Gladesbale Grove Book 1 - Chapters 1,2,3,4,5 (Patreon)

Chapter 1

Unexpected LARPing

Sunlight broke through tall panes of glass, catching particles of dust to render them as falling bits of light. Shawn watched those lights fall from his cubicle, indigestion and worry mixing to create a familiar sense of dread. The old sensation of a tide rolling in came back to him. The feeling was almost dead by now, but he knew that someone, somewhere in the office had screwed something up. Because it was Friday at five, and he was getting ready to get up from his broken chair and head home. That’s when things always went wrong.

A project manager expected problems before they happened, forestalling anything a client could say or do to screw up a contract. Twenty years in the field was telling Shawn all he needed to know. He pulled his drawer, withdrawing a warm energy drink and popping the top. A few sips in and his phone rings. Not an email, of course. Because angry clients rarely send emails when something catastrophic happened. As he crooked his head to the side, listening to the irate man on the other end, a vein in his neck thumped as his heart rate quickened.

The phone clicked on the receiver, and Shawn let out a steady breath. He booted his laptop and prepared to write an apology email, secretly narrowing down the list of which member of the sales team had bungled this. Not that it mattered. They could sell a client the moon and everyone would pop the champagne. But the moment anyone reveals the moon is indeed very far away, management grabs their pitchforks.

The office was empty by now. The transition from autumn to winter in the city had been as grim as ever, barely even snowing to make up for the dead trees. At least the scent of garbage wasn’t so bad, not that Shawn got to experience that. As he drafted the email in his mind, he thought about simpler times. When he was in college he wanted to take some time off to become a fire lookout. Back then, it was still a job some destitute college kid could do. There were plenty of towers in operation. The task had been outsourced to drones and technology, the way most things had been.

“Maybe a park ranger,” Shawn mused, tapping the F key repeatedly on his empty email. He snapped his fingers, then chugged his energy drink. “Or homeless. Either option is better than this.”

The lights turned out overhead, and Shawn shook his head. He stood, groaning to his feet. Too much time at his desk and too little care for himself had created the opposite image he had in mind for himself. Forty-five came quicker than he expected, and there was no turning back once one had reached such levels of out-of-shapeness. He shambled to the front of the office, clicking the lights on again. The last one out the door had turned them off, leaving him in the dark the way they always did. The sun was half-way down by the time he returned to his desk, painting the city below in shades of dusk.

Shawn didn’t hear the front door click open, but a pair of heeled feet padded down the carpeted space between cubicles. So focused on his email, he didn’t even turn around to see who it was. Another workaholic, no doubt.

“Is that accurate?” a soothing voice asked from behind him. A hand rested against his shoulder, pointing at the old plug-in alarm clock sitting on his desk.

Shawn checked his phone. “Yep. On the dot.”

“Excellent,” the woman said. She waited, and Shawn could feel that she wanted him to turn around and greet her. Like an angry client waiting for some PR-inspired response.

He swiveled, stopping to gawk. It wasn’t heels he had heard, but hard-soled boots. A woman stood, every inch of her covered in… armor? Lacquered plate armor like the samurai in that coffee table book he had back in his apartment. She had a mane of wild, matted brown hair and a headband with a strange symbol. The armor was dyed different shades of brown and green, small twigs and leaves poking out between the seams. Her features were indiscernible as to origin, but the lopsided smile on her face said she was smug.

“I know I said I was the president of the LARP club in college on my resume… but we did little of… this,” Shawn gestured vaguely at the woman’s costume. “I thought it would look better with some extra-curricular activities. It didn’t.”

“I haven’t come to talk about your weird past, mortal. You are quite fat.”

Shawn looked down at himself, poking at his belly. People didn’t normally point it out like that. He shook his head, mind still lingering on what he should say in the email. “Are you the new girl?”

“I am not a girl, I am a wolf,” she said. “I’ve come to collect you.”

Shawn’s eyes glossed over the nearby cubicles, searching for some other costume-wearing people. LARPers traveled in herds. There was nothing but the dim flickering of fluorescent light and the hum of some distant air conditioner—perhaps the vents rattling on themselves. “Where are we going?”

“To Hornfen,” she said, jabbing a finger at the clock once more. “In five minutes, you will be dead. And I will collect your soul.”

Shawn sighed, grabbing another drink from his drawer. It stung his throat as he chugged it, then belched loudly. “What are we going to do in Hornfen?”

The woman hummed, tugging at something tucked under her armor. She withdrew it, unfurling a length of parchment. “You had aspirations to be a Guardian of the Grove, didn’t you?”

“A what of the what?”

“A defender of the forest.”

“You know, I was just thinking about that,” Shawn said with a chuckle. He turned to his laptop, pulling up the bookmarked page for fire watch positions in Washington. As always, the page was empty. Just the same boilerplate message about sending an email and waiting for a response. “But they aren’t hiring.”

“I’m hiring,” the woman said, placing her hands on her hips and beaming. “Four minutes until you die.”

Shawn tabbed out of the webpage, going back to his email filled with Fs. He didn’t have to think long about the LARPers request. She was full of it, of course, but this might be something worth getting fired over. He still had the mage costume he made back in his apartment, somewhere in some old box. It probably didn’t fit anymore, but it was the thought that counted. The old tree branch he used as a staff was leaning near his front door, ready to bonk any would-be intruders.

“Is the pay good?”

“It is excellent.”

“What are my responsibilities?”

The woman held her closed fists up, dropping the scroll onto the ground. She counted off each item of responsibility. “Maintain the Sacred Tree. Work with other Custodians to ensure the health of Asevar’s forests. Aid the Sacred Spirits when they request it. Be a liaison to the mortal races of the world. That’s it.”

“I do a bit of liaisoning right now. Seems like I’m a suitable candidate.”

“Yes, but you cannot bring this form,” she said, gesturing to Shawn’s general pudginess. “Not only are you unprepared for the forest, but my world would not accept it.”

“A new form, huh?” Shawn asked, turning back to his laptop. He searched for fantasy races, settling on something that appealed to him. “How about a wood elf?”

“I have never heard of such a thing,” the woman said, leaning in and poking a finger into the screen. “This looks similar to something we have.”

“One of those, please.”

Leaning back, the woman shook her head. “I hate this race.”

Shawn clicked his tongue, leaning back in his chair. “You’re a wolf-person, huh? Can I be that?”

“You cannot handle my power.”

“You’re not going to force me to be a human, are you? What’s the point of roleplaying if you’re just gonna be a person?”

“There is a race of human highly attuned to the forest. The Talen Por.” The woman nodded to herself several times. “They are typically shorter than you are now, but not as short as the dwarves.”

“Can’t be dwarf-height, right?”

“Absolutely. I need some magical power, too. I always play a mage.”

“How about a druid?”

“Yeah, that’ll do.”

“Done. Two minutes, by the way.”

Every time she mentioned that his death was drawing closer, more excitement built in her voice. These people could get excited about the roleplay of it all, so Shawn brushed it off. This flight of fancy had been the perfect distraction. He imagined himself as a spritely dude, prancing through the forest and casting magical spells. Maybe he could live in a little mushroom house, tending to his livestock of frogs and squirrels. What a delightful frogcore existence that would be.

“I really need to write this email,” Shawn said with a labored sigh. The thumping in the vein on his neck increased at the thought. “Always cleaning up other people’s messes.”

“I think your clock is slow,” she said, flicking the old alarm clock. She was probably right, but only by a few seconds. The woman withdrew another length of parchment from her armor, placing it on his table. She crossed a few things out, adding other stuff with a pen stolen from his desk. “Read this before you die. And sign it.”

Shawn let out one last sigh, but picked the sheet up. He looked up after scanning the document. “This isn’t legally binding.”

“It is spiritually binding.”

Another shrug. Shawn signed the paper, handing it back to her. The parchment was thick, almost as though it was made of leather or something. The woman picked it up, squealing with joy. She kissed the sheet at the bottom, then tucked it away under her armor once again. Tapping her foot, she waited for the clock to roll over.

Shawn watched that clock, the anticipation building in his chest. It rolled over to the half-hour, and nothing happened.

“Ah, it’s fast,” the woman said with a soft chuckle. “Three… two… one! Gimme your soul!”

Pain tore through Shawn’s chest. A layer of sweat formed on his body in an instant, covering him in a sheen of liquid. He couldn’t breathe. Tipping over onto the ground, he clutched at his chest, desperate to stop the pain. The woman stood over him, that smile still hanging on her face. As his vision faded, he realized how wolf-like her appearance had become.

Chapter 2

Plant The Seed!

The pain from a sudden heart attack wasn’t the worst thing about dying. Shawn reflected on that as he observed his new state of being. He floated in darkness, looking with sightless eyes upon himself. It was a strange thing to observe one’s own soul, but he was doing it. The worst part about dying was that sense of floating after his soul was removed, sent into an endless soup of nothingness. The wolf lady had vanished, if she was ever there in the first place. But his memories were still there, although thought came as quickly as wading through knee-deep mud.

Words were also slow to form, seeming to emerge from his formless soul like bubbles. They rose upward, never finding an ear to land on. Time passed in that soup, bubbling along the way that soup did. Shawn felt as though someone was boiling him, and in that process of cooking he lost those things that had tethered him to his desk for so many years. Money brought safety before, but now it was a trap. A pleasant place to live now paled compared to rolling forests. The parts of him that had dedicated themselves to that grind melted, floating to the surface like those bubbles.

He knew his time was up when the darkness gave way to light. In a blink, he was no longer floating. He was standing, soft grass pressing into his bare feet. Compared to that endless darkness, the blurry sight he saw was a blessing. Voices spoke softly around him, a gentle murmur of recognition flooding through a group. Ten distinct opinions commented about his form, although none seemed to matter. Shawn heard the wolf lady’s voice loudest amongst them, although he couldn’t understand what she said.

Time moved again as the voices poked at him, physically or otherwise. His sight grew sharper and he saw the things judging him.

“He must plant the seed on his own,” a bear argued. So he could understand what they were saying now.

“And quickly,” a stag said.

“Plant the seed,” a big old pile of mud bubbled.

“Plant the seed! Plant the seed! Plant the seed!”

Ten voices rang out through the forest, urging Shawn forward. The chant continued as he looked around. The faces of the creatures around him were all warm, or as warm as animals and amalgams of forest material could be. He looked down, finding an unassuming acorn in his… freckled hands. Panic should have set in, but he looked upon his new slim sun freckled hands and marveled. It was hard to remember the last time he had a tan, but his normally pale skin had been turned a darker shade than normal.

Through whatever haze infected his mind, Shawn ran his hands over his flat stomach, over his slim arms, and up to his shoulder-length hair. There was far more hair than he remembered back on earth. So the wolf wasn’t lying. She had changed him into something else. While the thought should have gripped him with fear, he instead only felt the need to please the things assembled before him.

Perfect! Shawn thought, hoisting the acorn into the air. This was perfect. The ten creatures around him cheered, some thumping hooves or paws on the ground. The mud-thing just bubbled.

Shawn paraded the seed around for a few minutes, dancing in time with the chants, but found a spot of soft ground that seemed perfect. Without knowing how he knew, he dug to the perfect depth and placed the seed within. The wolf approached, using her paws to bury and pack the seed in the earth. A large salamander came over with a watering can in its mouth. It tilted its head, sprinkling glowing blue water over the seed.

Shawn knew exactly what to do. He clapped a beat with his hands and the creatures began singing another chant. “The seed is watered! The seed is watered!”

More of his surroundings came into focus. Even as each creature departed, Shawn gained more awareness of his own body. He was much lighter on his feet, having a much smaller frame meant he didn’t lumber around. How to move on his new legs. As he thought about it, he joined in the chants. By the time each of the procession had left, all but the wolf, the seed had sprouted into a small sapling. Tender green leaves poked out from the ground, stretching sunward and eager for more water.

“What a wonderful transition! Your soul attached to that body expertly,” the wolf said, padding over. And she was a wolf now. Her white fur seemed to flow with the wind, sections of her coat longer than any wolf he had seen before. It glimmered between white and blue, holding an ethereal quality.

“Thank you,” Shawn croaked. His throat felt raw from all the chanting, but the voice that croaked out wasn’t his own. “What now?”

“You need to adjust to your new form. But I can finally introduce myself. I am Mint, the guardian of this forest. You are Rud, its custodian.”

“I am Shawn,” he corrected.

Mint let out a low chuckle that seemed more like a growl. “You are Rud now. Do you remember the wildfolk I told you about? The Talen Por are quite slim. You’ll become quite muscular once you get to work. Do you like your new body?”

Rud looked down at himself. Something about the name resonated with him, as did the body. While he couldn’t explain it, his soul had an affinity for this body. His original body wasn’t much to look at. It didn’t vibrate the way this one did in response to the surrounding forest. The longer he stood near that seed he had planted, the more it seemed to hum.

“I am Rud,” he confirmed. “I like it.”

“Your mind will be slow for several days,” Mint nodded her spectral head in one direction. “There is a spring in that direction. And food in the forest. Each nut is edible, but avoid the blue mushrooms. Your class hasn’t attached itself to your soul, and your subclass will take longer than that.”

Rud understood almost none of that. “I understand.”

“Call my name and I will come. For now, enjoy the peace of the forest.”

Mint turned before dashing off into the forest. The place where Rud stood was a massive clearing in a dense forest. He had planted the seed in the middle of that clearing, giving it the best chance to absorb sunlight. The reality of the situation didn’t set in. He took a deep breath, feeling the air tickle his nose. Only now did he realize he was clothed. A simple tunic and pants covered his slim body, preserving some of his modesty. The backs of his hands were freckled, the trail tracking a path up his arm and covering his shoulders.

Rud had a quiet moment to think about how strange his situation was. It felt like only moments ago he was drafting that email. While ‘drafting’ was a strong word, he had the intent of writing it. The night would have been filled with apologies, yelling at the sales team, a pot of coffee, and fitful sleep in the small hours of the morning. Now the sounds of the forest surrounded him. Critters moved through the underbrush, skirting the circle of trees to investigate. Birds called in the boughs above, unaware or uncaring of those events.

The forest itself was a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. Broad leaves mingled with discarded nettles on the ground, creating a tapestry of green and brown. Rud sniffed the air again, taking in the pungent scent of pines and considered his environment. It was rather cold in this area. What little clothes he wore did little to help with that, but this new body must have run hot. It wasn’t unbearable. Only the tips of his fingers felt any of that sting. Rud practiced his walking some more, finding that it came naturally with time. Once he had his feet under him, he found a branch roughly his height and tested his weight against it.

“How short am I?” Rud asked himself. He measured himself against a random stick, figuring he was anywhere from four-foot-something to five-foot-something-else. He pressed forward into the forest, looking back at the sprout before vanishing into the brush.

Rud felt what Mint was talking about with the thing attaching to his soul. A gentle pressure exerted somewhere near his heart, almost as though something was wiggling in there. But it wasn’t an uncomfortable sensation. It was the smallest movement of something trying to exist, and that was fine.

The tangle of bushes and vines in the undergrowth was easy to navigate with such a slight body. Rud ducked through tight openings for a while before finding himself in another clearing. His hair caught on greedy branches, and he felt the tug as he pressed through. A small pond of glittering blue water sat in a rock basin. A red squirrel looked up from the pond, blinking a few times before scampering off. Rud only had a few seconds to look at the cute little tufts of hair on the critter’s ears before it bolted. He chuckled and approached the pond.

Rud ran his hands through the strange water. His fingers tingled as he played in the water. When he splashed, droplets of the water floated in the air for a moment. Only to crash back down. The pond was large, likely large enough for him to lay lengthwise five times on either side. Stone held it where it was, and despite the clarity of the water, it was too deep to see the bottom. Resting on the far side of the pond was a pristine wooden bucket with a ladle.

The water that the salamander had put onto the sprout was this same water. Rud knew that fact although he was unclear on how he knew it. He padded to the far side of the pond, dipping the bucket into the water and pulling it out with great effort. He heaved against the weight of the thing, dragging it onto the shore and wheezing. The bucket dug a track through the forest. It spilled to either side, leaving behind wet spots that soon blossomed with greenery.

“Want some more water?” Rud asked, grabbing the ladle and dipping it into the bucket. More than half of the water had sloshed from the bucket along the way and the tree was thirsty. He poured small amounts onto the tree, watching as it grew. After an amount of water, the tree needed to rest.

“Don’t eat the blue mushrooms,” Rud told himself, rubbing his belly as he searched for food.

Mint was right. The forest was lousy with nuts. Rud found a hard-shelled brown nut first, peeling back the first layer to find another fibrous layer. Under that one was another layer of hard shell. But the pale pink nut within tasted the way roses smelled, and filled his stomach more than expected. Next on the menu was a small red mushroom with green dots. It wasn’t blue, so Rud took a tentative bite and nodded with approval. It was earthy with a vague meaty flavor that cooking would bring to the fore.

His tummy was filled with mushrooms and nuts by the time the tree was ready for more water. Rud returned to the clearing to find that the sprout was a proper sapling now, stretching skyward to find more light by the moment. He took a seat nearby and poured more water over the base, soaking the ground. The tree drank the water from the earth quickly enough to change the dark shade made by the water in moments. He felt the faint sense of something emitting from the tree, but couldn’t quite place it.

The tickle in Rud’s chest was getting more intense by the moment, so he did the only thing he could think to pass the time. Falling asleep on the forest floor was easy. It didn’t seem to matter how long he snoozed. When he woke, the tree was bigger and he felt well-rested. And the sun was still up.

“You’re finally awake,” a voice said, seeming to come from nowhere.

Rud looked around, sniffing the air. Nothing seemed to change. Mint had a distinct scent when she was around, but he didn’t smell it now. “Hello?”

“Hello,” the voice responded, sounding pleasant but formless. “Are you my custodian?”

Rud turned his gaze to the growing tree. It glittered with prismatic colors, shifting as the wind blew through the forest. He blinked a few times before shrugging. Of course the tree could talk. That just made perfect sense!

“Yes, Mint brought me here,” Rud said with a few too many excited nods.

“I don’t know who that is. But you are my custodian. Thank you for watering me. What is your name?”

“Rud.”

“I have been named Ban’tanthein. Nice to meet you.”

“I shall call you Ban. Because I cannot say your name.”

The tree giggled. “Are you prepared to take care of a new grove?”

“I think so.”

“Then the cycle is complete. We have our pact.”

“The pact!” Rud said, hoisting his hands in the air. Ban giggled again. He didn’t know what the pact was, but he was excited to care for the forest. It might not have been the fire lookout job he wanted, but it was close enough. And the mushrooms were delicious.

“I hope the others have custodians as excited for their job as you, Rud,” Ban said. “We have a long road ahead of us, so I hope you’re up for the challenge.”

“Of course!”

“When a Spirit Tree forms a pact with a mortal, it takes on some of that person’s wants. I can feel the quality of your soul, Rud.” The tree went silent for a moment. A pulse of power radiated from the sapling, spreading across the forest. “This place was once a settlement. They struck at the earth to pull riches from the ground. That should be your first task.”

“I’m supposed to be a nature-loving hippie,” Rud said, crossing his arms. “Not a miner.”

“There are crystal fragments in the ground. Shards of power that will help me grow. Would you object to that idea?”

“Not at all!” Rud said, changing his mind in an instant as he quickly uncrossed his arms. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to try mining.”

“Excellent. The enchanted water will only get me close to the first stage, but a druid must push me over the edge. Has your soul accepted the class?”

Rud shrugged. He didn’t know what that meant or how to check. He tried concentrating really hard but nothing happened. “Nope.”

“I can feel it. Give it time,” Ban said. “Until then, you can water me until I’m close to the first stage.”

“Excellent,” Rud said, dipping the ladle and pouring it near the base of the growing tree. He made a few more trips to the pond before something happened. The tickle in his chest grew to something more. It burst to life, filling him with a mix of strange sensations.

Rud tripped, losing the contents of the bucket on the ground as power flowed through him. It was painful at first, but soon became a dull ache that felt similar to having one’s soul removed from their body.

Ban’s comforting words filled his mind. “You got your class! I can feel it from here.”

“Neato! What does that mean?”

“Think about yourself. No, not like that. Think about the stuff that makes you who you are. It should summon your attributes screen.”

Rud thought about it for a moment, trying different ways to bring the screen up. He shifted his mind, instead thinking only about this attributes screen. It popped up in an instant, filling his vision. A decorated box hovered in his vision, themed with the forest around him. Branches ran along the outside of the box, complete with leaves that poked out. In the center of the box was information about him. He read it.

[Rud]

Main Class:

Rank 0 Level 1 Druid

Subclass:

NONE

Attributes:

Health: 56

Mana: 85

Strength: 2

Agility: 3

Vigor: 5

Mind: 7

Affinity: 7

Titles:

[Keeper of the Gladesbale Grove]

Mint had made good on her promise. He was a druid! The three physical attributes reflected how he felt. Not too strong, not too agile, but pretty sturdy. He didn’t know what Mind and Affinity meant, but decided that he didn’t care to explore that idea right now. There was also a title, which he understood meant that someone had named their grove.

“Did you come up with Gladesbale Grove?” Rud asked, scratching his chin with one finger.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, I love it. I’m the keeper of Gladebale Grove, after all.”

“Oh! You got the title? Check it out.”

Rud pretended like he knew how to do that, then messed with the interface for a minute. He figured out that he could just mentally click on any item in the menu to inspect it, just like a computer. He clicked it, then read the description.

[Keeper of the Gladesbale Grove]

Description:

You are the keeper of the Sacred Gladesbale Grove. It is your duty to keep the Sacred Tree within healthy, along with the surrounding forest. Your power grows with the Sacred Tree.

Effects:

Allows you to communicate with the Sacred Tree of Gladesbale Grove

Your connection with the Sacred Tree allows you to interface with the Sacred Tree, choosing upgrade paths and enhancements.

That’s what Ban just said. Stuff that he wanted was reflected onto the tree. He just wondered if it went the other way. It was nice to see confirmation that he was the keeper of the grove, though. Things had seemed chaotic since he arrived, and he was mostly going with the flow.

“Very nice,” Rud said. “I’m the keeper. Hooray.”

“Did you inspect your class?”

“Of course I did. No, I didn’t,” Rud said, inspecting his class.

[Druid]

Rank 0 Level 1 Class

Description:

Druids commune with nature to command spells and shapeshifting effects. The closer a druid is with nature, the stronger their abilities.

Skills:

[Animal Communication] R0 L1

Abilities:

[Druidic Spellcasting]

“Do you see the Druidic Spellcasting ability?”

“Yep!”

“Very good. Return to me and we can push me into the first stage.”

Chapter 3

Druidic Spellcasting

Rud returned to the tree with an empty bucket. He set it aside and stood by Ban, waiting for further instructions. The tree had grown so much in such a little time. It was magic, which was exciting enough. But to think he was gonna cast a real-life spell was almost too much. The excitement built, and he couldn’t wait any longer for instructions.

“What do I do?” he asked, kneeling near the tree.

When he was close enough to the tree, it didn’t speak into his mind. The sound seemed to come from all around him. It was as though the forest itself was talking. “Inspect the Druidic Spellcasting ability.”

[Druidic Spellcasting]

Druid Ability

Description:

Grants you access to druid spells. These spells are granted by nature and are only obtainable by aiding the natural forces of the world.

Effects:

Grants the user access to druid spells and the Druidic Spellbook.

Easy enough. The ability was something that unlocked spells. Rud didn’t know how to do the spells, but whatever. The tree would explain it. Without prompting, he dug through the menus and found the spellbook. This was the screen where his learned spells would appear. There was only one entry, so he inspected that one.

[Plant Growth]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Mana Cost:

50

Description:

Draw on your druidic powers to increase the growth stage of a plant by one. This spell may only be cast on a plant once per day. Repeated use of this spell may cause unintended side-effects.

Effect:

Advance a plant a single growth stage.

So that’s what Ban was talking about. She was stuck at some lower stage of growth and needed a druid to bump her up to the next one. Rud settled in near the tree, trying to figure out how to cast the spell. The tree giggled eventually.

“Do you require help?”

“No idea how to cast this spell,” he said.

“Right. Most druid spells require a component to cast. Components are physical things like acorns, leaves, or even precious gems. Plant Growth only requires your mana.”

“Easy enough,” Rud said, placing his walking stick in the crook of his elbow. He held his hands out before him, palms facing the tree. “Ready to grow?”

“I am.”

Rud closed his eyes, focusing on the concept of the spell. It was easier to cast than he realized. When he opened his eyes, green energy was swirling around his feet. It moved upward, snaking over his limbs and stinging the air with magical potency. Rud twitched his nose, maintaining his focus and waiting for the spell to fulminate. When it was ready to be released, he allowed it to burst forth. That same green energy wrapped around the tree as something drained from the druid. He grabbed his staff before collapsing, using it to support himself.

“Here we go!” Ban shouted.

The sapling burst upward, branches fanning out over the clearing. It was as though Rud was watching the tree grow over a time-lapse, new branches sprouting and new leaves bursting from those branches. Before long, the tree was large enough where he couldn’t wrap his arms around it. Ban breathed a great sigh of relief, although he didn’t understand how that was possible. But there was a sound of contentment in that sigh that told him everything he needed to know.

“It worked!” Rud said. His first instinct was to dance around the tree, but he fell over when he tried. “You’re a big tree now!”

“Relative to your size,” Ban said with a laugh. “I’ll grow much larger than this in time. But I’m officially a Rank 0 Spirit Tree. You can inspect me, if you’d like.”

Rud took a moment to appreciate the tree. It had grown into a large, oak-like tree with broad leaves and boughs that stretched to block out the sun. Dappled light was spread across the ground, revealing how little sunlight penetrated those thick branches. He dragged himself out of his amazement and inspected the tree.

[Ban’Tanthein]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree

Upgrade Energy: 0%

Expansions:

NONE

“You are a very impressive tree,” Rud said, patting the tree’s bark.

“Thank you. My soul is adapting to your soul… It’s working on something, although I cannot say what.”

“Oh, let the old soul do its thing,” Rud said, waving dismissively. “I’m sure it’ll figure things out.”

Ban laughed again. “You’re right. Could you fetch more water for me? It should be easier now that you’re classed.”

“Now that I’m what?”

“There are those in this world who don’t have access to classes. Those that do find themselves more powerful than the others. Even if your strength is two, you’re more powerful than other Talen Por.”

“So, I’m stronger than a normal Talen Por? That’s neat. Wait, did you say world?” Rud asked. Even before Ban made a response, he realized how much it made sense. Of course he wasn’t on Earth. There wasn’t magic on Earth.

“Your soul was taken from your world and deposited here.”

“Gotcha. So, more water?”

Ban made a sound like a person clicking their tongue in thought. Rud narrowed his eyes, looking around to find the source. As always, any noises the tree made came from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“More water, yes. Then you should rest. Night is drawing close.”

Rud nodded, grabbing his bucket and heading off. He ran between the spring and the tree a few times before curling up near the trunk as the sun fell below the horizon. The good thing about his apparent resistance to the cold was that he didn’t need to find a blanket.

Rud yawned, stretching, and yawning again as he woke. His stomach grumbled, so he grabbed his stick and headed out into the forest. Once his arms were filled with mushrooms and nuts, he returned to Ban and sat under the shade. The night had been cold, and the morning was just as cold. Under the shade of the tree, he felt a chill rush through him.

“I’m working on something for you, Rud,” Ban said.

Rud turned around, patting the tree behind him. “I’d offer you some mushrooms, but you eat sunlight. Don’t you?”

“I do.”

Rud took a bite of the first mushroom, feeling instant relief as it fell into his empty belly. He wanted to think of this as a job, but it had become more of a lifestyle. The tree was more important than he first thought and there was a lot of work to do. Ban had mentioned special crystals that were underground. Those were the things that filled the Upgrade Energy meter when he inspected the tree. This might have been a forest, but the abandoned mine seemed just as important.

“So, what are you working on?” Rud asked, popping another button mushroom in his mouth.

“I was talking with Mint last night. She found an abandoned human camp near the lake and took a few things. Has your soul processed your subclass?”

Rud checked, finding that his attributes sheet didn’t show a subclass yet. But he could feel that familiar tickle in his chest again. Something was trying to attach to him again. “Not yet. I think it's close, though.”

“Good. I’ll need time to gather my strength. After you’re done with your breakfast, could you water me?”

Rud agreed, hurrying with his breakfast. Ban tried to make him take his time, but the tree needed water. It was big enough that it would suck up quite a bit. With his belly filled with nuts and mushrooms, he leaned on his walking stick and headed to the pond. The druid stopped near the edge of the forest clearing near the pond, spotting a doe drinking from the water.

That’s right, he thought, flipping through his class screen. He found the Animal Communication skill and inspected it.

[Animal Communication]

Rank 0 Level 1 Skill

Description:

Determines your ability to communicate with animals non-magically.

Effect:

Higher ranks of this skill increase your ability to understand what an animal is thinking.

Deer were flighty things. Every time Rud had come across one on Earth, it had fled before he got a good look. This one was happy enough to drink from the pond, slurping up that magical water like its life depended on it. Rud just watched, studying the forest creature as long as he could. He made notes of the way it held its ears, and the way it looked up when a branch cracked in the distance. While it wasn’t enough to make the skill budge, he could feel it growing in his chest. Some unseen counter ticked up a few percentage points, adding to the skill.

Then the deer fled into the forest, responding to a loud snap somewhere in the distance. Rud waited until nothing happened, then scooped up a bucket full of water. He knew most of it would fall onto the ground, but marched back to his tree anyway.

“I saw a deer,” Rud said, pouring water over the tree’s roots. Compared to how it was as a sapling, it now appeared as a mighty oak. How big would the tree get when it advanced even more?

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Ban said. “Mint is busy, so I have another quest for you.”

“Quest?”

“I want you to avoid the mortals for now, alright?” Ban said, making its wishes clear. “We need to form a pact with them, but I’m too weak. For now, scout to the east and use your Plant Growth spell to restore some of the forest.”

“Are they cutting down trees?” Rud asked, miming rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll give ‘em a good talking to.”

“Don’t do that. We need the mortals.”

“Why?” Rud asked, gesturing vaguely to the grove. “Not many humans here and we’re doing fine.”

“Because of Mint. But she can only do so much. One day, we need the mortals to clear the dungeons around the grove. Which means, we need to give them something.”

“We need to give them wood? Is that the trade?”

“Among other things. The way our souls intertwine has been… interesting. We’ll have other services to provide them soon enough.”

“Such as ore from the mine?” Rud asked, bouncing up and down with excitement. “And berries from the forest?”

“Something like that. From what Mint tells me, this area will become a place where mortals travel often. If we could provide them with services along the road, they would be grateful.”

Rud scratched his narrow chin. “How do we know they’re not going to just chop us down?”

“Mint tells me the people from Sparwyn—the current settlers in the area—are respectful to our cause. They have enshrined Spirit Groves back in their homeland.”

Rud trusted what Ban and Mint had to say. He nodded, gesturing in all four cardinal directions. “Where is east?”

The tree was silent for a long moment. "Hmm if I told you north was this way... Than east is... there ya go" 

Rud grabbed his walking stick and marched off into the forest. His mana had regenerated from yesterday, but he only had a single cast of the spell before he was sent waiting on his butt for it to regenerate. But the tree knew what it was talking about. And when it wanted him back, it would ask. He hummed a merry song as he walked.

The walk from the grove to the area where the mortals had been logging took forever. Rud was tired by the time he got there, and curled up under a tree to take a nap. It must have taken three hours of walking, most of which was done at a swift pace. Since he wasn’t delayed by the thickness of the forest, it would take a mortal even longer. When he woke, Ban was talking into his mind.

“How many trees have you restored?” it asked.

Rud yawned, stretching lazily on the ground. He had restored exactly zero trees. Instead of responding, he looked over the field of stumps. Someone had cut this section of forest clear, leaving only destruction behind. He had to push down the offense he felt, trusting that the tree knew what it was talking about. If they needed the mortals, they needed mortals. There was nothing he could do but help the forest out. And those mortals that had cleared the land weren’t without mercy. Already, there were sprouts bursting from the ground, eager to take the place of their fallen trees.

Rud knelt near one sprout, holding his hands around the delicate green leaves. He closed his eyes, thinking about the Plant Growth spell. It came easier than last time, seeming to suck in the surrounding air to power the spell. Of course it drew something from his soul as well, something he suspected was mana. The spell gathered in his palms, infusing the plant with growth magic. It sprung upward, displaying an amount of growth that wasn’t quite as impressive as what the talking, magical tree could do. It was taller than him, though not thick enough where he couldn’t wrap his arms around it.

After casting his spell, a message appeared. Like the information he got from his attributes, class, and skill screens this one plopped itself in the center of his vision. He read it.

[Skill Gain!]

You’ve performed enough actions with Growth Magic to earn the skill! The Growth Magic skill has been attached to your Druid class.

Sure enough, there was a new skill under his druid class. Rud shook away the distraction and turned his thoughts back to Ban. He had only advanced one tree to the next level, but it was better than nothing.

“I’ve restored one,” Rud said with pride. He hoped that the tree could hear him.

Ban sighed into his mind. “That’s fine. Any signs of the mortals?”

“Nope,” Rud said, inspecting the stumps. They had been cut down some time ago, perhaps displaying some of the mortals’ restraint. “Just some old stumps. Oh, I think I see something.”

“What is it?”

Rud narrowed his eyes, keeping an eye on the horizon. Shapes came over a hill in the distance, gesturing to the general area. The druid slipped into the underbrush, removing himself from their sight with haste. “I think I saw a mortal. Or two.”

“Just steer clear. I’m working on a few things to help you travel through the forest with ease. For now, head back and have a rest. Also, I need more water.”

“Right away, boss,” Rud said, standing at attention and saluting in Ban’s general direction. He scampered through the forest, leaving thoughts of the mortals behind.

It was near dusk when Rud began his trip back to the tree. Darkness settled in as he traveled and the forest came alive with a different life. Insects sang their songs, buzzing in the distance. More critters came to the stage, pushing through the brush. Rud stopped at a small clearing, locking eyes with a badger-like creature. He swore the badger nodded at him before moving on, pressing into the underbrush and going about its business.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Rud said with a snort.

He knew he was approaching Ban when he spotted fireflies darting through the air ahead. They flashed, streaked, then vanished just as soon as they appeared. Rud was short of breath by now and pressed his back against the tree. It had nothing to say, only providing a nice place to rest. Once he was rested enough, he headed to the pond to scoop more water. He might have been tired, but the day wasn’t tiring. He did a few trips before coming to rest below the tree once again.

“We’re doing well,” Ban said, the voice coming from the surrounding forest.

Rud suspected Ban was sending roots throughout the forest, searching for something. It said that Mint had something for him, and it was related to the mine. He hoped it was a Rud-sized pickaxe or shovel. That would be awesome. He would even be happy with one that was too big, so long as he could help make the tree larger. That seemed to be the first step in getting the forest in order. But the forest seemed quite healthy. There was a variety of plants and animals, and not much intervention from the mortals. It didn’t seem over-hunted. Perhaps it wasn’t doing well based on magical forest standards, though.

“Ya think so?” Rud asked, popping a mushroom into his mouth. His stomach was growling worse than ever.

“Your subclass should attach by tomorrow. Then I can show you what we can do together.”

Rud thought he was already helping out quite a lot. He didn’t have enough mana to cast his fancy plant growing spell, but he did so with a smile. That should have counted for something. “I’m excited,” he said as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 4

Custodian of the Grove

The path between the Sacred Tree and the magical pond had been worn over the last few days. Rud marched over that path with two buckets, each half-filled with the glowing pond water on either side of his stick. He rested that stick on his shoulder, finding this to be a much easier way to carry water. Humming as he went, the sensation of something building within his chest became more intense by the moment. His subclass would come soon enough. Then he could see what Ban was talking about.

When Rud returned to the tree, he saw the faint glow of magic emanating from the trunk. He set his buckets aside, not willing to interrupt whatever it was the tree was doing. Sitting on his butt and popping a few mushrooms into his mouth, he watched and waited. A pulse of energy radiated outward, sending his long brown hair poofing out. The druid felt something like an electric charge sizzling between the hairs. A moment later, the tickle in his soul burst forth.

Only a moment later, the sensation was gone. His soul felt more complete, and Ban had never felt closer.

“What was that?” Rud asked.

Ban laughed, its voice echoing through the forest. “We finally connected. Your subclass manifested on schedule.”

“Yay,” Rud said, opening his attribute interface and finding the Grove Custodian subclass waiting for inspection. He rubbed his hands together, reading the description.

[Grove Custodian]

Rank 0 Level 1 Subclass

Description:

Grove Custodians dedicate their lives to tending to Sacred Trees. They gain adaptive abilities, depending on which form their bound tree takes.

Skills:

NONE

“Oh, interesting,” Rud said, nodding. “So, what form have you taken?”

“I took pieces of you, the region, and our guardian to form an archetype. We’ll focus on creating structures to enhance the area. To put it plainly, we’re building a town.”

“How is that gonna work?”

“I can generate buildings from saplings. Buildings that I can shape to whatever we need. You may enter that building to activate a subset of abilities tied to your Grove Custodian subclass.”

“Neat! What’s the first building you’re going to make?”

Rud felt his awareness shift as though he were following along with Ban’s perception. The tree dragged its thoughts northeast, toward the spot he suspected was the mine. “I’m generating a Mining Workshop right now. The amount of energy it consumes is significant. So if I appear dormant, don’t wake me. Ask Mint if you need help.”

“Okay. Did she leave my shovels near the site?”

“She did.”

Rud dumped the two half-buckets of water on Ban’s roots before grabbing his walking stick. He took a handful of shelled nuts and some mushrooms, eating them as he walked along. Ban’s sense for where the mine rested was powerful enough for him to follow, and he was glad to see it wasn’t as far as the logging area. Nestled at the base of a rocky rise, and surrounded by trees, a collapsed mine appeared. Timbers mingled with stone near the entrance, and a shovel and pickaxe were laying near that ruined mine.

A strange-looking plant had come forth near the mine. Rud knew in an instant that this was the mining workshop Ban was working on. It twisted in on itself, forming the general shape of a round building. Before he could get any skills to pull anything of use from within the mine, he needed to clear away the rubble. It might not have been a horrible job for a person of full size. But he doubted he could move even a single large rock. He approached the entrance to inspect the extent of the damage.

The support timbers were rotted through with age, leaving behind no structural qualities. Rud wedged his stick between two rocks and pulled one loose, surprised to see one move at all. He shifted rocks for a while, finding the work to be more frustrating than he expected. Instead of pressing forward he found a nearby tree to nap underneath and took it easy for a while. When he woke, he searched the forest for some food and got back to work.

The strangely shaped tree had become more of a building than a tree. The walls had gone further out, while a canopy of branches formed the roof. “Looking good, Ban,” Rud said, nodding with approval. He stood a fair distance from the forming tree-building, waiting for the Sacred Tree’s response. But nothing came. He guessed it was silent, just as it had explained before.

Rud decided that the entrance to the mine wasn’t as bad as he initially thought. He studied the area, finding that the rocky cliff face above the cave was the culprit. After removing a layer of blocking stones, he poked his head through an opening. Everything beyond that initial layer was clear. It was only the entrance that had been clogged. He pulled his head out, aware of the sounds of the forest around him more than ever. A twig broke behind him, then leaves were scattered. One of the red squirrels had snuck up on him, and was tilting its head to one side and chittering.

“Hey little guy,” Rud said. He knelt, holding a nut out for the critter to take. “Hungry?”

The squirrel bounded over, grabbing the nut before retreating to a safe distance. It nibbled at the pink nut, chittering the whole time. Rud listened closely, trying to understand what the squirrel was saying. He didn’t even get a sense for how the creature was feeling, let alone what its thoughts were. He wondered how high his Animal Communication skill needed to be in order to understand a simple squirrel.

“Well, buddy… these rocks ain’t gonna move themselves,” Rud said with a chuckle. He turned back to the mine’s entrance, removing more rocks. After pulling one from the side of the clog, it caused a collapse. He moved away in time to avoid having his foot pinned and the squirrel scrambled for a tree. It found a high branch and chittered down at him, making its thoughts known. “Well, that solves that problem.”

As the squirrel squeaked away in the tree, Rud inspected the mine. The stones had fallen away, revealing the musty cave within. Just as he was moving to climb over the piles of stones, a message appeared in his vision.

[Skill Gain!]

Your Animal Communication skill has increased to level 2!

It was no surprise that this would be the skill that leveled first. Rud spent most of his time listening to the sounds of the animals in the forest. He already knew that the sounds the squirrel was making were those of an angry creature. But with his skill at Level 2, they made more sense. The squirrel was scared more than anything, and was trying to warn other squirrels about something. Rud couldn’t tell what that was though.

The druid pressed into the cave, studying the wooden supports at the entrance. They were mixed with the rocks and rotten through, but the mine’s mouth held firm. A set of mine cart tracks, rusted and rotted through, stretched as far as the light would reach. Rud entered the mine, pressing his hands against the cool walls. He couldn’t tell if there was ore to be had in here, or if it was all just rock. Something glimmered in the mine, far in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, he tried to decide if it was a shiny-eyed beast or the crystal that Ban wanted.

Rud left the mine before he could find out, getting to work on clearing the entrance instead. There were rocks that were too large for his little body to move, but he cleared a decent enough path to come and go with ease. The tree needed more water, though. The druid gathered his buckets from the tree, then filled them at the pond before returning. When he poured them on the Sacred Tree’s roots, it soaked that glowing water up eagerly. Creating the building was taking a lot out of the tree.

“Mint?” Rud asked, finding himself feeling lost without direction. “Is the tree doing good?”

Distant branches rustled and Mint’s spectral form emerged. Her hackles were raised as she looked between Rud and the tree. “She is fine. Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure this was normal,” Rud said, staring up at the high boughs of the tree. “And wait, the tree is a ‘she?’”

“She was a doe before her soul ascended. Now she is a tree,” Mint said.

Rud was glad that the wolf didn’t have a tone of annoyance with him. This was all new to him, and he didn’t know the first thing about deer becoming trees. As always, she bordered on being a patient mother and a savage wolf.

“And she is a fine tree,” Rud said, chuckling nervously. “How long will she be out?”

“Days or weeks. It is hard to say,” Mint said, sniffing the air. “There are interlopers on the northern side of the grove. I must go.”

“Oh, just real quick,” Rud said, reaching out as though he could stop her. “She just wants me to collect those crystal things, right?”

Mint was already half-way to the forest’s edge. She turned around and nodded. “Indeed. Practice your skills. Try learning a new spell from the forest that doesn’t cost as much mana. You need to increase your level and skills. You’re doing great.”

Rud gave her the thumbs-up before she dashed off into the woods. With Mint gone and Ban sleeping while she made the building, he felt adrift. This wasn’t the first time he was completely alone in his life, though. He watered the roots of the tree and gathered some food for lunch. Something he could work on was a shelter for himself. A place where he could cook food to make it taste better. That required more than he could invest right now, but it would become necessary. Especially considering that weather wouldn’t always be this pristine. The basic clothing only went so far to keep the rain off of him.

“Right. Priorities.”

With Ban watered and nothing else to do, Rud went through the forest collecting fallen tree branches. He used the mining shovel to cut—more like bash—the errant sticks off, making straight pieces good enough for his purpose. He found a spot near the Sacred Tree not crowded with roots and dug those sticks into the ground, forming a crude shelter. Atop those sticks, he placed branches low enough for him to smack down with the shovel. He stood back and appreciated his work.

“It stinks, but so do I,” Rud said, giggling to himself. The shelter didn’t need to be big. Because he wasn’t big. He tested it by curling up inside, finding that it was good enough for now. Mint wanted him working on other things, though. And that came with problems.

The Druidic Spellcasting ability said he could only learn new spells from nature. But what exactly did that mean? He had been given the first spell, so far as he could tell, and couldn’t think of a way to convince something as nebulous as ‘nature’ to give him another. Instead of worrying about it, he got a better lay of the land. So far, he had explored the Sacred Tree, the pond, the mine, and the logging site of the mortals. That accounted for his immediate area to the north, northeast, and east based on the tree’s location. Rud selected west for exploration next, grabbing a stick and heading off.

It didn’t take long to hear the distant babbling of a stream. Rud smelled the scent of the moving water on the wind. Trees ran the length of the rocky bank, snaking along with the stream to carve a path through the forest. Forest creatures fled when they heard him, but they were likely drinking from the clean water before he arrived. The druid had been drinking from the magical pool, and wouldn’t risk some kind of rabies type disease from the rushing water. He approached the bank, it to be average creek size. It was shallow enough for him to wade in, but he had no intention of getting wet in such a cold environment.

The area south of the tree was less interesting by far. Rud followed the stream southward, finding that it cut to the east before falling off a cliff. He stood on the edge of the cliff, looking off to the forest below. It was hard to see very far, as most of the forest below was obscured by a low-hanging bank of fog. The misty mountains rolled on beyond what he could see, but he had a sense of the lake that was mentioned before. He sat on the cliff’s edge and watched. Just watched the nature below.

The day wore on as he observed. Birds flew from the trees below, scattering from hunting raptors above. Hawks, or falcons, were hunting. Wolves bayed from the area below, joining with those birds to find some prey. Rud supposed that was part of nature. The constant push and pull of predator and prey. He struggled to imagine cute little animals being predated upon, but that was life. The druid didn’t focus on what he could change. He centered his mind on the ebb and flow. The constant scramble of so many creatures in such a tight space.

“Ah,” Rud said. A swirl of blue energy poured from his chest, wrapping him in a comforting light. A moment later, a new message appeared.

[Spell Obtained!]

The Stag Spirit Bent has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Detect Animals spell.

“A new spell!” Rud said, jumping to his feet and pumping his fist in the air. He danced for a bit, remembering the stag from the tree planting ceremony. He opened his Druidic Spellbook and inspected the new spell.

[Detect Animals]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Mana Cost:

10

Description:

Draw on the power of the Stag. This spell allows you to detect animals near you. The range increases based on rank. Animals that have ascended to higher ranks will be more difficult to detect.

Effect:

For one minute, you will detect all animals within five-hundred paces.

That wasn’t as useful as a spell that made plants grow, but it was still really neat. Rud called on his new spell, feeling it waiting for his call. The blue energy of the Stag Spirit Bent came to his call. The magic flowed from his eyes, wrapping around him to form a sheet of magic. Once the spell had finished, the surrounding forest lit up with activity. He saw badgers, squirrels, deers, birds, and even the worms burrowing into the ground. Watching those things move around for the full minute, the druid gained a deeper appreciation for the forest. He wasn’t alone at all, even with Mint and Ban not in communication. There was life all around him.

“That’s called perspective,” Rud said, turning away from the cliff. The spectral blindfold he wore fell away, and the glittering forms of the surrounding animals fell away with it.

So the various spirit animals would give him spells based on his interaction with nature. Rud didn’t know how this worked exactly, but a lower cost spell that showed him animals was nice. Managing the grove would include the animals within, so that was nice to have. He left the cliff, looking for more interesting features in his immediate area. Unless he felt like walking for hours, this was it.

On his way back to the tree, Rud made note of a few mushrooms that seemed untrustworthy. There were the blue ones that he was warned about, but also a glowing purple one that smelled like fresh asphalt. He considered limiting which nuts he ate, just in case. The ones with the annoying shells hadn’t hurt his stomach, so he would stick with those.

When Rud returned to the tree, it was pulsing with a mixture of colors. Waves of magical energy flowed forth, although he couldn’t get a sense for what the purpose was. Ban was doing her thing, and he had to trust that she knew what was going on. Who better to schedule magical tree stuff than a magical tree? He settled into his little hut, finding that it wasn’t much warmer than the open air outside. Tomorrow was a big day. The druid planned to drag some special crystals out of the mine.

Chapter 5

Mining with a Talen Por

Rud woke the next morning to a familiar scent. The potent smell of a burning fire jarred him to waking. He stumbled out of his hut, searching the nearby area for an out-of-control fire. The only thing he saw was Mint, in her human form, tending to a fire ringed with large stones. She had staked sticks in the ground, supporting a boiling teapot.

“Sleepy head,” Mint teased. “Come on, I’m making breakfast.”

Rud’s heart still thumped from his sudden awakening, but he sleepily moved over to the fire and had a seat. As the warmth of the campfire washed over him, he realized how cold this region was. He closed his eyes, breathing in the fire's scent and taking in the sounds. It seemed like the opposite thing they should do in a forest, but Mint knew better than him.

“The Sacred Tree wants to please you,” Mint said, skewering mushrooms on a stick. She set them close enough to the fire to cook, wedging them between two rocks. “I’m still new, but even I know that is unusual.”

Rud felt put on the spot. He had been going along with whatever the tree said, not trying to push her into doing something she didn’t want to do. “I’m not trying to be a burden.”

“No, don’t worry,” Mint said with a laugh. She skewered more mushrooms. “She knows what she’s doing. If your subclass works like she suspects, you can pull crystals from the mine. She’ll get powerful if you manage that.”

Rud clapped his hands like a child, unsure of what other response Mint expected. “So, Ban is fine?”

“Yes, she is fine. When she awakens, we’ll have access to some new amenities. The forest will seem much smaller after that.”

Mint and Ban had a much tighter connection than Rud expected. He felt a sense of belonging with the tree, but Ban shared much less information with him. Accepting that was easy, as he seemed more like a fat dude stuffed in a scrawny young guy’s rather than a member of this loose organization of spirit spirits. Perhaps they thought he wasn’t fully adjusted to this world, or that he would have doubts if they presented him with options. Rud wouldn’t deny that he was the type to be slow to adjust. Keeping busy was the way he kept his mind off the weight of his station.

Mint handed over a mushroom stick with Rud accepted graciously. “Thank you.”

“I’ve pilfered some cups,” Mint said, setting out two metal mugs with handles. She poured out the tea from the copper teapot, not bothering to protect her hands from the heat. “Wait before you drink. It's hot.”

Cooked mushrooms were far better than raw ones. They took on a quality similar to meat that could pass as the real thing well enough. Even without seasoning, they were divine. Rud took a bite of a steaming mushroom, closing his eyes as the flavors rolled over his tongue. When he ate every mushroom on the stick, Mint handed him another before putting more on the fire.

“Have you considered advancement?” she asked.

“How so?” Rud asked around a mouthful of mushrooms.

“Every action you perform as a druid—growing plants, tending to the forest, casting druid magic—all increases your level. Each level you earn gives you an attribute point. Do you know how you’re going to place your points? Which abilities you’re going to select?”

Rud pretended as though he paused to think about the question. He hadn’t considered it for a moment, and so his mind was blank. That feigned thoughtfulness led to real questioning. “I need more mana,” he said plainly.

“You’ll want to put points into the Mind attribute, then,” Mint said, taking a tentative sip of her tea. “Even the shapeshifters who put a lot of points into Strength take some points into Mind.”

“Hold the phone,” Rud said, taking a moment to chew and swallow a bite of mushrooms. “Can I shapeshift?”

“Given time. And practice.”

Rud was suddenly interested in being a shapeshifter. “I must learn this magic.”

Mint laughed, shaking her head. “Focus on helping our Sacred Tree first. Then you can work on your magic. Do you have a plan for the day?”

Mint was making sure that Rud had his head on his shoulders. He didn’t blame her. It reminded him of times where he had to watch new employees, making sure they didn’t ruin big accounts. “The crystals are at the top of my list.”

“Ban’Tanthein only needs a few to awaken. Three or four. After that, haul the enchanted water over to the forest. You know, the one the mortals cut down? The water can accelerate their growth considerably, since they aren’t Sacred Trees.”

“Understood. Wake up the tree, and grow some trees. Gonna be a treeful day.”

Mint didn’t laugh. She turned her nose to the wind and sniffed, growling. “More interlopers. After you sort those problems out, I need you to make contact with the mortals.”

“Why?”

“I cannot enter dungeons. But the dungeons can create monsters. Those monsters are burning the forest to the north. Enjoy your breakfast.”

Without another world, Mint vanished. She left the burning fire, the tea, and cooking mushrooms behind. Rud finally took a sip of his tea, finding it to be a mixture of sweet and citrus flavors. He let out a sigh of relief and sagged on the spot. The tea filled his belly with a warm sensation. After drinking all the tea in the pot and eating all the mushrooms, Rud dumped handfuls of dirt on the fire until it was out. He stayed around for a few minutes, making sure that every ember had died and no wisps of smoke were emerging from the pile. Then he piled more dirt on top and cleared away the leaves near the ring.

Before heading to the mine, Rud made a few trips between the pond and the Sacred Tree. Ban hadn’t stirred, but she still needed to drink water. He assumed she got her food from the sun, so there was nothing he could do on that front. The druid left the grove’s center and headed off to the mine.

The building outside of the mine had changed. The circular walls had been driven to right angles, forming the general shape of an open-air building. Fewer tree-like elements were present in the building. From the unpainted boards on the walls to the wood tiled roof above. The building generated by the tree just looked like a normal building now, aside from a few rogue branches sticking out from under the shingles on the roof. Rud entered, looking around the interior and failing to whistle.

He instead said, “dang.”

Wooden bins lined the walls on either side of the building. Windows without glass were set into the walls and there was a table on the far side of the room. Resting atop the table was a stout spire of wood, glowing with a strange pulse of brown energy. Rud approached it, feeling the familiar sting of the Sacred Tree’s magic. He placed his hand on it and felt something change within his body. His muscles tightened as the dark interior of the building came into bright focus. A message appeared to explain what had happened.

[Aspect of Gug attained!]

Your Grove Custodian subclass has reacted to an effigy of Gug, spirit of the earth. The Worm Sacred Spirit has lent you some of their power. If you stray too far from the idol that granted you this power, it will dissipate.

Rud recalled seeing a giant worm at his induction ceremony. So this was the purpose of his subclass and the building that Ban had created. He didn’t need to struggle through the act of mining. He had a giant worm by his side! If only in spirit. He navigated to his class screen, finding the subclass and inspecting it. There was a new section for Aspect, which was filled with the Aspect of Gug. He clicked on that, gaining a new screen for his efforts.

[Aspect of Gug]

Sacred Spirit Aspect

Description:

Gug is the Sacred Spirit of earth. It spends most of its time underground, burrowing through earth and mountains alike. This aspect contains some parts of its power.

Effect:

Unlocks digging and mining related skills.

Increases the strength of all mining and digging actions.

Decreases the physical strain endured while performing mining and digging actions.

“Perfect!” Rud shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

This was the start of something big. He realized that right away. Ban had taken part of his desires and used it to form her abilities. She could generate buildings that would allow him to do various jobs, which would help him help her. They would feed into each other through this cycle, making the grove better through synergy. He felt more like a miner by the moment, leaving the building to retrieve his pick and shovel before delving into the mine.

As expected, the mine was dark and musty. Rud paused just after the entrance, after almost falling over the pile of stones there, and activated his Detect Animals spell. The spectral blindfold fell over his eyes, and he spotted some bats deep in the mine. The animals above the mine didn’t concern him, but it was nice to see that he could see them through the rock. He pushed forward, finding that the ability did nothing to help his night sight. What did help was the Aspect of Gug. He couldn’t see in the dark, but the dark parts of the mine seemed slightly brighter.

“Time to get to work,” Rud chuckled to himself, pick and shovel hoisted over his shoulder. He found the first section of wall that had a bit of crystal poking out and readied his pickaxe.

The only time Rud had ever used a pickaxe was when he was helping a relative dig in their yard. He was so young at the time that he couldn’t remember what they were digging for. All he remembered was how painful the process was. How difficult it was to get the pick over his head to bring it down. He didn’t volunteer to help that uncle ever again, no matter how much they asked. Not that they had asked for help again since Rud had punctured a water line in the yard.

The druid put his entire weight into the first strike and was surprised to see large pieces of stone chip away from the wall. He did it again, finding a similar result. Rud looked down at his hands in the dark mine, marveling at how easy it felt to swing the pick. He kept at it, chipping away at that hard stone wall. Despite how easy it was, it took several hours to remove a single crystal from its rocky prison. He fell back onto his butt, holding a glimmering blue crystal in his hands. It emitted a small amount of light, but he could feel the power within. Without warning, a screen appeared giving him a description of the fragment.

[Arcane Crystal Fragment]

Uncommon

Description:

A fragment of a larger Arcane Crystal. This fragment is imbued with the Arcane element.

Rud rolled the object over in his hands. The description added little to his knowledge of the object, but there it was. It was the thing that Ban needed. He suspected that the sunlight wasn’t good enough for her to restore herself to her full power, so she would eat these little fragments to regain her strength. The druid got back to work right away, finding that the more time he spent alone with his thoughts the less he liked it. While taking a break, a small squirrel appeared near the entrance of the mine. It was a red squirrel, with those adorable tufts of hair on its ears.

“Hey little guy,” Rud said, waving at the squirrel. It darted to the side, poking its head around the mine’s entrance. “Oh! Are you the same guy I gave the nuts to?”

Rud could have sworn he saw the squirrel nod. He found what few provisions he had brought for the mining expedition and retrieved a nut. He shelled it and worked his way to the entrance, slow enough so the squirrel wouldn’t flee. The druid placed it on the ground and took a few steps back. After sniffing the air for danger, the squirrel jumped across the stones, snatching up the nut and scampering away.

“I sure hope I can talk to squirrels one day. Wink wink,” Rud said, looking at the mine’s ceiling. “If only some spirit were to give me a spell that let me talk to animals.”

Several minutes passed, but nothing happened. No forest spirit was willing to give him the spell, which was fair enough. He had a skill for that. Rud took a decent break, eating through a few mushrooms and sipping from a bucket of enchanted pond water. It tasted better than one might think. After that, he got back to work, laboring the day away.

When the pickaxe became too heavy to hoist, Rud called it a day. He had pulled four Arcane Crystal Fragments out of the mine. Alongside those valuable fragments, he had discovered veins of some kind of ore. While he couldn’t identify them, he was almost certain it was ore. What little he removed from the wall, he put into small piles for later inspection. Maybe Ban would create a smelter building where he could turn it into ingots. That would be neat, although likely unnecessary.

Rud stretched outside of the mine, rolling his head from side to side until something in his shoulders cracked. The sensation felt good, but his stomach was rumbling. The druid collected food on the way to the Sacred Tree. With no way to make a fire, he would have to eat them raw. Before settling down to his meal, he approached the sacred tree. He didn’t know how to do it, but followed his instincts. When the Arcane Crystal Fragment pressed against the tree, it seemed to melt over the glowing bark. That liquid was absorbed and the boughs above quivered.

“Hungry tree,” Rud said, feeding the Sacred Tree more of the fragments. When he was out of fragments, he pressed his hand against the bark to inspect the description on the tree.

[Ban’Tanthein]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree

Upgrade Energy: 0%

Reserve Energy: 50%

Expansions:

[Mining Workshop]

A new entry had appeared. Rud suspected that the new entry told him how much power the tree had available. Four fragments brought her to fifty percent, but she could have gained some from the sun. It was hard to say, but it hardly seemed to matter. He felt her stirring, somehow. The Sacred Tree was waking up from her day-long slumber. The druid jumped up and down, clapping his hands as he prepared to dance around the tree. It took her longer than he expected to wake up, so the dance was tiring.

“Rud,” Ban’s voice said, coming from the surrounding forest. “I knew you could do it.”

“With very little instructions!” Rud said, finishing his dance with a flourish. “How do the expansions work?”

“I can create a certain number of expansions depending on my level and rank. But there is something more important. We need to get me to Level 5 as quickly as possible.”

“Alrighty. How do we do that?”

“You inspected my screen, right? I have Reserve Energy and Upgrade Energy. Reserve energy is what keeps me alive. I can transfer that to Upgrade Energy. Every time that hits one-hundred percent, I gain a level. When I achieve Level 5, I can select an upgrade.”

“Cool, cool. I gave you four fragments. How many do we need for Level 5?”

“Quite a few.”

That didn’t dampen Rud’s spirits. He was elated to have Ban to talk to again. He would be happy if she waited a while to do the next expansion. She wouldn’t tell him exactly how many she needed, which meant she needed more than ‘quite a few.’ But she was dead-set on getting Level 5, so he would make it happen.

“I shall collect the fragments for you!” Rud proclaimed, striking a pose.

Ban giggled, the sound echoing through the forest. “You are a very brave Talen Por.”

“Indeed, I am. But even such a stalwart Talen Por needs rest,” Rud said, leaving the tree and sitting near the buried fire to eat his dinner. “Should I ignore regrowing the forest for now?”

Ban waited a long time before responding. “If I get this upgrade, the job will be far easier. Focus all your efforts on fragments for now.”

“Understood, captain,” Rud said, saluting. He shoved mushrooms and nuts into his mouth until he was full enough. Without warning, he fell onto his back. The day had taken more of a toll on him than he would like to admit. Without entering his little hut, he drifted off to sleep.