Dungeon Quest Online

Chapter 2: Nerd within the Jock

Aaron Johnson - Barbarian, Warrior, Jock

20 years prior to launch

"Johnson!", yelled Coach Jones.

"Here", Aaron said as he bounced on his toes.

"You're up", he responded.

"Yes!" Aaron hissed as he rushed onto the field at the oppositions twenty-yard line.

His team faced their rivals in the regional championships and the clock ticked closer to zero. The score was 20 to 14, and they were down 6 points. There was enough time for maybe two or three plays before the quarter ended and it was Aaron's time to shine. He'd been on the sidelines for ten minutes as the opposing team ran the clock down. His team had gotten lucky on the last play, which resulted in an interception. This set their offense up for a short run to the goal line.

Aaron moved into the backfield at the running back position. His coach often moved him around the formation due to his speed and agility. The design of the current play meant he would drop back into an option read for the quarterback. First, they would attempt a hard snap count to pull the defenders offsides and move them closer to the goal line.

"Blue 42, set hut, hut, hut...," his quarterback intoned.

Their opponents weren't fooled and waited until the center snapped the ball. After the ball went into motion, Aaron dropped back into position looking for any defenders that broke the line of scrimmage. The opponents secondary scrambled into man coverage at the last second. Three wide-receivers careened down the field on the right, the tight-end slanted left, and Aaron swung to the left to fall in behind the tight end. Because the defenders switched to man coverage that left Aaron open as the defenders backpedaled down field to cover the wide-receivers.

His quarterback sent a bullet pass to him and he rocketed downfield. Two defenders stood in his way, one of which abandoned his coverage on the tight-end. The first defender attempted an open field tackle and received a stiffer right to his faceplate. The second defender played more conservative and went for a low tackle around Aaron's legs. Just as the defender lunged, Aaron launched into the air escaping his clutches. Two steps later he dove into the end zone which tied the game at 20 vs 20.

With only a few more seconds on the clock their kicker jogged on the field. The game hinged on the next play. If the extra point succeeded, the game was over and Aaron exited middle-school as a regional champion. With bated breath, he watched from the sidelines as the ball hit the hands of the placeholder.

"No...," Aaron breathed. The snap was a little off and the ball holder almost fumbled.

He got the ball under control and slammed it into the ground, just as the kickers foot arced through the air and connected with the ball! The ball tumbled end over end and veered to the right as a gust of wind threatened to knock the ball off its course. Aaron's breath caught in his throat. For a split second it looked like the ball would bounce off the upright and leave the game tied. When it hit the upright it ricocheted, but had enough momentum it carried the ball through the posts for the extra point. They'd done it! They won!

"Woohooo...," Aaron yelled.

The entire football team ran onto the field and hoisted Aaron and the kicker into the air as they celebrated the victory. Festivities and awards ensued and once all the activity had died, they made their way into the locker rooms. Right before Aaron headed into the locker rooms he looked to the stands and saw his foster parents and three best friends, Tristen, Natalia, and Tyler. They cheered and waved at him in congratulations.