Tales of a Dreamer: The Beads of Light

Mia turned to face the goddess that had appeared. Apparently, she had been observing their endeavors. Was that what deities did nowadays? Mia felt nothing towards them anyway. Her expression remained emotionless as she spoke. "No point in getting all worked up. It's a waste of energy," she said finding the statement especially true in this scenario. As wondrous as it would be to slice the goddess into a million pieces for the attitude, it was hardly worth the effort it would take to actually accomplish the goal if it were even possible. It was best to just leave things as they were.

"Well, at least she would have helped us if we were in absolute peril," Melody said a bit nervously as if nearly suffocating to death wasn't mortal peril. "Thank you for keeping an eye on us, Lady Megaera. It's very kind of you. And look at what we accomplished. It's only the first step, but at least it is a step in the right direction, you do agree?" she inquired. At this point, she was tired. She didn't know how she managed to keep rambling as she did, and she was surprised that she didn't get any hostile glares from Mia. The whole ordeal had taken its toll on everyone, but the goal was achieved in the end.

Megaera's eyes twinkled at Melody's inquiry. She seemed to enjoy hearing such questions, though it may have been Mia and Sekai's attitudes towards her that pleased her. "You certainly are taking a step forward in your journey," Megaera said, raising a hand to her chin and smiling at the group. "But the question in your mind must remain, where is the sage that you were searching for?" Hikari's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that the sage who was supposed to be in the temple was nowhere to be seen. If that was the case, then where was the sage?

"I have the answer to that question," Megaera continued, raising her other hand and pointing upwards, to the top of the tower. "Annique is at the top of the tower, tending to the beacon's fire even as we speak."

Hikari frowned, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean by tending the fire? I thought the temple's flame would remain lit for an eternity, unless the Sage of Darkness snuffed it out?"

"That is precisely the reason why all of the sages have gathered in Ermith," Megaera answered quickly, lowering her hand. "Currently, no sage resides in the Temple of Lightning or the Temple of Earth, but the rest of the sages have all gathered to their respective temples. They're waiting for you to light the fire, Hikari."

"Then we need to get going, which temple is the closest?" Hikari asked, taking a step forward towards the goddess, as if that would help Megaera spit up directions. Megaera merely laughed at her.

"I don't think you want the closest temple right now," Megaera waved her hand, dismissing Hikari's question. "The sage at the Temple of Fire is having a troublesome time dealing with the shadow realm as of right now. You should head there first." Megaera snapped her fingers, a portal appearing beside her. "This will take you to the western edge of the lake, to make your travels less troublesome. Head through when you're ready." And with that, Megaera disappeared, but not before saying, "I'll continue watching over you, my little Light warriors."

When Megaera was finally gone, Hikari shivered, her spine tingling uncomfortably. "I'll never understand that goddess, I think. Why does she even help us?"

"She doesn't help us Hikari," Sekai spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at the spot where Megaera was. "We all almost died and she didn't help us. She isn't interested in our well-being. She's only interested to see what kinds of torture we suffer and survive. Megaera is a twisted, corrupt goddess. We'd be foolish to believe her at her word."

"She doesn't have any reason to deter our progress though," Hikari said, thinking about this logically. Unlike humans, the gods and goddesses wouldn't be affected by the shadow realm gaining dominance over the light. There was no reason to help, but also no reason to deter. Hikari would believe the portal went to where Megaera said it would. "In all the years I've known her, I never found Lady Megaera to be a liar," Hikari looked back at the others, then to the portal. Taking in a sharp breath, Hikari stepped through the portal.

The darkness surrounded Hikari as she stepped through the portal. A feeling, much like suffocating, came over her. Which was not a pleasant experience right after getting knocked out by the same feeling. The portal soon faded away to reveal the green landscape that Hikari had missed so much. With a quick look around, she found herself not too far away from the lake. She recognized this place from picture books, she was really at the western side of the lake, like Megaera promised.

Beyond that, Hikari could not see exactly where she was. From that position, the ocean could not be seen, but Hikari knew that if she traveled west, they would reach the Twilight Woods.

Mia said nothing as the goddess disappeared. She was an odd one, though the young girl cared not for deities or anything that they stood for. The spirits of her home world were much kinder. Taking calculated steps towards the portal, she paused before it. The others had already went through. She turned around to face Melody. "Are you all right?" she asked suddenly. Her visage was emotionless as it normally was, her voice stoic.

A smile crept upon the empath's face. "O-of course I am, Mia, dear," Melody replied, taken aback by the girl's question. She was still a little out of breath, but getting to a place with fresh air would probably do her some good, though she didn't know what rested just beyond the portal yet.

Hearing Melody's response, Mia turned to face the portal once more. "We have a long way to go if we're really sticking with everyone. You're going to have to be strong. If you decide to go and be dead weight, you may as well go somewhere else." With that, she entered the portal without hesitation. Traveling through such things was a part of her life, so she was unfazed by whatever it may hold.

The empath strolled up to the portal after Mia had went through. The girl's words may have sounded harsh, but Melody's smile did not fade. "I will be strong, Mia. For you, and for everyone else. This might be far from over, but Melody's just begun." That said, the empath took a deep breath and plunged into the portal.

As each one of her friends made it through the portal, Hikari noticed that the sun was declining, which was never a good sign. Having been caught outside city walls in the night before turned out to be dangerous, and now with no city in walking distance, they would have to travel through the night to one of the smaller towns.

"Everyone, the night is approaching," Hikari told the others as soon as the portal closed. "Be careful, the shadows could be lurking anywhere." Before Hikari could say anything else, however, a figure suddenly flashed past in front of her, just a blur of white and black motion. This sudden flash startled her into letting out a high-pitched squeak, for which she was immediately embarrassed. "What in the world-"

Silly Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x5Or5LK0wA

"Ooooh, this thing is noisy!" Hikari's statement was interrupted by another feminine voice. The figure that flashed in front of Hikari just moments ago was standing around 20 meters away, observing a small, brown pouch that jingled every time the girl shook it. It was gold, and from the sound of the bag, it was the party's gold.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Sekai demanded, stepping forward and cracking her knuckles. Hikari looked around her person, but couldn't find anything.

"She stole the gold that we were carrying!" Hikari discovered, staring at the strange girl incredulously.

"Thief!" Sekai ran towards the girl, her hand outstretched, but the girl merely laughed and jumped up and over Sekai's head, doing a front flip before landing behind Sekai and waving the bag of gold at her mockingly.

"I am not a thief," the girl spoke proudly, "I am a connoisseur. There's a difference."

Sekai growled. She swung around, her arm outstretched in an attempt to grab the girl roughly and pin her down, but...her hand went through the girl, as if there was nothing there. "What the-" Sekai's shock was interrupted by a scream from the strange girl.

"Noooooo! You didn't just do that! Ugh, I HATE it when people try to touch me!" The girl shrieked, jumping...or rather, floating away from Sekai.

This girl was extremely weird.

Listening to Hikari's words of caution, Melody rubbed her temples a bit before blinking at hearing the commotion. She was a bit confused at first, but it all made sense as she started to piece things together. A girl--an intangible one--had stolen their money, and there was no way to pin her down to get it back. Melody's eyes began to glow with a teal light as she held out her hand. The bag moved quickly through the air and into her possession. The light dissipated and she smiled. "I do believe this belongs to us," she stated, her fingers wrapping around the bag. "Shall we move on as Rai suggested? Staying out any later would be rather dangerous."

Mia had her eyes closed trying to keep her thoughts focused. They were in kind of a hurry, so it was good that Melody was so...useful. "I don't see anything holding us to this spot anymore," she stated flatly, gesturing loosely to the money that Melody now held. "Melody, if she tries to take it again, just destroy her."

"Oh, that's not very nice, Mia, dear. I'm sure she's learned her lesson," Melody replied whimsically. "Stealing things from people of whose abilities you do not know is not very wise."

"Hey, that's cheating!" the girl shouted when she saw the bag of gold disappear. There was no getting it back now, not with all these people watching her. Pouting slightly, the girl stuck out her tongue at the group and disappeared into the ground. "Fine! Have it your way!" Was the last thing she said before her presence faded away.

Melody was certainly useful for avoiding unnecessary conflicts such as these. Hikari was certainly grateful for that. Now they could move on, but the sun was still on the decline. "We don't have much choice," Hikari sighed, looking over to Sekai. "We'll have to stay in Gurrera Town." She motioned for the others to follow her and Sekai, and Hikari began to lead them to the town of which she spoke.

Just before the sun had fully set, a small row of buildings came into view. The town was stationed on the flatlands west of the Forgotten Lake, and was well known for having...nothing. If they were lucky, the abandoned town would have provisions and access to drinkable water. Quickly, the party made their way to the town.

Once through the crumbled entrance to the town, they could easily identify which houses were occupied and which were not. Although classified as abandoned, there were still some farmers who lived out here.

As if expecting them, a door to one of the run-down, wooden homes opened, and a dark old man walked out, peering at the party of females. The sun was making it's final descent at this point.

"Ach," the old man grunted, staring at them, "What're y'all doin' 'ere?"

"We don't have time to explain," Hikari spoke quickly, eyeing the horizon anxiously, "Please, go back into your home." The old man seemed offended by Hikari's remark, but regardless went inside, cursing under his breath. Hikari looked around the town from where she stood, distressed. "I didn't expect this place to have no light at all. This isn't good. We'll have to make our own light."

Hikari pulled the ring of beads off her neck and held them carefully, her eyes closed. Moments later, the blue orbs split from each other, creating little chains of beads. The 21 beads split into groups of seven. She then handed the chains out to the others. "Go to the edges of the town in pairs," Hikari asked carefully, keeping one of the chains to herself. "When you reach the edge, touch the beads with the ground once, and then walk in a circle around the town. The beads will react on their own, and when the lines of light that they emit connect, a barrier will form around the town to prevent any shadow creatures on the outside from getting in."

Melody took the chain delightedly from Hikari, a gentle smile upon her face. The beads were a symbol of the strength of the light, and to hold them--even just a portion of the whole thing--felt wonderful to her. She couldn't help but notice that Mia shied away from them slightly. It was hardly noticeable, but... Oh Mia..., she thought sadly, but didn't let it show upon her face. Now wasn't the time to draw Mia's anger upon her, for the girl appeared to be her stoic self for the moment. She looked down at the young girl and offered her hand. Mia took it without a word after shrugging her shoulders with a frown and the duo walked off in a different direction as the others to the edge of the town. Upon reaching a decent spot, Melody touched the beads to the ground tenderly, almost as a mother would press a damp rag to her sick child's forehead. Standing back up, she held the beads in front of her and began to walk the circle.

"I suppose it's a good thing we got here when we did," Mia spoke up suddenly as she walked alongside Melody.

"You think so?" Melody responded, slightly taken aback. She agreed completely, but to think that Mia thought that caught her by surprise. If anything, she figured the young girl would be indifferent to the darkness consuming the town.

"Yeah. Everyone would be in danger if we hadn't arrived right? A town with no light--we have to make light ourselves." A strange grin formed upon Mia's face, and she noticed that it bothered Melody immensely, almost as if it scared her. "What's wrong with you?" she shot at the empath.

"N-nothing. Yes, it's true these people could use the light, and therefore it's great we arrived when we did." Melody could feel something unsettling coming from Mia with her empathic powers, but there was no way to tell what it was. Melody wasn't even sure if she wanted to know. She remained silent as did Mia as they continued to walk around the perimeter of the town in a circle.

Seeing the two groups of two go in opposite directions, Hikari turned her attention to the sun. Only 30 minutes before the sun set, and the only light they had would be from the moon and the stars. She scanned the sky to locate the moon, as it should be visible now, but couldn't find it. Panic began to rise up in her, but Hikari took a deep breath and disallowed herself to become stressed.

"It's going to be an empty sky tonight," Sekai said, noticing Hikari's reactions. "The others should finish the barrier before the sun sets. This town is very small."

"I know that, it's just..." Hikari took another deep breath, shivering as the cold began to creep up on them. Not only would the sky be empty, but the night would be a frosty one. Hikari held up her beads and walked up towards one of the homes nearby. She tapped the chain against the door lightly, so that they made no noise against the rotting wood. From the spot where the beads touched the door, a light began to expand until it covered the entrance to the home completely. This little barrier would prevent any of those shadow creatures from entering.

"I can't help but feel worried for the people still living here," Hikari finished, turning back to Sekai. "Come on, I need to do this to every door that has life behind it."

Hikari and Sekai set about their own jobs now that the others had most likely already began the circle. Sekai as the watch for danger, and Hikari as the light-bearer for the residents. Darkness began to creep from the horizon, the sky becoming darker and darker. The moon still did not appear in the sky, not even as a faint light. Time passed, and the sun barely peeked out over the horizon, just as the last door was protected, and the barrier of light rose from the edges of town.

The iridescent light slowly crept up towards the sky, beginning the formations of a dome around the town. The more complete the barrier became, the more light that shone down. Eventually, a mist began to rise from the ground. The particles closer to the earth were reflecting Hikari's magic. Both Hikari and Sekai now waited in the center of the town, relieved, and waited for the return of their friends.

"Looks like that would be that," Melody finally spoke up as she gazed into the sky at the barrier forming around the town. It was a light most beautiful; it made her feel at ease. Looking down at Mia, she felt restlessness, but she didn't dwell on things she already confirmed deep within her heart. It was time to rejoin the others. Without another word, she headed for the center of town. She heard something like a blade slashing the air and turned to see Mia opening a rift to her dimension.

"I'm going to beat you," she stated simply in a stoic manner, ignoring the stupid smile that formed on the older woman's face and disappeared into it. She was certain Melody would be taking her time. In mere moments, another rift opened near Hikari and Sekai, and Mia leaped out of it, landing gracefully upon the ground. The girl turned to face them, expression indifferent. "Looks like that takes care of everything. Melody will be joining us shortly, to be sure," she explained, though the results of their efforts were evident.

Now with Melody all alone, walking down to the center of town, which wasn't too far off, but still quite a distance away, an ambush was just waiting to spring. But would it be from above? Behind? From one side, perhaps? No, it was none of those things, but it was below!

A translucent hand shot up out of the ground and grabbed Melody's right ankle, stopping her movements. A mechanical giggle filled the air, "I've caught you, you fun-ruiner." A second hand shot up from the ground and grabbed Melody's other ankle, and a head began to rise from the ground. It was the strange girl from before! She followed the party into the town and in that way got through the barrier.

Inami grinned mischievously up at Melody. "So what's it gonna be, huh?" she taunted, "Your friends aren't here to help you, and I'm pretty pissed off. I might just kill you for humiliating me back there. I can do it you know. Kill you. It'd be easy. All I'd have to do is slip my blade right through your chest." As if to demonstrate, Inami took one of her hands off of Melody's ankle and put it through her of chest, which was being revealed now. She made a gagging sound and cocked her head to the side, as if dead.

Inami's eyes lit up with glee and she laughed, removing her hand from her chest and pulling out her black blade. She pointed the tip up at Melody and grinned.

----

"Ah, Mia!" Hikari didn't see or hear the girl arrive, and was surprised to hear her voice so close. Sekai laughed at Hikari's expression a bit, but soon stopped, realizing it wasn't the right place for that. "Oh, I'm worried that something might happen to Melody if no one else is with her," Hikari said, ignoring Sekai's brief laughter. Hikari had a feeling Mia didn't really like Melody that much, so she looked over at Sekai.

"Melody will be fine," Sekai shook her head, waving her hand reassuringly. "Her magic is better than yours when it comes to fighting and protecting herself."

"I suppose you're right." Hikari nodded and sighed, allowing her shoulders to droop. Hikari looked back at Mia, "We're protected now, no Remnant can enter here. But...there is the possibility of a Remnant being somewhere inside the town, before we closed the borders."

"Will they even be able to manifest when it's so bright?" Sekai wondered aloud, looking around. It was true, the area around them was unusually bright for nighttime. At a certain level of darkness, shadow creatures are able to manifest in this realm. The question was whether it was light enough to keep that from happening.

"Well, we haven't seen any of them so far," Hikari mentioned, looking back at Mia. "Did you notice anything unusual outside of the town, Mia?"

"Ruin fun, now did I? I thought I was merely gaining back what was stolen from me and my friends," Melody stated innocently, her eyes glowing with a bright blue energy. Her form slowly began to lift off of the ground, surely pulling the girl out fully. Without giving any sign of it, Melody launched a fierce psychic force to push downwards, freeing her of the grasp of the annoying girl. "Sorry, dear. No free rides," Melody said as she drifted away a bit before touching down on the ground safely and turning to face her would-be attacker.

Her eyes returned to normal, but now her bracelet began to glow with the blue energy. "Surely you know stealing is wrong. I don't care if you think it's fun; I won't sit idly by and be a victim, especially when you make it that easy to retrieve what was stolen," Melody scolded snidely. The empath spread her feet apart and kept her mind clear. "And what's this nonsense about killing? I'm not my best when I'm alone, but if you want to give it a shot, I won't hold back." She knew she could just telepathically warn Mia, but she chose not to. Hopefully, the girl would back down. There was no point in wasting energy on the brat anyway.

* * *

Mia shrugged her shoulders and gazed about listlessly. "It was oddly quiet. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," she responded simply, folding her arms across her chest. "If Melody noticed anything, she didn't tell me about it." Was the quiet something to take notice of? They had predicted that things would be at least partially hectic with all the darkness in the area. If there was something in the town, would they not have noticed by now?

"We'll just have to keep our wits about us as always," Mia affirmed before gazing out at the direction Melody would come running from. Knowing her, she was probably having a nice little stroll at their expense.

Inami was a bit surprised to be pulled out of the ground like that, but she got really made when her body was suddenly shot towards the ground by an invisible force. She hit the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. Growling a bit, Inami glared at Melody with her bright blue eyes. She suddenly dropped into the ground, vanishing from sight.

Moments later, Inami sprung up from the ground and swung her blade at Melody, hitting her and drawing blood from her shoulder. An instant later, Inami was back to where she was before, only this time on her feet with her blade drawn. "You won't hold back?" Inami laughed, "You'd better not, or else bad things will happen to you!"

Inami's Treason deals basic damage to Melody! 14 Atk DMG!

Secret Request: Traitorous Scumbag! Inami Han!
Objective: Defeat Inami.
Rival Chosen: Melody
Soundtrack: The Traitor

(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) (I) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Melody (Empath)
HP: 37/40
MP: 60/60
Atk: 1
Def: 11
Int: 21
Spr: 14
Movement: 2 cells

Inami Han (Dark Apparition) *Intangible*
Level: 14
HP: 65/65
MP: 70/70
Atk: 14
Def: 0
Int: 18
Spr: 17
Move: 4 cells

(h) - House

(p) - Rotting plank (Small)

(s) - Shed (Large)

~Melody may start in rows G-H~

"Ha!" Inami laughed, "I know what you're capable of! I've been watching you for quite some time, and in all honesty, you're inferior to that other girl, the one with the beads around her neck!" Inami grinned, her true intentions written across her face. She wanted to cause Melody some internal conflict. Inami intended to lower her self-esteem so that she could more easily overpower her. Melody didn't need to be an empath to read Inami's distasteful expression.

Secret Request: Traitorous Scumbag! Inami Han!
Objective: Defeat Inami.
Rival Chosen: Melody
Soundtrack: The Traitor

(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) (I) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Melody (Empath)
HP: 37/40
MP: 60/60
Atk: 1
Def: 11
Int: 21
Spr: 14
Movement: 2 cells

Inami Han (Dark Apparition) *Intangible*
Level: 14
HP: 65/65
MP: 70/70
Atk: 14
Def: 0
Int: 18
Spr: 17
Move: 4 cells

(h) - House

(p) - Rotting plank (Small)

(s) - Shed (Large)

Melody's Phase

Melody is meditating!

Secret Request: Traitorous Scumbag! Inami Han!
Objective: Defeat Inami.
Rival Chosen: Melody
Soundtrack: The Traitor

(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) (I) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Inami's Phase

Inami's Contingency Plan makes all of her abilities use the Atk stat!

"Defend myself?" Inami sneered, "From what? Your little magic? Ha! I've dealt with better magicians than you and killed them in an instant!" With her talking out of the way, Inami rushed forward and slid, throwing her black blade up at Melody from below and piercing a weak-looking area. Inami's intentions were to create a visible weak spot to save herself the trouble of finding one. She grinned as she felt the blade enter Melody's flesh, slicing through skin and muscle.

Inami moves to F-4

Inami uses Lichtenstein's Overhaul on Melody! 24 Atk DMG!

MP: 57/70

Melody's resistance to critical hits is reduced by 15%! (will now be known as Resilience)


(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) (I) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Melody (Empath) *Meditate -3-**Resilience -15% -3-*
HP: 24/40
MP: 52/60
Atk: 1
Def: 11
Int: 21---25
Spr: 14---17
Movement: 2 cells

Inami Han (Dark Apparition) *Intangible*
Level: 14
HP: 65/65
MP: 57/70
Atk: 14
Def: 0
Int: 18
Spr: 17
Move: 4 cells

(h) - House

(p) - Rotting plank (Small)

(s) - Shed (Large)

Melody's Phase

Inami takes 62 DMG! Intangible! WEAKNESS!!

Melody is meditating.

Secret Request: Traitorous Scumbag! Inami Han!
Objective: Defeat Inami.
Rival Chosen: Melody
Soundtrack: The Traitor

(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) (I) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Inami's Phase

Inami gasped and shut her eyes quickly, just as Melody's light assaulted her form. Being an apparition, this magic was exceptionally powerful, and left Inami in a very weak state. Such incredible power, Inami never saw this ability before, nor had she ever felt the brunt of such power. Glaring up at Melody now, Inami took her steps forward, raising her blade.

"You'll pay for that," Inami growled, quickly slicing Melody's shoulders twice in quick succession, then letting her blade fall with her arm, missing intentionally. But quickly after, when Inami hoped Melody would be distracted, she threw her arm back up to slice through Melody's chest in an attempt to end her.

Inami moves to H-4

Inami uses Zwei! 17 Atk DMG! 17 Atk DMG! Inami is allowed a second move!

Inami uses Inept Strike! Distracts target!
---Inami links Expert Strike! 31 Atk DMG!

...

Melody's Null Emotion prevents her from being Distracted! The Expert Strike fails!

MP: 23/70


(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) (I) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Melody (Empath) *Meditate -2-**Resilience -15% -2-*
HP: 12/40
MP: 35/60
Atk: 1
Def: 11
Int: 21---25
Spr: 14---17
Movement: 2 cells

Inami Han (Dark Apparition) *Intangible**CRITICAL*
Level: 14
HP: 3/65
MP: 23/70
Atk: 14
Def: 0
Int: 18
Spr: 17
Move: 4 cells

(h) - House

(p) - Rotting plank (Small)

(s) - Shed (Large)

Melody's Phase

Inami takes 174 DMG! Intangible!

Inami OVERKILL!

Melody is meditating.

Secret Request: Traitorous Scumbag! Inami Han!
Objective: Defeat Inami.
Rival Chosen: Melody
Soundtrack: The Traitor

(s) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) B
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) C
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(h) (p) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (s) E
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) F
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (h) (h) G
(h) (h) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) H
(h) (p) (p) (M) ( ) ( ) ( ) I
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7

Melody has bested Inami!

Drops:
+Translucent Veil
+Storm Orb

Gold: 0

Experience Gained:
+18 - Inami Han OVERKILL
+2 - Finished in less than X Player Phases.

Total Exp: 20

Melody: Level 12
Progress: 51/54----71/54
Melody...LEVEL UP!
3 Stat Points Gained!
1 Skill Point Gained!
Melody: Level 13
Progress: 17/54

Update your profile, please. An update will be coming shortly.

Hikari and Sekai both heard the screams. Leaving Hikari in Mia's care, Sekai ran towards the source, being the fastest of the two on foot. She pelted through the town, jumping over the rotting planks that decorated the ground and weaving around a few collapsed houses and sheds. She soon skidded to a stop 5 meters away from Melody and the familiar form of a fallen girl. After a minute, Sekai recognized the girl as the same one that tried to steal their gold not too long ago. She had followed them, apparently, and attacked Melody while she was alone.

What a coward, Sekai thought to herself, gritting her teeth. She looked up at Melody to see her bleeding from mostly the shoulders, and she rushed over to the woman. "Melody, what happened?" Sekai asked, looking more closely at the wounds. She quickly added, "On second thought, forget that. Let's get you back to Hikari first."

Inami raised her head, her eyes betraying her boiling hatred. Although she was furious and wanted to kill the both of them, she couldn't move. It was an effort just to glare at them, and she managed to get a few words out, "this...isn't...over," she rasped, glaring at Melody. "I'll get you back for this. Inami Han may have lost this battle...but our war is far from over." And with that, Inami slipped into the ground and vanished from sight.

Sekai paused for a moment, glaring right back down at the ground where the girl left. She quickly put her attention back on Melody, carefully holding her arm so she wouldn't fall. "Can you walk?" Sekai asked, concerned.