Caesar checked the status screen of his new summon.

Draugr King: Rare

Level 35: 70 Free Stat Points -> 30, 1 Perk Point

Ability: Plagueborn (A) – Rank 2

Facet: Pestilent Nova (A)

Talents: Rapid Regeneration, Undead Lordship

Strength: 19 -> 25

Agility: 10 -> 25

Endurance: 21 -> 25

Magic: 14 -> 25

Willpower: 9

Spirit: 11 -> 15

[Plagueborn (A)]: An ability that allows the user to designate three different diseases from within their body which will rank up with them. They will passively infect nearby entities within a certain radius, with increasing speed based on closer proximity with the user. They will also protect the host from other similar diseases.

Gnawing Plague: A disease that spreads through ingestion of a host’s contaminated saliva, remaining active even in high temperatures. Afflicts the stomach with an endless hunger, eventually bursting when unsatiated.

Worm Rot: An airborne disease that spreads through inhaling a host’s contaminated breath, remaining active for up to five minutes in the air. Afflicts the brain with visual hallucinations of string, and sensory hallucinations of wriggling around the host’s body.

Stygian Pollution: A bloodborne disease that spreads through blood to blood contact with a contaminated host, remaining active until completely killed. Afflicts the host with malignant production of black blood, weakening them physically while the droplets attempt to merge into a Sanguinary Aberration.

“Where did these names even come from?” he asked his Doppelganger. She had no idea.

[Pestilent Nova (A)]: A facet that causes the user to project a wave of liquid imbued with the diseases from Plagueborn. Volume of liquid and force of the wave increases with more Magic. Cooldown is twelve hours but can hold three charges at once.

Rapid Regeneration allowed it to regenerate on its own, without needing healing from other sources – and much faster too. Since undead replaced Vitality with Endurance, they were more resilient to damage, but lacked passive healing. The talent gave it back.

[Undead Lordship]: A talent that grants the user increased affinity with undeath.

“No disease immunity as a talent on the Draugr King – an undead. Alta, what do you think?”

“The constitutions of different races do not appear as talents or skills.” She hesitated a little, then decided to reveal her Presence. The horrific aura chilled Caesar to the bone, and he took two steps back, eyes wide in terror. A few seconds passed before he recovered enough to wipe the sudden drops of sweat that appeared.

“What was that?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Something special available to some horrors, I suppose.”

Caesar shifted his mind away from that terrifying experience and tried to confirm the effects of the fusion instead. He summoned the Kelpie with the Draugr King, then ran back a good distance before their plagues could affect him too much.

The horse moved to nuzzle its newest companion, while the Draugr King stroked its neck. Like the Flesh Elemental and the Ever-Shifting Faces from before, these two summons appeared to be compatible with one another, expressing their affection in times of peace.

He unsummoned Alta for the hippo and walked closer to command them. As he approached, the Draugr stood up straight, towering above even the Kelpie, whose back was already taller than Caesar himself.

“Can you ride horses?” he asked. The undead nodded, having awakened its intelligence after being turned into an essence core. It could understand and follow orders perfectly, although the same might not apply to another summon. “Try it.”

The Draugr mounted the Kelpie, causing the saddle underneath to morph and accommodate its bulk. A random enchanted item he had picked up from his first Domain dungeon, Mansion of the Lost, now served as a very useful tool. With no prompting from Caesar or its rider, the Kelpie began to trot around in a circle.

He retreated further away, allowing the two summons to grow accustomed to working together while he summoned Alta to discuss. “What do you think about this?” he asked, relying on her Deciphering talent to understand their body language.

She brushed a hand through her hair as she observed them begin to gallop, then said, “The Kelpie enjoys having a rider on its back, although the Draugr seems a little hesitant. I suspect the steed might work better with you, too.”

“Is that the effect of compatibility? Can you identify their status screens as well?” Somehow he hadn’t figured to ask her this question until now.

“I can. Harmonized Kelpie of Blight, Contagion Aura, and Pestilential Breath.” She turned to him and motioned to the horse. “If the increased compatibility was due to the new properties of the Kelpie alone, then the Draugr King should feel elated to ride a diseased steed. Yet it doesn’t.”

“Then to truly confirm enhanced compatibility, I must ride the Kelpie myself.” He nodded but decided to wait until his Disease Resistance regained its former strength. Returning to New Traxis would allow that to happen, and he could collect their rewards too.

For now, he sent Alta to loot the items from the Draugr King’s corpse while he watched the sky. If the dungeon continued to disintegrate, he’d know as soon as possible.

[Item]: Ill Dominion

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: When worn, provides wearer with intuitive knowledge of all nearby entities who are afflicted by diseases. More knowledge is provided the more debilitated an entity is, and when wearer is either looking directly at the entity or Identifying it.

“What does this mean?” he asked.

Alta put the crown onto her head and blinked. “Try infecting yourself.”

“Uhm, no thanks. But keep it on. You can fight unhindered by plague and then use it to tell me anything important you discover at your discretion.”

[Item]: Siegebreaker Greatmaul

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: The maul is weightier and more durable. When striking stone, weapon’s traits are enhanced.

“Think this will work as a pickaxe?”

She nodded. “It will, if you don’t mind damaging the ore.”

[Item]: Arrow Aegis

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: The gambeson has self-repair, is lighter, and more durable. When worn, provides the wearer with heavy resistance against light projectile piercing attacks.

“What a specific enchantment. Recognize any symbols, Alta?”

She looked over it for a few minutes and shook her head. It seemed the talent Deciphering was not almighty.

Caesar put on the Arrow Aegis under his Umbral Shroud. It fit him well, and both enchantments continued to function on the two artifacts.

Instead of running around to find roaming corpses, and thereby putting themselves in danger of the dungeon’s collapse, he sent the mounted Draugr through the exit portal first. It returned a mere second later, shaking its head with its steed to indicate no threats beyond.

“That blue pulse might have a limited range,” he commented.

“Seems so. Or it might only work inside the dungeon.”

“Could be both,” he said and exited the Blight Cairn for good before more black lines appeared.

----

“The disease is gone! Thank you lords!”

Caesar and Talisvan both smiled at the cheering crowd, waving goodbye as they left. Over the course of mere hours after the dungeon had disintegrated, the various diseases in the populace faded away. Hunger, itching, and weakness subsided for renewed strength once the people began to recover. Naturally, he hid what he did, but everybody praised him all the same.

He had stayed in the sewers afterwards, wanting to watch the portal for any signs of activity. Instead he saw the door to the dungeon disappear once an hour had passed. Caesar called the new phenomenon, “Dungeon Disintegration,” which occurred much faster and more violently than the Dungeon Dissipation after the death of a boss.

Since that luminescent blue orb’s death caused so much instability , he also named it the dungeon’s “core.” It was clearly a very important part of the dungeon itself and seemed to hold power over some of the dungeon’s inhabitants. No Gravekeepers had appeared during Alta’s escape, which interested him.

He ceased his thoughts when Talisvan asked with a bright smile, “Anything on your mind?”

Indeed there was. “You’re a wise man. Have you done any experiments on improving a lifeform? Perhaps even improving their Rarity?”

“Ah, you’re speaking about your duck. I’ve seen many cases like that in my travels.” The apothecary dug inside his beard to scratch his chin. “Yes, it is possible. And I’ve got just the thing.” He pulled out another ball of something from his satchel and sniffed it. Still a little fleshy, but it also contained various pieces of aromatic herbs. Pleasant enough for Caesar to accept it with interest and nod when the man told him, “Feed it to your pet.”

“I’m also interested about wolves,” he said as they continued walking to the lakeside house.

“Wolves? Sure. Least I could do after the good you did here.” Talisvan rustled in his bottomless satchel for a while before sighing. “Ah, it’s not there. But Dire Wolves. I’ve found them leading groups of Mundane wolves in the wild. By investigating further, I saw that they came from strong wolves who imbibed Wolfsbane – yes the poison – and grew into their new forms without dying.”

“Is it safe?”

“Likely not, unless your wolf is strong enough to survive the effects.”

Caesar decided to wait to explore until his wolf filled out all its physical stats and maybe even its magical stats as well. That would likely assure its survivability coupled with a good amount of essence.

----

They both reported the success back to the Pax Society, who approved of their decisions and gave them new orders. Talisvan would stay in the lakeside house to make sure the diseases were indeed eradicated while Caesar was free to return. A multitude of rewards awaited him, and he felt elated at the sheer amount of power received during this trip.

“It was nice meeting you, Talisvan. May I come visit back in New Traxis?” He handed over the messaging artifact, a key item that the society would continue to keep for important missions.

“Not a problem, Caesar. Goodbye, friend. And you too, Alta.” He waved. The two parties separated to different rooms, and he lured the duck inside with promises of food. It waddled in, leaving spots of water on the floor.

Hesitance appeared on its face when it looked at the unknown material in his hands. He smiled at it and brought the thing closer, but it backed off. Calm, stolid musings called it back to curiously investigate Talisvan’s gift, as it rolled it around with its beak. Eventually, the duck trusted him enough to eat it from his hand, biting a few chunks off before swallowing the rest.

It fell into a deep sleep. Alta checked it for any signs of abnormalities and shook her head. From what she could tell, nothing had changed with the duck, yet it still continued to sleep. She continued to watch over the pet as Caesar returned to his bedchambers.

The next day, he awoke to hear excited quacking which would not stop. The duck ran in circles around the room, Alta, and Caesar as well once he walked into the guestroom. He identified it and smiled.

Wit Duck

[Rarity]: Common

“I suppose it can awaken an ability now. Did you find any catalysts?” he asked.

“None. Then let’s take it back to New Traxis with us.”

After leaving Placto’s city gates, Caesar and Alta took the duck with them on the scenic route back in a slow, yet safe carriage.

----

All was well in New Traxis. Over a month remained until the grandest of auctions came. With arrangements already made, he and his Doppelganger walked into the Pax Society’s primary residence in the center of the city. They walked inside to behold the same group of people who gave the task first. Rilia smiled brightly.

“For accomplishing the mission near perfectly, we’ve seen fit to grant one of you the promotion to a team leader. With it comes thirty points, and a free ticket to one of our available dungeons.”

“A dungeon?” Alta, who saw fit to accept the new role, looked through the available list. Two choices appealed to her and Caesar the most. “What are these two?”

“Oh, the Trial dungeon and the Gauntlet dungeon?”