Gladesbale Grove Book 1 - Chapters 11,12,13,14,15 (Patreon)

Chapter 11

Plant Thief

The smelting building was nearly formed by the next day. Those twisting roots had created an open-air workshop overnight, complete with wood that was forming into the shape of a massive crucible. Rud stood outside of the building, admiring what Ban could do with just her magical energy and some woods. He had brought the ore out from the mine, using his pack to create large piles outside of the smelter. Mint appeared beside him, panting for breath and looking rather annoyed.

“Do you know how to work that thing?” she asked.

Rud looked at her with an amused expression. “I watched a video online once. I’m practically an expert.”

“Using that magic screen?”

“The same one I used to pick this body,” Rud said, gesturing vaguely at himself.

“Do you remember all the steps?”

Rud looked at her and smiled. “Of course not.”

“Then how do you intend to smelt ore if you don’t know how to smelt ore?” Mint asked, giving him an expressionless look.

“We’re gonna wing it,” Rud said, gesturing at the building. “My guess is that the building does most of the work. I know people used to make clay furnaces to make ore. My assumption is that Ban’s magic will take care of whatever slag this raw ore produces. It goes to the top or the bottom… who knows?”

“What do you require to make this happen, Rud?” Mint asked.

Rud could hear it in the tone of her voice. They needed the ingot plan to work out if they wanted to get enough fragments to keep Ban running. “Tongs, a hammer I can swing, ingot molds, and bellows. Not sure if the building will generate those things.”

“I can find those,” Mint said. Rud grew more suspicious of where she got those things by the day. She vanished before he could say anything else.

Rud checked on Ban’s energy levels before leaving for the stump field, backpack filled with water buckets. He had to feed her another fragment to keep her going, leaving him with one. Gritting his teeth, the druid stepped through the underbrush to appear near the stump field. As he was removing a bucket from the pack, stepping onto the field of sticks, he spotted Mira by the mailbox. She looked up, slightly startled.

“Ash!” Mira turned, shouting to someone in the distance. “He’s here!”

Rud shuffled over to see what was going on. He watched as someone came from the distance. They didn’t walk over the sticks, slithering instead. The beastfolk who approached had the top half of a person and the bottom half of a serpent. They wore a long purple robe, complete with hood, that covered some of their snake-like features. Like most beastfolk, they had the head of the creature they took other features from, including a flicking forked-tongue. After the snake-person approached the pair, they bowed.

“Asharius,” she said, bowing her head. Rud realized she was a woman, if only from the tone of her voice.

“Ash is a mage,” Mira explained. “If you didn’t guess by her attire. She can take care of your dungeon seed problem.”

“And pay you handsomely,” Ash said, her tongue flicking in Mira’s direction. “He accepts fragments, doesn’t he?”

Mira groaned. “Don’t embarrass me in front of the spirit.”

Ash’s gaze lingered on Mira for a moment before dragging over to Rud. “The providence of a custodian’s role as a spirit is debated. He is closer to a mortal.”

“This isn’t a scholarly debate, Ash. Come on. This is a clandestine operation to help the little guy out.”

Ash sighed, waving a dismissive hand. “Superstitious. Come, little one. Lead us to this seed.”

“We have permission to enter,” Mira asked, looking at Rud. “Right?”

Rud turned to the forest. It was a good idea to warn the wolf lurking within. “Don’t eat them, Mint. The snake-lady is going to help with the dungeon seed.”

“But they look so tasty. Just a bite?” Mint asked, speaking into Rud’s mind.

“Not even a bite. Please, Mint.”

Both Ash and Mira looked concerned.

“Fine.”

“We’re good,” Rud said, giving them the double thumbs-up. Mint was likely joking. Rud hoped she was joking. She was joking, wasn’t she?

Rud led the way through the forest. He saw how the forest creatures scattered away, running from the mortals entering the grove. Both Ash and Mira held their breath as they crossed the threshold, and occasionally throughout the walk. But no words were exchanged as they approached the clearing with the haunted rock.

“Ah. Interesting,” Ash said, stepping one foot inside the clearing. She winced against some invisible force. “The seed is frightening. That’s good. It expected to plant itself in the grove, siphoning energy from the Sacred Tree.”

“Kill it with fire,” Mira said, visibly shaken by Ash’s words.

“Not quite,” Ash said, withdrawing a satchel from under her robes. “This may take some time, custodian. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Please,” Rud said with a shrug. “Take all the time you need.”

Ash got to work. She pulled out a length of wood out of her bag, tracing a circle on the clearing’s edge. Rud watched as she filled in circles on the line with intricate symbols. He backed away with Mira, giving the mage more room to work.

“The other dungeon is way worse for us,” Rud said. “When can you take care of it?”

“Soon, forest spirit. This job is off the books, alright?” Mira asked, kneeling to be at eye-level with him. “When I got your message, it seemed urgent. The job isn’t hard, I just needed Ash to slip away from her responsibilities for some time.”

“She seems interested in the seed.”

“She is. So, who is the guardian of this grove?” Mira asked. “You called them Mint.”

“I don’t think she wants to come out to greet you,” Rud said with a soft chuckle. “She’s been busy with the other dungeon.”

“Could you give me details on that dungeon? What kind of monsters are coming out?”

Rud gave a rough description of what he remembered and what Mint had told him. Mira nodded along as he talked, making a mental note of the information.

“Flame Constructs, I think,” Mira said. “At least we know what we’re dealing with.”

Ash had filled in all parts of the circle, and had stepped back. She chanted something repeatedly, stirring up a wind that blew through the trees. The boughs rustled and leaves fell to the ground. Light formed on the circle as she chanted. This went on for quite some time.

“Do you know anything about smelting ore?” Rud asked, withdrawing a handful of rocks from his bag. “This stuff?”

“You’ve found yourself some copper, although I don’t know the name of the rock. Do you have a crucible? Or a mud forge?” she asked.

“Let’s say I have a crucible.” Rud nodded to himself. He didn’t know what form the smeltery would take in the end.

“I’ve seen the ironmongers work,” Mira said, dropping to a seated position on the forest floor. “They crush those rocks up and dump them in a smelter. Do you have coal?”

Rud planned to use charcoal, as the mine didn’t have seams of coal. This was a layer of complication he wasn’t prepared for, but it needed to happen. The druid absolutely needed other things to trade with, or Ban might decline. “I don’t.”

“Know how to make charcoal?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Should be as easy as blowing air on a charcoal fire. You won’t have problems melting copper. The slag should drop to the bottom of the furnace. Whatever you may or may not be using.”

Rud appreciated Mira’s tact in this situation. She must have known he was clueless. Although she might not know that he was from another world, it should have been clear to most people that he was clueless. That wouldn’t stop him from doing his best to make this work though. Above everything else was his desire to ensure Ban’s safety.

“I appreciate it, Mira,” Rud said, squinting as another errant gust of wind washed over them. Ash was busy with her circle, marching the perimeter and chanting. “How many fragments will she give me for this?”

“She’ll owe you after this. I think she brought ten fragments, but will owe you fifty.” Mira saw the concern on Rud’s face. “She’s good for it. I’ll ensure that.”

But ten fragments could get him a long way. Mira and Ash’s response to this minor crisis brought to light some information about the logging camp of the mortals, though. Ash was likely staying at the logging camp, which provided an approach to the field of stumps within a day. The woodcutters called Mira their protector, meaning they had warriors of some kind stationed there. Fighters that would keep the logging operation running smoothly. Not everyone had a spirit wolf, after all.

Ash continued her work. In time, the circle peeled up from the ground, glowing as it wrapped around the stone like twine blown in the wind. The places where the circle touched erupted in multicolored flame that burned nothing. Within a few minutes of wrapping the stone, the mage pulled it from the ground with some unseen magical force. It hovered several feet off the ground, Ash holding it as though walking her pet hover-rock.

“Neato,” Rud said, clapping with excitement. “Far more impressive than my magic.”

“It is vital that I return this to my workshop,” Ash said, turning away and trudging a few paces through the forest. She stopped and so did her rock. “Which way was it?”

Rud laughed, pushing through to lead the way. His sense of direction within the forest was great, while these mortals seemed to wane after a few steps. He led them back to the field of stumps without an issue, watching as the stone hovered awkwardly behind Ash. She didn’t wait for an invitation, pressing forward to wherever her workshop was. Somewhere along her trail, a cloth bag had fallen to the ground containing his payment.

The fragments she left behind were better quality than the one Mira had given him. Good fragments displayed clarity. Bad ones were cloudy with little cracks in the middle. The druid stuffed the bag inside his backpack, happy to have more fuel for the tree.

“I promise,” Mira said, locking eyes with him yet again. “We’ll get the other dungeon sorted.”

“I hope so,” Rud said, eyes locked onto Ash and her rock.

“I need to go. One last trip over the lake… hopefully.”

“Good luck.”

Ash and Mira left behind a strange feeling in the grove. Rud stepped through a bush with Thicket Travel and appeared near the Sacred Tree. He knew Mint was somewhere distant, fighting against the weird fire monsters. His bag was filled with fragments, and his mind brimmed with new information. It wasn’t revelatory to learn that his plan for melting the ore into bars might work. After feeding Ban two fragments, the druid once again stepped through to appear near the mine.

The smelting building was well on its way, but still had some progress to make. Rud had something else he wanted to do while he waited for the building to be completed. His fresh supply of fragments, however thin they might be, brought confidence that he could spend a few days messing around without worrying about Ban. If Mira was right, he was owed another fifty from the snake-mage. That might represent a steady stream of fragments, even if the tree was sucking them down like water.

Rud worked his way through the forest near the mine, looking for plants that lined up with the leaves Mint used for her tea. He didn’t know where she dried them, or even how that process worked, but he was confident he could identify them easily enough. There were two components to her tea. A sweet leaf that provided the delicious base, and another that brought tart citrus. He searched the hilly area first, finding nothing that looked or smelled like what he expected. There were a few thorny plants that he almost grabbed, and narrowed avoided grasping onto stinging nettles.

After exhausting the area, and collecting enough mushrooms and nuts to feed a squirrel army, he descended to the area near the stream. The marshy place near the waterfall bore fruit, though. Rud knelt near one plant with soft green leaves. Even without pinching a leaf off to test, he could smell the fragrance of lemons. He dug in the ground around the plant, careful to remove as much of the root as possible before placing it in his bag. Understanding that Mint was a person who wouldn’t stand for nonsense, he tracked the path of the stream southward, following the curve that brought it heading east.

Rud found the sweet-smelling plant after some time of searching. He had taken a break near a small pond created by the stream to observe frogs. They weren’t as rude as the birds, but less friendly than the squirrels. The sweet plant had small leaves with a dark stem. He dug that plant up, adding it alongside the other plant in his bag before stepping through some brush. The druid cleared away leaves, sticks, and rocks from the side of his mushroom house. He staked the area out with fallen tree branches, digging two holes a fair distance apart for his new plants.

After using his Plant Growth spell, gaining Level 4 in his Growth Magic skill, he left and returned with buckets of enchanted pond water. Both plants were small before he had used his magic on them, only coming up to his shin. And both plants were now almost as tall as he was, with leaves half the length of his hand. Before consuming either leaf, he would check with Mint to make sure they were safe to consume. Rud patted the ground near each plant, making sure the root bed was at the right depth. He was unsurprised when he got a level in his Plant Care skill, bringing him to Level 3.

“Everything is looking up for Rud,” he said, patting himself on the back.

The druid didn’t have to wait long for Mint to come sniffing around. He cut leaves that looked ready to harvest, judging only from his inexperienced eye, and bound them together with twine from his old shirt. He pinned them above his door on the inside of his mushroom house, interrupted only by the enormous wolf’s head poking through the door.

“Have you stolen my herbs?” she asked, emitting a slight growl.

“Lady, I got my own plants.”

“Perhaps your sense of smell isn’t completely useless. You found them by the stream, didn’t you?”

“I did. Guess that means they’re not poisonous.”

“Correct. Do not cut the leaves as you’re drying them. Perhaps this is another venture you could undertake.”

“What do you mean?”

Mint shifted into her human form, a puff of smoke issuing from her wolf form. When it cleared, she was bent low and entered the mushroom house, squeezing into the undersized interior. “Mortals love tea. And my tea has invigorating properties. Just tell the menfolk it will help them and then wink. They’ll buy it.”

Rud edged to the side of his house, wincing as Mint knocked things over. She could fit within the interior, it was just the entrance that was narrow. But the things he had arranged were made for someone his size. She might have stood at six-foot-something compared to his five-foot-even, but it was a large enough difference to make the fit awkward. “I appreciate the advice.”

“Anytime,” Mint said, settling in on the clearest side of the room. “I could find clay pots for you to store your finished tea inside of.”

“That’s not a horrible idea. Did you get the other stuff I asked for?”

“Indeed I did.”

“There’s a dead town near here, isn’t there? It has to be recently dead based on the quality of the things you bring back.”

“Quite recent,” Mint said, nodding. “I’m not sure what they were doing down by the lake. But they left behind goodies, so they were gone in a flash.”

It was always good to know that on top of haunted rocks, there was a nearby haunted village. Druids didn’t deal with the dead, so Rud scoured the thought of investigating from his mind. It was outside of the grove’s range, which meant he would need to walk the entire way. He pulled his mind away from the dead town and gave Mint the exciting news. Not only had the dungeon seed been removed, but he got paid for it.

“People pay for that junk?” Mint asked, snorting. “Sixty fragments worth? Surprised she didn’t try giving you coins. Yuck. I hate coins.”

“I already told Mira what we accept as payment. And I don’t have all sixty yet, but she said that Ash was good for it.”

“Let’s hope so. That dwarf that was heading here was delayed. Might be done for. I don’t know.”

If the dwarf couldn’t make it, that was that. Rud wouldn’t put much thought into it, other than the faint feeling of guilt for a person he didn’t know passing away before their time. “Do you know if the dead town has coal?”

“None that I saw.”

“How about large metal containers?”

“How large?”

Rud shrugged, gesturing with his arms. “About this big. I need to make charcoal for the smelter.”

“What do you need charcoal for, silly druid?” Mint asked, laughing. “Go to the bog. Pull out some Fairy Peat.”

Rud narrowed his gaze at the wolf-woman. “Why must you constantly wait until the last second to tell me about this stuff?”

Mint shrugged, bending down low once again to squeeze out of the house. “Come on! I’ll show you where the bog is.”

Chapter 12

Fairy Peat

“You can burn that?” Rud asked with a grimace.

“Yup!”

Mint held a handful of dark wet dirt in her hand. It looked like dirt, anyway. When the wolf-woman handed it over, Rud recoiled. After she shoved it into his hand, he realized how unlike dirt it was. The Fairy Peat had a structure to it, and after enough time he realized it was more like moss than anything else. Spongy but firm with a distinct acrid, earthy scent to it. The druid refused to place it in his nice backpack, holding it out from his body.

“How much of this stuff is around here?” Rud asked.

Mint gestured to the bog behind her. “The swamp is full of the stuff. Burns hotter than wood or charcoal. Might not be as hot as coal, but we don’t have coal.”

The Fairy Peat clearly needed to be dried before it was used. There were enough sections of the forest that had good sun coverage to make that happen. Extracting the peat moss wasn’t too hard, either. This would be one problem solved if he could get the extraction process working. As always, Mint’s nose went to the wind after a few minutes. She dashed off without saying anything, leaving him with his thoughts.

Rud teleported to the mine, grabbing his shovel and the buckets. He would use the wooden buckets as containers for the peat, not wanting to dirty his pristine backpack. Well, it wasn’t entirely clean. He dumped out the clods of dirt that had clung to the bottom from when he collected the tea plants. With a shovel in hand, he approached the bog. The Fairy Peat was easy to identify. It looked like solid pieces of mud, but flecks of pink-purple were scattered both on the surface and throughout the moss.

Rud dug rectangular sections of the peat out of the bog, dumping them in the bucket. He transported those to the section of land where Ash had removed the dungeon seed, laying them out to dry in the sun. The area had been killed off by the seed, making it perfect for the task. He went back-and-forth doing this until his fingers were tired, retreating to the mushroom house when the entire clearing was filled with Fairy Peat. He returned home, only entering the mushroom house after watering his tea plants outside. A message appeared, bringing with it another level-up.

[Skill Gain!]

Your Plant Care skill has increased to level 4!

At the threshold to his house, Rud groaned. He shambled to the brush near the forest’s edge, traveling to the enchanted pond to wash up. Once he was cleaned and dried well enough, he returned to his house. Only to stoke the fire, get some tea going, place mushrooms and nuts on the stove’s top for cooking, and finally collapsing into his makeshift chair. As he rested, he cast his Detect Animals spell over and over until he was out of mana. The attached skill didn’t gain a level, but at least he tried.

When the mushrooms were cooked well enough, and the nuts were cracking near the sides, he brought them over on a flat wide leaf, placing them on his lap to eat. With a metal mug filled with tea in his hand, Rud relaxed before his fire. Dirt was becoming a problem. Washing in the enchanted pool was fine, but the dirt still clung to the hair on his arms, he didn’t smell great.

“Mint. Stick your big head through my door, please,” Rud said, not even getting up from his chair.

“Are you too lazy to get something yourself?” Mint asked, her muzzle appeared through the threshold in an instant. She licked at the food he had, not getting close enough to be a threat.

“I was thinking about those metal containers I asked you about earlier. Could I fit in one?”

“Certainly, I saw one that would be large enough. You are small.”

“Does the dead town also have soap you could steal?”

“Very likely.”

“When you get a sec, could you head over and grab me—and she’s gone.”

Rud ate most of his food by the time Mint returned. Something clanged outside, and a sack of something pleasant-smelling fell on the ground before him. “Thank you, Mint. I love you.”

Mint growled at the doorway, pressing one eye against the threshold. It flicked around the room, finally locking on the druid. “I love you, too. But not in the way you desire, Talon Por.”

She was gone before he could say otherwise. Rud grabbed a stick and pulled the sack closer to him, using his toes to bring it to his hands. It was filled with lumps of soap that seemed to share no common shape. But they all smelled like rosemary. Looting all his supplies from the dead seemed messed up, but he smelled. The dead would understand if he needed to freshen up, especially since he had to deal with the mortals. No one liked a stinky forest spirit. Except maybe other stinky forest spirits, but there were none of those here.

Rud grunted, shoving his weight against the copper tub that Mint had given him. He had fallen asleep in his chair last night, filled with mushrooms and tea. After watering his plants, and the Sacred Tree, he began rolling the tub up the hill. When he asked if Mint would help him, she refused. Not because there were monsters to kill, but because she believed he needed to strengthen his body. What she really meant was that he needed to build up his muscles, and work on being less scrawny.

The druid grumbled, shoving his weight against the tub. Rolling it up the hills was a pain and the Thicket Travel ability wasn’t working with such a large item in tow. It took half the morning to get the tub where he wanted it. Rud was panting for breath by the end, leaning against a rock and coming close to cursing the wolf’s name. Compared to his small body, the tub was massive. It looked large enough for him to sit inside for washing, although he couldn’t tell what its original use was.

With a little more effort, the tub rested on piles of stones, high enough for him to start a fire underneath. He cleared an area around the tub, then ringed it in stones to prevent any fire from spreading. Since Mint didn’t burst from the forest to yell at him, he figured it would be fine. He traveled through the brush next, going to check on his Fairy Peat. His perfect rows had been disturbed by wildlife, but nothing within the grove had an interest in eating his fuel.

Each section of peat was already dried throughout, looking more like bricks than moss at this point. Rud stuck one half-length into his backpack and returned to the enchanted pond. Using a coal from the fire in his mushroom house, he learned exactly how hot the peat burned. The entire log burst into flames, rushing upward as though driven by a mighty bellows. The druid hit it with a stick, removing a large amount of the peat before it burned through his tub. After he managed not to set the forest on fire, he filled the tub bucket by bucket.

Mint rarely gave him a warning with magical fantasy world stuff, so he wasn’t surprised with how powerful the peat was. A small chunk of the material burned for quite some time, heating the tub as he dumped more buckets inside. When it was full, he grabbed a hunk of weird soap, bathed for a while, and finally lowered himself up to his chin to soak.

“You’re having fun,” Ban’s voice filled his head after a while.

“You’re awake!” Rud said, looking at the forest around him. “That took longer than I expected.”

“Supporting more buildings at a low rank is… trying,” Ban said. Her voice seemed thinner than normal. “But I see you’re on your way to making metal for trade. How did things go with the mortals.”

Rud had to explain the dungeon seed and how the beastfolk had helped with that. He told her how the mortals were taking their time with approval for the dungeons, and the implications. As always, Ban responded with vague words that never revealed her thoughts on the matter. Things played out for her like pictures in a book, rather than a steady stream of time. Events were stamped on her mind, and she hardly reacted. Maybe that came with being a tree.

“How is your progress? Are you leveling?”

“Kinda. I’m only level 2. But my skills are growing. Plant Care and Growth Magic are almost at Level 5.”

“That’s good. Once you activate your next aspect, I’m certain you’ll learn a new spell. I’m expecting a crafting magic spell.”

That was something to consider. Rud had made his contributions to the grove like a true custodian. He watered the plants, fed the tree, and interacted with outsiders. Perhaps Ban wanted him to be more at the helm of those things, rather than a passive observer. He soaked in his bath, letting the silence of an ended conversation linger over the forest. The sun set and the fire under the tub went out. Before it got too cold, he got out and dried himself before retreating to the warmth of his mushroom house.

Rud curled up in his bedroll, hoping that Ban wouldn’t go for another one of her long sleeps.

The grove felt better when Ban was awake. The local critters showed no changes, but each tree seemed to gleam with potential. Even the tree herself looked peaceful without the ribbons of magic flowing from her bark. Rud found a spot near her trunk to eat his breakfast, sipping his tea and popping mushrooms into his mouth.

“I think you’re gaining weight,” Ban said, her voice echoing through the forest.

Rud placed a hand on his flat belly, looking up at her leaves and narrowing his eyes. “Are you trying to make me feel better about my scrawny Talen Por body?”

“No. I think you’re gaining muscle. I’ve been asleep for a few days, so I noticed the change.”

Maybe she was right, but that led to another question. Had Mint put him in a slightly chubby body to match his old one back on Earth? He was certain that he was far less chunky than when he was on Earth, but why hadn’t she used her fancy magic to fix him up during the move. What harm was there in making him look like a model, rather than this? Well, with the way he was eating random things from the forest, it wouldn’t be long before he got that jacked physique.

Give it time, Rud thought, sighing aloud. Stick to the forest diet, and everything will be okay.

“Let’s make sure you're at a higher level before you go to sleep again. Alright, Ban?” Rud asked.

“I was hoping to create one more expansion…”

“Come on. You’ll be out for weeks.”

“I can only add one more expansion before I ascend to Rank 1. And you’re barely Level 2.”

“What expansion did you have in mind?” Rud asked, unsure if he wanted to prod her in that direction. She was already on the edge of falling asleep right now.

“Energy storage nodules. It would allow me to process and store energy better.”

“But…?”

“But it would be taxing. As you said, I would be out for weeks.”

Rud nodded. “Yeah, let’s put that on the back-burner for now. I could use some guidance on what to do with these mortals.”

“Fair enough, little custodian. Perhaps we can focus on increasing the level of our buildings first. Then we can worry about the nodules.”

Rud pushed himself away from the trunk, looking up at the massive tree. He cocked a brow, wiggling his eyebrows at the tree. “The buildings have levels?”

A gentle giggle ran through the forest. “Of course they do.”

Rud threw himself back against the tree, folding his arms in mock-indignation. “You people need a handbook for this stuff.”

Another giggle soothed his spirits. Mint was fine to talk to. She was like an overbearing sister that had too much of her own stuff going on. But Ban’Tanthein was like a gentle mother, always guiding the family in the right direction. The wolf was the guardian, the protector, but the tree was the heart. The core of everything that made the grove what it was. When she went into those sleeps, everything grew slightly darker in Rud’s mind. He let out a wistful sigh, pushing himself to his feet to don his coat and backpack.

“The coat looks nice,” Ban said as Rud passed through a bush.

“Thanks. The mortals gave me some gifts.”

“Hopefully they give you more,” Ban said, her voice echoing through his mind. “Inspect my new building, Rud.”

The smeltery was done. It was a large stone building with a ceramic slatted roof. It was open-air, appearing more like a great barn than anything else. Dominating the center of the workspace was a massive hunk of metal. How the tree had generated stone, metal, and ceramic came down to tree magic that Rud wouldn’t attempt to understand. The floor of the workshop was massive compared to the Mining Workshop. Mint had scattered the tools he requested nearby, leaving them to the elements. The druid approached the building and placed his hand on the side, knowing that his intent would bring up the prompt.

[Smelting Workshop]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree Building

Upgrade Progress: 0%

Description:

A workshop dedicated to the art of smelting, complete with smelter.

Upgrades:

NONE

Simple enough, but Rud could now see the upgrade progress of the building. “How do we upgrade it?”

“Dungeon Core Fragments or Imbued Monster Cores,” Ban said. She continued when she saw him looking up to the trees, tapping his foot. “Dungeon Cores come from within the dungeons themselves. Mortals can obtain them after clearing a dungeon. Imbued Monster Cores are easier to get, but you’ll need to learn ritual magic.”

“Naturally. I’m gonna stand here and wait for a spirit to give me ritual magic,” Rud said, closing his eyes and holding his arms to the sky. His hands dropped to his sides when his arms got too tired. “Nevermind.”

Rud thought about the smelting process as he went to collect his Fairy Peat. He passed through the Thicket Travel upgrade, bringing back fuel and storing it in a metal bin outside of the workshop. He didn’t know the right words for the metal smelter, but it was a tall, pile-like device with a closed space underneath for a fire. Along the length of the thing were gates which would open when a long handle was turned. If what Mira said was true, he would heat the raw ore at a certain temperature, release the slag at the bottom, increase the temperature, then pour the metal. Easy enough, right?

“Right?” Rud asked himself, scratching his narrow chin as he inspected the device. “Easy, right!?”

Rud approached the small idol, a glowing, roughly shaped thing in the workshop’s corner. When he touched it, he got a message prompt.

[Aspect of Aegael attained!]

Your Grove Custodian subclass has reacted to an effigy of Aegael, spirit of the flame.

The Salamander 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.

“That is the mark of the salamander,” Ban said.

“I remember seeing it back at the party,” Rud said with a nod. He felt his mind expand as the Smelting skill attached to his subclass. It was an uncomfortable sensation that passed as soon as it came.

The floor space of the workshop was large enough for Rud to bring in his piles of ore from outside. It was easier to use his backpack, but the process still took a while. After that, he did a dry-run of the smelter’s operation. The gates that would allow molten metal or slag to drop out of the furnace’s bottom were easy to operate. The bottom came out as well, which would make cleaning it out after a use easier. 

With his confidence high, likely from the Aspect of Aegael, Rud brought in some Fairy Peat to start a fire. He held a coal from his mushroom house between tongs, preparing to lower it to the peat below. Mint burst into the workshop, startling him bad enough that he fell over, the coal tumbling to the ground.

“There are mortals in the stump forest,” she said, growling as she always did.

“Alrighty. And what’s wrong with that?”

“They’re doing something weird,” Mint said.

Rud pushed himself to his feet. While he wanted to get the smelter running today, it wouldn’t end well if Mint bit the heads off the local mortals. He nodded, patting her on the head as he passed. “I’ll take care of this. Don’t worry.”

Chapter 13

Mortal Promises

Rud passed through the thickets of the forest, appearing near the stump field. He brought two buckets filled with enchanted pond water, ready to take care of whatever diplomatic event was going down and the trees in one go. He heard people working in the distance before he broke through the treeline. Hammers banged on something, someone else shouted orders. These were sounds that hadn’t been heard in the forest, and it was unsettling.

When he broke through the treeline, Rud saw men and women working to clear the land. A path snaked behind them, rolling over the hills and down toward their logging camp. Mira was leading the group, shouting orders and pointing fingers. The druid approached, holding a bucket of water in his hand.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Rud asked, craning his neck to get a look at what they were doing.

Mira placed her hands on her hips, gesturing to the vast road behind her. The workers were leveling out the earth. The unfinished sections of the road revealed a layer of gravel and ditches on the road’s side for drainage. Atop that was laid hewn stone bricks, set into place with perfect precision.

“Do you like it?” she asked.

“Oh, I love a good road,” Rud said, nodding politely. He didn’t understand its purpose, though. “What is the road for?”

“Ah! This is excellent,” Ban spoke into his mind.

“I almost have approval, little spirit,” Mira said, beaming down at him. “When the final signature is signed, we’re going to build a road through the grove.”

“And the purpose of that road?” Rud asked. Ban giggled into his mind. She already knew what it was for. They really needed a handbook.

Mira came over, kneeling to be at eye-level with Rud. “Back home, in Sparwyn, there’s a road that passes through Lord Bent’s grove. All are welcome to travel the road. Leaving the road is a crime punishable by death.”

“Ah, that makes sense. I guess we should have some rules for traveling through the grove, huh?”

“Yes, indeed!” Mira shouted, clapping her hands and yelling at a worker who had stopped placing bricks. “A solid road to the west is needed if we’re going to help you with the dungeons. If the Sacred Tree is in the center of the grove, we’ll create four roads total.”

From each cardinal and to each cardinal, all joining in the center where Ban was. That was a great idea, actually. This way, Rud wouldn’t need to worry about the mortals straying where they didn’t belong as they passed through the area.

“I shall consult with the sacred tree,” Rud said, holding his hands into the air. “O Sacred Tree. Hear my call. Can we build this road, or naw?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Please, Sacred Tree,” Rud said, pumping his fists in the air. “We need this road to prosper!”

“You alright? I already said it was fine.”

Rud fell to his knees. “PLEASE!”

“Do you need to take another nap?”

“We have the tree’s blessing,” Rud said, dusting himself off as he stood.

Mira touched her fingers to her forehead, then bent at the waist. “Thank you, keeper. When will we have permission to enter the grove?”

“When they clear this dungeon!” Mint shouted into Rud’s mind.

“When the fire dungeon is cleared,” Rud said, bowing in response to Mira’s bow. He still didn’t know how to respond to their signs of reverence.

“Yes, we’ll get that done soon,” Mira said. “I promise.”

Mira wasn’t the kind of woman that chatted. She turned away to yell at her people some more as he watered the plants. Rud cast Plant Growth twice on trees that were ready for it, tying red ribbons to them. That got a series of impressed sounds from the workers, who paused long enough to watch the druidic magic. He performed a dramatic bow before heading off, collecting the two cruddy crystal fragments in his mailbox. The druid stepped through the underbrush, appearing back at the smelter.

“That went well,” Mint said, padding around the building.

Rud checked to make sure his Aspect of Aegael was still active. It wasn’t, so he touched the statue again. “Yeah, I like the idea of traveling mortals coming through the grove.”

“It is a common practice in Sparwyn. Other areas… not so much.”

Rud placed a tiny amount of Fairy Peat under the smelting device. It had an opening that he could shove a bellows into, but he didn’t think it would be necessary. The coal he had brought was still smoldering, so he used that to light the fire. The rush of fire singed the hair on his fingers, but the smokeless fire was lit. He closed the cage door under the smelter and stepped back. It would take a moment for the thing to heat up.

“Once the dungeon is gone,” Rud said, retrieving his shovel. “You can watch the mortals in the grove, right?”

“Yes. I can monitor all interlopers.”

“Good. I have a squirrel army that can help, too.”

“So long as you feed them nuts.”

Rud shoveled from the first pile of ore, climbing a small ladder near the smelter to dump the load in. He left the larger rocks behind, going for the stuff he had smashed into a fine gravel when he was mining for the fragments. After depleting the pile, he used the small hammer Mint had brought him to crush those larger rocks, then added those to the mix. He closed the lid and stepped back.

“I guess I just wait,” Rud said, turning to find that Mint was long-gone. “Oh, if only there was some awesome salamander dude that wanted to give me a new spell. Maybe one that let me enchant some copper so I can actually sell it.”

Ban had promised that he would get the spell, but nothing came. Rud turned his attention to the ingot molds. There was a slot on the smelter where he could hook the mold, allowing him to pour the molten metal without burning himself. Mint had also found a big metal rod he could use to poke the metal while it was melting within the smelter. She had thought of more things than he had, bringing more tools than he had uses for.

Rud added more peat underneath the smelter, then got to work organizing the workshop. He found a home for every tool, making sure that everything was within arms’ reach for any specific task. After a while, he realized that the Fairy Peat needed some help, and attached the bellows. He was too weak to work them by hand, but found a way to jump from the ladder to compress it. The fire roared under the smelter, licking the bottom of the device.

There was one thing Rud was relying on. It wasn’t his skill at melting raw metal, or the tangible skill given to him by the salamander. He needed the smelter to be magical. The slag had to either go to the top, or the bottom. Anything else would create a pot of ruined metal that he couldn’t salvage. A mix of metal and rock that any discerning person in a fantasy world would reject for quality. But the melting process was slow. And boring. The druid checked the contents once more, still finding them to be only partially melted, and headed off to collect more tea plants.

“Make sure the workshop doesn’t burn down, Ban,” Rud said, passing through some bushes.

“It is part of me. I’ll know,” she said.

One sweet tea and one citrus tea plant wasn’t enough for Rud. If the mortals wanted to buy druid-brand tea, he needed more to sell. The mediocre fragments in his bag motivated him to find other ways to instigate trade. He found four more plants, two of each, along the stream and brought them back to his mushroom house to plant. Without the mana to force them to grow, he gave them enchanted pond water and returned to the smelter.

Rud added more peat below the smelter before checking the contents. It was a swirling mass of black with red, orange, and white visible underneath. He poked with his poking stick, finding that not all the ore had melted. But a thick crust of slag had formed on the top. Not the bottom, but the top. The druid didn’t know if that would make things easier or harder, but he shrugged. As he descended the ladder, a prompt appeared and he cheered.

[Spell Obtained!]

The Salamander Spirit Aegael has taken notice of you. She has gifted you with the Imbue Crafted Item spell.

“Awwww yeah,” Rud said, rubbing his hands together. He pulled up his Druidic Spellbook and inspected his new spell.

[Imbue Crafted Item]

Rank 0 Druid-Grove Custodian Spell

Crafting Magic

Component:

One crafted item (crafted by the spellcaster)

Mana Cost:

15

Description:

Act as a conduit for a Sacred Tree, imbuing a crafted item with its power.

Effect:

Impart the aspect of a Sacred Tree into one crafted item.

The spell was awesome, of course, but it came with an interesting concept. It wasn’t just a druid spell. It spanned both his druid class and his custodian subclass. The description of the spell revealed more information. It pulled from the power of Ban to give an item special properties. His role as a keeper of the grove had been interesting enough. But the more Rud did for his new family, the more he realized how many hats he would wear. Would Ban create a blacksmith, expecting him to create stuff with the metal he poured? What about a woodworking station where he made trinkets for passing mortals? The list rolled on through his mind, and he couldn’t decide if it was a good thing. Perhaps those burdens would be lessened over time, but for now it seemed overwhelming.

It took way longer for the ore to melt than Rud had expected. By the time everything was molten within the smelter, noon had turned into the late afternoon. One last swish of the poking pole through the mixture revealed that it was ready for pouring. The layer of slag still rested on the top, and he could feel nothing but the hard metal container below.

“Guess we’re ready,” Rud said, using the tongs to place the ingot mold near the lowest gate.

The druid twisted the lever, releasing a steady stream of molten copper into the mold. He moved it to the side, filling all five slots before bringing the item to rest on the ground. It would need to cool before he handled them, but he had more than enough mana to cast his new spell on each newly crafted ingot. Rud held his hands over the still-molten metal. Flames jumped from his hands, slamming against an ingot to produce a hissing sound. The orange metal gained bands of deep red. While he didn’t have enough mana to enchant any more ingots, Mint had brought him more than one mold.

Two hundred pounds of ore produced about twenty ingots. Those ingots were just under the length of Rud’s forearm and almost impossible to handle with the tongs once they were poured. He suspected that his new Smelting skill helped him move them around. After pouring each mold, he gained a single level in that skill which helped him out. He also gained a level in Crafting Magic, which reduced the cost of the spell to 13 instead of 15. But the ratio of ore to ingots hardly seemed to matter. Rud was exhausted.

“I’ll get those tomorrow,” he said, stumbling out of the smelter. The fire was out and he had let the slag splash onto the floor. That way, the smelter wouldn’t get clogged the next time he fired it. The druid arrived at his mushroom house, half-heartedly watering his tea plants before falling onto his back.

“You did well today,” Ban said.

“Thanks… Oh! I guess I did real good today,” Rud said as a level-up notification entered his vision.

[Ding!]

You have gained a level in your Druid class!

Level 3!

You have gained one free attribute point.

You have gained a level in your Grove Custodian class!

Level 3!

“Your hard work paid off,” Ban said with a gentle chuckle. “Your subclass is bound to your main class. You can never level your subclass higher than your main one.”

“Interesting. Do you have a class?”

“I do.”

“What is it?”

Ban only chuckled at his question. Rud rested on the ground. Mint started a fire in her little fire pit, and he could smell the scent of roasting meat before long. There must have been another forest creature that was out of line. Likely another wolf pushing into the grove to find easy prey. But the guardian had made it clear to the local animals not to violate the rules. But as Rud thought about it, he wasn’t certain that Mint could talk to animals. Maybe other wolves, but he didn’t want to ask. She would give him a non-response, the way she always did.

“Sit up and eat, little one,” Mint said, forcing a strip of roasted meat into his mouth. Rud chewed idly, not wanting to rise to a seated position. She forced him up, and shoved another piece of meat into his mouth.

“Thanks, mom.”

“Not a problem.”

Mint had taken her human form, which she often did when she was cooking. Rud got comfortable on the hard ground, wrapping his coat around himself for warmth. The longer the day drew on the colder it got. As night approached, he was prepared to weather the storm the way he had always done. Sitting in front of a warm fire, sipping tea, and sleeping. 

“What are you going to put your free point into?” Ban asked.

While it was a good question, Rud didn’t know if there was any response other than ‘Mind.’ Mana had become a precious resource for him, and most of his daily actions were limited by it.

“I suggest putting points into Strength,” Mint said, tearing a section of meat off the bone and chewing loudly.

“There is value in that,” Ban said, her voice without commitment. “But our custodian is shaping up to be a strong spellcaster.”

“Yet he needs to perform his duties, which requires physical strength.”

“The aspects he gains more than make up for that,” Ban said, causing Mint to nod in agreement. “The difference between two and three Strength is minor. But a single point in Mind gives him five mana at this rank, and a pool that regenerates quicker.”

Rud didn’t know what he thought about being talked about like this. He listened as the pair went back-and-forth about the matter. But he had already made up his mind, mostly based on Ban’s observations of the aspect system. He remembered how heavy the ingot molds should have been, and how light they felt as he worked with them. His mind went back to working in the mine, and how light the large pickaxe felt as he swung it. His Grove Custodian subclass made up for most of his physical weakness, giving him little reason to put points into physical attributes.

“Then there is gear to consider,” Mint said with a sage-like nod. “If we find him Strength gear, he could wear a necklace, earrings, rings, and bracelets that give him the attribute. That’s at least six Strength.”

“An astute observation,” Ban agreed.

“I’m not getting my ears pierced,” Rud said, quickly grabbing his ears. They were more sensitive than his ears back on Earth.

“Don’t be a baby. I will pierce them myself.”

“I don’t see a big pile of gear around,” Rud said with a shrug. “How hard is it to get?”

“Not as hard as you might think.” Mint cut more of the meat for Rud to eat, but also handed him roasted mushrooms to go with it. And a cup of tea. “I have collected some gear from the monsters outside of the dungeon, but nothing worthwhile yet.”

“She’s hoarding the gear,” Ban corrected.

Mint grumbled, glaring up at the tree. “Betrayer.”

Rud didn’t care about getting more strength gear. He had decided on being a spellcaster-style druid after getting his first spell. Affinity wasn’t an attribute that anyone had explained, but if it fell in line with what he knew it would influence spellcasting. It was the Intelligence attribute from most RPGs. He would get his Mind to 10, then pump points into Affinity. After that, he would dump everything into Vigor until it reached 10. That was the attribute that gave him more health, but he assumed it increased his physical stamina. Accomplishing those goals would set him up well, and he could worry about gear after that.

Rud inspected his attribute sheet after placing another point into Mind.

[Rud]

Main Class:

Rank 0 Level 3 Druid

Subclass:

Rank 0 Level 3 Grove Custodian

Attributes:

Health: 56

Mana: 95

Strength: 2

Agility: 3

Vigor: 5

Mind: 9

Affinity: 7

Titles:

[Keeper of the Gladesbale Grove]

Although Ban had mentioned it, Rud didn’t see mention of a mana regeneration attribute in the screen. He would take her word for it and worry about that later. For now, he was happy with his progress. The lively debate about how he should place his attribute points rolled on through dinner. It continued after the sun set completely, long after the insects began their nightly song. He retired to bed after a while, stoking the fire in his mushroom house and getting comfortable in his bedroll. One day, he would have that second floor to sleep on. For now, he was happy to have a warm fire.

Chapter 14

Adventurers

Rud poked his head out of the mushroom house, wincing back when fat raindrops fell on his nose. He had awoken the next morning to the sounds of driving wind and the constant falling of the rain. A breeze blew through his front door, washing him with an icy wind that drove him back into his room and before the fire. Since he had arrived in this new world, the weather patterns seemed constant. Whatever storm had washed over the grove shattered that record.

A fire crackled in the fireplace, grateful and hungry for the pile of sticks Rud had accumulated over the day. If the storm persisted, he could pilfer his supply of Fairy Peat from the smeltery building, but hoped it didn’t come to that. With no desire to head out into the freezing rain, he settled before the fire, brewing tea and roasting mushrooms on the stovetop. The peaceful sitting was disturbed when one massive wolf's eye appeared at the threshold.

“Afraid of some rain?” Mint asked.

“It’s cold,” Rud objected, pulling a blanket tightly against his chest. “And wet.”

Mint backed up enough for Rud to see her muzzle, and the teeth she bared. One growl later and she vanished into the gloom of the storm. Lightning struck somewhere, heralding her departure. As always, she returned promptly and tossed a bundle of cloth onto the ground. “It should fit you.”

Rud removed himself from the chair, holding the blanket close to himself. He picked up the cloth and unfurled it, finding it to be something like a poncho with a hood. The material was normal cloth, maybe wool or burlap he couldn’t tell, but it had been soaked in something. It felt waxy under his fingers, and the water that had splashed onto it either beaded off the surface or remained as complete droplets.

“Thanks, Mint,” Rud said, removing his blanket and jacket and trying to cloak on for size. It fit fine, the hem brushed the ground a bit.

“Oiled cloth. Mortals use it often to avoid the rain.” She was gone without further explanation, vanishing back into the rain.

Rud took time to build up his courage. He had another cup of tea, the leaves provided by Mint and not his own, and ate some more mushrooms. He stepped out into the deluge, seeing how effective his cloak was. It wasn’t magical. Someone had soaked it in some kind of oil, or rubbed it into the fibers. The effect was like a plastic poncho or raincoat back on Earth. It kept the water off his top half, but did nothing to keep his feet and legs dry. Too bad Mint didn’t bring him some rain boots.

“Oh, well.”

At least the trip was brief. Rud stepped through a bush, then jogged his way to the workshop, finding cover under the slanted roof. He listened to the rain dance off the ceramic tiles for a moment before turning his attention to the completed copper ingots. Those that weren’t infused with the spell looked like normal bars of copper. The others that had felt the touch of Aegael had bands of black-red through them, spiraled throughout the metal. A faint light emitted from each, pulsing with a slow beat. Although they had been cooling all night, the druid took care when removing them from the molds. Those blessed by the spirit were still warm to the touch. He inspected one.

[Spirit Copper Ingot]

Epic

Description:

A copper ingot infused with the power of a Sacred Tree.

Aspect:

Ban’tanthein

If the information he had was true, this weighty piece of metal was worth a lot of money. In Rud’s case, it was worth a lot of crystal fragments. He enchanted what he could of the other ingots and set them aside, stacking them in a neat pile on a wooden table. Twenty seemed like a lot, and it wasn’t a ton of work. But as had been the case in previous days, the supply of fragments was running thin. Rud wanted a pile, and he had a scattering.

The druid found himself at a crossroads for the day. Mira might have left him a note in his mailbox, but it was raining outside. He could stay in the smelter to make more metal, maybe figuring out what kind of ore was in the second pile. But then the fragments came back to mind. Rud stuffed an ingot in his backpack, fluffing his poncho out to make sure the pack was covered before heading out to brave the rain. He passed through a bush, appearing near the stump field. Thanks to the rain, he walked out onto the field to check his trees bucket free.

The loggers had removed all the trees marked with the red ribbon. Rud didn’t have enough mana to promote those trees worthy of the Plant Growth spell, and instead went to investigate the curious tents that had been erected near the road. Mira and her people had built the road right up against the stone piles. All the way to the forest’s edge. He walked the road, finding that it was even with no bricks sticking up to knock his toes. There were more tents near the area than there should have been. He counted enough tents for each person in the road effort to have a tent along with another ten for good measure.

“Spirit!” Mira’s voice came, carrying through the sheets of rain like a battlecry. He spotted her waving from one tent, beckoning him in.

Rud made his way over the field of dead things, sticks crunching underfoot as he plotted his course. He entered the tent, finding the interior to be sparse. A magical device produced a flame in the tent’s corner, and a cot rested alongside one side. But Mira was smiling down at him as he shook the rain off onto her things. She didn’t seem to mind.

“Excellent news, Rud,” Mira said, bending low as she always did. “I’ve assembled a team.”

“A team of tents?”

“Of adventurers from town. I settled terms for you. If you don’t mind.”

Rud nodded, thinking he understood what she meant. “What did you settle on?”

“Every fragment they find goes to you, and you get two picks from the gear they find.”

“Does that include Dungeon Core Fragments?” Rud asked.

Mira narrowed her eyes at him. “What would you need those for?”

“A personal project.”

“I’ve only been in a few dungeons,” she said, tapping her chin as she thought. “I’m not sure what they’re used for.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind collecting them for me,” Rud said, patting Mira on the head. “And those terms are excellent. I think.”

“They are perfect,” Ban said, putting her thoughts into the conversation.

“We can start whenever you’re ready,” Mira said.

Rud poked his head out of the tent. The storm wasn’t going anywhere. If anything, it was getting worse. He grimaced at the thought of leading a group of mortals four or five hours through the grove. Since he couldn’t bring them through the Thicket Travel upgrade, it would be a rough walk.

“The journey is about five hours,” Rud said. “Based on how bad the terrain will be.”

Mira raised a brow. “Your home is five hours away?”

“Three hours, but we need to head north after going west.”

“They’ll have to deal with it,” Mira said, waving the thought away. “Stay here. I’ll rally the troops.”

Rud did just that. He sat on the ground, picking mushrooms from his bag and snacking on them. His hand brushed against the ingot, reminding him to ask her about it along the way. After a while, Mira called him out of the tent. He pulled his hood up and braved the rain once again, spotting three hooded figures standing next to her. Just three.

“That’s it?”

“Adventuring parties for low-rank dungeons are often small,” Mira explained. She looked over at the adventurers, clicked her tongue, then elbowed the biggest one in the side. “Make your introductions.”

“Sorry,” the first said, his voice coming out like rough gravel. This guy was big. A few heads taller than Mira and wide. When he shifted, he revealed some of the polished armor under his cloak. When he drew his hood back, Rud could see his scarred face and graying hair and beard. “Barrow. Third Rank adventurer from Sparwyn. At your service, great spirit.”

The next one removed their hood, revealing the soft features of a young woman. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders, and hardly seemed to feel the effects of the constant downpour. Rud barely noticed the pointed ears poking out from under that hair. “Elm. Wizard.”

And that was it for her introduction.

The last removed her hood, revealing features similar to Elm. There were some differences though, although they were the same height. This one had red hair. A little too red, as though she had dyed it. The tip of her left ear was missing, and she had a scar running down her cheek. Despite those blemishes, she had a cheery attitude.

“Oak!” she exclaimed. “Yeah, it was hard getting that name. Elm and I are sisters. Oh, I’m a Priestess of Alyn. We’re from an island. Just southwest of this continent—Aiswyn—and we grew up dreaming about all the things that we could do as adventurers. And one day—not too long ago—Barrow teamed up with us and we made our way to Barlgore. Just going along the coast and…”

“That’s enough,” Mira said, holding up a silencing hand.

Oak folded her hands and cast her eyes to the ground.

“Everyone here understands the rules,” Mira said, looking pointedly at Oak once again. “They have performed jobs in Basil’s Wood. Isn’t that right?”

“Right,” Barrow said, the obvious leader of the trio. “Stick with the custodian. Touch nothing. Be nice to the critters.”

That was an excellent list of rules. Rud made a mental note to engrave that somewhere for all to see.

“Exactly. I won’t be joining you for this trip. I have approval for a team to head in, but I’m not on the list. Folks back in town were getting weird when the storm rolled in. But the Great Spirit Rud is in dire need of help, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. Super need.”

“That’s it, then. Off you go,” Mira said, shooing them away.

“Follow me,” Rud said, turning and grumbling low enough that the others couldn’t hear. He should have stayed in the smelter. The adventurers fell in line behind him, all pausing at the edge of the grove. He turned, finding them touching their foreheads and saying something under their breaths. After a moment, they joined him, trudging into the wet forest.

For the first hour, the group was silent. Rud made sure both Mint and Ban knew that there were mortals in the forest. The guardian announced that the rain was preventing the dungeon from releasing more monsters, which allowed her to stalk them along the path. That brought great comfort to Rud, who still wasn’t sure what he thought about mortal folks. After that first hour passed, Oak was the first to talk. No surprise there.

“So, how do you get to be a keeper of a grove?” she asked, jogging up to walk beside him.

Rud pulled the hood of his cloak back far enough so he could see her. Under her own hood, he could see her smiling down at him. “A custodian needs to be compatible with their Sacred Tree. That’s about all I know.”

“When we were in the Lord of the Wood’s domain, we were watched closely. I could feel the guardian of the wood on our backs at all times.”

“Then my guardian is doing her job well,” Rud said with a laugh. “You’re still being watched. You just can’t see her.”

Mint laughed into Rud’s mind. Silence set in over the group after that. The landscape was hard to traverse in the rain. The druid had the advantage of being barefoot, giving him a firm grip on the ground. Another half-hour of nothing before someone spoke up again.

“What’s in your bag?” Elm asked, breaking the silence.

“Enchanted ingot. Wanna buy it?” Rud asked, removing the copper bar from his pack and holding it for her to see. She didn’t ask for an invitation. She took it for an examination.

“You crafted this?” she asked.

“What she meant to say was ‘Wow! What amazing craftsmanship! You’re awesome!’” Oak said, clapping her hands together.

“It is high quality,” Elm said, ignoring the statement made by her sister. “I might be interested.”

“Take advantage of a fresh custodian spirit and I’ll cave your head in, Elm,” Barrow said. Rud didn’t need to look back to see he was shooting daggers at her.

“I wouldn’t. You’d get ten silver on the open market. Per bar.”

“Almost meaningless to me,” Rud shrugged. “What is that in high-quality crystal fragments?”

“Two to five, depending on clarity.”

And Rud had twenty bars, either enchanted or ready to be enchanted back at the workshop. Ban had planned the construction of her buildings well. She could have made other things that would help him produce things to help the grove directly, but she knew better. The Sacred Tree had seen the long road, and put herself on the line to see it through. After that realization, the druid didn’t feel the sting of the cold so bad. His feet felt less sore and the adventurers seemed less annoying.

“Perhaps you can put me in contact with a buyer,” Rud said.

“Myself, of course,” Elm said, doubling her pace to catch up with him. “Elmera Oaken.”

“What?”

“My real name.”

Oak groaned. “What’s the point of adventurer names if you don’t use them?”

“You may call me whatever you like,” Elmera said.

“There she goes. Laying it on thick,” Barrow groaned.

“Sorry, I’m married to a tree,” Rud said, waving her away. “Just kidding, but I am interested in selling ingots if you’re buying.”

“We’ll settle after the adventure,” Elmera said.

“Wow, already getting cozy with the mortals?” Mint mocked.

Rud pushed on, pulling in front of the adventurers to warn them of a sudden drop ahead. He realized they needed to head around, since they couldn’t teleport.

“Leave him alone, Mint. He’s having fun with them.”

Rud wished he knew how to use telepathic communication. So far, he could only talk out loud for the others to hear. Instead, he pressed forward and navigated the grove with the adventurers. Elmera became slightly more talkative after that. She explained why the ingots were so valuable. Enchanters couldn’t enchant raw materials, and their process was expensive. Blessed ingots, like the one Rud had produced, were regulated by whatever church produced them. Druid groves rarely produced ingots, making what he had a rarity.

“Each item produced from your ingot will carry a piece of the Sacred Tree,” Elmera said, far more passionate than Rud expected.

“That’s crazy,” Rud said, stopping on a rise. They had been walking for the requisite three hours and finally caught sight of the Sacred Tree. “There she is.” He gestured dramatically toward Ban.

All members of the adventurer party performed the sign of respect, bowing low enough that he was worried their foreheads would hit the forest floor. They passed through the clearing, stopping to admire the tree.

“Is that your house?” Oak said, biting her lip. “Why is it so cute?”

Rud shrugged. “I’m a little guy. I got a little mushroom house.”

Barrow approached the Sacred Tree, kneeling before her. Rud could feel Mint tensing in the distance. He placed something on the ground before returning to the group, clearing his throat as though he had done nothing. As they pushed on, heading north this time, the druid saw it was a letter and a low-quality crystal fragment. The fragment soaked into Ban’s bark, but the letter remained.

“Not long now,” Rud lied. He took them to the west more than he needed to avoid questions about the mining and smelting building. “At least the rain isn’t letting up.”

Mint scouted ahead, making sure it was clear of monsters. Another hour and a half later and the group approached the charcoal clearing. The adventurers paused, withdrawing weapons from bags that were too small to house those weapons.

“We’ll get to work, great spirit,” Barrow said, bowing to Rud.

“The guardian will wait for you here,” Rud said, returning the bow.

“Don’t sell those ingots,” Elmera said, glaring at Rud. “I need them.”

Rud waved as the group departed. He was exhausted from the social interaction and weight of his responsibilities. When they were out of sight, he scampered into a bush and returned to the Sacred Tree. After retreating into his house and stoking his fire, he fell into his chair with a great sigh.

“Looks like your plan is coming together, Ban,” Rud said. It was always awkward talking to the air, and not a person.

“One step at a time.”

After the soreness of the long walk wore off, Rud got up to add more wood to the fire and start some mushrooms and tea. He poured himself a steaming cup, grabbed a mushroom skewer, and fell back into his chair.

“The party has entered the dungeon. They’re all third rank, and capable,” Mint siad. Rud could tell she was speaking to the group again.

“This is our first exposure to outsiders, Mint,” Ban said. Her tone wasn’t angry or anything. She was excited at the possibilities. “The beastfolk woman, Mira, was smart enough to pick a leader from Sparwyn.”

“Indeed. I wish to increase security in the grove, though.”

Mint and Ban talked back-and-forth for a while. Rud dozed on his chair, slipping in and out of sleep. The fire crackled as the storm raged on outside. A deep sense of comfort flooded through his body, a warm blanket tucked up under his arms. The druid fell asleep in his chair, embracing the coziness all around him.

Chapter 15

A Comfy Cloak

Rud stood in the Smelting Workshop after accepting the Aspect of Aegael. While the rain had lightened up, it still fell over the grove in turgid gusts. After eating his breakfast, he had delved into the mine to see if fragments magically regenerated. They had not, forcing him to move off to the smelter to work for his crystal fragments. With Elmera as a buyer, he hoped to create a stockpile of high-quality crystals to keep on hand.

The Fairy Peat crackled under the smelter. Although it was damp from the constant rain, it didn’t seem to affect the incredible burning properties of the stuff. That brought questions about how safe the peat bog was, and if it would catch fire at any moment. But it was a worry for another day, especially considering the constant rain. Once the smelter was up to heat, Rud shoveled loads of the second pile of ore inside. He had a better feel for how the device operated, allowing him to relax while he waited. But there was only so many times a person could reorganize tools before it became stale.

Rud sat near the workshop’s entrance, gazing out into the storm. His concentration was only broken when Mint padded into view. The rain seemed to fall off her coat, never penetrating too deeply. She trotted to the workshop, shifting into her human form as she came under the protective roof.

“I need you to interview someone.”

“Do what now?”

“I’m finally free from that dungeon,” Mint said, taking a seat next to Rud. She stretched, yawning loudly. “That was my life. Day and night, watching for those constructs. Now that I’m free, I ran off to find more wolves to help me with the grove.”

“You want me to interview a wolf?”

“She is on the edge of becoming a Sacred Beast. Your low-level Animal Communication skill should work.”

“Okay. What am I looking for? What should I ask her?” Rud asked.

“You’ll figure it out. She’ll stop by sometime today. Have fun, buddy.”

Mint shifted back into her wolf form, dashing off into the storm. What was he supposed to ask a wolf? Maybe she would be like Mint and Ban with a high-level communication ability. The druid sighed, falling onto his back and gazing up at the ceiling. More defenders was a good thing. If mortals were going to be in the grove, he wanted to have more people to defend the Sacred Tree. Or more wolves.

Rud got up to shovel the ore into the smelter once it was hot enough, finding the action easier than yesterday. He suspected it was a case of him getting used to the weight of the shovel, rather than his advancing skills. Or the aspect given to him by the building. Once the ore had been placed in the smelter, the druid waited nearby for it to heat through. It wasn’t exciting, but the constant rain outside had brought a deeper cold with it. He wasn’t up for heading off for more adventures after walking for so long yesterday either.

One thing was clear. Whatever metal was within the ore needed higher temperatures than the copper. Rud trusted the smelter generated by the tree was up to the task, and tossed another brick of peat inside. It hissed as moisture evaporated in an instant. Flames shot from the vents on that stove’s sides, licking the walls but having no effect. The druid made sure all materials were clear from the area, fearing they would be burned to ash.

Copper was easy to melt, but the junk currently in the smelter was a pain. Rud had to watch the fire much closer, but at least the bottom of the metal furnace didn’t melt out. It took hours before it melted near the top, but Rud’s concentration on the task was broken when a bark issued from behind him. He spun around, spotting a mangy looking wolf with damp fur. It smelled horrible, made worse when it shook, soaking the nearby area with muddy water. The creature sat, panting as it looked up at Rud.

“Did Mint send you?”

The creature barked.

“She said you could talk,” Rud said, hands on his hips as he stared down the wolf. She wasn’t as large as Mint’s wolf form, but even for a wolf she was large. Bands of black and gray ran through her fur, darkened by the rain.

“Yes. I talk.”

The sound she made was almost a series of growls rather than words, but Rud understood them well enough. “Fine. So, you’re just a normal wolf right now? Not a Sacred Beast?”

“No beast.”

The distinction was something Rud picked up from context. Animals could ascend from normal creatures to a higher status which granted them intelligence. He suspected not every animal could do this, but didn’t have enough information. If Mint said the wolf could be a smart wolf, he wouldn’t argue.

“And, uh… How long have you been in the wolf business?”

“All life.”

“Yeah, makes sense. I’m guessing you haven’t been part of a grove before?”

“No.”

“We’re like family here. We look out for each other.”

“A pack!” the wolf howled.

“Sure. I’m realizing I didn’t get your name.”

“No name.”

Ban giggled into Rud’s mind. “I think Mint may have put you up to an impossible task.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Huh?” the wolf said, tilting her head to one side.

“The beast is eager to form a bond with me. Send her to the tree, I’ll finish this up,” Ban said.

“Alrighty. Head over to the Sacred Tree. She’ll sort you out.”

The wolf did a few excited circles then darted out the workshop. She was excitable but seemed eager to serve the grove. Rud hoped Ban had some way to enforce compliance. Perhaps that fell to Mint, but he couldn’t say.

“Nobody tells me nothing,” Rud said, returning to his smelter.

The metal within the smelter took more time to melt down, but the slag formed on top just like last time. Rud poured another twenty ingots of something out into the molds, enchanting what he could before moving on. He pulled the fire out with a poker, letting it burn on the dusty workshop floor. Without a decent way to dispose of the slag, he let it pour out onto the ground, hardening where it fell. After checking that the trapdoor at the smelter’s bottom was clear of crud, he called it a day for melting metals.

Rud held a bar of gray metal in his hand. He had infused this one with the Imbue Crafted Item spell, resulting in the same red-black bands spiraling throughout. He inspected the item.

[Spirit Iron Ingot]

Epic

Description:

An iron ingot infused with the power of a Sacred Tree.

Aspect:

Ban’tanthein

As long as the weird elf had the fragments to pay, Rud was happy to trade her for the ingots. He stood at the edge of the workshop, looking out at the gloom that had seemed ceaseless since it arrived. Without knowledge of the season, or what seasonal weather was like here, he assumed it was normal. At least the plants were getting watered, including his growing tea farm. He pulled his hood over his head and braved the rain, passing through a bush and appearing near the clearing. The nameless wolf was looking up at Ban, likely communicating through thought rather than words.

The tea plants looked good enough. Rud didn’t know what he was looking for, but they weren’t drooping. Over- or under-watering could be a problem with plants, although the druid always had a black thumb back on Earth. He stopped into his mushroom house, brewing a cup of tea and having a seat on his chair. One day he needed to upgrade to something more comfortable, as the makeshift stool provided no padding. Only his layers of clothing prevented a sore butt. After warming up enough, he left for the mine, grabbing the Aspect of Gug before he entered. Without that aspect, it was almost impossible to see within the mine’s depths.

Now that Rud had seen what the ore produced, he identified the veins running through the mine. Copper was the majority metal within the mine on the first path. While iron was scarce by comparison, there was still a lot. Whoever had operated the mine in the past hadn’t stripped it for all it was worth and he had to wonder why. The druid took the left path over the switchback ramp until he arrived in the bay cave.

“Hey guys,” he whispered, trying not to wake the bats. “Just checking for some ore down here.”

“No worries,” one squeaked. A message prompt appeared.

[Skill Gain!]

Your Animal Communication skill has increased to level 4!

“Quiet,” another said.

Message received. Rud tip-toed through the cave area, pressing his snout against the wall and squinting to see the quality of the metal. The stuff down near the bats was different. He couldn’t find the patterns he used to identify the copper and iron, and assumed it was a different metal. While he wanted to chip some off, smelting it to see what type it was, he wouldn’t disturb the bats. Rud pushed forward, heading deeper into the cave than he had been before.

Once Rud passed by the bats, he found a series of branching tunnels hidden in the back of the cave. He placed his hand on the smooth wall, looking back to the bat cave. Someone had carved that area out, but the other tunnels were naturally formed. He compared the smooth section of the tunnels to the rough edges of the cave, finding tool marks to confirm his suspicion. But the cave was weird. If someone came down here and hallowed it out, what was their purpose? Perhaps the metal within the cave was worth more than the metal in the shafts above.

With the architects of the mine long gone, there was nothing Rud could do but speculate. He made his way to the surface, breathing in lungfuls of fresh air. Something about the mine was claustrophobic and he didn’t care for it. As he was already wet and cold, the druid passed through a bush and arrived near the edge of the stump field. He took one step after that, arriving on a solid brick path. The workers had taken the path several feet into the forest, stopping it right in front of a tree. There was a new letter in his mailbox, and a small wooden crate placed on the ground nearby.

Rud trudged over to his mailbox, opening the letter and reading as it was dappled with the light rain. Mira had treated the letter with wax, sealing both the page and the ink against the storm. She needed his approval to remove trees along the path to the heart of the grove and her people were nervous about making inroads to a Sacred Grove. That put a smile on his face, and sent him spinning to meet her in her tent. But his eyes caught the small wooden box once again.

“A present?” Rud asked, steepling his fingers before opening the box. “Don’t mind if I do.”

Another note rested atop a folded piece of green fabric. He read the note first. Mira explained that the lumber they harvested was infused with power from the Sacred Tree. It was far more valuable than any of them realized, and she wanted to repay him. The druid couldn’t help but wonder if she had a line of gifts ready for him, or if her trip back to their town was rendered shorter by some power he was unaware of. He leaned toward the second option, stuffing the letter in his backpack and pulling the length of cloth up.

It was a proper cloak, sized perfectly to fit him. It had a brass clasp around the neck and gold threaded trim along the entire edge. Even before discarding his oil-soaked cloak and donning the new one, he could feel the warmth of the item. It was magical, so he inspected it.

[Enchanted Summerweave Travel Cloak]

Rare

Description:

This cloak provides extreme comfort to the wearer and is completely waterproof.

Effect:

Self-repair, self-cleaning.

Wearing this cloak prevents the wearer from getting too hot or too cold.

This cloak is magically sealed against water, mud, dirt, etc.

Rud discarded his old cloak onto the ground, swinging his new one around and clasping it around his neck. He drew it close to himself, sighing contentedly as warmth spread through his body. Even his feet, which had been bare since he arrived, didn’t feel so cold anymore. Mira had outdone herself with this one, bringing a present that would make the rainy days easily endured. He headed to her tent and stood awkwardly outside for a few moments. Was he supposed to knock on a tent?

“Mira,” he said, hitting his knuckles against the tent flap to no effect. “You there?”

“Come in,” Mira said, sounding bored.

Rud entered the tent, posing at the entrance. Mira squealed, clapping her hands together as she observed the druid. “Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Rud said, doing a spin that sent his cloak fluttering out. “I’ve been miserable since the rain set in.”

“The hood is large enough to keep the rain off,” Mira said, tugging at the cloak to get it into position. “And it shouldn’t obstruct your hearing.”

The cloak didn’t even muffle the sound as he wore it. “This is the greatest gift that has ever been given.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Did you read my letter?”

“Ah, yes,” Rud said, nodding. “You can cut as many trees as you need. So long as a giant wolf doesn’t come out of the forest and growl at you.”

“Perhaps we can walk the path together,” Mira said. Rud could feel the undertone of excitement in her voice. “And we can mark the trees together?”

It was hard to tell what time it was without the sun. They could make it to the sacred tree by nightfall, but Mira would have to spend the night there. Otherwise she’d bumble through the forest for a few hours on her own, and he wasn’t confident she could find her way back. Rud didn’t doubt Mira’s ability to navigate, but he had suspected the forest was magical in ways he couldn’t understand. When a mortal entered, he suspected they would lose their sense of direction.

“You wouldn’t make it back by nightfall.”

“I’ll bring a small tent,” Mira said, patting a backpack resting on the ground.

“Don’t worry so much, Rud. She wants to see me,” Ban said. “Between Mint and our new defender, we should be fine.”

Rud sighed. “Alrighty. Just so you know, the walk sucks.”

“I’m sure some good company would make things better,” Mira said, clasping her hands together. “Allow me to inform my people. I’ll meet you by the forest’s edge.”

Rud watched her go. She didn’t have a cloak and didn’t seem to care about the rain outside. He made sure his hood was covering his head before he made his way out of her tent, standing by the forest.

“I shall keep an eye on her, Rud,” Mint said. “Don’t worry. This is my duty. And I’m free to do it now that the adventurers are in the dungeon.”

“Yeah. This feels like getting naked in front of someone, though. Ya know?”

“I do not.”

“Nevermind. How is the new wolf?”

“She has spirit. And that counts for a lot. I’m giving her tasks to keep her busy.”

“Not a bad idea…. Give a dog a bone, right? What are we gonna name her?”

“She will find her name.”

Rud shrugged, leaning against a tree as he waited. The cloak should have felt like thin material, but the druid savored the sensation of layered warmth. Even a goose-down feather coat couldn’t provide such comfort. He wondered how much money Mira had spent on her gifts, and how much she earned from working the logging site. He hoped she wasn’t going into the red for him. He watched her approach from a distance. She wore her own cloak, although it was gray. She held a bundle of red ribbons in her hand and a smile on her face.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

Rud nodded, turning and pressing into the forest. They arrived at the first tree almost instantly. The druid tied a red ribbon around it and moved along. “It doesn’t matter if the road is completely straight, does it?”

“Just mostly straight. How many trees can we cut down?” Mira asked. “I don’t want to harm the grove.”

“Anything you cut can be replanted by me. I can regrow these trees in a few days,” Rud said, slapping one tree as he passed by. “The biggest problem is going to be the valleys.”

Mira nodded, keeping up with Rud’s pace easily. “We can build stone bridges and ramps. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

The pair were approaching another tree, but it was off to the side. Mira found a stick and tied a length of ribbon to it, marking the path out. She turned around, looking back in the wrong direction—she was looking south.

“You can’t get your bearings in here, can you?” Rud asked. “I thought as much.”

“You’re not turned around?” Mira asked, looking up and chuckling at him. “I swear we’ve gone in a circle.”

“Nope. Plant those flags so your workers can find their way. That’s an excellent idea.”

“I’ll come back through and put something more permanent.”

Rud pushed forward through the forest. He saw the value of the road more than ever as Mira got lost over and over. He thought back to when he led the adventurers through here, realizing how closely they followed behind him. Other mortals would need the road to navigate. If they followed signposts, it wouldn’t be an issue. But anyone that strayed from the road could get lost. A list of rules was needed if the mortals wanted to enter Gladesbale Grove.