NOVEL NEXT 3.19 - Fetch Your Cheese
Rud was surprised by how quickly Ban could incorporate the new building. He watched as her roots connected to the Gate and integrated it into the Grove. When he had first arrived, it had taken her days, or maybe weeks, to bring a new building into the fold. But now she did it in a matter of minutes. When he questioned it, the sacred tree was happy to explain.
"The gate is a tiny structure," Ban said. "Compared to the other things I incorporated, it takes almost no effort. The entire operational consumption of energy happens when we activate it."
Rud approached the Gate, brushing his fingers over the wood. He traced the grain, feeling the bumps where he had etched those sigils. After a few more moments of reverence, the druid inspected the building.
[Grove Item Gate]
Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree Building
Upgrade Progress: 0%
Description:
This Gate can support a weak portal when activated. The portal is designed to connect only to another Sacred Grove, and will establish a twin-Gate on the other side. Living things may not be passed through the portal.
Upgrades:
NONE
"This means we can send stuff, right?" Rud asked. The excitement building in his chest was unreal. This was a huge moment for all the Groves, and it wasn't lost on him.
"That's right," Ban said. "Although, I think you should pick some upgrades first."
The Grove had been in an absolute surplus of materials for quite some time now, and Rud intended to burn through them. He withdrew dungeon core fragments from his bag and started cramming them into the building. He felt Ban shudder under the force of their conceptual weight, and the structure rapidly increased in level, swiftly hitting Level 5. That's when the sacred tree herself stepped in, helping him sift through the massive list of potential upgrades.
"Hard to resist an upgrade with synergy," Ban said. "And that's exactly what we're going for."
Rud nodded, inspecting the upgrade she was speaking about.
[Conservation of Power]
Grove Item Gate Upgrade
Synergize Upgrade:
[Linked Condenser]
Description:
Attach everything to the same grid and watch the power flow!
Effect:
This Gate is connected directly to the Energy Condenser, requiring less power to operate.
"Almost like you planned it," Rud said, casting the glittering tree an untrusting look. "You know more than you're letting on, tree!"
"Oh, and what if I do?" Ban asked playfully.
"Well, then you're the smartest tree I know," Rud said. "I'll pick that one. Less power is a good thing—it'll take the strain off of you."
"Even with the condenser, the energy requirements are massive. We should specialize in decreased energy consumption anywhere we can," Ban said. "Now, get to the next upgrade. It'll be a Rank upgrade, so I'll expect it to be far better."
Rud did as he was told, burning through his stock of fragments to upgrade the building to Rank 1. He felt a pulse of power radiate forth, stinging his senses for a moment before subsiding. Then the system screen appeared, allowing him to select the next upgrade.
"Wild Way," Ban said without hesitation. "Read the description on that one."
Rud sifted through the list, finding the upgrade she spoke about. The druid let out a low whistle.
[Wild Way]
Grove Item Gate Upgrade
Description:
The ways of the world are many. Secret places where none dare walk. Harness those places to your benefit.
Effect:
Take advantage of the Wild Way, reducing the cost of connected gates to 0.
"That upgrade cuts the cost of operating the gate in half," Ban said. "I've heard of the Wild Way before, but this is the first system reference I've ever seen. This is the same method Bent uses to move about the world."
"Seriously?" Rud asked, his brows peaking. "This is how that silly little stag gets from his grove to ours in an instant? Yeah, of course we've gotta take it."
The druid selected the upgrade without hesitation, and he felt the ground shudder beneath him. He looked around, trying to spot some sign that something had happened, but he could see no physical change to the partial tower he had constructed, nor was there any difference in the gate. After a moment, he realized there was a conceptual connection between the Gate and the Wild Way. He couldn't tell if that was comforting or frightening.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Let's give it until the count of ten. If Bent emerges from a rift and gores me, we'll know we did something wrong," Rud said, tapping his foot like a metronome until the count of ten. He then shrugged. "I guess we're clear, huh?"
Ban shuttered as though rocked by some substantial force. Rud could feel her branches sag slightly before perking up once again. She let out an exasperated sigh. "He contacted me. Bent felt the connection between the Gate and the Wild Way. He was concerned at first, but after I explained it, he seems to have accepted it. I hope he did, anyway."
"Sweet. Nature-made nightmares beyond my comprehension," Rud said, clapping in mock-excitement. "Let's be done with this before we anger the stag any more."
"You're kidding, right?" Ban asked with a laugh. "Did we just put in all that effort just to not send something to Jim and Maria?"
Rud's plan had been to make both of them care packages, but now that Ban mentioned it, he couldn't deny his excitement about sending something through the gate. With a click of his tongue, he nodded. "Yeah, that's a fantastic idea. Hold on, let me grab some wheels of cheese. It shouldn't cost much energy to send cheese, should it?"
"If you send one wheel to either Grove, the consumption should be minimal compared to what I've managed to condense. I know we can send at least one, but hopefully we can send two," Ban said. "Run along, little druid. Fetch your cheese."
Rud did exactly that. He shifted into his raven form and flew off, arriving at his creamery a moment later and going through his stock of cheese. Part of his daily chores were to both milk the cows and turn that milk into cheese. While he stocked the general store within the Grove, the cheese didn't move as quickly as he could make it, resulting in a surplus. Sure, it was just about the simplest cheese one could make, with barely any flavor, but people loved it. He hadn't had the time to make any more complex cheese, so he selected two of the oldest wheels from his shelves and carried them along through the nearest bush. He arrived at the gate tower soon after, giggling to himself as he entered with a wheel of cheese under either arm.
"Hold on," Rud said, carving a message into the mushroom shell of both wheels. "Dear Maria, please enjoy this cheese. More to come! And we'll just do the same message for Jim…"
"Creative."
"I am the most creative!" Rud shouted, holding a wheel of cheese aloft. He maintained the pose for only a few moments before clearing his throat. "Okay, tree-girl. Start that portal up."
"I can only maintain the portal for a few seconds, so be prepared to toss the cheese inside," Ban said, laughing softly. "Please don't stand in front of the portal."
"Dang, we got a Stargate situation here?" Rud asked. "I'll need to put up some signs."
"Better safe than sorry," Ban said.
"Indeed," Rud said, raising a single brow.
Rud felt the energy gathering in the Gate long before he saw anything. The magical energies swirled in the center, first creating a kaleidoscope of colors before settling on a deep hue of green. The energy glittered, releasing baubles of light that danced in the air for a few moments. As instructed, he kept a healthy distance from the gate, standing to the side and clutching his cheese.
The energy coalesced into a solid sheet of power. A vortex of swirling green appeared in the center of the gate, sucking in some of the nearby air to create a slight breath. That's when Ban shouted for him to toss the cheese in quickly, which he did without hesitation. For a moment, it seemed as though the wheel of cheese would slam into it as if it were solid. However, the second it touched the surface, the energy rippled, sucking the cheese in and causing it to vanish in an instant. Only a breath later, the portal closed with a thunderous snap that deafened the druid.
"Well, that was something else," Rud said, digging in his ears to clear out the ringing. Of course, it didn't help, and he was surprised when he heard Ban's voice clearly next.
"That took far less energy than I had anticipated," she said, her voice carrying a tone of cheerful amusement. "Are you ready for the next one?"
"I'm ready," Rud said, clutching his cheese and preparing to toss it in.
"Here we go," Ban said.
Rud watched, waiting for the same signs he had seen before to toss the cheese in. The energy gathered and then formed, and he was quick to toss it with as much force as he could muster. It passed through with ease, and Ban was quicker to close it this time. The druid smiled to himself, clapping like an excited child.
"I suggest making your way to the observatory," Ban said with a soft laugh. "I'm certain you'll be getting a call from the other custodians."
"Good point," Rud said, turning into his raven form and flying off without further prompting.
The druid made excellent time to the observatory, flying in through the top window and landing in his chair before shifting into his true form. Rud picked up the microphone and flicked the radio on. He gave his call sign and waited, receiving only static for a moment before realizing it would take the other custodians a minute to reach their own observatories. He only realized they would have been distracted by their cheese when the static ceased, and the sound of somebody munching on something on the other end came through the radio.
"Are you kidding?" Maria's voice came blasting through the radio. "I thought you were going to send me some kind of trinket, or I don't know, anything. But you sent your best stuff first: delicious enchanted cheese."
"Rud, is this your mysterious enchanted cheese?" Jim's voice was the next to come through the radio. The druid could hear clattering sounds within Jim's observatory, as though he had just crashed into the radio and thumbed the button to transmit the message.
"And there's plenty more where that came from," Rud said, placing his hands on his hips and striking a pose as though the others could see. Of course, they couldn't. But that didn't stop him from preening.
"I thought it was going to take you guys longer to get the Gate working," Maria said. The sound of munching came next, as she forgot to stop pressing the button on her microphone while taking another big bite of cheese. "I'm going to be making so many cheese dishes; you don't even understand."
"A few things came together quicker than we had expected," Rud said with a shrug. "We got some fantastic upgrades that allowed us to get the portal established. Mostly it's because this is an item-only portal. I can't send living things through it yet."
"Who cares? This is awesome," Jim said. "If we send random crap to the other groves, we can get the custodians to man their towers."
"Right. Can you send supplies through?" Maria asked. "Like fragments?"
"Yep. Shouldn't be a problem," Rud said. "My tree might need time to regenerate her energy, but we can do it."
"Perfect. I'll make a list of the other custodians and we can work from there," Jim said, chewing noisily over the radio. "Again, great job."
Rud puffed his chest out, feeling rather good about himself. This was the start of something big. Once he had his way, every Grove would be connected. There was nothing stopping him now.