Tales of a Dreamer: The Beads of Light

Dusk found herself unable to move still, her eyes glued on Dawn rather than the man. She wanted to hiss, but she couldn't make a sound, not a peep.

Dawn looked Jakki straight in the eyes, hers not daring leaving his. She could care less that Dusk was wanting to kill her. She found herself able to move, and noticed Flora seemed slightly frightened. She however would not move out of respect and nodded in agreement to Autumn's question.

"Why were we chosen for this?"

Twilight remained quiet, not looking at anywhere. He had nothing to ask and nothing to say otherwise.

"I am not the one who chose you." Jakki said darkly, "And I'm afraid I do not know why it is that you were chosen. Perhaps it's merely coincidence? Ah yes, one more thing." Jakki snapped his fingers, and just like that, Dawn and Dusk merged back together as one entity. "I'm afraid you two have to stick together from now one."

"Unless I can find a way to kill her..."

Dawn ignored the voice of her partner that rang in everyone's heads. She nodded at Jakki, a small smile gracing her face. She knew it was for the better, Dusk could not kill her.

"Alright... Could I ask you straighten out your little group?"

"As I said, I brought you here out of my own selfish desires." Jakki said, his eyes downcast. "And, Flora, to answer your question, you say that your realm looks normal, yet this one is strange. How do you think I feel, as a resident and a man born from the Darkness, about your realm, the Light?" Jakki asked, looking up with a smile towards the girl. "It's the very same feeling. Right now the Realm of Darkness is escaping this tragic event. For now at least. Ian and his followers are intent on continuing, as they are blind to how this will affect our realm. Unfortunately, I cannot stop Ian, for he holds....something....in his possession that prevents me from touching him."

"If you could tell us what is stopping you maybe we could help."

Dawn had found, with them joined together now, that she had more control of Dusk trying to break free. It was like she was meant to hold the leash on her other half.

Meanwhile Dusk's eyes flared as she tried to break free of her mental prision. It was useless but she tried nonetheless, hoping to kill Dawn from the inside and be free.

Twilight sighed and looked at his allies, what could they possibly do to help this god. There was no way they could measure up to him in might or skill, even if they were immortal themselves.

"I'm afraid that you do not hold the power to help me, not yet." Jakki said, and sighed, "My friends have also attempted to defeat Ian, but only wound up being defeated." Jakki turned towards Autumn and nodded at her question, "Yes, I know Maki. That poor girl has to deal with abuse every day. But that is her reward for joining Ian." Jakki paused for a minute before saying, "I will tell you of Ian and his lot a little later, for now..." Jakki turned around and looked away. "Ikari! Come in here please." Jakki said loudly.

Delicate footsteps rang through the party's ears as Ikari entered through a door, then closed it behind her. She then stood there, looking directly at Jakki. Ikari ignored Hikari's stare of astonishment when she met her doppleganger.

"Ikari, take them to the treasure hold, I believe their equipment needs to be upgraded." Jakki said, still having his back turned to the woman. She simply nodded and motioned for the group to follor her. "Oh, and bring them back here when you are finished, I still have things I wish to talk about. Their future in the Realm of Light, for instance, and who they will be fighting."

"Yessir." Ikari said, and exited the room with the party.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"From here you may chose whichever weapon, armor, or otherwise suits you best." Ikari said, motioning towards a large chest. "We also have some valuable items, but this chest is very particular. You need to feed it gold for it to spit anything out." Ikari mumbled something about pieces of junk, but most of it went unheard.

The Chest of 1000 Mysteries:

Weapons:

Midnight Staff - A staff that holds much power and controls the darkness around it freely. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 250 Gold. 1 in stock.

Black Gloves - Gloves that are protected by many wards to avoid the user from breaking their own bones. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 300 Gold. 1 in stock.

Charcoal Whip - A whip of the darkest black that sprays a fine powder upon it's enemies. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 320 Gold. 1 in stock.

Green Rapier - A rapier that was painted green for some reason. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 245 Gold. 1 in stock.

Sparkle - A star that seems to shine with radiant light. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Grae - A claw that never seems to be stained with blood. They are always clean. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Yellow Brush - An elegant brush that has been colored yellow. (+3 INT; +1 SPR). 350 Gold.

Armor

Midnight Cloth - Elegant and silky cloth designed to protect and comfort the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 320 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Hikari)

Skin-Tight Suit - A mobile suit designed to allow maximum movement and flexibility, although it shows off quite a lot of the wearer's body. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Sekai)

Jaguar Cloth - A fur obtained from the hide of a jaguar. It is slightly revealing. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 240 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Autumn)

Sun Dress - A dress decorated with many light colors to show of the radiance of the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. (Can be equipped by Flora)

Silk Cloth - A very smooth and light cloth that is much harder to break than it looks. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dawn)

Red Cloth - A cloth tainted red. It's very heavy due to the paint that has covered it. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dusk)

Decorated Apron - A colorful painter's apron that has been decorated by multiple brushes so it gives off a fresh look. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Twilight)

Items:

Potion (x3) - 100 Gold apiece

Hi-Potion (x2) - Heals 50 HP. 200 Gold apiece

Phoenix Down (x2) - 500 Gold apiece.

Antidote (x3) - 50 Gold apiece.

Eye Drops (x2) - Cures Blind and Darkness. 75 Gold apiece.

The Chest of 1000 Mysteries:

Weapons:

Midnight Staff - A staff that holds much power and controls the darkness around it freely. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 250 Gold. 1 in stock.

Black Gloves - Gloves that are protected by many wards to avoid the user from breaking their own bones. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 300 Gold. 1 in stock.

Charcoal Whip - A whip of the darkest black that sprays a fine powder upon it's enemies. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 320 Gold. 1 in stock.

Green Rapier - A rapier that was painted green for some reason. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 245 Gold. 1 in stock.

Sparkle - A star that seems to shine with radiant light. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Grae - A claw that never seems to be stained with blood. They are always clean. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Yellow Brush - An elegant brush that has been colored yellow. (+3 INT; +1 SPR). 350 Gold.

Armor

Midnight Cloth - Elegant and silky cloth designed to protect and comfort the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 320 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Hikari)

Skin-Tight Suit - A mobile suit designed to allow maximum movement and flexibility, although it shows off quite a lot of the wearer's body. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Sekai)

Jaguar Cloth - A fur obtained from the hide of a jaguar. It is slightly revealing. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 240 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Autumn)

Sun Dress - A dress decorated with many light colors to show of the radiance of the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. (Can be equipped by Flora)

Silk Cloth - A very smooth and light cloth that is much harder to break than it looks. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dawn)

Red Cloth - A cloth tainted red. It's very heavy due to the paint that has covered it. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dusk)

Decorated Apron - A colorful painter's apron that has been decorated by multiple brushes so it gives off a fresh look. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Twilight)

Items:

Potion (x3) - 100 Gold apiece

Hi-Potion (x2) - Heals 50 HP. 200 Gold apiece

Phoenix Down (x2) - 500 Gold apiece.

Antidote (x3) - 50 Gold apiece.

Eye Drops (x2) - Cures Blind and Darkness. 75 Gold apiece.

3955 Gold Remaining.

Dawn buys Sparkle and Silk Cloth!
Dusk buys Grae and Red Cloth!

Dawn looked into the chest and underneath everything else she saw a small sparkle. She moved it all away to find a star with rather bright light, resting on silk clothing. She picked them both up and in a whirl changed into them.

Dusk then took over, with permission from Dawn. She picked up some blood red clothing and claws. Changing into them as well, she threw in the appropriate amount of money. Dawn then took back over, the new star dancing around her.

Twilight buys Yellow Brush and Decorated Apron!

Twilight wandered over to the chest and picked up a few items that caught his eye. As he picked them up, the aura that normally coated his paintbrush transfered. He threw gold in and then the trio threw in their old equipment happy with their purchases.

Dawn sells Dying Star and Tattered White Dress.
Dusk sells Old Demon Claws and Bloody Clothing.

Twilight sells Broken Paintbrush and Torn Smock.

The Chest of 1000 Mysteries:

Weapons:

Midnight Staff - A staff that holds much power and controls the darkness around it freely. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 250 Gold. 1 in stock.

Black Gloves - Gloves that are protected by many wards to avoid the user from breaking their own bones. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 300 Gold. 1 in stock.

Charcoal Whip - A whip of the darkest black that sprays a fine powder upon it's enemies. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 320 Gold. 1 in stock.

Green Rapier - A rapier that was painted green for some reason. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 245 Gold. 1 in stock.

Sparkle - A star that seems to shine with radiant light. (+3 INT; +1 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Grae - A claw that never seems to be stained with blood. They are always clean. (+3 ATK; +1 DEF) 200 Gold. 1 in stock.

Yellow Brush - An elegant brush that has been colored yellow. (+3 INT; +1 SPR). 350 Gold.

Armor

Midnight Cloth - Elegant and silky cloth designed to protect and comfort the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 320 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Hikari)

Skin-Tight Suit - A mobile suit designed to allow maximum movement and flexibility, although it shows off quite a lot of the wearer's body. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Sekai)

Jaguar Cloth - A fur obtained from the hide of a jaguar. It is slightly revealing. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 240 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Autumn)

Sun Dress - A dress decorated with many light colors to show of the radiance of the wearer. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. (Can be equipped by Flora)

Silk Cloth - A very smooth and light cloth that is much harder to break than it looks. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dawn)

Red Cloth - A cloth tainted red. It's very heavy due to the paint that has covered it. (+3 DEF; +2 SPR) 200 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Dusk)

Decorated Apron - A colorful painter's apron that has been decorated by multiple brushes so it gives off a fresh look. (+2 DEF; +3 SPR) 300 Gold. 1 in stock. (Can be equipped by Twilight)

Items:

Potion (x3) - 100 Gold apiece

Hi-Potion (x2) - Heals 50 HP. 200 Gold apiece

Phoenix Down (x2) - 500 Gold apiece.

Antidote (x3) - 50 Gold apiece.

Eye Drops (x2) - Cures Blind and Darkness. 75 Gold apiece.

2930 Gold Remaining.

"That's all the equipment, do we need any items?" Hikari asked, looking back at the group. She had a smile on her face, she was enjoying her new clothes more than she had anticipated.

Ikari sighed heavily as the party emptied the chest. Luckily they had one of their own, so not all the items were lost. She looked up at the group and said, "Shall we head back then?" With that, she exited the room, guiding the party back to Jakki.

~~

"I see you outfitted yourselves nicely." Jakki said with a smile upon their return. "Now, let us continue from where we left off, hm?" Jakki motioned to a few seats that were not originally there before. He must have gone to find them for the group. "Please, have a seat, for this will be a long discussion." Jakki said, then looked over at Ikari, "Please let us be alone, Ikari, for what we are about to discuss concerns no one but these six."

"Yessir." Ikari mumbled, exiting the room with the door closing behind her. Jakki sighed and relaxed into one of the chairs he had prepared.

"Forgive me, you didn't take as long as I expected, so I was unable to brew any tea." Jakki said, his face quite serious. "Now then, we left off with the Ian subject, correct?" Jakki looked around the room for acknowledgements before continuing. "The first thing you need to know about Ian is, obviously, his past."

"30 years ago, Ian came to exist in this world. As a child, he remained quiet and secluded from the world, observing it in his own silence. He was a fascinating child, I have to admit. Whenever he spoke, he was proper and careful of his words. A fascinating child with a fascinating mind." Jakki paused, looking up at the ceiling of the room. He waited for quite awhile before continuing, "Then a tragedy struck his life. His parents were brutally murdered by the shadows. I don't know what happened to him after that, only that he had sworn to get revenge on this world, and the Realm of Light."

Jakki sighed, "That is all I know of his past. When he became older, however, he had found the Jewel of Amarthius. That very same object prevents me from touching him. Any questions so far before we continue?"

Upon receiving no answer to his question, Jakki stood up and walked towards one of the walls in the back, his hands folded together behind his back. He seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he turned around and spoke to the group, "In that case, then I shall tell you a secret to defeating him. It's rather simple."

Jakki sighed, "Ian has a short temper, and when he rages, it often interferes with his thought process. That's the only thing. Although it's easy to piss him off, it's not easy to get him out of that state, and if he does go into that state, you won't be able to put him down. He'll just rise up again and attack. Right now, I do not know what to do about getting him to calm down."

"But that is the last advice I can give you. If you have any questions for me, any at all, tell me now. I am just about ready to send the six of you back to the Realm of Light. Let me know when you're ready."

"I believe we could use more training before we try to do anything..."

Dawn's words were true, in their current state they wouldn't stand a chance against this Ian. She looked up at Jakki, her radiant features seemed to dim. It was like the whole thought of it all was putting out her light.

"May we train?"

"I am not asking you to take him out now," Jakki said, waving a hand at them, "You will have plenty of time to train on your own. I'm afraid I cannot train you, and training here is much to dangerous for you." Jakki snapped his fingers once, as if remembering something, and he turned to Hikari and Sekai, both of whom had stayed silent during the duration of Jakki's explanations. "I have one last gift for you two. I will incorporate a magic into the Beads of Light so that you may contact me without coming to this world. But do not use them frequently, for the magic fades over time. If you have a question about something, you'd be better off asking the Sages of Earth or Water. They've been around for a long time."

"Okay." Hikari said, retrieving the beads from her pouch and handing them over to Jakki. Jakki placed them in his palm and waved his other hand over it, mumbling a few, quick words before handing them back. Hikari placed them back in her pouch.

"To use them, just say my name while you hold them in your palm." Jakki explained, "I should answer. Now, I'm sending you back to the Realm of Light, but I do not know if you will return to the Temple of Light or not. For all I know, you could end up in the faraway city of Javelun, which is where the Sage of Earth resides."

Jakki then bowed to the group, "Then, you have my blessings upon you. Do not fail this or your world, for there will be hell to pay for it when the time comes. But I have confidence in you. Stay strong." With that, the world around Hikari and the others grew black, and slowly faded away.

A long time passed, with no one saying a single word. The darkness around them was slowly fading now, and Hikari and Sekai turned back to face the rest of the group. Their eyes were downcast, as if they were sorrowful for something.

Then, Hikari spoke up, "Guys...I'm...I'm sorry we dragged you into this. It's our fault." After she said that, the world finally became clear again, and they could see where they were.

Jakki had apparently transported them to the mountains, for there were steep pathways and the terrain was rather rocky. Off in the distance they could see a faint outline of a city. What city it was, none of them could tell, but it was a city. The best course of action to take would be to head there.

"Nonsense!"

Dawn was the first to break the silence between Hikari's apology. Her star flickered as she spoke, but soon returned to dancing around her. She moved over to the Dreamer and put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"We accepted this when we chose to come with you."

"You chose to..."


Twilight said nothing and rather took out his easle, painting the City in the distance. He was not going to miss out on the sight, enemies leaping out at them or not. He began to paint, soon putting the piece away though and waiting to move on.

(Enemy profiles have been posted. You are supposed to win this next battle, so if I see you're having trouble, I'll send in some help. Look at the Atmosphere before making assumptions. There are times when the Atmosphere is going to be very useful.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you Dawn." Hikari said, relaxing slightly.

The group had made great progress in approaching the town. By the time the sun was almost down, they were nearly at the gates of the city. But in front of the gates stood two women. One of them had, oddly enough, pink hair and a sapphire jewel implanted in her chest, just above her bosom. The other one seemed to be floating in the air, and seemed to be sitting on nothing but the wind. The two of them stopped in their conversation and looked at the approaching group. They didn't look very happy.

~Chapter III~I: New Enemies~
Request Name: Zephyr and Zion
Objectives: Defeat Sophia and Senna!
Atmosphere: Almost Nightfall. The winds are calm...for now. (Tension, increase the defence and spirit of the allied party by 5)
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk16--gdlHg


(W) (W) (W) (X) (X) (X) (W) (W) (W) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) B
( ) ( ) ( ) (A) ( ) (S) ( ) ( ) ( ) C
(T) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) E
(t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) F
(t) (t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) (t) G
(r) (r) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (r) (r) H
(r) (r) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (r) (r) I
(r) (r) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (r) (r) J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Sophia
HP: 150/150
MP: 210/210
ATK: 14
DEF: 10
INT: 17
SPR: 13
Move: 3

Senna
HP: 130/130
MP: 305/305
ATK: 5
DEF: 11
INT: 18
SPR: 15
Move: 4

(t) = Tree (Scenery)

(r) = Rock (Scenery)

~Player Characters may start in rows H-J~

Dusk starts in H5!

Dusk immediately broke free from the prison of Dawn's mind. She raised her new claws, putting them to her mouth. She smelled the scent of blood on them even though they had never been used. She tasted the metal, enjoying the lingering taste of the liquid that wasn't there. She hissed at the females, her eyes flaring as she lowered her claws.

Twilight starts in I5!

Twilight frowned as he saw the females. He looked down at the picture he painted moments ago. They did not fit in with what he had so far, and therefor to continue painting he had to get rid of them. He raised his paintbrush, the aura like paint dripping from the animal hair.

Hikari starts in J-5

Sekai starts in H-6

"Who do you think they are?" Hikari asked quitely to her sister. Sekai didn't respond. She had no idea either.


~
Flora can't start in I-7! Flora is moved to I-6 by default.
~
"Senna, those are the people Zion was talking about, right?" The girl on the ground asked. Her voice was soft and delicate, as if she hung onto each word she had said. The other shrugged.

"The description fits." The floating one replied. Her voice was rather bland and nonchalant. "Hey! What are your names?" The woman called out to them.

~Chapter III~I: New Enemies~
Request Name: Zephyr and Zion
Objectives: Defeat Sophia and Senna!
Atmosphere: Almost Nightfall. The winds are calm...for now. (Tension, increase the defence and spirit of the allied party by 5)
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk16--gdlHg


(W) (W) (W) (X) (X) (X) (W) (W) (W) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) B
( ) ( ) ( ) (A) ( ) (S) ( ) ( ) ( ) C
(T) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) D
(t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) E
(t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) F
(t) (t) (t) ( ) ( ) ( ) (t) (t) (t) G
(r) (r) (t) ( ) (D) (S) (t) (r) (r) H
(r) (r) (t) (A) (T) (F) (t) (r) (r) I
(r) (r) (t) ( ) (H) ( ) (t) (r) (r) J
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9

Hikari
HP: 30/30
MP: 50/50
Atk: 0
Def: 8---13
Int: 13
Spr: 11---16
Move: 3

Sekai
HP: 45/45
MP: 25/25
ATK: 13
DEF: 12---17
INT: 0
SPR: 8---13
Move: 4

Autumn
HP: 45/45
MP: 35/35
Atk: 13
Def: 10---15
Int: 3
Spr: 6---11
Move: 3

Flora
HP: 35/35
MP: 40/40
Atk: 13
Def: 9---14
Int: 1
Spr: 7---12
Move: 3

Eventide (Dusk)
Hp: 25/25
Mp: 30/30
Atk: 12
Def: 13---18
Int: 0
Spr: 9---14
Move: 3

Twilight
Hp: 20/20
Mp: 25/25
Atk: 0
Def: 10---15
Int: 13
Spr: 13---18
Move: 3

Sophia
HP: 150/150
MP: 210/210
ATK: 14
DEF: 10
INT: 17
SPR: 13
Move: 3

Senna
HP: 130/130
MP: 305/305
ATK: 5
DEF: 11
INT: 18
SPR: 15
Move: 4

(t) = Tree (Scenery)

(r) = Rock (Scenery)

~Player Phase I~