Eight thousand meters up.
This was a realm forbidden to life. The thin air could suffocate an ordinary person, and the biting winds could freeze steel until it cracked.
But to Ola, this little chill only made him feel more alert.
The dwarf sat firmly astride Stuka's broad back. Fierce winds howled past his stiff beard, whipping the cloak behind him.
[Steady, buddy. I'm about to start observing.]
[Copy that! But I'm warning you, spill another potion on my feathers and I'll peck your beard clean off!]
[...I'll be careful.]
Ola took out a bottle of Eagle-Eye Potion, tipped his head back, and drained it, then casually tossed the empty bottle into the sea of clouds. As the potion took effect, a strange light shimmered in his pupils. He raised his telescope to his eye.
With the combined enhancement of the potion and the lenses, the clouds below seemed to turn transparent. The vast expanse of land gradually magnified in his sight.
"Tsk, tsk. What a mess."
Golden Wheat Province, which should have been a sweep of golden yellow, now looked like a giant afflicted with a skin disease.
Huge black blotches spread across the golden background. These were the marks left by the ravaging swarms. Scorched earth, yellowed stalks, and the ever-expanding black tide of insects formed a horrifying portrait of the apocalypse.
[Take this down.]
Ola spoke to his subordinate through the Hive Terminal.
A young clerk also rode in a great skua's saddle, wrapped in thick furs. His nose streamed from the cold as he took rapid notes on parchment with trembling hands.
[Zelan County, eighty percent overrun. Apart from the areas around a few major cities, it's basically been eaten clean.]
[Red River Valley, fires still burning. I reckon those mages have gone mad with it.