Casual Heroing, [Druid] Interlude

BECOMING A [DRUID]! 🏞🏞🏞

Next chapter comes out on February 9th!

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[Druids] Interlude – Camilla and Clodia

One Week Ago

Clodia and Camilla followed Stan just North of Amorium, veering off the path towards the forest as soon as they crossed the gate. The surroundings were a mix of wild shrubbery and trees. It was an area still close to the road, where the sounds of distant travelers faded behind the rustling leaves and blades of grass.

“[Druids],” Stan started as he slowed down to allow the two smaller women to catch up, “went extinct several centuries ago. It happened after the Third and last conflict against the Humans. The Extermination War. Do you two know what role the [Druids] played in it?”

The two looked at each other with some hesitation. Clodia had been instructed by tutors; Camilla had some knowledge of her own. They shook their head—they hadn’t really heard of it.

“The true history has been suppressed, and no one was to speak of what really happened because the then-King, before leaving the throne to his brother, took it upon himself to seal the Druid power away. He persuaded all the [Druids] in the kingdom to swear an [Oath] not to pass the Class to their disciples or anyone else. And that happened because the [Druids] were used as the main weapon in the Extermination War. They were the ones that slaughtered all those Humans on our shores. They pushed them back to Teiko and killed and killed. A [Druid] is a class that’s not to be wielded lightly. It was meant to be a helper class, a custodian of nature and traditions. But instead, it became the most lethal of weapons.”

“How do you know all of this?” Camilla frowned. Stan spoke as if he had been there himself.

“I will tell you one day,” Stan said in a tone that didn’t leave room for any more questions. “For now, all that matters is that you two understand the weight of your choice. Once you’re [Druids] and above level 20, you’ll be able to name other people [Druids] as you see fit. Obviously, if you name unfit people, they won’t be able to make much progress in the Class. I must impart with no space for any doubts that if you choose the wrong person to pass the Class upon, they might commit the same mistakes of the old [King Druid] who saw it fit to paint half of our continent and half of theirs in blood because he was mad with rage. You two will be the first [Druids] in centuries. It is not something to be taken lightly.”

...

After walking for a couple of hours, Camilla and Clodia were winded as they arrived in the depths of a forest. Despite their fatigue, they couldn't help but notice the lushness around them. The ground was carpeted with a layer of soft moss and ferns – a pure and untouched wilderness. “This forest is dying,” Stan announced.

“What?!” Clodia looked around. “But it’s all green!”

“Forests are living entities as much as you and I, Clodia,” Stan declared. “This forest has not seen any nourishment, any care by the Elves for several centuries. And when that is the case, two things can happen: the forest slowly starts to die, with its newer trees just a bleak memory of the majestic trunks of their predecessors. It shrinks until it’s nothing more than a barely green patch of land, with all its energy exhausted and, if you want to think of it like this, all its Manadispersed. The second option is for a forest to grow wild and untamed and start swallowing everything around. I’m afraid, however, that these days, with so many new settlements, it’s very unlikely that Amorium would let the forest go unchecked. At the first report of someone missing, Adventurers would storm the place and burn it to cinders.”

Clodia swallowed and felt Grigio, Stan’s massive dog, lightly brush against her thigh, letting a suffuse growl out of his jaws.

“What does a [Druid] Class do then? Does it make the forests turn green? Because if that’s the only thing it does, Stan, I’m not interested,” Camilla frowned. “I thought you said it could be a part of our lives. But we’re [Bakers] not [Farmers].”

Stan smiled.

“[Druids] take care of things, Miss Camilla,” he smiled gently as the dog reached his side. “[Druids] take care of people, forests, and cultures. They wield the power of the community and can mold the interactions and the powers that flow through all of us. [Druids] are not glorified [Farmers] nor [Green Mages]. A [Druid] interacts with the living things of the world and harnesses that bond to allow things to grow stronger.”

The tall Elf gently put a hand on Grigio’s back, and the dog’s fur suddenly grew a few inches longer in a matter of instants; immediately after, before the two consternated women, the wolf-looking Dog turned into a mean-looking Wolf twice its original size. Now, Grigio’s head stood taller than Clodia's; he was just about Stan’s height.

“Rotten roots,” Clodia swore under her breath.

“Animals are my specialty,” Stan smiled. “I lost all my other companions a long time ago, but Grigio was a puppy when he was gifted to me. I try not to inject too much of my strength into him to avoid hurting him.”

Both women looked on in amazement as Grigio suddenly started to shrink again and playfully nuzzled his snout into Stan’s hand.

“Could you do that to a person?” Camilla asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s... incredible,” she whispered. “How?”

“You’ll learn. See, my level is... quite high,” Stan confessed with a bit of shame in his voice, “that means me crowning you [Druids] will have some unseen effects. When no other [Druid] is present and new [Druids] are born, all the energy that has been withheld from the world will swarm you. You’re not going to grow in size like Grigio or anything troublesome in that way. However, you will receive one power that is much greater than any of your other disciples would ever receive. Are you ready for this?”

The two took a second to stare at each other and then nodded.

“Let’s begin.”

...

Stan positioned himself before Clodia and Camilla with a solemnity that marked the gravity of the moment. The trees around them seemed to lean in as if bearing witness to a long-forgotten sacred ceremony. Grigio, now in his normal form, sat quietly by Stan's side.

Stan raised his arms, palms facing the sky, and his eyes closed. He began to chant in the Old Tongue.
"O vis antiqua naturae, audite me vocem," Stan began, calling upon the ancient forces of nature. O ancient force of nature, hear my voice.

“Per silvas, montes, fluviosque sacros, hanc invocationem pono ante vos." Through forests, mountains, and sacred rivers, I lay this invocation before you.

His words flowed like a river. "Hodie, novos custodes voco, ad veterum viarum custodiam, ad naturae et traditionum tutelam." Today, I call forth new guardians for the preservation of the old ways and for the protection of nature and traditions.

He turned to Clodia and Camilla with his eyes open and gleaming with an otherworldly light. "Vos, Clodia et Camilla, ad altiores vires voco. Accipite munus Druidarum, custodum terrae, magistrorum naturae." You, Clodia, and Camilla, I call to higher powers. Receive the gift of the Druids, guardians of the earth, masters of nature.

Stan's hands moved in intricate patterns, weaving the energies around them into a visible crossing of streams of lights that danced between the trees and around Clodia and Camilla, enveloping them in a warm, emerald glow.

"Per hanc potestatem, vobis novas vias, novas potestates do. Crescite in sapientia, in virtute, in respectu vitae omnis." Through this power, I give you new paths, new powers. Grow in wisdom, in strength, in respect for all life.

The forest seemed to respond to Stan's voice, the wind whispering through the leaves, the earth beneath them thrumming with life. The ritual was more than words; it was a reconnection with the ancient, a rekindling of a bond between humanity and the natural world.

"Ab hodie, [Druidae] estis, nexu inter homines et naturam restituto. Ite, cum benedictionibus terrae, aquae, caeli." From today, you are [Druids], with the bond between humans and nature. Go with the blessings of the earth, the oceans, and the sky.

As the strands of light danced intricately around Clodia and Camilla, they began to intertwine and merge, forming a bright, pulsating glow. The energy then entered their bodies. The light seeped into every fiber of their beings. As it did, both women's eyes fluttered shut, their bodies unable to withstand the overwhelming power, and they blacked out, collapsing softly onto the forest floor, cushioned by the moss beneath them.

...

Camilla woke up with a start as some words appeared in her mind.

[Druid – Level 1!]

[Skill – Basilinna’s Hermeneutic Web of Awareness Acquired!]*blue

...

Then, it was Clodia’s turn.

[Druid – Level 1!]

[Skill – Xenodokia’s Tapestry of Inked Souls Acquired!]*blue

...

Stan was taken aback. “Blue?” He asked to make sure.

“Light blue,” Clodia said. “What does it mean?”

“A blue skill is a Unique Skill,” Stan muttered. “It’s... this is... incredible. I didn’t know this could happen. I imagined you would get a golden one. These skills will be the foundations for your Class. And you’ve got the strongest possible skill you could get. The fact that they’re named means that those are the individuals who created the skills. Does the skill provide an understanding of what they do?”

Clodia focused inwardly and tried to explain, “I get the feeling that I can impress a tattoo on someone.”

“Please,” Stan extended a hand.

[Xenodokia’s Tapestry of Inked Souls!]*blue

Clodia touched Stan's arm with hesitation, her confidence wavering. But as she closed her eyes, she began to whisper ancient words – a language unknown yet flowing naturally from her lips. As she spoke, a tattoo materialized on both their arms.

“I think I know what this is,” Stan said, stunned, observing the fading glow around the ink. “This skill is extremely ancient. This is a Goblin’s [Druid] skill. I believe some Goblins think their tattoos – tattoos are extremely popular in their culture – can be used to pass upon skills and blessings. This skill could be able to let you share your expertise, your pain, maybe... We’ll experiment at the bakery. It should be safe.”

Then, Stan turned to Camilla, “do you feel what your skill does?”

Camilla was wrinkling her nose in a concentrated expression, clearly trying to draw something from the skill. But nothing happened. She sighed in frustration.

“No.”

“Fret not,” Stan smiled. “You might not be able to use it immediately because some skills have an upfront cost. You’ll just need to level up your Class and get more powerful.”

“So, what now?” Clodia frowned, looking around the forest.

“Now, we have added two Souls to the world of [Druids],” Stan smiled, pointing at the grass that was shimmering and where flowers began to bloom out of nowhere. “It doesn’t take much for a forest to seek its future once it can feel the presence of [Druids]. Let’s go back to the bakery now. Your lessons can wait until we have sorted out all the work that there is to do. For now, just experiment with your new skills.”