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

"The plot thickens," Major grumbled.

Rud had taken the news about the object well enough. He went home that night and got some pretty decent sleep. Now he stood with those he could gather from the grove. Nulsa, Sarya, Taz, Dean, and Major all sat around the fire. When he broke the news, the bear was the first to respond. Too bad Mint was paws-deep in the labyrinth.

"Looks like I'm going on another otter adventure," Rud said. "Which means I'd like Dean to escort me. If that's okay with you, big guy."

"We can stop by the lake on my way to deliver your morning news," Dean said.

"Do you require anything from us?" Sarya asked, wagging her tail in anticipation.

"I need everyone else to keep their peepers peeled in the grove," Rud said. "Ban is super-duper busy, and Mint is still gone. Those cursed objects are a thorn in my butt, so you guys can use the Barn to keep an eye on the animals. Also, who volunteers to milk the cows and goats?"

The sacred beasts all looked at Taz at the same time.

"What a horrible day to have opposable thumbs," Taz said with a sigh. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Just for today, buddy. I'm sure you'll do great."

Although Taz grumbled, Rud knew he would get the job done. The other members of the grove would do their part, ensuring it was safe while everything was in such an unstable condition. The druid needed to button up at least one of his major issues. The island, labyrinth, or underground city needed to be shuttered, and he had a feeling the island would be the most approachable.

As long as he had Elm's help. The elf had set aside her desire to run the labyrinth, instead throwing herself head-first into the problem with the island. He owed her for that. More than just a few enchanted ingots, he planned on doing something way cooler for her.

"Let's take our morning readings, then we'll head to the lake," Rud said. "Okay, can I get a 'go team' on three?"

Everyone shook their heads 'no'.

"Three… two… one… Go team!" Rud said.

"Go team!" Sarya shouted. And she was the only one.

The readings Rud took at the observatory seemed normal enough. A dusting of snow on the northern part of the grove, but nothing in the south. Well, except for all the weird weather coming from the island. There was a small gathering of magical energy in the northeast that could've been a dungeon, but he couldn't be sure right now. Still, he included everything he observed in his report. With the sealed envelope in his bag, he flew to the ground floor in his squirrel form.

"Ready to go?" Rud asked.

Dean knelt, allowing Rud to climb up onto his head. "Let's go."

"Oh! Sweet!" Rud shouted right as the wolf took off. "My Shapeshifting Magic skill just hit Level 9! I'm so close to Rank 1 I can taste it."

"Good. You'll need all the power you can get."

As always, Dean didn't take it easy on his way to the town. He wanted to stop by there first, as Feather was waiting for the morning delivery of his letter. Rud had taken a bit longer than normal to give his report over the radio that morning, and Dean didn't want to wait any longer. Apparently, the leader of the town got anxious if they took too long. Before long, the pair were thundering through the small town, dodging down familiar streets and avoiding the morning rush of vendors setting out their wares.

Feather was perched atop a hill, looking south toward the ocean. The scent of the salty sea rolled in over them, even though it was quite distant. Joining with that scent was the smell of cold. Most people in town had put on cloaks or coats while others were huddled before fires. The frozen island was getting worse, and they needed to do something about it soon.

"Rud!" Feather said, turning with a surprised look on his face. "I've grown used to seeing only your wolf bring my morning letter. What have we done to earn such an honor?"

Rud fished around in his bag, bringing out both the letter and a mushroom wood container. It was Feather's favorite blend. "I'm going to check out the island. Figured I'd bring you a little something-something while I was here."

"Ah, you truly know the way to a man's heart, don't you?" Feather asked, bowing low as he accepted the gift. "I've given Elm all I can to help with the storm. Do you think you'll make progress on that?"

"I pray to the spirits I do," Rud said. And he was being honest about his prayers. He might just need the help of the other guardians if he wanted to tame whatever magical force drove that storm. "We'll overcome it, Feather. Don't worry."

The leader had a few other things he wanted to tell the druid. There were migrants coming from the mainland to settle in the region. They planned to expand the town out, building another one to the north. Feather asked permission and Rud advised him to build it further to the east than originally planned. The grove would consume it in a few months otherwise.

"And that's why I ask for permission first," Feather said, bowing his head again. "Good luck with your efforts, forest spirit. May Bent himself watch over you."

"Fingers cross," Rud said, jumping onto Dean's back without shifting into his squirrel form. He'd need his mana to transform into an otter. They dashed off without another word.

"Once you get Rank 1, we need to upgrade your staff," Dean said.

"Oh, right. Growth equipment," Rud said, pressing himself against the wolf's back. The wind that whipped from the island was bitter, stinging his skin with every gust. Dean moved with powerful strides, driving that wind even harder. "Good point."

"There she is," Dean said, skidding over the loose rocks along the lake's shore.

Elm stood with a few other mages. They were engaged in a heated debate, some among them stomping their feet to punctuate their words. If the group had descended into toddler-level arguments, things were bad. Of course, they stopped as the massive dire wolf slid to a stop.

"Wussup?" Rud asked.

"Ah, you have interesting timing," Elm said with a nervous chuckle. "We're working through some disagreements on the best way to approach our current problem."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Yeah, Nulsa pointed it out to be last night," Rud said. "I saw you siphoning the energy, but… the object looks weird."

"That's what I said!" one human wizard shouted. "The energy levels don't match what we expected and—"

"We get it," Elm said, shaking her head. "Yet we haven't reached a conclusion."

"Because no one is willing to go to the island and take the readings," a foxkin woman said.

Rud thrust his hand in the air. "I'll go. I can turn into an otter so the cold doesn't bother me."

"Well, we didn't think you could take magical readings…" Elm trailed off.

"I can get a sense for it, though. And at least no one would be in danger," Rud said.

There was no consensus among the mages as to if this was a good idea. Rud was going to the island with or without their blessing. He was just glad they gave him their 'permission' after a bit of awkward pause.

"Watch this," Rud said, shifting into his otter form. "Immunity to cold. What do you think?"

"He's squeaking quite a lot," a human mage said.

"We cannot understand you, Rud," Elm said. "Don't stay too long on the island. Even if you can endure the cold, there are other magical forces at work. Not all are aligned with cold or ice."

Rud gave her a few otter nods and dashed off. This form wasn't built for speed on land, but once he hit the water he was off. The world plunged into silence as he wove through the confusing underwater world. Spears of ice shot from the surface, stabbing into the lake bed in spots. The druid resisted the urge to investigate a cluster of shellfish his little otter brain had spotted.

"How long can you hold your breath?" Dean asked.

"A long time," Rud said, shooting a message back through their telepathic link. "Might be hard finding a spot to break through the ice…"

Despite his fears, the druid found a spot he could break through with a bit of effort. He had to retrieve a rock from the bottom and bash away at the thin ice to get through, but soon he burst to the other side. He drew a deep breath and turned his attention toward the storm. It wasn't blowing as hard as it was before, but the cold had intensified.

"I'm joining this effort," Nulsa said, speaking into Rud's mind. "Avoid the patches of ice just north of you. I'm getting some strange fluctuations of energy."

"Thanks," Rud shot back.

Somewhere above, the owl was watching over him. How sweet.

Rud scampered over frozen rocks, sliding to a stop as he spotted one of the patches of ice Nulsa had mentioned. If he looked at it for long enough, he could see a shimmer of energy coming from it.

"Yes, that patch of ice is magical. Perhaps it might even be pure ice mana. I cannot tell from here," Nulsa said.

"The wizards said the energy on the island has decreased," Dean said. "Which they claim is concerning. They recommend evacuation."

Rud pushed forward, moving his long body across the frozen landscape. A swirl of blue and white energy lingered over the spot where the object rested. He squinted his eyes, relying on whatever protected them from the water to protect them here.

"Uh, the object is changing shape," Rud said, speaking to both Dean and Nulsa. "I can barely see it through the storm, though."

"The wizards claim this is a bad sign. It isn't a cursed object," Dean said. "They say you're dealing with something much worse, but they need to research."

It was nice having Dean feed him information from the wizards. But the connection was one-way. He could mostly understand what mortals said, and was able to send that information along through their connection. But since he couldn't send that info back, he was stuck watching the object.

The object—cursed or not—shifted before Rud's eyes. It appeared as a sword, a duck statue, twelve bronze buttons, and so on. Every time it changed, the storm around it sent out a pulse of fresh cold. Even through his thick coat, the druid felt the sting of the cold growing stronger. Perhaps it was a defensive response from the object, sensing that a sneaky little otter was near.

Rud confirmed his theory as he approached it. A gust of wind slammed into him hard enough to send him sliding backward. He dug his otter claws into the icy ground, pushing his minimal Strength to its limit.

"Rud. Can you hear me?" Ban's voice came floating into his mind as though driven on the turbulent wind.

Rud's claws dug into the ice as he was pushed further back. He had to shimmy to the side to avoid the pools of condensed mana that threatened his life. When he was far enough away from the source of the storm, he responded to the sacred tree.

"Kinda busy right now!" Rud said, grimacing against the biting cold.

Mostly, Rud was focused on getting as far away from the storm as possible while avoiding the deadly pools of mana. He needed to get back to the water and swim to shore so he could regroup with the mages. Although the storm's intensity had diminished, it was now at least partially intelligent, pushing him away deliberately instead of randomly spewing its powerful winds.

"I'm gathering information about the object," Ban said. "River and Aegael think it might be something incredibly powerful, but you need to get close enough for me to see."

"Easier said than done, Ban!" Rud shouted back, tumbling end-over-end as another powerful blast hit him.

"Stay calm and listen to my instructions. Aegael is prepared to grant you a fire-based boon. But once you have the buff, you need to shift into your true form and rush forward. Once you're at the storm's edge, I'll give you further instructions."

This might have been the first time Rud didn't have 100% faith in his sacred tree. A moment of doubt washed over him before he shook his head and dug his claws back into the icy ground. He decided his trust would be restored when the boon hit him, but for now, he simply nodded, sending her a simple message.

"Ready."

A system message appeared.

[Boon Gained]

You have gained a temporary boon from the Salamander Spirit Aegael.

[Salamander's Heart] has been applied.

[Salamander's Heart]

Great Spirit Boon

Description:

The heart of the salamander rushes through your veins. You are the incarnation of fire.

Effect:

Your body emits a great amount of heat, negating any other elemental-alignment present.

All attacks now inflict fire damage

All spells gain the fire alignment.

The moment the message appeared, all doubt in Rud's mind fled. The ice around his feet melted in an instant, filling the air with an evaporating mist. Without hesitating, he shifted into his true form, slamming his staff into the ground and inching forward despite the powerful effects of the boon. The storm still raged, lashing him with its wind and peppering him with ice.

"I'm going!" Rud shouted, gaining an inch at a time as he moved to the storm's center.

When Rud finally reached the storm's edge, he looked down at the object before him. It flashed, changing shapes. At set intervals, it was a small metal object one moment, and a sword the next, then a statue of a duck, and so on, just as it had transformed before.

"When I tell you, grab the object," Ban said. "It is exactly as the others guessed and we cannot pass this opportunity up."

"I'm ready," Rud said, holding his hand out. When it passed the barrier of wind and ice he felt his hand sting in pain.

"I'll count it down… The cycle is predictable. One… Two.. Three… Grab it!"

Rud reached out, wrapping his hand around a small metal duck.

Quack.

A system message appeared.

[Artifact Claimed]

You have claimed a world-rank artifact.