It was midday on the Field of the Dawn. A hot breeze lashed the pennants around the stadium to life. Overhead, a tiny sliver of the Moon was visible in a cloudless sky. Spectators thronged into the stadium and eagerly took their seats. Farmers, merchants, craftsmen, soldiers, scholars and tourists from across the Empire of the Cath Bruig all were there. Representatives of every race in the land save the Myrkridia were present; even the few remaining dwarves were in attendance. The climax of Alric's Myth World Cup was at hand.

The hubbub of the assembled spectators grew quiet as the Imperial banner was dipped and raised again to signify Alric's arrival in the High Seat. Then the stadium erupted in cheers as the Challengers marched onto the field, a proud smile on every face. As each player was introduced, the cheers grew louder. Marcus, Alyce, Brand, Kaherdin, Ewan, Owen...Farrell's name was called and the crowd all but drowned out the booming voice of Acerus Malum. Then at last Cormac was introduced, and the tumult reached new heights. The warriors on the field clapped each other on the shoulder, shouting words of encouragement.

When the cheers had subsided enough for Acerus Malum to be heard again, the Heron Avengers emerged onto the field, resplendent in newly polished armor. The glint of gold leapt from the back of every Heron, and knowledgable spectators informed all who would listen that the Herons each wore on their backs a single gold tile in memory of their comrades who had fallen in the catacombs. The cheers for the Heron stars Four Flint Motion Sun and Seven Leopard Breeze were but little less than the accolades for Farrell and Cormac.

The two teams gathered at midfield to shake hands and listen to the mighty trow's last-minute instructions, and then moved to take up their positions. A moment of silence, and the match was on - Thayer was first to the ball, narrowly edging out Ten Soaring White Eagle and sending the ball wide to Alyce. The Quad-Cities offense dashed into Heron territory and began maneuvering the ball towards the goal. An approach pass was disrupted by Two Laughing Walrus and the ball soared back to midfield to be recovered by Ten Soaring White Eagle. Ewan and Owen sped in from either side, forcing a pass to Seven Leopard Breeze, who was in turn set upon by Thayer and Clairemonde. The fast response of the QC defenders kept the Herons from approaching the goal, and finally Aethelweard was able to pick up the ball at midfield and carry the attack back to the Herons.

Aethelweard passed to Alyce, who sent a soaring pass to the far side of the field where Farrell and Marcus waited. Marcus ran forward to take the pass on his chest, controlling the impact and presenting a perfect target for Farrell as he ran up to take a shot. Farrell's kick flashed through the air towards the net and eluded One Tiger Stalking's dive to put the Challengers in the lead.

At the restart, Seven Leopard Breeze got to the ball first and dribbled at a slant into QC territory. Finding his way blocked by Gareth, he passed back to Ten Soaring who ran around Kaherdin and brought the ball back to the center. He paused briefly, then made a well-timed passing shot to get the ball past Ewan to Four Flint Motion Sun. Four Flint streaked into the goal box just ahead of a desperate tackle attempt by Owen and sent the ball flying into the net despite Cormac's attempt to block. The players returned to their starting positions; the QC defenders were breathing heavily, but the Herons ran lightly despite the heavy gold tiles on their backs.

With the score tied and the first half winding down, Farrell took charge of the QC attack. The Heron defenders swarmed around them, however, denying any shot on goal and forcing the attackers to fall back and regroup. A pass to Marcus at the corner led to a quick shot, but One Tiger easily smothered it and cleared the ball back to midfield. The Herons put on a burst of speed and mounted an attack before the All-Stars could get into their defensive positions. Cormac and Kaherdin found themselves facing an attack by Four Flint, Ten Soaring and Seven Leopard as the rest of their defense ran doggedly back to help. Against those odds the defense couldn't last, and it was the Heron captain Seven Leopard Breeze who fired the shot home to give his team a 2-1 lead at the half.

The teams moved to the sidelines and drank thirstily to replace what they had lost in the hot desert sun. Garrick Tremaine made his way down to the Quad Cities bench and approached Farrell, who was sitting on the bench panting heavily.

"Congratulations on that goal you scored, Farrell. That was a masterful shot."

"Thank you, Garrick. One Tiger is a great goalie, I feel lucky that we were able to score at all. These Herons don't seem to get tired at all, and after we've been out there in the sun for a while it's all we can do to keep up with them. At least we're not cramping up like we were in that evening match against the Scottish Nationals! The Heron defenders are making it very tough on us. But we'll come back strong in the second half!"

Tremaine thanked the youngster and moved along the bench to where Cormac sat quietly. "Cormac, you're looking stronger than ever out there, but the Heron attackers seem to be overwhelming your defenders. Are you going to change your strategy in the second half?"

Cormac thought for a moment. "Well, Garrick, the problem is that the immortal Herons just aren't tiring. They keep the pressure on, and eventually our defenders are worn down or make a mistake. We may have to change our approach, you're right." He was interrupted by Acerus Malum calling for the players to resume their positions. "Excuse me, Garrick." Cormac led his team back out onto the field for the second half.

To start the second half it was Ten Soaring White Eagle taking the ball and leading another drive into the QC half. The Challengers' defense was freshened by the brief halftime rest and moved quickly in response. The Heron attackers kept the ball moving briskly around the periphery until Gareth made an attempt to steal a pass. Four Flint evaded the sliding kick and dashed into the opening left in the defense. Cormac readied himself at the goal as Four Flint dodged nimbly past Ewan and Kaherdin and flicked a soft lob to Seven Leopard, who fired a shot at the corner of the goal. Cormac's dive deflected it into the ground in front of the goal where it bounced and lay still. Cormac scrambled up to cover the ball, signalled to his team, and let fly with a booming kick that flew out well beyond the midfield stripe.

As the ball sailed through the air, Kaherdin moved back to the center of the goal box while Ewan and Owen moved to guard the sides. Gareth advanced to the midfield circle, and the rest of the All-Stars pressed home a 7-player attack. The addition of Clairemonde and Thayer to the ranks of the attackers let them maneuver the ball into the Heron goal box, and Brand let loose with a shot that was blocked by One Tiger, who fired a kick back to midfield. Gareth ran up fast, but Ten Soaring White Eagle got there first and the Heron attackers raced past and started attacking the lightly-defended goal. Four Flint moved off to the side to draw off Owen while Ten Soaring drove in from the opposite side. Ewan ran up to disrupt Ten Soaring's approach and forced a quick shot that Cormac was able to trap.

Again Cormac sent the ball back out to midfield, where Marcus recovered and moved to the attack. Passing back and forth with Thayer, he evaded the Heron defenders and approached the goal box. A Heron double-team on Farrell combined with the 7-player attack mounted by the Challengers left Brand in the clear, and Marcus got the ball to him in a flash. Brand charged the ball at an angle, aiming for the far corner of the goal....and instead gave the ball the merest tap, lofting it gently into the air. One Tiger Stalking, already in his dive, tried desperately to recover but the ball floated easily over his head and just under the bar to tie the score at two goals all.

With time growing short, Alyce seized the ball at the restart and charged into Heron territory. Two Laughing Walrus brought him down with a clean tackle and the ball soared into the lightly-defended QC half. Four Flint recovered the ball and moved in for a shot. A quick feint lured Cormac to the near side of the goal, and his crossing shot looked like a sure thing to put the Herons back in the lead, but Kaherdin came diving in from the side and deflected the shot before it could reach the goal. Ten Soaring recovered the rebound and circled back to attack again. Meanwhile the speedy Farrell was streaking back across the midfield line to reinforce the beleagured QC defense. When Ten Soaring fired a shot from 12 meters, Cormac was able to block it, and Farrell took possession of the deflection, passed on to Gareth at midfield and ran back towards Heron territory.

Receiving the ball from Gareth with under a minute left, Alyce tried to maneuver to get the ball to Brand or Thayer but the Heron defenders kept him bottled up. Forced to pass, Alyce wasn't able to keep the ball away from the Herons and once again possession changed. Seven Leopard Breeze sent a lofting pass high into the air towards the waiting Four Flint Motion Sun. The crowd rose to their feet in amazement to see Farrell sprinting back once again, getting under the descending pass before Four Flint. His header sent the ball ricocheting back into Heron territory to Thayer, who weaved through the defenders and fired the ball at the net. One Tiger leapt to block, and the ball slammed into the crossbar and down, bouncing into the net to give the All-Stars the lead.

Acerus Malum raised a massive arm to signal the end of the match, and the Quad Cities players jumped up and down, clapping each other on the back, folding their teammates in enormous bearhugs. The Herons gathered together for a moment, and then came over to congratulate the winners of the Cup. The wind began whipping through the stadium as the two teams walked off of the field together. The cheers of the crowd continued, however, as the debris was cleared away and a dais was prepared at midfield under racing clouds driven before the growing wind.

When the dais was ready, out from the tunnels marched all of the Cup participants that remained in Muirthemne. Northmen, Ghols and Mauls walked next to Bowmen, Thrall, Soulless and Trow. The few remaining dwarves were there, and even a few lonely bre'Unor. When they were arrayed on the field before the dais, there was a pause, and then the Herons emerged to widespread cheers. They took their place just to the right of the dais, and then turned and led the thunderous applause for the Quad Cities team that followed behind them. The proud warriors from the Province walked slowly to the place of honor before the dais and waited for the crowd to still.

Finally, all was quiet again. The Imperial banner dipped as Alric rose from the High Seat and descended the steps to the field, accompanied by a figure robed and hooded in black. Alric slowly walked to center field and mounted the dais to stand before the podium. He smiled at the assembled players before him, and began to speak.

[to be continued...]