Gladesbale Grove Book 2 - Chapters 19,20,21 (Patreon)

Chapter 19

Blacksmith

Rud shrieked, clawing out at whatever was attacking him. A gruff voice shouted back, screaming with… delight? The druid had been sleeping in his cozy mushroom house, dreaming about growing trees and talking over the radio when he was rudely awakened. His first instinct was to lash out and claw blindly, drawing thin lines over the face of his attacker. His attacker? Who was it?

Rud blinked the sleep away, watching in amazement as Taz—with three thin red lines across his face—performed the worst dance ever. He clapped his hands, hooting with excitement. “I got it!?”

“Got what?” Rud said, springing from his bed in a panic. He grabbed his staff, ready to fight off whatever ‘it’ was.

“My Blacksmith subclass!”

Rud’s eyes went wide. Especially when he focused more on the wounds he had inflicted on Taz’s face. While he wanted to heal the injured dwarf, his body had other plans. The druid grabbed him, pulling him close as they danced within the mushroom house, then outside into Ban’s clearing. They hooted, shouted excitedly, and made grand proclamations about the soon-to-be best blacksmith in the world. It didn’t take long for the Sacred Beasts to gather, coming to see what the fuss was about.

Mint shifted into her human form, joining the dancing while Sarya and Dean did their best. It wasn’t easy to dance while in wolf form, but they tried. Major was more reserved, tapping his paw to an unheard beat. Once the immediate celebrations calmed down, they moved the party to the longhouse. The shy elf from the night before was there, looking surprised when the group burst in. She was soon drawn into the celebrations against her will, dancing on the table with Rud and Taz until she was too out of breath to continue.

“Redemption!” Taz shouted, drawing in a deep breath. “Ow. Why does my face hurt?”

Rud bit his lip, pulling the dwarf over to heal his wounds. “Sorry. I thought I was under attack.” A few applications of Nature’s Restoration, and the wounds sealed themselves.

“What’s going on?” the elf asked, confusion flooding her flushed face.

“Our resident dwarf got the subclass he wanted,” Rud said, patting the dwarf on the shoulder. “I guess he worked hard enough to make a god happy.”

“Not a god. Aegael.”

“The Salamander Spirit of Fire?” the elf asked, clasping her hands in front of her chest. “I worship Aegael.”

“A wise choice,” Taz said with a wink. “Fire mage?”

“That’s right,” she said, nodding with excitement.

Rud dished himself out some soup as he watched the pair talk about the salamander. He was a big fan of the spirit, as it had provided him with the means to create ingots. Those ingots had been instrumental in keeping Ban alive over the first month he was in the grove. Mortals loved imbued ingots, especially when they came from Gladesbale Grove. But he found he had little in common with the elf after that. As for her purpose of traveling through the grove…

Rud sipped his tea, offering a cup to the elf. “What’s your name, solo-elf?”

“Kali—Ah, sorry. My adventurer name is Scorch,” she said, bowing her head.

“So, what should I call you?” Rud asked with a laugh.

“Whichever you like more.”

“Alright, Kali. What are you doing traveling through the grove alone? Seems like anything in the west would be too dangerous for a solo adventurer.”

Taz gave Rud a nasty look. He didn’t seem to enjoy the topic changing from the fire spirit.

“I’ve always been solo,” Kali said with a shrug. “I know it isn’t common, but I’ve done fine on my own.”

“How do you accomplish that?” Taz asked. “I’ve never seen a solo mage.”

Kali snapped her fingers, a dancing flame appearing in the air. The soft look on her face faded, all the brightness draining into a mad admiration of the fire. “Overwhelming firepower.”

“Fair enough,” Rud said, holding his hands up defensively. “Color me impressed.”

Kali shrugged, turning back to Taz to talk about the spirit.

Rud turned back to his tea, taking a tentative sip. It was slightly too hot to drink, although he felt the need to get some energy in his system. When he had helped Kali get her bath last night, his Custodianship skill went from Level 1 to Level 2. It wasn’t surprising for a new skill to level so quickly, but Ban had promised taking care of the forest would also add experience to the skill. Perhaps taking the trees offered far less experience than dealing with mortals. Whatever the case, he was happy to do both.

Rud waited like a polite little custodian until the conversation died down to interject once more. “Do you need anything else for the road? We don’t have it in the store yet, but we have some nuts, dried berries, and dried meat.”

“Oh, that would be lovely!” Kali said.

“Let me get that for you,” Rud said, bowing his head and scampering off.

Pulling material from a mushroom, Rud created a pot to hold the trail mix. It had taken a few days, but the berries he had set in the drying room were done. They didn’t have any walnuts to offer, but he loaded the mushroom pot with hazelnuts, berries, and strips of dried meat before creating a screw-on cap. Until he figured out how to remove the air from the container, this was good enough for now. He returned to the longhouse, placing the jar on the table for the elf to take.

“There ya go,” Rud said, bowing slightly. “Hopefully this gives you the energy to push far into the west. Oh! Wait!”

Snatching the pot back, Rud held his hand over the container. He focused on the Imbue Crafted Item spell, watching as his mana dripped into the container. After a moment of concentration, he withdrew his hand to inspect the new item.

[Rud’s Trail Mix]

Rare

Description:

A blend of salmonberries, roasted hazelnuts, and dried venison, this trail mix will give you the energy to go far!

Effect:

Increased energy levels after becoming sated by this food.

Aspect Effect (Mint and Ban’tanthein):

This food is more filling than it should be. You will gain twice as much satiation from eating this trail mix.

“Magical food?” Kali asked, taking the pot and inspecting it the same way Rud had. “Do you have a classed chef here?”

“Nope. Just druid magic!”

“Wait, you can imbue food?” Taz asked, also inspecting the pot of trail mix. “And the system named it after you. Wow.”

“It does funny stuff when I use my crafting spell.”

The system was lenient in defining what a crafted item was. It seemed to favor merit and effort over anything else. Rud was certain he could enchant almost anything he made, depending on if the system thought he put enough effort into it. And the trail mix had accounted for a lot of effort. The effect on the item was good enough, but the aspect effect was awesome. If a person needed less of the food to feel satisfied, it would make the perfect travel food. It acted as though there was twice as much food than there really was! Neat!

“I cannot thank you enough for this gift,” the elf said, bowing her head.

Rud felt his Custodianship skill tick up a few points, but it didn’t reach a new level. “Just make sure to tell your friends,” he said with a wink.

Minor celebrations for Taz’s class spread through the room over the next hour. Rud would have never lingered for so long without something so big happening. At least he knew where he could find the dwarf over the next few weeks… Perhaps longer. The next time things calmed down, he headed out to the Observatory to make his morning report. To his surprise, the dungeon was gone.

“Wow. They took care of that quickly,” Rud said, tapping his fingers on the table. “How strong was that adventuring party?”

“Very strong,” Nulsa said. Of course the owl was on the banister outside. “I watched them sweep in, clearing the dungeon in only a few hours. We’re owed core fragments from the dungeon, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, they normally put them in the box near the logging camp,” Rud said, waving a dismissive hand. “Which I then collect.”

“An interesting relationship.”

Rud scanned the landscape for any more dungeons. He saw nothing. Not in the south or north. Just the regular ambient magic that swirled around the area. This was great, though. He had finally developed a relationship that worked with Feather. The adventurers had responded promptly, clearing the area while the Sacred Beasts held it. No monsters got out to ravage the land, and the adventurers got the experience and items they wanted.

“I think we’re getting some more cold weather,” Rud said, studying the patterns of the winds coming from the north. “And the frost island is acting up again.”

“I have nothing to report about the island,” Nulsa said.

“Maybe if I can get my magical senses honed, I can figure out what’s going on there… For now, everything looks great.” Rud scribbled a simple note for Feather.

“Do you think ‘gonna get cold’ is enough information?” Nulsa asked.

Rud gave him a flat look, writing a bit more about how the dungeon had been cleared and that there were no new dungeons appearing. It seemed like a waste of paper, but whatever. Feather provided the paper and the writing instruments, so it hardly seemed to matter. Once he had wrapped the letter up, the owl grabbed it and took off. That left the druid alone with his radio.

Maria was in a decent mood today. She had new dwarves traveling through her region, so that gave her something to do. Of course Rud had to share the exciting news about Taz’s new subclass. As a subclass, it wouldn’t be as powerful as a main class, and it would be tied to the Rank of his Prospector class, but still. For someone who never expected to get back in the classed game, this was a life-changing event.

“Wow. An apostate dwarf was given a class? That’s… amazing.”

“Can you believe Aegael gave him a subclass?” Rud asked. “Has that ever happened?”

“I don’t have enough information to answer that question, but I would guess not. The gods are normally the ones who hand out classes, but… Well, our classes are driven by the Great Spirits. So I guess that makes sense.”

“Before long my tree is gonna be handing out classes,” Rud shook his head, setting the microphone down. He leaned back in his chair, sighing. Things were changing rapidly enough for him to smell more change on the horizon. If only he could get the power generation situation sorted for Ban, he could spend some time with the other custodians. He snatched the microphone up again. “We need more custodians on the radio.”

“What? You don’t like chatting with little old me?”

“I didn’t say that. I’d just like to see more communication between the groves. Ya know?”

“I hear ya. Feels like every custodian is determined to undermine Bent’s vision for the groves.”

“Right!? I gotta talk to Jim again. But I guess Basil is having power generation issues with his grove. Hey, how do you even generate power without the sun?”

“Mushrooms. Let me tell you something about a mushroom grove, Rud… It’s mushrooms all the way down.”

The conversation grew lighter after that, drifting between topics without a destination. Rud sat in his Observatory, feeling the pride of accomplishing a dream he thought long-dead. It wasn’t exactly like being a fire watch back on Earth, but as the days rolled on it seemed more like that. He interfaced with adventurers passing through, which were a stand-in for hikers. The reports he made about the dungeons were like reports of fires to the forestry service. He even predicted the weather, sending word along to whoever needed to know of an oncoming storm. And his binoculars were the Farseeing skill that allowed him to search for these things.

There were still plenty of roots to connect along the pathway heading to the east. Once Rud was finished with that, he had to do the other directions, too. It was a daunting prospect he faced down, but whatever time limit existed was self-imposed. He wanted to do right by the grove, so his powers needed to expand. It was hard to remember a time when he had experienced this much drive to move forward.

“I need to sign off,” Rud said, looking out to the forest sprawling outside of his window. “Lots of stuff to do. Like… an entire grove to regrow.”

“Wow. Sounds like a lot of work. Have fun!” Maria laughed, her voice soon replaced by the buzz of static.

Rud clicked his radio off, sitting in his chair for some time. With the Farseeing skill, he sent his sight out to view the trees of the grove. Each looked like a blip of green energy in his sight, swimming in a sea of similar green lights. If those trees were diseased, his skill wasn’t sensitive enough to detect it. Only when he went there on foot, practically on top of the trees, was he able to sense anything.

“Put it into numbers I can understand,” Rud said, stepping out of the Observatory. He felt the Aspect of Bent fade as Ban’s aspect washed over him. It was like a comfy blanket. “How much power do we need for a portal? How many trees?”

“Oh, a few seconds of operation would take a few thousand trees a couple of days.”

Rud felt his brows rise without his command. That wasn’t as many as he had expected. But it required them to have the storage capacity to hold that energy. So he thought of these units of power as the amount of energy a tree could generate in a  day related to a second of portal operation. Continuous portal operations would require… what? Hundreds of thousands of tree-units? Shawn wasn’t good at math, and Rud was even worse. But he knew the massive amount of energy they would need, and the work that had to go into it to make that happen.

“That must depend on distance, too,” Rud said. That only made sense.

“Certainly. Some groves are more distant, as you might imagine. Interference from other magical sources could also play into our plot.”

“Is this a plot? Some kind of ploy?” Rud pulled a lock of hair over his lips and twirled it, pretending it was a mustache. “Yes, I am plotting. Scheming even.”

“Scheme away, you silly man.”

Rud’s thoughts had drifted to the strange enchanted things he could make for the grove. He had considered his Crafting Magic skill to be powerful in the past, but just how many things could he enchant? If it gained both the aspects of Mint and Ban, those items turned into very powerful things. Taking the bath water for example, it would retain heat for longer. That alone was worth it, but any added effects were also welcome. And the trail mix? Forget about it, it was the perfect thing to stuff in your mouth while you were walking through the grove.

There were many trees to prune. More still to grow back to their full height. Rud pushed forward under the assumption that his efforts would bolster the forest’s defense against future infection. He flitted through the forest for a while, handling as many new trees as Ban was willing to accept. Unlike previous days, she didn’t seem to have the stamina to endure as many.

Rud stepped through a bush, finding his way to the blacksmith. He was unsurprised to hear the sound of a hammer banging on metal. It rang out through the forest like a screeching church bell, the note carrying for far longer than it should have. He watched from afar as his dwarven friend put his back into swings, sending sparks flying from the anvil. Each strike moved material around, reshaping the basic iron he was working on. The vigor of a dwarf was not to be underestimated, neither was their love for metal. Shining in the dwarf’s eyes was the very fire of the forge. An unmistakable need to be where he was flaring out like the plant energy within trees.

Taz had found a union with the forge, the heat bathing him in something familiar. Something that felt more like home. Rud approached the workshop but made no noise. He just watched as the dwarf went about his work, creating different odd things to pass the time, or perhaps increase the level of his skills. Aegael gave him a priceless gift. The workshop flared with that recognition, the fires within the forge seeming to grow hotter. It wasn’t only Rud that the other groves put their faith in. They were investing in all of Gladesbale Grove, offering a silent prayer that perhaps something great would happen here.

“Just watch, spirits,” Rud said, turning away from the workshop. He had to upgrade his customer service skill if he wanted to keep up with the kind of fervor Taz put off. “We’re gonna do some cool stuff.”

Chapter 20

Mint’s Fury

Rud walked down the road, right outside of the logging camp. He was never sure what to think when he was traveling outside the grove. It often felt like he left a piece of himself behind, which was partially true. Some of his powers stayed back there, including the Custodianship skill he was trying to level up. His magic was less effective out here as well, but this was part of his job. Delivering the good news to the loggers was more important than his comfort right now.

That road wound through a barren landscape, bordered on the south by rocky hills and to the north by an unenchanted forest. Old stumps littered the area, all in various stages of rot. While plant energy lingered in the air it was thin, replaced by something else. Rud couldn’t put his finger on it, but he didn’t like it. He paused, cocking an eyebrow as he soaked that energy in.

“This feels important…” Rud scratched his head, trying to link this with something he was supposed to do. After a few minutes of standing around like a spirit without a goal, he moved on. It would come to him later. He was still new at sensing and manipulating magic. He pressed on, finally arriving at the logging camp after his stroll.

The door to the main building opened, revealing a person Rud didn’t recognize.

“Looking for Mira,” Rud said, waving excitedly.

“Just a second,” the man said, scampering off. Mira appeared a few moments later.

“Rud!” Mira said, performing the sign of reverence. “Please, come in.”

Nodding, Rud pushing into the entryway of the building. It was made from lumber likely taken from the area itself. With a creaking wooden floor, drafty walls, and a leaky ceiling, he wasn’t impressed. But the fire that burned in the fireplace was nice. The slow crackle of the flames almost dispelled whatever discomfort he had experienced before entering.

Mira rushed over to the fireplace, putting a kettle on. She cleared away a spot at the table dominating the room’s center, pulling a chair for him. “What are you doing so far outside of the grove?”

“I come with good tidings!” Rud shouted, jumping onto the chair. He tapped the butt of his staff on the ground, a smile painting his features. “The dungeon is cleared. You’re safe to get back to logging.”

“I saw those horsemen,” another logger said, poking his head out from behind a support beam.

“Yeah, do you know anything about that?” Mira asked. “They don’t tell us anything.”

“Only what I could see from the grove. A group of about five rolled in, clearing the dungeon in no time. We think they were high-level adventurers.”

Mira shared a look with her fellow loggers. “That’s the funny thing about Barlgore and this entire expedition. I’m not sure we have anyone above Rank 5 here. If you include Feather.”

“Guess it depends on what you consider ‘high-ranked’ right? Anyway, what does that mean?”

“It means we have some fresh bodies in town.” Mira bounced with excitement. “They said there were some people coming in from the mainland, but this is great!”

“Is it?” Rud asked, not sure what he thought about it. More people didn’t immediately equate to a pleasant situation for him.

“More fighters means less problems like this,” another logger said, this one a cat-woman. “Gods know we need help. Ah, not including the amazing job the Great Spirits have done.”

Rud waved her concerns away. “We do what we can, but we’re still young.”

“We’ll get back to work right away.” Mira thumped her fist on the table. “I wish they would have told us they were done, but that’s how it goes. The little guys always get squashed underfoot. Especially with high-rank adventurers. They stink.”

Rud accepted the hospitality of the mining group. He drank some tea and ate the simple food they had there. While it wasn’t impressive, he was happy to take anything they offered. It felt more like an equal exchange than anything else, since he had given them so much. And Mira wasn’t the kind of person who held debts. She seemed to be eager to pay those off as early as possible.

After exchanging enough pleasantries, Rud headed out. He stopped off in the stump field, taking stock of both the strange energy he had felt before and the amount of trees he needed to regrow. With enough of the day left to sort a few trees out, he began planting seeds and growing them on the edge of the grove’s boundary.

While waiting for his mana to regenerate so he could cast the Plant Growth spell, Rud pulled in some of that stump energy. He held it before him, finding it to be an agreeable bit of floating energy. It collected as a brownish color before his eyes, but only when it had been concentrated. Otherwise, his senses weren’t strong enough to detect it. It wasn’t the aspect of rot. The druid got no sense that this was a negative aspect. Instead, he got the faint feeling of the same plant energy he was familiar with.

Springing from his seated position, Rud shouted. “I got it!”

Pulling some plant energy from a nearby tree, he observed as the two energies combined. At each point they touched, one canceled the other out until there was nothing. The power he was messing with was the opposite aspect of plant magic. The negative version of it. Ban had told him about this, but he didn’t understand it at first. He wanted to remove the air from bottles, so she told him to use the negative version of wind magic. The negative of plant energy wasn’t ‘no plant’, but something more complex. It was the hole left by where a tree had been and was now gone.

“I suppose this has implications for the grove,” Rud said, tapping his foot as he thought. There was a balancing act with what he was doing in the grove. He should be mindful of that.

Practicing with the wind above wasn’t fruitful for his attempt to learn how to make negative wind energy. Rud gave up on that only after a few tries. He had to start from a place of power and work his way backwards. Which meant working directly with his plant-aligned skills first, plotting a course for his magical development from there. 

Good thing the grove was full of that energy.

The energy of the grove flooded through Rud’s body, making him stumble as he arrived at Ban’s clearing. He wasn’t outside for long, but his new magical sensitivity doubled the normal effects of returning home. He was becoming more a part of the grove by the day, making trips outside challenging. But the plant magic around him took on new colors, swirling in places where plants grew and being sucked into those spaces between. The druid approached one section of negative plant energy, inspecting the brownish magic.

“I figured it out, Ban,” Rud said, poking his finger into the swirl of magic. “Negative energy, that is.”

“Good job.” Ban’s voice filled the clearing. “It will take you some time to develop this ability, but I know you can do it.”

Rud did a pose, feeling confidence flood through his body. She knew how to nudge him in the right direction. To make him feel like he could do more than he should have been able to do. Once he reached another block with learning about negative energy, he considered what to do with the rest of his day. He did chores around the areas designed for mortals, cleaning whatever little messes they left behind. Clearing the tubs was easy enough and they didn’t need to be cleaned. Magical water, or something like that.

The other things the adventurers left behind were shards and core fragments. Lots of them. Rud snuck through the forest, arriving outside of the Blacksmithing Workshop. Taz was busy somewhere else. Likely in the mine, clearing away sections to get at the juicy ore. The druid rubbed his hands together, slinking across the way like a cartoon villain. It was still at Level 1. Of course it was, Rud was the only one that would add core fragments to the mix. He cracked his knuckles, pressing fragments into the building until it reached Level 5.

“Let’s see what we got,” Rud said, smacking his lips.

“This is adorable. Helping your friend out?” Ban asked.

“Yeah, I just need to go through this list to find a good upgrade. What do you think he would want?”

“Let’s see the options…”

Rud and Ban went over the list of things they could pick for the workshop.

“This one is interesting,” Ban said, bringing Rud’s attention to the Singing Hammers upgrade.

[Singing Hammers]

Blacksmithing Workshop Upgrade

Description:

Is there a better sound than the singing of hammers early in the morning? No, there isn’t.

Effect:

Blacksmithing actions within the workshop are less taxing.

Increases the quality of the items you create depending on the quality of your hammer.

“That would be a great upgrade for me, but will Taz care?” Rud asked.

“Good question. Well, there’s plenty more! I never offer the best first, though. You should know that.”

Ban had a way of organizing her offerings in a logical way. He always just took them as a lump thing, never concerned for the order. But she gave the worst option first, working up to the best one as though attempting to build tension.

There was an upgrade that made metal stay hotter for longer, which was always fun. Another one made the forge use less fuel, and still another increased the general quality of items depending on the quantity of dwarves within the room. But Rud and Ban narrowed the list down until they had one option that would work well for them. It was always a sane strategy to go for upgrades that were offered.

[Infusing Strikes]

Blacksmithing Workshop Upgrade

Description:

Strike with the power of aligned forces!

Effect:

Each swing of your hammer has a chance to imbue an item with an amount of latent magic. The potency of this effect depends on the amount of aligned energy in the surrounding air.

“The grove is so thick with magic, it would be a shame not to take this one,” Rud said, shaking his head. “How can we resist?”

“Agreed. Any upgrade that offers bonuses based on the surrounding magic should be taken immediately,” Ban sighed with satisfaction as Rud selected the option. It attached to the Blacksmithing Workshop building, bolstering its power. “Do you have enough core fragments to push this to Rank 1?”

Rud counted the fragments in his bag. The druid had more than enough, although he was unsure if he should use them. He thought about it for a moment, realizing that there was no use holding onto them. He had upgraded Ban’s core buildings recently, and that elven girl had given them a few more fragments than he expected. Without explaining himself, he shoved more cores into the building and watched it grow. The Sacred Tree giggled with excitement.

“First upgrade option… Let’s see,” Rud said, inspecting the list. “Find something good this time, Ban.”

“I’m on it… Oh, that was easy. Inspect Mint’s Fury.”

[Mint’s Fury]

Blacksmithing Workshop Upgrade

Description:

Who better to model weapons after than the Wolf Spirit Mint?

Effect:

Items created in this workshop will gain a bonus to damage, speed, and durability.

“That was an easy one.” Rud shook his head, accepting the upgrade without thinking about it. That was his general rule. If he was given an upgrade aligned with Mint, Ban, or concerning the usage of local magical energy, he would take it. And there wasn’t a question that this one would be good. It offered bonus damage, speed, and durability. It wasn’t just good for making weapons, this upgrade could also create normal metal items that were more durable than others.

“Well, that was an exciting session. Do you have more?”

“I want to hold onto the last ones,” Rud said, shaking his bag. It made less of a jingling noise than before, as he had emptied most of the core fragments from within. “Never know if you’re going to need an emergency upgrade.”

“Always prepared, this custodian.”

A quick pose was all Rud used to answer. The hour was growing late, but he had fallen into the habit of staying up later than before. He wanted to blame the tea he was constantly drinking, but there was more to it than that. Ever since coming to this world, Rud had been interested in the way things worked. He remembered times on Earth when he wasn’t in the city, looking up at the night sky in amazement. How could something like that exist, especially compared to the waking world. But the night’s sky here was even more impressive. The shattered moons overhead sprawled over a starscape with exactly no light pollution.

This world was called Asevar. It meant something in some long-dead language, but that hardly seemed to matter. Rud didn’t know if the words he heard here were interpretations of some other language, or the real thing. It felt as though he were speaking in English, but that was impossible. Within Asevar there were a sprawl of continents he knew nothing about. Only the Aiswyn continent—a place he determined was roughly the size of Australia… maybe—was known to him. It was a place the Kingdom of Sparwyn had invested a colonization effort into, although the effectiveness of that effort was unclear.

The nightly report was thankfully thin. Rud spent time in his Observatory, sipping tea and slurping a bowl of soup. He had snagged it from the longhouse before retreating to his post. Maria made light conversation, but the silence between comments was welcome. Especially when the sun fell below the horizon, changing the sounds of the forest in a blink. This gave him time to study the wind energy above, interested in understanding the way the negative pockets of wind magic formed.

It was almost like how low- and high-pressure systems worked. One filling the void left by the other. But when these forces combined, they canceled the other out entirely. Perhaps he was a long way from understanding the way it worked, but that hardly seemed to matter. He was having fun.

“Do you have a report?” Nulsa asked.

Rud blinked a few times, holding up the letter he had written hours before. “Yeah. Where have you been?”

“Scouting,” Nulsa said. “Following Tuft and his group to the west. They already made it out and are ranging into the mountains.

Rud sighed, shaking his head as he handed the letter over. “I can’t imagine traveling that far. For what?”

“Adventure, I think,” Nulsa said. “That’s what adventurers do, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s in the name, isn’t it?” Rud said, drumming his fingers on the table. “Are you any good at magic?”

“Not really.”

“Rats. Perhaps I should visit that Elm girl in Barlgore…”

“I saw you flagging outside of the grove earlier. Perhaps a trip isn’t advised to go so far.” Nulsa hooted softly as though to punctuate his thoughts. Well, a good hoot was always welcome in Gladesbale Grove.

“You’re not wrong. I think Ban wants me to suffer through it.”

“It isn’t suffering. You’re learning. There’s a difference.”

Nulsa was right, of course. Rud had to keep his mind focused on the future. He needed to think about long-term things for the grove, not immediate satisfaction. This gave him an idea.

“Could you help me with a project?” Rud asked.

“Naturally. Which one of your many projects?”

Rud couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Nulsa knew him better than most others in the grove. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time talking in the Observatory. Or perhaps the owl was just that perceptive. He explained Ban’s problem with diseased trees and the expansion they were performing on her Unified Grid building. “So what I need you to do is find diseased trees.”

“What makes you think I can do that?” Nulsa asked, tilting his head too far to one side.

“I know your magical senses are top-notch. Don’t pretend like you don’t have the best eyes in the grove.”

“How would you like me to mark them? Nulsa asked, a tone of amusement playing in his voice.

Rud tapped his chin for a few moments before snapping his fingers. “We’ll get some ribbon. Or ripped cloth, you can tie them around the trees.”

“I don’t have fingers.”

“So you can’t tie a knot?”

Nulsa seemed to shrug. “I’ll figure something out. This is for the health of the grove, right? I can do it.”

Rud nodded, resolved to use every tool at hand to push forward. Nulsa would make it so they could clear large sections of the forest before Ban even connected to those trees. She wouldn’t need to wait for him to regrow those trees before connecting to them. Because it would have already been done.

“Do you need me to find some ribbon?” Rud asked.

“No. I know where Mint steals her supplies from.”

“Okay, then,” Rud said, watching as the owl flew away. “Guess he’s getting to it. Leaving me here alone. Talking to myself awkwardly.”

Chapter 21

Biting Insects

Rud was delighted to see more adventurers in the longhouse the next morning. This group had five members that seemed filled with classical roles. It was clear they were from Sparwyn by the way they acted, all manners and politeness around the denizens of the grove. While they could understand both Taz and Rud, the other spirits were incomprehensible to them.

“We thank you for this bounty,” a muscular elven woman said, bowing her head. She wore heavy plate armor that was scarred and pitted from too many battles. Although his senses were developing, Rud still couldn’t get a read on the rank of people. “More than anything, we would like to take part in this bath.”

“We read it on the sign,” a diminutive person said. Rud didn’t recognize their race. They were like a thin, un-bearded version of a dwarf. Less blustering, though.

“I would be glad to prepare a bath for you,” Rud said, performing a bow. “Have you had a chance to browse the shop?”

A cat-dude held up a jar of tea. “We have,” he said with a smile.

“Most excellent, good sir.” Rud bowed again. He could feel the progress shooting up in his Custodianship skill. “The bath should be ready in a half-hour.”

The druid excused himself from the longhouse, taking a bowl of soup with him. He spooned the soup into his mouth, munching as he worked on the fire. The water was boiling in moments, emitting clouds of steam that rose from the boiler building. Half-way through the process, his Custodianship skill jumped to Level 3. Two more levels, and he would get an upgrade for the skill. Yeehaw.

Filling the tub was easy enough, and he returned to the longhouse before long. Performing an elaborate bow, Rud gestured out the door. “Please use the free houses for as long as you need. We’ll have some more trail mix in the shop soon enough.”

“Thank you, spirit,” the elven leader said, performing the sign of respect. She left with the rest of her party, no doubt going to enjoy the amazing bath.

On a day like today, nothing would be better than an extended bath. Since the water didn’t lose its heat as quickly as mundane water, they could enjoy it for hours upon hours before the edge of heat dulled. Rud waited for everyone in the party to shuffle out of the massive longhouse before he rubbed his hands together, giggling to himself like an idiotic villain.

“Are you good, Rud?” Taz asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. They’re gonna leave so much junk for me.”

“They seemed happy. Happier than normal.”

“Rud has the Custodianship skill,” Major said, standing up from his position on the ground and yawning. “Perhaps that means it's easier for him to make people happy.”

“Something like that,” Rud said, stretching.

“Say, I saw some strange trees with cloth tied around them this morning,” Taz said, getting Rud’s attention before he left. “What’s up with that?”

“Oh! Those are diseased trees,” Rud said with a laugh. “Chop those down if you see them. But, uh… Tell me how many you chopped so I can regrow them.”

“I’m very proud of you, Rud,” Ban said, her voice filling the minds of all those gathered. A sensation of intense warmth spread through his body. “That was a great idea.”

“Nulsa is doing all the work,” Rud said. “That’s one hard-working owl.”

“I can pitch in,” Taz said with a shrug. “When I have the time.”

“We’ll take a break today, Rud. I’ll see how your plan to mark and remove the trees goes. This might be a better method.”

“I am fueled by praise,” Rud said, feeling bolstered. Holding that feeling in his chest, Rud left the others to whatever it was they were doing today. He found a few trees marked by Nulsa and smiled to himself. The owl had ripped strips of red cloth, somehow tying them around several trees. “Ya did a good job, owl.”

Although Rud half-expected the owl to emerge from nowhere, commenting on the quality of the knots he tied, he didn’t appear. The druid was left to consider the best way to fell the trees while understanding the implications of negative energies. As always, the key would be to understand it through the lens of plant-based magical energy.

Without focusing on anything in particular, the druid went through the grove. Nulsa might have been excellent at detecting which tree was diseased and which was clean, but Rud placed a stone at the base of each he confirmed to be clear. This would help Ban when she was selecting which trees to integrate into her grid. With the use of his Prune spell, he made quick work of the diseased ones, switching to Plant Growth to regrow them in moments. The result was a targeted use of the Sacred Tree’s grid building. She targeted only the ones that were clean, coming through behind him to accept as many as she could.

From the corner of his eye, Rud spotted a deer limping in the distance. He narrowed his eyes, ensuring it wasn’t some staggered way of moving through the rough terrain before making his approach. These critters were his responsibility. He activated his Clear Communication ability before approaching with caution.

“Hey, bud,” Rud said, waving at the deer. It was a doe, if he had to guess. The little brown and white beast didn’t have any antlers, anyway.

The creature bowed its head as he approached, almost pressing its nose to the ground. “Greetings.”

Rud puffed up. “So formal! Are you injured?”

The deer kept its head low, nodding.

“May I look?”

With the doe’s agreement, Rud approached and knelt by the wounded critter. He took the hoof in his hands, looking over the wound. An insect had its jaws clamped on the deer’s flesh. Something a tick would do, but the bug was different. It had a segmented body—three parts—with two legs on each part. It was the same color as the deer’s fur, making it hard to see… if it wasn’t so big. The druid hesitated before removing it.

“Anyone know anything about biting bugs?” Rud said, turning to the forest.

Mint appeared a moment later. The deer lowered its head even more, now pressing its nose to the mossy ground. “Bah! I hate bugs…”

“Do you recognize this one?” Rud asked, holding the deer’s leg up for her to see.

“While I’m sure it has a proper name in some bestiary, I’ve heard them called Aiswyn Biters,” Mint said, lowering her head to get a better look. “You cannot pull it out without harming her.”

The deer whimpered.

“Any idea how to get it out?” Rud asked.

“Pray to the spirits for a solution. River may have a solution.”

Rud nodded, closing his eyes. River was the… River Spirit, or the Aspect of Cleansing. That spirit gave out healing spells, so it made sense. He sent a mental prayer through the grove, asking River to help him get rid of these nasty little bugs. For the first time, he felt something reaching back to him. A shiver of recognition fell over the grove, the leaves in the boughs above fluttering in a sudden breeze. A moment later, a message appeared.

[Spell Obtained!]

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

“Thanks, River!” Rud shouted at the sky. The deer startled a bit, but remained where it was. “Sorry about that.”

“What did she gift you?” Mint asked.

Rud cleared his throat, reading the description of the spell.

[Nature’s Banishment]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Healing Magic

Mana Cost:

50

Description:

Send parasitic infestations packing.

Effect:

Removes all parasitic infestations from the target.

The target becomes more resistant to this parasite in the future.

“I have four spells from River. She must really like me.” Rud struck a proud pose.

“Use the spell, Rud,” Mint said, nodding to the insect. “And crush the biter once it is loose.”

Rud cracked his knuckles, gripping his staff as he took a few steps back. He focused on the bug, casting his Nature’s Banishment spell. Swirling lines of green light poured forth from his staff, soaking into the place where the parasite latched on and rushing through the deer’s body. The moment the bug fell to the ground, he stomped it several times. A message appeared after he cast the spell.

[Nature’s Banishment]

Aiswyn Biter removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Burrowing Worms removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Corrupting Bacteria removed from Aiswyn Deer.

Creeping Infection removed from Aiswyn Deer.

The deer raised and lowered its head a few times. “Great spirit of the forest,” it said. “I owe you my life.”

“All in a day’s work!” Rud said, smacking the deer on the rump. It dashed off into the forest. When the deer was far enough away, he cast a horrified look at Mint. “That thing had a lot of parasites. Biters, worms, bacteria, and an infection.”

“Are you certain?”

“That’s what my message said when I cast the spell.”

Mint hummed to herself. “Cast it on me.”

Rud shrugged, casting the spell on his friend. A moment later, the message appeared.

[Nature’s Banishment]

There are no parasitic infections to remove.

“You’re clean.”

“Thank the spirits,” Mint said with a sigh of relief. “But this is concerning… The weather has been so cold, I never assumed we’d see biters.”

Rud scratched his chin. The deer population within the grove was growing, since the deer outside knew they could come in here to stay safe. Packs of wolves even used the grove to stay safe, since there was a rule against fighting. Perhaps the increase in game and predator population led to an increase in the parasites.

“I’m guessing we have a lot of critters in the grove,” Rud said, shaking his head. “And it falls to me to heal each one.”

“You wouldn’t complain about increasing your Healing Magic skill, would you?” Mint asked with a toothy wolf-smile. “We can help, of course. Major! Get your fluffy butt over here.”

Major appeared from the bushes a minute later. He shuffled over, snorting at Mint. “What is it?”

“You need to help Rud take a count of our current beast population. Might be time to send some packing if we can’t get the parasites under control.”

Just for his own peace of mind, Rud cast his new spell on Major. He got the same message about there being no infections on the bear. At least there was that…

“I can create a building for this,” Ban said, speaking into their minds. “You would get an animal husbandry skill for your subclass, Rud.”

“Are you sure about that?” Rud asked. “Can’t have you passing out for a few days while you make the building.”

“I’m eager to try something new.”

Rud shook his head. He had to remember that Ban was just as young as he was in this world. While she was wise, she didn’t know how everything worked. This was an experiment for her, meaning it might not go well. But how else would they grow? He played the conversation out in his head. The conversation that ended with her winning and him giving in to whatever she wanted. Because come on. She was a giant, awesome tree. Who wouldn’t?

“Let’s go!” Rud shouted, pumping his fists in the air. “What’s the technique?”

Ban laughed, and Mint shook her head.

“I’ll attempt to siphon power from my network directly into the building. This should give me a break. Maybe.”

Ban could make just about any building, it seemed. Rud suspected it was tied to which spirit was willing to offer their aspect for that building. Each building held an effigy and an aspect, and he thought he knew which spirit would lend their power for this one.

“You should be fine, Ban,” Mint said. “I find it unlikely we’ll experience another dungeon while you’re out. If it does, we can defend you.”

“I’ll get started…”

“Although I have to doubt the usefulness of a husbandry building,” Rud said, clicking his tongue. “The best option would be an upgrade that lets me track the animals.”

“We can hope,” Major said, sighing. “The problem is, I don’t speak deer.”

That was a tough nut to crack. The deer didn’t run from Rud because he could speak their language. They didn’t run from Mint because she was a powerful spirit wolf. But Major was a dire bear, which would’ve been far more intimidating than any of the others. They would simply need to learn not to run when they spotted a massive bear rushing toward them. Yeah. Good plan.

“Let’s head out,” Rud said, shifting into his squirrel form and jumping on Major’s back. “Onward! We have deer to deworm!”

“When you put it like that…” Major shuffled into the nearest bush. They appeared somewhere in the southwest region of the grove. A pond stretched before them, bordered on all sides by trees. A stream trickled into it, pushing a layer of algae around on the surface. “There. I see the deer come here for water.”

Rud dismounted, finding the nearest tree to jump from and gliding to the far side of the pond. He landed—still with his Clear Communication upgrade activated. “Deer. How are you?”

The group of five deer looked up, water dripping from their mouths. One deer broke off from the group, approaching and bowing its head. Adorning its head was a head of antlers, stretching far above. “Great forest spirit,” the stag said.

“Here’s the deal,” Rud said, spreading his arms wide. “You guys are infested with diseases for some reason. Don’t worry too much. We have a two-phase plan to make sure all the deer are happy and healthy.”

“What would you ask of us, great forest spirit?”

“First phase: let me heal you.” Rud shrugged. “That’s the easy part. Do you have any command over the other deer in the grove?”

“They might listen to me,” the deer said.

Rud clicked his tongue. This deer was far better at talking than most forest critters. Perhaps these deer were longer-lived, meaning they had more time to become intelligent. Unlike squirrels, which were as likely to fall from a tree in their early age as they were to make it to old age…

“Allow me to inspect you,” Rud said, shifting into his true form. The deer bowed its head, allowing the druid to search him over. “Yep. You’ve got a few biters. Guessing your friends do, too… Have you recently moved into a new area? Passed through something unfamiliar, perhaps?”

“Not that I can recall.”

“Okay. Gotcha.” Rud clapped his hands together, waiting for his mana to restore a bit before he got to work.

At least the deer were easy to work with. Cleaning this population of their parasites would be difficult, but not as bad as the squirrels or badgers. Those things were going to be a pain. He just knew it. Once each of the deer were cleared of their illness, Rud made the stag repeat his orders. The deer would report to Ban’s clearing, where the druid would heal them. Any deer that didn’t do this was subject to a culling. Mint’s words.

“I am constructing the new building.” Ban’s voice flooded into Rud’s mind. It was strained, but she wasn’t asleep. The new building was likely not enough to put her to sleep.

“Take it easy, lady,” Rud said, wincing at the thought of her going out of her way to make things easier for them. “No need to strain yourself for us…”

“A new rank means new strength. I must grow into my new rank.”

“She’s pushing pretty hard,” Major said, lumbering to the water’s edge. “But I’m wondering how these animals are getting so sick.”

Rud nodded. Each had at least three different parasitic infections. “Bad water, maybe? My idea was that there are too many of them. We basically need to track and support our population of animals. Otherwise, they’re all gonna waste away. Especially if winter is coming.”

“I’m uncertain,” Major said, gazing off over the pond. “Come. Let’s find more deer to cure.”

Rud lingered by the shore of the pond for some time before turning away. His job description hadn’t changed. But as new things came to light, he had to adapt to that role. If this was his old life, he would have complained. Now, as the Custodian of Gladesbale Grove, he faced the challenge with a smile on his face. “Let’s do it.”