<div class="floatright">(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/c/c3/Katana.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100517084538)</div>Smithies. Places where metal was turned into usable products, a place of heat and heavy duty work. It would only be the second time Miyuki entered such a place, especially when most of her adventuring skills came in the form of her spells and proficiency in magic. Before she left her shrine, Miyuki hardly touched any weapons, save for a bow for ceremonial purposes, when the shrine maidens would leave for a hunting festival and divide the meat from their catch into portions for the poor and destitute.<br/><br/>The first time she entered was as a young girl, a virgin Miyuki who was still learning the ropes as a priestess. Her senior requisitioned a batch of swords for use by their shrine, mainly by the battle maidens who protected the place and ensured the safety of the priestesses. Miyuki remembered her senior explaining that true smithies treated their best work in the same mold as the priestesses using their bodies to serve their gods. She also remembered having a young apprentice visit her, presenting her a ceremonial dagger as an art piece.<br/><br/>The second time Miyuki visited a smithy, she was on the run. It was the same place she entered years ago, the apprentice now a professional smithy who took pride in his work. Understanding her predicament, and despite the pain in allowing Miyuki to leave, he handed her a katana, an Eastern longsword but curved slightly like a scimitar. Instead of a true longsword where two hands could be used to deal additional power, this particular weapon was lighter, and counted on swift and precise attacks. The metal was of top quality, and although it might seem fragile, a skilled user who takes care of it would never be let down by the weapon.<br/><br/>Miyuki knew that every self-respecting adventurer would possess a good weapon. She knew her katana was good, but that was back in her homeland. A smith would know how a weapon would perform in their local territory, and although Miyuki would count on others to do the close up fighting, she who knew how to wield a weapon with finesse and shoot a bow would prefer to be useful at every scenario.<br/><br/>The dwarf was friendly enough, although the human explained his behavior which Miyuki felt was perfectly alright. She understood why they'd work in the cooler night, instead of the day when the heat would be totally unbearable. The bard smiled and gave the two a bow, before addressing Jevin the smith.<br/><br/><strong>"Custom work, yes..."</strong>Miyuki replied as they moved to a more convenient spot to converse.<strong>"I'll going out into the wilds as part of an expedition soon, and I would like to know if the creatures... dangerous ones, outside Laelith can be defeated by a well struck blade."</strong><br/><br/>She reached into her bag, withdrawing the katana from her bag, before unsheathing it to half its length. Miyuki could see the forge marks, the slightly silvered blade as she presented it to the smith.<br/><br/><strong>"It's mainly used for slashing... but it's been a while since I polished it. How would it fare outside the walls? And how much would it cost to have it sharpened and maintained by tomorrow's dawn?"</strong>