Loa had not stayed long at the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group's camp before Raymond noticed that he had no interest in exchanging pleasantries and stopped pressing him to stay. He summoned a nimble young mercenary who looked quite sharp and instructed him, "Carlo, accompany Brother Loa up the mountain. Remember, only go as far as the viewing platform. Stay away from all mine entrances and sentry posts. Once Brother Loa has finished looking, come back down. Don't disturb anything."
"Yes, Captain!" The mercenary named Carlo straightened his chest in acknowledgment, then turned to Loa and gestured invitingly. "Lord Loa, this way."
Loa nodded to Raymond and Edwin in farewell, then followed Carlo toward the mountain path.
The higher they climbed, the clearer and louder the omnipresent howling wind became, as though countless enormous beasts were roaring right against their eardrums. The air was no longer merely flowing; it was vibrating violently at a high frequency, with an amplitude almost invisible to the naked eye. These vibrations penetrated the skin and reached straight into the bones, even causing a faint resonance in the internal organs. Sound was no longer merely something heard. It had become a source of physical pressure and interference.
When they reached roughly two-thirds of the way up the mountainside, Carlo's steps slowed noticeably. His breathing grew somewhat labored, and his face paled slightly. He stopped and turned around, his face carrying an apology and a barely perceptible trace of pain. "M-my lord... this is as far as I can take you. Any higher, and that sound... even the gaps between my bones start shaking. It feels like a swarm of bees is crashing around inside my head. I really can't take it. Would you..."
Loa could sense that the frequency and intensity of the sound-wave vibrations here