“My name is Nym Mirasatra,” said the elf. “It seems like you too have been chosen by the pixies.”

“Hey, it was my idea,” Veronika butted in.

“We should talk later. Instead of fighting, we will need each other’s assistance.” According to Nym, they were on one of his world’s sacred islands. Here, there were only two sources of food: The beasts trying to kill them and the fruits of the World Tree which grew in the middle. However, since dead creatures burst into smoke thanks to Amon, their only viable option was the tree.

“Thanks for the offer, but why do you need our help to gather fruits?” Alric asked while crossing his arms. “Also, nobody explained the ‘knowledge’ thingy or the stuff about them choosing us.”

“Now is not the time,” assured the elf. “I promise, all will be revealed when we are safe.”

‘Is he some kind of a sage or just full of himself?’ Alric wasn’t sure, but for now, Nym was a much needed source of information. Since there was still a chance he would learn something useful, the youth decided to join him.

The further the group walked in the direction he suggested, the more growls and unnerving noises were heard from all around. Between giant, scaly bear-like creatures which squeezed between the trees and the occasional ball of spikes which shot from the ground, nobody could afford to even talk anymore. They were attacked from every possible direction, and if not for the elf’s experience and Alric’s shield, they would’ve died on several occasions.

Finally, hours later, their exhausted, mud covered team reached the promised place. It was a large open area which trees seemed to avoid. In the middle, a much larger one pierced through the sky.

The World Tree was also made out of grey vines which coiled around each other, until some 2000 feet above ground, its giant mushroom-like canopy covered the sky.

“You don’t see this back home,” said Timofey with a look of awe.

“But, you do see that.” Veronika pointed towards the World Trees’ base. Hundreds, if not thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes were trampling one another to reach the orange vines which dropped down from the giant canopy.

Some creatures ate the vines, while others ate them in turn. Even though the meat in their maws turned to smoke, this did not deter them in the slightest. It was like hunger was driving the monsters mad.

“Normally, we would use the scent or fur of a predator to keep such beasts at a distance,” Nym explained. “But, this isn’t normal. I don’t think anything less than a guardian will deter them.”

“Where do we find a guardian?” asked Alric.

“We don’t.” The elf smiled. “We’re much better off fighting our way through that pile.”

“Then, we should use his magic,” said Veronika while pointing at the boy’s ring.

“It’ll run out of energy.”

Unlike the forest’s muddy ground, the land in the clearing was dry. However, the sheer amount of creatures standing in their way would've easily offset any advantage the group might’ve had.

“We will power it up,” said Timofey. He then flew towards the ring and placed his hands on it. Surprisingly, in exchange for the pixie’s complexion turning whiter than the trees, the ring’s mana pool was refilled rather quickly. Unfortunately, after some calculations, Alric once again shook his head.

“It’s not enough. Even if both of you help, we’ll barely make it halfway.”

The pile was as tall as a man, so pushing through it was impossible. The monsters were also moving constantly, so they couldn’t run on top of them. Fortunately, while everyone started sweating, the elf didn’t look particularly worried.

“That will be enough,” he reassured them. “We just need to wait.”

At his insistence, the team climbed a nearby team and observed the situation. Towards the end of the night, the giant pile became thinner and thinner.

When the first rays of morning lit up the monsters’ bodies, a veritable stampede occurred as most of them ran for cover. Only a few dozen predators remained, and they were busy fighting each other to the death.

“We must go now,” said Nym in a most serious tone.

“Should I cut the orange vines?” asked Timofey.

“No. We will climb the Sacred Tree.” Everyone paused for a second but decided to trust the elf's judgment. The man wasn’t keen on explaining his actions, but he hadn’t been wrong thus far.

As soon as they entered the clearing, the group made a beeline for the tower-like trunk. Many monsters ignored them, but others abandoned their squabbles and attacked mercilessly.

Nym grabbed two of his arrows and used them as spikes in close combat. The pixies went for the eyes, while Alric used a combination of his shield and knife to take down the monsters.

“We’re running out of time,” said Nym as more and more light shined through the World Tree’s branches.

‘Light bad,’ Alric inferred. He didn’t know why the elf was acting like a vampire, but he acted nonetheless. After forcing his artifact to summon a larger barrier, the boy pulled out his gun and started shooting in earnest.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Their team’s speed increased tremendously and they passed the halfway point. Then, as if mimicking Nym’s panic, some of the creatures abandoned their chase and ran towards the forest. Finally, with an empty cartridge and almost no mana left, the group made it to the World Tree.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, just as Alric was about to place his feet on the winding skyscraper, someone’s voice made him stop. A short, red-haired young woman was running towards them while shooting her gun. Besides her, an 11 year old boy was hurriedly filling her cartridges.

‘Why?’ thought the youth.

They both looked terrible. Rachel’s suit was full of cuts, and there was smoke coming out of her left arm. Finn didn’t look hurt, but there was something off about his eyes. Despite the desperate situation they were in, his face didn’t show even a trace of emotion.

‘The show is rigged…’

The escaping monsters were running towards them trying to catch another prey before dawn. Faced with six werewolves and two horse sized lizards with shark-like maws, the duo's fate was pretty much sealed.

“You need to climb, now!”

While gritting his teeth, Alric ignored the elf and ran after them. He was out of bullets, so he had to recharge while doing so.

“Hold the cartridge near your pocket.”

Recognizing Timofey’s voice, the boy followed his instructions and bullets started flying inside it. They were too far away to reach their friends in time, so about halfway there, he got on one knee and started shooting.

Between him and Rachel, four out of the six werewolves were killed. However, the other two stepped aside leaving room for the shark lizards to charge.

Rachel shot one of them, but her bullets bounced off. Despite the situation becoming more and more hopeless, the woman grabbed Finn and ran. She tried to get between the monsters before they could react, but their tails swung at the same time as if to snap her in half.

There was nowhere to run and no way to turn back. With teary eyes, Rachel spun around, pushed the boy as far back as possible, and embraced her fate.

However, the moment when her body should have burst into smoke came and went without anything actually happening.

“Run.” In a deadpan voice, Finn grabbed the girl's hand and urged her to move. While turning around, Rachel briefly saw the two lizards had collapsed. She didn’t stop to check why nor did she care to find out.

‘Don’t question it,’ she muttered. The two spear-like arrows which pierced the monsters’ hearts might as well have been a gift from God.

Unfortunately, right after the lizards turned into smoke, the remaining two werewolves ran through it and were quickly catching up. Alric took aim, but then, the beasts just stopped.

After sniffing the air a few times, their fur stood on end. Like frightened puppies, the two lycanthropes ran into the woods.

‘What the hell happened?’ In case more enemies would pop out of nowhere, Alric ran forward to meet up with his friends.

“It’s a pity,” the lanky elf sighed while watching their struggle from a few hundred feet up the World Tree's trunk. For a while now, the man’s cryptic words were getting on Veronika’s nerves.

“Why?” she asked. “What in Doomface’s name is going on?”

“When I tried to teach you about my religion, you belittled it.” Nym shook his head. “Now, you can just wait and see.”

Suddenly, an earthquake shook the World Tree. It was a mild tremor where the elf was standing, but down below, the teens had drop on their knees and pray it would stop.

“Use your barrier and keep moving!” Nym shouted. “It’s the only way you’ll survive!”

The youths gritted their teeth and trudged forward while Timofey was screaming at them to hurry. But then, after a particularly powerful tremor, the sunlight which used to wash over their faces was blocked.

Almost 50 tower-like pillars burst into existence all around the tree. Alric had never seen a giraffe, but these things were definitely taller.

“Run!” Rachel shouted, and they all sprinted towards the tree. The tremors had thankfully stopped, so they still had a chance.

“Use the shield!” Nym shouted. Alric didn’t understand why.

Soon, one of the pillars tilted to the side. It hit another one which in turn slammed into another. All around the group, towers were falling on top of each other like a sadistic God’s game of Dominoes.

“Tim, mana!” Alric activated his shield and ducked his head. Moments later, the ground shook once more.