Troubled Halfling

When the halfling woke up from his lengthy nap, I doubted he had expected me to do more than just clean. His tavern had no other patron other than myself and Zeal, the dining room was a mess, and most of the prized furniture he had preserved over the years had been smashed into bits and pieces. 

A part of me understood that the halfling had all but given up on his current life. What more was there to live by for someone such as himself? He was a veteran with no medals. A soldier without an army. A man without purpose.

It was a familiar feeling, one I shared in secret. 

As the man somewhat responsible for destroying the only thing that had kept him going over the years, it was my duty to make it up to him. 

And as soon as he walked out of his room, I saw the face of a halfling who could not believe what he was seeing. 

That blank stare of his evaporated as he gazed at the new dining room I had built for him. Well, my helpers did most of the work, and they did a fine job indeed. 

The entire room had been rebuilt. Fresh hardwood replaced the old wooden panels of his dusty floor and ceiling, while tables and chairs made and crafted from the wood of blackoak trees stood proudly on the dining room floor, ready to cater to guests that I knew would soon come. 

I had his counter fixed up as well, had the rotten parts removed and replaced, and filled his cabinets with silverware and glass. 

It surprised me how much of these things I had laying around in my warehouses. I was not one to keep up with the storage of the goods I had stored away unless it was something of importance or incredible value. 

Thankfully, Barleyon and the helpers had things in order, somewhat.

Paperwork had never been my forte, but it was a necessity that I was soon confronted with when my home expanded beyond the initial scope I laid out for it. My small cottage in the middle of nowhere suddenly became a village, a small town, and finally a sprawling city over the centuries I spent meandering alone. 

Why?… I did not know. There was no logic behind my plans. Just seemingly endless projects for people I knew were no longer here and would never be. A city built for habitation but without any inhabitants. 

I became a king without a kingdom, living in a palace overlooking an empty metropolis. Even though the sentinels were my army and the helpers my workers, there was nobody for us to serve other than myself. 

Yet my children and I prospered in our lonely corner of the world. The helpers even learned how to record-keep without my intervention. It was something Barleyon and Wheatly decided to study as the warehouses found themselves filled and cluttered.

Now they were just filled, and somewhat cluttered. The helpers were not experts, but they worked hard, nonetheless. 

Leaving exile had so far allowed me a greater understanding and appreciation of what I had. I could not help but realize that I was blessed with riches that were far beyond my needs, even my wants. 

But despite it all, I still felt… incomplete.

Hopefully the halfling would feel the opposite. I wanted him to be fulfilled. In my own little way, I wanted him to experience happiness once more. 

"I…" The halfling struggled to find his words.

"It's the least I can do," I said with a small smile, "Besides, staying here was nice." 

"Are ya tryin to make me return the gold or something?" 

I blinked. There was no joy in his face, but horror and confusion. The halfling thought I was about to con him. I was not trying to make him return the gold!

"Keep the gold bar," I said, holding my hands up, "As I said, this is the least I can do for the trouble I had caused you." 

"Ya ain't tricking this old halfling," He said as looked around, "All this is too expensive!"

"Expensive?" I did not understand how any of what I had given him was expensive, "These are just my things. I did not buy them anywhere else."

The halfling glared, "Ya want me to buy them."

Out of nowhere, the halfling was suddenly wielding a hatchet and pointing it at me. I took a step back, tilting my head and raising a brow. This was not the reaction I was expecting. 

"If ya really here to kill me, then kill me fast! I ain't dying slowly to no debt!" 

Sighing in annoyance, I quickly summoned a portal to my right and called upon a helper. The halfling stood frozen beside the counter as Barleyon walked through the shimmering golden doors, waving a hand at me and the halfling as he did,

"W-what is that?" The halfling somehow looked more terrified of the helper than the vampires.

"My child." I said.

"That's a golem." 

"I am his father." 

The halfling rubbed his forehead as he felt the presence of my magic wafting in the air. I disliked causing him such discomfort by triggering his magic-induced headaches, but he was leaving me with no choice.

Fortunately for me, my masking spell was still working, though considerably strained given how many spells I had used in the past few hours. Not to mention the portals I was casting.

"J-just…" The halfling hesitated as he placed the hatchet down on the countertop, "Stop with this, will ya?"

I placed a hand over my chest, "There are no strings attached to… any of this," I said as I looked around, "Why can't you just accept it?"

"Because this ain't normal. Not from a stranger like you!" The halfling was close to shouting. He was far from grumpy, he was hostile. He did not trust that my intentions were pure.

As I reflected on his words, I realized that his mistrust carried merit. I had known him for just a few hours, and already he had been through a lot. 

The halfling only wanted to be left alone, just like me. He secluded himself in this abandoned corner of the town to live off the rest of his days alone but unbothered. He was living the same life I had.

"I apologize," I said as I bowed, "I only wanted to return the favor."

"What fucking favor!?" The halfling finally let his frustration be known and shouted, "Ya have been here one fucking night and already ya think I've done ya shit! Well I haven't! And neither have you!"

Anger furrowed his brow as he grabbed the hatchet again, scaring Barleyon causing the helper to hide behind my feet.

I glared, "Calm down." This was not a request, but an order. The halfling had lost his mind. 

"Ya all are the same!" He bellowed as he charged, swinging his hatchet wide.

I closed my eyes and sighed once more, disappointed that things went the way they did. But I was not about to kill nor hurt the halfling. 

When his blank stare left his eyes, I thought they would shine in happiness, instead they blazed with fury. A misplaced anger that was triggered by my unwanted act of generosity.

The halfling was not lashing out at me, but at a memory of betrayal similar to the kindness I was trying to show him.

I should have known better.

Iron shards flew in every direction as the hatchet reached my arm, shattering into a million pieces. Surprised, the halfling soon found himself struggling as I caught him by the neck.

However, I was quick to let him down, not minding the few weak punches he threw soon after.

"K-kill me." He said as he collapsed into a pool of tears, finally losing to the grief he had tucked thus far away.

As I watched the halfling grieve a painful memory I could not see, Barleyon decided that this was the best time to hug my leg. There was a certain emptiness I could feel within the halfling. A despair long ignored but overdue. 

He would not endure alone. Not this time. 

Sitting beside the halfling as he cried on his knees, I placed a hand over his shoulder and waited. He was not himself as long as he was overwhelmed by whatever he was feeling. I only needed to be there and wait. 

After a few minutes, the halfling I met the night before returned. 

"Sorry for uh…"

"Accepted."

The halfling wiped away his tears and stood, snorting and wheezing as he walked to the center of the dining area.

"The last time someone gave me a gift, I lost more than ya could imagine." He said.

Family. He lost his family to something or someone he trusted. There was nothing else I could think of. What kind of crooked gift was he given?

"You won't lose anything," I assured, "And I ask for nothing but your acceptance."

Reluctance was plastered all over the halfling's face, but soon enough the cracks started to show.

"Ya have known me for… a night," He gave a half-hearted laugh, "And ya don't even know my name."

My head turned upward as I realized that he had not introduced ourselves formally for the entire time we were conducting business.

"I'll introduce myself again first then," I said, "I am Lance Viduri, a hermit from the east and magic caster." 

If I were to conduct myself with people who treated me fairly, then it was only expected that return the favor. 

A fair deal was deal made with honesty. And the halfling, despite the rough reception and mistrust, not to mention the sudden attempt to cut off my head, was still a fair and honest person. Straightforward and to the point. 

Though he tried to murder me just a few moments ago. 

"The name's Bobby, Bobby Ringolberry." The halfling looked serious as he said his name. Maybe he was thinking that I would find his name funny.

I was amused by the uniqueness, but nothing about it deserved any tease. 

"Good to meet you, sir Bobby." I said.

"Just Bobby, ain't no sirs." Bobby corrected.

"As you wish then, Mr. Bobby."