Arius stood in awe at what he saw inside the workshop. There were chains and tables everywhere with weapons of every shape and weight.
After a few seconds of being motionless, Arius stepped forward turning in all directions to get a good look.
His face was plastered with a wide smile as he ran up to the nearest table and stood with his toes as he wasn't tall enough to reach the weapons on the table fully.
He grabbed the closest one to the edge. It was a short weapon that was familiar to him, a dagger. He held it as he was taught, then ran around the copper-and-steel workshop.
Arius was amazed since he'd only read about some of the weapons in storybooks. He lost track of time as he grabbed every weapon he could and sat down to examine them.
After a while footsteps were heard coming into the workshop. No malice or annoyance was coming from it.
As Arius was examining a short sword he paused all of a sudden. He felt a hand cover his shoulder. He turned around immediately only to see nothing. This left him confused.
Must be a spirit… he thought to himself as he turned back only to face a familiar face of a black-haired knight.
He jumped back in fright landing on his back. "Uncle uh… I wasn't doing anything… why are you here?" Arius almost couldn't get his words out.
Jega just stared into Arius as if seeing his whole being then spoke after a long silence "It's my shed" he turned to look at the weapons surrounding Arius. "Are you having fun?" He quietly and calmly asked.
Arius tilted his head and asked "Why are you whispering?" Jega immediately wrapped his right hand around Arius's mouth. To Arius, this was like a giant grabbing him but since it was Jega he was not afraid.
Jega looked around his shed on all sides and corners. "Are you trying to ruin my dinner?" He asked worriedly. "You never know if spirits are spying for her" he looked around once more.
What… Arius was left dumbfounded. "So are you mad at me for coming in here or for speaking too loudly?" He spoke in a hushed voice.
Jega turned back at Arius and paused for a second as if thinking about which was the answer. "What were you doing here?"
Instead of answering Arius instead questioned "How did you know I was here?" Jega answered back "When the spirit, I believe its name was hoplon, had finished running and I caught up it couldn't think of an excuse."
"Oh," Arius looked down. Jega noticed this and bent down to his knee to pick up a sword. "You're lucky I have a weak heart towards you" he smiled.
"I'm only doing this once since I like eating dinner" Jega moved the sword that was gripped in his right hand to his left shoulder. A quiet force was felt flowing into the sword but it was of a small quantity.
Arius smiled wait in suspense for what felt like an eternity. Jega's hand swiftly glided across his vision as a quiet slice reverberated across the large interior of the shed.
Nothing was hit just as Jega intended but immediately after he quickly went up to Arius and warned "If we don't get out now neither of us is having dinner."
Arius ran outside leaving everything he had on him as soon as he got the warning. Jega looked down and sighed "he left me to clean up…"
He moved all the weapons back onto the racks and tables slowly since everything he said about not eating dinner was actually of no real consequence and just a way to get Arius out.
Before he left he double-checked every weapon and was about to walk out of the shed. Until he suddenly stopped all movement. He noticed something unexpected and turned back.
—-
Far from the forest, on a rising sea of crushing winds and storms just as cursed. There was a small ship surrounded by endless fog. Fog that engulfed everything and everyone.
The crew was small and underhanded. They each held a weapon on their waist and each wore sailor outfits but the captain who wore a grey coat decorated with medals.
"Captain! The winds are too strong!" A silhouette of an officer yelled out. None of the officers could see each other through the thick fog.
The grey-coated captain walked out of his cabin on the top floor. Thunder struck revealing the outline of the captain as he shouted "Keep sailing we'll get there safely!"
After hearing that all the officers worked harder and more tirelessly. The captain took something out of his jacket pocket. The rain thundered down upon the object the captain was holding.
It was a small container with 3 stones at the top. But the container wasn't what was important it was what was inside. There was a small humanoid creature of soft skin and butterfly-like wings.
The creature pleaded "please great captain if you let me out I'll lead you there no problem. Please" put both hands together in a prayer.
The captain was amused by this and chuckled "And have you fly off ha don't think me a fool." It quickly pleaded once more "Great captain in this terrible storm its impossible to fly off" Thunder crashed into the water left of them and made it fly.
Without words, the captain smiled at the creature and put it back into his pocket as it banged on the small container. He turned around and walked into his cabin as another lightning strike crashed down.
"Slam" the door shut. The captain's cabin or really his office had a desk with papers in the center, a bed in the back, paintings, small statues, a worn-out sword mounted on the wall, and an open window.
The captain looked around for a second before moving any further. After doing so he moved towards his desk and sat down on the chair beside it.
But he didn't write or even read the papers he instead spoke in a normal tone "leaving the window open in a storm like this isn't safe or normal."
Thunder struck once more and the figure of a young man appeared by the window sitting. "In this world what's normal? Especially this horror of a place. You know I have never seen so many monsters all gathered in one place." He laughed.
The captain replied "Good to see you're still sane, can't say the same for the rest of my crew. I can feel that they're getting crazier by the day."
The young man chortled and said "well they do say these are cursed waters you never know what could happen here."
"Thanks for being reassuring" the captain joked. The young man tipped his hat like a cowboy and said "Part of the job."
___
The room was dark with the only thing visible being a small table with two chairs on opposite ends and a jar of fireflies.
One on end was a ash-brown haired witch wearing black sunglasses and the other a young 5-year-old boy of brown and white hair.
The witch was staring at the young for minutes in silence. This made the young boy uncomfortable and his body began to distort.
The witch leaned forward and calmly said "You're losing your form Hoplon." Hoplon could barely contain a human form due to him not having enough energy and due to the unbearable situation he's in.
The lips of the witch opened "Now listen we're friends and you like spending time with my child right? So just confess and everything will be alright." The young boy didn't say anything but was shaking intently.
The witch watched him in silence once more waiting for him to break. "Listen I know who cooks for you, after all you technically live in my land." She kept creeping him out with the silence and the smile she had plastered over her face.
Hoplon gulped as he tried to calm his nerves. "Why ask me and not Arius?" He questioned. The witch turned her head "I'm surprised you've lasted this long. You rarely do. It's because she's a good liar unlike you. So tell me did you really help her go into an area I specifically said not to go-."
A door randomly appeared behind the witch. It opened and the figure of a black-haired knight walked through with his regular outfit of a white linen shirt and grey pants.
He said confused "Elantra is there any need for this? I swear you've been reading too many cop stories. He didn't even get hurt. I'll just take the punishment. Hoplon come over here I'll bring you home." Both he and the relieved Hoplon walked out.
Elantra sat there dumbfounded and confused. He ruined my perfect moment to be cool…