Needing everybody's attention, the old mouth guard knew there was only one way to get it done. It was something he'd been taught a long time ago by his then best friend. Searching frantically for the memory, astonishingly he found it, and began waving and weaving his wings in the most intricate of patterns. The booing subsided, with everyone mesmerised by Silverbonce's actions. Only a little chatter flitted around the stadium now, but it was too much.
"SILENCE!" commanded Silverbonce, putting more than a little magic behind his words. Instantly, the crowd quietened.
"Listen to me... NOW! We need to evacuate the arena... at once!"
"But why?" demanded the referee.
"We don't have time for this now," exclaimed the old mouth guard.
"We're in danger. Every dragon here. I don't know how or why, but there's a BOMB implanted within the ball. And so for everyone's safety, we need to clear the area... RIGHT NOW!"
Nobody needed telling twice. One of the dragon medics listening from just inside the medical bay punched the alarm. A shrill blaring like an air raid siren sounded inside and outside the arena. Dragons of all shapes and sizes started to flee in every direction. Some went on foot in their human form, using their magic to boost their speed, but most took to the skies, flying towards the nearest exit.
* * *
Out of time, his last breath was fighting to escape; only the fear of his own death and that of the dragons above prevented him from opening his mouth. Every single part of him burned in excruciating pain. Having closed his eyelids as soon as he'd hit the molten magma, he was now starting to see bright light ahead of him, and knew that his skin had nearly been burnt away. It was time, he thought to himself, feeling lonely and desperate in what seemed like a world away from the laminium ball arena. Gathering all his reserves of energy, he shifted his weight to one side, drew back the arm of the hand carrying the ball, and with all his might threw it further on its way. Instantly he turned and headed in the direction that he thought of as up, putting everything he had into finding as much speed as possible. In reality he had no idea if he was right or wrong, having been under the lava for what seemed like an eternity, and if he'd been off by even a little when he'd dived beneath the scorching liquid, then he'd now be heading in the wrong direction. Kicking what was left of his tail, and pumping the bones in his wings furiously, determined to get as far away from the blast as possible, his thoughts turned to his teammates and the fans, hoping above all else that they'd made their way to safety.
* * *
Silverbonce told the players of both teams in no uncertain terms that they had to leave. But not one of them would go. They all steadfastly refused.
'They're all as stubborn as I am,' he thought, knowing that their regard for Steel meant more than their own safety. As they all soared above the lava, just off the entrance to the medical bay, one thought above all others surfaced in Silverbonce's mind.
'Come on my boy... you've had long enough. Make for the surface, make for the surface.'
Having been counting down in his mind, while at the same time flying for his life, a smile stretched across what remained of his face, as most of the scales there had been either burnt beyond recognition, or just simply destroyed.
'Ha... I'm not sure whether I'm actually flying, or swimming. What a ludicrous thought.' With his mouth clamped firmly shut, his brain knew that it was being starved of oxygen... hence the rather bizarre thoughts. But his brain, much like what was left of his body, had little interest in dying. It liked life. It loved laminium ball. It wanted to... play again!
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!! A crushing explosion reverberated far beneath the scorching hot magma, causing the rocky arena to shake uncontrollably. Huge chunks of rock and stone tumbled from the roof. Large masses of the surrounding walls, where dragon families had been sitting only moments earlier, slipped into the blistering lava, causing huge waves to crash around its surface. Massive cracks splintered their way across the unstable ceiling and down the sides. Stone and rubble continued to fall randomly, creating a dust cloud so thick it was barely possible to see the end of your own extremities. Players from both sides, the medics and the officials huddled in the entrance to the medical bay, all nearly reconsidering their decision not to have left when they had the chance. Suddenly a huge ear splitting rumble rolled around the cavern, shaking more debris from the roof into the lava. By now most fans had made it out of the arena into the surrounding area, only to find themselves packed into adjacent tunnels on their way to the monorail station, all suffering the same panic and fear as those back in the stadium as the ground, ceiling and walls quaked all around them. Individuals and families screamed in terror as the world they knew roared with rage and trembled with dread. To a dragon, they all craved the open, fresh air. But there was just no way they could get there at the moment. Most settled on silent prayers to Mother Earth, a long forgotten God from ancient fables, something that was only recalled from the depths of dragon consciousness in times like these.
Minutes passed... slowly for those cowering from the shock waves. Gradually they subsided. The dragon domain in and around New Zealand leapt into action, knowing instantly about the problem and the dragons trapped in and around that area. King's Guards, as well as the usual contingent of emergency services shot into action, immediately heading for the danger zone.
Above the lava, the dust cloud started to dissipate. All of the players peeked out from the entrance to the medical bay where they'd taken shelter. Despite gaping cracks in the walls and the ceiling above them, it looked as though the stadium had survived the powerful blast... JUST!
'But what about Steel?' they all thought. 'Has he survived the blast?' Almost as one, they dived off the entrance, swooping up over the molten magma that bubbled and boiled with a ferocity never before seen, searching for the brave and selfless laminium ball player, even those who were carrying injuries.
Elsewhere, dragons made their way towards one of the many exits. Disaster management technicians were now on hand, as well as the emergency services and the King's Guard. Tens of thousands of spectators were shepherded to safety out of the badly damaged tunnels, while the monorail was taken out of service until the line could be checked. As the fans left the tunnels, they talked about what they'd seen, with the emergency services and in particular, the King's Guard.
Flooding into the arena, the new arrivals were greeted by the sight of players from both teams, the referee and the medics soaring across the unstable molten magma. Peeling off to explain what had happened, the referee told them that they were searching for any sign of Steel. The leader of the King's Guard thought it utter madness to be looking for someone who'd disappeared beneath the lava so long ago, and said as much. But the referee, like the players, was still of the belief there was a chance that Steel might somehow be alive. The leader, however, chose to ignore this, and dispatched his contingent to check the structural integrity of the arena and the surrounding area. Rejoining the players, the referee informed them of what had been said. In stark contrast to only minutes ago when the match had been in full swing, the stadium had an eerie feel to it, as the sounds of flapping wings, bubbling and plopping magma and far off muttered mantras echoed throughout. It felt incomplete without the audience it was designed to hold. Continuing their search across the lava's surface, grim reality was starting to become etched on each of the dragon's faces; the more time ticked by, each realising that in all likelihood they were wasting their time.