Dao 3 Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Before Dar could press Cherry further, Amber burst into the room. She took about two steps before freezing, a wide smile overtaking her lips at the scene in front of her.

“Milord. I see…” She cleared her throat, trying to retain a professional vinere even as Dar had a nearly sexed out dryad on his chest. “We have an important visitor to the village.”

His brows pressed down hard. He didn’t like being interrupted, and he was wary of new visitors. “Who?”

“An emissary from The White.” Her tone was solemn, her eyes pleading with him to get up quickly.

“Shit.” Dar pulled Cherry off of him in a hurry.

The dryad lazily poured herself into him, entering his inner world.

If the dryad disappearing phased Amber, she didn’t let it show. She simply walked over, picking up his pants and holding them out to help him get dressed.

Dar knew trying to fight her and do it himself was a lost cause, so he grabbed a sheet and wiped himself down quickly before stepping into the pants. “What am I dealing with?”

“A big white bear demon. He says he’s from The White, but he wouldn’t say more, even to Glump.” Amber quickly informed him.

“Strength?” He asked as she pressed down his clothes quickly, trying to make himself a smidge more presentable.

“Strong, but beyond that, I don’t know.” She looked down in shame.

Dar grabbed her chin and forced it up. “You have just started your journey to become stronger. Don’t feel inferior. You could take on a dozen of the guards back at Bellhaven at this point, and you are progressing quickly. Think of where you were a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, Milord.” A smile returned to her lips and buoyed Dar’s spirits. “I do not know how strong he is, but he is stronger than Glump.”

Dar clicked his tongue. That meant the visiting demon was likely towards the peak of a greater demon, or might even be a grand demon. Thinking back to him being a spokesman for the White, then it was likely he was a grand demon.

The only practitioner of a grand dao in the village was Cherry, who he didn’t think was going to be much help at present.

Whatever had happened to the tree had clearly affected her, and he didn’t want to bring her into a fight if he could help it. At least, he wouldn’t bring her into it until he had a better understanding of what had come over her.

“Okay, let’s go. Lead me to him.” Dar motioned Amber forward, and she darted with a speed that made it clear just how dangerous she could be. Stopping after only a couple steps and holding her back straight, she led him out in a manner, suiting someone in charge.

The second Dar stepped foot out of the cave, it became glaringly obvious where the demon was.

A furry white head towered over everyone else in the village. Even Dar would have to look up when he talked to the demon. The visitor stood there, tall and domineering, staring out over the crowd. The villagers kept away from him in their celebration, yet Dar could tell the man’s presence was putting a damper on things.

“Hello.” Dar called out, waving to the demon and hoping to meet him halfway. At least then it would pull him away from the clearly on edge villagers.

Thankfully, the demon took the cue, moved to greet him.

Dar took that as a good sign. The man wasn’t cocky enough to expect Dar to come to him.

Dar got a better look at the demon as he grew closer. He had retained more of its bestial traits than most, and it was clear it had been a polar bear, or at least the Granterra equivalent. Dar had only seen polar bears in a zoo, but this demon definitely seemed larger than those he’d experienced on Earth.

But most things on Granterra were larger and deadlier than their Earth equivalents.

“Hello, I am Karn, emissary from Frost’s Fang.” The bearman introduced himself, holding out a heavy hand that seemed just barely human enough to use tools.

Dar clasped him by the wrist. “Darius, but my friends call me Dar, leader of this little village.”

Karn stared at him, no doubt sensing his mana and his strength. There was little Dar could do to stop him from sensing them.

Amber had been right; this demon was powerful. If he had to guess, he’d place him a notch above Cherry, meaning he might be a grand demon with two grand dao. This wasn’t a matter he could take lightly.

“What can we do for you?” Dar continued.

Karn’s pitch black eyes blinked. “I have come at the behest of The White to investigate Bellhaven. Rumors… reached us. She is concerned about what she is hearing.”

Shit, Dar cursed internally.

Dar had eliminated Mark during his small trip to Bellhaven recently, putting an end to the group largely responsible for the oppression of the ancient races in Bellhaven, but he was hesitant to tell Karn any of those details.

Without giving away he was the Black Knight, he couldn’t really provide the information, and he wanted to keep that a secret.

There was a bounty on Dar’s head for killing a noble put out by the Prince. Despite saving the Prince’s life, the bounty remained. Apparently, the Prince had to uphold appearances and make an example, although Dar thought he should get some sort of break for saving the man’s dignity after the Prince was completely bulldozed by Mark.

“I don’t know of the rumors, but I know much of the truth. The people you see here fled Bellhaven a month ago.” Dar gestured to the celebrating villagers. “After an unfortunate change in leadership, we were no longer welcome in Bellhaven.”

Karn growled and in a flash, it felt like Dar was about to be surrounded by corpses. Dar braced, readying for a fight, but the big bearman calmed after just a moment, stuffing that violent aggression back down.

Dar noted that pissing the bear off was something he should avoid.

“It is unacceptable for humans to treat us this way. Examples must be made.” Karn stated with a grunt.

“Agreed. I know the names of those responsible for the aggression they showed us. And since then, I have seen Prince Gregor traveling down to Bellhaven. He may have fixed the problem.” Dar tried to give enough that Karn wouldn’t storm in and turn the city into a graveyard without learning more.

“No matter.” Karn said dismissively. “I will handle this. Bring your people, and we will take back what was yours.”

Villagers sang and cheered while they drank the terrible liquor and ate meaty stew. Oblivious to the talk of yet another battle.

Dar didn’t believe more bloodshed was the answer.

Before, the ancient races in Bellhaven were barely surviving in the slums of Bellhaven. The city had been on the edge of falling apart. Overpopulation continued to make living conditions tougher, caused by the waves of nearby villages seeking refuge from waves of devil attacks within its borders.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’ll be going back. We want to create something new that isn’t hampered by the prejudices in that city.”

Karn eyed him, but seemed to accept it for the moment. “What is this celebration for?”

Dar explained, “There have been increased devil attacks in the area. Bellhaven has struggled with it as well. We recently encountered a massive colony of ettercaps that was spreading out and threatening our village. There were nearly a thousand of them, but we fought them and were able to win.” Dar explained, leaving out mention of the Mo.

Karn frowned. “So many?” His eyes wandered the village, trying to do the mental math of how the group was able to eliminate them. But when his eyes took in the fire raging deep into the southern forest, he seemed to be appeased. “Ah.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, after our first battle with them, it was clear we needed a more… efficient tactic.” Dar said.

“Cowardly.” Karn’s beady black eyes fixed on Dar. “They were just ettercap.”

“Any foe is dangerous enough in large numbers. I have no regrets. It was justified by the number of villager’s lives I saved in making the decision to burn their webbed fortress, and them with the forest.” Dar wasn’t backing down.

But Karn wasn’t paying attention. Instead, he was looking up at the sky, reading the stars and then looking around, finding landmarks. The big demon frowned. “I will go investigate this ettercap site.” He said in a grave tone. “Then I will go to Bellhaven.”

“You are welcome to stay the night here.” Dar thought about his freshly cleaned out hut. “We happen to have an empty hut. It is simple, but it’s a shelter.”

“Show me.” Karn demanded.

Dar’s face twitched, not used to being commanded since he’d come to Granterra. He wanted to tell the demon off for that tone, but he wasn’t an idiot. This demon was powerful enough to wipe their little village off the map, maybe even take Bellhaven with it. For now, he would have to be careful.

The speed with which Karn had become aggressive at mention of the ancients being abused showed that he was quick to anger. The last thing Dar needed was to wake up in the morning to a village covered in blood because he’d failed to be cautious and diplomatic.

The villagers parted for the two of them as Dar brought Karn to the recently vacated hut. “Here. On your travels to and from Bellhaven, you are free to use it.”

“Satisfactory. I will be going now. This ettercap problem concerns me.” The big demon lumbered away straight for a raging forest fire. Apparently, fire didn’t bother him either. With his dao of heat, Dar could also have walked straight through the fire without harm.

Karn must have had some dao to protect him.

“Is everything alright?” Glump croaked from beside Dar, getting his attention.

“For now. That was Karn.” Dar realized more than a few people were waiting in the wings, wanting to know why their new visitor had come.

Dar beckoned over his women and the leadership for the village. “That was Karn. He comes on behest of The White, and he’s possibly even stronger than Cherry. He is definitely far more militant.

Stay out of his way. Hopefully, he’ll pass through like a bad storm and we can continue on. He was interested in the ettercaps, so he is scoping the forest out tomorrow. And then I believe he’ll head for Bellhaven tomorrow.”

Bart sucked in a tight breath. “What’s he going to Bellhaven for?”

“Investigating rumors around how they were treating spirits and demons.” Dar summarized what he had learned from Karn.

More than a few of those present had pained looks on their face as they went through the mental exercise Dar had as well. Bellhaven was in trouble.

It invoked mixed reactions from the group. Glump and Rex looked away as if it wasn’t their problem. Let the city pay for what it did to them.

Russ almost looked eager for them to pay their pittance, for driving them out.

Bart was no doubt thinking about secondary ramifications as he scratched his chin.

Sam was, well, the most caring of their group and thinking of the children that would be caught in the crossfire.

“I think it is about time for me to turn in for the night.” Dar told the group, seeing the mix of emotions play across their faces. They all needed time to make up their minds. “I want to be my best for him tomorrow. If he comes back, I offered him our old hut. We are moving out to the cave today and settling in.”

That statement earned him a clap of congratulations from Bart, who glanced at his daughter to confirm Dar had made a place for her in his new home. When he saw her smile, it reflected on the old blacksmith’s face. “Good. Enjoy your home. Nothing like living in a place you built yourself.”

“Thank you.” Dar gave the man’s shoulder a squeeze. Bart had become one of Dar’s closest allies in the village. The blacksmith and his wife had already made the transition to becoming immortals like Dar’s maids. They were among the few he trusted the most.

The group broke up as Dar turned to grab his women and head to the cave, but Glump stopped Dar and pulled him aside to speak for a moment. “I would be careful with a demon like Karn around.” Glump’s eyes wandered over Dar’s dao companions and then to Blair and Neko. “Demons like him often take what they want, especially if those women are unattached.”

Ah, Dar pat Glump on the back, appreciating the heads up.

“Thank you for the advice.” Dar would have to keep it in mind. There wasn’t much he could do if Karn went after ladies in the village. Technically, Dar hadn’t laid claim to Blair or Neko, but he felt a wave of possessiveness at the thought of Karn sweeping them off their feet.

“You should stop being so resistant and bring them into your family. They are good girls, and you are a strong man.” Glump clearly didn’t understand Dar’s hesitation, but how could he? He’d been raised in a world where harems were normal for those powerful enough.

“Will do, old friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think my ladies are eager to rest.”

Sasha took her cue and grabbed Dar’s arm, pulling him away from the conversation. Mika came over on the other side, the two of them hemming him in. “What are you going to do?” Sasha asked as they walked along with Blair, Neko, and the maids.

“Let’s wait until we are inside.” Dar pointed with his chin and pulled the ladies along through the cave to the mansion deep within. It wasn’t until the door closed behind them that Dar pulled them over to sit down on the stone couches.

Some of Sasha’s enchanted cloth was now draped over them, pinned in place with how he molded the stone. It didn’t quite mimic a cushion, but Dar never liked overly soft furniture, anyway. They were nice.

Reaching inside himself, he pushed and pulled until a dirty Cherry came out of his inner world.

He raised his brow at her.

“Burying corpses for the little dao tree.” She said by way of explanation before hopping on his lap and dirtying his clothes.

“I’m the one who has to get that out of his clothes.” Sasha grumbled. “But thank you for joining us. You missed the excitement of one of The White’s people coming to visit.”

Cherry’s brow furrowed, and she turned to Dar, waiting for more.

“His name is Karn.” Dar supplied. By the way, Cherry’s eyes opened wide. She knew the name.

“He is an enforcer. The White sends him out to kill. He’s strong and there are many stories of his… swift justice.” Cherry’s voice was small. “What is he doing here?”

Dar didn’t like the sound of ‘enforcer,’ but it wasn’t far from what he’d expected after meeting the demon. “He came to check on rumors of ancient races being mistreated in Bellhaven. But now he’s added going to check on the ettercap stronghold. But he didn’t seem too interested in it until he looked to the sky and figured out his current location.”

Cherry nodded. “Yeah. The White would know of the sealed Mo that was within her territory.”

“Do we have a problem?” Dar asked. “If Karn checks it out and finds the Mo gone, what is he going to do?”

The dryad in his lap nibbled on her lip as she pondered it out loud. “If he goes out there and finds it missing, he will eventually report it back to The White. But I think he will assume it is loose rather than that we killed it. That will seem unlikely to him.”

“Makes sense. Why would he think that a small village would have been able to kill it?” Mika followed her logic. “Will he try to track it?”

“Maybe?” Cherry hesitated. “Given what kind of creature it was and the dao it possessed, he might not consider it possible for him to track it. But that’s all just a guess.”

There was a smirk on Neko’s lips. “Bear doesn’t know that Dar is the best.”

“Would there be any consequence if Karn knew I defeated it?”

Cherry shook out her long green hair. “I don’t think he’d believe you. If anything, he’d think you were fooled. If that thing had gotten out, it might have been able to do just that, fool us. The Mo that Lilith hunted were immortal and would come back if she didn’t seal them.”

The spider had seemed tough enough. And when the little dao tree had absorbed the colossal spider, Dar had felt how the creature was connected to its aspect of The Dao. Even if they had crushed the thing a million times, it would have continued to come back.

But with the help of his little dao tree, Dar was sure it was gone for good this time.

“Okay. That settles it. If Karn comes asking questions, we tell the truth. We saw the massive creature, severed its limbs and burnt the web fortress.” He looked at the group. “For now, we keep what the little dao tree has done a secret.”

The girls nodded in understanding before he continued.

“Considering what you said, and my own impressions of the demon, I think it would be best if I traveled with him to Bellhaven.” Dar said seriously.

“Why? They’ve done nothing for us.” Blair crossed her arms and pouted.

Dar knew merchants had continuously cheated the salt spirit in Bellhaven. She had essentially been a walking gold mine as far as those merchants were concerned, given her ability to pull salt from the sea and soil and salt’s use as currency in trade.

Given the chance to exploit her, they had. They’d claimed her salt was monstrous in origin, and therefore lesser. So they’d buy it at a deep discount and then resell it with their stock, pocketing large profits.

“Despite any feelings I might have towards the city, many of the citizens are innocent. It was the nobility that made the power play.” Dar let out a heavy sigh. He hated going out of his way to help Bellhaven considering what had happened, but he’d already dealt justice as the Black Knight. It wasn’t fair to make them suffer further without additional cause.

Dar saw several options of what could happen when Karn visited Bellhaven, and very few of them were good, and some might affect his village.

Karn could do enough damage that Kindrake would be forced to make a move, or he could do damage on a level that would halt the flow of merchants past their small village. None of those would benefit them. And it could only make the humans more fearful of ancient races.

“I understand.” Sasha patted his thigh. “But I can’t go with you.” She looked apologetic. “The village still needs guidance, and there is much for me to do.”

Dar’s gaze passed over the rest of the women as he thought about who, if anyone, should come with him.

Blair wouldn’t work. Her attitude towards the city wouldn’t help Dar’s goal to keep Karn from violence. She’d have to stay behind with Sasha.

Cherry went where he did now that she was tied to his dao tree, so she was a given. And he wouldn’t mind having her with him to help navigate his time with Karn. And he had a feeling the maids would insist on coming to make sure he had all he needed.

Noticing Neko listening and based on the look on her face, she’d likely follow him, even if he tried to get her to stay behind.

So the only person that was still a question was Mika.

“What will you do, Mika?”

She had a frown of consternation on her face before giving up with a sigh. “I’m needed here. I need to keep fishing before the river gets too cold and to help Russ with the boat.”

Dar nodded, realizing that if they wanted to keep the boat up here while they were in Bellhaven, it made more sense for Dar to see if he couldn’t hitch a ride with the merchant on his way south.

“Hey. What about me?” Blair shouted, but Mika put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and shook her head. She must have had the same opinion Dar did about Blair joining on the trip.

Blair turned to her friend, ready to chew her out, so Dar spoke first. “My goal is to prevent Karn from causing too much damage to Bellhaven, while also looking for more information on this levy that the nation is rallying for in the spring. Can you really say your feeling for the city wouldn’t cause conflict with my goals?”

He needed to understand more about any potential oncoming war. Their village was so small, they didn’t have resources or people to spare for a levy.

Blair wilted, knowing she couldn’t honestly say she would stay out of the way. “No.”

“Thank you for being honest with yourself and with me.” Dar did his best to reward her for her honesty. “For that, let’s talk about spending an afternoon together when I get back.” He’d find some way to spoil her with a date. She deserved to be spoiled after all the help she had given his family recently.

Without a doubt, Blair was strong in many ways and would be a boon to their family, but this wasn’t the task for her.

“Of course.” She smiled wide, her violet eyes pinched in the corner with her smile. “But just you and me for the afternoon. No one else.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He smiled.

“Now, I apologize, but I think I need to get some rest so that Karn doesn’t blow through the village tomorrow morning while we’re sleeping. I don’t want to miss our opportunity.” Dar excused himself, and his dao companions followed him back to the bedroom, while the maids, Neko, and Blair made their way to their own rooms.

While he did need to get sleep, Dar was also excited and anxious. Once he laid down, he’d finally be able to dive into his inner world and see just what had changed from the little dao tree absorbing the Mo.