She found herself standing in front of ten of the humanoid bird creatures Jie had seen at the dungeon entrance. The ones Pan Tian had called arak. Each had two legs and a pair of feathered wings that doubled as arms, which they used to point red crystal spears at Jie.

Blood elementals, like those that had destroyed the path earlier, rose up out of the blood lake on either side of Jie. Some had four legs, powerful jaws, and tentacles. Others looked like deformed monsters with misshapen limbs and far too many teeth. The way they coordinated with the arak gave Jie the feeling they served the bird creatures.

Behind the guards were watchtowers and what looked like a town. With piers, boats, and a massive column of stone that rose from an island of rock all the way to the ceiling high above. Countless glimmering lights and wooden platforms extended out of the central column and innumerable arak of various strengths walked or flew around it, going about their business. There were four other similar islands with columns that reached the ceiling in the distance.

Thanks to lightning step, everything seemed to move in slow motion around her. Most of the guards were in the middle of the Adept rank, but one radiated the aura of a seventh star Expert ranked cultivator.

They wouldn't have worried her, except that the watchtowers had ballistae covered in runes with shimmering red bolts that gave off the aura of the third star of the Elementalist rank. And they were aimed directly at Jie and her friends behind her. Jie had little faith that she could protect herself let alone her friends should they choose to fire the weapons.

The Expert ranked arak squawked something in a language Jie didn't understand and one of the guards with more colorful feathers took off running the other way, then flapped his winged arms and flew off.

Jie started backing away.

"You will not leave," said the Expert ranked arak, "remain where you are."

Jie narrowed her electric blue eyes at the dull-feathered bird.

"We meant no harm. We didn't even know you were here," Jie said.

"So you say," said the arak, "this is a matter for the elders. Move and we'll fire. Someone is coming to escort you before the elders. They will decide your fate, human."

Despite the arak's words, some of her guards' spears were shaking.

"Call your flock to you," said the arak.

"Your field cancels sound," Jie said.

"It will allow you to call to them," said the Expert ranked arak, "which you will do. Now."

"While you have weapons aimed at me and them? No," Jie said, "I could kill you and all your guards before your friends on the towers pull the trigger on your ballistae, but I haven't. So back off. They'll run shortly and you'll let them leave. If you so much as adjust your aim toward them, I'll see how many of you I can kill before I'm stopped."

The arak's feathers fluffed up as several of her guards took a collective step backward.

"There's no need for threats," said the arak.

"That was my point. We didn't mean to intrude. But, if you threaten my friends, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do. If you treat us with respect, we'll show you the same consideration," Jie said.

Another arak flew over toward them. She had dull feathers, wicked scars on her body, and chunks of feathers missing. She also had the aura of a second star Elementalist.

"I like your style, human," she said as she landed easily on the boardwalk. She towered over Jie and her dark eyes bored into her, but Jie returned the level look without twitching.

"Hey, friends," said the arak in a perfect mimicry of Jie's voice, "all is well. There's nothing to worry about. There are only treasures here, you can come in."

Jie's friends rushed toward her.

Jie glared at the Elementalist ranked arak and a low growl escaped her throat.

She wanted to lash out at her and all the other arak, but Jie doubted she could even hold off someone at the second star of the Elementalist rank by herself. Let alone while protecting her friends and with all the ballistae pointed in their direction, the additional guards, and the other Elementalists Jie sensed not far away. She'd barely managed to escape the one at the frozen lake. And unlike the lake monster, the arak had wings.

Better to see if there's another way out of this, Jie thought.

Her friends rushed over to her and the Elementalist arak laughed. "Surprised?" she asked, the word sounded harsh and screechy.

"No," Pan Tian said as she looked around.

"This one knew it was a trap immediately too," Ithilix said.

Xue padded over to Jie and pressed his head into her palm. Somehow, that soothed her nerves a bit even though they were surrounded, face to face with a stronger cultivator and with strange weapons pointed at them.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

She still felt irritated with her friends for running over to her like that. It warmed her heart, but she also wanted to throttle them. Though, she supposed that things could've gone south fast if they'd tried to run anyway... she mentally kicked herself. If she'd just stayed away and been more cautious, or picked another path they wouldn't be in this predicament.

The Elementalist arak blinked and looked stunned, no doubt because she could sense her friends weren't lying and they barely flinched at seeing the situation they were in.

"How?" asked the arak, "I thought I mimicked her voice perfectly."

"You replicated her voice well, but your word usage could use some work," Pan Tian said, "so what now?"

"Now I shall bring you before our elders, so they may decide what to do with you," said the Elementalist arak, "you will follow me. Try to run, fight, stray, or resist in any way and I will collect your heads."

The bird woman turned away and strode with easy, rapid movements. They moved deeper into the strange island, leaving the docks behind them and passing by market stalls as they began climbing up the spiral stairways that wrapped around the column of natural rock.

Just when I start thinking I'm getting used to this world, there are birds living underground of all places, Jie thought.

Arak gave them curious looks, a few even following after them or circling in the air as they muttered and squawked in their alien language.

Many of the prettier birds with more colorful feathers that Jie assumed to be male were shooed away from them by the females. Though most of the stronger males ignored the words of the females around them and looked on with open curiosity.

There were countless doorways and chambers within the rock as well as buildings made of wood, leather, and large bones. Charms with smaller bones, chitin, and glittering jewels hung outside some buildings like wind chimes. Strange spices, foods, and an overpowering sweet odor filled the air and seemed to cling to everything.

The Elementalist arak led them through a heavily guarded, thick metal door and into a long narrow tunnel inside the column of rock the town was built upon. Their footsteps echoed all around them as the bird woman led them along.

Jie suppressed the urge to attack the bird woman from behind and bolt for the door. Not only was the bird woman strong enough that it was unlikely to work, but they were in the heart of the town now, surrounded by countless arak. Some of which were even stronger than this bird woman. And, Jie had a suspicion the elders would be even more powerful.

They approached an archway with light and a growing murmur coming from beyond.

"When we enter, you will bow before the elders. You will speak only when spoken to. You will not leave until the matter is decided. Should you be executed, I suggest you die with courage. Awwrk. We are here," said the Elementalist arak.

The Elementalist arak led them through and out into a circular hall with countless arak sitting upon tiered rows of seats on every side. Above the rows of seats were more luxurious alcoves and above all of them sat the arak elders.

Jie didn't need them to introduce themselves as the weakest among them was of the fourth star of the Elementalist rank. They stared down at Jie and her friends as the platform beneath Jie lit up, highlighting Jie and her friends while making it harder to see the arak around them.

All of the elders had elegant vessels shaped like vases beside them with a flexible pipe that they bit down on with their beaks before exhaling plumes of bright purple smoke. Even from so far away, the smoke's overpowering sweet stench reached Jie, and her eyes watered. The arak closer to the top of the chamber looked stoned. As did the elders. All except one.

The most powerful of them. With beautiful red, blue, green, and yellow plumage and wicked scars on his beak and abdomen. His golden eyes gleamed with shrewd intellect even as a continuous plume of the intoxicating substance poured from his nostrils in a thick, billowing cloud.

Several dull-looking birds fawned over him, though their movements were sluggish and their eyes were glazed over. One of his admirers lost her balance and fell over despite being seated and was promptly carried away by one of his guards.

Jie looked between him and the other elders and frowned. He was stronger than they were, but he was also smoking far more of whatever it was and yet seemed unaffected while those even a single star below him as far as she could tell were clearly suffering its effects.

She wondered if the difference between stars at the middle dantian was truly so great or if he had some trick to it. His golden eyes bored into her soul and for a moment she felt afraid that he could hear her thoughts.

Jie and her friends all gave polite bows. The kind they might give to elders at the Crimson Academy while their escort stood to one side, watching them like a hawk ready to dive upon them and rip them to shreds. The crowd chattered in their alien language, with raucous laughter mixed into whatever they were saying. It was hard to read the birds' expressions, but they seemed to be a mixture of curiosity and bloodlust.

Jie swallowed hard. Hopefully, they don't kill us, she thought.

A dull, brown-feathered arak covered in gleaming gold and glittering gems stepped forward in an alcove beneath the strongest of the elders. She carried a golden staff capped with a large red crystal. She hammered the butt of her staff against the stone she stood upon. Each booming thud echoed through the enormous chamber. The audience settled down and the muttering died down into silence.

The most powerful elder looked at Jie with gleaming golden eyes as another stream of purple smoke poured from his nostrils.

"For countless years we've done as our goddess willed. We've prepared trials, tests, traps, creatures, and treasures for the younglings she wishes to test. But, never before has one of them set foot so close to the flock. Their fates must be determined," said the gaudily-dressed arak.

"What's there to decide?" slurred a female elder. One of the most powerful among them, second only in strength to the male. "They're trespassers. Intruders. We should kill them," she said as she leaned forward, as though about to dive down and do just that.

The male laughed, an unpleasant, grating noise. "Surely you wouldn't issue a judgment without hearing what they have to say, Vrethka? I for one am curious as to what led these younglings to our flock. What say you, younglings? What manner of events could possibly have led you where no other has come?" asked the male. He then bit down on his pipe and sucked down more purple smoke.

Jie waited for Pan Tian to speak but when she didn't, Jie looked to her friends, feeling unsure about the delay and who was taking charge here.

"Speak," hissed their escort.

Jie's friends were all staring expectantly at her.

Seriously guys? I haven't had a single meeting in this world where I didn't piss everyone off. Why the hell do you want me to do the talking? Are you nuts? Jie thought.

She tried to communicate that with her eyes, but they just looked at her like she needed to hurry up as the crowd grew restless.