Melody smiled happily as her home came into sight. "Ah! There it-."
"Rooooooo!" A loud mooing sound came from the direction of her home.
What the heck was that? Melody slowed and hid while pulling out her bow and notching an arrow. The Brownies and pixie hid inside the pack on Melody's back.
She heard the sound again and looked around the tree she was hiding behind to see a sizeable wooly creature lying near the spring.
"What is that?" Melody asked the pixie. The pixie poked her head over Melody's shoulder.
"Oh! It's a Wooly Bison!" The pixie flew over to check on it.
Seeing the pixie was not wary of the animal, Melody relaxed her bow and moved forward with a bit of caution. Melody used her identify skill on the animal.
Wooly Bison: Name: None. Age: 6. Level: 8. Danger Level: Low.
A Wooly Bison (female). Wooly Bison are peaceful animals. This animal can be domesticated. Herbivore. Produces nutritious milk. High strength and endurance. Low wisdom. Medium intelligence and dexterity.
With the new information, Melody assumed her skill must have leveled up in the morning when used.
Melody approached the wooly bison, noticing it had a wound on its side and several minor cuts. It seemed too exhausted to move.
"What do you think, Melody?" The pixie asked.
The two Brownies had teleported down in front of the bison. The girl with the blue cap looked like she was ready to cry.
"I think something wounded it, and it ran away," Melody replied, not sensing any danger nearby.
"Roooo!" The wooly bison mooed again, trembling a bit as it did not know its fate with the beings around it.
Melody felt terrible for it and retrieved some of her healing poultice made from Rola Moss. Melody was cultivating it at one end of the spring. She petted the wooly bison to show she meant no harm and spoke as soothingly as she could. The bison's trembling subsided a bit, and Melody began applying the poultice to its wounds. It weakly whined as she used the paste on its injury.
This... Doesn't look like something a predator I am familiar with could do. Melody observed the wound. It looked like something had burst on its side, shredding just to below the surface. The injury looked to be maybe a few hours old.
"I wish I had a bowl for it. I could use some Loca Grass powder to ease the pain." Melody thought aloud.
The brownies pulled a large wooden bowl out of the tiny pack on the older one's back and filled it with water from the spring.
Melody was wide-eyed at the two little brownies who effortlessly carried the basin over and placed it next to her.
How the heck did they do that? Ah! Could those packs be legendary spatial storage bags?! I hope I can get one someday... Melody got over her shock and continued to treat the bison. Melody poured some pain killer medicine into the basin, and her helpers put it in front of the wounded animal. It began drinking from the basin now that it knew that Melody meant no harm.
"Poor thing," Melody said while patting its head.
"Arooo!"
Melody giggled, "Hey, that sounds like a good name for you, Aroo. OH, WAIT!" She felt a lot of her magic get used, and she got lightheaded, stumbling back onto her rump.
"Melody!" The pixie jetted over to check on her.
Crap. Identify magic.
Magic: 640/8480.
"I'm okay. It did not take as much magic as with Mother Gaia. But it did take a little over three thousand. Sorry pixie, it might be a bit longer before I can recover." Melody apologized to the fretting pixie while steadying herself.
The brownies started trying to get Melody's attention while pointing at the spring.
"What are they saying?" Melody asked.
"They are saying to get in the spring. If you drink your fill and soak in it, you will recover faster."
Why did I forget about that fact…? Melody lamented as her shoulders sagged.
Standing, she trudged over to the spring and drank a bunch of water.
The bearded brownie said something to the pixie and headed inside. "He said that he will wait inside until you are done. Out of all the male brownies, he is a proper gentleman." The pixie commented.
Melody smiled and called out a thank you to him. She stripped off her armor and clothing, and Melody waded into the spring.
There's that warm tingly feeling again. Feels nice.
"Melody. Are you evolving again?" The pixie asked.
"Hmm? Identify race… Nope, still just a High Giant, no evolving attached to it. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it looks like your body is different. Like your chest." The pixie pointed.
Melody looked down and noticed that her body had changed since the night before.
It took Melody a few minutes of thinking before she remembered her current giant age, "Oh, this is something called puberty. It is when the hormones in your body begin to change, which causes your body to rapidly grow in all kinds of ways. My, um, uh, breasts, are a part of that growth…." She trailed off, blushing.
The Brownie girl spoke up to the pixie. "Ooooh. Okay, pixies don't go through that, but apparently, brownies do. Though she wanted to know what a hormone is. Is it like pheromones?"
Crud. Science is not as advanced here like it was back home…
Melody tried her best to explain what she knew with her high school-level education. The information mostly confused the pixie and brownie, but they accepted her explanation as best they could.
Melody soaked in the water for about an hour before climbing out, feeling clean and energized. The brownie girl cast drying magic on her, which she got an appreciative hug for it. Melody put on the new underwear and then her armor.
"Huh? The underwear is self-adjusting? Um, little miss brownie, is this enchanted?" Melody asked the brownie, which she was told that it was a magic fabric that would adjust to her growth.
"She said that the older ladies pushed for that feature. They could tell you were still growing. It has a self-cleaning feature too." The pixie translated, puffing out her non-existent chest and looking smug like she made the whole thing herself.
"This is so amazing! I have to thank them somehow. Is there something brownies love to eat?" Melody asked if she could do something for the brownies because she wanted to thank those who made the gift.
"She says they love honey sap. It comes from an orange-colored tree called a honeysuckle sapling. Sadly, there are none in the north forest." The pixie translated.
Orange tree… I feel like I saw one in the south forest. Melody thought before she remembered seeing one around the area where the Falda Lizard had called home.
Identify magic…
Magic: 6630/8480.
Oh wow, I recovered nearly all my magic from that! "Hey pixie, I know where one of those trees is. I am going to see if I can get a sapling or seeds."
The brownie began dancing a little jig and celebrating.
Sooooo cute! Melody wanted to hug the dancing brownie but decided it was more fun to watch.
Melody asked them to look after Aroo while she was gone. Grabbing her equipment, she headed toward the southern forest.
Melody arrived at the open road area and checked both ways this time because she didn't want to accidentally destroy some poor merchant's cart or get attacked. Using Charge, Melody rapidly crossed the open area and disappeared into the southern Gaian Forest. What she didn't check was the forest edge of the northern forest, where some on-lookers saw her disappear into the southern forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the adventurer's guild, a group of adventurers entered and approached the guild master when they saw him.
"Guild master." The lead woman called out.
"Yes?" He turned to the group.
The group then spoke of their sighting of Melody and how they waited to see if they could catch her attention but failed to be heard.
"We saw her charge out of the southern forest at a blinding speed, we all shouted her name, but she was gone by the time we finished calling out. We may have been too far away from her for her to hear us." The leader said sadly.
"It is alright. Every report we've gotten is of Melody crossing that area too quickly. Then it is impossible to track her after. Our best hunters have tried tracking her and say they only see her in the open field, but her tracks vanish once she enters the forest. Good try though, here are a couple of small silver for the attempt."
The group thanked the guild master and walked to turn in another mission they did.
"No luck still fa-, guild master?" Violet, his daughter, approached him while correcting herself.
"None. The sightings of her are few, but every time, Melody disappears as quickly as she appears. I am beginning to think it will be a long time before we can make contact with such an asset, I mean,
her again." He sat down heavily.
"Hmm. Guild master. What about putting up signs?" Violet offered.
"Huh. That… might not be too bad of an idea. I don't know if she can understand our writing, but Melody was said to be highly intelligent. Maybe she can read too. Very well, Violet, I commission you to find some individuals to make and plant the signs along the road. Have them face the forests. Distance… Make it every quarter mile for a couple of miles from the center of the area she had been spotted. The reward will be a large bronze. All ranks can perform."
Violet confirmed the order and headed off to find one young group to let them know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melody arrived at the empty space where the lizard was. It looked like nothing new had moved in, and the Whirly shrooms were in more significant number since the lizard was no longer there to eat them.
Now, where was it…? There it is! She found the orange tree and used identify on it.
Honeysuckle Oak: Produces a honey sap. Wood has a sweet fragrance. The inner layer of bark can be dried and ground to make sugar.
"I must have this tree back at home." Melody solemnly stated.
She searched around the tree and found a few seeds as well as a single sapling growing nearby. She carefully dug up the sapling, being careful to not damage the roots, and ran back home.
Melody spotted some humans before charging across the open area. Moving further away from them for safety, she used her skill and quickly got across. They yelled something at her, but her stomping and distance kept her from understanding what they said.
Once she was within the north forest, she thoroughly blended with air and rapidly made her way home.
"Melody! Welcome back!" The pixie welcomed her friend back with a raised hand and bright smile.
Melody thanked the pixie and showed her and the brownies the sapling and seeds.
"Wow, Melody! This is great! If we give the seeds to the spriggans, they can cause them to grow faster! We should plant the sapling here. Maybe near the spring?" Melody agreed with the pixie's recommendation, and they headed over to the spring.
The bearded brownie advised where to plant it, and Melody used her dig skill to create a hole, planting the sapling within. The two Brownies used a bit of magic to lift a small water blob and watered the sapling with it.
"Oh right. I checked on my way back. I think I have enough magic to name you pixie."
"Really! Yay! Yay!" She began dancing in the air before coming to a stop before Melody, hands clenched in front of her, an expectant, excited look on her face.
She is so adorable! I love these forest spirits! Melody had to fight the urge to hug the pixie.
"Okay, the name I chose is... Maple." Melody saw half of her magic was used.
The pixie, Maple, glowed a green hue. "W-W-Wow! My name! My name is Maple!" She shot straight up into the air, spun around, and began zipping around the area calling out her name while joyously laughing.
Melody and the Brownies watched happily as Maple zipped about. Eventually, Maple flew up and hugged Melody's face, rubbing her cheek on hers.
"Thank you, Melody! I love you! I promise I will be your bestest best friend forever! Oh right! Can you check if I will evolve?" The newly named pixie was practically vibrating with how excited she was.
Melody nodded with a wide grin and used her skill.
Pixie (Evolving): Name: Maple. Age: 18. Level: 10. Danger Level: Low.
A pixie (female). Pixies are minor Forest Spirits who are peaceful but sometimes mischievous. Loves the giant named Melody. Uses Forest, Wind, and Water Magic.
Health: 180. Stamina: 500. Magic: 2000. Strength: 40. Endurance: 90. Dexterity: 110. Intelligence: 150. Wisdom: 220. Charisma: 200.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
W-What was that one part? Melody blushed a little of embarrassment.
"What is it? Am I evolving?" Maple asked, buzzing energetically.
"Oh, um, yes, you are evolving."
"Yay!" Maple went back to zipping about happily.
Well, I guess it is not a bad thing. Melody smiled.
The following day, Melody and Maple returned to the grove to be met by an apologetic spriggan. She bowed her head to the two arrivals.
"I am sorry to inform you, but Lady Gaia is currently absent. A demon had wandered in from the northeast, and she went to deal with it." The silver-leafed spriggan said.
"Oh, well, that is okay. But will Gaia need help?" Melody asked.
"A moment, please." The spriggan's eyes narrowed to slits for a minute before they opened once more. "Lady Gaia said she will be fine. It is a water-type, and she is looking to test her new capabilities. She should be back in a few hours."
Melody thanked the spriggan, "Oh, do you happen to have a name?"
The spriggan's mood seemed to brighten, "Yes! Lady Gaia bestowed me the name, Silvanus. I am truly indebted to her for her benevolence."
"Well, it is nice to meet you, Silvanus. I'm Melody." Melody gave her brightest smile.
"Like-wise, Miss Melody. By the way, I was told you have the Identify skill?" Silvanus asked.
Melody nodded, and the spriggan asked if Melody could check her status.
Spriggan: Name: Silvanus. Age: 149. Level: 50* Danger Level: High.
A Spriggan. Spriggans are mid-level Forest Spirits. Greatly respects her mentor, Gaia. Can communicate through nature. Uses Forest Magic.
Melody finished informing Silvanus of her status.
"Oh... I see." She seemed let down.
"Is something wrong?" Melody asked out of concern.
Silvanus adjusted herself to not be so apparent with her disappointment. "I..." She sighed, "I was hoping I was evolving."
"I'm sorry. I saw a star by your level. Do you know what that means?" Melody asked.
"A star? Hmm... I believe it means I have reached the level cap of my form. How much do you know of levels and evolutions?" Silvanus asked.
"Very little," Melody responded.
"Would you like me to tell you?" Silvanus asked, which Melody nodded.
Silvanus led the two into the grove, saying she would also give Melody a tour.
From Silvanus, Melody learned several things in regards to levels and evolution.
First was levels. As a being levels up, they naturally get stronger as their preferred or most used attributes are utilized. An example she used was if one uses a lot of magic, their intelligence and wisdom attributes would increase more. The last item Silvanus mentioned was that with each form, the level cap increases. Once a forest spirit or monster reaches its level cap, it will need to evolve before getting stronger.
Silvanus used this point to shift into talking about evolution.
"Evolution is unique to monsters and spirits like us. With each evolution, we become significantly stronger and sometimes take on unique attributes or capabilities." Silvanus began.
"What affects evolution?" Melody asked as they walked along, Maple hanging over the giant's shoulder.
"The number of options for evolution can change depending on skills, time, experience, attributes, and even feats. Using you as an example, you hunt and utilize survival skills, so you may end up with evolution in regards to that." Silvanus explained.
"Do you know what you can evolve into?" Melody asked.
"I... do. Right now, I have one evolution available, but it is not the one I want. It is a Witchwood Spriggan. From what Gaia told me, it specializes in magic and curses." Silvanus responded.
"So, what are you hoping for?"
After a pause, "An Elder Spriggan." Silvanus answered.
Ahh, I see. She wants to follow in Gaia's shoes... shoes? Feet? Roots, let's go with roots. Melody thought.
"Do you know what you need for it?" Melody asked.
"I think I know what I am lacking. It is time. I hope that once I reach one-hundred-fifty years, I will get it."
"Speaking of years, I am a bit confused over my own age. It says I am fourteen, but I figured out that I have been alive for, I think, seventeen months." Melody brought it up.
"Ah yes. Age is how old you are physically. Using giants as an example, they typically age at a rate of one month equal to a year of physical age. So the longest a regular giant could live would be around three years, that is if they didn't kill off their elderly." Silvanus explained.
So kind of like dog or cat years from my past world. Since I am a high giant, I wonder what that equates my ratio to? Did I evolve when mom named me?
"Silvanus." Melody got the spriggan's attention, "Is it always obvious when one evolves?"
"Not always. It can be subtle, but bursts of strength and power can be an indicator." Silvanus answered.
Maybe I evolved just before Olg went after the humans... Melody thought as they arrived at their first destination.
The area had a few Homely Trees surrounding a large courtyard. Silvanus informed Melody that the site was the residential section for the pixies and brownies.
Each tree home had several floors to them. Some of the residents invited Melody to look inside the windows. Looking inside, Melody saw that tree was similar to a large apartment building with many rooms for the residents to stay.
"Pixies tend to be more solitary, having smaller rooms to themselves. Meanwhile, the brownie residents are larger where multiple generations of a family can live." Silvanus explained.
"What about spriggans?" Melody asked.
"We typically root ourselves into the ground around the courtyard here. We will stand dormant until just before sunrise, or something wakes us. Though Lady Gaia is an exception, she is having her office converted into a home for herself. Her new form is quite lovely."
Melody was now excited to see Gaia's new form. Was she bigger? Did she have a face now? Or maybe look like a dryad? Melody couldn't wait.
"Over there is the Crafters Den!" Maple pointed out an area that had brick buildings.
Silvanus led them over to the location. There were only eight brownie-sized buildings, but each one sounded busy with the little people working within.
It was explained that the brownies loved crafting things, especially things for homes.
"If you need items for your home, you are welcome to put in a request with them," Silvanus said.
"Sounds great!" Melody thanked the spriggan and the brownies that came out to say hello.
It was then that a familiar and melodic voice rang out from behind them.
"Good to see you, Melody. I apologize for my tardiness, but thankfully things went smoother than expected."
Melody turned to see a very different Gaia. The evolved elder spriggan requested to be identified.
Daughter of Lyuten: Name: Gaia. Age: 236. Level: 1 Danger Level: Extremely High.
A Daughter of Lyuten is strongly tied to nature as Lyuten is the divine spirit of nature. This is a final evolution. Can communicate through nature. Uses Forest, Nature, Earth, Wind, and Water Magic. Can also absorb excess sunlight to use to attack.
Health: 3610. Stamina: 2240. Magic: 6200. Strength: 140. Endurance: 290. Dexterity: 110. Intelligence: 450. Wisdom: 600. Charisma: 300.
Gaia's bark was now a smooth golden brown, and her body looked more womanly. Gaia was slightly taller than Melody with vines and leaves that created an extravagant emerald shimmering dress covering her body. Instead of hair, there were a series of leaves and thin vines with flowers. Lastly, Gaia now had a working face.
How can a tree lady be so sexy?! Goals! I call this goal! Melody was blown away by Gaia's voluptuous curves.
Gaia had a warm, motherly smile on her face as Melody went through all of her changes.
"Simply amazing. Thank you, Melody." Gaia bowed her head, her lips moving as she spoke.
Gaia now had a regal feeling to her stance while exuding a comforting sense of warmth.
"Now then. I can see your pixie friend has been imbued with a lot of magic. Did you name her this morning?" Gaia asked.
"Nope! She named me yesterday! I now have the pretty name of Maple!" Maple replied, bouncing in the air.
"What a charming name." Gaia smiled.
"I named the two brownies this morning. They stayed behind because they were feeling pretty supercharged. I named the girl in the blue cap, Bell, as in Bellflower. Her hat and personality reminded me of them. The older one I named Pappy. He kind of reminds me of my grandfather." Melody smiled.
With their burst of power, Bell and Pappy stated that they would work on the home. Pappy had brought along some Glow Bells, the orbs that lit up the grove the previous night. He also wanted to get a basic kitchen put together if he could. Bell was going to put together a temporary area to sleep and clean up around the site.
"You knew your grandfather? I thought no giants live that long." Gaia looked at Melody, surprised.
Oh no! Oh no? Do I really need to keep it a secret from them? They are so loving and caring… Maybe I should wait a bit longer... Melody was still unsure whether or not she could truly trust the Forest Spirits. She felt that they were very good people, but she wanted to be cautious after the human's betrayal.
"Now then, shall we get your questions from yesterday answered? Follow me, little fern." Gaia beckoned them to follow.
Melody was impressed as they approached the area where they battled the demon mole, the area that was charred was now beautiful once more with grass, small trees, and flowers.
"I specially prepared this area for you, Melody. Sit at the center," Melody sat and crossed her legs, "To use the magic of nature, you must be able to connect to it. Other magic types are different in that all you must do is understand them to use them. Once you are connected to nature, your senses will be greatly expanded. Humans have been capable of connecting to nature, but very few possess the skill to call on nature for help. Your magic is to be a gift to nature to ask for its help. Sometimes it can fail, but I feel that nature would always answer your call, Melody. Now, close your eyes, take your time, answer the question 'What is the core of Nature,' and become one with it." Melody took all of what Gaia told her and closed her eyes.
Becoming one with nature sounds like my blending skills. I have only blended with individual things… But what is the core of nature? Something common… What unites them all? Melody contemplated as she searched for what connected the ground, rocks, trees, air, shadows, light, animals, spirits, and all else.
Hours pass and Melody was still sitting in the circle, Gaia standing nearby watching over her.
Melody had been trying to find an answer the whole time, with the one thing that made sense was life, but she felt like she was missing something.
Life... Living... Birth... Growth... ... ... Death. The thought brought back memories of her mother. Life and death. We live and die, returning to the ground to nurture the next generation. Circle of Life... The Cycle. Melody had found her answer.
A slew of emotions and sounds washed over her. Melody clutched her head, trying to keep sane as so much information flowed through her mind. It was overwhelming her, but then something caught her attention. It was all around her.
"A song?" Melody could hear a song. It brought tears to her eyes. "It's so beautiful." She opened her eyes to see the spriggans all around, their arms raised toward the heavens, their hearts singing.
"They're singing? Gaia, what is this?" A welcoming and comforting warmth permeated her mind and soul with the emotions of the spriggans, the warmest one coming from Gaia.
Gaia smiled happily. "Congratulations Melody. You are now connected to nature. I am sure it was a bit much at first, but you will adjust before knowing it. What was the answer you found?" She asked curiously.
Melody wiped away the tears and stood. "The cycle of life and death. That is nature. The cycle is what connects all things."
"Well done, Melody." Gaia had a joyous, warm smile on her soft wooden face.
Melody could feel the life force all around her, then she felt a large wave of warm happiness from beside her. Next to her was a large group of brownies and Maple.
"Congratulations, Melody!" Maple hugged her friend's face.
"Thank you, Maple, and thank you, Mother Gaia." Melody's heart was filled with joy.
The warmth and beauty of the grove were overwhelming to Melody, causing the tears of joy to continue to flow. She had a family.
"Is this what you meant by understanding, Mother Gaia?" Melody asked.
A feeling of pride radiated from Gaia, "Yes. This is why I trusted you. Though you were not connected to nature, I could feel your warm and sincere heart. I knew you were not like the other giants and could be trusted. It is why I helped you."
Though Melody was unsure if she could trust the forest spirits before, she now knew they could be. The connection was not like a hive mind but a connection of the heart. One could tell if another had wicked thoughts or had the best of intentions. No lies would go unnoticed, nor misunderstandings occur. They were connected, all through the heart of nature.
With a wry smile, Melody asked if they could have a seat. She had a lot to tell them. Gaia elegantly waved her hand, causing a small table and stools to grow. They sat down, and Melody began speaking of her past life, Nova and the curse, the giant clan, her mother and Elder, and the present.
Hours later, Melody finished her story.
"From another world. I have heard of such things from someone friendly with the grove. He comes by every so often. But hearing the truth of you, the little bit of your world… Melody, I am greatly saddened by the fact that you had to go through that experience with the giant clan. If you so wish it, I would be happy to help you crush it." Gaia's glowing eyes flared up briefly.
Melody thought for a bit. "Thank you for the offer, Mother Gaia. But from what Elder told me, my mother's dying wish was for me to live a good, peaceful life. So unless Elder asks for my help, I will continue to live my life here. Honestly, I love you all. With all the bad things that happened in my life here, I am overjoyed to be here." Melody looked up to be met with a warm, loving gaze of Gaia, the Daughter of Lyuten's loving heart washing over her.
Melody smiled, looking away while blushing.
"Since you call me Mother Gaia, feel free to think of me as such. Now, shall I teach you how to use your magic?"
"Yes, please!" Melody smiled happily.
Melody and Gaia were standing near an orchard area and had finished planting the seeds of the Honeysuckle Oak trees. Gaia held out her hand, letting the magic flow into the ground. Shortly after, a tiny sprout appeared and began to grow, then within ten minutes, a healthy young tree was grown.
"There. Do you understand Melody?" Gaia turned to a Melody who had magic sight activated.
"I think so. You used magic to energize the seed to accelerate its growth?" Melody pondered.
"Close. I gave it magic, asking it to grow. The tree liked it here so much that they decided to grow. Now, you go ahead and try." Gaia motioned toward one of the other seedlings they set up.
Melody nodded and flowed her magic out into the ground between the trees.
Please grow big and strong. Melody flowed her thoughts into her emotions and pushed them along with her magic.
The seedling quickly sprouted from the ground and grew taller and taller, its branches extending out. Before long, the new honeysuckle tree was even taller than Melody.
"Whoa, what?" Melody was taken aback.
"Ufufufufu. Nature truly loves you, Melody. The trees were happy to answer your request. I can feel, yes, they are delighted to have received your magic." Gaia informed Melody.
Melody smiled toward the trees, it was faint, but she could feel happiness from the trees.
"This really is an amazing feeling Mother Gaia. Thank you for teaching me."
Gaia smiled and nodded.
"Um, would the rapid growth affect the tree negatively, though? I mean, it grew forcefully without the normal amount of sunlight." Melody asked.
Gaia laughed elegantly, "Your nature magic is so pure it is like basking in the sun for years. I assure you the tree is healthy and strong, if not a bit immature in personality."
The Brownies nearby were happily dancing at the future prospect of being able to enjoy honey sap.
"Me-Lo-dy!" Maple hugged Melody's face.
"What is it, Maple?" Melody asked, leaning into Maple's hug.
"Can we head home? I am getting worried about Bell, Pappy, and Aroo."
Melody looked up and saw it was late in the day. She thanked Gaia for the lessons, gave the Daughter of Lyuten a warm hug, and turned to leave.
"Melody, hold on." Gaia handed her a small bag made of vine fibers that were tightly woven. Melody opened the pouch and used her identify skill.
Rampart Tree (Seeds): Rampart trees like to grow close to each other to form a wall. Bark and wood are more rigid than steel. Once grown to a certain point, gains magic and elemental resistance.
"Wow! Mother Gaia, these are amazing!" Melody hugged her again.
"I am glad you like them. I have been concerned over your home's safety for you and the others. They tend to be about twenty inches in diameter full grown while intertwining their branches with one another." Gaia said, returning the hug.
Melody said her goodbyes to everyone who came to see her and Maple's departure. She turned and began her rapid return with a bright smile on her face.
"El come, ome!" Bell greeted them with a smile.
"B-Bell? Wow! You look great!" Melody cried out over the adorable little girl.
Bell no longer looked short and stubby. She was now a bit slenderer and about three feet tall.
"Sorry, Miss Melody. I still try to teach her your tongue." The older man said with a warm smile.
"It is no problem. I am just amazed at how quickly you two learned, Pappy." Melody smiled at him.
Pappy looked about the same, a bit pudgy with rosy cheeks and a well-trimmed light grey beard, but he was also now three and a half feet tall.
"We learned a lot while being with Gaia. I should have a good handle soon. You hungry?" Pappy asked. Melody thanked him and told him she was, so he disappeared to his make-shift kitchen near the food stores. Melody went outside along with Bell while Maple went to rest.
"Melody, dent-fy pwease!" Melody smiled at Bell's adorableness.
Forest Gnome: Name: Bell. Age: 16. Level: 1. Danger Level: Low.
A Forest Gnome (female) is the evolved form of a Brownie. They are known for their skilled handy and housework. Loves the giant named Melody. Can communicate through nature. Can use various low to mid-level elemental magic along with mental and spatial.
Health: 430. Stamina: 800. Magic: 1680. Strength: 100. Endurance: 300. Dexterity: 240. Intelligence: 310. Wisdom: 500. Charisma: 900.
Melody finished telling Bell, who began happily dancing, causing Melody to pick her up and hug her.
Uwah! She is so adorable! She does have a charisma of 900, but she is soooo cute!
Bell giggled as Melody nuzzled their cheeks together.
"Roooo!" Melody stopped and went over to where Aroo was. Kneeling, she checked on the bison's wounds.
"Looks like you're healing really well. I am glad, Aroo!"
"Rooo!" Aroo mooed happily.
Let's check… Melody used identify.
Wooly Bison (Evolving): Name: Aroo. Age: 6. Level: 8. Danger Level: Low. A Wooly Bison (female). Wooly Bison are peaceful animals. This animal can be domesticated. Herbivore. Produces nutritious milk.
Health: 840/1400. Stamina: 2500. Magic: 200. Strength: 340. Endurance: 490. Dexterity: 140. Intelligence: 120. Wisdom: 90. Charisma: 160.
Oh, I can see her stats now… She's evolving too. Is this some kind of unique feature of me?! Does everything I name evolve? Am, am I a walking Rare Candy?
While Melody contemplated her odd situation, Aroo licked her face. "Wah! Aroo!"
Aroo mooed happily, and Melody began petting the bison.
I should make a brush. I should ask Pappy to show me.
After giving some water and food to Aroo, she pulled out the vine bag that Gaia gave her. Melody had trouble figuring the distance she should plant them to the number of seeds, but Bell told her she knew how to space them.
Melody would use her dig skill to create small holes and bury the seeds where Bell instructed.
After an hour, and the sun was beginning to set, they finished planting all the seeds.
Wow! Bell is awesome! It surrounds the whole area while leaving a place for an entrance!
"Bell, you are amazing!" Melody said, cuddling the little giggling gnome. Melody had some magic left, so she went to the center of the area and poured it into the ground, spreading to each seed.
Rampart trees, please grow for me so my friends can stay safe.
She could feel a response from the seeds, and small saplings sprouted. They were slowly growing, but Melody was thankful, sending her grateful emotions to the saplings.
"Dinner time!" Pappy called out from inside.
Melody and Bell headed inside to eat and turn in for the night.