Snowmen

Westmark is attacked by a new type of golem.

31.

Snowmen

 

Over two hundred miles away, Al Trisdes slowly walked his shift on the Ducal Keep, trying his best to keep as close to the brazier as he could during each pass.    It wasn’t snowing, but it certainly felt that it could start any moment, and a strong west wind was blowing, which almost always indicated a storm was coming.

Lorren and Sloid stood beside the fire, shivering, but slightly warmer than their fellow guard.

“One of you two could trade with me, you know.   At least let me get warm.”

“No chance, Al; you lost at cards last night and haven’t paid off your IOU yet.”

“How can I, Lorren ; we don’t get paid for two more days, and you know I’m broke.   I’m freezing to death!”

“Well it ain’t much warmer over here, you know.”  Sloid commented, “That west wind is raging like a dragon.”

“Nobody in their right mind would be out in weather like this; I don’t know why we have to be up here on the roof.   No airship would sail in this!”

“Well, the Autumn Maid is out in this.”

“Yeah, but they have a large cabin, they sure aren’t standing out on deck.  I’ll bet the wind ain’t blowing where they’re at, either.”

“Well then come on over here and warm up a minute, I don’t think we’ll be invaded in that period of time.   Come on, Al!”

“I’m coming, Lorren, my toes are numb; I can’t move much faster then… hey, what’s that?”   Al stopped halfway across the roof and pointed over the parapet.   The two other guards joined him, “What is it?   Where?  I don’t see anything.”

Al kept pointing, “Something is moving out there; I can see it.  Off to the south, quite a ways off.”

“Where… wait a minute… there is something moving.   Some things, actually.   A whole bunch of things.”

Sloid squinted his eyes, trying to see where his fellow guards saw something, “I don’t see anything; you two are pulling my leg, aren’t you?   Hold it… wait… Holy Yesh, I see them too!   Too big for zombies, but they’re shuffling along like them.   They don’t look alive.”

“They look like snowmen with legs.   Walking snowmen!”

“Snowmen?   That’s crazy.”   Al snapped, but the more he watched the forms approach, he began to agree.

“Go get the Captain.”  Lorren told Sloid and the man raced over to the trap door and pulled it open, then hurried down into the Keep.

“There are a bunch of them, whatever they are.”   Al commented as he stared off through the wind at the strange white forms moving toward the southern gate of the town.

A moment later the triple blast of the warning horn was sounded by the guards on the southern gate, confirming their alarm.

“Snowmen” Al said again as he continued to stare, “They look like snowmen.”

“Well, it looks like we’re about to get attacked by snowmen then.   Better get some snowballs made.”  Lorren joked, though both men had the definite feeling that it was something much more serious then that.

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"Lorren told Solid..." This must have been auto-corrected?

[Eddie Davis]

Uh...YEAH! That's it! Stupid auto-corrector! Actually, it might have been that, but it is just as likely that my fingers stumbled through it. Thanks for finding it.

[Elina]

Haha! No problem.