[Shrubley, the Monster Adventurer] Chapter 110 – Of Monsters and Men

Back at the Rooster’s Rest, Shrubley hefted his new shield, looking over its many intricate plating and grooves with an unbridled sense of wonder and awe.

Its design and craftsmanship were unfamiliar and exotic. If he understood the Shardscript correctly, the [Adrastos] hailed from another land. One where magitek was commonplace. This fascinated Shrubley greatly.

The latent power radiating off the Bronze rank item was immense, more than even his [Death’s Razor].

He wished he could somehow combine this with the morphing imprint of the [Morph Shield], but for now he was just happy to have two shields.

The thought came to him that perhaps he could wield both shields at once somehow. He liked using a sword, but he liked his shield more.

Hurting monsters, while often necessary, was not something he enjoyed doing. Defending himself and his friends, however, was something he greatly treasured.

But just using two shields seemed like a waste. Not only because it would put him at a distinct disadvantage, but because as much as he detested harming another living thing, the world needed heroes.

Killing that beetle very likely saved Dungeonley, but also the town of Talvar as well. It would be the height of selfishness to refuse to do it simply because it made him feel better to wield two shields.

Still, he couldn’t entirely let go of the desire.

If only I could grow another arm…

“Thank you, Countess, you chose extraordinarily well,” he told her with a leaf rustling bow.

“That is a beautiful shield,” Cal said, sitting next to him on Shrubley’s bed. “I don’t think I could pull something like that off.”

“Perhaps not. You are our mage,” Shrubley pointed out. “And I am our knight!” He thrust his new shield up high, causing the bed to bounce them both.

The Countess waved away his thanks. “You earned it. Unless it is necessary, I see no reason to bankroll your group. You all have done enough that you can stand on your own without my aid, and when you are eventually taking on contracts that award gold pieces, you’ll better understand the value of what you’re getting.”

Shrubley took out his sack of copper coins, reminded by her talk of money. “Is there a way I can exchange these copper coins for silver?”

“The Guild takes care of money changing,” the Countess told him. “You can simply take your coinage to them and they’ll give you whatever denomination you prefer.”

“I would like to have fewer coins,” Shrubley announced.

“You can have mine,” Cal told him, handing his smaller bag of copper coins. “I just need enough for spellcasting materials and paper for my books.”

“I cannot accept.” Shrubley gently–but firmly–pushed the purse away. “Your money is your own to spend or save as you see fit. If you would like some of mine, I would be more than happy to lend a branch.”

Cal took the coins back and blinked, which meant his green necromantic fires disappeared for a second in his bleached white skull. “That is very kind of you. I think I will save it, though. I have never had anything of my own to save…”

“You have much that is your own now, Cal.”

“Especially since you don’t need to pay for room and board,” the Countess cut in. “That being said, we’re leaving before they can charge us for another day, or more likely, throw a festival in your honor. We have things to do, places to be.”

“We do?” Shrubley asked, perking up considerably.

Nodding while thinning her ruby lips into a frown, Miranda took out a beautiful jewel-green card. It looked like a plate of glass but it was flexible as a playing card. “I received this from one of the chests after we cleared the Dungeon. I want each of you to take it and tell me what happens.”

Naturally, each of the monsters deferred to Shrubley first.

Shrubley took the [Emerald Card] in his wooden hands. Each joint was almost indistinguishable from a human’s. He greatly enjoyed his more dexterous limbs and was able to manipulate the card with ease.

He realized with his new, slightly more refined form, wielding a sword and shield would come to him even more naturally. He dearly hoped a shield proficiency was on the horizon.

Golden Shardscript emblazoned before Shrubley’s widening eyes. “A quest!” he announced with a great deal of excitement.

Quests were rare indeed, and rarer still to get without a questbook like Shrubley’s [Vinebound Questbook] or Miranda’s teacher variant.

Thinking about his questbook reminded Shrubley that he had gotten some levels from freeing Dungeonley of his poisonous parasites, putting him at level 27.

While he read the quest’s description, Shrubley passed off the card to Cal.

New Quest: Poisoning the Well

There is a great disturbance building among the Dungeons. As the only known friend to a Dungeon, your aid is requested to uncover the culprit behind the rogue Dungeons and to put a stop to their spread. Use the cards to delve deeper into the Dungeon Dimension.

Objectives complete:

Obtain an [Emerald Card]: 1/1

Objectives remaining:

Obtain a [Scarlet Card]: 0/1

Obtain an [Ivory Card]: 0/1

Access Central Layer: 0/1

Rewards:

[Mist Proficiency (Variable Grade)]

Monster Accolades (Epic)

One after another, each adventurer of the group picked up the quest, with Miranda being the last.

She lifted a dark brow at this unusual peculiarity. There was no suggestion that the quest formed from the teacher’s questbook, so she was left uncertain what exactly was the catalyst.

It was difficult to believe that Shrubley himself was the source, and yet it seemed to be what occurred. She didn’t notice his sacred treasure’s mana signature activating in response.

But it was clear that the quest only appeared once Shrubley touched the card. That was enough for her.

“Sage Knight, right?” Sose asked suspiciously, squinting at the soul shrub.

Shrubley nodded absentmindedly, distracted by the quest.

“Maybe his fused class has to do with it,” the oppa said, still sounding uncertain.

Quests were incredibly rare on Almora. More than even the waning sistershard of Aldim.

“Dungeon Dimension?” Cal asked, nearly all his bones shaking in fear. “What is that? It sounds t-t-terrible!”

“Terrible? Nah! Sounds. Muchly. Awesome!” Slyrox cried, pumping her fist.

“It is certainly somewhere that no normal monster ever goes to,” Miranda explained. “I did not expect a quest.” She tapped her lips with a long, blood-red fingernail. “This is going to go far off the rails before long. I can feel it.”

“They’re gonna have to be stronger than Mundane Rankers to make it to Pandaemonium anyway,” Sose whispered to his mistress.

“That is the best kind of fun!” Shrubley said excitedly. “And I get to help the Dungeons to be better. I look forward to seeing this Dungeon Dimension.” He paused. “What is the Dungeon Dimension?”

Cal pulled up his hood, covering himself in the protective darksilk. The entire time he shook, he forgot he could merely trigger [Hide] to enact a proper disappearance.

Miranda sat down on the free chair in the room and folded her arms. “I don’t profess to know all. I was never much of a proper student in Pandaemonium, and Mistress Ceasewane always complained about my inability to grasp theory. That is what we are dealing with. The very core theory of Dungeons, how they work and how they come to be.”

“Are you suggesting something is hurting every Dungeon out there?” Cal asked.

“I don’t know,” Miranda said. She snorted, clearly displeased at having to admit that. The chair seemed to agree with her by groaning under her weight and prodigious size. “What I do know is that the… that Dungeonley, formed a connection with Shrubley, and that connection granted this quest. With that in mind, I can only hope that the problem is localized. If every Dungeon was getting infected, that would… well, it wouldn’t go over well for anybody.”

“Why?” Shrubley asked. “I thought people enjoyed fighting in Dungeons?”

“That is true, but there is a delicate balance.” Miranda shook her head. “I forget you are all outsiders. The politics of monsters and men are foreign to you. Hmmm. Let’s put it this way: if the Dungeons continue to grow erratic and out of control, there will be war. Open war between monsters and men. I don’t mean the adventurers fighting rogue and feral monsters, I mean organized warfare.”

“I do not like the sound of that,” Shrubley said earnestly. His many leaves drooped as he mentally grappled with this potential dire turn of events.

He reminded himself that this war had yet to come to pass, and there still could be something done about it. He held onto his hope and optimism.

“Nobody does. Shrubley. This is very, very important. Monsters and the core races have recently enjoyed a tenuous peace. Nobody wants another Demon War. I don’t know if the Shard can survive it.”

“Will it be worse than the serpentii?” Smudge asked, slowly forming the words while he looked up at his teacher as if she held all the answers in the world.

“I fear that the serpentii might have been trying to instigate this very war,” Miranda confided in them. “Ultimately, they would have forced the Empire’s hand, and if they managed to win, then the rest of the world would have to band together to fend off the Empire’s new owners. What do you think would happen then?”

“Then, we shall put a stop to this foul plot and save the Dungeons!” Shrubley announced, full of determination. “By completing this quest.”

“I’m with Shrubley!” Cal cried, emboldened by his friend.

Miranda wouldn’t have expected anything less, but she was still deeply concerned. This seemed like a continuation of a deeper plot that she couldn’t put her finger on.

If only Mistress Ceasewane was here, she thought bitterly. That old bat would know exactly what to do and who was to blame. She’d have them dragged out into the light by their ear in that iron grip of hers.

It was up to Miranda to figure out what the root cause of this brewing storm was, and to do that, they would need time. Time that completing this latest threat might afford them. But if they couldn’t figure out what was causing all these disturbances, it wouldn’t matter.

They would be forced to fight one fire after the other while the true arson ran around unhindered. Eventually, there would be one too many and the mastermind would get their wish.

All it took was one spark to set off a new war. Things were tense already, and with monsters joining the Adventurers Guild? The whole of the Empire was set up like a powder keg.

Somebody wanted this, but she couldn’t think of who. She had been out of the Game far too long. I don’t even know who the big players are anymore.

“Shrubley, a moment please?” Miranda asked.

He smiled brightly at her. Not too long ago, she could only tell he was different from an ordinary shrub because of his eyes. Now he looked like a proper monster. While he seemed older, he still retained that unwavering courage and curiosity about him. Little wonder with that essence of his.

“Let’s give them some space,” Cal said, ushering out Smudge and Slyrox. “Maybe you can help me pick out some jeweler’s tools to carve and polish my gems, Slyrox?”

The door shut behind them, leaving Shrubley alone with the Countess.

“Seeing as you are the leader of this unlikely bunch, I thought it best to inform you what’s going on first. I want your word that until I say otherwise, you will not breathe a word of this to anybody. Not your friends, not anybody. This is strictly confidential.”

Shrubley tilted his head to the side. “I will not lie. It is not in me.”

Sose muttered something facetiously about being “built differently”.

“I am not asking you to lie. If somebody asks you, tell them to ask me. There are many people who would use what I’m about to tell you against you and your friends, and against monsterkind as a whole. I need to tell you the truth about the Dungeon Dimension, and to do that, you must understand the origin of monsters…”