Tales of a Dreamer: The Beads of Light

Hikari managed to catch up to Rai fairly quickly, the crowd was more than willing to part for her. Such kind people. Hikari took a look down at the bag she was holding when Rai mentioned it and laughed nervously. "Actually, this is for everyone. I figured that medicine is going to be extremely important to us, since we've been travelling all over the place lately. I have yet to search for my own equipment." Hikari looked up at the shop Rai was about to enter. "The weapon shop is your next stop, then? I hope you don't mind if I join you," Hikari said with a smile, allowing herself to enter the shop and waiting for Rai to follow. She hoped the older woman wouldn't mind.

Hikari's attention was immediately wrenched away from Rai and towards the friendly greeting that the shopowners had given them. Hikari's face lit up with a bright smile and greeted them back, saying to Rai, "It's nice to see that such kind people exist. And they're all over the place in this city, which makes it a huge surprise. In fact, Jesu City is known as the friendliest city in Ermith, while the Barbarian villages to the west are the most hostile. I really hope we never have to go there."

Hikari looked off to the side, seeing a few things that caught her eye. Magic tools for all different kinds of wizards and witches were displayed upon the wall. Circlets, staves, wands, magic cards, and an assortment of other magic tools could be seen. Hikari picked up a staff with a red orb at the top. It was much like her staff, only the wood around the red orb was securely keeping the orb from falling out, and the gnarled handle of the wood made for an excellent shape to help with grasping. Not to mention the orb itself seemed much stronger than the one she currently possessed.

"I think this will do for myself," Hikari said aloud, then began to search for a weapon for Sekai. However, she couldn't find any gloves that were fit for Sekai. Hikari saw geomancer gloves, alchemy gloves, and even molding gloves, but no gloves for a martial artist. Hikari quickly went up to the old man behind the counter. "Um, you don't happen to have anything for a martial artist, do you?" Hikari asked tentatively.

"Of course we do!" The old man said quickly, pointing to the wall behind her. On the wall hung multiple different-sized bars that looked very heavy and very sturdy. Hikari frowned a bit and walked over to the bars, slightly confused. She checked the prices on the bars and finally managed to find one that wasn't too pricey, and that they would be able to return it if Sekai didn't happen to like it. The trouble arose when Hikari attempted to lift it up. She managed to get it off of the rack it was sitting on, but since Hikari couldn't support the bar's weight, she immediately dropped it and caused various other bars and claws and such to fall down off the rack and onto the floor.

"Oh...no.." Hikari said, embarrassed by what she had done. "Um..." Hikari seemed at a loss for what to do next.

Melody could feel the emotions as well as she could the cold coming from the young child. There didn't appear to be much to read. She certainly wasn't an ordinary little girl, that was for sure, but Melody was glad to be able to spend time with her regardless. A gentle smile upon her face, Melody led Amaya out of the inn, gripping her hand softly. She trundled along the busy streets with the girl, taking in the emotions of the people they passed as they went. Some were immensely happy...well, most were immensely happy. As a matter of fact, she couldn't feel much sadness or anger coming from anyone. Such carefree people, she thought whimsically as the duo approached the inn. She stopped in front of the entrance with Amaya.

"Rai might not be here yet," Melody said aloud, but the comment was obviously directed towards the young girl she was with. "If she isn't, I guess we get to spend more time together. Tell me, what is it that you like to do for fun, Amaya?" she asked, and, being the psychic that she was, prepared herself for an answer that would be all too expected.

Inside the inn, Mia stashed away her cleaning cloth and sheathed her blade in a quick motion as she stood up and marched towards the door that served as the inn's entrance and exit. With an unreadable expression, she swung the door open to reveal Melody and Amaya. "How long were you planning on just looking at the door instead of opening it?" she shot at Melody, though her voice was as calm as it usually was.

Hikari's face turned as red as an apple, fidgeting slightly out of embarrassment. She turned around and bowed to the shopkeepers, apologizing frantically for her blunder. Hikari said nothing to Rai and instead took her advice and started looking for something for Amaya. Hikari knew that Amaya wasn't really a colorful sight to behold, what with her pale appearance, so maybe something fashionable would be nice for the child.

A flash of color passed her vision as she browsed, and Hikari's eyes immediately shot back to the source. A long cloth, much like the one Amaya held now, sat on a stand, folded up nice and neat. It was by far the most colorful thing Hikari had ever seen in a weapon shop, and she picked it up, marveling at its weightlessness. The cloth had various different light colors splashed on it, resembling in a way a rainbow.

"I think Amaya would love this," Hikari said, finally speaking to Rai again. Her embarrassment from before had vanished in the short amount of time it took for her to find the rainbow cloth. Hikari looked up at Rai, remembering Sekai's need of equipment. "Would you mind getting that bar for Sekai? I can't really lift those bars, they're too heavy for me. I'll go ahead and pay for everything."

Hikari smiled again and turned to the shopkeepers, putting down the cloth and the staff gently, reaching into her bag for the gold. She turned over the gold and the older shopkeeper quickly took it and thanked them for their business.

Hikari buys Rainbow Ribbon, Red Staff, and Steel Bar for 555 Gold!

The weapons have been added to the Inventory.

"Oh my," Melody merely stated as she nodded to Mia who moved aside as the older woman guiding Amaya into the inn. Mia closed the door behind them. "Thank you, Mia, dear," she said and knelt down next to Amaya. "Fun is associated with happy, yes," she explained. "Perhaps we can just sit on the couch and you can hold my hand until Miss Rai gets back?" she inquired, partly rhetorically, for she made her way over to the couch in the lobby of the inn and took a seat, guiding the young girl all the way, hand in hand.

Mia moved over towards them. "I'm glad you have someone else to bother for a change," she stated, somewhat relieved. She took a seat in a chair close to the couch before taking a moment to point at the empath. "You'll grow tired of this one eventually, Amaya. All she does is prattle on and try to interfere in your affairs," she shot antagonistically.

"Oh, Mia, I'm not trying to get into your business--" Melody started, but she couldn't finish her sentence. Burning anger filled her mind and it was giving her a severe headache...and she knew what the source was.

"Then what are you trying to do, huh?" she retorted violently, her voice raising slightly. She looked at the pained expression upon Melody's face. "I thought I told you to stop thinking about it! It's over. I've said it once, I've said it a million damn times. But you just want to keep prying, right? What do you get out of this?" Her voice had fallen back to its usual volume, but the hatred was so evident in her tone that no one could miss it--even if they weren't an empath.

Melody felt the pain twice as hard as anyone would. She grew eerily silent before speaking up a couple of minutes later. Mia hadn't made a move to say anything else either. "We...can discuss things later. I don't want Amaya to get distressed," she explained, stroking the young child's hair. It was rather cold, much like the rest of her body.

Mia huffed and said nothing more.

Mia huffed at the girl's question. "Of course that's what I meant. What are you? Dense?" she snapped viciously. "On second thought, maybe you two would be perfect together. I've already grown tired of you, as well." The young girl stood up abruptly and adjusted the sword that was sheated at her side. She moved elegantly towards the stairs, her movements not really portraying the anger she was feeling within.

"Mia, where do you think you're going? You need to apologize to Amaya. Right now," she tried to warn the young girl authoritatively, but knew that her words would most likely fall upon deaf ears. She didn't want to get up in the case that Amaya was comfortable. The girl seemed so out of it sometimes that it was really hard to tell, but with her powers, all she could feel is a vacant curiosity coming from the girl which was being vastly overwhelmed by the emotions Mia was pouring out at the moment.

"There, Melody," Mia stated simply and stopped for a moment at the base of the stairs. "You have a new child to care for, so you can do us BOTH a favor and leave me the hell alone. Whether you mean good or no, you....just no." Her words were so quiet and calm, but the rage and tension was evident. The air around her seemed to waver with a dark aura, and she said nothing more, walking up the stairs quickly. Entering her room that she was unfortunately sharing with Melody, she slammed the door shut behind her.

Melody had seen the aura and was slightly perturbed, a mixture of Mia's fierce anger and defiance and her own sadness pooled inside of her. She placed her free hand on her heart whilst she continued to stroke Amaya's hair. "I...I worry about her sometimes," she said, her voice unbelievably sad. She stifled a sob, and the tears started slowly trickling down her cheeks. She smiled at Amaya. "But that's nothing you need to worry about, Amaya. She's more angry at me; I'm sure she didn't mean what she said about being tired of you," the empath explained. She figured an onslaught of questions would be coming next, and she laughed while wiping away her tears.

"Ah, then I have no right to stop you," Hikari replied happily, her smile brightening. "The only place I have yet to visit is the armor shop. The only problem is getting there," Hikari said, looking out at the bustling crowd on the streets. There seemed to be no end to the river of citizens crossing the street. Jesu City was truly a magnificent place. The city and its people seemed to be in harmony with each other, and not only that, but even the weather seemed to agree with them.

Jesu City is one of the most overpopulated cities in Ermith, but even so everything seems to click together, like a well-oiled grandfather clock.

Hikari walked out onto the street and almost immediately, the crowd seemed to split to allow her and Rai a clean passage across to the armor shop. Hikari was nearly dumbfounded by this, since it was the first time something like this had happened to her. Were the people in such a trance of everyday life that they would simply part for them? Or was this just a kindness that is shown to travelers? Regardless, Hikari spoke aloud her thanks and made her way into the armor shop.

When they entered, Hikari skipped away from Rai and to the dress rack, where a few old-fashioned robes hung. She reached into the rack with her hands until she felt something silky-soft. Hikari pulled it out and took a quick look at it. It was a midnight blue dress with small, white dots randomly placed around it. It seemed to be a sort of dress that represented the night sky.

Hikari checked the price. It was within the scope of what they had, and left quite a bit more for Sekai's clothing needs. Hikari quickly located an appropriate cloth for Sekai, although it was not appropriate to look at. Sekai was always one for showing off, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Okay, note to self: Don't shop for Sekai anymore," Hikari mumbled, looking at the tightsuit. Hikari quickly paid for the two articles of clothing and in just another moment, she was on her way out of the shop, making sure to wait for Rai if needed.

"I think I should lift my magic from Sekai now," Hikari said aloud to Rai, "I don't want her getting sleep cramps. That's the last thing she needs, something to complain about."

Melody shivered as she felt the temperature drop, the freezing fingers upon her warm skin turned her tears to ice with ease. She stared into Amaya's eyes, but what was it that she truly saw? A distressed woman who cared too much for some troubled little girl. But she blinked and smiled warmly at the young girl before her, asking her all these questions. Her heart knew the answers; it was her heart that she had been following all this time. Never once had it led her astray; it only made her stronger. She could resist many things. These tears were nothing now. They were something she could handle.

"Don't misunderstand, dear. Mia wants nothing to do with me...at least when it comes to interfering with her life. We're close comrades though, as long as I don't meddle, but I always do. And I always evoke her wrath like I did just now," Melody explained, her smile a weary one now. "I could just shy away from her....leave her by the wayside. But what would become of her then? She'd only grow more and more bitter, turning her into...a monster." An image of the dark aura that Mia had generated around herself as she trudged up the stairs flashed through the empath's mind and she shuddered.

"Even now I worry if she can be saved," Melody continued. "She's innocent on the inside. I care because I can't let her fall victim to those raging feelings swirling about inside of her. They'll turn her into something she's not. I guess it doesn't make much sense to you." She paused and thought for a moment. "Mia lost her parents at a very young age. Her mother and father were fighters until the end. They sought to take out a malicious empire. It was crazy though. Her parents were so powerful. There was a rebellion militia ready to support them, but they denied the help. Those two waltzed into enemy territory and decimated entire legions on their own." She took a moment and shook her head.

"They did it. They found Mia's mother's body in the throne room. The king was dead. The prince had sought vengeance with a dangerous manacium, and it was assumed they had struck each other down. Mia's father was never found. It's assumed he either died or escaped while Mia's mother entered the king's castle. Oddly enough, Mia's mother's body disappeared from the caravan that was carrying it back to her hometown. So, the two are completely missing," Melody said, a determined look set upon her face. "I think they're still alive somewhere, but Mia thinks they're dead and she's trying to convince herself that it's best that way. She has some resentment towards them for abandoning her so recklessly to destroy an empire on their own."

"So, I'm out on a journey to find her parents, and she knows this, despite me saying it's a secret, and she's not happy about it," Melody concluded. "That's why we have so many desputes anyway. It's not that she truly feels a deep-seated hatred for me, it's just that she's afraid. But facing the parents I know are still alive will be something critical to her escaping complete consumption by chaos." The empath took a deep breath. "I'm sorry if that wasn't exactly an entertaining story, dear."

"Oh, I think Amaya is just fine. From what I can tell she's a nice child. Melody and Mia argue a lot, but I'm certain everyone is okay."

"Ah! Yes, I'm ready to go," Hikari answered with a smile. She led the way out of the shop and back onto the crowded streets of the large city. "I can wake Sekai from here," Hikari explained shortly as she raised her new staff above her head. A light blinked from within the red orb and shot up into the sky. It continued to soar upwards until it was out of sight, and Hikari lowered her staff. "That should have done it." Hikari shifted slightly, still carrying the bag of medicines and the clothing and her staff. It seemed like a lot, but Hikari was happy to have so much stuff available for her and her friends.

It was as if Hikari enjoyed shopping.

~

"Ugh, my head..." Sekai groaned dramatically, attempting to push away the pain from her legs with pain from her head. "I'll have to tell Hikari to quit with the hallucination magic. It's worse than a hangover. And hangovers suck." The young woman shifted and pulled herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes with bare, pale white hands. Sekai was so used to wearing gloves all the time, her hands never calloused or tanned. It felt weird to not wear gloves.

Sekai looked around and yawned. She was put inside the room Hikari used last night at the inn. There were two beds, positioned at either side of the room, a window with fabulous, silk curtains, and a hardwood floor. It was a very nice-looking inn, that was for sure.

"This doesn't even come close to beating the guest rooms at the castle," Sekai observed critically, grinning slightly at her own playfulness. She cared not for jewelry or pretty dresses or a fabulous room with all the designer hits. What Sekai wanted was something much more basic, something primitive. Hikari was the only relative that understood her.

Sekai sighed, frowning at the room around her. She didn't feel like getting up, nor did she feel like putting her long, brown hair back into a ponytail. Sekai kept it hanging down flat on her back for now. It would be heavy...if she wasn't so muscular.

Melody was a bit surprised at Amaya's words. Why would she want to harm the girl? People came in all sorts of ways of thinking, so she figured there were others who might have been afraid, but Melody couldn't be. What others might have misinterpreted to be scary, Melody thought as sweet. After all, the girl had listened to her, something people craved. Just someone to listen. Melody was fine with holding everything in. It was her job as someone with a deeper sense of understanding to listen to others--at least, that was her newest sense of responsibility when she realized her psychic powers had expanded to include empathy.

"I do feel much better, thank you," Melody said gently, her look of surprise fading to be replaced with a soft smile. Her tears had stopped flowing and she wiped the remains of her old ones from her cheeks. She only bothered to answer the last of Amaya's questions; she seemed a bit confused about what to ask. Without saying, it was true that she loved Mia with every fiber of her being, for if she hadn't, she would have walked out of that troubled girl's life a long time ago. However, as Amaya launched her final statement about wanting to speak to Mia, Melody felt unsettled.

"I...I don't know if that's a good idea or not," she said quickly, trying to deter the girl from her wish. "Mia's not like me. She doesn't understand people nor does she have a desire to do so when it's much easier just to slice them down. Well...only people that irritate her." She felt a bit sad again, but shrugged it off. "She actually gets along with people decently. She likes to keep her thoughts and stuff to herself. When she's not yelling at me, she's quite reserved and calm. Serious. Too serious for a girl her age, but it comes with the life she's had to live. You've witnessed what she's like. You know." The empath paused to let out a sigh. "I don't know what Rai thinks of Mia, but she's not dangerous. Not now, at least. I guess you can go speak to her..."

"My abilities come from my inheritance. My dowry, really." Hikari explained, her cheeks getting a little rosy from mentioning such things. "My mother was a proud magician, and she taught me the basics before she died. My power is simply a result of that."

"Oh no, I'm quite fine with all of this," Hikari smiled, happy to hear that Rai wanted to help her even more. But she didn't feel overburdened by the weight of the items. Most of them were rather light. It was more that she carried so much that it appeared to overburden her. "If anything I want to carry all this."

As the inn came in sight, Hikari grew ever more impatient to see how Sekai was holding up. But at Rai's comment, she giggled. "I didn't know you were that loath to join up with everyone else," Hikari joked, smiling at the knight. Her laughter was soon halted when she saw a commotion in the crowd behind them, accompanied by shouting.

"Lady Hikari!" The voice was shouting, drawing Hikari's attention. She recognized the voice from somewhere. The crowd was too thick though, which made Hikari unable to see the face of the person who was calling her. "I've finally found you!" In a split second, a masked face jumped out of the break in the crowd and lunged at the former princess, a small dagger in the figure's hand. But in the next moment, that figure was pounded to the ground by a pair of bare feet. The stone that greeted the assassin cracked under the impressive weight of the attack.

Hikari's savior jumped off of the assassin, her long brown hair being tossed from side to side as she landed gently on her feet. Sekai glared down at the man, unconscious on the ground. "That's what you get for attacking my sister, lowlife!" Sekai snapped, looking furious. Her furious brown eyes instantly changed to concerned as Sekai looked up at Hikari. "Jeez Hikari, I can't leave you for a second, can I?"

"You do know that Rai is here, and I'm more than capable of defending myself," Hikari mentioned, lowering her staff. She would have made it in time, that was certain. But no one, not even Rai, would be able to match Sekai's agility. Hikari smiled, "I'm glad to see you're doing fine."

"It's not about me anymore, little sister, we need to leave asap," Sekai interrupted, looking distressed now. "If there are assassins after you even in this city, then we need to get out."

"It's a good thing I have a lead," Hikari said, "We'll head towards the Temple of Water as soon as we can gather everyone up." Hikari stopped, looking at the door of the inn as it opened, revealing the small child, Amaya. "Well, this makes things much easier," Hikari said lightly, beaming at the child.

Amaya was definitely an interesting girl. Was she not afraid of her body being physically hurt? She tried her powers on the girl, but got nothing but the endless curiosity that seemed to fill the very girl's essence. It was strange, but there was nothing that could be done about it. She felt Sekai was awake; it had been sudden. Was it triggered by something? Melody shook her head and stood up, watching Amaya run to the door of the inn with a smile on her face. The others were drawing nearer. That's when she clutched her head. She felt the intent to kill. It was so strong that she groaned and had to resist the pressure in order to remain standing. Her eyes were closed and she couldn't tell what was going on around her until the feelings were abruptly stamped out and all became silent. She waited a moment and Rai made it to the door of the inn.

"She gave me no trouble at all," Melody said gently, but there was still great worry in her voice. "Don't tell me that intent to kill had to do with..." She knew. She could feel it coming off of Rai. "I was scared. That person, whoever it was...they really wanted to kill who they were targeting. That's what it had felt like in that instant, anyway."

"Quit prattling on and let's move then," the voice of Mia resounded suddenly. A dimensional rift appeared next to Rai and Mia stepped out gracefully, her blade at her side. Her eyes were closed, her face creased with solemnity. It made her look older than she actually was. "The longer we stay here, the longer we're exposed to the danger--the possibilities of assassins lurking about." She said nothing more and made her way out of the inn.

Melody nodded her head to Rai. "Yes, she's obviously here," the woman said uneasily. "We're ready to go when you are."

"Then let's get outta here," Sekai said, clapping her bare hands together. In a display of acrobatic professionalism, Sekai leaped up onto the ledge/overhang over the inn entrance and flipped her body up into the air. She grabbed the open windowsill and threw herself inside. In a matter of seconds, she flew back out of the window and landed heavily on the assassin that attempted to kill Hikari. Her hair was back into a ponytail and her gloves were back on her hands, as well as her boots on her feet.

Hikari nodded once, glad that Sekai was quick to get ready for their continued adventure. They would exchange armor and weapons on the way to the lake, as well as explain to Melody what had happened with the assassin. Leading the group, Hikari took her place behind Sekai, as the older sister refused to allow her to not be protected from the front or the back.

~

The Forgotten Lake. Ages of erosion and constant rain around the Temple of Water caused this lake to form, and it continues to grow even to this day, though it does not yet pose a threat to Jesu city. The crystal clear water does not reflect blue light, making it seem like there is no lake at all, hence its name. Far out off the coast, the silhouette of a tall tower could be spotted.

"There are a few things you guys should know about this lake here," Hikari began, turning to face the group while staying a good distance away from the nearly-invisible water. "To those of you who do not see the color of this lake, which is a complete, void-like black, you are unable to see the natural-born magic of this world, which we call mana. This entire lake was formed entirely from the water that the Temple of Water summoned. So, essentially, this lake is a magic pool, holding an enormous quantity of energy. If you were to submerge yourself or a part of your body into the water, your mana circuits would be destroyed."

"Which is why you aren't supposed to go anywhere near this water," Sekai continued, "It extremely dangerous, even to those who don't use mana. So, you might wonder how we get to the temple."

Hikari fidgeted slightly, looking back at the water. "In order to light the temple, we need to get inside of it safely. To do that, we have to enter the water using my magic to shield us from harm. It's the only way, and it is dangerous, very, very dangerous. There are monsters in the water that can harm us, even with my shield protecting us from the magic. They were born of this water, so not only are they not affected by the water, they have a unlimited supply of mana."

"If any of you do not want to take the risk and go to the Temple of Water, now's your chance to step down," Hikari looked back up at the others, her confident look set in stone upon her face. "I will not force you to come with me, though your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Both by me, and by all of Ermith and Naletia."

"No, no," Melody said with a gentle, yet determined voice. "We've come along this far and faced great danger already. It would be horrible to let you go it alone." She looked at the water. It was a somewhat frightening sight. Were they truly to enter the water? What would become of them once they did? Melody trusted Hikari's magic, for it was some of the strongest she had witnessed. As long as they remained together, she was sure they could overcome whatever awaited them within.

Mia remained silent, listlessly looking out over the Forgotten Lake towards the tower in the distance. "Leaving now would be pointless," she stated eventually. "I've lent my blade this long, as Melody said, so I suppose it would not hurt to continue to do so." She said nothing more and just continued to gaze out at the tower once more. There was no telling what was going through her mind. All that Melody could sense was a frightening emptiness. Not even anger could be read from the young girl. Perhaps she had just calmed down after leaving the city.

Hikari brightened, happy to have such loyal comrades beside her. She took her staff out and approached the water, pointing the orb down towards the black liquid. Summoning her inner strength, Hikari began to create a small field in front of her staff, which expanded more and more until it was able to wrap around the six of them, shielding them from the outer forces. Allowing only oxygen and carbon to enter and exit, Hikari took a step forward into the water.

The water gave way underneath Hikari's foot long before she set it down on the dry sand beneath the natural magic. Her spell had worked, they were shielded from the water, for now. Gesturing for the others to follow her closely, Hikari led the party into the Forgotten Lake.

~

For what seemed like hours, the party slowly walked towards the Temple of Water, guided by Sekai's eyes, for Hikari's own vision was clouded by the black liquid that surrounded her. But Hikari knew that their peace was soon to stop, as she sensed the presence of multiple hostile creatures approaching. Those unable to see the blackness of the magic around them would also see these creatures coming, though a bit later.

"Watch out everyone," Hikari warned, twirling her staff in the air before slamming it down into the sand, where it would stay put. "I sense hostiles approaching," she continued letting go of her staff. "I can help get rid of the hostiles, but my staff needs a constant source of mana. Sekai, your close ranged abilities won't do much good here, so do you want to take it up first?" Sekai merely stepped forward and grabbed the staff, holding it there in place with a smile as she felt her energies begin to drain away rapidly.

Chapter II~I - The Sage of Water
Battle Number: 1
Battle Type: Enemy Party v.s. Player Party
Objective: Defeat the enemies!
Atmosphere: Surrounded by Hostile Magics (Touching the water here will cause Silence 100% of the time. Even a little bit. So don't touch it.)
Soundtrack: Under the Depths

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) A
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) B
( ) ( ) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) ( ) ( ) C
( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) D
( ) ( ) (-) ( ) (H) (S) ( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) E
( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) (S) ( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) F
(G) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (-) ( ) (W) G
( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (-) ( ) ( ) H
( ) ( ) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-) ( ) ( ) I
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) J
(L) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) (M) K
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---10--11

~Hikari does not gain stat bonuses from her staff this battle~

Hikari (REM Cleric)
Lvl: 10
HP: 40/40
MP: 65/65
ATK: 0
DEF: 10
INT: 14
SPR: 11
Move: 2

Sekai (Martial Artist)
Lvl: 10
HP: 65/65
MP: 35/35
ATK: 23
DEF: 11
INT: 0
SPR: 8
Move: 4

Misty (Mermaid)
Lvl: 10
HP: 70
MP: --
Atk: 14
Def: 11
Int: 15
Spr: 13
Move: 4

Liquid (Mermaid)
Lvl: 10
HP: 70
MP: --
Atk: 14
Def: 11
Int: 15
Spr: 13
Move: 4

Watera (Mermaid)
Lvl: 10
HP: 70
MP: --
Atk: 14
Def: 11
Int: 15
Spr: 13
Move: 4

Glossy (Mermaid)
Lvl: 10
HP: 70
MP: --
Atk: 14
Def: 11
Int: 15
Spr: 13
Move: 4

(S) - Red Staff - It's Hikari's stave! We need to keep it supplied with plenty of mana!
Trigger Command: Supply - Spend 5 MP to keep the barrier up! Cannot be used if Silenced.
Trigger Command: Commandeer - Hikari only. Allows Hikari to keep the barrier up without using up any mana.

(-) - Magical Barrier - The thing that's keeping the party alive. Don't cross it.

( ) - Black Water Cell - This is the stuff you don't want to touch. So don't touch it.

~Player Characters may start anywhere within the Magical Barrier's walls~