The last hill from the stump field to the Sacred Tree was always the hardest. Mira stood at the top of that hill, mouth agape as she gazed at Ban. Like the adventurers, she took a moment to perform signs of reverence and whisper prayers to herself. Rud had learned to let the mortals do this, standing awkwardly nearby as she pressed her forehead to the scattered leaves below. When she rose, she had a smile on her face.

  While the trip had been mostly uneventful, Mira had mapped the path out with a large number of trail markers. A person could walk from the edge of the grove to the center by using the flags stuck into the ground without getting lost. It should have been good enough for the road builders, and with the trail completed it fell out of Rud’s hands. The mortals could figure it out from here.

  “This is her?” Mira asked, pushing forward to the Sacred Tree’s clearing.

  “That’s Ban’Tanthein,” Rud confirmed, nodding. He rubbed his fingers over his new cloak, enjoying the softness. “The guardian is around here somewhere.”

  As they gained a better view of the tree, Rud spotted the unnamed dog near the trunk. She sat with her ears perked up, scanning the area. Mint must have put her on guard duty.

  “Is that the guardian?” Mira asked.

  “Just one of the lesser guardians,” Rud said with a laugh. “She’s still learning.”

  The closer they drew to the new wolf, the more her tail wagged. Rud gave her a pat on the head.

  “Is that a mushroom house?” Mira asked. She latched onto everything around. It must have been a big thing to be around for the founding of a Sacred Grove.

  “Yeah. That’s my house. You can set your tent up anywhere you like.”

  Mira lingered for a few moments longer before scampering off, finding a place to erect her tent. The weather was enough to make Rud feel sleepy, but the walk had brought a new level of fatigue. He entered his mushroom house, glad to find glowing coals under a layer of ash in his wood-burning stove. The cloak provided warmth, but it didn’t soak into his bones like a cozy wood fire. With a teapot on the fire, he collapsed into his chair and let out a great sigh.

  “You’ve got an eye on her. Right, Mint?” Rud asked.

  “I’ve got the new wolf working that job,” Mint said. “She’s pretty smart.”

  Rud took time to reflect on how things were going. He had a better grasp on mining, and was eager enough to extract more ore and fragments. If the deal with Elmera went through, that provided enough source of fragments through trade. It was then a matter of collecting enough things to upgrade the buildings in the grove. Whatever the burgeoning grove created, through Rud’s hands or otherwise, should be used to funnel resources back into the tree. He couldn’t tell if this was an inclination driven by his bond with the tree, or his personal feelings. The grove was a strange place, if the lost mortals were anything to go by.

  “Have mortals gotten lost in the forest before, Ban?” Rud asked, pulling his cloak around himself. It was more comfortable than the moth-eaten blanket he had been gifted from Mint.

  “Not that I’m aware of. They have a sense that they shouldn’t enter,” Ban said. Rud noticed how she spoke into his mind, rather than speaking aloud. They had a guest, after all.

  “Oh. A guest,” Rud said, that singular thought pulling him from his chair. He looked out his front door, spotting Mira working in the rain. She was driving stakes into the ground to hold a small tent down. “I’m like… the guy, right?”

  “The guy?” Ban asked with an amused chuckle.

  “Yeah. The guy talking to these mortals. Making them comfortable.”

  “Perhaps you should make a guest mushroom house.”

  Rud had thought about this before. He paced in front of his door, biting at his nails. His mind had been focused on keeping Ban alive. So much so that he had given no consideration to the needs of mortals. A few guest houses, mushroom or otherwise, was a good idea. While a human-sized mortal might fit into one, they provided little in the way of floor space. Perhaps that was better than nothing, though. The druid’s thoughts were cut short by Ban’s comforting tones.

  “I consider myself a cousin of Basil. That might not be true, but I feel an affinity for that spirit,” Ban said.

  “The tree dude?”

  “Yes, the tree dude. I’ll ask if he will grant you a useful Construction Magic spell.”

  Rud watched from the threshold of his house. Mira had her tent up and was resting inside. “I appreciate it, Ban.”

  These trips through the forest were doing well to sap away the hours of the day. Rud returned to his chair, getting as comfortable as he could in front of the fire. What little light there was outside wasn’t worth enduring. The druid fell asleep to the sound of the rain outside, punctuated occasionally by the crack of a branch in his fireplace.

  Mira was still in her tent when Rud woke the next morning. He poked his head out of the mushroom house, spotting the first signs of the clouds overhead fading. The ground was still wet from the rain. Whatever water fell from the sky came from the leaves overhead instead of the clouds. Sitting near the base of the tree was the unnamed wolf, her eyes fixed on the mortal’s tent. The druid folded his cloak underneath him as he took a seat outside of his home.

  The ceremony that had changed Shawn to Rud was attended by ten spirit animals. He looked back into his memories, recalling the shape of a moving tree. This was a being named Basil, and he was the Aspect of Wood. The first spell gifted by Basil was the Lacquer spell, which had already been awesome. The druid closed his eyes and thought about that spirit, trying to manifest some divine intervention to help him build his little town. Nothing came by the time Mira was pulling down her tent, so he gave up.

  “Got everything?” Rud asked.

  Mira gave him a sharp nod before dragging her gaze back to the tree. She let out a contented sigh. “I got it.”

  “Me take her,” the wolf said, trotting up and barking at Rud. Mira winced back reflexively.

  “This little wolf will take you,” Rud said. “I think she knows the way.”

  “I do,” the wolf said, panting and wagging.

  “She does,” Rud confirmed.

  “What’s her name?”

  “She doesn’t have one. Name her on your way out,” Rud said, patting the new wolf on the head. She still smelled like a wet dog had rolled in garbage, but she was a good girl.

  “I will. Thank you for letting me see the Sacred Tree,” Mira said, performing her gesture of reverence. “I’ll see you again.”

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  Rud watched as Mira walked off. The wolf led the way, pushing past a tree and vanishing from sight. Mira disappeared shortly after, getting lost in the endless maze of trees and bushes. “Now would be a good time to give me a spell, Basil. Not that I’m expecting one. Ban said you wanted to give me one, so I just assumed you would.”

  The forest around him said nothing, but Rud could feel Ban’s stifled giggle. He shrugged, passing through a bush and appearing near the mine. Until Basil gave him the spell, his time was better spent collecting ore. He touched the statue in the mining building, gaining the Aspect of Gug, and headed inside. The iron ore was a pain to smelt, so he focused on extracting as much copper as he could.

  Swinging the oversized pick was still an awkward motion, but Rud was getting better at it. Accepting the worm’s aspect had activated the Mining skill, which came with a host of benefits. He chipped away at the wall, sending bits of rock and raw ore crumbling to the ground. Some areas around the seam were hard enough to send him searching for different seams. It was a moment of reflection where the druid would have liked that prospector right about now.

  “I’m almost out of energy,” Ban said, her voice sounding thinner than normal.

  “Really?” Rud asked, standing straight and calculating the fastest way to the tree.

  “The rain hasn’t been forgiving.”

  Rud tossed his pick to the side and scampered out of the mine, avoiding the stones that were still scattered around the entrance. He passed through one bush to grab a bucket of enchanted water, then another to arrive at the Sacred Tree. He lingered for only a moment, looking at the intention left behind by Mira’s test.

  “We’ll give you the good stuff,” Rud said, placing a high quality Arcane Crystal Fragment against her bark. It melted away, soaking into the tree in an instant.

  “Thank you, Rud. I’ll admit… the two buildings I’m supporting drain more than I expected.”

  Rud clenched his teeth. “You want to make those nodule things, don’t you?”

  “I do, but you were right. I need to be awake so long as the adventurers are in the dungeon. Until then, I’m relying on you to keep me alive.”

  No big deal. Just the weakest member of the grove being expected to keep the most important member of the grove alive. But Ban wouldn’t have put him up to the challenge if she thought he couldn’t do it.

  “Once the adventurers leave the dungeon, we’re golden. The quiet elf, Elmera, owes me some fragments. Just as you planned, I think.”

  “Just as I planned,” Ban said, sing-song. She didn’t sound confident in her words, though.

  “I’m sure they’ll be done soon enough,” Rud said, checking and finding that Ban’s energy had been pumped to thirty percent. “Let me know if you run low again.”

  “I will.”

  Rud returned to the mine with renewed vigor. Not for the ore resting on the surface of the walls, but for the hidden fragments within. He struck at the passageway with everything he had, chipping away at sections and letting them fall to the ground. When his arms got tired, he put more of his back into his swings, spinning like a top through one half rotation before sending sparks scattering to the ground. The Mining skill attached to his Grove Custodian subclass reached Level 4 shortly after he started. But no matter how many pounds of ore he dislodged from the walls, he found no fragments.

  Not willing to be beaten, and understanding the importance of the ore, Rud continued. He attacked the walls that held iron, copper, and even sections that had no bands of ore. He skipped lunch, and worked in the evening until his hands were too sore to hold the pick. With one last swing, he dislodged another section of stone, finding no fragments within.

  Rud fell back on his butt, panting for breath. Piles of rock and ore surrounded him, clogging the passage. When his breath returned, he stood only to find a message pop into his vision.

  [Skill Gain!]

  Your Mining skill has increased to level 5!

  Accompanied by another message.

  [Skill Milestone!]

  Your Mining skill has reached a milestone! Please select from the following upgrades…

  Rud gawked at the list. It was extensive. The upgrades ranged in effect, but were all themed around improving his ability to mine. Although the sun had already set, and he was extremely tired, the druid went through the list and picked three that would fit his needs. He reviewed them one after the other.

  [Reverberating Strikes]

  Mining Upgrade

  Description:

  Strike the earth! Hitting ore with your pickaxe sometimes highlights similar veins within twenty paces.

  Effect:

  10% chance to highlight adjacent nodes while performing mining actions on ore veins.

  This upgrade would be great if it also highlighted nearby fragments. Rud didn’t know if it would, but marked this one for future use if the other upgrades beat it out this time. The next two were similar, and he was leaning toward the second of three, but reviewed them both.

  [Lightweight Picks]

  Mining Upgrade

  Description:

  You’re at home with a pick in your hand. It feels almost like another part of you. As though it's almost not there.

  Effect:

  Pickaxes weigh 70% less when you hold them, but still carry the same amount of force based on their weight.

  Rud was almost certain he was going to take this upgrade. For a normal person who had some points in Strength, this wouldn’t be a great upgrade. Maybe if they were mining for extended periods and wanted to reduce the fatigue they felt while mining, but there were upgrades that did exactly that. For the druid’s small body, this was perfect. But the last upgrade was something he might take in the future, so he inspected that one last.

  [Power Strikes]

  Mining Upgrade

  Description:

  Rock and stone! Strike it all!

  Effect:

  Increases the force that you swing a pick with by 30%.

  It seemed like the most simple upgrade, but it had some serious punch behind it. Rud read over all three of his choices for a bit, but went with the Lightweight Picks upgrade. He felt his borrowed skill grow in power, and eyed the pickaxe. He picked it up, nearly hoisting it above his head as he did so. A few test swings revealed the pick was extremely light. The reduction in weight made up for his small stature. But there was something more important to glean from this. The druid pulled up his class screen.

  [Druid]

  Rank 0 Level 3 Class

  Description:

  Druids commune with nature to command spells and shapeshifting effects. The closer a druid is with nature, the stronger their abilities.

  Skills:

  [Animal Communication] R0 L4

  [Growth Magic] R0 L4

  [Detection Magic] R0 L1

  [Construction Magic] R0 L2

  [Crafting Magic] R0 L2

  [Plant Care] R0 L4

  Abilities:

  [Druidic Spellcasting]

  Animal Communication, Growth Magic, and Plant Care were all on the edge of hitting Level 5. Each would gain their own unique upgrades, sending Rud’s mind spinning out of control. He had felt his abilities and powers creeping so slowly that he thought he would never gain domain over his responsibilities. Now he saw how it worked. Every five levels he would gain a new upgrade, which would add some aspect to his skills. Experience gain for his classes had been nebulous, but at least he could understand the skills.

  Rud left the mine behind, feeling as the Aspect of Gug faded from his body after stepping through a bush. He arrived near the Sacred Tree, looking up at Ban’s boughs with appreciation. Energy shimmered through her leaves, radiating out from the center. The druid watched the display for a while, only tearing himself away from the sight when a message appeared.

  [Spell Obtained!]

  The Treefolk Spirit Basil has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Shape Plant spell.

  “Ah, Basil just sent word. He has given you the spell,” Ban said. “Did you get it?”

  “I sure did,” Rud said with a laugh. He opened his Druidic Spellbook and found the spell before inspecting it.

  [Shape Plant]

  Rank 0 Druid Spell

  Construction Magic

  Components:

  Imbued Leaf

  Stick

  Mushroom

  Description:

  All living plants might provide a home, if you’re industrious enough.

  Effect:

  Channel this spell to change the shape of any living plant. The resulting plant will remain alive so long as the chosen shape is logical.

  Once again, the spirits provided exactly what Rud needed to make the grove better. He knew this would work on trees and his mushroom. Searching the area, he found many trees that would make decent homes. Under the light of the shattered moons, and thanks to the warmth of his cloak, the druid marked a few trees in his mind. They needed an application of his Plant Growth spell to accommodate the large mortals, but he could make it work.

  “Rud,” Ban said, her voice whispering softly through the grove. “Go get some sleep. You can do this tomorrow.”

  With his stomach rumbling, Rud agreed. He left the shaping work for tomorrow, heading in to grab some food and get some rest. Tomorrow, Gladesbale Grove would have places for the mortals to rest their tired bones.