The energy of the kauri tree was growing by the day now. That or it always had and Harold was just that much more in tune with his Class and Skill [Bond of the Forest] now compared to then. He was already level 7, in just half a year. It was a good pace, not uncommon in war at all but the only way it happened in a sleepy town like Salcret was if you put the work in.

Hyde was seemingly putting the work in as well, because he felt like he was growing faster than ever through their connection, despite the fact that the former little bugger almost had the frame of an adult mosswolf already and should be slowing down.

Harold could not find him though, and their connection would only point him to the kauri. Nothing to worry about. Probably.

He had brought Oscar and Kalle out here to Brunner’s after they volunteered to join the search, but none of them could find a clue by the great tree and there seemed no point in searching elsewhere at random. One surprising guest ended up joining them though: Algernon.

The owl was not really engaging, but he had been by the orchard a time or two, although he seemed chagrined when there was nothing more exciting than regular old winter apples on offer. Livia had put the hallucinogenic beer under lock and key until they got to Dormata. That sale was going to be one of the things that put them on the map and opened some doors or even earned them a connection or two if they had some luck.

And the last remaining Cloven honey she was even more careful with.

The owl had been convinced to tag along after some mere hours of coaxing and was suitably awed once he caught sight of the sudden giant tree that the Light-bending field Brunner used had kept hidden.

Harold caught another glare from the beast and Algernon even communicated that Roldy was a typical stupid human who would not just reveal the secret to make him come along right away. So much time wasted. Damn is he glaring, owls can really glare, huh.

But the reason was simple, the tree was an open secret even among animals. Plenty of the forest’s denizens knew of it, but if everyone knew then especially the young ones would crowd around, gaining strength at the tree's expense and thereby forcing Brunner to do something about it.

A young owl like Algernon was simply not in the know, and if Harold had been the one to tell him it would earn the [Druid] nothing. Now Algernon might well go brag about having learned the secret and complain about the darn [Druid] who preferred to surprise him rather than spill the beans. On the other hand if he had told the owl it would have earned him no favours since it would just end with Algernon bragging about tricking the stupid human into giving up the secrets he was not old enough to have earned yet.

Now this, this was a win-win. The mental image of a genuinely shocked owl with eyebrows standing straight upward and possibly some respect around the block. Not Algernon's, but still.

In the end the owl decided to head back with Oscar to watch the lad endure a final training-session with Brunner. The lumberjack may have been an expert at wielding hatchets, but he was still the one who had taught Oscar all he knew of wielding the iron sword that Salcret had gifted him, what felt so long ago now. It was a lot more dont's than do's. Meaning Brunner had learned by fighting swordsmen, not by being trained as one. Some were easy to disarm, others had footwork not made to deal with two separate weapons coming at them, etc. Everyone had a weakness and although he lacked the means to give Oscar a proper strength and teach him what to do, he had made sure the boy had no weakness in either his grip, his guard or his defensive footwork, he knew exactly what not to do. What would get him killed.

So they trained one final time, without saying a word. Instilling the Skill that would keep Oscar alive to receive his Class.

Back at the kauri Kalle was reminiscing about the past summer as well now that the 2nd trek for Dormata was so close.

“Do you remember the first time we saw this tree? Brunner was right over there,”

The reminder made Roldy smile almost as wide as Brunner had back then.

“Of course, he acted so casual about it when he had been working on that iron oak for years and years. I bought him doing that kind of thing every morning hook line and sinker.”

They both chuckled and compared the sight back then to the one before them now.

“It was only a couple of day’s after I spent hours using [Esper’s Balm] on you, you know. I hope you still do not regret it happening?”

It took Harold a minute to respond. “It was honestly the first time since he passed that I felt like myself again, before we came here I was still forcing it to an extent. I was riding the wave of energy, afraid it was not going to last,” He shook off the memory. “It still hurts when I think about him, as it should. But it is a lot easier to focus on the good times, on what he taught me. Before my mind would only go to old mistakes and new regrets. Not even always just my own, things he taught me that I knew I could not teach Oscar as well as he did, and those kinds of thoughts. Obligations.”

Kalle hugged him over the shoulder. “We do our best and it can never crush us, no matter the weight we can outgrow it and be stronger. Right?” Harold nodded along instinctively. “Good, it was a tough time but we made it past and stand tall still,”

They got up and started walking back to the farmhouse. The forest was alive around them, after so long of being soundless and colourless. The colourless part remained, but the first sprinkles of green had arrived and would sprout with the speed of magic. The birds and the insects seemed almost to be celebrating.

“Oscar talked to me the other day, by the way, of something he had kept to himself since we came back here.” That piqued Harold’s attention. “Do you remember his birthday?”

“Of course I do, he’s my brother, it’s around midsummer so we always celebrate with the whole village.”

“Right, but the one when we were on our way back, together with Livia’s?” Harold had to think for a second, but it was the first night they tried the Cloven honey. How could one forget. Other than the parts that one was made to forget.

Harold finally put the pieces together. “Oh shit, he lied about his birthday,”

Harold had barely given it a second thought, they had been exhausted still, rushing back homeward and still recovering from both the fight and their meeting with the Cloven [Druid].

“I missed his real one, so he was making up for it,” Harold still regretted how neglectful he had been during his depression. But he was not beating himself up about it, even if he was the older brother and felt a strong responsibility the relationship was still a two-way street. Forgetting a birthday was shitty, but they had both just wanted to be left alone at that time.

Then the second realisation hit him and he stopped in his tracks, they had barely gotten more than ten metres.

“Oh shit, so he’s getting his Class in just two more months!?” Harold was beaming again at the thought, and he understood now why Oscar seemed so motivated and tireless, despite lacking a Class to empower him. Soon.

“But why would he take so long to tell someone?”

“He said he was considering deception-based Classes, you know, [Spy] and the like, and wanted to know how well he could keep a secret or waffle his way out of a situation if the secret came up. Then it never did and it just got too awkward to bring up after so long,” Kalle was smiling but when Oscar came out with it he had actually laughed right in his embarrassed face.

Harold was equally tickled and actually started laughing out loud. “That’s so like him,” They turned to go back. “He would be a terrible spy, super-easy to ambush!”

That proclamation was met by the heavy dirt shifting behind them and a growling bark resounding among the trees.

The slight layer of growing spring-moss was replaced by a dark brackish kind interspersed with thick spines of dark fur topped by yellow eyes and a mouth with rows of teeth between surprisingly chubby cheeks.

“Oh hey, Hyde is back!”

Just in time too. Tomorrow the train left for Brunner’s farm, and the day after that was the road to Dormata, the capital of Humanity.