Masters

Chapter 6

"What is a Master?" asked Dr. Quill, the History Master. A person raised their hand. "Yes?" asked Dr. Quill. "Someone who kills." "No. Anyone else?" "A person who hunts." "Define 'hunt.'" "I... can't." "Can anyone else?" This could take a while. Thought Yohan.

Nick and Yohan had been searching for the right room for the class for two hours, and when they had finally arrived the teacher had spent over forty-five minutes asking questions, getting a response, asking another question, and stumping the person who responded. They were sitting in a clay brick amphitheater below the midday sun with three archways leading in and out of the large cubicle it was located at. Dr. Quill was a middle-aged man with messy brown hair and dressed in leather robes while wearing a pair of glasses so large and opaque that it was impossible to make out his eyes or true facial expression behind them.

"Come on people, these are things every decent Master knows. The class will not end until one of you gives me answers that I can be satisfied with." Who's teaching who here! Wondered a worried Yohan. None of the questions or answers made even remote sense to him, only fueling his doubts that he would never be able to graduate and must be a bum in the eyes of his uncle for the rest of his life.

Nick, sitting next to Yohan, raised his hand. "Yes?" "To hunt is to pursue a goal." "What kind of goal?" "Any kind for any purpose." "What if something gets in your way?" "I defeat it." "How?" "Any way I can." "Why?" "Because it will make me better." "How?" "Because every experience, good or bad, will make me stronger. For better or worse." Dr. Quill paused as if to think.

Wow, I had no idea Nick was clever enough to stump a History Master. "Who are you?" "Nicholas Xed." "Why did you come here?" "It's my first day and I need HCs." "What if you don't get that many?" "I'll take what I can get." "When do you plan to graduate from the Master's Academy?" "When I get one hundred million HCs." "How long will that take you?" "I don't care." "Why?" "Because my father always told me, 'people who try to rush through life as fast as possible tend to forget that it's too early for their funeral.'" "Where is your father now?" "Dead." "How did he die?" "I don't know." "Does that matter?"

At that question, Nick paused, scratched his head a bit, and gave his answer. "Not to me that much, but I think my Mom would appreciate knowing if she doesn't get mad enough to smack me for risking my life to find out."

What the...? Thought Yohan at Nick's strange answer. He wasn't the only one, nearly every student in the amphitheater craned their head to look at Nick, which made Yohan feel embarrassed for having so many eyes almost on him.

For five whole seconds, Dr. Quill stared at Nick. "The class is over. Nicholas Xed, you have given me multiple answers that I am satisfied with without failure to answer any of my questions. In recognition of your achievement, I award you with one hundred HCs, and your friend sitting next to you fifty HCs for his excellence in judging good character. You are all dismissed." On that final note, Dr. Quill walked to one of the arches and left the amphitheater, leaving behind a class full of whispers and wonder just as he intended.

Yohan was morbidly embarrassed, and just as confused. Did I get fifty HCs for being Nick's friend? Nick and I are friends? Do I have a... friend? For the entirety of his memory, Yohan's life revolved around his uncle. He had met many great men while accompanying him on his business trips, but he always felt that they were his betters. Yohan felt that Nick was his better, but he was confused at being called his friend because he believed that fiends were equals in some way, and Yohan spent the majority of his adult life feeling that he had no worth despite how much his uncle disagreed with him when the subject came up in conversation.

"We should probably get back to the commons hall to find another way to make some HCs." By the time Yohan realized what Nick had said, and the fact that Nick was talking to him, he was already halfway out of the room. Yohan jerked out of his seat and rushed to keep up with Nick.