Baby Steps

Dante reflected with a touch of irony, 'If only my experiments back on Earth had been this seamless.' He tallied the successes of his trials:

I can be unsummoned and, should I die, I'm fairly confident I can be summoned back, all without feeling the swift passage of time.

Virgil's summons faithfully follow my commands.

Virgil's summons do not vanish even after his 'death.'

Skills can be activated quietly, with internal intent rather than vocal commands.

Virgil and I, united in existence, would persevere as long as one still 'lived.'

And most importantly:

Skills refresh on summon

"I didn't take you for the soliloquizing type," came a familiar voice, laced with mischief and a warm timbre, resonating off the cavern walls.

"I thought you'd be occupied for a bit longer," Dante replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Well, it's not everyday someone grants you carte blanche to eavesdrop and spout whimsical banter," the skeleton remarked with a semblance of amusement. "I might as well make the most of it."

"Ah, the sacrifices we make for greatness," Dante said, his expression feigning solemnity while his eyes twinkled with jest. "Besides, privacy is a rare commodity in any world, past or present. Might as well embrace the lack of it."

"Let's see, indeed," mused the skeleton, examining Dante. "You've crafted yourself to be rather hard to kill. At least permanently kill. I'm curious to see how long you'll keep things interesting."

"I'm counting on you for guidance, too, every once in a while," Dante retorted. "After all, isn't that part of the job description?"

"Perhaps..." came the noncommittal reply.

"By the way, I never asked your name," Dante said, his curiosity piqued.

"No need for names where we're going," the skeleton quipped, its voice fading into the stone and shadows.

"Show-off," Dante chuckled to himself. 'Time to spring into action,' he resolved, as he readied himself for the next phase of his adventure.

Dante turned around, a strategy forming in his mind. 'With so many skeletons and nary a name, perhaps a touch of method in the madness? S1 for the first of Virgil's summoned soldiers — yes, that has a certain ring to it. Virgil, command your soldier to commence marching. We'll proceed in file, myself at the rear, maintaining a 1.5-meter gap between each of us.'

The summoned skeletal warrior, henceforth known as S1, snapped to attention and stepped forward, initiating their solemn procession. They advanced through the cavern, an eerie march that could lead to their demise or to triumph — only time would tell.

'Silent commands may take some getting used to, but what a precious skill it is,' Dante thought, focusing on the task at hand. 'As my Mystique grows and my thoughts quicken, so too will my mastery over the skill.'

As they progressed, the cavern revealed its hidden grandeur. Stalactites and stalagmites framed their path, like the jagged teeth of some gargantuan beast. Bioluminescent fungi cast a ghostly pallor over the stone, their glow a spectral guide through the undulating shadows. The air was cool and damp, the silence so profound that even their footfalls seemed to be swallowed by the abyss.

It was a couple of minutes into their silent march when the first sign of hostility presented itself. Dante halted, eyeing the new skeleton that barred their path. "Yet another one made of bones, why don't I find it surprising" he chuckled inwardly. No enemy indicators or health bars floated above this potential foe, leaving Dante to question its threat level.

In a moment of whimsy, Dante decided to infuse a touch of theatrics into the grim setting. 'This isn't exactly a chessboard, but why not?' he mused. 'S1, advance like a knight and topple that unwitting pawn at the center.' He watched, a smirk playing on his lips as the skeleton awkwardly obliged, its movements more akin to a clumsy dance than a knight's poised charge. Yet, just as the skeleton warrior raised its weapon for what promised to be a humorously inept attack, it fizzled out of existence

'What!' The exclamation burst from Dante, piercing the cavern's silence. 'Blast it, the summon's duration expired.' With a mental nudge, 'Virgil, we need a replacement on the frontlines. And let's fall back.'

As the new skeleton turned its hollow gaze upon them, Virgil's second summon, S1 v1.01, materialized and lunged into the fray.

The battle that ensued was more a comedy of errors than a clash of titans. The skeletal combatants, with their jerky, unpracticed maneuvers, seemed to parody a duel. Each thrust was hesitant, each parry accidental, and the clattering of their bones provided a bizarre soundtrack to the absurdity. In the end, S1 crumbled, its last act a feeble swipe that barely disturbed the cavern's dust.

'First strike dictates the victor in this skeletal farce, it seems.' Dante stepped back, eyeing the scene with a bemused detachment. 'Virgil, you're up. Show it how it's done.' He positioned himself strategically, ready to summon Virgil at a moment's notice.

To Dante's astonishment, Virgil's strike was swift, decisive. It seemed the previous skirmish had left the enemy vulnerable, for a single blow from Virgil was all it took to shatter it.

1 Tutorial coin acquired

The coin materialized in Dante's Inventory space, a silent testament to his victory. No triumphant chorus of experience points or the gratifying ding of a level up — just the simple, unadorned notification of a coin earned. 'Tutorial coins, an interesting concept' Dante reflected with a smirk. 'Well, I'll gather them like a miser. More is definitely better than less.' With that, he cast his gaze forward, contemplating the next peculiar encounter that lay veiled within the cavern's embrace.

Dante squared his shoulders, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. 'This might be my only shot at direct combat in the trials ahead,' he reasoned, looking at the empty space where his arm once was, feeling the void of his missing eye. 'I'm handicapped, yes, but I can still take on these boneheaded buffoons.'

"S1, your sword," he demanded, though he knew the gesture was futile.

Item unequippable

"Of course," Dante muttered with a scoff. His frustration bubbled into a caustic laugh. 'Looks like I'll be dealing in punches. Blunt force—every skeleton's Achilles heel, by conventional wisdom. But first... a little test.' He extended his remaining arm. "A slight nick on the wrist, S1."

As the blade approached, a childhood memory of dread before a vaccination prickled at his nerves—never felt as an adult, of course.

The sword's edge met his skin, and a jolt of pain shot up Dante's arm. It was an acute, unmistakable sensation of pain, unmitigated by any fantastical element of the game. His HP dropped a fraction, a minor but telling decrement.

HP: 29.8

Dante watched, breath held, as his flesh knitted back together after a couple of seconds. The pain receded rather quickly.

HP: 30

'Now for the real trial,' he steeled himself, a grim resolve setting in. "Virgil, your turn for a bit of payback. Use S1's sword. Make it quick, will you? And... bring me right back."

Virgil, in sync with Dante's thoughts, quickly swung his sword—a flash of rusty metal aimed at Dante's neck. The blade bit, not with a clean slice, but with a ragged tear. Blood spurted, Dante's breath hitched, a gurgling sound replacing screams as blood filled his throat. The pain was blinding, a white-hot lance piercing his neck.

With a choked whisper of air that couldn't form words, Dante's eyes pleaded with Virgil for a merciful end, as blood bubbled from his mouth and sprayed from his neck. The skeleton understood and, with a more precise, deadly strike, severed the connection between head and body.

Darkness engulfed Dante; his existence snuffed out in a silent void.

Then, abruptly, he was gasping for air, the sensation of drawing breath a violent shock to his system. Dante clutched at his neck, intact, no trace of the wound except in the pounding of his heart and the terror etched into his every cell. He stumbled backward, laughter and sobs intermingling—a manic sound from a throat that remembered its own severing.

"Fuck!" Dante's shout echoed through the cavern, raw and edged with a tinge of madness born from the pain. He remained still until the involuntary tears subsided and his ragged breathing steadied. Minutes stretched on as he sat with his lone eye shut, gathering himself. When he finally rose, there was a wry note in his voice. 

"Note to self: next time, make it clean."

Dante's gaze fixed on Virgil, still holding the old, rusty sword, now stained with drops of his own blood—a stark reminder of the ordeal's grim reality. 'Perhaps I should've waited for Virgil to grow up a bit, get a sharper blade,' he mused inwardly. 'But no time for what-ifs. This might be the first time I endure this, but it's unlikely to be the last.'

His mind buzzed with insights gleaned from the experiment, a blend of awe and a dash of macabre humor:

'Firstly, alongside MP, there's also HP regeneration. Secondly, the setting's painfully realistic: every slice, every injury feels disturbingly authentic, with no fantastical dampening. And thirdly, HP seems to merely indicate a target's overall vitality. Decapitating a human—or at least what passes for one here—would be fatal. This makes targeting weak points crucial, as damage varies significantly based on where a strike lands. Lastly, and perhaps most crucially, I've confirmed that being re-summoned completely restores my health.'

His attention then shifted to Virgil's equipment display, sparse as it was:

Right Hand: Skeleton Warrior's Sword (Rank 1, Level 1)

Left Hand: (Empty)

Headgear: (Empty)

Armor: (Empty)

Gauntlets: (Empty)

Greaves: (Empty)

Accessory 1: (Empty)

Accessory 2: (Empty)

Curious, Dante examined the weapon for more details:

Weapon: Skeleton Warrior's Sword (Rank 1, Level 1)

Durability: 7/10

Weight: 0.6 kg

He couldn't help but scoff. 'Typical. Minimal info, maximum uncertainty. This game's playing its cards close to the chest.' A thought struck him. "Hey Virgil, Unsummon S1.'' But nothing happened. "Oh, right. No such skill yet. Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. Sorry, S1, it's for science, you understand.''