Part 118: Update CIV - Twelve Labors

Update CIV - Twelve Labors

This update covers Update LIV to LVI.



God, I'm just glad I'll never have to do this week ever again.







It's pretty thorough of them to conceal the Master's name along with the Servant's. Whoever did this, and you probably have an idea of who it is, must be someone who can hack the system.

And before you ask, 'hey does anything special happen on the other route, since you'll have Archer fighting Rin?' remember that the entire gimmick of this week is that Hakuno suddenly becomes too stupid to consider the 1 in 3 chance that she's fighting her friend.

There's exactly one line where Archer talks about fighting Rin which I'll show off when it becomes relevant, but past that everything is just as identical as it was for the other two Servants.



Music: School I


Talk to Rin.



Badge.



Arena.



Music: Fear


The enemy concealed their name, so who knows what to expect next? Let's avoid them and head into the Arena.



Scene one.



Scene two.



And scene three.





Archer's right. That feeling of being chased is totally gone. But why...? Are they trying to deceive us by obfuscating their presence...?

I highly doubt there's another Servant as skilled with obfuscation as the Assassin. No question, the enemy has left.

Whoever the enemy is and whatever they wanted, they're gone now. They must have their reasons, not that I understand. While I mull over the mystery, Archer notices something over by the door.



Focus on this door for now. There's traces of system alteration on it.

Right, the door without a switch. In other words, my opponent hacked into the Arena and modified it. Maybe the enemy returned because they had already blocked my access to the Trigger in advance?



We have to concede. Guess that means we ought to head back and cook up a plan.



Done.



Music: School III


I'd call whoever it is a coward, but they did do a pretty fine job of hacking the Arena... The lapel badge you picked up at the fountain and the barrier— You have much to investigate.









Music: Down to Dawn


Archer has a yellow chat today.



And I don't know which battle will be my last, either. This may be my last time to truly relax. If that's the case, now's the time to get an answer to a question that's been bugging me for a long time now.



I nod in confirmation of Archer's statement and then say to him exactly what's on my mind. I would like...no, I demand an answer to the following question...



Although this isn't his normal yellow chat, this is the follow up to the F!Hakuno/Rin Route yellow chat from two weeks back.



Ah, he was able to keep himself from falling out of his chair this time. Archer somehow managed to stay in his seat while mumbling something about "the floor being slippery." Wait, let me rephrase that. He was actually turning his back to me in the guise of straightening himself up.



"Settled" it? Hardly. Last time I was merely curious, but after what happened in the fifth round, what started out as suspicion has turned into a full-blown conviction. As your Master, I cannot allow you to keep hiding the truth about this from me.

...Well, let me ask you something first. What if I were to answer yes?

Right off of the bat, I'd have to think of a new name for Archer, that's for sure. Don Juan might work, or even Caligula. I mean, he obviously is a playboy of the highest caliber. Maybe Hugh...? I'd also like for him to start addressing me in a more respectful manner befitting my lofty station.



I am not involved with Rin Tohsaka in any way, nor have I ever made a contract with her in the past. To be honest, I have a connection of a kind with someone who looks a lot like her, but— But what that connection is, I can't exactly remember. Since our contract wasn't confirmed in the usual way, it seems that some of my memories are missing.

Technically correct, since he confirmed in Week 1 that he knows that the people here are different than the ones he knew back as Shirou Emiya.

Also lmao he's using the exact same amnesia excuse from F/SN.

Why did he have to bring that up again? Now I have no choice but to shut up, but still... Why do I feel like he's manipulating me? His protests always seem...overly polished, almost rehearsed. ...It's even worse when Archer isn't lying. His memories have definitely been clouded over. As a Servant, the memories of his life before he became a Heroic Spirit continue to fade away.

All I can offer is speculation. I don't remember Rin Tohsaka and she obviously doesn't recognize me. If there is a connection between us, it's at a primordial level so odious I don't want to think about it. In fact, she might be intimately involved in my rebirth as a Heroic Spirit.

It could be that she and I knew each other in the real world. That is, of course, if the person I was before becoming a Heroic Spirit actually existed on Earth.

Archer as he was before becoming a Heroic Spirit... I wonder if anything of the young man he was survived his transformation into a nameless Servant. Though if Archer the Heroic Spirit is nothing like what he was as a human, it'd explain why Rin doesn't acknowledge him as a friend or acquaintance.



So, that's all I have for you. I hope that answered your question. It's rare that reality is so chaotic.

You probably assumed we were lovers at one point, but our relationship goes far beyond the physical.



With a huge grin on his face and a dismissive shrug, Archer obviously considers this conversation over. ...His ability to be insulting is beyond compare. I wish I had an infinite number of Command Seals to teach him the meanings of obedience, humility, and respect!





Haha psyche, we get both of Archer's yellow chats today!



Although I knew this is how it'd be intellectually, it's still kind of unnerving how empty this place feels. It's a good thing that the NPCs generated for the SE.RA.PH are so advanced. There are limits to what they can do, of course, but their AI is very close to real human intelligence. As they say, a bird in hand and whatnot... As long as they're around, things shouldn't get too bad.

'Close to real human intelligence' sounds a bit insulting, considering Hakuno is one of those NPCs.

NPCs... The cadre of AI characters created by the Holy Grail for the purpose of supporting the war. I've been interacting with them as though they were real... I wonder if they're based on real people.

...Hm. Good question. It would be easier to modify existing data than to create models from scratch. If the Holy Grail is as brutally efficient as I think it is, it most likely based all of the NPCs here on the lives of humans who'd lived sometime in the past. But not all of the NPCs are equal. For example, the girl in the commissary is more advanced than the norm. Those tasked with assisting Masters are probably reincarnated for every Holy Grail War. That girl most likely served the same role in an earlier incarnation of the war. All of her previous memories and experiences were purged, but her basic personality remains the same. On the other end of the spectrum, the incidental NPCs such as students will have a new data set each time. The data used for them comes from a vast pool of data and includes women and men of all ages. They are mere sketches of life, the original exterior copied and written over time and time again.



As a rule, the Holy Grail uses more advanced AI routines for the essential NPCs that keep the war going. At the same time, minor NPCs' personalities are constantly cycled and changed. I assume it's to introduce variations and diversity in each occurrence of the Holy Grail War. And once we all exit the current war, they will be erased from the Moon Cell's records. It'd be pointless if patterns started forming. For those NPCs in the hallway, this war will be their last.

That's something even the NPCs mention sometimes, that they were created just for the Holy Grail War. For Masters, winning guarantees their survival. But for those NPCs, when the war ends, so do they. They are simply data stored within the Moon Cell so they'll eventually be assigned to a new form. Much like the building blocks of a body don't disappear when a person dies, they are simply re-purposed. I really shouldn't get so despondent over all of this... Even though the human's concept doesn't really apply to me, my reluctance to "kill" my opponents might be a reflection of what other Masters feel.

You disagree? I take you think the same NPCs should be used ad infinitum for efficiency's sake?

That's how those who wish for stasis think. For the Moon Cell, efficiency is no more than a means to an end. The Moon Cell's focus is to provide new challenges each time, so it erases the NPC data after each war. The main focus of the Moon Cell is to observe what happens over the course of Holy Grail War. My guess that in exchange for organizing the war for magi, it receives new insight and knowledge.

New challenges... The Moon Cell constantly invites new humans into it as there's no use for it to analyze old data. Also, any experiments performed solely by using the Moon Cell's old data would yield useless results. ...And on a cynical aside, it'd be a hell of a lot less entertaining.

NPCs whose AI routines were close to human intelligence for the duration of the Holy Grail War will have their virtual lives drop away like the leaves from a tree in fall once the war comes to an end.



The Holy Grail War is neutral in all respects. Good and evil come from the intentions of participating magi. And as advanced as the Moon Cell is, it's obviously not perfect. Or more accurately, its devotion to perfect chance allowed the ultimate anomaly to manifest.

Of course, I'm referring to you. Due its ability to perfectly recreate past existences, a will to survive emerged. Your very existence is far different from regular NPCs, or even dodgy ghosts from the past like me. Even as you stand there, you live now in the present by your own volition.

You've been needlessly stressing out as of late, although I can't fathom why you'd do that to yourself. No matter what your origins are, the fact you're still alive just proves you're on the winning team.

You might want to keep that in mind. Also, us Heroic Spirits are here to help those here in the present.



And anyway, our goal right now is to obtain the Holy Grail, correct? Granted it'll end just like the tale of the Monkey's Paw, but having it couldn't hurt too much, right?

Although the slightly mocking tone in Archer's voice was apparent, I know exactly what he means. The Holy Grail isn't the end of this. It's just a milestone amongst many as I head into the future— That's what I believe he really meant.

~

Until we figure out what they're going to do, all we can do for now is train and prepare for the worst. But I'm sure you realize that by now...I hope. Anyway, don't slack on your training.

And his generic line for the week.



Rin.



Leo.



Archer.



Arena.







This is way beyond anything I had expected. Let's gain some distance. It's impossible to fight back.



And then we run.

So, is our opponent calculating or just cowardly? Any way you look, it seems like they're avoiding a fight.

It's unsettling to not know what the opponent is up to, but it seems there is no longer any danger. They hunt us down twice, and pull back at the last second. It does feel like they're avoiding conflict. —Are they being hesitant? If so, why? And if not, what's the real reason?

Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor


Now that the annoyances are out of the way, we're at liberty to hack into that door. We've got the right tool for the job in hand—that Harway lapel badge we got a little while ago.









Level.



It's dangerous not to know the identity of our opponent, but at least we've got a Trigger.

Trigger.



It was at this point that I realized that I haven't used 7 Rings of Heaven yet.



So I take care of it real quick.



Now, when that description says it 'nullifies' an attack...



It is entirely serious. Unlike add_invalid, which will still give secondary effects a chance to land, 7 Rings cancels the enemy's attack entirely.

It has the steepest cost of all the defensive skills, yes, but it earns that cost.



Done.



Music: School III




Music: Down to Dawn


To see something that it can't fix... You're lucky this attack missed you. If this attack had struck you as it was supposed to, it would have been fatal.







When a woman cooks for you, the process isn't complete until you eat what she has made. Did you even notice the cuts on her hands?! She obviously went through a lot of trouble for you. You're the only one who can make things right. You know what you have to do, so do it. Now.





Talk to Rin.



Spend SP.



Have you gotten everything you think we'll need? If so, let's begin our training.



In.





Level.



Out.





If that girl's Mystic Code will help us out, then we've got to go with it. A word of caution, Master. This will be an exercise in futility if you can't handle the Mystic Code. Don't shirk on your daily training in the Arena, either.

As you might expect from Extra, Archer will have no comment on how the Mystic Code Rin/Rani will give us is the same one he's wearing this very second.



Next time: Believe it or not, you've actually seen this before.