Our entrance into Stargazan Stadium was anything but routine. Butland raced on ahead, practically knocking people aside as the carriage rocked on two wheels. The thing was not built for handling tight corners.
'In here!' I yell, pinning back the grey drapes of a shop doorway.
'Get out!' The store owner snapped, throwing a butter knife at the wall next to me. 'Read the sign.' He pointed.
I read it aloud. 'Staff Only.'
'Alright, we'll leave.' I didn't tell the owner which way we would leave, though.
Sameth threw the knife back, and it somehow landed on the countertop, spinning around on its blunt end.
'How did you-' We were already bolting through the adjacent passage into the shop next door though.
'Not more men! Get out! Get out! Get out! Right now!' The furious clerk yelled, beating Alistair senseless with a plastic clothes hanger.
'Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.' He wailed, just trying to get away. We'd run straight into the changing rooms of a women's clothing store; although why such a place was connected to a bakery was beyond me.
Sameth was laughing hysterically, not even bothering to wait for the giant to catch up.
'Alistair?' I ask, having somehow lost sight of him.
'I'm alright,' He answered, climbing back to his feet. 'This place is a deathtrap!'
Asher looked back. 'Are you planning on keeping that?'
The giant tugged at the garment wrapped around his neck, staring at it as though he'd never seen a pair of leggings before. 'Can't take you anywhere!' Sameth barked.
The next shop appeared to be a Runeball merchandise store, massive, with thousands of souvenirs on sale, and several fifty-inch television screens hanging from the ceiling. Each playing adverts for the upcoming game.
'We should never have listened to Butland.' Sameth complained.
'Why not?' Molly asked.
'He said, "fans wear Runeball armour all the time." Look around, do you see anyone wearing it?'
Sameth did have a point. 'When was Butland last here?'
'He didn't say. Probably for the previous Outcast game?' Alistair suggested, crouching next to me.
I scowled. 'Why are you all kneeling next to me? Damn it; we stand out like a sore thumb!'
'Right.' Alistair agreed, nudging back a little.
Another scowl. 'That's much better. Thanks.'
'What do we do?' Asher asked. 'The second we walk out those doors, we're done for.'
I stood up, casually stretching and taking a look at the other people in the shop. A mother was yelling at her child as the little girl kept trying to climb the bookshelves in the far corner of the shop; she had enough to worry about without concerning herself with us.
The only other person in the shop was a teenager, blue-skinned and tall, with four eyes that seemed to be permanently fixed on each television. He was distracted for now, but we'd have to keep an eye on him.
My gaze stopped on a pop-up display; the hanging hooks lined with merchandise that would allow us to blend in with ease.
Alistair saw where I was looking. 'No way!'
I grinned. 'You could at least try it on before you say no.'
'They won't come in my size, look at them!'
Ten costumes all hung neatly next to each other. One of them was a red dragon; hopefully, the one I would get to first.
We all sprinted for the display at once, with Alistair pushing Sameth so hard he rolled over the top of a bargain basket.
'Settle down!' The man behind the till yelled, staring at each of us with his one working eye. The other eyeball seemed to made of glass and was stuck facing forward. He shook his head and got back to scanning barcodes. 'Even that little girl is better behaved than all of you.'
Sameth kicked the metal pop-up stand. 'There's only five left, and they look ridiculous! I'm going to see if they have any more back there-'
I grabbed his arm with my stuffed red claw, and the wing on my left side started tickling his nose. 'You can't unless you have money for us all?'
'Didn't Butland leave us any?'
'Violet has it all,' Alistair laughed, this time being the one to perform the hazing. 'In you get.'
I didn't know what his costume was supposed to be, but it was still a lot better than the others. 'I can't walk in this thing.' He cried, falling over again.
He looked like a worm, with his tiny feet poking out the bottom. Its tail was so long that whenever Sameth turned, he'd whip everything in sight. Like Baltar, only on a larger scale.
'How are we supposed to run for the exit without being caught?' Asher asked, looking dubious.
They all turned to stare at me again; Jake, the masterful performer of party tricks.
Hmm, nothing too drastic, but whatever I summon, it has to be enough to draw them away. 'Everyone ready?' I ask, having thought of the perfect decoy. We would have to move quickly, but not fast enough to draw attention to ourselves. The costumes were going to do enough of that on their own.
They all nodded, signalling that they were ready. At least I hoped that's what all the nodding meant.
The high-pitched roar and clattering of shop stock seemed enough to make the assistant run out the back and take a look; the dragon I'd summoned was small, nowhere near big enough to cause any real damage to the place. It would take a few minutes for him to find it.
'Now.'
Molly slipped out the door first, with her yellow and orange crab-like costume shaking at the back as she moved. Sameth went next, almost crawling like the worm he was supposed to be. It was funny watching him go.
I was surprised Alistair's fit properly; the minotaur was an appropriate beast for him. They were probably about the same size, but unlike that muscle-ripped creature, Alistair's belly was hanging out the sides, wobbling with every step.
Only me and Asher were left now. I couldn't tell what his costume was supposed to be, but it looked a lot like a lightning bolt. I guess in the grand scheme of things, it hardly mattered.
The one-eyed assistant was on his way back, speaking into an ear-piece. 'That wasn't funny.' He yelled without looking up. 'Those kids are getting worse with their pranking, Mrs Tate; I'm sorry about that.'
So long as Mrs Tate, our unknowing saviour kept the man on the phone, we'd be free and clear.
'I can't believe we just did that,' Molly sighed, catching her breath. 'I'm a grown-ass woman; I shouldn't be running around stealing!'
'Quiet!' Sameth yelled back, his tiny antennae trembling as he tried to appear serious.
Alistair laughed, and then he got me going as well.
'We'll drop the money in later, Molly. I promise. We had no other choice back there, but I'm sure we can hand ourselves in if you'd-'
'This is an announcement brought to you by Stargazan Security. For your safety, we request that you find your seats before kick-off.' The monotone broadcast began repeating, and a timer appeared at the centre of the courtyard up ahead.
Only five minutes were remaining on the countdown clock, and I dreaded to think of what would happen when that time passed. Whatever it was; it was likely the reason for this game only being held once a year.