Cursed item
Night gradually fell.
The merchant ship didn't stop; the river was relatively safe, and the helmsman was experienced. If nothing unexpected happened, it would take about a day and a half to reach Shipwreck Bay, the river's estuary. Next door, noises rose again that night; the couple seemed to be in high spirits, even taking turns having sex in the hammock. Soren remained calm, quietly waiting for his chance, occasionally glancing at the sounds outside.
Stealing is unacceptable.
The other party is inside the room; such a confined space would be troublesome even for someone who isn't Legendary Rogue. Besides, there's still some distance to travel, and if the other party discovers the theft, it could cause unnecessary trouble. Soren is a man who hates trouble, so he can be quite ruthless at times, and besides, the other party doesn't seem like a good person. If they're going to act, they must be quick, because there are other sailors in the cabin, and the merchant ship's guards are on deck.
These are all unexpected factors; they certainly don't want anyone to get into trouble on the ship.
Time passed little by little.
Soren patiently waited for Midnight to arrive. The couple next door, having made love three times in a row, seemed genuinely tired.
He also heard a man snoring.
Merchant ship guards would occasionally pass by outside, once every hour, mainly to patrol the cargo in the hold, as the cargo was quite valuable. Sailors worked in shifts. Below, there was a large area of hammocks—the kind suspended by netting at both ends—with two groups of people working on each side, one for the first half of the night and one for the second. The situation on deck was unknown; Soren had barely left the house today, and no one had bothered him. People knew that Wizard had rather eccentric temperaments.
The food is located in the kitchen; guests can get it themselves if needed.
If no one comes to collect it, it's unlikely anyone will bring it over; after all, this is a merchant ship, not a passenger ship.
Soren tapped his fingers lightly on the table, calculating the patrol time.
The caravan guards would appear every ten minutes, their footsteps sounding as three people, occasionally exchanging a few words. They would then descend into the lower deck, circle briefly, and ascend to the deck. Soren squinted slightly, waiting for the footsteps to fade into the distance before turning to pick up his clothes. He then slowly drew his Scimitar. It wasn't the Legendary Scimitar he had obtained from the Land of Ice and Snow, but rather his very first scimitar; the Legendary Scimitar was far too conspicuous.
Squeak!
Soren opened the door quietly, making so little noise that he didn't alert anyone.
His figure blended into the darkness. His Stealth ability made him completely invisible in the shadows. He cautiously walked to the next room, and then a set of lock-picking tools appeared in his hand. His old skills were still quite proficient. Soren moved slightly and heard a soft click. He had picked the lock on the door. The person inside was not awake and seemed to be sleeping soundly. They had been fussing for quite some time.
Soren gently pushed open the door.
His hands were steady, and he was careful not to make any noise. His night vision allowed him to see everything inside, and the scene inside was quite lewd.
The woman's long dress was lying on the ground, along with many other small trinkets.
Weapons were placed at the foot of the bed.
The other person was likely also an Adventurer, but appeared to be Warrior, as the man's muscles were well-defined, with some very large and prominent muscles. The woman was curled up in the corner of the bed, her hair fiery red, her back fair, her hips full, her breasts ample, and her legs long and strong; she looked quite beautiful and was probably a professional as well. Soren noticed the calluses on her palms, near the base of her thumb. Her extensive experience told him that she was skilled in using short weapons.
The only sounds in the room were breathing and the occasional snoring of a man.
Squeak.
Soren quietly closed the door, then silently crept over. His movements were Scimitar -fast; he thrust his curved blade into the man's heart. He had initially intended to knock them both unconscious, but since the man was Warrior, his Fortitude Save was likely very high, and Soren's strength was probably no match for him. The chances of alerting others were too high. So, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he instantly killed the man with a single stab, then immediately grabbed the woman by the throat.
Bang!
A soft thud was heard.
The sound was a little abrupt, but it didn't alert the sailors below.
The woman opened her eyes abruptly. She opened her mouth to scream, her beautiful face filled with terror. Because Soren was gripping her throat so tightly, she couldn't make a sound, only kicking her legs against the deck. This sound made Soren frown. He swallowed the words he was about to say, then twisted his wrist with force, and with a crisp crack, the woman's neck snapped.
A faint smell of blood appeared.
Soren frowned as he covered the blood with his hand, then placed the two corpses on top of each other.
Some people are very sensitive to the smell of blood, so it's best to process it a little to reduce the strong smell.
A row of documents appeared:
"Launching Backstab!..."
"Dealt 85 points of piercing damage to the target!... Target dies!..."
"Extracted Soul Energy, gained 550 Slaughter Experience points."
"Activate the Throat Slit!..."
"Inflicted 24 points of bruising on the target!... Target's neck is broken!... Triggered lethality!... Target's Fortitude Save failed!... Target dies instantly!..."
"Extracted Soul Energy, gained 350 Slaughter Experience points."
The man died instantly from a stab to the heart by Soren, essentially Backstab. The woman was Throat Slit, causing bruising, but because her throat was snapped, she died from a fatal Saving Throw. Neither of them were high-ranking, probably around Tier 2, and Soren dealt with them with ease. He didn't even need to use any skills; he killed them with just normal attacks.
This lowered his expectations for Supernatural Item; unless two guys like that had an incredible stroke of luck, it was practically impossible for them to find anything good.
Soren began to explore the room.
He found a lot of odds and ends. The two guys had almost no Supernatural Equipment, just some very ordinary military gear. However, he soon found a special item: a rather large cloak, dark red in color, which looked very vibrant and felt smooth to the touch, like the texture of Silk. This must be the Supernatural Item they were talking about.
Soren attempted to appraise the item and quickly came across a row of information:
Item type: Mohe's Sorrow [Water Sprite Cloak +2]
Item Tier: [Tier 2 Legendary Item]
Item Description: This is a cursed special cloak. Ordinary Water Sprite cloaks are made from Water Sprite hair, but this one was made from the skin of Water Sprite born from a River Goddess called Mohe River. The entire creation process was extremely bloody and cruel; the creator brutally skinned a high-ranking Water Sprite and then used her hair to weave this Legendary Equipment. Compared to ordinary Water Sprite cloaks, this equipment is much more powerful, but it also bears the curse of the Wraith.
Equipment requirement: Constitution 12 or higher.
Equipment effect: Charisma +2, maximum increase of 25 points.
Equipment Effect: [Charm Person] Once a day. This Legendary Equipment can activate Charm Person once a day without any casting animation. It instantly casts the Charm Person Spell with a Spell- like ability.
Equipment Effect: [Rage and Succubus] Once every three days, this Legendary Equipment can activate Rage and Charm once every three days, requiring no casting animation, instantly casting the Rage and Charm Spell with a Spell- like ability.
Legendary Equipment?
A look of surprise appeared on Soren's face.
The Water Sprite cloak is a relatively rare Supernatural Equipment because Water Sprite, like Dryad, are beautiful creatures considered Avatar of nature. Dryad are slightly more common; many Legendary Wizard like to transplant Dryad as their servants or bed warmers. Water Sprite, however, are much rarer. They are the Avatar of River Goddess and possess many special extraordinary abilities, making them difficult even for Wizard to find.
These two creatures are special supernatural Hit Points, possessing innate Charm Spell abilities.
Dryad, Water Sprite, Succubus, and Incubus are four types of beings born with extraordinary charm. Upon reaching adulthood, their charm is 20 points, and they possess instant-cast special Charm Spell. Ordinary Water Sprite cloaks are made by weaving their hair and then enchanting them with special Spell, generally increasing charm by 1 point, and occasionally adding additional Spell effects. The one before us is clearly made using a special method, somewhat like a human skin cloak, using not only the Water Sprite's hair but also her skin.
No wonder there was Water Sprite's curse on it!
This piece of equipment reminded Soren of the human skin cloak in the Abyss, which was also a Legendary Equipment, granting +3 Charisma to Evil Alignment.
Wearing such a cloak certainly requires a certain level of mental fortitude.
Soren had initially given up the Demon Skin Armor because of his resistance, and ended up wearing a Legendary Dragonhide Armor instead, finding less psychological burden in wearing Dragon Hide. He lightly stroked the cloak with his fingers, seemingly sensing something in the darkness—a hallucination of a mournful sound, indeed Constrict with the curses of the Wraith. This was only because Soren's perception was not high; if his perception were higher, he could sense more, and might even be able to communicate with the Wraith within.
Soren quickly put the Legendary Cloak away.
He then began to dispose of the body. He would reach the Shipwreck Bay the next day, and he wanted to prepare it to ensure it wouldn't be discovered upon arrival.
He didn't care what happened next, because he had already left.
...(To be continued~^~)