Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Fri Oct 27, 2023 1:02 pm

[E-Rank] Tear in the Fabric
[D-Rank] Questioning Reality
[C-Rank] Formation of Rifts
[B-Rank] Nightmares Given Life
[A-Rank] Waking Demons
[S-Rank] Into the Maw of Dreams and Nightmares

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC (Avgs. to 3,875 each)

Human Form/Present Appearance:

The night this all started Hikari had been lightly sleeping when scuffled noises outside brought her attention to the late evening night. Looking outside her room, she saw a child dragging a giant stuffed animal in the street as her parents were trying to help her. Rubbing her eyes, she got prepared and up to investigate it further. By the time she was dressed and transformed into her human form, the young Kitsune found herself staring at a blank street. Confused she decided to wander in the streets for further explanation. Lurking about the alleys she found herself in a small park within the village to allow citizens to gather and formulate groups. It was here that Hikari found herself amongst others. Some adults, some other shinobi. The concern here was monsters of some sort were appearing from the darkness around corners and from attics. The shift in need became apparent as it was time to expedite the resolution of what was to come. There seemed to be some sort of creatures forming and lunging their bodies toward the crowd as Hikari spectated from the sides. Unsure of how best to remedy the situation, she stood on the sidelines momentarily studying and trying to figure out more about the creatures to help give herself the best approach.

Not equipped with many offensive measures towards combatting others, let alone monstrous creatures, she decided it was best to help others get out of the space as best as she could. Helping children first, the young Kitsune navigated between waves of things to help them get out from the center but nearby to be able to rejoin their families. The way she was able to do this was through the Transparent Escape technique that she used to stealthily navigate the libraries after hours if she was on a book binge. Now it was coming in handy to allow her to help escort children out though she could not turn them invisible, her own capacity would allow her to move them without worry or concern of the shinobi helping the villagers remain standing and not overwhelmed. After some time the waves began to fade as the witching hour of the evening ended. Conversing briefly with any others who arrived in this part of the clearing, Hikari took note and moved onward back to her residence as the days to come were going to become more and more chaotic.

A Few Days passed and it was chaos since that night. As the days came and went, no change in proceedings occurred. Creatures would form from those sleeping and some were friendly, others not so much. The trend however showed a decrease in friendly creatures from night to night, which was likely not a good sign. With more complications than expected, multiple groups of shinobi were needed to remedy situations across the village. Hikari being the curious one was wandering what else could be occurring elsewhere in the world. However, there was a kingdom that needed dismantling as Kumogakure could not stand idle while the self-proclaimed 'Dream King' began his rise to power during these tumultuous times. With one mission being sent the way of a priority while also being menial, the task of helping quell a child whose imagination has allowed him to replace his house with a miniature castle. As much as the public service announcements indicated to remain calm, it did nothing to rebuke the thought of taking advantage of the situation such as the child.

Gathering with a few other shinobis, Hikari remained quietly thinking as they approached the residential districts of the village. There was a lot that could go wrong and considering the age of the kid, his parents were aware that a child this intelligent was likely more an aid to the village should his thoughts be developed in the academy. With multiple shinobi being requested, it likely was not going to be an easy endeavor to complete such a tall order and task alone nor would one person be capable of resolving the issue without help in some form from others. Being less confrontational, Hikari made a proposition, "If we wish to remove the child from the residence before addressing the issues at hand, I have the capacity to immobilize any obstacles he conjures in his dream. We ought to convey the importance of not causing more difficulties for the village once we awaken him." Though uncertain about the other's response, she was aware that the idea was more pacifistic than others would likely want to operate under but the message could be given better if the child could not move. Be it through a swift physical reminder to not be a brat or a stern talking to, it was best to leave it up to others to take the lead with the shinobi to be over herself.

Once arrived at the household of the 'Dream King' it was just a matter of time for the whole issue to be resolved. Hikari approached the parents first and reminded them that the group here was to help the child not punish him for what he had been doing. As the child was slumbering deep within the walls of the newly established castle within the village hidden in the clouds, the group would consult their approach to get inside and get to the child in a quick manner. Once the task itself was completed and finished with the help of Hikari, the child rejoiced, simply happy to be with his parents and not in too much trouble for the issues he caused and subjected the shinobi to have to handle over more pressing matters. Once that was finished, there was now the issue of the anomaly to deal with towards the outskirts of the village proper. Supposedly the mission details were not clear as it appeared multiple issues involving the need for further investigation were occurring across the village. The team Hikari was with was tasked with one such location. Departing, Hikari gave a congratulatory remark to the squad for their morale was likely going to be needed in the coming mission ahead of them.

Upon arrival at the designated location, a few sensory shinobi had already taken position near the dark pulsating cosmic-looking force, covering a space of about 5 meters in length, hovering roughly 15 meters up in the air. Checking in, it appears that the 'rift' as they have taken to calling it was an originating force for some of the creatures that were not just spawning within the village. Although nothing had come out with them on guard, they wanted to wait for support and a proper squad before making any moves toward attempts to seal the fissure of space and or time that was presented before them. Unsure herself on the matters of how best to complete such a task, she offered the shinobi who stood guard her best wishes and luck towards the swift completion of such a task. Looking at her squad mates for the mission, she waited to see if any had thoughts on how best to position or help the shinobi in sealing the rift. As limited as her skillset was, she was thankful to have some small options available but her capacity was beginning to show at this time. Offering her general knowledge and understanding of what she had witnessed thus far was the best should could figure out.

Once the team figured out and proposed their plans to address what could come of the rift, it was just a matter of execution. Standing beside a few of the sensory shinobi, Hikari's sensory abilities would best be served to help make sure there were not any creatures lurking about looking to ambush once they started. Looking towards the others, Hikari gave a signal once she was in position, approximately 15 meters from the center of the rift, and waited for the others to also take their place and prepare for what was to come. Once everyone signaled they were ready, the other squad that was here prior began their actions and approach. This would take some time to complete thus it was on Hikari and her team to help protect and defeat anything that came of their attempt. Cursing her lack of finding other techniques in her time in the academy, her knowledge and awareness were all she could likely operate on for the time being. Any offensive measures were likely to come from others well before herself in this situation.

Once the process had begun it was a matter of a few minutes before the rift sent a pulse of what was best described as chakra outward before small creatures began to come out lunging without warning or direction towards the group as a whole. Claws at the ready, Hikari took the time to practice and work on her physical capacity for combat. Thankfully to start the process it was small creatures, ones that fell to a single swipe to even Hikari's claws. It was nothing dangerous yet but after a handful of waves, it took two swipes from her, then three, and finally four. Slowly becoming overwhelmed while the shinobi did their task, Hikari slowly managed to use the Clone technique she had to use to take the genin exam, to help stave off some of the extra bodies heading towards the two she was tasked to be of help to. She had weathered the waves up to this point but she was tired, exhausted even. It was not that she couldn't keep pushing forward for the team but rather the rift itself had expanded to 10 meters and its influence as well, causing some more fatigue and likely drowsiness on top of the creatures it made. Likely this shift was its attempt to combat what they were doing and that was when a large limb came out of the rift itself.

The limb was a leg specifically as a humanoid demon-orge-unicorn about 3 meters tall came out of the rift, landing with a hefty force on the ground below it causing cracks to form in the land. A dream amalgamation abomination made its appearance as it was showtime for the more combat-orientated members of the squad. As preparations were completed and it was time for them to seal the rift, it was time to either push the creature back in or defeat it before it could take out any of the other shinobi present. Hikari was out of most of her options to be of help it was just a matter of helping the others as best as she could. Taking on a transport role to allow for faster completion of the task, she helped the shinobi begin form handseals to be of aid to the collaboration technique that involved multiple bodies. For herself, this was more to help provide chakra to the technique in question over an active participant. "You guys got this! I will just help the others!" She shouted encouraging her teammates to slay the monster before them. Once the combat subsided and the creature was slain, the rift closed, and the group convened to discuss what they bore witness to. There was more to figure out and determine for the group but at this time it was best to leave it to the sealing squad to report back over them.

Rest was in order and somehow to not dream was a new challenge with concerns of having to worry about what was to come. 'A fruitless challenge indeed...' Hikari thought to herself before speaking to the squad she had been accompanied with. "Let's find a place to rest together and take turns resting to hopefully not get caught off guard by any rifts, creatures, or otherwise. The village is on watch and we should rest up and work together with what's happening. A group will do better together than someone alone right now." She added before the squad wrapped up for the day.

WC: 2,000, TWC: 2,000 | TMWC: 2,000 / 15,500

WC Breakout:

Sun Oct 29, 2023 4:09 pm

[E-Rank] Tear in the Fabric
[D-Rank] Questioning Reality
[C-Rank] Formation of Rifts
[B-Rank] Nightmares Given Life
[A-Rank] Waking Demons
[S-Rank] Into the Maw of Dreams and Nightmares

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC (Avgs. to 3,875 each)

Hibiki awoke with a start and scanned his room quickly. He had been having a wonderful dream whereby he was a Jonin and had returned from a large journey to all the most exotic and dangerous locations of the world and had sat down to his favourite omurice. He sniffed the air, curious that he could still smell the wonderful dish and was shocked to see it across the room on his desk for a moment he considered that his mother had left it there but it was still dark and it still had welcome back written in ketchup. Am I still dreaming? His reverie was broken by shouts of alarm outside and he spared only enough time to grab his pouch of tools and leap out the window to investigate.

He ran across the rooftops noticing many oddities and strange events unfolding but focused on the more worried shouts ahead. Hibiki spotted waves of nightmarish apparitions running through the streets and paused. Just like in Grandpa’s ghost stories. Cool! Hibiki noted several recognisable faces helping to move the villagers from harms way and so decided to stake steps to try and combat the strange monsters. Hibiki Kept his distance on the roof and made the seals of Bird-Snake. “Lightning Release: Lightning Spheres”, As the technique began he summoned two small spheres of yellow lightning and directed them towards the apparitions, causing small amounts of damage but more importantly stunning them for a moment, allowing more experienced ninja to strike them down with a finishing blow with a finishing blow. Hibiki maintained as many of the orbs as he could and focused on preventing and of the creatures that appeared to be slipping through or gaining ground on the fleeing villagers. The weaves finally waned and Hibiki released his technique with a mighty yawn and hopped down to join the other villagers and ninja that were congregating nearby. “Never heard of those kind of monsters outside of the stories my Grandpa tells me. Was it some kind of genjutsu or summoning technique gone wrong?”

Several nights had passed since the first incursion of nightmares and dreams began plaguing the village and Hibiki had taken to sleeping most of the day in order to conserve his strength at night. After the initial shock and surprise of the creatures the village had been much better prepared and were more ready to defend against the smaller waves of monsters that appeared. Many of the beings and creatures appeared harmless and so they focused their efforts on the ones that had malicious intentions. It was troubling that the number of dangerous creatures appeared to be growing in number though it appeared that a link had been theorised that the wilder the dream the more powerful the creatures that would be ‘summoned’ or created. This was apparently a larger problem with children who often have vivid dreams. In a small way Hibiki wondered if he was partially responsible as his dreams had always been larger than life and his love of horror and ghost stories often had them appear within his dreams though he often battled or made friends with them by the end. The first night he had seen more than one creature that he could have dreamt up and so this also contributed to his decision not to sleep at night until the matter was resolved. The last thing he wanted was anyone to get hurt because of his dreams.

Hibiki had been asked to assist with a particularly troublesome 6 year old who had named himself the ‘Dream King’ and even created a fortress he could hide behind. Hibiki admired the creativity and boldness of the dream but knew that if left alone the welfare of the child was at risk, especially if he accidently conjured something nasty inside the fortress with him. Hibiki was uncertain how to defeat a dream fortress but trusted that the other ninja assigned to the mission would be able to give some direction or insight into how they would safely and gently depose the dream king. Hibiki met up with the group and travelled with them quietly as they made their way towards the residential district. He nodded several of the other ninja were quite a bit older than himself though he recognised Hikari from the academy but knew little about her. Apparently she really liked books, the very idea seemed strange to Hibiki. Why would you read about doing things rather than actually just trying them? Hibiki left the puzzling thought trail to recede back into his mind as he heard the girl in question speak up.

Hibiki scratched the back of his head as he considered her comments and responded. “I guess that makes sense, you sure the kid will listen though? I mean if I was a king I wouldn’t want to take orders. Maybe we could promise some kind of reward if he helps us? Or play to his dream, make out only he can help save the village as the dream king? Might stop him dreaming up horrible things to attack us.” Hibiki voiced his ideas but was happy to go along with plan outlined by Hikari and spoke more for curiosity's sake rather than any attempt to take control of the situation from her. the team decided to go with Hikari's plan and so Hibki let her to take the lead, content to follow and do his best to assit the team in any way he could. when talking to the parents. Hibiki volunteered to guard Hikari in case she needed to use genjutsu to freeze or slow the enemy as hibiki recalled that though they could be very effective it sometimes put the user at risk if they to were unable to move without releasing their technique. Hibiki figured his lightning techniques would be sufficient to stun and slow any enemy dream monsters and a gentle application of his Sparks technique might shock her or the kid back to their senses if something went wrong.

Fortunately the plan succeeded with no complication or issues and the child was returned to their parents safely. Hibiki’s group departed quickly however, sparing little time to congratulate each other on a job well done other than a few smiles and acknowledgement of a job well done. The night was not over for them and further issues would need to be dealt with before the night ended. “Well I sure hope all our missions go as smoothly as that one.” I doubt it though. His negative thought was left unspoken. the group potentially had a long night ahead of them and he didn't want to ruin the good mood the successful mission had cultivated amongst them.

The next location they were heading towards was supposed to be some kind of anomaly that the sensory teams believed were directly related to awakening of the dreams and the troubles that had been facing the village recently. As well as assisting the parents of the dream king, Hibiki’s team were also tasked with investigating one of these anomaly’s. Hibiki felt his nerves tug at his stomach but did his best not to show it, he didn’t want to be seen as a little kid, he was a Genin after all! Yet it the rank did not change the fact that his practical experience and knowledge of things like these dream anomalies were well beyond him. He spat out a toothpick and replaced it swiftly, chewing on it forcefully to calm his nerves. He move up to Hikari and spoke to break the tension he was feeling, hoping to relieve some of the stress he spoke up. “So we were in the same class right? I heard you liked books and reading but you seem pretty good with people too. I thought smart, book reading people were supposed to be all quiet and shy?”

They finally arrived at the rift and they began planning. Hibiki felt his lack of experience again as his skills were mostly limited to basic lightning techniques that would do little to help seal something like a rift. Hibiki decided that such things were better left to those with fuinjutus knowledge and he would simply serve as a guard once more. There was no shame in it but Hibiki was determined to learn a wider variety of techniques as the last few days had exposed how unprepared he was. What would he have done if he found the rift whilst alone? What could he do but flee and report it. The thought left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth but he tried to push past it and focus on the tasks ahead. Hikari took her place near the sensory ninja and Hibiki moved closer to the rift with some of the others, creating a front line that could damage or at least delay any creatures or threats should they appear. The other team began their work and Hibiki kept his focus on the rift and did not have to wait too long before small creatures began swarming towards the rift and Hibiki used his kunai as a blade to try and preserve his chakra. The smaller creatures did not pose much of a real threat but he took care to intercept and attack them, aiming first for any legs or arms to cripple their movement before dealing a finishing blow. Hibiki moved around the group, heading over to different areas if he spotted anyone struggling and trying to give them a chance to find their footing and catch their breath. He took solace in the fact that whatever the other team was doing it must be working for the creatures to react so violently towards them and attack in such numbers. During the last waves Hibiki had taken a few small cuts and bruises but it was not worse than a he would have gotten running around the mountains for a few hours.

He noticed a little late that the rift was expanding and a large ogre like creature exited the rift. Who was dreaming of ogre right now? Tiredness allowed annoyance to creep in and Hibiki took a breath to remain calm, taking a few steps back to gain some distance. Initially Hibiki tried to harry the creature with kunai and shuriken with seemingly little effect other than annoying the creature. He positioned himself further back and began making hand seals, hoping that his techniques would be effective enough to cause some damage. He formed the hand seals of Ram – Ox – Snake and channelled lightning chakra through his hand to form a crackling arrow of lightning that he hurled at the monster’s foot. “Lightning Release: Thunderclap Arrow”. The technique struck true and the sound of the creature’s roars mixed with the crackling boom of the technique as it blew a large chunk of the creatures foot for under it, causing it to stumble and allowing the other combatants to strike its head in quick succession. Hibiki gathered and released another thunderclap arrow and added it to the barrage of attacks. Before switching his focus to deal with some of the smaller creatures again whilst the larger threat was pinned and on the ground. It did not take long for the creature issue a final whimpering roar as it finally fell to the combination of techniques, leaving many of the combatants (Hibiki included) tired form the fight.

The remainder of the battle was spent clearing off smaller waves of creatures and ensuring that the other team remained protected whilst they completed their seals and focused on sealing the rift. Once the rift had been sealed Hibiki leaned against a tree to catch his breath, breathing deeply and gently banging his fist on the tree to focus him. After shaking himself off a little he head back to his team. “ Never seen anything like that before tonight. I don’t like the idea of those things coming out every night. Its bad enough fighting of waves of the smaller ones, if more like that keep showing up…well we beat it and sealed the rift so that’s what matters. Good job everyone.” He listened to Hikari’s thoughts as she had become the de-facto leader of the group and Hibiki was glad someone was able to think straight and come up with a plan. “I can take the first watch, I’m used to staying up and have been sleeping during the day recently. Might be worth bringing some hammocks so we can sleep in the trees next time. At least that way none of these creatures should be able to much even if they do sneak up on us.”

Hibiki sat up in the tree and reflected on the mission they had been given that night. It wasn’t what he imagined at all when he thought of ninja missions but it felt good to help and do more good than carry files or retrieve stolen purses. Though he could not help worry that failure of his previous missions was an inconvenience but to fail these missions could put lives at risk. Not sure I was ready for this. But if don’t step up then the inn could be in danger. He reflected on the arguments had previously with his mother and father about being a ninja and their position began making a little more sense. One wrong move against the monster earlier and he could have been severely injured or maybe even killed. "Hey, my parents run and inn over by the east gate so feel free to drop by if you need some food or somewhere to rest quickly. We have plenty of room and mum makes the best food in the village!”

WC 2288 - TWC: 2288 - TMWC: 4288/15500

WC Breakout:

Mon Nov 06, 2023 4:01 pm

[E-Rank] Tear in the Fabric
[D-Rank] Questioning Reality
[C-Rank] Formation of Rifts
[B-Rank] Nightmares Given Life
[A-Rank] Waking Demons
[S-Rank] Into the Maw of Dreams and Nightmares

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC (Avgs. to 3,875 each)

Human Form/Present Appearance:

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the slums of Kumogakure...

Minami lies blissfully unaware of the events unfurling in the outside world, whiling away the hours in bed. She dreams of nothing, save for ambient thrums of life the chirr and cry outside her window and as the hours go by, the sun's radiant glare intensifies enough to rouse her from her stupor. Although, at the same time, she hears the knob at her door jostle. Her ears reflexively twitch and her hand immediately sifts beneath her pillow to unravel her tanto, grasping at its sheath and assuming the waki-no-kamae stance with her left knee pressing against the floorboard and kneeling with her right. However, the jostling soon subsides and she puts her tanto away.

She slowly opens the window to see if there's anything amiss, but there isn't. She guesses that it must've been a false alarm, but she can't help but feel something is off. She decides to freshen up and change into a more appropriate outfit before leaving. She dons her redwood, thigh-high length buttoned dress with white stripes, held together neatly by a belt from the same fabric, a black tank top that exposes her shoulders, a pair of black spats beneath followed by a set of low-heel, ankle-high, brown booties. Tying her village forehead protector wraps around her forehead, she hears the dreadful sounds of viscous fluids sizzling and popping.

"Oh great," She mutters exasperatedly and slowly turns on her heels. "This is the third time this week the pipeline's bur—" Her gaze turns into that of bewilderment. The sounds themselves weren't muffled enough to originate from beneath her apartment but were... above. On the very floorboards she stands upon. A pool of black, bubbling mass shifts and undulates with grotesque movements and slowly begins to take form into a being from what could only be described as the stuff of nightmares: the entity itself oozes with black solid yet liquid, its horns arc and spiral high enough that the roof above her bends and construes without any signs of breaking, beige strands of hair thick enough as though they were made of rope, its mouth gapes open wide enough to engulf a human head whole, and its eyes are hollowed out sockets with a single white pupil in each one.

Minami stumbles back in fear, tripping over her booties and falling on the floor. "W-What the hell is that thing?!" The entity's gaze shifts to her trembling form, the liquid host bulges and whispers incorrigibly before a five-meter limb juts out from and molds the first meter at the tip downward into a cleaver-like shape. The rest afterward becomes a blur and within the short couple of minutes that occur, further property damages being made, and the exchange of blows and woes are dealt, Minami—with the eventual aid of the Kumo Police Force and First Responders at the scene—subdue the entity and entrap it within the confines of a sealing barrier. As it turns out, according to one of the shinobi on-site, this was not an isolated incident. It had been happening all over the village.

Minami pulls herself up from the floor with a grunt as she dusts herself off. She looks around her apartment to see the extent of the damage. "Well... I'm definitely not going back to sleep anytime soon." She sighs and starts to clean up what's left of her belongings and assesses the damage to her personal belongings. Fortunately, she has a couple of spares for everything else. After evacuating the remaining residents and a brief exchange, Minami, as well as many others present at the scene, are granted temporary lodging at one of the village's three, notable izayaka for at least a week until they can quell whatever's causing these incidents to occur and return to normal. The rest will be handled by those able-bodied enough to repel any further disruptions.

A few days later, since the apartment incident...

There's been an increase in the number of eldritch entities and empyrean eidolons that seemingly appear from the aether, with no concrete origin to state otherwise. They've been appearing all over the village and wreaking havoc on everything and anything in their paths. Strangely enough, however, there have been no casualties reported thus far. It seems as though these creatures are only interested in causing mayhem and destruction rather than killing people outright. The Kumo Police Force and First Responders have been working tirelessly to contain the situation and keep the peace, but they're struggling to keep up with the increasing frequency of attacks.

Minami is one of many shinobi tasked with investigating the cause of these phenomena and finding a way to stop them. Currently residing at one of the village's three izayaka, she spends her time gathering information and interviewing witnesses from prior days in hopes of uncovering any clues that might help solve this mystery. She's also been working closely with the police and first responders, providing support where needed and helping out wherever possible. However, their investigations are soon put on hold as she receives news of a fortress that's appeared toward one of the far corners of the village and, with the aid of the sensory shinobi available, believes the construct to be the byproduct of a slumbering child's imagination.

Minami and several other shinobi set off to investigate, arriving at the scene within a few minutes. The fortress is unlike anything she's ever seen before: it's tall and imposing, made of dark stone, and surrounded by a moat of black water that's 30 meters wide. There are no visible entrances or exits, and it seems to be completely sealed off from the outside world. As she approaches the structure, she notices a figure floating atop the fortress's epicenter. It's a dimly lit orb that hovers ominously akin to a beacon from a lighthouse. Soon thereafter, one of the shinobi on-site describes that as the slumbering child in what can only be described as a cacoon from which the fortress derives its ongoing existence. The mission objective, henceforth, becomes clear: to retrieve the child from their cacoon state unharmed and subdue whatever beings lurk beyond its walls.

The first hurdle to overcome is the mode of entry. The fortress is surrounded by a deep moat of black water that appears to be bottomless, and there are no immediate, visible entrances or exits anywhere along its exterior. However, upon closer inspection, Minami notices a small opening at the base of one wall that appears to lead into the interior of the structure. However, due to her size and proportions, a discussion quickly takes place and settles for the more diminutive-sized shinobi to enter the fortress. In order to traverse the distance needed to secure entry through the compromised wall's hole, they devise a strategy where one person will use their jutsu to create a platform out of earth which another can then use to jump across. Once inside, they'll split up into two teams: one consisting of two people who will search for an alternate means of entering deeper into the fortress while the other team stays outside and provides support.

Minami volunteers to stay outside with two other shinobi; one is a sensory type who will be able to sense if anything happens within the fortress while she and another provide backup from the outside. Soon, their theory is put into practice, and a swarthy bridge forms and arches over the incredible moat of black water that seems bottomless. The first team makes their way across and enters through the hole in the wall before splitting up into their respective groups as planned. Minami and her teammates stand guard on either side of the entrance, keeping watch over their surroundings for any potential threats or signs of danger.

Time passes, and nothing happens. The first team inside has been unable to find any other means of entering deeper into the structure, but they've managed to locate what appears to be a large chamber at its center which may led them higher to where they suspect the sleeping child may be located. Minami and her group continue to wait patiently for news from within, trouncing and vanquishing any of the fortress's minions as they bound toward them, likely in response to the intrusion. Soon enough, the second team exits the fortress with a young girl in tow. She appears to be unharmed but is unconscious. After securing the child, they begin their return journey, hoping that this will be the last time such an incident occurs. The child is taken back into custody and placed under observation at one of the village's hospitals while Minami returns to her lodgings at the izayaka.

Come the following evening…

Minami's intervention in the fortress fracas garnered the attention of some of the village ninja and, once more, request her aid in light of recent events. In summary, sensory shinobi in the village discovered an abnormality and are looking for help with an initial inquiry to potentially seal it off. Many of the village's denizens are concerned about its origin, with many pointing to the unusual manifestation of dreams into reality as a possible link. The speculation is around the potential that it is a rift, a doorway, or perhaps a creature arising from an imagined dream that is causing disruptions in our domain. The task at hand is to determine the situation and to contain, seal, and take any necessary actions to safeguard and stabilize the anomaly.

Considering Minami's stature and expertise with weaponry, she's delegated as one of the defenders against the beings from beyond the material plane while the remaining sealing shinobi attempt to seal the rift away with what they understand about the nature of the phenomenon. Additionally, she's tasked with protecting and possibly evacuating them from harm should things go awry. With this information, she sets off to meet with her assigned group at the location of the anomaly.

The mission begins as Minami meets with her group of three sealing shinobi and two other defenders at the site where they're preparing to seal away the void's maw into the aetherial unknown. The rift itself warps and oscillates with a life of its own, pulsing and breathing like a living thing as it hangs in midair. Its edges flicker and bleed like an open wound into a nightmarish landscape beyond, its depths unknowable, and its only light emanating from within. As Minami approaches, she notices that the rift is about 20 feet tall and 30 feet across. It appears to be some kind of portal to another dimension or plane of existence.

The sealing shinobi set up their seals in preparation for sealing away this anomaly. Minami and her group of defenders take up positions around the rift as they prepare themselves for what may come through. After a few moments pass, there is a sudden surge of energy from within the void and a thunderous roar echoes from within. Suddenly, several creatures emerge from the rift. They are humanoid in appearance but have no discernable features aside from their glowing eyes. The creatures begin attacking the Fūin shinobi who attempt to seal away the rift.

Minami quickly moves to intercept one of the creatures before it can reach one of them, using her size and weight advantage to knock it back into the rift. The other defender manages to fend off another creature while the third sealing shinobi continues working on sealing away the rift. However, more creatures emerge from within, causing the defenders to become overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone. Minami grabs one of them and throws it back into the rift before turning around just in time for another one to slam into her side with a force that sends her flying through the air until she lands on her back several yards away from where she started.

She struggles to get up but manages after a few moments. She sees that the sealing shinobi are struggling against the creatures, who continue emerging from within the void. Suddenly, a massive creature emerges from within the void, towering over all those present. It is humanoid in appearance but has no discernable features aside from its glowing eyes and is comparable in size to herself. Minami quickly moves to intercept this creature before it can reach one of her comrades. The two engage in combat as they struggle against each other's strength and weight advantages. However, Minami manages to gain the upper hand when she grabs onto its arm and throws it into one of the other creatures nearby.

The skirmish continues until the rift successfully closes and the remaining wights are dealt with. Afterward, Minami reports back to the village for further instructions regarding this incident. Considering services rendered in the past couple of days, she's given the rest of the day off until her services are required once more in the near future. She returns home where she rests up after a long day's work.

WC: 2,174
TWC: 2,174/3,875
TMWC: 6,462/15,500

WC Breakdown:

Tue Nov 07, 2023 7:49 am

It was an absolute chaos out there.

Jun was thinking about the latest events in the village as he approached the ensuing battle. All started a couple of days agora, and little by little stuff got out of hand. At first, only harmless stuff occurred, like a pizza materializing into someone who was dreaming about having a slice, or winged hamsters flying around after being dreamt about by a little girl. But after some days, the funny, sweet and delicious dreams gave room to some weird and scary... nightmares. The material manifestations of such nightmares were causing a real havoc around all the village. Last night on Jun's neighborhood, a wild four arms gorilla caused some havoc and thrashed a few houses before being contained by the shinobi forces. On anothe night, a velociraptor spawned near the Heavenly Gates and gave the guards there a real fight. Soon, there were literal rifts being torn open and allowing these creatures that once only existed in the realm of dreams into the material plane.

The young Shibasaki clansman was kind of used to deal with supernatural stuff, as last year the world of the living and the world of the dead almost became one, with ghostly visitors causing trouble all around the village. But this time, it was different… there were a touch of fear and madness on all the creatures and events randomly taking place throughout the village. So, it was up to the brave Kumogakure shinobis to handle this rather supernatural matter.

All of Kumogakure shinobi forces were called to arms, and the battle against those wicked and bizarre creatures spread among the entire village. Jun was tasked to clear the slums area, somewhere that he was very familiar with, as he previously not only patrolled but also dealt with some performance enhancement drug dealers. He rushed through the roofs of the buildings, swiftly jumping in between them, something he could do with his eyes closed as his was now very familiar with parkouring as a way to get around the village. He became a Shinobi more than a year ago, and as a Genin he would be sent all around Kumo for a variety of different missions: some were pretty simple, as escourting a rich couple or helping an animal shelter. Some were a bit crazy, like fighting a monster tree or a ultra-jacked mobster. Nonetheless, all this heavy work gave Jun such knowledge on how to move around the village that he could go from north to south just in a couple of minutes. He knew all short-cuts, all building he could have an advantage point and all the secret passages.
Yes, he was a refugee, an outsider from the fallen Funkagakure, but time made him a Kumo citizen and Shinobi, and he would fight for his village with whatever creature threatened it.

In one of these shortcuts, as he was nearing the slums, Jun was surprised by an open rift right there, floating in the air. It seemed somewhat unstable, as Jun noticed (being a Space-Time specialist) that small tears in the fabric of reality all around the rift. They were indead dimensional doors, but to where and why they were being open, that was still a mystery. As Jun observed it carefully, the rift sent a pulse of what was best described as pure, but very weird chakra outward before small spider like creatures began to come out of the rift, swarming the whole alley. The young Shibasaki genin had to react quickly, so he made a bunch of handseals before using his Great Fireball technique. Jun exhaled a thin stream of fire 6 inches wide that quickly detaches and turned into a large sphere of pure fire with about 10m in diameter, more than enough to toast the whole alley and the rift.

After the smoke caused by the huge fireball dissipated in the air, the rift was still there, pulsing with weird chakra and It seemed as if it was enlarging itself. Soon, it became enough for a much bigger creature to emerge. Another spider…. But this one was LARGE. The ground trembled, and the monstrous, nightmarish spider with mottled, hairy legs, and gleaming eyes fully emerged from the open rift, its body as big as a small house. The creature's eight legs twitched in anticipation as it hissed, and thick, viscous webbing dripped from its fangs. The spider's presence was suffocating, and its appearance was a grotesque amalgamation of fears and nightmares.

Without hesitation, Jun drew his katana, having his training and resolve guiding him. He knew that he could not use most of his Taioyoton techniques, as he was in the middle of a civilian area and casualties would be certain to occur, so he would have to rely on his close combat skills, and although he wasn’t an Taijutsu or Bukijutsu specialist, he could still kick some ass. The battle began with a blur of motion as the monstrous spider lunged forward before Jun could make any handseals, its fangs dripping with venom. Jun deftly evaded the venomous strike, leaping to the side as the spider's enormous jaws snapped shut where he had been standing. As the spider continued its relentless assault, Jun used his incredible speed and agility to dart around the creature, landing blows with his weapons on its vulnerable underbelly and legs. He aimed for the joints, trying to cripple the spider's mobility. However, the dream creature was swift and agile as well, countering with web-shooting attacks, ensnaring Jun and nearly immobilizing him.

Jun's heart pounded as he struggled to break free from the sticky strands of webbing. With a surge of determination, he channeled his chakra and unleashed a powerful burst of bright energy from all of his tenketsus, a Shibasakiclan jutsu knew a Sunlight Burst, breaking free from the web's grasp. The battle raged on, and Jun knew he needed to find the creature's weakness.
As the giant spider lunged again, its venomous fangs inches from his face, Jun spotted a shimmering, pulsating core beneath the creature's abdomen. He realized that this core was the source of the spider's power and had to be destroyed. Evading another deadly strike, Jun leaped onto the spider's back and drove his katana deep into the core.

The nightmare creature screeched in agony as its form began to disintegrate. Its monstrous body convulsed, limbs thrashing wildly, but Jun held on, determined to finish the battle. The spider's form dissolved into a swirling mass of darkness, and Jun could feel the dreamscape around him crumbling. With a final, mighty effort, Jun struck the core one last time, shattering it completely. The dream creature let out one final scream before vanishing into thin air, leaving only a wisp of darkness behind.
Suddenly, the eerie silence was shattered by the echoing, bone-chilling howls that resonated through the alley, coming straight from the rift. A horde of wolf-like skeletons emerged from the darkness, their bony forms illuminated by an eerie, otherworldly glow. Their empty eye sockets glowed with malevolence, and their skeletal jaws snapped with a menacing hunger.

Jun knew he was facing a formidable foe, and he could feel the malevolent intent radiating from the horde of undead creatures. With a steely resolve, he unsheathed his katana once, its blade gleaming in the pale moonlight. His eyes glinted with determination as he prepared for the battle ahead.
The first wave of skeletal wolves lunged at Jun, their gnarled, clawed paws reaching for him. With lightning-fast reflexes, he parried their attacks, blocking and dodging their strikes with grace and precision. The clashing of steel against bone echoed through the narrow alley, filling the night with an eerie, discordant symphony.

Jun moved with the fluidity and grace of a seasoned warrior, his movements a blur as he struck down one skeleton wolf after another. With each swing of his katana, bone fragments shattered and soon the tight alley became a battleground, Jun's footsteps painted with the remnants of shattered skeletons. The relentless horde, however, showed no signs of stopping. Jun's breath quickened as he realized that more and more of these skeletal creatures were emerging from the darkness, and he could feel the weight of their sheer numbers pressing down on him. Jun decided to change his tactics, so he summoned his solar chakra and unleashed a powerful, swirling whirlwind of solar energy, creating a protective burning aura around himself, using his Immolation Aura technique. The aura of chakra swirled with such intensity and heat that it sent the remaining skeletal wolves tumbling away. It was a momentary respite that allowed Jun to catch his breath and strategize. He was fighting for almost an hour now and his body was starting to reach exhaustion.

“Rat - Ram - Snake - Tiger - Bird – Ox” after doing the handseals, Jun used his Singularity technique to create an expanding dome of pure gravitational energy around him and covering the whole alley area. The gravity in this dome was greatly increased, and the skeleton started one by one to be crushed in the ground into a pile of bones by the sheer gravitational force. Jun's chest heaved with exhaustion as he stood amidst the remains of the defeated horde as he deactivated his jutsu. The alley had become a graveyard for the skeletal wolves that had threatened Kumogakure. With his katana still unsheathed, Jun was ready for more treats coming from the rift, but soon enough the sealing squad arrived, ready to deal with the portal.

“Shibasaki, the situation in the slums is under control now, but there was another battle in the residential area, headquartes wants you to gather with the shinobi there in order to deal with the situation… we will take it from here” – an member of the sealing corps instructed Jun, as his teammates started the sealing procedures around the rift. “I’ll go there right away!” the blond genin replied his fellow shinobi. He departed the alley where he fought for almost an hour, still pretty tired, and went on to the location of the battle.

Soon enough, he arrived at the designated location, and he was stupefied by the chaos he encountered there. A big battle tool place, way bigger than what he juts faced on the narrow alley. The sealing squad was working on a much bigger rift, the medical team was treating the injured ones, and the rest of the shinobi were gathering near a tree, probably strategizing their next steps. Jun quickly approached the group, and it seemed as the de facto leader of the bunch was a young woman that resembled the fox lady he met at the Thunderpeak Campus, although without any of the fox traits. She instructing the group of what their next steps should be, finding a place to rest and taking turns on sleeping in order to avoid sneaky creatures. An even younger shinobi proposed his parents inn as somewhere they could rest at, offering shelter and food, something that triggered a now starving Jun.

“Best food in the village you said? I could have some ramen… perhaps some dumplings… I bet you guys are also hungry after battling this creepy creatures…” Jun said, as the attention of the group turned toward a now smiley Shibasaki clansman. “I mean, I think we have a better chance on finding out about those rifts and how to stop them from appearing here in the village with our bellies full…” normally a more reserved person, Jun’s empty stomach was guiding his speech now. “I’m Jun Shibasaki by the way. I was fighting a different battle, but I was sent here to help you guys out… but I see that you are in very capable hands” he continued, pointing out to Hikari. “The lady is right, we gotta regroup and rest…AND EAT! This is the best way to find out what the hell is going on. So, young man… show us the way to the inn!” he conclude, smiling to the group of shinobi, hoping that they would agree to have a meal before doing anything as his empty belly kept aching in pain, craving for some delicious homemade food.

WC: 2030

Tue Nov 07, 2023 1:29 pm

Human Form/Present Appearance:

After recuperating with some degree of frustration and difficulty, Hikari assessed what was going on and what was to come from it. There was going to be a lengthy discussion of ideas and concepts but it was likely all for naught if they could not conjure a better explanation for the events thus far. Upon the morning of the temporary squad reconvening, Hikari bore witness to the massive rift forming off in the distance yet close to home. It was visible beyond the stormy exterior of the village but not large enough to pose a threat immediately to the wellbeing of the villagers. A modicum amount of relief was in her body as she prepared for the day ahead of her. Notes were scattered around her room that she picked up and had her tails to help with. Once collected and prepared for the presentation she prepared for herself to the group, the young kitsune let out an exasperated breath before recollecting and undergoing her transformation to her more regular attire for outings. It was not something she was quite accustomed to yet but felt the need to get used to the appearance. She felt comfortable enough but knowing the possibility of being targeted due to her bloodline, it was best not to flaunt it right now. Especially with fear of animal-creature hybrids plaguing the village.

Having the group come together at one of the various coffee shops within the village, it was plain to see that business was booming for them but for all the wrong reasons. Multiple signs plastered the entrance stating limited purchases, lack of supplies, and requesting patience while they sort through their reserves available for customers. Even the staff present appeared to be struggling themselves even with access directly to their own coffee pots. When Hikari entered, it appeared to her that no one had arrived just yet but it was not for a lack of spotting anyone, it was more that she did not sense them initially if they were there. Sleep was not originally an easy thing for Hikari to achieve due to the night terrors she normally had but since the beginning of the 'Dreaming Monsters' she had found it more difficult to find rest. There was a multitude of things to discuss and her brain racketed with all the thoughts and concepts she had running through her mind that it was not until a cup of chamomile tea was in front of her that she took a breath and relaxed. She took a sip before setting the cup on its plate and pulling out her stack of notes.

Once the others arrived and situated with their drink of preference and choice, Hikari coughed to get their attention toward herself. "Thank you all for being supportive and helpful in these times as I am sure this being the first encounter for a few of us of rather combat-orientated issues is a little overwhelming. I hope proceeding with this meeting we can find avenues to make use of all talents present and available to better handle and coordinate towards better resolutions involving the creatures and creations we have encountered thus far and likely to encounter moving forward." She began as she pulled out a small stack with diagrams and small pieces of details for the other three to look over. As much as Hikari herself vocally brutalized ears with her lexicon and mannerisms, the art and notes were simple in direct for readability and understanding. The stack of papers pointed out the complexity of the creatures increased as they combatted them including small amounts of realism began to form with longer periods of time between the sightings.

"You will see that as time has gone on, more people have learned about some of the creatures in their base essence and began realizing the reality of the things in front of them more so now than prior to these events. As such I believe the conscious thought of these entities in how they are formed comes from the knowledge base that is present within individuals that unknowingly conjure when they sleep. The concerns I believe will come from imagination to start but the gruesome realism will continue to develop as we proceed." Hikari added in as her brain was a train not really allowing the others' thoughts or opinions to alter her course as it really appeared that she was on her one-track mind once more in front of them. Once her debrief of her notes concluded, she took another sip of her drink closing her eyes and releasing a lot of tension that had been building up in her. She nodded her head for a second as her tails unfurled behind her, her transformation dropping at that moment. A few patrons, turned to look as the kitsune form became present and contrasted against the coffee shop's interior.

Kitsune Form/Present Appearance:

In a sudden moment, the kitsune's sudden shift in appearance was the least of their concerns as the coffee shop rumbled as something outside decided it too was in need of a beverage. Becoming alert quickly to the sudden shift and change in needs, Hikari rose out of her chair before heading outside to see what looked like some ancient beast of scales and muscles roared toward the shop in question as a shinobi appeared slumped next to the door asleep or passed out from exhaustion, hard to determine at this time without a medic. At this point, Hikari held the door open and called out to the squad including an additional phrase, "Medic needed!" The shout came out in a way where anyone nearby who was one could step in if needed or if one of the others in the squad knew any medical knowledge they could be of service to the now passed out and injured shinobi from the reptilian attacker. Twice as large as the coffee shop with the head the size of a cart, rows upon rows upon rows of teeth filled the view of the kitsune to the creature. "Now this looks like a fine specimen of Chordata Tyrannoraptora..." She murmured to herself as the beast made its fury known to the denizens of Kumogakure in this moment of what was relaxation before more issues. Now it was time for the more issues part of the squad's day.

Battling a foe this large was definitely a team-based situation to be handling. Still not as combat-orientated as much as she wished she could be at this time, there was more to be concerned about than her simple mind toward the objectives in front of her. Pulling attention away from the coffee shop was the initial plan that way the others could aid and get their feet to handle the beast as best as they could at the moment. Hikari looked amongst what she could for ways to bring its attention to her but she figured now was a time for applicable knowledge to find its base. She picked up a rock and chucked it at the creature. Harmlessly falling off the beast's hide, it slowly turned towards Hikari and leaned in towards her sniffing at her before releasing a huge nostril-fueled puff of anger. "Oh... I see. Your scales are not simply for show... Apologies, I'll take my leave at this time." She said as she slowly began to walk away before dead sprinting to get away as its jaw snatched where she once stood.

Getting the attention of such a beast proved easy for the fox girl as her tails waved behind her in her sprint. As much as she was not as fast as her sister, she was still agile and able to maneuver quite well in spite of lacking comparatively. By this time, Hikari knew the attention was finally away from the coffee shop and thus had more flexibility in where to go to fight it. Knowing the place to throwdown was always Kumogakure Fried Chicken in the village, she moved in a way to direct the beast towards the known large lot by the restaurant where street brawls and other sorts of hooligan behavior took place. With the recent affairs, she presumed the normal crowd would be busy dreaming of KFC over actually being present to stir trouble. Her guess was half right as a decent population of people were present at the establishment. The lot however was primarily vacant, allowing her to direct it there for the next part of the combat itself. For her, this was another uphill battle that would require the team's efforts over her individual ability.

She cursed at herself for not finding a new avenue by now to help combat the creatures of dreams that were plaguing the waking. It was now not the first, not the second, but the third time she encountered such inadequacy to handle what was being presented before her. There was much to be worried about and fret over but she knew that the others would easily come and handle the situation once more. With the identity of the base creature known well, there was one problem, the beast had reach, unlike the diagrams of fossils that were cataloged for display or records. This proved disastrous for Hikari as her first technique used since this whole affair began was a simple mirror genjutsu that the beast crushed before it got a good look into it. Thankfully that was not a huge issue but still not the greatest. From there she executed another genjutsu in hopes it would help lock the beast in place. As quick as it worked to stop, a roar unleashed it from the Demonic Illusion Flower Garden technique she could execute without seals.

Two techniques down, and her others were not much more help than what she executed already. It truly was a fruitless battle for her in this moment and that was when she realized something about her own capacity. She needed others. Not in a sappy good feeling, she had to make friends, but she needed other tools, other techniques, and allies beneath her to utilize. She lacked in capacity and thus she needed others to make up for it. It was in this moment of frustration that the reality before her came into her sight. She knew there was much to discover and realize with this idea as many books and illustrations showed people in positions of power had to execute such notions for power balances, to avoid power vacuums, and to make up for their own shortcomings to stay within a position of power. Although her journey had just begun, she did not want to see herself wasting as a genin within the village, she did not want to see herself wasting under her current clan's ideals. She wanted to change the way it worked. She wished to change the world around her and she found herself dreaming of that change.

In this dire moment, she found herself mentally afloat formless in darkness. There was too much information of importance to discuss with the others, to vocalize to her sister what she wished to do and become. The world around her began to take form briefly of her room before she mentally screamed out against the space that surrounded her. Outwardly she froze as the beast began to lunge at her but before it connected, Hikari simply began to scream towards it, startling it as Hikari had run from it before in two moments already. At that moment, the team had plenty of chances and opportunities to strike at its body, cut it down to size, or even finish it off, Hikari's memory of that moment blurred as her own head became a whirlwind of her own thoughts and aspirations that had been given form from this encounter. There was not much else for her to do as when she came to her own senses, she stopped screaming before staring at the beast which was remedied by the squad. Tears were running down her face but her eyes were the fiercest they could be and had been for her life. There was a mixed bag of emotions for her as she wiped her tears with her robes before mentally collecting herself and her transformation took hold once more. Her thick glasses were hidden, the robes turning into more modern appropriate attire and her hair darkening and shortening once more. Her tails appeared to phase out of existence as she collected her thoughts and released her breath, "I have an idea."

Human Form/Present Appearance:

Watching as the body began to vanish, the interior of the beast was indicative of what Hikari had mentioned that the inside of the creatures began to take actual form and were not just a pit of dark matter that was taking the form. There was more detail and orientation that was being granted to these beasts that attacked and it was there in the lot next to Kumogakure Fried Chicken, that Hikari the young kitsune came up with an idea on how to handle the beasts. "Let's discuss this as we inform others in the village to rest with caution and not pass out like the original shinobi near the coffee shop." She stated informing the group as taking a bit of a leadership position in the vital moments of these encounters. She knew that there was a lot to do and a lot to work towards but once they gathered up and came back together after a few rounds of informing others, Hikari knew that the fight they were looking to have was about to change for their advantage. The people could dream and could shatter whatever was happening here in reality, it was about time to made it to this 'Land of Nightmares' to take the fight to whoever unleashed these thoughts and terrors onto them.

As the group regathered after defeating the creature and informing others to take some rest, Hikari's mind was ablaze with thoughts and ideas. There were many things to consider and take into consideration but they were not nearly as vital as the brief moment of unconsciousness she had somehow entered and escaped out of that she needed to discuss with the rest of them. That was when Hikari realized that she knew two of their squad mates. With all that they had been through it was a matter of indifference once you got to a certain point but it was still courtesy to go through introductions. At this point, she ought to know the other individual who had been helping, and considering their proximity to the famous, or infamous depending on who you ask, Kumogakure Fried Chicken, lunch of some capacity sounded like a good way to recover and prepare for the next discussion that was to have. "Let's eat something before continuing. I'm tired physically and emotionally." The young Kitsune stated before heading inside and finding a table to sit at and rest for a moment, considering what she wanted to eat.

Once the others took their spots and either ordered or opted not to eat, Hikari took a bite out of a leg piece before washing it down with some mineral water. "So I apologize for not being capable within combat situations. My capacity for techniques has not improved much but I hope after all this is over I can spend time developing and honing my abilities to be of help to others in the future. As far as that goes, with everything going on, we haven't had proper introductions as we, for the best, began to operate without them. I know Jun-san and Minami-chan more properly. I recall you mentioning we were in the same class, I apologize as I did not take in a lot of other names for my time in the academy." She mentioned with an apologetic face towards Hibiki. She bowed her head a bit before adding, "My name is Hikari and as much as I am studious as an individual, my outward comfortability is something new to me and something I'm not quite used to. I am in fact a shy recluse most of my days." She stated giving a proper introduction to Hibiki before the wrong impression set in for him.

Giving time for the others to permit proper introductions, Hikari knew the most experienced of the group was Jun who had lived in the woods for a brief interim period which would have steeled him greatly for such affairs on limited resources presumably. With all that squared away, Hikari finished her meal while the others spoke up and provided small details that they felt were relevant, or if they kept to themselves on information it was on them for such mannerisms at this moment, as in fact they were eating and talking in Kumogakure Fried Chicken. Once that was settled and taken care of there was a degree of important and reasonable need to discuss what transpired out in the lot nearby. "I want to extend my apology for the information that I think I was able to gather and figure out at that moment. I think we can take this fight to the Land of Nightmares using our consciousnesses as vehicles to get within the space itself. The vital part is what we do from there." She began to explain.

Waiting to see people's responses, Hikari began to operate under the assumption that she would need to elaborate further and began to formulate her next steps of dialogues to better prep the squad for what she was proposing. She let out her breath in such a way that it was as if she had stopped breathing and at that moment she closed her eyes taking some deep breaths before focusing on what her squad mates had to say. They were all intelligent kumogakuran shinobi alongside her and as a shinobi of Kumogakure, she needed to be able to rely on and get help from their team but most importantly trust them. The age ranges present were wild, to say the least, considering Minami was the eldest of the group with Hibiki being the youngest. Jun was a few years younger than she but was on his track to become a chuunin. Her taking the lead like she did was wild and absurd to some degree but whatever happened happened in these chaotic moments.

With everyone being caught up, Hikari spoke plainly instead of her normal approach to elaborating or explaining what she had stored or weaseled away in her head, "I think if we use our dreams, our internal deep thoughts, to conjure a place within that darkness we see when we close our eyes at night we can do the reverse of what these creatures are doing. It would be like some sort of projection of oneself which likely means we can also alter how we are perceived there. I cannot imagine we have our own individually made world on the other side so if other countries are suffering, we can likely expect others to be finding their way there too." Hikari started looking between the group before them before looking at the window to the once smaller rift in the distance to the now rather large one that overlapped a bit into the Land of Lightning. She sighed before putting her hand on the glass and closing her eyes, the bags ever present even through her transformative state.

Once the group was settled with the idea, Hikari figured it was best to consider avenues of approach with the information. "Perhaps we can go to your family's inn?" Hikari turned to Hibiki, "It would be a little secluded from the village proper presumably. We could take turns trying to figure out the idea and if it is doable. Should it be, we can likely operate out of the inn for a period of time while we investigate for the village. I am sure once we bridge that gap we will get more support from the administration team to be better prepared in case we cause rifts to form doing it. It did not appear to happen when I lost consciousness but that is not to say it would not happen if we actively attempt to do so." She added as her shoulders began to slump a bit from her exhaustion. Her brain even while speaking attempted to elevate and elaborate further but it was obvious the bookworm was actively trying to keep things simpler for the squad.

Once determinations on how to proceed were made, Hikari would follow the group with the awareness that there was more to come and to be prepared. Given the chance that something was to spawn, Hikari opted to pick up some stones telling herself she needed to go to the store at some point to get properly equipped with at minimum a blade and some throwables for her own defenses. She was not incapable of using such tools and as such would be best to get some considering her lack of capacity at this time. The young Kitsune felt she did her best given the circumstances as a recent graduate of the academy but knew that there was going to be a higher volume of concerns and worries that she would need to address in the future. This was a true trial by fire that the academy could never truly have prepared her for. The circumstances around the whole situation were still as cloudy as they started but now they had some semblance of awareness that they could take action rather than just keep reacting to the world around them.

Hikari on the way to their destination began to write and record her findings. It was only a matter of keeping track of the thoughts but she knew that the administration and the village's leaders would likely need to have this information readily available for them to be aware of the attempt let alone what the group had discovered. Recalling all the others had said, she began to crystallize a summary of the group's experiences and wrote up a report to drop off at some point, hopefully before all of it was over.

WC: 3,700 TWC: 5,700 | TMWC: 12,162 / 15,500

WC Breakout:

Wed Nov 08, 2023 12:34 pm

[E-Rank] Tear in the Fabric
[D-Rank] Questioning Reality
[C-Rank] Formation of Rifts
[B-Rank] Nightmares Given Life
[A-Rank] Waking Demons
[S-Rank] Into the Maw of Dreams and Nightmares

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC (Avgs. to 3,875 each)

The past few days had been overwhelming to say the least for the young Genin. He was fresh faced and straight out of the academy. He had become a ninja in defiance of his parents wishes and hopes and now he found himself wondering if perhaps his parents had been right all along. Hibiki had tried sleeping during the day at first to be active at night but this was unsustainable as more and more dream creatures became present during the day. With villagers and even ninja passing out from exhaustion and tiredness no period of day or night were safe ands many began fearing to even fall asleep, opting to try and stay awake for several days at a time. Hibiki himself had only managed a couple of hours before he roused himself to meet up with his current team to find out what missions they had for the day. He sleepily checked his ninja tools were all in place after dressing himself and crept down the stairs, careful not to wake any guests or patrons that may have been asleep. His ears had gotten attuned to listening out for irregular sounds now, potentially alerting Hibiki to a dream manifesting nearby. So far the inn had been lucky with only minor manifestations that were easily dealt with and generally harmless. He knew that the longer the problem went on the more chance that his family or home could be in danger however. It was this inevitable knowledge that allowed him to keep driving forwards with his missions when a very real part of him would rather just curl up back in bed and sleep.

He snuck into the kitchen and grabbed some now cold meat buns his mother had left out for him with a little note that read ‘Stay Safe’. Hibiki smiled and tucked the note in his pocket before stuffing the first bun in his mouth and munching it down quickly. He grabbed some water to wash down his breakfast before completing a final equipment check before grabbing some homemade stimulant pills he had left out and set out into the village. He judged that he should arrive with a little time spare so took his time to wander down the streets, conserving his energy in case an incursion broke out as so often happened in recent days. The village was unsurprisingly quiet and Hibiki could hear no incursions nearby as he wandered and tried to put on a confident smile as he walked past over villagers, greeting those he knew cheerfully and promising they will sort out the problem soon. Hibiki was not a particularly good liar and he was currently uncertain as to their prospects of success. He had no idea how this was even possible let alone how he would be able to prevent the issues. Hibiki had no choicer but to trust in the higher ranks and more experienced village shinobi to figure out the answer and do the heavy lifting in terms of stopping the dream manifestations occurring. Hibiki looked forward to the day that they could sleep again without fear of causing problems or damage for their loved ones. He hoped that day was not far off.

Hibiki walked to the meeting point of his current team, yawning as he went before popping a homemade stimulant pill into his mouth. He called it a stimulant pill but in reality, it was just mashed up herbs and spices that to be honest tasted very badly. His mum had made a couple for him from left overs to help him keep awake. The downside was that everything he ate or drank for the next few hours would also taste revolting but it was a fair trade off to help keep him perked up and prevent sleep and more importantly dreams from getting its grip on him. He spotted Hikari a short distance away, seated in a coffee shop and wrinkled his nose. He hated the taste of coffee but couldn’t deny its effectiveness at keeping people awake. He slid into one of the free chairs and stifled another yawn in front of the teams de-facto leader. At least she led the team as far as Hibiki was concerned. He drummed his fingers lightly on the table and looked up into the sky for the first time, jaw dropping a little as his finally spotted the rift forming in the sky a great distance away. “Oh. That’s not good is it.” Hibiki didn’t expect any meaningful response and waited for the rest of the team to arrive, picking a particularly long grass stalk to chew on whilst he waited.

The location for the meeting was certainly busier than Hibiki would have preferred and the bitter smell in the air made his nose twitch. He didn’t understand why people willingly drank the stuff when there were so many other good drinks to choose from. Even boring old tea was better than coffee in his opinion and he had argued the point several times back at the family inn to little success. Hibiki had simply decided that adults were just strange and had poor taste. Hibiki fidgeted almost constantly as he waited and tried looking over Hikari’s notes but was unable to get a good look without awkwardly craning his neck or actively moving around the table to get a better look. After what felt like a small eternity the rest of the group had arrived and he greeted each new member with a nod or a good morning. He tried to at least try to be a little polite where able thought he clearly needed more work on his patience. A lack of good sleep and busy nights had drawn a good deal of his self control however and he noticed he was not the only person in the village feeling the affects. It seemed common for arguments to break out due to insignificant matters and tempers frayed easily stress increased for lack of sleep or even just general worry.

Hikari coughed and Hibiki took in a deep breath and sat up a little straighter as she began speaking. He groaned a little too audibly as she passed over a series of notes and diagrams. He began skimming the papers and couldn’t help but feel a little inadequate compared to his older team mates, By the time Hikari had finished her accompanying explanation he felt like steam must be coming out of his ears as his brain tried to vent the excess heat. “So the creatures are limited to how imaginative the person dreaming it is and they get stronger the longer they are left alone?” Hibiki looked to the others. “Am I the only one a little confused by this?” Every word he had desperately been trying to cling onto and process suddenly vanished the instant several tails appeared behind Hikari before disappearing. Hibiki blinked and also noticed the sudden appearance of orange ears on her head before pushing back his chair cautiously. His voice had an edge of wariness and concern as he voiced his immediate thought and fear. " Is it possible that daydreams can manifest? Because I’m pretty sure I just saw a bunch of tails sprout out of your butt as well as a pair of dog ears sprout on your head? Don’t think I was thinking about that though." He blushed slightly at having inadvertently admitted he was struggling to listen and understand. Can’t let them think you are some dumb kid. I am a ninja now! I need to act like it! Hibiki barely had time to recover before the rumbling began and a new scaly monster seemingly manifested nearby.

Hibiki spat out the remains of his grass stalk and hopped over the table eagerly. This should be better than reading, at least I can fight a little. As he slid over the table he picked up Hikari’s coffee cup and splashed the now cool bitter dregs into the shinobi’s face, hoping the coffee would wake him up. A few crucial seconds passed and no changes occurred in the unconscious shinobi. “Thought that would work… well guess I will go fight the monster then.” Hibiki headed out into the street and leaped up onto the coffee shop , running to the roof with surface walking to get a better vantage point on the gigantic creature. He turned to face the creature and spotted it snapping towards the shopfront moments before Hikari began sprinting away and sprouting another set of tails and ears. Hibiki shook his head vigorously but the strange hallucination appeared to persist and so he gave chase as he began kneading his chakra with eh lighting element inside his body as he ran, allowing it to build steadily before he leaped onto the creatures back and released the stored chakra allowing it to flood through his nervous system and coat his body and rush over his skin as he stabbed his kunai into the beast and channelled the energy of the gigavolt technique through the kunai and into the monster as the lightning chakra discharged into the creatures flesh causing it to roar in pain and spasm slightly as the electricity ran though its body. It had slowed the beast and bought Hikari some time to reposition, but Hibiki doubted it would do any meaningful lasting damage and decided to leap to another oof in case it decided to begin thrashing. Hibiki knew if something small jumped on his back he would be likely to squash it and Hibiki did not feel much like being flattened against the local architecture.

Hibiki knew he would have to rely on Minami and Jun to deal the real damage and focused on joining Hikari in creating distractions and dividing the creatures attention. Hibiki had often been called annoying and in this instance he was determined to prove he could be more agitating and frustrating than anyone else on the team as he moved from position to position, waiting for Hikari to distract the creature before immediately launching and attack of his own from the opposite direction, trying to keep its attention diverted whilst the other members of the team co-ordinated their attacks for maximum damage. This dance of distraction and annoyance continued until Hikari let out a piecing scream that stunned the beast. Hibiki saw his opportunity and slid between the creatures legs whilst making the hand seals of Horse -> Bird -> Ox and releasing a wave of lighting chakra once the others had shifted position to be out of range of his technique. “Lightning Release: Gigavolt!” A dome of lightning chakra erupted form his body and the smell of burning flesh became potent in the air as one of the legs and the underside of the monster began to burn and cook from the electrical force subjected to it by the expanding dome of energy. The dome of crackling blue energy expanded to its full 10 meter radius, frying the scales and flesh of the reptilian apparition that came into contact with it before the dome dissipated and Hibiki rolled away. Preparing his next attack to add to the barrage.

Finally the dream creature was defeated by the joint efforts of his temporary team and he noticed Hikari wiping away tears on her clothes and she suddenly seemed very child like as well. Perhaps as childlike as he appeared to his oldere team mates. “That was a tough fight.” He walked over to Hikari and patted her on the back awkwardly. “You did a great job drawing it away and that scream technique you used was really cool. Don’t suppose you can teach us that one can you? Might come in handy in a pinch and certainly stopped that thing in its tracks.” Hibiki dusted himself off and considered the collateral damage. He looked at the shattered stone buildings and missing tiles littering the floor including scorch marks from various techniques, some of them his own. Well it could have been worse. “So uh, are the tails and ears real or……” He let the question hang in the air as Hikari recollected herself, the tails and ears disappearing. Hibiki was not quite sure what they were supposed to discuss and looked to the other two members of the team in the event they could provide some further guidance as he shrugged and simply followed Hikari’s lead.

Hibiki shook of his arms and legs, patting down his clothing and trying to hide the post fight tremors than ran through his body. He always got them after a tough fight and for a few minutes longer it would feel light the lightning chakra was running through his veins. It made his body feel lighter and filled him with seemingly limitless energy. Unfortunately, the adrenaline dump he experienced also tended to dull pain so shortly after he was likely to discover injuries he had not noticed, and all that brimming energy would simply vanish and leave him more exhausted than before. He did not know if this was a common feeling after a battle and had never really known anyone well enough to ask. Hibiki did what he always did, took deep long breaths, and focused on his body to discover the worst pains and ached he might have developed during the fight. Fortunately, it seemed limited to a few scraped and bruises, nothing to serious at all considering the size of the monster they fought. Come on Hibiki, got to show them your strong, can’t look weak in front of the team. He took a final steadying breath and forced himself to stand up straighter, placing a toothpick in his mouth as he walked.

Hibiki followed the group into Kumogakure Fried Chicken and ordered a lot more chicken than he would usually be allowed. He glanced nervously around as though expecting his parents to materialise and chastise him. Now that’s a real nightmare as he dug into the small pile of chicken he had purchased. He rarely had the chance to eat out at these kinds of place, living at an inn certainly had benefits but there was always plenty of food around so he had no real reason to eat out unless he was camping in the woods or the mountains. Even on those excursions he took plenty of food from home to see him through most of his time away. He was devouring the food quickly, finding a new source of joy and energy as the fried chicken flavour overcame his senses momentarily and barely trying to appear civil or polite as he did so.

Hikari began talking and Hibiki forced himself to swallow so he could listen properly. Hibiki appeared confused before his mouth opened in and Oh shape as he realised she was talking to him. “Oh you were talking to me. Wait you didn’t know my name?” Why would they. You are just a stupid little kid in their eyes. He pushed the thought away. “Oh yeah I’m Sato Hibiki. Glad to meet you!, all of you really. Guess all us kids must look alike at the academy so no sweat. I tend to hang around the mountains in my spare time or help out at home.” Hibiki tried to put on a brave face but felt a little deflated to hear she didn’t even really know who he was after a few missions. In order to hide from the awkwardness, he tucked into this remaining chicken with renewed gusto and enthusiasm to hide his embarrassment. He decided to keep quiet as the whole situation was fairly overwhelming for him and had little input to give outside of pointing out the absolutely obvious and mundane.

Hibiki barely understood what Hikari was talking about but she seemed smart and if she thought it could give them a chance to put a stop to the threat then he certainly wasn’t going to back down now. “Yeah that sounds great. Just remind me of what I need to do and when you need me to do it.” He looked at his other companions to try and gauge how much of the conversation they were following, he presumed it was definitely more than himself a she had been nursing a small headache for a little whistle after Hikari began talking about her theories on how the method could work. He began gazing at villagers entering or leaving the restaurant but chipped in if he felt he had something relevant to add.

Hibiki considered Hikari’s idea of travelling into the Land of Nightmares, he could think of no reason why it should or should not work. “Its worth a try. Don’t know if we should all go in at once though, what happens if we all start dreaming something like that big lizard by accident? I would rather we not all enter together or at least find some others to watch over our bodies if we do manage to enter the uh Land of Nightmares. I don’t mind giving it a go but I want to make sure people are not in danger when we try.” The group continued to discuss and Hibiki was surprised when Hikari suggested they head to his home. He paused to think it over, she wasn’t wrong, the inn was located fairly close to the gates and as fewer travellers were heading to the village during the crisis they did have several empty rooms that could be used.

“I guess I could ask my folks but not sure they will like the idea with putting the inn at risk. Apparently its been in the family for generations and its also our home. Well we can always head over and ask I suppose. We have plenty of rooms free at the moment with all this going on. It’s not too far from the south gate either so we could probably draw any nasty creatures away.” Hibiki wondered how we was going to ask them and briefly wondered if Hikari would be willing to ask, they were more likely to listen to the team leader than him. “Uh might be better if you say we have orders from village business or something, my parents can somehow tell when I lie, especially my mum. If I asks she will use her eyes to make me tell the truth. Its like a dojutsu tech or something. Works on my dad as well.”

Hibiki waited for everyone to finish their meal and discussions before offering to lead them to his home if that was the general consensus, guiding them through the village to his home. I hope mum and dad won’t be to upset about this. Hibiki was sure that he was certain to get a lengthy lecture at the very least.

WC: 3,125 TWC: 5,413 | TMWC: 15,287 / 15,500

WC Breakout:

Fri Nov 10, 2023 7:15 am

They didn’t go for some homemade food from Hibiki’s family inn, but Jun was happy enough when they decided to go to KFC (Kumo Fried Chicken). Jun ordered a gigantic bucket of spicy fried chicken and one extra large soda along with some chicken bites. All that fighting made Jun spend lots of energies, so he needed to refill it. And what better fuel to the body than some deliciously fried, crunchy and hot chicken? Jun ate non-stop at an insane pace, almost swallowing whole chicken pieces without even chewing them, frightening the other Shinobis at the table: Hibiki, Hikari and Minami. They all seemed pretty green, fresh from the academy, and indeed they just recently graduated and became Genins.

Jun himself was pretty young, but he had more than an year of experience as a Shinobi, so he could and probably should lead that group of rookies… but watching the introverted Hikari, who Jun met while she was wandering at the Thunderpeak Campus library step up and take charge of things made Jun realize how big of an opportunity this was for her personal grow. Besides, he knew she was super smart, memorizing the whole library in her brain. The other rookies also stepped up in combat and showed great courage when facing the wicked dream creatures. He was certain that this next generation of Ninjas could handle things as he once did during Halloween, so he decided to serve as a kind of watchman for the group, letting them make the decisions and planning while he would only serve to protect the young bloods, who didn’t have much experience in combat.

Jun kept devouring the fried chicken in a frenzy, even stealing some pieces from a distracted Hikari while she was explaining her findings and plan. She proposed the shinobi to take the fight to their own realm: the now corrupted Land of Dreams. Pretty much doing the reverse of what the monster were doing to escape their Realm, they would have to sleep and consciously enter the Land of Dreams, trying to figure out what’s happening in there and why were the wicked nightmare creatures escaping the place? Why the barrier between worlds have been removed? While dangerous, her plan actually made lots of sense, as fighting a horde of endless creatures without ever sleeping again didn’t look quite doable. “Take the fight to them, eh? That’s what I’m here for: for a good fight! Just a couple more chicken wings and I’m ready to go!” – Jun thought to himself.

“I can go!” – Jun shouted right after swallowing some chicken – “I mean… I think you are right, Hikari! Something in the Land of Dreams is wrong, whatever prevented the creatures from crossing through realms was removed… but if the way is open for them, it is open for us as well! And besides… all this chicken is making me sleepy…” he continued, finishing with a loud snore.

Indeed, having a full belly in a very short amount of time made Jun quite sleepy, as all of his body’s energy was being used for digestion. As Hikari suggested for them to go to Hibiki’s family Inn, Jun snored once more, he felt as if his eyes were slowly closing little by little. The young boy seemed reluctant to take everyone to the Inn, as it was also his home. Hibiki’s voice slowly started sounding as if it was lower and lower… his lips moved but Jun could hear no sound… a third snore arrived, and suddenly it all fade to black.

The transition from the waking world to the dream realm was seamless, but Jun could sense the ominous presence that lingered in the air. Jun first gained consciousness in the middle of a plain field. It was pitch dark, an there was 3 moons in the sky… but Jun could few the grass touching his ankle. “Where the hell… Is this… the dream land?” Jun kept walking straight as he still tried to figure out where he was at.

The sky overhead seemed to writhe with ethereal shadows, casting an eerie glow that tinted everything in shades of somber violet. Trees with twisted branches stretched towards the heavens like skeletal fingers, their leaves replaced by spectral whispers that seemed to echo the fears of those trapped in this surreal realm. The ground beneath Jun's feet was a shifting canvas of dreams gone awry. Meadows of once-lush grass had transformed into fields of twisted thorns, each step through them producing dissonant echoes. The air was thick with a surreal fog, carrying with it the unsettling scent of memories turned sour. Rivers that once sparkled with crystalline clarity now flowed with inky darkness. Murmurs of lost hopes and shattered aspirations emanated from the blackened waters, as if the very essence of the corrupted dreams had tainted the once-pure streams. Occasionally, ghostly apparitions of happier times would flicker along the riverbanks, their visages distorted into macabre reflections. The creatures that roamed this distorted dreamscape were grotesque manifestations of fear and despair. Twisted amalgamations of nightmares, they slithered through the shadowy landscape, their eyes glowing with malevolence.

Some bore the semblance of once-familiar animals, now warped and corrupted, while others were entirely otherworldly, born from the darkest recesses of the dreamers' subconscious. The structures that dotted the dream realm were remnants of dreams shattered. Once majestic castles stood in ruins, their towers leaning precariously, and ghostly echoes of laughter resonated through their dilapidated halls. Cities were frozen in time, their streets deserted and buildings half-submerged in the ever-shifting shadows. Yet, amid the desolation, pockets of resistance persisted. Islands of flickering light and vibrant colors, untouched by the corruption, defied the encroaching darkness. These were the dreams that refused to yield, holding onto the fragments of hope that remained within the hearts of the dreamers.

As Jun ventured deeper into this surreal dreamscape, the boundaries between reality and nightmare blurred. The Land of Dreams, once a place of solace, had become a battleground where the resilience of the human spirit clashed with the malevolent forces that sought to corrupt it. But what was causing this? Who was behind such madness? Jun looked around the corrupted fantasy world, trying to figure out the source of corruption. As he moved deeper into the surreal dreamscape, Jun encountered the ghostly remnants of happier times. Flickering apparitions of laughter and joy played out like haunting scenes from a long-forgotten play. These fragments of dreams seemed to mock the current state of the Land of Dreams, emphasizing the stark contrast between what once was and what had become.

The rivers, now flowing with inky darkness, drew Jun's attention. He approached cautiously, the spectral whispers growing louder as he neared the corrupted waters. Gazing into the blackened depths, he saw glimpses of fragmented memories, distorted and tainted by the malevolent force that had taken hold. Amid the ruins of once-majestic castles and cities frozen in time, Jun detected a pattern. The corruption emanated from a central point, a convergence of the nightmares that had woven themselves into the very fabric of the dream realm. Guided by his honed instincts, Jun followed the trail of twisted energy that led him to the heart of the dreamscape.

The air thickened with an otherworldly tension as Jun approached a dilapidated castle, its towers leaning precariously as if burdened by the weight of the corrupted dreams. The entrance yawned open, revealing a pitch-black void that seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy. Undeterred, Jun entered the shadowy halls, senses alert for any sign of the source. The ruined castle seemed to be completely empty, as the young Shibasaki clansman could hear the echo of his own footsteps. The castle's interior was a labyrinth of shifting corridors and surreal chambers. Murmurs of the corrupted dreams echoed through the desolate halls, distorting the very air. Jun encountered twisted manifestations of fear, grotesque entities that seemed to guard the secrets hidden within the heart of the castle and innocent dreams trapped into torture devices. Jun wanted to come to their help, but it seemed as he was just a spectator there: his body didn't react to his thoughts, and all he could do was explore and observe.

Jun Shibasaki ventured deeper into the heart of the dilapidated castle, guided by the unsettling energy that pulsed through its shadowy halls and seemed to attract Jun towards it. The air within the castle seemed to grow thicker, charged with an otherworldly tension that hinted at the malevolent force manipulating the dreamscape. As he traversed the labyrinthine corridors, Jun started realizing he could hear something calling at him… something trapped deep into the shadows that now took over the Dream Lands. And it seemed as if the source of the pulsing energy within the castle was responding to this screams for help, as it was trying to silence it.

Finally, he reached a vast, vaulted chamber at the heart of the castle. The air hummed with a dark energy, and the walls seemed to pulse in rhythmic harmony with the malevolence that lingered. In the center of the chamber, shadows coalesced into an ominous figure, a silhouette that seemed to embody the very essence of the corrupted dreams.
Jun approached cautiously, his senses on high alert. The figure, shrouded in darkness, remained elusive, dancing at the edge of his perception. It taunted him with glimpses of its form, a shifting mass of nightmares and fears that defied definition. The malevolent force seemed to feed on the anxieties and nightmares of those who had contributed to the corruption of the Land of Dreams. In a surreal moment, Jun caught a fleeting glimpse of the source—a dark entity, shape-shifting and elusive. Its features remained indistinct, as if the very act of perceiving it was an affront to reality. The shadows whispered with the tormented voices of the dreamers, their fears and regrets echoing through the chamber. And then all he could hear were giggles. Dark, macabre, mad… giggles. And from far away a voice could be heard, as if it was coming from every inch of that wicked place "this place is mine... this place is ours... this place will forver be MINE. Fly away, little bird, because the land of dreams is no more... is no more... is no more... and now we are coming for you LAND... be aware... fly away..."

Just as Jun prepared to confront the elusive figure, the dream realm quivered, and reality itself seemed to warp. The silhouette melted into the shadows, leaving Jun suspended in a moment of surreal uncertainty. The dream world trembled, and with a disorienting jolt, Jun felt himself being pulled back to wakefulness.

As he opened his eyes in the waking world, the castle and the corrupted dreamscape dissolved like mist. The remnants of the malevolent force lingered in his mind, a haunting echo of the surreal encounter. Jun Shibasaki, now awake, found himself back at Kumo Fried Chicken, with his forehead touching the very same table where he devoured hundreds of chicken pieces. He raised his head, and released a big snore as he tried to open his eyes, still sensible to the environmental light.

“Yo… have I missed something? Boy I had just the most the most psychedelic trip of my life… I hope it was actually the Land of Dreams and not some secret ingredient they put in the chicken here…”

WC: 1840
TWC: 4000

WC BREAKOUT:

Fri Nov 10, 2023 7:25 am

[Exit]

Making the following claims:

Mission Rewards wrote:
Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP (New AP Total from 307 is now 499)
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs + Dream Waiver

WC Claims wrote:5,700 WC + Strawberry Cake for 4,000 WC = 9,700 WC, 25% Max Stat reduction
1,500 WC Towards Fire Element (Honor Pin Allowed)
750 WC Towards Great Fireball
825 WC Towards Kitsunebi: Mesmerizing Flames
1,313 WC Towards Imitation White Hole
1,313 WC Towards Imitation Black Hole
1,313 WC Towards Singularity
1,313 WC Towards Rhythm Echo: Afterimage
1,125 WC Towards Genjutsu Choking
248 WC Remaining and Discarded

Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:05 am

[Exit]

Making the following claims:

Mission Rewards wrote:
Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs + Dream Waiver

Claiming WC: 5,400

Claiming Stats:
- Speed +20
- Chakra +20
- Vigor + 14

Claiming chakra element: Water - using Honour Student Pin - 2,000 - 2,000/5,400

Claiming Jutsu:
- Poison Mist (B-rank) - 1,500 - 3,500/5400
- Genjutsu Release - 250 - 3750/5400
- Elemental Style Mortar (B-rank) - 1500 - 5250/5400
- 150 towards Storage Displacement - 150/500 - 5400/5400

Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:48 pm

Hikari Kobayashi wrote:[Exit]

Making the following claims:

Mission Rewards wrote:
Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP (New AP Total from 307 is now 499)
Total Dream Tokens: 90 DTs + Dream Waiver

WC Claims wrote:5,700 WC + Strawberry Cake for 4,000 WC = 9,700 WC, 25% Max Stat reduction
1,500 WC Towards Fire Element (Honor Pin Allowed)
750 WC Towards Great Fireball
825 WC Towards Kitsunebi: Mesmerizing Flames
1,313 WC Towards Imitation White Hole
1,313 WC Towards Imitation Black Hole
1,313 WC Towards Singularity
1,313 WC Towards Rhythm Echo: Afterimage
1,125 WC Towards Genjutsu Choking
248 WC Remaining and Discarded

Approved

Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]

Re: Dreaming of Nightmares [Event Missions]