So I decided to write an idea I had for the lapidean setting, an I'm fairly pleased with it. Hopefully you find it entertaining as well!

Of course, thanks to   TheOnlyRen for the lapidean concept
And the Thumbnail's from the useful tools here: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9783044

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Brundon considered himself a respectably worldly man. Sure, he hadn’t exactly left the boundaries of Ambition City, much less Xeria, but when living in a capital of this size, and working in a General Store just far enough off the main thoroughfare that locals still braved it, and the more discerning of foreigners would seek it out, a good chunk of the world came to you.

He had seen the weary faces of the adventuring sort, either still on their quests, or seeking rewards for completion or new calls to follow. He had seen travellers, traders, nomads and explorers. The shelves in the back of rotating tomes and trinkets from various sources brought in academics and the occasional treasure hunter looking to trade or sell.

He had seen the likes from the small kanin to careful minotaurs and valmeans, nagakin and paeraens, even centaurs and fauns. The shelves were stocked with a diverse enough offering that many locals turned to them for their needs. And of course, Proximity to the esteemed King’s Academy brought in all sorts of students, only deepening the well of exposure the city-born and raised man would see.

So it was with a bit of surprise and not a little bemusement that his return from dropping the midday window’s profits in the cash box was shortly met with an encounter he could say was new to him. A golem carefully entered the store, taller than the average being, though below the height a minotaur or centaur would reach, and seemingly careful to keep its wings close to its back.

Brundon wasn’t unaware of golems. The shop had two on hand that they were activated to help with Stocking and Loading of larger goods, and also if needed be a bit of extra security, though that was less common in their area. But the golem made those, which Brundon already considered stiff, rigid but still useful in how their somewhat boxy shape and movements were, the crude models of a child playing with clay.

‘One of the exhibition golems?’ was Brundon’s first thought as the golem entered, its clawed feet making soft scraping on the toughened floor, a floor built to stand up to rough treatment, when centaurs were anticipated, it was an investment. The golem itself; it was… elegant, and more an art sculpture in motion than a normal golem. Made of some grey stone, he wasn’t a stonemason so those details were beyond him, shaped vaguely draconic, with enough gold designs on it to be several months pay.

While one would think stone and gold alone would be simple, it was still beautiful. It was shaped with greater care than the common golem one passed on the streets. Clearly bipedal, limbs more portioned to what you’d see in a person, rather than just a form like most other golems. And then the gold. The gold designs were stunning. Like you would see on expensive vases in the upper-class.

But most startling was how smooth its movements were. It almost seemed like a real person who how it moved into the building, tail motion held to not hit the shelves, head shifting from side to side almost as if it was looking around. Brundon’s experienced eyes, often keeping watch for shoplifters and the kind, caught the tail flitting as if uncertain, and the clawed hands tapping against its leg.

It was… uncanny. He shifted awkwardly behind the counter and looked away from it and its weirdly lifelike moments.

Brundon concluded it was just a mage testing out their golem or something of the sort.

“Excuse me,” a voice said suddenly, cutting into his musings.

Brundon started, and quickly turned. “Forgive me! I must have-”

But rather than what he expected; someone who slipped in while he was distracted by the golem, it was the golem itself, looking at him with gold glowing eyes, and… an expression on its stone face?

“Pray tell, do you carry bolts of heavy canvas?” the golem looked back to the shelves.

Brundon had heard that, and seeing perhaps thrice, golems that spoke. But this was.. Not a golem speaking. He stood frozen for a moment as his mind raced, but he managed to nod and pointed them out. “Ah, yes. We do.”

Brundon’s stuttering mind finally decided that the golem had to be a test for controlling them from afar, with a mage directing it. The golem noted, before pacing off deeper in the store for its goal. He watched it go with a slight shake of his head.

Somehow, he only now recognized that the golem was wearing clothing. Not much, mostly a poncho over its chest and down its back. An odd decision, but Brundon had years to be inured to the eccentricities of the Academy students. The manager attended monthly breakfast meetings with other store owners in the area to discuss what common trends the students were observed with, just so everyone could be somewhat prepared.

Still, this one was new.

The bells rang again as someone entered, and to Brundon’s relief was an actual person. She hurried in, a frantic shuffle too out of sorts to be a power walk, but clearly trying not to run. The point hat on her head, held in place by a free hand, did flag her as a mage, likely an academy student. She all but crashed into the counter, panting to catch her breath.

“Hello,” Brundon said, politely ignoring her state. “Anything I can help you with?”

“Sorry, so sorry,” She said, taking a few more lungfuls before composing herself. “Have you seen a la- er, I mean, golem come in? Looks somewhat like a dragon? Wearing a poncho?”

Brundon blinked, and sighed internally. Maybe this was the apprentice who was to follow the golem during the test? “It went to get canvas bolts in the back.”

“Hey! I got some!” the golem called out, a large bolt of heavy canvas tossed lightly over its shoulder, another concerningly natural post Brundon had never seen a golem do before. The entire bolt too. Something it would have taken two or three workers, or one of their golems, to move. Behind him was Yosef, a faun who was also on staff, looking just as concerned and confused as Brundon felt.

“You can’t just run off like that!” The witch squeaked out, her arms gesturing. “You know how hard this is to explain.”

“Sorry,” The golem waved its free hand as if placating the witch. Brundon fought to keep the polite expression on his face. Especially when the golem’s wings and tail dropped in what seemed to be contriteness.

From the look Yosef traded with him, he was just as put out by the golem as Brundon was feeling. Golems just didn’t do… any of that.

“No need to worry about it,” the golem continued. Yosef flinched a little at the voice. If he was honest, Brundon didn’t like it either. The longer it was there the more unsettled he found it. The voice was surprisingly clear as it came from the golem, and sounded… young? Definitely not the matured voice he would expect from a mage learned enough to be directing however they were.

Brundon blinked as something else registered. It wasn’t just a poncho the golem was wearing. Side by side with the witch, he could see the outfits were similar. Which would make it a uniform? From the Academy?

Brundon stiffly and distractedly went through the process of accepting payment. Payment from the golem. Not just in the normal way of just taking a prearranged payment and order, but watching the golem fish a money-purse from its po-robes to hand over the admittedly sizable payment for the full bolt.

The golem smiled, smiled, at Brundon as he took his leave, bolt of heavy fabric once more over his shoulder and witch at his side, still worriedly scolding it as the two left, her voice mixing with the sound of shifting stone and heavy footsteps.

“Thorns and Brambles!” Yosef said after a healthy pause to give the duo time to be out of airshot. He gestured wildly between the door, the aisle and Brundon. “Just what was that supposed to be?”

Brundon just shook his head, and got the money tray out. After a sale of a full bolt, it would be best to do another drop off. He considered himself a reasonably worldly man. But sometimes, the academy really threw him for a loop. “Eva’s tits… I ain’t got no idea. And I don’t think I wanna know either.”

Xer’s blood, hopefully the rest of Brundon’s day was normal.