Rumia Quest 7: Chasing Shadows

[Raikaria]

> You are Rumia

> You are currently at Alice's house, with your 'adoptive' mother Shinki and, of course, Alice. It is late Autumn, and not much has happened recently, except that one time when Sunny made Reimu invisible, and she didn't realize... and caught Marisa attempting to steal from her donation box while she was invisible. Marisa had to spend a week with Eirin, despite the box being, as always, empty.

> Despite what Yukari warned you shortly after the previous incident, nothing strange has occurred in your, or any else's dreams. In addition, you've not seen Seiga for a few weeks now. For that matter, Wriggle hasn't seen Yuuka in the Garden of the Sun for a while either.

===
> "Sounds like things have been strangely dull around here then." Shinki comments.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Yeah, I kinda wonder if there isn't another incident on the horizon."
>How long has it been since the Enkura Incident?

[Raikaria]

>"Yeah, I kinda wonder if there isn't another incident on the horizon."
>How long has it been since the Enkura Incident?

> "I don't know. I kind of both hope so, while I don't want one too." Alice says.

> Five months. Enkura's sanity has returned, and she's back to Bahava-Agra, otherwise she'd have to constantly fight off the Yama's underlings. She comes down once a month for the mental pain blocks to be reinforced.

> Suddenly, a hole opens in the wall, and something darts into the portal to Makai, as the hole closes.

> "Uh... Shinki..." Alice says.

> "Yes?" Shinki asks.

> "Someone just opened a hole in the wall and jumped in the portal. Right behind you." Alice says.

> "Your point? I don't care about immigration." Shinki says.

[Hanzo K.]

>Did it look like a hole Seiga opens?

[Raikaria]

>Did it look like a hole Seiga opens?

> Yes. And the blur was Blue.

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh and facepalm. "I think I know who it was. I really should keep a better eye on that student of mine, a troublemaker through and through she is. Haven't seen her for a while after all, so she might be up to something."

[Raikaria]

>Sigh and facepalm. "I think I know who it was. I really should keep a better eye on that student of mine, a troublemaker through and through she is. Haven't seen her for a while after all, so she might be up to something."

> "You think is was Seiga?" Alice asks, before she calls over a doll. "Tibet." she calls.

> A doll dressed in what looks like some traditional clothing shows up.

> "Replay the intruder, and slow it down." Alice commands, before the doll shines a projection.

> The slowed down video shows it's clearly Seiga.

> "Now, what would she want in Makai..." Alice wonders, as the doll stops the replay.

[Hanzo K.]

>"I don't know, but she isn't called a wicked hermit for nothing. I bet this is related to that scheme she let slip about back in the aftermath of the Enkura Incident. Want me to go after her to find out what she's up to?"

[Raikaria]

>"I don't know, but she isn't called a wicked hermit for nothing. I bet this is related to that scheme she let slip about back in the aftermath of the Enkura Incident. Want me to go after her to find out what she's up to?"

> "I'm not going into Makai. No offense Shinki, but I KNOW what you'll do if I go." Alice says.

> "Aw Alice, you're too smart." Shinki says, looking dejected. "Although I obviously need to return to Makai anyway." she adds, looking at you.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I can't really leave her all to you, because where there's Seiga, Yoshika isn't usually too far behind. And if you get bit by Yoshika, you can say goodbye to your freedom, because you'll end up just like her."
>Sigh. "If I had to fight her, it would've been nice if I'd been able to keep those chains, seeing as they drain energy. Can't eat anything and everything if you're too low on juice to even chew."

[Raikaria]

>"Well, I can't really leave her all to you, because where there's Seiga, Yoshika isn't usually too far behind. And if you get bit by Yoshika, you can say goodbye to your freedom, because you'll end up just like her."
>Sigh. "If I had to fight her, it would've been nice if I'd been able to keep those chains, seeing as they drain energy. Can't eat anything and everything if you're too low on juice to even chew."

> "Actually I wasn't gonna chase after her or anything anyway. It's not my problem." Shinki says simply. "Besides, like a Jiang-Shi would allow one to control me."

> "I didn't even see Yoshika..." Alice says.

[Hanzo K.]

>Do we know if Seiga has any methods to instantly summon Yoshika to her side?

[Raikaria]

>Do we know if Seiga has any methods to instantly summon Yoshika to her side?

> You do not, seeing as she goes to visit Yoshika when she changes her talisman. Even then, interdimensional summoning is something different.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, be careful all the same. She's not someone to underestimate. Just when you think you've got her beat, she pulls out some nasty new trick. It isn't for nothing that she could become a celestial, but chooses not to. And to be frank, with how Enkura was while she was crazy, Seiga's the last person I'd want to fight as a Celestial, even with Unified Chaos at my side."

[Raikaria]

>"Well, be careful all the same. She's not someone to underestimate. Just when you think you've got her beat, she pulls out some nasty new trick. It isn't for nothing that she could become a celestial, but chooses not to. And to be frank, with how Enkura was while she was crazy, Seiga's the last person I'd want to fight as a Celestial, even with Unified Chaos at my side."

> "Oh yes, I shall not underestimate the sting of a wasp." Shinki says, with a grin. "It is you should should be careful, or are you underestimating me?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle slightly. "Just trying to warn you is all, she's not above playing dirty you know. Hostages, poisoning. You name it, she'll probably do it. Everyone here in Gensokyo knows to not trust her as far as they can throw her, I only teach her because of our agreement way back in the day."

[Raikaria]

>Chuckle slightly. "Just trying to warn you is all, she's not above playing dirty you know. Hostages, poisoning. You name it, she'll probably do it. Everyone here in Gensokyo knows to not trust her as far as they can throw her, I only teach her because of our agreement way back in the day."

> "Oh, I'm aware she bound your lives together with dark magic." Shinki says. "Vile stuff, I could do it, but I don't like that sort of stuff."

> "Still, you really think I can be poisoned?" Shinki laughs. "Even if I was poisoned, I could just dispel it."

> "Anyway, when you are ready, we can go into Makai. I'll see about Yumeko helping you out. You don't know Makai as well as she does."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Wait...So does that mean if someone managed to take her down, I go too?"

[Raikaria]

>"Wait...So does that mean if someone managed to take her down, I go too?"

> "Oh no, I mean your lives were bound together by a contract, which, if broken, will kill the violator." Shinki says. "It's not a pact in that if one does the other dies. What benefit would she get from something silly like that?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Shrug. "I dunno, keeping me from taking her down if she gets too uppity? That's what I'd probably have done if I were her, neuter a future threat and all that."

[Raikaria]

>Shrug. "I dunno, keeping me from taking her down if she gets too uppity? That's what I'd probably have done if I were her, neuter a future threat and all that."

> "Unless she's confident it won't come to that..." Shinki says.

> "Wouldn't Rumia killing her violate the contract, however? How can she teach Seiga is Seiga is killed by her?" Alice says.

> "Ah. Yes. I guess if one of them kills the other, it may result in the death of the killer, but, if, say, I killed Seiga, certainly nothing would happen. It depends on the exact terms and small print, I guess." Shinki says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, if you do manage to smack her down, make sure you at least keep her alive and that I'm able to get to her. That should keep the contract going until you can theoreticaly nullify it. I don't mind teaching her that much, given that she taught me how to get control of my abilities back before I regained my full power, but the contract's been a bit of a worry ever since I was mature enough to understand it."

[Raikaria]

>"Well, if you do manage to smack her down, make sure you at least keep her alive and that I'm able to get to her. That should keep the contract going until you can theoreticaly nullify it. I don't mind teaching her that much, given that she taught me how to get control of my abilities back before I regained my full power, but the contract's been a bit of a worry ever since I was mature enough to understand it."

> "I'm not doing the smacking. You're the teacher. You smack her." Shinki says.

> "We headbutt naughty children here." Alice says.

> "That seems counter-productive to the one doing the headbutting. Surely it hurts."

> "Keine's a Were-Hakutu. She has a really, really hard head." Alice says.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "And I can just use a reinforced plate of Dark Energy. Maybe I'll make little Dark Energy Horns too, just as a nod to Keine. In fact, lemme see how that looks."
>In fact, let's try that out now, complete with nifty little dark energy ribbon tied around one, just like Keine!

[Raikaria]

>Nod. "And I can just use a reinforced plate of Dark Energy. Maybe I'll make little Dark Energy Horns too, just as a nod to Keine. In fact, lemme see how that looks."
>In fact, let's try that out now, complete with nifty little dark energy ribbon tied around one, just like Keine!

> Alice and Shinki facepalm.

> "You look stupid." Shinki says.

> Speaking of ribbons, you finally found a replacement ribbon after you lost yours once you were unsealed. It has black tails, however, instead of being pure red.

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh, and dispel the horns. "Well, it was worth a shot at least. I guess only Keine or an Oni can really pull off the horns look."

[Raikaria]

>Sigh, and dispel the horns. "Well, it was worth a shot at least. I guess only Keine or an Oni can really pull off the horns look."

> "I'm sure a bull youkai or something could too." Alice says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Or a devil who happens to have horns, I'm sure there's someone like that somewhere in Makai."

[Raikaria]

>"Or a devil who happens to have horns, I'm sure there's someone like that somewhere in Makai."

> "No. I don't like horns." Shinki says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, maybe somewhere else then. Either way, I'm ready to go."
>Let's get going!