The shadowmancy professor honestly didn't like Valentines that much, so February was among his least favorite of holidays. He looked excessively more disgruntled than he usually did as he sat in the desk in front of the auditorium, waiting for the students to enter. Some had already been there, knowing well that the professor disliked them being late, while others just dashed in minutes before the classroom door would disappear into the shadows.
"Ugh, many of you are polluting the air with your perfume and cologne," he growled, wrinkling his nose and turning his head away. "You won't be engaging in any acts of seduction in this classroom, so you may as well forget about wearing that nasty stuff to class."
"Unless it's meat flavored," said a voice in the back of the classroom. A couple of students turned around to find Kaine back there, though he didn't seem... quite normal. There was a slight smile on his face, and his demeanor seemed open and friendly despite the fact his arms were crossed.
The professor fixed his assistant professor--that's who that was, right? Even though Kaine was smiley--with a stare then continued his beginning lecture. "This is the second term of shadowmancy. If you did your previous assignment, congratulations, but don't expect much fanfare. If you didn't do it, you must do this one and the next one if you want to pass. Otherwise, just leave and don't waste my time any further."
"Here's some prep work for you," said the smiley-Kaine. He handed out some do-it-yourself Valentines cards to the students. mDrake couldn't read anyway, so what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
The professor found that rather strange nonetheless. "You are not obligated to do anything he hands you. You can just trash it, as he is not my assistant professor. Kaine is actually in the other room teaching students. You are looking at his reflection, who is too gaudy for his own good."
The students seemed thrilled with their Valentines cards nonetheless, and excitedly started filling them out. A great number of puns would be made, all of which would be lost on the professor because he couldn't read.
SHD 101: Shadowmancy in Nature
MDrake says:
Iantha PokeFreak413 -
Felamir huniebl0d - 4
Gray thatpartwhereiart - 5
Shadow S-h-A-d-O-w--C-a-T - 4
Chaii RANZOMEGA - 5
Lark Ibbledibble - 5
The professor weaved his fingers together as he leaned back against his desk, studying the students that were in front of him. "This second term is for learning about shadow animals. These are creatures that are entirely or partially made out of shadow, and they are capable of manipulating it," he said. "Some of these include the shadow hounds of the realm, which are long, sinewy beasts with a proboscis at the end of their snouts. You can also find many species of shadow spiders that make use of tendrils instead of silk to build their webs. They have a much longer lifespan than physical spiders simply because they can manipulate the world for their webs instead of producing it inside themselves, reducing the amount of energy they must expend to hunt."
He moved to the back of the classroom, where he pulled two large black eggs from the cabinet, each about the size of an ostrich egg. Each egg had pulsing red veins coating it, and it was slightly slimy to the touch. He placed one egg on each student's desk. "This is the egg of a shadow monitor lizard. They are closely related to lesser shadow dragons and look much like flightless dragons, however they lack the high intelligence that such beings would have. Keep this egg incubated with warmth for the next month of class time and then when the creature hatches, bring it to a cavern in the mountain and let it go. Shadow monitors are not good familiars, so if you attempt to keep and tame it, you will find yourself wasting your time."
"Be sure to carefully maintain the heat to a range of a hundred degrees to eighty degrees, and ensure you do not leave it in an area with poor humidity for too long. In the event that it hatches early, you may take care of it for upwards of one week, but bear in mind that all of us reptiles are born self-sufficient and capable of living on our own. And that means it can, indeed, take off your hand if it wants to." His yellow eyes flashed in the darkness, as if to remind all the students of his own draconic heritage. "This is a wild animal, not a pet, so beware your fingers."
[Assignment - Take care of the egg that MDrake has given you, and when the animal hatches, bring it to the mountains to release it into its natural habitat.]
Iantha PokeFreak413 -
Felamir huniebl0d - 4
Gray thatpartwhereiart - 5
Shadow S-h-A-d-O-w--C-a-T - 4
Chaii RANZOMEGA - 5
Lark Ibbledibble - 5
SHD 102: Aggressive Shadowmancy
MDrake says:
Bridgette kunehoGod
Tishna soapiesthorse
Midnite kunehoGod
Badru NyssasOrbit
Avery BlueBlueFox - 5
Kuro chexxie
Lycoris KnightLycoris - 5
Yasmine Nika-tan -
Ryuu Kioanha
Raven RavenLacrimosa
Conrad IllusionarySekai - 5
Melusine KeplerNova - 5
Raen Autumn--Moon - 5
Zethiek LordEmeric
Yusia Terminator78
Look forward to Kaine posting these shortly!
"It seems that some of you have experience constricting with basic shadow tendrils now, and this is good," he said. "Your second assignment is going to be about learning how to control multiple tendrils. When you are fighting other humanoid creatures, you will usually be making use of about six different tendrils. For those of you who aren't used to controlling six outside entities, it can be difficult."
He glanced over the students and briefly contemplated something to himself. A moment later, he continued. "If you are going to be fighting someone, there is technique you can observe. Wrapping your shadow tendrils around the joints of the body is an easy way to gain control of your opponent. This would be grabbing them at the wrists, elbows, ankles, and knees. This allows you to control their movement, and if their hand motions--or leg motions"--he looked specifically at Mel for that--"aid them in their magic, as is common, then you can disrupt their casting ability."
"Another good place to wrap shadow tendrils is, unsurprisingly, the neck. If you train your tendrils to be able to lift weights, then you can wrap one around the neck of your opponent and hoist them up, as well as wrap them around their wrists to prevent them from grabbing at the first. This is a simple technique to suffocate your opponent by means of hanging."
The grim knowledge lingered in the air as the professor studied the students' reactions. "As such, you're going to be practicing restraining people properly. Work on restraining the joints, and you should get an idea for how much strength your individual tendrils have."
[Assignment - Using multiple shadow tendrils, restrain someone by means of their body joints and control and disrupt their movement that way. ]
Bridgette kunehoGod
Tishna soapiesthorse
Midnite kunehoGod
Badru NyssasOrbit
Avery BlueBlueFox - 5
Kuro chexxie
Lycoris KnightLycoris - 5
Yasmine Nika-tan -
Ryuu Kioanha
Raven RavenLacrimosa
Conrad IllusionarySekai - 5
Melusine KeplerNova - 5
Raen Autumn--Moon - 5
Zethiek LordEmeric
Yusia Terminator78
SHD 103: Shadowstalking
SHD 104: The Shadow Realm
SHD 201: Shadowporting
SHD 203: Shadow Illusions
Look forward to Kaine posting these shortly!
SHD 204: Shadow Bandages
MDrake says:
Broken Evil-Wren - 4
"Now we move on," he said evenly. "Now that you know how to flatten your tendrils and absorb liquid through them, you must start learning how to sever them from your grasp while keeping them in permanent solid state. This can be understandably difficult, as most of you are used to manipulating shadows by having them controlled by you. However, it is not reasonable to expect that you would be able to keep proper control over the tendrils used in shadow bandages indefinitely, especially if you wish to do something like go to sleep which would sever your control anyway."
He made a gesture like he wanted the students to start making some shadow tendrils. "Thus, you are going to be using this assignment to learn how to sever your shadow tendrils from themselves, but make them strong enough that they can last on their own. You are going to run into considerable failure in the beginning, but if you keep pushing through it, you will eventually train your mind to impart enough strength on your tendrils that they remain in place even without your guidance."
[Assignment - Practice severing tendrils from yourself while keeping them solid.]
Broken Evil-Wren - 4
SHD 301: Shadow Wormholes
MDrake says:
"It seems... you have managed to succeed in the assignment I gave you." Though not necessarily in the way that mDrake would have appreciated. He didn't want his students creeping up on him and cuddling with him or anything like that. It was disgusting. "Though next time you should refrain from coming anywhere near me, as I don't want you there and you should know that by this point." He fixed the student with a hard stare.
"Moving on, the next thing you will be using for shadow wormholes is movement of objects between spaces. Find a wormhole that starts in one place, and ends in another, both of which you know their destinations. Create something small and simple, such a letter or a small package, to send through the wormhole. See, this is how shadowmancers send mail to each other all across the world, by utilizing wormholes that allow them to move mail and packages all throughout. Most shadowmancers don't want to spend the energy shadowporting long distances if they want to send something to a comrade, so having a wormhole to send something through is far easier."
Broken Evil-Wren - 5
"It seems... you have managed to succeed in the assignment I gave you." Though not necessarily in the way that mDrake would have appreciated. He didn't want his students creeping up on him and cuddling with him or anything like that. It was disgusting. "Though next time you should refrain from coming anywhere near me, as I don't want you there and you should know that by this point." He fixed the student with a hard stare.
"Moving on, the next thing you will be using for shadow wormholes is movement of objects between spaces. Find a wormhole that starts in one place, and ends in another, both of which you know their destinations. Create something small and simple, such a letter or a small package, to send through the wormhole. See, this is how shadowmancers send mail to each other all across the world, by utilizing wormholes that allow them to move mail and packages all throughout. Most shadowmancers don't want to spend the energy shadowporting long distances if they want to send something to a comrade, so having a wormhole to send something through is far easier."
Broken Evil-Wren - 5
SHD 302: Shadow Objects
MDrake says:
"Well, it appears you've managed to copy suitably enough." He looked over the small object that the student had turned in. "Of course, those who copy are hardly useful, are they? No, it's much more useful to be able to create something from your mind."
"But you won't be able to hold the shadow in form for long. At most, probably a minute, but this is all right. You will get better as you keep working at it. For now, I would like you to construct an object out of shadow from your imagination. If you need to draw a 3-D blueprint on paper to help this visualization in your mind, then you may do so. When you are ready, come to me and create your object. I will test you on how long you manage to keep it solid."
[ Assignment: Create a fleeting shadow object in front of the professor. ]
Ida JeanaWei - 5
Mayday cluelooser - 3
Theon Yekrutslover - 5
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 5
"Well, it appears you've managed to copy suitably enough." He looked over the small object that the student had turned in. "Of course, those who copy are hardly useful, are they? No, it's much more useful to be able to create something from your mind."
"But you won't be able to hold the shadow in form for long. At most, probably a minute, but this is all right. You will get better as you keep working at it. For now, I would like you to construct an object out of shadow from your imagination. If you need to draw a 3-D blueprint on paper to help this visualization in your mind, then you may do so. When you are ready, come to me and create your object. I will test you on how long you manage to keep it solid."
[ Assignment: Create a fleeting shadow object in front of the professor. ]
Ida JeanaWei - 5
Mayday cluelooser - 3
Theon Yekrutslover - 5
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 5
SHD 303: Shadow Acid
MDrake says:
The draconic teacher made a faint noise of pleasure at the fact that he was able to continue lecturing on this subject. "Now that you have gotten a feel for acid, now you are going to want to start being able to create and use it yourself. With the acid I gave you, you were instructed to get a feel for it, what it was made of, and know how it sits in your shadow. By duplicating that sensation, you can start to manufacture some acid in your shadow on your own. The more complex the formula, the harder it will be to try duplicating it, but that first vial I gave you should be too easy, so we'll move onto the medium strength one."
He gestured toward the second vial that he'd presented to the students before. "Soon as you manage to start producing the formula within your shadows, I want you to start practicing battle moves with it. In particular, tell me one battle move that you think would be very useful when utilizing shadow acid in a fight."
Ida JeanaWei - 4
Mayday cluelooser - 3
Theon Yekrutslover - 5
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 4
The draconic teacher made a faint noise of pleasure at the fact that he was able to continue lecturing on this subject. "Now that you have gotten a feel for acid, now you are going to want to start being able to create and use it yourself. With the acid I gave you, you were instructed to get a feel for it, what it was made of, and know how it sits in your shadow. By duplicating that sensation, you can start to manufacture some acid in your shadow on your own. The more complex the formula, the harder it will be to try duplicating it, but that first vial I gave you should be too easy, so we'll move onto the medium strength one."
He gestured toward the second vial that he'd presented to the students before. "Soon as you manage to start producing the formula within your shadows, I want you to start practicing battle moves with it. In particular, tell me one battle move that you think would be very useful when utilizing shadow acid in a fight."
Ida JeanaWei - 4
Mayday cluelooser - 3
Theon Yekrutslover - 5
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 4
SHD 304: Shadow Stitching
MDrake says:
"In this part of the term, you will be making the remainder of your outfit, not simply an accessory. You may be wondering why it is I ask you to make clothing, and the reason is this: the primary function for this course is both making shadow clothing that fits to your body no matter how it changes, as well as how to stitch up wounds that you may encounter on the battlefield. Stitching the delicate hems and lines of a piece of clothing is an important part of understanding how to stitch up wounds, and you will be doing that in the very last part of the time."
"Thus, you should know what is expected of you this time. You will complete your outfit and imbue it with shadow magic that allows it to morph to the size of your body. If you must test this, then try one of those childhood potions to shrink you down to a child. The clothing should scale with your body if you have done it properly."
Theon Yekrutslover -
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 5
Pet olivetoart - 5
TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT IN THIS JOURNAL TO RECEIVE A GRADE AND CREDIT. Grades always happen at the end of the month, right before the new assignments go up. Please keep in mind that written assignments need to be at least 1,000 words to get full credit. Feel free to work in groups or alone!
"In this part of the term, you will be making the remainder of your outfit, not simply an accessory. You may be wondering why it is I ask you to make clothing, and the reason is this: the primary function for this course is both making shadow clothing that fits to your body no matter how it changes, as well as how to stitch up wounds that you may encounter on the battlefield. Stitching the delicate hems and lines of a piece of clothing is an important part of understanding how to stitch up wounds, and you will be doing that in the very last part of the time."
"Thus, you should know what is expected of you this time. You will complete your outfit and imbue it with shadow magic that allows it to morph to the size of your body. If you must test this, then try one of those childhood potions to shrink you down to a child. The clothing should scale with your body if you have done it properly."
Theon Yekrutslover -
Contour Ju5tAB0r3d1 - 5
Pet olivetoart - 5
TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT IN THIS JOURNAL TO RECEIVE A GRADE AND CREDIT. Grades always happen at the end of the month, right before the new assignments go up. Please keep in mind that written assignments need to be at least 1,000 words to get full credit. Feel free to work in groups or alone!
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