The Return of Shantae

The Fear of the Past

From the sight of Korah's emblems, Shantae was in shock as they triggered terrible memories. She remembers gunfire and the clashing of swords. Scenes of the Tinkerbats battling monstrous creatures with her friends fighting in the fray. Her last flashback was of her getting choked by a hideous creature with five emblems on its chest and holding the crystal lamp as it shines over her. The last thing she remembers are these word,

The Monster" Look to the sun no more, feeble halfbreed. Mwahaha. Hahaha!"
Risky Boots"No! Shantae!!!"

In that flash she was frantically screaming like a psychopath, so much that the entire guild heard her. Korah had to shut her mouth by covering it. He quickly took away the emblems back into his pocket, making her stop covered screaming and breathed rapidly. He held her close in an embrace and brushed her hair repeating that everything's okay. Two guild members were knocking on their room's door asking if anything's wrong, they came out with Shantae hiding her face in her hood.

Trove Snipe Fighter"😠What happened?"
Korah"😤Nothing! We just saw something really scary on Ticktube."
Trove Snipe Seeker"😟Korah? What're you doin' here?
Trove Snipe Fighter"🤔Yeah, I thought you and the rest of Team Pincer was on vacation."
Korah"😠I'm just dropping by, that's all!"
Trove Snipe Fighter"Who's that?"
Korah"😥A friend having a panic attack, 😡get us to the guild's sickbay- Stat!! And don't let anyone else in the guild know about this! Just say it was just a prank."

The two went out and assured everyone that it was just as he instructed, while Korah and Shantae snuck into the sickbay. Once there, he got her into one of the beds and closed the doors along with shutting the blinds on their windows. She was hyperventilating on the bed sweating with fear, whatever happened to her must've had been truly scaring. He wiped her head of cold sweat and tears with a dry towel as he sat right next to her. In his mind, asking her will just get herself hurt and he didn't want to press anymore triggers. She puts her face on his leg side and whimpers in her rest as she tries to apologize.

Shantae"😭I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, master. Please forgive me..."
Korah"😫Shantae, no! 😔Don't apologize. If you don't want to talk about it, than it's alright. I just didn't consider it hurting you that badly."
Shantae"😞Please.... Forgive me."
Korah"😥I have, I have. Just calm down. You- you just want to go home?"
Shantae begging in nods.
Korah"😔Okay. Let me ask for some help from my guild and then we can leave. 😥Could you let me go?"

Shantae shakes her head as she grabs his pants, where the Trove Snipe Fighter comes in to see if they're okay. Korah asked him if he and the Seeker could lend him a hand in putting his stuff for that private booth in front of his elevator home. He agreed under the condition of giving him one of his boxed lunches among his stuff. Korah begrudgingly agreed and the Fighter went off to do so. Korah cradled her in his embrace until she was willing and ready to go still tearing up like a child who lost her parents.

Instead of going through the streets, he took the back alley holding her by hand, trying to avoid any contact with anyone else. While traversing through there, he was fully aware of her still tearing up about those terrifying memories. She took one more look at the underground ceiling and saw many crystals sparkling from the lower level's street lights, showing her baggy eyes of sadness and fear to him. He didn't want to see a face like that anymore, there was too much of it up top in the rain.

They finally made it to his home elevator where his stuff was on a cart minus one boxed lunch. He accessed the elevator and pushed it all in with him and her being the last to enter, he pressed the button and the doors shut with three layers of cages and camouflage and up they go. All the while in the elevator, Shantae held onto his arm as if he might abandoned her at any moment clasping her fingers into his own shaking from the fear. Soon it finally caught up with him as he shed one tear for her pain.

Once the elevator reached the top and opened up, Korah asked her to rest in his room while he gets his stuff sorted. As she did, he pushed his crates of stuff next to his various stacks of unopened moving boxes. Actually, he was thinking of finally doing them today with the laziness out of his system. But for now, he grabbed the new clothes for Shantae and went into his room. As he did he notices all of the clothiers she's worn were on the floor and she was under the covers of bed.

This emblems must've pushed her buttons hard, because she was loudly but at the same time quietly crying into the pillows. As a precaution, he took out his emblems and put it in he drawers to prevent her from looking at them. He walked around as kindly as he can setting her new wardrobe on his side of the bed and setting right next to her, petting her for comfort and ignoring the fact that she's probably naked underneath the covers.

Korah"😣I'm... I'm such an idiot... 😥I didn't want to go that far."
Shantae"😞I'm... I'm sorry master."
Korah"Please... 😥Just Korah."
Shantae"😔I know you wanted to help and everything, and... You offered me so much kindness... I can't even tell you anything, just ending up giving you 😭trouble."
Korah"😔I get it Shantae, whatever happened to you must've been really traumatizing. But I... I... I wished you'd tell me about it though. I don't like seeing people in pain, and- wait WHAT!?"

His lit bedroom starts to shutter and quake as the lights began to flicker away, Shantae beautiful begins to shine and glow like the shimmering galaxy as she begins to levitate with the covers forming around her. The scene made Korah fall in fear and amazement at the glorious sight, astonished by her mysterious power. Her tearful eyes open to shine away the darkness and onto her master.

Korah"😧Sha- Shantae!? What's going on!? What's wrong with you!?"
Genie Shantae"🌟~Your wish is my command. And you shall know of my past.~🌟"

Her light shined so much that everything went white. Nothing but a white noise until the sound of seagulls can be heard, and the whiteness dimmed away. What he saw was like a dream: A beach of white sand and clear ocean waters with the sky free from the ring of clouds. And most of all, the sun was shining upon the earth greeting a beautiful day. Korah was stood next to a house on a sandbar dumbfounded but the radiance of the past.

Korah"😧Whe- Where am I?"
Genie Shantae"🌟~As you wished it, you are seeing the past of my last adventure... Into darkness.~🌟"
Korah"😟But, where are you?"
Past Shantae"😣Hold on, meh, gonna have to start the day!"
Korah"😕Hmm?"

Shantae comes out of her house and runs off into across the sandbar. This Shantae was the one that matched his description: Violet Hair, Dark Honey Skin, and the most beautiful set of blue eyes he's ever gazed upon. But more over, the past Shantae was wearing a red belly dancer ensemble with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She was the same in his nightmare but was full of life and step in her feet, his heart actually skipped a beat.

Korah"😳Was... Was that really you?"
Genie Shantae" 🌟Yes. Follow her and you shall know of what truly happen.🌟"

Undiscouraged by her disembodied voice, Korah wobbled his way to her past self with Cupid finally hitting his heart. What she did to him really can't him off guard, due to the fact that magic rarely exist in his time, but his markings start to glow once more signaling something horrific about to encounter him.
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In the next chapter, you'll all finally find out what really happened to Shantae. And I think someone's finally smitten with her~<3. Stay tune for the death of Scuttlebutt!! Wait, I mean, the tale of Shantae's last adventure into servitude! See'ya next time!
- Kanadzuchi