The sound of glass clinking off the tiles on the floor. The book slipping from my fingers. The world’s largest Pigeon flew through the window, landing on a coworker. With talons the size of daggers, it tears into her shoulders. Pieces of flesh flying from the scene. The white wings of death, reaching almost sixty inches wide, wrapping her head. The Pigeon’s beak was as hard as diamond. With a rapid thrust forward, the beak is impaled into the women. With a crash, she falls to the floor. The Pigeon taking wing once more.
The results were gruesome, leaving a faint copper smell lingering. Quickly turning my head away. I take in the rest of the floor. The Pigeon was not the only attacker. All the windows in my immediate area were shattered. All around were Pigeons, most engaging with those closest to the windows. “Well glad, I didn’t take that promotion with a corner office,” I quip.
Of to my right, another Pigeon is wielding lighting from their wings. It channels it into the person they have landed upon. At this sight, my already overwhelmed mind cracks, the world around me has gone insane, or I have. My vision closes in on the Thunder Pigeon closest to me. With all other sights and sounds fading.
Taking in the scene before me, the hairs on my arms raise. While my feet feel as if they weigh a thousand pounds. With the effort of the gods, I pull one foot up and set it down. At the speed of a glacier, my other foot comes up. Suddenly, my movements pick up speed. Before I realize it, I am halfway towards the elevator. The screaming returns to my ears during my mad dash to safety. A safety as real as the mirage in the desert.
A few steps short of the elevator, a wing clips my shoulder. My balance is lost as I am sent soaring towards a nearby desk. The desk impacts into my back, the sweet fire of pain rushes through my back. As I try to rise, my legs have the stability of jelly. Forcing me to collapse back to the floor. The end approaches in the form of a winged avenger. Determination erupts into being as I reach down inside myself for pure will. To my surprise, it answers back.
In the center of my chest, I feel a pool of power. The power surges throughout my body. My mind straining, while my body is invigorated. The pain fades into the background as I hasten to my feet. Behind me a golden glow ignites, the Guide shining as bright as the sun. The glow fades to a more tolerable luminosity. Without a thought, a bolt of pure electricity arcs to the encroaching bird. The Thunder Pigeon seizes up, it’s wings no longer flapping. A splat echoes before it crashes to the floor, burnt feathers falling from the corpse. I catch a brief whiff of fried chicken.
The pool inside me drains five percent after the outburst. The tiniest tether of pure energy flies into me from the dead Pigeon. The force flows into my body, slightly adjusting the molecules in a way I do not yet understand. Pushing aside this distraction, I focus on the other Thunder Pigeons in the area.
Now that my terror has withdrawn just a slither, I see a half dozen more birds on the floor. Blood pools beneath the bodies of the fallen. My feet move on their own accord, towards the closest winged demon.
“Everyone run towards the stairwell” I shout. As the words leave my mouth, I reach for the pool of power once again with killing intent. I feel the electricity building up. I hold onto the power with pure willpower. The buildup of static intensifies, as the energy contained increases. With a grunt of pain, I release the Lightning Bolt. The bolt flies true, crashing into the enemy. As the bolt connects, a massive arc of electricity detonates into the Pigeon. The creature drops from the sky, feathers cascading to the ground. This time I feel a tether of energy, connected to the bolt as it leaves my body. The tether disappears after the bolt is discharged.
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Another jolt of energy pierces into me, causing more changes internally. The pool of energy inside of me, drops yet again. With a glance internally at the pool, I notice a slight increase of power. A small but constant trickle. I file this away, with more immediate concerns to focus on.
As my coworkers flocked towards the door, I looked around at the closest Pigeons. The five remaining Thunder Pigeons all lock their gaze onto me. Their eyes piercing me with malice. I begin gathering the power once more, keeping a greater hold on the lightning. The crackle of the electricity intensifies. I feel a pulse of electricity pass through my body. I thrust my arm out towards the nearest Thunder Pigeon and release the Lightning Bolt. As the bolt flashes outward, I feel the tendril of my power connecting to it. At the last moment, I channel more power through the spell.
The bolt connects to the Pigeon. The channeling creates another bolt, which arcs towards the next Pigeon as well. Within seconds of each other, both Pigeons are each hit. The bodies crash to the floor, wings twitching, the light in their eyes faded away. At that moment, two more tethers crash into me. I only notice this in passing as my focus returns to the creatures still around me.
The pool of power is gushing out at this point. A waterfall that rapidly dissipates. Three more Thunder Pigeons fly towards me. I sweep my arms out once more. The lightning sweeps towards all three and connects. The bolts blast into the Pigeons, once more cascading through muscles and nerves. Their very breath ceases from the chaos reigning inside.
I drop to the ground, my limbs not responding. Unable to look up and see the outcome of my attack. As the sweat drips from my face, the air flows into my lungs in rapid gulps.
After a minute I finally catch my breath. Looking over the devastation in front of me, I see the fallen birds. The sight forces the contents of my stomach to violently expel. One Pigeon, is a hand-span away, blackened from the blast. Within ten feet of my surroundings, the ground is covered in feathers. A half dozen fried and still sizzling bodies, proof that it was not a dream. The silence is piercing, having tuned out the squawks of the Thunder Pigeons, the lack of which is now noticeable.
My internal reserve is barely above empty after a full minute of rest. My mind reels from the forces that I have unleashed upon the creatures. As well as the chaos the office has become. My body convulses from the ordeal I have been through. Collecting myself, I finally take notice of the golden glow. Looking back at the source, the glow is emitting from the mysterious book the being had left behind.
I rise, gathering my strength. I can still feel the power flowing through my body. Where before the power raged like the rapids of a river, now it flows with a tranquil grace throughout my body. The power is still there, almost aching to be released. The small amount of power being refilled is slowly filling the gaping hole.
Glancing around I don’t see any further enemies, the remains of the flock of Pigeons has exited this floor to harass easier prey. I head back towards where the nightmare began, swiftly covering the distance. My feet barely touching the floor before lifting. As I reach down and grasp the book, the glow fades. Standing back up, I open the book and notice words were none had been before. Not even ten minutes have passed since the strange being left, and my world would never be the same.