The crowd’s cheers were deafening. Members of every race, screaming and shouting from their seats, cheering a distinct phrase. They weren’t even in the arena, they were a good mile away in the watching bays. But even at this distance, Elkay could hear them.
They’d never cheered like this before. Not this loud. Not like madvok. It wasn’t even a main event, just some sort of side event.
Around Elkay were the remains of a Cassid Dessaron team. He’d been fighting them for twenty minutes, and eventually he’d managed to break through their terrifying mechs and take out the drivers within. It had been a horribly hard battle, Elkay had to fight most of it with only his shield, as the laser weaponry from the largest mech had cut his axe in two. But once he’d cut off one of the mech’s arms and grabbed a long-ranged weapon for himself, Elkay had dominated the match.
Of course, Elkay had help. He’d been accompanied by two other House Fighters: fellow new fighter Itakay and the seasoned warrior known as Keseer Varo, a heavyweight monster of a Rethan who the Cassids had carefully planned and calculated against. They’d taken him out at the start, leaving the newer fighters at a disadvantage.
Or so they’d thought.
The crowd was still cheering. It suddenly occurred to Elkay that they weren’t cheering because they’d defeated a team of Cassids often considered to be full of ego, but they were cheering specifically for him.
“They like us,” Elkay muttered as Itakay walked over, swinging his axes before stylishly putting them in the holsters on his back.
“Actually, I think they’re cheering for you.”
The small, hovering cameras that had recorded the match zoomed in towards Elkay, buzzing around him almost like a handful of loyal birds. They eagerly waited for Elkay to do or say something.
Over in the stands, the cheering started to get louder. They were shouting many different things, but what stood out the most was the chanting of his pseudonym. Now that he thought about it and was hearing things first hand, Elkay was unsure whether his stage name, the Golden Blade, was such a good idea.
“I don’t get it, Ita. This wasn’t even the main event.”
“We put up a good fight. Let them speak to you.”
“I said I wouldn’t do interviews. I am sticking to that.”
“They’ll just keep on chanting.”
Elkay grunted and started walking off towards the arena’s exit. Itakay watched as the cameras followed him, only to cease once he reached the arena’s boundary. The cheers in the stands steadily got louder and more organized.
“I’ll go speak to him, I guess…” Itakay groaned as he too raced for the exit.
Even as they reached the private rooms marked for House Fighters, they could still hear the cheers. They’d changed though. They were more aggressive. Disappointed at being abandoned. The cheers slowly morphed into a single chant.
“Unhelm the Blade!”
Elkay though was doing his best to ignore them. The Raptor had promised that she could keep his secrets safe, he wasn’t about to give everything up now.
“You’ll have to at some point…” Itakay whispered as the cries started to die down. It seemed as though the Raptor had finally stepped in and started a new battle for the crowds to watch. “In fact, this is actually potentially really good…”
“How so?”
Itakay dropped the volume of his voice even lower and leaned in towards Elkay. “Imagine revealing who are, just before you make your announcement to run as High General…”
“That,” Elkay smiled as he removed his battle armour, “is a very good idea. One that we must save for future use…”
“I guess we’ll keep it quiet for now,” Itakay shrugged as he started getting changed, the thrill of the battle having worn away. “Want to go to the training station a bit lately?”
“Sure. I could do with a nice warm down.”