Second Chimeric Lunar Sea- First Floor
Arena Level 10
The glory of the night shrouded world
And the defiled faceless hero
What is justice? And at the cost of whose pride?
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Hakuno opens her eyes, blinking slowly. Again, she finds herself within the Arena, the place where she was going to prepare and train for the second round. Her pupils analyze her surroundings, noting that although there appeared to be a minor change in colour scheme, the overall theme and layout of the Arena was the same as the first round's first floor. There they were, standing amongst bland transparent cubical walls and floors, encased by darkness outside.
She takes in a deep breath with her nose. Another preparation period she had to go through...and another opponent she had to fight. As much as Shinji's death lingered in her mind as a painful memory, Archer had a point; she couldn't keep mourning for him or Nagisa as time went by. She had to train hard and prepare well for this round as well, especially given that her opponent this round apparently has a lot of experience on the battlefield.
"Hmm...I don't see Dan Blackmore or that servant of his anywhere." She can sense the suspicion off of Archer's comment, agreeing with her servant. Dan and that hooded man doesn't appear to be anywhere around the area despite the fact that the two of them had entered not long after their opponents. Perhaps he had somehow gotten a head start and headed deeper into the Arena already?
Well, not that she was anywhere prepared for a direct confrontation with them if they did happen to cross paths, especially since she didn't have any clue as to what the enemy servant was capable of, but it would be best for them to proceed with caution for now. After all, they had to train and also try to grab ahold of the first trigger.
However, as soon as Hakuno takes a step forward, the air suddenly grows strangely tense. Warning messages began going off in her head, screaming at her brain as the female master stiffens in place.
Don't stop.
Before she could even say anything else or react however, the entire Arena was suddenly engulfed in a weird mist, the mist appearing out of nowhere and steadily covering the whole area like an invisible cloak. Hakuno almost gasps under the sudden pressure, suddenly finding it somewhat difficult to breathe. What the...?! Where did this mist come from?!
She wants to move, but her whole body starts becoming numb from her toes to the tips of her fingertips. The girl becomes fixed in place, as if her feet had been nailed to the floor by an unseeable force. It was almost as if her mind and body had disconnected from each other, with fear taking over her basic instincts.
Hakuno knows that she has to start moving, that she has to quickly get away from this mist for some reason, because the longer she stays here, the faster death will come to claim her. She doesn't know why, but her mind was already sending alarming signals, trying to get her to break out of her stupor.
Archer doesn't look as affected as his master, but a deep frown suddenly crosses his features. "Wait a second...this...! Master, don't breathe the air in! This mist is poisonous!" Archer's warning came out a few seconds too late, as Hakuno had already inhaled some of the surrounding air earlier.
As soon as those words left his mouth, did Hakuno start feeling the effects of the mist around them. She let's out a few coughs, eyes widening and patting her chest while she did so. It felt like the air was slowly being sucked out of her lungs, and her throat was starting to become not only dry, but somewhat itchy and painful as well. And this atmopshere...what was going on?? Archer...he mentioned...poison?! Then...that meant...!
Archer was already by his master's side, grabbing and pushing Hakuno's sleeved arm against her mouth immediately in one swift motion. He places his hands on her shoulders, shaking them gently to try and grab her already fading attention and consciousness. "Master, look at me. You have to keep it together Master. You're just begging to be attacked by standing idly like that. Come back to your senses...!"
Thankfully, Hakuno hadn't breathed in too much of the air earlier, with Archer's calm voice bringing her back to reality and freeing her from her paralyzed thoughts. Blinking profusely, she let's out another cough and starts taking slow but shallow breaths through her sleeve, nodding at him a moment later. "That's right. Breathe through your sleeve for now Master."
Hakuno was glad that her servant was there to snap her out of her daze, otherwise she would've continued to stand around idly until the poison eventually got to her. She shouldn't panic now. In fact, with the poisonous mist surrounding them right now, it was all the more reason why she should calm down and proceed with caution.
After a short while, Hakuno seemed to have finally regained most of her senses back, being able to move her body around. "Archer...this...what..." Although somewhat muffled through her sleeve, her servant could thankfully still hear and understand her well enough, deciphering her words quickly. "Yes, it appears that we've walked into a trap of some sort. To ambush us with poison as soon as we entered the Arena..."
Looking around the area carefully, Scanning the area, both Archer and her concluded that the poisonous mist had indeed spread throughout the Arena, covering every inch and corner. "It seems that someone intentionally did this, knowing that we were about to enter the Arena as well. And I can only think of one possible culprit." Hakuno too already had a hunch of who it was...Dan Blackmore and his servant. This mist...it was probably the work of that hooded man.
"Tch, to think that Dan Blackmore would resort to such a trick so soon...and here I thought that he was more chivalrous than this." The servant wrinkles his eyebrows in distaste as he says this. Archer did have a point though; from his posture and the way he walked and presented himself, to even his attitude and manner of speech so far...Hakuno wasn't expecting him to lay this sort of trap on them. If anything, it seemed more like something Shinji would do.
Glancing over at her servant, she notices that he was doing pretty well and talking just fine, despite being surrounded by the poisononous mist. In fact, he seemed to be in pretty good shape. " *cough* Are...are you alright though, Archer?" She didn't know if he was actually unaffected by the poison, or was just putting up a tough front to reassure her, but the female master wanted to ask just in case.
"I'm fine. Believe it or not...I have some level of poison immunity, and thankfully, this poisonous fog isn't too lethal. It's a slow-acting poison that's most likely targeted towards the master. My guess is that Dan's servant intends to take you out as soon as possible. It's a good thing that he didn't decide to release a more lethal poison right off the bat...otherwise you probably wouldn't last for even a few minutes standing here in the Arena."
Archer says all of this casually like it wasn't that big of a deal, but the female master could sense the underlying irritation and worry her servant had for her wellbeing. Then again, her servant was always the more calmer and rational one of the two even in difficult situations.
Hakuno raises an eyebrow at his statement, seemingly unconvinced and unhappy that Archer had kept yet another skill of his under the table until now as he sighed. "Trust me Master, I'm really ok. You should be worrying more about yourself, since this poison appears to be working quite well on you instead. " Well...she couldn't disagree with that. So Dan was already aiming for her rather than her servant from the start...how problematic.
That being said, she didn't expect her servant to not only possess high pain tolerance, but some immunity to poison as well. Were these the results of the regular Alterations of the Souls she did...or was it a trait he already had back when he was still alive that his body inherited when he became a Legendary Soul?
He could wield swords despite being an Archer, had high pain tolerance and some poison immunity, and could even communicate with her through telepathy. And to think that most of his abilities was still restrained under her noviceness as a master, just what could this man not do? Her servant was truly a mysterious man of many wonders...and it made her all the more curious to what his actual identity was with every new thing she's learned about him.
In fact, should she even be surprised at this point if he claimed that he was excellent in doing housework and was also a great cook? ...She probably would if he really did anyway, but jokes aside, she was impressed, and it was indeed a convenient skill to have now that they were in this predicament.
"Anyway, going back to the matter at hand, it's clear that this place is lousy with poison...whether this is the work of that man's Noble Phantasm or not...I can't tell. He conceals himself in order to fight from a position of unassailability- a wise tactic to use, enemy or not." Yes...again...he was correct, but was this really the time to be admiring their enemy's tactics...while they were still standing in the middle of this poisonous mist no less?
Perhaps the master came off as impatient or uneasy, she didn't know, but she does take notice of Archer furrowing his eyebrows, a silent criticism at her display of anxiety. Well, what was he expecting her to do?? Not to be selfish, but he too did point out that she was the one who was mostly getting affected by the poison to begin with...so it ain't like she could just stand around and watch him critique their enemy's plans.
"...What? I get your frustration, but all we need to do is dispel all of this, right?" Oh, so now he proposes they take action...how considerate. If it weren't for the fact that Hakuno was trying to carefully breathe through her sleeve, she would've sighed and rolled her eyes at him instead. "That's a simple enough task. Once we destroy the source, all of this poison should disappear." Easier said than done. Archer says that there's a source for this poisonous mist, but where on earth should they even start looking?
"We scour through the Arena. With poisonous mist this thick that's able to spread throughout the Arena quickly and constantly, the source should be relatively big in size and shouldn't be too hard to find." Taking a few steps forward, Archer gestures towards his master to start moving. "Let's get a move on, Master. There's no need to let this continue on longer than necessary."
"But...what if we encounter Dan and his servant along the way?" There was a possibility of them meeting their opponents since they did enter the Arena before them...and she doubted that Dan's servant would allow them to just remove the source of the poison mist just like that with no resistance.
"It's good that you worry about our foe...but that doesn't change the problem. Whether we run into them or not, we still have to get rid of the source of the poison, otherwise it'll just be a major hindrance during training and while locating that trigger later on. I doubt the mist would be gone the next time we enter the Arena if we don't get rid of it now too." That...well when he puts it that way...she supposed he was right.
Archer sighs, shaking his head at his master's hesitance. "Master, you have every right to be afraid of our new opponent, especially with how capable Dan Blackmore seems as a master in comparison to yourself. However, I'm sure that the first round has already taught you that hesitance will get you nowhere."
Walking over towards her, he places a hand on her shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. "You may be fine now since you've only breathed in a little bit of the poison, but I'm certain that you'll start to feel the effects of it soon enough with prolonged exposure to it...and that's exactly what Dan's servant wants. That being said, your safety is my top priority, and so we shouldn't keep focusing about the 'ifs' and 'buts'."
Hakuno stares back up at his servant. As usual, he kept that level-headed gaze of his even when the odds were placed against them...if only she could be as confident as he appeared to be. After pondering about it for a few more seconds, she finally nods. Yeah...Archer had a point. They had no time to lose. As he mentioned, it would be bad if she ended up fainting or succumbing to the effects of the poison if they lingered around the entrance any longer.
And so, the duo started their journey through the Arena, carefully navigating their way through the mist while engaging in several enemy programs along the way. It was more difficult to properly aid and provide support for Archer with Hakuno minding all the poison around her, but the two of them managed somehow, the slightly clumsy process aside.
Turning a corner, Hakuno is about to go down a narrow hallway when she hears the sound of two familiar voices engaging in conversation. Those voices can only belong to two people she knew of- Dan and his servant. It didn't take long for her to locate her opponents, as they were standing in the middle of the hallway.
The master immediately slows down to a halt, freezing in place. Archer seems to take notice of this as well, stopping along with her as she places a finger to her mouth to silently tell her servant to keep quiet, gesturing towards a familiar pair standing a few feet away from them.
Her servant immediately takes the hint as the two of them crouch down to avoid being seen. There they were, Dan Blackmore and his servant...and from the looks of it, neither of them seem to be affected by the poison...probably because it was his servant's doing. The two of them seem pretty unguarded too, with the hooded man's back literally facing her and Archer.
Did the enemy servant assume that he had already gotten rid of her? Either way, his unguarded back seemed like the perfect chance for Archer to swoop in and engage with the stranger...only...it seemed a little too convenient...almost as if the enemy servant didn't seem all too worried about anyone attacking him from behind. In fact, he seemed overly relaxed while chatting with Dan, not even bothering to check or look around him while he did so.
Was this part of his plan too? To catch Archer and her unaware by planting the bait? Whatever the case, they had to proceed with caution, no matter how tempting the chance to attack may be. There was still too much they didn't know about Dan's servant, so going in for the kill right away would pose too much risk.
"So, what do you want me to do, Master? I'm ok with taking them right here and now." He flexes his fingers, ready to materialize his twin swords at any given notice. If it weren't for the fact that they were hiding and were a good distance away from both the eyes and ears of their opponents, Hakuno would surely be panicking and clamping a hand over her servant's mouth in fear and to get him to stay quiet. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like either Dan or his servant have noticed them just yet.
Shaking her head vigorously, she drops her voice as low as a whisper. "No, let's stay quiet and observe them for now." Quieting her breathing, she throws her servant a meaningful glance, to which he responds with a questioning eyebrow in return. Attacking now would be a bad idea, especially since she could probably get a lot of information just by listening in on them. And so, her eyes direct themselves back towards her opponents.
"...What is the meaning of this?" She hears Dan question his servant in a stern and angry tone, seemingly confused as he gestures towards the mist covering the area. "What's this, you ask? Oh, I put up a little barrier so that you'd win boss. Pretty neat, wouldn't you say?"
The hooded man doesn't seem the least bit concerned, placing his hands behind his head. Hakuno sweatdrops; she doubted that a mist that could literally cover the entire corner of the Arena would qualify as just 'a little barrier', or maybe his servant was just trying to low-key flex on his abilities.
"Why wait until the Elimination Battle to take them out? If they drop out now, it'll be an easy win for us," he elaborates. So just as they had suspected, Dan's servant was the culprit behind the poisonous mist after all. To hear him say that without an ounce of regret or hesitation almost sent a shiver up Hakuno's spine. She knew that the man was highly suspicious from the moment he approached her in the gardens, but to think that he was such a diabolical schemer...
However, from the looks of it, it doesn't seem like his master was aware of his plan, or was acting as an accomplice either. Dan looks confused and angry at the series of events if anything, which is surprising to say the least.
"...Who gave you the command to do such a deed? I never ordered you to plant such a trap in the Arena." Despite being upset, Dan remains relatively calm while speaking to his servant, clenching his hands into fists. "Even scavengers such as vultures that feed upon carrion have at least a single shred of dignity." He says this while frowning, looking disappointed once again at his servant.
It didn't take long for the brown-haired master to connect the dots. So apparently Dan wasn't involved in this whole trap. It's obvious by the heat of their voices that the two of them disagree on what strategy they want to follow.
"The use of the Yew Tree is unnecessary for this fight. I thought I forbid you to use it. It seems to me that you lack the most important of traits: pride." Dan raises his voice slightly at this, clearly not happy with his servant doing whatever he pleased. The enemy master appears to be berating and lecturing his servant instead.
His statement immediately catches Hakuno's attention as she tries to inch closer so she could hear better. Yew Tree? Was that what generated the poisonous mist around the Arena? Then the source they had to locate...it was a tree of some sort perhaps?
Hakuno doesn't get to dwell on his words however, as she soon hears the hooded man scoff in reply. "Pfft, pride you say? Sorry, but I just can't see myself seeking something as pointless as that. I mean, I'm all for it if that's what we need to win this thing." He laughs, further emphasising how little he cared. "Really, it'd be the best thing in the world if our enemies would just kill themselves in the face of our pride!"
Shaking his head, he shrugs his shoulders, almost seeming to be in defiance towards Dan. "Sorry, I'm not nearly the man that you are. I'm just a pragmatist that'll resort to poison if it'll guarantee a kill. I thought you knew that after the first round." So Dan's servant had used a similar approach to attack and get rid of his enemies during the first round then? He must definitely be skilled in the use of poison if he was that confident in using it to take out his opponents.
Hakuno notes the underlying tone of displeasure in Dan's servant as he continues to argue with his master. He says all this gleefully, but Hakuno somehow has a hunch that Dan's servant seems rather insulted...or even hurt by his master lecturing him on pride. Nonetheless, his words gave a shiver down her spine; even with how relaxed he may be, Dan's servant was still serious about killing her off as soon as possible.
Then...what was that proposal about swapping servants all about earlier today? Was he actually being serious at the time...or was that all part of his plan to get her to lower her guard before he took her out? Either way, it didn't seem like Dan had any part in that weird plan of his when he had approached her in the gardens.
"...I see. Violation of trust. Ambushes. Betrayal. These are the things you rely on in battle." Dan's words were a confirmation to her suspicions; the hooded man had put up the barrier on his own. It was obvious that there was disagreement about his actions.
"I have no moral qualms about using trickery...or rather, these kinds of fields in battle, as I specialise in them myself." This comment causes Hakuno to blink up at her servant. Well yeah, Archer was more than willing to go after Shinji instead and even suggested landing a sneak attack and dealing the killing blow on him first before he dealt with Rider.
In fact, she had a hunch that he would've gone after Shinji from the very beginning since the first round match up was determined, but that was besides the point. On a more unrelated note, did that mean...Archer himself had a knack for assassination...or at least taking out his foes from the shadows?
Granted, she still didn't much a whole lot about her own servant's skills and abilities much less his identity as a Legendary Soul, but if she were to that his statement seriously...it would mean that Archer had killed a considerable number of people, with no issues in taking the lives of others. She bites down on her lower lip at that realisation.
Well, not that she was expecting her servant to be all righteous and pure and previously had never shed the blood of other people, especially since almost every servant present in this war must have some experience in taking the lives of others. And yet...picturing that happen made her feel both uneasy and...sympathetic for him too.
She wondered...did he kill others when he was still alive solely out of duty, or because he wanted to? She wanted to know more and ask him about it, but figured that now wouldn't be the best time to start raising questions and chatting with him about his past.
"...However, I must comment that just randomly poison around like what he did is just being lazy and pathetic, not to mention all the gross pollution." His observation causes her to snap back to reality, now looking at him unamused instead.
Gee, it was almost as if Archer was forgetting that his own master was technically still being affected by the poison even as they observed their opponents. Really now, was this really the appropriate time to be dissing their opponents' methods? Hakuno raises her eyebrows at his opinion, internally sighing before her attention drifts back towards their opponents.
Dan lowers his voice, although it is difficult to determine whether he's doing so from scorn or disdain. "Fine. Since it appears that you are so adamant on keeping this barrier up, I will not order you to lower it now. However, should you chose to disobey me again-" A dangerous glint now crosses his eyes in warning, obvious serious about his threat. He doesn't need to finish to let his servant know the consequences of his continuous disobedience.
At any rate, he ends up getting cut off by his servant who waves a hand dismissively at him, as if to signal the end of the conversation. "Yes yes, I got it already, jeez. No need to keep lecturing me on it."
Dan let's out a huff at his half-hearted response, but doesn't say another word as the two vanish before their eyes. Have they really left the Arena just like that? Well, she was glad that the two of them weren't spotted, or even if they were, it seems like Dan and his servant are avoiding a direct confrontation for now. Letting out a sigh of relief, Hakuno slowly rises back to her feet.
Based from their conversations on both the school grounds and just now, Hakuno could more or less tell that there is discord between her current enemy and his servant. While the difference between Dan's abilities and her own are probably great, knowing this small piece of information might be the key...or at least part of it...to her victory in the second round.
"They're gone. Hmph, seeing how proud that man was for putting up a barrier, I would've assumed that he would stick around to try and see if there would be any interruptions in his plans...or to perhaps even see the results of them. Doesn't appear to be the case, much to our advantage." Archer's right about that part. She could only imagine how much more troublesome it would be to locate and destroy the source of the poison if Dan's servant were to intervene.
At any rate, they should probably resume finding where the poisonous mist was leaking out from, before she were to topple over and pass out or something. Dan had mentioned something about the 'Yew Tree' so...maybe the source of the poison is in the form of a tree? Archer also did mention that with how fast and wide the poisonous mist was able to spread out, the source had to be fairly big too. The two of them should be on the lookout for a tree then.
Going down the hallway, the two of them continue their search, encountering and defeating more enemy programs along the way. The enemy programs this time were more fierce and tougher compared to the ones they encountered in the first round, but thankfully, Archer was able to finish them off with some support from his master.
Leaning against the wall, Hakuno takes a moment to steady herself. Not good...she was already starting to feel sort of nauseous and breathless from the poisonous mist. Of course, she was still using her sleeve to cover her nose and mouth and was trying really hard not to breathe in the mist, but even that was tough and pretty much impossible. Dan's servant may not be releasing a super deadly and lethal poison, but it was still working as intended on her...silently and deadly, slowly but surely.
Coughing, she uses her other sleeve to wipe off a few stray beads of sweat that had trickled down her forehead. Being exposed to this poisonous environment was taking a toll on her, but the two of them had to press on, or else this barrier would just become an even more problematic issue later on.
"Master...are you sure you're alright? With your current condition, I would usually suggest taking a break...although..." Yeah, they surely couldn't just sit or stand around idly and rest themselves amidst all this poison that was polluting the Arena. They shouldn't be wasting any more time. The sooner they find that Yew Tree, the sooner they could also go back to training properly while searching for that trigger too.
Shaking her head, Hakuno let's out another cough as she trudges on. Sbe could sense that the poisonous mist around them was getting denser as they headed further into the Arena...which hopefully meant that they were getting closer to the source. Just a little more...a little more and they would...
"...! Master, look out!" Eyes widening, Hakuno ducks her head and narrowly avoids getting attacked by an enemy program, with Archer quickly intercepting it and cutting down. Once the enemy program was defeated and fizzled away, did Archer eye his master with a both concern and irritation. "Master...I get that you wanna find and destroy the source as soon as possible, and while I do want to as well...it's clear that the poison is starting to not only affect your physical condition but your mind as well."
Hakuno looks back at Archer tiredly, offended but nonetheless unable to retort as she could only let out a few more coughs, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. They hadn't been in the Arena for that long yet, at least compared to the long hours they'd usually spend in the Arena training for the preparation period back during the first round...and yet she was already feeling the fatigue weighing down on her. The side effects of the poison maybe?
"...Maybe we should retire for the day." Hakuno frowns at her servant's suggestion, shaking her head profusely. He couldn't be serious. Archer was so insistent on finding the source of the poison earlier, and yet now he was suggesting for them to return back?! "No...I can... *cough* still continue."
Hakuno's own stubbornness causes Archer to give a groan of frustration, clicking his tongue. "Look Master, as I've mentioned previously, I don't want to belittle you or sound like I am, but honestly, you look like you're about to topple over and collapse any minute now."
Massaging the bridge of his nose, the servant tries not to get angry at his master. After all, they had already gotten into an argument earlier in the gardens...so he supposed he should be more composed. "We should head back Master. Though we haven't done much in the Arena today, we can always return tomorrow and settle with this barrier."
Walking over, he tries to grab only her arm, only for Hakuno to jerk it away a moment later. He was instead met with resistance, as Hakuno shakes her head once again, looking confused but determined to stay. "What do you mean? I can still keep going."
The servant's patience was once again being tested as his left eye twitched in response. He was trying his best to avoid raising his voice at her at this point. Her stubbornness could really be problematic at times. He didn't want the situation to escalate into an argument but...he supposed that if neither of them were unwilling to budge, things would get tense again soon.
"I know you're worried Archer. But really...I'm fine. We can keel going." "You- *sigh* You clearly don't look fine. Why are you being so stubborn right now?? We don't necessarily need to deal with the barrier now, do we?! At least not in your current state...!" Hakuno flinches slightly at her servant's worsening mood, but doesn't yield.
"Yes we do. Wasn't it your idea to deal with it as soon as possible to begin with? It isn't like you to walk away from the issue so easily like that, Archer...so why do so now?"Her words seem to be more effective than she realised, because Archer's eyes widened in disbelief and surprise.
The female master steadies herself before she takes a few steps forward. "...I'll honestly be fine. I'm not that fragile to get done in by some low-tiered poison so easily." She knew that she was probably coming off as overconfident, but really, she didn't wanna leave the Arena just yet. A little more...she had a feeling that if she tolerated this just a little more...they would be able to find it.
Archer facepalms, swearing under his breath before he finally concedes. Hakuno could've sworn she almost heard him grumble something along the lines of 'The number of times this girl has to make me worried' before he follows along to her side. "Alright, fine. If you wanna be so stubborn, so be it. Let's just find this stupid Yew Tree and get this over with quickly rather than stand around here bickering." Hakuno let's out a quiet but sheepish chuckle through her sleeve, before the two continue on.
The path before them was getting more and more harder to see as they ventured forward, their line of sight being somewhat obstructed by the mist getting thicker around them. By instinct, Archer starts walking closer next to his master, even gently tugging her free hand with his, earning a look of surprise from his master. "Stay close to me Master. Wouldn't wanna lose you or let you get attacked with all this mist around us."
A light hue appears on her cheeks, which she prays Archer hasn't noticed with all the fog around them. Although her first impression of him was that he appeared to be somewhat cold and withdrawn, Archer was surprisingly a pretty caring servant. Well...she supposed that most servants would at least be mindful of their master's condition; it was their duty after all.
However, there was just something about Archer that made her feel at ease around him. Did this have something to do with the servant-master bond they shared perhaps? The many times he had been there for her...and even cheered her up too. She would probably be too embarassed to to it out loud, but she was grateful towards him for those times.
It was these actions of his, simple or not, that pulled her up and led her through the first week of this Holy Grail War. And even now, he was still being considerate and accommodating towards her. Surprisingly, Archer too seems to have a hidden soft side that he doesn't show often.
With the second week of the war beginning, she was going to have to work alongside this man once again...this mysterious man that was her servant. She wondered if she would last long enough in the war to get to know more about her servant, but she hopes she does. For now though, they had to prioritise on Dan and his servant.
"Hmmm...I can sense a strong amount of prana around here." Archer stops, looking around the area. His eyes narrow as he focuses along the path in front of him. "...I think we've arrived Master. This must be the spot."
This prompts the brown-haired master to stare at the path he was looking around, slowly raising an eyebrow a second later. "Um...but...I can't see anything. All I see is more concentrated mist." It was true, she really couldn't see anything beyond the mist covering the area. Could her servant see something she couldn't?
"Hmph, it is what's beyond this mist that I'm more concerned about." Taking out his twin swords, Archer proceeds to cut through the mist, revealing what he was talking about. Hakuno's eyes widened at the sight. There, right before them, was a small yet relatively fat tree, with the branches emitting the mist that was surrounding them. Then...this must be it! This must be the Yew Tree!
"There it is Master. This must be the source of the poison." Hakuno gulps, watching as magic flowed from where the tree towers over the area. In fact, there was so much mist the branches were spewing out that if one were unprepared for it, they would drown in all the poison. "So we've finally found it. Took us long enough. That bastard found a nice place to place this tree alright. Too bad we still managed to locate this...and this tree doesn't seem small enough to go unnoticed. Stay here, Master."
Hakuno easily complies with Archer's command, shrinking at the sight of all the poison. Walking over towards the tree, the servant eyes it with disgust, before he promptly slashes at the tree. With a few strong blows, the tree breaks apart, and eventually fizzles away, disappearing.
As soon as the tree was gone, so was the barrier. The mist started fading away, and Hakuno could already begin to breathe a lot more easily now, with no more pressure and pain crushing her body.There was no trace of the tree to be left behind and found, almost as if nothing was even there to begin with.
"It seems that the tree is gone for good. Are you alright, Master? You should be feeling a lot better and can breathe without any issues." Hakuno nods at his question, her eyes still focused on the space where the tree was previously occupying. While she was glad that the poison was gone, that didn't mean that they should relax now.
In fact, this barrier proved to her that she should be on high alert around their opponents.
They definitely needed more information on that hooded man too, that's for sure. That stranger...she wondered what his True Name could possibly be, but one thing's for sure, he was a yet another dangerous foe they had to face.
For now though, at least they could go ahead with training and grabbing that trigger with no worries of that annoying mist bothering them anymore. They had spent quite a while finding that tree, but at least they managed to finally locate and destroy it. But...a Yew Tree...what a fascinating way to generate a poisonous mist nonetheless.
"Well, now that the barrier's been dealt with, shall we continue with our training, Master? I hope you're not too tired just yet." Archer's voice brings her back to the situation at hand, as she nods. Right, they should get back to training; there was much for them to do and improve on...especially after their fight with Rider and Shinji.
Dan was a seasoned soldier, so he would probably be a lot more troublesome to deal with than Shinji for all she knew. Then there was his servant too. Hakuno hadn't forgotten the mischief she saw in his eyes when she first met him.
If he was going to approach her again like earlier today, she was definitely not going to trust him and let her guard down. Not wasting any more time, the two promptly resume their training and search for the trigger.
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And so, nighttime had arrived in Tsukumihara Academy by the time Hakuno had tiredly made her way back to their private room. She was beyond exhausted after all that training, but thankfully, they had managed to obtain the trigger.
Plopping onto the bed, she recalls the events the events that occurred today. The first day of the second week had already been quite a hectic one, with that hooded man only adding to her worries by placing that barrier.
She wondered...could he be some sorta hero that specialises in poison? If so, she definitely had to watch out. After all, it didn't seem like the hooded man wasn't going to try anything else, especially if he found out that she was still alive and that the Yew Tree was gone. She hoped that the stranger would leave her alone but...she doubted that.
And Dan too. She hasn't seen what he was capable of, but from Rin's description, he was definitely prepared to fight. His gaze...it was focused and unyielding, with no hesitation and full of conviction and determination...not like her. She knew that she was still wavering herself.
"Making up for half a century of battle experience that old knight has on you isn't really possible." Her servant's voice draws her attention as she frowns, biting down on her bottom lip. Well...he wasn't wrong.
It would be a miracle if she managed to bridge the obvious difference in abilities between the two masters within the span of just one week. He had years of experience under his belt and was pretty much prepared for this war, unlike her that was pretty much clumsily stumbling her way through the preparation period. It was almost a mystery how she managed to get through the first round, now that she thought back on it.
"But, here's the good news Master. The two of them don't trust each other, and we can exploit that." Archer straightens in his seat, clasping his hands together as he says this. Right...the relationship between the two seemed like a rocky one.
Dan obviously dislikes his servant's methods, and his servant in return doesn't appreciate Dan ordering him around. It was almost as if they were polar opposites. If the two of them could tap into that weakness...perhaps that could become a good advantage later on.
Sidetracking for a moment, she's not sure when it happened, but her feelings about a lot of things has changed ever since she made it to the second round. Hakuno's realized that she's gotten more used to the challenges in the Arena, and her lifestyle here in the Holy Grail War. While she couldn't be sure if that's a good thing...she supposed that meant that her unease of the Holy Grail War is lessening if she's getting more used to the daily routine of being a master. Though...one small issue remains.
"Oh, that would be ever-so-helpful. I can't really fight all-out with that long suffering look on your face." Hakuno has to bite down on her bottom lip at that, resisting the urge to correct her servant. It wasn't that she was getting used to the idea of bloodshed, but more so preparing for the Elimination Battle, mind you. Killing other people was a different matter.
Even after the first round had ended, while the communication with her servant has improved, their overall master-servant relationship was still...somewhat questionable. How should she explain it? It felt...rocky, and Archer's attitude further served to prove that, his words sometimes being a dagger to her soul.
She can't even count the number of times her self-esteem was damaged by him. With that being said, she's pretty sure that a normal master and servant relationship didn't involve this much ridicule and abuse, even if it was mostly verbal. In other words, she's hoping that Archer could at the very least tone it down a bit more with his sarcasm and snarkiness.
Archer raises an eyebrow at that. "But I do respect your lofty position as a master." Oh, does he now? Because she doesn't seem entirely convinced. Hakuno watches as he crosses his arms over his chest, before continuing. "That much I do. As for my general opinion of you however, that will depend on how you grow as my master from here on out." Grow as a master...well, he doesn't have a point...but even so...she'd like to think that she's improved quite a bit after the first round at least.
"I don't expect miracles. If you can become more competent in your role as a master, I might change my attitude a little...maybe." Aaaaand with that, the atmosphere is instantly destroyed, with Hakuno's expression falling into a frown. 'A little' he says. Now she's seriously doubting the sincerity in those words especially given how ambiguous he sounds.
Servants are reproductions of mortal identities, so their personalities don't change for the most part. She supposed she needs to go a little further afield to blunt Archer's sarcasm. But what could she even do anyway? Perform an Alteration of the Soul? She doesn't want to recklessly tamper with her servant's status in that manner, and forcing him that way sounded sorta cruel too.
...Maybe set him up for absolute humiliation? People do tend to change their ways if they are taught a lesson and experience something utterly embarrassing after all. But then again, that still sounded too cruel and extreme, even for her.
It felt more like a harsh punishment, and Hakuno shudders to think of the possible consequences if it backfired too. If possible, she'd prefer some peaceful approach that won't lead to dampening her relationship with her servant in the process. Nothing else really comes to mind though.
...Or maybe...things are fine just the way they are? Perhaps she needed to be calm and think things through. Yeah...Archer may be a pain in the ass sometimes with how he speaks, but to be fair, all he's doing is making her think about what being a master truly means. He isn't 'tipping from the bottom'.
...When she thinks in that perspective, she guesses that she can see the bigger picture overall. Archer may be strict and demanding, but he isn't casually insulting for the most part. In fact, he's probably doing this best to protect and nurture an inexperienced master.
His cynism and sarcasm are a byproduct of his concern. In that sense, his personality is just a little more bent compared to most rational people. If she were to give a comparison...he's sort of like that somewhat bitter and arrogant sister-in-law.
Her silence must've caught his attention, because now Archer is looking at Hakuno suspiciously. "Hey, what's with the silent treatment? Changing your approach...wait, what's with that smirk?" It's not a smirk, but a smile. Archer's attempt at maintaining his facade is fairly amusing now that she's aware of why he's doing it.
She now sees that he isn't being arrogant so much as displaying his strength and subtlety telling her to 'just rely on her servant'. And to add to that, isn't instilling confidence something allies should do for each other? Yeah, she gets it now!
Archer seems to be confused over Hakuno's sudden change in mood, but he shakes his head and sighs. "Hmph, that smile of yours is...unnerving. But I can live with it if it means you're done complaining. After all, the challenges that await us in the future will make my chiding seem mostly harmless." Or so he says. It seems that she's going to have to just roll with it accept her circumstances going forth from here...but oh well.
"Oh right...Archer...earlier you mentioned about specialising in similar fields as Dan's servant..." With the second preparation period starting, she might as well try to learn more about Archer's abilities to have a better grasp on them. If they were to advance to the second Elimination Battle, knowing about his skills and what he could do in depth would probably help during the fight.
Archer on the other hand, frowns at the topic, waving a hand dismissively. "It's...nothing that vital that you should know for now." Hakuno droops slightly at his response, pouting. There he goes again, trying to shut down the subject.
This was starting starting become a pattern; each and every time she took one step forward, he would take two steps back. Was his past really that sensitive that he couldn't even divulge his extra skills and whatnot? At this rate, she was never going to know anything about him.
"...Relax Master. Really, it isn't anything of importance...at least for now. If you're that insistent on knowing...well...let's just say that with most wars and battles, there were times that I too, had to use unfair methods against my opponents. The battlefield was often harsh and unforgiving after all, so it was necessary to do whatever I could to survive and win." The female master perks at his statement. She had assumed that her servant was relatively humble and noble in a sense, but it seems that he too had to utilise such methods to gain the upper hand back when he was alive.
The Archer-class servant crosses his hands over his chest, eyebrows knitting together. "...Are you disappointed?" The female master pauses, blinking back at him, before slowly shaking her head. Was she disappointed? If she were to be honest...no, not really.
If anything, what he said was understandable...and it wasn't as if knowing about such information would change the fact that he was still her servant. Archer himself may not have noticed but...she finds him trustworthy anyway. He had always been by her side, fighting to the best he could and defending her from harm. It was...actually interesting, getting to know more about this enigma that was her servant.
"No...I'm not. In fact, I'm glad to know more about your past. So...thank you for telling me, Archer." The corners of her lips twitch to form a smile. Archer looks slightly taken aback by her reply, but soon sighs. "Really...what a weird master I have. I hope that this answer has satisfied your curiosity for now, because it's getting rather late."
As soon as he said that, a yawn manages to escape his master's lips. Yeah...she should probably turn in for the night. Tomorrow, they had a lot more training to do, and hopefully she would be able to gain some information on the opposing servant in due time too.
With her head hitting the bed, she thinks back on her servant's words. It seems that he too had went through a lot of adversaries in his past. Just who was this man that answered her summons? Gaining more information about him just made her want to know more...but she'll take what she can get and be contented with knowing this much for now.
Glancing at her servant, she closes her eyes and mutters a quiet 'Good night Archer' before she drifts off to sleep.
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Archer had woken up quite a while before his master. Eyeing her as she slept, he stretched his arms and gave a yawn. While things such as eating and sleeping weren't necessary for servants, he supposed that he too, needed some rest every now and then in order to conserve and replenish his limited prana.
His master had woken up shortly after with a jolt, chest heaving and eyes wide. There were still remnants of tears present, with the edges of her eyes wet and slightly red. Another nightmare he supposed? Well...after everything she went through yesterday, that wasn't unexpected.
The man had tried to give some advice to her, and while he wasn't too sure if it was helpful, Hakuno still didn't seem entirely convinced. Archer could only sigh to himself as she watched her enter the bathroom, closing the door behind her. What a difficult master he had this time around. Did it backfire instead? Her mood seemed to be more foul if anything.
It didn't take long before Archer heard what appeared to be muffled coughing behind the door. Rising from his seat, he walks over towards the bathroom to try and hear better. No, his ears weren't betraying him; he could certainly hear his master coughing...and quite badly too. Was she really alright in there? She couldn't be hyperventilating or something, could she?
A few minutes passes...and the servant wonders if he should go in to check on her. From the way she was coughing, it sounded kind of serious. Bringing a hand to the door, he was about to knock on it (he obviously wasn't going to just barge in and potentially get slapped or yelled at and get called a pervert) when the coughing begins to slowly die down.
He pauses, stopping and waits for a while longer before the coughs finally stop, and he hears his master breathing heavily instead. The man slowly withdraws from the door, and decides to head back to his throne of chairs to wait for her instead. He roughly had an idea of what she was going through, and figured that it would be better if he didn't intervene and let her calm herself down instead.
The rest of the day went by with little to no issues. As usual, his master went ahead to attend Taiga's classes, but soon decided to spend her free time in the gardens to take a breather. He couldn't really blame her. There was probably a lot going through her mind lately that she needed to sort through.
It didn't take long before a suspicious man began approaching her. From the power and aura he was giving off, Archer already had his hunch that the man was a servant. But what was a servant doing here by himself without his master? And what were his motives for approaching Hakuno?
Eyes widening, he watches as the man gets a tad bit too close towards his master. Did that man not understand what personal space was?? What the heck was getting doing, feeling her face up like that?! Was this idiot not aware that her servant was literally standing behind her watching this whole thing unfold?!
The tanned servant is tempted to walk over and yank the person's hand away from her face, but decided to stay quiet and try to gain some information on what he had to say. He had to stay calm. There was nothing to gain by choosing violence and engaging with a potential enemy on school grounds.
His anger and irritation only increased by tenfold with that ridiculous suggestion of swapping servants. This man definitely shouldn't be trusted...and yet why wasn't his master doing anything?! She wasn't even pushing him away even as the bastard inched closer towards her. No, she couldn't be serious about considering his proposal, was she?
Archer had enough of this. Grabbing ahold of her arm, he promptly pulls her away from the servant before stepping in between the both of them, glaring at the hooded stranger. He had no idea what he was trying to gain out of this, but he obviously wasn't gonna stand around any longer and watch or let it happen.
The white-haired servant doesn't say a word, but is all too eager to take out his swords and stab the stranger with them. Even the way the man was oogling his master disgusted him. However, he had more self-control than that, and decides to continue staring him down until the stranger finally leaves.
With the two alone in the gardens, Archer decides to voice his concerns regarding how defenseless she was. She couldn't possibly agree with that ridiculous suggestion, could she? He knew how odd of a master-servant pairing the two of them were, but to think that she was considering it made him upset and pissed if anything.
The initial lack of reaction his master possessed only served to make his mood worse. Seriously...she was going to swap over to that freak?? He knew that she had voiced her concerns over his attitude as a servant before...but she wanted to change servants that badly over it?! He didn't wanna sound overprotective, and perhaps it was due to the master-servant bond they shared, but his instincts were telling him that there was no way he was gonna turn a blind eye and turn her over to some stranger who he definitely couldn't trust.
However, his master finally chooses the moment to speak up and retaliate, and she proves him wrong by telling him that no, she intended to reject his proposal from the start. The tanned servant now feels quite awkward at getting mad and worked up to begin with...and also a tad bit guilty for raising his voice at her. Just what was he doing, acting all bothered? He was behaving like a kid.
While he wasn't all that used to apologising, the servant does so anyway in a bashful manner, trying his best to sound sincere without coming off as too cringey. The man felt like kicking himself in the gut, obviously embarassed. Thankfully, his master accepts his apology, and things soon return to normal.
That man though...he wondered what he was trying to achieve by approaching Hakuno to begin with. Was he really serious about changing masters? He couldn't tell, not with that mischievous and stupidly flirtateous expression the hooded man had as he talked to her. He could only pray that the person doesn't try it a second time, lest he wanted Archer to chop one of his hands off. Just recalling the incident had him fuming.
The second round match-up was indeed an unexpected one. Dan Blackmore...he had his eye on him the minute Hakuno had encountered him back in the gardens during the first round, but now he was certain about it. Those eyes...he was a trained soldier who had fought countless times on the battlefield, a man who wasn't afraid to kill.
On that note, his master's mood seems to have somewhat improved over the course of the day, especially after talking with Rin. Though she was still a little glum, at least there wasn't a dark cloud looming over her unlike earlier this morning. The man had to resist lecturing her on the fact that Rin was again an enemy though, instead choosing to sigh and keep to himself while Rin and Hakuno talked.
It was during times like these that had him questioning his master's sense of awareness. He didn't wanna put down Rin's abilities as a magus (in fact, he knew that she was definitely more than capable of taking out most of the competition in this war by herself), but if in the event that anything happened to her, Hakuno would most likely be upset and sad all over again, and truthfully...Archer would not like to deal with it as much as possible.
He knew that the topic would come up at some point, but he wasn't exactly expecting his master to question about his Noble Phantasm this soon. If possible, he wanted to keep his Noble Phantasm under the table for as long as he could. After all, revealing it would pretty much give away his identity as a Legendary Soul, and while he was fairly confident that not a lot of people knew about him as a heroic spirit, he didn't wanna risk it this early into the war just yet. There was also the alternative that his master could just simply order or force him to use it if she really wanted to, but surprisingly, she is more considerate about it than he realised.
Going back to the matter at hand, it would indeed be troublesome to deal with their new opponent...but that wasn't even the beginning of Archer's worries. Eyebrows twitching, the tanned man is tempted to curse aloud upon finding out that the bastard they met in the gardens was Dan's servant. Just great, he had to see his face again for the whole preparation period.
Out of all the tricks Archer had assumed the enemy servant could pull on them, poison was not one of them. The man immediately rushes over to his master's side, placing her sleeved arm against her nose and mouth to prevent her from breathing in too much of the poison at once. Damn it...so Dan's servant intended to try to get rid of her as soon as possible. He was certainly quick to act, that's for sure.
Going deeper into the Arena, the two of them easily spot Dan and his servant, and while Archer himself was keen on taking them out now and getting it over with, he was halted by his master. Grumbling to himself, the servant yields and goes along with his master's wishes. He supposed that she also had a point, and that they shouldn't jump in and act rashly just like that.
He notes that although cunning, the servant didn't seem to get along with Dan...a weakness they could probably make use of then. Hakuno and him continued to hide and wait until the two of them left before continuing their search for this 'Yew Tree' that Dan mentioned. They had to be quick before his master gave away to the poison.
He looked around at the mist around them. While not the best method he could use to take them out, it was still relatively effective, he'll give them that much. Staying here within the Arena would definitely pose a risk towards his master's health, and he soon notices that his master was coughing a lot more often than earlier, her complexion going pale.
"...Maybe we should retire for the day." While he definitely didn't like the idea of returning back to the school when they didn't manage to accomplish much, he was still concerned over her wellbeing, and placed his master's health as the top priority first and foremost. There was nothing he could do if she suddenly collapsed on him after all.
Again, his master decides to be stubborn and insistent that they continue, and after some attempts to change her mind, Archer relents and decides to go along with searching for the damn tree. Didn't she know that he was trying to be considerate for her sake?
Well...he should've known better that once his master set her mind to something, she wouldn't wanna budge until it was completed. While it was commendable, there were definitely times when he wished she wouldn't be so stubborn and actually listened to him for once.
Noticing that the mist was beginning to thicken around them, the man decides to take ahold of his master's hand. After what had happened earlier, he wasn't going to risk letting her get attacked or even get lost amidst all this poison after all. Her hand felt cold to the touch, small and dainty in his hold. One could easily break it with a simple twist and snap her wrist off...a further reminder of how weak his master still was.
So weak...and yet still wanting to head into danger. What a weird master he had, the girl reminding him a little of his past self. Whatever the case, he couldn't let her out of his sight, that's for sure.
At long last, after what felt like an eternity, the two of them encountered the Yew Tree, with the servant swiftly cutting it down. As soon as the mist disappeared, did Archer notice the colour returning to Hakuno's face. At least she looked a lot better now.
The two of them went ahead with their usual routine after that, training and looking around for the trigger until night fell when they finally decided to return to their private room. Sitting in his usual spot, the servant is once again asked about his past.
He gives a perplexed expression, not sure how to go about the topic. Sure, he could always just not tell her anything, but the look on his master's face made him feel sorta guilty himself. So he divulges just a little bit, to soothe some of her aching curiosity before she headed off to sleep.
His master once again surprises him with her response to his question. He couldn't help but chuckle at her reply. "I'm not disappointed...so she says," he mutters to himself. His master always chose the unexpected situations to surprise him.
The man wondered...would his master say the same thing and still look at him in the same way if he were to tell her about his past? Would she still view him in the same light and continue trusting in him like she always did? ...No, she would surely be taken aback, especially if she were to learn of how broken of a man he really was. Of course, if that time really came, he would have to be accepting of it regardless.
Archer shakes his head. There was no need to worry so much about disclosing his past to her at least for now. He supposed he should get some rest to take his mind off the conflicting thoughts he was having. Crossing his arms, he watches his master who was now asleep for a little while longer, before he slowly closes his eyes.
The man didn't know how much longer he was going to spend with this master of his...but he supposed he would continue watching over her and see her progress while he still could. There was still much for Hakuno to learn and improve on after all, and well...if he were to admit it to himself...
...Just for a little bit, was he interested to see her growth as a master, and how she would choose to face the obstacles before her for this round as well.