Little Dreams and Hollow Nightmares

Ph4 Ch2: The Nightmare King

In a flash of blazing fire, Grimm swung his scarlet cloak at Seven and the knight, following with an uppercut, sending flames raining down. Seven managed to dodge the flames, and looked for an opening to attack. But before he could even think, Grimm stabbed his cloak into Seven from above. But his attack wasn't finished yet. He leapt across the stage towards the knight, leaving a trail of scarlet fire behind him. The knight attempted to dash through Grimm like it did before, but instead it dashed right into the flames left from Grimm.

The knight tried to recover from the devastating damage caused by the flames, but it lost two masks if health, with only four left. Not an ideal situation. But the knight didn't have any time to focus. Grimm appeared behind the knight, and swung at it again with his cloak. The knight dashed through the Nightmare King, and avoided the flames that came after his uppercut.

Thanks to the Sharp Shadow charm it equipped, it was able to damage Grimm with its dash. The other charms it had equipped were Unbreakable Strength, Quickslash, Soul Catcher, and Grubsong. All would be vital to the knight's battle plan.

Meanwhile, Seven struggled to keep up with Grimm. His movements were too fast, and he didn't stay still long enough to give Seven a window to attack. The only good thing, was that Seven was in a place similar to the Dream Realm. His power was increased, and he could recover more quickly. But that wasn't enough to beat Grimm. Seven would have to find another strategy if he was to stand a chance.

Grimm teleported to the left side of the stage, and sent a flurry of flaming bats at Seven and the knight. Seven struggled to dodge, but the knight however was able to dash through the bats, thanks to the extended reach if its dash. The knight reached Grimm, and landed three hits on him thanks to Quickslash. Now that it had enough soul to heal itself, all that was needed now was an opening.

Grimm vanished in a burst of flames, and suddenly, parts of his cloak rose from the floor of the stage. The knight slipped into a safe spot, as the cloak pieces grew into large, sharp spikes. It utilized the opening to restore one health mask. Seven followed the knight's movements, and was able to avoid the spikes as well.

In another burst of flames, Grimm appeared above both of them, and embers started rising from the stage. Both Seven and the knight knew what was coming, and avoided the rising pillars of fire that followed. Seven used the opportunity to damage Grimm, while the knight took the opening to heal.

Now that Seven had a better understanding of Grimm's attacks, and the knight was fully healed, they both fought back against the Nightmare King, landing several hits on his body.

Grimm rose to the center of the room, and his cloak puffed up, sending a storm of fireballs at Seven and the knight. They dodged as best they could, but both ended up getting hit. Giving no time to recover, Grimm continued his dance, sending another flurry of fire bats at the two of them.

This time however, both of them were able to swerve through the bats, and attack him. Grimm teleported again, only to find Seven and the knight right in front of him. He scurried away on six legs, and rose again to sent more fire bats at them. Used to this pattern, Seven jumped through the first two, reaching Grimm much quicker than the knight. But before he could attack, Grimm vanished, and sent out two more fire bats from the other side of the stage.

Okay, don't get too close. Got it. Seven thought to himself as the dance continued.

The scorching battle continued, and once again, Grimm rose to the center, and unleashed a storm of fireballs throughout the room. Seven did his best to avoid, but the knight made a slight mistake, and lost another two masks. Only one more hit, and it was finished. Seven knew he needed to help, but the flames kept coming. He needed to hold them off, and shield the knight, letting it heal. But how could he do that?

It didn't matter if he could or couldn't. Without thinking, Seven ran in front of the knight, holding his hands up against the approaching flames. He closed his eyes, and braced for pain.

To his surprise, nothing hit him, and the crowd started cheering and clapping. Seven opened his eyes, and stared in wonder. He had created a shield, protecting him and the knight from the flames. The knight saw what Seven was doing, and healed three masks. Grimm dissapeared from the center, and with that, the dance continued.

As the three of them clashed and advanced, the Nightmare Heart started glowing, beating faster and faster. Grimm's attacks became quicker, and more flames came from his attacks. In response, Seven and the knight also became quicker, and more tactical with their movements. The knight damaged Grimm, and when it got hurt, Seven protected it with his new shield, creating openings for it to heal.

After another series of attacks, Grimm sent one final storm of flames at both of them. However this time, Seven and the knight had a plan. As Seven shielded the knight from the flames, it used the soul it gathered to sent three shade souls at the Nightmare King.

Grimm once again vanished, and lunged across the stage towards Seven and the knight. Both of them charged towards him, and each landed one hit on his body, the moment they clashed.

Grimm screamed out, and a burst of red flames were expelled from his body. He dissapeared back into the Nightmare Heart, and it burst into red flames as well. With a final display, the Nightmare Heart sent out a bright burst of fire, and Grimm's body fell apart as if they were rose petals.

A cool wind touched Seven's face. He slowly opened his eyes, finding his body on the cold ground. He got to his knees, and saw the knight, just in front of him. In between them, all curled up and asleep, was the Grimmchild.

"Hey! Wake up little buddy!" Seven said, smiling.

The Grimmchild opened its eyes, revealing their new, scarlet color. Upon seeing both of its bearers, it rose to the sky with its new pair of wings, chirping and smiling.

"Whoa! Look at you!" Seven said. "You're so much bigger! And I bet you're stronger as well!"

The Grimmchild fluttered around Seven and the knight. As Seven tried to follow it, he realized that the tents of the Grimm Troupe were gone. They had dissapeared, no longer needing to remain in Hallownest.

"We did it," he said. "We completed the Ritual."

The knight nodded, and Seven was left with one last question.

"What now?" He asked.

The knight looked at Dirtmouth. It looked at its bustling stores, bright houses, and its happy inhabitants. It looked at Elderbug, and his delicate flower. An idea came to the knight, for what it should do next.

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Hello again! Feels nice to not have to wait two months for another chapter, doesn't it?

I for one, am very glad that I've gotten back into the habit of writing, and that I can remain focused while doing so.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if the fight with Nightmare King Grimm seemed a bit short to you, I just want to say it's difficult to rewrite Grimm doing the same attacks, over and over again.

Now, the Grimmchild's end of the story is complete, but there's still a little bit left for Seven, and the knight.

As for what that is, well, you'll eventually find out.

See you in the next chapter! ; )