Grams sat in her comfy chair watching her conjured screen.

"Is there really nothing good on these days? Idiot boy just had to get himself into another mess... One I can't even watch!" Grams grumbled to herself as she changed the target of her spell to some other random person. The man could be seen tilling a field. She groaned, switching to another person at random.

Since Torrin had entered the pocket dimension, half a year had passed. In this time, Grams had become more and more agitated. If it had been a normal pocket dimension, she wouldn't have cared all too much and just watched him scramble his way through the space.

However, he just had to choose an unstable dimension with time dilation to top it off. Even with all her power, she couldn't spy on the kid in there. It pissed her off at first, losing the best entertainment this world had to offer, but now she was just agitated and bored.

Giving up on finding something fun to watch, she decided to check on the portal. Stabilizing a pocket dimension was no easy feat and she had to check in on it often.

She dismissed her screen and teleported to the hill that housed Torrin's current prison. The hill was now covered in dried grass, the tree at the top wilting, leaves turning brown and trunk drying out. The lonely bush by the portal was not but scraggly, twisting, gray branches now.

Shaking her head sadly at her loss of entertainment, she checked on the locked down portal. It was still shut tight, slowly stabilizing by absorbing the mana in its surroundings and the formation she'd made around the hill.

"We're about half way there!" She announced grandly to no one, her arms spread wide, carrying Stix instead of her usual cane.

Grams lowered her arms to her side with a huff. Thinking of her apprentice gave her an idea. Runes flowed around her wrist, flowing up her hand and hanging in the air before her. She watched as the Queen berated some unfortunate noble and decided now was a good time to check back in on her.

"Oho! I guess we'll just have to make our own fun, eh, Stix?" Grams cackled as she spoke to Torrin's companion.

*Pop*

Grams appeared next to the frazzled noble, nodding her head slowly in understanding and putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I know how she can be, it's terrible..." Grams whispered to the man in a soft voice, letting him know he wasn't alone.

The man nearly jumped out of his skin as he shrieked, turning to Grams with a terrified look on his face. The Queen just put her head in her hands, realizing today was meant to be a bad day.

"W-w-where did you come f-from? W-who are are you?" The scared man asked in a shaking voice, eyes wide in fright.

"Oh me? I'm nobody special..." She answered with a toothy grin, "As for where I came from... hmm... That's a matter for me and Queeny here to discuss, go on with your day, good sir. You're no longer needed here."

The noble wanted to argue that what he was discussing was important, but as he looked to the queen for help, he saw she was no longer angry or looking to chew him out. The queen looked to be in a pitiable state since the old woman arrived. Seeing this, he gulped audibly, nodding his head vigorously and bolting for the exit.

The queen finally raised her head, looking down at the old woman sitting in a plush armchair at the foot of the stairs leading to her throne.

"What can I do for you... Grams?" The name came out icily.

Hearing the name, Grams ignored her tone and gave the queen a beaming smile. Grams didn't reply, just continued smiling brightly at the queen.

"And where is that grand apprentice of yours? It's been months since you asked me for help, yet you never brought him here to get it..." The queen's eyes narrowed in thought.

Grams waved away the question like smoke in her face, "Oh him? No need to worry about that for now, he's a bit... preoccupied. Fool boy fell into an unstable pocket dimension, terrible luck, that."

The queen stared at the old woman, wondering at the truth of the words. Deciding she didn't care she asked, "Then why are you here, witch?" The queen's voice was tinged with annoyance.

"I came to see you, of course... Little Lissy, how have you been?" Grams asked in a motherly tone, brows furrowed, betrayed only by the twitching at the corner of her lips as she suppressed a laugh.

The queen let out a long sigh, kneading her temples like dough as she replied, "I don't have time for this today, can we please just get this over with?"

"Well, girl, since you've been such a wonderful host," She rolled her eyes, "Allow me to get to the point. Karth has-" Grams was interrupted by the queen holding up her hand.

"Everyone out!" The queen announced.

Shuffling footsteps and clinking armor could be heard as the hall was emptied.

"Hmph, as I was saying," Grams narrowed her eyes at the queen, "Karth has stopped attacking villages on the outskirts of your domain. It could be that--with the support of the guards you stationed--we have damaged his operations to such a degree he can no longer continue."

The queen nodded thoughtfully. She'd had the same thought as attacks had stopped being reported over the last few months.

"That's good news, then..." The queen trailed off, suspicious of the report.

Grams' smile returned, "But that is complete and utter horseshit! Haha!" Cackling wildly, she continued, "That man would never give up, his twisted mind fuels his ambitions ceaselessly. This halt in attacks should scare you to your little fucking core, girly. If I were you I would find a pocket dimension somewhere to hide."

The queen's pale complexion somehow paled further. Seeing her words had the intended effect, Grams carried on.

"I've known that man since we were kids... He's planning something big. Maybe even an attack directly on you." A manic glint shown in the old woman's eyes, a vicious smile lined her face, causing the queen's breathing to become quick and shallow.

"So... So what do we do, then?" The queen tried keeping it together, as showing weakness in front of this monster would spell her doom. Her voice only quavered slightly.

"To be honest... You. Are. Fucked." The words hung in the air, silence surrounding them like a blanket.

The queen continued staring at Grams blankly, as if the words had shut her brain down, she didn't even breathe.

Grams couldn't hold it in anymore, bursting out laughing.

"Oh... Oh... Please! You should see your face, girly!" Grams laughed madly, struggling to catch her breath as she gathered water vapor together to create a mirror in front of the queen.

Queen Lisson stood up, dashing the water mirror away with a flick of her hand, spraying water across Grams' face.

"Do you think this is some kind of game, you old hag?! Tell me why you're here already, or get the hell out!" The queen shouted, fury fueling her words and actions before she could think.

Grams' expression soured and a heavy pressure pushed the queen back into her seat. The water on her face lifted up as if of its own volition and shot itself towards the queen, gathering more water along the way and soaking the queen as it splashed across her.

"Don't be rude, child!" Grams reprimanded.

The queen's damp hair waved in an unseen wind as she used warm air to dry herself quickly, putting her head in her hands once more.

"Please... Just tell me what we need to do." The queen's muffled voice spoke out in a defeated tone.

Grams sighed, "Fine... You're never any fun. Keep the guards posted where they are and have them continue their patrols. Karth has worked on this plan for years, so if he's planning something big, he won't rush into it. This gives us time, but we still don't know exactly what he's planning... Hmm..."

Grams trailed off as she dismissed her chair back to her storage realm. She paced slowly back and forth before the raised platform the throne sat upon. The tap tap tap of Stix hitting the ground as she walked the only noise in the throne room.

The queen sat patiently, not daring to interrupt the old devil's train of thought.

"What we need is a way to draw him out... But what..." Grams thought out loud, trying to piece a plan together.

She suddenly stopped her pacing, she giggled crazily at her idea. The queen's expression was solemn as she watched the mad old lady.

"Hehehehe, I think I've got it, Little Lissy! What we need is a way to draw him out, right? But what exactly would make him come out of hiding, you might be thinking. I've got just the thing..."

Grams explained her idea and gave some instructions to the queen.

A while later, Grams hummed happily as she sat on the grass of the hill by the portal.

"Well, boy, we're gonna need to get you out of there as soon as this portal stabilizes... We've got big things to prepare for... Big things..." She trailed off as she began to think.