“The mood in the locker room was grim but optimistic. Each Archer made a point of taking a few moments with each of their team mates before taking the field. Teams coached by the organized crime boss C98 had already killed three of the Archers. This very ogre team was responsible for two deaths.

Still, death is in important aspect of Blood Bowl. Without it, fewer fans would tune in, ratings would drop, and teams would go bankrupt. In the end there would be no glory for the Archers if there were no bloodlettings.

Each of the Archers of Avelon had made their peace with this aspect of the game some time ago. The point was abundantly clear before they ever signed a contract or put on a suit of Blood Bowl armor.

Before taking the field, Kydeth called the team together.

“Ok. You all know the game plan. Stay away from the bruisers as much as you can and hit every snot that comes near you. If you do find yourself on the ground be sure to cover up because a boot is coming your way. Everyone keep an eye on Smack. If he hits you, you will not be able to avoid it. He is easily the most dangerous of the blokes.”

The team entered the tunnel and Arcane Fire started playing the Archer of Avelon theme song. The match would soon be underway.

It did not take long for the Archers to feel the pain. The random mercenary line elf they hired had clearly not paid attention in practice. He hit the turf hard and the little snotling Buck stomped on his neck.

The hero of the match was clearly Ortalion who twice single handedly stripped the ball from the ogre Harm. The humiliation at the hands of Ortalion will not be forgotten by the ogre. After stripping the ball she force fed him a custard pie and while he was distracted threw the ball to safety.

Going into the second half elf spirts were high. Kydeth gave a signal and the elves started taunting ogres. Dodging away and then intentionally moving within range only to dodge away again causing the ogres to bellow in rage. On cue, Revwe dodged from the ogre marking her then danced and toyed with a snotling before knocking it to the ground and stepping into the endzone.

On the sideline, Corbis elbowed Kondor. “My guess is that the badging office is going to certify that as a Dodgy Play. You have to admit it was good display of agility. Where does this one go?”

Kondor pointed to his left shoulder blade and scowled. “They are elves. Of course they can dodge but that was just showboating.”

Still, there was reason to celebrate soon enough. Iondil lay on the pitch grasping her knee with a grinning ogre standing over her. Corbis picked up his bag and jogged to the field where he expertly stabilized the knee then helped the elf to her feat. As they walked to the sideline Corbis stumbled over a downed snotling, and fell taking his patient with him. Trying to protect her injured knee she fell awkwardly and twisted her back. The knee would eventually heal completely, but the injury to her back would niggle her for the remainder of her career.

Kondor grinned approvingly and then began to get excited. Smack had a clean, unabated shot on an elf was clearly distracted by the ball. Knowing exactly what to do he took the unsuspecting elf by the back of the neck, picked it up, and crushed it into the turf. The result was never in doubt but Kondor ran to the sideline to see who had just died. The grounds crew rushed out unceremoniously and dragged the corpse to the Archer sideline. Dejected, Kondor returned to the bench talking to himself.

“The journeyman. Just another stinking journeyman. I need to renegotiate the contract with c98 and pay less for journeymen.”

Before the match even came to an end, Kondor found Coach c98. “Let’s go to your office. We need to talk.”

“Sure thing Kondor.” Responded c98. “But be sure to bring your gold.”


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