"Frost!" I yelled, hopping on the balls of feet. "Come on over! Let's spar!"

I waited for a shout of confirmation to come through the noisy wind but he kept silent. A sneak attack then?

I turned my head to and fro, expecting to find him slinking through the snow but...nothing? He wasn't even at his post! Annoyed, I trudged toward his area, keeping my eyes peeled in case he'd hidden in the snow.

So focused on keeping watch, I tripped over a mound of snow. Arms flailing wildly, I planted my spear into the ground and leaned against it, tilting dangerously low. Grunting, I slowly righted myself before looking back at what I tripped over.

A boot. More specifically, Frost's boot.

Is this dummy under the snow? Did he bury himself? Is he stupid?!

I grabbed the shoe and yanked it out of the snow. No foot came sliding out.

"What..."

Dropping the boot, I started digging through the snow with the butt of my spear, flinging bits and pieces of it everywhere. I found another boot, a belt, and his pants hidden underneath. What happened? Had he felt that weird liquid and decide to take everything off?

He couldn't be that stupid, could he?

...

"Gosh darn it, Frost," I muttered, collecting his clothes while I kept an eye out for any more mounds. "Why the heck would you think stripping in this weather would be a good idea?"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I set his clothes by his bow and quiver before heading back to my post and waiting for him to respawn.

----------------------------------------

Frost came back a few minutes later, fully dressed and armed with a new bow and quiver. He stood stock-still for a seconds before shuddering violently, dropping his weapons and hugging his sides tightly.

I considered letting him be - his death was his own fault - but I figured I didn't need to be too hard on the guy. I marched to his side using my spear as a walking stick - thanks to the blizzard, trudging was no longer an option. The shin-high snow hadn't managed to overtake my boots but it was only a matter of time.

Upon reaching my co-guard, I clapped him on the back as gently as I could. He flinched at my touch, stumbling back before catching himself on the wall. Frowning, I peered at him through the thick curtain of snow bearing down on the both of us. "You alright there, mate?"

He shook his head vigorously; I thought he might get whiplash from twisting his nogging so hard. Fortunately, he just bonked his helmeted head against the stone wall and took three points of damage.

"C-c-c-cold," he hissed, panting hard. "I-i-it was s-s-so cooold-d-d-d."

"Yes," I replied dryly, pointing down at the clothes I'd retrieved, "that's what happens when you strip in a blizzard."

He ignored my sarcasm, squeezing himself tighter as he pressed against the gate wall. "Ohh, it's so cold...so cold...I can feel it again..."

I watched him mutter under his breath for a minute, wracking my brain for an answer as to what was happening. It hit me then. He was going through the same thing I was about a life or two ago - phantom pains.

Who knew how long it took to freeze to death but I can imagine it'd be as painful as an arrow to the brain.

Well, maybe not as painful but still very unpleasant. Then again, I wasn't stupid enough to strip in a blizzard.

"Cut it out, man," I said, whacking him in the leg. "It's cold but it's not that cold."

> You have gained the status ailment 'Mild Hypothermia' due to being in a cold environment for an extended period of time. Please take care to find a warm shelter.

"I stand corrected," I muttered, shuddering as the chill of a never-ending winter crept along my spine.

So far, I'd managed to ignore the cold by constant movement. This time, I might not be so lucky. We needed to get inside before this status ailment got any worse.

"Cooold," Frost moaned.

"Yeah, yeah," I told him, turning to face the gate. "I heard you the first time."