The blacksmith worked hard throughout the week and barely had time to finish the items she was working on for Xavier and his son, but somehow she managed to find time during all the busy hours of delivering her creations to the nearby village and working on incoming orders that needed to be finished as soon as possible. When Xavier showed up exactly one week later after sundown, she was ready to give him the two magic items he had asked her to make and some extra items she had on hand.
When she saw his tall, square figure emerge from the shadows as if he were made of them she put a finger to her lips and ushered him inside quickly. He nodded silently and all of a sudden reappeared in the shadows inside of her forge as she closed her door against the thick blanket of night that was spreading quickly across the sky and the land underneath it. "Sorry about that, an old friend been following me lately and he hasn't exactly been friendly." She shuddered slightly as she thought about her darker friend, but she quickly cheered up and she old him,"But I did finish the items I made you."
She pointed to a bundle wrapped up in cloth on the chair that she had been sitting in when she and Xavier had first met. "So, what did you make for us?" He asked as he sat down in the chair opposite the bundle.
"Well, it was difficult to make something for your son since I don't even know him, but I managed to make him a belt." When Xavier started laughing she gave him a puzzled look, but when she asked him what was so funny he just shook his head and motioned for her to keep going since he couldn't open his mouth without bursting into laughter. "Well," she continued, still slightly puzzled, "This belt I made generally protects him from the elements. While he's wearing this he can't drown, get burned, fall off a cliff, get struck by lightning, suffocate, or get lost."
Xavier gasped as she held out a belt woven from red, blue, and green leather engraved with the ancient writing of a language that he assumed was forgotten by the rest of the world when her people became outcasts long ago. The belt had seven loops that could easily hold the sheath of a knife or sword and the belt ended with a metal clasp that could go into five different holes based on the size of his son's waist. "It's perfect for him, thank you." Xavier told her solemnly.
"Now yours was harder to make and more time consuming." She reached into the bag and pulled out a thick cloak the color of smoke. "When you put this on and you need to hide when there's no shadows around, you'll turn into fog or smoke and blend into your surroundings. When it's hot outside it's cool inside the cloak and when it's cold, vice versa, but that's not all. When you're in the cloak no one can track you unless you want a certain person to find you, it won't rip at all, if you get hit by a knife the blade will pass right through the cloak like it's made of smoke, and lastly, only people of your bloodline can wear it and it'll work for them as it works for you, but it won't work for your enemies."
Xavier stared at it for a few long minutes before standing up and reaching for the cloak. When he tried it on he found the material to be as smooth as silk and as light as air, but more importantly, it fit him perfectly. "Wow, you've really outdone yourself, this cloak is fit for a King."
She shook her head and waved away his praise as she motioned for him to sit again, "There's still more. A woman dropped these blades off a few weeks ago and told me to give them to someone I've found worthy. As soon as you walked into my forge last week the blades have woken up and are whispering for their master. I'm figuring that their master is of your son because they whisper for someone of your flesh and blood." She walked over to the bag and pulled out seven blades of a special black metal that was freezing cold to the touch.
"Yes, those are my son's blades. My wife took the blades away from my son two months ago to polish them and I haven't seen them since." He looked at the serene surface of the blade for a long moment before he looked away, "Could you please put those blades away please?" When she obliged he sighed, "Thank you, thank you very much for these wonderful items. How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything, consider them as a gift from a friend. My reward will be knowing that those blades are in good hands and that my gifts will be put to good use." She stood up and after giving him a bag full of supplies and the gifts, she shook his hand, "I wish you luck in finding your wife and saving your kingdom. I'm sorry to rush you like this but I have to leave in the morning and I'll be away for a while."
Xavier looked at her in puzzlement, "Where are you going and how long?"
She looked off into the distance with a sad look in her eyes, "I'll be gone as long as it takes to find my sister. She was sucked into a portal the morning that we met and it's been said that she landed just south of the Dark Kingdom's border with the Great Ocean. I have to find her and make sure she's okay."
Xavier nodded, "Then it's my turn to wish you good luck and to give you a gift." He placed his hand over her head and muttered a few words. She felt like someone had thrown her into a fire and wrung her out as he removed his hand from her head. "A small blessing that you find your way to your sister and find what else you're looking for. Goodbye my little outcast and good luck.
