Chapter 8 - Thunderbird

The roof of the arena opened up, which was the only part of the arena that wasn't mirrored.

A large bird at least three times the size of a human entered through the roof, its feathers looked like thunderclouds, its beak was large and hard looking and its talons were long and sharp. It also had piercing yellow eyes, resembling a lighting.

With every flap of its wings, a gust of wind was sent out.

The thunderbird screeched loudly and a lightning stuck that cracked the mirrors on the floor and walls, splitting the mirror's Illusions apart.

"HEY PEACH IS THIS SAFE? THIS BIRD LOOKS A BIT OVER THE TOP, NO?!" Olexia yelled out.

***

"Are you going to respond? " Illy asked Peach.

"No need, I'm planning on letting Olexia learn how to use mana efficiently." Peach explained.

"I'm fine with that, but what about Jinny? I haven't taught her the basics of mana yet?" Illy asked.

"Hmm... Didn't think about her." Peach replied looking straight at Illy.

Illy sighed. "You have to be kidding me..." Illy said disappointed.

"In this scenario, Jinny using physical enhancing magic would probably be the best." Peach explained.

"And how do you expect her to randomly learn the concept of mana and use it for physical enhancing magic?" Illy asked in an annoyed tone.

"Odds." Peach said proudly.

***

"OLEXIA, ANY IDEA ON HOW TO BEAT THIS THING?!" Jinny yelled out with a worried tone.

"Absolutely no clue." Olexia responded calmly.

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ARE WE EVEN LOOKING AT THE SAME THING?" Jinny yelled out again.

"Relax, Jinny. How many times do I have to tell you, if they said it's safe then it-" Just as Olexia was going to finish her thought, the thunderbird emitted another lighting from itself and an electric shock hit Olexia.

She lost control of her body for a second and she fell on the ground.

Olexia regained her senses and looked straight at Jinny. "Ignore everything I just said, this electric shock hurt like a bitch! I practically lost my senses with that shock and I wasn't even near it!" Olexia yelled out.

"Good! NOW FOCUS ON THE DAMN BIRD, HOW DO WE KILL IT!" Jinny yelled at Olexia again.

"Please stop yelling my head already hurts enough from the lighting sounds and the electric shock... But to be completely honest I have no clue, it's just flying around ten meters above us. Maybe if we could pull it down or damage its wings..." Olexia said while thinking with closed eyes.

"What if you throw your scythe at it?" Jinny proposed an idea.

"The scythe huh? I guess that could work." She changed her grip on the scythe, she was now holding the scythe with both her hands at the edge of the handle.

She started to spin around while holding the scythe, and after a few spins, she threw the scythe tight at the thunderbird.

But the scythe changed directions a few meters before reaching the bird and it hit a wall of the arena and it just fell to the ground.

"Hey Jinny did that trajectory also look hella weird to you?" Olexia asked.

"I was just thinking about that..." Jinny replied.

"So it wasn't just me... You try throwing it." Olexia suggested.

The thunderbird seemed unfazed by the fact a girl just tried to hit her with a scythe.

Jinny nodded and went to pick up the scythe. Jinny tried a different throwing technique, she put the scythe over her right shoulder, grabbed the handle with both hands and threw the scythe like an axe.

The scythe looked as if it was going to hit the bird this time, but yet again, just a few meters away from the thunderbird the scythe yet again changed trajectory and the scythe fell on the ground after.

Olexia walked up to the scythe and picked it up from the ground again.

Jinny looked like she was going to try and throw her rapier.

"Jinny you can stop, I think I know what's happening here." Olexia said.

"You do?" Jinny replied.

"I'm pretty sure the 'odds' of us hitting the thunderbird with an attack like this is just close to impossible." Olexia explained.

"What do you mean?" Jinny asked.

"The thunderbird isn't attacking us either, it's just been flying around. I think Peach Is messing with probability in order to teach us something right now." Olexia explained while thinking. "But what is he trying to achieve..." Olexia murmured to herself.

"Mana?" Jinny blurted out.

"Hm?"

"Maybe Peach and Illy are trying to make us use magic?" Jinny explained.

"Magic huh... Well, I can barely use magic and you haven't even been taught the basics yet... But that's probably it yeah." Olexia agreed.

"So then teach me!" Jinny requested.

`Teach her? But how? I was only able to even slightly use mana since I was able to see the mana sparks through Peach's eye... Maybe I could create that mana sphere again, but then what? I can't be sure she'll just randomly start feeling mana around her, even though I barely feel it...` Olexia thought.

"Okexia?" Jinny said.

`But if Peach wants us to use magic then surely he would make it easier to use it right? He also mentioned something about physical enhancing magic. If I just infuse a few of my mana sparks into Jinny with the intention of 'physical enhancing' it should work with that logic...` Olexia sighed. `It's worth a try.` She thought.

Olexia walked up to Jinny and simply put her hand on Jinny's chest.

"Olexia?! What the he-" Jinny took a step back out of shock and confusion.

"Shush, I'm trying to focus here." Olexia fully closed her eyes and with her hand on Jinny's chest, she simply thought of 'physical enhancement', she imagined Jinny being able to go at least ten times faster and jump ten times higher.

A few of her mana sparks were infused into Jinny, and the mana sparks around Jinny also started to circle her, creating a small layer of mana around her.

The mana, with the intention of enhancing Jinny's physical abilities, did its job.

"What did you do- I feel so much lighter..." She thrusted her rapier into the air as fast as she could going at extreme speeds.

Olexia could only see a blur.

"... and faster." Jinny's body began to glow as if she was a source of light. "I'm not sure what you did but I feel absolutely amazing!" Jinny exclaimed loudly.

And just as she said that the thunderbird suddenly started being focused on the fight.

Lightning landed on the ground, cracking the mirror floor even more.

"GO FIGHT THAT DAMN BIRD!" Olexia yelled out.

"Roger!" Jinny said, and immediately jumped at least fifteen meters, going above even the thunderbird.

Jinny reached over to a wall, grabbed onto it, and pushed herself from it in the direction of the thunderbird, all in the span of a few seconds.

As she was seemingly flying by the bird, she grabbed its head and got on top of it.

The thunderbird flew around at a faster speed and threw many bolts of lightning around the arena all so Jinny would let go, it screeched loudly with every lightning released.

The arena practically shook from the bolts of lightning.

Jinny grabbed the rapier with both of her hands and stabbed the head of the thunderbird and it pierced right through.

The thunderbird stopped flapping its wings and it fell to the ground, creating a small shockwave

Jinny was glowing less and the mana layer around her was around half of what it was right before she started fighting.

Olexia looked in awe and amazement. "Beautiful." She muttered out.

Jinny managed to defeat that thunderbird in just 11 seconds. Truly amazing.

"Great job, Olexia and Jinny! Are you two ready for the next round?" Both Peach and Illy said.