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

Through sheer, stubborn focus, Rud spent the rest of his day working on his skills. He was certain he could get Rank 1 within a few days if he just stopped getting distracted. Back on Earth, he was a person of focus. He could dial in on a task and get it done without interruption. But something about taking control of this new body changed the way he thought. Perhaps that was just the wonder he felt in this new world. Magic was real here, after all. So everything related to magic always drew his attention like crazy.

Settling into his seat in the observatory—and with the Aspect of Bent and his Farseeing ability active—Rud clicked on his radio. The static hissed after he turned it on, broadcasting his name over the magical radio waves. He allowed his sight to slip, peering off into the distance as he observed forming energies.

"Chance of snow… maybe," Rud said, scribbling that down in his notes. "Or just slushy rain."

"Maria here. How are you, Rud?"

Rud smiled to himself as he picked up the microphone. "Things are going well. Just trying to get Rank 1 or die trying."

"You're still not Rank 1? What the heck are you doing with all your time?"

"Goofing off, mostly. Hey, I have a lot of things to do in my grove. I have tourism, plants to take care of, animals to heal. This is a full-time job."

Maria laughed over the radio. "That's fair enough. Yeah, I remember the weight of responsibility falling on me when I first came here. I also remember being enchanted with the idea of magic."

"Are you no longer enchanted?" Rud asked.

"Well, I've spent twenty years doing this." Maria paused. "But I have to admit. The idea of hanging out with other custodians has me excited!"

"We're getting closer to making that happen, by the way. Things are progressing way faster than I had expected. Ban is a monster when it comes to absorbing magical energies."

"Again, it must be nice since you can talk to your tree. Coordination becomes a lot easier when you can share information. Normally, the guardian is the one making the calls for upgrades."

"I know. I don't want to ever get used to that luxury. Do you think there's a way for you to unlock your tree… mushroom-thing?"

"If there was, I'd think Bent would have found the answer long ago. He's been our ringleader since the start."

Rud scratched his chin, looking out over the grove as he made note of more things. There was some more dungeon energy Feather would need to investigate. Nothing like the stuff they had seen before near the logging camp, but it was enough for concern. But doing a cursory look at the various magical energies was the wrong way to handle it. Rud found it was better if he sat with the Farseeing skill for a long time, absorbing all the energy he could. That always gave him a better impression as to what was going on.

"Gug is kinda excited about the idea of the custodians getting together, too," Maria said.

"Really? He's a giant worm, right?"

"Yes, but he's also a Sacred Beast. Which means he can speak and is intelligent. Don't just call him a worm."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to be wormist. Anyway, yeah. Things are looking up. We're working on getting a big stockpile of energy, but I feel as though we'll need a lot more before we make any breakthroughs. Pretty sure Ban knows the spell or means to create a portal right now. It just boils down to energy expended."

"How far off are you from that?"

"I think we could create a portal for about a second right now. And it would take a few days for her to recharge. So, what we need right now is power storage. Which likely means she needs to get a few more ranks."

"A tree that powerful should soar through the ranks."

Rud wasn't so sure about that. Ban was taking it slow with her ranks, and he suspected she was hiding something about her advancement. More than likely, she followed a different path than him. It could have been one more related to the growth of the grove rather than her personal growth, which made sense. The more she progressed, the more she seemed to become the grove. Whatever the case, the druid was there to support her.

"In other news, I'm kind of a healer now."

"Are you the kinda guy that played healers in MMOs?"

"What's an MMO?"

"Oh, god. I forgot you're old. Nevermind."

"No, come on. Tell me."

Maria had to explain more than just what MMOs were. By the time Video Games were popular enough to be available to consumers, Rud had already grown up. He didn't have much interest in them, even when he saw the arcade cabinets at his local bars. Apparently, those games had evolved to become something much larger. Instead of popping quarters into a machine, people would play them from their homes, often with many other people. Well, in the case of those MMO games, thousands of others.

"I never got into video games," Rud said. "LARPing is the superior form of fantasy role playing."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. The image I had of you in my mind just changed," Maria said. "But I can't believe you're doing so well in this world with no video game knowledge."

"Why would game knowledge help anything we're doing here?" Rud asked.

"I… Well, I guess that's a good question. Because this is a lot like a video game."

Rud just didn't see it, but he didn't disagree. He chatted with Maria for a while as he worked on his reports. The dungeon energy that was forming was a ways off. It would take a while for it to create a seed, and even longer before anything significant formed. And he was still uncertain about the snow forming, so he made sure to note that in his report.

"All done?" Nulsa asked, perching on the balcony outside.

"I think so," Rud said, sealing the letter and handing it over. "There's nothing strange going on, anyway. Oh, have you been working on finding more cursed objects?"

Nulsa bowed his head. "I have. It is harder to find them than I thought it would be."

Rud clicked his tongue. "What causes these weird cursed objects to appear, anyway?"

"That's hard to say. Sometimes a wizard creates an object of power that gets shattered. The remaining magic inside is incomplete, operating in a way not expected by the creator. But my understanding of the topic is limited to what I've learned here."

"You know, we have a contact in Barlgore. A really smart elven wizard named Elm."

"Perhaps you should visit."

"Perhaps," Rud said, pretending to stroke a beard he didn't have. The smoothness of his face made him think he'd never have one. "Maria, I'm signing off. I have to go see a wizard about some cursed objects in the morning, so you might not hear from me."

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"That's fine. Good night, Rud."

Clicking the radio off, Rud let out a sigh. The day had been long, but the rewards were great. The songs of the insects outside mingled with the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves above. Despite his doubts for snow tonight, the chill in the air said otherwise. Mingling with light humidity, Rud was rethinking his thoughts on the grove becoming a winter wonderland. He was still unsure if this place experienced cold enough to get snow, but that hardly seemed like it mattered with a magical ice island so close nearby.

It had gotten later than he expected. Taz and the others weren't in the longhouse, making Rud think about where the others in the grove slept at night. They might have been Sacred Beasts with a lot of intelligence, but those spirits were still beasts. They had some of their old nature, and perhaps they just enjoyed sleeping outside. Major certainly wouldn't feel the bite of the cold with his thick fur. He sat at the table alone, pouring himself some soup from the perpetual soup.

"What did you add this time, Taz?" Rud asked, sniffing the soup before taking a tentative bite. "Where are you even finding these herbs?"

It smelled as though Taz had found some marjoram or something similar. Combined with the rich scent of the game meat in the soup, it provided a hearty meal. Carrot and potato analogs bobbed near the surface, soaking the salty liquid and provided much-needed vegetables and starch to the mix. Eating a bowl of Taz's soup had a way of filling Rud like no other meal he found in the grove. It was far more balanced than just eating nuts and dried meat. Of all the things they had to offer, the soup did more to keep him energized than most anything else. Except for the tea. That stuff made him wired.

"Maybe that's why I keep forgetting to do stuff… Hopped up on energy tea."

After finishing his food in the longhouse, Rud made sure there was no one that needed a bath tonight. He checked on the tubs, surprised to find the used water inside still slightly warm. It wasn't warm enough to take a bath in, but held more heat than it should have in the cold conditions. Using his Shape Plant spell, he created a hole to drain each tub.

"Bet those plants under the tubs are happy," Rud said, chuckling to himself. "Drink up."

As the chill set in over the night, Rud started a fire in his mushroom house. He stoked the Fairy Peat until it was crackling merrily in the wood burning stone. With the door to the building closed, the air was soon nice and toasty. The druid settled in under his covers, shivering against the cold that had seeped into his bed. He drifted off to sleep after everything warmed up, dreaming of healing an endless line of deer.

***

"There's a problem," Dean growled.

Rud bolted upright in his bed, reflexively jumping up and clinging to the wall of his mushroom house. His heart hammered in his chest as the head of a giant wolf poked through the doorway of his home. Dean's lips were pulled back, baring his teeth as he growled.

"What?" Rud asked. It was the only word his mind could conjure.

"Bugs," Dean said, pulling his head out of the building and sniffing before growling some more. "Somethings going on with the bugs."

Rubbing his eyes, Rud willed his mind to wake up. He grumbled, adding fuel to the fire in his wood stove. Dean waited patiently as he set the kettle on, waiting for it to boil. It whistled a few minutes later, allowing the druid to steep some strong tea. He put more loose leaves into the hot water than normal this time. Once the cup was ready, he took a sip of the boiling liquid, burning his lips in the process.

"Perfect," Rud said, holding his metal teacup up in a salute. "We killing some bugs?"

"If I needed someone with combat prowess, I would have asked… literally anyone else."

"Fair enough," Rud said, clapping a hand against his leg. It made a dull thumping sound, hitting against the pants once gifted to him by Mira. "Lead the way, ya crazy wolf."

Stepping outside, Rud realized the sun hadn't even risen. If he had been paying more attention, perhaps he could have determined what time it was. But the shattered moons were hard to track. Maybe—he hadn't asked anyone. Dean led the way through the forest, finding the nearest thicket for them to travel through. A moment later they were standing on the grove's edge. The druid winced, clutching his staff as he looked at the intense darkness of night under the boughs of the forest. The areas outside of the grove didn't belong to Ban, but that didn't mean they weren't all forested. Especially in the south, where all the dungeons spawned.

The sound of battle echoed in the distance. Rud only had to take a few steps outside of the grove to question why he had been brought here. What did Dean need him for? Moral support.

"Sarya, Nulsa, Major, and Mint are engaged in battle," Dean explained. "There were biter bugs underground. They burst forth when the owl was searching for more cursed objects."

"Seriously?" Rud asked, sending his magical senses wide. "Wait, why aren't I riding you?"

"So you can understand the situation. Hop on, if you want."

Rud mounted his faithful wolf-steed and the pair were off. They ranged further than he expected, angling to the southwest. This was a region the druid had never explored. Even his farseeing ability only allowed him to see just ahead, near the base of a large hilly mountain range. Even then, his ability to see things clearly was stunted by the distance he had to see.

"Up ahead," Dean said, ducking below a low-hanging branch.

Mint shook her head, wrapped in the embrace of a massive biter. It was just about as big as she was, its biting pinchers wrapped around the spirit wolf's body. Major, Nulsa, and Sarya tore at the creature's shell, but almost nothing happened. Rud looked on in horror. His instinct was to run away from the giant nasty bug. But he couldn't bring himself to leave the guardian to her fate.

"No, just take your time," Mint said, growling and snapping at the bug's shell. Even her attacks weren't effective. "He caught me off-guard. Wouldn't have been much of a fight if I was paying attention."

Rud dismounted, approaching the entangled pair. The bug didn't seem to be inflicting any damage on her, or the other way around. They had entered a constricting stalemate that neither party was willing to disengage from.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Rud asked, throwing his hands up.

"Perhaps the banishment spell," Nulsa said, diving onto the creature again.

"Yeah, maybe," Rud said, finding it hard not to shrug, huff, and scoff at the situation. He cast his spell, watching as a new message appeared.

[Nature's Banishment]

Your spell is not powerful enough to remove the Aiswyn Queen Biter.

"Rats," Rud said. "My spell isn't strong enough."

"You're joking, right?" Mint grumbled. "What are we gonna do?"

Rud saw two options in his head and both involved heading back to the grove. He could rely on the grove's power to enhance the effects of Nature's Banishment or he could rely on the power of Ban's root attack to pierce through the bug monster. And this thing was almost certainly monsterized. Or maybe it was a Sacred Bug, if such a thing existed. To his surprise, all eyes turned to Rud.

"This thing hurts," Mint grumbled.

"Drag her to the grove!" Rud declared, thrusting his staff into the air.

Major and Dean shared a look before grabbing onto the giant biter. The form of the monster etched a trench in the landscape as the powerful Sacred Beasts dragged both the monster and Mint across the landscape. The guardian complained about how demeaning it was to be dragged like that. All Rud could do was come up with ideas.

"Can you shift into your other form?" Rud asked.

"We wouldn't have awoken you if I could do that."

"Maybe we could put a big stick between the bug's pincers and pry it open," Rud suggested.

"You could try," Mint shrugged.

Rud brainstormed other ideas, keeping some in reserve for when they arrived in the grove. No matter how they removed the giant bug, it had to be done in the grove. All their magic was more powerful inside the grove, giving them the best chance at success.

"Have you gained weight?" Dean asked.

"What!?" Mint snapped at him.

Dean giggled to himself, putting more of his weight into pulling. It took a while, but they got her back to the grove. Once inside, Rud felt the magic of Ban washing over him. His various upgrades and enhancements felt like the surge of power he needed. He had long-since finished his tea. Which was a shame. He could go for another cup right about now.

"Anyway, first step," Rud said, rubbing his hands together. He cast Nature's Banishment, earning the same message for his efforts. "Nope. You're up, Ban."

Without warning, a massive root sprung from the ground. It reflected off the shell of the monster, slamming into a nearby tree. Splinters of wood cascaded out, showering the gathered group.

"Nope. I don't have enough control over the root to do anything meaningful."

"Given time, this thing will deplete my stamina and will," Mint said. "It hasn't let up the pressure since it started."

Major grabbed two segments of the bug, pulling with all his might. Despite the bear's massive frame, he could not do anything meaningful.

Rud sat on a nearby rock, thinking about their approach. Maybe Ban was onto something with her comment. They had dismissed the idea of wedging something between the bug's pincers because the only thing they could fit would be a small branch. But that was going with mortal logic. They were spirits of the grove.

"I got it," Rud said, digging through his bag. "Always have a few acorns sitting around…"

"What's the plan? Dean asked.

Rud buried an acorn in the ground, nodding to Major. "Tilt her so the bug's pincers are right above this spot. Hold on, I'll grow it to the first phase…"

Rud cast his Plant Growth spell with freecasting, causing the acorn to become a sprout. Major rolled Mint over, who complained about being humiliated. Dean and Sarya helped guide the little plant between the pincers. After that, the druid gave it more juice. Some of the tree grew around the bony segments, but they were still pushed open. The biter became ensnared in the tree and panicked. A few moments after its pincers were pushed apart, it flailed.

Mint rolled away from the bug, snapping at it as the creature was caught in the tree. "That's right. Squeeze all you want, you idiot!"

"Hey!" Rud said, giving everyone the thumbs-up. "Problem solved, right?"

Everyone gave him a flat look. "Assuming there aren't more," Dean said.