No one got any sleep that night, after the Black Wolf Gang attacked the caravan. Everyone worked together to help the injured and clean up the camp. A few unlucky souls had the uneviable task of dealing with the dead bodies.
Leroy and I helped with the clean up, while Lorelei helped tend to the wounded. Everyone knew she did this to keep an eye on Corie, but no one blamed her for that. Her friend almost died, so it made sense that she wanted to keep close.
The bodies belonging to the guards who died defending the caravan, and the few noncombatants who got caught in the crossfire, were given a proper burial. We didn’t have any priests with us, so Lieutenant Hayden said a few words in honor of the fallen dead.
The bodies belonging to the Black Wolf Gang were looted, before being thrown into a pit dug out by some Earth wizards. Crispin then burned them to ash. By the time the Earth wizards covered up the pit, no traces of the dead Black Wolf Gang members remained.
We took the Inferno Wolf corpses with us by putting them in one of the wagons and preserving their bodies with Ice magic. They would be butchered at Rosewood City’s Adventurers Guild.
Since my group hadn’t participated in the main battle, or the distraction as I liked to think of it, we didn’t get that much loot. That sucked, but at least it wasn’t a total loss for me. The Air wizard I killed had a silver wolf ring, some coins, as well as several potions.
Her daggers were also magical. They were designed to channel Air magic, making them sharper, and allowing them to cut through magical defenses easier. While I didn’t use daggers as often as I used the sword, I wasn’t that picky.
Then again, perhaps I could give them as a gift for Corie. She was an Air and Wood wizard, and while she was an archer, a backup weapon wouldn’t be bad for her. Besides, she was my disciple now. If I was going to give Lorelei a gift, I should give her one as well.
By the time everyone finished with their respective tasks, it was almost dawn. Everyone was tired and haggard, but no one let their guard down. While it was unlikely that the Black Wolf Gang would attack us twice in the same night, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Besides, there were other threats to be wary of. Other bandit groups, magic beasts, and so on.
I felt better than most, because of my cultivation, but I suffered the effects of a heated battle followed by a sleepless night. My body ached all over, though my shoulder hurt the worst. The Air wizard had done a number on me. I took some additional health potions, but they did little to help. I needed time, or Holy magic, to heal.
My lifespan wasn’t looking good either. When I formed my Second Circle, it increased. However, when the Otherworlder shattered my Circles, it negatively impacted my lifespan. After burning it a few times, I had seventy-four years left. Of course, this would change once I reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
The caravan set off a little after dawn, once everyone had a quick meal. No one wanted to remain in that place for longer than necessary. Lorelei had Corie loaded up in the House Sturm carriage. It wasn’t the best place for Corie, but Lorelei didn’t want to let her friend out of her sight. I could understand that.
Lorelei was concerned for Corie, but I also noticed some guilt in her eyes. Did she blame herself for Corie’s injuries? Corie wasn’t supposed to have been part of this job, but Lorelei let her come along and now Corie was hurt.
It wasn’t her fault. These things happen. The Black Wolf Gang was going to attack the caravan regardless of Corie’s presence. They were the ones responsible for Corie’s injuries. However, I didn’t tell Lorelei any of this. I wasn’t the one she needed to hear it from.
As we traveled throughout the day, I conversed with my newly awakened familiar. Now that the familiar bond was in place, it no longer hurt to communicate with it using my divine sense.
After some questioning, I learned that the dragon spirit didn’t remember its name. Well, her name. The dragon spirit now sported a distinctly feminine voice. She decided to let me give her a new name, since I was now her partner for life. I went with Aurora, which meant “dawn”. Since it was the dawn of a new partnership between us, I felt it was appropriate.
Aurora called me a dork and laughed, but said that she loved the name. It looked like I would have to spend the rest of my life with a cheeky familiar by my side.
The caravan was only two days away from Rosewood City, so everyone pushed themselves to reach it, despite their exhaustion. We traveled further than expected that day. The barren hills became more gentle, and we saw more signs of life. Plant life flourished the closer we drew to Rosewood City, and we saw several animals scurrying about.
Things took a turn when we made camp that night. Corie woke up at some point during the day, and had an argument with Lorelei. I didn’t know what the argument was about, since I refrained from eavesdropping, but it sounded heated. If Corie hadn’t been recovering from her injuries, she might have left the carriage and walked the rest of the day.
Lorelei and Corie refused to talk with each other when we set up camp for the night, and tension filled the air. Rather, Corie refused to talk with Lorelei, despite the latter’s attempts to initiate a conversation.
After dinner, Corie marched off without a word.
“Corie!” Lorelei said, ready to chase after her.
I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her.
“Let her go,” I said.
“But Lord Gabriel-…”
I shook my head.
“I’ll talk with her after giving her some time to cool down.”
If the argument was about what I thought it was, Lorelei was the last person Corie wanted to talk with, though perhaps not for the reasons Lorelei thought.
“It’s all my fault,” Lorelei said, wiping away tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “I shouldn’t have let her come along. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have almost died. Now she hates me.”
Lorelei looked so young and vulnerable in that moment, the protective urges I felt when I first met her returned. They made me want to wrap her up in a fluffy blanket and give her a cup of hot cocoa.
“She doesn’t hate you,” I said.
Lorelei scoffed.
“Of course she does,” she said. “Why else would she be angry with me? I tried to apologize to her, asking her to forgive me, but that just made things worse.” She looked down at her hands. “She’s right to be angry with me. I deserve it.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” I repeated. “And she’s not angry with you. She’s angry at herself.”
Lorelei gave me a surprised look.
“What?” she asked. “Why would Corie be angry at herself?”
“I’ll explain later, after I talk with her,” I said. “Just know that she isn’t angry with you, and leave it at that for now.” I smiled at her. “And chin up. We succeeded at the job given to us. That’s something worth celebrating.”
Lorelei looked out towards the rest of the caravan.
“I don’t think I can celebrate something like this,” she said. “So many people died. When I agreed to help Uncle Theobald, I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
“If nothing else, celebrate the fact that your actions will help bring the Black Wolf Gang down. They’re the ones hurting people and killing them. They’re the ones to blame for Corie getting hurt. The Icefall Region will be a better place without them.”
Lorelei continued to stare out towards the rest of the caravan. At first I thought my words hadn’t reached her, but then her expression hardened.
“Yes,” she said. “It will be. We’ll make them pay for what they did.”
After that I wandered around the camp, giving Corie more time to cool down. As I did, several of the adventurers came up to me. At first I expected some hostility, since that was par for the course with these people, but instead they came up to thank me.
That caught me off guard.
It turned out that many of the adventurers and guards had used the Protection Talismans I sold them. Without those talismans, many more people would have died during the battle. One guy told me that he would have lost his head without his Protection Talisman. No amount of health potions could cure decapitation.
Honestly, I felt a little embarrassed accepting their gratitude. My goal had to make some money with those talismans, not help these people out. Still, if I could make money and do a good deed, that was a win in my book.
Several guards and adventurers asked if they could buy more Protection Talisman, but I had to disappoint them. However, once we reached Rosewood City, I could make more. This lifted their spirits.
Lieutenant Hayden and I also had a brief conversation about the package. When I told him that the Black Wolf Gang had “stolen” it, he sighed in relief.
From the haunted look in his eyes and the way he hunched his shoulders, I could tell that the deaths the caravan suffered weighed heavily on Lieutenant Hayden.
“Then maybe all this will be worth it in the end,” he said. “Let’s hope that Lord Icefall’s plan succeeds.”
When everyone except for the sentries turned in for the night, I made my way towards Corie. She hadn’t left the camp when she marched off. Instead, she found the darkest corner she could brood in and parked herself there. She sat on the ground, hugging her knees.
Corie ignored me when I found her hiding spot. No, not quite. She saw me, and then turned her back on me when I arrived. I stood there with my arms crossed and waited.
“What do you want?” she asked when it became clear that I wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Walk with me,” I said.
Corie hugged herself tighter.
“Just go away and leave me alone.”
“You can sit here and stew in your own hurt feelings,” I said. “Or you can be a big girl and talk about what’s bothering you like an adult.”
That got her attention. Corie looked back at me, her eyes filled with tears and anger.
“Fuck you,” she snarled. “You think you’re so special because you're some kind of reincarnated god or whatever, but you’re not. You’re just some annoying asshole with an overinflated ego.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong about that. Thankfully, we weren’t near anyone else, so no one overheard her.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Reincarnated Immortal,” I said, correcting her.
“Who cares?”
“I do.” I leaned in closer. “Walk with me.”
“Did Lorelei send you? Because I swear to the gods, if I hear one more apology, I’m going to scream.”
Yep, I expected something like this.
“I promise you that I won’t apologize,” I said. “However, the sooner we deal with whatever’s bothering you, the better. Otherwise, it’s going to fester like an infected wound.”
It might even become an inner demon, though I didn’t say that part out loud.
Actually, I wasn’t sure if wizards could develop inner demons. Mortals couldn’t. As far as I knew, inner demons were a cultivator specific issue. Inner demons were demonic beings born from the darkness of a cultivator’s heart. If they weren’t dealt with, they could destroy the cultivator that spawned them.
Even if Corie wouldn’t develop an inner demon from this, it was better to resolve it now. Holding in anger and resentment never ended well. It was like a poison that corroded one from the inside.
Corie stared at me. I held her gaze without flinching. After a while, she let out a frustrated sigh.
“Fine,” she said, standing up. “You win. Lead the way, Master Gabriel.”
Sarcastic little…
I led Corie outside the boundaries of the camp, though I made sure to stay within sight of Leroy, who had perched himself atop the House Sturm carriage. I also kept an eye on our surroundings with my divine sense, just in case someone or something tried to sneak up on us.
When we were far enough away, I turned around and faced Corie. Now then, how would I handle this? With what I knew about Corie, and what Lorelei told me earlier, sympathy would backfire here.
Still, no need to be an aggressive asshole right from the get go. I would ease into it.
“Now then,” I said. “Why are you angry with Lorelei?”
Corie scoffed.
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked. “I almost died because of her.”
Hmm. Yep. I wasn’t good at easing into things. Time to be an asshole.
“Bullshit,” I said. “You and I both know that Lorelei isn’t to blame for what happened. The Black Wolf Gang is. They’re the ones who attacked us. They’re the ones who hurt you. They’re the ones who held you hostage.”
Corie flinched when I said that last sentence.
“If I hadn’t come along to help Lorelei with this stupid mission of hers, none of this would have happened to me.”
“If I recall, you’re the one who insisted on coming along.”
“As if you never made a decision that you didn’t regret,” Corie scoffed.
I tilted my head.
“Then would you have preferred if Lorelei was the one who got taken hostage and injured?”
Corie reared back at that.
“What? No! Of course not!”
I stepped forward until we were only a few feet apart and poked Corie in the shoulder.
“Then stop lying to me and tell me the real reason why you’re angry.” I paused. “Or maybe you don’t even know it yourself. Maybe I’m not the only one you’re lying to.”
Corie clenched her fists and looked away from me, not responding to my question.
“Oh? Keeping quiet now? Well too bad. If you won’t say it, I will.” I leaned in even closer. “Lorelei isn’t the one you’re truly angry at, is she?”
Corie turned and glared at me. However, I saw tears forming in her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” she said in a watery voice. “Then who am I angry at, if you’re so smart? Hmm? Tell me, since you know me so well.”
“You’re angry at yourself,” I said. “You’re angry that you were so weak and useless during our fight against the Black Wolf Gang.”
Corie stepped back, a stricken expression on her face. She looked like I had stabbed her in the heart. Several expressions crossed her features over the next several seconds, as if she couldn’t decide how she felt.
In the end, she settled on rage.
“You know what?” she yelled. “Fine. Fuck it. You’re right.” The rage died away, and her voice dropped into a whisper. “I hate myself for what happened. Because of me, we almost failed the mission.”
Actually, no. In a weird way, she helped us in our mission. The Black Wolf Gang taking her hostage allowed us to give them the package without them being suspicious about it. However, pointing that out to her now seemed like a poor idea.
“I was useless in that fight,” Corie continued. “I was the only one who didn’t contribute at all. No. Worse. I was a hindrance.” Tears started to fall down her cheeks. “Ever since we were children I always looked after Lorelei. I was older and she was younger. It was my job to protect her. Even when we both started practicing magic, this didn’t change.”
Corie let out a bleak chuckle.
“Only, that was never true. She’s the Chosen of Terra and I’m just a bastard of House Corwin. She never needed me. I was just a burden to her. That’s why she didn’t ask me to come along for this mission. She knew that I would just make a mess of things, and she was right.”
From what I understood, Lorelei didn’t want Corie along because she didn’t want her friend to get hurt. Telling Corie this wouldn’t help matters, however. She would just see it as confirmation of her fears and insecurities. She would see it as confirmation that she was indeed a burden.
“You’re wrong about that, but that’s something you and Lorelei need to work out between yourselves,” I said. “Right now, what you need to focus on is figuring out what you’re going to do going forward.”
Corie wiped her cheeks, though her tears continued to fall.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“You were weak and useless,” I said. “This time. What you need to focus on is getting stronger so that things are different next time.” I gestured to her. “You’re angry at yourself because of what happened last night? Fine. Be angry. Use it as fuel to help you move forward and grow stronger for the future. That way, you won’t be a hindrance next time.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Corie said. “Aren’t you supposed to be trying to make me feel better?”
“You’re right, I am an asshole,” I said. “I’m not your friend. It isn’t my job to coddle you. Doing so will only inhibit your growth. If you have a problem with that, you shouldn’t have accepted me as your teacher in the first place.”
Corie snorted.
“Please,” she said. “We both know that you didn’t really mean it. The only reason why you did that was because of Lorelei. You accepted me as your disciple on a whim.”
I shook my head.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Corie glared at me.
“Don’t lie to me to try and make me feel better.”
“I think we’ve established that making you feel better isn’t my priority,” I said, grinning at her. “I’m telling you the truth. I accepted you as my disciple because I wanted to.”
Corie crossed her arms.
“Yeah, right.”
“It’s true. You and I were tied by fate before that point. You’re best friends with Lorelei, my first disciple in this lifetime. You were my servant because of that wager we made. We both have a grudge against House Corwin, though yours is stronger for obvious reasons. Your presence in the clearing that night wasn’t a coincidence. That alone would have been enough for me to consider making you my disciple.”
Of course, I might not have considered it if Lorelei hadn’t been the catalyst. Fate was funny like that.
Corie didn’t respond, though I saw that she was trembling.
“However, that wasn’t all,” I said. “I believe you have the potential to be a prodigy when it comes to cultivation.”
Corie scoffed at this, but I pressed forward before she could interrupt me.
“I mean, I just need to take a look at your progress in wizardry to prove my point. How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” Corie said after some hesitation. Her tears had stopped falling by this point. “I turn twenty this winter.”
“Nineteen, and you’re already more than halfway through the First Circle. Since I’m assuming you started practicing wizardry at twelve, like everyone else, that means you have some serious talent. Most people would only be at the third or fourth thread by this point. Talent for wizardry doesn’t necessarily mean talent for cultivation, but I believe they are related.”
Of course, I only had my own personal experiences to draw upon for this. As far as I knew, no one else in the entirety of Lumina practiced both wizardry and cultivation. Even discounting my other advantages, my talent for wizardry played a key part in my rapid cultivation speed.
Corie didn’t respond for a long while after that.
“Fourteen,” she said.
“What?” I asked.
“I started practicing wizardry when I was fourteen,” Corie said. “I didn’t know that I had any aptitude for magic until my mother died and I learned that I was a bastard of House Corwin.”
I stared at her.
If she was telling the truth, and I had no reason to believe she wasn’t, then it only took her five years to reach this point. Well, five and a half. I estimated that it would only take her two or three more years before she reached the Second Circle. That didn’t just make her above average when it came to wizardry, that made her a genius.
“What kind of mana formula do you use?”
“One of the common ones available through the Adventurers Guild.”
“What sort of resources have you used to boost your progress in wizardry?” I asked.
“Just whatever I could earn through the Adventurers Guild,” Corie said with a shrug. “Lorelei and her family sometimes gave me what they could spare, but that didn’t happen often. Most of the time, I had to rely only on myself.”
I stared at her for a full minute. Corie squirmed under my scrutiny.
“You mean to tell me that you reached the point that you’re at in five years,” I said. “With minimal resources, and a mediocre mana formula.”
“Hey!” Corie said. “My mana formula isn’t mediocre.”
I ignored her protest and grabbed her by the shoulders. Corie let out a surprised squawk at this.
“Corie,” I said. “You’re a fucking genius.”
She stared at me with wide eyes.
“Wh-What?” she said, stuttering.
“You’re a fucking genius,” I repeated. “Any House would love to have someone like you as a retainer. Hell, if the minor Houses learned about your talent, they would flood you with marriage proposals in order to get that talent for themselves.” I grinned. “Unfortunately for them, I got to you first.”
Corie looked a little scared at this. I let go of her and cleared my throat.
“Anyway, the point I was trying to make before we got sidetracked was that I asked you to be my disciple because I believe you have great potential for cultivation,” I said. “That was when I thought you had an above average talent for wizardry. That’s even more true now that I know you’re a genius.”
Corie looked at me, fear and hope warring in her eyes.
“Do you really mean that?” she asked. “You’re not just messing with me?”
“I mean it,” I said. “However, talent means nothing if it’s not accompanied by hard work. And it definitely won’t mean anything if you let last night’s events break your spirit. You suffered a loss, but don’t let it discourage you. Instead, learn from it and move on. Use it as motivation to get stronger.”
As I spoke, Corie stood up straighter and a fiery gleam appeared in her eyes.
“I’ll also have you and Lorelei begin your training tomorrow,” I said. “While I won’t have you start cultivating until we return to Icefall City, I can have you start training your bodies.”
“Yes, Master Gabriel,” Corie said, actually meaning it this time. “I won’t let you down.”
“Don’t let yourself down,” I said. “You’re the one who has to live with the consequences of your choices. I won’t be the one suffering if you slack off.”
“I know.”
“Good. Now go get some sleep. You still have third watch tonight.”
“What about you?” Corie asked.
“I’ll stay out here a little longer,” I said. “I want to watch the stars.”
Corie started to walk away, but I called out after her.
“Oh, and Corie?” She glanced back at me. “Talk with Lorelei. I mean it. Have an open and honest conversation with each other. Don’t let any misunderstandings cause any unnecessary pain for the two of you.”
“I will, Master Gabriel” Corie said with a nod. “And…thank you.”
I waved off her thanks, and watched as she made her way back to camp. With my divine sense, I saw that Lorelei was still awake inside her tent. Corie stood outside Lorelei’s tent for several minutes. Just when I thought she wouldn’t have the courage to go through with it, she called out for Lorelei.
I pulled my divine sense away after that. The last thing my disciples needed was me listening in on an important conversation like this.
Instead, I turned my attention towards the stars. They were bright and beautiful tonight. Only a sliver of the waxing moon was visible.
Was it necessary to be so harsh with her, Great Gabriel? Aurora asked in my mind.
‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘Corie is more insecure about herself and her place in the world than I realized.’
Considering that Corie’s mother died when she was fourteen, a turbulent time in any teenager’s life, I didn’t blame her. And Brandon Norwood used to think high school was bad. I mean, it was, but not compared to what Corie went through.
‘You weren’t awake for that part, but Corie was phenomenal when we dealt with a small group of bandits from the Black Wolf Gang,’ I said. ‘However, one encounter against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy was enough to cause her to quarrel with her best friend. If I hadn’t pushed her like I did, it would have hindered her progress.’
Aurora took a moment before responding.
Pressure can help forge a person into a stronger version of themselves, she said. However, too much pressure can break them. People need love and support too, in order to thrive.
‘I agree,’ I said. ‘It just can’t come from me.’
Not that I was worried on that front. Corie and Lorelei had each other. Once they got over this little fight, their friendship would be stronger than ever.
I spent the next several minutes watching the night sky, before heading back to camp. We would reach Rosewood City tomorrow, and I needed all the rest I could get.