Krenocia says "Hm, give me a second. Yes, I can see it!"

"Great! What's inside?!"

Krenocia says "Well, there are tens of thousands of undead."

"Is that all?"

Krenocia says "No, behind all the undead is something else. Something that has power similar to me."

"Another god?!"

Krenocia says "No, it is not a divine being. But it is almost as powerful as one!"

"If it's not a god, why would a god seal it away? Why not destroy it?"

Krenocia says "Probably because they couldn't. That is normally the reason to seal something."

"If it isn't as strong as a god, why would a god not be able to kill it?"

Krenocia says "I can think of a couple of reasons. Keep in mind that a deity is not always able to use their full strength in the mortal world."

"What are my odds of being able to kill this thing?"

Krenocia says "Well, I don't like to underestimate you, but not good."

"So, I should get off this island before the mountain opens fully?"

Krenocia says "That would probably be a good idea!"

"Wait, one more question. These ancient undead, does the energy that animates them count as lifeforce?"

Krenocia says "Normally it wouldn't, but since my power is the basis of your life then it might. You would have to try it and see to be sure."

"Alright, I will try it right now and you can tell me if it works."

Krenocia says "Okay."

As soon as Krenocia agrees I run up the mountain to where the undead are. Even when I get close, the undead ignore me and keep attacking the crack. Being ignored makes it easy to walk up behind one of the skeletons, grab its leg, and use Drain Touch.

Whatever is animating the skeleton rushes out of it and into me through my paw. Instantly I feel a burning sensation and start feeling nauseous, not what I was expecting. Without the energy, the skeleton turns into dust, but the rest of the undead continue to ignore me.

Krenocia says "Stop! Don't do that again!"

"Why? What happened? I don't feel so good!"

Krenocia says "I'm not sure, but you just lost a month's worth of time!"

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Well, I guess that means that their energy isn't compatible!"

Krenocia says "Yeah, I guess so. That might explain why they were sealed away. Do you still feel sick?"

"Yes. It doesn't seem to be going away."

Krenocia says "I just checked, your time is still declining!"

As soon as Krenocia warns me I sit down, enter my meditation, and start looking for problems. The energy from the skeleton is still in my body and it seems to be eating away at me. Luckily, it isn't moving very fast and I am able to use mana to isolate it temporarily.

Krenocia says "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I've managed to isolate the energy, now I am trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Any ideas?"

Krenocia says "Have you tried just forcing it out of your body?"

"That's the first thing I tried. It doesn't want to let go!"

Krenocia says "Then use the ice! It was made to seal this power!"

"Good idea!"

My body is already in contact with the ice so it is a simple matter to move the energy to it. As soon as I do I see a blob of green energy go shooting off through the ice. It is headed towards the center of the mountain when I lose track of it.

"That worked. The energy is gone. Thanks!"

Krenocia says "You're welcome!"

"Did you get a read on the power before it vanished?"

Krenocia says "Yes. It is not good news. The energy each undead contains is part of the power of the thing sealed away. My guess is any time an undead is killed the power returns to the maker."

"Shall we test that theory?"

Krenocia says "Alright."

So, I walk over to another skeleton, jump up, and crush its skull into powder. As I do I notice another blog of green energy rushing away and entering the crack. Looks like Krenocia was right, the energy returns to the maker when an undead dies.

1 Ancient Skeleton defeated! 40,000 Exp gained!

"So, what now?"

Krenocia says "Well, this explains why the undead were sealed with the maker. If the undead were all destroyed then the maker would just regain the power. By leaving the undead intact it kept the power spread out."

"Meaning if all the undead are destroyed the maker would be stronger than a god?!"

Krenocia says "That is what it looks like to me. Opening this seal may cause some serious problems!"

"An unkillable army of the undead. Yeah, I'd say that could cause problems. Good thing they are trapped on this island."

Krenocia says "With how strong the maker is, I doubt they will remain trapped!"

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Krenocia says "You broke it, you fix it!"

"You want me to repair the seal?!"

Krenocia says "Either that or figure out a way to beat the maker!"

"I don't know anything about seals, and it is made of divine power meaning I would have to experiment."

Krenocia says "No! You are not allowed to experiment with divine power!"

"Well, how else am I supposed to repair the seal?"

Krenocia says "You shouldn't use divine power unless absolutely necessary! It could kill you!"

"What do you mean?"

Krenocia says "How do you think divine power works?"

"I get the power from you?"

Krenocia says "Right, and what medium do you think gods use to grant power?"

"Um, probably the soul? Oh! Crap!"

Krenocia says "Now you understand! Even just refilling your divine power would put stress on your soul."

"Wait, I just used divine power to break the seal!"

Krenocia says "You only used a little and I made sure to restore it slowly. I should have warned you sooner but I didn't think of it."

"Then, can you repair the seal?"

Krenocia says "Nope. I already used up too much of my power when I showed up earlier. You are on your own."

"So, you are saying there is no chance for me to fix the seal so I have to think of something else?"

Krenocia says "Yep! You got it!"

"Alright, let me think for a minute. The main problem is the power returning to the maker. If we can destroy the undead and keep the power from returning, that would solve the problem."

Krenocia says "True, but how are you going to do that?"

"Well, we already know I can take the power from the undead. I need to figure out what to do with it after I steal it."

Krenocia says "Sorry, I can't help you there."

"It's alright. I will think of something. Something that doesn't involve using divine power. I hope."