A game was already in progress when they entered the main stadium, with about two dozen players per side, all Mevik.

The playing space, covered with what seemed like artificial grass, resembled a typical soccer field but with a few differences: the field markings looked dissimilar, and it was oval-shaped instead of rectangular. There wasn't much audience accommodation either, which actually made sense since the stadium was only for the crew.

“Those blokes over there,” Andreas said, pointing at the players on the field. “What kind of game is that?”

“Looks like Snatchball to me,” Agozi replied, standing next to him, and then went on to explain the premise of the game.

Two teams, each with about a dozen players, have a goalpost to defend. To score, a player must control the ball, called a 'snatch', and get it into the opposing team's goalpost. Players can only use their feet to move the ball.

Andreas's eyebrows raised slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched upward in amusement.

“What's with the smirk?” Agozi asked in response to his reaction, having apparently noticed it.

“It's interesting because we play something very alike.” He watched the game for a moment longer before turning back to Agozi. “Do you think they'd object if I jumped in?”

Agozi's eyes widened and her whiskers twitched rapidly. She took a small step back, her posture stiffening.

“Adding another player would upset the team balance,” she replied almost instantly, her words tumbling out in a rushed stream.

“How about you join the other team, then?” Andreas asked, before bestowing upon her another one of his smiles that appeared friendly on the surface but carried a subtle challenge beneath.

Her whiskers twitched hectically and she shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly uneasy. She was about to respond when her ears perked up and she turned her head sharply towards the field, reacting to a voice calling out to them.

“Hi! Interested in joining?” the friendly Mevik player asked as he jogged over from the playing field, waving enthusiastically. “First round's over, and we're short on players for both teams.”

“Looks like fate's made the call for us,” Andreas said, giving Agozi a taunting look before heading toward the other players.

“Hold on, I'm not sure if—”Agozi said, her ears drooping and whiskers sagging as she reached out a hand weakly, her protest fading as Andreas strode away, ignoring her entirely.

*****

Andreas and Agozi made their way onto the field, joining their respective teams. The players lined up on opposite sides, with Andreas towering over the Mevik around him. A Mevik acting as referee placed the ball at the center of the field before stepping back. With a shrill blast of the whistle, the match began.

Andreas exploded into motion, his long legs carrying him to the ball in a blur. He reached it well before any of the other players, scooping it up and sprinting towards the opposing goal. His speed forced him to slow slightly to maintain control, allowing some of the Mevik players to begin catching up.

Before too long, it became clear that he wouldn't outrun them. His own teammates were too far behind for a handoff, and realizing he had no other option, Andreas kicked the ball with immense force.

The ball rocketed through the air as if moving at the speed of sound. It eventually contacted the ground several feet away from the goalpost and then bounced inside mere moment later.

Andreas slowed to a stop, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. Sweat beaded on his forehead and trickled down his face. He bent forward, resting his hands on his knees as he gulped in air.

Andreas wasn't an old man, but he wasn't at his prime either. Still, he'd performed quite admirably considering his age.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Looks like I've still got it,” he managed to spit out in-between his panting. He straightened up as his breathing steadied, only to find every eye on the field fixed on him in stunned silence. This prompted him to ask if he’d broken the game’s rules.

“Your play was unorthodox but still within bounds,” replied one of the Mevik players.

“If I didn't break any rules, what's with all the staring?” Andreas asked.

“Your method of moving the ball... it's rather unconventional,” replied another player, following a brief pause.

“Players are expected to carry the ball into the goal,” another player added. “But you kicked it.”

Andreas's face showed minor irritation and disappointment.

“Sounds like I did violate the rules after all.”

“No… technically speaking,” the player replied quickly.

“As my teammate mentioned, the rulebook doesn't prohibit it,” the other player said. “We're just amazed that it actually worked.”

Andreas felt puzzled by why they'd consider a simple kick unorthodox.

“What's the big deal about scoring with a kick?”

“That you can even execute such a move, to begin with,” the player replied, looking dumbfounded yet impressed.

“It's just unbelievable,” said the other. “We'd probably break something if we attempted that”

“Yeah, and likely in multiple places too,” the first player then added.

Andreas's eyebrows raised slightly, betraying considerable skepticism.

“…you seriously mean to tell me that you can't boot this tiny leather ball without shattering your legs?” he asked, his brow furrowing in disbelief.

“When you're dealing with a ton of force and weird angles, it doesn't really matter what you're kicking or how big it is,” said another player. “You'll end up with at least one ruined limb.”

The conversation lingered until Andreas deemed it pointless.

“Shall we pick up where we left off?” he asked eventually.

The Mevik agreed, and the game resumed.

Andreas again reached the ball first, his long strides easily outpacing the Mevik.

But this time, the others had come prepared with a counter strategy of their own; several opposing players quickly moved to block Andreas's path to the goal, fanning out to cut off his angles. He considered a kickoff but saw no teammates nearby. With no alternative, he kicked the ball with even more force than before. It was a total gamble, but maybe he'd get lucky again.

The result wasn't what he'd hoped for; the ball rocketed through the air, slamming directly into the face of an opposing player with a sickening crack. The Mevik let out a sharp yelp of pain as blood and teeth sprayed from his mouth. Dazed by the powerful blow, he crumpled to the ground, clutching his bleeding snout with both hands and whimpering in agony.

The field instantly froze, players stopping mid-stride as shocked gasps rippled through the crowd. Several Mevik, including Agozi, rushed to the fallen player's side to assess the damage.

*****

“How bad is it? Can you move?” Agozi asked the injured Mevik player as she drew nearer.

“What do you think?! I'm bleeding everywhere!” the injured Mevik replied angrily while writhing on the ground, paws pressed to his face as blood seeped between his fingers.

Andreas approached and leaned over the injured Mevik to survey the damage.

“Apologies mate.” His tone was casual, almost bored, betraying little genuine remorse. “That wasn't my intention.”

“Your intentions don't change the outcome…” the injured player said while clutching its snout with both hands in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Agozi shouldered Andreas aside, kneeling to better examine the injuries.

Though far from life threatening, the injury still looked pretty nasty; the Mevik's snout was visibly misshapen, clearly broken, with several teeth missing from his bloodied mouth. Crimson streamed steadily from both his nose and the gaps in his teeth.

“He needs immediate medical attention,” Agozi said, rising swiftly to her feet. “Infirmary, now.”

Moments later, a medical team arrived, carefully lifting the injured Mevik onto a stretcher before whisking him away towards the medical bay.

“I assume we're calling it quits with this game, then?” Andreas asked once the injured Mevik was no longer within sight.

“The game's not over just because of this,” one of the Mevik players replied.

Andreas's eyebrows shot up, his head tilting to the side in surprise.

“I'm surprised you're all so calm about this,” Andreas said. “Aren't you upset at what happened to your mate?”

“We understand it wasn't intentional,” another player said. “We're not going to hold it against you”.

“Right,” seconded another. “We've all had our share of mishaps on the field. It comes with the territory.”

Though most of the Mevik players seemed less upset than Andreas expected, he noticed Agozi's posture was far less forgiving; her ears were flattened, whiskers quivering with barely suppressed anger as she glared at Andreas.

“But we have to ask that you refrain from using that move again,” said one of the players.

“From here on out, stick to our playstyle,” said another. “No more booting the ball across the field.”

Andreas's lips curled into a small smirk, his eyes gleaming with self-satisfaction even as he affected a humble tone.

“Suppose it would be unfair to keep using such an overpowered tactic.” When he saw the poor response to his smug comment manifest itself on their snouts, he hurried to paraphrase. “My apologies, I meant to say 'unsuitable' tactic. The translator can be a bit unreliable at times.”

Agozi doubted this was the real reason, but his words seemed to work as the disgruntled players looked less offended.

“Alright, enough chatter... we've got a match to complete!” the Mevik player said.