One day, Jak had increased his endurance enough that he didn't collapse into bed after the second run, so he decided to go up to the dining hall and see the others. It was a separate building, right in the middle of the academy, where all students could come to eat. While most students stuck to their primary field, the dining hall was where they could interact with all the others. Jak felt the change in the atmosphere right away. While the Vipers Nest was tense and focused, with most people exhausted from training or at least suspicious of the others, the hall felt much more relaxed. Students were chatting and laughing and seemed quite happy. Jak saw Alya and Tim and headed over to where they were sitting.

"Jak!" Alya shouted, rushing over to give him a hug. "Look at this!" She picked up a knife and there was a slight frown on her face for a few seconds. Then the knife turned red, like it had just come out of a smith's furnace. Jak wasn't sure which was more surprising, the fact that she could heat metal so quickly, or the fact that she was still holding the glowing knife.

"Wow Alya, that's incredible." Jak touched the knife with a curious finger, which started to burn immediately. With a hiss and a frown, Jak shook his finger, wondering what he was expecting. Alya was growing and learning, and it had only been a couple weeks. Not much would stop her, he suspected. Considering his own growth, he was glad to see she was keeping up.

Along the edges of the dining hall were what looked like market stalls, each offering different kinds of food and drink. It was all free, covered by the entrance fee for the school. Jak grabbed a few things at random and sat down with the others.

"I wasn't sure about alchemy," Tim was saying, "but I definitely can't fight or cast magic, so the only other real option was crafting. But I don't exactly have much experience there either. So I concentrated all my luck and just wandered over to alchemy. I'm so glad I did, look at this." He brought out a small potion from his pocket. It was a glass bottle in the shape of a tear drop, with a cork at the top. Inside was a brown liquid that sloshed around while Tim waved it excitedly.

"Wow, you made a potion already? What does it do?" Jak asked. "It looks dangerous. Poison?" He'd never actually seen a potion before, as the villages in the valley could barely afford a traveling healer, let alone a potion. Judging by the color, Jak was wondering if this was some kind of poison or earth-related magic. Tim looked a bit offended.

"The other kids made poisons or health potions. They have no idea what the true power of alchemy is. This, my friend, is the most valuable thing you've ever seen. Kings would give up their thrones for this. Here, smell it." Tim uncorked the bottle and wafted the smell towards the other two. Jak sniffed curiously. A sweet, rich smell hit him, unlike anything he'd ever come across. His mouth instantly started watering.

"What is it?"

"It's called chocolate. When I lived in the palace, this was a gift for visiting nobles. I managed to get my hands on some, three times in my life. And now..." Tim looked down at his hands in wonder. "I can make it myself. Take a sip. Just a sip, now." He handed the potion to Alya, who took a swig and handed it over to Jak. As wonderful as it smelled, the taste was even better. A deep, comforting happiness spread over Jak's chest as the warm liquid went down.

"Wow. Tim. That's..." Tim nodded in agreement.

"I understand." Then he looked up with fire in his eyes. "I have a plan. I can make more of this, as much as we want, but I need a certain fruit to make it. I... may have spent a good amount of my money on the ingredients already. It's not something I can keep doing. I don't think it grows in the forest, it needs a warmer climate, so we can't gather it ourselves. But people are happy to trade for it. And do you know what has the most value in a magical item crafting academy?" Jak looked blankly at Tim. "Monster parts, Jak. Just like the tusks you got. If we start hunting in the forests, we can have a steady supply of everything we need."

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Jak thought it was a generous use of the word "we", but couldn't say no to the excitement on Tim's face, nor to the spark of interest in Alya's. He nodded thoughtfully while some movement caught his eye.

There was a sudden flow of movement as students started drifting out of the hall. Jak and the others joined in, wanting to see what was happening. Outside a crowd had formed a ring, watching a fight between two students. Except it wasn't much of a fight. A small, skinny boy was curled up on the ground, while the other guy—who Jak recognised as Garrow, one of the kids from the Elite Guard—was kicking the one on the ground repeatedly. The kid on the ground whimpered and groaned as he was struck.

"Don't. You. Ever. Come. Near. Me. Again." Garrow said, emphasizing each word with another kick. He then stormed off, and the crowd slowly drifted apart, the spectacle over.

Jak went forward to help the poor guy up, but Alya beat him to it. He was a weird-looking kid, with quite a large head and big ears, and as Alya helped him up his hair fell off, revealing itself to be a wig. Alya quickly snatched it and put it back on, not saying a word, and led him back inside. They sat at a corner in the dining hall, while Tim offered a small towel to clean the mud off the boys face.

"Hey friend, that was quite the beating you took there," Tim said, "how did you get Garrow so angry?" Jak raised an eyebrow.

"You know Garrow?"

"Yea, well, I know of him. He's one of the noble kids, very proud, very awful as a human being. But nobles are usually trained to hold their temper, what happened?"

"It w-was an ac-cident." The boy said between sniffles. He held up a mechanical contraption that had been stomped on, and looked thoroughly broken. "I, I was d-demonstrating what I had m-made."

"Here," Tim interrupted him, holding out something. It was his potion of chocolate. The boy reached for it hesitantly, smelled it, then with his eyes widening took a drink. For the first time since they'd met him, the tears were replaced with a little smile.

"Powerful stuff, right?" The boy nodded meekly. "Now, how about some introductions? I'm Tim, this is Jak, and Alya" Tim pointed to each person. "And you?"

"Bobo" The boy said, his voice calming down as he sipped on the chocolate. "Thanks for helping me. It's not... common, to find kindness here." Alya frowned but Jak understood. Bobo was the right combination of vulnerable and strange, he could see Bobo as the target of every village bully. He thought the academy might be a bit different, but people were people no matter where they are.

"Well Bobo, you're not alone." Tim said reassuringly. "I won't stand by and let you get pushed around." Jak was suprised at Tim's confidence, wondering how the delicate noble boy would stand against someone like Garrow. "If anyone gives you trouble, tell them to talk to Jak." Ah.

Alya was nodding along, so Jak nodded too, sighing inwardly. He wasn't sure how he himself would compare to other Elite Guards in his stage. They hadn't done any combat yet, just running The Glove. He hoped there wouldn't be much trouble.

"So, what caused all this today?" Tim asked. Bobo, feeling a little better, gave a small chuckle.

"Garrow was talking to some girls. I was testing an invention nearby. It backfired, and set his hair on fire. He yelled like a little girl." The way Bobo grinned, Jak got the feeling that there was quite a history between the two of them, and this wasn't the first time Bobo had been beaten.