~Duke Armstrong~

Amelia Armstrong was not a woman who is easily rattled. She was calm and composed when a manticore was released when a smuggling ring lost control of it in the catacombs of the city. She managed to keep her composure when the world as she knew ended. Now there is a powerful creature who can single handedly take down a shaman, cultivate like one of the high races, and is likely insane based on the plan he just proposed.

Armstrong scoffed a little after the two Vampires departed. It's insane. She has an enormous city of scared and confused citizens with city officials who aren't much better off. She tiredly wiped at her eyes. She's hardly slept in the past few days making sure a mass panic didn't erupt.

The Bishop cleared his throat, looking at her in concern, "Amelia, are you sure it is for the best to entrust this mission to those two alone?"

Armstrong turned to the Bishop and shrugged, "If we actually needed this task to succeed, then no. Besides, I have no intentions of allowing them to go alone. We shall send Eliara to keep an eye on them. We need an accurate assessment of their abilities, and it is possible they held back when saving Belvin's people."

The Bishop nodded and sat down, "I see. In any case, what are your thoughts on these Vampires?"

She thought for a moment. "I think Victor is being truthful, mostly at least. I'm more wary of his associate. If we believe that the only connection, he has to the Tyrant is the reincarnation then Victor may be a trustworthy man. Asha however was there; she is the woman who stood by the necromancer's side and committed grave evil at his orders."

The Bishop crossed his arms, "I suppose. Asha seems to be on a firm leash judging by how quickly she obeyed Victor. Still, we should keep an eye out in case she is manipulating him. I feel as though we should do away with them if they manage to survive the Gnolls. I feel something unholy within them."

"We will do no such thing Bishop. If they show they are a threat to our city, then we will do what we must, but until then we will have Eliara keep an eye on them. We will remain cautious just in case. Now, I shall summon Eliara. We must assign her before they depart."

"While we wait, shall we discuss our previous topic?"

"Again with this nonsense? No, the people are stressed enough without some holy paladins forcing them to behave. We will continue as we have in all other times of strife and that's the end of it." The Duke stormed out to fetch Eliara while the Bishop's fist tightened, his knuckles turning white.

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~The Sanguine Lord~

It was going to take time for my plan to work. I was also going to have to get stronger. As we walked towards where we were told our friends would be I grew deep in thought. I blinked in surprise at the snapping fingers in front of my face. "Hello? Lord Sanguine?" It was Asha.

"Ah, right. Asha. We've been going from fire to fire simply getting me to the point where I can survive. Now I think it's time to look into progression." I met her eyes as she grinned.

"Exactly what I was hoping you'd say. I have to say, you're certainly less power hungry than Lucien." She chuckled.

I smirked, "I don't know his story, but I grew up seeing how power can corrupt. In small ways with micromanagers and in big ways where the cruelty of people truly shown. Power is a tool, meant to achieve your goal. When you want power for the sake of having it; that's when you hurt the people you have power over. I won't let that happen to me. But enough of that. You touched on the idea before, but how do I form my Foundation?"

She contemplated what I said for a moment before speaking, "You'll need to learn how to sense the Dao. There are pills that can help you form the Foundation. Though I suspect you'll need to complete the Pillar stage at least in order to face down the Gnoll matriarch."

I blew air through my lips in frustration, "Well, at least we have a year to get me into proper shape."

We finally reached Maya and the others in a tavern where they were getting to know each other. The majority of the small group was making awkward small talk while Rue and Maya were clearly fast friends talking animatedly. Me and Asha shared a raised brow at their close body language.

Big grins were spread on both their faces as they were discussing some scientific topic that made my head spin. As I approached them, I said, "I'm glad ya'll are getting along. Can I take it that you've agreed to take her on?"

Rue's smile and starry eyes were turned on me, "Absolutely! This lass is brighter than any of the brats I've taken under my wing before."

I asked, "You had many apprentices?"

She shook her head, "Only a few when I needed some extra help for bigger projects. Gave them pointers in exchange for the work."

"Vic, Rue is amazing! She's talking about some Star Wars level tech like it's an ordinary light bulb." Maya was literally bouncing in her seat.

James leaned in, breaking away from his talk with another Dwarf, "So what's the plan boss?"

"In exchange for our ambassador program there," I pointed at Maya, "along with assistance and trade, we will help them out with a shared problem. There's a big pack of Gnolls in the area and Asha and I will take them down. Unfortunately, they have a big momma Gnoll leading them and I need to get a bit stronger before we deal with them. I have a year to gather supplies and strength to take them out." I sat down and waved at a bar maid.

"Sounds like a tall order for just the two of you." Said Carl, "Even with a year's worth of training, will just the two of you be enough?"

"Not to worry," I bared my fangs in a vicious grin, "I've got a plan. We're gonna gather up that useless fuel that just sitting around and make the Gnolls a little 'welcome to the neighborhood' present. Then we'll finish off whatever survives."

Carl nodded, "Work smarter not harder."

"Exactly." After my order for a sweet berry wine arrived, I took a swig and sighed in delight. Never cared for the harsh stuff like straight whiskey. I continued, "So, how 'bout ya'll? You staying here with Maya or heading back with us? I will say it'll be safer here."

Elizabeth chimed in, "You kidding? We're in an honest to God Dwarf metropolis that goes through a mountain bigger than any in the old solar system. Of course we're staying."

Carl added, "I'm staying for the booze. I need it after the past few weeks."

I chuckled, "Very well. We'll stay for a day or two to get ya'll situated before heading off. I also need to form this Foundation of mine. For now, we also got a nice payment for saving Rue's group, so let's have a celebration for Maya's apprenticeship. To new friends and a better future!"

We got them settled in a hotel close to Rue's workshop and paid for a month's stay. They would have to find work after that for their own coin. Once Asha and I were prepared, we said our goodbyes and made our way to an alchemy shop. We decided that I would form my Foundation here before heading back.

It only took a moment to find an appropriate shop only a few blocks from the gates. Right before entering the shop, I paused feeling an odd heat on the back of my neck like someone was watching me. I certainly got some odd looks during my stay here, but this felt focused. I glanced around but only saw the typical bustle of the city I've come to know in the past couple days. I mentally shrugged and walked through the door. The shopkeeper was a kindly looking middle aged Dwarf who greeted us with a tight smile.

He was professional and glad to have customers, but it was clear that he was stressed out like everyone else in the city. "Welcome, welcome. How can I be of service? I have a plethora of amazing pills and potions at reasonable prices."

Speaking for me, Asha replied, "We need a Foundational resonance pill, a Dao stabilizer pill, and a soul soothing pill."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Ah so you're taking your first step on the path. Congratulations!" he smiled. Moments later we exchanged our gold for the pills and rented a cultivation room from the alchemist. Apparently, to boost their profits, alchemists often had rooms designed to assist in meditating on the Dao. They weren't as good as those found in places known as cultivating pavilions, but were much cheaper.

Inside the room were a place to store my clothes, a shower and sink, and some dried fruits. I wasn't sure why these were here and Asha refused to tell me. I shrugged and assumed that it was for those that took a while to advance. There was a plush mat at the center of the room with runes inscribed within. I sat on the mat and swallowed the pills. I nearly choked in surprise as they dissolved upon hitting the back of my throat. Laughing, Asha said she'd wait outside and left.

It only took a moment for my wandering thoughts to fade. Only a singular thought resonated within me, forming my Foundation. I closed my eyes and visualized my core. Asha didn't tell me how to do any of this, claiming that while we walk the world with others, we must face the Heavens alone. Apparently going into too much detail can negatively affect my cultivation by directing me on a path that may not suit me.

With a jolt I suddenly felt something entering my core and flowing through me. It wasn't mana but something stronger. While mana was a form of energy, this was something far greater and esoteric. I focused on the wisp of something that was growing more clear as the moments went by. I finally managed to clench it in my mental fist and the world exploded and expanded before me. It was as though I was witnessing the Big Bang.

An infinite stratus of reality spanned before me and my breath was stolen away. It was beautiful and mesmerizing. Unfortunately, I had to tear my gaze away from the endless horizon. My vision was only clear a few hundred feet away from me, the rest was obscured by a wavy haze and any attempt to pierce the secrets within hurt. I was stubborn and glared at the distance but had to stop when I felt blood dribble from my nose. I sighed and looked around me. I knew on a fundamental level that I was gazing at the Dao.

Images floated around me like stars. They became clear upon focusing on them. There was one shaped like a crown that brought feelings of superiority and control. An oppressive sensation of rule. Another was one of teeth, a gaping maw that would tear out the throat of the universe and devour reality. It wasn't hunger, but something more visceral, violent. I shook my head and discarded both of these. Sure, they resonated with me, but I didn't want those to be my path.

There were a few dozen available to me and I looked around, dissatisfied with the lot. Something was pulling at me, tugging like an excited dog. It smelled of sweet succor and I followed the enticing Dao until I found it. It was a weeping mass of red that quivered and thrummed like a heartbeat. This was it, the Foundation of what I was now. At my core, I followed a path of blood. For sustenance, for power, for those I wanted to protect I would shed blood whether it be mine or my enemies.

I reached out and tendrils of blood lashed out and wrapped around my fist and I instinctively flinched back. Again, with this bullshit? Asha neglected to mention that the Dao would consume me if I didn't succeed in binding it to me. I snarled in annoyance. What did she say? Right, I needed to weave a platform around the Dao with mana. I felt within myself for my core and pulled mana out.

Threads of power flew from my chest which was odd since it usually emerged from my mana gates. I cast the errant thought away as I spun my web of mana. It was easier than I thought it would be, or so I thought. As I wrapped the blood in threads, it immediately began to leak through the myriad of gaps. I growled in frustration as more and more blood began to creep around my body. I winced as it dug into my skin.

Okay, think Victor. She said weave, so maybe I need to literally do so. Again, I focused. This time, instead of wrapping up the Dao like a starving spider, I bobbed and weaved the throughout the Dao. Inside and out as it was doing to me. It was an uphill race between me covering up the Dao or it doing the same to me. Wherever there was the slightest gap, I filled it in with a dense overlapping thread of mana. My reserves began to flag but with a loud exhale of relief, I finished my weave. The tendrils of Dao that was ravaging my body dissolved as if they never existed and before me was a medallion of mana and Dao.

I wasn't focusing on design, just on the weave itself. Yet, despite this, the weave had a unique design to it. It was a circle trimmed in a black obsidian. In the center was the uroboros symbol matching the one in my eye. It was hollow inside, blood flowing through the symbol. In the negative space around the uroboros was a white marble.

I smiled tiredly, exhausted, but knew there was one more step before I was finished. I touched the medallion so I could continue the next step but gasped in shock as the remaining Dao cut out like a bad video edit and I was floating in a black abyss. The medallion that was once the size of a bowling ball had rapidly expanded until it was the size of a city block. "Woah," I mumbled.

It was then I noticed the medallion turned platform was illuminated by something above me. Expecting a sun or something I blinked at the sight of an eye staring at me. It was my eye, the self cannibalizing serpent twisting within itself. I knew intrinsically that it was my core. "That's pretty neat and not at all unnerving," I looked around and sighed, "Oh god, I'm totally an edgy Vampire protag aren't I." I chuckled, "At least I don't sparkle."

Back to work. I approached the first section of marble, the eye tracking me as I walked. It should have given me the willies, but it was no different than seeing my eyes follow me in the mirror. The marble was divided by an obsidian pathway in the middle of the circle. I could tell that I could fit five spells on my Foundation. I crouched and focused on the Dao. It was a thick, bloody sensation in my soul. I thought about what I needed and what was possible. The Dao sung to me and I knew what was possible and what wasn't. I chose.

After what felt like both an eternity and an instant, I finished engraving the marble. I stood to admire my work and smiled, happy with my choices. First and foremost, I needed a better way to deal damage; therefore, my first spell was called Blood Burst. When I cast it, the next injury I cause that causes external bleeding will cause the wound to explode with blood enhancing the wound and blood loss.

The second spell I chose is called Blood Fever. It's a debuff type spell that infects the blood of my victim causing confusion and loss of focus for a moment. The time it lasts depends on the strength of the victim along with my aptitude with the spell itself. The more I train it, the longer it will last and the more debilitating the effect.

Third is Transfusion. I can exchange my blood reserves for a weak healing effect that can even affect Vampires. In fact, its a little more effective for Vampires. My regeneration is impressive, but I can't rely on it. I only was able to save my arm when the helhounds tore it off due to the freshness of the wound and the fact it was right next to me. Plus I didn't like the idea of not being able to heal someone if we didn't have a healer or potion.

Fourth is another attack spell. This one is a ranged attack called Sanguine Slice. I made a slashing motion and a razor sharp blade of blood shot out towards the enemy. This paired with Blood Burst could make a good opening move that can grant me an opening.

The final spell was a utility spell. My blood control was simple at the moment. I could draw in blood and form simple weapons. Problem is, anything I create is pretty fragile. My scythe was sharp enough to kill the hounds and some other monsters, but I once blocked a blow from a Labrador sized feline monster that had a club tail and it shattered. What's worse is that it's pretty draining on my blood reserves. So, I chose Greater Blood Control. I supplement the blood control with mana in order to create more complex construction that are as strong as steel. It would also take less blood to create things. Even better, it will grow with me.

Finally finished I sighed happily and opened my eyes. Though I felt a strange soreness in my chest, I felt oddly refreshed and a lot stronger. Beaming, I stood and wobbled, the smile gone. I felt a lurch in my stomach as a nausea worse than any food poisoning hit me like a battering ram to the gut. I rushed over to the toilet and vomited the most foul smelling muck I've ever had the displeasure of both tasting and smelling. It only made me hurl harder. It was black, brown, and red.

I shakily got to my feet and flushed, grateful this place had functioning plumbing. I spotted no toothbrush but there was a bottle that had "Cleansing Mouth Rinse" written on the label. I opened the bottle and took several gargling swigs. I emptied the bottle before I felt clean enough to leave. It had a medicinal taste along with the aftertaste of lavender and honey. Not bad.

I walked out the door and noticed that the sunlight was somehow brighter than when I went in. Asha, who had been sitting in a comfortable looking chair and reading something perked up, "Well it's about time."

"First of all I should smack you for not warning me about the vomiting. Secondly, how long was I in there?" I growled at her.

She laughed, "And miss the look on your face? We could hear you from out here. Don't worry, that's the only time it will happen."

A quick glance at the horrified look on the owner's face told me she was lying through her teeth. "Uh-huh, I call bull. So, how long?"

"Only a day. Not the longest I've seen but not the shortest. How many spells did you get?"

"Five, though I have no real frame of reference on whether that's good or not," I shrugged.

She whistled, "That's not bad. Three to four is the average and it's pretty hard to get five. What Dao?"

"Blood."

She chuckled, "Well that's not cliche at all. Not surprising coming from the guy wanting to call himself Alucard."

"Can we not? Let's just go, I didn't expect to be here this long and I want to hurry back." I turned to the store owner and smiled, "Thank you for your services, have a good day."

He smiled and nodded, "To you as well. You did make it to the toilet or shower at least, yes? I can't afford the self cleaning enchantments."

I laughed at the worry behind his eyes, "Don't worry, I made it to the toilet. But I would have cleaned it myself if I didn't or at least be happy to pay a cleaning fee. No one should be forced to clean that for free." With that, we departed the alchemist and made our way out of the city.

My thoughts kept going back to the group we left in Mithra'Vheen. After my third glance to the city within ten minutes, Asha sighed, "They'll be fine. If anything, you should be more worried about those back at the store."

I grimaced, "Ugh, thanks for that. I've been so preoccupied trying not to sound like an idiot in front of the Duke, worrying about the Gnolls, and advancing that I nearly forgot about them. Damn it, let's go double time."

Asha laughed at my expression and kept up with my increased pace. We jogged for a day before even our prodigious stamina demanded rest. We made camp for the night and Asha set up a ward. I gestured to the tent, "I'll take first watch. I want to watch the sunset." She looked about to protest but with a longing glance to the tent she nodded and went inside. I made true to my words and looked to the dimming horizon with a small frown. I mumbled, "Now what to do with our little spy..."