It was the start of the holiday weekend, at the end of term - seven friends gathered in a two story house to unwind. They had brought the beer and skittles, the chips and sausages, the potato salad and token plate of carrot sticks with dip.
The group gathered in the living room for a major discussion. They were already set up with board games and cards, ready to enjoy two weeks without internet or contact outside the house. They all discussed which game to play first, and what characters they would make or continue, and argued cheerfully about which expansion to follow.
Everything was normal, until Lisa brought out the Book.
It thumped down into the table with majestic weight, bound in black leather and embossed red lettering: The Book of Demonic Powers.
From the moment it appeared, smiles faded away and a strange chill shivered down their spines. This book carried a strange aura; chilling, intense and full of fear.
Like something from another world…
"Lisa, w-what's this?" Norm plucked up his courage to ask. The boy was seventeen, but his short stature often had him mistaken for a child. Naturally, this gave him issues with confidence, and was part of the reason why he chose to be a Treant Guardian. A brown shirt with green pants, a bunch of twigs were tied to his wrists and ankles, while a small wooden shield hung off one elbow.
"It's a book I found in a garbage sale. It's so weird, I couldn't resist buying it - but the strange thing is the salesperson claimed they never saw it before. I've been looking through some of the pages, and it's absolutely bizarre. Wanna try?" Lisa, dressed as Valkyrie, in a white dress cut from a sheet with plastic armour added with matching helmet, explained slowly, as her hand traced the leather unconsciously. Beside her on the carpet rested a hobby horse with a paper crown taped on.
"If it's so weird, why did you bring it out? You know I'm not good with this strange stuff." Genifer complained. Dressed in light purple harem pants, a singlet top, and many golden bracelets, she looked like a dancer from Arabian Nights - but still claimed to be a witch.
"Come on, Gen, have a drink for some courage! I kinda want to take a look." Harry, a red head wearing a Halloween wizard hat and robe, announced cheerfully. He was always the most adventurous of the group.
"Then open it already! I can see you shiver with antici-pation." Claire declared in her best Tim Curry voice. She was wearing a short green skirt and midriff top, showing off an enviable set of muscles. A classic pearl necklace, pair of small devil horns on her head, with green bat wings and matching tail finished her dragon costume. Claire had always been a bundle of contradictions - muscular yet feminine, edgy but conservative, and a rampant Fujoshi through and through.
"Indeed. We should get on with it." Tom agreed. His costume was a jarring contrast to the others - a classic reproduction of a blue shirt crew member of the starship Enterprise. With Vulcan ears glued on, black hair trimmed short, and eyebrows drawn elegantly, Tom became a very young version of Spock. How did he get away with such an out of tune costume? By holding up his fake phaser and claiming to be an elvish archer.
"Come then, let us read from this good book!" Keith announced pretentiously, swiftly stretching out his hand and dragging Lisa's hand, flipping the cover open. Dressed in a black coat with pants like something from Father Brown, Keith wore a white leather collar with spikes and a pair of wolffish ears. Yes, Keith said since all priests are hiding secrets, it only made sense to be a Werewolf.
But as the Book opened, a strange breeze passed, and the pages flipped over by themselves. The old paper made a crackling noise as it moved, like a snake crossing sand. The pages stopped, and Lisa leant forward to read the title.
"Norvic the Infanticide. Knight level Demon. Can be contracted for boons concerning genocide. His favourite offerings are live human infants… lovely. I think he's probably what's needed to get rid of the cockroaches under the sink." Lisa read, and an expression of disgust crossed her face.
"Oooh, me next!" Harry cried, and closed the book swiftly before reopening it. Again the pages turned and slithered by themselves before settling. "Kobolder the Cowardly. Page level Demon, servant of Knight Baldric. Grants his contractor the ability to flee from any battle. Side effects include fleeing marriage, business debts, family properties, legal charges, and blood related offspring. Wait, doesn't that just make you a scum bag?"
"My turn." Genifer flipped the book, and read the page it opened to: "Evangelese the Greedy. Lordess level Demon. The more you want, the more you will gain, but the cost is everything you once valued. Yeah, that's so dumb. What could I want that would be worth more than my trust fund?"
"Indeed. I believe it's Norm's turn." Tom said coldly, and smiled at his friend gently.
"I-it's fine, I don't want to. That book feels too freaky, I'm not touching it." Norm shook his head violently - if the branches of his costume had leaves they would have fallen from all his shaking.
"Keith?" Lisa asked.
"Cowardice, Infanticide and Greed. I don't think this is a good book, so I too will refrain." Keith stated calmly, but his eyes never strayed from Norm's figure across the table.
"Then I'll have a go." Claire announced, and slammed the book with gusto.
"GENTLY! Don't break my book!" Lisa cried in alarm, but Claire paid no attention, swiftly reopening it.
The pages scraped by swiftly, and more than half the total flipped by before the book settled.
"Lord Malcolm. High Lord level Demon. Patron of gamblers, fools and drunks. Summon him to make a wager - any terms you like, for any reward you can dream of, but the price of losing is your freedom. And here's a quote - 'while fate is ever unkind, and chance is ever uncertain, only the nature of men and demons will ever be the same.' That's a lot of Evers." Claire read slowly, and the others listened quietly. For a time it seemed all the world fell still, enthralled by the words of the demon.
Seven friends sat quietly round the table, the book open in the centre, and a soft voice crept into their ears -
"Why don't we summon him?"