"Cherish those you love and care for while you have them, for the river of time is an unforgiving taskmaster, that takes one to meet their maker against one's will. Those fortunate enough to climb its shores… finds a different challenge before them. A life often needed a purpose to have value, much less a life unending…" - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden
After a good night's rest, Cal, Fyodor, and Fheeri continued on their journey. By late morning they already saw Levain in the distance. What also caught Cal's attention though, was how many parties of adventurers roamed the woods.
On several occassion she saw them butcher some rabid animals, so clearly Levain took the rabid animal outbreak seriously enough. The adventurers politely waved when Cal's group passed by, and once thanked Fheeri when she helped take down an escaping beast with a well-place shot from her sling.
Roughly an hour out from Levain's gates, Cal saw her students - many of the more combative institute students had joined the hunt along the adventurers - as they stalked the woods in a party of four. Willa was the first to have noticed her, as she sniffed the air and quickly turned her way, which brought the other three along.
"Teacher! Back already?" Willa asked as she lead the rest of the party to her. Ognar, Giselle, and Leila waved happily at Cal as they approached. "And who are these? New friends?"
"Just got back off the goblin lands, yes," answered Cal when all four students had congregated around her. "That's Fheeri, from the goblin lands, and that's Fyodor. He's a descendant of Hans-Grell and Magnus. I'm sure you still remember them?"
"Oooh, descendant of the mayor? Yeah, I can see it. He's even a bigger dude though! Wonder if he's as big down there…" Willa said, with her last words at a low voice but still loud enough for Cal to catch, as Fyodor blushed slightly at her words. Fheeri on the other hand already mingled with the other students, her outgoing personality on full display.
"On that note, you kids are out here hunting rabids as well?" Cal asked to her students.
"Yes, teach. Practical class for all those in our class. Some of the guys and girls in other classes even joined voluntarily," replied Leila. "Heard the guild head was worried because someone sighted a big monster bear that's gone rabid or something, but nobody's ran across it so far."
"Big rabid monster bear you say? Try have some of them search around… a day and a half that way," Cal said as she pointed towards the direction she came from. A look of understanding dawned on most of the students faces, except Giselle, who was preoccupied in a chat with Fheeri at the moment. "Yeah, we ran into it, or one like it at least. Shouldn't trouble nobody any more though."
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Cal chatted happily with her students as they made their way back to Levain - the students had taken down more than enough beasts anyway, and any scratch or bite they took was handled promptly by a healer at the adventurer's base camp - and also met Vark along the way.
Vark was out in the fields to supervise the students - mostly those that were not on the practical class - to make sure they were fine. Leila reported to him that they were returning to the city, along with their tally, and he nodded and waved them through.
Fheeri had made fast friends with the students, and Fyodor also joined in the conversation from time to time. The idea of the Institute seemed to interest Fheeri greatly, as in her homeland, most forms of training was a matter of apprenticeship to an experienced practician of the desired craft.
That people gathered experienced tutors and made a school for the sole purpose to share the craft was both foreign and intriquing for her. She even inquired to Willa whether the Institute had a course for hunters, and was happy when given an affirmative reply.
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"Yes, of course you may enroll if you're interested," Cal said with a smile when an excited Fheeri turned her way, having already guessed what was on the girl's mind. "Don't worry about the fees. I had intended for you to take a look over the courses first, but if you already have something in mind, I don't see why not?"
"Really?" Stammered the excited therian girl for a moment. "I owe you much, I know not how to repay the kindness…" she added with some worry.
"When I offered to show you the world, I always had it in mind to give you some further education as well, Fheeri, think nothing of it," Cal said kindly. "And besides, after you see what I mentioned about a way to see the world more easily… you will likely understand."
Fheeri looked slightly skeptical, but nodded anyway.
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They happened to arrive on Levain on the sixthday, which meant the students technically have their weekend free time. When Cal asked if they wanted to come along to Paradise, all four agreed, and they chose to later reconvene in an eatery near the gate.
In the mean time, Cal showed Fheeri and Fyodor around the city, while the students went to their respective homes or dorms to get their baggages for the trip. Twenty minutes later they met at the eatery they agreed on, and had a late lunch there.
The eatery served a rustic dish of chicken cooked in a wine based sauce, served with good bread and gooey mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, as well as more of the wine they cooked the chicken with. It was definitely good and filling fare, and they left with their bellies full and satisfied.
When Cal entered the building that held Levain's gate inside, the captain of the guards - who she met when he helped serve as a temporary lecturer at the Institute just esrlier this year - happened to be on duty. They were all waved through the checkpoint without even a cursory check.
That said, the sight that greeted Cal when she walked out of the teleportation gate in Paradise was not one she expected to see.
To find Aideen in the gate room? Not a surprise, as she often took trips on a whim to begin with.
Layla on the other hand, was not a face she expected to see in the gate room, or rather in Paradise. What brought the Empress of Al-Shan there?