The Two Academies

[bugfartboy]

Zaron began to stir, much to the distress of whomever it was touching him. He sent out a mental probe and recoiled. There was a student in his cellar! He prepared to strike with a secret shadow trick he'd been working on when he checked again. The student was merely curious. How to handle this? "Ugh, what do you want classmate?", he sent telepathically knowing all too well that one of the dreaded teachers might hear it...

[cyso]

Joining as a late student

Shadowlings lose:


Name: Bob
Race: Human
Class: Psy Fighter
Affinity: Cyro
Skill: Has the skill of about a blue cape
Bio: Bob was raised far away from the Psy academy, and only learned of its existence recently. His family decided it would be best to send him to the academy where he could learn to control his abilities better, and be around other psys (there were some incidences of kids being knocked unconscious by accident), even though he is a tad bit old to start at the academy. Bob misses his family, and prefers to keep to himself for the most part. He doesn't make too many friends, but he is loyal to the ones he has. Once he gets to know someone, he can be very friendly.
Equipment: His mind, and a knife that he doesn't really use. From his father, sentimental value.
Skills: Mind Blast, and cold resistance


Humans lose:

Name: Bob
Race: Human
Class: Psy Assassin
Affinity: Dark
Skill: In addition to being able to use mental attacks, Bob can use a knife very well. Blue cape in the academy.
Bio: Bob was raised far away from the Psy academy and Somnus, and only learned of its existence recently, in quite a dramatic fashion. His family was killed by a shadowling a few days after the first psy academy was destroyed. Bob managed to kill the shadowling with his mental powers and his father's knife. More shadowlings arrived, and considered killing him, but in the end decided to keep him alive due to his impressive abilities. As a result of his past experience, Bob is very distrustful, especially of shadowlings. However, he does realize that some are not as bad as others after hearing them debate on killing him. He spends most of his time in thought, analyzing his surroundings and making judgments about people. He doesn't make too many friends, but he is loyal to the ones he has. Bob misses his family very much, but suppresses the emotions to keep himself functional, and to not look weak to the shadowlings. He makes very few friends, if any, but is loyal to the people he considers friends, or respects.
Equipment: His mind, and a really sharp knife
Skills: Mind Blast, shadow resistance, dark shield, knife, stab. Working on shadow blast. Fairly stealthy, but not due to any psy abilities. Despite his limited ability, he is a capable fighter due to having really good survival instinct.
I'll join in fairly soon.

[TheWanderingShadow]

Hmm, Bob seems almost the same as John, right down to their affinity in both dimensions. Maybe they'll be friends.

[cyso]

Sorry, I didn't notice. As for friends... In the HL universe, I wouldn't trust you. In the SL universe, maybe.

HL
Bob lingered in the Grand Hall, like normal. He cast a glance at the brown haired kid still sitting on the floor. The shadowlings had really messed up his mind. Part of him wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. He started to leave, just in time to see new kid leaving with everyone else. He evidently had no clue about how things went here. Might as teach him now. Bob silently stole over to where he was, put his hand over his mouth, and dragged him into a room. He could feel his fear, his surprise. He quickly scanned his mind. His name was Zack. "Listen up, Zack. You're new here, and evidently you don't know how things work around here. Don't cross the shadowlings. Don't make them angry, do what they tell you, and don't question them unless you want to end up like the kid in there. You have to look strong. You represent your home now. If you look weak, the queen will think your land will be an easy picking, and you'll end up without a family, without a home. You shouldn't have come here, but now, you'd better get used to this fast. Got it? Good. I'll be watching you. Wait a few seconds before leaving" Bob released the surprised Zack and walked silently out the door. "Do you really think anything he does will stop the Queen from invading?" he asked himself. He doubted it, but he couldn't sit back and do nothing.
Just as a little side note, the maps aren't loading for me, so I'm clueless to the layout of the building.

[Duskling]

I'm joining, getting boring around here without a working RP. :D Now, let me show you slackers the real meaning of "affected by fate." :D

Shadowlings Lose:

Name: Frex
Race: Human
Class: Psy Fighter
Affinity: Fire
Skill: Higher than a Blue Cape, but not Black Cape.
Bio: Frex had a good life, for the most of it anyway, because the Shadow War had ended shortly before his sixteenth birthday, thus allowing him to hone his abilities at the Psy Academy in relative peace, making it much easier, but some front-end experience would've helped. He had a loving family which had supported him, and helped him in his studies. With their help, he surpassed the level of Blue Cape, but the Dean of the Academy had decided he was not yet fit to train as a Black Cape. Frex accepted the Dean's decision, but didn't feel he had much more to learn as a Blue Cape and was eager to ascend to the rank of Black Cape.
Equipment: His mind, and an old bow he uses to have fun or for practice.
Skills: Strong Pyro Blast, hardly developed Pyro Hail, and a moderate-leveled Mind Blast.


Humans Lose:

Name: Frex
Race: Human
Class: Mercenary
Affinity: Cryo
Bio: Frex's life was miserable, for the most part, with the destruction of the Psy Academy a short time before his sixteenth birthday, he could only go to private, expensive, hidden Psy instructors. Though not much time was spent studying, but, if front-end experience helped, there was plenty of it, what with all the Shadowlings leaving no rock unturned looking for Psys. Shortly after the destruction of the Academy, Frex's family had been slaughtered by Shadowlings in a brutal and merciless fashion which had left them distracted enough to give Frex enough time to get away. With his family gone, Frex's emotions were fading as well, he had become hard, and realized the world for what it really was, a test, a test to see how well one can survive. Using the money he had been given in case his parents died and he was left on his own, Frex had found a private trainer by the name of Senz, who was proficient, and not too expensive. After many months of private tutoring, Frex had nearly perfected his Cryo Blast, his Mind Blast, and had just begun to show signs of being able to use Cryo Cross. After his training, he became a mercenary, and earned a living collecting gold for the destruction of Shadowling encampments, sentry posts, and sometimes some small fortresses. Even with his abilities, he still comes by and trains with Senz.
Equipment: His mind, a crossbow which he uses while sniping, and a dagger for close combat.
Skills: Strong Cryo Blast, strong Mind Blast, and barely developed Cryo Cross.

[bugfartboy]

Hmm... I think I'm going to focus on my bug form for a while. But right now I'm waiting for Zack to continue.

[Zackirus]

OCC: Its basically the Psy Acaedmy we can explore in TSoG. Dusk and Yogc Elf: Idea Approved.

The thing spoke in his mind "Ughhhh what do you want Classmate?". The bug was taking! Zack jumped back and spoke back to it "yo...you can talk?". "Yes," it replied almost sounding like he was an idiot. Zack collapsed onto the floor again and began to breath rapidly. This was one weird place, much weirder then he had anticipated. He didn't think bugs were able to talk and he should make it clear with whatever it was that he didn't come from these parts. He looked at the bug from the ground, got up on his knees, and laughed "I'm not from around these parts..."  

The boy was staring him down and talked down to him, like he was an arrogant student, "Listen up, Zack. You're new here, and evidently you don't know how things work around here. Don't cross the shadowlings. Don't make them angry, do what they tell you, and don't question them unless you want to end up like the kid in there. You have to look strong. You represent your home now. If you look weak, the queen will think your land will be an easy picking, and you'll end up without a family, without a home. You shouldn't have come here, but now, you'd better get used to this fast. Got it? Good. I'll be watching you. Wait a few seconds before leaving" Bob released the surprised Zack and walked silently out the door. Zack was puzzled by this sudden outburst. A person trying invade Traten? It's not possible, we would just hide in the mountains and attack when they were undefended. Zack continued to think over what that boy said; it was obliviously a warning, as he walked out of the door. He went back to the grand hall and remembered what the tall boy said. He looked at the ground and noticed a small fragment of black stone on the ground. He picked it up and felt it. It was cold but smooth; somehow he felt like energy was passing through him at a steadier rate, but he also felt also like he was watching his body from third person. He slided the piece into his pocket and the effect stopped. He walked quickly out of the hall and into the dorm areas where he saw a bunch of students talking. He sat down on one of the chairs and eavesdropped on their conversation. "Did you hear, they attacked and imprisoned Marty's Parents last night, he was removed from Mental 103 today" A small girl whispered over to her friend. "The queen is taking greater pre-cautions then I has thought, o attack Marty's parents." A medium sized boy whispered to the girl. Zack heard it again; The Queen, he decided to go to the library and check out a book on her. He walked slowly to the library and made sure to stay in one of the corners. He looked through the books and finally found one that looked decent. He looked it over and opened to book, and began to read.  

[bugfartboy]

"Obviously. Anyone else would know me. In my former body anyway. Your lucky the human part of me is still in control. If it had been the Bug Queen, you'd be chopped in half and fed to the little ones by now", he said with a grim smile in his voice. He glanced into a corner and directed his thoughts at a small blue creature. As the Nymph began to scuttle over he noticed a trace of shock on the students face.
"Perk of having the body of a half-grown Bug Queen. Bugs listen to me. Heh heh. But I only keep the Nymphs around. Just don't ask how I ended up like this. It's not a nice memory. And my name's Zaron. I used to have a last name but down here, one doesn't need it.".

[cyso]

Bob was eating in the Great Hall with everyone else. His friend Mark was getting in extra practice to improve his mind blast, so he was eating alone. He wondered about the new kid, Zack. He seemed really out of it. Now that he thought about it, he had been looking a little red. And wasn't Traten far up north? He wondered if it were possible that he had had a heat stroke. After a few seconds, he decided to contact his teacher, Grotius, and tell him what he thought. After he explained himself, Grotius agreed to check on Zack and see if he was okay.

[bugfartboy]

Zack is still in the basements talking to a bug named Zaron.

[cyso]

Yes, but I don't know that. Last I saw him, Zack stumbled out of the great hall looking and feeling very hot, so I think he might have had a heat stroke.

[TheWanderingShadow]

   John listened to the dean with increasing excitement. He had heard rumors that there was going to be a boarding student coming from Traten. Most of the students, including John, had never met a Tratenite before, and everyone was excited. They fidgeted around while the dean made the mundane anouncements. Finally, the dean cleared his throat and said, "Now one more thing of business before we go off to bed. We have generously offered a Tratenite named Zack Arcon a place as a transfer student at our school. Now I want everyone to treat him nicely and help him if he needs anything, we need to make a good impression if we want to increase ties with Traten. He is waiting outside of the halls now." The hall doors opened slowly, and there stood a medium-height, platinum blond haired, blue eyed figure smiling with an arrogant smile. The dean said, "Welcome Mr. Arcon, I hope you have a good time at Psy Academy. Do you have anything to say to everyone before we go off to bed?"
Zack laughed and stated, "It is hot in Cera Bella."
"Well everyone, with everything said and done, you can go off to bed."
John wasn't sure if he liked Zack or not. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see, he thought. He wouldn't have to wait long. Everyone was talking about Zack and staring at him as he passed. John smiled inwardly. This is going to be an interesting year, he thought.


   John awoke in his room, dim light filtering through the tiny hole in the wall that was his window. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and went to wash his face. As he was filling the basin, he heard Rashnev calling: "The Shadow! Come here!"
John groaned inwardly. Ugh, what is it this time? he thought. More insults? More nagging? "Stand up straight, you look like a hunchback.." "You look filthy, go wash yourself." "Get your greedy little eyes off the pantry, and focus on training."Rashnev could go on and on. He always finds something wrong with me, John grumbled. If only I—
"John." Said Rashnev, interrupting John's mental rant. "I said, come here." John froze. Rashnev only used his real name when there was a job to do . . .
John dropped the washbasin and marched straight to Rashnev's room. He found him sitting in his chair, holding a scroll in his hand. As John entered the room, Rashnev tossed the scroll at him. "Congratulations, The Shadow, you've been accepted into the Psy Academy."
John's face went pale. "Wh—what?! No! You can't—"
Rashnev silenced him with a wave of his hands. "Calm down. You will not be going there to learn, not that those second-rate teachers would be able to teach you anything I haven't. And you're certainly not going to become a Shadowling general. Quite the opposite, in fact. This is the biggest assasination job we've had since the past year, and you'll be happy to know that the target is a Shadowling."
Some color began to return to John's face. He regained his composure and said, "Alright, who's the target?"
"The dean of Psy Academy." John cried out in outrage again, and Rashnev had to grab him and hold him down until he stopped. After calming down, John asked, "Why can't you send one of the older members?"
"This is a long-term job. An adult that isn't a teacher would be much too conspicuous at the academy. I need someone young to can masquerade as a student. Since you are the most experienced assasin in the organization who fits within the age requirements, you're the one to take the mission." declared Rashnev. "No objections." he added, as John opened his mouth to voice one. "We are getting an obscene amount of gold for this job, so it is of the absolute highest priority."
"Obscene amount, huh?" John repeated. "What's my cut?"
Rashnev raised an eyebrow. "You've regained your business-mindedness, I see." He paused for a moment. "Your cut is ten thousand gold. And that's only ten percent of it."
John's lips went dry. "One hundred thousand? Who would be so desperate?"
"They've declined to identify themselves, but I assume that they're important Cera Bella residents who want their precious Academy back. Who could blame them? The Academy is the perfect stronghold against any future Shadowling attacks. And they probably don't want the Shadowlings training more generals like the famous redhead that took the Academy down in the first place. But I digress. All we really need to know is that they want to kill someone, and they're paying us to do it."
John remembered the mission's requirements. "But how? How can I get into the Academy? It's literally a castle!"
Rashnev's constant expression of annoyance deepened slightly. "As I already told you, you're going under the guise of a student. When you're there, you'll have to attract attention to yourself—against your instincts, I know. Be a braggart, be a star student, be whatever gets the dean's attention. Become his friend, get him alone, then kill him. Failure is not an option."
"But I'm not ready! What happens if—"
"Failure is not an option." repeated Rashnev, ignoring John's outburst. "Our employers have generously agreed to pay your tuition for three years. So you'll have to finish the mission by then. But take advantage of the free time. Train hard, study hard—who knows, you might even learn something. But never forget your objective. Now go. I have transportaion set up for you." As John went off to the boat that would take him across the lake, he remembered that he had been apprehensive that something important would happen. I think that this qualifies... he thought to himself. He got in the boat, and sat wondering what the Psy Academy would be like, and worrying about his distressing mission . . . Just think of it as revenge, he thought to himself. your desire for revenge shall fuel you during this mission . . .

Gaah! Too long! (Don't make a joke about that.) Sorry, guys, I'll catch up to the rest of the story as soon as I can . . .

[cyso]

Bob woke up early in the morning, earlier than normal. He opened his eyes and quickly took in his surroundings. A human had just been showed to the empty bunk across from his by some shadowlings, and was starting to arrange his belongings. Even though he was new to the academy, and had just received a red cape, Bob could tell he was far more experienced than a red cape, and probably more experienced than he was. He was a trained assassin. Bob could tell by the way he moved, by the way he was watching everything. He probably already knew he was awake, so there was no use trying to hide it. "Need any help?" he asked. "No, I've got everything now. But thanks anyways."
A friendly assassin? Not likely. Bob did his best to keep his mind concealed until the newcomer fell asleep, and even then, kept his mental defenses up, just in case. "I'm going to have to watch this one..."

[Zackirus]

The bug chuckled. "Obviously. Anyone else would know me. In my former body anyway. Your lucky the human part of me is still in control. If it had been the Bug Queen, you'd be chopped in half and fed to the little ones by now", he said with a grim smile in his voice. Zack breathed a sigh of relief but began to hear scuttling in the corner of the room. He quickly turned his head and was shocked when a small blue bug came out of the corner and came up to him. "Perk of having the body of a half-grown Bug Queen. Bugs listen to me. Heh heh. But I only keep the Nymphs around. Just don't ask how I ended up like this. It's not a nice memory. And my name's Zaron. I used to have a last name but down here, one doesn't need it." Zaron chuckled as Zack reached his hand out to pet the bug. The bug's pincher's closed quickly but Zack's hand retreated before the crunch. "The thing just tried to bite me!" Zack complained to Zaron. "Well why do you think, to them, your meat, and plenty of it." Zaron licked. "Well Zaron, my name is Zack Acron, I'm from Traten, and I should get back to the Grand Hall before people start to notice I'm missing, see you around.". Zaron returned his ending as Zack slowly found his way back to the stairs and climbed them. He got into the corridor and he began to feel hot again. He walked towards his room but was confronted by a large white creature. He thought  it was called a spriggat. "Ummm, hello, what would you like from me?" Zack stuttered as he had never been so close to  a creature like this. "One of your students said that you were feeling hot so I came to direct you to Mr. Srat, our Pryo teachers for him to give you a Flame Shield". He followed the creature around until he reached a classroom door where inside a teacher who had patches of his hair singed off.. He entered the room and was greeted almost instantly. "Hello Mr.Arcon, are you here for help on Yesterday's Paper?" "No Simeon" replied the creature, "He needs a flame shield, the heat must be too hot for him to handle". "Ahh yes, thank you Grotius" Mr. Srat chirped as he used a Flame Shield on Zack. Zack began to feel Intense heat for a second and then everything felt pleasantly cool. Zack thanked him and walked back to his room. He lay down on his bed and fell asleep, finally cool enough to think about nothing.

[bugfartboy]

"Well that was a somewhat pleasant surprise", Zaron thought to himself. "It's been so long since I've had intelligent company. I wonder what else has changed up in the Academy since my time there. Hmm..." Zaron pondered for a few seconds then made up his mind. "I'm just going to need to find out." Zaron focused on the Nymph for a few seconds as it's normal pale blue began to drain to black and the cellar seemed to get just a fraction lighter. The Nymph became totally black and chittered silently, nothing more than a shadow. Zaron smiled inwardly. It had worked. The process was simple. All one did was feed the body shadow until all but the will, human or non, remained and the body was consumed to provide energy for the shadow. "Now go on my little friend, and check in on our new friend. But remember to stay out of the light", Zaron directed. As the bug began to silently scitter away, he made contact with it and began to see the upper world for the first time in over a year.