[Shrubley, the Monster Adventurer] Chapter 114 – Where the Monsters Roam II

Holding his [Guidance Stone Compass], Shrubley peered down into the ravine. Past the winding silver streak of a tumbling river, something faintly gleamed. Perhaps it was merely the sunlight reflecting off moving water, or something more significant.

Shrubley did not recall his Guidance Stone of Vitality being able to shimmer like a jewel. However, the artifact had been locked away in a twisted realm where light was forgotten by its lands.

“At least it’s not in the opposite direction?” Cal offered, wincing when the Countess shot him a sharp look.

Each of the monster adventurers aspired to attain a class of their own. For essence artists, classes were only possible once all 3 essence slots were filled. Only then would a class be available.

Classes granted unique skills, different and more powerful attribute growth, and a powerful identity.

However, there was another way to gain a class, one that was far more difficult and awarded a fourth essence as well.

A prime essence.

Prime essences could only be gained by visiting a Guidance Stone as Shrubley had done via the care of Mistress Ceasewane. It was how he gained his fused class, Sage Knight. An option that originally hadn’t been there until Shrubley made the choice to combine two of the three classes to fit his own vision of himself.

He wasn’t sure if it would have worked if he didn’t have such a strong awareness of the shrub he would one day become.

With a Guidance Stone attuned, Shrubley’s capabilities had grown immensely. His Life essence was from the Guidance Stone, and he had counseled his friends on waiting to select a class until he could find a Guidance Stone with his compass.

It was only until recently that one of his friends had even been eligible to attain a class. Smudge possessed a set of three essences. Hunger, Stone and Air. However, the slime had yet to advance to Copper or uncover a class.

It was worth the detour in Shrubley’s eyes. Even if it meant that the danger of the Dungeons grew a little closer. The enhanced power one of his friends would receive would be unrivaled.

He found himself wondering what sort of Guidance Stone it would be. The type altered not only the prime essence received, but the classes as well.

“And how, pray tell, do you believe we will get down there?” Miranda asked. “I can ferry one or two of you across the gap, but down there? It’ll take all day to fashion ropes and the required materials to make the descent and even then, a thousand things could go wrong. Not to mention it’s already getting dark.”

As the Countess spoke, Shrubley watched as the light angled into the ravine and did indeed glimmer off a distant spear of polished stone. His eyes might have been playing tricks on him, but he felt sure it was a Guidance Stone nestled at the mouth of a cave.

“Pyuu?” Smudge said, bouncing forward to look towards the Guidance Stone.

The sun’s rays washed themselves through the narrow ravine and then poured out the other side, plunging the ravine into early darkness.

It reminded Shrubley uncomfortably of the time he had fallen into a similar lightless depth. One he should not have survived.

He had met his father down there. Had pulled himself up out of that darkness and received his Light essence.

The vessel! Shrubley had nearly forgotten about it.

He had given it to Cal to keep.

“Cal…?” Shrubley asked, almost afraid.

“What is it, Shrubley?”

“The [Essence Vessel], do you still have it?”

The look on Cal’s face would have given Shrubley a heart attack if he had one. He felt his leaves seize momentarily, as if a great cold wintry snap descended upon him.

After furiously patting his pockets, Cal looked up hopelessly at Shrubley. “Oh, Shrubley, I’m so sorry!” He managed to pull the vessel out of one pouch he had dangling on his hipbone. Looped right through it.

Dust and dirt spilled out of the pouch and off the vessel.

“I didn’t even think about it,” Cal said apologetically as he handed the dirty vessel over to Shrubley. “I just stuffed it into the safest place I knew, which was this pouch of dirt I had collected for… reasons.”

Sose glanced at the filthy pouch and shook his head. His displeasure at Cal’s methods lowered the chances of the skeleton ever getting to pet the oppa again.

“That’s… okay, Cal,” Shrubley said reluctantly, who was no stranger to dirt but was still surprised at the vessel’s condition. Dirt was caked on the thing so that it appeared several times larger than it really was.

Shrubley sat down while the Countess tapped her foot impatiently. “Well, Shrubley? You’re the leader of this group. You make the call.”

Looking up from his careful excavation of the vessel, Shrubley seemed taken aback by that. “I believe we should go to the Guidance Stone. Even if that loses us a few days, it is worth it. We are at the lowest rung of our power right now. Gaining the strongest foundation is paramount if we ever wish to surpass the Limit of Steel.”

Miranda’s eyes widened when he mentioned that. She fought herself not to lean forward to listen more intently.

“We do not have infinite time, that I know. However… I believe each of us should strive to find a Guidance Stone and a prime essence. I may not be the smartest or strongest, but I can attest to the powers of my new class and essence.”

“And you think having a prime essence will help you to surpass Steel?” Miranda said slowly.

Shrubley shook his leafy head. “No. I do not think the essences you have matters.” He looked directly into Miranda’s heart at that moment. “The only thing holding anybody back from Silver is themselves.”

For once in her long life, Miranda Haalften failed to win a staring contest. She averted her eyes first, while Shrubley went back to figuring out how to get at the vessel within the caked-on dirt.

“Countess, you tongue-flapped that grabbing a class is muchly important,” Slyrox pointed out. “Muchly rare too, but none more rare than prime essence, yes?”

“What about it?”

“Even you can grab a prime essence, yes? We don’t know your class but…”

She sighed. “It’s Countess.”

Everyone fell silent for a short while. None of them expected that to be Miranda’s class.

Shrubley looked up. “Your class is… Countess?”

Miranda thought quite a lot about leaping into the ravine right then. It was a preferable fate than answering. “Yes.”

“And your title is… Countess?”

“Yes.”

“So you are a Countess Countess.”

“Shrubley…”

Even Sose struggled to keep himself under control. It was perhaps one of the oppa’s toughest battles not to cry laughing at his own mistress.

Despite being [Dumb], even Smudge had the sense of self-preservation to keep his laughter under control. Still, tears leaked from his eyes and his whole body quivered with effort.

“Is your husband a Count as well?” Shrubley couldn’t help but ask, lamplight eyes widening. He was fascinated, and he did not understand why everybody around him was giggling.

“…Unfortunately.”

“He never did offer his name,” Shrubley mused.

“Shrubley?” the Countess asked with forced sweetness. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“I do everything on purpose,” Shrubley replied, thoroughly confusing the Countess.

From anybody else, I would swear he was winding me up… but I honestly sense no ill will behind his questions. He’s curious, like a child.

That didn’t make matters any better.

“Did you get that thing open yet?” Miranda tried, hoping to derail Shrubley’s train of thought.

The shrub looked up, holding the pot up to her. “I have not the strength.”

Without even thinking about it, the Countess picked up the jar and gave the crusty top a hearty twist. The lid opened, and the pot dissolved into dirt around her hands.

Surprised, Miranda tried to shake the dirt off her hands out only too late realizing that there was something within the pile of dirt flowing over her hands.

The tiny yellow jewel glinted in the twilight, fell to the ground, and tumbled right over the edge of the ravine into the lightless depths below.

Miranda, who had never once before thought of herself as clumsy, now felt the burning heat of shame and embarrassment flaming across her chest and face.

“Pyuuuuu!” Smudge cried as he hastily rolled down the cliff after it. His body transformed to stone. While using his essence protected the slime, it also accelerated him greatly. He tumbled with such speed that he lost control.

“Wait!” Shrubley made a grab for the slime, but he was already gone.

The party rushed to the edge of the ravine, sick with worry for the ordinarily thoughtless slime.

Instead of a grisly sight below, they were met with the stretched-out features of an Air-inflated slime, holding a small yellow gem. From the slime balloon grew tiny flaps that resembled truncated wings. He wriggled them until he was able to get himself over the lip of the ravine and onto solid ground.

Letting go of the Air that filled him sounded like the world’s largest whoopee cushion. Smudge dropped to the ground and spat out the gem. “Dirty.”

Slyrox and Cal, the only two members without a third essence, hurried up to it. Slyrox looked at Cal. “After you.”

Cal picked up the gem and twisted it about in his bony fingers. He sighed heavily. “Just my luck. I think I might have done this to myself by stuffing it into that sack of dirt.”

“What is it?” Shrubley asked.

“It’s Earth essence. I already have Elemental essence. Why would I need a specific element?”

Slyrox’s ears went straight up like a rabbit’s. “Slyrox will take! Slyrox will muchly take!”

Cal handed the gem over to her.

“Earth essence and Sky essence?” Sose said quietly, tilting his head. “That’s an odd pairing, and yet my whiskers feel there is significance in that combination.”

“Is just like one of Havior’s friend, Mira’s ani mays! Heaven and Earth! Slyrox going to be best there ever was! Slyrox will pierce the heavens! Slyrox will… bind this stone!” She crushed the essence gem in her mittened palm.

Fortunately, that was an acceptable way of binding an essence, rather than outrightly destroying the gem in a pointless gesture of moxie.

The flow of yellow light washed over Slyrox and created a thin swirling haze all around her body until it was fully absorbed. For a moment her black lenses glowed yellow and then they too, faded.

“How do you feel?” Shrubley asked.

Slyrox looked over the ledge, but before she could demonstrate, the Countess grabbed her by the backpack and pulled her back. “Oh, no, you don’t,” she warned her. “We’re going to set up camp right here. When it’s light out, we’ll go down. Not a moment sooner. I can see just fine in the dark, but you all will need the light.”

Konko, meanwhile, stared at the group. She was largely forgotten, which she didn’t mind. She had never seen an essence gem in her entire life, so it was a wonder just to see one, much less be in its presence.

I wouldn’t have asked if some random girl who nearly tortured and killed me wanted it either, she thought darkly to herself. I should count my lucky stars that they don’t pitch me into the ravine headfirst.

Miranda looked over at her, as if her dark thoughts drew the Countess’ attention. For all Konko knew, they very well might have. Vampyrs were wreathed in myths about their mysterious powers.

Konko tried to shrink back, but there was nowhere to go.

There was a flash of sympathy in the Countess’ ruby eyes, and then it was gone. It had been so fast she wasn’t even sure it had ever existed.

Slyrox struggled and kicked her oversized clown shoes while Miranda easily lifted her like a stuffed doll and carried her away. “We’ll set up a ways from the ravine, but within viewing distance just in case anybody else has the bright idea of going down there.”