Dao 4 Chapter 19 (Patreon)

The White was still laughing as Karn roared. “He is here to consume us all.”

Word must have gotten out in The White’s palace that he was here, bringing the polar bear demon bearing down on him.

She started to calm down, wiping at the tears in her eyes. “Karn, my dear. I have a question for you. Would you become my dao companion?”

Karn’s outrage stopped suddenly, shock on his face as he instantly dropped to a knee and bowed his head. “I never thought I would be honored enough to hear those words, but I would give my life and my soul to you.”

The White gestured at Karn to Dar. “See. That would be the normal response. Karn, you may leave.” She dismissed him without another thought.

“But—“ The big bear man argued in confusion.

“Your problem with the Black Knight will have to wait. You may fight him after he’s left my halls if you must, but you would be throwing your life away. I won’t have that happen in my palace. It would be a mess to clean up.” The White shooed him out with a cold breeze that slid him across the floor and out the doors, which promptly slammed closed behind him.

“Was that truly necessary?” Dar couldn’t help but ask.

“I wanted to show you what most males are like when I offer to become their dao companion. I also thought you should have full warning of Karn’s current feelings towards you. Having you get ambushed on my property would not be playing my hostess role very well.” The White sipped from her frosted wine glass again.

The woman was beautiful, but Dar had to remind himself that she was a giant predator and strategist. And she was carefully watching him over the top of her glass.

The way her attitude had shifted several times in this conversation was proof enough of that.

Valdis elbowed him again, urging him to reconsider. “Most men would give their nuts over to become a dao companion with The White.” Valdis hissed.

“Too bad I’m not ‘most men’.” Dar quipped back, raising his voice for The White. “I understand that you are powerful, and a chance to become your dao companion is very advantageous for most. However, I love my dao companions, and I won’t cheapen their relationships with me to curry favor with another.”

The White put down her glass and her eyes narrowed. For the first time, Dar realized her eyes were a warm gold with a serpent’s slit for a pupil. “Is that so?” Her look turned harder.

Valdis’ elbow was a piston, trying to get Dar to reconsider as the air grew even colder, but Dar was holding firm. He wasn’t going to compromise when it came to choosing dao companions. 

Dar rested his arm on the table, letting his runes glow as he fed mana into them, preparing in case she chose to find offense and attack.

The White studied him a moment longer before her face split into a smile. “Even under my threat you don’t cave. A strong man indeed, and far different from all of the humans or even demons I’ve met over the years. And I’ve met many. Please, let’s move past your request and tell me more about the man before me. Tell me about Darius Yiggs.”

Valdis’ jaw dropped so hard, Dar thought it was going to hit the table.

“I lived another life once, on another world. Valdis pulled me from the cycle of reincarnation. It was strange; apparently I had a life in the far future, but death is timeless. She was able to pull me from that life.” He rambled a little, it still boggled his mind.

The White nodded along. “At least it confirms that the universe will continue to thrive. Were you a powerful person in this other world?”

Dar shook his head. “No, and there was no mana nor any dao.”

Their host’s expression became both sharp and worrying.

“Is there a problem?” Dar asked.

“You have fought devils and the Mo, correct?” The White asked and he nodded before she continued. “Then you’ve noticed they use dao, and there is mana in what they do, but they don’t use it. In actuality, they are the opposite of Spirits and Demons. Where we use mana to effect the dao and in turn often create things, the devils use the dao to destroy something of this world, and create mana.”

Dar let that sink in.

He hadn’t really considered where mana came from or how it functioned on a larger scale. But like any resource, it had to be finite even if it was vast.

“So if I kill every Mo, then there’s the potential that we eventually run out of mana?” Dar asked.

The White ran a lazy finger around the rim of her glass. It was a particularly delicate motion considering her size. “Possibly, but I doubt it is so simple. Many things in the world often wax and wane. There always seems to be something that pushes it back the other direction.”

She considered the information for a moment longer before her eyes met his once more. “But please, continue your story.”

Dar nodded. “Well, Lilith brought me through but didn’t explain much, so I started in a small village in Kindrake…”

The White was pleasant company as she listened politely to his story, asking questions especially when he used foreign phrases or words to describe his adventure.

Before Dar knew it, the sun was setting and it had grown dark on Frost’s Fang, but The White continued on.

“Interesting. You do seem to care for my kind.” She glanced at Valdis, who squirmed a little under her gaze. “Do you seek his harem?”

“I do.” Valdis only glanced at The White before turning her attention to the food that was now frozen.

“And how do you seek it?”

Valdis sighed. “I am to spend more time with him. Though that and shared experiences is how husband and wife normally fall in love after a marriage. He just does it backwards. That, and I hope to meet this Sasha and discuss the matter with her. She leads his harem.”

The White’s wine glass had been refilled several times and she still sipped at it. “Interesting. Darius, err, Dar.” She corrected herself, using his nickname for the first time. “I will change my requirements for my help. You will travel with me for any ask you have for my assistance with the Mo and even when you stop hunting the Mo, you will spend an agreed amount of time with me on a periodic basis.”

“You want to negotiate using dates?” Dar asked with a frown.

“A date?” The White asked for clarity.

“Romantic events with someone else.” Dar clarified.

“Yes. Then I wish for dates. You are an interesting and powerful man, and I don’t meet those often. Most with power are utterly dull and hyper focused on more power. I believe you are worthy of more time and attention. So, I will pursue you accordingly. Luckily, you haven’t reached your full power potential, and need my help. I believe this arrangement is fair to both of us.” The White set her glass down and leaned forward.

This time there was still a predatory edge, but Dar could tell she was making an effort to find something balanced enough to agree.

He also knew if he rejected this offer, she would likely take offense and the tone of their discussion might change.

“I can accept those terms. But you should know that with the connections I form, I don’t share my dao companions with other men.”

The White scoffed. “How many men do you think I currently call dao companions?”

Dar didn’t know how to answer and decided for a non-answer. “As many as you wish.”

She chuckled and her eyes filled with amusement. “None. At least as of late. My dao is a grand gift to give anyone. Some of my envoys like Karn fight each other to try and gain access to it, but none of them have been strong enough to interest me. Why should I give away access to my dao, when they have nothing but a little physical pleasure to give me in return?”

“Then is that why Karn wants to fight me so badly?” Dar asked.

The White pursed her lips to prevent a smile from forming. “He may have heard me ask Lilith to trade you at one time. I wanted to use you as a conduit between me and the Witch of Knowledge. My envoys did not much appreciate that.”

Dar filled in the rest. Lilith must have said ‘no’ but it didn’t stop people like Karn from nursing a large grudge for him.

“So, he’s going to try and kill me once I leave?” Dar asked.

The White nodded. “Yes. I could stop it, but if you need me to stop it, then you aren’t worthy of my time.” She eyed him, waiting for his response.

Dar was reminded once more that The White was a predator. She respected strength above all else.

“Then, how about I go deal with that problem now. Then after, we can discuss next steps?” Dar didn’t wait for her dismissal, pushing away from the table and standing.

But he heard her chuckle over his shoulder.

She stood after him and Dar registered that she was indeed taller than him, by a whole head. Then there were the antlers, giving her another two feet of height beyond that.

But it made sense that an ancient predator would have a human form of amazonian stature.

Valdis got up next. “Come on The White, let’s go watch him beat up some of your goons.”

“Call me Bai.” The word didn’t quite translate through Dar’s enchantments for the first time.

“Bai. Then, let’s go.” Strangely the word had the same feel as what happened with his lips moved to Lilith’s enchantment say ‘The White’ in the language of this world. He still didn’t understand how Lilith had enchanted him to translate everything, but in this case he just went with it.

Though Dar wondered why the enchantments chose now to stop translating her name from ‘The White’ to the local word as if it was a more casual form. Maybe it was a connotation sort of thing?

Either way, it was a step in the right direction.

Dar led the group out through the large icy double doors and down the hall.

The spirit that had attended them at the beginning jumped to attention and hurried to walk at his side. “Excuse me. How can I assist you?” She cast a glance back at Bai and Valdis walking behind him, her eyes seeming to focus on Bai and trying to understand what that meant.

“We are heading to where Karn might have gone. As I understand it, he wants to fight me.” Dar watched as the spirit checked over her shoulder at Bai to make sure that the master of the mountain wasn’t going to have an opinion.

When she got no further command, she quickly turned and gestured for Dar to follow. “This way. He was quite angry after he left The White’s dinner. He has been throwing a loud fit in the palace before storming out with Tarm and Jutan.” The spirit spoke quickly as she led them.

“Tarm and Jutan?”

“Two of her majesty’s other envoys. The three of them all possess powerful grand dao.” The spirit informed him, seeming to try to warn him away from his current plan.

Dar nodded along and stepped out of the palace only to be confronted by Karn and two others immediately. “That’s them?”

He turned, only to realize that the spirit had already fled.

“Mistress.” Karn bowed. “I hope you haven’t come to help him.”

“Never.” Bai flicked her wrist and two thrones of ice appeared. She sat on one and pulled Valdis over to the other. “He will lose my respect if he loses to you three.”

“You would put him so far above us?” A demon who looked mostly human, but had a large pig nose and a pair of tusks that came out from his lower jaw, spoke.

Dar wondered briefly if he had any relation to the demon he had killed down the mountain. “Name?”

“Tarm. Envoy of The White. Why are you here?”

“Don’t think it matters to you.” Dar wasn’t really in the mood to explain himself to them. They’d clearly already made their decisions. “So you must be Jutan?” Dar focused on the spirit that had a frosty beard growing from his chin.

“Yes. I am reconsidering Karn’s words. If I stepped back, would you pursue me?” Jutan seemed like he wanted to bow out.

“Jutan, he will come for you eventually. He’ll kill The White and come for us all eventually.” Karn growled.

Jutan shook his head. “I think not. For our mistress does not appear concerned. Besides, I do not doubt her strength to protect herself both with her physical and mental capabilities.”

“I always liked you best.” Bai smirked at Jutan.

Her words seemed to make the difference, and he nodded, taking a step back.

“I’ve reached an agreement with Bai. You are safe from me if you don’t attack me.” Dar told the spirit.

“As I would expect. She is wise and will continue to protect us.” Jutan bowed to The White once more.

“We are her envoys. It is our job to work towards her best interest, and this interloper is not it!” Karn’s shout morphed into a roar as he stepped forward, plates of ice settling in all over his body. “Don your armor Black Knight.”

“No. I don’t need it to fight you, and you’re not worthy to fight me in it.” Dar knew that he had to put on a show. Yet, it wasn’t time to hold back. The runes all over his body glowed, shining even beneath his clothes.

He felt like putting on his black armor now would be like admitting his weakness in front of Bai.

“You will regret not taking me seriously.” Karn burst into action, a giant ax of ice materializing in his paws and slamming down at Dar from above.

Dar drew from the dao of storm on his side and threw a small storm at Karn, lifting the bearman up and away from him. Dar used that moment to spin, grabbing Tarm’s spear and planting his feet with the dao of heavy before lifting the boar demon with the demon’s own spear.

The demon dropped the spear and ducked his head into a tackle as Dar was thrown off balance when the weight disappeared from the other end of the spear.

Even with his dao of heavy, Dar was ripped off his feet and slammed into the ice, throwing shards everywhere.

Those shards hung unnaturally in the air for a moment before glittering with new sharpness and throwing themselves back at Dar.

Dar threw up his hands and a shell of lava protected himself, waiting as the ice shards melted against the lava. As soon as the last shard hit, Dar collapsed it on top of himself and the boar demon.

The demon screamed before he melted into the ground with his dao, becoming one with the snow and disappearing.

Dar lifted the lava off of Tarm and formed it into a sword. He took hold of it and pointed it at Karn before it flew out of Dar’s hand straight for the bear.

Karn dove into the snow and came up behind Dar, swinging with another ax made of ice.

Dar blocked it with his own sword of lava. It cooled quickly on contact with Karn’s ice.

“You need to leave before I make you.” Karn growled, shoving Dar back.

Dar dodged to the left on instinct alone as a spear grazed his side, just catching his shirt.

Tarm was there, his face half burned and his shoulder blackened.

Dar was surprised the demon was still standing after getting a face full of lava. “Too scared to fight me on your own, Karn?”

Karn snorted. “I’m not stupid. If I have an advantage, I’ll use it.” He stomped on the ground and razor sharp ice sprayed into the air.

Dar countered by waving a wall of lava into the air, even as Tarm rushed him with the spear once more.

The boar demon had this wild look in his eyes, and Dar knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied until one of them was dead. Dar hated to take out a powerful demon who was simply misled, but Karn had planted the poisonous thoughts, and they had clearly taken root.

Dar grabbed the spear and pulled Tarm past him straight into the wall of lava. He followed up, shoving him forward even harder.

As he tried to finish with the boar demon, Karn barreled through, the wall using his dao over ice to cool it enough that it was a brittle solid.

But Tarm was still falling forward, leading with his spear.

The boar’s spear stabbed into Karns thigh.

Karn roared in anger and in surprise Tarm didn’t defend himself. In his fury, Karn grabbed the demon’s head and twisted, ripping Tarm’s head off.

Karn didn’t even flinch as he roared and continued his charge for Dar.

Dar drew one of the black blades from his inner world. Lava and storm weren’t solid enough for what he needed.

Karn was blind with rage, summoning an ice ax into his hands, chopping at Dar with his full strength.

Dar defended as best as he could, meeting Karn’s weapon and shattering the icy blade with his strength. But Karn just continued forming ax after ax, charging again and again at Dar.

The bear demon’s eyes were bloodshot with anger as he lost himself.

Before long, the area around Dar was littered with fragments of broken weapons. Karn’s roar made them shiver in the snow before they formed up over his head into one colossal weapon.

Dar could feel Karn using the last of his strength.

Standing at the ready, Dar drew the black blade in his hands back, preparing for a final attack.

The colossal ax fell as Karn swung down, and Dar’s runes blazed to life as he swung for the fences.

Dar’s black blade sliced straight through Karn’s ax and shattered the whole thing.

Karn was bent over, still stunned from the exchange.

Dar knew better than to show mercy. Karn had now been embarrassed in front of The White. He wouldn’t let that grudge pass. It would fester until he found another way to exact his revenge. And Dar wouldn’t let those close to him have any risk of attack when the demon finally learned he couldn’t attack Dar head on.

Dar struck down in one swift mention, taking the demon’s head. It fell and rolled along the snow in the sudden quiet. The world almost seemed frozen in time.

The residents of Bai’s palace had crept away from their jobs to watch, and now all of them were in stunned silence as Dar killed Tarm and Karn.

“Well done.” Bai clapped and it felt like the world started up again. “Strong, though not yet overwhelmingly so for these two. Come, we have much we must do to prepare. I’d like to set off at once; I want to see you kill a Mo before we proceed with anything else.”

Before he left, Dar took Karn’s body within his inner world. It was only fitting that he feed him to the dao tree.