This is a tale of a time long ago, before Blood Bowl fell into oblivion, a tale about a little goblin's amazing capers. All characters and events in this story are totally fictitious and any likenesses to real life and/or FUMBBL characters are totally unintended. Furthermore the author admits that the abilities of some characters in this story may not be consistent with any of the official or unofficial Blood Bowl rules known - this is just a story.

Editor's note: This story has previously appeared elsewhere, but as it was written for the GLN, and since it is needed for internal cohesiveness of the multi-part story, it is being reproduced here as well.

What happened so far:

Gnot was kidnaped by G'morg the trainer of "Da Deadly Raiderzzz" who's offer he refused in the first place. G'morg's interest got arouse by Gnot's reflexes and agility but the goblin was just too scared to join the team especially after some of the players tried to hurt or even kill him.

After G'morg brought the gobbo to his training grounds he threatened Gnot with death and so forced him to accept his "offer". Gnot tried to escape but could not find a way out before he got captured again.

"Not dat fast, li'l git!" a deep and dark voice growled while the weight got removed from his chest. His back was hurting from the downfall on the stone floor and before he could open his eyes again a huge hand grabbed his torso and lifted him up. He got shouldered and hung upside down the back of very muscular leather skinned orc. Rather slowly the orc moved back to the locker room but no struggling nor whimpering could help Gnot out of his misery and again fear and sadness grew in his heart. As they returned the laughter was not as loud as Gnot had expected and some players came back shortly after them, it seemed they were also out to get Gnot back but had no luck. Gnot got sat down on a bench near the wall now for the first time he could take a look at the guy that took him down. It was a surprisingly old looking orc not as tall as the Black Orcs but almost as wide, with grey to white hair and scars all over his body, at least those parts that his old leather armour did not cover. His left eye was missing a huge scare covered almost half of his face as if someone tried to split his head with a huge battleaxe.

"Well done, Kirok." G'morg smirked as he slowly went over to Gnot. "He's gonna kill meh. He so gonna kill me and 'urt me." the voice in Gnot's head started to scream and tears began to run down his little face. "Don' worry, hehehe." G'morg laughed "Would 'ave been disappoinded if ya hadn' tried to run. Ya got some guts afta all it seems. But now we gonna see what ya doin' on da pitch." An emotional roller-coaster on the one hand he did not get punished as he had expected but instead this sadistic orc seemed to have some new ideas how to torture him, why couldn't he just wake up in his bed at home..

The training grounds looked like a little stadium, surrounded by barbed wire and about 5 feet lower than the area around it. "A hell pit" was Gnot's first thought when he got driven out there. It was a rainy day and the sky was dark and dull, while the ground was pure mud with only a few spots of grass that were not yet stomped apart in one of the preceding training sessions. "Lez see how fast ya really are." G'morg shouted at Gnot "You gonna race against Tsork, one time around the pitch, if ya come on first, ya some extra food and a warm bed tonite. If he catches ya... good luck." "HAHAHAHA!!" Tsork laughed loudly and his eyes seemed to glow from his bloodgreed. Now he would get the chance to finish what he started in that tavern and stomp that little good-for-nothing into the ground and dance on his corpse. Gnot was petrified, he stared at G'morg and could not believe what he just heaped, again he was sure he was going to die. "Run!... RUN!!!!!" G'morg's yelling almost knocked Gnot over since he has not realized completely what was going on, he was just too shocked. But then somehow his feet started to run on their own, well it was more of a trot then a run, but at least he was moving. Tsork was about to get him, but G'morg held him back "Giv' em some 'eadstart." Only reluctantly Tsork granted Gnot that graciousness but when Gnot was almost at the end of the short side of the pitch were he started from noone could hold the enraged blitzer back and he started his hunt.

The suddenly starting bellowing of the other team mates made Gnot to turn his head around and there he saw a one-man stampede heading for him and closing up rather fast. He felt the adrenaline kicking in and started to run for his live. But there seemed to be no escape the orc was coming nearer and nearer. He was almost half way done as his head start was almost gone and he heard the swearing and shouting behind him and what his killer was going to do to him. He tried to run even faster but his little feet could not do any better and the slippery and muddy surface did not make it easier at all but at least Tsork also had to struggle with it since his heavy boots sank in a bit at every step. With a loud cry Tsork jumped at Gnot to bring him down and crush his little bones but the gobbo's reflexes made him jump aside and the colossus face first ran himself into the ground. At a sudden the orcs began to cheer for the hawked only causing Tsork to jump up inflamed in rage and start the hunt anew, but Gnot took his chance and got some more headstart again. The goal line was close but that steam roller was back on his feat and faster than ever, his face full of hate and rage determined to rip that green peace of scum apart.

Gnot closed his eyes and tried to get away until he got lifted at once. That must have been Tsork, he finally got him and now noone will help him and he will die slowly and painfully. But as he opened his eyes it was Noreg who held him up over his head and Tsork covered in mud bitched and yelled trying to get his hands on Gnot but the only way would have been to knock down the huge ogre that was about two heads taller and a pure accumulation of muscles and even with this much anger he was not dumb enough to try that. The fact that his comrades cheered at the goblin did not calm him down a bit and he swore to himself that one day he will get that git. G'morg held his word and this night Gnot was put into a warm bed and got plenty to eat for dinner. The others even refrained from teasing him but there was always at least one that had an eye on him so he could not run away again. And strangely Gnot found himself thinking that this might be not so bad after all before he fell asleep.

To be continued...