NOVEL NEXT 2.14 - Tuft
Rud squinted in the darkness of his room. The soft bed beneath him was warm. The sensation of the embers—still burning in his stove—filled the area with a sense of undeniable comfort. Yet he had awoken before dawn. What had pulled him from his slumber? The druid blinked away whatever sleep he could, willing his mind to take stock of the situation. After a few long moments, he noticed how labored his breathing was and the weight resting upon his chest.
"Nulsa?" Rud asked, his eyes unfocused as he looked upon the owl. "What?"
"Adventurers," Nulsa said, poking into the distance with his beak. "Several."
Rud tried to roll over, but the weight of the owl was too great for him to overcome. "I'm up. What time is it?"
"Only an hour before dawn, you lazy man," Nulsa said, kneading the covers with his massive talons. "You should greet the adventurers. They look lost."
Rud eventually swung his feet over the bed's edge, rubbing his eyes until he saw stars. He stoked the fire in his stove, setting a kettle on and waiting for his brain to restart. Nulsa remained nearby, waiting for the druid to come to his senses. After long moments of groaning, the teakettle whistled. The air was filled with a deep earthy scent, driven by the Mint's Reserve tea he had brewed. He smacked his lips, rolling his shoulders as wakefulness flooded through his body.
Rud sucked in a breath until his lungs were full. "Let's go!"
"That was a sudden change," Nulsa said, fluttering out the door.
Dancing like fireflies on a calm day, the lights of lanterns were visible far in the distance. They swayed here and there as curious adventurers poked their heads closer to Ban's clearing, hoping for a better look at the Sacred Tree. Rud could feel Mint lurking somewhere nearby, likely keeping an eye on the interlopers to prevent any issues. The druid waltzed over, leaning heavily on his stick as he covered the distance between them. A hushed tone of reverence spread over the group, some making the gesture of respect for the grove. That always made him smile.
There were ten adventurers in all, spread out over the wooden walkway. Before speaking, the druid assessed the group. He picked out the leader quickly enough. A big dude that looked dissimilar to most cat-people he had seen in the past stood at the front. His massive frame and even more impressive mane of golden hair struck an imposing image. He wore heavy armor with a sword at his hip and a shield strapped to his back. The man's features were closer to that of a human than a beast, displaying no muzzled mouth but a set of elongated canines.
That hard edge broke when the cat-dude pressed his fingers into his forehead and bowed. "Great spirit of the forest. We come seeking respite."
Rud clearing his throat. "And respite you shall have. I assume you read the rules."
"We have," lion-man said. "Several times. The waystations on the way here were helpful. Without them, we would have surely perished."
Lion-guy made the sign of reverence again, as did everyone else in the group.
"Well, I'm Rud. You're welcome to stay in the houses over there for as long as you need. We have baths you can use to wash yourself, and a… fairly sparse general store. We're working on it."
"Tuft," lion-person said, bowing his head. "I cannot express my appreciation enough."
"Oh, and speaking of that… There's a longhouse right there." Rud pointed. "Help yourself to soup."
But whatever conversation might have happened died when the murmur spread through the group. None had expected the grove to have a bath, and none gathered yet understood it was a hot bath. They complained about cold water, but showed excitement at the idea of getting clean after a difficult trip.
"Your hospitality is legendary," Tuft said, bowing his head once again. A few more bows and he'd be pressing his forehead onto the dirty ground… "I'm certain my people would enjoy a bath."
Rud clapped his hands together. "Right! Just so you know, the bath is coed. Privacy is limited… But the water is hot!"
"Hot water?" one adventurer said, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
"Really?" Tuft asked, looking back to confirm he wasn't the only one shocked out of his armor. "What marvels this fine grove provides…"
The formal way Tuft spoke was getting to Rud. "It should only take about fifteen minutes. Get comfortable, or get some food." The druid walked off after getting another series of excited thank-yous.
Rud started the flow of water, watching as it began as a trickle. Soon it flooded down into the boilers, filling them in a matter of moments. The spring he drew the water from seemed infinite, and the flow he could get from his plant-based water delivery system was crazy good. The druid clicked his tongue, realizing the solution to his lightbulb watering problem. But for now, he lit the fires and got the water boiling for the adventurers. Once it was boiled, he flooded the tubs.
As expected, the adventurers were gathered near the entrance to the bathhouse. They looked upon the interior with wide eyes, their eagerness to get clean obvious. When each began to disrobe without so much as a "heads up, getting my junk out", Rud excused himself from the building and made for the longhouse. There were three adventurers there, helping themselves to the soup as instructed. Taz had topped the soup off last night, so there wouldn't be a shortage. His last stop was the rest stop buildings. Once again, he found a few adventurers taking advantage of those.
"There we go," Rud said, letting out a labored sigh. "Thanks for waking me up, Nulsa."
The faintest of fluttering came from the trees above. Rud craned his neck, spotting the shadowy form of the owl resting on a branch. "Not a problem."
"What do you think about that Tuft guy?" Rud asked. "I've never seen a cat-person like him."
"I'm unfamiliar with the various beastfolk within the world."
Rud nodded. Most Sacred Beasts were incredibly regional things, barely leaving their range until they sought more power. If he had to guess, Nulsa was from this area and had lived here his whole life. Combined with the fact that beasts didn't interact with mortals—quite the opposite in fact, they often hid—it was understandable. Someone like Mint or Ban would be more familiar with that, but it was only a passing curiosity. Instead, Rud was more concerned about making sure the stay of the mortals was pleasant.
It might seem odd to consider the relationship Rud had with the mortals of the world. One would think lower beings would take advantage of something like the grove. But the reverence people from Sparwyn had for the groves was built over generations. They were raised near Bent's grove. That was the seat of power for the grove system. And he was the progenitor of the entire program.
"If only I could get a Customer Service skill," Rud said, sighing dramatically. "Just kidding, spirits. Don't give me a Customer Service skill…"
"Bent sent me a mental message," Ban said with a sigh. "I'm not joking. He can give you a Customer Service skill. Although it isn't called that. He says it's called Custodianship."
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"Subclass?" Rud asked, perking up.
"Yes. You wouldn't need an effigy to use it, though. Rather, I'm the effigy…"
Rud didn't know what he thought about that. His impulse was to decline a new skill. If it was for his main class, Druid, he would have declined it. But if he could get skill levels for a Custodianship skill for his subclass, Grove Custodian, that would be a game changer. Leveling his other skills was hard, because they were all about crafting junk. Except for Farseeing, but that was the outlier. If he could get another skill, he had a chance at getting some decent levels with his subclass.
"Hit me, Bent," Rud said, thrusting his hands outward. "I can take it."
"That's not how subclass skills work and you know it. It won't take me long, but I need to imbue myself with my own effigy. Which seems weird, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
"Don't take too long," Rud said, feeling a flash of fear that Ban would disappear for a while. But there was nothing he could do to stop her. The sense that the Sacred Tree was watching over him at all times faded. Ban had gone into her slumber, no matter how brief it might be.
"Interesting turn of events." Nulsa hooted from the boughs above.
Rud tapped his chin, trying to figure out if this was good. Yeah, this would be good. It didn't go against his plan for the grove. Since the mortals always brought cool stuff, he would need to be the best customer service worker around. Not that it was hard when everyone treated him like an adorable demi-god.
"You going to sleep, Nulsa?" Rud asked. The sun was ready to poke above the horizon, heralding the day.
"Yes."
"Go wake Dean for me before you go to sleep," Rud said. "I want him to keep an eye on these folks."
"Right away, sir."
Rud shook his head as the owl flew away. Once Dean was watching the mortals, he could focus on getting more levels for his skills. And it didn't take long for the dire wolf to emerge from the brush, bowing his head for a moment.
"Good morning," Dean said.
"Hey. Could you keep an eye on the adventurers?" Rud asked. "I don't expect them to be naughty boys, but they might need something."
"Certainly," Dean said, padding forward and resting on his haunches. "They seem like nice folks."
"Anyone heading off to the west has to be tough, right?"
"I would think so."
Rud nodded to himself, patting Dean on the side before heading through the nearest thicket. He arrived in his garden. The hovering balls of light from the lightbulb plants were settling back into their bulbs. The tea grew strong, poking skyward and bristling with leaves ready to harvest. With his watering pail, the druid cracked his knuckles and got to work.
Plant Care was close to leveling. Now that Rud was expanding his garden, his Growth Magic skill was getting a workout. He struck up a conversation with nearby squirrels as he worked, also putting work into his Animal Communication skill. Things would come together when his other skills grew above Level 6. Then he would be on the home stretch to Rank 1.
A squirrel followed Rud into the drying room, watching as the druid sorted through the various leaves drying there. Most were ready to be smashed up and added to pots, so he got to work on that. It was unfortunate that his control of wind magic wasn't great enough for him to suck the air from the containers, but he couldn't have everything. He made the most popular mixes of teas, imbuing them with his power and gaining Level 6 in Crafting Magic for his efforts. When Animal Communication rolled over to Level 7, he confirmed something about the way his class gained levels. A message appeared.
[Ding!]
You have gained a level in your Druid class!
Level 8!
You have gained one free attribute point.
Rud placed his single point into Mind. It earned him 5 extra mana. But he knew for sure the way leveling worked. His level was the average of his three highest skills. So grinding skills was the way to go. Fun.
"See ya, squirrel," Rud said, heading out from the drying room with a bag full of tea.
The druid made his way to the general store, stocking the shelves with his wares. A few pots of tea were already missing, and the donation bin had some crystals in it. Rud collected those, heading straight for Ban to top her energy levels off. As expected, her reserve energy had dipped as she formed this new effigy. She just expected her custodian to know when she did stuff like that. This didn't bother Rud, though. It was his job.
Next came the project Rud was uncertain about. With his stock of lightbulb plants expanding so dramatically, he could get to work lighting the path. That meant providing enchanted water to each plant along the way. While he could technically water them all by hand, or hope the rain took care of it, that wasn't feasible. But running a root line from the spring to each of the plants would provide its own challenges.
"Water doesn't run up hills," Rud grumbled to himself. "Experimentation required."
The reason the root tubes Rud had made worked for the bathhouse was a matter of the water going downhill. There was nothing special about them, other than the fact that he had reformed roots to serve his purpose. But why couldn't the wood he formed "pump" water? He was freecasting his spells, forming the tree into whatever he wanted it to be. Why not something that expanded and contracted?
Rud pulled material from a nearby tree with his Shape Plant spell, creating a tube that dipped into the water before angling upward. The druid spent time connecting his mind to the root. It could do a lot of things. Trees were amazing forms of life, even more so when they grew within the grove. He felt the pieces of the root that sucked up and absorbed water deep within the pulp of the tree. It carried that water throughout the heartwood, distributing it as needed.
Instead of hollowing the tree out to allow water to pass through, why not use a feature of the roots? Rud focused his Shape Plant spell, freecasting it beyond anything he had done before. Instead of changing the shape of the plant, he changed its function. He pulled the material together, changing it from the shape of a tube to that of a solid rod. He then ordered the plant to absorb water, pulling it to the top of the structure before expelling it. The tree opposed at first. It wanted to keep all the water for itself. It needed water. But after it sucked up some enchanted water from the spring, it saw how nourishing the liquid was.
"That's right," Rud said, patting the tree. "You'll get enough from a sip, then you can pass it on. Deal?"
The tree seemed to agree. A moment after he reprogrammed this section of root, it drew water from the spring and spat it out the top. Water trickled down from the root's side, dripping onto the ground. It wasn't the torrential flow from the gravity-fed system, but the bulb plants didn't need that much. Especially not of the enchanted water. For his next experiment, Rud tested to see if he could get two trees to work together. Rather than sending one root out from the central location, he planned on using the dense pack of trees as an interconnected system.
Rud watched as water dripped from the roots of a tree, easily one-hundred feet from the well. It passed between two trees, using their own root network to siphon the water. They took what they needed to survive, passing the excess on to feed his pump system. The best part was that he didn't need to dig the roots up. He could place his hand on a tree's side, sensing the roots below and weaving them together.
This wouldn't have been possible without the practice he had done with the wind energy. Even that tiny exercise was enough to open Rud's mind to the possibilities. He was most closely tied with plant energy, giving him a leg-up from the start. The druid established the first tree in his chain as the pump, connecting it with the next one, and the one after that. The strain on his mana and mind was minimal, as he only needed to braid together two roots to get this to work. One tree connected to another, then another. Within a half-hour he had a five-hundred mile train of trees. Just to be sure, he pulled one root up from underground, and watched as water dripped from the tip.
Rud rolled his shoulders, clearing his throat as he performed a victory dance.
From his woven walkway, raised high above the ground, Rud took a casual stroll. He pressed his hand against the reformed tree as he went, weaving roots together to expand the chain. It would take a while to bring this chain all the way to the grove's edge, but it would create a lasting system that could be used for other things. He could support distant trees with enchanted water, and even seed the logging field with the same water. This would greatly reduce his workload, especially when it came to watering his crops.
"Yeah, you're smart," Rud said, patting himself on the back. "Perhaps too smart… You're dangerous."
Ban wasn't awake to giggle at his joke, but it didn't matter. This was awesome.