For the first time since arriving in Aravia, the smell of grease and soot fills the air. It`s hardly dirty air by Earth standards, though after these past days of breathing pristine air, it does take a bit of getting used to. Though, in some perverse manner, it`s a little nostalgic.

　　As we continue closer to the industrial center, the air fills with the sounds of crude machinery. The clanging of metal pounding against metal, the stomping of beasts of burden - mostly some sort of weird ox-like creature. Simple whirring automata powered by magic mindlessly carry out simple tasks, tending to forges and smelting facilities. And it certainly smells like grease and dirt, though I`ll take these acrid aromas every day over the filth from the Rotini sewers.

　　A few streets later and we arrive at our destination: Gurlong`s Swords & Custom Weaponry. I enter the large building - more of a warehouse in size and appearance than a typical shopfront - and Sammy follows a few steps behind. We enter and are greeted by the proprietor himself. A capital-D Dwarf in all but name - short, stocky, full white beard, a master crafter, and a thick accent. The only thing I don`t know about is whether or not he enjoys a stout ale, though given his trade and appearance, I don`t doubt it.

　　"Alright, you fine lassies, I trust you`re here on business. Now then, please, I`m an old man and have no time for pleasantries."

　　I nod and pull out my two stones of orichalcum ore along with my Shining Blade and present them to Gurlong. "Of course, good sir. I wish to reforge this blade with these two ores we came across during our adventuring. Is this something you would be willing to help us with?"

　　Gurlong nods and takes one of the two ore fragments and eyes it over, then pulls out a spectacle and stares at it some more before handing it back.

　　"Well now, that`s a fine ore fragment, and not one I see pass round these parts every day. Where`d you come up with such a thing now?"

　　I nod slightly. "We received them as a reward for helping out with an Adventurers` Guild request back in Rigatoni a few days back."

　　"Well, lookie there. And here I thought the couple of ye were just mere tourists hoping for a sword on the cheap. But you two really are adventurers worth your salt. So, you`re looking to reforge that sword?"

　　I nod. "If that`s something you`d be willing to help us with. Word is that you`re one of the greatest blacksmiths in the entire kingdom."

　　"Alright, alright. You can lay off the flattery, lass. I don`t know what it is about ye, but when I see the two of ye, I can sense something different. Some sort of hidden destiny, maybe one even tied to the fate of the world. With the Calamity underfoot and any number o` things going wrong with the world, if this is something I can do for ye, I`d be glad to offer my assistance."

　　"Wow, thank you so much!" Sammy says

　　I`m a bit taken aback, in a good way. It`s the first time I`ve seen Sammy actively make conversation with a man other than her father, and I`m happy to see that she`s taking her first forays into conquering her fears. I turn to her and smile, and she responds by taking my hand and squeezing it just as I did to her earlier. With a glance of acknowledgement, the two of us follow Gurlong as he leads us toward the forge area.

　　As the three of us pass through the threshold, I`m subdued by the roaring heatwave and stagger for a moment as I acclimate, though Sammy seems unfazed on account of her lighter clothing. Gurlong stands before a massive anvil near a small smelting crucible not much larger than a flower vase, and the two of us stand a few paces back at his insistence. Within the forge room are a few undecorated, unfinished pieces of work. A pair of swords hanging on the wall missing only their hilts, a couple of axes, three rather elaborate pikes or some other variety of spear, along with a few more exotic weapons I don`t recognize.

　　"Do you mind if I see your current weapon?" he asks.

　　With a quick nod, I pull my Shining Blade and present it before him before stepping back next to Sammy. He eyes it over and I grow a bit nervous, worried that he won`t accept the job after all. But instead, he turns to Sammy with a smile.

　　"Lassie," he says. "Would you come here for a moment?"

　　She turns to me, and I nod. "I`ll be right here if you need me."

　　She approaches him, and Gurlong hands her a small mote of light, which vanishes into her hands shortly after.

　　"While breaking down the magical enchantments contained within magical weaponry, occasionally ye`ll find fragments of raw magical energy like this one. They don`t do much for fighters like me or her, but for a spellcaster such as yourself, they can be quite the boon, especially for young mages just starting out on their quest."

　　I notice a flashing sound near my status screen, and look up at it to see three notifications.

　　Samantha Relford has gained 3,000 EXP

　　Samantha Relford`s [Magic] has increased by 5

　　Samantha Relford can now cast [Holy Bolt]

　　Another of the benefits to visiting this shop earlier, beyond early access to the most broken mechanic in the game. In truth, you`re not supposed to visit this shop until after obtaining the first star shard when an NPC mentions coming down here. But there`s nothing that actually prevents you from doing so, and the powerful weapons you can make are more than worth the immediate time loss. Not to mention my new weapon will absolutely trivialize the next portion of the game.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　Gurlong begins, unwinding the last vestiges of the blade`s enchantments before taking some tool and cutting my blade into small chunks. He then drops the orichalcum ore in the crucible along with the now-mundane metal and, with a wave of his hand, the fire in his furnace roars to life - no doubt some crafter`s technique he`s learned in his decades of experience.

　　He then begins using a foot pump to force more air into the furnace chamber, and the entire inside glows a fiery white, the heat now so intense that Sammy winces and steps back behind me. My sweating is exacerbated further and I struggle to breathe as my mouth clams up and my throat burns with each forced inhalation. So intense is the heat that I notice my HP dropping a few points each minute from the scalding inferno blasting my body, the air a desiccating foehn sapping my strength. But I remain firm and motionless.

　　Thankfully it only takes about eight minutes and 120 health before the roaring furnace subsides and I can breathe again without pain. Gurlong looks at me with a smile on his face.

　　"I`m impressed both by your resilience and your tenacity. I must apologize for putting you through such a test, but over the years, I`ve forged my share of weapons that just went to adorn some nobleman`s mantle or a fledgeling adventurer who would turn tail and run away at the first sign of a little danger. The fact that you stood firm in the face of such pain is all the proof I need - I would be glad to forge your weapon. Now then, shall we get started?"

　　"Water?" I mouth, currently unable to speak. I then try to pantomime myself drinking a glass of water, which leads to Sammy giggling at me.

　　"Ah, of course, lassies. Come this way."

　　About fifteen minutes pass as I drink and drink and drink more water. I drink so much water to try to alleviate my headache that I begin to wonder if any amount of liquid is enough to sate the parched feeling in my throat and mouth and pores alike. But eventually my pain subsides, and the three of us get to work.

　　Though, in truth, Gurlong does most of the work, taking the smelted ore and casting it. At my direction, he chooses a cast for a longsword, about thirty-four inches in length, with a slightly curved edge for ease of cutting. The molten orichalcum alloy hisses and a few droplets splatter onto the earthen floor beneath, some even boring small holes through the stony surface with their heat and weight. But before long, the bright yellow white dims to a dark crimson, at which time the smith grabs a pair of metal tongs and dunks my new weapon in a vat of water, quenching the blade and letting fly a cloud of scalding steam. In truth, it feels really nice on my face, and Sammy seems to agree, basking in the condensate on her cheeks and forehead.

　　For the better part of an hour, Gurlong continues, alternating between heating and quenching the metal, building its temper and occasionally hammering out any imperfections that developed during the casting process. I watch on in anticipation, while Sammy stares, seemingly spellbound by his fluid motions and his focused gaze. At long last, he hands the nearly finished blade to me and invites me to inspect it.

　　I grab it by the tang and grip it as though to use in combat. A little unbalanced, but that will be fixed in the finished product. The overall weight and length are a good fit for my size and strength - maybe a bit light for carving through heavier foes, but the sharpness of the edge should be more than enough to cleave through most obstacles. And, grabbing a small lock of my hair, it neatly slices through as though completely unencumbered, my light-brown locks falling to the floor as I let go of them.

　　The final check arrives as I scan it. Everything is exactly as I`d hoped.

　　Radiant Edge

　　An iridescent blade forged of orichalcum alloy said to bedazzle its wielder`s foes

　　[Attack +275] [Hit +30%] [Avoid +10%]

　　Easily the strongest weapon available to me for a good while, with superior offensive and defensive capabilities. The Ice Blade has a few useful fights upcoming as, troll bosses aside, the elemental damage is extremely powerful. Especially against That One Boss. But for now, I have my mainstay weapon, and I present it back to our benefactor to finish the job.

　　"Is it what you were hoping for?" Sammy asks.

　　"It is. The craftsmanship and the quality of the blade are both immaculate, and the ore we got from helping Aleena is going to greatly improve its combat parameters. This is exactly the weapon we need for the tribulations ahead."

　　Gurlong laughs at us as he gathers some leather to begin crafting the hilt for my new weapon. "Of course the quality can`t be beat. You don`t gain a reputation like mine for producing inferior quality weapons and trying to pawn them off as the genuine article."

　　I`m left speechless. Does he know what that jeweler was doing? Is this a common thing among the shops here in Ravioli? I don`t remember this being the case for any other weaponsmiths, though it`s been such a long time since I`ve entered one of those stores that I can`t recall if their prices are way off. In any case, I slough off the comments - I did promise secrecy and I am a woman of my word - even if those charlatans don`t deserve it.

　　Before long, my weapon is complete, and holding it in my hand, a sense of rightness takes hold of me. This was no weapon acquired through dubious means, some of the base material aside. This is a weapon forged through the culmination of all my knowledge of the game and the world to this point - a weapon forged specifically for my hands, and swinging the sword, the motions of my hands cleaving through the air in a subtle dance. I feel bonded to the weapon, as though the weapon itself accepts me as its wielder.

　　After paying 3,000 dols as payment for his time - he tries to refuse, but I insist on the payment as a token of my gratitude - we head to a small patch of grassy meadow just outside of town. It`s time to test this sword out, and I don`t trust doing so anywhere in town - with my strength and this weapon`s power, I could accidentally do major damage to the city`s shops and seriously impugn my reputation and my chance of further boons toward our ultimate objective.

　　"Ready to see the results of our work, Sammy?"

　　She smiles and nods, and I nod back. I channel my fighting spirit into my blade, and intensify my stance and focus. The air around me begins to spin and I follow suit, building my angular momentum before releasing it into my weapon with all the strength I can muster.

　　My Sworderang technique glows with a rainbow sheen, lighting up the dusk sky with a radiance befitting of the weapon`s name. It passes right through a large tree completely unimpeded, spinning off to my right before angling back toward me and returning to my grasp. As soon as I grab hold of my blade once more, a gust of wind blows over the field and knocks the tree over, revealing the perfect cut delivered by the attack.

　　"Was it everything you were expecting, Ash?" Sammy asks.

　　"It is. It`s every bit and more the weapon I was hoping for when we arrived today." A renewed sense of confidence takes hold of me. I don`t know when or if we`re going to get derailed from the plot I know and can prepare for, but at least with this weapon at my side, I can maximize the chance of overcoming whatever challenges this world is preparing for me.

　　Except that woman from Rigatoni. She still bothers me - just who is she? I wish I had something to go off, but searching through every memory and bit of game lore, absolutely nothing comes to mind. Hopefully this isn`t an ill omen. But right now, all I can do is prepare for the challenges lying in wait. As the sun passes below the western horizon and the two of us head back to the lights of the town, we decide to head to an early sleep. It`s been a long day, and tomorrow will be an equally long one.