We arrived in the city after a quiet trip. I did my best to ignore the burnt husk of the hospital in the distance, but besides that unpleasant memory, the run was nice. We approached the city gates and noticed something was odd. There were no guards outside like last time. The golems were there, but they were in rough shape. Scars and repaired damage was plain to see. There was a floating crystal cut in the shape of a dodecahedron. It emitted a faint pink light.

It pulsed and a voice resounded, slightly distorted like through an old radio, "Halt! State your name and business."

I stepped forward and responded, "I am Lord Sanguine along with my steward Asha Qi and a citizen of your city, Eliara. We have come to purchase supplies. What's going on? Seems like you guys have seen some trouble."

"What? The Helfist?" The crystal went silent for a few moments before a different voice responded.

"Helfist, you are to escort the Lord Sanguine to the Duke immediately."

We exchanged glances as Eli confirmed the order. "That doesn't sound good," I said.

The gate opened barely enough to allow us entry and began to shut nearly before we were inside. We emerged from the opening to a swarm of heavily armed and armored guards. They wore thick, rune inscribed plate armor with matching weapons. Eliara took the lead and we made our way to a small building near the entrance. We stood in the center of some sort of carved spellform that was more complex than anything I've seen before.

Eliara whispered something to the guard and flashed some sort of badge. She returned to standing next to me as the guard fiddled with a console. Crystals imbedded within the spellform lit up and a mana I've not sensed before filled the air. I felt space bend and distort around me. One moment we were within a small, clerical building and now we were in a large marble atrium with nearly as many guards as the city entrance.

There was a large metal door that was secured with intricate locks and hummed with mana. Weapons were trained on us before people recognized Eliara. A man stepped towards us and said, "Glad to see you Eliara. It's been real troublesome here lately."

Eliara nodded with a concerned frown, "Same to you Captain. What's wrong? Why is everyone on high alert?"

The Guard captain gestured towards the enormous door which was quickly being opened, "The Duke will want to give the details herself, but we've been facing attacks."

"From what? The Gnolls? Lord Sanguine is nearly at the point where he can face the matriarch. It's why we're here, to get cultivation supplies. He reached his first Pillar formation."

"Truly? Congratulations Lord Sanguine. The Duke and Bishop were quite impressed with you, I hear. If you're stronger than what I heard from a year ago, then we'll definitely need an ally like you." As we spoke we were led to an office that was once quite opulent. It was still immaculate and grand, but there were signs that things were removed. Odd empty spaces that had to have had something filling them. The captain saw my interested look and chuckled, "The previous Duke was quite the braggart to her wealth and power. A good ruler if a bit vain. Duke Armstrong is more practical and finds that shining wealth gives her a headache."

I nodded as said Duke scribbled furiously at a mound of paperwork. At a nudge of a stately man to her right brought her attention to the new arrivals in her office. Her eyes took a moment to focus on us as she blinked owlishly. Upon realizing who was her she smiled in relief, "Eli, I'm so glad to see you safe, though it is surprising to see you with our prospective allies."

Looking a touch awkward Eliara responded, "Ah. Yes. The Lord had impressive scouting abilities it seems. He spotted me the first day, though we came to an understanding."

"Well no matter, your mission isn't important anymore. A grave threat has made itself known. Horrifying creatures have been attacking us. They have strange, unnatural abilities and forms. What's worse is that any wound inflicted by them fester and resist healing, even that of the divine." She rubbed her bagged eyes, "Thankfully, our defenses are holding and they attack infrequently. What's worse is that they seem coherent, even though many act as mindless beasts, they still behave in an organized manner. It was only a month ago when we discovered the Gnolls have joined forces under the same banner."

She took out a scroll and unraveled it to show us a symbol. It was a feminine eye with an abstract black sun as an iris. There were three waving tendrils, two on the top eyelid and one on the bottom. I felt a spike of nausea as an image flashed in my head. Red lips, sharp fangs, void black. The Duke raised a brow in concern as I wobbled slightly, "Are you well Sanguine?"

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"Yes, it's just that... I believe we've faced the same enemy recently." I told her about the Void Brood we've come across. "They follow some powerful entity that claims to be a goddess. Her name is Vacuolentia. This is the first time I've seen that symbol, however."

She nodded, "We haven't heard this name, but what you say matches what we've heard from some Gnolls we captured. It seems they've established some type of cult called Dawn of the Empty Sun. What's more is that these Gnolls are... altered in some way. They're stronger, the shamans wielding power similar to these Void Brood. Some have odd deformities such as black tendrils bursting from their skin or too many eyes. The Gnolls we apprehended almost acted like they wanted to be captured. Upon revealing information about the cult and an until now unnamed 'Lady', they killed themselves, their innards liquifying into a toxic sludge."

"What are your orders, my Duke?" asked Eliara.

"Continue as you are for now, assist Sanguine in becoming as strong as possible. Forget the year deadline, the moment you're strong enough, wipe out the Gnolls. You will have a squad of my elites to back you up." She wrote out a slip, "Eliara, take him to Dreya's. She'll give him her best pills to help him break through at my expense." Upon taking the paper, Eliara bowed to Armstrong and motioned for us to follow her.

"Who is Dreya?" I asked.

"The best alchemist in the city and a good friend of the Duke. We can get exactly what you need."

We walked through the streets, much more empty than the first time we visited. We could see movement in the buildings, people who are scared of the monsters that claw at the gate. Within ten minutes, we were heading inside a fancy shop that nearly made my eyes water due to the intense aromatic scent within. Above the entrance was a sign that proclaimed, "Madam Dreya's Apothecary".

Inside was an elderly woman who was shorter than a Dwarf. However, she was definitely not a Dwarf. She had big, wide ears and light pink skin. Streaks of purple ran through her grey hair. From the striking color, it had to have been dyed. She had a pinch, but mischievous face and had her tongue sticking out the corner of her lips in concentration as she ground ingredients.

She shared a tunneled focus with Armstrong as she didn't notice us until she finished grinding the leaves and looked up to grab another dried herb. She froze and grinned, "Ah, sorry about that kiddos! Ah and little Eli! What can I do for you?"

"Hi Auntie D, we need to get one of your bottleneck breakers and a seed scry. Duke Armstrong is paying for it." Eliara smiled and kissed Dreya's cheek.

"Oh? Are you about to hit gold? That's fantastic!" Dreya clapped excitedly.

"Unfortunately not. Still have a bit to go before that. No, my friend here is about to breach into silver. Dreya, this is Victor Gale, the Sanguine Lord. He's helping us with the Gnoll problem." Eli waved at me and I nodded with a smile.

She saw my puzzled expression and laughed, "What? Never seen a Gnome before?" She paused and stared at me, "Oh-ho! Now this is interesting." The woman narrowed her eyes, "You feel like those monsters."

"How so?" I asked.

"You have a hint of the strange energy that those monsters ooze with; deep within. It's subtle, but there. Are you wounded? No, it isn't festering like the others..."

"It's a mystery to us too. But let's get to business, what are these pills that I'm going to be swallowing?" I wasn't keen on handing out information about myself to random people.

"Very well." She hopped off her stool and strolled to two crystalline cases. Inside was a set of marble like pills. One was golden with lavender swirls while the other was a milky blue with yellow sparkles. She opened the case and a wonderful medicinal scent overwhelmed the other menagerie of scents in the apothecary. "Take both of these. The golden one will grant you a burst of energy that will smash through that bottleneck. It will also settle your foundation along with giving you a head start into forming other Pillars. The blue one will put you in a Dao trance. It will bring you closer to the Dao and make it easier to study your Dao. However, be aware, it won't put a spotlight on your aspects, only put you in the head space to detect the Dao better."

"Thank you." I couldn't take my eyes off of the pills. My very being hungered for the Dao pill. Not like when I hunger for blood, but more like I'm laying eyes on a piece of my soul I never knew was missing.

Asha nudged me, "You're drooling." I wiped hurriedly at my mouth only to find it dry. I glared at her as Dreya laughed.

"Everyone gets like that the first time. Well, they never stop, actually. I have a cultivation chamber available for rent, but for Eli's friend, I'll let you use it for free."

"Thanks. Do I take them both at once?" I asked.

The alchemist nodded and handed me the pills. I swallowed them and they dissolved into a cool mist the moment they hit my tongue before sliding down my throat. I felt warmth spread to my core and felt a swelling pressure. I followed her instructions to the cultivation room which was a cozy room with a shower and fruit in a bowl. There was a meditation mat in the center of the room. Before I stepped in Dreya gave me one final advice, "Now you may feel tempted to build more Pillars, but each Pillar puts strain on your soul. Each person can handle different amounts at once and those pills will only increase that sensation. Don't push yourself, even talented monsters can only build two or three at once. You'll end up hurting yourself or worse." I smiled and nodded, thanking her.

I disrobed at Asha's advice after closing the door on them. I then sat cross legged on the mat, immediately feeling relaxed and clear minded. I settled in and prepared to advance.