I make it back to the guard house. Stanton has been sent out to retrieve the corpse of the thing that ate him, with three other watchmen. He should be fine, the thing is already dead.
The assistant commander gives me permission to take a squad of watchmen with me to go to the Averdine Estate. There are a dozen watchmen on standby at the guard house. Some complain that we keep too many on standby, in my opinion we just need more all around. The six men assigned to to back me up are ready almost immediately, would've been immediately if one of them wasn't a complete rookie. All of them seem to be using the standard issue equipment. I don't recognize any of them though. It's strange going from knowing everyone in town to not even knowing most of the people you work with.
It creeps towards evening as we travel to the Averdine Estate. We get there without issue. Along the way I take the time to learn everyone's names and examine their posture as we march along the road. There's Mario, he's the oldest out of the men that were assigned to help. Sam has been around and seems to have the most real experience fighting and investigating. Gordon, Thomas, and Harold all seem pretty average. Then there's Kenneth, the rookie. He doesn't even seem to really know how to keep pace with the armor on. The chain haubergeon doesn't seem to fit him quite right, is that because the haubergeon is standard issue or because he put it on backwards? Maybe both...
I let them know what I've heard about Lady Averdine. Honestly, I don't think seven men is enough to deal with a sorceress of her caliber. If she turns out to be at the bottom of this, and hostile, we would probably have to retreat.
We round the bend, and the gate to the grounds comes into view. A fifteen foot wall surrounds the estate. An iron barred gate fills the only opening. The smell of the forest gives way to the scent of flowers wafting from the other side of the wall.
Looks like the gate guard is a huge armored fellow.
“That guy is huge!” The rookie is the first to speak up about him as we approach.
“Remember, we're here to investigate, not pick fights. The only reason I even suspect them is because the creature was clearly magical in nature.”
As we get closer, I notice that the guardian isn't moving or paying us any heed. He wears some very fine looking plate armor. Though I'm not sure how he moves in all of that, I don't see any gaps in it even at the joints. The twin swords he's carrying are also uncannily large. I'd heard the gate guard was a good fighter focusing on ambidextrous combat, but I never heard about him being ten feet tall.
We're only about 15 feet away when I see it. There isn't anyone in that armor, and yet, now it's turning towards me. It must be a steel golem, never thought I'd see one of those. I really hope this won't get violent now, I don't know if all of the guards in town combined could deal with one of these, from what I've heard about them.
“GREETINGS TOWN WATCHMAN. HOW MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE?” Its voice sounds like someone speaking with his head in a pot. Despite its monotone it also sounds slightly cheery.
“I'm watchman Nivar, I'm here to ask Lady Averdine a few questions.”
“ONE MOMENT PLEASE.”
A short time passes, and then a woman's voice sounds from inside the great helm that serves as the golem's head, “Hello, I'll be down shortly.”
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