Though the trip was a little terrifying, Kyle and Jones made the journey through the park in relative safety. Relative safety because arcanes were still saturating the area, and the high ambient magic density meant that while monsters were no longer forming the ones that had formed the previous day and hadn’t been dealt with, were still active. The patrolling security golems had done their jobs in every way.

Their design was ingenious and especially suited for a disaster like this in multiple ways. First, the security golems were usually in a low-magic-use standby mode. In this mode, their enchantments absorbed, accumulated and stored the normally low ambient magic of the area for use during times when they had to be active. This process enabled them to remain active all the time. Even when there was very little ambient magic.

However, they also worked similarly when active during times of high ambient magic. This meant that in addition to killing monsters that did manifest in the area, the security golems’ very presence was lowering the ambient magic of Central Park and preventing the formation of new monsters. Using their magically enchanted weapons features drained the ambient magic further still. They had been quite elegantly designed in Kyle’s opinion.

Magically, that is. Not visually. Visually they were golems. Some with blocky and clunky looking. Surprisingly, those weren’t the oldest golems but newer ones designed to look like abstract sculptures. Some were elegant works of art that expressed some sentiment of myth or history. A pack of bronze wolves was snarling over the remnants of what looked like some kind of large spider beast and a trio of past presidents in marble were cartwheeling after the Enchantress Doughnuts food bike stand as it wheeled away from them frantically, its partially manifested monster form pedaling itself with arms that used to make up the poles of the shade canopy.

“Aww, man!” The warlock cried out in anguish. “Not my Enchantress doughnuts!” He grabbed at his hair theatrically and fell to his knees. Partly to have fun being over the top, and partly because it had been a while since he’d had his doughnut fix and now it was going to be even longer. His knees had actually gotten weak and if he hadn’t voluntarily fallen to the ground in mourning he might have legitimately fallen a few seconds later.

“What?” Jone was startled and immediately went for his wand, unsure what Kyle was reacting to. So, Kyle pointed.

“There.” After peeking with one eye to make sure he got the right angle, Kyle flung a hand and finger in the direction of the fleeing bicycle food cart then turned his head dramatically away. Closing his eyes, Kyle put the back of one hand to his forehead like a fainting Victorian maiden.

“Seriously?” His companion grunted in dismay. “A food cart? I thought we were in danger.” Side-eying the civilian who – after the events of the day before – Jones had started wondering if some of the gossip about the warlock of the Archivist might be true, and put his wand back in its holster.

“It’s Enchantress Doughnuts.” The words were said with such emphatic emphasis as if that explained everything. When the Magicorps soldier just stared at Kyle as if the words meant nothing to him, the warlock tried explaining again. “Enchantress. Dough-nuts!!!!” This time a shake of the head came from the soldier. “Literally the most delicious doughnuts on Earth. That was the closest shop to my home, running away on wheels.”

“I still don’t see what the big deal is.” The soldier reached down to help Kyle to his feet.

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“I haven’t had my doughnut fix in days. And now it will be days longer, maybe weeks before a new doughnut bike is brought out to replace the old one. I’m not entirely certain if I can live like this!” Panic was setting in as he thought of a life without Enchantress Doughnuts whenever he wanted and decided that it was not a happy one.

“It’s just doughnuts. You can eat other doughnuts.” Aghast, Kyle gasped. A look of affrontery and betrayal so deep on his face that Jones was a little surprised.

“You take that back.” Now standing, the young warlock crossed his arms like a petulant child and turned away from the soldier. Smothering a laugh and covering his smile with a hand, Jones agreed.

“Okay.” And they began their walk toward the museum again. It was weird, walking through the park as the golems wandered about patrolling as they went or actively pursuing threats. No monsters came towards them, but the thumping of the golems feet as they moved, rhythmic as they patrolled in groups yet also out of sync as individuals broke off from their groups to engage.

It was as they neared the museum that Kyle became nervous and slowed though they had made good time so far.

“Hey.” He motioned with one hand for Jones to hold back and keep pace with him while fumbling for his lanyard and employee identification card with the other. “You’ve got an ID card, don’t you?”

“Yes, Sir.” Jones nodded warily; uncertain what Kyle was so concerned about. He watched the nervous way the museum employee glanced side to side, his head on a swivel and scanning for… Jones didn’t know what. But something.

“Get it out. And whatever you do, don’t lose it.” Something about Kyle’s wariness bothered Jones. This guy had faced down class four monster manifestations without this level of concern. Heck, who was Jones fooling? Kyle had laughed in the face of danger and had fun doing it. So, for him to be concerned now, so close to the literal safest place in the city…

“What’s wrong?” Jones felt his heart suddenly leap into a gallop. It thudded thunderously in his chest as adrenaline dumped into his system making him a jittery mess. Because Kyle was afraid and that was terrifying.

Was there some kind of special security precaution which went into effect during emergencies that the Magicorps soldiers weren’t briefed on? Did Kyle, as the clearly more talented mage, sense a dangerous monster lurking someone in disguise that Jones didn’t? The horrific possibilities were endless.

“It’s going to sound stupid.” Keeping his voice low and walking slowly and cautiously, Kyle explained. “But the sentry golems that are usually stationed here at the entrance to the museum, well… they don’t like me.”

“What?” It was such a letdown from the horrors that had been racing through Jones’ mind. He’d been playing out various danger scenarios and how to get them both to safety despite potentially overwhelming odds and no cover besides some trees to hide behind. The question had come out flatly. In disbelief.

“The sentry golems don’t like me. I get stopped almost every day on my way to work.” Scuffing a toe shyly as he spoke, Kyle glanced up at Jones from beneath an unruly mop of hair. It had been wet when they left his apartment and had mostly dried into jagged chunky locks that looked like they might have wanted to curl.

“What?” Incredulous that something like this would make Kyle, the badass who took down at least two class four monsters the day before, nervous…well, it was just a little bit ludicrous. “That’s… that’s a silly reason to be worried.”

“Is it?” He’d gone back to scanning for signs of the usual sentry golems but they were off in another location as of yet, but looked back at Jones with a hard dark glint in his eyes. “Every day, every normal day I am stopped on my way into work and nearly dealt with as a possible danger. Golems in standby mode come awake every day just for me. What are they going to do now that they are actively seeking and destroying things they consider to be a danger?”

“Well, shit!” It was all the soldier had to say on that matter. But he did take a few side steps and sidle away from Kyle. They were still walking abreast but with a good eight feet between them now.

“That’s not far enough away to not get caught in a greater fireball blast.” Kyle chuckled and Jones surreptitiously moved himself just a little bit further away as they continued walking.