In less than five minutes, the whole campsite was packed and the students were on the move. Mr. Reaper followed them by air, in one part so he could see if the beast was lurking nearby, in another part because he would not be able to move through the trees as easily as the students. They returned to the door from which they came and Kyle marked it with the symbol of the Bridge. As the group passed through the already cramped stairwell with their massive teacher, Nixie dared to ask a question.

"Why aren't we taught a symbol to take us to the school?"

"Mr. Raz should have gone over this," Mr. Reaper droned. "We don't want any creatures following you back to the school."

"We can handle another one of those," Sean grunted as he pushed his way to the front.

Mr. Reaper growled. "Don't argue with me, boy," he warned.

Sean quietly opened the door.

The students filed out onto the Bridge first. Mr. Reaper struggled to fit through the door, but when he did, the Bridge was aware of his presence. The group walked across the Bridge, past the crowds of strange people and creatures, to the Academy's pillar. As Mr. Raz activated the gate, a young child ran up to the group.

"Do you go to the Academy?" he asked, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Kyle looked at the young one with a smile. "Yes we do," he told the young one.

The little boy started bouncing up and down with excitement. "Mama says I get to go there one day!" he chirped. "I can't wait to be big!"

"It's not as fun as you'd think," Sean assured the youth. "Doorways might not seem like much now but when you're my height, they become an unexpected hazard."

"Who are you?" the little boy inquired.

"I'm Sean Byrne," Sean told him.

"Nixie Gruber," Nixie replied.

It continued, "Mr. Reaper," "Akora Rynne," and last, "Kyle Akfernen."

The child's tiny jaw hung open, and he stopped bouncing. "Akfernen?"

The corners of Kyle's mouth perked up a bit. "I guess you've heard of me?"

The child pointed at Kyle and started calling, "Mommy, Mommy!"

A woman who looked a bit like the child turned and rushed to her son's side. "Yes, deary, what is it?"

"He's an Akfernen!"

The woman raised both hands to her mouth. "Oh my goodness!" She looked Kyle over. "Ooh he looks just like Crystal!"

"I get that a lot," Kyle replied awkwardly, feeling much like a museum exhibit.

The gates to the Academy swung open and Mr. Reaper stepped through. "Come along, if that beast had rabies we're on a tight schedule."

Kyle was relieved to be leaving. "It was nice meeting you," he called, though he did not mean it.

The little child waved his arms as fast as he could. "Bye bye! Have fun at school!"

The gate closed behind the group and the rock sealed back up in moments. It felt good to be back on the path to the Academy.

"You're quite a celebrity," Nixie teased as they walked.

"Don't even know what I'm famous for," Kyle muttered as he shook his head.

"I find that hard to believe," Akora told him, "but I'm starting to believe you."

"Why?" Kyle demanded. "What did we do that was so earth-shattering everyone knows my name?"

"You don't know anything about the battle?" Sean asked in disbelief.

Kyle shook his head. "No."

"Hey, neither do I," Nixie admitted. "I'm totally lost."

"The Grubers didn't play much a role in the battle," Akora told her.

"What did we do?" Kyle pushed.

"You didn't just fight the war," Sean answered with increasing excitement, "you won the war."

"What war?" Kyle was becoming increasingly curious and wanted to learn more.

But before anyone could answer, Mr. Reaper shut it down. "I don't want to hear anymore about that bloody battle!"

Everyone was startled into silence. Kyle had a bit of a bitter taste in his mouth, but there was nothing he could say at the moment.

They returned to the school, where a few of their friends stood, waiting to greet them. Elvia, Aoife, Asim, and Zach all wore looks of anticipation that only grew the closer the group came. Elvia was the first to approach.

"How'd it go?"

Kyle looked down at her warmly. He missed her while they were away, and had been looking forward to drawing with her again. "Well, until the end, everything was going okay."

"Then what?" She walked alongside them, having some difficulty keeping up with the pace Mr. Reaper's long stride had set.

"Some monster came and cramped our style," he told her.

Nixie shook her head. "Nobody's used that expression since the 80s, Kyle."

Zach quickly inserted himself into the discussion. "You see any cool monsters?"

"Yeah," Sean replied without hesitation. "Some big - what did Nixie call it? Fluffy alligator?"

"A fluffy alligator, you say?"

"That's what it looked like," Nixie shrugged.

Aoife was next to join. "Are you all alright?"

"Yeah, but the Reaper is making us go to the nurse anyway," Sean groaned. "A couple of scratches and a bite that didn't even break the skin and he's acting like we have the plague or something."

"Well we don't know what that thing had," Mr. Reaper thundered. "It's a great tragedy when we lose students and I don't want any casualties this early in the year."

"What does that mean!" Elvia yelped.

Akora turned to her. "Well you didn't think every student here makes it, did you?"

"No scaring the other students, Rynne," Mr. Reaper warned. "We don't want a panic."

Elvia hung around her friends. "Too late."

Asim inserted himself into the discussion, "I think you'll be fine. Like we've discussed, it's highly unlikely we would be sent anywhere where we'd be in any real jeopardy."

"Well things happen, poindexter," Sean snapped.

"Holy crap, chill out," Nixie scolded. "Change your attitude."

Mr. Reaper spun his head around and growled. "We go the rest of the way in silence!" he ordered.

The class fell silent immediately.

Mr. Reaper took them across the courtyard to the main tower they had entered on their first day. He took them down the stairs and onto the bottom floor where they had seen Mr. Tian for the first time. Rather than take them to Mr. Raz's room, however, he took them across to a room on the other side. He pushed the door open and the group was a bit blinded by the light. When their eyes adjusted, they found themselves in a large room full of cots and curtains, shelves lined with medical texts and medicinal herbs, and even stainless steel tables with an array of tools just feet away. On one of the examine tables was Mr. Tian, and before him was a person with tremendous amounts of hair and an extravagant outfit, slipping slender plastic tubes up Mr. Tian's nose.

"Leichenbestatter," Mr. Reaper called.

The person turned to face the group. They had a pointy nose with a dramatic slope, and sharp eyes that peered over spectacles. "One moment, Reaper," they replied. They turned back to Mr. Tian and continued to slide the tubes up his nose until he nodded. "You can breathe now, ja?"

Mr. Tian nodded again. He heaved his huge body off the table and shook the nurse's hand, then started for the door. The scar-like line where his mouth should have been turned upward as he passed the students.

"Leichenbestatter, I have some students here in need of an exam."

The nurse sauntered over. They wore a bizarre suit somewhere between hot pink and red, with a matching tie and a black rose on the breast pocket. Their high-heeled shoes clacked on the white tiled floor with an odd, laid-back authority. "What seems to be the problem?"

Mr. Reaper gestured to his students. "They were out on a mission and were attacked by a creature."

Leichenbestatter clamped fingers tipped with pointy pink nails around Sean's arm. "Ah, I see. Teeth or claws?"

"Claws," Sean replied as he jerked his arm away in surprise.

"Teeth here," Akora offered, sticking out her arm.

The nurse examined her. "The skin doesn't seem broken. Remove the bracer, please."

Akora growled.

"Nevermind then." Then it was Kyle's turn. "What seems to be the problem?"

Kyle craned his neck to show the scratches. He felt a pointy nail dig into his flesh and come uncomfortably close to breaking the skin, and was relieved when the claw retracted.

"All injuries are minor, but it would be best for me to run a few tests." The nurse's lips curled into a grin, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth. "I'm so excited!"

"That makes one of us," Sean muttered, running a hand through his hair.

The nurse clasped their hands and bowed slightly to Mr. Reaper. "I can take it from here, Grim."

Mr. Reaper bowed his head, turned around, and disappeared out of the room.

The nurse looked at the rest of the group. "What are the rest of you in for?"

"Moral support," Elvia replied.

The nurse chuckled. "You're welcome to stay for a time. As long as you stay out of my way, we'll be fine."

"Thank you, Ma'am! Er, Sir?"

"It's no trouble at all." Leichenbestatter turned and headed towards a shelf crammed with shiny instruments. The nurse grabbed the least terrifying things from the shelf, much to the students' relief. A few minutes later, the nurse had a stack of beakers and phials, test tubes and needles. Sean took one look at the needles and went white as a sheet.

"Sean, you okay?" Kyle whispered.

"I hate needles," Sean moaned. "I'm gonna punch this nurse out."

"Don't punch the nurse out, Sean," Aoife told him. "We don't do that here."

Elvia shuddered. "I hate needles, too. Glad I don't have to get bloodwork."

"Don't rub it in!"

"Relax, it'll be over and done before you know it," the nurse assured him. "And please, don't punch me."

Kyle, feeling bold, decided to volunteer to go first to make Sean feel better. He stepped forward and announced, "I can go first."

The nurse clasped their hands together. "Excellent. Hop up on the exam table and we'll rip you open."

Kyle felt much less bold at that point, and hopped on the table with some trepidation. He slipped off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve. Fledermaus climbed on top of his head and almost purred to calm Kyle down.

Leichenbestatter took Kyle's arm and searched for a vein. They raised the needle and grinned. "See you on the other side."

Kyle and Sean came to at about the same time. Their friends stood around them, sucking on lollipops and waiting. Elvia pointed excitedly at the two and announced, "Look! They're waking back up!"

Kyle sat up first. Leichenbestatter stood at the foot of the exam table, holding a jar of lollipops. "Picka flavor," the nurse offered. "They're all vegan and gluten-free, but I can't guarantee they won't contain any rare phobias or anything of that sort."

Kyle looked at the jar, then reached in and plucked out a lollipop with a green apple painted on the wrapper. "I guess I passed out?" he concluded as he unraveled the wrapper.

"Out like a light," the nurse replied, snapping their fingers for emphasis.

"Didn't make me feel better," Sean moaned, voice groggy and a bit dry.

"Well I'm sorry," Kyle replied. He looked to Akora and Nixie, who both had bandages around their arms where the blood had been drawn. "How was it for you two?"

"We had to hold Sean down," Nixie explained. Her tongue was bright blue from her candy.

"I got punched!" Akora declared with pride. Her teeth were red from her candy, and it made her look scarier.

"Then he passed out and I had to hold her down," Nixie then finished, cocking her head in Akora's direction.

"I did the punching!"

"Glad I missed that," Kyle muttered.

Leichenbestatter clasped their hands together again. "Well, in case anyone is wondering, the tests so far yield normal results."

Kyle sighed with relief. "Thank you."

"I detect small amounts of bacteria," the nurse continued, "but it shouldn't be a problem for your immune systems." They put a hand to their chin. "Though, I do have some concern, because while it is very minor and the strain is very similar to those you find on your home planets, I am worried of a reaction because there are some differences to what you're all used to."

"Thanks for the warning," Sean said in a voice laden with sarcasm. He rubbed his bandaged arm nervously. "What happens if there is a reaction?"

The nurse took a seat in a swivel chair behind the exam table. "First, we'll wait to see if you can get better on your own. If that doesn't work, we'll have to give you some antibiotics."

"And if that doesn't work?" Sean demanded.

Leichenbestatter grinned another eerie grin. "We'll have to wait and see."

Kyle and Sean both swallowed hard. Nixie and even Akora seemed unsettled by this.

Then there was a pounding just outside the door. It grew louder, and the students realized it was the sound of heavy footfalls. Moments later, Mr. Tian burst in, the tubes now out of his nose, with a portly centaur with long black hair behind him. "I didn't mean it!" the centaur shouted. "It was an accident!"

The nurse quickly went to Mr. Tian and helped reinsert the tubes. "I see where your nephew gets it, Mr. Clopin. You must be careful when Mr. Tian has allergies or a cold."

"I-I know," the centaur stammered. "It was an accident, I swear!"

Mr. Tian took a deep breath, and the nurse smiled at him with satisfaction. "I hear you, but it's not my place to determine whether or not you are forgiven. That would go to Mr. Tian, the one you nearly killed."

"Attempted manslaughter!" Akora cheered.

"No!" Clopin insisted, stomping his front feet. He turned his attention back to Mr. Tian. "Mr. Tian, please, I am so sorry!"

The behemoth, who had not once appeared angry at the horseman, simply nodded his way.

Clopin's mood quickly elevated. "Thank you, friend!" he laughed.

Mr. Tian stood and started out with Clopin nearby. Leichenbestatter stopped the two, and asked, "Don't you want some sweets?"

Clopin and Mr. Tian turned back. Without hesitation, Clopin retrieved a cherry-flavored lollipop. Mr. Tian started to reach for the jar, but then he paused and looked up at the students nearby. His stomach growled so forcefully the bandages around his abdomen shook.

"He might need a little more than a lolly," Elvia whispered to Kyle.

"You can save it for later," Leichenbestatter insisted.

With that, Mr. Tian selected a grape-flavored lollipop (it was among the least popular flavors, and thus was the most bountiful in the jar). He nodded to the nurse, then he and Clopin left.

"What was that about?" Sean asked after the door closed.

Leichenbestatter set the jar down, folded their arms, and retreated to the swivel chair. "A case of tomfoolery and a bit of cockiness, you know. Mr. Tian is feeling a bit under the weather, so I put the tubes up his nose and down into his lungs so he can breathe."

The classmates exchanged grimaces. "Is his illness fatal?" Asim asked with concern.

"As long as he gets to me before he suffocates on his snot, no."

Asim gagged.

Leichenbestatter stood and collected the jar of sweets, then started towards the shelf that housed the jar. "Reminder: you were the one who asked."

Asim slumped his bag over his shoulder. Leonidas crawled out and perched himself near Asim's head. "I think we're going to go to class," Asim groaned.

Kyle, Nixie, Sean, and Akora shot bolt upright. "Class!" the four of them exclaimed.

The nurse folded their arms. "What about it?"

"What time is it?" Sean demanded.

"How long have we been out?" Kyle moaned.

"What did we miss?" Nixie asked.

"We're late," Akora groaned.

"Relax, you're fine," the nurse assured them. "Your teachers aren't even expecting you to be back by now."

The students sighed with relief.

Leichenbestatter began to organize a few things, something they did when they got bored. "You will be permitted to return to your rooms, even to a regularly scheduled class if you desire, but please report back here if you start to feel... ill."

Kyle and Sean slid off the exam table and stretched a bit. The surrounding group made a bit of room for them, but they were close enough to catch one of them if he fell. Then, they started for the door, and thanked the nurse for their help. Once on the other side, Sean whispered a question to the others, "Was the nurse a Mister or a Miss?"

Zach shook his head. "No one knows, Sean. No one knows."