Part 9: Update IX - Battle start

Update IX - Battle start



Music: School IV
Sound: Phone ringing




When I remove it, I see some words displayed on the screen.



In a funny bit of engrish, the terminal itself says 'You got a mail'. Maybe even 'You get a mail'. Bit hard to tell with PSP-quality assets.

Combatant announcement? That must mean who I'm going to battle one-on-one with. I don't fully understand, but I ought to go to the second floor bulletin board to find out.



Mark my words: If she sees me as cannon fodder, she'll be absolutely insufferable...

Bro, you don't even have a portrait, you might as well write your will now.

Music: Duel of Fate


The first name is my own. The other name is—



Really, who else could our starter opponent be?

So... you're my first opponent? I'm surprised you even managed to qualify.

At some point during my initial shock, Shinji came up beside me.



The List does make me unbeatable, that is true.

We're at different levels even though we're friends. But still, I should congratulate you.

Bit of context here, we're 'friends' from the prelim brainwashing thing, Shinji does not know who Hakuno is in real life.

—Hey, didn't you just barely squeak through the prelims? I guess you're a charity case. I guess being mediocre has its advantages. You get all of these handicaps and whatnot.

Keep in mind that this tournament is all about true strength, so don't get too overconfident.

And the guys who're running this are geniuses. Just look how intense the first round is. Come on, I mean forcing people to give up friendships in order to win? That's pretty insane. Oh what a cruel mistress fate can be, right? Even me, the strongest Master here, is pained by this...

After that little outburst, Shinji puts on a plastic smile and pats me on the shoulder.

Well, let's keep things clean, okay? It should be a good fight. After all, you're a Master, too.





...I have to fight Shinji and his Servant. No matter how many times I repeat myself, the meaning of the words fail to register in my brain. Do I have to kill a friend, a fellow human being, when I don't have any clue as to why? This whole situation has fast become a nightmare. If Shinji is making light of the situation, why do I feel like I'm trapped in Hell...



Music: School IV
Sound: Phone ringing




Primary cipher key...? —What is that supposed to be? I guess it's supposed to be a key of some kind... It'd be a good idea to ask that priest from before, Kotomine, about messages received via my terminal. He did say that all participants have the right to ask about any of the basic rules of the tournament.



(left): Hear about the challenges yet? Man, I thought all we had to do was fight Elimination Battles.

~

(blackboard): If you fail the challenge or fail to get both Triggers, you can't enter the battlefield. I wonder what happens if you're locked out of the battlefield. Do you lose by default?

Probably, yeah. I can see Extra just throwing you a Dead End if you decide to dick around.

~

(right): So you've finally been assigned an opponent. You're going up against Matou...? I see... He's really strong. There's a reason why he's such a famous hacker. Well, good luck with him.

Unfortunately for us, this Shinji is more compentant than his Stay Night counterpart.

However, he's still Shinji.





Kotomine is waiting by the 2F stairs, instantly starting this cutscene when we approach.

Earlier, the computer registered that your Primary Trigger has been generated, did it not? Two Triggers must be retrieved by the end of each week, if you mean to participate in the tournament.



Triggers?

A Trigger, or cipher key, is a key to the Coliseum—and a way to cull weak Masters. All Masters are required to obtain them during the course of the preparation period. Fail to obtain the Triggers in the allotted time, and it will be...game over...as it were. Don't look so worried. It's a simple task to prove you're ready for the Elimination Battle.

This is to stop you from just hopping in and out of the Arena six times to speedrun the game. You have to hit up the Arena for the Triggers no matter what.

Two?

The Arena itself will be divided into two floors. And one Trigger, or cipher key, is generated per floor. So obviously, that results in two per match-up. It's the job of the Master to go and retrieve these cipher keys. For convenience, everyone refers to them as Primary Trigger and Secondary Trigger. You will be notified through your portable computer terminal when a Trigger generates.

I know.

Combat between Masters is prohibited in the Arena and on campus at all times. If for some reason a fight occurs, the system will shut it down within three turns. As a penalty, the status of any Master caught fighting on campus will be downgraded.

In other words, while we'll get into the occasional skirmish against our opponent in the Arena, we'll never have to worry about Extra's combat while in school.



How about you hurry up and head to the Arena?



It's like they want you to prove that when they say "jump," you say "how high?"

~

So, fighting on school grounds is a no-no, right? But what happens if you run into your opponent in the Arena?



What's all this business about Triggers anyway? Collecting them is way too hard. And for what? Is something amazing going to happen once I collect them?

~

Have you been to the Arena yet? Press ■ to view the Terminal Menu inside the Arena. You should be able to code cast and use items in the Arena, too.



You can check the terminal menu to see how many cipher keys you've obtained, if you don't remember.



Once preparations have been completed, you will receive a notification via your terminal.



At the very least, you should grab a return crystal. I know having one saved my butt. The commissary is located just down those stairs there.

~

Hakuno, going to get the Trigger? Well, it sucks to be you. I'm going in right now, too. A total cretin like you won't be able to find it, but good luck anyway! Hahaha!

Gah! That dirty, calculating...! How dare he insult my beloved Master so! Master, hurry up and go after him! I'll pound that little guppy into chum!



Ah, my delectable little Servant, I'm going to do my best! My absolute best!

Who the hell did she summon to get this reaction???

~

I got some free stuff from Sakura at the nurse's office. I wish she'd given me a little more...



It was at this point I noticed the flashing New Info prompt below the timer.



Shinji got added to the Matrix page, but we don't know a single thing about his Servant.



Healing supplies can be provided once a round to every Master. Please don't forget to come by when you have a spare moment!



Gee, thanks for the 50 HP, Sakura. You just saved me 100 bucks.

~

I'm so sorry, healing supplies can only be handed out once per round to each Master. Please come back next week.



I can only imagine the romantic impulses of those in the past who assigned meanings to flowers.



aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa







(bottom): Speaking of Masters, it looks like the scion of the Harway family is competing, too. I can't believe that the Harways actually entrusted their fortunes to a mere child. How pathetic.

~

(middle): I tried to help my honey with one of her tasks, but... It seems like the Arena is set up so only you and your opponent can be inside at one time.

~

(middle): I thought that I could have my darling go into the Arena with me, but...

~

(top): Has anyone explained to you how to utilize the Information Matrix yet? It cannot be stressed enough that obtaining information on your opponents is the key to victory. Any information you uncover will automatically be entered into your Information Matrix. Be sure you check your Matrix every now and then. Here, ignorance can be fatal.



Some kinds give the wearer the ability to use Code Cast. It's a...kind of thaumaturgy. There are a number of different Code Cast spells. Be sure to see which ones you have access to.

~

You can't hope to fight on an empty stomach. Hopefully there's something new on the menu.



This is your basic escape item. Your Warp Wire, your Goho-M. I buy one as a precaution, but keep in mind that using it still advances the day, which adds a cost to using it to bug out.



And since I have the healing fountains to keep me patched up, I burn the rest of my money on this.



Behold, the most useless setup! I get a whopping +60 Master MP, which is more than double my base MP, but I have absolutely nothing to spend it on.



I'll check in on Caster, then head to the Arena.



Or not. Room conversations can go a few days without getting anything new. In that case, you just get the last line or two from the last chat you had.



Now for today's scheduled dungeon crawl.

Music: First Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor


Although Shinji decided to make an appearance this time. We also get our first look at his Servant.



But this might be a golden opportunity to get some info on them. Let's track them down before they leave, Master. And Master, lots of stuff happens here and if you miss out, any info you might've gotten will be lost for good. Also, you can only enter the Arena once a day. Make sure you thoroughly explore it before leaving for the day.

There are some limits on what you can do in the Arena before time passes, so there might be some days where you can safely turn around and leave without missing anything if you work fast enough.

Music: Fear




Shinji kicked out the bee that blocked the path last time.

Also, take a look at Caster's HP! With the power of The List and some enemy info, all I took was some chip damage from guarding attacks on the way here.



You never know how these meetings will turn out, but this might be a great chance to see what they're up to.



Hahaha, what's with that look? Your skills are pathetic compared to mine, so don't be so harsh on yourself! And speaking of you losing, let me introduce my Servant. I'm going to win; it's not like it matters to me.

If you can't even get your cipher keys, you might as well accept your game over right here and now! Seriously, feel free to turn her into a bullet-ridden corpse whenever you feel like it!



As you can see, when it comes to talking to others, my Master is a total social retard, right? Seeing him actually having a conversation with you, I thought we could settle this peacefully.

I like Shinji's Servant already.



Eat shit, Shinji.

Look at the tough guy! I have to admit I admire the fact that you're evil enough to give a friend a beat down. The darkness of your grubby little soul is impressive, Shinji. Oh yes, I expect a generous reward later!

Music: Duel - Unauthorized Battle




Holy shit her HP count.

Suffice to say, between Caster's anemic damage, that HP, no combat preview, and the three turn limit before the system breaks us up, actually beating her is impossible.



The List is useless here, so all I can do is throw stuff at the wall and pray it works.



At the very least, the game shows some pity and cuts the Servant's attack power to make it easier to survive.

You can still die if you somehow lose every clash in a row for the entire fight, but even an Ether Powder could keep you standing.



Turn two went a bit worse, but we're still doing good going into turn 3.



Although I pop an item for safety.



Shinji's Servant gets an Extra attack right at the end, which holds a clue thanks to the Perfect Patch! Looks like our mystery woman is a sailor of some sort.

Music: Fear


But that was turn 3, so the system comes to our rescue.

You know, I like seeing you grovel in the dirt like trash. Beg hard enough and I might make you my underling. Who knows...I might even share some of the prize money with you. Hahahahaha!

...he doesn't get it, does he?



He thinks this is a game.

Although that's somewhat understandable, if he got the same speech from Kotomine where he explicity says 'game over.' I can see him doing that just to fuck with people who aren't entirely convinced.



Oh yeah... Considering his Servant uses a gun, she might be an Archer, but don't quote me on that...

That and the Davy Jones quip shows how easy it is to give your opponent information. This one three round fight narrows the choice down to just a few classes. She can't be a Saber, as she didn't have any kind of sword (unless she's hiding it intentionally). She can't be a Lancer, as sailors aren't really known for them. She can't be a Caster, as guns are too modern. And she can't be a Berserker, because she's perfectly sane. The only classes she can be are Archer, Rider, or Assassin, and Assassin is a slim chance.




Information you obtain about your opponent will give you a definite edge in the Elimination Battles!

Getting more levels in the Information Matrix will reveal more moves while in combat, giving you a major incentive to hunt down info lest you walk into the final battle only seeing one or two moves a turn.


Whenever a Matrix Icon is illuminated, be sure to check the Information Matrix for new data on your foe!

And Saber makes a brief cameo appearance for this playthrough.



The key to surviving the Holy Grail War is to gather as much info as you can! And to follow my nose, of course!

Week 1 is incredibly hamfisted about what you need to do. The importance of scouring the school and the Arena will get beaten into your head for pretty much the entire week, but that'll die down once we hit Week 2.



*Kyah* More praise, please! Or you could just rub my ears! ...Oh yeah, this war is also a race against time. We might not see that little punk again tomorrow. Some info is only available on certain days, so you should try to search the Arena every day.

Music: First Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor


Shinji's updated Matrix shows his Servant's appearance and possible class, but nothing else so far.



With them gone, the rest of the floor is open.



To the left of the split is a red Item Folder.



Which is guarded by this flat fellow called an Inspire.



If you've seen one bit of Extra combat, you've seen them all, so assume every enemy you see dies to basic pattern recognition unless I want to point out something interesting.



The Folder holds Taiga's missing sword. Red Item Folders hold key items and Mystic Codes.



You have something you want to mention, Caster?



The bee has moved down the path, and is now guarding this green cube.

Music: Battle - First Chimeric Lunar Sea


The bee, known as a Crix (which, according to Google, is a type of cracker), has 242 HP, only slightly less than Caster herself!



The Crix has a unique gimmick where Attacks and Guards do low damage, but Breaks hurt. With that much health, backed by the damage on a Break, you're clearly not supposed to fight it quite yet.

The problem is that Extra has no Run command. If you pick a fight with this bee because Caster didn't warn you like last time, your only options are to either win or die, and dying will force you to redo the Arena.



But a few heals and The List let me win without much trouble.

Music: First Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor






It holds our Trigger! Green Folders hold the Trigger for that floor.


Check the Terminal Menu to see if you've obtained the required Triggers.

So this is a Trigger. Kotomine said that there are two per round, so do not forget to obtain the second one.



There's an exit portal just up ahead, but we still have that other path to explore.



North of where Shinji was is another healing fountain.



At the end of the path is that red Folder we saw yesterday, guarded by another Inspire.



It doesn't survive for long.



The Folder holds our first bit of actual gear!

Wow, Master! You actually found a Mystic Code?! Lucky us! Most Mystic Codes are infused with powerful special abilities referred to as Code Casts. To use those abilities, press ■. Of course you'll have to equip it first to see what skills are there.


For example, equipping the Phoenix Scarf will allow you to use the recovery Code Cast, "heal". You can access the heal Code Cast when exploring the Arena and while in battle by pressing ■.



Our shiny new Phoenix Scarf completely obsoletes the Girl's Uniform we started with.



heal(16); has a hefty cost right now, burning close to a third of Hakuno's MP with every cast, but each one is a full heal. And with Caster's lacklustre HP pool, it'll stay a full heal for much longer than with another Servant.



A fight on the way out nets us another level.



And with that, the floor has been picked clean.



Music: School III


Because we're almost always famous, most people can recognize Heroic Spirits by their true name.

That's the kind of information we need to gather tomorrow, Master! Then we can form a battle plan!



With the first floor finished, all we can do now is wait for the second floor to open up.

Next time: Eavesdropping, time-wasting, and the sun.