Gladesbale Grove Book 2 - Chapters 40,41,42

Chapter 40

Cows

While everything going on with the ritual magic was interesting enough, Rud had to turn his attention to caring for the grove for the rest of that day. But as the new day dawned, he gathered before the sacred tree, trying to get her attention. Since the labyrinth had appeared, she had been busy attempting to probe it for some unknown tree-related reason. However, he felt her attention shift back to him.

“While I’m sure you’re concerned about what you saw underground, I assure you it isn’t a problem,” Ban said, her voice filling Rud with a sense of deep comfort.

“Are you sure about that?” Rud asked, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the bark of the tree. “A giant city underground doesn’t seem like a normal thing, even for the grove.”

“I’ve been aware of it for some time, but I didn’t want to worry the other residents,” Ban said. “Which is why you could teleport from down there using thicket travel. I’ve already begun expanding my influence into the caverns.”

“You see, I was going to ask you that. Rud said. “It was kind of weird that we could travel so deep. I just figured the grove didn’t have an up-and-down limitation.”

Ban’s giggle entered his mind. “If we didn’t have an up and down limitation, doesn’t that mean we could teleport to the other side of the planet?”

“Oh, I’m sorry for not assuming you people have already discovered the round planet theory. I thought we were still on flat planes around here.”

“For right now, I want you to avoid going back down there,” Ban said, completely ignoring his previous comment. “I’ll have that energy under control very soon. But I’m getting close with the labyrinth. You’ve figured the whole picture out, right?”

“Yep,” Rud said. “Do you have a plan for the buildings and upgrades you’re going to need?”

“Yes, after I get the labyrinth under control, I’ll have to enter a slumber for a few weeks to build everything we’ll need.”

That was the part Rud didn’t like. Whenever she created a new building or underwent a rank change, she had to slumber for a while to process everything. She was going to be away for several weeks. That meant that the things she was building would be expansive. He would figure out how he felt about that later. But for now, he would just roll with it. There were plenty of things for him to do in the Grove to pass the time.

The biggest thing Rud needed to accomplish right now was leveling up his subclass, which had stagnated at level 6. This was likely because he spent most of his time doing nothing related to those skills. Taz had taken over the blacksmith shop and the mine, making his Mining, Smelting, and Smithing skills all useless. That left only three skills for him to work on: Farseeing, Animal Husbandry, and Custodianship.

Farseeing was a skill that was easy enough to level up. Just this morning, he had seen it reach level 7 when he completed his daily report for the town. Animal husbandry was more difficult, but only because he didn’t have many animals to care for. If he took charge of the goats, that would help him level up swiftly. Last, there was Custodianship, which he had found to be shockingly easy to level, thanks to his constant interaction with the mortals.

“I have some big projects of my own,” Rud said, striking a pose in an attempt to impress the sacred tree. “I hope you’ve seen my new tea farm.”

“Your new tea farm with no tea in it?” Ban asked with a laugh. “I’ve seen it, and I am indeed very impressed.”

“Taking your advice, I plan to grind some levels for my subclass,” Rud said. “Since Taz took over all my work, it’s almost like starting over again.”

“I know you can do it,” Ban said. “As long as you work hard, you can do whatever you put your mind to.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Rud said, shifting into his squirrel form and bounding away. The truth was, he had plans to take advantage of one building the tree had created for him. He found a spot atop his observatory and invoked the animal tracking upgrade on the barn. Since that building was connected to the observatory, he could use it from either location. Although he could use it from anywhere in the grove, it simply wasn’t as powerful otherwise.

As if responding with the curious nature of the owl he was, Nulsa alighted on the banister of the observatory and released a quizzical hoot. “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for some animals to capture,” Rud said, squinting as he used his extrasensory perception of animals within the grove to catalog each one. “We’ve got some deer, badgers, and squirrels. Well, I see a couple of rogue wolves in the north… What is that?”

“I cannot see what you are seeing.” Nulsa said, slightly annoyed. “What is it?”

“Ah, the system interface isn’t identifying the animals because I haven’t seen them before. But there are some cows in the south… ten of them.”

“Cows?” Nulsa asked with a snort. “I don’t recall cows entering the grove.”

“Yeah, great big black and white spotty ones,” Rud said. “They’re grazing in a field right now. They’re all eating nuts.”

“We should investigate.”

Rud absolutely didn’t disagree with that. He jumped from the observatory and sailed into the nearest bush. Nulsa was close behind him as they used Thicket Travel to reach the site of the cows. They soared over the landscape. It was an open field, a clearing in the dense forest where at least ten black-and-white spotted cows grazed on the ground. But there was something strange about them. They didn’t move like cows. They hopped and frolicked through the fields, stopping and turning their heads skyward to release a strange, lowing sound that the druid with certain normal cows wouldn’t make.

It all made a little more sense when he saw one cow attempting to climb a tree. When Rud activated his Clear Communication upgrade, the pieces fell into place.

“Hawk!” one cow exclaimed, mooing skyward.

“Maybe a hawk, but nuts!” another cow said, munching on a pile of unshelled hazelnuts.

“Oh no,” Nulsa said, groaning as he peered down at the cows. “I think something terrible has happened here.”

“Cursed object, maybe?” Rud asked, using his limited magical senses to check the creatures out. He could tell just about nothing; they seemed like normal cows to him.

“Yes. I can sense the object nearby, but the cows themselves hold absolutely no residual magical energy. This means the transformation was absolute.”

“Here’s the plan,” Rud said, sailing towards the ground and shifting back to his true form. “Grab the things I need for the ritual. We’ll dig up the object and purify it, and I’ll round these guys up.”

“This is a task I don’t envy,” Nolsa said, flapping his powerful wings a few times before sailing off into the nearest bush. Rud turned his attention to the cows, which flicked their tails and made strange, mooing, squeaking sounds at him. It wasn’t the most disconcerting thing he had ever seen, but it was pretty high up there.

“Greetings, friends,” Rud said, holding his arms wide and forcing a smile onto his face.

“It is the green man with the nuts!” one cow exclaimed. It came dancing over the field, flicking its tail and chittering the whole way.

“Nut man!”

“Nuts! Nuts! Nuts!’

“Well, this is disturbing,” Rud said, running his hand through his hair. He rolled his shoulders. This was his job as a custodian. No matter how weird things got, he had to keep his cool and make sure everything went smoothly. “I know you guys have been faithful to the Grove since the start. You’ve helped me find many things and have been stalwart allies. That’s why I am now offering you a chance to retire in a palatial estate.”

“What does palatial mean?” one cow asked.

“Big!” another said. “With lots of nuts? Maybe?”

“As many nuts as you can eat,” Rud confirmed. “But you need to come with me. How many of you are there?”

“At least two.”

As always, they were absolutely useless. It took Rud longer than he cared to admit to get them to follow him. Of course, the same old trick that had worked before worked this time. All he had to do was have a large bag of hazelnuts at his side, and they would follow him. He didn’t even have to give them a reward for following him. They were just so trained to continuously go after him when he had those nuts that they followed him through the forest.

The druid tried to get them to tell him about what had happened, but their memories were so scattered that they couldn’t recall anything. Instead, they told him about the delicious kinds of nuts they had been eating since the transformation. Each one had found the same cursed object and, with no sense of self-preservation, mistaken it for a nut. This meant they touched it and underwent a change that nobody seemed eager to stop.

“Those certainly don’t look like squirrels,” Dean said as he emerged from a bush.

“No. Instead, I’ve got ten milk cows,” Rud said, shaking his head. “Two of them broke off from the group. Could you please round them up? Just treat them like squirrels.”

“Wolf!” one cow shouted.

“Oh, that’s the nice wolf. False alarm, guys.”

Rud endured the antics of the squirrel-cows all the way to the goat pen. He had made it larger than necessary, so adding ten more animals to the flock would not have been a problem. Still, he planned to expand it so they could have more room to graze. However, since the cows still had their squirrel instincts, they would likely try to eat mostly nuts. The druid watched from the other side of the fence, leaning over it as he observed the strange behavior of the creatures.

“Major, are you busy?” Rud asked, allowing his mind to connect to the magical power that wove them all together. A moment later, the massive bear emerged from the nearest bush. His face was covered in grease. “I see you’re eating something, so that means you’re not busy. Well, when you get a minute, could you collect as many nuts as you can?”

“Why are there cows in the goat pen?” Major asked, tilting his head as he looked into the pen.

“They all stepped on a cursed object that turns animals into cows,” Rud explained, “which is an oddly specific thing for a cursed object to do. Which reminds me, don’t step on random cursed objects.”

“A fact duly noted,” Major said, turning and nodding towards the forest. “Where should I deposit the nuts?”

“Bring them back to my place,” Rud said. “I want to try to get them eating grass, but they still have quite a lot of squirrel instincts.”

Rud felt a twinge in his chest as he cared for both the cows and the goats. He noticed his animal husbandry skill increase. A moment later, he saw the system message confirming it was now level 3. With access to both cow and goat milk, it would be a shame not to try to make cheese. He had absolutely no idea how cheese worked, but he was certain there was somebody in town who could explain it to him. For now, he had a cursed object to get rid of.

Nulsa was great at his job. Not only did he gather the materials required to seal the cursed object, but he also brought a shovel and scouted a site to erect the sealing tree. Rud had no trouble digging the object up and transferring it to the logging site. He created a new prison from a nearby tree, and although the loggers weren’t there today, he knew they had more sense than to mess around with it.

“Why is this the most dangerous object you’ve ever sealed?” Major asked, watching as Rud performed the ritual on the object.

The object wasn’t ocular enough. If he were honest, he would admit it did look like a small metal acorn. Perhaps it was too large for any intelligent person to mistake, but the squirrels were excitable. They would have easily mistaken it for a delicious nut and attempted to eat it, only to then be turned into cows.

“That’s the problem with cursed objects,” Rud said, finishing up his ritual and using his Shape Plant spell to seal it away. “We can never know the extent of what this thing does because we can’t test it. The object could do much more than just turn wild animals into domesticated creatures. However, to test that, we would need to force an animal to touch it.”

“Well, that makes sense to me,” Major said, releasing a low growl. “We should quarantine the others, even if you don’t have time to purify them.”

“My original thought was that they had gone undisturbed for so long. What was the point in digging them all up?” Rud asked. “Now I’m thinking you may be right about this.”

But that was a monumental task. If he could tackle the problem, it wasn’t just about collecting each cursed object. He couldn’t perform the rituals very often, and storing them all together was even more dangerous than leaving them in the wild. It was a situation he couldn’t find an easy way out of, and he didn’t know if he planned to.

“The current plans are to just leave them where they are. Unfortunately,” Rud said, “I can’t risk putting them all together, and I don’t have enough power to seal them all, so we just have to deal with it for now. Besides, I’ve always wanted a milk cow.”

“Ah, there it is. The selfish reason why you’re not jumping to fix the problem,” Major teased. “I see how your mind works now, druid.”

“Be careful, Major,” Rud said, giving him a devious look. “Or I might just turn you into a milk cow.”

The bear looked upon him with a mix of emotions, but eventually cracked a haunting smile. “I’d like to see you try, little man.”

Chapter 41

Man Up

The capacity of Rud’s tea venture had increased significantly. The only problem with that was getting the job done. It wasn’t as simple as moving the plants from the old farm to the new one. No, of course it wouldn’t be that easy for him. Instead, he had to generate new plants within the new farm, taking advantage of the grove’s power. The druid’s thought was this would generate some extremely powerful teas, and he planned to pursue the thought to the end.

“Figured you could use company,” Taz said with a laugh. The dwarf had joined alongside him, looking over the expansive tea farm for about five minutes without saying a word.

“I barely even noticed you,” Rud said, chuckling. “You’re awfully stealthy for a dwarf.”

“Don’t you day besmirch my name,” Taz threatened. “Anyway… need some help with this newest project? I’m sure Sarya would be excited to come along.”

Rud wasn’t sure what the wolf could do for him until he thought about how he would plant all these new crops. Tea was an excellent plant to grow, since it continued to produce leaves even after they were cut from the branches. He would need evenly spaced holes in the new farm, just deep enough to grow the clippings. Perhaps the wolf could make the day go easier.

“You know, I think I could use a few holes,” Rud said. “Well, actually a few hundred holes…”

Taz and Sarya didn’t think making the holes would take long at all. They offered as much help as he needed for the day, joining Rud at the new tea form to listen to his instructions. He ensured they both understood the proper spacing and depth for his holes. Each wasn’t deep, but it gave them something to do. The druid then moved to prepare the transfer, which had as much to do with cataloguing his existing types of tea.

Earthy, sweet, citrus, and spice. Those were the four varieties he had access to. Each could be mixed with another to create a blend, but that wasn’t the focus today. With a bag filled with clippings, Rud headed back to his raised farm platform. Taz and Sarya were going crazy with the holes, so he wasted no time. Clipping in the hole, bury the hole, cast a spell, move on. Unfortunately, the Plant Growth spell was taxing, cutting out the ‘cast a spell’ step for most of the plants for now.

“We’re going to need a bath after this,” Taz said, wiping sweat from his forehead. It left a streak of dirt behind. Clods of mud hung in his beard. “You’re not done planting yet?”

“You guys dug the holes in like fifteen minutes!” Rud shouted. “I’m drained of mana and tired.”

“Man up!” Sarya shouted, pouncing on nothing in particular. “Help him plant, my dwarfy companion.”

“I suppose if I must,” Taz said, sighing dramatically.

Rud did his best to grow as many of the tea plants as he could, but he simply didn’t have enough mana to grow 100 plants all at once. But Taz was right. Everyone was filthy from the digging, especially after they had finished planting all the cuttings. The druid was confident that the plants would grow enough without his direct intervention. The root system he had laced below the bed drew enchanted water from the spring, which would significantly increase their growth rate.

"I'll go get a bath started for us," Rud said, looking at his filthy companions.

"Good idea," Sarya said. She shook, flinging clods of dirt in every direction.

The grove didn't have many visitors right now. Rud could sense there were a few in one of the way stations nearer to the eastern side of the grove, but none close enough to use the bathhouse. That meant they would have it all to themselves tonight. He ran the water, heating it up to the perfect temperature in the giant tub before inviting his companions in. The wolf didn't wait for the invitation. She jumped straight into the water and began paddling around the sides, hooting with excitement the entire time.

Rud removed and folded his clothes neatly before getting in. They had enough soap on hand that there wouldn't be a shortage. Once he had cleaned himself, he enjoyed a good soak in the water. Taz was next, even though he wasn't as thorough with the cleaning process. Dwarves didn't seem to mind whether they were filthy or dirty.

"So apparently, Ban was already aware of the underground city," Rud said.

Steam swirled from the surface of the water, catching on whatever errant current blew through the bathhouse. The air was filled with thick steam, making visibility beyond a few feet difficult.

“She is a very smart tree,” Taz said, nodding. “Is she working on defeating the wizard ghosts?”

"That's a problem for later. Right now, she's too busy with the labyrinth," Rud said. "I think we'll have to wait at least a few days for anything to happen there."

"And what's this I heard about cows?" Taz said with a snort. "Are you planning on making cheese or something?"

"Well, I am going to be making cheese, but the cows were in an accident." Rud said. He went on to explain the situation with the cursed object that had transformed the squirrels. "Right now, I'm just assuming the cows will never turn back into squirrels, but who knows?"

"The idea of drinking squirrel milk isn't even remotely appealing," Taz said, gagging. "How would you even milk them?"

"You've never suckled at a squirrel's teat?” Sarya asked.

Taz pointed a single, grubby, accusatory finger at the wolf. "I pray to all my ancestors and gods that you haven't. That sounds disgusting."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," she said.

Soaking in the bath was incredibly relaxing. Rud felt all his worries about the grove melting away, and they remained there for quite some time until the early evening set in. They only knew time was passing by the way the light dimmed outside. Before long, it was an amber dusky color, and shortly after that, night had set in. It was a good thing Taz always had a pot of perpetual stew on the fire in the longhouse; otherwise, everyone would have gone hungry. Instead, they could remove themselves from the bath with great effort and proceed there for some grub.

"I still need to check in at the observatory," Rud said, patting his belly as he sat at the table in the longhouse. His body still radiated with warmth from the bath, the effect doubling from the fire burning in the fire pit. To make him overheat even more, the warm stew in his belly seemed to add to that effect. "If only I could find the energy to stand."

"This will be your greatest trial yet," Taz said with a booming laugh. "Never mind monsters and underground cities filled with wizard ghosts. Standing up from a bath and a hot meal will challenge you more than anything else."

And the dwarf was right. Rud had to use his staff to help him get to his feet, but once he was moving even a little, he switched to his squirrel form and scampered off, leaving the others behind. Sarya was still wet, and she shook occasionally, launching droplets of water that hissed against the hot coals of the stove. Tas would curse every time she did it, blocking the top of his bowl of soup, but he was getting quite wet himself.

Rud sailed from the bough of one tree, doing tight circles until he landed on the banister of the observation tower. He shifted into his true form as he entered, feeling the stored warmth in his body battle away the settling chill of the night. He clicked his radio on and waited to listen for any ongoing conversations. When he heard nothing, he pressed the button on the microphone and announced himself.

“Gladesbale here,” Rud said, waiting a long moment before pressing the button again. “Guess I’m a bit late for any conversation.”

Silence had settled in over the tower for quite some time as Rud waited for a response. It took about five minutes before he heard anything, but then the static broke, revealing the voice of the person who had been on the other end since Ban built the tower.

“Hagsrise here. I was eating dinner. Mushrooms again! Who’d have thunk it?”

"I think we're getting close to sending you some real food," Rud said, smiling as he looked into the interface of the radio. It was still set to the same channel, never leaving one that contained his fellow custodians. "My tree is close to drawing a bunch of power from the labyrinth. Once she builds the portal building, I think I'll send you a care package."

“If you’re taking requests, I’ll have a television, some soda, chips, and the past 20 years of magazines from earth,” Maria said. “Oh, and a sports car.”

"I have a feeling you don't have enough room to drive a sports car," Rud said. "And I'm pretty sure you don't have electricity either."

"Oh, can't you let a woman dream?" Maria said, releasing a heavy sigh over the radio. "You missed a meeting I had with Jim earlier. Things are getting kind of weird in the groves.He got a message from another custodian, although he wouldn't tell me which one.”

"A message?" Rud asked. "What about?"

“Just confirmation of what we expected. They are experiencing some problems with the system-generated buildings. Some of us do not have access to adventurers—Hagsrise Grove for example. Therefore, anything that can generate monsters is an immediate threat.”

“Well, that’s not good,” Rud said. “Could you work with the other custodians and see what we could send from here to help?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll be your secretary,” Maria said. “What about you guys? Need anything?”

“No, we’re good. Even if I have to trade for it, I’ll ensure the other custodians get what they need to come out on top.”

Static came over the radio for quite some time. Rud sat there awkwardly, awaiting Maria’s response.

“You know, that’s actually inspirational.”

“Don’t think I’m too sappy?” Rud asked. “I haven’t even met most of the custodians. They could be jerks.”

“Maybe… But the groves are more than just their custodians. They represent the wild places of the world, Rud. We’re fighting for nature.”

“We’re eco-warriors.”

“Nope. Now you lost me. Might be the lamest thing I’ve heard since I got here.”

“Really? The lamest? Surely you’ve heard something lamer than that.”

“I really haven’t. And don’t call me Shirley.”

“Hardy har har. Oh, god! I almost forgot to tell you about my cows! Have you any interest in cheese?”

“I know about 50 dwarves who would cut the head off a dragon for a sniff of some strong dwarven cheese.”

“Well, have I got news for you. Introducing the newest product made right here in Gladesbale Grove. Squirrel Cheese!”

Static hissed back after Rud’s proclamation. The druid maintained the cheesy smile on his face as he awaited Maria’s response.

“If I learn you’re over there milking squirrels… Rud, I really don’t know what I’m gonna do, but it may end in violence.”

“See? You’re already hooked on the name. What happened was some squirrels in my grove were magically transformed into cows! I didn’t like the idea of goat cheese, but with cows? I’m absolutely going to make some cheese. Want some?”

“I feel as though it's important for me to clarify… We’re not talking about cheese from squirrels, are we?”

“No, they’re cows who were formerly squirrels. They try to climb trees and everything.”

“But presently, they’re not squirrels.”

“Correct.”

“Okay. I’m gonna veto the name ‘Squirrel Cheese’ right here and now. Gladesbale Brie or something.” Maria’s sigh echoed over the radio. “Other than that I would love some totally normal cheese from a cow. When traders come through we typically buy all their cheese up.”

Rud’s plan was pretty simple. He already knew his tea held amazing properties that would help anyone out. It was a version of coffee from Earth that came with no negatives. Every time someone drank his tea, they felt energized and less fatigued. A person could get crappy sleep the night before, consume a cup of his tea, and feel as though they had slept like the dead. Why would the cheese be any different?

“I’ll go into town tomorrow and learn cheese-making. I’m sure these humans know how to do it.”

“I’m still jealous of your town,” Maria said. “Anyway, I think I should be off. I need to work on my list of supplies.”

“Right. Good night.”

Rud clicked the radio off. The sigh he released felt as though he had been holding it since the conversation began. He just wanted to be helpful to the other groves, even if he couldn’t go there in person and pitch in. In his current state, he wouldn’t really be helpful. Instead, he could send them items.

“Can you see the movement of energies in the east?” Nulsa asked, hooting from his perch on the balcony.

Rud clutched at his chest, glaring over to the owl. “You’ll be the death of me, Nulsa.”

“Perhaps you need to become more perceptive.”

“Maybe! Still doesn’t stop me from nearly peeing my pants. Look how big you are!”

“Indeed. I am massive,” Nulsa said, puffing with pride. “Have you seen the energy?”

Rud cast his vision to the east, going into energy-viewing mode. He did this every morning and night, taking recordings to deliver to Feather in Barlgore. That included the energy within the storm island. The swirl of winter-based magic on that island had lessened slightly. He could see it snaking through the air, the tendrils of that magic soaking into the various arcane circles placed around the lake.

“I see it,” Rud said. He squinted, but it did absolutely nothing to help his vision. “Are they absorbing the energy from the storm?”

“Looks like that to me,” Nulsa said. “I can see the energies of the object better now that it is mostly clear, and I have concerns.”

“Like what?”

“I am uncertain if it is a cursed object. And I do not believe you have the power to contain it.”

Chapter 42

Duck-Shaped Artifact

“The plot thickens,” Major grumbled.

Rud had taken the news about the object well enough. He went home that night and got some pretty decent sleep. Now he stood with those he could gather from the grove. Nulsa, Sarya, Taz, Dean, and Major all sat around the fire. When he broke the news, the bear was the first to respond. Too bad Mint was paws-deep in the labyrinth.

“Looks like I’m going on another otter adventure,” Rud said. “Which means I’d like Dean to escort me. If that’s okay with you, big guy.”

“We can stop by the lake on my way to deliver your morning news,” Dean said.

“Do you require anything from us?” Sarya asked, wagging her tail in anticipation.

“I need everyone else to keep their peepers peeled in the grove,” Rud said. “Ban is super-duper busy, and Mint is still gone. Those cursed objects are a thorn in my butt, so you guys can use the Barn to keep an eye on the animals. Also, who volunteers to milk the cows and goats?”

The sacred beasts all looked at Taz at the same time.

“What a horrible day to have opposable thumbs,” Taz said with a sigh. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Just for today, buddy. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Although Taz grumbled, Rud knew he would get the job done. The other members of the grove would do their part, ensuring it was safe while everything was in such an unstable condition. The druid needed to button up at least one of his major issues. The island, labyrinth, or underground city needed to be shuttered, and he had a feeling the island would be the most approachable.

As long as he had Elm’s help. The elf had set aside her desire to run the labyrinth, instead throwing herself head-first into the problem with the island. He owed her for that. More than just a few enchanted ingots, he planned on doing something way cooler for her.

“Let’s take our morning readings, then we’ll head to the lake,” Rud said. “Okay, can I get a ‘go team’ on three?”

Everyone shook their heads ‘no’.

“Three… two… one… Go team!” Rud said.

“Go team!” Sarya shouted. And she was the only one.

The readings Rud took at the observatory seemed normal enough. A dusting of snow on the northern part of the grove, but nothing in the south. Well, except for all the weird weather coming from the island. There was a small gathering of magical energy in the northeast that could’ve been a dungeon, but he couldn’t be sure right now. Still, he included everything he observed in his report. With the sealed envelope in his bag, he flew to the ground floor in his squirrel form.

“Ready to go?” Rud asked.

Dean knelt, allowing Rud to climb up onto his head. “Let’s go.”

“Oh! Sweet!” Rud shouted right as the wolf took off. “My Shapeshifting Magic skill just hit Level 9! I’m so close to Rank 1 I can taste it.”

“Good. You’ll need all the power you can get.”

As always, Dean didn’t take it easy on his way to the town. He wanted to stop by there first, as Feather was waiting for the morning delivery of his letter. Rud had taken a bit longer than normal to give his report over the radio that morning, and Dean didn’t want to wait any longer. Apparently, the leader of the town got anxious if they took too long. Before long, the pair were thundering through the small town, dodging down familiar streets and avoiding the morning rush of vendors setting out their wares.

Feather was perched atop a hill, looking south toward the ocean. The scent of the salty sea rolled in over them, even though it was quite distant. Joining with that scent was the smell of cold. Most people in town had put on cloaks or coats while others were huddled before fires. The frozen island was getting worse, and they needed to do something about it soon.

“Rud!” Feather said, turning with a surprised look on his face. “I’ve grown used to seeing only your wolf bring my morning letter. What have we done to earn such an honor?”

Rud fished around in his bag, bringing out both the letter and a mushroom wood container. It was Feather’s favorite blend. “I’m going to check out the island. Figured I’d bring you a little something-something while I was here.”

“Ah, you truly know the way to a man’s heart, don’t you?” Feather asked, bowing low as he accepted the gift. “I’ve given Elm all I can to help with the storm. Do you think you’ll make progress on that?”

“I pray to the spirits I do,” Rud said. And he was being honest about his prayers. He might just need the help of the other guardians if he wanted to tame whatever magical force drove that storm. “We’ll overcome it, Feather. Don’t worry.”

The leader had a few other things he wanted to tell the druid. There were migrants coming from the mainland to settle in the region. They planned to expand the town out, building another one to the north. Feather asked permission and Rud advised him to build it further to the east than originally planned. The grove would consume it in a few months otherwise.

“And that’s why I ask for permission first,” Feather said, bowing his head again. “Good luck with your efforts, forest spirit. May Bent himself watch over you.”

“Fingers cross,” Rud said, jumping onto Dean’s back without shifting into his squirrel form. He’d need his mana to transform into an otter. They dashed off without another word.

“Once you get Rank 1, we need to upgrade your staff,” Dean said.

“Oh, right. Growth equipment,” Rud said, pressing himself against the wolf’s back. The wind that whipped from the island was bitter, stinging his skin with every gust. Dean moved with powerful strides, driving that wind even harder. “Good point.”

“There she is,” Dean said, skidding over the loose rocks along the lake’s shore.

Elm stood with a few other mages. They were engaged in a heated debate, some among them stomping their feet to punctuate their words. If the group had descended into toddler-level arguments, things were bad. Of course, they stopped as the massive dire wolf slid to a stop.

“Wussup?” Rud asked.

“Ah, you have interesting timing,” Elm said with a nervous chuckle. “We’re working through some disagreements on the best way to approach our current problem.”

“Yeah, Nulsa pointed it out to be last night,” Rud said. “I saw you siphoning the energy, but… the object looks weird.”

“That’s what I said!” one human wizard shouted. “The energy levels don’t match what we expected and—”

“We get it,” Elm said, shaking her head. “Yet we haven’t reached a conclusion.”

“Because no one is willing to go to the island and take the readings,” a foxkin woman said.

Rud thrust his hand in the air. “I’ll go. I can turn into an otter so the cold doesn’t bother me.”

“Well, we didn’t think you could take magical readings…” Elm trailed off.

“I can get a sense for it, though. And at least no one would be in danger,” Rud said.

There was no consensus among the mages as to if this was a good idea. Rud was going to the island with or without their blessing. He was just glad they gave him their ‘permission’ after a bit of awkward pause.

“Watch this,” Rud said, shifting into his otter form. “Immunity to cold. What do you think?”

“He’s squeaking quite a lot,” a human mage said.

“We cannot understand you, Rud,” Elm said. “Don’t stay too long on the island. Even if you can endure the cold, there are other magical forces at work. Not all are aligned with cold or ice.”

Rud gave her a few otter nods and dashed off. This form wasn’t built for speed on land, but once he hit the water he was off. The world plunged into silence as he wove through the confusing underwater world. Spears of ice shot from the surface, stabbing into the lake bed in spots. The druid resisted the urge to investigate a cluster of shellfish his little otter brain had spotted.

“How long can you hold your breath?” Dean asked.

“A long time,” Rud said, shooting a message back through their telepathic link. “Might be hard finding a spot to break through the ice…”

Despite his fears, the druid found a spot he could break through with a bit of effort. He had to retrieve a rock from the bottom and bash away at the thin ice to get through, but soon he burst to the other side. He drew a deep breath and turned his attention toward the storm. It wasn’t blowing as hard as it was before, but the cold had intensified.

“I’m joining this effort,” Nulsa said, speaking into Rud’s mind. “Avoid the patches of ice just north of you. I’m getting some strange fluctuations of energy.”

“Thanks,” Rud shot back.

Somewhere above, the owl was watching over him. How sweet.

Rud scampered over frozen rocks, sliding to a stop as he spotted one of the patches of ice Nulsa had mentioned. If he looked at it for long enough, he could see a shimmer of energy coming from it.

“Yes, that patch of ice is magical. Perhaps it might even be pure ice mana. I cannot tell from here,” Nulsa said.

“The wizards said the energy on the island has decreased,” Dean said. “Which they claim is concerning. They recommend evacuation.”

Rud pushed forward, moving his long body across the frozen landscape. A swirl of blue and white energy lingered over the spot where the object rested. He squinted his eyes, relying on whatever protected them from the water to protect them here.

“Uh, the object is changing shape,” Rud said, speaking to both Dean and Nulsa. “I can barely see it through the storm, though.”

“The wizards claim this is a bad sign. It isn’t a cursed object,” Dean said. “They say you’re dealing with something much worse, but they need to research.”

It was nice having Dean feed him information from the wizards. But the connection was one-way. He could mostly understand what mortals said, and was able to send that information along through their connection. But since he couldn’t send that info back, he was stuck watching the object.

The object—cursed or not—shifted before Rud’s eyes. It appeared as a sword, a duck statue, twelve bronze buttons, and so on. Every time it changed, the storm around it sent out a pulse of fresh cold. Even through his thick coat, the druid felt the sting of the cold growing stronger. Perhaps it was a defensive response from the object, sensing that a sneaky little otter was near.

Rud confirmed his theory as he approached it. A gust of wind slammed into him hard enough to send him sliding backward. He dug his otter claws into the icy ground, pushing his minimal Strength to its limit.

“Rud. Can you hear me?” Ban’s voice came floating into his mind as though driven on the turbulent wind.

Rud's claws dug into the ice as he was pushed further back. He had to shimmy to the side to avoid the pools of condensed mana that threatened his life. When he was far enough away from the source of the storm, he responded to the sacred tree.

“Kinda busy right now!” Rud said, grimacing against the biting cold.

Mostly, Rud was focused on getting as far away from the storm as possible while avoiding the deadly pools of mana. He needed to get back to the water and swim to shore so he could regroup with the mages. Although the storm's intensity had diminished, it was now at least partially intelligent, pushing him away deliberately instead of randomly spewing its powerful winds.

“I’m gathering information about the object,” Ban said. “River and Aegael think it might be something incredibly powerful, but you need to get close enough for me to see.”

“Easier said than done, Ban!” Rud shouted back, tumbling end-over-end as another powerful blast hit him.

“Stay calm and listen to my instructions. Aegael is prepared to grant you a fire-based boon. But once you have the buff, you need to shift into your true form and rush forward. Once you’re at the storm’s edge, I’ll give you further instructions.”

This might have been the first time Rud didn't have 100% faith in his sacred tree. A moment of doubt washed over him before he shook his head and dug his claws back into the icy ground. He decided his trust would be restored when the boon hit him, but for now, he simply nodded, sending her a simple message.

“Ready.”

A system message appeared.

[Boon Gained]

You have gained a temporary boon from the Salamander Spirit Aegael.

[Salamander’s Heart] has been applied.

[Salamander’s Heart]

Great Spirit Boon

Description:

The heart of the salamander rushes through your veins. You are the incarnation of fire.

Effect:

Your body emits a great amount of heat, negating any other elemental-alignment present.

All attacks now inflict fire damage

All spells gain the fire alignment.

The moment the message appeared, all doubt in Rud's mind fled. The ice around his feet melted in an instant, filling the air with an evaporating mist. Without hesitating, he shifted into his true form, slamming his staff into the ground and inching forward despite the powerful effects of the boon. The storm still raged, lashing him with its wind and peppering him with ice.

“I’m going!” Rud shouted, gaining an inch at a time as he moved to the storm’s center.

When Rud finally reached the storm's edge, he looked down at the object before him. It flashed, changing shapes. At set intervals, it was a small metal object one moment, and a sword the next, then a statue of a duck, and so on, just as it had transformed before.

“When I tell you, grab the object,” Ban said. “It is exactly as the others guessed and we cannot pass this opportunity up.”

“I’m ready,” Rud said, holding his hand out. When it passed the barrier of wind and ice he felt his hand sting in pain.

“I’ll count it down… The cycle is predictable. One… Two.. Three… Grab it!”

Rud reached out, wrapping his hand around a small metal duck.

Quack.

A system message appeared.

[Artifact Claimed]

You have claimed a world-rank artifact.