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

Tier 33 and 34 were obviously at their cap. They could probably endure 35 with constant fast healing for some time, but eventually they’d be pushed back down.

There were still at least fifty levels of clouds above them.

Winging along at this level were the kings of the skies: looming monarch-level birds that ruled over rocs and the like, as well as older and more dangerous dragons of various types.

And Jotuns.

The first giant they saw was seated on the edge of a lonely cloud out in the middle of nowhere, cross-legged and meditating on the winds. However, they saw him open his pale eyes and turn his head to follow them as they cut across the skies, sensing them passing at speed even though Legion was invisible.

Way over twenty feet tall, blue-white skin, dark hair trimmed smartly, toga and sandals and some silver and gold ornamentation. The fact he was meditating up at Tier 17 was indicative that he was definitely no pushover, and even if the creatures here would loom over him, they weren’t bugging him.

The Cloud Jotun cloud castle was pretty impressive, too.

It looked somewhat like a normal human fortress, only at quadruple scale. How the cloud island held up all that weight basically meant there was more magic at work. The stones were finely cut, a pale pinkish hue that blended well into the reddish sky and clouds.

There were Jotuns riding white-winged rocs on patrol about it. Legion didn’t get within miles, but they were certain the rocs saw their flaming backtrail... not that it made any difference. The great birds’ magical flight couldn’t possibly overcome that much air resistance, so the huge raptors had no chance whatsoever of catching them, and technically Legion could even outrun the horns and warning calls of the creatures and their riders.

But they weren’t looking for fights, they were scouting, Mapping, and looking for that damn Shroudzone as they curved around the interior of the world.

The castle was only a curiosity. The winds would send it somewhere else soon enough, so charting it into The Map was nothing more than a place marker of little relevance, other than its Cloud Tier. They must have another settlement(s?) down lower somewhere where children were raised...

Pushing Mach 1, Legion continued their travels around the world inside the planet, looking and charting, wondering idly what wonders on the lands below they were missing staying up so high and saving themselves some travel time...

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“<Who Are You?>”

The words were magical, more thoughts given form than anything actually audible. That meant the sender knew they were moving fast enough that words would just be an unintelligible blur to them.

It was also in Draconic.

The Polyglot Feat was a wonderful one. Since it was based on Master Fred’s Intellect and the total languages they all knew, they had all found they could learn languages with blinding speed, and had proceeded to do so if possible. Queen Rayeti knew many languages, but the nature of demonic telepathy also meant they could communicate with anything intelligent enough within range, so learning the minutiae of many languages had not been anything of interest to the lilitu.

With Polyglot, they had been able to learn literally scores of languages just from the memories of her travels in various societies... and that included Demonium itself.

Legion turned their head, and banked their wings to make a long turn.

The voice also had a demonic accent...

The owner was about three miles away, gliding serenely through the sky, dark flames trailing faintly off his extended wings and along the curve of his tail. This was indeed a more Westernized dragon in form, more lizard than serpent.

It was an Abyssal Maw, a dragon of fire born in Demonium!

Its scales were like charred armored plates, with red cracks revealing the inferno within them. A veritable forest of spiked horns formed a crest about its head, trailing ash and soot as they burned like embers, but never faded. Balefire burned in the lambent yellow-green eyes as a head larger than an average car turned to follow them as Legion approached, arcing around to catch up effortlessly to the dragon from behind, braking to come in at the same level, timing it perfectly to sweep right over its extended wings and take up position not all that far from its head.

-Queen Rayetizvisha,- they /replied, not bothering to talk audibly past the wind. -What does a Burning Elder of the Abyss in such a picturesque location?- they /asked him with a faint smile.

A burning eye studied them as they studied him in turn. There were scars and marring on his armored scales, gouges and scrapes by powerful creatures who were not pleased to have him around. They hadn’t seen any of the Firebirds, but at least two of the dragons they’d seen in the distance had been fire-breathers, so it had definite rivals here.

-I have a son who controls an empire in the lands below. I was visiting with my daughter when the way home was severed, and have been trapped here. What does a lilitu in this miniscule realm?- the ancient dragon replied lazily, yet warily.

-This one comes from the surface, seeking to learn where the Shroudzones of this Hollow World were located so they can be destroyed.- She paused significantly. -This one would wonder if the Elder might be willing to share some of his wisdom in matters of destruction towards bringing down the Shroud that keeps him here?-