Chiming of the Belles [Event-Halloween]

[E-Rank] Anchoring Oneself
[D-Rank] Exploring Your World
[C-Rank] Finding Monsters
[B-Rank] Giving Form to the Formless
[A-Rank] Nightmares Have Dreams
[S-Rank] Nightmarish Avatar, Devourer of Dreams

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 100 DTs + Dream Waiver
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC

[Normal Appearance minus small adjustment to physique as detailed below.]

Reaching out with some semblance of recognition of what was going on, Marabelle sought after those who felt similar or could be worked with in the future as her emotions and dreams began to fill the space. A massive spire grew before her as she looked up at the top, a bell tower stood tall, piecing into the ethereal sea of dreams before her. She knew this was a chance to call out, to reach out, to hear out those who may be willing to join her cause of a better world. It was a working idea and thought and perhaps through investigation of the Land of Nightmares and what transpired to cause it to become so, would allow her to find others to pull into her cause. She was a seedling leader looking for others to water and help her grow but also for those who wandered as she herself was a wanderer.

Her stature remained the same as she formed her body once more in the Dreamscape, her back rejoiced once more in the sensation of a weight being lifted off of her. If her body could sing it would as she stretched out and prepared for what was to come. The Everbloom's kimono clashed against the backdrop formed before her as she moved, but the design remained in place. The only time the design moved was if she had moved against the space itself. It was as if looking through a lens of some kind but the only way to change what you saw was to move the thing you were looking at and not the lens. She stood alone for the moment but she knew there would be others to arrive and meet. She was not a shy little girl though her appearance might argue it.

WC: 300, TWC: 300 | TMWC: 300 / 15,500

"It is time."

"Is it? All so suddenly?"

"Yes."

"Can't I just go back to sleep?"

"No."

"How are you going to stop me if I close my eyes and refuse to get up?"

"That matters little. The transition has already begun."

The chime of a large bell from a distant tower reverberated through the mind of the traveler as the distant spire in the dreamscape was accompanied by a forest of trees surrounding it. Willows and oaks; ancient trees that were familiar to the southern part of the continent and primarily found around sources of water. The apparition was in the blink of an eye as he occupied space that was once vacant some five meters from the pink-haired girl. The form of the traveler had shifted some, the typical lankiness to his features present though his person was nondescript; a pattern of pencil markings strewn across a black and white outline of a person. It was easy to see hands, legs, arms, and feet, but there was no definition to them outside of the outline, which constantly shifted in an endless sprawl of unending marks and lines cutting across the planes of his figure. The exception to this started at the neck; his facial features frozen amidst the sporadic sprawl of his body into a stoic set of eyes that flickered with pupilless color. Violet hues gave way to warm orange and brilliant greens, his mouth and nose sculpted in the same black and white ink but with a definition that made one believe everything around the image of his face was meant to be blurry. Captivating, or perhaps unsettling. Either way, for all the uncertainty that the rest of him showed, it was these features masked only by the occasional draping of black hair that remained immutable.

Standing as he was, his gaze turned to the only other figure in the immediate area, his eyes blinking a couple of times as he came to terms with the kaleidoscope of pink and red that her outfit gave off before he'd lift a hand to rub what she could assume was his thumb across his nose a couple of times. "Hmh." He would intone. "You didn't say there was going to be anyone else here." It was unclear who it was he might have been speaking to, though when no immediate response came, the boy would glance this way and that, taking in his surroundings and seemingly not terribly shaken up about finding himself in an unfamiliar place. No, he had an air about him that suggested this was more common than uncommon. Whatever he might have been looking for, he didn't seem to find, and instead retrained his gaze on the smaller woman, studying her for a moment before he breathed out a soft sigh.

"Hey kid. Crazy dream, huh?" He spoke casually, though if Marabelle was particularly perceptive in social graces, it wouldn't be hard to recognize that Joski was attempting to be comforting. Turning, he'd gaze at the bell tower in the distance for some time, his eyes reaching skyward to plant on the very top, wondering if this was the same sort of thing that had happened a year ago. Appendages akin to fingers would stroke at his chin before he spoke again. "If something spooky happens, don't worry. It's just a dream. And dreams can't hurt you." Or at least, he would make an effort to make his claim a reality as best he could, though all the same, he'd offer another reassuring nod to the girl. Granted, she didn't exactly seem all that freaked out. But these places had a funny way of getting crazy fast. Best to establish himself as a friend before anything truly spooky showed up.

WC - 626

A light wind gusted through the open door, waking the monk from his slumber. The smell of incense was carried on the breeze, filling his nostrils with the scent of home. A sense of comfort bloomed inside of him, filling his heart and warming his bones. Yes, he knew where he was. He sat up slowly from his futon and looked around his bedroom, built from centuries old wooden beams that held sturdy and steadfast as they day they were erected. The room was sparsely furnished, containing only a wooden chest of drawers, a small writing desk, and a cushion to sit on. The room was filled with amber light, motes of dust dancing within the scattered rays, and as he gazed wistfully out of the open door and across the open balcony, he could see the sun glowing warmly like a lantern hung low in the sky.

This was the Temple of Wind, the only home Akash had ever known. But how he arrived back here was a mystery to the monk, one that pressed on his mind. Slowly, Akash stood up and wandered through the door out to the balcony, where he stood a moment cherishing the breathtaking mountain scape that surrounded his temple home, so high above the rest of civilization that the skies expanded endlessly in every direction. The monks revered the wind itself as a spiritual guide, and what better way to understand the winds than to live among the clouds. After a moment of reflection, Akash turned and continued along the balcony toward the courtyard pathway, where he began to hear a familiar sound. The distant drone of monks chanting mantras.

Akash felt his heart skip a beat. Surely, he must not be the only one here! His steps quickened as he seemed to glide down the walkway into the courtyard, passing a large bronze bell on his way to the sanctuary. Something in the corner of his eye made him stop, however, and turn back to take a closer look at the bell. It was as tall as he was if not slightly more so, and it had been polished regularly every day by the resident monks. But it wasn't the bell itself that gave him pause. Standing in his reflection was a boy perhaps younger than he was, with features that were starkly different to his own. The usual blue tint to Akash's skin was gone, and was replaced by blue arrow tattoos spanning the length of his body, rounding his head and gliding down each of his arms. His right shoulder was bared in a more traditional style robe, his head was shaved clean, and around his neck was a tasseled wooden amulet adorned with the emblem of air, such as those that were worn by the Wind Temple masters.

Akash was perturbed by his sudden change of appearance. How would the other monks recognize him? But his thoughts were quickly swept away when he heard a familiar voice acknowledge him. "Disciple Akash," it said, and he quickly turned to see an old man wearing full robes the color of turmeric and saffron, his head bald except for the long white beard that could have been tucked into his belt. A wooden amulet like the one Akash now wore was draped over the man's neck, and his eyes twinkled kindly.

Akash stared at the old man, his mouth open in bewilderment. "Master Jing," he whispered, pressing his palms together and bowing respectfully, his usually airy voice cracking with emotion. "Master, how... are you here? Remember, you passed away before I left the temple... I attended your funeral," he said, a clenching feeling in his gut. The old man smiled patiently. "Akash, you must look beyond what you see... Surely you have realized that the world that we are standing in is of no ordinary sort. There is a journey ahead of you, Akash. You must venture out of this temple, and seek what it is you're meant to find."

Akash was silent as he processed Master Jing's words, his brows furrowed softly. "A journey?" he repeated, before nodding slowly. "... Then I shall go to meet it." The old man smiled proudly, before holding out his staff to the young monk. When Akash grasped it, a pair of red wings expanded from the sides, turning the simple staff into a fan-like glider. His face lit up when he saw it, and he laughed. "How interesting!" he marveled, and Master Jing chuckled. "It is a tool that will help you on your path," he explained, gesturing to the open skies surrounding the temple. "You may use it to glide safely to the surface of this world, where your journey will truly begin. Ah, and lest I forget... I have another gift for you." As he spoke, a ring tailed lemur appeared from behind him and scampered up Akash's shoulder. It had a small, dark face and large, bat-like ears, and its body was covered in soft white fur. "His name is Momo, and he will be your guide once you reach the surface. Heed him well, and you will not lose your way."

Momo cocked his head curiously, as if he too was surprised to hear the Master speak so confidently about his navigation skills. Akash stroked the top of Momo's head lightly, and smiled. "Thank you, Master Jing," he said, pausing for a moment and gazing upon the old man. He hadn't the words to express the amount of love and admiration he had for his old master. Even so, it seemed that Master Jing understood the feelings in Akash's heart, and he smiled warmly in response. "It was nice to see you, Master Jing," Akash said quietly, before turning toward the open balcony and staring into the expanse of sky before him. He couldn't look back, now. Exhaling a deep breath, Akash opened his glider, stepped up to the edge of the balcony...

And jumped.

Wind rushed past his face, buffeting his clothes and making poor Momo hold onto his shoulder for dear life, until a gust finally caught the underside of the glider and leveled them out, allowing them to coast smoothly on the shifting breezes. Akash stared down at the landscape beneath him, intrigued by how it seemed to shift and breathe... almost as if it were alive. Some corners hid dark forests that seemed to beckon him into the shadows, while in other places, raging seas churned and crashed, as a warning to careless travelers. Just then, somewhere in the distance, a bell rang out loud and clear, piercing the skies with a long, low note.

DONG

Momo's ears twitched toward the sound, and he chattered excitedly. Taking his cue, Akash veered the glider gently toward the source of the noise, squinting as he gazed ahead. There looked to be the shape of a tall tower in the distance, a large bell housed in the very top of it. DONG, the bell chimed again, and Akash began to dive. Steeper and steeper he dove, the wind whistling in his ears as he picked up speed. Momo clung to Akash's shoulder and hid his head in the monk's robes, grabbing onto his long ears and pulling them over his eyes frantically. If he was going to die, he didn't want to be around to see it.

About thirty meters off the ground though, Akash leveled out again, gliding toward what he now saw was a pair of individuals standing before the bell tower. Gliding down as low as he could, Akash closed the wings of the staff at the final moment, landing on his feet with a surprising amount of lightness considering the height he'd just come from. His head tilted to one side as he observed the pair in front of him. One was a rather small woman - perhaps even a girl - wearing a bright pink kimono with pink hair to match. And the other was a man with an almost illusory appearance, as if he barely had substance at all. He didn't know who these people were, but he had the sense that he was meant to meet them.

"Hello," he said, taking a cautious step forward. "My name is Akash. I believe we are destined to meet." He looked to the tower then, pointing up at the large bell. "The chime... it called to me," he explained, before smiling quietly. He truthfully couldn't say anything else about the matter. Whatever this journey was that he had to embark on, he had no knowledge of it in the slightest. He waited to see if either of them had anything to say that would shed light on the situation.
____________________________________
WC: 1,450 | TWC: 1,450 | TMWC: 2,376/15,500

As Joski formed and developed into a form, Marabelle simply bowed at the comment before assessing how best to proceed. Her understanding of what was going on was only half-baked from the encounters she had thus far with the idea of the Land of Dreams, let alone considering it the Land of Nightmares. "I think dreams ca-" She began as she sensed outward another presence beginning to descend upon the scene. Seeing the boy land gracefully, Marabelle returned his sudden drop-in with a smile. As he explained what drew him here, she provided an affirming nod before looking up at it. "It was an idea I had, a dream that I am dreaming of now. One that I hope to make reality." She began putting a hand on the structure itself before turning to the two, "My name is Marabelle Blossom." She began as the space around them began to shift into a variety of different places. From blooming Sakura trees to floating rocks above their heads and to fertile fields spanning toward the horizon before becoming an ethereal edge to the space before them.

"To my knowledge, The Land of Dreams is in danger, and... I've used this chance to try to call upon those who may see value in my dream." She said as the smallest present began to walk towards the darkness that felt and appeared deeper than the rest that was visible. "The surrounding we have currently appears to be of the various villages I've seen so far." She said a tone of melancholy laced the words. "We need to succeed in finding out more about why the Land of Nightmares is rebelling, destroying, corrupting, whatever it is doing should we have a chance to properly meet." She added as creatures began to form from the grass surrounding them. They spawned a few hundred meters away but the sight was plain to see for the trio. "The bell itself I dreamt of too. To sound off as an alarm for danger and to sound off as a signal that someone is coming." She explained as the creatures began to near. She then stopped in the field breathing in before breathing out with her eyes closing.

Determination. Drive. Ambition. These were three words that could be seen as attributes of the small woman. As she focused herself forward she slowly drew her tanto out and and focused. From there she could feel the wind pick up against the grass as she unleashed a torrent of water from her blade in a wide arc against the beasts before her. She remained vigilant as more came and she danced with her blade against the creatures. Once they were finished off, Marabelle opened her eyes and turned to the two, "I am sure your journeys have destinations that are planned for elsewhere. But I hope to reach out and perhaps through this encounter convince you two to join me in my plans." She said finally as the bell tower began to fade and so too did the nameless bell that called them there. She did not wave goodbye to the tower, but it was plain to see that there was a sense of sadness to see what was her dream come and go.

Turning after hearing their responses, the Everbloom continued onward as she picked up stuffed animals on her walk forward and onward. The dreams of others nearby them were likely to seep into the space they occupied and thus any nightmares were going to be dealt with either by them or by those on the other side who were awake. Time was ticking and they needed to proceed. All throughout the explanation and display of skill, her face never changed. Hope and kindness appeared to fuel Marabelle as she moved forward toward the darkness that grew in their sight. There was still much to face and discover and their journey only began there. Should these two agree to join her on her mission, she knew that the makings of something good for the world were set to form and grow before them. Either way, she would fight onward for the dream of a better tomorrow regardless of today.

WC: 700, TWC: 1,000 | TMWC: 3,076 / 15,500

The arrival of a third hadn't been expected, though the life sense of the traveler kicked in as the air rider descended upon them, landing just a small distance from the both of them. Violet eyes glanced over the newcomer, finding remarkably little out of place about them; it seemed both of these people had stability to their forms in this place. A place that was quickly identified as the Land of Dreams by the woman who identified herself as Marabelle Blossom. "Sounds like the name of a manga artist," the man thought to himself, though these thoughts would quickly diverge as the robbed shinobi began to describe their situation. A notable shift would flicker across Joski's expression as the realization that her smaller appearance was likely a product of an image reflected in this place. Just like his own form being less than detailed. Regardless, he absorbed the situation as it was explained. "You're awfully well informed," he would say aloud, a hand reaching behind him for something but finding whatever he was looking for to be absent. A soft huff would sound from him as his hand returned to his side. Although the thought was pointed, it was not colored with doubt. Instead, Joski would pick up as monsters began to form. "I've experienced something like this before, but it's...different, this time. I hadn't been summoned by others before. Not that you'll hear me complaining about the help this time either."

The sentiment had been aimed to be shared with both of them, a nod of his head offered to Akash once he finished. "You both can call me Jojo. I don't know from what land either of you hails, but it seems that we share a purpose in being here." The words tasted strange on his tongue; a purpose for being here. The traveler knew he was often led to where he needed to go, but rarely did the reason for such make itself so readily apparent. From his side, the shape of a blade would be drawn as he made to move along with the group as they traveled, not allowing Marabelle to get much further away from them. There was a grace to his movements in this place, as though he were unhindered. It felt as though by comparison the land of material had him moving through water, and like water, he flowed with grace in the Land of Dreams. The blade he had pulled from his side appeared etched in black and white but with the unmistakable edge of a weapon, cutting creatures that appeared on their flanks as the group moved. "I don't mind sharing this with either of you, but I don't hold a village as a home. I don't condone the wars they start with others for the sake of creed or history- I simply journey across the land using what I have learned to keep me alive. I am neither well educated nor skilled, but if the both of you mean to bring harmony to this place, then you can count me among your allies." More strange words that didn't quite sit naturally upon his palette. What were these strange sentiments, and why was he so freely sharing them with these strangers? Had this land eased him into a sense of familiarity?

There was no glorious form to his blade more than the grace of its movements. No elements or chakra flowed through it, he simply exercised a great deal of speed and precision to just cuts, disarming their amorphous foes of the ability to move before traveling onward. As the group moved, the land would morph around them into a mountainous valley, hues and colors taking on a flat tone as if they were being etched upon a paper canvas. Clouds above them written in choppy, uneven lines that swirled as if caught between three frames of an animation. Birds flapped their wings in two frame strokes yet remained aloft. All the while, their forms remained as they were, projected as foreign objects against the sprawl of this land. As more monsters came, Joski would find the ease to keep appraised of their surroundings but something out of the corner of his eye would elude him more than once. A sensation that became troublesome, and then worrisome. The more it happened, the more Joski was burdened with the sensation of being observed by something he couldn't see. Something outside the range of his life sense. "Something is stalking us," he would eventually share with the others, potentially cutting into a conversation held between the other two. "I can't get a good look at it, but something is lingering on the edges of my vision, and whenever I try to get a clear view of it, it is gone." There was only a moment to let that sink in before Joski would continue. "Best we stay close together, I think."


WC - 820

TWC - 1,446