Space Wizards

38. Cursed Gauntlets

Murphy, Sabastian, and Melock stood over the burnt mark where the Necromancer turned to ash. Melock focused on the two iron forearm bracers left behind on the scorched earth. 

"So what are they?" asked Sabastian. 

"Power gauntlets. They have a very dark aura," said Melock examining them closely without touching them. 

"Do you think you can wear them?" asked Sabastian. 

"I suspect they affect the wearer. But there is only one way to find out for sure." 

Melock picked up the gauntlets and slide his hand into one and then the other. They dug into his forearms like someone was screwing them into his bones. He felt a rush of power jolt through his body. 

Sabastian and Murphy watched the wizard put on the gauntlets. At first, his face winced in pain, then the wind picked up and his eyes went white with no pupils at all. He held out his arms and floated off the ground. A whirlwind of a tornado formed over his head and reached up to the clouds stirring up a massive dark thunderstorm. Melock rose higher into the air and spoke with a sonic boom of a voice.

"The cursed gauntlets of the demon god harness the power of the universe!"

Lightning flashed overhead and Melock's brain was flooded with thoughts of cruelty, sadism, and a set of thirteen curses that would render any opponent helpless in their wake.

Dim the vision (for instant blindness)
Knot the tongue (to remove of ability to speak or eat)
Dizzy the soul (shatter the inner ear for loss of balance)
Invert knuckles (flip inner skeletal and tendon structure around)
Scoliosis (inflict extreme spine bending)
Break bones (zero in on specific bones or shatter them all)
Bent feet (bend appendages at the halfway point to a permanent 45-degree angle)
Boil the blood (to a bubbling explosion)
Twisted mind (to destroy the memory)
Break the heart (to inflict sadness)
Confuse reality (and cause hallucinatory schizophrenia)
Despair (to remove the will to act)
Suicide solution (motivate an enemy to rid you of themselves)

A maniacal craze took over Melock and he let the desires for conquest and destruction run wild in his imagination. He looked at the two humans below looking up at him and at the third lying on the ground behind him. 

"Tykö?" he said in a melancholic question. 

While the gauntlets empowered him to know he could easily subjugate Murphy and Sabastian, they also tempted him to do more awful things to Tykö's body. He knew the gauntlets had other powers and that they helped the Necromancer twist his organs, break his bones, and zap his will to live. The storm faded as quickly as it came. Melock floated back down to earth and removed the gauntlets. 

He walked past his two stunned friends and returned Tykö's side. A few minutes ago he was certain Tykö would recover but there he was dead on the ground. His ancient experiential life finally brought to an end. He should have been able to fight against his physical wounds but the gauntlets did far more than physical damage. 

Consumed by the intrigue of the Necromancer's possessions, they had all ignored Tykö while he died. Melock couldn't help but fear he might go out in such an unnoticed way. 

"I'm sorry I let you slip away. It was foolish to have done so," said Melock.

"Is he dead?" asked de Martín. 

"He looks asleep," said Murphy. 

"He was, but now he's gone." 

Melock conjured up his trunk of necessity. The old steamer chest appeared next to Tykö. Melock opened it, removed a clear plastic body bag, and opened it next to his body.