"I wish we could say that we are perfect, and that every one of our students treat one another as equals, my friend, but I know the truth. And the truth is, many of our students still flaunted their positions over their lessers, just that they were clever enough to do it outside public sight. Should we have any caught red-handed, such offenders are to be expelled dishonorably." - Dean Garth Wainwrought, when asked about his philosophy which placed all students as equals.

Over the rest of that week and the next, Cal designed training courses for her three students with the aid of the other assistants, students, and Vark's cooperation. It was a week that left all three of her students exhausted like they never had been before, yet at the same time, they already felt their magic power begin to improve, as Cal forced out their potential and worked them to the bone.

For what it's worth, the three students were quick to take on her suggestions once they started to feel the improvements. By the time their classes entered the second week, Ognar had a kite shield with him, and wore plate over chainmail. Willa and Giselle had started to wear weights on their wrists and ankles as she suggested, and only took them off for spars and rests. Giselle also bought a new pair of swords, a longsword and a shortsword, both proportioned similar to the shortsword Cal showed her.

Pleased with their drive to improve themselves, she took her time and helped them as they adjusted to their new, still unfamiliar gear - or weight, in Willa's case -, though the training course at the end of class everyday remained as exhaustive as it always was.

Perhaps it was due to the mutual suffering they experienced, but Cal noticed that her three students had started to bond with one another. A development that pleased her.

**************************

Come the weekend of her second week in Levain, Cal accompanied Vark and his family as they offered to give her a tour of the city in their free time. She had to admit that the Institute's idea where they left the last two days of every week free for rest and relaxation was quite a clever idea, and when it came to her students, they needed the rest anyway. Forced exhaustion always needed to be coupled with ample rest for effective training, in her experience.

They had strolled the streets peacefully, with Ilena in Krystal's embrace and Ida perched on Cal's shoulder, as Leila chatted with her mother, when she caught wind of noises of what seemed to be an altercation from a side alley. With the noises were voices she recognized, namely those of her students. Vark also heard the altercation at roughly the same time and they exchanged glances.

"Hold her for a while." Cal said as she deposited the cat onto Krystal's lap, where Ilena immediately played happily with her. "We'll be back shortly."

Krystal had not asked what the matter was about and just nodded as she watched her daughter play with their cat on her lap. Leila was ordered by her father to stay with her mother, and keep her little sister safe, just in case.

It had not taken long before she and Vark located the alleyway where the altercation took place. There Cal found her three students, beset by at least fifteen thugs - there had been twenty of them, But the kids had laid out five of them already, despite being caught unarmed. The claw and bite marks that three of the downed thugs sported hinted at Willa's handiwork.

They were young, inexperienced students though, and the thugs were not only armed - though based on how they used cudgels and clubs instead of knives Cal figured they were not there with lethal intent - but also far more experienced. By now each of the students were held tightly by three or four thugs each while another beat on them violently.

Cal gave Vark a look and a gesture, and he nodded. She then strolled casually into the alley, as one of the thugs that held her students down noticed her and warned the rest.

Two of the rough men split from the group and accosted her. They even gave a pitiful attempt to intimidate her, but Cal had no words to spare for their ilk. She just walked past the men wordlessly as she left them a screaming heap on the ground with broken arms and legs. Vark followed behind her and discreetly restrained the downed thugs in fetters of stone. He mercifully also made them double as a cast for those with their bones broken just now.

By now the rest of the thugs were thoroughly alarmed, and other than three of them who kept Willa and Giselle pinned to the ground - Ognar was already unconscious -, the remaining ten rushed at Cal with weapons bared. She treated these men and women the same way she handled their compatriots, as her hands snatched and twisted any limb that approached her, and her legs snapped the bones of those that came too close.

Soon she knelt next to her students and helped them up - the three that were left and had pinned them down surrendered as she approached, so she let Vark bind them in stone unharmed -, and checked on Ognar's condition. Fortunately the boy only had a light concussion, and he was alert and aware when she woke him up gently.

"So, care to tell me what happened?" She asked her students. They had just been her students for less than two weeks, but she'll be damned if she lets anyone that dared to assault those put under her care get off scot free.

"Not sure, teach." Willa said as she spat out some blood. Her mouth had some cuts from the abuse she received, but nothing worrisome for a blood mage, even one as inexperienced as her. "We were just strolling with Giselle when those punks jumped us."

To the side, Giselle sighed loudly, and looked apologetically at her two classmates. "It's my fault. I got them involved."

"Explain." Cal ordered bluntly. By now some guards had arrived and took note of the situation as Vark explained it to them. His identity as a lecturer from the Institute and the fact that the assaulted youngsters were his students kept the guards from prolonged questioning.

"I'm sorry. It's a bit of a long story…" Giselle said with a depressed tone. "If you do not mind, can I say it at my place? We're nearby."

"Fine with me."

"We're friends! No need to apologize!" Said Willa as she slapped Giselle's back as they made their way out of the alleyway.

"Friends, huh…?" Giselle mumbled under her breath at those words.

***************************

Giselle's house turned out to be a medium sized confectionery store that, while quite well furnished, had clearly seen better days. One detail that instantly caught Cal's attention however, was how the store was built right across a guard station, and that the guard on shift looked at Giselle with a dejected sigh when he saw her in a beaten state.

As they walked in, Cal and Vark's family greeted the middle-aged man who manned the counter of the shop. He greeted them back politely, before he looked apologetically at his daughter's injuries and sighed.

Giselle led the group upstairs where her family had their living space, and they gathered around a table at the dining room. A petite middle aged woman with strong resemblance to Giselle brought them tea and some confectioneries.

"Our apologies that you got dragged into our troubles." Said the middle-aged woman as she channeled magic into her hands and healed the trio's injuries. "Please have some. It's the least we could do."

Cal politely accepted the woman's - Giselle's mother - offer, and sipped at her tea while she chewed on one of the flaky jam-filled pastries, and swallowed it before she turned to Giselle and went straight to the meat of the matter.

"So, Giselle? We await your story."