“Hurry up!” called a woman with long brown hair trailing her back. Dozens of riders rode beside her, all donning the emblem of a fox on their armors. “He’s close,” she said, staring into the lightly glowing orb in her hands. As they drew closer to their target, it shone brighter and forced her to look ahead again.

Her nearest companions – a man and a woman – smiled. “After this, you’ll rise higher and higher.” Joy was written all over their faces, but she felt another emotion rise from within. “Don’t forget us!”

She smiled back, blinking through the tears. “Sure.” The Skull of the Grim Legion rested in a pocket near her chest, well-protected by magic, keeping the valuable Epic item safe from somebody else breaking it. But after she had completed this task for her mother, this gift would help her defeat a crucial encounter necessary for acquiring a rank three catalyst. With the rank-up came a promotion to the fifth tail, and further responsibility as well.

I wonder what bonus talent I’ll get, she thought, trying to keep her mind away from the impending separation. Suddenly her horse stopped, the force almost sending her flying.

The men in the front had paused as well, their horses suddenly veering off to the sides and shivering in fear. Most of the group had managed to regain control, but their steeds still remained frozen even as the riders constantly tapped their heels.

“What’s happening?” she cried as she dismounted and ran to the front, her two friends moving beside her. Some of the men behind followed her example, rushing with hands tense on their weapons. They nervously scanned the expressions of their companions, whose eyes were wide with fear.

Familiar monsters of writhing flesh, both humanoid and animal, had appeared in the area in front of them. As the sounds of men and hooves rolled across the plains, dozens turned their faces to the newcomers and stared. But none moved to attack, for something else appeared in their midst – their leader.

It stood tall in the distance, a humanoid figure on a red horse. But the steed only had a single burning eye, and from its mouth gushed waves of noxious fumes. And the man was not a man, for he had no legs, and his torso seemed to sprout from the horse, with arms so long that they almost touched the ground.

“Where…where is his skin?” a man shouted. Black blood dripped from its exposed flesh, and the thing rolled its head around, turning from the sky to face them. It saw, and grinned. With a twitch of its arms, it charged, its brethren obeying.

“Epic monster! It’s not a person!” she cried out. The orb was glowing incandescent now, but she dropped it. “We can’t run. Fight! Fight or die!” Although they could not stop trembling, they obeyed, moving into positions to defend against the attack.

But it did nothing to help them. The skinless horseman raised his arms up high and swept them forwards, sending heavy winds forwards. Although her soldiers remained steady, death came all the same. She felt her skin paling, her arms growing weak, her stomach wailing for food, and her mind aching with severe pains she had not encountered since childhood. Her body dropped to the ground and convulsed. A cough hacked from her throat and black blood spilled out, the same color as the monster’s.

The men around her were plagued as well, dying in droves on the floor while the flesh monsters tore through them like paper. Wrongness gushed from their wounds into more and more horrific monsters. In her confusion, she knew only of one thing: her mother’s gift. Reaching inside her chest pocket, she clutched the skull that was meant to be her birthright and began to squeeze. Her hands trembled, but with a little more force, it broke apart.

A hundred portals, hued with red and black, shimmered into existence. Out stepped a hundred soot-stained skeletons, blades burning with fire, the sight of which caused her to sigh in relief before she fainted.

----

Fused Nuckelavee: Epic

Level 32: 64 Free Stat Points -> 24 -> 0, 2 Perk Points

Ability: Lord of Plague (S) – Rank 2

* Facet: Winds of Pestilence (A)

Talents: Critical Freshwater Vulnerability, Disease Immunity, Superior Blight Affinity, Perfect Vigor

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Skills: Blight – Pestilential Breath, Pyromancy – Grasp of the Inferno

Strength: 28 -> 35 -> 49

Agility: 27 -> 35

Vitality: 28 -> 35

Magic: 27 -> 35 -> 45

Willpower: 20 -> 24

Presence: 29 -> 35

[Reign of the Plague Lord (S)]: 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 enemies within a certain radius, with increasing speed based on closer proximity with the user. They will also protect the host and their allies from other similar diseases.

* All enemies in the area will also have reduced Disease Resistance, and some diseases will even pierce through Disease Immunity given enough time.

Hunger of the Flesh: A disease that spreads through ingestion of a host’s contaminated saliva, remaining active even in high temperatures. Afflicts the entire body with an endless hunger, eventually bursting when unsatiated. The scraps of flesh will attempt to merge together into a Carnal Aberration.

Friend of the Worm: An airborne disease that spreads through inhaling a host’s contaminated breath, remaining active for up to fifteen minutes in the air. Afflicts the brain with forced convulsions, confusion, 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.

[Winds of Pestilence (A)]: A facet that causes the user to send out heavy winds imbued with diseases from Reign of the Plague Lord. Distance traveled, force, and amount of plague contained in the winds, all increase with more Magic. Cooldown is twelve hours but can hold two charges at once.

Caesar looked up at the essence flowing through him and smiled. He walked out from the cave to see the battle, the Greater Flesh Elemental still churning out more monsters behind him. A new Flesh Abomination joined him, its humanoid figure softer than the others. Sculpted for speed, it grew tendrils with flesh thorns instead of the rougher, thicker variants.

His army was currently obliterating the enemy army, even though a new, undead legion had joined the fray halfway. Although black fire burnt on their bones, giving them all enhanced might, an aura of destruction, and improved defenses, it wasn’t enough to stop the Flesh Monstrosities from shattering their ranks. And most certainly not enough to halt the Flesh Abominations from carving their path through, blood spilling off from them in droves to create Aberrations.

The Nuckelavee charged through a few Grim Captains, arms swinging wide to take off their heads. Fire sprang to life from its claws, choking its foes in a searing embrace. To kill the Grim Commander, it stampeded through flesh and bone alike without slowing down. In its wake, pollution spread inside the pools of blood beneath.

Claws struck the pitch-black skeleton, bouncing off a snarling shield. But the arms flowed around instead, getting past their foe’s defenses with ease. It tried, yet the Nuckelavee was simply too strong and plucked the Grim Commander up, bringing it back to Caesar for his mark. Fortunately, the Seed of Sublimity had managed give him excess energy, enough to regenerate two marks within two days.

Preparations had gone well before the Prince of Wealth mustered enough forces after him. Not only did he now have dozens of flesh monsters to defend, but his fusion attempt had gone so smoothly that he questioned every struggle from before. Not only that, but the summon had an affinity to fire and managed to relearn Grasp of the Inferno. It was clear that this was the path ahead, and more dungeons were next on his list of plans.

“Greetings, lord,” it rasped.

“Glad to have you here. With you, I can reign supreme.” His thoughts moved to the Fog Hydra, who would not expect such a creature to assail it.

“Have you forgotten my vulnerability to freshwater, lord?” Indeed, if it weren’t for its weakness to almost all Hydromancy spells, this summon would have made him almost invincible.

“A challenge, but not impossible,” he reassured. Although the Nuckelavee lacked defenses against the Fog Hydra, it was a different story for the army on the horizon, led by a golden banner. “Can you still kill around a hundred men?”

“Not a problem.”

Caesar then looked at his newest summon, now considered the ninth. And his third Epic.

Grim Commander: Epic

Level 30: 60 Free Stat Points -> 20 -> 0, 2 Perk Points

Ability: Ashen Shroud (C) – Rank 2

* Facet: War Cry (C)

Talents: Undead Lordship

Skills: …

Strength: 20

Agility: 20

Endurance: 20 -> 30

Magic: 20 -> 35 -> 45

Willpower: 20 -> 35 -> 45

Spirit: 20

[Ashen Shroud (B)]: An ability that grants a cloak of fire for themselves and up to a hundred nearby allies, with damage based on the user’s Magic. Can be toggled on or off.

[War Cry (C)]: A facet that demoralizes nearby enemies and emboldens nearby allies, with effects based on the user’s Willpower.

Weaker abilities, but it should help a lot. Caesar’s ability showed its power once again, and his stat distribution for the skeleton commander was much more specialized than its predecessor. He summoned it forwards and began to retreat back into the cave.