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

A rusted shovel struck the ground, Rud putting his entire body into the motion. He fell over, sprawling on the ground. Perhaps he should have placed more points into Strength and Vigor. He sent a feeble cry of help to Taz as he inspected his attribute sheet.

[Rud]

Main Class:

Rank 0 Level 7 Druid

Subclass:

Rank 0 Level 5 Grove Custodian

Attributes:

Health: 56

Mana: 100

Strength: 2

Agility: 3

Vigor: 5

Mind: 10

Affinity: 10

Titles:

[Keeper of the Gladesbale Grove]

"Two strength," Rud said, heaving breaths. "Not enough strength."

The hero of the day, a strong dwarf with a knack for both mining and digging holes, emerged from the forest. He had a wide smile under his beard, his mustache twitching as he approached.

"Looks like the strength of the dwarves shines once again!" Taz shouted, scooping up the shovel. "What am I digging for?"

"A cursed object," Rud said.

Taz went rigid, pressing the shovel against his chest. "A what?"

"A what?" Nulsa asked from a nearby tree. "What kind of cursed object?"

Rud propped himself up, finally catching his breath. "I dunno, I just saw the energy from my tower."

Nulsa's head swiveled, his eyes locking on the pathetic hole Rud had dug. "Objects of power are not to be taken lightly."

"That's why I was using a shovel. So I wouldn't touch it."

Nulsa grumbled. "I must confer with the Sacred Tree. Do not dig the hole until I'm back."

The group watched as Nulsa flew off, vanishing into the forest.

"He knows he can just talk to her from here, right?" Dean asked.

"Maria said it wasn't that big of a deal," Rud said. "Just a little cursed object, what's the problem?"

Taz shivered. "We've found cursed objects in the mines. What an absolute mess. One filled the tunnel with jelly. Not fun jelly, either. Enough jelly to drown a dwarf. Another was electrified, shocking anyone that touched it. That's the point of cursed objects. You never know what they're going to do."

Rud considered their options. He guessed the object was revealed or activated when the grove expanded. If there were other hidden objects around the area, they would also gain power. The problem with that was he couldn't know where they were or how they worked. The only thing he could do was find them and purify them.

Nulsa returned a short while later, landing on a branch and nodding at the group. "Ban'tanthein has spoken to another tree. A spirit will grant Rud the power to purify whatever it is we find."

"That's a relief… right?" Dean asked.

Taz shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing." His shovel struck the earth and he removed twice as much dirt in one scoop as Rud had done in five. "Cause I don't enjoy being covered in jelly."

Sarya appeared from the bushes, joining with the others to witness the digging. Taz took his time, scooping dirt from the hole and depositing it to the side. He was careful not to hit the buried object. But before long the shovel reverberated, smacking into something metallic in the hole. Everyone winced. Dean scampered away, getting out of range. But nothing happened, despite the tension in the air.

"Is anyone covered in jam?" Rud asked.

"Jelly," Dean corrected.

No one was covered in jam or jelly, but the object had released a minor wave of energy after being smacked. Rud felt the grove itself batter that energy down, suppressing it until it was packed into a tight ball around the object. After some tense moments, Taz got back to digging. He soon lifted it from the hole. The object was a cube the size of Rud's head, covered in ornate symbols and pulsing with waves of blue light that washed over the surface.

"Purify it," Taz said, shaking as he stood above the hole. He held the shovel out as far as he could. "Please."

Rud looked around, shrugging. "I don't have the spell. Oh, nevermind. There it is."

[Spell Obtained!]

The Cleansing Spirit River has taken notice of you. He has gifted you with the Purification Ritual spell.

"Does it have any components?" Dean asked.

Rud inspected the spell.

[Purification Ritual]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Healing Magic

Component:

Imbued Leaf

Enchanted Jug of River Water

12 acorns or beans

Mana Cost:

100

Description:

Cast negative energy out of any person, object, or animal.

Effect:

After forming the ritual circle, your target will be sealed away for an amount of time.

During this time, the target will be purged of all negative effects or magic.

"Aw, man… I'm stinky at ritual magic," Rud said. "By that I mean, I can do it. But I need some river water and twelve acorns… or beans."

"I'll get the water," Nulsa said, flying off.

"I've got the acorns!" Sarya shouted, dashing off into the woods.

Rud was left there to look at the object on the shovel. He cleared his throat. "Just toss that on the ground for now."

"Yeah, good idea," Taz said, lowering the shovel gingerly.

"Ban… can you help me do some ritual magic?" Rud asked, looking back at the forest.

"Sure. I know a bit. Enough for a Rank 0 spell, anyway."

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Ban gave a breakdown of how ritual magic worked. It was actually close enough to the magic he already did that it didn't seem too difficult. It started with a magic circle and a shape inside. If this were arcane magic, he would need to draw fancy symbols and do some chanting or whatever. But this was druid magic. At the edges of the circle—in specific increments—he would place the components for the spell. Then he could do whatever was, and this was a quote from Ban, "in his heart" to make the spell work.

"I don't want that thing in the grove," Rud said, looking around. The woodcutters had been busy, but there was one tree nearby that would be good enough for him to reshape as a cube prison. "I'm going to reshape that tree to hold onto the cube for now. Make sure no one touches the cube, okay?"

Rud pulled his hood up as the cold seeped into his bones. His magical cloak was great for keeping him warm or cool, but it could only do so much. The description said it would prevent him from being too hot or cold. It was half-right, often only affecting the areas it covered. He approached the tree, prepared to use his Construction Magic.

"Is this a good idea, Ban?" Rud asked, reaching out with his Shape Plant spell. He got to work reforming the tree, intending to only create an area big enough for him to place the cube and seal it away. That way, no one else would stumble on it by accident.

"This is a fantastic idea. Keeping it on the edge of the grove means I can suppress it while the heart of our little area doesn't get corrupted."

"Corruption?" Rud asked. "Is that a thing?"

"I wouldn't worry too much. I'd rather never discover what this thing does."

"Oh, yeah. Agreed," Rud said, pulling his hands through the air as he shaped the tree. Once he had hollowed out a section large enough for a circle and the cube itself, he got to work on a sign. "If you cut down this tree, you will be killed by wolves. Please don't touch this tree unless you want to be eaten by wolves. There. Good enough."

"Bring me the cube!" Rud shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Taz. The dwarf jumped with a start.

The others returned with the materials shortly after. Rud imbued all the items he needed to imbue, placing the leaf on his head. He pressed the butt of his staff into the ground, drawing a shape as he was coached by Ban. Mana left his body, leaving behind a train of glittering blue mana to form the shape of the circle. He placed a clay jug of water in one of the outer circles, acorns in another, and the leaf in the last.

"This is a sacred ritual," Rud said, cracking his knuckles. He danced around the circle. If he had a dancing skill unlocked, it would be in the negatives. But the circle began pulsing with each motion, empowered by his offering. The river water bubbled and the acorns caught fire. The leaf flashed. He got slightly nervous when the cube glowed, as though it intended to defy the will of the circle. The druid focused on his spell, feeling more of his mana flood from his body. A gentle chime issued from the cube.

The lights on the cursed object were frozen in place. Almost as though the cube had been removed from time. Tendrils of blue spread from the outer circle, snaking to infuse the tree with something.

"Not an infusion," Ban said, seeming to assume the same conclusion. "The circle has been empowered by the tree. It gives itself willingly to hold the cursed object where it is."

"Awww. Thanks, tree," Rud said, exiting the structure he had made. With his Shape Plant spell—and barely any mana—he sealed the tree. "I'll plant ten in your honor."

"Your debt of trees grows by the moment," Dean said, coming up alongside Rud. "Are you sure the mortals won't try to get inside?"

"They usually listen to my signs. I drew a skull and crossbones on the sign."

"What if they interpret the bones to mean something fun is inside?" Dean asked.

"Like what? A party-going skeleton?" Rud asked. "The written message and symbol should be good enough. We can't help them after that."

"I'm going back to my cave," Taz said, his voice cracking. "I need a new change of pants."

Rud waved as the dwarf left. Today had shaped up to be more exciting than he could have expected. A strange mystery had been introduced to the grove. He almost forgot about his tea farm, and the badgers he displaced. The druid turned to Nulsa, who still rested in the tree.

"You know what to do, right?" Rud asked.

Nulsa nodded. "Search for more. I have a feeling the energy signature on some may have eluded us both."

Rud pointed to Sarya. "You just do your normal thing."

"Got it!"

"Dean, could you help Nulsa?"

"I'll search for anything strange. We won't limit ourselves to the grove."

"Perfect! We make a great team, guys. Break!"

Rud stayed around for a while until he was satisfied the tree wouldn't burst into flames, jelly, or some other unpleasant state of being. Once he was satisfied, he headed into the nearest bush and teleported himself to the tea area near Ban. To his surprise, Mint was in her human form. She wore the same samurai-style armor, this time with a shovel in her hand. With a solid kick, she sent a rock flying into the distance.

"You sorted your problem out?" she asked, jabbing her shovel into the ground and leaning on it. "Good. I got a shovel for you."

Rud looked over the progress she had already made. The landscape sloped slightly, but it was the random drops and washed out sections he was most worried about. Finding level ground within the grove was almost impossible unless a person were directly on top of Ban's roots. This wasn't a problem most of the time, since the druid made all his structures out of living material that clung to whatever terrain. But he needed to plant more tea plants, not make more buildings.

Reluctantly, Rud snatched up a shovel and nodded. "I'll do my best. Pray for me."

Mint closed her eyes, muttering something under her breath.

"We don't need the ground to be completely level," Rud said, gesturing with his shovel. "We only need to flatten it out, even if we're dealing with a slope."

"I thought as much," Mint said. She reached down, hoisting a stone from the ground. "I figured removing the rocks was more important, so… I've been tossing them."

The force Mint put into the throw was powerful enough to send a gust of wind blowing outward. Rud squinted as dirt kicked up, bits of vegetation smacking against his face. "I guess it pays to have a super-strong spirit to help you do manual labor."

Mint nodded, getting back to work. Rud planned to slack off, but quickly found how important his participation was needed. Not because he was good at digging, or anything logical. No, Mint wanted him to look busy, so she wouldn't be the only one working. He put on his biggest smile, shoveling the smallest amount of dirt and leveling it out with no enthusiasm.

"I would request a new blend of tea," Mint declared. "Something more bracing than what you've produced so far."

The wolf sent another stone skyward. With how hard she threw them, he would be shocked if it didn't enter the planet's orbit.

"If you can find me more plants, I can produce more tea," Rud said. "Let's see… Right now we have the sweet citrus, Mint's Blend. Sweet and earth is Squirrel Gray. Citrus and earthy makes Sucker Punch—I love that one. Grove Breakfast comes from all sweet leaves. And Sunshine comes from citrus. I guess I could blend the three together to see what we get."

"I have found a new plant," Mint said, withdrawing a tea plant from nowhere.

Rud rubbed his hands together, throwing his shovel to the side as he hastened over. He pressed a tea leaf between his fingers, pinching it to express the scent. When he inhaled, he reeled back. It felt like he had just been sprayed in the face with some mace. "Spicy!"

"Yes. We add spicy to the mix," Mint said, rubbing her hands together. "This will wake you up, I'm certain of it."

"I'm awake," Rud said, his eyes watering. "Really awake. I bet this tea could wake the dead. That has me thinking, though. We could make something like chai if we had some milk."

"What is chai?" Mint asked.

"Spicy tea," Rud said with a shrug. "People on Earth often put milk in their tea. But I'm pretty sure chai has a lot of milk. I dunno, I only had it a few times."

"I shall find milk. And something to store it in," Mint said, her grip tightening on the shovel. "Would goat's milk work?"

"I have no idea."

Mint attacked the slope with a renewed fervor. Rud watched her work, cheering her on as he did his best. Which wasn't very good. It took quite a few hours, but they expanded the space he could use to produce his tea by a factor of four. Seeding the area with new tea plants wouldn't be easy, but he could do it. The wolf spirit dashed off and Rud had a feeling he knew what would happen next. He clapped his hands together, slapping his fuzzy cheeks for motivation.

"There you go little guy," Rud said, patting the ground after watering his new tea plant. Dusting his knees off, he passed through the nearest bush.

It took a while for Rud to find the perfect field. Most of the cleared areas in the grove were mossy, but to the south he found a section of open meadows. They had tall grasses, bushes, and vines that crept along the ground. The clearing was the perfect place for his plan, and he used his Shape Plant spell to stretch the bordering streets out. He wove them together, creating a fence about three feet tall. Then he made it a little taller, knowing what might happen if the fence failed.

Rud thanks Basil for his inspiration, creating a gate to the enclosure in all four cardinal directions. He pulled more material from a nearby tree, creating an assortment of buckets before using the Lacquer spell on them. Dusting his hands off, he leaned against the tree and waited. His tummy grumbled. About an hour later, Mint appeared from the bushes, two bleating creatures under her arms.

"What?" Mint asked, looking at the pen in disbelief. "How did you know?"

Rud opened the gate, allowing her to place the bleating beasts on the ground. Two black and white goats bounded forward, going to work on the grass in the area. "You're more transparent than you think, Mint. I suspect you want me to milk these creatures?"

"I mean. If you don't mind… Looks like they have milk."

Rud winced. But she was right, they looked as though they would make some goat milk. Well, perhaps they could make cheese… Grove cheese. But two goats did not a goat farm make. And there was no way Rud would commit himself to this. Not when it wasn't even his idea.

"You gotta help me take care of them. And you need to name them both."

"Goat-one, and Goat-two," Mint said, nodding with pride. "I'm bringing more. Don't bother naming them."

"The only question I have is where did you steal these goats from?"

"They were feral."

"They don't look very feral…"

"Perhaps they were once domesticated. I cannot say." Mint placed her hands on her hips, laughing. "They're our goats now! I shall milk them!"

Rud watched as Mint did the worst job of milking a goat. He didn't correct her, only watching as she stumbled through the process. But to his surprise, with some practice, she worked out how to get milk from a goat. The goats didn't seem to mind, bounding off into the fields when she was done.

"We have milk! Make me some chai!"

"We still need to dry the leaves."

"Make me some chai when the leaves dry!"