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

Rud landed in front of a group of loggers. They were working a saw on a massive tree grown by the druid. When he shifted back into his true form, both men clutched their hearts. One shouted a shrill scream.

"Mortals!" Rud shouted, throwing his arms wide. "You are in grave danger!"

"I see no graveyard," one said, cocking an eyebrow.

Rud clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes at the wiseguy. "There's a dungeon about five-hundred paces over there. You guys gotta go unless you wanna be eaten."

"See? Those are words I understand," the second one said, nodding with approval. After a moment to process, his face went white. "A dungeon!?"

Both loggers fled from the scene, screaming down the road as they retreated. Rud stood there, hands on his hips, as he appreciated his work. Another day, another mortal life saved. It didn't take long for Mira to stomp down the stone road, looking around for whatever had frightened her workers so badly. Rud would have uttered apologizes for scaring the workers, but he was too overjoyed seeing his old friend back on the job. She had spent a lot of time back in Barlgore when the threat of monsters had first arrived. Now she was here, working her old job and having a blast. He hoped she was having a blast, anyway.

"Are you causing trouble, Rud?" she asked, shaking her head down at him.

"They didn't tell you?" Rud asked. "Man, you can't rely on loggers, can you? There's a dungeon forming north of here. An orc one, I guess."

"Are you serious?" Mira asked, her eyes going wide. "You need to send word to Barlgore."

"Already did. We just detected the dungeon, so I passed word along to Feather. While we're waiting for him to dispatch a team, a Sacred Beast is watching the entrance."

Mira performed the gesture of reverence, muttering something under her breath. "What would we do without you, Rud?"

"Don't give me all the credit. Remember, the grove is here to help you mortals. We live and die together."

Rud wasn't sure if he believed such a poetic way to put it, but he was happy with his bold statement. The mortals always treated him with such reverence, but he needed them to know how valuable they were. Sacred Beasts couldn't enter a dungeon, no matter how thirsty they were for monster blood. Without the mortals, the dungeons would remain. It wouldn't take long after that for the grove to fall, even if they had an army of Sacred Beasts.

"You're in an inspirational mood. Well, I'll clear my workers out for now."

"You should be fine," Rud said. "I'll encircle the dungeon in thorns while the Sacred Beasts watch it."

"I'd rather not risk the lives of my people… Respectfully," Mira said, correcting herself at the end. Rud wouldn't blame her. Dungeons were no joke, and orcs didn't seem fun to deal with.

"Just stay safe," Rud said. "I hope the lumber I provide is worth the risk."

"Merchants go crazy for the wood harvested here. It's stronger, more durable, and puts off more of a pleasant scent than any other lumber we harvest. This is a logger's dream."

A sense of pride flashed through Rud. These were his trees she was talking about. Saplings that he cultivated himself, grown for one purpose. If the grove could provide only that, perhaps this experiment would be worth it. But the symbiotic relationship they had developed with the mortals went far beyond that. He watched as Mira left, gathering tools before heading out to somewhere safer. They had a camp not far from here with basic defenses, so she should be fine.

Rud shifted into his squirrel form, finding the nearest tree to jump from. "Oh! Neat!"

The Shapeshifting Magic skill hit Level 6 as he soared through the air. Finally. Perhaps Rud hadn't been shifting as much as he should have, but it wasn't his focus. If he put more effort into this school, perhaps the spirits would award him with another form. More than anything, he wanted a bird form. But he knew that wasn't likely, seeing as none of the Great Spirits were birds… Were they? He didn't know. It didn't take him long to glide to the place where the dungeon was forming. It had appeared in a clearing. A stone archway was rising from the ground as though some great giant was pushing it from below.

"Rud. You shouldn't be here," Dean growled.

"Just gonna make some basic defenses," Rud said, shifting to his true form. Although he was outside of the grove, he could still use his Shape Plant spell.

Rud created a ring of wood from the surrounding clearing. He then pulled sharp spikes out from the material, encasing the dungeon in a prison of thorns. Dean watched, nodding with satisfaction as the defenses came together.

"Not a bad idea," Dean said.

"Thanks. This should help. But… Man, this dungeon is forming quickly."

"Faster than any I've ever seen. Where is this energy coming from?"

"I dunno. But I cleared the loggers out, so they won't be a problem."

A rush of wind burst into the clearing. Mint appeared from the boughs of the trees above as she landed, growling at the dungeon. "We cannot have a calm day, it seems. You shouldn't be here, Rud."

"Just making some defenses," Rud said, shifting into his squirrel form. He scampered up the nearest tree, his small body easily avoided his thorns. "I'll leave the fighting to you guys."

"That's a good idea. I've left Sarya to defend the tree with Major and Taz as backups. We need you to keep an eye out. Just in case," Mint said.

Rud saluted in his squirrel form before leaving, heading through the nearest cluster of branches. He appeared at the Observatory, accepting the aspect and double-checking everything. No more dungeons were appearing. It was only the one dungeon, and there were no signs of another spreading. He sent a mental message to Mint, stating as much. He passed through the branches again, appearing in Ban's clearing.

"Hey, Rud!" Sarya shouted, stomping on the ground with excitement. "I'm on guard duty!"

"Me, too," Taz grumbled.

Rud looked over, spotting Taz standing with a simple iron spear. He winced when he saw the weapon, but calmed himself immediately. A weapon was a tool, especially in a world with monsters. He couldn't get offended after spotting a spear any more than he could upon looking at Mint's teeth or Major's claws.

"Do you know how long she's gonna be out?" Taz asked, jabbing a finger back toward Ban.

"Only a few hours," Rud said. "After that… Well, follow Mint's orders, but I think Ban can defend herself with Root Spears.

"Good. I have some more smithing to do."

"Defense of the Sacred Tree is our duty, Taz," Sarya said, seeming slightly offended at the notion. "Even Rud is helping."

Rud wouldn't correct her. He didn't fight. Ever. If someone needed some fine wicker furniture woven from a tree, he was there to help. But in combat, he was useless. He decided to split the difference, offering what he could actually do. "I'm here to heal you if you get injured," he corrected.

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"Fancy druid magic," Taz sighed. "You never see dwarven druids."

"I wonder why," Sarya mocked.

But the playful teasing didn't go further than that. Major lumbered into the clearing eventually. His massive frame would give any orc problems. It would be shocking if a single swipe from those massive paws didn't kill a monster in one go.

"Looks like a party," Major said, snorting. "Does this happen often?"

"Only when Ban is sleeping and monsters show up." Rud rubbed his hands together. "It is unlikely monsters will get into the grove, let alone all the way to the tree. This is only a precaution."

"Mint wants us ready to battle if needed. This is the best spot," Sarya said.

Rud lingered near the clearing for a while, but couldn't offer more than moral support. But the others started a small cook fire eventually, Taz bringing some meat to roast. That gave the druid an idea, and he rushed over to his drying building. He checked the cured meat, finding that it had dried to his satisfaction. He pulled one length of meat from a hook, parading it out to the gathered spirits.

"Have I got news for you," Rud said, holding the dried slab of meat up. "Jerky!"

"I almost forgot!" Taz shouted, abandoning the fire and rushing over. "That's a fine cut of dried meat you have there."

"Looks delicious," Major said.

Rud split sections of the meat off with his fingers, handing a sizable strip to each member gathered. He waited to see the reaction on their faces before trying it himself. The meat was still slightly wet. It could use some more time in the drying room, but he remembered having similar jerky back on Earth. The flavor was mostly plain, but the salt and pepper he had slathered onto the strip helped a lot. It seemed to suck the moisture from his body in an instant, making him feel parched after the first few bites.

"Now this is travel food," Taz said.

"Too salty for my taste," Major said.

"Perfect!" Sarya shouted.

Rud smiled to himself as the group enjoyed the salted meat. Once they ate through one massive strip, they turned their attention to the hunk of venison roasting on the fire. The defensive group felt more like a camping trip than a muster of fighters. With Mint constantly bringing back spices, Taz went wild with a jar of salt. It brought out the meaty flavor of the venison, hiding some of that gaminess he had become used to. Major avoided eating a lot of the meat. The bear seemed to favor nuts and berries. But that didn't mean he was a vegetarian bear. The guy still ate meat.

Dean appeared from the forest's edge, appearing and snarling. "Sarya, could you lend a hand?"

"Yeah!" Sarya shouted, springing up and dashing off into the forest.

The party was left there in the clearing, sitting near the fire and chatting about whatever. Rud didn't feel it was right to leave the area until the dungeon problem was sorted. He helped carry the conversation, which focused on theories about dungeons appearing and life in the grove. A few hours later, and a pulse of energy radiated through the grove.

"What did I miss?" Ban asked, her voice echoing through the clearing.

"A few things," Rud said, popping another bit of meat into his mouth. "New dungeon appeared, and we have jerky."

"Lots of excitement," Ban said. "This is why I can't take naps."

Rud giggled, looking up at the tree. "Oh, you. Should we be concerned about the dungeon."

"The dungeon is outside of my influence, but with the information I can see… No, the Rank 1 dungeon won't be a problem."

That was comforting. Rud knew that part of that was him and his people being prepared enough to call for the adventurers. "Did your nap help?"

"Tremendously. The new energy doesn't feel so stifling. So, are you ready to prune more trees?"

Mint appeared from nowhere, right after Rud nodded.

"Everyone is dismissed. With Ban awake, we don't have to worry so much."

"Later!" Taz shouted, trundling down the path and vanishing into a bush. Major did something similar moments later, leaving Rud alone with Ban and Mint.

Rud had to wait a few beats before Ban spoke again. "I have attached a few trees to the network. You should have awareness of where they are."

"Thanks, giant tree lady. And you too, wolf lady."

Mint bowed her head. "Anytime, stink squirrel."

"I really don't stink that much," Rud said, shifting into his squirrel form. He scampered off before anyone could call him stinky again. The section she had selected rested off the main path heading west.

The druid lurked around the area for a bit, sniffing the air and pressing his hands against the diseased trees. He could feel something of their sickness with his senses, getting the concept of rot burrowing into his mind the longer he held his hands on the bark. Digging his fingers into the ground, he removed layers of soil. On the top was a layer of wet moss, which gave way to a clutter of rotting sticks and leaves mixed with dark brown dirt. Deeper still were lighter shades intermingling with root systems. Rud held his finger out, looking at the shade of dirt clinging to his palm. He licked the dirt off, finding nothing from the action.

"Are you eating the dirt?" Ban asked.

"I'm assessing the quality of the soil," Rud corrected. "Like a good druid."

"I can sample the soil for you, Rud. You don't have to eat dirt."

"I knew that," Rud lied, licking another finger and grimacing. "I like the flavor."

"If I had a face, it would be filled with doubt."

"Let's pretend that never happened. Do you know if we have soil quality problems anywhere? How far do your roots go?"

"My roots cover some of the grove, but I'm still young. This network of trees will help bridge that gap, though. Get to pruning, little druid."

"I'm on it boss," Rud said, saluting.

Clearing the trees away was easy enough. Especially with the Prune spell. Rud got to work, cutting down twenty trees as though he were plucking dandelions from a garden. But this section of the forest was thinner than others, perhaps thanks to the layers of moss or the rocky terrain. Rud spent a lot of time here, not only regrowing the twenty trees he had removed, but also adding many more. He pushed another acorn into the ground, casting his Plant Growth spell to watch another oak shoot high above.

"Fifty," Rud said, looking at the new crowd of trees. "And a level in Growth Magic. Level 7. Sweet!"

"This is a better density for the grove. I like it," Ban said, a wave of appreciation flooding through the very branches of the trees themselves.

"Bet you got a jolt of power from this," Rud said, thrusting his chest forward.

"Yes, I connected the trees you grew to the network. You have a few thousand more trees to connect, though."

"Really? That few? Pathetic. I am a tree pruning machine."

"Be careful how loudly you boast when talking to me, custodian."

Rud went rigid, performing the sign of respect and pressing his forehead into the ground. "I beg forgiveness, great tree spirit. Do not smite me."

"I'll think about it, but you need to shape up. Perhaps a few more pruning sessions will harden you for life in the grove."

"I live to serve!" Rud shouted, shuffling off into the forest to prune a few more sections before night fell. It would be best if Ban had the night to adjust to the new wave of energy that slammed against her.

Sorting the entire grove out was going to take forever. The more trees Rud pruned from the vast collection of trees, the more he realized how many trees were here. And each one was his responsibility to care for. All of them. Seriously, like a billion trees all connected in some way to the grove. The weight of that responsibility weighed heavily on him as he finished up for the night, shambling back to the longhouse and falling into a chair by the fire.

At least the animals within the grove weren't his responsibility alone. Rud was certain he was supposed to take care of all the animals, but Mint spent a lot of her time caring for them. Even the goats. Especially the goats.

"Meat!" Taz shouted, gaining Rud's attention for the first time since he had arrived.

The druid looked up, spotting the dwarf hoisting a hunk of meat into the air by the bone. Rud wasn't one to decline meat, although he wondered which forest creature was unlucky enough to find themselves on the wrong end of Mint's fangs. He accepted a large slice, setting it on a plate before dishing himself out some soup.The best part of having dinner was Taz. His spirits were high, perhaps bolstered by Rud's confidence in him getting his subclass. The good mood made conversation light. It was a thing that carried through the longhouse like a song, bolstered by whatever old dwarven songs Taz felt like singing.

But there would be no late nights for the dwarf. "The fire of the forge burns brightest at dawn," Taz claimed, thumping his fist onto the table before leaving the longhouse for the night.

Rud lingered for some time, taking a few bites of the meat scraps before heading out. The rest would be left there for the wolves or bear to eat. While they didn't need to be fed like common dogs, they wouldn't resist such tasty bits. The druid made his way to the Observatory, checking and double-checking the area around the grove for random dungeons. When he was satisfied there was nothing, and the conversation with Maria died like the fading embers in the longhouse, he headed to bed. An exciting day led to fatigue that made him eager for the next day.