Gladesbale Grove Book 3 - Chapters 25,26,27

Chapter 25

The Grove Shivered

Rud wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking up at the new staircase he was working on. Directly above the academy’s central tower, he had been digging. This required a very large tree with powerful roots to move through the layers of dirt and stone. But the druid enjoyed pushing his Plant Magic as far as it would go. It allowed him to see how much progress he had made. One last push downward and the roots burst into the chamber below.

“Can you hear me down there!?” Rud shouted below, squinting against the darkness. He could see one glowing dot below, which must’ve been Jasper.

“If you’re shouting something, I can’t hear it,” Jasper said. “But I see you there. Looks like the position of the roots is good. I’ll be up in a moment.”

Rud nodded to himself, turning and jogging up the steps two at a time. He found Elm at the top, preparing some magical ingredients he knew nothing about. Unless it was sticks and acorns, he was ignorant to the ways of arcane magic.

“You could have just built from the ground up,” Elm said, smiling at Rud as she worked.

“Nah, this was more fun,” Rud said. “So, you need the roots to touch the top of the tower?”

“Not touching,” Elm corrected. “Make it so I can touch the tower without falling to my death.”

“Got it. No death.” Rud scampered off again, huffing for breath as he worked on the staircase some more. He used his Shape Plant spell to manipulate the roots. He ended the staircase in a large platform, complete with safety railing so that no one fell over the edge and ate it in the city below. “Should be good, right?”

Although no one answered him, Rud was satisfied with his work. He shifted into a raven, then flew into the open cavern. There was plenty of space for him to fly, and he got a better look at his work. The giant crystal embedded in the ceiling glowed, although he couldn’t tell if it was in response to him. Thanks to Ban’s efforts, the entire city had been changed. Not visibly, but in the form of magical energy that lingered in the air.

Gone was the poisonous magic that had waylaid them the first time. It now felt like anywhere else in the grove, and Rud was eager to exploit this new space. One thing he was certain of was that Taz would be excited to see this place. Perhaps it was even a chance for him to create a new mine, although the druid was certain he was already busy with his own affairs.

“Coming down,” Elm warned, taking the last few steps and coming out onto the platform. She stomped a few times on the wood beneath her feet. “Is this thing sturdy?”

“Yup. Kinda. Probably,” Rud said, shrugging. “Who knows?”

Shaking her head, Elm crossed the platform and approached the railing. She reached out, but didn’t touch the top of the structure. “Perfect. Funny to think of, but the wards near the top of the tower are weaker. I guess they didn’t expect anyone to fly in.”

“That works in our favor,” Jasper said, joining the pair near the railing. “But it calls into question the skill of the mages that once lived here. What good is a mage who cannot fly?”

Elm’s mouth fell open. “I don’t know any mages who can fly.”

“Really?” Jasper asked.

“Well, can you fly?”

“I’m a fox, not a mage,” Jasper said. “Different school of magic.”

“We all await the definition of your branch of magic,” Rud said. “I mean, have you seen a mage fly?”

“I’ve heard about it once.”

Rud gave the fox a flat look, shaking his head. “We have concluded that mages can’t fly, and that’s why the roof of this place is weak. Now, do what you guys need to do.”

“Just jab a root right there,” Jasper said, nodding at a particular wooden tile. “Then we’ll siphon off the excess magical energy and we can get in!”

 That sounded easy enough, and something that Rud didn’t need them for. But he was eager to get a fancy magical crystal so he could get an observatory working for River’s Grove. The druid directed a root through the roof. It pushed through without issue, siphoning the magic off right away. He could see the shimmer of energy rolling up the roots, and into the connected system.

“Perfect,” Ban said. “I can handle this energy, Rud. It might take a while, though.”

“Not like I’ve got much to do,” Rud said. “Actually, I have a lot to do!”

“We can handle it from here, darling druid,” Jasper said, batting his eyes. “Take your time with whatever custodial duties.”

“Sure thing, weird fox,” Rud said, waving his hand. The motion left behind a shimmer of green energy. A moment later, a bush appeared on the platform, complete with light green foliage. “See you cool cats later,” he said, vanishing too quickly for either Jasper or Elm to respond.

The goal with the underground city was to get the yummy crystals. But that wasn’t the only thing Rud had to prepare. Sure, he could do the bare minimum and only put together a package with the fragments required. But he wouldn’t be a good custodian if he didn’t also send along some cheese, tea, and trail mix. The mixture of dried berries and nuts had been lacking from the Grove’s store recently.

Perhaps it was time to change that.

Within Rud’s storerooms were the things gathered by Major. The bear had taken his role as a forager seriously, and had filled the various shelves with pots, boxes, and other containers filled with nuts, berries, and mushrooms. There were many that he hadn’t dealt with before, so he wasn’t willing to experiment for this run. The goal here was to create a few mixes and get some new enchanted trail mix items. Anything with some serious buffs from Ban or Mint would be awesome.

It didn’t hurt that putting trail mix together was just about the easiest process for creating these items he could think about. Drying or cooking each ingredient was almost effortless, and Rud got to work right away. The berries had to be placed in the various drying houses, while the hazelnuts had to be baked. Although Rud had toyed with the idea of adding dried mushrooms, that could wait. Today he was a purist. Berries, nuts, and jerky. A protein-rich mix that could keep the hungriest adventurer going on the open trail. If there was time, he’d add mushrooms to the mix to see what popped out on the other side.

Rud took in the scent of the various ingredients. “Smells like adventure.”

Lugging all the materials between the various buildings made Rud realized he needed a better bag. If he had to guess, he was rich by mortal standards. He could have sold his goods for coins, but that went too far against the druidic aesthetic. Having a bunch of mortal coins around was too much for him. The druid was certain he could get someone in town to trade for a bunch of materials and decided to check it out when he was done in the evening.

The ovens were all fired within the kitchen, roasting away on the hazelnuts. Rud spun, watching as Sarya stumbled into the building.

“We moving dirt?”

Rud looked around, spotting exactly no piles of dirt. “No?” he asked, forming the word as a question.

“Oh. Why not?”

“We’re cooking nuts right now.”

“I don’t like hazelnuts.”

Rud threw his hands up. “Well dang, Sarya. I can’t control how nuts taste. The mortals love them.”

“Do they? Why?”

“Yo, if you need a job, I could use some help moving materials around,” Rud said. “I still need to pull a bunch of cheese and tea into a staging area. Once all that stuff is assembled, I gotta send it to River’s Grove.”

“I’ll get the cart!” Sarya shouted, running off without waiting for further instruction.

Rud sighed, shaking his head as he went back to his hazelnuts. Thankfully, none had burned. Once those were done, he sorted the tea. Then the cheese. He would need to get more cheese ready after this, but the result of his efforts were good. There was now enough food and tea to send over to River’s custodian to keep her happy for quite some time.

“Got the cart,” Sarya said, skidding to a halt outside the Tea Workshop.

“Perfect timing,” Rud said, withdrawing pots of tea from his bag and placing them into the cart. “Get these to my storehouse near the Gate.”

“Okay,” Sarya said, wagging her tail like crazy.

“And… Go!”

The wolf took off, the mushroom pots of tea clattering in the back of her cart. Rud moved on to the next staging area, getting piles of cheese ready. They repeated the process until all the cheese, tea, and trail mix was staged and ready to go through the Gate. They would move them closer when the time was right, but for now it was earmarked for the purpose.

“That’s some mighty fine work, Sarya,” Rud said.

“Oh, yes. I am fast. Where are you sending this stuff?” Sarya asked.

“Another grove,” Rud said. “Along with some materials to build some stuff.”

“Why?”

“Because we need to talk to the other Groves,” Rud said. “Duh.”

“No, why send them food? Don’t they have their own food?”

“Come on, Sarya! Look at the big picture. We need everyone to be happy. And what do people love? What is it people come from far and wide to get?” Rud asked. “That’s right. They come to eat our cheese and drink our tea. Meaning we’ll grease the wheels with these reclusive custodians.”

“Grease ‘em good,” Sarya growled. “Yeah, let’s grease ‘em up.”

Sarya stuck around while Rud double-checked his stocks. Not only did he plan to send a bunch of stuff to the other Grove, but he always needed his own stocks to be fat for Gladesbale. And he didn’t even get to try making a new trail mix blend.

“Oh, well. Do you know what we’re having for dinner?” Rud asked.

“Soup, I think,” Sarya said. “Taz is busy today. He did a lot of mining and then he worked the forge and then he complained a lot to me so here I am.”

“You ran away because he was annoying? Sounds about right.”

“Yeah. Ready to get some soup?”

“Gotta make my report first,” Rud said, stretching before patting the wolf on the head. “I’ll meet you there after I check our weather situation. Smells like rain to me.”

Sarya sniffed at the air. “I smell nothing.”

“Ancient druidic trick,” Rud said with a wink. He shifted into his raven form, jumping and taking off. It was a much more pleasant experience flying to the observatory, rather than taking Thicket Travel.

Nulsa rested on the railing outside of the tower when he arrived, hooting softly as Rud landed. “What’s up?” the druid asked, shifting into his true form and approaching the radio. He clicked it on, listening to the faint hiss of static.

“Observing,” Nulsa said, his head swiveling.

After accepting the observatory’s aspect, Rud allowed his normal vision to fade. Above was an aurora of power he didn’t recognize. “Woah. What’s that?”

“Bad news,” Nulsa said, hooting again.

The dense energy was gathering to a point somewhere above the Grove. Rud felt the power tingling on his skin, the static of the radio grew stronger until all the energy had been pulled into a tiny point. The druid wasn’t happy with how long it took him to realize the flavor of this magic. He wasn’t a mage practicing the arcane arts, but he could still kick himself for not realizing it.

The chair clattered to the ground as Rud stood. He threw himself to the balcony outside, squinting with his normal vision to watch. The magic in the air had gone beyond visibility through magical senses. The Grove was bathed in prismatic light, the edges of the portal forming just above the eastern section of the forest. Four figures dropped through, landing somewhere in the distance.

The Grove shivered.

Chapter 26

I’m Just a Little Guy

The calm evening Rud had expected had shattered. He was left with a feeling of panic that ran up his spine and sent him scattering to assemble the other members of the Grove. But through that terror came a calming voice. Ban was eager to reassure him, her voice carrying with it a soothing melody despite having a fearful edge.

“Do nothing to anger them,” Ban said, speaking into the minds of all members of the Grove. “Rud, make contact and lead them to the tower.”

“Me? Really?” Rud asked. “But I’m just a little guy.”

“Please.”

Rud dropped the jokes in favor of obedience, shifting into his raven form and flying into the nearest bush. He felt Nulsa close behind him and sensed Jasper using the Thicket Travel upgrade somewhere in the distance. Mint’s intentions felt reserved, as though she didn’t wish to be there during this first contact. The druid burst free from a tree and looked below to see a silver-helmeted head lock onto him and track him as he circled down to the ground.

When Rud took his true form, the massive figure nodded in greeting. Although there were three other people behind the giant wall of armor, this dude was the only thing the druid could look at. He was massive. Maybe seven-foot tall and wider than was reasonable. He was covered from head to foot in ornate silver armor and he held in his hand a halberd twice his own height.

When Rud went to speak, his words came out as a mumbled mess.

“Greetings, keeper,” the figure said. “Apologies for the intrusion. Can you understand me?”

“Yup,” Rud said, nodding rapidly.

“Perfect. My name is Roland. I’m here in this sector to tackle the tower. If it’s agreeable to you, anyway,” he said, nodding before gesturing back to his three companions. “You need not know the names of my friends, but we don’t seek to cause too much undue disturbance in your forest. I only need for you to direct me toward the tower.”

There were a few things to take away from this that Rud did not miss. There was a particular way that people in this world spoke, especially those from the mainland. A few elves came from scattered islands within the Hornfen region, who spoke similarly, but Roland had a very distinct way of talking. It wasn’t just his accent; it was the words he used. He had called Rud “a keeper” and had referred to the grove as “a forest.” Those were dead giveaways that this guy wasn’t from the area, and the druid suspected he wasn’t even from this world.

“Let’s not make him angry,” Ban said.

“I’m ready to strike at a moment’s notice,” Jasper said, not helping the situation. “You get the big guy. I’ve got the mage in the back.”

“Don’t do a thing!” Rud sent back, bowing slightly to the giant man before him. He cleared his throat, switching to vocal communication. “I’d be happy to show you the way. If you’d follow me.”

Roland looked back to his companions, giving them all a sharp nod. Among those that had come through the portal, there were the typical archetypes Rud would expect. A big tanky guy, a roguish dude, a lithe elf-looking mage woman, and a timid healer guy with a bowl cut. The leader of the group barked a few quick orders in a language the druid didn’t understand.

“So what brings you to our neck of the woods?” Rud asked, doing his best to appear casual while crapping his pants on the inside.

“I’ve heard that expression elsewhere.” Roland said, “You’re an outworlder, aren’t you?”

“Yo, you figured that out just from me saying ‘neck of the woods’?” Rud asked. “That’s kind of impressive.”

“It is the quality of your soul that reveals you as an outworlder,” Roland corrected. “When you’re bound to a new world, you have a distinct signature within your soul. It feels like a beacon to those who know how to look for it. To answer your question, we are only here for the towers. We have detected at least four, and the local system claims they are anything but standard.”

“Local system, huh?” Rud asked. “So you’re not from this world either?”

“No, but we were summoned by a local. Hopefully, our presence doesn’t cause too much of a disturbance for you. Even in the local sector, it’s hard enough to find a decent tower. This one is said to be powerful. According to the local ranking system, it can go as high as rank 100, which I’ve never heard of.”

“Absolutely impossible,” Ban said, her shock plain in her voice. “That can’t be. Ask him to explain, Rud.”

“Since you’re not from here, maybe I can give you some information,” Rud said, leading the way down the path. Each step he took was punctuated by the sound of his staff hitting the living road. “Everything you see around you is part of a network. Each tree, bush, and blade of grass is connected to a sapient tree at the center. The people in this region worship the trees, and even those of us here who have formed contracts with them, refer to us as ‘sacred spirits.’”

“Interesting,” Roland said, offering nothing else.

“But I have to ask, how do you know how powerful our tower is?” Rud said. “If you’re from a different world altogether, I don’t see how you could have gathered that much information.” 

“My companions are very good at their jobs,” Roland said, nodding back to the three adventurers trailing behind them. “Based on information and long-distance magical readings, we’ve made an assessment. Each floor represents a rank, meaning that if you have 100 floors, it can go up to rank 100. However, it’s entirely possible for it to go even higher, which makes it all the more important for us to clear it for you. You wouldn’t want a rank 100 monster surge, would you?” 

Rud couldn’t imagine a rank 10 monster surge. If a monster surge meant that monsters emerged from the tower and laid waste to the grove, they’d be in serious trouble. His job as the Grove’s custodian was now vital. These people were honored guests. This was a group Gladesbale Grove, and perhaps all the other Groves in the world, needed.

“Which means I owe you a great debt,” Rud said, putting on more airs and drawing deeply from his Custodianship skill. “If there’s anything you need while you’re here, just let me know.”

Roland turned back to his friends and jabbered something in their foreign language. They conversed for a moment before the massive man turned back to the druid and smiled. “Food and refreshments, if you have any. My mage enjoys eating local cuisine when we travel.”

“Someone get some tea and food ready at the longhouse,” Rud said, sending the  message to everyone within the grove. “Break out the good stuff.”

“I’m on it!” Taz shot back.

“It’ll be ready when we reach the center,” Rud said, smiling to himself.

If these guys were truly as powerful as Rud thought, they could likely just scamper over to the tower anytime they wanted. He realized after a few minutes of silent walking that Roland was treating him with respect. The giant dude went through the motions of the procession, never complaining. But it was apparently not good enough for Ban. A half-hour into their walk, an archway formed, the shape of a glittering portal forming in the center.

Rud offered a nervous laugh. “It seems as though our Sacred Tree isn’t content with letting you all walk,” he said. “This portal will take us to the center, where food has been prepared.”

Roland turned to his companions, uttering some more foreign words. He then turned back to Rud. “This is acceptable. You first.”

With a few more nervous laughs, Rud was the first to walk through the portal. He breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived in the grove’s center, looking up at the glowing flowers on the branches. Night had fallen, and the druid had barely noticed, but then the four members of the otherworldly adventuring party came walking through. All their heads turning skyward to look at the sacred tree.

The mage of the party uttered something.

“You’ve impressed my spellcaster,” Roland said. “We’ve seen nothing like this in our travels. The tree is sapient and powerful. The potential of it is limitless…”

“This is Ban’tanthein, the Sacred Tree of Gladesbale Grove,” Rud said, performing the sign of reverence toward the tree. “Guess she decided to expend our precious energy to make the walk easier for you.”

“For that, she has my gratitude,” Roland said. “How long was the walk, anyway?”

“A week,” Rud said, pointing into the distance. “Come, let’s get some food.”

Rud wasn’t sure how long he could maintain the facade of a respectful host, but he was doing his best. He led the way, keeping his back straight and shoulders back. As he opened the door to the longhouse, the men in armor had to duck their heads to fit through, but no one else seemed to have a problem. Their whispers and utterances revealed that they were impressed by the space. They made their way to the fire on the far side of the room and found seats. When Roland lowered his armored form, the bench creaked, forcing the druid to reinforce it with some plant magic.

“Once again, I thank you for your hospitality,” Roland said, looking around. “My party is eager to eat before we enter the tower.”

Rud had to spread his senses through the grove to find that Taz had taken the preparation of the food to the kitchen building rather than doing it in the longhouse. This was a fact he greatly appreciated, and apparently, Mint was helping him out. It didn’t take them long before they were ushering trays of food through the door, setting them on the table, and bowing each time. It was surprising to see the Guardian herself participating in such a menial act.

“You,” Roland said, pointing at Mint as she was attempting to leave. She was in her human form, wearing her sweet samurai armor. “You’re the most powerful being I’ve sensed so far. Have a seat.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mint said, chuckling nervously. “Of course.”

The guardian of Gladesville Grove sat at the table, chuckling to herself the entire time. Rud couldn’t tell if she was going to lose her mind or keep her cool, but in any case, she would do the right thing.

“Mint is what we call a Sacred Beast,” Rud said. “She’s a wolf that gained enough power to gain sapience.”

“I’ve seen this before,” Roland said. Although all his friends were grabbing big chunks of meat and roasted forest vegetables, nuts, and mushrooms, he remained there with his helmet on. “We call that Latent Cultivation, and it is very rare.”

“Really?” Mint asked, leaning in over the table.

“Indeed. On the worlds that have this path of advancement, nature typically rules. I’ve seen beastkin tyrants ruling over planets covered in forests. Those words are always very nice to visit,” Roland said. “Yet this one has other civilizations. Why haven’t you taken over yet?”

“Is that an option?” Rud asked with a laugh. “Maybe we’ll put world domination on our checklist, but we have other problems right now. How long do you expect to be in the tower?”

“A few hundred years,” Roland said. “We’re prepared for the long game.”

“Excuse me. A few hundred… years?” Rud asked.

“Local time. Within the tower,” Roland said. “Time compresses the higher you get. The first few floors might be light, but the higher you get the worse it is. Ah, my mage wishes to inform you he would like some cheese before we enter. She loves the cheese.”

Rud shot a look at Taz at the door, who nodded and ran off.

“Of course! Anyway, let’s get you guys nice and full of tea and cheese,” Rud said. “Long road ahead, huh?”

“Indeed.”

Chapter 27

Lead the Way, Druid

It was sometime near midnight by the time the otherworldly adventuring party was ready to head out. However, they weren't going directly to the tower. Instead, Rud walked them through the empty streets of the Grove and toward the most lavish of the rest areas, first drawing them a bath and then presenting them with their accommodations.

Of course, he couldn't understand the chatter of the other members of the party, but what he caught from Roland was that they were excited to have a hot bath and somewhere comfortable to sleep before they took on the tower. There might have been some debate among them about whether they should head directly inside, but comfort won out, and they eventually all filed into the bathhouse for a nice soak.

Rud sighed as he leaned against the trunk of a tree, slumping down as his head drooped.

"I think it's safe to say that you nailed that,” Ban said. “I’m very proud of you.”

"Thanks, Mom," Rud said, taking a few more steadying breaths before getting back to his feet. He loosened his shoulders and worked a crick out of his back before making his way back to the clearing. He stood under the boughs of the massive sacred tree for quite some time, looking up at the flowers that seemed to sprawl on forever. "Do you think it went too well?"

"That's the problem. A few people have experience with outworlder adventurers like that, so it's hard to say. All I know is those people have enough power to level not only the grove but the entire region to the ground. Their courteous behavior is a sign of them respecting the sovereignty of our world."

Ban had switched away from telepathic communication. Her voice flooded through the clearing like a clear bell, bringing immense comfort to the druid. A few moments of peaceful silence later and Mint came rushing to give her opinion.

“Violating local laws means godly intervention,” she said, huffing for breath in her wolf form. “I just talked to some gods.”

“You can talk to gods?” Rud asked.

“Yeah, I do that sometimes. That’s how I struck a deal to get you. There’s this one guy… I think his name is Fred, but I don’t know or care,” Mint said. “He’s keeping a close eye on the outworlders.”

Rud wasn't sure if it was the threat of godly intervention that kept the adventurers in line. It seemed as though they were only interested in running the tower. However, there was something interesting to note here. Somebody back on the main continent had summoned them, meaning that people had the ability to reach beyond this world. Maybe it was just a one-way message, but something about that lingered in his mind. It wasn't a desire to return home. The druid knew that what he had here was far better than anything he had ever experienced on Earth. He wouldn't easily give up his position as the custodian, but perhaps there were others.

"I think they're swell," Rud said. "They liked my tea and cheese. And anyone who likes my tea and cheese is alright with me."

The discussion about the visitors to the grove was short-lived. Rud was getting tired, and things had gone better than he had expected. He excused himself from the meeting and circled around the sacred tree, finding his way to his mushroom house. What he didn't expect was for a fox to be sleeping in front of his wood-burning stove. "You know, there are other places you can stay," the druid said, kicking off his boots and jumping into his own bed.

"Yes, but your fire is warm," Jasper said, yawning.

“How did you even start the fire?” Rud asked. “You don't have opposable thumbs.”

"Magic," Jasper said with a laugh. "Just kidding. I have an elven form I can take when I wish.”

Although the fox said nothing else, Rud knew the implications. Only powerful Sacred Beasts were granted access to mortal forms. Dean still couldn't even take one, and he was pretty sure Nulsa didn't have one either. That meant Jasper was particularly powerful. The druid didn't know what to think about it. And he couldn’t think about it. Sleep overcame him quicker than he thought. Even with the energizing tea rushing through his system, he was out within four breaths.

***

Rud woke with a start the next morning. It was before dawn. Even though he hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep, he was up with full clarity. The druid bolted from his bed, disturbing Jasper as he rushed from his mushroom house. He had to go back to get his boots and staff.

“What have you stirred up?” Ban asked.

Rud shifted into his raven form, diving into the nearest bush without even offering a response. He peered outside the observatory and flew through the open window, shifting back to his true form in a swift motion. He slid on the floor and rushed over to the radio, accepting the aspect. He scanned the skies.

"Everything has to go perfectly for those adventurers," he said, noting the subtle energies in the air that had shifted since last night. The portal they took to get here had left behind traces of the magic. He wanted to ensure that no more would form, but the aurora in the air wasn't nearly as intense as yesterday, so he dismissed it as residual magic. Perhaps Rud could help with this more, but for now, he wanted to make the experience of the adventurers perfect.

"Well, at least you're taking your job seriously," Ban said, giggling into his mind. "I think you've given them enough of a good impression that you have nothing to worry about."

Of course, Rud hoped she was right, but he wouldn't take any chances. He wanted everything to go perfectly. So, he sent a mental message to Taz to make a breakfast worthy of Outworlder adventurers. However, it turned out the dwarf was already on the task with some help from Mint. Since she was one of the other Grove members with fingers and thumbs, she was the perfect candidate. As the druid thought about it, he realized that Jasper could also help, although that might be more difficult.

Rud flicked the radio on. “Rud here, anyone else up this early?” he asked.

“I am,” Maria shot back.

It was hard not to laugh. It seemed as though Maria spent more time at her radio than away from it. "I've got an interesting story to tell you," he said, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up. All the while, he kept an eye on the adventurers, who, from what he could tell, were still in the rest area. Their magical signatures were hard to miss.

“Juicy gossip? I’m ready for it,” Maria said.

Rud cleared his throat, then told the story of the outworlder adventurers. Maria offered her fair share of gasps and shocked proclamations as the druid told the story. Since their network of informants through the Groves was incomplete, there was no way they could know if the others had visitors. All the more reason for him to work with Jasper and Elm down in the underground city.

“That sounds like a lot of pressure,” Maria said. “Can you handle it?”

“For now,” Rud said. “Their leader is actually very nice. But my Guardian said they’re being watched by the gods. Kinda like probation, maybe?”

“Maybe. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye out for anything weird. You need to stay safe.”

Rud agreed with her, but knew he could take care of himself. His schedule had become suddenly busy. But whatever else he had to do moved to the side when he took on the responsibility of watching over these adventurers. Once they left the rest area, he would make contact and lead them to the tower. Since it seemed to be taking them a while to wake up, he instead chased Sarya outside of the area and told her to inform him when they left. Instead, he proceeded to the southwest of the grove to attend to the dungeons.

The small group of adventurers that had remained within the grove was camping just outside a dungeon. They were waking up for the day and did not mind when Rud made contact. They gave him a report of how many dungeons they had damaged and where they were located. They also revealed they had conducted advanced scouting for more dungeons and found one that had eluded the magical senses of both the druid and Nulsa.

“Seven dungeons,” Rud said, shaking his head. He produced a half-wheel of cheese from his bag and held it aloft. “I present to you this cheese as reward for your efforts."

The group of five adventurers shared a look before accepting the gift. “Thank you, great spirit,” the man leading the party said with a bow of his head. “You’re gracious.”

Of course, the mortals had offerings for Rud. They gave him materials and items they had found within the dungeon, and he was all too happy to accept them. Once they were done with their pleasantries, they went their separate ways, and the druid sized up the five dungeons he had to absorb. It would be a rush of new attributes skyrocketing his effective level. He didn’t even watch the system messages that appeared as he absorbed the dungeons, leaving them for later.

By the time Rud was done absorbing each dungeon, he had seven messages to go over. That’s when the system, ever helpful as it was, did him a favor. It condensed the messages into one easy-to-ready pop-up.

[7 Dungeon Souls Absorbed]

Your [Custodian’s Twig] has absorbed multiple dungeons within Gladesbale Grove’s borders.

This artifact has gained the following attributes, destroying all dungeons in the process:

+3 Strength, +5 Vigor, +8 Agility, +10 Mind, +5 Affinity

Rud could feel the power flooded through his body. He was lightheaded as he read the message over several times, forcing him to take a seat. It was the single biggest jump he had ever made in his attributes at once, hurtling him forward 31 levels in only about a half-hour. His vision swam as he summoned his attribute screen to review his progress.

[Rud]

Main Class:

Rank 1 Level 1 Druid

Subclass:

Rank 0 Level 7 Grove Custodian

Attributes:

Health: 164

Mana: 310

Strength: 17

Agility: 19

Vigor: 20

Mind: 37

Affinity: 22

Titles:

[Keeper of the Gladesbale Grove]

Of course, Rud had been neglecting his levels. Both his class and subclass weren’t advancing as quickly as they could’ve been. But with such a massive increase in attributes, he wouldn’t complain. As long as more dungeons spawned in the grove, he’d keep getting absurdly strong. How would he use that strength? To grow plants, of course.

The druid’s attributes put him about 81 levels ahead of where he should’ve been. Of course, he wasn’t as strong as someone at Rank 8. Ranks carried their own realm of power. But those extra attributes would help him care for the grove, especially when it came to the increased mana he now had access to. And the Affinity was great, making it easier for him to cast his spells. Everything together meant his life in the Grove was easier, enabling him to do more for his Sacred Tree.

“They’re awakening,” Sarya said, speaking into the druid’s mind.

“Perfect timing,” Rud said. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

Rud swayed when he stood to his feet, but eventually shifted into his raven form. He took off into the sky, diving into the canopy of the trees above and teleporting just outside of the rest area. He found the adventuring party ready to go. They had apparently refused breakfast from Taz and Mint, but eventually relented and put the dishes into their impressive dimensional storage.

Just as Rud shifted back into his true form, another portal appeared behind him. He smiled, nodding to the adventurers. “Guess that means you guys are ready to go.”

“Indeed we are,” Roland said. “Lead the way, druid.”