World Cup 77 - Roleplay Thread

[Kosovakia]

3-2 Loss against Anthor, And draw against Freyhill,!

Kosovakia, will not participate any longer in the next World Cup Qualifiers?!

Some random things #4

Coach: Buhh... Loss and draw in second half of the qualifiers
Player: It's not good I know..
Coach: The loss against Anthor was an recap of the first match against them, A few days ago we loss against them with 3-2, And now again...
Player: We have to make points now!
Coach: No really?
Player: Yaah, this group is so hard for us, But still we are very close to the other teams. We only have won 3 matches so far... That's seriously bad.
Coach: Puhhh... It's almost 'good bad'
Player: The number 5th in the group is to far away from us. The difference is 7 points. How can we do that?
Coach: Simple... We not gonna make it, I already know.
Player: uuh.. I give it up
Coach: In the first half of the qualifiers, we had loss to mutch, also against not so good teams.
Player: ..
Coach: My question is, Why we participate in this qualifiers if there only qualify two to the World Cup?
Player: Yaah tell me what..
Coach: I think the team will not gonna particpate any longer in the next World Cup Qualifiers.
Player: SHOCK!
Coach: I only will do, If the World Cup opens his doors for more Nations.
Player: Good coach!
Coach: I already told the people of the World Cup, But they do nothing with it.
Player: 10 in a group looks already crazy. They have to incrase there qualifiers spots.
Coach: My idea was to make it from 32 to 48..
Player: mmm..... That looks good.
Coach: Wondering if they will listen to me..
Player: Hopefully

---

Latest matches: Kosovakia 2-3 Anthor | Kosovakia 1-1 Freyhill

Where Kosovakia will end in the group (Poll for Kosovakian people)

5th 60%
7th 30%
6th 4%
8th 3%
4th 3%

[Schottia]

The Art of Sneaking

Part eleven.

Barry Gorman

Neuheim Straße was one of the last bastions of Imperial decadence in Schottia. A far cry from the housing estates, and smal,l modern conversed city flats - the homes here seemed to speak of a wealth few people could even aspire too. Soessch was the largest city in the German speaking region of Schottia - and while English was now widely spoken - this cultural history was still reflected in the place names, and the architecture.

Claire should have guessed that Barry Gorman would live in a place like this. He could sniff out material comfort like a princess could detect a dried pea under a mattress. Where as most Schottians felt a little uneasy at the acquisition of excess wealth, the former Schottia manager seemed to delight in it, and it was little wonder that he had taken up residence here following his appointment at FC Soessch.

As she walked over the smooth street coble stones, she could imagine her parents' expressions if they could see here now. Her mother still gasped out loud when she heard large sums of money mentioned, and her father would just have grumbled about how it was a slap in the face of the working man. No doubt most of the riverside villas here had been converted into flats by now - two, three bedroom apartments. But all the same, the buildings were still able to convey their original message. Raised doorways, and small front gardens surrounded by black iron railings: It firmly said, keep out.

Claire located Gorman's address, and ascended the half a dozen steps to the front door. As she stood on the doormat the nerves finally hit her -- or maybe it was just the baby kicking. She hadn't seen the man since the Cup of Harmony in Yttribia, and how long ago was that? Ten or twelve years? There had been a lot of water under the bridge since then. She was a mother herself, living between Handon and San Salvador, torn between her husband's commitments to Alianza FC, and her commitments to the Schottic national team. Gorman too had been through a lot; what with his sacking, his time in Port Christopher, and now back here in the SPL.

She flattened down her clothing, took a deep breath, and chapped hard on the brass doorknocker. Claire was getting sick of this sneaking about. In her condition she could have done without the added stress, as well as the traipsing around. Why on earth had she taken it upon herself to sort this out? It wasn't her responsibility, yet somehow she was the only one who could do a thing about it. The problem had found her, not the other way around.

'Hello?' There was a sound like the clunking of heavy bolts, and the turning of a key. It took Gorman a good couple of seconds to place who she was - it was fair enough, when was the last time he had clapped eyes on her? He was dressed in a paisley pattern dressing gown, and she could detect a whiff of alcohol on his breath even at this time in the afternoon. From within the house behind him, there was a distant sound of classical music, and there was a smell she couldn't quite place. 'You'd best come in,' he said before issuing a prolonged sigh. 'You'd better tell me what he has done now.'

Gorman led Claire into a long, high-ceilinged dinning room, which looked like it was rarely used for its intended purpose. The table was made of a dark wood with a swirling, which was so well polished you could have skated across it. At the far end a high-backed chair was pulled out slightly, next to which sat an old-fashioned gramophone, and a small pile of vinyl records. The Soessch manager lifted the needle from the record, bringing the music to a stop.

'Please,' he said, pulling a chair out for her before taking the seat opposite. 'One of my latest toys.' He pointed at the gramophone. 'Some music just doesn't sound the same these days.' It was one thing Claire remembered about Gorman - who had been her one time employer with the Schottic national team - he had this almost impeccable set of manners, which rather than winning you over seemed to unnerve you further. It just seemed so out of date, out of place, and was made all the worse by the knowledge that under the surface he was as crooked as they come. He would strip you of you last penny, but win your heart while doing so.

'Very nice.' Claire said, looking at it from a safe distance. 'How did you know what it was that I wanted to talk to you about?' She wasn't in the mood for beating around the bush here.

'Sheer deduction.' He poured himself a glass of what was undoubtedly some expensive malt whisky. 'I would offer you a glass, but I gathered..?' He waited for her to decline. 'Why else would you be here? It's unlikely to be a social call, I sacked you remember? Although you must believe me when I say that my hands were tied. The last think I wanted to do was release the most talented sports physio I've ever worked with.'

Claire's deep ingrained sense of modesty compelled her to look down at the table.

'For some reason they all think that I can wave a magic wand, put the genie back in the bottle.' He swirled his glass around before sniffing the contents. 'I don't have any power over Corsie, believe me, I wish I did.' Gorman raised his glass, filling his nostrils once more, before exhaling slowly. 'This is older than me,' He nodded in the direction of the crystal decanter. 'Lammerton Breweries, believe it or not. In the 1950s they tried to branch out into whisky production, expending on their brewing successes.' He watched Claire's look of puzzlement. 'I know what you're thinking, but this is, objectively speaking, the finest drop of whisky ever produced. Utterly magical. It's like simultaneously swimming down rapids, wading through a peat bog, and sitting on a misty island in the middle of an enchanted lake.' Gorman closed his eyes before taking a sip. 'Problem was, the product never really took of. People struggled to disassociate the brand with its low price lager range. This particular drop was distilled for a limited addition barrel, but before it had even matured, the venture was cut short. Yet somehow, it that sort time, those geniuses managed to distil pure perfection.'

Claire didn't really have anything to say that. To her, the idea wading through a peat bog sounded about as unappealing she could imagine. All she really knew about Lammerton Brewery was there sponsorship of Lammerton FC, and their distinctive red lager cans, which filled her parents' recycling bin. 'But he listens to you. He respects you. Corsie I mean.'

'My dear - he once faked his own death do avoid a meeting with me. I can assure you, he doesn't listen to me.' It was impossible to tell when you were being played by Gorman. It was that same skill which made him such a successful manager, he was always two moves ahead of his opponent.

'Well...' Claire was damned if this forty-five minute car journey was going to have been in vain. 'I wouldn't be here unless I was totally desperate.' She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. 'Last week he broke into my parent's garden and vandalised the place.'

'Jesus Christ...'

'Yeah I know.' Claire meant business now. 'Don't ask me how I found out, but I just did. I can't tell my dad because he would rip him apart limb from limb - I can't tell my husband because he would rip him apart limb from limb - and as you can no doubt see, I'm in little position to do much about it myself.' Gorman's face had changed, but Claire couldn't tell what it meant. He was now looking down at this heavy crystal glass, turning it in his hands. 'I'm actually minded to call the police.'

'No.' Her bluff had had the required affect. 'Don't bring the police into this. I'll go out to his valley during the next break in the fixtures and speak to him.' Gorman placed the glass firmly on the table, pushing it away from himself with his fingertips.

'Thanks, I'd appreciate it.' Claire wondered whether or not to mention the part about him talking to himself. She knew it was important to the situation, but she had essentially achieved what she had come for, and didn't want to muddy the waters. Gorman would make his own deductions once he got out there. She knew Corsie was ill, or at least feared that he was. It would have been easy to set the hounds on him, her father, Leo; they wouldn't have needed asking twice. Perhaps deep down she worried that it was her who had caused at least some of his issues, and it was this granule of doubt which stopped her from exacting revenge. 'Just ask him to back off, alright?' She added, getting slowly to her feet, to there was no point in hanging around here. Gorman's house, for all its elegance and sophistication had a dismal atmosphere to it. It wasn't like the homes she was used to, where you could feel the laughter, and sound of children’s footsteps resonating in the walls. 'Just... just make sure he leaves my family alone. I'll let myself out.'

She watched Gorman nod slowly, but he didn't make eye contact. It was hard to tell whether he was upset, worried, smouldering with rage. Claire had done all she could, whatever happened now her conscience was clean.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

Once again, Chrom was on Valanora's door.
With him was Upper Sunrise, smiling and holding her Pokémon Translator.
And of course, there was... a vase?
"Sunrise, I think they'll see you."
"Better to play it safe."
"Why does he fear her?"
"Some really unfortunate accidents."
"Like?"
"New Years' Eve 2014."
"New Year's Eve? What happened on New Year's Eve?"
"It's a long story."
She looked at Chrom, who answered with a proper shrug.
"That's all he says about it to me too."
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yeah!"
"...It would be a good idea."
"Come on!"
"Well..."
The door opened, Sunrise hid (very poorly) behind the vase.
"Ah, good day, Chrom..."
He took a peek over the vase.
"Sunrise."
"Damn."
"Hello, sir!"
"Ah! Hello! Who are you?"
"Upper Sunrise. I'm his sister."
She pointed to Sunrise, still rising from behind the vase.
"I can't see a lot of similarity but that's fair. What can I help you with?"
"We need someone experient enough with Pokémon to help me out with my Pokémon Translator."
"We figured Valanora would be willing to help us out."
"...Huh. Didn't you try Sunrise first?"
"He almost blew it up."
"...Should've expected that."

Valanora took a sip of tea, looking at the streets until the three arrived.
"Madam Valanora, these three came asking for help with a scientific project."
"..."
"...Hello?"
"...Don't touch anything."
"I'll... try?"
"Fair enough. What is it?"
"Uh... Ahem. I'm Upper Sunrise, Sunrise's younger sister and an inventor-"
"I heard about the scientific project bit."
"Well, we want to have a working Pokémon Translator but the guide she used was a bit... screwy."
"So we thought it'd be nice if we could use the help of someone with your wisdom to help us out with a proper translation."
Laughter came from the elf's mouth.
"I think you haven't realized yet but there's no such thing as translating Pokémon language. Such a thing would require an ammount of knowledge that is inhuman."
The two looked at each other, Sunrise sighed.
"But you're an elf."
"...And?"
"You're supposed to have a lot of wisdom, be all magic and stuff. Yet you don't want to help two innocent kids that wish to enhance humanity's understanding of the many species we hold ever so dearly."
"But this project would be insanity! Who do you take me for, Arch?"
"...It's a fair answer but it's not like you wouldn't enjoy being able to tell stories to two kids for days."
"Sunrise, I'm not a-"
"See! They really want to learn more about your experiences with Pokémon, it's a perfect opportunity to spend some time with people instead of remain locked around almost all alone."
"Fine! If you insist so much about it, I'll help."
She sighed, sitting on her favorite chair.
"But be aware that it'll take a very long while!"

Sunrise was on his way back.
In a way, he had accomplished his purpose at the time.
He was a bit surprised that he was able to talk her into helping the two.
Maybe he should start trying to talk his way out of things like that.
He remember Sir Sunrise's ability to shy away from battle via playing the fool.
He started to whistle a song he remembered of.
What he didn't realize was that he was being folllowed.
A Glaceon sneakily followed him back to his apartment.
It had a white and blue handkerchief, from what he could notice, given the Glaceon stood on top of the living room's central desk.
"...Huh. Hello."
The Glaceon nodded, remaining at his position.
Sunrise sighed.
"Let me guess, you probably want some food."
He nodded.
Sunrise took a Leppa Berry from his Pokémon Trainer purse and handed it to the wandering Pokémon, who munched it rather quickly.
It didn't reply with anything more than that, standing peacefully at the same place he appeared at.
"Look, I'm sorry, buddy. But you probably belong to a trainer."
Another nod.
"Did you get lost?"
A third nod.
Sunrise couldn't see if the Glaceon was saddened by that, however.
"What if I take you inside a Pokéball to a Pokémon Centre where we can find your trainer?"
The Glaceon shook his head.
"Man, you're not making my job of helping you easy."
The Glaceon nodded, smiling.

[Qasden]

23:40•Saturday•Merellin Park, Taxson—

Another glorious victory! Something about our first three matches this campaign always gives me a confidence boost in the Vans.
Yeah. I do enjoy winning streaks in our favor.

Behind the seated two appears Manager Sols, looking a bit more bewildered than usual.

Sols?
Behind you? Indeed.
Good to see you, manager! How's the works?
Dandy. Hey, um, there's something y'all really need to hear.
What is it?

The manager paused for suspense, much to the annoyance of the president and prime minister.

Well?
Semarland, the team that was having those internal problems. They've been.... disqualified.
What?
Why were they disqualified?
According to the statement, the internal dilemmas just became overwhelming to the point where it needed to be noticed. Their team is still going to play, but they can no longer qualify. Their status may be overruled if the dilemmas come to an immediate halt.

The president looked dazed by the news, while the minister seemed a bit more optimistic.

Well, what does this mean for us?
Well, they're above us in the standings. With our win today, we surpassed Amnarei-asud in the rankings. Semarland was second before their abrupt end.
So, if we are fourth after passing the fennec foxes, that'd mean we're technically in—
Third place, minister. The only obstacles left in front of us still are Valladares and Tumbra.
That's unfortunate!
For them, president, for the northerners. Now to think we may actually have a shot.
Our next matchup is against Cosneolta. As long as we don't choke, there is a slight possibility we may gain a 6-point lead over the 64 champions.
Thank you for the news Sols. I'm sure Merritt is delighted to hear the news.
Speaking of that, I need to go tell him. I will see y'all in Cosneolta.
Bye Sols.
See you in awhile.

Sols walks out of the room and travels down to the locker rooms, meeting the coach midway.

Coach Merritt. Just the guy I needed to see.
What do you need, manager?

Sols proceeded to inform him of the situation regarding Semarland. As he neared ending the discussion, Jon seemed shocked.

That's unfortunate, but perhaps it means good for us?
Indeed. As we rose to fourth thanks to today's win, Semarland's temporary DQ means we're in third place.
Chouette. Thanks for getting me up to date Sols.
It is my job, Merritt. Anyways, I need to go. I will meet y'all at the airport tomorrow morning. Adieu.
See ya, Sols!

[Gregoryisgodistan]

BREAKING: HEATHEN FRONT EXECUTED

According to reports out of Gregoryisgodistan, 39 members of the Cosumar terrorist organization known as the Heathen Front were executed earlier today for crimes committed at the Cosumar-Gregoryisgodistan World Cup qualifier match. These lengthy list of crimes include:

• Illegally entering the country in violation of Lord Almighty Gregory's travel ban
• Entering the country in possession of material claiming Lord Almighty Gregory is not God
• Entering the country on forged passports claiming they were citizens of Royal Kingdom of Quebec
• Entering Lord Almighty Gregory National Stadium for the soccer match with the intent of committing mischief
• Starting a "GREG IS NOT GOD" chant prior to the match
• Booing the Gregoryisgodistani national anthem
• Booing Lord Almighty Gregory when he appeared on the big screen before the game, and again chanting "GREG IS NOT GOD"
• Chanting a forbidden fruity word which means the same as "xylocarp" during the third minute of the game
• Chanting "NO GOD AT ALL" during the sixth minute of the game
• Handing out leaflets to Gregoryisgodistanis throughout the game claiming Lord Almighty Gregory is not God
• Chanting the same forbidden fruity word as before during the 10th minute
• Chanting "DEATH TO GREGORY" during the 13th minute
• Unfurling a banner stating "GREGORY IS NOT LORD ALMIGHTY" during the 17th minute
• Interfering with Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy in the 18th minute as he ran into the stands and crushed 49 members of the Heathen Front before they threw him out of the stands. He was given a red card for that and crushed the referees, alternate referees, and second alternate referees before heading to the locker room.
• Taking off their shirts in the 21st minute to reveal the message "GREG IS NOT GOD BUT A HOLY FRAUD"
• Murdering the Pervert Chaser who attempted to dickapitate and castrate them as a result of the above incident, which they claim they did in "self-defense" but really they interfered with the duties of a Pervert Chaser
• Unveiling a banner in the 26th minute claiming "GREG IS A LIAR, NOT A GOD!"
• Repeatedly assaulting police officers who tried to stop them
• Repeatedly assaulting soldiers who tried to stop them
• Repeatedly assaulting Secret Police Agents who tried to stop them
• After being ordered to leave by military and Secret Police in the 32nd minute, refusing to do so, thereby committing trespass
• Resisting arrest for the above crimes in the 38th minute
• Resisting military arrest shortly before halftime
• Entering the field during the Slaves R Us Leaders Race at halftime and tackling the character playing Lord Almighty Gregory, thereby allowing King Petrus XX to run across the finish line in first place before the actor in the costume could react
• Assaulting the actor playing Lord Almighty Gregory during the Slaves R Us Leaders Race
• Attempting to free the slaves holding the finish line during the Slaves R Us Leaders race by purchasing them under an assumed name
• Fighting back against the Secret Police who tried to stop them
• Continuing to fight back even as the Secret Police killed 41 of their other members
• Fighting back even when placed in handcuffs with the goal of at least some of them being executed, spitting on and biting the officers
• Various incidents of farting
• Various incidents of burping
• Various incidents of hiccuping
• Various incidents of sneezing
• Various incidents of coughing
• Crimes Against Lord Almighty Gregory
• Crimes Against Humanity
• 5,920 additional counts of blasphemy
• Belonging to a terrorist organization
• Belonging to an Enemy List Nation
• Possessing cheese, which they had planned to eat

Those are all the crimes the Heathen Front has committed, plus undoubtedly more we are unaware of. At precisely 12:00 this afternoon, all 39 members of the Heathen Front who had not yet been killed by Enemy Crusher or Secret Police were executed simultaneously with the Brownie Cutter of Death, before a capacity crowd at Lord Almighty Gregory National Stadium. The stadium is occasionally used for mass executions when the need arises, but is not generally used as an Execution Chamber. Following the executions, which took about 75 minutes until the end of the last one, the pieces were doused in gasoline, and set on fire. The fire will continue burning until the start of the Olastor-Gregoryisgodistan match at 9:00 PM this evening, at which point it will be extinguished. However, players on both teams will have to work around the burning pieces during the warmups for the game, or they can use the underground practice field under the stadium, which the Gregoryisgodistan National Team uses in cases of inclement weather sometimes, or when the stadium is being used for other things like Executions. In fact, they had their afternoon walkthrough there today, so it shouldn't be an issue for either team to use it for warmups.

For now, though, the Heathen Front has been destroyed like the scum they are, and we here in Gregoryisgodistan are truly grateful to Lord Almighty Gregory for all his hard work in bringing this terrorist organization down. He truly is God Almighty.

Correction: A previous edition of this article misspelled "Executed" in the headline. The author, Journalist 90SHBSDF09SD89F, has been sentenced to 28 Days in a Spelling Reeducation Camp. We regret the error.

Correction #2: We previously indicated that we regretted an error. In fact, we felt no remorse. MWAHAHAHAHA!

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

OOC: And replying in turn to this.

Most Gracious Elune

Simeone and I read your most recent letter with gladness, resolve, and recognition that though our methods may be very different, we could have no finer ally in our current cause.

I took the liberty of discussing your letter with several senior officials of the Imperial Court following our 3-2 victory over Yttribia. I need not distract you with a description of the ceremonial that occurs when the great officers of state meet in the Triclinium of the Imperial Palace. Suffice it to say that most of the Great Officers representing the highest levels of the Senate were there. In addition to myself, there was the Kanikleos of the Purple Inkwell, the Kanikleos of the Lesser Red Inkwell, the Basilikos Mandator of the State Bureau of Imperial Security, the Parakoimomenos, the Grand Domestic, the Domestic of the Schools, the Domestic of the Themes, the Grand Drungary, the Grand Logothete, the General Logothete, the Protospatharios, the Kouropalates, the Mesazon, and the Hyperprotopansebastohypertatos. It is rumoured that the Basileus himself deigned to listen to our counsels through the Imperial Screen.

We have decided to accept your offer of assistance, though doing so is virtually without precedent in the history of the Holy Empire. Nonetheless, I spoke for your valour and your virtue, and how you represent the very best of Ordinary Reality.

Attached to this reply are a series of space-time coordinates expressed as 3-6 kisrhombille tiling points in a regular apeirogon. I am assuming that these will not be unfamiliar to one of your greater spatial perception, but you may need to translate them into more readily understandable concepts should you engage more ordinary mundies to assist you.

These coordinates are where - via the use of the Imperial Panopticon - we anticipate the dread planet Yuggoth shall temporarily intersect with other realities. Do you know of Yuggoth? The blasphemies which are threatening several other realities often come from this dark place; but it is merely the populous outpost of a frightful race whose ultimate source must lie far outside even the Einsteinian space-time continuum or greatest known cosmos. There are mighty cities on Yuggoth—great tiers of terraced towers built of black stone. No sun shines there brighter than a star, but the beings need no light. They have other, subtler senses, and put no windows in their great houses and temples. Light even hurts and hampers and confuses them, for it does not exist at all in the black cosmos outside time and space where they came from originally. To visit Yuggoth would drive any weak mundy mad. The black rivers of pitch that flow under those mysterious Cyclopean bridges—things built by some elder race extinct and forgotten before the things came to Yuggoth from the ultimate voids—ought to be enough to make any entity among the very greatest of poets if they can keep sane long enough to tell what they have seen.

To Yuggoth then you must go as it intersects with other realities, to protect those realities from the poison that drips from those black rivers of pitch, and the loathsome experiments carried out by the blasphemous entities that live within the planet's Cyclopean cities.

Can you do this, most gracious Elune? Can you help protect those realities that I cannot reach while I shepherd my charges through World Cup qualification? I hope you can... For tomorrow, as Ordinary Reality understands time, I must help reveal to the world the true origin of the Oompa Loompas, and the secret of the Shadow over Loompaland...

As ever, your must humble and thankful acquaintance,

Juan Tzimisces

[Brenecia]

Shanna Donachy was, in a way, a victim of her own success. She was 26 as of a month ago, was established as a successful high-end A-League midfielder and had a handful of caps for the national team. If she performed well, and she had done today, she would probably have a spot on the plane to... well, to Brenecia's ultimate destination, wherever it might be. Had she been the quality she was 15 years ago, she would've been one of Brenecia's best players at the time - maybe even its absolute best. She wasn't particularly fast or strong, but she had an easy, casual sense of ball control and could land a long pass on a penny. And she was reliable. For her club, at least, she was one of those players who got you a 7 or 8 out of 10 every game. She deserved to be playing here! She had earned her place on the team.

The press did not share this assessment.

Lots of hand-wringing, mostly. About this weird, nebulous label of what made someone 'international-class', as if that was something relevant. As if the success of the A-League (admittedly at something of a low ebb at some point...) meant nothing, as the old inferiority complex rose back to the surface. You had to leave to make something of yourself, or if not, to excel to the point where further domestic success was meaningless. You couldn't just be one of the better footballers in one of the better clubs in one of the better leagues in the world.

And yet, here she was.

She took a pass from Gryphon to her feet, felt someone at her back. Glanced around, Hojbjerg - the most dangerous midfielder Mattijana had, but not really much for defending. She turned him inside out and ran. Saw Adrianov coming, got the ball away from the sliding challenge, and got clattered for her troubled.
Caution for Adrianov, that was to be expected. Donachy got to her feet, prepared to take the free kick... no, nevermind, this was far forward enough for Gryphon to commandeer it. She was a better player, Donachy just had to nod her head and hustle forward.
Gryphon hit it long off to the right where she saw Ronan Bowditch making a run, slipping free of Neumann. The burly Azuris man took it on the chest, Neumann cursed and ran after him but couldn't dispossess him as he essentially brute-forced his way past. A lot of bodies in the box, and Donachy was... extra. Spare. And floated away, to the edge of the box, shouted "Here!"
Bowditch glanced up and passed to her.
That's all it took. One touch to steady it, almost allowing Crajasovic to rush out and close her down - one touch to wrongfoot Crajasovic and get it onto her left foot, and one touch to bury it in the top corner, to leave Handanovic without a chance, to give Brenecia the breakthrough they deserved.
And there was no small degree of satisfied spite to her exuberant celebrations, perhaps too enthusiastic for the occasion but, hell, it was her first international goal - and in some style, too! Were you watching, Observer?
Begrudgingly, they were. She got an 8 out of 10 in their ratings that night.

[Anglatia]

To Kill A Rooster

Part One

On a peaceful day in the countryside of central Patierre, the thundering sound of motorcycle engines could be heard shaking the ground and approaching the understated villa that had survived the Imperial invasion in tact. The engines started off as a distant hum and grew into a loud roar that was noisy enough to wake anyone who was unfortunate enough to be sleeping in on that morning. Inside the villa, the inhabitants weren't sure if they should have been scared of those engines or not. There were many forces in this territory that weren't friendly to them, but they hadn't been approached by bikers before. There was a chance that these riders were just passing through on their way to the city to the east.

They weren't that lucky, however. The bikers weren't just passing by, and their formation stopped as soon as they reached the outside of the villa. There was an expansive lawn that stretched in all directions around the place, and they parked their bikes on it before dismounting. Some of them had black jackets with laughing skulls on the back, representing the Corsairs motorcycle gang, and others had the same jackets but with a pair of crossed swords on the back. That symbol represented the Bravos, the Patierrean wing of the Corsairs network of allies. At least one of the bikers, a younger girl who didn't look like she fit in with the Corsairs crowd, wore a jacket with a Loch Ness monster on the back, representing the Sea Monsters MC.

“This is it? I expected somewhere more fortified,” said Mateo Vidal, one of the leaders of the Corsairs and the one at the head of their operations in Bathgate. And the others somewhat agreed with him. This place was supposed to be a hideout for the Eastern Brotherhood, the anti Anglatian insurgents who had split from the colony of Kisote years ago to form their own de facto state, before continuing their battle by fighting alongside other Imperial rebels. These days, they were supposedly helping the Patierre Insurgency.

The bikers were here to put a stop to that. They had a pretty good deal worked out with the Imperial government. They would move in on the colony of Patierre, and they would take control of the streets before the rebellion could. The Empire wasn't going to let something happen to their colony like something that had happened to Nordskania, a mass rebellion caused by the government failing to control the streets. The bikers would terrorize the populace into staying in line, and in exchange, they would be able to easily expand their turf here along with their allies.

“They don't want to stay in forts and bunkers. They want buildings like this that are low key that nobody is going to suspect,” said Jose Sorondo, the other leader that was present at the time. “We wouldn't have found this place if it wasn't for the Imperial Intelligence infiltration in the Gold Hands. Fortunately, those anarchists turned over the location of every Eastern Brotherhood hideout without even knowing their mistake. Anyway… This just makes our job easier.”

“And what job is that?” asked the only female rider who looked fully grown, Scout Jonsdottir. “I don't remember. Do they want us to sack this place and take out everyone inside, or are we here to find more connections? We’ll have to take some of them alive, unfortunately, if it's the second option.”

“We want almost everyone dead, but we need the records guy alive because we need to get to the information being stored in there,” said Jose, reaching for his shotgun and waving the others towards the villa. “Come on. The faster we get in, the faster we get out. The records that we’re looking for are the maps and plans being used by the New Democratic Forces. We already know the Gold Hands better than they know themselves, it's the Democratic Forces that are the real wild card. And if their records aren't here, we have permission to torch the place.”

By now, the inhabitants of the villa realized that there were hostiles outside, and the battle began quickly. Someone ran up to the window and opened it before leveling a rifle, but they were quickly shot down by Mateo Vidal. Someone else opened the opposite window, but Scout raised her own rifle and shot first to drop the attacker before he could even aim. Jose jumped up the steps and waited for someone to open the door, and when they did, he leveled the shotgun and put a round into the man’s chest. He kicked the door back after that, stepping inside and pressing his back against the wall before firing off another shot at the potential attacker that was waiting inside. “Get in here!” he shouted to the others, waving them inside.

Mateo Vidal was the first one in, and Jessi Sorondo, Jose’s adopted daughter, was close behind him. The two of them had rifles in hand, and they spun around as they entered to look for any hidden attackers. The Brotherhood were experts at guerrilla warfare. It was never wise to ignore the area around and behind you when fighting them. “Room’s clear,” Mateo announced, as the others started to file inside. “Jessi, check the bodies for phones… We’re taking anything that can give us info on how the NDFP and the Brotherhood are linked. Everyone else, spread out in groups and make sure that we clear every single room in this house. Don't let your guard down, and remember the enemy. These guys are experts at ambushes and the like. Remember who we’re looking for, too. A Patierrean information expert who has the info on the latest plans of our enemies.”

The Corsairs and Bravos spread out, and they did split up to search every room of the large building. If the Eastern Brotherhood was planning their uprising with the New Democratic Forces of Patierre here, the Corsairs would find them… And they would be able to take that new information to know exactly when and where they had to strike to take control of what they wanted, the streets. Whoever controlled the streets controlled the country, and the Empire knew that well by now. It was the reason why this relationship between the Imperial occupation and the Corsairs was turning out to be more beneficial than anyone thought it would be.

=====

At the same time, in Saint Rainier, the Corsairs were conducting another operation that was separate but similar. The largest gang in Patierre, and in Saint Rainier specifically, were the Goths. The streets of the city were controlled by them for now, but that was shifting as the Corsairs descended on the coasts and took out their outer branches and their allies with a swiftness and brutality that had never been seen in these parts in the past. As a result, the Goths were trying to work on fortifying their most important areas: Saint Rainier, Alery, Syhaux. They knew that a storm was coming, and they were bracing as well as they could for it.

They didn’t know, though, that the storm was much closer than they thought. For some, it was already here, and that was what the Goths vice leader, Raylen Dameron, didn’t realize in time as he was followed through town by a black muscle car that was owned by the Corsairs. The two who were inside the car were recognizable for anyone who was familiar with the Corsairs scene, because both of them had some importance. Benton Singer was one of the gang’s main leaders, and one of their most dangerous enforcers. Lucio Riviero was the orphaned teenage son of former weapons specialist Isko Riviero, who had been quite an important member of the gang’s former operation in Abanhfleft. Raylen didn’t know it yet, but the two had been assigned to deal with him and extract as much information as they could from him, while sending a message to the rest of the Goths.

“You ready for this, kid?” Benton asked his young apprentice, as they kept driving behind Raylen’s white sports car and waiting for him to turn off of the highway. He was heading northbound, likely to get to a meeting in the northern coastal city of Alery. Benton and Lucio had been following him ever since he left his house, and all they were waiting for was the right time to spring. If he was taking the route that Benton thought he was taking, that time to spring would come soon. “You’ve trained, but that all goes out the window in a real fight. You’re not going to get cold feet, are you?”

“I told you. I can handle whatever it is that I have to do. I’m not weak,” Lucio insisted, his voice bitter. He had, of course, been very bitter ever since his father had died. Because he had never lived with his mother, he was effectively an orphan even though only one of his parents had died. “You know that I can fight and kill as well as anyone can.”

As the two continued to speed down the highway, and metal music played over the radio, Benton looked long and hard in Lucio’s direction, trying to decide how much he trusted the teenager to not mess this up. It was an important job, after all. “I trust your confidence, but I don’t trust your skills with a machete just yet. Maybe next time,” he said. The Corsairs often used bladed weapons for close combat, but despite Lucio’s training in that form of combat, Benton didn’t trust him to be able to execute the plan perfectly with a machete. “There’s a pistol in the glove compartment-”

“I’m using my machete, just like we trained,” Lucio snapped, his voice low but his tone fierce. He wasn’t taking no for an answer, and both his tone and his expression said that. That machete was already on the ground next to him, leaning against the car door. The blade was freshly sharpened and shined, the edge on it looking sharp enough to cut diamonds. While the Corsairs often used guns, a blade like that was their true preferred weapon.

“Fine. Don’t screw this up, kid,” Benton said, and he slammed his foot down on the gas and accelerated forward to overtake Raylen as he turned off of the highway and onto the streets that would lead to the other section of highway, the one that went all the way to the northern coast. The muscle car quickly caught up with the sports car, and to the great annoyance of everyone else that happened to be on the street at the time, Benton accelerated once again and then slammed on the brakes, yanking the steering wheel to the side so that the back of the car would spin out and carry it in front of the other car. When they came to a halt, Raylen’s car was stopped and the muscle car was directly in front of it, and the cars behind them were honking their horns in anger as Benton held up the traffic. “Come on. Let’s make this quick, before the cops show up…”

Benton grabbed his shotgun, which had been modified to have a bayonet on the front, and opened his door and stepped out. He pointed the shotgun towards the other cars, telling their drivers to be silent, and the horns honking totally stopped within a few seconds. As he stepped out, Lucio picked up his machete and stepped out of the car too, adrenaline pumping while he followed Benton towards the white sports car. The adrenaline rush that came from riding with the Corsairs wasn’t like anything else that Lucio had ever felt. And now, his heart was racing as much as it ever had since he’d joined the gang officially, after his father’s death. The hand that wasn’t holding the machete was shaking, and he gritted his teeth and wiped a few beads of sweat off of his forehead.

“Get the fuck out of the car,” Benton ordered, pointing the shotgun at the passenger side, where Raylen’s girlfriend was riding. The door didn’t open, with Raylen apparently looking for a weapon, and so Benton opened it himself. He grabbed the man’s unsuspecting girlfriend by her blonde hair, and dragged her out of the car and put the sharp end of the bayonet’s edge to her neck. “Look, you have two options, get out and maybe survive, or stay there and let both of you die. It’s up to you, but you better decide quickly.”

“Okay, okay,” said Raylen, opening his door finally and stepping out. He walked around the back of the car and into the open space that Benton was standing in front of, putting his hands up to show that he hadn’t found the weapon that he had been looking for. “What do you want, and who are you with? You looking for ransom money? I don’t think you want my life, or I would be dead already. You don’t need to make a big deal of looking for a ransom… I can pay you.”

“It’s not money that we’re after,” Benton stated calmly, pressing the edge of the blade into the neck of the woman that he was restraining. “And the answer to your second question should be obvious. We’re Corsairs. What do we want with you? Well, we want a few things. We want to send a message to your gang, the Goths, and we also want to get some information from you. If you help us enough with the second part, we might just let you walk away from this without getting hurt too badly. If you don’t, don’t expect to go walking away from this at all.”

“Yeah, fine, what do you want to know? Where our supplies come from? Where our safe houses are? Just let go of my girl and I’ll talk. I know you Corsairs have a knack for cruel and unusual punishment, but I’m not going to make you do that to us. Just let me know what you need to know-”

“Hold onto her,” ordered Benton, shoving the woman in the direction of Lucio, who grabbed onto her arm. She wrestled against him, and he raised his machete and pointed the sharp end at her. She stopped fighting back after that, and he reacted by pulling her back towards him and putting that sharp edge to her throat. “Now… We need to know the dates and locations of the operations that the New Democratic Forces of Patierre have planned. I know that you Goths are supporting them, helping them in controlling the streets around here and in Alery-”

“That’s not true. That’s an Imperial rumor that was started to slander us. The Gold Hands, the thieves and anarchists from Alery, support them, but we haven’t helped them in any meaningful way-”

“Lucio. Cut her,” Benton said in response to the obvious lie, and Lucio shifted his grip on the machete and dug the razor sharp edge into the woman’s collarbone, which was left exposed by her dress. He tightened his grip and pressed the edge down harder, leaving a deep cut and causing her to cry out. Raylen put a hand up to signal for him to stop, but he didn’t pull his blade back until Raylen spoke again.

“Okay, I lied, but the truth is that the Hands have helped them more than we have. All I know is that the Hands are planning to start a riot at Alery University and the NDFP is going to try to escalate it into something bigger, the start of another revolution. I think… Uh… Clovis Decuir is leading the NDFP and the Eastern Brotherhood is heavily aiding them in their next plan… It’s coming in a week or two, that’s all I know,” Raylen said, speaking quickly to try to get Lucio to pull back from his girlfriend.

“I’m going to search the car to see if there’s anything backing his story up… Any burner phones or documents or maps or anything else that would be useful,” said Benton, starting towards the sports car and looking back at Lucio. “Make sure that they stay in line while my back is turned. You’ve got permission to use lethal force if the need arises, remember that.”

Lucio nodded, keeping his grip on the machete tight and staring at Raylen. The man was quite shaky for a gangster, that was for sure. He didn’t trust him not to freak out and make a move to fight back, and it turned out Lucio was correct to be worried. As soon as Benton turned his back and went into the sports car, Raylen reached inside his jacket for a knife. His plan was to catch Lucio off guard and free his girlfriend by coming after the younger and smaller boy as fast as possible and catching him before he could move, but that wasn’t going to happen. When Raylen acted, Lucio reacted faster than he had acted in the first place.

He spun his blade outwards so he had flipped it to an underhanded grip, and used two hands to shove the woman to the side and out of the way. Raylen kept coming at him with the knife, and he took two hops backwards and spun the blade back into an overhanded grip to keep the distance between him and his attacker. Benton was watching, now, but his mentor was too far away to impact the fight. If Lucio took another step back, he would hit the muscle car and run out of room. If he took another step to the side, he’d hit the road barrier. And so he didn’t do either of those things. Raylen telegraphed his stabbing attack too strongly, and Lucio leapt onto the hood of the muscle car before jumping down and taking as hard a swing as he could at Raylen’s side with the machete.

Raylen tried to turn, but Lucio’s swing was too fast and hard. The machete caught his midsection and the blade was placed exactly where Lucio wanted it. That strike would do some serious damage, but Lucio didn’t stop to see exactly how much he had made his opponent bleed. He pulled the machete up and hoisted it overhead, coming down on Raylen’s shoulder. The second blow was enough to send the bigger and stronger man to the ground. Lucio didn’t stop coming with the attacks. He struck again and again and again, putting all his strength into raising and swinging his machete at his downed enemy. “Stop! He’s dead!” shouted the girlfriend, and that was the only thing that snapped Lucio out of his rage.

He turned to her, and she started backing away, nervously. He would give her a more merciful death than her boyfriend had just suffered. As she backed away, Lucio reached into his jacket for the pistol that he’d grabbed from the glove compartment before stepping out of the muscle car. “No, no, no,” she started to say, but Lucio gripped the trigger of the pistol and unloaded eight bullets into her to empty the magazine. He didn’t care that the whole thing was being recorded by onlookers who were still waiting for the gangsters to move and stop blocking traffic. All he cared about was proving himself as one of the gang’s most capable enforcers, despite his age.

When it was all over, he put the pistol back in his jacket and took a deep breath. The adrenaline was still coursing through his body, but he was still somewhat calm for the situation. Even with his heart racing and his hand shaking. By now, Benton had stepped out of the car after finding some documents and a phone that could be useful to figuring out the things they’d originally come here for. “I didn’t realize you had that in you, kid,” he said. “You fought like a seasoned vet… I haven’t seen many that can move a machete like that. You’re going to be in for some promotions if you keep it up.”

“Yeah? I don’t care about all that. All I want is for everyone to finally recognize that I’m not some kid, and give me a chance to get what I want. Revenge for me and revenge for Jessi,” Lucio said, sliding his machete into the sheath at his hip. “Preferably sooner rather than later. That’s all I care about. Anything more is an added bonus.”

[Brigantii]

There is no shame in a 2-1 defeat to Valanora. Even at home, in front of an expectant crowd who had seen their team go unbeaten in eight matches there was no need to be overly disappointed. Especially when you consider the opposition were ranked in the top ten in the World.

A section of the fans however were vocal in their displeasure. That section had been vocal throughout the match though. A banner, unfurled 13 minutes into the first half read “keep freaks out of football” and shortly after a number of flares went off, filling the stands with plumes of red smoke. The ugly scenes in the Warbury Stadium were reminiscent of a time gone by here in Brigantii when hooliganism was rife. The scourge of hooliganism was at it's peak back in the 70's and 80's with organized “firms” associating themselves with clubs up and down the country, and the dreadful behaviour of a section of the fans was like peering back in time.

“You see what all this nonsense has done?” asked former footballer turned pundit Ian White. “All this business with segregating the national team and refusing to play against non-humans” Ian had been in the studio as part of the broadcast team for the match and had witnessed the fans' behaviour.

“Ugly, ugly scenes.” came the response from Desmond Diamond, the Brigantii Broadcasting Company broadcaster. Shaking his head forlornly.

“If we insist on pointing out the differences rather than embracing them, it just broadens the divide.” Ian continued while Diamond nodded along “If the F.A. goes down this road of stopping us playing against the likes of Valanora we end up looking small minded and encouraging this kind of small minded behaviour.”

There was somebody in Desmond's ear telling him to move on and discuss the highlights, but Ian wouldn't let him get a word in. “I grew up in this country when being black was difficult. I've seen the ugly side of intolerance.” The centre forward looked across the studio and made eye contact with the only other black man present, he was a similar age and holding a clipboard. The two shared a nod and Ian went on “If we don't want to see a repeat of something like this against Mriin the people involved today need to be found and banned from entering that stadium ever again.”

“And how about that goal from Michael Irwin?” Desmond, tactlessly tried to transition to the highlights.

“What?” Ian looked stunned.

“The goal, it was a superb header for such a short statured man.” The header was rather impressive with the diminutive striker out jumping the towering centrebacks. But Ian wasn't interested in the goal, it had been a bad day for football in Brigantii.

---

The Stags got back on the win trail with a solid performance away to Tomikosan. At the 85,000 seater Scarlet Park, Brigantii looked to put all the unpleasantness that marred the previous fixture behind them. In doing so Norman Atkins team set about letting their football do the talking. Taking an early lead in the 6th minute with a Jarred Stevenson long range effort, the visiting team were in the driving seat throughout the game. The second came in the 30th minute when wingback Byron Samuels smashed in a freekick, after Aaron Ramsbottom was felled just outside the Tomikosan box. A foul that resulted in a yellow card for Etsuo Minase. From there on the Tomikosan keeper, Shinzo Nakamura made a claim for man of the match with a string of fine saves to keep the score down to just 2-0.

After the game a pleased Norman Atkins commented “The last few weeks have been tough on the team. They've played some good football and have put together a string of great results but nobody seems to be paying any attention to that. All the focus is on who we will and won't be playing and the negative press that brings with it. Nobody has said a positive thing about how we went 8 games unbeaten, taking points from teams ranked higher than us.”

“The scene that happened at Warbury reflects poorly on my team. We have no issue playing against dwarves, narwhals, sentient bedroom furniture, nightmarish clones of ourselves sent from alternate timelines, we're professionals and have a job to do.”

Several hours after the coach had made his statement another one was made by the F.A. “the flippant nature of Mr. Atkins comments do not reflect the intentions of the F.A. who fully intend to implement their plan. The feelings of the team is irrelevant at this time.” By the time they released their statement the team, the coach and all the assorted staff were asleep in their hotel beds, oblivious and wouldn't know until the morning when they started making their way to the airport to return home.

[Tobiasia]

[align=center]TOBIASIA 1-1 ANGLATIA
[i]Shock last minute goal leaves even score[i]

Goals: 1 - 1
Possession: 49% - 51%
Shots on target: 7 - 8

Anglatia XI
GK - Blaze Chrzanowska
LB - Leonne Warner
LCB - Hector Grier
RCB - Lukas Aukland
RB - Joao Francis Inciarte
LIB - Darren Harbin
CM - Andros Diasakos
CM - Marco Saint Paul
LW - Zahara Santana (Goal '34)
RW - Allie Vacek
CF - Nessa Chryst

TOBIASIA XI
GK-Percy Matthews
LCB-Abraham Peters
RCB-Paul Goldsmith
DM-Arthur Slim
LM-Harry Lithgow
RM-Alexander West
SW-Frank Woods
CM-Flint Eastgate
ST-Fraser Philips
LW-Lee Ryans (Goal '87)
RW-Matthew Card
[align=center]

After a disappointing 2-1 loss last week, we expected a similar outcome today. As the minutes drew near to the final whistle, the fans in To Greenside Park began to despair. But suddenly the Tobiasian defence began to push up. Frank Woods began to attack, charging with huge force towards the goal. He was only stopped by Nessa Cryst, who slammed the ball back to the half way line, where it was caught by Lee Ryans. Ryans ran forward, dodging Cryst this time, then kicked the ball, which landed in the top right corner in the 87th minute. In the last few minutes after that, Anglatia never really got their game back on track.

Top WC 77 Tobiasian goal scorers
Fraser Philips: 3
Lee Ryans: 2
Matthew Card: 2
Harry Lithgow: 1
Arthur Slim: 1
Flint Eastgate: 1

[Bonesea]

.

[Chromatika]

Mid-Qual Friendly
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 2-2 Chromatika

Lineup @ The Royal Kingdom of Quebec: Nier; Morningstar (Ilya '71) - Stef - Aart - Ellen; Montague - Liam; Rien (Niro '81) - Hellion (Sybill '56) - Antonio (C); Andisori.

Goals: Montague '56 (unassisted, corner kick), Andisori '89 (assisted by Sybill)

The Quebecois were a great test in the mid-qualification break, playing the Chromatiks to a 2-2 draw. Jillian had an okay day, the two goals she let in were good strikes. Keira was able to get the game tied late. A decent result against a quality side.

Match 11: Chromatika 3-0 Lymantatia @ The Capitalizt Dome, Chromatik City, Chromatika (Cap. 144,000)

Lineup vs. Lymantatia: Ria; Cameron (Ilya '66)-Shipp-Lia-Lorenzo; Minke-Buric; Baumgartner-Harbin (Sybill '71)-Chesser (Dragana '49); Victoriane (C).

Goals: Victoriane '33 (assisted by Minke), Dragana '56 (assisted by Baumgartner), Sybill '87 (unassisted, free kick)

Parker's gamble paid off once more, as Mia Ria was the bookend to an amazingly solid performance by the backups once more. Victoriane added another goal in her continued slaughter of the lower ranked teams, while the additions of Aysu, Sandra, and Jazmin paid off big time in the second half. With the additional time available for all the players to rest up, Silian's continued reliance on the depth of his bench for the matches involving lower ranked teams sets him apart from anything that Franscesca or Lisa did. To be fair, he's had a much deeper team than the other two, but for a first-time national manager to realize the potential of his team and to use them the way he has needs to be commended.

Lineup @ Red Blackiland, @ Red Glorious Stadium, Red Blackiland: Thorben; Morningstar - Stef - Colbert - Ellen; Montague - Liam; Rien - Hellion - Antonio (C); Andisori.

The first of three crucial away matches to close out qualifying, Red Blackiland fans will be out in full swing. Jillian Nier held them at bay in the first leg, it will be Thorben's job this time as the two continue to play for the right to have the starting job in the World Cup Proper. Montague and company will hope to continue their amazing form. Expect a bit of resistance from the Blacklanders, and for a narrow win by one goal.

---

Disclaimer: I am writing this with Northern Sunrise Islands's blessing. All credits of the PokéCards and whatnot go to him.

The sun had finally set over the lair that Yeso and her Pokémon were about to invade. This Cult was a major threat, and she had to make sure of the reasons why they were bugging the likes of Chrom and herself. With the cover of the night, their old friend, both her Pokémon and herself would be able to perform much better than during the day. Just like old times... Yeso thought, before catching herself, No, not like last time. I have the Pokémon with me this time.

Yeso let out all of her Pokémon - Dusclops, Gliscor, Glaceon, Yveltal, Gothorita, and Electrode. They all knew what was about to happen, and were doing their best to remain quiet.

"I'll never be truly alone again. Not with you guys here... Thank you, she said, her voice breaking a little.

The Gothorita stepped up and brushed up against Yeso, giving her a hug...

It took Yeso about three months to figure out who had kidnapped her, chained her, and fed her her best friend, Maven.

They called themselves the Shadowed Ones, who believed that Vampires were gods, and that freeing one from one's slumber would grant them eternal glory and favor. They had viewed her as a god, and thought that the fact that she was trying to coexist was a form of slumber. That was why they had chained her and kidnapped her best friend to feed her in an attempt to make her forget about her goals and return her to the prominence of being a full-fledged Vampire.

Their existence caused so much anger in Yesopalitha. The blood they had fed her did sharpen her abilities even further, but she was now using those abilities to track them down. They had welcomed her (at least one of them) with opened arms, before being absolutely surprised by her response - a swift break of the man's neck that sent the clear message that she did not appreciate what they had done to her. After that, they'd tried to hide, but with a blood-infused Vampire chasing them, they had no chance.

It was time for vengeance. She had purposefully denied herself any blood for the past week. All it would take would be one slash, one drop, and she'd go into a blood rage. If that ended by all of the Shadowed Ones dying, that was good; if it ended up with her dead as well, that was fine, too. It was time for blood and carnage.

Taking a deep breath, Yeso stepped into the building that the Shadowed Ones were hiding in.

The door was locked, but she broke it open with one shove; inside, she was surprised by what awaited her: there were thirty or so people kneeling, their heads bowed.

"The Hallowed approaches," said one that had to be the leader, "We just sought to set you free and bask in your glory... We do not understand."

Yeso laughed, a harsh, merciless laugh. "You should've thought better of it before choosing my best friend," she said, "There is no forgiveness for that. Prepare to die."

"If our deaths atones for our sins, so be it," said the leader, "As log as it sets you free."

Yeso went up to the leader, flashed him a grin, and stated, "Let's put that theory to the test."

Taken by rage, she bit down on him. What followed was a blur of blood, screams, mayhem, and utter destruction. It was as if she was looking at herself from the third person perspective. She saw herself kill every single one of the thirty, mercilessly laughing. Blood flowed like wine, screams were a music to her ears. Interestingly, though, none of them seemed to resist - as terrified as they were, they didn't defend themselves. It was like sheep being slaughtered by a lion.

When the bloodrage subsided, and the blacking out that followed was also over, Yeso felt the high subside. Thirty corpses lay on the ground of what she could now see was a chapel.

Grief overtook her, and she lay sobbing on the ground for while, until she heard a strange noise...

"Gothita! Gothita!" it cried. She got up and started to look around for the cause of the noise. In one corner of the chapel was a strange creature that had been shackled. Surrounding it were dead bodies of many other creatures that had seemingly been sacrificed, their blood soaking the floor.

She still had enough of the bloodrage inside her to break the creature's chains with ease. The creature snuggled up to her, crying out. Yeso pet it awkwardly. "They got you too, huh? she said wearily.

And that was the day that Yeso got her first Pokémon, her Gothita.

Yeso ruffled her now Gothorita between the ears, and gave her Pokémon a nod. This was not their first raid. They all went off to their positions.

Yveltal was first. He knocked the roof off of the building of the Cult, causing pandemonium and mayhem. In the ensuing confusion, Gliscor knocked two cultists out, Glaceon froze a third solid, and Dusclops was giving another a piece of his mind. Gothorita had a few of the others entranced, while Electrode was chasing around a few more, leaving the leader, the one with the grey sash. The "battle", if you could call it that, had lasted maybe ten seconds.

"You!" he said, pointing at Yeso, "You must not interfere with our work! The Chosen One must rise!"

"Start making sense, or you and your friends get turned to dust, all right?" Yeso said, her tone even and measured, "What are you planning? Why did you try to kill Chrom? What do you have against Pokémon?

"Those that turn from the light into the dark must be purged! Those that serve the demons are servants of the dark, and must be purged! You will one day be purged by the Light of the Chosen One!" Grey sash yelled out loud. He started chanting some weird convoluted chant.

Yeso swiftly went up and punched him in the face, knocking him out. However, the damage had been done - a gong echoed throughout the lair, and the building started to collapse.

In an instant, the knocked-out form of grey sash and all of his friends that had been running around avoiding her Pokémon simply vanished.

"Uh... What? This is so not fair..." said Yeso. She waived to all of her Pokémon to get out of there, and started to rush off herself.

When she was able to catch a breath beside the ruins of the lair, she started to count her Pokémon. Yveltal looked fine besides a scratch or two. Gliscor was untouched. Electrode seemed a bit overcharged, but not worse for wear. Dusclops looked pleased. Gothorita wanted to snuggle, getting close to her. But...

Where the heck was Glaceon?

"Shit," Yeso said out loud.

A thorough search through the rubble revealed no hurt Glaceon.

"Holy shit, Yeso said again.

Then, she remembered that Glaceon was on top of one of the cultists that had just vanished...

And was now Zaiden-knows-where.

Where are you, buddy? I told him I'd keep you safe. I even made you into a Glaceon because he wanted it to be so. I'm not going to lose you now...

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Days To Remember - 11.04.1945: Dynamo's Cup and Revalov's Curse

It is a grey and rainy day in Sjoedrhavn, and the thermometre doesn't want to do its usual April climb, remaining stuck on -2°C for the 1945 cup final. In a packed Sjoedrhavn National Stadium, 96'000 have come together despite the weather. In those years, the dominator of the scene is CASK Thorsborg built by the first superstar coach of Savojar football, the iron Edvard Jacobsson. Jacobsson held a tough grip on his team, and his tactical genius as well as his training regiments were legendary. Decades later, defender Denis Ontarinen (played for CASK 1943-49) reported that after every loss, Jacobsson would make the team strip down to their shorts and have them run around CASK's training field bare-footed and topless, even in the coldest Savojar winters. Once after a 1-4 loss to Admiral, Ontarinen told, they had spent the entire night cleaning the Thorsborger barracks as a punishment for what Iron Edvard deemed to be unsufficient defensive engagement. But the team of CASK also featured some of the greatest players of the time, from goalkeeper Ingemar Lundqvist at the height of his career to Artyom Revalov, considered by many fans to be the greatest striker who ever played in Savojarna. Revalov was the first Russian player to ever play for CASK Thorsborg, and he won the topscorer trophy four times in a row (1943-1946). Until today, he is the only player that has managed this achievement in the history of Savojar football. In those days, the Army squad was the team to beat, and if anyone would be able to do it, it was probably Dynamo Sjoedrhavn.

The team was sponsered by the State Police, and they attempted to mimic CASK's youth program within their own rows. They succeeded in creating multiple stars, and in the 1940's, there was no way for players to leave their team without the team's consent. This was something Dynamo sometimes took advantage of, given the chronically lower pay they offered. One man, however, never even wanted to leave. To today, he is the biggest legend of Dynamo Sjoedrhavn: Johan Mikkelsen. A centre-back, he played for Dynamo from 1930 to 1947, and was widely considered the best defender of his times. In offense, Dynamo was relying on Axel Berger. The "gentleman" Berger was the idol of his era and entertained a fierce personal rivalry with his "antithesis" Revalov. Berger was a distinguished man from an educated background, a player who was known for his elegant movements and his speed, but also for his intellectual interests and for his personality. He always showed up to the match well-groomed and was known as "The Immaculate" and "The Professor". Revalov, on the other side, had been the embodiment of an army club. The Russian was a wild man who always sported a soldier's haircut and was described by the media as "a man who looks after games as if he had just left a trench". The rivality of these men was the flag under which the cup final of their two teams was set up. In the rain of this April day, Revalov and his CASK were favoured, as the deep soil of the pitch seemed to favour his hard, tenacious play over the elegant moves of Berger, a man that preferred the solid pitch of dry summer days. When the teams entered the field at 14:00, everyone expected a CASK victory as nothing seemed to be able to stop them at this point.

But the Dynamo side was more than willing to give them a fight, and a fight they got. Artyom Revalov thrived in this environment, though. And so, after ten minutes, the ball slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Karl Andersson and fell to the ground behind the Dynamo keeper. Out of a bunch of players, Revalov slid across the half-frozen, half-muddy pitch and pushed the ball over the line to a lead for CASK. The game continued similarly, with hard attacks on Berger and a strong Thorsborger side. Dynamo's posterboy showed his skills occasionally, dodging a tackle after roughly twenty minutes and trying to fool Lundqvist with a low shot to the left. Lundqvist, though, sensed the shot and was quick enough to save it, launching a quick counter himself at the end of which Gustav Persson scored the second goal of the match. Dynamo's comeback came late in the first half by a penalty shot by Mikkelsen, but had to concede another goal after the break when Revalov headed a corner into the goal. But then, Dynamo started to fight back against the hard game played by their opponents. After a hard tackle by Mikkelsen, they could start a counter that ended with a goal by Patrik Jarnberg and Bjarne Ottason equalised the game after 75 minutes with a long-distance shot to the top right corner. The match was now turning into an all-out battle, and players frequently fouled and checked each other out of balance. After an altercation between them, Dynamo's midfielder Linus Ternje and CASK's defender Ulf Laervik were ejected from the pitch. Laervik had started the issue with a brutal tackle, and after Ternje had gotten up from the ground, he pushed the offender over from behind, leading to multiple minutes of discussion, pushing and shoving. CASK seemed to deal the death blow to the opposition when Revalov had beaten Mikkelsen in their confrontation and shot the ball onto Andersson, who conceded a rebound that Jens Larsson used to score. However, in the final minutes of the game, there was another goal scored on the other side of the pitch. Berger, who had been almost invisible throughout the game thanks to CASK's hard defense, finally got a chance to show his skill off a free kick, and he directly scored it to make the game 4-4.

In overtime, both teams played a game to the bitter end. It was a high-risk match of both sides, and those 30 minutes in the cold, muddy and wet stadium were a time that went down in the collective memory of Savojarna's sports fans. Berger failed to beat Lundqvist twice, and Artyom Revalov had scored his third goal right before the break. After the short overtime break, Jukkanen managed a one-two with Berger to get past the defense and beat Lundqvist with a shot between the CASK keeper's legs, setting the score back to 5-5. But the one scene that everybody remembers occured in the 114th minute. Thomas Jonsson, a limited and until then rather unknown player, was the man committing it. Jonsson was a center-back next to Mikkelsen and known to Dynamo fans as a workhorse with incredible stamina and no fear, but not as a great footballer. Right before the end of the match, Mikkelsen had lost Revalov for a moment and the great star was almost through the defense - had it not been for Thomas Jonsson. The defender had tackled Revalov from the side, outside the striker's view, and hit him right against the ankle. CASK's biggest star of the time fell to the ground and remained there. Artyom Revalov, the Soldier of Russica, was carried off the pitch while Jonsson remained, having only been warned for the foul. The following free kick was not converted, and Dynamo could hold the draw with the biggest threat of the opposition removed. With the game ending 5-5, a rematch was scheduled a week later. In much better conditions, and without the biggest star of CASK, Axel Berger shone and scored a hattrick, making his team eventually win the match 5-2 and lifting the cup for the first time.

Artyom Revalov later became a Russican Monk. He had publicly cursed Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, claiming that the team would not win the cup while Thomas Jonsson would be alive. While the Russian could come back to the pitch and won the topscorer trophy again next year, the curse seemed to unfold and Dynamo stayed winless in the cup. The failings of Sjoedrhavn's side in that competition soon became legendary. In 1972, the team was playing CASK again and led 2-1 in the final minutes of the game. However, during injury time, Johan Rasmussen had scored on a counter attack to equalise the game, and during overtime, another goal by Rasmussen and one by Torgunyev made the final result 2-4 for CASK, leading to a revenge for the 1945 cup final. Two years later, it was again Rasmussen who had led his side to a 2-0 halftime lead against Lok Jarnstad. However, at half time, spectators reported to have seen a mysterious monk around the stadium, who is not to be seen on any recordings or pictures. Following the break, Magnus Fallson and Aku Velajärvi scored twice each to reverse the score to 2-4, and despite one more goal by Dynamo's libero Petter Ullman, there was no victory for the Sjoedrhavener. 1989, in another rainy and muddy game, under the eyes of Revalov, the squad played another cup final against Pawlograd with black arm bands to memorise the death of Thomas Jonsson four days before. The match went into overtime, and after the break, one player came out of the locker room without the black band. Said player was Pekka Rautanen, who was fouled in the penalty area during overtime and scored the following penalty. The 3-2 lead held, and 44 years after the Battle of Mud, the curse of Artyom Revalov had ended and Dynamo Sjoedrhavn lifted its second Cup.

[Vilita]

Well, congratulations everyone. You got what you wanted.

D00msday has arrived!

Maybe there is something to it, the whole idea that you can judge how the Vilitan National Team is going to do in World Cup Qualifying by their result against unranked or low-ranked opposition on the opening matchday.

When the Jungle Cats won their World Cup 77 Qualifying opener against lowly Collatis, Vilitan fans around the multiverse called, wrote and blibberblobbered about saying that the Jungle Cats were all but eliminated, and we may as well put our energy somewhere else.

I told you all you were crazy. I still think you are.

Buuuut, just mayyybe... there might be something to it.

The Jungle Cats failed to make their sacrifice to Margaret in the first half of World Cup Qualifying, breezing through the ranks with seven wins and two draws to take a 3 point lead with them at the top of the table and 7 points clear of third place Savalen who represented a missed opportunity to make the World Cup.

Things were looking more than fine - even with a couple of unfortunate draws.

Then, Margaret came a calling - looking for her sacrifice.

Since the Jungle Cats didn't honor their bonds. The Giant Lymantatian Bird kept caged. But only for so long.

Collatis roared back in the return fixture stealing two points from the Jungle Cats, much in the way fans had initially hoped they would do on the opening day.

To make matters worse, it appears that Margaret was angry with the Vilitan National Team for waiting 10 matchdays to make the sacrifice against Collatis, and stole two more points as the Jungle Cats hosted Kernovi.

So, yes Jungle Cat fans, you were right.

Vilita should have done what they had to do - and dropped points on the opening matchday like Margaret had wanted them to.

Now, you have a Vilita team who have fallen from the top spot in Group 12, dropping 6 points over their last three games, failing to beat in succession the third to last, second to last and last place teams in Group 12.

Certainly not the form of a team on their way to the World Cup finals.

Is there any mercy left in Margaret? Or have the Jungle Cats so far forsaken her that they may as well pack it in early and head for the beach?

[Flardania]

Opening Theme

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Bonjour et Ohayōgozaimasu Kirishima. Welcome back folks, once more to the World Cup 77 Qualifiers edition of the Kitsune Report, brought to you by the Nagatomo Sports Network (NSN), sponsored by Air Pacifica An experience that exceeds the skies of time, and Pocari Surge Feel the Surge. Here at the Kitsune Report, it's all about Kirishinan sports but right now, we focus on world cup football and the namesake of the report, the Kitsunes. With the second match in the second half of qualifiers completed, it's time to see how the Kitsunes did and get grooving once more to some world cup football!

Kirishima 3-1 Turkmenbasyn Review:

In the previous match, the Kitsunes took to the field at Mori Park in Hyuga in need of a win against Dainer. It was clutch time and considering how the first half of qualifiers went, the team was in dire search of momentum. A late goal by Yabuta in the 79' minute was what the team needed as they went on to win 1-0. In that win, it was clear that the Kitsunes fortune against Dainer in the first half was an outlier and that the team will need to work hard to redeem itself here in the second half. Seong Mi-Soo after the game had the right mentality when she told reporters that all that matters is winning, while things like low scoring affairs were irrelevant at this stage.

The Kitsunes returned to Mori Park looking to complete a double against Turkmenbasyn and build more momentum with a win especially since they will need it that momentum when they go on the road against Mriin. Mriin was the team that started the Kitsunes woes with a draw spree back during MD 3 in Heiwa. The Kitsunes looked to build upon their late game success against Dainer in the match prior to an aggressive start. Yabuta got past the opposition defense in the 56 and took a hard shot which was deflected by the opposition goalkeeper resulting in a corner. Ako Izumi seemingly took a long deep breath as she place the ball where she wanted it. The concentration paid off as a goal was scored in the 7' by........Nguyen! That's right in the span of three international games Claire Nguyen scored her second goal as a member of the national team, putting the Kitsunes up 1-0. Claire seemingly had a more prepared celebration this time around, performing a quick dance sequence from the world of Kiri-Pop music. Before laughing it off with Ayame Fujisaka and Joseph Yabuta

This seemed to relax the Kitsunes as they played less aggressive in order to avoid making mistakes but also actively seeking a goal to make room for mistakes. We all know that a one goal lead can change in an instant. The Kitsunes had shot attempts in the 16' 19' 22' and 39' but only the shot attempt in the 22nd minute was on target. However, the Kitsunes would find time for a second goal in the 44'. Yabuta seemingly jealous that he had not scored in a while beside the last match, sought to add to his tally. After a well-timed pass from Mizoguchi, Yabuta sped past the defense, catching them off guard and smashed a driven shot to the left as the keeper dove the wrong direction. Yabuta performed a baseball slide into the corner flag as his teammates piled on top with Mizoguchi being the first to reach him. The Kitsunes entered the half up 2-0.

Fun and games would be put on hold in the second half when the opposition scored in the 55' off of a corner and cutting the Kirishinan lead to one. The game went back and forth for a while with the two teams seemingly going on runs. The Opposition had shot attempts in the 48', 53', 68', and 73', with the latter two being saved by Hojo. The Kitsunes, on the other hand, had shot attempts in the 58',60',63' and 79'. The Kitsunes would sign and seal the deal in the 83' when Joseph Yabuta scored off of a cross from Matsuoka, putting the Kitsunes up 3-1. Yabuta kept the celebration simple as he ran towards his bench and embraced the reserve players and manager. After 3 added minutes the game came to a close with the final score Kirishima 3 and Turkmenbasyn 1. This meant the Kitsunes won both games at Mori Park, which is impressive as this cycle is the first time Hyuga held any World Cup qualifier matches.

Following the match, Seong Mi-Soo had this to say. "This was a feel good win. We needed to put things back together and it was fun to see the goal celebrations. We have many things expected of us and while our players need to be focused and serious. Scoring a goal is fun and celebrating is fun. I hope we can take the joy that we have in this victory and apply it to our next game. Our next game is where we really need to do that. We know what happened the last time we faced Mriin and what that draw did to us. We know it will be much harder this time around, we will be on the road that's one, they know they can hang with us and have the potential to beat us that's two, and third of all they have as much of a chance to qualify as we do at this point, so it will be a hard fought match for sure. "

Kirishima 3- 1 Turkmenbasyn 
C. Nguyen(7')     TBA(55')
J. Yabuta(44',83')

Mriin v Kirishima Preview:

The Kitsunes are off to a good start in the second half of qualifiers just by defeating the same opposition they defeated in the first half. However, with that said the real challenge starts now. The Kitsunes have repeated the same results as they did in the first half, now the question is can they change things this time around. The Kitsunes next opponent will be Mriin, the team that started the Kitsune draw spree in Heiwa. It will be harder this time around as the Kitsunes will be on the road at Haven Stadium in the Mriin capital city of Maal. The two teams are currently tied at 19 pts and are both in the hunt for second place, (Valanora has first locked down tight unofficially), this makes the match much more exciting given the new history between this teams and what lies at stake for the two sides. The Kitsunes will need to bring their A-game if they want to win on the road and be in the right state of mind when they face the Stags of Brigantii. Until next time Lets Go Kitsunes!

Post by: Keita Woo

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Mori Park
Hyūga|Kirishima

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Hyūga is the fifth largest city in the Taisuist Republic of Kirishima. It is located on the infamous Island of Yamatai which it's entirety also consist of Yamatai prefecture. Hyūga is the only city on the island and it is the only location in Yamatai recorded on maps. However, it is more bizarre than it appears. There are two things to know about Yamatai as a foreigner. First, off Yamatai has a healthy biodiversity of non-human species and second its status as the Nymphomaniac capital of the world if not the multiverse. It is the birthplace of Lake Shore Order (State Religion) extremists and its lush forest with hedonistic humans and demi-humans can drive even the most moral religious man crazy with lust should he be foolish and get lost in the forests without a guide.

In the center of the forest and island lies the city of Hyūga. A city that is much more normal in comparison to the rest of the island and whose population is self-controlled enough for foreigners to visit safely. In this city lies Mori Park, the home of Hyūga Valkyries FC and the site of the third straight home match for the Kitsunes, the second of a back to back in Hyūga. Seong Mi-Soo was looking at the clock anxiously as it read 82:20. Her squad was leading 2-0 before the halftime break but the opponents managed to score in the 55th. She noticed her team gain possession and she willed them on.

"Hora Hora, push the break!" She exclaimed as the team entered the attacking third of the pitch. She saw Ichikawa cross the ball and Yabuta jump for it.....GOAL! They did it 3-1 with little time on the clock. In her excitement and the roar of the crowd, she saw Yabuta make a beeline for her and the bench before he jumped into her arms.

"Baka! What do you think your doing!" Mi-Soo stated helplessly

"That goal was for you coach, can't have you having a heart attack out here!" Yabuta replied while grinning cheekily.

"Geez~ get back on the field I swear if they score again I'll be pissed." Mi-Soo replied with a smile before her team returned to the pitch. A few minutes later the final whistle blew before her team went out and bowed for the supporters before heading into the tunnel. The team was much more lively as it had been awhile since the team won two straight matches.

"Alright team, great job today! Especially you Claire, congrats on your second career international goal!" Mi-Soo exclaimed while Claire blushed with Ayame and Joseph heaping praise onto her.

Mi-Soo then leaned against a locker. "Now we know the next game will be a big one. Remember we won the first two games in the first half as well but only put up a draw last time against Mriin. It will be tough as we will be on the road in Maal. However, it's been awhile since I saw you all have fun. While your morale may be up, the fans need us to do well in our next match. They need a win so they can see things have changed. Let's go out and do that k?" Mi-soo asked.

"YES MAAM!" The team exclaimed in response.

"Great, you're dismissed. Don't have too much fun and don't go to the forest.....ugh fine don't go in the forest unless a Hyūga player is with you." Mi-soo stated. At seeing the pleased faces, she smiled shaking her head before leaving the room. She had a key match to prepare for.

[Anglatia]

TheInsiders.an
An inside view of sports in the Empire of Greater Anglatia

Imperial Football Roundup: Explorers stay alive heading into tricky MD12 clash
Article by James Inchausti

IAFF puts an end to leaks

Earlier in the qualifying cycle, many Imperial football storylines were found first by our site, through the anonymous player that worked with us to reveal the inner happenings of the team and the locker room. That player held a grudge against the Imperial Anglatian Football Federation and connected with us not just to seek revenge for bad experiences in the past, but to spark change. Much speculation about the state of the team came from these articles and interviews that were featured on our site, and many fans began to question the federation's practices in regards to certain areas like dealing with injuries. These articles and interviews also brought the fans a little bit closer to the players, revealing more about who they are when they aren't on camera. But because the articles sparked criticism, the IAFF found the sources of the leaks and put an end to it. This is the statement that was released by the IAFF prior to the last Imperial match:

"It has come to our attention that one player, Lillian 'Lily' Cress, and one staff member, Cedric Cress, are the source of the locker room leaks published to the website TheInsiders.an. These leaks detailed reviews of matches and observations about off the pitch matters, and put our team at a disadvantage by publicly revealing some of our tactics and game plans, as well as detailed information about certain players and about our staff members. In addition to these reports, a number of dossiers of players were also leaked, and this also places our team at a competitive disadvantage.

"We are extremely disappointed that Lillian and Cedric Cress would betray their country like this, and both of them have been removed from the team and suspended indefinitely. This suspension applies to all IAFF sanctioned competitions, meaning that Lillian Cress will be suspended from Ross United and Cedric Cress will be suspended from his duties as assistant manager for Hunsen Loggers FC. Our internal investigation reveals that Lillian Cress began releasing the leaks because of holding a grudge against our federation for the way that her bipolar disorder was treated, and she alleges that the federation forced her to play through it and didn't allow her to seek treatment for it. However, we deny these claims and a further investigation has began, to clarify all of the details of the situation.

"The reports have also brought to light the fact that Lillian Cress has played for the national team while not being eligible. Cress came to the Imperial city of Piranha as a child, likely as an illegal immigrant, from the land that is now known as the Republic of Vestania. At some point, Lillian became separated from her parents when she was very young, making it impossible to tell if she ever became an Imperial citizen. Poor record keeping in Piranha has made this impossible to judge, and while Lillian has lived most of her life with her adopted father, Cedric Cress, it is likely that she never became an Imperial citizen, making her ineligible to play for the national team. A further investigation into the status of Lillian's citizenship is pending."

Even at the risk of alienating ourselves from the IAFF, this site stands with Lily and Cedric Cress. We'll have more information on the situation and on the complaints that Lily holds against the IAFF in a future article, after things calm down and the immediate aftermath of the Cress family being banned from the sport in Anglatia dies down.

Is Nessa Chryst doomed to fail?

Everyone loves Nessa Chryst. The twenty one year old striker came onto the scene as a youngster and immediately endeared herself in the eyes of the fanbase when she scored a number of gritty goals that matched Anglatia's play style at the time very well. She became known as a deadly poacher that could score if she was given one inch too much to roam, and her instincts and her speed became legendary. Her support for the monarchist faction in the Second Torsjo War and her outspoken support for Nordskania also endeared her to the more conservative part of the fanbase, and it didn't take long for her to become the team's sweetheart. But she just can't stay healthy consistently.

She came back to the national team for this cycle and won back her spot up front based on strong training camp performances, but she would lose that spot to injury when she tore a muscle in her shoulder in the World Cup qualifying opener. In Anglatia's 1-1 draw with Tobiasia in the first match in the second half of qualifying, she assisted Marco Saint Paul for the only Explorers goal, but also picked up another injury near the end when she made another blazing fast run on goal before being upended by a defender and slamming into the goalpost. She received a concussion from the impact, and team doctors have released a statement saying that the injury is related to her left ankle.

Let's get to the cause of these injuries. Nessa runs harder than anyone that's ever played for this team, but that's also her weakness. Her frame is small and she's not strong enough to handle getting tackled while running at her top speeds, which regularly exceed twenty miles per hour. Her size and weight often results in her getting thrown through the air after being tackled, and she's gotten both concussions and injuries from these impacts. She also has a harder time slowing down than speeding up, which has caused her to have some very nasty impacts with other players in the open field. In the case of her most recent injury, however, she slammed into the goalpost instead of another player, because she couldn't slow down enough before being tackled.

The injuries have kept Nessa from being the star that she could have been with her club team, Flardanian club Tel'Ardre Phoenix. She's confirmed that she'll play through her ankle injury, but things are looking bad for her club because of that. After the tournament, she could go for an ankle surgery that would place her out for a certain amount of weeks while she rehabs. There's also rumors that other clubs could be looking to take a risk by buying her despite her injury history, which will significantly lower her value on the transfer market when the window opens. Chryst herself has said that she's even considered dropping down a level at times, to rehab and get used to playing full speed again. That's a far cry from making her return with the national team as their starting striker.

What do you think? Will Nessa Chryst ever develop into a true star striker? Or is she just too fast for her body? Let us know on social media.

Anglatia 1-0 Juvencus

The scoreline was ugly, but we don't need good looking results, we only need the points. In a hard fought battle that would make Wilson Tahiri proud, the Explorers proved to be the physically dominant team and walked away from the second leg of their series with a win. Yanick Martins went with the same lineup as the one in the opening match, with only one change. As usual, Costin Anghelescu filled in for the pregnant Blaze Chrzanowska, who has still been traveling with the team and is marked as an emergency reserve keeper in case the first two can't play for whatever reason. Darren Harbin also moved higher up the pitch, playing between Andros Diasakos and Marco Saint Paul while retaining the creative freedom of the libero role, and Allie Vacek played as an inside forward rather than a winger.

Now that we've got the formation out of the way, let's get to the match. The Explorers dominated possession in the first ten minutes, after playing many passes between their back four and the defensive midfield, and Marco Saint Paul had the most time on the ball out of anyone on the pitch. The Imperial playmaker often held the ball for others to set up around him, and his physicality made it very hard for the Juven players to wrestle the ball away from him. In addition to being big for a midfielder, Saint Paul has technical skills too. He often dodged tackles before firing quick passes into the space that was abandoned, and he'd prove to be an enigma all day for the visitors.

The first real chances, though, would fall to Juvencus. The run by Rodolfo Gallo in the middle of the pitch in the twenty first minute was spotted by midfielder Gian Landi. Landi booted it deep and tried to catch Anglatia playing too high, as others had done in the past, but this time around, Lukas Aukland proved his worth and was able to deflect the ball with his head and change the path of its flight. Hector Grier was then able to get in front of Gallo, forcing a curling shot that Anghelescu was able to deflect.

The second big chance for Juvencus would come two minutes later on a corner kick. Nino Russo would take the corner kick, and Cesare Ajello would slip out of a mark by Joao Francis Inciarte to get an open header on goal. Fortunately, Anghelescu moved quickly enough to get to the ball before it could cross the line, deflecting it upwards and allowing Hector Grier to head the rebound away, where Darren Harbin would then possess the ball and boot it down field. There were no more shots in the match until the thirty third minute, when Zahara Santana got loose on the wing and cut inside before having an off balance shot saved by Juvencus captain and starting goalkeeper Naldo Zappa.

The match would be cagey and defensive for the majority of the time. Both teams didn't want to risk going down from the counter attack, and so they both sat back and allowed their forwards to handle the attacking without doing much to get their midfields involved. Anglatia particularly played this way, but Juvencus did this to an extent also in response to playing against a higher ranked and more talented Imperial squad. The match winning goal, however, would come from a moment of brilliance in the seventy seventh minute from the ever controversial Allie Vacek. Allie has been more of a playmaker than a scorer on the wing this cycle, but this time, she had no intention of passing the ball.

The chance started in the midfield when Darren Harbin held the ball and booted it to the wing, and when Allie trapped it with her chest and then had a good first touch to get it under control, she went hard at Nicolo Bassi and knocked the ball outside with the outside of her right foot before using the inside of the same foot to knock the ball back inside, where she'd chase it down and exploit the gap between Bassi and fellow defender Valerio Scarpa. Scarpa tried to close down, but Allie cut to his outside and then lunged forward to pass him, before firing off a left footed shot towards the keeper's far post. That shot was from a horrible angle, but Allie's placement made it impossible to save.

The Explorers attack hadn't showed up, but that's no problem when there's players like Allie Vacek that can take something from nothing and who can create a goal for themselves with little support from the midfield. Allie would celebrate controversially, by running towards the press row on the sidelines and showing both middle fingers to the first Ross based reporter that she saw, a response to the way she's been hounded by the Ross media for her public conflict with former Ross United legend Dan Drysdale and his family. Vacek also pointed to the stand where Imperial hooligans from the Valerian based group known as the Desperados were standing. The media would go after Vacek even more after that, claiming that it was bad form to acknowledge the Desperados despite their reputation for bad behavior.

After Vacek's goal, the Explorers would close down and focus on defense, moving both wingers back to play as wide defensive midfielders for the final minutes of the match. Rodolfo Gallo would get off two shots, but neither of them would challenge Anghelescu, and the match would end by the scoreline of 1-0. Anglatia had won, even if it wasn't pretty, and they would get all three points because of it and they would remain two points out of the second qualifying spot. In the next match, they'll take on a familiar opponent in Savojarna... And hopefully, they can come out with a win this time.

[95X]

Ceased to Exist

95X views the land to the south and west of it—save for Starblaydia—politically unstable. Although Quebec has brought a sense of stability to Far Northern Calania, Nations have been far more likely to come and go. Despite a go-it-alone general political policy, several major 95X entities have enjoyed amicable international relations and trade with more recent neighbors.

When news that Semarland fell off the international nation register, it hit several 95X entities harder than others. The Capital of Culture Corporation changed production orders slightly to reflect possible decreased demand for their products. Financial institutions were quick to divest themselves of Semar assets before they were totally worthless.

The 95X National Volleyball League initially stated it wasn't sure if any Semars were on their rosters, but would make sure that any would be offered assistance in applying for 95X citizenship. 95X-based soccer clubs, themselves scrambling to form a new league under new guidance, similarly announced that the former Semars in their league would also be offered 95X citizenship (Despite the fact that Semarland had entered World Cup Qualifying). It would be up to international precedent and tournament governance as to when any 95X-naturalized former Semars could suit up for 95X.

But, the strangest response came from Air95, who sent a platoon of their military-like police force to Jansberg International Airport. They were under orders to assist with any other peaceful airport stabilization forces, but the fact that 95X interests were interested in an airport outside of 95X was puzzling.

[Eura]

Rolling clouds quite commonly dominate the mountains dominating the area where the Euran, Szavodan and Sameban borders meet, especially on the Euran side to the south. Tonight they were disturbed at least by the rumble of military aircraft below the level of the peaks they were approaching, to minimise their chance of ground radar detection for now. There were several Euran Air Force operations on at the same time. A couple of dozen SB-14 'Bombardier' strategic bombers were being escorted toward the Sameban border city of Capreso to drop heavy munitions on its fuel facility and railheads. To the centre of the country, GR12 'Prowler' ground attack jets were making runs up and down the front lines dropping anti-tank missiles, unguided bombs and napalm on a variety of targets among the four corps strong Sameban army of a million and a half men bearing south toward Oakstone. None of these missions, as crucial as they were, mattered for much if the one in these mountains failed. Tonight, Eura would be launching a double nuclear strike on Sameba. One attack would be an ambitious run along the coast by supersonic bombers carrying long range ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, against the large Pareda military base in the northeast of the country, before a hasty retreat to escape Sameban interceptors. This attack was already underway, and would serve as a diversion from the main strike. Reports had already surfaced that Sameban Air Force IN-41 interceptors were smashing the sound barrier in an attempt to take down the attacking Euran aircraft. Out here to the west, no such resistance had been met so far.

Sixteen Euran aircraft were all that was required to carry out the operation, masquerading on takeoff from a variety of bases as being on separate missions, before converging near the combat area. If anything having a smaller number of aircraft take part was an advantage, minimising the risk of detection and of the mission's importance being revealed. There was little to suggest any problems were to come apart from a couple of flights by Sameba's best frontline fighters, F-30's, popping up on radar way off to the north east. The key Euran aircraft were four SB-16 'Blackjack' supersonic bombers, sweep wing aircraft designed several decades ago to hurtle deep into Valladares and drop nukes before riding out the blasts. With the exception of a slight mishap a few years back they had never come very close to carrying out that mission. Instead they would be utilising similar tactics and training to hit the Sameban's. Somewhat ironically the target was also a nuclear facility largely based upon stolen designs from Valladares. Only three aircraft were armed with the nuclear warheads needed for the strike, with the fourth serving as an electronic warfare aircraft and decoy for any high speed SAM's, flying in front of the main group. One AEW-9 'Guardsman' was performing the duty of airborne early warning, command and control for the operation, while the other eleven aircraft were all AS-16 'Super Knight' jets, the top of the line Euran air superiority fighter which had ceased production at 575 airframes not so long ago. With the change in circumstances of Eura's national security, the reopening of production was now back on the cards. These jets would not be taking the headlines though. They were simply there to escort and protect if needed.

Once they reached a certain distance from the target the AEW-9 received word that the Pareda strike had been some sort of success. Other events elsewhere had also grabbed the attention of the Samebans. Now was the time to strike. The command aircraft broadcast a simple message to all participating aircraft, a momentary but necessary break in radio silence. 'Running Dog to all blue forces. Mission course set to Papa Uniform, set course accordingly. Approval to engage has been received from Nest. Running Dog disengaging in ten mikes.' As they approached the mountains, the AEW-9 broke away to climb eastwards. Now the fighters flew low over the mountains after a small climb, followed slowly by the three armed bombers. Meanwhile the 'runner' pulled up hard and hit the throttles, shooting into the sky and reaching Mach 2 and 50,000 feet very quickly before leveling off. Now things were getting really tense. In the lead attack aircraft, Oscar 1 for the purposes of this mission, the pilot and co-pilot were setting themselves up for the attack. Oscar 2 and 3 were doing the same but not quite readying the trigger so to speak as only one hit would be needed. They were getting closer and closer, the mountains not visible in the mist and clouds and darkness, but that wasn't a problem with the state of the art radar telling them how to avoid an accident.Then a problem struck. Oscar 1 slowed unexpectedly, peeling off and accelerating home, with one of the fighters breaking off to guide it back. A forced break in radio silence was due once again. 'Oscar 1, we've got a malfunction with our gadget. No way of fixing it. Oscar 2, you're now the mission plane, good hunting.' Although things had gone slightly wrong the plan accounted for this. Colonel Richard Granger, and his co-pilot Lieutenant Martin Parker, were now responsible for what was narrowly Eura's second combat use of nuclear weapons in history.

Radar contacts flashed up, and it was only a few moments later that the Super Knights were peeling away to drop flares and engage enemy aircraft. The lead fighter radioed back one message to the bombers to clarify what was going on. 'Six IN-41's, six F-30's. Eight escorts to engage, Romeo 4 and 7, remain with mission primaries.' Up above and ahead, the decoy aircraft was roaring through the sky at the edge of its operating envelope, dodging several long range SAM's being fired from deeper inside Sameba. They were now well inside the border, having passed the tallest mountains in Terranea. A flash of light seared through the clouds to Oscar 2's left. Granger turned slightly to Parker, while being careful not to lose concentration. 'What the hell was that?' Behind him, Parker glanced down at his display, which was the only thing giving him any idea what was going on or how to navigate to it. 'Romeo 2 is gone I think. But we seem to be driving them off. Are we pressing home?'
'Yeah, not far now. Go for arming.'
'Roger.' Parker carried out the final few procedures to arm the bomb, while two fighters and Oscar 3 hugged close to their aircraft. Now they were close enough to make the call. It was the point of no return. 'Oscar 2, we're making the run. Oscar 3 break off, Romeo 4 and 7, dump and go, copy.' There was no copy message back but their comrades did what they were told otherwise. Oscar 3 gained altitude, hit its burners and circled back around, giving it a safe distance but also the means to return for an attack run if Oscar 2 was shot down or failed another way. The two fighters descended and fired air-to-ground missiles at several short range SAM's and other targets before turning away, dumping all their flares as they went. Such a distraction was more than adequate.

Clouds gave way out of nowhere to a moonlit night view of the magnificent mountains. Oscar 2 had a prime seat. They climbed and increased the throttle substantially, getting a physical drop on their target before leveling out. 'Range?'
'11 kilometres.'
'You have the target tracked?'
'Working on it.' There was no going back now, it was do or die. Alarms started to sound as Sameban ground radar near the target tracked them. 'Three sites are on us. We need to do it now, come on Parker!'
'Got it! Firing solution is in. Give me the angle.' Although the warhead would be delivered by a guided missile at a fearsome speed, the 'Blackjack' had to be in a slightly nose down position facing the target to ensure maximum accuracy, and to give it the best chance of turning, running and riding the tailwind of the explosion without getting caught in it properly. Their nose lowered, and now the jet was facing a pitch black valley that could just about be seen between several mountains in the distance. 'Good. Good. There! Firing, Handle One!' A yellow and black missile, heavy and long, released itself from the aircraft before bursting ahead of it as its engine kicked in. Granger ropped some flares to confuse the enemy radar, before pushing out the jet's wings so it could turn more effectively. Both men felt the full effects of G-force as the aircraft was put through its paces, banking hard to the left at a steep dive before its wings eventually swept in and it gained speed. Then this experienced pilot hit the throttle and hit it hard. Pushed back against their own seats, the pilots prayed they had done their job right. After a twenty second wait that felt like an eternity, the night was lit up like a summers day. A snowy valley in Sameba had been vaporised and marked to everyone in a fifty mile radius by a looming mushroom cloud. Eura had hit back with nuclear arms, and in doing so had possibly denied Sameba the same capability for the foreseeable future.

[Super-Llamaland]

Super-Llamaland 5–0 Blouman Empire
Starting Lineup: Bernholm; Lindberg, Ynoa (Myers-Briggs 63), Reichart, Sorenson; Velasquez, Candelario, Adrian (Rodrigues 59), Vorobyov; Penbrooke, Trevelyan (Rasmussen 70)
Goals: Penbrooke 15, 37, 63; Vorobyov 26, Rasmussen 75

An excellent start to the qualifiers; the Tigers started a full-strength lineup at The C and dominated from start to finish. Ansel Penbrooke was particularly impressive, essentially ending the game after forty minutes with his brace, while Sophia Trevelyan was solid at his side before yielding for Felix Rasmussen. A performance against a decent side that gave the Llamaneans confidence they’d sorely need going into Pasarga’s home stadium.

Pasarga 3–1 Super-Llamaland
Starting Lineup: Bernholm; Lindberg, Ynoa, Reichart, Rodrigues; Velasquez, Candelario, Vesely (Sorenson 45), Chamberlain (Vorobyov 53); Penbrooke, Trevelyan (Korborg 65)
Goals: Penbrooke 62

Despite this, though, they were still destroyed away at Pasarga, with Ingþór Auðbjörnsson wreaking havoc on Super-Llamaland’s defense the entire night. The 22-year-old Zozi striker scored a brace in the first half, as the Llamanean back four simply had no answer to Auðbjörnsson’s attacking prowess. Already down two-nil, Jurgen Reichart attempted to switch to a 3-5-2 formation by bringing in right-back Sorenson for Nemanja Vesely, and the switch seemed to temporarily work. Not only were the back three more able to focus on defending, but Sorenson proved to be a spark plug at wing-back. Twenty minutes later, Ansel Penbrooke had scored, and the Llamaneans looked to be back in the match...until Pasarga added a third goal almost immediately and proceeded to shut down the Tigers’ attack for the night.

Super-Llamaland 3–3 Nova Anglicana
Starting Lineup: Bernholm; Lindberg, Ynoa, Reichart, Rodrigues (Sorenson 45); Velasquez, Candelario (Adrian 45), Santana, Vorobyov; Penbrooke (Rasmussen 65), Trevelyan
Goals: Penbrooke 18, Trevelyan 56, Velasquez 88

Although the team had lost to Pasarga, Nova Anglicana at home was still a chance to assert the team’s hold on second place and automatic qualification. Indeed, when Penbrooke scored his fifth goal in three matches, the Llamaneans were looking poised to go back to the World Cup. Of course, it didn’t last long - by the end of the first half, they found themselves down three-one. Reichart reacted quickly, throwing on Michael Sorenson and Reid Adrian at the half, and the Tigers managed to grab a goal back. Still, with just a few minutes left to play, the Llamaneans still found themselves down three-two...until Eva Velasquez sent a 26-yard free kick over the wall and into the net, rescuing a point for the Tigers.

Super-Llamaland 3–0 Augustinicia
Starting Lineup: Sheffield; Strausberg, Myers-Briggs, Kane (Ren 45), Van Dijk; Velasquez, Vesely, Karjalainen, Vincent (Möller 73); Mandelbrot (Petrarch 59), Korborg
Goals: Vincent 9, Korborg 25, Mandelbrot 45+2

With the harder matches of the first half out of the way, the Llamaneans finally found an opportunity to rotate. Indeed, the starting lineup against Augustinicia featured a grand total of...one starter, Eva Velasquez. Still, the match proved fairly uneventful, especially in comparison to the heart-stopping draw against Nova Anglicana. The Tigers were patient and methodical, scoring three of their six shots in the first half, but Immanuel Petrarch and Elias Möller both energized the team and lowered the attack’s effectiveness in the second.

Banija 1–1 Super-Llamaland
Starting Lineup: Sheffield; Lindberg (Strausberg 65), Ren, Reichart, Sorenson; Fournier, Karjalainen (Adrian 45), Candelario, Vorobyov; Penbrooke, Rasmussen (Trevelyan 48)
Goals: Strausberg 72

Despite some mild rotation, the Tigers seemed fairly confident in their ability to defeat Banija...for the first forty-eight seconds of the game, at least. After that, Banija dispossessed Miro Vorobyov, surged down the left wing, and scored at the minute-thirty mark, putting them up one-nil. While Reichart frantically spurred his troops forwards, the opposing manager simply parked the bus and waited to outlast the Llamaneans. The introductions of Reid Adrian and Sophia Trevelyan weren’t exactly effective, either, and with twenty minutes to play, the Llamaneans found themselves staring a 2-1-2 start in the eyes.

Enter Kris Strausberg. The one-armed left-”back” proved a godsend in breaking down the team’s defense, and just seven minutes after entering for Adrian Lindberg, he managed to punch through the right side of Banija’s defense, cut inside, and slice a long-distance shot off the post and in the net to equalize, once again saving a point. Still, neither team could find a second (although one searched much harder than the other) and the Llamaneans were once again forced to settle for a single point. After five matches, they were 2-2-1 - not terrible, but they’d need to do better.

Super-Llamaland 2–0 Royalsoldiers
[i]Starting Lineup: Bernholm; Myers-Briggs, Wagner (Ynoa 17), Rodrigues; Velasquez, Vesely, Candelario, Adrian, Chamberlain (Vorobyov 45); Korborg, Rasmussen (Trevelyan 72)
Goals: Rasmussen 48, Vesely 75

Home against poorly-known Royalsoldiers would be a great place to start, even after Ephraim Wagner was taken off with a minor injury. Yet, despite thirteen shots in the first half, the Llamaneans simply couldn’t break their opponents down, to Jurgen Reichart’s and the home fans’ absolute disgust. Something needed to change, and the introduction of Miro Vorobyov proved to be enough to spark the team’s offense. Felix Rasmussen’s goal in the early second half changed the dynamic of the game and forced Royalsoldiers to unpark the bus, which only made things worse. However, despite the team’s dominance, they simply couldn’t find the net, Korborg particularly wasteful on the night - and it took until the seventy-fifth minute for Vesely to put away their opponents for good.

The Isles of Avon 2–6 Super-Llamaland
Starting Lineup: McGuire; Strausberg, Kane, Ren, Sorenson; Möller (Fournier 45), Vesely (Candelario 61), Santana, Vincent; Penbrooke, Trevelyan (Korborg 70)
Goals: Penbrooke 5, 12, 27; Trevelyan 48, Strausberg 55, Fournier 59

In contrast, Llamanean finishing against the Isles of Avon was superb. Ansel Penbrooke added his sixth, seventh, and eighth goals in just five matches before the half-hour mark, putting away the game. Still, major mistakes from Caroline McGuire and Immanuel Kane saw Avon claw their way back into the match, and the score was 2-3 at halftime.

Still, with the attacking threat the Tigers had shown in the first half, it was only a matter of time before they pulled ahead again, and three goals in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half buried their hosts for good.

Super-Llamaland 2–0 Kaumann
Starting Lineup: N. Lindberg; Gunning, Rodrigues, Ren, Sorenson (Van Dijk 45); Velasquez, Vesely, Karjalainen (Candelario 75), Adrian; Petrarch (Korborg 70), Fournier
Goals: Petrarch 3, Van Dijk 65

Another match, another massive rotation for Jurgen Reichart, although Eva Velasquez’s presence at left-wing again seemed to indicate that the Quebecois manager doesn’t quite trust anyone else there yet. The Tigers had no problem beating Kaumann, and Jonathan Van Dijk was magnificent in his first match for the senior team, scoring and easily becoming the team’s best defender on the night.

Nassau-Hessen 0–2 Super-Llamaland
[i]Starting Lineup: Sheffield; Strausberg (Myers-Briggs 70), Lindberg, Van Dijk, Sorenson; Velasquez, Candelario (Adrian 45), Karjalainen, Chamberlain; Penbrooke (Korborg 65), Trevelyan
Goals: Trevelyan 25, 72

Ansel Penbrooke made his sixth start of the qualifiers (scoring eight in the first five), but the star of the match against Nassau-Hessen was undoubtedly Sophia Trevelyan. The attacking linchpin of the Tigers, Trevelyan was nothing short of dominant, scoring twice and nearly assisting two more. Jonathan Van Dijk was another bright spot, continuing his excellent form in the qualifiers and making the case for his inclusion in a potential World Cup squad, while Markus Sheffield continued to cement his position as second-choice keeper with another clean sheet. A straightforward win with no hiccups and a number of good signs.

[Turori]

Status Quo Maintained Atop Group 6

National Stadium, Great Caledonia and North Hibernia :: After their disappointing 2-goal defeat to Brenecia on Matchday 10, the Turori National Team got back on track on Matchday 11 on the road at Great Caledonia and North Hibernia, coming away with all three points in a 2-0 victory.

It was yet another shutout for the Eels strong defensive corps, conceding just 7 goals in the 11 games thus far - the best such record in Group 6. It was an important match for Turori to bounce back and re-gain momentum following the Brenecia defeat that knocked them off the top of the table. Now trailing Eastfield Lodge, the away day against Group 6's second-worst team proved just what the doctor ordered, goals on either side of the half time interval secured the victory and set the Turori National Team up with a little bit of momentum heading into crucial top of the table fixtures in the coming matchdays that will likely decide whether the Turori Eels will get a chance to make amends for a poor showing in World Cup 76, or, if the Eels will instead be waiting for Cup of Harmony selection day to see if they will have a chance to add more second-rate silverware to the coffers at the National Training Center in Eelandii.

Despite the three points gained on Matchday 11, the Turori National Team failed to gain any ground on their rivals in the Group 6 Qualification race. Leaders Eastfield Lodge narrowly escaped with a 2-1 victory over Tobiasa, but the standings don't particularly care how close the match is so long as the result is definitive - as it was for Eastfield Lodge who retain their post at the top of Group 6 - now holding 26 points. With their 2-0 victory at Great Calendonia and North Hibernia, the Turori National Team are just one point behind Eastfield Lodge in second place on 25 points.

There would be no breathing room for Turori, however. Brenecia - responsible for Turori's disappointing Matchday 10 defeat, were victorious once again by defeating Mattijana at home in a slim 1-0 result - quite honestly the rest of Group 6 was rooting for Mattijana to steal two points away from the Highest Ranked nation in Group 6 who are within striking distance two points off the top and one point behind the Turori National Team who currently hold the final projected World Cup 77 advancement slot. Finally, Anglatia also kept pace - and also did so in narrow fashion with a 1-0 home victory over Juvencus.

All told, while the Turori National Team didn't gain any ground on the leaders, nor put any additional buffer on their chasing rivals, there is at least one thing the Eels can take from their Matchday 11 performance: Convincingness. The Eels were the only of the four Qualification Chasers at the top of Group 6 who entered stoppage time on Matchday 11 knowing they had three points in the bag. With a two goal lead, the Eels were celebrating as the final whistle approached and looking ahead to their next match. The rest of Group 6's leaders all had to defend and withstand late assaults from their opponent to protect slim leads and protect their points - a much more stressful and exhausting scenario that Eels fans can only hope will lead to more mistakes as the campaign goes on from the three other Group 6 challengers.

[San Jose Guayabal]

The WC carnival is coming soon!

Matchday Twelve Cutoff

[Natanians and Nosts]

Mourn?

Ion Corneliu Mihailescu


About the columnist
Ion Corneliu Mihailescu was born and raised in N-City
and is "since a child,a great supporter of S.C. N-City,
but says it does not interfere at his commentaria.
He is formed in jounalism,has worked as baker,
TV football commenter and referee,a period
which he calls a "dark moment in my good life".
Five years ago started his magazine column.
He is married and has two children.

What's going on with our national team,you might be wondering.I don't know if you thinks like me,but it's getting better.Look at our WC 73 campaign,we got seven points at twelve games,but at this WC Qualifiers with just eleven games we've got already nine points,two more,and there are still seven unplayed games left!You must be wondering,after two nil-nil's,what can we expect of our team.I know that Mr. Ion can do a great job with those boys,we've seen they playing before,the style may have changed a few,but they are almost exactly the same players,save for one or two that were not called this time.
Our team is strong,we have a solid deffence,an working midfield,a reasonable attack and three great goalkeepers.Maybe,you are now sitting at a chair or an armchair,reading this magazine,or the online form,at the work during lunch or at home after breakfast,and questioning about certain players don't being called or complaining about specific ones being at the bench,but I may say,it's irrelevant.It is completelly irrelevant!How do I know?Well,I am right if none of the players that you have concerns over our team are from your personnal club,if you don't cheer for any of the clubs they are,so well,thou canst call me wrong!The point is that our team is young and is still learning,sure our league is not the greatest,but our players are still great,just because the vast majority of them(i.e. ALL but one,literally) does not play internationally,that does not make,automatically,our team bad,or our league weak,the attendance levels were somewhat raising after the announcement of another WC Qualifier campaign.It's great to see how football cheers people up and brings some kind on attention,while still being a part of our culture!
The point is:don't mourn,even if it is easier and you may do it all the time,we still ahve plenty of time in the future to develop and grow and see how glorious our team can be.So do not forget seeing and supporting our team!Don't le a defeat or a draw,even if you like goals and it's a nil-nil,upset you,because that is just a thing,just a small part of the whole,the beautiful and glorious whole that's still being constructed and consolidated.

---

AT THE NATANIANS AND NOSTS' NEWSCAST

"Natanians and Nosts draw again!The game against Anthor starte really bad,at the 7th minute Jason Rigsby scored for Anthor at a fault wich resulted in a yellow card for Mihai Júlio da Silva.After that our team appeared to 'wake-up' and had good opportunities with Natan Nínnio Gonçalo and Gabriel Ápio Silva.The second time started with a goal by Lucas Lucius Vit,but he was in offside position.By the 25th minute João Foster deffended a penalty,and just at the fourty-fifth minute of the second period,Natan Nínnio Gonçalo scored after sealing the ball from Frank Cartwright."

[Qasden]

21:30•Sunday•Cosneolta—

The president of QAFA and Rees watched the grounds beneath them with an almost embarrassing feeling.

We drew against Cosneolta.
It appears so.
And no one scored.
Jack squat.
You two really are a treat.

The duo were startled by the voice. They turned back from their seats to see a tall and lean brunette in a casual lavender dress and a black fedora. She didn't look a day over 24.

Rosie Fraiser, native of Destiny and statistics detective since the binding with AO.
Um....hi.
How'd the guards let you up here?

She let out a small chuckle and spoke seductively.

Oh, those boys. Don't worry, they're on break.

The president seemed a bit worried after that sentence, while the minister became angered.

Ms.Fraiser.
Yes, your heinous?
Tell me this. Why are you in the presidential club level and not in jail after you trespassed and knocked out the guards?
Because I was sent here on the request of Sols.

The governmental duo were shocked.

Sols sent you up here?!
Well, yeah. It's a sorta favor I owed him for, and he needed to fly back to Qasden early, so he left me the message to deliver.

Rosie pulls out a small folded piece of paper from underneath her hat and hands it over to the PM. Häther opens it and reads it aloud.

Dear Mr. President and Mr. Häther, I apologize for not being able to tell you this myself. I have some important business to take care of in Qad City before our matchup with Semarland. Anyways, Tumbra lost big time to Valladares while Amnarei-asud and Devonta took the W in their games. As the Semars are still technically disqualified, we are technically now in a position where we could potentially qualify. If their disqualification is overruled, we'd still be third overall, a tremendous record for this team. Otherwise, start the plan for defense. Cheers, Sols.
So, we're in some way second now?
I believe so.
Correct, sugar dolls. We just need a win over Semarland tomorrow and we'd be setting ourselves up for greatness!
Looks like Merritt's doing his job well.

Rees gave a deathly glare back to the president, who quickly shut his mouth.

There's still plenty more matchups to go, president. Now is not the time to celebrate.

He turns back over to face Fraiser and hands her back the note.

Thank you for the message, Ms. Fraiser. Now, off you go.

Rees proceeded to gently shove her towards the door. She halted about midway.

Alright alright I get the hint, minister.

Rosie walks over to the doorway and looks back.

Y'all have a good night.
Goodbye!

Häther closes the door as she makes her way down the hallway.

Do you think Jon could pull this off? 2 cycles in, could be really qualify for 77?
He just needs to make sure there's no more screw-ups. I don't want to see another loss against Faustii ever again.
Well, apart from Semarland and Valladares, we really just need to focus on beating Amnarei-asud and Tumbra.
And Devonta apparently. Sols said that they're still in the game following a win from tonight.
Looks like a fun schedule ahead, huh?
Yes...indeed.

[Qasden]

Qasden
Athletic News

---

Historia: WC76 Group 5 and where they are now

---

Since our inauguartaion into the World Cup cycle, one could only help but ask about the originals from our outdated debut. From the era of the 76th World Cup Qualifiers.

Yes, we know we should be talking about Cosneolta right now, but in summary, no one scored. Nada. Zilch. Anyways, as many may remember, the World Cup 76 campaign in Electrum and Ceni was a very fast paced one, eventually ending with the Unified Sunrise Islands topping Audioslavia to gain back-to-back titles. As for the then-newbies Qasden, it was one heck of a trip following the fourth place finish in BoF63 that ended with a crash.

Unlike our current qualifying format, the 76 qualifiers were split into 20 groups of 7, with the winner automatically qualifying and the runner-up going into a sorta playoffs-method. Of course, Qasden didn't get that fun part of the experience. Instead, we were met by the increasingly-frightening strength of a few select squads. Finishing fifth in group 5, we were lucky enough to be invited to the 68th Cup of Harmony in Schottia and RK Quebec. In today's special report, we'd like to take a look back at our group-mates from the debuting season and see where they may be to this day.

New Gazi played a historic role in Qad Futbol as they became Qasden's first opponent in the World Cup qualifiers ever. Surprisingly, the Vans pulled off the upset in the opener against the Cannoneers, a nice first taste of victory. The second leg didn't quite favor us as much, as New Gazi claimed their revenge with swift ease over the Blue-Reds. They finished fourth in the group, just above us thanks to that one match.

In the 77 qualifiers, New Gazi were placed into group 8, which included powerhouses such as Ethane and Electrum. Currently, as of the twelfth match day, the Cannoneers stand on the borderline of being eliminated at sixth place of ten, staying just afloat of Korizland, whom can no longer win the group. Things are looking grim for the team, but there's probably some form of hope for them somewhere!

Jumping a bit out of order here, we soon met Schottia, one of the main three powerhouses of the group, alongside Turori and Eshan. Unlike the others Schottia's team was brute. They took care of Qasden both times with no precision needed in Handon and Qad City. They were cheesed off from advancing when Eshan came in and finished second in the group, just ahead of a well deserving team. Luckily for them, a Cup of Harmony in their own nation awaited them eagerly.

Since the painful dropout of the race, Schottia has built a rather large base. Finishing near the top of the Cup of Harmony they hosted (losing just to Bonesea at the end), they soon won the inaugural IAC Tournament and now play as a kingpin in group 13. Alongside Ceni, their power over the lower-levels has allowed them to knockout half of the table from contention with 6 more days still to come. Good thing we faced them then and not now.

Next we have Mazurska, an ambitious little fellow who debuted alongside us, just with no BoF appearance. While we met each other with impenetrable force, the beach soccer lovers could not handle the group and choked out much earlier than we had.

Unfortunately, the Mazurskans did not enter World Cup 77, but there is much interest and hope that one day they will return to the game.

And then there was Turori, the absolute dominator of the group's lower-lads. The Vilita emirate met us with much tauntery by decking themselves in cat outfits, which is now apparently an insult thanks to them. Anyways, the Eels easily zapped our team twice in the qualifiers and took the top of the table, qualifying directly into a World Cup that obliterated them.

After the, um, encounter, the team went on to perform strongly with their Vilitan ally in AOCAF52, and soon returned to the World Cup scene to face group 6. While they are in a heated battle against Anglatia, Brenecia and Eastfield Lodge for the two cakes, the Eels currently sit at a fourth place raised high above its opponents behind them.

Next was Dumnoniia, if that's spelled correctly. Anyways, like Qasden, Dumnoniia debuted at the 63rd Baptism of Fire in Rotschwarzland and Kirishima. Unlike Qasden, however, they were not nearly as successful. During their meet ups, the Blue-Reds were able to steal some much needed points away from the fellow debutants to stay afloat.

Sadly, Dumnoniia also could not rejoin us for World Cup 77, but we do wish to see them again some time.

Last, but certainly not least, leaves Eshan. For the most part, the Echani team never really got on our nerves. It was the other teams' buttons they were pushing. Having led the group for the longest period of time before being overthrown by Turori, the handymen drew once with Qasden and sold them out the door the second time. They soon lost in the playoffs, but still made it to the party later on.

Today, they compete against Nephara and Abanhfleft in group 14, where they currently stand at 3rd. While at one point they seemed in good shape, the fleftics pulled out ahead with an 8-point lead over Eshan. It'd be mighty unfortunate to see them come that close again to qualifying.

There you have it, the six opponents of WC76 Group 5 and where they are now. Next time, we'll be reporting the match between the power-surging Qasden Vans and the trouble-bearing Semarlanders. Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for our next broadcast, straight from the livery of Qad City, Qasden!

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

OOC : Done with Schottia's permission. For those who wonder, I will be doing snippets of Quebecois players' lives, from time to time. These chapters might not be linked to each other, so please understand that if you do get confused!

The Lion-Mare : Leonardo Conavacio

MidNight

San-Renee was one of the last remaining neighbourhoods reflecting its communist times of 1930s. The peninsular residential neighbourhood, located right on the northern shore of the Lake Metropolitan, was well known as the site of amusement parks and a seaside resort. The attractions, once part of what's touted the "Esportivan Playground", were slowly coming back in resurgence of popularity after seeing decline for many decades - and this was pretty much reflected in the retro architecture that still remained or were rebuilt in last decade or so.

And stood at the very backwood of it was 574 Cordero. The place that Leonardo Conavacio calls home, it was a small, 1930s art deco building, which had seen many ownership changes over 9 decades it stood under. When the house was built, this house was originally the home of a member of the Guayabalense politburo, the central party committee back when San Jose Guayabal was under communist rule, but since the death of Kudayev has changed its hands many times. For a couple of decades it was a phalanstère for Guayabalense artists who worked under the state, then was used as a gallery for couple of years.

While the Guayabalenses were lot simpler folks back in the day and would not have felt so easily to bring it back to its grandeur upon purchase, the Alianza FC superstar seemed to delight in its heritage. So, it was no surprise that after lots of effort, Conavacio took residence and reverted to its beginnings. After years of renovation, it now looked more fitting to the original intention Ruslan Arkadeyevich Kudayev, a famous art collector and art deco enthusiast, once had with the house. The old tiles and ceramic vases, once casted out of fashion, were bought by Leonardo and made their return. The bright-coloured frames and ceilings, long covered by paint stains and painted over, looked brighter than ever.

This was no different with the lives of the primary tenants of this house. As Leonardo and Claire recovered themselves from the art of lovemaking, they could only imagine the wonders their lives have brought over. With both coming from lower-class backgrounds, ten thousand miles apart, they grew up knowing that while they were talented in many ways, they had one way to break out into the world- and that was football. No doubt to them that they were still in disbelief over some of the wealth and I guess, reader, the fame (or in Leonardo's case, infamy) as they became known in their own fields. No doubt that this house, in its art deco decorations glorifying the old days of communism as per the revolutionaries of old, was helping them to cope with the new world they were becoming the part of.

Now, naked and together in their bed, they were slowly returning to their normal selves; We may be older, but richer in taste and age like wine, Leonardo thought as he slowly drew circles around Claire's stomach where Matteo, their unborn son, was sleeping. For sure, it wasn't explosive like that of Xavier Hertel and a Jeruselemite princess 11 years younger than him, but their marriage was something that was stable and constant- largely in part of their relationship having two peoples with similar field of occupation and involving those of similar age. It was something that he knew Xavier, his longtime friend, was very jealous of.

Then like usual, Claire and Leonardo, under the sheets, started chatting again. They varied in topic and level of seriousness, from their disappointment with a new brand of Trojana contraceptive product they put on an hour ago, to that of what baby food to buy for Enrico ahead of tomorrow afternoon's Alianza FC academy class. Both were important matters they had to clear: former involved with the satisfaction of their sex lives, while the latter involved the health of their son. No surprise they took them seriously.

But they were not of particularly serious nature (which wasn't surprising given their relaxed personalities), but the topic change to the vandalism of Hansons' garden pretty much did them that, as Leonardo had to ask that question.

"I don't know, Leo," Claire responded, as she was asked from her husband about who might have been responsible for it. While hiding a brief smile that accidentally came out when she was trying to hide the lie. At this point Claire knew whom the culprit was, but was not particularly willing to tell him whom he was. Obviously, given Leonardo's opinions about Gary Corsie, it was a well-made decision; Leonardo was an unforgiving man with intolerable stance towards a liar, to the extent where Claire's still impressed that Leo did not authorise Alianza fans to kill Corsie on-sight.

"Interesting. I think I know who's responsible for it," Leonardo said with clear smirk on his face. It was that Conavacian one where you, after spending some time with Leonardo, would be able to figure out what he's intending to say about.

"Who would it be then?" Claire asked in half-curiosity, half-frustration. A woman with more boldness in her speech than her husband did with his, she was easy to get frustrated with that, something that did not change after a half-decade being together. "It could not have been somebody distant, and definitely not a nobody."

"Well, you just proved my point and it's simple," Leonardo responded with clear frank. By this point, Claire got a lot better sense of whom he was assuming. It was about this that "If anything goes wrong, blame Corsie."

In most times he would have gotten away with it, but given that they both were still in relative highs of emotional tides after an exhausting physical activity they were so used to doing, the 32-year old Schottian wasn't satisfied with that answer at all. "Leo!" Claire responded with sudden disappointment, though she was somewhat laughing inside. "Why the fuck would Corsie destroy my parents' garden? I know he is crazy, but...come on!"

Leonardo sighed before going into his storytelling mode. "I don't know...it's like that time when Corinne trashed our St.John's apartment when she was super-high two weeks ago," He sighed, as he looked at the painting he's had since childhood. It was of his native St.John's, where he lived first 16 years of his life before continuing a long journey to football greatness. There were certain flairs in which the young Leonardo once had that Corinne showed, most notably the insanity and tendency to get cards. And not to mention his love of drugs. "I don't think of either of us were surprised that night (note: time difference between San Salvador and St.John's is half-a-day) because....yeah, some people are way too obvious with deeds."

"I don't know," Claire rolled her eyes, before looking at the window. For once, it was a very quiet night in San Salvador and she liked that. For once, the pregnant woman could go to bed fairly early in this Esportivan city, not something that happened often because of all the jetlag that came with her flying all around the world. "Let's....not think about that for a while."

"Good idea love," Leonardo nodded, as he gave her a kiss on her forehead. It was always a joy, pleasure, delirium, or whatever word you put to kiss her. No matter what time, space or body part, he always loved this activity of physical interaction between the two. And for a guy with many problems like Leonardo, his love has stayed very consistent, something that surprised even the closest of his family members. He then slowly took a step back, before cluelessly asking her a question. "Now, what should we eat now? It's midnight."