Gladesbale Grove Book 3 - Chapters 40,41,42 (Patreon)

Chapter 40

Unbound Energy

With the crystal situation taken care of, Rud found himself temporarily aimless. This led to some lovely tea, which he had with Elm in the longhouse. Instead of picking a single blend and drinking it, they created a selection of each one he had blended himself. They sampled them while snacking on trail mix and talking about the applications of the underground city. There was still much studying to do, but for now, the druid could finally close the book on the entire problem.

It was a fact he expressed. A fact that Elm was quick to shoot down.

“We cracked the shell on the problem, sure, but there’s still too much we don’t know. For starters, where did that place come from, and why is it here? Does it really have anything to do with the destruction of the moons? Is Jasper correct in thinking that it was some old floating academy? I’ve got too many questions to give up now, Rud.”

“Yes, but you’re missing the most important part of that statement,” Rud said. “Am I involved at all? I don’t really think you guys need my help down there. I’m useless with arcane magic.”

“Sure, you’re absolutely useless when it comes to even feeling the smallest whiff of arcane magic, but that doesn’t mean druidic magic is as useless.”

“I don’t know if you meant for that to be a compliment…” Rud trailed off, and Elm laughed.

“You know what I mean,” Elm said, shoving Rud playfully. “The power of the Sacred Tree to absorb random energy is extremely useful, and we should take advantage of that. That’s the only reason the city is stable. I have no idea how long it could have gone unattended, but the consequences would have been dire.”

“Wait, are you saying it would’ve exploded?”

“Something like that,” Elm said. “Hard to tell with old artifacts like we found in the city. Anything is possible.”

That put a particularly grim feather in the cap of the underground city problem. Rud had no plans to do anything further with it, but he understood how much Elm wanted it to happen right now. His concerns were about making contact with River’s Grove and then applying upgrades to the wizard’s new tower. Perhaps this was just a ploy to keep her within the Grove longer, but he knew she would appreciate having a place where she could conduct her research. The tree houses he created were nice and dull, but something that felt more like home would be appropriate. There were also amenities he had to add for her deer horse companion.

It was his tower. It was fine and all, but it needed an extensive paddock to keep Daffodil safe while she grazed. Having a small barn for her to sleep in at night wouldn’t be bad either. These were things Rud could make out of trees; they didn’t have to be incorporated with the Sacred Tree’s power. Once he was done sampling tea with Elm, he decided that was the thing he would work on today and made his way to the site they had selected for Elm’s new tower. After bidding farewell to the wizard, he passed through a bush, stepping foot near the rocky shores of the lake and taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

All the air within the grove was clean, but in this section, it had the crisp sense of fresh mountain air that got Rud all excited for all things forestry. He took in the scene for quite some time before finally sending his mind to attend to the tower. It had risen to the north of the lake, far higher than he had expected it to be. When a smile spread across his face, he felt the familiar brush of the sacred tree’s senses washing over him. She was watching.

“What do you think?” Ban asked.

“Are you kidding?” Rud asked. He felt himself growing dizzy as he looked higher. When his gaze finally locked onto the top of the tower, he thought he might fall over.

Of course, the tower was made from wood, but the building Ban had created matched some aspects of Elm’s tower back in town. It was wide at the base with powerful walls that supported its enormity. It stretched far into the sky, and the top held a sloped roof with painted blue shingles. The druid wasn’t certain how she could emulate such a thing, but he wouldn’t question it. She was a magical tree, after all.

“You’ve really outdone yourself with this one, Ban. I’m not sure how Elm is going to respond, but I’m excited,” Rud said. “Do you know if we’ll get some good upgrades?”

“Oh, yes. Two upgrades are going to be very helpful for us,” Ban said. “Hopefully I’m right about her tower in Barlgore.”

Rud wouldn’t question the Sacred Tree’s wisdom. She knew what she was doing most of the time. He often found himself just selecting the upgrades she told him to choose. That was because she always knew what the best synergies were. Still, he found himself wondering what secret Elm could have possibly been hiding back in the town. For now, he approached the tower, finding himself getting dizzy the closer he got to it. There was a pleasant staircase leading to the large front door. Planters filled with flowering plants rested alongside the banister, and a small garden, which had attracted a small group of bees, created a ring around the foundation.

Although it was made of wood, the druid couldn’t deny the stone-like quality Ban had managed to create. He pressed his hand against the side of the tower and felt the familiar twinge in his mind brought by the system. The Sacred Tree had incorporated the structure within her domain in record time, and he couldn’t deny how impressed he was. With a low whistle, he inspected the building.

[Grove Wizard’s Tower]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree building

Upgrade Progress: 0%

Description:

A wizard’s tower, incorporated into a Sacred Grove. One might not think that a Grove is a good place for a wizard to call home. But the magical energies within are worth studying.

Upgrades:

NONE

Although the description didn’t provide any useful information, Rud felt good that he was able to confirm how it was now part of the Grove. It was something he never expected. To invite Elm to stay was one thing, but to give her the means to be here permanently was something else entirely. Viewing the building at rank zero brought some perspective. Since the Sacred Tree planned to jump a few ranks, he had a lot of buildings to maintain. While his stock of fragments and crystals was extensive right now, it would deplete quickly.

The druid removed some fragments from his bag and considered the building. “Are we ready to get started?” he asked.

“Ready,” Ban said.wh

Rud inserted enough of the fragments until the first upgrade prompt came. It was a process he was so familiar with that he didn’t even have to pay attention to know how many to put inside. When the upgrade options flooded his vision, Ban guided him to the correct one, but of course, he inspected it before selecting it. It wasn’t as though he didn’t trust the tree’s judgment. He just wanted a sneak peek.

[Unbound Energy]

Grove Wizard’s Tower Upgrade

Synergize Upgrade:

[Linked Condenser]

Description:

Take advantage of the magical energies with the Sacred Grove. This tower can now draw power from the Grove’s root system, allowing the wizard to conduct much more powerful experiments.

“Elm is going to flip out when she sees that one,” Rud said, trying and failing not to laugh. He knew how crazy she would go upon seeing this and couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. Of course, he didn’t know exactly how much energy she used during her experimentation back in town, but the way she talked about the latent energy and the groves revealed how much she envied it.

“And that’s the less impressive upgrade,” Ban said. “Go on. View the Rank 1 upgrade.”

“Well, I gotta cram some more stuff in here,” Rud said, selecting that upgrade and moving on. “Here we go…”

Repeating the process, Rud brought the Wizard’s Tower to Rank 1. As always crossing the threshold caused a shimmer of power to radiate across the surface of the building before shooting out. A small shockwave of force rattled the nearby forest and put an even bigger smile on the druid’s face. The flood of potential upgrades entered his vision, and he thumbed through them just before Ban told him the right one to pick. He cocked his head to the side.

“Really?” Rud asked. “Does that do what I think it does?”

“Yup!” Ban said, giggling into his mind.

Rud raced through the list, looking for the upgrade with a matching name. He found it soon enough and inspected it. “Well, I’ll be…”

[Linked Towers]

Grove Wizard’s Tower Upgrade

Synergize Upgrade:

[Any Remote Wizard’s Tower (powered, any source)], [Wild Way]

Description:

What good is one tower? Any wizard worth their weight in fragments and shards has at least two towers. And how do you think they get between them? This is how.

Effect:

Creates a portal traversable only by the owning wizard. This portal is linked between the wizard’s towers, and may be traversed through the expenditure of mana and locally stored energy.

There was a lot to take in just from the description of this upgrade. First was the Synergize upgrade, which worked with Elm’s other tower and meant that it was in some way a system-recognized structure. Then came the reference to the Wild Way, meaning that Gladesbale Grove had somehow tapped into that unknowable dimension he still didn’t even remotely understand.

The description itself is easy enough to understand. Elm could now spend mana and local energy to travel from this tower to her tower back in town. That would cut the time it took her to move between the two by an unbelievable factor. Rud got the sense that Ban had done this to ease the wizard’s transition into life within the grove, and he couldn’t thank her enough. Losing the sorcerer now would be a blow they couldn’t endure.

Before introducing Elm to what would no doubt become her permanent home, Rud got to work on the paddock and barn for Daffodil. He ensured the area was massive, clearing away trees and creating fences so she had enough space to run unattended for as long as needed. Within the barn, he created troughs for both food and water, ensuring they were made from the best wood and lacquered with his powerful magic. Then he took a tour of the tower itself, making sure the interior met her standards. He would need to move in a wood-burning stove and create running water, but that could wait for later. His excitement to show her was overwhelming and he could wait no longer.

Before leaving the tower, Rud stood on the top floor. There was an open-topped balcony where a very familiar-looking gate rested, ready to use. There was no doubt that a twin had been placed in Elm’s other tower, waiting for activation. But Rud dragged himself away from the site. Shifting into his raven form, he jumped from the top of the tower and found the nearest cluster of leaves in the canopy. He crossed through Thicket Travel and appeared before her in the underground city. 

Elm yelped in surprise.

“I’ve got something exciting to show you,” Rud said. “But you gotta promise not to freak out.”

“Well, I’m going to freak out. You can’t predict how I’ll react,” Elm said, casting a suspicious gaze onto the druid. “What happened? Are the pieces of the moon falling? Do we need to create a tree as large as the world to shield it from those fragments? Did Major get his head stuck in a honey jar?”

“Although Major might’ve gotten his head stuck, that’s not what I’m talking about,” Rud said. The druid grabbed her by the hand and led her to the bush. They passed through Thicket Travel, arriving on the bank of the lake.

Elm’s eyes went wide as she looked at the tower. Rud didn’t miss the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and pretended to get extremely interested in a fish swimming near the shore.

“Give me the tour,” she said, her tone steady.

All that time practicing discipline as a mage really paid off. He could hardly sense the warble in her voice.

“Let’s go,” Rud said. “You’re gonna flip.”

Chapter 41

Marvel at the New Tower

As predicted, Elm did indeed flip. Perhaps she had some expectations as to what a wizard’s tower in the Grove would look like. Rud suspected she thought it would be too many trees and not enough weird rooms that did specific things he didn’t understand. Each floor was dedicated to some arcane concept, helping her channel, cast rituals, or otherwise do wizardy stuff to her heart’s content. When the duo finally reached the top floor, her gaze seemed to pass over the Gate without notice. She then clasped her hands together, sending a silent prayer.

Rud suspected it was a prayer to the Grove itself.

“You might’ve missed the most important thing in your haste,” Rud said, nodding to the gate.

Elm’s face immediately twisted into an expression of confusion. A stiff breeze blew from the north, washing the top of the tower in chilled air. “Is that what I think it is?”

“You could just inspect the building to see,” Rud said, shrugging.

“That’s a Gate,” she said.

Rud couldn’t tell if she had inspected it or not, but whatever. She looked completely baffled.

“Yeah, Ban had a pretty sweet upgrade lined up for the tower.” Rud let the information settle before he continued. Elm was running her hands on the Gate, inspecting the runes that had been etched on the surface. Ban already did all the linking of the towers behind the scenes, meaning it would just work. “You'll need to expend some amount of energy to establish the portal, and you'll need to use some of your own mana. However, it should be a reliable way to get you back and forth between the town and the Grove. This Gate is linked to another in your tower back in Barlgore.”

"How did she make the connection between the two things that shouldn't be possible?"

“The problem is you're thinking with arcane magic. This is druidic magic, from what I understand. She connected to the Wild Way and linked it to your tower based on your conceptual connection there. That is to say, since you have a tower that's bound to you in the town, she was able to link these two together.”

"I'm unfamiliar with the Wild Way," Elm said. "Is this like one of the Elemental Plane, or what?"

"Now, that one is outside of my pay grade," Rud said. "All I understand is that we can exploit it to move vast distances with little energy spent. It's the same method we're using to establish the connection to the other groves."

Of course, Elm was a mage at heart. A verbal explanation was fine, but that wasn't good enough for her. She immediately began testing on the Gate, prodding it with her magical senses and drawing arrays on the ground to take magical readings. Rud could only stand back and smile to himself as she ran through a series of tests.

"Between my tests and the descriptions provided by the system, the only downside here is that I'm the only one who can use it," Elm said with a weak smile. "I wonder if you wouldn't mind if I tested it now."

“The energy consumption should be minimal, but the distance isn't very far. Truth be told, this is the same method we're going to use to create a permanent Gate between here and the northern coast. So, this is a great test for us.”

Elm's smile blossomed as she touched the Gate with her hand. She ran her fingers down the side and stood back, apparently giving some mental command for it to activate. In the same way the Druid's Gate had activated, this one did too. The energy formed, eventually coalescing into a pinprick in the center before a sheen of green magic spread across the surface. The elf gave him one last look and a nod before passing through. Only a moment later, she was gone.

“Did it work?” Rud asked, sending the message directly to Elm’s mind.

“By the gods, you scared me,” Elm said. “I'm standing here on the top floor of my tower, looking out over the town, when suddenly your voice floods into my mind. It was such a disorienting experience, Rud.”

“Sorry about that,” Rud said, "Sending his response back with a hearty chuckle, but it worked properly. You didn’t turn inside out or something?”

"No. All my insides are still on the inside," she said. Rud could practically see her checking herself over to ensure nothing untoward had happened.

“Make sure you didn't grow an ear on the back of your head, just to be safe.”

“No ear. I think we’re good.”

"How about the power consumption?" Rud asked aloud, looking out onto the grove and awaiting the shimmering response of the sacred tree. It didn't take her long to respond.

“The energy consumption was nominal," Ban responded. "This condensed version of energy is extremely potent, so she didn’t even take 1% of my reserves.”

"This was a good test for the gate link to the northern coast, right?" Rud asked. That was his suspicion, but he hadn't confirmed it yet. Although he had been crowned with the title of custodian of Gladesbale Grove, up until recently he didn't feel as though he fit the description. Only in recent memory had he come into his own, actually caring for the Grove and steering its direction in a meaningful way. Perhaps that was some kind of failing on his part, but the only direction he could look was forward.

“It will take even less energy as long as the outpost has a physical connection to this grove. Speaking of which, have you started working on that yet?”

"If I say no, are you going to yell at me?" Rud asked.

“Yes.”

“Then, yes. I’m making some great progress,” Rud said, gesturing northward with his staff. “By that I mean, Nulsa has scouted the path for me. I just need to grow a line of trees.”

Rud and Ban talked for a while about the logistics of creating a straight line of forest towards the northern coast, but the druid jumped with fright when the portal sprang to life. Elm stepped through a few moments later and noticed the surprise on his face. She laughed, slapping Rud on the back.

"I won’t get over this druidic portal magic, or the power of being a Champion for that matter," Elm said, pulling Rud into a surprise hug. Then, holding him by the shoulders and shaking him with more excitement, she added, "I don't know what I expected when you proposed the position of Champion, but this is perfect. I can live both lives now."

And that was the point. Rud hadn’t picked her for any other reason than she was a person worthy of that title. She was smart and had the potential to become very powerful. Sure, he could have recruited a person who had a higher rank. It might have taken a while to find one, but he could have done it. But it was the potential in her that he saw—the potential to change and adapt and become something like Gladesbale Groves’s Archmage. One day, maybe. For now, they were all just muddling through, trying to make this work with almost no information.

"If you'll excuse me," Elm said, rubbing her hands together. "I've got a new tower to marvel at."

Unable to stop himself from laughing, Rud clapped her on the back and departed from the tower. The line of trees he was expected to create was a big project, but first the druid stopped by the observatory to check if anybody had heard from Kiara. He checked in with Jim, who hadn't heard anything, and then flipped through all the channels broadcasting the name of his grove, waiting at least five minutes for each response. This gave him time to reflect on the progress he had made recently, and he had to admit that things were going well. He knew the underground city was still a problem, but at least they had moved forward on that. When it was proven there was nothing to be heard over the radio, he gave up on it and was unsurprised to find Nulsa waiting for him outside on the balcony.

The owl preened on the banister as though he had been expecting Rud to come out at any moment. He gave a soft hoot and gestured with his beak northward. “So, are we going to begin working on the path or what?”

"Are you volunteering to accompany me?" Rud asked. "Don't you need your beauty sleep?"

“As I've said before, as my attributes rise, particularly my vigor, I need less and less sleep. I've been getting away with only a few hours here and there. So yes, I'm here to help. I'm here mostly to guard you in case you get ambushed by orcs.”

“Well, I have to tell you one thing, Nulsa, my old boy. I certainly am not going to land as we're planting these new trees.”

“Now you’re going to tell me ravens can cast magic?” Nulsa asked.

Rud had done it before. He hadn’t meant to do it, but he had cast magic while in a shapeshift form. He couldn’t even recall how it felt. Magic was something that came naturally to him. He pulled it from a place of instinct, rather than the studied way that mages used their spells. It came as no surprise to him that his druidic magic would’ve come out while within his squirrel form.

Now he just had to do it on purpose, rather than by accident.

"Where there's a whip, there's a way," Rud said, gesturing in the air with a dramatic flair. "We'll figure it out on the way."

"Ah yes, the age-old practice of self-flagellation to achieve shape-shifted spellcasting," Nulsa said with a sharp nod. "I'm quite familiar with this one."

“Great. Make sure to bring your whip, and we'll make it happen.”

Whether they were still speaking in metaphors or not was beyond the druid, but he shape-shifted into his raven form, and the pair of them were off. Instead of flying into the nearest bush and taking a shortcut to the north, Rud instead flew through the grove itself. It gave him a chance to get used to the feeling of trying to cast spells while in this form. The one advantage he had with the spell he planned to cast was that it required no ingredients. If he had to balance a leaf on his head and carry a gigantic pile of acorns in his talons, things might get dicey. But the Plant Growth spell cost only mana.

The second problem was that the magic he used relied heavily on the power of the Grove. Rud felt like that wouldn't be as much of an issue as he expected. Before long, he was doing drive-by casts of his spell, watching as his mana dropped by 40 and then crawled up by two every second. The effect of his artifact staff was truly powerful, and he could imagine himself flying in a straight line, casting the spell repeatedly, and gaining quite a lot of skill levels and a line of trees for his efforts.

"Now for the real test run," said Rud, banking northward and giving his wings a few good flaps. Nulsa was right there behind him, following in his wake and hooting softly with approval.

One part of the plan the pair had to work out before heading north was the distribution of seeds. Rud had reached a solution, but he wasn’t sure what Nulsa thought of it. The owl had a small brown satchel slung over his neck. Inside was an assortment of pinecones, acorns, and other seeds Rud thought looked neat. The druid swapped positions with the owl, trailing far enough away that he could cast his spell after the seeds hit the ground.

“Ready to see if your plan will work?” Nulsa asked.

“Ready,” Rud said, pulling the Plant Growth spell to the forefront of his mind.

Chapter 42

Expansion

“Casting is an instinct,” Rud reminded himself.

“Having some stage fright?” Nulsa asked.

As much as Rud wanted his spells to come to the surface, his first few passes had been lacking. Nulsa had selected the perfect line for the forest, and the pair had already begun their journey. But the moment the druid left the borders of the Grove, he felt himself cut off from that power. That had given him enough of a shock to waylay his ability to cast spells. Now they waited near the forest’s edge, trying to coax it out of it.

Rud started by casting the spell while within his raven form and inside the Grove. He remained on the ground, and found it wasn’t too hard to make it happen. Technically, he was still holding his staff while in this form, so he got all the benefits. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t do anything to remove the mental block.

“Think of this like the time you were manipulating the elements,” Nulsa said.

Rud gave him a flat look, cawing and flapping his wings. “I’m still no good at that,” he said. “How about another analogy?”

“You’re no different than you were before,” Nulsa said. “And you still get the benefit of the Grove if you’re within a certain range of the border. Focus on that and not flying.”

That was easy enough for a creature that spent all his time in an avian form to say. When Rud was in his raven form, the only thing he could think about was flying. At first, he thought his issue was that his feet weren’t touching the ground. He focused too much on that concept of grounding, tripping himself up and making it hard to move forward. When he finally took the owl’s advice, he broke past that barrier right away. But perhaps not in the same way Nulsa had expected.

Rud plunged from high up, almost crashing through the canopy of the Grove as he descended. He wasn’t focused on flying and casting his spell at the same time. Instead, he was focused on falling and casting his Shape Plant spell. And then subsequently the shapeshifting spell to prevent certain death. The druid landed, a broad smile on his face after another successful move.

“You’re an idiot,” Nulsa said. “You can’t just cancel the shapeshift form, cast your growth spell, then shapeshift again.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re going to die,” Nulsa said with a heavy sigh. “Why are you acting up? Where is my whip?”

“Hey, you were responsible for bringing the whip,” Rud said.

Yet this solution wasn’t something Nulsa could accept. The owl was determined to delay the project until Rud did it right. There might not have been a literal whip, but there certainly was a proverbial one.

“Try again!” Nulsa shouted, his voice carrying more authority than Rud had ever heard it carry. “Stop thinking about flying. Just cast the spell!”

Rud thought he could never be urged into doing something he couldn’t do before through yelling, but the owl’s words and threats were actually motivating. Before long, he found himself almost able to cast the spell, and over the course of four hours of practice, he finally got it—casting it adeptly within the borders of the grove. That didn’t solve the problem of casting it outside, but it was progress.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to pluck your eyes out with my powerful talons,” Nulsa said. “Now, I’ve placed a line of seeds outside the Grove’s borders. I want you to grow them. Come to me if you need a hint.”

Although Rud knew he could be clever. He also understood that now was not the time, especially not when it meant showing his butt to Nulsa, who seemed to be in a mood. Instead, he took the practice seriously, remembering the hints that had already been dropped and putting them to use. He started by flying in his raven form, coming to the border of the grove, and then just outside it before casting the shape-plant spell. Thanks to all the practice, he could cast it easily enough. Gliding about 20 feet above the ground and targeting the first in the line of acorns, the spell went off without a problem. Then he banked around, circling and watching below as the plant grew. As expected, it was still infused with the power of the grove, although he was not directly within the borders.

He was just close enough to still draw on that power.

“Wow, did you actually listen to me for once?” Nulsa asked, flying behind as Rud went to make his second pass.

“Believe it or not, sometimes I can wrangle enough brain cells to pay attention for more than 15 seconds,” the druid said. “I must be in a mood.”

Although the key was to cast the spell just outside the border of the grove, there was more to it. Now, when Rud grew the trees within the confines of the forest, the roots naturally sought out the roots of the others, becoming part of a contained system. But he noticed something interesting as he made his second pass. As the roots of the second tree connected to the first, he felt the familiar brush of the grove’s presence in his mind. The trees he was growing outside the forest were connected to it and were an implicit part of Gladesbale Grove.

“This is new, isn’t it?” Rud said, banking back again and trying to understand his confusion. “Am I expanding the grove?”

“I believe you are,” Nulsa said. “I think it’s a combination of the extra energy the sacred tree has gathered and your own advancement within your class. Since the trees you grow are all now connected, they are part of the Grove.”

This was a fact that had frightening implications. Rud wasn’t sure he could contend with it right now. That meant he could expand the size of the grove in any direction he wanted, which was something that had been impossible before. The way it worked before was that if Ban grew in rank, the forest expanded in all directions. But if he could now direct the growth, there was no limit to what they could do. Why stop? Creating a line of trees to the north was nice. But why not do it in every direction? Why not consume the sea and suffuse the sky with an endless canopy…

Rud pushed the thought from his mind. Putting aside how difficult that would be, he wasn’t sure that was the way forward. For now, he’d focus on his nice line of trees.

The duo entered a familiar pattern. Nulsa dropped the seeds on the ground, arranging them in a pattern that would create a thickly forested area. Rud came along behind him to grow those trees. It wasn’t good enough to have just a single tree in a line; it needed to be a decently thick forest to carry all the energy they intended to transport. Four trees wide was the minimum, but the Rud wanted to do things right, so they settled on between four and eight, which significantly increased the time it took for them to finish.

“If you don’t do it right, don’t bother doing it at all!” Rud shouted.

But even if the work was hard, Rud could look down at what they were doing and smile to himself. After only an hour of work, a long stretch of trees cut through the hills. The druid had already mastered this technique of casting while within the air, and could rapid-fire shoot his Plant Growth spell off. It was enough to gain notice, earning him the Rank 1 version of the spell and increasing his efficiency even more.

At 40 mana per cast, and 349 mana available to him, Rud could cast the spell 8 times before he had to wait. And the wait was only three minutes long thanks to the effect of his staff. Since he was constantly regenerating mana, he even got some of that back while he was casting the subsequent spells. That gave him enough time to either circle back and prepare for another run, or find a nearby branch to rest. Casting so many versions of a Growth Magic spell caused Rud’s associated skill to shoot up to Rank 1 Level 3.

Even with all these advantages, it would still take him quite a while to create the line of forest between the Grove and the coast. But at least he had Nulsa for company. He was surprised to see the owl have advice for helping him make his casting more efficient. When switching to freecasting mode, it allowed Rud to tune the spells both up and down in power. According to Nulsa, this was the true way to cast druidic spells, which cast off the system’s shackles and allowed him to summon the power of nature to its fullest.

“You have taken the first step on the path to casting druid spells in their true form,” Nulsa said as they both took a well-deserved break. There were still a few hours of daylight left, and neither seemed eager to abandon the effort. Although they planned to rest once the sun went down, they both knew they could work late into the night, making great progress while the others slept. “But tapping into the full potential of nature is still beyond your grasp. I can’t determine whether that’s because your rank is still low or because you’re not truly throwing yourself into it.”

“How can I get better?” Rud asked.

Nulsa released a hooting laugh. “That’s the point. This isn’t something you can get better at by leveling up. This is something you attain by understanding. Understand the connection between what you’re doing and nature.”

“What’s the result, though?” Rud asked. “What’s wrong with the way I’m casting spells right now? I mean, look at the forest we’ve already created. The squirrels are frolicking, and they’re picking the acorns and eating them. This seems like harmony to me.”

“What we’re doing here completely neglects the concept of balance,” Nulsa said. “Yes, we’re doing something to achieve an end, but we’re not considering how this will affect the local ecosystem. Casting spells and performing druidic acts center around the concept of balance. And what is the end goal, you might ask? Well, I suppose you could think of it as power—the ability to manipulate nature in a way you simply don’t understand yet. Taming that talent of yours won’t happen overnight. But when you finally see the truth behind your connection with nature, you’ll cast those spells without the system.”

That was a lot to chew on. Since Rud had arrived in this world, he felt like he was a part of the Grove. But he never truly felt like he was part of nature. Wasn’t their purpose here to create something that was above nature, so they could protect it? Perhaps that was his problem. Were they truly above nature, or should he be trying to fall closer in line with what the natural world would want? There might’ve been a riddle in Nulsa’s words, since that’s the way he worked.

“Balance, huh?” Rud asked, scratching at the branch with his talons. “Do you think I have it in me?”

“Absolutely. That’s why you’re here,” Nulsa said. He took a breath as though he had more to say but stopped himself. “This is a lesson you need to learn on your own.”

“Does that mean you’re my teacher?” Rud asked.

“Indeed. I’m here to guide you.”

“Okay. So, what do you call this form of spellcasting?” Rud asked.

Nulsa flapped his wings once. “Druidic casting. True casting. Instinctual casting. Whatever you call it, you first need to connect with an aspect and master it.”

“Well, my aspect is plants, right?” Rud asked. “Can’t be anything else with how much time I spend with plants.”

“Exactly.”

Rud pinched his eyes shut, spreading his wings and grunting a few times.

“What are you doing?” Nulsa asked.

“Trying to be more like a plant,” Rud responded. “I’m photosynthesizing.”

“You might want to hurry. The sun is going down,” Nulsa said.

Rud’s eyes opened. He couldn’t tell if photosynthesis was truly part of the process. He closed his eyes again, intent on absorbing as much of the sun as he could while it was still poking over the horizon.

The owl laughed.