World Cup 93 - RP Thread

by **Juvencus** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:36 am

DELIRIUM STRIKES THE ENTIRE NATION AS GLI ATTACCANTI TOP GROUP WITH 2 MATCHDAYS TO SPARE

Pictured above: The Juven players celebrating a hard-fought victory over Oflia

La squadra had reached the top of the group 1 scoreboard by matchday 16, tying with Sonnel brethren across the channel and rivals Drawkland, only being ahead on goals difference. That difference was so tight, Madeiros did not risk it. For matchday 17, the Corps and Nyowani Kitara delivered a 9-goal derby with the latter emerging victorious. On the other hand, gli attaccanti finally got its pass to extend its lead on top of the group. An away bout against deadbeat St Saratoga and a comfortable 1-5 victory followed, Campana scored 4 out of the 5 goals of the team. A 3-point lead from Drawkland and a 4-point lead from Nyowani Kitara was still fragile. While Kitara got a comfortable victory over Srubnaya culture, Drawkland was stopped on its tracks by the Licentian Isles in a 2 all draw. Gli attaccanti barely scraped through Lozho, even with home advantadge, but 3 points were 3 points. With a 4-point lead from Nyowani Kitara and 5 from Drawkland, the dream of topping the group and thus securing direct qualification was a reality.

Much media attention was shining onto Madeiros, his plans for the games against Oflia and Macbon. Both games looked easy on paper but with everything on the line as it was, the pressure was on for the players, the manager and the fans themselves. An entire nation was relying on the consistency of the players on the matches ahead. A 15-game unbeaten streak, topping the group, direct world cup qualification from the top of the group for the first time ever(and 3rd qualification total), all of them were on the line.

Entering the game with Oflia, gli attaccanti did play more cautiously than usual, focusing on its possessive game rather than its really aggressive play. Something that was unheard of during this cycle, considering la squadra is one of the best attacks in the entire multiverse at its current state. Oflia took advantadge of the pressure bestowed on the shoulders of the Juven and managed to crack the ice. That would however also serve to be its downfall. The world minnows let the lead get onto their heads and it is true that their supporters gave them their utmost support, which after the game many Juven fans applauded. The engines of the team popped off and a flurry of opportunities followed, the ball would just not go in, however. That was until the 80th minute, a carefully-placed cross by Tatiana Vicario found the head of Urruchi with the Gehrenna FC forward nailing it to the back of the net for the equaliser. With hope on the team's side and Oflia parking the bus, it all looked bleak. That was until a certain Edu Coste cut inside and with a curvy shot found the top right side of the net, rendering the Oflian goalkeeper useless and sending the Juven team on cloud 9. With the news that Drawkland had tied against Brookstation and Nyowani Kitara not learning its lesson from Drawkland's slip up and also tying with the Licentian Isles, the advantadge had increased to 6 points and the dream was becoming more realistic.

Pressure would seem to be heavier against Macbon at Stadio Electrico. Even with the 6-point pillow, this was far from over. In interviews prior to the game, Madeiros showed an air of confidence not seen as much even by the players who showed their utmost faith on him. Madeiros chose to play safe and play with a stronger lineup than he had setup against Oflia. This worked wonders as a 2-0 advantadge would be built by half-time, thanks to Martell and Campana scoring 1 each. The second half of the game would begin with a slip up as an unnamed Macbon forward would net one to reduce the lead that la squadra had built to one goal. The game froze for a moment, but then Martell would take the game in his own hands. Firstly, with a long range screamer to make it 3 before completing the hattrick following a Pereyra through-ball and subsequent chip over the Macbon keeper. This sent the entire stadium in delirium, many of them checking the concurrent games of Drawkland and Nyowani Kitara but mostly the latter. While Drawkland won its game against St Saratoga comfortably this did not matter as Nyowani Kitara would end up drawing against Brookstation in a 4-4 scoreline. This meant that no matter what the outcomes of the following games will be, gli attaccanti is top of the group and has clinched a berth at the World Cup for the first time in 11 years. The entire nation was sent in a delirium with people celebrating on the streets, at their homes and even thanking the team and Madeiros for their efforts and qualification.

With the games against Ethane and Srubnaya culture ahead, the team will be looking to end the qualifiers with a bang and with the comfort of knowing that the team will be on the world cup no matter what. It was about time and it was much deserved, looking forward is the only way now on the team's road to establishing itself as a multiversal top side.

by **HUElavia** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:46 am

Melbergia 0–1 HUElavia
(Rossi-Rigoni 31')

HUElavia 3–2 Xanneria
(Amezcua 10' 39', Aveiro 66' (P) | Burns 25', Hailey 70')
Estadio Banco de HUElavia, Fuenteque

Southern Palm Islands 2–3 HUElavia
(REDACTED 19', REDACTED 73' | Brousseau 10', Takeda 22' (P), Xuan 82')

HUElavia 1–0 Ancherion
(Rossi-Rigoni 88')
Estadio do Bosque, Ilmagre

Date with Destiny

HUElavia enters their fated matches against Milchama and Gortolekua with momentum looking to pull a miracle in keeping their World Cup alive

Back when the World Cup Qualifiers groups and schedule was released, one of the matches scheduled was Matchday 21, where HUElavia hosted Milchama in what was likely to be an elimination game for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos. Surely enough, this is the exact way this has played out. Over 10 matchdays ago, it seemed improbable that HUElavia would come into this match with aspirations to make the World Cup, but in the HUElavian way, they've made a blistering comeback to come to today.

Now, one of HUElavia's finest football venues is left to be played in these qualifiers, being Estadio Internacional in San Rafael, the Aestellian culture capital of HUElavia. The venue will be sold out for this match, where of course many of Milchama will be able to get into the match, per HUElavia's 15% venue allocation to the visitors. Per leaked images, yellow flags will be waved by the fans as the teams come in, along with a tifo set up in one of the endzones. It is expected to be a very loud and rabid attendance tonight, where Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos are looking to win and sweep Milchama in order to keep their aspirations alive.

The team will need help though, needing the tough task of Savigliane and Xanneria to drop points in order to keep a good pace. After that, on Matchday 22, HUElavia has to beat Gortolekua and have Milchama, Xanneria and Savigliane drop points again, which would be a tough ask. Although, this scenario can only float around if HUElavia does beat Milchama. A draw or loss against them would eliminate Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos from the World Cup Qualifiers in 4th Place.

While things still look slim, there is plenty of motivation in the team, where they have continued to study film and do training drills diligently. Stranger things have happened before and there is always a chance as long as the games continue to go on. From the looks of it, regardless of what happens, Coach Aveiro is expected to continue as the manager for the National Team. Here's to hoping something good comes out of these matches and we keep our World Cup aspirations alive.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:02 am

From the diary of Marek Lemish

Could we have overestimated ourselves and given the Estorian people promises that we couldn’t back up with our performances? My heart wants to say no but my brain is already convinced that the answer to that question is yes. We took the rest of the teams in our group by surprise the first time that we played them, but that also gave them the time and the footage to study and review how we played, and in the months in between our first games against our fellow qualifiers and their return legs, only the very worst teams with the most useless coaches would not have taken the time to form plans of action against us before that fateful second meeting, and none of the teams we’ve faced so far have any such deficiencies. Especially not Pasarga. To think that we might not even be in the position of fighting for that final qualifier slot in Group 10 if we hadn’t beaten them before. But they didn’t become the 20th best team in the multiverse for no reason, and we just found that out for ourselves in perhaps the most painful way possible.

I don’t know what it is about this recent string of games but it seems like more and more people are forgetting to bring their shooting boots with them whenever we play because I’ve never seen us miss more chances than in that game against Pasarga. Not to say that we absolutely dominated them because it was the other way around, but it was precisely for that reason why I knew that chances were going to be at a premium and we had to take them whenever they came to us. But it just wouldn’t happen for anyone, not even Fabian Prasutagusic himself. And if it couldn’t happen for him, what chance did the rest of us have? At the end of the game, it ended up being between me and young Petru Udeanu to get the equalizer and give us a slightly better chance of making it into the playoffs despite dropping points against Pasarga, but again, it just wouldn’t happen for either one of us.

I mean, despite the loss, we still look like we have a chance to make it to the World Cup itself, but I think some things will have to go our way in order for that to happen. Firstly, we would have to win our final two games, and Pasarga will probably have to lose both of their games. That would be the best case scenario for the Federal Republic. However, my small brain cannot even begin to comprehend all of the other scenarios involving one draw and one win and whatever, which is why all I’m going to do is hope and fight for two wins out of two, and six points out of six, because then at least I will be able to hold my head up high and say that I did all that I could do to help bring our country to the World Cup. If it doesn’t happen then… hello, Cup of Harmony, I guess.

  ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 4 - 0 LASHNAKIA  
  PRASUTAGUSIC (12', 47')
      LEMISH (65', 90+3')

       PASARGA 1 - 0 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA         
  MAGANA (40')

by **Cassadaigua** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:39 am

Team Cassadaigua: World Cup 43- World Cup 93

Part VIII: World Cup 64: The Comeback Tour, and Meghan Kinson
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Before we start with this eighth installment of looking back at the fifty editions of the World Cup since we began participating, I want to say that we are well aware here at the Concord Heights Times of the big games that are coming up for the Fillies to close out World Cup 93 qualifying. We have extensive coverage of the previous games as well as the upcoming games available in print as well as both on our website and the official Concord Heights Times App from all members of our sports department. We encourage you to check all of that out!

In the grand scheme of things, Cassadaigua was not gone for a long time. The nation participated in World Cup 62, even though the players that were actually on the team were never revealed to the public. The 63rd World Cup would come and go without anyone representing our nation, and no one really knew what to expect going forward. There is not a lot of coverage from our nation to try and determine what really went on during this period, just a lot of speculation and a massive amount of finger pointing. Looking back at coverage from World Cup 64, you don't see a lot of asking "what happened", it was all about "moving forward". The team was managed by Brittany Lawton, in her first such competition in that role, as the entire team from #61 and whoever they were in #62 were gutted. It's hard to get opinions on this matter from those who are still alive that were on this team, because you do not really know who to believe. That's not to say that anyone is lying, but 58 years after the fact, people seem to remember different things about this team. Forward Brittany Bouchard, who is now 85-years of age, told me, "CASE simply decided it needed to start from scratch. There was zero intention to cause ill will with anyone that had played previously, but it was time for a new look to our teams. As a nation, we had fallen from power by not qualifying for 62. You're talking about a different time than it is right now. In the current era, I don't think there is any shame in failing to qualify for a World Cup if you lose in the playoff, or if you just miss by a couple points. There were a lot of great nations back then, but right now you have twice as many. You might have a similar amount of signups, but the amount that take this thing seriously with powerful programs has increased. Therefore, back then, failing to qualify for the World Cup was a greater failure. I think CASE made the right decision." However, Kellie Flinton, who I talked to in the last edition would not share that sentiment, "We were simply not given a chance. I was young when I played in 61 and I did not even get a chance to play in 62. CASE then doesn't sign up for 63, and I don't even get invited to the comeback intersquads. None of us from 61 did. That's not just wanting to do something different, that's an example of having ulterior motives within their organization."

There is no clear answer, one way or the other from those who lived through this period. What we did see for World Cup 64 was very interesting however, with CASE clearly desiring to put the past behind them and think about the future. To decide on the eventual World Cup 64 team, the organization invited 100 domestic players, none of whom played at the international previously and they would be mixed and matched over a series of games. It would not simply be intersquad games, but rather against other international teams. An invitation was put out to the world to send either their international team, or another group of players to Cassadaigua for what would essentially be a friendly for them, and for us, a chance to see which players were rising up to challenge and the most worthy of representing the Matriarchy. The response was fantastic, with teams from Darmen, Michael VII, Eura, The Royal Kingdom of Quebec, Farfadillis, Boring Paradise, Equestrian States, The Archregimancy, Schmeigelland, The Babbage Islands, Estope, Lymantatia, Slembana, Sargossa, Filopines, Free South Califas, Perinpanland, Andossa se Mitrin Vega, Subramani, Shadowbourne, and High Heels participating with a match. New Sideburn, now more commonly known as Nephara, sent their club side from Parrhesia United. Additionally, those fine folks associated with the nation of Yesopalitha provided two games, both away contests for us, first versus their U-21 team. They would be the final games of the Comeback Tour.

Brittany Bouchard, who played in those games and was ultimately named to the World Cup 64 team told me about that period, first beginning when she saw the list of nations that were willing to help us along. "First, being named as one of those hundred people were special. I was hoping for it, and felt that I would be but nothing would be taken for granted, so naturally when I got the call, I was elated. The talk around the group of us was that we hoped to have some good opposition, but no one expected the list of names that we got. It was simply, stunning." It is true that CASE did not expect to draw the amount of interest that it would get, and expanded the initial intended schedule of the Tour not just once. Not just twice, but three separate times to accommodate that level of interest. Perhaps then, they could have expanded the list of players that had a chance to make the team and given someone like Kellie Flinton, who played in World Cup 61, and was still at a good age to play in 64, an opportunity, at minimum. My conversations, as you have read at this point, with Flinton, continually mention the lack of that opportunity as the point of their aggravation, some which still is present today, even nearly six decades after the fact.

For Brittany Bouchard, however, there was nothing but enormous opportunity to make her presence known. "You had to be a little selfish at that point. That didn't mean on the field, you were not a complete team player, but there was a bit of mentality there that was needed to show that you were better that most of the people that were playing your position. We all had this amazing chance, against some of the greatest nations in the world, to showcase our talent and it didn't matter that they were not the complete national team of that country. They still represented that land. It was special, one of the greatest experiences that I have ever had."

Bouchard would make the team and get her chance to play in World Cup 64. One of the more unexpected additions to that team was a defender known as Meghan Kinson. The 25-year old played for Brattleboro Westside, and was seen as one of the outsiders at her position. She was a graduate of Grande Mountain University, and seemed to have a very good work ethic. Everything came crashing down for her, during qualifying when the first facts of a chilling incident at the University came to light in a manifesto written by a man named Daniel Huxley. I could sit here and right thousands of words right now detailing everything that happened here and the tragedy involving Seth Johnson. Chances are, if you are reading this far, you may just want to get on with reading other World Cup press releases pretty soon, so I will spare you the detailed summary. You can read Huxley's manifesto here if you are interested. It is an account written at the time by our own writer, the late Rachel Dixon. In Cassadaigua, anyway, mostly everyone knows what happened because it is seen as the breakthrough civil rights incidents within the country that helped highlight the plight of men at the time, and all the discrimination and inequities that were still present of that time. Again, there is so much that went on here, so many after effects, twists and turns, that happened in the months and even years following the incident, but we can be glad that in the long run, justice was served and Kinson was sentenced to death for not only what happened at the university, but two counts of murder.

I had to ask Bouchard what it was like playing for the team once the allegations came out, and of course, what Meghan was like before and after the allegations. Here is what she said, "At the start of it, she was just one of my teammates that I did not know all that much, and I was becoming acquainted with. We were about the same age, and at first I thought she was a great person. She really seemed to be committed to being a great professional athlete, and when it came to playing soccer, there was nothing unusual about her." But things changed when the allegations came out, "The rest of us, when we heard about the manifesto were thinking that she was just being falsely accused. It wasn't as much because we didn't believe it, but that Huxley guy seemed a little out there, and it had been about six years, if I recall, since the incident. So, surely, we would have heard something about it and Meghan would not have come as far as she had in her career. Meghan got weird after that, immediately didn't talk to many of us, including myself, and I think some of us started to wonder at that point." As for the after effects, and what she knows now, "Turns out Meghan was just good at covering things up, but eventually it all caught up to her. I am grateful for that. I think we all are. You look back at how this has become that breakthrough civil right incident for men's rights, and having been a part of it to an extent, it's something I think about a lot. Thankfully, we are a much better country now. Seth Johnson is truly a martyr. I never got to know the man, but his influence will live forever."

Truer words have never been spoken. As for the team in World Cup 64, they were not expected to qualify and wouldn't. They did manage to go 10-4-4, and missed getting into the playoff by a couple points. Let's hope we're not about to have the same fate in World Cup 93. Two very big games coming up!

by **Yakk** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:18 am

The Beauty of Football in Yakk, and the world
excerpt from yaktel.yak

YAK EMPIRE - As we wind down the Qualifiers and Yak Empire's national finishes up with Quebec and Ochre Islands left on the docket, it's time to look over the Yak Empire league and some of the news that has gone on in the league. One of the most interesting news to come from the Empires league is the sudden influx of Farfadillias players in the leagues. Many Farves have been drawn to nearbye Yak due to a fairly easy immigration process and the league being fairly young and starved for foreign talent. Farves can seemingly come out of the woodwork when it comes to footballing, one of those out of no where talents is Xavi Galacia. Galacia is a youthful 24 year old winger who made it to the B team initially but after three games and 2 goals and 4 assist, he was immediately brought into the fold for the primary team. There he garnered a brace for the Naasras team on debut albeit against Miners FC. Speaking about Miners FC they themselves brought in a Farve immigrant in Offensive Midfielder Gabiarno Gabiar. While Miners FC is one of the more notoriously mediocre teams in recent memory, with low points last year of 4-2-20. But Gbiarno seems to have helped stablized the ship a bit. When he left Farfadillias he came to Pit 38 (yes thats the actual name of the location Miners FC plays at, it's a mining town afterall) he had originally came to get a job as a doctor for the mining company and of course to escape the war. But as a football hobbyist from Farfadallias, he immediately was sent to the Miners FC team for a tryout. He succeeded and made it to the A team immediately. He's been a bright spot int he dust and wind that constantly befalls Pit 38. These are just two examples of players who came into the Yak Empire's league and made it, there are more stories just like this waiting to happen.

YAKK EMPIRE - 1
Ninjao 90+3
HARRY ISLANDS - 1
Adams 64'

YAKK EMPIRE - 0
NONE
GEEKTOPIA - 1
Zalie 'amquk 84'

by **Atheara** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:04 am

Still Off The Bay of Atheara
OOC Warning: Rather shitty ending, but it works still. It's almost 01:00 AM as of me writing this OOC note so, sorry.

As the thunders roared and the winds blew, the waves of the sea rocking whatever was on the surface of it, two figures stared down between eachother. The first figure who had the advantage in all of this was Havija Voulleire Drijanova, the Vessel of Water. Stading on a pillar of water, a massive beast created from condensed water thanks to her powers stood at her service. Tentacles of different sizes flailing around wildly, while the head of this "sea beast" afloats behind the pillar she stood on, it's eyes glowing brightly. This thing would be classified as a King Class Energy Beast, considering it was under the control of a vessel and it had the advantage of being in a habitat that gives them strengths. The other figure that was staring at the formerly mentioned one was Cecilia Scharlund, the Vessel of Wind. Ten wind spikes or to be more specific, lances, floats behind her ready to be fired at her will as she flies in the air, eyes stared at Havija. This fight would be like no other for the Scharlund, considering she was alone and had to fight someone far stronger than her. But not only that, she also had to keep an eye on a fellow vessel who was passed out on a raft she was keeping control of with her powers.

Cecilia fired all of her lances in the blink of an eye. Five were aimed at one tentacle each, and the rest were aimed at Havija herself. The lances aimed at the lower half of the tentacles all hit their marks and exploded with sheer force, causing the tentacles to fall apart. While the lances fired at Havija were all swatted away as the Vessel of Water fired a massive barrage of water that was aimed at the Vessel of Wind. Cecilia dodged to the side, but a tentacle was aimed to slam down at her. She quickly got out of the way by teleporting with a gust of wind. But as she readied herself, a massive surge of water tried striking her from below. Making a flip right as the barrage would hit her, she sees another tentacle aimed at her and quickly teleports again out of the way. It was a surprise and the Scharlund barely got out of the strike. She formed three lances and fired them at three different tentacles, and they were also destroyed. But then, more of them emerged from the depths of the water seemingly good as new. Cecilia grunted, as now she realizes that the Vessel of Water can just create the massive tentacles again. Destroying them would do nothing. Scharlund formed a sphere of wind and decided to spring into action, making the first move this time around.

Cecilia quickly decided to rush through the air towards Havija. The tentacles and bursts of water tried to stop her, but she got past. The Vessel of Water then fired bullets of water, but Cecilia throws the wind sphere and causes an explosion of wind to dissipate the water bullets. Forming a lance, she strikes Havija. But then, Cecilia sees that a massive water of extremely dense water was blocking her lance. Seeing a strike of water coming from the sky dropping down on her?! Cecilia teleports out of the way while leaving the lance to explode with wind. It did nothing.

"Damnit, this is absolutely ridiculous! You summon a massive beast of water, have it follow whatever you order it to do, have the home advantage by us fighting at sea, and a whole lot of other factors that are favoured to you. What is this bullshit I even ask at times... It's just rather unfair."

"Hmph, life is often unfair Scharlund. Plus, you often hold the advantage previously. Why are you complaining about it now? Are you unable to win when you're at a disadvantage? If so, then just admit that you're a coward. Running away when things get hard and only face what you're ready to face with."

"If that's what you really believe about the House of Scharlund, then prove those words to it's heir, right here!"

The moment Cecilia shouted that, a barrage of water was shot from the sky down upon her, She dodged to the side, but Havija then had two tentacles try to clap her from two different sides. Reacting quickly, Cecilia dodged down in order to avoid being splattered into two, but a barrage of water from the surface of the ocean was driving itself upwards and it was infront of her. Scharlund proceeded to take a good load of the brunt before teleporting down to the surface of the sea, forming eight wind lances on the ready.

Havija had a face of distaste, whether it was because of the fact that Cecilia was still trying to fight her or was it because she didn't like that Cecilia would try to prove something that the Vessel of Water believes she cannot... Who knows why. Havija proceeded to have the tentacles try and catch or crush Cecilia, while sending down barrages of bullets formed of water along with barrages of them at multiple positions, but Cecilia continued to persist while slowly firing all of her lances one by one at Havija. All of them had little effect, with gushes of wind hitting her at best while causing no harm. As Cecilia fired her last lance made from wind, something had caught her legs and almost caused her to fall. As the Scharlund looked at it, it was a rope of water that tied around her leg. Shocked to her horror and to the slight smile on Havija's face, the Vessel of Water sends an extremely strong blast of water at Cecilia who couldn't dodge due to being held at one place by something that is active and in control. The blast of water hit her hard, which was extremely painful for her especially considering it was condensed water. What happened after that was only more pain.

The blast of water sent the Scharlund skidding across the water, as then Havija sends a pillar of water to blow Cecilia into mid air. The Scharlund who was in pain couldn't react to it at all as the blast of water had overpowered the natural shield of wind that often surrounded her. Havija proceeded to do the unthinkable, sending a rampage of bullets from the clouds above down onto Cecilia, who could only scream in pain as the torrent of bullets made from condensed water continuously hits her, with nothing to try and block them with. As the torrent of water bullets slowly come to a halt while the pillar still keeps Cecilia mid-air, the Vessel of Water proceeds to summon a massive tentacle of water as it proceeded to slam down on the other vessel. Cecilia, who couldn't really react to it had the brunt of the force hit her completely as the pillar of water holding her up also sank. After that massive smash and the waves caused by it, you could see Cecilia floating on where the massive tentacle had landed the blow. The waves were rather calm despite the dark and gloomy weather. The Vessel of Wind was seemingly lifeless on the ocean surface.

Havija had a small smile on her face, albeit a rather solemn one. Commanding one of the smaller tentacles, it and along a few other summoned ones proceeded to grab Cecilia by her body and bring it right in front of her. While this was happening, someone on a certain raft had woken up. But that was beside the point right now. After some time, the tentacles eventually lifted Cecilia's seemingly lifeless body right in front of her. The dark blue haired woman inspected the white haired woman's face, touching it, her eyes rather dull. Perhaps Cecilia was actually dead now.

"See, what did I tell you, Scharlund? You were never able to win in the first place, why did you try?"

There was no reaction from Cecilia, perhaps Havija was doing this as a mockery?

"Hmph. What a shame really. Well, it seems I'll be killing you off now."

As Havija said that, she pointed one of her fingers towards the sky and proceeded to summons what seems to be a massive blade made out of water, aimed right down at the center of her front view. The tentacles drag Cecilia right into the middle of her point of view, ready to finish her off. While Cecilia may seem dead, Havija was taught to take no risks and decided that perhaps a final, evaporizing blow would do the job. As she was about to drop the massive water blade though, surges of lightning travelled through the water, causing Havija to panic and evade while cancelling what she was about to do.

Not only that, the surge of lightning caused the King Class Energy Beast to flail around in massive pain as it retracted some of it's tentacles to... Not exactly sure as to why it did that. But what someone now knows is that essentially, perhaps if it's forced to, the seabeast will just retreat while going against it's master's orders. And the person who committed such an act was none other than Hanna Ocherbeth, who woke up on the raft as she saw Cecilia having lost the fight. She was refreshed as she already battled Havija first, meaning she knows her capabilities more. The Vessel of Water looks at Hanna in surprise. One new thing to note about the Vessel of Lightning is now rather than one blade, she has two. One for each hand and they are mounted to her arms, rather than having to use a sheath. Before Havija could do anything, Hanna charged forward to strike several of the tentacles which made the sea beast coil in pain. It was rather exhausting since she just woke up, but the former ISLORA Officer just couldn't bear Cecilia possibly dying for some reason. After that, Ocherbeth proceeded to also strike the tentacles holding Cecilia while trying her best to avoid the array of water bullets and barrages that the Vessel of Water was firing at her. Hanna proceeded to catch Cecilia mid air and landed on the ocean surface.

After checking for vital signs, apparently while that massive slam by the summoned water tentacle hurts like absolute hell, it seems Cecilia was... Only rendered passed out, which was a shock since most people would likely die from such an attack. Though to be fair, they were vessels so... It was only expected. Now, how in the world was Hanna going to get Cecilia back into consciousness again? Well, Ocherbeth proceeded to slap Scharlund several times left and right while putting her on the surface of the sea so she can do it easier, and after a bit Cecilia stirs awake. Once she was awake and back into the realm of the conscious, she realized Hanna was on top of her before the two proceeded to get up and prepare themselves for another round against Havija, this time fighting together. Hanna then proceeds to tell Cecilia about her fight against Havija before the Vessel of Wind had arrived in order to back her up. Essentially, Hanna spilled that perhaps one single attack that was large enough to overpower Havija could be enough to knock the Vessel of Water unconscious. But they'll have to plan that out in a bit as Havija starts attacking them again.

Whether it was bullets and barrages of water, pillars of water that would blast upwards from the surface as if they were geysers, the massive tentacles of condensed water swinging at them, both Cecilia and Hanna fought with eachother in sync. Havija was becoming more and more annoyed as the fight dragged on and decides to try and separate the two with another torrent of water bullets, but this allowed the two other vessels to regroup and formulate a plan. For Cecilia and Hanna, they aren't sure if it will work, but hopefully it will. Once they were done with formulating the plan, Cecilia floats into the air while Hanna runs around, circling Havija as she leaves a trail of lightning. The King Class Energy Beast that was rather injured had recovered, so Havija wasn't sure what these two were doing but she knew what would be coming. The wond starts to pick up, the storm is becoming rowdier. Soon the wind circling the Vessel of Water and the sea beast becomes... What seems to be a hurricane! It completely traps the sea beast and Havija inside. She was ready for whatever attack was incoming, but maybe she didn't expect this. Bolts of lightning could be seen following the strong winds as thunder starts to form... It seems the two vessels wanted to strike from above. Combining their powers, along with keeping Havija and the sea beast in place, a strong bolt of thunder accompanied by the strongest gales of wind striked down upon what was inside the hurricane.

Massive winds and high pitched lightning, accompanied by flowing visions of electricity came as it could be seen from the coast.

And after that massive spectacle, nothing could be really seen. Something massive had just happened, a fight between three people with the powers of what seems to be the gods toying with the elements. But only the three people who fought would know... And perhaps those who saw what happened from the shoreline, but hey. A bit of time had passed after what seems to be the greatest visual miracle in Athearan history, so how were the three doing now? Well, first of all. Havija Voulleire Drijanova was now completely passed out in the exact same raft that another person was passed out in. Perhaps because the amount of force that struck her from that world ending final blow that the other two people cooked up. The one who got the raft to Havija's location was Cecilia Scharlund whom despite having to force through her own injuries was barely fine but still could stand, albeit on one knee. The remaining person was Hanna Ocherbeth, who was near the raft and was blown out of steam, as she was the spearhead for the final strike. Her wounds from the first fight had healed, but now she has new wounds thanks to the second attack. Cecilia saw Hanna burnt out, and the Vessel of Lightning had a small smile. Perhaps it was from the one glimpse of fighting together, but she had a smile on her face.

Cecilia promptly also had a smile on her face and approached Hanna, laying her on the side of the raft (For those who were curious as to how they floated on water, they all have some sort of capability to float). Now, the Scharlund was crouching on the surface of the sea, next to the person she loves inside her heart. Hanna looks at Cecilia's face and touched the side of her cheek. Cecilia swept aside Hanna's hand gently, but the Ocherbeth insisted still. Not sure why she is doing so, Cecilia just lets her do it. But then it finally happened, Cecilia didn't even see it coming. Hanna pulled her down and proceeded to kiss her, surprising Cecilia as it came out of nowhere. The Scharlund only kissed back before the two separated.

"Y-you.... Y-you idiot! What did y-you think you w-were doing for t-the past while, huh?!"

"Sorry Cecilia. I just d-didn't know how to approach you after all those years... I remember it now, everything about you. About us. I'm sorry for making you worry, I only put up the stupid facade because I w-was worried about having to see you hurt after so long... Because of, well, you know."

"...Why?!"

Hanna, in absolute surprise, proceeded to get slapped by Cecilia. But before she could do anything, the Vessel of Wind proceeded to hug her rather tightly. The Scharlund had tears completely rolling like rolling dust off the side of a cliff, speaking about the pain and struggles she faced against herself after Hanna had went missing. The aching feeling in the heart was now no longer, but Cecilia's past scars are already embedded within her soul. Hanna just hugs back, knowing that it's the best course of action. It's not going to be easy towards returning to their friendship before she went missing... But she's sure they can return. They returned to being accomplices, and then to being "friends" again. Surely returning to the past level of their relationship is also possible.

by **Drawkland** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 2:22 pm

E T E R N I T Y . . .

The moment the fight was called, Ellzidan released her grip on Septimus and took a step back. She raised her dragon head, chin held high, regarding the cheering arena with what was probably a smirk of satisfaction. As the moment passed, she slowly and gracefully shifted and shrunk back to her elven form in the center of the arena. She looked over at Septimus, crumpled on the ground, and dipped her head in respect before she returned to the stage above the dugout.

"Congratulations to our champion, the fiery and powerful Ellzidan!" Iarocav announced, holding a medal in his hands. With little fanfare, Ellzidan came forward to accept the medal. She went down into the dugout to grab her effects and probably head back to her quarters to clean up. Nobody saw this, but before Ellzidan left the dugout, she snuck one more glance towards Septimus. He was being tended to by the medical crew, which included Nicholas Kingston. He would be in good hands, probably. The Elf left without another word.

Meanwhile, the Elite Eleven were trying to get past the security barrier into the arena so they could get a closer look at Septimus. Security was blocking their path, but Iarocav saw what was going on and waved the security away. The Elite quickly rushed in, trying to respect the space of the medics while also getting the best view possible.

"Hey guys, come on." Nicholas noticed their arrival and shook his head. "We got this covered, he's gonna be fine. Probably just out for awhile."

"Are you going to take him to the medical tent? How long will he be there?" Jaxon Madison asked. Nicholas leaned over and murmured to one of the healers.

"We'll take him to the tent to make sure he's stable, and then we'll see if we can move him to his room up in the rafters later." Nicholas was about to escort the Elite back off the arena ground when one of the medics tapped on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"What's going on now?" Trevor Garnet demanded, arms crossed.

"They say they're going to keep him knocked out for a little bit," Nicholas explained. "It'll allow the regeneration factor to work quicker, and we won't have to worry about him waking up in the middle of the night or something weird. He'll probably come to sometime tomorrow morning."

"That dude whispered in your ear for like 3 seconds," Richard Hanson scoffed. "There's no way he said all of that."

"There's this thing you can do called 'knowing things,' and having 'general expertise,'" Nicholas shot back. "It's helpful in these scenarios, because communication takes less time. When you learn how to read, I'll show you a couple books on it."

"Fuck you," is all Richard could conjure up in response.

Watching Septimus and/or Ellzidan in the fighting arena was no longer an obligation for the Elite and friends now that their specific tournament had concluded. Of course, there was more action throughout the day, but the young immortals had gotten their fill. This lent them the freedom to do whatever they wanted around Elstrund and the Valley.

Nicole and Sarah decided to try and find Ellzidan to congratulate her on the win, and perhaps ask how she was feeling about the fact that she got to beat up her ex in front of a couple hundred people. Cam was invited, but she figured it was a fool's errand to try and locate the Elf. Not only was Ellzidan generally only found when she wanted to be found, but this was her home turf. She knew every hallway and room of the Lodge, she knew every branch and byway on Elstrund. Who were they to try and play hide and seek with Ellzidan?

Nicole and Sarah were fine with not finding Ellzidan, actually. At the worst, it'd be a fun bit of exploring. They wandered around the intricate wooden halls of the Lodge, poking their head through every unlocked door and window, but their search for the Elf continued to come up empty.

Eventually, they did find someone, though not someone they expected. In a tucked away corner of the lodge, they found Jack Hoy in a semicircle with some weird-looking immortals they'd never seen before. In the center of this group, there was a strange device that looked vaguely like a hookah. Jack was zoned out, staring at the doorframe to the left of Sarah and Nicole. When they paused to inspect the room, Jack's blank gaze moved to them, and suddenly his eyes came into focus.

"Nicole ... Sarah!" Jack exclaimed in a breathy voice. The others in the group seemed to take no notice, content to continue passing around the mouthpiece to this odd device.

"Hey Jack," Nicole hesitated, reluctantly taking a step into the room. "What are you up to here?"

"I met these fellas earlier today," Jack replied slowly. It seemed like he was operating at half speed, with even his speech being delayed and slightly slurred. "We are enjoying some of ... what did you call this stuff again?"

"Pallode," replied one of the other immortals. The rest of the group looked like raggedy wizard-types. There was no guarantee that they were magic users, but regular people didn't dress in these kinds of robes.

"Yeah, that." Jack looked back to Nicole and Sarah. "This stuff is nice, real nice. Only mages are able to grow it. Want some?"

"No thanks," Sarah and Nicole said simultaneously. Nicole furrowed her brow. "Doesn't the GLD do drug tests?"

"Sure, but ... it's the offseason for me!" Jack took a moment to reach this conclusion, as if he hadn't already thought this through. "Besides, this stuff burns through your system real quick, I've been told. Totally harmless."

Nicole cocked and eyebrow and shot a glance to one of the mages, who offered a shrug. That was encouraging.

"Well we'd love to stay and chat, but we're actually looking for someone," Sarah decided to cut the conversation short. "Have you seen Ellzidan anywhere?"

"Ellzidan? No, I haven't seen her today." Jack answered, raising his chin a bit. He was looking at the ceiling, as if he was imagining something in his mind. With no warning, he suddenly launched into a monologue, speaking slow and deliberate. "I did see her once, really see her. It was a years ago, well after our Quest. I was still on the Pilots, and we had a big away game against the Corsairs in Shire-Port. I had an excellent game, of course. 3 touchdowns on the ground, 168 yards rushing. We won big that day. It was an early game, too. Still half the afternoon ahead of me. I decided I would hit the town by myself. I had never really sightseen in Shire-Port before. They have this beautiful park on a cliff by the seaside. Becoming immortal has given me a greater appreciation of natural beauty, you see. I rested there, watching the boats float by, enjoying the sunlight. All of a sudden, somebody sat on the bench next to me. We engaged in a short conversation, but I didn't know who it was at first. It was a woman, she invited me to look around some of the other beautiful spots in the bay. I had a free night and so I obliged. It wasn't until an hour or so later that I finally asked her name. She told me her name wasn't important. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was familiar, somehow. We walked in the sun towards the beach, and she gracefully flipped over a fence to jump onto the sand. In that moment, her red ponytail flicking in the sunlight, the answer came to me. It was Ellzidan, of course, incognito. I told her that I knew who she was, and she smiled at me. I think she was impressed that I figured it out. Maybe she didn't have faith in me. She looked normally, which is bizarre for a legend of her stature. Later, she brought me to the Valley, I don't know how, we just blinked out of existence for a moment and reappeared here, just outside the Lodge. She showed me her home. She showed me the beautiful views of the Valley. We had a beautiful evening, and we were together in Elstrund's rafters as the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful moment of my life. But in that moment, I really saw her, and I saw myself. I knew this was temporary, a fleeting moment in an infinite expanse of time. I appreciated it for what it was. I stayed there, slowly falling asleep with her in my arms. In the morning, she was gone, as I knew she would be. So I moved on, and I'm sure she did to. For that one day though, I truly understood what beauty was."

"Bullshit!" Sarah finally burst out. She'd been patiently waiting for Jack to finish, though she'd had that word held in her mouth 12 seconds into Jack's story.

"You don't have to believe it, but I lived it," Jack insisted in his almost sleepy voice.

"You are stoned so far off your ass, man," Nicole rolled her eyes. "I know Ellzidan much more than you do. None of that sounds like something she'd do. Especially with someone like you, especially when she still has feelings for Septimus."

"I am at peace," Jack replied. The business end of the device in the center made its way to Jack's hand, and he took a long drag. "Now go away, you're ruining the vibe in here."

"Ugh," was all Nicole could manage to say. Without a word, she and Sarah left the room to continue their search.

Cam Cross, on the other hand, was spending the day with Jaxon Madison. She had been spending the first few days almost exclusively with Nicole and Sarah as they'd promised to do, and this afternoon was the first time she didn't feel obligated to be with them. Instead, she and Jaxon wandered around in the valley, enjoying the beautiful natural scenery and each other's company. It was casual, it was fun.

Everything seemed to be going fine. They made their way along one of the trails that followed a ridge on the edge of the valley, and Cam decided to try something. As casually as she could, she brushed her hand against Jaxon's, hoping that he would grab it in return. Instead, he let her fingers glance against his knuckles and slightly shifted his hand away, as if he had made an accidental misstep. Cam quickly receded her hand. It wasn't anything major, and Jaxon probably thought he had accidentally invaded her personal space.

Surely Jaxon didn't mean anything from this, but it got Cam's mind thinking. It brought her back to the slow dance in the ballroom on the first day of the gala. At the end of the song, Cam had leaned forward, and Jaxon navigated into a close hug. It's not like Cam was expecting or hoping for a kiss at all, but she felt that maybe the dynamic was changing. Of course, maybe Jaxon was just trying to take things slow, or maybe he was just ignorant to the possible intent, which is why Cam didn't say anything.

Jaxon was fully aware of everything that was happening. These slight moves to prevent outright affection had been entirely intentional, and he figured they were offhand enough to not appear as definite rejection, hence why Cam still seemed to be in a good mood. In his mind, he was facing a whirlwind of thoughts about the past and emotions about the present. Thankfully hiking was an activity that lent itself to long periods of silence, which helped as Jaxon attempted to untangle all the threads in his heart.

Through periodic conversation, heavy breathing, and simple enjoyment of the fresh air, the pair made it to the end of the trail: Cal Lookout. This point at the eastern end of the Valley gave a beautiful view of the narrow expanse, the rivers, falls, and of course Elstrund rising mightily in the center. The sun wasn't setting yet, but the sky was beginning to turn red and yellow on the western horizon, providing a picturesque background for the Great Tree.

There was a small campground at the site, though it wasn't occupied at this time. Cam and Jaxon took a seat on a large log that served as a bench around the fire pit, facing the Valley and admiring the view. After a few minutes sitting in silence, Cam decided against her instincts. She shifted a bit closer to Jaxon, and leaned over to lay her head on his shoulder. For a brief moment, Jaxon didn't move. He relented though, bringing his arm around Cam's back. She couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"There's something I need to tell you," Jaxon said suddenly, breaking the silence. Cam immediately sat up, turning to look at him.

"What is it?" She asked, trying to sound calm on the outside.

"I just ..." Jaxon paused, and huffed a bit. He was not his usual composed self. "I want to apologize if I've seemed off these last few days. There's just been a lot on my mind lately, and I'm sorry if that's negatively affected you."

"Well, what's wrong?" Cam asked. Whether the problem was related to her or not, Jaxon was her friend, and she wanted to help. "Worried about qualifying or something?"

"It's not that." Jaxon shook his head. He gave a quick glance at Cam, but he moved his gaze back to the Valley. "It's about, um, us. I have a lot of pent up feelings that I need to deal with, and I think you've been getting the short end of the stick because of it. I don't want that. I really do like you, and I care about you. It's just difficult for me, because it's been ... a while."

"Jaxon, if you just want to be friends, just say that," Cam said quickly. She was starting to feel her stomach turn over. "We don't have to be anything more than that, really. I just-"

"When you asked me to be your date for the gala, I said yes for a reason," Jaxon interrupted. "I want this. You're amazing, and I love every minute that we spend together. And that's why I feel so bad about not giving you what you deserve. It's not your fault, it's mine."

"Then what's troubling you?" Cam asked, a little quieter.

"I ..." Jaxon closed his eyes, pausing before he spoke again. "I had a wife. Long ago. Her name was Jamie. I loved her with all of my heart. This was after we'd gone through the maze, of course. I had known her before this, and once we got back, I proposed to her. I was still a dumb kid back then. Not really a kid, but that's what it feels like after all these years. I knew that I was immortal and she wasn't, and she had no desire to go through the maze, especially when I told her what the trip is like. We decided to take our chances, and enjoy the time that we would get with each other.

"For many years, it was good. She really was an amazing woman, so caring and beautiful. We had a family, we had kids together. Those years were some of the happiest I ever experienced. But you know how something like this ends. She grew old, and though she was beautiful till the day she died, it was a depressing thing to go through. Our kids grew older, eventually appearing older than I did. It was hard to lose her, but I coped by continuing to love and care for our children, and their children, and their children. Eventually it was too much, and the weirdness of living among mortals like that was unmanageable. I've kept tabs on my extended family ever since, though it's really difficult now that it's been a few centuries. The loneliness crept in, and I decided I would never make the same mistake again."

"That's why you told Nicole she had to break up with Mike," Cam thought aloud.

"Yes, to put it simply." Jaxon rubbed his chin. "Really, anybody could've told her that, though. I was just the only one from the Elite who had the balls to say it out loud. Anyway ... losing Jamie really took a toll on me. I felt like I could never feel such a genuine connection again. I felt like even if I tried, I would just be comparing to her. It felt like it would be throwing away all the promises of loyalty that I gave her over the years. So, I told myself that I would never let myself fall in love like that again. The Elite ribbed me for it, of course. Somebody, I don't know who, it might've even been me in a particularly lonely mood, dubbed it the 'Eternity of Sorrow.' A little rude perhaps, but it reflected on how I was feeling at the time.

"Now, it's different, though. I haven't been searching for love in a long time. I've even intentionally turned away when I felt that it was too close. And yet ... it appears to have found me." Jaxon turned to face Cam directly. "Cam, I don't know what we really are. Maybe we are just really good friends. Maybe we are something more than that. And now I think that, no matter what it is, I will be happy with it. I just hope that you understand if I seem rusty or reluctant. I have been out of this for many, many years, much longer than you've been alive."

"But what about Jamie?" Cam asked carefully. Her heart was all aflutter, trying to make sense of everything. "You said that you loved her so much. I don't want to be stepping on her memory, or anything like that."

"That's what I've been worrying about," Jaxon nodded. "But, I think Jamie understood what our life together was going to be. She knew that she would pass on, and that I would be staying here. She knew this well and good before we even got married, but she stuck to it. I know she loved me with all her heart, and I know like she'd hate to see me so broken and lonely for all these years, especially on her account."

"You know, I don't think we have to talk about marriage or anything," Cam said. "I just wanted to see if something like this could work."

"I agree, really." Jaxon was finally returning eye contact with Cam. "We don't have to turn this into anything that it isn't. I think we both are willing to let this develop and see where it goes. And before we could do that, I needed to get this off my chest. I hope that's okay."

"It is okay," Cam offered a small smile. "I'm glad you've told me, because now I know where we both stand."

"Good," Jaxon said. He cracked a smile as well. "Good," he repeated, because he couldn't find any other words.

"Now how about we enjoy this view a little more?" Cam suggested, gesturing at the grand valley. "We'll have to head back soon to make it back to the Tree by dark.

"That sounds good to me," Jaxon replied. He shifted over on the seat, and drew Cam close to him. They embraced as the sun sank low in the sky.

The sun set, the evening turned to night, and the fun times continued in the Valley. The crowds had begun to thin out: most immortals who didn't care for the tournaments had already gotten their fill, and headed back to whatever far-flung corner they lived in. Others had important positions or jobs that they couldn't leave unattended for days just for a party, and they too headed home. The new immortals were starting to recognize more and more of the other Accords members, lending itself to more fun conversations.

At last, the night seemed to be dying down. Those immortals who didn't feel the need to sleep usually partied through the night and kept each other company, which is a rare pleasure for those types. Ross Hunter was among them, as was the Drawkionel Malicoll. For the remaining immortals (especially the ancient ones), it was time to get some shut-eye.

Nicole Warren found herself alone as she traversed the lifts and branches of Elstrund's canopy. Cam and Sarah were still below in the Lodge having a good time, but Nicole found herself worn out and decided to turn in early. She reached the branch where most of the immortals were quartered, up high in the rafters of the canopy to have the best views of the Valley outside. The arrangements were a room per person, though they were well-provisioned. It was almost like a resort hotel, though it held the rustic natural charm of nearly all the architecture of Elstrund's valley.

Nicole hopped briskly up the stairs, but found herself stopping a floor short of her room. She looked down the hallway, remembering that this is the floor the Elite Eleven (among others) were staying. For a moment she considered moving on and going to bed, but she remembered Mike Rodney's offer from earlier that morning. He asked her to stop by his room, though he insisted it was not for indecent purposes. Nicole weighed the proposition in her mind for a moment, and slowly stepped into the hallway.

Mike had given Nicole his room number, 511. Apparently all the Elite had been placed on the fifth floor, and given room numbers that corresponded with their jersey numbers. Off the top of her head, Nicole knew that Elias Keys had the room across the hall, being #10 on the Elite. She had grown to like Elias and Ross as friends, when she was still very upset about the breakup with Mike. Now though, she hoped they wouldn't be around. The teasing would be too much to handle.

There Nicole stood, looking at the wooden door marked 511. She still hadn't decided whether she wanted to do this. It was also quite possible that Mike wasn't even there, that he was merely merrymaking with the others in the Lodge far below. Nicole raised her hand into a fist, then drew it back slightly. With a deep breath, she rapped on the door.

Knock, knock.

The knock seemed to echo through the empty hallway. Nicole whipped her head around, but there was nobody else there. There didn't appear to be a sound behind the door. She was almost relieved, but just as she was about to turn back towards the stairwell, the doorknob turned. She immediately snapped back to her position in front of the door, stomach now tight in anticipation.

"Hey there," Mike Rodney said as he opened the door. He had initially cracked it to see who it was, then opened it a little wider when he saw it was Nicole.

"Hi," Nicole replied simply. "I was about to head to bed, but I figured I'd stop by. Since you asked."

"I appreciate that," Mike tried a smile. The air was tense with anticipation, and Mike was trying his best to not ruin anything. "Would you like to step inside?"

"I would, thank you."

Mike opened the door fully and swept his arm in an exaggerative fashion. Nicole tried not to laugh as she walked into the room. The room was a suite, much like the others in this building, featuring a little lounge nestled between a kitchenette and bedroom. Mike's lounge was pretty messy. There were drop cloths draped around the room, and a few stacks of paint cans. It was obvious that he'd been painting here. Canvas frames were stacked against the edge of the couch. It was a lot of clutter, but it was clear that Mike had tidied up a little bit.

"Nice place," Nicole chuckled a bit, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Sorry it's a mess. Sometimes I get focused on it and everything else just scatters." Mike pulled up a cloth sheet from one half of the couch to give Nicole a place to sit, and she obliged.

"So, what did you want me here for?" Nicole asked tentatively. "You said you wanted to show me something?"

"Yeah, that's right." Mike motioned to the center of the room, where a large canvas rested on an easel. The surface was covered by another cloth, obscuring the view. "I made this painting that ... well, I thought you'd like it. I dunno."

"Well, can I see it?" Nicole asked curiously. She didn't know what to expect.

"Okay, if you insist!" Mike tried to play it off jokingly, but he visibly hesitated when he grabbed the corner of the cloth. He clenched his fist a bit, and carefully removed the cloth, revealing the canvas.

It was her. Nicole, of course. It wasn't a plain portrait or an action shot from her play on the field. It was her, in the maze. Nicole's breath caught in her throat when she recognized her own face. Slowly, she noticed more details on the painting. It was her, standing defiantly, her arms outstretched and palms up, her face locked in a gaze of determination with just the slightest implication of fear behind it. Behind her were the fuzzily represented bodies of her friends, and around her there was a faint dome of light green.

The scene was from the great chamber in the maze where Nicole and the rest of the Questgoers fought against the enormous snake-like monster, the one that eventually took Katie Madison's life. In this moment, Nicole used the lessons she'd learned from Kanyo years before to form a protective shield around her and her friends. It proved to be crucial. Without that protection, the whole group may have died on impact, resigned to be maze monster food. Instead, Nicole kept them alive long enough to escape.

Nicole didn't say anything, but she stood up and stepped closer to the painting to admire the detail. The faint green coloring, her magical shield, almost appeared to move and shift as Nicole watched it. The faces and bodies of the others in the frame were blurry, almost like they were out of focus. In the center though, was Nicole, painted so accurately it almost looked like a photograph. She took a close look at the eyes, she could even make out the head of the snake monster reflecting in her eyes.

"Wow, Mike ... this is incredible," Nicole said breathlessly.

"Thank you." Mike seemed almost sheepish in accepting the compliment. "The idea just came to me a couple days ago."

"But this is such an accurate depiction. How did you know about this?" Nicole asked, turning to look at Mike. "Did Jaxon tell you about it?"

"No, I ..." Mike hesitated. "I saw it. Sometimes when I'm trying to sleep or my mind wanders, I see things. It was almost always the maze. I saw everything from when the Elite went into that terrible place. Not just what I saw, but what everyone saw. I've seen every instant of every Elite's journey there. That's why I used to paint. All these awful moments, all these ugly scenes, just to get them out of my head. It felt like it helped, but every time I put it on canvas and felt clear again, something else would come.

"Eventually I got over it, for the most part. That's why I didn't paint for a long time. Especially when you came around, we had such good times together, and I was happy. My mind wasn't plagued like it used to be. Then you decided to go on your Quest, and it all came roaring back. I felt like I saw a million possibilities, so many of them with you scared, in pain, dying. I didn't want you to go, because I didn't want to lose you like that. I didn't want to lose you like I lost so many of my brothers. But I knew you had your heart set on going, and heaven knows when you're determined you won't change your mind."

"Then why didn't you come?" Nicole whispered. It was a question she'd asked before, but this time it wasn't accusatory or bitter. It was genuine concern and curiosity.

"I tried. I really did." Mike sat down on the little stool in front of the easel. "When you were off preparing for the Quest, I tried to go by myself. I tried to reacclimate. It didn't work. I went to Valsum a couple times, drove all the way up to the trailhead, but I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't push myself further without getting sick. The millions of images and sounds and moments roared back to life in my head, and I couldn't bear going further. It tore me apart. I was so happy when you came back safe and alive, but knowing how you felt about me once you returned ... it just tore it all away. I was bitter that you didn't want to understand why I didn't come. I know that I failed you. It's eaten away at me for all these years. I just couldn't figure out how to tell you how I felt, and it seemed like even if I could you wouldn't want to listen to me."

"I'm sorry for acting that way," Nicole said suddenly. She pulled an ottoman over and sat in it, level with Mike in the middle of the room. "I felt betrayed and angry at the time, but it shouldn't have been aimed at you. I felt responsible for those that didn't come back from the Quest. I felt that guilt, which I know you understand. I was just looking for somewhere, anywhere else, to place the blame. Anything to help me cope with that feeling."

"Thank you. I understand that feeling well," Mike nodded. "I will say that I deserve what I got. Maybe if I went with the group, instead of by myself, it'd be different. We could've leaned on each other. I don't know, it's all in the past anyway. Really, what hurt me the most was not being able to talk to you. I had to try and regroup, and of course I couldn't. That's why the painting came back. I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, you can talk to me now," Nicole said warmly. "I've gotten over it, I think. It's hurt not being able to talk to you, either. I miss those hours we'd spend just chatting in the dark, or when driving somewhere."

"I'm glad." Mike sighed, almost like one of relief, and turned to look back at the painting. "This paint for the force field thing is special, by the way. I got it from some witch yesterday. It's got some enchantment that gives it the wavy effect."

"It's really cool," Nicole affirmed. She looked over the painting once more, and spoke again after a few quiet moments. "Why did you paint this of all things?"

"I couldn't get it out of my head." Mike kept looking at the canvas. "I stepped into the ballroom on the first day to see if any of the Elite were there, and I saw you. You looked so beautiful. I left, and throughout the night I couldn't get you out of my mind. It was like my brain was retracing its steps, I saw moments from when we were dating. Before then, even. Then I started to see you without me. I saw you preparing for the Quest, working through exercises all day with Kanyo. I saw you trying your best to not strange Sarah after hearing she accidentally invited her brother. I saw all eleven of you hiking up Valsum, hiking through TiSoFaH, leaving your relics at the door of the maze. I saw what you left there. I used to have that same photo framed on my nightstand. And then ... I saw you going through the maze. Facing the same horrors we did. I felt your agony in losing Sarah. I saw you trembling in the dark. I saw everything. You were all so beaten and bruised, constantly afraid of what you were going to see next. It was just like everything I'd seen a thousand times from when the Elite went through. This moment was different, though. Everything else flicked through my mind, but this stuck in my head."

"Why is it different?" Nicole was leaning forward now, though she didn't realize it. She wasn't going to ask how Mike saw these things, at least not now. She was too invested in every word to care.

"It's just different." Mike looked between Nicole's face and her face on the painting. "This moment ... in spite of everything going on, in spite of the horrors you had faced, were facing, and would face, in this moment, you were strong. You were brave, even when it seemed like you couldn't possibly survive this, you stood tall. It's ... it's beautiful. Somehow, in this wretched place filled with misery and death and loss, you were beautiful."

Nicole said nothing, but she was blushing madly.

"That's the funny thing about this painting, I think." Mike forced a grimace. He wiped at the corner of his eyes, which were starting to wet a bit. "I've never painted anything beautiful. Everything in my little studio is dark and painful. It's always been grotesque or horrible. But this ... seeing your face in my mind, it felt so different. That's why I couldn't wait. I had to ask Ellzidan if she had any painting supplies on hand. I had to paint you. I had to."

"I didn't feel beautiful here," Nicole croaked a little laugh. She was tearing up too. "My mind was going a thousand miles an hour. I still don't know how I managed it at all."

"You did it because you're strong. You're fierce, Nicole. When you get your heart set on something, there's nothing in this universe that can stop you. Like when you were first trying to figure us out, like a little detective. You wouldn't take no for an answer. You achieved what so many people never could. You gained our trust, you learned our secret. You had this impossible goal and you saw it through." Mike caught his breath, almost stopping himself from going on. He couldn't though, not when he'd gone this far already. "That's why I fell in love with you. And I never wanted to turn back. That's why you stick in my mind. You're beautiful, you're powerful, and you loved me. I've made so many mistakes in my lifetime, but letting you slip away was by far the worst."

"Mike ..." was all Nicole could manage to say. Before Mike could start talking again, Nicole rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. They sat there in a tight embrace for a few minutes, tears flowing, but mostly enjoying being in each other's arms again.

After a little time sitting in silence, Mike pulled back and let Nicole sit back down on her own chair.

"I guess you should get going," Mike said after a moment, sporting a rueful smile. "You did say you were on the way to bed."

"Yes, I think that would be good." Nicole stood up, taking another look at the painting. "I want this painting, by the way."

"You can have it," Mike chuckled. "Just remind me before you leave. I still need to make some finishing touches."

"Good. Very good." Nicole nodded, and she slowly, almost reluctantly, headed for the door. "Thanks for inviting me. It was the right thing to do."

"You're welcome. Always." Mike followed Nicole to the door, and he slowly opened it. "See you ... tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow." Nicole smiled, and gave a little wink as she walked back into the hall. "Bye Mike ..."

"Sweet dreams, Nicole," Mike replied, and he shut the door as gently as he could. For once in his life, Mike felt like he couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Night turned into day. Nicole didn't tell Cam and Sarah what happened in Mike's room, but she figured she would soon. There were still a few questions that needed to be answered there, after all. This morning, the attention was on Septimus Xander, who was due to wake up any minute now.

The medical team for the combat tournaments moved Septimus to his quarters at the behest of Nicholas Kingston. He figured that he would be more comfortable there, and if something weird were to happen, at least he would be isolated in his own room. The Elite Eleven had gathered there, milling around in the living room, as Nicholas and a few of the other immortal healers kept watch over Septimus in his bedroom. Nicole, Cam, and Sarah made their way through the open door to say hello. There was now a small crowd, and they were being a little noisy.

Septimus slowly opened his eyes, then shut them just as fast, clearly not enjoying the great amount of light streaming through the canopy into the room. Nicholas noticed the movement and came to the bedside to greet him.

"Good morning big man!" Nicholas had to raise his voice a bit to be heard, which he could tell was bothering Septimus. "How are you feeling?"

"Dude, what happened?" Septimus twisted into a grimace of agony, though Nicholas could tell it was half joking. "Did I lose a drinking game last night?"

"Not this time, lightweight." Nicholas creased his brow. "Here, let me shut everybody up real quick." He turned towards the door of the bedroom and yelled into the living room for everyone to be quiet, closing the door behind him afterwards.

"Ugh ..." Septimus groaned, rubbing his forehead. He was developing a pounding headache, to which one of the healers handed him a small cup to drink from. That seemed to help.

"Alright, much better." Nicholas pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Okay Sep, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I was having the weirdest dream Nicky," Septimus started. Nicholas tried to hold his tongue, he hated that nickname. "I was with some old immortals in the tree, wearing these weird sweaters, and they gave me clothes to wear. Then I was dancing with the Tree, it was crazy. Geez, did somebody drug my food or something?"

"Uh, no. Do you remember anything else?"

"I dunno ..." Septimus craned his neck a bit, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Nicholas gently pressed his head back onto the pillow. "Oh yeah, the fights were happening. The guy with the earth stuff. The lady who was stealing my magic. Oh, and the racist one, too. And ... oh rivers, I fought Ellzidan, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did. That was yesterday."

"Oh. Did I win?"

"What do you think?" Nicholas couldn't help but chuckle, taking a meaningful look at Septimus laying down in the bed. "Hey, you were pretty close, though. A valiant effort."

"That seems reasonable," Septimus stuck out his lip, then a thought struck him. "Nick?"

"Yeah?" Nicholas sighed.

"I turned into a dragon, didn't I."

"Yeah, you did," Nicholas confirmed. "And then she turned into a dragon. And soon after that you got divebombed from like a thousand feet in the air, then chokeheld until you passed out. Obviously there's no permanent damage, but we put you in a mini coma so your body could work through the injuries uninterrupted. That plus the brutal end to the fight is why your head is still a little fuzzy. Really you just need to sleep off the rest. No crazy activity will do you good, as will limited visitors-"

As soon as Nicholas said that, the door burst open (which was peculiar since he was sure he locked it when he told the living room congregation to shut up). In came two old-looking immortals, a man and woman, wearing ancient sweaters and ballcaps, and they beelined for the side of the bed next to Septimus.

"Oh you poor boy! Don't worry, we brought you some soup! Soup fixes everything, so does popcorn, but we figured that'd remind you of yesterday and- oh well, there's plenty of other good things to talk about."

"Excuse me," Nicholas started to say, but he was interrupted again.

"Nicholas, thank you for taking such good care of Septimus, you are a dear," the woman said, "We'll take over now." Much more forcefully than he expected, Nicholas was shoveled out of the bedroom and firmly tossed into the living room, along with the other two medics who were there. The door clicked behind them.

"Who the hell were they?" Nicholas asked the assembly of Elite and others in the room.

"Claude and Halann," Cam answered. "We met Halann a couple days ago, but we didn't know she knew Septimus. I think they're friends with Ellzidan, though, so maybe that explains it."

"Well we just got locked out of the bedroom, so I sure hope they're friends." Nicholas was clearly a little annoyed.

"How's he holding up, by the way?" Jaxon asked.

"Just as we expected," Nicholas shrugged. "He's got a little brain fog, which is standard for the injuries and treatment he received. He should be fine provided he doesn't go out and party hard today."

"Good shit!" Elias Keys smiled. "I hope things aren't extra awkward between him and the Elf now."

"Now that's something I can't diagnose," Nicholas laughed. "Maybe the fight got out some pent-up emotion, or maybe it just dragged out more of them. He didn't seem particularly mad about what happened, so perhaps that's a good sign."

All of a sudden, the door to the bedroom swung back open. Claude and Halann rushed out, though for a moment it seemed there were a couple others in tow. They quickly shut the door again, and pointed at the knob. It seemed like they were enchanting the door clsoed.

"Now what are you doing?" Nicholas exclaimed, his exasperation mounting.

"Hush, boy!" Claude pressed his ear up to the door. "We tricked Ellzidan to portal into the room and locked them in together. If y'all aren't quiet we won't be able to effectively eavesdrop!"

The Elite looked at each other with shocked expressions, trying to figure out what to make of this.

"Well ..." Jaxon murmured after a moment. "Let's not waste this moment. Come on!" He quietly stepped to the door, trying to find an opening around Claude and Halann to listed through the door.

The rest of the Elite scrambled to get good positioning. A couple guys went to the minibar across the room to procure glasses, which they pressed against the wall. Elias stood back from the others towards the middle of the room, staring intently at the wall. Ross knew what he was doing, so he hung back with Elias, which attracted Nicole and Cam to stand alongside him as well.

"What's Eli doing?" Nicole whispered to Ross.

"He's trying to listen to what they're thinking. It's a little more difficult when there's walls and other brains in the way," Ross whispered.

"It's also harder when people are talking. Shut up!" Elias grimaced.

On the other side of the wall, it was indeed Septimus and Ellzidan alone in the bedroom, though they were well aware they were probably being listened to. Claude and Halann had brought in soup, popcorn, "Get Well Soon" balloons, and a stuffed dragon plush. By the time the Elite and company were in position to listen in, the Elf and the keeper were already mid conversation.

"Well, if you must know, this dragon is absolutely coming home with me, not up for grabs." Septimus clutched the stuffed animal a bit closer to his chest. "I'm about 99% sure they only gave it to me to help win you over, which I assume means you like stuffed animals. I'm not just gonna give it to you though, this sucker is making it back to the Complex."

"Is that so?" Ellzidan raised an eyebrow. "Must be some stuffed animal to warrant such capable guarding."

"Oh yeah, that's me. Capable at guarding. It's kind of my job."

"It's literally your job." Ellzidan tilted her head, almost playfully. "And mine is to get past you, if you think about it. Ironic, wouldn't you say? We've always been on opposing sides."

"Not always," Septimus said quietly.

"For awhile," Ellzidan corrected. She stilled for a moment.

"So why'd you dye your hair?" Septimus referred to the bright auburn hair cascading down the Elf's shoulders. When they first met, it was a silvery white devoid of all color.

"Abrupt, but okay." Ellzidan twirled a lock of hair in her fingers. "I didn't. Immortals who go through the maze more than once are twice blessed. You, I assume, were gifted the ability to shift into a dragon. Just based on what I saw yesterday. I was freed."

"Freed from ..?"

"From the ice." Ellzidan grabbed his hand. For the entirety of their relationship many years ago, her skin had always been freezing to the touch. "I'm not a heat-thief anymore. I get hungry again, my hair isn't ice white. I'm normal, no longer bound to the ice I was chained to thousands of years ago."

"Normal being a manner of speaking," Septimus chuckled. He rubbed his thumb over her hand like he'd done hundreds of times before, feeling the truth. Her hand was warm. He didn't want to let go.

"I don't know. I guess once you left, I thought it was meant to help me live without you. So I could be something different than I was with you. New hair, or rather very old hair. Freezing no longer. I'm different than I was with you. I don't know ... I thought that was true for a long time. I'm not so sure now."

"What changed?" Septimus asked carefully.

"Your stupid sleepy face. The hawk pajamas." Ellzidan chuckled. She was referring to the time she bumped into Septimus in the middle of the night when she was secretly hanging around the Elite Complex.

"Are you telling me that wasn't a dream?" Septimus felt his jaw drop.

"I've hung out with Ross and Elias in the Complex many times. Of course it wasn't."

"But you were so nice ..." Septimus shook his head, recalling the memory.

"I take offense to that!"

"I think that proves my point."

"Maybe," Ellzidan laughed. "You didn't like me for my niceness, though."

"I like you," Septimus couldn't stop the words from falling out of his mouth.

"You like me?" Ellzidan paused, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah." Septimus replied simply, but Ellzidan stayed silent, so he continued. "Yeah, I like you. I've spent most of the last few centuries as a dragon, because I don't have to feel anything when I'm a dragon. But when we were fighting, when I had you pinned, you were panicking, crying, and I felt that. It cut right through me."

"M'iri," Ellzidan spoke in dragon tongue.

"It's easier to say it as a dragon," Septimus nodded shyly. "But yeah, even as a dragon I felt that I was crushing my m'iri and ... I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't shifted. But then you did, and you called me a'ali and proceeded to kick my ass. Talk about mixed signals."

"I did call you a'ali," Ellzidan scooted her chair a little closer, and Septimus sat up a bit more. "Like you said, everything is easier as a dragon. I do feel things as a dragon, though. It's funny, they say the fiery dragons feel the least. All the emotion goes into the flames. The ones of stone and ice, they emote to show their strength."

"Wait, so you're a dragon of rock and water," Septimus twisted his lip, "and I'm from the fire and air. So together, we would form the four elements."

"They were based on dragons originally," Ellzidan nodded. It looked like she wanted to go on another tangent, but she shook her head slightly. "But yes, our dragon forms are balanced together."

"So what are we, together?" Septimus asked, sitting up a little more.

"The strong and silent type?" Ellzidan broke into a mischievous grin.

"Don't tell me you're still gonna make fun of me for that!" He groaned. "That was centuries ago, I was smashed, and also injured!"

"So you're saying that all I have to do is get you tipsy, and I'll get more funny sayings to cherish?" She grinned wryly.

"That and injured."

"It seems I got that covered already," Ellzidan gestured to the bed.

Without warning, Septimus sprang from the bed and lifted Ellzidan from the chair she was sitting in. It was all one smooth motion, even though Septimus had to put all his concentration in ignoring his screaming muscles.

"How's this for injured?" He laughed, holding and swinging her around the room in circles until she was laughing so hard she started to hiccup. He did this until his muscles were ready to drop everything, and he carefully set her down in the bed. He sat down next to her, hands around his knees. Ellzidan's head found its way to his shoulder like it had so many times in the past. For a minute, only the occasional hiccup interrupted the silence, until she felt it was time to speak again.

"So, should we talk about Enzo?" Ellzidan offered. "If we're really considering this again."

"Oh El," Septimus slumped his shoulders. "I'm so sorry. Mike showed me this painting he made of Enzo, from when he faded away. He was in so much pain, and yet he was so loving. Just like the Enzo we knew. And Jaxon said he's still there."

"I was told."

"And he thought we would be married and happy because of it. He made that sacrifice for us and I threw it away because I was bitter."

"You know it's not too late," Ellzidan replied slowly. "It's not impossible."

"Ellzidan." Septimus turned, taking both of her hands in his. "I'm sorry. What happened was never your fault. You tried to warn us, dissuade us, and when we persisted, you trained and prepared us as well as anyone could. I still decided to go, and I let my friends come with me. You did everything right, and I didn't follow through. I took all your friends away, sent you out of our home, just to come back to this ..." he lowered his voice, "blasted lonely tree."

"Better not say that too loud," Ellzidan whispered back humorously. "He's got ears everywhere."

"Ellzidan of the Valley," Septimus continued, despite the fact that he knew that many people were probably listening right now, "Daughter of Magnatha from the rock, Rozca of the ice, and Be-shami of the great valley ... will you forgive me?"

Ellzidan couldn't deny that hearing her full title was especially sweet, though the answer was the same regardless. "I forgive you, Septimus Xander, son of beloved Aurelia and whoever that guy is."

Septimus laughed gently, and he looked her in the eyes intently. "and El, Ellzidan, girl and warrior and friend and dragon ... will you walk with me?"

She stared back, taking a moment to breath. "I will. For as long as the river carried us."

He swept her into a light kiss, and Ellzidan deepened it hungrily. They were lost in remembrance and rediscovery, enjoying the moment of finally being reunited.

The moment was cut short as the door burst open and what felt like a hundred people poured into the room. Ellzidan was alert immediately, but Septimus squeezed her arm for comfort and pulled them both into a standing position to greet the well-wishers. The Elite Eleven were whooping and whistling, taking turns coming up to Septimus and congratulating him (mostly with punches). Nicholas muttered something about this being the exact opposite of rest, but it was drowned out in the excited clamor. Seemingly summoned by the noise, Iarocav appeared in the doorway, moving his way through the clump of people.

"You know," Iarocav leaned over to stage whisper in Nicole's ear, "That is NOT the one I expected."

"You're a terrible detective!" Ellzidan shot back. "Who was your first guess again?"

"Jaxon Madison, of course!" Iarocav proclaimed confident. Jaxon gagged about the same time that Ellzidan mimed puking, which gave a round of laughs to everyone crammed in the bedroom.

"Iarocav, meet Septimus Xander. For real, this time." Ellzidan motioned to Septimus politely. Iarocav was grinning widely, made his way to the couple and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Septimus.

"Treat her right son, treat her right." Iarocav was jovial about it, but there was a serious look in his eyes. "Also, don't piss off the Tree. He's a jealous roommate. In fact, maybe move her out to the city where there are no trees! That sounds like an excellent arrangement."

Out of nowhere, a walnut conked Iarocav in the skull at high speeds, prompting a round of creative cursing from him and more giggles from the room.

The group went on in congratulating and hugging the couple, and slowly the congregation moved out of the cramped bedroom and into the living room where there was more space. People began to filter out and see what else was going on today, though most of the Elite lingered in the room a little longer, making up for yesterday's lost time from Septimus being out of commission.

"So ..." Mike carefully came up behind Nicole. She turned to look at him, and he continued. "All that sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, boy," Nicole chuckled, but she drew closer and wrapped her arms around Mike's hips. "I'm not convinced yet."

"I can be convincing," Mike assured her. "I persuaded you to come on that flight with us way back when, didn't I?"

"That was a long time ago. Plus, I had ulterior motives."

"And see where that got you?" Mike gave a quick glance around the room to prove his point. "Imagine where you'd be without all this."

"Hmm," Nicole pondered the question. "Probably not doing this," she relented, and pulled Mike closer for a kiss. He obliged, gladly, and they held each other close for a moment. They pulled away, and through the other commotion and conversation in the room, nobody noticed. Mike pulled her in for another kiss, quicker this time, then looked deep into her eyes.

"So ... would you, uh, would you like to go for a walk? Or something," Mike stammered a bit, prompting a giggle from Nicole.

"There's a lot of options," Nicole stuck out her lower lip in thought.

"Thankfully, we've got a lot of time," Mike replied with a smile. "An eternity, even."

by **Cap Nord** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 2:33 pm

When the stadium allocations were planned, several months ago and for the FA uncharacteristically in advance, no one had foreseen that the final game against Depivik would become a vital confrontation. Only fifteen thousand tickets could be sold for this decisive game in the play-off race of group 12 but what ‘The Berk’ lacked in seating, it made up for in atmosphere. Especially the east stand, with the vocal crowd about a meter and a half from the sideline should be firing on the Whalers. But it rather placed the starting eleven into a lethargy, with few duels won and every creative intention ending up in a loss of possession. Worse of all, the anonymous visitors had the best chance but Johannes Marzinn made a crucial save to keep Cap Nord in the race for more.

Heading back to the dressing room, the players were painfully aware that they were missing their encounter with destiny. No one, bar the goalie, had shown up and rather than getting frustrated with their teammates, most tried to find a better version of themselves. The first few minutes, even Robert McEather was looking for the right words, in silence. This squad had made it this far but he knew very well what paralyzed them: the pressure. After sixteen games, the race had seemingly been over: a seven-point gap on an experienced trio of nations spelled the end of the campaign. And with nothing to play for but the love of the game, the best had emerged and suddenly, Cap Nord was back in it..

Even without…

“Coach, they have done this before.”

The voice of Simon Carstensen was sharp as a knife, he was not the man to beat around the bush.

“These guys drew Mytanija, Banija ánd Poafmersia. When they have to create something, they’re useless but they can block an opponent and suck the life out of a game. We need a change.”

The word twirled across the dressing room and involuntarily, heads turned in one direction. No name was called but every one knew who the leading midfielder was pointing to: the youngster with the number ten curled in the corner. Jorgen Bjerkness was, according to the paperwork, a key player for the Whalers. In reality, he had not come off the bench since the Mytanija game (a match, nota bene, where the midfielder had assisted the 2-0 with an amazing through pass to lock a stunt over one of the strongest sides in the group). At first, it had gone unnoticed: against Ascvalion, a few reserves had been given a shot, so some regular names remained on the bench. Then came Trolleborg, a strong performance by the Whalers but with Bjerkness locked to the dugout. And Magnecia. And Brusseldorf. And by now, it was a ‘thing’ with the wildest speculations doing the rounds (and all of them being outdone by the truth).

McEather scratched his hairs, which had significantly turned gray over his tenure with Cap Nord. Of course it made sense to bring Bjerkness, the most creative player in the selection, to overturn the sturdy backline of Depivik. Any trainer would do it now, he knew, but there he had his conflict: either he abandoned his team, giving them a mountain to climb without the proper equipment. Or he committed treason to his only friend.

”Robert, I need you to do something for me. You cannot ask why but Jorgen Bjerkness cannot return in the shirt of the Whalers.”

He had said yes. Of course he had said yes. It was a royal command, after all. And so, McEather nodded, in silence. He too wanted to ogle at the 20-year old in the corner, but he missed the guts to look Bjerkness in the eye. And as such, it was again Simon Carstensen who filled the void: both in sound as in command.

“Coach, I believe that I am the person in this dressing room who dislikes Jorgen the most. I think he’s a showboat, a horrible teamplayer, a lazy piece of work who doesn’t deserve half the praise he receives.”

Simon turned to Jorgen.

“No offense.”
“Uhm… Some taken, but ok.”

And now Simon rose, thoughtfully choosing his words to make them weigh.

“But even I think he should play. It is our best option, our only option.”

by **Aeragny** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 2:37 pm

It's quite known that the Airannian fans have a tendency to throw some insane parties. So -- with the World Cup Qualifying series coming to a bespoke, exciting end, it might be time to look at the possible endgames for the Drills. After all, they are only one point behind Valentine Z in the race for third place, which would earn either team a play-off spot. The teams don't face off directly, and neither team is exactly expected to drop any points... but if there's a chance, you just know the Airannians will be watching both the Valentine and Airannian games with bated breath.

Valentine Z does not lose points, but the Airannian team does

This might seem like the worst case, but in reality, this is cause for celebration. Coming 4th place in the qualifying series is a huge accomplishment for any team new to the scene, and to the Airannians, who don't think too highly of their own capabilities perhaps, it would all in all be cause for immense celebrations. While obviously, ending the 7 game win streak the team has (somehow) earned itself would be a sad sight, there's no reason to dwell on that - as clearly it wouldn't have been enough to take 3rd anyway. Coming 4th as the 9th seed is beyond expectations, and cause for a party on National Square in Vorácy, Homeland Square in Klujo, Market Square in Eranesque, Cathedral Square in Saint Almath, and on all other squares in the country as well.
Party thermometer: Beyond elation

Valentine Z loses points, though Airannia does the same

Ah, what irony, right? To come so close, to trip and fall in the sight of the harbor. The Airannian performance over the second leg of the qualifying series has been immense, and exactly on the last two matches, they drop a game... when winning it would have meant play offs? Classic! It wouldn't be the first time the Airannian team fumbles the bag; and sure, the win streak they've built up might be shattering to lose, but in the end, there's no streak bonus in football, right? And absolutely, there's no reason to assume that losing points now matters any more so than losing points earlier on, right? Such as the loss against StrayaRoos at the start? Or the loss against Eshialand, at home, which could have easily fallen the other way... Truth be told, coming fourth is incredible, and cause for a celebration!
Party thermometer: Hilarity and unfiltered pog

Valentine Z does not lose points, and neither does Airannia
Welp; both teams performed as expected - and that basically means two things: Valentine Z is headed for the playoffs, and the Airannian team, despite their monumental efforts, hasn't managed to place themself. But at least, it clearly wasn't in their own hands since Matchday 13, as they won every game since. And hey? We came fourth!!! That's insane! Jesus, and nine wins??? If nine straight wins in the World Cup Qualifiers doesn't make you want to get shitfaced and scream your lungs out on the city square, I don't know what will. Wooooooooo!!!!
Party thermometer: Excitement for the future

Valentine Z loses points, and Airannia doesn't
That means that Airannia qualifies for the play-offs, which is a ridiculous standard to set for future qualification runs. And going to play-offs isn't all that either; one might say that it just tires out the players, for what exactly? What are the chances for the Airannian squad in the play-off match anyway? Sure, less gifted mathematicians might say it's 50/50, either you win or you lose, but in reality, the vast majority of teams going to play-offs, if not all of them, severely outclass the newbies that are the Airannian Drills. And what does the team stand to gain? Losing the play-off would really mean nothing except a morale break - and winning, miraculous as it might be, would just lead to the team getting their insides handed to them in the group stage of the World Cup proper. What a way to close off the season! Not.
Party thermometer: Cautious optimism

These messages are brought to you by the Airannian Ministry of Party, and the Visionary Union for Reverse Psychology

by **Naixi** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 2:56 pm

Ohimi set her focused eyes upon the old Roki peddler, a light rain drizzling down on both of them. She held the illegally copied compact disc in her hand. There was a wild terror in the woman's eyes; a completely vacant expression undergirded with an explosion of psychic fear. But that wasn't all. Ohimi could swear she recognized this old hag from somewhere. And, considering their shared ethnicity, it would seem to reason that perhaps this was someone she knew from her childhood.

There were, therefore, multiple reasons not to escalate this into any kind of confrontation. The notion of nailing this peddler for selling illicit merchandise was far from her mind. She shaped her voice into measured, calming tones.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Y-you want something, huh?"

"I just was wondering if you remember where you got this album?"

"Who- who's asking?"

"I think we..." Detective Ohimi drifted off. Was admitting she recognized the old woman the right way to go? "I think we might know each other. You look very familiar. Did you used to live in Qolosocho? Qolosocho Township?"

"No. No, I don't think so. That's not here. I live here. In Qiawutian."

"Yes, but... did you used to live in Qolosocho?"

"No."

Ohimi had a mind to be very persistent. It was coming back to her: images of her home village as a girl. The angle of the warm sun on the lonely plain, the feeling of her fathers hands on her shoulders, the thrill of joy whenever she was allowed to ride one of the horses they raised on the farm. And three road crossings northwest, where the Thifori Clan's plot of land was halted by an ancient stone wall, a little hut painted dark blue, and a moboso tree planted in the garden...

"Kosirothi? Kosirothi of Clan Yithibo?"

The woman simply looked back at her, petrified. A drop of rainwater ran down her forehead.

"It's me, Folomiyi. Folomiyi of Clan Ohimi. My parents run a horse farm. In Qolosocho. I remember you. I was a little girl. You and..." Ohimi trailed off, remembering what had happened. "Your husband passed away. The Golden People took him. And they took your land. I remember."

The drop of rainwater kept slowly descending, running down her cheek. It could have been a lonely tear, for all Ohimi knew. The old woman stayed silent.

"Do you remember me? Do you remember my family?"

"No."

"Do you remember Qolosocho?"

"No!" The old street peddler looked to be getting upset. Her eyes were wide and confused, and they were casting from side to side, as though she expected a specter to leap out at her from the urban gloam.

"It's okay! It's okay. It's okay. Let's change the subject. This CD... it's by Charlie Huerline. I'm a big fan of his. Do you have... do you have more Charlie Huerline albums? I'd like to buy them, if you don't mind."

"Underdog? You... you want some Underdog music? You like the Underdog? I got a few Underdog CDs, yeah, down here." The lady was still fearfully glancing around, and still looked at Detective Ohimi the way an abused dog looks at a prospective new owner. "Here," she said, kneeling to the tarp on the pavement.

There, sure enough, were a few Charlie Underdog Huerline CDs. She had multiple copies of both "Attention" and "I Once Saw a Lemming." Ohimi glanced around the tarp. "Is it okay," she asked, looking up through the light rain at the woman she believed was called Kosirothi, "if I move these football shirts? I just want to see what other albums you have under here."

Jerkily, and with growing fright, the woman nodded in silence. Ohimi peered underneath the increasingly wet knockoff jerseys. Beneath the pile of white Sheshou uniforms, she saw some more of the peddler's music selection. Jackpot. There was "Flower" by Dong Xiaoduo, and she could also see, though the paper decal was discolored, some copies of Carlos Congo's "Come With Me." Finally, a single copy of "Flower City Forever" was there too. This had to be it. Either the killers had purchased their CDs from this woman, or they'd gotten them from the people who supplied her.

"Kosirothi," Ohimi began gently, "do you remember where you got these?"

"No. I don't remember where I got them. I didn't get them from Xi Wang. He only gives me the shirts."

"Xi Wang?" Quickly, Detective Ohimi was flapping her notepad open and jotting down this name.

"Xi Wang's got nothing but shirts. He brings me shirts. He's shirts. The CDs, I don't know. I don't remember."

"Do you remember who has bought CDs from you recently? Within the past couple weeks?"

"No. I don't remember anything." Kosirothi was visibly upset, eyes wider than ever.

"Okay." Ohimi tried to avoid showing her frustration. It was clear to her now that the trauma of what had happened to poor Kosirothi - the death of her husband and the loss of her home - had had a tragic impact on her mind. What could be done? This was perhaps her best lead in the case of Hi Yuan's death, but she didn't want to grill this poor woman. Not when their families had known one another for so long, and when it was obvious she remembered nothing, not even who she was twenty years ago. Even her identity had been washed away.

"Where can I find Xi Wang? The man who gets you football shirts to sell?" The woman wasn't making eye contact with her. Ohimi kept trying to bring her attention back. "These, here. These ones. The Chongjibo ones... the pink ones. And the gold and white ones, here, the Aierlanren ones. Xi Wang. You said he brings you these shirts. Where can I find him?" Still Kosirothi was staring with her terrified, anguished eyes off into the distance. Finally, Ohimi took a slow and careful glance over her shoulder, searching for what it was the old woman was staring at.

Across the street and down a lane between two skyscrapers, was a dumpster. He was clearly hiding, or attempting to, but Ohimi could easily make out a foul-looking, pudgy Naixese man in a brown coat behind it. The misty rain could not keep him hidden. He had not seen that Ohimi and Kosirothi saw him.

"Look down, look at me. Kosirothi, focus. Please focus, Kosirothi. Look at me." Finally, the scared old street merchant looked down at her. "Is that Xi Wang? Is that the man who supplies your replica football shirts that you sell?"

Kosirothi silently nodded.

"Is he dangerous? Are you afraid of him?"

After a brief delay, Kosirothi again nodded.

"Does he carry a weapon? Like a gun?"

Once again, a nod. The rain began to stream down harder.

"I want you to stay calm. Please stay calm. Everything I told you is true. We used to live in the same village in the center of the country. Our families have been friends for generations. I promise you, I'm not lying. Like you, I left to live here, in the city. I promise you, I am not lying. I became a police officer here in Qiawutian." Kosirothi's eyes became impossibly even wider. She was shaking. "I am not here to bust you. Now, I have a colleague a block to the south. He will protect both of us, but if you run... well, I don't know what Xi Wang will do. You have a better idea than I do."

"Xi Wang tells me... he tells me to never talk to cops. Always run. He says always run."

"But you're not running, Kosirothi. You remember me, don't you? You remember me. It's me. Little Folomiyi. The girl from the horse farm. You remember."

The woman shook her head, now in tears. "No. No, I don't remember. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" This broke Detective Ohimi's heart. "Don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. I just want to get you out of this situation, safe. Okay? I want you to be safe. So here's what I want you to do. First, I want you to know that I am not going to arrest you. Okay? I want to talk to you more, but I'm not going to arrest you. Okay? I do want to arrest Xi Wang. Is that all right with you?"

Kosirothi looked back up at him. He was still there, lurking behind the dumpster a good 50 yards away. She looked back down at Ohimi, and nodded.

Ohimi nodded back at her. "Stay calm, all right? Stay calm." As surreptitiously as she could, she withdrew her walkie talkie. She tried to keep it beneath her crouched body, so that Xi Wang couldn't see. "Zhong Xian," she said quietly into it. "Zhong Xian, I'm gonna need backup shortly."

Through a crackle of static, she heard a man's voice call back to her. "Repeat that, Detective?"

"I'm going to need backup shortly."

"Okay, understood. Okay, en route." He was a block away. She had asked him to wait there with his motorbike.

"Okay," Ohimi said to Kosirothi as she stowed the walkie talkie and glanced behind herself again, "get ready. Stay calm."

She stood and withdrew her sidearm in a flash, pointing it across the street at Xi Wang. She let loose a booming command through the winter drizzle.

"QIAWUTIAN CITY POLICE! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR, RIGHT NOW!"

A shot rang out.

Matchday 19

Fort McKinley 2 ⇨ S.P. Davis, A.R. Morris (B.R. Allen), S.G. Smith (M.J. Beard), D.C. Young ⚽x1, E.B. Miller, J.H. Davis, S.J. Allen, W.T. Clark ⚽x1, E.C. Beard, D.G. Young, S.W. Smith (S.B. Davis)
Naixi 0 ⇨ Cai, Pao (Yep), Geng, Dong, Tian, Xun, Dai (Yuen), Yuan, J.T. Jin, Ye, Cao (Tan)

6' Yellow Card ⇨ Dai (NIX)
14' Yellow Card ⇨ Geng (NIX)
15' Goal ⇨ W.T. Clark (FMK)
24' Yellow Card ⇨ S.P. Davis (FMK)
30' Goal ⇨ D.C. Young (FMK)
36' Yellow Card ⇨ Cai (NIX)
48' Yellow Card ⇨ D.G. Young (FMK)
57' Substitution ⇨ S.W. Smith OFF S.B. Davis ON (FMK)
60' Second Yellow Card ⇨ Geng (NIX)
61' Yellow Card ⇨ A.R. Morris (FMK)
63' Substitution ⇨ Cao OFF Tan ON (NIX)
66' Yellow Card ⇨ S.G. Smith (FMK)
74' Substitution ⇨ S.G. Smith OFF M.J. Beard ON (FMK)
75' Substitution ⇨ A.R. Morris OFF B.R. Allen ON (FMK)
81' Substitution ⇨ Pao OFF Yep ON (NIX)
84' Substitution ⇨ Dai OFF Yuen ON (NIX)
87' Yellow Card ⇨ Yuen (NIX)
88' Yellow Card ⇨ J.T. Jin (NIX)

Matchday 20

Naixi 2 ⇨ Cai, Pao, Shao, Dong, Tian (Yep), Xun, Dai ⚽x1 (Tan), Yuan, T.H. Jin, Ye ⚽x1 (Hsieh), Cao
Ko-oren 0 ⇨ Bittencourt, Mizuno, Benjamin, Mallerbury, Hoevink (Lavaud), Kaji, Uozumi, Lamshuis, Longchambon, Wormstal, Archer (Aomelirea)

4' Yellow Card ⇨ Mizuno (KOR)
21' Yellow Card ⇨ Dong (NIX)
39' Goal ⇨ Dai (NIX)
43' Goal ⇨ Ye (NIX)
54' Yellow Card ⇨ Yuan (NIX)
59' Substitution ⇨ Ye OFF Hsieh ON (NIX)
64' Substitution ⇨ Tian OFF Yep ON (NIX)
66' Yellow Card ⇨ Archer (KOR)
67' Yellow Card ⇨ Hsieh (NIX)
73' Yellow Card ⇨ Cai (NIX)
76' Substitution ⇨ Archer OFF Aomelirea ON (KOR)
78' Substitution ⇨ Hoevink OFF Lavaud ON (KOR)
81' Yellow Card ⇨ Cao (NIX)
90' Substitution ⇨ Dai OFF Tan ON (NIX)
91' Yellow Card ⇨ Shao (NIX)
94' Yellow Card ⇨ Bittencourt (KOR)

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:31 pm

Katanmak Juliasterinthen wins re-election, promises riches

The incumbent WCC President has won a second term, becoming the first person to serve more than three cycles since Equestrian States' Princess Cadence. Expecting that he'll finish his term, that makes him the first president to serve for six cycles since Magnus Ragnarok and Sol Kirkkegaard of the Polar Islandstates, though for now that claim is a little premature. It does provide a lineage of sorts back to Baptism of Fire 42, where the nations of Sol, Magnus, and Katanmak originally started their stories.

In a small but widely broadcast speech, Juliasterinthen thanked his backers and jokingly questioned the intentions of the 47% of voters not backing him - they were jokes, right? Of course they were jokes - and then turned directly to the camera to speak to the national team of... Yakk. He adressed Richard Presintino, the head coach, telling him to 'win or else' and then asked Oryaangabar if he was prepared to do in the final two games what he did early on against Ko-oren. Oryaangabar scored the lone Yakkian goal in a 4-1 Dragonfly win early in the qualifiers where his teammates lost the plot a bit, taking two red cards. Furthermore, Juliasterinthen promises the entire team gifts paid for with money from the deep pockets of the WCC if they manage to take points off of Quebec and the Ochre Islands. Whether that means cash, valuables, or some financial security in the form of contracts in the Ko-orenite Top League was left to interpretation.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:33 pm

After back-to-back draws shook us to our very core, the Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi were back to 4th in the table and in some deep fucking shit...and everyone knew it. With things as tight and precarious as they are, Esko Laaksonen knew that he this Huuhkajat side had to take as many points as they could if they wanted to secure that precious spot in the Top 3, but he also knew that these final 4 games were not going to be easy at all. Kaikki tiesivät, että meidän oli taisteltava, mutta voisimmeko? Oliko meillä tarpeeksi jäljellä?

The first game would end up being the 2nd to last home game Pesä will host in the group stage and the only thing that needed to be said in term of hyping up this game was that our opponents would be Farfadillis. Everyone knew that we had to take something for this game if we wanted any shot of progression into the next round...and oh boy, was this game fucking chaos. Three times in this game we managed to find away past Tusales de Lovandá with Valtteri Nordström managing a 1st half brace and Tero Salo firing us all up. And three times, Lele Manguele's side struck back thanks to 3 brilliant goals from Dénes Robineau, keeping this crowd in check. We knew that this game would have some drama and in the end, that drama would come very late on as a corner in the 92nd minute of this game would be headed past Peter Nurmi by Robineau. That day belonged to him and La Vherderoja...and we felt that goal was a fatal blow.

However, we weren't mathematically dead yet and that fact at least assured us as we made our way to Karpaatia ja Ruthenia (Carpathia and Ruthenia) for a game we knew we absolutely had to win, no matter what. In that regard, Lina Salucci's side put up a good effort with Porfirio Martinelli providing the best of the chances for the hosts on the day, but we were focused on a very big mission and that would be enough to carry us over the line. We only scored 2 goals, thanks to Mika Noronen and Annina Tuominen, but that would end up being enough to set up a very interesting final 2 games after Sargossa lost to Sudilia after a 0-0 draw against Bubiyan ja Warbah (Bubiyan and Warbah).

The top 2, Farfadillis and Huayramarca, will battle it out amongst themselves for the automatic spot at the WC...with us in 3rd, ahead of Sargossa on GD and Pyazhnaya by a single point. It certainly is a tight as fuck situation and one that we wished we weren't in...but we have this hand now and we have to play with it no matter what. Our final home game is against Tähtiteräinen (Starblaydia) and you don't need to tell us how important getting 3 points at home will be. After that, we travel to Pyazhnaya...for game we know will most likely be for 3rd.

180 minutes will decide if we get to play 180 more.
Jos kuolemme, kuolemme.
Jos ei, niin selviäkäämme ylpeinä.
PELIT ALKAKOON!
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Aleirave** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 3:36 pm

A Society Apart
The Cannaland Islands 2-2 Aleirave
Aleirave 3-3 Zwangzug

There's something to be said in the history of the Aleiravan people about Ilya Mikhailovich Tereyev.

Was he a good person to the people of Aleirave? No, definitely not. At least, not unless they lived on Veshnikov Hill... but he wasn't nearly as bad as some of the other Presidents before him.

His rule, from 1878 to 1913, would be considered, at least by Klysevian standards, quite progressive. Was there still active discrimination on the island? Sure, yes, that still happened. Aleiravans still couldn't approach either Veshnikov Hill or Port Makhemmidov, schools still weren't allowed to teach the true story of how Fyodor Tereyev came to power, and the government was still completely off-limits for any locals. In those senses, not much had changed. However, Ilya allowed a lot that his predecessors never would've imagined...

Historically, building wealth was simply not a thing for the locals. Money? That was reserved for those at the top, the top of Veshnikov Hill that is. Ilya... he decided to look the other way at it. He never explicitly encouraged Aleiravan entrepreneurship, but some locals were definitely getting a fair bit more money than had been allowed in the past, and the people took note. Locally-owned businesses were cropping up everywhere, and for the first time ever they were profitable and their assets weren't immediately taxed to the ground or seized.

Ilya also allowed for more freedom of religion; in the past, anyone practicing traditional Aleiravan beliefs, who knew the stories of the gods of old and the legend of Petake Felenaro, would be found guilty of questioning state authority, which was quite the serious offense. The government had told you what history was, and you were expected to believe them. Never hold false gods above the President. Under Ilya... again, no laws actually changed, but the government notably stopped caring too much. Traditional beliefs were thriving in a way they hadn't for over a hundred years, and Aleiravan culture appeared to, if only for a single generation, be rebounding from the sorry state it was in for the past century.

So, when Ilya passed away in 1913, succeeded by his son, Grigori Ilyich Tereyev, he was actually mourned by the people of Aleirave. Not in the crocodile tears sort of way that the people put on so the government would think they were upset, but rather truly missed. Aleirave would regress back into the way things were before his time, as they would remain for 110 more years...

But none of this actually proved that Ilya was a truly "good" leader, right? After all, a lot of the progress Aleirave had seen could've just been chalked up to ignorance... well, there is one story that would seem to prove Ilya's benevolence, but it's not entirely confirmed. He had an assistant named Nikolai Kheltonov, who, rumor has it, was actually a native Aleiravan named Nikalaho Kelatone, but we have no idea whether this story is real or not, as, according to the rumor, anyone who pointed out the fact that Nikolai was not Klysevian would be executed for treason... that's the sort of threat that shuts people up really quickly. The story has survived to this day, so there must be some weight to it, but as for the details? Nothing is truly known.

Under Ilya, Aleiravan rights and culture somewhat made a comeback. While it was nothing like what had been seen before 1769 or after 2023, it was the sort of thing that restored home for the people in their darkest hour, and kept hopes aflame that someday, things might not be so bad after all.

by **Krytenia** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:09 pm

I'd Rather Jack
By Rami Niblick in Simpson

A GLORIOUS return to his former stomping ground, though this time in Krytenian sky blue, cements a truth. This is Angus Jack's multiverse, and we're all living in it. The former Caledon Simpson striker lit up Walton Gardens one more time, with a superb hat-trick to help put Inkwellistan to the sword.

To be honest, the visitors didn't stand a chance. Fueled by the chance for both glory and vengeance, Krytenia piled on the pressure from the off and never lowered the tempo. Galante in the Inkwellistan goal was probably the most overworked person on the pitch as the Dragons hemmed their opponents in their own half for pretty much the duration of the match. Amanda Bach had possession of the ball a grand total of six times in the match, and only one of those was a bona fide save.

Krytenia had killed the game as a contest within half an hour as they displayed a genuine ruthlessness that has been somewhat lacking in some of their recent fixtures. Jack opened his account in the twelfth minute, latching onto a pinpoint Savannah Quinn pass before breezing past Outteridge and slotting the ball past Galante. Quinn herself would get in on the action a scant six minutes later, as a half-cleared Owen Haller cross fell nicely for her to snap home a crisp volley. When Jack added to the tally with an admittedly scrappy finish - poking home after Inkwellistan failed to clear their lines in hilarious fashion - it was pretty much game over. The hat-trick goal came in the second half, a cherry on top as Jack once again got himself in amongst the black shirts to lash the ball past the unfortunate Galante.

With Baker Park surprisingly dropping points in Guanacasteca, and Turori falling on their face away to Montaña Verde, it's all to play for in Group Thirteen. Sadly, though the maths would have you believe otherwise, Krytenia cannot now top the group as Turori and Tikariot face each other on the final matchday. Before that, though, the Eels entertain the Dragons in a match with massive implications for qualification. Krytenia have beaten Turori once already this cycle; if they do it again, beating Montaña Verde in Ousevale could well mean the Cyan Army will be booking some premium playoff tickets. Onward!

KRYTENIA - 4
Jack 12, 29, 66
Quinn 18

INKWELLISTAN - 0
- no scorers -

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:22 pm

The final international weekend of the World Cup Qualifying calendar looms large, but what do Eastfield Lodge need to secure a first playoff place in over a dozen attempts in this tightly contested Group 15?

Twenty games down, only two more to play in Qualifying Group 15 of the 93rd World Cup, and it’s all to play for when it comes to the playoff spots. The group table was very much a tale of two halves, with the top half of teams fighting out amongst themselves to fill the two playoff spots, whilst the bottom half of the table have never really threatened anyone but each other. Here is the state of play as we head into these final matches:

P  Group 15                             Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1  Zwangzug                              20   17   2   1    44   14  +30    53
2  Cabo Azure                            20   12   5   3    49   24  +25    41
3  Eraman                                20   12   4   4    54   28  +26    40
4  Cassadaigua                           20   12   4   4    52   30  +22    40
5  Eastfield Lodge                       20   11   4   5    39   32   +7    37
6  Aleirave                              20   10   6   4    40   24  +16    36

Zwangzug have been the runaway side of this group, the world’s 4th ranked side having only dropped 7 points all campaign, and deservedly have clinched automatic qualification with multiple games to spare - a surprise loss to Cormoe their only real blip so far. Behind them though, 5 teams are covered by just five points, competing for the two playoff places currently occupied by Cabo Azure and Eraman, the group’s 3rd and 4th seeds who are only split by two places in the KPB rankings. Second seeds Cassadaigua are narrowly outside the playoffs on goal difference, whilst the Imperial Commonwealth sit three points away, the sixth seeds with the worst attack, defence and by far the worst goal difference of the five competitors. In sixth are fifth seeds Aleirave, the early pace-setters of this pack of five who had held onto the playoff spot for the longest period before faltering over the course of the last few matches.

Here the matches that will determine the fate of the five:

Matchday 19	(Reverse Result)
Ingont vs Eastfield Lodge	Eastfield Lodge 5–1 Ingont
Cormoe vs Cabo Azure	Cabo Azure 3–0 Cormoe
Cassadaigua vs Tecoia	Tecoia 2–4 Cassadaigua
Greater Kamilistan vs Aleirave	Aleirave 2–1 Greater Kamilistan
The Cannaland Islands vs Eraman	Eraman 5–1 The Cannaland Islands

Matchday 20	(Reverse Result)
Eastfield Lodge vs The Cannaland Islands	The Cannaland Islands 1–4 Eastfield Lodge
Eraman vs Zwangzug	Zwangzug 3–1 Eraman
Aleirave vs Cassadaigua	Cassadaigua 1–1 Aleirave
Cabo Azure vs Ingont	Ingont 1–1 Cabo Azure

For Eastfield Lodge to qualify out of this maelstrom, they will need to make up a three point gap to either Eraman or Cassadiagua - unfortunately, with the massive gap in goal difference being the first tiebreaker, the required point swing is effectively four points. The good news for the Imperial Commonwealth is that their last two matches are against teams in the bottom half of the table, against whom Eastfield Lodge have a nearly perfect record this campaign - a goalless draw against Greater Kamilistan their only blip this campaign. In theory, this should be a secure 6 points, which would put them two points ahead of current second placed side Cabo Azure, and three ahead of both Eraman and Cassadiagua. However, as stated earlier, barring two record-breaking victories, goal difference will work against Robert Andrews’ side, and following on from that, a draw in either of these two matches would eliminate them (unless Eraman and Cassadaigua both lost both their matches).

With all five involved sides playing bottom half opposition on the penultimate matchday, and taking practicality into account, Eastfield Lodge require two of the three teams ahead of them to fail to win both matches (with Cabo Azure needing to lose at least one of them) - given that all five teams fairly easily defeated their opponents in the reverse fixtures in the first half of qualifying is not promising. Here is how the rest of the pack can breakdown the last two matches.

6th place Aleirave effectively need to win both matches in order to qualify for the playoffs, as four points would only take them level with Eraman and Cassadiagua who both have significant goal difference advantages - 10 in Eraman’s situation. A 10 goal swing across three matches is possible but very unlikely, especially as Eraman take on The Cannaland Islands, a side they put five past last time out. This situation also requires Aleirave to defeat Cassadaigua on the final day of the season regardless - a draw in this match knocks out the fifth seeds no matter the results elsewhere. Should Aleirave win both matches, they would need any two of Cabo Azure losing both games, Eraman getting a single point from 6, Cassadaigua drawing against Tecoia or Eastfield Lodge faltering in either of our games.

4th place Cassadaigua, the second seeds, are much better placed to fight for the playoff spots, despite having to navigate a tricky final match against Aleirave. Compared to Eraman, they are four goals down on goal difference, but they do hold the head-to-head advantage if it came to the third tiebreaker - winning both games and outscoring Eraman by either four goals or any number of points would be enough secure third place at least - to reach second, they require Cabo Azure to also drop points.

3rd place Eraman are currently occupying the second playoff spot on goal difference, but they have the shortest straw of the group as they have to host a Zwangzug side looking to head to the World Cup on a high note - only one loss (and a shock at that) and two draws in twenty games leaves the 4th seeds’ hopes of reach the playoffs on a knife-edge. Although Cassadaigua are facing sixth place Aleirave, a match that previously ended honours even on Dagan soil, Eraman would need to match whatever result occurred against the group winners.

Cabo Azure, the third seeds, are currently sitting pretty in 2nd place with a point advantage over the pack, leaving their fate entirely within their own hands - made especially sweet as, like Eastfield Lodge, they also face two sides in the bottom half of the table. However, their final opponents, Ingont, scalped a draw off the third seeds at the end of the first half of qualifying, albeit at home - nonetheless, a repeat would open the door for the chasing pack to sneak ahead with two wins each, difficult as they may be. They could, in theory, even end as far down in sixth should they lose both their matches, Eastfield Lodge and Aleirave win both theirs, and Eraman and Cassadaigua gain enough points elsewhere. And last but not least, in the highly unlikely event that all three of Cabo Azure, Eraman and Cassadiagua match points and goal difference, Eraman would be the side missing out on head-to-head points.

This weekend, 180 minutes of football will dictate which of these five teams will have a shot at World Cup qualification, in one of the closest run qualifying groups in a long time. 9 matches to decide which two teams will have hope on their side, and which three will have their dreams crushed.

MD19: Cormoe 0–3 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Gaber - Lillehammer-Lockwright, Soriano, Debar - Toure, Lie (<> Duncan 60’), Begum (<> Karson 79’) - Ashby (<> Stevenson-Fury 60’), Armitage, Bob (<> Allred 79’) - Dean-Jamal (<> Paree 60’)
Goals (Assists): Bob (20’ - Toure), Lillehammer-Lockwright (43’ - Soriano), Debar (62’ - Soriano)
Headline: Dominant Eastfield Lodge stay in playoff race

MD20: Eastfield Lodge 2–1 Eraman
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Gaber - Lillehammer-Lockwright, Soriano, Debar - Toure (Turcotte-Greene 64’), Lie, Begum (<> Pemberton 89’) - Ashby, Armitage (<> Strand 64’), Bob (<> Brewer 74’) - Dean-Jamal
Goals (Assists): Dean-Jamal (72’ - Ashby, [p] 88’)
Headline: RDJ double caps Eastfielder fightback

Likely line-up to play Ingont/The Cannaland Islands (3-3-3-1)
Gaber - Lillehammer-Lockwright, Soriano, Debar - Toure, Lie, Begum - Ashby, Armitage, Bob - Dean-Jamal
Suspended: N/A
Injured: N/A

by **Mytanija** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 4:46 pm

Mytanija’s mixed form over the second half of qualification had undone some of the good work during the opening half. They hadn’t been bad, but there was a definite lack of consistency, dropping points in matches they had no business dropping points in and a loss of confidence from a few players who had been key performers up until that point. The wingers weren’t quite firing at the same level, some of the rotation options in midfield hadn’t been quite as consistent, it was possible that even Dzvezdan Kitanchev had hit a bit of bad form as manager, too. Things just weren’t running as smoothly, though they were four points clear of Poafmersia in second place in the group and had an outside shot at overtaking Banija for the top spot if they could only beat them and get an unlikely favour from 192nd ranked Ascvalion on the final day.

Kitanchev felt that the Hoops could do the former, even at the historic Stadium of the Restoration in Busukama. Their tactical aptitude had been displayed for all to see in the famous victory in Thessia. Kitanchev had been hailed as a master strategist, even if that glow hadn’t lasted quite as long as he would have liked given the dip in results since, but it showed that Mytanija could come up with a plan and execute it to answer any questions that a real top-quality side might pose them. Home advantage could be difficult to overcome, sure, but the challenge was there for the Mytanar team to take on. Banija had the comfort of their four point lead, they could play with a little less pressure as a result, but there would be pressure from their compatriots to get one over Mytanija after the previous game between the two sides.

“I hope it’s a challenge the players will relish,” Kitanchev had smiled when reporters asked him about the size of the task at hand. “We know that it’s unlikely at this point, we’ve been a little bit sloppy and inconsistent and Banija have shown the consistency needed. But there’s a chance and I don’t want the players to stop trying until the last minute of the last game of qualification. We need to work to give ourselves the best chance of coming through the playoffs regardless of what happens with Banija, so beating them is important in that sense. We then have a match against Lionsroar which will be similarly important, so we have to make every second count and try to ensure we seal a strong second place finish. If the dice fall differently and something else happens then we will deal with that then but trying to get six points from six is important outside of those possibilities.”

It was all he could really say. Within the coaching team it did feel a little like a missed opportunity. The consistent start had shown that this Mytanija team had a lot to give and could compete with the very best. Banija were ranked second in the multiverse for a reason, they had been regular table toppers, racking up records with only a few points dropped in multiple campaigns and then performing admirably at the World Cup proper. They were respected and feared for a reason and had the ranking they had for a reason too. Those things didn’t happen by accident but for the first half of the campaign a young Mytanija team had more than held their own, the head-to-head victory being something of a pinnacle.

Even if the regression in the second half had been disappointing there was some optimism in the depths of Kitanchev’s mind. The fact that it was such a young squad was really impressive. It was the first time that the likes of Drazen Skara, Denis Ovsyannikov and Nurija Papez had been entrusted with starting positions; not to mention the bigger role given to various wingers, Nenad Tejic, Mirko Hranilovic, Luka Vujanovic and even the slightly-older-but-no-more-experienced-at-international-level Milos Bajic. This group of players still had time, even if that was something which was not on the side of Grigorij Savicevic in the same way. It felt like Mytanija were on a bit of an upward curve again after a disappointing exit from World Cup 92 and even more disappointing Copa Rushmori on home soil.

Denis Ovsyannikov had been the real star of the show. A midfielder who oozed class at such a young age, graceful and balletic with a real streak of nastiness which made him a compelling character who always seemed to be at the centre of the action by virtue of playing in the centre of the park. Kitanchev adored the youngster, and he could see why Edis Znidarsic had waxed lyrical about him on multiple occasions. He was the future driving force for any Hoops side, a player who was very different from box-to-box players like Robin Hjik and Dobroslav Stojanovic and different again from more diminutive playmaking types like Snerik Oiskha and Tahir Fejzuli. Ovsyannikov had a bit of everything, almost a central midfield Ismet van Huijgevoort. Watching him was great fun and he was becoming such an important figure early in his career, for both club and country.

“Keep working hard,” was a popular refrain of Kitanchev’s whenever he had a conversation with Ovsyannikov. The young player often smiled or let out an almost shy chuckle. He rarely had much to say, preferring to let his football do the talking, but he was never an issue in training – always found to be having a laugh and a joke with his teammates. Kitanchev wasn’t sure if it was a matter of Ovsi not quite realising just how good he was or perhaps understanding that and not knowing how to act in response to it. He didn’t really need to know as long as he kept performing and working hard for the team and for now that was happening.

He mused on what he could do to deal with the Banijans this time around, but he also couldn’t predict if they would have a tactical plan to answer what Mytanija had done in the last fixture. From the video analysis they were still the technically outstanding, physically imposing and tactically intelligent team that everybody recognised. Countering that with a tactical plan was all well and good, but you still needed a good performance from your players within that plan along with a sprinkling of good luck along the way. The 3-2-2-3 box or 3-4-3 diamond or whatever you wanted to call it was a smart way of outnumbering them in the middle of the field, but they would be expecting that this time and it had relied on an element of surprise to an extent. Kitanchev had faith in his players, but could he expect them to do the same thing and just outplay the Banijans within the same system?

He wondered what Lev Repin would do. For many Mytanars that would provide an answer. He always had faith in his players, but he also adored coming up with new ways to defeat opponents. Therefore, the answer wasn’t a clear one, it differed dependent on who you asked, which was perhaps the beauty of Lev Repin’s philosophy. Kitanchev just hoped that they could channel that and qualify to the World Cup, whether it be by the end of the group campaign or after two playoff games. By hook, or by crook.

by **Saperetia** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:51 pm

Loss Of The Exhausting Game
Saperetia 0-1 Pasarga

After having a break in tough fixtures in the match against Lashnakia, we now return to the tough fixtures. First we have the home match against Pasarga, the 19th out of 22nd fixture. Pasarga is the 2nd highest rank and is in a battle against Estorvipa and Estorpiva for the final playoff spot. Meanwhile, we are 9th with 17 points, 3 behind Al-Tamazgha and 4 in front of Valladares. Looking at the previous fixtures form now, we lost every single game. Some do hope that we can somehow win some points from the final 4 games. And with this hope, the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the PAS 4-4-2:

Saperetia: GK Yakim1 (C) DEF Kegan, Celso, Diyan, Eugene MID Lacy, Knobes, Vilfredo, ATK Gordie, Antoon, Titus

Pasarga: GK Přibyl DEF Svatoš, Sarrazin (C), Szölôsi, Hrvatin MID Topić, Kárpáty, Sebeôk, Pálffy ATK Salai, Magana

The far more experienced, better and more attack-minded Pasargan team took very quick control of the game, toying around the Saperetian defence, trying for an oppourtinity to strike. The defensive Saperetian team however was built pretty efficiently for defence, so a stalemate ensued in the first part of the game. Some mishaps and perhaps some fatigue saw the Pasargans get some chances towards the end of the first half, but due to Saperetian intervention no chance was converted into a goal. The beginning of the second half saw the Pasargans try to lure the Sapertians out into attakcs in an attempt to wear them out to score towards the end of the game. This tactic seemed to woekr a little bit, but the defensive Saperetians weren't as fierce as the Pasargans had hoped them to be. Still, the Pasargans decided to continue with their tactic. This finally payed off in the 89th minute as the exhusted Saperetian defence wasn't able to stop a run from Salai, who ended up scoring the winner.

Many fans have low expectations for the final three matches. Most expect us to lose all three, like we did last time. Some optimists do hold out, hoping for at least a draw in each game. Hope isn't completely gone as this is football, and anything can happen, and so, hope still holds as the next fixture against Oberour Ar Moro approaches.

Surprising Points
Oberour Ar Moro 2-2 Saperetia

Despite tough fixtures ahead and behind us, the team have promised to try everything to try and salvage some points from the final three matches against Oberour Ar Moro, Al-Tamazga and Abanhfleft. the previous time that the Saperetians faced off against those three nations, the results were 0-1, 0-1 and 0-5 respectively. But hope still holds out as the SAP 4-3-3 lines up against the OAM 4-3-3:

Saperetia: GK Yakim (C)DEF Ipatiy, Celso, Diyan, Achille MID Lacy, Nils, Vilfredo ATK Paavali, Antoon, Evhen

Oberour Ar Moro: GK Au Feure DEF Bauldry, De Baingneus, Asce, Daribilhague MID Breut, de Linge, d'Amienz ATK Vrely, Petitmesnil, De Courbueil

Oberour Ar Moro and Saperetia are polar opposites of eachother: Oberour is an agressive and attacking team and Saperetia is calm and defensive. This was obvious as the aggesive playing style of Oberour saw them score the first goal from a corner by Amienz be headed in by Petitmesnil for the hosts in just the 21st minute. This was followed up by the hosts scoring once again in the 40th minute by a passing play between Breut and Vrely, the latter of whom ended up being the one to score. This left the Saperetian team a little down going into half time, but they came out from the dressing room ready as ever, as was evidenced by their actions on the field. Just 11 minutes after the beginning of the second half, a corner from Lacy saw Evhen score a volley from the outside of the box, bringing a new hope to the Saperetian team. This was followed up by a run from Antoon that hit the post but was hit in by Paavali on the rebound in the 67th minute. Teh Saperetian team, high on energy tried multiple times to try and take the lead but they were unsuccesfull in their attempts, leaving the game at a 2-2 draw at the end of the 90 minutes.

Mouthenio praised his team for getting a point from this tough match, saying that he thinks more points will be coming in. Fans are a little more skeptical of this statement and have not yet adjusted their expectations for the next match against Al-Tamazga.

by **Sylestone** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 6:02 pm

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine
Part Ten

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SENTIENT

Part Eleven

The Sarcav-Jones Household, Avondale

”You’ll do fine, Brett. Just go out there and enjoy yourself.”

“What if I don’t get time, though? What am I supposed to do then?”

Alicia sighed. Ever since she’d arrived at Brett’s place earlier that morning, he’d been stressing over the afternoon’s match and no matter how much she tried to calm him, he would always find something to get worked up over. Usually a calm and collected figure, for Brett to stress about something like this seemed so completely abnormal. Not even for the Potty League final last week was Brett like this - no, back then, he was cool, calm and collected, willing to take on the chance to win the Potty League as a challenge.

Alicia wrapped her arms about Brett, pulling his shaking body close. “Think about last week. Just take things as they come. We don’t need to leave for another hour or so please, go take a nap, take your mind off the game. Ultimately, it’s just another ninety minutes of kicking a ball around and you’re only one of eleven when you’re on the field.” A quick peck on the forehead and she was off to the living room, leaving him to his own devices.

Those words rang through Brett’s head as he tossed and turned in his training jersey and shorts but try as he might, comfort was not coming to him. Yet, the hour passed by with unnatural pace and by the time Alicia shook him to tell him to get ready, an innate sense told him that he’d somehow fallen asleep.

Groggily, Brett sat up on the bed, sweat from the oppressive clutch of the blankets keeping his jersey clinging to his body. As if he was born for it, the shoes and socks were on within a minute and in the next, he was in Alicia’s car, ready to subject himself to the inevitable excruciation of having to listen to the pop music blaring over the speakers. At times, Brett felt as though she did it to annoy him but by now, he’d learned that she simply liked that sort of music rather than the guitar-filled metal Brett enjoyed listening to.

“I swear, as soon as I’m able to drive on my own I’m gonna blast hard metal music over the speakers. This last month has felt like years just from the drivel you’ve subjected me to.”

Quickly picking up on the joke, Alicia shrugged in jest. “Driver's choice.”

“Damn you on turning seventeen.”

As they drove off, the pair shared a quiet little laugh, the stress of the morning evaporating in the tropical heat. Although you could begin to drive at the age of sixteen on Sylestonean shores, you must wait another year and complete eighty hours of driving before passing a practical driving test to be allowed to drive alone, or without a guardian in the car with you. Although Brett had nearly completed his hours, he still had a month before his seventeenth birthday, while Alicia had become eligible last month and had duly passed her test.

This car wasn’t hers - many families across Sylestone didn’t even own cars and instead used public transport or bicycles to go places - while it was exceedingly rare for a household to own more than one car. Alicia’s family was one of those and Brett had been subject to the lengthy debates they had over who has rights to the car, with two parents and three siblings living under the same roof, plus 23-year-old Brianna whenever she returned home from her cricketing exploits over in the eastern state of Suffolk or with the Sylestonean national team. With Brianna boasting several appearances across all three forms of cricket, Charlotte playing with Avondale City in the Toilet League and Alicia dating one of Sylestonean football’s finest young talents, there was no wonder the Eastwood’s were considered to be one of the nation’s most prolific sporting families. Even Alicia’s 18-year-old brother James was a professional cyclist, while their parents had met whilst playing on opposite sides in a semi-professional football game.

Only Alicia didn’t necessarily involve herself much with sports, but she still enjoyed the occasional social game, while ensuring she turned up to every single Avondale City home game due to her blood- and love-related ties to both the club’s Under-21 and senior teams. Although she wanted to pursue a path in the physics field - her grades were easily good enough - one of her prime talents was with the saxophone in hand and had recently been nominated for a performance in the nation’s most prestigious annual arts exhibitions, Show Us What You’ve Got. Despite that, though, it was still the same old, ear-wrenching, cringe-inducing pop music that blared over the station wagon’s speakers as they approached the City Academy Training Centre, where Alicia would drop Brett off before making her own way to the game with the rest of her family, Charlotte and Brianna aside.

“At least you don’t listen to that rap shit. I don’t even know why that’s called music.”

In the driver’s seat, Alicia laughed. “Finally, something in music we can agree on!”

Brett looked mortified. “Hey, I don’t mind that sax stuff!”

But before Alicia could respond, the carpark opened up before her and she pulled in, letting Brett out. Unsurprisingly, he was one of the first players there - after all, there was still another half hour until the team bus arrived to take players to the stadium. A quick, reassuring kiss on the cheek was all Alicia gave Brett and she was off.

This is it, Brett thought to himself. Back yourself and your teammates.

* * *

A mouthful of expletives leapt from Avondale City manager John Lawson’s mouth, the faithful crowd behind him booing, petrified.

As if spitting out the words, Lawson turned to Brett. “Over here, you’re on.”

Brett grinned, a hungry look in his eyes. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. Unfortunately, the circumstance wasn’t ideal - Dunkirk Athletic were on the verge of making amends for their Potty League loss to the very same side last weekend with a 1-0 lead in the 85th minute, courtesy of Charlie Dry’s finish a couple of minutes earlier. He wasn’t aware of the scoreline over at Sentient Oval, where Breakfast Bowl FC were taking on the Pesfield Trees, but everyone knew the stakes on that game if Avondale City weren’t able to steal the three points here. If the Trees were to win - and from the frustrated groans emerging from the crowd - they were indeed winning, the title would be theirs. And Avondale City would have to add yet another fuck-up to their long list of fuck-ups.

But Brett had other ideas. Within minutes of coming on, he found himself in space on the counterattack, having not trudged back into the box to help defend against a Dunkirk Athletic corner. The clearance from Yuezhou’s centre back Guo Xiawei fell towards Harrison Reynolds, who knocked the through ball forward for Brett. Oblivious to the commotion behind him with Wolves players demanding for a penalty after a possible foul within the penalty box, Brett gradually found himself making up ground on defenders Oscar Simpemba and Archie Kleeberg as he set his focus upon the white net in the background.

The finish was top quality, too. A little flick of the boot from the 16-year-old prodigy and Vera McKinnon found herself in no man’s land as Brett ran the ball into the goal, picking it up and tearing towards the halfway line.

Behind him, the cries of the crowd signalled their joy as the Tikariotian striker that had provided the assist and Lara Bayldon ran towards him in a beeline, congratulating the youngster on his third goal of the season from only seven substitutions onto the field.

But what about everyone else? Where were they?

And that was when it dawned upon Brett. Following his goal, the referee had succumbed to the requests of the frantic Dunkirk Athletic players and was now over at the screen…. He hadn’t blown the whistle until after Brett had completed the goal and as the entire stadium waited in bated breath, the deafening noise of the silence overwhelmed Brett’s senses as he stood there with the rest of his teammates for what felt like an eternity.

Point towards the halfway line. Halfway line. Not the penalty spot. Please…

After what felt like an eternity, the referee finally stepped away from the television and raised his arm…

Halfway line ref, halfway line…

…towards the penalty spot.

FUCK.

And in that moment, a few things occurred. The first was the eruption of horror from the home crowd - they’d all seen the foul on the big screen and completely disagreed with the decision. The second was the Avondale City players surrounding the referee, obviously perplexed. Meanwhile, those in the blue and black of Dunkirk Athletic quietly wandered towards their positions, the looks on their faces more ones of relief rather than celebration - they knew how lucky they’d been. And the fourth thing that happened in that instant was John Lawson’s outburst on the sidelines - one that ended up with him receiving a red card for his efforts as he kicked the bench with such ferocity that the glass almost seemed to crack.

What probably should’ve been 1-1 was now all but 2-0 and the script had been written. Avondale City would choke the Toilet League title yet again and second place would be theirs.

Would they ever get to hold that piece of silverwave aloft?

* * *

Oh, the pain. It had been four hours since Paul Jorgensen had sent Edward Khan the wrong way to confirm a 2-0 Dunkirk Athletic victory, sending them out of the playoff zone and handing the Pesfield Trees the title on a plate. But to Brett, it had felt like the minute before, so emphatically had the moment been seared into his mind. Now, he was sitting on the couch next to his girlfriend, lost in a reverie as she attempted - and failed - to console him.

“It’s okay Brett. You’ll have more chances. You did everything you could. I’m proud of you.”

The pain in her eyes was just as obvious, though. Over time, she’d gone from not caring about football to following it avidly, primarily due to Charlotte’s love for the sport and more recently due to her affiliation with Brett. And now, she was trying to comfort him after one of the hardest losses a footballer could take, despite having had to sit through the pain of it herself. But she knew that no matter how bad she was feeling, it was nothing compared to that of which Brett was experiencing.

“Just… don’t talk to me. Please. Just give me time.”

Alicia forced a small smile at that. “So you can talk. Good to know.”

Brett emitted a small groan and despite his best efforts, couldn’t help but express a little bit of amusement. Sure, the pain of the day was overwhelming but here, he felt as though he could be himself and down to earth, rather than put on some facade for the media. For they had come straight to him after the game, forcing him to put on that brave face. But here, he could cry about it all he wanted, and no one would judge him.

That was one thing great about the privacy of a household. You could be who you wanted to be. And as he sat in the arms of one of whom he loved, only one thought came to his mind.

He was as happy as he could be. Sure, the Toilet League trophy wasn’t Avondale City’s, but there was always next year. Ultimately, he had a loving family, a comfortable house, a loving girlfriend and his dream job. There was nothing more a 16-year-old could want.

Other than a pet Sentient, of course. But Brett knew that that might be a step too far.

Bongo Johnson vs Sylestone @ Somewhere, Bongo Johnson

Bongo Johnson (4-2-3-1): Jones; Frick - Teebaghar ( 76’) - Creenis (McGurkin 83’) - Nelson; van Bichael - Graff (Crabtree 54’); Wheels - Hurston - Longmont ( 3’) (Balthazar 54’); Bongald

Sylestone (4-4-1-1): Cavendish; Ironing Board - Mornington - Faucett - Keller (Toilet 81’); Cayden Holmes - Paterson - Blair (Rodway 46’) - Fullers; Keyes (Fleetwood 65’); Hightower (Strathfield 65’)

Bongo Johnson 0-4 Sylestone
                                                                 Hightower 29’
                                                                 Frick 42’ (og)
                                                                 Paterson 54’
                                                                 Strathfield 90’

Sylestone vs Rouyoute @ Fiery Stadium, Dodle

Sylestone (4-4-1-1 → 4-2-3-1): Callum Holmes; Holt ( 90+3’) - Washing Machine (Damasekara 64’) - Hand Sanitiser - Toilet; Stanton (Henling 75’) - Bar Stool ( 48’) - Brown (Rodway 75’) - Fridge (Jones 75’); Love (Keyes 87’); Strathfield

Rouyoute (4-3-3): L Fitzcharles; Landon - Pennington ( 90+9’) - Lockwood (Greaves 56’) - Reed; Ponsonby - Kendall ( 80’) - Newfield (Harvey-Lottway 90’); St. Claire - Newfield (Lyndon 68’) - Calliwell (Maguire 56’)

Sylestone 2-1 Rouyoute
                                             Holt 81’        Newfield 15’
                                             Keyes 88’

Starting Lineup vs The Cordian Isles @ Somewhere, Cordia

Brick Wall; Ironing Board - Mornington - Faucett - Keller; Henling - Rodway - Brown - Fullers; Fleetwood; Strathfield

Starting Lineup vs Tjorl @ The Bay Reserve, Betham, Sylestone

Fuller; Holt - Mornington - Hand Sanitiser - Toilet; Cayden Holmes - Blair - Brown - Jones; Fleetwood; Hightower

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 6:08 pm

A continuation of this

"Good morning Ms. Koirala!"

It was a cheerful voice, but she couldn't quite place it. Ailen Koirala also couldn't quite figure out why any voice other than hers or her husband's would be in her bedroom at . . . she squinted at the clock . . . 3:17am.

"What?"

"Good morning! The wee hours to be sure, but still morning in a technical sense. As for the other half of the phrase, I'm having quite a nice time, though I suppose opinions may differ on the point of goodness."

Ailen rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the bleariness of interrupted sleep. "Who?"

The figure standing at the foot of her bed like some kind of horribly grinning sleep paralysis demon cocked a hip to the side and crossed its arms huffily. "So soon you forget. Why it was barely more than two years ago that we met, though you've only managed one domestic season in that span I see. Perhaps we'll simply call it one cycle then. Charitable, that's me. I'll admit I didn't specify how far in the future my consideration would be, but I still consider this to be the future, and my, you Squornshelans do get up to some considerably futuristic things. I stopped by Santraginus on my way in. You should see the things they're doing with artistic body mods over there."

"Two years?"

"Oh come on now, you remember . . . on a long and lonesome highway east of Omaha . . . wait this isn't Omaha, this is Brantisvogan. And it was south of here if I recall?"

"Wait, you?"

"Ah, finally. Yes, me. Good morning!" The figure made a little hop in place, and clasped their hands together in mock delight. At least Ailen assumed it was mockery.

"Good . . . why do you keep saying that?"

"It's still true! Anyway, I've come to collect!"

"Collect what?"

"My future considerations of course!"

"Your what? What's going on?"

"All right it's early so I'll spell it out for you. We made a deal, and I'm here to tell you what I want on my end."

"But the deal didn't work out the Bulls're ahead of us in the standings now." Ailen shook her head. A part of her had always believed that night had been a dream, or at least if it wasn't, that nothing out of the ordinary had happened since. Who could actually believe they'd made a deal with some supernatural being. Of course, she had brokered the entry of the SCFA and the Confederacy into the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative a few years back. But that was just all the more evidence that her recollections of recent events were simply evidence of the damage that incident had done to her sanity.

"I don't recall promising you anything about the standings, or anything other than them scoring goals against you."

"Well I don't recall the exact words we exchanged, but that definitely was not the spirit of the deal."

"Spirit schmirit. It's the letter of the law that rules in contract law, honey. I've held up my end, four matches against Audioslavia since we last met, no goals conceded. Now it's your turn dearie."

"This isn't what I intended."

"I know it isn't, but it is what you negotiated. Isn't that neat?! This kind of monkey paw stuff is my specialty after all, you had to have known."

"Suppose I don't feel I owe you anything?" Koirala frowned sleepily, doing her best to look both serious and annoyed.

"Ah, yes. Well . . . haven't decided yet. It'll be inexplicably terrible though. Or terribly inexplicable. Or both?"

"You're not making a lot of sense here."

"I will do such things, what they are yet I know not, but they shall be the terrors of the earth."

"Are you reciting something now?"

"Nothing you'd know, only exists in IRLStates."

"Look, if I do something for you, you've got to assure me the Bulls will slip up over the last two matchdays so we can overtake them."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no. That's not how it works. You take your chances, and yours are already tooken. Taked? Whatever. Alea iacta est and all that. All you can do now is hope for the best and do what I want so I don't ruin your life."

"Fine," Ailen slumped against her pillow, "what is it you want?"

"I want you to break the swan."

SRS: 4
ASG: 1

Scoring:
SRS: Halfariani 2', Zazagan 8', Ness 44', Volam 68'

Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg, Titov (Panoss 81'), Yarlut, Halfariani; Hashemi (Nacar 75'), Zazagan; Bondarov (Norling 87'), Volam (Sevet-Ibilx 75'), Maksimov; Ness (Sargsa 87')

EQS: 0
SRS: 2

Scoring:
SRS: Hashemi 49', Dast 75'

Lineup: Shimski; Bakken, Titov (Keresh 88'), Jagdish, Halfariani; Hashmi, Nisarizo (Nacar 88'); Stern (Dast 69'), Volam (Hedberg 78'), Yonte; Ness (Dahlgren 78')

SRS: 3
OBR: 0

Scoring:
SRS: Titov 21', Fridtjofs 51',  Norling 78'

Lineup: Heiskanen; Bakken (Norling 67'), Titov, Yarlut, Musta; Hedberg (Sevet-Ibilx 86'), Hashemi; Bondarov (Dast 86'), Damnagoras (Zazagan 67'), Yonte; Fridtjofs

BRP: 2
SRS: 1

Scoring:
BRP: who the fuck knows
SRS: Yonte 81'

Lineup: Shimski; Nyberg (Bondarov 84'), Yarlut, Panoss, Halfariani; Hashemi, Birhat (Damnagoras 88'); Stern, Volam, Maksimov (Yonte 74'); Hjort (Ness 88')

Qualifying Schedule & Results:

MD01: AUD 0-1 SRS @ Arena Kirola (cap. 72,000), Cathair, AUD
MD02: SRS 3-1 RYF @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, West Flania, SRS
MD03: STR 1-1 SRS @ TBA
MD04: VEZ 0-1 SRS @ Fate Stadium (cap. 333,000), Naypyithaw, Burma, Val Z
MD05: SRS 6-2 AER @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD06: ASG 1-0 SRS @ TBA
MD07: SRS 4-2 EQS @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD08: OBR 1-3 SRS @ TBA
MD09: SRS 5-1 BRP @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD10: MUR 1-6 SRS @ TBA
MD11: SRS 3-1 ESL @ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (cap. 71,200), Santraginus, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD12: SRS 1-0 AUD @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD13: RYF 0-2 SRS @ TBA
MD14: SRS 4-2 STR @ Sunergy Field (cap. 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD15: SRS 3-1 VEZ @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD16: AER 3-1 SRS @ Centerby Stadion (cap. 36,000), Vorácy, AER
MD17: SRS 4-1 ASG @ Megabrantid Financial Field (cap. 69,245), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD18: EQS 0-2 SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS 3-0 OBR @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD20: BRP 2-1 SRS @ TBA
MD21: SRS  v  MUR @ Green Heart Center (cap. 20,760), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD22: ESL  v  SRS @ Eshialand City Superdome (cap. 75,000), Eshialand City, ESL

by **Acastanha** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 6:43 pm

Acastanha Yearly Kaleidoscope
Achievement of the Year - Part 3

We are approaching the end of the Acastanha Kaleidoscope special edition as we are getting nearer to the new year's eve. And what else to be presented than the latest achievement that the country reach. But once again, it is from the sport world.

As we can see, the latest edition of Mandalanusa Cup was held slightly late from their usual timeline. The regional competition usually took place after the end of Cup of Harmony or World Cup. Whichever ended last. But this year, the schedule was push back further. The reason was the lack of confirmed host. While no new host were ready to jump right into the hosting table, the old guard also seems to reluctant to take over the hosting. Luckily, Otksarin took the chance to become the host and save the competition from being postpone too long.

In the 12th edition, a total of 16 nation's entered the competition. Which is a fair numbers. The surprise was the comeback of Soracana Islands into the regional sporting competition. Their embarrassing exit and barred from the 6th edition had left the country with no other option than to compete as part of the larger team of Pemecutan. But this edition, both team for the first time in 5 years will be competed side by side.

Acastanha one the other hand was on a high spirit after their recent final placement and World Cup playoff exit. Despite a bad run in Cup of Harmony, the team still in good shape and confidence. In the group stage, the team was drawn into Group C together with former champion, Southern Palm Islands, Berdeng Bundok and the returnee, Soracana Islands. Acastanha ended their group stage campaign with a perfect score of 9. They defeated Soracana Islands in the opening match by 3-0. Then they were crushing the former champion, Southern Palm Islands with a huge goals of 6-2. In the match, Kalchankar scored his first hattrick. And the last match against Berdeng Bundok was also ended with a huge goal margin. 5-2. These making the team as the most productive team in the competition after collecting 14 goals in 3 matches. Eraman came second with 13 goals.

Leading the group, Acastanha manage to avoid a meeting with Pemecutan early. They instead facing Tanah Jaya who is the runner up of Group D. While Soracana Islands who was the runner up in Group C was meeting Pemecutan as the leader of Group D. Their match was dubbed as the Most Waited Match. And in quarterfinal, Acastanha managed to scored 2 goals to advance further. And their opponent was another champion, Sharktail. The Blue Shark advance into final after defeating the defending champion, Eraman. The semifinal went into a tight match. But The Arrows managed to scored the one and only goal in the match to secure their place in the final. Their second consecutive final placement. And their opponent was their neighbor, Sendhang.

The final match between 2 mainland teams was surprised everyone. Especially after Pemecutan defeat in quarterfinal against Soracana Islands. This also marked the first time that the trophy is confirmed to went to mainland country. After the revival of the competition starting the third edition, all the champions are islands countries with Ziwana and Sharktail won twice. And the result, Acastanha won the final match by 6-4. This is their first international trophy in the country's sporting history.

Celebration was wild. The players and the trophy were paraded throughout the main street of Amarelda, the capital city. People from all over the country came together to celebrate. The streets were packed with people wearing red and yellow colors. The national colors of Acastanha. The team have given a pride to the country. A written history that will become a longstanding legacy for the future generations. And as a reminder that Acastanhada football team is worth to be watch out.

by **Eshialand** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:02 pm

The Eshialand City Journal
The Latest News, Just for You.

ELECTION 2026
Tarry Seeks Full Withdrawal from International Affairs, Questions Eshialand's Multiversal Awakening

The Multiversal Awakening, the story of how the people of Eshialand learned of the world beyond their small map, is widely considered to be one of the greater turning points in the nation's short history, setting the nation and its people down a track wholly distinct from the nations that came before. When the King first pursued international relations in 2019, it was known that there truly was no going back, but Pandora's Box was still worth opening, and the past few years have seemingly proven he was right, with the nation experiencing a golden age.

All the more shocking it was, then, when Melinda Tarry spoke on the now-hot-button issue of a regional departure, with a few unorthodox opinions on the matter. "I don't see why we have to leave," she said, "in fact, why do we even need all those other nations at all! Why are we meddling in their world when ours has so many of our own issues?"

She was asked to clarify what exactly she meant, and she doubled down. "I don't quite understand what's so unclear. What are we doing messing about with the world anyway? Why do we have Aleirave? Why are we pursuing relations with nations we never had to talk to before the King was an absolute fool and opted to 'expand our horizons'?"

Her microphone was promptly cut off, but the damage had been done; her controversial takes had sank her support among the population, and it became clear to Conservative Party top brass that she was not the candidate to run. Late last night, the party's chairman, Lenny Elwood, stated that "we at the Conservative Party have decided to sever ties with Melinda Tarry[...] she no longer represents this party's ideals, and going forward we will seek to find a new candidate who better aligns with what we, and what the people of Eshialand, wish to see in a Prime Minister."

Polling taken just before that announcement made it clear that, in fact, the voters' gripes were not with the party as a whole, but with Tarry specifically, with Kevin Labbett still viewed as a bit too radical when it came to the outside world, and that a more moderate Conservative candidate would do just the trick.

There's no telling who the Conservatives will pick as their new candidate, but popular contenders include Robert MacAvoy, MP for Yzandria Central and head of the Forward Front, a more centrist group within the Conservative Party focused on Eshian self-reliance in the modern age, James Wheatley, MP for Eldon-Thameside South, who's rather popular among the more religious branch of the party, and Zackary Grant, a freshman MP from Eshialand City-Bayside who's also a member of the Forward Front, but more focused on subsidizing big tech to innovate and export new technologies to turn Eshialand into a new cyber-powerhouse.

That same poll revealed that, of those candidates, MacAvoy and Wheatley are neck and neck with Grant being more of a dark horse, but this decision isn't up to the people, but rather upper-level members of the Conservative Party, and, although they often do agree with the Conservatives in the general population, they may have a different set of interests in mind. We'll keep you updated on any future changes to this developing story.

by **Cardenao** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:18 pm

“Well this is it then, isn’t it?”

“Yup, I reckon it is.”

“You gave it a good run, the boys played their hardest.”

“Yeah, I reckon they did.”

“I’m sorry honey, I know you set them up as best you could, I know you’d get onto the field with them if you could.”

Yes, I reckon I would.”

“Well……what’s next sweetie?”

What’s next? That was the question.

Six years, 90 games, 37 victories. 181 goals scored, 50 players given caps to. Zero qualifications. Scooter McNash didn’t know what was next. The Cup of Harmony, sure. But, what was next? He took a sip of beer, who the hell knew cause he sure didn’t. It’s not like he was old, he’d be 57 by the time the next World Cup rolled around in three years' time, but at some point you wonder if your moment has passed you by?

Cardenao’s national team manager looked down at his beer. No, this wasn’t the moment, the team was on the up and up and would surely be more favored to qualify than not in the next cycle. He had built a foundation, a way of doing things, a culture that was only just starting to pay off. If he failed to lead the team to qualification, maybe that would be time to call it quits but until then?

Scooter took a sip of beer.

“Well I reckon I'll take another shot at this.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

by **Kelssek** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:26 pm

Ó Tuathail relishing Pemecutan challenge

National team captain Colm Ó Tuathail is looking forward to the challenge of facing the group’s top seed Pemecutan as Kelssek travels to Tegeh Kori in what could be a pivotal match to decide World Cup 93 qualification.

“This is a test for us, they’re one of the top teams in the world right now, and it’s a chance for us to show that we’ve made progress and grown as a group in the months since we last played them.”

Kelssek lost the home encounter earlier in the qualifiers as Dewa Putu Mahardika and Agus Setiahad scored to silence the Exhibition Place crowd. Kelssek found their feet with Loïc Maçon-Petrault getting them back within a goal in the 77th minutes but it was a belated comeback attempt that came much too late.

But the context is different heading into this match, giving the team some confidence that the result will be different too. They’ve had more time to settle into their new manager’s way of doing things, and come into the match above Pemecutan in the table. After recording a fourth straight win during the last internationals week, Kelssek seized top spot in Group 3 with a four-point lead in the standings.

Of course, Pemecutan are an opponent who are more than capable of changing all that. Kelssek will be missing Nacuémiró Buené, who took a knock in Burnaby’s KFL Championship match last week and has been withdrawn, as well as Bryan Hartpoach who has also been carrying an injury in recent weeks and did not travel to join the team. While Kelssek has plenty of depth in midfield, Buené absence for this key match will be a real concern and gives FC Capri’s Tegan Earrach a real chance to prove herself with the national team.

LOYO 0
KELSSEK 2 – Macon-Petrault (29’), Ahmad (77’)
Salinas, Earrach, Lozic, Brewer, Barris, Breault, dí Völará (Robin 75’), Heer (Lohánares 75’), Maçon-Petrault (Maradrogba 64’), Ahmad
KELSSEK 3 – Goh-Lemaire (43’), Breault (55’), Ó Tuathail (71’)
MILLENHAAL 2
Terlock, Buené, Lambert, Bream, Barris (Holman 63’), Breault (Ducharne 77’), Ó Tuathail (Heer 77’), Goh-Lemaire, Maradrogba (Robin 83’), Lohánares (Ahmad 63’)

by **New Gelderland** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:31 pm

New Gelderland in precarious position before last 180 minutes of qualifying football

For those of you focused on Olympics preparation right now, who only looked at World Cup qualifying at the halfway point, we have some news for you: New Gelderland is no longer in first. After two desultory draws with the lowest ranked nations in the group, New Gelderland is in third, five points behind group leaders Jeruselem (ugh) and three points behind Kandorith. It sits only one point ahead of Eura, and it sits even with unranked rivals Sylestone.

That scenario seems acceptable at first glance, right? Those of you focused on Olympics preparation might think that we have a fairly good chance of making the playoffs, then, with six points on the line. There's nothing to worry about, right? You can keep reading about the Olympics and their issues with NOCs not reading submission information, and ignore the World Cup until the next big piece of World Cup news crops up on your twii.tur feed.

Well, that scenario would be wrong. New Gelderland plays 29th-ranked Eura and 10th-ranked Kandorith in the next two matches, in the last 180 minutes of qualifying football on the table. It will be far from a walk in the park. Even with Sylestone playing the Cordian Isles and Tjorl — two nations with higher rank than Sylestone, and two nations who have given New Gelderland trouble in this qualifying campaign — outpacing them will not be easy.

And Eura plays Bongo Johnson in the last week of qualifying... Certainly more of a walk in the park for them than they are to us!

So, given that it seems like Eura and Sylestone have the potential to pick up quite a few points the next two weeks... what are the options for New Gelderland? If New Gelderland scores 0 points, it will fall out of playoff contention. It's that simple; we won't have the luxury of sitting on our asses (pardon our French) and hoping that both Sylestone and Eura also fall flat on their faces. (Especially in the case of Eura, given that they play... us.)

We hate to be this glib, but the solution for New Gelderland is simple: just win.

Of course, "just winning" is easier said than done, especially when facing opponents of this caliber. We did beat Eura in the away leg, leading to some speculation that a win against Eura is eminently achievable. But with a playoff spot on the line, wouldn't we expect Eura to bring its best team to Nassau Bay, ready to crush our world-weary 99th ranked team, in a position that it never should have ascended to?

The analysis with Kandorith is a little worse. (Okay, it's a lot worse.) Kandorith defeated us handily on our home turf... how can we expect to mount anything more than one point on their own home turf? Of course, Kandorith will also be motivated to defeat us here... With Sylestone in a position to pick up a perfect six points, a full three points against New Gelderland will secure a playoff spot (and, when they pick up points against 213rd ranked Osarius, first place in the group is certainly within reach).

Frankly, we here at GelderSport are willing to sacrifice three points to Kandorith to prevent Jeruselem from winning the group outright... but not at the cost of the playoffs. So we can only root for that if we pick up three points versus Eura and Sylestone drops points to the Cordian Isles... right? (Frankly, we're not good at math or probabilities analysis. That's why we chose to become sports writers and not mathematicians.)

So, where does that leave us overall? To sum it up, this post is a bunch of Negative Nellies whining that Pot 6 team New Gelderland is about to be fourth. Their only solution to the problem that New Gelderland faces isn't actionable by a single reader (unless Nicoletta Arnaudo and her team are somehow reading this blog... we'd tell them to stay away if we could. You all must watch and wait to see if New Gelderland does okay... if you're even watching and waiting this nailbiter.

Wait... is there something that readers can do? Well, they can sacrifice a few rubber chickens. Multiples of 7 or 1,093 should work. And they can pray to Margaret.

Then again, GelderSport and its sister publication Cenisport have made that invocation many times... Not that it's worked out for us at all! So do whatever you want... Watch and wait, sacrifice rubber chickens, pray.

Or stop paying attention to the World Cup and go back to paying attention to every single Olympics minutia.

Yeah, that's probably more productive. It'll certainly be less heartbreaking.

by **Tikariot** » Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:09 pm

Alistair McIntosh: Good evening from Bul Khungur! Just in time for the final and very likely crucial game of the World Cup 93 qualifiers, we have moved our studio to the legendary Temple of the Crow where Tikariot will be facing the group favourites of Turori on matchday 22. While we will be travelling to Inkwellistan for the 21st game of the campaign, all eyes will be on the final match. So tonight we will have a look at the journey so far as well as all the possible permutations that our group might face before the final decision of who will go to Chromatika, who will have to face the gruelling playoffs and who will ultimately be left standing on the outside looking in.

With me in the studio are Duncan Haldane and former Tikariot international Rory McNair, so let's have a look at the campaign so far and how we got to where we are now.

Duncan Haldane: Thank you Alistair. Looking back, many experts have deemed group 13 one of the hardest of the qualifiers--

Rory McNair: --this seems to be a recurring theme whichever group we get drawn into--

Duncan Haldane: (laughs) --yes, you've got a point there. So, our group has Turori, the Commonwealth of Baker Park, Tikariot and Krytenia, who were widely seen as the main contenders for the qualification spots. Tikariot went off on a good start, beating Montaña Verde and Krytenia before hitting the first snag with a goalless draw with Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison, and at home to boot. After this, we went on a four-game winning streak against República Guanacasteca, Raspotochje, Oscioru and Atheara before we went up against Baker Park and again drew at home. Wins against Strayan Rus and Inkwellistan set up for the first big game against Turori, away, and we managed to do the unthinkable and win 3-2 in Turori, giving us the lead at the halfway point.

The second half didn't start as well by a long shot, despite wins against Montaña Verde and Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison, but drawing against Krytenia and losing against República Guanacasteca. We then won against Raspotochje, Oscioru and Atheara again before losing against Baker Park and winning against Strayan Rus. So now we still sit in first, two points ahead of Turori, four ahead of Baker Park and six ahead of Krytenia, with two games outstanding.

Alistair McIntosh: Thank you for the Cliff Notes, Duncan. So, this will be the decisive week, how are the last two matchdays looking for the four contenders?

Rory McNair: Well, we already established that Tikariot will be facing Inkwellistan and Turori. Turori is taking on Krytenia and, well, Tikariot. Baker Park are going against Raspotochje before meeting Oscioru at the end, while Krytenia are travelling to Turori and then finishing their campaign at home against Montaña Verde.

When you look at the goal difference, then I think that it's fairly safe to say that we should be ahead of Krytenia unless something freakish happens. But them playing Turori could be a huge game for us because if Tikariot wins against Inkwellistan, which is one of those must-wins no matter which way look at it, and Turori do not win - we'd be through! Basically, it's like this. If we win against Inkwellistan, we'll be out of reach for both Baker Park and Krytenia, and if Turori win against Krytenia, it will all come down to that last game.

Alistair McIntosh: Plus we have the best goal difference as well.

Duncan Haldane: Yes. And obviously, it will depend on the Turori game for that series, but we have the head-to-head advantage over Krytenia but are down compared to Baker Park, who on paper have the easiest two matchdays out of the top four. So they are a potential dark horse in this.

Alistair McIntosh: So what is everybody's prediction?

Duncan Haldane: Oh, I hate this question, haha, but I think that we will win against Inkwellistan and draw against Turori.

Rory McNair: Win against Inkwellistan, loss against Turori, but Krytenia is holding them to a draw as well.

Alistair McIntosh: Ooh, predicting a loss!

Rory McNair: Well, I am trying to be realistic here, but I'd obviously take any point, haha.

Duncan Haldane: How about you, Alistair? You're always big on making us make predictions, but don't always give one yourself.

Alistair McIntosh: Oh come on, I give predictions, too! I'll go down the same route as Duncan, a win against Inkwellistan and I think that we can at least draw Turori as we're in Bul Khungur and the Temple of the Crow has been a good omen for us.

Duncan Haldane: Makes sense, this stadium has been good.

Alistair McIntosh: So, without being arrogant, we are all in agreement that a win over Inkwellistan, so Rory, who would you send onto the pitch against Turori?

Rory McNair: Now you're making me the coach? You are big on questions today.

Alistair McIntosh: That's what I do best!

Rory McNair: (laughs) I just don't get paid as much!

Duncan Haldane: Hello bosses, are you hearing this?

Rory McNair: (laughs) I don't think it works like this.

Alistair McIntosh: So, maybe if you predict a winning team you can get a raise.

Rory McNair: Ooh, the pressure... Alright, let's see.

Goal - Brian Merson

-

Defense - Anders Skogensberg - Walter Thomas - Dominic Eovaldi - Kiarra Yates

-

Midfield - Corey Sedar - Kathleen Chamberlain - Arfon Davies

-

Forwards - Morris Nighthorse - Theodor Armitage - Adrian Grimaud

Duncan Haldane: That sounds like a very reasonable lineup.

Alistair McIntosh: So, you agree with Rory's picks?

Duncan Haldane: Yes, the only spot where I could see a switch would be in centre midfield where I might have gone with Þorgríma Vigdis, but Kathleen has shown that she can work the big games, so no complaints from my end.

Alistair McIntosh: (nods) Nice, nice. Now, if we look across the qualifying groups, who do we see as the prospective winners?

Duncan Haldane: Alright, I'll bite. Group 1, Juvencus is already qualified, Drawkland have clinched a playoff spot and I don't see Nyowani Kitara waste a six-point lead. In Group 2, I see Ko-oren making it through as first with the Ochre Islands and the Independent Athletes from Quebec going into the playoffs.

For Group 3, Kelssek are through for me and I see Gnejs and Pemecutan making it into the playoff round, and in Group 4, Huayramarca will win the group and Sargossa is going to join Farfadillis.

Group 5, Græntfjall obviously already are through, behind them I'm going with Yuezhou and Ceni. Nephara has all but won Group 6, TJUN-ia are in the playoffs and Baggieland are going to do the same.

Rory McNair: I'll take over now, with Group 7, the Squornshelan Remnant States will go through in the auto-qual spot and joining Audioslavia, I feel, will be Aeragny. They've been on a true roll of late. Group 8 is a really hard one because there are so many nations still in the running, so I put Jeruselem in the top spot and for the playoffs Kandorith and Sylestone.

Moving on to Group numero 9, The Holy Empire will win the group, then I think it will be Saint Elanor and Mertagne going into the playoffs. In Group 10 I am putting Flavovespia on top and then Valanora and Pasarga doing the playing of the off. Group 11 is another tight one behind Vilita and I'd say that Delte and Brenecia are going to be continue on.

Banija have pretty much won Group 12 and behind them I see Mytanija and Cap Nord. Group 13, obviously, Tikariot in the guaranteed spot and then Turori and Krytenia entering the playoffs.

Alistair McIntosh: I'll do the last two then. Group 14, Milchama will win the group and then Xanneria and Savigliane doing the playoffs and finally, in group 15 Zwangzug already won the group, behind them I'll go with Cabo Azure and Eastfield Lodge.

There we have it, now it is up to all of these nations to prove us wrong (laughs). But this brings us to the end of tonight's edition and, Tikariot, tune in to TBC Sports for our extensive live coverage of the last two games especially the last one right here in the Temple of the Crow in Bul Khungur. #darktide!

OOC Disclaimer: The portraits have been made with Midjourney. The TBC logo is my creation.

World Cup 93 - RP Thread

Eternity, Episode 11, Part 2

Two Games, One Point

WC93 MD17-20

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