Part 58: Update LII - Anachro-analog Rin

Update LII - Anachro-analog Rin



As you might have expected.



Only two weeks can change due to the route split, as Julius and Leo are locked in.



So this'll be a speedrun of the week to show what Rin has to say in Rani's place.

Music: Down to Dawn






He is a more formidable opponent than even Leo and has killed many of my fellow insurgents. As a Master, he is the polar opposite of you. Show any empathy and you're as good as dead.

Recalling that foreboding sense of death sends a chill racing down my spine.



Things that might confound most people won't work on him, but I'll do what I can to help you. After all, I'm pretty much healed and I have nothing better to do. Anyway, try not to get killed. It's not totally hopeless. I'm sure we'll be able to figure a way to give you an edge somehow.

Sound: Phone ringing

An electronic chiming sounds from my terminal.



I find myself recalling Julius's hollow, vacant stare. My opponent...is a real assassin— One mistake, and I might as well cut my own throat and save him the trouble of doing it for me. But I can't worry about that now; I have to go to the Arena and find my first Trigger.



As it turns out, you can get your weekly supplies on Day 1!

Your partner just yoinks it from Sakura's stash.



There are eight Masters left now. You are a more superior Wizard than I thought.

The only people I'll be talking to this week are Rin and Rani.





So I run off to the Arena so Caster can get got.



Music: Duel of Fate


That's a problem. Looking at my Servant, the words of Julius's invisible Servant taunt me. —Death is inescapable. Death. Is Caster going to die? My strong, wise Servant who's always defended stupid me might really die? As much as my heart wants to deny it, my brain can't. Caster sucks in labored breaths, but doesn't awaken. I have to do something! Knowing that I have to do SOMETHING doesn't mean I know WHAT to do! When I rush out of the room to collect my thoughts, I run into a concerned-looking Rin.

Morning, Hakuno.

Oh... Hi, Rin. Good morning. I absentmindedly reply.



Rin's worried tone jump-starts my addled mind into processing things again. The first thing I notice is that my face is stiff with worry. Belatedly, I turn and greet Rin with a smile. —I'm glad to see you up and about.

The nice thing about all this generic dialogue is that I can just directly copy it from Rani's route and save me some time.



Now it's you I'm worried about, Hakuno. What happened? I mean, I lost my Servant already. I told you I'd help you, Hakuno.

Rin did in fact say that. But did she really mean it?

Don't make me repeat myself! Yeah, I meant it. I'm fighting through you now. If it's a choice between you or Leo getting the Holy Grail, I'm siding with you. Got any complaints?

I don't have any objections. In fact, I'm deeply grateful that I can draw on a Master as strong as Rin.

Okay, just so you don't ask again: I don't want Leo to get the Grail, so I'm helping you win.

Rin, you're repeating yourself.



Right off the bat Rin's route starts to fall behind compared to Rani's. In Rani's version of this scene, Rani talked about how she's starting to help us because she actually wants to, not because of any instructions given to her by her Professor. Hakuno also starts pressing that she's Rani's friend, not any form of owner.

Rin's side? She just repeats how she wants to help us win to stop Leo from getting the Grail, which we already knew.

I hand her the terminal. Rin mutters a couple things and the terminal blinks. What did she do?



Cool. The ability to comnunicate at any time is reassuring. Rin smiles a bit when I thank her.

It's no big deal, okay? Anyway, I don't sense your Servant. What's up with that?

—That's right. That's right! Rin may know a way to revive Caster.



Is your Servant going to be okay?

When I tell her my Servant is still asleep in our private room, Rin ruminates for a moment.

Your Servant is still asleep in your private room? Take me there right now. I may know a way to revive your injured Servant.

Definitely not saying no to that. I nod curtly and accompany Rin to my private room. Caster should still be asleep there.

Music: Down to Dawn


Some new type of virus? No... It's more like energy that has its own will... Tainted blood. This is a lot worse than I thought. It's like a tornado upended all the magic circuits in your body. Meaning, the conduits that provide magic from you to your Servant no longer function properly. The check's getting lost in the mail, so to speak. A Servant's body is sustained by a flow of magic from their Master. Without that magic, they fade. Your Servant is sustaining their body on their own magic reserves right now. But, that source is finite. Unless supply from their Master resumes, they'll only last a few more days. —Okay, I grasp the situation. I'll compose a plan of action, so come see me on the Rooftop later.

Rin leaves the room, the look on her face solemn. Frustration at my powerlessness wells up every time I see Caster in pain, but it's accompanied by the urge for me to get help, fast. With Rin's help this evening, I'll form a plan of action.

Music: School I




Fun fact, you can completely bypass that scene with Li in the hallway by just fast travelling to another floor.



It seems the poison of the black scorpion of the Harways is already in circulation.

Compared to Rin in the Rani route, Rani in the Rin route is much more neutral about us.

Music: Duel of Fate




If they don't get an infusion of magic soon, they'll be essentially dead by the end of tomorrow.

Dead by tomorrow...?! Whatever the case, what can I do before tomorrow comes?! How can I supply them with magic—



I can tell Rin is confident in her knowledge. If she knows a way to do this, I'm all for it.

Is that so? All right then, let's do it. I should probably let you know what's going to happen.

For a moment, Rin looks down, but then continues as if she's come to a decision.



Rin will be using her own powers? It seems really...unfathomable. I wonder if she can really do it. Honestly, even after hearing what she plans to do, I can't begin to imagine how it'll work.



My connection will run through your Servant, but that's just a matter of schematics and such!

Rin pats herself on the cheeks repeatedly, as if to psyche herself up. ...It may seem like a big deal and all, but now is definitely not the time for hesitation. So, what do you need me to do?

*Ahem* First, head into the Arena, find an area that'll be easy to hack into, and then set this up.



As she says this, she hands me a black cube. And this is—?

Something that will hopefully bypass the Arena's security and allow me to send magic there. For now, head inside the Arena. I'll fill you in on the details once you're there.

I'm glad I spoke with Rin- I'm sure everything will turn out okay...somehow. For now, I'd better head to the Arena like Rin said.

Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor
Sound: Phone ringing




Okay, I'll instruct you on what I want you to do, so listen carefully. Like I said earlier, find the weak points in the Arena's firewall and set up a bypass circuit. I'll guide you along, so please listen to my transmissions.

Yeah, go ahead.

...That, and when I connect myself to the Holy Grail with the bypass circuit, I'll link with you. It's inadvertent, so it's not like I'm trying to peep at your files or anything.

Tsuns gonna tsun.

Whatever Rin needs to do, she has my permission. If I want to carry out Rin's plan, I'll need to avoid contact with the enemy.



...Can you hear me? Good. It looks like I finally got everything connected properly. After a cursory glance, it looks like there are six suitable hacking points. I've marked those places in the Arena, so get going and locate them all.



This one's useless...the code is too complex to decipher...

Her other lines for the wrong points are:

This one is no good, either... Hurry, move on to the next marker.

~

Nope. Next

~

Argh! This is pissing me off! Why's this firewall so damned annoying?!

~

Nope. Next.



Uhhhh, Rani? You kinda forgot to mention this.





I'm in full fucking around mode today, so I'm putting the last point off.



Interestingly, there's no Nephilim guarding the Staff today.



So if you use Shockwave to stun your way past two enemies, you can easily grab this without a fight!



Also I grab the Trigger for laughs.



Although there's no change in Tamamo's line for it.



Alright, time to play with Julius.

Okay, you've reached a good spot for hacking. The portable terminal has caught a signal. Give me a moment and I'll analyze it in more detail if it's a suitable location for a bypass circuit.

It's all you, Rin. —She responds quickly.

...Okay, it checks out. Right there, that's the best place to establish a bypass circuit. All right, I'll create a channel between myself and the Holy Grail that maintains the Arena.

She whispers something—

I'll transfer the hacking code from my terminal. ...I won't know for sure until I try it out, but it seems the bypass circuit is up and running. You're done. You can return whenever you finish your other stuff. We'll continue this at the school—





Again, full fucking around mode today.

I also learned a fun fact about the auto-reveal cheat I've been using for these alt weeks:



Namely that it just sorta... breaks moves that read your inputs. The one Attack is the normally revealed move.



It isn't a proper Wait either, as Waits get that small notice on the bottom right.

I guess the game is designed to never change a shown command on the fly, so forcing a variable move to be revealed locks it to some kind of default action.



My reward for this blatant cheating?



Death.

Which makes sense, as unlike the early duels last week Li has way too much bullshit to overcome normally. The only feasible way I can see to beat him legit would be to get the Staff today, then hope you get Attack on action 6 every turn so you can block it and save a Curse. Having to use a Curse all six actions would run Tamamo dry long before turn 3, even with mp_heal.



So I'll have to follow the plot.

I'd never win, challenging this fierce opponent while my Servant is exhausted like this. I need to escape somehow, but— I'm facing the harshest of all the Masters I've encountered so far. He and his Servant are like a pair of hawks who would only revel in swooping down on their fleeing prey. I have to prepare for the worst-

Sound: Phone ringing


Hakuno! I'm going to perform a forced withdrawal on you!

Accompanying Rin's voice is a blinding light that comes shooting out of my terminal.



My vision goes white. All my senses are snuffed out. The bright light forces me to clench my eyes shut, as I give my body over to a strong gravitational pull. The spiritrons that make up my body are compressed into a single point, and removed from the Arena. My consciousness condenses, like two dimensions becoming one, and then traveling to a far beyond- In that strange timespace—

"Damn— Her files are flowing in...!"

I hear Rin's voice.

"I have to cut the connection quickly, or...huh? Wait, this-"

Her voice wavers, as if she's so shocked she can hardly speak.

"No way— Her body is missing."

She softly mutters a searing truth.



Music: School I


Still dazed, I move my head some. It appears my motor skills are intact and my body's okay. I'm sore all over, but I'm alive. I sit up and open my eyes.

Music: School III


Things got pretty dicey in there. You've been asleep ever since the imposed withdrawal.

Checking my portable terminal, I see that a day has passed. Rin ejected me from the Arena when Julius attacked. I've been asleep from the shock ever since, I guess.



A silver lining in a dark cloud, I suppose. That's right. About the bypass circuit... Is it in progress?

The bypass circuit is providing a satisfactory influx, so I should be able to supply magic.

What a relief. It's pure luck that Rin found a way to heal Caster just in time.

Music: Stops


...? I wonder why? Still, I do as I am told.





Is it my imagination, or is Rin really close by? Suddenly, there is a soft touch against my lips. —? Is this another procedure that'll supply my Servant with magic?

—Whew. A-All right, calm down, me. Okay, you can open your eyes.



Rin grumbles to herself. Was there some sort of problem?



J-Just now, I ran a program that interrupts the contractual bond between you and your Servant. I should now be able to supply magic to your Servant directly from myself.

That soft sensation still lingers on my lips. When I look at Rin, she blushes and looks away.



I'll perform the treatment, so... You just come back to the nurse's office this evening.

This isn't right. I can't keep leaving everything up to Rin. If there's anything at all I can do to help...



—I mean , leave this one to me and just go putz around in the library or something! And absolutely don't peek inside the nurse's office!

Don't peek...? She probably doesn't want any distractions while she's working. I should do as she says and wait until the evening.



Next time: We peek inside the nurse's office.