Ulrin Mercantile Hub.

Clive backed the train slowly back towards the railyard. It was slow going but he didn't mind as it gave him time to think about everything on the way back. Jeb leaving, Kilpa apparently going to his place to do what he can take a good guess at.

Clive sighed. He didn't have the first idea of what to do or even say. Should he tell Sam, Skeeter or even Morty that Jeb was gone? Did Jeb do so already? Would it even matter if he did or not? Then what was he going to do about Kilpa? He doubt she just went over Jeb's to say hello. But according to Jeb and the kobolds she didn't cause any trouble, other than scaring them.

Clive looked out the side of the engine and watched as the train slowly crawled back into the trainyard. All of this he could deal with later, right now he was on the clock and had a job to do. Besides, maybe a bit of work will help him sort his head and emotions, he thought as he spotted Ulrin waiting for him when the train finally ceased its long slow journey home.

He hopped out of the train and walked over towards Ulrin.

"It's all done."

The gilded dwarf rumbled and ran a bejeweled hand through his beard as he peered down the tracks before turning to leave, waving Clive to follow.

"Good, come along."

Clive followed as the dwarf led them away.

"How are things comin' along with yer new duties?"

"Fine. We know what's causing the problem and are working to fix it." Clive said as he told his boss about his work at the Artificer's Guild.

"Good. Keep tha lad focused and out o' trouble." The dwarf ordered.

Clive nodded with a silent confirmation. Ulrin glanced at Clive though when he noticed he was troubled.

"What is tha problem manlin'?"

Clive looked to the dwarf.

"My friend."

Ulrin rumbled but kept walking. As they neared the administrative office he stopped and turned to Clive.

"Worry not fer yer friend. He has his own troubles and worries to attend to, and power to see him through it."

"But I feel like I should do something to help."

"Word o' advice? Stay out o' tha affairs o' deities. It causes nothin' but headaches and problems."

"But Jeb isn't a god!"

"Then he's either been lyin' to you, which isn't a rare thin' among their kind. Or he soon will be. In either case, it's best to worry about yourself. Take it from someone who's had to deal with deities more often than he would like." Ulrin argued tiredly.

"You dealt with gods?" Clive asked with a measure of skepticism and wonder.

"Aye! From dealin' with minor gods and goddesses o' tha sea tryin' to sink our tradin' vessels, to woodland fey and their nature gods movin' their borders on whims known only to them! Even had to deal with house spirits and family gods more often than we would like."

"Sounds..."

"Frustratin'? Aggrevatin'? Aye, it is. Stick with worldly, and material, affairs if you value yer sanity and health."

"I was going to say interesting." Clive muttered.

"Only if you can get somethin' out o' it with minimal work and debt. Speakin' o' which. Quinten!" The dwarf bellowed.

A gnome labored by packs of scrolls and covered in ink and parchment with glasses on that had several magnifier lenses attached rushed out of the administration building.

"Yes, Ulrin?"

"Make note o' a boon owed." Ulrin rumbled as the gnome shot a hand into the bulging sacks and pulled out a little wooden slab that was attached to something within by metal joints. He produced a inkwell and quill along with a strip of parchment.

"What and by whom?"

Ulrin made to speak before turning to Clive.

"What was yer friend's name?"

"Jebadiah, Jeb for short, Jefferson." Clive relayed as the gnome quickly jotted down the information as he muttered to himself.

"Jebadiah Jefferson. One boon owed. When should we collect?" The gnome asked.

"At a date o' our choosin'." Ulrin stated.

"Wait? What does Jeb owe?" Clive asked.

"A boon or favor. It pays to have a deity owe YOU one instead o' tha other way around." Ulrin said as Quinten finished jotting down the information and scampered back into the building to make copies and copies of those copies.

"And what will you ask for?" Clive asked a bit worried.

"That is between tha clan and him. You have work to return to." Ulrin stated as he left Clive and entered the administration building.

Clive looked between the dwarven HQ and back at the tracks. He hoped Jeb didn't promise them something he'll regret offering. But Ulrin was right, he thought. Problems for another day and another time. For right now he had work to attend to.

So Clive left to oversee the Artificer's Guild, and hopefully prevent them from exploding the building anymore than they have already, he noted as the place looked like it had one maybe two more explosions before it toppled down. Perhaps getting the dwarves to build a dedicated, and sturdier, workshop would be better?

-----

Halfling Colony.

"These are lookin' juicy!" One of the hothouse workers declared as he squeezed a tomato that was a day or two away from being round red and ripe.

"Better not be snackin'! These are fer tha colony! Not yer gut!" Hamish yelled across the increasingly humid hothouse.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Though he did have to admit, the produce here was lookin' quite nice! He didn't think the metal and glass building would work as well as it did but it was! Already several vines had some plump grapes ready to be made into a refreshing wine, gourds were growing to be almost as big as the halflings were!

"Now if only we could do somethin' 'bout all tha vines." Hamish muttered to himself as he noted the long verdant vines that snaked across the hothouse.

At first they just moved them out of the way, but as there became more and more of them they resorted to cutting them away. But they would just regrow by the next morning thicker and more numerus! They weren't sure where they were even coming from at this point!

Some of the more superstitious folk at the greenhouse said it was Henry that was doing it all! Hamish would hear none of that talk though! Henry was dead and not some garden sprite! It was just an overgrowth of plant life is all it was, Hamish thought as he stepped over a thick vine that ran through several fruit trees that looked ready to bear their sweet succulent treasures any day now!

That was all the colony needed was some new mania to get folk stirred up like hornets, Hamish thought as he watered a patch of pumpkins that were growing well. All this bountiful treasure was just a result of halfling hard work and human technology. Though he would cast a glance at the shrub Henry from time to time.

He would shake his head though soon after and leave the humid air of the hothouse for the refreshing chill air and a puff of his pipe. He looked up at the gloomy sky. It always looked like it was about to rain since they arrived in this world. Yet not even a drop had fallen. But from the looks of the clouds that might change soon, Hamish thought as he looked around as he puffed on his pipe.

The tents were gradually being replaced with right and proper homes now. Most of the colony was still bound to them for now, but it wouldn't be much longer before the whole colony was warming their feet in their own hearths and homes again!

He stared off into the distance and noted the flocks of sheep and herds of cows that were out grazing. There was talk among the families about buying more land around them. Especially with the new arrivals looking like they were going to stay. Which meant that they'll need land for homes, and there was alot of land near the halflings that would be better spent on farming or grazing than housing a bunch of elves and their ilk, Hamish thought.

While he had been the one to technically make the purchase, it was in the name of the colony that he did so. Since he was the most familiar with how the humans did things in town, the duty of buying the surrounding land would more than likely fall to him. Though he'll probably be saddled with a few hanger-ons that'll want a bit more land for their families than the rest, or better plots than others.

Hamish sighed out a puff of tobacco smoke. Halfling politics at it's finest, he thought as he cleaned out his pipe and headed back into the hothouse. The chill was refreshing after being in their for so long but it was still too damn cold! He couldn't wait for his home to be finished! A nice hearth and warm stew waiting for him along with his wife and kids!

Speaking of which, Addie has been feeling better about something lately that has her getting lovey again. Maybe after he gets done building Clive a new home he can get started on their own! Getting Clive's done would give him and Addie a chance to get romantical again as they could drop Feryl and Stella off for him to watch!

Feryl gets a nanny, Stella gets to spend time with her future husband, and Hamish and Addie can get frisky in peace, Hamish thought at how happy Addie will be with his idea as he was blasted with humid air from the hothouse. He hummed a tune as he continued his work, marveling at the growth of the fruits and vegetables and how it might not be such a bad idea to see if Clive might want to reopen his short-lived school again. After all, if things were growing this fast what else could they do with a bit of mechanical help from the humans!

The colony and the hothouse just added to that feeling, Hamish thought. Given their stature, building the colony would've taken them months! Yet day by day their colony is getting closer and closer to being a proper home! Their food is growing well thanks to the humid and isolated nature of the hothouse.

There weren't going to be no factories in a halfling colony though. The halflings might see the usefulness of human technology. But they also know about the filth, squalor, and general rudeness of large human cities. A little mechanical help from the humans wouldn't hurt, but that was all it would be. A little. Even the halflings that had lived in the human city that had arrived not long ago attested to that.

While some were wary of letting in strangers, even if they were their kin, with the rate the hothouse was going and the offer of extra hands was enough to allow them into the colony, albeit there wasn't a very warm welcome. Sure a small, by halfling standards, feast was held to welcome them. But it was quite muted and to halflings was seen more as a polite even formal affair than the grand feasts they would have regularly.

The humans didn't seem to notice however as they participated in the feast like it was just another party to them. Which the halflings didn't fault them for, it took some doing for humans to learn the difference between a celebratorial feast and a polite welcoming feast. They were both feasts but it all mattered in the tone of conversations and quality of food offered. Like the difference between giving a stranger a polite good morning vs saying good morning to a dear friend or loved one.

The extra hands were welcome, but they were still outsiders that had abandoned their kin for some foolish fancy away from hearth and home! Didn't matter that they now learned their mistake, it was the principle of the matter! Given time and enough hard honest work, they'll be fully welcomed into the colony!

But those were things someone else had to worry about, Hamish thought as he stopped himself from tripping over a engorged vine running through his path. His problem today was not breaking his neck trying to water squash!

-----

Clive clocked out and left the trainyard, while it was fun working with Dylan and Alban he was looking forward to going home and resting. If only that was what he had planned, Clive thought as his mind returned to Jeb and Kilpa.

Clive sighed, he didn't know what to do! Should he try and help Jeb out some more, or should he listen to Ulrin and keep his distance? On one hand Jeb was his closest and oldest friend. On the other, he wasn't sure if he was even human anymore. From the look on Jeb's face, he wasn't either.

"Maybe he has a point." Clive said aloud to himself in his car. Besides, Jeb can take care of himself. He's always been like that, recent... changes won't stop that, Clive thought as he pulled up to the halfling colony.

Even if Jeb wasn't human anymore just meant that he was more than likely capable of dealing with things himself. Of course that didn't stop Clive from feeling a pit in his stomach at the thought of his friend doing this all alone. Sure he has the kobolds, but other than that he was going through something difficult without his friends and family.

Clive stopped his worrying as he spotted Kilpa entering the feasting tent. Her face was downcast and her face looked like she had either been drinking or crying, maybe both. Clive shook his head to clear his thoughts. Jeb was elsewhere at the moment and Clive would see about helping him another time. Right now he had another problem he could solve right here.

Clive entered the feasting tent and was welcomed by the sounds of food being plated, drinks being sat down, and laughter from all. All except Kilpa, who took her seat in the darkest corner by the bar she could. The rest of the halflings were more than content to leave her to herself as they continued to feast and celebrate.

Clive walked over and sat beside her.

"Hey."

Kilpa's only response was a muted grunt. Clive continued when it seemed like she wasn't going to push him away.

"Heard from my friend that you stopped by his place. Met the kobolds. How... how did that go?"

Kilpa stayed silent as a pint was brought to her. She downed it greedily as Clive barely sipped his own. When she slammed the pint of ale she started to speak.

"I was an adventurer. I was ta be someone doin' good in our world. Slayin' dragons, killin' bandits! Sounds glorious dinnae it?"

Clive made to speak but Kilpa continued before he could get a word out.

"'Nd we were! Bandits! Ogres! Trolls! Dragons! All o' those monsters were slain! We did a public good 'nd got paid fer it too!"

She downed the next pint that she had received before continuing.

"'Nd yet, when I go through mah own mind I start ta notice a few thin's tha' dinnae make sense, ya ken? Like we get this job 'bout a buncha bandits off tha road ta Hollowsfort. They were raidin' convoys full o' food and supplies for the town. So me 'nd mah mates go 'nd deal with it like we always do. Simple really! Except one thin' tha feller tha' hires us told us befer we go. Tha' halflin's made almost a third among 'em 'nd ta keep an eye out."

Clive kept his mouth shut as Kilpa continued.

"Which I thought was strange. I told you about 'ow rare it was fer halflin's ta leave our 'ome fer adventure? Well it goes double fer banditry. So tha fact tha' a whole THIRD o' a bandit camp is made o' halflin's seems off. But! We was paid ta deal with bandits 'nd so we didnae question it!"

Kilpa snatched Clive's ale from him and downed it before she sat it back down as she got a haunted look on her face.

"Tell me Clive? Can you tell tha difference between a halflin' 'nd a human child?"

Clive took a glance around the room and easily noted the proportions that would differentiate a human child between a grown halfling before nodding. Kilpa chuckled darkly.

"Well, tha' made one o' us!"

She stopped as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Those bandits turned out ta be some former workers fer tha feller we was hired by. They was raidin' HIS convoys fer tha pay tha' they was owed by 'im! He 'ad fired them all when he got some enchanted labor from some folks at an enchanter's school 'nd used what was owed ta tha workers ta pay fer 'em. Animated golems worked three times as long and didnae need food er water er e'en sleep! Wanna ken 'ow we found tha' out? Tha bandit leader, some supposed hardened criminal tha' was bloodthirsty 'nd cruel. Turned out ta be a regular family man doin' wha' he 'ad ta support 'is family... tha family we 'ad butchered ta tha last. Right down ta tha "halflin's" tha' were among 'em."

Kilpa began to sniffle.

"We killed 'em all. 'Nd got paid. We didnae stick around ta question nothin'. Makes jobs more complicated Moira would say, just do tha job 'nd get paid. Then after, we would get sloshed ta dull the memories o' tha worst jobs. Turns out more than a few jobs we did were like tha' when I think 'bout it. Alot more."

Kilpa began to cry as she reached for another drink.

"'Ow many families did me 'nd mah mates slaughter fer coin?! 'Ow many poor folks who's lives we cut short o'er tha years?!"

Clive... didn't know what to say. Which was becoming annoying. He wanted to help Jeb and Kilpa and he didn't have the first idea how! How is he supposed to help his friend as he moves an entire tribe of kobolds while apparently being some sort of demi-god?! How was he supposed to comfort Kilpa as she poured her heart out about so much fucked up shit she and her friends did?!

Clive placed a hand on her back as she sobbed into her arms.

"It's alright. You know what you did, and now you can make amends for it."

"Make amends 'OW?! I! KILLED! WHOLE! FAMILIES!" Kilpa yelled into her arms. Not even looking up at Clive.

"Well, I don't know yet. But we can figure that out. Some of the best work has been done by people trying to be better about themselves or trying to make such amends! We can figure out how you can do some good things so you feel better about yourself! An experienced adventurer like you can be pretty handy when put on the right path! And... and I'll be there with you when you need it!" Clive declared.

"But I'm a monster! Worse than those kobolds at any rate! At least they 'ad a dragon brow beaten them! I just 'ad mah dumb friends 'nd tha call o' gold!" Kilpa countered.

"But weren't you doing it for your village? That sounds like a good cause."

Kilpa gestured around at the halflings.

"'Nd wha' a wonderful job I did. Killed families 'nd slaughtered tha innocent ta make coin fer a village tha' no longer exists."

"Well... yeah. That's true. But-"

"You need ta work on yer pep talk cause I dinnae feel any better." Kilpa stopped Clive.

Clive sighed as he sipped his replacement drink.

"Yeah, guess I do. Guess I also need to figure out HOW to help people before I start trying to actually help."

"'Ow 'bout you sit there 'nd listen ta me 'nd mah tales o' woe 'nd take me 'ome when I drink too much?"

Clive chuckled.

"I can do that."

So that was what Clive did for most of the night. He sat and listened as Kilpa went over adventure after adventure. Sometimes it was a simple job that wasn't that hard to see it was a good thing. Killing trolls or swamp hags wasn't exactly morally gray. Some were questionable. A few were... less so. But Clive listened as Kilpa poured her heart out all night. Or at least until she finally passed out from emotional exhaustion and booze.

Sure it wasn't a instant fix, but Clive was sure just being there for her and listening to her helped more than she probably knew at the moment. So he picked her up and held her in his arms as he took her back to her tent to sleep off the copious amount of booze and emotional baggage.