Random Acts of Sorcery (32 page)

Serenus grimaced as he opened the door to his apartment. His time in Realm had made his bad leg worse, and it was aching badly just from the short walk to the corner store and back.

It had been a few days since he’d regained his freedom, but he still refused to see anyone. He had made sure that Sam and the entourage knew that he was back in one piece, but he just wasn’t ready to face people he knew yet. He needed a little more time to relax and feel human, and hopefully to fill out his clothes again; he felt like he was swimming in all of his slacks.

He was so distracted by the pain in his leg that it took him a few moments to realize that there was someone sitting in his apartment. He jumped back, relying on his good leg, and nearly dropped his cane.

“Asmodeus can’t touch me for another 362 days, we’ve discussed this. I’ve done nothing,” he stammered.

The stranger leaned back on the couch. In the dark room, Serenus couldn’t make out his features. “You think I’ve come to do Asmodeus’ dirty work? Turn on the light, Professor. I want you to see who you’re talking to before you decide I’m the mailman next.”

Serenus did as he was bid. After flicking the light switch, he let out a painful breath.
“Zerael.”

The demon gestured to his robe-clad body.
“In the flesh; or a reasonable facsimile thereof. It’s not
quite
human flesh, I’m afraid.”

That was foolish
; I should never have assumed it was a servant here on Asmodeus’ orders. Now I’ve insulted him. I never would have made a mistake like that before.

Zerael stood up and took a few languid steps towards where Serenus was standing in the hall. Unlike most demons,
who tended to adopt modern dress, he was wearing a strange purple robe that seemed to be made of shifting fabrics. His face was that of an angelic youth: white-blond hair, big blue eyes and creamy, unblemished skin. Serenus had seen him before, but mostly in the background; compared to the likes of Asmodeus and Sammael, he was a minor demon. Of course, considering that even the most minor of demons could kill a human as easily as swatting a fly, the distinction was of questionable relevance at the moment.

“To what do I owe this honor?” said Serenus, forcing himself to stand erect. His leg hurt, but he had to show respect.

“By which you mean, how did I get here when you haven’t summoned me?” the demon said, then laughed. It was a pleasant, casual laugh. “You know, you and I are alike in many ways. Just because we aren’t the frontrunners, everyone underestimates us. Now, I may not be able to compete with Asmodeus when it comes to throwing fireballs and tearing the Earth asunder, but I can get to the surface world twice as easily as he can,” he said conversationally.

“A very useful ability,” said Serenus, trying to remain calm.

“As for you,” Zereal said, still pacing the apartment. He picked up a silver frame, featuring a picture of Helen and Sam. The boy was little more than a toddler in the picture, but Helen had been in her prime; smiling mischievously, the few streaks of grey in her hair only serving to heighten her earthy, sensual appeal. When Serenus closed his eyes, this was how he liked to remember her. Zereal tilted his angelic face and studied the photograph.

“As for you,” he repeated. “Your barely have any power, and what little you do have was bartered from Asmodeus. So everyone ignores you. But unless I’m mistaken,” he said, lowering the photograph and turning his luminous eyes on Serenus, “It’s you who bear responsibility for all of this.”

“I’m sorry?” said Serenus, feigning ignorance.

“Helen Andrews, the one they call the Paradox Maiden. Without you, she never would have known of the existence of demons, let alone had a child by one. Why
would you do it, I wonder?” he said, putting the photograph down. A hint of a smirk played on his lips.

“If I had any idea what she would do, I never would have told her an
ything about demons. I thought—”

“That if you told her you were part-demon, she would be intrigued and go to bed with you? All of reality, primed to unravel, and all because you had a crush on a girl that was out of your league,” said Zerael. He laughed again; there was no obvious menace in the sound, but it still made Serenus’ skin crawl to hear it.

“Down there, they’re running around like chickens with their heads cut off, all because of that woman and what she’s unleashed. And to think that Asmodeus had you—the catalyst—in a dungeon for weeks, and did nothing? Fascinating.”

“What do you want from me, my lord?” said Serenus, finally. He was afraid, but weariness was winning out. He couldn’t keep standing like this for much longer. “If you want my soul, in whole or in part, you’ll have to deal with Asmodeus. And there’s no way I can undo anything I’ve done, as I’m sure you well know.”

Zerael spread his arms out theatrically. “Is it funny to you? To know that beings who have been alive for eons are—what is that expression again?—‘losing their shit’ because of what you’ve done? Yet no one thinks to blame you, because you’re so far beneath their notice?”

“What is it that you want, Zerael?” Serenus repeated. Daggers of pain were shooting through his leg, and he felt lightheaded.

“I think we can help each other, you and I,” said the demon lord, closing the distance between them. “Two criminally underestimated demons, perhaps together, can become something far more.”

“I don’t know if I’m in a position to be offering help to anyone,” Serenus said honestly. Right now, he felt like nothing but a ball of aches, pains, and regrets.

“That’s not true. You have a front-row seat to everything that matters. You have the trust of all the major players.” He grinned. “And now you have me.”

“I won’t do anything to betray Helen’s son. If that’s what you have in mind, kill me now.”

“Such a suspicious mind you have. Why would I hurt the Son of Sammael? He and his witch can have their run of the Earth. I only want control of the lower Realms, which he couldn’t care less about.”

“What?” Serenus exclaimed.
Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

The lesser demon lord put a companionable hand on the professor’s shoulder.

“I want to take over Hell, Dr. Zeitbloom. After your recent stay, don’t you think it could use some proper hospitality?”

“That’s impossible,” said Serenus. “Even if you could somehow get rid of Asmodeus and all the lesser lords, there’s still Sammael, who’s still an Archangel in all but name. And Lucifer himself….”

Zerael put a finger to his lips at the mention of the Devil’s name. “Shhhh. But that is why I need you, Dr. Zeitbloom. You kicked off a chain of impossibilities once; who’s to say you can’t do it again?”

Sorcery: The Happening
: A Primer

Sorcery: The Happening
is a CCG (collectible card game) created by the company Mages of the Shore in 1998. The game first made a name for itself in the crowded CCG marketplace due to its unusually high-quality artwork and shiny, foil-embossed cards, leading to accusations that the game was all flash with little strategic depth. However, Mages continued to diversify the play mechanics with every release, as well as tweak the color balance in response to player feedback. Over time, the property developed a reputation as a game with fast, fun gameplay as well as beautiful visuals.

The game focuses on summoning powerful monsters, culled from countless mythologies, and having these otherworldly creatures do battle. It’s possible to attack opponents directly without the use of a summoned
creature, however, such tactics tend to be less effective than using summons. By design, it’s quite difficult to win with a creatureless deck; however, some adventurous players have not only pulled this off, but managed to win major tournaments using this strategy. Whether these rare victories were due to incredible skill or sheer luck is a matter of some debate in the Sorcery community.

The title of the game refers to a “Happening,” a gathering of six monsters that represent each of the games main colors: Gray, Brown, Yellow, Orange, Purple, and Pink. In theory, the goal of the game is to accrue enough magic of each color to summon a Happening, in which case the player’s forces become so powerful that a victory is virtually guaranteed. However, there are many faster ways to win besides summoning a Happening, and most players prefer to play one or two-color decks, rather than taking the multicolored approach a Happening requires. At present, Happenings are almost never seen in serious play, however there are a few purists who believe that winning with a Happening is the only “pure” way to win and still construct their decks with this goal in mind.

Here we present an overview of the major colors in
Sorcery: The Happening
and their attributes. The properties of Teal, to be featured heavily in the upcoming
Medea vs. Circe
expansion set, remain a mystery for now….

Gray:
The color that plays host to both divine and demonic creatures in Sorcery. Gray is perhaps the most versatile color in the game, featuring both powerful healing spells and vicious attacks, however, this flexibility comes at a price; many players say that Gray decks only really shine against other Gray decks. Trademark Gray creatures include Sweet Seraphim, Owl Daemons, and Wicked Imps. Incidentally, Arc Angels are the most expensive creatures to summon in the entire game.

Brown:
Creatures who hail from this color tend to be defensive in the extreme. Brown creatures don’t do much damage, but they don’t take much either, plus almost all of them heal over time. One popular saying about this color is that it’s really hard to lose with a Brown deck, but it’s even harder to win with one. If you ever encounter a match between two players with pure Brown decks, assume they’re going to be there a while; the longest official Sorcery match on record was between two such decks, with a final match time of 32:38:40. One habit among regular players is to yell “Slow Down for Brown!” whenever a Brown deck is put on the table. Notable Brown creatures include Swampy Titans, Shale Dragons, and Roaring Redwoods.

Orange:
This color is focused on summoned creatures that weaken enemy creatures’ attack and defense. Since Orange creatures have little ability to do damage themselves, Orange is always paired with another color, such as Brown or Yellow. Due to the lack of direct damage, some players deride this color as a waste of time, however the most skilled Sorcery: The Happening players tend to make good use of Orange as a general rule. Notable orange creatures include Potato Motes, Jupiter Flytrappers and Stink Slimes.

Purple:
Purple is a color for brutes, plain and simple. Creatures that belong to this color hit incredibly hard, and what they lack in finesse, they make up for by hitting incredibly hard some more. Due to the ease with which a smartly-constructed purple deck can steamroll over an unprepared opponent, some players scoff that Purple is a “win button,” and refuse to use it. However, even a great purple deck can run into plenty of trouble with the saboteur abilities of skilled Pink and Orange players. Notable Purple creatures include Manscaping Minotaurs, Troglo Trolls, and Ice Whales.

Yellow:
This color also focuses on attack power, but with some power spared for defense. Unlike Purple creatures, Yellow creatures tend to have some ability to defend themselves, but their damage potential is generally lower. While a Purple deck can win faster than a Yellow deck, a player who uses Yellow is more likely to react effectively to surprise plays and emergency situations. Since Yellow tends to moderate Purple’s excesses while still operating on the same principles, Purple/Yellow combination decks are popular. Prominent Yellow creatures include Dire Dolphins, Shrieking Harpies, and Forest Mammoths.

Pink:
Creatures of this color focus on turning the enemies’ strength against them by charming, or otherwise manipulating creatures of other colors. Turning the enemies’ strength against them can be devastating, but as a corollary, Pink players can find themselves handicapped against relatively weak decks. Also, a deck with strong offense can often shut down a Pink deck before the Pink player’s devious plans have time to bear fruit. While Pink is not a weak color by any stretch of the imagination, it requires the most planning and finesse to fully utilize, thus many players avoid it on general principle. However, a large percentage of tournament winners use Pink creatures to good effect. For this reason, the phrase “Real Men Play Pink” is growing in popularity. Prominent Pink creatures include Lulubelle Fairies, Sage Seahorses and Meandering Mockingbirds.

These books seem to be getting longer and longer! If I get into George R. R. Martin territory soon, I promise not to kill off as many characters as he does.
Probably.

Book Four, which might be called
The Invention of Werewolves
(because frankly, I’m tempted to call it that even if there are no werewolves in the book) should be out in time for Christmas 2014; if it isn’t, it’s because some mean demon turned me into a rat. Have you ever seen a rat try to touch-type?

Ah, enough silliness and let me just thank you for sharing Cassie and Sam’s adventures with me once again. For more information on
The Familiar Series
, including character art and whatever else we can dig up, visit the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/TheFamiliarSeries.