Blood Bowl: Taking It Back

by Nate Ball

Based on the popular tabletop and video game. In the near future, the game of Blood Bowl has been taken over by BIBA (Blood Bowl International Association), an organization bent more on making money and the game more deadly. However, the NAF (Nuffle Amorical Federation) is back and with the help of new recruit, Kaspar Gunderman, will try to take it back.

Blood Bowl: Taking It Back

Chapter 1

"We will usher in the greatest era of Blood Bowl the Old World and New World has ever seen."

- Tywinian Ypressinor, CEO of BIBA, Blood Bowl International Business Association, 2508

"Blood Bowl is like war. There are no winners; only survivors."

-Hymie Snivel, owner and coach of The Lowdown Rats

Griff Oberwald was carried off the field on a stretcher. This was not entirely new to most fans, since he had been playing the game for over thirty years now, but it would make for better Cabalvision viewing because no one had ever seen him leave the field with a sword sticking through his body. In fact, the ratings might go slightly higher, although no one much cared for Oberwald anymore, Star or not.

Kaspar surveyed the field. All of his team were either dead or just injured enough to stay on the ground, waiting for an apothecary. The Roaming Rovers had gone through six complete roster changes in the same amount of months, and still, Kaspar felt no remorse or guilt for any of them, although it was a waste of players. They all knew what they were getting into, and besides, he didn't have time to learn any of their names. He only ever had the time to teach them how to hurt the other team and how not to get hurt in return. The other team, The Hunchbacked Hurters, fared no better. Although they were an all-orc team, they also shared the same positions on the field as their opponents, which were to say, dead or injured. Kaspar's gaze moved to the stands in a defeated disposition. Only a few hundred fans were sticking around to watch the clean-up, but mostly because they were too drunk off of Bloodweiser or Gores Light, the only two drinks allowed in BIBA Stadiums, or fighting amongst themselves having not received enough entertaining violence from the game earlier. To be fair, there were probably only a dozen more fans when they had started the game anyways.

"What da crump has dis crumpin' game come ta?" asked Dunka walking across the field towards Kaspar. The former orc blitzer stepped over one of his own players' heads whose tongue was hanging out, touching the field; his blue uniform covered in blood.

"What are we doing here at all?" asked Kaspar. "Just look at this. It's totally crumped. I don't know about you, but I'm out of money."

"Don't worry, Kaspar. If it makes ya feel better, I am too."

"I used the remaining money I had on Griff, hoping to pull in a win to gain a couple more investors, but now, he's out and I don't even think anybody scored."

"Nope. I told mine not ta until dey killed alla yours."

"I did the same, Dunka," Kaspar sighed. He rolled over one of his players with his boot. The player groaned in pain, his red and black uniform slit from the cuts of the weapons used by Dunka's team. "But why are we doing that? We're part of the problem, you know."

They began to walk back across the pitch to get to the exits. At McMurty's Field in The Moot, previously called Green Acres Stadium, all of the exits were at one side of the arena while all of the entrances were at the other. At one end of the field were the large kitchens of McMurty's to feed the few spectators that came while at the other end were the locker rooms. McMurty's had bought the stadium on the cheap and had transformed it from a rural stadium in the middle of the Moot to an arena that could sport about thirty thousand fans. Of course, this was only one of seven fields McMurty's owned throughout the Old World, this one being the smallest venue of the seven.

Having no players left, no equipment, and no money, both Kaspar and Dunka had no need to stop by the locker rooms and headed for the exits. "And since when did we resort to being entirely monopolized by BIBA and then told what company to buy from for equipment," asked Kaspar as he pulled a sword from another human player, #15, "and where in the Chaos did you get Nipponese swords from?"

"Good deal from Amazons," Dunka said taking the sword from Kaspar as it was passed to him, "and saved a bundle on shippin'. Where'd ya find da flails?"

"MeSlay. They were used, but I got a pretty good deal on them as well."

"Did a number on mah boyz," said Dunka, also taking a look at both teams lying on the pitch.

"Yeah, about that, why are your teams getting smaller? I thought you greenskins lived for this kind of thing."

Dunka shrugged. "Mostly. But if we want ta fight, we fight. If we want ta play, we play. So confusin' now. Lotsa boyz went off ta fight in real battles, like in da Southlands or Khuresh. More loot dere dan here. Not like it used ta be." Dunka watched the remaining fans leave the stadium as if they realized they had something better to do but there happened to be a Blood Bowl game that interrupted them. "Dis makes me wish the elves didn't go."

"Or the Halfling teams."

"Dem too," Dunka sighed.

"Ridiculous," said Kaspar.

"Speakin' about dat," said Dunka nodding to two BIBA officials walking towards them. One was an elf; the other, a human. Dunka tossed the sword to the ground.

"Cards, please," the tall elf said.

Kaspar and Dunka fished theirs out and handed them to the officials. Kaspar turned back to Dunka, rubbing his chin, "I mean, we fill out our rosters, put them on the field, they attempt to kill each other, and then we have pay these crumpin' fools so they can take in most of the ticket sales?"

"Watch your language coach," said the human official.

"Crump off, you don't even know who I am."

"Kaspar Gunderman."

"Oh, you only knew that because you just looked at my card, you shank."

"Uh, no I didn't."
"What's mah name den," asked Dunka.

"Uh… um."

"So, just take my gold and shove off," yelled Kaspar. The human official placed a magic rune card on Kaspar's and it turned from a glowing red and stayed that way. "I mean, we used to actually play a game, Dunka, remember? There was a ball and everything. At least I remember there being one. Amazing that one little ball with spikes is what kept this game civilized. Then these shanks came in and screwed everything about."

Dunka nodded. The elven official's rune card changed from glowing red to blue on top of Dunka's card, and the elf handed it back to Dunka. "''Member when crumpin' touchdowns happened? Referees could crumpin' ref wit-out gettin' dead or being da first dead man on da field? Or weapons like dese swords and flails; dese weren't here before. Except for Gobbos and Dark Elves. And a dwarf or two."

"It used to be that this crap got you kicked off the field or even banned, but now, thanks to these BIBA crumps, we have to practically give them to all of our players in order to even have a shot. Why don't we just have everyone fight to the death, anyways? Oh wait, we already do that!"

"Coach?" asked the human official.

Kaspar turned violently. "What?"

"It appears you have no more loan of gold on your card."

"No shank! I spent the last of it on Griff Oberwald, that old crumpstick. Let's go see if I can get the sword sticking out of his stomach so I can shove it up your ass!"

The elven official chimed in. "Coach, there is no need to be this disgruntled. As a representative of BIBA, I am authorized to take your team, your equipment, and any other assets effective immediately."

Dunka chuckled. "Good luck wit dat."

The elf turned to look at Dunka with a confused look. Kaspar said, "Listen. You can have it all. In fact, here is my authorization medallion as well, because I am sure you need that, too, right?"

"Of course."

Kaspar placed it on the ground, unbuckled his pants, and sat over the medallion until he covered it with poop. Dunka laughed so hard at their expressions and while they were transfixed at the egregious display by Kaspar, grabbed the elf by the throat, head-butted him, and then punched out the human.

Still laughing, Dunka asked, "Bloodweiser?"

"You buying?" Kaspar took one of the robes of the officials to wipe himself.

"Looks like I have ta."

No fans raced up to them, either to hurt or to praise, but that lost its surprise a year back or so. What was the sport coming to when even the fans were losing interest in criticizing the coaches? At some point, Blood Bowl needed to change. Go back to its roots. In 2508, BIBA stepped in to make money off of the most popular sport in the Old World, and possibly the New World as well. After promising contracts to many leading companies, including viewing rights to CBS and NBC, BIBA began changing the rules of the game. Lucrative contracts to players and moving them around to become permanent members of whatever teams BIBA wanted led to most players losing loyalty and passion for their home fields. And while there were still die hard fans, many turned to merely staying involved in following their teams by checking the stats in the local BIBA Post.

Soon after, BIBA created the the BBSPN, thus covering most games without having to relinquish any control of advertising or coverage to the other stations. Instead, they began to only allow NBC, FOX, and CBS to cover any Bowl finals on specialized pay-per-view. All of this meant that the spectator had to pay more money to watch the same games they did before BIBA took over. By 2515, BIBA, and their approved companies, controlled or owned almost everything related to Blood Bowl.

The two coaches walked past Griff Oberwald getting ready to go on a wagon to an apothecary preapproved by BIBA and McMurty's. As they loaded him onto the back, the two nurses bumped his side into the folded down door. The sword slid down further. "Ouch," was his only reply.

"Stop bein' a crybaby," said Dunka as they walked past him to go drink to the pitiful rut they had found themselves.

Chapter 2

"We regret to inform the Blood Bowl Community that Nuffle Amorical Football will step down as governing body of Blood Bowl due to the catastrophe caused by our former CEO, Nikk Three-Horn, and several other corrupt officials within the organization. May Nuffle guide everyone in this time of change."

-Tywinian Ypressinor, Official Spokesperson for the NAF, after Nikk Three-Horn and other officials embezzled and absconded with the NAF's treasury, 2489

"Blood Bowl isn't just about having a fight."

"There's a ball out there, dummies!"

-Bob Bifford and Jim Johnson, ABC commentators several games before they were fired by BIBA

The rays of the afternoon woke Kaspar at the back of a dingy tavern. He immediately smelled vomit but knew it couldn't be his seeing as how it was full of Big Moot sandwich chunks and he never ate those. Their special sauce made him throw up every time he bit into one.

"How many Big Moots did you eat, exactly?" asked a female voice from the sunlight. He looked up to see a figure blocking some of the sun. Her silhouette did little to reveal who she was.

Kaspar said, "Wha?" as he shielded his eyes to get them accustomed to the light. "I don't eat those. Someone must've thrown up on me."

"Oh, you definitely ate them," she said. "I watched you."

"Wha? You watched me? Are you a weirdo or something? And who threw up on me?" he asked. "Oh, Nuffle," he said smelling the odor of the sick and thus added to another pile of vomit close by on the ground.

"Classy," the woman said. "And, no, I am not a weirdo or anything of that nature. I approached you last night to discuss some business, which you agreed to, and then you immediately brushed me off when the waitress brought a stack of Big Moot sandwiches, so I assumed I would wait until a better opportunity arose to go over the details." Kaspar's vision cleared and he saw a tall, female elf in fancy clothes, almost in a Marienburg-style get-up, complete with dark green, heeled boots poking out under her light green dress with white lacing. "And it seems I've found that moment just now," she said.

Kaspar smiled and perked up a bit. It had been awhile since any female, let alone an elven one, approached him. "What's a beauty like you doing here in a shanky place like this?"

"Please, Mr. Gunderman. I am here for business purely, you're an over the hill, washed-up Blood Bowl player, and you're covered in your own sick."

Kaspar looked down at himself. "Well, fair enough I guess. Always worth a try I suppose."

"Now come along, I will brief you on the way."

"On the way to where?"

"To the Nuffle Amorical Football headquarters."

"Wha?"

"The NAF Headquarters. Let's go."

"Darling, you may be hot, but I'm not traveling several days to get to Marienburg just because I owe the NAF money. You can just forget it."

"Oh, you don't owe us any money, Mr. Gunderman."

Kaspar took off his shirt carefully to not get more vomit on himself and threw it to the ground. "Wha? Yes, I do. And what do you mean 'us'? You work for them? Wait. Who are you anyways?"

"Follow me and I will tell you," she said. With brisk movements, she walked down a side alley out of the courtyard towards the main streets. Kaspar, for his part, shakily walked after her trying to keep up with her pace. The combination of wooziness, hangover, and just waking up caused him to waver clumsily without his shirt on. "My name is Miss Ellewyn, and yes, Mr. Gunderman, I not only work for the NAF, but I work in the Finance and Procurement Department as well. There is a reason, by the way, on why you don't owe us any money, and that is, to simply put it, because you work for us now."

"Wha? Bullshank. No way. Why would I do that? I didn't sign anything. Ah, Chaos, I probably did, didn't I?"

"After what I heard last night, during one of your ramblings on a high horse, I think it would be in your best interest to work for us. Also, you did sign a contract. You just don't remember doing so, just as you probably don't remember running around the bar without your pants on."

"I don't remember that either but it sounds like me. But, anyways, I'm still not going to Marienburg."

"You don't have to 'go' to Marienburg, Mr. Gunderman."

"Good."

"You're already here."

They walked out onto the busy street where ships were moored at many of the docks dotting the waterline. Workers were moving cargo to and from the holds of the ships while fruit cart vendors peddled their wares to passersby. Many folks were simply moving through the city doing whatever it was that people like themselves did.

Kaspar looked around at the sights, smelling the salty air for the first time since he awoke. He watched as seagulls swirled through the air, perching on the masts making the passersby underneath nervous, or diving to catch some unaware piece of food the moment it landed on the ground. "Well, shank," he said, and then leaned over and puked some more.

"I have reserved a room for you at the Hauer Hotel."

"Is it nice?" he asked wiping his mouth on his knee while he was bent over.

"I found you in the back of a tavern in one of the seediest parts of Marienburg covered in your own vomit. You are now shirtless. Compared to all of that, this place is the Altdorf Palace."

"Fair enough."

"Besides, you need a bath and some fresh clothes."

"Joke's on you. I don't have any money. I'm broke."

"Apparently, so broke that you can't even pay attention. "

"Real clever, Ellewyn."

"Miss Ellewyn, she said. "You work for us now, so naturally, you have a salary that we will deduct from in order to put you right again. I only hope we are paying enough for that miracle."

"Ha ha."

As they walked along the coastline of one of the many wards that made up Marienburg, Kaspar watched everyone walking by. No one seemed to notice an elven woman followed by a smelly, shirtless human. They were in Suiddock, recognizable by Kaspar since he had played here on more than one occasion, where something like this was probably not a rare occurrence. After passing the Watch Post and Jail, the two came upon a small skiff at one of the larger docks. Several men were carrying various bags of grain from one of the boats while others simply looked around lazily with their hands in their pockets.

Miss Ellewyn paid the dock captain and walked to the skiff. It was just a little ferry boat but was quite sturdy and seemed to have been recently built. Climbing aboard along with a sober boatman, they soon let off from the dock to cross the River Reik. On the way, Kaspar's stomach felt like an uneasy tiger constantly circling for a place to lay down. This made him vomit over the side. And then do it again five minutes later.

"Mr. Gunderman, we are almost to Guilderveld."

"That sounds great. Anytime you want to get there faster is okay with me."

Guilderveld was a more opulent ward than Suiddock. The buildings, instead of mostly wooden construction, were made of various stones in various colors. Most of Suiddock's buildings only ever reached two stories while many of the buildings here were three and wider to boot. Leaving the dock they pulled into once they reached Guilderveld, they embarked on a quick pace towards the Hauer Hotel named after one of the founding families of Marienburg. Since it was almost directly across the street from this particular dock, they came to the front of the hotel in no time at all. The building itself was three stories but unlike some of the other structures here, a large statue of one of the Hauer family stood in the courtyard entrance in stereotypical Marienburg fashion of puffy sleeves and breeches, much too dandy for Kaspar's tastes. But then, he was shirtless with stained pants, so what did he know?

"Here we are, Mr. Gunderman. I will see you at the NAF Headquarters in four hours. If you wish, there's a game being played at Bloodweiser Stadium in just over an hour from now. It's on the way to the Headquarters, but I'm sure you already know that. The address and directions to the NAF building will be at the front desk." Miss Ellewyn turned to walk away but then paused and spoke to Kaspar again. "Um, Mr. Gunderman?"

"Yes?"

"You can read?"

"Right."

"You can write, too?"

"Oh, no, I meant 'right' as in I can read- a little. Can't write for shank."

"Well, you can follow directions?"

"Not according to my ex-wife."

"Amazing. How I would have never guessed you were married before."

"Well," shrugged Kaspar, "I'm a surprising guy."

Ellewyn smiled. "Let's hope so, Mr. Gunderson. For the future of Blood Bowl."

"Seriously?"

"Dramatic enough, for you, Mr. Gunderman?"

Chapter 3

"When you say Bloodweiser, you've said it all. Hopefully, through a complete set of teeth."

-Bloodweiser Campaign Slogan

"Where there's blood, there's Bloodweiser. And a babe."

-Bloodweiser Campaign Slogan

"Oh, for the love of Nuffle," Kaspar sighed. Kaspar had bathed at the hotel and changed into some of the clothes from the new wardrobe that was hanging in his closet. He wondered how much they would take from his salary but since he didn't even know that, he decided to let it be for now. He then called for the barber service the hotel provided for a clean shave and a haircut. This reminded him of a time when his team, the Talabecland Tigers, used to provide these services on a regular basis, or at least, when they were on a winning streak. That didn't happen often. When he had left the team in 2504 to start coaching the Grenzstadt Ravens, Kaspar never had enough money to afford the same luxuries for his own players. They weren't a bad team either, but because he never had a lot of start-up capital, he always seemed to be behind in catching up to other, more lucrative teams. This also meant he couldn't get the best players, but what they lacked in Star power they made up with a lot of heart.

He caught himself smiling in the mirror at those memories. Although it had been an incredibly tough venture, there was something to be said about making your own way. And making friends and acquaintances, like Dunka, for example, couldn't be excluded. Having your home field so close to Black Fire Pass, allowed a certain contempt and respect for the Orc race. Not Gobbos, though. They were always worthy of contempt and disrespect.

Leaving the Hauer Hotel, Kaspar walked towards what had once been Gunder Field. When Bloodweiser bought the sponsorship of the stadium, it was one of the most expensive purchases in Blood Bowl history. Nowadays, it was common for almost every field to have been bought by a corporation and have their name plastered all over it. History was becoming, well, history. After entering the Bloodweiser Stadium, and after he grabbed a Bloodweiser beer and Bloodweiser schnitzel, Kaspar watched the pre-game fashion show that was taking place. This didn't happen in every stadium but being in Marienburg, fashion was one of the greatest means in which to flaunt your wealth. Other stadiums and companies did other activities before the game and during halftime to entertain the fans. Here, men and women were parading around in Armanzi suits, dresses, and whatever else passed for high fashion these days. Armanzi was a branch of Amazons, so they were also heavily advertised around the stands and on the field. Bloodweiser must have had a corporate agreement with Amazons for a mutually beneficial business deal. The stadium itself was only a quarter full, which was actually good attendance compared to other blood bowl games Kaspar had previously attended. Blood Bowl seemed to now pander to the lower class, so it was interesting no other stadium was built in one of the poorer wards. Marienburg's elite had begun to shun the sport soon after the rules for ejection for fouls and weapons were eliminated. Secret weapons were now considered regular equipment as well. Why think about the game to win when you insist that killing everyone else is the only viable option. No more strategy meant no more tactics.

The stadium was four stories tall so if you were a player on the field, you could only see one or two buildings from the surrounding war. However, being in Guilderveld, the stadium was in the middle of the business district and those in the upper parts of the stands would see more of the bustling district around. At this time of day, the sun was setting such that only the eastern part of the field and stands were in the sunshine, casting a dark shadow over the other half.

Today's ticket was between the human teams of the Kemperbad Bandits and the Cantonia Firebrands, both unheard of by Kaspar's recollection. After BIBA did away with the NAF divisions and conferences, forcing everyone to be in competition with everyone else, it was hard to keep up with who you played next and what you qualified for. The Bandits wore predominantly brown uniforms with white stripes while the Firebrands wore gray tops with red pants. Recent BIBA rules allowed two ogres per side for each human team, a rule everyone, except for BIBA, hated since the games rarely had any touchdowns.

As the fashionistas left the field at the end of the pre-game show, and the two team captains met in the middle, a goblin referee entered the pitch only when literally thrown onto the field by an ogre BIBA official. Once he landed, the ref turned to look in the direction of whence he came and seemed to physically shiver at his lot in life. Dejected, the goblin slumped his shoulders and walked the few yards left to the waiting captains, dragging his feet. Several words were said about the coin toss and then it was flipped and caught by the referee who then pointed to the Firebrands. By way of gesturing, it looked as though the Firebrands elected to receive the ball while the Bandits pointed towards which side of the field they would defend.

The teams got into their positions and the referee seemed to take several deep breaths before he actually brought the whistle to his mouth. But, at some point, the game would have to begin and so he blew on it, reluctantly, and started the match.

Years ago, when the whistle blew, several things used to happen simultaneously. The crowd would roar, the ball would be kicked and the game would begin with the two sides muscling each other for possession of the ball. Instead, the crowd barely made an audible hiccup, the kicker ran towards the ref after kicking the ball, no one made any attempt to catch the ball, and everyone started fighting immediately and brought out weapons they had hidden poorly.

"And this is what passes as Blood Bowl now," said Kaspar to his beer before drinking.

"Far different than from what we were used to, eh, Kaspar?"

Kaspar didn't need to turn to see who that was. He always recognized the Dwarven accent slightly accentuated by an Amazonian lilt, reinforced only by her smoky voice. "Ah, Zara. Always a pleasure." He turned to watch her legs, barely covered by an Armazani skirt step down from the higher seats to where he was sitting. Once she got comfortable, they turned to each other. He looked up her still smooth and muscular legs to her face. "Always a pleasure."

"Oh, Kaspar, still ever the rake?"

"Nah. Too old for that. Besides, I must be losing my game. I couldn't even turn the head of an elf. How about you?"

"Almost. Too old, but still able to turn heads."

"On that we can agree," he smiled back.

Turning his attention back to the field, he could see that the four ogres were grappling with each other while the Bandits already had three men laying prone on the field to the Firebrands' two. "I think I actually am too old for this, Zara. This isn't Blood Bowl anymore."

"I agree. And soon, Nuffle may show his wrath at his wayward children."

"But would they even notice?"

She turned to look at him. "Notice what? His wrath?"

"I don't know what I mean, anymore. I think this game just left us behind. I barely recognize it anymore."

They watched as a Bandit player chainsawed one of the Firebrands' ogres at the knee. The ogre crumpled to the side, grabbing the player's hands holding the chainsaw only to bring it down on the player's head. With the ogre's attention on his severed leg, one of the Bandits' ogre shoved his thumbs into the Firebrand ogre's eyes.

"Morg N'Thorg did that once," Zara said.

"Right. Once. Now this happens all of the time. Tell me something, Zara."

"Yes?"

"How did Armanzi get into cahoots with Bloodweiser?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, take this stadium, for example. Bloodweiser owns it, but uses the Armanzi label all over it. How did that happen? Was there a merger?"

"Why ask me?"

"Aren't you one of Armanzi's spokespersons?"

"Well, no, I am one of their models for their Cougar line. But I bet the Bloodweiser babes wear Armanzi labels now. Maybe that's it."

"So is Blood Bowl just an advertisement for companies now? A way to simply sell more products?"

"Well, yes."

"And you're okay with that?"

"You mean, the outrageous money I make? Of course I am okay with that."

"I meant about the companies. Here is Bloodweiser Stadium. Then we have Zombway Field, Orcidas Stadium, Spike! Arena, McMurty's Park, and Kroxorade Field to name a few."

"And?"

"And, I don't know, I guess I'm thinking we sold out."

The remaining Firebrand ogre managed to knock out one of the Bandit's ogres but was soon hit with three lightning bolts back to back. Smoke rose from his body as he collapsed to his knees and fell over. In response, several fireballs spewed from the sky and landed on the remaining Bandit ogre who was standing next to three Bandit players who were attempting to remind him what he was supposed to do. Only one of the players got back up from the fiery detonations. The last few players from both sides faced each other with various weapons.

"Well, we left it to a new generation. We left when it was still good," she said.

"Before BIBA."

"Before BIBA."
"Do you still talk to any other Stars?" he asked.

"I bump into Helmet every now and then."

"What's he doing?"

"Selling chainsaws for Bomba Deere."

"Are they going to buy the old Lowdown Rats Stadium?"

"That's the rumor."

"Great. They were the last holdout. History means nothing anymore."

"Nope."

Kaspar finished his beer just as the last two Bandits slaughtered the remaining Firebrand. "Well, I've got to go."

"Where to?"

"To the NAF Headquarters."

"Working for the NAF now?"

"Apparently."

"Doing what, pray tell?"

"Who in the Chaos knows? It's my first day," Kaspar said heading out. Zara still sat staring at the field. He turned. "Zara?"

"Yes," she said never taking her eyes off of the field.

"Do you miss it?"

She closed her eyes and breathed inwards slowly. "With all of my heart."

Kaspar nodded and walked towards the exit.

The ball still lay where it had originally landed. It hadn't even been touched.

Chapter 4

"The NAF is dedicated to the integrity and honor of Blood Bowl. We have never done anything that would jeopardize that commitment."

-Nikk Three Horn, President of the NAF

"See you later, losers!"

-Last words from Nikk Three Horn after he took the NAF treasury and disappeared with the Darkside Cowboys' cheerleading squad

The NAF Headquarters was in the nicest, busiest part of town. Business was the business of Marienburg and based on the evening foot traffic around Guilderveld, business was booming. Many businesses stayed open late as several theaters and taverns of renown were still open to the various inhabitants and tourists. After the NAF relinquished regulatory control over Blood Bowl, it found new life in operating as an international bank to hold and invest various Blood Bowl team accounts or personal player accounts. It had to slowly build trust after the fiasco of the last President, Nikk Three Horn, absconded with the treasury. Eventually, it was able to build its reputation as a reliable bank only after becoming a publicly traded corporation with transparency laws for its clientele and a clever public relations campaign by the Mano Di Porco Firm.

The outside of the NAF building had four sandstone columns reaching from the base of the steps to the triangular roof reaching four stories tall. The massive double doors looked to be made of a dark wood, but Kaspar didn't know trees or plants very well. When he walked in, he noticed that the inside was not set up like a bank at all, but rather, the inside had an open floor with a round bar in the center that encompassed several workers, who looked more like librarians, and open offices on the side walls. A large chandelier of crystals hung from the vaulted ceiling that led his eyes to the wide staircase in the back that split off in two directions once it reached a small landing. The stairs then spiraled and disappeared to the upper floor.

He walked up to the center of the bar and waited patiently for one of the desk clerks to look up. She was pouring over several documents, looking over her focals to read the small print. The woman's brown hair was pulled back and tied up in a bun, her glasses tipped precariously at the end of her nose. When she finally did notice Kaspar, she asked, "Ah, yes sir. How may I have the pleasure in assisting you today? Would you like to open an account or make a deposit?"

"Um, no thanks. I believe I actually, um, well, actually have an appointment."

"And with whom?"

"Miss Ellewyn, I presume?"

The woman pulled out a wooden block that was a little thicker than a piece of paper but not much larger in size. There was a contraption on the top of it that looked to be holding papers together on it. She flipped through several of the pages and said, "Ah, yes. Mr. Gunderman? I will get her as expeditiously as possible."

"Thank you."

The woman bent over on her side of the desk and said to no one in particular, "Tell Miss Ellewyn, her evening is here."

Kaspar peered over to see who she was talking to and noticed she wasn't talking to anyone, only a horn attached to what looked like a pipe extending from the floor. Then he heard faintly and in a metallic sounding echo, "Certainly. Send him up to the second floor."

The desk clerk looked up to Kaspar and said, "Miss Ellewyn will see you on the second floor. Just head up the staircase."

"Um, thanks," he said.

"My pleasure."

Kaspar walked towards the staircase and climbed his way up. As he turned, following the spiral stairs, he noticed that the staircase, were he to continue, would lead to a third floor, and probably onwards. At the top of the second floor was a perpendicular hallway that led to two doors on either side. Miss Ellewyn waited for him at the top in a different outfit than before. She wore a light blue dress that came to just above her ankles like the last dress, but this one was more elegant, more streamlined, as if the lacy fluff had been taken off. "Mr. Gunderman, I'm glad you could make it. You freshen up better than I had expected."

"Thanks, I guess." he said. "And you look as great as ever."

Miss Ellewyn smirked. "Please, follow me." She turned to the double doors in the middle of the hallway and opened them. Inside was a large open-aired room with a fireplace on the left, another set of double doors straight ahead, and a doorway on the right. A mirrored ceiling reflected the candelabras and the single chandelier hanging from the ceiling creating a very well-lit room. She walked through this room towards the double doors on the opposite side and opened those. This room was similar to the last with the mirrored ceiling and fireplace on the left but it was much larger. It took up the entire corner of the building and so it had windows as high as a troll straight ahead and on the right. Every few feet the windows left a gap of wall that had a plaque or coat of arms of some sort. Along the top of the room, maybe about four feet down from the ceiling, were shelves holding up trophies from various leagues, tournaments, and events. Some looked very old in style while others looked as recent as a year ago.

In the center of the room was a circular table with chairs placed all around. At the fireplace on the left were three plush and comfortable seats. One of those was occupied by a man who stood as soon as Miss Ellewyn and Kaspar neared. The man removed his sunglasses to reveal red eyes and a toothy grin.

"Mr. Gunderman," said Miss Ellewyn, "I present you with Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn, President of Nuffle Amorical Football."

Chapter 5

"The quickest way to a vampire's heart? With a stake through the chest."

-Zara the Slayer

"All you need to get anywhere in life is a genuine smile and a well-established handshake. Although a little fear of death always helps."

-Count Luthor von Drakenborg

Kaspar extended his hand to the Baron. "I take it you're my boss?"

"Indeed, Mr. Gunderman. I am pleased that my very existence does not concern you."

Kaspar shrugged. "I've played and coached against your kind enough. One thing Blood Bowl does for a man-," at which point Miss Ellewyn cleared her throat, "- and woman, is that it definitely makes you less scared of the world around you."

"Well spoken, Mr. Gunderman. Please sit," said the Baron gesturing to one of the chairs, never taking the smile from his face.

"I am surprised though, that a vampire would be President of the NAF", Kaspar said as he sat down.

"Why is that, Mr. Gunderman?" he asked.

"I guess I always saw your kind as a little posh is all. Like these kinds of things would be beneath you. Please don't misunderstand me, I mean no offense."

"None taken," he replied sitting down as well.

"Haven't you read the papers recently, Mr. Gunderman," asked Miss Ellewyn, "it's been the biggest talk of the business world for the past few months."

"I'm an athlete, Miss Ellewyn, I don't read."

Once Miss Ellewyn took her seat in front of the fire, the Baron clapped his hands, and a goblin in black finery with a white handkerchief on his arm came running and stopped abruptly a yard from him.

"Sir?", he asked in a raspy voice.

"Gobbodor, please bring us all some Bilbali Red, 2425, please."

Gobbodor clicked his heels and turned around to run to a door on one side of the fireplace Kaspar had missed noticing before.

"A goblin butler?" asked Kaspar.

The vampire shrugged. "Diversification. That's what the NAF is all about now. We're going in a new direction. And I want you to be part of that direction, Mr. Gunderman."

"You do know I'm a broke coach of a non-existent team, and before that, I was a blitzer that had never made it to the finals, or even Star level for that matter. What purpose can I possibly serve?"

"I know all about your past Blood Bowl experience, Mr. Gunderman. As a player, you might have not been the best. But I'm not looking for the best player."

"I don't follow you."

Gobbodor came back with three full glasses and served one to Miss Ellewyn, then Kaspar, and then, lastly, the Baron. "Thank you, Gobbodor. Mr. Gunderman, I want you to help out the NAF because it was as a coach that you excelled in."

"I hate to break it to you, Baron, but my teams never made it to the finals of any major tournament."

Miss Ellewyn chimed in. "Mr. Gunderman, we know all of that. We also know the money you had to start up each team, the players you had available, and what you did with them. By all accounts, every team you coached should have ended up dead last in every tournament and league you played them in. But due to your resource management, your leadership, and the connections you made, you took teams with no chance to become teams with a fighting chance. In the process, you made lots of people lose lots of money in gambling."

The Baron leaned forward. "And truthfully, Mr. Gunderman, that's what the NAF wants. A coach who is willing to give us a fighting chance. A coach who knows what the odds are and still goes in with the passion of a fighter."

"But what am I fighting for?"

Miss Ellewyn chuckled. "I told you before. The future of Blood Bowl."

"I thought you were being funny and dramatic."

"Dramatic, yes. Funny, no."

"Do you know why there are so few old vampires out in the world, Mr. Gunderman?" asked the Baron.

"Mobs and stakes?"

The Baron snorted. "HA! Very good, Mr. Gunderman, but no. There are so few of us because the young ones are too impulsive. They have no patience or strategy for the long game."

"They overplay their hands," said Kaspar.

"Exactly. Just like playing Towers and Traps. If you tip your hand too early, the other players know what cards it takes to topple your defenses. That is why I was chosen to be President of the NAF. Well, that, and I was a quite bored. Being posh does have its perks, but challenging activities is not one of them. The NAF needs to become more than a bank for teams. We need to regain our status as the controllers and regulators of Blood Bowl and bring back the spirit that made this game great."

"I'll drink to that," said Kaspar. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and saw a slight revulsion from the Baron as he watched it.

"In 2508," began the Baron, "BIBA formed to regulate and oversee Blood Bowl. They promised they would not be a mirror image of the NAF after the scandal of Nikk Three-Horn and, in that sense, they were correct. However, with their licensing of the Blood Bowl name to multi-million gold companies, the selling of shares to investors of these same companies, and brokered agreements with Stars, they created an oligarchy that has set rules and standards for the destruction of the sport. Companies own Blood Bowl now, Mr. Gunderman, and unless we do something about it, they will kill it. And that leaves us with only a few options."

"What are those?" asked Kaspar.

"I would ask you that question, Mr. Gunderman. I have hired you to do one thing and that's fix the predicament we are facing."

"Okay, well, one option is we could buy the licensing back. Maybe buy BIBA ourselves. They don't seem to be interested in it anymore. Since the NAF has been operating more on the banking side of things, we could just get it back, financially," said Kaspar.

"We tried that," said Miss Ellewyn. "Unfortunately, when we matched their offered price, they raised it."

"Crumping shankers," swore Kaspar. "Pardon my language." He leaned back, "Well, that just leaves one option really and that one is impossible."

The Baron nodded, "We need to do something that takes money from BIBA and rebuilds our image."

"One thing to do," said Kaspar, "is probably find Nikk Three-Horn and bring him to trial."

"Not a bad idea," said the Baron, "I think we should search for the commissioner once again. Where was it we lost him last, Miss Ellewyn?"

"In Lustria," she said sipping her wine. The Baron nodded.

Kaspar added, "Another thing to do is broker agreements with smaller companies and maybe back them with finances and resources. Then they could topple some of the larger companies but they would already be in our pocket. But, wait, this is stupid, everything we are doing will only lead us to do the impossible."

Kaspar looked over at the Baron whose smile was spreading from ear to ear. "No way, Baron Falkenhayn, you can't be serious."

The vampire finished his wine and set the goblet on the small table in front of them. "Oh, Mr. Gunderman, I am a vampire, after all. I am deadly serious."

"You want me to help the NAF start a new league."

"I want you to the help the NAF start a new league," the Baron said leaning back, never taking his eyes and smile off of Kaspar.

Chapter 6

"If you want to create a successful team, you better find staff who share your vision and players you can scare the Chaos out of."

-J.J. Griswell, Jr., Owner and President of the Reikland Reavers

"Sponsors are the key to any successful team today."

-Buddy Grafstein, Bloodweiser Chairman, Creator of the Blood Bowl Trophy

Kaspar downed the rest of his wine in one gulp. The sweet, rosy taste slid down his throat and settled like a heavy cat in his belly, warm and slightly purring. He then rubbed his lips on his sleeve again, producing another wince from the Baron.

"Please use a napkin, Mr. Gunderman. This is Bilbali Red, 2425, after all," said the Baron.

"What's so special about the year 2425, if you don't mind me asking?"

Miss Ellewyn said, "It is highly expensive."

"And It was the year my team was formed," said the Baron. "But enough of history, let's move to the future."

"And my part in it," said Kaspar.

"Quite so," said the Baron, "please, follow me."

The vampire got up and the other two followed his lead towards the table in the center of the room. The Baron placed his hand on one of the chairs, which was covered in fine velvet like all of the others. "It's been ten years since BIBA took over. Except for the dark ones, all elves left Blood Bowl soon after every Halfling team pulled out. Once they all left, the Lizardmen, Amazons, and Slann followed several years later. This seat here will be yours, Mr. Gunderman. In front of you there are twenty-five chairs total, including your own. Your job will be to find a representative of each of the teams and bring the other seven teams back into the fold. We must bring all of them to this table in order to take back Blood Bowl."

Kaspar let out a large breath. "Well, I've got some reps in mind. Miss Ellewyn?"

"Yes, Mr. Gunderman?"

"Do you have any contacts amongst the Wood or High Elves?"

"I do."

"I think I might need an introduction."

"Not likely, I'm afraid. A human coming to court in Ulthuan or Athel Loren to promote Blood Bowl would simply encourage them never to play again," she said looking out the window."

"Can you do it, then?"

"No. I'm afraid I would also be a poor choice."

The Baron walked around the table touching each chair. "I will go, Mr. Gunderman. I also have contacts in both courts. I was also thinking of checking to see of Jordell Freshbreeze would like to come along."

Kaspar tilted his head. "I thought he was still under contract with BIBA."

"He was until he decided he didn't want to anymore."

"How did he get out of that?"

Miss Ellewyn said, "Simple. He paid the early cancellation fee. He is quite rich, you know. Or he was until after all of the fines and legal fees."

Kaspar pondered that statement. "Well, anyways, you two can head up that front but that leaves many others to me. You know, Baron Falkenhayn, this will cost a pretty gold piece."

"Of course," said the Baron adding a wave of his hand to inflect how little of concern he held for this dilemma.

"Does the NAF have any relationships with some of the smaller companies?"

Baron Falkenhayn smiled. "We most certainly do."

"Who?" asked Kaspar.

"Meiko Construction, ShadowForge and GoblinForge Armories, Rolljordan Fabrics, Willy Marketing, Reaper Architects, and Mano di Porco & Associates, to name a few."

"Any corporate sponsors?"

"None," smiled Miss Ellewyn. "And so far, we plan to keep it that way."

"But what's to prevent the NAF from becoming the new dictatorship of Blood Bowl?"

"Nothing, Mr. Gunderman. Absolutely nothing." The Baron walked to where the seat that had a 'NAF President' placard in front of it and sat slowly. Kaspar looked down and saw there was a placard as well. He lifted it up and turned it around. "Humans," read Kaspar out loud.

"Humans," repeated the Baron. "And hopefully Orcs, Undead, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, et cetera, et cetera. The power of Blood Bowl," he said opening his arms out to the table, "is delegated only by the participants. Majority rules with minority protection. Every month, one delegation is in charge of the meetings and votes. The President has final veto power, of course, but I promise you this, Mr. Gunderman. If we don't succeed in this endeavor, Blood Bowl will cease to exist as any of us have ever known it."

Kaspar turned to Miss Ellewyn. "I believe I've got a long road ahead of me."

"Hopefully," she said, "It is the last one."

Kaspar nodded.

A knock came at the door. Miss Ellewyn excused herself and opened it just enough to slip out. After a minute or so, she came through, shut the door, and walked to the center of the table. "There's been a disaster."

The Baron leaned forward onto his elbows. "Of what kind?"

"Amazons Stadium is gone," she said.

"Like, someone else bought it?"

"No," she said sitting down, "as in a massive volcano wiped out the stadium and most of the city around it."

"How is the rest of Amazon Isle?" asked the Baron.

"I have no idea. That's all the information we have. Also, Fangdango Field is gone."

"In Leicheberg?" asked Kaspar. "There aren't any volcanoes there, are there?"

"Tornados. As in more than one."

The Baron laughed. Both Kaspar and Miss Ellewyn stared at him dumbfounded. "Forgive me," the vampire said. "I am not laughing because any of this is funny. I'm merely laughing because we are obviously on the right path."

"How so?" asked Kaspar.

"Nuffle has spoken," said Miss Ellewyn.

After a minute of taking in the scope of the news and then to the job ahead of him, Kaspar asked, "Do any of you have any suggestions on representatives?"

"No," said the Baron. "That's why we've hired you. But, we won't be sending you alone."

"No?"

"No. From time to time, Miss Ellewyn will be helping you, however, as head of Finance and Procurement, she will have her hands busy enough with gaining the smaller companies' contracts for our league. So, naturally, we will be sending you with Gobbodor."

"Your butler?"

"Naturally." The vampire raised his head slightly. "Gobbodor!"

The goblin butler ran appeared from the shadows and stopped exactly one yard away from the Baron. "Yes, Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn?"

"Gobbodor here will escort you, take care of any mundane needs you may have, and help liaison between the Goblin, Orc, and Underworld teams. He is most loyal, and I assure you, he also wants what we want."

"I don't know, I've never had an assistant before," said Kaspar.

The Baron got up from the table. "Mr. Gunderman, I assure you, you will never even know he is there."

Chapter 7

"All tings excellent are as difficult as dey are rare. A goblin worth a shank? Rarer still."

Barak Spindozer, Wizard for Gouged Eye

"Goblins are so dumb, dey tink dat, uh, shut up. Dey are dumb, 'kay?"

-Wazguttle, veteran player of the Orctown Oldboyz

"Wake up, Mr. Gunderman! Wakey wakey!"

Kaspar opened his eyes to the goblin face of Gobbodor six inches from his face. The stank breath added to the shrieky, goblin voice, and the incessant metal banging was unlike any alarm he had ever had. "Holy shank, Gobbodor! What the crump?"

Gobbodor put down the stick and chamber pot he had used to make more noise while he yelled. Gobbodor stood straight and said, "I sorry, Mister Gunderman, but you said you need up by sunrise. And I do that. It sunrise- you up."

"Please stop calling me Mr. Gunderman, Kaspar will be fine."

"No can do, Mister Gunderman."

"Really?"

"Really."

"How about 'Mr. G', then?"

Gobbodor looked off into the distance somewhere past Kaspar's head and through the back wall. Kaspar followed his gaze looking for what caught the goblin's attention but found nothing but a simple painting of a generic landscape of a coastline. Then Gobbodor snapped his attention back to Kaspar. "That fine, Mr. G!"

"Good." Kaspar swung his legs over the side of the bed. This was the nicest bed he had slept on in a long time and so his back was a little sore being unaccustomed to simple finery. He stretched his toes and then his ankles. After years of playing Blood Bowl, the sport had taken a toll on not just his body as a whole, but the joints as well. "Did you eat yet, Gobbodor?"

"Yes yes," he said pittering around the room getting things in order.

Kaspar looked at his outfit already laid out on a small table and chair in the corner of the room. Before they left the Baron, Kaspar was given a Gold Card for purchases and an enchanted suitcase with straps that allowed double the normal amount of room on the inside despite the external limitations of the case itself. These were highly sought out by the rich since, besides the obvious luxury of taking more stuff on trips, the enchantments were very hard and volatile to perform. The suitcase was the size of a normal trunk, made out of dark stained wood with bronze fittings, and was almost as tall as Gobbodor if it stood on its end. Kaspar walked to the water basin and took the rag to dip it into the water. Surprisingly, the water was very warm and it felt much more refreshing to use it to wipe himself down than a cold one would have done. "Did you warm my water for me?"

"Yes, yes," replied Gobbodor.

"Thanks, Gobbodor."
"No, prob, Mr. G."

Kaspar then relieved himself into the chamber pot Gobbodor used earlier as a drum. He then dressed in the nice, casual outfit laid out for him for the trek ahead of them. Gobbodor strapped the suitcase on his back using the straps on his shoulders to brace the weight of it. "Alright, first things first," said Kaspar looking down at the goblin carrying a suitcase that could fit three Gobbodors. "We need to find Zara."

"Sure," said Gobbodor, shrugging as if this order had no real impact on his life at all.

The two of them left the room and moved on out past the front door of the hotel. Outside, the city was still waking up, and Kaspar drew a lungful a sea air. "The problem is Gobbodor, I have no idea where to find her."

Just then he saw Zara walk down a dock towards a moored ship already finishing loading supplies onto it. "Well, thank Nuffle, that was easy. Hopefully the rest will be just as easy, right Gobbodor."

"Sound good, Mr. G."

They walked up quickly to the dock. "Zara!" Kaspar yelled. "Zara!"

She stopped and turned to look at the pair of adventurers. "Kaspar? Why are you up this early and where in Nuffle did you get a pet goblin?"

"I no pet, lady. I am Gobbodor!"

She nodded to the goblin. "My apologies."

"Sorry, Zara, but you wouldn't believe what just happened last night."

"Found out about your job? Going to count all of the riches the NAF brings in?"

"Please, Zara, I hate math. But no, I've been assigned to find representatives for the NAF to start a new league for Blood Bowl."

"You're insane."

"I know, but hear me out."

"Make it quick, I've got a boat to catch," she said thumbing in its direction.

"Where are you going? Wait, you heard about the Amazons Stadium."

At about the same time BIBA took over, Zara had been found to have come from an ancient line of an Amazon family from the Vampire Coast, who had given her to the dwarves at birth, fulfilling some sort of prophecy against the undead. Of course, this news was found out by one of the major news networks and so she was thrown into a media frenzy. That ended when some of networks, notably NBC, tried to film her family reunion, and several reporters and cameramen lost their heads. Literally. Since then, Zara had become, more or less, the figurehead for the Amazons in the media. She also had signed up as a model/spokeswoman for Armazani, whose headquarters was based on Amazon Isle.

"Yes, Kaspar. I need to help wherever I can on Amazon Isle. Maybe my influence can help my sisters. Besides, there's nothing left for me here and I think I might start something back home for myself. Maybe my own clothing line, or a fitness regimen."

"But that's just it. All teams are going to be represented and I want you to represent the Amazons. There will be twenty-four delegations to run the new league. The NAF is getting smaller companies and sponsors as we speak."

"Do you hear yourself, Kaspar? The NAF. What a bang up job they did last time, right? This sounds like a scam."

"I know it does, but they've hired me, Zara. Not Griff, not Helmut, not Zug. Me. They're serious. They want to bring Blood Bowl back."

"Look, Kaspar, that sounds great, but the NAF is through. This is just another futile breath before they finally die. BIBA won't stand for them to start another league. I'm sorry, but this is just another dream that's going to wind up in the gutter. Blood Bowl is through. " The ship's horn blasted twice. She placed a hand on his shoulder, which was unusual. The only time Amazons put their hands on men was to knock them the Chaos out. He felt the warmth of her hand through his shirt and put his hand on hers. "Look, Kaspar, I wish you luck and I truly hope this works out because if anyone deserves this, it's you, but be very careful. BIBA will come after you. Now, wish me luck."

"Nothing I can do can change your mind, hunh?"

"Sorry, Kaspar."

"Good luck, Zara."

"Thanks." Zara took her hand on his shoulder, turned abruptly, and walked the remaining distance to the ramp to board the ship. Midway up the boarding ramp, Kaspar yelled, "Zara!"

"What?" she yelled back.

"Do you miss it?"

"Yes!"

"So do I! With all my heart!"

Zara then waved and disappeared behind the railing with several people boarding after her.

Chapter 8

"Playing away games are great. You get to travel to new places, meet new people,

and crush their faces."

-Mighty Zug, Travelling with the Zug: A Mini Guide to Many Lands

"If you want to sell a lot of beer, get it in a Norseman's hands."

-Hairy Jim Lorenzo, Owner of Slam Madam's Beer

"Seriously, Gobbodor, I thought this was going to go much better."

In order to get to Middenheim, the last place Dunka had mentioned that Kaspar had remembered following his several day binge before waking up in Marienburg, the two NAF employees had to share a cart with caged chickens. That, in and of itself, wouldn't have been bad, but these chickens were allegedly enchanted by a local wizard to produce more eggs. Which they did. But a side effect they carried forced them to produce more excrement as well, which also meant they had to be fed more for their own survival. And that was the payment for the ride to Middenheim. Feed the forever pooping chickens. If they hadn't already begged for rides from the goodwill of so many others to get this far, they would have just turned back towards Marienburg. Apparently, while goblins were fine to watch play Blood Bowl, they were not fine in riding in other peoples' carriages.

"No prob, Mr. G. People no like us. But you do. And I got job. No complain."

"You're a good gobbo, Gobbodor."

"I know."

Several hours into the trip, and after countless scooping of chicken poop and throwing it over the side, an ambush of highwaymen occurred to break the monotony of the trip. "Thank Nuffle," said Kaspar. Three men blocked the road in front of the wagon. The forest had hidden four more that had come from the forest on either side of the road. "Give us your money, peasant."

The driver said, "I haven't got any."

"Why not?" asked a man holding the reins to one of the two horses.

"Because I'm a peasant. But the two in the back do."

"You mothercrumper," said Kaspar. "Thanks a lot, Derrick."

"Sorry, Kaspar," said Derrick the driver.

Two men walked to the back. "What in the Chaos is that smell back here?"

"Chickenshank," said Gobbodor.

"Get outta there, the boths of ya."

Gobbodor looked over to Kaspar who nodded in acquiescence. The goblin jumped down first followed by Kaspar. "Give us your gold," said one of the other men from the forest.

"No," said Kaspar. "I've got things to do."

"Can you believe this crumpin' idiot, Harold?" asked the man who previously told them to get out of the back.

"No, Karl, I can't," said Harold. "Hey, dipshank, do I need to spell it out for ya? Give us all of your gold. Or gold cards. We'll take those too, seeing as how we ain't too picky."

"No," said Kaspar.

"What's the hold up?" asked one of the men from the front.

Karl yelled back, "We've got a bloody idiot telling us he ain't giving us his shank, Marco."

"Really?" Marco yelled back.

"Really," replied Karl.

"Hold on then," Marco yelled back. Two of the three men from the front came to the back of the wagon. One of them was slamming back a horn of ale. "So why are you giving us so much grief, now?"

"Because I need all of my stuff. I'm on a mission."

"A what?" asked Marco.

"I'm on a mission. From Nuffle."

The man with Marco finished his horn of beer and leaned forward. "Kaspar?"

Kaspar turned to look at him. "Akilles Viggosson?"

"Ha! Kaspar Gunderman, how are you, my friend?"

The two clasped hands. "I'm well, Akilles, but what the Chaos are you doing?"

"Ah, you know. I must pay de bills. Not much money in Blood Bowl anymore, I'm afraid. Especially for us old folks, yah?"

"Hey," interjected Marco.

"But highway banditry, Akilles?" asked Kaspar.

"Vell, I tried udder things but nothing panned out."

"Hey!" yelled Marco.

"Shut up, I'm talking to my friend, Kaspar here," said Akilles.

"What else did you try?" asked Kaspar.

"Vell, carpentry was no good. I stink at mining. And digging ditches as vell."

"Hey!" yelled Marco again.

Akilles threw his fist into Marco's face causing blood to spurt from the impact. Marco stumbled back but Akilles followed up because he just felt he had to. The blood was pumping. While there was hesitation amongst the other highwaymen, Kaspar took advantage and threw an elbow at the nearest man causing the bandit to crumple to the ground. While the others gained their senses, Kaspar noticed Akilles still punching Marco even though the man was already unconscious on the ground. Two of the other bandits charged Kaspar at the same time. One dove for his legs and all Kaspar had to do was time his knee at just the right moment and, krak! The man's jaw snapped. However, that took precious time and Kaspar was tackled by the second man to the ground.

Having been thrown to the ground for a living, Kaspar knew how to take the hit and then roll with the fall. Once he landed, he took the momentum of the guy to spin him to the right causing Kaspar to roll on top of the man. "Eat shank, Harold," said Kaspar as he pounded the bottom of his closed hand on the bridge of Harold's nose. Blood spurted out from this man's face and down the side to the ground.

Kaspar quickly got up from Harold and noticed that Akilles had beaten another man senseless while Gobbodor was chewing on Karl's leg. It looked as though the other man left had decided to take his own chances and run off.

Akilles walked over to Kaspar and smiled. "I knocked two out. You?"

"One knock out, one broken jaw," said Kaspar. The two men looked over at Karl screaming in pain as Gobbodor was now biting his hand, blood pouring out from between his sharp teeth. "And he might be out for a while. Okay, Gobbodor, let him go. Gobbodor. Gobbodor, let him up, it's fine."

Gobbodor spit out some loose flesh and got up, straightening the suitcase on his back. Karl ran off screaming down the road. "Sorry about that, Kaspar," said Derrick.

"Why didn't you tell them you had money? I could've paid you back. And you're not even a peasant."

"I know, Kaspar, but I figured you would take care of it, and look, it just so happens you did."

Kaspar shook his head and turned to Akilles. "So, you said you were looking for a job?"

"Yah. Know of one?"

"Why didn't you tell them you played as a Berserker on the Arctic Cragspiders?" asked Kaspar.

Akilles tried to tip back his horn but found it didn't have a drop left. "I forgot, I tink. That was a long time ago, though, what does it matter?"

"Do you miss playing the game, Akilles?"

Akilles looked at the four men lying on the ground and the groans form one of them. He smiled and nodded. "Yah, I do."

"Wonderful. Climb into my office, Akilles," Kaspar said as he gestured to the back of the wagon. "I might have a proposition that would interest you, so long as you can help shovel chickenshank."

Chapter 9

"Wanna Win or Get Wrecked?"

-Wolfson BB Sporting Goods Slogan

"Crump the NAF!"

-Njord Van Brocklinsson, after the Middenheim Marauders sold their stadium following the collapse of the NAF

Wolfson BB Pitch was the biggest structure in the Great Park in Middenheim proper. Originally called Karl Frans Arena, Wolfson BB Sporting Goods bought the Blood Bowl field after it signed a contract with BIBA to produce all of the balls for every tournament and leagues. It was only up for sale when the Middenheim Marauders sold it to the city after the NAF collapsed in 2489, forcing the team to be called, "The Marauders", as they went on their own. Although this purchase put their chief competitor, Impact! Balls out of the running for future contracts, Impact! was able to be saved as a company by a savvy CEO who diversified to produce balls for the burgeoning sokker leagues in Albion.

The stadium itself was three stories high with statues set into the walls containing various Stars like Helmut Wulf, Mighty Zug, and even one of Zara the Slayer. Of course, these were mixed in with statues of some of the previous owners, prominent investors of Wolfson BB, and even one of the head contractors who refurbished the stadium.

It turned out Kaspar and his friends were in luck as they arrived late evening since there was a game between Khorne's Maulers and the Black Mountain Ratskins. Lamplighters were illuminating the lanterns along the outside path of the stadium while several Bright wizards shuffled along the tops of the walls enchanting large glass globes to light up the stadium on the inside. While most companies were suffering financial losses by keeping their stadiums open (who were also under contract to do so by BIBA or pay astronomical fines), Wolfson BB Pitch was still able to break even, especially once they started night games. It also helped that Middenheimers loved their Blood Bowl.

Even though there was a larger crowd than normal, the stadium still hadn't seen the number of spectators it boasted ten years ago. The ticket counter wasn't crowded, so Kaspar, Akilles, and Gobbodor easily bought tickets, grabbed some food and drinks, and headed inside.

They easily found seats near the Black Mountain Ratskins' dugout and settled in. "Gobbodor, you can take that suitcase off now," said Kaspar sitting down.

"No, Mr. G. We near ratz. They steal. "

"Vat if dey get behind you den?" asked Akilles.

"You make good point, Mr. V," Gobbodor said after several moments of intense thought. The goblin took off the suitcase and placed it in front of him on the stands. He could rest his chin on the top of it but elected instead to put his Gores Light and nachos on it as a makeshift table.

Akilles took a massive gulp from the Gores Light in his left hand and set it down. He then held out his hand to Kaspar who was holding a large turkey leg for the Norsemen. "Tanks for putting my belongings vith yours," said Akilles.

"No problem, we had the suitcase and the room," said Kaspar. "So, who do you think's going to win this game? I haven't heard of the Black Mountain Ratskins before. In fact, I had heard the Skaven were going to be the next to leave the league soon."

Akilles shrugged. "Eh. Good riddance, I say. Nothing vorse dan trying to tackle a Gutter Runner."

"But when you do," said Kaspar.

"Ah, but ven you do, dere is notink like de crunch aftervards," laughed Akilles.

The coin toss was administered by a fat, human ref whose shirt seemed to cry at the strain of holding the man's gut in. When the coin hit the field, the ref tried to bend over to get it but couldn't seem to reach. He then scooted his feet to the sides so that he was doing a strange split while getting closer to the ground. Finally, his pudgy arms were able to reach the coin and he slowly inched his feet closer together to regain his bearing and then pointed to the Maulers' side. The Chaos Warrior in the center of the field pointed at the Ratskin Gutter Runner who nodded in turn. The ref turned to the Skaven player who also thumbed back toward his own half.

"I wonder if Dunka is actually watching the game," said Kaspar straightening his back to get a better vantage point to see the crowd.

Akilles finished his first tankard. "I tought you said you veren't even sure if he vas in Middenheim."

"That's true. Seems like a sort of waste once you think about it but I was hoping I might run into him. You never know."

"Kind of a long shot."

"I did run into you."

"Vell, true enough, I guess."

"Maybe my trip will be just one lucky find after another."

"Dis is Blood Bowl, Kaspar. Luck has a vay of coaxing you like a siren one minute, and then crushing your hopes and dreams in anudder minute."

"Still fuming over the finals four years ago?"

"Maybe," Akilles shrugged. He turned to his second beer.

The players lined up. The ref took his time to waddle to the side of the field where there were armored men holding swords. "Looks like the refs have wizened up and started using bodyguards," said Kaspar. "I didn't think BIBA would fork out that kind of gold."

"I doubt dey did. He might've just paid for it himself," said Akilles.

The ref blew the whistle and a beastman kicked the ball towards the rats.

"Well, at least he's smart in getting protection at any rate," said Kaspar.

As the Ratskins' Captain caught the ball, the sky peeled away to unleash a powerful lightning bolt from the sky, striking the referee standing between his bodyguards. Akilles took another swig of his Gores Light. "Didn't see dat coming."

The Captain of the Ratskins ran quickly towards the sideline on his right which was also the side where Kaspar, Gobbodor, and Akilles sat. Most of Ratskins team pulled away from the line of scrimmage to create a screen for their Captain. On the far side, Gobbodor pointed and giggled, "Look there. Look there!"

Three Beastmen had already knocked down a couple of linerats and two of them peeled away and lifted another Gutter Runner from the field smashing him to the ground.

"Dis vill be a short game," said Akilles.

Before the Beastmen could follow up, the Gutter Runner swept the legs of the closest Beastman and spit into his eyes. The scream could be heard without any help all the way to Kaspar.

"Vat the Chaos?" asked Akilles.

"Must've used poison," said Kaspar. "This could be interesting after all."

The Captain ran down the sideline still with only one Chaos Warrior chasing after him. It seemed the rest of the Maulers were interested only in killing every Ratskin on the pitch. While the Ratskins did have a Rat Ogre, he wasn't doing much except holding off two other Warriors. However, the Blitzers seemed to team up on the other Chaos Warrior trying to block him from pushing his weight towards the ball carrier. As the Warrior who was giving chase got to the Captain, he dove at the Gutter Runner's legs. Unfortunately for him, the Captain never slowed down, as the Warrior continued his momentum and rolled into the side of the stands.

A mob of fans seemingly came from nowhere to rush where the Warrior had broken through into the stands and swarmed him. When the Captain scored, a large horn went off from the top box. The referee's whistle also went off. Kaspar looked over to see the ref being held up by his bodyguards, charred and wobbly, a whistle dangling from his mouth. "Well, that is a tough ref, I'll give him that."

Akilles finished his second tankard. "I'm going to get more. Vant some, Kaspar?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though."

Kaspar watched as both teams idled back to their halves. Several apothecaries pulled off three Beastmen, one of which was blinded, and two Skaven who looked to be dead. Players from both of the Reserves box came onto the pitch to fill in. Kaspar peered over to where the Chaos Warrior had disappeared and could only see a fight over who got to keep the player's helmet.

The referee's whistle blew again and this time the Ratskins kicked off. Before the ball even landed, someone from the stands threw a gauntlet that had belonged to the unlucky Chaos Warrior and everyone watched as it hit a Beastman that was closest to the sideline. He crumpled to the ground and the crowd cheered.

There was no one to catch the ball because all of the Maulers had taken out some knuckledusters and sticks instead, while one Warrior had taken out a mace. Immediately, all of the Ratskins line moved back except for the Rat Ogre. Too excited for such a prospect, most of the front line of the Maulers targeted the Rat Ogre for a beating.

"Miss anyting," asked Akilles.

"Not yet except somebody threw a gauntlet at one the Maulers."

"It looks as dough de Maulers are tryink to kill everyvone and not even focusink on de ball."

"That's how Blood Bowl is now, Akilles. This is what we're trying to change. Haven't you been watching any games since you left?"

"Only here and dere. Makes me sad since I can longer play."

The Ratskins dodged and blocked almost everything thrown at them. Because the ball was not an issue, this left the Captain to run behind and race for another touchdown. The Gutter Runner who previously spit poison in the face of his opponent, ran behind one Chaos Warrior who was tearing flesh from the Rat Ogre's side as he was hitting him, pulled out two knives, and sliced the Warriors feet in the back, severing his Achilles' Heels.

"Oh, shank, that's got to hurt!" yelled Kaspar.

The horn blew along with the ref's whistle. The Captain had scored again.

Both sides mechanically moved back to their sides. The Maulers were visibly upset with having caused no casualties to their opponents. With two Warriors down, the Maulers pulled in their best reserve. Kaspar and Akilles could hear the grunts from the Minotaur long before they saw him. The creature bellowed. Kaspar looked over at the Captain who looked like he had zero crumps to give. The Captain called a quick huddle. He then sent his Rat Ogre off the field and replaced him with another Gutter Runner.

"Vat is he doink?" asked Akilles.

"I have no idea but I think I'm liking the way this Captain is running his team," replied Kaspar.

"Vat do you mean?"

"He's playing the game. He's using strategy and tactics. I mean, I'm not quite sure what he is doing now, but he definitely has a plan. I like him."

Gobbodor was very confused. "Why no big guy? Others now have big guy and he gets his off field! What?"

"Relax, Gobbodor, let's see what the Captain has planned."

"Argh! I no get it!"

"Finish your Gore's Light, Gobbodor, or I'll finish it," said Akilles.

"No way, Mr. V! You can't have it!"

The Ratskins kicked off again. The Maulers made no attempt to get the ball again. However, the Ratskins line did dodge from the line of scrimmage, making the Maulers give chase. The Captain seemed to be taunting the Minotaur to charge him. This was actually easy to do since minotaurs were not very bright to begin with and they mostly fed on pure instinct. As the Captain was leading the minotaur away from his team, the rest of the Ratskins were able to get around all of their opponents except for one unlucky rat whose face was lost in the turf after it was smashed by a Beastman's hoof.

Kaspar watched as the Captain used a whip to snap at the Minotaur creating a very angry, very frenzied monster. Several times, the Captain looked like he slid or slipped on the turf but each moment he did it, he was able to get away. The other Ratskins ran around the pitch from the other Maulers. While one rat got caught and was trampled, the Captain ran in between the two Beastmen who knocked his teammate down. The Minotaur barreled through knocking them both over and trampling on their forward rolling bodies.

Following the action, Kaspar's attention was distracted towards a lone Skaven placing a barrel on its side, the contents flowing into the Maulers' dugout. The coach, a Warrior with an extremely large right hand was focused entirely on yelling at his team and was unaware of what was happening. After the rat skittered away, he whistled a single, solitary note that pierced the air.

The Captain seemed to know what was going on, however, and at some point in time, the Captain had grabbed the ball laying on the pitch, while still being chased by the Minotaur. It must happened really fast because Kaspar didn't even see him do it. However, while strong and burly, minotaurs were built for sprints, not endurance, and so the big guy was starting to tire. The Captain threw the ball in the waiting arms of the Gutter Runner with three hands that had subbed in for the Rat Ogre. Another thing about tired minotaurs was that they tended to not be able to pay attention very well and so the Minotaur's head followed the path of the ball to where the ball was thrown. To regain the Minotaur's attention, the Ratskins Captain whipped him across the face with the whip. The moment the other Gutter Runner scored, the horn blew which startled the minotaur and so he charged the Captain.

This time, the Captain didn't move. The Minotaur put his head down to gore the Skaven with his horns. At the last moment, the Captain jumped, and using the horns of the Minotaur as extra leverage, leapt over the beast who smashed into his coach and into his team's dugout. The sky ripped open, and a fireball flew straight to the Minotaur who was getting up slowly. When the fireball hit, the entire dugout exploded, sending a plume of fire fifteen feet in the air.

The crowd cheered. Kaspar, Akilles, and Gobbodor cheered, even one of the Beastman who was run over by the Minotaur clapped while he was already being taken from the field by an apothecary. The referee called for a kickoff. The Maulers Coach, who was only charred and only had his forearm covered in fire, ran over to the referee apparently to complain about the foul. The fat ref looked as though he knew exactly whose wizard sent a lightning bolt to take him out of the game in the beginning and would hear none of the protestations. The coach was carried off by the ref's bodyguards back to the smoldering dugout.

The teams both set up for the kick. The Maulers were now down by one player as were the Ratskins. After the kick, the Ratskins raced to get the ball before the Maulers even realized the whistle had blown. They had never gone for the ball before and were not about to change their strategy now, but before the Ratskins could close on a fourth touchdown, the horn blew again for halftime.

The Maulers, who were so frustrated with doing no damage, on top of having lost two Warriors and their Minotaur, decided to keep trying to tackle, punch, kick, or stab their opposition to death with extra fervor, regardless of the whistle. Several guards stormed the field, several BIBA officials followed, suit, and then the fans got too excited and rushed the field as well. Now it was simple battle. The Gutter Runners, including the Captain were able to sneak through the confusion and made their way to their dugout where other guards had taken up post. The Rat Ogre frenzied and snapped one fan's head clean off with his mouth while simultaneously taking a Beastman's horns and pulling them as far apart as possible, ripping the creature's head in half.

"Now's probably a good time to get more beer," said Kaspar, a huge grin on his face.

"So cheerful, Kaspar?" said Akilles.

"Of course, I just watched a Minotaur explode, I'm drinking beer with a friend I hadn't seen in years, and I think I just found the NAF's Skaven representative."

Chapter 10

"If your team has lost, there really is nothing like drowning your sorrows away and then going on a rampage to let others know your pain."

-Anonymous Creeveland Crescents hooligan

"How do I know BIBA's evil? What organization other than BIBA has its own standing police force? I mean, I barely even have one, and I'm a prince!"

-Lord Durant, Border Prince of Akendorf

The game ended 6-0 in favor of the Ratskins. Two more Skaven were killed but all of the Maulers, except one Warrior, were either unconscious or being attended by the apothecaries. Kaspar introduced himself to Faderer the Sly, the Ratskins Captain, and after a long, almost unintelligible conversation with him, the Captain agreed to represent the Skaven alongside Akilles, the Norse representative, and Kaspar, the Human representative.

Kaspar gave Faderer the Sly the address and time for the first official NAF meeting, and then the trio was off to one of the inns, The Blazing Hearth, nearby. Once they entered, the innkeeper held his hands out for their gold cards. Kaspar extended his and indicated he would pay for three rooms. The innkeeper placed another card on top which glowed from green and then to blue. The man nodded to Kaspar and showed the three of them to their rooms.

"I will say this, Mr. Gunderman," the innkeeper said as he opened the door and handed the key to Kaspar, "this is a respectable tavern so I don't want any shenanigans from your gobbo."

"His name is Gobbodor, and he's standing right here," said Kaspar. The innkeeper didn't look in the goblin's direction at all. "And not only will I promise that, but you can charge me any extra fines that occur because of him. And remember, he's with me and I'm with the NAF."

"So you'll run off with all of my money?"

Kaspar breathed in slowly to calm himself down. "You're clever, but no. It means we will be professional. We're only going to be here for two nights anyways. "

"I'll keep an eye on you three anyways."

"Well, okay, as long as you're keeping an eye on our drinks as well."

The innkeeper squinted his eyes at Kaspar and then turned to open the other rooms for Gobbodor and Akilles. After half an hour of getting ready and another ten minutes finally convincing Gobbodor that their suitcase would be fine if he left it unattended for a little while, they went back down into the tavern area for drinks and a meal. They sat at a table in the midway down a side wall so they could see both the entrance, the main area of eating, and the bar.

There were already several tables taken from patrons and soon seven BIBA officials came in and sat at a long table that spanned most of the far side wall. Three were humans, two were orcs, and there were two dwarves seated as several wenches came with miniature kegs to help feed them beer. Kaspar recognized one of the humans as the one that was knocked out by Dunka at McMurty's Field. "I'm sure this won't become a problem," said Kaspar.

"Vhy? Just because we hate them and all of us vill be getting drunk at a tavern that has an innkeeper ve don't like and you who you told ve vouldn't get into any trouble vith? " asked Akilles.

"Exactly. But I really don't want to start any trouble, just so we have that on record."

"But you know ve vill."

"I know, but let's pretend that we can get out of this without any problem."

"Very vell," Akilles said finishing off his first beer.

Kaspar squinted to see the face of one of the dwarves better. "Hey, Akilles, is that Ragnar Grimaxe? From the Karak Norn Sixteen Miners?"

Akilles turned and squinted. "Maybe. Dwarves all look the same to me."

"That's racist," said Kaspar.

"If they have different beards it's a little easier, but you can't say that they all have different bulbous noses and round cheeks. That's not racist."

"Maybe you haven't spent enough time around them, Akilles."

"Maybe. But they still all look the same."

A wench came over and put down a mug. "Bugman's Brew on the house," she said. "From a dwarf named Ragnar."

Kaspar looked over to Ragnar who raised his glass so Kaspar did the same. "Told you it was Ragnar."

Several of the BIBA men looked over and snorted derisively in their direction. Kaspar brushed it off. He was determined to not get into a fight, and besides, Ragnar was with them and bought him a beer. Once their meals came, little was said since food filled their mouths. Gobbodor ate as if at any moment, anybody would steal his food from him. Akilles took huge draws of ale between his bites, while Kaspar savored every bit of his wild boar stew.

Several minstrels came and set up a spot to play along the side of the stairs leading to the upper rooms. This spot put them to the right of the bar and off to the left of Kaspar's table. At first, the musicians began a simple rendition of a Marienburg folk song and then proceeded to more popular and bawdy tunes. The crowd tapped their feet to "Give Me a Strong Wind and a Stupid Wench", and then graduated to clapping with "Sweet Bertha Mine", and then rose to cheering to "Lift Your Ales." As the song began, everyone lifted their drinks in their hands and sang,

And just lift, lift your ales

Lift them higher in the air

It's time for some beer and some wenching

If you love to live your life

Without fears and without strife

Then drink and sing and drink until it's morning

The lead minstrel sang the next refrain but changed the words for a different version,

And just pay, pay the tax

Pay to BIBA out the ass

It's time for some beer and some Blood Bowl

If you really hate your life

And all you do is whine and cry

Maybe you'll work for BIBA in the morning

The crowd cheered and laughed, except for the seven BIBA employees, which made the whole bar laugh even more. Akilles pounded the table with his tankard that started a round of other patrons doing the same. Chants of "Crump BIBA", began to get louder and louder. Kaspar saw the human official he had met earlier recognize him and point him out to his fellow colleagues.

One of the BIBA orcs stood up and pointed at Akilles. He pointed back and yelled, "Vat?"

"You started dis," the orc yelled.

"Your kind did, you crumpin' shank for brains!" Akilles yelled back.

"My kind? Orcs not do dis."

"Not orcs, you moron. BIBA shankheads like you!"

"Come say that ta my face," the orc yelled back.

At this point in time, the crowd settled down to see if a fight would break out. Kaspar said to Akilles, "You know, I did give my word, Akilles."

"Crump this shanker," he said in reply.

Akilles marched over with his tankard still in hand. Kaspar stood up as did Gobbodor. The other six BIBA employees stood as well, their black uniforms looking a little imposing against the flickering lanterns around the tavern.

Akilles stood in front of the orc who had come around the back of the table. "Something to say little man," asked the orc. He stood taller than Akilles by only several inches but he was wider by at least a foot. Orcs tended to be physically intimidating but Blood Bowlers became accustomed to dealing with all sorts of races, especially the green ones.

Akilles said, "It's because of you shankheads that Blood Bowl has become nothing. Now crump off before I hurt you."

The orc laughed. He paused to look at Akilles again and laughed again. His head leaned back to laugh louder. He obviously had never played the game or he would have realized Akilles got into an Ulthuan attacking stance. This was designed by the High Elves to deal with the larger races and not only take them off their guard, but to counter their inevitable forthcoming blocks. The orc's head came back down to stare at Akilles. Instead of seeing the Norseman's face, the orc got a face full of tankard instead.

"Bar fight!" yelled some anonymous voice.

The tavern erupted. Most of the patrons got up to get out of the way. Others began a melee with the BIBA people. Kaspar charged the closest BIBA official which happened to be the human he and Dunka had run into. The man's black eyes widened as Kaspar tackled him into another of the BIBA humans. Before he could get back up, a rough hand grabbed Kaspar by the neck and arm and dragged him fast enough to get shoved through some of the stools at the actual bar. He looked up to see Ragnar Grimaxe.

"Hey, Ragnar," Kaspar said.

"Hey, Kaspar, " said Ragnar. "Sorry about this but you know I've got to side with my boys."

"I know. But it's the wrong side, Ragnar."

"That's what Doombeard said, but, well, a living's a living."

"Next time you see him, say 'hello' for me. Haven't heard from him in a while."

"He's in Barak Varr, trying to start a new team."

"Well, guess we better get back to it," said Kaspar. "Thanks for the beer, by the way."

"Guess we'd better," said Ragnar, "and, you're welcome."

Kaspar kicked at the dwarf's knee. Although he was expecting it, Ragnar couldn't dodge in time, but he did manage to turn his leg so that Kaspar's kick wouldn't have broken it. Instead, it twisted his knee and sent him down to the ground. Kaspar got up to see where Akilles and Gobbodor were in the fight. Several bar patrons were knocked out on the floor as were two of the BIBA humans. Akilles was repeatedly punching his orc's face whose head was bouncing off the wall that the Norseman had pinned him against. Gobbodor was using a stool as a battering ram and running into the legs of anyone who was nearby. The other BIBA dwarf was holding his own against two of the minstrels, but Kaspar lost track of the other orc.

Suddenly, a blow from behind hit the back of his head. Kaspar didn't lose consciousness but he did lose his eyesight. He stumbled and then got hit in the middle of the back. That didn't hurt as much but the room was spinning and his eyesight still hadn't come back. Kaspar threw his arms behind his head and started running towards where he thought the door might be. Cobwebs were causing his brain to slow down. He might have been more tripping than running but he needed out.

Before he could go any further, he was halted by what felt like orc hands on his arms. Kaspar waited for the inevitable throw into a wall but the hands moved him aside. Kaspar dropped to a sitting position and his eyesight slowly returned along with his hearing. The crowd was still chanting, Akilles was working on the other dwarf, and Ragnar was unconscious with a triumphant beer wench standing over him. Gobbodor was running his stool into the BIBA human with the black eyes and Dunka was matching blow for blow on the BIBA orc who had sucker punched Kaspar.

Dunka grabbed the BIBA orc from behind the head and head-butted him several times until the orc crumpled to the ground. One of the BIBA humans, the one that was run over after Kaspar tackled the other BIBA human, ran up to Dunka and said, "Hey! You're supposed to be with-" but before he could finish the sentence. Dunka head-butted him as well.

Dunka smiled and walked over to Kaspar, extending a hand.

"Just in time, Kaspar."

"Just in time, Dunka."

"Why are ya here?" he asked.

"To find you," said Kaspar.

"Here I am. Wat ya need?"

"I want to offer you a job."

"Okay, I'll take it."

"But you don't know what it is yet."

Dunka shrugged. "Don't matter none."

"Perfect. Let me get you a beer."

"How 'bout a Bugman's Best?"

"I think I'll have one too," said Kaspar rubbing his head, thinking about the headache he would have tomorrow morning.

Chapter 11

"There have always been problems of getting teams to other stadiums without them getting robbed on the way. Or killed. That's another problem entirely."

-Beemer Davitz, NAF Minister of Travel

"Besides the fact that it's impossible, air travel will only asphyxiate all of the passengers anyways."

-Master Engineer Don Lardionysus, Nuln University

They didn't get to go to bed until the Watch left and the innkeeper had been paid for damages. The BIBA officials tried to blame Kaspar, Akilles, and Gobbodor about the public disturbance and brawl, but once the other patrons backed them up and Kaspar handed his gold card over to the innkeeper everything settled down. The Watch left with one dwarf, both orcs, and one human in shackles on their wrists while Ragnar, and the others followed them out. Ragnar even waved to Kaspar who waved back. After that, the atmosphere became more serene and laid back causing a few of the patrons to go on home, feeling bored after such physical fun. The minstrels struck up less rowdy and bawdy tunes for the remainder of the night as well, sporting signs of their fight either with blood, bruises, or ripped clothing.

The following morning after they broke their fast on eggs, beans, and some sort of meat unidentifiable to sight or taste, the four NAF employees went back to the Great Park where, instead of a Blood Bowl game, there was the Falling Leaves Festival and it had just started. The streets were filled with vendors and children running around but the park itself was absolutely bustling. Normally, these festivals were held for the upper class, but this one in particular was for any citizen of Middenheim. This meant more kids and more people. And of course, more people meant more noise to bother Kaspar's headache form the night before.

Smells of pot roast, turnip gravy, and other meats and vegetables flitted through the air. A Halfling chef group had a massive tent with tables underneath where crowds were waiting in line for over the length of a Blood Bowl pitch. Other vendors were selling their crafts and various and sundry things, and there was even a BIBA Ticket Agent barking for the next match between the Brionne Grailseekers and the Kislev Krushers.

"Any bets on who vill vin that one?" asked Akilles.

"Da Krushas. I love ta see Bretonnians get smashed up, but dey sure picked da wrong time ta play Blood Bowl," said Dunka.

"Should we get someone to represent them?" asked Akilles.

Kaspar winced. "Ugh. I hate them with their smug grins on their stupid, smug faces. And their stupid, smug ways of walking around because they're so… smug. Let's wait and see if they're worthy for a change."

Dunka chuckled. They continued walking around the fair, kids dodging around them, painted clowns balancing on balls, and hastily built petting zoos containing goats and the like. There was a tent offering tickets for a squigfight.

"Vat are ve looking for exactly?" asked Akilles.

"I don't know," said Kaspar. "We need to get to some other cities around the Empire and other places outside of it if we're going to find more representatives. Dunka, did you say you had a couple of ideas on some ogres?"

"Ya, but where I need ta go, ya can't follow."

"And Akilles knows more Beastmen and Marauders than I do. I'm not even sure I've ever had a conversation with either of them for more than a couple of sentences."

Akilles nodded. "Once you get past their breath, Beastmen are quite adept at having great conversations on multiple things."

"Really?"

"No, I vas joking. They only vant to kill things vith fists."

"So, at some point, we'll need to split up. Maybe we'll find a good transport service or something while we're here. Usually at these large fairs they have businesses put on displays or advertise their services. Maybe a guarded caravan service or something. " They heard a cannon fire far ahead of them. Most of the people in the area around the noise had either dropped to the ground, yelled, or both. Having been in Blood Bowl most of their lives and being around all sorts of explosions or fireworks, Kaspar, Dunka, and Akilles were not as affected. Gobbodor, however, had dropped to his stomach with the suitcase still on his back. "Maybe we should look over there."

"Help, please, Mr. G or Mr. V. or Mr. D." came a muffled voice from under the suitcase.

Dunka lifted the suitcase straight up until Gobbodor's feet touched the ground. Kaspar strode off towards where people were now walking or running away. "Let's go!"

They made their way towards a pillar of smoke drifting past the sunlight. The crowds around them were transforming back to normal fair goers but most were still walking briskly away from the commotion. When Kaspar made his way past the group of people into the open area, he saw a small dirigible with its balloon deflated on the ground, and three mechanics: a dwarf, a Halfling, and a goblin rushing around the carriage tweaking pipes, turning bolts, or whatever else looked like it needed help. There was a large wooden sign that had a painted dirigible flying at an angle towards the viewer over a valley with a river in it. On another wooden stand next to it were the painted words, "Farblast Airblimps, See the Old World in a New Way".

Kaspar smiled widely. "Gentlemen, I think we found our way to get around much faster."

"You're joking," said Akilles.

"Never," said Dunka.

"Okay, Mr. G," said Gobbodor.

Kaspar walked towards the dirigible. The other three stared after him. The carriage was larger up close than it appeared from afar. The top half seemed to be where the people stayed while the bottom half was covered in mechanical contraptions with four metal legs that the blimp rested on. It looked to be about twenty-five feet in length and about twelve feet wide. The side rose eight feet high in the center with a ladder hanging down form a small door that was open. Kaspar looked up and noticed there was a single, circular stack sticking straight up.

One of the mechanics, the goblin, raced around the legs tightening a valve where some steam was leaking. Up on top he saw the dwarf mechanic peer over the edge and look down. Kaspar waved. "I'd like to talk with you."

The dwarf shook his head and put his hand to his ear. "What?"

"I said, 'I want to talk with you!"

"What?"

Kaspar motioned towards the ladder and the dwarf nodded. Kaspar grasped the rung and climbed to the side. Once there, the dwarf reached under one of Kaspar's arms to help him up. Once on top, Kaspar could hear much clearer than before next to all of the machinery hissing and clanking.

"How can I help you, boy?" asked the dwarf. The Dwarven race had a tendency to call other races boys or girls, especially humans. Since most of them lived so much longer than other races, to them, every human was a boy or girl.

"My name's Kaspar Gunderman. I was wondering if this is what I think it is."

"I dunno. What do you think this is?"

"A balloon that moves."

"It's a dirigible."

"Dirgible."

"No. Dirigible."

"Dirge Bull."

"Doesn't matter. We are more than just a balloon, my boy. We can change direction and can travel as far as 100 miles simply on oil and coal."

"When it works, you mean," said Kaspar immediately regretting it. He could see the dwarf's eyes squint and could feel the heat rising off of his body, even over the steam rising from various and sundry outlets. Dwarven tempers and grudges were legendary. When the Grudge Bearers played the returning champions, the Naggaroth Nightmares in 2498, they lost their two troll slayers to assassins from the Dark Elves. Even though they won the championship, the rest of the Grudge Bearers players became troll slayers to punish all Dark Elf teams wherever they can play them. So, it wouldn't behoove Kaspar to anger this particular one, not since they had such an opportunity at hand. "What I mean to say is, if you had a proper client, you could afford better quality resources to help keep your dirdgy-a-bull going."

The dwarf cocked his head, still squinting. "'Dirigible'. Go on."

"I represent a corporation that might be interested in retaining your services, and we wouldn't want to stop there. What if we could help fund larger dirgenbals and we would use your travel service all across the Old World?"

"You mean, you would put money into my company so that I could make more dirigibles and we would sign a contract whereby you would exclusively use my services for all of your travel needs."

"For my corporation, yes."

The dwarf smiled broadly and extended his hand. "Gimlic Farblast, sir, at your service."

Kaspar shook his hand. "Are you related to Barik Farblast?"

"Cousins, yes. Now, what were you saying about investing and what corporation do you work for?"

"Nuffle Amorical Football."

"The NAF? Bah, forget it, boy. I don't want anything to do with you."

"Uh, I'm sorry? What's wrong with the NAF?"

"How about the money you guys cheated out of the Stars, including Barik?"

"I promise you, not only did I have nothing to do with that, but not one of the current employees, including the CEO, had anything to do with that. In fact, we are trying to start our own Blood Bowl league."

"You mean, outside BIBA?"

"That's right. We're going to take back the spirit of the game. So, instead of companies exploiting players, greedy politicians selling out their cities, and BIBA running the entire event into the ground, we are going to rebuild it to its former glory."

"Like you guys did?" asked Gimlic.

"No. We just had a corrupt CEO steal all of the treasury and then disappear. We never tried to fundamentally destroy the fabric of our society by deconstructing Blood Bowl."

The dwarf squinted at him again. "Got a lot of money?"

"Yes. But think about this too. You have such a great idea. Why is it no other company has bought you out or funded you?"

"How do you know no one has?"

A large crash occurred and the Halfling mechanic fell off of the back railing to the ground. "Call it a hunch," said Kaspar.

"So you're willing to give me money and a contract," asked Gimlic.

"Yes."

"For why?"

"We get exclusive use of your dirgy-balls to travel all over the world, including transporting Blood Bowl teams to various sites. For now, at least."

The dwarf walked over to the side of the railing and looked at the crowd. "Where do I sign?"

"Well, we don't sign just yet."

"What?"

Kaspar walked to the rail. He could see his three companions; Gobbodor waved. Kaspar waved back. "Before we put trust into you, you need to show you have what it takes."

Gimlic crossed his arms and squinted at Kaspar. "A test run, hunh?"

"Absolutely. I don't want to be high in the air and then all of a sudden something explodes."

"Fair enough."

"So, my next question is this: what do you need right now in order to make this thing fly?"

Chapter 12

"My favorite thing about goblins? The way they pop like a zit when you tackle them."

-Grimwold "The Helmsmasher" Grimbreath, Dwarf Giants Captain

"Have we ever thought to make our discoveries of communication available for the common person to use and own?"

-fired NBC executive right after this statement was made

Gimlic Farblast had told Kaspar it would take two weeks to get his blimp up and running. No one wanted to wait for the repairs, so Kaspar had Akilles go to Kislev and the Chaos Wasteland to check on some leads, such as old coaches and players he played against that might help the NAF. Dunka was to go to the Ogre Kingdoms and then on to the Dark Lands to recruit a Chaos Dwarf by the name of Gryzz Murdor, a player both Dunka and Kaspar felt would make a good choice, as far as any Chaos Dwarf went.

Everyone was to meet in two months' time back at NAF headquarters in Marienburg. Since they had a lot of work to do, Kaspar decided that he and Gobbodor would take a trip to Speargood, one of the only goblin settlements that boasted an arena where all races still in Blood Bowl would agree to play. Most races forced goblins to travel since most goblins couldn't organize themselves well enough to maintain a stadium. In several days' time there would be a match between the Speargood Shanks and Evil Vile, an Underworld team. Kaspar heard that the Evil Vile team was coached by Skrit Skrat, who repeatedly was known to anger BIBA on many an occasion, and most of the time he did it on purpose. Skrit Skrat used to be the star blitzer on the Skavenblight Scramblers, but had hit the warpstone hard and never looked back. His devotion to Nuffle was incredible and he felt no creature, including corporations, were above the law of the Blood bowl god. Such was his devotion, that he charged the stands during one game to kill severely maul several acolytes of the Nuffle Blasphemer's Association, or NBA, who were protesting the game.

Gimlic Farblast agreed to meet Kaspar and Gobbodor in Speargood when the blimp was ready to pick the two up and take them to their next destination. This meant, however, that Kaspar and Gobbodor had to once again travel in a wagon. Fortunately for them, there were several caravans on their way from Middenheim to Talabheim and then from there to Wurtbad. Once there, they took a boat up the River Stir to Waldendorf. Kaspar kept thinking how easier it would be to fly over all of this. Then teams could fly over mountains, rivers, bays, and maybe even oceans with greater ease than what they were doing now. The cost should be vastly reduced as well. Instead of constant tolls, portage fees, bandit attacks, hotels or inns to sleep in constantly, especially feeding a Blood Bowl team at those rates, this would be a serious windfall for the NAF if Gimlic Farblast could get his company off the ground.

Everywhere Kaspar went, he left a message on his whereabouts in every city and town, where he was going, et cetera, for Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn to keep track of him. When he arrived in Waldendorf that night, a package awaited him at the desk of the local post. Inside was a small wrapped box. Inside the small wrapped box was a handwritten note and a green-glowing gumdrop. Kaspar opened the letter but because of the calligraphy, and the fact that his reading wasn't very strong, it took him a few minutes to read the following,

Mr. Gunderman,

Inside this gift, I have a way for us to communicate over long distances. All you need to do is consume the green candy before you and we will be able to speak with one another. Please do this privately away from prying eyes and ears.

Yours Respectfully,

Baron von Falkenhayn

Kaspar scratched his head, shrugged and then closed the box. He walked back across the street towards the tavern where had set up rooms with Gobbodor and himself. In Waldendorf, the people didn't fuss too much over having goblins around as long as they stayed within the laws of the town. Speargood was on the bank of the River Tyr, a branch that fed the River Stir, and so was less than half a day's boat ride to get between the two settlements. People from Waldendorf, at times, travel that day to see a game played in Speargood without much difficulty. The game Kaspar and Gobbodor would watch was set for the following day, so they only spent time in the bar to eat and then retired to their separate rooms.

Once inside and alone, Kaspar opened the box from the Baron and pulled out the green gumdrop. He probed the candy slightly with the tip of his tongue several times. The taste was quite sweet, but this was a very strange situation. He decided he might as well get it over with and popped it into his mouth and swallowed. For the first ten minutes, nothing happened. And then nothing happened for the next ten minutes. After thirty minutes, just as Kaspar had given up and laid down to go to bed, he saw Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn standing in the middle of the room.

"What the crump?" he said, bolting to his feet, standing on top of the bed.

"Hello, Mr. Gunderman. How are we feeling tonight?" asked the Baron.

"How the Chaos are you here right now?"

"I'm not 'here' right now."

"I see you standing right in front of me!"

"Ah, yes, of course. The pill you took has awakened you. You now can see all of reality that you never could before."

"Really?"

"No, not really," laughed the Baron, "how absurd that would be. I am simply using an experimental design similar to Cabalvision so that we can have this conversation in real time."

"So I just took an experimental drug?"

"Yes. Several of our NAF wizards took years to get to this stage. Other experiments didn't go so well."

Kaspar stared at the Baron and crossed his arms. "Like what?"

"Hysteria, psychotic breaks, to name a few. Oh, and head explosions. As you know, the usual when dealing with the mind, but look how far we've come. Barring a few side effects, of course."

"Great. Head explosions. And side effects too. Side effects, such as?"

The Baron opened his arms in ignorance. "We don't know yet, but have no fear; I wouldn't have tried this if we weren't sure this would work. You're too valuable, et cetera, et cetera. Anyways, this system could be quite helpful later as you may probably guess the possibilities. We're just not sure what to call it however. Starview, Skymind, and InstantTalk are our top three choices so far."

"Skymind sounds pretty good."

"I will take that into consideration."

"Baron, you should have told me first."

The baron nodded. "Would you have taken the pill if I told you what it could do?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well, then, I should have told you, you are correct. My apologies. Now, where are we on Farblast Airships?"

"Gimlic will be picking us up after some modifications to his bucket. He should be in Speargood in a couple of days."

"Good. And do you trust his services will be invaluable?"

"It took us almost two weeks to cross the Empire from Middenheim to Speargood. His blimp can make the same trip in two or three days."

"And will he be able to create 'blimps' that can carry teams across the land?"

Kaspar shrugged. "I don't know. He says he can. We'll see how this trial goes when I see him."

The Baron crossed the room and sat onto nothing. He noted Kaspar's confused look. "I'm sitting in a chair where I am." Kaspar nodded. The Baron continued, "I am quite pleased you have found three more representatives. Faderer the Sly came to check in and I ran him through his duties and responsibilities."

"How did that go?"

"As well as can be expected of a Skaven. He at least bathed before he came in, well, cleaned himself at any rate. I hear Mr. Viggossen is traveling to the Northern Wastes and then on to the Chaos Wasteland."

"He says he has a few ideas on who can help us."

"Why doesn't he speak to any Warriors or Beastmen who are already playing? That seems that it would be easier."

"Because it would be harder to take any Chaos from what they're used to now and then have them play the way we're going to want them to. I don't think they will do well with the transition, what with all of the killing and maiming. He said he's going to check on some of our old opponents and since he knows them much better than I do, he of course, is the logical choice."

"Of course. Very good. And Dunka?"

Kaspar sat at the edge of the bed. "Dunka will be recruiting form the Ogre Kingdoms. He has a few contacts there. After that, he will be heading to the Dark Lands to pick up Gryzz Murdor, for the Chaos Dwarves."

"Excellent. I know of him. He should make a fine addition. And now you will be recruiting Skrit Skrat?"

"Yes. And then, since I'm this close to Sylvania, I might as well try the Vampire Counts. Any ideas on who would be a good recruit?"

"Several, actually, but I'm afraid I may have to come down there. My fellow kin don't have the same view on humans as I do.""

"As in we are lesser creatures to them?"

"Food is always inferior to the consumer."

Kaspar sat down on the bed. "How fast could you get down there?"

"A week. Maybe longer," said the Baron.

"I will stop in the area anyways while I wait for you then. The Champions of Death are holding a recruiting drive near Mordheim. Maybe I should try to speak with Heinrich Vaughan about whether he would be interested to switch sides."

"The Wight?"

"Yes."

"I thought he was under contract with BIBA until the end of the decade."

"Do you think he'd break it?" asked Kaspar.

"Always worth a try, I would think," said the Baron. He stood up and said, "Mr. Gunderman, once you get the Undead, and hopefully Necromantic, representatives, I think you might want to try your hand at the Khemri."

"Ugh. You're right. It's so hot down there. And they mostly just stare at you. Awkwardly, too I might add."

"That's why we pay you so highly."

Kaspar walked to the mirror and checked out his nose hairs. "Have you heard from any of the elves- besides the Dark Elves?"

"Still working on that front, I'm afraid. They will be our last holdouts, along with the Amazons, Lizardmen, and Slann, and Halflings. We'll probably have to show them we are serious and competent to pull this venture off successfully. I think, then, they would be interested."

Kaspar plucked a long nose hair that made his eyes water. He then sat back on the edge of the bed and yawned. "Anything else you need form me, Baron Falkenhayn?"

"I believe that's it. Get a good night's rest. Dealing with the Underworld and goblins can be quite taxing."

"Speaking of which, Gobbodor has been amazing."

"Wonderful. I knew he wouldn't let you down. He is quite loyal to our idea."

"Good night, Baron Falkenhayn."

"Good night, Mr. Gunderman. I shall leave several more 'Skymind' connections in Wurzenburg at the Hotel Mueller. They should arrive in several days."

"Sounds fantastic," Kaspar said.

The Baron waved his hand and made a gesture. His apparition disappeared in an instant and Kaspar felt a wave of wooziness all of a sudden. His bed looked so tempting to fall in and the moment his full body hit the mattress, he was fast asleep.

Chapter 13

"The BIBA Regulation Agency has been known to collect taxes, debts, and other contractual agreement obligations. We also make sure some of these people never break anything ever again."

-Elleric Windstepper, Head Regulator of BIBARA

"You know it's a sorry state of affairs when the true spirit of Blood Bowl is kept alive by goblins and the like."

-Jim Johnson, former commentator for Blood Bowl

Kaspar woke to the banging on the door. His pile of drool had solidified, sticking the side of his face to the blanket. He hadn't shaved in the past several days so some of the growth of a beginning beard was also stuck to the bed. Kaspar also found that he was on his knees with the upper half of his body bent over onto the mattress, almost as if he fell asleep before saying his nightly prayers to Nuffle. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and padded to the door. Upon opening, he looked down to see Gobbodor carrying the suitcase on his back.

"Mr. G. We gots to go!"

"Are we late?" he asked.

"BIBA men downstairs asking for Mr. G. and Gobbodor. Come quick!"

Like a draught horse slowly gaining speed, Kaspar threw on his pants and boots. "Hurry, Mr. G!" the goblin yelled.

"I am, but my boot won't crumping get on!"

Gobbodor moved from the doorway quickly and then came running back. "They're coming!" He raced over to help Kaspar with his boot but he was getting more in the way, especially with the suitcase attached to his back.

Kaspar said, "Shut the door, Gobbodor, and then open the window! Why won't this boot get on?"

"Gobbodor ran to the door and shut it. He then ran to the window and opened it, stretching his arms high to get more of an opening. At that moment there was a knock at the door. Kaspar and Gobbodor froze in spot. The knock came again and then the doorknob turned to open the door. In the doorway were three BIBA officials: one elf and two humans. "You forgot to lock the door, Gobbodor."

"You only told me to shut it, Mr. G."

Kaspar inwardly cursed. "Jump out the window, Gobbodor."

"You got it, Mr. G!" Gobbodor barely fit through the opening but it was a rather large window. Kaspar heard the goblin smack on the ground and a groan.

"Mr. Gunderman," said the elf, "we are the BIBA Regulation Agency and we need you to come with us."

"Nope," he said. His boot was still barely on his right foot as he edged towards the window.

"You won't escape, Mr. Gunderman. Besides, we only want to talk."

"I crumping doubt it, dandy."

The elf rushed towards him. Kaspar kicked his boot at the elf sending it flying from his foot into the elf's face. He then turned and jumped form the window. He nearly landed on Gobbodor who had landed on the suitcase and now looked like a beetle grasping to right itself.

Kaspar felt the impact of the jump straight up to his knees and, as many times before, he felt his age. Wincing, Kaspar grabbed the outstretched hands of his goblin companion and they raced down the street towards the docks. Waldendorf was a fair-sized town but probably was only a quarter of the size of Marienburg or Talabheim. The docks were easy to get to here and since there were only several piers with one dedicated to the ferry service, the two of them easily boarded the first boat they came to. When the boatmaster approached Kaspar, he said, "Looks like you're running from trouble."

"I am," Kaspar said between heaving breaths.

"I don't want any part of it," said the man. "Please leave."

"Want to know who I'm running from?"

"No, I want you off my boat."

"I'm running from three BIBA shanks who are trying to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to undermine and topple the entire organization."

The man stared back at Kaspar and Gobbodor.

Kaspar took out his gold card. "And I can triple your rate."

"Welcome aboard, sir." The man turned to where three other boat captains were standing and chatting. "Hey, fellas!"

They turned to look at their colleague. "Make sure you don't give any BIBA boys rides today!"

"Why?" one of them asked.

"Because!" yelled back the boat captain.

"Okay!" another one yelled back.

The boat had just pulled away as the two men and elf of BIBA ran to the dock. Kaspar and Gobbodor dropped to the deck of the boat to not be seen. Kaspar could hear the other boat captains arguing about not being able to take them anywhere since their boats were being repaired. When called liars, Kaspar also heard the familiar sounds of fighting.

"Thanks for helping us out," Kaspar said as they were sufficiently far enough form the dock.

"No worries. Anything to screw over BIBA. Where to?"

"Speargood."

"Going to catch the game, then?"

"Absolutely. Will you?"

"Nope. I'm afraid of being surrounded."

Kaspar bunched his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"The stadium, said the boat captain, "it's underground."

"What? No it's not. It's right next to the River Tyr."

"It used to be until about a week ago. The last two games they played have been in the underground stadium just below Speargood."

"Well, shank."

The boat captain nodded. "And it smells like it too."

Chapter 14

"All matches played using the Blood bowl name, its trademarks, and copyrights, fall under the jurisdiction of BIBA and must therefore be subject to its regulations and policies."

- Tywinian Ypressinor, CEO of BIBA,

Blood Bowl International Business Association

"You ain't cheatin', den you ain't winnin'."

-Strike Da Spleenos, goblin Captain of TDs 'N Beer

Compared to a human settlement, Speargood would appear as though it was built by retarded barbarians. As far as goblins went, Speargood was a metropolis. Several Blood Bowl teams actually played games in Speargood, and even Kaspar had when he was part of the Peak Pass Rangers, but no major circuit teams ever came. Part of this was due to the fact that no one but goblins, skaven, trolls, and a few ogres would ever come to watch the games. Another reason was because it was impractical to get to the field without a lot of travel. Kaspar's head was swimming with ideas on how Farblast Airways could open up new venues and possibly even introduce new races teams to get involved with the sport. Arenas could pop up all over the world, no matter the location.

There was only one dock at Speargood and that was for the humans who actually had such low self-esteem they felt that trading with goblins was a good idea. Goblins themselves were not really into boats or any other vessel on water, preferring much more to travel across land. Kaspar wondered if their distaste for water travel would extend to the sky as well.

After being charged thrice what the trip would normally cost, Kaspar convinced the boat captain to stay for a few hours just in case Gimlic didn't show up. The boat captain agreed as long as he was paid for his time, to which Kaspar also agreed. Money was easier to spend when it wasn't yours, in actuality, and it had become even easier when it was off of a gold card instead of having actual money in your hands. You never felt the pain of parting with it. They disembarked, Kaspar in his second and last pair of boots, although he did keep the one in case he ever found its missing counterpart. Speargood was busy with goblin foot traffic, most dressed up in the colors of purple and silver for the Evil Vile and others supporting their hometown, the Speargood Shanks, by wearing yellow and brown.

While humans were not completely commonplace in Speargood, it wasn't rare for a few to be in town for a Blood Bowl game and so Kaspar had no problem walking around the area. Gobbodor, however, became completely agitated and alert, shifting his eyes constantly from side to side. Kaspar remarked about him doing this and Gobbodor's response was about how most goblins couldn't be trusted, especially by their own kind. In addition, he had a very large suitcase that many goblins would covet, regardless of what was inside.

Since Gobbodor could speak the language and he wanted to keep an eye on other goblins attempting to steal the suitcase, Kaspar followed him towards the crowd's ingress in a very large cave mouth. The World's Edge Mountains loomed in the distance and although Speargood was still considered in the foothills, there were still smaller mountains dotting the landscape.

On the outside of the cave stood a troll statue made out of wood slapdash painted in yellow and brown. A makeshift sign at its feet said, "Turdlik Wartersnot". Gobbodor remarked that he must be the star player since goblins rarely took time to make a statue of anything, let alone a troll. Inside the cave, torches peppered the walls at irregular intervals lighting the way down an uneven slope that began to get wider as they walked. Other goblins were cheering, squabbling, and some were even fighting on the way to the down to the stadium. After several hundred yards, the cave tunnel opened to a massive cavern that could have encompassed four or five Blood Bowl pitches and still would have had room for stands. The ceiling was lost in the dark but gigantic fires were lit all around the stone cavern walls. The stadium itself was poorly chiseled from the bedrock and the stands were roughly hewn at about the same standard of workmanship. Kaspar was impressed that such a place could have existed, let alone have been created, by goblins.

Gobbodor had heard from Gobbodor that the Chief of Speargood, Killa Snotdog, used his populace to build the stadium when they were bored, and in return, he would feed them. His status as Chief increased dramatically when the field in Speargood proper was destroyed, showing how much insight the Chief had in building a backup stadium. Kaspar had asked Gobbodor about the likelihood of Chief Killa Snotdog burning the field himself so everyone would use his stadium instead. Gobbodor replied with a shrug and said, "Who cares?"

Before gaining entrance to the stadium, there were two large goblins and a troll admitting fans in. Kaspar noticed that there weren't tickets given, but rather, food stuffs, trinkets, and other knick knacks given instead. Without interference from BIBA, Speargood could charge whatever they liked and run the place any way they wanted. Kaspar had Gobbodor kneel to all fours so that he could get into the trunk. They did this in a small nook along the wall before the admittance stand so that hopefully no prying eyes would focus on anything else that was in the suitcase.

Kaspar pulled out a pair of fur-lined boots that Akilles must have left in as well as a bag of dried fruits that he had sprinkled raisins in to make as snacks for later. When they walked up to the ticket guards, he handed them the boots and the bag of 'trail mix' and they were let in. One of the ticket goblins snatched the boots right away and placed them on his feet. He then began to dance around until the other goblin punched him on the face. They both started fighting until the troll grabbed the one goblin with the dried fruit and raisins and lifted him to his mouth. Once eaten, there was no reason for the goblin with the boots to fight so he went back to taking admittance. Three more goblin ticket guards came running to the troll yelling gibberish at the troll.

Kaspar asked, "What are they saying?"

"They want bag of treats you gave them back."

"They don't care he just ate one of their friends?"

"But you had raisins in it."

"And that's okay?"

"Raisins…" Gobbodor said licking his lips. "Any for me, Mr. G.?"

"No, but when we can, I'll get you some."

The field was being lined by goblins running to and fro with big, white paintbrushes. Goblins, trolls, skaven, and a few ogres filled the stands and Kaspar even saw several humans. While the other races were dispersed throughout, the humans stayed mostly in groups with each other. Torches were lit all along the end zones of the pitch and were placed on all of the levels of the stands themselves. Although the game would be played in dim light, it felt more like watching a game at dusk just before the night fully took over.

The shoddily built media tower for the announcers and other crews for BBSPN sat at the midfield mark about ten yards away, but since BIBA didn't seem to know about the game, BBSPN crews were not here either. BBSPN usually covered any games with more than a couple of goblins on the field. While ratings were low across the board, everyone always wanted to watch these little monsters do the goofiest things to each other or another team. Kaspar heard the announcers but everything was entirely in Goblin. There was also crew of goblins on the field although they looked to be carrying around equipment that was decades old or broken. On the field were several goblin reporters in gaudy wigs interviewing a couple of the players, even. "So, Gobbodor, tell me something."

"Yeah, Mr. G?"

"Why do goblin reporters always seem to wear over the top wigs when they interview players and coaches?"

"Where else to wear wigs but on top?"

"No, I meant why wear them at all?"

"I don't know, Mr. G. Because they pretty. Goblins like answering from pretties."

Kaspar shook his head. Goblins were just a foreign creature to him. There seemed to be a larger crowd compared to Middenheim and whatever passion they lacked that city, the fans here made up for it with ridiculous fervor.

A small explosion went off in the corner of the field behind an end zone. Two charred goblins, clearly stunned, had flown several yards from a smoking box. The crowd cheered as Evil Vile took the field, their uniforms of purple and silver complemented by glowing green warpstone on their bodies, and they raced off towards their own end zone followed by a troll looking around as if he forgot who to follow. Skrit Skrat did jumping lunges towards the midfield where what looked like a female Dark Elf referee was waiting. Kaspar stared at her. She was stunning, of course, but it also looked like she was wearing heels.

Before he could really figure it out, another explosion from the other corner occurred causing two other charred goblins to wander in front of the entering home team, the Speargood Shanks. Crumbling under the feet of the team, Kaspar lost sight of those poor technicians. The home team had yellow tops with brown pants with a yellow stripe down the leg. Their two trolls lumbered after the rest of the team to the clapping of many fans. Although Kaspar could never tell a troll apart from another one, unless they had different colored skin, he assumed one of them was Turdlik Wartersnot from the statue at the entrance.

Once the coin toss took place, Evil Vile chose to defend their half and kick off to the Speargood Shanks. Evil Vile, led by Skrit Skrat all walked to the end zone first where a human-sized statue of Nuffle was placed. Since no one had ever seen Nuffle, and so the god was created in many different images, Evil Vile used a massive stone head with warpstones for eyes. They each knelt to their knees and bowed three times to the statue. Kaspar hadn't seen this devotion from another team since the Nuln's Thousand Suns. One time, while playing against them with the Badengrad Bears, the entire Nuln team stopped playing, allowing Kaspar to run in a touchdown unmolested because they believed they had upset Nuffle and needed to genuflect at that very moment and learn humility from his wisdom. Kaspar smiled at that. Blood Bowl teams were religious and superstitious to varying degrees. Most said a quick prayer to Nuffle, some were very devout, like Evil Vile, but very few ignored or did anything to upset Nuffle. No one was that stupid or daring. Still others, like the NBA, outwardly defied Nuffle, and wore black cloaks to every game, carrying signs to disparage the qualities of the God of Blood Bowl. Most of the time, people left them alone, but other times, brawls would break out. The NBA never visited another game where Skrit Skrat would be, however, and he noticed their lack of participation at this game as well.

Once Evil Vile was finished, they took their positions on the field. They boasted one troll, six skaven, and four goblins with five more goblins in reserve. For the Speargood Shanks, they fielded two trolls, a fanatic, a bombardier, a looney, a pogoer, and five other goblins. Evil Vile placed their Troll on the line of scrimmage with their four goblins. The Speargood Shanks placed their trolls, fanatic, and looney on theirs. Skrit Skrat placed himself on the outside left along with a skaven blitzer. On the far right was a skaven lineman with another blitzer. In the back field was the last skaven. For the Speargood Shanks, the pogoer and bombardier stood in the middle of the field talking and laughing while the other goblins did various activities like kicking rocks, while one was very intent on seeing how far he could get his finger up his nose. The kickoff came from Skrit Skrat who placed it in the back corner of the field along the left side. It was a beautiful kick that landed right in the end zone. The Evil Vile goblin cheerleaders were so excited they started to ramp up the crowd with their skittering and incomprehensible language. The Dark Elf referee managed to get out of the way of a fanatic that couldn't quite get towards the goblin standing in front of him. Two Evil Vile goblins started ducking and diving troll swings and the fanatic ended up being consumed by the anger and momentum of his ball and chain that he smashed into his own troll teammate, knocking him to the ground. Unfortunately, the fanatic kept going and hit him again while he was on the ground, crushing in his skull. The entire crowd booed and hissed. Gobbodor explained this was because he was Turdlik Wartersnot.

Skrit Skrat ran towards the ball with his blitzer teammate but were getting caught up in blocking the goblins waiting for them. The pogoer had just gotten the ball and was heading for his left side of the field. The bombardier was finally able to light his bomb and threw it at Skrit Skrat and the blitzer. The explosion sent the two of them onto their backs and almost out of the pitch off the sidelines. The two remaining trolls, one from each team, were beating each other senseless, neither giving way to other. The looney started his chainsaw and ran after the Dark Elf referee. Before he reached her, she grabbed something from her belt and threw it at the goblin. It looked to be something heavy like a rock and it knocked him down and out, the chainsaw flittering away and sputtering to a stop.

Finally, the Evil Vile troll was able to knock the other troll down. The pogoer raced towards that troll to jump over him. In mid-air the Evil Vile troll grabbed the pogoer and slammed him to the ground, killing him instantly. The ball squirted and bounced towards one of the skaven blitzers who couldn't seem to pick up the ball as it bounced along the ground. The bombardier lit another bomb and threw it at the Evil Vile troll and it hit him square in his chest and then fell to the ground at his feet. As the Speargood Shanks troll stood up, the bomb went off sending him back to the ground. All it did to the Evil Vile troll was cause confusion.

Racing from the sideline, Skrit Skrat took the neck of the bombardier's uniform and tackled him to the ground, knocking him out. The fanatic started swinging again, this time connecting with one of the Evil Vile goblins and one of the skaven. His ball and chain landed true, crushing the chest of the skaven and breaking the leg of the goblin. However, he was now all alone away from the action. The ball still hadn't been picked up until one of the Speargood Shanks goblins snagged it and raced toward the Evil Vile end zone. Skrit Skrat and the other skaven raced after him while the Evil Vile troll looked like he was wondering where he had eaten earlier that day. The Speargood Shanks scored and the fans in yellow and brown erupted. The Dark Elf referee blew the whistle and jogged back to the Shanks' goblin coach.

Kaspar could see the two arguing, probably over the looney attempting to maim or kill the referee. The argument was getting heated especially when the referee extended her hand to the goblin, probably wanting more bribe money after the failed attack. When he produced more, she thumbed for the players with weapons to get back on the field, except for the pogoer, whose head seemed to look like a squashed pumpkin. The crowd erupted again when Turdlik Wartersnot took the field, his regeneration not failing to heal him in time for the next drive. Kaspar knew the frustration of regeneration all too well. Several big guys could regenerate the worst of wounds and keep playing which was a pain at the best of times. However, while that was annoying, playing an undead type team where all of their players could regenerate was downright obnoxious. One minute you're five men up, and then the next drive you're playing their full roster again.

This time, Evil Vile was set to receive. Their troll once again manned the line of scrimmage across from the Speargood Shanks trolls, which included Turdlik Wartersnot. So far, Kaspar hadn't seen anything that would make Speargood fans excited about this player. The fanatic, looney, and pogoer lined up on the scrimmage as well across from Evil Vile's goblin teammates. Skrit Skrat stood next to the other skaven thrower in the backfield. The Dark Elf blew the whistle again and immediately, the looney came after her again. Instead of throwing a rock this time, she threw a knife that stuck in the middle of his forehead. He fell backwards with the chainsaw still running cutting into his body on the ground. The kickoff was very high, so high in fact, that it disappeared for a few moments in the darkened ceiling and then reappeared just in time for the skaven thrower to get beneath it.

Turdlik picked up one of the Evil Vile goblins on the line and threw him. The goblin smashed right into the skaven thrower, knocking them both out. The crowd cheered. Kaspar found himself clapping to this as he had never seen that before. Maybe there was something to this Turdlik after all.

Skrit Skrat scooped the ball in one of his hands and ran towards the right side of the field. The bombardier tracked him and threw one of his bombs at the skaven captain. Before it reached Skrit Skrat, movement from the side of his body ripped out of part his jersey and out popped a third arm. That extra arm then snagged the bomb and threw it right back at the bombardier, exploding just above him, and knocking him down to the ground. While Turdlik turned to go after Skrit Skrat, the fanatic swung his ball and chain around hitting the Evil Vile troll to the ground and continued to hit one of his own players who had gotten excited at the prospect of fouling a downed troll in the face. Blood exploded from his head and he was knocked back several feet.

The ball was moving down the side of the field in Skrit Skrat's arms while he was protected by the other two skaven blitzers. No one on the Speargood Shanks team could run him down and he scored just before halftime. The referee blew the whistle and both teams lumbered to their dugouts on the opposite ends of the field. The referee marched back over to the goblin coach of the Speargood Shanks and yelled at him again. When he picked up a cleaver that an apothecary had held in his hands, the Dark Elf whipped another knife out and cut off his left hand. The crowd started booing and hissing and several started to try to storm the field but security kept them in for now.

For some reason, Kaspar hadn't noticed this before, but Speargood had provided their own security, which made sense, seeing as how there weren't any BIBA officials present. BIBA had recently become the only authorized providers of security at Blood Bowl events giving them authority to have an armed and trained military force. Kaspar watched as the referee marched back to the center of the field in her high-heeled thigh boots. She was quite attractive but for Dark Elves, that wasn't unusual for the simple reason they were just as deadly as they were beautiful. She blew the whistle again and the teams took the field.

Kaspar sat back and relaxed for the first time during a Blood Bowl match in as long as he could remember. Why did it take a BIBA unsupervised match between Goblins and the Underworld to show everyone how to actually play the game? Sure, the Speargood Shanks had weapons, but no self-respecting goblin team would ever stay home without them. And besides, the referee kicked them out of the game when they ran out of bribes, and due to the simple fact that they tried to kill the referee twice. By the end of the game, the score was 2-2. Turdlik had actually intercepted a pass from the skaven thrower, and run down the field smashing two blitzers to the ground to get there. The second touchdown for Evil Vile was made when one of their goblins was thrown by the troll who landed on top of a Speargood Shanks goblin, killing him and still making the landing. The backfield was empty for the Evil Vile goblin to run in as easy as could be. Before the final minutes ran out, Kaspar and Gobbodor made their way towards where the locker rooms were. Having looked at the state they were in, and realizing he would be in close proximity to a number of Underworld players, he decided he would wait at the edge of the field. Security detained him but he flashed his NAF medallion, which confused them, but they still let him through. Maybe there was something to the NAF after all.

Chapter 15

"RARG needs the NAF like trolls need another hole in their head!"

-Max "Kneecap" Mittleman, former Guildmaster of RARG, Referees and Allied Rulekeepers Guild

"The RARG is obsolete and has been officially disbanded due to total corruption and mismanagement of the rules that the people have entrusted them with. BIBA will take over all referee appointments and regulations effective immediately."

- Tywinian Ypressinor, CEO of BIBA, Blood Bowl International Business Association, 2511

When the game was over, the crowd started trying to out cheer each other and, as is one of the events that makes Blood Bowl the experience it is, began fighting and mauling each other as well. It was all scratchy noise to Kaspar since most of the fans were goblins, trolls, and some orcs, but Gobbodor chuckled here and there at the displays of verbal disagreements. Skrit Skrat was the last member of his team to walk off the field so Kaspar took the opportunity to speak with him alone.

"Skrit Skrat, may I have a word?"

"Why?" he asked, his eyes looking straight into Kaspar's, glowing a dark green.

"I have a business proposition for you, from the NAF."

"The NAF? What propo-sssition?" Skrit Skrat stopped in front of Kaspar and reached with one of his left arms to scratch his throat. Speaking with the Skaven was a patient process. Besides their long "s"'s, they paused between many of the words and spoke slowly.

"I've noticed that there were no BIBA officials here- why is that?"

"Maybe they got lossst."

"Or maybe they never made it to the game because someone didn't want them here. What I'm trying to say is that I think you would make a great representative for the Underworld in the NAF. You see, we're going to start a new league. Go back to the basics, go back to making Blood Bowl right again."

Skrit Skrat turned and started walking towards his end zone. He turned his head and said, "Come."

Kaspar looked down to Gobbodor who shrugged. They walked behind the rat as he walked towards the statue to Nuffle. Skrit Skrat stopped abruptly several yards in front of the statue such that Kaspar nearly ran him over and Gobbodor ran into the back of Kaspar, causing him to stumble.

Skrit Skrat raised a hand to the ceiling and bowed his head. He mumbled for several seconds and then picked his head up to look in Kaspar's eyes. "I have ssssspoken with Nuffle many timessss, human, throughout my life. He hassss been sssilent thessse past few yearssss and I have been worried. You ssseeee, he issss very unhappy."

"You're talking about the loss of Amazons Stadium and Fangdango Field."

The skaven nodded. "Nuffle'ssss not finished yet. We have to heed hissss power."

"We follow Nuffle, Skrit Skrat. The NAF is named after him."

"But it'sss becaussse of the NAF that BIBA hass taken over."

"I don't follow."

Skrit Skrat walked towards the statue and placed a hand on it. "When you lossst your way with Nuffle and ssset yourssselvesss up for easssy pickingsss after your bosssss stole your treasssury, it wasss all the excussse that BIBA needed to fill in the vacuum. And thusss BIBA hass taken Nuffle'sss game from him entirely. He isss not happy."

"We're a new NAF, Skrit Skrat. You have my word on that. This is why I am here- to bring back the game to Nuffle's glory. For that, though, we need all representatives of all teams to help make decisions on behalf of Blood Bowl. And if you accept, you can help make sure we never stray from the path again."

Skrit Skrat knelt in front of the statue and genuflected. After he was done, he rose towards Kaspar and extended his hand. Kaspar took it and the skaven blitzer said, "I accept. May we never again stray form the light of Nuffle's glory."

"Never again," said Kaspar. "Our first meeting will be at the NAF headquarters in a month. Can you be in Marienburg by then?"

"Of coursssse, human."

"My name's Kaspar Gunderman."

"Of courssse, human," Skrit Skrat smiled as he pulled away and walked towards the locker room.

Kaspar said to Gobbodor, "Well, now that this is over, let's see if Gimlic's here or not." He turned around and was immediately in the face of the elven BIBA official that Kaspar kicked his boot at back in Waldenhof.

The elf was clearly not happy. "It seems that we have a conversation to finish. This makes me very angry. You see, after we were to discuss some matters with you, we were to come here and officially record this illegal game. But, because of you, we weren't able to authorize this game at all. And you were quite rude to us in the process."

"You wouldn't happen to have my other boot, would you?" asked Kaspar.

The elf punched him in the gut. Kaspar was ready for a face shot, but not a gut shot. The air left him and he went to his knees. Gobbodor immediately attacked the human BIBA official close to him but between him and the other official, he was subdued rather easily. "You see, Mr. Gunderman, we were only going to hurt you and make you remember why BIBA runs things. But now, you've made this personal for me. "

"How could I," gasped Kaspar," I don't personally know you."

"My name is Elleric Windstepper, Gunderman. I am the Head Regulator of the BIBA Regulation Agency. And so, I'm not only going to discuss how you have offended BIBA, but me as well. Now, I'm not only going to hurt you, I might even kill you."

Kaspar regained his breath enough now. "Sure thing. But first, what are you going to do about her?"

"Please, Gunderman, it's truly pathetic if you think-"

The Dark Elf referee chopped Elleric between the shoulder and neck and, not being prepared for it, he crumpled to the ground unconscious. The two human officials then squared off against Kaspar and the female Dark Elf. Kaspar looked over to her and she looked back. "Which one do you want," he asked.

"I'll take the stupid looking one," she said.

"Which one is that one?" he asked.

"The one on the right."

"The one on the left doesn't look too bright either."

"True, but I am a little tired from reffing and he is a step farther, so if you would be a dear and punish him, that would be delightful."

Kaspar turned back to his opponent and shrugged. "Just doing what the lady asks."

The one BIBA official on the right said, "If you think you can get away with this, you are insane. Fighting BIBA officials? More insane. The best you can do right now is turn yourselves in."

"Oh, darling," said the Dark Elf, "you really are the dumb one." She then walked the few steps towards him and kicked him in the chin. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell over landing square on his back.

"Hey-" said the other official before Kaspar uppercutted him. The man staggered back and then Kaspar slammed his fist down on top of the man's head. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up.

"I did it in one," said the Dark Elf.

Kaspar smiled. "Yes, you did. I'm Kaspar Gunderman."

She smiled back. "I'm Lorelei Malvae and I want in."

"Excuse me?"

"In your organization. I want in. I overheard your conversation with Skrit Skrat."

"I'm sorry but I already have someone else in mind for the Dark Elf representation."

"Oh, please," she said and walked towards the exit of the massive cavern. Kaspar and Gobbodor stared after her. "Come along, Kaspar."

He found himself in her thrall. Luckily, he had dealt with Dark Elves and their wily personality, before, and although they didn't have a hypnotic gaze like the vampires seemed to have, they had ways about them that made anyone want to follow them. That, and their gorgeous looks seductive moves helped as well. He shook his head to clear his mind. "What did you have in mind then, Lorelei?"

"I want to rebuild the Referees and Allied Rulekeepers Guild."

"The RARG?"

"Correct. Once RARG was disbanded, soon after BIBA took over, most of the decent referees left the guild. Keep in mind, under the NAF, refs have been seen as being akin to common sewer rats. I'd like to bring back the RARG, but this time, I want to reshape it to what it was over hundred years ago."

"So you're going to have more than one ref on the field?"

"Exactly. Not as many as before, I think nine were too many. I was thinking of two line refs and three in the field, with a center ref for final calls."

Kaspar nodded. He liked that. In truth, he hadn't thought too much about the referee situation since he hadn't even filled out all of the teams he needed as representatives. "So, you want five refs on the pitch. And what do you want in return?"

"Under the current BIBA regulations, refs are seen as a mere formality. We lack power of any kind. If we rebuild, we can be a reputable and regulatory force again. We could be our own guild again."

"And what happens if you become corrupt again?"

"What if the NAF does?"

"Touche. So does that mean no more bribes or weapons?"

"Oh, please. We're referees. We always take bribes. How else would you run a Blood Bowl game?"

Lorelei, Kaspar, and Gobbodor walked back outside just in time to catch the last rays of sunset. There was a large commotion several hundred yards away just outside of a large, misshaped temple of sorts, dedicated to a goofy looking Nuffle. He could already see the very large, very red, inflated balloon that had the ropes wrapped around it so that the material bulged where the ropes were taut.

"What in Chaos is this contraption," asked Lorelei.

"This, my new found RARG Guildmaster," said Kaspar sweeping his hand towards Gimlic's airship, "is my dodgyboo."

Chapter 16

"Undead teams are easier to manage than other teams. For example, my players don't stop playing when they die."

Tomolandry the Undying, Owner and Head Coach of the Champions of Death

"Grrgyl dyzzsta sshrrrrgrggrg ffaadddaa shyrg."

-Kirkland Grundy, Star zombie when asked about the true meaning of Blood Bowl

Lorelei walked across the deck of the dirigible and everyone's eyes, except for Gobbodor and Gimlic's goblin mechanic, Greasepot, followed her entire movement. The wind flowed through her jet black hair and the half-moon's light glowed off of her pale skin. Kaspar shook his head again as she walked to the rail.

"What a beautiful night for misdeeds," she cooed.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Are you sure you want to come with us to Mordheim?" Kaspar asked.

"Of course, darling," she said. "While you're recruiting Heinrich, I need to speak with Varina Grimm. I'm now in the same boat as you are, metaphorically and literally speaking."

Kaspar looked around the dirigible. "Well done. Who is she, by the way?"

"A wraith."

"A wraith?"

"Well, phantom, at any rate. Hard to kill a ref when you can't place your hands on them."

"That's true. Reminds me of the White Bay Arrows. They are still playing, I assume?"

Lorelei nodded. "Almost fifty years straight, now. When everyone on the pitch is a phantom, it's real hard to pick up a ball. Or whistle."

"Any luck in reversing the curse?"

"None whatsoever. No one in Naggaroth seems to care anymore."

Kaspar looked over the railing. They were making great time and should be in Mordheim by morning. Gimlic walked up to the two of them. "We should be in Mordheim by morning. You might want to catch a few winks before we touch down."

Kaspar caught Lorelei's eye and smiled. She smiled back and said, "You know you couldn't handle me, Kaspar."

"You know you are right, Lorelei. Gimlic, do you happen to have any extra bedrolls for Lorelei?"

"Have more than enough. Jasper, please get Miss Mavrae a bedroll and set it up for her, please."

The Halfling mechanic eagerly waddled over. "Sure thing, Boss!"

It was hard to get into a deep sleep because of all of the clanking noise of the dardgy-boo and Gobbodor's snoring, but Kaspar did get a few moments of rest. Several hours later, the sunrise woke him as it peered over the World's Edge Mountains. Down below, much of the land was still in darkness, but the benefit, or detriment depending on who you ask, of flying high above the land was that morning came much sooner.

Kaspar rubbed the crust out of his eyes and was a little congested as well. He looked over to Lorelei who was stretching in such a way that Kaspar took a few moments before he rose to walk around the deck. Gobbodor still snored away, as did Jasper and Greasepot. Gimlic was at the helm looking through a spyglass. On the airship, there were several doors to a deck below. Most of that deck was taken up by machinery but there was a small room underneath filled with small, clay chamber pots and some rags. Even though there was a small bed a swell, Lorelei had opted to sleep under the stars.

Kaspar climbed down to the room and relieved himself into one of the pots. Using one of the rags available, he opened a medium-sized basin of water, dipped the rag in it, used the rag, placed it into the pot, opened the small porthole window, held out the pot, and then dropped it. Not much of a system, especially since there was always a chance someone could be underneath it, but it worked for the operations of the blimp.

Climbing to the top and then breathing in the crisp air, he watched Lorelei climb down to the 'in-house', as Gimlic called it, and then he strode to where the captain was. "How are we doing, Captain?"

"Doing just fine. While you're taking care of business with the Champions of Death, we will refuel, and tinker with some of the systems we had repaired. Thanks, by the way, for the money."

"No problem," said Kaspar holding out his hand for the spyglass, "I'm just glad we found each other."

He looked through the glass at the surrounding countryside. He didn't know the area too well, but had coached a team, the Ostermark Goths, that had played once at a small venue several miles from Mordheim. Tomolandry the Undying, the owner of the Champions of Death had been using Mordheim as a practice area for over a decade now. Since there were still superstitions surrounding this place, even though the comet that destroyed most of the town had been over 500 years ago, many people stayed away from the area so that the Champions of Death could practice and hold recruiting drives farther away from other teams' prying eyes.

After another hour, the blimp began to descend towards a blackened area that was once the city of Mordheim. After the initial comet strike, wyrdstone shards were left behind causing all sorts of miracles and mutations. Warring bands came together to fight other warring bands for control over this extremely valuable element. When Magnus the Pious ordered the remaining portions of the city to be burned, the magical quality of the area forever left a scorched mark on the countryside. In essence, a perfect place for the Champions of Death.

Gimlic wasn't crazy or stupid, however, and so he slowly positioned the blimp to an area half a mile away where there seemed to be a large mass of bodies moving around organized fields and pitches. Before it came to the ground, Gimlic pulled a lever that dropped two anchors, each hitting the ground and dragging until the blimp slowed almost to a stop. He then pulled another lever that dropped a third anchor. The dirigible slowly stopped and then the dwarf mechanic dropped the ladder to the ground.

"Thanks for traveling Farblast Airways, please take your time in your business and we will get this bucket up and running again shortly." The town of Schoneschwarz was a few miles from Mordheim and so Gimlic was going to drop them off and then travel for coal, wood, and see if they had any oil on hand.

Kaspar, Gobbodor, and Lorelei made their way towards the training camp. There were various and sundry jerseys, teams, and what seemed like an endless sea of zombies and skeletons. Makeshift signs were set up for tryouts of varying degrees. Mummies were to go one place, Wights to another, Ghouls, Zombies, Skeletons, and even Werewolves and Flesh Golems. The throng of undead always made the living uneasy. Especially when the random wraith and phantom floated by. The stares they received were to be expected as so many of these creatures would just as soon as devour them than watch them. Of course, as far as the undead knew, Kaspar and Lorelei were BIBA officials with their goblin lackey. Kaspar looked at several flesh golems cross in front of them heading towards an open tent area that looked to be manned by several necromancers and hunchbacks. One of the golems was carrying his severed left arm in his right hand. "What are the Necromantics doing here?" asked Kaspar.

"Didn't you hear," said Lorelei, "the Champions of Death are starting a Necro team as well. With the dissolving of so many minor teams, and some major as well because of BIBA's outlandish regulations, this has become a good time for the top tier teams. "

"Like the Dwarf Giants, Darkside Cowboys, et cetera."

"Yes. And the Champions of Death have been getting the best possible pickings, especially after the way Blood Bowl is being played now."

"Which is kill, kill, kill," he said. "No thought to actually playing the game."

"And that's why you found me reffing goblins and skaven, darling. They're actually the last few actually playing the game," she said pointing over to a raised platform overlooking one of the fields. "Is that Heinrich Vaughan over there? Is he with Talbot Quist?"

Kaspar saw Heinrich who had his arms crossed, staring at the practice field. Next to him was the star werewolf player of The Derping Face-Eaters in his orange and brown uniform. The Champions of Death, of course, were all in black. "It is. I've played against him once. He ripped through our ogre like he was butter. Great player, but I've never met him personally."

"Have you ever been to Derping, Kaspar?" asked Lorelei.

"No, never got around to it. Heard it wasn't a very good place to visit. "

"Not really, at least, not if you want to be eaten by a different variety of undead. Once they ever finish their stadium, I wonder if anyone will play them in their hometown?"

As they walked closer to the group in which Heinrich and Talbot were standing, Kaspar noticed a zombie in a torn green jersey staring at him about ten yards away. The zombie was following the group with his head but no other part of his body was moving. "I think we have a fan," said Kaspar.

Lorelei turned to look at the zombie. "Who's that?"

Kaspar shrugged. They had just reached the steps when Heinrich saw them. His black Blood Bowl armor was spotless and shining. He had his normal bat-winged helmet on the deck of the platform next to his feet. "Kaspar Gunderman," he said in an impossibly low and hollow voice. Well, for a human anyways.

"Heinrich Vaughan, how are you?" he asked. "May we come up?"

"Please do," the Wight said and then to the other Wights and Werewolves on the platform, "Everyone who is not Talbot Quist or myself, please leave." Three Wights with clipboards and two werewolves with timers stepped to the ground and milled in front of the railing of the platform. Kaspar looked over to see the zombie still staring at him, never having moved.

"Heinrich, this is Lorelei Malvae, and my companion, Gobbodor."

The Wight nodded and said, "A pleasure. This is Talbot Quist of the Derping Face-Eaters. He's here to help supervise a possible merger of our teams."

The werewolf turned and looked at them for the first time. When he spoke, it was raspy, lispy, and sounded as if he had lots of spit in his mouth. But, werewolves tended to speak that way. "Welcome. Have you come to watch the tryouts?" Spittle formed at the edges of his mouth and some even managed to reach Kaspar's face.

"Unfortunately, no, as much as I would love to," he said turning to the practice pitch where two teams of mixed werewolves and Wights were playing each other in practice jerseys, one side in black, one side in orange.

"Then what can I do for you, Kaspar?" said the Wight. Kaspar was thinking that the problem with skeletal beings was that they always looked like they were smiling about a joke that no one but them knew about.

"I need to speak with you on private matters, do you mind if it's in front of Quist? No offense, Quist."

"None taken," spit Talbot.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Talbot," said Heinrich.

"Well, Heinrich, I wanted to know if you would like to join a new league that is being set up. In fact, we would like you to head the Undead representation in development of this league."

Heinrich turned his head and upper body with his arms still crossed towards Kaspar's group. "A new league? And who, pray tell, will be in charge of this league?"

Kaspar was going to hate this part. No one was ever going to be excited about the NAF being the savior of Blood Bowl. But he couldn't find a good reason he should lie or be dishonest about it. He was no politician and was always a rip-the-bandage-off-quickly kind person. "The NAF."

Heinrich scoffed while Talbot chuckled, drool coming from the side of his mouth. The Wight faced Kaspar and then turned back towards the field. "Why should we ever be involved with the NAF again?"

"Because this time, we're going to do it right. BIBA is destroying the game we all know and love. After revamping its entire infrastructure and hiring those that want this game to come back, the NAF is going to start a new league to get back to Blood Bowl's roots."

"And I will be restructuring the RARG as well, " said Lorelei, speaking for the first time. "The RARG may not have been the best, but it will be better. Especially better than what BIBA has offered as a substitute."

Kaspar continued, "We already have several races down as representatives. All 24 races will be involved with the direction of the league with one extra vote by the CEO of the NAF."

"Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn," said Talbot.

"Yes. The NAF wants to get rid of the big companies' influences and get the teams back into their cities, playing the sport the way it was meant to be played."

Heinrich nodded. "I agree with everything you say, Kaspar, but you are forgetting one important detail that the NAF cannot provide."

"What's that?"

"Have you noticed how large our training camp is? Blood Bowl causes more deaths than ever before. We're reaping the benefits. Instead of waiting for the fluxes of recruits from natural disasters like the tornadoes in Leicheberg, we have all of the recruits we want at all times. Our team will be unstoppable for the cup."

"About the tornadoes in Leicheberg, Heinrich," said Lorelei.

"Yes?"

"What if it wasn't a natural disaster?"

"What do you mean," asked Heinrich.

"What if it was a message from the most important aspect of the game?"

"Who, my dear?"

"Nuffle, darling," smiled the Dark Elf. "Amazons Field was destroyed as well. Coincidence, Heinrich? I don't believe so. Nuffle is not happy and we need to fix it."

Kaspar cut in, "And besides, who cares about your recruiting drives when people stop coming to watch the games altogether? It's not just about us, it's about Blood Bowl."

"I agree with Kaspar, " said Talbot.

"I'm afraid I do as well," said Heinrich.

"But?" chimed Kaspar.

"But," said Heinrich, "I am under contract with the Champions of Death, who in turn, is on contract with BIBA for twenty more years. Even Tomolandry the Undying can't get out of this contract and expect to keep his moniker."

"So break it, darling," said Lorelei, seductively, "that's what chains were made for anyways."

"Please, Dark Elf, spare me the lines, I am no more interested in you than your goblin."

"Gobbodor," said Gobbodor.

"I do not break promises, Kaspar. I do not break contracts for any reason. I know this can be a fault of mine, and believe me, it pains me to do so at this time, but my word is everything to me. When you've lived as long as I have, that's all you ever have left."

"Not for me, Gunderman," said Talbot, spraying the man's face with spit. "I like what you said. I would break my contract in order to represent the Necromantic race."

"Are you fine with that, Heinrich?"

"He doesn't speak for me, Gunderman. One of the reasons I was even looking to merge my team with theirs was because I'm leaving the game. No one actually playing the game. Too many taxes. Too little control. Crump BIBA."

It's good to have you aboard then, Talbot Quist," said Kaspar extending his hand for a shake.

"Not a good idea," said Talbot waving his claws at Kaspar.

Kaspar turned to Heinrich. "And nothing I can do can sway your word on this?"

Heinrich shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but don't think I don't wish you all of the luck Nuffle has to give."

"You were my only option as a representative," said Kaspar.

Heinrich turned and pointed to the zombie that had stared at Kaspar's group without moving since they showed up. "You might try Kirkland Grundy. I think he will be the wisest choice you made."

"That's Kirkland Grundy?" asked Lorelei with incredulity.

"Absolutely. And he's a Free Agent," said Heinrich.

"That doesn't look like him," said Kaspar.

"He is a zombie, and besides, he's had a lot of work done," said Talbot.

"How old is he?" asked Kaspar.

"Older than me," replied Heinrich.

They shook hands and Kaspar said, "Thanks for the help and the honesty. Look us up in twenty years, Heinrich."

"I will pray to Nuffle you will still be around."

After Kaspar had given the information to Talbot for the first meeting, Kaspar, Lorelei, and Gobbodor walked towards Kirkland Grundy who still hadn't moved. "Kirkland Grundy?"

"Rruggh."

"How did you know my name?" asked Kaspar.

"Furrgg arrg harcccchh."

Lorelei said, "Impressive."

"Are you willing to become the Undead's representative for the NAF?" asked Kaspar.

"Thffbbt urr ssshkkkkk aaaarrgg llllrrrb."

"With an attitude like that, I don't see how we could ever fail," said Kaspar.

"GGGhhaatttttt ooorrnnn ffrrrrr."

"And so we will not falter in our dedication to this cause," said Lorelei.

"What the crump is he saying?" yelled Gobbodor.

Chapter 17

"I love elven blood more than any other. Like a fine wine, really."

-Emil Von Carstein, Black Fangs Veteran

"You need to be careful around vampires. Or at least provide them with enough incentive to think that you would be detrimental to their health."

-Zara the Slayer, retired Star

In the middle of the night, the dirigible moored at one of the towers of Castle Drakenhof in Sylvania. The castle itself had once been occupied by the late Mannfred von Carstein, whose legendary prowess on the Blood Bowl pitch was second to none. However, his lust for blood became too great and he disappeared amongst the swamps of Lustria, trying to find the high Slann priests in Fel Henn, never to be seen again. Castle Drakenhof was built into a cliffside surrounded by heavy forest below and above. There were four towers of Castle Drakenhof that spanned towards the central keep that boasted a height as great as the spires. At the western tower was where the dirigible moored, just above the bridge.

Kaspar, Gobbodor, and Gimlic climbed down the ladder. Lorelei had been left behind as she wanted to recruit for the RARG. The three stood before a waiting Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn who sported a wide smile, showing his teeth. Beside him was another vampire dressed in ceremonial robes. "Baron von Falkenhayn."

"Kaspar Gunderman, please let me introduce Prince Jerek von Carstein."

"Your highness," said Kaspar bowing his head.

Jerek said, "Arise, Mr. Gunderman."

Kaspar lifted his head. The Baron said, "The prince has agreed to help with representation of the Vampires in the NAF, since I am, of course, disqualified from participating."

The Prince turned to Gimlic. "If you and your colleagues are so inclined, I have had some oil and coal set aside to assist you in your travels."

"Much obliged," said Gimlic bowing. He then walked toward the central keep where several thralls were moving some crates and barrels.

The Prince beckoned the rest to one of the towers.

"Who did you have in mind, Your Highness? Emil von Carstein?"

Jerek von Carstein walked inside the tower while he seemed to answer more towards the Baron than to Kaspar. "Absolutely not. He may be good on the pitch, but he lacks the creativity that defines the Carsteins. I believe Carmilla Carstein will be the representative that will suit us best."

The Baron nodded, "I think she would make a fine choice for Vampire representation, but I do have one concern."

"And that is?" asked Jerek.

"She's never actually played Blood Bowl."

"Not professionally, no, but she is quite enthusiastic about the idea of being involved. She is an enormous fan of Carstein's Carnage, and had even tried out for the team." Jerek had a thrall start a large fire in the center of the room. All around were tapestries of battles and weapons racks, used long ago back when almost every race was at war with each other. There were also some of Carstein's Carnage and the Black Fangs, who Emil von Carstein played for.

"Why did she not make the team, my Prince?"

"Well, while she is enthusiastic about the sport, she isn't very good at it. Not the tactics, mind you, or even the physical ability. Her fault is that she gets a little too excited and her Bloodlust becomes a little too insatiable. She bites almost everyone around her; it's really annoying for the thralls."

"I see, " said the Baron. "But you feel she would make a good representative?"

"Quite. She's very precocious and would love more than anything to sink her teeth into the machinations of the sport itself. I just hope that the NAF can keep its end of the bargain. I assume, next you will be travelling to Araby?"

"To Zandri, yes," said Kaspar. "But not until we stop in Barak Varr first. How did you know we would go there?"

Carstein smiled. "The living are always uncomfortable with the dead. Therefore, like most things unpleasant, people always try to get through unpleasantness quickly."

Kaspar watched as a young female, maybe around twelve or thirteen walked up behind Jerek von Carstein.

"Is this the human you brought me to play with?" she asked.

"Absolutely not, my dear," said Jerek. "Kaspar Gunderman is going to add you to the representative's table at the NAF." Kaspar watched as she straightened her back more, and the sanguine look in her eyes became more focused.

"Mr. Gunderman, my name is Carmilla Carstein, and I assure you that I not only support your endeavors, but I will be most honored to be a representative for the Vampire teams." She extended a hand in a very business-like manner.

Kaspar grasped it and felt the icy cold skin on his. She smiled back, not in a seductive or even a predatory way, but in the way a business partner would treat another. Kaspar hoped she didn't think she would be running things at the NAF. Vampires could be touchy on feelings of control and power.

"Kaspar Gunderman," he replied. He let go of her hand and sat in one of the chairs facing the fire. She sat across from him while Gobbodor, lowered the suitcase onto the floor. Baron von Falkenhayn and Prince Jerek von Carstein stayed where they were, discussing matters that didn't need to involve Kaspar. "So, Mrs., uh, miss…"

"Carmilla is fine, Mr. Gunderman."

"Kaspar."

"Kasper. I may look like I'm thirteen, but I am as old as you. As long as you're fifty?"

"Forty, but that's fine."

"Well, we're from the same generation at any rate. I understand you will be travelling to Zandri, on the coast of Araby after Barak Varr?"

"How did you know that?"

"I overheard you talking to your airship captain. I was wondering if you would like some help?"

"Well, I don't think so. I was going to look up Ra-ja Din. I had heard he left Neter-Khertet after he fell out with Ithiris, his coach."

"It seems you won't need me after all, then." Carmilla looked a little dejected and even though she was older than he was, she still had the thirteen year old puppy dog eyes.

"Well, do you speak Khemri?" he asked.

"I do."

"Then I may need you after all," Kaspar said.

She smiled brightly and stood. "I shall get my things and be on your ship within ten minutes."

"How can you get ready that- oh, I get it. You already were ready to go. All you needed to do was convince me." He leaned back in his chair still smiling.

"It's the puppy dog eyes," she said. "One of my greatest weapons."

"It's the puppy dog eyes," Kaspar agreed.

Carmilla bounded away down spiral tone stairs. Kaspar stood up and stretched. The travelling had begun to become weary on the body. Well, old age more than anything else. Travelling in the dardgy boo was more comfortable than a wagon, for sure, but Kaspar was still getting tired from the trip. Prince Jerek kissed Baron Lothar on one cheek and then the other. Vampires had strange ways of doing most anything, especially greetings and good-byes. Once the Prince walked out towards the bridge, the Baron came closer to the fire.

"Have you made arrangements with Carmilla Carstein?"

"I have."

"Be very careful with her, Mr. Gunderman."

"Why? Is there something I should know?"

"She's young. In the vampire sense. She doesn't have the decades or centuries behind her to have built a strong inner discipline. While she is older than you, she is still very much a child to the Prince and I."

"Nothing like learning you have super powers when you're thirteen."

The Baron chuckled. "I am sure all thirteen year olds everywhere, especially girls, dream of one day being whisked away by a vampire and gaining skills that they had never dreamed of. And that's why we send the young to play the sport. Can you imagine Vampire teams with the likes of those my age or older? We might just break the game."

"That, and the older you get, the sillier and shallower things become."

"Very true, Mr. Gunderman. Speaking of leaving, I need you to do me a favor while in Zandri."

"What's that?" asked Kaspar.

"You've heard of the Great Library at Zandri, I assume?"

"I'm not much of a reader."

"Indeed. It may be a good thing Carmilla will be travelling with you. At the library, and, by the way, it is called "great" for a reason so you shouldn't miss it, is a book by Dhoza-Ra-Khamun, the creator of the crescent formation, said to be an impenetrable defensive maneuver. It was also rumored to have been so well developed, that even beginner teams who could master it would be able to compete and even defeat the more veteran of teams."

"I've never heard of that, or Dozera Come On," said Kaspar immediately intrigued.

"'Dhoza-Ra-Khamun', and that's because the crescent formation was apparently banned, long before the rest of the world played the game. When the only ones worthy of Nuffle's attention were the Slann and the Khemri. They have a long rivalry, you know."

"Really? I thought it was the Orcs and Dwarves?"

"No. Since the beginning. Who do you think wrote the rules down?"

"I guess that's a pretty long time."

"Indeed. While you're doing that, I will be in Lothern, attempting to persuade the High Elves in returning to Blood Bowl."

"Did you want to try one of Gimlic's airships?"

"Absolutely not. I am not terribly impressed with heights and until he develops a more comfortable space for keeping, I will stick with the tried and true way of ships."

"Have you happened to receive any word from Akilles or Dunka?" Kaspar said, his attention briefly changing to a dragging and thumping sound coming up the stairs.

"I haven't received anything from Dunka, but Miss Ellewyn received a dispatch from Akilles. It appears he's been highly successful in finding representatives for Chaos and Chaos Pact. Have you heard of Borz-Gor from the Khorne's Teeth?"

"Sure. Great player. I think he almost hit legendary status until he took a late hit from Silibili in a playoff game. Lost a horn, I think."

"Will he be a nice fit?"

"As nice as any Chaos Beastman, I guess," said Kaspar.

"And have you heard of Ivan the Grinder?"

"From The Renegades? Sure. Is that who Akilles recruited for the Chaos Pact?"

"It seems so."

"That guy has a couple of screws loose. He likes to stand toe to toe with the strongest of any team to see if he can beat them. I think he might want to become the next Mighty Zug."

"Maybe it's that determination we will need."

"Or stubbornness we can't afford. But if Akilles can vouch for him, then I guess I will support his play," said Kaspar, still looking towards the staircase where the thumping and scraping sounds were coming from.

"Very well, Mr. Gunderman."

"Where is he headed now?"

"To recruit a Nurgle player."

"Do you happen to know which one?"

"No, unfortunately. On a side note, MasterSlave Stadium in Naggaroth has been decimated by a freak tidal wave."

Kaspar pulled out his wallet pouch and then his MasterSlave card. "Can't say I'm going to miss that place. By the way, are you fine with me purchasing everything with this card?"

"Not a problem. The NAF is a vested shareholder in their company. But now that we have a contract with an airship company, I was thinking about an incentive to help people want to travel by air."

"As in they get a discount?" asked Kaspar.

"Or something along the lines of how much they purchase goes towards a free trip."

"And if they're frequent travelers, they get more points or something to their next trip?"

The Baron shrugged. "I will think more on it once I have the time. Maybe on my trip to Lothern. Oh, dear, I almost forgot." The vampire unhooked a pouch from his belt that hung on his hip. "Here are some more 'Skyminds', if you need them. I decided not to risk sending them through the post when I knew I would see you here."

"Thanks," Kaspar said handing the pouch to Gobbodor, who had been interrupted chewing on the edge of a tapestry. "Oh, I also made contact with Lorelei Malvae. She is going to rebuild the RARG."

"Oh, really? Who is she?"

"A Dark Elf. I watched her ref the Evil Vile/Speargood Shanks game. I also travelled with her to the Champions of Death training camp. I believe she has the same passion and dedication we do in bringing Blood Bowl back. With the recent changes, no ref is taking seriously let alone lives until the end of the game. She can change that."

"Do you know how she plans on doing that?" the Baron said, taking a seat in front of the fire.

"Not every aspect, although she wants to revisit the number of refs on the pitch, with minor changes. Two line refs, two field, and one center, to be exact."

"Sounds plausible. This could give us more legitimacy with the Elves. They will be key in being successful."

"And I also recruited Talbot Quist from the Derping Face-Eaters and Kirkland Grundy to represent the Necro and Undead teams."

"Kirkland Grundy?" asked the Baron. "I haven't heard of that name in years. What a fantastic player."

"I was surprised he was still around. I didn't even recognize him."

"And you wouldn't. We played together on the Champions Of Death for several years, and even then, he changed so much, due to all of the resurrections I assume."

"He's that old?" asked Kaspar.

"He was old when I started playing. He will be a fantastic source of moderation to our table. Talbot Quist, however, I have never played with but I know he is a very good player."

"He led the leagues in kills one season just after BIBA took over."

"Why did he want out?" asked the Baron.

"Same as any of us," said Kaspar. "Mutual hatred for BIBA."

The vampire stood up and extended his hand to Kaspar, who reciprocated the gesture. "Good luck, Baron."

"You as well, Mr. Gunderman," said the Baron. "Ah, it appears your new passengers have arrived."

"Passengers?" asked Kaspar turning to the stairway. At the top of the stairs stood Carmilla Carstein in travel clothes and an attractive middle-aged woman also in travel clothes, red-faced from dragging a large chest up the flight of stairs.

"I'm ready, Kaspar," the vampires said. "Let's hit the sky."

Chapter 18

"Blood Bowl gives you more perspective on life than anything else. What other activity puts your life in danger more?"

-Boomer Eziasson, Star formerly of Bugman's Brewers

"My cousin is ridiculous and crazy. It could be because he never was interested in playing Blood Bowl like the rest of us."

Barik Farblast, Star formerly of Morgantown Mad Dogs, on his kin, Gimlic Farblast

Since Barak Varr was on the way to Zandri, Kaspar had wanted to make a pit stop to visit Doombeard Grimaxe, Ragnar's brother. Barak Varr was a trading karak, just after the peaks of the Black Mountains where several rivers converged to form the Black Gulf. The waters were brutal and had formed and cut through the rock of the cliff in one of the mountains to form an extensive cave system, upon which the karak was built. From here, merchant vessels could trade directly with the dwarves and vice versa. This was also home to the ironclad fleet that helped to protect Dwarven ships from pirate attacks. Barak Varr was the only seaport the dwarves had ever built although there was a rumor another was being constructed farther south on the Sour Sea.

Carmilla and her thrall, Anna, stayed below the deck. Gimlic, Jasper, and Greasepot had moved machinery around below to make it more a comfortable room for two people to sleep down there. However, due to the lack of space, the rest of the crew, and Kaspar and Gobbodor, dealt with the rain blowing from the skies. Two days of light rain had greeted them after they had left their pit stop of Bugman's Brewery just before heading over the Black Mountains. When visiting dwarves, it was always good to bring beer. One thing was certain, however, and that was to never bring Bloodweiser or Gore's Light to a dwarf. Several tradesmen and well-meaning travelers had entered various books of grudges after offering dwarves "yellow water", as they called it.

During inclement weather, Gimlic normally berthed the dirigible and packed it away. Due to the time limit they were on, they had to fly full steam ahead. Gimlic, known to be forward thinking, had a portable wooden tent complete with roof that was large enough for three humans to stay in and so everyone took turns in staying out of the rain to rest as much as they could. He also had rain slicks for everyone that he had purchased when he received the credit advancement from Kaspar back in Middenheim.

The rain was becoming a torrent and, luckily, they had just reached one of the market towns along the coast of the Black Gulf about half a mile from Barak Varr itself. The winds picked up causing the blimp to sway violently, sending most everyone onboard to be thrown to one side.

"Jasper, throw the levers!" yelled Gimlic as he raced to the exhaust pipe feeding the balloon. The Halfling tossed one of the levers, sending an anchor crashing to the ground. Before he could get the second lever that would drop the other two, the blimp tipped suddenly, sending Jasper into the siding, knocking him senseless.

Kasper regained his own footing and ran towards the second lever. "I've got it, Gimlic, want me to pull it?" he yelled. The rain picked up quite dramatically and a gust of water flew into his face.

"Yes!"

Kaspar pulled the lever, dropping the other two anchors into the ground. He looked forward and saw the blimp heading towards the small market town, specifically a larger building, like a tavern. He turned and saw Gimlic yank Jasper from the floorboards and give the Halfling a rope. Greasepot had come up from below deck at the front of the ship and grabbed on another rope. "What can we do?" yelled Kaspar.

Gimlic quickly spun two valves, cutting the exhaust and then threw two levers down simultaneously. "Grab any rope you see hanging!"

Kaspar pointed at Gobbodor and said, "Grab a rope!"

"You got it, Mr. G!"

Gobbodor grabbed a rope and tied it around his waist. Kaspar held on to another one just in time for another jolt that shook the blimp. The tavern was coming up, slowly, but surely. Lightning started crackling and one bolt zapped a tall metal pole on a building they had just narrowly missed.

The near miss actually caught the fabric of the balloon on fire. Kaspar looked over to the side and saw people running outside and around while some even ran the path the blimp was taking. A huge gust of wind sent them to the right. The force flung Jasper, holding to his rope, out into the storm. Kaspar lost sight of him while a branch scratched the back of his own neck. When he looked back, he could no longer see Jasper. Anna must have come from below as well because she grabbed the rope, her short, blonde hair matted to her face from the wind and rain.

"Brace for impact!" yelled Gimlic.

Kaspar turned to look at the tavern which was only twenty yards away and getting closer. The blimp itself wasn't going very fast but it had dropped in altitude significantly and so gravity, combined with the storm, was pushing them along towards the side of the building. Ten yards. Slowing down. Five yards. Almost stopped.

The bottom of the dirigible scraped across the ground while it broke into the first floor of the tavern at a painstakingly slow pace. Wood splintered and cracked slowly as the blimp crept along through the wall. When it had stopped its path, the blimp was halfway into the building. Kaspar saw a bunch of patrons of all races staring at them in disbelief, probably having wonderful conversations until they were interrupted by this fiasco. The awkward silence followed.

"Anyone order Bugman's Brew?" asked Kaspar.

A slightly wet Carmilla stretched and yawned as she walked to where Kaspar was standing. "We're here? Finally."

Chapter 19

"Blood Bowl is like a dance. There's usually a ball, a leader, and movement that requires some form of agility. However, there are fewer tackles in dancing."

-Valen Swift, Captain of the Kallahar Swifts

"If you don't love anybody, you can't sell anybody. If your heart is empty, your brain doesn't matter."

-Bricky Knox, former BB Agent for Barik Farblast, Griff Oberwald, Jordell Freshbreeze, Kaspar Gunderman, Grumpy Halftree, and Zara the Slayer

Kaspar had given the tavern keeper all of the kegs of beer they were able to fit in the hold. Fortunately, the fire of the blimp had gone out before it hit the building so the only damage was the gaping hole in the side of the tavern. Other dwarves and engineers got to work on extracting the dirigible from the Jolly Grog. A wet and bruised Jasper had rejoined Gimlic and Greasepot so he could help unload everything to lose weight and make the blimp easier to move. Gimlic had told Kaspar that it was damaged extensively, but, they were in a Dwarven karak, so repairs would go fairly quick. Barak Varr was also known for strong engineering guilds, especially since the ironclad fleets made this karak their home.

While the blimp crew unloaded, Kaspar, Gobbodor, Anna, and Carmilla rented rooms. Kaspar felt bad that they had done so much damage, so he figured it was only right to patronize the establishment they attempted to destroy with lots of money. Once they checked in, they came back downstairs to cheering patrons. Apparently, free booze excited everyone, especially if it was delivered in such a dramatic fashion.

The Jolly Grog, put simply, was more than a tavern. Kaspar and most anyone from the Empire would recognize it more as a dance hall. They had crashed into the seating and bar area on its south side, but that was one end of the long, rectangular building. The tavern was almost separated into thirds, where there were actually two bar and seating areas, at either end of the building, while in the center third was an open area for a band on a small stage and dancing. The four of them grabbed a table closest to the dance floor while they ate so they could partake in the activities that were happening on the floor. Right now, all sorts of people were lined up to see if they could walk under a pole held by two dwarves over their heads without touching the ground. The crowd clapped while the music intensified in tempo. As patrons hit the pole, they were eliminated from the competition. Carmilla clapped along as did Gobbodor. Kaspar sat back and enjoyed a Bugman's Brew Khuresh Pale Ale, or KPA, from a tankard. Anna sipped on a Gore's Light quietly watching the show.

Once the winner had proclaimed victory, and that wasn't hard for a Halfling in this particular game, the band played a tune that seemed to border on extremely campy and upbeat. Several goblins from the crowd ran out when the singer started what sounded like a goblin tune, although Kaspar couldn't understand it, and Gobbodor raced out as well. "What's going on," asked Carmilla.

"Looks like a slap game," said Kaspar. He was not wrong. Dancing for goblins wasn't complete unless there was physical harm caused to another. In this case, they danced a silly jig, then jumped to a stop in front of each other. They would then simultaneously slap each other's faces with their right hand, laugh while they smacked their left foot with the same hand, then smacked each other with their left hand, and then used their left hand to smack their own right foot. Then the jig would occur again and they would repeat the process. This was a hit with the crowd as they clapped along. Even the Dwarven patrons got in on it. Although the lyrics couldn't be understood by most of the people there, the music was still lively and so several men brought women to the dance floor and began shuffling around in time with the tune.

One young man, maybe in his teens, asked for Carmilla to dance. She gracefully accepted, and he whisked her to the dance floor, floating around through the other couples also enjoying themselves. Kaspar looked over to Anna who looked back at him from the corner of her eye. She continued sipping conservatively from her glass. She seemed to be almost his age, and she was quite pretty in a plain sort of way, that is to say, she didn't attempt at make-up or paint to highlight her features. Her hair was up in a bun and while she wore the dress of a servant, it was well-fitted and of better material. "So, Anna, come here often?"

She snorted into her cup, spitting beer back into the glass. Kaspar smiled. "Was it something I said?"

She wiped her face with a napkin she pulled from one of the pockets on her dress. "I'm sorry for that, but yes, it was something you said."

Kaspar chuckled. "Well, I've always said there were two ways to a woman's heart."

"Oh, really," she smiled, raising her eyebrows. "Please let me know how wise you are."

"Feed her and make her laugh."

She nodded. "Well, it is hard to argue with that."

Kaspar took a drink from his tankard and said, "So, Anna, what's your story?"

"Oh please, Mr. Gunderman, I am truly not that interesting to hold your attention for very long."

"You'd be surprised how well I can fake interest."

"Especially for a man?"

"Especially for a man."

"What do you want to know?"

"How long have you worked for Carmilla?"

"Very nice, Mr. Gunderman."

"What?"

"That is a polite way to ask how long I've been a thrall for Ms. Carstein."

"I meant no offense."

"I've received none. In truth, I am not her thrall, but her teacher."

"Teacher?"

"Well, caretaker, teacher, maid, but certainly not her thrall."

"If you don't mind me asking, but when I see most vampires with someone they travel with, I always assumed they were thralls."

"And most are. I do give her my blood, but she doesn't bite me to get it."

"Ah, so you blood let."

She smiled. "Yes, but only a little. We've brought some drinks to keep her satisfied, and I freshen them up with some of my own." The song began to slow down in tempo. The dancers slowed down as did the goblin slap fest. It was quite humorous to watch the goblins begin to move slower while still trying to perform all of the moves.

"And she will get her thirst quenched from people wherever we stop."

Kaspar followed her finger towards the young man who was dancing with Carmilla currently. "I see. So how did you get this job?"

"Well, I became her teacher several years after she was bitten, so naturally, she brought me along to continue."

"She has had you in her employ for this long?"

"Yes."

"I don't mean to pry, but how old are you?"

"Mr. Gunderman, I thought you said a way to a girl's heart was to make her laugh."

"Too true. But you are much more fascinating than you had let on."

"Mysterious women make the best chase."

"Too true, Anna, too true, but please, call me Kaspar."

The song stopped and Carmilla followed the young man she had danced with to the bar. Gobbodor came back with a large smile on his very red face, his tongue hanging out as he panted from all of the activity.

Another song started that was more of a waltz. "Would you like to dance," asked Kaspar to Anna.

"Oh, I think not, Kaspar. I am many things, but a dancer is not among them."

"Give it a try, Anna, I promise I won't let you down. Just follow my lead."

"I've heard that from a man before."

"Oh, come on, what do you have to lose?"

"I've heard that one, too." She took Kaspar's hand and he led her out to the dance floor. They began the motions of this particular dance while other couples flowed across the floor as well.

They enjoyed the rhythm and movement of the dance, neither speaking, just following the steps and listening to the music. Kaspar hadn't felt this close to a woman in quite a long time. Not like this. Not in this type of atmosphere. He remembered he had enjoyed it before when he first started Blood Bowl, but many games later, moving from team to team, getting injured several times a year, being on the road for too many months of the year, all of that had been too hard on Elise and their marriage. When she had left, and really couldn't blame her, he didn't realize what he had truly missed. But here now, this is what he had missed.

As they danced in silence, a hand grabbed him by the end of his tunic and found himself being pulled and almost thrown onto the dance floor. Carmilla stood in front of him, an icy voice piercing through to him. "What in Chaos do you think you're doing, Kaspar?"

"I'm sorry, Carmilla-"

"Ms. Carstein."

"Ms. Carstein, but what's the problem here?" Several dancers were dancing around them staring at them.

"The problem is you do not dance with her, ever!"

Kaspar felt horripilation from the almost shriek of her voice. Now, some dancers actually did stop. Gobbodor raced to Kaspar's side.

"Say the word, Mr. G."

Anna tried to say something, but Carmilla shushed her with a hand in the air.

"Hold on, Ms. Carstein, this is all my fault. I asked Anna to dance, and she did so, reluctantly."

Carmilla stomped towards Kaspar and stopped right in front of him. "Stay away from her. She is mine to protect."

"I meant no-"

Carmilla stormed off, pulling Anna with her, and pointed towards the rooms. "Go," she said to Anna, and then to the young man who had followed her, "in my room. Now."

The three of them marched off towards the rooms. The dancers went back to dancing. Kaspar stood in the middle of the floor dumbfounded and embarrassed.

Chapter 20

"Astrogranite does not need sunlight or water, is easy to maintain, and adds satisfying crunchiness to tackled players. A must for all fields underground!"

-Nikk Three-Horn, owner of Astrogranite Inc., advertisement pamphlet

"Playing dwarves underground has its pros and cons. The worst part is they are always at a home field advantage. The best is the beer is always kept cold."

-Vyking Myke, veteran lineman for the Norsca Rampagers

The next morning, Kaspar and Gobbodor checked in with Gimlic Farblast. The dwarf told them everything was underway with repairs, with lots of help from Barak Varr's engineers, and so they could leave by the next morning. The Jolly Grog tavern was still being repaired, paid for by Kaspar's MasterSlave card, so he decided he would go to Barak Varr proper to check in with Doombeard Grimaxe. The mouth of the cave was so large it could be easily seen from the small town they were in along the bank. The road towards the cave following the bank of the bay was paved, as dwarves tended to do, and although they could have taken a wagon, Kaspar wanted to walk. The air was cool and crisp, but not chilly. The sun was out as bright as it could be after a big storm and the sun warmed Kaspar's face as they walked.

Along the route were various and sundry wagons and travelers going towards the karak, or away from it. Docks were peppered along the shoreline, protected by massive cannon emplacements along the foothills and cliff sides of the mountains. Pirates hadn't attacked the karak in recent times, but there was always one thing you could count on with dwarves, and that was their memory. Therefore, this karak was still heavily defended. Three ironclads sailed past as they walked, heading off to do patrols, no doubt. The metal ships had guns on the decks, one at either end, and Kaspar could see the sailors moving across the top deck, tinkering with different valves and levers.

Gobbodor wasn't much for conversation so the walk to the karak was completed in silence. After last night, it was what Kaspar needed. He hadn't felt certain things in a while, including embarrassment. Thinking about Elise had never warmed his heart, simply because their divorce was not a pleasant event. The worst part, was she wasn't angry, or volatile, but disappointed and defeated. She had wanted a life in the country, as did most women, to raise a family. Blood Bowl's allure was stronger than his affection for her and although he justified everything by claiming it was for her or their future, deep down he knew it was for himself. And that made him ashamed. The regrets older men have are weighed by their experience and most find that if they could only go back to speak with their younger selves, things would turn out much different.

This wasn't to say she was perfect for him, however. It was clear he wasn't the prince she wanted, but she wasn't everything he needed or wanted either. She had flaws like any other person. But his shortcomings definitely outweighed hers. After the divorce, Kaspar had thrown himself more into the game, and when he became too old and was nearly killed four times, he knew it was time to hang up the cleats. Thank Nuffle those apothecaries were able to fix him, although he did feel after one of those, he was never quite able to run as far without getting tired. Once he became a coach, Blood Bowl became his life entirely, and so meeting women with an honorable background became more rare as the years went on.

They approached the cave entrance suddenly, breaking the reverie Kaspar found himself in. The mouth of the cave seemed to stretch high and deep and was probably a quarter of a mile wide and several hundred feet high. As they entered, they were checked by guards at a gatehouse, and then allowed to pass. The inside of the cavern was so large, it boasted multiple docks teeming with ships of all sizes, multiple marketplaces set up with vendors, and shops and businesses together, or standing alone, carved into the cavern walls.

As they walked, they came upon the Barak Varr's Visitor's Center that was more of a kiosk than anything else. He walked up to the dwarf manning the post and grabbed a map. "Do you know where I could find Doombeard Grimaxe, a Blood Bowl coach? I heard he was starting a team and wanted to speak with him."

"Did you not get a map?" asked the dwarf.

"I did, it's right here," said Kaspar, holding up the pamphlet.

"Then open it up."

Kaspar did and saw where there was a Blood Bowl icon deeper in the mountain. "Do you know the best way to get there?"

"Did you get a map?" asked the dwarf.

"I did, but I was wondering the fastest way to get there."

"Did you get a map?" asked the dwarf, clearly uninterested in the conversation.

Kaspar nodded to the dwarf, turned to walk away, and said, "Thanks, crumpface."

The dwarf said, "What did you say to me?"

"Thanks, nice place. Why, what did you think I said?"

"Sounded like you called me crumpface."

"Me? That doesn't even sound like me," he said walking in the direction of the Blood Bowl pitch. Three guards were posted just in front of two, massive doors, that were as high as ten men, and they were closed to stop further ingress. Kaspar showed them his NAF medallion and they let the two of them in. One of the Dwarven guards pulled several levers placed to the right side of the metal doors, causing unseen machinery to clank and turn, slowly opening them. Kaspar had expected the field to be underground because they were, after all, in a Dwarven karak, but what he hadn't expected was to see grass on the field. Usually, dwarves used Astrogranite or regular stone. They found themselves on the main pathway that people walked to get from one side of the stadium to the other. The stadium itself was lower than the entrance and was built as a semicircle, since the far end of the stadium disappeared towards what looked like a large chasm. Massive Dwarven torches on stands were lined throughout the stadium. There were so many that it was not difficult to see the field at all, or the stands and pathways to get to their seating. On the field, there were two dwarf teams practicing against each other. One was in blue, gold, and white, while another was in green, red, and white.

Kaspar and Gobbodor walked down the steps into the stadium until they reached the field. As he got closer, Kaspar realized that it wasn't actually grass at all; it almost looked rubbery. He saw Doombeard Grimaxe on the sideline coaching his team, yelling at them in various intervals, and blowing the whistle to start another drive or play action. Another dwarf was next to him, sharing the colors of the other team, doing similar actions as Doombeard. Coach Grimaxe saw Kaspar and waved. He then marched over to them. Crossing, the field, Kaspar noticed that the grass wasn't rubbery at all. What was this stuff? "Kaspar Gunderman, how are ya, brother?"

The two of them did a quick hug. "Doing well, how are you?"

"Doing great. I'm in."

"Well, that was easy. Are you sure you don't need me to persuade you at all?"

"I've been trying to get out from under BIBA for years. Thanks to you, now I can. In fact, mum's the word, this is a brand new stadium that BIBA doesn't even know about. The Barak Varr Ironclads will be proud to be the first team inducted into the NAF."

"And you have no problem with representing Dwarf teams?"

"Problem? No, I'll relish it." Doombeard blew his whistle and the players stopped. "What did I say to you crumpin' shanks? Get rid of the ball sooner or get in the cage faster! Do it again!" He blasted the whistle again. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. I saw your brother a few weeks ago."

"Which one?"

"Ragnar."

"That buffoon?"

"I didn't realize he was working for BIBA."

"He's not."

"Uh, Doombeard, he was in uniform."

"Right. We sent him to screw things up on the inside. Maybe get us some information, you know, that kind of stuff."

"Really?"

"Sure. We Grimaxes are subtle." He blew the whistle again. "I swear to Nuffle and everything that is holy, if you don't get that cage up faster, I will personally rip out every beard I see of yours and glue it to a squig! Now do it better!"

"Subtlety is a word that comes to mind."

"Who else did you get so far for the NAF?"

"Well, there's me of course-"

"Right."

"-Akilles Viggossen for the Norse."

"How's he doing?" asked Doombeard.

"When I found him, he was a highwayman."

"No kidding. Who else?"

"Dunka for the orcs-"

"No brainer."

"-Faderer the Sly for the Skaven-"

"Shankhead, but okay."

"You don't like him?" asked Kaspar.

"He's a Skaven," said Doombeard, "And a gutter runner, which means he's chode. Who else?"

"Skrit Skrat for the Underworld-"

"Chode."

"-Borz-Gor for Chaos-"

"Okay."

"-Ivan the Grinder for Chaos Pact-"

"He's nuts."

"-Talbot Quist for Necromantic-"

"Crumpin wolf, okay."

"-Kirkland Grundy for the Undead-"

"He's a good choice."

"-and Carmilla Carstein for the vampires."

"Who?"

"Carmilla Carstein," Kaspar said again.

"Who'd she play for?"

"No one, but she comes recommended from Prince Jerek von Carstein."

"Will she be a good fit?"

"She's passionate."

Doombeard shrugged. "Okay, let's hope she can cut it. So that's it?"

"Dunka's working on the Chaos Dwarves and the Ogres. Akilles is working on Nurgle, and Baron von Falkenhayn has a meeting with the High Elves."

"This may be coming together, Kaspar."

"Why are you in such a positive mood, Doombeard? Usually you're dour as Chaos."

He blew the whistle. "Take five, shankhats!" He turned to Kaspar. "Of course I'm happy. It's Blood Bowl, man."

"By the way, what is this pitch made of?" Kaspar said reaching down to touch it. It was hard as regular ground but had fake grass blades sticking out of it.

"Oh, that's TurfTuff. Greebo Markers and Fields makes it. Like it?"

"I love it. How is it to play on?"

"It's alright. We get used to playing on stone or Astrogranite but we sometimes have a hard time adjusting to outdoor pitches. This helps, I think. Anyways, what plans do you have later?"

"I'm free until morning," said Kaspar.

"Very nice. Want to catch up at Bugman's Brewery?"

"We were already there. Unless, wait, is there one here?"

"They just opened up a brewery here. Figured it was easier to brew it on premises and ship it directly than transport it over land from their main headquarters."

"Sounds great. When do you want to meet?"

"Stay for another few minutes and we will go over together."

"I could swing that," said Kaspar following Doombeard to the coach's box. "Gobbodor, stop licking the TurfTuff."

"It's not grass, Mr. G," the goblin said getting back to standing, still wielding the cumbersome suitcase.

"No shank, that's why I said to stop it."

"Okay, Mr. G!" Gobbodor said righting himself and digging TurfTuff from his mouth.

Chapter 21

"Saying I'm sorry and I apologize are not the same thing. If you don't believe me, try saying them about a player in the casualty box."

-J.D."Trap" Haus, apothecary for the Bright Crusaders

"Araby is hot. And dirty. Kind of like my last few girlfriends."

- Mighty Zug, Travelling with the Zug: A Mini Guide to Many Lands

The morning came very early to Kaspar. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like a cat had thrown dirt in it. He slowly moved to the side of the bed to relieve himself in the chamber pot. There was a knock at the door that did not sound too urgent, so he finished and put some pants on. His tunic reeked of pipe smoke and booze but that's all he could find on short notice.

He opened the door to look down to Carmilla Carstein holding a plate of toast and a mug of coffee. "Wha?" he asked.

She barged past him. "I wanted to apologize to you, Kaspar."

"Wha?"

"I admit, sometimes I say things or act on things without thinking first and I wanted to apologize for two nights ago. Here is some toast and coffee. Let's be friends again."

He sat down in a chair in front of his window, decided it was too much in the sun, and then repositioned it away from the morning rays. Carmilla handed him the mug and the plate.

"Thank you, Ms. Carstein."

"Carmilla, Kaspar."

"Carmilla. But not to bring up something and risk angering you again, I really meant no offense."

"I know. Anna is extremely important to me and seeing her with you set off some feelings I hadn't had in a long time. And, no, I do not want to talk about it anymore except to say, you may speak with her, but please do nothing more than that."

Kaspar nodded while sipping his coffee. It was black and bitter, just the way he liked it after drinking through the night. "Fair enough. Apology accepted."

"Good. What time shall we be leaving?"

"As soon as I get ready and Gimlic gives us the okay.

"Very well. Enjoy your breakfast, Kaspar."

"Thank you, Carmilla."

She closed the door behind her and in walked Gobbodor with the suitcase on his back as soon as the door was shut. "Mr. G., Gimlic says we gonna fly today."

"Good. Did you eat?"

"Yep."

"Are you ready?"

"Yep!"

"I need some clothes for today. Did the ones we sent to the wash come back?"

"Yep."

"Perfect. I need to get those."

By the time everyone was situated and standing in front of a hovering blimp, the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. Gimlic was smiling ear to ear, standing in a bright red uniform shirt and dark brown pants. Jasper and Greasepot were similarly dressed. Jasper was smiling as large as Gimlic but Greasepot was tugging at his shirt and mumbling something incoherent. On their heads were bright red skullcaps that had the words, "Farblast Airways" embroidered in white. Kaspar looked to the balloon which was also bright red with the same white style of the embroidered words of "Farblast Airways".

"Looks real great, Gimlic," said Kaspar.

"Thank you," said Gimlic. "Carmilla said we should brand ourselves and look more professional. I think we look quite good." Jasper beamed even more while Greasepot grumbled.

Kaspar noted on the hull of the carriage were the words, "Dardgy Boo". He pointed at it and laughed. "Yes! This is amazing, Gimlic!"

Gimlic smiled. "It's the least I could do since we, metaphorically and literally, would not be here if not for you."

They all climbed aboard and were soon rising towards the clouds on their way to Zandri, the Khemri coastal city in Araby. Below, the Black Gulf churned and sloshed and an occasional black carp jumped out only to splash back in the water again. Jasper manned the helm, Gobbodor and Greasepot skittered and chatted about whatever goblins chatted about, Carmilla and Anna were below deck sleeping, while Gimlic and Kaspar stared off towards the horizon.

"Ever been to Araby, Kaspar?"

"No. We were going to play a game in Bel-Allad once, but it was cancelled. Not enough money. Have you?"

"Nope. Never had a need. Now, this is a right, proper adventure! Maybe I'll see my first giant scorpion."

"You want to see one of those?"

"Well, from a distance. I mean, I don't want to kiss him or anything, but I would like to see one. And a pyramid or two."

"I hear they have pyramids down there like we have McMurty's: one on every corner."

"I hear they make great beer. Rumor has it that they were one of the first to invent it. Same with letters and writing."

"I think everyone claims that," said Kaspar. "Cathay is convinced they invented this thing, Nippon is convinced they invented that thing… all of these races are convinced they are the first. That's one of the reasons, by Nuffle, that I love Blood Bowl. That is where we find out who truly is the best."

"At inventing things?"

"Well, maybe not that. Sorry, I have Blood Bowl running in my veins."

"I see that," said Gimlic. "Is it everything you ever hoped for?"

"Not recently. Blood Bowl has been amazing, but just like everything, you have to give up something."

"I gave up a brewery apprenticeship for this," said Gimlic.

"I meant something more substantial than that. More like family, friends, or a girl."

"Didn't give up any of that but I suspect you did."

"Sure did," Kaspar said as he turned his head to the door of the deck opening. Anna climbed out and stretched. She looked over at Gimlic and Kaspar.

"Gimlic," whispered Kaspar, "go away."

"What?" he asked in a normal voice.

"Go away," he whispered.

"Why?" he whispered back. Then he saw Anna coming towards them. "Okay, nice talking to you, Kaspar," Gimlic said in a wooden voice.

"Hello," said Anna walking next to the railing.

"Hello."

"Look, I wanted to apologize about the other night."

"Not needed, I overstepped my bounds and I promise I won't do it again."

"You didn't, but thanks, that does mean a lot." She looked out over the side and saw the Black Gulf. "Whoa. How long have we been up here?"

"A couple of hours. Did you have a nice nap?"

She nodded. "I did. So I hear we will be in Araby in the next couple of days. Have you ever been?"

Kaspar shook his head. "You?"

"Well," she continued, "When you work for the Carsteins, you have to travel and visit with every race who's distantly related to you, even if there doesn't seem to be a connection."

"Is there a connection between the Vampires and the Khemri?"

"No. They just share an undead connection. They didn't all used to be undead you know."

"I had heard that but if you heard their singing, you would think otherwise."

She smiled. "So, after Zandri, where do we go?"

"We go to Marienburg until our first meeting begins. Have you ever been to Marienburg?"

This time, she shook her head. "Would love to go."

He smiled. This seemed to be so awkward for him. He wondered if it was for her as well. As she stared out towards the choppy waters, he took a good look at her profile. She was his age, and he could see it in her temples. Small, silvery hairs flowed here and there through her short, shoulder length blonde hair. He could see she enjoyed laughing; hints of crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. But she also had frown lines as well.

"Do you enjoy this?" she asked.

"Do you mean, standing in the open air, taking in the view?" She looked at him and caught him staring at her. He cleared his throat. "Uh, well, yes, and no, I guess. Blood Bowl has its pros and cons like anything else."

"Travelling?" she asked.

"That's a pro and con," he said looking back at her.

"How so? You get to see the world, play in exotic stadiums, and meet new people and races."

"That's true enough, but it also means you're gone from home for a long time. From friends, family, loved ones-"

"-wives, husbands. Did you lose your wife this way?"

"Yes. We were young, I was gone all the time, playing games-"

"-going on adventures."

"That too," he said.

"And now?"

"Well, I'd like to think that now, I am older, so, no, travelling all over the world is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. Country hopping is a younger man's world. But, I'm single now, so I guess that makes it mine as well."

"I love to travel. I have been more places in the last twenty years than I could have ever dreamed."

"But?"

"But I think it's time. I've seen a lot, and still want to see a lot, but you're right, it can be taxing when someone is left at home."

"Anyone left at home for you?" he asked.

"Not anymore."

They stared off for a while. Gimlic came up and said, "Anna, would you like to take the helm?"

She started as if coming from a dream. Kaspar hadn't realized they were almost touching. She turned quickly and said, "I'd thought you'd never ask!"

Anna became a new person once she grabbed the wheel. She became as giddy as a schoolgirl and asked a million questions about the levers, the pipes, and other knobs and valves. Kaspar was reminded what his father had told him long ago about women. If you ever met a girl that was like no other one you ever met, then you found what you've been looking for.

Chapter 22

"Ah, Zandri, Jewel of Ualtap, You will be the center of the righteous and learned, therefore, very few Blood Bowl coaches may never enter your loins."

-King Amenemhetum, after defeating Settra the Imperishable in a 36-round Blood Bowl match for control of the city

"When asked what the game plan was to win the game, all of the Neter-Khertet Chiefs said, 'Must score touchdowns!'"

-Jim Johnson and Bob Bifford, former commentators on Blood Bowl

It took two days to get from Barak Varr to Zandri. They had to stop and refuel in Torintos which was built where the Black Gulf meets the Great Ocean. Once they refueled, and Anna and Jasper complained about not having enough beach time, they were off towards the land of Araby.

Zandri could be seen from miles around. When travelers came by sea, they would follow the Great Lighthouse of Zandri, also called Ramhotep's Needle, towards the bay. By land, travelling from the west and south a traveler would see the Pyramids of Settra and Khalida. From the east, the traveler would see the Library of Zandri, also called the Great Hall of Nuffle. The building was a four tiered ziggurat with statues of the original 22 races of Blood Bowl. On the ground, surrounding the library, were two statues in a state of construction in the likenesses of the Chaos Pact and the Underworld. Having played the Slann for thousands of years before now, a statue had already dedicated to them on the second tier of the building. Most people, except the experts, felt the Slann were a fairly recent addition, but they were, in fact, one of the original players of Blood Bowl along with the Khemri, thousands of years ago.

The sun was almost fully set when they arrived from the north. The Great Lighthouse was blazing with the magical energies of Khemri's necromancers. The opening to the bay was covered with ships coming to and fro from the inner docks. The city itself was well lit in the streets, marking the grid-like pattern from when the city was first planned long before Blood Bowl was a sandlot sport.

They spotted the library fairly easily, being also well-lit, with torches held in the 22 teams' hands. In the center of the roof, was a massive, caged bonfire flaring every time the wind blew across it. They flew to a small dune just on the outskirts of town. Since the dead didn't need residences, the city only had the necessities of daily operation and so they were able to park much closer to the library than in a normal city. The library base was large enough that it could cover eight Blood Bowl pitches, while the top tier of the ziggurat could possibly encompass one.

When they all disembarked, they were bathed by the light of a nascent full moon. Jasper and Greasepot went to search for more stocks of coal and oil with a cart, while Gimlic locked the blimp up and went with Kaspar, Gobbodor, Carmilla, and Anna to the library. One thing that seemed absent to Kaspar was the normal noise of a city. "Why is it so quiet?" he asked.

Carmilla chuckled. "This is what it's like in a Khemri city. Who are you going to talk to? There are no Wights, no Werewolves, no Vampires, and no Ghouls."

"There's mummies," said Gimlic.

"There's mummies," Carmilla agreed. "But they are not the talkative sort. There's a few necromancers as well, but, well, they're a little weird."

"Are you saying that because you're a vampire?" asked Kaspar.

"Yes."

"I've heard the blitz-ras and thro-ras talk before."

"Again, they are not really the talkative types. They don't have the personalities that we do."

"They also don't drain people of blood," said Gimlic.

"Touche," Carmilla replied.

There was only a block of buildings, which looked to be in the highest form of disrepair, before they reached the library. The ziggurat had a very large fountain where a skeleton in a headdress was skimming the surface with a long rake. Behind it, there were three statues holding torches. One statue was of a Saurus, another was of a Beastman, and the other was an Ogre. All had large torches. On the second tier were two statues. One was an Amazon and the other was an Orc. Torches were in their hands as well. At the top of the third tier was one statue and that looked to be of a High Elf carrying a torch. What was interesting was that all of the statues were painted or, at least, still had paint on them.

Symbols were etched into the walls and those had been painted as well. Between the wind and the sand, combined with salt water, the library almost seemed a little run down, if not simply weathered, as if it was only several steps away from being an amazing piece of architecture if it was just refurbished.

The group headed towards the doors to the library that were opened by two skeletons when they approached it and as soon as they entered the doorway, they were assaulted with very dry, stale air. It made Anna sneeze four times in a row and Gobbodor to rub his eyes vigorously. The building itself seemed to be hallway after hallway of stacked books .

"So, everyone, we're looking for a book," said Kaspar.

"Um," said Gimlic. "Where do we start?"

"You can start by turning yourselves in immediately," came a voice behind them.

They all turned to see twelve BIBA officials in their black tunics and uniforms standing in the courtyard. Elleric Windstepper was in the front of them. The elf spoke again. "We have your Halfling and Goblin. Several of us are dismantling your dirigible as we speak."

"What?" yelled Gimlic.

"What do you want, Elleric," asked Kaspar, placing a hand on the dwarf's shoulder to hold him back from charging the BIBA group.

"We're here to arrest you for tampering with official BIBA business and violence against BIBA officials in the course of their duties."

"That doesn't exist. You have no jurisdiction to do any of that," said Carmilla.

"I know. But we're still going to hurt you very, very much unless you come with us peacefully. But, please, don't do that." Behind Elleric stood four Black Orcs, three Saurus', one Witch Elf, and three Chaos Warriors.

Carmilla turned to Anna. "Anna, help Kaspar find the book by Dhoza-Ra-Khamun. Gimlic and I will hold them off for as long as we can."

"Gobbodor fight too. I got yer back, Mr. G."

Elleric smiled. "Absolutely fortuitous. We want the book as well. Chump, Gorak, Badjaw, Teefsmack, hurt the dwarf and vampire badly."

"Anna," said Kaspar, "Run!"

They both turned towards the inner rooms of the library. "The book won't be on the bottom floor," said Kaspar, "we have to go upstairs." Kaspar heard what sounded like a lightning bolt go off outside.

"But we don't even know what the book looks like," said Anna turning the corner of one of the shelves of books. The bottom floor was packed with rows and corners of books reaching from the floor to the ceiling. It was more of a maze than anything efficient for regular library goers.

"True, but the book is more than likely at the top. Where are these crumpin' stairs?" He heard smashing behind him. Sounded like the big boys were looking for them. "We gotta hurry. Seriously, where are the stairs?"

"Well, since I've never been here before, I'm really sorry to say that I have no crumpin' idea either!"

"Fair enough." They raced from hallway to hallway. Some shelves held scrolls, others held tablets, but most had leather bound books. Several sounds of smashing somehow started to sound closer. "How are they finding us," asked Kaspar as they ran down a dead end.

Sounds of heavy crashes occurred on three sides of them. "I think they're just running through the aisles," said Anna.

They dashed down another long hallway wand turned to go down another where books and scrolls lay all over the floor. "We really need to get out of here," Anna said.

"There!" Kaspar pointed. The sandstone stairs followed the side of the wall from across the way. They raced up the steps to a second floor that looked just as large and ridiculous as the first. "Oh, shank."

"Well, should we split up?" asked Kaspar.

"Sounds like a great plan. Then if one of us finds what we're looking for we can waste more time finding the other to get back out of here," said Anna. "Let's just go up to the third floor."

"Okay. Let's try this way." The two of them flew down the sides of the ziggurat until they found another staircase. When they made it to the top, the floor layout was almost opposite of the bottom two floors. Probably the size of two Blood Bowl pitches, the third floor had shelves of books and scrolls along the walls behind glass cases and a massive open area in the center.

In the middle of the open area was a very large, circular desk about waist high. In the center was a Khemri priest. Kaspar and Anna ran towards the desk and panted heavily. The undead priest moved his head to look at them. "Oh, my Nuffle, I can't breathe," said Kaspar. "I can't breathe."

"I think I have to throw up," panted Anna.

"May I help you," asked the decayed priest in a voice that somehow had an echo.

Kaspar raised his finger up to signal that he needed a moment. "A book."

"Oh. I think you will need to be more specific, " the Khemri said in an almost flawless Empire accent.

"A book by Dozin' Crammin'."

The priest cocked his head. Anna corrected, "A book of Blood Bowl by Dhoza Ra-Khamun."

The priest asked, "On the crescent formation?"

"That's it," said Kaspar.

The priest raised the book that he was reading. "Here it is."

Kaspar laughed. "That was easy! Great! Can I borrow it?"

"Absolutely not. This is Khemri. You do not 'borrow' books."

"Can I copy it down then?"

"No."

"Can I read it?"

"Can you read Khemri?"

"No."

The priest laid the book back down. "Then, no."

Anna jogged to the staircase to listen for the pursuing BIBA men. Kaspar looked back to the staircase after Anna. "What if I could?"

"No."

"Okay, how about if it was for the NAF?"

"The NAF no longer runs Blood Bowl. BIBA does."

"What if I was with BIBA?"

"Even more reason you would never get ahold of this book."

Anna chimed in. "I can hear them down on the second floor. They'll be here soon."

Kaspar nodded. "Okay, uh, sir, I'm with the NAF. We are starting a new Blood Bowl league to take it back from the degradation and destruction BIBA has caused. And we think having the knowledge of the Crescent Formation would help that."

"You are with the NAF? Let me see your medallion," said the priest.

Kaspar pulled the medallion and showed the priest. "Here. This should do it."

The priest looked it over. "Due to the history of the NAF's incompetence in running the sport, I believe you have a long way to go to prove your worth for this book."

"Who are you?" asked Anna from the staircase, clearly anxious.

"I am Tutiris A-Khatra, high priest of the Great Library of Zandri."

"Wait, that name is sort of familiar. Weren't you a wizard for the Neter-Khertet?"

"Yes, I was. Eight thousand years ago."

"Want to join the NAF? We're recruiting representatives from all twenty-four races to redirect the NAF into governing Blood Bowl properly."

"What makes you think I would even consider it?"

"You're in one of the greatest libraries in the world and we just so happened to interrupt you reading an 8,000 year old book on Blood Bowl."

"And what makes you think I find you worthy enough to join?"

"What would I have to do to convince you to trust me?"

Anna interrupted. "They're coming up now!"

Kaspar yelled, "Quick, Anna, hide behind the desk with Tootris Castro."

"I can't do that," she protested.

"She can't do that," the priest said.

"If you don't so it, they will hurt you very badly. I will never live to see that happen, now get over the desk!"

She stared at him and nodded. "What about you?"

"Please, I played Blood Bowl. Tuts-Eye-Rus, you don't know me, but protect her."

She started to climb and was almost over when the first heads of the BIBA officials made their way to the top. He shoved her over and she landed with a crash, just as he could see their faces. Three Saurus', one Witch Elf, three Chaos Warriors, and Elleric walked towards Tutiris behind the desk, and Kaspar leaning on it.

"What took you guys so long?" Kaspar asked looking at his nails.

The Witch Elf said, "I see what you mean, Elleric, there is just something about him that makes you want to gut him."

"I know," the elf said. "Now, Kaspar, be a dear and come here so I can hurt you terribly."

"Why not just kill me," he asked.

"Believe me, I wish I could but for some odd reason, you are wanted by the higher command for interviewing.

Kaspar smiled. "Can't imagine why. Anyways, Too-Tris-Tris here said that the book you were looking for no longer exists."

"Actually, I never said that," said Tutiris. "It's right here."

Elleric laughed. Kaspar turned to stare at the undead creature. "Couldn't follow me on this one lie, hunh?"

"You know the Khemri are known for the inability to lie," said the Witch Elf.

"Yeah, I know," said Kaspar, "I was just hoping he could maybe make an exception."

"Please hand over the book," said Elleric.

"Absolutely not, elf," said Tutiris.

"If the NAF can't have the book, what makes you think BIBA stands a chance?"

"Then I guess we will just have to take it," said the Witch Elf.

"Um, who are you, exactly?" asked Kaspar.

"Morgana Vindix."

"Tetris Comma," said Kaspar, "they will fight us."

"I know," he said.

Kaspar charged the Witch Elf. She was a little too fast and so was able to dodge his initial tackle. She punched him across the face but the beauty of getting hit by elves was that he rarely felt them, especially when he grew up getting run over by orcs most of his life. His second elbow followed and connected to her jaw stumbling her back. Elleric called for the Saurus and Warriors to attack Tutiris.

Tutiris threw up a massive force shield of red that encompassed a circular area about ten feet from his body. Kaspar and the others paused to watch the display. The energy was being fed into the dome from an amulet around the priest's neck. One Chaos Warrior walked up and punched the shield. It turned slightly less red. Elleric yelled, "Hit the shield until it's depleted!"

The six big boys smashed into the shield punching and clawing. Kaspar took this moment to kick Morgana in her gut. Elleric then tackled Kaspar to the ground. The shade of the room was changing as the shield was losing power. It moved from red to pink to orange after a minute. Kaspar was punching Elleric in the face and also receiving some as well. He didn't know how much longer he could last until he decided to play as dirty as he could. He spit blood into Elleric's face, causing the elf to hesitate, allowing Kaspar to roll Elleric off of the top of him and onto the bottom of him. Kaspar then proceeded to head butt the elf into unconsciousness. As he stood up, he noticed the glow of the shield was green.

Kaspar felt a sharp pain snap against his leg at the same time as a snap. "Ow, Shank! Is that a whip?"

The Witch Elf laughed, "Of course, Kaspar. It's my favorite one as well."

"Oh, great, you have a favorite? That's so crazy."

She snapped him in his other leg which also went numb. Kaspar yelled to the priest, "Tutiris!" The Khemri looked over to Kaspar. "They're only here for me and the book. They will destroy this place for that thing."

Another snap of the whip hit him in arm. "Ow, Nufdammit! I'm trying to tell that guy what to do!" She snapped the whip at him again and this time Kaspar threw his arm towards the leather and allowed it to wrap his arm. He yanked and completely surprised Morgana, causing her to stumble towards him. He bounded up and shoulder blocked her face. She hit the ground hard and was slowly getting up.

"Tutiris, you have to destroy the book!" The priest looked at Kaspar and then down to the book. "Don't be so dramatic, just do it!"

Elleric got up. "Don't you dare, priest!"

Tutiris nodded as the shield became blue. The book caught fire in his hands.

"No," yelled Elleric jumping to his feet.

"Sorry, sucker, but those are the breaks."

A horn blared that sounded like it was coming from the library. It blared longer until several more sounded from the distance.

Elleric yelled to his minions. "Stop! Forget about the priest. I may come back to deal with him later at my own convenience." He turned to Kaspar. "We have at least something we came for."

The Warriors and the Saurus' turned to Kaspar and surrounded him.

"Aw, crap," he said. Then something hit him from behind and he saw black.

Chapter 23

"BIBA should view itself, not just as a corporation directing Blood Bowl to the future, but as a protector. And it is this protection that we must uphold at all costs."

- Tywinian Ypressinor, CEO of BIBA, to a committee of investing companies, 2508

"Change? Change? I hate the word, as I hate Chaos, and all Ypressinors."

-Jordell Freshbreeze, after he violated his contract in protest of BIBA's policy changes and was fined into poverty

Kaspar awoke to the swaying of the ship he apparently was riding in. Chains were attached to his ankles and, in turn, those were attached to the bulkhead. His right arm was similarly attached, holding it out at an angle like an absurd gesture of pointing someone towards a direction. There was no cage, but instead, a Chaos Warrior in blue armor who noticed Kaspar was awake. "Hey there," he said just before the Warrior knocked him out.

Kaspar awoke to the sensation of being dragged on a dock in the middle of the night. He couldn't raise his head high enough to see any buildings, but he could still smell the salt air and hear the sounds of several dockhands stowing away cargo, or at least heavy boxes. Within his field of vision, he saw a thin pair of pale ankles covered in black, high-heeled boots. The owner bent down and wrenched his head so that he was face to face with Morgana. "He's awake, it seems."

"Hey, Morgana," he said. She dropped his head and then a boot swung up to put him back into unconsciousness.

Kaspar awoke to being thrown onto a stone floor and then hearing bars creak into place with a metallic clang. He rose slowly to see a man walk out of sight. He looked around the cell which was probably twelve feet across and eight feet from the wall to the bars. It wasn't damp or anything and a window at the top of the cell was another eight feet from the ground. He could still smell the salt air but being on a coast, he could have been brought anywhere from Zandri. He looked outside the door of his cell as much as he could fit his face through. There was one torch on the edge of the doorway leading out to his left and to his right he couldn't see anything but the wall opposite him. "Hello?"

Silence. Kaspar rubbed his temples. He had the worst headache he had in a long time. One of the only times he felt worse was when he played for the Steingart Watchmen and somehow qualified to play the Chaos All-Stars. They brutalized his team and they never made it to the big leagues again. It caused the dissolution of the team since even their coach was killed in the ensuing melee of the game.

For an indeterminate amount of time, Kaspar placed his head against the cool, stone wall of the jail cell. At times, he touched his lip which was pretty busted. He was also sure his left eye was a little swollen since he couldn't open it all the way. He then felt his nose. That was broken too. He heard shuffling coming from the doorway. Kaspar moved to the bars to see who it was behind the light that illuminated the doorway. Dunka stepped into the light and stopped in front of his cell.

"Dunka! Did they get you too?"

Dunka moved closer to the jail cell and was soon joined by two Chaos Warriors in light blue armor with dark blue boots, gauntlets, and helmets. Kaspar noticed there were no shackles on Dunka and he was wearing the uniform of BIBA. "Mothercrumper," said Kaspar, "it wasn't just luck when you ran into us in Middenheim, was it?"

"No," the orc said. "I was dere to get a job."

"And once you found out I was there, you played along. And now you've been spying on the NAF."

"Yah."

Kaspar looked straight into Dunka's eyes, although the orc shifted them to the side. "You sold us out to BIBA. You never recruited anyone this whole time, did you?"

"No. I used the candy, 'Skymind', to talk to da Baron. Found out what ya were up ta. Den let BIBA know."

"That's how they knew where to find us?"

"Yah."

"When I spoke to the Baron, he said he had no idea where you were."

Dunka shrugged. "He didn't."

"Nufdammit, Dunka. This could have worked! We could have saved Blood Bowl!"

The orc punched the jail bars. "How, Kaspar?" he yelled. "BIBA is too strong. Dey have too much money! Dey rule da sport!"

"Not unless we have something to say about it, 'friend'!" The orc nodded to one of the warriors. The jailor unlocked the gate. "You crumpin' sell out."

Dunka marched up close to Kaspar. "BIBA pays well. Da NAF don't."

Kaspar head-butted Dunka in the face and then quickly followed up with several punches o the face. The two Warriors grabbed and held Kaspar while Dunka cracked his own nose back in place. "Not bad," Dunka said. The orc then head-butted Kaspar and the man immediately saw black again for the fourth time.

Kaspar awoke to laughing and clinking of glasses. He was in a sitting position in a rather comfortable chair but his right wrist was shackled to the armrest while his ankles felt to be shackled as well. When he looked up, he saw Morgana, Elleric, Dunka, and several other people toasting to some sort of celebration standing in front of a large fireplace and an extravagantly long table. Kaspar was sitting close to the fire and he could feel the heat on the back of his neck. He lifted his left hand to his nose to confirm that he had stopped bleeding. Head-butting orcs was not a smart move, generally because they had nothing to lose.

Morgana was the first to notice Kaspar was awake. She informed the others and walked over to him. "You look like shank, Kaspar."

"I bet. I smell shank in here too."

"So funny, Kaspar. I am going to enjoy you once they let me have you."

"They? Does Elleric want some of me too? I always thought he was a little too dandy, even for an elf."

"She means me, Kaspar," said a High Elf walking forwards. He was in an extremely expensive and ostentatious fitted tunic, with a collar that came to just under his chin, and flowing pants. It was slightly reminiscent of the kind of style found in Cathay. "My name is Tywinian Ypressinor."

Tywinian stepped forward, his long, platinum blonde hair braided into a pony tail. He was missing his right arm, after it was severed in a game versus the Chaos All-Stars when he played for the Ellerion Dragons. It was highly unfortunate because he was only one rank away from legendary status as a thrower. He had left the sport entirely for two years, all but disappearing from public life, before he returned and became an official spokesperson in the NAF. After the NAF dissolved, he disappeared again only to show up many years later and began the foundation that became BIBA. "I know. You're the owner of BIBA," Kaspar said.

"That is correct. You see, you have become a very important figure around the Blood Bowl circles, and for the life of me, I haven't figured out why."

"What do you mean?"

Elleric said, "I don't see it either."

"You are no Star player, although you were only a rank away from legendary status, like me, and even the teams you coached were of no real significance, yet, here we are, dealing with you because for some mysterious reason, you seem to have the ear of very influential people within Blood Bowl."

"Obviously not. There aren't any Stars that have come to our side."

"No, but you're gaining even more respect and your representatives are talking. The murmurs they spread are rippling. A new Blood Bowl."

"Wrong, Tywinian."

"Excuse me?"

"Not a new Blood Bowl; a return to the old Blood Bowl."

The High Elf nodded. "Indeed. The 'old Blood Bowl'. How quaint."

"I don't know what that word means, but I'm sure it wasn't good. I also have no idea why so many people listen to me, either, but one thing is certain. People want Blood Bowl the way it was. Your BIBA has ruined it."

"Bah," said Tywinian. "We are richer than ever. And once we have the book on the Crescent Formation, we will have all of the secrets of the game."

"The book was destroyed numbnuts," said Kaspar.

Elleric smacked Kaspar in the back of the head, causing little lights to appear in his vision. "Ow."

"That is true. But that was the Khemri version. Don't you think the Slann would have written books on a formation they pushed so hard to ban form the sport?"

"I'm going to guess… yes."

"You would be absolutely correct, Kaspar, and it turns out we have such a lead. Any idea on who found it for us?"

"Nikk Three-Horn?" asked Kaspar.

"Amazing. How did you know?"

"I didn't. It was really just a guess."

"Very good guess, Kaspar," said Tywinian.

"Yay. Can you let me go then?" The elf smiled. Kaspar continued, "But what's the point of the book? You don't even care about Blood Bowl."

"True. I care about change, about money, about power. With that book, we can introduce to the world the secret, banned formation, and people will flock to the stands to watch the game again. The stadiums will fill and the money will come in."

"It seems you've got everything covered. I'd clap for you, but I've got my arm tied down. And I wouldn't want to make you jealous."

Tywinian stood up and marched over and smacked him with his left hand. He then scratched his own neck briefly, as if he had an itch, but furiously. "We could have a simple conversation, but you seem to want to be glib instead."

"Fine. I apologize. But at least allow me one question."

"What?"

"What's the sound of one hand clapping? I mean, if anyone here in this room would know, it would be you, right?"

Tywinian hit Kaspar again. Kaspar raised his left arm, but the elf was unnaturally strong and wrenched it out of his socket. Kaspar yelled from the pain. Tywinian bent down so that he was only inches from Kaspar's face and grabbed the man's throat. The strength the elf showed was going to put Kaspar unconscious or kill him. Kaspar looked into his eyes and thought he saw a flash of bright blue go through them. "Sir!" someone yelled.

Kaspar was fading into unconsciousness. "Sir! Please, we need him," said someone in the distance.

Tywinian let go and Kaspar felt the air and blood rush back. The pain in his neck and arm brought him quickly back to his senses. He looked up. Elleric smiled, Morgana licked her lips, and Dunka turned his head away.

Tywinian regained his posture and took a sip of wine. Several of the others gave him a wide berth. "I do apologize, Kaspar, it seems my temper took hold of me. I don't know why that happened." He sat back down. "Who knows? Maybe it's all of this stress. Maybe I'm not used to being spoken to in that manner. Or maybe you are just so expertly frustrating."

"I've been told that before. I was married once."

"I have no doubt," the elf smiled. "Within the week, members of my organization will storm the NAF headquarters and burn it to the ground. I do hope Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn enjoys his stakes well done. And then, all of the NAF will be but a poor memory: a blight that once ruled Blood Bowl. And BIBA will have no more problems. The sport is changing, Kaspar, and change is so very sweet."

"Wait a minute," said Kaspar.

"Yes?" asked Tywinian.

"You're not going to kill me but you're telling me all of your plans."

"And?"

"I thought you guys did that before you killed someone. So why do you even need me if you've got this all worked out? By the way, I wasn't complaining, of course."

The High Elf walked to the fire. "While change is wonderful, change is also feared by some. You will help allay those fears. You are heeded by so many, I'm sure Chaos doesn't even know why, and so you will support our endeavors and publicly denounce the NAF."

"Why in Nuffle would I do that?" Tywinian winced at the word, 'Nuffle'. "I mean, Nuffle only knows, why I could ever do something like that, especially as a devoted follower of Nuffle himself, and of course, I found that the only truth there is can be found in Nuffle so-"

The elf yelled "Enough!" as he slammed his wine on the table. He then snapped his fingers and several blue Chaos Warriors carried in Anna, Carmilla, and Gimlic. "For thousands and thousands of years, people like me have been irritated by people like you. And so, for thousands and thousands of years, people like me have always had problems with people like you and your convictions. Needless to say, we consistently use the same methods that have always proven true. 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it', goes the old adage. So, let me make this crystal clear: if you don't do it, I will kill them all."

Chapter 24

"Want to control the minds of people? Control their sport and then their media."

-Tywinian Ypressinor, CEO of BIBA, five minutes before BIBA's first press conference

"Want to know what I think about Blood Bowl analysts?"

-Helmut Wulf, Star of the Middenheim Marauders, before demolishing a table with a chainsaw after hearing about his play style from Chuckie Snarlbuckle of BBSPN

Kaspar watched from behind a heavy curtain as the room filled up with reporters from all types of news sources. BBSPN was here, of course, as was CBS and NBC. Representatives from EndZone Magazine and Spike! Magazine were here as well. Surprisingly, there were several Stars as well. Griff Oberwald, Helmet Wulf, Jordell Freshbreeze, and a few other veterans were sitting amongst the crowd, Helmut Wulf standing with arms crossed, and a scowl on his face.

For the past several days, Kaspar had been locked in his cell with no visitors save for the few times Morgana came to flirt and taunt, or Elleric came to boast. As far as he knew, there weren't any other prisoners down in the prison so he had no idea where they were holding Anna, Carmilla, and Gimlic. He had also spent those last few days wishing he had a 'Skymind' so he could speak with Baron von Falkenhayn and warn him of the plans made by Tywinian.

On one of the visits, Elleric gave Kaspar the script of what he was to memorize when the media crews came to hear the official denouncement of the NAF. Apparently, he would also be divulging the corruption of the NAF and their attempt to take Blood Bowl over again and ruin it forever. He was also to state that it was through the efforts of BIBA that they were able to thwart them and bring Blood Bowl back to order.

Kaspar had racked his brain because none of this had made sense. Why did Tywinian Ypressinor want to make a corporation to undermine the values of Blood Bowl? Was it punishment for losing his arm in a game? People lost their limbs and lives all of the time for this sport. Where did he disappear to for those two years? He had told the press he had gone on a spiritual journey around the world and came back when he had his answer. Then why does he really care about the NAF and what they could do? Is the elf so afraid that they would gain steam and compete? Or was he worried about the people, the fans, coming back to the game? And if so, why did he change it in the first place? Tywinian kept talking about change being good but it wasn't necessarily good for Blood Bowl. So what did he have to gain? Was there anyone else who would gain so much from this? Apparently, Tywinian also hates Nuffle. Did he blame Him for the loss of his arm playing Chaos, ending his career?

Kaspar had all of the time in the world for those days alone. Blood Bowl. Nuffle. Anna. The Baron. Miss Ellewyn. Gimlic. Anna. Akilles. Lorelei. Carmilla. Anna. Zara. Amazons. Armanzis. Fangdango. MasterSlave. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Doombeard. Anna. Nuffle. Tutiris. Book. Chariot. Elleric. Morgana. Dunka. Change. Tywinian. Arm. Spiritual journey. Revenge. Change. Chaos. Change. Tywinian. Blue. Arm. Strength. Spiritual journey. Chaos. Change. Tywinian. Temper. Neck. Arm. Strength. Blue. Spiritual journey. Nuffle. Chaos. Change. Oh.

It came to Kaspar as if all of the pieces finally melded to each other after crashing off of the floor and reversing their descent to make the idea whole again. Kaspar really hoped he wasn't right about this. Miss Ellewyn wasn't wrong about everything they were doing was saving the entire future of Blood Bowl.

His reverie was broken when he was pushed to enter the room to follow behind Tywinian, with Elleric, behind him, and Dunka following after that. He was instructed to sit at a long table on a foot tall platform that had a white tablecloth that fell all of the way to the floor. Camras whirred as the fairies and other magical creations running them broadcasted the entire event back towards the viewers at home. Behind where he was seated was a massive set of white tapestries that held painted logos of BIBA in multiple places and had very elaborate painted borders along the edges. The room itself was the same long, rectangular one Kaspar had originally been in when he had met Tywinian the first time, but there were many chairs lined up, facing the table he would be sitting at along with a podium where Tywinian stood. He looked over to the crowd gathered and noticed Anna seated between two, large men in BIBA uniforms. She looked irritated more than afraid. Gimlic was also between two orcs in uniform farther back. Elleric whispered behind him, "I see you've noticed our little insurance policy."

Kaspar whispered back, "I noticed you're still a pompous crumper."

Once they all reached their spots, they all seated, including the press. Tywinian began, "Thank you all for coming in support of BIBA and broadcasting our wonderful news. As every one of you know, due to the atrocious actions of the NAF to attempt to destroy the Great Library at Zandri, we, at BIBA, felt it was our duty to step in and restore order by peacefully meeting at their headquarters in Marienburg. As many of you also know, Baron von Falkenhayn, the CEO of the NAF, ordered the killings of six of our members in cold blood. To cover his crime, he, and others of the NAF, cowardly set their building on fire, killing four more of our employees at BIBA. If we could please, take a moment for these brave souls, and their passing. "

Everyone bowed their heads except for Kaspar and Dunka. They caught each other's eye and Dunka gave a half smile to Kaspar, who in turn, ignored the orc. "Thank you, and praise Nuffle," said Tywinian. The elf had a visible shudder and clenched the edges of the podium vigorously, causing the knuckles to become whiter. When he looked up to the media, he said, "I apologize, their loss has really affected me."

Tywinian had a glowing smile on his face. "Now, again, thank you all for coming."

Kaspar looked around the room at the exits. He wondered if he could get there if he ran at that moment but was stopped when he thought about anything they might do to Anna. Oh, and Carmilla and Gimlic, too.

Tywinian began again. "So that we may have more transparency in BIBA and involve all of the people that make Blood Bowl great, namely the fans, I have organized a panel to discuss the events between the NAF and BIBA, and the future direction of this great sport of Blood Bowl. I introduce to you, Kaspar Gunderman, former representative of the NAF, Elleric Windstepper, our Head Regulator, and Dunka, our BIBA Requisitions Officer. Mr. Gunderman, if you please?"

Kaspar stood and walked to the podium as Tywinian stepped off to the left of him. Camras flashed and there were murmurs amongst the press. He felt the anger flood his body combined with humiliation. Sweat beaded on his brow and he felt a tear of sweat roll down the side of his face. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, as Mr. Ypressinor stated, I am Kaspar Gunderman, formerly NAF Head Director of Procurement. One of the reasons I am here today is to announce my disgust and ultimate involvement in another NAF scheme to cheat the public and Blood Bowl out of more money."

A faint explosion sounded in the distance, causing Kaspar to pause. The media elite looked around the room. Tywinian walked to the podium and said, "Forgive us, we are doing some renovation that requires to blast in the bedrock. That should be the only interruption."

Kaspar looked over to Tywinian who surreptitiously nodded towards a man dressed in a BIBA uniform who, in turn, also nodded and moved off towards the doors.

"Um, as I was saying, my job was to start a new league for the NAF and to recruit many players to become representatives of each of the 24 teams competing now. I was then to help start a league under the guise of bringing back Blood Bowl to its former glory. However, we were simply going to make all of the money we could off of investors, illegal contracts, and political favors."

Kaspar looked to the back of the room where the door opened and a BIBA official grabbed several more men and headed off back through the door. He then noticed a small head pop from the outside of one of the three massive arched windows that lit the room. Kaspar could have sworn it was a goblin. Tywinian looked to where Kaspar was focusing his attention but the head had vanished just before the elf's gaze swept across the area. Tywinian looked back and nodded to the audience. Kaspar continued, "And so it was my duty to make sure we were set to have a believable cast of people that could pull of what we considered the greatest theft of money ever conceived. I will now take any questions you have."

Immediately, the press began shouting questions. Tywinian raised his hands in a calming gesture, and once the crowd silenced, the elf said, "Please, please. One at a time, Mr. Gunderman will get to all of your questions."

Kaspar chose a female human reporter for the first question. "Mr. Gunderman, Julith Denice, with Spike! Magazine. Is it true that Baron von Falkenhayn is the mastermind behind this scam?"

"Yes, however, I originally went along with his plan and so I am also responsible in my actions. Next, uh, you in the pink shirt."

A goblin climbed on top of his chair. "Garbo Harpo wit' Public BloodBowl Servers. Did ya cause da stadiums ta gets crushed?"

"Um," Kaspar said looking to Tywinian who nodded. "Yes, the NAF was behind the stadium collapses. But as to the exact methods, I don't know. Next, you."

A Halfling stood on a chair next to the goblin. "Freddy Fullpot with The Crystal Ball Service. Why would you destroy stadiums of Blood Bowl?"

"Uh, good question. I guess to make everyone think that even Nuffle was against BIBA?"

Kaspar saw the head in the window again and realized it was Gobbodor. The goblin put his thumb in the air and disappeared again just as Tywinian glanced over there again. "Yes, you."

Another female human reporter said, "Greta Dietrich with the Association of Broadcast Conjurers, are we truly to believe you've had a change of heart?"

Kaspar noticed doors opening and closing around the room. He saw Miss Ellewyn slide behind one of the camera crews and Carmilla followed behind her. Tywinian hadn't noticed yet, but Elleric was looking around more suspiciously. "Change. You could say I had a change of heart," Kaspar said.

He looked right at Anna. "For too long, I've been doing things for myself, and for this sport I love. And I can truly say that I've never found a way to balance the loves of my life. I'd like to change that." He looked over at Tywinian who looked a little confused. "But change can be good after all. When BIBA took over the rules and regulations of Blood Bowl, the change was needed. The NAF had collapsed and had been relegated to a monetary institution; a bank. And then BIBA changed. You see, change can also be bad. In this case, BIBA sold out to the highest bidder, catered to the lowest common fan, and controlled advertising and interests through corporations interested in only making money."

Kaspar felt a hand on his left shoulder and the pressure behind it. The pain was excruciating, especially since his arm hadn't healed all of the way from the previous dislocation. "I'm sorry, is what I'm trying to say." He looked at Anna who smiled, then over at Gimlic who crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but everyone needs to know the secret." He spun immediately, shoving Tywinian back enough he lost his balance off of the podium. Elleric got up and Kaspar swung to hit him but Dunka had already grabbed the elf's head and slammed it through the table, breaking it in half. "BIBA is using all of you! BIBA is destroying Blood Bowl because BIBA is run by Tzeentch!"

At that moment, Kaspar saw the Dardgy Boo smash through the arch window, taking bricks and mortar with it slamming into a rising Tywinian and dragging him across the floor to the other side. The blimp rolled onto its side before it came to a stop, ejecting Jasper and Greasepot. Everyone was on their feet, backing away from the disaster. Kaspar looked over to see Gobbodor jump through the now open hole in the side of the building. "Heya, Mr. G! We here to save ya!"

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Easy, boss! The blimp! The blimp! We took it back and followed you!"

"How did everyone else get here?"

Miss Ellewyn ran up next to him. "Easy. Gobbodor had your extra Skyminds and ate them all. Apparently, he was able to reach everyone who works for the NAF, including," and then she pointed to an orc walking up behind him, "Dunka."

Kaspar spun around. "So you didn't sell me out?"

"Nah. Got betta tings ta do. Like get ta bringin' Blood Bowl back for da NAF."

The back doors behind the BIBA tapestries blasted open with heavily armored Chaos Warriors coming out of them, all mutated in some fashion. "Ready, Dunka?"

"Ready, Kaspar."

Before they ran to meet the new danger, the blimp started to shift and shake. With groans and metallic clanging, the blimp toppled to the side and Tywinian stood up. His coat having been shredded, the High Elf opened up a secret. Three purple tentacles pulled themselves away from a large cavity in his side, mucuosy liquid connecting the slippery mess. The purple and blue taint covered most of his left side, including the left side of his throat.

Kaspar heard Anna yell at a reporter, "Please tell me you're getting this?"

He looked around the room. Carmilla had dispatched the two men in charge of Anna and was feeding on one of them. The media hadn't left or run screaming away. Instead, Camras were blazing and flitting around, reporters were writing everything down. He heard a reporter yell back, "Of course, this will make my career!"

From another set of doors in the back came Morgana and several other various races he sort of recognized. "The Dark Witch, Morgana is mine," said Miss Ellewyn.

Dunka said, "I'll take a couple of the warriors."

"I gots one a dem!" said Gobbodor.

Carmilla had blood running down her mouth. "I've got that crazy, elf guy."

Kaspar looked to Elleric who had stood up, his head bent at an impossible angle, but where his neck was open, a mutated second head quickly formed, causing blood and pus to gush out. "Okay, that's nasty," the vampire said.

Kaspar looked over at Tywinian. "Are you sure no one wants to take on Tywinian?"

"I will, Mr. Gunderman." Kaspar turned to see Baron von Falkenhayn stride across the room, towards them. "Hello, Tywinian, I must say you've looked better."

From the opening of the doors nearest the crash came four more Chaos Warriors and three more Black Orcs, all sporting mutations of Tzeentch's stain.

Please tell me we have someone for them, " said Kaspar.

The Baron smiled and turned. "Naturally, Mr. Gunderman, we have, in effect, stormed the castle."

Kaspar watched as more people joined their side. Griff Oberwald, Jordell Freshbreeze, and Helmut Wulf stepped up. "Mind if we join, Gunderman?" asked Griff.

"By all means. The more the merrier," said Kaspar.

Next to them came Kirkland Grundy, Talbot Quist, Akilles, Ragnar and Doombeard Grimaxe, Skrit Skrat, and Faderer the Sly.

Tywinian turned to the twelve Chaos Warriors, the three Black Orcs, Elleric and Morgana. "Kill all of them."

Chapter 25

"Wanna live a great life? Be Tzeentch in school, Khorne in a fight, Nurgle in the bathroom, and Slaanesh in the bed."

-Lord Borak the Despoiler, former Star of Khorne's Killers

"The best thing about brawls is hanging out with your friends."

-Dolfar Longstride, former Star of the Celestial Comets

The brawl commenced. Morgana, recognizing Miss Ellewyn immediately, launched herself at the elf, the two of them kicking and punching each other while moving around the room in the way only elves can do. Carmilla lunged at Elleric. The Baron pulled out a sword and officially challenged Tywinian to a duel. The Kirkland Grundy and Talbot Quist ran towards the closest Black Orcs while the three Stars, Griff Oberwald, Jordell Freshbreeze, and Helmut Wulf, took on the closest four Chaos Warriors. Three more Chaos Warriors came through the doors behind the group from the door most of the people had come through to get in the room. Ragnar and Doombeard turned their attention towards them and blitzed. Across the room, the Chaos Warriors had torn down the tapestries and ran towards Kaspar, Dunka, Gimlic, Akilles, and Gobbodor. A frying pan slid across the floor under the feet of one of the warriors, who stepped on it, slipped on it, and fell face first. Jasper high fived Greasepot just before they jumped on his back punching him repeatedly.

Skrit Skrat and Faderer the Sly had already flanked the Warriors and both jumped on the backs of two more bringing them crashing to the ground. The other five made it to Kaspar's friends. Gobbodor was punted as soon as the Warrior made it to him. The rest blocked the first onslaught given. Akilles was taken to the ground but had ended up on top after dropping his shoulder to roll with the inertia. Gimlic threw a shoulder into his Warrior's legs, sending the Warrior rolling over the dwarf. Dunka stiff armed his attacker and the two of them battled punch for punch. Kaspar was shoved backwards but he had a hold on the Warrior's gauntlets. The Warrior wasn't as strong as the other Chaos Warriors he had dealt with before but they were much faster. This particular Warrior had claws piercing through his gauntlets inching closer towards Kaspar as they grew. He noticed out of the corner of his eye a Chaos Warrior desperately trying to kick off Gobbodor who was clinging to his shin, while fending off Anna and a couple of reporters at the same time.

The Warrior shoved Kaspar towards the doors where he had originally seen Miss Ellewyn and Carmilla come from, pushing him away from the large room. Kaspar dropped to the floor and pulled the Warrior with him, rolling, and then shoving his legs in the warrior's guts, sending him over onto the ground. Kaspar quickly stood up to face off again. The Warrior got to his feet and growled. Kaspar said, "Sorry, I can't hear you behind that thing."

The Warrior slowly ripped off his helmet. "I didn't mean for you to take it off, for Nuffle's sake, put it back on!" The Warrior threw the helmet on the ground revealing a bald, human like head with an impossibly long tongue slithering between two rows of sharpened teeth, and blue, glowing eyes.

Kaspar squinted his eyes at the Tzeentch-touched creature. "You are one ugly, mother crumper."

From behind the Warrior stepped another two Warriors with three arms each and a Minotaur with two heads. "Oh, come on, man. This is getting ri-nufdamn-diculous."

The Minotaur roared and charged Kaspar. Luckily, he had to push through three Warriors to get to him and knocked them aside but that was enough to slow the bull-man down. This gave Kaspar time to do what needed to be done. And that was to run. He sprinted past Ragnar and Doombeard who had already finished their adversaries but looked up at the new arrivals. Jordell Freshbreeze was still handling the Warrior he had taken on, while Griff Oberwald and Helmet Wulf teamed up to finish one of the Warriors that had almost every mutation available.

Heinrich, Talbot, and Kirkland were killing their Black Orc competition, literally. Kirkland Grundy was eating his opponent. The Camra crews and other reporters were busy dodging and recording as many fights as they could without becoming a casualty themselves, but to be fair, none of them had run away. The Baron seemed to be pinned in the back corner and was fending off the impossibly strong tentacles of Tywinian as much as he could. Carmilla was fighting the other mutated elf and made some progress as she had already ripped off one of Elleric's heads. Miss Ellewyn and Morgana were still fighting with throws, blocks, and punches, fighting in such a fluid style as to beguile the onlooker. Akilles had finished with his Warrior and was helping Gimlic, while Dunka had just broken the leg of one of his warriors while the other was lying on the floor drenched in blood and ichor.

The Minotaur was gaining ground and Kaspar could only think of one thing to do. He ran at Tywinian's back and jumped on it, spinning his weight for Tywinian to turn and take the full brunt of the Minotaur's horns in his chest. Kaspar tried to let go but couldn't in time and the three of them broke through the back wall.

If his arm had hurt before, it was blinding at this point. The breath was knocked out of him and he could barely see. He did surmise he was in a very wide hallway. The Minotaur slowly got up as did a very angry Tywinian.

"Get out of the way, Mok Mok!" the Tzeentch-tasted elf said. Just then, a sword appeared from behind Mok Mok and sliced one of the tentacles off of Tywinian. The elf shrieked and the Baron appeared ready to take the fight up again. Tywinian threw himself at the Baron who retreated back through the gaping hole in the wall.

Still clearing the cobwebs from his head and feeling the pain down his back, Kaspar looked up to see a very angry minotaur snorting in his direction. Kaspar tried to move but was doing so very slowly. The Minotaur reached out, grabbed him, and held him several feet off of the ground. "I kill you until you die," Mok Mok said.

"That's generally the way of it, you crumping cow." Kaspar spit into the minotaur's face because that's all he could think to do. Mok Mok roared again and then someone else from down the hall roared as well. They both turned to see a bald ogre and a schwarmy vampire walking towards them.

"Oi, Mok Mok," said the ogre. "Told you I'd find you, you crumpin' muppet. Now let the human go and see what you've got now that it's just you and me."

"Bob Bifford and Jim Johnson?" said Kaspar bewildered.

Jim Johnson waved, "Hey there, Kaspar, sorry we're late but you wouldn't believe how long it takes to torture someone into telling you where they're keeping your friend these days."

"Hey, Kaspar! Mok Mok! Get over here!" yelled Bob.

The Minotaur dropped Kaspar who landed on his feet. The Minotaur charged towards Bob who was also started running towards Mok Mok. The two collided with Bob grabbing the horns of Mok Mok and attempting to pull them apart while the Minotaur threw body shots into Bob. "Should we help him, Jim?" asked Kaspar, as the vampire sprinted around the two and helped Kaspar up.

"Oh, no, Kaspar, that would offend Bob's delicate personality. He'll be fine."

"Where have the two of you been?" asked Kaspar.

"Story for another time, my young friend. But we're back now, and that's all that matters. Now, what kind of damage can we do in there, I wonder," the vampire said pointing towards the gaping hole leading to the other room.

They walked through the hole that was created moments ago and immediately Kaspar saw Anna swinging a tall lamp at the approaching Chaos Warrior who was backing her out of the opened hole the Dardgy Boo crashed through. She was almost to the edge of the building and the Warrior was still coming for her. She swung the lamp and it smashed on an arm he used to block it with. Kaspar raced towards her with Jim on his heels. Dunka stirred and sprinted there as well. Kaspar didn't know how high up he was but it had to have been more than two stories.

Anna slipped backwards and waved her arms to keep her balance. However, before the Chaos Warrior reached her, a lightning bolt struck from the skies, through the hole only feet from Anna's head, and zapped him to the ground. This caused the Warrior to drop to his knees, but Anna was knocked back just enough to start falling. Kaspar dove for her and caught her hands as she fell and then he was falling towards the ground with her. Except they wouldn't be falling two stories. They were in one of the highest points in the city and would be dying very soon.

His descent stopped abruptly when a large hand grasped his ankle, all the while holding Anna. Her momentum and the sudden jolt, however, snapped his left arm and he involuntarily let go. He now only had her with his right hand holding her clothes and around her shoulder while she held on to him. She flung her right arm to hold onto his right arm to steady herself. She looked up into his eyes, down to the ground, and then back into his eyes again, in a very serene manner. "You can't hold me forever, you know."

"Maybe not, but I'm going to try. Now hold on."

"Do I have any other option? I'm not exactly trying to fall here."

He smiled. "I thought you were going to tell me to drop you in order to save myself."

"Are you nuts," she asked. "I'll be damned if I finally find a guy willing to jump out of a window for me and then die in the process. Now get me out of here!"

"Shank, I'm trying to hold you but you might be slipping."

"If you drop me, Kaspar, I swear to Nuffle I will haunt every single day of your wretched life."

"Fair enough," he exhaled. "Magritta sure is nice from this view."

"Maybe someday you can take me here again minus all of this drama."

"Agreed."

"Hold on, I'm coming," he heard Carmilla say.

He looked over to his right to see an upside down Carmilla. "Please don't drop my mother," she said. Kaspar looked back at Anna. "Carmilla is your daughter?"

"You're not really trying to have this conversation right now, are you?"

"No, ma'am. Sorry."

"Carmilla, can you get me?" Anna asked.

"Yes, but you need to hold on me tight. We're making a daisy chain to bring you up."

Carmilla was lowered and grabbed onto the extra cloth of Anna's dress. Anna let go of Kaspar to hold on and then they were dragged to the top. Kaspar looked up past his chest, and upside down, to see Dunka smiling. "Hey, Dunka."

"How's it hangin'?" asked Dunka.

"Oh, you know," he said. And then he was brought up slowly. Once they reached the top, he saw that Jim Johnson must have grabbed Dunka but couldn't manage the weight on his own, so various reporters grabbed the vampire and helped to get them up. Anna walked over to Kaspar who was sitting down, knelt behind him, and hugged him from behind.

Kaspar looked over to Gobbodor who was being hugged by Carmilla like a stuffed toy. "He's the one who conjured the lightning bolt," said Anna.

"Gobbodor did, really?" asked Kaspar.

"Yeah. Come on, get up."

Kaspar groaned and yipped when he got up. His arm was limp, and his back was in a lot of pain. "Don't be such a baby," she said to him.

"You broke my arm," he said.

"If you're going to make a crack about my weight, you can walk around on your own."

"Fair enough." When he stood up, he saw the entire fight was over. A multitude of Chaos Warriors were on the ground, dead, or unconscious. Akilles was showing off his new knocked out tooth to Doombeard who was doing the same.

But most of the crowd was gathering around a large, open area where the seats for the reporters used to be. In the middle was Tywinian, minus all of his tentacles, on his knees. The Baron was standing over him, nursing his own arm. Camras were still recording and whirring. "Tywinian Ypressinor, you have been corrupted by Tzeentch, and under his influence, including your own greed and hatred, have nearly destroyed everything that is scared to Nuffle, the true Essence of Blood Bowl."

Tywinian was delirious, giggling and spitting foam. The doors opened, and a member of the NAF security forces came through and nodded to the Baron. The vampire nodded back and the official left behind the door. Tutiris A-Khatra stepped through, carrying a small box. The crowd parted as the Khemri wizard stepped into the small area where Tywinian was snapping his jaws and the Baron was looking down on him in pity.

Tutiris A-Khatra stopped, stood behind Tywinian, and said, "Throughout Blood Bowl's history, many men and gods have vied for the power and control of the game. Some have come close, but Nuffle always prevails, and those responsible for the upset must still be punished accordingly. However, this time, Tzeentch, Chaos Lord of Change, has destroyed the Book of Dhoza Ra-Khamun, an irreplaceable artifact of Nuffle's Blood Bowl. In turn, we at the Great Library will seek retribution against Tywinian for his crimes, and Tzeentch himself, should we ever find a way. As such, Tywinian Ypressinor, you will be imprisoned for as long as we, the Khemri, deem necessary."

"Wait, they're just going to arrest him? After all of that?" asked Anna.

"Be wary of Khemri sorcerers, Anna," said Miss Ellewyn with a smile.

Tutiris opened his box, no larger than a small chest, and what looked like hundreds of scarabs began to scatter out of it towards Tywinian. They climbed his body and he let out a scream as he began to be consumed by hundreds and hundreds of moving and enveloping beetles. Within seconds, Tywinian disappeared behind the massive amount of bodies. At first, the mound of scarabs was as tall as Tywinian on his knees, and then the pile began to lower and lower until there was nothing left. They skittered back towards Tutiris, climbed his body and went back into the box. Once the last one was in, the wizard closed the lid, placed a hand over the lock, and chanted. A yellow glow occurred and then Tutiris smiled, or what looked like a smile since most of his face was gone.

Everyone looked towards the Baron who had a grin across his face. "My name is Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn, and I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Nuffle Amorical League. It is our duty, to bring Blood Bowl back to its former glory and do so in an honest, professional manner. Our past has been maligned with corruption and greed. No longer. We will be setting up a round table of 24 representatives of the current races to monitor and participate in this endeavor. Within the next month, we will play our first game under the new NAF league at a venue we will disclose in one week. I hope everyone, especially fans of Blood Bowl, will support our vision. As you can all see, BIBA is through. But Blood Bowl will not die, not if I and my colleagues can help it. Thank you."

A flurry of questions and Camras whirring exploded into a cacophony of sound. Miss Ellewyn said to Kaspar, "I think it's time we leave him to it."

Kaspar agreed. "That's why he gets paid the big bucks."

Chapter 26

"In the end, the NAF's operations can be reduced to three things: people, service, and profits for the sport."

-Leey Dyakokah, NAF Commissioner, 2409-2426

"How many Blood Bowlers does it take to screw up a league?"

"How many do you have?"

-common joke, possibly invented by the NBA

Kaspar inhaled the salty air as he stepped above deck. After the apothecary had seen him initially following Tywinian's 'imprisonment', he was seen to his broken arm and put under with some ether to heal and rest. He knew he would be out for a while but hadn't known for how long. The ship's crew was doing what crews did on ships; pulling ropes, messing with sails, swabbing decks, et cetera. Kaspar spotted Dunka and Akilles. They waved their hands at him and he walked over.

"Velcome, Kaspar," said Akilles.

"'Bout time, Kaspar," said Dunka.

"Hey, guys, how long was I out?" Kaspar stretched his left arm and winced a little form the pain.

"'Bout a day," the Orc snorted.

"Hunh. So what's going on, where is everybody?"

"I thought they told you before you vent under?" asked Akilles.

"They did? Well, I don't remember at any rate. So where's Anna?"

"Vith Carmilla. All of the representatives vent back to get their teams and coaches in order before the first meeting."

"What about Gimlic, Jasper, and Greasepot?"

" Dey stayed behind to repair da blimp," said Dunka.

"-or scrap it," said Akilles.

"Den Ragnar and Doombeard stayed wit dem to help."

"And the Baron?" asked Kaspar.

"He is staying behind too," said Akilles. "That Khemri guy is helping the Baron to clean up the taint spread by Tzeentch. That Vitch Elf chick-"

"-Morgana," interrupted Kaspar.

"-right, Morgana," continued Akilles, "she's a prisoner now so they can figure if she vas actually under the influence of Tzeentch or if she really is that crazy."

"What about Elleric, then?" asked Kaspar.

"Carmilla ripped his throat out, so, he's done," chuckled Dunka.

"What about the Stars? Did they leave too?"

Dunka nodded and handed over a cup to Kaspar. "Jordell Freshbreeze went wit Miss Ellewyn to go talk ta da elves at Lothern."

Akilles filled Kaspar's cup with some coffee. "You don't remember talking to Oberwald about coaching a new team?"

"No."

"You told him it was a great idea. Helmut Vulf left to… vell, I don't know vere he vent."

Gobbodor walked to the group looking worse for wear. "Gobbodor! How are you?" asked Kaspar.

"No good, Mr. G. Throwing up not good fun."

"So was I right in seeing you conjure a lightning bolt?"

"Yeah, Mr. G."

"Why didn't you tell me you were a shaman?"

The goblin shrugged. " I dunno. Never thought about it."

Dunka grunted and smiled. "Dat's a goblin for you."

"Gentlemen," said Kaspar, "I think we just found our goblin representative."

Gobbodor smiled widely. "Cheers," said Akilles. Dunka and Kaspar raised their cups to Gobbodor.

"So, Gobbodor, want to represent the goblins for the NAF?"

He nodded vigorously. "Okay, Mr. G."

"Call me Kaspar."

"I like Mr. G. better."

"Fair enough," Kaspar said sipping his coffee. "How long is the ride anyhow?"

"Dey said maybe three or four days dependin' on da weather," said Dunka.

"Well, boys, we've got some work to do to get ready for our first official NAF meeting, so drink up and meet me down below."

Upon arriving in Marienburg, it was the job of the NAF Head Contractor, a Bretonnian with a foppish moustache named Luc Moreau, to rebuild the headquarters that was previously burned down during the BIBA raid. According to Moreau, who was there during the fight, two dozen BIBA thugs stormed the building and fought with only a few NAF employees who were staying late in the middle of the night. Since the Baron was a night owl, he and Miss Ellewyn, who Kaspar had never known to take a break, organized a resistance with several porters and maids, including Moreau and one of his foremen, to defend the building. Although the building would ultimately be destroyed, they had the time to remove key documents and artifacts before the building had collapsed.

Kaspar and Dunka made their way to the Gold House Meeting Hall, a massive warehouse turned festival venue where they would have their first NAF Representative meeting. The owners were more than happy to lease the Hall to the NAF, especially if Blood Bowl was involved, and since there were no festivals planned in this ward of Marienburg for several more months. Inside the vast Gold House Meeting Hall was an enormous open space periodically broken up with columns to support the upper floors that operated as a hotel. These rooms were also leased to the NAF for all of the representatives, and other NAF employees. On the long sides of the rectangular building, facing the wharf, were three sets of double doors for public entrance, and it was through these doors that Kaspar walked with Dunka. "Dis place is big," the orc said.

"Uh, it sure is, and it will be perfect for our first meeting. Check out that bar, though." Kaspar said.

Across from them taking up almost the entire length of the other side of the building was the longest bar in all of Marienburg. It was said to be the longest one in the Old World but there was allegedly a bar in Zharr Naggrund that was twice as long, but no one ever cared to visit a Chaos Dwarf's tavern to truly measure it. To the left was a set of rooms where the kitchens were and off to the right were the stairs that led to the upper floors. All around the Hall were temporary cubicles and cabinets to hold paperwork and the NAF employees pushing them. Kaspar wasn't sure what the Baron Falkenhayn did with the truly important things the NAF had, but he also never cared to ask. NAF employees were bustling around and many said their thanks or praise when he walked by them. A few even shook his hand.

Just to their left in the center, closer to the kitchens, but still a little far from the bar for Kaspar's taste, was a massive round table with a three-dimensional map of the Old World and New World, with a portion of Araby in the south, and the Mountains of Mourn to the east, in the center for the seated to view. Seventeen flags were placed throughout the map, to represent the current races that had joined the NAF. There were twenty-four chairs, as Kaspar hoped the other seven would join later, and then one designated for the CEO of the NAF, Baron von Falkenhayn. The twenty-fifth chair was set up against the wall farthest away from the table as that was where the Nurgle representative would be sitting. They had already received complaints from other representatives and NAF staff about him being close to where the kitchens were. Name plates were placed around seventeen of the chairs. The meeting was to begin in a couple of hours, and soon these seats would be filling up. Kaspar smiled to himself. There would be a new road leading to Blood Bowl, albeit a long one, and still with obstacles to overcome.

Kaspar and Dunka walked to the bar to grab a brew from the dwarf barman. Slam Madam's was on special today so they each ordered a tankard and put it on the NAF's tab. Akilles came towards them and sat down next to Kaspar on the right. Gobbodor sauntered over, seemingly coming from nowhere, sat down next to Akilles, and ordered a Gore's Light. They all stared at him and he shrugged. "I don't like beer. I like beer-flavored water."

They chuckled and faced forward again. All along the back part of the wall behind various bottles and kegs were mirrors placed so the patrons could see themselves get drunker or watch themselves get fuzzier. The busy room behind them was in plain view, some staffers moving around stacks of paper.

Kaspar was nervous. Not because he was afraid he couldn't do this, but rather, that he didn't want anything to mess up like it had before. "Here's ta da NAF," said Dunka, raising his glass. The other three said, "Cheers," clinked their glasses, and took a long draw from their brew. Over the next hour, the representatives came in, ordered something form the bar, or simply sat down at the table and waited. One thing they had to make sure to do was not put any teams with natural ill feelings toward one another so they wouldn't be distracted by any sort of animosity. The Dwarves were not next to the Orcs, and if the Amazons joined, their seat would not be next to any Undead contingent, and so on, even if they all knew each other. If anything got heated, old rivalries might poke their ugly heads.

"I suppose we should get ready," said Akilles.

"Dis is gonna be fun, I tink," said Dunka.

"It will be interesting, and guys, just think, we're making Blood Bowl history today," said Kaspar.

"If it works, Mr. G."

"Fair enough, Gobbodor, but with good lookin' fellas like us, why wouldn't it?" asked Kaspar.

"Cheers," said Akilles. They toasted again and Kaspar spotted Carmilla and Anna coming over.

"Afternoon, ladies," said Kaspar.

"Hello, Kaspar," said Carmilla with a giddiness about her. "Ready to make Blood Bowl history?"

Kaspar turned to the others, "See, guys? History."

"Let's get it going then," said Akilles, and he slid off the stool, followed by Dunka, and Gobbodor.

Carmilla ordered a drink from the barman. "So, Kaspar, nervous at all?"

"A little, but not because of the meeting. I just want there to be smooth sailing from here on out."

"Really? You may seem to be blessed by Nuffle," said Anna, "but I bet he has more tests for you."

"Knowing Nuffle, I'm sure he does," said Kaspar.

Carmilla received her drink that was red in color. She noticed Kaspar looking at her. "What? Oh, this? Not blood, unfortunately, just raspberry liqueur." She fished out a small vial and opened it. She poured the contents, a thick, red liquid, into the glass. "Now this is. Mmmm. Tasty."

She then walked towards the meeting table, leaving Kaspar and Anna. "How do you feel?" asked Anna.

"Oh fine. I was out longer than I had expected and I didn't remember much."

"Probably because of the drugs. Tutiris had some things I had never seen before," she said.

"How would you know if he did?"

"I had been a sort of nurse before all of this, and I have patched up quite a few people in my time, you know."

"You're an apothecary?"

"Sure. Although I'm not a veteran by any stretch, but I can fix things here and there."

"There's more to you each time I talk with you," Kaspar smiled.

Ann shrugged and took a sip form a Slam Madam's that was just placed in front of her. "There sure is," she said wiping her mouth on a napkin next to her.

"That was my drink, you know," he said.

She shrugged and took another sip. "My fault."

Kaspar caught himself smiling again. "And how are you, Anna?"

She nodded. "I'm well. Carmilla is extremely excited. We seem to be on pace with getting this whole endeavor underway."

"You know, Anna, I wanted to say that I know you don't owe me anything and I know I'm some schlub-"

"-wait, owe you something? Because you saved my life?"

"Well… yeah."

"I've never felt I've owed you anything, Kaspar, and maybe that's why I'm willing to see what this 'schlub' is about. Maybe at lunch we could speak more about this."

"That we should. I just wanted to say that I know everything seems fast, but I'm too old and too tired to fool around. And, well, Anna, uh, I hope there's-"

"-there's plenty of time later we can talk about things if you'd like," she interrupted. "Being Carmilla's mother, being an apothecary, being irresistible to you, I get it."

"Irresistible, hunh?"

She shrugged again. "Another time, we should have a chat, but right now, it looks as though you're needed."

Kaspar turned to follow her gaze to Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn enter the room, followed by Miss Ellewyn, and a Nipponese man. "Okay, well, to be continued, I guess."

"Oh, definitely," Anna said. "Good luck."

Kaspar walked over to the large table, where all of the representatives took their seats, including the Baron and now, Kaspar. Miss Ellewyn placed herself slightly behind the Baron's chair and the Nipponese man walked around, handing out folders. He overheard Borz-Gor say he couldn't read and begin to get angry, but the Nipponese man said, "It's pictures, sir," and then say something in a guttural language that put a smile on the Beastman's face.

The Baron stood up, "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "Welcome to the first meeting of the NAF Council. My name is Baron Lothar von Falkenhayn, and I am the President of the NAF. This is one of my associates, Miss Ellewyn, who is my Finance and Procurement Officer, and she will be present only to report on our financial matters and recruiting updates. As you can see, we have lots to do, and still have several more races to convince to join."

Gryzz Murdor said, "Like we bloody need more elves."

"Mr. Murdor, if you wish to share these sentiments, please leave this council immediately," snapped the Baron. The Chaos Dwarf squinted his eyes and almost rose to the challenge. "It is our duty to bring back the game of Blood Bowl to its former glory and we cannot do it without the support of all 24 teams, regardless of what you may feel. If, however, you want to be petulant and lose Chaos Dwarf representation on the NAF council, then by all means, continue."

The Chaos Dwarf looked around to the other representatives. The Baron began again. "Our goal is to bring everyone in the fold in order to make this work."

The Chaos Dwarf raised his tankard, drank, and smiled. "You misunderstand me, Baron. I would love to have more soft elves to smash on the pitch. Bring them on."

The Baron nodded. "Indeed. Thank you, Mr. Murdor. My other associate, Mr. Toku Naga, will be our recorder for all of our meetings. He is fluent in over eleven languages and will be most beneficial to the efficient operation of our proceedings. Mr. Naga is passing pictures and documents in front of you, written in your language, on what your duties will be and who everyone is. Inside, you will also find locales that are agreeable to our new league, as well as a write-up, or pictures, of companies who are as well. If you have trouble understanding, please do not hesitate to ask Mr. Naga about the information you need. If you notice as well, we have two Camras monitoring our activities at these meetings for transparency as well as posterity. It is, therefore, vitally important that we always conduct ourselves in a professional manner and remember that we are all here under a common goal: to bring back Blood Bowl."

The Baron picked up a goblet and drank. "Now then, let me introduce the representatives. Clockwise from my immediate left we have Skrit Skrat, Underworld. Talbot Quist, Necromantic. Doombeard Grimaxe, Dwarfs. Ivan the Grinder, Chaos Pact. Horkon Heartripper, Dark Elves. Gobbodor, Goblins. Faderer the Sly, Skaven. Borz-Gor, Chaos. Dunka, Orcs. The Wrecker, Ogres. Kaspar Gunderman, Humans. Kirkland Grundy, Undead. Gryzz Murdor, Chaos Dwarfs. Carmilla Carstein, Vampires. Tutiris A-Khatra, Khemri. Akilles Viggosson, Norse. And last but not least, in the corner, Pox, Nurgle."

Baron von Falkenhayn sat down. "Now that everyone knows who everyone is, we need to deal with our first point of business; we are seven races short. We are in talks with the High Elves right now, with Jordell Freshbreeze heading up the NAF's delegation. As of now, the High Elves, Wood Elves, and Pro Elves are going to wait and see if we can actually perform true Blood Bowl games until they commit. As for the Halflings, they seem to be uninterested in rejoining as of this moment. Apparently, they want to revamp their style of play so they can be more competitive." Several representatives chuckled.

"Let's hope so. I love killing a Halfling like anyone else, but there should be some challenge," said Ivan the Grinder.

The Wrecker harrumphed. "Is anyone helpin' dem not be so lame?"

The Baron smiled. "I have no idea. Rumor has it they brought in some Stars to help, but that's the best information I have for now. We have no contact with the Slann, Lizardmen, or Amazons, either, although we have a better chance of bringing them in if we prove we are a sustainable and consistent league. And that brings us to our next item at hand. Who here thinks they will have an organized team willing to play and can probably play within the month?"

Everyone raised their hand. "Outstanding. I was pretty sure we wouldn't quite be ready yet. Anyone want to volunteer to be the in the first game?"

Everyone still had their hand up. "Ladies and gentlemen," said the Baron, "we just might be on the way to redemption. Let's draw up a calendar and then pick the first game by lottery after lunch. Until then, however, we need to speak on our venues and arenas available. Gobbodor?"

"Lowdown Rats Stadium is good to go, Mr. F."

Toku Naga, being a slight, small man, leapt onto the table with only a whisper, and placed a small flag, large enough to see the Lowdown Rats' emblem, an eye-patched skull with two swords behind it, on a purple background. He then jumped back to the floor and went back to doing paperwork.

"How can we play there if the Lowdown Rats are still under contract?" asked Doombeard Grimaxe.

"I understand that Hymie Snivel somehow kept the stadium separate from his team in negotiations with BIBA. Therefore, the stadium is a separate business entity that is shielded from BIBA interference," replied Baron Falkenhayn. ""By the way, it is imperative we all are able to host games within our own homelands. For now, the companies aligned with BIBA are still sticking to their contracts, including the players and teams."

"Why?" asked Talbot Quist, slobbering on the table. "Why is there any loyalty left to BIBA? They were led by Tzeentch after all. How can anybody trust an organization run by Chaos?"

"Hey, crump you," said Ivan the Grinder. "That wasn't us, you racist!"

"Racist? Was it not your Chaos God who nearly destroyed the sport?"

"That was Tzeentch, not us. Don't lump us in with the actions of one god, or I'll shove your stupid, slobbery face up your arse!" yelled Ivan the Grinder.

"Come at me, Ivan, you wimpy little shank."

"Enough!" yelled The Wrecker slamming his tankard on the table, smashing it without leaving a mark on the table itself. Everyone looked in amazement that after a force that strong, the table remained unscathed.

The Baron smiled. "Enchanted by Ariel, Queen of the Woods, herself."

Kirkland Grundy said, "Kyrgyzzzzta shtafffttt burrrrrga tarkk ta gyrrrrtttttff."

The Baron nodded as did many others. "Mr. Grundy is very correct. We will get nowhere blaming and pointing fingers. And to answer everyone's questions, yes, Tzeentch was behind this latest fiasco, but it doesn't mean that all of Chaos was. And, I might add, because it was Tzeentch, there are doubts as to who was under his influence or who was simply manipulated by his wiles. This means that the companies who supported BIBA still stand to lose lots of money should they back out on their contracts with BIBA, and under the new CEO, Lucius Fir, stability to the organization has been made and so they will still be a threat to what we are trying to accomplish. This means we need to get the fans back into the game and reteach them what makes Blood Bowl, 'The Beautiful Game'. We need to strike while the iron is hot."

"What about the second book on the 'Crescent Formation' that Tywinian mentioned? Nikk Three-Horn is still out there with the possibility to get them the leverage they need to solidify their control over the game," asked Kaspar.

"Could it really do that?" asked Faderer the Sly. "Could thissss book be that important?"

Everyone looked to Tutiris, who nodded. "The Crescent Formation was outlawed because it was nearly unstoppable. Both the Khemri and the Slann, agreed to ban it from the game since two teams utilizing this formation either ended up with two extremes: no casualties and no touchdowns, to almost everyone dying and no touchdowns. This made the game rather boring."

"Everyone dying ain't so boring," said Borz-Gor.

"Usually, no, but only when there are people scoring as well," said Tutiris.

Kirkland Grundy said, "Arrgga shhhhkruk kiggta."

Borz-Gor nodded. "Very true."

Tutiris said, "Finding Nikk Three-Horn will need to be a high priority."

Murmurs of agreement rippled around the table. From the far corner, Pox said, "Can we kill him?"

The Baron looked to Horkon Heartripper. "Mr. Heartripper?"

"Currently, we have a contingent of assassins aiding the NAF in locating Nikk Three-Horn and bringing him in, including capturing the book itself. As of now, he has eluded us. The jungles of Lustria make this very difficult. However, if we can bring in the Lustrian teams, they could help us."

"I received a letter from Zara," said Kaspar. "She wants to speak with us once she gets into Marienburg."

"When will this be, Mr. Gunderman?" asked the Baron.

"In a few weeks, maybe just before our first game is played. Maybe right after."

"Which brings us," said the Baron, "to setting up our calendar."

For the next couple of hours, the team representatives hashed out schedules. Much to everyone's chagrin, however, there were only four venues to play the games. The Lowdown Rats' had decided to not sell their stadium to Nurgle King after seeing the NAF as a better option. Their field was in Mt. Grey Hag and that was a pain for teams to get to safely. Doombeard Grimaxe informed everyone how Gimlic's Farblast Airways was building a fleet now in Barak Varr to help teams get to and from all of the venues more easily. The other venue was in Speargood while the third was in Barak Varr. The fourth venue was Goadmalice Park, a pitch now owned by the Oldheim Ogres, after the NAF helped them with their debt once Hard Block Café backed out of ownership. Their field was nestled almost right in the middle of the Mountains of Mourn, and it was imperative that Farblast Airways had the proper funding and help they needed. Toku Naga placed three more flags on the table map to indicate where the stadiums were. The meeting then moved on to discuss fees from the representatives. Although the NAF would support much of the initial startup costs, they wouldn't be able to take the entire brunt of the expenditure later, so it was agreed upon that all races pay a fee for continued representation on the council. What was not agreed upon, however, was what the fee should be, how often it would be applied, and who exactly should pay it. Before everything got out of hand, they broke for lunch to ease nerves. Once fed, perhaps everyone would be more agreeable.

Kaspar sat alone with Anna and chatted for almost the entire lunch while others broke off and ate together or by themselves. The cooks had a time since they had a more diverse food menu they had to prepare to accommodate everyone. Apparently, one of the cooks had to have Anna treat and bandage him after one of the squigs got loose behind the building where the butchers normally slaughter animals for the meals.

"So, how's everything going overall?" Anna asked.

"Great, actually."

"And do you think you're on the right path to get this going?"

"I do, but Anna, I just want you to know before we start anything, that I will be traveling a lot and if that's something you can't handle with me being gone all of the time, then, maybe that's something you should consider."

She shrugged. "Meh. Look, Kaspar, I like you, but there's one thing you should know about me."

"Apart from being a mother to a vampire?"

"Well, yeah."

"That you are an educated woman?"

"Sure."

"That you're an apothecary?"

"Shut up."

"Okay, what then?"

"I love to travel."

"Oh yeah?"

Anna leaned back and smiled. "Of course. And because I'm an apothecary, who wouldn't want to have a healer around if things went poorly on a trip?"

"That's true. Ha! You know, I thought you were going to say you were bit by a werewolf once."

"Well-"

"Shut up," Kaspar smiled.

They sat and smiled while they ate. Kaspar felt a sense of comfort while enjoying Anna's companionship. He even felt the slight twinge of a notion that he and Anna could possibly work. He was older now, and a bit more bruised from life, and maybe what he had been missing the past decade or so was a woman to spend time with."

"Just so you know, Kaspar, I've got plans and things I want to do in life."

"Oh?"

"That's right, so don't think if we give this a go that I will be sitting around pining for you or following everywhere you go like a little puppy. You're handsome, but not that handsome."

"Well, you say that now, but once you get a taste of what it's like to be with me, well, I can't be blamed for what might happen."

She laughed. "Right. Well, it looks like you need to go," she said. "Good luck with the lottery."

"Thanks. See you later." He got up to rejoin the group as others made their way back to the table.

"You know it," she said after him.

After lunch was over, everyone was more agreeable and a fee was exacted on each team that was to play in the leagues. The leagues themselves were to be created after the NAF had all races committed. Until then, it would be a tournament style format until a fan base and a greater number of teams were around. The Baron then said, "We will now have our lottery for who will play the first game."

Kaspar said, "Baron, why not play four games at staggered times?"

The Baron looked over to Kaspar and cocked his head. "What do you suggest, Mr. Gunderman?"

"I'm suggesting we do four games at the four pitches. We stagger the times so that media coverage will be running all day to cover the games. BBSPN is the only station to carry BIBA exclusively. Between NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX, we could cover each game and give each station exclusive rights and licensing for that game. And the added benefit, of course, would be eight teams, and not two, who could play on the first day."

Rumblings of consent permeated the meeting. The Baron looked around. "All in favor?"

"Aye," said the group.

"I believe I like your plan much better. This does mean we need to be very efficient at our handling of time and localities. So then, let's draw for the eight teams."

The Baron beckoned the dwarf barman that had served Kaspar and friends before. He reached into a bag Mr. Naga held, and pulled each slip out. The Baron read them one by one. "Necromantic."

Talbot Quist said, "Yes!" sending sprays of spit out onto the table.

"Chaos Pact."

"Ha ha!" yelled Ivan the Grinder.

"Chaos Dwarfs."

Gryzz Murdor pounded the table.

"Humans."

Kaspar smiled.

"Vampires."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" said Carmilla punching the air.

"Orcs."

Dunka nodded.

"Undead."

Kirkland Grundy grunted.

"Norse."

Akilles yelled, "Here, here!"

And so it was settled. Kaspar had a lot to do to get ready for the first game of the newly-revamped NAF. And to play Chaos Dwarves as well was going to be tough. Every representative was going to have a hard time recruiting. Most of the players would still be in contracts with BIBA and so everyone was given one month to put a team together and play in their designated stadiums. Kaspar and the Humans drew the Lowdown Rats Stadium. This was going to be fun.

Chapter 27

"The Lowdown Rats Stadium. I've never known a more dangerous opponent to play."

-Perellian Ashblade, coach of the Elfheim Eagles, when asked about the most awful pitch to play on

"I love this game!"

-"Deadly" Dunkel Hoffnung, former Star of the Bad Bay Hackers, after his rookie year ended

"This is where we win! This is where they lose! Never give up, never give quarter! Tonight, we dine in the Hall of Nuffle!"

"Griff Oberwald, coach of Averheim Avengers, psyching his team up before their first game

The stadium of the Lowdown Rats matched their name. The field was set up with traps of all kinds, from pitfalls to planted bombs, and every game usually was fan appreciation day where every fan was given a rock to throw at the players the field. However, this game was designed to bring back Blood Bowl so most, but not all, of the traps on the field were either filled in or deactivated. Rocks were still handed out, but they were smaller than normal. The stadium itself was painted in the colors of their host team, purple and black, although lime green and bright red were added as supplementary colors on some of the poles, flags, and sidelines. All of the companies that normally had billboards around the field were removed and replaced by the smaller corporations that provided help and aid to the NAF, such as Meiko, Greebo, GoblinForge, and others. Comixi Ninos provided the sponsorship for giveaways to allow fans to travel on the new and improved Farblast Airways to get to the game, specifically because it was in the middle of The Dark Lands and harder to reach. Because they were able to get to the stadium faster than travelling over land, more Humans, Dwarves, Orcs, Vampires, and other races were able to attend than previously available. Hymie Snivel, owner and coach of the Lowdown Rats, was quite litigious and clever when it came to contracts and negotiations, much to the benefit of the NAF in playing here, and so they had no legal trouble in getting the stadium to host.

Gimlic Farblast had personally piloted The Dardgy Boo II, a larger, passenger-friendly blimp that was at least five times the size of the original. Kaspar, Griff Oberwald, and the new human team, The Averheim Avengers travelled in better comfort than they would have on the original. Barak Varr would now be the headquarters of Farblast Airways as they had the proper facilities to maintain and repair the blimps that would be needed in the next few years. Anna had gone to support her daughter and the Vampires, the new team, the Sylvania Slaughterers, versus Dunka's coach, Grak da Grak, and the Iron Rock Teef Crushers, in Oldheim.

Kaspar, Griff, and the team had disembarked in the evening and slept in underground quarters designed to house players on an overnight stay. Not the greatest rest they had, since goblins didn't really think about anyone but themselves in mind when building the cramped quarters. The mounds of trash they left behind for someone to sleep on helped make it less than ideal. Either way, the team was about as rested as they were going to get and the Chaos Dwarves probably didn't have it much better at any rate. The late morning sun shone bright on the field, but luckily not too bright that it would be a problem for their thrower, Captain Rogers, to handle.

Kaspar and Gryzz Murdor were led to the press box where Chance and Drew of the Federation Of Xenosorcerors, FOX Blood Bowl, were sitting ready to announce the game. Jim and Bob, working exclusively for ABC, were off covering the Norse and Undead game in Speargood. This made Kaspar smile because he knew just how much they annoyed Akilles. Hopefully, they wouldn't push him to drink too much and cause a scene. Chance and Drew were fine commentators, especially since Chance was a Wood Elf and Drew was a Dwarf, both having played the game before and against each other. The on-the-field reporter was Siggy the Llama, one of several Curators of Blood Bowl History at the International Blood Bowl Museum, although he was the only Halfling hired, either as curator or reporter.

Kaspar and Gryzz grabbed a complimentary tankard of Slam Madam's. Griff Oberwald and the Averheim Avengers were on the field warming up in their red, blue, and yellow uniforms, although all of them had individual markings to separate them from the rest. Captain Rogers, for example, had a star in the middle of his chest along with an "A" for either Averheim, or Avengers, on his forehead. Iron Stark, a fully armored blitzer, had what almost looked like a wyrdstone, except it was blue in the center of his chest. One of the other blitzers, Thor Blake, had wings on his helmet to honor his Norsemen roots, and one of the linemen, Simon the Wonder, had a red "W" that stretched across his waist and chest and wore no helmet at all.

In the other half of the field was the coach of the Blue Bull Monsters, dressed in blue armor and tunics, coached by Ahnoldz DeVito, a bull centaur who had three arms, one of which ended in a claw. Chance and Drew had just started on announcing the lineups, a Camra whizzing around in front of them as well as Kaspar and Gryzz, while others whirred around the field.

"Kaspar Gunderman, human representative for the NAF, how do you feel about Griff Oberwald's Averheim Avengers so far and their match-up against Ahnoldz deVito's Blue Bull Monsters?" asked Chance.

"Well, Chance, I think what makes this the 'Beautiful Bashy Game', is that on any given day, it can truly be any one's game. Having said that, I think Oberwald's unique experience as a Star, combined with his knowledge of the game will edge the Avengers over the Monsters."

"And now let's turn to Gryzz Murdor, the Chaos Dwarf representative for the NAF. What do you think your chances are against a confident and experienced coach?" asked Drew.

"I like that. Confidence is great in your opponent. And an even greater thing is when you watch that confidence die in their eyes as you smash them into the ground and put a hoof out on it."

"Oh, wow, well said, I guess," said Drew, taking a swig of Slam Madam's.

"Well, the teams look to be ready and what our viewers have been told but may not remember is that this game is not just about the NAF today."

"Absolutely not, Chance," spat Drew, "it is also the debut of the newly recreated RARG led by Head Referee Lorelei Malvae who is waving to the crowd as she makes her way to the center of the pitch."

"Sure thing, Drew, and if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, elves are the prettiest to ever grace the field of Blood Bowl."

"No complaints from me, I just hope she doesn't pick up the ball on the first try and has to bend over to get it again."

"Well, Drew, sorry, but she had no issue with that. The whistle has been blown and the two captains from each side will meet her in the middle."

Drew nodded. "For the Humans, Captain Rogers will represent his team during the kickoff."

"Is it true that he is relatively new to the game of Blood Bowl itself?" asked Chance.

"That's right, Chance. Apparently, he was sickly most of his life and couldn't be medically cleared to join any team that would take humans. But after some help from some unknown source, he seems to be quite fit and ready to lead his team to victory."

Chance continued, "And on the Chaos Dwarves, we have the Chaos Dwarf captain, blocker Ninurta Smash-Ur, who had actually left BIBA when they fined him for throwing the ball once."

Drew agreed. "And so he simply said, 'Crump you, crump you, crump you very, very mu-u-u-ch'."

"Very nice song, Drew, but not very good for family entertainment," said Chance. "Well, the Blue Bull Monsters may not have the experienced coach but they do have the experienced captain on their side."

"Very true, Chance. Very true. Let's watch the coin toss now. And it looks like it went to the Avengers for choice to kick or receive."

"Always an overlooked strategy few coaches talk about, Drew."

"Probably because they don't want anyone to know what any of their strategies are."

Chance laughed. "It will be interesting to see strategy back in Blood Bowl, Drew. And it looks like Captain Rogers has chosen to receive, while Ninurta Smash-Ur has picked the side not facing the sun to defend."

"Bold strategy, Chance," said Drew, "let's see if it will pay off for them this half."

Kaspar began to tune the commentators out just like he always did as a player or a coach. The last few games he had gone to hadn't even had commentators and once Jim and Bob had disappeared several months ago, many more never showed up either. The rumors abounded as to their disappearance nut Kaspar had learned from Jim it was due to their criticisms of BIBA and the sport. Gryzz turned to Kaspar and raised his tankard. Kaspar did the same and each congratulated each other. Both teams set up and Lorelei placed the whistle to her lips. A bull centaur, Utu Gila-Smash, kicked the ball towards Captain Rogers and the game was on. Immediately, Hulk Banner, the Avengers' Ogre, pounded one Chaos Dwarf into the ground where even the crunch could be heard up where they were sitting.

The crowd went wild as each side positioned themselves by blocking, dodging, blitzing, or trying to smash the other side. One of the Chaos Dwarves rushed towards a catcher, Quicksilver Maximoff, a Kislevite whose sister, Scarlet Maximoff, was the Avengers' wizard. He was knocked almost into the crowd, but Hercules Cleese, a blitzer, pulled him back in time. The two Bull Centaurs sprinted towards Captain Rogers.

"It seems as though Captain Rogers has to deal Utu Gilga-Smash and Enkidu Marduk are bearing down on him, looking to rock him," said an excited Chance.

"You think they will rock him like a hurricane, Chance?" asked Drew.

Captain Rogers dodged their initial assault, with several other Avengers coming to help. Their second attempt to smash the thrower had him hemmed in but the Human captain still threw the ball as best as he could.

Drew said, "He must have some kind of nerves of steel to throw that ball with those two bull centaurs smashing into his side! He goes down, but the ball is up towards the catcher, Falcon Wilson who just dodged the latest block form Enkidu Mari."

"The pass looks just out of reach for Wilson," said Chance, "But, oh, great diving catch! He has the ball and is running towards the end zone but two hobgoblins, Uruk and Kur are attempting to block him."

Both Hobgoblins tackled Wilson to the ground and the ball fumbled on the field. Both teams were hitting each other to get there. An apothecary team came to check on Nabonidus Sin, the Chaos Dwarf previously blocked by Hulk Banner in the beginning seconds. They rushed his body off of the field and turned back to get Captain Rogers but he got up on his own, shook his head, and gave them a thumbs up. In desperation, a Chaos Dwarf, Nabopolassar, picked the ball up and raced for the protection of several other blockers.

The crowd was going wild over all of this. It had been a long time since both sides in a game ever attempted to play the actual game. Kaspar noticed that there seemed to be a strong, positive vibe going through the stadium. Sure, there were some people brawling around the stadium, but that was usual and expected. Some fans hurled rocks onto the field doing nothing more than irritating the players. He looked over to Gryzz who was smiling heartily as well. Even Siggy the Llama on the field was jumping with excitement.

When Nabopolassar was finally able to make it through the Avengers' line, he was protected by the Bull Centaurs until he finally scored. The crowd erupted and cheered, both sides. History was in the making. Kaspar wondered how well this was going to go for the NAF. This game was second in the staggered schedules, where the first game went into overtime between the Talbot Quist's Derping Face-Eaters and Ivan the Grinder's Chaos Packed Renegades. Their game finished with Gobdomino, a ghoul on the Derping Face-Eaters not only red-boxed their Troll, but also ran the overtime touchdown in for the win, 2-1. The crowds there seemed to be having a blast with excited interviewers questioning the MVPs and standouts on both sides. Riots had broken out celebrating with only minimal casualties.

The second kickoff went straight into Captain Rogers' hands and immediately he was protected from the Blue Bull Monsters by two of his blitzers, Thor Blake and Hercules Cleese. When a Hobgoblin attempted to reach them, he tripped over his own feet and knocked himself out. Three of the catchers ran down the field dodging and attempting to get away from the blocks thrown by the other Chaos Dwarves. The Minotaur, Shamash Humbaba, had entered the fray and ran straight for the half-cage created by the Avengers. Hulk Banner intercepted the charging Minotaur and head-butted the beast, causing both of them to drop to the ground unconscious.

"That's really using your head," yelled Drew.

"Wow, Drew," said Chance, "you really had to go there, hunh?"

"They do call me 'The Pun-isher', Chance."

"No one does, Drew."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, maybe they should."

One of the catchers, Firebird Juarez, an Estalian, broke from her coverage. Captain Rogers pinpointed the pass and perfectly launched the ball, and although she bobbled it, she retained possession to keep running down the field. One of the linemen, Victor the Vision, threw off a block from a Hobgoblin, Tar Shamhat, allowing Firebird Juarez to run in for the touchdown. Again, the entire crowd blew up with fervor and excitement.

Gryzz leaned over and smiled. "Now this. This is a good game."

Kaspar extended his hand with Slam Madam's in it. "Here's to thousands more, Gryzz."

"To thousands more, Kaspar," said Gryzz clinking his tankard to Kaspar's. The first half finished with nothing else but some exciting throws, blitzes, and fumbles. When the second half began, Kaspar and Gryzz were asked to come down to the field to be interviewed by Siggy the Llama after the game. They both made their way down the rickety tower, a Camra constantly whirring above their heads. "I hope," said Kaspar, "this convinces the Elves and Lustrians to come back."

Gryzz nodded. "And to bring in other teams, too. I hear there are some new races who want in or may want to play. But, I guess we shouldn't count our squigs before they've birthed."

"Agreed. But I will be honest, Gryzz, I feel like I'm a kid again watching all of this."

"HA! Good! So I'm not the only one."

The two representatives reached the field where, for the past ten minutes, a strong cage directed by the captain, Ninurta Smash-Ur, was slowly pushing through several Avengers throwing themselves at it. Eventually, the grind came down to a score by Uruk, who had the ball handed to him from Tar Shamhat before he was tackled to the ground.

With only several minutes left, Griff Oberwald replaced one of his linemen for the backup thrower, Hawkeye Barton. It looked as though he was banking on this last drive for as much offense as he could muster. The backup thrower had a frontal mask that covered only the top half of his face.

The kickoff landed almost to the back corner of the pitch. Hulk Banner had shaken off the mighty blow that felled him but Shamash Humbaba had not. Captain Rogers ran towards the ball with Hawkeye Barton trailing behind. Several Chaos Dwarves pushed past the line but were successfully knocked down by the combined efforts of Simon the Wonder and Victor the Vision. As Captain Rogers picked up the ball, a lightning bolt zapped him, knocking him completely out. Hawkeye Barton grabbed the dropped ball and ran down the field towards Tar Shamhat who had found a way to get to him down the sideline. As Hawkeye Barton ran, Marvel Rambeau knocked the Hobgoblin off the sidelines, but soon followed him after Utu Gilga-Smash blocked him off the pitch. Hawkeye Barton sprinted towards the opposite side of the field. One of the Chaos Dwarves stepped in his path but was soon pulled back by Hulk Banner and smashed face first in the dirt, causing a second casualty for the Ogre. Two more blockers lined up to take him down after they had both knocked their own opponents senseless. Unfortunately for them, the skies opened up and a fireball knocked both of the Chaos Dwarves to the ground, one getting up to run around while on fire.

A catcher ran behind the thrower as he stared down two Hobgoblins. Instead of looking to throw, however, Hawkeye Barton tossed the ball just above his head and threw himself at them. Although he took a block to the face, the catcher behind him, Tigra Nelson, had caught it and dodged through the confused hobgoblins.

Several seconds before the game ended, Tigra Nelson leapt across the line and tied it up for the Avengers. The buzzer rang and cannons exploded sending confetti all over the stands, ribbons falling all over the cheering fans. Griff Oberwald and Ahnoldz DeVito shook hands and clapped each other on the shoulder. Hawkeye Barton and Ninurta Smash-Ur did the same. Usually, Chaos Dwarves were not known for being congenial, especially not after a loss or tie, but the vibes going through the crowds, and the remembrances of what Blood Bowl used to be was energizing the very air itself.

Siggy the Llama, the Halfling reporter, came waddling up to the two representatives and said, "Gentlemen, what a beautiful day to play Blood Bowl! I, for one, am one for all when I talk about all of the fun we are having. What are your thoughts on how everything went?"

Gryzz grunted. "Makes me want to get back in and stomp faces myself. This is a frenzy I am glad to be a part of. This allows the world to see how great Chaos Dwarves actually are on the pitch. We're the best and we want everyone to know it."

"Well," said the Halfling, "the best implies you would win."

Gryzz bucked at the Halfling and then laughed at the reporter who didn't budge. "I have been thrown by a Treeman, an Ogre, and a Troll, you know," Siggy the Llama said.

"HA!" said Gryzz, patting the Halfling on the back, almost causing him to drop his microphone.

"Kaspar Gunderman, your thoughts?" asked the reporter.

"My thoughts, Siggy, are very simple. What we have done today is showed the world that Blood Bowl is back and the NAF is going to lead the way in doing it. Two rookie, but impressive, teams showed up today, played a great game, and proved themselves on the pitch. I'm with many others when I say that I can't wait to see many, many more games. As you can hear, the fans are eating it up."

"Simple thoughts, albeit longwinded," said Siggy the Llama. "Where do we go from here, gentlemen?"

Gryzz said, "We go wherever the game takes us. To Lustria, to The Empire, to Araby, to the Mountains of Mourn. Heck, I'd even go to the Ulthuan if I had to. Wherever there's a team to play, we'll find a way to get there."

"Kaspar Gunderman?" asked Siggy the Llama.

"This is the start of a long road, but hopefully, it is the last one. I hope that we get all of our original teams back and then see if any other races out there want a piece of the action. With the help of Cabalvision, Skymind, and Farblast Airways, we can reach more people and do it faster than ever before."

The Halfling shifted. "What about BIBA?"

"What about them?" asked Gryzz.

"Look, Siggy Llama," said Kaspar, "- we-"

"Siggy 'the' Llama, Kaspar. 'The'… Llama."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize the 'the' was part of your name."

"It is."

"I'm sorry, Siggy the Llama, but to answer your question about BIBA. They can keep doing what they do. We're going to do what we do. If they want to claim they're playing the game, fine. But for the NAF's official position? This is Blood Bowl, and we're taking it back."