Judgement Night

"Like, omigosh. Did you see the new clothing store that opened in the mall? I got the cutest top in the world there, it was so worth the shopping trip."

"Is that what I saw you wearing on your insta? Girl, you know how to pick them. Your taste in clothing is like totes the best."

"You looked so good babe, but really you make anything look good. We should all go together, see how many cute outfits we can try on."

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea. Do you think a miniskirt or a new pair of yoga pants would be better at showing off my butt?"

Agatha groaned to herself as she planted her face on the open textbook. The chemistry lab was supposed to be a place for academics, where she could catch up on her work while having access to any materials she needed. But of course the trio of bimbo's were there as well.

Becky, Kelly, and Sam had to be the three most obnoxious girls on the campus. They were loud, they were annoying, and they were the most stuck-up bitches on the planet. Becky was the head cheerleader, a typical blonde that loved to boss people around. Kelly came from old money, and everyone knew she was the richest girl on campus. Finally, Sam was more of an athletic type. She was almost more of a dumb jock than a bimbo, but she was just as cruel as the other two.

Agatha had heard their judgemental comments more times than she could count. Not directly, of course. That wasn't how the pretty people operated. But she heard the whispers in the hallways, the back-handed compliments that may as well have been insults. She had hoped that in college, being a geek wouldn't automatically make her a social outcast. Evidently she'd been hoping for too much.

As Kelly started going on about the latest celebrity gossip, Agatha decided enough was enough. She couldn't study with those ditzes prattling on about topics so stupid she felt her IQ drop just listening to them. She slammed her book shut, stood up at her desk, and made her way over to the popular trio. One way or another, she was going to get her peace and quiet.

"Do you mind? Some of us are actually trying to get some real studying done here." Her heart was pounding, but she wasn't backing down this time. The trio had gone silent. They were staring at her, as if wondering how a frumpy nerd had worked up the audacity to speak with them.

It was Kelly who broke the silence. "Um, I'm sorry. Is our private conversation, like, bothering you?" The blonde cocked her head, the lights reflecting off her obscene levels of makeup.

"You know, we were just discussing this store that has the absolute best designer clothes. But like, it doesn't look like you got your shirt there. Or anywhere that I would recognize." Sam's comment caused the other two to look at her torso. Agatha looked down at herself, then flushed a deep shade of crimson. Her shirt read My other outfit is a +1 Mithril Armour.

Becky was quick to follow up. "Hey, maybe we should all go shopping together? Like, you can show us where you get your weird nerdy shit. Unless... do you buy your clothes online, because you're too insecure of your body to try them on in public?"

It was too much. With tears in her eyes, Agatha turned back and grabbed her things. With her books fumbling in her hands, she stormed out of the chemistry lab, the mocking jeers of her classmates ringing about in her head. She could still hear their laughter well after she had closed the door.

***

Agatha arrived home early that day. She had skipped her final class of the day, and she didn't really care. The feelings of bitterness and resentment hadn't gone away. In fact, they had only festered in her mind and grown stronger. Now thanks to Sam's comment, she wasn't even able to wear her favourite shirt without feeling self-conscious.

It wasn't fair. The popular girls thought they were so much better because they followed current trends and were big on social media. Agatha felt like she was destined to be a victim, to be bullied for the rest of her life by the people who mocked her own interests. At least, that's what she might have felt in any other circumstance. However, Agatha happened to have a trick up her sleeve that nobody would ever have guessed. Something she had promised never to use. But after the ridicule she'd endured today, she was ready to strike back.

"Mom, I'm home." Agatha's call went unanswered, as she'd expected. Her mother was away on a business trip, and wouldn't be home for a few days. A cruel grin began to spread across her face. There was no one home, which meant no one would be able to stop her plan. She threw her bags down and made her way to the attic, where her family's deepest secret was hidden.

Agatha came from a long line of witches. Not hoaky magicians or con-artist fortune tellers, but genuine practitioners of the mystical arts. At least, that's how their family history used to go. Her mother had decided that in the current world, it was too dangerous, and refused to teach Agatha any proper spells. Too many stories of things going wrong for her siblings when they were growing up. It was a fear that Agatha understood, and most of the time she had no trouble respecting her mother's wishes. Today, however, things would be different.

Hidden away in the attic was a leather bound tome. Her mother's spellbook. Agatha blew the cover, wiping away the thick layer of dust that had built up over decades of storage. True magic was a powerful thing, and not something that one could do in small amounts. There was no such thing as a "minor" spell. There were powerful rituals, capable of performing incredible feats, and they all carried their own risks with them.

She had promised not to use any of them. Each ritual was dangerous, and they carried incredible influence on the world and had a huge margin of error. But this was important. Agatha opened the pages and began scanning through them, trying to find the right tool for her revenge. She wanted something that would put those bimbo's in their places. It wouldn't be enough to just get some revenge, to make them squirm a bit to give them some humility. She wanted a proper ironic punishment. One that would punish them for insulting her and treating geek culture with such derision. Many of the spells she read were close, and they had powerful effects that Agatha would've loved to see. There was a memory alteration ritual that could make everyone forget the trio had been popular. A mass compulsion spell could literally force them to apologise, but that didn't feel right either.

Finally, just over halfway through the spellbook, Agatha found the perfect solution. A ritual that would give her exactly what she wanted. A malicious grin crossed her face. The popular girls had spent enough time at the top of the social totem pole, and it was time for her to get her revenge. Those bitches would finally get what they deserved.

It didn't take long for her to prepare. Kelly lived in her own place, courtesy of her rich parents, and she had her two compartiats over for a "girls night." Agatha knew all this thanks to their social media presence. It was something she typically ignored, but today she needed the information. She was astonished at how easy it was to learn where they were going and who they were with. Although it made her feel like a bit of a creep, Agatha was happy to know she would have the perfect opportunity that evening. She grabbed a hooded cloak from her mother's wardrobe, filled her backpack with the necessary supplies, and set out for her target.

The first step was to create a salt circle around the house. Contrary to popular belief, it didn't need to be perfect, and there were allowed to be gaps in some places. She was still extra generous with her distribution. Agatha could hear the laughter and music inside, but thankfully nobody noticed her slinking around in the yard. Once the circle was complete, she lit three candles and placed them on the ground around her. It was time to begin the ritual.

"Judicium pro indigno, verum decerno." She didn't know why the spells used latin, but she wasn't going to complain. "Tonight I am the judge, and I will mete out justice." She could feel the power flowing through her, illuminating the salt as the candles flickered out. The ritual had succeeded. She stepped into the circle, and immediately felt something tugging inside of her. She was connected to the weave of mana. This house was now her domain, and she had immense control over anything inside of it. As well as anyone.

With a simple thought, she began levitating off the ground, hovering just above the grass lawn. She waved her hand and watched as the house went dark inside. There was a wave of gasps and shrieking from the girls inside, their shock at the power going out much appreciated by Agatha. It was a simple yet effective way to set the atmosphere. After all, she did want to make her grand entrance something they would remember.

"Hang on girls. Can you like, check the power breaker or something? I think that's what they do in those scary movies when the power goes out."

"Oh no, are we in a scary movie? Those always creep me out. I need somebody to hold me while I watch them, they're too scary for me."

"Don't worry Kelly, I'll hold you tight. Stay with me babe and I'll keep you safe."

"Thanks Sam, you're the best snuggle bunny on the planet."

"Um, excuse me? Are you trying to cuddle without me?"

"Omigosh, sorry Becky! Come here and join in this group hug."

Agatha growled in frustration. Even listening to them blather on from outside the house was too much. She held out her hand, and a fierce gust of wind blew open the central window. Agatha gently hopped inside, using her levitation to clear the entrance. She was really starting to enjoy this magic stuff. "I'm afraid you won't be turning the power back on anytime soon." Her voice was amplified, booming throughout the room. Kelly, Becky, and Sam were all bunched up together, clinging to each other, staring at Agatha in wide-eyed horror. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. "There's no calling for help. No way out. And no one coming to save you."

The three of them stared at her in shock. Agatha revelled in their misery, watching them squirm in place as the full weight of their predicament began to sink in. She was going to enjoy tormenting them as much as they'd tormented her. It would only be a matter of time until they were begging for mercy.

"Save us from what?"

Sam's question caught Agatha completely off guard. She blinked, surprised at how nonchalant her tone was. "The power going out isn't a big deal," Becky followed up with. "It usually comes back on within the hour, so we can just wait it out until then."

"Ugh, you two are such ditzes. Can't you see what's obviously happening here?" Agatha was almost relieved that Kelly was somehow being the voice of reason. "Clearly she's the electrician here to help us get our power back."

"I- what- how would I be able to get here so fast? And do I look like a fucking electrician?" Agatha sputtered in place. None of them had even addressed the fact that she had flown in through their window and was currently floating above the floor, her cape billowing around her with an invisible wind.

Kelly just shrugged her shoulders. "Like, I don't know. You electricians are such smarty-pants. Can't you, like, wear whatever you want and get away with it, because nobody can fire you?"

"Woah, I like, totally had the best idea. If we became electricians, we could show up to people's houses in super sexy outfits. I would totally have my tits out on display and see if anyone was brave enough to comment on it."

'ENOUGH!" Agatha's roar bellowed through the room, causing the girls to jump in place. "I am here because I have suffered enough from you three. You think that being popular gives you the right to rule the campus and dictate the lives of others. You think you can just insult and mock people's interests because they aren't 'cool' like your own." She held out her palm, and an orange ball of energy emerged, floating upwards and illuminating the room with a grim light. "Unfortunately for you, one of your victims has access to the arcane and mystical arts. And I'm here to exact justice upon you."

"Mystical arts... You mean like horoscopes? I'm a Cancer, by the way."

"You can't just say that, that's offensive! Probably."

Once again, Agatha felt her temper flaring up. " Real magic. It's powerful stuff. Let me explain exactly what's going to happen to you three tonight." Finally, it looked like they were properly listening. "This ancient ritual was used in the old courts of law. It allows the caster to serve as a judge and ask questions to any within the domain. And if they tell a lie, or answer incorrectly, the judge will have control over their mind and body to exact their punishment."

This was where her grin came back in full force. "You've spent your whole lives making fun of nerd culture and geeks like myself. So for revenge, I'm going to be asking you about the depths of pop culture history. The deepest origins of sci-fi and fantasy. The very subjects you've always made fun of. And as you get them wrong, I get to do whatever I want with you."

Finally, Agatha felt like the gravity of the situation was starting to sink in. At least, she thought that until Sam opened her mouth. "So it's like a nerd trivia night? That could be a fun way to pass the time until the power comes back."

"Sure, I'm down. You in Kelly?"

"Hell yeah! I've seen like all of the new superhero movies, I'm like totally an expert."

They still didn't understand. But that was fine. They would understand once Agatha had enslaved them. "It's funny, you're all acting like you have a choice in the matter. But we'll see how long that enthusiasm lasts." She turned to face Becky, a sadistic grin on her face. "First question. In the pilot episode of the cult classic Secret Storageways, where does the main antagonist make her first appearance?"

Becky's face lit up. "I remember that show! She shows up at the end of the episode, giving the hero a welcome basket."

Agatha had to hold back her laughter. "So that's your answer then? Her first appearance was her gift at the end?"

"Oh no, that's just a scene I loved. Everyone knows you could see her hiding in the secret passage of Lady Crawford's manor."

In an instant, Agatha's enthusiasm vanished. "You... you know about the hidden easter egg?"

Becky nodded. "I told you, I was like, totally in love with that character. She was so hot." She fanned her face in an exaggerated manner. "God, just thinking about her is getting me worked up."

"Sounds like you're not entirely over her, are you."

"Wait, were you crushing on her hero or the villain of the story?"

"I sure was."

Agatha shook her head. "Congrats, you passed the first question." She couldn't deny that it was a little annoying, since it was supposed to be her opportunity to show them what was at stake. But there would be plenty more chances. That had been a pretty easy question, and things were only going to get tougher. Next up, a question for you, Kelly."

Since they hadn't yet seen the consequences of failure, Kelly was equally excited to have a turn. "Ooh, I don't know. I'm like, not that great at brainy stuff." Agatha rolled her eyes. That was one hell of an understatement. "But I know lots about makeup! And celebrity gossip, if you want to ask me about that."

"Not quite what I have planned." Agatha could almost taste the victory. It was time to really start pushing things. "In the fantasy epic Quest for the Silver Crown, the necromantic clan of Nel'Roth has a powerful artefact that's been passed down for generations. What is its proper name?"

There was silence in the room. Kelly didn't say anything, and Agatha loved every moment of it. Even someone who had read the entire series would barely recall the clan in question, let alone what their sacred artefact was. And even if they did remember the sword of life-drinking, knowing its proper title was another thing entirely. It was great watching Kelly realise that she was in way over her head.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Kelly sounded unsure of herself, which was music to Agatha's ears.

Agatha laughed. She couldn't help herself. "I mean exactly what I said. Tick tock, time is running out, and it sounds like you don't have an answer."

"No, I mean what artefact exactly are you talking about? Because the obvious answer is the sword, but they also pass down the skull of the first matriarch and founder of the clan to each new chieftain. There's like, two answers I can think of, and either of them work."

This time Agatha was taken aback. Now that it was mentioned, Kelly was technically right. The skull did make sense as an answer. Still, she shook her head. "I'm referring to the sword. You still need to say its proper name."

Kelly just giggled at the question. "Oh, that's like, totally easy. It's Brillmaugh, Bane of the living. At least I think that's how they pronounce it in the elven tongue. They all sound so silly to me."

It was unbelievable. Agatha was at a total loss for words. "That's... How did you know that?" She was having a hard time processing the turn of events. The whole point of this was for them to get the questions wrong, but somehow, Kelly had known the specific piece of information she was looking for.

"It's a fun little fantasy series, I've been reading it on the side." Kelly still had a big stupid grin on her face as she spoke. "I don't like any of the scary stories, so I've taken to this lighter stuff instead."

Agatha felt her eyes widen. "You... you've been reading the Quest for the Silver Crown series, which is over twenty books long and full of dense lore and worldbuilding, as something light? " It had taken her years to finish the series. Agatha had always felt a sense of pride, knowing she was one of the few who could tough it out and actually read the entire thing.

"Come on, you can't stop now. It's my turn for a question." Sam was almost bouncing up and down with excitement. Agatha took a deep breath. She was still in control, she still had all the power. It was time to take off the gloves. This had to be an impossibly difficult question, one that Sam would have zero chance of ever knowing. One that even the most hardcore nerds of all time would rarely know.

"If you insist." Agatha's fingers began to twitch. She was ready to transform them, to corrupt their minds into her personal playthings. All that needed to happen was for Sam to get the question wrong. And she had the perfect question to ask. "In the eleventh game of the Ultima Angel Chronicles series, There's a rare item called the Bell of Clarity. It has a unique effect when rung in a specific optional boss fight. What is it?"

Sam clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, I totally know this one. It summons a flock of seraph's to help, and if you kill the boss within a minute, one of your party members can learn a powerful healing move."

By this point, Agatha was hardly surprised at the answer. "I'm impressed," she replied in a cool tone. "You knew about the game series, and you were aware of the item I had referred to. I'll admit, your geek knowledge is better than I anticipated." Her grin spread wide across her face. "Unfortunately your answer was wrong. You described what the bell does in Ultima Angel Chronicles Ten, the much more popular and well known game."

There was a sharp gasp from Sam. "What? No, that's... that can't be right."

"Oh but it is. You answered wrong, and now you must pay the price." Agatha motioned to the other bimbo's, as they were now recoiling in fear. "Watch as your friend is twisted into my own personal plaything. Soon you'll be forced to join her, in serving my-"