I am Gammal, the Modern Sorcerer, Maleficent Dark Apprentice to Jubiliah, Presage of Purgatory. This is what happened to me on this day.

I saw the news. It crushed me to my core.

As soon as I heard my love had died, I came to the scene.

“I told her not to make chase! Her pride… it killed her…” I said in fury, looking at her body on the forest floor, right next to another of those villain’s corpses.

“Rather ironic, you know, that the woman with wings died of falling.” the cop next to me joked, I think his name was Tony. I wanted to rebuke or say something, but I wouldn’t let my monsters control me! I’d get justice, but nobody would get hurt, except those villains. Villains, despicable people…

“Our country suffered quite a loss, it’s unfortunate.” I ignored his previous comment and continued on my previous train of thought. Tony wouldn’t steal this moment. My tragic moment.

“But you’re from Sweden though, right?” Tony asked, joking again. No, I’d contain myself. I would not lash out at him.

“Yes, I am. Still, I am an American citizen and… you know, I also work at The Ultrahuman Force. I'm mostly just saying she was a fallen idol.” I corrected him.

“Gammal, you know, you could probably take her place. You have a similar energy.”

No. I would NOT take her place, thank you very much. I am a respectable gentleman, an excellent fencer, and an esteemed and devout follower of Lovecraftian fiction (although, it’s a little more real than fiction). I would lose all of that if I took Bluejay’s place. The mere thought brought me great stress, as I knew it would be likely that I’d be a candidate for such a position in TUHF.

“I think I’m going to take a breather, the death here has a nauseating stench.” I said after a second. I simply turned and walked. They reminded me of my placid duties, it didn’t matter to me, and I didn’t feel like engaging in arduous listening. Right now, I needed my eyes off the corpse of my princess before I lost it. And I would prefer it if I didn’t lose it around innocent lives.

I walked around a minute out of the forest over to a road that wound past us. I stopped, taking this beautiful morning in. I heard nothing but the sounds of nature… the sweet relaxing sounds of birds, wind, and trees.

Then a motorcycle began to break the peaceful ambiance. Hogwash...

Gosh… who rides a noisy motorcycle through this serenity?

A disgusting traitor, apparently.

I saw a face I recognized upon that bike as it approached. A face I expected to stop and say hello, perhaps not! Jeb drove right by, like it was nothing. Not without a quick glance at me, though. I knew right then something was amiss, something that couldn’t wait a single second.

I had to report it to the boss.

Later that same day…

I was in a hotel room, it was the afternoon, around two. It had been anything but blissful getting here.

I brought my laptop and was preparing my hair for a conference call with the big man. I looked absolutely perfect. My confidence simply couldn’t be higher! Good, because I was terrified of the boss.

Then, rang out a knock at the door. “Gammal, this isn’t room service, open up.” a familiar voice shouted angrily. What a bother...

I rushed over to the door, had he really come to my hotel!? How did he fly all the way out here in such short notice? Perhaps for Bluejay, but also perhaps to scream at me in person.

I unlocked it, swung it open and sure enough it was him. The big man. My heart sunk like a boulder in the vast ocean.

In truth, he wasn’t much, just some aging commoner in his fifties, balding, grey hair, he didn’t take care of himself. Old, but hardly tired, and anyone who knew him knew not to get in his way. But at the end of the day, he was a sinful derelict running our glorious Ultrahuman Force. Such is human life. Such is the way of the tragic world.

“Gammal… it’d be good to see you if you actually gave a fuck about my operation.”

“Yes my sir… I do, I really do though.” I stuttered as he and two big burly black men in suits and sunglasses invaded the room and my precious personal space. My bile leaped up in my throat like an olympian trampoliner.

“Yeah, but, you are also the asshole who let my best hero die! That will cost you.” he threatened, shutting and locking the door behind him as the men grabbed me and held me in place, forcing my head to look at his ugly body. I cannot respect anyone who doesn’t even make an effort with themselves like that, but anyone who threatens my life… I have to respect them. I’d prefer not to die.

“You wouldn’t kill me! Y-you can’t!” I yelped, before I was silenced by the man’s big glove.

“If I wanted to kill you, I would have hired someone to do it, I wouldn’t have wasted my precious time coming out here into fucking Canada to talk business. Make him sit the FUCK down!” he shouted in mania at the men, and instantly I was kneeling before him, at a very… uncomfortable angle to view a man at.

“So, Swede. You captured Stocklord, huh?” he asked, his voice like an angry French bulldog, wanting to bite my testicles off.

“Well, it was a team effort, but… yeah?” I tried to smile, but fear overcame me.

“Was that worth several students dying and Bluejay? And, you let multiple villains escape to tell the tale...”

I steeled myself for what I was about to say, because It’d make me look like a bigger asshole than him, but I needed to say it, especially if I wanted to stay in my good health. He had a knack for still sic’ing his bodyguards on me… And I didn’t want a repeat of last time. The mere thought of that event made me shiver...

“Bluejay made the orders. I simply followed. She got herself killed against my better judgement.”

“And she is twice the hero than you for taking that risk!” he rebuked with a temper.

I was starting to quite painfully realize that he just wanted someone new to shout at, now that my angel was dead. The nerve of this obese bowling ball! How would my princess react to him shouting at me like this?

“So, guess what, I’m here to tell you that you are going to prove yourself, Gammal!” Oh boy, here it comes... “You’ll be taking her place as leader of our squadrons from now on, and this is your last fucking chance, or... you’ll have a terrible accident in the field and die…” he demanded, not even making it subtle. Vicious doggend.

“I understand sir, you are extremely gracious.” I grovelled, I honestly would prefer to kiss his feet for ten hours straight than accept this job, but living more hours in hell on Earth was preferable. Especially since I knew where I’d end up if I died. I’d seen it before… That would be the true punishment in this fickle situation.

“Good, about time you stepped up and did something useful. Your job starts tomorrow, you are to identify, track down, and kill the escaped villains. You’ll stay here in Canada until that task is done.” he ordered bossily.

“Alright.” I nodded, the bodyguards releasing me from the kneel. I wanted to tell him about Jeb at this point, but perhaps it’d be better if I didn’t. He only thought there were four villains that escaped. But I did have something else to say…

“Mr. Whistlewood, that was very generous of you. I just need to know what is going on with Stocklord.”

“You can figure that out for yourself.” he said, him and his muscle leaving, slamming the door behind them.

One day I want to drag him into the darkest orifices of the deep and never look back, but today wouldn’t be that day. My princess died, and my old friend killed her. Fiddlesticks... I had to pick a side, and I was pretty sure Quincy would be the losing option.