Eladar called it a “dark and unique” weapon, but also made it sound vital to your survival. You cautiously approach the sheathed knife, and give it a once-over before touching it. The sheath appears to be black leather, as does the padding on the handle. The weapon is around a quarter of a meter in length, perhaps a little smaller. There’s only so much you can do without drawing it, though, so you carefully reach for the handle, and are unsurprised when a message window appears.
You have found: Soulscar. Damage 2-6. Reach: Close. Attack Speed: Fast. Rarity: Legendary. Item Quality: Flawless. Additional Properties: This item is eternally Soulbound to the Chosen Lucia. Damage dealt by this weapon bypasses nonmagical damage reduction and resistance, and wounds inflicted by this weapon are also dealt to the enemy’s soul. This weapon will return to its sheath after three seconds if it is not actively being wielded, and you can summon it to your hand from its sheath with a mental command, provided you are on the same plane of existence.
Note: This item may change and develop additional properties over time.
You spend a long time trying to process everything this weapon is capable of, then decide to use your Analyze ability to learn anything else you can about Soulscar.
The dark grey metal, you learn, is called Starsilver, and is actually a fairly durable material that requires advanced magical techniques to forge. You’re not sure what properties Starsteel actually has, mind you, but you nonetheless know its name. The leather used in the sheath and staff is from an animal called a “Deep Squid,” though, again, you can make no real guess as to what that means in practical terms. You don’t even know what a Deep Squid is, to be honest, though you could make a reasonable guess. The most interesting thing you learn is that this particular style of dagger is called a pugio and is mostly used as a secondary weapon, or one meant to be concealed for self-defense or assassination.
This is all very interesting, and makes you slightly more appreciative of the knowledge forcibly implanted in your mind, but it doesn’t really help you that much. Analyze is probably better used for items that don’t already give you most of their relevant information on pickup, you suppose.
You test the weight of the blade in your hand, and find it pleasingly heavy without making your movements feel dramatically slower. You think back to the different games and movies you’ve seen with knife fighters, and do your best to imitate some of the motions you remember.
The blade clatters to the floor almost immediately.
You decide to test its teleportation and summoning properties and wait patiently for the three seconds to pass, after which it simply disappears, immediately sheathed on the ground once more. You collect the sheathe and place it on the bench, step back, and try to remember the feel of Soulscar in your hand. Nothing happens, and you wonder if you’re missing something. Perhaps there’s a magic word? Just as you decide to go pick up the weapon again, it surprises you by appearing in your hand. You return it to the sheath, repeat the process, and soon find that all you must do to summon Soulscar to your hand is intently wish for it to be there.
That out of the way, you get back to practicing. This time you move slowly at first, keeping a firm grip and stepping forward with a thrust, then turning with a dramatic slash, before a pirouette and another thrust. You don’t drop the weapon, but you can feel how awkward and forced your motions are. Even at full Speed, any true foe could easily parry your blow and counterattack. You have no illusions about your personal strength right now: you’re a soft and inexperienced Catgirl with no relevant Skills to keep you alive, and the world outside of this room is a harsh one. You have no food, no money, and the clothes on your back are little more than an illusion. You have nothing, and will have to fight for every day you wish to survive.
It’s all quite romantic and exciting, really. You spend another ten minutes slicing your way through imaginary enemies and slowly increasing the Speed at which you parry, thrust, slash, and stab, until a surprising popup ends your imaginary battle and makes you drop Soulscar to the ground once more.
Congratulations! You have reached level 1 in Daggers. You are now Unskilled with Daggers.
You give an excited cheer, and reach to pick up your weapon from the ground, only to find it has already returned to the sheath. You summon it once more, and can feel the difference a single Skill level makes. You now know how to actually hold the weapon, more or less, and that the large, dramatic lunges and slashes you were making before are wasted energy. Simple, short motions are all you need with such a sharp, light weapon, and you go through the imaginary routine once more. It feels smoother and less forced this time, and you’re confident that you probably won’t drop your weapon the first time you see a giant rat or whatever. You’re still no match for a real opponent, of course, but maybe you can pick up some easy beginner quests to gain a few levels and some cash you can spend on a trainer or something. You carefully return Soulscar to its sheath on the bench and approach the door. It opens in, but the true barrier between you and the outside world is a shimmering wall of light.
You take a deep breath, smooth out your dress, and step through the light.
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