Once more, Li sat around a meeting table. This time, not from the Farmer's Guild, but in one of the various meeting rooms of the Adventurer's Guild. The décor of the room felt more upscale than that of the farmer's guild, the walls chiseled out of marble and the ceiling decorated with a painting depicting adventurers fending off defenseless peasants from all manner of beasts and, pertinently, demons. 

Around the walls, there were runes carved in that were meant to cast interference on scrying spells and to make them soundproof. 

Launcelot sat at the head of this table, his gauntleted hand at his chin while an expression mixed with anxiety and concern manifested on his face. 

"How is the situation with the city?" asked Li. 

"The nature of this threat," said Launcelot. "Is far more devious than I thought. The possibility of the plague spreading uncontrollably is far greater a threat than any orc attack, and so I have informed the guild and they have issued a citywide lockdown. 

Nothing goes in or out of the four city gates without strict review by priests of the Light."

"And for those of us who live outside the gates," said Ivo. "I have told them to flee at any unnatural sights towards your farm, good seer."

"That's the best thing to do," said Li. "Frankly speaking, the priests of the Light are not equipped to identify this kind of threat or deal with it even if they do. I am confident in saying that throughout this entire duchy, I am the only one capable of dealing with it."

Li thought of eldritch powers in Elden World. It was not part of the base game when it was released. They were introduced in an expansion, though their presence was hinted at with a few bosses, items, and skills. 

The expansion that released them was called "Whispers of the Infinite Cosmos", and it coincidentally also introduced Celestial-tier items, Ultima-tier spells, the level 100+ cap, and, perhaps most interestingly, the ability for players to spec into eldritch themed subclasses.

This was actually how Li himself gained his eldritch powers.

Leshen could innately use dark Druidry to command the more unsettling aspects of the forest such as death related forces, insects, and other crawling creatures of the dark, but actually summoning eldritch entities was an expansion related perk.

In other words, in this world which seemed to be limited only to the base game's power levels, Li theorized that nobody had any conception of what eldritch powers were, and he was not about to explain right now that he was in command of powers that were meant to be unspeakably horrific embodiments of chaos meant to destroy reality.

It would be horrendous PR for him and his druids when now was the time for him to try and branch out and inculcate trust with the lives around him. 

"Still," said Launcelot. "That orcs were capable of this is quite unbelievable." 

"Not orcs. Demons," corrected Li. "The warchief was possessed by an entity, and I have strong suspicion to believe that it was demonic in origin."

Vahid grunted. His arms were crossed, his brawny figure looming atop the table. Beside him was his mage partner, donned in typical witch's garb and a slender wooden pipe loosing curls of smoke at her lips. 

"Figured as much," said Vahid. "Ain't no orcs that fight like that. Demons sounds more right, spreadin' disease and misery fore' tryin' to square up and fight straight up."

"Pray, tell," said Launcelot. "Did the demon loose any useful information before you defeated it?"

"Not too much. Its mind seemed incoherent, but it did babble about an incoming invasion. It would be fair to say that the demonic invasions that plagued this land decades ago are coming once more."

"I fear the same," said Ivo. "You adventurers are too young to have experienced the brunt of those dark days, but when Riviera was attacked, it was yet under the protection of the guardian spirit Morrigan. 

The demons lie far West, and to reach Soleil, the largest city they encounter first is Riviera, but a guardian spirit is a formidable force, and thus they unleashed demonrot upon the forests to corrupt and wilt it before embarking on a full scale invasion.

The same has been attempted now."

"Meaning the invasion's comin' real soon," said Vahid. His jaw set. "Means my people are already slaughtered, considerin' them's what's standin' between Riviera and the demons."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Li. "The Hinterlanders might be nearest to the demons, but we'd have seen refugees or news if they were attacked by now. Riviera's still getting routine request to have supplies delivered and trade routes are still open.

The demons acted very early this time around, before there were any forces mobilized for a frontal invasion."

"Perhaps a test for their new weapon?" commented Launcelot. "This rot, after all, is of a kind I have never beheld, and I would like to consider myself well-traveled and well-acquaintanced with the most esoteric of magics, pure, demonic, or heroic." 

"If I may have a word, good seer," said Ivo. Li nodded, and the older man continued. "The nature of the darkness I beheld was sinister in nature, but as a veteran of the last demonic invasion, I know that it is not the same as demonrot. 

Demonrot plagues and destroys, but this rot, it infects and turns, warping life into yet living but deranged existences."

"And we're sure somethin' as nasty as this ain't gonna' be spreadin' no more?" said Vahid. "One lick of it gets in the city walls, where there's so many people all crammed about, and ya got yerself a real shit situation." 

"I am absolutely certain," said Li. "I wiped out every trace of it that came and made sure it did not spread."

"Hm, mighty useful to have someone that can deal with it round' here, cause' it ain't seemin' like the temple's gonna' get off their arse and help anytime soon," said Vahid. "Say then, do ya happen to exactly know what this damned rot is? Even better, got a way to kill it off?"

"I have an idea of what it is. It is based off a force higher and in many ways, as you all have noticed, far more sinister than that which demons and warlocks use, but for all intents and purposes, you can simply consider it advanced demonic power.

I can handle and neutralize it, but as of now, I only have responses to it, not preventative measures.

So if any of you encounter anything strange as Ivo says, then do not engage it. Come to me for help and relay this information to the rest of the adventurers too. The priests of Light are out of their leagues in trying to contain anything related to this."

"Damned useless leeches, them light priests are," muttered Vahid. "Takin' their cut of taxes but never pullin' their weight in anythin' important."

"This only proves that you cannot trust the temple," said Li. "Spread that sentiment to the adventurers and the people, too, for it comes not out of any animosity to the temple, but simple, cold fact that they have retreated from conflict and have no means to fend against this new rot.

If anyone values their lives in light of this attempted attack, then they come to me." 

"It is strange," said Launcelot as he furrowed his brows. "I, as your head priest thought, expected the priests to surely make an appearance. Gael the Immovable is a man of many heroic tales floating about him, the Light's Vanguard that stood tall entirely by himself at Montagne during the last invasion, not letting a single demon pass for two whole days, and yet he did not show himself.

It is almost as if the temples knew of the danger of this rot."

"And left us to get thrashed?" Vahid shrugged. "I don't got any soft spot for the temple, but, noble boy, it don't seem right. If that rot spread to us, the best adventurers round' town, then they'd be even more screwed.

I never liked em' robed whelps, but when it comes down to it, I don't take em' for the kind to let a whole city burn." 

"True." Launcelot also shrugged. "A baseless theory, I suppose, so let us move past that line of thought. Regarding the rot itself, I have noticed that to my observation, there are properties of the rot that are akin to darkbeast rot.

How it confounds the healing of pure magic, and in certain cases, I have observed it too to corrupt even further, warping life into twisted living corpses."

Li had noticed those similarities as well when reflecting on the orc attack. He had come to realize that though he himself had overwhelming power easily able to crush and negate anything the demons and their newly found eldritch abilities could do, the same could not be said for anyone else around him. 

Certainly, Li could roam over to the West and fight his way through every demon he found, but that would not guarantee a complete extermination, and because of the chaotic nature of eldritch energy and the fact that it could introduce level 100+ existences, he had to be more cautious.

His first priority was to ensure that the life that relied upon him was safe, and for that, he needed to find closer union with his darker side to create blessings that gave protections against eldritch forces, and he needed to do it quickly. The fastest way he developed his forest spirit divinity was by linking himself with the Winterwoods and communing with it. 

He figured the same could be done for his eldritch powers. He just needed to find a source of eldritch power around him that he could tap into. Preferably, one nearby so that he could quickly return to his woods and people to defend them. 

"I've noticed those similarities as well," said Li. "And I want more information. Launcelot, you've spent much time dealing with darkbeasts, especially those in the Chattering Woods south of here, haven't you?"

"Certainly," said Launcelot. "But what of it?"

"I want you to take me there," said Li. "The fate of all rational life depends on you, if that gives you more motivation."