CHAPTER 5: Rest and Refreshment In the hour following, Shantae pulled out a signal flare from her lamp and used it to get Sky’s attention, and after a minute or so her friend soon arrived, riding atop her giant bird Wrench. “Where you headed next, short stuff?” Sky asked Shantae. “Just a sec,” She said, absorbing her hedgehog pal back into the ring. “Skyward to Sequin Land, please.” Sky nodded. “Aight, Hop on.” Shantae climbed up her massive bird and they took off. “So,” Sky asked, “still stuck with the guy, huh?” Shantae nodded. “It’s not that bad, Sonic’s actually kind of a cool guy. Awful cocky, but his heart’s in the right place.” Shantae admitted. “Well hey, if he needs a place to stay, he’s your problem, not mine.” Sky replied. At this point they had reached the destination, and Shantae was now getting off. “Okay, then. Later!” Shantae said with a wave to her airborne friend, who was now returning to her own home. She then took the ring off of the lamp strap and clicked it to let Sonic out. “Are we there yet?” Sonic asked, now standing where the ring was pointed and looking around. “No. We’re walking the rest of the way.” Shantae told him. Sonic nodded and followed her lead. “Some place you got here,” Sonic said, looking about, “you think we could see more of it sometime?” Shantae nodded. “Not at the moment,” she told him, “maybe we could take a walk around some other day.” The two just passed the Squid Smith and now were headed inside of Scuttle Town’s local shop. “Morning, Shantae!” the shopkeeper greeted. Shantae waved back. “Anything hygienic in stock?” she asked. The shopkeeper motioned to the shelf for her and Sonic to see. Sonic grabbed a basket and followed Shantae to look for items. Soon enough he found a bottle of “CamelCare™ Pet Shampoo” (basically Shantae’s world’s Mane n’ Tail) and dropped that into the basket. Page 41 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Eventually he stopped to wait for Shantae, whom of which was trying to make up her mind while looking at a pair of products to decide between getting. “Hmm…” Shantae said, slowly looking back and forth between the bottles in her hands. “Hey Sonic,” She asked the hedgehog, “Which one should I get? This one says “For richer hair”, but this other one says “For more powerful hair”. Which one? Rich? Powerful?” “Whichever one gets us out of here faster…” Sonic sighed. Shantae looked at the two and thought for a second. “I’ll get both!” She eventually concluded, dropping them into the basket. They were then headed to the soaps and detergents section when they met with Shantae’s friend Rotty Tops. “Hiya, Shantae!” Rotty said. “Hi, Rotty!” Shantae replied. Sonic rushed behind Shantae. She looked at him in confusion. “What’s the matter with him?” RT asked Shantae, “He seems especially scared of me.” Shantae turned to Sonic to ask him what the matter was. “I’m sorry Shantae,” Sonic hoarsely whispered, “she just looks like this girl Amy, but back from the dead with an undying lust for my hand in marriage!” Shantae was now as humored as she was surprised. “What are you going on about?” She chuckled, “Rotty is just an everyday zombie! She doesn’t eat hedgehogs, just humans!” Rotty Tops stepped a bit closer. “There’s not a problem I’m making, is there..?” She nervously asked. “Oh, no,” Sonic sighed, “just my head playing tricks on me again is all, nothing to worry about!” RT looked at him and back to Shantae with a concerned expression. “You know, like, how he hit his head? Yeah, he’s still recovering from that. This is normal.” Shantae told her friend. “Oh… Sorry if I spooked you!” Rotty Tops said, just before leaving them to go about her business again. Shantae and Sonic then went back to looking to the shelves, and after awhile Shantae finally put some soap and detergent in the basket and they now were ready to check out. “Sonic!” Shantae whispered, shaking his arm, “It’s time to leave the store, bud!” Sonic woke from his state of half-sleep and followed her to the cashier. She then paid for the items and absorbed them into her lamp, and then they left the store and headed for her place. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 42 When they arrived, Shantae went towards the laundry room of hers with a washer and drying machine to stock the detergent and load the washer. Meanwhile, Sonic had fallen face-first onto a beanbag lying beneath the ladders to her bed. “Yo, Sonic,” Shantae called, “you want your stuff washed too, right?” Sonic then slid off his socks and gloves so they could be washed. Shantae came to take them to the washer, and after dropping them in she changed into a robe and loaded her things into the washer and started it up. Shantae had now gotten towels for her and Sonic, and after dropping one by him was now headed for the Bath House with her lamp slung over her shoulder as a means of carrying the products purchased earlier with her to the place. Sonic got up and followed along, now a bit more rested and mobile. Soon enough the two had entered the building, and Shantae checked in at the front desk where the woman who worked there stood. “So where do I wash myself?” Sonic asked, looking around the area, completely ignoring the wide, shallow pool in the middle of the place. “Right there in front of you!” Shantae called as she tossed him some soap and his shampoo and headed behind the rock wall where a terra-formed waterfall ran. “Oh, Roman style, huh?” Sonic said, looking at the pool. He now stepped in and started his bath. “So,” Sonic asked, “what’cha know about this crook Risky? You sure act like you’ve got a past with her.” Shantae sighed. “Yep, believe it or not this is the norm with her. Stealing stuff, destroying property and whatever… Anything it takes to build this supposed “empire” she wants.” Sonic nodded. “I know what that’s like,” He said, “She sounds just like this guy back in my world. His name is Ivo Robotnik, but we just call him “Doctor Eggman” because I kid you not, this dude is seriously shaped like an egg!” Shantae let out a small laugh. “But about the pirate,” Sonic continued, “what’s the plan with her? Have you thought yet on how we’ll catch up to her and get my emerald back?” Shantae paused, thinking back to what she had come up with earlier that day. “Yeah, about that,” she had recalled, “I’m thinking that in the morning we can head back to my uncle’s place and see if he can try putting together another compass, that way when we get the emerald back from Risky you can slam it in Page 43 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero there and use the thing to find your way back home again!” Sonic thought about the plan whilst scrubbing a brush between his scalp quills. “Not so sure about that,” Sonic said with concern, “for all we know, by the time we get my emerald back she might have another one, therefore still having a means of terrorizing people here using Chaos power!” Shantae held her tongue. “Oh… Right…” she then said in realization. “Well.., do you have any ideas..?” She then asked anxiously, changing into her crab form. Sonic thought for a minute. “I think I know what to do..,” He soon said, “but I’ll need another emerald to do it. You don’t think it’d be too much trouble to help me in getting that, would it?” Sonic asked nervously. Shantae let out a sigh of relief. “If it just means tracking down Risky again…don’t sweat it.” She said, now in her mermaid form. “Oh, and another thing,” Sonic asked, hearing her transform, “do you have to wash those forms of yours separately?” Shantae changed back into her half-genie form. “Nah, I just like to.” She answered. Eventually Sonic dosed off and fell asleep again while bathing, and ended up getting left behind after Shantae left. Sometime later, Sonic woke and noticed it was just him bathing now. “Hey, Shantae.., Are you there? Is…Anyone there? He asked, now looking around. The woman at the desk noticed him. “If you’re looking for the half-genie, she just left sometime around 4 minutes ago.” She told the hedgehog. Sonic nodded in disappointment at his self, let a sigh of frustration out his nose, and stepped out of the pool to dry off and go back to Shantae’s place. Sonic now stood at her door with towel over his shoulders and bottle in hand. To knock on the door he thudded his head on it. “Who is it?” Shantae asked after the knock, calling from a mirror she was sitting in front of while brushing her hair. “Oh, nobody special,” Sonic mumbled grumpily, “just some poor, unfortunate hedgehog longing for nothing more than to be clothed and shell-” “I know… I’m sorry,” Shantae sighed, now opening the door, “I’ll try not to leave you behind like that again. Your stuff is by the beanbag in a basket.” Sonic nodded as he stumble-walked to the spot, dropping the things he was carrying along the way. Shantae picked up the things and put them away after he Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 44 fell into the beanbag once more. Afterwards she changed into her PJs, called it lights out and went to sleep. As for the rather nocturnal Risky Boots, she was back on the hunt for the next emerald, or as she had known it as at that point, the next of the “Seven Chaos”. And with both the compass and Sonic’s emerald in her possession, this was now all the more easier for the Queen and her crew. She was in the high room of the outpost tower, with gem in hand and the compass on her desk. “Now to see where this leads me next.” She said, then opening the side door of the metal cube and placing the jewel inside. Momentarily afterward, the box powered up, harnessing the power of the emerald, and began to glow in the direction of the nearest starpost. “Aha!” Risky exclaimed, “Northbound next!” and so she walked down the stairs and called for her crew members whom of which were in charge of the outpost inventory. “Ahoy lads,” She said to them when they were present, “in this quarter we’re to be back out on the sea. In this time, fetch some 50 or so troy of gold from the reserve, and bring it to my ship’s quarters.” The Tinkerbats saluted, and then headed for the valuables safe in the stock room beneath the outpost. The Queen headed back upstairs and hauled the compass down. When on the ground floor, she then called for the guards up ahead to open the doors so she could move the compass outside and they could lower the bridge to the ship. “What do you mean you can’t?” Risky asked. She then came up ahead and was reminded of the still laying fell doors, smashed down by Shantae when she broke out. “Ugh. Of course that’s why.” The Queen muttered through her teeth in mild frustration. Nonetheless she carried onward out the building and toward the ship, stopping just once to put on her coat that was hanging by the exit. The bridge was now lowered and Risky was headed for her quarters on the ship to stow the compass. Following her was a number of Tinkerbats carrying supplies and assigned to work on deck that night, and the ever necessary gold was carried in a small iron box by the rearmost of the crew. The Queen called for the box of gold to be brought to her quarters. Page 45 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero After Risky had made sure all hands were on deck, she took the compass, climbed aboard to the main control, and ordered the crew to raise the anchor and set the sail, for now the journey to the next treasure was back on. “North is where we need to head,” She called out to the crew, pointing her scimitar in the direction, “keep ye eyes peeled for sight of land that way!” and so they all made sure to be on the lookout across the dark night horizon. There was less that could be seen this night, even through telescope, for there was a partial overcast of clouds blotting out the moon and stars of the night sky. But the circumstances didn’t seem to faze the Queen, for the compass that lay at her boots was still aglow just enough for her to know the general direction to go. It was just half-past 3 A.M. when Risky caught sight of what looked to be some small trace of land. She had a look through her scope to see what looked to be a thin beam of moving light that cast across the northeast of the ship’s course. “Hmm, there’s somewhere…” she whispered. But before retracting her telescope she looked back down at the compass to see where its light was brightest toward. It appeared to glow in a slightly westward direction. “Not my stop…” Risky whispered, nodding. She then looked back into the telescope toward the northwest horizon for a glimpse of her next destination, but it looked to be some bit empty for the time being. And so she put back her scope and focused on sailing toward the direction of the compass for the next hour. But in this time, she had to be sneaky in her pursuit; starboard from her position she saw that lighthouse was alit enough to signal ships as distant as she was, meaning there was bound to be some cargo freighters on the sea coming to and from the small bay. If in the off chance she was to intersect with a crew that has bad blood with her, that wouldn’t be good for her chances at getting to where she was looking to be that night. “Drop anchor, lads,” Risky called, “time to go incognito.” The crew heard this and went to grab a sail from the cargo bay. They then made haste in changing out the usual sail with one that had no insignia in order to not draw attention from anyone else out on the sea. When that was done, they continued onward in the direction of the compass’ glow. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 46 As time went on, being identified out on the open water seemed to become less of a concern for the Queen, for now the Zubat in the crow’s nest had spotted a dark, tiny patch of land en route of the ship. Risky got out her telescope to verify, and to her delight it was true. Looking back to the compass, she now saw the glow on the front of the box to be even brighter than before. “Ah, on the homestretch…” She whispered. And in the following minutes they eventually came ashore upon the isle. When there, she called for one half of her crew to follow her into the lush greenery of the island for the starpost and carry with them the crate of gold and the compass. As for the other half, they were ordered to stay aboard the ship in order to change the sails back out and to stand guard and stay on the lookout for any eavesdroppers. “Onward men,” The Queen hollered, “I’ve little patience to spare with how long this one has taken to get to!” Her crew picked up the pace and marched in with her at a quicker rate. Some way into the forest the compass reached the apex of its glow, and when it had come to that Risky whistled for her men to get out the magnets and searched the surrounding area of where the box sat. When a Zubat had finally reported to her of an object, Risky followed back. “Argh..!” Growled the Queen, for it unfortunately it turned out to be a false alarm, being an old boat propeller submerged in the sand. “Like I ordered, whenever you find something hit it with a shovel!” She reminded her troop. She returned to the compass with the crate of gold in hand to wait for a find. Sometime just before dawn, one from her crew said they found what appeared to be a bulb in the sand. This bulb was apparently magnetic. “Gather, men,” She called to the rest still searching, “hand me a shovel and show me to the bulb. I’ll get down to the bottom of it myself.” They then did so, handing her the finest of their spades and the one who knew the way leading her to the post, with the crate of gold in tow. When they were there the Queen took to digging it out, with assistance from the other crew members carrying shovels. After unearthing the buried starpost, Risky pried the door of it open and ordered her men to clear the area and leave her with the gold. Piece by piece she put the precious metal into the shiny chamber, and gradually the scale grew ever brighter with each coin, watch or sliver of jewelry placed Page 47 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero inside. And so by the time the container that held the gold was empty, a bright flash came from the starpost and a ring of stars appeared overhead. “Fare thee well loyal crew,” the Queen called to her men, “await my return at the compass.” She then hopped into the halo above and flashed into the Special Zone. The group at the edges of the hole saluted and went to the compass as ordered. When her vision returned, Risky noticed she was now running in a long half-pipe like the one Sonic was in. “Alright now, what next..?” she thought, looking about the path for something to clue her in on the objective. Then she caught sight of the banner on the transparent top of the tunnel that read “Get 35 rings!” and now the goal was clear to her. “Aha! I see…” the Queen said, now noticing the large golden rings up ahead. And so she prepared herself by letting her arms slightly outward for grabbing the massive coils of metal. Head on, to the left or right, up the sides or dead-center, there were rings to grab all over the path. But Risky was rather confused as to the immediate disappearance of the rings as she grabbed them… Until she looked to the ceiling in the half-pipe. Up on top of the course there looked to be a translucent projection of a number over a ring. “That’s where they’re going!” the Queen exclaimed. But this notice being taken by her would be a bad call, for then she had just barely dodged the first set of bombs in the track. “Shoot, hazards here too?!” She asked while quickly looking back and forth, now that she was aware of their presence. But the bombs hadn’t yet taken a toll on her ring count; she had just passed the first clear point with a decent 43 rings in tow. “Ho ho ho, making progress I see!” Risky cheered, seeing the indication she passed the first point. She now needed to collect 70 rings. This now posed a challenge, seeing as there were bombs a plenty making for an inconvenience when trying to hold onto rings. “Aargh, curse these obstructions!” The Queen growled, almost tripping on one last bomb as she exited a corridor. But then a thought had come to her mind: using her hat to collect rings in sections where using her arms would otherwise be too dangerous. “That’s the trick!” Risky said with a snap of her finger, “That’ll work if they fit!” And so she made quick work of the sets of rings in the next tunnel she was now in, Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 48 funneling them into her wide cap and dodging around the sets of explosives with ease. The Queen seemed to be well off, now holding 58 rings and coming up strong, when suddenly a wide ring of bombs came into view, catching her off guard. “Woah! Ouch!” Risky said, trying to get footing for a jump, but sadly crashing into the set of bombs and dropping ten rings. “I’m not having that happen again!” She thought, angrily shaking her head. Then a last few trails of rings before the next clear point came about, spanning the wide floor and even climbing to the ceiling. This almost intimidated the Queen, until she remembered to use her hat. And so she ran across the mid-left of the tube, and in her right hand she held her hat out which gathered the rings that were coming down the middle, and with her left hand she reached up the side of the half-pipe and snatched the rings up there. “Oh, I better have!” She said, seeing the banner across the half-pipe ceiling giving a thumb’s up for the clear point. And it was so, for she now held 78 rings in total. This total came up a bit small, however, for the last point called for a hefty 120 rings in order to claim the emerald she sought. But that fact only drove her harder to pick up the pace and tighten focus; with the coming paths the density of bombs had increased, as did the contrary happen for the number of rings. This was when Risky decided to put her hat back on, seeing as now there were fewer ring clusters, therefore reducing her headgear to being more of a hazard than a convenience if in hand. “Huh, some challenge,” the Queen remarked, looking about between waves of bombs, “quite the worthy gauntlet to endure for one of these “Chaos” things!” And now things kicked into top gear, with the following path being only partially speckled with rings on the ceiling, and with a majority of the bombs in erratic patterns taking up the left, right and middle lanes of the half-pipe, leaving only some tight space in between the explosives that litter the lanes. This increase in hazards as expected brought with it difficulty for Risky to hold onto the rings she had collected. Twice had she dropped some rings she had, but this wouldn’t come as much of an issue in the last portion of her run, for she had Page 49 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero gained a good amount of practice at scaling the wall in order to collect the rings overhead. And this honed experience proved to be of good use, for now there were only singular trails of rings of which spanned across the sides of the tube and crossed over one another, with the only apparent bombs being in the exact center of the floor and ceiling of the half pipe. “Hah, now this is where I win for sure!” the Queen said. And she wasn’t wrong in this claim, for little did she know this was now the final stretch of the zone she was in, and after the objects stopped appearing the emerald she sought came into sight. “Is… Is it a gem again?!” Risky gasped, seeing the jewel come into sight at the end of the tunnel. Soon enough the emerald was within her arm’s reach, and she held it firm as she faded from the Special Zone and was warped back from whence she came. The bulb of the starpost then flashed for a brief fraction of a second and the Queen dropped back down to the spot that she jumped from, and it was now sunrise. She picked up the empty box that held the gold and now kept the Chaos Emerald inside of it, then threw her jacket over her shoulder and headed toward the compass where she saw her loyal crew laying around awaiting her return. “Wake up, men!” She called out, now standing before the compass lying in the sand, “I’ve gotten what I came for and we be departing shortly. Gather these things and get back on board or get stranded!” All awake and aware deckhands under her command in the immediate area then made haste in picking up the equipment they had and rushed back to the ship. The crew followed the Queen back through the lush greens of the isle to the coast where the ship was, and at the sight of Risky holding the crate, followed by a pair of Tinkerbats hauling the compass, the other half of the crew left to stay on ship lowered the bridge for Her Majesty as she marched back into her quarters with newfound yet familiar treasure in hand. “Yes… The second Chaos…” She said, now sitting in her chair looking on the gem with wonder, “Surely this emerald holds powers far beyond those that half- genie possesses.” She then locked the jewel in her drawer and headed back out to sail once more. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 50 “Alright crew,” the Queen called as the anchor rose, “when back at base, I order for a message to be sent to TB requesting a meeting at outpost II on the eve the moon is half full. Have we a boat and messenger there to take the request?” A Tinkerbat nodded after a second. The queen smiled and nodded back. And so she set sail en route south, to send someone with her request off when at outpost TLI and to send a freighter to go “restock” on goods at Scuttle Town. Page 51 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero
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