The roar of the crowds was insane. Duad’s stomach clenched, like a block of ice dropped into his gut.

The people here were looking to be entertained; or at least he assumed, what with the man yelling at the patrons about if they were entertained. From their outbursts when he asked, Duad had to assume they were.

“You okay bud?”

Duad looked up, their captain, Matt was a human from the mountain keeps, a huge man, and a heck of a good football player. He had been known as flame foot, and that wasn’t just because of his contract that let him jump about on flaming wings sprouting from his feet.

“Yeah Cap, sorry, just, got a bit of the jitters. Never played in front of so many people.”

Matt nodded, sitting down beside him on the stone bench.

“Hey, you got this little buddy.”

Duad couldn’t help but smile, “Better than striking out at a dungeon at least.”

Matt shook visibly.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

The rest of the team were in the same boat as him, criminals who had only two choices, play football or serve time in dungeons gathering up materials as supporters for the Adventurers Guild.

There was eleven of them in all, though the rules were vague to him, he knew he was the goalie, his job to keep the opposing team from launching their orb into the net. He had played back in the sticks where he was from, but there you were only allowed to use your feet unless you were a goalie, here in the city it was a bit different.

An otherworlder had brought the game to Fluv, but the Engram Council had ruled that spells could be used on the orb too. That meant anything you could do to the orb was fair game.

Duad shook his head, “This is what I get for deserting. Should have just stayed in the guild.”

Luce looked up, “Yeah, me too. Most of us are just contract breakers.”

“Not me, you guys are monsters in my books, all I did was kill a man after I lost to him in a dual,” Steven whined, “People who break contracts are sick.”

“Alright fresh meat!” Shouted a guard at them, “The lot of you, gear up, the announcers are callin you up.”

Matt got up, the rest of them following him, Duad bringing up the rear.

The other team was already lined up in the middle of the pitch. Most of them carried contracts that looked very powerful.

“What’s the deal with these guys?”

Duad looked at Lynn, a young looking woman, she looked confused.

“What’s up kid?”

She looked at him, “They said we were playing soccer-er, uh, football, but with magic.”

He nodded.

“Then why has that guy got a sword?”

Duad looked at the tall Elph she pointed at, “Him?”

“Yeah, and that guy has a shield.”

“Well yeah, he’s a defender. They picked a guy with a good contract for that.”

“How do you know what their contract is?”

He looked at her, then at the Elph.

“Do you not know what a contract is?”

“Nope,” she mumbled.

“You’re,” he leaned in whispering, “An otherworldler?”

Lynn Shrugged, then nodded.

“That weapon, it is a contract, it’s his familiar,” he said.

“So where’s yours?”

Duad sighed, “Dead, like us.”