To Pepper’s surprise Pete and Jez had just finished boxing up his gyro a hair before the front end erupted. Pete handed him the meal and wished him off, for Pete had no idea how long it would take them to make the repairs. All Pepper knew was that he had experienced all the action he cared to for in a single day. He called for a new Buzz Podz and headed back to the slight safety of his rental.

  Pepper slammed the meal down and quickly saw why Efrem had recommended the place. The meal was packed with a giant mound of lamb, lettuce, diced tomato, diced cucumber, feta cheese and red onion. The taziki sauce on top elevated the meal to a whole new level. The mountain of flavors packed within the single serving had sent him into a food coma the minute he arrived home.

  It was roughly an hour or two later that he found Amprage snuggled up next to him on the sectional couch in the living room. Pepper then went through the process of synching up his holodex to the holoscreen display and he finally turned on a movie. His attention didn’t last long, however, for a suggestion his dad said previous had now piqued his curiosity.

  Pepper swiped through screens on his holodex and loaded up his Golem Chat account. His eyes widened in shock when he saw a wave of notifications pop into view.

  [:::] You have 12 new followers! [:::]

  [:::] You have 21 new followers! [:::]

  [:::] You have 61 new followers! [:::]

  [:::] You have 274 new followers! [:::]

  [:::] You have 515 new followers! [:::]

  [:::] You have 3,127 new followers! [:::]

  What in the world is all of this!? Pepper’s heart was beginning to race and pound like a hammer inside his chest. How… What…. Why? His brain couldn’t process what was happening. All Pepper knew in that moment was that he felt like he was inside a submarine. The vessel had lost power and was now quickly sinking to the crushing depths of the ocean floor.

  [:::] You have 33 Positive Vibes on a photo! [:::]

  [:::] You have 87 Positive Vibes on a photo! [:::]

  [:::] You have 113 Positive Vibes on a photo! [:::]

  [:::] You have 312 Positive Vibes on a video! [:::]

  [:::] You have 197 Positive Vibes on a photo! [:::]

  [:::] You have 879 Positive Vibes on a video! [:::]

  Pepper began to sift through all the new notifications that were awaiting him. He didn’t remember when exactly he had silenced his account, but he was certainly grateful for old Pepper doing so. The more he looked the more he saw how random strangers were liking posts that he had forgotten about from years back. Photos of him sculpting Mala that he didn’t even remember he posted were now popular and being spammed with statements ranging from. “That’s so sick!” to “Wow you’re so talented!” and “I’m going to work to be as skilled as you!”

  Pepper then moved on to the more active photos and that was when he discovered the cause for the new surge of popularity. There posted in the public feed area was one of the photos he had done for Ryan and Big Duck Energy. He quickly scrolled down to see. “Big Duck Energy is proud to promote our first sponsored Golem League Gladiator!”

  Pepper paused and grimaced. I’m not an official gladiator yet. His mind then countered. Yes you are! You’ve been competing in KBVS for years. That is the official first tier of the league. So yes you’re a gladiator! The opposing side still argued, and now Pepper felt like two mini Pepper’s were on either shoulder arguing back and forth with him stuck right in the middle. He still needs to prove himself! Ryan should not be giving people a false belief. They should have waited until after he gets accepted into the Regional League.

  He then navigated to the notification which said video. What video? He thought, but his curiosity was soon answered once he saw Ryan had posted it and tagged him in it. “Hey everybody! I’m Ryan DeBruyn owner and founder of Big Duck Energy, or as we like to commonly say it, Big D! Don’t you know that many days, we need a little boost. Nobody likes a little d in their day, they love a big d, and Big D Energy will give you just that!”

  “Oh… my… god.” Pepper audibly said out loud.

  “If you haven’t seen it, we signed our first sponsored athlete, don’t you know. A Golem League gladiator that has got the Big D in him to make it to the top aye! A little secret, our guy Pepper, and man what a swell guy he is, that one there. He drinks a Big D Energy before every Golem League Match. He loved our latest flavor Mango Madness, so be sure to swipe on up next time you’re at the store, aye!”

  Pepper immediately closed his mouth as his stomach wanted to upchuck its contents with just the thought alone. The bitter taste and overly sharp sour bite caused him to verbally moan. Why would you encourage people to suffer like that! Ohhh…. He agonized mentally and yet… it still wasn’t over.

  “We here at Big D energy are proud of the extreme energy formula that we’ve put into every can. If you’re feeling down and with floppy little d, then be sure to give us a try aye! Our fans have gotten instant results and been fully torqued and ready to plow away once they get a Big D inside them! So don’t delay, get some Big D today!”

  “I wanna die… I… want… to… die.” Pepper brought his hand up and covered his face. He was sure that his face was as red as his hair and he regretted every agreeing to help Ryan. It was too late though and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around Ryan’s throat and strangle him. How could you…. Who in their right mind…. Why are you like this!?!?!

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  He then realized that he had received dozens, no… hundreds of private messages from these random strangers who were now following his account. The more he swiped with his finger, the more the messages just continued. Row after row, question after question. Each message ranged from that of “Wow Congratulations!” To “Hey, how can I get a sponsor? Will you hook me up?” And finally, “Y’all weren’t lying! That mango madness flavor is amazing!”

  Pepper immediately knew that last message was from either a complete psychopath, someone with no tastebuds whatsoever, or was a bot built to annoy people. It was overwhelming as he swiped through to see some people who seemed genuinely sincere and appreciative of discovering him. Others who seemed like true golem league fans that wanted to talk strategy, techniques, and converse about their favorite matches.

  Then… then there were the trolls. Pepper had to bite his tongue for the overwhelming sensation was quickly being replaced with resentment.

  “You’re such a loser! You only won that match due to luck!”

  “How the heck did you get a sponsor of all people? Was it pitty for you not having a soul, ginger freak!”

  “You’re fighting skills are pathetic! Come find me, anytime anywhere…”

  It didn’t matter how many personal messages of congratulations and best wishes he saw. The downward nasty jabs erased all the appreciation the genuine souls tried to convey. But that was just the beginning, for he soon discovered how nasty humanity can be.

  “You’re only sponsored because your brother died.”

  “Heard your mom is a drunk, looks like she had one too many when she carried you.”

  “Thanks for skipping town, gonna take Andrea out for a nice dinner and some sweet desert she won’t forget!”

  Pepper knew they were lies but he couldn’t stop his blood from boiling over. His hands were balled into fists and all he wanted was a punching bag to unleash the fury now built up inside him. Why are they like this? What did I ever do to these… these… strangers? I don’t even know these people and here they are saying things like this? He thought through gritted teeth.

  It was then that Amprage slowly raised his head and stared back at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing.” Pepper muttered.

  “Whatever it is, it has effected the essence around us. That… is not nothing, that… is something.” Amprage countered.

  Pepper now felt even worse for not being open with his familiar, but for now he just wanted to forget that he even saw the messages. Both the bad and the good. All I want is to be back home and be a nobody. Just me and… and… Andrea.

  The moment he mentally said her name though, the crude message reappeared in his mind. He felt hopeless, helpless, powerless and did the only thing he thought might help. A quick navigation through his holodex and a tap later and he was calling Andrea.

  “Hey babe. Did you have fun in the city?” Her soft affectionate voice calmed his spirit the instant he heard it.

  Pepper had completely forgotten what had happened until just then. His mind sent spiraling into a whirlwind that he couldn’t even keep his feet grounded to what had happened. He finally pulled himself out of the mental storm and then took a deep breath. “I just needed to hear your voice.”

  “Aww. Pepper Walker, have I ever told you how adorable you are?” She ended her question with a small giggle. It was the same one she would give him when they would cuddle up together and he’d tell a terrible joke.

  “You might have mentioned it here or there.” He smiled and felt his heart start to calm and his mind slowly

  “So how was it then?”

  Pepper’s eyes shifted back and forth. “How was what?”

  Her loud sigh cued him into the fact that she had rolled her eyes. “The big city goofball.”

  “Oh, right. Well let’s see. I almost got bitten by a homeless veteran. But I am pretty sure he was just hallucinating. I watched a nurse karate chop a knife out of another woman’s hand, all because she didn’t get a sandwich when she got one.”

  Andrea then chimed in briefly. “Wow… okay then.”

  “I had a bookshop owner try to creepily lure me into a dark alley so I could check out his bookstore. All to finish it off by getting trapped in a Greek food place due to the wall exploding by some, bank robbers or something.”

  There was a slight pause on the call and then he heard a slight humph come from her. “So nothing too memorable then?” She ended in a deadpan voice.

  That caused him to chuckle and he finally grinned. “Yeah… nothing too crazy. Just another day in the big city as one or two people told me.”

  “Well look at you already adapting so well.”

  Though she giggled, the statement cut right back into him as his mind immediately went back to the terribly cruel messages. I wish I could adapt like that! Just forget all of this and not be… It was then that he realized he had missed a question.

  “What was that?” He asked and worked to cover his error of blanking out.

  “I asked… what are you going to do now?”

  “Oh… I, I don’t know really. I took a nap and put a movie on, but just felt like I should call you.”

  “Aww, well thanks.”

  Pepper then flipped the question back onto her. “What are you going to be up to this evening?”

  “Well, some friends asked if I wanted to go out tonight…”

  Her slight pause caused the hairs on the back of his neck to shoot straight up. The warning sirens of an attack were mentally blaring in his mind and Pepper thought of the worst. That was, until she continued.

  “But I told them I didn’t want to. I promised dad I would watch some football match, game, thing with him. He’s looking forward to it and I’m gonna surprise him with some ice cream from the creamery over off Trinity Way. It’s his favorite.”

  And with that statement, his mind, heart, and warning bells all silenced themselves once again. “That sounds like an awesome night.” He finished with some emphasis.

  “Okay, well. I need to finish up here at the ranch, so I got to go. Maybe you should just go for a run or something, yeah?”

  The idea actually sounded pretty good to him. “You know, I just might do that.”

  “Sounds good. Alright, gotta go. I miss you!”

  “Miss you too.”

  Andrea sent him an audible kiss and then ended the connection. His small screen evaporated from his holodex and Pepper’s eyes immediately turned to see the tiny metal tail wagging on his golem. Pepper was about to say something and watched as Amprage’s ears perked upwards. He quickly lifted his head up and opened his mouth. The tiny metal tongue clanked out and off the side of his mouth and Pepper couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Okay… fine! You can go on a run with me.”

  “Run!” Amprage practically screamed. The familiar bounded off of him and the couch and went running through the house with excitement. “Run, run, run, run, run!”

  “Hey! What did I say about zoomies. You need to delete it out of your personality profile.”

  “Instructions ignored! Run, run, run, run, run.” Amprage replied while streaking from one end of the house to the other.

  Ohhh… this is useless. He sighed and then heard the distinct sound of a loud crash off in a back room.

  “I’m fine!” Amprage cried out. It wasn’t but a second later that the golem was charging back down the hallway and zipping past him like nothing had happened.

  “Hey! I’m not going to take you if you keep zooming around here!” He commanded and put a firm foot down for emphasis.

  As if Amprage was a cartoon figure he froze in place and slid across the carpet floor upon hearing the command.