"Why would an Institute devoted to academia have a combat tournament you ask? Why, my friend, what is combat but another field of study?" - Dean Garth Wainwrought of the Levain Institute of Higher Learning.

Three and a half months later.

Spring had ended, and before Cal knew it, she had spent the past three months with her students and formed a closer bond to the three youngsters - and her grand-niece who ended up thick as thieves with the trio. As the sun started to set that day, she eyed the four teenagers, and considered their progress over the season.

"Congratulations." She said, a praise given earnestly, for the youngsters had toughed out training that she doubted that many soldiers would be able to. "Your training ends today, for now. Your path further, will rely on your own efforts."

The four teenagers looked at her half in relief, yet also half in disappointment. On one hand, the training was hellish, and all four of them often regretted that they agreed to it. On the other hand, the could not deny that they had major improvements over the past season, far more than ever before.

"As I once promised, I come today bearing gifts, as you graduated from our tutelage." Cal added on, as now all four teenagers perked up on hearing her words. To the side Aideen and the other two who taught them over the past months just chuckled at the sight. "Leila? You count as well. Come over."

All four youngsters eagerly approached Cal, Leila still somewhat surprised, as she thought the training itself was already a priceless reward. They had learned the identities of their teachers over the months, and just the thought that they had been personally trained by several legends still boggled their young minds.

"First, Leila, these are for you." Cal said as whe extracted a few items from her pendant and gave it to her grand-niece.

Leila looked with wonder in her eyes as she hefted the robe made of fine-spun bluish silk, interlaced with strips of jet-black leather which doubled as extra protection and decoration. Along with the robe, was a pair of leather boots made from the same leather, as well as a hooded cloak made from the same material. Just a touch of the material told Leila very well that the items must have cost a large amount of money.

On top of that Cal handed the girl a sheathed blade with a long handle. While many mages chose to rely purely on their magic for combat, Leila have always had a taste for swordsmanship. Over the months Aideen and Cal had corrected her form, and made her realize that a two-handed sword was not ideal for her.

The weapon they trained her with was an Al-Shan weapon called a Dadao, a single-edged blade a meter twenty in length, one third of which was the handle, with a curved blade that resembled a machete and had a tip similar to a cleaver. The longer handle and shorter blade worked better for Leila, and Cal had such a blade forged from high-purity adamant steel for her use. The blade looked thin and flimsy at a glance, but the material it was made of ensured its durability, while the thin, fullered blade kept the weight manageable for Leila.

For her three Blood mage students, Cal held nothing back. She must have spent roughly a quarter of her savings for the items she purchased, yet she had no second thoughts about it. After the months with them, she trusted that these kids would do her proud in the future, and what she bought them, would last them for a long time to come.

Ognar, she gave a warhammer designed much like his old one, as well as a kite shield, both made from adamant steel. On top of that she gave him vambraces and shin guards made from same material, as well as a brigandine made with wyvern leather that covered layered plates of adamant steel beneath, with a silken inner layer. The boy still has room for growth so she made sure all his armor had straps with which he could adjust them properly.

Giselle, she gave a suit of lamellar armor made of hundreds of scales harvested from a sea wyvern, interlaced with strips of its own leather, overlaid on top of a silken base, as well as forearm and shin guards made the same way. They were far less protective than Ognar's armor, but they barely weighed a thing, which was far more important to Giselle. For weapons, Cal handed the girl a longsword and a shortsword, both crafted of high purity adamant steel, and so heavy she would not have been able to use them without magical empowerment.

The swords were both solid, with their blades shaped like a narrow triangle that tapered to a needle-sharp tip. The hefty blade was very easy to wield despite its weight, as its balance point laid right by the handguard, and its hefty construction allowed it to be used for thrusts, chops, and cuts with equal ease.

Willa was actually the one that had made her spend the most, since for the half-therian girl, Cal had ordered a custom set of armor - sized large enough for her to grow into in the future - made entirely from the same material as her classmates' gifts. The material used for her armor alone was easily four if not five times as much as the rest combined, and the young girl could barely move around in the thick and heavy suit of plate over chainmail unless she empowered herself.

The chainmail underneath was thin and looked flimsy, although the material it was made of made it more durable than normal sized chainmail of lesser material. The plates atop it however, were noticeably thick and bulky, with many vicious spikes that adorned their outside surfaces.

Willa's gauntlets ended in stylized fists that were halfway solid adamant steel. The fists was adorned with spikes, one in each cardinal direction, and on the knuckles of the fist were a set of three dagger-shaped claws that built straight into the gauntlet. Inside the gauntlet was a horizontal handlebar which allowed Willa to grip her weapon firmly even with her paw-like hands.

"Take the rest of this week to rest properly, all of you. The tournament is next weekend, and there you shall show the results of your trainings so far." Cal said with a smile. "We will be watching, so don't you dare embarass us."

All four teenagers looked positively mortified when they learned that their teachers - figures that were legends to many - would be there to watch them fight, and nervously nodded.

"To give you some motivation, If you all do well, I'll take you to a royal vacation myself over the summer holidays." Cal added.

The youngsters cheered over her words as she smiled at their youthful energy.