Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 14 - Nick: Tired Eyes

Chapter 14 - Nick: "Tired Eyes"

The courses were utterly fascinating to Nick. At first, it was fundamental and boring stuff, and then it moved on to things that he could only imagine genuinely learning. How spells work, curses, blessings, types of ghosts, what a Prism Pistol is, things like that. The hyena couldn't believe what he was taking in.

The in-class courses were even more interesting than the Digital Ocean ones, and Nick wished that he had learned the entire time in a classroom setting. The interactivity was a lot higher. The Mortal Guard made the classes entertaining, having Sect members come in and talk about their experiences as Creature Hunters and the risks and rewards.

The dangers mainly were injury and death, but there were also things like being cursed, going crazy, or falling asleep forever. Unsurprisingly, some of the animals, which were of all ages, quit on the spot.

Nick found it endearing that younger animals stayed and older animals left, knowing that he wouldn't be able to quit even if he wanted to. He weighed in his mind that even if he didn't know Absalom's name and had a choice, he'd still use the Mortal Guard as an opportunity to help Boris.

The homework given during these in-class lessons wasn't bad, either, being able to test Nick's knowledge of the fascinating content they were learning. Same with the tests at the end of each course, which he never had to redo, able to retain information relatively easily.

There was a point where he realized how incredible it was to remember everything told to him. The mind was a wonderful thing. Somehow, it balanced all of the info he received in life with no issue, and Nick found that amazing.

Early on, Nick discovered that Flip could hold a conversation, so he would talk to the machine whenever he felt lonely or social. It wasn't a frustrating conversation either, though the robot had no opinions or feelings on any matters.

Nick also ate a lot more during this time, constantly ordering food but finding that he had a metabolism that kept him as skinny as ever. None of the food ended up being sweet, as his sweet tooth was gone thanks to the part of his Soul they extracted.

The hyena also got the strong urge many times and took out his Blue Chameleon cigarettes, but not having anything to light them with. The tugging sensation drove him wild but there was nothing he could really do. He attempted to ask Victor for help on the matter but there was no such luck.

And often thoughts of animals he left behind would circle the track in his mind. The thought of band practices with his friends, dinners with his family, or spending time alone with the late Astrid. At the beginning of the stay, it made him cry to think about, then he found himself angry at how unfair her death and the universe were, but finally, he just felt hollow.

Two months passed, and the Last Test was there before he knew it, and as the clock turned, Nick discovered that they weren't lying about it taking a few hours. But he found that since he was rather passionate about the content, the test was like a long game that he had to beat. He also noted that things were so specific there was always an obvious answer due to the in-depth readings they gave out there.

Victor checked on Nick every morning and every night, making sure he was still alive and well, and they became easy friends, never talking more than those required times. Even so, they spoke about the courses and even joked around. Nick had always found it easy to make friends, anyway.

On the night that Nick finished the Last Test, he was lying in bed, conversing with Flip on what kind of Sub-Sect Nick would be in if he could choose. He knew all about them now that he was well-versed in the Mortal Guard and the world of the Other Side.