Dao Divinity 2 Chapter 23 (Patreon)

The continuous clang of picks hitting stone sounded before Dar could even see Bellhaven’s quarry up ahead. The place was packed; several thousand workers sweating side by side working the quarry for all the stone it was worth.

Mika whistled softly. “They are throwing all the manpower at this that they can. Must be how they got that wall built so quickly.”

Dar reached out, sensing what they were chipping away. Feeling a sense of familiarity, Dar instinctively knew the stone was largely granite.

Staying back towards the shadows, Dar didn’t want to call any extra attention to himself. He already stood out enough. Looking around for somebody he may be able to talk to, he spotted a minotaur in shackles.

The brute wasn’t the one he’d met before; this one had a much larger woollen head. Knowing what he did now about Demons, Dar suspected he’d evolved from a bison.

Dar watched as the minotaur trudged back into the quarry, taking a path that all the humans weren’t using. Nobody seemed to keep a firm eye on him, forming Dar’s plan. “I’m going to slip down there to talk to that bull and see if I can’t free him.”

Mika looked worried. “He’s not going to be in a great mood. Looks like he’s not here by choice.”

“He won’t trust me at first, but I’m hoping we can come to an arrangement easily. If something goes wrong, there’s a lot of granite here. I can do enough to escape.” Dar stepped forward, creating a small alcove in the granite before stepping into it. Focusing on the surrounding stone, Dar shifted the pocket of space through the rock, refilling behind him as he went. It took a lot of concentration and was a tight fit, but Dar could move himself in the direction the Minotaur’s path had taken. 

Soon, his little alcove opened up as it passed up to a passageway. Dar hoped it was the same one the minotaur had gone down. Taking a deep breath, he worked to adjust his eyes to the limited light, sensing for any threats.

There were torches about every twenty feet in the square cut tunnel, but even under the flickering light, it was hard to make out much further down the tunnel.

Following the clop of the minotaur he could hear ahead, Dar used his quiet dao to muffle any noise he’d make walking through the tunnel.

As he went deeper, he began to hear the pings of a bull’s pick axe and stopped just short of the demon, waiting to be noticed rather than startle the already upset and armed demon.

The demon took a few more swings, and Dar realized he may need to help the demon spot him. Shifting slightly back and forth, it worked. The minotaur looked up slowly, a wary expression on his face as he pulled his tool back for an attack.

“Hey now, I just didn’t want to startle you.” Dar raised his hands. “I’m not from Bellhaven. I’m from a community up the Bell River and came down here to check on the city after the rumors we heard.”

But the bull looked around. “How did you get down here? And why are you down in a cave tunnel talking to me if you just need information?” Distrust covered his face.

“I’m not exactly expecting to be well loved by the humans in the city. For one, I’m not one of them.” Dar demonstrated, pulling a chunk of granite off the wall and molding it. The distrust on the minotaur’s face turned to awe as he looked back at Dar with new interest.

“And, the last time I was in Bellhaven I sort of took a bunch of the tradesmen, demons, and spirits that were interested and headed out to carve our own way through the world. So, lying low is a better plan for me. I saw you off on your own and was hoping you might be willing to catch me up on what’s going on here.”

The minotaur snorted and scraped its feet against the ground, the clang of chains echoing off the square walls. “Heard a bit about all of you, although they don’t like to talk much about the group that left. Came here a week ago with the rest of my village. As soon as we arrived, the women and men were split up. Women were let into the city and put to work in the farms. All men were given work duty. Most of them are breaking their backs hauling stone for the wall, I’m here digging stone.”

“Probably just based on your size and strength, this is tough work.” Dar rolled his eyes. “What’s your dao?”

The man paused for a moment, seeming to size up if he could trust Dar, but he seemed to decide there wasn’t much to lose. “Tough.” 

Dar gave him a once over. “Fits well enough. So, what’s your name?”

“Lou. What else did you want to know? I need to make sure I hit my quota or they’re going to know something was up.”

“I heard the prince was coming here. I wanted to come check in on how that worked out for him and the city.”

Lou snorted a chuckle. “Clearly I didn’t get out of my shackles, if that’s what you are asking.” He grumbled as he looked down at the chains around his ankles. “Last I heard, the prince was confined to the keep. Haven’t seen him around, but I also don’t get out a lot.”

Dar winced, but he wasn’t surprised. He had a feeling the prince would struggle against the entrenched nobles of the city. While he wasn’t a huge fan of the prince, he did get the sense that the man would do more right by the ancients. “Thanks, I was hoping for some better news.”

“You didn’t ask for good news. You asked for the news.” The minotaur said, his tone even.

“Well, got any good news?”

“The wall’s almost finished? Not sure what happens to me when it is though.”

Given the shackles around his ankles, Dar figured it wouldn’t be anything good. “Do you want out of here?”

Lou scoffed. “Of course. But fat chance I have at that. It isn’t like I can sneak out.” He clopped his hooves on the ground. “Not exactly built for stealth.”

Dar paused, listening for anybody approaching. The tunnel still seemed quiet. “I may be able to help you, but we should get moving. Up for it? You can bring your pick if you want.”

Lou paused, seeming more torn than Dar expected of somebody clearly forced into indentured servitude. “I can’t. At least… not until I know for sure…” The minotaur went silent, staring off to the side.

Dar was antsy to get moving, so he tried to coax more out of the demon. “What is it you need to know?”

The minotaur looked back at Dar, pulled out of his thoughts. “I have a friend. A girl that I’ve known since we were kids. We joked about getting married when we were older. We got separated when we came to the city…” A sad chuckle escaped him. “She’s always been a stubborn one. My guess is she stood up to somebody she shouldn’t have. I don’t know all the details. But I’ve heard that she’s been sentenced to hang in the morning. I know there’s nothing I can do to save her, so I should just leave, but it feels wrong. I know her. She doesn’t deserve this.”

Dar nodded, understanding the demon’s hesitation more clearly. “And if we could save her too?” Dar knew Mika was going to kill him for this, but it went against his core beliefs to let an innocent person hang if there was something he could do to help.

The minotaur scoffed, looking Dar over again. “You and what army? Don’t get me wrong, you seem powerful and all demonstrating that greater dao, but I really don’t see how you’re going to be able to get in and get her out.” 

Dar nodded. In all honesty, he hadn’t pieced that together yet, but he’d work on it as they got out of the cave. “Come with me, and I promise we will do what we can to help her.” Seeing the demon still hesitating, Dar added, “What do you really have to lose?”

Lou finally nodded, breaking his pick axe over his knee while he muttered, “happy to never see another one of those my whole life.” Nodding to Dar, they headed out of the cave.

Dar led the way as they moved back up through the tunnels. When he spotted the alcove he’d entered using, Dar realized that while he was large, the opening was clearly not large enough for the minotaur. Opening it up slightly further, Dar motioned to the demon. “This way. It’ll be tight, but bear with me.”

Lou grunted and stepped in behind Dar. Dar then used the air pocket around them and started slowly shifting it, displacing stone as they moved. The minotaur fidgeted next to him, clearly not loving the confined space, but he didn’t say a word as Dar guided them out.

“Dar.” Mika whispered, seeing him come out of the ground again. Her clear relief at seeing him quickly turned into a frown as she crossed her arms. “Next time, no vanishing until we’ve both agreed on a plan.”

Dar gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry. I wanted to catch this big guy before he got too far ahead of me. Lou, meet one of my dao companions, Mika.”

Lou bowed slightly to Mika. “Hello.”

“Mika, I need you to take Lou back to the boat and hunker down for a bit. I have something I need to do in town, but I’ll come join you in the next hour or so. If you don’t see me by then, go back upstream. We can’t pilot the boat in the dark, and sunset isn’t too far away. I don’t want Bellhaven finding the boat and taking control of it. Can you do that?”

Mika’s eyebrow arched. Clearly not onboard with that plan. “And what exactly are you doing in town?”

Dar paused, knowing she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. “Lou has a friend in town that needs our help and doesn’t have long. I’m going to go grab her. And maybe help the prince establish a bit more control while I’m at it.” Dar gave Mika his most confident smile, but the skepticism on her face remained. 

“Dar, I know you want to help everybody, and the nobles here are definitely corrupt. But how exactly do you plan on getting in and doing all of that without the world crashing down on you? These nobles saw you use dao without any talisman. That’s unheard of! I’ll bet there’s some sort of bounty already on your head. And you’re not invincible!” Taking a deep breath, Mika worked to calm herself down before she stared into his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Dar nodded, wanting to console her but also not sure how to answer her concerns. Seeing him pause, Mika softened the moment by saying “and if I go back without you, Cherry and Sasha are going to kill me.”

Chuckling, Dar knew that she had nothing to worry about compared to the fury he’d meet when they did get him back. But his mind was still spinning on what she’d said at the end. He wasn’t invincible, but he could make his body much more fortified and manage to hide his identity. All he needed to do was stop being Dar and become The Black Knight.

A smile crossed his face as the pieces of the puzzle started to come together, which only deepened Mika’s frown. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” she asked.

“Probably not, but I think it’s a good plan. And you helped me get there. Thank you.” He stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. She stayed stiff for a moment before giving in and relaxing into his hug.

“Dar, this better be a damn good plan.” Mika looked up at him and he kissed her forehead.

“It’s the best we’ve got, but I think it’ll work. And I need you to protect the boat and bring it back to Bellhaven, should anything happen. It’s the best chance the village has at getting resources it needs, and I won’t do something that would risk our village. I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you do that Mika?”

He saw the hesitant acceptance cross her face before she agreed. “One hour. I better see you in one. Hour.” Punctuating her words, she leaned up, wrapping her arms around his neck while she gave him a deep kiss.

“Who wouldn’t want to get themselves back when they have a beautiful woman who can kiss like that?” Dar asked, earning himself a smile before sadness entered Mika’s eyes again.

“One hour.” She reiterated again before turning and motioning for Lou to follow her. Dar watched as they headed off towards the boat, waiting until they were out of sight to kick off his plan.

Looking around to make sure he was alone, Dar brought out the suit of pitch black armor and quickly donned it before summoning the midnight black ax.

The enchantments on the armor and weapon blazed to life against his skin. There were layers to the enchantments hiding them, further obscured, but Dar could feel the massive draw of mana from the suit of armor as he stepped towards Bellhaven. He couldn’t help but enjoy the satisfaction the extra firepower gave him.

Heading from the quarry towards the town, Dar had only made it about halfway toward the gates before guards began swarming in front of them, clearly preparing for a fight.

“Who goes there?” One man shouted from the top of the wall.

Dar considered talking, but ended up deciding that an air of mystery might work to his advantage the best. So instead, he swung his ax off his shoulder and planted it firmly in the ground, crossing his wrists over the top and waited, doing his best to give off an air of boredom.

The guards didn’t seem to know what to do in response. There was a long pause as they waited and watched him before trying again.

“Knight. Declare yourself!” The man on the wall shouted again. He’d tried to sound authoritative, but Dar could hear the hesitancy in his voice.

Deciding to speed things along since he was on a clock, Dar lifted his ax out of the soil and slung it over his shoulder, strolling towards the city like he didn’t have a care in the world. Soldiers raised their weapons as he reached them, but Dar pushed forward, using his dao of heavy to root each of his steps and prevent them from pushing him back. As a result, their bodies just shifted around him as he plowed forward, unable to move him from each step that he took. They doubled down, trying to all push against him, but Dar just strode forward like he was walking through a strong counter wind.

“I said stop. Stop dammit!” The man atop the wall shouted as Dar finished striding through the men, reaching the gate and looking up.

The men behind him were standing haphazardly, clearly trying to rationalize what they had just experienced. A few of the men started raising their weapons, his arm hesitating in the air as he looked up the wall, clearly waiting for an order.

“Hold, Men.” An older voice shouted, coming to the wall on horseback.

Dar recognized Commander Carlson that had been on the prince’s boat. The man had seemed reasonable enough. He had a feeling he wouldn’t sacrifice the lives of his men for no reason, and Dar was happy to not have to hurt anybody that was just following orders.

Focusing on the open gate, Dar strolled right through, hearing the commander shout behind him. “Do not engage that knight. Fuck. If that abomination is here, that means there’s a celestial demon in the city.”

The soldiers around went so still at his statement that they could have been statues.

“But commander…”

“Shut up. He could kill the lot of you, and you would die for nothing. If he doesn’t attack, don’t draw your weapons on him. Just get out of his way. Send word to the rest of the guard.”

So far, the armor was doing its job. He was pleased there were still those around who knew of Lilith and the Black Knight well enough to recognize him.

The clop of hooves on cobblestones came up to Dar’s right. “I apologize sir Black Knight. Where… uh might you be going?”

Dar plodded his way down the busy Bellhaven street. The commander’s presence atop his horse added extra help to part the crowd ahead of them. Together, the masses parted, the townspeople gaping to the side as they moved past.

“It would seem you are heading to the duke’s manor?” The commander tried again, and Dar thought it might be best to work with the man. He’d at least seemed sensible before.

Nodding his large black helmet, Dar agreed that was his destination. He planned to make one extra stop in addition to saving Lou’s friend, and it would be easier to do it without her in tow.

The commander cleared his throat and waved to two men, who hurried over to him. The commander said something in a hushed urgency that Dar couldn’t quite hear before the two men sprinted ahead.

Feeling something was wrong, Dar increased his stride, not wanting them to be able to prepare more for him than they already were.

“Ho. Black Knight. No need to hurry.” The commander kicked his horse to speed up into a slow trot.

But Dar didn’t slow, moving quickly through the familiar streets and heading straight for what had been the Duke’s manor previously.

As they moved closer, Dar spotted the two men pulling something down from the entryway. Curious about what they were working so hard to hide, Dar moved faster to intercept them. And that was when he spotted the limp form of a spirit with a noose around its neck being carted away like some sack of flour.

Dar’s blood began boiling. The men were treating the body with no respect, dragging it away along the ground. Stepping forward, Dar swung his ax from his shoulder, cutting through both of the guards’ legs like butter. As they fell to the ground screaming, Dar couldn’t help but feel justified. They didn’t deserve to walk on the same ground as the spirit they had treated in that way.

“Hold up!” The commander yelled, clearly torn between defending his men and fear over taking Dar on directly.

Dar turned his attention to the commander. “Where is your second in command? The demon with antlers.” His voice came out rougher than normal.

The commander swallowed around a lump in his throat, staring at Dar. “Dead, but I didn’t have a say in that. The prince is being held hostage, and if I return to Kindrake without him, the King won’t forgive me or my family.”

“So instead, you allow these atrocities to occur?” Dar growled, his ax only a moment away from killing the coward.

The commander gave a self-deprecating chuckle as he stated, “You think being send to babysit the third prince was because the King trusted me? No, it is punishment. I’m already on thin ice. I have a family to think about.” The man crossed his arms like that, justified anything.

Dar had half a mind to kill him right then and there, but he also sensed that the commander was a fine enough leader if given the right circumstances. The prince might need him to shore things up, if Dar could help improve the current circumstances.

“Fine.” Dar loosened his grip on the ax and trudged into the manor.

Two guards stood, more alert as he walked up. He recognized them as some of the soldiers the nobles had used previously. Giving them a moment to step aside, they held their ground in front of the manor door. With one wide sweep of his ax, Dar cut through both of them, his ax moving so swiftly that it scored the door between them.

Stepping forward, Dar nudged the door. But it didn’t move. It had to be barred from the inside.

“Are you just going to kill everyone?” The commander asked.

Dar turned and glared at the man through his dark helmet. “I’m going to remove the cancerous problem in this city.”

“Please, spare the prince. I swear he argued against the new Duke’s actions. He just didn’t have the force to take them on before they kept him isolated here in the manor.” The commander looked away, his cheeks flushing in shame.

“I’m disappointed you let this happen. This blood is on your hands.” Dar used his ax and cut through the door and the bar behind it.

“I know.” The commander whispered, stopping short of the door.

Dar continued into the Duke’s manor. Men came charging forward, but Dar cut through them, focused on his target. His ax passing through the air and men dying in a shower of blood, their armor clattering to the floor.

If Mark and Margaret were allowed to continue to grow, Hearthway would eventually come into conflict with them. And Dar would feel at least partially responsible for any of the deaths that occurred when he could have helped turn the tide in the prince’s favor. With his Black Knight’s armor, he had a chance of tipping the scales.

Dar pushed further into the manor, leaving a trail of blood behind him. As he entered what was a dinning hall, the room looked like it had been hastily abandoned. A lavish spread was placed around the table, with half eaten plates of food at each place setting.

The soldiers rallied in the dining hall, but their weapons did nothing to penetrate Dar’s armor. Meanwhile, Dar’s ax split through them like they were nothing. Dar couldn’t wait to see what other goodies his inner world might hold; the armor was proving invaluable.

“Where are Mark and Margaret.” Dar grabbed the last soldier by his throat.

The young man panicked and pointed towards a pair of large barred double doors. “They took the prince and the wizards through there.”

Dar paused, considering if he should kill the young man. “Do you think killing the demons was the right thing to do?”

The man spit on Dar’s helm. “The monsters should be pur—” Dar’s hand tightened around the young man’s neck. With a single snap, the man’s eyes glazed over as he died.

Dropping him in disgust, Dar continued forward. He knew what he was doing would take a toll on his soul, but he didn’t have time to spare. Rehabilitation would have to wait until another day.

Chopping through the center of the double doors, Dar cleaved the bar in two and pushed his way into the Duke’s living wing.

With his first step up to the doors, ice shards began to rain down. Pausing to see what they did, he watched as the armor took the attack, although the chill still seeped through and crept along his skin. Though it almost felt like the armor was meant to stop this sort of attack.

“Die, you vermin! This enchantment was granted by The White. You cannot dare come here and defy her.” A wizard Dar didn’t recognize stood with a crystalline white staff that looked like it was made from ice.

To fight the chill and the ice spreading across his armor, Dar let out a faint dao of heat, which seemed to multiply several times as it passed through the armor, melting away any of the chill. Dar straightened, turning his head to the man with the staff.

“No. Can’t be.” The wizard stammered, slamming the staff back down and once again pelting Dar with shards of ice..

Dar simply flooded his dao of heat again and pushed through it, continuing to step forward through the spray of ice to grab the wizard by the throat. He felt pure satisfaction in the crunch beneath his palm.

Several other wizards stood ready, sizing him up. Dar recognized Golum and shook his head as they all hesitated to take action. He knew none of them had something more powerful than what The White had given, but they would be formidable if they came together. Luckily for him, their selfishness seemed to make each of them hesitate to be the first to make a move, hoping somebody else would be the fodder.

A part of Dar also knew he needed to leave enough of them that they could defend the city. It wouldn’t do any good to free it of corruption, only to weaken it to the point that the devils would be able to come and sweep through.

Spotting the staff in the dead wizard’s hands, Dar smiled as he opened up his inner world and drew it in. Gasps filled the room as the wizards watched, but Dar didn’t mind the Black Knight having even more power in their minds.

Moving towards the door they’d seemed to be guarding, they all moved aside, allowing him through.

“Knock knock.” Dar said, not even bothering to try the door before he smashed it inwards.