Rud stood before the Sacred Tree, looking up as magic glittered across the bark. Ban had been quiet lately, and he was worried she had instigated another expansion. But it wasn’t the same energy that came from her when she was creating new buildings, and he could feel her consciousness within the forest. The druid took his moment of peace to decide the rest of his day, settling on using the Dungeon Core Fragments given to him by the adventurers. He removed the sack from his backpack and inspected the contents, finding jagged metal fragments roughly the size of his hand.

  “Unfortunately, we’ll waste those fragments,” Ban said. Rud loved the way her voice echoed through the forest, as though the trees themselves were making the sound.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Upgrading my buildings consumes one equal-rank fragment per level. But higher-ranked dungeon cores don’t give it more levels.”

  “Bummer,” Rud said, returning the bag to his backpack. “But which building should we upgrade first? And what building are you going to generate next?”

  “I’m almost ready to level up again. Once my roots hold firm… What expansion do you think I should take? Thanks to our connection, I can make almost any production building you could imagine.”

  That was a question Rud didn’t feel qualified to answer. Ban focused on the smelter and the mining building because they could create infused ingots. If the druid was in charge, he would have created buildings to harvest lumber. Because that made sense. There were plenty of trees around, so it was logical. But the ore he could pull from the ground could be traded with the mortals. He didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision on the next building.

  “I would never assume to be wiser than you, Ban,” Rud said. He wasn’t even sucking up. In his mind, this was a fact.

  A disquieting sense fell over the clearing for only a moment. “I’m sure you’re right. As long as the elf comes through to buy your ingots, my gamble pays off.”

  Rud shrugged. “But we have a backup plan. Taz knows what he’s doing. That guy is gonna drag so many fragments out of the mine. You’re gonna be swimming in energy.”

  “Well, the sun is out. That helps a lot.”

  Rud set off from the clearing, not leaving the conversation as he knew Ban could speak into his mind if she wanted to. He found the nearest gaggle of squirrels, switching on his Clear Communication upgrade for only a moment to issue instructions to the waiting critters. They dashed off into the forest as he turned his attention to his tea garden. The small plot of land on the side of his mushroom house wasn’t structured. The plants were placed into the ground and that was that.

  The druid cleared more of the land away, removing leaves and plotting new spaces for tea plants. With the squirrels off searching for the sweet and citrus tea plants, he clipped leaves from those that stood. Each leaf was bigger than his head, thanks to the Plant Growth spell, and each bundle would make several pots of tea with ease. After hanging those plants up to dry, he followed a group of eager squirrels out into the forest and found several more plants to add to his garden.

  Rud turned, watching as Mint deposited a pile of junk outside of his mushroom house. They locked eyes for a moment and she shrugged. “Thought you’d like some random crap.”

  She was gone before he could say otherwise. The pile was filled with all kinds of things. Some might have been useful, but most of it was bits one would find in a random house that had been pilfered by a spirit wolf. The junk situation was becoming a problem. With his plants safely in the ground, Rud turned his attention to a different project. He found the nearest, largest tree and considered a design for a storehouse. With a mushroom in one hand, a stick in the other, and a leaf on his head he got to work.

  The building Rud worked on was between the nearest treehouse and his mushroom house. The clearing near Ban provided plenty of space, perhaps one-hundred human-sized paces from the tree to the forest’s edge. As they were made of trees, the buildings were set into the forest, right on the edge of that clearing. The druid’s stick burned as he widened the base of the tree, providing a massive interior to store things. No windows meant no critters or rain would get in, as long as Mint could create some doors for the place. He made sure the doors were large enough for mortals to get through.

  Rud made tables and shelves with the Shape Plant spell. Smaller things were harder to do, like the wooden benches he made in the tree houses, but the storage area didn’t need to be pretty. It had to be functional more than anything. With enough shelf space, he brought the junk Mint acquired inside, organizing things by theme. Of all things she had stolen a pottery wheel, which sat in the corner instead of on a shelf. It was a pain to get over the threshold, but he managed.

  “The work of a custodian is never done,”

  With a few hours of the day done, Rud made his way back to the mine. He paused outside of the mine, The sound of a pickaxe hitting against stone echoed from the entrance. The druid tip-toed into the mine, seeing the swift progress the dwarf had made in only a few hours. But he wouldn’t disturb him. Instead, he left and collected some pond water to tend to the stump grove. He had been frugal with his Plant Growth spell on the area, but the repeated application of the special pond water had created a field of saplings. The trees grew faster than those without the water. Any woodcutter would appreciate the speed at which they grew, even if it wasn’t instant.

  But the stump field seemed lonely without the mortals toiling away. Rud walked into the forest, admiring the good work they had done on the road. But it ended prematurely, rocks scattered around the work site and a ditch for gravel half-dug. The druid thought he could twist nearby trees to create a living walkway, but it wouldn’t be as solid as the stonework. He waited by the road for long minutes, unsure of the best course to take. At least the stump forest was looking better. The druid returned to the Sacred Tree, topping Ban off before returning to the mine.

  “Hey, Taz,” Rud said, stepping into the mine with the Aspect of Gug. “How is the mining?”

  The pickaxe rang out through the mine, creating an echoing ring that stung his ears. Taz had stripped his shirt off, a sheen of sweat covering his body. He swung with his full weight, hewing away at the rock as though peeling clay off a sculpture. He had dug a shaft parallel to the main one. Piles of stone and ore littered the hall, punctuated by at least three Arcane Crystal Fragments. The dwarf lowered his pick after his last hit, turning and smiling back.

  “I feel better,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Put me in a mine for a few minutes and I’m a new dwarf!”

  “I can see that. I also saw you found some crystal fragments.”

  “Ya said you were interested in them, so I dug the tunnel most likely to get you some. What do you think, though? Gonna dig this shaft and some rooms off of it. A kingly bedroom for me, you know?”

  “Fabulous idea. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”

  “Feels like you’ve got more to ask than how my work is going, though.”

  “What do you know about building roads?” Rud asked, trying not to laugh since the dwarf had seen through him.

  “Overland roads? Not much. Dwarves concern themselves very little with that kind of thing.”

  “Bummer. Guess we’re relying on the mortals to build our roads. Just need to be patient.”

  As Rud looked at the newest person helping with the grove, and the fragments he had already retrieved, the mining building seemed like the right one to upgrade first. It made sense to him to upgrade the buildings down in the chain first. And if there was something that could help Taz do his work, that would be even better.

  “So, do we have any food here?” Taz asked, offering a half-smile.

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  “Oh, right,” Rud said, pulling a mushroom and a nut with the shell on out of his bag. “You can eat either of these without a problem. Just get them from the forest.”

  Taz grumbled, kicking at a stone on the ground. “Figured I’d be eating tree food here. What’s a dwarf to do?”

  “Mint brings back meat sometimes. You could ask her for some meat.”

  “Really?” Taz said. He gripped his pickaxe, his eyes glimmering with excitement. He placed his hand on the cold wall and nodded to himself. “Maybe this won’t be so bad.”

  Rud lingered in the mine, watching as the dwarf returned to his work. A strange feeling of unease washed over him in time, and he felt drawn to the mine’s entrance.

  “Rud, could you come to me?” Ban asked.

  Her tone was flat, but he could feel a sense of urgency. He passed through a bush and arrived at the clearing, finding a gentle glow flowing across the tree’s surface. The druid approached, placing his hand on the bark to feel magic crackle against his fingers.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “There is a problem,” Ban said. Rud noticed how she didn’t speak aloud. She always made her voice heard when he was near. “I need you to find Sarya, and command her to remain near me. She is… willful and isn’t heeding my call.”

  “What’s going on? Where did Mint go?”

  Ban paused for a long time before speaking again. Rud felt waves of magic roll from the tree, washing over the forest. While he couldn’t tell what the magic was doing, it seemed powerful.

  “The mortals are under attack. Barlgore is besieged on three sides. Mint left the grove to provide assistance, but I can’t say how the battle is going.”

  “What? Who is attacking them? Is that why Mira had to go?”

  “I can’t say why Mira went, but there was a monster surge in the area. The mortals aren’t managing their dungeons as well as I thought, and a wave spawned from three dungeons at once. When a monster wave happens, they seek out the closest pockets of magical energy. They couldn’t detect the grove, so they attacked the city.”

  “What can we do? We’re all ready to defend you, Ban.”

  A flicker of pride seeped into the waves of magic. “I can defend myself, little custodian. I just need you and Taz nearby in case monsters stray into the grove.”

  Rud appreciated the sentiment, but he was worried about Mint. He knew the wolf was powerful, but how strong was she? Could she take on an entire wave of monsters by herself?

  “We shouldn’t tell Taz. He’s still adjusting.”

  “Maybe. Dwarves are often quick to take up arms, so I’m worried he’ll march to Barlgore and challenge the monsters to single combat.”

  Rud laughed, looking up at the tree. He walked over and gave her a hug. It was awkward and she didn’t say anything, but it made him feel better. The druid walked to the forest’s edge, toggling his Clear Communication on for a moment. The sound of squirrels conducting their idle conversation in the trees rushed to his ears. He gave a sharp whistle and waited for them to quiet down.

  “Hey guys!” Rud shouted, clapping his hands a few times. “We’ve got an all-hands meeting.”

  “That’s the nut guy. I like nuts. Hawk! I see a hawk! No hawk.”

  “You guys know that wolf that has been lurking around the forest?” Rud asked. He ignored the chittering responses. “Her name is Sarya, and I need you to find her. Bring her back to the tree and I’ll give you a pile of nuts?”

  “What’s a pile? Who cares? Nuts!”

  The squirrels scattered into the forest, not bothering to confirm that they understood the task. Rud watched them scamper off, hoping it was enough to find the missing wolf. She was new. Without the status of a Sacred Beast, she might have trouble with the grove’s communication. From what he understood, Sacred Beasts were just animals that gained complete sapience. That also came with a class, and maybe a subclass. It was hard to say.

  “Not like this is much different!” Taz shouted. Rud watched as the dwarf emerged from a bush. “Living in a forest… If my father saw this, he’d beat me.”

  “You’re only in the forest part-time,” Rud corrected. He thought of the one thing that might take the man’s mind off the uncomfortable environment. “Come on, let me show you how our special buildings work.”

  “Special buildings?” Taz asked, following behind and watching as Rud did some sort of hop-skip step.

  Rud stepped through a bush, appearing near the Mining Workshop. He explained all he knew about the upgradable buildings before withdrawing a sack of Dungeon Core Fragments. “The mining building makes the most sense to me.”

  Taz stopped, stroking his beard as he looked up at the workshop. “How does that make sense? Why would a tree make something for a miner?”

  “That’s complicated. Sacred Trees bond with their custodian and guardian. The class they’re granted pulls from all members of the grove’s three founding members. I guess one deep desire of mine is to build a town.”

  “That’s weird.”

  “But you can see the value in a town, right? Imagine if the dwarves wanted to do some trade with the mortals in Barlgore. Would it be easier to walk all the way around, or take a nice safe trip through the grove?”

  “I see your point, but still think it’s weird. Fine, let’s upgrade this bad boy.”

  Rud had experience applying magical items to structures. He withdrew the first Dungeon Core Fragment from his backpack and pressed it against the building. As with the crystals, it melted into the building. A notification popped up—one that Taz saw too.

  [Ding!]

  You have added enough Dungeon Core Fragments to the Mining Workshop to gain a level!

  Level 2!

  “Easy enough,” Taz said, slapping the workshop’s exterior. “You sure this is made out of tree?”

  Rud shrugged. “Does it matter? Ban is magic so… A magic tree made a magic building.”

  “Fair point.”

  The interface that popped up when the building hit Level 5 was similar to the one that appeared when a skill got an upgrade option. It was a long list, filled with options. Since Taz was the mining expert—at least compared to Rud—he thumbed through them and picked two that might work. The duo read each together, discussing the strong and weak points of each.

  [Swift Passage]

  Mining Workshop Upgrade

  Description:

  The worst part of a deep mine is the inability to get out quickly.

  Effect:

  Movement speed within nearby mines is increased greatly.

  “Problem is,” Taz said, flicking his beard to one side. “Our mine isn’t big enough for this to matter. But I’ve seen effects like this before. Every mine back home has one. A mine gets big enough, and you want your dwarves moving faster.”

  “I like the other one,” Rud said. “Feels more practical for what we have going on.”

  Rud and Taz went over the second upgrade option together. The dwarf had only brought up Swift Passage because it was the best long-term upgrade to pick.

  [Weakend Stone]

  Mining Workshop Upgrade

  Description:

  Cutting through rocks to get to the good stuff is a pain.

  Effect:

  Once per day (at midnight) an amount of stone in all adjacent mines determined by the level of this building will be softened. Those stones will be significantly easier to break.

  This upgrade does not affect the hardness of stones containing ore.

  “If we’re talking about value for an upgrade, this is it,” Rud said, nodding.

  “I can’t disagree,” Taz said with a sigh. “We’re planning to expand how far the shafts go, right? All well and good, but we also need timber. For that. But, yeah… Get this one for now.”

  Rud selected the upgrade before inspecting the building itself.

  [Mining Workshop]

  Rank 0 Level 5 Sacred Tree Building

  Upgrade Progress: 0%

  Description:

  A workshop dedicated to the art of mining

  Upgrades:

  [Weakened Stone]

  Once Ban put down some more buildings it would be extremely expensive to get them all upgraded. For now, Rud was happy to see his little upgrades. He turned to Taz, clapping a hand on his shoulder and nodding. It was nice to have someone around.

  “Timber, huh? Do you know how to process a tree?”

  “Naturally. I don’t have love for the forests of the world, but there are some jobs metal and stone can’t do. This is one of them.”

  That was as close to a compliment about the forest as they would get. Rud walked to nearby pine trees, pressing his hand against their bark. He had a general sense of how a tree was doing thanks to his Plant Care skill. This helped him determine which ones were ready to be given their last dose of the Plant Growth spell.

  “How about this one?” Rud asked, applying the Plant Growth spell to send the tree stabbing skyward. “Could you cut some supports out of this?”

  Taz knit his bushy brows, looking around the forest. “Are we… allowed to cut trees?”

  Rud laughed. “They’re not all sapient. Come on. I think Mint put a saw in the Smelting Workshop.”