The mood had been a little tense the day after the beast attack. It was as if a veil of silence had come over the camp. There was less singing from the performers during their evening campfires and there was less idle chatter floating through the caravan. Even the workers were a little more subdued, and Liam felt a distinct difference while they were playing cards. There were less jokes and more drinking. Almost as if they wanted to keep their mouths busy so that their thoughts didn’t catch up.

The worst were the mercenaries though. They carried grim expressions. Some of them grieved openly.

They had lost four people during the malhuhn attack. Liam knew it so well because he had helped collect the bodies, he had seen the carnage. The sight of it was still edged in his memory.

When the last screech of the Beast King turned into silence, the rest of the malhuhns quickly scattered off into the woods. Leaving only the mercenaries standing on the battlefield, clad in blood and gore. Like giants over the small dead bodies.

They looked wary. Exhaustion was written on their faces, and it went without saying that the rest of the caravan went about the cleanup. Well, the workers and performers at least. Most of the merchants stayed behind in their protective wagons.

Blue was one of the few merchants who did help though. He gave Jerem and Liam a hand in lifting one of the corpses to the side of the clearing where some of the other workers were currently digging four deep holes.

“Did you know him?” Blue asked.

Liam shook his head. Jerem nodded.

“Me too. He was a good man,” Blue said. There was a sadness in his voice. A regret that twisted something inside of Liam.

“What was his name?”

“Daril,” Jerem answered in Blue’s stead.

The two talked a little about the man Daril had been while they lifted and moved him over the clearing. Liam didn’t have much to say, but he listened.

They were lucky in a way. The body they were moving was one of the less disfigured ones. Liam was glad he didn’t have to carry one of the bodies which had had its flesh pecked out alive by the murderous malhuhns. Still, it tore at Liam.

It was the first time the grim reality of caravan life was hammered home for Liam. He had been warned before, by many people even. Lorence had told him and Mr Montgomery had even tried to convince him to look for other opportunities.

But there had been no other opportunities to leave for Liam. This was the bargain he had made.

As they made a small break during the day to rest the animals and get onto their feet for a while, Liam made his way through the camp. There were so many people that the loss shouldn't be visible, but still it was.

It was in big ways, like the fact that two wagons were slightly understaffed now. But it was also in the small ways, like how Liam saw a woman crying, being comforted by one of the mercenaries whose name he didn’t know.

Liam didn’t know these people. At least not very well. But still, he felt with them, and more than that even. A small part of Liam felt guilty.

He knew he couldn’t have made a difference, he was more a burden than a help probably. But still, he felt like he should’ve tried. He was blessed pantheon damned, he was a cultivator! Yet he had only sat behind his windows with his measly crossbow.

Liam needed to get stronger. He just needed to.

During his small stroll, he rounded a wagon and was surprised to find himself face-to-face with Marten.

The man held a two-handed sword in his hands and was working through a complicated series of movements. His legs were slightly bent and he rotated his powerful core while mimicking strikes from a battle. Marten noticed Liam but didn’t interrupt his training.

“You're the new kid, eh?”

“Yeah,” Liam said. Then, not knowing what else to say, he went silent.

There was a grace to Martens's movements that made Liam feel like he was watching a regal animal, yet there was no doubt about the power of these swings in his mind.

For a while they just stood in silence, Liam watching the man and Marten flowing like he wasn't even there.

Only while watching for a long time did Liam notice there was something odd about the blade. Other than the fact that the weapon was almost as long as he was tall, it also seemed to be moving oddly.

“They didn’t have a shovel, eh?”

Marten paused, only for the tiniest split second, and smiled. Then he continued his movements.

After he ran through a series of particularly complex movements, Liam felt something. He had to concentrate to be sure, but it was there. A faint trace of mana flowed through Marten as he went through his training. Liam felt it in the air surrounding the man. How? Why?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“You watched me from that wagon yesterday.”

Despite his vigorous exercise, the man wasn't out of breath. Nor was there not a single drop of sweat on him.

“I think everyone watched you from that wagon.”

“Fair,” he stopped his movements and cocked his head at Liam. “Say, when did you join us again? Was it last week?”

Liam frowned. “I think a little longer, but yeah.”

“Hmm,” was all the man offered.

“Why?”

“Just curiosity, really,” Marten said. “Don’t mind it.”

Then he started turning towards his movements again. Liam suddenly got the feeling that he was disturbing the man, so he turned and left him to his training. He got a weird vibe as he walked away though

Why had Marten asked that? Something about it worried Liam, but the thought was soon forgotten as the call to move came again.

It was only during their evening time of sitting together and chatting over the campfire, that Liam realized something.

He knew he needed to get stronger, and for that, Liam needed to learn more about cultivation. But he didn’t just need to find out how exactly cultivation worked, no, he needed a teacher. A Mentor. Someone who could show him the ropes and guide him along his way.

All the heroes in the stories Liam had read as a kid had a mentor, a wise and ancient man who guided them on their path to greatness. Who showed them their potential and opened doors for them.

Liam didn’t know any wise and ancient beings, and he wasn’t sure what his path to greatness would even look like, but he knew he needed help. And maybe his help came in the shape of a slightly disgruntled and mysterious caravan mercenary. Maybe Marten wasn’t the teacher the legends had promised Liam, but he was sure better than nothing.

Liam was so lost in thought that he hadn’t even heard the joke Jerem had just made, but he still joined the laughter of his wagon mates. His eyes darted over the other campfires surrounding theirs until they landed on Marten.

Liam wanted to go over to the man immediately. He hadn’t really thought it through and had no idea of how to actually get his help, but he knew he needed to try.

He glanced in his bowl and made to quickly finish the last few spoons in it. No reason to waste good food, he thought to himself. So he put the dish up to his lips and gulped it down.

“Woah easy easy Liam,” Jerem laughed warmly. “Someone's very hungry.”

Liam put the bowl down and smiled sheepishly.

A mocking voice cut through the others' laughter. “Boy, you eat like an animal.”

Bilby slit into the seat between Jerem and one of their other wagon mates. The mood immediately became a little more tense.

“I mean, if I saw a girl swallowing like that, I would fucking marry her,” Bilby continued, still not having gotten the laughter he wanted.

One of the people at the campfire chuckled slightly. Liam didn’t know his name, but he knew he had seen the man with Bilby sometimes. The rest of them clearly weren’t that enthusiastic to have Bilby here. He was known as a prick to most of the caravan.

“What do you want Bilby?” Jerem asked.

“What, me?” Bilby faked surprise and filled a big helping of soup for himself. “Well I just wanted to enjoy some company with culture, but looking around, it seems like I’m at the wrong place.” He nodded towards Liam. A few people laughed nervously.

“Wow that was a good joke,” Liam said. “Did you read that in one of the books that you buy with all the money you have?”

Bilby paused for a moment, his brain processing. Then he burst out laughing. It was a deep and disgusting sound.

“You’re still upset about that boy?” He turned towards the rest of the people present. “Poor little Liam is upset that he got swindled out of a few pieces of copper. Do you want me to give them back to you so that you can buy another bowl of soup?”

No one laughed now.

“Keep your dirty money.”

“But then again,” Bilby continued as if Liam hadn’t spoken. “I guess that’s expected of street rat scum like you isn’t it? I bet you have done quite some other things for money. Maybe I should give you a few pieces of copper just to find out how far you would go. How much for a blowjob, eh boy?”

Liam felt his temper rising. All these things were nothing Liam had never heard before. And he didn’t want to give Bilby the satisfaction of rising to his bait.

“Calm down Bilby,” Jerem said coolly.

The man turned towards Jerem. “What, you want to play the parent for our little street scum here now? You hear that Liam? We finally found you a mother, you don’t have to look for them anymore! Let’s just hope this one doesn’t leave you again.”

He laughed his disgusting laugh again. Liam’s rising temper cooled immediately. He felt hollow and looked to the floor.

He could feel the eyes of the others on him. He knew he needn’t be ashamed of where he came from, but still, he didn’t want to see the pity in them. Not right now. Instead, he simply put his bowl to the floor and got up.

“Stop that Liam boy,” Blue bellowed. “We’re only joking, you know that!”

Liam didn’t know how Blue had guessed his past so correctly. Nor why it bothered him so much to hear it out of his filthy mouth. But he felt ashamed right now.

He stepped over the tree log they used as a bench, turned his back towards the fire, and walked away.

Liam had only made it a few steps away when Jerem was suddenly next to him.

“Don’t listen to that asshole,” he said.

Liam nodded. “I know, thanks for sticking up for me.”

“We can go to a different fire.”

“Go back,” Liam shook his head. “Enjoy your dinner. I’m not really hungry anymore.”

He had never thought he would ever say that sentence.

“I’m good. Want to play a round of cards or something?”

“No.”

He turned and left Jerem standing. He was touched by the way the man was looking out for him, but he didn’t need that now.

Liam felt the hollowness in his stomach filling, and then slowly heating. Until he felt like he had a hot burning ember inside of him. One which he couldn’t quite let go.

Liam was surprised with how much he had let Bilby into his head. He had dealt with talk like this all his life, but still, something about the man just grated at him in the worst way possible. He almost wished he could’ve wiped that smirk off the man’s face, but sadly that wasn’t so easy.

Bilby didn’t just seem to have quite an important role and some say in the caravan, he was also a cultivator. And a dangerous one at that. If Liam wanted to pay it back to him, he needed to find a different way.

Originally Liam had planned to leave the fire anyway and talk with Marten. But he didn’t feel like that now. No, he had a few other things he wanted to take care of first.

Instead of walking to the other campfires, Liam beelined straight towards the wagons.