Rud returned to the tree with an empty bucket. He set it aside and stood by Ban, waiting for further instructions. The tree had grown so much in such a little time. It was magic, which was exciting enough. But to think he was gonna cast a real-life spell was almost too much. The excitement built, and he couldn’t wait any longer for instructions.

“What do I do?” he asked, kneeling near the tree.

When he was close enough to the tree, it didn’t speak into his mind. The sound seemed to come from all around him. It was as though the forest itself was talking. “Inspect the Druidic Spellcasting ability.”

[Druidic Spellcasting]

Druid Ability

Description:

Grants you access to druid spells. These spells are granted by nature and are only obtainable by aiding the natural forces of the world.

Effects:

Grants the user access to druid spells and the Druidic Spellbook.

Easy enough. The ability was something that unlocked spells. Rud didn’t know how to do the spells, but whatever. The tree would explain it. Without prompting, he dug through the menus and found the spellbook. This was the screen where his learned spells would appear. There was only one entry, so he inspected that one.

[Plant Growth]

Rank 0 Druid Spell

Mana Cost:

50

Description:

Draw on your druidic powers to increase the growth stage of a plant by one. This spell may only be cast on a plant once per day. Repeated use of this spell may cause unintended side-effects.

Effect:

Advance a plant a single growth stage.

So that’s what Ban was talking about. She was stuck at some lower stage of growth and needed a druid to bump her up to the next one. Rud settled in near the tree, trying to figure out how to cast the spell. The tree giggled eventually.

“Do you require help?”

“No idea how to cast this spell,” he said.

“Right. Most druid spells require a component to cast. Components are physical things like acorns, leaves, or even precious gems. Plant Growth only requires your mana.”

“Easy enough,” Rud said, placing his walking stick in the crook of his elbow. He held his hands out before him, palms facing the tree. “Ready to grow?”

“I am.”

Rud closed his eyes, focusing on the concept of the spell. It was easier to cast than he realized. When he opened his eyes, green energy was swirling around his feet. It moved upward, snaking over his limbs and stinging the air with magical potency. Rud twitched his nose, maintaining his focus and waiting for the spell to fulminate. When it was ready to be released, he allowed it to burst forth. That same green energy wrapped around the tree as something drained from the druid. He grabbed his staff before collapsing, using it to support himself.

“Here we go!” Ban shouted.

The sapling burst upward, branches fanning out over the clearing. It was as though Rud was watching the tree grow over a time-lapse, new branches sprouting and new leaves bursting from those branches. Before long, the tree was large enough where he couldn’t wrap his arms around it. Ban breathed a great sigh of relief, although he didn’t understand how that was possible. But there was a sound of contentment in that sigh that told him everything he needed to know.

“It worked!” Rud said. His first instinct was to dance around the tree, but he fell over when he tried. “You’re a big tree now!”

“Relative to your size,” Ban said with a laugh. “I’ll grow much larger than this in time. But I’m officially a Rank 0 Spirit Tree. You can inspect me, if you’d like.”

Rud took a moment to appreciate the tree. It had grown into a large, oak-like tree with broad leaves and boughs that stretched to block out the sun. Dappled light was spread across the ground, revealing how little sunlight penetrated those thick branches. He dragged himself out of his amazement and inspected the tree.

[Ban’Tanthein]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree

Upgrade Energy: 0%

Expansions:

NONE

“You are a very impressive tree,” Rud said, patting the tree’s bark.

“Thank you. My soul is adapting to your soul… It’s working on something, although I cannot say what.”

“Oh, let the old soul do its thing,” Rud said, waving dismissively. “I’m sure it’ll figure things out.”

Ban laughed again. “You’re right. Could you fetch more water for me? It should be easier now that you’re classed.”

“Now that I’m what?”

“There are those in this world who don’t have access to classes. Those that do find themselves more powerful than the others. Even if your strength is two, you’re more powerful than other Talen Por.”

“So, I’m stronger than a normal Talen Por? That’s neat. Wait, did you say world?” Rud asked. Even before Ban made a response, he realized how much it made sense. Of course he wasn’t on Earth. There wasn’t magic on Earth.

“Your soul was taken from your world and deposited here.”

“Gotcha. So, more water?”

Ban made a sound like a person clicking their tongue in thought. Rud narrowed his eyes, looking around to find the source. As always, any noises the tree made came from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“More water, yes. Then you should rest. Night is drawing close.”

Rud nodded, grabbing his bucket and heading off. He ran between the spring and the tree a few times before curling up near the trunk as the sun fell below the horizon. The good thing about his apparent resistance to the cold was that he didn’t need to find a blanket.

###

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Rud yawned, stretching, and yawning again as he woke. His stomach grumbled, so he grabbed his stick and headed out into the forest. Once his arms were filled with mushrooms and nuts, he returned to Ban and sat under the shade. The night had been cold, and the morning was just as cold. Under the shade of the tree, he felt a chill rush through him.

“I’m working on something for you, Rud,” Ban said.

Rud turned around, patting the tree behind him. “I’d offer you some mushrooms, but you eat sunlight. Don’t you?”

“I do.”

Rud took a bite of the first mushroom, feeling instant relief as it fell into his empty belly. He wanted to think of this as a job, but it had become more of a lifestyle. The tree was more important than he first thought and there was a lot of work to do. Ban had mentioned special crystals that were underground. Those were the things that filled the Upgrade Energy meter when he inspected the tree. This might have been a forest, but the abandoned mine seemed just as important.

“So, what are you working on?” Rud asked, popping another button mushroom in his mouth.

“I was talking with Mint last night. She found an abandoned human camp near the lake and took a few things. Has your soul processed your subclass?”

Rud checked, finding that his attributes sheet didn’t show a subclass yet. But he could feel that familiar tickle in his chest again. Something was trying to attach to him again. “Not yet. I think it's close, though.”

“Good. I’ll need time to gather my strength. After you’re done with your breakfast, could you water me?”

Rud agreed, hurrying with his breakfast. Ban tried to make him take his time, but the tree needed water. It was big enough that it would suck up quite a bit. With his belly filled with nuts and mushrooms, he leaned on his walking stick and headed to the pond. The druid stopped near the edge of the forest clearing near the pond, spotting a doe drinking from the water.

That’s right, he thought, flipping through his class screen. He found the Animal Communication skill and inspected it.

[Animal Communication]

Rank 0 Level 1 Skill

Description:

Determines your ability to communicate with animals non-magically.

Effect:

Higher ranks of this skill increase your ability to understand what an animal is thinking.

Deer were flighty things. Every time Rud had come across one on Earth, it had fled before he got a good look. This one was happy enough to drink from the pond, slurping up that magical water like its life depended on it. Rud just watched, studying the forest creature as long as he could. He made notes of the way it held its ears, and the way it looked up when a branch cracked in the distance. While it wasn’t enough to make the skill budge, he could feel it growing in his chest. Some unseen counter ticked up a few percentage points, adding to the skill.

Then the deer fled into the forest, responding to a loud snap somewhere in the distance. Rud waited until nothing happened, then scooped up a bucket full of water. He knew most of it would fall onto the ground, but marched back to his tree anyway.

“I saw a deer,” Rud said, pouring water over the tree’s roots. Compared to how it was as a sapling, it now appeared as a mighty oak. How big would the tree get when it advanced even more?

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Ban said. “Mint is busy, so I have another quest for you.”

“Quest?”

“I want you to avoid the mortals for now, alright?” Ban said, making its wishes clear. “We need to form a pact with them, but I’m too weak. For now, scout to the east and use your Plant Growth spell to restore some of the forest.”

“Are they cutting down trees?” Rud asked, miming rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll give ‘em a good talking to.”

“Don’t do that. We need the mortals.”

“Why?” Rud asked, gesturing vaguely to the grove. “Not many humans here and we’re doing fine.”

“Because of Mint. But she can only do so much. One day, we need the mortals to clear the dungeons around the grove. Which means, we need to give them something.”

“We need to give them wood? Is that the trade?”

“Among other things. The way our souls intertwine has been… interesting. We’ll have other services to provide them soon enough.”

“Such as ore from the mine?” Rud asked, bouncing up and down with excitement. “And berries from the forest?”

“Something like that. From what Mint tells me, this area will become a place where mortals travel often. If we could provide them with services along the road, they would be grateful.”

Rud scratched his narrow chin. “How do we know they’re not going to just chop us down?”

“Mint tells me the people from Sparwyn—the current settlers in the area—are respectful to our cause. They have enshrined Spirit Groves back in their homeland.”

Rud trusted what Ban and Mint had to say. He nodded, gesturing in all four cardinal directions. “Where is east?”

The tree was silent for a long moment. "Hmm if I told you north was this way... Than east is... there ya go"

Rud grabbed his walking stick and marched off into the forest. His mana had regenerated from yesterday, but he only had a single cast of the spell before he was sent waiting on his butt for it to regenerate. But the tree knew what it was talking about. And when it wanted him back, it would ask. He hummed a merry song as he walked.

The walk from the grove to the area where the mortals had been logging took forever. Rud was tired by the time he got there, and curled up under a tree to take a nap. It must have taken three hours of walking, most of which was done at a swift pace. Since he wasn’t delayed by the thickness of the forest, it would take a mortal even longer. When he woke, Ban was talking into his mind.

“How many trees have you restored?” it asked.

Rud yawned, stretching lazily on the ground. He had restored exactly zero trees. Instead of responding, he looked over the field of stumps. Someone had cut this section of forest clear, leaving only destruction behind. He had to push down the offense he felt, trusting that the tree knew what it was talking about. If they needed the mortals, they needed mortals. There was nothing he could do but help the forest out. And those mortals that had cleared the land weren’t without mercy. Already, there were sprouts bursting from the ground, eager to take the place of their fallen trees.

Rud knelt near one sprout, holding his hands around the delicate green leaves. He closed his eyes, thinking about the Plant Growth spell. It came easier than last time, seeming to suck in the surrounding air to power the spell. Of course it drew something from his soul as well, something he suspected was mana. The spell gathered in his palms, infusing the plant with growth magic. It sprung upward, displaying an amount of growth that wasn’t quite as impressive as what the talking, magical tree could do. It was taller than him, though not thick enough where he couldn’t wrap his arms around it.

After casting his spell, a message appeared. Like the information he got from his attributes, class, and skill screens this one plopped itself in the center of his vision. He read it.

[Skill Gain!]

You’ve performed enough actions with Growth Magic to earn the skill! The Growth Magic skill has been attached to your Druid class.

Sure enough, there was a new skill under his druid class. Rud shook away the distraction and turned his thoughts back to Ban. He had only advanced one tree to the next level, but it was better than nothing.

“I’ve restored one,” Rud said with pride. He hoped that the tree could hear him.

Ban sighed into his mind. “That’s fine. Any signs of the mortals?”

“Nope,” Rud said, inspecting the stumps. They had been cut down some time ago, perhaps displaying some of the mortals’ restraint. “Just some old stumps. Oh, I think I see something.”

“What is it?”

Rud narrowed his eyes, keeping an eye on the horizon. Shapes came over a hill in the distance, gesturing to the general area. The druid slipped into the underbrush, removing himself from their sight with haste. “I think I saw a mortal. Or two.”

“Just steer clear. I’m working on a few things to help you travel through the forest with ease. For now, head back and have a rest. Also, I need more water.”

“Right away, boss,” Rud said, standing at attention and saluting in Ban’s general direction. He scampered through the forest, leaving thoughts of the mortals behind.

It was near dusk when Rud began his trip back to the tree. Darkness settled in as he traveled and the forest came alive with a different life. Insects sang their songs, buzzing in the distance. More critters came to the stage, pushing through the brush. Rud stopped at a small clearing, locking eyes with a badger-like creature. He swore the badger nodded at him before moving on, pressing into the underbrush and going about its business.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Rud said with a snort.

He knew he was approaching Ban when he spotted fireflies darting through the air ahead. They flashed, streaked, then vanished just as soon as they appeared. Rud was short of breath by now and pressed his back against the tree. It had nothing to say, only providing a nice place to rest. Once he was rested enough, he headed to the pond to scoop more water. He might have been tired, but the day wasn’t tiring. He did a few trips before coming to rest below the tree once again.

“We’re doing well,” Ban said, the voice coming from the surrounding forest.

Rud suspected Ban was sending roots throughout the forest, searching for something. It said that Mint had something for him, and it was related to the mine. He hoped it was a Rud-sized pickaxe or shovel. That would be awesome. He would even be happy with one that was too big, so long as he could help make the tree larger. That seemed to be the first step in getting the forest in order. But the forest seemed quite healthy. There was a variety of plants and animals, and not much intervention from the mortals. It didn’t seem over-hunted. Perhaps it wasn’t doing well based on magical forest standards, though.

“Ya think so?” Rud asked, popping a mushroom into his mouth. His stomach was growling worse than ever.

“Your subclass should attach by tomorrow. Then I can show you what we can do together.”

Rud thought he was already helping out quite a lot. He didn’t have enough mana to cast his fancy plant growing spell, but he did so with a smile. That should have counted for something. “I’m excited,” he said as he drifted off to sleep.