Dao Divinity 2 Chapter 8 (Patreon)

Bart held up a clay bowl as he sat down with a particular grin. “The kilns are up and running. Got a crew of gals keeping them furnished with pottery.”

“Always good to hear about progress.” Dar smiled back, looking down at his own rough wooden bowl.

“The boys are tripping over themselves to play with an enchanted kiln. Calling themselves wizards.”

The group chuckled at that. But Dar had been thinking about it during the day. They weren’t utilizing enchantments enough yet. There were plenty of people with Dao, but enchantments gave Dao to the humans as well. It should make their little village more productive.

“What else could we do to make things easier?” Dar’s mind was starting to buzz with ideas. He was already thinking about how to get Neko to make some enchantments with her sharp dao.

Before they’d replied, Dar already had an idea what they were going to list. Lumber and food continued to be top priorities. Dar listened and nodded. “Bart and I are going to join the lumber crew tomorrow. We will see what we can improve on.”

As they sat chatting, Rex launched into the story of the river boat for all of those that hadn’t been there to experience it. Dar worked to fill in additional details where Rex had stopped being able to hear. The news left the group somber.

“Sounds like Bellhaven is going to have some trouble.” Samantha spat. “Good riddance.”

But Bart was a little more sympathetic. “If we are able to continue growing food during the winter, can we sell them some? Their leadership isn’t my favorite, but there are a lot of good villagers still within the city.”

Dar nodded, knowing Bart likely had a lot of friends that hadn’t joined them that he was thinking about. “Maybe. I’m sure we’ll need to start trading, eventually. But I’ve been thinking it might be best if we traded with a river boat rather than the city directly. I wouldn’t want our past interactions to cloud their decision to take the trade. Plus, they may have more unique goods to sell than Bellhaven.”

Bart nodded happily, but many of the others grumbled their agreement. The ancients hadn’t forgiven the way they had been treated, but they respected that commerce was part of what kept towns alive. There were only so many resources they’d have access to. They needed a broader network to really build up and out.

Russ, who had seemed extra chipper all evening, jumped in changing the topic as he gave his update. “We were up north along the river today. We spotted a large herd of bison on the other side, several hundred head.”

Dar and the rest of the group whistled. If they could open up hunting on that herd, it would be a significant amount of meat. They could even make some jerky to help get them through the winter.

But seeing the meat and capturing and hauling it back were two different things.

“How do you expect to get across the river, not to mention bringing a kill that size back?” Dar asked.

Russ scratched the back of his head. “Uh, I was hoping one of you could figure out that part. We could probably take down a few if we do it right. But even if we field dressed them, we’d still have over a thousand pounds of bison to bring back.”

Dar rubbed his face. The meat was temping as hell. The Bell river wasn’t that fast at the moment. It was likely some of the stronger swimmers could get across on their own, but there was no way they were going to be able to carry a kill back.”

Russ looked around nervously. “Maybe a raft? I think we could pull at least a single kill across on one.”

“With what lumber?” Bart glared. “I don’t have enough as it is for the housing projects. We’d need to build a smoker to make the meat last any length too.”

“Just have Amelia pack it in salt.” Russ shrugged off the last comment, clearly annoyed that they were all questioning his big find.

Dar raised a brow at Russ, “Amelia?”

Russ pointed with his bowl back over to Mika and the white-haired spirit. “Salt spirit. She used to make a lot of money back in Bellhaven pulling salt out of the ground and selling it.”

Dar paused, realizing that salt was likely worth its weight in gold in Grandterra. At least, if the history on earth was anything to judge its value by.

“Has she started making some here?” Dar asked.

Russ shrugged. “Don’t know.”

Dar looked over again. Which was enough to grab both Mika and the salt spirit’s attention. Mika looked excited at the attention, but the salt spirit was still looking a little surly.

But as his eyes locked with Mika, another thought formed in his mind. She might be able to help them cross the river. They’d just need to solve for some sort of vehicle that could cross the river.

Dar partially stood up and motioned for Mika and Amelia to come join their circle.

Mika nearly tripped over herself, getting up and discarding her bowl. Amelia laughed at her and far more casually got up and came towards him.

“What’s up?” Mika asked, eyes were wide and hopeful.

“We were discussing plans and news. Russ here saw a large herd of bison today, which would be a huge win for us. But there are a few issues we have in capturing them.” Dar paused, making sure they were following.

When he saw they were, he continued. “We don’t have a great way to pack that much meat away for the winter.” Dar’s eyes slid to Amelia before shifting over to Mika. “And they are on the other side of the river. We need to think of a good way to cross. I’m hoping you could advise us on that one.” Mika stood up straighter as he asked for her help, clear pride on her face.

Amelia jumped in first. “I can pull salt from the cliffs. I’m pretty sure I’ve felt some. But it isn’t as easy as pulling it from the sea. If you can get me down to the bottom of the river, I could likely fill whatever you needed in a day.”

Dar nodded. The sea made sense. She could likely pull salt powder straight from the ocean.

“That would be another reason to get a boat. For now, I think we need you to pull what you can from the cliffs. What do we need to owe you for that?” Dar asked.

Amelia did a small bow, a smile resting on her lips. “It would be my pleasure to help Hearthway get through the winter.”

“Thank you. I know you could make a lot more money if you sold the salt in one of the cities; we’ll find a way to make this up. Until then, you have my thanks. Let me know if my dao companions or I can enchant anything to make your winter more comfortable.”

Amelia gave him a smile that said she already had something in mind, but she didn’t speak whatever she was thinking. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Several of the others in the group gave her a sincere thank you as well. She seemed to genuinely be glad to help, and Dar was satisfied with that. A strong supply of salt would help them even if they didn’t get the bison.

Dar turned his attention back to Mika, who looked a little impatient.

“I could cross the river no problem. Probably even pull a boat across it with a dozen people. But we don’t have a boat. I don’t think you want me swimming with the carcass; that would do horrible things to the meat.” Her foot tapped in frustration, and Dar could tell she was unhappy that she couldn’t do more to help.

“You can’t carry something on waves over?” Bart asked, hope in his voice.

“No, that wouldn’t be feasible. It would need to be able to float.”

Bart snapped his fingers. “Darn. I don’t suppose you know anyone else here that would be able to get us across the river.”

Mika paused, turning and looking at Glump.

“Don’t look at me that way. I could swim like you, but I don’t know if I could carry a bison or a boat across.” The old demon croaked.

“That’s fine. I think we’ll want a boat eventually, anyway. It’ll be something to think about. For now, Russ, I think the bison are unfortunately off the table.” Russ nodded, clearly frustrated but he seemed to understand that they weren’t in a place where they could do anything with the bison.

Mika stood to the side awkwardly, looking pained by a perceived failure. “Thank you. I’ll think about it and let you know if I think of another solution.”

She hurried away, and Amelia threw an apologetic glance over her shoulder at Dar before chasing after her friend.

Cherry grumbled something, clearly annoyed as Amelia and Mika hurried away, and Dar remembered what Sasha had said about Cherry wanting him to push for more girls. She must not consider him making Mika feel like she let the town down as good for building a stronger bond.

But that was a problem for another time. Preparing the village for winter had to stay everybody’s top goal.

“I’ll keep hunting on this side of the river in the meantime. Hunting is about patience more than anything. Something will come.” Russ went back to his dinner.

Dar looked around the group. “Samantha, how is Neko doing with her first lessons?”

“Neko?” Sam asked, and the rest of the group looked confused.

“Right, Cat. She was with me this afternoon, and I named her Neko. Cat was a little too on the nose.”

“Well, there’s your answer. She disappeared after lunch, and I couldn’t take too much time from the rest of the kids to find her. But in the bit of lessons we were able to do, she is learning quickly.”

“Yes, she seems quite articulate with her small vocabulary.”

Samantha shared a wry grin with Dar. “That’s a nice way to put it. You’ll also be happy to hear that the kids did very well in the fields today, don’t you think, Cherry?” She looked to Cherry for confirmation, knowing I’d instructed Cherry to shoo the kids away if they got in the way of the progress.

“They did well. We gave them a corner of the field and put two workers with them. The kids behaved enough that I wouldn’t mind them back tomorrow. I also sent a few men and a team of horses, trying to plow out a new field. This field isn’t getting better.”

Dar decided to let Sam and the kids

“That’s about how I figured it would go. Sticking with the same size?”

Cherry nodded. “That’s about all I can force to grow in a day.”

The prior field had been about half the size of a football field, and Cherry had been forcing it to grow a full yield of crops everyday.

“Maybe we should double the size and only use half at a time. The day of rest might help it last a little longer.” Dar wasn’t an expert, but he knew the problem was that they were depleting the soil too quickly. He figured any rest would help.

“We’ll get it done.” Cherry noted the change in plans.

“Boss, before we get too far, it might be worth thinking about what we could make to trade the river boats. A rowboat might be something they’d be willing to part with and save us a ton of time and loss of lumber. And some enchantments like you’ve been meaning to make for the winter or salt. Both would be welcome to the river boat merchants.” Glump added.

Dar scratched his chin in thought. “I could make a few and see how they do. How much do you think I should make?”

“Five should be a fair trade, if they have a boat to spare.”

Nodding to himself, Dar added it to his mental checklist. “With all of that settled, I say we stop brooding over what to do and enjoy our families.”

Bart grumbled in agreement and stood to his own family.

Dar walked with Cherry to sit with Sasha and Neko, but as they sat, Dar couldn’t help but feel odd about how the recent days had gone with Mika and Amelia.

“Dammit. Marcie, can you go find Mika and Amelia and bring them over here, if they are willing?”

“Yes, Milord.” The mousy maid ducked away.

“Amber, could you get four seats for the circle?”

“Four?”

“Yes. You and Marcie will join us tonight.”

She paused for a moment before she started moving the logs scattered around the hearth until their little area had the necessary number of seats.

Sasha claimed the seat to Dar’s right without issue. Neko, however, prowled to the seat on Dar’s left and gave a challenging glare to the other girls.

Cherry met her challenge with an exasperated sigh. “When you can speak, I’ll make sure to whip your ass and let you know this moment is why.”

Amelia giggled at that as she walked up. “Poor kitty doesn’t know what she just brought on herself. But she’s pretty cute.”

“I don’t know. Think I could take the kitty for that seat?” Mika stared down Neko, who was ignoring the girls and looking to Dar.

“Like I’m going to get involved in this. You guys figure it out.”

Sasha grinned from her unchallenged perch. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Mika gave Sasha a look and backed down. “We should talk then.”

“We’ll work something out. Welcome, both of you.”

“Ah, so...” Dar wasn’t quite sure what the proper protocol was, but he felt like he needed to make sure they knew they were welcome. “You two are welcome at our meals. It seems to have split into a family unit thing, but I wanted to make sure you both knew that you had a standing invitation.”

Mika smiled so wide that it threatened to split her face. “I’m honored to join you for meals.”

“Me as well. What about sleeping arrangements?” Amelia bounced her eyebrows.

Dar coughed into his hand, not expecting the blunt question. “The hut is very cramped at present, even with the tree of us. When we start to get homes built for the winter, we’ll have something big enough to expand into.”

Amber and Marcie squealed, giving a shared look that had a touch of heat. Dar wondered if the two of them… no that was none of his business.

“Shame.” Amelia pouted, but Dar could see right through it. She was going to be a handful.

“Dar, you promised to explain a few things from this morning.” Cherry prompted, reminding him that he did owe her and the others an explanation of what he’d done.

“So, last night into this morning, I tried and succeeded in learning a new dao, but I did it differently from what seems normal.”

Sasha sighed. “Of course you did. Which dao?”

“He was going to try it with your dao of combustion.” Cherry joined her dao companion in an eye roll. “Idiot. Could have blown himself up.”

Now both of them were giving Dar dirty looks, while the others were holding their reservations until they understood more. Well, except for Neko, who just looked excitedly from one person to another, not understanding what they were talking about..

“It worked, so no need to be too judgmental. After listening to Cherry’s advice, I instead tested it with the dao of softness.” He looked over at the two newcomers and then at the two humans and decided to start a little earlier in the process.

“When I formed my first dao, I made channels in my body for the mana to flow through.”

“Like water ways?” Mika asked.

“Sort of. They crisscross all over my body. Anyway instead of trying to write or memorize a dao character, I started to use all these crisscrossing channels in my body to write the character as I saw it. Then I rapidly continue to draw the character and sort of internalize it.”

“Is that what gave you all those wicked tattoos?” Amelia leaned forward, looking at his arm.

“No… these are from Lilith, the first witch.” He added the last bit as an afterthought.

“Wait, Lilith? THE Lilith? She did those?!” Amelia jumped off her stump and grabbed his arm to look at them.

“Yes, and you can study his enchantment another time. We’re in the middle of a discussion” Sasha admonished Amelia. “His entire body is enchanted by Lilith. He’s The Black Knight, or was. It’s complicated.”

Dar didn’t see any reason to try and hide his background. He needed to trust the people he was building relationships with. “I died. She used my body as a sort of living weapon afterwards and only recently pulled my soul back into it. But before she did that, I was living another life in another world.”

Despite the shocked faces, nobody questioned him. Dar had expected a bit more hesitation, but they all just nodded along.

“Anyway, so I used these new channels to learn the soft dao in a little over half a day. But, that was with my dao path heavily entwined with Sasha, and all these enchantments on me.”

“More importantly, he was weak as a kitten afterwards,” Cherry told the group. “I had to drag him out because he couldn’t even stand.”

“That’s not entirely fair.”

Cherry crossed her arms under her chest. “You were too weak, Dar. I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you trying that again.”

“Would it be possible to not do it all in one go?” Amelia tried to be helpful.

“I like that idea. Dar, I think you need to be careful. Dao is not meant to be forcibly mastered like this.” Sasha put her hand on his arm and stared into his eyes. “Please, Dar. The last thing any of us want is for you to wind up injured.”

“I understand, but we also have a ticking bomb. Between Bellhaven and the devils, I need to grow my strength. I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.” Dar thought back to the river boat sailor’s reflection on a thirty foot troll. “We’ve been comfortable here the last few days, but the danger isn’t gone.”

Sasha nodded. “I understand, but what about…” She looked at the others before turning back to Dar. “The little tree?”

“If there’s the opportunity to grow it, I will. But I haven’t seen any here yet, unless you are suggesting I lose all my morals for a little bit of strength.”

She recoiled. “No, not at all.”

“Sasha is right. We need to get you in the action again. That little tree is your secret weapon.” Cherry said.

The others were looking confused, but he didn’t fill in the blanks. While he had explained much to them already, the little dao tree was a dangerous secret. It was a large advantage if he found a way to fully use it.

“Okay. But it’s already evening, so let’s enjoy each others’ company. Tomorrow, I will go help with lumber.” Dar knew they were right. He’d need to balance helping Hearthway prepare for winter while working to prepare to protect them from attacks. While the devils were a danger, nature could also be deadly.

AN: Welcome new peeps! Glad to have you with us.