The Witcher

Recipe for Disaster

Not long after the Grit-Shaka incident, Jim, Raelle, Toby, and many other students were in class listening to a lecture taught by Strickler. His classroom was dark except for the large projector screen was lit up, a map was locked on the screen, army men, tanks, and many red lines were colored on the olden map.

"War is constant chaos," Strickler spoke, his face twisted seriously as his fist was raised injustice, "The winner will be the one who controls the chaos, both his own and his enemy's."

As he spoke, many students were trying to keep their eyes open, and some had failed.

"Napoleon's words show an unquenchable need for conquest. A man who could not be stopped," Strickler clicked a button on the remote, showing the same exact screen from the time, "So, what was the French general's downfall? Did he stare down the barrel of a cannon?"

Strickler had finally taken notice of the silence and boredom of his class.

"Did he die from the deafening silence of a classroom?"

The students laughed, obviously enjoying their teacher's joke and waking themselves up, but three had not laughed. Jim, Raelle, and Toby watched from the way back, glares plastered on their faces and wanting to take out Strickler then and there. Raelle did more glaring than Jim and Toby.

"Look at that. He's got the whole class eating out of his hand," Jim said.

"His creepy troll hand," Toby spat, typing madly on his phone.

"I trusted him. He betrayed me and Raelle. And worst of all, he hit on my mother," Jim lightly punched his desk aggravated.

"We should end him right now," Raelle suggested as her eyes briefly flashed red. She dragged the nails on her right hand onto her desk, leaving claw marks.

"Or you can ask him to divulge the whereabouts of the bridge that could release unspeakable evil? I don't know. Do you think Strickler knows you're the Trollhunter and the Witcher?" Toby asked.

"Bular called me "Young Atlas" and Rae "Young Artemis"," Jim told him.

"There is only one person who calls us that, and that person is Strickler," Raelle reminded Toby, "Of course, he knows."

"But he doesn't know we're onto him," Jim added before he and Raelle looked at their once-trusted teacher.

"Malaria," Strickler gestured to the screen, a picture of a Mosquito was now covering the projector, "The world's most powerful army felled by the bite of an insignificant insect."

The bell rings, causing the students to stand before they could exit the classroom.

"One last lesson. Who can tell me where Napoleon kept his armies?" Strickler asked his students before answering, "In his sleevies."

The class groaned as Strickler laughed as he walked off the screen. Strickler walked right up to Jim and Raelle, who were glancing in Toby's direction.

"Young Atlas. Young Artemis," Strickler said.

That simple term had caused Jim and Raelle to stand. Toby ran to his friends' sides, not wanting to leave them alone with such a despicable Changeling.

"If I could have a brief word before you two leave. Alone, please," Strickler said.

Jim and Raelle continued to look at Strickler while Toby leaned into Jim and Raelle's ear.

"Not until after he divulges where the bridge is," Toby whispered and ran off.

"Uh, is everything okay?" Jim asked, his fingers tapping the desk.

Strickler's eyes fell on the boy's backpack. Jim used his foot, pushing the bag away as the amulet was in view, sitting on top of his items.