Part 1:
The Pre-match

Paragraph 1: The strategy talks.

Coach Uedder Street looked at his players: 12 broken elves up against a full set of killers, tentacles and all kinds of nasty things. "No wise man would give this team a chance - he thought - and yet these guys can't wait to play. They're real Mad Screamers.". He had never seen his team so fired up, not since a long while. Banshee most of all couldn't wait to prove himself on the pitch.

He drew the defensive setup on the blackboard and explained the game plan to his players:
"Alright, hear me well. Of one thing alone I'm sure: whatever happens, we're going to kick first. We win the toss, we kick. We lose the toss, we kick. All these chaos teams want to start on offence, so that's the drive where we play everything, we give our best, that's our shot!"
And then he went on to explain how to stop the Chaos Warriors and their herd of goat-men. "Mark the guards, don't let them cage!", "Pressure the ball right from the start and look for any shot on their ball carrier." And so on...

The Tournament staff had proposed him some inducements, to "help the spectacle of the game" "Nobody wants to see a match with no players left by turn 3 - they said - Your guys really aren't up to the opposition - they said - we will give you a journeyman and a couple of babes from our sponsors - they said - we can even offer the services of Meister Ludwing van Kesseindraum, he's the most reknown apothecary in Altdorf!". He didn't want to hear any of that, he wanted the services of a Wizard instead. He had to fight, but in the end he got what he wanted. The magic shot. The one thing that gave him hopeful thoughts. "Yes - he pondered - of one thing I'm sure: this Wizard will save our game and give us victory!"

Paragraph 2: The Wizard.

Luthor Drachen had seen many things throughout his life. He had seen creatures from other worlds walk into earth, he had seen the mightiest warriors clash and of course he had seen the greatest enchanters break and twist and turn the rules of the material domain, bending them to their own will. Never he would've thought that, after all those years of ponderous studies and endless trainings, after having finally mastered the secrets to rule the winds of magic, he would've ended casting lesser spells over pathetic creatures fighting for a pigskin.

And yet, there he was again, providing his knowledge to this ruthless spectacle they call Blood Bowl. "Such things we have to do to earn our right to live!" he grumbled as he opened the door to the locker room.

Many and a thing had Luthor Drachen seen with his wrinkly little eyes, but none as scary as the sight he met when he opened that door. Bestigors! A whole bunch of those! With claws as sharp as shark's teeth, and muscles and eyes filled with blood. And a stare that freezed the blood in his veins. And then that horrific sight was gone. A mountain of flesh stood before him, he felt something reach over him and in a second he was lifted from the ground. Tentacles!

Luthor Drachen felt his life flowing out of him. Then a voice "Rorschach! Let the old man go!". The old man fell to his knees, grasping for air, terror in his eyes. "I believe you went for the wrong door, sir - someone said - I suggest you leave.". And so he did, he slammed the door behind him and rushed all the way through the corridor.

The wizard gave his heart some time to recover from the shock. His knees were still shaking when reached for the knob. This time he made sure it was the right door "Mad Screamers - he read - this is it.". He opened the door.
Many and more things had Luthor Drachen witnessed in his long lived life, but never had he seen such a hopeless bunch of beaten up elves. They looked more like a bunch of pensioners rather than an actual team of athletes. One kept complaining about how badly his back hurt, another had a concavity in his skull as big as an ashtrey, and most of them kept complaining about the lights giving them headaches. There was one tho, that looked like a real athlete at a first sight. Strong and tall and lean. But at a closer look, his skull was badly concussed "One vigorous scratch - Luthor thought - and his brains will start spouting off his head!".

"Meister Luthor! - a voice greeted him - We were waiting for you! This old man is our secret weapon you guys. This old man, will be our ticket to glory!".

Paragraph 3: The inspirational talk.

Coach Uedder Street gave his team his last speech before the match:

"Nobody would bet on us. - he started - No. Sane. Man. Would put a dime on our victory tonight. That's true. They say we're rusty, they say we're weak. They say we're too beat up to compete. Even our fans have come here to see their heroes just one more time, before the downfall. They may be right. Maybe we don't stand a chance, maybe we are just another sacrifical victim for the great big Chaos team. Maybe we'd better retire. Give it up and get it over with. Retire in our mansions and live the rest of our days like anybody else would. No-one would blame us for that.

Is that what you want? Or do you want to go out there and fight 'til your last breath? Take that one little chance in a milion that we have, and make it come true? Do you want to go out there and show everyone what you're made of? Show those chaotic beasts, that we may not have their claws, we may not have their strenght and we may not have their skills, but we've got heart and spirit and madness to sell!

The world is watching us tonight, they expect to see you slaughtered. Let's go out there and show what it means to be a Screamer! Let's go out there and show everyone what the Mad Screamers truly are! Let's give them hell on earth tonight, and if we go down, we go down as heroes. But we won't go down, i feel it in my guts. Tonight is the night we become legends and take the stage for ourselves. Tonight, our scream will be heard! Let's go guys, it's time to kill the killers!".

The locker room resounded in a scream that shook the walls and the stadium foundations.

The old wizard shook his head.

Paragraph 4: The tunnel

The two teams lined up in the tunnel leading to pitch. They exchanged looks, the Pestigors showing off their claws to unimpressed elves. "You've got 100k worth of useless claws" mocked the elves. "And you've got 2000k of dead elves!" replied the others. Max and Banshee eyed up Rorschach and The Comedian and their thick tentacles. They whispered something to each other. Then the ritual death threats begun. That's when Chris approached Coach Street.

Chris Cornell "Coach I'm pretty sure the Chaos coach wants me dead."
Uedder Street "Sure, he wants all of us dead, so what?"
CC "I mean he wants me dead more than anybody else..."
US "And why that?"
CC "Except from the explicit death threats you mean? Well... Actually I think I know that guy."
US "What?!? Really?? Tell me everything for the scream of the lord!"
CC "Yeah, actually I kinda bullied him at school. I.. I made fun of his mutations, I made jokes on the Chaos gods. I used to say his god was pop corn. You know? The things kids do... but he didn't take that well. One day he disappearead and people said he had left for the wastes, to become a marauder and meet the chaotic gods. That's all."
US "Good to know, Chris, good to know."
GG "How is that good coach? That guy just hates me! He's gonna make his team run at me at full strenght! They're gonna maim me!"
US "Listen Chris, you've been a Screamer for a very long time. You've always been a star and we've all done our best to protect you. The whole team has, many linemen have died just to protect you, they all took their blows for you... This time, you take a blow for the team.".

[to be continued...]