Pepper was exhausted by the time the dinner ended. The whirlwind of the day had his head spinning, and he could feel a slight headache coming on. He was amazed to see the luxurious room he had been given.
The number of pillows on his bed seemed like enough to make an entirely separate sleeping area out of them alone. The soft billowing comforters and blankets gave him the sensation of being treated like pure royalty. At the far end of the room was a gift basket neatly placed in the center of a small circular table.
He skipped over the majority of the items when his eyes landed on the chocolate bar. It didn’t take long for him to rip the wrapping off and savor the bar as he jumped onto the bed. Though his taste buds danced with happiness, his mind was still attempting to fight off the lurking headache. The heaviness of sleep finally arrived, and he drifted off.
By the time his eyes opened, the warm rays of the sun were shining through the window. The curtains glowed, and Pepper stood up, shuffled over, and peered outside. The tiny specks of the people down on the street looked like bustling ants going about their lives. He could even make out the floats getting lined up ready for the parade that would take place later that day.
He took a deep breath and let reality sink in: He was really here and this was truly happening. For years he had watched all the video clips and recaps of previous GolemCons and yet here he was. It seemed funny to him when he thought about it—he was living it, the convention experience. He had even walked out onto the field with an actual Medal of Honor recipient, yet it all seemed like a blur.
The next blur was when Pepper realized he was in a different time zone and was now running late for the parade. He rushed to get changed and was able to snag a bagel and apple from the complimentary breakfast buffet as he practically ran out of the hotel lobby. The power walk got him there in the nick of time, but not without some shin splints to leave him with a nice reminder of the benefits of time management. Though he had done extensive training with Nate at the dojo and his cardio was up to par, forcing himself to walk so fast for so long was something he had never trained for. It came as a shock to him how his muscles reacted to the slight variation in exercise.
That all slowly faded, though, once he started to take in all the massive floats that were there. He would be lying if he said he had watched the parade portion of the convention before. It had never seemed to interest him. But now he was there, he was stunned and amazed to see the intricate details that had gone into all the floats. Some of them towered up to forty feet high. Many were modeled on famous golems previously seen in the arena.
Pepper finally found the float he was assigned to. There in the center of the float was a recreation of the golem Thoth that had been wielded by the classic gladiator Nikko Marie. Thoth was one of the ancient Egyptian gods, and he had many unique roles within Egyptian mythology. Pepper recalled that Nikko had shared in an interview that it was Thoth’s roles regarding writing and wisdom that had drawn her to his story in college.
The golem rendition she used when competing had the body of a man. A large golden belt was fixed around its waist, holding a metal skirt shaped like feathers. It had carved vambraces on both arms, with etched armbands around the upper biceps. Metal feathered wings were affixed to its back. Nikko had been the first gladiator to design wings that expanded and contracted, and she was also the first to use them as weapons.
Many of the first-season gladiators had not considered powered flight yet. Pepper wondered how great it would have been to watch Thoth fight in the arena while wielding that ability. The golem was adorned with the traditional Egyptian nemes headdress. The head and facial features Nikko had gone with looked very similar to those of a raven, only with a longer beak.
“Hey, are you our assigned rising star?” an energetic voice said above Pepper. He turned to face the direction it had come from. There, standing at the edge of the float, was a slender woman with a playfully inquisitive expression. Pepper first saw her fist gently pressed against her waist where her jeans met the Batman sweatshirt she wore. She blew her light brown hair away from her face as her dark eyes gazed down at him.
“Uhh, yeah. I’m Pepper.”
“Sweet! Nikko’s the name. I hope you got an arm on you, because we got quite a bit of candy to toss out to all these people.”
Pepper didn’t know exactly how many hours the parade lasted. But what he did know was that by the time it was all over, his arm was sore from hurling hardened sugar candies towards the crowd. The whole ordeal left him shaking his head as he realized how accurate Brandon’s statement was—there was well over a hundred thousand people in attendance.
The exhibitors’ hall was no better. By the time the float came to a stop and Pepper arrived and quickly discovered how much he had to swim through a thick ocean of bodies. The different languages and dialects from all over the world did not help matters, although he tried to apologize politely the few times he accidentally bumped into someone.
The chaotic experience started to become too much for him. He quickly found a few small mementos for friends and family and felt bad for not putting more time, energy, and effort into finding more suitable items. His mind tried to tell his heart that it was the thought that counted, and the need to get out of the area overruled every counterargument.
Pepper attempted to move on and look for the rising star section that Geneva had told him about. It wasn’t until he realized he had gone through the entire exhibitors’ hall three times without success that he finally decided to ask for help. He focused on the first person he could find with a shirt that read “Volunteer” across it.
As he slowly approached, he could see the bright and bubbly expression of the worker shift to one of genuine concern. “My word, are you okay there, hon?”
“Um, yeah. I’m fine,” Pepper replied. He was puzzled. Why would she ask such a question?
“Are you sure about that?” Her southern accent was warm and welcoming. She made him feel like she was not going to leave his side until she was certain everything was okay.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, sweetie, you look like you’ve trudged through a giant swamp and haven’t ate in a week.” She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, leaning towards him slightly. “Do you need me to get you anything?”
Pepper chuckled and took a deep breath. He took a quick second to reflect and realized that everything was becoming far more overwhelming than initially thought. “Thanks. I’m okay. Honest. I guess this convention is just a little much for me. It’s my first time going to one.”
“I’d say so, by the looks of it! Dear goodness. Well, what do you need help with?”
“I was told there was supposed to be a rising star area or something for us to network with industry insiders?”
Her face quickly beamed with excitement. “Oh, wow! Congrats on rising stars, hon. That must be so exciting! Okay… you just come with me—come on now.” The small woman confidently strode ahead and began to move people out of the way as if she was a bouncer at a night club.
Pepper had to walk as fast as he had that morning to keep up with her. She guided him down aisle after aisle, and Pepper was shocked at how she knew exactly how to navigate the maze of booths and people. Eventually his eyes focused on a small doorway with two other volunteers standing guard. They waved him through and he thanked the woman for her help. She wished him a good rest of the convention and quickly departed.
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Pepper sighed with relief, but when he turned around and took in the room, his heart started to race. He had been told the rising stars group was a select one, but in that moment the room seemed to cave in on him. There was no doubt in his mind that the walls were moving, the room now slowly spinning. But he did his best to take a few steps forward and power through.
There were tables all along the perimeter of the room and an additional arrangement in the center. The layout created a large square track for people to walk around, with booths on either side. He had just taken his first step when a man in a golden yellow shirt called out to him.
“Welcome! Would you like to enter our contest?” The man had a voice that sounded like a car salesman, a military crew cut of dirty blond hair, and a freshly trimmed goatee. He was wearing a business suit jacket but had a graphic T-shirt on underneath and blue jeans. Pepper couldn’t help but notice he had a similar look to JD Glasscock.
“What’s the contest?” he asked hesitantly.
“We are choosing ten lucky winners out of our group here. You will be the first to receive the latest rune we’ve created,” the man said with excitement in his voice and eyes that sparkled.
“Is it approved for use by the Golem League?” Pepper watched as the man adjusted his arms. His convention badge was exposed, and he noticed the name “Bill” printed on it.
“No… and it never will be.” Bill cleared his throat and started to flip through a brochure. There were images that appeared to show people and animals together. But once the man had said no, Pepper practically ignored everything else he was saying.
“I’m sorry, what company were you with again?”
Bill paused his presentation for a quick second. “We’re called Phantom Industries. We’re currently based out of—”
Pepper lifted up his hand. “I dunno if this is really right for me.”
Bill countered once he saw Pepper was on the verge of leaving his small display booth. “Look, it’s just a drawing. There’s a chance you may not get picked, but I really urge you to simply put in for it. This rune technology we’ve developed is something everyone is eventually going to want. I’d hate for you to possibly miss out on it.”
Pepper dropped his head and started to feel the pressure swell within him. It felt like he was being choked, and he couldn’t say no to the man. Their eyes met and Bill appeared to read his mind. “What city are you from, kid?”
Pepper was finally able to swallow and took a breath. “You ever hear of Portage, Michigan?”
Bill looked like he’d been caught off guard. His eyes shifted back and forth and he soon gazed back at Pepper. “I have, actually… I have an old friend out there.” There was a quiet moment between them, yet the commotion in the room seemed to be growing louder. Bill’s thoughtful expression seemed genuine to Pepper. “Look, I won’t push you on this.”
But Pepper finally surrendered. “Okay… how do I sign up?”
Bill showed him the small holopad screen boxes he needed to fill out. It was all simple information and a few random questions about being open and willing to be contacted later on if chosen. The entire process took him less than two minutes and everything was done. “So, your name is Pepper Walker. That’s a pretty unique name.”
“That’s what I’m told.” Pepper grinned. The pressure of the moment had taken a toll on him. He had mixed feelings about it and now almost regretted it. Maybe he should have waited and signed up later. He began to drift away.
“Well, good luck to you, Pepper. I’ll reach out to my old friend and see if he knows you.”
“Okay, whatever, man. Best of luck on your drawing, raffle, rune thing.” Pepper had a sense of embarrassment, as he didn’t know how to simply say “Bye, now please leave me alone.” He took a deep breath as he turned to leave and tried to clear his mind of the experience. That wasn’t so bad. I’m sure the rest won’t be like that. He hadn’t even made it to the corner before he felt overwhelmed and realized the majority were far worse than Bill.
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“Are you looking to get sponsors? Well then, you should consider Thunder Academy! Our online professional curriculum has helped more than three thousand gladiators achieve sponsorships within one year of graduating from our program. Want to sign up?”
Pepper’s chest tightened. A bead of sweat streaked down his forehead and dripped into his eye. The sharp salty sting made him shake his head. He did his best to wave appreciation while conveying a “no thanks” message to each table. He began to shuffle across the businesslike carpeting and then, as his legs started to weaken, he felt an arm wrap around his.
A soft, gentle tug and he realized he was being escorted on his left. He looked down to see a small blonde woman with a headset. She looked up at him and he saw blue eyes glance back at him from behind her glasses. “Just trust me, everything will be okay.”
Pepper knew something was wrong with him and he didn’t question her. He did his best to match her stride as she led him over to a side door. There was a sign that said “Off Limits,” but she pushed the handle without hesitation. A cool breeze washed over him, and he immediately felt the tension that had been building in his body start to ease.
The door closed behind them and the woman let go of his arm and turned to face him. She had on a gray polo shirt with the Golem League emblem embroidered on the chest pocket and a pair of black jeans. Her eyes turned towards the ground but Pepper then took notice of the small ear piece nestled in her ear. She placed her finger on the ear piece while sending out a quick voice message. “Hey, I’ve got to take care of something. Sure, will do. Okay.” She looked back at Pepper and her eyes told a story that he did not know but knew existed.
“Thanks. That … that was kind of overwhelming.”
“I could see you needed to get out of there and fast.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She chuckled. “You had the same look my oldest son used to have whenever he would have a panic attack.”
“Oh yeah?” Pepper reached up and started to massage the back of his neck with his hand. The sensation helped bring a sense of calm over his spirit. “How old is he?”
The woman hesitated. “He, uh. Well, he… um.” She looked back at the ground and couldn’t look him in the eyes. “He would have been about your age, I guess. He was taken from us about two years ago. A probe attack got past our initial defense line and some demons attacked the bus he was on while on his way home.”
Pepper’s heart sank. “I’m… so sorry.”
A small tear ran down her cheek. “Don’t be. He wouldn’t want that either.” She wiped the tear away and smiled up at him. “He would have loved to have been here. See all this, but… just like you, he could only do so much before it all got to him.”
“I’m Pepper.”
“Kristen Franzke.”
“Oh, well I guess Walker is my last name. To be formal and all.”
She chuckled. “It’s okay. Here, let’s go for a walk and let your mind decompress from all this.” She motioned around with her hand.
“Sounds good to me,” he replied. It was then Pepper realized they were in the back service hallways where all the behind-the-scenes workers were. A few turns around corners and they arrived at the loading docks. They found one of the loading doors rolled up, and Kristen motioned for them to have a seat.
“This is more like it,” she said. She looked at Pepper for a second with a small smile before she turned to gaze out at a few trees growing along the edge of the massive parking lot. “I come out here when I need to get away. I love the con, love the Golem League, but every once in a while, it can be a little too much.”
“What do you do?” Pepper asked, swaying his feet back and forth off the ledge of the dock.
“I’m Geneva Agnos’s assistant. You probably met her yesterday when you got your lanyard.”
“She has an assistant?”
Kristen blew a soft raspberry. “You think that woman could do this all on her own? Please…” She rolled her eyes and sarcastically brushed her shoulders. “I am the real captain of this ship of success. Nothing around here would get done if it wasn’t for me putting out all these dumpster fires.”
The two laughed, and Pepper leaned his head back against the wall. “Well, you certainly knew I needed help when I did. It feels great out here. Thanks for doing this.”
There was a slight pause between the two, but she eventually she softly replied. “You have his eyes,”
“Your son?”
She nodded. “Yeah… When I look at you. I see him. If your hair was dirty blond and you didn’t have the freckles, I could swear you were him.”
Pepper didn’t know what to say. So he only said what felt best. “I’m sorry.”
“We’ve all lost.” She paused. “And… you, dear Pepper Walker, are a rising star. What that means is that there is a bright future for you to look forward to. One day your golem will be standing on a float and people will be cheering your name.”
He smiled. “Thanks. But… what do I do in the meantime?”
“Well, you can start by trying to make it home in one piece. Also, be careful at that afterparty. You gladiators can get a little out of hand when there’s no adult supervision around.”