Dao 4 Chapter 4 (Patreon)

In the end, the other leaders in the city had agreed with Dar’s decision to leave for Frost’s Fang. Which meant he now had to face the harder audience - his women.

Dar settled into a different seat surrounded by Sasha, Cherry, Mika, Blaire and Neko, with the two maids hanging over his shoulders. Tami sat at the far side of the circle, but she was still able to hear.

“So. Dar, want to tell the rest of them what you brought up at the circle?” Cherry pursed her lips and tapped on her arm.

Dar knew the news had upset her; she clearly hadn’t been expecting it.

Dar faced the others. “I’ve decided to travel to Frost’s Fang and discuss Hearthway with The White. I’m hoping she will recognize us separately. We all know it’s likely that the agreement signed by the prince won’t be upheld now that he is gone, especially now that Kindrake is going to need us.”

“So, you want to run off to The White for help?” Blaire’s tone bordered on disbelief. “I don't think The White gives two shits about what is happening down here.”

“I’m not asking for her to come help directly, just recognize us as our own nation. A nation run by the ancient races.” Dar didn’t know The White, but she had been protective of the ancient races in the past. He had to believe she’d want them to be able to stand on her own.

Cherry leveled a strange look at Dar. “You have no idea what she’s like. The old demons are not nearly as human as the rest of us. They were born in a more primordial world and clawed their way to where they are now.”

She was right; Dar hadn’t met an ancient as old as The White, but Dar had expected something similar. “I understand, but this is still our best shot. If we have her support, Kindrake cannot make our people fight without risking her wrath.”

“Neko go.” Neko blurted out. “We will travel the snows, and Dar will put kittens in me.” Neko nodded with finality.

Sasha sighed and put her head in her hand. “She brings up a very good point. Who goes with you? Our family is the core of Heathway’s strength. If too many of us leave, it will weaken the village should something happen.”

She didn’t need to say the threats that faced their village. Monsters still roamed outside the walls, although the village could likely handle them. But there were also devils and Mo that could arrive.

“The village is strong enough to handle most things that come its way. Besides, I doubt there is just another Mo sealed around the corner.” Dar argued.

Sasha looked around the group. “Blaire has to stay. Next to Dar, she’s the strongest combatant we have.”

Dar raised his eyebrows. “That sounds like you’ve all agreed with me.”

Sasha sighed and looked around at the rest. “Who wishes to hold our husband here against his will?”

When she put it like that…

As expected, no one raised their hands.

“We know you are a wanderer at heart, dear Dar. Your stories from your previous life tell us that. I only ask that you always come home to me, and our family.” Sasha blushed.

Dar nodded. “And that sounds like you plan to stay here?”

“Yes. I need to keep things running here. Someone will have to keep Blaire in line.” Sasha sighed.

“Hey!” The diamond spirit huffed. “I’m more than capable of behaving myself. Besides, after taking his little monster for a few nights, I’m satisfied for a good while.”

There were nods of agreement from the other girls.

“So, Neko is going. Cherry will go. Her experience will be valuable in hopefully helping you navigate the discussion.” Sasha tapped her lips and looked around the group. “Mika?”

“Staying.” She said quickly. “As much as I’d love to go on an adventure, I’m going to wait until you go on one that involves more water.”

Dar tried not to laugh. As a spirit of the waves, she wasn’t really suited for the trek across the snow.

“Besides, it is time I worked to catch up to little miss salty here. I can’t believe I let her beat me to becoming a grand spirit.” Mika glared at Blaire, who only giggled behind her hand.

“Tami, you’ll go with him.” Cherry talked over the two spirits. “Your dao of speed would be incredibly useful for him.”

There was a moment of silence as everybody processed what had just been said. Dar had to admit that Tami would make a great scout, but Dar had a feeling that Cherry was thinking more along the lines of Tami becoming a dao companion and making it easier for Dar to learn the dao of speed.

He had to admit, it would reduce the time for their journey, but he would never take a dao companion just for their skill.

“If that’s what you wish.” Tami noncommittally accepted, looking over at Dar and seeming to wait for something more. And Cherry and Sasha were giving sharp looks of their own, encouraging him to answer.

“It is.” Dar clarified. “They are right. You are a wonderful asset on the trip. Your speed and concealment alone are needed, not to mention your skills with a sword.”

Then Dar looked over his shoulder at the two maids. “You two?”

“We are your shadows. We go where you do. That much is obvious.” Amber smirked. “Besides, without us, how would Mistress Sasha know that everything will be taken care of?”

Dar looked at his first companion and she only smirked.

Sasha had trained the two maids well. “Yes. They should go too. Though, I do not know if they should ride in your inner world or outside of it.”

“We can figure out those logistics on the way.” Dar agreed.

Both of his maid’s bowed as he turned back to the circle with a sudden feeling of longing to hold each of them. “Alright. Let’s enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we’ll prepare.” Dar found a cup of the wine that the village made in his hand and winced as he raised it only to throw it back.

***

Dar was up early, packing away anything he needed inside his inner world. He hadn’t traveled so far since entering Grandterra, and it was both exciting and terrifying. He’d only explored a small corner of a single country of the world. Now he was nearly crossing it on foot, although he knew he’d likely use his dao to help him.

Still, it was a long journey ahead of them.

Dar made sure to pack plenty of meat. The little orchard growing in his inner world would be able to provide them with some fruit, and he was hoping there would be other food they could harvest along the way.

“Awake already?” Sasha came out of the bedroom with a large roll of cloth. “I figured you would need a few more sets of clothing.” She held out the bundle.

Dar hadn’t seen the cloth she was holding before. She must have bought it in Kindrake.

“Now hold still.” She unrolled the cloth and it plastered itself to Dar’s body, molding into a shirt before cutting itself loose from the roll.

Sasha did the same for his pants and kept at it until the bolt was gone. “There, now I can feel comfortable that you will have enough to wear.”

Dar took her hands and kissed them. “Thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you. I hate leaving you too.”

“Just come back.” Sasha looked up at him, searching his eyes while hers held some sadness. “I don’t know what The White will do, nor if Karn will be there, but I just want you to promise me that coming back will be your top priority.”

Wrapping her in a hug, he patted her back. “You have my word. Besides, nothing, not The White nor the Mo, will stop me from coming back to enjoy my lovely wife.”

“Yes. Come back and maybe we can do this ring ceremony you’ve mentioned in the past. I think… I think I’d like something like that.” Sasha smiled.

Dar nodded, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear before giving her a knowing smirk.

She furrowed her brow, searching his face for what he knew that she didn’t as he bent down onto one knee.

Drawing molten iron from the ground and condensing it into a ring in his palm, Dar quickly dissipated all of the heat from it and cooled it.

“Sasha, will you marry me?” Dar held up the ring to her.

She took it with a wry grin and slipped it over her finger. “I thought you normally did it with gold and diamonds.”

“But I made this one, so it’s special.” Dar grinned. He knew what it was made of meant little to her.

“Then, I’ll keep it. Though, I expected more fanfare for a marriage ceremony from how you described it.” Sasha held her hand up, smiling at the ring on her finger.

Dar coughed. “That was just the promise of one.”

“Oh. Oh, that makes more sense. Then we’ll do the full ordeal when you get back. Now, go say your goodbyes to the village. I have a few orders from your maids to take care of and a house to rouse.” She clicked her tongue at him but had a smile on her face.

Scratching the back of his head, Dar stood and looked around.

There really wasn’t anything else to pack; his inner world was often stocked for people to spend a large amount of time training their dao.

Those traveling with him would have any comfort they wanted. He was the only one who would have to handle the actual outdoors to sleep. Although he knew others would come support him and take shifts watching for threats.

“Boss.” Russ was checking his weapons in the early dawn. “Morning to you. Are you heading out early?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Too excited to get started.” Dar grinned at the demon.

Russ only hummed to himself. “I get it. Need me to wait for you? I expect you’ll need to cross the river. Would be silly to have to go down to the delta.”

Dar waved the concern away. With his grand dao, the river wouldn’t be a problem. “Go ahead, we have our own way across.”

“Suit yourself.” Russ tossed his spears and arrows into a bundle and tied them together with a cord before throwing them over his shoulder and heading out.

The village was still quiet in the early morning. Fires banked to a low glow while the stone houses Dar had built stood still.

Even the blacksmiths, which seemed an ever busy hub of activity, were quiet. They really seemed to enjoy their work, hammering out metals into the early dawn. But eventually sleep overtook them.

Dar stood for a moment in the morning light, letting himself enjoy the quiet. He could feel his dao of granite seeping through the ground and rippling out through the cliffs that were full of the stone.

His senses expanded far and wide as he became wholly engrossed in the stone for a moment.

It was a simple meditation, but it was one Dar found himself practicing more and more. It helped him feel tied to the world as a whole.

Dao was magic, a magic of understanding and enlightenment. And it was one he needed to continue growing. The Mo continued to be threats, and his best shot was gaining two more grand dao and attempting to combine them into a celestial dao.

That was the level of The White and Lilith. People who could fight Mo at their full strength.

For now, Dar had his family’s dao booklet and the dao tree to push him along his dao path far faster than any normal demon or spirit. As Sasha liked to remind him, he was a freak among monsters. But that didn’t bother him one bit.

“Dar?” Tami timidly stepped up next to him.

He hadn’t realized she was even there until that last step. And he had a feeling she’d placed that last step a little harder to help catch his attention.

“Yes, you ready?”

Tami nodded sharply. “I wanted to ask what your plans for the future were?”

He grinned. “I have vague hopes of obtaining more power, and defeating the Mo. Otherwise, I have a family to raise.”

“Kittens.” She laughed.

“Yes. If Neko gets her way, many, many kittens. Buried up to my eyes in kittens.” Dar shook his head. The cat girl had at least given way to Blaire, Mika and Sasha the previous night. But that was only before she demanded her own turn.

“Dar.” Neko shouted loud enough to wake the village. “Ready to go.” She had a small sack over her shoulder that she swung down and pushed into Dar’s stomach.

He laughed and Neko pushed harder before he sucked it into his inner world.

Neko smiled as her hands were free, seeming satisfied with her accomplishment.

“You don’t have to push it in.” Cherry reminded her, coming up behind the cat girl and leaning on her. “Just put it there.”

“But…” Neko trailed off with one look at Dar and blushed. “Neko understand.”

“Now all we need is…” Dar started, but the two maids practically bled out of the nearby shadows.

“We await your orders.” Marcie bowed low.

Both of them were wearing different maid outfits, certainly not built better for travel. They both had buckles around their throats with what Dar thought were unnecessary straps, and buckles across their chest and arms.

The structure was holding their breasts high, although Marcie’s looked like it was straining to be able to lift the large mounds. 

And the heels were also a new addition, paired with typical long stockings. They were definitely not the most practical outfits. He wondered if Amber had taken some of his comments about his old world too serious.

Dar realized he was staring a bit too long.

Amber had a quirk of a smile on her face. “I see, Milord agrees with our new outfits.”

“A little much. Don’t you think?” Dar asked.

“Distraction is another way to surprise someone. Besides, we are your shadows.” Amber’s blue eyes sparkled with mirth. She played with being his submissive little maid from time to time.

“Are those shoes practical? We have a long walk.” Tami glanced down at their feet.

“Perfectly so. We’ve been able to run in them just fine for hours.” Amber dismissed her concern. “Besides, they make Dar stare.” Amber said it like it was the most important factor.

Tami looked at him, noticing his attention. “I see. Maybe I should try them at some point.”

“Enough. If you are all done, we should head out.” Dar pushed past his surprise at their new outfits and turned to leave.

Dar had never been very good at goodbyes. His time with Sasha, Mika and Blaire last night had been his best attempt.

It was easier that the village was asleep.

“Sasha says good luck, and she’ll be waiting for your return.” Cherry had her own, rather large package that he drew into his inner world.

“Good.” Dar nodded, walking through the village and waving at the guard on duty.

Past the wall, Dar repeated the process he’d done the day before. Using his dao of heat, he melted the snow before them. But this time, he had others walking alongside him as they began the journey.

“What’s that wolf want?” Tami squinted through the trees.

“Wolf?” Dar perked up, scanning the snowy forest, but not seeing it.

Tami pointed down a line of trees. “There, watching us.”

Dar still couldn’t spot it amid the snow, but he pulled out a hunk of meat and threw it in the snow. “Come be a good wolf. I have food.”

The movement caught Dar’s eyes as the wolf crept from its hiding spot, sniffing the air.

To make it more appealing, Dar heated the meat, the aroma of the meat wafting over towards the wolf.

He could see the little black nose on the wolf wiggle as it sped up.

Dar pulled out another hunk, but kept it in his hands.

“What are you doing?” Cherry demanded.

“Playing with a wolf. I want a pet. Is that such a bad thing?” Dar joked.

“Wolves are not pets.” Tami demanded, glaring at the creature. But it made sense that deer demon was wary of a wolf.

“Cute.” Neko crouched down as the wolf got to its piece of meat and hurriedly ate it. “Neko wants to pet it.”

Dar shook his head. “Don’t. Just let it follow us.” Dar was curious what it would do when they reached the river; he might have to help get it across.

“What happens when it gets hungry and comes for us at night?” Tami glared at it as if it were a feral creature.

And to be fair, it was. But it was a lone wolf. To all of them, it shouldn’t be a challenge at all. “Here, good boy. Want more?” Dar held the hunk of meat out.

It pattered up next to him, shying away from Neko and nipping just the very edge of the meat before pulling it out of Dar’s hands and running away with it.

“Well, that’s good enough for now.” Dar let the wolf run off with the meat.

“Teaching it that you will feed it.” Amber observed with a hint of curiosity. “How do you know it is a boy?”

“I don’t. Just the default I guess.” Dar shrugged, and picked up the pace again. They had a long journey ahead of them.

He wasn’t going to go running after the wolf; their path was onwards. He continued melting the snow as they headed to the Bell River.