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Chapter Text

Sequin Land… an extraordinary country in a world that, for those unaware, held a storied reputation of possessing incredible levels magic and wonders that would be deemed unfeasible to those who had never experienced it first-hand. This particular country was one of many in a world where powerful, enigmatic humanoid creatures, called genies, once lived side by side with full-fledged human beings in undisputed harmony and tranquility… that is, until the mysterious disappearance of the genies many years ago. Well, all but (at least) one heroic belly dancing, hair-whipping, teenaged half-genie girl who appointed herself the guardian of a shabby, shambling, but modestly lively port town. Did I just lose you already? Yeah, I thought so. Don't worry, though; we'll have plenty more time to unravel this gigantic yarn ball of oddity later. For now, I, your nameless, faceless, yet-still-omniscient-and-unquestionably-beautiful narrator, shall regale you on the turbulent recent history of the mysterious Sequin Land. Take your bathroom breaks and finish your horrendously unhealthy snacks now, reader, because you're about to be in for the long haul.

So, here's some quick bits of insight about Sequin Land. Despite how peaceful it MAY sound, the country had actually been under the threat of destruction many times in the recent past. Whether it be due to a deranged, egomaniacal pirate woman and her army of little black batmen trying to conquer the world one impoverished, defenseless city at a time… an ancient, legendary, deranged, egomaniacal magic-wielding ghost pirate man who inexplicably rose from the grave with the intent to enshroud the world in darkness… or the same deranged, egomaniacal pirate woman inexplicably finding a portal to an alternate dimension inhabited entirely by genies and planning to use some complicated, visually unappealing technological device to corrupt the genies' magic, enslave them all, and dominate the world with their power turned evil… or something… you name it, and it PROBABLY happened at some point in Sequin Land's rather… colorful history.

Yet somehow, every single attempt at global domination and/or ruination, whether by the deranged pirate woman or the deranged ghost pirate man, was thwarted by no more than a teenage girl with her hair and magic as her only weapons. Uh… clearly, there's a motif about evil pirates and magic here. The rest of this prologue makes zero sense. Bear with me. We've only scratched the surface.

Anyway, it was just mere days after the ferocious, tenacious, capricious… not to mention deranged, egomaniacal pirate woman who went by the name of Risky Boots suffered her latest, most embarrassing defeat at the hands of the same belly-dancing magic teenager that always thwarted her plans. Her latest scheme for world domination (involving that same strange magic-powered, portal-spawning contraption) had been foiled yet again, the charred remains of her genius 'Tinker-Brain' device melting in a smoldering heap of magma after her hideout—also an ACTIVE VOLCANO, by the way—unexpectedly erupted following the supposed destruction of her machine and resulting expulsion from the Genie Realm (the place she tried to invade, in case you're not following. Oh, and don't even get me STARTED on what a 'Genie Realm is). As you might imagine someone's mood to be when they're fresh off the boat (no pun intended) of spectacular humiliating failure, Risky was furious. Her temper burned like the lava that was swallowing up the remains of her base and doomed invention. Indomitable as she always was, however, she would never let such a setback keep her from finding another way to achieve her goal of world domination. As such, she was hard at work barking orders at her Tinkerbats like a rabid dog, demanding them to salvage what little they could of the Tinker-Brain and the scraps of resources from the base to load onto her massive, mansion-sized pirate ship (that came with all the bells and whistles as far as weaponry and supplies went), which had somehow been unscathed in the chaos.

Now, much as I'd LOVE to keep telling you what was happening, I'd like to think I've painted a decent enough picture for you to finally get that clue you were skimming around for. And if you think I haven't, then get over it and let's dive in anyway. After all, it's far better to show than to tell. So…

To provide a closer perspective…

LOCATION: RISKY'S HIDEOUT (or, what's left of it), ?, SEQUIN LAND

DATE: AUGUST 30TH, [UNDISCLOSED]

TIME: 1637 HOURS

"MOVE IT, YOU LUBBERS!" the dastardly Pirate Queen Risky Boots roared with thunderous intensity from atop her ship. "Gather everything you can! If even a nut or bolt from that device can be saved, you'd better learn how to swim through molten magma to get it! We may have lost this battle to that meddlesome little twerp, but we have FAR from lost the war!" Evidently, Risky was determined to get her revenge on this loathsome little 'twerp'… well, more than simply causing the girl in question to lose her magic for the majority of a game and then purposely giving it back by the end of it, inadvertently making her even STRONGER than she was before. Yes, that actually happened. As in, CANONICALLY. Don't believe me? Well, you'd better go learn about it sometime! It's a tale that won't be told here, but it sure as heck is something truly unforgettable. Anyway, she knew that if it weren't for that twerp and her bafflingly preposterous strokes of luck, she'd have had the world eating out of her palm. She was SO close this time.

If she were able to stall the twerp in question for just a few minutes longer… if her Tinkerbats were better prepared to handle her and her goofy magic shenanigans… if ONLY she had better weapons to use and give her Tinkerbats than primitive flintlock pistols, cannons, scimitars… and the AWFULLY vulnerable P.O.O.P.T.O.O.T. (don't call it that)… Risky Boots would have turned that wretched magic-wielding halfling super evil like she did to demonstrate the Tinker-Brain's power previously, corrupted the Genie Realm, bent it to her nefarious will, and dominated all of Sequin Land in a flash. Just as Risky was solemnly pondering her most recent misadventure, a group of Tinkerbats equipped with propeller packs flew up to her and delivered important pieces of the machine to her.

"My word… The Light and Dark shards, the Iron Slab, and Copper Ore are still intact," Risky observed in wonder, her hopes for her next attempt at global conquest beginning to rise. "Is there anything else?" she further inquired. Just then, another group of Tinkerbats boarded the ship with more important materials. The periwinkle-skinned maiden of madness eagerly leapt from the ship's mast and landed gracefully on the deck to inspect her crew's findings. She was astounded to discover that the rest of the materials used to build her sworn rival's scientist uncle's lazily named Dynamo were still largely intact. Of course, the only thing she was missing was the power source… which, believe it or not, was previously a zombified hamster running on a wheel; an incredibly flagrant design flaw in hindsight. Nonetheless, Risky grinned with diabolical glee. It appeared she was hatching another scheme already.

"Yes… Yes!" she exclaimed, pulling a blue roll of paper from seemingly nowhere after reaching into her top and holding the paper high. "Good thing I made an extra copy of the blueprints for that Dynamo contraption," she further exclaimed as she unrolled the blueprints and studied its contents, penning down plans as she went along. "Hmm… All I'd have to do to accommodate for the previous Tinker-Brain's weaknesses is make some slight readjustments to intensify the polarity of the energy outputs of the shards, reinforce the position of the Copper Ore… get a stronger, bigger, more durable Magnet… and find a more reliable source of energy than a hideous undead rodent on a wheel… and VOILA!"

The self-proclaimed Queen of the Seven Seas had hit an unlikely scientific breakthrough. She would have her Tinkerbats rebuild the Dynamo bigger... stronger… better… She would reenter the Genie Realm with her army in tow, striking while the genies were still recovering from the devastation suffered by her last plot. Her domination of their world would be swift and merciless. And then… and THEN… she would use the new-and-improved Dynamo in conjunction with the corrupted genie magic to take over Sequin Land in one fell swoop! There would be nothing that obnoxious half-genie brat could do to stop it!

"Best part is that I just happen to know EXACTLY where to get that energy source…! This is perfect…! Soon enough, we'll be back on top where we belong! HOOOOHOHOHOAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Risky triumphantly cackled (this is the only time you'll see it displayed like this, but I just HAD to share how… er, incredibly alluring it sounded) before calling the rest of her Tinkerbat army back to the ship, almost immediately sailing off to an emergency bunker she set up a fair distance away. Risky always had a plan… even in the event of her umpteenth defeat at the hands of her hated archenemy. "It'll take us at least a fortnight to get the cannonball rolling on this one, but in due time, we'll be back with a much deserved, long overdue vengeance!" And with that statement, the diabolical Risky Boots and her crew spent the rest of their time salvaging any other important parts of this ominous invention they needed before setting sail to begin construction...

A fortnight later…

LOCATION: MILITARY BASE, [ADDRESS UNKNOWN]

DATE: SEPTEMBER 13th, [UNDISCLOSED]

TIME: 1722 HOURS

In a (presumably) far off and mysterious realm of existence that definitely WASN'T Sequin Land by any means, there existed a particular human whose life was... well, maybe I shouldn't spill too many details right off the bat for someone you don't even know yet. That said, I'll do my best to provide enough clarity to help you learn who this person even was. Why the sudden jump from Sequin Land to a seemingly random alternate dimension to talk about someone you've never even heard of before, you might ask? Trust me on this one, you're about to find out.

So, to give you a little preliminary background, this human was a determined, ambitious, yet mostly ordinary young man who sought to make a difference in the world in which he resided. There's… certainly a lot more I would like to tell you about this man, but you'll find out more as we go along. Anyway, the most important thing to know about this individual is that he wanted to prove himself as more than a simple street thug with a delusion of grandeur and a death wish. Joining his country's military was the best opportunity he had to make that 'delusion' a reality. I hope that tiny bit of exposition painted a decent enough picture for you. Whether it did or not, we'll still be finding out how this man's presence tied into our wonderful and adventurous new tale of how Sequin Land came under the threat of yet another destructive conquest perpetrated by the nefarious Risky Boots. Why? Because little did he know, this young man's once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove himself as a hero would come much sooner and much more… extravagantly than he'd have ever reasonably expected.

Speaking of...

"Whoo…!" the yet-to-be-named man in question sighed as he finished an extensive independent training session. "At this rate, I feel unstoppable! Hah... I broke my personal record, too, which is always nice. I just can't wait t' finally get the chance t' show the rest o' my unit what I'm really capable of once we're on the battlefield," he wistfully mused to himself in his characteristic urban vernacular as he exited the gym area of his military base's barracks. "Clockin' in this extra training's been payin' off in more ways than I can count," he further commented, seeming to be ruminating about wanting to earn the respect of his peers and superiors. As he mentioned, he also appeared to have been working out alone, with not another soldier in sight while also building his strength. Nevertheless, the sudden, low *grrrrrrowwll* of his stomach quickly shifted his train of thought while momentarily breaking the ambient silence of the spacious gym. "Man, I'm starvin'..." he murmured, rubbing his abdomen as he peered across the gym to glimpse at an analog clock hanging above the exit doors. "Shoot, I lost track o' time, too. I hope the mess hall's still open. Last thing I need right now is yet another night without dinner... Better hurry there now before it's too late," he further reminded himself as he got set to (hopefully) get a bite to eat.

Within just a minute or two, he was well on his way. However, just as the man quietly made it across the barracks and grasped the knob of the door leading to the mess hall, the thunderous *BOOM* of an explosion coursed through the air. A grenade in the distance, as far as he could tell. The man turned and gazed in wonder across the open, sun-bathed campus to notice strobe light-like flashing and smoke billowing from the armory. Knowing that anything going wrong in the barracks (especially the armory) likely meant huge trouble, the man immediately turned and, following his gut, began walking toward the compromised area. As he did so, he heard another distant *POP* of what sounded like a rifle being fired just once, in addition to the smoke growing a bit denser as it poured from the armory.

"That can't be good..." he acknowledged, increasingly concerned about the unusual phenomenon as he pressed on, breaking into a jog. "I hope that ain't somebody goofin' off in there again. Seriously, how hard is it t' just put a couple guns an' a few grenades where they belong without makin' a mess...? Wait... What is that...?" he asked, taking a harder look at the source of the disturbance. "Huh... All those flashin' lights don't look like anything any of our weapons could produce. That... could be a problem. Whoever is in there is gonna get in so much trouble... Shoot, I better hurry up an' see what's goin' on just t' make sure they ain't about t' blow the place up... that is, if it's some o' the guys in there at all," the young man soliloquized as he increased his speed from a jog to a full-on sprint toward the armory.

He certainly hoped it was simply some of his colleagues messing around or being careless, though the circumstances seemed to hint otherwise. Just to be prepared, the soldier grabbed his pistol from the holster on his belt and readied it as he swiftly dashed toward the compromised area with hardly another thought. If it was just a few peers messing around, then that would certainly be inconvenient, but hopefully not a cause for concern... well, aside from the harsh punishment the entire platoon would receive for their gross mishandling of such sensitive (not to mention INCREDIBLY DELICATE AND EXPENSIVE) equipment. If it was some outsider, however, then whoever was running amok on military grounds, he was certain to make them answer for their transgressions. As he hurried toward the source of the disturbance, another subdued *BOOM* could be heard from inside, amplifying the soldier's concerns about the base possibly coming under fire. Fearing the worst, the young man's instincts kicked in as he made his way to the armory. Peeking through the door's window, he was shocked to see that his suspicions about someone other than members of his faction were justified.

"Who in the heck is in there...!?" he asked himself, squinting through the smoke-shrouded window to barely make out an alarming image of what appeared to be an enormous group of people rustling around inside the armory. The only determining factor that let him know that the base had been compromised was that, as it seemed, none of the shadowy figures he spotted were wearing anything close to the same uniform he'd been wearing. "Well shoot, this ain't good. Somebody managed t' sneak ont' the base an' get into the armory without anybody noticin'…! Whoever these people are, they're gonna have a LOT t' answer for...!" he declared as he took a deep breath and prepared himself to jump into action. Rather than wait or call for backup once he reached his destination, he forcefully kicked the already-unlocked door open with a *BANG* of his foot against its metallic surface and pointed his firearm at the intruders. However, the valiant young soldier was as far from prepared has he could be to behold the utterly, undeniably bizarre and unusual sight that awaited him.

"What in the world...?" he murmured, taken aback by what greeted his wide-open eyes; a slender, curvy blue-skinned, purple-haired woman in seductive pirate getup, complete with an extravagant red and violet pirate hat bearing the classic jolly roger and some kind of skull-shaped bikini over top of a matching bra and pair of pants, wielding a stolen standard issue battle rifle. Accompanying this unusual figure was a series of little spiky people that looked like tiny human-bat hybrids raiding the armory for various weapons; rifles, grenades, pistols, rocket launchers, C-4 and other materials by the crate… No matter how strange the intruders, or how oddly alluring the intruders' apparent leader looked despite her unusual skin tone, they would not get away with this brazen assault on military grounds. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" the soldier bellowed, his voice echoing amidst the chaos that was the heist. "Leave the weapons an' find your way out o' here while you have the chance! If you don't, then I'll have no choice but t' stop you!" he commanded as the pirate woman and her minions stopped in their tracks.

"Hm? Oh, and what do we have here?" the pirate woman coolly acknowledged as she turned to face the man. "A hapless, misguided fool hoping to interfere with my plans?" Risky eyed the man up and down with intrigue, though she found herself mostly unimpressed. The man possessed a rich brown, milk chocolate skin tone. He was rather slim, yet quite muscular in bodily shape, as though he put himself through rigorous and intensive training over an extended period of time. However, he appeared to be very young. At a glance, this man seemed to be in his mid to late teens at the oldest. The 'mysterious' intruder further assessed the man to see that he was armed with nothing but the pistol he fervently pointed at her. The man had merely been wearing a black tank top, tan woodland camouflage styled pants with a gun holster-equipped belt, and beige combat boots; nothing that would appropriately protect him in a situation like this. Given how young and underprepared he appeared, she could guess right away that this particular soldier was wet behind the ears and in over his head.

"This 'fool' could pop a cap in you at any given second! Don't push me!" the offended soldier remarked. "I'll warn you one more time before I start shootin': Drop the weapons an' leave! Now!" At that, Risky smirked with confidence and an extreme lack of concern for what this foolish boy would do.

"Listen here, kid, and listen good, because I'll only say this once," the defiant weapons thief commanded as she turned her attention to the semi-automatic rifle she'd been holding. "My men and I have come from a land far away from here—presumably—and we came for a simple purpose; bolstering our might and mobilizing our forces to conquer Sequin Land. That is all you need to know," she added as she cocked the firearm and pointed it back at the military officer. "You'd be wise to keep your nose out of our business. If you value your life, then you will turn around, leave, and forget you saw anything here."

"Sequin Land…? What the…?" the soldier questioned, unaware of the country she spoke of. He was equally as confused at her referral to her black-skinned, red scarf and pants-adorning minions as 'men.' Nonetheless, she was threatening him with lethal force with a weapon that did not belong to her. "Are you crazy!? I don't know what kind o' Halloween party y'all think this is, but I ain't lettin' you take all these guns an' explosives! Drop 'em and go back where y'all came from!"

"Or what? You'll use that pathetic little pea-shooter to stop me AND all my Tinkerbats?" she contemptuously observed. The intruder cackled again as she boldly approached the would-be interloper, her crimson-red eyes glaring with malicious intent. "I'd recommend that you turn tail and run away while you still have the chance to save yourself from the wrath of the Pirate Queen Risky Boots," she further warned as she gestured a thumb toward herself, thus revealing her totally not obvious identity. "Otherwise, I'll have you sent on a one-way maiden voyage to the Pirate Master's Locker. You should learn to recognize an act of mercy when you're granted one because I don't grant them often. I'd also prefer to keep this trip short, clean, and sweet, so don't force us to make a mess." The man was infuriated by her rancorous, arrogant attitude, but he found himself more so confused by her bizarre terminology and her lack of awareness of just where she was. He would have lowered his gun to question this ashy woman's sanity, were it not for the fact that they were stealing military grade weapons by the crate, as well as the fact that one of these bandits had one of them pointed at him. "Of course, you're certainly welcome to try stopping us all by yourself, but I doubt you'd like the result of your ill-advised interference, boy."

"...I thought you was crazy when I saw you, but that just proved it," the soldier incredulously retorted. "I don't know what a Tinkerbat is, I ain't got a CLUE what a 'Sequin Land' is, and I for ABSOLUTELY sure don't know what you think you're doin' in here thinkin' you're gonna rob my base. This game o' dress-up an' pretend is over, lady," he continued, the tension rising as Risky's Tinkerbats surrounded him, also aiming various weapons at the soldier. The soldier, though just a tad intimidated due to his inexperience handling a situation as tense as an old-fashioned Western stand-off (especially one where he was entirely outnumbered), kept his gun pointed squarely at Risky Boots. At this point, there was no turning back.

"Your pathetic attempt at playing the hero is cute, really, but we don't have time to entertain you," Risky dismissed as she turned and motioned for some of her men to move some of the equipment toward a sight that utterly dumbfounded the man; a humongous blue, swirling whirlpool-like vortex that hovered a few yards away from where he and this delusional thief were standing. The area around it bent, contorted, and twisted as the massive ethereal construct crackled and sparked with such incredible energy that it spiked the entire armory's temperature enough to make it feel like the inside of a parked vehicle in the middle of a heat wave. It baffled him beyond belief to see such a ludicrous and outlandish (not to mention supposedly scientifically impossible) phenomenon happening before his very eyes, and he couldn't find the words necessary to even begin trying to figure it out.

"How...!?" he stammered, utterly stunned and discombobulated by the very sight of the gigantic swirling vortex. His eyes remained wide as his jaw nearly hit the floor. "What... is this...? Where did you...?"

"What you feast your feeble eyes on, my foolish, ignorant interdimensional friend, is a product of my unrivaled and incomparable genius. Behold, my one-of-a-kind Tinker-Portal," Risky boisterously bragged, though her aggressive stance had not faltered.

"Tinker... PORTAL!?" The young man echoed, directing his gaze back at Risky Boots as she shot him a smug, triumphant grin.

"That's right," she plainly confirmed. "The mere existence of this baby should be warning enough to you not to trifle with me. Curse the rotten fate that crossed your path with mine and do yourself the favor by backing off. If you do, I'll at least think about sparing you. However, if you want to keep pretending as though you have ANY hope of stopping me, then I'll have no issue putting a shamefully naïve little whelp like you in his rightful place."

"Put me in my rightful...? Do you know who you're dealin' with!?" the man argued, not taking kindly to her brazen insult as he grew steadily tenser and more confused about the absurdity of the scenario as it carried on.

"I don't care, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway," Risky nonchalantly and dismissively replied. "Let's hear it, then."

"I'm part o' the Enforcement Services; a highly revered, storied military faction, 'pirate' girl! One that you should know is NOT t' be played with! Nothin' about my background or my position here is 'pretend!' I have been trained specifically t' take down criminals like you! Whatever you hope t' gain out o' riskin' your life like this, I won't even bother tryin' t' understand. But, I can tell you right now that you ain't gonna keep playin' these stupid games an' hijackin' our weapons! I don't know who sent you here or where you're from, an' at this point, it doesn't matter! Your little thievin' scheme ends here! I… can't even begin t' figure out how this portal thing factors into it, but maybe you'll get a chance to explain it if you make the smart choice of givin' yourself up instead o' forcin' me t' capture you the hard way," he suggested. Risky merely smirked as she narrowed her unwavering glare.

"Trained to take down criminals like me, you say? Ha! What a cheesy line… And trust me, you could NEVER hope to 'capture' me in any context of the word. I admire your resolve, boy, but you fail to impress me with your toothless threats."

"Oh, really? Because if you wanna skip the warnings an' go right to the part where I take you down, we can do just that. Then, we'll see who's just barkin' 'toothless threats,'" he warned her again.

"Riveting," Risky flatly dismissed with a roll of her eyes. "Posture all you want, boy, but I can tell just by looking at you, that you haven't seen even one minute of real combat," she deduced, much to the soldier's chagrin. "To shed a little light on the truly dangerous situation you've roped yourself into, I am a seasoned, thoroughly hardened pirate captain who has seen more than her fair share of arduous, grueling conflicts the likes of which you couldn't even DREAM of. I am in command of one of the most powerful swashbuckling forces in all the land and sea. I'll also have you know I earned my reputation as the Queen of the Seven Seas. I can only guess that we're NOT in Sequin Land, based on your total cluelessness about the place or even who I am. So, I'll at least clue you in by letting you know that, where I'm from, the mere mention of my name strikes fear into the hearts of all who are wise enough to know better than to get in my way. I have been through battle after battle in my years as the most fearsome force of nature known to Sequin Land! I have no problem spreading my influence across this plane of existence as well, of course… wherever we apparently are. Oh, and of all the things I've learned in my time on the battlefield, a most useful skill I have is knowing when my enemy is bluffing."

"...What in the...?" The young man muttered in total discombobulation, thrown way off by his adversary's monologue.

"You say you're 'trained,' but I have yet to see anything of you that would indicate that. I mean seriously, what moron charges headfirst into a combat situation with nothing but a handgun and the clothes on his back? As if I needed to mention that..."

"Hmph. The same could be said o' you, with that tacky skull bikini you call a pirate costume instead of any real protection for a heist you got busted on. You missed the cosplay convention by a long shot. Don't even get me started on these gangly weirdos you call your accomplices," he insulted, causing Risky to shoot him a menacing glare that signified her desire to shut him up the hard way. However, she stayed her hand and confidently chuckled as she brushed his ill-advised joke aside.

"Oh, so you think you're funny. That's adorable, but it does nothing to disprove my point about your training being horribly inadequate. Actually, let me tell you something, you impudent scalawag: No matter how much you try to posture it, training is mere child's play in the face of real warfare. You're still wet behind the ears at the end of it all. At best, you're nothing more than a yapping pup staring down a pack of full-grown, war-hungry wolves. Like I mentioned before, you'd merely be wasting your life trying to interfere with me. You don't want to know what I can do if you keep this little façade up, boy."

"You are really off your rocker, huh?" the soldier contemptuously remarked, not combating her point. "Whoever you are, you'd do best t' watch what you say, an' who you say it to. You don't know the things I've seen, so don't act all high-an'-mighty about who experienced what. I will still do what I must t' stop you. I don't really buy your 'Pirate Queen' story, an' I'm not interested in figurin' out your real intentions for these weapons at this point. The fact is, you are NOT gonna toss one more bullet from a gun into... into whatever that portal thing is!" he sternly responded, stepping close to Risky with his gun still drawn while still trying to figure out if he was dreaming or if this was really happening. "I... I don't have the slightest clue o' how you managed t' bring yourself here from whatever area o' the world you're from, or how it's even possible t' conjure up this... this noisy, swirlin' crime against the laws o' physics, but let me make myself clear: Make another move that ain't you givin' my weapons back an' surrenderin' yourself, an' I'll fill you with so many holes, you'd look like a soakin' wet dish sponge."

"It's your funeral, kid. Better make your next move count in that case, because you're as good as shark bait once I'm through with you," Risky warned, standing right up to the young man as she dared him to attack. Comparatively, the man towered over the Pirate Queen by close to a foot. The height difference did nothing to lower the intensity of the stare-down the two warriors were engaged in, however. The soldier pointed the gun squarely at Risky Boots' skull-shaped breastplate. In the same enmity riddled vein, Risky aimed the assault rifle at the man's chest. The air grew thick as both combatants nonverbally dared each other to make a move, though the soldier was contemplating his next move carefully.

The soldier was indeed trained to handle a scenario where someone was pointing a weapon at him at point-blank range. He would quickly grab her gun by the barrel and direct it away as he sheathed his own weapon. He would tactically throw his adversary to the ground and either disarm her or unload the magazine of the rifle in one fell swoop. He would gain the upper hand and checkmate her with his pistol. His intention was not to kill Risky, but merely to subdue her to make her concede. It was against his code of honor to kill someone when there was a viable opportunity to apprehend and detain them alive… especially when it seemed she had some truly valuable information at the ready regarding this 'Tinker-Portal' phenomenon. Additionally, by taking her down, he would assure that none of her men would dare to risk her life in a feeble attempt at interfering, should they be wise and loyal enough to her. At least, so far as he hoped. Of course, he'd have to act quickly or her men would annihilate him before he had another thought. After what felt like an eternity, the soldier steeled his resolve and made his move, commencing a most unusual battle.

RISKY BOOTS: PERNICIOUS, POUNCING PORTAL PLUNDERER!

He grabbed the barrel of Risky's rifle and directed it away from him. However, as he went to sheathe his pistol, he fumbled and dropped it. Attempting to make up for the mistake, he attempted to throw Risky to the ground by slipping one leg behind hers and forcing her backward with a push to her chest, but she proved much sturdier than she looked. Realizing this, he attempted to unload the clip, but was met with a swift fist to his chin that threw him back before he could contemplate his next move. He stumbled away a few paces, dazed at the speed and power of the punch.

"Hah! How predictable!" Risky cackled in triumph as she aimed the assault rifle at the unarmed soldier. "That was gutsy, though uncoordinated and sloppy. The old 'disarm-and-subdue' maneuver. Such a pathetic way to try and bring me down. You're definitely a rookie, alright. I had you cornered, outnumbered, and outgunned from the start. Now you're out of options after your first move. What'll you do now, 'friend'?" the gun-toting pirate mistress dared. The soldier was indeed in a tough spot. His pistol was on the ground nearby, Risky was aiming a fully loaded combat rifle at him, and her Tinkerbats were still hauling weapons into the portal. It seemed he failed already before he even started on this 'mission.'

"You won't get away with this…!" the soldier spat as he approached her, the fire in his eyes burning with rage. Risky aimed upward and fired a *BANG* of a warning shot into the air, startling the man into place. The recoil from the rifle's blast forced Risky Boots to take a step backward.

"Ah-ah-ah~!" Risky taunted, though she seemed surprised by the powerful kickback of the rifle. "Take one more step and this thing will have you leaking like a rusty pipe. I must admit, I admire your courage, though you could use a LOT of discipline. So, I'll give you three options. One: Join my pirate crew and help train me and my Tinkerbats on how to use these weapons, presuming you know enough about them to do so. Two: Stay where you are and leave us to accomplish our mission. Or Three, which I have no qualms with: You make one more idiotic move and I blow you away with this gun. We continue doing what we came here to do, and your demise would be about as meaningful as the dirt on my boot. What'll it be?"

The soldier was stuck. He certainly read in Risky's menacing glare that she meant every word of her ultimatum. He knew better than to test her willingness to use that gun. However, he had no desire to desert his faction to go gallivanting with some maniacal pirate woman and her circus show attractions she called minions. Even then, the soldier thought about ways to expertly handle a situation like this, when it seemed like no one was coming to his rescue. He analyzed his surroundings. His gun was literally a footstep away. Risky was watching his every move, but she was slowly backing up as she momentarily took notice of the Tinkerbats having finished up cleaning out the armory.

Maybe… just maybe if he waited for her to let her guard down, he could apprehend her and force her to bring the weapons back. He considered maybe feigning surrender, diving for his gun, doing a roll, and with a stroke of INCREDIBLE luck, taking Risky down with a well-placed shot. Of course, a Tinkerbat strolled along and swiped the soldier's gun before he could make a move for it, limiting his options further. With a heavy sigh, he eventually responded.

"...Two…" he uttered in feigned hopelessness. Risky's expression changed to one of slight disappointment.

"Hmph. The coward's way it is, then," she responded in contempt as she lowered her weapon and backed up as her Tinkerbats began jumping into the portal back to their native world. "All that masculine bravado you displayed, and in as little as a couple seconds, you're beaten into submission after a clumsy mistake. Seems like you men are all the same, no matter what world or dimension you're from. Truly pathetic."

"Why you... Smart mouthed...!" the man grumbled, irrevocably irritated with this woman's disreputable sentiments toward him. Nevertheless, he remained stationary as he watched her every move.

"Y'know, I was at least hoping you'd try to make this fun by attempting to stop me again. I suppose it can't be helped, however. I DO have that effect on people, and it seems not to matter where I am when it happens. In any case, farewell, 'soldier.' I sure hope your friends and your higher-ups don't mind. I'm certain you'll do a good job explaining the missing equipment before you lose your job," the mischievous swashbuckling maiden shrugged with a derisive chuckle as she turned to see the last of her Tinkerbats jumping into the portal. With one final triumphant glance over her shoulder, Risky threw her rifle into the portal; exactly the opportunity the soldier was looking for. Just as she was about to jump in herself…

"I ain't finished with you yet! RRAAAAAAAAHH!" The soldier charged toward the pirate mistress in a mad dash equivalent to an enraged cheetah. Alarmed, Risky attempted to defend herself, but he proved too fast. He tackled her into the portal, sending both of them barreling through to the other side.

With an instantaneous, crackling *WHOOSH*, the two opposing fighters found themselves flung through the ethereal vortex and entangled in a hand-to-hand scuffle on the cold, gravelly floor of Risky's hideout. The hideout happened to be a shallow, damp, dimly lit cave whose walls were decorated with a series of wooden torches burning to provide a source of illumination in the absence of sun rays. Any sign of sunlight was only visible through the cave's entrance near a wide, effervescent body of water whose waves crashed vigorously against the pirate ship idly bobbing in it.

Paying little heed to his surroundings in the heat of the moment, the soldier attempted to hold Risky down as he found himself on top of her, but Risky again proved much stronger and more resourceful than she looked. She punched, kicked, and thrashed to free herself until she got the idea to scrunch up a mound of dirt and fling it in her opponent's face.

"Agh! Cheap, triflin' move…!" the unprepared serviceman complained as he let go of Risky to wipe the grainy mud from his eyes, allowing the conniving pirate captain to escape, kicking him away and springing to her feet to catch her breath. In that time, the blinded young man rubbed the gravel from his eyes with his shirt to regain his vision. Risky, thoroughly infuriated by the soldier's interference with her plans, drew her scimitar and pointed it directly at her adversary, wrathfully growling as though she were going to eat him alive.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, because now you've made me mad!" Risky threatened as she charged forward and slashed at the soldier, who jumped back to dodge her attack. Risky relentlessly swiped and swung at her opponent, glaring hot, seething rage at him the entire time. How dare this wretched, despicable little ruffian attack her so brazenly and make such a foolish attempt at stopping her from getting what she wanted?

She would surely make him wish he'd never thought to get in her way. All he needed to do was slip up once and it would've been over… Of course, this projected slip-up took longer than expected to make itself apparent. Like, a LOT longer. Much longer than one would think it'd take for someone to cut someone else with a sword. "Stay still and take your punishment!" Risky roared as she quickly grew frustrated with repeatedly missing her opponent with her sword.

Realizing that trying to hack at him until he tired out proved fruitless, she changed tactics by jumping back, spinning toward the soldier, and performing a powerful crouching, pivoting swing aimed at his ankles to catch him off-guard. She missed again as he hopped upward, though she planned for this. She'd hoped to force him into an inescapable disadvantage and then take full advantage of it. However, her next move, a second, standing pivot swing aimed at his neck, was blocked. Her enemy caught her by the wrist before the blade made any contact.

"Gotcha!" the soldier proclaimed, quickly pulling Risky forward by her arm with his right hand and delivering a powerful left elbow to the pirate mistress's ribs, winding her as she hunched over in a mix of sudden breathlessness and pain. The soldier followed up with a swift uppercut to Risky's chin with the same arm, while he grabbed her scimitar with his right hand. The soldier finished his counterattack with a heavy thrust kick to Risky's side, forcing her to let go of the sword as she stumbled a few steps back before falling backward onto the frigid, wet cavern floor. The soldier callously tossed the sword away and into the flowing river near her ship. With a distant splash, the pirate mistress's trusty blade was swallowed up in the outgoing ocean current, certifying that she wouldn't be tempted to pick it back up. "Still think I'm just some ignorant rookie now, lady?"

"Don't get cocky," Risky shot back as she brought herself back to her feet, stretching and brushing herself off. "You merely surprised me, nothing more. You have my attention now, nevertheless. That was an impressive move," she praised, though it was laced with contempt. "No one's ever disarmed me quite like that before."

"I don't need compliments from you. I know my own abilities, an' I know you're gonna bring my weapons back where they belong," he vehemently deflected her commendation. Risky smirked in a mix of intrigue and an intense desire to tear this arrogant little snot to pieces.

"Still deluding yourself into thinking you can stop me? You're a riot, kid," she sarcastically spat, snickering at the thought. "Only thing I'm gonna do right now is make you regret EVER crossing paths with me!" she proclaimed as she rushed toward him barehanded, prompting the soldier to brace himself as Risky let loose a flurry of quick, coordinated punches. The military officer, alarmed by the blinding speed and explosive power of her strikes, backed up to create some distance, but Risky burned with determination to make him suffer. She immediately closed the gap and landed a few sporadic strikes to his face and abdomen, though every *WHACK* and *THOCK* of each hit she landed made the soldier feel like she was pelting him with the world's hardest stones. One particular *THRACK* of a hook he took to the face momentarily disoriented him as her relentless assault continued. Understanding at this point that stepping back to distance himself was not going to be an option, the soldier adapted.

"Gah... Hah... Sh-shoot...! I'm gonna need t' figure somethin' out, an' quick...! Her attacks feel like I'm bein' kicked by a herd o' mules over an' over again...!" he breathlessly acknowledged as he dodged an incoming cross that could very well have caved his face in. It was clear, however, that the man had begun to truly learn exactly the kind of power everyone's favorite Pirate Queen possessed. Regardless, he next attempted to grapple with the unexpectedly formidable violet haired woman and wrestle her to the ground, but it proved incredibly difficult. He attempted a judo hip throw, but was countered by her rolling over his hip and kneeing him in his gut with a debilitating *THRASH* after landing on her feet. She then threw a swift left hook, which he caught in an attempt at another calculated throw. As he was moving into position, Risky kicked him in his knee with another awful *THUMP*, causing him to shout in pain as he stumbled back, his knee almost buckling under the sudden pressure. Risky followed up with a devastating right cross that, with a truly gruesome *PLOCK*, sent the man careening to the cold, hard ground. Before he could get up, Risky stomped on his chest with the force of a wrecking ball, the resounding *THOCK* resonating throughout the entirety of his torso. Immediately after, she grabbed him by the collar of his tank top and lifted him up to strike him again. The Pirate Queen's fist rammed into the man's jaw with another *PLOCK*, causing him to grunt with excruciating agony. She attempted another punch, but he caught her fist with one hand, and yanked her forward for a headbutt before she could react. And without warning, his forehead went smashing into hers with a cringe-inducing *THRACK*.

"OW!" Risky shouted pain as her forehead collided with the soldier's like two trains in a high speed, head-on crash. Stunned, Risky stumbled back, holding her head and trying to shake off the pain. The valiant serviceman took this opportunity to get up and deliver a swift, yet devastating right uppercut to her abdomen that caused her to cough up all the air in her lungs upon the thunderous *THRASH* that emphasized the impact. He finished with a hip throw as he spun around, hooked his arm around her midsection as she recoiled from the blow to her stomach, jutted his hip out, and rolled her over. The interstellar thief found herself colliding hard with the wet earthen floor, emphasized by the voluminous *THUD* that echoed around the base upon her impact. The man, while feeling incredibly uncomfortable performing such violent techniques on a female opponent, acknowledged that Risky Boots was not to be taken lightly. Risky shook off her disorientation, also taking off her hat to let her long, silky indigo locks fall free around her face as she took a few breaths.

"We don't have t' keep doin' this...!" the soldier began, his discomfort showing as he took the moment to catch his breath and shake off the enormous shocks of pain coursing through various parts of his body. "Just give up an' we can-!"

"Save it for the seagulls, you insolent little punk!" Risky roared back, wanting to hear nothing of her opponent's pleas for a peaceful end to this confrontation. "You caught me off-guard with that sneaky headbutt, but you've far from won this fight. Better get yourself nice and ready now, because now I'm gonna show you exactly what you're in for, having the GALL to tangle with me...!" she threatened, cracking her knuckles and neck as she readied herself. She surveyed her surroundings to see her loyal subordinates armed with scimitars and ready to intervene as they idly spectated the barbaric affray. "Men, do NOT interfere! I can handle this intruder myself. If anyone so much as sneezes in a way that makes me think you might step in, it's off to the Pirate Master's locker with ya!" she warned before turning her attention back to the ironically accused intruder. Her Tinkerbats, hearing her loud and clear, remained in their positions as they attentively watched the fight between their leader and this foolish intruder unfold.

"You're really that confident you can beat me all by yourself, even with what just happened?" the man asked in a mixture of wonder and offense at her taking him so lightly. "You're makin' a HUGE mistake challengin' me like this, but if this is how you wanna play it, then fine. At this point, you've forced my hand. I just hope you're ready t' eat your words, if nothin' else."

"My, how unbelievably arrogant of you," Risky retorted with a snicker at his naivete. "All the more reason to completely humiliate you myself, which I have ZERO problems with. Either way, t's been awhile since my last barehanded brawl, and this may as well be a golden opportunity for me to shake some of the rust off. I'll... be courteous and admit that that other brat could never have handled me so well as you've been doing when it comes down to physical strength and actual combat skills, so let's see how you fare when I get serious." The soldier, though determined to stop Risky at all costs, became curious as to whom his opponent was referring.

"'Other brat?' What 'other brat' are you talkin' about?" he questioned, understandably confused about this unknown entity he was being compared to.

"Hmph. Not that you'll get the chance to meet her, but the person I refer to is this obnoxious, goody-two-shoes, belly dancing half-breed little twerp who just doesn't know how to keep her nose out of my business. Just like you, she thinks she can 'save the world' by delaying my inevitable conquest of all the land, sea, and air. Worst part is that she's always prattling on about the power of 'love' and 'magic' and 'friendship' despite ALL of her victories being nothing but flukes powered by a whole heaping TON of dumb, blind, Hail Mary-tier luck. She's been a thorn in my rear for as long as I can remember, ruining all my plans and constantly destroying all my inventions…! Ugh, just THINKING about that hair-whipping little wretch makes me want to tear someone's eyeballs out!" Risky ranted, driving herself up a wall thinking about her archenemy as she clawed at her face and stomped on the ground in a fit of reminiscent rage.

"Huh…" the befuddled young man cocked an eyebrow, wondering who this mysterious heroine was and how she managed to defeat Risky Boots enough times to get her to hate her this much. Nonetheless, she wasn't here; he was. He brushed the thought aside and refocused his attention as he shook his head. "Forget I asked. Just bring my weapons back an' you won't need t' worry about havin' another thorn in your behind."

"No deal," Risky quickly denied, refocusing herself. "These weapons aren't going anywhere but in the hands of me and my loyal soldiers. We've seen what some of them are capable of, and we're not letting such precious resources go to waste after I worked my Tinkerbats so hard to get them. If anything, you should be more worried about what I'm gonna do to you for all the trouble you caused," she threatened with a menacing sneer. "I could use some stress relief and entertainment, and beating up on you has been nothing short of a blast, as much as it pains me to admit. So, let's continue where we left off, shall we?" she suggested with a threatening grin, putting her dukes up and preparing herself for round two.

"Darn it…!" The soldier cursed, unwilling to continue, but equally cognizant that he had no choice but to fight. "If that's how it's gotta be, then so be it. What happens next is on you...!" With that, Risky dashed forward, ducked and slid toward the serviceman's feet to deliver a heavy low kick. The man jumped backward to dodge, but found that Risky was not only stronger, but also quicker than she let on. She immediately climbed to her feet and threw a vicious left hook toward the soldier's ribs. He quickly blocked by raising his elbow to where she attempted to knock the wind out of him and followed up by throwing his own left hook as hard as he could.

It connected with explosive force, the echo from the initial *THWACK* of the impact bouncing off the walls of the cave. Though Risky felt the impact as it caused her to jerk her head in the direction of the punch, she did not stumble back. After a tense moment of absorbing the shock of the impact, she instead grinned menacingly at him as she gingerly recovered from the powerful haymaker.

"So you've been holding back until now, huh?" she rhetorically remarked, that intimidating grin never fading, totally flabbergasting the serviceman. "Interesting..."

"H-How…?"

"That hook had a heck of a lot of power behind it. I know strength when I feel it, believe it or not. You could've very well knocked me out if I wasn't prepared," she observed before spitting onto the ground away from herself and her opponent. "Still, you'll regret not taking me seriously from the start, you worm. And just for that miserable attempt at a sneak attack, your day just got a WHOLE lot worse than it already was when you first encountered me…!" she threatened again, her grin turning into a nightmare-inducing glower, her blood-red eyes fixed solely on the soldier like she was ready to ravenously devour him whole.

"Shoot, what will it take with this woman...!?" the serviceman mumbled to himself as the two clashed again in a vicious game of blow trading as the two hammered into each other with an incredibly rapid rush of heavy, rage-riddled punches that they mostly found themselves blocking or dodging completely. Neither combatant could find a definitive advantage over the other as their collective fortitude threatened to envelop the whole base in violent chaos. Seeing her resilience, the soldier became more determined to take her down as he attempted an uppercut to her chin. Risky dodged it, leaving him open as she countered with a vicious hook to his gut, sending him reeling back as he doubled over in a mix of total astonishment and unbearable pain. Risky wasn't done, however, as she followed up with an unforgiving axe-handle to his chin, knocking him back a few steps as he stumbled to avoid falling over. Though shaken, the soldier regained his senses and countered Risky's following thrust kick by catching her leg. He swept the pirate mistress off her feet by clipping her free foot with his opposing heel. As she went down, he clasped her feet in his arms, flipped her over, and attempted to perform a Boston Crab submission hold on her. Risky's most recent meeting with the ground was rough, but far from enough to disorient her. With a powerful hip motion, she ripped one of her feet from the soldier's grasp and slammed her heel directly into a most… unsavory spot for a male to find anyone's foot slammed, as the impactful *THROCK* would very... VERY unsettlingly imply.

"GAAHOCK! Nnnnhrrrgh...!" the soldier shouted in insufferable, pulsing despair as he released his grasp on Risky's other foot immediately and fell to one knee as she rolled away and stood, catching her breath again.

"Aw, did I hit a weak spot~?" Risky asked in a mocking tone, laughing as she apparently knew exactly what she did to get out of such a pressuring situation. "Maybe next time, you shouldn't try any funny moves that leave you so wide open." The soldier, enraged as he was disgusted with Risky's dirty move, gingerly stood, breathing heavy with fatigue and pain.

"Oh, that's it…! I've had enough!" the soldier growled, incensed at Risky for her dishonorable show of hubris and indifference. Ignoring the thresholds of debilitating abdominal pain resulting from Risky's disgraceful kick, the soldier rushed and threw another devastating hook at her, though she had no issue weaving around it to dodge it completely. She tried to counter with an uppercut of her own, but he blocked it with his forearm before attempting to sweep at her feet with a low kick. Risky, impressively agile as she was, blocked his incoming kick with her shin before taking the opportunity to slam her fist into his chest with a startling *THWACK*. Though the man felt every bit of the impact, he refused to crack. Rolling off the undoubtedly powerful attack, he countered by landing a swift uppercut of his own to Risky's chin that landed with a powerful *THWOCK* before following up with a forceful *PLOCK* of a thrust kick to her chest that sent her stumbling back. He charged in again to try and capitalize on his advantage, but the 'advantage' in question proved fleeting. He came racing in with a roundhouse kick, though Risky easily defended herself by blocking it with her forearm. Without warning, she countered with a roundhouse of her own, which blasted the soldier's ribs with the *CRASH* of an impact that stopped his momentum dead. She followed up by lunging forward and hammering him across the face with a jumping, spinning backhanded fist, the truly astonishing *WHAPLARCK* of which should've been able to knock out an elephant. Despite feeling every bit of that devastating hit, the soldier remained composed enough to dodge her next three or four punches before being forced to block the incoming soccer kick aimed at his stomach with a *THWACK* of her shin against his open hands. As she recovered from her maneuver, however, the man tried to counter by landing a powerful cross that Risky wound up catching in her hand. In turn, she tried to knock his lights out with a cross of her own, though he mirrored her method of defense by catching her fist in his free hand. From there, the two entered a fierce, pulse-pounding stalemate as they wound up locking their hands against one another and began forcefully shoving against each other in a desperate power struggle.

"What's your next move, big man?" the unscrupulous woman taunted with a sinister grin, knowing that her opponent was losing steam fast. As it appeared, she had the situation under her control. "Must be a real hit to your ego losing to a beautiful woman like me, huh?"

"If that's your attempt at woundin' my pride, it ain't gonna work," he shot back, deflecting her snide remark as they continued their show of physical strength. "I know better than t' judge an opponent by their gender, so pullin' that card on me ain't gonna get you nowhere. Can't say it's been a comfortable experience havin' t' go toe-to-toe with a woman, no matter how I slice it, though. I'll admit that. Regardless, you're far tougher an' more dangerous than I thought you'd be. I didn't think I'd have this much trouble...!"

"You're just realizing this situation for what it is now, kid?" Risky asked with a confident smirk, basking in the fact that he was stating the obvious. "You're pretty slow on the draw, but at least you're not blind. It doesn't change the fact that you're as good as doomed, nevertheless...!"

"Hmph. Don't count me out yet...! I'm not losin' t' you here. That said, I can acknowledge your fightin' ability. It almost makes up for you an' your group bein' a bunch o' crazy pirate cosplayers, if it wasn't for how ridiculous y'all look...!"

"Crazy, boy?" Risky remarked with a sneer. "Oh, you haven't seen 'crazy' yet...!" she menacingly warned him, taking his comment as a most personal insult that would motivate her to bury him alive. "You should probably also get the hint that we're not playing pretend. Your life is in serious danger because of your astonishing idiocy, and my crew and I will see to it that the hard-knock lesson you learn today sticks... Permanently!"

"...I guess I should get the hint then, all things considered," he reluctantly agreed, the very thought of his life being in jeopardy as a result of his entanglement with this strange, savage blue woman worrying him more than he cared to acknowledge. It also didn't help his worries to acknowledge that he did just jump through what was previously described as a portal to another world. Too many mind-boggling circumstances to conceptualize, without a shadow of a doubt. Nevertheless, he pressed on with engaging his enemy in battle. "Regardless, I REFUSE t' let you have your way an' be left t' your devices... or in this case, MY devices. I have t' make it a point t' take you out now…!"

"Flattery gets you everywhere but out of this situation, sweetie~!" Risky retorted, keeping up with her condescending tone as she continued to tangle with her unknown enemy. "I appreciate the offer, but you're simply nowhere NEAR good enough to deserve that kind of attention from me...!"

"What? That wasn't-!" he tried to reply before being interrupted, evidently being thrown off by Risky's salacious comment.

"I hate to break it to you, kid, but while you've got guts and some skill, you're just too young, weak, and inexperienced to handle me at my best. We only just started, and you're already too ragged and tired to last long enough to give me a decent workout. And to think you really believed you had a chance against me! The absurdity of it, I tell ya! Ha!" the dastardly buccaneer arrogantly taunted, laughing in his face as she did so.

"Why, you...!"

"I can also tell you're clearly slipping as you struggle to realize that you have NO chance of beating me," she further berated him. It was evident from the Pirate Queen's derisive remarks that she hadn't been trying nearly as hard as her opponent had during their battle. Yet, even with the lack of effort she apparently showed, the man could hardly find a way to get a decent advantage, which certainly did not bode well. To demonstrate just what she meant, she exerted an alarming and unprecedented amount of force in locking his hands in place and twisting his wrists.

"Ghaaaagh...! What the...!? Aaahagh...!" the astonished would-be hero grunted and groaned in excruciating agony as he found himself almost buckling under the mounting pressure. "Grraaaagh...!" he grunted further, resisting the urge to kneel as she put even more force into her grip. To make things worse, Risky Boots had also been pushing him back as his feet slid backward across the stony ground beneath them. "How... How are you so strong...!?" At that, Risky obnoxiously cackled in his face yet again to further assert her dominance as she toyed with him.

"This is probably the point where you should realize just how hopeless this situation is for you," she condescendingly 'advised' him as she delighted in enlightening him to her vast power. "Or have I not set a clear enough example for you?"

"Hrrrrgh...! N-No, I... I can't lose here...! I can't! Hrrrraagh!" the man urged himself as he tried to press against Risky Boots to regain his footing. To his dismay, however, he couldn't even find the strength to stop her from forcing him backward as she continued to flash her confident smirk in his face. "D-darn it, what is goin' on...!? Why can't I...?"

"How pathetic… You've certainly got potential, but you'll have to try a lot harder than this to impress me," she quipped further, infuriating him as she relentlessly lambasted him. "Come on, you scalawag! What's the problem? Is it possible you're about to give up because this 'Crazy Pirate Girl' is too much woman for you to handle? Hmm?"

"Grrrrgh, that's it! I am gonna make you-!" The nameless young man dared to challenge, beyond furious with Risky's constant derision. However, just as he was about to make his next move, a sudden *BOOM* crackled throughout the cave, drawing both combatants' attention toward the portal, though they kept their arms locked onto each other. The swirling blue vortex had wavered and fizzled until it dissipated like water vapors in mere seconds. Immediately following, another ground-shaking *KABLAM* rang out, further startling everyone who witnessed it. As it turned out, the machine that powered the portal was a rather clunky-looking amalgamation of seemingly random wooden, metal, and glass components with two crystals loaded into bulbs in its top, hooked up to what looked like a gigantic, gleaming onyx-colored electric generator the size of an 18-wheeler, fixed with a series of flashing blue and red lights. The onyx generator had evidently malfunctioned, causing it to blow... very literally, as one more, ear-splitting, fiery *KABOOOOOOM* sent some of the machine's parts hurtling through the air as it combusted into a frightening inferno. *CLACK* after *CLANG* after *KABLANG*, shrapnel from the portal rained down, nearly injuring many of the nearby Tinkerbats as they panicked and tried to keep the fire from spreading. "No…!" the young man muttered in frustration, his heart sinking like an anchor as he realized exactly what the portal's disappearance and the machine's malfunction meant for him.

"My Tinker-Portal!" Risky shouted, her anger just as prevalent as she forcefully shoved the man away, causing him to stumble and nearly fall backward. "You blithering BUFFOONS! You forgot to turn it off! Are you seriously that DENSE that I have to command you to do even the most simplistic, common-sense things as turning a device off when it's not in use!? I thought I trained you morons better than that! That was my greatest invention yet! And now, because of your hopeless incompetence, the blasted thing's been completely destroyed! If we can't fix this, then so help me, I will start collecting your HEADS as repayment!" she further ranted at her Tinkerbats in thorough frustration as she stomped her foot on the ground and shook a fist at them. However, the implications of her statements weighed at least ten times heavier on the nameless soldier she'd been fighting than it did on her.

"I'm stuck here!? No, that can't be...! No, no, no...!" The distraught serviceman muttered, hit hard with the sudden realization that he was separated from his home with no discernible way of going back.

"Hmph. Welcome to Sequin Land, I guess," Risky callously remarked with a nonchalant shrug as she turned to him, not caring in the slightest about the fact that her opponent was suddenly stranded in a world he had no intention of entering. Risky's comment only served to completely infuriate him.

"This is all YOUR FAULT!" he roared, his temper having long been lost as he suddenly raced toward Risky with blistering speed. Expecting him to try and attack her again, Risky threw a nasty haymaker to try and defend herself. However, the soldier dodged it before tackling his opponent to the ground with a powerful *THUD*. Immediately following, he pulled Risky toward him and wrapped his arm around her neck, squeezing his opponent close. He wrapped his legs around her torso and fell back toward the ground, attempting another submission hold on her. This time, he aimed to squeeze the air out of his opponent with the asphyxiating pressure of an anaconda on her ribs and around her neck until she either passed out or gave in. That portal's disappearance meant he was as good as stranded. That knowledge infuriated the man as he made his last-ditch effort to subdue his opponent. "You're gonna find a way t' fix this! Even if I have t' make you! I'm done messin' around with you, pirate girl! " Risky, despite being in a very tight spot, made a conscious effort to control the situation.

"How pitiful… Chokeholds won't… get you… any closer to victory…!" Risky managed to utter through labored breaths as she struggled to free herself. Though the serviceman's grip was strong and his resolve remained intact, the buccaneer's brazen bravado shined through. After a few seconds, Risky found enough room to begin punching the soldier to free herself. She pounded her fist into his side repeatedly, each blow resonating with the force of a sledgehammer. The unnamed young man, his fatigue from the arduous battle having set in, found it increasingly difficult to keep his hold in place.

"Ahagh…!" The injured officer grunted as he was forced to let go to catch his breath. Her punches did an extensive number on him as she disrupted his breathing. Quickly, Risky recovered from the hold, though she herself was frazzled, sweaty, and breathing heavily.

"Fool… I've had casual hugs that were tighter than that!" Risky mocked as she stood and adjusted her hair, now frizzy with perspiration and the heat of battle. One could potentially ask, however, who in their right mind would ever in their life attempt to hug Risky Boots without fear of her ripping their spine out if she deemed it appropriate, but... I digress.

"How… how is this happenin'…?" The soldier quietly lamented as he attempted to get up despite his trouble with catching his breath. As he climbed onto one knee, Risky delivered a ferocious kick to his chest that hit with an explosive *THROCK*, knocking him on his back as he writhed in agony. Risky followed up with another stomp on his ribs where she'd previously punched him. The dense and incredibly heavy *THWACK* of her underhanded attack caused him to scream in horrible pain as he clutched his chest. She wasn't done, however. To top it off, the malevolent pirate mistress snatched the man up by his shirt and viciously pounded into his face with a series of the hardest punches she could throw at him. *THWACK* after *WHACK* after horrifying *PLOCK*, each of the Pirate Queen's blows came raining on him like meteorites hurtling from the deepest reaches of outer space.

"Ghaaagh...!" he grunted, quickly running out of options as he struggled to even stay conscious. He would find this task increasingly difficult as his opponent tirelessly beat him into submission.

"Let's see how much you like THIS!" Risky roared, her ferocious anger ripping through the cave as she stomped on his stomach with a *THUMP* of her foot against him once again to knock the remaining wind out of him. Soon after, she threw one final haymaker to send him on his way to dreamland. Digging deep within the reserves of his waning willpower, the man managed to lift a hand up to catch Risky's fist with a *THWACK* of her knuckles against his palm.

"Ghaah...! I-I... I can't give up here...!" he murmured, reaching his other hand toward her to try and regain some fleeting foothold in a battle that, for the way it looked, had become entirely one-sided.

"Giving up would've been your smartest option, but I have no problem making sure you learn in the hardest way possible just who you're...!" she trailed off, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt with another burst of unbelievable strength as she cocked her fist back. "DEALING WITH!" the cruel pirate woman finished her statement with another terrifying *KAPLARCK* of her fist against his face that sent him plopping onto the ground. The mere echo of it ripped through the cavern, frightening her Tinkerbats nearly stiff as they witnessed their master's truly sinister nature. To put the finishing touches on her punishment of this foolish interloper, she stomped on his chest two additional times. The resulting *THUMPs* also ripped through the atmosphere like gunshots in the distance. And to finally end her merciless beating of the man who simply wanted to stop her from wreaking havoc with a supply of stolen weaponry, she moved herself to his side, cocked her foot back, and HAMMERED him with the hardest *CRASH* of a punt she could muster as her foot slammed into his ribs with the force of a speeding aircraft.

"GHUHWAAGH!" the man hollered out in unbelievable pain as he was sent flying across the arena, only to land with a horrifying *THUD* a second later. Afterward, he found himself rolling across the wet, stony cavern floor, eventually coming to a skidding halt through the natural force of gravity itself. "Ghaaaaagh... Hagh...! D-darn it...! How...!?" he tried to ask himself as he attempted to get up, though he had no energy to do so. As it appeared, the soldier had lost. He lay on the ground thoroughly beaten, ragged, fatigued, and disoriented. Not satisfied with simply dominating the unfortunate young man, Risky triumphantly sauntered over to him and planted her foot on his chest to rub salt in the numerous wounds she caused him.

"Whoo…! Haven't had… that much fun in a while…" Risky remarked as she breathlessly brushed her hand through her long, wavy indigo locks. "You actually managed to make me break a sweat… A shame that you chose so poorly as to not join me. You could've at least been my new punching bag. That said, my offer still stands, now that the stakes have been raised on your end. I'll need someone to teach me and my men the ins and outs of our new equipment and there's no doubt you know at least a tiny bit about how they work. I'm not usually one for magnanimous offers, but this is a special case. It's your lucky day. So, what'll it be, stranger?"

"Shoot…!" The defeated soldier spat in disappointment in himself as he lay beaten on the ground, unable to do much else to defend himself. "I'd rather die," he answered, ever defiant of his circumstances.

"That can be arranged," Risky indignantly retorted, being none too fond of her captive's rejection. "I have no further use for you if you won't serve me," Risky seemingly bemoaned as she looked toward the device connected to a circular structure that led her into the soldier's realm. "It also seems you won't be going anywhere near home anytime soon." The Pirate Queen took note of the new-and-improved Dynamo smoking heavily as the Tinkerbats that weren't watching the fight were frantically trying to put out a fire that had done significant damage to the machine. The portal conjured up by the device had vanished, leaving an empty statue-like circle and stranding the soldier in a world entirely unknown to him. "Looks like you're stuck here with nowhere to go."

"How did you even…!?"

"…manage to conjure up a portal to your world?" Risky guessed as she turned her attention back to him, though she never took her foot off of her captive. "Not that you would have any idea what I was saying, but… not even I have a concise answer for that. My original plan was to invade the Genie Realm while they were still recovering from my last invasion attempt. I may have made a miscalculation in energy output for this machine here. I also think the replacement of energy source from that disgusting little undead rodent to the Hypersonic Propulsion Generator I stole from Ammo Baron's two airheaded cronies may have skewed the coordinates by a long shot. Doesn't help that I couldn't find any more Genie Crystals, either… It also might have something to do with the location of the portal." Risky examined the machine to see that the energy source had indeed overheated and combusted. By the time her men could put out the fire, the component was completely shot and in need of serious repairs.

"D-darn it…!"

"Oh well… That mistake was clearly worth it," she proudly exclaimed, marveling at her extensive new collection of military weaponry as she took her foot off of the soldier and signaled for her Tinkerbats to tie him up. "I now have access to a much more advanced, more destructive arsenal of weapons than even those bird-brained Barons could dream of! These babies will make taking over Sequin Land a cakewalk! Of course, I still need to figure out what to do with you…" the triumphant blue-skinned leader pondered. "Since you refuse to join or assist me, I think I'll just dump you somewhere no one would find you. Much as I'd like to keep or dispose of you here, it'd be too much of a hassle. Plus, I'm not in need of any interdimensional pets right now. Hope you like deserts full of ravenous, man-eating monsters…" Risky grinned with evil intent, though nothing else was going on. Pretty soon after Risky's threatening statement, the base fell awkwardly silent.

"Wha…?" the soldier tried to ask what she meant. Risky, ever the hater of awkward silences and even more so of her Tinkerbats not getting a clue that was so OBVIOUSLY given to them, became livid.

"D'oh, THAT'S YOUR CUE, YOU MORONS!" Risky bellowed in capricious frustration, scaring all her men into attention. "SET SAIL FOR TASSEL TOWN AND DISPOSE OF HIM!"

"Tassel…?" the disoriented soldier attempted to question, but Risky began cackling like a witch again as her Tinkerbats hurriedly lifted him and carried him onto the ship and set sail into the setting sun. The Tinkerbats carelessly tossed him into the cargo hold and left him there. The still-nameless soldier, though beaten and captured, still had a desire to survive this bizarre encounter. It also helped that the creatures didn't tie him up to the point that the rope prevented him from moving his arms. They'd also neglected to tie his legs. Surveying the dimly-lit, empty cargo hold, he soon caught a glimpse of a weapon—a sword—lying unattended on the other end. He slowly climbed to his feet, staggering over to the weapon, managing to grab it by dropping to his knees to pick it up, as his hands were tied together at the wrists while the upper portions of his arms were tied to his torso.

"Shoot, what a mess I wound up in…! Agh...! Never in a million years did I think anything like this could happen... Dragged int' some other parallel world, beaten to a pulp by some deranged, ashy woman, tied up, an' thrown onto a pirate ship t' be disposed of like trash...? I can't even begin t' make sense o' this situation, but I suppose figurin' that out will only come if I survive this first... I've gotta find a way t' get out o' here before that woman's creepy little circus mutants kill me...!" Thinking quickly, the intuitive fledgling soldier began sawing at the thick, sturdy strands of rope enveloping his torso. He had no idea where they planned on dropping him off or what they planned to do with him once the destination was reached, but he was sure not to go without a fight...

Hours later…

LOCATION: TASSEL TOWER, TASSEL TOWN, SEQUIN LAND

DATE: SEPTEMBER 13TH, [UNDISCLOSED]

TIME: 2011 HOURS

Deep within the abandoned sandy wasteland that was Tassel Town stood a lone, large tower whose height was unrivaled by any other structure this side of Sequin Land. Rumor had it that one who knew their way around the plethora of secret passageways of the tower would be handsomely rewarded with treasures galore. Many have tried to traverse to this tumultuous, danger-laced region to search for the fabled treasures it beheld, but very few people ever found themselves capable. Alas... One such person, a beautiful, shapely young lady with what HAD to be a record-length hair of a rich lavender tied into a stylish ponytail, as well as the ability to transform into a variety of animals, just happened to be going on what could be presumed to be her umpteenth trip to this mythical tower to collect on the mysteriously replenishing bounties galore. Who is this TOTALLY unknown individual, you may ask? Beats me... wink, wink... Maybe we'll just figure that out by seeing what she was doing here, rather than sit here and play guessing games. So... let's check it out...

"Whew... Man, I really should stop spending so much money on junk food, Spider Web Island Man comics, and hair care products…" the young, red-garbed, purple-haired girl lamented as she entered the tower without a hint of hesitation, though she seemed not to be in the highest of spirits... apparently due to some mostly undisclosed financial woes. "I totally overdid it again, and now I'm late on the rent. Again. Being Guardian Genie sure is a tough job to maintain when you're not even being paid on a normal schedule for it. Hm... I wonder if they'll ever open another Dance Parlor...?" she soliloquized as she sized up the vertical labyrinth for a place to begin her hunt. After a moment, however, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it can't be helped, all things considered. This hair of mine is my greatest asset for defending Scuttle Town from the forces of evil. However expensive those products are, they're absolutely necessary to keep my greatest asset in its best condition. I... could PROBABLY stand to start budgeting or something for the other stuff..." the young adventurer murmured to herself with a cute and innocuous giggle before shifting her focus. "Alright, I'd better get cracking if I wanna get back home at a reasonable enough hour... I've been out all day as it is..." she concluded as she took a deep breath and did a few stretches to limber herself up. Soon after, the mysterious young woman began belly dancing, stretching her arms out as she swung her hips with a disarming close-eyed smile. Within seconds, the entire temple seemed to be enveloped with an arcane pink mist. Meanwhile, an odd, yet catchy drumbeat sounded off from seemingly nowhere in tandem with every time the woman rhythmically rocked her bodacious hips. Within an instant, however…

"Traaaaansform!" this enigmatic maiden announced as she changed with a *POOF* from human to a small purple monkey. The simian young lady deftly climbed the tower's walls with unparalleled coordination and precision. The fearless treasure hunter transformed back into her humanoid form for brief stints to smash vases full of colorful gems before changing back into a monkey to scale the walls of the tower to search for more valuables to collect. As we could already suspect, this wasn't her first rodeo by a long shot. Nonetheless, she gracefully danced through the dangers of the perilous dungeon, occasionally transforming into other various animals such as an elephant, spider, and harpy to quickly dispose of the myriads of red cyclopean snakes and armored black ravens that dropped green spike-launching slime creatures, as well as avoiding buzz saw traps floating along some of the chain links hanging down from the ceilings of the higher floors of the tower. The young lady was hard at work earning this month's rent, and she was making it look easy. She only paused her hunt, however, when she heard shouting and thumping noises come from the floor directly above as she exited a treasure room at least six or seven stories up.

"Hooh! Gahhagh...! Hah... T' think I'd ever wind up in a-! OUCH! Grrgh...! D-darn it, this is bad...!" someone could be heard speaking with considerable strain in their voice as additional sounds rang out like... almost like a fight of some sort had broken out. *THUMP* after *SCHWING* after *PLOCK*, the noises carried on nonstop.

"Huh... that's strange… I'm usually the only one who comes here… What's going on up there?" the supposed 'guardian genie' curiously pondered, surprised to hear that Tassel Tower had another visitor. Another treasure hunter, perhaps? She wasn't sure... "The voice doesn't sound at all like that archaeologist that got me sick, either… Or ANYONE I might know that comes here... I wonder who else is here...? From the sound of it, they're at least one floor above me... How the heck did they make it so high up? No one I know has ever been able to make it even to the third floor of Tassel Tower without a ton of trouble that stopped their progress there... Hmm..." As she continued to wonder, she witnessed a small black, yellow-eyed creature garbed in red fall to its explosive demise, plummeting past her at top speed before it vanished into the shadows with a smoky *POOF*. "A Tinkerbat!? THAT isn't a good sign... In that case, something fishy MUST be going on up there. There's no way I can ignore that if there are Tinkerbats here... I'd better check it out to make sure..." With that observation and a sudden sense of urgency, the young woman hurriedly jumped and grabbed hold of the dangling chain links and shimmied her way to the next floor. She belly danced once more to morph with a *POOF* into her elephant form as she stood on a narrow platform with a dragon-head statue directly in front of her. There, she heard more commotion...

"Hyah! You scraggly little freaks ain't takin' me out here...!" she heard a deep male voice shout from the other side of the statue, followed by a series of *WHAPs* and *WHACKs* that came accompanied by a few *POOFs*. From the sound of it, someone within the tower's hollow wall was being attacked by some of the monsters known to sneak up on and ambush unsuspecting travelers. "Gah... Agh...! Shoot...!" she heard the man tiredly complain as he seemed like he was also trying his hardest to catch his breath.

"Someone's in trouble! I've gotta save them!" the magical talking elephant exclaimed as she dug her hooves into the platform and lowered her head like she was ready to charge. And charge, she did. At almost the speed of sound and with an explosive *KABLANG* of an impact that sent rocky debris flying in every direction, the elephant-formed adventurer blasted through the stone dragon statue like it was made of wood. Nevertheless, the yet-to-be-named young treasure hunter discovered a secret room, though that wasn't exactly what caught her attention. The sight she immediately beheld when she entered the hidden chamber shocked and confused her as she changed back to her curvaceous humanoid self with an additional smoky *POOF*. Immediately, the young woman witnessed a tall, chocolate-skinned man with a jet-black buzzcut hairstyle, garbed in tattered clothes entirely unfamiliar to her in terms of style, wielding the shredded remains of a rope as he fended off a sizable gang of at least twenty Tinkerbats marching upon him with scimitars. No one had noticed her in the moment, however, as the man and the Tinkerbats were intensely preoccupied with each other.

"Get... Get away from me...!" the man tiredly demanded as he found himself backed into a corner. Bathed in sand, dirt, and sweat while multiple cuts and scratches were present on his face and arms, the man appeared to have been fighting off these deplorable creatures on his own and had been struggling immensely to keep his efforts up. Meanwhile, the Tinkerbats approached with the clear intent to end the man where he stood. It was no mystery that this unknown individual was weary, in a lot of pain, and desperate to survive. He lashed the rope at one of Risky's nefarious minions with a dense *WHAP*, sending it flying off before it exploded with a *POOF* against the wall in the narrow, enclosed, torchlit room. He whipped again and again, sending Tinkerbats to their doom one by one with *WHAP* after *THWACK*, but his fatigue and physical agony were evident. By the time he whipped the third or fourth Tinkerbat, he'd just about run out of energy. He tried whipping another one, but he couldn't build up the strength or the coordination to do so as he completely missed his target. Almost immediately after, he was surrounded by the rest of the malicious pirate squad. Each of these underhanded threatened him with scimitars as they swung at him with *SCHWISH* after *SHWING* of their razor-sharp blades against the thick, humid air within the chamber. Refusing to give in, the exhausted man mustered what little strength he had left to whip at another Tinkerbat once more. However, with a frightening *SCHRANG* of the rope against a Tinkerbat's sword, the man had lost his only means of defending himself. The rope had been sliced in two, causing it to uselessly fall to the stony floor. The Tinkerbats weren't done yet, however. With another *SCHWING* and *SKISH*, another Tinkerbat sliced into the man's arm as he tried to defend himself. "Gaahagh...! D-darn it...!" he grunted in unrelenting agony as he lost his balance and fell to the ground with a voluminous *THUD*. Immediately afterward, the Tinkerbat crew hungrily advanced on their prey with their swords up and ready to finish the job. The man was forced to inch himself backward into the corner of the room, breathless and desperate as he contemplated his fate. "So, this is really how it ends for me...? Shoot... What a JOKE...! Hagh...! I can't believe this is really happenin' t' me...!"

"Oh, no…! He's in bad shape, and they're about to kill him...!" the worried young lady observed, taking in the unsettling image for what it was. "I'm not sure how they all wound up here, but there's NO way I'm gonna sit here and let this play out the way it is any longer…! Don't worry, mister! I'll save you!" she called out to the man, who'd been too busy trying to stay alive to notice her. The Tinkerbats, however, took notice and realized exactly who it was that had interrupted them. Panicked and unwilling to let the woman interfere, every single Tinkerbat turned their attention to the woman and charged at her all at once. It was too little, too late for them, however. The magical young woman performed yet another truly dazzling belly dance number and struck an emphatically sassy pose. "OBLITERATE!" she announced loud enough for the entire tower to hear it. Instantly, spontaneous explosions rang out all over the room with *BOOM* after *BANG* after *BLAM* after dazzling *KABLAST*, disposing of all the Tinkerbats in it while leaving the injured young man safe from further harm. If one didn't know better, however, it almost sounded like the entire tower was set to collapse from the force of the explosions. In the aftermath of her lifesaving maneuver, however, the practical guardian angel rushed to the man's aid, kneeling beside him and inspecting him for his numerous apparent injuries. Meanwhile, he'd just lowered his arm from his face after shielding his eyes from the sudden deafening show of fireworks that carried out in front of him without warning. "Hey...! You're safe now. I've got you... Are you okay?"

"I… I could be better..." the man breathlessly began, his eyes still shut as he regained his senses and lowered his stance. "I ain't dead like I thought I'd be, at the very least… Th-thanks for savin' me..." he continued as he brought his gaze to meet hers. He was immediately taken aback by his savior's appearance. She was gorgeous, to say the least. She was a young, petite, yet curvy woman with mocha-colored skin, luscious ocean blue eyes, pointed ears, and an absurdly long, flowing curtain of lavender hair neatly tied up in a lush, silky ponytail. Her outfit consisted of what appeared to be a scarlet red two-piece, midriff-baring belly dance costume, replete with gold jewelry adorned to her wrists, ears, hair, and forehead. He'd have been more enamored with her had it not been for the fact that he was almost made into a wall decoration by that pirate woman's soldiers.

"Not a problem, mister! It's a good thing I was here in the first place. Come on, let's get you back to safety..." the soldier's rescuer urgently suggested as she pulled out a silver whistle and blew into it. In an instant, a large, winged shadow materialized from seemingly nowhere. Despite the torches present on the walls, it was still too dim in the dungeon room for the man to make out a decipherable image. However, he was far more concerned about where this young lady was taking him. She seemed to harbor no ill intentions, but even in his weary state, he had to be careful. She did just save him from certain death, but considering where he was... which, he had NO idea where he was, he had little reason to really let his guard down. Despite that, all he could do in the moment was trust this courteous young lady as she, with a seemingly uncharacteristic show of strength, lifted him onto the birdlike creature before climbing on herself. "Alright... Take us home!" she commanded this mysterious, shadowy behemoth. Within seconds, and with a *WHOOSH* of the creature's wings, they were off to the next destination, beginning the next saga in the history of Sequin Land…