Rolen was waiting in the forge for their arrival. He had his five plates ready to mold, and all his handle materials nearby. Once they walked through the door the forge was started to make the final adjustments. Kintaro and Haruna were examining their surroundings closely.
"Everything is ready. I just need to know what weapons to make." Rolen asked while gathering his materials.
"Everyone with me is well-armed. Do you have enough talismans left?" Zack asked Haruna.
"I should have enough for tonight. Do you need to borrow some?" Haruna replied.
"Can I see the weapon you used earlier? Without the talisman attached." Zack asked.
Haruna pulled a few from her ring, and Rolen examined it closely. He has seen throwing weapons before, but it was a new design for him. Zack handed them over to Rolen as he got a feel for it in his hand.
"Can you dedicate two plates to making some of these?" Zack asked.
"Given the size, I could make ten easily," Rolen stated while grabbing his hammer.
"Do we really have enough time..."
Kintaro stopped mid-conversation seeing the metal rapidly shape, and harden into kunai. Within ten minutes all ten were finished as Rolen waited for further instructions.
"Do you use something similar?" Zack asked Kintaro.
Kintaro was still confused about what he just witnessed. Then he recalled Lord Hisato's orders. That Zack was to be treated with respect, and that their relationship with him was essential. Could he really accept such a gift? Haruna sensed what was concerning him, and spoke to break the silence.
"Thank you for the gift. He prefers his shuriken jutsu more than anything else," Haruna stated with a bow.
Zack extended his hand waiting to see the weapon. Kintaro was unsure how good the weapon would be, but he felt magic swelling when the hammer struck. Having more enchanted shuriken would come in handy so he took out three different shurikens from his bag.
After a brief examination, Rolen promptly cranked out fifteen from two plates. He created five of each variety he was shown and spent the final plate on a sword, and Zack stored it in his ring. They were admiring the weight, and sharpness of the new weapons when Rolen addressed them.
"I forged these with vampire opponents in mind. Once they pierce the flesh you can activate its first ability. A direct hit into the body while activated will turn them into dust, but on others, they would only sustain moderate burns instead. Be sure to lay them in the sun once a month to maintain the effect. I can sense your capable magic users so this next ability should be easy. Form a spell circle in your mind, and then pour some mana into the weapon. Once you do this it will be glowing. Then strike the weapon into a surface, and it will set the spell. Bind with it, and see how they feel." Rolen said while adjusting his workspace.
"That would only be possible with an artifact," Kintaro stated while looking at the weapon.
In Kintaro's mind, Rolen was delusional. No way the weapons could have two abilities, and be soul bound. Haruna already cut her hand and was dripping blood across her weapons. Observing them disappear made Kintaro's doubts vanish.
He tried to understand how they could create these artifacts. The only theory Kintaro could come up with was the hammer Rolen had could rearrange existing artifacts. It was the only way he could rationalize it.
Enchanting weapons was a common practice, but the current masters could only attempt a grade one artifact. The success rate was extremely low and would require various rare materials to attempt. Thanks to the unique forge Rolen only needed magic crystals, and high-quality metal like mithril.
With Rolen's training and artifacts given by Zack, his rate of success was ninety percent. Even when Rolen failed his new tool would allow him to salvage his efforts. The failure would only reduce the grade of the artifact instead of destroying it.
Kintaro bound with his new weapons and could feel the immense power flowing within. The weapons were made of a higher quality than he imagined. A set of grade five artifacts would cost him all his savings, and place him in debt for the rest of his life. Kintaro looked towards Zack, and Rolen giving a thankful bow.
"I'll do my best to ensure your soldiers' safety." Kintaro declared.
"Let me know how they work, and if any adjustments need to be made," Rolen said while checking his work order.
"I need to gather the men, and head out," Kintaro said as he recalled his weapons.
Kintaro took off to lead the soldiers to the battlefield. They sent some people to make preparations beforehand. For them to regroup in time before dusk they needed to leave immediately. After Rolen answered a few more questions about the weapon Zack left.
Zack walked towards the tavern to meet the others who were waiting to move out. When he walked in Lilith walked up to embrace him, and trailing behind her was Yu. Seeing Zack kissing more women caused Emilia to pout again.
'Zack never seemed like a womanizer before...Father always joked about concubines with mother, but maybe he was being serious. Do all men think like this?'
Emilia glanced over at Arthur wondering if he was the same. Wade noticed the glances the princess was having, and it made him uncomfortable, but it wasn't his place to question her actions.
"I heard we have a new companion...You have a thing for women with tails don't you?" Lilith teased while glancing at Cynthia.
"I just came by to wish you luck." Cynthia hugged him before leaving to find her sister.
"You weren't supposed to tease her." Ren scolded while trying to strike Lilith.
Lilith evaded the attack taking refuge behind Zack. Ren saw this and pulled her fist back to her side. Lilith had a childish grin on her face peeking from behind his back.
"Where have you been lately?" Zack asked while turning around.
"Spending time with our ambassador," Lilith said while walking towards Dyna.
"I got something for you," Zack said while approaching Arthur.
"What?" Arthur asked.
Zack retrieved the sword tossing it to him, and Arthur drew the blade examining its quality. It was lighter than his sword but far superior. Arthur was about to thank him for the sword but remembered how close Zack was acting with Emilia. When the thought crossed his mind Arthur became irritated, and he placed the sword on a nearby table.
"It's a nice sword but mine still works," Arthur replied.
"It can harness the power of the sun, and It was forged for fighting vampires. The chances of getting surrounded tonight are ninety-eight percent. Having these weapons with us would increase the rate of survival, and therefore allow us to save the civilians. This was your goal correct?" Haruna asked.
"Of course it is, but harnessing the sun sounds dangerous. Doesn't that mean it will harm me if I use it?" Arthur asked looking at it cautiously.
"I checked with Rolen already. If you stab yourself with it and activate its ability then yes. It's an artifact so bind to it before we leave. Do you want someone snagging it from you, and seeing its effects first hand?" Zack replied as he embraced Yuki.
"I'll keep the kids safe so make sure you come back healthy this time." Yuki smiled as she kissed him passionately.
"If you're done with your companions we should discuss everyone's positions." Vicente teased.
Zack began giving out assignments for the siege on Stormhaven, and two teams were formed for the attack. Wade would lead an assault from the front gate distracting them, and a three-man group would sneak into the palace. Wade was given a battle strategy by Haruna, and once everyone had their order they took off. They were on the road marching to retake the city, and failure wasn't an option.