8:06 AM September 15th 2026

Central Park outside the National Museum of Unnatural Science and History

Jones was running across the manicured lawn of central park between the museum and employee housing as fast as his exhausted legs would carry him. They burned. And moved in a leaden clunky fashion that felt slow even if it was eating up ground. He didn’t dare cast a haste or speed spell just in case it drew the attention of the golems still patrolling the park for monsters and unregistered magic.

Jones had not slept well the previous night or, more accurately… that morning. Between getting back to his room so late that it became early, and the shocking revelations of the past few days, he decided that there was a better use for his sleeplessness than worrying about the unchangeable facts. While there were many of those unchangeable facts – like the fact that someone had tried to kill him yesterday and he still hadn’t processed it – there were also a lot of other problems. Actionable problems. Problems he could solve with some good old fashioned Magicorps discipline.

Maybe not the most important problem, but certainly the easiest to research and most confusing problem on the list was, ‘Why did the museum security golems seem to have it out for Kyle?’. Luckily enough, that was one mystery that a military security guard assigned to the museum in general, and now Kyle in particular, was well equipped to solve. Having scanned through a long, looong list of golem security protocols at Zero Dark Stupid, he had finally come upon the most likely answer.

A stupid answer for a stupid time of day to have to be awake.

Kyle Wattkins was well known in the museum as a Warlock of the Archivist. It was his most compelling qualification even among his decently impressive academic prowess and showed up right at the top of his museum ID badge. The problem stemmed from the fact that the badge only listed him as a Warlock of the Archivist, not also as a wizard. The reason for museum golems’ security spells being constantly suspicious of the warlock was because his wizard skills were never registered. Of course they wouldn’t like an unlisted and potentially dangerous mage coming onto museum grounds, the whole point of their existence was to stop that from happening.

It was such a forehead-slappingly obvious problem now that Jones had reread the regulations manual, that Jones had to wonder if it had really been an accident. Had Kye deliberately not mentioned the fact that he was also a wizard when he was hired on? That would have been a grave violation of protocol. A fireable offense really. Would Kyle have taken that chance with his dream job.

Because of course it was Kyle’s dream job. Nobody had to tell Jones that, you could see the joy on the kid’s face every time he came into work. Which meant that said warlock probably hadn’t deliberately left out the fact that he was a wizard when he applied. And didn’t that creepy serial killer-looking chef friend of his tease Kyle about being a wizard sometimes. No.

Which meant that it had either been a bureaucratic faux pas. Unless…

Director Arcas was a shifty vamp. Could it have been a test for the youngest member of the curation team? A way to gauge his problem-solving skills or how well he was able to ferret out the solution to the problem? Maayyybe?

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Whatever the case, Jones didn’t know. It didn’t matter because now he had an answer to the problem and a solution for Kyle. What he didn’t have, was Kyle. Who would probably be sleeping right about – Jones had frozen when he’d glanced at the clock and saw that it was after seven AM and closing in on eight. Frozen in terror because it meant that Kyle was likely already on his way to work through the park which for the silly Warlock of the Archivist was now a gauntlet of death.

Because Kyle didn’t know that the golems thought he was secretly a pile of wizards in a warlock suit.

Jones pumped his arms faster in the hope that his legs would follow in kind. It… didn’t work. Or did it. An additional shot of adrenaline surged through him as he thought that maybe possibly his idea had worked. But even if it didn’t, he needed to go faster. So, he tried.

He was almost ready to let himself think that things would be okay, that he was overreacting. Then he heard it. WHOOOSHUFFM! Big! And close. Behind him. Jones almost didn’t recognize the sound of an artillery sized fireball spell. He’d never been so close to one igniting.

Out of reflex the soldier hit the ground rolling onto his back as he watched the first fireball roaring overhead in what seemed like slow motion. That was the thing about artillery magic, sometimes it was slow to start, depending on how the enchantment had been woven. Or maybe he was just panicking and it wasn’t really moving as slowly as he thought it was. Whumpfwhumfp whumfp.

Even though he knew that those spells weren’t aimed at himself, Jones winced as he heard three more sounding off in quick succession. Oh, no! Jones army crawled a few paces as he untangled his feet orienting himself after the direction the fireballs were going in. Then he transitioned to a proper leopard crawl his knees moving with the opposite elbow before leaping to his feet and flat out running as fast as he could again, his eyes tracking the burning orbs in the sky.

From the angles of the fireball’s convergence, their target was near. Really near. Scanning the ground below where he estimated the target was, Jones was… his view was blocked by some trees. Really? Now? Trees? For Fu… freaks Sake!!! Did I really just Anna-sensor my own thoughts. Crap. Dodge the tree. Dodge it. Dodge… God damnit legs! HA! There!

Jones’ snaped out of his internal monologue as he spotted Kyle. The warlock was casting a spell. AN awesome spell. The spell that he’d cast two days ago with such perfection. But something was wrong. Even Jones could see it. Kyle was sinking to his knees and the spell. It was not going to work. Jones was going to have to try and save Kyle.

“This is going to suck.” He muttered to himself then laughed, because what had he been planning on doing this whole time anyways if he had thought that Kyle could save himself? “SHIELD OF LIBERTY!” The Magicorps sorcerer flung the words out along with his wand. Pointing to a spot mere feet over Kyle’s head before tucking and rolling himself under the protection also. Wouldn’t do for him to be outside the barrier when the fireballs spent themselves.

Explosion after explosion rocked the world. Red, white, and yellow flashing across Jones’ vision despite his eyes being closed with an arm over them for protection. Heat seared at his sides as molten flames dripped down around the edges of the spell he’d erected, licking eagerly toward the prone duo. Then it stopped. No sound but the ringing in his ears.

A breeze blew away the heat, but it still hurt his seared flesh. Burnt grass smell met his nostrils.

“We’re alive.” He laughed and flopped onto his back. “Okay. I’m alive. I should really check and see if you are alive.” He patted around with one hand, the other arm still over his eyes. “Are you alive? Where are you, buddy? There you are. Yep. You’re alive. I’ll get us out of here in a minute. But that really took a lot out of me. Phew. Being a sorcerer can suck sometimes.” Jones relaxed with his hands behind his head until he heard a wheezing coming from Kyle.

“You aren’t dying on me now, are you, Kyle?” Concerned, he removed the arm from covering his eyes and blinked until he could focus on the warlock crumpled beside him. Kyle’s lips were moving, sound just barely coming out of them. “What’s that? I couldn’t - ”

“Golems,” Kyle whispered with desperation. “Golems.” As if hearing the words reminded him of their existence, a jolt of fear gripped his core. Then Jones felt it. The arrhythmic sound of many heavy steps from many heavy feet. Dozens of golems heading their way.