Presents

After a day of shopping, the group heads to the Restaurant District. Wentlas had planned for them to meet some of his friends who would look after them and could help them while they were in the city. The dinner was in a really fancy restaurant in the center of the Food District. They had an entire room for themselves on the 20th floor with a view of the Capitol.

Wentlas' friends were already there. There were 4 of them. The one sitting to the right of Wentlas is Dragnar who is the current principal of the Grand Magical Academy. He is tall and slender with a crystal not in his hand but on his forehead. Sitting to the right of him is Nue, a quiet but shapely woman who seems to be eyeing Bryce with intensity that was making him feel like food right before being eaten. Next to Nue was Fan, an outspoken and bubbly woman who seems to keep Nue from saying inappropriate things at the table. To the left of Wentlas is a guy named Kuart. He was big and burly with muscles that seems to cover every inch of him.

The food arrived quickly. The aromas of cowpig and turkeychicken dishes filled the room. There was also dimsum and soup the likes of which the new adventurers have never tasted. Apparently, it was made from whalefish soup. Drinks were flowing freely on the other side of the table where Wentlas, Dragnar and Quart was sitting. The night was filled with stories which the new grants listened to with much interest. It gave them an idea of how these people all knew each other.

As stories flowed, Wentlas shared how he and Quart were actually classmates during his time at the Academy. Fan and Nue were their underclassmen who they mentored. Dragnar was their teacher at the time but has since risen up to the ranks of principal to which, the new grants almost spit out their drinks as soon as they heard. They also reminisced about their other friends who were the other members in Wentlas' party: Althur, a Fire mage summoner and Drea, a prolific healer and water blessed, and Zafter, a special wind mage who could control weather.

The table got quiet. Despite the years Althea spent under Wentlas' tutelage, he never spoke much of her parents: Althur and Drea. These were some of the very first stories she has heard about them outside of the beast subjugation from16 years ago since most of the people who knew them also died then. She was surprised to hear about them as kids running around and having fun as students in the Grand Magical Academy. Learning and failing at mastering magic and having dreams of being great adventurers. She has also never heard of Zafter, though she knew that surely there were more than just three people in her parent's former party.

Nue spoke and commented how Bryce looks so much like Zafter except that the former had black hair and the later had light blue hair. Those who knew him agreed. Fan teased Nue for still having the hots for Zafter all these years. Wentlas responded that he thought that might this be the case but he had no way to test this. He also mentioned that he was gone for almost 10 years and had no idea if Zafter also got married or have kids.

Bryce asked why Zafter didn't leave with Wentlas when he left to go adventuring again. Wentlas said that Zafter was heartbroken.

Apparently, Althur, Drea, and Zafter were a love triangle of sorts. Althur and Zafter competed to impress Drea all the time. This partly explained why the party became A rank as young as they were. When Drea picked Althur, this took out the competitive edge out of Zafter. He was heartbroken and decided to quit adventuring. But through the years, Drea and Althur became his best friends and he couldn't imagine not being around them all the time.

The adventurer life takes you to many fantastic places but it also means you rarely go home, if at all. He chose retire and to be with his friends. The table was quiet again. What is unsaid is how Wentlas felt guilty about being separated from his friends and for not being there to help them when they needed him the most. The insightful Dragnar puts his hand on Wentlas' shoulder and claims that it was not his fault. They all had chosen different paths in life and he couldn't have denied himself his own growth and destiny. The others nodded knowingly but Terrick looked at his other party members and gave a questioning look.

Many questions were running through Althea's mind about the information she just learned tonight.

Wentlas was usually not this chatty. It was the rare combination of old friends and liquor that got him to open up. She hoped to know more but the stories veered into other realms such as the breakthroughs in Nue's magical research and Dragnar letting slip that one of the royal princes is studying in the academy, but in the guise of a young noble from some far-flung city.

The new grants thanked Wentlas' friends for the meal. They, in turn, offered their help if the new adventurers needed help navigating the complexities of Capital life. Wentlas was returning to Kauven tomorrow. Their classes start in a couple of days. Tonight's stories gave them an inkling of what to expect being a student in the Grand Magical Academy. Dependable people and insights were Wentlas' farewell gifts to the new grants as they begin their lives in the Capital.