Volume 18 - Ski Lodge Kobold, Chapter 137 - A Hard Freeze

Japan didn't celebrate Halloween to the same extent that other countries like the US did, but the holiday had been slowly growing in popularity there. The presence of Interspecies Exchange Program liminals in Japan had boosted the public's interest in supernatural or mythical beings, a topic closely tied to the spooky holiday, and people were always happy for an excuse to dress up and throw parties.

In the town of Okayado, local college-age humans had gotten into the holiday spirit early. They had been wearing their liminal costumes to the liminal nightclub The Wild Life for several days. Costumed partiers had been planning to show up in force on All Hallow's Eve, but when the day finally arrived, so did a major cold snap.

Over just a few hours that morning, the temperature in town dropped from slightly chilly to bitterly cold. It quickly reached freezing, then kept falling. A typical morning drizzle suddenly settled into a slick layer of black ice, making the roads very treacherous.

In fact, it was so cold that usual road de-icing measures like salt or magnesium chloride were too risky to use: the melted ice would just re-freeze even slicker than before. After numerous traffic accidents, including one involving a school bus, the city council issued an emergency broadcast to the entire town. The message came through on TV, radio, and cell phone alerts.

"Attention all residents of Okayado and the surrounding mountains: a severe weather advisory is in effect due to the extreme cold. All paved roads and sidewalks are dangerously icy, and the low temperature can be hazardous to citizens' health, particularly the young and elderly."

"Until further notice, the following restrictions are in effect: All motor vehicles without studded tires or 4-wheel drive are banned from paved roads, and all travel should be kept to a minimum. Okayado Elementary School, Middle School, and High School are all closed. Stud-equipped busses will transport the remaining students home; parents should not attempt to pick up students."

The message repeated periodically throughout the morning, and by noon most residents had turned off their radios and muted their cell phones. Young students were happy for the day off, but unlike a normal snow day, there was no snow to play in and they were stuck inside. It was similarly bittersweet for older college students: their professors had canceled class, but the students had to cancel their Halloween nightclubbing plans.

At the Mountain Lily Inn, the permanent residents were huddled inside the house and the staff were busy working to keep the inn guests safe and comfortable. Sya, with her natural fur coat, was less affected by the cold so she was outside spreading sand on the iced-over walkways so no one would slip and fall. Yuisu was working the phone, calling each cabin to check if they needed anything, and Rem was exploring the main house's boiler room and crawlspace, examining the pipes for any freeze-related fractures. She planned to do the same for each cabin next.

The living room fireplace was roaring, fighting back the bitter chill that penetrated the windows. Hakuto stood at the window, peering out through the frosted glass. Her long ears were perked straight up and there was an intense look on her normally cute face. She had a wool blanket over her shoulders, since her normal shrine maiden outfit wasn't suited to the cold.

"This isn't natural," she said to no one in particular, then she pulled the blanket tighter around her body.

"What's that, Hakuto?" Tsuen said. The yellow-pajama-clad centaur was curled up in front of the fire with a pink arachne tucked against her belly. Mara wore warm pink pajamas of her own, and she was focused on her 3DS, more interested in her Pokemon than the weather outside.

Hakuto turned and repeated, "This weather isn't natural. There's something off about it. I hope it ends soon." The mountain god shivered, and it wasn't just from the cold.

Huddled in the corner of the room, Aluru nodded emphatically. "Me too. The cold, dry air is murder on my skin and petals, and the fire isn't helping with the dryness. I never would have thought it could get too cold to use the hot spring." The flirty alraune wasn't baring any skin for once, instead covered up from head to thighs in an oversized green hoodie. She had also been practically chugging hot tea to keep her moisture level up.

Haru was sitting on the couch with her wings wrapped around her knees for warmth. She was tempted to go put on her outdoor snow gear, but it would be hard to get dressed without help and Yuisu was busy. She tilted her head and said, "Can't you just take a hot bath?"

"I would if I could," Aluru griped. "Yuisu said the washroom's off-limits until she's sure there's no frozen pipes."

Haru pulled her legs tighter inside her fluffy wing-igloo. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know."

Tsuen piped in, "Don't worry, Aluru. It shouldn't be much longer. Rem's checking on that now, and you've seen how quick she is." The she looked around and said, "On a lighter note, it's kind nice hanging out together like this. Other than Chione, the homestays are all here."

Mara glanced up from her game. "I assume Chione's asleep? Did someone check on her yet? I know she sometimes sleeps with the window open."

Haru said, "Her window is closed, but she's not actually home right now. Yuisu mentioned that Chione was visiting Actia when the weather first hit. It was too dangerous to fly home, so she's waiting it out there."

Mara nodded. "Ah, I'm glad Actia's not alone, trapped by this cold."

Tsuen smiled and ruffled Mara's pink hair. "People won't be trapped for long. I heard that Tokai Taxi Company got a shipment of studded tires in preparation for the ski season, and they're installing them on their fleet right now."

Mara peered up at Tsuen. "How do you know that? Oh, that's the company that shuttles you to work, isn't it?"

Nodding, Tsuen said, "Yeah, they called me this morning to tell me they couldn't pick me up, but the gym is closed anyway. Most businesses are."

A pink-skinned woman walked as fast as she dared down the slick sidewalk, cringing in pain with every icy-cold step. The slime-woman was returning from Pheromagic Flowers, where she'd just watered all the flowers and moved them to the innermost part of the building.

Even with the shop's heater running, a few flowers that had been near the windows had already fallen to the severe cold, frozen all the way through. Quess had saved what she could, then locked the shop back up again and set off for home.

Quess didn't normally wear real clothes, but for this errand she wore a rubber raincoat and matching boots, with a sweater and a heavy wool coat over that to try to keep some precious heat inside. Slimes were mostly water and didn't generate much body heat, so extreme cold could actually cause their bodies to freeze. Quess's feet were slushy with ice crystals and on the verge of freezing solid, but she couldn't worry about that now. She needed to keep moving and get home to her family.

Even if my legs freeze all the way through, my core will be fine and I can recover. I'm more worried about Iormu and Pwess, she thought. Iormu was cold-blooded, and their slimegirl daughter Pwess was still small and her core was much more vulnerable.

Thankfully, Quess reached her house without issue. When she opened the front door, it was like opening an oven with all the hot air that rushed out. She quickly closed it behind herself and started shedding her outdoor clothes. Underneath the bulky layers, she appeared to be wearing a stylish outfit of skin-tight leggings and a low-cut sweater, but it was just shaped out of her own slime and provided no protection against the elements.

"I'm home!" she called out as she took off her boots and put a slushy foot on the chilly hardwood floor.

"Thank the gods," a voice called back. "Now get in here where it's warm."

Quess smiled as she moved to the living room. "Compared to outside, even this entrance is downright hot."

"That's what she said!" Iormu replied with a giggle. The jormungand was curled in a huge blanket-covered spiral near the fireplace, with a smaller purple blob nestled within her coils.

"What do you mean by that, Mama?" Pwess asked. "That was what Mommy said, but why'd you say it like that?"

Iormu went tight-lipped. It seemed her high school students' vocabulary had rubbed off on her, and she hadn't intended to introduce Pwess to such lewd jokes.

Quess cut in, "Don't worry about it, Princess. You'll understand in a year or two."

Then when Iormu opened her arms to give Quess a hug, Quess shook her head and said, "Not yet. I think I've still got some ice cubes floating around inside me. Let me warm up with some hot tea, then I'll crawl into that wonderful looking snuggle pile you've got going."

The tip of Iormu's tail pointed toward the stove in the connected kitchen. "There was some hot water in the kettle, but it's probably cooled by now."

"Ah, thanks, love." Quess placed a hand over the kettle. It was warm, but not nearly hot enough for tea. She turned the burner back on and while she waited for it to boil, she bounced from foot to foot to keep her slime circulating.

Pwess went back to reading her book about a fantasy kingdom with fairies and magic, but Iormu rekindled the conversation with Quess. "The Yamagata school district closed all the schools in Okayado, but they said that the rest of the region isn't affected by this weird weather. Also, the Exchange Program is considering evacuating all the cold-blood liminals to a neighboring town."

Quess stopped bouncing and looked back with a look of concern. "They really think it will get that bad?"

Iormu shrugged. "Maybe, but it can't hurt to be ready, just in case. If this cold doesn't ease up soon, people are going to run out of food and fuel. I've seen more than my share of disasters, and I wouldn't be surprised if the city declares a state of emergency soon."

The kettle let out a very welcome squeal, so Quess poured herself some hot green tea. While she let it steep, she debated with herself about whether to continue the conversation with Pwess in the room. Some part of her wanted to protect Pwess from the scary topic, but she didn't want to hide reality from her either.

Iormu must have sensed it. She said, "But there's nothing to worry about right now. We've got more than enough food in the pantry and plenty of wood for the fireplace. And I've been given approval to stay home from work if the school reopens while it's still so cold. Principal Sakamoto and the other staff understood that there'd be some limitations when they hired me."

"Ah, that's good." Quess downed a full cup of steaming tea, then poured herself another. She took the second cup, which she intended to sip and savor, into the living room where she was engulfed by the warm embrace of her family. As she was warmed from inside and out, she thought, If a cold snap is the most trying experience of our first year together, I consider us very lucky.

A few miles away, on the western slope of the valley, one business was full of activity. Ski Lodge Kobold wasn't technically open for business, but all available staff were present and working hard to get things ready. Ski season in Yamagata Prefecture didn't normally start until mid- to late-November, but the sudden cold suggested an early start this year.

Korbin, the diligent and benevolent kobold who owned Ski Lodge Kobold and several other local businesses, was there working right alongside his employees. Whether in the kitchen or the equipment rental office or doing turndown service in the hotel, Korbin prided himself in being able to handle almost any task that he asked of his employees.

As he was unpacking a shipment of custom-ordered skis, a catgirl with large triangular ears and tan spotted fur approached. As a serval subspecies, she wasn't built for cold. She was bundled up in heavy-duty winter clothes, but she managed to look sleek and graceful all the same. She bowed her head, still standing taller than him, and said, "Excuse me, sir."

Korbin set a pair of extra-wide skis down on the crate, then waved a hand dismissively. "Just Korbin is fine. What's up, Miss Leptai? Or I suppose if we're using first names, I should call you Luru."

The catgirl fidgeted for a moment, her long and slender legs wiggling. Then she found the words and said, "Um, something strange is happening on the mountain, by the base of the second ski lift. The lift foreman sent me to get you immediately."

Korbin nodded in understanding. "Let's go then, and you can describe this strange happening to me on the way."

By the time they arrived at the site, after riding the lower ski lift for nearly a mile, Korbin had a good guess at what the disturbance was. Luru had told him of a very small but very strong storm, whirling inside a sphere-shaped region about fifty feet across. Inside that ball, snow and ice were blowing around so fast that no one could get inside without getting batted away like a bug.

The temperature around the strange sphere was somehow even colder than the rest of Okayado, so the crowd that had gathered was standing about a hundred feet away. When Korbin and Luru got off the ski lift, a human man broke away from the crowd and ran up to them.

"Korbin! Thank God you're here," the man panted. He had pale blue eyes and blonde hair under his wool cap, and he spoke with a scandinavian accent. "This is way beyond my experience. I'm a ski resort consultant, not a supernatural specialist."

Korbin just smiled. "Don't worry about it, Jens." He pronounced the foreign name like 'Yens'. "This isn't in your job description, and you were right to send for me. Luru already filled me in, and I was actually expecting something like this, so I had already sent for an expert. He should be arriving this evening, if the ice doesn't delay him any further."

Jens and Luru both raised an eyebrow at that. Then Jens exclaimed, "An expert in what? We don't even know what that thing is! Some kind of crazy microburst? A giant alien snow-globe?"

Luru giggled at that last one, then Korbin said, "Come with me. I doubt either of you are followers of Shintoism, but if my guess is on the money, you're about to become believers."

With that cryptic message, Korbin tucked some stray fur around his neck back into his collar, tugged the bottom of his heavy coat down, and strode purposefully toward the self-contained storm.

The human and catgirl followed along, a few paces back, not knowing what to expect. They definitely didn't expect what Korbin did when he reached the edge of the swirling sphere.

He knelt down on the thin layer of snow that had escaped the vortex, then bowed all the way over until his doglike nose nearly touched the ground. Then he loudly proclaimed, "Oh spirit of the mountain, I humbly seek an audience with you, so that I may properly pay tribute to your glory, apologize for any offense the recent construction may have caused, and formally introduce myself to a revered and most welcome neighbor."

"Wha—" was all that Jens managed to say before the entire sphere suddenly exploded.

A white wave nearly ten feet high and as soft as down feathers swept outward. It buried Korbin first, then Jens and Luru, and then the crowd of gawking Ski Lodge employees. Sputtering and wiping their faces, they scrambled to climb out of the fluffy snow, then they stared at the sky in awe.

Where flat grey clouds had blanketed the sky over the city just a moment prior, there was now a heavy white sheet of rapidly falling snow. The weather had gone from dry and dead-still to a full-blown blizzard in an instant. As fresh snow fell on Okayado and Ski Lodge Kobold, a few of the dazzled bystanders looked back toward where the strange sphere had been.

In its place stood a pale blue figure, her legs planted in a proud pose. She wore a short dress of blue, white, and purple, and her long hair faded from white to purple, becoming strangely rigid, like crystal. Above her head was a small ball of furiously whirling snow, like a miniature version of the sphere she had recently occupied.

"Oh, it seems I let this get away from me," she said in a mature, no-nonsense voice. She reached up and tapped the sphere with one blue-skinned finger and it instantly stopped spinning. Sparkles of snow and magic fell away, revealing a single glowing snowflake about the size of her hand.

She grabbed the snowflake between two fingers and it seemed to vanish, then she turned to look at Korbin and the other gathered people. She was only about 5 feet tall, but she had an imposing and intimidating presence. "Now that that's out of the way, we have much to discuss…"