Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

"Well, he ain't no pumpkin tha's fer sure." Hamish stated as the group of halflings stared at the shrub that was once their Arbormancer. If not for the fact they just saw him go from flesh and blood to leaf and bark they wouldn't have believed it. The only things that reminded them of their Arbormancer was the shape of the shrub as well as the gnarled staff said shrub carried in the position he did.

"I think he's pansies now?" One of them said as they further examined the shrubling.

"Er maybe roses?" Another asked.

"'ENRY!? IS YOU PANSIES ER ROSES!?" The other shouted at the shrub.

"Dinnae be daft you two! He's a shrub, not deaf!" Hamish chided them.

"He moved! I think he 'eard me!?"

"Tha's just tha air rufflin' 'is leaves!"

"Dinnae matter! Dig 'im up 'nd put 'im somewhere else!" Hamish ordered.

The halflings pried the roots of Shrubry out of the floor and out of the adjacent dirt troughs and garden boxes. They moved the shrubling over to a large pot that would've been used to cultivate fruit trees and began to shovel in dirt.

"Dinnae worry 'Enry! We'll make sure you 'ave plenty o' sun 'nd water!"

Hamish groaned as he rubbed his face in frustration. While he enjoyed the hard work of gardening and farming, they kinda needed the Arbormancer to help speed things up in time for winter. With him gone, they would have to do it the old fashioned way and let nature take its course.

"Alright lads! Once you get Henry settled 'nd planted get started on yer sections!" Hamish ordered as he shuffled over to some boxes that sat against the wall of the heated greenhouse.

He looked up at the machine that blew hot air into the building, a nice reprieve to the chill outside. He wasn't too sure how it worked, Clive tried to explain it but it all sounded foreign to him.

Hamish shook his head, he didn't have the time or patience to be learning new things right now. Right now, he needed to do what he's always done. Farming, or gardening in this case, he thought as he reached into a nearby chest and pulled out some starts of grapevines. Next to them were other starts of other berry vines that would go along the wall.

He put the start he had and placed it beside a pole that went up the wall and towards the ceiling where it continued towards the other wall and the garden box on the other side. He dug about 6in across and 4in deep before putting the start inside the fresh hole before filling it up with dirt and sprinkled a bit of water on top to keep it moist.

Then he moved on to the next start and repeated the process. He missed this, he thought as he dug his hands into the fresh soil and wiggled his fingers. Feeling warm soil and smell the dampness that arose as he watered them. It remined him of home, of his own garden patches that once were alive and healthy with produce that would soon arrive to market or for a festival.

He also missed the great sea of farms that spread out in all directions around their town. Wheat turned it gold while cabbage and lettuce added a bit of color during spring time. Then came fall and the fields were littered with gourds. He missed the warms stews they would have during the fall and winter, made from the produce that he himself worked and cared for.

He sighed as he looked around at the metal and glass that surrounded him. Only temporary, he thought. Once they get through winter then the fields will be vast and golden again!

He was brought out of his thoughts by the two that were handling potting Henry as they continued to be fixated by the shrubbed halfling.

"I swear I saw 'im move!"

"Yer seein' thin's! He's a shrub! Shrubs cannae move!"

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Hamish glanced at Henry, or what he had become. It was a right disaster. Some of those in the colony who had a bit of magic learned when they first arrived not to go poking at the magic of this world.

Something Henry seemed to forget, or ignore. At first everything went alright. He began his chanting and finger wiggling as his gnarled staff gave off a soft green glow. For a moment things looked like they were going smoothly. For a moment.

They watched as some seeds that were already planted begin to sprout. They were all hopeful that maybe he would succeed where the others failed. Until it didn't. He started to sweat and looked like he was running out of breath, but that wasn't entirely unusual for magic casters.

What was unusual was that he started to lose color in his face! The more he pushed the more ill he looked to be getting! They tried to stop him, but he insisted that he could push through it. He started to get worse though and he could barely hold himself up or even continue his chanting. Before they knew it, the air exploded with the green light of Arbormancy and a strong smell that reminded them of when a thunderstorm arrived and the air turned fresh and crisp.

Where Henry the halfling once stood was now a shrub that greatly resembled him. Even the leaves on his face looked like the grimace he had moments before.

Hamish sighed as he returned to his work. Not like they didn't warn him though, he thought as he moved on to his next plot while most of the others did the same. Some saplings were potted and placed surrounding Henry, who was now placed in the center of the hothouse. Forming a ring of trees around the shrubling. It was almost beautiful if not for the fact that the center piece was once flesh and blood.

He pulled another start out of its chest, he noticed the leaves on this one were a little yellow at the edges. Which means the enchantments were wearing off. He cursed. It really was fortunate that the humans had a building such as this, he thought. The magic of this world apparently didn't like competition as well as being messed with.

It was something they've noticed with their other supplies as well. The frost enchantments they used on some of their meat were wearing down faster then they should and the meat was beginning to spoil. They've resorted to eating what they couldn't salt, smoke or pickle.

The halflings might have better constitutions than humans, but they weren't immune to sickness from spoiled meat. The only good thing was with it getting colder they didn't have to worry TOO much about that. But even the cold could only do so much to preserve their food stores as their veggies and other perishables were spoiling sooner than their enchanted storage should've allowed.

So they got the same treatment as the meat. What couldn't be pickled and preserved was ate. Better it eaten, and add a layer of warmth, than spoil and risk the colony getting sick or the spoiled and rotten food quickening the decay of the rest.

The halflings have heard that food wasn't really a problem in this part of the world. That they could have whatever they wanted to eat hand delivered to them! Hamish and the rest of the colony could barely believe it. The idea that they could get stews, cooked chicken or even whole cows already butchered delivered to them within not hours or days, but minutes was absurd to them!

Then again, Hamish thought as he glanced once more at the supposedly absurd thing that he was in. A heated greenhouse that allowed them to grow year round. Metal machines that moved dirt with ease. Saws that whirled and ate through trees within seconds.

Maybe he and the rest should start thinking about what shouldn't be possible, and what could be, he thought.

-----

He seems fine, Clive thought as he walked back to the colony. No oversized medical gown, no team of guys in hazmat suits, no choppers flying overhead and no black vans waiting and guys pointing walkie-talkies at him.

Still, it bothered him a little that they knew about him so fast. Not like he was actively trying to hide, but still. How long before Sloth's home becomes some sort of containment base and he starts getting sick and telling him to "PHONE HOME"? Clive didn't have a bike big enough to carry him to some massive alien mothership to send him back home.

Then again he's a literal giant, he should be alright as long as he doesn't cause a ruckus... right? Not like he could actually do anything about it if he did, Clive thought as he neared the colony. What was he supposed to do if the military brings in Blackhawks? Shout and wave at them? Clive sighed as he walked through the tents. Maybe he was just overreacting, he thought. He needed something to take his mind off things.

As if on cue, what appeared to be a dwarf, an actual fantasy dwarf, was talking to some of the humans that were working. As they spoke a couple of them looked up and pointed at Clive. The dwarf nodded his thanks and made his way over to Clive.

"Are you Cliven MacConner?"

"Depends."

"Depends?"

"Are you gonna perform experiments and ask me weird and not at all appropriate questions?"

The dwarf looked at Clive with no small amount of confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just been one of those days. What can I help you with?"

The dwarf cleared his throat.

"I am Aerin! Son o' Ulrin! Son o' Alrin! Son o' Elrin! O' tha Olrin Bankin' Clan!"

"Clive, son of Mark, son of Clark. Wayward engineer." Clive returned the long and overly detailed introduction.

"Aye, I know, that is why I am here. Ta speak ta you about returnin' ta work at tha... railyard was it called?" The dwarf said.

"I heard someone bought it out from old Edward. But why come out here?"

"Well, we've been tryin' ta reach you on the voice box. But we couldn't reach you. Er other former employees."

"Yeah, we don't get much service out here. So what is it you need exactly?"

"We are lookin' to acquire yer expertise on tha trains."

"I'm not sure I'd call it expertise, I just kept them together long enough to do the job."

"'Nd that is why we want you and tha others back. Ta help us with a smooth transition. We might even be lookin' inta offerin' you yer old position!"

Clive thought for a time as he turned and looked at the colony. He really didn't need to do anything anymore, or had anything to do. Everything was either being worked on or didn't need him. At least going back to the railyard, he could but his degree to use again.

"Sure. I can start today if that's alright?"

"Excellent! We'll leave now then! Tha sooner we get started tha sooner we finish, aye?" The dwarf. Aerin, cheered as the two walked to the entrance of the colony.

The dwarf began to walk down the road when he stopped as he noticed Clive wasn't following.

"Are you not comin'?"

"You walked all the way here?"

"Aye. Couldn't find any carriages ta take."

"Well, then we can take my car." Clive said as he hopped into his little car.

The dwarf looked at the vehicle in wonder as he approached the other side of the car. He entered the vehicle and sat down on the seat that wasn't quite big enough for his stature.

"I wondered how these thin's run."

"Electricity and gas." Clive said as he turned the key and the vehicle came to life.

"Stone Father's Beard!" The dwarf cursed as he looked around the car for the source of the noise.

"That's the engine in the hood."

"So no monstrous beast?"

"No beast. Just a engine that spits and roars like one. All mechanical." Clive stated as he drove himself and the bewildered dwarf to the railyard.