I waited until after the morning breakfast rush and cornered Scott when he was heading towards his office.

“Heyas Scott.” I called out to him. There must have been an expression on my face because I swore I saw him wince. “Do you have a moment? I’ve been thinking about the ant attack yesterday and how we can prevent something like that from happening again.”

Scott turned towards me with an attentive look, “Of course, Gavrin. What’s on your mind?”

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts before diving into the matter at hand.

“It’s about the ant attack yesterday. I spent the night trying to reinforce the wall they overran, but I realized something. This problem is too big for any one person to handle.”

Scott nodded, his expression grave, acknowledging the severity of the situation. “I saw the work you did on the wall. It’s a good temporary measure, but you’re right. We need a more permanent solution. What do you have in mind?”

“I’ve been thinking about disrupting their scent trails. It could help prevent future incursions. But to be honest, I don’t have all the answers. This is something I was hoping I could get your organizing. A meeting perhaps? Get everyone’s input.” I explained.

Scott considered my words, the gears turning as he pondered the proposal. “A meeting is a good idea. We need every able mind and pair of hands if we’re going to come up with a viable solution. I appreciate you bringing this up. Let’s get everyone together after lunch. We’ll lay out the problem and brainstorm some strategies.”

I nodded my head. “Thanks, Scoot. I’ll be honest, leading isn’t really my thing. I’m better with direct action. But I’ll lend my support, gather information and help implement whatever plan you guys come up with.”

As the conversation concluded, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I felt more than a little responsible for the group, since I had saved them several times. But I didn’t want to spend all my time pulling their bacon out of the fire.

With the meeting set for after lunch, I found myself with a stretch of morning hours to fill. I didn’t to do anything in particular, but there wasn’t any internet so I was bored.

First, I wandered around the camp’s perimeter, just checking stuff out and inspecting my work in the light of day. And since I was already out here, I decided to start collecting materials. I justified it to myself that I was just cleaning up the area.

My vines writhed and tore through the ground and buildings around the school. I created a flat perimeter around the wall, making it easier for the ranged people to engage the enemy. It didn’t take me nearly as long as I thought it would.

I reached into the earth and caused some grass to grow up and I smoothed out the areas were the houses were. The grass added a nice touch to the scene.

While I was working a young lady interrupted my work. She had a sleek bob haircut and was wearing a bold set of glasses. She had a friendly and approachable demeanor.

“Hey.” She called out. “I’m Ava.” She introduced herself while holding out her hand.

“Gavrin.” I replied. I didn’t extend my hand. “I’d shake, but my hands are dirty.”

“That’s alright.” Ava brightly said. “I saw you working on the wall during the night. You’re pretty hand to have around.

“Yeah, that was me.” I responded. “How can I help you today?”

Ava answered. “I was looking for new perspectives for a project I’m working on. But then I saw you and thought I’d say hi. It seems like you’re always in the middle of something important.”

I wasn’t sure where this was going. I shifted slightly and smiled politely. “Just trying to do my part, I guess. Worlds gone to shit, but it doesn’t mean we stop being people.”

Ava nodded, her gaze following the line scattered materials I was messing around with. Her curiosity piqued she asked. “It looks like you’re gearing up for another round with them. Is there anything I can do to help? My skills lean towards illusions so I don’t know how I’ll help, but I’m willing to try.”

I thought about. I had been about to dip inside my dimensional shard and take a break but I didn’t want to show my abilities anymore more than I already had. Then I remembered the herbs I hadn’t identified yet.

“You know, there might be something you can help with.” I reached into my inventory and pulled out some of the plants I had. “I don’t know what these do, I was planning on ingesting them and see what happens, want to help?”

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Ava laughed. “That sounds like an adventure. I’m definitely interested. But you know, ingesting unknown plants could be risky. Do you have any way to test them safely?”

I scrunched my nose as I responded. “Not really. I was thinking of starting with small doses, maybe applying a bit to the skin first to check for reactions. I’ve got a basic understanding of herbology, but I’m far from an expert. I’ve already tried some. There were some interesting effects.”

“Oh, what happened.” Ava asked.

I pulled the whisperroot from my inventory. It shimmered a silver light in the morning sun. “This one is called whisperroot, I think. I am not entirely sure, but I think it helps with language. I get weird impressions from plants and anything related to earth.”

Ava’s curiosity was palpable as she leaned in to get a closer look at the whisperroot, the silver light it cast giving it an almost ethereal quality. Her designer’s eye appreciated the aesthetic, but her practical side was more intrigued by its potential uses.

“Language, you say? That’s fascinating. It’s like something out of a fantasy novel. Have you noticed any specific effects? Can you understand languages you didn’t before, or is it more about enhancing communication?” Ava asked.

I replied. “It’s a bit hard to describe. It’s not like I suddenly started speaking another human language. Also, I didn’t really have anyone to test it with when I took it. More like… I understood the ‘language’ of the earth better. The plants, the ground, it’s like they’re communicating in a way I sort of get now.”

Ava was now visibly excited. “That’s incredible, Gavrin! There’s so much potential there. Think about what we could learn about the plants around us, not just for food or medicine, but for understanding the ecosystem itself. We could find plants with properties we’ve never imagined.”

“Exactly my thoughts. There’s a lot we could uncover, which could be vital for us here. But, I want to be cautious. We don’t fully understand how these plants interact with the system or our bodies.” I told Ava.

“Understandably so. Maybe we can approach this methodically. Document everything – how you prepare the plants, how you administer them, your reactions, everything. It could be important research.” Ava responded.

“Would you be willing to help with that? Your eye for detail could be invaluable in documenting the experiments.” I asked Ava for her assistance.

“I’d love to. Plus, it sounds lik a safer adventure than ingesting unknown substances alone. Let’s set up a controlled environment for your tests. I will create a detailed log of our findings. Who knows? This could be the start of a new branch of knowledge for us.” Ava excitedly responded.

So marked the beginning of our collaboration on cataloguing the effects of unknown plants. The first one we tried was a piece of bark that was rugged and gnarled, with an ancient look. It had a deep brown color, with hints of green moss growing on it. There was an aura of ancient wisdom and resilience emanating from the piece of bark.

"Look at this piece. Its appearance alone suggests it’s not ordinary. It feels… protective, almost as if it’s imbued with some sort of warding power.” I observed.

Ava began to sketch the bark’s intricate texture and form, capturing its essence on paper. “It does have a certain presence, doesn’t it? Like it’s been standing guard over the forest for centuries. Do you think it has any magical properties?”

I bobbed my head side to side in thought. “Given its vibe, I wouldn’t be surprised. I think it could be used for protective spells or maybe even to craft amulets. We should try something simple to test its effects.”

I decided to keep the experiment simple. Ava crafted a basic amulet by threading a piece of the mysterious bark through a leather cord. I focused, attempting to channel what I perceived as the bark’s protective essence into the amulet through a gentle enchantment.

Ava watched the process with keen interest. “So, this is how you imbue objects with magical energy. Do you feel anything different? Any changes in its aura?”

I held up the newly crafted amulet, I paused, searching for any shifts in energy. “There’s a slight warmth, a reassuring feeling. It’s subtle, but it’s there. I think with a more powerful enchantment, or perhaps combined with other materials, its protective qualities could be significantly amplified.”

Elderbark Amulet

Quality: Beginner

Type: Protective Gear

Crafted from ancient bark with hints of moss, this amulet provides basic protection against negative energies and minor magical threats. Its modest aura is suited for novices, offering a foundation for further enhancement.

I shared the system prompt I received on the successful creation of the item.

Ava responded. “That’s amazing. We should note not only the physical reactions but any emotional or psychological effects as well. This bark could be invaluable to us, especially if we can enhance and understand its properties. And I think we figured out the name. Elderbark.”

"Oh, that is tight." I agreed.

Our conversation then veered into planning further experiments with the bark. We pondered how we might combine it with other herbs or magical components to strengthen its effects. Ava proposed creating a series of protective amulets for the community, leveraging the bark’s inherent properties.

Ava smiled. She was already doodling potential designs in her notebook. “I’m excited about this. It feels like we’re on the cusp of discovering something truly beneficial for everyone here.”

I hesitated. “That’s a brilliant idea. But there is a limited amount of the bark. If we use what we have now, I don’t know when we can get more. I’d rather try to cultivate this and grow the tree then use all the material now.”

“You can do that?” Ava asked. “Don’t you need the seeds or a cutting from the tree to do that?”

“I’m a druid, Ava.” I answered dryly. “My powers are myriad and mysterious. I probably can. I think.”