Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sequin Land was a place that had many stories, legends, and rumors floating about. Myths of a time before, a lost era, were known to be based in fact, as many ruins and hidden fortresses could attest. Records existed of artifacts both great and terrible, and sometimes even mundane, which relic hunters sought to recover. Tales were told of genies, magical visitors from another realm, who had guarded the land against unspeakable evils before they were at last forced away in a final battle. Yes, Sequin Land had a history, longer and more varied than most people even suspected.

And sometimes that history could crop up and cause trouble in the unlikeliest of places. A small fishing village, for instance--located on the coast, less then a day's walk away from the capital. That alone would make it a target for pirates and would-be conquerors--resource and location being crucial for both--but on top of this were two notable inhabitants. One, a relic hunter himself, aged but well known for his ability to mimic and recreate the artifacts of the lost age; the other, his adopted niece, a young woman whose mother had been a powerful guardian, and who had taken up the position herself.

This was Scuttle Town, home of Shantae, the half-genie. Her numerous adventures were well known, and she had saved the town--and the world--on multiple occasions. When most people thought of a hero, they would hold up Shantae as a shining example.

Of course, behind all that heroing was a girl midway through her teens, who needed the things most girls did--food, shelter, and sleep. At the moment, she was partaking in the third.

"...no, don't take the syrup..." The young woman rolled from one side of her body to the other, tangling herself in sheets and purple hair. "...you fool, you've doomed us all..."

Her bronze ankle slipped off the hammock, and before she was aware of anything she hit the wooden floor.

"HORDE OF IRON TEETH!"

Shantae's blue eyes snapped open as she awoke, trying--and failing--to push herself up. The sheets and the hair wrapped around her only tightened as she struggled, rolling back and forth in increasing aggravation. After a few moments she took a breath, sighed in annoyance, and began to shimmy awkwardly on the ground.

And then she vanished.

The sheets, no longer holding a full-sized human, began to crumple in on themselves. A bulging mound maneuvered around the pile of fabric, eventually emerging from one end as a grumpy, purple-furred monkey. In a flash of purple light, the monkey reverted back to the young woman she had been, brushing off her white negligee with a grumble. "I really should learn not to eat before bed. What time is it?" She glanced out the window. "Oh. Midmorning."

Shantae yawned, stretching her shoulders and idly scratching a few tangles out of her long hair.

Then her eyes widened. "Midmorning--?! Oh my gosh! Uncle Mimic is coming back in less than an hour!" With a sudden burst of speed, she reached up and snagged her outfit off the clothesline hanging above her. "I'm going to be late!"

Curl-toed red shoes beat against the tan cobblestones, rushing around the inhabitants of Scuttle Town. Past a woman in blue carrying a jar on her head--"Sorry Coral!"--around the man with a ragged beard and an open vest--"Excuse me Mehreb!"--and over a young girl with her black hair pulled back in a ponytail--"Good look there Jewel!" It wasn't until she reached the town gates that she stopped, clutching the red fabric of her pants as she huffed for a moment or two. "Hey... hey there, Turf."

"I'm Surf," rumbled the muscular man in a red sash. "Turf's guarding the west gate today."

"Oh. Right. Sorry!" Shantae gave what she hoped was a winning grin as she straightened up, absently adjusting the golden band holding her hair in its signature whip-like tail. "I just ran here all the way from the lighthouse. On an empty stomach. Without even brushing my teeth."

"Slept in, huh?"

"...juuuuust a little bit, yeah." Shantae cleared her throat. "So, has Uncle Mimic come back yet?"

"Nope. Walker wandered in a few minutes ago. You know how he is."

"Hey, at least he's reliable. Even if he is..." She fiddled with one of the gold loops hanging off her pointed ears. "...a little... uh... off."

Surf grunted noncommittally.

"...Darn it, now I'm going to be waiting here all day."

"Could go check that cafe that opened up recently."

"What, Chalchi's Chi and Chow?"

"Your zombie friend wandered in there earlier."

Shantae jolted. "Rottytops is here? Why didn't you say anything?!"

Surf grinned. "I just did."

"...If--if Uncle Mimic gets here before I'm back tell him where I am okay thanks Surf!" Shantae spun around and rushed down the street, leaving the guard to his duty.

He chuckled, staring back at the gate. "Sure thing."

"...and that is how I finally founded my own food service place," the blonde girl finished, twirling her spatula.

The green-skinned young woman listening to her clapped enthusiastically. "WOW! What a story! How epic, how entertaining, how encouraging! Just hearing that tale makes me want to rethink my own unlife and consider a new path for the future! In fact, you know what?" She leaned back. "From now on, I think I'll be more respectful of my friends and those around me. No more manipulating people for quick profit, no more jokes about eating people, and I'll become a fully functional member of society!"

Shantae burst through the door. "Rottytops!"

"Snackcakes, good to see you! Listen, I left my wallet behind somewhere, could you maybe pay for my coffee this one time? You know how important it is--"

"It's on the table," the chef girl commented brightly.

"What?"

"Your wallet. It's on the table. Behind your coffee mug."

"What are you doing here?" Shantae asked, a faint smile on her face despite her annoyance. "I thought you were looking to rejoin the zombie caravan."

"Yeah, I couldn't find it. Weird, right?" Rottytops scratched her green hair. "It's like they've disappeared or something."

Shantae's face fell. "Oh, Rottytops, I... I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not too worried. They're already dead." The zombie girl shrugged, a strap of her ragged tank top slipping down her shoulder. "Best guess is that they went underground."

"Do you mean that figuratively or literally?"

Rottytops grinned at her. "Yes."

"You're impossible sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" She took a sip of her drink. "I'm literally a walking corpse that requires caffeine to stay sane. What's new with you snackcakes?"

"Don't call me that." Shantae sat down next to her. "I'm waiting for my uncle. He's supposed to come back from his relic hunting today, you know? He might have something new."

"Which means a certain pirate might want to steal it," Rottytops mused.

"Oh come on. Just because Risky Boots has repeatedly exploited uncle Mimic's habit of gathering and building powerful artifacts doesn't mean it happens all the time. He was a fully successful relic hunter before she came onto the scene, and he's still a very successful relic hunter, just with a little more.... risk involved."

"Mmhmm. And you're planning on meeting him at the gate because you're family, and that's the only reason."

Shantae coughed into her fist. "...it never hurts to be safe, you know?"

"Hey, don't worry." Rottytops slapped her on the shoulder affectionately. "With you on the job, I'm sure Mimic will be safe as a... safe... thing."

Shantae gave her a flat look.

"...Look, most of my metaphors are about death, alright? I don't have many safe-sounding ones!"

"Well... I guess you're right. I just worry about him sometimes." Shantae sighed, putting her head in her hands. "He's the only family I've got left."

"You know the easy way to solve that dilemma is to make a family."

Shantae blinked and stared at Rottytops.

"...Wow, okay, I didn't think about that before I said it," the zombie admitted. "I must need more coffee. Chef girl, more coffee!"

"Only if you buy something else!" The girl put her hands on her hips. "This is Chi and Chow, after all!"

"Fine, get me a menu!" Rottytops rolled her red eyes. "You know, I kind of like this girl. She's sassy, she's smart, and she serves me willingly. Not a lot of people willing to give a zombie a meal."

"To be fair, most people think zombie meals are... people." Shantae shrugged. "Kind of a conflict of interest there."

"Hey now, brains are like cake. Good for a snack, and we'll always want some, but not exactly healthy for a growing zombie. Heck, Poe doesn't even like brains that much, but you didn't hear that from me!"

"So you'd be fine with the salmon fricassee?" asked the young girl.

"Yeah sure."

"That'll be forty-five gems."

Rottytops started. "What?! Forty-five gems for a fish?!"

"With rice and veggies on the side, and a free cup of coffee." The chef smirked. "And for being such a good customer, I'll even throw some ham chunks in the cup."

"...Your prices are terrible, but your service is excellent." Rottytops pulled a glittering ruby from her wallet. "Here, keep the change."

Shantae chuckled. "Well... at least you seem to be doing okay." She glanced to the door and stood up. "And from the sound of the crowd outside, something interesting's headed our way. I should go check on it."

"Alright, snackcakes! Good talk!"

"Don't call me that!" she lightly jibed over her shoulder as she walked out.

Rottytops shook her head with a chuckle, turning back to the chef. "That girl, always on duty... so, you used to have a dog?"

"Oh yes. Poor Wobble Bell, he was such an adorable little adventurer..."

The citizens of Scuttle Town gathered around the east gate, murmuring to each other wondrously as Shantae moved through them. As soon as she reached the front of the crowd, she broke out into a wide grin. "Uncle Mimic!"

The large man pulling the wagon chuckled as she leapt forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "It's good to see you too, Shantae. Has anything happened while I was away?"

"That new restaurant finally opened, but aside from that it's mostly just same-old, same-old." Shantae released him, looking over his shoulder at his wagon. "So... what do you have there?"

"Well," Mimic mused as he stroked his generous beard, "the words on the object are rather faded, but it seems to be some sort of specialized cabinet."

"Really?"

"Oh yes." With a huff, the man gripped his wagon, dragging it through the streets. "It isn't made of wood, for one thing--the outer form is entirely metal, door and handle included, although I'm not sure exactly what kind."

"Wow. That sounds heavy. It must have been hard to lug that all the way here."

Mimic chuckled at Shantae's concern. "Don't worry, I've still got quite a lot of strength in these arms. What really interests me is the interior of the thing."

"What, was there another relic inside this one?"

"No, just some rotten... something or other, I cleaned that out. The shelves, though, are made of plast."

Shantae gasped. "The lost material?"

"The very same."

"Wow. Plast. This cabinet is getting more and more fascinating by the second."

"I hope to really open it up in the workshop. I noticed a broken-off bit of copper tubing on the back, and there's a part of the inside that slopes."

Shantae frowned. "You think there's some sort of machine inside it."

"Indeed!"

"And... how likely is it that this machine will be a danger to the world?"

Mimic quirked a brow. "I don't know yet. That's why I want to open it up in the workshop. But if it's built into the cabinet, it was clearly meant to work only inside the thing."

"Well... I guess I can't object to that," Shantae mumbled.

"What, are you worried that Risky Boots is going to attack Scuttle Town for one of my devices... again?"

"It is kind of becoming her thing."

"...Fair point." Mimic shrugged. "Still, she'd have to hear of this legendary device first, and I haven't even figured out its name!"

Shantae sighed as they approached the workshop her uncle lived at. "You have a point." She opened the door for him, half-smiling as he dragged the wagon inside. "I guess I'm just being a little paranoid. It seems that all the major issues in my life crop up because of her, you know?"

"Well, she is a pirate, and you are a guardian genie. There's going to be some tension." Mimic released his grip on the wagon's handles. "But if you live your life worried about her next attack, you'll simply stress yourself out."

"...You know what, you're right." Shantae stood tall. "I'm not going to let one crazy pirate dictate how I should feel. From now on, I'll look on the bright side of life! I'll find a hobby, I'll talk with my friends--!"

The sound of cannon fire reverberated throughout the building.

"...I'll go save Scuttle Town from Risky again," she finished, resigned.

Chapter Text

The citizens of Scuttle Town, at the very least, had the presence of mind to get out of Shantae's way as she rushed for the dockside district. She skidded to a stop as spiked cannonballs landed in front of her, hatches on their surface opening to release spectres of shadow with red bandannas and bulging yellow eyes.

"Tinkerbats."

Well, at least she knew for certain that a particular pirate was behind this attack...

The creatures all charged at her, scimitars raised, but Shantae was a veteran at dispatching the creatures by this point. With a whisk and a whip of her long hair they went flying, their conjured forms dissolving under the pressure of the magic in her own form. She gave a confident smirk, hopping over the spiked cannonball... only to blink when she saw the twenty such devices behind it, all spewing forth the servants of her archnemesis.

A single tinkerbat was cunning, but weak. Of course, they never traveled alone...

Steeling herself up for a battle, Shantae rushed into the fray. Scimitars flashed and torches were tossed as she danced and twirled through, experience and exercise letting her exhibit a flexibility and agility just barely possible by humans. Tinkerbats fell by the dozens as she pushed them aside, trying to find a pattern to their attack, a purpose behind the assault. The spectres would never speak, of course--not only due to their lack of mouth, but also their undying loyalty to their master. So she would need to find the pirate captain herself...

Another blast of cannon fire caught Shantae's attention, and she rolled out of the way as a great anchor shattered through the wall of a nearby warehouse, embedding itself into the brick and clay as the chain pulled taut. A purple-skinned figure wearing a bikini made out of a skull strode casually down the metal links, red eyes glowering across the chaos, one hand on a pistol that hung off her hip. "What's with all this lollygagging?! We don't have all day, get a move on before the tides turn!"

"RISKY BOOTS!"

The purple figure snapped her eyes to Shantae and snorted. "Oh. The runt. Why can't you bilge rats ever handle her yourselves...?"

"Your piratey ways have caused enough issues for the people of Scuttle Town!" Shantae proclaimed as she pointed. "Leave now, or I'll have to kick your butt again!"

"Not before I get what I came for."

"I don't know why Uncle Mimic's new metal cabinet interests you so much, but you're not getting your hands on it!"

"...Metal cabinet?" Risky seemed genuinely flummoxed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Shantae blinked. "Wait. You're... not here for one of Uncle Mimic's relics or devices?"

"Not this time, runt." The pirate captain rolled her eyes. "A metal cabinet. Honestly. Sounds like... well, whatever." She tapped her pistol briefly. "You want me to leave? Bring me Scuttlebutt."

"The mayor?!" The guardian half-genie took a fighting stance. "Never!"

"Oh relax, I'm not going to kill him. I just need to ask him a few questions." Risky's eyes grew sly. "Besides, you're loyal to Scuttle Town, not that idiot. He's fired you what, three times now?"

"Um." Shantae winced. "He's always hired me back...."

"Because you're good at what you do. Even I have to admit that." The pirate smirked at her. "I swear on the sea itself--bring me the man, and I will leave. What's one incompetent politician for the safety of the town?"

"...waaaaaait. Why would you want to talk to Mayor Scuttlebutt anyway?"

"That's my business."

"No hold on," Shantae insisted. "You're always trying to trick me! Whatever Mayor Scuttlebutt knows, you plan to use it in your next world-conquering scheme or something!"

The purple woman sighed. "So I take it that you're refusing my generous offer."

"You bet your boots I am!"

Risky unholstered her pistol. "Then I guess I'll have to take him by force, won't I?"

"Not if I stop you!"

"But how can you stop me if you can't catch me?"

"Huh?"

"Keep her busy men!" Risky shouted, jumping over the genie and running up a wall to the rooftops.

"Hey!" Shantae cried, leaping after her. "Get back here!"

Bolo was a simple man. Boy. Boyman. Yes, Bolo was a simple boyman, with simple tastes, simple thoughts, and simple... simple...ness. Today, this simple boyman had been simply seeking out a not-so-simple girlwoman, as they were... apparently important. Somehow.

It must be said that becoming an expert fighter did not come without a few bruises, and Bolo might have had a few too many knocks to the noggin--he'd started training at the age of six, and never looked back.

So the urge to find a female partner to talk to, from which presumably romance would spontaneously emerge (and maybe children, although he still wasn't clear on how that worked), as simple as it was, was overridden when the sound of cannonfire brought forth a simpler urge. Namely, to find whatever was firing the cannons and smack it about with his flail until it stopped firing cannons.

Which was why he was now in the middle of a swarm of tinkerbats. While they weren't firing cannons at the moment, they were waving around swords and throwing firebombs, generally being a dangerous nuisance to the dockside district. And he was being a nuisance right back, discorperating them with practiced ease. Here, he felt worthy. Here, he felt as though he had meaning. Here, he was--

"Hi Bolo bye Bolo!"

--being overshadowed by Shantae. Again.

Bolo sighed as his friend shimmied and became an adorable monkey, clambering up a wall. He didn't hate her. He didn't even resent her, really--Shantae was like him, only with super magical shapeshifting abilities and... stuff. A simple girl, looking to protect her friends, family, and some word for town that began with an f would sound nice. Hmm. He considered that for a moment, absently hitting the tinkerbat sneaking up on him with his flail. Maybe he could ask Sky later. Sky was smart. Well, smart enough to explain really smart things in ways he could understand. Which, in Bolo's opinion, was much more important then just being smart in a smarty smart way of smartness.

He glanced up to the rooftops, where a pirate captain was being pursued by an elephant that he recognized as his friend. Shantae had the decency not to shapeshift during their sparring matches, but she rarely ever actually used the combat training in her actual combat. A waste, really. Maybe he should try to face her in her other forms, train her that way. Yeah, maybe show her how an ordinary boyman could take down an elephant!

Bolo blinked, looking around. Or how one guy could take down a hundred tinkerbats, without realizing he'd run out of targets.

With a shrug, he started wandering after the rooftop-running Shantae. Apparently she was chasing Risky Boots, that temptress of the seas, who would occasionally fire her pistol at his friend... or grind down a clothesline, forcing Shantae to take an overhang in her spider-girl form. Bolo knew Risky was bad news, but watching her duck and weave over Scuttle Town's roofs he could tell she was also very agile, and very adaptable. A good fighter, and a pretty girl--was it any wonder that he had admitted to admiring her?

He quirked an eyebrow as the pirate grabbed her hat and used it as a chute to cross a large gap. Shantae skidded to a stop, looking down the gap before oscillating and shifting into a mermaid. Bolo gave her a wave as she splashed into the river beside him--she was probably planning to swim through some pipes or something, there were plenty of those beneath the dockside district.

With his friend out of sight, he decided to pursue Risky Boots on foot, tracking her path across the rooftops until at last the pirate rolled to the ground level. She looked around, catching sight of him, and for a moment she paused--before Shantae burst from a nearby body of water, her wet hair whipping out.

Again with the hair. He taught her to kick, and she went with the hair. Honestly.

It seemed to work, though, as Risky Boots fell to her knees. Bolo noted that she didn't seem all that worn out, but he decided against commenting on it; Risky probably knew her fighting ability better than he did. With everything apparently handled, the simple boyman decided to go somewhere to eat something. Or something.

Really, he had no idea what he was doing.

"You know, you usually lose your magic powers between my attacks," Risky groused.

Shantae grinned. "Hey, I didn't lose my magic, and I've been keeping up my dance regimen!"

"The butt wiggling's actually important? I thought you just did it for kicks."

"The only kicks I get are the kicks when I kick you out of town!"

Risky Boots stared at her for a moment.

"...What?"

"Your banter is horrible."

"Y-Yeah? Well, I beat you, didn't I?!"

"This is only a setback, you runt! I will find the heirs!"

"Heirs? What are you--"

Her question went unanswered, as Risky Boots suddenly jumped up and grabbed a rope... a rope dangled by a quartet of tinkerbats, each wearing propellers on their back as they quickly flew away.

"What the--?!" Shantae rushed after them. "Hey! Get back here! What heirs, what are you talking about?!"

Risky's only reply was a mocking laugh as she was carried back out to her ship, and a brief salute as the vessel took off at great speed.

Shantae put her hands on her hips. "Risky wants to find heirs... heirs to what? And why did she attack Scuttle Town? Or talk to..." She gasped. "The mayor! I've got to tell him about this!"

She turned and rushed through the streets, heading quickly to the town square. It wasn't long before knocking on the door to the council hall. "Mayor Scuttlebutt? Mayor Scuttlebutt!"

"Hmm?" A well-fed man opened the door. "Oh hello, miss guardian! I was just going through this month's notices from the palace--"

"Risky Boots attacked again and I fought her off but she said she wanted to ask you questions about the lost heirs so I want to know what you know about that!"

The mayor blinked. "...Why would a pirate captain be interested in my baldness?"

"Not hairs, heirs! Like royalty and nobility and stuff like that!"

"Well, I certainly don't know anything about that sort of thing."

Shantae groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Do you at least know where I could find out about that sort of thing?"

"I thought you would be the one with books on genealogy."

"I only have books on genieology."

"That's what I said."

"No, I mean..." She sighed. "Never mind. I'll look through them."

The mayor nodded. Then he suddenly brought up a finger. "Oh! Before I forget, something came for you."

She blinked. "Wait, for me?"

"Yes." He handed her a scroll. "A message from the palace."

Shantae unrolled it curiously. "Huh. I wonder what this is..." Her eyes roamed down the words... and down again... and again. "I--what?! But--you--this... I just--what?! WHAT?!"

"What?"

"This can't be right! This is--" She slapped the paper with a hand. "This is a magical restriction order!"

"It is?!"

"Apparently, since I violated probation that one time, I am no longer allowed to use my genie magic until somebody with royal standing says I can!"

"Oh dear."

"I saved the world," Shantae said grumpily. "Heck, I saved the palace! I put down the Pirate Master for good, and this is what it nets me?"

"Well, that is a problem. I'm going to have to fire you again."

She blinked. "Wait, what?"

"It's criminal for you to use magic now," Mayor Scuttlebutt pointed out. "If you continue being our guardian genie I'll have to have you arrested. Conflict of interests, you see."

"What."

"Sorry about that. But I'll give you your severance pay." The sack he put into her hands clinked a bit. "And I'll be sure to hire you back once this all blows over."

"What."

"Well, good day!" The mayor shut the door.

"....what."

The door to the lighthouse slammed open, and Shantae tossed the scroll and the bag on the dresser grumpily. "I can't even. I just, I can't even... words. I can't even words." She looked out the window. "Oh, it's not even noon. It's not even--!"

She gave an exasperated grunt, climbing the rope to her bedroom and grumbling. With practiced ease she swung onto her hammock, not even bothering to pick up the sheets next to it.

Her eyes stared at the wooden bar in the ceiling, at the lamp hanging from it.

She rolled left.

She rolled right.

She rolled onto her belly, picked up her pillow, and covered her face as she screamed.

Then she dropped it and sighed. "Why does this always happen to me? I try my best, and I think I do pretty okay saving people, and then bam. I'm unable to use my magic, I'm fired from my job, and the world's in danger again. Am I some sort of... cosmic plaything?"

After a moment, Shantae sat up, her expression determined. "Well, I've never let a setback stop me before, and I'm not going to let it stop me now. I'll find out what these lost heirs are, even if I have to go to the palace!" She sprung out of the hammock, bumping the bookshelf next to it-

--and turned around when a rather heavy WHUMP came from behind her.

Lying on the floor, its cover undecorated, was a thick tome with simple lettering.

"Huh. 'Legacy of the Magic Keep?' I didn't know I had that book." Shantae shrugged. "Maybe I should look at the book titles before I take them off Uncle Mimic's shelves."

She picked the book up, flicking it open and running through the pages. "Huh... a great castle, where seven kingdoms unified as one... legendary power... magic that could rival the genies?" Shantae frowned. "How old is this book?" Her fingers flicked through it. "It looks like it could have been made during the lost era, but there wouldn't be any mention of magic in a history book, and this map is accurate for the time..."

Shantae gasped as the implications hit her. "This--this book had to have been written during the Collapse! Which means this Magic Keep is actually out there! And if it has enough power to rival the genies--"

Her fingers rushed back through the pages, eyes darting left and right. "'With the collapse of the central kingdom, the others shall soon be attacked. Heirs from each royal family are being hidden among the refugees, in hopes that if the Masters cannot be defeated in the now, they may one day in the future.' Heirs... heirs of lost kingdoms! This is it! This is what Risky was looking for!"

She paused. "Wow. And it was on my shelf this whole time. That's super spooky."

Placing the book on her nightstand, the half-genie began to pace around the room. "If Risky finds the lost heirs, then she can probably use them to access the power of Magic Keep. And if she does that--there's no telling what she'd do! I have to find the heirs before she does!"

Shantae turned back to the book. "And I know where I have to start looking."

Chapter Text

"...and that's why I need your help finding the Magic Keep."

Sky looked up from the egg she was polishing. "And what in the world makes you think I know anything about a lost magic keep?"

"Um... you traveled a lot and always happened to know where I should head next?" Shantae rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, you flew me around with Wrench last time Risky attacked, and before that you managed to get to an island I had never heard of, and when Risky was after the Golem stone you lent Wrench to me and pointed me in the right direction--"

"Alright, alright!" The tan-skinned blond shook her head. "I get it, I'm an explorer! But that doesn't mean I know anything about any lost keep. Mostly I just look for places to set up one of my roosts."

"Oh." Shantae paused. "Well... I do have a map, but it's outdated."

"How outdated?"

"Made during the time of the collapse outdated."

Sky gave her a disbelieving look. "During the time of the collapse? Shantae, your uncle's a relic hunter, he can tell you flat out what cities that existed back then are like now."

"Rusty skeletons that sag together where they don't outright collapse, yes, I know. But this is different!" She gestured at the book she was holding. "Risky attacked Scuttletown to find the lost heirs, which means she has reason to think that the keep is still out there. Even if it isn't up to snuff, Risky's a brilliant tinkerer--she'll be able to repair it easily, and then what could happen?"

"Hmmm." After a moment, the girl lifted her rag from the egg. "Alright, alright. I'll see if I can get Wrench or one of the other birds to fly you up there. Where is it?"

"According to the book it's... inland. Somewhere southwest, with a river that leads out to sea." She opened the book to the map. "See? This would be about where Scuttle Town is, and I think over here is that island where the carpet races were held--you remember that?"

"The one Ammo Baron sabotaged? Yeah, I remember that." Sky looked over the map. "Hmm. Well. You'd better get some camping gear ready, I can't guarantee a round trip. Or even a one-day one."

"Really?"

"Even by wing that's pretty far. No wonder I've never run across that keep before..." Sky looked over the map carefully. "As a matter of fact, I can almost guarantee that if you go, you'll be gone for a week."

"Almost?"

"You might find some warp squids or something. So, you know, Scuttle Town will be without its guardian genie--"

"I've been fired again."

"Are you really going to let that stop you?"

Shantae shrugged, conceding the point. "So... can I borrow a bird or...?

"Fine, fine. Not Wrench though. You can take Screwdriver, she'll be able to handle the distance."

"Screwdriver? I don't think I've ever met her. Is she a friendly bird?"

Sky considered the question for a moment or two. "She's... energetic," she finally allowed. "On an unrelated note, let me get you some rope."

"OHGODOHGODOHGEEZEOHGOD!"

Shantae clung to the saddle's horn with both hands, her long ponytail whipping behind her in the stinging breeze. Screwdriver belted out a rough keel as she ascended into more potent winds, forcing the half-genie to press hard into the saddle. Gales battered her face left--right--above--below?!--as her winged mount spun and twirled through increasingly wild air.

Not for the first time, she thanked Sky's foresight. If her legs had not been tightly bound to the saddle....

"Are all these aerial acrobatics really necessary?!" she demanded as she saw the ground far above her.

Screwdriver spun her head around, glittering yellow eyes focusing on the terror in Shantae's expression. With exacting precision, she folded her red wings tightly against her body.

"NononononoaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Shantae screamed as they spiraled swiftly toward the ground, Screwdriver shrieking in sadistic glee. Closer and closer the trees grew, the half-genie powerless to do anything but watch her pointy splattery demise draw ever closer.

At the last moment, Screwdriver snapped her wings open, raking the highest of branches as she pulled out of the suicidal dive. With a few beats they were, once again, higher in the air; the bird gave a chirrup of almost casual tone.

"I should have just changed into my harpy form and flew here myself," Shantae muttered. "The palace would never need to know. But nooooo, I had to do the right thing..." A vibrant trilling sound made her glare at her mount. "Stop laughing, this isn't funny! Do you want me to make you into chicken soup?"

Screwdriver flicked her head a bit, a bemused smirk clearly visible on her black beak.

"...I can do it," Shantae challenged hesitantly. "Really."

Screwdriver clucked and rolled her eyes, returning her focus to the flight at hand.

When the bird finally landed next to a massive ancient building, Shantae gave a relieved sigh and tried to dismount... before realizing her legs were still ensnared in very well knotted rope. She tugged at the rope with an aggravated growl. "Come on. Come on..."

Screwdriver turned her head with an inquiring warble.

"No, you've done enough! I've got this, really." She reached down, tracing the rope with her hand. "Okay, so if this goes through here, then this should go through there, and--"

An annoyed squawk gave her just enough time to pull her hand back before Screwdriver lanced the rope with her beak. An abrupt twist, and it was loose. The bird flipped her neck to the other side, repeating the process, and to Shantae's surprise she began to feel her legs again.

"Oh. Well. Thank you, Screwdriver, that's really nice of--"

And then Screwdriver grabbed her ponytail, swung her into the air so swiftly that the ropes followed, twirled in five different directions, and dropped her on the ground.

Shantae lay dazed for a few moments. "...mermaidespidersruletheworld..."

Then, with a force of will, she shook her head, glaring at the bird, who gave her a cheeky grin.

"Sky WILL be hearing about this!"

Screwdriver flinched.

"All of it!" Shantae promised, standing--or trying to stand, the ropes having bound her arms and legs tightly to her body. "Argh. I can't even transform, these ropes are too tight to dance in. Mark my words, Screwdriver, you will face justice! I will have Sky make sure of it!"

She turned and began to hop awkwardly toward the structure, ignoring Screwdriver's pleading kreen. "There's got to be sharp metal jutting out of a wall or some form of knife in there somewhere..."

"Hup! Hup! Come on... Hup!"

The last ten minutes had been something of a chore for Shantae. Despite being old, the building was in surprisingly good repair--a few obvious holes from what looked to be cannonballs or something like it, a sagging wall here and there, but nothing near ground level. Well, nothing she could use to cut herself free. It was almost as if the designers had anticipated the collapse--had built the whole thing specifically to endure over ages.

But of course, that was impossible.

Wandering through the large atrium--and it was very large, as big as some of Risky's lairs or twice that even--she'd noted the tattered tapestries trailing from on high, the shuttered windows in the walls, and the overturned and bent furniture. Every last one of them seemed to be entirely lacking a sharp edge, much to her rising frustration, and she'd eventually settled on hopping through the grand chamber, grumbling curses under her breath. A total of eight massive doors lined the circular room, but she was focused on the one across from the entry--the only other door that was open.

With a final grunt, she crossed the threshold... and even in her rope-entangled state, she couldn't help but stare.

The center of the room was a table, circular and with what seemed to be a shallow pool in the center. And around that central item were... well, they had to be thrones, but they weren't like any thrones Shantae had ever seen. Each one was a polished steel half-cylinder, rising from ground to the great inverted dome above, with a disc at just the right level to sit down and a number of rings built in regularly above. The rest of the room had a few items--shields, swords, strange devices--scattered about like so much garbage, but it was clear that the center, at least, had been left pristine.

"Wow...."

Shantae took a deep breath, hopping over to a sword and--carefully--scratching her entangled arms against it. In a matter of moments, her bonds were no more, and she was free to wander around the thrones; her hands brushed past each, taking in the sheer solidness of their existence.

On the fourth throne, the center, she paused. Slowly, she put her other hand on it.

"...there's magic in this." Her breath hitched. "This one still has magic in it.... amazing."

Almost in a trance, she moved to the front of the throne, and took a seat--

"WHO ARE YOU? WHY DO YOU VIOLATE THIS SANCTUM?"

--and squeaked, looking up to see the inverted dome had turned into a glowing blue eye.