Dao Divinity 2 Chapter 7 (Patreon)

“So, you just push this lever down.” Dar demonstrated the motion, and the runes inside the kiln wavered as heat distorted the air. “I thought variability would do better here than trying to fine tune just the right amount of heat.”

Bart scratched his chin, nodding. “Trial and error will then be on my guys. It’ll take us a bit to get the right heat to fire the pottery and limestone, but at least we won’t have to call you over to make adjustments. I think the men will love it. Are you going to do something like this when you make heaters for the homes?”

Dar nodded. “That’ll be trickier. I don’t want anyone to be able to set their house on fire.”

The light labor of enchanting had given Dar’s body more time to recover, and he was feeling far better.

“Yeah, I could see that.” Bart nodded, giving the kilns another look.

“So, homes. I was thinking lumber will be the big bottleneck. We need to speed that up. What’s taking the biggest amount of time?”

Bart hummed to himself in thought. “We might need to get out there and see it for ourselves to really make that call. I just send the men out. Frank leads the woodcutters and knows more than I do.”

Nodding, Dar agreed with that thought. “Tomorrow I’ll go out and see how we can best speed up the lumber process.”

“Boss!” One of Rex’s women ran up to Dar panting. “Riverboat. Coming.”

“Thanks, take a breather.” Dar patted her on the back and nodded to Bart. “Looks like someone heard I had finished up here.”

“Go. We’ll take the kilns from here. Hopefully, you’ll be eating off a clay plate tomorrow.” Bart ignored Dar and started playing with the kilns.

Setting himself into a steady jog, Dar hurried over to the river.

The riverboat was different from the one they had seen on their way to Bellhaven. It was far less boxy, but the general structure seemed similar. The shallow boat was covered with various trade goods strapped down to the deck.

As Dar approached, he saw Rex watching the boat approach, but he was clearly keeping himself hidden within the foliage of the nearby trees.

Stopping on his way to the boat, Dar turned to Rex. “Do you want to remain hidden?”

Rex nodded, a look of uncertainty on his face. “They are coming from Bellhaven, I am… cautious to let them know we are here.”

That made sense. A little caution would be good. Especially for the ancients.

“I doubt they’d recognize me. I’ll go say hello and see if we can’t get any news about Bellhaven while I’m at it.”

While the nobles of Bellhaven would likely recognize him, he doubted his short time and escape from the city would have merchants hunting for him.

Dar stepped out of the tree line and waved at the boat. It was plodding along at a snail's pace as it tried to trudge up the river. Dar was able to keep pace with it at a brisk walk.

“Hello there.” Dar called to the boat.

Someone stuck their head over the side and waved. “We didn’t know there was anyone in these parts.”

“We keep to ourselves, but we wanted to know what was happening at Bellhaven. We heard recently there were devil troubles.”

The man winced. “You must be hidden pretty well. Most of the villages we used to stop at are gone; all of them went to Bellhaven for refuge.”

Dar tried to act surprised. “Bellhaven must be packed! Holy cow.”

The sailor nodded in agreement. “Yup, bursting at the seams. They kicked out all the non-humans, actually. It went pretty poorly, as you can imagine. The city walls are holding, but food is the real problem. The captain would buy any spare food you had.”

The last bit was punctuated with a hopeful glimmer in the sailor’s eyes. Dar had to wonder if they hadn’t sold every ounce of their own food to Bellhaven.

“Sorry, we are tight for this winter, too. What happened to Bellhaven’s food?”

“Too many refugees, and the latest devil attack tore apart their farmland. There was this giant troll. The thing had to be thirty feet tall, and it nearly cracked the city open.”

“What! I hope everyone is okay.” Dar faked some of the extra enthusiasm to try to gain the guy’s trust, but the thirty-foot troll had definitely caught his attention. He’d have to ask Cherry what that meant later.

“Yeah, they lost a lot, but the city held on. We have some correspondences from Bellhaven to Kindrake we’re carrying; we all think they are requests for aid.”

The man paused to look Dar over again. “They are scared of the devils, but I’d be more worried about what all the ancient races they kicked out are going to do.” He looked wide eyed into the woods. “Terrible thing they did, and that sort of thing often brings calamity.”

Dar schooled his face, trying not to smirk. “Well, it’s a good thing we are out here away from all that trouble.”

The sailor looked over his shoulder, listening to something before he turned back to Dar. “Can’t laze about too much. Have a good day.” With that, the man turned back to the boat and his tasks.

They seemed to be more interested in getting back to Kindrake than any trading Dar could offer.

Dar stopped walking alongside the boat, having learned enough. It sounded like Bellhaven was in trouble, but he had little to no sympathy for them. He had Hearthway to worry about.

Spotting Rex still hiding in the woods as he headed back, Dar headed over to catch him back up. “Nothing we didn’t already guess. Bellhaven is struggling with food. They survived the last attack, but there was a huge troll, apparently.”

Rex’s slit pupils narrowed sharply. “How big?”

Dar sighed. “According to that man, thirty feet. I’m hoping it got embellished as the tale was told.”

A furrow formed in Rex’s brow. “Haven’t seen a troll that big before, but I’ve heard of such things in the past. Back before, a bunch of powerful ancients went on a warpath against the devils and got rid of the really big threats like a grand devil.”

Dar nodded, knowing that the devils were going to be a problem at some point. Whether they were able to make it through or not depended more on time than anything else. “Either way, it seems that Bellhaven might have their hands too full to bother us for a while. Better for us not to need to fight and defend ourselves against devils and our old city.”

“Yes, that would be good.”

“Have we had any devil sightings?”

“A few gremlins have been killed, but they often wander the woods following deer trails and looking for food. We kill them and bury the bodies.”

A soft rustle was the only warning before a form jumped out of the bushes at Dar. Shifting quickly into a battle stance with his hands up and ready for a fight, Dar tried to process what was happening.

The jaguar girl’s’ body hit his, hands first, but before he fought back, he noticed that her claws weren’t out. Confused, he let her body smack into his as she finished her pounce. She was dripping water as she clung to him, rubbing her face on his shoulder.

Rex loosened up after a moment and laughed. “She likes you.”

Dar rolled his eyes and tried to pry her off.

“No.” She said the word with more meaning behind it.

“Where did she get off to now?” Sasha’s voice came through the woods.

“Over here.” He called to Sasha before turning back to the catgirl. “You are going to be in trouble.”

“No. Cat. No.” She shook her head rapidly.

Dar was amazed she’d learned that much of their language so quickly, but it didn’t help it make any more sense to him..

“Dar, is that you?” Sasha stepped around a large tree, smirking as she took in the situation.

Dar was still trying to pry the jaguar off, but she was using her claws now to hold tight, and he didn’t want to ruin his clothes.

“Yes. Over here. I think I have what you are looking for.”

“Don’t you always.” Sasha purred, then saw Rex and blushed. “Didn’t see you there.”

“You two are dao companions. There is nothing to apologize for, but I’ll be getting back to my duty. Good luck boss.”

Hey, don’t leave me here.

“Come here, you. We need to get you to take a bath in the river.” Sasha helped Dar pry the catgirl off.

“No. Cat. No.” She wriggled free and hid behind Dar.

“I think that means she doesn’t want a bath.” He chuckled.

As he took his focus off the catgirl and got a good look at Sasha, he did his best to not start laughing. Sasha was splattered with water, and she was not wearing the clothes she normally did for times like that. Based on her exasperated expression, this was not the first tantrum she’d dealt with. “You don’t say. The little cat made me chase her all the way over here. If she’d just get a bath, she’d be so much prettier.”

Dar took a moment to get a good look at the girl hiding behind him. Sasha was right; she was pretty caked in dirt. But even through it, he could see that she was like many other demons. She had an attractive body and face, although her hair color was a mystery under all the dirt. Something gave him the impression it might be strawberry blonde once the grime came out.

“Why don’t we take a bath.” Dar asked… “Wait, Sasha, is she calling herself ‘Cat’?”

His lovely demon sighed. “Yes.”

Okay, there were a few problems to fix then.

He scooped her up and poked at his chest. “Darius.”

She nodded and said his name back, but she sort of growled the end of his name.

“Close enough.” He pointed at her chest, trying to think up a name quickly that would suit her. He’d been thinking of her as ‘the catgirl’, so maybe he should use that for inspiration? A number of sites he’d seen called catgirls ‘neko’ something or other. “Neko.” It would work. He tapped her chest.

She looked down at his finger, confused before shifting her head and body, trying to nip at the pointed finger. He moved his hand away, giving her a scowl and a low growl that seemed to do the trick as they continued walking. Sasha followed along with a smirk, watching the two of them.

“No. Cat.” She tapped her chest.

“No. Neko.” Dar insisted for maybe the fourth time.

“Do all demons name themselves?” He asked Sasha.

“How do you think Glump got a name like that?” Sasha asked, clearly working to control her laughter, but failing.

Her laugh was infectious, and Dar burst into laughter, imagining that Glump, like Neko, was right now insisting his name was some sort of frog noise.

Neko looked back and forth between them, not understanding what was happening. She started a barking, fake laughter as she tried to join in, and that only made them laugh louder.

“You are pretty fun, Neko.” Dar tried to keep his words simple, not sure what she might be able to pick up. But based on her progress, he was hopeful she’d settle into the town faster than he’d expected.

“Neko.” She tested out the word, her head tilting as she listened to it. Looking up at Dar, she pointed to herself with a smile. “Neko!”

Dar couldn’t help but smile back, enjoying her enthusiasm as he nodded his agreement.

Neko turned back to their walk, the smile quickly vanishing from her face as she spotted the nearby water and realized where Dar had been taking her.

Many of the villagers had found the small pool that came off the Bell river. It was where most people had taken to doing their laundry and bathing. As they approached, there were a few women watching as they washed clothes.

“No. Neko. No.” She pointed at the water angrily.

“Yes. Neko. You are going to have to get wet.” She started to turn to go another direction, but Dar held her still as they approached the water. She wasn’t using her claws or her dao, luckily, so Dar just had to put up with her thrashing before Sasha stepped in.

“Neko, bath time.” Sasha had a wicked grin as she used her dao of silk to bind Neko in ribbons and undress her.

Dar stayed by the side of the small pool and encouraged her, but nothing he said seemed to actually appease the angry Neko.

Giving up on verbal encouragement, Dar decided to try joining in and showing that it was normal. He was gross after his meditation in the cave, anyway.

As he started taking off his clothes to bathe, he was immediately aware of all the added eyes on him. It seemed he’d gotten Neko and the rest of the women’s attention.

“Yeah! Take it off!” One of the unaffiliated spirit women whistled at him. Dar looked over at the white-haired spirit watching him.

She was in Mika’s group of random spirits and demons that had grouped up together. And she wasn’t even attempting to hide her gawking as she stared at him.

Realizing that he had started a show, he continued.

Neko had stopped struggling and was staring at Dar with wide eyes.

He waded deeper into the pool and opened his arms for her to come to him. Neko scrambled to him, clinging to him like a drowning cat as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Dar, you are going to spoil her.” Sasha chided from the shallower water. But he didn’t miss the smirk as she threw him a bar of soap that floated in the water.

“She clearly hates the water; I thought I’d make it easier.” Dar held onto her and grabbed the bar of soap, rubbing it against her until he made enough suds to start working the dirt off of her.

Neko leaned forward, sniffing her shoulder where he’d recently lathered. Her nose wrinkled a bit, but she let him continue. She watched with curiosity as he cleaned her and freed her flesh of the forest dirt.

Dar continued to work over her body with his firm hands, trying to make sure not to wear down her skin too much and hurt her. He had a feeling if the experience turned painful, they’d have an even harder time the next time she needed a bath.

But at one point, a small vibration started up in her chest as he cleaned her. He smiled, glad she’d finally relaxed, and he enjoyed her purring against his chest.

Neko floated against him, and he stretched out her legs, moving to remove the dirt from them next. The whole process was fairly peaceful except for a few catcalls from the one white-haired spirit.

Dar had waited at first to see if Sasha would go shut the spirit up, but Sasha didn’t seem to care at all. If anything, she seemed amused at all of it.

Ignoring the continued calls, Dar finished with most of Neko’s body. It was time for her hair, which was still fairly dry.

“Neko, I’m going to have to dunk your head in the water.” He looked at her, trying to gauge how much she understood.

Based on her calm, pleased look she gave him, Dar had a feeling that she didn’t understand.

Pulling her back slightly from himself so she could float on her own, Dar demonstrated plugging his nose, taking a deep breath, and going underwater.

When he came back up, making sure to smile, he was met with a completely panicked Neko. “No. Neko. No.”

“Neko, we need to work that mud out of your hair.” Dar tried to reason with her, pointing at her hair.

“No. Neko. No.” Her face turned into a scowl as she tried to move away from him back towards shore.

Dar reached forward, grabbing hold of her and pulling her to him. He took an exaggerated breath and lowered them both in the water slowly. Neko tried to hold her head above the water, but soon she gave up. She took a deep breath, and he pulled them both fully under the water.

When they came back up, she was sputtering with a look of complete and utter betrayal. “No.” She stated with a firmness that wouldn’t be denied.

Dar grinned. She was getting a lot of mileage out of that single word.

Neko continued to pout as Dar worked the mud out of her hair and did his best to comb it with his fingers.

He’d been right. As the sun began to try some of the strands, they were a nice light strawberry blond. What was most interesting to him was that her jaguar pattern continued on her scalp. With her hair down, it was largely a mix of reddish-blond, with most of the black blending in with the rest. But framing her face were two extra black locks.

“Neko is beautiful.” Dar encouraged as he swished her through the water to get the last of the suds off.

“Dar. No.” Neko continued to pout, a calculating look on her face as she watched him.

“No more. Let’s go to shore.” Dar confirmed.

Walking them back through the water, Dar brought her back out onto the shoreline. He used his own dao of heat to blast himself dry, although it failed a bit as Neko stood near him, shaking herself wildly, trying to get rid of the water.

Looking up, she took in his largely dry state and tilted her head; her gaze shifting down to his manhood before a heated look filled her eyes.

Dar ignored the look, once again working to rid himself of the excess water. As she watched it all disappear, a giant smile lit Neko’s face.

“Neko?” She pointed to herself, and Dar understood. He let out a stream of heat at her, sort of like a blow dryer, and she let out a gleeful squeal as she spun around, enjoying the warmth.

As she spun laughing, Dar couldn’t help but appreciate her naked body. She may be learning the language, but she was still a fully mature woman, which showed in her curves. Dar tried to think about other things, but he could feel his manhood rising right there for all to see.

Sasha cleared her throat. “If I knew you loved this so much, I’d have let you bathe me ages ago.”

Dar felt a bit guilty, hoping Sasha wouldn’t be offended or upset. “Sorry. She is lovely.”

“Oh, yes, she is.” Sasha circled Neko and pulled out a bolt of silk. “She needs clothes to match it.”

Wanting to let Sasha work, Dar headed over and started putting his own clothes on. He heard some murmurs of amazement from Neko as Sasha crafted the clothes around her body.

Dar remembered the first time Sasha had sculpted clothing right around his body from a bolt of fabric. It was a sort of magical fairytale experience. There was a reason she’d made so much of her living off her seamstress abilities before they’d met.

When he turned back, he tried not to laugh. Sasha had at least not put the wild woman into a dress, but Sasha was still Sasha. She’d done her best to make Neko more presentable.

A tight fitted blue top with heavy seams supporting her chest wound around Neko’s waist before disappearing and showing her flat stomach. Neko’s waist was exposed, with a short skirt starting just under her navel. It was short with a high slit, so Neko could still move freely.

Neko was pinching at the fabric, trying to determine what she thought of it as she looked up and caught Dar staring. She tilted her head, waiting to hear what he thought.

“You look wonderful, Neko.” He added a smile and an encouraging nod to try to make sure she understood his meaning.

It seemed to work. Neko beamed and spun around for him, though it didn’t quite have the same effect when she was naked. Just the thought of her spinning naked got his blood pumping again. He quickly shut down the thoughts and worked to change the subject.

“Come on, Neko. I think it is about supper time.” He offered one arm to Sasha, and the other to Neko, who took his arm after watching Sasha.

Sasha leaned in to whisper in his ear, “She’s going to be smitten with you if you keep her this close.”

Dar expected himself to baulk at the idea, but somehow it didn’t seem so bad. Maybe the culture of the ancient races was starting to wear off on him. Being in a village where multiple women with one man wasn’t rare, it seemed more normal to him. And Neko was tough as nails; he’d be honored to have such a fierce dao companion.

Pausing in his steps, Dar looked down at Sasha, still trying to figure out where he stood on all of it. “Are you okay with that?”

Sasha’s brows shot up. “Of course. I just didn’t expect you to be.”

“Me neither, but… I’m feeling perfectly fine pulling her closer into our family, if you are okay with it. Cherry too.”

“Yes, I’ll talk to her. Though, I already know she’ll be okay with it. Hun, Cherry really wanted you to grow our little family. She just didn’t want to push you.”

Dar chewed on that for a moment. He was a bit annoyed that Cherry hadn’t said something directly, but to be fair, she had been dropping more than a few casual hints. “Okay.”

Talking about starting a relationship with Neko was a little odd when she was standing right there, and she hadn’t really indicated she wanted him sexually. But she did seem to cling to him as they made their way to the central fire.

Spotting the leaders once again circled up for an update, Dar let the girls go off while he headed to join the leaders. The group wasn’t fully formed yet, Dar having arrived earlier than usual, so he made small talk with Samantha as more villagers filtered into the area.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Dar turned to find Neko holding a bowl of food and a hopeful face.

“Thank you, darling.” Dar took the offered bowl and lifted it in thanks with a smile.

Neko did a little skip and hurried away to Sasha, who seemed far too content to not be the one who had arranged and coached the entire thing.

“I’m not sure how you handle so many women.” Samantha commented with just a pinch of judgement.

“I just care for them and love them just like you would any single woman. And we stay a tight family. It’s not only me and them; it’s all of us together.”

Dar waited to see if she rebutted, but he was distracted as he felt a heavy gaze resting on his back.

Turning to see what had set off his senses, he found the source. The while haired spirit from earlier was whispering in Mika’s ear as she glared at Dar.

Oh boy. He could feel a storm brewing over there, but before he could decide what to do about it, Bart and Glump sat down at the circle and their meeting began.