The time to get from the stump field should have been reduced by a half-hour. Maybe forty-five minutes at the most. But the three hour walk was reduced to two hours. More than that, traveling over the road was pleasant. Mira gawked at the bridges, rubbing her hands over the enormous trees in the center as they passed. The village came into view first, causing the mortal to stop walking completely.

  “Oh, yeah,” Rud said, gesturing at the buildings with his staff. “Those adventurers appreciated my tree houses last time, so I made some more.”

  “This is great. People are going to love this,” Mira said. She fawned over the buildings some more, taking time to explore the area a bit.

  The village covered an area roughly the same size as the clearing for Ban. Something between one- and two-hundred feet, if Rud’s eyes were judging it correctly. Mira’s reaction was worth it, especially when she checked the beds for comfort. He didn’t expect her to enter the houses, but when she did he covertly observed her. As expected, upon entering the house her mood brightened. Perhaps she didn’t even notice, but the homes had a way of scrubbing away the effects of the grove.

  Mira lounged in the covered pavilion, kicking up her feet onto the table and leaning in her chair.

  “Are you stalling?” Rud asked, watching as she lounged.

  “Maybe,” Mira said with a nervous chuckle.

  Mira got moving in time. Rud let her linger for a while, but the tree wasn’t far off. It came into sight shortly after, and she did the things mortals did when they saw the tree. Rud pulled away from her when she approached the tree. She drew close to the tree, standing and staring up at her boughs. The druid made his way to his mushroom house, bringing the fire back to life with a few branches and starting some tea.

  Rud was pouring tea by the time Taz showed up, coming to take a break from his ceaseless mining.

  “What’s up with the mortal?” he asked.

  Rud peeked outside of his window, finding Mira with her hand clasped over her chest. “The mortals in Sparwyn worship the trees. They take it seriously, so don’t make fun of them.”

  “Understood. Don’t make fun of the tree-worshiping weirdos.”

  Rud gave him a stern look, then poured him a cup of tea. The dwarf accepted it graciously, sipping it although it was still steaming hot.

  “Seriously. Keep that little beard from flapping, alright?”

  “Dwarves are many things. But we’re not ones to take stabs at other people’s faiths. Count on that.”

  Rud clapped a hand over Taz’s shoulder, releasing his grip to grab two mugs of tea. “I appreciate it.”

  Rud cleared his throat, gaining Mira’s attention. She had a glassy look in her eyes and took the tea as though in a daze. He guided her away from the tree and into one tree house nearby. Between the tea and the house, her vision cleared a bit. The druid let her rest on a chair, exiting the building and standing outside to gather his thoughts.

  “Taz, what do you remember when you entered the grove?”

  “I remember I was starving,” he said, laughing loud enough to wake the dead. “Lost, hungry, and more than a little mad.”

  The effects the tree had on beastfolk might have been different than that of dwarves. There were also cultural implications to consider. Mira’s response to the tree could be a fabrication from her imagination, where her brain built the tree up to be this big event in her mind and her body responded. There was also magic to consider, but the solution was clear. The road he planned to build in every cardinal direction needed rest stops.

  When he entered the building again, Mira was already looking better. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Fine. Just felt a little dizzy,” Mira said.

  “Come on,” Rud said, gesturing for her to follow. “Bring the tea. We’ll do an experiment.”

  “I want to come,” Taz said, draining his tea and tossing the cup over his shoulder.

  Rud led the group to his living road. He had Mira stand on the road’s edge, just outside of the Sacred Tree’s clearing. She could still see the tree, and the energy that flowed forth was just as intense. But her feet were on the road. That was the important part.

  “Alrighty. Just gaze at the tree,” Rud said, gesturing back to Ban.

  “Just look at it?” Mira asked, more than a little confused.

  “Yep.”

  “You’re testing to see if the living road grounds her,” Ban said. A sense of appreciation came with the words. “Smart.”

  “Think it’ll work?” Rud asked, stepping far away enough that Mira wouldn’t hear him.

  “Maybe. It might just delay the effects. Rank might have something to do with it, too. The adventurer group that passed through here didn’t experience the same effects.”

  Rud nodded. He thought that some other custodians might have been happy to not have mortals in the grove. But he felt as though this was his purpose. The grove wasn’t just a great way for people to travel, it could also be a safe place to do so. Everything he heard about the path to the south claimed it was dangerous. As long as the roads prevented mortals from getting sick in the grove, this would work.

  “We needed to put some living paths under the gravel at the village,” Rud said, scratching his chin. “Otherwise this is going to happen more often.”

  “Also need a path going in another direction, right? North, toward the dwarves.” Taz wrapped his arm around Rud and squeezed his shoulder. “Right?”

  “Would the dwarves come to a forest willingly?”

  “Nope.”

  “South or west, then.”

  “Good call.”

  The group waited a while to see if Mira would be affected by the tree. When she wasn’t, Rud constructed a small platform out of a tree near Ban. He didn’t plan to keep it there, as he liked the clean aesthetic of the area, but Mira stood on it all the same. Even being so near to the tree, she wasn’t affected. She looked up at the tree, said some prayers he couldn’t understand, but didn’t get the same strange look in her eyes. The mortal was fine.

  “And there’s a new rule for the grove. Don’t leave the path,” Rud said, laughing. “Thanks for helping with the experiment, Mira. I’m guessing you can enter and leave the grove so long as you stick on the wooden path.”

  “Good to know,” Mira said. “But they’re going to come looking for me soon. I should go.”

  Rud nodded, gesturing for her to walk down the path.

  “I’ll come along,” Taz said, jogging to catch up to the pair as they walked away. “I need some fresh air.”

  “You?” Rud asked, scoffing. “Need fresh air?”

  “Never heard of a dwarf leaving the mountain homes,” Mira said. It sounded like a slight jab.

  “I’m a new man.”

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  Rud doubted it, but wouldn’t object. The group walked the path, giving Rud a chance to point out interesting parts of the landscape. Within the grove was a variety of topography that made it interesting to observe but a pain to walk through. They covered the distance within two hours. The druid found the stone path almost offensive with how uncomfortable it was to walk. But he never wore shoes, so that might have been a problem.

  Mira turned before she left to pull her tent down. She pointed at the grown trees—the ones with red ribbons tied around their trunks. “We’ll be back for those. With fragments as payment.”

  “We’re calling them ‘offerings’ now,” Rud said, waving.

  Mira smiled, turning and bounding over the stump field to disassemble her tent. The day had already worn thin. Rud wondered if she would make the journey back to Barlgore tonight and once again suspected she had an ability to travel quickly. If she did, she didn’t make it known. After her tent was secured, she waved and walked away without flying, bounding great heights, or teleporting.

  “Well that was exciting,” Taz said, shrugging. “Not really, but better than monsters. I guess.”

  “I have a feeling monsters wouldn’t stand a chance in the grove.”

  “Yeah. Wouldn’t want to be the monster that met your army of squirrels,” Taz said, gesturing up to several red squirrels looking down from various branches. Perhaps they felt neglected in the past few days. “What are we having for dinner?”

  “Mint is feeling better. Expect another wolf or deer over an open flame.”

  Taz breathed in, closing his eyes as he exhaled. “That’s one thing I love about the forest. Fresh meat.”

  And Taz’s freezer was already stuffed with quite a few butchered wolves and deer as it was. It had gotten full enough of meat that he was storing wild vegetables and mushrooms. Rud didn’t know how well the mushrooms would freeze, but the potonions did very well. They stepped through a bush after a pause, arriving at the tree. As expected, Mint was roasting some beast over the fire. Sarya was there, lurking around as though she were guarding the area alone.

  Dinner went on for a while. Rud enjoyed whatever Mint served up. It wasn’t the best cooking he had—most things the wolf cooked were some variation of roasted meat—but she did so with enthusiasm. Ban pulled him away from the fun after a while, coaxing him aside to talk. Which seemed weird, because she could just talk directly into his mind.

  “You’re doing great, Rud,” she said. He sensed the invisible ‘but’ within the statement. “There’s another duty you need to fulfill soon enough.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “There are eleven groves within Bent’s pact. Eleven guardians, eleven hearts, and eleven custodians.”

  Rud wasn’t sure he liked where this was going, but he nodded along. He knew about the other groves. Someone might have told him about them, but he knew they existed because of the other spirits. Those nine other spirit animals and plants that were there when he entered this world.

  “Go on.”

  “I need you to visit another grove. Only for a day, but still… You were having a good day, so I didn’t want to interrupt. But I can’t delay it any longer.”

  Rud paused before responding. The idea of going afar to visit some other grove sent his heart thumping. His duties here weren’t just a job. They were things he loved doing, and the only way he would get better at them was if he remained there.

  “I’m not sure if I’d like that.”

  “You’ll teleport, Rud. And the spirit who wants to meet you is Basil.”

  “Oh, I like Basil.”

  “Yes. Basil is kind and understanding. You have nothing to worry about. But visiting other groves is a long-standing tradition. As is the Meeting of the Custodians.”

  “What was that last thing? Meeting of the Custodians?”

  A wave of warmth spread from Ban. It was tinged with amusement. “The custodians gather occasionally. This is a one-off, though.”

  “This isn’t optional, is it?”

  “Just a day. Tomorrow would be best, but I’ll leave it to you. Just don’t take too long.”

  Rud scratched his chin, not thrilled about the idea of leaving the grove. But if things had to happen, he couldn’t do anything about it. His projects would still be here, and the mortals had enough nice things to visit the grove without turning into zombies. He sat on the ground, wrapping his cloak around himself. He remembered a time as custodian, only a week ago, when he was more prone to naps than hard work. He drew in a great breath and nodded.

  “If you’re asking nicely, that means this is dire. Right?”

  Ban giggled into his mind. “You know me too well.”

  “It might be nice to meet some other custodians. Do you know anything about Basil’s custodian? Or the heart in that grove.”

  “I’ll be honest with you, Rud. I don’t. My hope is that you can be our repository of knowledge.”

  “Fair enough. Consider it done!”

  “Thank you.”

  “Just no upgrading while I’m gone.”

  “I won’t. Promise.”

  Rud returned to the group. With Ban’s permission, he shared the information of his departure to the others. Mint was excited about it, but Taz was concerned. The Sacred Tree pulled him away in case his reaction wasn’t favorable. Since she was being so nice about it, he took it seriously. The tree never confronted him about stuff like this otherwise.

  “Is that normal?” the dwarf asked, ripping meat off a large chunk he held by the bone.

  “Guess so.”

  “It is a proud tradition!” Mint shouted. “If we have a stronger relationship with the other groves, we can request help. Knowledge is also important.”

  “Because every grove is different,” Rud said. “But the grove where Basil is should be like ours. That spirit is the one that gives me the construction magic.”

  The conversation rolled back and forth, but broke off shortly after the topic was brought up. Taz had a lot of plans and Mint was eager for Ban to ascend to Rank 1. Rud wasn’t convinced she was ready, but they had a decent stock of fragments. The elven mage, Elmera, needed to come back with the fragments he had been promised. Only then would the druid be confident in the upgrade.

  Rud left the group after night fell, heading into his mushroom house to sort his things out. He placed the Twig of Ban’tanthein near his chair and looked at it for some time. There was no indication on the item’s advancement beyond Rank 0, but he could feel that it was growing in power. His Druid class was moving through Level 4 quickly enough, but hadn’t gotten to Level 5. Construction Magic was the only skill he had been advancing, a short-sighted move on his part. Crafting Magic, Plant Care, and Growth Magic were all useful skills to increase. But the road had taken up too much of his time.

  After he checked that all his things would be ready for a trip tomorrow, he settled down for bed. With the firelight casting flickering shadows over his mushroom house, the druid fell asleep to the peaceful sound of the insects outside and the crackling fire inside.

  ###

  Ban seemed eager for Rud to head off the next morning. He suspected there was something about the teleportation magic that required preparation and perhaps some of her reserve energy. But with enough mushrooms and nuts in his bag, the druid wasn’t worried about the trip. He approached the tree, his backpack secured on his back and his staff in hand.

  “So, what do I do?” Rud asked.

  “Give me a moment,” Ban said. Her voice was amused today. After a few moments, roots sprung up from the ground. They laced together, creating an archway. It filled with a glowing layer of magic, pulsing with the heartbeat of the forest.

  Rud gave Ban a look, pointing at the portal. “Guessing that’s my ticket to the grove.”

  “Just step through. They’ll send you back from the other end,” Ban said. “This is just a meeting of custodians, so don’t get too worried. But try and make a good impression.”

  Rud pushed forward, already intending to assume the mantle of Project Manager once again. The other groves in the world were just clients he had to interface with. One foot through the portal sent the druid spinning for only a moment. It reminded him of the sensation he felt when using the Thicket Travel upgrade, and he suspected it was a similar technique. An instant later he stepped out onto a dirt walkway, the portal behind him still humming. Flowers floated alongside the path, glowing in the sudden darkness. It was night here. Wherever ‘here’ was.

  “Rud?” a voice called from the distance, whoever it was was waving excitedly.

  Rud squinted watching as the beastfolk approached. The closer the man got, the more features he could pick up. Fawn-colored fur, a long muzzle, and a set of antlers atop their head. This was a deer-person if ever Rud had seen one and they were tall. At least they had fingers. And thumbs.

  “Hey… Sorry, this is awkward,” Rud said, chuckling.

  The deer-person reached out a hand for him to shake. Rud looked down at the hand for a moment, but eventually shook it.

  “I’m Jim,” the deer-person said. “It's early, but let me show you around. This is your first exchange visit, right?”

  “Yeah. Jim? Did they name you Jim?”

  “Jim was my name before I came over. They didn’t let you keep your name?”

  “No. My guardian made me change mine from Shawn. Did I get scammed?”

  Jim laughed. “Nope. Some guardians are just weird. I’m from Melbourne. You?”

  Rud stared at the deer-person for a long time. He stammered, but finally got the words out. “You’re from Earth? Australia, even?”

  “No, I’m from Melbourne, Florida. Man, you’re really far behind the curve. Every custodian is sourced from Earth,” Jim said, scoffing. “They didn’t tell you that?”

  “I’m starting to think they didn’t tell me a darn thing.”