by J. J. Egosi
“So, we’re battling on a turn basis?” Julianna groaned.
“Yes, and the terrains become part of an entity called the landscape.” Said Isabella. “The larger your landscape is, the more familiars you can summon.”
“This game sounds kind of fun. It says here the more terrain a familiar needs, the more powerful it is,” Michael said.
“It also says some familiars require a sacrifice of other familiars, too, because they’re so powerful,” said Ursula.
They all looked down at the orb.
“I wonder how powerful this one is,” said Isabella.
“Let’s find out,” Alexa said, scanning it with her device. “Xendrazi, the jagged distortion. A monarch class familiar.”
“There are different classes of familiars?” Michael asked.
“Yes, and by the looks of it, monarch is a pretty high class. Albeit, not as high as titan,” Alexa said.
“Great!” he said, enthusiastically.
“Not exactly,” Alexa replied as she continued reading.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Apparently, if you want to summon a beast like this in battle, it’ll prove quite costly.”
“Costly how?” he replied with a nervous gulp.
“From what I gather here, a monarch type familiar requires four terrains and two other familiars.”
“Two other familiars? Just for this one?” Ursula’s eyes widened.
“Seems servant class familiars are best to use as a sacrifice, as they are the easiest to bring out and the weakest,” Alexa suggested.
“But, what good is all this information when titans and this monarch are the only familiars we have in our possession?” Isabella asked.
“So, you’re saying we can’t even use it?” he asked.
“I’m afraid not. And looking through here, it seems titans are even tougher to use. Seven terrains and five sacrifices. Ridiculous,” Alexa said as irritation grew in her.
“No kidding. So, we can’t even use our best familiars?” Michael said, realizing Lucifer’s underhandedness in the rules of the game he crafted.
“We can still cast enchantments, however. They cost terrain, as well. They can be used to protect us in battle,” said Isabella, reading her manual.
Michael took a sigh of relief. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”
“However, it is highly recommended to use familiars in battle, as they are the central focus of the game,” Ursula read out.
The girls looked at her at once, realizing how difficult this game would become for them and what that would mean in challenging Lucifer again.
“If that’s the case, I wonder what sort of familiars Lucifer has in his possession. If he’s creating this game, he must have some powerful ones at his disposal, and some weaker ones to bring them out,” said Julianna.
“So much for an equal playing field,” Isabella said, downhearted.
“Hey, don’t get so down. We can still do this,” said Michael.
“How? He’s clearly rigged this from the start!” Alexa fumed.
“That’s not true. Familiars or not, he’s only as strong now as his terrain count will allow. We just need to find some weaker familiars to help bring out our heavyweights, while also mastering spells that debilitate his landscape. Then, we’ll smash his stupid face in,” Michael said, confidently.
“You make it sound so easy,” Ursula said, warming up to the idea, but still unsure if it wielded any credibility.
“And what makes you think he won’t cheat?” Julianna asked.
“That’s a good point,” Isabella began, “Lucifer’s a dirty snake. Regardless of how the battle goes, I bet he’ll still try to pull a fast one on us.”
“I’m not saying it will be easy. I’m saying victory is there for us if we want it. We just have to work hard and believe. And as for whether or not he plans to cheat, let’s just say I’ve found in my own way he’s a man of integrity in games. I doubt he or anyone else could cheat, even if they wanted to,” said Michael.
“Anyone else? I forgot other members of his legion may be after us.” Ursula slumped into an anguished state.
“Their familiars will most likely be very powerful, as well, given their ties to the creator of the game,” said Alexa.
Creator, Michael thought.
“Whatever the obstacle, we can face it together. We may have the disadvantage, but I still believe with the right amount of teamwork, we can conquer whatever adversaries come our way.”
“You know how to rally the troops. I like that in a leader. I’m in,” said Julianna.
“Me, too. Besides. I want to see that look on that destroyer jackass’s face when we take back everything that he took from us and so much more,” said Isabella.
The four of them smiled and nodded.
“Me, three. Especially if Michael will be there every step of the way to support us,” said Ursula.
They all now focused their looks at Alexa as she looked off to the side. She sighed with a smile.
“Very well. If you’re all in, so am I.”
“Then, it’s settled. We’ll beat Lucifer at his own game, using the very titans he seeks to gather,” said Michael.
“And get our money back!” Alexa chanted.
The five of them placed their hands together in a circle, ready to raise them high towards the sky when quaking below their feet broke the mood. A thunderous noise threw them into a sudden panic.
“What’s going on? Some sort of earthquake?” Ursula exclaimed over the sounds of the ground cracking wide.
“I don’t think so. This feels different, somehow,” Michael said, analyzing the strange sensation he felt.
Out from the ground rose a strange figure clad in robes, a blackened mask, and a pointed hat. Female in physique with a shadow complexion, the figure stared directly at Michael and the girls, as they all stood there, completely frozen—baffled.
“Is that a witch?” Isabella gazed at the unusual female figure and the aura she gave off, sensing a demonic presence.
“Seems so, but where did she come from?” Alexa asked.
“That’s the work of Lucifer,” Michael announced.
“How can you tell?” Isabella asked.
“The energy emitting from her. It’s the same as Lucifer’s,” said Michael.
They looked towards the witch’s face and only saw a swirling stream of shadows where it would be.
The skies darkened too, forging a sweeping tempest of writhing clouds hanging over them. They gazed, petrified, as gusts of fire rolled and hurdled through the thundering heavens.
“Entering witchcraft sequence. Battle will now commence,” the witch said in an eerie, unsettling tone. Like a machine, she raised her arms with a creaking movement of gears in each joint.
“I see. It’s an android.” Alexa immediately recognized the dreary tone she’d heard many times from her home dimension.
“Android? What’s that?” Isabella said, her eyes fixated at the witch, as well.
“They’re mechanical creatures with human appearances, usually designed to serve the bidding of others,” Alexa replied.
“In that case, I think Michael may have been right,” said Isabella, “This is Lucifer’s doing.”
“He doesn’t waste any time, does he?” Julianna said.
Stealing their companies and now sicking this mechanical witch on us, Michael thought as his eyes dimmed. Now, he’s moving his pieces in.
“First turn commence. Casting one dark terrain,” the witch said as a massive blackened wasteland appeared, scorching a portion of the open field.
“You’re right. But who should battle her?” Isabella asked as the girls exchanged looks.
Michael took a deep breath and stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
“You?” the girls asked in unison.
“Is that honestly a good idea?” Julianna asked.
“I know you can summon a titan, but angels really shouldn’t be getting involved in th
ings like this,” Ursula said.
“Yeah, I know. The reality is, though, I can use familiar magic. I don’t know how. I just know that if I don’t use my abilities to their fullest, they’ll be wasted. So let me do this, please. He is after me.”
They all reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. I just hope you know what you’re doing,” said Alexa.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve played Lucifer’s games before,” Michael said while approaching the witch so they were about twenty feet apart and facing one another.
Knowing his integrity in games from experience, I smell a rat, Alexa thought to herself.
The witch looked back at Michael through shadowy fixtures, as he stared at her with confidence. “Proceeding to harnessing phase.”
“Harnessing?” Michael wondered.
“Harnessing one dark terrain to cast orc gathering grounds.”
“Did you say orcs?” Michael stepped back with dread. Soon, a large cave similar to what he saw in his nightmares emerged from the ground.
“Did you see that? She just manifested a cave from the ground,” Ursula said. The others stared, baffled.
“Activating enchantment’s ability. By casting three angel spawn to opponent’s field, cast one orc onto mine,” said the witch.
“I beg your pardon?”
Suddenly, three grotesque puppet-like angels rose onto Michael’s side of the battlefield. He looked at them, overwhelmed with confusion.
“You’re giving me three familiars?”
“What a weird move. The witch starts by giving her opponent a huge lead,” said Isabella.
“Not as huge as she wants you to think. Don’t forget that was a cost to be paid for her real intentions,” said Julianna.
“She’s right. We’re about to see firsthand just how fierce a game of witchcraft can really be,” said Alexa.
“I suppose there’s more to this game than we thought,” Ursula closed.
“Three angel spawn cast. Now casting orc.” From the cave emerged a hulking purple figure with wet jet-black hair, disheveled and partially covering its war-torn face and blood-red eyes.
Michael stared up at the beast, utterly mortified. That beast is just like the one in my nightmare.
He vividly recalled the circle of beasts that surrounded him in his dream long ago and the black dragon that ended it all.
“Don’t give up, Michael! It just looks bad because it’s so much bigger and stronger looking than your angels,” Ursula chanted.
“Thanks,” Michael replied, left now to further acknowledge the blatant size difference between his familiars and the witch’s. The wire-like flies caught in the web of a towering spider. And he was part of its prey.
“Familiars cannot attack the turn they are summoned. Ending turn,” said the witch.
Michael took a sigh of relief. “Good. I was really worried for a second there.”
“You may want to keep worrying,” Alexa said, looking through her device.
“Why? Is something wrong?” Ursula asked.
“Yeah. That orc enchantment of hers. There’s a nasty side effect to having those angels. If Michael doesn’t attack with them, they’re destroyed at the end of the turn and he takes something called ‘trample damage’.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Isabella gulped.
“It isn’t,” Alexa replied as she continued to read through the pages of her book. “It’s like having the familiar’s life-force drained from you.”
“Oh, no!” said the other girls in unison.
“But Michael can’t attack with those angels. They’re too weak to survive,” said Isabella.
“He’ll just have to be more creative, it seems. Find a way to get around that spell,” Julianna said, looking carefully at Michael.
Michael took a deep breath. “My turn. I cast a light terrain.” The fledgling sun drowning among the black sky above grew brighter as the clouds ceded to its presence. “Then, I attack with all of my angel spawn.”
“You what?” Alexa asked in disbelief.
The puppet-like angels raised their scepters, crashing into the orcs. The orcs mercilessly slew each one of them with the crushing force of their fists.
Michael looked on as the smoke cleared, finding his side of the battlefield empty in a matter of moments. He kept an unphased expression despite his losses—staring blankly towards the witch.
“Why the hell did he do that?” Ursula exclaimed. “He has no forces left.
“And because he doesn’t have to take trample damage at the end of the turn,” said Isabella.
“That was quick thinking,” Alexa said. “He managed to evade the detriments of having them on his battlefield. However, with them gone, he’s at the mercy of a direct attack from that orc.”
“If this is the work of Lucifer, he’s giving us one hell of a crash course on how this game works,” said Julianna.
“Turn two commence. Casting second dark terrain and unharnessing first terrain,” said the witch, as the wastelands grew.
“Unharnessing?” Ursula asked. “What does that mean?”
“That’s another condition of this game, it seems,” Alexa began, “All harnessed lands unharness themselves at the beginning of each turn, making them reusable.”
“Which doesn’t bode well for Michael since it isn’t his turn any longer,” said Julianna.
“Activating ability of orc battling ground. Now doubling forces.”
With the mechanical witch’s words, a second orc emerged from the cave, groaning and swinging his bat as its flesh became exposed to the light.
“Second ability of enchantment. Cast three angel spawn onto opponent’s side of the battlefield.”
Three angel spawn appeared before Michael, just as before. He stared at them nervously.
“A second orc, already? This hardly seems right,” Julianna said.
“What do you mean?” Ursula asked.
“Orcs are powerful creatures. I know that from stories I’ve heard. Based on that, they shouldn’t be this easy to cast,” said Julianna.
“She’s right,” said Alexa, looking over at the witch. “Orcs are some of the mightiest beasts to hail from the third dimension. Yet, this witch casts them forth without a second thought for hardly any cost.”
“What are you implying here?” Isabella wondered.
“I think there’s some serious cheating going on.”
She and the girls looked over at Michael, who tried his best to shroud his fear under a smile.
“Poor Michael,” Ursula said.
“Initiating battle sequence. Orc one, attack angel spawn one,” the witch commanded. The orc charged towards the left-most angel spawn with a decorous roar.
“This is it. I wonder if Michael can stop that witch’s attack,” said Alexa.
“You think he can?” Isabella asked.
“He has a terrain he didn’t harness in his last turn for whatever reason. Perhaps he was waiting to use it for the right moment.”
“I see. So, terrains can be used during either person’s turn,” said Julianna. Alexa nodded in response.
Rather than using his terrain, Michael watched on as the orc took down his angel spawn.
“He still didn’t use it. What is he waiting for?” a flustered Alexa said.
“Harnessing two terrains to cast orc blitz enchantment,” said the witch.
“She’s casting a spell?” All four of them said in shock.
“Battling orc can now attack all familiars the opponent controls. Furthermore, one takes no damage this turn,” said the witch.
“What?” Michael asked, now taken aback.
“My thoughts exactly. A two terrain enchantment can’t be that strong,” said Alexa. She took a deep breath. “I’m sure Michael knows that. He was probably hoping to use those angel spawn to stall out until he had more terrain to cast stronger enchantments. This mechanical angel is clearly cheating with overpowered enchantments only Lucifer would know.”
The orc
took down Michael’s two remaining angel spawn, leaving his battlefield empty in a fit of growls as Michael shielded his face from the impact.
“What’s worse is when creatures exchange blows; the prevailing beast would take battle damage equal to the strength of the fallen beast until the end of the turn. But, that absurd enchantment even prevents that.” Alexa’s nostrils flared with contempt.
“This is fucking outrageous!” Julianna shouted.
Nearly falling to his knees, Michael panted heavily from the unbridled force of the vicious orc.
“These monsters. They’re every bit as real as I remember.”
“Don’t lose hope, Michael,” Isabella said, looking over at him.
“She right. Get off the ground and teach this cheating witch bitch a lesson!” said Alexa.
Cheating? Michael thought. He slowly picked himself up and smiled. I see now. This test is greater than I thought. Very well.
“Battle phase concluded. Ending turn,” said the witch.
“Then, I guess it’s my turn,” said Michael. The girls looked at him, taken by surprise at the smile on his face.
“I cast my second light terrain,” he said as the sun grew brighter, swallowing a portion of the storm. “And once again, I’ll end my turn without harnessing anything.”
“I know he has no familiars, but what is he thinking leaving himself wide open again?” Isabella asked.
“That dumbass is going to get killed if he gets attacked by two orcs,” said Alexa.
“Maybe he’ll make it,” Ursula suggested in a hopeful voice.
“Doubtful. The first person knocked out in a battle loses. Unless he can withstand the might of two orcs and whatever else the witch throws his way without breaking the rules, he’s finished. I’m just glad this was only a test,” said Alexa.
The witch looked over at Michael and nodded. “Commencing turn three. Casting third dark terrain.”
The wasteland around her grew. The air grew cold with the shadows amassing amidst the competing sunlight.
“Activating orc battle ground enchantment. Doubling forces, once more.” Two more orcs emerged from the cave, roaring ferociously at Michael.
“Four orcs? Not good!” Isabella’s eyes flared with terror.
“Now casting six angel spawn to opponent’s side of the battlefield.”
