Gladesbale Grove [druid, litrpg, town building, slice of life, cozy]

Rud woke the next morning feeling eager to get to work. Under his care, the garden of five plants became ten. Once they had rested enough, it would expand even further. To accomplish the feat of lining the entire road with these plants, he selected a section of the forest to expand his farm. While he had no plans to level it out, it was enough that it was cleared of debris and ready for expansive planting. After that, he grabbed himself some breakfast and prepared for work.

"Let's chop some trees, ya big ol' tree," Rud said, clapping his hands before the Sacred Tree.

Ban giggled, her voice carrying through the surrounding forest. "Very exciting isn't it? How many do you think you can handle?"

Rud shrugged. "No idea. Start us off with a small cluster."

"I can do that," Ban said. He felt her energy spread out, connecting with a collection of trees in the distance. "Hmm. That section contained more diseased trees than I expected."

"Don't worry. I'm on the case!" Rud said, striking a pose.

The sound of claws scraping against the ground came from behind him. Rud spun, spotting Major shuffling across the clearing. He bowed his head after coming close to Rud.

"May I come?" he asked.

"Already getting the hang of your tongue?" Rud asked, patting the massive bear on the head.

"Our resident bear achieved Sacred Beast status in record time," Ban said, her warm voice filling Rud's chest. "I'm very proud of him."

"Thank you," Major said. "I'm excited to accompany you, druid."

"Let's go," Rud said, jerking his head to the side. He felt the diseased tree in the distance. The first in a list of about twenty. He wondered how many of those trees he had passed by every day held some kind of illness. With the only approach to prune them, planting a new tree, he pressed forward with a mission.

Both Rud and Major passed through a nearby bush, arriving in a section of the grove to the north. Most areas north of the Sacred Tree's clearing were uninteresting, aside from a few streams. The environment got slightly rocky, especially as one pressed further north. The land was sloped upward in that direction, lending to the idea that somewhere in the north there were dwarves.

"Tell me about yourself, Major," Rud said, sizing up the first diseased tree. This one bore clear signs of some sickness, discolored sap oozing from the bark. He had to wonder if this illness could be transmitted to each tree. That just made it more important to destroy them all.

"What is there to tell?" Major asked, watching as Rud scooped up a nearby fallen branch.

The druid enchanted a leaf, placing it on his head as he held the branch out. "Where did you come from? What were you doing before you gained sapience?"

"Interesting question. Below the grove, spanning to the north, there are caverns. They're endless, sprawling and twisting every which direction."

"Do you recall being a beast?" Rud asked, gathering himself to cast his spell.

The moment Rud thought about the Prune spell, he felt the spell itself requesting input. He had a sense that it wanted a shape and size, so he gave it an angled line across the trunk of the tree. The magic gathered in his palms, his body moving without his command. Tracking the invisible line he had imagined, his hands left mana hanging in the air. It shot forward a moment later, burning through both the leaf and the stick to cut the tree. It tilted to one side, both Rud and Major finding a safe place to stand as it fell.

"That was impressive," Major said, nodding with approval. "I have vague memories of being a beast. Nothing definite."

Rud jumped on the angled stump, stooping to get a look at the inside of the tree. He could see pockets of that sap building here and there, leaving the inside of the tree itself damaged. This disease was persistent, but he couldn't know how quickly it had set on.

"Pretty nasty stuff here… Anyway, I'm glad you're with the grove. Doesn't seem to me like you're a fighter, though."

Major sighed, clawing at the bark of the fallen tree. He removed a layer with ease, his powerful claws digging away at the wood as though it were paper. "I suppose I'm not. Which has me questioning my purpose here."

Rud laughed, stuffing an acorn into the ground. He gave it an application of Plant Growth, watching as the young tree sprung from the ground. "I can't fight at all," he said, shrugging. "There are more jobs to do than just fighting, you know."

"Such as?" Major asked.

"You're a guardian of the grove. But that doesn't mean you're a battle bear."

"But how could a bear serve the grove without using these?" Major held his paws up, the massive claws like daggers ready to rend through anything.

"Let's see… You could collect food for us. Or perhaps you want to be a scout, searching for interesting things both within the grove and without. We need a lot of things, and not all those things are dead monsters."

Major nodded, still pawing at the tree. "This corruption is strange."

"How so?" Rud asked, blinking a few times as he looked at the damage the bear had inflicted. In a few brief moments, he had torn into the heartwood of the tree.

"I would leave the expert assessment to you, but the way these pockets of sap appear is strange. Does a disease normally spread from the inside like this?"

That was an excellent question, and one Rud couldn't hope to answer. Despite his interest in forestry, his knowledge as an arborist was lacking. He couldn't tell a healthy tree from a diseased one, but he was almost certain the sap wasn't supposed to be so deep inside. "Well, that's an interesting question. Let's find another."

Rud and Major found the next tree designated by Ban. With the Prune spell, it didn't take long to bring another sap-riddled tree to the ground. As expected, this one looked much like the other. They took notes of the tree's state, but there was little they could do but plant a new one and grow it within moments.

"Perhaps Nature's Cleanse would work on the trees," Rud said. "But it might take days or even weeks, and we would be down a tree. I'm also afraid of the disease spreading to Ban."

"Which means you think this is easier. Just cutting the trees and growing a new one?"

"Right. Because of the Plant Growth spell, we can do that," Rud said, gesturing as he forced a pine tree to rise high into the air. "See?"

"Indeed. Shall we get back to it?"

Rud nodded, heading off for the next tree. As expected, after cutting and replanting the first ten trees, Rud gained a level in his Growth Magic skill. This didn't give him a level in his main class, but it was a good start. He could feel his Construction Magic skill edging closer to the next level, but knew it would take a while. They tackled the next ten trees in less than an hour, but no more skills came. And that hour was spent talking about Major's history as a beast, and his ascension to Sacred Beast as much as it was tending to the trees.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The bear had spent his life in forests to the north, starting out as a regular old bear. He was on the edge of monsterization when he chose a different path. Instead, his bestial mind had selected the path of a Dire Bear, which was a surefire way to achieve that coveted status of Sacred Beast. He claimed only the most intelligent of wild animals picked that path. Most went for the simple route of becoming a monster, which would offer them immediate power. But wild animals that had been monsterized were always hunted. And those with enough brains to avoid that path lived far longer.

The duo had completed so many trees in such little time that Ban gave them another section, this time with about fifteen diseased trees. Major seemed excited enough to tag along, still interested in talking about the things he had done before coming to the grove.

Major approached a bush, slapping it with his paw. Rud looked back from drawing his line using the Prune spell, checking to see what the fuss was about.

"I called these Fish Berries," Major said, licking at the bush and removing a small berry from between leaves. It was a faint purple color, with little hair-like pieces sticking from almost every angle. Rud would have assumed it was poisonous.

"Is it safe to eat?" the druid asked.

"Oh, yes. I have spent many seasons subsisting on such berries, along with nuts and tubers."

"Hold on. Are you saying you're a nut and berry expert?" Rud asked.

"That's right."

"That means you know which ones are poisonous, right? This is great!"

"Is it?"

With Major's knowledge for the land, perhaps the trail mix idea wouldn't die off. "I want to make snacks for passing adventurers."

"Ban explained this to me. Mortals make donations to the grove, which we use to empower the Sacred Tree."

"That's right. And they're more likely to make donations if we give them things. I think they feel guilty."

"Interesting," Major said, sniffing at the air. "Not only do I know which berries and nuts are edible, I can sniff them out for you. Perhaps that would work."

"This is perfect," Rud said, rubbing his hands together. "When do those Fish Berries go into season?"

"The entire year, which is why I ate them so often. There should be some Smash Fruit around here… I can smell it."

"Hold that thought. Once we prune these trees, we're looking for some nuts."

Rud and Major cleared the other trees with speed. When they were done, they set off to find some trail mix ingredients. Since the grove was vast, the druid had hardly mapped all of it. Even after creating the pathway, he felt as though he had seen little more than a percentage of the total area. But following the bear's nose bore fruit without difficulty. Literally, since they found a giant field of berry bushes.

Rud knelt near a bush, plucking a cluster of berries. "Are these Fish Berries?"

Major was already pulling berries from the bush, munching and nodding. "Yup."

Rud popped a cluster into his mouth, nodding with approval. The flavor was something like very tart raspberries, but they were good. Once dried, they would taste something like dried cranberries. As he inspected the bushes, he had the feeling these bushes didn't want to be cultivated. The druid scratched his head, trying to figure out why his Plant Care skill was telling him that.

"Some things don't wish to be cultivated," Ban said, answering his lingering question directly into his mind.

"Really?" Rud asked, looking at the base of the bushes. They were plants. He had always had mastery over plants, especially since his Plant Care skill was now at Level 8. "Why?"

Ban laughed into his mind. "Perhaps one day you can master every type of plant, but the bushes are resistant to change. I'm advising you not to try. If you do, the transplanted bush will not survive. I'd also like to say you don't need to use Major to find these things… I could do it for you."

"No, we're bonding," Rud said, objecting to the idea. "I'm finally getting to know him."

Major looked up from the bush, nodding with approval.

"We're better off leaving them where they are and coming to collect the berries," Rud said. "That's what Ban told me, anyway."

"I heard her," Major said, nodding again. "But this field is vast. And the berries are almost ripe. Perhaps another day or so."

"Well, here's our supply of wild berries. The plan is to dry them for the mix. We're only missing nuts. And chocolate, but I don't think that's going to happen."

Major turned his nose to the wind, sniffing. "The scent of the nuts is too faint… I cannot determine the direction."

"Southeast," Ban said, whispering into both of their minds.

"Well, I guess we can cheat a little. Right?"

Ban giggled.

Rud and Major set off for the nuts. The closer they got, the more the bear sniffed at the air, seeming to detect a cluster of nut-bearing trees. They used Thicket Travel a few times to get closer, finally arriving in a section of the forest with low-growing trees. The limbs of these trees started closer to the base, dominating the landscape and preventing other trees from growing. As with the fields of berry bushes, these trees sprawled far into the distance, rolling over hills and clinging to the ground no matter how rocky it was.

"Smash Fruit," Major said, gesturing with his paw.

Rud shifted into his squirrel form, scampering up a tree. The nuts on this tree were mostly green, but grew in clusters of three and four. They had a light fur on the surface, and it took him too long to realize what they truly were.

"Hazelnuts!" Rud shouted down to the bear. "Lots of them, too. Do these grow all year?"

"In bursts," Major said, resting his paws on the trunk of Rud's tree. With a powerful push, he shook the entire tree. It shook, nuts falling to the ground in bunches. "That's the best way to get the ripe ones."

Rud soared down from the tree, watching as Major drove his paw into a pile of nuts. He smashed the fruit, revealing the delicious nut within. So, that's why he called them Smash Fruit. The druid grabbed one nut that had rolled to the side, nibbling on it with his squirrel teeth. He was unsurprised to see a few squirrels running around in the area, although the hazelnuts didn't seem to be their preference.

"You know, if you can collect these nuts and berries without eating them, this could be your job. Well, a job…"

"Really?" Major asked.

"I don't see why not. Perhaps you can carry the berries in your mouth… Oh, we could get you a cute bear satchel!"

"I would like a bear satchel," Major said.

"How much dexterity do you have in those big meaty paws?"

Major could do basic manipulation with his paws. But they were massive enough that he could scoop the nuts up and hold them there between his pads. He was far more dexterous than Rud had expected, leading the druid to a level of excitement for his trail mix project he didn't think possible before.

"What do you think? Official nut and berry collector of the grove?" Rud asked.

"Among other things," Ban said, speaking into their minds. "I think this is an excellent path for our resident dire bear."

"You just got the seal of approval, buddy," Rud said, jumping onto Major's back. "We'll need to find you a bag, though."

"We should ask Mint. She brings me things sometimes," Major said.

Rud couldn't hide his excitement. He skittered around on the bear's back, unable to stop his squirrel form from chittering with excitement. When he first considered the idea of having a bear in their grove, he knew the others would only see the massive beast's ability for combat. But if such a creature could find a different path, that spoke well for the grove. It wasn't all about war and slaying monsters. Things like the trail mix project were also important.

"So, you have a plan. Go get Mint and ask her to find a bag that will fit on you. There is a drying building right next to my mushroom house. You can leave anything you find there, and I'll prepare it."

"May I eat the things I find?" Major asked.

"Not all of it, but as much as you want." Rud shrugged. Who was he to deny a bear the pleasures of eating nuts and berries? "Just leave some for me to roast and dry."

"I can do that," Major said with a few sharp nods. "This is exciting."

"Agreed!" Rud did his best pose in squirrel form, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as his true form's pose.

After Major stomped off into the forest, Rud was left reworking his schedule for the day. With trail mix as an option, he wanted to get the store operational. Which meant not only creating the building, but preparing some tea to stock on the shelves. Nulsa was confident there would be a flood of adventurers any day and they needed to be prepared.

"Let's do this," Rud said, dashing off into the forest, using Thicket Travel to arrive at Ban's clearing.