Just a little greedy...

Skyler looks over the different fist weapons before glancing at Taki. There is a glint of excitement in her eyes. He smiles, knowing that trying just one would likely disappoint her. This was a win win. He gets to try them all and make her happy. He casts Observe on the different fist weapons to figure out which one he would like to try first.

Observe:

Blessed Brass Knuckles: Uncommon Quality. 15 damage + Strength Modifier. Each strike deals 25% additional damage as Holy. Holy damage dealt will cause a flash of light, weakening the target's ability to hit by 10% per hit, up to a maximum of 50%. This item's base and Holy damage is increased by 100% against undead, demons, and abominations. Material: Sanctified Brass, Elven Holy Rune, and Blinding Flash Enchantment. Durability 75/75.

Daunting Gauntlets: Rare Quality. 20 damage + Strength Modifier, 25% chance to strike terror into the target for 2 seconds. If the target is immune to terror, increase movement speed by 100% for 2 seconds instead. Increases Strength and Agility by 10. Material: Orc's Leather, Enchanted Mithril, and Rune of Flexing. Durability 125/125.

Heavy Tactical Gloves of Precision. Rare Quality. 10 damage + Strength Modifier. Every 5th hit deals an additional 100% of that attack's damage as physical. The 5th strike's damage ignores all defenses and normal attempts of mitigation. Material: Enhanced Dwarven Steel, Green Lizardmen Scales, and Rune of Precision. Durability 100/100.

Skyler was certainly surprised by what he saw. They all had situations in which they would be great, but the one that seemed the most impressive to him was the Heavy Tactical Gloves of Precision. That aside, he wanted to try them all out. He looks at the set of Blessed Brass Knuckles more closely. They had the standard four finger wholes and palm rest, but on the palm rest were the words, 'In Gaia's name we fight.' He picks up the set of Blessed Brass Knuckles, slipping them into position while looking to Taki. "What do you think? Do I look like a religious zealot?" He stuck out his tongue while making a few short jabs with his right fist then left.

Taki giggles while shaking her head. "Honestly, you remind me of a kitten trying to use its claws for the first time." Skyler's cheeks reddened as he took off the set of Blessed Brass Knuckles. "I suppose that's fair." As he spoke, he set them down where he had found them. His eyes wandered over to the Daunting Gauntlets next. What he saw were two silver gauntlets with dark green leather inside. He picks them up and slips them on. They were surprisingly comfortable and light weight. He was also surprised that they extended all the way down his forearm.

Skyler looks to Taki while wiggling his fingers. "They feel great. It almost feels like they were made for me." She bit her bottom lip while looking off to the side. "I don't know what you are talking about." He walked over to her, taking her left hand with his right. His fingers gently lacing with hers. "See? It's even this easy to move my fingers in these." Her cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "So it would seem..." There was a short pause before she pulled her hand away as did he.

Skyler's cheeks reddened when he realized what he just did. "Um, thank you again for letting me try these out. You're very generous." Taki shook her head. "To be honest, I was quite rude and selfish by bringing you here without even asking. This is the least I can do to make amends." He looked down ever so slightly then back into her eyes. "So, this is simply to repay me for not being too upset when you kidnapped me?" She swallowed while nodding slightly. "That's right."

Skyler felt a playful smile creep upon his lips as he thought about something far more fun, but shook his head. "I should get back to looking." He said while taking a few jabs at the air. He could feel the extra power as he struck at nothing. After setting the Daunting Gauntlets back down, his eyes glanced at the Heavy Tactical Gloves of Precision. The scales on these gloves made him think of snake leather if the leather had been enlarged, but the way the knuckles and the front of the fingers bulged made him think they were reinforced by that Dwarven steel. 'I wonder how heavy these are.'

When Skyler picked up the gloves, he was quite surprised by just how heavy they were. He was pretty sure they weighed fifteen pounds each. Even more surprising was how snug yet comfortable they were to wear. Taki watched him carefully. "What do you think of those gloves?" He flexed his fingers before jabbing the air a few times with his right fist then left. He could feel a little drag when he punched the air. It was clear these gloves would be exhausting in longer fights. However, this would work to his advantage if he planned accordingly.

Skyler had a quest to level up in illusion barriers of his making. A smile crept upon his lips as he realized that something like this would likely improve his Strength, Agility, and Endurance over time. It might even be fairly quick if Gamer's Life worked even half as well as he thought it would. He looks at Taki gently. "They are a little heavy, but I think they will be great for me." He gently flexed his fingers before lowering his hands. "I don't suppose they are for sale."

Taki shook her head. "No. Not with the amount of money you have." Skyler nods slightly. "Drat." She walks over to him, helping him to take off those gloves before putting them back. "You might be able to earn them though." His eyes watched her carefully. "How?" Her eyes gazed gently into his. "It's nothing sinister. You said you wanted to look at the skill to remove that curse, right?" He nods slowly. "Yeah." She turns around. "Follow me." His eyes running gently over her kimono.

Skyler liked the colors of Taki's kimono, but preferred to see her lovely figure in that red skin tight bodysuit from the video game. Regardless of that, she was still breath taking. They walked through the room they had previously before heading to the left this time. They walked down a narrow corridor before entering into a large library. There were tens of thousands of books just on the first floor. He glanced down each direction. "That is a lot of books..." He said under his breath. He had never seen this many books in his life.

Taki giggled while watching Skyler's expression, drawing his attention back to her. After a short time had passed, they managed to make their way up to the fourth floor of the library. He was fairly certain this area was as big as a football field. 'Even with my powers this is simply too many books for me to read.' As this thought ran through his mind, they made their way toward a small section labeled restricted. There were two beautiful, but strong looking women in crimson red shinobi garb standing watch.

The guards looked at Skyler suspiciously, but allowed him through since he was following Taki. He was beginning to wonder if she was more than simply their leader. Shortly after entering the restricted section, she pulled out a thick red book with a title on it that he could not read for the life of him. He was fairly certain it was Japanese given where he was. She gently brushed her fingers over the worn cover of the book. "This is it. One of the original books hand written by Mikao Usui."

(Author's note: The information on Mikao Usui and some information about the alternative healing art of Reiki is available on Wikipedia. However, it isn't backed up by science.)

Skyler had no idea who that was. "What is the book about?" Taki smiled. "Miskao Usui created a technique called Reiki. It is a form of energy and spiritual healing. Some call it, qi or chi manipulation. The correct term is qi, referring to, what most call chi, in the states. It only takes into account the life **** in the body instead of what it truly is, a universal life ****." He blinked several times. "That certainly sounds interesting. How does this relate to the curse?" She gently hugged the book. "What is the soul if not a part of that universal life ****?"

Skyler nods slightly with a soft smile upon his lips. "True. That makes sense." Taki nods. "If you could master this technique and remove the curse on a few items for me. I will consider it payment for those gloves and give you a special reward on top of that." He nods slightly. "I must warn you that if I am able to learn this technique the book will be destroyed in the process. Are you okay with that?" She looked down to the book then to him. "I will have this book copied first. Do you need the original for your ability to work on it?"

Skyler looked down slightly. "I don't know for sure, but I am willing to try it on a copy first." His eyes look to the book in Taki's arms. "I wouldn't want to destroy your original book if a copy would do just as well." She nods slightly. "Thank you for your understanding, Skyler." He smiled softly. However, he had some concerns. Will he meet the requirements for this book? If so, will he require the original or will a copy suffice?