log 005
The hexmountain treaty is the core of the present black mountain. The history of the treaty is a complicated mess about which I have no desire to get into. Honestly, a scholar would be better for this task rather than me. The treaty itself is a different matter.
Made between nearly every power in this continent and the black mountain, the treaty at its core is an agreement that any magical ruin found on the continent will be handed to the black mountain and their scholars.
No person following the treaty will be able conduct any research into any magical ruins. In return for control of the ruin though, the faction that have granted the ruin can make a single request out of the black mountain. Most factions ask for spells or magical knowledge. Some ask for help in completing matters where they do not want to get involved( I will tell you about the fiery spring incident, though not now.). Some ask for help in defending a region from their enemies or other things, though that is pretty rare this far north. They are pretty self sufficient up here. Though, In my present case it is the last thing that they are most likely to ask me.
The snowwind army runs and operates the frozen peak because they are in conflict with the snowlords. The snowlords are a tribe who make the northern wastelands their home. the only thing that is truly known of them is their nomadic nature and their nearly legendary ability to manipulate external mana.
Every year at the onset of winter, the snowlords leave the northern wastelands and attack the snowwind empire and every year the snowwind army keeps them at bay at the frozen peak. Magical knowledge is certainly not useful to them at the present moment.
They would rather prefer being sent a master of formations that might be able to keep them more safer in this particular conflict. If that master of formations happen to be someone that they wouldn't care losing, it would be a win-win situation to every side but mine. After all, the most dangerous place for a person capable of making formations is a battlefield.
It is easy for trevor to say to agree to everything that the commander says, he doesn't understand just how much dangerous it can be for a formation mage on the front lines. I do not even have a proper defence squad guarding me to. All I have are an old man and two rookie soldiers that have not even seen war properly (who also happened to be idiots.). It would be very easy to send me to my death. I am starting to wonder if actually ended up offending somebody from the home office. Stephen, if you are reading this, I hope you understand that I was only teasing you when I was calling you a shorty. It is certainly not meant to be insulting. After all, why would I be insulting a person that would be getting me killed.
Right now I am sitting In the office of the commander, waiting quite anxiously to see what request Is going to be made of me today. I am not accepting this request if this guy does not provide me with a troop at the very least.
Trevor has tried to help me out as much as he can explaining the political situation of the black mountain and it's many factions, but my summons to the commander happened almost a hour after Trevor began to speak to me. therefore the only thing that I got from this was that the commander would be a pretty tolerant figure since he is a commoner and I was quite lucky not to be dealing with the nobles. They tend to be quite easy to provoke and the source of half of their executions.
Looking at the room again, I am surprised by how simplistic it is looking. On one wall to the side we have a very old looking map that seems to have been very well used. The map is useless anyways, it is what is written on it that matters. Other than that there is a table and a couple of chairs in the room. I guess a busy man like him does not mind that he is essentially sitting in a box, with no windows nor anyway to pass the time if you happened to get to the state where work is becoming just that bit annoying. I would lose it in days. I am getting anxious just waiting for the commander to make his way here already.
I also had expected the room of the man who could cause me to enter such a panic at sight, to resemble the throne room of a king. This seemed quite weirdly like Trevor's room in the airship. Simple and practical and so anxiety inducing for the person that has to give report here.
(After a couple of minutes.)
"Commander, I salute you.", I begin by saluting in the first place. I can see the commander enter into the room from behind me from the edges of my sight steeling myself to feel the panic again.
"Forget all of that, I find all those traditions very annoying. It is a reason that I have ended up here in this hellhole.", the commander quickly takes his sit at the table., "Now I want to hear about that ship of yours. What kind of modifications have you done to the thing."
"I do not understand what you mean, commander", I ask, a bit confused. I cannot feel the impulse of fear that I felt the last time. Rather than comfort me this is increasing my sense of worry. For now, I return my attention to the commander and his words.
"you don't need to act coy in front of me kid, the black mountain is the only force in the continent that is so crappy at building ships that they need to trade for them with us.", the commander spoke "you must be quite talented at formation for you to be able to make a steel arrow ship make its way to this place in the time that you normally take. Even a perfectly fine ship tends to struggle to give such an output. Something about the propulsion formation was the issue, if I remember right. I am certain you must have modified your ship somehow."
"I did nothing like that, commander. I do specialize in the art of formation. I just optimised the formations of our ship to increase our speed.", I reply, wondering whether I should just tell him how crappy the design of the ship really was. Well, I think it is better that I don't. I still need to be in their good books and I not complaining about just how crappy it was, it is manageable.
"Regardless, right now you are at the frozen peak to satisfy the conditions of the hexmountain treaty.", the commander speaks, "in return for this protection and to grant you acess to ruin number 32, you will need to complete a task for me. Are you willing to fulfill that task for me."
"Yes commander, under the hexmountain treaty I am willing to fulfill your request." I reply, attempting to gauge out the purpose of the man in front of me. These are the formalities that those satisfying the hex mountain treaty have to follow though the instances of them being actually followed is actually rare. They say it is because the lettering of the hexmountain treaty were based on the contracts of the devils and such an acceptance would be quite disadvantageous for you, if I were to put it in polite terms. It is an unsubstaniated claim though. Devil magic leaves very clear signs to the person signing it.
"Well, I have no reason to make your work any harder, young captain. Therefore the task that I am giving you will be related to the very ruin that has brought you here. I will be able to explain this much better if you were to go to the map.", the commander speaks, waving his hands causing the map to the side to suddenly start glowing. I do not sense any mana fluctuations in the mana.
I go to the map. Getting closer the map is split into two parts, colored blue and green, representing the snowlords and the snowwind empire, I have to assume.
"The blue represents the territory that the snowlords have taken from us. the green represents us. Right now ruin no 32, is at this postion.", the commander speaks, as a grey dot appears at a edge at the border between the two colors. That certainly is not going to be making my work any easier.
"The snowlords this year have been quite aggresive, this year they have managed to take nearly twice the territory that they normally manage to take in our many fights. That means that while normally ruin 32 is safely in our territory, this time the ruin is almost at the border this time.", the commander speaks. "Now, you are still not going to be facing the true force of our enemies, but you shall be given control over the temporary fort that is presently being built in that region, along with the troops of that fort. You will also be provided with resources to create and maintain a class eight formation."
The grey dot disappeared to show a glowing green circle that took the same place roughly. While I could not say just how big of a territory is, based on the other areas of the map I had atleast fifty kilometres of area under my control.
"The circle shows the region that the temporary fort is going to be taking responsibility for and the region that is supposed to be under your control. the temporary fort will also have the duty of protecting ruin 32. If any snowlords pass through this region under your control into the other regions, it will be considered to be a failure of your task, pending which we shall give you another task to fulfill.", the commander continued "you can accept this task if you wish, but I have no way of getting you tasks that are safer or more relevant to the work that you have been sent here."
Somehow, at this moment the man in front of me did not seem like the man that greeted at the starting of this trip. He seemed more like an ordinary man struggling to get his job completed. it would be wiser if I do not stay here for long, all imperials are worried about their image of being powerful being tarnished in any way. They are capable of causing massacres too if you are not careful, especially those from the snowwind empire.
"Yes commander, I certainly do accept this task.", I reply, trying to keep my satisfaction to come into my voice. There is no need to let the other side know how much he has ended up helping me.( Hey, that is not really the case but at that moment I was imagining they would be making me into bait for the snowlords. This is better. Though me as bait is not a dumb idea.) "I shall leave for fulfillment of my task immediately. What about access to ruin."
"You don't even need to ask young man, the team that is at the ruin are already expecting your teams and will guide them in any matter that might cause an issue.", the commander replies, waving his hand causing the door to open suddenly "with that I have completed all the necessary formalities. I will ask that you leave the room for now."