^^ Sorceress ^^

— Gina —

'Dragon-Con', I learned rather quickly, was simply a collection of nerds who gathered together to talk about nerdy things and buy and sell merchandise related to said nerdy things. Of course, while not being quite as gifted as Johnathan, intellectually, I had always been intrigued by such things, so I had some level of understanding, though a 20-year gap in my knowledge became telling almost immediately.

"-alright, so, you roll 3d12, drop the lowest die, minus 4, and then decide which stat you want to place that number in, alongside your racial bonuses and class bonuses. Then, you figure your health-"

"Waitwaitwait- what's my class? The hp die is different for each class!!!"

"Well, we don't have a Cleric or a Wizard yet, so you can be either of those or just do whatever; it's a one-shot, so we're not terribly worried about party balance."

"Hmm... what'll you be doing, John?"

Johnathan looked up from the tablet his nose was buried in, glancing around before returning to his digital rule book, scribbling notes into the margins with his stylus. "I'll be a Pact of the Tome Warlock with a Celestial Patron, the Goddess of Magic; I'm specializing in Anti-Magic, taking Counterspell and Dispel Magic as my main spells, then Globe of Invulnerability for defense against magical affects. My background is 'Scholar', and I come from a family of mage-hunting paladins, but I took a different path in life, becoming something of a black sheep in my family; I suggest you be an Illusion Wizard or Pact of the Tome Warlock 12 / Fey-Sorceror 3, because those would fit you best. Three levels of Sorcerer gives you access to Metamagic, and quickening 5th Level Warlock Invocations can be very deadly. As for race, I suggest Fey-Touched Eladrin, as they get Misty Step and Light as a Lineage Spell, unless you want to be a Cleric, in which case I suggest Twilight Domain-"

One of the other teenagers at the table instantly interjected loudly, slapping the table. "No!!! Twilight Domain is fucking Broken!!!"

The Dungeon Master, a young man of perhaps twenty with a seemingly perpetual frown of concentration, scoffed at the teenager dismissively. "What? Broken? Says the guy playing a Monk 14/Barbarian 1 so you can Rage and Flurry of Blows while Stacking Unarmored Defense Wisdom and Constitution Mods?"

The indignant teenager returned to his seat quickly, instantly cowed, and Johnathan continued like he hadn't been interrupted. "-Which, when used correctly, can create interesting role-play elements and also allow you to more enjoyably interact with the game-world."

"Hmm... alright, well, I do like the idea of a Cleric... what about... Ooh! What's with this 'Domain of Life'? It gets extra healing buffs, right?"

"Right, so you'll want a really high Wisdom score, and-"

—

Some five hours later, we managed to destroy a Dracolich and free a town from slavery, finishing the One-Shot with cheers as the DM explained in great detail the violent and satisfying coup d'grace of the monk smashing the dragon's phylactery and forcefully banishing its soul to the afterlife. The other adventurers in the other parties had destroyed all its minions, and we'd drawn the short stick to have to fight essentially the Raid Boss on our own until they showed up from their mini-boss battles, but we'd managed it handily.

"Alright! That was fun! What event do you want to go see next, Johnathan?" I stepped away from the table and stretched, ignoring all the horny teenagers who were unashamedly staring at me, then patted Johnathan's hair while he gathered his books.

The young man hummed thoughtfully, his face focused and alert for once. "I think I'd like to watch some of the announcements, then go to the book signing booths, see if we can get in line; apparently Mr. Gygax himself is here, signing DnD Manuals!"

"That sounds interesting, yes, then I'll go to the bathroom while you watch the announcements, five hours sitting still and drinking soda makes for a very full bladder."

He scoffed, shaking his head at me derisively. "Weakness, in my own family... whatever will I do?"

"You'll March on with Lady Agnus in Tow before I tan your hide in front of all your new friends, is what you'll do, Johnathan St. Vincent Chamberlain!" Once he'd scampered off with a playful scream of terror, the silent giant following after, her long strides easily matching the young man, I slipped off through the crowd in search of the bathrooms, finding the ones furthest away from the entrance because those would be the least occupied and thus cleanest, and I was rewarded for my ingenuity with a nearly-empty, clean bathroom. One woman stood at the sinks, carefully applying a set of gorgeous face-paint, completing her Cosplay with a professional air that was legitimately impressive, so I smiled as I passed her, waving gently. "Lovely work, dear, I do adore the details!!!"

Almost reflexively, she smiled back, her eyes still closed as she applied a heavy black foundation to her forehead and eyelids, apparently intent on drawing a night sky there. "Thanks! I can't see yours, sorry!"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not cosplaying; my son is, though, cute little bugger is a... I think he said 'Twig Blight'? Some sort of Fey Creature from DnD, I'm not sure, but he's adorable!" The door latched shut, and I could finally take a minute to relax and relieve myself, after five hours of sitting at a table with six teenage boys and one young man who all wanted to seduce my Eladrin Twilight Cleric and also Me, the Human Warlock, hilariously enough the only person in attendance who could actually use magic, other than Johnathan, Agnus, and my own guard, one of my Succubus Enchantresses, who was sitting on the sinks currently, I believed.

"How does one Cosplay a Pile of Twigs? I mean, I'm only here to find a Witch, but that sounds intriguing!"

"Apparently by asking me to make him a Gilley Suit, but instead of leaves, he put a bunch of twigs. I'm not the best at sewing, so I was a bit worried at first, but it actually looks rather well-made, to my surprise." Finishing up, I exited the stall and began washing my hands, respectfully keeping myself at least two sinks away from the girl and all her makeup, (I didn't want any water splashing on her stuff, after all,) and then began to dry my hands under the driers next to the door.

"That sounds undeniably adorable... how old is he?"

"Just turned Ten, tickets to this event were his birthday present from me. I had to go all out to beat his Father's Present; little shit got him a collection of Magic Books and a Pet."

"Oof, hard to beat that, huh? Bit of family rivalry, or..."

"His father is not my Husband any longer, no, if that's what you're asking. He mailed him his presents, like a deadbeat, but they were undeniably good presents, so I couldn't keep them away from him, as much as I wanted to... I mean, who gives a ten year old a Magical Quill made of Dragon's Bone? Fucking irresponsible, if you ask me, Enochian Sorcerer's Heir or No..."

Her paint brush stopped, drawing a collection of runes with white paint onto the star-scape of her forehead, and she turned her head slightly towards me, eyes still closed from the paint. "... Pardon?"

"Eh, nothing important... anyways, you might want to fix your 'Tzu¥' Rune before you continue painting, it's looking a bit malformed, but other than that you're doing great! Bye!" I left the room with the Succubus in tow, making a bee-line for Johnathan; she was a Sorceress, of that I was now sure, seeing her reaction to the words and also the name of the Rune I'd mentioned: her fingers had gone directly to the correct Rune, even though I'd said it in Enochian.

The Witch she'd mentioned was likely me.

We needed to leave. Now.

"Agnus, there you are!!! Where's Johnathan?" I snagged the tall woman's elbow harshly, concern written clearly across my features as hard as I tried to hide it.

She looked down at me in surprise, then gestured at a booth wherein I could see an elderly man smiling and engaging in conversation with Johnathan about Twig Blights, and their role in the Ecosystem of the Feywilds and beyond.

I wanted so very dearly to interrupt and drag them away, but I didn't want to ruin his birthday present, given there was no visible danger, currently, so I nodded and pulled her down to speak a bit quieter. "There's a sorceress here, looking for a witch; I'm not entirely positive I'm who she's looking for, it could be completely unrelated to us, but I'm not taking any chances. Once he's done here, we're leaving, and we'll attend the rest virtually, from the car. Black face paint on her forehead, Enochian runes mixed into a Viking wheel thing to hide them, blond hair braided back, scars on both cheeks under her eyes like fangs."

She snapped straight up, alert like a hound at once, her eyes sweeping the room with an icy fury that happily cleared out the people nearest to us as they moved quickly away from her subconsciously. After mere moments of searching, her eyes narrowed dangerously at something behind me, leading me to walk away quickly towards Johnathan and interrupt his conversation. "Johnathan, I hate to interrupt your fun, but we are leaving soon and attending the rest of the con virtually from the car, so finish up, alright?"

Johnathan looked up at me curiously, examining my body language while replying calmly. "Is everything alright, mama? I was asking whether or not Twig Blights could grow up to be Ents, but apparently due to them being an amalgamation of wood from different trees and Druidic Magic, that's basically impossible! What if all the twigs were from the same tree, though?"

A skinny man in his forties or so nodded seriously from next to the man whom I assumed was Gary Gygax, answering the question. "That would work, actually, though it would have to go through a few centuries of planting itself in an Ent's Grove without some sort of magical growth effect."

"A token of the Forest's Sentinel buried within its core would likely turn a Twig Blight into a full Treant, as well." The elderly creator of Dungeons and Dragons nodded seriously, then handed Johnathan a thick leather-bound book, his name signed across the bottom corner clearly. "That Realm should interest you, I think. It's a realm of purely Druidic Magic, not Arcane, and the applications of Twig Blights we've discussed are things that could be very fun to play around with, at least mechanically, within the game. Enjoy, mister Johnathan, and I hope to see you again at next year's con as well, with some more stories about your campaigns!"

Johnathan hugged the book to his chest protectively, staring up at the man with nigh-sparkling eyes full of admiration and joy. "Yes sir, I'll be here!!! Thank you!!!"

I smiled and lead him away, out of the line so the others behind him could approach the elderly Author, then looked around for Agnus, only to panic slightly when I found nothing. "Okay, yep, to the car it is!" I grabbed Johnathan's shoulder and began evacuating the building with a quickness and urgency that he immediately responded to with a level of understanding and wariness, examining the room around us while he allowed me to corral him towards the nearest exit.

The door opened in front of my shoulder, despite apparently being locked, (evidenced by the pad-lock that clattered to the ground as we rushed past,) and we continued into the staff-only portion of the venue, ducking down the stairs towards the underground garage and avoiding the curious gazes of the hotel's kitchen and hospitality staff. There were very few people within the garage as we rushed towards our car, but just the one I didn't want to see showed up right as we reached our destination.

The both of us halted, staring cautiously at the sorceress standing in front of us with a long staff leaned against her shoulders. Her eyes were now open, and narrowed sharply at the pair of us as the runes on her forehead pulsed, pointing directly towards us. "Well then, here we are; I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but would that young man happen to be Johnathan Aricsson?"

I frowned, a bit confused by the question for a moment as I answered honestly. "I can tell you honestly that he is not Johnathan Aricsson, actually? Johnathan Aricsson is most likely dead, killed by members of a rival clan to his pathetic little slapdash clan that was barely even hanging on by a thread as it was before he disappeared."

She tilted her head at me slowly while a rune on her hand flashed green, drawing her eye-line slightly, before returning to look at me curiously. "But you are Gina Chamberlain?"

I nodded slowly, looking around to ensure we were still alone; one woman with magic was something I was comfortable fighting, especially if I could get enough time to summon a few of my Knights, or even Greyheart. "I am, yes? Why are you here bothering me, then? I haven't had contact with the Aricsson Clan for a Decade, and I honestly assumed it had collapsed fully in on itself?"

Again, the rune lit up green, and she glanced at it, then at me. "Unfortunately, there's been some recent developments that perhaps you are unaware of: the Aricsson Clan has given rise to a new Enochian Sorcerer's Heir, and thus the other Clans are viewing them as a threat once more; considering you revealed to me that the boy behind you is an Enochian Sorcerer's Heir, I find it difficult to believe you, even with the Rune of Truth saying you aren't lying."

"Okay, let me clarify then: his name is Johnathan Chamberlain, and he is not connected to the Aricsson Clan in the Slightest, but rather the Chamberlain Clan, mine, and the Tomoi Clan, a Clan of Warlocks who protect us in return for magical enchantments. Clearly the Aricsson Clan is claiming him as their own, despite ignoring him for a decade whilst his health steadily declined, and if and when they come to claim him, I will treat them as hostile invaders of my territory, not allies. So, unless you'd like to declare war on the entire Waking World, nearly 80% of which are my loyal customers and bound by magical contracts to defend me should I ever be attacked, I suggest your next course of action be retreating from here and returning to me my mute bodyguard, before they descend upon you like jackals upon a wounded lion."

Her Rune lit up green once more, making her eye twitch subtly, but she shook her head and pointed the staff she'd been leaning on towards us sternly. "Unfortunately, that is not an option."

"Shame, really." I shrugged and flicked a hand, summoning a bag to my hand and unceremoniously scooping Johnathan up into it like a baby kangaroo, then zipped it closed while she stared at me incredulously. Now assured of his safety, I glared at the woman in front of me as the bag deflated and then disappeared, Johnathan likely reappearing inside the Tower's monster-material gathering room whilst I was still standing in front of our attacker. "Did you think I would allow you to touch a single hair on my son's head? I'm a single mother, my dear, and an Enochian Enchantress on top of it all; you failed the moment you gave me a second to be dramatic." Now summoned to my hands were the tried and true Kukri and a wand I'd made for one of the succubi, but now it would enhance the stability and control of my spellcasting, which was still a bit shaky under pressure, even with all I'd learned so far; seeing these, the sorceress growled a curse under her breath, pointing her staff directly at me once more.

"Where did you send the boy away to? A pocket plane? You realize I can just take that bag after you're dead and fish him out, yes?"

"It's actually a mobile Gate Spell, so he is no longer within the bag, but rather inside the Wizard's Tower that's connected to his soul, and thusly the safest he'll ever be, even from sorceresses like you! Also, you're assuming a lot, thinking you'll be killing me; you just threatened my son, and I'm not at all sorry to tell you that that means-" I paused in my threat, confused, as she started convulsing and then unceremoniously fell to the ground. "Huh... okay, that's rather easy..." the dagger and wand disappeared back to where they'd been summoned from, and as I approached her collapsed form cautiously, a pinprick of pain hit the back of my leg, followed by a horrible jolt of electricity.

At first, it wasn't enough to do much other than give me a mild cramp, due in part to the thickness of the muscle wherein the taser was attached and also due to my resistance to elemental attacks, courtesy of the my Awakened body; then another hit my back, dead center, and I groaned in pain, taking a seat but still fully awake. When a third hit my shoulder, I yelped in surprise and ripped it off quickly, frowning at the source of the tasers, a group of four mall cops who were standing off to one side uncertainly. "Alright, enough of that, you're not managing anything other than inconveniencing me!" A fourth taser hit my chest, right over my heart, and after a few moments of blinding pain I collapsed forward to the ground, my hands finding Johnathan's new book in my last moment of consciousness before I was blissfully asleep.