Rumia Quest VI: Succession [Complete]

[Hanzo K.]

>Grin. "Nah, it's something called 'Tsundere'. It's something Human!"
>Beat.
>"And Youkai too, if Alice is anything to go by. Humans and Youkai are a lot alike really, one just lives way longer than the other. Heck, we even pretty much gave up on the whole eating humans thing a long time back. Only ones that do it anymore are the ones who don't know any better, or have no choice."

[Darkoda]

>"And you were pretty much Tsunderish even before. It's not surprising."
>But it looks like it will be much easier to fluster her now. This is going to be fun.
>"So, what did the Yama show you?"

[Raikaria]

>Grin. "Nah, it's something called 'Tsundere'. It's something Human!"
>Beat.
>"And Youkai too, if Alice is anything to go by. Humans and Youkai are a lot alike really, one just lives way longer than the other. Heck, we even pretty much gave up on the whole eating humans thing a long time back. Only ones that do it anymore are the ones who don't know any better, or have no choice."

> Rika gives you a blank look.

>"And you were pretty much Tsunderish even before. It's not surprising."
>But it looks like it will be much easier to fluster her now. This is going to be fun.
>"So, what did the Yama show you?"

> "I have no idea what you're going on about." Rika says.

> "The Yama? She showed me a lot of things. She showed me what I've done, she showed me with others have done, and she showed me what would happen to me if I continued... I think some of what she was actually attempting to tell me is starting to make sense." Rika says, turning around. "She also said she was the reason I turned into a Youkai, as a form of punishment and a wake-up call. Hearing that I was dumb enough to attack her. That's why I didn't have a body when you came. She obliterated it with a single touch."

> Wait... couldn't Rika's robot bodies take the massive power of the Heart of Makai and come out relatively unscathed? You heard the Yama was strong [Even Cirno admitted she was strong, just not the strongest], but that's... another level, if Rika is telling the truth, anyway.

> "Although, I need to ask. Why? Why do you, and some other youkai, get along with humans, who, by all rights, should be your prey?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"By what rights? There's no reason anything has to be that way. Not sure why you think it can't be different."

[Raikaria]

>"By what rights? There's no reason anything has to be that way. Not sure why you think it can't be different."

> "It's the nature of youkai to prey on humans. It has been since Youkai have existed. What sparked the change... why are youkai changing thousands of years of tradition... the very food chain, now? Rika asks.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Most of us never actually had to eat humans specifically, as far as I know. Not sure why we chose to."

[Raikaria]

>"Most of us never actually had to eat humans specifically, as far as I know. Not sure why we chose to."

> "Ah, but you and the bird youkai did, yet now you're best buddies with the humans!" Rika says.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"And I don't know why we ever felt like we should eat humans."

[Raikaria]

>"And I don't know why we ever felt like we should eat humans."

> "So you hunted them why? Instinct? For the fun? I explained before, it's natural. It's the food chain. Humans eat cows, that is natural. Birds eat insects. Fish eat smaller fish. What I wonder is what has made youkai forsake the natural order, why they chose to do so."

---
Edit for a heads up and talk about future plot:

At some point I'd like to implement something about Sakuya's back story, which has had things hinted at [You have to look rather closely], but hasn't been explored. The whole reason for Rumia Quest is to explore and develop character backgrounds and personalities, that's why I started it.

The problem is, I have no clue who to fit Sakuya's backstory into the current arc, and feel like I have other important issues, like the events in this quest, and Seiga. It's frustrating for me, since usually by the time I wrap up something plot-wise, it's time to implement it. This time, it's not.

I might be able to tie Sakuya's back-story into the upcoming Wriggle arc, but that might take the spotlight from Wriggle.

I guess what I'm asking is, what do you think is best about implementing the Sakuya issue? Should I wait until the current arc is completely over, should I try and implement it into the Wriggle sidequest that is coming *soonTM*, or should I try something else, what do you feel is best?

[Darkoda]

>"Hmm, well for Mystia and me at least, we got beat up by Reimu which was enough to stop doing it at least for a bit. And then we got to know some humans instead of trying to eat them immediately."
>"It's one thing when you look at someone as prey, another when they're your friends and rivals."
>"We all chose to get along instead of trying to kill each other. Someone like Yukari would know more about what started it but I like to believe that everyone decided that being friends was better for all involved."


On Sakuya, you mean on the hints that she needs treatment from Eirin to keep those red eyes in check? That might be best as its own quest, like a Koakuma quest, jJust like we had Daiyousei to bring up the Yuuka subplot.

[Raikaria]

>"Hmm, well for Mystia and me at least, we got beat up by Reimu which was enough to stop doing it at least for a bit. And then we got to know some humans instead of trying to eat them immediately."
>"It's one thing when you look at someone as prey, another when they're your friends and rivals."
>"We all chose to get along instead of trying to kill each other. Someone like Yukari would know more about what started it but I like to believe that everyone decided that being friends was better for all involved."


On Sakuya, you mean on the hints that she needs treatment from Eirin to keep those red eyes in check? That might be best as its own quest, like a Koakuma quest, jJust like we had Daiyousei to bring up the Yuuka subplot.

Sakuya needing treatment from Eirin for Red Eyes was never mentioned. I think. Unless I forgot. That said, you're on the right track with Eientei being one of the hints. They're somewhat subtle, and require some reading between the lines.

That said, exploring Koakuma, especially with her being from Makai, might be fun, although I want to get Wriggle her turn in the limelight before that.

> "... So you gave humanity a chance."

> Rika thinks.

> "Fine. I've decided. Between what I've seen, what the Yama showed me, and all these recent events and changes in the world, my way of thinking is... outdated. Youkai genocide? Nah, that's not right anymore."

> Rika pauses again. "Not to say I'm not still at war. Youkai that don't help humans are fair game still. Still, I can't just disregard youkai that help humanity anymore, it's how Gensokyo's going. The Yama showed me... my desire was set in the days of old, and had twisted me to blindness about the changing times. As much as I loathe to admit it... all youkai aren't evil abominations that want to subjugate and eat humans anymore."

> She laughs. "I can focus my weapons on specifically taking out dangerous targets. Like that Kanzami woman. Or defending Gensokyo."

> She thinks once more. "I'm probably not gonna try and kill you anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up attempting to beat you up. Matter of pride, you know."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Don't try to kill Yuuka. You can't. And I mean that literally. She used to be a god, so only divine energy can truly harm her. Trying will only piss her off."
>"And don't tell her she used to be a god, either. She doesn't know, and she really doesn't need to."

[Darkoda]

>So now Rika's just about as dangerous as everyone else instead of genocidal? Well that's certainly good news.
>"That's great! I don't mind us keeping up the rivalry either, I might have missed our regular fights."
>"By the way, the Yuuka we all know is only an offshoot of the real one. The real Yuuka's at least five times more powerful."

[Raikaria]

>"Don't try to kill Yuuka. You can't. And I mean that literally. She used to be a god, so only divine energy can truly harm her. Trying will only piss her off."
>"And don't tell her she used to be a god, either. She doesn't know, and she really doesn't need to."

> "Since when does that stop me trying?" Rika says, raising her eyebrows. "I try to kill off fairies on a regular basis. They don't stay dead. The Scarlet is on my list too seeing as she sucks human blood and all, but Vampires are not easy to kill either."

> Rika thinks. "Maybe if I can kill the scarlet and take her Gungir..."

> "Why would I give her a bigger ego then she already has?"

>So now Rika's just about as dangerous as everyone else instead of genocidal? Well that's certainly good news.
>"That's great! I don't mind us keeping up the rivalry either, I might have missed our regular fights."
>"By the way, the Yuuka we all know is only an offshoot of the real one. The real Yuuka's at least five times more powerful."

> Well, she's probobly still insane, just not genocidal. Probably more dangerous than most still.

> "I can't just sit by and let you act all smug. Besides, what happens if there's someone evil who's stronger than you?" Rika says.

> "Good. I can test out on the weaker one then."

[Hanzo K.]

>Grin, and give 'er a good clap on the back. "Well, took you long enough to come to this point at least. Also, Remi and Flan ain't so bad really, they only have the blood as an added ingredient, like adding a spice or something to a recipe that doesn't normally have it....I think. They might just use it as a substitute for milk or something. Point is, they don't eat folks either, and they're in the same sort of role as me. Gensokyo's in trouble enough for them to take action? They will. Like that Titania Incident earlier. If it wasn't for them helping me hold her off, we probably would've had the very embodiment of nature and life itself raging across Gensokyo. And for the record, she's the one that created all the fairies, and you know how impossible to keep down they are. Now imagine someone well over five times as powerful as the Yuuka we know, with that sort of ability."
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, what do you know about 'Valkyries'? Brainy person like you oughta know a little about 'em, yeah?"
>Beat.
>"We should show Yumemi your new look! I was talkin' with her when you dragged me off on this little revival thing."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Remilia, Tenma, and Byakuren join me against whatever it is. Yuuka's supposed to help, too, but I doubt she would."
>"And please don't attack Yuuka. First of all, you'll probably die, and even if you don't, you may provoke her into retaliation."

[Raikaria]

>Grin, and give 'er a good clap on the back. "Well, took you long enough to come to this point at least. Also, Remi and Flan ain't so bad really, they only have the blood as an added ingredient, like adding a spice or something to a recipe that doesn't normally have it....I think. They might just use it as a substitute for milk or something. Point is, they don't eat folks either, and they're in the same sort of role as me. Gensokyo's in trouble enough for them to take action? They will. Like that Titania Incident earlier. If it wasn't for them helping me hold her off, we probably would've had the very embodiment of nature and life itself raging across Gensokyo. And for the record, she's the one that created all the fairies, and you know how impossible to keep down they are. Now imagine someone well over five times as powerful as the Yuuka we know, with that sort of ability."
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, what do you know about 'Valkyries'? Brainy person like you oughta know a little about 'em, yeah?"
>Beat.
>"We should show Yumemi your new look! I was talkin' with her when you dragged me off on this little revival thing."

>"Remilia, Tenma, and Byakuren join me against whatever it is. Yuuka's supposed to help, too, but I doubt she would."
>"And please don't attack Yuuka. First of all, you'll probably die, and even if you don't, you may provoke her into retaliation."

> "I honestly don't care about what you think would happen. I'll just plan carefully and make a weapon perfectly suited to taking them out." Rika says.

> "I know nothing about Valkyries." Rika says, before adding, "Don't see why the Strawberry would care about my looks."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Last time she saw you a couple years back, you were just a kid. THink how shocked she'll be when she sees you in this technologically-advanced body. Speaking of which, that's a real tongue-twister of a word, not too used to sayin' it often y'know."
>Nod. "Also, I don't just protect Humans, I protect Youkai too. And I'm even stronger than I used to be, Shinki saw to that."
>Let's show off our new sword. "See this? With this, I can probably even cut down a god. I guess you might say that thanks to Shinki givin' me an infusion of her energy, I'm probably a lot like that green-haired miko, Sanae."
>Fistpalm, after putting the sword away. "Oh yeah! I was gonna visit her too!"

[Raikaria]

>"Last time she saw you a couple years back, you were just a kid. THink how shocked she'll be when she sees you in this technologically-advanced body. Speaking of which, that's a real tongue-twister of a word, not too used to sayin' it often y'know."
>Nod. "Also, I don't just protect Humans, I protect Youkai too. And I'm even stronger than I used to be, Shinki saw to that."
>Let's show off our new sword. "See this? With this, I can probably even cut down a god. I guess you might say that thanks to Shinki givin' me an infusion of her energy, I'm probably a lot like that green-haired miko, Sanae."
>Fistpalm, after putting the sword away. "Oh yeah! I was gonna visit her too!"

> "I still don't think she'll be bothered." Rika says nonchalantly.

> "Well I only care about humans. I just diverted off the rails and became blind to the changes." Rika says.

> "The green miko? I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to her at all. Too preachy."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Well, just know this: Remilia's sister-who's not insane anymore, by the way-is a friend of mine, so if you go after either of them, you'll have me to deal with, too. Not that they're likely to need the help."
>"Also, they don't kill people. They only consume what blood they absolutely need to. And I think most of it comes from their maid, and voluntarily; her loyalty's fairly strong, you know."
>Assuming Sakuya's human, of course.

[Raikaria]

>"Well, just know this: Remilia's sister-who's not insane anymore, by the way-is a friend of mine, so if you go after either of them, you'll have me to deal with, too. Not that they're likely to need the help."
>"Also, they don't kill people. They only consume what blood they absolutely need to. And I think most of it comes from their maid, and voluntarily; her loyalty's fairly strong, you know."
>Assuming Sakuya's human, of course.

> "They still cause pain for humans." Rika says. "Besides, I might research just to make sure first. However I know that Yuuka is evil."

[Hanzo K.]

>"They have no other choice in the matter to keep going though. I'm pretty sure that if there was an alternative that doesn't involve some nut offing them, Remi'd probably go for it."
>Smirk. "And about Yumemi. I think you may have got one over on her with this new trick of yours. Imagine her response when she finds out you're cooked up a mechanical body that's practically Human. Able to touch, feel, eat."
>Slip into a shadow to pop out of her own shadow right behind her, and whisper into her ear in a teasing way. "And love." Then slip back into the shadow and return to where we used to be standing.
>Man, Rika's always fun to mess with. Then again, with how Tsundere she gets with us, it's not too hard to see what she really feels.

[Raikaria]

>"They have no other choice in the matter to keep going though. I'm pretty sure that if there was an alternative that doesn't involve some nut offing them, Remi'd probably go for it."
>Smirk. "And about Yumemi. I think you may have got one over on her with this new trick of yours. Imagine her response when she finds out you're cooked up a mechanical body that's practically Human. Able to touch, feel, eat."
>Slip into a shadow to pop out of her own shadow right behind her, and whisper into her ear in a teasing way. "And love." Then slip back into the shadow and return to where we used to be standing.
>Man, Rika's always fun to mess with. Then again, with how Tsundere she gets with us, it's not too hard to see what she really feels.

> "That's what they thought about the sister's insanity. How many years did it take to fix that? Over 500?" Rika says.

> "I don't care about Yumemi. Besides, last thing I want is her getting curious about my workings."

> Rika jumps, and fires a narrow beam of light at where you were standing as you reform. Luckily, it was a danmaku beam, so didn't do anything but knock you on your rear, but it showed something, she can predict your movements somewhat.

> "Wait, since when could I fire a laser danmaku?" Rika asks herself.

[Hanzo K.]

>Grin a bit, and stand up. "Guess that was added in by the program or whatever? Or maybe this was the body meant for you, which would explain why you were pretty weak in the Rika Robos, since they were like a badly-fitting outfit. This one's much more you."
>Fistpalm. "Hey, I wonder what else you can do? Let's head up to the surface and see if you can do a few things with this new body of yours. I know a move that I wanna see if you can do."
>Beat.
>"Oh yeah, when you called for me, I was in the middle of talking with Yumemi about the Valkyries of her world. Turns out that the woman Shinki killed that would eventually become the old me was one of 'em."

[Raikaria]

>Grin a bit, and stand up. "Guess that was added in by the program or whatever? Or maybe this was the body meant for you, which would explain why you were pretty weak in the Rika Robos, since they were like a badly-fitting outfit. This one's much more you."
>Fistpalm. "Hey, I wonder what else you can do? Let's head up to the surface and see if you can do a few things with this new body of yours. I know a move that I wanna see if you can do."
>Beat.
>"Oh yeah, when you called for me, I was in the middle of talking with Yumemi about the Valkyries of her world. Turns out that the woman Shinki killed that would eventually become the old me was one of 'em."

> "I dunno. I know nothing about danmaku." Rika says.

> "I planned to get out of this base anyway. Gets stuffy in here, and there's nothing useful here anymore anyway."

> "That explains your sudden obsession with her, I guess."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Let's get outta here then. With a body close enough to human, I bet you might be hungry too."
>Beat.
>"...So what if I think about food a lot, it's a force of habit okay?"
>Let's get going with the new and improved Rika!
>Grin in a mischievous way. "Hey, wonder if everyone'll recognize ya?"

[Raikaria]

>Nod. "Let's get outta here then. With a body close enough to human, I bet you might be hungry too."
>Beat.
>"...So what if I think about food a lot, it's a force of habit okay?"
>Let's get going with the new and improved Rika!
>Grin in a mischievous way. "Hey, wonder if everyone'll recognize ya?"

> "This body only came online a few minutes ago, I doubt it has yet developed an appi-"

> *Grumble*

> "Or I could be proven wrong."

> You follow Rika, who takes another path out of her base. Somewhat worryingly, it results in a panel opening up at the end, which places you in the Dusk Forest.

> "I do still wear the same fashion, you know." Rika says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"So that's how you ended up here earlier."
>Beat.
>Smile fondly. "That was fun. I dunno if I'll ever get tired of you tryin' to knock me down. I bet now you can actually put up a better fight now even, no need for that spanner when you're probably more capable in Danmaku now. 'sides, Danmaku's the big thing for Gensokyo, Melee combat's great and all, but Danmaku's the fun stuff."
>Beat.
>"Hey, I bet I can do more tricks now that I've got this sword! Like Sword Beams! Or maybe just plain firing Danmaku with it."

[Raikaria]

>"So that's how you ended up here earlier."
>Beat.
>Smile fondly. "That was fun. I dunno if I'll ever get tired of you tryin' to knock me down. I bet now you can actually put up a better fight now even, no need for that spanner when you're probably more capable in Danmaku now. 'sides, Danmaku's the big thing for Gensokyo, Melee combat's great and all, but Danmaku's the fun stuff."
>Beat.
>"Hey, I bet I can do more tricks now that I've got this sword! Like Sword Beams! Or maybe just plain firing Danmaku with it."

> Rika's spanner appears in her hand when you mention it, with a small blue flash.

> "So, uh, what was it you wanted me to try out up here?" Rika says, sounding mostly uninterested in what you were saying.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "For starters, let's see how much Danmaku you can put out at once without a Spellcard. That should be a good way of judging how difficult a fight you might be for most folks."
>We can use Cirno as a Comparison, since we've seen her in action plenty of times.