'You know her?' Molly asked sceptically.
I nodded. 'We both came from Brockwing Vale; even went to school together.'
'She certainly looks fetching in Runeball armour. Who's that holding her hand, though?' Sameth asked, sounding somewhat disappointed that it wasn't him standing at her side.
'It could be her boyfriend.' Molly suggested, sounding just as curious.
I shrugged. 'Could be anyone.'
She grinned, finding amusement in my words.
'I wonder where they're headed?' I ask, trying to change the subject.
'The only place that makes sense in Titan's Reach.' Baltar replied.
Molly made a face. 'He speaks.'
Baltar just growled at her; he didn't seem to be in the mood for humour.
'Where would that be?' I ask, breaking the awkward silence.
'Salgorath, our capital city, of course. It's where those motherless scum who call themselves 'Leadership' will have retreated as well.'
'Want to pay them a visit?' I ask Baltar.
'Damn right I do, I owe them pain.'
'How far is it though? I doubt the Elf can cover such a long distance.'
'Jake, I'm fine.' He replied, and sure enough, there didn't seem to be a scratch on him.
Molly stared at Sameth, looking him up and down. 'How?'
'Healing runes,' He confirmed, grinning so broadly that his lips looked ready to split. 'Our magic is working again.'
Alistair howled just as one of his legs popped back to its original size; the sheer weight of it pulling Molly to the ground with him.
'Here, we go again.' Sameth chuckled. One by one, the giant's extremities returned to their former state, only to leave his head stuck at the same shrunken size.
Alistair's tiny face flushed red; with too much blood pumping through to his brain, he was slurring his words and could barely move. He bolted to his feet once the effects had worn off, though, rocking on his toes as he tried his best to stay upright.
'Never again!' He spat, walking away in a huff and leaving Molly lying in the dirt.
'What a gentleman.' She yelled after him.
I offered her my hand. 'Here, let me help you.'
She took it gratefully, pulling herself back up. 'Chivalrous, aren't you? So, Jake, are you and this 'Violet' an item?'
'We're just friends. Which way is it to Salgorath anyway?'
Molly smiled again, pointing behind me.
We all walked; there was no use of magic, nor would there be on this journey. I didn't know about the others, but I needed a break from it all. 'How long again?' I ask. I must have mentioned it a few times already.
'An hour or so,' Molly replied brusquely. 'Jake, I know you're worried about your friends, but how often do you get to appreciate something this beautiful?'
She wasn't wrong; the dusty smog of the stadium ruins lay behind us now, and in front at a distance, sat the aesthetically designed capital city. Its silver-plated sky-scrapers were reaching up into the clouds, and milling around them were thousands of vehicles driving over multiple expansive road systems. And there was me thinking that the village outside my home was bustling.
'Edmond created a masterpiece in this world.' I observed, speaking louder than I'd intended.
They all stared at me, but only Molly spoke. 'You knew him?'
I nodded. 'Edmond was my friend.'
That was only a partial lie; we might have become friends one day if given enough time, but I'd only known him in passing back at Feldspar Academy.
'Then you have powerful friends.' She concluded, gazing at me in awe.
Molly wasn't looking away, and I was already starting to feel uncomfortable, so I just coughed. 'How did Skargar and the Leadership remove Edmond from power then?'
She scowled. 'That's not what happened, not at first, anyway.'
'At one time, Edmond was ruling alongside Skargar.' Sameth elaborated for her.
I shook my head. 'What happened to cause such a big rift between them then?'
Molly sighed. 'As you are aware, Runeball is a violent sport, but it wasn't always that way.'
'That's right,' Sameth agreed. 'Entertainment back then was more often found through watching the players themselves; people would turn up to every game to see their beloved stars try to outperform one another.
'That's quite a big change from then to now, isn't it?' I ask.
Molly nodded. 'There are so many criminals lurking throughout Titan's Reach, or at least there were. So many that prisons were struggling to cope. That's when Skargar decided to let the inmates play Runeball.'
I was so shocked; I nearly tripped over my own feet. 'Skargar did what?'
'Oh, you heard correctly. The prisoners even had a league of their own at one point, didn't they?' Alistair asked. 'I was only a little kid at the time.
'Don't giants usually come out at your size? Fully grown and s-smart.' Sameth laughed, though stuttering at the end under a severe glare from Molly.
'Very funny,' Alistair grumbled. 'What I was trying to say...' he stared at them fixedly before continuing. 'Is that the fans loved watching the 'rule-breaking' games so much, Skargar wanted to combine their league with the regular one, right?'
'That's insane.' I interrupt, snapping my jaw shut.
'It was. Fans petitioned; they protested and organised campaigns, before eventually boycotting the sport for months afterwards. They managed to choke off the world's only source of income and entertainment. Can you imagine what happened next, Jake?' Molly asked, looking wistful.
'Nothing good.'
'You're not wrong,' she agreed. 'There was total anarchy; almost a full-scale revolution from fans and players alike. Many of them had yearned for the sadistic merging of the two Runeball leagues. Others seemed to oppose the idea with every fibre of their being, though.
I nodded in understanding, at least how I understood it. 'Both sides had felt the need to fight, seeing it as the only way to bring about the return of their cherished Runeball.'
'Exactly, and you know the rest. Edmond lost his battle; since then, all prisoners or wayward travellers have ended up playing the game.' Molly finished.
'And here we are trying once more to restore the world to its former glory, for Edmond.'
Baltar stepped closer. 'For all those lost, but not forgotten.' He corrected, patting me on the shoulder with one hand and wiping his eyes with the other.
We'd been chatting for so long; we hadn't even noticed people encroaching upon our flanks. 'Jake, don't look, but I see movement on your right.'
'I spot the same, maybe five or six of them on your left, Molly. It looks like Skargar's guards have found us, and they're using the thin trees for cover.'
'It was only a matter of time, but surely, they could have found somewhere better to hide?' Sameth muttered.
'They aren't themselves, remember?' Molly whispered back. 'They have been ordered to follow us, and that is what they're going to do. Nothing more, and nothing less.'
More gunfire licked out from up ahead, spraying the trees around us with hundreds of rounds. Brittle bark seemed to creak and crack as bullets tore through dead branches. Birds flew away, attempting to outrun the metallic hailstorm, and squirrels along with other small critters seemed to flee in every direction, the loud noises scaring them half to death.
'Everyone, in the grass and get down!' Molly yelled.
In the wake of the ambush; everything seemed too quiet, unnatural even. After a few seconds, I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. As more time passed, I could hear at least a dozen footsteps marching over the crispy foliage towards us, with some of them sounding much lighter and faster than the others.
'Jake Goodwin, I presume? Your reputation precedes you.'