Rud cared for his tea plants in the morning, pruning dead leaves and watering them with enchanted pond water. He did everything he could to get his Plant Care skill to tick up. When it refused, he ran off to the eastern village and cared for the plants there. He pruned, watered, trimmed, and even planted a few things before the skill twitched. His hands were dirty and cut in places when the skill finally rolled over to Level 5. Then came a rush of messages flooding into his vision.

  [Skill Gain!]

  Your Plant Care skill has increased to level 5!

  [Skill Milestone!]

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

  [Ding!]

  You have gained a level in your Druid class!

  Level 5!

  You have gained one free attribute point.

  [Class Milestone!]

  Your Druid class has reached a milestone! Please select from the following upgrades…

  That was a lot of stuff. Rud found a log to sit down on. All he could see was upgrade and ability selections, blocking everything else out. He worked on filtering through the upgrades for his Plant Care skill first, digging around to find something that worked for him. He found one that stuck out over the others and inspected it.

  [Druidic Infusion]

  Plant Care Upgrade

  Description:

  Druids are natural caretakers of the wild.

  Effect:

  Infuse water with druidic mana, increasing the growth rate of all plants that consume this water. This effect stacks with similar effects.

  He passed over it at first, not having read the full description. His fear was that it wouldn’t work with the already enchanted water he was using to feed his plants. But the effect description took care of that worry, informing him that the effects would stack together. Rud selected that upgrade and felt it slot into his skill. Drawing mana into his palms to infuse a body of water now seemed like second-nature. While he was eager to try it, there was a big pick to make. The ability for his class.

  Rud quickly realized that this was the way he would define his class. There were abilities he could pick geared toward combat, magic, and support roles all the same. The most interesting thing he saw was an ability that increased the effectiveness of his shapeshifting. Rud didn’t have shapeshifting, but suddenly wanted it. For now, he narrowed it down to supportive spellcasting abilities. He came up with two that seemed like easy picks and inspected them.

  [Druidic Chants]

  Druid Ability

  Description:

  Call upon the power of the wilds to enhance your spells.

  Effects:

  When casting a spell, you may chant to empower it.

  Chanting increases the effectiveness of that spell while also increasing the mana cost.

  This ability was the first side of the coin for the spellcasting route. Rud had considered this the best option at first, but had leaned toward the next skill the more he thought. He inspected the other side of the coin next.

  [Druidic Attunement]

  Druid Ability

  Description:

  Call upon the power of the wilds to attune yourself to your spells.

  Effect:

  When casting a spell, gives you greater control over that spell’s output.

  A spell may not exceed its defined limit, but you may tune a spell to be less potent. Decreasing the power of a spell reduces its mana cost.

  Rud imagined himself using both abilities. The advantage of the first one was if he wanted to infuse any of his druidic spells to be more effective. But the second would allow him to decrease the effectiveness of a spell to save mana. With spells like Plant Growth costing half his mana pool, this was appealing. There were also situations where he was freecasting Shape Plant that he could feel his mana leaking out as he worked. He was overusing the spell, burning through imbued leaves faster than he should. If he combined Druidic Attunement with Grove Weaver, the effect would be potent. That upgrade increased his effectiveness and decreased the mana cost of spells cast within the grove.

  “So I can stretch it even further,” Rud said, still finding it hard to decide.

  He settled on Druidic Attunement and felt the ability settle into his class. Rud could feel it waiting for his call, ready to change his spells to fit his needs. It mingled well with the Grove Weaver upgrade, both of them reaching out some sliver of will to connect. Before heading back to work on the road—bridge, whatever—Rud checked to make sure Ban was doing fine. Her Reserve Energy had dropped from fifty percent down to ten, so he topped her up again.

  Rud worked on the road, heading to the west for another two days before he saw the grove’s edge in that direction. The landscape changed with each day, becoming bitterly cold as he ascended in altitude. Few of the broad-leafed oaks were visible. Pines dominated the landscape. He saw a rabbit for the first time, but it scampered away frantically before he could activate his Clear Communication upgrade. Frost caught on fallen leaves, crunching underfoot as the druid pressed out of the grove.

  The landscape of the western slopes were strange, compared to those in the east. Rud saw the slow rise of the land and the rocky embankments all around him. He climbed those hills, finding it hard to get up the large rocks but pressing on anyway. The druid worked his way to a cliff, tapping his staff on a rock as he approached the face of a cliff. Down below were forests, rolling over hills far into the distance. Mist settled into the valleys, sliced by trees as it was blown from the northern wind.

  “Not sure why the mortals wanna get here,” Rud said, looking west once again. It was all mountains in that direction, rising against the horizon and topped with snow. Nothing about this place seemed appealing, but the mortals knew what they wanted.

  Using a bush to teleport to the half-way spot between the western edge of the grove and the center, Rud scouted for a spot to place his rest stop. He twisted trees, forming a bridge from the main path to reach ground level. There wasn’t as much space in the rocky landscape, but this side of the grove didn’t need as many houses. For now, they could deal with just a few. It took most of the day to build the structures, and they were without finery. Just something so the mortals wouldn’t die.

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  Just like the concept of freecasting, the Druidic Attunement ability was difficult to get used to. Rud found it easy enough to use it alone, but when combined with Grove Weaver, it became a challenge. When used alone, the druid could control the amount of mana that went into the spell. He could allow drops to flow into the spell from his leaf, allowing him to control a small segment of the trees. But maxing it out presented an amount of tree that his mind couldn’t handle, meaning he had been overcasting the spell. That made his job of creating the road a simple one. Using this spell to carve things into wood should become a simple task, too.

  Rud teleported, arriving at the mine before dinner. Taz, Mint, and Sarya were gathered outside, talking heatedly amongst themselves.

  “Did I miss a meeting invite?” Rud asked, laughing to himself.

  “There he is,” Taz said, pointing at Rud. “Go bother him.”

  “Mortals, Rud,” Mint said, bounding over in her wolf form. “In our grove.”

  “The mortals are allowed in the grove. Where are they?”

  “Oh, right. They’re almost to that village you built. What should we do?”

  “Nothing. That’s my job,” Rud said, turning away and entering the mine. He stopped, turning to say one last thing. “Just come find me next time, you goof.”

  Rud shoved food in his backpack, making sure the bats didn’t go crazy as he entered their cave. He scampered off to the village, finding Mint following closely after him. The druid stopped, turning to find the woman standing behind him with a wolfish smile on her face.

  “Start the fire in the pavilion,” Rud said, gesturing to the fire pit he had made. “I’ll get some food going.”

  “Yes, sir! Custodian sir!” Mint shouted, saluting then running off.

  Mira must have told people the road would be done today, and they took her word literally. Without time to make a stew, Rud started a fire in one of the tree houses. He cut the meat into small chunks and tossed it into the pan with vegetables, not sure what he was going to make. The druid placed a teapot on the stove, adding his own blend of tea leaves to the mix.

  “They’re here,” Mint said, sticking her head into the home and whispering the words. “What should I do? They waved at me.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Rud asked, pushing past her. He grabbed his staff, pulling his hood over his head for maximum effect. “You’ve dealt with mortals before.”

  “Yeah, but there’s five of them.”

  Rud stepped out into the crisp air, spotting five people standing near the pavillion. They were talking with themselves, marveling at the area he had created. He had neglected to create a more detailed sign for the village, so he would need to explain what was going on. From the way they were dressed, Rud guessed these people were adventurers. And there was a familiar face leading them all. Barrow.

  “Rud!” Barrow shouted, waving from afar. “What is all this? That road was amazing!”

  Rud smiled, glad he didn’t have to impress the group as much as before. They were people that came from Sparwyn. That much was clear. An even mix of humans and beastfolk—mostly cat-like people—that responded with respect when he spoke.

  “Thank you,” Rud said, bowing in response to the ripple of bows flowing through the group. “I’m preparing food, but I didn’t expect so many people.”

  Barrow nodded to a short human man who sniffed the air, then dashed off to tend to the food. The human adventurer approached, making the sign of respect and bowing once again to Rud. “Are you going to tell me? What is this place?”

  “Oh, right. You need to stay in the village if you want to keep your mind,” Rud said, gesturing to the buildings behind him.

  “So this is the rest area. We didn’t see signs,” Barrow said. “And can we stay in them? For as long as we like?”

  “That’s right,” Rud said with a nod. “We’re happy to provide as much food as we can spare, but I’m more comfortable if you guys bring your own stuff.”

  “We read the sign, Rud,” Barrow said with a wink. He looked behind him. The other adventurers were spreading out, most flocking to the fire under the tree-awning. Mint was nowhere to be found.

  Rud suspected Mint had a secret aversion to humans that she wasn’t comfortable expressing.

  “So, why are you here?” Rud asked.

  “Exploring the west, of course. The local government is offering money for maps and information about the area. Word spread fast that the grove was open for travel, so expect more people.”

  “What do you expect to find in the west? I went there. It wasn’t very interesting.”

  “Dungeons, resources… Perhaps a path to the accessible beaches on the western side of Aiswyn, or a path out of the Hornfen region to the north. A path that doesn’t involve dwarves.”

  “Since your friend took over the cooking… I suppose I’ll just stay to have a good time,” Rud said, laughing nervously. “I’d recommend that you stay here overnight. I’m not sure what the grove would do to a mortal at night.”

  “Add that to your list of rules, my friend,” Barrow said, patting Rud on the head.

  People always patted him on the head, and he couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was a thing people from Sparwyn did. Or maybe he looked so young and cute that folks thought it was the right thing to do. Barrow walked off with his companions, laughing and joking as they sat under the pavilion. The druid wanted to study them as they lounged. He wandered into the forest so it wouldn’t be so awkward, and immediately made it more awkward.

  After the sun had gone below the horizon, leaving only the burning fire to illuminate the mortals, they hadn’t acted as though they were affected. They seemed tired, but not dazed like the grove normally made people. Rud determined that people within proximity of his buildings wouldn’t experience those symptoms, but he didn’t know how long it would last. But he was satisfied enough that the mortals walking through his grove weren’t going to go crazy.

  “Hey,” Taz said, causing Rud to nearly jump out of his skin. “Did you have dinner yet? Are you spying on the mortals?”

  “I haven’t eaten. And yeah, I’m spying. Trying to make sure they’re all healthy and happy.”

  “And?”

  “They seem fine. The buildings worked,” Rud said, keeping his voice low.

  “Good to hear,” Taz said, leaning over Rud to get a better look. He pushed a little too hard, and the pair tumbled together out of the bush.

  “Alright there, Rud?” Barrow shouted over.

  “Yeah. I’m good,” Rud said, dashing into the bush and vanishing from sight. Taz cackled, following behind him as they appeared at the Sacred Tree.

  “They must think we’re idiots,” Taz said, patting Rud on the back. “Come on, I made you some food.”

  Rud followed Taz to his mushroom house, finding a spread of root vegetables, meat, and mushrooms arrayed on a plate for him.

  “Yeah, I know you’re not a meat-only kinda guy,” Taz said, gesturing to the plate. “So I had Mint help me with the vegetables.”

  Rud accepted the plate graciously, unwilling to point out how everything but the meat was seared too much. They sat together in the mushroom house, sharing plans for tomorrow. The dwarf wanted to work the smelter and requested help hauling all the ore and rock out of the mine. He didn’t have a magical backpack yet, so Rud’s pack was going to be useful for that. They agreed on a time to meet, factoring in time for the druid to interface with the mortals before they headed west.

  “Imagine how easy you’re making their trip,” Taz said, sighing as he reclined in a chair. “My trip from the mountains was horrid. Took me about two months.”

  Rud raised a brow. “Really? We weren’t even a grove two months ago.”

  “No? Well, someone has incredible foresight. A god could have cleared my path, but… wait…” Taz shot to his feet, pumping his arms in the air. “It’s happening!”

  Rud sprung to his feet. “What’s happening?”

  “I’m getting my class! They’re giving it back—something about hard work and dedication to the grove.” Taz went wild, dancing and flinging himself around the room. Rud gave him plenty of space, smiling and clapping along. “That’s the best I can hope for. Prospector. I’ll take it!”

  “No subclass?” Rud asked.

  “No, but I can pick those up easy enough. Here, let me share the class with you…”

  Rud blinked as a prompt flooded his vision. He didn’t know he could do that.

  [Prospector]

  Rank 0 Level 1 Class

  Description:

  Prospectors are experts at finding ore within stone. No mining expedition is complete without one.

  Skills:

  [Mining] R0 L1

  Abilities:

  [Stone Sense]

  “At least they gave you the Mining skill,” Rud said.

  “Just one last spit in the face,” Taz said with a sigh. “Keeping my thoughts happy. Just glad to get a second chance. Want to see the attached ability?”

  “Sure.”

  [Stone Sense]

  Prospector Ability

  Description:

  Prospectors are attuned with the flow of stone, allowing them to predict what is where within the rock.

  Effects:

  Grants the user information about nearby stone. With a touch, they can estimate the location of nearby features within the rock.

  That ability would make finding ore in the mine easier. There should have been a skill attached to it as well, but perhaps that was another slap from the gods. Rud didn’t know what level Taz was before he was branded an apostate, but the things he did must have been pretty bad. Or not bad enough, since the gods gave him another class. Those things didn’t affect the dwarf, though. He was in high spirits, and eager to level his newly gifted class. Before Rud could object, he ran off to feel the rocks in the mine. Which seemed weird, but Taz was weird.

  Rud finished up what food was left, tossing his dishes in a pile to deal with later. He settled in before the fire, thoughts lingering on Taz and the mortals with equal measure. At least the village part of his plan had come together. The only thing on his mind was a problem so persistent it felt like an old friend. Crystal fragments.