Corruption is Exposed

You and Siobhan separate from another well before returning the Desert Rose that is Ipsola, to prevent anyone from putting two and two together that she had helped you recover this weapon. As an extra precaution, you covered it in a cloth tarp, so that it's magical affects and grizzly appearance don't disturb any of the citizens as you pass through. Strapped across your back, your walk through the city is slowed dramatically. You begin to have a greater appreciation for the warriors and barbarians of the world who carry things like this every day without a complaint. They're still uncultured swine, but capable swine. You march yourself towards the same welcoming area you visited a few days prior, when you were denied proper admittance. You resist the temptation to gloat as you walk in, knowing that this wasn't really your doing, and that there may yet be further shenanigans to contend with. The crotchety dwarf Ghlorim is in the same place you had left him.

"Well, if it ain't the high and mighty conqueror of the Arena, ready to take a second stab at entering the Academy? You won't be the first one to try groveling and begging. It won't work, but I'll enjoy watching you try"

"Good afternoon Ghlorim" You reply, ignoring his sass "I've completed the task you set before me. I have defeated the brutes and recovered the magical weapon they were using, in order to warrant full and official membership into the Ipsola Academy."

"You what?" He asked, having only partially paid attention. Straightening himself in the seat, he is able to look over, seeing the weapon slung over your shoulders. He is surprised, but not entirely bought in "That's a big story from such a frail elf as yourself. Do you really expect me to believe you did all this?"

Siobhan's sarcasm is wearing off on you again, as you respond cheekily "No, mister Dwarf, I expect you to point me to the person higher than you who actually needs to see this." He grimaces at the response, but recognizes there is some validity behind the arrogance.

"Very well Elf. You'll be wanting to see the dean himself. I'll take you to him. For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. He's not one to have his time wasted, or to be lied to." The dwarf gets up from his seat and walks out, with you following behind.

Finding the vague implications incredulous, you probe "You almost make it sound like he'll kill me for having been an inconvenience to him"

"You're not far off." Ghlorim replied morbidly "You might wish you had died. He has a penchant for humiliation and knowing a persons weaknesses." The walk was short, and you stop just outside his door.

"A final warning, Elf. Goes without saying, but just so we're clear, please be on your best behavior. He doesn't take kindly to fools and louts. He's an extremely talented wizard who has seen more dangerous and unusual things than any three of the professors put together. Give him his due respect, aye?"

"Crystal clear," You reply calmly "Thank you Ghlorim, I'll take it from here."

"Certainly wasn't going to be waiting around here forya." He calls as he already walks away, waving at you from behind him. You give a solid knock on the ornate door and wait for a response. The reputation of this dean seems well deserved, as the tone is already angry as you hear him shout "Yes yes, whoever it is, come in!" You don't dawdle in the doorway, quickly presenting yourself. The dean, a wizened human with thoroughly grayed hair and a scraggly beard, is scouring his personal library, the window shining on the books and showing a slight reflective sheen on his purple silk robes. He took only a second to look at you.

"You're not one of my professors, young mister Elf, so what business do you have with me?"

"Sir, I was told that I would be admitted to the Academy if I took care of that vagabond problem."

"Yes well, I won't provide any more information to you on the matter than whoever you heard this from. I expect any student here to be able to do their own detective work."

"Yes Sir. I agree. The thing is, I'm here because I defeated the lot of them. The problem's been dealt with."

The dean laughed, still not giving you the respect enough to look at you face to face "You really expect me to believe that a novice like you were able to solve that threat? Impossible. It would take a real wizard"

"I have the Hammer of Terror that the leader was using, as proof" You slowly begin to remove it from your shoulders, it leaving a seemingly otherworldly thud as it lands on the floor, finally rousing the dean to give you his full attention.

"You did what? Let me see!" He moves towards you, hobbling as best as he could with his staff. You take two small steps away from the mighty weapon, allowing him to study it in as much detail as he wishes. As the dean gazes on the massive hammer, sis face twitches uncomfortably; his eyes squinting thin, darting between you and the weapon, his lips contorting in indecision as his mind tries to wrap around the events.

"This is a trick, is what this is" He moved away and sat behind his desk with a deep breath.

"No sir, I've used no spell to deceive you. That is the weapon."

"That's not what I mean, Elf. You really expect me to believe that you did all of this by yourself? You didn't pay some thuggish mercenary to route them for you? You didn't align yourself with other aspiring wizards, thinking that with one in, you could get your friends in as well?"

"No sir, nothing like that at all" You respond courteously, making a lie of omission.

"So, than how did you do it? One Wizard to another."

Your behavior takes a slip "Surely you can forgive a fellow wizard for keeping a secret, Sir."

"Secrets? You really think there's anything about the arcane that you know that I don't? That would be funny if it wasn't so absurd!"

"Perhaps not, Sir. Forgive me" You say with a slight bow "But the requirement was to take care of the threat, which I did. There was no stipulation to the method, and wizards are supposed to be open to all possible means to solve a problem."

"You have a practiced tongue, Elf." He said as leaned forward with his elbows on the desk "Be mindful that it doesn't get you in trouble one of these days." He takes another look at the hammer beside you, than to you again "You're lying, I know that much. Time will prove that to be true. In the meantime, you have fulfilled your obligation, so the least I can do is have you admitted to the Academy, if only to be an example to other students, and professors as to what happens when they try to toy with Arcanist Kirza Hylux." Kirza bends down into his desk to open a drawer, and as he does, the door opens behind you. In steps a young human woman, soft blonde hair, luscious and long, pulled into a tight bun behind her, contrasted with clothes the shade of midnight; tightly fighting fabric that showed her fine figure. The dean looks up, and for the first time that you've seen, smiles.

"Ahhhh, my dear Tyrlo, so glad that you've arrived."

"It's good to see you, Grandfather"

"Elf, this is Tyrlo, one of the most promising magical prodigies this side of the continent." As he digs back into his desk, pulling out two tightly wrapped linens "I had called her here to resolve the problem that you took care of, and now it appears that was unnecessary"

"It's not a problem at all. It's still a privilege to be here."

"The privilege is mine" He retorts as he gets up from his desk, holding a roll in each hand, giving them to you and to Tyrlo respectively "As I welcome you both as students of the Ispola Academy. I will inform the staff that both of you are to be treated as such, and not to restrict any instruction from either you, barring your own capabilities."

"Thank you" You both say, her slightly louder than you.

"You're welcome. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do, and you both have much to learn, I'm sure." Tyrlo bows and leaves without a word spoken, and you follow suit just behind. As the door closes behind and you are both exposed to the harsh desert sun again, you see a dreadful scowl from her direction.

"What are you up to, Elf?"

"I'm sure that I don't know what you mean."

"You couldn't be that dumb and be able to cast spells. Even sorcerers have more sense than that. You're plotting something, against my Grandfather, that much I know."

Your air of politeness disappears outside of the dean's earshot "Look at the pot calling the kettle black. You and your grandfather are engaged in an outright conspiracy, by the looks of it. Too many coincidences."

"My grandfather is the dean of this Academy, he can do what he damn well pleases"

"Yes I know. He just made that painfully obvious." You sneer back "I have somewhere I need to be, I'm sure you do as well." You trail off, and the young woman storms in the opposite direction. You head straight for Siobhan's office, where you find her feeding her pet baby dragon.

"I figured it out" You shout before she even makes a greeting "The whole thing was a setup for nepotism."

"What do you mean?" The elder elf asks.

"The dean invited his granddaughter to deal with the raider menace, something he didn't think anybody else could solve. He granted her admission in the same breath as me, despite having done nothing to prove herself. This was all going to be a setup to allow her into the Academy without anyone questioning it."

"That's interesting" She replies in response "Can the young woman even cast spells?"

"He certainly made it seem so, but it could just be hot air."

"Indeed. This may work out to our benefit, actually"

"How so?"

"If this granddaughter proves to be incompetent and we can show she was only here because of family ties, than that may prove to be too large an offense for anyone to ignore."

"If she does prove to be competent it could be damaging to confront her on that." You retort "This has to be handled delicately"

"Of course Verigas. Lucky for you, I think I know exactly what to do."