Only when Rud was certain Elm was safe in the underground city did he dare leave her alone. The druid ensured they had a thick bush ready to travel through. Just in case anything happened. It had taken the entire day to get the project rolling, but most of the city was now covered in thick roots. A steady stream of magical energy flowed from the very buildings themselves, siphoned by the tree's own magic. The result were visible currents, traveling in waves along the ground and ultimately through the roots.

"Ban said she had a surprise," Rud grumbled, walking toward the bush with Major.

"A new spirit formed a contract with the Grove," Major said. "Sorry about the spoilers."

"Wow. What kind is it?"

Major shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. But I felt the contract form while we were down here, so it should be interesting."

Rud and Major stepped through the bush the druid had created, arriving in Ban's clearing. Although Elm had summoned a magical light in the underground area, they were both blinded. Mint, Sarya, and Dean had assembled by the tree, all standing before the silhouette of an unfamiliar figure. It swished its tail, padding between the other spirits to approach.

"Finally," it said, his voice smoothe and drawn out. "I've heard so much about you, custodian."

Rud blinked away the stars that lingered in his vision. The light was low from dusk's approach, but still enough to draw a stark contrast to the underground city. The creature came up to the druid's waist, with a slick body and a bushy tail. His pointed ears twitched.

"Oh. Hi," Rud said, patting the beast on the head. "What's your name?"

"Don't have one," the new spirit said, circling around Rud to give him a good sniff.

"We're calling him 'Red'," Sarya said, bounding over and biting the creature's leg. "Cause he's red."

"Too close to my name," Rud said. As his eyes adjusted, he could see more of the new beast. It was a giant red fox. Of course it was. Unlike a normal fox from back on Earth, this one's coat shifted slightly between lighter and darker shades of red. Rud associated that with power, as it was the same thing Mint's coat did. "What brings you to the Grove?"

The fox continued his patrol around Rud, flicking his tail around as he hummed to himself. "What else would bring a Sacred Beast like me to a new Grove? A chance to cover the world in trees. To exalt the power of nature."

"Fair enough," Rud said, patting the fox on the head. "You found us, then?"

"That's right. Now, according to the others, you must name me."

Rud didn't even know where to start with this one. He wasn't getting a bad vibe from the fox, but there was something different about him. As he considered what it was that he felt, he realized the power the creature put off was similar to Nulsa. It was a deep kind of power that could only mean one thing. The fox was old and powerful. Unlike Nulsa, the fox's power ran deep. It was like a wellspring that he kept locked up, never to come out unless commanded to do so.

"You vouching for this guy?" Rud asked, sending a message directly to Ban.

"I understand your hesitation," Ban said. "This Sacred Beast is powerful. He found the Grove intentionally, reaching through some unseen path I'm unaware of. Yet he signed a contract with the Grove, ensuring he could never hurt us or our interests. He is bound completely, and I'll remind you Bent's power enforces those contracts."

There was nothing quite like an eldritch stag to ensure contracts remained enforced.

"Well?" the fox asked.

"A name isn't something you just spit outta nowhere," Rud said, crossing his arms as he looked down at the fox. Yeah, 'Red' was a pretty good name for him. Sarya was right… But it was just too close to his own name, and he couldn't suffer the confusion from mortals. "Mister Pom Pom Tail."

"Absolutely not," the fox said.

"Jimmy Two-Toes."

"I have all my toes."

Rud clicked his tongue, circling around the fox the same way it had done a few moments ago. He got a better look at the fox, taking in all his features. Like the other Sacred Beasts, he looked like a normal version of his wild brethren. Except he had exaggerated features. Larger paws, sharper claws, and a hide thick enough to defend against attacks. He also had brilliant red eyes that almost glowed with a peerless quality.

"Jasper," Rud said, thrusting his staff into the air. "You shall be called Jasper!"

The fox hummed, joining Rud in the circling. "Yes, that's nice." Flaming lights poured from Jasper's fur, floating into the air and dancing on the wind. The lights multiplied until the intensity of that light rivaled the fading sun. "I like that name quite a lot!"

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"Huzzah!" Mint shouted, jumping and changing to her human form. Rud wasn't sure where she got a sword from, but she thrust it into the air. "You guys know what this means! Party time!"

The lights Jasper had summoned shifting colors, snapping between shades of green, pink, red, and blue. The flowers on Ban's branches glowed brighter, seeming to hold a silent competition against the foxfire. It took Taz about thirty seconds to bring the food he had been cooking within the longhouse outside. Joining him were the many adventurers who were hanging around in the grove.

It was hard to accept any reluctance about the Grove's newest member when he had Ban's seal of approval. Rud shrugged it all off, helping Taz set up tables and move food from the longhouse. Under the light of the foxfire and the glowing flowers, both the residents and the guests of Gladesbale Grove threw a party.

Jasper's personality was somewhere between Nulsa and Mint. Rud observed him during the festivities, noting the intelligence and power the creature held. Further observation would be required, but Tuft nodded at him from across the way, gaining his attention.

"Yo, what'chu need?" Rud asked.

"Excellent party, Rud," Tuft said, his eyes seeming to dart around the party. He locked on a few people, allowing his gaze to linger before moving on again. "A few adventurers have fled the Grove, unfortunately."

"Any reason?" Rud asked. "Boredom?"

"We got a message from Barlgore. Some high-rank adventurers are on their way to tackle the tower," Tuft said.

Rud clapped his hands together. "Excellent! I hope they're very strong."

Tuft scratched at the fur above his brows, shaking his head. "Yes. Our strongest barely made it to the fifth floor. The ones that are coming are… What is the best way to put this? They're dangerous, Rud."

"While I appreciate the warning, what should I do? We need people strong enough to take on the tower," Rud said. "If you guys can only make it to the fifth floor, what other hope do we have?"

Tuft grunted, his eyes going unfocused. "That's the problem, isn't it?"

"Come on. These adventurers are gonna come, I'm gonna give them some awesome cheese, and we're gonna be besties."

"For your sake, I hope you're right."

Rud shrugged, slapping a hand on the tiger-dude's back. These adventurers were coming under the summons of Elm. The druid refused to believe she would do something that wasn't in the best interest of the Grove. As far as he was concerned, she was practically a member. Anyone who went to the lengths she did to help them out was an honorary member.

Tuft had a few more things to say about his concerns, but Rud smoothed them over. Since Elm was on his mind, he left the party a bit early to check on Daffodil. He found the deer-horse grazing in a field outside of the smithy. She delicately picked at the grass, seeming to have a favorite flavor. The druid activated Clear Communication, approaching and patting her on the flank.

"Your mommy is gonna be gone for a bit," Rud said. "If I know her, she'll be down in the underground city for a few days at least."

Daffodil looked up, snorting. "Quite fine. The vegetation within the Grove is excellent. Never have I tasted such sweet grass. Would you like some?"

"Sure," Rud said, snatching a handful of the grass she indicated. "We have some more food down at the clearing if you want to check that out."

"Why would I do that?" Daffodil asked. "I have enough grass to last a lifetime up here."

Rud shrugged. Daffodil was completely unbothered, even with her master gone. But the beast was always headstrong, thinking herself the superior in the relationship. Maybe she was right. That deer-horse had some great potential.

"Aren't you going to eat your grass?" Daffodil asked, bringing Rud out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah," Rud said, taking a bite of his fistful of grass.

His expectations were low. But to his surprise, the grass was pretty good. It had a mildly sweet flavor with an earthy undertone. The only problem was that it was still grass, which made it difficult to chew up and even more difficult to swallow. Instead, Rud chewed and sucked on it like a weirdo, spitting it in big globs onto the ground. Daffodil gave him a scandalized look, shaking her head.

"You should mind your manners," she said, huffing a breath. "Seriously. I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

Smiling to himself, Rud settled in and enjoyed his time chewing on grass with Daffodil. He had actually made progress on the underground city problem, even if Elm was the one doing the work. Once he was done schmoozing with the deer-horse, he found the nearest bush and traveled back down to the city. He only needed to follow the wash of powerful magic energy to find where Elm was hiding out.

"Rud!" she shouted, waving her arms in the air like a maniac. "Come! Your roots are pushing the energy back."

"Nice!" Rud shouted back, jogging over. He joined Elm, who was crouched by the gutter of one road, poking something inside with a stick. Finding his own stick, he joined her. "What are we doing?"

"I'm poking this sludge with a stick," Elm said. "Most of the city is devoid of living material, but this gutter is filled with algae. It is magical, yet not magically reactive."

"Strange," Rud said, reaching out with his druidic senses. Apparently, slime counted as plants because he could feel its powerful signature. "Seems like some very old slime. How magical is it?"

"Quite magical. Like your tree, it has sucked up a lot of the nearby mana," Elm said. "Yet my studies have not revealed the answer to my questions. Why is this form of life immune to the damaging effects of the magic? Nothing else is, so why is this one different?"

The only thing Rud could offer was his opinion on the plant life. It felt older than he could imagine, and was infused with a confusing mixture of magical energies. Elm was better at peeling those layers apart, so he would leave that part to her.

"The algae could simply have lived a long time, taking advantage of its resistance to magic," Elm said. "Sometimes things exist in the natural world that endures far longer than should be possible. Those things gather power, making them stand out among the masses."

"Getting all philosophical on me tonight," Rud said, shaking his head. "How about we head back to the surface? I know you want to stay here all night, but you need some rest."

Elm released a dramatic sigh. "Fine. Take me captive if you must, druid. Tear me away from my life's work."

Rud rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the arm. "You got plenty of time to study. Now is time to rest."

Although the trip to the surface would take a bit, Rud didn't want Elm to stay down here tonight. He was almost certain it was safe for her to stay, but he didn't want to risk it. Elm always got lost in her work, which would cause her to drop her defenses. The druid would have none of that. Instead, she'd get a nice meal and some sleep. Even if he had to cast a spell to make it happen.

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