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

The capacity of Rud's tea venture had increased significantly. The only problem with that was getting the job done. It wasn't as simple as moving the plants from the old farm to the new one. No, of course it wouldn't be that easy for him. Instead, he had to generate new plants within the new farm, taking advantage of the grove's power. The druid's thought was this would generate some extremely powerful teas, and he planned to pursue the thought to the end.

"Figured you could use company," Taz said with a laugh. The dwarf had joined alongside him, looking over the expansive tea farm for about five minutes without saying a word.

"I barely even noticed you," Rud said, chuckling. "You're awfully stealthy for a dwarf."

"Don't you day besmirch my name," Taz threatened. "Anyway… need some help with this newest project? I'm sure Sarya would be excited to come along."

Rud wasn't sure what the wolf could do for him until he thought about how he would plant all these new crops. Tea was an excellent plant to grow, since it continued to produce leaves even after they were cut from the branches. He would need evenly spaced holes in the new farm, just deep enough to grow the clippings. Perhaps the wolf could make the day go easier.

"You know, I think I could use a few holes," Rud said. "Well, actually a few hundred holes…"

Taz and Sarya didn't think making the holes would take long at all. They offered as much help as he needed for the day, joining Rud at the new tea form to listen to his instructions. He ensured they both understood the proper spacing and depth for his holes. Each wasn't deep, but it gave them something to do. The druid then moved to prepare the transfer, which had as much to do with cataloguing his existing types of tea.

Earthy, sweet, citrus, and spice. Those were the four varieties he had access to. Each could be mixed with another to create a blend, but that wasn't the focus today. With a bag filled with clippings, Rud headed back to his raised farm platform. Taz and Sarya were going crazy with the holes, so he wasted no time. Clipping in the hole, bury the hole, cast a spell, move on. Unfortunately, the Plant Growth spell was taxing, cutting out the 'cast a spell' step for most of the plants for now.

"We're going to need a bath after this," Taz said, wiping sweat from his forehead. It left a streak of dirt behind. Clods of mud hung in his beard. "You're not done planting yet?"

"You guys dug the holes in like fifteen minutes!" Rud shouted. "I'm drained of mana and tired."

"Man up!" Sarya shouted, pouncing on nothing in particular. "Help him plant, my dwarfy companion."

"I suppose if I must," Taz said, sighing dramatically.

Rud did his best to grow as many of the tea plants as he could, but he simply didn't have enough mana to grow 100 plants all at once. But Taz was right. Everyone was filthy from the digging, especially after they had finished planting all the cuttings. The druid was confident that the plants would grow enough without his direct intervention. The root system he had laced below the bed drew enchanted water from the spring, which would significantly increase their growth rate.

"I'll go get a bath started for us," Rud said, looking at his filthy companions.

"Good idea," Sarya said. She shook, flinging clods of dirt in every direction.

The grove didn't have many visitors right now. Rud could sense there were a few in one of the way stations nearer to the eastern side of the grove, but none close enough to use the bathhouse. That meant they would have it all to themselves tonight. He ran the water, heating it up to the perfect temperature in the giant tub before inviting his companions in. The wolf didn't wait for the invitation. She jumped straight into the water and began paddling around the sides, hooting with excitement the entire time.

Rud removed and folded his clothes neatly before getting in. They had enough soap on hand that there wouldn't be a shortage. Once he had cleaned himself, he enjoyed a good soak in the water. Taz was next, even though he wasn't as thorough with the cleaning process. Dwarves didn't seem to mind whether they were filthy or dirty.

"So apparently, Ban was already aware of the underground city," Rud said.

Steam swirled from the surface of the water, catching on whatever errant current blew through the bathhouse. The air was filled with thick steam, making visibility beyond a few feet difficult.

"She is a very smart tree," Taz said, nodding. "Is she working on defeating the wizard ghosts?"

"That's a problem for later. Right now, she's too busy with the labyrinth," Rud said. "I think we'll have to wait at least a few days for anything to happen there."

"And what's this I heard about cows?" Taz said with a snort. "Are you planning on making cheese or something?"

"Well, I am going to be making cheese, but the cows were in an accident." Rud said. He went on to explain the situation with the cursed object that had transformed the squirrels. "Right now, I'm just assuming the cows will never turn back into squirrels, but who knows?"

"The idea of drinking squirrel milk isn't even remotely appealing," Taz said, gagging. "How would you even milk them?"

"You've never suckled at a squirrel's teat?" Sarya asked.

Taz pointed a single, grubby, accusatory finger at the wolf. "I pray to all my ancestors and gods that you haven't. That sounds disgusting."

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," she said.

Soaking in the bath was incredibly relaxing. Rud felt all his worries about the grove melting away, and they remained there for quite some time until the early evening set in. They only knew time was passing by the way the light dimmed outside. Before long, it was an amber dusky color, and shortly after that, night had set in. It was a good thing Taz always had a pot of perpetual stew on the fire in the longhouse; otherwise, everyone would have gone hungry. Instead, they could remove themselves from the bath with great effort and proceed there for some grub.

"I still need to check in at the observatory," Rud said, patting his belly as he sat at the table in the longhouse. His body still radiated with warmth from the bath, the effect doubling from the fire burning in the fire pit. To make him overheat even more, the warm stew in his belly seemed to add to that effect. "If only I could find the energy to stand."

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"This will be your greatest trial yet," Taz said with a booming laugh. "Never mind monsters and underground cities filled with wizard ghosts. Standing up from a bath and a hot meal will challenge you more than anything else."

And the dwarf was right. Rud had to use his staff to help him get to his feet, but once he was moving even a little, he switched to his squirrel form and scampered off, leaving the others behind. Sarya was still wet, and she shook occasionally, launching droplets of water that hissed against the hot coals of the stove. Tas would curse every time she did it, blocking the top of his bowl of soup, but he was getting quite wet himself.

Rud sailed from the bough of one tree, doing tight circles until he landed on the banister of the observation tower. He shifted into his true form as he entered, feeling the stored warmth in his body battle away the settling chill of the night. He clicked his radio on and waited to listen for any ongoing conversations. When he heard nothing, he pressed the button on the microphone and announced himself.

"Gladesbale here," Rud said, waiting a long moment before pressing the button again. "Guess I'm a bit late for any conversation."

Silence had settled in over the tower for quite some time as Rud waited for a response. It took about five minutes before he heard anything, but then the static broke, revealing the voice of the person who had been on the other end since Ban built the tower.

"Hagsrise here. I was eating dinner. Mushrooms again! Who'd have thunk it?"

"I think we're getting close to sending you some real food," Rud said, smiling as he looked into the interface of the radio. It was still set to the same channel, never leaving one that contained his fellow custodians. "My tree is close to drawing a bunch of power from the labyrinth. Once she builds the portal building, I think I'll send you a care package."

"If you're taking requests, I'll have a television, some soda, chips, and the past 20 years of magazines from earth," Maria said. "Oh, and a sports car."

"I have a feeling you don't have enough room to drive a sports car," Rud said. "And I'm pretty sure you don't have electricity either."

"Oh, can't you let a woman dream?" Maria said, releasing a heavy sigh over the radio. "You missed a meeting I had with Jim earlier. Things are getting kind of weird in the groves.He got a message from another custodian, although he wouldn't tell me which one."

"A message?" Rud asked. "What about?"

"Just confirmation of what we expected. They are experiencing some problems with the system-generated buildings. Some of us do not have access to adventurers—Hagsrise Grove for example. Therefore, anything that can generate monsters is an immediate threat."

"Well, that's not good," Rud said. "Could you work with the other custodians and see what we could send from here to help?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll be your secretary," Maria said. "What about you guys? Need anything?"

"No, we're good. Even if I have to trade for it, I'll ensure the other custodians get what they need to come out on top."

Static came over the radio for quite some time. Rud sat there awkwardly, awaiting Maria's response.

"You know, that's actually inspirational."

"Don't think I'm too sappy?" Rud asked. "I haven't even met most of the custodians. They could be jerks."

"Maybe… But the groves are more than just their custodians. They represent the wild places of the world, Rud. We're fighting for nature."

"We're eco-warriors."

"Nope. Now you lost me. Might be the lamest thing I've heard since I got here."

"Really? The lamest? Surely you've heard something lamer than that."

"I really haven't. And don't call me Shirley."

"Hardy har har. Oh, god! I almost forgot to tell you about my cows! Have you any interest in cheese?"

"I know about 50 dwarves who would cut the head off a dragon for a sniff of some strong dwarven cheese."

"Well, have I got news for you. Introducing the newest product made right here in Gladesbale Grove. Squirrel Cheese!"

Static hissed back after Rud's proclamation. The druid maintained the cheesy smile on his face as he awaited Maria's response.

"If I learn you're over there milking squirrels… Rud, I really don't know what I'm gonna do, but it may end in violence."

"See? You're already hooked on the name. What happened was some squirrels in my grove were magically transformed into cows! I didn't like the idea of goat cheese, but with cows? I'm absolutely going to make some cheese. Want some?"

"I feel as though it's important for me to clarify… We're not talking about cheese from squirrels, are we?"

"No, they're cows who were formerly squirrels. They try to climb trees and everything."

"But presently, they're not squirrels."

"Correct."

"Okay. I'm gonna veto the name 'Squirrel Cheese' right here and now. Gladesbale Brie or something." Maria's sigh echoed over the radio. "Other than that I would love some totally normal cheese from a cow. When traders come through we typically buy all their cheese up."

Rud's plan was pretty simple. He already knew his tea held amazing properties that would help anyone out. It was a version of coffee from Earth that came with no negatives. Every time someone drank his tea, they felt energized and less fatigued. A person could get crappy sleep the night before, consume a cup of his tea, and feel as though they had slept like the dead. Why would the cheese be any different?

"I'll go into town tomorrow and learn cheese-making. I'm sure these humans know how to do it."

"I'm still jealous of your town," Maria said. "Anyway, I think I should be off. I need to work on my list of supplies."

"Right. Good night."

Rud clicked the radio off. The sigh he released felt as though he had been holding it since the conversation began. He just wanted to be helpful to the other groves, even if he couldn't go there in person and pitch in. In his current state, he wouldn't really be helpful. Instead, he could send them items.

"Can you see the movement of energies in the east?" Nulsa asked, hooting from his perch on the balcony.

Rud clutched at his chest, glaring over to the owl. "You'll be the death of me, Nulsa."

"Perhaps you need to become more perceptive."

"Maybe! Still doesn't stop me from nearly peeing my pants. Look how big you are!"

"Indeed. I am massive," Nulsa said, puffing with pride. "Have you seen the energy?"

Rud cast his vision to the east, going into energy-viewing mode. He did this every morning and night, taking recordings to deliver to Feather in Barlgore. That included the energy within the storm island. The swirl of winter-based magic on that island had lessened slightly. He could see it snaking through the air, the tendrils of that magic soaking into the various arcane circles placed around the lake.

"I see it," Rud said. He squinted, but it did absolutely nothing to help his vision. "Are they absorbing the energy from the storm?"

"Looks like that to me," Nulsa said. "I can see the energies of the object better now that it is mostly clear, and I have concerns."

"Like what?"

"I am uncertain if it is a cursed object. And I do not believe you have the power to contain it."