Kat only had a moment to consider what to do next before someone crashed into her side, and she hit the ground tumbling. Dazed, she pulled herself up in time to see the dirt beneath Ben’s feet bursting into nothing as he fell into the pit below. An orange figure was standing there, shovel in hand. It was Ben who had knocked Kat out of the way, even though it meant falling into the pit below himself.
Kat hopped up and attacked the remaining Blaze with a shovel, just as DZ burst from behind a tree and did the same. This Blaze was exceptionally skilled, as he dodged both attacks and then swung his shovel into DZ. By the time Kat had recovered from her missed attack, the Blaze had tricked DZ. He took one wrong step and plunged into the same hole that Ben had fallen into.
Kat gritted her teeth, determined not to lose, and rushed at the remaining Blaze. She leaped into the air just as the player destroyed the dirt block beneath her. Kat reached out her left hand and tackled the Blaze to the ground, pinning him beneath her. In his daze, the player was powerless to stop Kat as she brought her diamond shovel up in her right hand, and in two jabs destroyed the dirt below them. Kat kicked off the player’s stomach, forcing him downwards to join Ben, DZ, and the two other Blazes as Kat landed safely on the soil above.
The match now over, Kat took in the tumultuous applause from the crowd around her. She waved to them all, a huge grin breaking across her face. From the pit below, she heard the hoots and cheers of Ben and DZ, praising their teammate for her victory.
Oh man, thought Kat as the glow of victory radiated from her face like sunbeams. Three matches down, two to go!
Stan was now well below the stands, but he could still hear the sound erupting from the crowd above. Stan and Charlie had to push their way through gaggles of fanatic Zombie fans to get to Kat, DZ and Ben.
“That was easily one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen,” said Stan, images from the match still flashing through his head.
“I know, right?” said Charlie. “I mean, I get that we’re busy and all, but was that really the first time you’ve ever come to one of these matches? Stan, you signed the paper that made the place!”
“Well, I’ll tell you this, Charlie, I’m definitely coming to every one of these matches from now on.”
Charlie laughed. “Man, you haven’t seen anything yet! You know, last time they played, in the match against the Ghasts …” And Charlie and Stan spent the rest of the walk down the corridor talking about the previous matches.
“And right as DZ was about to— Hey, guys!” shouted Charlie as he entered the room and rushed over to greet his friends. Stan followed closely behind. G and Kat released each other from their hug and beckoned the two new arrivals over to them, while DZ, Ben and his brother Bill walked over, followed closely by Bob, who sat on the back of a pink pig.
Stan, like all his friends, felt that Bob was very lucky to be alive at all. During the battle in which Stan had defeated King Kev, which was now commonly known as the Battle for Elementia, Bill and Bob had engaged Caesar, who had been King Kev’s right-hand man and was an exceptional sword-fighter, in combat. They had failed to defeat him, and Caesar would have killed Bob had Kat not intervened. Instead, the sword strike intended to kill Bob destroyed his kneecap and severed his leg from his body.
Luckily, Bill and Ben had used their entire supply of Potions of Regeneration to reattach Bob’s leg, and he had regained very limited use of it. However, it had quickly become evident that Bob would never walk again. That didn’t stop Bob from serving alongside his brothers as a police chief of Element City, though. He now followed Ben, Bill and DZ over to Stan, Charlie, Kat and G on the back of Ivanhoe, his trusty war pig, which had been saddled and was controlled with guidance through carrots.
Although one might think Bob wasn’t the same warrior he’d been, nothing could be further from the truth. He could shoot his bow just as well on pigback as he could on foot, and the pig was swift and adaptable to rough terrains. Bob had quickly gained renown as the fastest and most pliable officer on the force, a nightmare to any criminal who gave them chase.
“Nice match, guys!” said Charlie.
“Yeah, guys, that match was one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen,” added Stan.
“Eh, thanks, guys,” said Kat. “Nice of you to finally come down to see one of the matches, Stan,” she added with a smirk.
“Hey, you know I’ve been up to my neck in work since the campaign began,” said Stan, being playfully defensive. “I tell you, though, from now on I’m making it a priority to come to each and every one of these matches.”
“Good to hear,” said Ben, butting in between them with DZ and the other two police chiefs at his side. “Now is it just me, or did I hear someone say party at the castle courtyard?”
“Nobody said that, Ben,” added Kat with a laugh.
“Oh, well then, I guess it was just me thinking it,” said Ben, grinning. “But now that it’s out there, we might as well go and do it. Come on, guys!” He led his brothers and DZ out of the room and into a corridor that would take them into the courtyard to be received by their adoring fans.
Kat gave a laugh and called out, “Wait up, Ben!” She ran to catch him, followed by G, who had been at Kat’s side the whole time and was now following her at a determinedly close distance. Stan and Charlie glanced at each other, and both rolled their eyes at G’s clinginess before following the other five players.
Stan never failed to be amazed at how fast the Imperial Butlers prepared meals at his whim. Even now, when Stan ordered them to prepare enough cake, cookies, and pumpkin pie for a victory party, it was all prepared and set out on ornate tables within a matter of minutes. Stan had personally been in favour of getting rid of the Imperial Butlers, as the organization had originally been created for catering to the desires of King Kev. However, the council had surveyed the people of the city and voted that they deserved the service of the butlers, provided the butlers were paid well.
Stan was certainly glad that the butlers were here, now that the festival was shifting into full gear. He looked around and saw that his people were in the highest of spirits, with more players streaming into the courtyard and immediately partaking in the dancing and feasting. Stan saw Ben and Bill cheering on Bob, who had somehow managed to teach Ivanhoe the pig how to do the moonwalk as the music blasted from the nearest jukebox. Kat and G were mingling with people, Kat holding a feather quill in her hand and signing autographs for fans of the Zombies. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her newfound fame as a Spleef athlete.
“Eh, this is a nice little shindig ya got goin’ here, Stan,” came a voice from behind him. DZ had come up to Stan, pumpkin pie in both hands, with Charlie following.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t be surprised if people supported the Zombies now just so that there are more victory parties like this,” Charlie said.
“Very true,” said Stan. “So, DZ, how does it feel to finally get back in the Spleef arena?”
“Awesome, man!” came DZ’s enthused reply. “I mean, I think it’s been coming for a long time, but I really owe you one, Stan. I think the new rules for Spleef are a million times more fun than the old ones – even if you do make us wear armour,” he added with a smirk.
“It’s a necessary evil, DZ, you know that. I made the shovel techniques legal, just like you asked, but the council—”
“Yeah, I know, the council insisted on armour,” DZ finished for him, waving his hand. “I’m just joshing ya, Stan, you know how grateful I am for you doing all of this. And I gotta say, I am very, very happy with my new teammates.”
“Yeah, they do seem to be enjoying it,” said Stan, jerking a thumb towards Kat, who was now being approached by two boys and a girl, all of whom were wearing