I can't even remember what number I'm on for these summaries/blog

[everdistant]

But thankfully Chapter 8 is very short! There are just a ton of character quests thrown at you...

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[everdistant]

The three of use dash back to where we left the girls, and see Musee ready to fight, and Elize hovering over Elle who is on the ground and wrapped in a black mist. There's some kind of skull squid monster in the nearby water and it's giving off Time Factor reactions, but it quickly vanishes, as Mira exclaims for us. She and Ludger rush over to Elle and see that Elize's healing is having no effect on the crippling pain the girl is in, while Julius merely stays behind and watches this with a dark expression. Musee somberly notes that it's... a life-sapping arte? that most monsters wouldn't be capable of, but the Time Factor is raising its abilities, and it can't be healed or stopped as long as the monster is alive.

Mira tells Elize to cool it with the healing, since it's not doing all that much and she's just tiring herself out, but Elize refuses since it's at least helping with some of the pain, and Mira diminishes a little at that. Julius looks over at Ludger who is gritting his teeth at Elle's state, and we get a timed choice: 'I'll lure it out!' or 'What can we do...'.

Taking the first has Ludger walk off to the side a little ways, Julius watching him like a hawk, and he pulls out one of his swords and slices his arm open with it. And there is blood, A LOT OF IT. Seriously so far this game already makes up for the lacks of blood in all the rest of the series. Here you go, everyone that complained about that scene with Richard in Graces.

Mira asks wth he's doing, but a sudden stillness comes over the party-- drawn by the fresh blood, the monster has come back, and everyone freezes, waiting to see where and when it will turn visible and attack. It ends up behind Ludger, who turns to face it, but everything goes slow-mo and Julius leaps in front, facing Ludger and not the monster, and shoves the Guidepost of Maxwell that he took from Clanspia with him into Ludger's hand.

Julius: Ludger! Protect the things that are precious to you... no matter what!

Back in real time, Julius uses one of his swords to block the monster's swing, but gets knocked away regardless. Ludger goes Corpse Shell mode, but now with additional armor covering his torso instead of just his arms and the boss battle starts. We get a tutorial on Corpse Shell lv 2, in which Ludger gets a Mystic Arte, Matter Destruct. Pretty fucking awesome, but the boss is easily enough without abusing Corpse Shell.