Ice Guards

Sun: "Yes! I knew there was something wrong with light in here!"

I touch an invisible wall.

Sun: "Thanks for believing in me, Nebula."

Nebula: "I would never suspect you, brother!"

Sun: "I know, but I thought you assumed I was going crazy since I'm acting a little different and all..."

Nebula: "You will always be my brother, no matter how different you become."

She smiles at me. This time I blush.

Slinger: "So? Where's the entrance?"

Sun: "Wait, I know a better way to break in. The entrance is probably full of traps and enemies."

Slinger: "Don't tell me... you're literally going to break in..."

I smile at her, confirming her suspicions. She sighs, disappointed.

Slinger: "I'll cover you. Go ahead, destroy as much as you want, but keep the relics intact."

Sun: "Sure thing! Uh, can you guys step back a little bit?"

They walk a few steps back.

Sun: "Maybe a little more."

Nebula smiles at me. Slinger sighs. Miguel seems excited. They all go reasonably far. I punch the wall with my glove, causing a massive explosion that levels part of the scenery. 

The ice castle becomes visible after a few seconds of flickering. It's much bigger than I thought. Suddenly, I feel something very heavy pressing down on my head. It's also very large. I try to push it up with my arms. It's cold.

Another ice golem...? But this one is much bigger and stronger...

Nebula fires a jet of water at the golem, which distracts him for a second, but he continues to stomp on me with increasing force. Slinger fires rockets, pushing it back slightly. Nebula shoots water at me, making my body slippery. The golem's foot slips from my grasp and launches me closer to my crew.

I take a better look at our enemy. Or rather, enemies.

Sun: "Two golems...?"

Miguel: "Destroying part of the castle must have alerted them..."

Nebula: "But don't worry, we're in this together! With the four of us, they shouldn't be that difficult."

The other golem grabs a handful of snow and throws it at me. I extend my glove and explode the giant snowball on contact. The first golem kicks me with such speed and force that I fly into a mountain. He chases me faster than the rabbit. He grabs my body with one hand, slams me into the ground, and then stomps on me with enough force to cause an earthquake.

I open my eyes slowly, feeling my body grow heavier. The tiny slime flies toward his face. He simply crushes it with his hand. Nebula's white rays of light pierce part of his body, but he turns his attention to me. He grabs me, throws me upward, and crushes my body with both hands, causing a huge explosion that devastates the scene. I lose consciousness.

???: "One..."

One...? Wait, did I just die? Better yet, I still have two lives?!

Slinger: "Don't tell me... you're literally going to break in..."

Do my extra lives regenerate? Or is this a bonus after that incident?

Nebula: "Brother...?"

Sun: "Ah, break in, right? Wait just a minute, can we damage it a little further away?"

We fly to a nearby mountain.

Miguel: "Do you think they are stronger than we predicted?"

Sun: "Yeah... let's attack them from here, okay? Slinger, can you fire rockets at the castle?"

She points her rocket launcher at the invisible building.

Slinger: "I don't know what's your plan, but I won't save you if it gets too dangerous for me."

Sun: "Yeah, okay..."

Slinger: "Hey, did you see something? You seem scared."

Sun: "No, I just... think we should be more careful, that's all."

She stares at me for a few seconds and then fires the rockets. Part of the castle is destroyed. The ice golems notice us and begin chasing us at an impressive speed.

Sun: "Now! Use everything you've got!"

I leap toward one of the golems and extend my gauntlet, blasting it with a massive radius. He's knocked back, but the other continues pursuing my crew. Nebula fires a massive ball of water that explodes on contact and freezes in midair, confusing the golem for a few seconds. 

Miguel launches the slime at his head, stunning him for a moment longer. Slinger fires several bullets and then switches to his rocket launcher again, blasting the golem and knocking him down.

The golem I punched punches me back, slamming me into the mountains. He continues to pursue me relentlessly. As he leaps and lands on me, the contact triggers my defensive explosion, creating a massive crater. The golem is shattered, but still standing.

This time it hurt less... the golem and my own explosion...

A huge fireball flies toward the golem and explodes him into a million fragments. It's Nebula.

Nebula: "Brother! Are you breathing?"

Sun: "Yes... I don't feel so bad this time."

Nebula: "This time...?"

Sun: "Come on, let's help the others."

We fly towards them. The golem is already defeated. I sigh in relief.

Miguel: "You okay, man? That punch looked like it hurt."

Sun: "Yeah, I feel fine."

Nebula: "Even so, I have to heal you. Stand still, brother."

Is it just my adrenaline...? Thinking about it, when I had that rematch with the village orcs, I felt stronger...

Sun: "No, let's go. I'm a tank, remember? My regeneration is off the charts."

I still have one extra life... I need to test my limits before I fail again.

Nebula: "But, brother!"

I smile and pat her on the head.

Sun: "I'm okay, really. If things get serious, I'll need your help."

We enter the castle through one of the holes opened by the rockets. It has very large, high rooms, all covered in ice. We walk in what appears to be the throne room. It's so large, it looks more like an arena.

We see someone sitting on the ice throne.

— You managed to defeat the guards at the entrance. Very well.

It's the Ice Queen. She has blue skin, long white hair, and wears a golden crown. Her cape is furry, dark blue and white. She holds an ice staff. Her posture is worthy of a leader, showing dominance and superiority.

Ice Queen: "How dare you attack my home?"

I hesitate for a moment, thinking about the conversation I had with Slinger in prison.

Slinger: "Are you assessing her humanity? Don't even think about it, she's not worth saving."

Sun: "I thought the same about you."

Slinger: "But I am a human. She's a monster, a complete freak, just like the others we just met."

Sun: "Hey, are you open to negotiate your goods?"

Ice Queen: "Me? Don't be ridiculous. You've stepped into my castle. Now it's up to me to decide whether you survive and become my slave or not."

Slinger: "See? She's in favor of slavery."

It takes me a few seconds to make up my mind and focus my hatred on her so I can fight better. Suddenly, I feel something poking through my chest. It's an ice sword.