Test Number 5

Clank. A noise was coming from one of the forges in the Greyhammer Guild’s workshop. Clank. The sound of iron being hit by a hammer could be heard from inside. Tsssssh. Aeon put the burning piece of iron in water to cool it down. After waiting for a few minutes for the iron to cool down, he drew it out for examination. Swish. Swish. He swung the piece of iron around for a while before sighing and put it down on the anvil. He then brought out some paper, a quill and some ink before writing. “Test #5. The balance of the new weapon was acceptable but its shape is unwieldly. Combat suitability unlikely.” After he wrote the results of his creation, he threw the weapon back into the furnace to melt it down back into an ingot. “Man… I can’t make a decent weapon. Longswords and spears are good and all… but they’re not very original and it doesn’t feel like something I would use. Isn’t there anything I can create that would be both good for combat and that would suit me? Maybe I better take a breather.” Aeon stood up and left the Greyhammer workshop. Wandering around aimlessly, he walked around the city for an hour before stopping abruptly at the harbor. In the distance, ships loading and unloading cargo could be seen and merchants could be seen taking inventory. Sailors hung around the piers, telling each other stories and drinking beer. It was very nostalgic. Not too long ago, he was one of those sailors, although he recalled being a lot more reclusive and less merry. Finding an empty pier, he sat on the edge, just looking out into the sea, thinking of what to do next. His attempts at wandering around the city for inspiration were futile and right now, he was bored. Going back to the workshop would probably just wield bad results if he tried again without a clue. “Hey laddy. Whatcha doin’ out here in the pier? There ain’t nothing for ya to do round here.” Hearing a voice call out, he looked around to find a few human fishermen approaching him. The oldest among them, and the guy who seemed to call out to him, seemed to be around 50. “Laddy, huh? I’m older than you. And it’s a free city, isn’t it? I can do whatever I want as long as I don’t break the rules.” The old man laughed. “Ya look younger than me, so to me, ya’re a kid. And that’s true. Ya’re free to do whatcha want.” The old man suddenly seemed to have something like a stroke of inspiration. He looked at Aeon with a discerning eye, which seemed to have a mischievous glint in them. “Say laddy… ya don’t happen to be free right now, would ya?” Aeon shrugged. “Not really. I’m rather bored at the moment. Why?” The old man smiled. “Ya seem well built. Ever done some sailing before?” Aeon was confused on where this is going. “A bit. Enough to travel here and there. Why?” The old man smirked. “Wanna come with us for a bit of fishing? We could use a hand.” Aeon frowned. “Not really.” The old man countered, “It’s not like ya got anything to do. Besides, ya might find it a bit of a… change of pace.” Aeon sighed. He didn’t really have any counterargument at the moment. He could lie to the old guy but he seemed hellbent on getting him to go with him. Also, he didn’t have anything to do anyways. “Fine. But try anything funny on me and you’re going to die a painful death.” The old man just laughed. “Hahaha. The young one’s got some bite to him. Don’t worry. Nothin’s gonna happen to ya.” Aeon got on the old man’s boat and sat down as the old man got his equipment. The old man didn’t seem that tough, and in the worst case, he could just sink the boat and waterwalk back to Saerloon. The two eventually departed to a portion of sea a bit far from Saerloon but not far enough to lose sight of the city. The old man brought out some fishing gear and handed a fishing rod to Aeon. Aeon took it silently and started fishing while the old man did the same. They fished in silence for what seemed to be ages before Aeon spoke. “So why did you bring me out here?” The old man looked at him for a moment before saying, “Ya looked like ya had a load of pressure on ya, lad. Ya shouldn’t be focused on one goal only. Take a step back and look at the things round you a little more. Ya might find meaning in them.” Aeon replied, “You sound like you have experience.” The old man smirked, “I used to be an adventurer like ya a long time ago. Those days are past and I see things much clearer now.” “Why did you stop and become a fisherman?” The old man looked at Aeon and said, “Kid, look in the boat. Ya see the fish ya caught? Those go to the people up in the city. The fish I give them keep them from starving and dying. At the same time, I took the lives of the fish. Adventurers can decide the lives and deaths of people… the same way us fishermen decide the lives and deaths of the fish of the sea. All aquatic life ends at the hands of a fisherman but those deaths can also bring life. Your actions may be more than what ya think it does so ya need to step back and see the bigger picture. Just something for ya to think about.” Aeon nodded slightly. He understood a bit about what the old man said. The two stopped fishing and started to go back to the city. When they reached the port, Aeon got off the boat and bowed to the old man. “Thank you for giving me your time. I learnt a lot today.” “Anytime laddy. Don’t die out there. Hahaha.” From the pier, Aeon walked back to the Greyhammer Workshop and thought about what the old man said. To be honest, he ignored everything the old man said except for one sentence. “All aquatic life ends at the hands of a fisherman, huh? That gives me an idea.” Clank. Clank. Clank. Another hour of work and Aeon held the weapon for testing. Swish. Swish. Swish. Aeon smiled. It wasn’t perfect and the balance wasn’t the best yet… but the weapon fitted nicely in his hand and it was good enough to pierce metal. “Now what shall I call you? You look like a fisherman’s hook so... the name of this prototype weapon shall be Hook. Just like a fisherman’s hook signals the death of aquatic life so too shall this weapon be a signal for death of my enemies.