Part 7: Update VII - Educational guidance

Update VII - Educational guidance

Music: None


We start off with this quick speech. The whole thing is voiced, but it isn't a voice we know.



Sound: Burning


And now everything is on fire.

The conflict started here. With this, the world that was will be restored. It is here that "I" alone had survived. Don't remember/Never forget. Oblivion is salvation and sin. Never forget. "I" was born from perdition. This must be a nightmare. This had to be somewhere; it could be anywhere, these events that occurred in the true memories of childhood. A torrent of blood flows, and a voice resonating with bitter resentment can be heard. Lives fade away without a thought. Friends, family, strangers: All gone. Soldiers with guns, families trying to hold together, a grotesque struggle to the last, until a gentle peace descends as death comes to claim them. —I could not accept all I have seen. The question of "why?" never left me. Even with the divide between conflict and catastrophe, why did such a tragedy occur? No, more importantly— Why has this world been turned into a hell on Earth?

Sound: Rain


The rain wets their cheeks as their eyes close one last time, dying forgotten and alone. Seeing this, I struggle to rise from the depths of death. I will not accept what I have been shown. If I can live again, I will definitely— But there are no second chances. And before long, the rain has cleansed the scorched earth.



Sound: Birds chirping


On the plus side, we finally got into the Nurse's Office!



But things look...



...a tad odd.

With that, I wake up in the nurse's office. I must've collapsed and was brought here. So was that world, the effigy that blocked my way, and that Servant...all a dream as well? No. This nurse's office is far different than the one I knew. It's similar, but off, somehow...



Caster pops in.

Ah, good morning my dear Master! I'm glad to see you've finally decided to wake up.

Music: School III


The overwhelming, unforgettable presence of someone suddenly appears beside my bed— I thought I was dreaming, but the ears and tail are real. There's no way to mistake her for human. But after seeing her incredible powers in the fight against the effigy, I don't care what she is.



Um... You do know all about the Holy Grail War, right?



Saying yes just skips an info dump.

Holy Grail War?

Holy Grail War? I've heard mention of it, but what is it, exactly?



You were asleep for a long time so your memory might still be fuzzy. Let me explain, then. First, the Holy Grail. It supposedly held the blood of a savior and can grant any—

A holy relic said to perform miracles that became well-known through the Arthurian cycle.

Hime may be utterly clueless about this whole Grail War thing, but she certainly knows her trivia.



You might've forgotten this, too, but you're one of those Wizards who've come to fight for the Holy Grail.

Also, though it's called the Holy Grail, there's no way it could be the real thing. But don't worry about that. The fact that it can grant wishes makes it a Holy Grail of sorts.

As for the rules, Servants and Wizards fight together and losers give up their Command Seals.

My eyes are drawn to my left hand where I've been marked with three strange symbols.

Masters continue to duel until only one is left to claim the Holy Grail...I think. But don't worry! My dear Master is a lock to make it all the way. It'll be a walk in the park!

I doubt it's that simple. While I have a million questions, at least I know the basics now. And whether I want to be here or not, I'm now a participant in this Holy Grail War nonsense.

Yes. Understanding the basics is more than good enough for now. Okay, now that's out of the way, let's get to the important stuff. Do you know what Servants are?



Again, saying yes skips this.

Sorry, I don't have a clue.



Caster starts bowing continuously.

After a brief panic attack brought on by embarrassment, she continues her explanation.

Servants are Heroic Spirits drawn from history to help Wizards fight in the Holy Grail War. Those whose actions continue to have an affect long after their deaths become Heroic Spirits. ...I 'm not all that heroic, though. Anyway, Servants are manifestations of those legends. But whether actual Heroic Spirits were summoned in past Holy Grail Wars is subject to debate. —But this time, the Holy Grail has done a better job of reproducing Heroic Spirits than any human!

Also, according to the rules of the Holy Grail War, Servants are divided into seven classes.

Saber.

Considered to be one of the strongest classes, Sabers usually have a high rank in Magic Resistance. Artoria Pendragon was the Saber in Stay Night.

Lancer.

With more speed than Sabers, Lancers tend to have Battle Continuation to survive normally fatal blows in combat. Cu Chulainn was the Lancer in Stay Night.

Archer.

The ranged specialist, naturally. Archers have Independant Action, letting them move without support from their Master for longer periods of time. Shirou's future self was the Archer in Stay Night, as well as Gilgamesh, who survived the events of Zero.

Rider.

Riders have the aptly named Riding skill, letting them get more out of any vehicle or mount they use. Medusa was the Rider in Stay Night.

Caster.

The support class. While bad in a direct fight, they can use Territory Creation to set up a workshop and start churning out tools that can close the gap. Medea was the Caster in Stay Night.

Assassin.

The weakest class in a direct fight, Assassins can use Presence Concealment to hide themselves, then make a direct attempt on an enemy Master's life. Sasaki Kojiro and Hassan-i-Sabbah were the Assassins in Stay Night.

Oh and, of course, Berserker.

Berserkers are the wildcard class, using Mad Enhancement to boost their normal abilities and driving them mad in exchange. While this can make a weak Servant strong, and a strong Servant nearly impossible to beat, it also kills any plans more advanced than sending them at the enemy and hoping for the best. Heracles was the Berserker in Stay Night.



Note: Caster currently has no long-range magic attacks, and is a ways off from getting any.



Understatement of the year, right here.

Caster... She seems unusually outgoing, but there's no denying her abilities as a Servant. Wait... If all Servants are Heroic Spirits, I wonder who Caster was in real life.

Huh? My true name? I'm far too insignificant for you to bother with my true name, Master! Please, just call me Caster.

Big words from someone who almost blurted it out when we met.

That way, my identity won't be revealed to our enemies, who could then use it against us.

Although she raises a good point. As Heroic Spirits are defined by their legends, knowing their True Name will let you easily look up any abilities and weaknesses they may have. A Servant that kicks in your door and tanks everything you throw at him without a scratch is terrifying, but if you know his name is Achilles, you instantly know to go for the heel.



Her exposition delivered, Caster vanishes.

With that, my Servant disappears into the ether. However, I can feel their presence nearby. They must be staying out of sight when they're not needed so their identity can't be compromised. But how their identity would be guessed just by their appearance is beyond me.

Music: Stops
Sound: Door opening




Oh no, it's Sakura.



Oh wait, she's no longer glitching out.

You don't seem to have any injuries, so feel free to leave when you feel like it. Also, all of your memories have been restored by the SE.RA.PH so do not worry. Any magi that seek the Holy Grail have their memories suppressed and are given those of a student. Only Masters who managed to recover themselves are allowed to enter the main tournament. Now that you have regained your memories, please review them to make sure they're complete.

Sound: Heartbeats


That's not right. Outside of my name, I can't recall anything of my past. I realized that everyone around me was forced to believe they were normal students... However, I cannot remember a single thing that happened to me before then!

Her name, and all that legend trivia.

Sound: Stops


Shinji was an actual Master candidate, while Sakura confirms that she, and probably most of the staff here, are honest-to-god AI.

My complaints were totally ignored. It seems that she can't act beyond her programming.

Oh, I should give this to you before I forget.



She gives me some kind of portable terminal. I assume it's for getting messages and whatnot.

As a participant, you should pay attention to any messages that appear on your terminal.



A menu tutorial pops up, but I'll go over that myself.



Good luck in the tournament. It will test your limits.

(examining bed): Why is it that the beds in the nurse's office kind of make me think dirty thoughts?

Well, Hakuno may not remember her family, home, training, or even the reason she joined the War in the first place, but at least she remembered this.



The menu! Interestingly, the tutorial image has a different money count compared to what we actually have.



The Status menu lists, what else, our current status.



We can also flip over to see Caster's stats, which are extremely bad across the board. I'll go over stats once I can actually mess with them.

A Servant's capabilities are determined by the skill of their Master, which goes to show how behind we are.



Hitting Square brings up Caster's skill list, which is currently empty.

Noble Phantasms are a Servant's ultimate attack, but they're so tightly linked to their legend that using it gives away the user's True Name.

Naturally, we won't be seeing Caster's NP for a long, long time.



We can also see how many Command Seals we have left.

Which is kinda strange, as Command Seals are purely a plot element in this, we'll never have the option to blow all three on a whim to instantly Game Over.



Up next, the Matrix menu holds information on ourselves, as well as any Servants we face.

The format of it kinda spoils how many we'll be facing.



Caster's info is barebones right now, but it'll slowly fill in over the course of the game.



The other tabs hold more detailed information for what we have.




In an absolutely stunning translation fuckup, the info for Territory Creation lists Caster's True Name. As such, I'll be tweaking it until we learn it in-story.




The Equip menu lets us use Mystic Codes (originally called Formal Wear, the Perfect Patch tweaked the term to better match what the series uses today), which gives us Code Casts to use in the field. Right now, all we have is the default Girl's Uniform, which gives an extra 10 Master MP, but has no actual Cast to go with it.

Mystic Codes are types of gear a magus can use, and tend to act like shortcuts for a complex spell. Run some mana through a Mystic Code, and a pre-defined magecraft comes out. The fact that Hakuno can only use Code Casts from Mystic Codes shows just how inept we are at this. Combine that with Caster's non-existant stats, and calling us an underdog is a massive understatement.

Interestingly, the gear abilities are all written out like code. With the Girl's Uniform having boost_mp(10);



The Item menu lists all our stuff. The other tab holds our Mystic Codes.



And System is the original menu we had in the prologue. The Retry button is now available to us, if we end up in a state where we've physically cannot finish the week, we can use it to go back to the start of the week and try again.

Music: School IV


The entire school now has that blue mesh-like texture slapped on everything.

Meanwhile, the timer from the prologue has stuck around, now giving us a 6 day limit until something happens.



Also the sky is, uh, this.



Let me iiiiiiiiin.



Seeing as my memories were sealed away during the prelims, I'm surprised I made it this far.

Even though the prelims are over and everyone left knows who they are now, the game will still list the other Masters as students.



I went up to the rooftop to get a look at the sky. You should take a look; it's pretty wild.



Sometimes wishes really do come true. I'm so grateful to be here. *Sob*

~

Hey, you wanna team up together?

With YOU? First, how about you get on Shinji's level? Then we'll talk.

The guy's a jerk. It wouldn't be smart to partner with him. He'd stab you in the back, man.

~

If you want to hone in on victory, hone your body! Training does a body good, even a virtual one! You look like the kind of kid who enjoys a good sweat! You like to feeeeel the buuurn, don't ya?

~

Examining the school gate nets us:

The main gate is tightly sealed. It looks like the only way to get out of this place is to be the last one standing.



Oh, didn't you know? Leonardo is sitting pretty to be the next head of the Harway family. He must be some kind of prodigy to be chosen as heir at his age.



~

The door that lead to the tutorial dungeon is still there, examining it nets us:

The entrance is sealed tight.



The Commissary has also opened up.





The Commissary acts as our shop, selling both items and Mystic Codes.



For items, we have the Yakisoba Bread and Curry Bread, which restores 5 and 3 Master MP, respectively, as well as the much cheaper Ether Powder (50 HP heal) to go along with the Ether Shards we've found.

If you're foolish enough to play on Normal, spend everything on Ether Powders, they're more cost efficient compared to the Shards.



Right now, the only Mystic Code we can buy is this Durable Gym Uniform, which gives a much larger MP boost than the Girl's Uniform.

However, it also doesn't have a Code Cast attached, so it'll be equally useless until an actual Cast shows up.



Up to 3F.

You haven't seen Tsukumihara until you've seen our Rooftop!



~

So, okay, all the Student Council types are NPCs. They're dressed in boring old black. Figures. If you have a question, I'm sure they'll answer you, or die trying.

If you think back to Newshound's last day alive, one of the club members was starting to break through the brainwashing, while the Editor didn't have a care in the world. As they were both wearing brown, the Editor was probably an actual human and died when time ran out.

~

Hmph. You're a Master, too. Don't come near me, I have nothing to say to you.



The writers made sure to flip the descriptions on the bathrooms if you play as a girl.





This.

Fucker.

See, for whatever reason, the translators changed his lines.

The problem is that said new lines are either a complete non-sequitur without context, or spoils a late game plot point with context.

So I'm not even going to dignify him with a conversation. He can stand here, utterly silent, until he dies.



The lady who tried to blow up the school has made it through, naturally.



As well as the spooky ghost doll.



With no one else to talk to, time to finally check the rooftop.



Although it looks like Rin beat us up here.

Music: Duel of Fate


The girl pats the walls and floors murmuring something to herself. She's... We've never met, but she can't be anyone but Rin Tohsaka. She has a nice face and figure, gets good grades, and is popular at Tsukumihara Academy. From what I hear, she even makes Shinji jealous. However, she became popular while the school was at peace. Things are different now. That defiant gaze is nothing like the vacant smile of a popular kid. The Holy Grail War— Before I knew it, the school had been turned into a battlefield. Rin knows it, too. ...Yeah, I hadn't registered it before, but we're all predators now. It's kill or be killed. I have to acknowledge that as the truth, even if I don't want to.



Her eyes soften as she looks at me.

You thought becoming a girl and dodging the Leo BL route makes us safe?

Yeah, you. Hmm, I haven't checked the NPCs out much yet. Aha, I know a simple way. Don't you move.



You fools.

Imagine that. You're warm, though you shouldn't be. ...Huh? That's weird, seeing a red cheek flush like that...

You utter simpletons.



Things have become even gayer.

Her pat-down of my shoulders and stomach seems playful compared to the harsh gaze from earlier. Transfixed, I'm unable to move as her pale fingers slide over me.

Interesting. You're more well-built than I had expected. You look and feel real. Maybe more real than most people.



Rin takes a moment to talk to open air.

She looks behind her, scowling. Although invisible, her Servant must be there.



W-Wait. That means when I felt up—

She must be thinking about it now, because she's blushing. As am I.

Ugh, how embarrassing...



You know Rin's Servant will never let her forget this.

I'm pretty sure she was addressing an off-color comment coming from her Servant there.

It could have been my imagination. Or a hacker—such a detailed NPC would rarely exist otherwise.

Anyway, you're to blame for being confusing. You're too bland to be anything but an NPC. Nothing but a blank look on your face, even now. Were the prelims too boring to jog your memories?

...She touched on a subject that I would rather not think about, even in jest. It kind of grinds me to a halt.

Uh... No way. Your memories still haven't returned? That's...really not good. Once you enter the Holy Grail War, the only way out is to win. Leaving prematurely isn't allowed. Even without memories, or previous battle experience, you still have to fight.

...Oh well. It doesn't matter. You'll be defeated in the Holy Grail War soon enough.

As the concern disappears from her voice, I glimpse the real Tohsaka, my opponent in the Holy Grail War. It isn't personal. She considers everyone in the Holy Grail War her enemy.



Unlike my Servant, I have no witty response to my future rival. I have to win. Now that I know what's at stake, I have to win.

...Well, I guess I pity you. We're not cracking into the system and destroying it, we're hacking. I don't know what's on the other side of the SE.RA.PH's wall once it goes down.

Did your soul get jarred after you made it to the main event? If it's lost or unreadable, then how about you investigate later?

Well, in any case, you don't look like you're cut out for fighting. Thanks to excitement, or nerves, everything feels unreal. No matter if you have memories or not.

You can't help feeling like you're in a dream. It'll be hard to win feeling so disoriented.

So I've lost...my memories. Who am I? What's my story? What am I even doing in this Holy Grail War in the first place? All I know is that I'm a Master, with a Servant at my command.



Music: School IV


(middle): I logged in on a whim and somehow made it through the prelims. I must be a prodigy or something. My first opponent is Tohsaka, but I'm not too worried about it. I'll take her out in a flash.

Ahahahahahaha.

~

(far left): Hey, Kishinami! Remember me? We were in the same class in the preliminaries.



Sorry, uh...

Don't worry, it's not your fault. It's that these default avatars all look alike. I really want to try customizing my avatar like Tohsaka or Shinji.

This is the reason why everyone else has generic character models. Skilled people like Rin can change their looks to better match their actual form, while no-talent plebs like ourselves are stuck with whatever the system gives us.

Of course!

Don't worry, you don't have to pretend. We're both using the plain default avatars. People with custom avatars like Tohsaka and Shinji must have some seriously mad skills.

~

(blackboard): If the classrooms are bullpens for Masters, then everyone here must be a Master... Everyone looks so strong. I hope I can keep up.

~

(far right): Once your opponent has been decided, it's like the tournament has officially begun. What? You don't know who you're fighting? You'd better go find Father Kotomine.



He's definitely not human. Well, he's not humane, at least.

Some people don't get new dialogue when the time changes. If I skip over someone, we've already heard what they have to say.





Your Servant's pretty awesome, too. It's invisible, but I can tell.



(far right): Oh, interesting. This is an image database. I bet I can use it to find info about my enemy.

~

(left): Hm, I see... So that's it. Oops, excuse me. I just happened to be learning about my Servant. He's only a minor hero...

This guy is facing the sports section, so who the hell did he summon? Zinedine Zidane? Wayne Gretzky?



Oh... You have amnesia. This isn't your school. It's the staging area for the Holy Grail War. And we, the student council members, will be assisting Masters such as yourself along the way. So, don't hesitate to talk to us. May victory be yours.



Let's see here. Did you know you can open the terminal menu by pressing ▲? All the information you gather ends up there, so I recommend you review it on a regular basis.



~

We of the student council are responsible for ensuring the Holy Grail War runs smoothly. If you have any concerns, speak to someone in a black uniform. We will help as we are able.



Alice has gone off to Wonderland.



While Rin's still on the roof.



I said it already, but we're at war and you're my enemy. I have no desire to be your friend...

*Sigh* Seeing as you can't remember anything, I guess any info would be useful to you.



No matter how much she says otherwise, Rin is a softie at heart.

If it's only about the basics, I'll tell you what I can. That should be enough, right? Beyond the basics, you're on your own. Poke around the SE.RA.PH if you need more specific info.



The second skips to the next set of questions, and the third breaks from this entirely.

What is the SE.RA.PH anyway?

...That's right; you have no clue about anything. Let me start from scratch, then.



With that being said, it works on a level far removed from super computers and networked clusters. The recreation of a single Heroic Spirit is far beyond the capacity of most of the world's computers. But in this place, there are more than a hundred currently in existence. Imagine the power needed to just run the preliminaries, with all of the necessary NPCs, etceteras. Things here are so anomalous that it requires god-like hacking skills just to gain access. And to be able to digitize yourself and exist here requires that you be a Wizard-level Hacker. So, are you okay with what I've told you up until now? Ooookay, then... So, what do you want to know about first?



About the Holy Grail.

As the whole point of this place is to win the Holy Grail, it's probably a good place to start. Since I've never actually seen it in person, I can't fill you in on all of the details.

However, I can safely say that it does exist and its power to grant wishes is beyond doubt. Some western plutocrats have tried to seal it away. Others are here to obtain it for themselves. Even dismissing rumor, the power inherent in the Holy Grail is enough to change reality. And only the last Master standing will enter the center of the SE.RA.PH and claim the Holy Grail. That is why all Masters are enemies. Of course, this includes you and me.

About Wizards.

As the SE.RA.PH is a virtual world, I'm sure you're aware that none of us have any substance. Normal hackers enter systems using a program, but methods used by a Spiritron Hacker are far more advanced. A magus will digitize their soul and then insert themselves into virtual worlds such as this one. That lets them process data instantaneously, which would be impossible for normal hackers. Of course, you can't learn to become a magus. You have to be born with the required abilities. Born into it... —Yes, that sounds right. Wizards are ones who are born with the necessary "circuits." There is also what's called Third Magic, which allows weaker Wizards to digitize their souls.

So in this timeline, magi starting using their Magic Circuits to upload themselves into the mainframe instead of dicking around in meatspace.

It also explains why dying here kills you in real life; all the system has to do is hit your soul with an rm -rf and let your physical body waste away as an empty shell.

The Third Magic she mentioned is also a known thing, better known as the Heaven's Feel of Stay Night. Heaven's Feel lets the user materialize their soul, rather than needing a physical body to keep it stable. The fact that Heaven's Feel has become common enough for lesser Wizards to use it for Spiritron Hacking is rather interesting.

About Rin.

Why in the hell are you asking about me? I have no desire to even pretend to be your friend. Ah. You think I'll say something that'll give you an edge. Maybe you're not completely stupid.

However, it's a moot point as you won't get out of the first round. You're way too soft and weak.

Although I'm no better, seeing how much time I've wasted trying to help you. How depressing... *Sigh* I still owe you for molesting you. I'll help you with the basics, but that's it.

I've heard enough.

Is that all? ...If you say so, I have no problems stopping now. Well, that's everything, then. Don't bother me with anymore of your stupid, pointless questions! Remember that you and I are enemies. Even a temporary alliance between us would end badly. Instead of hanging out here, you should be using the time left to you more responsibly.

So, in summary:

- We're all inside the SE.RA.PH, a virtual world maintained by an impossibly powerful system that has some form of connection to the moon.

- We're at least a moderately skilled magi, good enough to digitize our soul and beam it off to the SE.RA.PH to join the Holy Grail War.

- This system somehow has a Holy Grail inside of it, which has enough power to impact the physical world.

- Only the last man standing gets the Grail, so any alliances will be forced to break down eventually.



Kotomine is hanging out on 1F, but I'm sure he can wait a bit longer.

Next time: A dungeon, a dungeon, holy shit an actual dungeon.