The Electromancer

The rummaging rogue clambered through his belongings. He snatched the spare fuel cell capsule, counting the mere seconds his barrier would provide. He made with haste, replacing the dead cell that now leaked acidic fluid onto his workshop floor. The cognitive process that plagued the hyena was exhausting his mind, but he had to keep it up; any moment, the rioting horde of dark souls would bombard the steel vault door and take the bunker by storm. He bagged the locked grimoire from the lectern and armed his flame mortar.

The wretched liche would never rest until the great electromancer’s manuscript fell into his clutches, for it was this manuscript that would grant him the ability to bring death and famine to the realms. Ironically, it was this same manuscript that contained the spell necessary to rebuke and bind the liche and his forces to the Dark Dimension. The book was hex-proof, meaning that it could not be opened by any magical means known to the living. So, the humanoid hyena hero would need to withhold the book until he crafted the perfect key for the lock. His predicament: the liche’s army was on his fluffy little tail, intervening with his trials.

“Scratch to Calamity, I’m on the move again with the book. How’s the liche’s fortress looking?”

“It’s getting pretty hairy down here,” the communicator buzzed. “The pyromancers and inventors seem to be handling the Shadows pretty well. As for us soldiers…” her strain was audible as she bashed something out of the air with her bludgeon, “these crow things are getting really annoying. When do you plan on unlocking that book, Metal-Mouth?”

The noises outside the bunker grew viciously more impatient. Scratch slid down the ladder to his homemade Underground Railroad, latching the cover hatch as he went. “I’m making my escape right now… Why do you mock my machines? This Weaponized Jaw-Breaker is a highly complex chomping mechanism that uses the combined power of cerebral stimulation as well as steam-powered cog work.”

“Whatever, ‘Doc. Brown’. Just get access to that spell! Calamity out.”

/\/ * /\/ * /\/

It was times like these when Scratch was thankful for his spring-action speed boots. The horde of horrors had broken through his defenses and he was barely out of reach of their collective clashing claws. He ran like the realm depended on it, which it did, until finally he saw the light at the end of the tunnel (literally). He dashed outside, short-circuiting the disruptor panel on the wall as he did. This triggered the activation of an electrostatic force field, which blocked the tunnel exit. The demons that had pursued him attempted to break through, but their efforts were in vain. Nothing, not even the hyena himself, could break through that barrier.

He noted the gnashing of teeth taking place behind the buzzing field and went on his way through the valley. If he failed to reach his observatory and craft the perfect key, the liche would surely find a way to undermine the book’s counter-spell charm and use the knowledge within for his own foul purposes. The pressure was on, and this would be the most precise mission he had been prescribed thus far.

The observatory towered high in the sky atop a dormant volcano. From a distance, it appeared as a sizable fishbowl; however, as one drew closer, he may notice the massive steel beams rising from the base to support the structure’s integrity, and drawing yet closer one may peer inside the gigantic sphere. Inside was his laboratory, where he dealt with the fine minerals harvested from the volcano’s dark depths, refining them into necessary pieces of his inventions. Now, it would provide him sanctuary from the monsters seeking to steal the book, while he studied the intricate lock and forged a solution to its stubborn demeanor. Somewhere beneath those spokes and gears was the answer he was looking for.

Every so often, the hyena would encounter a jackal scout wandering about the mountainside in search of the book. Of course, they posed no threat. He would simply burn them to ashes without a hindrance. However, this still worried him, for it meant that the liche had sent his minions much farther than previously thought. If not careful, he may be discovered carrying their objective, and then every demon within a hundred miles would know where the book was located.

With a sigh of relief, he made into the observatory without a problem. The first thing he did upon arrival was lock down the facility. That way, if he were to be discovered, his defense would provide him with enough time to escape.

Determined, he fired up his forge and the furnace blazed to life. He set the book on his examination table and started sketching his next attempt. It wasn’t too far into the process that he was interrupted.

“Calamity to Scratch. Hello, are you there?”

“Hey, Scratch here. What’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in my observatory. Why?”

“You idiot! You turned on the furnace, didn’t you?” Her microphone cut out for a split second. “You’ve got to get out of there! The liche sees the smoke, and his forces are headed your way! I’m trying to slow them down, but they’re getting…” The she-bear never finished her statement. The signal had been lost. From there on out, he was on his own.

The hyena hurriedly completed his sketch and checked the dimensions. Then he grabbed a slab of iron and made his way to the forge, but not before his gaze drifted outside.

His metallic jaw dropped. Fast approaching was an army; hundreds of jackal warriors, shadow demons, crow creatures, and numerous other ferocities that would soon surround his observatory. There was no way that he would be able to circumvent such odds in battle. Assuming that his newly sketched key would work, he had enough time to either craft the key and unlock the book or bag the book and escape. But then there would be no guarantee that he could ever defeat the liche. He needed a plan, and he needed it fast. In the heat of the situation, he forced himself to take the risky route.

/\/ * /\/ * /\/

The armies broke apart from Scratch, and the skeleton guards dragged him by the arms into the crumbling cobalt castle. Soon enough, he would be in the presence of the evil liche, who wanted to execute the bearer of the book personally. For this reason, he had been stripped of all his equipment other than the goggles he bore on his head. “Leave them on. Master will be pleased to see himself flash in the lens as he disembowels the mortal.”

As they progressed further into the fortress, a foul stench of sickness and death began to shroud every inch of the atmosphere. The sky grew dimmer, and a deep sense of dread settled in with the fog. It goes against a liche’s nature to slay enemies prior to victory if at all avoidable, so the majority of Scratch’s allies were being held prisoner in cages until the final reaping. He had just glimpsed these cages hanging low above his head when the bony beasts halted their march.

Seated on a massive throne of skulls and rubble, a being of darkness hissed and sneered. His cloak was weaved from unnaturally dark shadows that concealed is face. Underneath the pitch-black fabric and swirling mist, Scratch saw two shimmering marble spheres resembling the eyes of a spider. They flickered in the dim light and followed the line of soldiers until they finally rested on Scratch, who was bound in gold chains and shackled to several of the surrounding skeletons.

The liche held out his mangled claws, which then illuminated with violent violet energy.

One of the skeletons’ pair of eye sockets started pulsing with the same energy, and it spoke. “I needn’t prolong your execution for much. Broad Bone, the book!” Another skeleton with considerably massed bones stomped up and placed the grimoire on the nearby pedestal. Whispers filled the castle, the caged armies saying, “It’s still under lock.”

“Any last words?” the skeleton continued under the liche’s influence.

“Element seventy-nine,” Scratch responded. “AU: Gold. A terrific conductor of electricity. Convenient, is it not?”

“What is your title, mortal?”

“I, Scratch of Arbourne, son of Claws, nephew to Maws and Paws, possess numerous titles. Some, you may not know belong to me. Perhaps you have heard of one?” A grin curved up his snout. Sparks flickered over his fur. “They call me… the Electromancer!” With this cry, his chains sizzled with immense arcs of electricity. Suddenly, the skeletons to which he was bound crackled and combusted from the energy that flashed through their fleshless bodies, freeing his limbs from restriction. Now, he lowered his shaded goggles to his eyes.

He thrust his arms into the air, hurling lightning at the chains that supported the cages. His allies were free, and with an uproar of determination, they fought. Wizards bound the skeletons with magic lassos while javelins flew through their skulls. Archers scoped out the hordes closing in from outside, assisting the now screaming berserkers. Duelists carved through crows and mages beamed the shadows with magical pulses of radiant light. In the midst of the melee soldiers, Scratch spotted Calamity, who’s squad was being surrounded by beasts.

Scratch raced toward her, striking many enemies as he went. He cleared out her zone with blasts of chaotic destruction.

“It’s about time,” she shouted, and slapped him in the face. Then she gave him a comforting hug, as if to say, “I missed you, you big idiot.” This made him smile, but there was no time for catching up. The fight for the realm wasn’t over yet, and it wouldn’t be until he banished the liche.

He looked her in the eyes and said, “I can still stop this.”

“But, the book. It’s still locked.”

“Before I was captured, I made a working key. I memorized the spell, relocked the book and hid the key. All I need to do is get close enough to perform the ritual.”

Calamity’s eyes grew wide, and she shoved him away. “Well then get going, you dummy! The rest of the fighters and I will hold off the hordes. Go!” Scratch obeyed.

The liche seemed weaker than he had during their last little chat. His breathing was audible, the shadowy smoke had settled down, and his eyes had stopped glistening. However, this meant nothing, for his forces would never die until he left the realm.

Scratch approached the demonic figure and began chanting the spell. “Hinta si. Nunca. Parlelei ocana.”

The liche made a swift gesture with his claws, and a brick flew from its place in the wall, nearly knocking Scratch’s head clean off. But he just kept chanting.

“Omao koanyu. Blentoq mynie eentilue. Nyahm bluy. Liche, I hereby banish you to Domiyu, the prison realm, to serve as a nonexistent entity until the time of ending time.”

The liche’s body began to shake, shriveling down in size and folding into itself, until finally the only sign that there ever was a liche was the cloak that was left behind. Scratch spun around, and saw the evil forces fall to the ground and vanish in a gust of wind. They had done it. The liche was defeated, and the realms were safe from total annihilation. Even Calamity couldn’t stop smiling.