“Well, hello there, and thanks for tuning in to todays exciting Golem Match. I am your Nick Bosloe and with me today is none other than Mr. JD Glasscock.” Nick greeted the camera with his warm smile. His trademark blue blazer suit was trading in for a beige colored sweater. A white colored shirt and black tie still sported underneath.

  JD on the other hand, arrived on screen wearing quite the opposite. A bright yellow construction hat with pitch black sunglasses, and a white long sleeve woven thermal shirt and bright neon orange and yellow safety vest draped over the top. His hand reached up and pointed towards the camera and that was when he took notice of the fact that JD was wearing leather work gloves. “What’s up golem fans! Thanks for being here, cause without you all tuning in, we’d be out of a job.”

  “Well JD, I must ask. Have you been watching some home improvement shows and gone down the DIY rabbit hole?”

  “The only DIY I know if is the phrase, Do I Yodel?” JD turned from his counterpart towards the camera. “And the question is… yes I do. But this getup isn’t about that… it’s because we’re back at one of my favorite arena’s for todays matchup. Weiner Nutsack! And with Kevin Sinclair’s being our competitor today, I have a feeling his Cybernetic Orc is gonna show up. If that’s the case, well let’s just say downtown is in for a remodel session. Ha!”

  A warm smile came over Nick’s face. “Well that is certainly what many fans are hoping for, as the golem known as Oshbob has been voted as the most popular orc to ever grace the arena grounds. But, JD… we cannot be overlooking Mr. David Haddock. A competitor who may not carry the prestige of Mr. Sinclair, but he had some interesting comments that went viral over this past week now didn’t he?”

  There was a quick expression of cringe which came of JD’s face. “It certainly didn’t go over very well Nick. But… I’ll be honest, having been around this league since the beginning…” JD motioned between the two of them. “And the amount of gladiators that we have gotten to know on and off the camera of the years. I honestly think it was a lapse of judgement on Mr. Haddock’s part, or one where he fired off a statement and didn’t think, how could this be received? You know what I mean?”

  “Well, we can certainly hope that is the case. As of late last night, Mr. Haddock has removed his comment from his Golem chat account. But, let’s get more to the issue at hand. Which gladiator are you going with for today’s matchup?”

  JD formed a playful expression and smiled. “Oshbob for life Nick! Come on now.”

  The two announcers both laughed and Nick then pointed towards the camera. “We seem to be of the same cut from the same fabric my friend. But, let’s take you down to the arena and get this match going.”

  The camera faded to show the large city landscape. Piles of ruin were scattered about as previous matches had left their mark. The camera panned around and focused on the gladiator platform where Kevin Sinclair had just arrived.

  There was a shine that reflected off his head, and left the impression Kevin had freshly polished off the dome the previous night. His large frame filled out his leather jacket, but he quickly removed the garment and tossed it off to the side of the platform. A quick tilt of his head from side to side and then he rolled his shoulders and continued to loosen his muscles.

  Pepper couldn’t help but notice that Kevin was sporting an almost identical shirt to JD underneath his leather jacket. The shirt contoured around his large muscular build and with a pair of blue jeans and tan leather work boots, he also looked like he had just arrived to do work on a construction site. Kevin beamed with a smile and waved to the drone camera which was hovering around him.

  He reached into his back jeans pocket and retrieved his DIVII Storm Falcon optic glasses. He placed them on his face and the green activation light glowed to life. Kevin then put on his synched operators gloves and the camera zoomed out to show Oshbob walking into the arena.

  The large granite golem walked forward, and Pepper couldn’t help but admire the high detailed paint job Kevin had on Oshbob. It’s skin was covered in a deep green coloration. The canine fangs which protruded out from its jowls even had the right yellow and white mixture to look like real teeth. What looked to be gold and silver earrings dangled from the fine chiseled ears which ended in the distinct form of elf ears.

  Kevin had adorned Oshbob with a defensive heavy metal body armor which covered his chest and back. The shape and design similar to what the soldiers had worn the previous night when they arrived to fight off the shadow cast demons. The orc’s shoulders and large muscular frame, left him looking like a body builder, but that was until it got down to his forearms.

  The granite rock was severed as the metal ends of his arms took shape. The left arm formed into Oshbob’s blaster cannon, whereas the right arm was a fashioned metal claw. The lower portion of the granite orc made it look as if it was wearing a matching set of denim jeans and boots, just like the gladiator behind the controls.

  A quick spin around and the camera feed focused on David who arrived on the opposite side of the arena. David looked practically like a stick compared to Kevin. The thin framed man stood on the platform and ran his fingers through his brown hair. He then started to place his operator full immersion helmet on, the Tonic Black Magic interface was easily identifiable to Pepper.

  The operator helmet turned on and the front face shield display turned semi-transparent. Pepper was just able to make out what appeared to be a teal blue color on the display, and the shading actually complimented the bright orange hooded sweatshirt David had worn for the match. His black pants stretched down and covered over a pair of sneakers, and Pepper couldn’t help but think how vastly different the two competitors appeared.

  The count down timer began, and Pepper noticed that everyone there watching the match had the same thought he did. Where is David’s golem? The camera had drifted around and zoomed out to show Oshbob on one side of the city, but nothing on David’s end. They had all shifted to the edge of their seats by the time the countdown timer ended and the starting horn blared to begin, but still there was no golem to show for David.

  “Well, this is certainly unexpected JD, but… we’ve already seen a pure water golem this season, and a giant sumo golem with exploding spiders and drones. Who knows what David has up his sleeve!” Nick exclaimed.

  The camera then narrowed in on Kevin, who lifted his arms up to question what exactly was going on. Pepper could see that the match timer was going and that meant that there was another golem in the arena to match Kevin’s, but still no signs that they could see. Kevin then didn’t hesitate and started to walk Oshbob into the center of the arena.

  He did not find any resistance from David and the orc arrived and took a dominate stance. There was a quiet sound over the broadcast. Oshbob began to turn and looked to scan the area for its opponent.

  The camera feed was just able to catch the small eruption for across the arena. A quick transition to a different drone flying high above the arena. It’s camera able to capture the missile that now streaked over the city scape and was closing in on Oshbob.

  Kevin instructed his golem to step backwards. There did not appear to be enough time to shelter behind a skyscraper. A quick flash of green energy appeared within the metal claw but shot out and formed an energy shield which remained suspended in front of Oshbob.

  A rapid succession of thumps could be heard on the broadcast and the multiple plumes of smoke could be seen across the field of combat. The angle of the camera was able to capture the five missiles that were now soaring across the arena.

  The first strike arrived and slammed into Oshbob’s energy shield. There was no time for Kevin to celebrate the success of his defense, for the next two missiles shifted their flight path. The spiraling pattern caused both missiles to counter each other, one streaking in at a high angle, while the other countered and aimed towards the base of the golem.

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  Kevin appeared to wait till the last second. He then commanded Oshbob to jump backward while keeping the energy shield high to protect the upper torso. The first missile slammed into the street right where Oshbob had been a mere few seconds ago. A split second later and the second missile arrived and exploded against the green shield.

  The metal shrapnel from the attack flung out and embedded itself into the city infrastructure. Small wafts of smoke, dirt and debris scattered Oshbob’s immediate area. Kevin then launched his orc into a controlled dive off to the side. The giant golem found itself behind a small liquor store and Kevin took advantage of the barrier while the last two missiles made their final approach.

  A quick shift of the right metal claw adjusted the energy shield over to the right. Oshbob’s left arm then lifted up and an orange glow quickly appeared at the end of its canon. A bright pulse of light and the arm canon fired off three rounds.

  “And there is Oshbob’s classic plasma canyon!” JD cried out.

  The first two shots missed their target and soared over the arena. The final shot, however, slammed directly into the next missile. A giant fireball erupted in the air but the final missile soared straight through the wall of flame. It adjusted its trajectory and angled straight down. The small convenient store did its job however, and the missile arrived and blasted out the entire front half of the store.

  “Ohh! Clean up on aisle 1-10! You’re gonna need more than a mop to fix that diaster!” JD exclaimed.

  A second later his counter part Nick turned the camera attention. “Well, it looks like drone #5 finally has eyes on Kevin’s opponent. And would you look at that, David is taking a small cruise around the city JD.” The screen flashed and the aerial view now showed what looked to be a giant remote controlled car zipping through the streets of the partially destroyed city. “I hate to say that I am surprised, but… well, there is nothing else to say but exactly that JD. I am shocked at what I am seeing.”

  “We got dragons, water golems, and a sumo wrestler golem, heck Nick! Throw in an RC car, a laundry machine and the kitchen sink, why not!” JD added.

  “We’ve just been given a note by our producer, they’ve shared that David’s golem is registered under the name of Speedy.”

  “Ha, that’s also what my prom date called me back in high school. But we’ll save that story for another time Nick.”

  Oshbob stood up from his crouched position and fired off a volley of rounds towards his opponent. The RC streaked down a roadway and evaded each shot. Giant fireballs shot upwards behind the car, the entire camera shot made it appear like the entire city block was destroyed in the wake of Kevin’s attack.

  “It’s crazy Nick, this camera angle is really deceptive, along with David’s design. It may look like an RC car from high above, but look at the size of that thing compared to some of those other abandoned vehicles parked off to the side. Speedy is really the size of a bread van.”

  Pepper was amazed as he then watched the RC car make its next attack. The vehicle looked to have fired off rocket pods that were installed on the under belly side of the vehicle. The golem was launched straight up, another set of rocket thrusters fired off from the right side and sent the vehicle rotating around.

  As the RC car was rotating around, a small panel opened up from both the top and bottom sides. Two canon like weapons sprang up from within the car. There wasn’t a second of delay as the weapons fired off in rapid succession and sent streaks of light firing off.

  Pepper was shocked even more. The RC’s salvo continued while it maintained its rotational spin. The targeting system was so accurate though that it rapidly adjusted with each rotational turn of the vehicle. Each round fired off streaked towards Oshbob with deadly precision.

  Kevin tried to counter the attack with his own salvo while still utilizing his energy shield. Speedy’s attack, however, caught them all by surprise as it pierced straight through the energy shield and cut straight through Oshbob’s right shoulder.

  “It’s a shoot out between plasma canons!” JD exclaimed.

  The energy shield then dissipated and Oshbob now appeared to be left exposed. The orc leapt up and started to rush over to a giant skyscraper of a building. Pepper immediately recognized it from the season 10 championship matchup. It was the same building that Astro Ape used against Panda Cakes.

  A quick rotation and the drone made sure to capture Oshbob’s accent. The orc golem was clearly struggling to gain some height as it only had its right metal claw to use for climbing. The RC car on the other hand ripped through the city streets underneath.

  It closed the distance and quickly arrived at the base of the building. Kevin was aware and fired off a another salvo from his canon, but each round missed as Speedy simply drove around the corner and out of the line-of-sight.

  To everyone’s amazement though, the speedster had another trick up its sleeve. The rocket propelled jump activated again, and the RC car lifted up into the air. This time, however, instead of firing of a volley of plasma, it shot out what appeared to be a grappling hook.

  The tethered item embedded itself into the side wall of the building. At the same time, the back of the vehicle erupted with rocket fire and the vehicle began to fly at a high rate of speed. Just like the classic teether ball game, the vehicle flung around the skyscraper and continued to wrap the heavy cabling at its base.

  “This is giving me flash backs to the Battle of Hoth JD. Speedy trying to reenact Luke Skywalkers famous attack on the AT-AT walker.” Nick stated with excitement.

  “Yeah, except that building ain’t moving. I’m curious to…” JD’s statement faded.

  The RC car had made four complete rotations around the building by now. The cable it had tethered itself with was now glowing a bright red and looked to have been imbued with magical energy. The cable detached from the car and Speedy went flying off and slammed back down onto the blacktop street below.

  It’s tires screeching against the roadway as it peeled around a corner. The camera shifted upwards and was just able to get a shot of Speedy driving away and the skyscraper set in the background. In the blink of an eye Pepper then watched as a massive explosion blasted out from the base of the building where the cable had been.

  A large shockwave rumbled across the immediate area. Pepper could see in the camera feed that the building started to buckle. Oshbob still clinging onto the side was now causing the structure to lean to the side he remained on.

  “He better move quick or he’s gonna be crushed Nick!” JD warned.

  At the last second, Oshbob was able to plant his feet against the exterior of the building. The golem launched itself off to the side and missed being crushed by just a few feet. Kevin’s orc immediately spun up and knelt upwards, launching another volley of canon fire towards Speedy.

  “JD, Kevin has got to come up with something else besides this canon fire.”

  No sooner than Nick finished his statement and Oshbob’s claw reached out and clasped onto a giant chunk of concrete. The green energy poured into the material and magnified its colorful glow with every pulsating wave that entered into it. As the seconds ticked down Pepper watched as the concrete quickly formed itself into a smaller Orc.

  His eyes widened and he inched himself even further to the edge of his couch seat. He’s building an army! Pepper thought. He watched as the RC car attempted to make a new appearance and launch an attack, but Oshbob’s canon continued to fire off salvo after salvo. The suppressive fire kept Speedy at bay.

  In less than a minute Oshbob had created five smaller orc minions from the remnant concrete of the destroyed building. They each sported either an arm canon like Oshbob’s or their own individualized laser weapon variant. Pepper compared them to the surrounding buildings and abandoned vehicles and guessed they were roughly the size of Nightmare Mala,

  “JD, this has to be a big risk that Kevin is taking, is it not?”

  “It would appear that way. I would guess that he’s used a duplication rune, but has a targeting algorithm that is working in unison with a synchronization application. He’s basically building an AI army to help him hunt down Speedy. The problem is, that this power core has got to be fully devoted to the duplication rune, in order to sustain this army.”

  Oshbob’s then turned his metal claw face down and slammed it into the ground. The green energy poured into the earth. The aerial drone feed from above was able to showcase that the wave of energy was surging through the ground and remained connected to each individual Orc.

  Oshbob’s face appeared even more life like and added to the grand spectacle of the match. It roared and then fired off another salvo of canon fire. The entire seen looking so real that Pepper was amazed to see how far the technology had come since he first discovered the Golem League. The Orc’s appeared to respond to Oshbob’s command and in unison began to rush through the city and home in on Speedy.

  The RC car had evaded the majority of attacks but was now quickly finding itself running out of room to move. Every street and alleyway it tried to turn down was quickly met with plasma fire as the Orc’s drew closer. Speedy tried another powered jump attack with its canon’s.

  It was successful in destroying one of the smaller Orc’s, but at a heavy cost. Two of the others had shot off the top canon and hit what appeared to be one of the side rockets. By the time Speedy made it around another corner, it took another round to its front left fender area.

  The golem’s mobility was now strained and it struggled to make it through the area. Scraps of metal plating flung off, with large chunks of rubber soon following after. The metal sparks dancing behind it on the roadway, warned Pepper that it was more than likely driving on the metal rim the front tire had been on.

  The orc’s had chased Speedy across to the far side of the arena. David had driven his golem into a corner and was now practically staring down four separate orc barrels that were all trained on his RC golem. He tried to make a final evasion maneuver, but once he turned the corner his RC car took a direct critical hit from an Orc canon. The four duplicate golems all unleashed salvo after salvo into the blazing fireball. Speedy’s remains were nothing but charred and twisted metal. The victory horn finally blared across the arena and Kevin then gave the command for them to stop.