Silenced

Six

Over those days, I kept returning to the arena, never to see the real headquarters or base. I fought many, winning only few. I battled with brats, dueled with the dominant, lost against the lovers.

But at least I got my twentieth win.

One fateful morning, I returned to the stage, only to see a girl whose entire left side was covered in ice. Her hair was azure, fading into black by the tips. A confident smile graced her face. I was halfway through a rap at the time, and I nearly fell off the truss where I sat. Quickly, I adjusted to a more safe position and kept going.

When my time was up, I was grateful. Now I could relax for another forty seconds before I had to retaliate to this noob's lyrics.

"Um. Hey. Follow me on Instagram? Uh... Bye."

That already gave me two openings; the fact that he's this desperate for followers and that he didn't even rap. It was quick. I cleaned him up, said good game, and finished, another win added to my twentysomething victories. Precariously climbing down the truss, I greeted the girl with the ice. It was odd, watching her talk, because half of her face was frozen into a neutral position while the other side was animated and warm.

"So then, hey... Strangenesses? She looked at the floor, where my stage name was projected. Her name, as spread in front of her, was Chilly Night. "You're the new recruit... Right?"

"Didn't know you were in Kings Never Die." Then, I think back to the last 'meeting' with some of the members, and I recall a blue-haired person talking rather loudly out of the corner of my eye. Could it have been Chilly or-?

"So, then. Anyway, I wanted to talk about-- Look! Strange, you won!" And another win is added to my
hard-earned twentysomething.

"What was that?"

"Oh, right. Welcome to Kings Never Die! They just finished building the HQ, so just come follow me there." She walks off the truss as if she'd done it a million times before waving me over. "Here! It's a few blocks, but I think you can manage."

I follow her around the swarms of people. Many are Ro-Rapping Rattlesnakes, but others have odd things on them; a Bad News jacket here, a pair of neon antlers there. But still I followed the girl with the ice into the chaos.

Finally, after many blocks of bustling people stands a small building, easily ignored but for the words Kings Never Die.

Chilly opens the door, letting in the cool weather. The inside of the building is quite small, but already around twenty people lounge around the place, including Elegenttt and Suspicious Mafioso, who waves to me while Elegenttt just stares into space. Chilly follows me over to them, asking for a promotion, which Elegenttt turns down.

"Here, Chilly. Let me make it real simple. You only get a promotion if you show us actual skill! So go do it! Get up on that stage and show us you have actual talent. Yeah, I mean you getting on the stage instead of hiding behind a stupid hologram."

Chilly glares at Elegenttt and presses something on the Leaderboards, setting it to 'practice'. The default test dummy for this arena is, coincidentally, Elegenttt. His dark sunglasses and tanned skin match reality quite well, and his KND badge carries a hard glare.

"Begin." Echoes a voice emanating from the room. "Emcee Chilly Night and emcee Elegenttt. Chilly Night starts."

Custom music bounces around the room as Chilly pumps fire.

"I came unrequited, uninvited, and still your love for the group's one-sided!
Hidin' and bidin' their time,
Kings Never Die just turned aside and turned the tides,
washin' over the damned rappers, forcin' them to abide it.

I hope you don't get too excited.

Call me your underling? A slave to your intentions?
I'm not sorry to reveal it, but really I better mention
I'm a Ro-Rapping Rattlesnake. Hope that causes you some tension.
You only run a group in the hopes of getting attention!"

And with that, she walks off the stage, victorious, banned from ever entering the Kings Never Die arena again. She was the best Kings Never Die would ever take in.