Barrow and his adventuring companions weren’t very interested in old movies. Rud and Dean walked with the group down the path, the druid creating signs to estimate the time to the next rest stop as they went. He had promised to have them completed before any mortals arrived, but then again he didn’t invite the mortals into the grove. But those adventurers had information that was more interesting than long-dead actors.
“I’ve never seen a wild dire wolf,” Barrow said. Even the mortals, at their five to six-foot-whatever height, were dwarfed when compared to Dean. “Only the monster version.”
“I am no monster,” Dean protested. To the mortals, it sounded like an aggressive growl.
“He said he’s not a monster,” Rud said, guiding himself over the path with his staff.
“I’ll take your word for it, spirit,” Barrow said. But he couldn’t hide that he was being cautious around the wolf.
Rud wasn’t sure if it mattered if the adventurers were cautious. He suspected they didn’t stand a chance. The other adventurers told tales of encountering dire wolves. Back in their home of Sparwyn, they would encounter them in mid-rank dungeons. Anything that was wildlife themed around Rank 3 to 5 would have at least a few dire wolves. The druid wouldn’t say it, but he could feel the unease flowing from Dean.
“You’re about a half-hour from the next rest stop,” Rud said. “I recommend you stay there before pressing on. For at least an hour.”
“Got it,” Barrow said, nodding at Rud. “Thank you for the… escort. Hopefully your ‘rari stays in check.”
“I will,” Dean said, heard only by Rud.
“He’s a good boy,” Rud said. “Come on.”
Rud and Dean left the path, passing through some bushes and appearing on the southern side of the grove. They approached a cliff and paused there. It was time to explain the rules. Dean had a general sense for the rules, the druid could feel that clearly enough, but it was better to lay them down in no uncertain terms. As expected, the wolf had no problem with it. All the things he said were within the contract.
“I want to hunt,” Dean said, staring off into the distance. “May I hunt?”
“You can do whatever you want,” Rud said.
Without warning, Dean jumped from the cliff. Rud watched as he landed at the bottom, dashing off to do whatever. The druid was left feeling content with the new wolf. Sarya was a good wolf, but she wasn’t as strong as Mint. Dean wouldn’t win any fights against her, but he could certainly try. Considering the fact that monsters could burst from their dungeons at any moment, threatening the grove, he wanted more guardians to defend it.
Something twinged in the back of Rud’s mind as he watched the forest below. He stepped through the nearest bush, returning to the Sacred Tree. When he first arrived, he thought she had completed her work on the Energy Nodules expansion. The druid placed his hands on his hips, glaring up at the tree when he inspected her. The Energy Nodules expansion was done. But Ban had started work on another expansion. An expansion he was almost certain she couldn’t support.
“You know, if they didn’t drop those fragments off you wouldn’t have enough energy to survive,” Rud grumbled, adding another crystal to bolster her energy. He looked over her status screen another time.
[Ban’Tanthein]
Rank 0 Level 6 Sacred Tree
Upgrade Energy: 90%
Reserve Energy: 42%
Energy Nodule Efficiency: 50%
Upgrade:
[Thicket Travel]
Expansions:
[Mining Workshop]
[Smelting Workshop]
[Energy Nodules]
[Observatory]
“Why do we need an observatory, Ban?” Rud asked. But she didn’t answer. Instead of grilling the tree some more, he used Thicket Travel to find where she was building the new structure. He recognized the area based on the landscape.
The northwestern section of the grove was notable for its hills, some rising to challenge the height of the Sacred Tree. Atop one flattened hill, roots sprung from the ground. They had only formed a small glowing bulb so far, but were expanding by the moment. Rud couldn’t get his mind around the new building. He didn’t think they needed an observatory. Was star gazing important in this world—no one had ever mentioned it. The druid squinted up to the sky, partially blinding himself by gazing into the sun.
With tears forming in the corners of his eyes, Rud left the site of the new building. His concerns were once again centered on the collection of fragments for the tree. He poked around near the Sacred Tree, finding that he could inspect the expansion and read what they offered. The druid focused on the Energy Nodules expansion, reading the text after a prompt appeared in his vision.
[Energy Nodules]
Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree Building
Upgrade Progress: 0%
Description:
Nodules form throughout the Sacred Tree’s root system, nourishing it and storing excess energy.
Effect:
Allows the Sacred Tree to store 50% of their total Reserve Energy capacity in nodules.
Draws nutrients from the ground, adding additional energy to daily collection.
Upgrades:
NONE
Fair enough. The second effect on the expansion would help her with energy generation. Rud decided this was a good expansion to have, although he couldn’t figure out why she was making the observatory. Remembering that he could inspect the buildings from here, he inspected the observatory.
[Observatory]
Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree Building
Upgrade Progress: 0%
Description:
A building dedicated to detecting and tracking various anomalies and events. Monsters, weather patterns, celestial movements, and magical events may all be observed from this building. The range of this building’s perception depends on rank and level.
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Upgrades:
NONE
Rud paused for a long moment, letting his mind process what he was reading. A building that would allow him to look out for monster-related events was a lot like…
“A fire watch tower!” Rud shouted, thrusting his hands into the air. “She knows me so well!”
This wouldn’t have been his first choice for new buildings, but Rud wouldn’t deny that he wanted this. When he was screwing around before college—and his first year into college—he had fantasized about living in a fire tower. That dream had died long ago. Like most things built from nostalgia, it wasn’t about the fire watch job. Fond memories were formed from points in a person’s life. A time where he didn’t have to worry about waking up at seven to get to work. The thought of an adventure in the wilds, and helping people by watching the endless forest. Nostalgia was a longing for a state of being, not a time, place, or thing.
For all his nostalgic waxing, Rud looked forward to his monster tower. He really hoped it took the form of a tower, anyway. With a little radio and some binoculars. Some wasps nesting in the overhang outside of vast windows. The druid shook his head, removing the errant thoughts that soaked into every layer of his brain. There were signs to be made.
Traveling east to west through the grove would take about three to four hours. That was the baseline number for someone walking on foot with no breaks for the bathroom, tree-gazing, wildlife observing, or any other activities of the forest. Without the road, that number was impossible to calculate. Rud guessed it would have been at least ten hours, perhaps even twenty. That time was owed to the landscape, and how unforgiving the western region was. He started at the stump field, forming a tree at the entrance with estimated times and more tips on how to move through the grove safely. He felt like the guy putting up signs on bridges telling drivers to check their fuel before proceeding.
Rud stopped at the first bridge he had constructed, using his spell to form it into a basic rest area. The massive tree in the center of the bridge was perfect, and he hollowed out the sides and made a second floor with little effort. Travelers would have to deal with hard wooden benches, but it was better than nothing. Of course, this meant he had to go back and amend the first sign he had planted at the entrance to the grove. At least he didn’t need to walk the entire distance. He added another simple rest area at the next bridge, finding it to be easy thanks to the tree’s construction. With most of the structure hollowed out, it was quick.
Dean joined with Rud when he was finishing the last sign near his original village. The sign he constructed gave tips on moving forward, and suggested offerings to the tree. Of course he listed fragments as the biggest thing, but he wouldn’t turn away dungeon pieces or Monster Cores.
“I deposited meat into the cold place,” Dean said, prowling nearby. “I scared the dwarf and the bats.”
“Can Taz understand you?”
“Yes, but I couldn’t understand him through all the screaming.”
Rud imagined that few people wouldn’t scream at a horse-sized wolf.
“Mind if I get up?” Rud asked.
Dean bowed low, allowing Rud onto his back. “Where are we going?”
“Just back to the tree. I want to get used to riding you.”
Dean looked back, narrowing his piercing yellow eyes at him. “I am not a pony.”
“No, you’re a dire wolf. And I’m a small Talen Por druid. This fits the theme of the grove.”
Dean grumbled. “I suppose, you are light.”
The dire wolf did a few circles through the forest, giving Rud some time to get used to wolf riding. He wondered if they could make a saddle so his underparts weren’t crushed every time the wolf went over a cliff. Dean slowed down, eventually resuming his normal prowling speed to get back to the Sacred Tree.
“How quickly could you get to Barlgore?” Rud asked.
“Five hours at full speed,” Dean said. “Unless I crossed the river to the southwest. Then about three hours.”
“Why wouldn’t you take the shortest route?” Rud asked.
“Monsters to the south.”
“Fair enough.”
As expected, Taz, Sarya, and Mint were gathered by a fire under the Sacred Tree. The dwarf screamed in horror, fleeing into the mushroom house before anyone could tell him not to. Dean settled down by the fire, laying his head down. But his ears still twitched, moving to either side to catch sound. He would growl slightly when he heard anything in the forest. That was something Rud was used to be now. The wolves were always growling or yapping at something.
“Don’t fear the giant dire wolf, Taz,” Rud said, sitting and accepting a cup of tea from Mint. She was finally using his blend.
“We should sell your tea,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she held the pot. “Would you like tea, dire wolf?”
“I named him Dean,” Rud said.
“Would you like tea, Dean?”
“I’m fine.”
Taz poked his head out of the mushroom house clutching an old rolling pin. “That beast is with the grove?”
“Yep,” Rud said. “He tried to kill me but we’re best friends now.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘best’ friends,” Dean muttered.
It took Taz a long time to leave the house, and even longer to edge toward the fire. Only when Mint cooked the meat did he come out, creeping closer to find the furthest spot from the giant dire wolf. His fears were relieved when Dean had to get up to investigate something Mint had sensed. He dashed off into the forest, angled for the direction she told him to run in. Rud had been worried that Sarya would feel left out with another wolf. But she was very much still a wolf, further from Sacred Beast status than Dean. She was just happy to have another canine friend.
“Did you see Ban is working on another building?” Rud asked. “I don’t know how she’ll support it all.”
“That’s your job to worry about, isn’t it?” Mint asked, flashing a smile. “And the dwarf.”
“I just work in the mine. Don’t involve me in any tree business.”
“You signed the contract, dwarf,” Mint said with a laugh. “You’re part of the grove. So deal with it.”
“Yeah, well… You’re lucky I like roasted wolf,” Rud grumbled, shoving a strip of still-hot meat into his mouth.
Sarya was sent off to help Dean with something, then Mint went herself. The sun had already set and the fire was crackling with only Rud and Taz sitting around it. Neither was willing to stay up much later, especially with how cold it was getting. Somehow the dwarf didn’t need heating in his underground home. The druid wouldn’t question it, settling into his comfortable house and stacking a few branches onto his fire. He fell asleep with the glowing warmth of the fireplace.
###
After breakfast, Rud turned his attention to the mushroom house. Between upgrades and personal skill, his ability to form plants into livable things had grown significantly. He started by growing the building even larger using his Plant Growth spell, adding space to the interior. The druid then stretched it out with his Shape Plant ability, smoothing over the places that he had carved by hand. And he was happy to see that the system considered his mushroom house a plant.
The first floor was no longer a single room, now segmented by a wall. Rud would have his living area near the fire, and a storage area for the junk he had been accumulating. Pulling material from the sides and the top of the mushroom to create a second floor was easy enough. Rud drew indents in the flooring, making it appear as though that section was wood paneling. A set of stairs crawled along the side of the mushroom’s interior, providing access to the new sleeping area.
Mint came around to see what was going on, dashing away when she saw he was working on the house. He was finishing the details with his Lacquer spell, and creating a series of shelves in his storage area for his tea, when she returned. She had found a Rud-sized wooden bedframe that barely fit through the front door. It came with a mattress stuffed with questionable material, but the druid decided it was far more comfortable than either a bedroll or sitting in his chair to sleep.
“Thanks, Mint,” Rud said, testing the bed out. She had her eye pressed against the second floor window, peering inside to check that he liked it.
“No problem. I’ve got some junk for you to look at outside. When you get a moment.”
Rud took his time to finish the interior, making sure everything was done before moving on. The second floor was very exciting, as he had hollowed out most of the mushroom’s dome-like top to create a tall ceiling. He would need to bring a light up there to take advantage of the space, but it was still nice. The druid made his way downstairs, finding Mint standing before another pile of junk. He looked closer, realizing that it was the same pile of junk he had seen several times before.
“A pottery wheel, a pile of clay, and something that looks suspiciously like a brick kiln,” Rud said, tapping his chin. “Mint, are you trying to tell me something?”
“You should sell tea to the mortals,” Mint said. “And create cute little clay jars to sell them in.”
Rud leaned over the pile, finding most of the random shaping tools to be resting atop a pile of wet clay. Where had she found the clay? Certainly not an abandoned town… “I guess the idea is cute. But why put in so much effort without buyers?”
“They will purchase our tea,” Mint said, her voice filled with conviction. “You can ride Dean into town and peddle your wares.”
As with all things involving Mint, Rud had to think for a moment to follow the logical trail. She never said what she meant, always forcing things on him or nudging him in the right direction. In both cases, it felt like she held information back. And it was completely unnecessary. He could sell tea—tea which everyone said would be valuable to the mortals—and trade the mortal money for fragments. So what Mint meant to say was ‘if you sell tea, you can keep Ban alive.’ She was just horrible at phrasing it.
“Alright. Do you know how to make pottery?” Rud asked.
“Nope. Good luck,” Mint said, dashing off into the forest.
Rud looked upon the pile of junk and shrugged. “You could have at least moved the giant brick kiln…”
