2019-05-29: A Little Game Of Six A Side

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  • Log: 2019-05-29 A Little Game Of Six A Side
  • Cast: Ines Colina, Ratatoskr
  • Where: Luca - Blitzball Stadium
  • Date: 29/05/2019
  • Summary: A pickup game of Blitzball gets surprisingly serious.

=========================<* Luca - Blitzball Stadium *>=========================

Where the Holy City of Bevelle is the spiritual centre of Spira, the blitzball stadium is its beating heart. The stadium is an enormous, open-air construction capable of holding several thousand spectators; as a result of its size, in addition to games, it has often been used by Maesters of Yevon to deliver particularly important speeches or sermons.

The stadium itself is an ancient blend of machina and sorcery, capable of holding a suspended sphere of water in place for hours at a time. Tournaments The stadium is one of the only machina formally sanctioned by the Grand Maester of Yevon, and countless Crusaders have sacrificed their lives over the centuries to turn Sin away from the city. The reason for this is simple - Blitzball lifts the heart of all who live in Spira, and even the smallest joys must be cherished.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-QpnYvldmo
DG: A party led by Ines Colina is now entering Community Blitzball.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Blitzoff! *>===========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Community Blitzball 101: This is a pick-up game of blitzball, played at Luca  
 in the off-hours, when the arena is not in use by the pros. The exploration   
 cards will assume that you or your opponents have the ball roughly half the   
 time each, but if you'd like to ignore that suggestion and go the other way   
 with the card's scenario, that's completely fine. The score is rarely         
 mentioned; keep as much or as little track of it as you find fun! (You are    
 broadly encouraged, for purposes of excitement, to assume that it's a close   
 game at all times.) Much as one doesn't necessarily detail walking down       
 every single corridor in a dungeon in a pose, this Dig isn't so much          
 designed to simulate every continuous moment of a blitzball game as it is     
 made to create Great Sports Moments In Blitzball for you to enjoy.            
                                                                               
 Today's Opponent: The Dockside Dodgers are Luca dockworkers who like to play  
 a little ball after work. What they lack for in talent they make up for with  
 experience and, especially, maturity; many of their players are parents, and  
 well able to avoid, predict, and sometimes incite the passionate mistakes of  
 the young. Which isn't to say they aren't blitzball fanatics; they've just    
 aged well, like a fine wine.                                                  
                                                                               
 LF: Mila of Luca. Team Grandma. Covered in terrific ink. Shockingly agile.    
 RF: Rico of Luca. The baby, he's only in his twenties. Has something to       
 prove.                                                                        
 MF: Foreman (who is actually a forewoman; never called by name). The boss on  
 the docks and off of them. Brains of the operation.                           
 LD: Zak of Luca. Doesn't want to play defense, is often out of position.      
 Dangerously good at stealing the ball, though.                                
 RD: Grii of Luca. Slow but steady. Wins races.                                
 GL: Kheti of Kilika. A relative newcomer to Luca and the team; still          
 settling into the Dodgers' rhythms. Enjoys wicked fast and accurate           
 throw-ins, so watch out if she makes a catch!                                 
                                                                               
 BGM: Blitzoff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJdLRpS_zA                    
                                                                               
 The Dockside Dodgers have played a million games of blitzball and have        
 hair-trigger reaction timing when the ball enters play. They're a little bit  
 overconfident, though; if you really push yourself and can beat them to the   
 ball, they'll be out of position, as they're already setting up for a pass    
 sequence on the assumption that they're going to get there first. That would  
 let your team gain a major field advantage with some passes of your own!      
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Here, in Luca's famous Blitzball arena, the greats of the sport have had game after game of thrilling moments and daring plays. But they're not the only ones in the game. Here in the off hours, amateur and community blitzball teams play for the love of the sport. Some will make it to the major leagues, but that's not what they're here for.

    One one side of the sphere, the Dockside Dodgers. A generally older, experienced, and fast playing team, formed from the dockworkers of Luca. These blitzers are a formidable opponent for a starting team. And unfortunately for the Dodger's opponents, they were down two players to an unfortunate case of food poisoning.

    Fortunately, they managed to find a few people to fill in on a pickup game. One of those pickup players is here for her first ever game of Blitzball. Ines Colina, drifter, geohound, and tonight right forward of a team too new to have decided on a name yet. She eyes her opposite, the heavily tattooed Mila of Luca. An older player, and one with a rep for being fast. Bulk vs Speed is rarely a good matchup.

    In the sphere tonight, Ines is sporting a leotard favoured by ronso women, and a pair of light, three quarter length black pants. Her webbed fingers and flipper like feet are clearly visible, as are her gills. She's an unusual sight, even Spira, but the people here seem to treat beastfolk a whole lot better than they do on Filgaia. She casts a look to the team captain playing in goal, and then to the other ringer.

    'Hopefully he's better at swimming here,' she thinks to herself.

    And then the siren blares and the game is on. The first major point of contention, who gains possession of the ball.

    While the Dodgers move with practiced precision, one player going for the ball while the others set up for a volley of passes, Ines moves through the water aiming to interrupt, and block Foreman of the Dodgers from getting that ball in the first place.

    She swims with a gust of speed from her symbological tattoos, arcing through the water like a whip to come in from above. She doesn't have the same agility as the dodgers, but she might just be fast enough to cause some trouble.

DG: Ines Colina has used her Tool Runic Whip toward her party's challenge, Blitzoff!.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    The other one they pick up is... it's not clear that anyone 'picked them up' so much as 'they have loudly asserted themselves and they've all kind of thrown their hands up.'
     "Hyahaha--!" Comes a loud, arrogant, horned squirrel of a Hyadean, standing with crossed arms. Is that a Ronso? They have a horn, but... that's... where the likenesses end. It's sort of like the likenesses don't even start outside of this concession.
     Living Metal courses through him, making him heavier than most living beings of his general frame, but he is light and hollow enough in places that he can actually swim reasonably well. Ratatoskr is set as one of the Forward players, and this is a good call, as he jumps on in.
     "This is the battlefield in which the legendary Besaid Aurochs once more re-establish their martial superiority..." He says in awe, and also in error. Awerror. This is now an official Ratatoskr word. This is important to the canon. This is where it begins.
     Already, Zak of Luca - the Left Defense - is already trying to go for the ball. Sometimes the Dodgers get unexpected good plays off of Zak's inability to stay in formation, throwing off teams with more rigid formations.
     This one time, there is a Ratatoskr, who sees this as an invitation to fight, ignoring the ball and just going to tackle the fellow - possibly giving Ines the chance to claim the ball.
     This may say everything about how this is all going to go while Ratatoskr is in the water.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Blitzoff!.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Blitzoff! *>===========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Community Blitzball 101: This is a pick-up game of blitzball, played at Luca  
 in the off-hours, when the arena is not in use by the pros. The exploration   
 cards will assume that you or your opponents have the ball roughly half the   
 time each, but if you'd like to ignore that suggestion and go the other way   
 with the card's scenario, that's completely fine. The score is rarely         
 mentioned; keep as much or as little track of it as you find fun! (You are    
 broadly encouraged, for purposes of excitement, to assume that it's a close   
 game at all times.) Much as one doesn't necessarily detail walking down       
 every single corridor in a dungeon in a pose, this Dig isn't so much          
 designed to simulate every continuous moment of a blitzball game as it is     
 made to create Great Sports Moments In Blitzball for you to enjoy.            
                                                                               
 Today's Opponent: The Dockside Dodgers are Luca dockworkers who like to play  
 a little ball after work. What they lack for in talent they make up for with  
 experience and, especially, maturity; many of their players are parents, and  
 well able to avoid, predict, and sometimes incite the passionate mistakes of  
 the young. Which isn't to say they aren't blitzball fanatics; they've just    
 aged well, like a fine wine.                                                  
                                                                               
 LF: Mila of Luca. Team Grandma. Covered in terrific ink. Shockingly agile.    
 RF: Rico of Luca. The baby, he's only in his twenties. Has something to       
 prove.                                                                        
 MF: Foreman (who is actually a forewoman; never called by name). The boss on  
 the docks and off of them. Brains of the operation.                           
 LD: Zak of Luca. Doesn't want to play defense, is often out of position.      
 Dangerously good at stealing the ball, though.                                
 RD: Grii of Luca. Slow but steady. Wins races.                                
 GL: Kheti of Kilika. A relative newcomer to Luca and the team; still          
 settling into the Dodgers' rhythms. Enjoys wicked fast and accurate           
 throw-ins, so watch out if she makes a catch!                                 
                                                                               
 BGM: Blitzoff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iJdLRpS_zA                    
                                                                               
 The Dockside Dodgers have played a million games of blitzball and have        
 hair-trigger reaction timing when the ball enters play. They're a little bit  
 overconfident, though; if you really push yourself and can beat them to the   
 ball, they'll be out of position, as they're already setting up for a pass    
 sequence on the assumption that they're going to get there first. That would  
 let your team gain a major field advantage with some passes of your own!      
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
======================<* Community Blitzball - Round 1 *>=======================
============================< Results - Blitzoff! >=============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Runic Whip                          2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Slow(2)
Effects: Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The first few seconds of the game become quickly slightly chaotic. As Zak makes his run for the ball, he is intercepted by Ratatoskr bodily tackling him, sending both wide.

    In an official game, this would probably be a foul. Instead it just sets the tone for the evening.

    Ines' comes in from above, and Foreman suddenly has a 7'2" obstacle in her way, and though she dives around and under Ines, it's a few seconds too late. The ball goes to the midfielder of the pickup team, a small but fast young woman, who starts moving on the offensive.

    Possession: The Challengers!

DG: Ratatoskr has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================================<* Community Blitzball *>================================================
============================================<* CHALLENGE - Wither Tackle *>=============================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You have the ball. They want the ball and have deployed a powerful and        
 painful technique in order to get it: the Wither Tackle, which can be         
 endured without losing the ball, but causes progressively intense weakness,   
 as your strength simply withers away. They're throwing it like it's about to  
 go out of style -- ballcarrier and defenders alike must all find a way to     
 tap into the deepest possible wells of their stamina in order to overcome     
 this mystical malaise.                                                        
                                                                               
 And all the while, more tackles are coming. Can you keep possession?          
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    It's going well so far. Sure, there's two different players kind of in a game of cat and mouse going all over the Blitz Sphere--
     "SOMEBODY GET THIS FREAKIN' RONSO AWAY FROM ME," Zak yells. No one heeds him. They're both way out of position. Well, Ratatoskr is. Zak is now in the correct place because he is currently being chased around the Dodgers' side of the Sphere.
     The Challengers have their backs up to the proverbial wall. The ball has been knocked loose and put in the hand of the Left Defense of the Challengers - they're a Hypello! They take to this rather well. They swim gracefully through the sphere, ready to pass--
     Mila barges into them with a shoulder. The Hypello Defender withstands it, but starts to slow down...
     Here's the younger Rico, coming on in with another! The Hypello keeps hold, but their swimming has gotten lethargic. They try to pass down to whoever's playing Midfield, but...
     Foreman's coming in... can she be stopped? Grii is... kind of far behind but if Foreman can make their way through, so can they.
     Helps, the Hypello says with their eyes. They are beings the red shirteds.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Wither Tackle.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The barrage on the Hypello is... pretty honestly brutal. And Ines is out of position, as the Dodger's forwards charge in for the assault.

    Ines takes a risk, and bursts through the water, aiming to shoot past the Hypello and take the ball- and thus the aggro- with her. If he can get the shot out, she can start pushing through. The sapping effects of the Wither Tackles hurt, and sap Ines' strength as she tries to move through. If the Hypello can't get the pass off, well, she'll just try and take the blows.

    The important thing at this moment is clearing room for a shot to be made, if not by her, then the midfielder. Still, she does look over at Ratatoskr in the water, and waves vaguely to try and get him, back into position. Or at least eyes on the ball. Or failing that, eyes on where the majority of the fight is taking place.

    No matter what, there's going to be eating some Wither Tackles before this play is through.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wither Tackle.
===============================================<* Community Blitzball *>================================================
============================================<* CHALLENGE - Wither Tackle *>=============================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You have the ball. They want the ball and have deployed a powerful and        
 painful technique in order to get it: the Wither Tackle, which can be         
 endured without losing the ball, but causes progressively intense weakness,   
 as your strength simply withers away. They're throwing it like it's about to  
 go out of style -- ballcarrier and defenders alike must all find a way to     
 tap into the deepest possible wells of their stamina in order to overcome     
 this mystical malaise.                                                        
                                                                               
 And all the while, more tackles are coming. Can you keep possession?          
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
==========================================<* Community Blitzball - Round 2 *>===========================================
==============================================< Results - Wither Tackle >===============================================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         0 --(8)--> 8                   Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           0 --(3)--> 3                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
-------------------------------------------------------< Party >--------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Slow(1)|Tire(2)
Effects: 
===================================================< Dream Chasers >====================================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ines is humongous. She is outsized only by the Ronso, and... there's no actual Ronso players here. Her heart proves just as big as she moves in to help protect the Hypello teammate, taking two Wither Tackles head-on. She can feel her might start to slip away, like her very muscles were becoming jelly.
     The Hypello, feebly, tries to make the pass further out... but the ball runs out of steam almost as soon as it leaves his hands. Ines is a bit too far out to claim the ball for herself, leaving the ball open to being claimed by the back line of the... Dodgers...
     ...which should be Zak...
     ...but Ratatoskr is still chasing them, heedless of matters of formation.
     This is an instance where this is good, because now there's a chance the Challengers can once again keep hold of the ball. The Challengers' midfielder just slips past the slower Grii, and gets her hands on the ball.
     Can they keep possession? Let's find out...!

DG: Ines Colina has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Make A Hole *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 You have the ball. Regrettably that's because they just managed to score.     
 It's time to get one back, but they've turtled up; everyone's defending,      
 which makes it awfully difficult to get into shooting position. That means    
 it's up to the offense to create some openings. Forcefully...                 
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The Challengers aren't so lucky. As the midfielder grabs the ball, she catches a brutal tackle from Grii, and the Dodgers are then open for a score. Despite the best efforts of the goalie, the ball slips past and the siren bellows. This is the time for everyone to get back in position and start again.

    "Hey! Get back here, already!" Ines yells, half expecting her cries to fall on deaf ears.

    Whatever happens, the play starts with the midfielder with her hands on the ball, and Ines charges straight forward, aiming to power clean through Mila, even as her muscles ache from the aftereffects of the Wither Tackles. The plan here is simple: provide a clear path through, to set up for a pass and hopefully a score.

    The rest of the Challengers start to form into position, the Hypello defender falling behind the midfielder. Meanwhile the right defender, a tall and long armed Guado, forms up in front of the goal, aiming to be an extra line of defence just in case the Dodgers get their hands back on the ball.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Make A Hole.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    "Hyahaha--!" Ratatoskr's arrogant, annoying, youthful laughter fills the... water. He has not really been paying much attention to where the ball is, or where it's going. It's something of a miracle that he can even be (sort of) directed to get back on the Challengers' side of the sphere between goals, maybe because he has been able to internalize this as a traditional thing every time a 'goal' sound is scored.
     Small mercies, really.
     "Look at them..." Ratatoskr says, with a predatory grin. "...they all want to fight? They all want to fight...!"
     Ratatoskr just takes off into the defensive lines, plowing into them. He is a living weapon unto himself. His hands are clawed. His head bears a laser-shooting ARM. In his hands, his feet, his elbows, and his knees, compressed air shotguns.
     Sure, it's all fun and games (...mostly) now, but there is no forgetting - among Filgaians and the other part of Lunar - that this was one of the Metal Demons. The Metal Demons left so much tragedy and death in their wake. Ratatoskr's attacks are muted, in so much that he seems to be following the general accepted forms of attack (tackling, kicking, etcetera) out of respect for the 'martial art' involved.
     ...
     But it could stir some distressing memories about a time, and a place, where the Hyadeans really were nothing more than living machines of war, slaughtering any in their wake. Sickly, healthy, young, old, man, woman, human, beastfolk, elf... anything and everything.
     The way Ratatoskr just launches himself into all of these people may be uncomfortably... similar.

DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Derelict Relic toward his party's challenge, Make A Hole.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Make A Hole *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 You have the ball. Regrettably that's because they just managed to score.     
 It's time to get one back, but they've turtled up; everyone's defending,      
 which makes it awfully difficult to get into shooting position. That means    
 it's up to the offense to create some openings. Forcefully...                 
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
======================<* Community Blitzball - Round 3 *>=======================
===========================< Results - Make A Hole >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         8 --(8)--> 16                  Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           3 --(0)--> 3                   Pass
Derelict Relic                      2   Brute   Effects: Stalwart             
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 40 --(20)--> 60                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)|Tire(1)
Effects: 
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ratatoskr's brutal onslaught serves as a painful reminder. Ines had lost a lot to the Metal Demons. And she had tried to take on board that there were those among them who hadn't thrown themselves entirely in with Mother, those who hadn't been the cruel, heartless monsters that had devastated parts of Filgaia. That had done horrible things to her hometown. To her family.

    Either way, Ines just stops momentarily, as unpleasant memories come rushing back. Ratatoskr tears a path through the Dodgers, almost single handed, but far more brutally than anyone would have expected and wanted in a Blitzball game. The Dodgers come away bruised and bashed, for Ratatoskr's small mercies. But Ines can't stop herself.

    "The hell do you think you're doing?! This is a game, not a Granas damned battlefield!" She moves into Ratatoskr's eyeline, glaring balefully at the Hyadean.

    The mood is... soured.

DG: Ratatoskr has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================================<* Community Blitzball *>================================================
=============================================<* CHALLENGE - Volley Shot *>==============================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You have the ball. This is something of an unexpected surprise -- they just   
 fumbled it, your team recovered it, and now you have an opening to shoot it   
 immediately while your opponents are out of position! It will take teamwork   
 to pull off, though. A super-sudden shot is not a particularly accurate or    
 powerful one, and it won't make it past the goalie if anyone's allowed to     
 get a hand on it!                                                             
                                                                               
 As quick as the shooter must be, everyone else must be quick to tackle,       
 tangle, reposition and otherwise ensure the free movement of the shot!        
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr is passed the ball just because it's tactically sound on paper. Therein lies a problem as the Blitzball flies across the sphere towards him.
     He's not paying attention. It's a straight-up fumble, and oh look here comes Zak trying to break formation and get it agai--
     Just to get tackled aside by Ratatoskr, who is a downright hooligan and may well be the single natural check on Zak's occasional sneaky risky plays. The blitzball remains unclaimed, and the Dodgers are in disarray because holy crap they have a rabid Ronso(?) on the field and he is taking no prisoners.
     ...and also not taking the ball.
     "Not a battlefield? Not a battlefield!!" Ratatoskr mocks, sneering, the light of his solid yellow eyes glowing more alight. That sharp-toothed grin of his, well... yeah.
     "This is amazing...! Don't you see it? Don't you see it! This is the most celebrated ceremonial gladiorial contest in all of Spira... I'm participating in it...!" Not even in consideration of who he might be hurting 'for real,' he seems caught up entirely in the emotional high. He's not wrong - this seems to be the only real pastime there is to Spira, more or less, to distract the masses from Sin (...or Obsession) and their ceaseless offensives.
     The ball is just floating there. This may be the opportunity to get in a goal as the entire team is proving more than a little afraid of trying to contest this one, and rightly so. They're all getting up there in years (aside from the fresh face), they do this for fun after work...
     They cannot possibly stand up to an individual bred specifically for purposes of waging war.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Volley Shot.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ines stares at Ratatoskr, a mix of anger, fear, and hate all boiling up beneath her skin. "It's not gladitorial combat, it's a damn sport!" She yells, as the ball floats there, the water carrying her voice loduly. The game doesn't quite stop, but people aren't exactly eager to get in the middle of that.

    "This isn't a fight, it's not a battlefield, it's about getting a damn ball into a net!" Like that, Ines grabs the blitzball out of the water, and hurls it, angrily, towards the goal.

    Whether this game continues or not is in question. Ratatoskr's brutality against the other team is running into the wall of Ines's rage. You could cut the tension in the sphere with a knife.

    Ines continues to stare Ratatoskr down, as they float in the sphere. She's not going to make the first move. At least not yet. But if the squirrel demon really wants a fight, Ines might have reached the point where she will give him one.

DG: Ines Colina has used her Tool Runic Whip toward her party's challenge, Volley Shot.
===============================================<* Community Blitzball *>================================================
=============================================<* CHALLENGE - Volley Shot *>==============================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
 You have the ball. This is something of an unexpected surprise -- they just   
 fumbled it, your team recovered it, and now you have an opening to shoot it   
 immediately while your opponents are out of position! It will take teamwork   
 to pull off, though. A super-sudden shot is not a particularly accurate or    
 powerful one, and it won't make it past the goalie if anyone's allowed to     
 get a hand on it!                                                             
                                                                               
 As quick as the shooter must be, everyone else must be quick to tackle,       
 tangle, reposition and otherwise ensure the free movement of the shot!        
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
==========================================<* Community Blitzball - Round 4 *>===========================================
===============================================< Results - Volley Shot >================================================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         16 --(0)--> 16                 Pass
Runic Whip                          2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           3 --(0)--> 3                   Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
-------------------------------------------------------< Party >--------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 60 --(25)--> 85                Pass
Conditions: Injure(1)|Treasure(1)
Effects: Quicken(1)
===================================================< Dream Chasers >====================================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    That ball is taken in Ines' hand, and she hurls it. It goes in the damn net.
     So does Kheti, the rival Goalkeeper, and for a moment Blitzball and Kheti is one in the same. It gives them a wicked stomachache for a while as they drift back out of the net and lethargically lets the ball float back out, because wow.
     The Dodgers look to one another. They become more resolved - they don't know where this guy came from, but damn it, this is their after hours happy time, and they'll be damned if they let a rowdy fellow wreck it for them.
     The goal buzzer, one of the few things about proper Blitzball decorum that Ratatoskr has been able to learn, seems to be honored. It's tough to read his face because it doesn't quite map as cleanly as to a 'typical' face. His eyes are a solid color, only brighten or dim. He always seems to be grinning in some form.
     "That was pretty cool," he says to Ines. Actually, now that he thinks about it, doesn't she remind him of someone...? Oh, well.
     That clock's running down. Looks like they're letting the game continue. Even then...

DG: Ines Colina has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Full Court Press *>=======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 It's the final seconds of the game and total chaos; all tied up, both sides   
 are basically chasing the ball, frantic to get it, move it, and score it. At  
 times like these, what determines victory?                                    
                                                                               
 Teamwork.                                                                     
                                                                               
 But that's easier said than done, when the other team is throwing checks,     
 slams and wild tackles with the enthusiasm of a shoopuf stampede.             
                                                                               
 At times like THESE, what determines victory?                                 
                                                                               
 DETERMINATION.                                                                
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    That is not a compliment Ines is particularly happy with. Her glare is still icy towards Ratatoskr, but she moves back into position. "Let's just finish this game."

    The Challengers and the Dodgers fall back into position, as the final moments of the match begin. The score is tied, the Dodgers are annoyed, and the Challengers are... fractious.

    And then all hell breaks loose. The ball changes hands between sides at a rapid pace. Tackles are furious, aggressive passes are intercepted and at this exact time the ball is getting nowhere near either goal.

    Ratatoskr's preferred method of 'fight everyone' might be beneficial at this time.

    Ines, for her part, is working on trying to break through the tiniest gap for the midfielder to slide through. The Hypello catches a shot, and passes it to the Guado. Ines charges into Mila and Foreman, arms outstretched, aiming to take advantage of her size and wingspan to open a path.

    The ball is intercepted again, and another shot is made. The Challenger's goalie makes a desperate save, and hurls it back into the action. The midfielder swims low, trying to sneak past the Dodgers. Zak is out of position, again, and moves for a steal. Rico tries to stop the Midfielder get past, while Grii moves carefully to intercept any possible shot.

    Right now, it's all or nothing, strength against strength, here on the final seconds of the match.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Full Court Press.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    And then somewhere, in all of this, for the first time in the entire match - Ratatoskr seems to have relented on the hard tackles? This is... good, maybe? Is he paying attention? Is he getting a proper understanding about what this is, or why? That he is less aggressive gives the Dodgers a bit more breathing room - and consequently, the Challengers, a lot less.
     And then Ratatoskr willfully goes for the ball... and clutches it between those clawed fingers, with the biggest grin.
     "Hey..." He says to Ines, who is doubtlessly part of the pile-up as the (next? secretly best but got overshadowed just by Ratatoskr being himself?) strongest among the line-up for the Challengers.
     That grin of his says all. Is he going to hold onto the ball and just let the Dodgers swarm him, come for him, to keep fighting?
     ...
     He puts the ball in his palm and fires off a burst of compressed air to rocket it towards Ines with concussive force. The intention will be clarified in speech.
     "Do that again! Do that again to the net!" He grins. "Hyahaha--!"
     Kheti is not looking enthusiastic about this development. Not one bit.

DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Derelict Relic toward his party's challenge, Full Court Press.
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Full Court Press *>=======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 It's the final seconds of the game and total chaos; all tied up, both sides   
 are basically chasing the ball, frantic to get it, move it, and score it. At  
 times like these, what determines victory?                                    
                                                                               
 Teamwork.                                                                     
                                                                               
 But that's easier said than done, when the other team is throwing checks,     
 slams and wild tackles with the enthusiasm of a shoopuf stampede.             
                                                                               
 At times like THESE, what determines victory?                                 
                                                                               
 DETERMINATION.                                                                
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
======================<* Community Blitzball - Round 5 *>=======================
=========================< Results - Full Court Press >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         16 --(0)--> 16                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           3 --(0)--> 3                   Pass
Derelict Relic                      2   Brute   Effects: Stalwart             
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 85 --(35)--> 120               Pass
Conditions: Overzealous(2)
Effects: 
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has successfully explored Community Blitzball!
===========================<* Community Blitzball *>============================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Keep The Ball *>=========================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Victory! Bragging rights are yours, and as a mark of esteem, your opponents   
 have all signed the blitzball you played with and given it to you to keep as  
 a memento... and an invitation to come back and play again.                   
                                                                               
 You now own a blitzball.                                                      
                                                                               
 BONUS! If you defeated the Secret Ultimate Challenge in Double Overtime:      
                                                                               
 On your way out of the locker room, you're approached by a man in a very      
 fine suit. He oozes charisma as well as wealth, but that doesn't make him     
 untrustworthy, necessarily. Especially since he's looking at you like you're  
 the Second Coming of Blitzball.                                               
                                                                               
 He hands you his card; he's an agent!                                         
                                                                               
 "If you ever want to play professionally... get in touch."                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The chaos gives Ratatoskr his time to shine, the ball is in his hands, and he could be making the game winning shot.

    Could be, but isn't. Instead the ball flies with force towards Ines, and she is in no way prepared. She's trying to hold off two of the dodgers.

    "You Granas damned psycho!" She yells, as the ball comes at her with not lethal force, but a lot of it. The way Ines has been using it, the people around must think 'Granas' is some heathen curse word.

    Ines is not fast enough, and the ball smashes against her arm, bouncing off and smacking Foreman in the face. It rebounds again, and this time Ines can bring her knee up and the ball bounces off her leg painfully, before smashing hard into Mila's stomach. It bounces back into Ines one last time, before knocking her back.

    Ratatoskr learned 'Collateral Damage Pass'.

    The ball floats freely. Past everyone, and into the hands...

    Of one persistent Hypello.

    There is a graceful throw, the ball flying past the scrum and into the Guado's hand. He follows with a powerful kick, passing the ball over the line in the middle, past Ines and Ratatoskr, into the hands of the midfielder.

    And then she pulls back, casting a sleep spell on the ball, and hurling it. Kheti tries to intercept, but it catches him on the shoulder and puts him into a slumber, as the ball goes past, and into the goal.

    1 - 2

    The Challengers win!

    There's a little while as the game ends and the sphere clears out, for the next amateur teams to take their fun and hopefully much less brutal game of Blitzball. The ball ends up in Ines' hand, signed by the members of the dockers. It's a nice gift, and a signal of one to play again. The Challengers are walking away, congratulating themselves on a game well fought.

    Ines, for some reason, has ended up with the ball. "Hopefully, next time I'll have a bit more of a normal game." She mutters to herself, looking down at the ball. There are definitely tricks she wants to learn from those Blitzers. And it's nice to be swimming in healthy water.

    But right now, she's still a bit angry. The Challengers are still keeping a little distance from Ratatoskr. He's a scary bastard.

    Ines turns, and suddenly, with full force, hurls the blitzball at Ratatoskr's head.

    To hell with that guy.

<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    To Ratatoskr's disappointment, Ines is unable to do it again. He's waiting for the moment where she grabs the ball to throw it into the net, but there is utter chaos as to where and how the ball bounces. He doesn't help much. (HE DOESN'T HELP AT ALL)
     The Challengers do take it, and he'll admit that how she... what was her name? He really wants her name. He has to have it. He wants to remember and keep every warrior he fights and fights alongside! So he does the natural, perfectly social thing by trying to follow after the midfielder and ask her who she is, about the time Ines just loses it and (by chance) comes to their aid before said midfielder might be in a position where she has to answer.
     by beaning him in the back of his Hyadean noggin, with enough leftover momentum to carry him across the ground of the inner stadium until his horn bumps up against a wall and stops him.
     ...He still has the presence of mind to reach out and catch said ball as it pops up a bit into the air after he's done being blitzball-shotgunned into the structure. His clawed hands, should he fail to exercise the utmost care and concern, could dig into and mar the surface of the Blitzball forever more, harming its value and worth as a cultural artifact (read: a cool gesture between newly-made friends).
     He will religiously covet this.
     Once he can get back up.