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Chapter 8x: Runaway Power
Hmm...
What's up Ran? Got a real troubled face there.
Ah, my apologies.
I'm just concerned about that nekomata from the other day...
Oh yeah, guess you fought a cat or somethin'.
Indeed...
I was certain that we had reached an agreement, but maybe I was wrong.
Those other girls said she's got some spot she's always poppin' out of nowhere from, didn't they?
Sides, they said they'd go lookin' for her.
Might as well leave it to them.
I suppose you're right.
She seemed to understand me for a moment, so I'm certain it'll work out if I can talk to her again.
Um, pardon me! Someone, please, help!
Hm?
You're that fairy from before. What's wrong? You look pale.
Cirno's, and, and, Rumia's, uh...!
Cirno? Um, that was...
The ice fairy that always accompanies this one. Rumia was with the youkai from the other day.
In any case, something's happening, right?
Got it. Don't worry, we'll come help right away.
T-thank you very much!
--
Our girl sure is in high spirits, I see.
She's been given a role, and people who rely on her. Of course her feelings would begin to change.
This pleases me. Becoming a pillar for others to rely upon will gradually reveal her inner strength.
Indeed. From there, she'll likely become a pivotal part of everyone's lives.
Hey everyone! Sorry, but if this is too much for me to handle, I might need your help!
But of course. Should it come to that, you can count on us.
Preparation screen!
Aside from shuffling around some of the item drops we got last chapter, I didn't do too much. Mainly I made sure Merlin had a fresh Hand Axe. You'll see why.
Supports-wise, looks like Yukari/Ran was a clear winner, and Suika/SM snuck in right at the end. So, here you go:
Ran/Yukari B
SM/Suika B
By the way, I gave Aya the Torch staff that Wriggle dropped. Gotta love a Fog of War map!
Of special note here is Shrine Maiden's position (and her lack of Fixed Pair). Also note that Kyouko is free. These will both make sense in a second.
Speaking of, let's get to it:
Hold up Rumia! Surprise attacks are no fair!
Hehehe, ahahaha! Shaved ice♪ Shaved ice♪
Waaah!
Remember how I mentioned that Rumia's portrait last chapter was probably bugged?
Yeeeah, there's a thing in the code here about using an "EX Rumia" portrait, but the whole matter seems to have been poorly implemented.
Cirno runs away.
Mystia, Wriggle, and Dai are here, by the way.
What's happening here...
Oh, you're the human from before!
Please! Do something about Rumia!
At this rate, Cirno might get hurt!
Something? Uh... I dunno what's going on here, but I'll try.
Can you explain the situation? Doesn't seem like an ordinary fight...
We have no idea.
Just, for some reason Rumia started acting really weirdly, all of a sudden.
Weird how?
She's like, really vicious? Like she's spoiling for a fight, or something.
She started spreading her darkness around, too.
What in the world...
Running wild, I suspect. She's completely lost control of her own power.
Has this ever happened before?
She maybe gets a bit violent when she's super hungry, but it's never been this bad.
Yukari, got any ideas?
A few.
Birdy, do you have a moment?
Wha, "birdy"!? I've got a super amazing name, you know! It's Mystia Lorelei!
Ah, my sincerest apologies.
Then, Mystia Lorelei. You seemed particularly close to that youkai.
Based on this, I've a request of you. Might I borrow your ear, a moment?
Uh, sure?
Let me ask. Has that youkai attacked, and in particular eaten, any humans, as of late?
Any humans, huh...
Come to think, we haven't seen any humans at all around here recently.
I see. Then it is exactly as I feared.
What's wrong with her?
To put it simply, she's craving.
When strong desires, particularly hunger, go unsatiated, that frustration can explode in a torrent of power.
Hunger? Seriously?
But like, that's kind of a problem, y'know?
You just told us not to attack humans indiscriminately, right? But now, Rumia's... like that.
...Now I get it. She's the type of youkai that hunts humans.
Woah, hold on. Sure, she attacks people sometimes, but Rumia's not that bad!
I know. The food I eat used to be alive too, so I can't exactly blame her.
She didn't seem like a bad girl, from what I saw.
But, hm. What to do...
Oh no! Cirno!
Wha?
There's a bunch of movement sounds. Presumably from Rumia moving around under cover of darkness.
Gyaah!!?
Hehehe, gotcha!
Mm-mm... So cold, so tasty...
Hey, hold up! My wings aren't popsicles!!
--
Cirnooo!!
Wriggle! We gotta stop her!
Right! Miss Shrine Maiden, please, help Rumia somehow!
Alright, I'll figure something out.
Rest assured, we'll find a solution.
Down, Rumia! Bad!
Huuuuh?
Ahaaa, fried chicken♪
I am NOT a chicken!
Misty, look out!
I know!
Mystia dodges.
Wriggle and Mystia shuffle around.
Cirno! Are you okay?
Whew... You saved me.
Nnnngh! Why's a tough girl like me always gettin' pushed around like this?
Come on, let's get out of here.
I know you're frustrated, but it'll go better if you rest up first, right?
Hrmgh...
If you say so, Dai.
They retreat to the west.
Hmm...
Alright Yukari, what do I do? You've got a plan, right?
Possibly. If we can affix a seal onto her, it might work to weaken her power.
A seal? Will that really work?
It ought to.
That youkai seems to possess a far greater power than even she realizes.
At times, that power might grow uncontrollable, resulting in this sort of recklessness.
Therefore, sealing away a portion of that power ought to prevent these episodes.
In all likelihood, these cravings will never fully go away.
If nothing is done now, this incident will happen again.
So it's better we seal her power away... Alright.
So, how do we do it? Is there some special process, or what?
The act of sealing itself is simple. Affixing this talisman to her should do.
However, you must be the one to place it on her.
Why's that?
It's simply how these things work. Humans seal away youkai.
You wish to create a new relationship between humans and youkai, but you don't yet know how these matters are settled.
You've accepted a role where people will rely on your aid, so you must learn how to do so.
...Understood.
--
Misty! Look at Rumia!
What the!?
Since when could Rumia do all this!?
Woah woah woah! Call the ref, this is foul play!
I can sorta tell which one's the real one, but uh... What should we do?
--
Hehehehe, dark, dark, even darker, and then... Hah, ahahaha...
--
Curses. It was dark before, but I can hardly see where I'm walking now!
Darkness, and now clones. Quite the barrel full of tricks, she has.
The situation's gotten rather serious. Move with caution.
This the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's first big job. Show me what you're capable of.
Hakurei... Right.
I'll try my best!
BGM: 妖魔夜行
And we're off.
This is a Fog of War map, which means all the same annoyances from 2x are back.
So yeah, every enemy on this map is a Rumia clone, with a variety of weapons. They're kiiinda dangerous, though not overly so. Probably the most annoying thing is their high Resistance, which makes our kinda lackluster mages weep.
Spoilers, the "real" Rumia is up in the top left. Not that you're supposed to know that right now, I guess.
First things first. Kyouko Pairs Up with Shrine Maiden.
And with Kyouko's 8 Move, SM can talk to Mystia.
Mystia!
Huh? How'd you know my name?
Er, right. I just told that fishy lady.
Fishy lady? You mean Yukari?
Yep. She's got resting villain face. Super suspicious, from every angle♪
Hah! Yeah, you might be right there.
So, what's up? You didn't call out to me for no reason, right?
Of course not. I was hoping to borrow your strength.
I might have a way to stop that Rumia girl, but I can't tell the clones apart from the real one.
If we want to help her calm down, then I think we should work together.
Makes sense. Guess it'd be hard to tell her apart when you've only just met her.
When you say her name, then all the Rumias react, so I think they're sharing a mind, or something?
Take a good look. One of them's even darker than the others, right? That's the real one.
But uh, hm. Guess that might be hard to spot yourself.
I know. It should be easy if I lure her out myself.
Thank you, that's a big help.
Hey, we're the ones who asked you for help. I can at least do that much.
So uh... I can leave Rumia to you, right?
Yeah, you can count on me!
And with that, Mystia joins us.
Mystia Lorelei
Night Sparrow Youkai
HP: (45)25
STR: (50)9
MAG: (25)7
SKL: (55)13
SPD: (65)13
LUK: (35)8
DEF: (35)8
RES: (20)5
Mystia's really damn good, no two ways about it. I guess she's kind of Myrmidon-ish, but like, as a Pegasus Knight-type unit. She's even got solid Strength! Though her real strength lies in something we'll talk more about later.
She's a Beast and a Flyer, of course. She also has Continue, which is an interesting skill. After a round of combat would normally end, there's a chance that another round of combat will begin anew. So like, if she's attacking and doubling an enemy normally, and Continue activates, the attack sequence goes like this: Mys,Enemy,Mys,Mys,Enemy,Mys. And maybe repeats, because Continue can proc multiple times. It's restricted to only activating if it's user has more than 50% HP, though, so you probably won't die when it activates. Probably. The activation rate is also boosted by having lighter equipment than your opponent. (Btw, weapon weight is a thing. I think this might be the only thing in the game affected by it).
As a final note, she comes equipped with a Ghost-Slaying Lance. I can't for the life of me imagine ANY reason why that would be...
Oh yeah, so NPC don't share vision with you on these maps. So it turns out SM landed right next to a Rumia clone.
Not that I'm worried about her. Far from it, really. She can probably solo this entire map. Just making note of it.
There's a decent number of Rumias off to the west, so Suika's going to sit in this chokepoint and hold the line.
I kind of absent-mindedly moved AYa down and popped the Torch staff.
Woops, left in range of the Rumia I already knew about.
Luckily that one doesn't have any ranged weapons, so I can body block for her. Mokou might die, but, well, that's kind of her job.
Merlin's gunna do her best Haar impression and sit out in the open with a Hand Axe.
And lastly, Mystia's gunna book it. The Rumianderful 101 are programmed to target her if she's in range, as alluded to in her recruit convo. Wriggle's still an NPC til next turn, so best to keep her safe.
Oh hey, good job on that whole not dying thing Mokou.
Ok, to be fair, Rumia does have a lot of Res.
but like
come on
A fair few Rumias crash against our walls, and are broken.
Suika too, though she can't double.
She gives Kogasa a few pointers on how to tank, netting her Skill, Defense, and Resistance.
SM pew pews a few too.
At the start of turn 2:
I said I'd try my best, but...
When there's this many clones, it's hard to tell which one's which.
Oh, I know. Maybe her friends would have a way to spot the real one.
...I guess the game wasn't expecting me to talk to Mystia on turn 1. There's actually a boatload of conditional dialogue in this game, but not for this. Oh well!
Let's recruit Wriggle.
Are you okay? Any injuries?
Huh? Oh, nah. I'm fine now, thanks.
Forget about me, what about Rumia?
Don't worry, I've got a plan.
But there's so many clones around, it's hard for me to tell which is the real one.
That Mystia girl mentioned the "darkest girl" was the real one, but that's a bit hard for me to spot...
Ah, yeah, might be hard for you if you haven't hung around her much.
They seem to be sharing a mind, so I think you could talk to any one of them...
Alright, I'll try to give you a hand.
Ok, take a good look.
The darkness thing might be hard to follow, but one of them's really chasing Misty, right? That's the real one.
I'll help Misty drag out Rumia, so just let us know how we should move.
Thanks, that's a big help. Make sure Mystia stays safe, ok?
No need to thank me. You're the one helping us, after all.
Alright, best of luck with Rumia.
Right, leave it to me!
More tips!
And also, we got a Wriggle 
Wriggle Nightbuck
Bug of Light in the Darkness
HP: (60)30
STR: (55)12
MAG: (20)5
SKL: (40)11
SPD: (55)14
LUK: (20)4
DEF: (50)15
RES: (30)8
So you know how Mokou has weak growths, to account for having Paragon? Wriggle looked at that, and was like "...Why don't I have Paragon AND good growths?". And so it was.
There's a solid argument to be made that Wriggle is the best character in the game. Amazing bases, amazing growths, Paragon... She even has Ambush, as if she needed it.
The thing that REALLY pushes her over the edge, though, is her Trinity with Mystia and Rumia. We don't have access to it yet, but turns out when you give a Trinity to 3 units that all have really good stats, those bonuses get pretty fucking absurd. Not to mention, she's got Mystia to cart her around with that 8 flying Move. They've even got the full weapon triangle covered between them. It's ridiculous! Why is she so good!? Is this the true power of xXxWriggle_Fan420xXx!?
By the way, the fact that so many Rumias have multiple weapons equipped means you can get a lot of work done with Sunny stealing shit. Actually grabbing it all would be WAY too tedious, even for me, but getting a few extra Steel Axes and some other stuff is nice.
Wriggle starts doing her part right away.
Oh yeah, and she came equipped with a Lightning Slim Sword.
zap
Suika even got a bit lucky, gathering up this treasure item off a Rumia she bopped. Nice!
Byakuren heals up Suika, and gets Magic, Skill, Luck, and Resistance.
She's getting pretty close to 20 now...
Enough Rumias fall to Merlin to give her a level. Strength and Speed, nice and simple.
Steel Axe? More like Steal Axe!
Now where's that badumtish emote...
Thank you for babysitting, Shrine Maiden.
HP, Skill, Speed, Luck, Resistance.
Thank you for teaching Kyouko how to get lots of stats, Shrine Maiden.
Most of the southern Rumias have been cleared out, and the rest we can leave to Wriggle.
At this point, I've got things covered well enough that I just let Ran sit out in front with a Bronze Sword, to soften some Rumias up for others to finish off.
(((There was an image here, but it broke or something. It was just Wriggle crit'ing Rumia)))
Speaking of Wriggle, she clears out the last Rumia near her on the enemy phase.
Skill and Speed. Not the best start possible, but I can't complain about Speed.
Ran actually gets a bit beat up. She's not in grave danger, or anything, but she's gunna need a heal.
This poor fool didn't have any other valid targets, so she ran into Merlin.
Poor choice.
HP, Strength, Skill, Luck, Defense.
Defense, Resistance.
Not as good as her younger sister, but the Prismrivers are, for at least this chapter, still our strongest overall units.
das a lot of rumia
Ran weakens a bunch of them. Mokou might actually be able to kill this one!
Oh shit, I didn't notice this one had a Ghost-Slaying Axe.
Luckily it didn't matter, but, y'know.
Perish for making me look like a fool.
gj mokou
You even managed to give Tewi this weird level! HP, Magic, Skill, Luck.
Oh yeah, so see this Rumia?
This is the real one.
Pretty easy to tell her apart, honestly. She's the only one with an Evolution Jewel. She's also the highest level Rumia on the map. I guess that's what they meant by her being the darkest one?
If you'll observe her HP, you'll notice the other curious thing about her: she doesn't attack. In fact, the only person she'll ever try to attack is Mystia... Though, if Mystia's not reachable (due to being Paired Up behind someone), then she actually just straight up never attacks.
Makes her pretty easy to deal with, once you know that.
The last clone goes down, but not before we nab an Ice Axe.
We can talk to her with Shrine Maiden.
We can actually talk to any of the clones with her, too, but this was the most convenient time to do it.
Wait right there, Rumia!
Do you realize what you're doing to your friends?
Huuuuh?
Oh, a human! Oh boy oh boy, finally, some good food♪
H-hold on! Just listen to me!
Ahahaha, it's been so long since I've had human...
Should I griiill you? Fryyy you? Soooooo many options♪
Crap, at this rate I might get eaten before I can seal her.
I need to find some way to get her to stop moving...
So yeah. Shrine Maiden's gotta land the finish blow.
Before we go, though, y'all wanna see some healer levels?
HP, Strength, Magic, Skill, Luck.
Since there's no risk of dying, I'm just having Kyouko chip Rumia down with a Bronze Axe, 3 damage at a time. Might as well, I figured.
It grinds Weapon EXP for Kyouko, and real EXP for the healer crew. HP, Strength, and blessed Speed, here.
Skill, Speed, Luck, Defense, and Resistance.
Byakuren even managed to hit B-rank in staves!
Anyway, Shrine Maiden's gotta finish her off, so let's do it.
She disappeared before she even got hit 
HP, Strength, Skill, Speed, and Resistance.
She also dropped that Evolution Jewel.
Huh? I got beaten up?
Huuuh, I can't move...
She stopped moving!
Ahhhh, I can't work up a sweat with an empty tummy.
Your stomach's empty?
Yeah. I haven't had a good meal in ages...
Aw man... I want meat.
I want meat so bad. So, so, so bad...
BGM: BGM 09
This track has played before in "crisis" situations, but this is the first time since I figure out how to rip music. Just FYI.
Meat... meat, meat, meat, meatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeat...!
Bird meat, human meat... heck, I'll even take a dog or a rabbit!
A bunch of Rumias pop up, around her favorite cuts.
Hey, Rumia! I am NOT your fried chicken meal, okay!?
Wha-wha? When she says dog meat, does she mean me!?!?
Waaaah! I'm not tasty, I swear!!
Wha! She's still got this much power?
Mmm, who should I eat fiiiiiirst♪
Wait!
The sound cuts out here.
You want meat, right? A good meal?
Then I'll make one. Lots of stuff, all kinds of food.
So please, calm down!
Meat...! Tasty food...!!
Really? Will you really make lots of food!?
A clone disappears.
BGM: 妖魔夜行
Wait, that caught her attention!?
Her power was shaken by hunger, was it not?
It makes sense that your words would pierce straight to her heart.
Hmm...
Yeah, that's right. I'll make so much food, you'll be stuffed!
But in return, you need to promise me something.
Okay! Whatever you want! Hurry, food!
Another one disappears.
Ran!
R-roger! I'll begin immediately!
There we go. We're making it for you, right away.
So, I'm just going to put this little charm on you.
Oh! Actually, I think a ribbon would look much cuter. I'll put it on, so hold still, okay?
Mmm, feasts are so fun. Wonder what I'll get to eat♪
There goes another one.
We'll aaaaaall get to eat, right? All of us, right?
Misty, and Wriggle, and me. So much food, so much food♪
Yeah. It's way more fun to eat with your friends.
...There we go. It looks adorable on you, Rumia.
I'm not updating my faceplates for this, but Rumia has that ribbon on at all times, from now on.
Fun, fun♪ Gotta get ready♪
The last clone vanishes.
I don't think she noticed the charm at all.
Are we in the clear? Rumia won't go crazy anymore?
Yeah. With the charm on her, I don't think her power should run wild like that anymore.
Although, if you can't keep her satisfied, her hunger might explode in some other way.
Hmmm... Visitting a buffet's kind of outside our budget.
I'm not sure if we can keep her appetite in check.
In that case, why don't you come along with us?
I don't think we can make a feast every day, but we're not hurting for food.
Right, Yukari?
I suppose we could manage.
Oh dear. Adding yet another gourmand to our retinue, I feel sorry for Ran.
Not even the least bit sorry, are ya?
You sure? Thanksies♪
Ignoring the freaky pink lady, you guys have really helped us out.
If anything happens, just give us a call, and we'll be there in a jiffy♪
A freaky pink lady, you say? Now who could that be...
You! It's you! Who else would I even be talking about?
Wait, crap! You snuck up on meeee!!
They run off.
...Glad they're getting along.
Oh, Yuyuko. You certainly are rough on your toys, aren't you...
Maaaybe don't let Mystia hear you say that.
Side note before we proceed. Had we failed to recruit Rumia here, then this whole conversation plays out differently, and Wriggle and Mystia leave you.
Munch, munch... Mm, delicious!
Ahh, I'm in heaven...
Oh dear, if you eat that quickly, you might get a tummy ache.
Don't you agree, little birdy?
Can someone make her let go of me already?
How long must I be made to suffer...
Until I get bored of you, I suppose.
Misty, you okay over there?
This is hell. A living hell...
Oh, Yuyuko, do keep it in moderation, won't you?
Leaving that aside, your first job went very well.
Thanks. But really, you did most of the work.
And yet, the one to do the deed was you. Take some pride in your accomplishments.
Mm, alright.
By the way, Ran. What ever happened to that nekomata?
Ah, right. I asked those girls about her, but they've seen neither hide nor hair of her, since then.
I see. That is unfortunate.
However, you forged a connection with her, did you not?
For your first time, you did admirably. You don't need to be discouraged.
Learn from this, and make use of it next time.
Right. Thank you for your kind words.
...Hm? I heard something. Is someone there?
Nya!
Wait, it's you!
Oh? Is she the girl you were talking about?
Sniff, sniff, sniff... Good smells♪ Hey, this? Can I eat this?
Oh my, I suppose your belly must be quite empty too.
What the... Where were you!?
You just said you'd follow me, and then disappeared off to who knows where. I was worried sick!
Mmm? Oh, you're, uh... the fluffy-tail lady!
Ran. My name is Ran Yakumo.
Come to think of it, we've yet to introduce ourselves. What's your name?
Name? Uh...
Judging by experience, she doesn't seem like she has one.
She's only recently become a youkai, so it follows she's yet to adopt a name.
We certainly do have luck with nameless girls turning up at our doorsteps. How many does that make, now...
It's not like I asked to forget my name, you know.
Hmhmhm.
Ran, given that she lacks a name, why don't you grant one to her?
Me? I'm not sure I'm the best person for that...
You well understand what it means to bestow a name, I'm sure.
Given that, you're the best one to do it.
Well, if you say so...
Hey, this. Can I have some too?
Hold it. I'm going to give you a name.
Let's go with... Chen. From today onward, you're Chen.
Chen? My name is... Chen?
Correct. You are Chen. And as the one who gave you this name, I am your guardian.
Listen up! I'm going to raise you into a splendid youkai.
Mm! Thanks, Ran!
Sidenote: Her name in the textboxes actually changes from "nekomata" to "Chen", here.
You are to refer to me as "Lady Ran"!
Lady Ran? Mm, got it. So hey, Lady Ran, can I eat this?
...Very well. Do as you please.
Yaaaay! Thank you!
--
Hehe, now Ran has someone to spoil.
Heh, reminds me of the old days.
What was Ran like back then?
Oh, far worse. As an oh-so-special nine-tailed fox, she was QUITE the handful.
L-Lady Yukari!
Hehe, well, best of luck. You've got quite the rough road ahead of you.
Ahh, I see. Ran must have caused you no end of trouble.
Oh, you cannot even begin to imagine.
Lady Yukariiii!!!
And uh, for some reason there's no Chapter Clear message here, so enjoy this black screen.
Look forward to next time, when we cover Chapter 9!