It was tempting to launch right into work. With only a week to get Melissa ready for what would probably be an even stronger group of assassins than the ones they’d just killed, a large part of Arwin wanted to just start making as many magical items as possible. Arwin didn’t let himself fall into that trap. If he did, Melissa was dead. This wasn’t a problem that he could brute force just by making a bunch of powerful set items. He needed to think. To determine a plan. There were just too many restrictions and limits he had to account for to do anything else. The first was that Arwin couldn’t just make anything he wanted to. He needed to outfit Melissa, but he didn’t want to completely reveal the full extent of his powers. Giving her a bunch of [Awakened] items would be the end of his freedom if anyone figured out he could make them. Even making his “normal” magical items had the potential to overplay his hand. Given the magic weapons that he’d seen in Milten so far, nearly anything he made was liable to give the average adventurer a heart attack. The Falling Blades’ magical items had only proven that even further. Arwin and Lillia stood in his forge, looking down on the pile of enchanted equipment they’d taken from the grey-clothed men. Swords that could flash with blinding light at will. Small metal balls with the same enchantment. Rings that connected to each other and let the wearers send brief messages with their minds at a significant cost of magical energy. The strongest weapon of the lot was a wicked looking black dagger that could inject poison stored in its hilt out through its blade the moment it touched someone, ensuring a lethal dose of liquid death was sent straight into a victim’s veins. While the magic equipment was effective and useful… it just wasn’t anything compared to the work Arwin could manage. It would be stupid to let that get to my head and manifest any arrogance. I’ve seen magical items that make my equipment right now look pathetic, and I’ve seen it used by adventurers not that much stronger than I am now. Lillia released Arwin and took a step back. She set the marble back down in the pile. “Then let’s get those traits locked in before tonight. How can I help?” With a path already starting to emerge in the clouds in Arwin’s mind, it only took him a moment to answer. “Help me act out a scenario and brainstorm what the assassins can do. Let’s get Rodrick as well. He knows their abilities more than we do. Then we can figure out what I’ll need to make the enchantments we need.” Lillia gave him a confident smile and Arwin returned it. They had a plan — and if all went to it, the Falling Blades would never know what hit them when they came for Melissa the second time. No matter how this all ends up falling out, our time in the shadows is over. We’ve taken the first step into the light. It’s time to fully emerge onto the stage.