*/*/*
For the briefest moment, Hakuno registered that this arena floor was green instead of blue. But then all observations outside of the color ceased as pain screeched warnings through her entire body. Don't stop. You'll die if you stay here. Get moving. The signals and cries of her nerves reach her mind, yet her limbs do not move.
"Poison?! Bastards! Master, don't just stand there like a startled deer! With such an indiscriminate attack, we've got to get rid of this ourselves. There's got to be a source somewhere. Probably that green bastard's Noble Phantasm if it's this potent". Lancer's words and subsequent nudge of her side jolted Hakuno's mind and body back into properly communicating. Lancer was right. Such a widespread poison couldn't be considered an attack on them directly if it was over the whole arena. A clever loophole, even if she argued that it shouldn't be one as only herself, Lancer, and their opponents could enter this arena right now. Running back to the school also wasn't an option. It would waste precious time, and the poison would still likely be in the arena even if they left and came back. Hakuno did her best to hold her breath while Lancer took point, his pace quick and determined. What few programs that had survived the poison were open to a quick defeat. He paused, then indicated a tree they could see on another path. "There's magic in that. It's the source of all this I'd wager."
Each step in this poison was agony, so Hakuno picked up the pace. Lancer paused once more, signaling an enemy. There, arguing with each other and too distracted to notice them, were Dan and his Servant. "Who ordered you to do this?" Dan's gaze threatened to burn his Servant where they stood.
"Oh it's just a little barrier. Kills all the programs around us for some easy training. And with any luck it'll just so happen to bring down our opponents too. Why wait for the battle am I right? If they drop like flies now, we don't have anything to worry about this round." The Servant was quite proud of himself.
"Even scavengers have dignity. The yew tree is excessive. You are to use it only on my command. Do not disobey me again." Dan then teleported both himself and his Servant out of the arena. Hakuno put aside the static those words produced for when there wasn't poison everywhere. With the way clear Hakuno and Lancer proceeded forwards. And soon they'd reached the tree.
"This will take just a moment. Stay away from it, Master". With a single sweep of the red lance, the tree was destroyed. The soothing green of the arena returned, Hakuno's nerves no longer crawling. "You alright?" Lancer looked back at her.
"I'm fine. But I got 'zapped' again while we were in the poison cloud." She was keeping her promise even as she panted for air, no longer having to hold her breath.
"Seriously? You really do have E rank luck, Master. What was it?" His expression was torn between pleased that she kept her word and continued concern for any lingering poison effects.
"The way Dan spoke. It was wrong. Too aggressive. He… he's not supposed to approve of this sort of tactic I think." That sounded right. As Hakuno put the feeling to words, the more she was certain this was the truth.
"Of course we get to meet the one that doesn't give a damn" Lancer grumbled. The back of his hand met Hakuno's forehead as he checked her for fever. "Your eyes are clear, and your skin feels normal. Whatever that poison was, it didn't have time to really build in your system. Still, we can call it for the day if you need rest, Master."
Hakuno shook her head. "As I said, I'm fine. I really like moving forward, right?" Her joke was clumsy, but it got Lancer to snort all the same.
"Aye lass, that is true. Well, I'm certainly not going to fight you. I'd lose that fight faster than Shishou put me on my ass when I was younger. Well. Maybe not that fast but my point stands." Lancer ruffled her hair and went to take point again.
Hakuno grumbled as she attempted to smooth the chaos he'd created on her head away. She just had to be stuck with Lancer's impertinence. But still, she wouldn't trade him for any other Servant.
They cleared out the poisoned remnants of programs and even located the cipher. TRIGGER OBTAINED - TRIGGER CODE GAMMA. Hakuno pressed the button to acknowledge its registration. They'd made good progress today. "Now, we can go back for today."
"Which is after we've poked our noses into everything of course," Lancer teased.
"That's your doing though and you know it!"
"Is it? Is it really? Are you sure? Maybe it's you subconsciously urging me on with your magpie instincts."
Hakuno somehow managed to resist the impulse to glare at him. Knowing Lancer, it would just encourage him.
*/*/*
The next day came, the Moon Cell's clock stopping for no one. Master, what's with the jitters? You look like you've lost something.
It's that static again. I just feel like we were supposed to run into people here. Hakuno glared at the empty stairway as if the stairs were the ones to blame for this situation.
Well, there is someone approaching you now. Maybe she was just late? At Lancer's commentary Hakuno looked up to a foreign girl. In the haze of the prelims, this other had been known as an exchange student.
"Good morning" the stranger-not-stranger greeted. Her tone was friendly, yet mechanical. And her expression had that same sense of 'off' to it. There wasn't a hostile aura to her, and strangely enough Hakuno found herself put at ease upon meeting the unknown girl. "This is our first time conversing, I believe. I am Rani VIII, and like you I am participating in this Holy Grail War".
Despite that initial 'off' impression Rani was certainly no NPC. Hakuno found that she liked the mysterious Rani.
"I've been scanning the stars for clues about the participants. Unlike all the other Masters here, you are an enigma. Even your star… it almost seems to change places sometimes. But of course that is not possible." Rani continued, adjusting her glasses. "I am curious if you will be honest with me? What are you? When are you from?"
"I'm just a normal person." Hakuno's answer was automatic, forcing its way out of her. She wasn't sure what she'd wanted to say or even meant to say. But those words were not it.
"I was afraid you would say that. That answer is of course incorrect." Rani did not seem angry, merely disappointed. "There is no need to be suspicious of me, but I will not continue the question as you wish to hide yourself. I am not your enemy. The stars do not reveal your nature, but they do tell me enough about you to know that you are unique. I believe you are the newborn chick my professor spoke of."
I'm hardly a child, Hakuno couldn't help grumbling, but could not bring herself to interrupt. But at least she seems harmless enough? It seems she knows something about Astrology. The books Hakuno had read in her research dives said the mages who specialized in astrology could read both the past and future of a person.
"If you wish for aid, I will need more information. With the right materials I can tell you about Blackmore's Servant. I will use you and you will use me. Are these terms agreeable?"
I wish I could say I was surprised she seems to know so much already. But this is war. Hakuno's mental sigh echoed.
We're hardly the only ones to know that information is the key to survival. Lancer concurred.
"To understand more of my professor's words, I must learn more about humanity. As a doll, I must find someone living and observe. I believe that in this way I am to learn what it means to be truly alive. By doing this task, I will be able to observe you and Blackmore. If you agree to this exchange, I will be waiting at the far end of the third floor. The best time to observe his star will be in three days, so if you wish to agree I would suggest finding a relic by then". Rani VIII bowed politely before walking away.
Homunculus the thought came unbidden, yet like so many other strange things in this war, Hakuno felt it was right. Still, even with that Hakuno could only think of Rani as a person.
I can't imagine there's too many of those around with what knowledge the Grail's given me. Even if we do not agree to her deal, she'll be one to watch. Lancer did not seem to be flustered by the idea of a living doll, rather accepting it as simply an aspect of Rani. We can decide what to do with anything we find of theirs in the Arena later, and that's assuming there's anything there to begin with. Maybe a few splinters leftover from the tree I destroyed.
Hakuno supposed having the option would be better than not. Let's go.
The Arena was so much nicer when not covered in poison, in Hakuno's informed opinion. While Lancer was cheerfully picking off programs, she found herself wondering if anything else made him as happy as fighting. Surely Lancer wasn't one dimensional, right? There had to be other things he enjoyed. But the entertainment options on the Moon Cell were rather limited. She felt a stir of emotion as she considered Lancer having nothing but battle. A blink as Hakuno realized she was in the same situation. She should do something. Find a hobby or a gift or a game or who knows what. Anything was better than relying on endless violence surely.
As the thought crossed her mind, Hakuno felt the tingle of static against her skin. Then she glared at the empty air. No. She was not accepting that. They were supposed to have nothing but battle and death? Hakuno refused. The weird sensations could protest all they wanted. Hakuno was not going to listen on this front.
"Boss lady! I think I've actually found something!" Lancer's call pulled Hakuno from her musing. She quickly pretended that she hadn't gotten lost in her own head for a moment and stepped over. Sure enough, there was an arrow on the ground where the poisonous tree had once been. Hakuno recalled there had been an arrow stuck in the tree's trunk now that she thought about it. She gingerly picked it up by the shaft, pinching it between her fingers, afraid to maintain too much contact with it. Her inventory dinged as it got added.
"I don't know if there's more, but we should clear the Arena again. We've still got to find a persimmon for Taiga anyways" Hakuno rubbed her hand off on her skirt.
"That woman asks for the weirdest shit. I don't know what baffles me more, the list of stuff she's been after or the fact it keeps showing up in the Arena." Lancer huffed but readily set off with Hakuno to go adventuring through the Arena hallways once more.
About five minutes later – "Míchúramach." Lancer glared at the arrow fletching on the ground as if it were insulting. "Ok, now I'm beginning to think that they're not nearly the threat they seemed."
"Do you think they could be dropping all this deliberately?" Hakuno asked, even as she added it to her inventory, along with all the other dropped items they'd located throughout the Arena.
"Could be. But the only thing this will do is make me think our opponent's an Archer. Sure, getting the enemy's class wrong will be annoying and all, but it wouldn't be impossible to overcome." Nevertheless, Lancer nodded at her, conceding to caution. Hakuno's terminal beeped. MATRIX LEVEL 1 UNLOCKED. She opened the screen, Lancer leaning over her shoulder to inspect the result. Two faces have never shifted to deadpan in unison so quickly. The screen greeted them with the requisite images of Blackmore and Servant, but it was the text there that had caused this shift. Right there next to the Class category was a single word: 'Archer?' Lancer's deadpan gaze shifted to the ceiling. "Moon Cell? Tá tú lán de chac." Naturally, there was no further response from the computer.
Hakuno just wordlessly closed the terminal and sighed. "I think I've had enough of the Arena today, Lancer" she finally spoke, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Fair enough, lass. I'm the same" Lancer went with her towards the exit, grumbling under his breath in that language Hakuno didn't understand. She suspected it was more profanity directed towards the Moon Cell. And honestly, Hakuno felt the Moon Cell deserved it.
