Dao 4 Chapter 9 (Patreon)

The deserted village was creepy, but Dar was more sure than before that there was something with a powerful dao nearby.

He rounded the corner with Tami by his side. They’d been heading down the main street, towards the singing. The sound paused for a moment before it continued.

“The well house.” Tami pointed to a sign on a strangely open structure.

Now that Dar realized what I was, it made sense.

He stepped up, ready to draw out one of the black blades from his armory at any moment. “Hello?”

“Huh? Hic.” A female voice sounded dazed, confused and more than a little drunk. “Who’s that?”

An angel, or maybe a valkyrie pulled herself up from where she must have been sitting on the floor. Valdis, the spirit of death, looked up at him. She wore her grey hair in a braid, and bronze armor covered her body. But both were a bit messy. She squinted at Dar.

“That you?” She seemed out of it.

“What are you doing?” He asked, the tension bleeding of him at a familiar face.

“Mourning my best friend.” Valdis scooted back down to the floor, and Dar heard something heavy scraping along the floor before she lifted a jug and drank from it. “Lilith died for you.”

Tami looked at Dar. “You know her?”

“She’s a spirit of death. We met her once before.” Dar whispered.

“I can hear you.” Valdis slurred. “Death, death, death. That’s all I bring is death.”

“You brought me back.” Dar said, walking around and sitting down next to her.

She glared at him for a moment before sliding the jug over. “Don’t spill any.”

He sniffed the jug and recoiled. It smelled like paint thinner to him.

“Besides, I didn’t ‘bring you back’. I traded Lilith’s soul for yours. Because she asked me to. But it was a shit trade if you ask me.” Valdis took the jug back when he didn’t drink and lifted it high to get what was at the bottom.

“You could have stopped her.” Dar replied.

Valdis scoffed. “Lilith was impossible once she set her mind to something. There was no point. She would have found a more dangerous way to do it if I hadn’t helped. But what are you doing wandering through the woods and abandoned villages?” Valdis peered into the jug and wiggled it to see if there was any more. When she decided there wasn’t, she hurled the jug against the wall.

By the pile, it clearly wasn’t the first.

The action startled Tami, who had been standing further away.

“Hey. Little deer, can you get me another? They are in that door.” Valdis pointed over at a closet her arm wobbling.

Tami hurried to comply.

“I’ve done a few things. Even killed two Mo.” Dar knew that was why Lilith had brought him back and wanted Valdis to feel better about her role.

“Bullshit.” Valdis held out her hand as Tami came back with the jug sealed with wax. “Lilith couldn’t even kill the Mo. Neither can the White or any of the other celestials.”

“I did. There’s something inside of me, a tree that destroys them.” Dar tried to explain.

The woman was Lilith’s right hand from what he could tell, and that meant she was powerful. Hell, her dao was death. That alone came with a terrifying connotation.

And as a friend of Lilith’s, he felt like he owed it to Lilith to help try to keep the woman from drinking what remained of her life away.

Valdis tore off the wax seal and took a long drink, looking off in the distance. “Lilith was my everything. When I was first born in this world, it was amid a war. All I knew was bloodshed and death. Then I wandered, spreading it far and wide until Lilith met me.”

She gave a brilliant smile that soured at the edges of her lips.

“Tell me more.” Dar got comfortable and waved for Tami to settle in. “I think I knew one of Lilith’s reincarnations, but not this Lilith.”

Dar’s words caused a small spark of excitement in Valdis’ eyes before she smothered it with another drink. “She taught me control and the ways of the world. Then she brought me with her as she wandered. Most of the celestials have found a spot that fits their dao and made a home there, diving deeper into their specialty. But not Lilith.”

A small smile curved on Valdis’ lips. “She wandered the world, living among everyone and soaking up all the knowledge that she could. And throughout that time, she had a runed golem in black armor.” Valdis looked me over. “A living being enchanted from head to toe, then wrapped in mysterious armor made by Lilith herself.”

Dar nodded along. He knew that Lilith had used his body before his soul rentered it. “My understanding is I once lived here with her, and she enchanted me after I died.”

Valdis sipped from the jug and offered it again.

It was shitty alcohol, but it was poor form to pass up a friendly offer and make her drink alone. Dar took a sip and grimaced. “I don’t know how you drink that.”

“To punish myself of course.” She replied.

Dar laughed. “Fuck. Then don’t punish me. Tell me more.”

Valdis took a long drink and then set the vessel aside. “I soon learned that amid her travels, she had a purpose and a reason for covering so much land. Lilith couldn’t kill the Mo, only bring them to death's door. She could never find a way to push them through it. Even bleeding and in a thousand pieces, they clung to life and drew from the dao of the world to restore themselves. So, she sealed them and wandered the world, checking the seals over and over.”

Valdis stared off into the distance. “Lilith hadn’t taken me in out of the kindness of her heart, but at that point I would have done anything for her. She wanted to test if my dao could kill them once and for all.”

Dar nodded. It seemed like a sound enough theory, but if the Mo were still around, then it must have been a failure. But what he’d really picked up on was that Valdis had traveled with Lilith to check the seals. She knew where they were all being contained.

“You understand then.” Valdis pressed the back of her head against the wall, squishing her wings in a way that couldn’t be comfortable. “They were beyond even death’s reach. I failed Lilith, but that didn’t matter, she kept up her mission, until she grew tired of failing to find a way to kill them. That’s when she told me of another option to try.”

Valdis turned to meet my gaze. “You. So when you tell me that you managed to kill two Mo, please understand both my skepticism and at the same time hope. Did Lilith succeed?”

As her eyes met his, Valdis didn’t seem drunk at all.

Her eyes had an eerie quality to them, like they would suck Dar’s soul out if he answered incorrectly.

“Yes. I’m not lying to you. Not far from where I entered this world, there was a large spider Mo. It controlled darkness or shadows. When I fought it, the Mo was still tangled in the seal, and after I bloodied it up, the tree within me emerged. Its roots dug into the Mo and absorbed it. Now I am able to feel the Mo’s dao connected with me from the tree.”

Dar had Valdis’ full attention. “Later, we found a hive of devils feeding on a giant of earth, and it was a simple matter of absorbing it similarly to the first.” Dar explained.

Valdis’ breath picked up. “Show me. Show me this tree. I am aware of both Mo and their locations.”

Dar let out a breath of relief. For a moment his life had flashed before his eyes. “Sure, but it is inside of me. I need you to not resist, and please do not harm anyone or anything. Swear on your dao.”

“I swear on my dao, if you are not lying, I will not harm you, yours or this tree.” Valdis had forgotten her disgusting alcohol. “Now bring me.”

Dar turned to Tami. “Please keep watch. I will be gone for a few minutes I suspect.”

The deer demon held the hilt of her saber and nodded as she kept watch.

“Come on then Valdis.” Dar drew her into his inner world.

For a moment she resisted, but then she let it happen.

Dar crossed his legs and fell into meditation almost instantly.

He opened his eyes, finding himself against the tree in his inner world. He stood and turned, watching Valdis the Valkyrie of death turning in a slow circle.

“This is inside of you?” She asked.

Cherry jumped out of the tree. “Valdis.”

“Ah the pipsqueak dryad.” Valdis smirked, and it was the first time Dar saw her smile as she looked down at the woman that barely came up to her chest.

“Do not call me that. Why are you here?” Cherry pushed into the Valkyrie’s chest with her finger.

“Your man has claimed that he has killed two Mo. I wish to see the veracity of his claim.” Valdis’ eyes shifted to the tree behind Dar.

His two maids and Neko were sitting in its shadow, cultivating their dao.

Valdis was as silent as death as she walked past Dar and touched the tree with a soft caress. She stayed like that for a moment before speaking. “This. Is it the part from the earth giant?”

“Yes. They are by the part from the spider. We find trying to walk the dao path next to the tree can help us along those paths.” Dar explained.

Valdis stepped back. “Is the tree now the Mo?”

“If it is, it isn’t producing devils, nor laying waste to swaths of land.” Cherry crossed her arms. “But the tree is Dar. It has always been inside of him. There is no malice there like the Mo.”

Valdis’ focus fell on Dar as she became intense once again. “I do not feel the same resistance to death from him, but from him blossoms enough power that I cannot force death on him.”

“I am a grand immortal now.” Dar crossed his arms.

“Immortal?” She frowned.

He shrugged. “A human that has become one of the ancient races and is following a dao path. Needed a name.”

Valdis nodded along with his explanation. “A grand immortal, and so quickly. What are you doing now? Seeking more Mo?”

Cherry had a concerned look on her face, but Dar only grinned.

“If you tell me where the others are, I will seek them out. But first I must go see The White to prevent Kindrake from drawing my people into a war.” Dar explained his current situation.

Valdis shook her head and a small chuckle slipped out. “You have people? You’ve been in this world what, two seasons?”

“I do. And I aim to protect them.”

Valdis stopped laughing. “Interesting. But given this.” She gestured at the tree. “If you can prove it to The White, then you will have no shortage of her support.”

Dar hoped that she was right. And bringing up the tree was a good tip. He could use Valdis’ help, both with The White and to take on more Mo.

“Then, would you be willing to travel with us to Frost’s Fang?” Dar asked.

“Can you transport alcohol into here?”

“Drink all you want. When I’m done with The White, I want your help finding the sealed Mo.” Dar tried to ignore the way Cherry was scowling at the woman.

“There’s one more thing. You said you think that in your past life, though it is in the future, you knew Lilith’s reincarnation?” Valdis’ gaze was even more intense than when they had talked about killing Mo.

Dar nodded. “Looked exactly the same. Her name was Lily, but I have no idea how or where that is.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Valid cut him off. “Just that she will exist again brings me piece. One day, we will find her. Swear to me that we will, and I’ll join this mission of yours.”

Dar had no idea how that would happen, but he had no issue helping find Lilith once again. She’d given him so much, he would certainly help her if he could. “If it is within my abilities, I will help you find her once more.”

Valdis shook her head. “Swear it on your dao.”

“On my dao.” Dar had zero hesitation. “I’ll seek out Lilith’s reincarnation on Earth.”

“Now, let me out so I can show you the booze.” Valdis replied.

Dar let her out, and she vanished from his inner world.

“Dar. She is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.” Cherry warned him as soon as she was gone. “But she’s also very loyal. Or at least, she was incredibly loyal to Lilith.”

Dar nodded. He had picked up on that trait. “She swore on her dao that if I could kill Mo, that she’d not harm me or mine. Besides, she can show us the Mo.”

Dar knew that Cherry had been involved with his previous life in this world and Lilith before he was brought back, but from everything he understood, Cherry had never gone far from her tree. She certainly hadn’t adventured across countries with Lilith to see all of the Mo. He needed the knowledge that Valdis held.

“Fine. I’ll give her a chance.” Cherry crossed her arms. “We can bring it up with Sasha when we get back.”

Dar paused, realizing that Cherry thought Valdis was joining the harem. He hadn’t meant it that way, but he found himself having trouble telling Cherry that it wasn’t going to happen. The Valkyrie was badass and beautiful. He certainly wouldn’t mind getting to know her a bit more.

Rather than panic or try to deny that she would join the harem, Dar just took a breath.

Cherry squinted at him. “This is where you deny it.”

“Maybe you guys have done too good of a job getting me used to this world.” Dar grinned before escaping his inner world and the conversation that might follow.

“There you are.” Valdis stood over him, and he couldn’t help but notice her soft curves that rose over the edge of her breast plate when he looked at her again. “I wondered how it worked. So while we are physically there, you are just mentally?”

“Yep. If I sleep or meditate, I can enter my inner world, but my body stays out here. That’s why normally someone stays out to guard me.” Dar nodded at Tami.

“Good thinking.” Valdis stood up straight and frowned at her gray braid of hair and how messy it was looking. “Oh, right. Booze. Come help me bring it into your little paradise.”

“Inner World.” Dar corrected her.

“Could have fooled me.” Valdis was busy opening the cabinet doors and starting to pick up jugs.

“Leave them there.” Dar told her. “Tami, want to go take a rest? I think Valdis and I can handle this for a while.”

Tami nodded and stepped up to the jugs before Dar drew them all into his inner world.

Valdis was shaking her head. “That’s very nifty. Can we store anything in there?”

“Living things can resist it.” Dar replied. “Most other things, yes. But come on. Let’s get going. This place no longer has booze and it is creepy.”

The valkyrie sniffed and walked out behind him. “It was pretty much empty when I got here. Place used to make terrible wine from that concentrate, but looks like monsters got it, so I killed a bunch and decided my own bounty.”

“Ah.” Dar replied, relaxing a little knowing she hadn’t killed the entire village or anything awful. “Well, get in here and we’ll keep going. Do you know the way?”

“Not from the ground.” Her wings flexed to remind him of her ability to fly. “But if it would help, I can fly up and get an idea of where Frost’s Fang is in relation to us. You really can’t miss it.”

Dar grunted and pushed on the locomotive. It was a little slow to get going, but once it started it had a lot of momentum.

Valdis tapped on the black vehicle. “This some relic from your previous world?”

“Something like that.” Dar admitted. “Well, the shape is from my past. The power is all dao. I added some enchantments on it to make it run. We keep a dao booklet for the family to share.”

“Oh. OH. Like dao companions.” Valdis raised an eyebrow. “I see what you were really after.”

Dar rolled his eyes. “I was going to ask if you had anything interesting to add. Besides, Lilith left me a dao booklet in my inner world.”

That made Valdis frown. “That means she knew of it and had entered it before, or was able to enter it when you were her black knight.”

Dar had figured the same. “Maybe one day you can help me bring Lilith’s knowledge back. That way you can ask her yourself.”

“Rebirth.” Valdis sighed. “I’ve thought about where to take my dao as I progress, and it has occured to me. But to try and seek a dao like that would be too difficult because one portion would have to be life.”

“That’s difficult because?” Dar was curious in the mechanics as he continued to build out his dao.

“Because I’m a fucking spirit of death. Even just killing those monsters and living in that village drove the life out of the surrounding forest.” Valdis sighed. “Maybe if you can kill and absorb some Mo of life, we could figure something out.” She tapped at her lips.

“Come up with a first target?” Dar asked.

“None come to mind. Life doesn’t exactly mesh well with the Mo.”

Dar considered it for a moment. What she needed was a dao companion with the dao of life. “If I learned the dao of life?”

She snorted. “You speak as if it was just a decision someone could make, like deciding to go chop wood because you were cold.” She laughed, but went quiet as she noticed Dar wasn’t laughing with her. She continued to stare at Dar. “Right?”

“Pretty sure I could get any dao if I work at it.” He replied, not wanting to boast, but starting to have more confidence in himself.

“If you can learn the dao of life, I’ll drop my panties whenever you want and let you reconnect a dao companionship. Rebirth… that’s something that could bring Lilith back.” Valdis stared off into the distance.

Dar didn’t really love that her idea was still fixated on Lilith, or that she was so flippant about the idea of dao companionship, but she was clearly still working through her grief.

He wanted dao companions for life, not convenience in learning a new dao.

“This’ll be a long trip. Tell me more about Lilith.” Dar was bored, and he wanted to know more about the woman that brought him back to life. He also wanted to get Valdis more comfortable with him, and she certainly seemed to enjoy talking about Lilith.