“Dearie, food’s ready. Oh, roots, looks like that took a lot out of ya, huh.” Terili says, coming in from another room. Her eyes are sad when I look at her. “Yeah, I didn’t really expect that. Is attuning always like that?” I really hope not, not sure how often I could handle that kind of emotion.

  “Afraid so, at least for we Grovekeepers. The boys at the Gilded Talon don’t have that issue, but they have a unique gaggle of fairies tending to their Life Trees. Not sure how the other courts handle their trees, though. Personally, I like the system we have. Makes you think about your choices. Too many people don’t reflect on how they live. I like that our trees make the cost of another chance. Now, come along, food won’t get any warmer while we wait.” She says as she flies over to me, grabbing the sleeve of my new tunic as if she could pull me up and force me to come with her.

  I get up and follow along, finally taking a real look at the inn I stumbled into earlier. The building rises three stories around a central courtyard, its open core sheltered beneath a domed roof of thick, glassy petals. That soft, eternal twilight filters down from above, casting shifting patterns across the walls as faint wind stirs the canopy. I spot scaled birds flitting through the branches overhead—like a cross between sparrows and lizards—chasing each other through shafts of dusty light.

  The Life Tree dominates the heart of the structure. Its roots weave through the architecture, grown deliberately into ribbed pillars and sweeping arches along the first floor. Stone and bark blend so seamlessly that it's hard to tell where the tree ends and the building begins. Here and there, lanterns hang from braided rope or sit in alcoves, their glow-moss contents giving off dim pulses of emerald light. Most are dark. Not broken, just… unattended. It’s clear now that Terili is barely maintaining this place. Keeping it alive the way you tend to an old pet no one else remembers.

  The dining room opens off the main path near the entrance. Seven tables, low and wide, circle a root-pillar that glows faintly with the same inner pulse I felt earlier. Tiny motes of green drift lazily in the air, appearing for moments before fading like the last breath of a dream. Along one wall, a polished counter marks the divide between common room and kitchen. The table closest to it has already been set—a large wood bowl filled with steaming soup, its scent rich with tomato, basil, and something extra beneath. Next to it, a wicker basket holds thick slices of nut bread, their crust dusted with something spiced and sharp. My stomach gives a traitorous growl.

  “You wanted to ask some questions, Dearie. I say a good meal is a nice time to chat. Then you can decide how long you want a room for.”

  “Wait, I can’t stay here. I need to get back home.” I can’t let this place confuse me. I need to own up to my decisions. Eddy probably still needs help. I just left him on the floor, and I still want to get Mom that thread. I hope it hasn’t been too long.

  “Don’t worry about that. The system will let ya leave from here—perk of having a room. Even lets you come back to it, if you still paid for it.” She says while pushing me towards the food.

  “Wait, the system handles things like that here? Why would it manage stuff like that?” Everyone knows the system only really assists the nobles and mages. The people who actually use it, giving everyone else classes, is only a courtesy so that we can do our jobs after all. Occasionally, it notices someone worth paying attention to and gives them a better class than they should get, but beyond that, the system is pretty absent for most people.

  “Not sure what you mean there. The system takes care of a lot of things here in Nestroot. Maybe the Patriarch made a deal with it or something? I just know it lets the courts manage their territories, lets everyone else know what's going on within a territory, keeps track of court favor for people, and does a few other things specific to each court.” Terili drops the idea that the system would be active for normal people like it's nothing; she just casually nibbles on a chunk of bread afterward.

  A knock at the door distracts my thoughts, and my stomach reminds me I should be eating while I think. The soup is good, and Terili’s chatter in the distance lets my mind just drift while I eat. “Dearie, I hate to alter plans but it seems we have an extra guest. Sir Garek seems to be in need of lodgings since the talon doesn’t have much in the way of accommodations.”

  “We have plenty of space..for normal sized creatures like kobolds and hatchlings not realm walking furred giants, he doesn’t fit in our living spaces.” Says a high pitched voice that makes me tense a bit for some reason.

  “Well, we did tell you that building kobol sized was going to limit your ability to cater to guests and look where we are, seems we were right.” Terili seems oddly happy this ‘kobold’ had to come to her.

  “Waste of coin, we tallied the estimates and the additional coin from realm walkers wasn’t worth the comfort we’d lose from being in such large homes. Bad enough we had to expand the shops. Thank the Patriarch we knew the realm walkers were coming. Would have been dreadful how much we would lose if we had to adapt to them as they were showing up. You have food right? You always have food around this time. We should join you, make sure nothing goes to waste.” says the kobold. Now I understand why I got tense, he’s a greedy merchant and I’m perpetually broke.

  “You can pay for your dinner unlike the realm walkers, don’t try and slither your way into a free meal. How about you answer some questions from them, I’m sure with how quiet your friend there is that he is still trying to get his wings under him, er feet I mean, sorry dear, force of habit. I’ll need to put on some extra so you can explain to them while I cook, unless you’d rather pay for it in coin?” Terili flies in ahead of two strange creatures.

  The first is a small walking lizard of some sort…He’s barely over three feet tall, with burnished copper scales and clawed hands that twitch like they’re always trying to snatch something. His clothes are sharply tailored—a patchwork of reinforced leather and gold-threaded fabric, clearly meant to show off wealth without actually spending too much of it. Around his neck is a thin chain from which hangs a copper medalion, etched with symbols I don’t recognize. He’s got a long snout, sharp eyes, and a voice like someone who’s convinced every conversation is already a negotiation.

  The creature behind him, though, makes me pause.

  He’s huge.

  Not in a hulking monster way, but in that deliberate, quiet way that makes you notice how much space he chooses not to take up. I’ve seen it in bodyguards and soldiers not working. They can’t help but claim space. His fur is dark grey streaked with white, and he’s wearing a battered wool cloak over some light clothing, with silver jewelry across his chest and wrists. There’s something tired in his yellow eyes. A soldier maybe, or something close to it. He doesn’t speak right away, just gives a small nod when Terili gestures toward the table.

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  The kobold is already in a seat with a claw reaching toward the bread basket. “Sure, sure. I’ll give the walkers a run down. Ooh, might even give em a few coins for some questions of my own? You lot need coin, and I know I guy who would ..reinburse me for the trouble of asking the right questions.”

  A deep voice that despite speaking softly can be easily heard in the entire room speak up. “I will not share secrets of my home, but I would be willing to share tales of my home for coin of this realm.” He walks toward the table with a sort of predatory grace something his size shouldn’t be allowed to do.

  “I am Garvek Stormblade of Duskmoor, and the scaled one seems to have been hatched without manners. He is Twitch apparently. Might I know the name of my tablemate?” He asks in a way that feels as if I could refuse. Like he doesn’t expect me to actually offer but would genuinely like to know. Its weird.

  “I, um, Luna of Ferrangan. No last name. How did you come here?” Shards, anyone with a last name in Kelsai is a member of a house or had reached level 10 in their class. Supposedly the system assigns a last name if you get to that point without one, though the name isn’t passed on to your children and most people with that kind of power would be granted a last name I imagine. Stormblade sounds like a class name and a combat focused one at that.

  “You may relax Ms Luna, I am not like the mages of your homeland. As for your question, I was offered passage by the Gilded Talon for making a risky but profitable business decision. The System mentioned that I may be able to acquire a new class here and I was intrigued.”

  “Why would you be looking for a class? Aren’t you a powerful warrior already?” I blurt out, at his level adding a new class would be a really bad idea. I don’t remember the rules exactly but having two classes is usually considered really bad since the new class is limited by the old in the difficulty of tasks that give XP and his current class won’t be able to level up until the new class would also level to that point.

  “Was, I was a powerful warrior. My people have a way to pass on a class to another and I gave mine to my son. He had always wanted to be a warrior and letting him start with an uncommon class gave him a better start than he would have otherwise had. Also meant I could give him advice on how to level it and what choices I had.” He says this as he takes a seat and seems weirdly satisfied with his decision.

  He gave up everything that made him powerful just to give his son a better start. I don’t know anyone back home who would even consider that. Power and status are everything, losing your class would mean you aren’t important anymore. …Wait, he said he wasn’t like the mages of my homeland. How would he know that? “Have you been to my homeland Sir Garvek”

  “Just Garvek these days, I am not a soldier anymore and yes I have. The ports of Istoda are a common destination for my ship. Though I try to stick to common goods so I don’t have to meddle in the affairs of your mages. I find them …distasteful.” He growls the last word as if he would have rather said something much worse.

  “However, I do believe we are both more interested in what Twitch can tell us than the affairs of home?” Twitch seems to freeze mid bite as Garvek speaks. “Right, right. I agreed to answer some questions. I’ll give ya the run down first and then we can see what ya want to know after.”

  “Best start at the beginning else nothing makes a lick of sense I guess. See this place is called the Dominion of the Dragon Queen. Long time ago, supposedly, a powerful dragon ruled this whole realm. But when she died her kids started fighting, and before you know it they’d all gone and croaked. But the thrones were still open and the fighting had been going on for a while so soon everyone realized that the only way to claim the crown was to control all the thrones.”

  “Soon after that you get factions building around powerful dragons who think they are best fit to rule, or just want something specific and they started messing with the Dominion’s magick. Now the courts are recognized by the system and they got all these special rules they have to follow and so does everyone else. But, lots of dragons are dying all the time and dragons being the creatures they are. Well, all that mana and power had to go somewhere. Ripped the Dominion right into another space. Use to be someplace beyond the Fanged Coast. Maybe there is, though, I haven’t been. Haven’t left Nestroot—not that I’d want to, what with the Stormspire and Whiteflame Courts fighting again.” Twitch stops talking and seems to sit for a moment, thinking.

  “Twitch, stop thinking about your smuggling dreams for five minutes and keep on with the explaining or I’ll give you cold soup for dinner.” Terili says from inside the kitchen. The smell of cooking food wafting in reminds me that I sort of stopped eating mine.

  “Right, not sure who she was, but a powerful dragon decided that she needed an advantage over her competition and made the first Life Tree. The idea was that she wanted to have loyal soldiers faster so instead of waiting for more eggs to hatch she would make sure her soldiers could come back to her instead. Almost worked but they came back as hatchlings and lost pretty much their entire memory, just vague ideas and feelings remained. You’d have to ask someone better with history if you want the rest but somehow that turned into a whole thing.”

  “Next thing ya know we have all out war, dragons trying to burn down forests to stop Life Trees from supplying their allies and creatures not even part of the court conflict getting dragged in. somehow in all of that the forest decided it had enough and the Patriarch showed up. The Life Trees became a whole lot harder to destroy and something gave the courts a good wallop to the horns. The courts agreed to the Patriarch’s rules within the forests and the area around him became something like a sanctuary. Lots of us little creatures traveled here during that time and it became known as Nestroot.” Twitch takes a bite of nut bread with a smug smile that clearly tells everyone that he thinks he did a great job. While I feel like the world is slowly getting crazier. I’m not sure what a dragon is but if they can change a whole realm, make weird overpowered trees and still act as seemingly power hungry as the mage houses…thats terrifying. I’m not sure I want to get involved with this place for too long.

  “The System mentioned that classes are locked here, some kind of block that prevents anything not of this place through or something?” Garvek asks as Terili comes in with more soup and bread floating behind her.

  “Oh yeah, not sure what the courts did to cause that but somehow they got control over what can come in and all that so they locked it down tight. Not an issue for us but I’m sure you realm walkers would be a touch angry if you couldn’t use your hard earned power here. Thats why when we found out this place was going to be connected to another realm we of Nestroot decided to offer passes to the classless. The Patriarch offers us a second chance all the time. Figured it was only right to do the same to people who probably really need it. Apparently the system thought that was a fantastic idea because it didn’t force us to build any complicated portal things like the other courts have to.” An empty bowl wacks Twitch upside the back of his head as he says this.

  “Don’t you go trying to take credit for Princess Thalia’s idea you cheapskate. Whole reason it gave her that title and everything. Won’t be having you trying to earn any favor by faking any concern for the realm walkers. I distinctly remember your esteemed leader trying to say we should charge them for everything. As if they would have a roots chance of earning a single coin without a class of their own at first.” Terili looks truly irritated by Twitch, little sparks of green energy are coming off her wings as she lectures him.

  “Um, Terili, how do we get a class here? It sounds like its something you expect us to get.” I ask, its the entire reason both Garvek and I came here and I really want to know now. What kind of classes are here? Even without being particularly helpful outside of this place, the skills alone will make it worth it.

  “Oh, thats nothing special dear, most of them can be gained from working with the courts. I know each of the groups here in Nestroot offer one and the Patriarch offers another to those who meet the conditions. I don’t know about the other courts but for we Grovekeepers as a Life Tree’s lead tender I can offer you both the option.” A sudden flurry of green energy swirls around Garvek and me before I get a system notice.

  System Quest for user Luna

  Origin: Grovekeepers

  Request:

  Spend two hours earnestly tending to a Life Tree

  Spend two hours earnestly tending to the needs of others.

  Reward: Temporary Grove Warden Class Unlock

  System Note: Grove Wardens fill the Guardian Controller roles

  System Note: This Class Unlock will only be active within the Dominion of the Dragon Queen. It was also be revoked upon Rebirth.

  System Note: Awakened Soul - Shadow will Aspect this class.

  The system offering me a class—any class—makes my chest tight. Even if it's temporary. Even if it vanishes when I die... it's still mine. It still means while I am here I might actually matter.

  “Hey, no fair, I can’t offer em the Talon’s quest. Not that I can’t talk about it though. See if you can find a nice store owner they can give it to ya. Class is called Treasure Hunter. Lets you do the exploring and acquiring of things alot easier.” Twitch babbles on a bit but my mind is sort of stuck. What the hell is an Awakened Soul?