Dao 3 Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Dar was glad, for their sake, that the nobility of Bellhaven had been able to roll out the red carpet so quickly.

“Welcome.” A richly dressed wizard greeted their party as they reached the duke’s old mansion, not more than five minutes after heading through the city.

“I see you’ve returned to the city.” The wizard’s eyes narrowed on Dar.

Dar could see he wasn’t going to get the warmest welcome, which irked him, given that he was doing it to help them. “Karn, if I hadn’t come with you, what are the chances you’d have already killed someone?”

The demon looked at him, surprised at Dar’s blunt assessment. “Likely several. But I already killed one.”

Karn looked puzzled as he studied Dar. “I do not understand how you survived so long when you are so reluctant to kill. There is a way to the world, a chain of power. Humans are weak. They either serve a purpose, or they do not. And those who do not will perish one way or another. I am simply speeding up the process.”

“Thanks for clearing that up.” Dar smiled, turning to the wizard and enjoying the look of shock on the poor old wizard’s face. At least the wizard looked like he got the picture. Maybe he’d stand a chance.

Providing some extra background, Dar addressed the wizard. “Karn passed through the village I’ve been establishing with the others who escaped your attempt to cleanse the city of non-humans. He stopped for a night with us on his way here to Bellhaven on behalf of The White. It would seem that she is not pleased with recent events, so I’d recommend you reconsider your attitude.”

Karn’s beady black eyes were emotionless as he stared icy death at the wizard. “Did he kill any of our kind?”

“Not that I can personally attest to.” Dar answered. “Oh, and you should know, I hid here in the city under the guise of a wizard to avoid persecution.” He lied.

The look Karn gave Dar was disgusted. It clearly insulted him that Dar would pretend to be human, but the demon moved on quickly. He pushed past the wizard, knocking him into the wall.

As they stepped inside the mansion, it looked entirely different from the last time Dar had been inside. Almost every strip of cloth, including the rugs, table runners, and large wall tapestries, had all changed to the Prince's colors.

Dar looked around, shocked at the opulence. It was all he could do not to whistle. That many dyed fabrics were not cheap. That much coin would be enough to feed Hearthway for several years. And Bellhaven itself was short on food.

Suddenly, Dar felt far less sympathetic to the Prince for whatever happened with Karn.

The wizard caught back up with Dar after recovering from being pushed aside by Karn. “Darius, stop at once. The two of you cannot barge through the Prince’s home without guidance.”

“I’d like to see you stop him.” Dar pointed to Karn and followed the big bearman as he ripped a door off its hinges rather than open it. Dar smiled. Karn was a bit rough around the edges, but he was also effective.

Dar wondered if The White had any more ambassador type representatives she sent out on other jobs. Karn was definitely lacking in tact and social skills, and while power might be the law of the ancient races, humans relied on rules to keep order. And while Dar had no doubt Karn could take on a mass of humans, Dar wasn’t sure Karn could take on all of Bellhaven.

Karn ducked into the room behind the door he’d ripped off, and Dar paused, waiting. The room was clearly a closet, and the demon would realize it quickly.

“Is he going to kill the prince?” The wizard asked.

“Don’t know.” Dar shrugged. “I’d rather he didn’t, but as a representative of The White, he can do whatever he damn well pleases as far as I’m concerned.”

The end of Dar’s statement was punctuated by shelving collapsing as Karn strode back out of the closet with a satisfied smile.

It could have also been a grimace. It was hard to tell with his bear-like face.

Guards trooped down the hall, their hands on the swords hanging from their belts. “Stop at once!” One of the guards in front belted out.

“I wouldn’t recommend stopping him. It will only mean your death.” Dar scolded the guards. They’d either missed the death of their fellow guard, or they were stupid.

One foolish young guard drew his sword anyway and pointed it shakily at Karn.

Dar cringed. The guard was clearly new. He didn’t want to watch the poor kid die.

He stepped forward, grabbing the demon’s forearm before he reached out and removed the kid’s head. “How about I lead from now on?”

Karn’s body stiffened at the touch, but Dar was pleased to see his arm remained attached to his body. It appeared he’d at least earned a bit of respect from the old demon.

“You nee—” The guard stammered.

“Don’t be a fool.” Dar’s gaze was stony as he looked at the guards. “He would have already killed you if not for me. And if you keep pointing that at me, I won’t be so helpful anymore.”

The young guard froze as his two compatriots pulled him back.

“Great. Now point us to the Prince.”

“Down this hall, last door on the left.” One guard was smart enough to answer Dar. “But we can’t let you go unattended.”

Dar hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “We have this guy, he was just too slow.” Without bothering to continue talking, Dar let go of Karn’s arm and brushed past the guards.

He could hear movement behind him. He knew that Neko and the maids were following further back, but what he was mostly listening to was indication Karn wasn’t actively killing guards. So far, so good.

“You are strong.” Karn spoke as he caught up.

“Not sure I want to test myself too much against you. After all, you are a grand demon?”

“Yes. But physically, you surprised me. Do not do that again.” Karn growled in threat.

Before Dar could say anything in response, Neko whirled around and scolded Karn once again.

“No! Bad.” Neko scolded Karn. “Dar is helping you, stupid bear.”

Karn’s face was one to remember. The shock of being scolded by Neko again was priceless. Karn didn’t likely have people scold him a second time after a warning.

“Come on, Neko. Let’s not antagonize the bear before we meet the prince.” Dar pulled Neko along and pushed through the doors the guards had indicated.

On the other side of the doors, the Prince stood. He was joined by several wizards and a few men in military uniform. They seemed to be caught mid discussion.

But what caught Dar’s attention most was a woman with antlers rising out of her head. She stepped forward, putting a hand on her sword. “Halt.”

“Tami.” Karn growled. “Good to see your family is still the pet of Kindrake’s ruling class.”

Dar didn’t miss the familiarity between the two. There was clearly a history there, but from what Dar could assess, she was only a greater demon.

“Excuse me, who let you in?” A man in uniform turned.

The look on his face shifted as Karn pulled himself through the doorway. “I have been sent by The White to investigate rumors of Bellhaven executing all demons and spirits.”

Every face in the room froze. They were clearly afraid to blink or breathe after he said that. They all knew that they had a problem; The White did not interfere often. When she did, it was serious.

Golum’s eyes slid to Dar. “What are you doing here?”

Dar was starting to question that himself. He’d come with the noble intentions of preventing Karn from slaughtering everyone in the city, but each person just made him want to reconsider that. “Showing Karn around. How’s that laboratory of yours, Golum? Still keeping that spirit in a cage?” The cold sweat that began building on Golum’s face was victory enough for Dar.

The Prince’s face fell as Golum’s grew red with rage. “Enough.” The wizard screamed.

Karn lumbered forward, towering over Prince Gregor. “I wish to see how your people treat mine. Show me this laboratory.”

Tami stepped forward, keeping herself between Prince Gregor and Karn, but that did nothing to protect Golum.

“I assure you that your people are treated well here in Bellhaven. It is true there was a coup in the city. Those who are no longer in power were using the people’s fear of the devil's attacks to create distrust for demons to distract from their political maneuvering to seize power. That has been squashed.” The Prince stood his ground before Karn, and Dar had to say, he was a bit impressed the man wasn’t cowering.

“Prove it.” The bear man huffed hard enough to blow back the Prince’s hair. “Your treatment of those of my kind that are weak is no different from if I went around slaughtering your children or forcing them into hard labor.”

More than a few of the men shifted on their feet, clearly not comfortable with the analogy and what it might mean for their families.

“Golum, show this man to your lab.” The Prince ordered.

“Sir. Maybe we let him see the town first?” Golum rubbed his hands nervously and looked past Karn to Dar for help.

“No, I think we should see your lab first.” While Dar wanted to save most of the town, he had been sickened by what Golum had done in his laboratory. He had been an enabler for the coup.

The air in the room seemed to shift, anticipation coursing through Dar. It was like watching a building demolished. The calm before the storm. If the Prince had not stopped Golum and the wizards in what they were doing to demons, then Dar no longer had a need to protect them so fully.

Golum twitched and took two fast steps to the side; he looked like he was about to bolt.

Dar kicked the ground. The entire building was made of cut granite, allowing his kick to travel through the ground. A small lip rose before Golum’s foot, tripping him as he moved and sending him down in a tumble.

Karn was on the man in an instant, picking him up and biting down on his shoulder and tearing him in two, in a brutal display of violence. Golum’s body strained and stretched against Karn’s powerful neck before his flesh tore. Karn dropped the two separate pieces of Golum on the floor.

The room was silent for a moment except for the wet sound of dripping blood.

Dar had to hand it to Karn. That was definitely one way to get everybody’s attention and make a lasting first impression.

The leaders of Bellhaven had their hands halfway to the swords on their belt, but nobody moved. They looked like they were dealing with an unhinged man, trying one last attempt to talk him down. But at least they were smart enough to realize he was homicidal, and they wouldn’t be able to stop him if he tried to kill them.

Luckily, they seemed to say the right things, because Karn finally moved over and sat down on a nearby chair. Although it was clear if anybody tried to leave, they wouldn’t make it far.

The rest of the group slowly sat down, seeming to position themselves as far away from Karn as they could. Watching the men squash together into a couch on the far side of Karn’s seat was amusing. They tried to look casual as they were pressed against each other.

Dar decided to let them chat, more interested in what they were discussing before he’d entered. He moved over to the large table they’d been standing around.

On it was drawn a map with markers and papers that seemed to show military planning. Dar wondered if it had to do with Kindrake’s plans for war, or if it would give him more information on the latest demon attacks as he planned his next rampage. He studied it, trying to understand what it was depicting, but he was having trouble even placing Bellhaven.

“What are you doing?” A female voice caught Dar’s attention as he tried to orient himself on the map.

“Trying to read a map.” He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Shouldn’t you be protecting the prince?”

A pretty female face shoved its way between him and the map, only to be pulled back by a growling Neko. “Don’t disturb Dar.”

Dar looked up at Tami, realizing that she reminded him of the demon that had originally come with the Prince.

“Do you happen to know another deer demon? A male?” Dar was curious if they ran in the same circles.

“My brother.” She said proudly.

“You do know that he was killed here in Bellhaven for being a demon, right? Hung up outside this very building to rot as a gruesome display to the rest of our kind.”

“What?!” Karn’s fuzzy bear ears apparently weren’t just for show. He whirled around in anger. Barely containing his rage, he stated. “Say that again.”

The deer demon looked just as stunned; her mouth hung open, and she turned to the Prince. “Is that true?”

“He died in defense of my personage.” The Prince replied, trying to bend the truth to diffuse the situation.

Dar shook his head, disappointed that The Prince was hiding what had been done rather than making it clear that it was unacceptable. Dar had been too optimistic about the change the man would bring to the area.

Instead, it seemed The Prince had been busy having his home redecorated and planning military affairs. He wasn’t dealing with the domestic unrest that was now knocking on his door.

At this point, Dar was ready to let Karn deliver the wake up call. “Bullshit.”

Dar realized that the knowledge he had was based on the Black Knight. He’d need a viable excuse for knowing about Tami’s brother. “We had people here monitoring the situation after we left. He was taken into custody and hung for all to see as an example. And during that, you were hiding up in the manor, making yourself comfortable with those who killed the Duke.”

“Things are not that black and white. Managing a kingdom isn’t as simple as snapping your fingers. Politics are a subtle game. It takes time to make a change.” The Prince looked like he was fed up with the conversation and ready to be done with it.

“My brother was thrown away for politics?” Tami asked, barely contained rage in her voice. When no one answered her, she turned to Karn. “What are you really doing here, Karn?”

The bear man drew himself up to his full height, giving the woman far more respect than he had the Prince and his men. “The White was told of a city that had grown… rotten.” Karn growled with the last word. “I’ve been sent to investigate and, if need be, remove the rot before it spreads. But I should tell you this, Tami. You should know all about this city since your family are the pets of Kindrake’s royalty. I’m sure they knew and filled you in.” Karn’s contempt at her family being used by Kindrake instead of the other way around was clear.

While they faced off, Dar assessed the strength of Tami the deer demon. She only seemed to have mastered dao slightly ahead of himself. She certainly was not a match for Karn. But the way Karn spoke of her family, Dar wondered if there was a greater power behind her.

“I will report back to my father,” Tami said, struggling to keep her voice even. “There is no need for you to poke your nose in here.”

“But I will. Because I can.” Karn raised an eyebrow, daring her to make a move.

When she remained passive, he turned to the rest of the people in the room. “I want to see the wizard’s laboratories.” When no one moved, Karn barked. “Now, or I will assume the entire city is complicit, and we’ll see how long it stands.”

Dar looked for the maids and Neko, but they had disappeared. It wasn’t until he activated his dao of dim that he realized they had stuffed themselves in the corner and, with everything else happening, remained out of mind.

Tricky girls.

The Prince and his men rushed ahead to keep Karn from killing half the nobility, leaving Dar forgotten in their rush. He smiled, taking the opportunity to once again study the map.

But hands slapped down over the map next to him. He looked up, annoyed, once again finding Tami there. She stared him down. “Shouldn’t you be going with them?”

“Nah, I’m good here.” Dar shrugged. “I accompanied Karn so he wouldn’t just squash the city without fully investigating if there was still corruption. But from what I’m seeing, there is in fact a need to help push further change in the city. So instead I’m interested in the latest happenings in the area.” He looked Tami over, wondering how much he should tell her.

Deciding to proceed carefully, he eased into the discussion. “I’ve heard rumor of war for Kindrake.” He paused, trying to read her face. “And I know Bellhaven has been having issues with demons. I was curious which this map was about.”

Tami took her hand off the map. “I shouldn’t be letting you see this.”

“Your brother was a good demon. He didn’t deserve what he got. But thank you. I know this is just a little revenge against your master.” Dar scanned the map before she tried to stop him once more.

“Master?” She choked on the word. “The Prince isn’t my master. I’m from the Cervus family; we work directly for the King.”

“Looks that way. Hey, this is Bellhaven?” He pointed to a spot on the map. The whole thing was filled with details that didn’t matter to Dar; the map covered the entire kingdom. It had taken him longer than he would have liked to point out the city. But he was still learning the surrounding areas.

“Yes. That’s Bellhaven, and here’s the Bell River all the way up to Kindrake.”

His eyes didn’t follow her finger, instead looking at the tokens they had been using to describe the devils. “Here were the last three attacks. And what’s this? Scouting reports?” Dar poked a cluster of tokens that were further away from the city. They were too far to be anything that was reported by the city itself.

“Hold on.” Tami opened and closed several scrolls, scanning the contents before placing one before me. “I don’t know why I’m helping you, but--”

Dar cut her off as he too pitched in, looking at the missives on the table. “Because I’m charming, and you don’t see the harm in it. Plus, next to Karn I’m practically a saint.”

“Saint?” she asked curiously.

“Ah, a really good person.” Dar quickly pivoted away from the question. “Oh, okay, this is from a scout.” His eyes scanned the scroll several times over. The scout had recorded a large gathering of trolls in the hills northeast of Bellhaven. Hundreds, if not thousands, of the large gray devils were there. And another order of magnitude more gremlins.

That sounded promising.

“What are you going to do with this information?”

“I lead a small village, and we just dealt with an ettercap problem. The last thing we need is trolls marching on us this winter.”

“You didn’t answer my question. What are you going to do with this?” Tami pressed.

He turned and found her face was nearly pressed into his. “Maybe go kill them.”

She scoffed. “Ridiculous.”

“Appreciate the vote of confidence.” He stated dryly, but then turned his tone more genuine. “Thank you for your help.”

“Are you going to catch up with the others?”

Dar thought about it. The temptation was there to let Karn go into full a slaughter on Bellhaven, but Dar knew that was just his current frustration.

In the end, he would regret it if Karn killed his way through the city, and the backlash would be even more likely to fall on Hearthway.

“I guess. Otherwise, I think Karn might just kill the Prince.”

“That would be bad.” Tami gave him a monotone reply, conflicted.

“Girls, come on.” Dar called as he went to leave. He figured he could pretty easily find Karn in the city; he’d just need to follow the noise.

Neko and the two maids faded out of the shadows.

He didn’t miss Tami’s gaping mouth as she watched the group leave. Her hand had quickly shifted to her blade in her shock. Dar gave her a wink before turning his back.

But he did note that Tami was armed and armored like a human. It seemed odd, given what Dar had seen so far among most demons and spirits. They often fought without conventional weaponry, like Karn. But Tami wore boiled hide as armor and carried a sword. It appeared there was more to the demon.