Upon entering the Arena, Hakuno could definitely sense that something was off. The surrounding air was strangely tense, and the girl almost found it hard to breathe. Every fiber of her being was on high alert, telling her to be cautious with each step that she took, her heart throbbing uncomfortably against her chest in anxiety.
However, she wasn't the only one highly paranoid. The man who had appeared near to her looked around, his eyebrows creasing to form a scowl. "Ugh...I sense a thick amount of prana, and even the air's full of it. This presence...be careful Master. This idiot and his servant are close by. We should proceed with caution."
Archer didn't need to say it twice for her to understand. Hakuno gulps, unaware that beads of sweat were beginning to form on her forehead as she recalled how powerful Shinji's servant was just from those few minutes of battle she witnessed earlier this morning against Leo's servant.
Should they run into each other, would Archer even stand a chance against her? I mean...she didn't wanna doubt his strength, but after what Archer had told her about her lack of experience as a Master hindering his abilities, she was feeling more than just worried. In fact, she was already sweating bullets just thinking of what might happen!
"...But, then again, this might be a golden opportunity to get some info on them. Let's track them down before they leave." Hakuno's eyes go wide with terror, and she finds that she is unable to keep her mouth shut in such a situation. "Are you crazy?! What part of 'proceed with caution' did you yourself not understand?! Didn't you see how strong Shinji's servant was this morning?!"
Archer looks at her, raising an eyebrow at her outburst. "Master, if we let this chance go, we may never be able to obtain information on Shinji and his servant before the Elimination Battle." He had a fair point, but Hakuno wasn't going to risk his life much less her own in appearing before him blindly without some plan of action...in case Shinji went bonkers and commanded his servant to attack them on sight.
The male shakes his head, sighing. "It's good that you worry, but you're overthinking things. For all we know, Shinji may even just let us off after some taunting, since the priest already lectured him this morning." Yeah, she couldn't help but doubt that; Shinji wasn't the type who liked to be bossed around anyway. Knowing him, he'd probably ignore all reason and just order his servant to kill them off.
She crosses her arms over her chest, not convinced. "At any rate...we can't just...march on before them without some plan. What do you intend to do if that woman really attacks? You may be fine with it, but I'm not...especially knowing you're going to be risking your life for both of us!"
Her eyes flickered to look at him for a brief moment before she looks back down at her feet. She doesn't raise her head, not wanting to make eye contact with him. Yes, call it her selfish naivety, wity the he action probably seeming childish to one's eyes, but Hakuno was feeling very conflicted.
Ever since she woke up and found out that she was forced to participate in this damned war, the girl felt as if she was just being pushed around...and that everything was forcing itself on her without her consent. In all honesty, she felt tired of the whole situation. Winning the Holy Grail? Killing or be killed...? She didn't want to ponder on such things. What she wanted was a normal school life, yet she she was, taking part in this madness.
Archer doesn't speak at first, also remaining silent. What he does however, is something one wouldn't anticipate. Archer slowly brings up a hand, patting her on the head. Hakuno, through the bangs of her hair, sees Archer with a solemn expression on his face. "...Archer...?"
"Like I said, I'm glad that you show concern. But...if things go on like this all the time, we won't go anywhere." Ruffling the top of her head gently, he continues. "If we do run into Shinji and he decides to attack us, the system will terminate the fight within a few minutes. And though my abilities at the moment may not match up to hers...I have confidence that we can at least withstand that servant until the system deactivates the fight." "...And what happens if you fail to do so?"
"Well, when that happens, I'll just pick you up and make a mad dash for the exit." Archer says all this in a slightly playful but confident manner, as if cheering up his master. Hakuno bites on her lower lip, unsure of whether to trust his words.
"You have to believe in me, Master. Though it's only been a day or two since we've met, I'm your servant now...and you're my Master. Either way, we're stuck with working together." Hakuno musters the courage to look up at him by then, her eyes staring at his as she thought back to how they first met in the final room.
Right...he was her servant. Right from the beginning, when she was on the ground begging for help, begging to be saved...he was the servant who answered her call. And even if they didn't know much about one another, what he did demonstrate since their meeting was that he was willing to help...and that much was certain.
...Archer was right. Mopping around would get them nowhere. Now that she was a Master as well, she needed to gear up and start acting the part. Nodding her head slowly, she lightly tugs on her wrist, as if reassuring herself. "...Ok." Archer doesn't smile back at her, but instead gives her one last pat on the head before he withdraws his hand to his side. "...Then let's get going Master."
Whilst walking along the empty path which lead them to the revival fountain, Archer pipes up. "Oh, and...if you're wondering, a lot of random can and will happen in the Arena. Since you can only enter the Arena once a day, make sure you thoroughly explore it before exiting." A weird reminder to give at a time like this...yet Hakuno felt as though he, in a way, was trying to lighten the mood.
Upon running into several enemy programs along the way, Hakuno could sense that the source of prana was getting stronger as they searched further into the Arena. It was then that she saw his back, with his servant next to him. The air was heavily condensed with prana to a point where she felt nauseous.
"That idiot and his servant- I knew they'd show up here. You'll sometimes see other masters in the Arena. While we can't exactly predict how these meetings will play out, we can perhaps get some insight on their strategy." Archer says all this calmly, yet Hakuno could see that his hands were clenched into fists, prepared to summon his swords at any time.
There was certainly no going back now, especially after coming this far. Gulping, she slowly walks towards him, careful not to get his attention when he turns, their eyes meeting. Her body involunatrily stiffens, and she stops, just a feet or two away from the boy.
Shinji shakes his head, giving her a smug grin. "Hakuno, you're late. While you were crawling around like the slug you are, I obtained the trigger!" Hakuno gives Shinji a hardened glare. Him and his cocky attitude; how she wished she could give him a good punch across the jaw. Then again, he had already managed to obtain the trigger.
"Hahaha. What's with that look? Your skills are pathetic compared to mine, so don't be harsh on yourself! And speaking of losing, let me introduce you to my servant...though I'm pretty sure you've seen her in action thid morning." His servant glances over at her, hardly giving so much as a smirk or a smile before she turns away, looking somewhat disinterested with the conversation.
"If you can't get your cipher keys, you might as well accept your game over right here and now! Seriously, feel free to turn them into a bullet-ridden corpse whenever you fee like it!" Shinji continues, gesturing towards the woman. Ugh, she was beginning to feel tired hearing Shinji run his mouth off. Even his servant didn't seem keen on participating in this roast fest of his.
The woman places a hand on her hip, giving a crooked smirk. "Ok, but are you sure you're done gloating? Because I found myself enjoying your meaningless chatter. As you can see, when it comes to talking to others, my master is a total social retard, right?" she asks, pointing her finger at him while her eyes were directed at the other pair.
...Hold on, did she just...insult him?
Hakuno stares at his servant wide-eyed, unsure of how to react as she goes on. "Seeing him actually having a conversation with you, I thought we could settled this peacefully." Shinji looks just as horrified and confused as her from his servant's comments. No...the more accurate description would be that he looked disgusted...and angry...as to be expected.
"Where in the hell do you get off analyzing me?! They are the enemy! Will you hurry up and maim them already?!" The woman gives out a hearty laugh at his childish reaction as he stomps his foot. "Look at the tough guy! I have to admit, I admire the fact that you're evil enough to give your friend a beat down!"
Hakuno didn't know her eyes could widen any further until the woman summons her pistols, cackling. "The darkness of your grubby little soul is impressive Shinji. Oh yes, I expect a generous reward later!" Shinji's servant flashes a sinister grin, indicating that battle was unavoidable at this point. "Hang on...we-"
As soon as those words were said, she feels a hand grab onto her shoulder before she is forcibly yanked back, almost falling over while barely being able to register the red blur that is her servant speeding towards the woman, swords already summoned in hand before he attacks.
His swords drive a devastating blow, aiming for his enemy's heart when Shinji's servant dives to the right, his swords burying into the floor instead. "Whoa, look who's all fired up! Can't wait to fight me already, Mr. Handsome?" she whistles, her smirk growing wider with each passing second. "Hmph, I had hoped to catch you by surprise but...it seems that I missed," Archer replies, clicking his tongue at his failure.
"Haha, I like the sound of that! Now, let's fight! Show me what you got!" In that moment, a blue field of data stretches over the perimeter, enveloping the four as the girl found herself in an unknown, open space. Drawing her eyes over to the two servants, she sees Shinji's servant dashing towards him before she begins firing several bullets at random directions, all aimed towards his vital parts.
Archer manages to slice or deflect a few of them off, some nicking him here and there as he struggles to keep him with the insane speed of her bullets. Shinji's servant continues firing, not even needing to stop to reload her weapons. "What's the matter?! Come on and attack me!" she laughs, a crazed look in her eyes. Hakuno clenches her hands into fists; there was no way she could possibly interrupt their fight with her acting that way. Gulping, she watches the fight worriedly; wasn't there anything she could possibly do?!
Archer continues to parry all of her attacks as he begins running towards him, raising his swords above his head before nailing an attack. The servant intercepts with both of her pistols, the two locking weapons. Archer withdraws his swords and attempts to kick her, only to be shot in the shoulder as Shinji's servant back away, distancing herself from him. Archer glares at her, surprisingly calm despite the fact that he was now gripping onto his injured shoulder.
All of a sudden, Hakuno sees chains sprout from the ground as they bounded Archer to the floor, preventing him from moving about. The man curses aloud as he attempts to cut the chains that bounded him whilst defending himself from the woman, obviously showing signs that he was favouring his uninjured side to deflect most of the bullets now. Hakuno's eyes grow wider than saucers as she twists her head towards Shinji, she sees him standing perfectly still, the overly smug smile still present on his face, a virtual computer in front of him.
"Heheh...can't have you moving around too much now, can we? Finish him off!" he orders. "Aww, and just when I was about to have some fun. ...Well, not that it matters; I'll just settle this and get my reward-"
A loud siren blares loudly throughout the Arena, tearing through the tension, the blue space turning into a red field as everyone halted. Hakuno looks up, totally confused by the sudden turn of events. "What the-"
A voice tears through her confusion. "A message from the SE.RA.PH: Confrontation between masters in the Arena are prohibited. Hostilities will be terminated." Terminating hostilities? Did that mean that the SE.RA.PH was putting an end to the fight? Was this what Kotomine meant?
As soon as it came, the red field vanishes, replaced with the now familiar walls and floors of the Arena before the fight had begun. Shinji's servant returns to her master's side, with him tapping his forehead in annoyance. "Crap...it looks like the SE.RA.PH has its eye on us." He eyes Hakuno with a glare, but it is soon exchanged with an ominous smile.
"Oh well, there's no need to take her out right now anyway. You know, I like seeing you grovel in the dirt like trash. Beg hard enough and I might even make you my underling!" "Shinji...you...!" His virtual computer disappears as he stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Who knows...I might even share some of the prize money with you. Hahahaha!"
With that, Shinji vanishes, and so do the chains holding down Archer's feet. Hakuno wastes no time in running over to check on him. "Archer! Are you alright?!" Well, he was clearly not...seeing him grip onto his shoulder like that.
Archer looks at her, rather calm than she had expected. "I'm fine...mostly. Though it would be nice if you could heal me," he says after a moment, his swords vanishing from his hands as he prods his shoulder, taking out the bullet from his wound a moment later. Nodding, she takes out a bag of ether powder, scooping up a handful as she gently applies it onto his scratches, before she focuses on his shoulder.
Archer winces upon the powder making contact with his wound, but otherwise says nothing else throughout the entire treatment. "...Sorry," Hakuno says softly. "Huh? Why are you apologizing?" "No...I mean...I was useless the entire time, and you ended up getting hurt as well..."
Archer looks away, staring at the ground. "Ah, that? This is nothing much actually. I've suffered wounds way worse than this back when I was still alive." "That...but you told me that we'd run away if anything were to happen! You didn't have to get yourself hurt just because we needed intel on them!"
"I did say that...but I never mentioned that I wouldn't cross paths with his servant." "...Even after I told you that I'm not ok with you getting hurt?" Archer blinks, his pupils flickering over to see Hakuno with a pained expression.
"Master...I thought we've already established this. I am your servant, and-" "I know that! Yet at the same time, you are risking your life for me!" Hakuno interrupts, taking in a shuddering breath. "...I...don't like it. The idea of you getting hurt every time we go out for battle like this...just for a complete stranger...don't you find it ridiculous as well?" She lowers her head, letting her bangs obstruct her eyes.
"...Why would you...answer my summons anyway? For a stranger like me? A person who's a total novice, a person who's clueless and isn't even motivated to win...a person who can't even provide support for you on the battlefield even as you get hurt?" Her voice sounds strained, and she doesn't bother looking at him, her eyes directly pathetically to the floor.
What else can she say? She was useless the entire time. Forget about fighting, all she did was stand like a deer in headlights, too scared to do anything. She was a coward.
Time goes on silently, with the tension enough to break a stick in half. "...Master, do you remember the first time we met? In that room?" Hakuno numbly nods, indicating that she was at least listening to him. "...When I appeared, you were on the ground, begging to be rescued from death. Though it was only for that moment, I saw the determination in your eyes." Archer lets himself pause, and Hakuno could tell that he was staring at her to see her reaction.
"The determination to live, to go on, to not allow death to claim her life. That was what I saw." Tugging on her arm, he forces her to look up at him. "Do you understand? You're here in this war for a reason, and I answered your call because of it. So don't jump to conclusions that you're useless. You just need more time to train."
Hakuno's mouth opens before she shuts it a moment later. She was here for a reason? What was he trying to say?
Archer doesn't say anything else, and after a few minutes, his injuries are gone, and Archer's face returns to being the same, stoic expression. "Anyway, that was a close call. Although dangerous, the encounter was certainly educational as we now know that his servant uses guns as her main weapon." His eyebrows knit together to form a frown, as if recalling how that woman fought earlier.
"I'm not sure by any means, but based from the fight this morning and after fighting against her, her class may be Archer, just like me...if she's using a projectile weapon that is." He managed to deduce her class just from that alone? And while it may not exactly be concrete, the enemy servant did seem fitting to be in the Archer class from the way she wielded those pistols.
"...? Why are you surprised? By combing through the Arena, you'll not only find info on your opponent, but also find ways to gain an advantage. A good strategy is the key to success here. You'll do well to keep that in mind." To think that he was analyzing her movements and fighting style during those few minutes of conflict...even Hakuno was surprised, her depressed mood somewhat subsiding. "I...I guess you're right."
"As long as you follow my lead, all will be well. This war is also a race against time you see. Chances are that we may not see the enemy again tomorrow. Some info is only available on certain days, so we should try to hit the Arena every day." Hitting the Arena every day...that did sound like a good idea. To think that just a minute ago, Archer was injured and covered in scratches. In fact, the man seems eager to start fighting enemy programs so to speak.
"Well then, shall we get going? That idiot may have already left, but you still need to get your training done, and we still need to find the trigger too." It was at that moment that her terminal rings, a high pitched sound emanating from it. Taking the device out, she sees some text displayed on it: 'Servant Matrix Information Level 1- Enemy servant info obtained'. Matrix level? Did that mean that she had gotten some useful intel on that woman?
"It seems that the terminal has recognized it as useful unformation. Information obtained on your opponent will give us the definite edge in the Eliminination Battles. However, that doesn't mean that we can win from that alone. We'd best start training and get ourselves prepped for this war."
Back to business it seems, not that she minded. She could always review the information when they returned to their private room later. On the other hand, after watching the battle earlier, Hakuno knew that she had her work cut out for her.
...And she needed to cope fast, to make sure that she's of some use the next time she and Shinji were to cross paths again.
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Upon exploring the Arena for the day, Hakuno eventually discovered Taiga's missing kendo sword, which unexpectedly happened to be placed inside an item folder. "It's frugal, but I didn't think I'd be collecting coins as a servant," was what Archer commented, picking the bamboo sword up awkwardly. Was this Shinji's work? I mean...he did have the abilities to hack into the system and all. Then again, there were 128 participants in the Holy Grail War...so it could've been the work of anyone.
Upon defeating one of the bee-type enemy programs, Hakuno stumbles upon a bright red coloured scarf, with a hue of orange and yellow tracing the edges and corners. The girl gently grabs it and stares at the item curiously. Could this be one of Taiga's lost items as well? Judging from the colour itself, it seemed like something Taiga would wear.
"Formal wear huh? I'd have to thank you for grabbing a set." Turning her head, she eyes her servant with a look of confusion. "Most formal wear is infused with powerful special abilities also known as code casts, though it's use is only limited to inside of Arena and during Elimination Battles. But of course you'd have to equip it first to see what skills are there. For now, you should probably try entering its code onto your terninal."
Upon entering the code onto her terminal, a small window pops up, showing the formal craft's properties. Phoenix scarf: heals minor damage done to a servant. Ah...it so was like those equipment you see in video games. Pretty helpful considering that Hakuno didn't know a whiff of magic.
It took Hakuno roughly 4 more hours of exploring before she finally stumbled across the trigger, the item kept in a shining green item folder. She takes ahold of it, the item having a metallic glint and weighed quite a bit as she held it up in the air. "So this is the trigger. Kotomine said that there were two of them per round, so don't forget the second one, otherwise we won't be able to take part in the Elimination battle by the end of the week. That, and I'd advise you to input that into your terminal as well."
Nodding, Hakuno does as what she's told, and the trigger soon disappears into ger terminal, with a message popping onto the screen a moment later: "Obtained- Trigger Code Alpha". So the terminal allows her to check up on whether she's obtained both or not...what a nice little feature.
With their task done and her body sore from running around, the two mutually agreed to retire for the day.
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After returning from a long day of training and running about, Hakuno is ready to fall asleep, but not before reviewing her information. "...Since I'm a warrior myself, if I know the enemy's tactics, I'll be able to strike back soundly." Archer suddenly says this, causing Hakuno to look up from the terminal.
"What I'm trying to say is...now that you've got the jist of getting information, think you can pick up more tomorrow?" Ah, so he meant that she had to do more investigation on their opponent. "I'll...do my best."
While the idea of learning more about Shinji of all people and his servant striked to her as odd, Hakuno wasn't complaining. After all, this was all for the sake of survival...and with their enemy as a formidable foe, she had to find ways to plan-
She pauses, noticing that her servant was already asleep, his usually straight posture slightly slouched and his eyes shut, his head bent over as the man breathing softly as he slept. She hadn't really noticed it herself until now but...he did seem rather exhausted after the fight with Shinji's servant.
A gentle smile crosses her lips. "...Good night, Archer. And...thanks for today," she mutters, deciding to turn in for the night as well. Within minutes, both the master and her servant were unconscious, now immersed in the world of dreams.