Shantae: Tangled Tales

Tale 13: "Back to the Roots"

Bolo paced back and forth inside the building with the collapsed roof. Since having regained his color, he fought to keep his thoughts straight as waves of memories from his time lost to the Grey swirled in his mind.

When Sky returned, she had Wrench perched on her arm. She pet Wrench's bright pink and blue feathers while he nuzzled his head against her cheek.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"I-I just can't wrap my head around it all," Bolo said, staring down at his empty hands, "I did so many things. Like whatever Rottytops said! I was totally cool with all of it! And I had all these thoughts that weren't my thoughts, but they kind of were my thoughts at the same time. And why do I have a pistol? That's not my weapon! It's not my weapon, Sky!"

Sky silenced him by grabbing his shoulders. "Look," she said, "I can't imagine what you're going through right now. But I need your help! I can't do this alone! Risky's captured. Shantae and Mimic are—" Sky paused and hung her head.

"That explosion earlier . . ."

"I don't know for sure, but I . . . I saw smoke coming from the Square," Sky said, avoiding Bolo's eyes, "we have to believe they're okay. But we also can't wait for them or anyone else to help us. So, that means it's just the three of us now. We need to find a way in and up that Tower. And if we destroy the sphere, then hopefully the rest of the Tower will go with it . . . . So, are you with me?"

With lips pressed together and eyebrows furrowed, Bolo nodded.

"Good. Now, how can we get to the Tower without drawing too much attention?"

"Oh, that's no problem," Bolo said, digging through his pockets. He pulled out a crystal ring that glowed in a silver light.

"What is that?"

Bolo put the ring on. He made a fist and touched the ring to the nearby wall. Moving the ring along the wall, Bolo drew an infinity symbol. The wall glowed, and in a flash, a portal opened up.

Sky's mouth slackened. She gawked at the portal until Bolo tugged her through and into a long, narrow hallway.

Upon discovering the many engravings that covered the walls, Sky's muscles clenched. "Is this . . . ? Are we . . . ?"

"Yup! In the Tower!" Bolo said, taking off the ring and inspecting it, "pretty cool, right? Too bad it only opens portals that lead to this exact spot."

Sky's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively ducked into a crouching position, pulling Bolo down along with her.

"Uh, are you okay? I thought this was where we needed to be?"

"I-It is! It's just—I wasn't expecting to—to be here all of the sudden!" Sky took a few deep breaths. "Okay . . . okay . . . so, we're in the Tower . . . . Where, exactly, in the Tower are we? How do we get to the top from here?"

"We're at ground level . . . just outside the Core—you know the Core? With the ramp and all the rooms?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, we need to get in there . . . but there's a huge stone door we'll need to open first. Can't be broken down . . . it's made of the same magic stone stuff that the rest of the Tower is made of. But there's a button that'll open it in the Lower Control Room." Bolo pointed at the hallway to his right. "So, if I go press the button, you and Wrench can head into the Core—"

"Wait. Are you suggesting that we split up?"

"Um . . . yeah."

"No way! Bolo, look at what happened last time we split up in this Tower! There's no chance I'm letting that happen again!"