Chapter 494: Golem Songs and Minds

Chapter 494: Golem Songs and Minds

You can talk! You can talk! You can talk! Selina screamed, jumping up and down.

II can talk! Claygons voice boomed over the rooftops, rolling into white clouds high above. From a nearby building, a flock of pigeons fled, launching into the air, screeching in panic.

The golem froze, then shouted, Sorry! The word booming through the entire neighbourhood. In the distance, dogs abruptly barked and howled, bringing Brutus bounding up the stairs, answering their frantic voices with his own rumbling growls.

Alex burst out laughing while his sister collapsed in hysterics, unable to stop giggling.

Thats it, buddy! He cheered. Let the world hear your voice!

Yes! Selina pumped her fists. Shout! Let everyone know youre here!

Wait, wait, wait! Theresa held up her hands. Maybe we shouldnt terrify our new neighbours three days after moving in. Maybe thats not the first impression we want to give them.

Ill speaka lot quieter. Claygons voice boomed from the speakerbox, dropping in volume with each word until it was only slightly louder than Alexs. Isthis acceptable?

Look how smart my son is! Hah! Alex cried. Yes, thats perfect. Well, buddy? Hows it feel? Hows it feel!?

Itfeelsgoodto talk in my ownvoice. Ownvoice?

Static crackled from the speakerbox.

What came next caught the young wizard by surprise: Claygons voice was now high and thin.

A childs voice.

How does this sound, father? He asked.

It surprised me, Selina cut in. But I think it sounds cute.

Cute?

Yeah, cute. Like you.

The golem cocked his head in confusion, and it was obvious. Alex decided not to examine too closely what it meant that he found a ten-foot-tall-doom-golem- with-a-permanently-snarling-face cute, and what that said about his mind. Honestly, Claygon? Alex shrugged. It doesnt matter what I think. Its your voice, and youre one of the rare folk in this world who can choose what their own voice sounds like. You can keep your first voice, you can sound like a childyou are very young, after allor you can even sound like a talking bear if you really wanted to. Its your choice, buddy! And thats the beautiful thing about it.

Claygon watched Alex with care for a long moment, a flurry of emotions dancing through their link. Some happiness lay there, alongside nerves, and apprehension.

Choice paralysis, Alex thought to himself.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

You can take all the time in the world in making your choice. Heck, I built that speakerbox to replicate any sound you want: you can change voices every week or even every day if you want, just like how I would change my shirt and pants.

...Thank youI will take timethinking about what I want the golem said.

Another flurry of emotions. Happiness. More nerves. Relief.

Iwould liketo makea song. Can I He paused.

Resolve flashed through their link.

I will make a song, Claygon said, his voice sounding like an old mans.

A crackle rose from the speakerbox.

Followed soon after by a song.

It was a simple tune: one Alex remembered Torakas music golem playing in her office. It held a smoky crackle, giving the melody an ethereal softness, while the singers voicea womanswas low, rich and soothing.

The golem began to sway back and forth, calm spreading through his link with his father. And the song itself? A sad one. The singers words told of lost loves, regrets, the pain of loneliness, and the evils of drink. Her warbling tone was dramatic, meant to bring tears to the eye and melancholy to the heart.

But neither tears of sadness, nor melancholy were anywhere to be found in Claygon; only quiet, contented, triumphant feelings were what emanated from his core.

The song sounds sad, Selina whispered to Alex.

Its not sad to Claygon, he whispered back. For him? Its a song of triumph.

The cores internal structures ignitedpower raged within the constructs body. Slowly, the iron head turned, taking stock of the room from all directions.

Iron hands moved smoothly, spinning in their wrist sockets.

Hands clenched, snapping into fists.

The internal reaction settled.

Silence hung over the room until Toraka drew in a deep, trembling breath. This is it, she murmured in wonder. It worked. The power, I cant believe the power.

Welcome to the world Clagyon spoke, his voice returning to its initial deep, gravelly, tones. ...do youhave a mind?

Alex looked at Toraka searchingly, but she was already shaking her head.

I dont feel a mind in there, she admitted. Sorry.

A flash of disappointment reached from Claygon to Alex, quickly dispersing.

Iexpectedtoo much he said.

Well, its often better that golems dont have mindsuh, present company excluded, Toraka smiled quickly. Youre a very good golem, Claygon, but Ive heard of some nasty ones. Her look turned grim. I heard of a golem once who was owned by a wizard, who used to take it out hunting. Well, that golem developed a taste for blood and bonded strongly with its master. The master died one day, and the golem kept doing what it had always done: it hunted. But without the master to guide it, it took to hunting whatever it wanted.

She sighed deeply. And what it decided to hunt was people, for some reason.

Did the people harm him? Claygon asked.

No, it just didnt like people. Or it decided to kill them because it thought theyd make challenging prey. Or maybe it was following one of its masters last, crazed orders. No one knows the reason. All people knew was that the golem had to be stoppedandit took a lot to stop it. It was an iron golem, and had a fair number of upgrades to give it extra power and onboard weapons.

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling as she searched her memories. I thinkit had killed half a thousand people over a decade before it was finally cornered and destroyed. Awful story. And there've been many other golems whove lost themselves to some form of madness or another. Its why sometimes its a good thing golems dont have minds. One wrong turn of thought, and you have an immortal, almost unstoppable killer on your hands. No offence.

Claygon paused, taking in her words for a long moment.

The connection between him and his father was silent as the golems emotions went blank. Alex was looking at Toraka, hiding a mixture of anger and horror.

Her story had been true, and hed heard similar tales before, but he couldnt help but see what shed said to Claygon as highly offensive.

Before he could say a word, though, the golems voice boomed from his speakerbox.

I seethenthat makes sense His words were clear. Golems with minds can be dangerousso it is a good thing when they dont have them. then by that logicpeople should not have minds either.

Yeswhat?

I haveseen peopledoevil things. Animals kill. People kill. Demons are immortal and they kill too. None of themshould have minds, then. His voice was cold, devoid of emotion, and his stony gaze was fixed on the craftswoman.

Well, Iuhwellthe thing about that is, Toraka stuttered. Well, I see that Ive, uh, stepped in it, havent I? When you put it that way, it makes what I said a bit nasty, doesnt it?

There istruth in your words. There istruth in mine. When golems are bad, you crush them. When people are bad, you crush them. When animals are bad, you crush them. When demons are bad, you crush them.

Well, thats a simple way to put itbut I suppose its on point, without getting into the finer points of ethics.

Its a start, Alex said. We humans havent figured out the ethics of the world in all its fine points, I dont expect Claygon to figure them out without at least a few hundred years of thought.

Anyway, sorry about what I said, Toraka cleared her throat.

Apologyacceptedyou will no longer be considered a bad person. You will no longer be crushed.

Both Alex and Toraka froze.

Claygon Alex panicked, thinking back to earlier days where he chose violence regularly. I

That wasa joke the golem interrupted him. I havelearned of humour fromfather. Hahahaha

Cold, stilted laughter boomed through the lab, cementing itself in Alexs psyche, likely waiting to ambush him in his nightmares.

Toraka leaned into Alex and whispered. You taught your golem to have a terrible sense of humour.

The young wizard could say nothing in his defence as Claygons laughter filled the evening gloom.