We need to talk part 2

The Nightmare giant stepped inside and smiled. His eyes searched the room until it found who he wanted.

“You. Beard man,” he pointed. “Are you King William?”

“Yes. Who’s asking?”

“Boreas of the Order.”

William jerked back. “Y-You’re Boreas!?”

Boreas smiled a toothy grin. He slowly approached the king. The knights aimed their weapons at the giant, but they dared not approach. Instead, most backed away or maneuvered a distance around him. Alice, Ryan, Josie, and Lucy were released.

“The Order…not good. This guy looks tougher than the giants I fought before.” thought Josie to herself.

Scars of battle, both big and small, tattooed his body. Confidence exuded from his posture. The very floor beneath his feet cracked as he moved closer.

“What kind of hammer is that?” thought Josie to herself.

Boreas’s hammer had a gray color. It looked like it was made of some type of stone or steel. The double-faced weapon had rings on opposite ends which gave a strange glow.

Lucy pushed past the knights and stood in front of the king, rapier drawn. “Stay back.”

“Oh,” Boreas tilted his head. “The Queen of Illusha’s here?” He stared blankly for a moment and smiled. “Good. Very good. That makes my job much easier.”

Lucy scowled at the giant. Magic surged from her sword. The wind whipped her hair as she watched his movements.

Boreas chuckled at this display of power. “Relax, human. We can avoid fighting altogether if you accept the Nightmare Kingdom’s demands.”

“Then fight we shall.” 

William stared at Lucy in surprise. “Are you mad? He’s the one who destroyed-”

“I know,” she shouted. “But that is why I can’t surrender here and now. My people have dreams. Goals. And aspirations for a better tomorrow!” The wind was becoming more intense. “Our people live different lives, yet we have one thing in common. To create a life for themselves and live it to the fullest. My duty as queen is to give them the power to create their happiness.”

“So, William. Are you with me,” she glanced at him for a moment. “Or against me?”

The king stared speechless as he watched Lucy unleash her attack. It was a fast and hard hitting blow that sent Boreas flying. Lucy sprinted. Then she leaped into the air. Before landing, wind propelled her even higher. Lucy was above Boreas. With his hammer, he deflected the first two wind attacks. Before the third and fourth, he spun himself away. Boreas repeatedly smacked his hammer into the floor until he landed on his feet.

Lucy descended. Swiftly, she moved in. Boreas swung his hammer. Lucy dodged and counterattacked. He deflected it.

The giant cracked a smile. “You’re fast. But can you surpass,” he thrusted forward. “Overwhelming strength?”

He smashed where Lucy once stood. Boreas didn’t stop there. He kept hounding her, redecorating the throne room in his destruction. Lucy retaliated whenever she could. But Boreas made every gale that howled become a gentle whimper. Like she never tried fighting at all. Or like it never mattered to him.

While they fought, Alice trembled as she watched. Her heart was beating fast.

“What do I do? Should I escape? Hide? I can’t face that giant. I have to…” as her hand shook above her chest, she looked over to Josie. She had a determined expression on her face. Alice tightened her hand.

“Looks like she’s slowing down. Maybe I should-” Josie broke away from her thoughts.

Alice ran past Josie. Daggers held, she made a b-line for the giant. After Lucy dodged another attack, Boreas spotted her from the corner of his eye. The giant stared for a moment and then grinned. He held his hammer away from himself and started turning round and round. Like a tornado, he quickly spun to her. Alice slid under him.

“Useless!” Boreas yelled.

The giant raised his hammer and swung. A loud clanging sound reverberated. Alice stood up and looked behind her. It was Josie. They were locked in a stalemate until Josie flew backwards to safety.

Boreas turned his attention to Alice. “Hello, Princess. Why are you here? You’re supposed to be a statue. Oh well,” he twirled his weapon. The rings were glowing brighter. “This time, I’ll make sure you’ll stay frozen!”

An ice beam fired towards Alice. She jumped away. Before she could land on her feet, two more beams rapidly went off. Alice slashed them with her daggers. Boreas’s hammer hummed. Another ice beam surged forward. It was clear that this attack had more power than the previous attempts. Alice crossed her daggers. The beam hit her weapon and pounded with unforgiven ferocity.

Ryan gritted his teeth. He ran and withdrew his sword from his magic. At the same time, Josie charged forward. Boreas ceased attacking Alice. He sent ice beams towards Josie. Dragwind bounced them left and right. Alice and Lucy attacked with magic. Boreas staggered. When he opened his eyes, Josie jumped. Ryan also sprang high.

“Weak.” said Boreas.

The hammer slapped Josie away. He quickly turned and delivered the same punishment to Ryan. Lucy got close to Boreas. He deflected her attack with a simple jab. Another jab came and made her wobble. Magic began surging in her sword.

Ka-bam!

Lucy flopped on the now shattered floor. Boreas observed her try to grip her sword. The magic faded. She passed out.

“So, so weak.”

Boreas shook his head. He turned around, revealing pointy teeth from his wicked smile. Alice raised her daggers.

“Heh. Why even bother?”

He took one step. Alice took a step back.

“You are weak.”

Boreas took two steps forward. She took two steps back.

“The weak will never overcome the strong.”

Three steps forward. Three steps back. Boreas twirled his hammer.

“Stop fighting the inevitable. If you do, I can end this nice and-”

Dream energy exploded on his back.

“Surrender, giant!” said William.

Knights circled Boreas and drew their weapons. One of them helped Josie to her feet. Another healed Lucy. William glanced at a knight with his son. The knight nodded.

Boreas chuckled. “Such a worthless effort.”

“It may seem worthless to you. But to me, and my Kingdom, it's everything I must strive for.”

“Hmm. Interesting. Then let me show you,” he twirled his hammer. “Why that’s a big mistake!”

Boreas swung his weapon. A gust of wind rushed past. Knights were slammed into the wall.

“Attack!” urged William.

From all directions, the knights closed in. Groups of them stayed where they were. Boreas continuously bashed through the crowd. Wind clashed the front and back lines. Over time, Boreas was slashed, had swords and knives lodged in his body, and took considerable damage from magic. The giant rested a knee on the ground. He was panting.

“Good. Now then, restrain Boreas and take him to-”

William stopped speaking when the Nightmare began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

The laughter continued for a moment. When he calmed down, he smiled at the king.

“You! You are funny! Because you really thought,” he stood up. Weapons ejected from his body. The hammer glowed, patches of ice appeared on his injuries. “You won? Far from it.”

For a moment, the knights stood dumbfounded and petrified.

“C-Come on! It’s only him against all of us! We can take ‘em.” A knight exclaimed.

“Yeah!” said a second knight.

"One Nightmare is nothing!” said a third knight.

Emboldened by their own words and brimming with vigor, the knights bursted after Boreas.

“Oh no…i-it’s happening again,” the knight grabbed William’s shoulders. “Your majesty, I beg you! Stop them before it’s too late!”

William shifted his focus to the Giant. Boreas raised his hammer high above his head.

“Everyone, Stop! Fall back-”

The hammer flashed as it slammed against the floor. A ring of white wind whipped all the knights away. One by one, they groaned back to their feet and began attacking.

“I don’t understand. That attack was hardly devastating. Young man, what were you so worried about?” asked William.

Not a word came from the trembling knight. He was fixated on the fight.

Josie watched Boreas’s movements like a hawk. She glanced at Alice from across the room.

“She’s safe. And the knights seem to have this under control. But, that attack. I have a bad feeling it did something.” Josie thought to herself.

A knight was running. He made a curved path for the giant’s arm. Boreas caught on and deflected it. When their weapons bounced, a lance lunged for his shoulder. He grabbed the weapon. Before he could react, Boreas swung the lance and threw the knight along with it. Dream energy exploded on the giant’s back. Boreas swung and smacked them into the air. They tumbled upon descent.

Alice let out a gasp. She stared for a while and then glanced at Boreas. Still occupied. Alice closed her eyes. Steadily, she took deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. A moment later, she opened her eyes and sprinted for the knight. Alice ducked when an ice beam almost hit her. Another ice beam fired but missed. Josie ran and helped Alice get to William’s side of the room. They laid the knight down.

“Thank you.” said the knight.

“You’re welcome,” said Alice between breaths. “Please try not to move too much. Your injuries are very severe.”

“O-Ok.”

“Josie, please heal his head. I’ll handle his chest.”

Josie nodded. They got to work and began healing. The knight grunted and winced in pain. Soon enough, his injuries were healed.

“There. That should do it.”

“Thanks again. I,” he paused, “I think I feel better alread-”

He instantly turned into a frozen statue. The knight next to William turned his head to see what the commotion was. His eyes went wide.

“Y-Y-Your majesty! Look over here.” said the knight.

The king turned around. “He’s frozen!? Alice, did you do this?”

“Goodness no! That wasn’t me.”

“He did this…they’re all dead. That giant is going to freeze us and smash us into pieces. No…no.” the knight placed his hands on the sides of his head.

“Stay calm,” said the king, “I’m sure we can find a way to-”

“I-I didn’t sign up for this!” the knight shouted and ran.

He huffed and puffed towards a hallway by the throne. But before he could reach, an ice beam zapped him. The crackling sounds from his body ceased when his body fell and shattered on the floor. They turned around. Boreas smiled. The knights that surrounded him had fallen to the same fate.

“...Looks like we have no choice. We have to fight together.” said Josie.

“Together? But, if King William fights…” said Alice.

“Then fight we shall.” said William.

Josie and Alice stared for a moment. They smiled and then readied their weapons. Boreas started heading towards them.

“Your highness! We’re moving the prince to a safer location.” the knight shouted.

“Ok. Take Lucy and protect her as well.”

“Yes sir!”

One knight carried Lucy and the other carried Ryan. Without much delay, they left for the hallway. Boreas unleashed an ice beam. Dragwind soared and intercepted it.

“You have to go through us first.” said Josie.

Boreas smirked. He began running. Josie, Alice, and William increased speed. Ice beams raced after Josie. She slashed and pushed back. They were getting closer. Josie whipped Dragwind. With precision, he bashed all the potential blows. He swung his hammer down. Josie took flight.

William sprinted forward. His greatsword descended and met considerable resistence.

Alice snuck through Boreas’s blindspot and stabbed him. He reeled in pain.

“Fire Punch!”

Josie glided into Boreas and punched him. The impact thrust him far ahead of the group. He dug his heels into the floor. Boreas skidded to a stop and rocked forward. His hammer prevented him from tilting further.

“You Weaklings, I’ll crush you all!”

A gale of wind howled and blew past the giant. They did their best to brace themselves.

“Wait a minute,” Josie used her arm to shield her eyes. “Alice, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yeah, I think so!”

“What are you talking about?” asked William.

“Some of the ice patches are gone. And some of his injuries are gone too.”

“I see. Then he’s been healing himself this whole time.”

Josie tried to move, but the wind forced her back. “It’s not going to be easy, but we have to hit him hard. As fast as possible.”

William observed as Alice and Josie struggled onward. William looked elsewhere and paused for a moment.

“That Fire Punch of yours seems effective. Think you can try it again?”

“Certainly.”

“Alright, I have a suggestion.”

Alice and Josie stopped and stared at William.

“Alice and I will be your sword and shield. We move as one until we reach him.”

Josie was agape. She looked down and furrowed her brows.

“What do you two think?”

Josie turned her head. Alice replied with a determined nod.

“Let’s do it.” said Josie.

William and Alice carefully moved into position. Josie waited until she could see their backs in front of her.

“Ready to go?” asked Alice.

“I’m ready.” answered Josie.

They began moving. When Boreas noticed their steady yet swift pace, his smile wavered. Ice beams were fired. Alice and William deflected and blocked. Broeas clenched his teeth. A multitude of ice beams flew faster than before. Progress never dulled for long. They compensated with magic whenever possible.

“Haaah!” shouted Boreas.

He waved his hammer in a sweeping motion. The wind surged. William, Alice, and Josie were losing their footing.

“So intense! I can’t take another step.” said Alice.

“Josie, can you reach him from here?” questioned William.

“No. We have to get a little closer somehow.”

Josie began to slide. When she realized this, she grasped Dragwind from its sheath and quickly stabbed the floor. For a moment, Josie stared at the sword. Her expression changed from Frustration to surprise.

“Alice! Is it possible to reinforce our bodies with dream energy?”

“Maybe. We can give it a try.”

Their bodies glowed with a blue aura. They took a couple steps in front of them.

“I still feel the wind’s influence, yet it feels easier to move.” said William.

“Yeah, same here.” said Alice.

“Great. Let’s take advantage while we can.” said Josie.

Once again, they moved together in the previous formation. Boreas sent beam after beam hurtling towards the group. Deflected. Destroyed. And blocked.

“You…will not…defeat me!” growled Boreas.

A new wind rippled from the giant. Suddenly, the old wind became more reckless. Like someone woke a sleeping child and they unleashed their temper tantrum upon them. While the trio endured it’s wrath, Josie peered at Boreas. His hammer started glowing. Light was being gathered at one specific point.

Josie’s wings appeared. Her body glowed a brighter blue. She flapped twice before darting straight ahead. William cried out. The wind pushed him.

“Your majesty-! Ah!” said Alice. She got swept away.

“Fire…”

“Prince Ryan, wait!” said one of the two running knights.

“Punch!”

Boreas was sent flying. And then there was light. It traveled some distance until it made an impact. Ryan stopped and shielded himself from the blast. He opened his eyes.

“Fa…ther?” said Ryan.

William was a frozen statue. Alice watched as the statue descended.

“No!” said Alice.

She reached for the king. Suddenly, white wind swirled. The statue became trapped in a frozen tower. Alice gasped. She crashed into the floor.

Josie turned around. “Alice!”

Pained groans could be heard. Josie ran to the source of the sounds. The knights quickly followed. Boreas stood up, debris fell from his back. Josie unsheathed Dragwind.

“Redhead,” he growled. “You got lucky, but next time we meet,” his hammer began glowing. “I will freeze and smash you till there’s nothing left!”

Boreas raised his weapon skyward. It flashed. A dome of wind surrounded Boreas and expanded. Josie and the knights were pushed away. When Josie sat up, he was gone.

“What!? Did he vanish?” said one of the knights.

“No, he’s still here somewhere. Let’s split up and search for him.” said the other knight.

“Yeah, you’re probably right!”

The two knights left the area.

Josie stood up. “Well, best to let them handle it.”

She ran inside the castle and rushed to Alice’s side. “Alice! Are you ok?”

“I-I’m alright. What happened to Boreas?”

“He escaped.”

Alice tried to get up. Josie offered her a hand. When Alice was back on her feet, they looked at Ryan. Positioned by the frozen tower on his hands and knees. Lucy laid near him. Still unconscious. Josie and Alice observed the scene in silence.

A moment later, Alice moved her hand. She almost placed it on her chest. Instead, she pulled back and stared at it. Then stared at the tower. She took several steps and approached. Slowly, Alice stretched her hand.

“Get out.” said Ryan.

Alice curved her fingers and stopped. “Huh?”

“I said, get. Out.”

“Ryan…I’m sorry for what happened. But, we can’t leave. We need the Dream Kingdom’s-” said Josie.

“No,” he shouted. Ryan stared at Josie with tears and anger. “Get out! Go! Leave and never come back!” He made a sweeping motion with his left arm.

With saddened expressions, Josie and Alice left the castle. Ryan’s pained sobs echoed throughout the throne room.

***

Alice and Josie wandered around and found a small park. They seated themselves on one of benches that encircled the fountain. Water gently trickled down and cascaded its bowl-like tiers. Neither of them spoke for some time. Birds chirped within the trees. Laughter came from kids playing catch in the background.

“What do we do now? Everyone said no, which means our only option is…to go by ourselves?” asked Alice.

Josie saw a cat awake from its slumber, stare at her, and then run away.

“Maybe there are more options left.” answered Josie.

Alice stared at Josie and tilted her head. “More options? Like what?”

“Evelynn and Gary. They are merchants, so there is a chance they might know someone or something that can help us.”

“Yeah. Chances of them hearing about anything peculiar is high. Especially from other traveling merchants. But…what if,” she paused and looked down. “What if they don’t know any other options?”

Josie placed her hand on top of Alice’s hand that rested on the bench.

“If that happens, we’ll think about what to do next together.”

Alice looked surprised. She turned away and moved her hand. Josie’s hand rested on Alice’s palm.

“O-Ok.”

Surprised, Josie turned away. She felt her cheeks become warmer. They smiled.

“Mommy! Look, look! Those people are holding hands!” said a little girl holding her mom’s hand.

“That’s nice, honey. Please don’t point at strangers.”

The mother and child left. Alice and Josie retracted their hands.

Josie cleared her throat. “A-Anyways, we should get going and find the local market.”

“R-Right. We can’t waste anymore time here.”

***

Josie and Alice arrived at their destination. Colorful roofs covered the stalls that lined the four way intersection known as the Dream Kingdom's market. Vendors shouted advertisements of their wares. Many people were shopping, chatting, and checking the merchandise. Aromas of food and fragrances wafted about.

“Wow. Everything feels so exotic and interesting. And the street food? Ahh! I hate that we can't buy any.” said Josie.

“Yeah. A real shame,” she closed the bag of dream coins. “Just like you feared, we only have enough for the essentials.”

“Shrinking funds aside, let’s look around.”

Alice nodded. They checked the street they were currently walking down first. No signs of them. Josie and Alice moved to the center of the intersections.

“Do you see them?” asked Alice.

“Not on this street. What about you?”

“Hmm. Eh? I think that’s Gary.”

“Really? Where?”

Josie surveyed where Alice saw him. She couldn’t see too clearly because of the people who swarmed the street. Josie flapped her wings and hovered.

“Yep, that’s Gary,” she dropped down. “He’s moving stuff around their booth. It’s over,” Josie paused. She almost grabbed Alice’s hand. “It’s over there.”

Josie started walking. Alice felt confused. She watched her take the lead for a minute and then followed.

“A little to the left. No, to the right. Perfect!” said Evelynn.

“Hey Evelynn and Gary!” said Josie.

Evelynn turned to face them. “Oh, hi! How’s it going, you two?”

“Not good. We asked the Dream Kingdom to help us and got rejected.”

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes. Josie and I were wondering if you know anyone or anything that can help? We need to get inside the Nightmare Kingdom.” said Alice.

“Anyone or anything. Anyone or anything,” she repeated while rubbing her chin. “None of our wares can sneak you inside. However, I know a couple places worth checking out. Do you have a map?”

Josie handed her their map. Evelynn grabbed ink and a quill.

“In this location,” she marked the map. “You can find a place called “Funland.” If you go there, ask the person in charge to help you.”

“Funland?” inquired Josie.

Evelynn shrugged. “Never been there myself. All I know is that the person who manages Funland is magically talented.”

She placed another mark. “Here, you can find these woods.”

“Isn’t that just a rumor?” Gary commented.

“Could be. But what if that girl is real?”

“What rumor?” said Alice.

“Rumor has it that a wailing girl is running around these woods. Some say she is a ghost. Others say she is an undiscovered race from a hidden settlement. Whatever it is, sounds like a wonderful mystery right?” her eyes twinkled.

Josie smiled. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“You’re very welcome!”

“Can we buy some things while we’re here?”

“Of course! Take a look at what’s available.”

Josie grabbed the map, rolled it, and then smiled at Alice. She returned a smile back.