The pain Rhys felt was soon forgotten and overtaken by a combination of panic , curiosity, and confusion. At the sight of not only a giant tree but now a bright blue screen no bigger than a desktop interface that was hovering in front of his battered face.
It displayed the words *Yggdrasil has appeared*
This only further added to his curiosity and confusion. He was well read in novels, myths and legends had often heard the name and myth of the world tree. However, before he could decipher the previous message, a new, more insidious message popped up.
*Please survive for 20 minutes while we open the gates*
This message brought about even more questions, and although nothing had happened, Rhys began to feel an instinctive sense of danger , but before he could even address this feeling .The once-blue sky started to change to a much more sinister red , and fog began to invade almost every inch of the classroom .
"What in the actual F**ck is going on?"He muttered underneath his breath before shouting."Is anyone there! Can someone explain what is going on!"
In response, a woman's voice , distressed and panicked, filled Rhys's head. " HELP ME," it screeched .
He recognised the voice instantly as his homeroom teacher , Mrs Smith, and looked down towards where the students were previously standing only to see. However, the fog was too thick, and he could not see anything .
"Mrs Smith , are you alright!" Rhys exclaimed in a panicked shout . However, no one responded.
Therefore, even against his better judgement and knowledge, he decided to go and look for her .
He slowly and carefully trudged out of the classroom, as quickly and quietly as possible , into the hallway.
He couldn't hear anything but the sound of his footsteps and the creek of the floorboards. He crept quietly through the hallway until he reached a corner .
Suddenly, a horrified expression overtook his face . Behind the corner, he saw Mrs Smith's lifeless body . Her blood was scattered all over the walls, as if it were used for some sick modern art painting.
However, his eyes were not only looking at her body but at the creature that hovered above her , ripping into her lifeless face with its sharp teeth and claws.
It had a small stature and was no bigger than 4ft 5 , it had grotesque dark green skin which was splattered with blood of Mrs Smith and every inch of its body was covered in what seemed to be warts . It wore no top or shirt. However, torn brown fabric covered its lower body, and a tribal necklace adorned its neck. It also had sharp claws that cleaning ripped apart and cut at the bones of Mrs Smith like tofu .
With one horrified look , Rhys knew in an instance what that creature was . It was a goblin . He wanted to throw up and scream, but he covered his mouth quickly with both of his hands .
He began to slowly back up the way he came and head towards the stairs on the other side of the hallway. Carefully and quietly, he slowly walked back on his tip toes . However, before he could get out of earshot of the goblin and up the stairs , he heard a loud and eerie "creeeeeeeeeek" from underneath his foot .
He quickly surveyed his surroundings , looking in the direction the goblin was to see nothing. It had disappeared. He was relieved that the goblin hadn't heard him and turned back around slowly walking to the stairs .
But he couldn't shake the feeling of danger , or that someone was watching him so he hastened his steps and that's when he heard it . A sinister , creepy laugh coming from behind him , he quickly swivelled to see nothing , however, the laugh came again . That is when he felt it , something wet was dripping on his face . He looked up and revealed a terrifying sight. the goblin was on the ceiling its claws gripping into the plywood , its eyes narrowing to rhys's face like a tiger hunting a gazel, the most terrifying thing though was its crooked smile that sent shivers down Rhys's spine.
Rhys busted into a sprint , but the goblin followed suit every move it made a clawing sound followed . He ran to the stairs. However, his footsteps must have made too much noise . As another goblin was now chasing him , then another , and another, but he did not turn around; in fact, that was the last thing on his mind
He sprinted up the staircase before getting to the steel door, which separated the floors . To his immediate dismay, it was locked .
Rhys screamed for help and smashed his fists as hard as he could into the door, causing blood to pour from his knuckles
"HELP, HELP they're after me," He cried
But no one awnsered his plea. In response to the silence, he fell upon the door and began to lean against it . In truth, he was tired , injured, and ready to give up .
However, at that moment, he began to reflect on the many stories he read and began to ponder .
'When hercules fought the hydra , he probably felt like me .Tired back against the wall.'
'Come to think of it, this happens a lot in novels , but I'm not in a novel. This real life for f**cks sake'
Rhys's mind began to fill with the countless stories he had read , stories about Hero's that had done the impossible. Such as the tale of Thor and Lokis journey to Utgard-Loki and Sigurds heroic battle against the dragon Fafnir.
In consoling those stories, he gained the courage to stand up and go out with a bang .
He then turned to the floor and picked up a broken railing metal railing from the stair case . He then turned to face the goblins , which were slowly climbing up the narrow stairs . Finally, he spotted the grotesque green skull of the goblin just coming up the stairs in front of him. He quickly and steadily smashed the bar onto the goblins cranium , causing it to yelp in pain .
However, this only seemed to anger it, and it lunged at him again , but Rhys reacted quickly and hit it backwards with the rod, causing it to tumble down the stairs . Another goblin came and he tried to repeat his previous success , however tiredness had creaped up onto him causing his reaction time to be slightly slower , this gave the goblin an opening and It manged to scratch into rhys's chest causing slight lacerations. It charged again , despite his tiredness rhys was ready and got a good hit to the side of the goblins head . Which instantly killed the creature.
A sense of triumph overtook Rhys , as he reflected that he had killed the goblins , him the bookworm.
"Go f**ck yourself , you lowly mobs," he said in a tired yet triumphant voice .
However, that sense of triumph would not last long as another goblin climbed up the staircase. This time, rhys was too tired to fight back , his adrenaline had run low . But he still steadied himself to strike, knowing this would be his last struggle.
He shouted " FOR VALLHALLA " as he swung his trusty metal rod for what he thought would be the last time .
But before the goblin could connect with his rod, he felt a force pulling him back and towards the door by the collar.Followed by a stern thumping sound .
A female face stared down at Rhys with what was a mixture of pity and awe . Rhys recognised her instantaneously , it was the class rep , Ruby . Upon seeing her face, rhys began to smile uncontrollably as a sense of relief and weariness took control of his body .
"You alright , I can't believe you took out those creatures. You nerd, " she said with what was a mixture of concern and confusion.
"I'm fine, thanks , to you," Rhys said, ignoring the obvious insult he had just received.
"By the way , do you know what in the living hell is happening! " exclaimed rhys in a weary tone .
Ruby wasted no time to reply and, with a slightly disappointed look on her face, replied, " No, to be honest, I kinda hoped you would know after all your the class genius."
Rhys tried to reply, but before he could speak, a giant familiar blue screen caught his eye .
It stated, *Well done on surviving for 15 minutes , you're almost there just 5 more minutes until we can invite you into the new world*
"You seeing this," Ruby stated to Rhys, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I was about..t..o as..k you the same question." Rhys squeaked out before suddenly realising that he had lost too much blood , causing him to slip in and out of consciousness.
"What does it me-" Ruby's before getting cut off from an abrupt banging from behind .
"We need to move. The door won't hold them for long," she shouted to Rhys . But it was apparent that Rhys could no longer move , just one glance, and you could tell he was out of energy
"Go..on..with..ou..t me" rhys managed
to whisper with slured speech. His eyes were slowly losing their lustre. "
After contemplating for a mere 2 seconds, Ruby threw Rhys over her shoulder and began to slowly march towards the door .
Each step took more and more out of her slowly but surely she plodded to the next set of steel doors .
Rhys was slowly losing consciousness his eyes were almost lifeless, but that didn't mean he did not know why Ruby was carrying him . He wanted to ask why , or to leave him there and run, but he could not make out the words . Instead, his mind began to race to the time when he had first met Ruby.
(Middle school 6 years ago)
Rhys was strolling through the hallway books in hand when he first saw Ruby.
She had long brown hair, which framed her hair in soft waves , her eyes where a pure blue . Her skin was pale and natural, and she had an athletic build in contrast to Rhys .
Rhys could not avert his view from her face, which too him was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen . He longed to say hi , longed to talk to her, but he was too shy . Too afraid of letting such a beautiful woman down . So he walked past and went back to reading . He repeated this every day , the same sense of longing was always on his mind. But he dared not speak to her. After all, he was not popular like she was . In truth, Rhys was ashamed of himself and didn't want to drag her down to his level.
But he always admired her from a distance , Even through the bullying and the hate , he endured and kept coming to school just to see her face .
(Present day)
Rhys could not fathom with his brain why, in the world, Ruby was helping him . For he believed he was nothing in her eyes , he was simply an ant to her . 'Why would she go out of her way to help me?' He pondered
Ruby continued to march towards the steal doors , violently gasping for air the closer she got . Then it happened the thudding of the door ceased and a loud bang filled both of their ears , followed by the sound of the scuttering of claws on the floor boards. The goblins had broken through the door behind them .
Ruby was almost at the steal door when she heard them approaching. She knew instinctively that both of them could not make it , only one of them would survive .
"I'm sorry Rhys , I really am for everything," she cried in desperation. Before continuing
" You see, I was the reason , you were bullied , I caused your struggles , I ruined your f***ing life," she cried harder with a sense of guilt .
"I noticed you staring at me across the hall 6 years ago . Every day, you would look my way , I was creeped out and disturbed that you, a nerd , would even look my way. So I spread rumours you were stalking me." She cried and continued marching towards the door .
"But every day , I saw you smiling in my direction even with a black eye and a busted lip , even when your arm was in a cast . At some point, I came to like that smile. " She began to sob even louder , but it was masked by the sound of the goblins claws against the floor.
"So I'm sorry alright , and I hope that this makes up for what I did all those years ago, " In an instant after she cried out those words , she threw Rhys into the door away from the goblins. before locking him behind it .
"No , don't lea..v..e" Rhys screamed, banging on the door behind him with all the energy he had left . But he was too weak, and all he could do was listen to the screams of ruby making her last stand with his metal rod .
However, after a minute, those sounds began to cease , and all that could be heard was Rhys's tears hitting the hard wood floor and the goblins mocking laughter .
But the bloodloss had caught up to him , he was slowly losing consciousness for what he could instinctively tell was the last time .
'Why sacrifice yourself for a dying man , you fool '
'Hopefully we could meet beyond life and hold hands in death'
But before Rhys fully lost consciousness, he caught the glimmer of a shining blue screen out of the corner of his eye.
He managed to make out the words before his vision faded to black.
It read *You are now entering the gates ,Welcome to Yggdrasil, We wish you luck in your impending climb*