From the hill outside, the view of the Academy was amazing, but from inside, it was spectacular. They began by walking down the main road, which led right up to the main entrance to the campus grounds. Two giant pillars flanked the entrance, each 3 meters wide and over 20 meters tall. They stood far apart, wide enough for four wagons to comfortably enter side by side, each mounted with an ornate, wrought iron gate that could close off the entire entrance way. As they go closer, Yaric could make out the intricate carvings that covered the length of the pillars, showing scenes of blacksmiths at work beside Arch Wizards battling dragons. Veins of what appeared to be gold crisscrossed the entire marble structure.
Once they were through, they entered into a large open square, easily 300 meters across, flanked all around with stairs leading up to raised portico, and edged with columns along the entire length. And along the portico were entrances to various buildings, with attendants outside directing all the visitors.
Lloyd knew exactly where to go, and veered off to the side, heading towards the left corner, before climbing the stairs towards a door with no traffic. The attendant outside gave a slight bow towards Lloyd, who nodded in return, before ushering Yaric inside.
Not to be outdone by the exterior, the interior of the building was furnished with chairs and tables all around - all made of expensive wood and ornately carved and finished, the cushions plush and embroidered. Intricate rugs covered the floors while the walls were decorated with various weapons, all looking like they had been through some great battle and were now prized trophies.
Yaric carried his bags through, hurrying after Lloyd as he made his way to one of the counters.
“Lloyd Chen, High Wizard, here to Sponsor a new Prospect, Yaric Miller.”
“I see. Does he have any existing test results?”
“No, he needs to go through the full testing.”
“No problem, please take a seat, we will be with you shortly.”
Lloyd led Yaric to one of the tables and they both sat down, Yaric looking around nervously. “Remember, they are just going to ask you to do something similar to what you did with the compass. There is no way to fail here.”
Yaric nodded, but still seemed apprehensive. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait for long, as 2 minutes later the same attendant came up to them and asked them to follow him. They were led though a side door and into a corridor, finally coming into a large room with a tall stool in front of a big block of stone, a deep, almost crimson red, streaked with white veins, and sitting on a raised dais.
The attendant gestured for Yaric to sit, while he himself stood at the other end of the block and placed a small pile of paper on top of one corner of the stone. “All right, I’m going to need you to fill in a few details, date of birth and the like, then we can get started on your test. Your sponsor and I will observe as witnesses.”
Yaric said nothing; he realized all eyes were on him, but started filling in his details regardless. Once he got to the last page he paused when he realized it was for Lloyd, and pushed the papers to the side, where Lloyd filled in his details as sponsor before all three signed.
“Ok, now I need you to place both hands on the stone, and keep trying to push arcana through your hands until you see lights on my side of the stone. This is very important! Do not lift your hands until you are told to!”
Yaric nodded, and seeing two small ovals carved on his side, placed his hands inside, and started pushing arcana through. It took him a couple of tries, but he finally saw a light appear on the other side and to his right, which slowly started moving across the slab. Something foreign suddenly seemed to surge up his arms, seeming to disappear somewhere in his chest or head. The feeling was so unusual that he couldn’t tell. The arcana was now being pulled through him instead of pushed, and the line of light moved rapidly towards the other side before stopping a little past the halfway point.
“Power, 14.6, not bad. You’re slightly above average. Keep your hands there. I’m afraid this next part might be mildly uncomfortable, but remember, you are perfectly safe.”
‘Mildly uncomfortable’ was an understatement, as the feeling through Yaric’s body shifted from burning to freezing and a dozen sensations he couldn’t even place. The sensation seemed to linger slightly when he had the burning sensation right at the beginning, and again a short while later when the sensation turned into a full body tingling. It was only towards the end of the test, when he experienced an extremely disorientating sensation like his body was infinitely larger on the inside than it was on the outside, and another were he felt like he was safe and hidden, that the test paused, holding those sensations for several seconds before moving on.
The attendant was frowning slightly when the test ended, making notes on his pad. “It looks like you have four affinities, two of which can be determined with certainty. Those are Shadow, and Space. Neither are very common. The other two aren’t 100% confirmed, but they appear to be the far more common Fire and Lightning affinities. Unfortunately, they also appear to have atrophied through nonuse. I see your age here is listed as 15; it would seem that you have waited too long before applying to the Academy.”
“Waited too long? I never even knew I was an arcanist until a week ago!”
“Woah,” Lloyd said as he made it over, “it’s ok. There are things you can do to recover.” Lloyd turned to the attendant. “He is from a town right near the border, close to the foot of the Windy Peaks. There’s no need to assume he tried to wait for an advantage in initial training. He doesn’t have a trainer and has never fought before, so he is joining with every disadvantage.”
“Ahhh... my mistake. I'm sorry. We get a lot of students who push the joining age to gain an advantage. And yes, there are exercises you will be taught that will possibly regenerate your affinities. It’s not the end of the road. It’s not the end of the road even if you never recover them.”
“So am I injured?” Yaric asked Lloyd, concerned.
“No, it’s more like a muscle you’ve never used, so it’s weakened and started to wither a bit. You will need to do exercises to try to strengthen and rejuvenate it. Don’t even worry about it for now, just focus on your training and make sure you follow the exercises regularly. It will take a few years if all goes well.”
"And if they don't go well?"
"Yaric, your affinities give you an advantage with some kinds of magic, but they aren't requirements. All arcanists can use all magic, no matter your affinities. But do not forget to do you exercises, because those affinities will give you advantages. They might be bonuses, but don't throw them away."
"What about they other two, will they waste away if I don't do any exercises."
"Ha, no! You don't know enough for me to explain properly, but think of your affinities like having the potential to be extra sensitive to some kinds of arcana. If you never connect to arcana, you start to lose that potential. But, once you do connect and channel arcana for the first time, you realize your potential and never need to worry about it again," Lloyd chuckled. "You channeled arcana back in Clery, when you used my compass. Every student channels arcana before joining, it's how we determine that they're arcanists to begin with. And you all channel arcana for a second time when doing the test you've just finished, so I can promise you, you're fine now."
Lloyd turned to the attendant and asked, “I take it you’re going to skip the talent tests?”
“Yes, there’s no point if he’s never had any kind of training in anything. But I will have to report the issue with his affinities, he’s slightly over the regular age of acceptance.”
“Well, send it now, I have to go to the Council in a few minutes anyway.”
“It will be done. Good luck.”
Lloyd nodded to the attendant and turned back to Yaric, “I will leave you now, but I will be back later. You will be taken for a physical assessment in a moment, just do the best you can. Your admission should be sorted out by then and you will be given training uniforms, books and everything else, and be shown to your new room. I'll see you in a couple of hours.”
Yaric waved and Lloyd left, on his way to see the Council and deliver his report. The attendant took him outside the room, and asked him to wait on a nearby chair while he went to file his report. It wasn’t even 10 minutes later when the attendant returned and held out his hand. “Jeffrey, Novice and assigned handler for your entrance as a Prospect. Remember, you’re registered as a Prospect, but you don’t actually become one until you have been passed and vetted by your instructors over the next 3 years or so. Think of it as a trial period.”
“Thanks. Lloyd did give me a brief overview, but so much of this is completely new to me.”
Jeffrey raised his eyebrows slightly at the informal reference to a High Wizard, but laughed as Yaric finished. “That’s what it’s like for everyone at first, don’t worry. You’ll settle in in no time. Come with me, your sponsor is certain there will be no issue with your admission and directed me to carry on, so let’s get the rest of the process completed.”
The very first part of the process was to meet with an administrator involved with the physical training department, to find out what year he would be placed in. The administrator brought both into an empty field, and started putting Yaric through his paces.
Every exercise Yaric was forced to undergo was not just tough, but the instruction for each was exactly the same. “All right, start off with squats, as many as you can do,” followed by, “Now drop and give me pushups, and don’t stop until you can’t lift yourself up anymore,” continued with, “No pausing! Sprint to that edge of the field and back to the other, and keep repeating until it’s not possible for you to continue.”
Yaric had noticed the clipboard in the administrator’s hands, and seen him taking notes, so he did his best at each exercise. He was pushed right to his limits, close to throwing up at the end of each exercise, and even finding himself with slight tunnel vision at the end of the sprints.
It was 45 minutes of torture, but finally ended just as Yaric reached the point where he felt he could no longer stand. He dropped to the floor, gulping lungsful of air with his eyes closed.
When he could finally sit up, Yaric found the administrator glaring at him, while a new man stood next to Jeffrey, with an armful of wooden weapons, which were promptly dropped at Yaric’s feet. “Up!”
Yaric scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, still out of breath. “Pick up any weapon you want, we will be going through them one by one,” the new man ordered, and Yaric picked up what he thought was a short sword. “Attack me.” Yaric hesitated, but then the man shot him a glare and shouted, “Now!”
Yaric sprang into action.
It went horribly. With every weapon he went through, from short sword to long sword, spear to battle axe, mace to great sword, he never threatened to touch the man even once. A few times the man actually struck back, striking his weapon directly and knocking it out of his hands. It wasn’t until the last attempt that Yaric managed to hold on, keeping hold of the longsword he held in a two-handed grip.
“You’ve never had any weapons training at all,” the man stated, not asking. Yaric looked down at the ground, feeling a bit dejected at his failure.
“Good! No bad habits need to be fixed, nothing will need breaking down... we can train with a clean sheet!” he said exuberantly, clapping Yaric on the shoulder. The man's response shocked Yaric a little, but his relief overcame every other emotion.
“We will put you with those in the third year. They are only 2 months in, so slightly more than 2 years ahead of you, but also much closer in age. You’re going to have to train hard to catch up!” With that the man walked over to Jeffrey and the administrator, going over their notes. Their discussion was quick, and 3 minutes later the trio walked back over to Yaric.
The man who brought the weapons spoke for the three of them, “I have gone over your results. You will be staying in one of the empty dormitory buildings to begin with, for the first 3 to 6 months, while we get your fitness up to scratch. I will be training you personally while training my other classes, understand?” Yaric nodded. “Once I feel you have closed the gap enough, you will be put in the same class I mentioned earlier. You will have to work hard. You have a lot of ground to catch up.”
With that, the man turned and walked away, while the other two dipped their heads respectfully. The administrator turned and started back while Jeffrey hurried up to Yaric. “Battle Mage Hiawatha Trokhym wants you by yourself while you catch up, so let’s get you a key quickly. I don’t want to be sorting out your room after we've already picked up everything you need.”
“He is a Battle Mage?” asked Yaric, looking a little shaken.
“Yip, and highly decorated too. Fought in 12 wars that I know of, and who knows how many battles. Do as he says.”
“What did he think of the tests?”
“That you’re weak compared to where you need to be and aren’t physically up to joining your class yet. But he’s happy you’ve never had training before, the fact that you know nothing means you don’t have any bad habits and haven’t learnt anything incorrectly.”
Yaric wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
The two of them proceeded to quickly move from building to building, first receiving his key from one building, before being taken to a long two-story building with a central entrance and foyer, a passage leading both left and right, and stairs leading up.
“They gave you a room in the passage to the right, ground floor and first door on the left as you enter the passageway. Jeffrey waited in the foyer as Yaric walked down the corridor, immediately finding the door to his room and going in. It was a simple room, with just a bed and nightstand in one corner, and a desk with a chair in the other. A closet stood against the near wall with a large wooden cross shaped structure next to it. The only door inside led to a small bathroom.
Yaric quickly dropped off his bags and locked his room behind him, glad to be rid of the load. He was still very tired from the physical tests; even his arms still felt shaky. Jeffrey hurried him out immediately, taking him to various buildings to first get his training clothing, then another for a small stack of books, and finally to fetch a bag of stationery.
Jeffrey insisted that he drop everything off before making their last trip, which turned out to be a very wise choice. With everything deposited in his new room, they made their way back to the original administration building, where his new schedule had been put together and was waiting for him, along with both identity and meal cards.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Right, so you will have 2 days off before you start, and that includes today. Use the time to familiarize yourself with where you will need to go once your schedule starts. The physical training here in the mornings will be in your issued training uniforms. After that you are to make your way to the location listed for combat training, and for the first time stay in your training uniform. I have no idea if you will require that armor you brought with you, but if you do your trainer will let you know on your first day.”
“What were all of those books for?”
“Look ahead in your schedule, you will find you will start classes at some point, mostly subjects like science and math.”
Yaric paled slightly and looked ahead, finding classes starting after 5 weeks of only physical and combat training.
Jeffrey noticed his expression and chuckled slightly, “Most of us had that reaction too. It’s not too bad, but you will absolutely have to understand certain things in order to be able to affect them with spells in the future. A good understanding of what things really are and how they work is essential to wielding magic properly when you’re older.” Yaric swallowed nervously but nodded.
“Also essential is this meeting here, on your first day. This is where you will learn those exercises we mentioned earlier. To try to rejuvenate your atrophied affinities. I see you have a meeting every week, but remember, these will just be to teach you the exercises and to follow up on your progress. It will be up to you to make time for them each day and to do them yourself.”
Yaric found himself nodding again. Now that he was actually seeing firsthand what he would be doing day by day, he was feeling slightly overwhelmed, even after having run a mill by himself for so long. The list was daunting, as was the challenge to catch up. 'If it’s considered hard to even complete the Prospect period, how much harder will it be to do it from so far behind?'
“Also, take this, this is the map you will need to be able to find everything. Try to walk around campus before your training starts, just to make sure you know where everything is. You might not always have this on you. Also remember to look for things like the food hall, medical buildings, stationery…” Jeffrey was interrupted as a younger student ran up to them. “Yaric Miller?” Yaric just nodded in reply. “I’ve been looking all over for you, follow me please, you’ve been summoned to the Council Chamber.”
Everyone nearby lifted their heads in shock. Even Jeffrey seemed concerned. Jeffrey laid his hand on Yaric’s shoulder as he reassured him, “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, probably something to do with your sponsor meeting with them. Just relax and do as they say.”
“Really?” Someone nearby asked, surprised. “I’ve been here 12 years and I’ve never heard of anyone below Apprentice ever having even been in the Council Chambers.”
Jeffrey shot him a glare before turning back to Yaric. “Really. You’ve just gone through admissions, there are no possible expectations anyone can have. Just follow instructions and everything will be fine.”
Yaric swallowed nervously as he followed the messenger out of a side entrance, hearing part of the conversation continue behind him as the voices faded with distance.
“What could they want him for, he can’t have done anything yet? He just got here? Or did his tests have some kind of unbelievable results requiring the Council’s attention?”
“No, he would have been taken there right away if that was the case. Maybe it’s because of his background or sponsor?”
“Wait, wasn’t his sponsor High Wizard Lloyd Chen?”
…
“Ahhh…”
“That’s probably it. Poor kid…”
The Council met in a building near the center of the campus, so it was only 20 minutes later when Lloyd made his way up the stairs and into the entrance hall of the Council Chamber. It was grossly ostentatious, with deep black marble floors crisscrossed with veins of white, chandeliers of crystal and ivory, gold filigree and intricate tapestries along the walls, and a vaulted ceiling that was a mosaic of color; its entire surface was covered in carvings and paintings.
Four Mages stood guard at the entrance, two to a side, wearing full scale armor, with one on each side armed with either a halberd or wizard’s staff. The Courtier stood to the side behind a small reception desk, clearly busy making notes. He glanced up briefly at Lloyd’s entrance, then a second time, almost in a panic, as recognition flashed across his eyes, and he hurriedly stood up and rushed around the desk to intercept Lloyd.
“High Wizard Chen! It’s a pleasure! Please, the Council meeting is already in progress. If you will let me just…”
Lloyd didn’t slow down at all and it was apparent to everyone that he expected the courtier to move out of the way, as he waved down the courtier's protests. The courtier stepped to the side at the last moment, apprehension clear on his face.
“Perfect! Then they are already where I need them to be. Thank you!”
The courtier hurried along behind Lloyd as he strode towards the oversized double doors, intricately carved and inlaid like the ceiling. The guards armed with halberds appeared to move slightly to block Lloyd, but their hesitation was clear as they barely twitched their weapons.
“Please, sir! You don’t have an appointment. I can make one for you now, we just…”
“Nonsense, a High Mage always has full access to the Council,” Lloyd happily declared as he threw open the massive doors himself. He enjoyed pushing them open personally instead of having the guards do it, augmenting himself to throw open doors that would normally each require four strong Unconnected to budge.
Loud discussions were heard from within as the doors opened, silencing almost immediately at the sight of the doors swinging open.
“What emergency requires an intrusion on this Council session?” a loud voice echoed imperiously through the silence. The whole Council was staring towards the entrance as Lloyd strode in, completely unperturbed by the question thrown his way. He glanced around the meeting room as people realized who it was and started having quiet conversations with those around them.
The meeting hall was just as extravagant and pretentious as the entrance, and Lloyd knew it would have been more so had it been possible. All council members were seated behind a large crescent counter facing the entrance, 3 meters high all around except for the center which faced the door, where the five central seats rose an additional meter to sit above all others. Twenty-five Council members sat around the crescent on each side of the five committee leaders. Lloyd looked across the various faces, grinning and nodding his head to several of them.
“Ah, it’s you. Of course. You have some emergency requiring you to interrupt Council business I presume?” The original speaker continued, a large rotund man dressed in finely embroidered silk robes and a questionable amount of jewelry, sitting behind the raised central portion at the far left of the five seats. Eli Collingwood glared at Lloyd as he continued eating from the plate of fruit that Lloyd could sense placed on the counter in front of him, both chins wobbling as he smacked his lips. “Well? Out with it!”
“I’ve just arrived back after my trip to Mist Haven,” Lloyd cheerfully announced, “where I resolved their emergency. I’m here to report on the results of my trip.”
“Ha ha ha! Their emergency? I would hardly call kobolds an emergency!” The mocking tone in his laughter was as clear as the smug look on his face as he sneered at Lloyd.
“Of course it was, why else would you deem it necessary to send a High Wizard all of the way to the northern boundaries of Malvec?”
“Wait, you were sent to respond to an appeal regarding a simple kobold infestation?” Sandy Ivers, High Wizard and Council Head asked, surprise in her voice as she looked sideways at Eli.
“Yes, those were the details on the appeal I was assigned.”
Sandy’s eyebrows raised high as she continued regarding Eli, who was much more subdued now and seemed to be heavily focused on shoveling pieces of fruit into his mouth. Turning back to Lloyd she asked, “And you didn’t think to raise a concern with the Council before leaving? It’s not just irregular, it’s unheard of for a High Wizard to be sent for such trivial concerns.”
“I am afraid there would have been no time, it can be hard to get an appointment to meet when the Council is in session,” Lloyd smirked, many council members staring at him in confusion at his response, after having just watched him barge in without an appointment mere moments ago, while others openly sniggered.
“And since when do you respect the rules and customs of our esteemed Academy?!” Eli demanded, life returning to him as the scrutiny fell off him.
“I have always respected the Academy Eli, even when sent for what was meant to be nothing but a kobold infestation.”
Eli blanched slightly at having the topic brought back to the reasons Lloyd had been dispatched, but his expression morphed into a scowl as his mind caught up with exactly what Lloyd had just said.
“It’s Council Member, or at the very least, High Wizard!”
“Come again?”
“I am a High Wizard!”
“Why, yes you are Eli, you have been for quite some time now.”
Eli’s face started turning red as he glared down in anger. “It is a sign of respect to address people with their proper titles! We are in an official Council meeting after all!”
“Yes Eli, I am aware.”
Council members all around started to chuckle loudly as Eli’s face took on a more purple hue.
“High Wizard Chen, you said you were sent for ‘what was meant to be nothing but a kobold infestation’?” Sandy interjected.
“Yes High Wizard Ivers,” Lloyd’s smirk grew larger as Eli turned a darker shade of purple, "I discovered that it was in fact a group of army deserters.”
Sandy leaned forward slightly, much more interested now. “A large group?”
“No, just a dozen regular soldiers. None of the crimes they committed in Mist Haven were relevant, as the sentence for desertion can only be death, so I executed them where they stood. The King’s armor and weapons were stripped from the bodies, and I returned all of the stolen military equipment to Mist Haven for collection by said military when convenient.”
“Ah…” Sandy seemed very disappointed with the mundane results. “So you have nothing of note to report regarding the response to the appeal.”
“Nope. It was all rather relaxing really.”
“Very well, we don’t need to go into detail then. Thank you for your report.”
“It’s always a pleasure. Thank you for your time.” Lloyd nodded towards Sandy, “High Wizard Ivers,” he said in farewell before turning slightly to Eli and nodding his way as well. “Eli.”
Eli spluttered as Lloyd turned on his heal and started walking out, while conversations started up again all around the Council. Lloyd took five paces before pausing and turning back around dramatically to face the Council once again.
“Oh, there is one more thing…”
The whole Council went silent for a second time as a bag lifted out of the folds in Lloyd’s robes, opening itself to allow an oil skin to float out and begin unravelling. The whole Council leaned forward slightly to see what Lloyd was taking out, anticipation clear on most faces as they looked on in interest. Their expressions quickly changed when two strips of skin were revealed, almost a week old and not treated in any way.
A buzz rose up around the Council at the gory sight, and Eli jumped on the revulsion many were showing. “What is the meaning of this? That looks like human skin! Are you in the habit of taking trophies when killing Unconnected?” Eli asked accusingly.
“High Wizard Chen,” Sand interjected once again, “I trust there is a good reason for this?”
“Yes High Wizard Ives, there is. And yes, this is human skin, but that is not important.” The hovering strips pulled tight, displayed hanging vertically and panning gradually from side to side to make the entire surface visible to all.
“The important detail to note is the tattoos on both pieces of skin. Skin I removed from the forearms of a particular mage I fought. Forearms bearing a tattoo, you will note, of a white and black rose on one arm, and a white and black swan on the other.”
Gasps started up around the Council as members started realizing the implications of what Lloyd had just said.
“On my return journey I ran into Den Virgo – and killed him.”
At his last statement the conversations in the meeting hall got too loud for Lloyd to speak, so Lloyd settled for smiling cheerfully towards Eli, who looked like he had swallowed a bug. This continued for several seconds, before everyone was interrupted by a loud gong that sounded out from seemingly everywhere at once.
“Quiet.” Sandy said softly, as silence descended on the room.
“Just to confirm beyond any doubt, you are referring to Den Virgo, Mind Mage and wanted criminal, who is known to have murdered at least 220 innocent civilians?”
“The same. I found him. We dueled. He died. I cannot speak to the current number of confirmed victims however. You will have to confirm that with Eli as I believe he has been the lead investigator for centuries now, since the beginning of the case in fact.”
Eli was back to his particular shade of purple, his eyes seeming to bulge with rage, but a friend of Eli’s on the Council spoke up first. “And a fine job he did too, he’s been tracking Virgo and documenting his crimes in great detail.”
“If my memory serves me correctly,” voiced another Council member, “it was High Wizard Lloyd Chen who first discovered how Den Virgo was hiding and operating, and it was Lloyd Chen that put together a report on how he could be tracked. We owe this High Wizard a great deal of gratitude. Really, he has been the one to crack the investigation and now to resolve the issue once and for all. And, I must add, he has done this all with no help from any of us, and all in his own time.”
There were many grunts or nods of acknowledgement around the room as Eli tried to murder Lloyd with his eyes. Lloyd just smirked back, completely carefree and enjoying himself immensely. He was fully aware that Eli’s petty power plays had gone spectacularly wrong, and he couldn’t be more pleased.
“Was the damage from your duel extensive? We can spare a Mage or two for Mist Haven to repair any damages.” Sandy was straight back to business, her consistently calm and quiet voice audible to all despite how softly she always spoke.
“No, no damages. The duel was quick and anticlimactic, a real letdown really. I’m more surprised he wasn’t caught earlier. And he wasn’t in Mist Haven, I found him in Clery.”
“The trade town at the end of the tributaries? What brought you there?”
“Well, it’s not often that a High Wizard is dispatched for such mundane duties,” Lloyd answered, enjoying himself as he turned the screws on Eli, “so I decided to detour on the way back to cover different areas with each part of my trip.” That was most certainly not his primary motivation, but Lloyd saw no reason to explain further.
“Perhaps you should start from the beginning.”
Lloyd spent the next hour retelling his story, his journey to Mist Haven, the deserters he discovered there, his trip to Clery, the poisoning of the mayor’s daughter, the issue with the livestock pen, and finally his discovery of, and duel with, Den Virgo. Many false leads, mistakes, and incorrect hypotheses were left out, of course in the interest of streamlining the story, but all of the facts were made clear by the time he eventually finished. The questions and answers took up almost half of the total time he spent in the chamber, with many clarifications needed, but finally the matter seemed closed as a report was drawn up with Lloyd’s participation.
“Everything seems to be in order, thank you High Wizard Chen. We will arrange for your trip to be updated and due compensation to be awarded. Virgo was the highest ranked priority and has been for so long that the reward for his execution will be substantial. In future, should you receive an unusual appeal like this again, I request that you inform me of such before heading out to fulfil the appeal.” Sandy briefly glanced sideways at Eli as she said the last, before looking towards Lloyd again. “If that is all you have to report?” she asked suggestively.
“Actually, no. There is an additional detail I have not got to yet.” Sandy motioned for him to continue. “The boy Virgo was torturing, the one whose parents Virgo murdered. He is an arcanist.”
Sandy’s eyes widened in surprise, mirroring the reactions of most of the Council. “Virgo managed to find an arcanist?”
“Well, not really. I very strongly suspect that he had no idea the kid was capable of magic. The kid certainly didn’t know. He is slightly older than normal, but we have strong precedents for accepting arcanists of his age, so I brought him back with me.” Lloyd paused for a moment before adding, “I’ve sponsored his admission here, he is undergoing his admission tests as we speak.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Eli spoke up. “The boy has been raised by the most infamous criminal in Malvec! A Mind Mage no less! Who knows what has been planted in that boy’s mind! The risk is too great!” Quite a few Council members seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing that point.
“I am quite certain that the boy’s mind is unaffected by any mind magics. And since when does Lekton turn away, not just an arcanist, but a victim of a crime. He became a victim because a Mind Mage we were responsible for managed to evade apprehension for centuries, managed to evade you personally, Eli - for centuries! Leaving Virgo free to murder the boys’ parents and destroy his life. And now you would have us throw him out because you have concerns that maybe a master criminal decided to mess with a young child’s mind? For ‘reasons’? Based on nothing? That does not sound like the Council I know.”
The vast majority of the Council were swayed before he had even finished speaking, with many calling out for the boy to be accepted as any other student would. Most seemed to feel that the Academy actually owed the boy more than mere acceptance, as compensation for everything he had suffered.
“How can you be so sure? Everyone here knows how insidious mind magic can be! You ask us to risk too much!” Very few members seemed to agree with Eli now, so he quickly added. “I demand we have him scanned and run a full test. Today! His mind must be examined and cleared before we can trust him to live among us!”
Sandy responded directly, “I do not agree that there is any real threat, but a proper scan is reasonable and non-intrusive. Well, perhaps it is intrusive, but there is no discomfort or side effects, so the boy will suffer nothing. Most importantly for everyone though, and the boy most of all, it will put the matter to rest. I would not want the boy to spend decades studying here while having this issue hanging over his head as a cloud, minor as it may be.”
“And who would run the scan?” asked Lloyd, staring at Sandy with an overly innocent look on his face.
“I will do it myself! Summon the boy at once!” Eli declared triumphantly.
'Lloyd will get his student accepted as a Prospect, there is nothing I can do now that wouldn’t damage my reputation. But that boy has spent days alone with Lloyd, who knows what secrets could be uncovered while running his scan.' Eli was practically rubbing his hands together with glee.
Eli was oblivious to Lloyd’s reaction, but a few of the more observant members noticed the large smirk stealing its way across Lloyd’s face. Lloyd was well known to everyone in Lekton, and the members all knew Lloyd well enough to be certain that their afternoon was going to be an interesting one. A few of them were on friendly enough terms with Lloyd that they couldn’t keep their own smirks from spreading across their faces. None of them had any idea what Lloyd had planned, but they all knew that Lloyd was enjoying himself way too much.
As for Lloyd himself, he just hummed quietly while rocking back and forth on his feet, the anticipation slowly building.
'Maybe being back in Lekton will be more entertaining than I thought!'