I have heard a lot about the snowwinders. they are supposed to be genius builders that have built works of art that can last for millennia (granted this is one of the few things that the black mountain is not good at so we cannot really judge.) and are so disciplined on the battlefield that my predecessors like to compare them to the steely stillness of the undead.

Granted, the scholars are never a good reference (they literally live in their own world) and my predecessors were treating this as more of a vacation than an actual job. Not to badmouth my own people, but there is a reason that our present ties with the snowwinders are this frayed.

Not to get distracted, I have heard a great deal about the snowwinders and every single description that I have heard has certainly not prepared me for the scene in front of me.

In front of me are two soldiers that are completely naked except for their undergarments, which has left me on the verge of bleeding from my eyes.

Well, I remember the beginning to this particular tavern brawl. It had all begun with shamon opening a reserve of some kind of an alcoholic drink that I will never be able to pronounce. For now let's call it ale.

I don't know how strong it was or how much the soldiers had drunk of it, but what was originally a friendly contest of arm wrestling had devolved into a competition to check who had the biggest balls, quite literally. Based on what I have understood of this particular match both soldiers will stand in front of each other and begin stripping in front of each other until one person gives up this particular match or until their jewels shine in their full glory to the world (their words, not mine.) And the fun part, they said they are supposed to do all of this in the snow, where I would think twice before sitting on and they are stripping in it. It would take a unique kind of balls to do that. (Fuck, these guys are ruining me). If these soldiers end up dying to the chill, I will resurrect them and kill them personally.

That is how we are presently stuck in this situation, with either person convincing the other to step back and admit defeat while all the people around them are convincing them both of completing the final step. I was certainly not thinking of chants of "off with the underwears" when I thought of the snowwind soldiers. Over all it has been a loud, quite tasteless mess but somehow I have not been able to keep my head away from this particular direction for sometime now.

Normally, I guess that I should be one of the people that is joining the bunch downstairs, but I am not going to break my rules so easily this time. (Especially after the embarassing debacle of the last week.) Those of the iron do not lose their focus in the middle of a war. I might have left the legion, but some habits remain. I have to admit it was quite tempting until the stripping began. I think such a situation can only be found funny when you are quite drunk. Also, even these soldiers know that their victory is now dependent more on me than them now. They have already done a good job. Let them have their moment of peace.

Anyway, If I was in their place I would be sick with worry. Not much to stop thinking when you have no work to do, I guess. Regardless, my work is pretty important. after all, if the enemy were to suddenly reveal a unknown legion hiding I would like to be ready. Granted a single legion does not have the strength to really challenge us anymore. Even from here I can just shoot them down with the ballista, remotely.

The presence of the ballista should be more than enough to keep the snowlords from wasting too many of their creatures on us. It is back in its rightful position at the watch tower. (Took me a day too, you know.)

Anyway, I can see that I am not the only person among this bunch that seems to have forgone the drink this day. It would be shamon who seems to be in a similar situation to me. Well, he is making his way towards me.

"Well, captain I would have expected you to be among these rowdy bunch already.", he speaks, his voice taking an amused tone. "It is a great time for you to become familiar to the soldiers and it will boost their morale."

"I will be honest, I was tempted but there are rules to follow you know.", I speak to him, wondering if the man in front of me would be ready to listen to my pretty petty complaining of the rules of the iron legion.

"I would have thought that would have been not much of an issue with your people. After all isn't that how your people blew up the temple in the south.", he begins, sitting next to me. "Became wasted and tested certain formations without thinking."

"Well, that is a different case. The scholars make use of a certain set of drugs to boost the performance of their minds. Sadly a few of the side affects do look like they are drunk." I reply to him, wondering if I should be recording this. It is technically the truth though. "I can see how you people might have gotten confused."

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"Well, I am not one to question the hobbies of other kids, but it is nice to see that I have company among this bunch. You would be surprised how boring this all gets when you have seen it a hundred times.", he says. "I am not sure if those two idiots will even be able to wake up tomorrow without a cold. It is fine as long as it is not the chill. Most of these guys will go on to make the army of tomorrow. I shudder to think how we shall be protected."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe among this bunch.", I say to him, as my vision goes to one of the naked ones trying some kind of a rude gesture to provoke the other. What it would do to help him, I do not know though it must have made quite the bit of sense in their drunken mind as this guy is doing it with a child like enthusiasm.

"Well, you would be surprised. Regardless, you are free and I am free right now. Let's talk business.", shamon begins.

"Well, my ears are open. I wish my eyes were not. I am not asleep. About as much of a best time it can be.", I reply, as he plops down next to me.

"Why are the snowlords so interested in you, captain.", he speaks, his voice suddenly taking a measured tone. "I have led quite many troops against the icebeasts and the only time I have seen them this suicidal is at one of the failed forts and I mean this even before this legion business of yours."

"Well, there could be any number of reasons. Maybe it was the fact that they managed to track the emissions of my formation base, which did grow quite substantial before their attacks.", I begin. It is actually one of the disadvantages of using elemental nodes. A skilled enough mage is usually able to tell about the existence of the formation.

"Somehow, it still doesn't really explain their rigour in getting you killed. They don't act like that unless the snowlords are involved somehow.", shamon speaks.

"Well, it could be any number of reasons, but I have two main reasons that might actually be the case." I speak, bringing to mind something that I have been thinking about for quite a while. "One case could be that your commander is a sadist and he is the bastard that let out the fact that a soldier of the legion is stationed here. Not a high chance of it though, as it wouldn't really benefit the man."

"Somehow I don't think that manages to describe the commander. He is not one for that kind of politicking.", shamon speaks. "That is how he ended up in the north, some say. At the very least nobody gives a good answer to why exactly is he here. his work doesn't really match his power."

"Well, then it is the alternative. The enemy has somebody that is able to make sense of formation structure, maybe even build a few.", I speak."The type of formation that I am building is a special type of formation, that will help you dealing with the chill at a limited level at the very least as I said before. Due to that, I had to make use of elemental nodes. while I won't say what I am doing is quite common, it is not so rare that somebody won't be able to tell what I want to do. Only a formation mage will be able to actually tell though."

"Well, the enemy can tell when we are starting to build formations.", shamon speaks "I don't really see how that really hurts us. All it really takes is a bit of planning. Look, you have built four or five of those even though the enemy seems to have been hounding us at every step of the way."

"Well, most formations take a lot longer to build, shamon.", I speak, "I usually take a week to properly inscribe class 9 formations. Here I have done it in two days. Honestly, I am not sure how I have managed it. Maybe this is why my master wanted me to come here. To learn to work under pressure."

"Well, all I honestly care about that formation is if it was worth the death of so many soldiers and the maiming of even more", the soldiers speaks with anger in his voice.

Honestly, I guess I should feel something about it but I don't really feel anything about it. Maybe if I was there in the battlefield with them, maybe if they fell in front of me with me being able to do little to stop that maybe I would also be more emotional.

Hey, as a formation mage I already participate in enough what ifs to reach the moon. No need to add another to it. Regardless, it is the way that these soldiers are partying that is more fascinating to me. In the iron legion, where death is uncommon it is a somber occasion with ceremonies and rituals that every person on the hexmountain knows to his heart by now.

Here death is more familiar, so much so that no amount of tears will suffice. Instead they celebrate with so much passion that death will stop in the path or at the very least they strip in the ice, because they are stupid. Philosophy can be so pointless sometimes.

Well, I am not one to claim too much knowledge in this but with thoughts like this I think I understand why the scholars do what they do. It's fascinating to look at people think.

"Well, by the time you leave, it shall be the end of winter anyways. By then it is the headache of the folks from the frozen peaks.", shamon speaks.

"I assumed you and your troops were of the frozen peaks.", I asked, a bit confused.

"Well, the commander borrows soldiers from other areas when he believes that it is worth it. I personally come from the south. The soldiers are still newbies so they come from the east.", he says "any troop from the frozen peak will have fallen on the first day under siege. Well, that would be my cue. Their stupid game has gone on long enough."

Hearing that I take a look at the two strippers who had finally completed their goal at the same time. The look of surprise on eithers face was enough to clue me in that either had not managed to take the final step, so somebody in the crowd had done that for them. Well the crowd seemed to have realized that at the same time, resulting in a howl that would have scared any hidden troop from their hiding spots.