First Chimeric Lunar Sea- First Floor
Arena Level 04
Greed and lust combine to burst into brilliance, and lead onward to the sepulcher of the sea.
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Hakuno opens her eyes, her pupils coming into contact with familiar surroundings, the blue translucent walls and floors which remind her of her trial before entering the final room...except this time, in place of an effigy, she was going to fight with her servant.
The man stands tall, having materialized upon entering the Arena along with her, his copper-grey eyes scanning the vicinity carefully. "Looks like we're here. From a first glance, the Arena's layout looks pretty simple...practically dull even. I was expecting to be ambushed by enemy programs the minute we got here but...guess not," he comments.
"Enemy programs? So the Arena has those as well?" Archer nods. "Just like the preliminaries, the Arena is full of enemy programs. During the duration of the war, this is the place we're allowed to actively fight. And in order to cull incompetent masters, the SE.RA.PH has turned a number of enemy programs loose here."
Hakuno tries not to twitch at Archer's passive-aggressive sarcasm, and instead turns her focus towards the labyrinth they were now in. The enemy programs she faced back during the prelimininaries may have been easy, but she's sure that from here on out she and Archer will be facing tougher, more difficult enemies and opponents. Just the thought of that...was enough to-
"It's the perfect place for a certain novice master to train, don't you think?" Her train of thought however, is rudely interrupted by yet another one of Archer's sarcastic remarks. Ever since their chat in the infirmary, Hakuno's been trying to ignore her servant's comments but...it was starting to bug her at this point.
Taiga mentioned during her lesson that masters are paired with servants based on compatibility but...she was starting to doubt that...greatly. However, instead of arguing with him, Hakuno decides to stare at Archer with a frown, unamused, and not in the mood to entertain the conversation.
"Ok ok. No need to get all moody. Don't worry, I'll try to not let you die," Archer responds, smirking. Ok, screw patience; this was going nowhere. Hakuno had her suspicions ever since she woke up but...now she's certain; he's definitely messing with her.
Hakuno's mouth is agape with the intention to give a witty retort or two when Archer decides to walk on, leaving her almost on the verge of grinding her teeth in frustration if not for the sheer amount of sanity she still had in herself.
She had probably begun taking notice of it back at the nurse's office...no, even during their first encounter back in the final room, but this man was definitely taking her for a fool. She knew of her cluelessness to this war but...there was no need to ridicule her to this extent...and even teasing had its limits; the girl herself was already beginning to feel mentally exhausted trying to make an effort to cooperate with Archer.
She takes a moment to calm herself down. She couldn't let him get on her nerves so soon. No, she refused to let him get the better of her this soon. After all, they were supposed to work together in this war, so cooperation was necessary. She was his master, and he was her servant; that bond alone could not be severed now that she was an active participant in the war. If she wants to survive in this, she has to work with him...whether she likes it or not.
The girl internally sighs; who in their right mind thought that the two of them had good compatibility anyway? Somewhere in her mind, she blamed the smug voice from the preliminaries for putting them together...though she knew that she wasn't in any situation back then to complain.
Just be grateful that you're still alive and walking...thanks to him, she repeatedly says in her head as she walked on, plastering the best poker face she could muster. This was going to be a long day.
Stopping, Archer points towards the horizon. "As today will be your first taste in real combat, I'll be impressed if you make it as far as the enemy there. We have a whole day ahead of us. So let's make the best of it." This prompts her to squint her eyes towards where Archer was pointing, her pupils now fixed onto what appears to be an enemy program in the form of a large, purple bee. So that was her goal for today?
Hakuno doesn't have time to mull however, when Archer begins jogging ahead of her again. At this point, the girl doesn't even want to sigh or complain, instead choosing to run after him. Yup, this was going to be a long day.
The two continue to jog down the lane until they reach an open space, with what appears to be a large, virtual fountain in the center. Hakuno's eyes stare curiously at the object, walking over to take a closer look...when she miraculously slips and ends up plummeting straight into the water. The girl doesn't even have time to think much less prevent herself from falling into the fountain as she gasps, feeling her head painfully hit the bottom before emerging from the water a moment.
Archer stares at his master in bewilderment, before looking to the side a moment later, trying hard not to laugh but finding it hard to do so. The girl on the other hand, blushes hard in embarassment at what had just occurred. "Archer!" she yells at the now chuckling servant, her face turning a hue of red. How embarassing; she just had to demonstrate how much of a klutz she was as soon as they entered the Arena.
"Sorry...it was just, that was some fall back there. Even I couldn't do that if I tried," he replies, walking over towards her and extending his hand. The girl looks at it for a moment, before she gives him a deadpan look. "...It's fine, I can get out myself," she says slowly, climbing out from the fountain.
As soon as she did so, Hakuno could feel that her body was no longer wet, and the throbbing sensation she felt in her head due to the collision was also disappearing. It was then that a window appears before her with the details: Revival fountain- heals both a master and their servant. That would mean that...she had just fallen into a fountain with healing abilities...so that would explain the pain fading away. Touching the back of her head, she raises an eyebrow. "Huh...it doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's one of the properties of this healing fountain. Pretty useful if I do say so myself. However..." Grabbing ahold of her wrist, Archer gives his master a frown. "...I'd appreciate it if you'd be more careful next time. I don't need you getting any more injuries because of your clumsiness, understand?" Hakuno stares back at him in mild surprise at the gesture, before she gently shakes his hand off and numbly nods. Satisfied with her answer, Archer proceeds to walk on ahead, with Hakuno steadily following next to him.
The two walk on into the Arena until Hakuno stops, her chocolate orbs catching sight of a floating cube. She had faced several enemy programs back during the preliminaries but...even then, Hakuno couldn't help but feel worried. "Oh look, an enemy. It shouldn't be a problem, but don't hesitate to use any healing items if I do get hurt."
Giving her a sideways glance, he adds, "Actually, I'd recommend you try to keep me in good condition...please. Depending on your commands and performance, I might get mauled by even the weakest of enemy programs."
Archer says no further as he summons his twin swords. Getting the enemy's attention, Archer dashes towards it and nails an attack. The cube is thrown back, but isn't fazed by his blow and it races over towards him, attempting to attack him from the side.
Archer however, sensing the enemy program's intention, Archer jumps up into the air, the enemy program crashing into the wall instead before he deals another heavy blow at it. Hakuno watches the fight in awe, now reminded at the power her servant possessed.
After a few more blows, the enemy program goes down as it fizzles into data and disappears. Hakuno walks over to her servant just as the two swords vanish in his hands. "Hmm...that was easy. Considering that as a warm-up, we've still got a long way to go." That was just a warm-up? Well...now that she thought about it, the enemy didn't seem all that powerful anyway, at least when compared to Archer.
"Let's move onto the next one. There's no time to lollygag." Without waiting for her, the man is already walking on further into the Arena, with Hakuno having to run after him again. The pair continued to explore the Arena, with Hakuno obtaining a few ether shards from several item folders they found. "Hmm...it certainly won't hurt to take this, so why don't we?" was all her servant commented as they troded on.
Fighting a few more enemy programs, the hours quickly flew by, and soon enough, Hakuno had reached her goal for the day, having reached the bee-type enemy program. She looks at the enemy program, contemplating as to whether she should try to bypass it when her servant speaks up.
"This one is probably a little much to be facing on your first day of fighting. Let's come back tomorrow. After all, we've still got a lot of battles ahead of us." Now that was surprising. Seeing that Archer was rather eager to face more enemy programs, she assumed that he'd ignored her and just charge in.
"Ah...ok, if you say so. Then, should we stay here a little longer? I believe that there's still a few enemy programs we haven't finished off," she suggested. Archer looks as though he wasn't expecting her to give that suggestion, as both of his eyebrows raise in astonishment.
"Well...that all depends on you. Like I said, monitoring my master's condition is my top priority. I wouldn't mind remaining in the Arena a little longer but...you sure you're up for it?" The girl nods. "Yeah...I need to go get used to fighting after all." Archer doesn't say anything for a while, choosing to smirk a moment later. "I see."
And so, the two decided to fight off a few more enemy programs, and after two more hours, Hakuno was indeed exhausted and almost ready to collapse from running around at this point. "Master, should you depart now, the day will end and you won't be able to return until tomorrow. While this is by no means a place to linger, I'd just like to confirm if you wish to exit the Arena now."
While staying in the Arena to wait for the enemy programs to respawn and fight them again may be beneficial, Hakuno's weary body was fighting against her will. Her limbs were practically numb, and she didn't wanna risk fainting from being too tired. "Um...I think we should head back. We've pretty much cleared the area so..." "I see. Well, I guess that's enough exploring for today. Then let's return to the school and get some rest. We can continue tomorrow." Nodding, Hakuno walks towards the exit as the two returned back to the school
By the time the two had returned to the school building, the sun had long set, and it was already night. Hakuno quietly walked down the hallways, the school building strangely empty with only the sound of her footsteps disrupting the tranquil silence. Making her way up the stairs, she decides to head back to her private room and retire for the night.
Opening the door, the girl lets out a sigh of relief. Today was definitely a busy day for her, and so much had occurred. Because of that, she was glad that she could finally get some rest and relaxation.
After a nice, hot shower, Hakuno's body gently plops itself onto the soft mattress of her bed. While she did offer Archer to sleep on it instead, the servant insisted that he would be just fine, and stubbornly refused, instead choosing to remain on the throne of chairs. Pulling the covers over her body, she takes a moment to snuggle her head comfortably into the pillow, the exhaustion causing her eyelids to droop.
"...Master, are you awake?" Archer's voice manages to ease her sleepiness if not for a brief moment as the girl sits back up, confused. Turning her head, she sees Archer with a distressed look. "...? What's up?"
"...I'd contemplated on whether to tell you this now or tomorrow but...I feel that it'll be best to tell spill the beans now than later." This statement alone was enough to tell her that he had something important to say. Forcing her eyes open, Hakuno properly faces him to listen as to what he had to say.
"...I don't think I can put this in a better way, so I won't try to sugarcoat any details. I realized that back in the dungeon that my power level is limited to how much of it you can draw out of me." Hakuno blinks in shock, now fully awake as she listens on, worried for what he was going to say next.
"That being said...our only chance of winning is your improvement. Can't say that I'm thrilled at the odds of that going well..." The bomb that he dropped in the room causes Hakuno's voice to hitch in her throat. Her hands go cold, and her ears ring at his words. She doesn't speak.
The girl thought back to the her time in the Arena. Indeed, Archer had shown how great he was in combat that she had almost pretended not to notice it but...there were times...these brief moments where she would see Archer faltering, sometimes struggling to defeat the enemy programs that they ran into. While she first thought that it was just her seeint things, it was clear now; she was the cause of hindering Archer's true power, and that was why he had to exert himself more than he needed to.
Hakuno remains silent, unsure of what she could possibly say in response to what Archer has told her. She was weak, and she was well aware of that. Even so, she felt bad that Archer was forced to put up with her weaknesses as his master. The girl didn't have much fighting experience, nor did she possess any abilities that could help him in battle. She practically slowed him down the whole time they were in the Arena...like an obstacle.
"...However, there've been times in the past where I've seen effort compensate for weakness. Starting tomorrow, you and I ought to train a lot more. I guarantee you won't regret putting in the time." Hakuno opens her mouth, no words coming out. Was Archer...encouraging her? Despite it mostly being her fault that they were in this situation?
Archer refuses to say another word of the matter, and instead turns to the side. "...You should get some rest. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow." The girl continues to stare blankly at Archer's large back, and as if he could sense her eyes on him, the man sighs and turns back to face her. "Look...don't blame yourself too much on this. It isn't exactly your fault that this happened anyway." Seeing that she was still unconvinced with his answer, the man adds, "We'll find out a solution to this problem...together. There's no need for you to worry so much. Like I said, focus on what's in the present."
With that, he turns his back on her again, going quiet. However, the words he said remain in her ears, and soon enough, the girl lies back onto the bed. He was right. There was no point in overthinking things right now. The girl could already feel the exhaustion taking over her body, and within minutes, her eyes began to close. But before she fell asleep, the girl manages to mutter, "Good night...Archer."
And within the haziness of her fading consciousness, she almost thought that Archer had replied back, the girl now fast asleep.