Dao Divinity Book 1 Read online

  Creeping to the stairs, he slowly walked down, bracing and scanning for danger. But as he stepped off the bottom step, familiarity struck him as he took in the scene and the people around.

  Tables and booths sprawled across the main floor of what he assumed was a tavern, given the room above and the diner below. But it felt more rustic, almost historic, than the contemporary diners he was used to. The tables were all made of wood, as were the seats that were clearly worn in the middle from repeated use.

  The subtle din of people talking over food and the quiet click of utensils on plates sounded around the room. The sounds caught his ears. As he looked closer, he realized the plates were clay and the silverware was wood. Was there no metal here?

  A few people looked up at Dar as he came down. He saw that familiar look as a few of the men at the bar sized him up.

  They, along with everyone present, wore rough clothes. Most people were dressed in dark colors; only a few of the younger women wore anything bright.

  Nobody made any immediate threatening moves, so Dar looked around, continuing to take in the setting.

  The way the sun shone through the windows indicated that it was close to midday. Based on how the men were throwing back their drinks, he could only assume that they may not be the most up and coming citizens in the area.

  He looked back over at the bar, happy to see that they had turned back to their drinks and decided he was likely more trouble than he was worth.

  Puzzling through what he had learned so far, he took in what there was to work with. When he started out in a new town, the most important thing for him was figuring out what everybody needed and what needs were already met to find his place. So far, wood seemed like the key resource in the area.

  Dar felt in his pockets and thanked Lilith for at least leaving him a few coins.

  Pulling one out, he saw it was a bent copper-looking chit. It appeared they did have some metal, at least. He set it on a table in the corner and sat down to scope out the surroundings.

  “What can I get ya?” A tired-looking woman stepped up to him, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, like she’d grown tired of it. Her brown and white clothing looked like it was the natural color of the fiber.

  “Whatever is good and warm that I can get for this.” He slid the bronze piece closer to her.

  “One lunch it is.” The coin disappeared into the folds of her dress, and she moved on, clearing the way for him to watch the crowd again.

  And that’s when Dar saw it, and he couldn’t look away. Nobody else seemed perturbed, which he completely didn’t understand. Sitting in the corner enjoying its food was a minotaur. Just hanging out and doing its thing. Whatever it was that minotaurs did.

  Somehow, he’d completely missed this when he’d been sizing up the men at the bar and looking at people’s clothes. It was like the moment after one of those ‘did you see the gorilla’ videos.

  By the large, hooked horns coming out of its head, like a Texas longhorn logo, he guessed it was male. It also was clear from the minotaur’s broad shoulders and lack of breasts. He was half-covered in fur, with his chest bare as he brought long grass up to his muzzle and chewed on it thoughtfully.

  Dar couldn’t help but stare until he realized the minotaur was returning his gaze; he froze like a deer in headlights as the minotaur let out a deep and aggressive snort that rang across the dinner.

  Oh look, that beam on the ceiling looks pretty interesting. Wonder what kind of wood it is.

  Dar recovered himself and immediately looked elsewhere.

  Dar might have been impressed by his new body’s size upstairs, being at least a head taller than the other people he had seen, but that bull was easily twice his weight and a few heads taller.

  He had learned that new places didn’t trust or hire people who came to town and immediately got into a fight, unless you came to fight in a ring, official or not. He had tried some fighting in a few places, and it was definitely good money and a thrill, but it also really messed with your body. You needed a better support system around when you were recovering.

  Letting his eyes wander again, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from watching the bull in his peripheral vision. The minotaur was paying for his food, but the waitress was scrutinizing his coin, scratching it and hefting it in her hand.

  The minotaur was clearly displeased as he waited, but the tavern hostess didn’t seem to care at all as she continued to study the coins.

  It seemed a bit unfair to Dar as the act continued. Finally, the minotaur slid another coin across the table to satisfy her and get her out of the way. As he left, the bull gave Dar one last warning look before stepping out of the tavern.

  Dar let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, startled as a plate of hot meat and potatoes clanged down in front of him, followed by a wooden tankard.

  “Don’t worry, he was making a number of people uncomfortable, not just you. But monsters like him still find jobs around here.”

  “Like what?” Dar suppressed any reaction to her words, fishing for more information.

  He took a sip of the drink, and it tasted woody and sweet, like someone had tried to make sweet tea with maple syrup.

  “He’s a big one, so I’ll bet he’s hauling stone or timber.”

  Dar nodded along. That made sense and meant there was a quarry and a lumber yard nearby. Nothing had passed by the windows except a few people and a few horses, so it didn’t seem like there were vehicles here at all. Likely a lot of the work was related to manual labor.

  If this world was as undeveloped as he suspected from his limited experience so far, he would need to pull back on the modern conveniences he had taken for granted. Maybe the bits of knowledge from his past life might help create some opportunity here.

  “I’m new in town. Any advice where I could get some work?” he asked, taking a bite of the meal.

  “Working at the lumber yard trimming trees is more comfortable than cutting from what I hear, and far more comfortable than working at the quarry. But you look like you are built big enough to be a guard, if you wanted.” Her voice lifted at the end with a flirty undertone as she looked at his arms.

  He processed the information. Guards had authority and likely decent pay, so it wasn’t an awful idea. The idea of him doing any form of law enforcement was laughable though.

  He was generally more likely to end up in a jail cell than guarding one. A few sheriffs had disagreed with how he lived his life. Though, in his defense, their daughters had been hot as hell.

  Bright green caught Dar’s eye over the waitress’s shoulder, and up walked the prettiest little thing he had ever seen. She had radiant green hair and eyes to match that shimmered as she watched him. Her thin brows and full lips only accentuated all her features further.

  She was a stunner.

  The hostess watched Dar’s eyes, and there was a disgruntled snort as the beautiful woman walked up, carrying a shallow bowl of what looked like cherries.

  “Treat?” She offered a small smile as she watched for his reaction.

  There didn’t seem to be any harm in taking one.

  Dar plucked out a cherry and popped the richest tasting cherry he had ever had in his mouth. His mouth was already watering, ready for another.

  The green-haired girl’s smile became radiant, and he could have sworn there was an energy in the air between the two of them. She gave a little, happy hop that made her chest sway into view around the bowl.

  Dar felt a warmth suffuse his stomach and settle above his pelvis, but it also could just have been his libido starting up.

  “Can I have another?” he asked.

  “Of course, of course.” The woman practically pushed the bowl at him while he took a few more. If anything, she seemed ecstatic that he’d take more.

  Dar was waiting for the hook. He figured she might ask for money after giving the cherries, but when she saw he was done, she turned right around and left.

  He did his best not
to stare at her rear as she walked away.

  “I’ll never understand why the owner lets that thing work here…” the hostess commented, clearly not concerned that the green-haired girl wasn’t out of earshot yet.

  Clearly the owner knows how to keep a man coming back. She’s as much a candy as these cherries.

  “You best not eat any more of those, or that spirit will curse you with her magic.”

  Dar was pulled out of his thoughts as the hostess tried to sweep the cherries onto the floor. She’d done nothing but disparage the poor girl. Who, for all his ability to read people, was just naïve. He was no knight in shining armor, but her treatment of the girl grated on him. Not to mention that he wanted another of the delicious cherries.

  As she reached to brush them off the table, he clamped his big hand down on hers a bit tighter than he meant, and she yelped, pulling her hand back.

  Before she could say anything else, Dar looked her in the eyes. “I might be new around here, but there is no reason for the hate you are spewing. I’ll keep the cherries if I want.”

  She was reeling back, and he could see the storm cloud brewing in her eyes.

  Shit, I haven’t even been in this world an hour and I’m already offending people.

  But he wouldn’t apologize. Dar stuck to his guns. He had a really hard time backing down when he didn’t see himself as being in the wrong, and it had cost him more than he’d like to admit.

  He knocked back the mug of semi-sweet water and took a few hurried bites of his meal before scooping the cherries into his palm and standing up. By the time he was on his feet, the hostess was already back in the main room, pointing him out to a large man with an apron and a rolling pin.

  Dar gave her and her new ally a sharp wave and headed out.

  “We aren’t in Kansas anymore, but some things never do change,” he muttered to himself.

  Chapter 2

  Dar started away from the tavern, popping a few cherries in his mouth as he walked. Each popped deliciously and his hand wound up empty sooner than he would have liked.

  The town bustled with people going about their day. Only a few horses were out, and all of them were saddled to a wooden cart. It looked like having a horse simply to ride was a luxury here.

  If he had any doubt before, Dar was sure at least that this area of the world hadn’t advanced very far in terms of science and inventions.

  He peered through the smoke of an outdoor forge; the man was hammering what looked like bronze into picks. The blacksmith finished one, throwing it into a pile of similar ones at his feet. Based on the pile of old beaten ones to his side, Dar had a feeling the man would be beating the ones he had just finished back into form in no time.

  There was only one reason to have that many picks in demand: there was definitely a mining operation nearby. Dar almost wanted to head over just to see if the minotaur would be up for a chat.

  It had become blatantly obvious between the minotaur and the green-haired cutie that there were things that weren’t human in this world, and they were not much liked by the locals.

  While it was often best to blend in, Dar hated seeing others worn down. He had worked in enough entry-level jobs to see plenty of coworkers underpaid and overworked. Everybody deserved a fair shake, and he couldn’t help but get involved, and often get himself fired.

  The green-haired girl had the hallmarks of being completely genuine, maybe a bit naïve, but certainly nothing to garner the vitriol the hostess had thrown at her.

  But he continued on for now, working to gather more information and figure out where he could put himself to work. Otherwise, he was going to run out of coins quickly.

  “Well, this isn’t Kansas,” he muttered again, starting to repeat it as his eyes continued around.

  Everything was made of rough-cut timber, and the buildings crowded together in a way that reminded Dar of sheep being herded. Things were rough, but clean and well-maintained if rudimentary compared to his previous world.

  As he repeated the phrase, he realized that while it sounded right, the way his mouth and lips were moving didn’t match. He tried a few more words, the same feeling filling him.

  “Fuck it. Alright then. I’m in a world with minotaurs and magic, and I can somehow magically speak the language,” Dar muttered to himself, working to process this new life.

  But not knowing the language would have been a huge barrier, so he was happy to take the advantage, however he got it.

  One time when he’d gone a bit too far south in Texas, the language barriers had clearly labeled him as an outsider and made it harder for him to do his job.

  “Ah, ah!” a tottering person exclaimed as they wobbled in a doorway clearly about to drop their payload.

  Dar moved quickly, swooping in and grabbing the box on the other side. “How about I help you out?” He smiled around the box.

  The older man, possibly the oldest he’d seen since arriving, greeted him, “You got that boy?” His voice shook in time to his hands, and he didn’t even wait for a reply before handing it off to Dar.

  “Not a problem; can’t have you dropping your valuables.” Dar gave his best prospective employer smile.

  “Vases, for Count Tint. Don’t suppose you’d help me bring them all the way?” the man said.

  “Sure. Lead on,” Dar kept up the smile. He’d already catalogued this as a one-time job. His big hands were no use for something like pottery, and he wouldn’t have consistent work like this.

  “One copper chit?” the man offered.

  Dar only had the exchange for food to base anything on, but it still felt a smidge cheap. “Two, and you have yourself a deal.”

  The old man nodded, fishing two small copper pieces as proof. “You new in town? Figure I’d recognize someone your size.”

  “You have an expert eye, sir. Just rolled in last night.”

  “Must be running from something to be out this far from the city. But we could really use another strong hand with the recent news.”

  Got to love the elderly; they love to talk, and Dar needed to learn. “What news?”

  “Monsters,” the potter snorted.

  It wasn’t said in the bigoted way the hostess had talked about the minotaur. So were these actual monsters? Who was Dar to not believe that there could be dragons if there were minotaurs? He remembered Lilith had called herself a demon, and the green-haired girl had been a ‘spirit’ according to the hostess. His brain hurt even trying to think about all of it.

  “Don’t think demons are that much trouble,” he hedged.

  The old man scoffed, “Don’t care about demons. This was their land first, and they are hard workers. I’m talking about devils and their kind.”

  Alarm bells went off in Dar’s mind at the word devil. Devils and Mo bad, shiny soul good.

  He had joked, but now it was becoming more real. And if those things had killed him in his other life, he definitely needed to pay attention here.

  “They’ve attacked the town?” he fished.

  “No, nothing so drastic. But there have been sightings of gremlins, and you know what that means.” The old man shook his head, turning and leading Dar down another wider street.

  Dar didn’t know, and that was the problem.

  But judging by the street they had just turned on, he figured he was about out of time. There was a larger home up ahead. The base of it was made of stone, marking it as a cut above the rest. Dar figured that must be the count’s house.

  Two guards stepped up to him and eyed the crate.

  “Set it down for them,” the old man said, handing Dar the two chits. “Best of luck with you.”

  As he put the box down, a woman walked up to the guards. She wore a pointed leather hat and a colorful lavender dress that hid her body from the waist down. She held an air of superiority as she strode up to the guards.

  She stuck out like a sore thumb in her purple dress. Dar could count the amount of dyed clothes he’d seen as he had walked around
town, and even those were dark green or blue. The purple and royal blue seemed to mark her as sophisticated or noble, or both, and her witch’s hat reminded him briefly of his encounter with Lilith.

  He must have been gawking a bit too long because the old man nudged him. “Trust me, son. She’s more than you can handle.”

  “Thanks again,” Dar said, stepping away and taking a breath to clear his head.

  “Hands off me,” a feminine voice scolded behind him.

  Leave it alone, Dar. He said she could handle herself and you don’t have to come to the rescue every time. There’s no—

  “Ay!” she let out a startled scream, and Dar found himself turning back around.

  Damn it. I just can’t walk away. I’m going to do it again and get myself run out of town.

  He paused, but the decision was already made.

  Damn it all.

  He stepped forward towards them, his hand settling roughly on the shoulder of the guard that had been manhandling the woman. Dar used his larger size to lean onto his shoulder slightly, positioning himself between the guard and the woman, but not making any overly threatening moves.

  But the second guard turned to Dar, a scowl on his face.

  “Again, I’m here to see the count and offer my services.” The woman took the opportunity to repeat herself, stepping around Dar with her head held high.

  “I’m sure you’re good for something, but the count don’t usually entertain that until closer to the evening,” the guard that Dar was leaning on sneered.

  The other guard caught Dar by surprise, swinging a metal studded backhand toward his face.

  Dar caught the hand, and his anger flared. He did his best to squeeze the hand, but he was surprised when it gave little resistance. It was like he’d squeezed a handful of popcorn, the man’s hand crackling. The guard’s face contorted as he screamed bloody murder.

  Dar stood there stunned, just as surprised as the guard. He’d always been strong, and he’d squeezed a few men’s hands painfully in the past. But this? This was unnaturally strong.