Zalia relaxed happily in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth as she sipped at the cup of tea in her hand. She was high up in the air on a balcony that grew from the thick trunk of the Ancient of Life, one of the three ancients that looked after the town called Nature’s Reclaim.
Life in Endaria had been good since the removal of the Monarch as the leader of the Astar people. It had nearly been a year since then and the new leader of the Astar, Het’jel, had firmly rested control of their people during that time.
The council of Endaria had helped of course, allowing their high ranked people to join in on various missions in service of stabilising the situation there. It was for the good of their own people that the council agreed to help Het’jel, since having an ally in power was much better than the alternative, a power that would beat them down through any means just for the sake of remaining more powerful.
The nation of Endaria had healed wonderfully in that time, finally left alone and given time to recover after the invasion that had culled their population. No longer were the capital, Ostoss and Nature’s Reclaim some of the only populated cities, with the wrecks and ruins of other towns and villages across the nation being settled once more.
Zalia herself hadn’t been idle either, taking part in a significant number of the missions that had made up the effort to stabilise the Astar nation. She might have idled, spending more time wandering the reaches beyond either Endaria or the Astar nation if it hadn’t been for the last words she had heard from her dear friend Nateysta.
An Ascendant from another world overrun with demons, Nateysta, who Zalia called Ro, had long ago extracted her promise to help him retake it. The last time she had seen him, he had warned her that she needed to grow stronger as the day that he called her to fulfil her promise was far, but inevitable.
And so Zalia, her partner Ember, her daughter Aylie and her fluffy, feline, friend Boreal had all kept themselves busy in an attempt to increase their rank as quickly as possible. Well, almost as quickly as possible. They had needed to recover after the constant tension and fighting that had led up to the final fight with the Monarch.
It was because of this constant participation that both Zalia and Boreal had almost ascended to Gold rank with Ember not far behind and Aylie similarly close to Silver rank.
In fact, a couple of her abilities had already reached past Silver and attained their Gold rank upgrades.
Profile - Zalia Taori
Health - Excellent
Mana - Full
Stamina - Full
Class one - Hunter - Silver 16
Linked attributes - Strength, Dexterity
Active skills
Kill Shot - Silver 18
Hunter's Mark - Silver 18
Fight or Flight - Silver 16
Passive skills
Hunter's Sight - Silver 19
Survivalist - Gold 1
Class two - Herbalist - Silver 15
Linked attributes - Vitality, Resilience
Active skills
Flora Identification - Silver 15
Natural Matter Alteration - Silver 19
Druid’s Grove - Gold 1
Passive skills
Harvester - Silver 17
Herbal Magic - Silver 19
Unity class - Druid - Silver 18
Linked attributes - Wisdom, Intellect
Active skills
Nature’s Wrath - Silver 18
Protection of the Wilds - Silver 18
Passive skills
Healing Presence - Silver 19
General Passives
Heat Resistance - Gold 1 (MAX)
Cold Resistance - Gold 1 (MAX)
Aura Observation - Silver 1 (MAX)
Enhanced Vision - Silver 1 (MAX)
Poison resistance - Iron 7
Mobility - Gold 1
Stealth - Gold 1 (MAX)
Trapper - Gold 1 (MAX)
Teaching - Silver 1 (MAX)
Flight - Silver 1 (MAX)
Physical Resistance - Gold 1 (MAX)
Mental Resistance - Gold 1 (MAX)
Weapon proficiencies
Bow - Silver 1 (MAX)
Sword - Silver 1 (MAX)
Throwing Knives - Tin 17
Bonded Items
Druidic Armaments, Blessed by Starlight (Blessed Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Silver rank.
Druidic Armour, Blessed by Nature (Blessed Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Silver rank.
Ethereal Vault Gauntlet (Heirloom) - Deeply bonded Silver rank.
Blessings
Blessing of Scour, The Desert Storm.
Blessing of The Starlight Wolf.
Blessing of Nateysta.
Her most commonly used abilities such as passives like Survivalist had increased faster than others, its almost constant use causing the increased gain. Druid’s Grove had similarly done so because despite being an active ability, it had a constant effect in the maintenance of her Druid Grove’s, such as Nature’s Reclaim.
The reason Zalia was up on the balcony far above her Grove was for this very reason, in fact. The ability had just reached Gold so she was relaxing, feeling out the new bounds of the power and its abilities, though she could read exactly what it did.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Active 3 - Druid Grove - spell - targeted - realm
Tin - You may place herbs in stasis. Additionally, you are able to establish a small Druid Grove.
Iron - Herbs in stasis may now be put into a spatial storage. Plants and friendly creatures within your Druid Grove are constantly affected by the base effect of Healing presence separate to your aura.
Bronze - The spatial storage effect of this ability is now linked with ‘Ethereal Vault Gauntlet’, creating one larger space. This space is considered part of your Druid Grove.
Silver - Druid Groves are now only possible to remove with an extensive on-site ritual. You may have two Druid Groves. Your Groves are now managed by three ancients. These are the ancients of War, Life and Wisdom.
Gold - You may now establish five Druid Groves. Each Grove has the ability to enter a state of readiness, increasing defences but reducing the effects of all other Groves in response.
Ancient of War: The Ancient of War is represented by a feline. This Ancient’s purpose is to look after the defence of the Grove.
Ancient of Life: The Ancient of Life is represented by a tree. This Ancient’s purpose is to look after all living things within the Grove.
Ancient of Wisdom: The Ancient of Wisdom is represented by a crow. This Ancient’s purpose is to consider the future of the Grove.
Your Druid Groves are now linked together with a portal located in each Grove’s Ancient Hall, allowing free travel between them.
Druid Grove Added Effects
Healing Presence.
Grove Portals.
The Three Ancients.
State of Readiness.
Druid Grove Base Effects
The protective energy of your Druid Grove extends to ward off harmful magical influences and creatures, providing an added layer of defence to those within its bounds.
Your Druid Grove changes with the seasons, adapting its flora and effects accordingly. In spring, it might emphasise growth, while in winter, it offers protection from the cold.
Your Druid Grove becomes a haven not only for plants but also for animals. Creatures within the grove may form a bond with you, aiding you in various ways.
Mana - low / n/a
Cd - n/a / n/a
Nature’s Reclaim was the oldest and most important of Zalia’s Groves. It had been a place of safety for the people of Endaria following the demon invasion that had ravaged most of the country from the dangers that remained once the main threat had been eliminated. It was also where the three ancients that managed the Grove’s had first established themselves, with lesser aspects of the three being active in the Grove that existed far to the south.
It was the new Gold rank function of the ability that had Zalia thinking of Ro and her promise to him again. With the ability to set up a Grove, she would be able to create a zone of safety upon entering Cormaine once more and with the other two new Grove’s set up in or near Endaria, allow for the Grove to be a powerful ward against the aura in Cormaine that would try to kill anyone who went there.
It was a long time ago that Zalia had barely survived the hellscape, having entered as an Iron ranker and left as Bronze. Healing Presence, her aura, was antithetical to the one that existed in Cormaine, thus being the reason she had survived, but most Iron and even Bronze rankers would die in that place before long. Even Silver rankers would struggle, though their ability to survive all kinds of damage meant they could probably live through it as long as nothing else was attacking them.
The other main threat in Cormaine were the shades that floated about, the disembodied souls of the dead that would attempt to hunt down any life they found to consume it. The Grove would help with that too, though she was sure Nateysta had other plans for helping in that regard.
In all, it would be a powerful ability that would help with the reclamation of Nateysta’s world. She briefly wondered if he had known how it would advance and had been waiting for it to do just that. Shrugging, she hopped out of the chair, storing her tea cup in her vault, before jumping off the balcony.
The entire construction melted behind her, the refined and expert demonstration of Natural Matter Alteration now a simple matter of an idle thought for her. She slammed into the ground out the front of her home without bothering to slow down, the fifty or so metres no trouble for her body at this rank.
Ember walked out just as she dropped down, looking at the now dented path in front of their door. She looked down, then up to Zalia, raising an eyebrow.
“Really? You better fix that.”
Zalia shrugged, taking a step forward and giving Ember a kiss.
“Fix what?”
Ember looked down but Zalia had already repaired the dent with the same ability, dirt and wood melting and moving at her command. She rolled her eyes but linked her arm through Zalia’s and walking out into the city.
“You know, there haven't been any missions for Het’jel recently. I wonder if there will even be any now that things are settled there.”
Zalia shook her head.
“I doubt it. I’ve been thinking about how we can keep progressing our ranks now but nothing much comes to mind.”
Ember snorted.
“Well, I doubt we’ll do it from our arm chairs, however comfortable they are.”
Zalia laughed, nodding at a badger, who nodded in turn, as they walked past.
“We could go north and find out what’s out there.”
Ember nodded warily, and rightfully so. The Mythic ranked dragon Rozestrazix had once told Zalia that they protected Endaria from some unknown danger that lived past their lands and Zalia had been curious ever since. She was tempted to go have a look, especially since Boreal was the one expected to take over Rozestrazix’s job once the dragon ascended.
“I’ll think about it some more. We still have time, don’t we?”
Zalia shrugged.
“I don’t know. I want to get to Gold rank before Ro comes back though.”
Ember bumped her shoulder.
“We’re close, it won’t be long now.”
Zalia looked at Ember and saw the mischievous look in her eyes.
“What?”
Ember smiled.
“Not that you have to worry, now that you don’t age and all.”
Zalia rolled her eyes. This again.
“Just because I don’t age doesn’t mean I don’t need to be properly prepared for what’s coming.”
Ember’s smile turned to a grin.
“But you’re going to live forever!”
The revelation as Survivalist had reached Gold rank had made Zalia conflicted.
Tin - The body of a hunter shall not fail easily. Gain the heat resistance and cold resistance passive skills. They level alongside this ability. You are able to survive with less nutrition.
Iron - Gain the stealth and trapper passive skills. These also level alongside this ability. You require less sleep.
Bronze - Gain the Physical resistance and Mental resistance passive skills. They level alongside this ability. You are able to survive with less air.
Silver - Your ageing slows. You do not require nutrition. You do not require sleep. You do not need to breathe.
Gold - You do not age. Wounds attained by your physical body have a severely reduced impact on your ability to move and act as normal.
It was quite similar to an ability Hildebrandt had, with both abilities stopping ageing and making physical wounds matter about as much as a stubbed toe no matter their severity. Living forever, assuming she didn’t die, felt strange to Zalia.
For the people that were native to this world, it wasn’t so strange. They had grown up with knowledge of magic and powers, the idea that anyone could become powerful enough to live for a very long time, even forever if they reached a high enough rank. It was quite normal for people of Gold or Emerald rank to attain similar abilities. For Zalia though, she had spent much of her life as a normal person without knowledge of magic. The idea that she couldn’t die of natural causes was… strange. As she had ascended through the ranks, she had even begun to look younger and younger, no longer looking the almost forty years old that she was.
“Well, if I don’t die by fighting some god or another before then,” Zalia pointed out.
Ember shrugged.
“We’ve killed gods before, you’ll be fine honey.”
They continued their walk, something they tried to do every day for two reasons. The first was that it was good for the people of Nature’s Reclaim to see them as they were, two normal people going about their lives. There had been a short time after Zalia had helped kill the Monarch, once the news spread, that the people in the city had started to worship her as a god. It reminded her of the time she had returned from Cormaine to a massive statue of herself, only much worse.
It hadn’t taken them long to put a stop to that, though she still saw some too reverent looks every now and then.
The other reason they did it was simply because it was nice. It was good to spend time with each other away from everything else, walking in a relaxed manner arm in arm.
Zalia moved them away from their normal route towards one of the gates of the large city and Ember looked at her quizzically.
“Boreal and her children are about to return,” she said in answer to the look.
Ember perked up.
“Oh! She’s finally back from the north?”
Zalia nodded, just as excited as Ember was to see her friend for the first time in a few months. Boreal had taken her five children to the cold northern lands outside of Endaria’s borders to see the place that she had been born, the place that they were themselves native to. She had done it partly for that reason and partly so that she might continue ranking up. .
They walked arm in arm to the northern gate of Nature’s Reclaim where six, giant, fur covered feline’s were just walking through, the one at the front wearing a crown made of ice.