[Shrubley, the Monster Adventurer] Chapter 141 - Scars From Tomorrow

The legendary power of the Firesoul, Jacob Windsor, radiated through Shrubley. A man who tirelessly fought back the abyssal darkness for the good of the Shardrunes and attempted to reverse the doomed fate of his own world, no matter what it cost him.

Shrubley raised his [Death’s Razor], and Jacob’s ethereal fabled blade with its ruby jewel lifted in unison. Shrubley let out a battle cry, “For branch and leaf!”

By taking on the guise of a legend through [Fableweave], one who Shrubley closely shared aspects in his spirit with, he was temporarily elevated beyond even his new limits of Iron Rank. The incredible enhancing power was not unlike an aura unto its own.

Sose stared, utterly shocked at what was happening. Even his Mistress had not been able to synchronize so fully that the very soul of her hero was brought over for a time.

For [Fableweave] to successfully take effect, the connection needed to be accepted on both sides. This was true whether the fabled figure was dead or alive. Furthermore, there needed to be a spiritual similarity between the individuals, a sort of driving force that both shared.

Such things could only be achieved through Deeds, Marks, or Accolades that stained the soul. And at times, the synchronization could be heightened through repeated retellings of the fable.

Ultimately, to cast the conduit spell, a soul aeder of sufficient heritage was required.

Visions of swordsmanship and warfare against terrible creatures across an ever-changing, dying landscape through time swept through Shrubley’s mind. He felt caught within a storm, like a tree on the cusp of being uprooted into a tornado.

Concentrating with a surge of Willpower, Shrubley brought himself back to the present.

The golem swept a large pillar-like arm at him and Shrubley rolled beneath it, coming up closer and within the golem’s reach to strike hard at its lower body.

Shrubley’s swordsmanship was poor at best. Still just a rather pathetic G-Grade proficiency, but this Jacob fellow was a master swordsman. His sword of Iron and fire weaved in a complicated rush of changing stances, cracking off the pale shell of the golem again and again.

Deeply impressed, Shrubley used his Curiosity essence ability, [Lifelong Student] in the hopes that he might borrow some of that power.

[Lifelong Student (Curiosity)]

Cost: Low mana per second

Cooldown: 5 seconds

The Druid instilled within you the potential for life, but it was you that acquired an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Imprint (Copper): After witnessing an ability, you can augment your body or abilities to incorporate facets of the knowledge you have gained. Repeated viewings increase this effect.

His mind expanded like an infinitely complex flower bud, forever opening upon itself as Jacob switched stances and rushed to the side ahead of an answering golem attack.

Pulling Shrubley’s smaller body within his soul, Jacob sidestepped and cut upwards with a two-handed strike that Shrubley copied only a second or two later.

Jacob’s sword blurred with speed. Stag Rushes Through the Field shifted into Falling Rain to fend off the awkward close-range strike from the golem. Moon Crests the Horizon batted the heavy arm aside long enough for him to lung forward with Pricking the Beast, stabbing heartily into the golem’s side.

Shrubley’s follow-up strikes were slow and awkward compared to the masterful strokes of Jacob, but with each viewing of these new sword forms, Shrubley improved dramatically. The insight into these weaponry forms and techniques was immense.

But it was still not enough.

Only Jacob’s deep history and experience fighting hopeless battles and the fact that the golem was attempting to capture them alive kept Shrubley on his feet.

If the golem wanted them dead, even Jacob’s fanciful moves would have been futile. The golem was not only Silver, the next echelon past Steel, but seemed to possess unending stores of energy.

Fueled by the strange sourceless light of this place, [Solar Synthesis] continued to actively replenish Shrubley’s health, stamina, and mana. However, he was still limited by his maximum resources.

“In here!” Shrubley called out, suddenly feeling a twinge of excitement.

My much more powerful aura must have confused them!

The room shook violently again, sending mighty fissures racing down the white stone walls. Stone crumbled and turned to dust as another mighty hammer blow struck the room and sent Shrubley sprawling to the floor.

Jacob got him on his feet and rolling out of range of the golem’s next attack. The golem cared little for the shaking of the room. It hovered in the air, unbothered, its prize within reach.

Even if Shrubley had managed to hit Steel, it did not seem likely that he would destroy this foe. But that was not why Shrubley was there.

“This way!” Shrubley called to the golem, turning and sprinting. Jacob followed his lead, the two moving in perfect synchronization as Shrubley opened his mind to Jacob’s ghost and showed him his plans.

“Clever boy,” Jacob told him. “But I am not sure it is enough.”

“It will be,” Shrubley promised him.

The golem, utterly focused on Shrubley, hardly noticed when the room rumbled violently and half the wall caved in. A massive creature whose shape shifted constantly between a thousand different monsters pulled itself into the room with alternating claws and hands.

“Dungeonley!” Shrubley cried out triumphantly. His friend had finally found him. He twisted on his wooden feet, turning to face the chasing golem. “Okay, Jacob, now!”

Shrubley opened himself fully to the Firesoul fighting alongside him. As one, they raised their weapons, Shrubley’s motions mirroring the larger ethereal movements of Jacob, who stood around Shrubley like a phantasm.

Bringing their blades down as one, they executed a dual Breaking Dawn. Blossoms of Iron fire rolled off Jacob’s ghostly sword, echoed by Shrubley’s own blade.

The flames rolled toward the golem in a rising column, enough that even the golem gave pause and slowed down, choosing to block the attack with its pillar-like arms.

Just as Shrubley hoped it would.

With its arms anchored to the stone floor, they were in the perfect position for Dungeonley, in the form of a stone dragon, then a large tiger, and finally a massive wolf, to snap at one arm and shatter it in his massive maw.

Dungeonley poured everything he had into that single strike, knowing that it was all he would be allowed.

One rolling silver eye found Shrubley and winked just as his large, ever-shifting form broke apart, taking one of the golem’s arms with it.

Shrubley cheered, but it would seem his celebration was a bit premature because a much smaller, lithe creature slipped in from the hole Dungeonley had made.

The golem swung hard at Shrubley with its lone remaining arm, but Dungeonette, in the form of a stone serpent the size of a small house, swallowed it in one bite.

“Dungeonette!” Shrubley cried out exuberantly.

The serpent broke apart into a million motes of light to join her father, but not before she whipped her tail at the golem, sending it across the room.

Bereft of its arms, and damaged from two major wounds besides, the golem was slow to rise. Shrubley wasted no time in rushing in with the aid of Jacob’s Firesoul powers.

Flames rolled off his body and joined the greater Iron whole of his aura that had taken the shape of Jacob Windsor armed to the teeth from his battles with Lormar’s horrors.

Ashes to Ashes opened the assault, Jacob and Shrubley’s blades stabbing forward in tandem as they struck at the flaw exposed by Dungeonette’s farewell attack.

Their blades struck true, diving a few inches into the golem’s body. Flames spewed forth from the inside. Had the golem been weaker, it would have been, as the sword form’s name suggested, turned to ash.

Instead, flames fountained out of several cracks along its white body, staining the pale stone with ash and soot. A spiral of flame rose like a beacon out of its top where Miranda’s sword had pierced it.

Pulling their swords back as one, Shrubley delved deeper into his Curiosity essence to bind himself to Jacob. Their motions were perfectly in sync as they lashed out again and again, expending the precious few seconds remaining of Jacob’s time.

They were blazing through their mana, beating out the accelerated recovery rate by a country mile. There wasn’t much time left.

Breaking Dawn transitioned into Phoenix Rises, their blades switching position like a pair of scissors. The attacks gouged great black lines across the golem’s body.

Rage of Dragons battered the golem as it tried to summon vertical bars of light in a desperate bid to defend itself. It might have stopped Shrubley, but it wasn’t enough to stop a master swordsman.

You ready for one final attack? Jacob asked into Shrubley’s mind. Once this is done, I won’t be able to sustain myself here anymore.

“Leaf and branch!” Shrubley cried as his answer.

“For the Pyre!” Jacob bellowed.

The pair drew back. Jacob’s fiery form blazed like a golden sun as he put everything into his last attack. His very body vanished into Shrubley’s aura and was siphoned into Shrubley’s blade, which glowed so brightly even Shrubley had to shut his eyes.

He let Jacob’s Firesoul guide his hand as they performed Pyre’s Embrace.

Everything that was Jacob went into that strike. All of Shrubley’s power flew into the golem. Shrubley’s Iron aura vanished, leaving him feeling weak and feeble. His leaves and branches were tired and achy, but he kept his sword pierced into the golem’s cracked and charred body.

A beam of light cut through the air and blasted Shrubley away, cutting free [Death’s Razor] as the golem advanced on the weakened shrub.

Shrubley stared, unable to do anything more. He had pressed himself to his limit and beyond, but he refused to be taken without a fight. The cracks in the golem’s body glowed faintly as if it were banking a small fire, but it wasn’t enough.

Rising to his feet, Shrubley took out Secundus. He stood firm, though his legs felt like wet grass. He raised the brass clock hand toward the golem and used his other hand to take hold of the bag of riches the mayor had given him.

Shrubley worked entirely by instinct, doing what he felt Secundus was capable of. A golden light filled the clockblade as the coins vanished one by one in rapid succession.

The glowing light of the banked fires increased as Shrubley focused on the growing embers, stoking them with everything he could command. Secundus sped up time within the golem, so that the fires raged for hours, days, weeks.

The steady march of time weakened the creature’s shell until it was as brittle as spun glass.

As it loomed over Shrubley, he struck out with Secundus, shattering the golem into a thousand shards that blasted across the room and clattered to the edges.

At its core a small fire burned merrily, and for the briefest of moments, Shrubley was sure he saw a fiery oppa within the flames. The creature winked at him and was gone, taking the flames with it.

You defeat the [Inner Ring Golem Arm (L) (Mk.IV)].

You defeat the [Inner Ring Golem Arm (R) (Mk.IV)].

You defeat the [First Layer Q’ix Zimrod].

Shrubley stared at Sose, who was tending to the Countess. Both of them watched Shrubley and the fire that had just faded with open mouths.

“I did it,” Shrubley said, lifting Secundus into the air. He collapsed onto his back a moment later. “For the… Pyre! For branch… and… leaf…”

With the defeat of the golem, the doors blocking their way out vanished and Shrubley’s friends piled in.

Cal began madly casting Elemental spells of lightning and ice in all directions while Slyrox surged in, punching. Comet essence laced every strike. Even Smudge rolled in like a tumbling boulder, trying to crush anything in his path.

It was several seconds before any of them realized the monster was already defeated.

Slyrox looked around, then gasped at the gorgeous vista afforded from the crack in the room to the beautiful and fantastical expanse of the Dungeon Dimension visible through the damaged walls.

Smudge turned himself back into a pink slime, shaking his head after ramming into the opposite wall.

Cal rushed to Shrubley’s side.

“You saved the Dungeons, Shrubley. You’re an even bigger hero than before!”

Shrubley opened one lamplight eye. It glowed weakly, despite his leafy smile. “All in… a day’s work, for an S-Grade Adventurer,” he muttered weakly.