"What exchange are you talking about?" I asked, not taking the bag from his hands, though Louie gladly levitated it onto the table in front of me.
"Enchantment stones and scrolls in exchange for the weapon you gave me."
"But that was a gift," I said. "And we were together when we defeated Abrathion."
"It was your loot, and you gave it to me in exchange for enchantment scrolls," he insisted. "Don't you remember?"
He moved his fingers in a "these are not the droids you're looking for" fashion and smiled at me. I smiled back and nodded appreciatively.
I looked into the bag to find that it was filled with armor enchantment scrolls and a couple of weapon enchantment stones.
"Leo, this must have cost a fortune!" I said and pushed it back to his side of the table that was pinned down in front of us.
"Actually, no they didn't," he said, pushing the bag back toward me. "These were gathering dust in the guild's warehouse for I don't know how many years. Our guild raids provide us with way more than we currently need, especially since we recycle D-grade equipment. Once a person hits level 40, they upgrade to C-grade equipment and their D-grade stuff is stored for lower-level members or allies. Either you use the scrolls or they go back to sit in a much larger pile of enchantment items. Besides, the weapon you gave me is worth many times that. Believe me, I'm ripping you off."
"In that case," I said, putting the bag in my inventory, "thank you."
"You're welcome," he said with a smile.
"Speaking of presents and exchanges," Louie said, "do you think it's okay to open your father's presents here, Leo?"
"You haven't opened them yet?" he asked, surprised.
"Well, we didn't really have time to do it," I confessed and glanced at Rory, who was now clenching his fists at the sound of the plane's engines roaring to life. "Why don't you show us yours first, Rory?"
"Me gift?" Rory asked, trying to focus on ignoring the plane sounds. "Sure, I can open it now."
The dwarf took out the large crate from his inventory and placed it on the table in front of him. It looked like it was sealed tight, but a soft glow escaped from its edges.
"Rory, why didn't you open the gift when you got it?" I asked, as he removed the nails holding it shut with his bare fingers.
One of his eyebrows shot up and looked at me quizzically. "Why didn't ye open yers?"
"I was just following your lead," I explained. "I thought that since you didn't open it there and then, it was some kind of custom I didn't know about."
"There ye have yer answer then," he said as he removed the final nail.
He shifted the cover to the side and the ceiling of the room was lit up by the item in the box.
"By Dadga's cock," he whispered, and pulled out a long war hammer.
Name: Battle Hammer of Dragon Slaying +7
Type: Two-Handed Blunt
Rarity: C Grade
Physical Attack: 211
Magic Attack: 116
Special Ability: Health - Significantly raises the HP of its wielder
Attack Speed: Normal
Durability: 22450/22450
Weight: 2200st.
Description: A hammer that was forged in the flames of dying twin dragons. The despair-filled last moments of the creatures have created an aura that is the polar opposite of everything dragons stand for. The weapon's single purpose is to kill dragons and, at any given time, it will lightly pull the wielder toward the closest dragon within a range of 100 miles. Additionally, the wielder and their party are immune to becoming terrified by dragons, and all attacks made by this weapon on a dragon deal 200% more damage.
"That is an absolute beast of a weapon, Rory!" I exclaimed.
The dwarf had still not closed his mouth. He was just staring at the magnificence of the weapon, occasionally swinging it from one side to the other and nodding at how perfectly balanced it was. The white glow of the hammer left a small trail in the air as he moved it around, producing a soft thrumming sound.
"This is..." The dwarf seemed at a loss for words. "It's... I mean, I was planning on getting something like this meself, but I hadn't found anything this strong. Definitely not +7."
"You like it then?" Louie asked, and proceeded to sniff at the two gift boxes I retrieved from my extra-dimensional bag.
"Ye've got no idea," Rory said, but immediately put it in his inventory as soon as he remembered the jet's engines were on. "Okay, it's happening then?"
"We're cleared to leave in five minutes, more or less," Leo said, and then turned to look at the box I had just opened.
There were many layers of paper and cloth inside, I supposed to protect whatever was in the box, and even a couple of bits of padding that looked like the soles of shoes. But no matter how much I shuffled through all of the packing material, I couldn't find the actual gift.
"Um, I guess they forgot to put it in?" I half-asked, half-stated.
"No way, man," Leo said and joined me in shuffling through the box fillings.
"Hey," Louie interrupted. "Look at those soles."
"What about them?" I asked, turning them upside down, in case they had something written on the bottom of them.
"No. I mean, really look at them," he insisted.
"Oh, let me see," I said and focused on scanning them.
Item: Magma Trekkers
Type: Magic Item
Durability: 29000/29000
Rarity: B Grade
Weight: 12st.
Description: These elastic soles were crafted in the elemental plane of fire. They are made of a highly durable efreetium compound, able to withstand direct contact with molten rocks as well as floating on top of them. These soles shape themselves in order to fit perfectly inside all shoes and boots. The wearer of said shoes is then able to walk on coal, magma, and even lava, without sustaining damage or becoming submerged in it.
"What?"
