"It's because of the light, is it not Shin?" [Laura]
Turning my head, I see that her group has returned with the weapons.
"That's correct. This Fortress has been uninhabited for a while. In that period of time, there hasn't been any light sources or noises. What do you think would happen if lights started to appear on the walls at nighttime? In doing that, we will be advertising an all you can eat buffet of students which is sparsely defended. I don't know about you people, but I don't plan on becoming monster food so how about we endure the darkness tonight and make as little sound as possible. That answer your question?" [Shin]
"…yeah" [Everyone]
"All right everybody, go and get your weapons. Laura, could you come here for a bit?" [Shin]
Bringing Laura away from the group as they begin searching the pile weapons, I ask her how things went.
"Was everything fine?" [Shin]
"Hehehe, were you worried about me?" [Laura]
"Yeah, a bit. Most of the people here seem to be quick to anger and prone to violence for some reason. You're one of the few sane people who I know of. I can't afford to lose you." [Shin]
{Plus, she's really useful and has really strong Skills. Even that Scout couldn't sense her presence at all, and they should both be at the same level. That means her concealment Skill is much better than his detection skills. She is definitely the one I want at my back when shit goes down.}
Glancing at Laura, I see that her face is beet red, and she seems quite embarrassed.
{Oh, damn. I should have been clearer with my word choice.}
"I'm sorry about that Laura, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." [Shin]
"N-No, T-That's fine. I-I don't mind. Hahaha, oh right here's your weapon you wanted." [Laura]
Changing the subject, Laura removes the wrapped weapon that she carried on her shoulder and places it in my hand. Grabbing the corner of the wrap, I quickly remove it, revealing the weapon inside. Shining in the night, is a very basic looking weapon. With a standard steel blade and a wooden shaft, the weapon resembles an extremely basic war scythe that I saw in the old war books that littered my father's library. Although my father was quite the collector, he never had the chance to purchase an original model and he and I fantasized about the uses of he war scythe. Although considered a peasant's weapon, my father told me an ancient story of a God of Death which reaped souls with the scythe's authority. Using this story as a basis, my father always told me that given the opportunity, a war scythe could be used to slice not only the body, but the spirit and soul, becoming a true weapon of annihilation.
"Umm… Shin? Are you okay? I asked you if that is the weapon that you wanted." [Laura]
"Yes, sorry. It's perfect. I've always wanted to use one of these, so I got a bit excited." [Shin]
"I couldn't find that on the third floor where you told us to look for weapons. Unfortunately, they were only with the low-quality ones on the first floor. Is that alright?" [Laura]
"Yup perfect, thank you Laura. What about you, did you grab one for yourself?" [Shin]
"Yes, I picked up a pair of daggers and a sheathe when I was in the armory." [Laura]
"I don't see them though? Where do you keep them, and can I see them?" [Shin]
Embarrassed, her cheeks contain a pink tinge when asked to reveal them.
"Because of a skill of mine, I get benefits for concealing them, so I have them underneath my clothes at the moment." [Laura]
"Ah, my bad. I should have realized." [Shin]
"Close your eyes." [Laura]
"Huh?" [Shin]
"Just do it." [Laura]
Rather reluctantly, I close my eyes and after a several seconds, I hear Laura telling me its fine to open my eyes. When I do so, I see two beautiful asymmetrical daggers in her hands. In her left hand, is a beautiful white bladed dagger. Around 15 centimeters (~6 inches) in length, its perfectly white blade looks to be made out of a rare metal which undoubtably keeps a clean edge. Laying in her right hand, is a dagger the complete opposite of the former. If the first dagger could be considered pure and pristine with a cold dangerous overtone, the second dagger is ruinous and corrupted with an obnoxiously violent personality. The second dagger is pitch black in colour with a 20 cm (~8 inch) serrated blade. As a pair, they are visually repugnant, yet a feeling of unity can be felt subconsciously.
"Where did you find them? I didn't see them when I was on the third floor." [Shin]
"When everyone was picking up weapons, I looked in the back room that Parker claimed to loot. I found these underneath one of the pedestals. I bumped into it by accident, but when I did, it revealed a trapdoor and these two were on the other side." [Laura]
"Good, they look like they suit you. I'm glad you have powerful weapons. Can I hold them for a second?" [Shin]
"Sure, here." [Laura]
Laura hands me both of her daggers, but when I receive both daggers in my hand, a sound resonates in my head.
Weapons Equipped: Would you like to entitle them?|
{Huh? I heard this voice before… Oh it was when a voice explained my skills. Wait, entitle them? As in name? I guess I should ask Laura before doing anything.}
"Laura, come closer." [Shin]
"O-Okay." [Laura]
She closes the distance, so we are almost intimately touching. Whispering in her ear, I say,
"Laura, did you hear a voice when you picked up the daggers?" [Shin]
"A voice? No Didn't hear anything like that." [Laura]
I summon my Spirit Plate internally to confirm my suspicions and sure enough, another skill is added.
Name: Shin Okamoto
Race: Human
Level: 1
First Title: Paranoid
Skills:
-> Delusion Lv.1
-> Reflex Lv.1
-> Outsider Lv.2
----<> Transgress. 0/1 *NEW*
-> Guarded Lv.1
-> Permit Lv. 1 *NEW*
----<> Entitle *NEW*
Second Title: Maverick
Skills:
-> Misanthrope Lv.1
-> Subjugate Lv.1
-> Lone Wolf Lv.1
-> Domain Lv.1
Third Title: Survivalist
Skills:
-> Unmarred Lv.1
-> Liberated Lv.1
-> Stalk Lv.1
-> CQB Lv.1
-> *Locked*
Divine Protection: N/A
Hmm...I don't know why my Outsider Skill leveled up. I'll have to look into that later. As for the new skill, I shouldn't reveal too much to Laura so I should just say that my "Magic Swordsman Title" unlocked a new Skill if she asks.
"Laura, I just got a new Skill. I can apparently "entitle" weapons. I have no idea what it does. Will you allow me to "entitle" your daggers as a test?" [Shin]
"Yeah, if it's you, I don't mind. I trust you." [Laura]
"Do you have any suggestions? I will most likely pick some weird names." [Shin]
"No, you can name them. I'll be happy with whatever you chose." [Laura]
{Well, if she said so, she can't complain if I name them poorly.}
Focusing on my soul and the daggers simultaneously I begin the naming ceremony.
Weapons Equipped: Would you like to name them?|
Yes| [Shin]
State the granted names.|
The White dagger will be named Aureole. The Black dagger will be named Acheron.| [Shin]
Understood. Names will be granted to held weapons.|
Black fills my vision and I open my eyes. Looking at Laura, she seems to be anticipating my names for the daggers.
"It's done. I don't know what this will do to them so please be careful from now on." [Shin]
"Okay I will. So, what did you name them?" [Laura]
"The white one is Aureole and the black one is Acheron." [Shin]
"Aureole and Acheron, huh. What do they mean?" [Laura]
"Aureole means aura or halo. Acheron is a mythical river which separated the underworld, also known as the river of pain." [Shin]
"I-I see. Aureole is a nice name and fits it perfectly. Acheron is kind of creepy, but it fits the dagger well." [Shin]
"Well, I'm sorry that you don't like the names, it was just the first thing that came to my mind." [Shin]
"No. I don't hate them; I was just surprised by your name choice." [Laura]
"Well, I'm glad I could help." [Shin]
…
"YO! Hello?!" [???]
Hearing someone shout out, Laura and I turn towards the group. The bow user that left with Laura walks towards us looking frustrated.
"Are you two done here? We are waiting on you to tell us where we should start our night watch. We've been waiting for like 5 minutes. By the look on both of your faces, it looked like you were flirting more than discussing our plan for tonight. Could you please focus on the task at hand?" [???]
"We weren't flirting! And we just finished our conversation, Kati." [Laura]
"Yes, I was just asking for her report, I believe your name is Miss Kati?" [Shin]
"Well, whatever you want to call it, you were not responding to our calls and in your own little world with just you two." [Kati]
"Were we? Well then, I apologize. Now let's return to the group and give our orders, right Laura?" [Shin]
"Y-Yes, let's go." [Laura]