Gladesbale Grove Book 2 - Chapters 43,44,45 (Patreon)

Chapter 43

Artifact Claimed

The world rumbled beneath the druid’s feet. Fissures split through the icy island, creating massive cracks that spread for feet. The duck in Rud’s hand shifted, rolling this way and that as it changed shape. Before he could even respond, strange metallic objects shot into the head of his staff, slamming into it hard enough to send him stumbling backward. Ban shouted into his mind as system text flew into his vision.

“Get out of there, Rud,” Ban said.

Rud didn’t need to be told twice. He shifted into his squirrel form, turning and jumping to glide through the air. Although the storm was fading, a few rogue zephyrs still blew about. He caught them and glided over the landscape. The druid watched as the island whipped by, and soon he was looking down at the frozen lake below and swooping toward it. The group gathered on the shore just as he was angling himself downward. An explosion issued from behind.

The island ripped itself apart. Those fissures had grown, and gouts of potent ice magic shot forth like geysers, staining the sky above gray. Rud twisted in the air, shifting into his true form and landing to watch the spectacular display, his mouth hanging open. He realized that only a few moments ago he had been standing on that island. Crags of ice formed above it, creating something that looked like a fairy-tale castle made from pure, clear crystals.

“By the gods,” Elm breathed, her words coming out as a shuddering breath. “Are you okay, Rud?”

The druid turned, putting on his best diplomatic smile and shrugging. “Never better,” he said, dusting the snow from his shoulders. “Piece of cake.”

Beneath Rud’s feet, the snow melted. The flakes that flew from the sky vanished when they came into contact with any part of the ground. Five feet from his body, the snow turned to water and evaporated, filling the air with a dense mist that surrounded him like a shroud.

“Care to explain exactly what that was?” Elm asked, her eyes narrowing.

For the first time since he arrived in this new world, Rud wasn’t sure exactly how much he should share. Elm was a friend of the grove, but she was also a mortal. If she wanted to turn against him because of this new thing he had found, he wasn’t sure he could bear it. He would give her a half-truth instead.

“The Great Spirits helped me seal the object,” Rud explained, turning back to the island. “It was close, but the Salamander Spirit helped a lot, which is why I have this aura of heat.”

“That’s amazing,” Elm said. “So, you didn’t need our help after all?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Rud said. “I just followed the instructions. Do you guys have any plans for this place?”

“We’re going to study it for a bit longer. I don’t think any of us have seen such a reaction before.”

“Perfect. Dean and I have some business to attend to,” Rud said, performing a shallow bow. “So if you’ll excuse us.”

Elm and the other mages had no objections to the druid leaving. He had put off reading the system message that had flooded his vision. The first one he read before the explosion was frightening. He didn’t know what a world-ranked artifact was, but if it could produce such a reaction, it was powerful. The way Ban talked about it gave him shivers, even though he was surrounded by an aura of heat. He mounted Dean, and they took off without another word.

“I sensed the disquiet in you,” Dean said once they were far enough away from the mages. “What happened?”

Rud reviewed the messages he had put off reading, speaking the text so Dean could hear.

[Artifact Claimed]

You have claimed a world-rank artifact.

[Adaptive Artifact] has sensed [Twig of Ban’tanthein].

Adapting…

Please wait while the artifact adjusts to your growth weapon. This process may take several days to complete.

Once the duo reached the edge of the grove, they found the nearest bush and teleported to the sacred tree clearing. Rud dismounted, holding his staff and examining it. It no longer provided him with a system message, but a seam of glowing metal now ran down its length.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Dean said, sniffing at the staff with curiosity.

“And yet I have,” Ban said, her melodic voice filling the clearing. “World-ranked artifacts are extremely rare. The other spirits had only heard of one in their time. Even Bent gave his opinion on the matter. He said we should spare no cost to claim it for the groves.”

“It doesn’t look that powerful,” Rud said. Looking over his staff and frowning, his growth weapon no longer had a system pop-up, but perhaps that would change when the adaptive process completed. “I mean, it was a metal duck when I grabbed it.”

“And your unique little earthling mind is the reason we could find its true form,” Ban said. “The artifact shifted between several shapes, all of which were meant to confuse anyone attempting to claim it. But it transformed into a form you liked. Since you are not of this world, the correct form was rather strange.”

“Wow, would you look at that?” Dean asked. “It’s a victory because you’re weird.”

“But what does it mean?” Rud asked. “I already have a powerful weapon. Why would it attach to my growth weapon rather than, I don’t know, my boots?”

“Because your weapon shows the most potential. This artifact will produce effects we can’t even speculate on,” Ban said. “All we know is that once it finishes adapting, it will be extremely useful to you. I don’t know if I’d say it will be powerful, but we can certainly say it will be useful.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m just happy the storm on the island is gone,” Rud said. He smiled to himself as he traced his fingers across the seam of metal. It felt warm and inviting.

“You displayed more bravery than any guardian could ever hope to muster,” Ban said. “I’m very proud of you.”

Rud felt the warm fuzzies sprinting through his body. Praise from the sacred tree was the best kind of praise. But as the adrenaline from his system wore off, the druid noticed the signs of exhaustion. He didn’t allow himself to slump to one side in the face of his tree. Instead, he put on a brave face.

“Thanks. I think I’ll have a cup of tea, now.”

Rud made his way to the longhouse and put on a pot of tea. Of course, it wasn’t long before the other denizens of the grove came calling. Dean had joined him there and curled up before the fire like the silent protector he was. However, before long, Nulsa, Major, Sarya, Taz, and even Mint arrived to see what exactly had happened. One didn’t need to be incredibly magically sensitive to feel what had occurred at the island.

Ever the protector, Dean took the lead in telling the story. He made some understandable embellishments about the escape, but otherwise recounted the events as they had happened.

“Well done, Rud!” Mint shouted, her laugh booming to join with Taz’s rumbling chuckle. “He makes a mean cup of tea, and he’s cool under pressure.”

Rud shrugged. “It was the Great Spirits, not me.”

“Come on,” Taz said, shaking his head. “The spirits weren’t on the island. Say, why don’t we eat some food to celebrate?”

That was always the dwarf’s response to anything. It didn’t even have to be an event, he just loved making some good food. And Rud wouldn’t decline the offer. They got to work on the grill, allowing the druid a few quiet moments to gather himself. The escape was harrowing, but he trusted Ban completely. Once again, the Sacred Tree didn’t disappoint. Not only had he made it out with ease, but he now had a powerful artifact… Or it would be an artifact. Eventually.

All those worries he harbored in his heart vanished like the smoke rising from the fire. Not only had the grove collected a powerful artifact, they had saved the town. Not bad for a Tuesday. Rud had absolutely no idea if it was Tuesday, since the Sacred Beasts didn’t care about tracking the weeks. Perhaps the mortals did, but he hadn’t asked. Like the two destroyed moons, it would remain a mystery.

The doors to the longhouse flew open, revealing a haggard Elm. She drew sharp breaths, eyes scanning over those gathered within. “The island seems… stable,” she said between breaths. “Barlgore… thanks you.”

“Wow, you rode all the way here?” Rud asked. “Could’ve just sent a letter.”

Elm shambled across the room, taking a seat at the table. She withdrew a small metal cup from nowhere and set it down. Rud understood and poured her a cup of tea. Although it was boiling hot, she took a sip and sighed with contentment.

“The magic on the island is stable,” Elm said after draining her entire cup. “I thought there might be more problems, but you’ve done it… Whatever you did worked, and I couldn’t be more surprised.”

“Glad we could help,” Rud said, holding his own cup for a toast. “And I’m sure the problem will be solved forever.”

Taz was busy working the grill. It was barely past noon, but the dwarf insisted on creating a feast. Rud knew it was because he had a bunch of meat that would spoil if he didn’t use it. The druid’s plans to make cheese had been squashed for the day, but he hoped to have gained something more valuable from his visit to the island. If Bent had an interest in this item he had gained, it would be worth the lost cheese.

“Let me tell you something,” Taz said, serving up plates of meat for all gathered. “Milking cows isn’t fun.”

“What, are your hands too rough?” Rud asked.

“Nope. They kept trying to climb out of the pen,” Taz said, shaking his head as his gaze focused on the middle-distance. He held a fork with a piece of meat on it as he had flashbacks. “Those cows aren’t right.”

“But you milked them, right?” Rud asked.

“And stored the milk in my underground cooler,” Taz said, snapping out of his trance and dishing more food out.

“Which means I need to learn how to make cheese,” Rud said, scratching his chin. “I thought about it before, but it seemed like too much work.”

“He has an aversion to goat’s milk,” Taz said, winking at Elm.

“As do I,” the elf said.

Cheese would come when it did. Rud wasn’t too concerned about getting to it, but with the island sorted his schedule just got a lot lighter. Of course, there was the world-rank artifact stuck to his staff to worry about. But that wasn’t an active task for him. Instead, he now had only to think about his tea farm and making some cheese. Maybe some more trail mix if he had the time.

“Well, this was unexpected,” Mint said, chomping on some strips of meat in her human form. “I suspect the wizard came back here for a reason, though.”

“She can understand you when you’re in your human form,” Rud said, nudging Mint.

“Oh, I know,” Mint said, glaring at Elm. “I got even deeper into the labyrinth while you were gone.”

“I don’t see this as a competition,” Elm said with a frustrated breath. “I only need to take readings on the upper levels for my research to proceed.”

“Sounds like an elf in search of my secrets,” Mint said, tutting. “Well, you won’t get them.”

Elm offered a pained smile to Rud. “She’s always like this. No matter how many times I tell her, she just keeps saying the same thing.”

“Mint lives in her own world,” Rud said. “Hard to convince her of anything. When she finally realizes she was wrong, she pretends like nothing happened.”

“As all good wolves should do,” Mint said. “No need to confess to crimes no one cares about. Anyway, someone wanna pass me more meat?”

“Of course,” Taz said, bowing his head as he loaded her plate up yet again.

Moments like these made the long days in the grove worth it. Rud sighed with contentment as he watched his friends banter. Elm displayed a new level of patience by the day, enduring the chiding of Mint with grace. Taz had somehow become their cook. Dean was the silent sentry, his eyes flicking from door to door in search of threats. Nulsa rested in the rafters, hooting softly to make himself known. And Sarya was chasing her tail. Over the entire scene was the ever-present energy of the Sacred Tree.

Although Ban couldn’t be there physically, she was always there in spirit. She was more than just a tree. She was an entire forest, stretching out for miles in every direction. Rud could feel her roots somewhere beneath them, creating an endless network of connections through which she drew her power.

There was still a ton of stuff to do, but it didn’t seem so daunting with everyone gathered around the table.

Chapter 44

Rank Up!

“For the last time, you’re not squirrels anymore,” Rud said, folding his arms as he glared at the cows.

He was getting through to them, but it was slow going. Despite their massive bodies and predilection for eating a lot of grass, the cows still didn’t believe they were cows. Instead, they insisted on doing squirrel things, like eating nuts and trying to climb trees. But the advantage of the animal communication skill was that he could talk to them and bring them closer to a domesticated cow each day. His group of ten cows and a scattering of goats gathered around him as he spoke, creating an awkward air.

“Cow… Moo?” one cow asked.

“Yes, cows go moo,” Rud said, breathing out a heavy sigh. “You go moo, you eat grass, you frolic in fields, and most importantly, you make milk.”

Rud had the unenviable task of telling the cows how they produced milk. Eventually, they understood the concept. Apparently, when Taz had milked the cows, he had done it more forcefully than they were comfortable with. But now, they were alright with it. The druid sat on a milking stool and filled metal pails with the cows’ milk. It was more than he could ever hope to use, but he still had a plan for it.

“And it doesn’t taste bad,” Rud said, taking a sip from the bucket. He cast all ideas of pasteurized milk out of the window. He was a magical forest spirit and doubted  the pathogens within could even affect him. But at least it tasted mostly like cow’s milk, if not a little nutty.

He finished the job quicker than he had expected. Taz made it sound as though the cows did not cooperate with him, making the job take hours on end. However, Rud could complete it within half an hour because he could tell the cows where to stand and what he was doing. It was something he had not expected from his animal communication skills. Being able to talk to farm animals made everyone’s life easier.

“Thank you for the work, ladies,” Rud said, waving as he made his way out of the pen. A familiar tingle radiated in his chest, but this one was slightly different. As he walked, he felt himself falling to one side without his command. His legs gave out from underneath him, and he slipped, spilling a pail of milk on the ground. He drew a staggered breath as more energy swirled in his chest. Without hesitating, he ran to the nearest bush, appearing at the base of the sacred tree.

“Help, I’m dying,” Rud said, collapsing near Ban’s trunk.

“You’re not dying, you’re ranking up,” Ban said with an amused giggle.

“Are you serious?” Rud asked, rolling onto his back. His breath still came in ragged gulps, but he could now feel exactly what those energies were. His body was being strengthened by the increased rank. His mana pool deepened. Even his skin felt tougher, but the process was uncomfortable.

“You’ve worked hard enough. I don’t know why you’re surprised that you’re ranking up. It appears as though your Animal Communication skill is the last one to hit the mark. Congratulations!”

This one was going to be a doozy. Rud would gain access to a new ability for his Druid class and an upgrade for his Animal Communication skill. That was a lot of choices to make, especially considering his goals had shifted slightly since the last time he got to pick an ability. He thought about all the different things he could specialize in and still found himself unsure which path to take. Spellcasting had been very good to him, but he had since specialized almost entirely in construction-based magic, focused on growing and shaping plants.

“The pain is mostly gone,” Rud said, taking a few steady breaths, “And... oh, yes, there it is. The system message.”

[Rank Up!]

You have gained enough experience in three skills to achieve Rank 1! Your general power has increased.

You have gained a free attribute point, and a free ability pick.

There was also the system message about his skill upgrade, and he wasn’t sure which one to look at first. After some internal debate, he picked an upgrade for his Animal Communication ability first. It would likely be the most underwhelming of his choices today, seeing as Animal Communication wasn’t exactly an earth-shattering skill set. He flicked through the menu, finding the abilities available to him. As expected, they were strange choices, and he found it very easy to narrow it down to one.

[Understanding]

Animal Communication Upgrade

Description:

Bridge the gap between animals and yourself.

Effect:

When communicating with animals, your meaning will be better translated.

The usefulness of this upgrade was difficult for Rud to explain to himself. It was often hard to get animals to understand what he was trying to tell them. He could say they were in great danger, but they never truly understood him. His hope was that this upgrade would solve that problem.

But that was the easy pick for the day. Rud now had to sift through the vast list of abilities he could choose for his Druid class. As expected, there were selections for every kind of specialization. He had two abilities currently attached to the class. Druidic Spellcasting was simple; it allowed him to cast druid spells. Druidic Attunement enabled him to better control his spells, increasing or decreasing their power, which influenced how much mana they consumed.

“Well, that’s new,” Rud said, looking over a series of abilities in his list. “Specializations?”

“Oh right,” Ban said. “At the first rank, you can pick a specialization. This won’t impact your other schools of magic. It’ll just make you very good at that one thing.”

Those specializations seemed a bit random to Rud. There were things like shape-shifting and plant magic, but there were also overly specialized areas such as plant care or... digging.

“What do you think about specializing in plant-based magic?”

“My recommendation is to take a broader form of specialization. Bent said that they are less powerful than the more narrow abilities, but you will get far more use out of it.”

Rud had to scroll through the massive list to catalog everything in his mind. However, when he got past the initial burst of specialized abilities, he found something interesting. His brows knitted as he read them over. He looked up at the sacred tree and shook his head. “Are you aware of these other ones?”

“What other ones?” Ban asked.

“There are the standard specialization abilities that I just mentioned to you, but there are also grove specializations,” Rud said. He scrolled through the list, finding an example to read off for her. “Grove Animal Communication.”

“I’m afraid I’m unaware of such an ability,” Ban said. She tried to conceal the surprise in her voice, but she failed. “Why don’t you look at the one specialized in plant magic and read it out to me?”

From what Rud understood, the sacred tree could effectively see what he saw, and for a while, he had suspected she could even see his system interfaces. But this just meant that his theory was wrong. If she needed him to read it out, then she couldn’t see it. He felt a wave of confusion and shock roll over him as he realized the tree wasn’t omnipotent.

[Grove Specialization: Plant Magic]

Sacred Grove Ability

Description:

Dedicate yourself to plant magic. All spells, abilities, and skills that influence plants fall under your domain. These improvements are bound to Gladesbale Grove, and cannot work outside those confines.

Effect:

Drastically increase the power of all plant-based spells, abilities, and skills while within Gladesbale Grove.

“Give me a moment,” Ban said after Rud read the description off for her.

This was an ability Rud would take without her input. When the system said ‘drastically,’ it meant drastic. He was eager to see what he could do with his spells. The druid stood there, waiting for the tree’s response for what felt like an eternity, when she finally spoke, it startled him.

“Prepare yourself,” Ban said, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. “I must spend some of my hard-gathered energy to open a temporary portal.”

Before Rud even had a chance to prepare himself, he felt the air shimmer before him. Roots sprang from the ground, wrapping into an archway that filled with a green magic. It rippled out from the edges as though someone had dropped a stone in a calm pool of water. An instant later, it became solid, and then a pair of magnificent antlers poked through. Next came the head, and then the body of the progenitor of all groves. Bent. True to his name, one of those pristine antlers was bent at a slight angle.

Without words, the forest spirit looked down at Rud and regarded him with oddly human-like eyes. He blinked once and then turned his attention to the sacred tree. The sacred beast’s body was a swirl of magic. It had a fawn-colored hue, but when it moved, it rippled as though responding to the latent energy in the air. Wordlessly, the pair communicated. The druid could feel it in the air, if only as a faint afterthought.

Eventually, Bent turned to him, a sense of sheer power washing over Rud as he watched the massive stag approach. It was roughly twice his own height, and the ground rumbled as it walked. Bent lowered his head and pressed his nose against the staff in his hand before turning back to Ban for a moment. Another ripple of energy occurred, and the portal opened. The stag spirit vanished into the shimmering green before it vanished once again.

Rud realized it felt as though someone had seized his heart and was squeezing it. He fell forward, taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of the forest floor. He looked up at Ban with pleading eyes but found only her unfeeling bark. It took a few minutes for the sense of comfort to return to the air, but when it did, he finally found the strength to talk.

“What was that feeling?” Rud asked, finally able to find the words.

“That is the power of our benefactor,” Ban said, her voice shuddering as she spoke. “And the reason why not many visit the heart of his grove.”

“Yeah, I could see why,” Rud said, dusting himself off as he rose to his feet. “I didn’t even hear him say anything. Were you two talking?”

“It is both an honor and a curse to communicate with Bent,” she said. “He has a theory about the ability that was revealed to you, although he has never seen it before. He thinks it’s because of our almost perfect connection, along with your new item.”

“Did he have an opinion on whether or not I should take the ability?” Rud asked.

“He’s impressed with the progress you’ve made building things within the Grove. He thinks your plant magic may one day rival Basil’s abilities and encourages you to pursue this path. More impressively, he predicts our powers will combine as we both grow.”

Rud was never one to go against what the master of the groves thought was best. Although he planned to pick the ability, he hesitated. The meeting with the stag spirit was off-putting. He had never imagined he would feel so much power in one place, and he wondered how the folks back on the mainland ever visited his grove. The druid doubted anybody ever got close enough to see him. If they did, they would be simpering puddles of people rather than whole beings.

“I feel like I need a shower and about ten cups of my tea,” Rud said, grumbling to himself as he headed to the longhouse.

“Are you actually going to make some tea?” Ban asked, laughing as he left.

“Yeah, I’m absolutely going to make some tea,” Rud said. He put a pot on and set it to boil before coming outside to wait for it to finish. “That wasn’t the most pleasant experience of my time here in the Groves. Honestly, I’m kind of scared.”

“Perhaps now you can see how lonely of an existence it is to be the master of these groves,” Ban said. “Cloistered as he is, Bent typically only communicates through thought. His presence is too much, even for us to bear.”

The druid was only certain of one thing. If he closed his eyes and did his best to forget about the absolutely frightening stag spirit, he could consider the suggested ability pick to be good. Anything that combined his own powers with the grove was good, so he would pick it. He was just going to have nightmares about giant stag spirits crushing his mushroom house and eating all his tea for a few weeks.

With a cup of tea in hand, Rud marched out into the grove and found a group of young trees to experiment on. “Care to observe me as I do a little test?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Ban said, her voice echoing through the forest. Rud always enjoyed it when she spoke aloud, rather than directly into his mind.

This part was simple. Rud selected a group of trees and cast the base level of his plant growth spell to see how quickly they would grow. He and Ban took rough measurements of how much they grew and how much mana it cost him to cast the spell. Then, he went into his list of abilities and accepted his newest one. The power of the specialization ability flowed through his body. A faint thread he had only ever been partially aware of blazed in his mind and served as his connection to the sacred tree and all she represented.

“Got your eyes on these trees?” Rud asked, gesturing to the sapling he planned on growing.

“I’m ready,” Ban confirmed. He felt her focus narrow.

Rud cast his plant growth spell. Unlike normal, a swirl of powerful druidic magic flowed around the sapling. The ground rumbled slightly as it shot skyward, skipping every single step in between and becoming a fully grown tree in an instant. Better than that, the mana cost for the spell was more than halved, and the druid felt an empowering rush of energy flood through his body.

“Okay, a few things happened there,” Rud said, holding his hands up defensively. “Did you see everything?”

“Indeed, I did,” Ban said in an excited tone. “The power of the spell has more than doubled. I can’t really estimate the rank you’re casting it at now. It’s just extremely powerful.”

“Oh yeah,” Rud said, “Things are about to get interesting.”

Chapter 45

The Cheese is Inviting

Plant Growth wasn’t the only spell Rud had that was affected by his newest ability. Shape Plant was also subject to the same bonuses. The druid found his way to the incomplete road that connected the groves of the center with the labyrinth. He stood at the latest unfinished part and tapped his staff against the road, a smile on his face. He could feel the nearby trees, which seemed to beg for his shaping magic, as he took a deep breath and released an equally dramatic exhale. Rud grabbed onto the nearest tree and pulled with his spell.

Before, it had felt as though he was fighting against a raging river when he moved the trees around. Shaping them wasn’t impossible, but it was incredibly difficult thanks to his newest ability. Pulling and shaping the trees now felt like molding clay with his hands. They responded to his every whim, moving this way and that with little more than a thought.

The druid could now walk at a slow pace and shape the road in front of him. Not only could he shape it, but he could also lacquer it simultaneously, as the reagent cost was incredibly low. Since the spell took less reagents, he spent less mana imbuing the objects. It was almost completely replenished by the effect of his staff and his latent regeneration. The sound of something moving in the bushes below a bridge section of the road echoed through the forest, and Rud held a broad smile on his face. Dean jumped, padding the road and watching in amazement as he worked his magic.

“Did you grow in power overnight?” Dean asked, tilting his head to the side and whimpering curiously.

“I ranked up and gained access to a pretty sweet ability,” Rud said, turning to smile at the wolf. “What do you think about it?”

“I like it,” Dean said, walking to the edge of the bridge and looking down. “We’re almost at the labyrinth. How long have you been working on this thing?”

“Not very long, but there is a caveat with the ability. I can only use it within the confines of the grove.”

“Ah, that old restriction.” Dean said, snorting is disapproval. “Not like you spend much time out of the grove anyway.”

Rud had to take a rest before he continued, but he was more than twice as efficient. It would be impossible to gauge the exact percentage effect of this new ability, but he loved every single second of it. Plant magic was by far the most common type of magic for him to use, and he was eager to try something out with his milk. Once he was rested, he finished the rest of the road and turned his attention to the defenses he had created for the labyrinth.

“These look pathetic now, don’t they?” Rud asked, tapping his chin as he looked up at his unimpressive walls. He might have used his upgrade to harden them, but he knew he could make them more imposing than ever.

“Let’s see what you’ve got,” Dean said in a challenging tone.

Rud took a deep breath and held his staff out as he wove his magic. He reinforced the defenses around the labyrinth, making them thicker, taller, and denser. He even upgraded the gate and thickened the brambles that rested on the exterior. The result was a wall covered in those deadly thorns. He couldn’t imagine anything getting through.

“Very impressive,” Dean said, nodding with approval. “I’m sure you’ll turn your attention to pressing matters within the grove next.”

“I think instead I’ll make vacuum-sealed containers of milk” Rud said, a devious smile on his face. “And then I’m going to town to learn how to make cheese. Did you want to come along?”

“I always enjoy trips to town,” Dean said. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”

Rud shifted into his flying squirrel form and found the nearest bush. He returned to the grove’s center and located the spot where he had collected most of his mushrooms. He grew one and used his new ability to shape it into jugs with ease. He attempted to create something similar to the double-walled containers back on Earth that would keep the cold in, but he couldn’t tell if he had succeeded in vacuum sealing them. Then he distributed the milk he had collected from the cows and did his best to seal those as well.

“Thank my ancestors you didn’t call it ‘Squirrel Milk’,” Taz said, passing by and letting out a relieved breath.

Instead, Rud had simply called it “Gladesbale Milk.” It might have been unoriginal, but it would allow people to know where it came from. He stowed those items in his bag and whistled for Dean, who was happy to burst from the nearest bush.

“Onward, my steed,” Rud said, mounting the wolf and bracing himself as the beast kicked off from the ground. They sailed through the grove, with both branches and the wind whipping by in a blur. A moment later, they burst from the forest on the far side of the grove, and the druid got his first look at the frozen island since they had left it.

The pillars of ice in the center still looked like some frost wizard’s castle. They caught the light of the midday sun and shone, although none of them displayed signs of melting yet. Rud wasn’t sure how long the magic that lingered there would perpetuate the columns of ice, but he figured it was no longer his problem. The storm was completely gone, and the ice that had collected on the lake had melted.

Dean made a point of trotting along the southern side of the lake, giving them both a view of the island. Although Rud hadn’t seen it while he was on the island, there were structures there. Ancient ruins, like those they found underground, dotted the landscape, all in various states of decay. They had little time to gawk at the island, though. The town of Barlgore soon came into view. Although the guards there might have raised an alarm for a moment, they soon lowered their weapons and allowed the pair to enter without incident.

As long as Rud played the part of a friendly forest spirit, the locals were very happy to work with him. He could ask anyone on the street where the best place to learn how to make cheese was, and they would point him in the right direction. Dean had already been there to deliver their morning report, and Feather was overjoyed about the storm on frosty island. They soon found their way to a bakery that also specialized in making the favored cheese of the land.

Rud was unsurprised to see the bakery buy up as much milk as he would part with. As this was a colony of a larger nation, they had little access to livestock, although he didn’t know how they fed themselves here. He knew they didn’t have any cows or goats. None he had noticed, anyway.

In exchange for the milk, Rud was given a crash course on how to make cheese, materials to make it, and a few fragments to cover the difference in cost. He wasn’t certain if he fully understood the process, but the baker promised he could come in whenever he wanted for a refresher. Besides, he wrote each step down, and Dean was there to witness it. Between them, the druid was sure they could do the same stuff back home.

Rud left the bakery with a warm loaf of bread. He bit into the side of it before tearing it in half, tossing the second half to Dean.

“I don’t care for bread,” Dean said. Yet he still chewed and swallowed his half.

The bread had a crispy crust that crunched when Rud took a bite. The inside was warm and gooey. While the druid wasn’t ready to set off to create his own wheat farm for baking bread, he would think about going to town more often.

“The bread might not interest you, but you gotta be excited about the cheese,” Rud said.

“Yes, the cheese is inviting,” Dean said. The duo set off to the west, taking their time as they headed through the town. “Cheese production within town seems scarce. I didn’t smell any livestock, so I wonder where they’re getting the milk from.”

“Squirrels, probably,” Rud said.

Dean shuddered. “I pray you’re wrong.”

###

If Rud had paid attention correctly, he had the recipe for making some cheese. This first batch would be small compared to what he planned on making later. But it was a learning process. Once they arrived back in the grove, the druid got to work in his mushroom house. He lit the fire in his wood-burning stove and found a clean pot.

Making cheese was all about heating the milk, adding some junk, removing the curds from whey, and pressing it down or something. Perhaps there were other methods where he could use things to season the cheese, or otherwise make it more interesting than it was. But for now, he’d go for the baseline cheese taught to him by the baker. Although he had given up a lot of his milk, there was still a lot left. More than he could hope to use. So he got to work.

After the milk was heated and he added the culture to get it started, Taz poked his head into the mushroom house. The dwarf sniffed the air, looking around until he spotted the pot on the stove. He narrowed his eyes.

“You cooking cheese?” Taz asked.

“I’m making cheese. Dunno if I’d say I’m cooking it,” Rud said with a shrug. He stirred the contents of the pot, scrunching his face up. The druid had no idea if he was following the directions correctly, even though he had written them down.

“You can add a bunch of stuff once it gets solid,” Taz said. “That’s really the only part of the process I remember.”

“Good to know. We’re waiting to add the chunky stuff,” Rud said. “Lots of waiting after that.”

Rud didn’t think the process was interesting. It might’ve been meditative, but it wasn’t exciting. Yet Taz stood there the whole time, not only watching as the druid worked on the cheese, but helping when the instructions became unclear. Dean stuck his head through the open door, sniffing at the air and adding his opinion on how things were going.

“The mixture is too hot. Let it cool a little,” Dean said. “That’s what the baker said.”

From what he remembered, Rud thought the mixture was looking great. Eventually, they had to cut it and wait some more. It took a while, but milky white cheese rested in a transparent liquid within the pot. Dean agreed it was time to remove the cheese, salt it, press it, and shape it.

“Wash your hands,” Rud said, preparing the cheese cloth and a bowl to place the cheese in.

Taz grumbled, but headed off to wash his hands as he was told. When he returned, they drained the cheese, salted it, and got to work on the shape. Rud had a plan to preserve the cheese while it aged, but the solution would’ve been obvious enough for anyone to guess.

“What are we going for? Wheels of cheese the size of wagon wheels, or something smaller?” Taz asked.

“We don’t have enough cheese for a big one. So we’ll do a few smaller ones,” Rud said, getting to work shaping the first wheel. It was very easy to work with. Once he had his piece in the right shape, he turned and flashed a goofy smile at the dwarf. “Watch this.”

A mushroom formed around the small wheel of cheese, encasing it in an instant. Rud cast the Lacquer spell to harden it before etching some information onto the top. With his new ability, he easily produced the image of a cow standing on the side of a tree. Text underneath read “Gladesbale Cheese.”

“That’s some mighty fine work,” Taz said, clapping a hand on the druid’s back. “Too bad we have to wait to test it out.”

“I’ll put the finished cheese in my storehouse. I think the temperature is close enough for it to age.”

“Nice and dry,” Taz said, rubbing his hands together. He ran his fingers over the surface of the cheese’s mushroomy housing and let out a contented sigh. “I can’t wait to crack into this bad boy.”

“Yes, I also wish to crack that boy,” Dean said.

“Phrasing,” Rud warned.

Before breaking up the cheese club, Rud discussed their process and how they would proceed after today. Creating the cheese in his house wasn’t efficient. Taz took the job of requesting a bunch of wood stoves from Mint while the druid would make a new building for them. Really, he just wanted an excuse to use his new powers some more. Although it was brought up, he didn’t want to bother Ban for a new building. She seemed so busy lately that taking her off her current task would’ve been disastrous.

“Great work, cheese club!” Rud said, clapping excitedly. “We all have our tasks. Let’s get them done!”

“Huzzah!” Dean said, scampering off.

“Yay,” Taz said with much less enthusiasm.

Before making his evening reports, Rud made his way through Thicket Travel to the pasture and Barn. The cows and goats had removed all the food from their pen, meaning they would have to be moved. Instead, he dumped a bag filled with hazelnuts on the ground and expanded the existing paddock. He brought it far to the south, giving the animals quite the range to forage for food.

Rud didn’t have most of the worries that plagued ranchers. He didn’t need to guess if they were getting enough food. Instead, he asked and they told him. That made the decision to expand their range easy. The druid ensured there were several nut trees within the pen.

“Just don’t try to climb them,” Rud said.

“We are cows, not squirrels,” the cow said.

Perhaps that was the effect of his new upgrade… The animals understood more of what he tried to say.

“You know what would be great?” Rud asked, patting one cow on the head.

“What’s that?”

Rud opened his mouth to talk, but snapped it shut. “A water source, maybe.”

“We have one,” another cow said. “Thanks, though.”

The real thing he wanted to mention were fruit trees. But telling the excitable squirrel-cows about those would be bad. They’d get too excited, likely freaking out and doing weird squirrel-cow stuff. Some things were better left in the dark until he was ready to fully explore them.

Rud held his new staff up to the light as he left the paddock. The metal running down the length glinted in the late-afternoon sun. Whatever the artifact had done to his staff, he couldn’t wait to see the result.