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I was looking for a sword that needed sharpening in the supply cabinet at the blacksmith's shop where I was an apprentice when I found it- a small, dusty wooden chest.

Not knowing of the danger that small container held, I opened it.

Inside was a pitch black amulet in the shape of a snake coiled around a rose. I would have closed the chest right then and there if it weren't for some strange feeling that I got, telling me not to put the box back. The amulet was radiating some sort of powerful aura and I felt like it was practically begging me to put it on.

But that went against my better judgement, as there was a small chance the mysterious item could be magical or dangerous. I decided to show it to the blacksmith and ask him if he knew anything about the black amulet.

"Ain't never seen that thing in me life." replied the blacksmith gruffly, looking up from the farming tool he was shaping.

"How do you suppose it ended up in your supply room?" I asked curiously, examining the incredible details carved into the metal of the object in question.

The blacksmith stopped working for a moment to examine the piece of jewellery more closely.

"There something about it..." he murmured with a strange gleam in his eye as he gazed at it.

"Yes, I noticed it too." I agreed "It might have some magic in it."

The idea of possessing a real magical item excited me. Magic was scarce in these lands unless you were part of the king's guard of wizards and this was the most interesting thing I'd even found working as a simple blacksmith's apprentice in our small town.

Before I had time to ask what we should do with it, he was reaching out to grab it. Though I understood the alluring sense of power that the amulet seemed to promise, I knew that bad things would happen if he put it on.

"I don't think you should-"

Ignoring my warnings, the blacksmith slipped the chain over his head.

I watched as his eyes started to glow white and an ominous feeling filled the air. This object was definitely magical and probably very dangerous. I held my breath and waited to see what would happen next.

"Pass me that metal rod." said the blacksmith monotonously.

"Why?" I asked, cautiously handing him the thick metal rod he hadn't had the chance to make something out of yet.

He didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed it on both of it's ends and started bringing his hands together.

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open in amazement as he bent the metal as if it were soft clay.

"Amazing." I breathed.

The blacksmith set the bent metal aside and flexed his fingers as if pondering if he should test his strength some more.

"I feel like the most powerful man on Earth with this thing on." he told me "Bending that rod was easier than snapping a twig."

"Maybe you should take it off now." I offered tentatively "It could be dangerous if you leave it on for too long."

After staring at it in admiration and longing for a moment, he finally nodded and slipped off the magical amulet.

His eyes stopped glowing as soon as it was off his neck. Before I could stop him, he fell forward, barely catching himself on the edge of the table.

He was breathing heavily and clutching his chest as if he'd just run a mile.

"Are you alright, sir?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. That just took a lot outta me, I s'pose." he answered, standing up straight and waving me away.

It appeared that the gauntlet granted the user inhuman strength at the cost of their own power. It was as if the magical item drained a person's life force away.

I didn't like the sound of that one bit.

I didn't want to imagine what would happen if a person wore it for too long.

I put the amulet back in it's old box and returned it to it's original spot in the supply room. But I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time I saw it...

וו×

The very next day, a farmer came to the shop to get some of the farming tools he had given to the blacksmith for fixing.

The blacksmith gave him his tools and then insisted on showing the man the amulet I had unearthed the day before.

Ignoring my warnings about how dangerous it was, he got it out again and even put it on.

The farmer thought it was absolutely amazing and started ranting about how much easier his work would be with it on.

Neither of them even seemed bothered by how much weaker and sickly the blacksmith looked after taking it off. It was as if the two of them were so blinded by the sheer power the amulet gave them, that they didn't notice how much it was draining them.

They decided to show it to the whole town tomorrow and talked about all the amazing things they could accomplish with the magically cursed amulet.

But I couldn't let that happen. I knew that the people would be blinded by the power just like the blacksmith and farmer had been and would continue to use the amulet even if it was draining away their life force.

They would be so excited about the magic in the object that they wouldn't care about the curse, so much that people could die because of it.

I had to get rid of it before it was too late...

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