The man handed Pepper the clipboard and then began guiding his gaze down the page. The man’s finger slowly moved from one spot of the paper to another. “Alright… I just need you to sign, there, there, initial those yellow boxes along the side. Sign there, there, and then there at the bottom with a date and time to the side.”
Pepper took a long breath as he didn’t even read over the fine print, but merely tried to keep up with the instructions. “What’s all this saying again?”
The man sighed and then cleared his throat. Pepper sensed a sharp increase in irritation, but couldn’t blame him after all the work they had done to secure Mala inside the large shipping crate. He felt like his back was going to give out, and all he did was watch the movers get it nestled inside the large moving truck.
“This just says you’ve inspected our packing procedures. Observed us pack your goods, in this case it would be your golem creature. This states you gave us permission to move your goods from your originating location onto the tminier, then authority to transport it across the country, yadda-yadda-yadda…”
The man paused and quickly wiped the sweat off his brow with his button up shirt. The company’s round logo of Mighty Movers caught Pepper’s attention. His gaze dashed a quick glance again at the mans sown name badge, Larry.
“Sorry, Larry… it’s just.” Pepper lowered the clipboard and gave a nod to the back of the moving truck. “That’s everything to me.”
Larry turned and looked over his shoulder for a moment and then returned. “Look kid, I get it. Trust me, I do. But… just remember, this is what we do. I’ve hauled more of these golem things from here to tin-buck-two. We’re at the point that we could probably do this in our sleep if we even wanted to.”
Pepper locked eyes with the man and he then saw his demeanor change towards one of reassurance. “Trust me kid. We’ll get your monster beast there in one piece. I promise.”
Pepper finally nodded, “Thanks.” He handed the clipboard back over to the man and then ended the moment with a firm handshake. Well… guess there is no turning back now. He mentally said while letting out a long exhale.
He crossed his arms and felt present in the moment. That was until the invasive sensation punched straight up his backside. “Wooo!” He yelled out uncontrollably. His body contorted around and immediately caught sight of Amprage with his head tilting at him. “What was that for?” Pepper cried out.
“I was calling for you and you ignored me. The dog personality profile suggested a slight playful nudge to grab your attention.”
Pepper’s hands shot out in shocked confusion. “So, you just decided to ram your nose up my Grand Canyon?”
“Well… the database said that it is not uncommon for dogs to sniff their owners to ensure it is them. Also, the strategy clearly worked, because I now have your attention.”
“Amprage, how does your, your, mainframe of information not have guidance on personal bubble space!?”
“Oh, it does… I just chose to ignore that part.” He replied while sharply tilting his head to the opposite side.
“Well, no more ignoring personal bubble space. There is a reason why the word personal is in the title. Because it’s…”
“Personal?” Amprage cut him off and quickly started to wag his small stubby tail.
“Exactly.” Pepper said under his breath. He narrowed his gaze and leaned forward with a sternly pointed finger. “No more… got it… no, more.”
“Got it.” Amprage said while his body now practically shook with excitement.
“Okay, now that we’re all done and over with in regard to that. What is it?”
Amprage then froze in place and his ears shifted into a perked position. “What’s what?”
Pepper reached up and rubbed his face. An effort to alleviate the frustration that quickly started to grow within him. “You said you were trying to get my attention. What do you need?”
“Oh, that. I forgot.” Amprage replied and then sat down before him.
Pepper’s hand quickly balled into a fist, “Are you serious?”
“Quiet.” Amprage then opened his mouth a stuck his long metal tongue out at him, simulating the act of panting. “This does seem like the perfect time for me to remind you, just how much I love you.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Save it.” Pepper said while shaking his head and turning to head back inside the house.
Amprage followed closely behind him. “When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow…”
“And how long is the trip?”
Pepper tossed his hands up in frustration. “I dunno Amp… however long dad forces us to be on the road.”
“I’m excited! Are you excited?”
“Not now Amp… maybe tone down the playful dog routine by like 20%.” Pepper shook his head and then instantly found himself arched up onto his tiptoes.
The moment he turned around he discovered he was about to be taken out by a power sliding princess. Meg had bolted into the kitchen, dropped down onto her knees and streaked across the linoleum floor. She practically crashed into Amprage but had wrapped her arms around the metal golem with what looked to be vice grip strength.
“It’s bad your leaving, but why take Amprage too?” She asked while glaring at him with a scowled look.
Pepper lowered himself down and took a quick breath while his heartbeat returned to its normal pace. “Not you too.”
“It’s not fair!”
He slowly shook his head as he closed his eyes. She had a point, and he knew that there was no convincing her otherwise. Pepper looked back at her and worked to keep a calm composure. “I’ve told you kiddo. Amprage is my familiar, he’s bonded to me. He goes where I go.”
“But… but, Dad said you could have stayed here.”
Pepper tilted his head upwards. He couldn’t suppress the frustration that was slowly building within him. Ever since the regional invitations arrived in his inbox, his dad worked to encourage him to try out for their region. ‘You could even stay here at the house, with us… save some money while you’re at it.’ His dad had told him.
But no matter what, his head was set on a future away from the rural streets of Michigan. This quest was all he had dreamed about for so long, and he knew he would forever regret it if he just stayed there at the house. His heart was already heavy to be leaving Meg. But it wasn’t just her either, he was leaving everyone behind.
Andrea and he had agreed that they weren’t going to see each other. They said their physical goodbyes last night and Pepper was an emotional wreck all the way into the afternoon. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with, but there was no avoiding it. “Meg, we’ve talked about this. You have your Mala statue, but Amp will be coming with me. But, he can at least sleep with you tonight. One final time, how about that?”
Meg’s only answer was a slow nod while her eyes watered.
“Alright.” Thank goodness that’s over with. He mentally told himself while slowly maneuvering his way towards his room. The door slowly swung open, and he couldn’t help but take notice of the transformation of it all.
A few of his favorite Golem League posters were already down and packed away. Their square outlines were still visible. His dad insisted he take his military duffle bag. The large olive-green duffle bag was stuffed to the brim. But it practically held every single piece of clothing that Pepper owned. He was shocked at how much the thing could carry and he quickly realized why his dad insisted he use it.
He walked over to his bed and repositioned a few of the cardboard boxes he had filled with personal decorations. A quick tuck and roll and he landed on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. One more night and then on to the next adventure. He smiled and though his heart was ripped in two over what that meant, he still imagined how great the regional league was going to be.
A new level of challenges, stronger competition, bigger and better golems to compete against! Sponsorships, possibly even traveling around the world. More time spent amongst his peers and idols. His mind wandered back to GolemCon and the memories he had at it.
He couldn’t deny that he had been a bit shy at the convention. Then he felt the dread of embarrassment come all over him again. The big crowds and constant commotion was overwhelming, but the one or two moments gathered around with the other gladiators, that was what he missed. Pepper smiled and let the long day of packing and preparation take hold of him. The exhaustion finally pulled him further into the comfort of his bed and he closed his eyes.
***
“Hey, Pep…”
The soft gentle voice had just barely entered his ears enough that it slowly drew him away from his dream state. He felt a nudge on his shoulder and started to roll onto his back. He pried his one eye open and was able to make out the likeness of his dad through the semi-blurred vision.
“Pep… we need to get on the road if we’re going to get a good head start on the trip.”
Pepper moaned and then it quickly turned into a groan as he hated being pulled away from the comfort of sleep. But, that was dad. Trent insisted they get an early start to the morning.
There was even this weird different side of his father’s personality that seemed to awaken within him over the past few days. A different kind of excitement that had been kindled within his dad, and Pepper could easily see that his father appreciated being asked to do a road trip with him. Pepper had originally planned to just fly down to Atlanta. The thought of merely flying back and forth between the locations as he got settled in.
But the longer he thought about that idea, the more he felt like it wasn’t giving his full effort. If he was going to go for the Regional League, he wanted to be fully devoted and no distractions. He still had roughly a month before the regional match and found a small house to temporarily rent out. Atlanta was one of the areas in the US that had been hit the hardest in the rift wars. Their population had still not recovered yet and there was a significant amount of affordable housing to choose from.
Pepper had been so confident coming off of his KBVS Championship victory. He believed, now more than ever, that this was his moment. His opportunity and all he needed to do was get there in one piece.
He slowly got up and out of bed. He did a quick change of his clothes and staggered across the hall to Meg’s room. His hand softly began to turn the nob and to his surprise, he found Amprage patiently waiting on the other side of the door.
Pepper placed his finger over his mouth to warn his familiar to be quiet and then nodded for his bonded to tag along. He turned and was about to close the door when his heart pulled back on him. A quick but quiet turn around and Pepper stepped into Meg’s room. He leaned over and gave her a soft gentle kiss on her cheek. “Love you princess.”