The nearest box was filled with hundreds of bones of various sizes and provenances, some of which were an unearthly shade of black. These were clearly not the items that they were seeking, so Jonathan and Edgar moved on. The next box contained a dozen amulets, each of which veritably vibrated with dark potency. Jonathan reached out towards one of them, but he thought better of it after the object started to crackle with dark lightning. Jonathan scanned one of the amulets, interested in what would produce such a result.
Cursed Amulet of Warding
Tier 1 Magical Item
This amulet was originally intended to be a powerful charm of warding, but its maker made an error in its creation, and it now wards against all threats, even its would-be wearer. This item is functionally useless, save for use against thieves.
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, and kept going, as the item was entirely useless to him, and indeed everyone else. He didn't bother to check on the other amulets, as they all had the same magical signature as the original one. The next box seemed more promising, containing a large wand made out of dark metal. It had a foreboding aura, and Jonathan quickly scanned it.
Basic Wand of Elemental Focus
Tier 1 Magical Item
This wand contains small traces of the twelve basic elements within it, contained within a magically charged matrix of dark iron. Using it as a casting focus will increase the wielder's control of their element by a small amount.
Jonathan was tempted by the item, but he then realized that it was not a weapon that would be useful for long, as it did not possess the ability to rank up, unlike his gauntlets and armor, which he would eventually reclaim. Besides, he was already stumped with what to pay the merchant with, and he didn't want to add to that bill. Jonathan kept moving, looking around for something that would work as a disguise. Eventually, Edgar found something on the other side of the tent, hailing Jonathan loudly. Jonathan turned around and followed his voice, heading towards the man.
“Look at these,” Edgar said. “These might be just what were were looking for.” Joanthjan looked into the box that Edgar was pointing at, seeing a few masks scattered around the bottom of the box. Jonathan quickly scanned the objects, smiling as he did so.
Basic Mask of the Unseen
Tier 1 Magical Item
A mask made in the pattern of a famous rogue from the lower worlds of the Infinite Hells, it is able to disguise the wearer to a limited degree, and conceal that presence to a greater degree. When wearing this mask, there is a constant mana price of ten points per second, which, if not met, will be taken from stamina, and then from health. While under the effect of the mask, you assume a different persona, but those who are perceptive enough can realize that something is wrong. That is where the other effect comes into play. The mask extends an aura of obfuscation around your person, causing others to forget your presence, even when you are standing in front of them. This feature can be supercharged by increasing the mana tithe. None of these effects work if you engage in combat with another however.
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Jonathan grinned, and dropped his skill, looking up at Edgar in glee.
“This is exactly what we need,” he said, prompting the merchant to come over to them. The merchant was rubbing their hands together in expectation of a good deal.
“So, are you gentlemen interested in a pair of these masks?” The merchant asked.
“We are. How much will this cost? I have to admit, I do not have any Marks on me at the moment,” Jonathan confessed.
“That is perfectly alright. I don't deal in mundane currency in any case. I charge in mana. Each of those masks will be 2500 mana, paid into this orb here.” The shopkeeper pointed towards a glowing glass orb attached to their belt, and Jonathan frowned.
“2500 mana? How exactly would that work?”
“You simply place one hand on the orb, and it will draw the mana out of you. However, there is a catch. If you do not possess enough mana, it will start to train your stamina and health, until it gets the requisite 2500 points of energy. I’ve seen quite a few people meet nasty ends at the hands of this device over the years.”
Jonathan nodded, and quickly scanned the mana orb, not trusting the shopkeeper enough to simply heed their words blindly.
Mana Transfer Orb
Tier 1 Magical Item
This orb can take mana out of one being and transfer it into its storage, allowing for it to be taken out at a later date by its owner. Using this orb will take up the preset amount of mana, digging into health and stamina if the amount is not met.
Jonathan could sense something hidden behind the status window however, and he narrowed his eyes, forcing Divinity into his scanning skill. The next time he read the description, it was very different.
Cursed Mana Transfer Orb
Tier 1 Magical Item
This orb can take mana out of one being and transfer it into its storage, allowing for it to be taken out at a later date by its owner. Using this orb will take up the preset amount of mana, digging into health and stamina if the amount is not met. However, this orb was intentionally cursed by a powerful mage, and now takes as much mana, health and stamina as is within the body of its user, killing them.
Jonathan gritted his teeth, and looked up at the shopkeeper, who suddenly realized that something was wrong. However it was too late. Jonathan summoned his mana to his right hand, and concentrated it into a sword of light that glowed with a deep purple aura. He swiped his hand across the air, and a moment later, the shopkeeper’s head came tumbling down, bouncing off the floor. A second later their body fell too, and the objects around them started to disappear. A few Leviathan marks clattered to the ground from the shopkeeper's pockets, as the body disappeared, and Edgar quickly scooped them up. Jonathan hurriedly picked up two of the masks, and raced over to the elemental wand, picking it up too before it could disappear. Luckily, the objects that he had claimed did not fade away. He handed over one of the masks to Edgar, and both men put them on, just before the tent disappeared around them, revealing them to the gaze of the outside world. However, nobody paid them any heed, and Jonathan let out a sigh of relief. The masks were working as intended.