The Goblins' Attack - Act I

"Slow down, Konoko! Where did you find Nanako? And why do you say she's in danger?" inquired Ichirou.

"Where is she?" asked Kenji immediately.

"There's no time for explanations!" came Konoko's answer. "I'll tell you all about it on our way!"

"Are we going just like that?" asked Ichirou again. "Shouldn't we prepare first?"

"We have everything we need," answered Konoko impatiently.

"Let's go then!" concluded Kenji and went into the poster without any hesitation. Konoko and the two guardians moved aside to let him pass.

"Is there no other way?" asked Ichirou, reluctant to follow his friend.

"Don't be such a wuss, Ichirou!" shouted Konoko, irritated. "It's like diving."

"Oh, okay... I'm coming..." Ichirou climbed hesitantly on the bed and Konoko grabbed his arm.

"Don't pressure me, Konoko!" he said in an anxious tone. "I said I was coming—Ah!"

Konoko pulled him so forcefully that he lost his balance. He fell over her on the other side. Luckily, he leaned against his right hand out of reflex, thus avoiding from squashing her.

"Honestly, Konoko! Stop being so reckless!" he shouted angrily as he rose on his feet.

He wanted to say more, but he was shocked to discover that Konoko had become an anime character! She was drawn in the same art style of her manga. Kenji was surprised as well. Even if Ichirou looked still human, Kenji couldn't help checking his own hands and feet to see if something had changed.

Startled at the unexpected accident, Konoko could not react to Ichirou's outburst. However, she did grab his hand, which he stretched out to her to help her rise. When they were both on their feet again, Ichirou became worried about his friend's silence.

"Are you okay, Konoko? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"I'm fine," she replied in an embarrassed small voice.

"Are we to become characters too?" he added cautiously.

"Most likely, but I can't say when exactly..." answered Konoko.

The two boys exchanged nervous looks. But upon recalling that Konoko was human when she appeared out of the poster, they felt more reassured.

"What is this place, Konoko?" asked Kenji in bewilderment. "And who are..." He didn't know how to call the chibi characters, whose number had increased alarmingly. Apart from the two who were with Konoko, two others had joined: one purple-haired and the other white-haired. At the same time, the large white space that surrounded them was crowded with these tiny characters. "Are they... friends?" he added doubtfully.

"Oh, yes! They are Saitou and Chie and these are..." she stopped as she didn't know the other two's names.

"Wanda," said the purple-haired guardian.

"Ryuu," answered the white-haired guardian as well.

"Nice to meet you!" replied Konoko shyly, making a respectful bow. Her cheeks flustered. "They are my friends, Ichirou and Kenji," she added.

Once all the formalities were done, the group of four guardians and three humans moved toward what seemed to be a corridor, the famous corridor that Konoko wanted to inspect during her first visit here. The rest of the guardians remained in the antechamber to monitor the barrier.

"What's with this place?" wondered Kenji. "You'd think it's a blank page!"

"It is supposedly how I perceive it," replied Konoko a bit embarrassed. "I heard it projects the image of the strongest thought." she added reluctantly. She felt like bragging and she didn't like it.

"God have mercy on us!" intervened Ichirou. " 'The strongest thought' definitely lacks inspiration."

Konoko gave him a murderous look, yet refrained from a reply.

"Just to give you a general idea," began Chie, "your friend, Nanako, got lost inside The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia manga."

"She did what?" reacted Kenji and Ichirou in one voice.

Saitou and Chie had to summarize for the two boys the latest events. Konoko made some small interventions while they were talking about Manime in general, but she was silent when they mentioned Nanako. It was news for her as well and she was keen to listen. In the meantime, they entered the corridor. Aside from a few gray hues, the environment still looked like a blank page.

"But how come Nanako ran from you?" inquired Kenji intrigued. "She's such a calm and friendly person! It is so unlike her!"

"I think it was because of how we appeared to her." responded Chie with a note of guilt in her voice.

"You certainly don't look scary to me!" remarked Ichirou.

"That's because you see us exactly like Konoko does," mumbled Saitou grumpily.

"Oh, 'the strongest thought' eh?" teased Ichirou.

Konoko felt annoyed again, but she still ignored him. Saitou couldn't help a malicious, satisfied smile at Ichirou's mischievous remark. He had never forgiven Konoko for perceiving him as a tiny cute character, though he knew it was not the girl's fault. However, the feeling of belittlement affected him greatly.

"How did Nanako see you then?" asked Kenji curiously. Konoko became attentive as well.

"Some kind of threatening cyborgs..." replied Chie, a bit embarrassed at that image which she did not consider representative of her.

"At least, that was a more realistic perception," remarked Saitou. "A guardian can't look like a toy!" he glanced briefly at Konoko. Anyone could tell that Saitou—as opposed to Chie—enjoyed the experience of looking like a "threatening cyborg."

"It's not on purpose!" Konoko immediately retorted, annoyed.

"Stop complaining, Saitou!" intervened Wanda. "You do look awfully cute!" she added, winking at him. "And it doesn't affect your abilities in the least!"

Saitou glared at her sharply. She chuckled.

"Nanako!" exclaimed Kenji suddenly and ran ahead of the rest. Everyone turned their eyes in the direction Kenji went. It was certainly Nanako! However, while Konoko and Ichirou immediately hurried after Kenji, the guardians stayed behind as they noticed something was wrong. Nanako was in her usual outfit from the real world, even if she was still an anime character. That was not possible as long as she was fused with Grace! At any rate, in the improbable case where she had gotten separated from Grace, Nanako should have been brought back to her human form!

"Konoko... Ichirou... Kenji... come back!" the guardians shouted after them.

Since the trio didn't reply, Wanda and Ryuu went after them. Saitou and Chie followed shortly. The three friends could not reach Nanako. Everytime they approached her, she disappeared and reappeared in another place, though she never went farther than the first section of the corridor. Sometimes, she even appeared behind them. Kenji's anxiety increased. Ceaselessly chasing after Nanako, he seemed to have forgotten about Konoko and Ichirou. Then, he suddenly transformed into the character of a mysterious man with wavy long chestnut hair pulled back, wearing a large hat concealing his eyes and a navy-blue long cape. As he faded away, he turned to his friends, stretching his hand out to them in a desperate attempt to prevent the separation. Unfortunately, he disappeared just like Prince Virgil, before the two could reach him. Konoko and Ichirou stood numb.

"What happened?" asked the guardians who had finally caught up with them.

"Kenji turned into Albert!" Konoko said in an agitated voice.

"You mean he fused?" asked Wanda.

"Who's Albert?" asked Ichirou.

"Albert is Grace's fiancé." Konoko quickly replied. "He is the character made after Kenji just as Grace is made after Nanako!" she added breathlessly.

"So, Kenji and Nako, both have characters made after them!" concluded Ichirou. "Do I have a character too, Konoko?"

"Yes," she replied with a bit of uncertainty.

Konoko had been encouraged to preferably bring with her people that could fuse with The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia manga characters. It made it easier for them to mingle and they wouldn't have stayed long enough to be at any risk. Ichirou's character was not the same as Kenji's and Nanako's, though.

Ichirou and the guardians perceived her hesitation.

"For sure?" asked Ryuu.

"Well, I didn't actually create the character after Ichirou, but I was certainly inspired by him." she confessed.

"What do you mean you didn't... Konoko?" exclaimed Ichirou, alarmed.

The guardians pondered for a few moments.

"It should work!" concluded Ryuu.

"At any rate, if it doesn't, he will just keep his human form," said Saitou with indifference.

"Are you kidding me?" shouted Ichirou, offended.

"Don't worry," Chie comforted him. "It is not mandatory to fuse with a character, only preferred."

"Besides, the fusion will most likely work just as Ryuu said," added Wanda.

Even after hearing the guardian girls' reassurances, Ichirou still felt very frustrated. He glanced at Konoko reproachfully.

"What about you?" he asked. "Is this your character?"

"No," she replied. "As you can see, I don't exactly look like a character from The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia... in my blouse and jeans..." she mentioned the last part with disappointment.

"I actually think you do look like a character from your manga... apart from the outfit, of course." he observed.

"Being a mangaka, this place allows me to do things that other people can't. Among them is that I can become a character of myself. Normally, the character is drawn in my own art style, but if I go to another manga, it copies that manga's design," she explained.

"We should hurry to The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia," interrupted Saitou. "Kenji is already there and we hadn't the chance to properly explain things to him. He might be very confused at this moment."

The group started running in the corridor.

"What about Nanako?" Konoko suddenly remembered. "She disappeared too! Is it possible that it was her who took Kenji to The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia?"

"She couldn't have been Nanako, Konoko!" replied Ichirou. "You just said that your characters don't wear clothes like ours."

Konoko remembered that Nanako had her usual clothes. She felt a bit embarrassed that she didn't notice that aspect.

"She was part of Kenji's perception of the antechamber!" intervened Wanda. "Apparently, his thoughts became stronger than Konoko's."

"But except for Nanako, the rest of the environment was exactly like mine!" replied Konoko intrigued.

"It is not necessary that the whole image changes!" came Wanda's answer.

"It looks like your 'dominion' is over, Konoko!" observed Ichirou provocatively.

"What dominion?" jumped Konoko. "I didn't want—"

"I commend Kenji for the originality!" interrupted Ichirou. "He isn't even an artist, and he made that HOLOGRAM appear!" he continued. "Man, it was so engaging!" Ichirou smirked at Konoko. "It fooled us all... well, except for them..." he finished, pointing at the guardians.

"He must miss Nako very much..." were Konoko's only words. She seemed troubled.

They reached the corridor with the anime posters where Konoko strolled earlier with the Venerable.

"Look closely at these posters! We must find the one of The Lost Kingdom of Hesperia! That's the entrance!" announced Saitou.

After running for some time, Konoko and the guardians heard Ichirou shouting from behind.

"It's here! Come back!"

As they returned, Konoko felt very ashamed of herself for not recognizing her own manga.

Saitou placed himself in front of the poster, pulled out his stick, and turned it into a staff. Then he hit the staff against the floor three times. A blazing light emerged out of it and, at the same time, a similar blazing light emerged from behind the poster. After the light engulfed the poster and the staff, the group arrived at a field. It was dark, but the stars in the sky were so numerous and bright that the two friends and the guardians could still perceive their surroundings with clarity.

*

Kenji told himself that he shouldn't panic. He was certain that his friends would join him shortly. Recognizing the castle felt very reassuring, especially since Nanako was supposed to be there. Although he has learned most of the information from the guardians, Kenji felt that there were a few things he knew as if he had experienced them himself. Advancing through the city toward the castle, the young man became aware he was no longer in his human form. He must have fused, just like Nanako. Yet, Kenji avoided looking at himself in the mirror. It felt a bit disturbing to him. He asked about Miss Grace Flemmings at every house, shop, or pub that he found on his path. There were very few who didn't know about her. Most of them confirmed that she was at the castle. Occasionally, he heard some unsettling news that Nanako was ill. Kenji strongly hoped it was not true. Leaving the city behind, he finally reached the Brims Castle's gates. Someone touched his shoulder from behind.

"Baron of Nan," a person in a dark cloak addressed him. It was almost impossible to distinguish what that person looked like. "What is your business here? I thought we were supposed to gather all at the lake..." he said mysteriously.

"I was looking for Miss Grace Flemmings..." replied Kenji.

The cloaked man's demeanor showed he was suspicious of Kenji. Somehow, he expected that Kenji recognized him, which the latter failed to do. Just when he prepared to ask the baron the next question, sudden explosions erupted not too far from them, disturbing the peacefulness of the night. The sound of people screaming followed almost instantly. Kenji saw the sky becoming covered by a golden-red cloud, which gradually became gray with a hue of purple. Then, little flames emerged into the sky as if thrown from below. The cloaked man said only one word: "Goblins!" and ran off at such a high speed that Kenji barely kept him in sight.

"Wait!" he screamed and followed the cloaked man.

He couldn't tell why he felt urged to see the cloaked man again. It must have been something related to his character, not to him. Kenji knew from the guardians what a fusion involved. He decided that if he remained calm and focused on his surroundings, his character might have given him some hints. While chasing after the cloaked man, a horse appeared out of nowhere, rose on two feet, and then came back, hitting his left hoof against the ground. Before he knew it, Kenji mounted the horse and galloped, even though he had never ridden a horse in his whole life. He no longer saw the cloaked man, but he felt that the horse knew where to take him.

As he approached the place where the explosions happened, he discovered with horror that he had returned to the city which had been devastated by fireballs doubling the size of a fist. They were like mini meteorites, raining over streets and houses. Their fire had spread quickly. Kenji became worried about Nanako's safety. How long would it take until the siege reached the castle? He found a bucket of water on his way and poured it over a burning door. Nothing happened! It was a fire that could not be extinguished with water. He heard people wailing. He galloped in that direction. The closer he got, the harder his heart pounded. He couldn't see where people went since the surrounding flames blinded him. Kenji took his cape off and covered the horse in it without understanding his own gesture. Then, he passed through the flames. His horse remained untouched, yet his clothes started to burn. It hurt so badly that he began screaming and fell off the horse. The horse quickly returned to him and threw the cape over his burning body. It miraculously put out the fire.

Kenji wondered what had been in his mind to remove the cape from himself and cover the horse instead. While getting back on his feet he caught a glimpse of Nanako. She was together with other prisoners, pushed by some disgusting creatures outside the city. It was her without doubt. But why was she here? Wasn't she supposed to be at the castle? Kenji mounted the horse. He galloped in Nanako's direction and shouted.

"Nanako! Nanako! Naaakooo!"

Before reaching her, he fell again from the horse. Only this time, it was no accident. Someone made him fall. He only had a minute to see his girlfriend's confused crying face as she recognized him. He didn't hear her voice, but he could clearly read "Kenji" on her lips. Then, the sinister creatures took her away while he laid helpless on the ground. The cloaked man appeared from nowhere, caught him by his arm, and helped him rise on his feet. He dragged him closer to him and whispered in his ear.

"Do you know a Miss Asada?"

Kenji looked scared at the man. The latter uncovered his face. Although the young man still didn't recognize him, he addressed that person involuntarily: "Darts!" Upon hearing the name, the man' grinned.

*

"How are we supposed to find Kenji and Nanako, if you don't know where we are?" Ichirou scorned Konoko. "In your own manga?" he added in a sarcastic tone.

Trying to identify the place, Konoko ignored Ichirou's bad-mouthing. During this time, the guardians used their radars to detect Kenji and Nanako's energetic prints. They were supposed to have a powerful, specific signal. It was at that moment when the explosions began. Konoko's thoughts were abruptly interrupted. A feeling of panic traversed her from the stomach to the chest at the view of the sky becoming golden-red. She turned pale.

"The goblins' attack! I completely forgot about it!"

"You want to say we arrived in the middle of an attack?" asked Saitou, alarmed.

The guardians had disguised themselves as merchant characters, but upon learning they were in the middle of an assault, they quickly changed their characters to soldiers. Ichirou looked at them amazed.

"What about us?" he asked the guardians.

"Konoko can provide for you both anything you need: armor, weapons, spells... you name it!" replied Ryuu calmly. "Hey Konoko!" he addressed the girl, "you can go wild with your imagination! In a battle scene like this, there are no restrictions! You can't affect the story in such a chaos. We will also take the liberty to use some master techniques. Fortunately, you have a fantasy manga here, which permits it."

"As long as we don't blow off our cover!" pointed out Saitou, looking severely at his comrade.

"Okay," agreed Ryuu and immediately turned himself into a wizard character.

After a short moment of pondering, the rest of the guardians followed his example.

"Well?" returned Ichirou to Konoko. "Aren't you going to make us some weapons?"

A fireball fell right in the middle of the group and exploded into huge flames, devouring the grass. Konoko put her hands to her ears and started screaming. Out of reflex, Ichirou jumped and pushed her away from the flames. The guardians' weapons became covered in light and they put down the fire.

"What was in your mind to write such a dangerous story for Nanako?" burst out Ichirou angrily.

A new fireball hit the ground, and then another. The guardians created some force fields with their weapons, repelling the fireballs.

"It was supposed to be a love story between Grace and Albert, but... Albert is actually an alchemist that helps Prince Virgil in a critical battle—" Konoko spoke precipitously, starting at the sound of each fireball that crashed against the guardians' force fields.

"Okay, okay, I don't need all the details," interrupted Ichirou, talking in a calmer tone. He sighed. "Look, I know you're not good with romances. It's not my thing either, but—"

"I... I... You... said I should add something about the... Halloween!" intervened Konoko, her voice trembling from the shock. What was happening felt so real that she couldn't believe it was only her story.

"Oh man!" exclaimed Ichirou, "you didn't have to exert yourself so much about the Halloween aspect! You could have added something more symbolic!" he stressed the last word.

Konoko was trying hard to contain her tears. As she stayed crouched near a bush, holding her knees tightly to calm down her body's shaking, Ichirou approached and hugged her, gently caressing her hair.

"Calm down, Konoko! It's going to be fine!" he added while glancing at the guardians. "Next time, just try to write a comedy for Nako! It will work just fine!"

The fireballs showering was not yet over when Saitou addressed them.

"Okay everyone, time to go! I have just tracked down Kenji and Nanako."