Day four in Myths and Legends turned out to be dour, after waking a handful of times because of a bug or mouse crossing the Ward of Alarm, we had woken at first light. The Spartan had gotten a decent amount of sleep though and had no problem with waking and the long walk after. Worse within an hour, we had found a burned-out village not far off the path. 

While no smoke lingered over the three longhouses and half-finished palisade, the bodies were still fairly fresh and had hardly started to decompose. Men, women, and children had been slain and Danicus quickly found a few corpses of Goblins and Empusa that gave testament to what had killed the inhabitants. "Are we just going to leave them here like this?" I asked the other man as I looked at all the dead with a grimace of distaste. 

He frowned and looked at me, "What would you do?" he asked me and I studied the bodies. 

"Raise some of them as Minions, bury the remainder and burn the monsters. Then track down the band that did this and end their existence." I told him earning a steady look from the other man before he nodded.

"Agreed, choose those who you will raise as you Dead Minions to help us with the work, and then we can attempt to track down the things that did this," he told me and I choose two of the most intact bodies and started casting

Five minutes later, six new Dead Minions were working to dis a mass grave while Danicus and I were doing our best to prepare the dead for burial. The monsters were piled in a different location and after looting what remained, we had set their bodies on fire. 

After an hour of back-breaking work, the dead were burned and buried. I studied the mound and frowned. I felt like I had to do something else so I followed my instincts and moved to the center of the mound and started to chant, words that I didn't fully understand but felt the meaning in my heart. A blessing of safe passage and peace to the afterlife was what I felt, the opposite of the spell I had learned from the Lich's Skill Book I had acquired and at the end, I nearly collapsed as Danicus put a steadying hand on my shoulder as he frowned at me as a notification popped up.

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Ability Unlocked: Burial Right for the Fallen
Ability Type: Active
Description: As a Necromancer, you can raise the dead and even anger them to the point they will attack anyone. Yet some Necromancers provide peace for the dead and give them a blessing to speed their passage to the Underworld to their final rest. This will also protect Burial locations from desecration for a time.
Damage: N/A
Effect 1: Bless a burial location so the dead will seek the comforts of the Underworld.
Effect 2: Blessed burial location will be immune to normal Desecration. (Duration 30 Days)
AoE: N/A
Range: N/A
Duration: N/A
Cast Time: 10 Minutes
Cost: 500 Spirit
Cooldown: 60 Minutes

Note* Some Skills and Abilities can be unlocked instinctively, but beware, once learned you can never forget what you have created or done.

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I waved the information away and stepped away from Danicus and activated Necrotic Sense Skill as I closed my eyes. After a time I could only feel a new source of Necrotic energy, but it was still fresh and would take time for it to develop into something, but I couldn't sense any dead other than the ones I controlled. "What did you do?" Danicus asked as he studied the burial area.

"Just provided them some peace and a nudge towards the Underworld so they wouldn't stay here and attack the living," I told him earning an appraising look from the Spartan. 

"Few Necromancers can or have the will to do that, most care about gaining power for themselves. Thank you." the Spartan stated simply and I shrugged uncomfortably with the admiration I heard in his voice.

"I just did the right thing, before you ask me to do the same for the monsters the Ability has an hour-long cooldown. So if you want me to do it, I can it will just time some time." I told him and after some consideration, the man's eyes hardened as he shook his head.

"No, if they prove to be a problem let some Priest of a Titan deal with them. Come!" he responded before taking off at a trot, the Summoned Dead and I followed as quickly as we could. 

After an hour we found a temporary camp they had used after the raid and based on what they found there Danicus was certain they were only a day ahead of us. So we pressed on only slowing for my Stamina to recuperate and to eat on the move. Yet by nightfall, our dogged pace paid off and we finally found the main encampment, but the problem was there were too many for us to take on alone. Even with my Summoned Minions to help out, there were close to fifty Goblins of various types and at least a dozen Empusa walking around. 

"Well, what do we do now? We can't take them in an open fight." I told Danicus as I studied the encampment below. It was surrounded by simple walls of rock and dirt, but it would provide the defenders some protection. 

"I can call upon some friends, but not enough are nearby to wipe out a group this large while it is in one place," Danicus replied and I frowned as I considered our options.

"Can you get a scout or a ranger, something that can track groups and rove through the wilderness?" I asked him and he gave me a small nod. 'Then we hit their patrols and any groups they send out to raid. Once we weaken them enough we wipe out the encampment. " I told him and Danicus turned away to send off a message while I continued to study the fortified camp.

After a few minutes, Danicus rejoined me, "I have a Ranger coming, she will be here sometime tomorrow. We will have to go back to the creek we crossed and meet her there." the Spartan commented and I gave him an absent nod as I noticed some of the raiders gathering their gear and pointed them out.

"Some are getting ready to leave, I say we take them out. Agreed?" I asked the warrior as I counted how many were preparing to leave. 

"It's ten Goblins and an Empusa in command. Once they leave, we circle ahead of them and hit them while they are traveling. If any of them escape we are screwed though." the Spartan commented as the smaller group of monsters left the encampment. 

An hour later we were waiting in ambush, it was obvious the Goblins and Empusa were heading for the main road between Athens and Thebes, why we didn't care. "As soon as they get close, use your Field of the Dead spell, then send your Minions in with me. Keep Necrosis on the Empusa and burn her down as quickly as you can." the Spartan told me and I gave him an absent nod as I started the casting for the spell and held it ready as the monsters approached. 

I could feel the anger and judgment, to send these things to Tartarus for what they had done, and when Danicus nodded I triggered the spell. Dozens of Skeletal, Zombie, and Spirit like hands exploded from the ground pinning the Goblins and Demon in place, but the spell was slightly off. Cracks formed in the ground and Necrotic energy was seeping from the ground below them. A notification popped up but I ignored it as my Minions and Danicus charged the pinned monsters.

I focused on the Empusa as she started to conjure a Fireball and hit her with Death's Touch three times rapidly. The Necrosis Debuffs would eat away at her Health and Stamina for the next thirty seconds, weakening her. I studied the Goblins and based on the black and green energy crawling across some of their skins, some of them were already suffering under the Necrosis Debuff. Those who were not I hit with Death's Touch before I concentrated on the Demon again and jumped to the side as a Fireball slammed into the tree I had been hiding behind and exploded. 

I checked my Spirit gauge, I was down to just under fifty percent so I sent a pair of Death Bolts towards the Demoness. One hit her shoulder causing her to scream in pain and taking about half of her remaining health with it as the Debuffs continued to eat away at her. Then Danicus and my Minions slammed into the Goblins. They screamed and the clash of weapons drowned out everything. 

While they slightly outnumbered us, the Goblins were a little better than my Skeletal Warriors and were on par with my Feral Zombies, but the Dead would ignore wounds that would cripple a living being. Backed with the fact I could heal them somewhat, it was a matter of grinding them down. 

Less than a minute later, all the Goblins and Empusa were dead. The Demoness had tried to run away, but Debuffs didn't care how far or fast you ran, once they afflicted you they ran their course unless healed. "Can you cut a stake, about chest high?" I asked the Spartan as I started to loot the dead creatures before a Zombie or Skeleton would grab them after and drag them into one place. 

"Yes, why?" Danicus asked as he removed a hatchet from his inventory. 

"We are going to place the Empusa's head on the stake after setting fire to the bodies and leave it here for them to find. Hopefully, they come and see what was done." I told him earning a frown as I finished looting the last of the bodies and pulled up the notification that I had minimized at the beginning of the fight. 

<<<>>>

Spell Modification...

Skill Name: Field of the Dead
Skill Level: Initiate
Skill Type: Active
Description: Conjure a field of Skeletal, Zombie, and Spectral hands that will grasp at your enemies slowing their movements for a time. (Spell Modification) As a Deathground, you infuse this spell with Necrotic energy damaging your living enemies and healing your minions and allies at the same time.
Damage: N/A
Effect 1: Enemy Attack/Movement Speed is Decreased by 70%.
Modification Effect 2: 50% Chance enemies will suffer Necrosis Debuff. (Duration 30 Seconds, Can stack 3 Times)
Modification Effect 3: Deal 5 + (SS X 0.1) Death Damage per Second for the duration, Minions and Allies are healed by the same amount.
AoE: 10 Yards
Range: 60 Yards
Duration: 30 Seconds 
Cast Time: 2 Seconds (+1 Second for Modification)
Cost: 125 Spirit (+75 Spirit for Modification)
Cooldown: 3 Minutes

Note* You can cast the normal Field of the Dead spell at any time.

<<<>>>

Not bad, the cast time of the spell had increased slightly as had the cost but it gave me a healing and damaging spell wrapped in one area of effect spell. Sure the damage was minimal, but given time it would weaken my enemies which were just as important. I heard a wet 'thunk' and saw Danicus slam the head down on a tree limb that had been driven into the ground. I nodded to the man and cast Flare towards the piled bodies before turning away as they caught fire. Vengeance or justice, I had no idea what it was, but these things needed to be put to death for what they had done.