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

The world rumbled beneath the druid's feet. Fissures split through the icy island, creating massive cracks that spread for feet. The duck in Rud's hand shifted, rolling this way and that as it changed shape. Before he could even respond, strange metallic objects shot into the head of his staff, slamming into it hard enough to send him stumbling backward. Ban shouted into his mind as system text flew into his vision.

"Get out of there, Rud," Ban said.

Rud didn't need to be told twice. He shifted into his squirrel form, turning and jumping to glide through the air. Although the storm was fading, a few rogue zephyrs still blew about. He caught them and glided over the landscape. The druid watched as the island whipped by, and soon he was looking down at the frozen lake below and swooping toward it. The group gathered on the shore just as he was angling himself downward. An explosion issued from behind.

The island ripped itself apart. Those fissures had grown, and gouts of potent ice magic shot forth like geysers, staining the sky above gray. Rud twisted in the air, shifting into his true form and landing to watch the spectacular display, his mouth hanging open. He realized that only a few moments ago he had been standing on that island. Crags of ice formed above it, creating something that looked like a fairy-tale castle made from pure, clear crystals.

"By the gods," Elm breathed, her words coming out as a shuddering breath. "Are you okay, Rud?"

The druid turned, putting on his best diplomatic smile and shrugging. "Never better," he said, dusting the snow from his shoulders. "Piece of cake."

Beneath Rud's feet, the snow melted. The flakes that flew from the sky vanished when they came into contact with any part of the ground. Five feet from his body, the snow turned to water and evaporated, filling the air with a dense mist that surrounded him like a shroud.

"Care to explain exactly what that was?" Elm asked, her eyes narrowing.

For the first time since he arrived in this new world, Rud wasn't sure exactly how much he should share. Elm was a friend of the grove, but she was also a mortal. If she wanted to turn against him because of this new thing he had found, he wasn't sure he could bear it. He would give her a half-truth instead.

"The Great Spirits helped me seal the object," Rud explained, turning back to the island. "It was close, but the Salamander Spirit helped a lot, which is why I have this aura of heat."

"That's amazing," Elm said. "So, you didn't need our help after all?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Rud said. "I just followed the instructions. Do you guys have any plans for this place?"

"We're going to study it for a bit longer. I don't think any of us have seen such a reaction before."

"Perfect. Dean and I have some business to attend to," Rud said, performing a shallow bow. "So if you'll excuse us."

Elm and the other mages had no objections to the druid leaving. He had put off reading the system message that had flooded his vision. The first one he read before the explosion was frightening. He didn't know what a world-ranked artifact was, but if it could produce such a reaction, it was powerful. The way Ban talked about it gave him shivers, even though he was surrounded by an aura of heat. He mounted Dean, and they took off without another word.

"I sensed the disquiet in you," Dean said once they were far enough away from the mages. "What happened?"

Rud reviewed the messages he had put off reading, speaking the text so Dean could hear.

[Artifact Claimed]

You have claimed a world-rank artifact.

[Adaptive Artifact] has sensed [Twig of Ban'tanthein].

Adapting…

Please wait while the artifact adjusts to your growth weapon. This process may take several days to complete.

Once the duo reached the edge of the grove, they found the nearest bush and teleported to the sacred tree clearing. Rud dismounted, holding his staff and examining it. It no longer provided him with a system message, but a seam of glowing metal now ran down its length.

"I've never heard of anything like this," Dean said, sniffing at the staff with curiosity.

"And yet I have," Ban said, her melodic voice filling the clearing. "World-ranked artifacts are extremely rare. The other spirits had only heard of one in their time. Even Bent gave his opinion on the matter. He said we should spare no cost to claim it for the groves."

"It doesn't look that powerful," Rud said. Looking over his staff and frowning, his growth weapon no longer had a system pop-up, but perhaps that would change when the adaptive process completed. "I mean, it was a metal duck when I grabbed it."

"And your unique little earthling mind is the reason we could find its true form," Ban said. "The artifact shifted between several shapes, all of which were meant to confuse anyone attempting to claim it. But it transformed into a form you liked. Since you are not of this world, the correct form was rather strange."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Wow, would you look at that?" Dean asked. "It's a victory because you're weird."

"But what does it mean?" Rud asked. "I already have a powerful weapon. Why would it attach to my growth weapon rather than, I don't know, my boots?"

"Because your weapon shows the most potential. This artifact will produce effects we can't even speculate on," Ban said. "All we know is that once it finishes adapting, it will be extremely useful to you. I don't know if I'd say it will be powerful, but we can certainly say it will be useful."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm just happy the storm on the island is gone," Rud said. He smiled to himself as he traced his fingers across the seam of metal. It felt warm and inviting.

"You displayed more bravery than any guardian could ever hope to muster," Ban said. "I'm very proud of you."

Rud felt the warm fuzzies sprinting through his body. Praise from the sacred tree was the best kind of praise. But as the adrenaline from his system wore off, the druid noticed the signs of exhaustion. He didn't allow himself to slump to one side in the face of his tree. Instead, he put on a brave face.

"Thanks. I think I'll have a cup of tea, now."

Rud made his way to the longhouse and put on a pot of tea. Of course, it wasn't long before the other denizens of the grove came calling. Dean had joined him there and curled up before the fire like the silent protector he was. However, before long, Nulsa, Major, Sarya, Taz, and even Mint arrived to see what exactly had happened. One didn't need to be incredibly magically sensitive to feel what had occurred at the island.

Ever the protector, Dean took the lead in telling the story. He made some understandable embellishments about the escape, but otherwise recounted the events as they had happened.

"Well done, Rud!" Mint shouted, her laugh booming to join with Taz's rumbling chuckle. "He makes a mean cup of tea, and he's cool under pressure."

Rud shrugged. "It was the Great Spirits, not me."

"Come on," Taz said, shaking his head. "The spirits weren't on the island. Say, why don't we eat some food to celebrate?"

That was always the dwarf's response to anything. It didn't even have to be an event, he just loved making some good food. And Rud wouldn't decline the offer. They got to work on the grill, allowing the druid a few quiet moments to gather himself. The escape was harrowing, but he trusted Ban completely. Once again, the Sacred Tree didn't disappoint. Not only had he made it out with ease, but he now had a powerful artifact… Or it would be an artifact. Eventually.

All those worries he harbored in his heart vanished like the smoke rising from the fire. Not only had the grove collected a powerful artifact, they had saved the town. Not bad for a Tuesday. Rud had absolutely no idea if it was Tuesday, since the Sacred Beasts didn't care about tracking the weeks. Perhaps the mortals did, but he hadn't asked. Like the two destroyed moons, it would remain a mystery.

The doors to the longhouse flew open, revealing a haggard Elm. She drew sharp breaths, eyes scanning over those gathered within. "The island seems… stable," she said between breaths. "Barlgore… thanks you."

"Wow, you rode all the way here?" Rud asked. "Could've just sent a letter."

Elm shambled across the room, taking a seat at the table. She withdrew a small metal cup from nowhere and set it down. Rud understood and poured her a cup of tea. Although it was boiling hot, she took a sip and sighed with contentment.

"The magic on the island is stable," Elm said after draining her entire cup. "I thought there might be more problems, but you've done it… Whatever you did worked, and I couldn't be more surprised."

"Glad we could help," Rud said, holding his own cup for a toast. "And I'm sure the problem will be solved forever."

Taz was busy working the grill. It was barely past noon, but the dwarf insisted on creating a feast. Rud knew it was because he had a bunch of meat that would spoil if he didn't use it. The druid's plans to make cheese had been squashed for the day, but he hoped to have gained something more valuable from his visit to the island. If Bent had an interest in this item he had gained, it would be worth the lost cheese.

"Let me tell you something," Taz said, serving up plates of meat for all gathered. "Milking cows isn't fun."

"What, are your hands too rough?" Rud asked.

"Nope. They kept trying to climb out of the pen," Taz said, shaking his head as his gaze focused on the middle-distance. He held a fork with a piece of meat on it as he had flashbacks. "Those cows aren't right."

"But you milked them, right?" Rud asked.

"And stored the milk in my underground cooler," Taz said, snapping out of his trance and dishing more food out.

"Which means I need to learn how to make cheese," Rud said, scratching his chin. "I thought about it before, but it seemed like too much work."

"He has an aversion to goat's milk," Taz said, winking at Elm.

"As do I," the elf said.

Cheese would come when it did. Rud wasn't too concerned about getting to it, but with the island sorted his schedule just got a lot lighter. Of course, there was the world-rank artifact stuck to his staff to worry about. But that wasn't an active task for him. Instead, he now had only to think about his tea farm and making some cheese. Maybe some more trail mix if he had the time.

"Well, this was unexpected," Mint said, chomping on some strips of meat in her human form. "I suspect the wizard came back here for a reason, though."

"She can understand you when you're in your human form," Rud said, nudging Mint.

"Oh, I know," Mint said, glaring at Elm. "I got even deeper into the labyrinth while you were gone."

"I don't see this as a competition," Elm said with a frustrated breath. "I only need to take readings on the upper levels for my research to proceed."

"Sounds like an elf in search of my secrets," Mint said, tutting. "Well, you won't get them."

Elm offered a pained smile to Rud. "She's always like this. No matter how many times I tell her, she just keeps saying the same thing."

"Mint lives in her own world," Rud said. "Hard to convince her of anything. When she finally realizes she was wrong, she pretends like nothing happened."

"As all good wolves should do," Mint said. "No need to confess to crimes no one cares about. Anyway, someone wanna pass me more meat?"

"Of course," Taz said, bowing his head as he loaded her plate up yet again.

Moments like these made the long days in the grove worth it. Rud sighed with contentment as he watched his friends banter. Elm displayed a new level of patience by the day, enduring the chiding of Mint with grace. Taz had somehow become their cook. Dean was the silent sentry, his eyes flicking from door to door in search of threats. Nulsa rested in the rafters, hooting softly to make himself known. And Sarya was chasing her tail. Over the entire scene was the ever-present energy of the Sacred Tree.

Although Ban couldn't be there physically, she was always there in spirit. She was more than just a tree. She was an entire forest, stretching out for miles in every direction. Rud could feel her roots somewhere beneath them, creating an endless network of connections through which she drew her power.

There was still a ton of stuff to do, but it didn't seem so daunting with everyone gathered around the table.