Gladesbale Grove Book 1 - Chapters 41,42,43,44,45 (Patreon)

Chapter 41

Magical Island

Rud had dinner with the others in the longhouse, but had no intentions of going to sleep so early. While the day was exhausting, he was still wired from his tea. After everyone left for the night, he headed to the one place he could think of to find a new ally. The Observatory was empty, bathed in the darkness of night, but he clicked on the radio anyway. Static came in from the other end, but he hailed the other tower anyway.

“Gladesbale to Hagsrise. You up?”

Static played back. Rud fell into the uncomfortable chair and scanned the grove while he waited for his guest to arrive. There was no sign that the mortals had returned. Sarya and Dean reported during dinner. The interlopers retreated westward through a passage in the mountains. Rud spent his time in the tower scanning the area, frustrated that those people hadn’t shown in his highlighting vision.

“What a lonely night to stand watch,” a voice said, carrying from outside.

Rud almost fell out of his chair. He swiveled his head, spotting the form of that massive owl resting on the banister. “Hey. Thought you might be back to visit.”

“This is an excellent perch.”

“I didn’t get your name last time,” Rud said, tapping his chin as though in thought.

“Yet I know yours. Keeper Rud.”

“And that name?”

“Nulsa.”

A simple question that revealed two things to Rud. The massive owl wasn’t on the verge of being a Sacred Beast. He was already one. The second thing that was revealed to him was that the owl didn’t have an ulterior motive. Any beast looking to hide its identity wouldn’t have given its name. He could have pretended as though he didn’t have a name to fly under the radar. 

“I’m guessing you like the grove, Nulsa.”

“I’ve been enjoying it,” the owl admitted. “Sanctuary is hard to find. I don’t enjoy being hunted.”

“Is that a problem you have?” Rud couldn’t help but laugh. He couldn’t imagine anyone sneaking up on the owl, let alone defeating it. The creature was as silent as a ghost, appearing only when he wanted to be seen.

“More often than you could imagine.”

Rud realized why the owl had been visiting him. He thought it would be hard to recruit the Sacred Beast to the grove, but realized it was the other way around. Nulsa was concerned they wouldn’t accept him if he asked. But he remembered how prideful Mint could be. Even Basil in the Cliffs of Mog grove had a sense of pridefulness to him. The druid summoned his most important skill that never appeared in his class or subclass. The Interacting with Others skill. Or maybe it was Smoothing Things Over. Setting Expectations?

“I have a problem,” Rud said, drawing himself up in his chair. He smacked the end of his staff against the ground. “My guardian has a problem. The grove is in danger, and we are without a sentinel.”

“Oh?” the owl said, tilting his head to the side.

“Indeed. We’re beset on all sides by enemies. Mortal interlopers and vicious monsters alike.”

“You can stop… I can see what you’re trying to do.”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t see what angle I was taking.”

Nulsa hooted softly, turning his head to peer off into the night. “I would have conditions.”

“Such as?”

“The hunting of rodents. As many as I want.”

“So long as you do so outside the grove.”

“We have an agreement.”

That was easy. Rud felt vindicated. Nulsa was drawn to the grove and wanted in. A night sentinel was a powerful thing. Especially one that could fly and observe from the shadows. There were some complications, though. The druid couldn’t form the pact. That was something that Ban needed to do, and she was still asleep.

“Our Sacred Tree is resting, but she can create a pact when she wakes.”

“That is fine.”

Silence set in over the tower. Long moments passed without either party moving. Nulsa might have been an owl, but that predatory stare was ever-present. Rud had seen an owl once back on Earth. It was hard enough to know if they were in an area at night, even when they were calling. He recalled seeing a dark shape fly overhead as he was camping. Even in the dim firelight it was almost impossible to notice that anything had changed. Until he saw the pair of eyes staring back at him from a tree branch, he didn’t even know he was being observed.

“I watched the mortals enter the realm. Observed your response. I was impressed.”

“Really? Mint wanted to bite their heads off.”

“Perhaps that would have been a better move. But the grove stands for more than needless violence.”

Rud couldn’t agree more. Mint went with his decision, but that didn’t mean she agreed. But Nulsa was right. The grove wasn’t just more than a set of ideals. It was an amalgamation of the thoughts and desires of all three core members. The more Rud spent time in the grove, he realized that the smaller players had a part, too. Taz’s need for a longhouse had created a central meeting point away from the Sacred Tree. That gave Ban some room to breathe and everyone else a sense of great comfort with a warm fire and infinite soup.

Without warning, Nulsa was gone from the tower. Rud didn’t hear him go, and wouldn’t question it. He knew where to find the sentinel. Once Ban woke up, they would gain a powerful new member.

The stove within Rud’s mushroom house had been cold for days. He found his way to the longhouse, creeping inside as everyone was already asleep. Only Sarya was missing from the side of the massive fire. A group of adventurers slept near the other wolves. Taz was nearby, doubled over in a chair and snoring away. The druid found his bedroll and curled inside. The effects of his new tea were wearing off by the moment. Sleep beckoned, and he was happy to answer.

###

An expectation hung in the air as Rud woke the next morning. Things lined up well enough sometimes. Recruiting Nulsa was effortless, so he expected Ban to be awake by the morning. But she wasn’t. The Sacred Tree still worked on increasing her rank, which had resulted in more waves of concentrated mana. The owl hadn’t appeared in the morning, and he doubted it would until the night.

Rud sat with Taz, Mint, Sarya, and Dean within the longhouse. The rain had formed a habit with all the members, forcing them to be drawn to the fire. Things weren’t warming up, but at least the rain was gone. That cut some of the chill in the air, allowing the sun to dry things out. If only a bit.

Taking care of the tea plants and the trees within the stump forest had driven his Plant Care skill to Level 6. Rud put more effort into stripping the leaves from the plants, but took care not to take too much. There was only so much that a cocktail of magic could cure. The druid’s mind eased when thinking about Ban’s energy problem. His stockpile of crystals had grown large enough for him to stop worrying. As he stockpiled the crystals, he now planned to hold onto more tea.

The sensation of energy and focus that raced through Rud’s body helped that feeling take root. He found a nearby bush and teleported to his Observatory. Scampering up the side as a squirrel was fun compared to taking the stairs, and he could always use more levels.

“Nothing crazy going on today,” Rud said, speaking through his radio as he observed his area. “No sign of the mortals.”

“Good. The last thing you need is a mob with torches and pitchforks. It happened to us a few times.”

“Lame. I made a road for the mortals. Wondering if I’ll live to regret that.”

“Maybe. Depends on the grove, I guess. Most don’t even let mortals in without a pact.”

There wasn’t much to note on Rud’s report today. He considered not even writing one, but had already filled half a page. His concerns for the grove were gone as quickly as they came. Nulsa seemed as eager as an owl could to join the grove, so the druid turned his attention to the things he wanted to do. First was his Shapeshifting Magic skill. Leveling that would level his druid class. No matter how hard he tried, he could never remember to cast his spell to increase his Detection Magic skill. But it had to happen if he wanted to advance. Farseeing had been the one thing to add to his Grove Custodian subclass that seemed effortless.

“You’re always spacing out,” Hagsrise said.

“Sorry. Just got a notification,” Rud said, rubbing his hands together as he inspected the message.

[Skill Gain!]

Your Farseeing skill has increased to level 5!

[Ding!]

You have gained a level in your Grove Custodian subclass!

Level 5!

Screens crowded his vision. Once again, Rud had leveled a skill to five at the same time that he leveled a class to five. He checked out the ability options on his Grove Custodian class first. General skills would often have a lot of options. But this subclass had so many things to pick from, the druid found himself at a loss.

“Just leveled my subclass,” Rud said, thumbing the button on his radio. “There has to be hundreds of ability options here.”

“Really? You’re still Rank 0, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s odd. Is there a theme?”

There really wasn’t a theme. The point of the Grove Custodian subclass was to adapt to whatever it was the Sacred Tree needed. Ban needed him to be everything, so he got everything. The problem was, it was hard to narrow anything down. He saw abilities that would enhance a specific domain, which would specialize him. Other skills let him stay broad, influencing a variety of skills.

“I’d go as wide as possible to start. I can only imagine the skills you’re getting are going to go even wider than they are now.”

That’s what Rud was thinking. He narrowed the massive list down to about ten, then picked through those. The more he inspected that list of ten, the less he wanted abilities that needed to be activated. The Grove Custodian class had a lot of abilities with long cooldowns and effects that didn’t match. Four abilities remained, all of which were passive. Of those four, he narrowed it down to two which seemed to have powerful effects.

[Efficient Custodian]

Grove Custodian Ability

Description:

Efficiency is the key to being a good custodian.

Effect:

The effectiveness of your Grove Custodian skills are tied to the rank of your Sacred Tree.

Rud had gone back-and-forth on this ability for a while. At first, he thought it was crap. When a description was vague, he got worried it wouldn’t be great. But when he considered how his connection with Ban had grown, this might be an incredibly powerful ability. But was this a small percentage increase, or a doubling? Hard to say. On to the next ability.

[Radiant Insight]

Grove Custodian Ability

Description:

Aspects are the core of a custodian’s job.

Effect:

The first aspect you accept (once per day, resetting at midnight) gains a significant boost to the linked skill(s).

Both selections were interesting and weird. Radiant Insight would give him a bonus to the skill of the first aspect he accepted each day. It was like Efficient Custodian, but different enough. Both abilities built the Grove Custodian subclass out to focus on his attached skill, which played well to the strengths of the subclass. Rud talked with Hagsrise about both skills. She was leaning toward the Efficient Custodian ability for one reason.

“You have a sapient tree. If the ability is tied to her rank, and she’s smart enough to rank up quickly, your skills will get really powerful.”

It was a convincing argument, too. Ban was itching to increase her rank even further. When she learned Rud had assembled such a large amount of crystals, she might make a sprint for the next rank. He knew there was a resting period between the ranks, but also knew his Sacred Tree well enough to expect the rush.

“You’ve sold me,” Rud said, selecting the Efficient Custodian ability. He almost fell out of his chair. “Head rush.”

Rud still had the Aspect of Bent, which granted him the Farseeing skill. Upon expecting the new ability, his vision had pulsed and warped for only a moment. It was enough to make him feel sick, but it passed soon enough. Without thinking about it, he turned his gaze to the distance to see how far he could see.

“Woah,” Rud said, watching as his vision snapped to the road outside of Barlgore. His range had almost doubled, allowing him to scan even more area. More impressively, he could see the shimmering clouds of magic with more clarity, gaining understanding about what they meant.

“How did it go?”

“Worth it,” Rud said. “I guess Ban is Rank 1 now, because my farsight was doubled. Oh, hold on… I can finally see that weird island.”

Rud allowed his vision to shift, giving him a top-down view of the shore of the dark shape in the lake. No waves lapped against the rocky shore. A thick sheet of ice encased the area around the island. He pulled his sight away from the area, looking upon the tower once again. The ice seemed too thick to be a product of the storms. Rud let his sight zoom in again, peering further than would ever be possible. The island rested on the lake, surrounded by a cloud of snow.

“Magical frost island?” Rud asked. “Interesting.”

“Sounds more exciting than anything I have down here. Just rocks and more rocks…”

The view from the tower was beautiful. Rud allowed the borrowed power from Bent to fade, allowing him to see the treetops of his grove. How different would things have been if he ended up in a mushroom grove, rather than one with an awesome tree? He didn’t want to even consider it.

“Just abandon your post and live in Gladesbale,” Rud said, setting the microphone down to stretch. He still needed to go through the upgrades for his Farseeing skill.

“Yeah, like that would ever happen. They’ve got us by the soul, my friend.”

“That sucks too.”

Hagsrise chatted about her grove while Rud went through his upgrade options. This list was far more limited than the ability selections for the Grove Custodian subclass. An upgrade caught his attention right away. The tower was atop a hill, which gave him a great view of the area. But there were several places he had trouble seeing because they were behind terrain features.

[Piercing Gaze]

Farseeing Upgrade

Description:

What use is farsight if you can’t see through things?

Effect:

While using the Farsight skill, you may see through one layer of terrain. This includes earth, stone, trees, etc.

That was one way to solve the problem. The other upgrade options offered percentage increases to his view distance that were too low, or sight through specific weather. With the distances Rud was currently viewing, he was almost certain the curvature of the planet should have been a problem. But it wasn’t. This was magic, after all. He went with the Piercing Gaze upgrade and felt it slotting into his skill. While chatting with Hagsrise, he tested it out. Sure enough, he could see through a layer of terrain. There were a set of hills to the southwest that had been a problem, but Piercing Gaze allowed him to stare right through them.

“The worst part about dwarves isn’t even the alcoholism. Well, did you know that they’ll die if they don’t get booze?”

“Really?” Rud took a moment to stop messing with his new upgrade to work the radio. “Pretty sure mine hasn’t had liquor, but he isn’t dead.”

There was a long pause on Hagsrise’s side of the radio. Her voice crackled back to life after a moment. “I think the dwarves have been lying to me for about twenty years. I’ll talk to you later. Someone is about to die.”

“Just don’t get caught,” Rud said. “Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Things would become quite lively at the Hagsrise Grove. Rud pushed away from his post at the radio and headed out. Perhaps it was time for a nice, calming bath.

Chapter 42

Bramblest Brambles

Piercing Gaze made Rud’s morning farseeing far easier. The scent of the soaps he used last night lingered on his skin and in his hair, still pungent in his nose even after sleeping. He had ascended the tower that morning and got to searching, scouring the entire grove. His new Farseeing skill combined with the Efficient Custodian ability to make the job easier than ever before. The signature of energy pulsed throughout the grove, allowing him to pinpoint the monsters and dungeons for his reports.

But the radio had remained silent that morning. No matter how many times he called the other tower, he earned no response from the custodian there. Perhaps the problem with her dwarves ran deeper than even she knew. Rud had finished documenting the dungeons and was searching the southwestern border of the grove. There had been another dungeon springing up in that area. If the mortals didn’t organize to remove them soon, things would get bad.

“You guys… again?” Rud asked, shaking his head.

A group of mortals had set up camp near the grove’s border, appearing as though they intended to delve inside once again. It could have been the same group as last time, but Rud couldn’t tell. If this became a common occurrence, Mint would need to get involved. That meant using her fangs and claws to put an end to the mortals. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, the druid knew the importance of protecting the grove. Especially when Ban was still down for the count.

The only bright side to Ban’s slumber was her newest upgrade. Energy Flowers had slowed her energy consumption to about half. She needed half as much crystals to stay within an appropriate level of reserve energy. This turned Rud’s seven-day supply of crystals into a hoard. With no desire to do so, Rud allowed the Farseeing skill to fade and pushed himself away from his desk. The mortals wouldn’t make it far into the grove, even if they sprinted from where they were. He took his time completing his report to the mortals in Barlgore, teleporting to the stump field when he was ready.

One massive tree had been felled. A group of woodworkers were removing the bark and singing a song. They didn’t notice the little druid as he retrieved crystals from his mailbox and inserted his letter into the ‘outgoing’ section. He used Shapeshift: Squirrel to avoid bothering the workers and scampered over to the house he had built them. The interior was immaculate. A neat stack of firewood rested by the wood-burning stove, and each surface seemed to have been polished by hand. 

Rud left the building, climbing the side and perching on the boughs. A ways down the stone path, he saw a single tent. I might have been Mira’s, but he couldn’t tell from this distance. One scamper later and he was dropping some serious eaves at the tent’s side. He allowed his acute squirrel hearing to drink in the conversation.

“Not that it would matter,” Mira said, blowing out a frustrated breath.

“We haven’t seen one on this side. We’re fine,” another woman’s voice. Rud didn’t recognize it, but it was soothing.

“How long would that take?” Mira asked, sounding more frustrated with every word. “We’re one wave away from destruction as it is. Imagine if another dungeon spawned in the south.”

Rud backed away from the tent, feeling dirty that he was listening in. Considering what Mira was saying, the mortals weren’t doing good. He found something hard to nibble on to calm his nerves and thought his way through it. This was a problem with the mortals he hadn’t wanted to consider in the past. They were keeping things from him because they thought he was some mystical spirit. Feather might have gone nuts if he learned all custodians were from another world. At least the tree and the guardian were native…

Rud shook his head, dislodging those errant thoughts. The mortals were in trouble. They couldn’t defend their crappy town and strike out against the dungeons. The adventurers who ‘volunteered’ to destroy the dungeons in the grove didn’t have a good time. He suspected they made it out by a narrow margin. Every other adventurer was more interested in exploring, which might have been a sign that they were looking for a better place to live. Or he was overthinking things again. The druid nodded to himself as a plan flashed through his mind. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it could help.

Scampering away from the tent, Rud found the nearest bush within the grove and teleported. He first found his way to the Sacred Tree, where he instructed Dean to go do some good old-fashioned murder. Then he scampered—still in squirrel mode—to a section of the forest he remembered. Every answer to any problem he faced could be found here. Under the boughs of those sprawling trees. He took care when collecting several plant samples and headed to make sure Dean didn’t murder the mortals too badly.

Rud watched as Dean tore through the group of mortals. Against his instructions, the wolf only wounded them. While watching, the druid’s Shapeshifting skill leveled to Level 3. The mortals limped away, screaming in fear.

“Great job,” Rud squeaked from a tree. “Where do you think they’re from?”

“I couldn’t say.” Dean was still growling after the mortals. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help the mortals out. Not those mortals. The ones we like.”

“Why would you help them? They’re fine.”

“I don’t think they are. They’re pretending they’re fine. I saw another dungeon sprout to the south.”

“Another? This isn’t the time to joke.”

“That makes five. And guess what? I’m thinking they’re going to keep coming until the mortals can clear them out.”

Dean growled, but nodded. “The magical energy in this area is unstable. It is the richest soup I have ever tasted.”

“I could go for some soup,” Rud said, dashing down the side of the tree. “I’ll be back.”

Dean dashed after Rud as he ran away. The wolf seemed concerned. “Are you going to the mortal town?”

“Yup! I have a plan.”

“Are you going to… run there?”

“Yeah. Wanna come?”

Dean shook his massive head. “Just hop on. You can stay in your squirrel form.”

“Why not!?”

Rud jumped onto Dean’s back, finding the action easy to do while in his squirrel form. His plan for the Shapeshifting Magic skill was simple enough. He would be a squirrel as often as he could and pray that he would get another form. Something fearsome like a wolf. The wolf dashed off before he could say anything else, but it didn’t matter. Holding on was easier as a squirrel, and he had packed his backpack with all the things he would need. He just hoped the mortals would like his plan.

There were twice as many guards on the wooden walls of the city than the last time. Rud would use the information he learned from Mira’s conversation to see if he was right. But first, he needed to find Lord Feather. At least the people in town didn’t care about a squirrel riding a giant wolf. They had seen enough weird things to accept it as fact. Feather wasn’t in his normal haunt, but the duo found him near the southern wall. Staring off into the ocean, the lord turned and tilted his head at the strange sight.

“Great spirit?”

Rud jumped from Dean’s back, shifting into his true form before he landed. He tried to do a heroic landing, but tumbled over. After dusting himself off, he struck a proper pose. “Greetings, Lord Feather. Sir.”

“What can I help you with?” Yeah, he was being short. Something was going on.

“I come with a blessing from the grove!” Rud shouted, hoisting his staff to the sky. “Behold!”

Feather blinked slowly as Rud removed a plant from his backpack and held it to the sky.

“That’s a lovely bit of… What is that? Brambles? I accept your gift graciously, spirit.” Feather bowed.

Rud pulled the plant away when Feather tried to take it. “Mine.”

Feather sighed. “I’m rather busy. Could we skip the part where you’re weird and tell me what you want?”

“I’m here to bless Barlgore!” Rud proclaimed.

“With a bush?”

“Not just any bush. This right here is the bramblest bramble that you’ve ever seen.” Rud pricked his finger on the plant again. “I know you’re having problems with the monsters. You can’t even defend your own town.”

Feather set his jaw, staring down at Rud. Yep! The town was screwed.

“I’m going to plant brambles around your walls. Then you won’t have to worry about defending your town!” He held a pointed finger up in triumph.

Rud’s proclamation fell flat on the leader. He sighed again, reaching out to touch the plant. Feather didn’t even wince when the thorns pricked his finger. “This won’t keep a toddler out.”

Rud had to keep his energy up for this. Feather wouldn’t go for this plan if he didn’t see a demonstration. The size of a plant didn’t matter. The druid could make the plant larger, and spread it out to create a barrier against the town’s walls. “A demonstration!”

Feather rolled his shoulders and sighed. “I don’t have any other options. Show me, spirit.”

Rud marched through the town, finding his way to the gate leading to the west. Feather followed closely behind him. The guards on the walls gave him a strange look when he exited onto the dirt road, but he waved them away. The druid planted the brambles about four feet from the wall, giving them plenty of room to grow.

“In ten years, we’ll have thorns large enough to protect this one log,” Feather said, slapping his hand against the wall. “Thank you for your time, spirit.”

“But wait! There’s more!” He continued, holding up his hands and waggling his fingers. Jazz hands!

Rud hoisted his staff into the air, calling forth the Plant Growth spell. He cast it twice, until the thorny bush was almost as tall as the wall and about ten logs wide. This got the lord’s attention. The needle-like thorns that had dotted the plant had grown to the length of Rud’s arm. At least Lord Feather was slightly more impressed.

“You have my attention,” he said, approaching the brambles. He ran his finger along the length of a thorn. It cut him with ease. He surveyed the span of the wall. “Could you cover the entire town?”

Rud couldn’t do the job in a single day. He hadn’t shown Feather the next step of his plan. He collected the components required to cast Shape Plant and went to work. It wasn’t as easy since he wasn’t inside the grove, as he didn’t have access to the Grove Weaver upgrade to his Construction Magic skill. Feather was still impressed with the druid’s ability to spread the thorny vines across the wall. Once they were spread out enough, he rested long enough to cast Plant Growth once more. The thorns were now as long as swords, and just as sharp.

The wooden walls of Barlgore covered a great area. But by combining Plant Growth with Shape Plant, Rud could make each plant cover a significant span. The strain was increased since he wasn’t within the grove, but he estimated it would only take a few days to cover the entire place. The plant he had selected—something he thought of only as brambles, but realized was more like tangled vines with thorns—was perfect for the job.

“This is impressive,” Feather said, approaching the defensive wall. He angled his head, trying to find a way to approach the wall. Entering the tangle would have torn him apart. “We are in your debt. So long as you can cover the entire town.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. This is going to take me a few days, though. All I ask is that you work on removing the dungeons…. Oh… About that.” Rud explained the new dungeon that has sprung up south of the grove.

Feather seemed unsurprised. “No point hiding it. Is there? Since the grove sprouted, the amount of dungeons we’re seeing is increasing. We cannot keep up.”

“Will this help?” Rud asked, gesturing to the wall of thorns.

“Of course. I’m happy to dedicate resources if I know we’re better defended. And if we could get the help of the grove while assaulting the dungeons, that would be even better.”

Rud and Feather talked about a general plan to assault the dungeons. The lord admitted that it was hard to get people to volunteer. Running dungeons was done by adventurers back in Sparwyn, but it was a controlled thing. Dungeons were understood before they were tackled by adventurers, giving them information about what was inside. Monsters, traps, and bosses were all documented. It was rare that someone would dive into a dungeon just to destroy it. Even worse, he revealed that there was only a single healer in this colony. That was Oak, who was overworked as it was.

When Feather was done explaining their situation, Rud waited a few beats. This was a time where some spirit would look at him and think ‘hey, that custodian sure could use some healing magic to help things along.’ It took about four breaths before one of them noticed him.

[Spell Obtained!]

The Cleansing Spirit River has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Nature’s Restoration spell.

“There we go,” Rud said. Feather asked what he was talking about, but he examined his new spell.

[Nature’s Restoration]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Healing Magic

Component:

Mana Cost:

30

Description:

Infuse a being with nature’s healing powers.

Effect:

Affected target will regenerate health over the next 30 seconds.

This spell does not remove disease, poison, etc but the target's wounds will close. Fractures and so on will not be mended.

If it got so dire that the mortals were on the back foot, Rud could sub as a healer. He studied the description and effects and had to wonder if he could use the spell on non-humanoid things like wild animals and plants. But he wouldn’t reveal this new spell to Feather. The mortals didn’t need to know, and Rud doubted his ability to split much time between the grove and dungeons if he wanted.

Feather had a few more things to say about the wall of thorns, but promised to dedicate his resources to the dungeon. Rud had considered encircling the dungeons in brambles as well, but the town’s western approach needed it more for now. The druid only had so much time outside of the grove, so he worked with the three plants he had brought. The mortals gave him space to work, and he appreciated the solitude. Dean watched from a distance but was more interested in lounging in the sun.

Rud felt too weakened to assume his squirrel form by the time he was done. It had taken several hours to plant, grow, and shape the three brambles. Those natural defenses covered half of the western wall, leaving a sizable gap near the gate. Everything seemed in order when they returned to the grove. Hagsrise still wasn’t on the radio, but there were no more interlopers. The dungeons were calm and Ban’s radiant energy flowed through the druid’s body to restore his energy levels.

Instead of getting back to it like a good worker, Rud joined with the crew in the longhouse. He relaxed by the fire. Since the icy rain had left, the temperature outside seemed absolutely pleasant. Between the frozen island—likely driven by magic—and the changing of the seasons, there was no way it would stay so pleasant. Colder weather was on its way, and with it came snow. Snow, ice, and long days spent before this fire.

Perhaps the changing of the seasons wouldn’t be so bad.

Chapter 43

Got Any Boo-Boos?

“Should’ve built a wall of iron!” Taz shouted.

Rud stood, leaning against his pick and giving the dwarf a look. Rud had spent the previous day maintaining the things within the grove, eager for Ban to awaken. But she didn’t, leaving him feeling aimless. It was the next morning within the mine. Taz’s system of drains had ensured it wasn’t flooded, and each new section of the mine he created was a bounty of ore and crystals. But he wasn’t impressed with the druid-inspired wall. And that was the only reason the druid had come to the mine.

“Well, I think it’s cool,” Rud said, releasing his pick and heading for the entrance. As usual, the dwarf didn’t care. Maybe Hagsrise would be more interested in the creative use of druidic magic.

The mortals that Dean had scared off didn’t return. Rud couldn’t find them, and he assumed his Farseeing skill was good enough to spot them. The situation with the dungeons hadn’t changed. As the druid clicked on his radio, flipping through the channels at random before settling on the one belonging to Hagrise, he documented what he saw.

“Gladesbale to Hagsrise.” Rud clicked the button with his thumb, being as lazy as possible while taking his notes. “Hope you didn’t kill all your dwarves.”

“Not all of them.” Hagsrise’s voice came back with a series of crackles.

Rud was absolutely certain this wasn’t a real radio. But he had trouble remembering that sometimes. “Good to hear. Is everything good over there?”

“Down here, you mean. Mostly. I didn’t confront the dwarves about their drinking problem. We had a series of monster attacks that threw me off.”

“Really?” Rud’s sight snapped back into his eyes, leaving the frosted shores of that strange island. The sound of cracking ice he had imagined still lingered in his mind.

“Yeah. We’re talking waves like I’ve never seen. We had to muster all the defenders within our grove to keep them back. Including Gug.”

How did one muster a worm to defend anything? Rud imagined the spirit she was talking about was large. Maybe it rolled around on enemies, crushing them. He shook the thought away.

“That’s weird. Because we’re having some monster problems of our own. We’ve had two new dungeons spring up in the past month. Make that four. I forgot the ones to the north.”

Hagsrise was silent for a long while. Rud held the microphone in his hand, willing the radio to produce a message. He was so intent on that voice arriving but was startled when her voice crackled in over the radio.

“This might be some information Bent needs.”

“Interesting. But how do we get a message to him?”

“First, it would be easier to relay the message if others had built Observatories. I’m certain at least one other grove has one, but they leave their radio off. Ugh. This is annoying.”

A communication system for all the groves would be nice. Rud didn’t know why the Observatory didn’t come default with every grove. Then again, this was all some long-term experiment by Bent. The stag didn’t know what he was doing from the start, but Rud suspected an element of all the groves since he got here. Bent wasn’t trying to create the perfect grove. He was trying to recreate the elements present in his own. Perhaps that had distracted him, making all groves non-standard.

Rud blew out a steady breath. There was a lot of work to do if this problem affected more than one grove. It meant that the problem would only get worse. Which meant it might be time to make good on wrapping those dungeons in brambles. At least until the mortals could get to them.

“Do you have mortals supporting you? To clear the dungeons?” Rud asked.

“Not really. We’re in this weird underground place. The caverns are connected all over the place, but the nearest permanent dwarf settlement is pretty far. We only have contract dwarves here. ”

“At least you can take shelter here. If you really need to. I’m sure my tree could open a portal.”

“You’re sure?” Hagsrise laughed. “Look at you. Wearing your big boy pants. Defending the groves.”

“I’m just offering some warm tea and a place to stay. That’s all.”

“How kind of you.” Hagsrise trailed off, remaining silent for quite some time.

Rud checked on his dungeons while she was gone. There was just as much activity as last time. Several monsters had emerged, but Mint was keeping them at bay. But the druid could see where this was going. It was almost as if the dungeons were creating more dungeons to the north to distract her. That gave them time to attack the mortals.

“You still there?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking about something. We’ve been using callsigns.”

“Oh yeah… I guess I didn’t notice.” Rud lied about that. Every time they used a callsign, he felt cool. Like he was a trucker on the open road.

“Would you mind if I told you my name?”

Rud felt his heart jump, but couldn’t figure out why. He recalled the time when he met Jim, another custodian. Before that meeting, he thought the other custodians were just people from this world. But another Earthling? That changed a lot. The reason he sat at the radio for so long was because Hagsrise was a familiar line back to that old life. He didn’t want to return to it, but there she was. A reminder of the past. Of the future? She was from the future, so that was weird.

Rud shook his head, a crackle of static bringing him out of his stupor. “Yeah, yeah. That’s fine.”

“Well… You have to promise to give me yours.”

“Of course. You can call me either name. Shawn on Earth and Rud here.”

“Ooooh. Your guardian gave you a new name? Gug tried to name me Glorp. Nice to meet you, Rud. I’m Maria.”

“You too, Maria.”

There was a human face in Rud’s mind now, but he knew that couldn’t have been true. “So, which body did they give you? Hopefully you’re not a worm.”

“Oh, you’re going to make fun of me for this. I don’t want to say.”

“Come on. When Mint came to gather me, I thought she was cosplaying as a samurai. I told her I wanted to be an elf because of that. She said they didn’t exist here.  Well, she got me a Talen Por body.”

Another long stretch of silence from the radio. After a beat, Maria came back laughing. “You’re not going to believe me. I swear to god I’m a Talen Por.”

Rud laughed into the radio. He didn’t believe her, of course. “Oh yeah? If you’re a Talen Por like me, what are they called here?”

“People of the forest,” she said plainly. “Or those who smell, depending on who you ask.”

It was Rud’s turn to provide extended silence. He knew about the hippie part, but stinking? He didn’t stink. “You’re joking. Aren’t you?”

“Sorry, fellow stinker. We’re a bit stinky.”

“I take baths!” Rud shouted.

“Bathe all you want. You can’t clean your ancestral stink away.”

Rud felt his concern for the other groves grow after what Maria said. They chatted for a while, but he had work to do. The druid signed off, intending to rope Dean into helping him with the dungeon situation. The first leg of his work would be to encircle more of the mortal town with brambles. After that, he would do the same thing to the dungeons. Between those tasks, he wanted to practice his new healing magic. It would have come in handy when he was dealing with that injured bird.

“I hope the dungeons and the sick bird aren’t connected,” Rud said, shapeshifting into a squirrel and burying a nut.

Dean was essential for his plan to help Barlgore out.

“Onward, my steed!” Rud clung to the wolf’s fur, regretting his decision to go with the squirrel form again. He had placed as many of the bramble vines in his pack as he could without destroying his hands.

The duo approached the walls, and it was time for some inspection. The guards on those walls only nodded down at them, not assuming the same aggressive posture as they did the last time. Rud checked the health of his existing brambles using his Plant Care skill, finding them to have adapted to the area well enough. There was evidence that someone had watered the plants, which was good. It would be hard to overwater them as the large plants seemed thirsty. The druid was happy to see the locals taking an interest in the defense of their town.

Right before Rud canceled his shapeshifting form, it hit Level 4. One more level until he got to see the upgrade potential of that skill. The timer was ticking. He got to work on the north-facing section of the town, finding that it had more bends and angles than the one on the west. With a few breaks, he was able to cover the entire length, and then some of the eastern wall. But the effects of being away from the grove were withering, forcing him back to safety.

Rud clung to Dean’s fur, almost unable to keep hold of his fur. “Might have pushed it too far, buddy.”

“But look,” Dean said. Rud could barely hear him over the wind whipping by. “They’re sending adventurers to the dungeons.”

“That’s a start.”

Dean brought Rud to the longhouse. Taz had been good about keeping the soup up. There was a hot bowl of soup and a warm fire waiting for him. The weather might not have been sour, but the wind whipped fiercely while riding the wolf.

“Can I assume you don’t need me?” Dean said, edging toward the door.

“Yeah. Thanks for the help.”

Being outside the grove felt like something was drawn away from Rud. Like when he spent too much mana in too short of a time. There was something in his chest that needed to recharge, and only Ban’s calming aura could provide it. He recovered by the fire, feeling better within the hour, and headed off to check on the tree. After adding a few crystals, he inspected her.

[Ban’Tanthein]

Rank 1 Level 1 Sacred Tree

Upgrade Energy: 0%

Reserve Energy: 75%

Energy Nodule Efficiency: 90%

Upgrade:

[Thicket Travel]

Expansions:

[Mining Workshop]

[Smelting Workshop]

[Energy Nodules]

[Observatory]

That’s how levels worked. Each time a person advanced to a new rank, they were sent back to Level 1. Nothing was taken away, this was just the system’s way of tracking progress through the ranks. Rud was certain there was some interesting perks that came with advancing in rank. He suspected he would gain access to Rank 1 versions of all his spells. Ban hadn’t selected the upgrade for her advancement either. If it was half as useful as Thicket Travel he would foam from the mouth to get it.

“You’re doing good, tree,” Rud said. He looked around before leaning in to whisper. “But if you pick another expansion before I’m ready… I’m gonna be real mad.”

The statement was mostly a lie. Rud wanted a blacksmithing building in town. He had neglected both his Mining and Smelting skills in favor of Farseeing. Seeing far was more than that, though. It had become the thing he relied on every day. While he had no confidence in himself to swing a hammer—or make anything useful—he was excited for the building.

Rud had the good sense to check the tower before heading off to add horrific brambles to the dungeons. Dean was fighting monsters in that area, clearing it out so the druid would have an easy time with the task. He waited in the tower for a while, looking at the radio and feeling the temptation to hammer that button on the microphone. But the wolf was done with his work, clearing the way.

The dungeons had grown in a pattern along the southern edge of the grove. Considering the placement, Rud decided it wasn’t a coincidence. They didn’t run in a straight line, but might as well have. It was close enough for him to think they had been placed intentionally, hugging the edge of the grove as though avoiding the power within. The druid selected a spot near the first dungeon, which was farthest to the west. He planted his bramble vines right outside of the entrance then watched as the plant withered.

“Too close?” Rud asked, scanning the area.

The area around the dungeon wasn’t filled with dead plants. The plants that grew there were sparse, and the ground was oddly sandy. But for the bramble to have died so quickly, there must have been some magical nonsense going on. Rud selected a less valuable plant to transplant, finding the safe distance for his brambles to be about one-hundred feet. This presented a problem. The brambles wouldn’t catch the monsters as they were coming out of the dungeons. The best he could do was run lines of brambles north to south, hoping that the creatures got stuck as they marched for the mortals.

Fortunately, it was far easier to create these defensive structures near the grove. He had access to the Grove Weaver upgrade, and drew on both that upgrade and Druidic Attunement to control the aspects of his spells. While he was unsurprised that his Construction Magic went from Level 7 to 8, he was shocked at how long it took. The road to get a skill up was growing increasingly difficult.

Rud paused his work after finishing a line of vines. He waited for his mana to regenerate for a bit then had a great need to test the healing spell out. It took a lot to psych himself up, but he dragged his hand over a spike on the plants, gaining an impressively shallow wound.

“I’m gonna die,” Rud said, wincing.

“You barely scratched yourself,” Dean said, coming from nowhere. Because that’s what wolves did.

“If I die, you can have my acorns.” Rud prepared to cast his newest spell, Nature’s Restoration. It was just as easy to cast as any druid spell. Orbs of green light flashed around his injured palm. The injury didn’t heal right away. But it stitched itself together over the course of minutes.

Dean grumbled something, looking over the wound as it healed. “Interesting magic. Can you use it on me?”

“Maybe. Got any boo-boos?”

“Any what?”

“Injuries.”

The wolf turned, revealing a shallow boo-boo on his side. Rud had to wait for his mana to restore, but his staff made quick work of that. Not only did the spell cure the wound, but it regrew some hair! Neat!

“If only I had the regenerative abilities of Mint. I’ve seen her flesh knit back together in moments.”

“Fancy guardian stuff,” Rud said, nodding. He rolled his shoulders, eager to get back to work.

While Rud gave himself a tough day with all the brambles, he left the easier stuff for last. It didn’t take long to form some vine barriers while being so close to the grove. He didn’t feel lightheaded as he went through the process, and Dean seemed satisfied with the placement of the walls of thorns. When he was done, Rud went to the Sacred Tree to check. But she wasn’t awake yet. He instead headed to the tower to make sure everything was calm.

Rud heard footsteps ascending the stairs, turning when they approached the top to find Taz marching up. He had two bowls of soup, one in either hand, and a sheepish smile on his face.

“Getting late, druid. Not sure how you manage those stairs all the time.”

“I turn into a squirrel and run up the side.”

“Of course you do,” Taz said, handing the soup over.

The perpetual stew… soup—whatever it was—was normally delicious. Rud had been worried that being over such a hot fire would burn the bottom of the contents, but that never happened. Sometimes the dwarf would add something extra to the mix, sending the flavor off for a while. But it had been a boon to both the denizens of the grove, and traveling mortals. They had seen less of those people in the past few days, and Rud was getting worried about Barrow and his team.

“So, are you happy with the grove? Happy with your class, at least?”

“Happier than a dwarf in a mine.” Taz laughed, finding a chair and falling into it. “You don’t know much about being shunned by the gods, do you?”

“Of course not. I’m a druid. No gods. Only trees and wolves.”

Taz laughed again, choking on his soup. After he regained his composure, he continued. “I thought I was doing everything right. Working the mine. Worshiping when I needed to. Falling in with that group… Well, anyway I was branded an apostate for one transgression. You know what this grove means to me?”

“What’s that?”

“Freedom.”

Chapter 44

Rud’s Smelter

Rud sat near the communal fire the next morning. He held the Twig of Ban’tanthein in his hand, inspecting the description several times to find nothing. He had thought the branch would advance when the tree did. Since that was not the case, it fell to him to unlock the item’s mysteries. He pulled his Summerweave cloak around himself, doubling the effects of the fire. Today was another long day of working with the vines. It was a boring task, but a necessary one.

“First things first!” Rud announced to exactly no one. “The tower!”

For once, the tower was occupied. Rud found the massive owl Nulsa perched on the table, pecking at the radio. He turned his head, inclining it slightly when the druid entered.

“Sorry you haven’t gotten your contract yet,” Rud said, standing near the stairs. He didn’t want to encroach on whatever it was the owl was doing.

“I can wait. I can watch,” Nulsa said, releasing a faint hoot. Rud didn’t doubt that for a second. The owl was the most patient creature in the entire grove. “I come with information.”

“Excellent.” Rud withdrew his writing material, sliding his chair away from the owl and finding a bare section of the desk. He prepared to write. “Let’s hear it.”

“The mortals you scared away are from a settlement on the western shores. I flew there myself and found more mortals.”

Rud squinted then shook his head. He couldn’t be sure, but it was only supposed to be dwarves from some unknown nation and the people from Sparwyn. He couldn’t recall being told that there were other interested parties on the continent. Aiswyn was supposed to be an uninhabited island-continent.

“That’s troublesome. They had bad intentions when they entered the grove.”

“Indeed. They’re massing a force for something.”

“Even more troublesome. I guess we can’t rely on the good nature of the tree huggers forever, huh? Could you bring this information to Mint?”

“Certainly,” Nulsa said. He gave the radio one last peck before hopping out the door and flying away.

Rud was left feeling uneasy, but confident all the same. Any mortal that wanted to tangle with the grove would be in trouble. But this was the reason why he hadn’t completed the southern road. Those buttholes would keep approaching from that direction, and he didn’t want to give them a straightforward path. He preferred to watch them get lost in the woods rather than walk on a comfy road all the way to Ban.

“Maria, how’s it going?” Rud asked, clicking the button on the microphone after turning the radio on. Static shot back at him, but gave him time to complete his notes.

This was a question for Feather and the mortals in Barlgore. Who were these people, and why had they come here.

After a long moment of silence, the radio came to life. “I’m here. Just scouting the surrounding tunnels.”

“Has the monster problem gotten any better?”

“Not yet. We’re working on it, but we can’t find anyone willing to run the dungeons.”

Gladesbale Grove was having a similar problem. The mortals in Barlgore were already running the five dungeons, but they were taking them one at a time. Rud had spotted a camp constructed by those people and hoped they could get it under control soon.

“Have we told Bent?” Rud asked.

“I’ve tried, but our tree isn’t working with us. Your tree is sapient, right? Just get her to send the message.”

“She’s ranking up. Which means she’s asleep.”

“Wow. Trees go to sleep when they rank up? Who knew?”

The conversation with Maria was as pleasant as ever. Rud excused himself after a while, heading off to work on the construction project instead. He spent the entire day working on the town’s defenses, exhausting himself to where he didn’t want to do anything else for the day. Dean helped him run back and forth twice, but each time the druid’s energy levels seemed to drop further. No amount of tea, Squirrel Grey or not, would help. He lay splayed out in the common area and gazed up at the ceiling.

There were no adventurers passing through the grove right now. Feather must have put a bounty on the dungeons or something. He didn’t know how much authority the lord held over the people in his town. The groups that had left over the western road were gone and the druid knew exactly what they would find. They would discover a passage to the western shores of the island, and the people that inhabited that area. Or they were looking for something more valuable in the places between. It was hard to say.

The only thing Rud was certain of was his blends of tea. Once the mortals got their hands on those, everyone would want to buy them.

###

After finishing his morning reports, Rud went to the smelter to take care of some things for Taz. He lit the smelter and headed off to collect more Fairy Peat while he waited for it to heat. If there was another long stretch of rain, the grove would need the fuel stocked. He collected downed branches as he went, depositing those into the longhouse and returning to find his smelter hot enough to get to work.

Rud accepted the Aspect of Aegael and got to work. First was the copper. Taz had been good enough to transfer the ore to the smelter, leaving it in massive piles outside of the north-facing entrance of the building. The druid wished for several bags of Dungeon Core Fragments to fall out of the sky so he could upgrade the building. With just one smelter, the process was slow. After the fourth pour, the pile seemed much lower. Although it had eaten away at the day, there wasn’t much else to do.

“Oh. Sarya,” Rud said, stepping from a bush to enter the area occupied by the Sacred Tree. He patted her on the head, scratching her behind the ear. She kicked her leg, unable to control herself. “What are you up to, silly wolf?”

“I am communing with the tree,” she said, following Rud.

The tea plants needed some attention. Rud had been too busy bolstering the defenses of the mortals, and had neglected them over the past few days. Even the fire within the drying house had gone out, forcing him to kick-start it with some Fairy Peat. He cut leaves from the tea plants, placing the bundles into his bag as the wolf stuck close behind.

“Think she’ll wake up soon?” Rud transferred the dried tea leaves to containers, intending to blend and package them later.

“I don’t know. Do you?”

Rud shook his head. He wanted some tea before he got back to smelting, so he headed for the longhouse. Sarya followed along. Squirrel Grey was the best blend of tea for him, so he fixed a pot of that on the communal fire. Taz had set up an iron stand with hooks, allowing anyone to hang a teapot above the fire. After allowing the water to boil, the druid introduced the tea leaves and allowed them to steep for a long time. He enjoyed strong tea more than anything, especially with the earthy-sweet blend. The tea with the citrus leaf could be overwhelming if left for too long, hence why the citrus and earthy blend was called Suckerpunch.

Sarya didn’t care that Rud didn’t have an answer for her. She was content to sit by the fire. Her advancement to Sacred Beast status would take a while. There were elements of her personality that screamed ‘wild beast,’ but others that showed kindness and dedication. Those things would take a while to come out, and Rud had to question Mint’s decision to induct the wolf into the grove. Not because he didn’t like her, but because of how powerful the guardian was.

Power draws power. That’s something Rud remembered reading, but he couldn’t remember where.

“Ah. The mistress calls,” Sarya said, springing up and scampering away. Rud watched as she nudged the door open with her muzzle before dashing away.

Rud got back to work in the smelter as soon as he was done with his tea. He labored away, creating stacks of ingots of questionable usefulness. They had a surplus that defied their needs, even if they had a blacksmithing building. But the druid loved to stockpile things, looking over the large piles of ingots with appreciation. He enchanted what he could without overly draining his mana.

Working on the last of the copper pile, Rud was startled by the flash of a message he wasn’t expecting.

[Skill Gain!]

Your Smelting skill has increased to level 5!

That came with the familiar list of upgrades to pick from. After Rud finished with the batch he was working on, he sat down to review the list. Finding a good upgrade was about looking for synergy or something that would make life easier. With his druid skills, he tried to focus on the synergy aspect. But both upgrades he had taken for his Grove Custodian subclass were about utility. He narrowed the list down based on that idea, only finding one with any amount of synergy. The druid examined the first skill—the one based on synergy rather than utility.

[Flow of Ore]

Smelting Upgrade

Description:

Why import when you can produce?

Effect:

Ore that has been mined locally will produce higher quality ingots.

This was a selection because they only smelted ore that was local. There had been no importing of ore, and Rud had no plans to do that in the future. The only problem with this upgrade was the vague effect. The ingots he produced already seemed of a high quality. Perhaps someone that worked with metal would know the difference. He moved to the next selection.

[Bound Furnace]

Smelting Upgrade

Description:

Bigger smelter! Why not!? Much better!!!

Effect:

You may select one smelter to bind to yourself. That smelter grows based on the level of your Smelting skill.

That smelter receives a larger ingot tray, growing with the size of the smelter. This tray cools poured ingots faster.

One upgrade allowed him to make better ingots while the other would make more. Going with Bound Furnace satisfied an immediate need, while Flow of Ore would satisfy a future one. Rud’s plan was to use most of his ingots to create utility things, like braces for the mine. Which meant he didn’t care about some mythical quality of the ingots, only that he had more. He promised himself to pick the Flow of Ore upgrade upon the next upgrade and went for the Integrated Furnace upgrade.

After selecting the upgrade, Rud touched the coolest part of the furnace. The tall metal smelter rumbled. There was still molten ore in there, but the upgrade didn’t care. The smelter shot out in every direction. It got wider and taller, rattling as it expanded. It was over in a moment. The druid inspected the built-in ingot tray, finding it to already be too hot to handle. But it was nice, and more than doubled the amount of ingots he could pour at a time.

“No time like… right now.”

Rud used the new ingot tray to pour some bars. They cooled far faster than before, allowing him to knock them out of the mold quickly. Eager to test how much ore he could load into the smelter, he cleared out the copper and grabbed his shovel. Scoop after scoop of iron ore went into the smelter after the slag was cleared away. The capacity of the smelter had more than doubled, though.

There were some magical shenanigans going on with the smelter, though. Rud studied the way it heated, finding that it came to the right temperature slightly faster than the old one. For such a massive hunk of magical metal, that should have been impossible. The ore inside heated more evenly, making it even easier to bring a whole batch to temperature. If he had to guess, this reduced the time he would spend working the smelter by half.

After marveling at the way the smelter now worked, Rud touched the coolest part of it yet again to inspect the item.

[Rud’s Smelter]

Rank 0 Growth Smelter

Bound to: Rud

Description:

A magical furnace bound to Rud.

Effect:

Decreased heating time for all Rank 0 ores.

Decreased slag production for all Rank 0 ores.

Rud suddenly wanted a growth pickaxe. He wanted everything he owned to be a growth item. But he realized why another person wouldn’t take this upgrade. If a person ever intended to move, they would need to bring the smelter with them. That might not be so difficult considering magical means of transportation—of which he had seen none—but the problem still stood.

Clearing away the pile of iron ore should have taken another full day. Rud cleared it out with a half-day of work. Some of that inspired smelting was driven by his desire to see his new smelter to work. Some of it came from his need to see the pile of iron go away. It wasn’t pleasant to look at, and represented his inability to get the ore smelted. The result was a massive pile of ingots, neatly stacked against one wall. Some of those ingots were even enchanted with his Imbue Crafted Item spell.

He couldn’t wait to see the items he could craft once they had a smithy.

Rud was cleaning himself up in a bucket of enchanted water, washing away the grime from the smelter, when he heard Taz call him.

“Rud! I could use a hand over here,” the dwarf said, beckoning from afar.

“Coming!”

Rud shapeshifted into a squirrel and dashed over, gaining a glaring look from the dwarf. “You don’t have to change into a squirrel every chance you get. Ya know that, right?”

“Oh, but I do!” Rud said. “If I shapeshift as often as possible, I’ll level my skill. Which means I might get access to more shapeshifting abilities. I’m hoping for a bird so I can scout things well.”

Taz had stopped in his tracks, staring down at the squirrel with one bushy brow raised. “If you’re saying something, I can’t understand it.”

Rud shifted back to his Talen Por form. “Nothing,” he lied, not willing to spill his excitement for shapeshifting again. “What’s up?”

“I’m almost out of lumber, but I need you to hold some boards up while I set them in place.”

Rud was happy to join the dwarf down in the mine. He spotted a pile of crystals near the entrance, along with more ore that needed to be taken to the smelter. There were even a few piles of gems that Taz had been collecting. The section of the mine he needed help with was the endless sprawl of criss-crossing tunnels down below. This was the southern section of the first wing, according to the dwarf. It was roughly hewn, and only intended to seek out veins of ore and crystals for now.

“Once we get some metal supports, we’re going to widen these,” Taz said, gesturing to the stonework. “I’m relying on that building upgrade for now. The soft stone one.”

“This is looking great,” Rud said, pressing both his hands against a beam to hold it against the wall.

“I’ll get this side,” Taz said, grunting as he pushed the beam in place. It was another wedged beam, but it didn’t want to slide into place. The dwarf shoved his weight against it, finally hitting it with a hammer. Once it was wedged, he hammered a few nails in. “Good thing I built these to be our size. Imagine getting a ladder to do that.”

“It’s bad enough when I need a ladder to do smelting…”

“Say, while you’re here… could I get help with something else?”

“What do you need, Taz?”

“Just go have a word with those bats. They’ve been getting mad with me. Flying around and biting my ears when I go to get stuff from the cold storage.”

Rud jumped at the chance to use his Animal Communication skill some more. “Sure!”

While Taz joined Rud toward the cavern area, he didn’t descend all the way. He waited near the top of the slope, allowing the druid to activate his Clear Communication upgrade. The chatter of the bats hit his ear like a tide.

“Fools! Befouler! No safe caves left in this world. How dare he!”

“Hey guys!” Rud said, waving his hands to get the attention of the bats. “Can anyone explain what’s going on?”

Hundreds of eyes turned to lock onto the druid, glaring from the darkness. The glittered, although there was no source of light. Only the Aspect of Gug gave him the ability to see them at all.

“Disturbance in the cavern! Disease. Befouler. Death!”

Rud scratched his chin, trying to piece together what the creatures were saying. The bats were too worked up to say anything that made sense. So he listened. As the bats rambled on about things, the druid figured out what was going on. There was something in the cave that had injured a fellow bat. He spotted that bat on the ceiling, hanging with one wing outstretched.

“Come down here, you goofball,” Rud said, holding his arm out. He hoped the bat was smart enough to descend.

“Do not go! He will eat you!”

“I’m the druid here. I’m going to heal you.”

There was some debate on if Rud was going to heal or eat the bat. After some back-and-forth, he convinced the injured bat to descend. It flapped through the air, having a sideways tilt to its path. When the creature clasped onto the druid’s arm, he realized how big they were. The bats were a foot tall with horribly long claws on their feet. Even their wings were tipped with sharp claws. It didn’t help that their faces were so hog-like, he had to wonder if they weren’t pig-bats.

Rud cast the Nature’s Restoration spell on the bat. The room brightened with green light, forcing the bats above to shriek. After a few moments, the wound on the bat’s wing vanished. It flexed the appendage, seeming to nod with approval before taking off again.

“Savior! He is our savior! Now he will slay the beast!”

Rud turned his Clear Communication upgrade off, heading out from the mine. He might have saved the bat, but it was dinnertime. Whatever horror lurked in the cavern could wait until tomorrow.

Chapter 45

Toeknockers

Rud sorted out his morning report and tea while talking with Maria. She seemed interested in the bat situation, but only because she wasn’t a true druid. Animal Communication was a weird skill, but he felt as though he was finally getting a handle on it. That mainly had to do with the trust he had built with the bats within the cavern. There were no signs of more interlopers in the grove, and the first of five dungeons had been destroyed.

Nulsa also came with a report that the brambles he had created were doing their job well. More than a few monsters had been caught in the line of vines, thinking they could push through them. That was good news for Barlgore and the grove. Now if only he could animate those vines to ensnare malicious entities… Rud waited for too long as he had the thought, expected to get a spell that would help him do that. Nothing happened.

“Gotta go,” Rud said, finalizing his reports. He included the effectiveness of the brambles in his letter to Feather.

“Take it easy, Rud. Keep working so hard and you’re going to burn out.”

Rud clicked his radio off without responding. Dean and Taz were waiting for him outside of the mine. The druid had already informed them they were going to go into the caverns to figure out what had happened. Neither cared for the bats, but both understood the implications. If the creatures weren’t overreacting, there could be cause for concern deep within the mine. Since that was Taz’s home, there was no reason not to be cautious.

“I do not care for caves, caverns or mines,” Dean growled as they entered the mine.

Rud had accepted the Aspect of Gug. As they passed into the unlit mine, his eyes adjusted quickly. “We need your muscles if anything goes wrong.”

“You’ll need my fangs more than that,” Dean spat.

The wolf wasn’t happy about this, but Mint was too busy to help. Since Dean was the second strongest being in the grove, he needed to come along. Rud was once again reminded of how important the mine had been and would be in the future. If there was some horrible beast down there, they needed to sort it out right away. Taz hoisted his pickaxe as they descended the slope, taking the left passage toward the bat’s cave.

“Wait here a second,” Rud said, activating his Clear Communication upgrade. “We’re coming to investigate the problem. Don’t fly down and get all tangled in Taz’s beard.”

If the dwarf could have understood the language of bats, he would have fled from the mine.

“We saw it! The beast came from that direction. Through the tunnel!”

The tunnel leading out from the cavern should have been closed. Taz and Rud had plans to excavate that area, but the short hall on the far side of the cavern didn’t lead anywhere. The druid urged his companions forward. Dean took the lead, growling up at the bats as he walked over the smooth cave floor.

“Ah. That wasn’t there before,” Taz said, scratching his head.

The group had approached the far side of the cave and had found something strange. The smooth stone that had appeared had been shattered, revealing a tunnel. Like the cave itself, this was a naturally formed area. It was easy to tell the difference if one looked for the tool marks on the walls. Everyone stopped when Dean did. The wolf sniffed the air and growled some more.

“That’s not good,” Dean said, growling down the passage. “This might be a good time for a—”

Rud shapeshifted into a squirrel out of instinct and fled for the far side of the cave. Dean was sent back by a massive ball of fur, teeth, and claws. Taz screamed in fear, dashing for the far side of the cavern as quickly as his little dwarven feet could carry him.

“Mint! We need you!” Rud shouted, his chittering squirrel-tongue echoing through the cavern.

Dean tussled with the creature as the bats fled the scene. Taz ran the wrong way, heading directly into the freezer while screaming, “cave bear! Shave my beard—a cave bear!”

A dark form burst from the entrance of the cave, slamming against both Dean and the bear. She pinned it to the ground with ease, forcing it down with her powerful forepaws. The cavern rumbled under the force of her attack and the bear howled in agony.

“Let me go!” the bear shouted, snarling and snapping against Mint’s powerful paws.

Mint grabbed the bear by the scruff and shook. The bear went limp and for a moment, Rud thought it was dead. “Submit, you arrogant fool!”

“Something inside!” the bear howled. “Get it out!”

The bear gained renewed strength, shoving Mint off as though shrugging. It raged in the cavern. And Rud realized the creature wasn’t attacking. It slammed itself against the far wall, snapping at the air and clawing at anything that drew too close. The guardian jumped back, watching as the creature went wild.

“Rud?” Mint asked, growling and keeping a safe distance from the bear. Taz screamed in fear, cowering in the freezer.

“Calm down!” Rud shouted, shifting back to his normal form. He used his Clear Communication upgrade, desperate to get through to the crazed bear.

“Help me!”

The bear reared up on its back paws. Rud was awestruck at how large the creature was. He had only seen a bear once back on Earth, and it was a black bear. This bear had shaggy fur like a grizzly with light reds mixing with browns. The beast had a dark black nose and a splash of gray above its brows. It must have been twice the size of one. As the massive animal stood on its hind legs, the druid saw something on its chest. A line of fur hadn’t grown back, tracing a path from one shoulder to its hip. The wound underneath was red and filled with infection. Whatever stunted magical sensitivity Rud had screamed at him. There was something wrong with the bear. Like it said, there was something inside it.

A system message confirmed his suspicions.

[Spell Obtained!]

The Cleansing Spirit River has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Nature’s Cleanse spell.

“I have a spell!” Rud shouted. “Just calm down, bear!”

Rud inspected the spell before he cast it.

[Nature’s Cleanse]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Healing Magic

Mana Cost:

20

Description:

Infuse a being with nature’s cleansing powers.

Effect:

Affected target will be put into a deep slumber. Duration of sleep is dependent on the strength of the affliction.

Curse, disease, infection, and magical effects will be purged.

“Please!” the bear shouted.

Rud was happy that the spell didn’t have a component. The wild look in the bear’s eyes was getting worse. It would start rampaging at any moment. The druid held his staff firmly, rushing over to the bear and throwing his arms wide. He activated Nature’s Cleanse and watched as the druidic power gathered in his staff. Green light flowed from the staff, shooting through the air and leaving a trail of green mist behind it. The bear’s eyes went wide as the spell hit it. The power of the druidic magic soaked into its hide and it swayed on the spot.

There was some level of confirmation on the bear’s part. Rud got the impression that this spell couldn’t be cast on the unwilling. But a few more moments of swaying and the bear hit the ground, snoring loudly.

“What was that!?” Rud shouted, giving Mint a concerned look.

Mint growled, approaching the bear to sniff it. “I’ve never seen this kind of befoulment.” She rolled the bear over so they could see its wound. “There is indeed something underneath his flesh. Look.”

Rud didn’t want to look. There was something wiggling under the bear’s skin. “That’s disgusting. Thanks for coming, though.”

“Is it over!?” Taz shouted from the freezer. He looked around, gritting his teeth. “I need to change.”

Rud explained the spell to Mint. She nodded along, her ears twitching when the spell mentioned a curse. The druid determined her reaction meant this was a curse. While he didn’t know the implications, he knew enough to fear such a word. When the dust had settled around the bear, he tended to Dean’s wounds. The bear had done some serious damage to the dire wolf, dragging razor-sharp claws over the poor guy’s flesh. But the second-strongest guardian was tough.

“Thank you, Rud,” Dean said, finally rising to his feet after a few casts of Nature’s Restoration.

“No, dude. Thank you. I would’ve been bear food if you hadn’t jumped in.”

“The bear is yours to care for, Rud,” Mint said, turning away from the scene. “I have a feeling he will be asleep for a while.”

“Of course.”

Taz returned shortly after with a fresh pair of pants. He stood by the entrance to the cavern, not willing to enter. Rud concerned himself with checking on the bear, fearful that it might wake. The wound on its chest was deep. Orbs of green light danced over the creature’s skin, still knitting minor wounds or delving within to purge the sickness. Inspecting the damage to the far side of the cave, it was easy to see what had happened. The bear smashed through the wall and must have clipped a bat with its claws. How the dwarf didn’t hear the commotion was anyone’s guess.

“You shouldn’t be so close to it!” Taz shouted from the entrance.

“Calm down, dwarf,” Rud muttered, shaking his head. He entered the opening with Dean close behind. The wolf hadn’t left the area, so he wasn’t worried about the bear jumping up again.

The section of cave where the bear had burst through was marked with shattered stone. It had crashed through about a foot of solid stone, which was shocking. But the state of the passageway on the other side was more impressive, showing all the signs of a rampaging beast of unknowable power. If there was a hierarchy of power, Mint would be on the top followed closely by that bear.

“If we could recruit that bear, we’d be in business,” Rud said to himself.

“He was powerful,” Dean agreed. “But his spirit was rage and hate.”

“That might have been whatever sickness he has.”

As Dean and Rud pushed into the passages, they heard a frightened Taz scamper up behind them. The druid just hoped the poor dwarf didn’t pee himself again. Unlike the area above the cave, the group came upon a split in the passage. The highest number of tunnels splitting off from the main line was two up there while the section they stood before had four tunnels snaking off in every direction. The wolf smelled the air, growling down the passageway.

“These tunnels go deep,” Taz said, stepping to the front of the ground. “Like… all the way down.”

“How would you know, dwarf?” Dean asked.

“This is in my blood,” Taz said, smelling the air. “Look at the way the wolf’s nose is twitching. What do you smell, Dean?”

“Mushrooms. Vegetation. A strange breeze that seems… fresh.”

“Some caves you find are dead,” Taz explained, pushing forward. He peered down a few passages. “Heading into those will kill ya. Nothing to breathe. But there are other places that go deep. They have forests of mushrooms that create breathable air. This is one of those caves. It has to be connected with the dark places of the world.”

“Woah,” Rud said, enraptured by the explanation. “That’s awesome.”

He couldn’t help wondering if this connected to Maria’s grove. He remembered her talking about having a mushroom as a tree and a bunch of dwarves running around. That got him thinking.

“Could this be connected to the dwarf city?” Rud asked.

“Might be. We hadn’t dug deep enough by the time I left.”

The value of an underground area was clear. Exploiting the natural resources there was one thing, but there were creatures down here like the cave bear. That brought another problem. “We gotta board this place up. I’d rather not have stuff sneaking up on us.”

“Look,” Taz said, kneeling and placing his hand on a mushroom. He flicked it, yelped, and sucked on his finger. “Toeknockers. Hard as stone.”

Rud was picking up what Taz was putting down. The druid withdrew what he needed from his bag and channeled the Shape Plant spell. As he had seen before, the mushroom counted as a plant. Not only could he change how the mushroom looked, he could also grow it to block this area off. And there were plenty of the Toeknockers around.

Until the blacksmithing building was up, the best thing he could do was block the area off with the mushrooms. No one gathered had the desire to delve any deeper than they already had, so Dean and Taz didn’t care. Rud worked his magic, growing and expanding the mushrooms until every approach was blocked. It was possible that another bear would come smashing along, but there was nothing he could do about it. Instead, he was content to have the area sealed by the black mushrooms.

“These bad boys ain’t going nowhere,” Rud said, slapping the mushrooms.

“They certainly won’t.” Dean nodded along, turning away with the others to leave.

While the others went ahead, Rud stayed behind to check on the bear. The creature’s breathing and heart rate had evened out. It no longer appeared as a raging monster, but a peaceful beast slumbering in a cave. The druid couldn’t have been happier with that. But there were a few more wounds that weren’t cured by his low-rank magic. He cast the Nature’s Restoration spell one last time, and earned his first level in Healing Magic. The bear would recover soon enough, so he left it there.

The abrupt end to the morning and the appearance of the bear had put Rud Mentally off-balance. The tea plot provided peace to the chaotic day. The plants growing there were doing well, content to regenerate leaves for Rud to pluck. As long as the plants were watered with double-enchanted water, they continued to produce many leaves. But it seemed that once a plant was forcefully grown to a certain stage, the water no longer had an effect to increase their size. At least the larger plants didn’t taste bad, which Rud had been told happened with the mushrooms.

With more plants on the drying shelves, Rud took time to make more pottery. He needed to find a way to make this process more efficient. Every time he thought he was getting good at working the wheel, he ruined a piece. That cost him time, and more than a little clay sticking to his skin and arm hair. The clay splattered in his face again and he had an idea. It wasn’t as though the mortals knew about the things that grew within the grove. They wouldn’t accept wooden vessels that had been crafted by wood from the grove, but…

Rud returned to his mushroom house with his bag filled with material. He sat down, rubbing his hands as he pulled a solid sheet of Toeknocker mushroom out. The material was hard as stone, but he easily shaped it into sheets with his magic. Then it was a matter of manipulating those sheets into jars, complete with lids. Compared to how long it took him with the clay, he could create enough mushroom jars to suit his needs in minutes. He used Lacquer on each jar after engraving them with the grove’s name on the front. Thanks to Basil’s instructions, the words were easy to read.

“Would you look at that?” Rud asked himself, testing the jar.

He placed the lid on top of one jar filled with tea, sealing it with hot wax. It worked just as well as the clay pots. There was only one way to know if the mortals would go for this stuff. Hopefully Dean was up for a trip to Barlgore.