Part 22: Update XXI - End of a hero - VS Archer
Update XXI - End of a hero
Music: None
I turn toward the voice coming from behind me. He wears the clothes of a priest, which in the end only makes his snide tongue more jarring. 
Come to the first floor when ready. You can do something trifling like stop by the commissary if needed. Apparently finished, he opens the door and lets himself out. In preparation for the Elimination Battle, I should go to the Chapel and the commissary. Or, I could go to my personal room and sort out my information on the enemy Servant. And then, once that's in order, I'll go to where Kotomine is. 
The school is empty, once again.
Music: Down to Dawn
And that means Hakuno will finally be able to put the clues together.
Dan Blackmore. Our opponent this time is a veteran soldier. Since I could never hope to make up decades of experience in a week, he's clearly got the advantage. I'm the inferior Master, but when it comes to Servants... His Servant's class is... 
It has to be Archer. That day in the Arena, the Servant fired a poison arrow at me. That kind of precise marksmanship was enough to tell me the enemy's class is Archer. It's also clear that said shot severed some kind of bond between Master and Servant. Dan forbid his Servant to use his bow to fire poison arrows. That bow is his Noble Phantasm, called... The name of the Noble Phantasm that Dan forbid his Servant from using was...
Fragrant Bow. ...No, that's not right. I mean, that sounds like something they'd have at a spa. Think, think... This is the first time a wrong answer has a humorous response.
It also has the wrong text color for the question. Remember, blue is always used for names.
Yew Bow. The name of the Servant's unerring bow is the Yew Bow. After Archer wielded it in the prep period, Dan utilized a Command Seal to disable its further use. Telling him to fight fairly. Fighting face-to-face, with honor and pride. Seeing as how Archer fought so differently in life, of course he doesn't get his Master's values. The girl who helped me deduce that was the sky-gazing beauty from the third floor, Rani. With the remains of the Archer's arrow, she showed me the forest he held dear. The name of that forest was—
Sherwood Forest
Even with his true name, and taking into account the discord between Master and Servant, can I win? Our Servants are pretty evenly matched, so if I can step up my game as a Master... Music: None
We got a lot of info during the week, so the only new thing is his true name.
Character Background posted:
While the origins of the legends of the chivalrous thief who dwelt in the Sherwood Forest are a subject of constant and spirited debate, it is generally acknowledged that there was an actual person who held the name Robin Hood and that he died at the hands of his aunt, the prioress of Kirklees, who is believed to have bled him to death in the guise of administering aid for his wounds. However, many of the exploits attributed to him are a curious amalgamation of Celtic, Greek, and Druid mythologies.
One of the most persistent of the Robin Hood legends identifies him originally as a faceless hero who was born from the prayers of residents of the British Isles. Weary of the seemingly endless incursions and invasions of their country, they asked the heavens for someone to fight off the foreign invaders. A concurrent legend pegs Robin Hood as a representation of the "Green Man", a spirit of the woods who would carry out the actions and deeds that the common layperson could not. It was this belief that transformed the name into a title assumed by a number of nameless, faceless heroes who took up the mantle of protecting the people.
Those who assume the identity of Robin Hood tend to be very conflicted young men. Incredibly virtuous and honorable, yet always working out of the shadows like an assassin or thief, there seems to be a slight tinge of cowardice to their makeup. To cover the self-loathing that also seems to be part of every Robin Hood's personality, they all uniformly adopt a somewhat combative and derisive attitude. And though every person to adopt the Robin Hood persona truly values life above all else, they have little appreciation for their own.
Like the original Robin Hood, he is under the protection of the fairies and is well-versed in the archaic lore of the Druids. And like all "defenders of the forest" his knowledge of naturally occurring medicines and poisons is second to none.
And this is the Nasuverse justification for all the possible origins of the Robin Hood name over the centuries: all of them were Robin Hood, Dan just summoned a particularly notable one.
I cash in my last bit of SP for the week, netting Caster that last Curse skill and C rank Strength.
Curse: Chaos Heaven is the same as Fiery and Frigid, stunning against Guard, giving Caster the ability to shut down any enemy action with ease. It also has an inherent guard breaking property,
Future Bisby here, turns out that Chaos Heaven has both lower base damage and a chance to whiff the stun, making it worse for brute forcing compared to the other two Curses.
Alright, time to get to work.
Video: Week 2 Elimination Battle
Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate.
Enter the Coliseum The way to the Coliseum is now open, young Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed.
Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation
It must be too much effort for the grizzled old thing to talk! But I'm bored. Hey Servant, say something.
Huh? What's the point of talking to someone who's about to jump into their grave?
The guy doesn't even fart without a purpose. I've given up trying to make small talk with him. Hey, enemy Master. Why don't YOU try talking to Grumplestiltskin over here?
Ask him why he fights.
A soldier does not need—no, cannot have—a reason to fight. That is how things were when I was a soldier. ...Though my life has changed much since that time, I've never needed a "why." ~
Meet his gaze. Young one, if there is something troubling you, speak your mind. The gap in our ages is too great for deep thoughts to cross, but you may try.~
Um... Got any hobbies...? ...Hmm. Never has anyone, much less an opponent, asked me that question on a battlefield. Hobbies... Let's see... My wife is fond of gardening. I had a small, beautiful garden. There is your answer.~~
He's got nothing on my Master! The old guy is...well, he's decent, but his Servant is plain rotten! He's just a mean-spirited little underling who totally does not deserve to look so hot! You call yourself a Heroic Spirit? Why don't you switch positions with your Master?! I wish! My Master's so straitlaced that an atypical Heroic Spirit like me gets tied up in knots. I'll let you in on a little secret— not all of us Heroic Spirits were noble in life. That would be boring. Oh, and on that note, careful you don't get nailed from behind AGAIN. You know, only wretched people think the people around them are wretched. And really, from behind...? That's the position pathetic cowards and hopeless weaklings attack from. Lucky for you my kindhearted Master would never exploit your weak spots with my subterfuge skills! ...Oops, it's a secret that I'm actually better at sneaky stuff.
How far is too far? No foul play? No dirty tricks?
No, I don't.
~
It depends. That's the spirit. A clever person can turn anything into a weapon. This is gonna be a good fight!~~
Don't get carried away, Archer. You call that getting carried away, Master? ...Hmph. You're plundering our enemies for entertainment right before the battle. ...Yes, that is excessive. Ding! Correct! If you don't like it, then go put on a helmet to match that armor and drown out the sound. But, I WANT to talk to our enemies. Why don't you listen in? Learn what kids these days are into. Cuz if you got any more ancient, they'd have to put you in a museum.
Haha! You have no idea how to have fun! With all this killing, killing, killing, a guy's gotta unwind. A bowstring that's wound too tight snaps. Isn't that right?
I don't know.
~
I have nothing against having fun. Right? Life's hella hard, and then you die. If you don't enjoy yourself then you'll just die miserable.~~
...Will you never gain the proper attitude to fight? Lighten up, Master! Things would be so much easier for us if you just accepted life has funny parts. I'd go Wh-tsh! on that undefended back of yours. That's how an archer should fight. I have to be nimble on my feet—chivalry and ideology are all stiff and would just slow me down.
Argh, that's my Master for you. He can't keep his chivalry in his pants even with a kid like you around.
Down we go.
Five more trips down this elevator, five more lives to sacrifice to the Holy Grail, and we'll finally be free.
Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed
Today's battlefield is the big circular area we saw in the Arena.
You said it, Master! So run back to your hole, fox monster.
It's already been decided that my gorgeous Master will win the war. And I'll be the heroine! You, the heroine? What kind of lame story is that? Daydream all you want, but in the real world, the strongest wins.
...Let's begin!
Ha! Unfortunately, I'm only human. I'd rather be paid in gold coins. Don't get careless. The enemy appears to be skilled with poison as well, Archer.The main thing to note about Robin's combat style is that he likes to open up with a Guard. Not always, mind you, but this means that our new Curse will be very handy here.
Don't get cocky. Keep your finger on the trigger until the very end.
Even without looking at The List, I feel confident that he'll get stunned out of that skill.
Lovely.
Dan steps in next round.
But we've already seen this.
That's two skills Robin's been stunned out of.
We're already about halfway there!
You're looking worse for the wear, Archer.
Although Robin gives as good as he gets.
That's with me focusing on Strength and Defense, mind you. If I went all in on Magic, he'd be dealing more to me and taking less, on top of his massive health pool.
The unreliable stun chance on Chaos Heaven bites me for the first time.
Fortunately, his Poisoned Arrow fails to poison me in return.
Unfortunately, getting poisoned is his NP requirement.
So we'll take a quick jump into the Non-Canon Zone to let him show off.
The moment the poison sticks, his NP icon lights up.
And the poison itself takes a good sized bite out of me as well.
It's time. Shoot them down with your magic shot.
You might have noticed that Yew Bow didn't actually deal damage. Instead, Robin now has a shiny tree icon on his side of the screen.
The blue text on top of the main name is part of the Perfect Patch, by the way. In the original release you would only see Holy Bow of Supplication.
That's because Yew Bow instead applies an effect that boosts poison by around 100 damage.
You might have also noticed that Robin's NP icon is still lit.
Unlike Drake, who could only use her NP once, Robin can spam his as long as you stay poisoned.
And he'll happily use it every turn.
With every use, the poison damage gets higher and higher. It still can't actually kill you, same as his poison in the field, but at 1 HP even the chip damage from Guarding will be lethal.
The poisoning will continue until morale improves.
The catch is that there's an easy way to deal with it.
Just cure the poison. It really is that simple.
If you cure it, Yew Bow doesn't give Robin the symbol, as there's no poison to boost.
Calm yourself, Archer. The fight is just beginning.He'll then go back to his normal patterns, but he'll instantly get back to spamming Yew Bow if Poisoned Arrow procs again.
He also has a buff skill called Faceless King, but I couldn't get him to use it once over half an hour of savestates and resets.
Which is just fine for me, as Faceless King lets him win all clashes for a single round. You counter his Break with your Attack? Eat shit, he hits you anyways.
Back to the actual fight, Robin is having a bad time.
A really bad time.
I toy with him on the final turn.
He finally manages to get the poison to stick.
Too little, too late, I'm afraid.
Music: Stops
Caster you are using a mirror how do you impale someone on a mirror?
Dan Blackmore looks dazed. He's staring at Caster as if my Servant is some divine being.
My Master has more ability and more determination than you. So how—?
The barrier comes up.
Music: Game Over
And they start to fade.
It seems having a reason to fight is not the same as truly believing in that reason. I never doubted my desire to be a warrior, but...that life has given me regrets. I wanted the Holy Grail to bring back my late wife— What a silly delusion.
Only at the very end did I dare to have my own goals, and decide to abandon military life. I can't believe I was trying to fight as just a man— It was foolish of me to pit my pride as a knight against my feelings as a person... ...So foolish... I just wanted to get back what I had lost, before the end. But— I wonder which one I wished for? My late wife...or the person I was before I became a soldier... The elderly knight falls into silence. Both he and his Servant start to disintegrate. 
Even though you can't describe what it is yet, there must be something that gives you a purpose.
Though your trials are many, keep living, young one. Your struggles will steel your determination.
Because, for the first time, I am the ground from which a youth with a bright future might grow. His final smile was beaming. Dan Blackmore's face was no longer stern, but kind and grandfatherly.
You needed someone better than a charlatan like me. ...I'm so sorry. Another Servant wouldn't have failed you like this. No, I'm the one to blame, Archer. Restricting your actions was selfish and damaging to your dignity. ...Bit late for that now, Master. You have no idea the torment you've been putting me through. Why are you apologizing anyway? You're making me sound like a moron here. And why do you care about me? Whether we win or lose, I still vanish at the end.
Gotta tell you, it's been rather boring to fight for you, Master.
Boring as it's been, playing knight was a healthy thing for me to try, you know? ...Well, although I was never given a chance, I've always wanted to try being a badass knight.Masters tend to summon Servants with a high compatibility with themselves. They may have argued constantly, but a Master like Dan was just what Robin needed.
Dan's Archer looks down as if in embarrassment. He mumbles under his breath, as if he doesn't want us to hear. ...So, really. Don't apologize. We had a good run, and there's nothing to feel ashamed about. ...Jeez, I didn't even think I'd be able to pull off a single battle in this stupid tournament. In life, I had everything I wanted. Wealth, fame, friendship, success. But... A fair fight was the one thing I never had. So, it's okay. ...I finally did something I was never able to do.
Farewell, Robin Hood.
Like he said, it was the end. Moments later, he vanished. He looked at peace. He lived his life in the shadows, protecting his village without acknowledgment. In his final moments, it seemed that he had found a way to get beyond the bitterness he felt.
From here on out, no matter what enemy you may encounter or who you may have to defeat... Feel it. Think about it. Process it. Accept your doubts, but don't be crippled by them. Above all, accept the consequences of your actions, and turn all you learn and feel into strength. If you wait until the end to think, you'll end up with regrets. ...And, if possible, I'd like you to get meaning from your battles.
It's your responsibility to have the answers when you survive this war.
Farewell, Dan Blackmore.
Next time: The aftermath.