Gladesbale Grove Book 2 - Chapters 25,26,27

Chapter 25

Bugs

Through sheer, stubborn focus, Rud spent the rest of his day working on his skills. He was certain he could get Rank 1 within a few days if he just stopped getting distracted. Back on Earth, he was a person of focus. He could dial in on a task and get it done without interruption. But something about taking control of this new body changed the way he thought. Perhaps that was just the wonder he felt in this new world. Magic was real here, after all. So everything related to magic always drew his attention like crazy.

Settling into his seat in the observatory—and with the Aspect of Bent and his Farseeing ability active—Rud clicked on his radio. The static hissed after he turned it on, broadcasting his name over the magical radio waves. He allowed his sight to slip, peering off into the distance as he observed forming energies.

“Chance of snow… maybe,” Rud said, scribbling that down in his notes. “Or just slushy rain.”

“Maria here. How are you, Rud?”

Rud smiled to himself as he picked up the microphone. “Things are going well. Just trying to get Rank 1 or die trying.”

“You’re still not Rank 1? What the heck are you doing with all your time?”

“Goofing off, mostly. Hey, I have a lot of things to do in my grove. I have tourism, plants to take care of, animals to heal. This is a full-time job.”

Maria laughed over the radio. “That’s fair enough. Yeah, I remember the weight of responsibility falling on me when I first came here. I also remember being enchanted with the idea of magic.”

“Are you no longer enchanted?” Rud asked.

“Well, I’ve spent twenty years doing this.” Maria paused. “But I have to admit. The idea of hanging out with other custodians has me excited!”

“We’re getting closer to making that happen, by the way. Things are progressing way faster than I had expected. Ban is a monster when it comes to absorbing magical energies.”

“Again, it must be nice since you can talk to your tree. Coordination becomes a lot easier when you can share information. Normally, the guardian is the one making the calls for upgrades.”

“I know. I don’t want to ever get used to that luxury. Do you think there’s a way for you to unlock your tree… mushroom-thing?”

“If there was, I’d think Bent would have found the answer long ago. He’s been our ringleader since the start.”

Rud scratched his chin, looking out over the grove as he made note of more things. There was some more dungeon energy Feather would need to investigate. Nothing like the stuff they had seen before near the logging camp, but it was enough for concern. But doing a cursory look at the various magical energies was the wrong way to handle it. Rud found it was better if he sat with the Farseeing skill for a long time, absorbing all the energy he could. That always gave him a better impression as to what was going on.

“Gug is kinda excited about the idea of the custodians getting together, too,” Maria said.

“Really? He’s a giant worm, right?”

“Yes, but he’s also a Sacred Beast. Which means he can speak and is intelligent. Don’t just call him a worm.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to be wormist. Anyway, yeah. Things are looking up. We’re working on getting a big stockpile of energy, but I feel as though we’ll need a lot more before we make any breakthroughs. Pretty sure Ban knows the spell or means to create a portal right now. It just boils down to energy expended.”

“How far off are you from that?”

“I think we could create a portal for about a second right now. And it would take a few days for her to recharge. So, what we need right now is power storage. Which likely means she needs to get a few more ranks.”

“A tree that powerful should soar through the ranks.”

Rud wasn’t so sure about that. Ban was taking it slow with her ranks, and he suspected she was hiding something about her advancement. More than likely, she followed a different path than him. It could have been one more related to the growth of the grove rather than her personal growth, which made sense. The more she progressed, the more she seemed to become the grove. Whatever the case, the druid was there to support her.

“In other news, I’m kind of a healer now.”

“Are you the kinda guy that played healers in MMOs?”

“What’s an MMO?”

“Oh, god. I forgot you’re old. Nevermind.”

“No, come on. Tell me.”

Maria had to explain more than just what MMOs were. By the time Video Games were popular enough to be available to consumers, Rud had already grown up. He didn’t have much interest in them, even when he saw the arcade cabinets at his local bars. Apparently, those games had evolved to become something much larger. Instead of popping quarters into a machine, people would play them from their homes, often with many other people. Well, in the case of those MMO games, thousands of others.

“Wow. Sounds like a lot of work,” Rud said.

“Yeah. I guess it was, sometimes. I can’t believe you’re doing so well in this world with no video game knowledge.”

“Why would game knowledge help anything we’re doing here?” Rud asked.

“I… Well, I guess that’s a good question. Because this is a lot like a video game.”

Rud just didn’t see it, but he didn’t disagree. He chatted with Maria for a while as he worked on his reports. The dungeon energy that was forming was a ways off. It would take a while for it to create a seed, and even longer before anything significant formed. And he was still uncertain about the snow forming, so he made sure to note that in his report.

“All done?” Nulsa asked, perching on the balcony outside.

“I think so,” Rud said, sealing the letter and handing it over. “There’s nothing strange going on, anyway. Oh, have you been working on finding more cursed objects?”

Nulsa bowed his head. “I have. It is harder to find them than I thought it would be.”

Rud clicked his tongue. “What causes these weird cursed objects to appear, anyway?”

“That’s hard to say. Sometimes a wizard creates an object of power that gets shattered. The remaining magic inside is incomplete, operating in a way not expected by the creator. But my understanding of the topic is limited to what I've learned here.”

“You know, we have a contact in Barlgore. A really smart elven wizard named Elm.”

“Perhaps you should visit.”

“Perhaps,” Rud said, pretending to stroke a beard he didn’t have. The smoothness of his face made him think he’d never have one.  “Maria, I’m signing off. I have to go see a wizard about some cursed objects in the morning, so you might not hear from me.”

“That’s fine. Good night, Rud.”

Clicking the radio off, Rud let out a sigh. The day had been long, but the rewards were great. The songs of the insects outside mingled with the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves above. Despite his doubts for snow tonight, the chill in the air said otherwise. Mingling with light humidity, Rud was rethinking his thoughts on the grove becoming a winter wonderland. He was still unsure if this place experienced cold enough to get snow, but that hardly seemed like it mattered with a magical ice island so close nearby.

It had gotten later than he expected. Taz and the others weren’t in the longhouse, making Rud think about where the others in the grove slept at night. They might have been Sacred Beasts with a lot of intelligence, but those spirits were still beasts. They had some of their old nature, and perhaps they just enjoyed sleeping outside. Major certainly wouldn’t feel the bite of the cold with his thick fur. He sat at the table alone, pouring himself some soup from the perpetual soup.

“What did you add this time, Taz?” Rud asked, sniffing the soup before taking a tentative bite. “Where are you even finding these herbs?”

It smelled as though Taz had found some marjoram or something similar. Combined with the rich scent of the game meat in the soup, it provided a hearty meal. Carrot and potato analogs bobbed near the surface, soaking the salty liquid and provided much-needed vegetables and starch to the mix. Eating a bowl of Taz’s soup had a way of filling Rud like no other meal he found in the grove. It was far more balanced than just eating nuts and dried meat. Of all the things they had to offer, the soup did more to keep him energized than most anything else. Except for the tea. That stuff made him wired.

“Maybe that’s why I keep forgetting to do stuff… Hopped up on energy tea.”

After finishing his food in the longhouse, Rud made sure there was no one that needed a bath tonight. He checked on the tubs, surprised to find the used water inside still slightly warm. It wasn’t warm enough to take a bath in, but held more heat than it should have in the cold conditions. Using his Shape Plant spell, he created a hole to drain each tub.

“Bet those plants under the tubs are happy,” Rud said, chuckling to himself. “Drink up.”

As the chill set in over the night, Rud started a fire in his mushroom house. He stoked the Fairy Peat until it was crackling merrily in the wood burning stone. With the door to the building closed, the air was soon nice and toasty. The druid settled in under his covers, shivering against the cold that had seeped into his bed. He drifted off to sleep after everything warmed up, dreaming of healing an endless line of deer.

###

“There’s a problem,” Dean growled.

Rud bolted upright in his bed, reflexively jumping up and clinging to the wall of his mushroom house. His heart hammered in his chest as the head of a giant wolf poked through the doorway of his home. Dean’s lips were pulled back, baring his teeth as he growled.

“What?” Rud asked. It was the only word his mind could conjure.

“Bugs,” Dean said, pulling his head out of the building and sniffing before growling some more. “Somethings going on with the bugs.”

Rubbing his eyes, Rud willed his mind to wake up. He grumbled, adding fuel to the fire in his wood stove. Dean waited patiently as he set the kettle on, waiting for it to boil. It whistled a few minutes later, allowing the druid to steep some strong tea. He put more loose leaves into the hot water than normal this time. Once the cup was ready, he took a sip of the boiling liquid, burning his lips in the process.

“Perfect,” Rud said, holding his metal teacup up in a salute. “We killing some bugs?”

“If I needed someone with combat prowess, I would have asked… literally anyone else.”

“Fair enough,” Rud said, clapping a hand against his leg. It made a dull thumping sound, hitting against the pants once gifted to him by Mira. “Lead the way, ya crazy wolf.”

Stepping outside, Rud realized the sun hadn’t even risen. If he had been paying more attention, perhaps he could have determined what time it was. But the shattered moons were hard to track. Maybe—he hadn’t asked anyone. Dean led the way through the forest, finding the nearest thicket for them to travel through. A moment later they were standing on the grove’s edge. The druid winced, clutching his staff as he looked at the intense darkness of night under the boughs of the forest. The areas outside of the grove didn’t belong to Ban, but that didn’t mean they weren’t all forested. Especially in the south, where all the dungeons spawned.

The sound of battle echoed in the distance. Rud only had to take a few steps outside of the grove to question why he had been brought here. What did Dean need him for? Moral support.

“Sarya, Nulsa, Major, and Mint are engaged in battle,” Dean explained. “There were biter bugs underground. They burst forth when the owl was searching for more cursed objects.”

“Seriously?” Rud asked, sending his magical senses wide. “Wait, why aren’t I riding you?”

“So you can understand the situation. Hop on, if you want.”

Rud mounted his faithful wolf-steed and the pair were off. They ranged further than he expected, angling to the southwest. This was a region the druid had never explored. Even his farseeing ability only allowed him to see just ahead, near the base of a large hilly mountain range. Even then, his ability to see things clearly was stunted by the distance he had to see.

“Up ahead,” Dean said, ducking below a low-hanging branch.

Mint shook her head, wrapped in the embrace of a massive biter. It was just about as big as she was, its biting pinchers wrapped around the spirit wolf’s body. Major, Nulsa, and Sarya tore at the creature’s shell, but almost nothing happened. Rud looked on in horror. His instinct was to run away from the giant nasty bug. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave the guardian to her fate.

“No, just take your time,” Mint said, growling and snapping at the bug’s shell. Even her attacks weren’t effective. “He caught me off-guard. Wouldn’t have been much of a fight if I was paying attention.”

Rud dismounted, approaching the entangled pair. The bug didn’t seem to be inflicting any damage on her, or the other way around. They had entered a constricting stalemate that neither party was willing to disengage from.

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Rud asked, throwing his hands up.

“Perhaps the banishment spell,” Nulsa said, diving onto the creature again.

“Yeah, maybe,” Rud said, finding it hard not to shrug, huff, and scoff at the situation. He cast his spell, watching as a new message appeared.

[Nature’s Banishment]

Your spell is not powerful enough to remove the Aiswyn Queen Biter.

“Rats,” Rud said. “My spell isn’t strong enough.”

“You’re joking, right?” Mint grumbled. “What are we gonna do?”

Rud saw two options in his head and both involved heading back to the grove. He could rely on the grove’s power to enhance the effects of Nature’s Banishment or he could rely on the power of Ban’s root attack to pierce through the bug monster. And this thing was almost certainly monsterized. Or maybe it was a Sacred Bug, if such a thing existed. To his surprise, all eyes turned to Rud.

“This thing hurts,” Mint grumbled.

“Drag her to the grove!” Rud declared, thrusting his staff into the air.

Major and Dean shared a look before grabbing onto the giant biter. The form of the monster etched a trench in the landscape as the powerful Sacred Beasts dragged both the monster and Mint across the landscape. The guardian complained about how demeaning it was to be dragged like that. All Rud could do was come up with ideas.

“Can you shift into your other form?” Rud asked.

“We wouldn’t have awoken you if I could do that.”

“Maybe we could put a big stick between the bug’s pincers and pry it open,” Rud suggested.

“You could try,” Mint shrugged.

Rud brainstormed other ideas, keeping some in reserve for when they arrived in the grove. No matter how they removed the giant bug, it had to be done in the grove. All their magic was more powerful inside the grove, giving them the best chance at success.

“Have you gained weight?” Dean asked.

“What!?” Mint snapped at him.

Dean giggled to himself, putting more of his weight into pulling. It took a while, but they got her back to the grove. Once inside, Rud felt the magic of Ban washing over him. His various upgrades and enhancements felt like the surge of power he needed. He had long-since finished his tea. Which was a shame. He could go for another cup right about now.

“Anyway, first step,” Rud said, rubbing his hands together. He cast Nature’s Banishment, earning the same message for his efforts. “Nope. You’re up, Ban.”

Without warning, a massive root sprung from the ground. It reflected off the shell of the monster, slamming into a nearby tree. Splinters of wood cascaded out, showering the gathered group.

“Nope. I don’t have enough control over the root to do anything meaningful.”

“Given time, this thing will deplete my stamina and will,” Mint said. “It hasn’t let up the pressure since it started.”

Major grabbed two segments of the bug, pulling with all his might. Despite the bear’s massive frame, he could not do anything meaningful.

Rud sat on a nearby rock, thinking about their approach. Maybe Ban was onto something with her comment. They had dismissed the idea of wedging something between the bug’s pincers because the only thing they could fit would be a small branch. But that was going with mortal logic. They were spirits of the grove.

“I got it,” Rud said, digging through his bag. “Always have a few acorns sitting around…”

“What’s the plan? Dean asked.

Rud buried an acorn in the ground, nodding to Major. “Tilt her so the bug’s pincers are right above this spot. Hold on, I’ll grow it to the first phase…”

Rud cast his Plant Growth spell with freecasting, causing the acorn to become a sprout. Major rolled Mint over, who complained about being humiliated. Dean and Sarya helped guide the little plant between the pincers. After that, the druid gave it more juice. Some of the tree grew around the bony segments, but they were still pushed open. The biter became ensnared in the tree and panicked. A few moments after its pincers were pushed apart, it flailed.

Mint rolled away from the bug, snapping at it as the creature was caught in the tree. “That’s right. Squeeze all you want, you idiot!”

“Hey!” Rud said, giving everyone the thumbs-up. “Problem solved, right?”

Everyone gave him a flat look. “Assuming there aren’t more,” Dean said.

Chapter 26

Daffodil

A fire crackled in the longhouse's hearth. Rud sipped another cup of tea, forgetting the problem with the giant bug monster. The sun was just rising above the horizon, but he didn’t feel tired. It might have been the tea or the excitement of the fight, but he felt ready to meet the day. Even if the other members of the grove were coming up with a plan to destroy the bug monsters.

This was a problem that Rud had considered in the past. The power of the grove rested within the grove. They relied on the spirit animals to range outside, taking care of any problems. But even they were weaker out there. The grove needed to expand, and that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. With the cursed objects as the source of this problem, Rud wasn’t sure how he should approach it. Since the monsters were dangerous enough that he would fear for the life of adventurers, he couldn’t lean on them. This was a problem resting squarely on their shoulders.

“Try not to worry about it too much,” Ban said. “Mint is fine.”

Rud stood, bringing his cup of tea with him. He left the longhouse, making the short walk to Ban’s clearing. It wasn’t as though her voice spoken into his mind was impersonal. He just enjoyed hearing it aloud.

“Any thoughts?” Rud asked. “I guess my technique worked, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Ban agreed. She had that motherly tone that meant he was missing something, or that this wouldn’t be enough to keep the monsters at bay. “We need to find another solution.”

Yeah, there it was. One way Rud could help was to expand his power. He could rush for Rank 1, taking advantage of everything that came with that. He doubted it would be enough power, but it might help. Gaining levels for the grove might help, but making Ban sprint through her ranks wasn’t gonna work. It seemed the best way to move forward was to collect and purify all the cursed objects around the grove. What a pain.

“Maybe if I can understand more about the cursed objects, I can do something about them,” Rud said, turning away from Ban. “Gonna go study some dangerously cursed stuff. Be back later.”

Ban’s giggles followed behind as Rud made his way through the nearest bush. He arrived at the logging camp shortly after, watching as the sky above was stained with brilliant shades of pink and orange. The druid took a deep breath, soaking the feel of the magic around him. Nature magic—plant magic specifically—soaked into the area. It was no surprise with how often he cast his Plant Growth spell here. An underlying tone of corrupted magic sung in a lower octave, barely detectable with his senses.

“You’re up early!” a cheery voice shouted from afar.

Rud dragged himself out of his thoughts, looking up to see Mira bounding over. She was in a better mood than normal, smiling and waving as she approached. “Good morning,” he said, taking a sip of his tea. “Anything interesting happen with the cursed trees?”

“Nope.” Mira’s head swiveled, her eyes locking onto the trees. “Should something have happened?”

Rud shook his head, approaching and placing his hand on one tree. He could feel the energy better this way, soaking in some of that strange cursed energy. The origin of these objects was still a mystery, as the Sacred Beasts often didn’t have the full picture. He doubted a wizard had destroyed the moons, but it was hard to say. Ban was often more reliable than the others when it came to mortal affairs. The only thing he was certain about was the state of the cursed objects. It would take a while, but each object was having its energy dissipated into the air.

“No, I’m trying to understand them better,” Rud said, running his hand along the smoothed bark of the cursed object prison. “If only I had a… Hey, Dean!”

The wolf came bounding through the forest moments later, trotting to a stop. When things got crazy in the grove, Rud always forgot what he was doing. His plan to get stronger was thrown to the side, along with the one person he knew that might know more about cursed objects. “Wanna head into town?”

“Yes. The spirits are done meeting.”

“Want a ride into town, Mira?” Rud asked.

Mira held up her hands defensively, wincing. “No, thank you. I’m humbled by your offer, Great Spirit, but…”

“Yeah, it isn’t a fun ride.” Rud nodded with agreement. Dean could be rough. Especially if they weren’t traveling on a road. He gave her some finger guns. “Okay. Stay safe, you cool cat.”

Rud shifted into his squirrel form, taking his perch on Dean’s back. The wolf was off without another word, dashing southward. They would follow the well-trodden path established to the east of the frozen lake. It was one of two approaches to get to Barlgore, and this was the smoothest ride. The other path was overland and didn’t have much of a road. At least they got to see the giant frozen island.

The icy island was shrouded in a layer of mist, as though a constant snowstorm was blowing. Despite Rud’s predictions, the snow hadn’t come. There were some gray clouds in the sky, but not enough for a significant storm. There was still time today, though.

Dean made good time to Barlgore, dashing as quickly as he could. Rud dismounted from the saddle, shifting into his true form and shaking out his limbs. As always, the guards let them pass without question. The druid had trouble remembering where Elm’s tower was, but after passing over a hill he spotted it. The wolf walked alongside him, sniffing at the air as they went. There were plenty of interesting smells to sniff within the mortal town. They had spices, after all. Lots of them.

Rud knocked awkwardly on the iron gate separating the tower from the rest of the town. “Think anyone is home?”

The gate swung open before Dean could make his response. It was kinda spooky. Rud pressed forward, trusting that Elm wouldn’t do anything too frightening. She liked him, because he gave her fun enchanted items. He knocked on the wooden door of the tower itself next, waiting only a few breaths before the door swung open.

“Rud!” Elm said, clasping her hands before her chest. She had thick brown hair that looked as though it hadn’t been brushed in a while. Depending on how excited she was about whatever project she was working on, she could swing from being just as bubbly as Oak to being dour and unreachable. Today, she seemed to be between the two states. “What brings you here?”

Rud bowed his head as he entered the tower. He could tell she wasn’t surprised it was him when he saw a kettle already boiling on a magical fire. The druid found a seat to jump onto while Dean rested himself near the magical fire.

Withdrawing an enchanted ingot from his bag, Rud placed it on the nearest table and smiled. “I need some information.”

“Wow. You’re far more serious than normal,” Elm said, pouring three cups of tea. She placed the first two on the table, and the other on the ground for Dean to drink. “How can I help?”

Rud sipped the tea. It was his tea, which made him laugh. Of course, people would want to drink magically enchanted tea. Why just drink regular tea when you could drink magical druid tea? He cleared his throat, trying not to laugh more. “I have a cursed object issue?”

Elm paused mid-sip. She raised a brow. “Certainly not.”

“Yeah. Not even a normal amount of cursed objects, either. We’ve found three so far.”

Elm sputtered, almost spilling her tea. “Certainly not—No, that can’t be right.”

Rud shared a look with Dean, but the wolf offered no advice. “Okay. My guess is that these are supposed to be rare.”

“Cursed objects are rare and dangerous enough for a city to evacuate,” Elm corrected. “You found three? I’m happy you're not dead, but you’ll have to elaborate.”

Rud told her about how they had found the objects and the spell he used to purify them. The spell wasn’t exactly rare as Elm knew of it, but those that could cast it were few in the world. Someone with a god-aligned priest class could do it with ease, but that meant transporting those objects. And that could apparently end in disaster.

“This is curious.” Elm had been playing with the bar of enchanted iron since Rud started his story. Her eyes went unfocused as she thought. “I’d like to offer my services to you.”

“Oh. Really?” Rud asked. “I was just gonna ask for a way to detect the objects.”

Elm rose from her seat, heading upstairs and leaving the pair alone for a moment. Rud and Dean shared a look, both of them shrugging after a bit. But the elven mage returned a few minutes later, several books held under her arm. She sat back down, flipping through the books with determination.

“There are specific tracking rituals I can try,” Elm said, searching through three books at once. “The resource cost is high, but I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

“More ingots?”

“Exactly,” Elm said. “Here we go. A ritual tracking spell for detecting godly magics.”

“God magic?” Rud asked. “What’s that?”

“Things left behind by the gods. I’ll combine this with the spell to detect necromantic energy. I think that should work.”

“This sounds a bit… intense.”

Elm looked up from her books, offering Rud a gentle smile. “Leave the wizardry to me. This is perfectly safe. Just as I’d trust you with druidic magic.”

Rud nodded along. What good were the contacts he had built if he wasn’t going to use them? “Okay. How long will it take you to get the stuff to cast this spell?”

“I already have it. Wait here.”

Elm left again. Rud pushed himself out of his chair, heading over to see the books she had been looking at. He couldn’t understand a single thing scrawled on those pages. The diagrams of magical circles were so complex as to be indecipherable. Reading the text on the pages was like cracking open a physics textbook in another language, landing on the hardest topic and trying to figure out what was going on.

“An aspiring mage?” Elm asked, chuckling as she descended the stairs. She had a leather bag that looked weighty slung over her shoulder. “Well, are you ready to go?”

“Now?” Rud asked, looking up from the pages and blinking a few times. “I mean… yeah, of course! Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Absolutely,” Elm nodded. “Detection rituals are low-risk. Come, I’ll bring my mount, Daffodil.”

Dean’s ears twitched, but he didn’t raise his head.

“Oh! You have a beast companion?” Rud asked. “What kind?”

Elm smiled, stuffing the books in her bag and grabbing a few more things before they left. She drained her cup of tea, yelled something up the stairs, and headed for the door. Rud followed behind as she led the way to a small structure on the tower’s grounds. When the doors cracked open, they revealed the form of a graceful beast.

The mount within the stables was something between a horse and a deer. It had antlers atop its head, a mane of hair, and deer-like hooves. The creature’s body was elegant—perfect for an elf. It was almost pure white with bright pink eyes. Rud activated his Clear Communication upgrade.

“Hello, deer-horse!” Rud said, approaching the beast and holding his hand out.

“Who is this outspoken creature, mother?” the mount said, snorting at Rud.

“Calm, Daffodil,” Elm said, rubbing her on the head. The beast’s voice was feminine, so Rud assumed it was a girl.

“My name is Rud. Your mommy is helping me with a problem,” Rud said. Daffodil pulled back when he tried to pet her.

“Mother never speaks to me. Why can you?” she asked.

“I’m a druid,” Rud said. “I can talk to all kinds of animals. Even deer-horses. Horse-deers?”

“Are your hands clean?” Daffodil asked.

“Yes, I wash them often.”

“You may pet me.”

Rud bit his lip as he stroked the mane of the creature. She was impossibly soft, even the normally coarse hair hanging over the side of her neck. The powerful musculature under her hide was clear, making it obvious how fast she would be on the open road.

“So, you can talk to my mount?” Elm asked. “Or are you just making horse noises for another reason?”

“I can talk to her,” Rud said, continuing to stroke the mount’s mane. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“Scratch behind my ear,” Daffodil commanded. Rud did as he was told.

“She normally bites people,” Elm said, preparing the saddle. She slung it over Daffodil’s back, securing the straps underneath and checking the stirrups. “Does she have anything interesting to say?”

“She likes being scratched behind the ears.”

“You’re talking to mommy? Tell her I don’t care for the green biscuits. I like the brown ones.”

“She hates the green biscuits,” Rud said.

“But she eats them,” Elm said, seeming slightly dejected.

“Anything else, Daffodil?” Rud asked.

“Yes. Loosen the saddle or I’ll buck her off.”

“Ya might want to loosen the saddle,” Rud said. “Daffodil said she will buck you off if you don’t.”

Elm swallowed hard, letting some of the tension in the strap out. “She has done that before. You know, this might be a way for you to make some money.”

“I don’t need money,” Rud said, still petting the horse-deer.

“Still. You could help mounts and their masters get along better.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. Perhaps that was something Rud could do when people rode their beasts through the grove. It could go well with Taz’s blacksmithing business. Daffodil’s haughty attitude was hilarious, though. Especially as he watched Elm mount her. Despite the slender appearance of the creature, she took the weight of the elf well. The druid mounted his wolf and rode alongside the pair. Through the gate, and over the winding roads of Barlgore.

“Tell her I’m faster than her,” Dean growled, looking over at Daffodil.

“This is Dean,” Rud said, gesturing to the wolf under him. “He thinks you’re cute.”

“Oh, my…” Daffodil said. If only she had hands to fan her face.

“He wants to show you how cool he is by running really fast.”

“Well, I’m not a slouch,” Daffodil said, turning her walk into a canter. “I’ll show this wolf what the grace of an elven steed is all about.”

“Daffodil!” Elm shouted, pulling back on the reins. That only made the mount move quicker, dashing toward the nearest gate. Dean increased his speed to match.

Within moments, the two beasts were sprinting down the road outside of the town. To Rud’s surprise, Daffodil was just as fast as she had advertised. Elm wasn’t having a good time, but they made an excellent time back to the grove. An interesting fact of animal biology came into play once they entered the grove, though. The moment Daffodil’s hooves hit the grounds of the grove, she gained renewed energy. Her breath slowed and her eyes focused as they galloped over the road.

A few hours later, they stood at Ban’s clearing. Elm heaved breath, falling from her mount and gripping the ground as though the world would upend itself at any moment. Rud tried not to laugh, but it was hard.

“So, is she a new mount?” Rud asked.

“Yes,” Elm groaned, pushing herself into a standing position on shaking legs. “Importing beasts here is expensive. I was able to afford it thanks to some research I had been doing.”

‘Hey, Taz,” Rud said, turning to the forest. It took a few minutes, but the dwarf appeared a few moments later.

“What’s going on?” Taz asked, setting eyes on the graceful horse-deer. “Ah. What a fine beast.”

“Can you do horseshoes?”

“Of course,” Taz said, coming over. He tapped Daffodil on the side, forcing her to kick her rear left leg up. “We can plant some enchanted iron shoes on her if you want, miss.”

“Really?” Elm asked. “You’d do that?”

“I need the experience,” Taz said with a laugh.

“Is Daffodil okay with it?” Elm asked.

Rud cleared his throat, turning to the horse-deer. “Dean said you’re not brave enough to get new horseshoes.”

“Hah! How wrong the silly wolf is! I am an elegant steed bred by the elves themselves. I am braver than he could possibly imagine. Lead the way, dwarf.”

“She’s good,” Rud said, giving the thumbs-up.

Elm watched as her mount departed. “Okay. Let’s get started on this ritual.”

Chapter 27

A Mage’s Ritual

Rud didn’t know nothin’ about fancy mage rituals. He watched as Elm withdrew items that weren’t leaves, sticks, beans, or acorns from her magic bag of holding. He might have held a brave face, but he felt a shiver of nervous energy spreading through the grove. It wasn’t Ban herself that was anxious about the ritual, but Mint and the other spirit animals. They had been the ones to battle the giant bugs, after all.

“This druidic energy may obstruct me,” Elm said, clearing her throat. She stacked items on the dirty ground, just outside of Ban’s clearing, before starting work on a ritual circle. “Hmm… There might be something else as well.”

Rud cocked an eyebrow, looking upon the woman with concern. “Something else?” he asked with a nervous chuckle. “I have a magical observation tower and I haven’t seen anything else in the grove.”

Elm simply shrugged, drawing out an absurdly complex ritual circle. She pressed the butt of her staff into the ground, etching those complicated parts from memory. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, trails of mana were left behind, filling the grooves in the earth. Things were coming together faster than the druid had expected. That nervousness spread by the spirit animals flooded into him.

“I can’t guess what’s going on until this ritual,” Elm said, arranging the items onto her magic circle. “If you could defend me while I channel it, that would be lovely.”

“Major? Dean?” Rud asked, looking into the forest. The giant dire wolf and the bear appeared a moment later, both tilting their heads.

“Wussup?” Dean asked. The wolf had scampered off to follow Elm’s deer-horse to the blacksmith shop, but was prompt in his return. Like a good killer wolf.

“Could you keep her safe for me?” Rud asked. “She wants me to defend her, but… Well, just look at me.”

Rud might have made progress on his body during his time in this world, but it was minimal. Maybe some more levels and a rank would make him look buff… Until then he had to deal with a scrawny body. At least he wasn’t chubby…

“Yes, you are incredibly weak,” Dean said, snorting.

“I could kill you with a breath,” Major said with a yawn. “Yes, we can defend this little one… Hmmm, does she have forest elf blood?”

Dean trotted over to Elm, sniffing the air around her. Thank the spirits that her eyes were closed as she focused on the spell. “Yes, I think I detect some forest elf blood. Perhaps only a few drops,” the wolf said.

“I really don’t wanna know what that means,” Rud said, holding his hands up defensively. “Instead, I’m going to check on Taz.”

“You do that, puny mortal,” Major said, yawning. “I shall defend her with my life.”

“If he doesn’t fall asleep first,” Dean grumbled.

“That’s why I have you.”

With a shrug, Rud dove into the nearest bush. He appeared near the blacksmithing building a moment later, the sound of a hammer on hot metal ringing out through the forest. Daffodil was standing near the smithy patiently, following the simple orders the druid had given her to start.

“Okay there, Daff?” Rud asked, coming up to stroke the impossibly soft coat of the beast.

“Yes, but this one is smelly,” she said, snorting and pawing at the ground.

“Oh, he’s not half as bad as he could be,” Rud said with a snort. “I’ve heard some horror stories about dwarves.”

Rud shifted into his flying squirrel form, climbing up Daffodil’s leg and perching on her saddle.

“Am I having another episode, or did you transform into a squirrel?” she asked.

“I’m a druid,” Rud explained. “Your mommy is doing some important work for the grove. She’s pretty cool, you know.”

“Is she?” Daffodil asked, seeming skeptical. “I couldn’t say. Haven’t known her for long, and I don’t truly trust her. She never once got my saddle right. Not until you told her.”

“Well, you’re intelligent,” Rud said, shrugging his little squirrel shoulders. “You can show her in other ways than words. Try nibbling on her next time. Or snorting derisively.”

“Yes, that may work… And I am intelligent, aren’t I?” Daffodil asked.

“Smarter than you know, I think,” Rud said. “I’ve talked with a lot of wild beasts, and they’re… uh… what’s the best way to put this? They dumb.”

“Hah! Oh, do go on…”

Rud told some stories about the animals he had interacted with in the forest. The squirrels were unintelligent. Those creatures were always concerned there was a hawk about to dive bomb them without warning. Well, they had reason to worry about the hawks. Those hawks ate the squirrels, so it was a fair concern. The druid was still impressed with how smart Daffodil was. Perhaps she was the refined elven mount Elm claimed she was.

“I’ve only seen them do this,” Taz said, coming out of the shop with a cooled horseshoe. “Tell her to give me them paws.”

“If you would be so kind,” Rud said, gesturing to Daffodil’s hooves. “The dwarf is ready to put your new shoes on.”

“Oh, those are excellent shoes,” Daffodil said, pulling her foreleg up and presenting it. “Are they enchanted?”

“Indeed, they are,” Rud said, puffing his chest out with pride. “I enchanted that metal myself. Anything made with those will be of excellent quality.”

Rud watched as Taz hammered the shoes made from Spirit Iron Ingots onto Daffodil’s hoof. He was actually great at it, but that might’ve been because the deer-horse worked with him. There must’ve been a lot of skill that went into a farrier who didn’t have that advantage. The druid was watching with amazement when something rippled through the forest. His magical senses registered it as little more than a tickle at first, but it grew to something greater.

“Woah! Gotta check this out,” Rud said, dashing away from the blacksmith. “Just be good, Daffodil!”

“I will!” she shouted after him.

Rud tumbled through the thicket, arriving at the ritual site an instant later. Waves of blue and green energy rolled out of the ritual circle like an oncoming tide. The air was thick with magical power, stinging his skin as he approached. The druid pushed back his green hood, his mouth hanging open.

“Is it working?” he asked. Elm’s eyelids were pressed closely together, and she held the staff out before her. Orbs of errant light floated from that staff, falling to the ground to create tiny, harmless explosions. “Doesn’t look like it's working.”

“I’m unsure,” Dean said, prowling around the circle. “I understand nothing about magic, but she isn’t in distress.”

“Yet she asked for a bodyguard,” Rud said, tapping his chin. Only now did he notice Major, napping under a tree. “Lazybones…”

If Rud understood more about non-druidic rituals, he could tell how things were going. There was a lot of magic coming from Elm's ritual circle, but he couldn't identify what exactly it was doing. The woman herself had her eyes pinched tight, as though putting every ounce of her concentration into the spell. At one point, Major awoke and yawned lazily. It didn't seem as though anything interesting would happen until it did.

Mint burst from the forest, grabbing Elm by the scruff and jumping out of the ritual circle. A cage of roots sprang up around that circle, encasing it in an interweaving pattern. A moment later, a sound like a dull thud came from inside. The elven mage let out a shriek of terror, flailing for only a moment before realizing what had happened.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Elm said, standing to her feet and dusting herself off..

“What happened, mortal?” Mint growled. “Your magic threatened to detonate!”

Rud cleared his throat, translating for the scared elf. Unless Mint transformed into her human form, it was just a series of angry growls to the woman. When the giant spirit wolf noticed the difficulty in communication, she transformed into her human form, folding her arms and shaking her head.

"This ritual may be powerful, but it shouldn't have exploded," Elm said, a look of confusion washing over her face. "I've cast it several times before, but as I was searching through the grove, I felt something strange. I've detected about 12 cursed objects throughout the grove, but this was different."

"Different how?" Mint asked, giving Elm an appraising look.

"I'm afraid that's a scholarly question." Elm said, "I will give you the location of what I detected, but strangest of all, I think it's underground on the western side of the grove."

12 cursed objects was nothing to sneeze at. Rud didn't know what to think about that. At least he had the ritual spell to take care of them, although he wasn't looking forward to collecting each of them, performing that ritual, and sealing them in a tree. At least they could now know where they were. And there was absolutely no reason to delay in finding them all, and the druid now had access to a team that could help with the excavation.

"We need to know what this object she speaks of is," Ban said, speaking into the minds of the animal spirits.

“Agreed,” Dean said, prowling around the area, “We should go to the site she speaks of, but somebody must remain with the elf."

"I'll take care of her," Major said with a shrug and a yawn. "And I promise not to fall asleep."

Rud knew that Major wouldn't shirk this duty. He could be lackadaisical at times, but when it counted, he could focus.

"Before you run off to some unknown, magical signature, I'll draw a simple map of where I found the cursed objects," Elm said, withdrawing parchment from her bag and getting it to work. "This is the location of the energy I detected. It's hard to say how deep it is underground, but... this is as close as I got before the ritual was interrupted."

“What could be powerful enough to interrupt your rituals?” Rud asked, walking over to kneel where the woman worked.

"It honestly wouldn't take too much. I didn't erect the proper defeses because I didn't expect to encounter the arcane here," Elm explained. "When I cast a ritual like that, I can lay your other defenses on top of it. But druidic magic isn't very good at counterspelling, so I didn't think it was necessary."

"That's almost more concerning," Mint said with a sigh. "I've already sent Sarya to inspect the area. She'll be there in moments."

As Elm drew the map, the others waited anxiously. The cursed objects were scattered throughout the grove with no logical placement. Rud couldn't see a pattern on the map, but he could tell it was going to be a pain to extract each of them.

"This is going to be a lot of cleansing rituals," Ruts said, scratching his head. “Gonna be a lot of acorns.”

“We can help collect the acorns,” Dean said. “Worry not.”

Rud put on his big boy pants and delegated. The spirit animals might have been eager to go and collect all of the cursed objects, but he wasn't. If they weren't currently causing problems, he wanted to investigate what the energy signature was first. He relayed his orders, and Ban agreed, although he didn't expect her to.

"That's as close as I'm gonna get," Elma said, presenting the sheet of parchment to Rud. Although she claimed it wasn't good, it was just about the most detailed map of the grove he had ever seen. Perhaps that was an effect of her spell, or she was just a secret cartographer.

"Remain here until we inspect the site," Mint said, nodding at Rud before shifting into her wolf form. "I will tell you through our link if we find anything worth note."

Without another word, Mint and Dean dashed off into the forest. Major trundled over, taking a seat on his big, bear butt and yawning.

"We might as well go check on Daffodil," Rud said, patting Elm on the shoulder. "That might not be a consolation, but I think you did a great job."

"I'm afraid I'll be dealing with the shock of the feedback for a while," Elm said, nodding as she cast her eyes to the ground. "Thinking back to it, I think the forest spirit saved me. The force of that explosion wouldn't have been good. I don't think I would have survived."

Rud did everything he could to offer her comfort and led her north toward the mine. It was a bit of a walk without the power of thicket travel, but they arrived eventually. There had been no report from Mint or Dean as they headed that way, but the sound of iron ringing out through the forest soon graced their ears. Daffodil was standing outside the blacksmith, prancing around on three brand new horseshoes.

"Look how pretty I am, Mommy," Daffodil said, prancing and cantering around the clearing as though showing off a brand new outfit. Of course, Elm couldn't hear her.

“What do you think?” Rud asked, gesturing to the prancing deer-horse.

“They look wonderful. Do they have any special effects?”

"More effects than you can shake a prancing pony at." Taz said, coming out from the shop. He held a new horseshoe between a pair of tongs. "Increased speed and decreased fatigue, mostly. They’re a fine pair of horseshoes, I guarantee you."

Elm watched in amazement as Taz fitted the last shoe to the beast. Once she had all four on, she pranced even quicker and performed some strangely acrobatic moves for such a large beast. The group couldn't help but smile at the joy the deer-horse displayed. And eventually, it was Rud's time to translate between the two.

They talked about their differences and how they were similar, but Elm was mostly interested in discussing ways that they could work better together. Daffodil suggested that they come up with a system of communication that had nothing to do with words. Apparently, the creature hadn't thought to use nonverbal communication with her master. She was too set in her ways, and that's when Rud realized she hadn't had this level of intelligence for long. It was a recent thing. It was after she had been shipped from the mainland that she gained her intelligence.

"This might have something to do with the grove," Rud said, scratching at his chin. "I know the druid magic in the air has an effect on animals, but I haven't noticed an increase in the local population. Not by much, anyway."

"Are you sure about that?" Major asked with a chuckle. Both Dean and I are good examples of creatures that were drawn to the grove and given intelligence after arriving.

"That has more to do with the contract you made with the tree, right?" Rud asked.

“Perhaps, but I definitely recall having a spark of intelligence in my mind after I arrived in the caves. I took the underground area to arrive here, so I think the effect was less intense than what Dean experienced.”

"This is fascinating," Elm said. Rud looked over to see that she was scribbling something in a notebook. She looked between Major and Rud with great interest.

"Are you studying us, lady?" Rud asked.

"Indeed, I am," Elm admitted. "When you communicate with the spirit animals, there's a small puff of druidic magic that comes out of you. It's different from the type of magic I sense when you talk with animals that aren't part of the grove."

"Yeah, there are two different modes of speaking," Rud explained. "When I'm talking to the animals of the grove, I'm using our bond with the sacred tree. But when I talk with mundane creatures, I'm using my skill. The spirit animals can understand me. Most of the time, anyway. I don't have to switch to their language for them to hear me. The only time they can’t understand me is if I'm speaking with a creature.”

"I've been learning the squirrel language," Major said, puffing his chest with pride, "and I'm getting quite good."

What happened next was what you would expect if a giant grizzly bear attempted to imitate the sounds of a chittering squirrel. It was equal parts hilarious and confusing, and Rud found himself doubled over and laughing. Elm was soon to join him.

For a moment, it felt as though there wasn't some magical threat buried beneath the grove. But as the group stopped laughing and Rud was given a moment to think, he made a connection in his mind. He turned to Major with his brow furrowed.

"You said you arrived here through a series of caves and tunnels, right?" he asked.

“That's right. I've been wandering around in them for quite some time.”

From what Rud understood, there was no underground connection between the grove and the dwarven homes to the north. But there was a random energy that appeared underground, relatively close to where they stood now, which meant there was likely a connection. “Do you remember anything about the caves?” Rud asked.

“They were caves,” Majors said, seeming to think that was enough to explain everything away. “Many twisting turns and confusing passages.”

“You’ll want to see this,” Ban said, speaking into their minds. “Bring the elf.”

Rud turned to Elm and Major. “Mount up. They found it.”