NiGHTS: Dreams of Madness

Chapter 6: Cornered

"The ideya of growth, it has to be behind this door." Jack says as he looks at the locks securing the door. He channels the yellow ideya and creates a weapon, slashing the chains holding the locks and freeing up the door to open. When Jack pushes it open though, a rather nightmarish setting awaits him, Owl and Reala. The place is just red all over, with skeletons walking around and what look like beautiful women, but with horns jutting out of their heads.

"Succubi..." Reala mumbles. "I don't know if I can command these nightmarens. I can't sense anything coming from them."

"I don't know if they're even nightmarens to begin with." Jack replies as the three cautiously enter the twisted dream.

"What gave rise to this?!" Owl asks.

"Rarely do I ever find myself in a place like this." Reala says. "Here a visitor's ideya are extremely vulnerable to theft. When I do find myself in a place like this, taking them is as simple as posing as one of the other nightmarish creatures here."

"I wonder who we'll find here this time." Jack replies, and it's not long before a flaming soccer ball nearly whacks him in the face! The source turns out to be none other than one of the corrupted visitors. His appearance hasn't changed since Reala last encountered him, but his blond hair is spiked out and under his foot is a flaming soccer ball.

"Will?!" Owl shouts.

"And he's not alone!" Another, deeper voice shouts, and an electric basketball hits Reala in the back of the head, zapping the nightmaren silly.

"What the heck? What just hit me?" Reala asks, and as he turns around he spots someone he thought he wouldn't see for years on end. His blue hair and matching eyes stand out, and his outfit is now a navy blue punk style outfit. "Elliot..."

"You, young visitor, are working for Reala now?" Elliot asks.

"Willingly. You and your friends have been causing enough havoc as we know it. It's time we dealt with you." Jack replies.

"Like you'll be able to even stand a chance against the two of us! Let's do it." Will laughs as he and Elliot channel their green ideyas. Soon, two teams emerge from the ground, a group of skeleton basketball players and a group of alien soccer players. "Play ball!"

"Alright, we'll play." Jack chuckles as Will and Elliot take their leave, leaving Jack, Reala and Owl with the two teams. The skeleton players run forth, flaming basketballs in hand, as they try and land a slam dunk on Jack's head. Jack simply evades them and reduces them to piles of bones. Unfortunately for Jack the skeleton players simply rebuild themselves and continue dribbling. One of the skeletons passes to his teammate and he leaps high into the air before slamming the fiery ball onto Jack's head!

"Uh oh!" Reala shouts as he charges into one of the skeletons, but that skeleton simply dodges out of the way as an alien soccer player kicks his electrified ball into Reala, shocking the nightmaren again. "Oh that does it!" Reala screams as he charges up some sort of attack and brings out a giant triangle shaped hole in the ceiling! "Jack! Make use of the meteors that fall out!"

"Meteors?!" Jack shouts, and his question is answered as meteors begin to rain down from the triangle shaped hole! Jack grabs ahold of one of these meteors and turns it loose, bowling over the basketball skeletons! "Strike!"

"Nice shot! Now let's take care of these guys! Anyone up for dodgeball?" Reala taunts as Jack meets up with the nightmaren and they both throw meteors at the soccer aliens. They attempt to dodge but Jack is throwing them too fast, and it's not long before the last player is hit in the face and falls to the ground. The skeletons are unable to reform themselves and the aliens have red marks all over their faces from the meteors.

"Excellent shot Reala. I think we've dealt with them, for now." Jack says.

"For sure." Reala replies. "Now where on earth did they hide that ideya?" It's not long before a succubus slowly approaches Jack. "Uh oh..."

"Hey there handsome." The succubus says. Her outfit can barely contain her cleavage and she sports a pair of high heels.

"Sorry, I'm in a relationship with someone at the moment." Jack replies. "It's complicated."

"Then why not take out your frustrations with me?" The succubus asks, trying to swoon Jack. Reala then pushes her out of the way and quickly leads Jack out of the situation.

"Thanks." Jack says as he and Reala try to find the ideya of growth.