The blight, such a fitting name. A large expense of rotten earth with an omnipresent smell of death and decay. The element of death was tremendously strong around the area, but however strong something didn’t feel right.

“What did the other death mages say about this place?” Asked Ignis.

“Not much, only that it was beyond their ability.”

“Yeah, I think it’s beyond mine too. I feel the effect of many curses, but none of them seem related to…” He waved at the expanse with defeat in his voice. “this.”

“I thought you were the best.”

“I’m the best they have, not the best there is; that’s my master… Do you think I could meet with that Janardan guy, the one who taught you before you came to us?”

“I don’t know, he wasn’t against me going there, but he gave me the feeling that he doesn’t like the church very much.”

It was no surprise considering their public stance against the death element, many thought they should be more proactive, including Ignis himself. “Can’t blame him for that, the world is a mess and it’s only getting worse, and it’s all because we let the fear and ignorance of the clueless masses limit our actions.”

“Nice speech brat, but what will you do about it?”

Ignis didn’t answer, there was nothing he could do by his lone self.

“Yeah, that’s what I though, a big angry mouth who can talk the talk but won’t walk the walk.”

That was so true that it hurt. He complained and carried a lot of anger, but short of starting a revolution, he saw no way to change the mentality. Most necromancers had a natural dislike for violence… which wasn’t to say they were pacifist, just that they were less keen to resort to murder compared to other mages.

“Hear that child,” Continued Thracian. “those are the cry of a pathetic loser. If you don’t want to become like that, you should follow your ambition, consequences be damned.”

“You know what?” Asked Ignis with a faint smile. “I think the spirit responsible for all this is still inside. We should send his majesty to deal with it… that is why is there after all, right?”

“There’s no way I setting foot in there, brat. Did you go crazy?””

“You’re already dead. Anyway, I’m almost certain you won’t be affected.” His smile was growing harder to conceal as he spoke.

“Almost? Brat, there’s no way I’m…” His commanding tone and attitude suddenly changed into a pleading one. “Hey, kid please…” Azrael was ordering him forward and he could barely resist the push. “Stop, stop!”

“Please stop.” Echoed Ignis. “Let him remove his armor first, we don’t want him to bring back some nasty contaminant.”

As the armor fell on the ground, the ancient king screamed. “Bastard, I’ll kill you. I swear.” And then, a few seconds later. “I’m not feeling anything.”

The necromancer laughed then exclaimed triumphantly. “Seems like you’re no different, you can only talk the talk.”

The armor reassembled itself then came at him with a vengeance, only to be forcefully stop a meter away.

“Did you think I hadn’t taken precaution against you, your majesty?” Then in business-like tone. “Jokes aside, I’m now one hundred percent certain this is the work of an earth or life mage.”

“I thought you said it was an evil spirit.” Countered Azrael.

“Just because the dead have an affinity with the death element doesn’t mean they lose the ones they had in life. I think we have the wight kings make for a perfect example.” He looked up to gather his thought before explaining. “I think if it was the curse of rot I told you about, this earth would be in a much worse state, almost like sand or chalk.”

“Can you do something about it.” Asked Azrael full of hope.

“I can’t, but you can. Have your familiar kill the evil spirit involved and it should wane with time.”

“Thracian, go and hunt him… hunt them all. Destroy every evil spirit in the area.”

“Now, that’s an order I like.” He dropped his armor again, then as he passed Ignis, spoke in a lower voice. “I’ll make you regret mocking me, brat.”

The menace didn’t bother the mage much, from his point of view the ghost was a threat he’d have to deal with sooner or later. Ii wasn’t a matter of if they’d clash, but when. Ignoring the dead king, he put on some gloves and a mask, took one of the horse feedbags, filled it earth taken from the blighted side before heating it with his fire magic for a long time.

Once he was done, he told the child to give him the reanimated rabbit trotting besides him and cut it in two. One half, he threw on the blight, the second on the earth in the bag. “Let’s see how it goes.”