Chapter Interlude: Cheesecake

Chapter Interlude: Cheesecake

Haldi nodded to the new baker girl as she put out a lovely selection of bread, pastries, and delightful desserts into her display case.

She smiled back and Haldi felt a little flutter of happiness. Someone who didn’t look like they would rather be anywhere else when they saw him. He was sure that would soon change if the poor lass stuck around in Durence.

He heaved the box in his arms a tiny bit higher as he headed for his home.

Haldi didn’t honestly mean to make people so at odds with him. Mila was able to put up with him, as did Pic but that was because they had grown old with him. Seen his... quirks develop into the state he was in now.

Quiss walked around the corner and paused mid-step. Haldi pretended he hadn’t noticed the young lad, letting the Peacekeeper retreat with a look of relief on his face. Haldi hid a sigh as he nudged his door open

When had it gotten this bad?

He had always been a blabbermouth but only in the last few years had it progressed into the full-blown destruction of his social life.

“I can list of the dozen of cheese recipes lost to the world that can kill a dragon or cure diseases but I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut long enough to make a friend anymore. Oh, Durence, what would you say to me now?” he looked down as if his old friend would kick his door down any moment and laugh life’s problems away before getting them both into trouble.

“Hal! Come on, being a Elementalist is boring... here, I paid half my years salary for this ancient scroll of magic, it is said to allow you to control a most powerful force!”

Durence was the fool of the group and the heart. The hole which Durence’s death had left made Haldi look at the growing town with a sense of growing pride and a hint of regret.

“Most powerful force indeed,” Haldi set the box down he had excavated from where it had been buried near the town centre.

Various odours leaked out and Haldi inhaled.

Some of the contents were ready, others still needed time...

Cheese. The word had changed Haldi’s life.

It started with a scroll on controlling cheese. Durence spent all his money on buying it from some scam artist at the time. ‘Powerful magics’ were still a popular sell to the unwary and Haldi knew that more than enough oddball classes had been forged due to the clink of some coins.

Durence had spent so much money he had not...he had not been able to afford better armour for himself.

Haldi shook and closed the box. He flicked his hand and the cheese candles around the room caught fire. The smell of rather plain cheese filled the space and Haldi moved to the back of the room to pull bottles out of cupboards and off shelves.

Durence, the town, had become rather lively recently due to that new dungeon nearby. Then the Mana rose to the standard mana level of 1. It had surprised Haldi, he had avoided the council meetings and the town meetings as people stared at him with dread whenever he was about to speak, so he had missed out on a lot of the news.

Durence had been Mana Empty for a long time, barely alive with what was offered.

Still, the Mana made him think faster, speak faster! Haldi wondered if he would be actually talking faster than moss growing on a stone. Magic was a problem like that. Many mages, wizards, sorcerers, and other in-between magical folk chose their magic with care as opening themselves to a particular magic began to change them in return.

Cheese, for example in Haldi’s mind, seemed to cause rather tough and ripe ideas to form but if the mana in the area went sparse or even empty, then the mage’s mind would become slow, filled with holes and had a habit of speaking like mouldy milk.

Unwanted and clumpy.

Mana was important for a mage, even the ambient mana, so then the dungeon did it again and the Mana became a rank 2!

Haldi had woken up and was washed, put on fresh clothes, and been outside before midday had even past. It was wonderful! Haldi could also feel the stirrings of magic filling those previously empty swiss holes in his mind.

Oh, the things he had forgotten... the pain he had slipped away from.

“Hal! Come on! I don’t think you’re a failure, you’re too cool to be anything less cause you’re my friend!”

“Don’t be shy, Hal. People love you if you just talk about anything other than cheese for two minutes, just ask her...”

The voice faded and Haldi closed his eyes.

His hands tremble and he blinked away a flash of tears.

“Dure, I hope you’re watching,” He said and strode out the door. Long past was his youthful passionates, all he had was a helpful ear to lend and his cheese.

“Ahoy! You look lost,” he called and he managed to speak without too much time passing. The Baker girl spun and smiled.

“Mr Haldi! Yes, I was looking for somewhere to keep my earnings, the safe is getting full, and I’m not sure where to go!” she laughed nervously and Haldi held out an arm.

“My lady, I would be honoured to show you to the bank. Mr Von is a clever snake, let me make sure you get the best service possible,” he smiled and the girl giggled, slipping her own arm through his.

Harmless, she saw him as a polite old man.

Haldi was sure she had not yet made the connection between Old Mr Haldi and Haldi The-Mage-most-foul, outlawed and wanted dead or alive, preferably dead, in most of Verluan.

Haldi let that innocence last a little longer.

He felt himself rise back to full.

Mana flowed in from the dungeon and a lot of it flowed right back out into the ground where it served its purpose.

He, Milla, Pic, and, of course, Durence, kept the land rich with Mana for so long.

It was nice to have help from that Dungeon. Haldi wondered if Mila had warned it of what it might find?

He would do it soon if only because he knew what Durence would think of Mila’s nature, Pic’s logical illogical reasoning, and Haldi’s... insanity. Haldi owed this ‘Delta’ some of Durence’s kindness. Not this bustling town but the hero of the land. A title Haldi had carved into the most important places so no one would ever ignore or forget him.

Durence the Saint, Durence the Great, Durence... Haldi’s best friend.

Gods, Haldi missed him.

The girl offered him a sandwich. It had cheese on it.

Haldi chuckled and he told a rather good joke on cheese, he cut himself once he saw he devolved into a factoid ramble.

The girl looked relieved and began to perk up again, chatting to him about how calm and peaceful Durence was. Haldi let a smile show as she didn’t run away.

“Knew you could do it! My buddies are always winners!”

They both walked past the centrepiece of the town in which the town all grew out from. A large round rock that had a single name carved into it and different style of cuts below it.

Durence

Idiot and hero. I’m so sorry.

You did good. Rest now.

I will never forget you.

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