Yggdrasil

As the horde of dryads piled on me and held down all four of my limbs—immobilizing me, Gnavu walked into my view and continued to tell her story.

“As God was creating the world the first form of life he made was in the shape of a giant tree. The tree's roots dug so deep that they punctured the darkness of the void and the branches and leaves covered the galaxies and the suns of each solar system were ripe fruits that only celestial beings could pluck. This tree was the first sign of life and the source of where the mana of Ocaleveth was generated.”

“The source?”

“The Core of Mana that the elves protected and worshipped. The very essence of where their great magic came from and also the birthplace of these nymphs. The tree was given the Name of the Keeper: Yggdrasil.”

“That name sounds ridiculous! And I’ve never heard of it before!”

“Of course, you wouldn’t have. After all, you are a human and the knowledge of Yggdrasil’s existence was only exclusive to the elves of Eden.”

“But that can’t be true. A giant tree that reaches even the vastness of space? Where the hell is it now?”

Gnavu answered me with a somber voice.

“The World Tree grew stronger every day. Mana flowed through its branches making it undying and God himself would tend to the tree to ensure that it would never wilt. But then Yggdrasil itself was beginning to face a problem…it was the dryads.”

The female gargoyle pointed to the very green naked women who were all over me.

“These creatures were failures of the tree—born from the roots and out of the madness of the universe. They took the form of females because they were destined to be mothers…mothers of a species that would soon meet its end. When God noticed the existence of the Dryads he felt nothing but pity and tried to ease the soulless creatures by giving them souls…however, the reaction of the nymphs was not what the Lord intended…”

“Reaction…?”

“The dryads became vile and insane. The overflow of spiritual power from having a soul was too much for the nymphs to bare and they started to become beings higher in power. They were becoming like the Yggdrasil—overflowing with mana.”

“And…why was that a bad thing?”

“Yggdrasil was the largest source of mana in the universe! That tree alone would be able to supply Ocaleveth with the proper amount of life until the end of days. Do you know what happens if you fill a cup with too much water? It overflows! And that is exactly what happened with the dryads! The mana they absorbed became too much and the planet was going to implode on itself!

“In desperation, God and the elves decided to slay all the dryads. Knowing their fate the dryads acted out in fear and tried to lay waste to the world before they would be killed. The nymphs attached themselves to Yggdrasil and began to devour the tree, leaving nothing but a few leaves. And so Ocaleveth was broken and many forms of life on the planet wilted away as a consequence.

“God then ordered all the angels to use their angelic powers to destroy all the dryads. Their seeds were farmed and sealed within relics and the elves used them to harness their lust for magical knowledge. But while the elvish society prospered from the death of the nymphs…God was troubled. He fell into depression by the fact that he had to kill his creations. In the end, God decided to leave the world but promised to always be watching over his children.”

“…Cool story,” I replied. “But what does this have to do with me being unable to win?”

“Don’t you understand, Baxter?”

The dryads got in my face and started to bite me.

“Ouch! The hell!?”

“The dryads are former clones of Yggdrasil. While their current form is not as powerful as what the old tree used to be…they can still drown many beings like you in a matter of minutes.”

“DROWN!?”

“That’s right? The dryads are currently filling your manaless body with an overabundance of mana. As more flowers sprout from your vessel the closer you will be to death. And soon…your pain will be over.”

“What the actual—you bastards are really trying to kill me!!”

“I believe that was obvious from the start Baxter,” Gnavu stated. “Have you not been paying attention?”

“Fuck you! Get these damn weirdos off of me—NOW!!!”

But my command was ignored as the dryads proceeded to nibble at my flesh leaving behind their mint-smelling salvia onto the wounds. In a matter of seconds, vines and leaves sprouted from the bite marks which then fully sprouted into orange and blue flowers that bore an incredible scent.

“D-damn! N-no—“

The flowers continued to bloom, completely covering my vision. The sensations in my body dulled and I felt nothing. It was as if I transformed into a cloud and I was flying in the endless sky.

“May the Lord have mercy on your soul…Baxter…”

Gnavu’s somber voice rang in my ears like a soft tune. Before I lost consciousness I gritted my teeth and gnashed.

“Screw you! W-when I wake up I’m gonna…gonna…”

“You will not wake up…goodnight Baxter…”