Step one.

With the items in your bag, you set out to seek the smithy you visited that one night not long ago. You've surprisingly not involved yourself much with the craftsmen of the city despite being a renowned adventurer. The fighting style ingrained in your class lends itself to agility, so a suit of heavy armour feels wrong. Though, you wouldn't be opposed to some awesome magical gear... For now, you get your foot in the door. You have no idea how skilled this girl is, though you need to start somewhere.

It isn't night this time, but she's still in the exact same place--on the deck by a forge outside of her shop. Her fiery orange hair is tied back behind her head as to not get in the way of her smithing, but this time, her goggles are actually down over her eyes. She has tall brown boots, and dark blue overalls are all that covers her body. She wipes away the sweat from her brow and looks to you as you approach.

"Hello, again. Can I ask you something?" you call out.

"One second!" She pulls a strip of metal from the forge and places it down on the anvil. As she slams her hammer down against it with powerful blows, her barely contained chest bounces behind the fabric of clothes. You can't help but watch her sideboob from this angle. It must get hot standing in front of a fire all day, though seeing her work with no shirt behind her overalls is a distracting solution to the problem.

Whatever blade she's making, it looks to be coming together.

She pulls her goggles up from her eyes and smiles. "Welcome back. What can I do for you?" she asks.

"I need something really strange crafted, and I was wondering if you could help." Trying to be discreet, you look left and right for anyone nearby, and try not to speak too loudly.

"Trust me. You don't want something like that made of metal." She looks back down to the blade on the anvil. With it cooling down, she lifts it up and inspects it closely. "Almost there," she mutters.

"What? No. I don't wanna know what you thought I meant, but it's an arrow. Not an ordinary one either. Can we talk about it inside?"

"I suppose I can take a break. I'm getting so sweaty." She tugs on one of her overall straps. "Come on inside then. Don't be shy. You have me all excited now, sounding so mysterious. Is it a super powerful arrow?"

You nod as you follow her to the door. "It is, yeah."

She grins as she pushes the door open and leads you inside. The shop itself is a bit of a mess, and it's rather small. There are various weapon parts scattered about, from hilts to blades. She makes her way through, and then turns around to lean back against the front counter. "Tell me all about it, and I'll see what I can do."

"Well, it's an ancient weapon. One we have the blueprints for, found in a very old tome. This arrow was designed to destroy a particular evil item. We need it, because someone very bad has this item again."

Her eyes practically light up with the burning flames of a forge. "A legendary weapon to topple a great evil?! Please, you need to show me this blueprints!"

"Do you think you can even make something like that?"

"I've been waiting so long for a real challenge. Something I can be truly proud of. I came to Avana hoping to work on something special, but I barely get any customers. The only things I do end up making are mundane swords. I don't think they even know how good they are."

"Working on this might put you in danger."

"Oh I don't care about that. What people do with my weapons is out of my control anyway. And if something I make ends up slaying someone like a Demon King, then I can die happy anyway."

"Ah... That's good to hear, because that's exactly what it's for." I can't be picky. No matter what, I need to trust somebody with the items and the plans for this arrow.

You withdraw the bag containing each of the ingredients, and pull out the book as well. You place them on the counter, flip to the appropriate page, and slide your finger along the words. She watches with interest. To your surprise, she goes completely silent when you do. Her eyes scan the book like a machine. Slowly, she nudges you out of the way, until she's leaning fully over the opened tome.

"Outstanding," she mutters.

"Pushing someone is rude."

"Projectile: Eradicator Gold. I know this legend. It was the weapon to slay Demon King Mas'och. Any smith that truly has a passion for their craft knows such a story. This can't be real. The actual blueprints to make it... And next to it, all the reagents required." She turns to you slowly, and you notice her eyes filled with tears. "Oh sir. Please allow me to take on this project. Not only will I make you the greatest arrow of all time, but you can count on me for anything else you need in the future. I'll always put you on the top of the list... for a price I mean. I still need to eat."

"All right. I'm trusting you with what may be the fate of Tivera," you say.

"I won't let you down. I swear it. I swear on my pride as a smith." She reaches out with her hand. "My name is Laira, by the way. Laira Holland."

You give it a shake. Her grip is incredibly strong. "Kyle Warren. I guess I should say Sir, since I am a knight."

She gasps. "I didn't even see the ring!"

"It's more of an honorary title if anything. I saved the queen once." You pull back your hand. "It was a whole thing with her, a princess, a vampire, and all sorts of stuff."

"Well, it sounds like you live quite a wild life." She grins. "Keep that weapon of yours close. Even if it does break somehow, I'll fix it right up for you."

"Thanks for the help. Can I leave this stuff with you then? I have other things I need to do. But you absolutely can't let anyone see this, and don't lose it. It's incredibly important."

She shuts the book, and then she hands it back to you. "Don't worry. You can take it. I've already memorized what to do."

"... Are you sure? Is that even possible?"

"Of course it is. Keep the book safe. Just give me a few days at the most. When I finish it, I'll bring it to you. Where do you live?"

You stow the book back into your pack. "Dragonhide Manor."

"Then expect it soon. Oh, I can't wait to get started. I can't believe that me, Laira, will have crafted an ancient legendary weapon already. I'm still young!" She steps up to you and wraps her arms around your body in a tight embrace. "Thank you again for giving me this opportunity."

I have a feeling her and Niki would really get along.