The Ashen Spine
"Goodbye, Iron Lord!"
With humidity below thirty percent, on a vast plain where a towering mountain cut across the north like a blade driven into the earth, over ten thousand soldiers stood at attention.
Their eyes were pinned to the helicopter hovering above them, their faces solemn.
The Ashen Spine was known as the highest mountain in the Imperial City. At this time of year, it snowed more than ever totaling seven consecutive months of relentless snowfall.
They trained here year-round, and the shortest amount of time any of them had gone without leaving the mountain was three years.
Yet for soldiers who had survived such extreme conditions and knew better than anyone how to control their emotions, their faces were filled with unmistakable feeling.
"We will miss you, Iron Lord!" they shouted, the cacophony of their voices swallowed by the roar of the helicopter as it lifted away.
