was able to gain enough of her senses this time around to correct herself in midair and land on her feet and one hand. At that point, however, Tayshan was going full-force on the offensive. He dashed toward her and lunged with the intent to bury his palm into her once again. He would be met with a *PAPLOCKAZZZAP* of Shantae's magic-covered forearm blocking the attack, at which point she countered by flinging a hastily charged fireball at him with a *FWAFROOOORSH* that hit him with an explosive enough *PRASHK* that it sent him stumbling back a bit while clutching his chest. Shantae attempted to capitalize by dashing at him and unleashing a HURRICANE of magic-charged punches, spin kicks, and Hair Whips. Initially, her onslaught had shown progress as she beat him back all over the throne room with *THRACK* after *THWAP* after steel-smashing *THRASH* of her limbs and iconic ponytail pummeling him halfway into oblivion all over the increasingly devastated arena. He had been having trouble accounting for five different parts of her body attacking him at hummingbird-level speed as he ate the onslaught one revenge-riddled attack after another. At this rate, his defense was bound to crumble under the Half-Genie Hero's unforgiving, unrelenting might.

"What's the matter!? Running out of steam so soon!? COME ON!" Shantae demanded of him, upping the ante by charging MORE magic into her storm of punishment as she seemed ready to demolish Tayshan like he was just another boss for her to conquer. The mind-controlled ghost guardian refused to let this be the case, however, as he caught one of her fists in his hand and countered with a *PROOSHK* of a forceful thrust kick that sent Shantae sliding backward on her feet. Seeming to know that wouldn't stop her, however, he instead waited for her to charge him again. And charge him, she did. "HYAAAARAAH!" she hollered as she… stood her ground, charged up a hefty supply of magic into her hand, took aim, and… "GENIE BOMBER!" she yelled as the magic blast came RIPPING out of her hand with a mighty *CHAPWEEEEERSH*. Not even flinching, Tayshan braced himself and in a second, SWATTED the beam out of his way and into the ceiling with a monstrous *PATWAAAANG*. The Genie Bomber attack smashed through the ceiling with a startling *KRABWOOOOM* that caused the entire room to shake.

The ghostly guardian-turned-servant would get no time to recoil from his defensive maneuver, however, as his lover-turned-opponent rushed him down again. She let loose with a jumping magic-charged punch that he blocked with a *THACK* of her fist against his forearm, followed by a sweeping low kick that he hopped backward to avoid, which led into her attempting to belly dance mid-combo to pull off a transformation. It was then that he struck again.

"TRANSFO-! WAH!" Shantae yelped in surprise as she was about to morph into one of her animal forms, only for Tayshan to thrust his palm forth to disrupt her rhythm. "Shoot…! He still knows how to stop me from using Animal Dances…!" the frustrated heroine cursed as she dodged the palm strike. Realizing her position, she waited for him to attack her again. He wouldn't disappoint, as he performed a spinning elbow aimed at her head that she expertly avoided by performing a spinning backdash. She immediately capitalized on it by running forth and smacking him with an EXTREMELY painful *THWACK* of her braided ponytail against his face, followed by another *THRACK* of it against his exposed abdomen, after which she landed a THIRD, MORE POWERFUL *KATHWACK* against his face once again. Momentarily stunned, the wraith stumbled back as the heroine advanced. "Let's see how well you take THIS…!" she muttered as she prepared to end the battle right then and there. Grounding her stance by digging her bare, magic-shielded foot into the floor, she charged up an alarmingly HUGE flow of… of what looked like DUAL MAGIC into one tightly packed fist and took aim while her target was in the midst of recovering from the earlier stage of her relentless assault. "THIS BATTLE IS OVER!" Shantae proclaimed as she launched possibly the DEADLIEST magic-charged uppercut anyone could have ever thrown OR received. Seriously, there must've been enough power behind this strike to level an entire building! And yet…

Tayshan managed to recover JUST in time to see Shantae's attack headed right for him. Rather than simply dodge it, however, he… HE CAUGHT HER FIST IN HIS HAND! He, too, had been flaring with Dual Magic as he intercepted the attack, as his entire arm crackled and surged with enough electricity to kill twenty elephants at once. The half-genie's fist smashed into his palm with a loud enough *KRAKADWOOOOOOOAAARRSH* that it actually sent a SHOCKWAVE through the arena that knocked over even more furniture and caused every monster girl in the room to consider escaping through the shattered windows for fear of being obliterated just by being in proximity of this insane scuffle between two of Sequin Land's strongest defenders. Tayshan did not perform this feat unscathed, however, as he was pushed back by multiple feet. The indescribable pain coursing through his entire body was evident in the extremely pained wince on his face as he began to tremble.

"WHAT!? HOW IN THE HE—WOAAAHAWAAH!" Shantae was about to voice her understandable world-shattering surprise before she was yanked off her feet toward him, after which he rammed his free magic-charged hand into her stomach with yet another stone-blasting *KAPRAKATHRASH* that caused her to double over. "Oh-hhhooogh…!" she exhaled all the air out of her lungs yet again as she took on the next round of punishment. Tayshan followed up by spinning around her and slamming his elbow into the back of her head with another scarily dense *THROCK* that sent her stumbling forth. He then performed a low, spinning sweep kick that again knocked Shantae off her feet. And while she was in midair and whirling around, she caught sight of him charging a ball of electricity into his hand with the intent to hit her with another one of his special attacks. And while Shantae certainly found herself knocked for a loop, she dared not simply take yet another devastating blow from this relentless wraith. As such… "Hrgh…! TYAAAH!" she shouted as she, while upside down, hurriedly reached a hand outward from her side. And with a swipe of her hand across her body and subsequent *FAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRSSSH*, the half-genie pulled off an emergency Reaper Wind Burst.

The maneuver was strong enough to end up pushing Tayshan back JUST as he haphazardly launched his attack despite his aim being impacted. With a sudden *BWEEEERSH*, he launched a Specter Flash upward by complete accident as he tried to shield his face from the gale force winds blowing against him. This allowed Shantae just enough time to roll herself off the ground, charge at Tayshan, jump toward him, and DECIMATE his abdomen with a truly DEVASTATING *KATHRAAAASH* of her magic-covered foot planted hard enough that one could see the indent of her foot coming out of his back. As he doubled over, Shantae capitalized by tightening her fist and BLASTING him across the face with a *KRAKAPROCK* of her knuckles against his cheek that nearly sent him toppling over. He wouldn't be done in quite yet, however, as he recovered quickly enough to see her race toward him. She leapt high into the air, performed a graceful forward somersault that she converted into a descending axe kick with the full intent to DRILL her target and send him burrowing under several metric tons of dirt.

Her efforts would be met with stern resistance, however, as Tayshan crossed his arms over his head just in time to absorb the explosive, shockwave-inducing *KATHRACK* of an impact that would've sliced CLEAN THROUGH the arms of a slightly less prepared individual. Nevertheless, Shantae's power-loaded axe kick STILL generated enough force to not only force Tayshan down onto one knee, but also SMASH A CRATER INTO THE FLOOR WHERE HE STOOD! Good lord, these two were REALLY trying to KILL each other! And as soon as I uttered those words, Shantae used her other foot to kick off of her adversary's arms and land safely back onto the ground… only for him to fire off another *BWEERSH* of a Specter Flash that belted her with a *KAPRAASHAKAZAP* just before she landed. Shantae took the hit like a champ, however, as she was able to flip herself into a position of landing on her feet. Ready to draw this titanic tussle to a close, Tayshan charged right on ahead, palms at the ready while Shantae braced herself. From there, it was all out WAR between the two of them. They immediately began another cycle of whirling around the arena, fists, feet, fireballs, and palms flying in all directions with *THRACK* after *PROCK* after *PROOOWSH* after eardrum-rupturing *KRADWOOORSH*. It was enough of a complete catastrophe that even RISKY BOOTS found herself alarmed at the sheer intensity of the brawl as the Queen of Darkness watched on in silent awe from her seat atop the throne. None of us really knew which way this deadly scuffle would potentially turn out… but one way or another, it didn't look like either combatant would walk away unscathed.

Tensions and tempers boiling, the spoonerific duo kept at it for what felt like a solid five straight minutes before Tayshan's aggression forced Shantae on the defensive. She'd resorted to simply dodging his attacks with as much agility as she could muster, though he would still land the occasional *PROCK* of a palm strike or crescent kick on her while she tried to figure out a way to counter him. Her patience was wearing thin, however, as she grew angrier with every passing second he didn't let up. Eventually, he landed the *THOCK* of a palm strike that pushed Shantae's last button… as her eyes suddenly went from flashing between blue and gold… to now staying SOLID gold as she quickly recovered from the attack and prepared to turn the tables.

"GRRAAAAAH, THAT TEARS IT! EAT THIS!" Shantae roared, her voice taking on that malice-fueled doubled tone again as she dodged a flurry of palm strikes from Tayshan and hopped backward with her fists clenched tightly enough that one could see the veins protruding from the backs of them. Tayshan charged in, an electricity-imbued palm ready to zap the genie into oblivion as he took aim and flung his hand forth. Shantae countered his attack by dashing in and beautifully deflecting his hand while spinning toward him. Within the next instant, and with a bone-shattering *KRADWOOORRSHK*, the half-genie rammed her magic-charged elbow into the wraith's stomach as hard as she could. The attack proved potent enough to stun him as he reeled back, which the heroine counted on. "TYAAAAARRRRAAAAAAAH!" she howled even louder, evidently having gotten fully invested in the fight as she followed up with another *THWAP* of a Hair Whip that seemed to hit hard enough to potentially knock her opponent's teeth out. But she wasn't done there. She whipped him again with another *THWACK* of her ponytail against his stomach, causing him to double over once more. Next, she raced forth and leapt high, performed an expertly executed spin in midair, followed by her delivering a MONSTROUS *KAPROCK* of a spinning kick that struck the wraith in the face and caused him to turn around. Shantae finished up her attack by dancing mid-combo once again to morph with a *POOF* into a darker-hued, evil-influenced variant of Mermaid-Shantae, followed up by her taking a deep breath and spouting a *WHAFWOOOOOOOOOSSSHK* of a geyser-level blast of water that sent her adversary hurtling across the room, soon after which he hit the floor with a wet *SPLACK* facedown. Immediately after the fact, Shantae morphed back into her human self with another *POOF* and pursued her target with reckless abandon.

Tayshan refused to stay down, however. Despite his outfit being even more tattered and his body sustaining numerous bruises, he wordlessly climbed back to his feet and whirled around to see Shantae already committing to her onslaught. She leapt high and far, ready to clean his clock with a devastating magic-charged fist aimed squarely at his jaw. He charged up magic into his own hand, which had begun crackling with such a massive current of electricity that it caused him to wince. Ignoring this, he thrusted his hand forth to catch the incoming punch from the half-genie. The resultant *KRAKAZZAKRASH* sent such a huge shockwave ripping through the arena that it blew even more furniture, glass shards, and the tattered remains of decorations all over the room. The wraith used his other hand to swat at the half-genie, though she was quick to dodge it and somersault backward to create some distance… or so, she thought she would. With an upward swing of his other electricity-spewing arm and a subsequent turbulent *FWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRSSSSSH*, Tayshan used a Reaper Wind Burst to throw Shantae off her game.

"WHOAAAHAAH!" she shrieked in surprise as she was kept airborne by the gale force wind. Before she could even think to maneuver her way out of the trap, Tayshan was already closing the distance to take his turn dishing out punishment. He started off by hopping forth with an elbow raised above his head, which came crashing down with an utterly HORRIFYING *KRATHRAKAZZAAAAP* against Shantae's stomach, sending her slamming into the ground hard enough that not only did she CRACK THE FLOOR BENEATH HER, she also bounced upward with another *PATHWACK* from the sheer force of the impact like she was on a trampoline. Tayshan then dashed under her with a Dual Magic-charged hand cocked at his side, at which point he unleashed another *TWAKAKZAAZAASH* of an electric palm thrust that sent the hapless genie hurtling into the air. "GHAAAGH…!" Shantae groaned as she flipped and twirled in the air with no control over herself. She would get no relief, however, as a sudden *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash crashed into her with a *KAPROOOSH* that knocked her even further into the air.

The wraith kept his eyes on his opponent as he blitzed forth and seemed to calculate where she would land. And once he was in position, he began to spin around over and over again while striking a series of breakdancing-like movements as though he was building up momentum for a kick hard enough to completely ANNIHILATE the first thing it hit. This was especially the case when his legs began to crackle and shine with sparks of electricity. And right as soon as Shantae was about to hit the floor headfirst, Tayshan let loose his attack with every bit of strength he could muster. And with a truly terrifying *WHABWOOOOOOSH* whose impact sent another sonic boom RIPPING through the throne room hard enough to make the arena quake again, he hit his mark. Shantae was sent ZOOMING across the room at nearly Mach speed like she'd been fired out of the world's most lethal cannon. Her fall was only broken by the wall behind her as she slammed into it with such an awful, sickening *KATHRAKRUNCH* that she left a gigantic, debris-smattering dent before collapsing to the ground folded over herself.

"…Ghaahaaaah…! Owwww…" she groaned as she made no immediate move to get up, her outfit completely disheveled as her hair grew frazzled and unkempt. She was out of breath, though her body continued to glow with a heavily corrupted Light Magic as her aura continued to fluctuate between light blue and dark purple. It was clear by this point, however, that she was hurt badly.

Tayshan fared no better, in case it needed to be pointed out. Despite him remaining completely silent, he'd been hunched over and panting like he'd run ten thousand miles in one sitting. His magic was still coursing through him, though it had faded a bit and begun to shoot jolts of electricity through his form that caused him to periodically wince in evident pain.

"HOOHOHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAH!" Risky Boots cackled in sadistic triumph as she greedily observed the heart-wrenching sight of two heroes trying to kill each other for her amusement. "This is what I've been DREAMING of! The oh-so great Shantae, Sequin Land's precious hero, humiliated, broken, and beaten to a pulp! And who better to get the job done than her closest ally, who now serves me without an OUNCE of resistance! And yet, there's one final touch to add… which is ME delivering the final blow!" she declared, hopping off the regal seat and waltzing into the battle area with the intent to take victory for herself… at least, until Tayshan turned to her and held a hand out to stop her while he glared at her. "Hm? What exactly do you think you're doing?"

The wraith shook his head before turning his attention back to Shantae, who'd gingerly, if not a bit tiredly, clawed her way back to her feet and stood as tall as she could. She was injured for sure, evidenced by her frazzled hair, heavily damaged costume, and the fact that various cuts on her arms, legs, and abdomen were leaking red. She was anything but finished, however, as her hatred-fueled eyes glowed gold like she was on the cusp of completely losing control. Worse yet, her magic was growing darker… and Darker… and DARKER by the second as she stood there… ready to utterly OBLITERATE everything in her path and took in sharp, ragged, growling breaths of unadulterated, seething WRATH…

"Oh. I see… So, the brat's about to succumb to the influence of her own personal demons again, is she?" Risky Boots observed with a nod. "In that case, go for it. If you think you can survive her at her most ruthlessly violent, then be my guest. I'll be right here to clean up the mess either way…" she added with a triumphant smirk as she moved to get back onto the throne… only for her to be stopped by the sudden *VWOOOOEEERRSH* of a magic attack charging up from Shantae's position. And just as Risky was about to turn to see what Shantae was up to…

"GENIE BOMBER!" a thoroughly infuriated Shantae roared out at the top of her lungs as she stood, her stance grounded as she pressed the bottoms of her hands together and charged up a MASSIVE… and I mean MASSIVE ball of fiery white and blue magic that sparkled, flickered, and surged with purple electricity. Nothing but seething hatred in her eyes as she glared directly at Tayshan, Shantae seemed intent on killing the man she fought this entire time to save… oh, jeez…

Tayshan, though still silent, expressed surprise as his eyes widened like he'd seen his worst nightmare come true. He braced himself for the worst as he anticipated his former partner's next move. It was as if he'd wondered whether she'd go through with it or not. Regardless, he flared out a hand and summoned a supply of magic into it in preparation to defend himself as best as he could. And pretty soon afterward…

"RRRRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shantae let loose her most animalistic shout yet as she launched her beefed up Genie Bomber… NOT at Tayshan, believe it or not! At the very last second, she adjusted her aim to target RISKY BOOTS and fired it off with a thunderous *KAPWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRSSSSHHH* that came out like a GIGANTIC pillar of punishment.

"WHAT IN THE-!? HRRGH!" Risky Boots hollered out in shock as she saw the beam of fire and lightning race toward her from across the throne room in the time it took someone to blink. The Pirate Queen did her best to defend herself as she crossed her arms over herself and braced for impact, though it proved to have little effect. With a startling, utterly destructive *BWOOOOAAARRRSSSSHHHH*, the Genie Bomber scored a direct hit and enveloped Risky in its scorching hot, shocking, and devastating light. "GYAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the unsuspecting Queen of the Seven Seas cried out in unfathomable pain as the blast practically fried her and sent her careening across the throne room. She eventually hit the wall behind her with such a bone-smashing *KATHROAAGLARGLARGHRGH* that she left one more of MANY gigantic dents in the throne room's crumbling walls. The blast itself vaporized everything else in its path including the melted and smoking remains of the throne, making it a wonder how Risky could have EVER survived a blast like that. Even after she hit the ground crumpled up, she remained conscious. In excruciating pain while her outfit was ripped to shreds and while her body was emitting smoke, yes, but still conscious. Tinkerbats in the vicinity were quick in tending to her to the best of their ability.

"Hmph! Serves you right, you miserable HAG…! I'm gonna ENJOY torturing and killing you nice and slow like you've been BEGGING me to do for years…!" Shantae uncharacteristically insulted, sneering in Risky's direction with not even the slightest shred of mercy. She wasn't done yet, however. "But first… YOU…!" she further growled, turning her attention to an increasingly wary mind-controlled Tayshan. "You're PATHETIC…! You really think you're better than me, all the while you mindlessly attack me on the orders of RISKY BOOTS of all people!? I should wipe you from existence where you STAND!" At that brazen and cold-blooded threat, Tayshan's face contorted into one… of mild worry as he braced himself.

"…Sh… Shantae…" he finally whispered as he winced, making evident that he was trying his hardest to get himself back under control. His efforts would go unnoticed, however, as the half-genie prepared herself for another round.

"I will NEVER allow myself to be surpassed by ANYONE, monster, human, or otherwise…! Least of all, the human I'm supposed to call my partner," she continued to venomously rant. "Whether you die or snap out of this trance you're under, you're gonna learn your place in the pecking order beforehand…! NOW, GET READY FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

Tayshan said nothing else as the shock on his face quickly turned into an expression of disapproval and anger. He, too, got himself ready for another grueling round of this gut-wrenching battle between two lovers. There would be no standoff this time, however. As soon as she found herself ready…

"YAAAAAAAAAAAARRRAAAAAAGH!" Shantae howled in endlessly increasing rage as she blitzed across the room to engage her target with a voluminous *KATHRASH* of her magic-infused fist against his forearm. The impact caused an electric *CHAPROCK* to ring out, sending the wraith stumbling back as he tensed up his hotly stinging hand. The spiteful genie charged in again, her next attack coming in the form of a jumping spin kick that Tayshan weaved backward to dodge. He attempted to counter by grabbing her leg, though she was too quick. She quickly twirled around in the air, attempting to whip him in the face with her ponytail. The wraith ducked under it and tried to grab hold of her as her feet hit the ground, only to be met with a *THRACK* of an explosive uppercut to his chin. The ghostly guardian was sent hurtling into the air, though he backflipped and recovered just in time for Shantae to launch a sizable *PWAKROOOOSH* of a fireball at him.

He charged as much magic as he could muster into his hand as he swatted the fireball away with a *TWAAANG* of his palm against it that sent it careening into the air before it dissipated. Shantae proved relentless, however, as she raced in and tried to take his head off with a jumping elbow. Quick to adapt, Tayshan dodged it while charging magic into his open hand, followed by him ramming his hand into her stomach with a destructive *KAPWAKAZZAAAP* that sent Shantae hurtling across the throne room once more. The resilient genie recovered quickly, flipping in midair to land on her feet to witness Tayshan grounding his stance and chambering a magic-charged fist once more while he held his other hand out toward her.

"That cheap trick didn't work last time, and it isn't going to work THIS time ei-!" she was about to proclaim before a sudden *FWEEEERSH* of a shockwave from him throwing his fist forth overtook her. Caught by surprise, Shantae appeared momentarily out of sorts as she staggered for a bit to try and recollect herself. Before she could, however, she was hit with a sudden *THRACK* from an unknown force. She tried again to recover, though she was hit with a *PLOCK* to her side that sent her stumbling to the side. She was then hit with additional rapid-fire smattering of *THOCKs*, *THWACKs*, *KAPROCKs*, and *PRACKs* from a seemingly invisible force that sent her staggering back with each crushing blow she took.

Within a few seconds, the onslaught of painful shockwaves concluded with Tayshan basically teleporting in front of Shantae in a crouched position with an electricity-spewing hand extended toward her abdomen. He proceeded to charge up more magic into his fist to prepare the dreaded Fist of the Condemned attack with the full intent to draw this grueling scuffle to a climactic end. Shantae had other plans, however, as she regained her senses just in time to begin building up magic in her own hand without him noticing. And within the next second…

"NO, YOU DON'T! YAAAAAH!" the genie shouted as she swiftly pressed her energy-infused fingers to the gem in her tiara, thus firing off a sudden, devastating *KAKWAAAAARSH* of her Crimson Laser. The blast struck Tayshan directly in the face with an echoing *CHABWOOOOM* that sent him rocketing all the way across the throne room with his face smoking like a car's faulty muffler. He hit the rock solid ground with a cringe-inducing *THUD* flat on his back, rolling a few extra feet after the fact to end up right next to an incapacitated Risky Boots while her Tinkerbats were engaged in a combine effort of guarding her and making sure she wasn't too seriously injured. There was also a slew of monster girls still hiding under the furniture directly behind them. "Hah…! Now… Now, you'll feel the FULLEST extent of my power! PREPARE YOURSELF!" the furious genie warned as she then began to charge magic into both of her hands.

"…Urrgh… Gah…!" Tayshan groaned, coming to as he rose to a seated position as he held his aching head. As he got up, however, he noticed a mixture of red droplets and black gem shards littering the ground beneath him. "Huh…?" he hummed, pressing a hand to his nose to notice that the Diamond of Devastation had been shattered… and that his nose and mouth had been bleeding profusely. It was also worth note that his eyes had finally returned to their original golden hue as he appeared to regain some of his awareness. "I… Am I free from the…?" he was about to ask himself before he suddenly flinched and clutched his abdomen. "Hagh…! Shantae…!" he murmured as he turned his attention to the half-genie… as she was preparing her strongest attack to hit him with. "H-hey! HEY! Shantae, wait! I'm back t' normal! Stop!" he tried to call out to her, climbing to his feet and waving his arms at her to get through.

"Hm… Looks like the dog's been… cut loose from his leash once again," Risky disdainfully remarked from the sidelines as she struggled to recover. "And yet… hrgh…! …the brat's gone completely berserk to the point where she can't even tell friend from foe… Only a wonder how THIS is gonna turn out…"

"I'M GONNA END THE BOTH OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Shantae hollered, making evident that it was apparently HER turn to completely lose control of herself. The magic in her hands had been crackling and endlessly swirling as purple and blue wisps collected into the increasingly large and frighteningly electric ball of light.

"Shoot…! Hah…! SHANTAE! WAKE UP!" Tayshan tried to plead, though his words fell on deaf ears.

"It's… no use…!" Risky fought through a torrent of agony to tell him as her Tinkerbats continued to take care of her. "She's too far gone… and unless you've got another dirty trick up your sleeve… your best bet is to either get out of the way or brace for impact and hope you can live to tell about it…!"

"Hmph. We'll see about that…!" he defied as he charged himself up with as much magic as he could muster, though the sudden *CHAKROCK* of fatigue-borne electricity running through him made it clear that he wasn't as safe as we were hoping. "Ghaah…! Darn it, I have almost no power left…! Alright, everybody clear out o' the way! NOW! Shantae's gone rogue!" he ordered the frightened monster girls in the immediate area, who'd hurriedly obliged his order. This included a Leopard Gal lunging toward the injured Venus and dragging her out of the line of fire while the rest scattered to the other side of the throne room where they'd be least likely to be hurt. And while most of the monster girls were able to get to safety…

"Daah, come ON, ya scrawny scalawags!" Risky Boots frantically complained as her Tinkerbats struggled mightily with picking her up, much less carrying her to safety. "There's no way you morons could still be so physically WEAK that it still takes up to ten of you to pick up your captain!"

"…Figures…!" Tayshan mumbled to himself. "I should use her as bait or let her take this attack along with me…! With any luck, she'd end up dead while I MAYBE at least survived…" he further disdainfully pointed out, still hating Risky something fierce. Despite this, however, Tayshan raced over to the Pirate Queen and snatched her from the Tinkerbats' grip to their endless dismay. They dared not attempt to attack him, however, as they opted to instead look at him in collective petrified fear.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing, you handsy mutt!? I didn't give you permission to touch me!" Risky VERY angrily complained, using the last vestiges of her strength to slap and shove the halo-adorned wraith to get him to put her down. In that same moment, however…

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shantae yelled at the top of her lungs, at which point her attack went firing off with an emphatic *KRAKADWEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRSSSH* of an incredible, blinding ball of light that threatened to envelope the entirety of the throne room. It was like she threw an ENTIRE CELESTIAL STAR at him as the sphere of destruction incinerated everything in its path on its way to its target.

"Aw, are you serious…!?" Tayshan complained as Risky angrily shoved her hand into his cheek, quickly recognizing the urgency of the situation as he glanced at the bystanders… and then at Risky as she remained firmly locked in his grasp. Locking eyes with him, she stopped her struggling just long enough to read the conflictive desperation in his face. Before she could comment on it, however… "No choice, then…! TOOORAAH!" he yelled as he turned to the side, whirled around, and then forcefully tossed her to the side across the arena… and entirely out of harm's way. Wow… I only wonder what was going through his head making such a move…

"WHAAHAAAWOAH!" Risky bellowed in shock as she was sent hurtling far out of the blast's range, where she was caught by an equally surprised group of Tinkerbats that were otherwise getting ready to save her from the ghostly warrior. The ones that he snatched her from wasted little time deliberating on it as they scurried along to avoid being obliterated. "Hah… What in the world…? He just… SAVED me?" she had to ask, wide-eyed and dumbfounded at the wraith's unusual decision. Speaking of whom…

"Okay, that should be everyb-!" he was about to assume as he prepared to leap out of the way of the blast.

"Ghah…! I-I can't move fast enough…! H-help me!" another voice uttered, prompting Tay to momentarily crane his head as his heart sank. The blast was well on its way, and he had no more than a half-second to catch sight of an injured Archer whose leg appeared to be badly injured in the conflict. She was limping and using the wall for support, making it clear she wouldn't be able to avoid the attack if he didn't buy her the time necessary to do so. At that, he sighed and shook his head.

"…Well, shoot. Looks like this'll be the last hurrah for me… but if this is how it's gotta be, then I ain't goin' down without a fight!" he vowed, accepting his fate as he grounded his stance, stretched his arms forward… and braced for impact. And right after he uttered his words, the blast came slamming into his magic-imbued palms with a scorching hot, deafening *BWOAARRSKAKRAASH*. He was immediately pushed back by at least a few yards, his bare feet sliding against the marble of the floor before he managed to find some sort of grip that allowed him to stall the blimp-sized light bomb JUST before he was pushed against the wall. "HRRGH…! HRRRAAAAAAAAAH!" he roared, pouring every bit of strength he had left into saving the injured Archer from certain doom.

"…WHA…? N-no way…! He… He's sacrificing himself… f-for me…!" the Archer in question muttered, utterly stupefied by the otherworldly phenomenon occurring before her. The sweltering, suffocating heat… the vicious, endlessly swirling, sizzling winds… the highly aggressive crackles of electricity coming from the attack… the blinding light that made her shield her eyes with her arm… the fact that she was staring her potential demise right in the face with the only thing standing in the way being the fabled Unknown Hero… she could hardly make sense of it. Before she could even attempt to do so, however…

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITIN' FOR!? GET OUT O' THERE NOW!" Tayshan demanded at the top of his lungs as he continued to struggle, startling the purple-skinned woman out of her practically hypnotized state.

"Hurry up and move, Siobhan!" the some of the other monster girls called over to their ally, though they dared not attempt to rescue her themselves. "Come on!"

"Ah! R-right!" the Archer known as Siobhan frantically acknowledged as she picked up the pace in hobbling her way out of the path of Shantae's light ball of death, leaving Tayshan to try and save himself.

"You're more persistent than I thought…! But you won't last forever! Give up now and at least guarantee you won't suffer in your ultimate demise!" Shantae (or whatever malevolent version of her that had manifested) 'offered,' showing no mercy as she kept on trying to kill Tayshan.

"Ghaagh…! SHANTAE! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD, WAKE UP!" Tay pleaded to her again as he slowly, but surely began to lose even more ground. The blast continued to completely eradicate everything around it as its sender poured more energy into it. "Is… IS THIS REALLY HOW YOU WANT THINGS T' END BETWEEN US!? WITH YOU KILLING ME IN A FIT O' BLIND RAGE BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T GET A GRIP!? Gyyaaaaaagh…!"

"SHUT UP AND ACCEPT YOUR FATE! THE PRECIOUS GENIE YOU KNEW IS LONG GONE!" the half-genie remarked, making clear that she was no longer herself in that moment.

"Grrgh…! F-figures that she'd pick NOW t' slip an' let that evil version of herself take over…!" Tay realized as his entire body began to crackle and jolt while veins protruded from every part of his body in his valiant effort to stop the blast from completely erasing him from existence. "If you can hear me, Shantae, then let me tell you one last thing…! Hrrgh…! It's one heck of a LETDOWN it is that you STILL can't control your temper OR the darkness inside you! I THOUGHT YOU WAS STRONGER THAN THIS! RAAAAAGH!"

"…Stronger…? You thought I was… st-stronger…?" Shantae murmured, though she still didn't let up on attempting to kill her own boyfriend. "Letdown…" she further mumbled, growing confused as her eyes began to rapidly flash between gold and blue… while her Heavenly Engagement Ring began to glow around her finger. "…But… I… have to be the strongest…! I… I have to… can't… let… down…! Can't… stop…! Won't… let him… down…! Must… destroy…him…! N-no… Save… him…!" At that point, it appeared that our fabled heroine had begun an internal battle with herself as she remained in place, still trying to force this deadly attack to incinerate its target. Tayshan wouldn't get a chance to respond, however, as his attention was entirely (obviously) drawn elsewhere.

"N-no…! I… I can't keep this up…! Hrrrraaaah…!" he urged himself as his arms began to shake and the blast forced him even closer to the wall behind him. "Gonna… have t' try one last thing…!" he murmured as one of his hands began to shine brighter, increasing in its power as it began to crackle even louder with *CHAKROCK* after *KRAZAK* of his remaining magic being concentrated into it. Meanwhile… m-meanwhile, his other hand had stopped glowing completely… and had begun to be disintegrated by the blast as it drew ever closer to him. "GHHRAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed in indescribable, searing pain as his arm was being scorched and eaten away by Shantae's magic attack.

"Ghah-hagh…!" Shantae grimaced and flinched, hunching over for a second as though she'd gotten a bad stomachache. "Oogh… Hah…! T-Tayshan…! He's… in trouble… Gotta… rescue him…" she murmured as her eyes slowly began to fade back into their usual blue shade… and she had finally begun to relent. It still wasn't enough to completely snap her out of it, however, as her partner still fought for his survival. Speaking of which…

"HYAAAAAAAAAARRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Tay roared like ten thousand bears as he concentrated most of his remaining power into his remaining hand, pulling it back and balling it into a fist overcharged with Dual Magic. He lowered his other arm, tackling the light ball with his shoulder and eliciting a mystifying *DWAKAKROOSH* before immediately stepping forth, grounding his stance as best as he could and just… RAMMING his fist into it with a thunderous, crackling *CHAKRAAAASH*. And wouldn't you know it? Though it took EVERYTHING out of him to pull it off, Tayshan managed to push the attack upward and off the ground! Never losing focus, he directed his energy-charged fist upward. Miraculously, he sent the light ball careening UPWARD as it went zooming with a *VWOOOOOORZZZZZH* toward the ceiling. Immediately following, the ball crashed through the ceiling with a *PRAKKROOOSH* as it began eating away at layer after layer of the palace's upper sections. It eventually smashed through the roof of the castle with a final *KRAKRUSHK* leaving a gaping hole before it exploded with a distant *papwoooorrrrssshk* in the air outside that caused the entire room to rumble like an earthquake had suddenly struck for the following few seconds.

"…Impressive…!" Risky Boots could be heard remarking in wonder as she and the other bystanders watched in collective awe. "In all my years, I've never seen anything like it… and yet… What's happening to his body…?" she murmured as she kept her eyes particularly glued to the compromised wraith. Speaking of whom…

"GHAHAAH…! HAH…! Hah… Hooh…! Ergh… Ghah…" Tayshan panted heavily, his entire body phasing in and out of existence as he recoiled from his lifesaving uppercut. He'd been drenched in sweat and dried blood, looking worse for wear as what little of his Pharaoh outfit he had left was reduced almost to ribbons. His Diamond of Devastation was nowhere to be found, leaving only the blood-soaked gold nose ring in its place. He had been trembling from head to toe as he stared at Shantae. And yet, he remained on his feet. Even better, his body retained its solid form after a few seconds. It seemed that he'd be okay. There was… one slight issue, however…

"Wait… OH, MY GOSH! H-HIS ARM! HIS ARM IS GONE!" an understandably frightened Harpy Gal pointed out as she and the other girls gasped and reeled back in shock. The revelation prompted the heavily injured ghost guardian to glance downward at his left hand… or at least, the blackened, cauterized nub where his left hand used to be…

"…No wonder I couldn't feel my hand…" he muttered through his labored breaths. "…Sh-shoot… ergh…!" he added, seeming too stunned to give a more emotional response to permanently losing a limb. Speaking of emotional responses, though…

"Wooh…" Shantae let out a fatigued, breathy moan in her regular voice as she shook her head and finally came back to her senses. "Jeez… I can't believe I lost it like that…" she further acknowledged, blinking a few times as she was looking at the carved-up, smoking ground under her feet. "Hey, Tay… Are you o…?" she was about to ask as she finally turned her head upward… to get a good look at the man she'd nearly destroyed. To say the half-genie was mortified was an egregious understatement. "T… TAYSHAN!" she cried out in horror, taking note of his heavily battered, one-armed form. She wasted no time dashing over to him to tend to him, still keeping in mind to coat her feet in magic to avoid puncturing them with broken glass. Yet, she would only get but so far before…

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" a feminine voice shouted as its owner, a particularly curvy (not to mention familiar) Harpy Gal came gliding in at top speed to try and attack Shantae with a *FWOOOOORSH* of a flying tackle.

"WHOA!" the half-genie shouted, narrowly avoiding being knocked for a loop by hopping backward. Her attacker, revealed to be Liasha, soared through the room, correcting her flight after missing her attack to land in front of an astonished Tayshan. She followed up by flaring her wings out, facing Shantae as though to protect him from her.

"H-huh…?" he hummed in surprise as Liasha stood her ground. She was soon joined by her surrogate daughter Kimalvi as the young Archer Girl sprinted in with a quiver full of arrows and her bow at the ready. She stood beside Liasha, arming herself as she took aim at Shantae.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing!? I'm on YOUR si-!" the heroine pushed through her surprise to try and protest as she witnessed her allies turning against her.

"That's enough out of you, you filthy traitor!" Kimalvi barked at the confused half-genie.

"Wha? What do you mean? I didn't do anything to hurt you!" Shantae tried to reason, though it didn't quite work.

"It's not about us! You almost killed the Unknown Hero and a bunch of our friends here! We saw it with our own eyes! You also nearly killed us as you CRITICALLY INJURED Enrique before you savagely blasted your way in here!" Liasha yelled, highly displeased with the lavender-haired adventurer's actions. "We won't let you take another STEP toward the Unknown Hero without facing rightful judgment for it! How could you betray him like that!?"

"N-no, no, you don't understand!" Shantae pleaded once more, her distress evident on her face as she realized the gravity of the situation. "I didn't mean to do any of it! I just meant to come in here to fight Risky and save Tayshan! I promise!"

"Then why is it that Risky Boots is over THERE while the Unknown Hero stands in front of you, MISSING PART OF HIS LEFT ARM after YOU tried to kill him!?" Kimalvi demanded to know, much to Shantae's dismay. The mortified genie was struck with soul-crushing guilt over having harmed her boyfriend, and especially to the degree that she had. It took little to no time at all for her wide-open eyes to water up as she wordlessly stared at the Archer Girl and Harpy Gal. "I have half a mind to put one RIGHT BETWEEN YOUR WICKED GENIE EYES FOR-!"

"Hey…" Tayshan wearily interrupted as he staggered his way toward Kimalvi and tapped her on the shoulder with his remaining hand.

"Hm? Are you okay, Mr. Unknown Hero?" the little girl asked, showing utmost concern as she dropped her stance and turned to him. Liasha did much the same.

"Yeah… You've been through quite a lot today," Liasha worriedly added. "I sincerely apologize for all the trouble my kin, our allies, and I have caused you. I promise you that this was not our idea to put you through such mayhem and disaster following our request of you to depose Khalid…"

"Trust me, I know… All o' this was HER idea…" he replied through labored rasps, pointing a finger in Risky Boots's direction as the lady pirate was being tended to by her Tinkerbats. "I won't hold anybody but Risky Boots responsible for this… but if y'all don't mind my sayin' it, I ain't… interested in replacin' Khalid as your king, nor do I plan on completin' any proliferation rituals. I… I just wanna go home with my girlfriend," he further remarked, stepping past his would-be bodyguards to approach the crying Shantae as she mirrored his actions, albeit more capably so.

"What? After what she did to you? Are you sure about that?" Kimalvi asked, seeming not to understand. "Why would you want to stick by someone who could hurt you the way she just did?"

"Because she didn't mean it, Kimalvi," he turned his head and patiently explained, addressing the girl by name to her abundant surprise.

"Y-you… You know my name…?" she asked, awed by his recognition of her as she dropped the original topic of their conversation in a heartbeat.

"I do… I remember rescuin' you back at the colosseum, an' Liasha there picked you up immediately after…" he confirmed, managing to also pleasantly surprise the curvaceous Harpy Gal. "But listen… This whole scenario in this room… was just a giant accident. Shantae's a good person, I promise you," he added before he turned and closed the distance, at which point he fell to a knee in front of Shantae. There, she immediately took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him into the tightest hug she could muster as she let her tears flow free.

"I'm sorry, Tayshan…! I'm so, so, SO sorry…!" she begged for his forgiveness through her sobbing as he hugged her back with the one arm he still had. "I'll never forgive myself for this…! I should've stayed in control, but I didn't! I'm sorry…!"

"It's okay, honey… I'm still here… Now, let's bounce before one of us passes out from exhaustion…" he suggested, though neither of them moved from their spot.

Meanwhile…

"Hmph. Looks like my work here is done…" Risky muttered as she wearily rose to a stand. "I didn't exactly… hrgh…! expect things to turn out this way, but at least the two of them will be out of commission long enough for me to execute the next step of my plan without interruption… This was a VERY NICE bit of impromptu research, though… Heh…" she added with a conniving snicker as she, with the assistance of her Tinkerbats, limped her way out of the throne room with hardly anyone noticing… except for one person.

"W-wait… Mistress Risky…" called Venus the Bat Gal through a whisper as she staggered her way over to the Pirate Queen. As she was being approached, Risky and her Tinkerbats left the throne room and entered a long, fancy, carpeted corridor that was rife with broken furniture, burn marks, and busted stained-glass windows through which the early evening sky could be seen. However impatiently, Risky stopped and turned around to meet the Bat Gal's gaze as soon as they were far enough away that no one would notice them missing or hear them.

"What is it?" Risky impertinently questioned, irritated that she was being halted from escaping.

"Is… is this really it? You're leaving when the two of them are ripe for the taking?" Venus asked, prompting Risky to glance at the genie/wraith duo hugging one another in the throne room before turning her eyes back to the Bat Gal before her.

"They're not 'ripe for the taking,'" Risky curtly explained. "Shantae might be injured and low on energy, but our efforts weren't enough to wear her all the way down like we needed to. Even in her current condition, she'd still make short work of us if I or my Tinkerbats tried to take her now in our condition. And there's no way she'd allow us to swipe Tayshan a second time so easily…"

"Ah… I-I see…"

"Right. Plus, I've got more important plans in the works," the Pirate Queen cryptically hinted. "Plans I expect to move forward with as soon as tomorrow. The sooner my crew and I can rest up, the better…" she concluded as she, with a snap of her fingers, prompted her Tinkerbats to proceed as they all turned around and continued making their way out of the castle. Venus wasn't quite done yet, however, as she ran ahead and blocked the dastardly captain's path. At this point, Risky's minions grew wary. Yet, Risky raised a hand to prompt them to stand down and make way. "You'd better have good reason to be stopping us from leaving, or else I'll-!" she was about to threaten.

"…Best of luck to you, Mistress… I'll cherish the time we spent together…" the Bat Gal… rather affectionately bade as she walked up and… and KISSED Risky Boots… right on the lips! It wasn't just a simple peck, either. Venus put a considerable amount of oomph behind her gesture, smooching the pirate captain as though the two had been dating for months. Caught off-guard, Risky flinched as her cheeks turned red. And as if she didn't make her point clear enough, Venus kissed Risky a second time, though with much more effort (as well as a more open mouth) as she pressed a hand to the Pirate Queen's cheek. Despite her surprise and evident disdain, Risky… didn't pull back. Instead, she remained still as she opened her mouth just a bit to let the Bat Gal finish her affectionate gesture. And… with a particularly wet, squelchy *pwick*, followed by the two women breathing a simultaneous sigh of pleasure as their tongues parted from one another, they finished. And whereas Venus stared longingly into Risky's face, Risky opted to grumpily dart her eyes to the side after a moment of gawking at Venus. She'd also lowered her head out of embarrassment as her blush intensified. Huh…

"…Tell ANYONE what happened between us here, and I'll have you stuffed in a barrel and tossed overboard in the middle of the sea. You got that?" Risky Boots threatened through a harsh whisper, shooting a flustered glare at the other woman. At that, Venus also blushed as she grinned and tried to keep herself under control.

"Yes, ma'am," Venus quietly agreed with a nod. "Any chance we may be able to link up again, though? I really want to spend more… 'quality time' with you…" she flirted as she wrapped her arms around the captain's shoulders and gave her an additional peck on the cheek.

"Don't push your luck," Risky firmly rejected the proposition as she shoved the frisky Bat Gal away with a hand. "There are enough eyes on us right now as it is with what they've already seen."

"We'll meet again in private sometime, then. Gotcha…~" Venus… interpreted, I guess as she stepped aside and let Risky and her crew be on their way.

"Hmph…" Risky grunted, giving no indication one way or the other as she collected herself and kept on walking… before stopping and turning to give Venus the one-fingered 'come hither' gesture. Wordlessly, the Bat Gal obeyed and approached, wondering what her mistress had to say. Risky leaned in close and… "Oh, and you'd best keep what we did together with Tayshan on the down low as well. No need to incite a riot with the others because we were the only ones to get even a LITTLE bit of action in the short time we had before a certain genie crashed the party. That, or incur the wrath of said genie that would unquestionably leave you dead," she whispered.

"Ah. Right. Excellent point, Mistress. Consider these lips sealed… perhaps with a kiss~?" Venus agreed and… flirtatiously asked as she leaned herself forward with an expectant grin. Risky responded by rolling her eyes at the cheesy request, though she didn't immediately reject the offer. Instead, the coconspirators parted ways with hardly another word… and one more quick *pop* of a smooch shared between them at the Bat Gal's request. Hm… The depths Risky would go to as long as it meant getting something she wanted. I don't even want to know what she and Venus were up to while Shantae was busy with her rescue quest gone awry… Speaking of which…

Back in the Throne Room…

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to stick around a bit longer? At least maybe to get that arm of yours checked out or to rest your weary heads?" Liasha asked Tayshan as he and a thoroughly dejected Shantae were about to step onto the Stage Clear platform that had appeared at the center of the thoroughly disheveled king's quarters. The other monster girls had gathered around them, watching on in varying degrees of wonder, intrigue, and concern as they all continued trying to make sense of all that had happened.

"No, but the offer's appreciated," Tay declined. "I've got a bed o' my own callin' for me back home, an' we've spent more than enough time here today. Good luck findin' somebody t' replace Khalid with, by the way."

"Wait!" Kimalvi called out as she pushed through the crowd to approach the wraith.

"What's up, li'l homegirl?"

"Can… Can I have your autograph?" she innocently asked, holding up a pen and a notebook.

"Kimalvi!" Liasha scolded in stark disapproval. "This is hardly the place or the time! Plus, it's insensitive, considering-!"

"It's fine. I'll sign it for ya. You're just… gonna need t' hold the notebook while I sign it if that's alright," Tay interrupted and permitted as he grabbed the pen.

"Yay!" the young Archer cheered before complying by opening the notebook to a vacant page and holding it up to him. "And can you write something like, 'to my best friend ever' next to it? I want to prove to all my friends that you and I actually know each other!"

"Heh… You got it," Tay agreed with as bright a grin as he could muster before committing to signing the page. "To my brave rescuer, my reliable ally, and my trusted friend Kimi… Keep on fightin' the good fight! Peace be upon you. -Tayshan the Tenacious, AKA the Unknown Hero…" he inscribed into the book before handing the pen back to the excitable little girl.

"YES! Yes, yes, yes, YES!" the Archer Girl continued to celebrate, literally jumping for joy as she reveled in meeting her idol. "Even better that you have a nickname for me! Kimi… I love it!"

"Glad ya do, Kimi," Tay acknowledged with a nod before turning toward his half-genie team leader. "Alright, we gotta get movin'. Ready, Shae?"

"…Yeah…" Shantae confirmed, though she remained dejected as she couldn't even bring herself to look anyone in the eye… least of all Tayshan. Instead, she hung her head low as her tear-soaked eyes radiated with shame and sadness.

"…We'll talk about what happened, but please don't keep lettin' this situation tear you up like it is. Okay?" he worriedly assured her, though it would have little effect.

"…" she 'replied,' gulping down a knot in her throat as she resisted the urge to cry again. At that, Tayshan sighed as they finally stepped onto the platform.

"Bye, Mr. Tenacious, sir!" some of the monster girls called out in unison as they waved at him.

"We hope to see you again!" some others further offered their wishes for future company.

"And even if not for a mmmrrrowsing 'Triumphant Patriarch' ritual, we would certainly love it if you graced us with your presence for a casual visit! Or even a vacation~!" a Leopard Gal 'suggested,' batting her eyes at him and kittenishly (pun intended) waving at him. "We'll 'try' to behave ourselves next time, but you're free to… 'indulge' in some carnal pleasures with any of us if you find yourself so tempted on your next trip to the Lucky Laces Lagoon~!"

"…Wha? What the heck are 'carnal pleasures?'" Kimalvi asked in curiosity while Liasha glared at the Leopard Gal who brought the subject up. In response, the Leopard Gal sank into herself and flashed a nervous, apologetic grin in the Harpy Gal's direction. "Is that like what happens when you really enjoy eating meat or something?" she further innocently asked, causing the Leopard Gal to stifle a highly inappropriate giggle at some random thing she found funny about the Archer Girl's question.

"…I'll explain it some other time, baby doll," Liasha dismissed with a sigh, hoping to end any discussion of the topic before the poor girl's mind was irreversibly corrupted. "For now, let's just uh… focus on seeing our heroes off, okay?"

"Okay!" Kimalvi thankfully agreed before both of them turned their attention to Shantae and Tayshan and joined the others in offering their farewell gestures.

"Heh… Rrrrrright… Well, once the coast is All Clear, we'll see about the next time we all cross paths, whenever that is…" he uncomfortably remarked, waving back as he and Shantae stood juxtaposed on the platform. And with a victorious fanfare and a sudden, sparkling *TWEESCH*, the Cosmic Couple vanished into thin air as they teleported back home, marking their mission as complete. At that point, the monster girls within the throne room were left to deliberate how they'd proceed with ruling their kingdom with a vacant King seat. And while some actively participated in the discussion, others opted to exit the chamber to retire for the night. Particularly, Liasha and Kimalvi chose to make their way home, though they took a minute to look up at the gigantic, multilayered hole in the ceiling. And after a moment of silence between them…

"Auntie Liasha, do you think Shantae is really capable of taking care of the Unknown Hero after what happened here?" the youngling questioned out of nowhere.

"That's a good question…" the Harpy Gal pondered. "But it isn't one we have any business answering, unfortunately. Shantae stands as the strongest hero of them all. But even with that and this misunderstanding about her intentions here cleared up, she's still got quite a ways to go before we know for sure that we can still trust her."

"True, I guess. I just hope that whatever it was that caused her to lose control of herself, she gets it figured out before she does something else she'll regret."

"I most certainly agree. For now, we can only hope for the best. That said, we will go and check on Enrique before you get ready for your archery class in the morning," Liasha suggested to Kimalvi's chagrin.

"Whaaat? I still have to go to that?" Kimalvi humorously complained as she groaned and sulked. "Didn't I prove that my skills are good enough by now with today's adventure? I'm tired of hanging around a bunch of amateurs that can't aim to save their lives!"

"Nice vocab word, but yes, you still have to go to your classes," Liasha put her foot down as she crouched, allowing Kimalvi to climb onto her back to hitch a ride. Afterward, the Harpy Gal/Archer Girl aunt/niece duo were on their way. "You did well today and I'm proud of you, but you still clearly need more instruction. Billiam might agree, considering he's down one eye as a result of today's little… escapade."

"Hm. Well, that big bully shouldn't have been chasing after us. That's his fault."

"Even so, Kimi, you know better than to aim at someone's face when they're not a true enemy," Liasha countered to Kimalvi's continued dissatisfaction. "He's gonna end up having a word with us later, so we both need to be prepared for THAT earful… You'll need to apologize to him, at least."

"…Ugh, tomorrow's gonna suck, man…" Kimi grumbled with a pout as she crossed her arms.

"Language, Kimalvi," Liasha warned once more. "We'll talk about where you've been learning all these bad words, but it can wait for now. But how about this for tomorrow: If you don't give anyone any issues, then we can go get ice cream after you're done class. Sound good?"

"Uuuugh, fiiine," Kimalvi groaned with a roll of her eyes as they made their way out…

And with that, my friend, we have reached the end of another DOOZY of an adventure. I don't know about you, but for me, this felt like FIVE adventures for the price of one! An airplane ride, a magic carpet dogfight, a toboggan race, a titanic battle for the ages with a most spectacularly violent conclusion, followed by a sudden kidnapping and search and rescue mission, topped off with a good old-fashioned spell of Boss Battle featuring our two main heroes… as OPPONENTS to each other! Oh, and don't even get me STARTED on how I feel about that finish! Whew… I'm gonna need a bit of a break after this one… but don't you worry, because I recover quick! I just hope Shantae and Tayshan do as well. Risky Boots is on the move and proved herself to be craftier than ever, and if she has her way, Sequin Land as we know it may be doomed sooner than anyone would even know! Tune in next time for the next enthralling installment, why don'tcha? Your company is always appreciated. Ta-ta for now~!