"Here at the institute, we pride ourselves with our dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. Leave behind your statuses, your titles, your inheritances. For as long as you study here, you are just another student. Nothing more, nothing less." -Acceptance speech to new students by Dean Garth Wainwrought of the Levain Institute of Higher Learning, Academic year of 670 FP.

"Tell me what you have taught them so far." Cal said to Vark while they walked from his abode to the Institute that morning. Perched on Cal's right shoulder was a plump female tabby cat with a luxurious coat of long fur in mottled calico. Vark's pet cat Ida, which he typically brought to work, and which apparently took a fancy to Cal immediately for some reason.

That was another unusual occurrence, for small animals usually tended to avoid her instead, much like children do. Probably it was her familial relations to Vark that made her smell similar to him or something, but Cal had not complained. She scratched the cat's chin until it purred while they walked.

"As we had no blood mage instructor or lecturer at the moment, I had temporarily requested aid from the captain of the city's guards." Vark replied. "It is to my understanding that skill in melee combat would be of use to them."

"Not incorrect." She said as the cat purred and rubbed its head to the side of her face. "But not entirely correct either. I will know more when I see the kids in question later."

As it turned out, the entry procedure for guest lecturers at the Institute was truly simple. The fact that understanding of magic varied from person to person, plus the relative rarity of qualified teachers for certain affinities, meant that the usage of guest lecturers to temporarily shore up the need was commonplace.

Guards at the gate had not even asked a question when Vark introduced her as a temporary guest lecturer, and just let her through without any fuss. The registration itself only amounted to a few forms that her nephew had pre-filled the night before, as well as a short interview with a staff member higher placed than the one who brought her.

As Vark was recently made the head of his department, that ended up with him and Cal seated across from the Dean of the Institute himself.

Garth Wainwrought was human of advanced age, with a long gray beard and balding head, and an amicable look on his wizened features. The man himself was no mage - which was no oddity, as the institute itself was more valued by scholars overall than by mages -, and had devoted his life to a study of the social and economical conditions of the civilized races.

He nodded sagely when Vark explained the situation he had, which led to his desire to have Cal help him as a guest lecturer for a bit. Normally such requests would be accompanied by payment from the institute, though in this case Vark had chosen to shoulder the costs himself, since Cal refused his offer of remuneration. She just accepted his house's hospitality during her stay in Levain instead.

When the old dean asked Cal formally on her qualifications, she just bluntly admitted that the students in the institute likely knew far more theory than she ever would. On the other hand, when it comes to blood mages and practical lessons, very few would be as qualified as she was. When she proffered her signet ring as proof of identity the old dean raised his eyebrows, and muttered under his breath that he both envied and felt sorry for the kids about to go under her tutelage.

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The class for Practical Applications of Magic in Combat was scheduled to take place after the lunch break that day, so Cal spent the time until then with Vark, who gave his aunt - an awkward title for them both, as Vark was two decades Cal's senior in age himself - a tour of the Institute itself.

When it was shortly before the class, Vark led her to a clearing which served as the area reserved for practical lessons. She noticed that the grounds of the clearing were packed with dense soil and stones, which made sense when your main lecturer was an earth magus. Four of Vark's assistants were already present, three mages she identified as a light, fire, and wind affinity respectively, and a sturdy man in armor who had resemblance to one of the mage-guards who welcomed her the day before.

Cal introduced herself to the four, and probed each of them with her mana to get a measure of them. The three mages were all quite talented, though dwarfed by Vark himself. The guard captain was a mage too, to her surprise, one of light affinity, but only of mediocre power. Definitely explained why he chose to make a living as a guardsman rather than a healer at least. On their side, all the assistant's eyebrows jumped in surprise when they returned her probe and detected her vast mana reserves that made theirs feel puny in comparison.

She asked the guard captain on what he already taught the kids while they waited for the students to arrive, nodded at some, and corrected him on other methods. On his part, the guardsman deferred to her expertise and noted down her corrections, since she was the Blood mage there.

The students walked into the clearing right as the bell that signalled the hour tolled. The practical class was held with students from all five years of study combined, and separated into randomly assigned groups that each took their lessons at different times of the week. The current group had nearly one hundred twenty students in it, among which was a young girl of obvious elvish ancestry who waved familiarly to Vark as she entered.

It did not take a genius to guess that the girl in question would be Leila, his eldest daughter, who was currently in her third year of study at the institute. She looked strongly after her mother that Cal instantly noticed the family resemblance.

The students lined themselves up neatly as they formed five lines before Vark and his four assistants, before Vark singled out three young students by name and called them over.

"Let me introduce them." Said Vark. He pointed at a somewhat chubby half-orc boy who dressed in light leathers and had a large warhammer strapped behind his back. "This is Ognar Bloodtooth, sixteen years old, in his first year. Life major."

"Giselle Aldenvar, seventeen years old and in her second year, also life major." He continued, as this time he pointed to a short, skinny young human woman also dressed lightly, with a basket hilted rapier and a main gauche sheathed in her belt.

"Willa Ùlfsmund." He introduced the third figure, a woman who seemed to be of mixed orc and wolf-therian heritage - mostly therian -, who unlike the other two was dressed in thick plate armor that looked uncomfortably heavy and was lined with many spikes all over. "Sixteen, first year. Water major."

Cal nodded as she stood before them with her arms folded. She let a bit of her mana and killing intent loose and approved as she saw how the three instantly tensed up at the perceived danger. Not just them, but many of the other students further away turned at looked at her direction in surprise.

"You three, this is Miss Ambervale from Al-Shan." Vark carried on, as if he had not felt a thing. Cal had warned him beforehand on what she planned to do and so he was prepared for it. "She will be your personal lecturer on practical combat for this season."

The three young students swallowed with some trepidation when they felt the gaze of their new teacher on them. A gaze that felt like a predator that eyed its prey, that made their hairs stood on end.