Copyright J.B. Norman
“Friend?” the huge, vaguely-human shaped metal construct asks in a booming voice.
“Yeah, I’ll be your friend!” Dunstana says eagerly.
“Friend,” the metal thing agrees.
Kat blinks in bewilderment.
“Captain Kid, did you just become friends with a Golem?” she cries.
“I don’t know,” Dunstana says. “Did I?”
Kat rolls her eyes.
“That’s only because he’s known you for less than five minutes,” she mutters.
“I’m Dunstana,” Dunstana explains to the Golem. “That’s my sister Kat. What’s your name?”
The golem doesn’t answer.
‘How about Gwendolyn?” Dunstana offers. “You look like a Gwendolyn.”
“Gwendolyn,” the Golem repeats in its booming voice.
The silver lining to today’s job to secure an old abandoned wizard’s workshop of the University of Porthaven is that the giant War Golem is on their side. Honestly, as far as Kat is concerned, it’s a welcome change of pace from the crazy magic artifacts trying to kill them.
Of course, they’ll still have to deal with the mercenary treasure hunters ransacking the workshop.
Right on cue, the mercenaries round the corner and come running towards them with swords waving and crossbows… well, shooting at them.
Kat ducks a crossbow bolt and reaches for her own bow.
“Friend?” Gwendolyn asks.
“No,” Dunstana answers. “Those are the bad guys.”
“Smash?” Gwendolyn asks.
“Yeah. You can smash them,” Dunstana says with a nod. “Actually, that would really help me and Kat a lot.”
“Smash,” Gwendolyn agrees.
The Golem lumbers forward, the mercenaries’ crossbow bolts bouncing harmless off its metal carapace. And so begins the smashing. The mercenaries fare poorly, promptly flattened into groaning heaps as Gwendolyn advances with an inexorable forward momentum not seen since the glory days of the armies of the ancient Elven Empire.
“F-friend?” one of the mercenaries asks hopefully from the ground.
“Smash,” Gwendolyn declares with a decisive finality.
“Fine,” the mercenary groans into the floor. “I didn’t want to be your friend, anyways.”
“Well,” Kat admits, lowering her bow without even needing to shoot a single arrow. “That was easy.”
As she contemplates her own words, she finds herself blinking in surprise again.
“I guess there’s a first time for everything,” she concedes.
“Hey, Gwendolyn,” Dunstana asks, running up to the Golem. “Can I ride around on your shoulders?”
“Friend,” the Golem says, lifting Dunstana up onto its shoulders.
“Can you do any other tricks?” Dunstana asks.
The Golem depresses the central place on its torso and the armour slowly slides open. The Golem reaches into the compartment and produces an ice cream cone and holds it up for Dunstana.
“Awesome!” Dunstana cries.
The Golem reaches into the compartment again and offers a second ice cream cone to Kat.
“Friend?” it asks.
“Yeah, okay,” murmur says, reaching for the cone.
“Friend,” Gwendolyn declares, sounding the happiest Kat has ever heard a giant metal automaton sound. It’s actually kind of adorable…
“Wow,” Dunstana says. “Ginger’s got some major competition in the best friend department. Like, I’ve only known Gwendolyn for five minutes, but if anything happens to him…”
She trails off as she considers what exactly she’d do in that situation.
“… I’d be really mad,” she decides.
Kat tilts her head in bemusement.
“Him?”
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