Chapter Seven: Giant Swamp Pigeons

  The groups stood huddled near the massive barn-sized exit of the station, herded like sheep but each clinging to their own anticipation, nerves, and curiosity. Their guide, a woman with deep brown eyes and an expression that brooked no nonsense, took her place at the front. She wore authority like a second skin, her long violet dress embroidered with a shimmering gold phoenix that seemed to flicker and shift with each graceful movement. A gleaming golden belt cinched her waist, and a large ruby hung low on her chest, catching the light, flaring with fiery brilliance. The way she carried herself made it clear: you did not cross her.

  Demi, they would learn later, wasn’t just a senior student. She was the kind of upperclassman whose name echoed through whispered conversations and dorm-room warnings. Beside her stood two men in simple tunics, one a deep blue, the other a dark green, their outfits belted at the waist with silver cords. Their presence was far less commanding, more like silent shadows flanking a queen.

  When Demi finally spoke, her voice wasn’t loud—yet it carried, amplified in a way that silenced all other sounds. “Welcome to Mount Olympus University. I’m Demi, and I’ll be your guide. Stay together. We’ve got a bit of a trek ahead, and you’ll want to conserve your stamina.”

  Without waiting for questions or hesitation, she led them outside. The mountain path stretched before them, steep and winding, carved through the dense landscape. Jace felt the pull in his legs immediately, muscles protesting the incline, but he gritted his teeth and followed. Thirty minutes passed in near silence, the quiet only broken by the occasional murmur of conversation and the relentless hum of nature.

  The air grew thicker, the path narrowing as the landscape shifted. Ancient stone ruins whispered of past ages, draped in creeping vines and moss, while the treetops seemed to close in, casting long shadows that danced with each step. The sky above darkened as they ascended, the climb pulling them into a higher, stranger place.

  Demi stood at the edge of the boundary, her posture relaxed, yet there was a palpable tension in the air. She gestured for the students to pass, her voice steady and authoritative. “Inside the line, everyone. Stick close.”

  Jace’s eyes were drawn to a faint glow up ahead. A barrier. It hovered in the air, a shimmering prismatic wall that buzzed with energy, drawing closer with every step. The very air crackled, thick with magic, as they neared. One by one, the students hesitated, stepping through with a mix of awe and trepidation. The barrier resisted for a moment, pushing against them like a hand pressed to their chest before it gave way, allowing them to pass.

  Jace felt it—the tingle of magic as it brushed over his skin, the taste of metal on his tongue. He staggered, a brief dizziness taking him before it passed, leaving him breathless. On the other side, Demi waited, eyes sharp as she watched them gather. “That, what you just passed through, is the Fourth Zone barrier,” she explained, her tone more teacher than guide now. “It repels the largest and most dangerous monsters. Think of these zones as nets, filtering out progressively dangerous monsters. The deeper we go, the tighter the net. But don’t get comfortable. Smaller creatures can still slip through, and they will.”

  The new students shifted hesitantly, eyes darting from her to the dense forest. Jace felt a shiver ripple through him as he crossed the invisible threshold. The air changed—metallic, thick, a moment of vertigo that made his head swim before his senses snapped back.

  In her hand, she held a pulsing amethyst, glowing with a soft purple hue. “This,” she continued, raising it for them to see, “is a Ward Shard. Minor version of the Great Heart Shard protecting the university itself. Out here, you’re vulnerable without one. Though they are far from foolproof. Stay within the barrier or in a zone your rank can handle. Otherwise...” Her eyes drifted meaningfully to the trees, dark and looming. “Well, let’s just say, they’d pick your bones clean.”

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  With a whispered incantation, her lips barely brushing the surface of the Ward Stone, the shard’s light flickered, then faded, sinking into the folds of her dress. The sunlight, already feeble beneath the dense canopy, seemed to vanish entirely, plunging the world into a sudden, bone-deep chill.

  A distant rumble. The ground trembled, leaves rustling unnaturally. Jace’s heart skipped as the roars echoed, growing louder with every passing moment. He could feel the primal energy pulsing through the air.

  “Here they come,” Demi murmured, her gaze locking onto the shadows ahead.

  The creature emerged—a towering bird, its body encased in metallic feathers that gleamed like polished steel. Its eyes, glowing crimson, fixed on them with malevolent intelligence. The beak, long and jagged, looked sharp enough to split stone.

  It screeched, the sound piercing the silence, its wings spreading wide to cast a menacing shadow over the group. With a predatory lunge, it surged toward Demi, claws outstretched.

  She didn’t flinch. “Overgrown swamp pigeon,” she muttered with a smirk, sidestepping the charge with effortless grace.

  “Technically, it’s a Stymphalian Bird,” she said, her voice calm and instructional even as the beast screeched and slashed at her. “Nasty things. People-eaters. And their feathers? Sharp as blades.” She ducked as one of those very feathers shot toward her, the projectile clanging harmlessly against the invisible barrier that shielded the students.

  The ruby on her chest began to glow, rising slightly from her body before a flash of light revealed a sword, the blade shimmering with an ethereal silver sheen. Intricate runes danced along the edge, pulsing with power.

  The bird lunged again. This time, Demi met it head-on. Her sword sang through the air, striking the beast with precision. Sparks flew as metal met magic, the clash ringing out like thunder.

  “The Metal Star System ranks creatures and items by their power,” she explained mid-combat, her voice even, as if she were lecturing in a classroom. “Bronze is your weakest. Gold? Well, if you see a Gold-ranked anything, run. Fast.”

  A student, wide-eyed, shouted from the back, “What rank are you?”

  She ignored the question, her focus sharp as she deflected another series of deadly feathers. Her muscles tensed, her form hardening like marble. When the bird’s talons slashed across her arm, they left only faint scratches, quickly vanishing as her body healed.

  “Your Inspect skill will show you the ranks,” she continued, unfazed. “But be careful—fighting above your rank can be fatal.”

  The bird screeched, recovering from the blow, and launched itself at her again. This time, Demi spoke an incantation, her voice low and resonant. Flames erupted from her outstretched hand, a blazing torrent of ruby fire that engulfed the creature. Its metallic feathers warped and melted under the searing heat, its agonized screeches filling the air.

  The firestorm subsided, leaving the bird charred and motionless on the ground. Demi exhaled softly, her sword gleaming in the fading light.

  “To answer your question,” she finally said, turning to the student, “I’m Silver One. Two Words of Power at the Rank One. Final year at M.O.U.”

  With a swift, elegant motion, she decapitated the creature, its head rolling to the forest floor. Jace’s Inspect skill flickered to life, the familiar text scrolling before his eyes.

  Creature Inspection Success

  Stymphalian Bird: Bronze 5

  Strengths: Metallic feathers, toxic dung, flock hunter.

  Weaknesses: Unknown.

  The forest fell silent, save for the hushed murmurs of the students. But the silence was short-lived. From the shadows, more birds emerged—two, then four, their eyes burning with fury. The screeching began again, louder, more piercing than before. Jace clamped his hands over his ears, wincing as the noise battered against him.

  Demi, her breath steady despite the strain, retreated toward the boundary. The birds slammed into the barrier, their beaks and claws scratching furiously against it, but they couldn’t break through.

  With a graceful bow, Demi turned to the group. “Lesson one,” she said, her voice carrying over the chaotic noise, “know when to fight... and when to run.”

  She spun on her heel and began hiking up the hill, the students trailing behind her, too stunned to do anything but follow.