"You have received the [[honor of teaching->Honor Description]] at St. Akulay, as per the recommendation of Sir Tenebrae. We expect great things of you."
Says the letter you just unfolded and almost tore to shreds. You scratch your head and wonder if being taken in as a disciple might have been a mistake, even if it has made you a [[mostly law-abiding citizen->Law-abiding Description]] of this world. You as a teacher? That just spells trouble for everyone involved - including and especially yourself!
[[You remember you said you wanted work, but not //that// sort of work!->Start 2]]
You might as well do it 'properly', as they say it. Doing things 'properly' still has the feeling of protest in it, though, at least by your standards.
You solemnly swear to never harm your students, to abide by all the school's rules and to impart all students with the best non-biased knowledge possible, lest you be struck by lightning.
[[The teachers are gasping.->Lightning End 2]][[//Zap!!//->Lightning End 3]]That didn't end well. The very day you were supposed to take office you have been relieved from your duties as a teacher. They won't ask for you to teach again. Hospitalized, scorched and in dire need of a new scalecoat, you wonder if this was worth it.
[[...Maybe.->Lightning End 4]]Lightning Ending Cleared
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits?->Credits]]
(set: $LightningEnding to true)You go ahead and teleport yourself to another dimension. Here, you are chilling somewhere surrounded by a flock of imps and can properly ignore the Thanos Apocalypse.
Thanos Apocalypse Ending
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits->Credits]]
(set: $apocalypse to true)You realize who or rather, what you bumped into.
Oh no... a [[fairy dragon->Fairy Dragon Description]]. And he's one of the teachers to boot. Seeing him alone is enough to revive a sense of dread, it spells doom for your ears.
You help yourself in the quickest and most eloquent way possible:
[['Please don't speak to me.'->Faculty Talk 4]]
You are in a strangely good mood today, you even have the vigor to chirp the friendlist of greetings towards your Fairy Dragon colleague: 'Hello Mr. Voice Modulator!'
"I told you to stop calling me that! It's -"
He is cut short however by a different obnoxiously fluttering fairy dragon - admittedly one of the prettier kind.
She greets him in passing, nods to you, and procceeds to go do whatever errand awaits her. And that greeting, dear friends, that greeting is [[a genuinly non-screeching voice->Voice Description]]!!
[[Wait a second! Ohh.... I see how it is.->Fairy End 2]]
Classes continue.
As you continue your rant about intricate rune spellwork used to protect material from water, you catch a student dozing off. You are pretty used to this by now and react swiftly and efficiently - by throwing a pair of icicles that just barely miss the student.
It scares him awake and into a loud complaint.
You shrug. They told you not to put your students on fire. And by that you abide. He'd better pay attention in class, or at least pretend to.
[[Nothing wrong with that, you tell them.->Routine 2]]
As life moves on you slowly forget about the impending doom. A month later and everything is still fine. Probably fine. You didn't bring yourself to look into it more.
[[Until one day...->Thanos Doom 6]]Made by Kylaila in Twine2 for the RMN Birthday Event.
Also dedicated to pianotm as a secret tiny early birthday present (the tm does not stand for trademark).
Endings Collected:
(if: $LightningEnding is true)[Lightning Struck](if: $GhostEnding is true)[
Ghost Whisperer](if: $apocalypse is true)[
Thanos Apocalypse](if: $everafter is true)[
Happy Ever After](if: $socialend is true)[
Fun Social End Ending](if: $violentend is true)[
Violent End](if: $infirmaryend is true)[
Infirmary Ending](if: $teacherend is true)[
Teacher Ending](if: $pocketend is true)[
Pocket Dimension Ending](if: $cleanupend is true)[
Cleanup Ending]
[[Start over and skip intro?->Start Start]]
[[Start over from the beginning?->Start]]
(link: "Quit.")[<script>window.close()</script>]
(if: $SleepEnding is true)[Sleep Ending Cleared]After consulting Tenebrae as well as the [[principal->Principal Description]] of the new school it becomes apparent that they actually trust you in dealing with [[children->Children Description]]. Why is a mystery to you, but the only hope is that after speaking to you the principal has become visibly distraught by his choice to employ you.
For now, you decided to just try your hand at this and earn however much you can. Surprisingly, the pay is better than expected. Maybe all those years of detesting school will come in handy as a teacher somehow? You sure piled on the knowledge over the years, despite [[the teachers you had->Teacher Memory]].
[[The inauguration ceremony is soon, so all you can do is hurry and prepare.->Start Start]]Honor? It is an honor to visit the sacred Great Library of the elves! It is an honor to study under true arch mages (that you are close to becoming yourself), to witness the rebirth of a phoenix (a story for another time), to cause [[the downfall of the Unwellness Corporation->Downfall]] - HAH - but to be a teacher at a random school?
[[Honor, your butt.->Start]]You reflect on the long journey that brought you to today. The dead kittens, the scorched houses, the disgruntled neighbors. You have come really, really far and only occasionaly destroy someone else's dream, by accident. Mostly.
It feels good to be good, they say. You haven't found that to be entirely true, but it certainly is much more peaceful and easier to clean up after yourself now. No more prison cells for you in almost 10 years!
Somewhere, you worry being a teacher might end that record. Teachers were never quite your favorite kind of people. Except Tenebrae, Tenebrae doesn't count.
[[Return.->Start]]The day is here. All teachers have gathered, and even the students get to bore themselves listening to the principals speech with his intentions for the coming year. Mostly making the lifes of students safer and more predictible. No surprises there, and clearly the students are so very, very excited about it.
You are called to the front and introduced. A sorceress, a teacher of magic both theoretical and practical - and most of all, a teacher to be respected. That shout-out made the more 'rebellious' students scoff and laugh. Great job, principal.
They are expecting you to say something, or do something.
[[Ignore all formalities.->Introduction]]
[[Give a proper speech.->Lightning End 1]]
[[Scorch the air with some fireworks.->Introduction B]]
(set: $metfairy to false)
(set: $thrownotebook to false)If it was up to them, you wouldn't have left school alive, nevermind with a good certificate. In your rebellion you showed them up in the finals, in the competitions, and in any festival that ever existed.
The fact that all this has not made you any more liked by the teachers probably best demonstrates your attitude towards them.
[[The feeling was mutual.->Start 2]]You ignore the need for any grand speeches.
Instead, you tell the students that you will see their lazy butts in class and that they'd better not be late. It's brain or brawn, and if they are not using their brain, the least they can do is some exercise, like push-ups and squats. A couple hundred of them, preferably.
The students don't seem to care or intend to abide by that. The good thing is, they don't know yet that you can literally //make// them.
[[Magic is good for something, isn't it?->Introduction 2]]The principal called you into his office before your first class. Just behind the faculty room. You see all kinds of people here that you could talk to. Theoretically.
He does not seem particularly flattered by your introduction, nor has he calmed down from your last conversation. The lecture he is giving you is as boring as the speech earlier. Eventually, he puts his hand on your shoulder upon which you barely contain your reflex to shake him off.
"Just, don't set anything on fire. Especially not the students."
Sure. You can do that. You'll try. Thankfully you reign your question about any magic //but// fire in.
[[Talk to your coworkers.->Faculty Talk]]
[[Check if there are any ghosts that are haunting this place to talk to.->Ghost Ending 1]]
[[Proceed to your class.->Class 1]]
According to your school experience, the common school belief is that children are poor little weak versions of the magnificent beings they will grow into - to be protected and nurished and kept away from all harm and evil influence while they do. Which is exactly why you are shocked that anyone would let you close to theirs!
Theoretically, though, children are no smarter or dumber than their adult variety. Just a bit more honest and inexperienced. Tenebrae said they could appreciate both your honesty and your experience. Certainly, the ten quickest ways into jail would be a lovely subject to teach children.
[[I don't think the parents would approve, though.->Start 2]]You exchange some pleasantries with your fellow teachers. Talking about what a beautiful cloudy day it is today, how the frogs are singing so nicely in the pond, and how your favorite season is summer with its scorching heat.
You learned little of interest, but a [[water elemental->Water Elemental Description]] teacher by the name of Betty is intrigued by your love for fire. That's new! They also wish you the best of luck for your first days of teaching, telling you that there are some students who just will //never// learn and that you should not take it to heart.
Knowing that sort of feeling firsthand, from the other side, you have to contain a deep chuckle.
[[Oh well, on to other things.->Faculty Talk 2]]You tap into a ghostly vein of mystery and adventure, as the school is swarming with ghosts.
You follow your true calling as a ghost whisperer!
Ghost Whisperer Ending
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits?->Credits]]
(set: $GhostEnding to true)You open the door to the classroom packed with students of all kinds. Mostly draconic in these parts, smaller kinds, like your slender self, with the occasional pixie and elemental. The janitor's a centaur, though, you passed him by in the hallway earlier.
The [[fire elemental->Fire Elemental Description]] of this class excitedly jumps up to your arrival, while most students give off the normal 'let's get this over with' vibe. [[One student->Rebel Student Description]] can't be bothered to acknowledge your existence, while the pixies haven't taken notice of your arrival just yet. As if to confirm the cliché, they are still in the middle of a conversation.
[[You throw a notebook after them.->Class Inbetween]]
[[Start class normally.->Class 2]]
Unexpectedly, the principal of this draconic orientated school is an elf. He seems to be a rather eccentric one, who hopes to bring the knowledge of his people to all other races, contrary to popular elven ethics and tradition that enabled them to survive so far. His love for the people is the most sincere. The only problem is that nobody listens to whatever he is trying to teach or preach, so he has hired others to do that for him.
[[Does that mean they have elven books in the library?->Start 2]]You notice an outlier in class. The one who sits in the back, drawing pentagrams. The one who is also not sociable with anyone else and definitely not with you, a teacher.
You find her delightful. You wonder if you should chat her up should you ever get the chance. She certainly does remind you of yourself during school days - high expectations, certainly.
[[You'll need to brace yourself for the worst.->Class 1]]You quietly step up to the front of the stage with a smile, while preparing a sizeable series of small spells behind your back. Your claws shimmer and shine as you release a series of fireworks that resemble fireballs and meteor showers! They are as frightening as they are harmless, and you let your laugh echo into the series of worried and concerned cries around you.
[[Your smile is still there as you step off from the stage.->Introduction 2]](if: $thrownotebook is true)[The notebook skillfully passes them by but a hair's breadth, and shocks them into sudden but wonderful silence. ]
'Hello and welcome, I am the new teacher here. Today we'll talk about practical magic and self-defense, so quiet down you fools.'
You then review some of the basics of combat, possible party formations, rune setups and [[make a mental list->Mental List Description]] of all students' knowledge level and combat forte. It takes a bit of coaxing for everyone to talk about their trained element, but it's working out. Except for the 'trouble student' of the class who obviously ignored the call, but the drawings she made earlier gave it away.
'Summoning. Pretty good stuff, too, as far as I can tell.', is your final verdict. Somehow that took her off guard.
[[Good.->After Class 1]][[...!->Class 2]]
(set: $thrownotebook to true)You continue class after class. Congratulations, you survived the first day of your new teaching career!
...Oh god, somehow that feels way too real to think out loud like that. No. No forever after moment, please.
[[Maybe you should consider it, though, just a fancy thought.->Happy Ever After Ending]]
[[Let's move on, for now.->After Class 2]]And you live happily ever after!
Happy Ever After Ending cleared.
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $everafter to true)(if: $metfairy is true)[You enter the faculty room again and lo and behold, it is the confused fairy dragon once again! He greets you out of habit before trying to weasel out of the conversation. Wonderful.]
Today went pretty well and you hope to continue that streak.
[[You can't be that bad at this, right?->Routine 1]]
[[...!->Faculty Talk 3]]
He either didn't hear that, or did not decode the message contained within. Alas, he begins and even your interjections can't stop him.
"What's with you? Aren't you the new teacher?"
To your surprise, this is //not// the common voice of a fairy dragon! It's not at all! He is modulating his voice to appear bearable. You tell him that it actually //is// bearable with that. Have you met a sensible fairy dragon who is aware of their species' terrible screeching?
"Oh - wait, no. Erm, no. I am a Northern Fairy Dragon, our voices always sound like this. They are more in the lower tonal range and if you'd let me explain more - "
You roll your eyes. He continues his chatter and you can make out that he is a music teacher here, or so you think. He is too hurt by his species to even admit to his changing his voice.
[[You assure him you totally believe him. Really.->Faculty Talk 5]]
Will it ever stop? You can't stop thinking about them, you can't help but meet them in one of two places, and they drive you crazy. Yes, they are still obnoxious little fragile dragons with grating, painful, drilling, screeching voices.
[[Get over it already!->Faculty Talk 3]]He probably caught the sarcasm. Either way, you bid the confused fairy dragon adieu and go to the first class of the day. You were warned about this one in particular, and you can't help but feel a bit of excitement because of it.
[[What kind of class might you find?->Class 1]]
(set: $metfairy to true)You ponder on your achievments in life so far. None of them appear to be of the social variety, so you definitely won't try to judge yourself by social merits.
Still, you are doing better! That puts you in a delightful mood.
[[Time for another day, another week, another something!->Meeting 1]]For now, you will indulge in your new lifestyle. You prepare for your classes, return home and try your best at making your students the best at handling everything the other classes might throw at them. If nothing else, your goal is to enable them to cut their path through calamity, burglars, murderers and unpleasant people.
[[Just don't tell the parents that.->Routine 3]]Water elementals, like all elementals, are wonderful creatures with a great aptitude for magic. They also are very weak to magic out of alignment of their own - fire. As one might imagine, magic that threatens their very existance is usually not their favorite thing in the world. Which is all the more reason you respect Betty - you even remembered her name! Just don't ask for their age.
[[Return.->Faculty Talk]]Fire Elementals despite their reputation as hot-heads are actually incredibly gentle and sage-like creatures once matured. The fact that even sitting on a wooden chair requires concentration and magical influence is one of the many reasons for this - on the plus side, food expenses are incredibly low unless you are a gourmet for rare and high quality fire sources. That said, it is most delightful to anger a fire elemental and see their beautiful fire rage and spread.
[[Not that you'd ever have done that.->Class 1]]You enjoy your life as a teacher more than you expected to.
For now you will strive to become a decent teacher and adhere to the routine of life for a moment.
Teacher Ending cleared
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $teacherend to true)Today is a good day. You even arrived early enough to go for a little walk or chat with your colleagues.(if: $metfairy is true)[Maybe you can tease your fairy dragon friend some more.] Maybe you can try and find some elven books in the library, too. So many choices!
(if: $metfairy is true)[
[[Go to the Faculty Room.->Fairy End 1]]]
[[Go to the Library.->Library 1]]
[[Go to the courtyard.->Rebel Path 1]]
You wish you could check out this library in its entirety, but alas, there is only so much you can do this morning. Instead, you slowly walk through the corridors where flying is prohibited and skim the many shelves for their contents and filing system.
As it turns out there are, in fact, a couple of elven books in the library! One in particular stands out to you. Even if you can't read the language, it would be worth studying - perhaps under the guidance of the principal should you ever bring yourself to endure his presence.
[[You touch the peculiar book.->Pocket Dimension Ending]]You find a familiar face on the couryard already - it's the so-called trouble student! She's hanging out in the darkest corner and [[practicing her spells->Spells]]. At least you hope she is practicing.
[[You walk over to see what's up.->Rebel Path 2]]You smirk knowingly and glance towards our little Modulator friend.
'So ... that's why you modulate your voice. You found a real Northern one!'
You'd have to concede a point here. There actually exist fairy dragons that are not physical, mental and spiritual torture to all their surroundings. You correct myself, quietly, adding a note to your mental image of them. Not that their 5% will save the rest, though.
He is not as amused as you are, being found out. Why, who is better at keeping your secret than your lovely self! For a reasonable fee, you have always kept your quiet so far.
[[You have found out something fun today.->Fairy End 3]]As it turns out, there //is// a sub-species of fairy dragons with bearable voices. Well, you gotta hand it to your colleague, you should have believed him. Case in point for you, though: he did really modulate his voice.
[[If you had to decide, you'd count that as a win. And winning feels //so// good.->Fairy End 1]]The Unwellness Corporation.. oh yes. It is no more, no more. No more roadkill-sandwiches and candy stands where grills should be. No more eroding company wings. No more corporate president.
[[You made sure of that.->Honor Description]]Fun Social End End Cleared.
Are you happy now?
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits->Credits]]
(set: $socialend to true)
She is shocked to see anybody approach her, but slightly relaxes when she sees that it is you. Coming closer you admire her spellwork and say hi.
[[Take a closer look.->Examine 1]]
[[Chat some.->Rebel Path 3]]There's a couple of summoning circles in place that poke your curiosity. They are fairly advanced, but the problem isn't necessarily in how they are made, but more in who they are trying to summon.
Not every summoned creature's a demon, and not all demons or creatures are friendly - there's a reason you usually keep to summoning [[imps->Imp Description]].
[[Return.->Rebel Path 1]]Imps just are the sweetest, cutest and most helpful inter-dimensional travellers you can imagine. They are also widely misunderstood and grouped under demonic beings for no good reason. Because they are so curious and enjoy travelling, they are willing to lend their services to about anyone just to get out of their own plane. It's not a boring plane, mind you, just a bit uniform.
[[Return.->Rebel Path 1]]You set her spellcraft aside for now and take the opportunity to appreciate her outwardly rebellious, independent and beautifully uncaring attitude towards school.
[[She did not expect that.->Rebel Path 4]]You try to feel out the connection these circles are making. You are truly grateful to have travelled enough to recognize some major planes of existence that summoners like to link to.
What you are feeling unnerves you, and that's a rare feeling.
[[You are genuinly worried now.->Examine 2]]You ask her whether she is really planning on hiring someone from the plane of Thanos of all things.
...She nods quietly.
The deepest sigh escapes you. Why is it always [[Thanos->Thanos Description]] novices fall back on? You awkwardly remember your very own first summon from there. It took your dad the entire summer break to help you break the bond you entered, and that's not counting all the friends and acquaintances he pulled into it.
[[Reluctantly share your own awkward, embarassing and needlessly long experience with Thanos.->Rebel Friend 1]]
[[Just tell her to cut it out and try the plane of Zork instead.->Zork]]You feel you bonded with a person, and a student to boot!
Maybe the teacher life isn't so bad if you look at it more closely.
[[Classes continue->Rebel Path 5]] as you slowly get to know the people and places around the school grounds.Thanos is a plane of particularly strong and blood-thirsty creatures who are willing to help out truly any being that wishes to shed some blood - or tears. They love posting their advertising pamphlets everywhere and that is exactly why they are so well-known and easy to contact.
The downside of this self-advertisement is that they conveniently neglect to inform people about what exactly they need to do to pay for their services. If you do it wrong they want more, starting with your family. And that price is not just high, but exceedingly complex to pay off as it involves certain emotional sentiments. Great marketing, excellent service, but bad end result.
About any social center located in a large magical society has their own Thanos helpline and employs a full squadron of priests and mages to help out with any summoning related madness. Nevermind all the 'Say NO to Thanos!' posters and stickers. It's great mercenary work, too. Every now and then some madman will try to rally a Thanos crusade and fail miserably.
[[You are not sure you want to join in on these adventures right now, though.->Examine 3]]No, let's scratch that. You worry about someone falling off a cliff, or a pet rat getting lost.
You are //scared//. And on top of that you feel this senseless frustration of responsibility, since you now know about it.
[[Sure, you can //try// ignoring it, if you like. Tell yourself that.->Examine 3]]You warn her about the impending doom Thanos would bring, and recommend trying [[Zork creatures->Zork Creatures Description]] instead.
She doesn't seem to care too much. That's a lovable quality in itself, but just not helpful right now.
[[Ignore her.->Thanos Doom 1]]
[[Destroy all magic circles and connections in place for safety's sake, and //then// ignore her.->Zork Fight]]You spend a long while talking - which may or may not have made you be late to the first class of the day - and she truly seems to appreciate not just the shared experience, but also the knowledge that students like her are not completely alone in this world.
You feel you bonded with a person, and a student to boot!
[[Maybe being a weirdo in a teaching position isn't such a bad thing for students like her.->Rebel Friend 2]]
You did what you could and figure it is best to ignore her now. You //could// contact Tenebrae to get an anti-Thanos squad on the ready, but she might well be using the circles for practice rather than a full contract. You know, send the creatures back immediately after the summon, make no requests, wishes or invitations for tea. No contract, no harm.
[[You are sure everything will be just fine.->Thanos Doom 2]]As you finish your short lecture you light fires all around you and destroy the magic in place - your student is shocked and worse, hurt. Not in the physical sense, no.
She yells at you and starts bombarding you with some weak spells.
As you let them hit you, you stare blankly into her eyes.
[[...->Zork Fight 2]]//Nobody// messes with you. As you stare her down your calm smile distorts into a crude one as you surround her with similar, but stronger spells. Surrounding the two of you in the blackest shadow that creeps towards the sky and suffocates all beneath it and ever so gently shackles her movement. One way or another, she is unable to avoid your gaze.
Your hands and claws flare up in a purple light as you put more and more magic into the spells around you, swirls and swirls of magic - and into freezing her in place. Any respect you had for her sinks lower and lower as she is truly letting go of her facade and slumps down into a ball of fear. This is where you could stop, truly.
But, are you satisfied with that? Will she have learned her lesson?
[[You //could// just release built-up energy...->Zork Fight 3]]
[[Or let it disperse into the ether.->Interim Peaceful]]Fear flashes across her eyes as you release the spells and let them crash into her and the surroundings. A purple smokescreen fills the air and you hear the sizzling and scratching of scales being torn.
[[You suddenly hear a loud 'HALT!'->Zork Fight 4]]
You let the surrounding wall melt into the ground and what's left is a terribly messed up courtyard and a [[deeply wounded->Wounded Description]] unconscious body shielded by a different teacher.
You suddenly realize what you've just done. You fold your arms and look around you.
[[That's that, you suppose.->Fight Ending]]
Returning to yourself, calming down just a little bit, a looming sense of dread overcomes you. She is breathing and alive, but... in terrible shape... despite being shielded.
Tiny wounds are scattered all across her limbs, her face and body. Blood is still seeping into the ground as the teacher performs meticulous first aid and calls for help.
What would have happened if you had released just a bit more of your power? What if nobody stepped in to help her?
More than anything else you feel... sad. A deep sadness... Ugh. You'd rather hurt people you hate, not people you love.
[[Why does it always turn out like this?->Zork Fight 4]]
You even lost what little credibility you had as a teacher, didn't you.
Violent Ending cleared.
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $violentend to true)
You try to calm yourself, your spells, your magic all at once. You take a deeeeeep breath. And then another one. Your chest is heaving and you notice the maniacal grin you've fallen back into.
You remember this scene - this //you//.
[[And you stop it right there.->Peaceful Fight 2]]You take heavy breaths, and then take her down, into your arms and apologize as the spells dissipate. You really didn't mean to seriously hurt her. The opposite even, as incredulous as it sounds. She doesn't need to believe you. The words pour out of your mouth as you hold her very close to you and tight.
She slowly blinks and looks at you, processing the situation. She weakly insults you, complains and grumbles. Before slumping down against you.
[[...->Peaceful Fight 3]]Wait. Hold on.
You remember this feeling. You are still angry, nobody should ever mess with you! Ever!
But it just loses a tiny bit of importance. You showed her - it's okay to stop once they've been utterly defeated inside. No need to make it a defeat outside. This is enough of a display.
[[You remember a certain experience, or say, lesson.->Peaceful Fight 1]]The paperwork you need to get through if you want to have any safe contract with a Zork inhabitant is an exercise of trial and error until you learn the language, but the results speak for themselves. Zork summons are thorough, practical and clean up after themselves. Incidentally, this is also why Zork summons make for the best lawyers and secretaries. The only good thing is that paperwork filled out once is paperwork filled out forever.
[[Zork people remember.->Zork]]She's passed out. You gently feel her pulse before bringing her to the infirmary.
You hope you can talk this over when she is back up and awake.
Infirmary Ending cleared
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $infirmaryend to true)It's not like you like boasting about - oh please, who are you kidding. You thoroughly enjoy boasting about your own achievments, even if rarely about yourself as a whole. It's what keeps you sane and with a glimpse of self-worth. There are things you are not good at - you try to avoid thinking about those things too much. There are things you are incredibly good at. Memorizing spells, attributes, techniques as well as stitching are such things. They turn out to be surprisingly useful for the sort of teaching you are asked to do. Okay, the stitching probably isn't all that helpful here, either.
[[You leave the things you are not good in the other teachers' care.->Class 2]]Classes continue.
'Say you have an enemy in front of you who is trying to stab you.
What do you do?
You there who's about to pass out!'
"Well, er, I'll just prepare my favorite rune magic an-"
'Wrong. Are you asking to be killed?'
"But I am really fast!"
[['//Wrong.//'->Thanos Doom 4]]You continue with your duties as a teacher over the next few days ignoring the subtle jivvers you get whenever you think of the little rebel. You'll just go to your next class.
[[Everything will be fine.->Thanos Doom 3]]You stop any further interjection. Even if you were fast enough, what flimsy rune magic would you construct in a couple of seconds? Have they prepared them beforehand? This slouchy lazy guy definitely wouldn't have. Thinking they can prepare them mid-fight, your behind. Nevermind that being mid-fight, most novice fighters would shiver and mess up their drawings - even if it's runes you are constructing.
You tell them that and laugh into their face. It's not like they like that, but they have slowly gotten used to that being your style. At least everyone gets treated the same way. Fair, but unpleasant.
You also tell them that if rune magic is all they know, then they better get started on something else. Rune only users either become paranoid explosive covered cowards or they get killed. Their choice, sure.
Sighing, you continue. You don't recommend it. Instead, you offer to run an aptitude test later if they want to find the easiest route for their plan B.
[[Lazy people are allowed to have a plan B, too.->Thanos Doom 5]]It changed just before your vacation time. One day, demons started entering the world indiscriminately: Burning houses, eating lifestock - the usual doomsday scenario. Not just any demons, either.
Teachers are calling for help and the local police force has been mobilized.
You fly up to a burning neighborhood and evacuation measures. Sirens are growing louder and louder and more and more forces enter the small town the school used to be located in.
[[In short, all hell broke lose.->Thanos Ending]]She told you she'd need to give you more details about her current summoning contract later, and so you agreed to hear her out after classes ended.
For now, you enjoy the start of another day of classes. You are late. Quite late, actually. And by the rule of your own system you need to abide by the punishment you set out for your students.
[[You'd never imagine yourself having to do push-ups in front of the entire class.->Rebel Friend 3]]As your claws touch the book, a gentle cloud of magic envelops you.
You open the book, and //whooooosh// -
You have been teleported into a closed pocket dimension. There's tea, the sun, a beach. This might have been a vacation spot of sorts.
The only problem: you have no idea how to get out of here and your teleportation and summoning magic both are not working.
Might as well get used to the vacation then.
Pocket Dimension Ending cleared
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $pocketend to true)The good thing is that you keep yourself in pretty good shape. You feel tempted to make 100 burpees out of it just to intimidate everyone even further, but even you don't know if you will crash from that.
In the end you just begin the lecture while doing push-ups. It's a happy rant about different kinds of fire magic based on flame colors, or flame types. You can adjust the heat and intensity more easily if you adhere to certain color-schemes, though you may need to use additional magic power. For example, red is the easiest and most potent one. As such it is actually possible to use flames without burning random people or curtains - a great halloween trick. Better practice that one though before you actually burn someone's house down. It happens.
[[You speak from experience.->Rebel Friend 4]]After class, our dear trouble student - by the name of Jovah, clues you in to what's actually been going on. To your surprise, she partly entered into a contract already. It has not been activated, so it is more a dormant deathtrap waiting to spring into action. A bad feeling made her call the thing off before it got out of hand. She never managed to nullify the initial bond, though. Not a surprise.
[[Not good, but it could be worse.->Rebel Friend 5]]There are two plans of action before you.
Either declare war against Thanos: Gather all your mentor's and your own friends, use all the contracts, owed favors, and power in your possession to kill whatever lineage of Thanos demons Jovah got involved with... or just do it the proper way and track down all the hidden details of the contract and then either break it or fulfill an [[alternative condition->Alternate Condition Description]].
[[You decide on the latter, and you definitely don't want to do this alone, or at home.->Rebel Friend 6]] The main goal of a Thanos demon's contract is a specific emotional value or energy, rather than any specific object. As such, one can actually negotiate quite a bit if you know who you are dealing with and what they expected from the contractor. Often, they just wish to indulge in their sadism, escapism or raw bloodlust.
The result can look like doing the cleaning and cooking for an emperor's pet dog for a year. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, too.
[[It's really a hassle and a gamble both to deal with them.->Rebel Friend 5]]You cleaned up the mess of a troubled student and kept close ties after you quit your teacher's career years later.
Cleanup Ending cleared.
[[Start Over?->Start Start]]
[[Credits.->Credits]]
(set: $cleanupend to true)