Chapter 13-359: Hollow Legions (1/2)

Leaving behind the magnetic pulse was instantly apparent, as richer Elemental Air power was suddenly pervading the atmosphere around them. The zone was less than a hundred meters wide, but their Pact Wings instantly thrummed with new strength, and their Ring with the same.

Most of the greater Elemental Powers were not yet Infused into the Ring, but the Aura and efficacy against creatures of Air was. Any such meeting them were going to be quite afraid of them.

The areas didn’t become populated rapidly, but the numbers did increase, and Legion quickly noticed a few things.

The first was that there were no weaker creatures at the higher tiers of these clouds. As they reached the third tier, there was a jolt, and they passed through a repulsive field, crackling about them and seeming to test their souls, a sensation so sharp they immediately hove to a halt.

It greatly resembled the feeling of passing through the Dome. An unseen Ward against spiritual strength and Levels?

Resuming their course, they considered that, looking down at the creatures passing by and flitting between cloud islands below them, rolling over to examine those above in contrast.

No... ‘small’ creatures above them. Or weak ones, younger ones...

They would have to ascend more and see if it improved, but from here, it looked like the higher tiers only held more and more powerful creatures, nothing that was small or weak, and they were descending to lower tiers to hunt, or retreating to higher tiers to get away from anything that might pursue them.

Nothing small, nothing young. Could babies only survive the pressure if born on the first or second tier?

That would basically force all creatures down here eventually if they wanted to have children. The higher tiers would be austere dwellings for creatures that were childless and did not want to be disturbed. Things would come down to hunt and have children, retreat to be alone on their own territories, above lesser challengers. The sheer odiousness of the vertical movement would still drive any active hunters into the bottom two tiers, as two vertical miles of ascent was not a small amount of effort for most creatures unless there were strong thermals all over the place... which Legion didn’t rule out.

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The cloud islands seemed to consist of the interwoven roots of trees, empowered so thickly that they were floating and gathering water vapor around them. Over time, lost leaves and debris, perhaps from higher levels, built up a solid surface ‘floating’ on the cloud vapor gathered to what were effectively minor nodes of elemental power.

Most of the weather affecting the lands below rolled below the cloud tiers. As they flew, they noticed few cloud formations building up through the illusory level. There seemed to be a clear divisor between the two systems.

Unsurprisingly, the skyships were made of whatever wood such trees were, and seemed to have some difficulty moving up and down all that much. Legion didn’t see many of them moving about in the third layer at all, while the scattered traffic was everywhere, if uncommon, on the first. They seemed to be a combination of fighting and salvage expeditions: raiding other cloud islands, inhabited or otherwise, for food and resources.

It was a while before they found a cloud large enough and developed enough to be called a town instead of an extended family enclave.

The first sky sailors they saw were humanish, but with longer faces and different skull shapes, a branch of mankind that wasn’t sapiens. They actually had fully developed tails and were built smaller than Homo Sapiens, nimble and agile as they fearlessly cut through the skies they couldn’t fly in themselves, without parachute or glider or anything. Their tails were often used as position anchors with sturdy posts located throughout the skimming-style ships they used. Rising was accomplished by wing manipulation and moving at speed, otherwise the boats’ natural levitation fell to a default level. It was hard to tell if it was affected by the weight inside...

Conflicts here seemed to be more about hunting areas, although the developed cloud island actually had fields developed around trees that were unusually tall and powerful... and the crops seemed to be flourishing, from what Legion could see. They also had a more martial air, no doubt to protect that food source of theirs.

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There was another Barrier at four miles/tiers, and it seemed to repeat every two thereafter. Slowly ascending, watching everything, Legion noted fantastic species of birds, winged magical beasts, drakes of all types, and multiple dragons, the last contesting with the largest birds as the lords of the skies. The dragons were in the serpentine linnorm or Oriental style, a lesser combat form than a Western Dragon ideal, bringing the bird/snake conflict into the sky.

They were moving over a more ‘settled’ area below, with larger vessels occupied by multiple races. Also, they saw their first populations of winged humanoids able to fly around below them, and they were winged apes and monkeys.

Well, at least it wasn’t gargoyles. The winged primates seemed to have control over a major cloud island jungle, a good five miles across, and were given a wary distance by any vessels nearby. Anything that came in too close attracted flights of spear-wielding winged primates to take to the air and go raiding.

There was a race of elven people here; their ships were larger, more developed, and swifter in the air, obviously magically enhanced, although they didn’t tempt the winged apes, either. They seemed close to the Sidhe, being fair-skinned and haired, with ornate light armor and classic medieval weaponry. The looks sent from the other vessels as the elves swept by were both respectful and afraid, and the apes didn’t go out of their way after them, either.

Where their center of civilization was, who knew...

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Twelve tiers up, most of Legion’s rider souls had to retreat from the external pressure, which was grinding down on them with actual force. Going above a tier you didn’t qualify for was actually very dangerous.

The numbers of creatures dropped precipitously as they rose, until only some of the larger magical ones were in the skies as they streaked into Tier 20.

Queen Rayetizvisha laughed and pushed out as they breached into 21, forcing back the flesh-flaying pressure, and they continued their climb and Mach-speed travel and survey.

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