Gladesbale Grove Book 3 - Chapters 16,17,18

Chapter 16

Water Slides

Rud ran his hands over the large bowl he had created to act as the main pool of his water park. The Lacquer spell tingled over his fingers, turning the rough surface to a smooth finish. Getting the general shape of the tree was easy enough, but there was a lot still to do. The fine details of tree-based projects were the true killers of the tree-making business. The druid pushed himself as hard as he could, focusing on that connection to nature Ban was so confident he had. He wasn’t sure where this kind of project fell into the natural order, but he knew it bordered on the weird.

Taking a break from his work, Rud stepped back to observe all he had done. The frame for this feature was done, but there was much to do. It had three main slides. One came from the middle, and two others came from either side. They were designed to present different levels of speed. The one in the center was the most interesting, and would pass under an active waterfall. If everything worked as planned, of course.

The biggest problem would be providing enough water for this to work. Rud wasn’t sure if his magical spring was infinite, but he was about to find out. After taking enough of a break, he turned to step away from the water slides… only to find Elm cocking her head to the side with a confused look on her face.

“What exactly are you doing?” she asked.

Rud could see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to figure out what the monstrosity of a tree was. “You need to wait to see it,” Rud said with a wink. “Ban is working on integrating the small portal into the Grove, the adventurers are alive, and my dungeons are sorted. This means I have free time. Which means I’m working on something cool.”

“Interesting,” Elm said. “Do you mind if we talk and walk at the same time?”

“Of course not,” Rud said, taking on a slow pace and heading for the magical spring. “What’s on your mind?”

“Just wanted to ask questions about the local shift in energy,” Elm said. “You know I’m working on the anomalous energies so anything would be helpful.”

Rud shrugged as he led the way through the grove. The spring wasn’t far from here, but he needed little time to explain what was going on. Instead of picking what she already knew and working from there, he simply explained the current situation. She nodded along, clicking her tongue when she spotted the magical spring.

“That’s very interesting,” Elm said, jogging over to the gushing spring. She dipped her hands inside, bringing it to her mouth to have a sip. “This is the same water in the bath, right?”

“That’s right,” Rud said. Now that he was standing here, he sensed the various roots sucking water from the spring. He’d need to upgrade the capacity of those roots if he wanted to fuel his water park. His first intention was to test the production capacity of the spring, so he reached out with his magical powers and failed to grasp the water. Air was easy, but water? It evaded him.

“What are you doing?” Elm asked with a giggle.

“Using my magical powers to pull some water out. Well, that’s what I’m trying to do,” Rud said. “But it won’t budge.”

“This isn’t elemental water,” Elm said, leaning over the pool and smiling at her reflection. She brushed hair from her face, pulling away from the surface to shake her head. “When you use your Affinity to control elements, those elements should be pure. You could manipulate a small amount of this water, but it is infused with too much druidic magic.”

“I just wanted to test how quickly the pool filled,” Rud said, frowning at the spring.

“That’s easy,” Elm said, letting out a steady breath. A line of magical energy drew through the air, creating a layered magical array that shimmered even in the light of the day. Magic flowed from her body, stinging the air with its potency. When the elf’s eyes snapped open, they glowed a vibrant shade of blue. “Watch this.”

The spring rumbled for only a moment. Elm thrust both her hands forward and the water exploded upward, shooting high into the sky like a geyser. A few moments later, the forest filled with the sound of water pattering down like raindrops. Rud felt the magic from the spring water flowing over his skin, relieving muscle pains he hadn’t realized he had. But the effect was done. The pool was mostly empty.

“That’s one way to do it,” Rud said, pulling his hood up and laughing.

“Now we can observe how quickly it fills,” Elm said.

“That was a spell, right?” Rud asked, watching as the pool filled itself. He should’ve expected it, but it filled quickly. Water rushed from the rocky bottom of the spring, flowing up to fill a quarter of the pool in mere moments.

“Correct. That was a water-alignment spell called Water Geyser. Since I put a lot of extra mana into it, the spell bypassed the magical nature of the springwater. I’m uncertain if Druids have access to spells like that.”

“None that I know of. But our spell system differs from yours,” Rud said. His mind went back to the conversation he just had with Ban. “I’m realizing I don’t truly understand how it works yet. But I’ll get there… You’ve been a big inspiration for me.”

Elm had been looking at Rud as he spoke, but quickly swiveled her head away. He could still see the red spreading across her long ears. “Thanks,” she said. “I’m nothing compared to some mages on the mainland.”

“Nonsense,” Rud said. “I remember when you first showed up here with Oak and Barrow. You were so grumpy about everything. Now that you’ve got your own wings, you’re flying!”

“Thanks for that,” Elm said without turning back. “Helping a custodian is an honor. I miss my old party, but let’s face it. Researching is far more rewarding for a spellcaster than adventure. Imagine all that danger on the road. But between my tower and the Grove, I have enough to write a few tomes.”

“Ah, tomes. Who doesn’t like a good tome?” Rud asked.

“Right!?”

The pool was filling at a steady rate. He could fill his giant pool easily, and that water would be recycled for a while, so he didn’t have to worry about constantly sapping the pool. Since Elm wanted to chat it up today, Rud did his work on expanding the size of the connecting trees while talking with her. She had a lot of thoughts on the weird magical energy in the Grove, but still hadn’t reached a conclusion. Perhaps if she talked her way through it enough times, she’d figure it out.

Today wasn’t that day, though. She followed Rud through the Grove. He cut down and grew trees until he had a line of the beefed-up roots carrying a ton of water through the system. Elm watched as he ran massive roots through the center of his water park tree, allowing them to pump absurd amounts of water into the holding pool in the top. Once it had filled, it spilled over. The water rushed into the plunge pool below, creating a roaring waterfall.

“Interesting,” Mint said, padding up alongside Rud and Elm. It was hard to hear her over the sound of the waterfall. “What is the purpose of this structure? To collect water energy?”

“No, it must be a method of adding water to the air,” Dean said, appearing alongside Mint. He sniffed at the air. “Yes, the air is thick with it.”

“You’re both fools!” Sarya shouted, appearing and rushing over to one of the wide stairways on the side of the tree. She vanished as she ascended the steep stairs, appearing at the top of one slide. “Rud made us water slides!”

The group watched as the over-excited wolf slid down the least steep slide, howling with delight as she went. At the bottom, she splashed into the massive pool, doggy paddling to the side and jumping out. When Sarya shook, she doused everyone gathered. It only took a brief pause, but Dean and Mint rushed forward, each picking a different slide and sliding down it. Rud and Elm shared a brief exchange before they joined the Sacred Beasts.

Of course, the biggest slide was the best one. It was in the center of the massive tree. Rud picked that one first. When he passed under the waterfall, he felt the pressure from above crash down on him. Then there was a steep decline which sent him plunging into the pool. When he emerged, both Dean and Elm were paddling toward the edge. Not only was the slide super fun, the spring’s water filled the druid with a rush of energy.

“This is awesome!” Dean shouted.

While it was just about the most fun thing to be introduced to the Grove ever, Rud had other concerns. The others played in the water while he programmed the roots of his massive tree. His idea was to recycle the water from the waterfall, saving as much water from the spring as possible. Although it seemed infinite, he wasn’t interested in risking it. Not as though it was that hard to convince the tree to reuse the water. Sucking up that delicious springwater made it happy.

Elm jogged over, soaked in water, as Rud finished with the roots. With a wide smile hanging on her face she nudged him. “I’d expect to be tired from playing for so long,” she said, wiping water from her face. “The restorative effects of the spring are astounding.”

“Indeed. This way, I don’t have to offer only baths,” Rud said. “Anyone can jump in the pool and swim around.”

“So long as they don’t drown,” Elm said.

“Yeah, that sounds like a liability,” Rud said, scratching his chin. “I’ll put up a sign. That should protect us from legal action.”

Rud watched as the Sacred Beasts took a few more turns on the slides. Even with things getting weird within the Grove, the druid needed this mood to exist. If he had the means to make stuff like this, he wouldn’t pass up the chance. Even if the spring’s restorative effects kept them going for a while, there was only so much it could do. Mint’s level head eventually prevailed, reminding her they were responsible for keeping the orcs back and keeping the tower and labyrinth under control.

“We have neglected our responsibilities for too long,” Mint said, a look of panic flashing across her face. “Only major has held true to the virtues of the Grove.”

“Major is napping under a tree,” Sarya corrected.

Mint narrowed her eyes, growling. “Traitor.” She shifted into her human form, producing a bucket from nowhere. After scooping spring water, a wicked smile spread across her face. “Come, my wolves. Let us show this cretin what it means to be a member of Gladesbale Grove.”

“Yay!” Sarya shouted, hopping along behind her.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Well, that was fun,” Elm said, watching as the group departed. “I hope we didn’t waste too much of their time.”

Rud shook his head. “No. Mint is good at managing her time. If she stayed around, she had time to spare.”

“I wouldn’t want to be responsible for a Guardian’s duties falling by the wayside.”

“Nah, you’re good. Wanna join me at the longhouse for some grub?” Rud asked.

“And some tea. Never forget the tea.”

“I wouldn’t even dream of it.”

Chapter 17

A Flooding Concern

The amount of energy required for the sacred tree to do what she was currently doing was immense. Rud understood that as he sat making his report at the observatory in the morning. His mind had been on the problem of involving the other custodians in the daily meetings when he thought about how hard the tree had been working. Their various efforts to bolster her power weren’t for nothing. Although she now had to take breaks, she rarely took long naps.

“I’d already have other custodians in this call if I could just contact them,” Jim said. “Basil is being more guarded with the tree’s power by the day.”

“Concerning, but unsurprising,” Maria said.

“I’m so close to getting my item portal working, I can taste it,” Rud said. “We might have it working today, but that seems optimistic.”

“When you get it working, send me some cheese,” Maria said. “As a test, of course.”

“Oh, but of course.”

To Rud's surprise, there was little else to talk about during the morning report. The other groves were doing well to keep both their dungeons and other system structures in check. The only thing that lingered in his mind was the state of the groves that hadn't been moved into the coal. He feared the worst but could only do his best to ensure their safety. Although he wouldn’t voice it aloud, he knew Bent could fix the problem easily enough. The same way a tornado could solve certain problems, so could Bent. It was just a matter of getting it to move in the right direction.

Just as Rud had finished the call and was planning to head to the sacred tree to convince her to incorporate the portal as a building, Dean emerged from the bushes at the base of the tower. “We have discovered another cursed object,” he said, growling. “I was frolicking with Daffodil when we came upon a site.”

“Frolicking?” Rud asked, scratching his chin and grimacing to hide his smile. “I mean, of course. Where is it?”

“Hop on and I'll show you,” Dean said, leaning forward slightly. Rud shifted into his squirrel form and jumped on the wolf's back. Without delay, they shot off through the forest.

Thanks to the thicket travel upgrade, it took them only a moment to arrive at the area. They burst through a bush, emerging onto a relatively flat plain and clearing in the forest. There was a deep lake that emitted bubbles from its center. The druid paused for a moment, realizing he didn't remember such a lake within the grove.

“Is that new?” Rud asked.

“Yes. And that is the problem.”

Rud heard the grunting call of Daffodil nearby, and toggled his Clear Communication upgrade.

“Well, I’ve never seen something like this,” she snorted, pawing at the ground near the water. “Look, there are trees submerged underneath.”

“Indeed, my flower,” Dean said, padding over to lap some water. “I can taste the magic within.”

“Wait, can you understand her?” Rud asked, pointing between Dean and Daffodil.

“I’m learning horse-deer,” he said.

“And I’m working on learning wolf-tongue.”

"Well, that's adorable," Rud said, coming to the water's edge and kneeling. At first, he thought it was the same type of magical water that came from the spring, but as he focused his magical senses, he looked to the bottom and felt the cursed object below. Some cursed objects were like this. They produced relatively mundane effects, but this could be a serious problem. The artifact was currently at the bottom of a shallow gorge. It had filled it to the top, and that water was now overflowing, heading southward to follow the tilt of the land.

"I understand water is essential for the forest's growth, but I fear flooding won't be beneficial," Dean said, growling at the cursed object as if he were too intimidated.

"This is a massive problem," Rud said, gritting his teeth as he looked down at the object. "And we don't know what happens if we touch it. So that's not good. Dean, can you go fetch me a basket or something?"

“Right away.” The direwolf vanished into the forest. Hopefully, he didn’t pilfer some poor village for the basket.

“Now that we have a moment alone…” Daffodil trailed off. “I wanted to ask for your blessing.”

“My what?” Rud asked.

“Your blessing. I wish to take Dean’s paw.”

Rud blinked, staring down at the pool of water as the gears of his mind ground to a halt. What were the logistics there? How would they… y’know… hold hands?

“I don’t know… Uh…”

Ban giggled into Rud’s mind. “They’re forging a spiritual relationship, Rud. Daffodil wants to bond with Dean, which will help her become a Sacred Beast. They don’t have hanky panky on the mind.”

“Really?” Rud asked, shooting his thoughts back to the tree. “Should I give her my blessing?”

“Yes. Look how anxious she is,” Ban said. “Young love!”

Rud cleared his throat. “You have my blessing, fair deer-horse. Horse-deer. Whatever. You’ll make Dean a very happy wolf.”

Daffodil wasted no time prancing around the area, kicking her back feet out and doing some more deer grunts. That's when Dean emerged from a nearby bush with a wicker basket clasped between his teeth. He tilted his head to one side before padding over and dropping the basket at Rud's feet.

“Did he say yes?” Dean asked.

“Yes!” Daffodil shouted, still bucking around like a weirdo. That’s when Dean joined her, and Rud had to shift into his otter form, grab the basket, and jump into the water before he got trampled by the overly-excited creatures.

The cursed object was a small piece of metal embedded in the mud of the gorge. Rud swam down, using his sleek otter body to make the journey. He was slowed by the basket between his teeth, but eventually scooped the cursed object up and swam it to the surface. Although it was only roughly the size of his fist when he was in his true form, it felt much heavier. The druid dragged it from the shoreline, shifting into his true form part way through to take better advantage of his size. That's when he saw the exact amount of water that was coming from the object.

“That’s not good,” Rud said, dragging the basket along. He feared how heavy it would be without his heightened strength. “You guys just frolick for a while, I’m gonna get this to my containment site.”

The druid approached the nearest bush, pressing his face into the leaves but going nowhere. He stepped back, dropping the basket and placing his hands on his hips. “What’s wrong with this bush?” he asked, looking incredulously at the small shrub. He pressed his face into it again, gaining nothing for his efforts. The entire time, the cursed object soaked his boots.

“Ah, that’s not good,” Ban said. “The conceptual weight of the object is too heavy for the Grove to handle.”

“What? That’s bad.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to carry it.”

Rud looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the frolicking wolf. "Dean!" he shouted. "We have a mission."

Dean ran over, skidding to a halt and looking between Rud's face and then back at the basket, which currently oozed gallons of water every second. "Does your mission involve me getting extremely wet and running through the forest?"

Standing there with his pouring basket, Rud shrugged. “Maybe. What gives you that idea?”

“Hop on,” Dean grumbled. “But you’re drying me off afterward.”

“You’re the best,” Rud said, jumping onto Dean. The duo took off into the forest, leaving Daffodil behind. Apparently she would find her way back to the grove’s center. They left a trail of water behind them, but the druid’s concern was only for poor Daffodil. He used his Transient Guest upgrade to add her to the list of accepted mortals, and although at first he didn’t expect it to work, it did. She could now wander around without being subject to the negative effects of the Grove.

Rud wasn't confident that he could carry the cursed object in his raven form, forcing them to make the journey on foot. It was far longer than he had expected, but eventually, the duo reached the logging site. Unexpectedly, Mira and her team of loggers were working close to the cursed item site. They all made the sign of reverence before getting back to work, and the druid found the perfect tree to imprison the infinite water glitch.

The cat woman sauntered over as he was preparing a tree, a faint smile hanging on her face. "That might be the weirdest thing I’ve seen this week," she said.

"You should come hang out in the grove then. You'll see a lot of weird stuff like this," Rud said, finishing the general shape of the tree and preparing to cast his spell. He had the required acorns and water, along with his deep pool of mana.

“I think that’s why I stay out here,” Mira said.

Although she seemed to have only a passing interest in what was happening, Mira remained to watch the ritual. Rud formed the ritual circle and cast his spell. Water flowed from the gaps in the tree, trickling out to flow southward just as it had back in the grove. However, the druid watched in horror as his efforts proved futile. The object was technically sealed, and yet it still produced water.

“We’re chalking that up as ‘very bad’,” Rud said, opening his magical senses. But he couldn’t figure out where he had gone wrong. Sure, the spell he used was only Rank 0. But it had never failed to seal away the magic before. In his magical sight, he could see that the ritual circle had diminished the power…

“How has your ritual failed?” Dean asked, coming over to growl at the cursed object. “You’ll flood the loggers if you keep this up.”

“Yeah, this isn’t good,” Rud said, still staring, dumbfounded, at the object.

"So what exactly is the issue?" Mira asked, coming a little closer to look at the object. "It should have stopped the magical effect, right?"

"Yeah, but it hasn't," Rud said, scratching his head. "And if I let it stay here, it'll flood your camp. I'm just not sure what to do."

“Your ritual is working,” Ban said, speaking into Rud’s mind. “But the residual magic in the object is too great. If you leave it long enough, the magic will fade.”

“Maybe you did it wrong,” Mira offered, clearly not hearing Ban’s message.

Rud clicked his tongue, so it wasn't a matter of the ritual not working. It would just take a while for it to sap away the lingering magic within the object. That meant he had to take it somewhere. He could allow the water to flow off without fear of flooding, either to the grove or to the mortals. He could pick a remote spot near the mountains, but maybe there were problems with erosion. Instead, he had a much better idea.

“Nulsa, you awake?” Rud asked.

A moment later, the owl responded. “I am now.”

“Perfect. I need a hand.”

Rud hadn't wanted to awaken the owl to bring it to the logging camp, but now he had no choice. The distance from here to the coastline was too far, and the daylight was running out. When the owl finally arrived at the logging site, he did so with an annoyed hoot. The druid dispelled his ritual circle and transferred the cursed object back into the basket. After instructing Nulsa to grab it, he shifted into his raven form and took off, heading south toward the coast.

“What kind of plan is this?” Nulsa asked, hooting softly. They soared over Barlgore, looking down at the people who appeared like ants from this distance.

“There are some islands to the south,” Rud said. “What better place to put a cursed object that makes infinite water than an island? Also, everyone likes a beach episode. Right.”

“Indeed,” Nulsa said. “Sea monster activity should be minimal this time of year.”

“Sea-what-now?”

Chapter 18

The Open Sea

Wind buffeted Rud as he caught an errant sea breeze. Nulsa flew close by him to offer either support or guidance as they headed out to sea from their position just above the coastline. They could see the endless sprawl of blue stretching southward. Along the coastline of the Hornfen Region were islands, dotting the sea and acting as barrier islands to break the waves of the open sea. The druid could only spot a single ship lingering in the distance, tracking a lazy path amongst the waves.

The duo used those air currents to push further out to sea. The owl had a particular island he was interested in, and it wasn’t among those barrier islands. Instead, it sat far in the distance, looming on the horizon through a sheet of fog. Rud couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that spread through his chest as he beat his wings. If not for his enhanced attributes, he wondered whether he would make the trip. However, it brought forth different questions. How strong was Nulsa? He barely seemed to notice when an errant zephyr blew them off course.

Nulsa gave a mental command for them to descend, and Rud was quick to follow. The water poured from the basket, while the owl clutched, creating a stream of rain that fell to the ocean below. They pulled a tight circle, descending above the island, which gave Rud a better look. It was rockier than he had expected and far larger, perhaps even the size of the town back on the mainland. Tropical trees dotted the landscape, with a sandy shore bordering all sides. Nestled within was a cloud of magic that the druid didn’t even need his mana-enhanced eyes to see.

When the pair alighted on a scraggly tree near the shore, Rud tilted his head to one side. “What’s the ulterior motive for the island?” he asked. “Seems mighty suspicious to me.”

“This is the perfect island to contain the cursed object,” Nulsa said, a tone of amusement in his voice. “I’m offended you would think I had other motives.”

Although Rud wasn’t so sure about that, he took the owl at his word before shaping one of the nearby trees to contain the cursed object. The druid needed a break. He was outside the power of the grove and felt Ban’s powerful energies fleeing his body, as he had spent most of his time within its borders. Being away from the Grove’s potent energies made him feel significantly weaker. Once again, he leaned on his new attributes and his artifact staff to see him through.

Once he found the perfect tree to house the cursed object, Rud got to work. It was much more difficult to shape the palm tree than one of those near his grove. Through great effort, he cast his Shape Plant spell and formed it into something that would be a suitable prison. The entire time, the cursed object was gushing water, creating a deep trench in the sandy soil.

“Place the object in the tree, please,” Rud said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He left behind a streak of sand and dirt.

“Gladly,” Nulsa said, gliding from the top of a nearby tree and landing within the woody cage. He dumped the object out, hooting softly as he watched it roll and gush more water.

Rud got to work on the ritual right away.

“I thought this island would be interesting as a prison for multiple reasons,” Nulsa said. “The water will simply go into the ocean until your ritual has the potency to seal it. But there is a magical presence here that I find very interesting.”

Rud finished the first part of the ritual and found a seat to rest upon. He was feeling more exhausted than ever, thanks to the lack of Grove energies. “What’s so interesting about it?” he asked. “It feels like a cloud of natural mana. I’ve seen it before in the Grove when using my observation tower.”

“But that’s the point,” Nulsa said. “This is a natural cloud of mana, not the strange things we’ve been feeling back in the grove. Those condensed clouds that we suspect may one day become dungeons feel unnatural. Can you sense the differences between them?”

Rud still considered his senses with magic to be limited. He had neglected that side of his development and had done little to expand it. He had to close his eyes and open himself up to those energies. Although he could practically see the cloud of mana, he couldn’t sense any information about it. However, when he focused very hard, he could feel the pure water-based magic in the air. It was different from the water magic that came out of the spring back in the Grove. It was likely an ocean-based variant, but it was similar.

“I can feel it,” Rud confirmed, continuing to push his senses deeper into the nature of the mana. “It feels like the ocean itself, the ebb and flow of the tide and the smell of salt air.”

“What do you think would happen if mana like this were left unchecked? If nobody were here to tamp it down?” Nulsa asked. “Would it generate a dungeon or create a tower?”

“I don’t believe so,” Rud said with a half-hearted shrug. “There’s something in its nature that makes me feel as though it may create monsters, but not a dungeon. Definitely not a tower.”

“That’s correct,” Nulsa confirmed. “This mana only has the power to make monsters related to the type of mana. You would find sea creature style monsters around here, but nothing more. So what happens if mana like this collects at the bottom of the sea?”

“Big old sea monsters?” Rud asked.

“Also correct. Your ritual may drain some of this mana from the air, but it isn’t likely to be a lot. There are specialist mages that can soak this energy from the air, but it is a dangerous task. The balance of energies is more important.”

Rud wasn’t sure if this was the lesson about balancing the grove in a literal sense or a metaphorical one. Perhaps Nolsa was talking about not interfering with the magical energies there or simply giving an example of the things they were already doing. Nature meant balance, which encompassed both life and death. Of course, that death often came with a rebirth, especially in regard to his trees, but he wasn’t entirely certain that was what the owl was implying.

“What’s our part in the grand scheme?” Rud asked. Finally, feeling as though he had enough magical power to finish with his sealing of the cursed object, he strode over to the partially completed palm tree and began weaving it back together. He would ensure it had a sign warning others against interfering with the object.

“This is our part in the grand scheme,” Nulsa explained. “The cursed objects come from mortals who have meddled in the natural world. The other spirits don’t have a sense for these things. They are unpracticed in the arcane arts. I know you’ll never reach a point of magehood, but together we can do something about it. We can contain these artifacts. But finding the source is more important.”

“What could the source possibly be?” Rud asked.

Nulsa hooted, gliding down to stand near the twisted palm tree. “The underground city,” he said. “I remember tales of something similar, but I cannot be sure. Not until the area is safe enough for us to delve.”

“You? Underground?” Rud asked, shaking his head. “Doesn’t seem like the best place for an owl.”

“Some things are worth suffering a bit of discomfort,” Nulsa said. “I do not believe you have the arcane experience to contain what rests in that abandoned city. Even the mage, Elm, is too inexperienced. I believe I can give my expert opinion at the very least.”

As always, Nulsa had a plan, and Rud wasn’t too sure what to think about it. He finished up with the tree, sealing it tight and etching scrawled warnings into the surface about revealing what was within. So long as whoever came to view the tree was from the mainland, they would know not to mess with it. They would leave it sealed for as long as he maintained the warning.

Rud shifted into his raven form and flapped his wings a few times. He smelled in the air the scent of salty rain coming in from a direction he couldn’t detect. Even his mana sight didn’t allow him to tell. “So, what’s the plan with the underground city? When do you think it will be ready for us to delve?”

“I believe the energy is already low enough that we can go inside,” Nolsa said, preening his feathers. “But I believe you have other business in the grove to attend to for now. Once you’ve completed your task of integrating the portal into the Grove, we’ll be ready to go.”

“Rats. Almost forgot about the portal,” Rud said, flapping a few times. “Job done out here?”

“Job done.”

***

Rud landed in Ban’s clearing. Flapping over onto his side, the moment his scaly feet touched the ground, he heaved breaths, feeling the energies of the grove flooding through his body once again. The trip outside of the borders had been far more harrowing than he had expected, and he just realized they had left the wicker basket on the island. Hopefully, it wasn’t valuable.

“Ready to bring our cute little portal into the fold?” Rud asked, skipping toward their item-sized portal.

“I’ve gathered enough energy to incorporate it without issue,” Ban said. “Do you have enough materials to upgrade it?”

Rud nodded, skidding to a halt when he finally reached the small portal. He looked at it out in the open and shook his head. “This thing can’t be out in the open like this.”

“Oh?” Ban asked. “Why not?”

“Just look at it! Poor little portal is just sitting out in the elements. It needs a house,” Rud said. “We’ll call it a portal room, or something. Oh! What about a giant tower of our own?”

Ban laughed, her voice echoing through the grove. “Do you really think one is necessary?”

Rud smiled to himself. He wasn’t the strongest custodian in the world. Not yet, anyway. But he was getting the hang of this thing. He could practically feel the energies of the grove reaching out, telling him what might happen. Placing the portals into another building might unlock another building, which he could use to empower those portals.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s important,” Rud said, rubbing his hands together. He scanned the area, imagining what a portal tower would look like. His eyes were naturally drawn to the other tower within the grove, and he felt a hint of jealousy. “Why should the system have the tallest tower in the grove? That is completely unfair, and I plan to change that.”

Although Ban didn’t seem approving at first, he felt waves of comfort coming from her as though she appreciated his ambition. That’s when he got to work right away. The trees Rud could now grow were far stronger and taller than the ones he could create before. His ability to weave them into whatever shape he wanted had grown exponentially. The structures he could now create by twisting trees together could be towering.

With a crack of his knuckles, Rud got to it. He left the existing portal where it was, planning to move it to an appropriate floor when he was ready. He grew five massive oak trees in a circle near the site, clearing away the other trees to make the foundation of his tower. The druid then wove them together with his Shape Plant spell to create an open-topped circular tree formation.

“Of course, we’re not doing it all today,” Rud said, guiding the platform he had placed his Gate onto and setting it into place. “I’m sure you can imagine the vision I’m going for here.”

“Naturally,” Ban said in a haughty voice. “Now, are you ready to integrate the portal?”

Rud looked up to the circular canopy above, smiling to himself. “Let’s do it.”