Orry Abell's face fell when he heard the words of the tower master. His work would look like cheap kitsch in comparison. He had just been bragging about his ring; one had to be an idiot not to realize that the blacksmith was humbling him.
The man silently vanished into the crowd, as Pip picked up the long package the Tower Master had pointed at. Ripping away the packaging revealed polished wood. The moment Pip touched it to pull out the staff, she felt a refreshing feeling wash over her.
It was as if her sight had cleared, and she saw her surroundings with new eyes. Her connection with nature had deepened the moment she simply touched the staff, to the point that she already felt unwilling to ever let go of the item.
Removing the remaining paper revealed the bright green stone set in its tip. In comparison, the cut gem of the ring she had just admired looked dull and murky. The staff was just right, maybe a couple of centimeters on the longer side. If she grew a little more, it would be perfect.
...
"It's called the 'Staff of the Guardian Tree' and it's made with the core wood of the guardian tree. This way, you will always have a part of it with you," the bard explained with a smile. Seeing Pip's eyes glued to the staff in wonder was the biggest reward.
However, when she didn't stop staring at the staff for a whole minute, the blacksmith felt like he had to say something. "Pip, put the staff aside for now. I will explain its powers after the party. You should open your other presents."
"Ah, yes," the girl said as if woken from a trance. Unwillingly, she placed the staff on the side and began unpacking the remaining gifts, but nothing compared to the staff. Everyone thought there was nothing going to be able to compete with the staff.
But they were all of them deceived. For another gift was made. In his workshop, deep in the bowels of Minas Mar, Lord Seth had forged another present to outshine all others. Into this present, he had poured his skill, his dedication, and his will to even overcome the staff. One present to surpass them all.
Or so Seth thought to himself jokingly. According to his calculations, there was half a Sky Dragon Heart Scale left, one he forged all items on the list and Cade's armor. Now, there was none, and a couple of presents later, Pip reached for the big package at the bottom of the pile.
Opening it, the aspiring druid revealed the item Seth had started working on during their journey to the Auk Archipelago, after he was done with Monique's armor pieces. Reflecting the lights of the ballroom brightly, Pip pulled a breastplate from the packaging.
In her hands was a slim, perfectly polished, sapphire blue breastplate that was enough to silence the room. It was the embodiment of Seth's well-wishes for Pip and his expectations for her future. Now, the 16-year-old woman already possessed two legendary items before she even chose her system class.
The cuirass was smooth and followed the body contours of the wearer, thanks to the modified size-adjusting enchantment. It could be worn below a robe, making it not just a powerful, but hidden armor.
Seth had come up with it during the Meeting of Masters. Its only real drawback was that it was not a full cuirass, so it could not protect the back the same way. However, that could be covered with other means. In exchange, it didn't impede motion, allowing the caster to stay agile.
After a moment of silence, the room erupted in congratulations, exclamations of wonder, and questions about the item's power. However, nobody complained. Which was better for them, because he would have whooped anyone's ass that acted petty toward Pip. They all knew what her goals were and why she needed these.
The one most confused was Pip. She didn't know what the commotion was about at first, since she had not seen Faenys' new armor. However, she froze when she gathered what she held in her hand from the surrounding chatter.
"Is-is this really a dragon scale armor? The one everyone has been talking about?" the girl asked him with a wavering voice. The dragon armor hat has been hyped up a lot in the past months since Al'Zalsar returned with her gifts.
"Yes, yes, it is. I'm sure it will keep you safe in the future," the blacksmith said with confidence. Just the damage negation and reflection alone could lower any incoming damage by about 75%. For the remaining 25% damage to get through the armor, the attack would have had to be massive.
"T-thank you," she finally said in a shy voice, hugging the breastplate tightly. Although she didn't say much, it was clear how much she appreciated the gift. She quickly equipped it to present it proudly on top of her party dress. Seth was about to add that she had to be careful about her back when-
"No, no, no. You don't get to hog all the attention! Quick, Pip, open mine!" a rude tailor rudely interrupted the scene. Neeco Boos had stormed forward to say his piece and pulled a wide, flat present from the heap. He was intent on competing for the best present of the day.
Puzzle, the girl received the package without thinking twice. "Hurry, hurry!" the tailor urged her excitedly. he seemed quite sure of himself. Unexpectedly, a robe actually emerged from the box. The bard expected a hero suit, but maybe Boos had finally left that fetish behind?
"This is made from one of the new fabrics I developed with Puffles' thread. I call the material
Although it was annoying that the tailor lacked the ability to read the room and keep this talk for after the party, like Seth, but the blacksmith was also relieved. Now, Pip not only had a staff and armor, but also a legendary robe. No class but three legendary items.
At this point, Seth asked himself whether this would have an effect on the classes she could choose. She had already mastered magic before coming of age, and if she went in there armed to the teeth with legends, would she get something cool like Artificer Druid? Or a similarly unique-sounding class?
The party continued, and the gifts from Hoen and Wedan pretty much completed Pip's gear. The two dwarven craftsmen gifted her a set of silver vambraces and greaves made from
They were slim and elegant, perfectly fitting a girl like Pip. Although they were not legendary, they were relics and a set. They were also easily hidden by the robe. If anyone ever fought her, they would be surprised by how armored this mage actually was.
When the presents were all opened, and Pip was technically prepared for a quest to conquer the world- When everyone had eaten their fill and was kinda drunk- When everyone sat down tired from dancing the the music made slower and quieter- Mina approached Seth.
"I think it's about time," she whispered to him, nodding in the direction of Fin, who nodded at them. The party had mostly ended, there was no more show to steal, so before everyone left, they finally wanted to announce their decision.
"Guys, before the party ends and everyone leaves, we still have one announcement to make," Seth called out, standing in front of the stage, where everyone could see the three. He took a breath in preparation to reveal the good news when-
"We are going to get married and will use the trip to the Cloud Continent as our honeymoon!" Fin broke out. She shouted with a force that one would think she would have exploded if she couldn't finally let it out.
"The hell?" "Are you serious?" Sleepy heads and drunk voices rose in surprise, bringing back some life to the crowd; however, most were too drunk to make a big noise. Still, there were more than enough to force the party to continue with a Round 2 of celebration.