Somewhere, West Virginia, USA.

Clive followed along the river towards the lake where the giant was, and with him he carried several books he had from his time in collage! The giant appeared simple, but he wasn't stupid. He just needed some teaching!

It made Clive giddy with excitement! He never really thought of himself as an educator type. He wanted to be an engineer! But there were few, if any, opportunities here in town, and after collage he didn't want to leave town so soon.

It wasn't that his experience was BAD, it just... wasn't welcoming. There were the weird kids at school, then there was him. It wasn't that he did anything weird. At least nothing he noticed. It was just he had this air about him that made people just kind of brush past him, they always seemed like they were in a hurry whenever he tried to make friends. The few he had were little better.

He shook his head to clear the dark cloud of thoughts forming in his head. He needed a positive attitude! It went better during teaching if you had a good attitude and actually acted like you cared. At least that's what it seemed like at school. If the teacher didn't care about teaching why would you care about being taught?

But HE did care! Being able to teach the giant something important was something he was looking forward to! After a walking along the river for a time he began his walk around the lake towards the tree home.

As he got to the tree home he noticed that the fire he built the other day was still burning. The giant must have been keeping it fed this whole time! At least that's what Clive thought, he couldn't see how the giant could start it once it went out. He couldn't see any sort of fire starter or flint nearby that he could use? Or maybe he found his own way?

A thought for later, he wasn't here now. So Clive made himself comfortable and went over his lesson plan. He would quiz him a bit, figure out what he knew. Then he would go from there. He didn't expect him to know advanced stuff like geometry or trigonometry. But Clive didn't mind starting with the basics!

So he waited.

And waited.

Aaaannnndddd waited.

His enthusiasm drained as the minutes turned to an hour!

"Where is he?" Clive asked aloud, frustration at his plan being derailed, and worry at something happening to his giant friend.

While he wanted to go search for him, these wood were still pretty out of the way. He didn't want to get lost in them looking for him. But what if something happened, Clive thought. What if someone found him?!

Worry mounting he got up and made to-

"OH?!"

Just as he was about to mount his search, the giant came out of the trees. He had a mess of wild hogs in the crook of one arm. He beamed when the giant saw his friend waiting for him!

"Kly-ven!"

He can talk, Clive thought as the giant lumbered over. Not that Clive was sure he was mute, just that he didn't really give any indication that he could speak. Well, that's easy! At least that meant he could throw out teaching him how to speak.

"Good to see you're alright!" Clive called up to the giant, who smiled down as he discarded the pork into a pile near the bonfire. All but one. A still squealing piggy wiggled out of the pile and bolted for the tree line.

The giant, seeing one of his meals getting away, slammed a mighty hand down on the squealing swine. Shaking the earth and knocking Clive onto his ass. He picked up the pig, who no doubt was either dead or heavily concussed, and placed it and a few others on his roasting spit branch. The now confirmed dead pig and the other unfortunate boars roasted and sizzled on the branch.

Clive cleared his throat as he stood back up and gathered his books.

"Hello!"

"Kly-ven!" He cheered as Clive made his way over.

"Yes! My name is Cliven! But you haven't given me YOUR name!"

The giant looked at Clive confused.

"YOUR! NAME!" Clive called up to him.

Clive held a hand to himself.

"Cliven!"

Then he held a arm to the giant. The giant grinned and pushed a big meaty finger at Clive.

"Kly-ven!"

"Yes, Cliven. But what is YOUR NAME?! Clive asked.

The giant looked down at Clive, no answer forthcoming.

"Do you not have a name?"

The giant shook his head.

"Huh, that's... not uncommon."

Clive put a hand to his chin in thought. A good name for his friend, that's what he thought. Something fitting.

"Heh, don't suppose he'd take Sloth would he?"

"Sloth!"

Clive turned around at the giant. Shit, did he say that out loud?!

The giant put a hand to himself.

"Sloth!"

"Nonononono! Not Sloth!"

The giant chuckled and slammed a hand against his chest for emphasize.

"SLOTH!"

Then he brought a meaty finger and pushed Clive.

"Kyl-ven!"

Well shit! So much for a good name. But at least the gia- Sloth seemed to like it as he laughed a great laugh and repeated it.

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"SLOTH!"

Alright, name done. Lets see if he knows math, Clive thought as he snapped his fingers to get Sloth's attention.

"Sloth?!"

"Hehehe, Sloth!"

"Yes, Sloth. Focus!" Once he had his attention he held up a finger.

"ONE!"

Then he held up a second.

"TWO!"

Then a third.

"THREE!"

"Got it?" He called.

Sloth just looked down on Clive with confusion.

Lets try a different method. He walked over to the pile of boars and dragged one out.

"ONE PIG!"

He gestured to the pig then held up a single finger and shouted again.

"ONE."

"WON?"

"YES! ONE! PIG!" Clive called as he repeated the number and pointed towards the pig.

"WON. PIG."

"GOOD SLOTH!" He called as he pulled another boar out of the pile.

"TWO PIG!" He said as he repeated, another finger for another pig.

"WONPIG!" Sloth shouted as he pointed towards the boar.

"NO! TWO! PIG!" Clive called as he repeated.

"WONPIG! WONPIG!" Sloth called as he picked up the boars.

"Wonpig!" He said as he gestured, like Clive, to the swine.

Clive sighed as he looked to his books. He may have overestimated the giants thinking capacity. Maybe the Library had some Dr. Seuss books? He could download stuff on his phone but it was too small.

Either way, his teaching plan was dead in the water. For now at least. So he just stuck with basic stuff. Pointing to things and seeing if Sloth could name them. While he DID know some basic stuff. Rock, tree, water, sky. He just didn't seem to have a name for them.

Have to start somewhere, Clive thought. So that's what he did for his afternoon. Teaching Sloth what the various things were called. While Sloth enjoyed it for a time, eventually he got tired and stopped "playing" Clive's name game. Which was fine by him, he had his fill of teaching for today.

Doesn't mean he was going to sit here and watch the fire burn.

"How did you get here Sloth?"

He looked down on Clive, confusion on his face. Clive sighed.

"How. Did. YOU! Get. HERE!" Clive called, pointing to Sloth and then the ground.

Sloth seemed to get it, or at least Clive thought he did. Sloth broke some small branches off the tree. He placed two big ones into the ground standing up, then he stuck a small one into the ground next to them.

He then pushed over the two big branches and buried them. Then he pointed to the small one.

"Sloth."

Oh, Clive thought as what Sloth was doing clicked.

Sloth then drew a rough circle in the dirt. Then he pointed towards stick Sloth and then at the circle.

"You came here through a... circle?"

Sloth nodded. Clive wasn't sure if he understood what he asked or if he just assumed Clive did.

The halflings said they came here from another world didn't they? What if Sloth came the same way, Clive thought. He made a mental note to ask Hamish or Kilpa how exactly they got here. If they got here, maybe other giants did. Maybe Sloth could find some other giants that could take care of him, or maybe he can go home and not have to worry about scavenging for boar in the wild!

While Sloth didn't look to beaten up about his surroundings. It was only a matter of time before someone finds him, and unlike the halflings, he didn't have an excuse for why a human was several stories tall! The halflings could easily pass for being humans with dwarfism. But him? Gigantism didn't make you that big!

For now though they just had to make do with the fact that the area is pretty much nothing but wilderness. Though with how big the halfling families are likely to get if what Hamish insinuated is true. Then its only a matter of time before the halflings naturally spread out, and into the area Sloth has made his home!

Something to worry about later, Clive thought. Not much he could do right now though. Just hope that Sloth stayed clear of the halflings and vice versa. But for now it was getting late. So he said goodbye to Sloth and headed back.

About halfway home he ran into Kilpa!

"'Ow was yer teachin' lession?"

"Oh it didn't go the way I wa- How did you know?" Clive asked suspiciously.

"I followed you!" She said cheerfully.

"What? Why?!"

"'Cause yer tha only excitin' thin' 'round 'ere!"

"Really? Stalking me to spy on me and my giant friend-"

"Sloth." She corrected.

"Yeah, Sloth. Don't change the subject!"

"Not my fault you cannae remember yer own friend's name!" She teased

"Thats-" Clive groaned.

"What do you want?!"

"I wanted ta follow you 'nd see wha' made you so excited!"

"What?"

"Aye, I came by ta see if or when you were wantin' ta get a drink again. But I missed ya, so I went lookin' fer you! Saw you walkin' inta tha woods with a bunch o' books with a smile on yer face!"

"Did anyone else follow you?"

She snorted.

"Like anyone could sneak up on me! 'Sides, I'm 'bout tha only one 'round 'ere tha' would bother ta follow you through tha woods!"

"That's... not comforting." Clive said as he walked past Kilpa.

"Ugh! FINE! I'm sorry! OK?! It's a force o' 'abit!" She pleaded as she followed.

"What habit comes from sneaking and stalking people?!"

"Tha kind tha' comes with bein' small 'nd in a profession tha' means bein' sneaky is better than bein' seen!"

"So what DO you want?" He asked, still skeptical.

"'Fore I answer can you lean down 'ere?"

Clive sighed as he knelt down closer to her.

"What?"

She shuffled, a little embarrassed, then she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I'm sorry."

She said, eyes on the ground and flicking between it and his face as she continued to fidget.

"Yer tha only one 'round 'ere tha' don't treat me like an outsider. 'Nd I don't want you ta think tha' o' me."

"Why would I treat you like an outsider?"

She huffed indignantly as they both headed back.

"You mean you 'aven't 'eard tha shpiel 'bout 'ow daffy 'nd soft in tha 'ead I am?"

"You mean other than what I've seen so far?"

She winced at that.

"Tha's fair. I deserved tha'. You mean you don't know 'bout 'ow tha rest o' 'em see folk like us?"

"Like what?"

"Adventurers. Or folk tha' want somethin' more than bein' a farmer, or a wife, or somethin' else involvin' raisin' kids or farmin'!"

"What's wrong with any of that?"

"Nothin'! Its just somthin' I didnae want ta do... well. Not yet at least." She said, her face turning slightly red.

"What about being an adventurer?"

"They treat anyone tha' wants ta do somethin' else like we're all crazy! Ifin you wanna go ta a city 'nd set up a shop? Daffy! Wanna get a boat 'nd sail tha ocean bein' a trader? Mental! Want ta go out on adventures ta get some ACTUAL money ta save yer 'ome? Yer not worth tha dirt 'neath their feet! Tha only excitin' thin' ta do were bein' on tha town milita! 'Nd tha' were nothin' but chasin' kids fer stealin' produce from tha farms or sweets from tha stalls durin' festivals! Or settlein' disputes 'tween neighbors! Maybe tha odd wolf e'erynow 'nd then."

Clive looked at Kilpa as she vented.

"That's why you went on adventures?"

"'Course it were! You think I WANTED ta risk my life with my friends fightin' all sorts o' monsters 'nd daemons?!"

She sighed.

"But tha community weren't doin' well. They all spouted tha same thin'. Stay tha course 'nd tha land will provide! Well I got tired of stayin' tha course 'nd went out ta make some REAL money. Met tha rest o' my mates at a tavern a couple towns o'er. Askin' fer someone light on their feet 'nd quick with their fingers! 'Nd no one could beat a 'alflin' at those!"

"So tha's 'ow I became an adventurer!"

"I'm guessing that you couldn't come up with the money then if you're all here?"

She sighed again, the glitter and glam from just a second ago gone. Replaced with shame.

"I did, but expenses came up. Pick me up. I'm gettin' tired from tryin' ta keep up with you!"

Clive picked her up and held her in his arms.

"Expenses?"

"Booze mostly, after e'ery job we'd celebrate. More often tha' not we came so close ta death tha' we justified it! Why shouldn't we splurge a lil? We earned it! Tha' 'nd upkeep fer our equipment. Or gettin' better gear. It just seemed like it were ne'er enough."

"But?" Clive asked, he could tell this story had an ending.

"But, then I get word tha' tha community were on its last legs. I needed a job with a BIG payday. So tha's were tha dragon job comes in."

She shook her head at the memory.

"Wha' a miserable fuckin' thin' tha' job were! Not only were tha fight a bitch but tha clean up too!"

"Clean up?"

"Aye, dragons always 'ave their lil servants with 'em. Spoiled creatures they are, they 'ave THOUSANDS o' these lil lizard folk ta look after 'em. So not only do we 'ave ta kill a dragon. A DRAGON! We 'ave ta clean up tha lil pests too! Collapsein' tunnels, destroyin' eggs. EVERYTHIN'!"

Clive went quiet. Didn't Jeb say something about how some kobolds were staying with him? At least that's what he said was the reason for kicking the snot out of Morty.

"What's wrong with kobolds?"

"Nothin' by themselves. But when they get into large enough numbers? They become a problem. Like rats! Plus they're slaves ta tha dragons! Do whatever they're told ta do!"

"So what happened to the kobolds?" Clive asked, though if they're the same ones shacking up with Jeb then he might already know where they are!

"This last group we cornered. But just as we're 'bout ta finish 'em off, a voice rang out SANCTUARY! 'nd tha wall o' tha cavern spilts 'nd a gold light pours out! Lil buggers took their chance at escape 'nd bolted fer it!"

"What happened after that?"

"We chased after 'em, but tha crevice closed up 'nd pretty much told us ta fuck off! I weren't too beaten up o'er it. We'd get payed enough fer tha dragon tha' no-one were goin' ta make a tiff about tha lil buggers. But my mates took it a wee bit more personal!"

"What happened with them?"

"Don't know. After tha job there were a big celebration. I didn't stick 'round though. Beelined it ta a mage fer a teleport ta tha closest town near our home. But it were too late. Paper 'ad already been signed. Tha whole town were done."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Packed up my stuff 'nd headed out with tha rest of 'em."

"What about your friends?"

She shook her head.

"Their prides were hurt more than mine were. It didnae look like they were takin' tha loss to tha kobolds well. 'Nd I was gettin' tired o' runnin' 'round 'nd riskin' my life. With tha money fer tha town got I called it quits. 'Nd with tha town now history. There ain't much reason ta keep doin' it."

"You won't miss it? The adventure?"

She chuckled as she laid her head on his chest.

"It sounds grand! 'Till yer on yer 3rd week sleepin' on tha ground eatin' either rodent or stale rations! Tha celebrations weren't 'alf bad. But they were few 'nd far between fer my likin'!"

They both went quiet for a time. Then Clive spoke up when he remembered about how Sloth or the halflings got here.

"How DID you all get here?"

She was starting to get sleepy. She found laying on Clive's chest quite comfortable.

"There were another town o' us o'er tha mountains. So we 'eaded fer it. We passed through an old dwarven tunnel ta get through tha mountains. By tha time we realized we 'ad passed inta another world we ran inta you."

She yawned as they neared the settlement.

"'Ey Clive?"

"Yeah?"

"'Ow did you know 'bout kobolds?"

Clive started to sweat.

"What?"

"When I were talkin' 'bout 'em. I didae say wha' they were called. You did."

"Oh?! Well, we have stories of kobolds here as well!" Is what Clive said. Which wasn't a lie. There were stories of kobolds! They were just folktales and the kobolds were small fairies. If pressed he can also talk about the games he plays with Jeb and Morty that has the little lizard people in it!

She chuckled as she slipped into sleep.

"'Ow 'bout tha', ain't tha somthin'?"

"Yeah, it is." Clive muttered as he dropped Kilpa off at her tent and made for his