Gladesbale Grove Book 3 - Chapters 22,23,24

Chapter 22

Delightfully Boring

Although Elm might have been piecing together some information about what was going on in the abandoned town, Rud was completely clueless. The druid saw the abandoned buildings and checked them out alongside the mage, but the lives these people had left behind were just as mysterious to him. There were scattered writings in almost every building they inspected, but each revealed mundane details that helped reveal exactly nothing.

"Here's another merchant talking about an inferior shipment of copper," Elm said, organizing papers on a stone desk and shrugging. “It seemed as though he was displeased and wanted to lodge a formal complaint.”

“I'll be honest, I expected something a little more from a magical city that’s stuck underground,” Rud said. “You know… Wizard duels and whatever.”

“Come then,” Elm said, stuffing a few things into her bag and slinging it over her back. “Let's head deeper into the city to search for these amazing facts you wish to find.”

"Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of history and all that, but I'm more interested in the origin of this place than in what the local merchants were slinging."

"Well, I've pieced together some information, although it's spotty. I know this was a magic city that had moved several times. How it moved or why is beyond me. The writings of the locals are pretty clear. I can't determine the date since they are using some notation I don't understand."

“They were on a different calendar?” Rud asked. “Now that I think about it, I don’t even know how the calendar works for everyone else…”

“Really?” Elm asked, cocking her head to one side. She let out a peep-like scream when Major ran over to catch up. “No matter how much time I spend with you spirits, I’ll never get used to a giant bear charging me.”

“I found some food over there,” Major said, gesturing with his head to an old storehouse. Elm had dispelled the barrier over that one, granting access. “Tasted like electricity.”

"Let's do our best not to eat the random stuff we find in the abandoned buildings," Rud said with a shake of his head. “Ignoring the fact that it might be hundreds of years old, it was enchanted with magic.”

"They tasted fine to me.”

Rud took in the mundanity of the city. There were many mysteries still to discover, but it was simply a place where people had lived once upon a time. Their entire lives were contained here within the rows of buildings and the streets they walked. As the group made their way deeper into the city, the buildings themselves became more grand. With that, even the enchantments on those buildings grew stronger. Elm had particular trouble with a barrier that rested over a gate, preventing them from entering until she dispelled it. They took that time to reach out to local plant life, feeling for how things were growing and getting a sense of the ancient flora.

Some nearby potted plants had been under a similar enchantment to the buildings, and Rud could feel its age. He pulled his senses away when that feeling came back with more than just age. It felt maddened, as though spending this much time locked in a prison without the ability to grow had messed with it. Plants didn’t really have thoughts, but the druid felt their desires. It was normally a need to grow or reproduce, but those feelings had gone sour.

Elm finally popped the lock on the gate, and the party proceeded forward. They were only a few steps inside when Major rushed ahead, moving with far more speed than Rud had ever seen him produce. The bear thundered across an open courtyard, slamming into something that appeared to be a statue. It took the druid's mind far too long to realize it was more than just a stone effigy. It moved, swiping at the bear just before the moment of impact, but it caught only air.

Rud stood there, as though staying still would keep the stone sentinel from targeting him. Others rose nearby and a webwork of magic sprang up around Elm. Bolts of energy shot out, piercing through the cores of the constructs. Major ripped through the hard surface of one man-shaped statue, shredding it with his powerful claws.

“Disgusting,” Major said, spitting a mouthful of crumbled stone onto the ground.

“Now, that is very interesting,” Elm said, jogging over to inspect one of the many destroyed constructs. She said nothing about the magical display she had just put on and instead returned to the studious mage she was. "This is very interesting. I did not expect golems here. The magical binding on those normally don’t last very long. Whoever made these must have been of a rank I can only imagine."

"Seems like you handled them pretty well," Rud said, coming over to kick at the rubble that represented the spot where the Golem head stood moments ago. Through his magical senses, he could feel the faint tendrils of Mana leaving the cores of the golems. They were built around a construct of some sort, and the druid could never hope to understand exactly what it was; he would leave that to the mages of the world.

"Right, but we should still stick together." Elm said, "Ensure Major doesn't wander too far."

"Stick close, big guy," Rud said, patting the bear on the side. "She thinks there might be more."

"Understood," Major growled.

Of course, Elm wanted to inspect each building within the new plaza they had arrived in. Rud somehow convinced her to check only a few before moving on, but the contents of those buildings were no less illuminating than in the previous area. They moved on within the hour, finding themselves fighting against several more groups of golems and eventually arriving at another sealed gate. The mage got to work, claiming this one was far more difficult than the last. By the druid's estimation, they were now pushing into the inner sanctum of the city.

Although Elm expected a pitched battle in the next area when the gate finally gave way to her touch, they found nothing. It was simply another plaza that was even more finely adorned than the last. The buildings were made from exotic materials that no one could recognize, and they stretched higher into the sky than those in the last area.

Rud picked up the rear, walking with the help of his artifact staff and probing the air with his magical senses. There was something that had been growing in his mind since they had pushed past the first barrier, and it was only growing stronger as they approached the center. As he crossed an invisible line, he stopped, going rigid as he felt something familiar.

“Hold up!” Rud shouted. “Get back behind me.”

Major and Elm both gave him a strange look, but upon seeing the seriousness on his face they were quick to retreat. When the mage finally came alongside him, she sagged and crumpled. The bear released a concerned growl.

“Ban’s energy didn’t fix this part,” Rud said, squinting. If he focused hard enough, he could almost see the nasty power in the air.

“I don’t feel so good,” Elm said.

Whatever energy lingered down here wasn’t fatal. So long as a person exposed to the miasma returned to the healing energies of the Grove, they would fine. That left the druid free to narrow his gaze on the horizon, scanning for anything that stood out. In his magical senses, the druid could feel something emanating from the spire in the center of the city. A malicious power rolled off it in waves, seeming to batter against the energy Ban had suffused the area with. It was simply too powerful for her to diminish entirely, even if she had reduced it significantly.

"We can’t go further," Rud said, looking back to spot the shadowy form of his spiral staircase in the distance. He had an idea, but he didn't know how effective it would be. The druid withdrew some water from his bag. He poured it into a cup and then tipped it into Elm's mouth. She drank deeply, some of the light returning to her eyes. "You should be fine in a few minutes, but you need to take a break."

“It felt like a curtain of power,” Elm said, releasing a heavy sigh. “I should’ve sensed it.”

“Why am I fine?” Major asked.

“You’re a powerful forest spirit,” Rud said. “It would’ve gotten to you eventually, though.”

“Makes sense… So, what’s the plan?” Major asked.

That was a good question. Rud only had a wisp of a plan in his mind right now. He needed to remove the rest of the energy if they were going to get to the center of the city. His only plan for that was to take roots from his spiral staircase and snake them into the area affected by the negative energy. After that, it’d be a waiting game.

“We wait for Elm to recover,” he said.

“Ah. Sounds delightfully boring.”

It didn't take long for Elm to recover. She was up on her feet and stretching out before long. Of course, she wanted to stay behind to inspect the buildings in the area. As long as she respected the invisible wall of energy, everything would be fine. So Rud felt comfortable leaving her where she was. He ran back to the stairs with Major in tow, and got to work.

The tree Rud had planted on the surface seemed eager to spread its roots through the weird city. It stretched out, seeming to almost grow on its own as the druid urged it forward. He felt the power of the grove flowing through his body, adding its strength to his own and making the work easy enough. Roots soon covered most of the exterior wall, wrapping around the buildings in the first area and digging into the soil. The tree was happy to suck up the errant nutrients that lingered there—either deposited through magical means or just existing naturally.

"You're doing a great job, Rud." Ban's voice flooded into his mind, seeming to echo off the walls of the massive cavern.

"I thought you had cleared the entire city with your energy," Rud said back. He wasn't disappointed; he was just confused.

"I thought I had done the same," she said. "When I focused the energy of my roots on the underground city, I felt as though all of it was cleansed. I can't exactly see down there, but I have a sense of all the energies. The roadblock you encountered wasn't something I was aware of. Whatever force is generating that magic is powerful, and you need to be careful."

Rud guided a series of roots, snaking them through the city and shooting them into the soil. This was the furthest he had guided a single tree, and he wasn't certain he was doing it correctly. However, the tree he had selected must have been powerful because it neither objected nor showed any signs of stopping. It simply grew and grew until most of the first area was encompassed by those roots.

“I’ll tell Elm to be careful,” Rud said, doubling over after finishing with another sprint of root-growing. “Can you tell if this is working?”

“Yes. I can feel the tree absorbing the energies down there,” Ban said. “The tree is taking a fair amount of the power for itself, though… Greedy little thing.”

“Want me to stop it?” Rud asked

“No. If we’re lucky, it’ll absorb enough energy to become another Sacred Tree.”

“Wait, that’s an option?” Rud asked, his mouth hanging open. Major gave him a strange look.

“So long as a wandering soul attaches itself to the tree, yes,” Ban said. “Although, you’ll have your hands full soon enough.”

“With what? What are you keeping from me!?”

Ban giggled into his mind. “Bring the mortal to the surface. You’ll see soon enough.”

Chapter 23

Poke Some Sludge With a Stick

Only when Rud was certain Elm was safe in the underground city did he dare leave her alone. The druid ensured they had a thick bush ready to travel through. Just in case anything happened. It had taken the entire day to get the project rolling, but most of the city was now covered in thick roots. A steady stream of magical energy flowed from the very buildings themselves, siphoned by the tree’s own magic. The result were visible currents, traveling in waves along the ground and ultimately through the roots.

“Ban said she had a surprise,” Rud grumbled, walking toward the bush with Major.

“A new spirit formed a contract with the Grove,” Major said. “Sorry about the spoilers.”

“Wow. What kind is it?”

Major shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno. But I felt the contract form while we were down here, so it should be interesting.”

Rud and Major stepped through the bush the druid had created, arriving in Ban’s clearing. Although Elm had summoned a magical light in the underground area, they were both blinded. Mint, Sarya, and Dean had assembled by the tree, all standing before the silhouette of an unfamiliar figure. It swished its tail, padding between the other spirits to approach.

“Finally,” it said, his voice smoothe and drawn out. “I’ve heard so much about you, custodian.”

Rud blinked away the stars that lingered in his vision. The light was low from dusk’s approach, but still enough to draw a stark contrast to the underground city. The creature came up to the druid’s waist, with a slick body and a bushy tail. His pointed ears twitched.

“Oh. Hi,” Rud said, patting the beast on the head. “What’s your name?”

“Don’t have one,” the new spirit said, circling around Rud to give him a good sniff.

“We’re calling him ‘Red’,” Sarya said, bounding over and biting the creature’s leg. “Cause he’s red.”

“Too close to my name,” Rud said. As his eyes adjusted, he could see more of the new beast. It was a giant red fox. Of course it was. Unlike a normal fox from back on Earth, this one’s coat shifted slightly between lighter and darker shades of red. Rud associated that with power, as it was the same thing Mint’s coat did. “What brings you to the Grove?”

The fox continued his patrol around Rud, flicking his tail around as he hummed to himself. “What else would bring a Sacred Beast like me to a new Grove? A chance to cover the world in trees. To exalt the power of nature.”

“Fair enough,” Rud said, patting the fox on the head. “You found us, then?”

“That’s right. Now, according to the others, you must name me.”

Rud didn’t even know where to start with this one. He wasn’t getting a bad vibe from the fox, but there was something different about him. As he considered what it was that he felt, he realized the power the creature put off was similar to Nulsa. It was a deep kind of power that could only mean one thing. The fox was old and powerful. Unlike Nulsa, the fox’s power ran deep. It was like a wellspring that he kept locked up, never to come out unless commanded to do so.

“You vouching for this guy?” Rud asked, sending a message directly to Ban.

“I understand your hesitation,” Ban said. “This Sacred Beast is powerful. He found the Grove intentionally, reaching through some unseen path I’m unaware of. Yet he signed a contract with the Grove, ensuring he could never hurt us or our interests. He is bound completely, and I’ll remind you Bent’s power enforces those contracts.”

There was nothing quite like an eldritch stag to ensure contracts remained enforced.

“Well?” the fox asked.

“A name isn’t something you just spit outta nowhere,” Rud said, crossing his arms as he looked down at the fox. Yeah, ‘Red’ was a pretty good name for him. Sarya was right… But it was just too close to his own name, and he couldn’t suffer the confusion from mortals. “Mister Pom Pom Tail.”

“Absolutely not,” the fox said.

“Jimmy Two-Toes.”

“I have all my toes.”

Rud clicked his tongue, circling around the fox the same way it had done a few moments ago. He got a better look at the fox, taking in all his features. Like the other Sacred Beasts, he looked like a normal version of his wild brethren. Except he had exaggerated features. Larger paws, sharper claws, and a hide thick enough to defend against attacks. He also had brilliant red eyes that almost glowed with a peerless quality.

“Jasper,” Rud said, thrusting his staff into the air. “You shall be called Jasper!”

The fox hummed, joining Rud in the circling. “Yes, that’s nice.” Flaming lights poured from Jasper’s fur, floating into the air and dancing on the wind. The lights multiplied until the intensity of that light rivaled the fading sun. “I like that name quite a lot!”

“Huzzah!” Mint shouted, jumping and changing to her human form. Rud wasn’t sure where she got a sword from, but she thrust it into the air. “You guys know what this means! Party time!”

The lights Jasper had summoned shifting colors, snapping between shades of green, pink, red, and blue. The flowers on Ban’s branches glowed brighter, seeming to hold a silent competition against the foxfire. It took Taz about thirty seconds to bring the food he had been cooking within the longhouse outside. Joining him were the many adventurers who were hanging around in the grove.

It was hard to accept any reluctance about the Grove’s newest member when he had Ban’s seal of approval. Rud shrugged it all off, helping Taz set up tables and move food from the longhouse. Under the light of the foxfire and the glowing flowers, both the residents and the guests of Gladesbale Grove threw a party.

Jasper’s personality was somewhere between Nulsa and Mint. Rud observed him during the festivities, noting the intelligence and power the creature held. Further observation would be required, but Tuft nodded at him from across the way, gaining his attention.

“Yo, what’chu need?” Rud asked.

“Excellent party, Rud,” Tuft said, his eyes seeming to dart around the party. He locked on a few people, allowing his gaze to linger before moving on again. “A few adventurers have fled the Grove, unfortunately.”

“Any reason?” Rud asked. “Boredom?”

“We got a message from Barlgore. Some high-rank adventurers are on their way to tackle the tower,” Tuft said.

Rud clapped his hands together. “Excellent! I hope they’re very strong.”

Tuft scratched at the fur above his brows, shaking his head. “Yes. Our strongest barely made it to the fifth floor. The ones that are coming are… What is the best way to put this? They’re dangerous, Rud.”

“While I appreciate the warning, what should I do? We need people strong enough to take on the tower,” Rud said. “If you guys can only make it to the fifth floor, what other hope do we have?”

Tuft grunted, his eyes going unfocused. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?”

“Come on. These adventurers are gonna come, I’m gonna give them some awesome cheese, and we’re gonna be besties.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

Rud shrugged, slapping a hand on the tiger-dude’s back. These adventurers were coming under the summons of Elm. The druid refused to believe she would do something that wasn’t in the best interest of the Grove. As far as he was concerned, she was practically a member. Anyone who went to the lengths she did to help them out was an honorary member.

Tuft had a few more things to say about his concerns, but Rud smoothed them over. Since Elm was on his mind, he left the party a bit early to check on Daffodil. He found the deer-horse grazing in a field outside of the smithy. She delicately picked at the grass, seeming to have a favorite flavor. The druid activated Clear Communication, approaching and patting her on the flank.

“Your mommy is gonna be gone for a bit,” Rud said. “If I know her, she’ll be down in the underground city for a few days at least.”

Daffodil looked up, snorting. “Quite fine. The vegetation within the Grove is excellent. Never have I tasted such sweet grass. Would you like some?”

“Sure,” Rud said, snatching a handful of the grass she indicated. “We have some more food down at the clearing if you want to check that out.”

“Why would I do that?” Daffodil asked. “I have enough grass to last a lifetime up here.”

Rud shrugged. Daffodil was completely unbothered, even with her master gone. But the beast was always headstrong, thinking herself the superior in the relationship. Maybe she was right. That deer-horse had some great potential.

“Aren’t you going to eat your grass?” Daffodil asked, bringing Rud out of his thoughts.

“Oh, yeah,” Rud said, taking a bite of his fistful of grass.

His expectations were low. But to his surprise, the grass was pretty good. It had a mildly sweet flavor with an earthy undertone. The only problem was that it was still grass, which made it difficult to chew up and even more difficult to swallow. Instead, Rud chewed and sucked on it like a weirdo, spitting it in big globs onto the ground. Daffodil gave him a scandalized look, shaking her head.

“You should mind your manners,” she said, huffing a breath. “Seriously. I can’t take you anywhere, can I?”

Smiling to himself, Rud settled in and enjoyed his time chewing on grass with Daffodil. He had actually made progress on the underground city problem, even if Elm was the one doing the work. Once he was done schmoozing with the deer-horse, he found the nearest bush and traveled back down to the city. He only needed to follow the wash of powerful magic energy to find where Elm was hiding out.

“Rud!” she shouted, waving her arms in the air like a maniac. “Come! Your roots are pushing the energy back.”

“Nice!” Rud shouted back, jogging over. He joined Elm, who was crouched by the gutter of one road, poking something inside with a stick. Finding his own stick, he joined her. “What are we doing?”

“I’m poking this sludge with a stick,” Elm said. “Most of the city is devoid of living material, but this gutter is filled with algae. It is magical, yet not magically reactive.”

“Strange,” Rud said, reaching out with his druidic senses. Apparently, slime counted as plants because he could feel its powerful signature. “Seems like some very old slime. How magical is it?”

“Quite magical. Like your tree, it has sucked up a lot of the nearby mana,” Elm said. “Yet my studies have not revealed the answer to my questions. Why is this form of life immune to the damaging effects of the magic? Nothing else is, so why is this one different?”

The only thing Rud could offer was his opinion on the plant life. It felt older than he could imagine, and was infused with a confusing mixture of magical energies. Elm was better at peeling those layers apart, so he would leave that part to her.

“The algae could simply have lived a long time, taking advantage of its resistance to magic,” Elm said. “Sometimes things exist in the natural world that endures far longer than should be possible. Those things gather power, making them stand out among the masses.”

“Getting all philosophical on me tonight,” Rud said, shaking his head. “How about we head back to the surface? I know you want to stay here all night, but you need some rest.”

Elm released a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Take me captive if you must, druid. Tear me away from my life’s work.”

Rud rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the arm. “You got plenty of time to study. Now is time to rest.”

Although the trip to the surface would take a bit, Rud didn’t want Elm to stay down here tonight. He was almost certain it was safe for her to stay, but he didn’t want to risk it. Elm always got lost in her work, which would cause her to drop her defenses. The druid would have none of that. Instead, she’d get a nice meal and some sleep. Even if he had to cast a spell to make it happen.

Chapter 24

A Fox Underground

By the morning, the number of mortals remaining in the Grove was few. The parties that had attended the festivities the previous night had departed and were making their way over the road to the east. Only those adventurers who cleared dungeons in the southwestern reaches of the forest remained. Rud wasn’t sure what he should think about it as he sat in his observatory. Jim and Maria were hatching a plan to get another custodian in the fold, but the druid couldn’t focus on their conversation.

“Think you can get the stuff?” Maria asked.

“Absolutely,” Rud said, snapping out of his thoughts. “What stuff am I getting?”

Maria repeated the list of materials Rud had to gather. The hardest thing for him to find was the crazy magical crystal, but the custodian of River’s Grove also needed some other materials that were much easier to come by. This all meant that the druid had to put all his efforts into exploring the underground city. It was a task he wasn't looking forward to and something that would have been impossible without Elm's help.

“I’m not sure how long it’ll take,” Rud said, checking his list for the items. Along with the big boy crystal, there were standard fragments, dungeon core fragments, and some mundane ingots and gems. “But I’ll do my best.”

The rest of the conversation went well. The two other custodians had a lot more hope for the way things were going now that they were making progress. Once they tackled this first custodian, getting the others should have been much easier. It was only a matter of breaking the dam that would set everything in motion. Rud just hoped they were ready.

After signing off from the radio, Rud released a heavy sigh and slumped back into his chair. He didn't sense the pair of red eyes locked upon him, nor did he hear as the fox spirit jumped from the banister outside the door of the observatory. However, he jumped in fright when Jasper finally spoke.

“Heavy is the head,” the fox spirit said, his voice a lingering drawl.

Clutching his chest, Red looked down at Jasper and shook his head. “You could have given me a heart attack!”

“You’re not so weak,” Jasper said. “So, what is this problem you’re facing? It brings you much agitation, does it not?”

Something about Jasper made Rud not want to trust him, but that was the thing about the sacred beasts who had made a spiritual contract with the tree. It was absolutely binding, and they couldn't fight against it, which meant that he implicitly trusted the fox. Yet the druid still didn't know what Jasper's strong suits were. He seemed to have a great affinity for some type of magic and cunning, but he didn't know the depths to which those skills ran.

“Did you want to come along?” Rud asked, pushing himself from his seat and leaning against his staff. “We have to go down to a city beneath the Grove.”

“An undercity?” Jasper asked. “In the Hornfen region? Surely not.”

“Yup. It is a magical city, and I have no idea where it came from.”

A ripple of blue fire spread across the fox's fur, but it soon settled down. He flipped his tail from side to side and gave a nod. "What are we waiting for?" he asked. "I think the elf has already begun her journey down the staircase you created."

“Jeez, I thought she'd stay for at least three seconds,” Rud grumbled, heading to the banister outside. “Come on, we need to beat her there so we can have a look before she arrives.”

Jasper and Rud headed through the nearest bush. A moment later, they arrived in the underground cavern. The city sprawled before them. The fox released a low growl as he looked upon it.

"I don't have to tell you this isn't normal, do I?" Jasper asked. “The magical energies here are intense. It seems our tree is infusing it with her own power, which is good… But still. That’s some very advanced magic. Perhaps ascendant magic.”

“Are you a mage?” Rud asked.

“Oh, something like that,” Jasper said. “I’ve never been good at the arcane arts, but I do my best. My affinity is for fox magic. Which is a real school of magic, I promise you. Similar to illusion magic, fox magic focuses on creating things that aren’t there.”

“Any idea what we’re dealing with here?” Rud asked.

Jasper turned, giving him a knowing look. “I’m not sure you want to know. Come, let’s proceed to the central tower and I’ll confirm my thoughts.”

When the fox took the lead, Rud was suspicious of the level of familiarity he had. It might have been a straight shot to the central tower, but when he and Elm were exploring it before, there were a few twists and turns they had to discover by trial and error. However, Jasper expertly navigated the streets, finding his way through the alleyways and bringing them to the foot of the large tower. The outskirts of the city were where the houses were most dilapidated and affected by time. Passing into the central district, everything looked almost completely untouched. If the druid imagined hard enough, he could see guards standing at the steps of the tower.

Looking up to the top of that tower was a dizzying affair. Rud found himself stumbling backward as he gawked, only to be interrupted from his amazement by the fox's amused giggles.

"This is the Academy of the Howling Peaks," Jasper said, his voice containing something Rud couldn't place at first. He realized after a pause that it was sadness.

"Academy. So this was a school,” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around. It didn't seem like much of a school, and he couldn't understand why it was underground. Last he checked, schools were usually above the ground, unless this was a dwarven academy of some kind. “I didn’t know dwarves liked schools.”

"They don't. This wasn't a dwarven academy, although I'm sure there were some dwarven students," Jasper said. Globes of fire spread from his fur, floating in the air and casting the area in an eerie blue glow. “This academy was a flying city. It went missing almost 500 years ago.”

“Two questions,” Rud said, smacking his lips. “First, how old are you? And second, how does an entire city go missing?”

"The answer to your first question is ‘very old,’" Jasper said with a light chuckle. "The second one is that nobody knows. One minute it was hovering above the Borgrel region, and the next it was gone. Nobody heard anything from anybody aboard. Come to think of it, that’s around the time the moons shattered…”

“Giant floating academy city, shattered moons, missing mages… Sounds about right for this world,” Rud said.

“Easy to forget you’re a reincarnator,” Jasper said, stalking toward the entrance of the tower. One of his floating balls of flame edged toward the door, only to sizzle and vanish. “As expected, some magic lingers. I can’t be sure, but I’d assume some defensive magic is still at work.”

Jasper’s ears twitched. He looked back nodding to the way they had come in. “Your girlfriend is here.”

“Oh! Lemme go get her. She’s a really good mage,” Rud said, scampering off. He didn’t miss the fox’s smile as he ran off.

Back at the tree staircase, Rud found Elm descending the final steps. She sighed, doubling over and panting as she attempted to catch her breath. A moment later, she looked up and offered him a delighted smile. "I can't say I enjoy the stairs," she said, righting herself and stretching her back. "My legs are already on fire, and I still have to go back up."

“Just join the grove. Then you can use Thicket Travel,” Rud said with a beaming smile.

Elm's face went pale, and she shook her head. "Is that an actual offer?" she asked, sounding more nervous than Rud had ever heard her.

"Of course. A nice, powerful mage in the Grove. Come on, you'd fit right in!”

Elm paused for a few tense moments. “I’ll have to think about it, if that’s okay with you.”

“Take all the time you need,” Rud said. “Come on, I’ll escort you to Jasper.”

“Who?”

Along the way, Rud had to explain about the fox and how he was a kind of mage. Elm didn't believe him when he said the fox used fox magic, but she accepted the possibility. It didn't take them long to make their way through the city. Not until the mage wanted to stop every so often to check out a pocket of magical energy or investigate a house they had missed on their first pass. When they were approaching the final gate leading to the central tower, the druid remembered the revelation Jasper had shared with him.

"Oh yeah, apparently this was the Academy of the Screaming Mountains," Rud said. "Or something like that. I can't remember what Jasper said."

Elm stopped in her tracks, the sound of her staff hitting the cobblestones echoing through the desolate city. “The Academy of the Howling Peaks?”

Rud snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”

"I had suspected as much, but last night I referenced a few things in some books that I had, and it seems to fit the bill. How did you figure it out?"

“Jasper told me,” Rud said with a shrug. “He was alive back in the heyday of the academy. Well, that’s what he says anyway. It’s hard to tell when that fox is telling the truth.”

"This must be the exalted Elm," Jasper said, padding over. He approached the elf and bowed his head in respect, his nose pressing against the ground. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

“He says that he’s happy to—” Rud was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

“I heard him,” Elm said. “You speak the mortal tongue, fox?”

“No,” Jasper said with a sharp laugh. “I know a spell. I can elect to talk to mortals. Which I don’t often enjoy doing.”

“Fox magic, was it?”

“Something like that,” Jasper said. “Come, I need your opinion on the seal. It feels innocuous, but you never know with these old mages.”

Elm let out a laugh of her own. “Right? This one time, my adventuring party was tasked with disabling a wizard’s tower. He hadn’t been there in centuries, but the defensive wards operated as though they were installed the other day.”

“There is no folly in this world quite like the arrogance of mages,” Jasper said.

Rud watched, open mouthed, as Elm and Jasper headed off. “I think he just stole my best friend.”

“Perhaps if you stopped calling everyone your ‘best’ friend, you wouldn’t have the issue of losing them so often,” Ban said.

“Hey, a guy can have more than one bestie. There’s no rule.”

“I’m concerned. If Jasper is right about the city, the implications are grave,” Ban said.

“And why might that be?” Rud asked. “Just because there’s a magical city beneath our grove that was once a flying academy that might have destroyed the moons? Sounds totally normal.”

“Oh, yes. Totally normal.”

While Rud understood Ban's concern, he knew the best they could do was to get ahead of it and neutralize the magical city before it became a problem. After all, it had been beneath the region for 500 some years without causing any issues. But he knew better than to approach these issues with a relaxed attitude. It was serious business. While he might crack some jokes, there was nothing that would stop him from securing the grove… Or at least finding the right people to take care of it.

Jasper and Elm chattered about the giant tower. The mage hadn’t thought it was an issue, but the fox had revealed the hidden wards that protected the area. Together, they were already working on disarming them so they could gain access to the massive tower.

“Hey, anyone need some druidic powers in this arcane-fest?” Rud asked, leaning heavily on his staff.

“Actually, yes,” Elm said, passing her hands through the air. It left behind a trail of shimmering energy. She turned, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him closer. “Come. We need some roots down here.”