A Bad Joke

'Got you!'

When I looked up, I noticed Skargar pointing at us all and laughing so hard that he fell off his seat.

The lights on our collars blinked to an almost pleasant green again. Some members of the team couldn't move, though, seeming to be paralysed with fright. Sameth may have even wet himself, the poor guy.

Skargar whistled. 'Get up and play, you mutts.'

'Ignore him; the bastard's looking for an excuse.' I remind them all.

'What drama we have down there, Gretta!'

'Don't I know it, Belgrin. We have a throw-in now from the sideline, and it's Felzin to take it. Look at that range! Nooke springs into the air, his long legs carrying him almost a foot higher than everyone else, but the ball scrapes over his head and flies out of reach.'

'If that thing had blades on it, it might have given him a new haircut, Gretta.'

Proctor looked up, pushing against Nooke's shoulders to try and climb higher, but he held his palms out, the glare of the sunlight blinding him. He didn't see it coming; the ball somehow smacked the tender skin around his nose, missing every warded plate of metal on his armour before falling to the ground.

'Stretcher!' Kingsthorpe yelled, calling out for help as his hapless teammate lay convulsing on the floor. The brain was a delicate thing, a hypothesis, in my limited experience that always seemed to be sorely tested when playing Runeball.

Skargar was waving off the game medic though. 'Play on!'

'But he needs help,' Kingsthorpe argued. 'William, give me a hand, will you?' William Howell looked confused, as though unsure whose orders he should obey.

'Fine,' Kingsthorpe snapped. 'I'll do it myself.'

'I said, play on!' Skargar repeated, leaning over the railing of the viewing box, as he mashed his fingers on the dreaded remote in his hand.

Kingsthorpe's terrified gaze flicked from his collar to those standing nearby. William wouldn't move to assist, and Proctor still lay unconscious. 'Find my brother.' He yelled to no one in particular, before diving out the way.

He didn't make it far enough, though; this time, the intensity of the explosion turning out to be so much higher than it should have been, catching all three players unawares.

I felt Skargar's laughter flooding through me; the rumble of the heckling crowd clawing underneath my skin, and then Baltar's words came flashing back, twisting and polluting every thought that entered my mind.

I closed my eyes again, allowing the rage to consume me, and I knew what was about to happen.

Get them. I whispered, watching as my orbs began transforming into something new, something unexpected. It would have to be if I wanted to catch the leadership off-guard.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was colossal, with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth filling its vulgar mouth, but without those tiny, almost pointless arms sticking out of its torso. Instead, my dinosaur had arms that were the length of its legs, only weighing less so that it could easily scoop up its fleeing prey.

It even seemed to listen to my commands. The dinosaur ran, already tracking across the turf at a phenomenal pace as it angled for its target - Skargar. I watched as everyone in the stadium covered their ears; its menacing roar causing even the notoriously unafraid Giants to quake and stumble.

The monster's footsteps were leaving vast craters in their wake; they might have been able to salvage the pitch at one time, but I drew solace in knowing that it would be an impossible task now.

'Guards! Get down there! Get-'

The 'Very Important People' rushed to get out of their high tower of a box at once, with Skargar shouldering everyone else aside to make his escape. There was always the chance that some of them were more innocent than the others, so I made sure only to send Rex after those who were attacking him, or after the evil bastard Skargar himself.

'What are you waiting for? Let's go!' I yell, struggling to shove Alistair forward as he was just stood staring out at the pitch, it took a moment to realise he was waiting for Molly. She'd been doing whatever she could for William Howell.

'He was suffering.' She said, looking past me.

'We don't have a lot of time, so where do we go first?'

Molly didn't reply right away. 'The armoury. Without our magic, we'll be running headlong into gunfire no doubt.'

'Where do we go after that?' I ask, eager to form a more elaborate plan. I'd always hated having to 'wing-it.'

'We'd never gotten this far before,' She admitted wistfully, gazing at what was left of the Bricklelake Bobcats as they hobbled towards us. 'What about them?'

I nodded. 'We're all in this together, right.'

Their Captain was as sour as he was at the start of the match. 'Before you waste your breath, telling me all about your foolish plans, you should know I want nothing to do with them.'

We decided to grant his request, leaving him behind, along with two of his players who seemed to be equally as bitter.

'You shouldn't have scored that last goal,' One of them barked. 'It was dumb luck!'

I just stared back blankly; with everything that was happening right now, all he seemed to care about was Runeball. I guess he was similar to many of the fans in that regard. I could almost understand; Runeball had the potential to be an incredible sport; at least it might have been if it wasn't for all of the dying.

We'd never had the chance to explore the stadium's internal layout before; as prisoners, we weren't allowed. Though seeing it now, I'd have to confess; it wasn't much to look at. A long lit-up corridor of cream-painted stone led out towards the far side of the stadium, at least we assumed it did. Alistair and Sameth were reading out the directional signs hanging above as we walked cautiously underneath.

'Infirmary?' Molly snorted with derision. 'I doubt that's ever been used.'

'We should still take a look.'

She frowned at me. 'It's a waste of time.'

'Really?' I ask. 'Medical supplies, injured friends...Do you want me to keep going?'

As I reached for the door, pulling down on the silver handle, the lighting up ahead seemed to flicker, before going out altogether. Gazing behind, I noticed the same thing, with the glass of the light coverings exploding and shattering all over the floor.

'What is that?' Alistair asked softly, his voice croaking he was so afraid.

Next, the ground shook; a massive earthquake I thought, and the walls on either side began buckling inwards, spewing out fountains of debris in every direction.

'Run! Everyone get inside!'