Entering into the ice mountain gives me the vibes that I get from the head office. Even the head office doesn't look particularly impressive, but you can say that it is the beating heart of the hex mountain simply from the number of people that are entering and leaving the place at any moment.

Even this place has the same vibe, if I am to be honest. There is a constant stream of soldiers and messengers that are making their way in and out of this place. In this place, I am sure that all the decisions related to the entirety of the truelands are made. Who gets to live and who gets to die.

Well, I do not get to remain at this part of the council for long. The people that will be deciding on my fate are going to be much deeper in the mountain.

Cloak doesn't speak anything to me, as he drags me through the complicated mess of tunnels of the mountain. As we go deeper into the place, I can feel the cold grow more intense, both physically and in my heart. I guess that I should be describing the place but I can feel the pressure growing on me.

As a person of the black mountain, hearing is a skill that has been engraved on us since our birth. The amount of stuff that you can learn from simply hearing. Here, the simple act of listening reminds me of the fact that I am a stranger in this strange land.

I can still make a few inferences though. The people are agitated to see me. The agitation is not particularly intense. It is at the very least not at the level of what I would have expected it to be if the people here were to know that I was a legioner.

That leaves me to assume that the council is not particularly open to the people here. I guess that they are suppressing the information at the very least. Right now, that is not my worry. An angry mob is not what is going to kill me.

(After about a couple of minutes.)

“Well, I have to assume that we are safe from prying ears at the very least.“, cloak speaks. “Can't really trust those bastards, though. I wouldn't be surprised if they are double dealing.“

“Well, who are these bastards?“, I ask.

“The beast tribe. They are merchants through and through. Remember that when you make any deals with them in the future that they are more than likely to end up screwing you over if you are not ready.“, he speaks. "Even if they seem like they are ready to give their life for you, be ready for a sword in your back."

“Why would I be making deals with them.“, I reply.

“Well, that was just a hypothetical. Well, I need you to focus now. Well, even the council cannot ask for your head just like that. Well, I should have told you all of this before leaving the tower.“, he speaks, a bit too anxiously “Regardless, that is why they are going to be charging you with certain crimes.“

“Well, aren't they more than ready to kill a person of the legion. I have seen the desperation with which your soldiers hunt our people.“ I reply.

“Well, if they were to know that you are a person of the legion, that is going to be the case. Every single person here would be demanding your head.“, he speaks. “Not a single person would be here to stop your head from being separated from your body. They will cheer while it is happening even. Still, if the lower tribes were to see the council executing people, it will remind them that the council is capable of doing that. That is not going to be leading to anything positive. I can assure you of that. The tribes have a long memory and a shallow pool of trust.“

“Okay then what are the charges against me.“, I speak.

“Well, you have three charges against you. The first is the least likely to stick on you and that is the crime of breaking a treaty. The sages and snow tribe have a very clear treaty. Right now, your standing here is breaking that treaty.“, he speaks. “Don't worry about that one since I will manage it.“

“But I am not even of the sages.“, I protest. “I am a soldier of the legion.“

“Well, we consider the sages to be a species, not an organisation. Even an unawakened sage like you is considered to be a sage, sadly. Also, do you really want to be flaunting the fact that you are a legioner in front of the council. As I have said, the tribes have a long memory.“, the cloak replies. “I have told you that I will be managing that particular charge against you. Even I cant help you if you keep reminding them of it every chance that you get.“

“Okay what are the other two.“, I reply. No need to annoy the only man in this place that is protecting me.

“Well, the second one is illegal use of formations in the truelands. Even about this you do not need to worry about much. The beast tribe will be taking care of this charge for you.“, he replies. “And the third charge is the trickiest to handle. You have hurt the honour of the tattoo tribe by fighting a champion of their tribe using unfair means.“

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“what exactly do you mean.“, I reply. I draw a blank until I remember the giant that had invaded my fort. “But he was a second circle mage. How exactly was I supposed to fight him. On top of that I am a formation mage. What else did he thinks that I was going to fight him with.“

“Still doesn't change the fact that you fought him using unfair means. The general expectation of the people here is that you will fight him in honourable duel, even if it means that you will die.“, he replies. “On top of that, formations is a taboo topic for the people in the truelands. On this particular front there is little that I can do to help you. All I can do is to help you get a much lesser punishment. “

“Well, what would be the punishment for such a crime then?“, I ask him.

“Well, punishments for dueling using unfair means is usually a reconducting of the duel with the council ensuring that there is no scope of cheating.“, he replies. “We can try to reduce this punishment to a sledding duel. Maybe get it reduced to a winters loop. That all depends on how you convince them though.“

“Two questions, what is a sledding duel?“, I ask him. “And why exactly are we discussing all of this here.“

“Well, the former has a very long answer and as for the latter, it is mainly because the beast tribe has promised us some privacy.“, he replies. “The bastards have their nose everywhere. I am sure that they are still hearing everything that we are saying but I at least can be confident that they won't be selling it to the other tribes. They might be bastards but they tend to keep their promises, If you are careful in making them. regardless, it is time that we went and met up with the bastards already.“

Well, saying that the man essentially pushes me into what is a massive meeting room. There are two floors to the room. The lower floor is where I am right now. This room is meant to intimidate anybody not of the upper floor. Everything in the room is constructed of whatever ice the place is made up of. Yet every inch of the room is carved. Most of it is nonsense, images from their history most likely.

The thing that terrifies me is the things that do not make sense to me. Nonsensical squiggles that kind of look like runes. I am trained under the grand wolf of the black mountain. One of the greatest formation masters in the continent, the man should know all of the runes in the continent and I have learnt all the runes that the man knows. Well not all runes, but I should at the very least be able to recognise the origin of these runes.

I am starting to get an inkling as to why my master would be interested in this place. Why he might have forced me to come here, knowing the risks. The man cannot resist not knowing something. He has to know anything that he doesn't know. It picks at him like a sore tooth. Still, how exactly he thinks that I will be learning the runes, I do not know. Right now I will be happy to leave this place alive.

The upper floor is where the representatives of the five clans are sitting right now in their own tables. They are presently forming a u around me. Each of the tribes has a table here, with five people at each of the table. The leftmost is the blood tribe I guess. They are not particularly different from the people that surround them but you just can tell that they are different. More aloof and standoffish, they seem like they are on the edge of battle.

On the other edge we have the wolf tribe, each wearing a wolf skin much like cloak. one thing that I notice is that cloak has been very careful not to make any eye contact with them.

Right at the center we have the tattoo tribe. The bastards are the most obvious in the bunch. Every single person at that table is covered in tattoos of various kinds. They are supposed to be scary motherfuckers based on how cloak describes them to me.

To their left, we have the beast tribe. Again they look pretty ordinary but there is something about them that is different. I guess the correct term would be that they are comfortable here. If the others are giving a more combatative vibe, as if everybody here could be a potential enemy they give the vibe that they don't consider anybody a threat here.

Right opposite to them is the spear tribe, which is giving me the exact opposite vibe. This is especially so whenever they look at me. I really wonder what the sages have done that they have inspired such a bloodlust in the spear tribe.

Looking at them, I am actually worried. They have brought their spears here. No other tribe has brought their weapons here. granted, most of them are still a threat without their weapons. (I am looking at the tattoo tribe and the wolf tribe especially here.) The spears are still pretty intimidating. Well, I am sure that cloak will protect me, but it does feel like there is nothing that he can do when and if they gut me.

“Well, the accused has entered into the meeting room. It is about time that we started this farce.“, the one that spoke was cloak behind me, translating the word of the man from the blood tribe. “I do not want to waste my time.“

“Well, the council has it's procedures for a reason, blood tribe.“, a lady from the tattoo tribe speaks. “not that you brutes are going to be understanding it.“

“well, it is a waste of time.“, the man from the blood tribe speaks. “And what is it with you guys, you know my name.“

“Well, as we have briefed you a thousand times. We shall only call you by the name of your tribe. You represent the will of your leader. your names should hold no value here.“, the lady from the tattoo tribe essentially politely screams at the other man. Even I can tell that was the wrong thing to do here and I haven't even seen too many of these councils in my life. This lady is already losing control of the council. Don't know if I should be happy or sad about that.

“well. The blood tribe is unique among all the tribes. I am certain you can forgive their lack of politeness, lady of the tattoo tribe.“, spoke the man from the beast tribe. “It would be wise that we get this trial started in haste. A man of the legion can cause chaos that would benefit none of us.“

“so, antonio of the legion, you have been brought before the council to answer for your crimes......“, the lady of the tattoo tribe begins to speak.