A Powerful Rival

Facility Event: Flames of Reflection

Episode 2

A Powerful Rival

Previous Quest

The Golden Anvil

Next Quest

Finding the Master

Summary

The blacksmith sisters are downtrodden after coming face-to-face with their rival Lazry's overwhelming skills. Rena then recalls the existence of a dragon who trained her father, so the party sets off for the volcano where he resides in order to help the sisters improve.

Dialogue

The three blacksmith sisters poured all of their know-how into completing their sword for the Golden Anvil, and emerged with a weapon that was at the absolute peak of their current abilities. Everyone then heads into town to submit the sword for consideration by the blacksmith's guild. Maaaaaybe we should check the sword once more. You know? Just to be sure? It's going to look the same as it did the last nineteen times you checked. Don't worry, Renee—it's going to be fine. We let everything out on the forge, so let's walk in with our heads high. Wait, what's going on at the huge hearth outside that building? That there's a rokkan smithin' hearth. Thing gets hotter'n any hearth around, but they can't fit it inside what 'cause it's so damn big. So does that mean...? Yep. That's Lazry's forge. Lazry's Forge Storefront Ye be the lassies from Regis's shop, aye? ...Ah, and I reckon that there's a sword for the contest. Yep! Feast your eyes, pal, because THIS baby is gonna walk away with first prize! Aye, she's a fine sword, and no mistake. Good, quality work, that is. That said, it'll be me own sword what takes home the prize. We've all seen your work, Lazry, and it's good—but we've got you beat today. Ye talkin' 'bout the weapons what I show in me shop? Aye, those be fine, but they ain't what I put my all into. Wait. Are you ADMITTING that you've been cutting corners on your products?! Blimey, lass, no! No corners cut here! But if I were to put me all into a weapon, she'd be too much for a regular person. Ye lassies'll see what I mean once I'm done forgin' me weapon here. Pffft. SOMEBODY'S confident today. But yeah, sure—show us what you got. Whoa, that forge is BLAZING hot! Lazry's going to burst into flame if she stands any closer! ...And yet, she's not even sweating. Plus, look at her—she's swinging that massive hammer with one arm! Yeah, rokka folk are sturdy, all right. For them, heat like this is like a mild spring day for you'n me. Plus their fingers are long and deft, and they got muscles to spare. They were pretty much born to smith. There's almost something...beautiful about watching Lazry work. B-but that doesn't mean anything! A weapon is about grace and substance and all of that—not just how good you look when you're making it! True, lass—which is why it's what's IN me sword that makes 'er so exceptional. Ho, lad! Ye seem to be quite the burly fellow—might I ask ye to hold me sword aloft there for a minute? Bwaaaa ha ha! Ain't a sword made yet what I can't—HUUURK! Sweet ham salad, this thing's heavy as hell! Well done, lad! Didn't think ye'd be able to even lift 'er, so I didn't. This here sword was hewn with three times the usual amount of iron for a blade of its size—then I pressed it down into a single blade using me own special technique. This sword could chop a dragon in half! I mean, if ya could WIELD the damn thing. Aye, she can be wielded, all right... by a ROKKAN warrior. So that's what you meant when you said a regular person couldn't handle it. Aye. But for a weapon being entered in the competition, ye don't really need to worry 'bout that sort'a thing. Whew! That plum tuckered me out, it did. Time to take me a little nap. ...... That sword was... It was amazing. I've never seen anything like it... Y-yeah, but OUR sword is still better! I mean...um...right? Come on now, you two. Let's put on our happy faces. It's quite possible we can't beat Lazry now. But in that case, we'll just figure out how to beat her another day! We've done good work up until now, but we still have room to improve. Yeah, but HOW do we improve? Ain't like we can just snap our fingers and be better smiths. Well, I was thinking about something Dad said to me once... Apparently, when he was young, he ran into much the same situation as we find ourselves in now. Wait, DAD did?! Yep! But rather than mope about it, he went off to a volcano, trained under a special dragon coach, and improved. Wait, he was coached by a DRAGON?! That's RAD! I wanna be coached by a freakin' dragon right noooow! Only a loser would throw in the towel now—and I sure as hell ain't no loser! Hee hee! Oh, it's good to see my sisters back to their usual fiery selves. I'd like to help with this plan as well. After all, the better you get, the more it ends up improving all of us. So if you'll have me, ladies, lead the way to the volcano!