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!

31. Destructive Alliance

Chapter 11, Pt. 2: Destructive Alliance

Heyo, heyo, HEYO, HEYOOOOO~! Back atcha once again with another enthralling episode (of sorts) of the wacky escapades of your favorite heroes and villains (and antiheroes) that'll rock your socks off! …Erm, was that too much? Yeah, I thought so, too. I'll cool it down a bit next time. So anyway, we had last left off with the wonderfully mischievous half-genie Hashanah making an early and very violent entry into the Crackling Crystal Castle right around basically the break of dawn. She was there to vanquish monsters, take names, and collect her third Spirit Fuser fragment. Naturally. Her only problem up to this point, however… was that the feisty, ferocious pirate captain Risky Boots had much the same idea… only with less pieces in her possession and a TON more gratuitous violence involved. After each of them simultaneously and separately completed the puzzles unlocking the path to the Crackling Crystal Castle's guardian, they inevitably ran directly into one another. And the encounter was ANYTHING but cordial. But we'll get into that in a little while. First, I need to catch you up to speed on what our heroes were doing in the meantime. Sooo… Heeere we go…

At Tayshan's house in the early morning…

"Wow… So, you tried to kill him because you went cuckoo bonkers with your uncontrollable magic-induced rage, and then got more upset at him over your inability to put him down with a lucky shot like you do all the Bosses you fight?" a particularly adorable, curvy blonde-haired, pigtail-adorned, crimson-eyed young woman summarized as she closely examined a certain haloed ghost man's bandaged left arm. This young lady was dressed in a white midriff-baring tank top, a royal blue miniskirt, brown combat boots, a pair of eyeglasses, and a neat blue bow tied into the back of her head.

"That's a really reductive way of putting it… but… y-yeah… that's… basically what happened…" admitted a dejected Shantae, who had been sitting on the end of the couch opposite of Tayshan as he was being inspected. She had still been wearing her pajamas and appeared to be well-groomed, though she had been surrounded by a tissue box, a pack of throat lozenges, a thermos full of water on the floor, and peels of oranges littering the coffee table in front of her. It was also worth note that Sky, Rottytops, Bolo, and another blonde woman were there as well, each of whom had been seated around the coffee table a safe distance away from the sick half-genie. Evidently, we joined in right as another debriefing was taking place.

"Y'know, you could TRY to be a bit more sensitive to the issue, Twitch," Sky scolded as she glared at the Ammonian affiliate that was examining Tayshan's arm. Speaking of whom… he didn't seem to be in the best of moods either, as he kept silently switching his gaze between the floor and his amputated limb… and occasionally wincing and tensing up that arm like it was bothering him. He had been dressed in a pair of forest camouflage military fatigue pants and a matching forest green tank top.

"Can it, Squawks. I'm taking this just as seriously as everyone else is," Twitch defiantly shot back, not even bothering to make eye contact with the bird aficionado. Instead, she kept her attention focused on Tayshan. "Tay-Tay… are you sure you're okay?"

"…As good as I can be… ergh…!" he replied through another heavily pained wince. "I can still feel my missin' hand, though… It feels like somebody's beatin' it with a hammer despite the fact that it's not even there… It kept me up all night."

"That's called Phantom Limb Pain, sweetie," Twitch expertly deduced as she felt around the damaged portion of his arm. "Morbid pun aside, your brain hasn't figured out that your left hand is gone, so it's firing signals through your nerves to your left hand as though you never lost it. Under any other circumstance, you'd be dealing with that for at least a few months. Although, there have been cases where people have gone the rest of their lives never getting over it."

"Hopefully, that'll go away faster once we get this new arm on ya," the other yet-to-be-named blonde woman assured as she held onto a rectangular cardboard box that appeared to contain the prosthetic limb in question. This one appeared to be a bit taller than Twitch but equally as curvy. Her hair was styled into a bouncy bob cut, and she was wearing an orange leotard and blue miniskirt with brown gloves and boots, and she had pink face paint on that spanned from her blue eyes down her cheeks. "I just hope it won't be too long until you get used to it."

"One can only hope, Vinegar… One can only—agh…! H-hope," Tayshan acknowledged through another pained grunt. "But I can't really see anything changin' knowin' that I still gotta take that thing off when I'm not usin' it…"

"Ah, but that's the thing. It's going to be a permanent replacement," Vinegar countered. "As in, once it's on, it'll fuse to the end of your arm and be unable to be removed. Consider it a cybernetic implant, basically. It's just that the process, while quick… it isn't exactly painless, like I mentioned during our conversation last night."

"Ohh. I gotcha… Well, then… I can imagine dealin' with a few minutes o' pain from a metal hand bein' installed is better than bein' tormented for the foreseeable future by pain comin' from a hand that doesn't even exist anymore," he nonchalantly remarked with a tilt of his head. Little did he know, his comment made Shantae flinch with a sudden wave of extensive guilt as her eyes widened at him. Her look of surprise quickly turned into one of immense sadness as she began to well up. Her change in disposition didn't go unnoticed, however…

"It's alright, snack cakes…" a worried Rottytops consoled the crestfallen genie as she hopped up from her seat and hugged the lavender-haired heroine without regard for the possibility of getting sick herself. Shantae, while acknowledging Rotty's embrace, did nothing to reciprocate it in the moment. "We all know it was an accident. You don't have to keep feeling so upset over it. Besides, stud muffin isn't the only one with detachable limbs…" she further tried to reassure, though her comment wasn't necessarily well-received. In fact, Shantae ended up lowering her head in increased shame to the zombie girl's dismay.

"Smooth one, Rottytops," Bolo remarked from his seat as he shook his head, earning a most wrathful glare from the undead maiden as she held onto Shantae.

"Mind your own business, will ya!?" Rotty venomously spat, making Bolo furrow his brow at her. "You have NO business talking to me at all right n-!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Sky interjected to keep the scorned former lovers from lashing out at each other. And while neither of them said another word, they continued to stare at one another for another moment before breaking eye contact. At that, the bird trainer focused her attention on her best friend. "Anyway, Shantae… What we want you to understand is that we know you didn't mean for things to turn out this way. And… if it's true that the evil version of you really is still around… then just like last time when we faced off against her in your mind, we'll do everything in our own power to stop her from taking you over again. We love you just the same as we always have."

"…Thanks, Sky… Rotty… Bolo…" Shantae fought through an impending cascade of tears to offer her gratitude as she sniffled and shifted herself to a position of being able to return Rottytops's hug. In response, Rotty hugged her tighter. "I love you all, too… A-and I promise that I won't let myself lose control again. I CAN'T let myself lose control again… I'll make absolutely sure that I'll do better…"

"Shantae…" Tayshan called out to her, also worried about her as he looked in her direction. And while one would assume that the two of them acknowledging one another would lift her spirits… that isn't exactly what happened. As soon as Shantae turned to face her boyfriend… she immediately broke eye contact and fell into a fit of guilt-ridden tears, burying her face in Rottytops's shoulder.

"Shantae, come on…! It's okay, girl! We're here for ya…" a saddened Rottytops continued to offer her encouragement as she sat next to the crying half-genie, at which point the two girls hugged it out while Shantae continued to shed her woeful tears. Stunned, Tayshan could only watch with wide open eyes as his heart sank at the idea that she couldn't even look at him without being triggered into a dismayed crying spell. Within a few seconds, and while also paying no heed to the possibility of getting sick, Sky joined her friends to turn the sympathetic embrace into a group hug. Meanwhile, the wraith closed his eyes and sighed as he despondently turned his gaze downward… only for Twitch to cup his cheek and turn his gaze toward her, which caught him by surprise.

"You'll be alright, Tay-Tay," the bespectacled beauty assured as she got… JUST a little close for comfort while still cupping the haloed young man's cheek. "Once we fix you up, you'll be better than ever. And if it helps at all, you're still just as handsome with a prosthetic hand as you were when your original hand was there." At that, Tayshan let out a small chuckle as he steadily pulled away from the overly close embrace and patted the Ammonian affiliate on the shoulder with his right hand.

"Considerin' I walk around with all these nasty scars on my face, Twitch, my looks are the last thing I'm worried about in a situation like this," he remarked with as much humor as he could muster. "Thanks for the compliment, regardless," he added, prompting Twitch to shoot him a smiling wink. "Now, how soon do we wanna get this procedure over with? I'm as curious as I am frightened at the fact that I'm gonna become a cyborg in the snap o' two metal fingers."

"Ooh, firing up the pun machine already? Hah! That's the spirit, Tay-Tay!" Twitch cheered as she laid a hand on Tayshan's shoulder and shared a laugh with him. Vinegar, despite attempting to resist the urge, let out a chortle of her own as she approached her teammate and their mutual friend.

"Alright, that's definitely the cue to bust this bad boy out," Vinegar joked as she began to open the box. "No one is prepared for another ridiculous back and forth of wordplay this early in the morning. Any more, and it'll probably wind up killing everyone in here aside from Tayshan and Rottytops with endless cringe."

"Hm. Well, what can we say? Once the gears start spinnin', everybody's gonna want t' give it a whir. Oop! I meant 'whirl.'" Tayshan punned it up some more with another chuckle, eliciting more giggles out of both Twitch and Vinegar.

"And just like that, the games begin! Give this man a metal! Ah! Er, medal!" Twitch added to the sudden pun war to the tune of continued laughs.

"Heh… Good to know your sense of humor's still intact, bro," Bolo acknowledged through his own bit of laughter as he finally found the nerve to exit his seat and approach the Ammonian acolytes and his brother in arms… oh shoot, I just made a pun, too. Ugh, it's contagious… hopefully unlike Shantae's cold.

"Soon enough, it'll be your turn to mechanically engineer a pun of your own, Spiky. Last I checked, you were pretty good with metal parts yourself, no?" Vinegar teased Bolo, addressing him as 'Spiky' while also eliciting another laugh from him.

"Perhaps," he remarked with a smirking shrug. "Buuuut I will admit that my puns STEEL need some work," he cleverly remarked, getting Tayshan, Twitch, and Vinegar to laugh with him further.

"…Y'know, you guys could've tried to wait at least a single DAY before you all started making terrible puns about Tay getting a metal hand," Shantae finally spoke up as she ended her embrace with Sky and Rottytops… to reveal that she was trying (and failing) to hide a grin of pure amusement that shined through her puffy eyes, reddened nose, and tear-stained cheeks.

"Ya gotta hand it to 'em, though, babe…" Rottytops very cleverly snuck another pun in there. "They really know how to grab an opportunity when they see one. Besides, other people would give an arm AND a leg to be able to become part robot!" she punned it up some more as she removed her stitched right arm and left leg to emphasize her point. "Now, where do I sign up?" And at THAT genius transition, everyone started cracking up at the zombie girl's perfectly timed joked that absolutely did its much-needed part of lightening the mood.

"Whelp… That settles it. Rottytops wins again," Tayshan was the first to concede to the undead maiden's uncanny ability to conjure up the best puns. In response, Rotty made it a point to reattach her limbs, scooch on over to where the wraith was sitting, and high five him while sitting next to him.

"Hey!" Shantae protested evidently not ready to admit defeat just yet. "I didn't get a turn yet! And besides, however COG-nizant we are that Rotty's the pun queen, I still think everybody should get at least one chance to crank one out!" she added with another pair of powerful puns. And while most of the group laughed, Sky sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I'd hate to throw a Wrench in the works here, but I don't know for sure if I've got any puns in store that'd be good enough to Zinc ya…" she very slyly added, adding further to the festivities as everyone collectively enjoyed the bird trainer's genius word play.

"Alright, alright, I'll admit… That was a nice one, Squawks," Vinegar admitted. "But since everyone got a turn, I'm calling it here so we can finally skip to the fun part of this quick little hangout…" she added, pulling the contents of the box out… to reveal a sleek, shiny, onyx-colored robotic hand that had a portion of forearm attached to it. The prosthetic limb was shaped like a regular human hand, though you could tell by the hinges lined across each finger and the wrist, the inner socket, and the bits of wiring running through it, that it wasn't an organic hand. That, and well… y'know… the entire thing was black and shiny like something you'd see on a statue.

"Oh, wow… That thing looks so cool!" Bolo exclaimed in wonder as he, Sky, and Shantae gathered up close (well, close enough without risking getting anyone else sick in Shantae's case). "Looks like you really COULD become a real-life Sayvrax, man!"

"Ah, so you're a fan of Kyller Melee as well," Twitch acknowledged with a chuckle to Bolo's pleasant surprise. "Interestingly enough, the design was based off of that specific character. Embroidery City Industries also provides cosplay set pieces that can double as prosthetics, so we lucked out when we picked this thing up. Take a look for yourself, Tay-Tay!" she added as she took the accessory from Vinegar and handed it to the haloed young man.

"Huh… Wow…" he remarked, awestruck by the metal hand as he examined it closely. "It even looks like it's the same size as my right hand. Er… Someone mind stretchin' out the fingers for me, if y'all don't mind my askin'?"

"I've got it," Sky volunteered as she stepped forth and fulfilled the request. "Alright, go ahead and see how it measures up." At that, Tayshan pressed his right palm against the palm of the prosthetic left hand… and was ecstatic to see that the hand was a perfect match.

"It really IS the right size!"

"Thank goodness for that," Vinegar remarked with a sigh of relief.

"No kidding. This was the last one they had in this size," Twitch added with a smiling nod. "I don't even want to imagine what we'd have needed to do if it didn't match. But why don't you go ahead and try it on? See if it fits…"

"Er… sure thing," Tayshan acknowledged the request, though he grew a tad nervous. "Um… do I need t' take the bandages off, though?"

"Obviously," Vinegar bluntly answered with a sassy shake of her head. "It won't install correctly if it's not making direct contact with your skin, dude."

"Right… got it," the ghostly guardian recognized, though it only made him more nervous. "I just hope nobody here is squeamish. My arm in its current condition is… not exactly the most appealin' t' look at."

"I'm sure we can handle it, bro," Bolo assured. "It can't be that bad, right?"

"What an excellent choice of last words before you end up inevitably reacting in the most insensitive way possible," Rottytops wasted hardly a second to insult, prompting the handyman to shoot her a look of annoyance.

"Jeez, Rotty, gimme a break…" Bolo grumbled with a sigh of total vexation. "You don't have to be that harsh about it."

"Uh… Is there something going on between you two, Spiky and Brains?" Twitch asked with a raised eyebrow as she traded gazes with the bickering pair.

"What!? N-no, not at all!" Bolo nervously denied, though his sudden rise in body temperature gave him away. Rottytops also tried to hide the fact that she'd just flinched in discomfort by looking away. "Why do you ask?"

"Because the two of you have been at each other's throats this entire time since Vinegar and I got here," the bespectacled detective that was Twitch called out. "Dirty looks aimed specifically at each other, passive-aggressive remarks, constant arguing at every turn… You're acting like two exes who just went through the worst break-up ever."

"Gah!" Bolo was quick to grunt in continued surprise as he stiffened up. Meanwhile…

"Hardly. It's just the usual shtick of him saying dumb things he'll end up regretting later," Rotty nonchalantly countered, making Shantae, Tayshan, and Sky share uncertain looks with one another. "Tell me you don't know what I mean."

"Ah, ya got me there, Brains," Twitch agreed as she and Rotty shared a laugh at Bolo's expense… and much to his chagrin. "Just had to be sure."

"Yep! Anyway…" the undead young lady trailed off as she rose from her seat, practically raced to her fellow undead individual, and took the liberty of taking his left arm into her hands. "Shall I do the honors, stud muffin?" she asked, taking him by further surprise.

"Rotty, are you sure you want to do that?" Shantae worriedly asked before Tayshan could give an answer.

"Yes I am, snack cakes! I think it's safe to say I've got the most experience with this sort of thing, so it's only natural that I be the one to help him out here," Rottytops assured as she turned her full attention to Tayshan's arm bandages. "Alright, my love… Where do I begin?"

"…Start at the top an' unravel downward," Tayshan hesitantly gave his answer, though he seemed more concerned in that moment about his fellow member of the living dead's notable enthusiasm to help him. As such, Rottytops happily began to unwrap the ghost man's bandaged arm. She… seemed not to notice the curious looks being exchanged within the living room of the humble abode, however, as literally everyone shifted their eyes between each other like the zombie girl had begun speaking another language entirely. An awkward silence took over the room for a surprisingly long five seconds before…

"…So, is there something we're missing here, too?" Vinegar took the liberty of asking, though it only made the energy in the common area even more uncomfortable. "Because I'm kiiiiiinda getting a vibe…" she added as she looked none other than Tayshan square in the eye, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"I, uh… Why ya lookin' at me?" he barely found it in himself to ask back as he shifted his eyes between Vinegar, Bolo, and Shantae, after which he looked back at Vinegar and shrugged his shoulders. Silently, she raised an eyebrow at him before turning her scrutinizing gaze toward Shantae, who was still seated and scratching her head and sighing in vexation with her eyes closed. Additionally, her face was scrunched up in a look of impatience and disapproval. She then looked at Sky, who'd been narrowing her gaze at Rottytops while holding the prosthetic hand. Afterward, she turned her attention to Twitch, who'd returned her gaze. And before Vinegar needed to say anything…

"Trust me… I know," Twitch quietly remarked as though she was reading her teammate's mind. She'd also darted her eyes toward Bolo, prompting the taller Ammonian affiliate to glance over at him as well. And there, both girls noticed the blue-haired adventurer balling his fists up at his sides as he directed his own eyes to the side, looking at nothing in particular with a furrowed brow. It was at that point that Twitch turned her attention to the person she felt was most qualified in breaking the awkward energy. And from there… "So, I can tell you've gotten a lot more popular with the ladies, Tay-Tay!" she blurted out, causing everyone present to flinch in collective shock as they all directed their eyes toward the bespectacled beauty. Well, except Shantae, who had instead chosen to shoot Twitch a half-lidded glare of heightened annoyance.

"Wh-what do you mean by that!?" asked NOT Tayshan, NOT Shantae, but ROTTYTOPS as she suddenly paused at the last bit of unwrapping the wraith's arm… while a HIGHLY suspicious blush formed on her face. Certainly a most obvious tell that something was weird in the air, if ya ask me.

"Oh, nothing~!" Twitch assured with a giggle of pure amusement as she grinned at the undead young lady. "Just a little confirmation that you and I have more in common than I thought we did." At THAT point, Tayshan grew suspicious as he narrowed his eyes at the pigtailed commander. She responded by teasing him with a flirty smirk as she shot him a peace sign… which made him deadpan in disapproval that she ate up as she and Vinegar began laughing it up together. This bit of ribbing also drew stares of ire from Sky and Shantae.

"…I-I don't get it. What's so funny?" Rotty asked as she uncertainly looked around.

"Just the two of them being annoying again," Shantae cut in and shared without a second of pause, and with a notable air of frustration in her tone.

"Oopsies! I suppose you didn't appreciate that one, huh?" Twitch taunted the half-genie as she kept on snickering. "Lighten up a little, will ya, Hairball? It was just a joke!"

"Hmph. I remain unsurprised that you still carry yourself like a middle schooler with that oh-so-charming brand of immature humor," Sky flatly remarked, IMMEDIATELY turning Twitch's mood sour as the glasses-adorned young woman glared at her.

"Oh, you DEFINITELY don't wanna spark up THAT old fire with me, Squawks!" Twitch threatened. "You're the LAST person who should be flapping her beak and calling anyone out! Or maybe you need another reminder of what a shifty, backstabbing hypocrite you are!" To say that Sky was angered by Twitch's comment… would be a MISERABLE understatement.

"Really!? You SERIOUSLY think you have ANY place to speak after what happened last year!?" Sky shouted at the top of her lungs as she got in Twitch's face, prompting Vinegar to step in and hold Twitch back while Bolo rushed over and stopped Sky. "Don't you even DARE talk about 'backstabbing' when you're LITERALLY THE LEAST trustworthy person in this entire room! No, this ENTIRE TOWN!" Twitch scoffed as she redoubled her efforts to attack Sky on the spot.

"Twitch, hang on! Cool it for a sec!" Vinegar strongly suggested as she more strongly held her partner back.

"Why should I!? Clearly, a certain greedy, man-stealing HARPY wants to go another round, so I can clean her clock again! Ya hear that, Squawks!? Why don't we take this outside, so I can take those ugly rags off your head again and shove 'em up your-!?" she further threatened as she broke free from Vinegar's grasp and approached Sky.

"HEY!" Tayshan hollered out as he got up off the couch, causing everyone to freeze as they looked at him in collective shock. "Are we expected t' see this happen EVERY time you two are within ten miles of each other!?" he further scolded as he reached his left arm toward Twitch in a motion I presume was meant for him to grab her by the hand to separate her from Sky… until he realized that he couldn't feel her hand due to not being able to feel his hand. In that same extremely tense moment, his bandages fell off in front of her to reveal the charred, blackened nub where his appendage used to be. It took no longer than a second for his anger to turn to horror as he realized what had happened. Likewise, everyone else in the room except Shantae gasped once they saw the extent to which his arm was damaged. "…Uh…"

"…Jeez, Tayshan…!" Twitch spoke up as she worriedly looked at his arm. "I know you said the damage was bad, but you didn't say it was like THIS…!"

"Yeah, dude, it looks like someone went after you with an axe engulfed in flames…" Vinegar eloquently added. And though no one initially noticed, Shantae had once again shamefully sunk into herself as she failed to come up with any words with which to defend herself. Bolo, Sky, and Rotty merely stared at their mutual haloed friend's arm in their own degrees of shock. Tayshan, after acknowledging Vinegar's statement, shifted his gaze toward Shantae… only to see her fighting back another waterfall of tears as she tightly hugged a couch cushion and huddled into herself on the couch. At that, he took a deep breath and shook his head before stepping back to reclaim his seat.

"Alright, let's just get this process over with…" he candidly suggested as he gestured toward Sky with his right hand to have her bring the prosthetic to him.

"Y-yeah… Good idea," the bird trainer agreed as she approached, though she seemed hesitant to do so as she involuntarily kept her eyes locked on his compromised limb. Regardless, she closed the distance between herself and him, handing him the metal limb and stepping aside for everyone else to see.

"Thanks, Sky," he plainly offered his gratitude, to which she silently nodded. Afterward, Tay turned his gaze toward Twitch and Vinegar. "So, how do I put this thing on?"

"Well… The process itself is simple for this model," Twitch began as she approached him. "Just slip your arm into the socket and charge some of your magic into it. After a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes, the rest uh… takes care of itself…"

"…which means…?"

"…that the prosthetic hand will begin fusing with your arm," Vinegar finished, however uncertainly so. "But like we warned you about… uh… we heard the experience is ANYTHING but pleasant unless we were able to put you under some form of anesthesia. Unless your pain threshold is high, you're PROBABLY gonna either pass out while that replacement limb does its thing… or you're gonna be crying and wailing like a baby the entire time. No joking around this time, either. We asked around when we picked it up, and… that's what we were told." At that, everyone in the room

"…Fantastic…" Tayshan responded with utmost enthusiasm (read: DREAD) as he took a good, long look at the contraption that apparently stood a really good chance to bring him to tears of excruciating agony. "Whelp… Ain't like we got all day, so…" he added with EXTREME caution in his tone as he flipped the arm around to where it was facing the appropriate direction, held his left arm up, and… slid the prosthetic hand onto it via the socket. And at a glance, the metal limb really DID match the ghostly guardian's normal one in its size and proportion! It was just the color of the thing that gave it away as a prosthetic. "Well, it's a bit snug, but it's a good fit," he confirmed, pressing the limb on to make sure it didn't slip.

"We're sorry in advance that this wasn't more convenient… or less painful," Twitch offered her future condolences. "Er… Anyone wanna volunteer to hold him while we get this show on the road? He's… gonna need it. I'd totally volunteer myself, but uh… I'm probably not the best candidate for that sort of thing… heh. Kinda need my ability to walk and such…" It took a second of everyone peering around, though Sky quickly noticed Shantae not even attempting to offer herself as a volunteer. If anything, she witnessed her lavender-haired best friend freezing as though she couldn't push herself to speak, much less take up the task as she hesitantly stared at the wraith. As such…

"…I'll do it," Sky offered in a surprise show of volunteerism as she approached the haloed young man once more, sat next to him… and gestured for him to wrap his right arm around her for comfort. "Just… try not to squeeze the life out of me, hon. Okay?" she humbly requested as she wrapped her arms around him.

"We'll have t' see, dependin' on how this feels. But… okay. I'm ready," he assured, after which he gulped, breathed a shaky sigh, and focused as he pulled Sky closer to him. Meanwhile, everyone else braced themselves as they stood and watched, wondering just what kind of horror show they were in for. And with one more deep breath followed by a *VWOOOORZZZH* of Tayshan's magic activating in his left arm, the process was under way.

We're… PROBABLY gonna need to step away from this scientific/magical miracle in a second, but let me tell you for certain that you wouldn't have wanted to stick around anyway. Wanna know why? Well… You asked for it. Sooo… Yeah, the ghost guardian's magic flowed into the mechanical limb, causing parts of it to flicker and light up as it began to make a low humming noise. Soon after, the arm automatically began to slide itself further onto his arm… and began to vibrate. So far, so good. Instinctively, Tayshan pulled Sky even closer as the both of them, in addition to everyone else, glued their eyes to the artificial hand. Sky… MAY have gotten a bit hot under the collar, however, as a suspicious blush crept onto her face while she was holding her friend for reassurance.

"Huh… It kinda tingles…" Tayshan remarked with a nod, though he remained on high alert for when the fun part began. Speaking of which… "So, did anybody bring a stopwa-?" he was about to ask before a sudden, EXTREMELY gruesome *KRAISCHLK* rang out, causing EVERYONE in the house to collectively cringe as they engaged in varying degrees of shielding their faces. Everyone except Sky, of course, who was too busy immediately being pulled onto Tayshan's lap for a sudden impromptu one-armed bear hug of epic proportions.

"Gackh…! H-hey…! Too tight…! Too tight…!" the poor bird trainer pleaded as she tapped the haloed man on the shoulder to get him to loosen his grip. She… would find this effort to be rather futile, however. For you see, that mechanical arm had begun making additional disgusting, gut-wrenching *KRACK*, *SCKRISH*, metallic *WHIIIIRRRRRR*, and all manner of *KRSCKRSCKRISCHLISH* noises as though it was some kind of parasite trying to eat its host whole. And what of Tayshan's reaction, you ask? Weeeeell…

"…HMMMMMMMMMMRRRRRRRRRHHHRHHRHRRRRRRRRGH…!" he 'screamed' through gritted teeth, stifling it as HARD as he could while his eyes widened to the sizes of full moons and his gaze was locked on the floor beneath him. His entire body tensed up to the point of being engulfed in an involuntary *VWOOORSH* of Dual Magic so potent that it had even begun to flow through Sky… And get this: Sky had ALSO begun to glow in that same arcane aura as she stopped her squirming just enough to… ahem, have her chest pressed onto his face while he was squeezing the life out of her as he had half-promised NOT to do. The poor guy seemed almost catatonic as he basically went into some sort of extreme pain-induced trance as he also began to take rapid, shallow breaths despite being partially smothered by Sky in a most compromising way.

"Anh…! T-Tayshan…!" Sky managed to eke out as she tried to settle herself in and at least avoid being tickled by the wraith's rapid breaths into her chest. She was mainly focused on making sure to avoid getting her back broken from this oh-so-affectionate embrace of indescribable pain while the wraith's metal arm began slipping some sort of wiry tendrils into his skin. It continued to whir and twist and surge with magic, though it seemed to be a VERY slow process for this thing to fix itself onto him despite what was previously stated. Even better, droplets of red had begun to leak out from the socket of the arm…

"W-whoa! Shoot, shoot, shoot…!" Rottytops frantically cursed over and over as she scrambled to the kitchen to grab a bucket out from under the sink. She rushed forth afterward and hurriedly slid said bucket under Tayshan's new torture dev—er, I meant prosthetic limb. "So, is there like, maybe a way I can rescind my request for metal limbs if THIS is what to expect out of putting them on?" she dared to ask as she went back to shielding her face as the others (except for Sky and Tayshan) had.

"Trust me, Brains, this is the ONLY kind of prosthetic that does this sort of thing… urgh, I'm gonna be sick…" Twitch of all people assured, though she began to get queasy as her face turned green.

Yyyyyyyeeeeeah, they're gonna be there a while. So, while our S.L.A.P.S. squad watches one (two if you count Sky) of their members go through some of the worst physical torture imaginable, we're just gonna… Yeah, just… transition over to the Darker side of things to check up on Risky Boots and Hashanah. Y'know, since the two of them were about to become the best of friends and such…

Over in the Crackling Crystal Castle…

"HWAH!" Hashanah hollered out as she dodged a vicious *SCHWISH* of a sword swipe from Risky Boots, followed by the Pirate Queen chasing the rogue genie down a flight of stairs while trying to carve her into pieces. Never a dull moment around these parts, let me tell ya… So anyway, and as you can see, Risky Boots was hard at work attempting to murder Hashanah for basically no reason while Hashanah fiercely defended herself. *SCHWING* after *SWISH* after *KATRANG*, the bloodthirsty buccaneer rapidly swung her sword at her opponent while hitting mostly air and railings.

"HOLD STILL AND LET ME BUTCHER YOU INTO SHARK FOOD!" Risky angrily demanded as she cornered Hashanah at the front door and attempted another sideways *SCHRISH* of a sword swing.

"YAH!" Hashanah bellowed as she NARROWLY dodged the attack by ducking under it and cocking a foot back as she recovered. Soon after, and with a gut-blasting *KATHRASH*, she punted the other woman back a few steps. Resilient as she was, however, Risky recovered with hardly an issue. "Just LISTEN to me, will ya!? I'm NOT here to fight you! If anything, I'm sure our goals align with each other!" the renegade genie pleaded through labored breaths. "Let's call a truce and talk this out!"

"And what makes you think I'd believe ANYTHING a shifty, no-good genie has to say?" Risky rudely requested to know, not dropping her stance as she prepared to continue the battle.

"At this point, it's clear I need to convince you that I want to be on your side, but you're not giving me a chance to prove it! If… er, I-I can grant you a single wish if you agree to stop trying to kill me!"

"Unless you're a full-fledged genie who can grant me unlimited rule-free wishes, that offer is WORTHLESS!" Risky swiftly rejected with nothing but disgust in her tone. "I already know you're just another half-genie."

"…Oh. I see…" Hashanah remarked, barely containing her surprise that Risky Boots was aware of her.

"Yeah. Rumors spread quickly around these parts. And as a half-genie, you'd probably only be able to give something basic like a small amount of money or a single weapon that'd break on me anyway if I was to use that tawdry wish of yours at YOUR power level."

"Wha? H-how did you-?" the shocked Hashanah tried to ask as she reeled back.

"If you know who I am, then you know I've had more than my fair share of experience with genies… and especially HALF-GENIES…!" the Pirate Queen bitterly cut her enemy off to remark. "If it turns out you're weaker than that other pain-in-the-neck half-genie, which I'm sure you are, then your wish-granting ability wouldn't be able to give me anything worth asking for. Also, the last thing I'll do is sully my reputation working with ANOTHER one of you after the last time I had to!"

"So, you know more than I thought you did… crud…" she murmured in increased concern for her own safety before turning her attention back to Risky. "Fine, but let me tell you straight-up that I'm NOT Shantae! Not in the slightest! I don't want anything to do with her outside of taking her down once and for all! In fact, I HATE her almost as much as you do!"

"Oh? And your reason for that is…?"

"She's completely overrated, she's never accomplished anything worth the amount of credit she gets… and she especially has only been as much trouble to you as she's been because she gets lucky where it counts most instead of her ACTUALLY being anything close to a halfway decent fighter. It's to a point that I'm certain you could beat her without even breaking a sweat if you both fought on even ground. It makes me SICK how people idolize her and pretend like she's the most perfect specimen on this planet when she bumbles and flops her way to success with hardly a challenge in her way besides you. I'd personally like to see the looks on everyone's faces when she's finally knocked off her high horse like she deserves!"

"Ah, I see… Glad to know you recognize who you're talking to," Risky acknowledged with a smug grin and nod of intrigue. "And as for your reasons for despising Shantae… Tired of living in her shadow, I presume?"

"Correct. So… If you and I join forces, then I'll see to it that she NEVER has the chance to get the upper hand on you again," Hashanah desperately offered. "And instead of people singing praises in her name, they'll sing them in yours. I'll simply relish in the glory of being the REAL strongest half-genie Sequin Land has ever known."

"Well, then… This is certainly a development," Risky mused with a chuckle. "First, that dragon offers his allegiance to me, and now an actual half-genie is doing the same… My, my… Today must REALLY be my lucky day! Of course, I don't just jump at any opportunity to gain a new ally. ESPECIALLY not a half-genie. If you're really serious about helping me, then you're gonna have to prove yourself to make me reconsider collaborating with your kind once again."

"Thank goodness, she's actually listening…" the rogue genie muttered to herself with a sigh of relief, ignoring Risky's blatant discrimination before turning her attention back to the other woman. "In that case, sure thing. What do you want me to do?"

"Survive my onslaught…!" the Pirate Queen threatened, reentering her battle position as Hashanah's expression quickly shifted from one of relief to immense fright.

"Whoa, w-what!?"

"If you can take what I dish out for the next five minutes, I'll let you join my crew," Risky reiterated. "If you end up dead, then… well, you'll depart this world knowing you were given a chance and failed miserably. And DON'T expect me to go easy on you. Should you refuse my magnanimous offer, of course, I'll just kill you anyway. One less filthy genie to pollute this world, which I have zero qualms with. The choice is yours." At that, the nervous younger woman gulped as she contemplated her options.

"…The situations I get myself into… Honestly…!" a notably vexed and startled Hashanah muttered as she sighed and scratched her head. Yet, once she was done figuring out what she wanted to do… "…Fine. Five minutes is all it'll take?" she asked as she entered her battle pose.

"And not a second longer unless I feel like you're still unproven," Risky 'promised.'

"R-right… But you know we can't use magic in here if we expect to unlock the door to the final chamber. You really expect me to be able to give it my all with such a huge handicap?"

"No excuses. I know a guy who tends to fight with as little use of magic as possible despite his surprisingly vast stores of it and who relies on OTHER dirty tricks to get his way. Irritates the heck out of me, and he'll either become my servant again in due time or perish alongside his bratty wench girlfriend…!" the irritable lady pirate remarked, though the latter half of her statement was uttered through gritted teeth and with a balled fist before she recollected herself with a shake of her head. "Anyway, if HE can pose a decent challenge to me in such a way while not even being a genie, then you'd better be able to as well. Especially considering you are a genie. If you can't think outside the box or if it turns out you can't hold your own without magic, then you're as good as DEAD."

"…I feel like I know EXACTLY who you're talking about, but if you're comparing me to HIM, then I've REALLY gotta prove that I'm at LEAST better than him…!"

"Figures you'd be aware of him, too. How so? Rumors? Catch sight of him at some point or another?"

"…I fought him one-on-one twice… and he beat me both times…" Hashanah shamefully admitted, though Risky reacted with a look of wide-eyed surprise that she did her best to keep hidden.

"Hm. VERY interesting…" the Pirate Queen slyly remarked with a calculating smirk as she seemed to find another reason to pursue a certain wraith. "Of course, that doesn't bode well for you if you couldn't handle him."

"I've gotten stronger since then! I promise!" Hashanah was quick to counter. "Let me show you what I can do! I'm sure I can take him the next time I fight him!"

"That's the spirit. In that case, no need for further gab. Now, get ready…" Risky warned as she put her sword away, though she didn't wait before she charged at Hashanah. "HRRRRAAAAH!"

"Whoa, shoot…! O-okay, so we're doing this hand-to-hand, then! Got it! HYAAAAH!" the nervous genie observed and roared as she charged right back. And just like that, it was ON…

RISKY BOOTS VS. HASHANAH: EXTREMELY EVIL ENTANGLEMENT!

Good golly gosh, these girls wasted no time getting into it… Okay, so… DEEP breath… So, Hashanah and Risky Boots began their battle with a mighty *KRATHRASH* of their fists smashing against one another hard enough that it sent a small, echoing shockwave ripping through the room. Additionally, Hashanah found herself pushed back by a substantial bit.

"Gah…! Jeez, that hurt…!" the genie complained as she shook her aching hand, though she wouldn't get much time to recover.

"On your guard, genie! TYAAAH!" Risky bellowed as she rushed in and delivered a steel-bending thrust kick that Hashanah blocked with a *THRACK* of Risky's foot against her crossed forearms. The unprepared genie was sent hurtling backward by at least fifteen YARDS before she hit the wall with a sparkling *PLACK*. She wasn't ready to give up just yet, however, as she recovered and charged at Risky while the Pirate Queen kept up with her assault. With an echo-inducing *THRASH* of the women's arms colliding with one another, followed by a second, more powerful *DWEEARSH* of one of each fighter's knees banging into one another, they found themselves deadlocked in the tempestuous waves of combat. Within the next second, and with *THRACK* after *PRAAANG* after powerful, bombastic *KRADWOOORSH*, Hashanah and Risky Boots went to town.

The former guardian genie and the Queen of the Seven Seas were embroiled in a tornado of blows that had them bouncing and bashing their way all across the crystalline foyer. One could tell right away, however, that Hashanah was on the defensive to start off with. She had spent more of her time blocking and dodging Risky's numerous, rapid strikes while Risky continued to pour on pressure like she was ACTUALLY trying to kill Hashanah with her bare hands. She would prove this theory correct when Hashanah threw a hook that whiffed due to Risky ducking under it.

"Whah…!? No way…!" Hashanah grumbled as she recoiled from her attack as fast as she could… though Risky proved faster.

"Choke on THIS!" Risky roared as she came blasting upward with a fist cocked and ready to obliterate her opponent's jaw. And with a disturbingly loud *KRATHROCK* loud enough that the resulting shockwaves CRACKED the walls, Risky Boots sent Hashanah rocketing upward in excruciating agony.

"Khaaagh…!" the astonished genie grunted out in moderate pain as she was sent careening high into the air. She was quick to recover, though, as she performed a backward somersault and landed safely on the second floor. "Hrgh…! She hits like a truck filled with dynamite…!" Hashanah remarked as she massaged her aching chin.

"HRRRRAAAH!" Risky Boots roared once more as she poured an enormous amount of power into her pursuit. She took a couple of running steps before planting her feet into the glassy ground beneath her… and JUMPING high enough to reach the second floor in a single bound. She came up ready to obliterate, of course, as she performed a forward somersault to build up power into a powerful axe kick that could've ripped through titanium.

"YAAH!" Hashanah roared as she braced herself by grounding her stance and crossing her forearms above her head. And with another shockwave-inducing *DWEEERRRSH*, she managed to block her opponent's kick. Of course, one could tell how much strength it took for her to do so, as two gigantic spider web cracks formed under her feet from the five hundred TONS of force she absorbed from the impact. Not one to be done in so easily, however, the rogue genie ignored the searing burst of pain in her arms to grab Risky Boots by the ankle and, with one mighty whirl, fling her into the wall behind her. Risky went smashing through a crystal dragon statue with a resounding *KRAPLARKAKLAKLAARSHK* that caused a cascade of shards to rain down over her. "Guess now it's MY turn! HERE I COME!" Hashanah declared as she dashed forth with the idea to go on the offensive.

"Stronger than I thought, but not by much…" Risky muttered to herself as she effortlessly picked herself back up and dusted crystal shards off herself. Within the next second or two, Hashanah closed the distance and soared in with a jumping spin kick that the lady pirate blocked with a *THRACK* of her forearm against the genie's shin. Hashanah was quick to adapt, however, as she spun in midair off of Risky's arm while pushing that arm forth with her leg. She immediately followed up with a ghastly *DWOOORSH* of a follow-up spin kick that belted her enemy across the face and sent her stumbling to the side.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'M MADE OF!" Hashanah hollered, at this point getting into her groove as she charged at Risky and continued her combination with a *PLOCK* of a hook to Risky's chin, followed by a *THRASH* of her knee against the Pirate Queen's exposed stomach. Hashanah then flung her fist upward to send it crashing into her opponent's chin with another devastating *KAPROCK*. She finished up by jumping high enough to hook her legs over Risky's shoulders. "SOOOORRYAAAH!" she grunted as she leaned backward and, with a truly magnificent show of leg power, she flung Risky up and over herself in a fluent and skillful leg throw that sent the buccaneer flipping end over end toward the entrance of the Crackling Crystal Castle.

"Grgh…! Heh heh…!" Risky grunted and… evidently LAUGHED through torrents of pain as she tucked herself into a roll to gain control of herself in the air. And wouldn't you know it? She landed perfectly fine on her feet with hardly an issue! Hashanah, still feeling like she had the upper hand, went leaping downward over the rails of a set of stairs to try and pressure her adversary. She would soon come to regret this decision, however. Risky hadn't even bothered to immediately turn around, instead using the reflection of her enemy as she saw it in the castle wall to plan her next move.

"GET A LOAD OF THIS!" Hashanah shouted as she came barreling in from the air with her hands interlocked and cocked above her head as she attempted to axe handle Risky in the back of the head. Her effort came up short, however, as Risky Boots sidestepped the incoming attack at the very last second and caused Hashanah to completely miss. "Wha…!?" the genie remarked in complete surprise as the *WHIFF* of her hands hitting empty air registered to her. And just as she was about to recover from the failed maneuver…

"RRAAAAAAH!" Risky Boots howled at the top of her lungs as she cocked a leg back, took aim, and just… just utterly DECIMATED Hashanah with a brutal *BWOOORRRSHK* of a spinning kick that hit the half-genie in the face so hard that the resulting shockwave SHATTERED some of the windows and caused cracks to form all over the room.

"GYAAAAGH!" Hashanah bellowed out in understandably immeasurable anguish as she was sent BEAMING across the room. She smashed through another statue with another resounding *KAPLAKLAKLAKLARSCH* before hitting the wall behind her hard enough to put a human-sized DENT in the crystalline wall behind her with a sickening *PLARSCK*. Risky wasn't quite done yet, though. The sadistic Pirate Queen raced ahead, paying no heed to the millions of glassy, rocky shards of crystal littering the floor as she closed the distance between herself and her heavily dazed opponent. And once she got to her…

"NO TIME FOR SLEEP, GENIE! YOUR PUNISHMENT HAS ONLY…!" Risky began as she grabbed Hashanah by the throat and lifted her up high with one hand. She then turned around, flung Hashanah into the air, cocked a fist back, and… "BEGUN!" she finished her statement as she threw a MASSIVE haymaker that buried itself into Hashanah's stomach with another echoing *KADWOOORSH*. This was immediately followed up by Risky beginning a rapid barrage of punches that, with *PLOCK* after *PLACK* after *THWOCK* after gut-busting *DWOOSH*, kept the unfortunate strawberry blonde-haired woman suspended in the air with every debilitating impact. Mind you, Risky was also running at full speed while tormenting her adversary with this bullet rush of blows to keep the pain coming. After so long, however, she landed one final, especially powerful *KAPRACK* of a punch to Hashanah's stomach that sent her flying across the foyer once again, where she hit the front door with another crack-inducing *PLAKLARKSCH* before falling to the floor on her hands and knees.

"Ghaah…! Kahahgh…! Hah…!" an entirely breathless, sweat-bathed Hashanah hacked and coughed as she did her best to collect herself. She was in bad shape for certain as her limbs shook under her and she struggled to even remain conscious.

"Aw, is that REALLY all you've got when you can't use your magic to bail you out? HAH!" Risky mocked before cruelly cackling at her opponent's misfortune. "You half-genies really ARE a pathetic bunch! And to think you had ANY hope of joining forces with me with such a humiliating display of weakness and incompetence! Either get back up and fight or lay there and let me finish you off, ya lily-livered wench!"

"…Grrrgh…!" Hashanah growled with such animalistic ferocity that one would've thought she'd morph into an enraged jaguar right then and there. Her rapidly building anger became evident when her hands became engulfed in wisps of dark purple and black… with crackling spurts of blue electricity.

"Well? Am I to take your pitiful groveling over there to mean you want me to kill you?" Risky taunted again, which served only to make Hashanah even angrier.

"Grrrrgh…! That…That DOES IT…!" the rogue genie warned as she pushed herself up into a weary, yet VERY aggressive stand as she struck a battle pose.

"…Huh? Her hands… That power…" the Pirate Queen stopped her gloating to notice as her expression changed to one of wide-eyed shock. "This half-genie uses DARK Magic!?"

"FORGET THESE STUPID RULES! I'M GONNA BEAT YOU TO A BLOODY PULP!" a thoroughly outraged Hashanah threatened as her magic came flowing through her at full force with an awe-inspiring, suffocating, crackling *FWOOOOOOOOOORRRRRSSSHHH* as her entire body glowed and surged with Dark Magic… Or at least, it SHOULD'VE been Dark Magic. I say this because within the wisps of black and purple in her magic aura… were definite surges of light blue and white. Yet, before anyone got the chance to wonder about the anomaly, Hashanah blitzed ahead without a care in the world for the fact that she had forfeited the Crackling Crystal Castle challenge by using magic before reaching the guardian. Given that it was Risky Boots she was fighting, however, she may not have had any other choice… Nevertheless, Hashanah lunged at an increasingly astonished Risky and delivered a magic-charged punch that Risky caught in her hand. The resulting, crackling *DWEEEERRROOOOSH* was enough to push Risky back a few inches while sending another shockwave ripping through the room that damaged the walls, the stairs, and even some of the doors.

"HRRRGH…!" the Pirate Queen grunted as she put forth considerable effort to avoid being overwhelmed by the rogue genie's unprecedented power. "This magic signature… it feels WAY too familiar…!"

"TORRRAAAH!" Hashanah roared as she cocked a foot back and attempted to deliver a lighting-swift kick that would've sent Risky shooting through the roof the extremely tall crystalline structure that was the Crackling Crystal Castle. Yet, Risky managed to block it with her shin. Of course, the resulting *DWEEERSH* caused Risky to be sent hurtling back a few more steps while another shockwave rocked the castle foyer.

"Ghaaaaaah…!" Risky Boots groaned, sucking air through her teeth as she registered the incredibly painful, shocking impact of Hashanah's attack. "Even for this girl using Dark Magic, there's something really off about it…! Is… is it possible this half-genie ALSO has the same power as him…?" she asked herself, though she wouldn't get much time to research the inquiry as Hashanah aimed a hand forth and summoned up a ball of electricity-spewing Dark Magic with crackling surges of blue electricity.

"TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah announced the name of her signature technique as she fired it off with a frightening *KAPWOOOOOORRSSSH* with the full intent to fry her opponent to a crisp.

"SHRYAAAH!" Risky hollered as she hurriedly drew her scimitar and SLICED RIGHT THROUGH the Tyranny Blazer with a stunning *KASCHWEEEERSH*, causing it to dissipate into crackles and sparkles of electricity in the air.

"WHAT!? She… She just…!" Hashanah remarked in complete shock, though she couldn't quite find the words to describe how flabbergasted she was at Risky's impressive show of strength.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, ya rowdy scalawag! It's a pleasant surprise to see that you command Dark Magic without it driving you completely insane, but it won't be NEARLY enough to overpower the Queen of the Seven Seas!" Risky Boots confidently warned, pointing her scimitar at the powered-up half-genie. "But since you wanna play hardball now, let's see how you handle me when I get SERIOUS! HRRRRAAAAAAAH!" she further challenged before, with an even more astonishing *KRAFWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSH*, she summoned up her own Dark Magic aura. The burst of her magic was so insufferably powerful that it actually caused Hashanah to flinch in surprise as she was pushed back by the sheer presence of Risky's aura. The entirety of the room also rumbled and quaked like an earthquake had hit, and the very air around them spiked in temperature to the point of the air around Risky Boots bending and wavering like she was harnessing the power of the sun itself!

"…Y-you've gotta be KIDDING me! How the heck could Risky Boots be THIS strong on her own!?" Hashanah asked herself in seemingly a state of near-panic as she took in the sight of the powered-up Risky Boots in all her malicious glory. "I thought these Spirit Fuser guardians were rough enough… but between her, and Shantae, and Tayshan, I… I'm starting to think I bit off more than I could chew here…!" As she vocalized her doubts about her situation, Risky Boots finished powering up with a deafening *CHAPROCK* of her aura popping off before the wind surrounding her settled down… and she found herself coated in wisps of the darkest shades of purple and black light.

"Well, then… I'm properly fired up right about now," Risky casually informed Hashanah as she stretched out some kinks, took a deep breath, and readied herself for the next round of their confrontation. "You've done surprisingly well so far, but you've still got just a little more to go. After we're finished, I'd like to ask you a question or two about your powers." Hearing this filled the half-genie with both relief… and dread at the same time.

"O-oh! Er, sure!" a notably nervous Hashanah acknowledged, doing her best to hide her surprise at Risky's proposition. "So… D-does this mean I passed your test?"

"You'll know the answer to that question if you're still breathing by the end of this," Risky shot back, wiping out any sense of relief Hashanah previously had. "Now, get ready. I'M NOT WAITING A SECOND LONGER! SHYAAAAH!" the Pirate Queen announced as she dashed at Hashanah, scimitar in hand, faster than the naked eye could track.

"W-whoa! NRAH!" the astonished genie grunted as she reacted with JUST enough time to block Risky's first sword swing with a *KATRINK* of the blade against a ball of Dark Magic charged into her hand. The swing was powerful enough, nevertheless, to send Hashanah sliding back a few inches as she BARELY kept from being sliced in half. "Hrrgh…! W-wow…!"

"Good start, but you're gonna be in a WORLD of hurt if you hold back at this point! YARRRRAAAH!" Risky taunted as she swiftly pulled her sword away and took another *SCHWISH* of a horizontal swing that Hashanah dodged by ducking under it with JUST enough time that Risky sliced some strands of hair off the other girl's head. She followed up with a lightning-quick thrust kick that Hashanah managed to block with a *THRACK* of Risky's foot against a forearm.

"Can't let her pressure me the entire time…! TOSHYAAAAH!" the determined genie yelled as she grabbed Risky's kicking leg with one hand to keep her off-balance, followed by her leaning in with her free fist cocked back and charged… not with Dark Magic, but with a crackling surge of DUAL Magic that she hadn't even noticed.

"Wha-!?" Risky tried to remark in shock as she was dragged toward her opponent faster than she could anticipate. Before she knew it, and with an utterly THUNDEROUS *KRADWOOOOOWWAAAARSH*, Hashanah landed the hardest punch she had ever thrown… RIGHT in the face of the Queen of the Seven Seas. "HWAAGH…!" Risky grunted as she was sent BULLETING across the foyer from the front entrance… beyond the second floor… beyond the THIRD floor… all the way to the gigantic double doors at the other end, where she hit them with such a jarring *PLAKAKRISHH* that she CRACKED them on impact before falling to the floor beneath her. And after a moment of wide-eyed, speechless shock on Hashanah's end…

"…Okay, WHAT!? How the heck did I just…? Huh…?" she began to ask herself as she turned her attention to her fist… to see that it was surging and burning with a mixture of bright blue and dark purple while crackling with *TROCK* after *KRAZZAAKAZAP* of furious electricity. "J-jeez…! This Double Magic power again… Hah…! I still can't rein it in, and it's going completely haywire… I-I didn't think that just the tiny sample I got from him would be so potent…!" she pondered as she shook her charged up hand to get herself together. Meanwhile…

"HWWWAAAARRAAAAAAAAH!" a THOROUGHLY infuriated Risky Boots exploded as she, with a *BWOOOORSH* of magic charged into her feet, made a mile-high, mile-long leap from her position at the other end of the foyer with her sword held high and ready to slash and gash the half-genie to pieces.

"Oh, boy! HYAAH!" Hashanah frantically remarked as she used the VERY TINY amount of time she had in that moment to dodge Risky's sword swing as the blade hit the ground with an echoing *TRINK* that left a long, narrow cut in the crystalline floor. In the midst of her dodging, she could see the dark purple knuckle-shaped bruise forming on the Pirate Queen's cheek… as the Pirate Queen glared at her with such an intense and vitriolic hatred that her veiny ruby eyes were GLOWING with anger.

"HORYAAAAAH!" Risky roared loud enough that people in Scuttle Town could probably hear it (provided they're not already listening to Tayshan screaming his lungs out over getting that prosthetic arm of his installed) as she spun around as quickly as she could and landed a mighty *KATHRASH* of a knee against Hashanah's stomach that sent the astonished genie flying backward.

"Hrah-hhaaaagh…!" Hashanah coughed, registering the tidal waves of torment that came from being kneed in the stomach at the speed of a cannonball fired at point-blank range. Despite this, she managed to remain on her feet, clutching her abdomen as she landed. Risky would not relent, however, as she raced forth and swung with a *SCWISH* of her glowing sword at Hashanah's neck. Hashanah BARELY managed to avoid being decapitated on the spot as she leaned back JUST enough that she could practically whiff the stench of warfare on the other woman's weapon. Risky then swung vertically downward with another *SCHRIING*, which Hashanah rolled out of the way to dodge, though she ended up in a prone position on the floor. The murderous matriarch of madness that was Risky Boots then leapt forth and tucked her scimitar under herself with the blade pointed downward to try and basically NAIL the half-genie to the floor. "WHA-HOW!" Hashanah bellowed in fright as she rolled out of the way and back onto her feet while Risky's blade sunk with such a powerful *TRIKRINK* that sparks flew off the blade as it sunk a good few inches into the ground.

"You're faster than you look, but you won't escape from me! TYAAH!" Risky threatened as she set her feet back on the ground, pulled her blade out of said ground, and charged at an increasingly desperate Hashanah.

"Gotta get her off me and at least buy enough time to form an energy weapon…! TYRANNY BLAZER!" Hashanah urged herself and announced as she aimed a magic-charged hand forward. With another crackling *KAPWOOOOORSH*, she fired off her magic projectile at Risky with the idea of at least slowing her down. This time, however, Risky sidestepped the blast as it careened into the wall behind her and exploded with a harmless *CHAPWOFF* against it. "Shoot!"

"TAKE THIS!" Risky shouted as she slashed the air in front of her horizontally while her blade surged with power, sending forth a *CHIZWEEEERRNG* of a purple crescent-shaped energy wave headed RIGHT for Hashanah in a heartbeat.

"Figures…! HRRRYAAAAAH!" Hashanah remarked as though she expected to be put under such ridiculous pressure as she charged herself up with what she thought was exclusively Dark Magic… only to be engulfed once more by a *KRAKAFWOOORSH* of Dual Magic that was mostly dark in nature, save for sparks and wisps of Light Magic that seemed to amplify her Dark Magic. Going on impulse, she spun around and sliced through the energy wave with a downward swing of her arm that dissipated the attack with a startling *SKRISSSHK*. It was from here, however, that Risky Boots let her temper flare. She closed the distance and clashed with Hashanah, emphasized by a *KATRIKLIKLIRRSH* of her blade against the genie's Dark Magic-infused hand. Risky swung again and again and again in all manner of directions, finding her attacks either dodged or parried by Hashanah as the two entered yet another tango of turbulence all over the Crackling Crystal Castle's foyer.

*SCHWIIING* after *SCHWISH* after *TWAAAANG* after sparking *TAKRAAASH* after magic-fueled *KATHROKRAZAAAP*, Hashanah and Risky Boots went to war for what was supposed to be a high-stakes sparring session between the two of them. They had rapidly traded blows and positions as Risky Boots chased Hashanah around the room with all manner of sword swings, kicks, and even the occasional elbow as the girls fought up and down the multiple flights of stairs, and even in and out of some of the rooms they had previously raided. Meanwhile, Hashanah was focused on keeping up a steady defense as her magic held as strong as she could manage. She landed counterattacks sporadically as she also tried to gain better control of her magic as it began to act up, flickering rapidly between Dark and Dual Magic. The troublesome phenomenon caused her to exert more energy than she wanted to, though she kept her head in the game. Seriously, the two of them were going at it like the winner would be granted automatic rulership over the entire planet! It wouldn't last terribly long, however, before…

"GYAAAHAGH…!" Hashanah grunted in debilitating pain as she blocked a strike from Risky's elbow as the two reentered the foyer from the room Hashanah first entered. Her shout of pain came accompanied with an electric *KRAKAZZOK* of purple and blue electricity running through her entire body. "Ghaaaah…! What the heck…!? What's going on…!?" she further asked, gasping for air all the while as she registered stings and stabs of pain across the board. And yet, rather than take the opportunity to strike the genie down once and for all…

"…Hm. So, that confirms it," Risky remarked through labored breaths of her own as she stood over Hashanah and placed her scimitar at her side. It appeared that the insane exhibition match was over as the Pirate Queen and the rogue half-genie took the moment to gather themselves. Yet… "That magic you were using… How did YOU of all people manage to harness it?" she demanded to know, caring nothing for Hashanah's condition as the genie found it in herself to steadily shake off the paralysis effect that stemmed from her overdoing it.

"Gah…! Mmmph…!" she winced and grunted once more, though she was able to raise herself to a weary stand and take a deep breath before facing the inquisitive Risky Boots. And once the two locked eyes… "Do… do you mean how I'm able to use Dark Magic?"

"I couldn't care less about THAT at this point!" Risky impatiently barked, making the other young woman flinch in shock. "I mean that OTHER magic you were using! You seem to have some limited command of Light Magic combined with Dark Magic. How did you gain that ability?"

"O-oh… S-so you uh… you noticed…" Hashanah worriedly remarked, evidently not wanting to reveal her trump card as soon as she did.

"Yes. I noticed. Now, tell me what I want to know before I use this sword to give you a Dead Man's Necktie…!" she darkly threatened, reaching for her sword and daring Hashanah to stall any further.

"O-okay, okay! I… I have access to some of the pieces of the Spirit Fuser," she frightfully admitted as she looked Risky in the eye, soon after which she watched the Pirate Queen's expression shift from one of anger to one of mild surprise. "I presume that's why you're here, right? You're looking to collect the five fragments of the Spirit Fuser, too?"

"…I am. What of it?"

"I have two of the fragments… a-and one of them allows me to absorb the life force and magic of almost anyone or anything I use it on with the exception of genies and shrine guardians. But with the single piece as opposed to the entire thing put together, it can only absorb but so much…"

"That all makes sense, considering the thing's called the SPIRIT Fuser. Odd that genies are exempt from its effects, but it hardly matters as long as the appropriate 'candidate' is viable."

"Wait, what? What 'appropriate candi—!'" Hashanah tried to ask.

"Now, I'll go ahead and guess this is where you reveal your big secret about how you're able to use both Light and Dark Magic at the same time. Right?" Risky cut her off to pressure her into spilling some important details about the nature of her magic.

"Oh. Er… Y-yeah. Ya see, I uh… well, I guess I'll come right out and share with you that I battled against the only known user of that kind of magic in a place called the Burning Zipper Volcanic Field the other day… it happened to be the second of my two direct encounters with him," Hashanah confessed, getting Risky's full attention in the process. "…and I was lucky enough to catch him off-guard and absorb just a little bit of his power into the Spirit Fuser fragment I had on me at the time."

"Ah, now THAT'S fascinating!" Risky remarked in highly increased intrigue.

"I had a feeling you'd like hearing that. But here's the thing… I've absorbed entire monsters into that fragment. Leopard Gal, Scorcher Hawk, Thrasher Rhino… even the right-hand assistant of the guardian of one of the five Spirit Fuser shrines. All of them are powerful beings in their own respective rights. But when I tried to absorb Tayshan into it, the fragment seemingly capped out after only taking a tiny amount of his power. I haven't been able to absorb anything else since then, and the sample I absorbed for myself is extremely hard to control… It's to the point that it's even messing up my ability to use the forms of the monsters I absorbed…"

"Hm… I can't say that surprises me," Risky shared as she pensively crossed her arms, instead surprising Hashanah with her nonchalant reply.

"It doesn't? How?"

"Because there's something strange going on with him, from what I can gather," the buccaneer hinted. "That unnatural magic he's been using has been growing stronger… more destructive… and dare I say, more unstable with the longer he continues to wield it. It's to be expected that you'd end up having trouble controlling it, too. Also, unless you've been living under a rock, I'm certain you're aware of a little… 'incident' that occurred in the Lucky Laces Lagoon just yesterday involving Mr. 'Subject Zero.'"

"I… I'm unfortunately not aware," Hashanah revealed to Risky's irritation. "Or rather, I'd heard that some huge explosion happened that resulted in the demise of the legendary King Khalid in his own colosseum. That's all I know, though I'm not sure I believe the hearsay…"

"Hm. Well… What would you think if I told you… that Tayshan was the one who caused the 'explosion' that did Khalid in? Or that he killed Khalid without Shantae's help?" At that, Hashanah went bug-eyed in complete disbelief.

"Wh… WHAT!?" she bellowed at nearly the top of her lungs. "That's impossible! I mean, Khalid is supposed to be IMMORTAL, not to mention one of the most powerful titans in all of Sequin Land! No, this ENTIRE WORLD! And you're telling me…"

"That Tayshan slaughtered that gigantic oaf like the oversized pig he was," Risky confirmed with utmost confidence. "He killed the unkillable with an advanced form of the very same magic you displayed to me today." Even still, Hashanah couldn't believe it.

"That… That CAN'T be true! Tayshan is strong, I'll admit, but he CANNOT be THAT strong! How do you know if what you heard is accurate in the slightest?"

"Because it isn't something I heard; it's something I SAW with my own eyes. In fact, I'm the one who secretly set Khalid up to fight him in the first place. Partly to see what he was capable of after my last battle with him, and partly to distract him and Shantae from the hunt for these Spirit Fuser pieces since they're on the lookout for them, too," Risky proudly divulged to Hashanah's never-ending shock. "I bore direct witness to their battle from start to finish, sitting right next to Shantae herself while I was wearing a disguise to keep my identity hidden. And she could tell you as certainly as I am that Tayshan vaporized Khalid where he stood, vacating the throne of the Lucky Laces Lagoon for the first time in thousands of years."

"OH…! Oh, wow… Ohh… wooowww…" the rogue genie droned over and over, shaken to her core at the revelation as she momentarily shifted her gaze to the cracked, debris-riddled floor.

"Indeed. You'll get more details on that little excursion later, of course," Risky concluded on that point, aiming to shift the conversation to another topic. "For now, I find it impressive that you managed to siphon off some of his power during your most recent battle with him."

"…Trust me, it wasn't easy… At the time, he was wearing these weird bracelets that I was told were purposed for limiting his power, and he still put up a much tougher fight than I expected him to…" Hashanah shared to Risky's mild surprise. "I managed to break one of the bracelets and take it with me, but that's… uh… that's when I found out for myself that he was hiding his real strength."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…"

"Huh… And what did the bracelets look like?"

"Like the ones Shantae normally wears, but they were silver instead of gold."

"You're kidding!" Risky remarked in a level of shock that caught Hashanah off-guard.

"Ah. I wasn't expecting that reaction. I… take it you've seen those bracelets yourself?" the genie carefully asked.

"I have. In my battle against him a couple weeks ago, I pushed him to the point of needing to remove one of those power-limiting vambraces on purpose to stand a chance against me," Risky told… something of a half-truth, though you didn't hear that from me. Nevertheless, Hashanah's eyes widened once again. "I did what I had to do to hold the edge over him, but it was a rough encounter without a doubt."

"I see… Judging by your strength as you've shown me here, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're able to go toe-to-toe with him when he's not holding back. I take that to mean you're stronger than him?"

"As if you even need to ask. Of course, I am," Risky blustered with a most self-assured smirk. "But enough about that. Where might that busted bracelet be?" she prodded, swiftly changing the subject once again.

"Unfortunately, not with me," Hashanah admitted, her tone growing heavy with guilt as she gulped down a knot in her throat. "Last I remember, I left it in a… certain place with a former ally of mine who's… uh… w-well, my former ally disposed of it and is no longer in the picture…"

"Ah. Well, whatever," Risky remarked with an uncaring shrug, though she seemed a mite disappointed that Hashanah didn't have the stolen Inhibitor Vambrace with her. "The important thing is that we seem to have similar interests for this Spirit Fuser relic. Granted, I haven't a clue what a half-genie would need it for, but I'm sure you'll tell me."

"…I planned on using it to become the most powerful half-genie in the world…" Hashanah reluctantly admitted. "Strong enough to defeat Tayshan… and ESPECIALLY strong enough to defeat Shantae…!"

"So, our goals DO align with one another! Excellent!"

"Hm? What do you mean? And… why exactly are YOU interested in the Spirit Fuser?"

"That's none of your business as of right now, but you'll find out in due time," Risky denied such classified information despite intimidating her prospective ally into revealing her goal first.

"…Of course…"

"Glad to hear no objection from you. Anyway, I'll go ahead and let you know that you passed my 'test.' Welcome aboard, my new half-genie partner in crime!" the pirate captain enthusiastically extended a job offer in the form of a hand held out toward the former guardian genie.

"Oh! Uh… Y-yeah! Pleased to earn your blessing, Captain!" Hashanah gracefully accepted the offer, sealing the deal as she shook hands with Risky Boots to make their Destructive Alliance official.

"Wonderful! By the way, what was your name again?"

"Hashanah."

"Hm. How very plain and generically genie-sounding," she dismissed to the half-genie's chagrin. Before Hashanah could object, however… "I'll call you 'Slash' from here on out as your new pirate name. How's that sound?"

"Um… Okay…? I mean, I appreciate the nickname, but I-!"

"Then, it's settled! You and I are gonna get along great as long as you stay in line and avoid disappointing me, Slash," Risky Boots unfairly insisted, causing Hashanah—er, 'Slash' to sigh, roll her eyes, and shrug her shoulders.

"Sure, whatever… At least the name sounds cool…" the half-genie acquiesced. "That aside, I look forward to great things happening between us, Captain Risky Boots."

"Just call me 'Risky,'" the captain suggested… by which, I mean she corrected. "The 'Captain' bit is for pets and underlings."

"Ah. Gotcha. Good to know. Of course, we now have to figure out how we're gonna get through the rest of this castle…" Slash pondered as she and Risky turned their attention to the door at the back of the foyer. "We weren't supposed to use magic of any kind while we were in here until we reached Fatimah, or else the door won't open…"

"And that's supposed to stop us how?"

"Well… the rules state that-!"

"Rules, schmules," Risky interrupted and dismissed with a swat of her hand against the air. "I had a feeling you were wet behind the ears on your 'bad girl' journey. The fact that you're whining to me about following the rules just proved it," At that, Slash raised an eyebrow.

"…What do you mean?"

"First lesson in villainy, sweetie: Screw the rules," Risky proudly proclaimed with a smirk as she drew her thumb across her neck. "You TAKE what you want, no matter who or what tries to stop you."

"Oh! Wow, alright… I think I can get down with that," Slash approved, practically chuckling in amusement at Risky's crass remark. "But then… what's your idea of 'screwing the rules' in this case?"

"An obvious question with an even more obvious answer. Let's go on ahead and give you a demonstration, so we're not here all day…"

"Lead the way, Risky," the genie-turned-honorary pirate permitted. The new pair of pirate partners thus traversed up the staircases, past all the rooms they infiltrated, and back up to the double doors leading them to their destination. And upon looking the doors, the two of them noticed the crack Risky made in one of them when she crashed into them during their 'sparring' session.

"Hm… Let's see…" Risky Boots muttered as she tapped a door with her knuckles, which elicited a *CHAKROCK* of a magic shock. "Thought so. There's a magic barrier protecting these doors. Not a very strong one, evidently."

"Right. The barrier was supposed to lower, and the doors were supposed to open on their own," Slash informed as she also scanned the obstacle up and down. "The fact that they didn't proves that we failed the challenge."

"We didn't 'fail' anything," Risky was quick to correct once more as she pulled out her scimitar, which had immediately begun to glow. "We're simply being inconvenienced by tawdry, outdated, childish puzzles meant to be solved by the likes of that pea-brained, ponytailed pipsqueak. Women like us don't have time to be stuck here all day partaking of such foolishness."

"Agreed. So, what's your idea on getting these doors open?"

"Stand back, watch, and learn. You'll find out in just a second…!" Risky Boots warned as she raised her sword high above her head and began to emanate wisps of Dark Magic from her form.

"Um… I-I'm not sure if this is gonna pan out the way you're expecting, bu-!"

"HULL RIPPER!" the Pirate Queen shouted as she, with all the strength she needed, let loose a powerful downward swing of her energy-infused scimitar. And with a *ZWOOOOOORRRSH* of epic proportions, the lady pirate's sword emitted a gigantic, glowing crescent energy wave that rushed forth at nearly the speed of sound. With a startling *KRACHEWISK*, Risky Boots's attack slammed into the barrier and… actually managed to leave a massive gash in one of the doors!

"Huh… Could she actually be strong enough to break through?"

"HRRAH! YAH! SHOOORAAAAAH!" Risky yelled over and over as she let loose *ZWOOOOOORRRSH* after *ZWEEEERSCH* after barrier-shattering *KRAZEEEEERRRNG* of her Hull Ripper attack, swinging her sword at different angles. Every strike made a deeper impact than the last as she kept on rapidly slicing and dicing away at the door's barriers. That was, until… "OUT OF THE WAY!" she emphatically commanded as she let loose one more especially effort-heavy *KRACHAZWOOOOOOORRRZSH* of an energy wave coming from a horizontal swing of her scimitar. And upon impact, the doors completely SHATTERED with just about the loudest *KRAPWIIIEEERRSHKLISKLSKLISHLISHLISH* you could have EVER heard. Seriously, it was like someone blew up five glass houses in one fell swoop! Crystal shards rained down all over the place, prompting Risky Boots and Hashanah to shield their faces as the barrier crackled and dissipated.

"Goodness…! Talk about getting a lucky break teaming up with her…!" the half-genie pirate accomplice remarked as she took in this next extremely concerning occurrence… as a praiseworthy endeavor for her new leader.

"Whew! Nothin' to it," Risky Boots bragged as she put away her sword and began marching into the dimly lit, crystal statue and stained-glass window-laden corridor that awaited them up ahead. Hashanah followed suit without a word. After taking just a few steps into the corridor, however, Risky Boots stopped and craned her head back to lay an eye on her partner. "Just a heads-up, by the way: When we claim that Spirit Fuser fragment, it's staying with ME. Surely, you don't have an issue with that."

"Ah! But I… it… uh…" Slash was about to hastily rebut and object, though something in her knew better than to question Risky Boots's suggestions when she made them. Ooooor perhaps it was the menacing glare she'd received as soon as she opened her mouth to protest. Either way… "…F-fine. That's… that'll be fine."

"Glad ya think so, Slash! Now, let's press on ahead to see how much chemistry we REALLY have when we work together!" Risky 'enthusiastically' ordered with a grin of pure evil as she marched on, confidently sashaying her hips as she went along. This… didn't go unnoticed, as Hashanah found her eyes drawn to her new teammate's hips as she followed along.

"Hm. Amazing how she could be so irresistibly hot, yet so unbelievably vain, violent, and selfish…" she murmured as she scratched her head in vexation… that may have come equipped with a slight bit of blushing along the way.

"What was that?" Risky queried without turning around, catching Hashanah by surprise once more.

"O-oh! I just said that uh… that I think you're really hot, is all. Heh…" she half-admitted with a nervous chuckle that Risky unassumingly shared. "Certainly, the talk surrounding your unrivaled beauty fails to do you justice," the half-genie nervously added, further smarming her infamous new teammate like no tomorrow.

"Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious. Flattery won't get you very far with me, but I appreciate a girl who has good taste," the Pirate Queen remarked, letting her unfathomable vanity shine through. "Is that your attempt at hitting on me to soften me up?"

"Ah… W-well, maybe not to soften you up, per se. It's just a well-deserved compliment," the rogue genie clarified as best as she could. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you're way out of my league."

"Oh? Is that to say you actually ARE interested in other women, Slash? I mean, you're probably right on that point you just made, but still."

"Um… Y-yes. Ya got me… heh… I hope that doesn't bother you…" the genie rather uncomfortably admitted as she tensed up a bit.

"Of course not. Just don't get your hopes up about getting THAT close to me," Risky shot down any chance at her teammate scoring a date with her. "At least, not until you can get me to look past the fact that you're part genie. After that, MAYBE you'll be lucky enough to catch my eye," she callously added, causing Hashanah to shoot her a dirty look behind her back. The half-genie corrected herself in an instant, however, as she shook off the sudden wave of animosity and took a deep breath to keep her composure.

"…R-right. I'll try not to flirt too much or get distracted working alongside you, I guess…" she found the willpower to calmly share as she also processed the sting of her teammate's prejudiced remark.

"Good. Besides, I don't typically fraternize with business partners," Risky shared rather casually, turning Hashanah's frustration into curiosity. "Gets too messy, and then people end up confusing a simple exchange of favors for an actual relationship. Give someone so much as a kiss for a job well done, and all of a sudden, they're head-over-heels for me. Such a headache…"

"Coming from experience, I'd elect to guess?"

"Exactly," was all Risky had to say on the matter as she shrugged her shoulders and kept it pushing. But while the Pirate Queen was finished with the topic…

"Gotcha. But wait… So like… just throwing this out there, but… Does that mean you… also… er…?" Hashanah did her best to try and ask Risky Boots a personal question, though she lost her nerve partway through. Yet…

"If you're going to ask about my preferences, then I'll just say that I go wherever I demand the wind to take me," the buccaneer revealed in a rather cryptic manner. "Just depends on whether the other person is worthy of my attention. VERY few in my history have proven so, of course, so take that as you will."

"Ah. I see… That's… actually really comforting to hear," the nervous half-genie admitted with a sigh as she pressed a hand to her chest.

"Well, I'm not telling you this for your comfort. I'll remind you again not to get your hopes up about dating me unless you somehow prove yourself worthy of the extremely rare and elusive opportunity. Especially since we're strictly business partners."

"N-no, no, I get it! I wasn't exactly looking for anything serious like that anyway…" Slash assured, though she quickly realized the wording of her statement. "Ooh! I-I mean, I wasn't looking to start a relationship like that at all. I'm uh… I'm okay with us keeping it strictly business if that works for you. Besides, I'm sure you don't have time to make friends anyway… E-er, not to say you don't have any friends or anything! Heh… Erm…" she kept on babbling, seeming to lose her nerve more and more as she went along. "But I wouldn't mind us being friends… or like, if there IS a chance for us to be more, like maybe friends with benefits, then I-!" she kept on going, making the swashbuckler roll her eyes and sigh before craning her head back.

"Slash," Risky interrupted her partner to call out as she shot the other woman a look of annoyance.

"Y-yes, Risky?"

"You're making my ears hurt. Quit your yapping and let's focus on the mission ahead for now, shall we?" the Pirate Queen impatiently suggested before turning back around.

"Ah… Y-yeah. Sorry," was all Hashanah said as the two of them proceeded to the next step of their sudden joint adventure. And on that note, we'll have to leave the Destructive Alliance to their destructive devices as we park it here and give ourselves some time to rest and anticipate how this Spirit Fuser situation could POSSIBLY get any messier. Oh! Y'know what? Speaking of 'messy,' we should go ahead and check back in on our S.L.A.P.S. squad and their Ammonian allies one more time before we part ways! Hang tight…

Back in Scuttle Town…

"Ooooogh…! My ba-ha-ha-haaaack…!" whined an entirely exhausted, sweat-bathed Sky as she… rather curiously rested on Tayshan's lap, straddled over his leg with her chin resting on the cushion of the couch they were sitting on. Meanwhile, the equally exhausted, sweaty wraith was sitting with his back resting against the couch, rubbing the bird trainer's aching back with his normal hand as he wearily stared at his new metal one… which appeared to be fully attached and functioning. Okay! So, thankfully we got back here at a… semi-reasonable time. It seemed the installation of Tayshan's new hand was complete, though at a cost. That being said, it was worth note that Sky's curvaceous form appeared to be emitting sparks of electricity like she was plugged into a wall…

"Whelp… I don't think ANY of us are scrubbing the memory of this disaster out of our brains anytime soon…" Bolo remarked as he sat next to Shantae on the other end of the couch, patting her on the back. Shantae herself seemed speechless as she worriedly stared at her boyfriend and their mutual blonde best friend.

"Y-yyyyyeeeeeaahhh…" Rottytops droned in agreement as she cleaned up the crimson mess circling the bucket she placed under Tayshan's arm while he was being tortu—er, cybernetically enhanced. "That was a little much, even for me."

"Thank goodness it's over now, though… right?" Vinegar did her best to reassure with an uncertain grin and shrug. "I mean, beyond all the blood, the agonized screaming, the horrified expressions on everyone's faces, Squawks getting the bearhug of a lifetime, the uncomfortably loud cracking and twisting of flesh, bone, and metal… and Twitch puking her guts up in the bathroom multiple times… I-I think this turned out pretty well…"

"V… Vinegar…" called Tayshan, though one could tell by the raspiness of his voice that his vocal cords got QUITE the workout.

"Yeah, Tay?" she responded, prompting him to lift his metallic hand and… actually move the fingers individually to where he was able to point his index finger at her. Disappointingly, his hand didn't make any sort of whirring or cranking noises when he did so.

"…I sure hope you brought yourself a flashlight…"

"…Huh?" Bolo hummed in wonder as he tilted his head. Likewise, Rotty rose to a stand and looked between the wraith and the Ammonian affiliate in shared confusion. Vinegar, however, was NOT confused by the suggestion. Instead, she reacted by flinching and widening her eyes in shock.

"You're NOT dragging me into the forest in the middle of the night, ya jerk!" the bob cut-adorned blonde frightfully shouted as she took a step back, prompting Shantae and the others (aside from Sky, Tayshan, and the absent Twitch) to share a laugh. "You should be THANKING us for hooking you up with that thing, not thinking about how to punish me because it hurt to put it on! Besides, we warned you in advance!"

"Eh… Sure, fine. Don't got the energy t' drag you anywhere right now, anyway…" Tay joked once again as he formed his new hand into a thumbs up. "Thanks for your assistance."

"That's better. Also, you're welcome. Now, it's been fun hanging with you guys again after so long, but we need to get rolling," Vinegar accepted the ghost man's gratitude before turning her attention to the hallway leading to the bathroom and bedrooms. "Yo, Twitch! Come on, we've gotta go! The coast is clear!"

"Actually… H-hey, could you two do us another favor before you go, please?" Shantae finally perked up to ask, catching Vinegar's attention as Twitch blearily stumbled her way out of the bathroom looking like she'd lost multiple lunches all at once.

"And what would that be, Hairball?" Vinegar asked as she approached and wrapped her younger partner in a support hug and rubbed her back.

"Think you've got enough time to take some passengers to the site of the Crackling Crystal Castle today?" the half-genie politely asked.

"Back there again? What for?"

"The castle itself was supposed to appear this morning, and we need some people to go there and collect the Relic there… if ya don't mind. Pretty please?" the half-genie humbly requested as she clasped her hands together and shot the other girls the brightest smile she could muster in her sick state.

"Yeeeeeaaah, no," Vinegar immediately shut down the idea as she pulled Twitch over to the nearest pair of seats to continue tending to her. "We're not getting caught up in another one of your convoluted adventuring messes out of the blue like that."

"No, no, I'm not asking you and Twitch to actually GO INTO the castle!" Shantae hastily clarified. "We just need you to provide transport there for two passengers."

"Ah. Well, that's a bit less ridiculous of an ask," the taller Ammonian affiliate acknowledged, seeming to be slightly more on-board with the idea. "But why us? Can't you hitch a ride with Squawks and that freakish feathered zoo attraction she calls her transport bird?" she asked, rather irreverently referring to Wrench in the process. Good thing he wasn't here to hear that…

"I'd like that to be the case, but Sky's clearly not in a good condition to fly anywhere right now," the lavender-haired maiden pointed out, gesturing a hand toward Sky as she remained resting on top of Tayshan with hardly a move to stir back to full consciousness… and her body still surging with magic-borne electricity. "It won't be too inconvenient for you, right?"

"Eh… A little, but it is what it is," Vinegar recognized with a nod before turning to her Ammonian teammate. "Twitch, are you up for that?"

"…Yeah, that's fine. It should be on the way back to the base anyway," the pigtailed young woman found it in herself to reply as she sat, nauseously rubbing her stomach.

"Hm. Then, I guess we're available to take a couple passengers," the taller of the two buxom blondes acquiesced with a shrug as she turned toward Shantae.

"But who would the passengers be in this case, snack cakes?" Rottytops asked in wonder. "I mean, I thought you, stud muffin, and I were supposed to go there together today…"

"That was the case, Rotty, but I can't go because I'm sick," Shantae explained. "And Tayshan… well, you can see how the trip MIGHT be a bit too difficult for him to manage as he is right now…" she added as she flicked her eyes at the haloed young man, prompting everyone to see that he was about ready to pass out with Sky still on his lap. "Plus, neither of us has fully recovered from our Lucky Laces Lagoon adventure."

"Hm… W-well, can't I at least go with Tayshan tomorrow?" the zombie girl suggested, doing little to hide her dismay at the news that she wouldn't be able to hang out with her friends for another epic excursion.

"We can't afford to wait that long. We need to get some people there for that Spirit Fuser fragment as soon as possible, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. And since Sky, Tayshan, and I aren't able to go… then, by process of deductive reasoning…"

"That means the only two available are me and Rotty?" Bolo chimed in to solve the mystery of who the two S.L.A.P.S. volunteers would be. Hearing this, of course, soured Rottytops's mood something fierce as she sighed out a rush of frustration, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes.

"You got it, bro," Shantae affirmed, though she was all too aware of the animosity between the two volunteers in question. "I just hope the two of you keep it together and stay focused on the mission."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me," Bolo acknowledged, looking Shantae right in the eye and patting her on the shoulder as he did so. "I know I've got to make it up to you for how I've handled things lately, so you can definitely trust that I'll give it nothing less than my best effort. I promise you that, sis."

"Right, but can you promise not to go running off with the next cheap floozy ya see there that does so much as shake her hips at you?" Rottytops was QUICK to call him out, causing him to glare at her.

"YIKES. Now, I know THAT one had to be personal…" Twitch remarked as both she and Vinegar sucked in air through their teeth and reeled back.

"Rottytops, cu-!" Shantae was about to chide before…

"You can guarantee that that won't happen," Bolo answered for himself, however unhappy he was with Rotty in that moment.

"I'm SO sure," the irritated zombie snidely remarked with a sneer. "But fine. If I HAVE to go on a trip with YOU of all people, then I'm sure we'll find a way to make it quick. Just don't get in my way."

"As if YOU'RE the one with the most adventuring experience here!" the frustrated young man indignantly shot back as he planted himself on his feet from the couch, scowling at Rottytops all the while. "You can be as mad at me as you want, but it doesn't mean you get to keep bullying me like you have been this entire week!"

"Um… So, are these two lovebirds gonna keep screeching at each other like this the WHOLE way to this Candy Crusty Castle place?" Vinegar asked, prompting both Bolo and Rottytops to turn their agitated glares toward her. "Because Twitch and I didn't sign up for the guaranteed headache of dealing with these two trying to get past their issues with each other for an entire multiple-hour plane ride…"

"I suppose that depends…" Shantae pondered as she shifted her gaze between Rottytops and Bolo while reaching for a throat lozenge. Meanwhile, the zombie girl and human boy both looked back at her with equal degrees of worry. "You two ARE gonna be on your best behavior, right?"

"You know I will, snack cakes. Trust and believe that," Rotty spoke for herself, and ONLY herself as she shrugged and tilted her head. "As long as he does his part, pulls his weight, and doesn't tick me off, things should go as smooth as can be."

"And as long as SHE doesn't make the entire trip about how to constantly rub my nose in the dirt and instead considers cooperating with me, I guess we can make things work," Bolo spoke for himself, and ONLY himself as he nodded his head in confirmation.

"That's… about as good as it's gonna get for now, I see," Shantae acknowledged as she cleared her throat, however uncertain she was about her friends' ability to stay on-track with one another. "There ya have it, though, Vinegar. Can you please take them?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. But you're gonna owe us for this later, genie girl," Vinegar accepted the last-minute request. "You'll owe us extra for any damages we incur as well. Especially to our eardrums if Spiky and Brains can't learn to deal with each other by the time we drop them off."

"Fair enough, I guess. What would you want in return?"

"Either you help us out on one of our missions sometime once you get over your cold, or you allow us to borrow Tay for a mission once he recovers." At that, the half-genie sighed in mild vexation.

"…Of course. Just know that if you want my help, I'm not doing ANYTHING for you if it relates at all to forwarding the Ammonian agenda," Shantae laid down the law. "If you want his, then he's ESPECIALLY not gonna do what you want him to if it has anything to do with giving any sort of assistance to Ammo Baron," she added, speaking for Tayshan on her second point. "He still hates Ammo Baron with a burning passion for what happened way back when."

"Nope! They'd be missions specifically with Twitch and me," Vinegar assured. "As you know, most of us in here are secretly employed as agents of surveillance and homeland security under the Sultana herself," she further revealed, surprising only Bolo.

"…Wait, what? Since when were-?" the young man in question tried to ask.

"Chances are, we'd simply need some extra muscle or genie magic on one of our tougher assignments somewhere down the line. Be prepared for that call when it comes, because we ALL know it's gonna come," Twitch got over her nausea enough to chime in. "And don't be too offended if—no, WHEN we end up choosing Tayshan over you unless you're both available at the same time." At that, Shantae sneered at her Ammonian acquaintances for a moment.

"Riiiiiight… because I'm definitely gonna trust YOU to be around him for more than five minutes without you trying to convince him to elope with you. You're far more likely to get me and me alone, whether you like it or not anyway. The Sultana's been HEAVILY relying on him lately, so his schedule is likely to be packed. I'll make sure you'll get who you NEED as opposed to who you obviously WANT either way. Take that as you will," the heroine quite sternly informed her Ammonian frenemies.

"Ugh… I guess we'll just have to try our luck when we call in that favor," Twitch remarked with an annoyed roll of her eyes as she got up, prompting Vinegar to follow suit. "Oh, and make sure that Tay-Tay reads the instructions on how to take care of that new arm of his. Anyway, are you two ready to hit the skies or do you need an extra bit of time to gather supplies?" she asked Bolo and Rottytops.

"Hm… I think I might need to-!" Rottytops was about to request before…

"No need to worry. I've got everything we need," Bolo quickly jumped in to assure, though it earned none of the undead maiden's approval. "Food rations, weapons, and a couple of contingency plans in case things get hairy over at our place of interest… among other things."

"Leave it to you to be extra prepared like your number would be called for an adventure any minute, Spiky," Vinegar remarked with a chuckle that he shared.

"Well, you know me. Danger lurks in every corner, so you can never be too sure," he rather proudly remarked as he approached his Ammonian comrades while puffing out his chest. "Now, are we ready to roll, or what?"

"Ready as we'll ever be, I guess," Twitch acknowledged, also chuckling a bit at Bolo's enthusiasm. "You'll probably be disappointed to know that we flew by in a bigger plane this time, though. So, you and Brains will both have your own seat to share instead of it being the case that I sit on your lap again. Sorry to bear the bad news, bud, but it's probably better if you weren't so… 'stiff' the entire ride," she further teased before sticking her tongue out at him, flustering the young man in the process while Rotty glowered at him. That… certainly sounds unpleasant, whatever it is she was talking about.

"Dah, u-um… D-Darn, what a bummer. I mean, I'm glad we'll all be more comfortable and less… distracted… heh…" Bolo babbled his way through his statement, unable to get past his own nerves as he tried to avoid getting hot under the collar. Luckily…

"Yeah, yeah, you're still a slave to your own hormones. We get it," Rotty plainly and irritably remarked as she approached Twitch and Vinegar, though it went without surprise that Bolo didn't appreciate her comment. "Can we go now? The sooner we get this over with, the better."

"Someone's in a hurry…" Twitch deduced as she giggled a bit more alongside Vinegar. "But yeah. Let's get a move on before too long. I suppose we'll see the rest of you guys in a little while, eh?" she added as she, Vinegar, Bolo, and Rottytops collectively headed toward the front door.

"You know it, girls!" Shantae was the only one to assure with a wave. "Be safe out there! We'll be in touch for sure. And thanks again for doing us this favor!"

"Yep," Vinegar acknowledged as she and Twitch gave nods of affirmation before marching on out. Before they all left, however…

"See ya when we get back, snack cakes," Rotty offered her farewell as she turned and skittered her way over to the sick half-genie. "Try not to overdo it while you rest up, alright?" she added as she wrapped Shantae up in a surprise hug.

"Oh! Ah, I'll be alright. Thanks for your concern," Shantae voiced her gratitude as she returned the hug. This, of course, came equipped with Rottytops kissing her best friend on the cheek before they ended the embrace. "Y'know, you ought to be careful about kissing me while I'm sick, Rotty. You could get sick yourself."

"Surprisingly, that actually isn't the case," the undead maiden shared to her favorite friend's… limited surprise.

"Oh, really?" the half-genie flatly remarked. "Lemme guess: You being technically dead makes it so that you're unable to get sick."

"Whoa, you must be psychic! How'd you know?" Rotty asked in a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Just a hunch…" Shae slyly remarked, pointing directly at the sleeping Tay all the while.

"Right… Should've figured he and I had that in common," the undead young woman acknowledged as she and her genie gal pal shared a laugh. "Anyway, see you cool cats later! Hopefully, Sky won't end up walking with a limp after she wakes up from her little nap over there," she added as she turned to join Bolo, Twitch, and Vinegar in leaving the house to embark on their next adventure.

"We'll see as soon as they wake up. Again, be safe out there!" the heroine bade once more with a smile, prompting the four of them to wave once more before exiting. And once the door was shut behind them, and another couple of minutes passed… Shantae's smile faded into a contemplative frown as she settled back down on the couch and took out a tissue to blow her nose with. Afterward, she took the liberty of quietly collecting all her used tissues, lozenge wrappers, and other trash and walking over to the kitchen to dispose of them in the trash can. And as she sniffed a couple of times to clear her nasal passages and thoroughly washed her hands…

"…Man… what a mess THIS turned out to be…" she lamented as she turned her gaze toward the two of her friends that hadn't left. "I'm glad he was able to get a new arm as quickly as he was, but… I… I still can't believe I put him in the position to need it…" she murmured to herself, drying her hands off before returning to the living room. She took a good, long look at Tayshan and Sky as they lay together, sleeping away after their joint traumatic experience… and sighed out another wave of discomfiture as she reclaimed her seat on the couch. "This… this is all my fault… I'm supposed to be SAVING you, and instead, I'm making you disappear faster… I promise you, Tay… I'll fix this. I'll make it up to you…!" she monologued, growing more disquieted as she continued to worriedly stare at her unconscious friends…

Aaaand on this most… unsettling note, it appears we have run out of time. Whew… Things are only getting more intense from here, but with any luck, our heroes can rebound and get themselves back in the running! They'll need to… and quickly. With the newly allied Risky Boots and Hashanah on their way to gain an unexpected advantage in the hunt for the Spirit Fuser fragments, and the only line of defense on the S.L.A.P.S. crew's end at this point being the uncertain (and somewhat unlikely) pair of Bolo and Rottytops, it wouldn't be a stretch to say things were looking dire… but it's not over yet! Join me again next time as we wrap up the latest saga in the hunt for the Spirit Fuser! Cross your fingers!