A Helping Hand

The streets of Neverwinter were lively, filled with myriad people going about their day as well as the occasional bicycle. Neverwinter was a city active in all seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter. In the past people often had little to do in the winter and needed to stay indoors to keep warm, making cities often seem empty during those times. In the extreme case of Border Town, the entire town was abandoned. Now, people were active throughout the year. A factory does not care what season it is, unlike a farm. Heating systems have made winter all the more bearable.

Out of the many people currently walking along the street, there was one who had given a look of envy toward a passing bicycle. He had wanted one since it would make travel much more convenient, but unfortunately he still had a long way to go before he could afford it. Alexander was a citizen of Neverwinter. He had originally lived in Longsong Stronghold and was a bartender. Unfortunately, his bar had burned down during the battle. Things had been tough for a while for him and his family, but when a new factory opened and was searching for workers, he had applied and received a job. Now he had a two story house complete with running water and heating. His two children attended school and the family was able to afford to eat meat twice a week. Now that he looks back on the past, Alexander still feels rather surprised as though he can't believe that his life is real. Such a life would have been unimaginable for him back then but now he lives as well as a wealthy man in the past would have.

He continued to walk down the street, heading to his workplace, an armaments factory. In particular, it produced guns, the common ones that the most basic soldier used. The humble rifle the factory produced might seem like a insignificant gnat in comparison to the mighty cannon and it could only shoot at a fraction of the rate of a machine gun, but it was the backbone of the army. Without these guns, the army would not be able to fight and there would be no one to carry out the king's will.

Once Alexander arrived at the factory, he soon settled into his work. His job was to make the stock of the gun. During his time at the factory, he would labor in performing the single task, making stocks. He definitely didn't feel like one of the craftsmen of old who would build an entire weapon by themselves from start to finish. The assembly line process the factory used was quite the novel process. Everyone had a part to play and he had his job. He did feel somewhat disconnected from the whole production process as one man making it by himself would certainly make the job feel more personal. Despite this, he knew that his job was a critical one and that with his two hands he was contributing to the defense of his home. He had a sense of pride in his job. Even though he didn't fight in the front, he too was a critical part of the war machine of Neverwinter.

He had no complaints about his job. His pay was excellent. He was able to buy things that he could have only dreamed about years ago. Despite only being an ordinary factory worker, he felt incredibly wealthy. He had a good, safe job and he worked reasonable hours and was able to go home at the end of every day to be together with his family. He had no concerns about starvation or homelessness. Truly Neverwinter was something approaching a paradise. He loved his home and he did not want anything bad to happen to it. Not that he believed anything would happen. After all, it was defended by a powerful army. Surely no enemy would be able to threaten them here.

After his work shift ended, Alexander left the factory and went on a walk. He walked through the streets, taking in the sights around him. The city bustled with people going about their day. He stopped by a shoe shop to talk to his friend who was the owner. They discussed various topics and then went out to get a drink. Afterwards, Alexander said goodbye to his friend and started to head home.

He was looking forward to being with his family tonight. He had a wonderful, caring wife who was no doubt preparing dinner at this very moment. He was sure that it would be wonderful as always. He had a daughter named Marie who was 9 years old and a son named John who was 11 years old. Marie was a poor tempered girl who would often be angered by the smallest things. Managing her sure was a headache for him. Some days he would fear for what happened when she grew up. He definitely knew that whoever married her would be in for a struggle.

His son John was much more mild tempered. He rarely gets worked up about anything and he often engrossed himself in his books. He was quiet and didn't fuss about much. Recently, Alexander had been hearing his son talk about wanting to become an engineer. Alexander felt that being an engineer was as fine of a job as any and he hoped his son would be successful. Of course, John would need to study hard in school.

Alexander was almost home when he was suddenly shaken from his thoughts. A loud noise began reverberating through the air.

"Woo-woo-"

It was the sound warning of an enemy attack. He knew what he was supposed to do. If that alarm sounded he needed to seek shelter immediately in the closest location. However, his home wasn't far and even though it would be breaking procedure, he decided to go a bit further and get back to his house anyways. He didn't know who was attacking the city but the thought of the enemy breaking in and ruining this wonderful city filled his heart with anger.