"..." = Speech
<...> = Thought
---
Shantae turned to the side to spit out some blood as she stepped out the rocky shore of the naga wasteland to stand on the edge of a rather familiar looking desert. Not quite the same as the ladies desert outside of oasis town. First of all… She didn't need to climb a ladder or two to get there.
"Naga's are certainly more perceptive than the Scorps." Moving one hand up to massage her aching neck as she looked over her other shoulder towards the lingering ash that soon got blown away by the salty breeze of the sea. In her other hand she held the very large and shiny gem that she soon found herself looking down upon with no small amount of pride.
"Just a couple days ago I could never have imagined taking out an actual Naga, probably the toughest monster roaming outside the labyrinths… Yet here I am having taken out them shortly after beating up some Scorpgals." Shaking her head only to wince. "Although all those flips with tits like these are starting to get to me in a bad way."
Letting out a sigh as her hands moved to cup one each; already more than just a simple handful and a mournful look appeared on her face at that. "These puppies have only been growing for about 2 years yet I still have three more to go till the end of my growth period. I haven't even hit my growth spurt yet."
At first frowning at the thought… Then she remembered Sky as well as Risky Boots who currently were larger than her.
But it also looked hot as biblical hell.
"Wait is hell hot… Palace did not exactly teach stuff about other pantheons; although onto more important things revolving around my job as guardian genie. Bigger breasts means more mass and more mass means more momentum which means I'll hit even harder than I already do." Nodding along to her own words.
"I'm sure I can get used to a bit of back pain so it really is a positive to grow them big." It was almost impressive how quickly she managed to convince herself about the usefulness of having massive tits to her life as a fighter. Even if her points were dubious at best.
She also didn't neglect them for a second.
Her hands were already there so it didn't exactly hurt anyone to give them a good old fondling, the owner certainly wasn't complaining, so she just spent a second feeling herself up.
"SQUARK!"
At least until an impatience call came from a bird who had spent a bit too long watching one of his friends feel herself up randomly. He did not particularly understand what she was doing but it also did not change the fact she was doing it when he was trying to guide her. Garnering a wry laugh from Shantae.
"I get it, I get it, lead the way boss man!" Rubbing the back of her head only to elicit a little *chunk* as something hard impacted the side of her head.
A small little "ow" slipped from her mouth even if it didn't particularly hurt much compared to having her insides turned into slurry by a Naga's sonic screech. Moving to inspect what caused that pain in her head only to see a very familiar gem. "Ah… The Naga's gem… Should probably put this away."
Moving her gem as well as the hand betwixt her bosom before pulling her hand back with a lack of monster gem within her hand. Now looking out revealed that their little spat hadn't gone as unnoticed as she had first thought. Bellow was a large muscular red skinned man with a turban and, more definingly, a lower body of a scorpion in a very familiar manner.
"So these are the fabled Scorpman that I've heard Sky mention… They certainly are as handsome as she was hinting as but I wonder if they are as big as well." Stroking her chin as she pondered the dimensions that the man might be packing.
The monster in question suddenly shivered and backed up with a disturbed look on her face; growling as it slammed its scorpion tail into the ground.
"Oh come on, I was just a bit curious, no reason to act like it was the most disgusting thing you've ever seen in the world!" Throwing her hands up as she complained to the big handsome and VERY muscular monster man. Although something inside her suddenly urged her that it may be a good idea to step aside.
So she did.
Just in time for a scorpion tail to pierce through the floor where she just was - clearly attempting to skewer her through the butt. "I nearly lost my virginity in a very embarrassing fashion…"
If that wasn't motivation to teach the monster a lesson she didn't know what was.
While it repossessed its extended tail, she got into a very familiar position, just as it managed to retch its tail out the ground Shantae shot forwards. The Scorpman only had time to realise what was happening before it exploded into smoke. Stone clattering behind the half-genie as she stood tall and looked back.
Grin present on her face as it was hard to not feel satisfied about her performance; she had just taken a big bad monster out with comedic ease. It was hard not to feel a little bit smug about that. Still she decided to keep the celebration gem and slipped it between her breasts before she too rushed off to follow.
---
As it turns out… The Scorp-people were not exactly the most observant as Shantae soon discovered as she traversed through the mens desert.
"The names really are really on the nose." Shaking her head as she managed to sneak attack yet another.
Reducing him to ash with a singular powerful attack.
Without her rather publicly announcing her position (via expressing her thoughts out loud) they simply didn't appear to notice her at all. Completely oblivious to the point they never even realise when or how they died. Only having time to drop their gem for her to collect and add to the quickly growing collection.
Although, looking up, she saw that the once straight shooting wrench had instead begun to circle around a very specific spot in the desert. It also didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. "Seems we have arrived at our destination; time to raid the golem mines…"
That much she had expected.
What wasn't so expected was the fact that the mine, where you dig into the ground of all things, was located atop a completely vertical wall.
As in just completely straight up with zero incline and very much not where you'd expect a mine.
"Shouldn't a legendary mine be, y'know, below? Well I suppose it wouldn't be so mystical with some uber strong material if it were a normal boring none mind boggling mine!" Quickly coming to terms with the weirder part of her life. "Time to show off monkey power~."
Once again she transformed into a monkey and once again she made short work of the verticality that had previously felt so oppressive to her weak (half) human mind. Though there was someone else who was having a harder time comprehending how a "human" became a "monkey". Wrench had needed to take a moment - perched atop the mine - just trying to figure out how that was possible.
Meanwhile Shantae returned back to her humanoid glory as she walked up to the entrance; yet another carefully carved monument that also served as a doorway.
This one looked quite different, however.
More akin to a mighty fortress of stone bricks than an actual mine or some monument worshipping some kind of ugly monster. Though there were some abstract depictions of a pair of flying monsters just above the currently closed doorway. "Got no real idea what monster that actually is supposed to be."
Although she was really curious what monsters were being depicted - she was more interested in what was located past those doors. Pressing a hand against each only for those doors to not budge. She even put a bit more elbow grease behind it but those doors did not so much as rock a little.
"How the heck do I get these open…" Audibly pondering with a hand on the back of her head.
Fortunately, just at that moment, a certain bird awoke from their stupor to let out a cry before swooping down to latch its beak on a knobbly bit of masonry that stuck out. Somehow the bird rotated against all known laws of aviation. Less surprising was the fact the door opened in tandem with that movement.
"Wowza, that amazing Wrench, thanks!" Happily exclaiming her gratitude towards the bird as it slid off the stone nub only to flap its wings. Catching himself from plummeting into the ground before letting out a squark as he once again flew up into the sky.
Shantae waved him off as he flew off into the distance; no doubt returning back to Sky in Oasis town which was no doubt safer then trying to walk there.
There was a surprising lack of monsters with true flight and those that did have it were fairly slow.
Certainly slower than a spectacular warbird like Wrench.
Into the Mine
Now left alone to her own devices - the half-genie turned towards the open doors - peering into the dim yet decently well lit chambers. Glowing gemshards were scattered about but there was something that Shantae found immediately more important. "This place doesn't look or feel like a sewer!"
Shantae may have ventured through every inch of dribble fountain, nevertheless, it was very hard to call it an enjoyable experience for the scantily clad half spirit. Her clothes were not exactly water proof and she did not exactly know where that water had come from let alone been used for. Especially with the rather suspicious design of the labyrinth.
"I can already tell I'll like this place way more." Smile on her face as she stepped inside to scout the labyrinth out with a little more caution than she had given the dribble fountain.
She wasn't worried… But the Scorpgal's & Naga had taught her some lessons.
That is why she didn't immediately rush into action when she saw the large stony figure trouncing around below where she stood.
Shaped generally like a person but far more bulky with an irregularity that made it appear to be made from random rocks rather than purpose built like the mine's entrance. It was a monster she hadn't seen about the overworld yet one everyone knew about. "That is what is called a golem right… Suppose it makes sense given the name of this place teehee."
Narrowing her eyes as she took a moment to study the big brute - learning her lesson about rushing in given what happened the last two times. Still, it did not appear the stone man had much really going for himself other than his stoney bulk. The giant also hadn't appeared to realise she was there yet.
Well, giant was subjective, it wasn't too much taller than some people but she was only five foot at the moment and still waiting on a growth spurt.
She also knew exactly how to deal with big bad monsters who hadn't yet spotted her.
"If it ain't broken don't fix it and this strategy hasn't failed me yet; always thought of myself as a little bit of an assassin as there is no doubt I'm real sneaky!" Her announcement garnered the golems attention as it turned towards her direction. Although it actually lacked the neck needed to do that quickly.
Once again she found herself charging up her mighty elbow before she exploded forwards with gravity doing the rest of the work. Slamming her magic charged elbow right into the golem's chest. The impact sent a thud throughout the large cavern they found themselves in…
But not much more than that.
The attack obviously did damage to the thing, stone cracking around the elbow currently implanted within that monster's body, howbeit… That golem didn't so much as stumble.
With it not being stunned at all, while she had overextended her hand, led to a situation that didn't exactly need to be explained to anyone. Wasting no time in bringing its stony fist down into her side. A crunch being the next thing to echo through the room as her body curved around its limb before being jettisoned away by the momentum.
Shantae blacking out for the flight over, a familiar situation, before impacting the wall to be jolted wide away once more. With the added benefit of barfing out half the divine blood in her body. Eyes trembling as she turned to look toward the monster who had just done her in.
"R-Right… So turns out strategies that previously worked on some monsters can fail against others - w-who could have seen that coming?" She joked with a forced smile as she forced a hand out the stone wall she found herself buried in. Finding it quite fortunate that her genie mother made her strength less tied to a physical body than your average mortal might be.
Soon falling out the wall to roll across the floor for a bit before forcing herself back to her feet while not forgetting to take her eyes off the big brute that so politely taught her something about counting eggs.
"Mortals are so weird with their sayings…" Narrowing her eyes as the monster lumbered over.
Yet she didn't even bother to charge up her mighty elbow, even if she could. "Quite clearly this bastard can take more than I can give in an instant so using something like that would just leave me open again…"
Reaching between her breasts for a moment only to pull out a small vial similar to the one that had originally helped her recover from the lesson she got from Risky Boot's crew. Keeping her other hand free as she instead uncorked it with her teeth. Spitting that cork out only to slug the rest of the bottle.
That fortunately helped her body recover so quickly it had her up to full in a minute. "Sultan-damned that shit still hurts despite the whole half magic thing - speaking of - I really should have learned some magic."
Wryly smiling while cursing out her younger self for sleeping through the lessons she did get on it.
"Sadly I ain't the type to spend too long thinking things through for very long so, if the new fails, time to go back to the classics!" Wasting no time in charging towards the brute who almost just flatlined her.
Hardly an advisable approach to combat (or just survival instincts in general) but that did little to wipe the smirk off her face. Ducking just as that first attempted to clip her head off and instead sending her hair forward to impact that stone bastard. Chipping off some of the rock from its solid body.
It wasn't much but seeing that brought a smile to her face; of course she didn't forget to quickly dart backwards in the typical magic filled swirl. Just in time as well - the first she had ducked under slammed down into the floor. Leaving behind a small crater that she very may well could have painted with her guts.
Charging forward again while its fist was on the floor to whip it right in the chest again before once more taking distance though not bothering to waste the magic on a full backstep.
That thing seemed annoyed that its lumbering form couldn't squish her now that she'd figured it out.
Bellowing out a roar of discontent while leaping up into the air in an attempt to use its entire weight to crush her into a pancake.
Not that it mattered when its attack was still as telegraphed as always. Faster due to utilizing its own power then gravity, sure, but that wasn't enough to catch her off guard as it first had. If anything that power that defined it worked against itself; sending it so far into the air that it was easier to avoid the fall.
Stepping just out of reach while sending her pony tail forward once more to impact its chest one last time as the cracks left by her first attack spread with each blow. Soon the magic fueling its existence could not resist the loss of structural integrity she had caused. Letting out another roar as it began to crumble into rock then that familiar smog she had grown so used to seeing these past few days.
Spitting some of her blood to the side before sending it off with one last line. "Guess you could say that you crumbled when it mattered."
…
"Urgh it sounded cooler in my head…" Shoulders sagging as she trounced over to grab its gem.
---
As surprising as it may be for some to hear it… Mines were confusing as fuck.
More than once she found herself turned around after walking in the wrong direction or ending up back where she had already conquered. She also found that the theme for that dungeon was actually things being made out of rock. Shocking realisation yet she had fortunately learned her lesson against the toughest of the beasts within the place.
Why was the first monster the toughest one?
"Oh my, you really saved my tush, to think a half-genie would be the one to find me!"
Especially when she found a rather familiar figure whom she had never personally met before; almost in an identical scenario as in the dribble fountain.
"I'm this place's guardian genie and my name is Ele~."
She found yet another guardian genie.