Powerful gifts

The five of you work quickly, a pair of daggers taking shape. Misha and Sally watch, and they seem impressed by your ability to mold metal with your mind. Though you can sense their impatience. As each piece is finished, it is handed to Sanni, who works with you to engrave runes along the blade and handle of the weapons.

At one point, you can feel the magic radiating off the lamia as she focuses on her work. You watch for a minute before turning to Marin. “Just how strong of an enchantress is she? I have no frame of reference for this.”

Marin smiles. “I don’t think anyone really knows, she doesn’t talk about it much. I will say that I’ve never met another with her level of power.”

Helja cuts into the conversation. “The only one I know of works for the Forgefather directly. I’m guessing that’s why we’re doing this.”

You nod, getting back to work. The small crossbow is finished first, along with a small quiver with a dozen bolts, all rune-engraved. Hayley brings them over to the harpy. “A simple crossbow, but any bolt fired will return to your quiver unless it breaks. Nothing fancy, but it’ll serve you well.”

Sally nods in thanks, as Sanni finally relaxes, taking her hands away from the pair of daggers. The rune engraved steel of the blades glows a soft white, and the hilts are decorated with a golden inlay. She takes a deep breath, looking exhausted.

Helja presents the daggers to Misha. “These will enhance your abilities greatly, but there’s a cost. A second will seem like a minute when you use these, and you can use your power for longer. However, when you stop, you will be exhausted for the amount of time that you gained. So if you use them for five seconds of real time, you’ll be tired for five minutes afterwards. So be cautious when you use these.”

Misha nods, accepting the weapons. Helja smiles at him. “Good luck. I hope you find your sponsor.”

Quietly, Misha simply says, “Thank you. I do too.”

The pair turns and walks out of the forge, quietly speaking to one another. Meanwhile, you check on Sanni. “Are you ok? You look beat.”

She gives you a tired smile. “I’m exhausted, but I’ll recover. I put a lot of magic into those weapons.”

Marin comes over, patting Sanni on the back. “I think that’s our good deed for the month, you’ve earned some rest for sure!”

Helja nods. “I think we can take a couple days off to relax.”

Hayley grins. “Good! There’s things we need to do. Fun things!”

You raise an eyebrow at her, and Marin laughs.