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Fantasy Football

The wizard entered the dragon’s lair with the quiet confidence of someone who knows how good they are and doesn’t feel the need to prove it. With calm, rhythmic steps, he advanced further into the cave. The narrow passage suddenly opened into a huge chamber, lit by torches on the walls, causing shadows to flitter across the room. The design left the middle darker than the rest. It looked like something was there, but he couldn’t be sure. He advanced further and heard a shuffle to his right. He glanced over. He saw the tail. With a mighty roar, the dragon behind him reared its massive jaws and roared.

The bus ride was silent. The Pirates were focused, all thoughts towards the upcoming game. The Pirates needed to win to make the playoffs. They got to the field. The stands were empty as usual. The Hornets were already warming up. Eyes shot over, studying the opponent’s drills. They were big, strong, and one of the best teams in the city. But the Pirates were big on heart, and felt they could play with anybody when they were on their game. The referees and captains got set for the coin toss. The Pirates won and elected to receive the ball.

The teams took their places for the kickoff. The ref blew the whistle and they were off. Will caught the ball, sprinted forward, cut right and was crunched on that side by two defenders. The ball popped loose and into a Hornet player’s hands. He took off and was into the endzone untouched. Touchdown Hornets. Maybe the Pirates weren’t so ready.

The wizard dove to the right, and rolled on his sore ribs. The whoosh from the dragon’s sweep pressed the wizard into the floor. The dragon’s powerful tail was beginning to take its toll. His black goatee was streaked red from the blood leaking from his nose from being on the wrong end of a swipe. He rose to a knee, clutching his chest and gasping for air. Collecting energy, he launched an ice ball at the dragon. It glanced off the dragon’s practically armor plated hindquarters. He fired another, missed, and felt his energy starting to sap. He needed help, and fast.

The ball whizzed through the air, a perfect spiral, and landed softly in the waiting hands of the Hornet’s wide receiver. He caught it in stride, and was into the end zone before the defense had a chance to react. Another Hornets touchdown. 24-0 at the end of the half. The Pirates’ confidence was shattered and things were only getting worse.

The wizard had found a crevice and shoved his way into it. The dragon was sniffing around, but couldn’t spot him in the darkness. It had breathed fire near his hiding place a couple of times, but the flames had not yet found him. The dragon made another pass and the wizard leaned as far into the crack as he could. It was then the jewel fell out of his pocket. The Crystal of the Shinukar! It’s magical power was unparalleled and used improperly, it would spell doom for the both the intended victim and the user. The wizard picked it up, feeling his strength restored.

Ryan busted a run up the gut, and then broke to the outside. One man to beat. He lowered his shoulder. The Hornet flipped over, Ryan rumbled into the endzone. 23-16. The Pirates had been chipping away at the hornets lead for the better part of two quarters now. They had changed their quarterback at the half, and Matt had revitalized the offense. With two minutes left, they had pulled within a single score.

The Wizard waited until the dragon passed again, and then slowly stepped out of the crack. Holding the jewel, he stared down the dragon. His green eyes sparkled. “NOT SO FAST.”

They lined up for an onside kick. The ball bounced twice on the ground and then off of a Hornet player. Bodies started flying as players on both teams dove for the ball, the game hanging in the balance. A 7 player pile on the ball was the result. The refs started peeling players off the pile. Both benches leaned forward, anxious of the result. The head ref signaled Pirate ball. Their bench exploded.

After two runs for little gain, and a short pass, the Pirates season had come down to one play. They ran a waggle to flood the defense’s zone. As the quarter back saw the deep man had a step on the d-back. He launched the best pass he had ever thrown. The d-back didn’t have a chance. The ball hit the receiver’s hands, and bounced forward into the air. The receiver laid out, full length, and caught it. He landed flat, but as everyone was shocked by the amazing catch, no one touched him. He quickly got up and crossed the end line just as the clock expired.

The wizard began to harness the power of the gem. The dragon seemed transfixed by the process. The spell was almost complete, when the dragon snapped out of it. It lunged and tried to catch the wizard between its massive jaws. The wizard, ended the spell and the jewel’s concentrated energy began to pour out at the dragon. The wizard’s final vision was that of the jewel exploding, light energy shearing the darkness of the cave.

The coach had to go for two. Conventional logic said to tie the game, but the Pirate kicker was injured. They had no choice. This play would decide their future. Matt gave Ryan the handoff. He broke two tackles at the line and looked to be in, when he tripped. The ball flew out of his hands, through the back of the endzone, and rolled a bit before stopping, as dead as the Pirates season. They had proved they could play with anyone, but who cared?