"... Vampiresss? Again? Who desssigned this Nuffle-cursssed ssschedule?"
This time around, there is only 200k for the vamps to spend. This is, mostly, to losing high-value Mazz from a concussion last game, leaving Novv and the rather brittle Tyrr the Slipstreamed to be the scoring focus of the game. Nonetheless, that cash buys two barrels of Bloodweiser and costs the skinks a reroll, something they were never too highly gifted with at the best of times.
The vampires lose the toss, and the skinks elect to receive. Bright sunshine streams across the pitch, which, other than making life difficult for the vampires in general, also... hampers the rather limited passing play of both sides. Once more, the fans storm the pitch as the ball is kicked, landing rather short and dead centre in the skink's half of the field. Ravv collects, but bides his time, waiting for the vampiric play before he decides to act.
Rather quickly the skinks find themselves down a lizard as Ku Sung-Hoon shoves Vorr off-field. Mejj responds by knocking Kim the thrall out, bot resuscitates him with a body check. Rexx corrects that by similarly knocking out Park the thrall, but doesn't follow up. Ravv tries to move the ball forward, but utterly fails to dump off to the inattentive Sorr, and the ball goes dead, if guarded by litke, blue bodies. Shin Sang-Moon shoves Sorr out of the way but fails to make good, and Park Jung-Suk keeps the ball bouncing with a tackle to Irzz that shoves him back. Ku, on the other hand, collects rather adeptly, the ball safe in the vampire's hands. In response, Jarr shoves Park Ji-Soo away, but ends up getting a classy-gloved fist to the face and he goes down.
The vampires consolidate, knocking Nirr out for good as Ku pushes forward, looking for an early score. Jarr scrambles up and sprints to him, but can only shove him, but Novv, Ravv and Sorr back him up... for all the good that it does. Ku tackles Novv and slips away adeptly to give the vampires a relatively early lead, and leave the skinks floundering.
At the kick off, the Stormer's fans kick up a cheer that leaves the side's confidence bolstered... which is quickly used up as Vorr starts a tackle that looks unsteady, but ends up stunning a luckless thrall. Tyrr grabs the ball and hands off to the sure-clawed Novv who bolts off downfield, the remainder of the skinks proving their slippery nature by pounding past the lines and acting defensive.
The vampires have other plans, though. Two of the bloodsuckers remove their sunglasses and send Garr and Sorr into a lull that leaves Shin Sang-Moon to shove Nirr back, but Novv slips away to pass the ball to Ravv, who has a direct line to score. And, without fanfare or much elsewhere, takes the opportunity thrust into his awaiting scores and brings the score line up to 1-1 with a fraction of the half to go.
With time ticking away, the vampires need a miracle to score in the remaining minutes of the half, pinning their hopes on the rather fast Shin Sang-Moon, but the skinks blitz off as the ball sails skyward. It doesn't accomplish much other than pressure Shin somewhat, as Novv sprints downfield in pursuit of the ball. it was a long-shot, but he gets brought down by Lee the thrall. Elsewhere, Park drops Jarr, and Rexx is shoved out of the way, but Ku fumbles the ball and blows the vampire's chances. Mejj stomps on Lee Young-Han, putting the thrall out of the match and cementing the saurus; position as a star player, while Nirr brings down Park under the weight of four small bodies. The vampire side responds in kind, pummelling the standing skinks, Shin Sang-Moon feeling peckish a hair early and knocking Kim Dong-Kun out from the shock of being feasted on. Ku grabs the ball and gives a quick pass to the now-sated Shin as the half ends, 1-1.
With time available, Self Inflicted set up in a more even format, as the blinding sun disappears behind the scant clouds, the day becoming pleasant as the ball sails off-field with a wayward kick. Sorr and Irzz learn what being on the line of scrimmage feels like, receiving a stun and a knockout blow respectively, as Ku receives the touched-back ball. Park Ji-Soo also manages to lay down some hurt, stunning Novv with a tackle from the blue. Vorr promptly returns the favour to the thrall as Kim similarly gets knocked out.
Nirr joins the ranks of those unconscious and off-pitch as the vampires resume their drive... or at least, presumably. Ku does exactly nothing with the ball, waiting for an opening brought on by the tackles and beatings of the skink side. Vorr manages to lay hurt on a vampire, snapping Shin Sang-Moon's leg, but the undead player shrugs off the injury without aid of an apothecary, walking off, sore but... still able to walk. Elsewhere, the nightwalkers start to form a rudimentary box of sorts, but Rexx rips the ball from Ku Sung-Hoon's hands and lets it bounce off-field, where the crowd tosses it on a little further back than it started. Sorr takes the opportunity to break away and grab the ball, heading and aiming to score while the remaining skinks cover his escape. Vorr goes down swinging, but crushes the skull of the thrall Park Ji-Soo in the process.
Sorr goes down hard, his neck snapping in the process, but the apothecary quickly patches him up, leaving him able to fight another day as the vampires consolidate, Ku Sung-Hoon receiving the ball. Mejj smashes the hand of a second thrall, but Garr can do little to secure the ball except try and trip the ball-carrying vamp. Not that it works - Ku slips past, hurling the ball high over the claws of Takk and Jarr, the ball suddenly rather in a dangerous position for the skinks. Vorr fails to do much more than slow the agile ball-carrier down, Lee Yoon-Yeol being nimble enough and sturdy enough to weather whatever the lizards throw at him, but odds are that it won't be close to enough. Sure enough Lee Yoon-Yeol slips past, electing to stall the touchdown by passing to a defended Park Jung-Suk.
Immediately every skink and saurus converges on the ball-carrying pack, but it looks like there's little the blueskins can do against the bluebloods, and Park scores handily, 2-1 up and leaving the skinks in a pinch, but not unable to equalise.
As the match ticks towards its conclusion, the kick-off leaves the skinks floundering and flat-footed, the vampires taking advantage and locking down the opportunity for a two-turn touchdown. Or at least, tries. Tyrr recovers and tosses the ball to the awaiting Novv, as Mejj gets a third casualty for the match, badly hurting a thrall with the bad luck to be standing both in the way, and then underneath, the claws of the saurus. Ku once more gets too hungry too early, hypnotising Takk and snacking on Kim, as Garr's manic charge leaves him able to tackle Park and leave the skinks to equalise, 2-2, as Novv runs the ball in handily.
The MVPs of the match were Ku Sung-Hoon, for his passes and the touchdown, while Novv gets the reward for the similar reasons.
(... Didn't expect to draw. Mejj finally hit Star, getting a fine frill of feathers with a surprising three casualties, while Vorr brings his Kill count to 2. I really got lucky with Going For It rolls, too, the fact that Garr made his at the end being pretty much the sole reason we didn't lose at the end.)