CHAPTER 6: Compass Mending and Side Questing Back with Shantae, she was just now waking up. “Dragging around a hedgehog can put such a crick in the neck!” She yawned, stretching in her hammock, and then climbed down to brush up and change out of her PJs. Afterwards, she went to boil some water for tea and put a bagel in a toaster to cook. As for Sonic, he was still lying in the beanbag asleep. Shantae took notice of this when he crossed her line of sight. “Oh, he’s still asleep..?” She thought, now standing by to try waking him. “Sonic? You up yet, bud?” Shantae asked, “Yoohoo, Sonic! We’ve got places to be! ” She shouted. “Sonic! Hey! Listen!” She yelled. These efforts proved to be fruitless, and so Shantae took to trying to wake him with loud noises. She tried hitting an iron pot with a ladle. “Yeah… I’ll have some…” Sonic murmured, still asleep. Shantae nodded disappointedly, seeing that being of little effect. Next she tried dropping a huge book onto the floor next to him. “I hate this zone…” He mumbled. Shantae stomped her foot on the floor in frustration and looked down, nodding. It was then that she noticed where Sonic kept his rings in: his shoes, lying on the floor. This gave her an idea. She then took one of the shoes, raised it up to Sonic’s ear and shook it. “Money?!” Sonic gasped with eyes wide open, for upon first shake of the shoe her blue friend was now awake and aware as an early bird. “No silly, breakfast…” She told him softly, smiling with a chuckle under her breath, “Ya hungry at all? I’m toasting a bagel if you want something to eat before we go see my uncle again.” Sonic shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, close enough to a ring. Sure.” He answered. And so she went to make her tea and Sonic put on his shoes. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 52 Sonic was now at the table spreading marmalade on his bagel. “You think your uncle will be able to make something that can track down the compass?” Sonic asked. “Not sure,” Shantae answered slowly in thought, “maybe he can just make another one, if he has the stuff to.” Sonic nodded, eating the bagel. “But why do that when I don’t have my Chaos Emerald anymore?” He asked. Shantae took a sip of tea. “Because I know you’ll have it again once we catch up to Risky Boots!” She told him confidently. Sonic gave a nod in agreement. “I like your attitude, Shantae. Never stop being you!” he said, finishing the bagel. “All set to go out now, right?” Sonic asked, now standing at the door. “Ret-2-go!” Shantae exclaimed, finished with her tea and now coming to the door. She then went out with Sonic following behind, and led the way to town to run various errands in need of doing, starting off with getting a new pair of cuffs from a local blacksmith shop. After a quick browse of the armor aisle for some in her size, Shantae brought some to checkout. “That’ll be 570 gems.” The cashier told her. Shantae nodded, and pulled out the due money when Sonic stopped her. “Hold on a sec,” he interjected, “didn’t you say something about using these to bash through walls or whatever, back on that island?” Shantae looked at him curiously. “Yeah… What about that?” She asked him. “Get some made of brass.” Sonic suggested. Shantae put her purchase on pause and followed Sonic to a pair he saw. He showed her to ones back in the armor aisle closer to where various metals were being mended into tools and armor pieces of many types. “So why buy these instead?” Shantae asked. “A couple reasons;” Sonic told her, “not only do they still look same as your old ones, but they hold up longer than a gold pair!” Shantae pondered this choice for a moment. “I’ll go ring it up, I guess.” She told him. Shantae then took a pair her size to the counter to see the price. “That’ll be 740.” The cashier told her. Sonic was rather surprised at the price, while Shantae was rather flustered. “Wait, that’s how much they are?” Sonic asked, in surprise at the price. “Well, yeah,” Shantae said, pulling out her money, “sure hope I’m not dead broke after this.” Sonic nodded in agreement. “Hey it’s not all too bad; back where I come from, gold goes for a fortune per troy!” Shantae gave him a confused look while she paid Page 53 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero for the brass cuffs. “What about brass, is that stuff cheap or something there?” She asked him. “Compared to gold, it is in bulk, from what my buddy Tails says.” Sonic told her, trailing behind as they left the blacksmith. “How’s he know that?” Shantae asked. “He sometimes uses the stuff for his machines and things!” Sonic answered. The two were now approaching the workshop where Shantae’s uncle was. “’Sup, uncle!” Sonic greeted, stepping inside first. Mimic gave the hedgehog a funny look. “I don’t remember having a nephew.” He told Sonic, looking aside from his wide desk where he was assembling a small machine. “Heh, yeah. So uncle, about the compass…” Shantae said. “Don’t tell me,” Mimic interjected, “you two went and damaged it already? Darn, I knew I should’ve used a titanium frame.” “A-actually, we just need a second one.” Sonic said, “We, uh, kind of lost the first one..?” The man looked to his niece with disappointment. Shantae looked down, holding her arm. “It’s not her fault!” Sonic told him, “I-..I lost it. If I’d just thought for a moment before I ran, we’d still have it… But I promise not to lose the next one!” There was a brief pause while Mimic tinkered with the device on his table, until he broke the silence. “Well, fine.” The man said, “But I’ll have to restock on some parts in order to assemble another. Give me some time and it’ll be made soon enough.” Shantae nodded. “Bye, uncle!” She said with a wave on her way out, as did Sonic, following behind. “Sonic..!” Shantae said in an annoyed tone. “Sorry, force of habit.” Sonic said embarrassedly. “Hey..,” She then said after a moment, “Thanks for taking one for me back there.” Sonic smiled. “Don’t mention it. I know you’d do the same for me.” He said. The two were now headed to the local cash for gold shop in town. “So, uh.. Why are we going here?” Sonic asked. “Remember that boat we lost?” Shantae asked him. “Right…” he said slowly, hanging his head in shame. And so when inside, Sonic exchanged some of his rings for gems in order to cover the charges for destroying the boat. But their choice to be there then would show to be a poor one, for at this moment Risky’s entourage of Tinkerbat bandits were already underway in raiding the Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 54 coastal marketplace. Sonic was rather unaware, still inside the shop, while Shantae, loitering just outside the entrance, took quick notice. “Not again!” She gasped. She then rushed into the shop to get Sonic. “Thanks for your services, sir!” he saluted, waving as he turned to the door, when suddenly Shantae busted through it, took the ring slung on the lamp’s strap and vacuumed Sonic into it. “Wha- what’s this all about?!” Sonic stammered from the ring’s speaker. “Can’t talk..,” Shantae gasped, jogging toward the scene, “just run..!” she then clicked the ring to let Sonic out, and just as soon he took her by the arm and ran toward the show of chaos he now saw. The two were now at the scene of the ambush, dead center of the action between the docks of the harbor from where the Tinkerbats were coming, and the marketplaces of which they were raiding. “Shoot, they’re everywhere!” Sonic said, looking around after coming out of a Homing Attack on one of Risky’s men. Shantae whipped her hair at the heels of a running Tinkerbat, tripping them and in turn making them drop a crate of fruit they stole from a stand. “Don’t. Lose. Focus.., Sonic!” She said stutteringly, hair-whipping and ass-kicking the Queen’s thieves one by one. Sonic nodded and went dashing about, taking the stolen goods from the crooked crew and returning them to their shops and stands of origin. Soon the two succeeded in fending off the thieves, seeing as what was left of the vile gang was now retreating empty-handed toward the coast, onboard the ship from which they came. “Yeah, you stay away you filthy bandits!” Sonic scolded. Shantae was now lying against a building, catching her breath. “Did you see.., where they went..?” Shantae sighed. Sonic looked out to the shore to which they retreated and saw a small freighter that bore a sail of no familiar insignia. “They got a boat over there,” Sonic said, squinting toward the ship on the beach, “but it doesn’t look like the one we see Risky on.” Shantae nodded. “Huh. Probably just some old cargo freighter of hers if that’s not her mother ship.” She said. “You don’t suppose we could follow them and see if they lead back to my emerald?” Sonic asked, stretching his legs. Shantae thought for a moment. “Not now,” She answered, “we still gotta go and pay up at that boat rental place.” Page 55 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Shantae pointed to the dock where she rented the boat from. Sonic nodded, and followed her there. They then paid up the owed cost for losing the rental boat and afterwards went to see the Tinkerbat freighter, still lingering on the shore. They hid amongst the nearby shrubbery, behind some close together trees and spied on the crew, looking for a chance to sneak onboard. “So how we gonna stow away on there?” Sonic whispered. Shantae observed the scene and saw there were still some cargo boxes of theirs they hadn’t loaded yet. “OK, you see the boxes over there?” She asked. Sonic nodded. “Let’s sneak on by hiding in them.” Shantae whispered. “How’ll we do that without getting caught?” Sonic asked. Shantae thought for a moment, rubbing her chin. “You get in the ring, and I’ll transform into a mouse and drop it into a crate.” She whispered. Sonic nodded. Shantae then absorbed Sonic into the ring, transformed into a mouse, and scurried behind one of the wooden boxes, and when the time was right, climbed up and dropped the ring into the crate. After that she went back, grabbed her lamp by the strap and quickly slid into another crate beside the other with lamp in tow, just before the crew came to seal and load it onboard with the one beside it. After being carried onto the ship, the two waited inside the boxes until the crew was out of the storage bay, and when that time came Shantae crawled out of the crate using her mouse form and reverted back to her normal self. She then knocked on a nearby crate. “You there, bud?” Shantae whispered. There was no response at the first box. She then went about doing the same at any and all other crates similar to the one she dropped the ring into. Soon she heard a response. “Yeah, this is unit Sigma-Alpha 2, agent BlueHawk, calling for agent VioletWhip, VW do you copy, over.” Sonic spoke from the ring speaker. Shantae heard it to her 5’oclock and went to the crate in that direction. “Yeah Sonic, I’m here,” She whispered, now trying to pry the box open with a nearby sword, “just.., hold on there… I’ll have this open.., in no time..!” After a minute or two of cutting and prying on the corners and edges, Shantae soon had the top of the crate off at last. She then flicked her thumb under her index finger a few times and sparked a small flame from it so that she could see within Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 56 the box. In just a few seconds she saw the ring of which held her hedgehog pal, and she pulled it out from there and let him out. Sonic now stood before Shantae, looking about until finally noticing her from the light of the fire. “O-oh, th-there you are.” Sonic whispered in a startled tone. “So.., you got a plan..?” He asked her. Shantae put out the tiny torch of her thumb and thought it over. Then she snapped her finger. “Let me try to find a big container you can hide in with the lamp. After that, I’ll change into a bat while I wear the ring and hang from the ceiling to listen for when we’ve hit shore.” Shantae explained. “But when that happens, they’ll be coming in here to take stuff, right?” Sonic asked, “How about you stay over a crate you can get in quick?” Shantae nodded, considering what he asked. They then searched the room for a container of a size great enough for Sonic to remain in until then. Once they found one that met their needs, they moved it to a corner of the room and broke the top off. Sonic then hid inside of it, curled in a ball and clutching the lamp close to his chest, and Shantae slid the top of the crate back on with a single corner exposed so that she could fall into the box when the time was right. The two of them remained still for the next passing hour or two until the ship hit dry land. Shantae heard the freighter’s bridge drop, and when it did so did she, into the crate. “OK. Don’t move, Sonic. We’re on land again.” She whispered. Sonic woke and nodded, hearing her. “OK.., got it…” He then lifted her off of his quill and held her over to his side. “Don’t drop me, either!” Shantae demanded in a hoarse whisper, “Hanging around up there got me kinda seasick.” Hearing this, Sonic then lowered her down slowly, giving her a gentle pat on the head when she was sat down. Soon the crew began unloading the cargo vessel, taking supplies crates one by one down into the storage room of the outpost. Shantae listened closely out the corner of the box for the short moment when there was not a single Tinkerbat within earshot, and when that time came she quickly slipped out of the container in mouse form whilst carrying the ring, changed back to her normal form, and absorbed Sonic and the lamp into the ring, just before she could be seen or heard. Page 57 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Shantae was now hiding behind a column of stacked crates lining the wall of the storage room. As soon as she knew any patrol guards were out of range, she let Sonic out of the ring so that they could crawl behind the one box tall line of crates leading towards the one door of the room to exit. But a guard in the far corner of the room had heard a disturbance in the general area of the two; a hanging wind chime had moved and made sound. This disturbance alerted the Tinkerbat to approach and look for whatever caused the motion. The sound of course scared Shantae and Sonic into scurrying into an open crate just ahead of them in the dark behind another wall of stacked boxes of cargo. After feeling a gust of wind from aside, the guard had dropped any suspicion of the two, and went about elsewhere. Sonic looked to Shantae with wide eyes and scared expression. Shantae blushed and collapsed, knowing it was her raised rear that of which caused such alert. “I’m sorry,” Shantae whispered embarrassedly, “sometimes I can’t help shakin’ it!” In just a moment the guard let their attention again wander off. Shantae then reabsorbed Sonic and the lamp into the ring, changed into mouse form and then scurried off, out the door and into the main corridor of the outpost to find the entrance to the tower room. When she caught sight of the door up the stairs, she noticed the guards standing in front of it. “Aw shoot, there’s a guard up there too?!” Shantae thought to herself, “Better see if there’s a window I can break in from…” Then into the kitchen she went, to made a quick getaway by sneaking beneath the chopping board counter isle to the supplies cart, and while stowed away on there looked about to see if she could spot the back door. As soon as she did, Shantae kept her eye on it, patiently awaiting its next opening. Then soon enough, a Tinkerbat came to exit the door to discard some garbage, and in that same moment Shantae bolted from the bottom tray of the cart out the door with the ring in her mouth, and into the tropics of which surrounded the base. Falling frontward into the dark, lush greens of the night, Shantae reverted back to her normal form out of exhaust of her magic, spitting the ring out of her mouth and touching the button with her nose to bring Sonic back out, just before dropping her Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 58 head on its side for some rest. Sonic now stood before her. “Oh, we’re out now? Sure was noisy in there.” He commented. Sonic then looked and heard around, until noticing the sound of Shantae breathing heavy at his feet. “Are you alright there? Sounds like you been through a bit.” He asked with concern, now kneeling down to try and look on her face. “It’s alright.., just hand me the lamp… ” She requested of him tiresomely. Sonic nodded and did so. Shantae took a bottle of ester from it and used it to replenish her magic. “So what’s the situation with my emerald?” Sonic asked as he followed her around to the other side of the base. “That door is being guarded of course, so I think we’ll need to sneak in through the window.” Shantae explained. “And we’ll get in there how, exactly?” Sonic asked, looking to the high room of the tower. “Let me try something.” Shantae said. She then plucked a quill from Sonic’s scalp, held it in her mouth, did her spider dance and transformed. Now in her spider form, she shot a strong web onto the underside of the window awning she could climb up. When up at the window, she took the quill and carefully cut a hole in it, roughly one meter in diameter. She then pulled the cut of the pane, lowered down to lay it against the wall, and when she climbed back up, swung back and fourth until she could just grip the desk on the inside of the room. When that happened, she saw something large and cubicle under a cloth on the desk of which she pulled herself into the room by. “The compass..?” Shantae thought to herself. After returning to her normal form, she then pinched the fabric off of the box, and gladly enough that just so happened to be it; the compass was lying there. Shantae was pleased at the sight of it, and made haste in trying to find something to crack it open with in order to get the Chaos Emerald out. But the pace of her action in doing so was rather unwise of her, for the Tinkerbat at the door had now heard the disturbance in the room, and was now reaching for his ring of keys for the one of which unlocked the tower room door. Halfway into slowly opening the compass’ side door, Shantae heard the sound of the room’s door unlocking. “Oh no, I’m busted!” She thought, now breaking a sweat while lowering the door just wide enough to reach Sonic’s gem. The room door now began to open with a creak, spilling light into the room. As soon as the Page 59 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero guard saw the intruder, he wasted no time in charging towards her with their sword at the ready. When that happened, Shantae dropped flat on the floor with hands over her head, and the Tinkerbat’s sword ended up stuck halfway into the wood board wall. While the guard tried tugging the weapon to get it out, Shantae whipped him using her hair and shoved him through the hole in the window. The sudden sound of the Tinkerbat hitting the ground startled Sonic back into full awareness, whom was lying against the wall, somewhat nodding off. Quickly following, Shantae rushed to the door to close and lock it, seeing as the guard dropped his keys during the encounter. She then went back to the compass to get the emerald out. With what she sought to get back now in hand, she slid down the spider web she stuck to the awning and made way back down to Sonic. Now back on the ground, she woke up Sonic by gently tossing the Chaos Emerald on him. “Huh..? Oh, here it is…” Sonic said drowsily, holding and looking at his emerald. He then stood up and walked over to Shantae. “You got my wallet back too, right?” Sonic asked. She looked at him questioningly. “What? I don’t have pockets, alright?” He told her, “Just check the desk real quick!” Shantae rolled her eyes with a sigh and darted back up to check. After unlocking the drawer, she found his wallet was still in there, and so she took it and slid back down the web. When back with Sonic again, she handed him the wallet. “Oh, that pirate crook better not touched my rings..!” He grumpily murmured, opening it. Shantae watched over his ear as he did. Sonic felt her heavy breath grazing him as he inspected the contents, and dashed a small way off from where she stood, causing her to stumble and fall down. “Boundaries, Capital One,” Sonic said sharply with a wag of his finger, “I need my personal space when looking through this thing!” Shantae nodded in annoyance, just before dropping on her back in the sand where she was laying. After a minute or so, Sonic had finished looking through his wallet. “OK, I think it’s all good, let’s head back now!” He said now walking back, slinging the lamp by the strap over his shoulder and dropping his wallet beside Shantae and the ring. He then noticed her starting to drift into slumber. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 60 “Shantae, wake up,” Sonic said, “I gotta have these things in the lamp, and you gotta help!” Hearing this woke her up just enough so that she could do so, but she dropped limp back on the ground following right after. Sonic nodded disappointedly, and went onward, carrying the sleeping beauty as he sped through the dunes of the night, until finding again the oasis whereat stood the starpost he attempted to use to return home. When there, he laid Shantae down against the post beneath the neighboring banana herb, and Sonic did the same himself on the opposite side. After setting the lamp down between her and him, Sonic made himself cozy however possible and after awhile lulled away asleep by counting stars. Some hours later, the two soon found each other somewhere…Ethereal... “What? Here again..?” Shantae whispered questioningly, seeing as she was in the Genie Realm once more. Looking to her wrist, she saw the ring around it. “Huh? Where’s that voice?” Sonic asked from the ring. Shantae raised her wrist up and tried clicking the button to release Sonic. But alas, it worked only as how it did pre-enchantment, with the center of the button glowing when pressed, as to indicate the microphone being active. Shantae held the button down and asked Sonic if he could hear her. “Yeah, I hear you. Do you see anything? Got any clue where we are?” She nodded disappointedly. “I think I do. And I’m afraid you may have to wait until we leave to get out of the ring.” Shantae told Sonic, holding down the button. “Alright, fine.” He sighed. Shantae then went ahead, looking about for what her purpose for being there then was. Soon she saw a glowing wisp of jittery light with a crimson aura. This piqued her interest, and so she went towards it. As soon as she came within arms reach of it, at the very touch of the orb it quickly circled around her and darted up and away. “Follow the rings.” A voice called out from above. “Who was that..?” Shantae wondered, hearing this voice was one she knew not of. “I’m not the only one who heard that voice, right Shantae?” Sonic asked from the ring. “Yeah. You heard it, too? I wasn’t even holding the button!” Shantae replied. She then went about the area until she saw a ring which glowed with an aura of light similar to that of the orb from before. Page 61 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Shantae went to the ring ahead, and upon contact it faded into mist. But just as soon, another appeared elsewhere within eyeshot. She then repeated the process until the rings started to fade before she could reach them. This prompted her to move faster. Soon she grabbed a ring that this time didn’t fade away, but rather appeared in her grasp. Looking at it, Shantae noticed it wasn’t even a ring at all, but rather a peculiar- looking wristband of which she held. Looking to her wrist, she noticed the ring she had on was no longer there either, but instead all the way back from where she started running, which now looked to be an island floating in a void. An island where now stood Sonic. “Sonic! Is that you? How did you get out of the ring?” Shantae called to him. “I’m not sure! What’s it doing over here if you’re over there?” Sonic questioned. “I might have dropped it on the way over. Can you try pushing the button on it?” Shantae asked. Sonic nodded and pressed it as requested. Upon doing so, the bracelet of which Shantae held started to glow white with an indigo aura, as did the ring Sonic had, and the two quickly switched places. It was now Sonic who held the odd object. “Wait a second; I remember these things,” He said, looking at the bracelet and back to Shantae, “I have this back at home!” Shantae was surprised. “You really do? Does it do anything?” She asked. And just then the voice spoke again. “Use this to dash across trails of rings.” It spoke, seemingly directed to Sonic. Hearing this, he nodded. “Dash across them..?” Shantae wondered, just before a path of rings similar in appearance to the ones she followed appeared spanning from the island where Sonic stood to the direct spot where she was. “Hey Shantae, watch this!” Sonic called, with the cuff now on his wrist. He went farthest from the start of the trail he could on the small space of land where he was, and went running toward the rings with as much speed as he could build up, and surely enough when he hit them he went dashing across at supersonic speed. The sudden increase of velocity Sonic achieved scared Shantae, causing her to jump out of his way. But when he reached the mainland where she was, the ring that Shantae held flew out of her hand in the direction of his dash. Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero Page 62 Seeing as it was no longer in her grip, Shantae went to retrieve it. “Sonic! Did you end up back in here?” She asked through the ring, seeing as The Blue Blur was no longer in sight. “Uh, I think so.” Sonic assured her, “I’m not wherever you’re at anymore, and that’s for sure.” Shantae walked on ahead, pondering what she just witnessed. “What was that you just did back there?” She asked Sonic. “That was a ring dash,” He told Shantae, “that move could come in handy in the Special Zone.” She slowly nodded, albeit not all too sure on what Sonic meant. In the unremembered time that had passed, whatever else that happened as they dreamed the two had no sense or recollection of, and so they woke only with the shared memory of a dream of the Genie Realm. In the morning, the two found themselves on a magic warp pad in Mermaid Falls. “Huh? How did we end up here..?” Sonic mumbled, stumbling up and looking towards the carved architecture from a narrow hole in the wall of the room. Shantae too soon woke up. “How’d you make it here last night..?” She yawned. Sonic shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t remember coming here.” He told her, “You didn’t happen to have a dream involving us and some rings, did you?” Shantae nodded. She sat and recollected for a moment, until coming to a realization. “Maybe that dream brought us here!” She suggested. “Oh really,” Sonic said, looking around for a way out, “some kind of genie magic at work here?” “In the dream, yes, that place we were at is the Genie Realm.” Shantae told him, “This warp pad may have brought us back from there.” She said, motioning to it in the center of the room, “I didn’t recognize who was talking to us when we were there, though.” After some time, Shantae rediscovered a narrow tunnel they could use to crawl out from, and so they did. When back outside, the two went about climbing up the ruins and waterfalls to reach higher ground from where Shantae could use a flare to signal Sky and Wrench over. When they finally arrived, she absorbed Sonic into the ring, climbed onto the large bird, and requested of Sky to fly her back to town. And so they headed back to Scuttle Town, now with the Chaos Emerald in tow once more. Page 63 Sonic and the Half-Genie Hero
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