Above a deserted island in the North Sea, fierce winds tore the clouds to shreds.
A hundred giant seabirds bucked violently in the air currents, their gray-brown wings slicing through the cold, damp air.
Ola lay against the back of the Great Skua leading the flock, his short, thick legs clamped tightly around the leather saddle on either side of its belly. The wind blew his great beard straight backward. Goggles covered almost his entire face, leaving only his roaring mouth exposed.
[Steady, all of you! Are you knights or dandelions scattered by the wind?!]
Ola's voice exploded directly inside every knight's skull.
[Barton! Your bird's ass is practically pointing at the sky! V formation! Weave through the flanks! How many more times do I have to teach you?!]
On the right flank, a slightly smaller Great Skua struggled to adjust its posture. Knight Barton was deathly pale, his stomach churning as he desperately tugged the reins, trying to pull his mount level.
Damn it... the wind's too strong... Barton wailed inwardly.
Just then, a cold, arrogant voice thick with disdain sounded in Ola's mind.
[Stupid dwarf.]
It was Stuka's voice.
As the leader of the Great Skua flock, the enormous white bird, with a wingspan exceeding ten meters, was carrying Ola at the very front.
[You're too heavy. Your weight seriously disrupts the airflow balance. That's the real reason the formation is unstable. I suggest eating two fewer steaks next time, or stripping off that tin shell of yours.]
A vein in Ola's temple twitched twice, and he snapped back over their private channel.
[Shut up, you feathered bastard! One more word and tonight's extra meal will be roasted kelp! Without salt!]
Stuka gave a short cry, clearly scoffing at the threat of "roasted kelp."
Still, the bird subtly