Part 12: Update XII - Boundary field search

Update XII - Boundary field search

Music: First Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor


Today, we'll be finishing up the second floor of the Arena.



So we'll be going down the other side of the fork.



The locked gate the switch in the ship unlocked is right here, so we would have been forced to fight Shinji in order to progress.



Crix are here as normal encounters.



But this time a fight against one goes much, much smoother.



There's also this strange dead end. You can't even fall for it, really, you can see the damn thing through the wall!



Up ahead is a red Folder.



Which holds the tangerine Taiga wanted.



Just past that is another red Folder.



Which holds yet another Mystic Code!



It reminds me to show off the Saint's Monocle we got last time.

Unlike heal(16);, which can be used both in and out of combat, view_status(); can only be used on the field. What does it do?



It shows you what level an enemy is.

That's it.

You know what else indicates what level an enemy is?

How much bloody HP they have.

The Monocle is an utterly useless Code, which means I can bin it right away.



The Exorcist Blade gives even less MP, dropping Hakuno down to just two casts of heal(16);, but it has a much more useful Code Cast. hack(16); gives Hakuno some offensive utility, letting her stun an enemy out of a Skill to give Caster some breathing room. This also explains why you had to fight Shinji before coming down this path, as it would have let you stun Drake out of Culverin Cannons.



Although, while it says it deals damage...



It isn't doing much. Hakuno will never be an offensive powerhouse.



Got another level off that Cluster Horn, at least.



And right next to that Horn...



Is our second Trigger!



If we want to insure we find the Triggers in the future, we had better thoroughly scour the Arena.



We're now set for the week. All that's left is to finish exploring this floor, then get another level and we'll be ready for Shinji.



The exit portal is right next to the trigger, but we're not done yet.



If you'll recall, I passed by an obvious hidden passageway last time.

On an unrelated note, the level design makes good use of elevation. At the entrance, you're high up and distant from everything. As you go through, you go increasingly further down until you're in the middle of all this debris.



The passage is a good ways before the capsized ship.



It consists of a bunch of ramps.



The one good thing about view_status(); is that it has an absurd duration.



Holy shit there are a lot of ramps.



It looks like the path ends at another ship.



All this walking, and all we get is a single item.



And this close up of the angler fish.



I got about as much money just fighting my way down here!



A better look at the ship before we go.



Here I thought I was free from endless ramps after Command Mission, but it looks like some things will never change.

And yes, I could just pop a Return Crystal, but I'm a stingy bastard.



The return trip was so long enemies started respawning.



But it gets us one more level on the way out.



Done.



Music: School III


If we can find more information in the future, we'll have more to act on. Scour the school, Master♥!



There might be some story events before the Elimination Battle, but we can officially coast through until the final day.



Music: School IV


Phew, I finally got my Triggers! How about you, Hakuno? ...Oh, I see. You and Shinji are pitted against each other. That's kinda rough.

~

I think Matou's up to something. I just saw him skulking around his desk. He stands out so badly that no matter how furtive he tries to be his actions are easy to see.

~

Just now I heard Shinji cackling to himself, saying something like "I've got it..."



I've trained for this. I won't lose.

~

There goes Shinji running around again. You'd almost think he was working hard...

~

Shinji is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I get it, tomorrow's a big day.

Music: Down to Dawn


Today's chat is unmarked, but Caster has something special to say.

See, each Servant has unique tasks for you to accomplish, and fulfilling one will have them remark on it. This one here requires winning ten matches without losing a single clash, which isn't hard thanks to the power of The List. The harder tasks can even give you rewards like an exclusive Mystic Code, or even skill upgrades!

Granted, the game never tells you what these tasks are, and they're all different per Servant, so you can very easily screw yourself out of one entirely based on how you play. Extra's gonna Extra, no matter what goes on.



Caster, stop being meta.

The core idea of both Go and mahjong is that one sees the whole of the world from a unique perspective. Trying to anticipate your opponent's move is akin to meditation and the fusing the spiritual and the physical. In order to know yourself, you must first know others—

Hahahaha, I'm just messing with you. Like I really believe in any of that mystical nonsense. The bottom line is that I think you're beyond awesome for having so many perfect fights! So, keep up your streak of perfection! I, for one, think it's amazing that you avoid taking any damage!



He and Shinji are both princes of their domain, or think they are...

~

You and I may fight at some point. It's stupid for us to talk.



Namely, the Primary Trigger is on the first floor, and the Secondary Trigger is on the second floor. So, the first cipher key is on the first floor, etc.

~

I've made gathering my Triggers my top priority, since you can't even enter the Coliseum without them.



The book at the library has changed.

A 16th century English galleon. Originally named -Pelican-, the ship's name was changed to reflect the crest of its chief benefactor. Many accounts place it at the location of a number of raids against Spanish shipping interests.

Although it conveniently leaves out any names.



The prep period ends tomorrow. So, good luck! May the Holy Grail continue to illuminate your path.



If SE.RA.PH finds out what he did, the penalty he'd receive would be...severe.

~

Uh... I was doing research on my honey's opponent when I realized I knew nothing about my own... Fortunately my Servant is pretty powerful, so I'll be all right for now, but later on...

~

Thanks to my wonderful darling, I got a bunch of information on my opponent! I didn't do anything, but he somehow found out the true name of my opponent's Servant... I know you're jealous. Who knows, someday you'll find someone as wonderful as my darling!



~

I wonder what Shinji was doing by the nurse's office? He seemed kind of panicky...



Music: School III


I spend my new points, and Caster gets a new skill and an increased rank in Strength. Ranks mean nothing, mind, it just shows how much I sunk into the stat.







Curse: Frigid Heaven is Fiery Heaven with a different coat of paint. Same damage, same cost, but it stuns on Attack instead of Break, so we can now shut down 2/3 of the attack triangle.

Music: School IV


I highly advise that you keep some around just in case things go south on you.

~

Oh, do you have any Mystic Codes? You can buy some here, but try searching the Arena first.



Alright, time to pop in and out of the Arena.



...or not?

The moment I tried to enter the Arena, it felt like I ran into a wall and I was flung backwards. It seems someone put up a barrier.



Thanks for the timely warning, Caster.

I can only think of one person degenerate enough to do something so cheap...



I was bored, so I decided to set up a few little surprises here and there. My bad. I'm actually doing bottom feeding Masters like Hakuno a favor. The Arena is a dangerous place. But if you must enter the Arena, you'll need to track down the two magic sigils I set. However, once you make it into the Arena, I'll crush you like a cockroach. Show up if you dare. See you later. Oh, and where are the magic sigils, you ask? Find them yourself, loser!

I mean, I honestly don't need the Arena at this point. I've hit the required level, I got both Triggers, and I picked up that tangerine for Taiga. The only reason I need to go in is because I can't progress time otherwise.





I'll apologize for killing someone outside of the Arena later! Once we find those sigils, the barrier should disappear. I guess he's just stalling for time. We need to find the two locations he said he set the sigils! It shouldn't be too hard...I hope.



Gee, where could the two sigils be...



They couldn't possibly be at the two places people saw Shinji at today.



...He just... slapped it on the door.

He didn't even try to hide it.





One of the sigils used to make the barrier has been deleted.

Master, I found one! Wow, this magic sigil's a joke. I could erase it with a flick of my tail! Oh, Master—! Have you ever given any thought to pressing ■ at all? Pressing it will bring up a list of places you can travel to without any effort on your part!



Fast travel is now unlocked, but the school is honestly rather tiny as is. Hell, it doesn't even give an option to warp outside or to the rooftop!



The second sigil is on Shinji's desk.





One of the sigils used to make the barrier has been deleted.

All right, we finally got rid of those pesky magic sigils! Master, you really are the greatest! Wait a sec. That little punk's human, but he still pulled off that trap in the SE.RA.PH? How...

Even Caster, who has no knowledge of Shinji's Stay Night version, is baffled at his competence.



Now can I head into the Arena!



But all that means is they didn't collect much treasure.



Shinji heads in himself.



So I go after him.



Yet despite all that trouble just to get in, clearly showing him entering, and his threat to crush us once we entered the Arena, Shinji's nowhere to be found!



So I grind out one more level and call it a day.





Music: School III


...He won't be the only Master to set up obstacles like that outside the Arena.

But, as long as you're with me, Master, I'll knock down all the obstacles in your way!

Ah, the prep period ends tomorrow. If you don't have your cipher keys, remember to get them tomorrow.

The funny thing is, Caster's warning is a day late. If you don't have at least one Trigger by now, you physically can't get both by the Elimination Battle.



Next time: A race, some extra space, and booty.