Chapter 013: Bandit Town & The Non-Union Genie (*~) - [Danmachi X Highschool DxD] Shantae: Dance Through the Dungeon

| Hello ya'll,

| Hoping to finish this prologue arc/volume by 15 so we can begin sprinkling even more danmachi into the mix but we'll have to see.

| Btw future me; bit off the mark but I got close enough.

| Anyways, enjoy~♥

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"..." = Speech

<...> = Thought

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"Who makes it so you can only climb up a mountain ONE WAY. I mean, I guess someone doesn't really create mountains… No, wait, gods exist so they must design them!" Huffing in annoyance as she continued to complain about the divine up in Tenkai making her life harder.

Although she also can't exactly be blamed for her annoyance. "Thought to myself "oh it's just a bit more westward from zombie swamp so it's an easy trip" just cross the mountain then pop into the bandit village real quick. But oh no, it's a slippery incline, making the mountain only accessible from the western side!"

Throwing her hands up as she trudged through the desert.

Now that she was aware of their rather shitty perception; she had no difficulty getting through the legendarily harsh Ladies Desert.

Her breast-based banking service was most certainly enjoying the hefty deposit, though.

Stepping once more through the gates of Oasis Town - promptly heading toward Sky's hut without wasting time on anything else. Even though she was told that those in Bandit Town had all the information she needed; there was nobody she trusted more. If maybe lacking a modicum of common decency.

"I'm back and need some-" Barging her way into the room with a brash announcement that fell on a hollow silence as she found no sight of her friend.

"Erm… Hello?" Confusion evident in her tone as she slowly skulked around the place, looking in just about every cubby of the shelves as if Sky could be hiding there, finding not even a note left behind. She even slipped into the backroom (even if it means Sky would yell at her again) yet that turned out to be…

Unprofitable.

There was no sign of her friend nor where she could have gone other than some map on the wall. Pins littering the entire thing with some being red and others green - for some reason there were even some orange ones. However, none of that made any sense to her so she just shrugged it off.

"She must have gone out to train some of her new flock, I guess, suppose I'll just have to go through the dreaded Mud Bog with little to no information. I mean with a reductive name like "Mud Bog" probably just a big ugly bog with the legends being overhyped." She exclaimed with confidence.

Though it certainly was weird…

"Oh well!" Shrugging it off.

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Glancing around the caustic stone that led to a long rickety dock over a bubbling black bog; Shantae's face visibly scrunched up as it twisted into an expression she wasn't used to. "Wow… Never felt so much disgust from just something being present in a place in my life. It's as if everything in this place has been twisted by some ugly magic…"

Shivering at the thought.

It was like the feeling she got from wild monsters but dialled up to a thousand.

Truly nothing short of unsettling; to a level where words simply were not enough to summarise how distasteful everything felt in the bog.

Then there were the blood thirsty creatures.

She heard the sound of a bird fluttering above and quickly got a first hand example of just why there had been no exploration of the area. Almost as soon as that poor animal flew overhead a beast covered in dark armour erupted out the bog. Bringing a claw bigger than said bird around the poor little thing.

The squelch caused the now battle hardened half-genie to visible flinch as that one eyed monstrosity plunged back into the viscous inky fluid. For a moment the feathers that popped out either side of the claw floated down only to vanish in a terrifying hiss upon touching that black lake. "It feels insulting to monsters if I call them that…"

Of course that terrifying aberration of a shrimp.

Right across from her, blocking the stone archway that linked to the pier, was a… Well it was hard to describe. Being a gaggle of naked women if they were sculpted out of that same black goop that made up the unusual "water" of the bog.

They lacked hair as well as any real defining features; even their chests were more reminiscent of a pair of black latex balloons with a purple tinge.

"Even the hot freaks are more freaky than hot… This place is the worst!" Stomping a foot on the ground as she decided there was only one way to get through that hell hole.

Shankey the Montae!

Though first she needed to figure out a way through those bubbling broads. Fortunately she had just the technique to solve her little road block - one that she may or may not have been abusing. Still, she was a strong believer of the adage "if it isn't broke don't fix it" or in this case "if it is broke then take full advantage" and ancestor genies know she is planning to fully live up to that.

Walking just out of reach of that "thing" as she charged, surprise surprise, a mighty elbow before bursting forward as well as bursting that bog creature. Mud flying everywhere as she held its stone. Its black gunky body was not exactly the most stable so it was what she'd imagine a pimple popping would be like.

Yet things got stranger from there on account of the creature… Not dissipating like monsters would.

"Damn good thing I was too fast for it to settle on me…" That gunk continued to exist wherever it landed and it didn't smell pleasant. In fact, upon squinting at the mass, she noticed a small magical gem actually reforming in place of the one sitting squarely between her fingers.

In addition, the fluid that made up its body visibly bubbled like a boiling broth, seemingly regaining the mass that it had lost upon being blown apart. "Well that only reinforces this place's reputation…"

Luckilyshe didn't intend to stay long.

Soon transformed into a monkey and running with her tail between her legs.

Proverbaly.

It actually makes it way harder to run away.

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At the moment she stood in front of a signpost that pointed to an area underneath the mountain range.

Since there was a major chunk of it just gone - the only form of connection being a series of spiderwebs that quite clearly were not holding anything up.

The hills literally just… Floating.

"Guess gravity really is just a suggestion..." She mumbled while gawking up at the hillocks that stood between her and the legendary Mount Peaky. Or, more accurately, kind of just hovered in place above her with there being no indication of how that was even possible.

Her first thought was that some genie had gotten drunk on the job (again) resulting in this kind of strangeness popping up in the past. Just like how a certain genie was responsible for the magical teleporting octopus who think themselves squids. "Honestly it seems like the most likely reason."

Genies were those who bring with them dreams into the waking world.

Hardly be that shocking for one to "dream up" a set of gravity defying hills as she has been seeing a lot of force disregarding mountains lately.

Huffing lightly as an armoured humanoid figure with a halberd, along with a head of a bird, made landfall right behind her with a flutter of its wings. Weapon raised above its head.

Though it didn't get a chance to actually utilize that gleaming axe head as she shot upwards in a spin kick that split the beast down the centre.

The poor thing only had the opportunity to widen its eyes before it poofed.

She didn't forget to quickly swipe up the gem that was falling behind her back either; having controlled the height of her spin kick to barely lift her from the ground.

Glancing toward the sign post where she actually paid attention to what exactly it was pointing - what remained underneath that floating range. Seeing that brought a smile to her lips as she jested to no one but herself. "Guess I'm going to Bandit Town after all. It can't be more dead than Zombie Town!"

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"Prices here are highway robbery!" Slamming her hand onto the shop counter in mock rage as she waved a hand toward the prices which were increased 50% over what a fresh batch in Oasis Town would cost .

In response the half-toothless clerk shrugged his shoulders. "'Is Bandit Town; wha'cha wan'?"

Shantae opened her mouth to reply but quickly found herself without any words to actually say. The writing kind of was on the wall as far as Bandit town went - they called themselves bandits then proceeded to act like bandits. "The only thing that's cheap in a place like this is the air you breathe out but I bet they'll be putting a price on that soon!"

Grumbling as she headed out building though she also was not particularly split up over the crazed price hiking of stale potions. She didn't really have a need for them considering how many she had picked up at the zombie caravan and those were also, ironically, far fresher.

More than potions… She wanted information.

"Best place to go is probably the bar since everything worth happening in a town like this would be taking place where everyone is wasted. Apparently they ain't great conversionalists either; on top of being no good scammers." Turning over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at the vendor.

Glancing around the place that honestly looked less like the other towns she had ventured through and more like a small fortress than a town like.

Those outer walls were made from logs sharpened on either side - but with one side firmly planted into the ground to form a circle. Within which the buildings were primarily made of stone bricks with a little bit of iron & bronze to add some embellishments. Of course most of that came in the form of simple signage.

Just a metal plate above the door for which some symbol or another was engraved - one would think that it would help yet they were so abstract that it really did not.

At the same time she found it all too easily to discover the local "watering hole", as it were.

"Just follow where everyone is walking into then crawling out afterwards~!" Smirking to herself as she did just that. Quickly finding herself in what could only be called a hovel where people went for the drink and certainly not due to the company.

Although, as Shantae swiftly found, even that was swill.

Waltzing up to the bar with the confidence of being either the strongest person in the room or the dumbest who didn't realise where they were. Maybe both for some. She did notice the various gazes that lingered on her form and she certainly minded the attention; though the smile showcased in what manner.

Her hips always shifted from side to side when she moved yet now they did it with an even greater exaggeration while she purposefully pushed out her posterior when she hopped up onto a stool.

"One of your finest please~!" Reaching between her breasts to procure a gem as payment at the excited hollowering of the rowdy patrons of the establishment. Slamming the stone down onto the countertop to the sleazy grin of the man who succinctly fixed her with a tall glass of frothing brown fluid.

With a bubbly smile she seductively traced a finger around the rim then down to hold it proper. Bringing the glass up to her lips, gracing the bartender with a wink, as she took a sip of what was within that glass with a grin… Only to promptly spit it out as it resembled something closer to sewer water.