tvklogs | Dark Hour Log

. . .

[What.]

I'm sorry, come again?

[. . .

Okay, maybe he should have thought that through a little more before speaking, but Ainosuke clearly wasn't in the calmest state of mind. The decision to try and force a vision seemed liked the best one to make at the time, though now he was judging the other's reaction, waving his hand and smiling awkwardly.]

I can't really explain it. ... but we really should find somewhere first.

[Rushing on changing the subject, Ainosuke put a little more room between the two of them, wandering ahead of Lancer to continue examining their surroundings.]

[lancer had been told to do a lot of things in the past. But not once had anyone ever asked to be struck by the first Knight of Fianna.]

Very well. [Hopefully there was an actual reason for this.]

[Ainosuke stayed silent for the next few minutes or so, thinking over how he could exactly go about explaining his ability. In his world, things like that weren't normal. He usually just claimed he had intuition and had Sayama around, who actually knew the truth about how he received his visions. But she wasn't here and he had to find another way to try and bring them out. It was either asking the other to hit him, or hitting his head against something. The former option seemed significantly less crazy.

Still staying a bit ahead, Ainosuke jogged slightly, his nerves starting to get frazzled from being in this environment for so long. Was there really a way out of this place? It would have looked normal, if it weren't for the atmosphere, the colors, and the coffins. Just like any other city...

Ainosuke perked up a bit when he caught sight of a building in the distance. It looked like a police station, thought the building design was quite different from what he was used to. Starting towards it, Ainosuke abruptly stopped halfway there and took a few sliding steps back.

The shadows on the ground in front of him were definitely shifting, moving together and.... growing?]

...

[Lancer may not have been a Servant, but he was relieved to find he was still quick on his feet. Like any knight worth his reputation, he knew danger when he felt it and was at Ainosuke's side in a moment.]

Stay behind me. [The calm confidence was gone from his face, gold eyes sharp and focused as he watched the moving shadows.]

[Lancer didn't have to tell Ainosuke twice. He shifted and ducked behind the other. Despite the fact that he was unarmed and didn't look like as much of a fighter as the other did, it was clear that Ainosuke wasn't just backing off to hide. He positioned his legs, ready to dodge or move out the way if something came at him.

But he wasn't stupid enough to tell Lancer he was fine, either. It was rare that Ainosuke admitted something was completely out of his hands, though he was willing to step back with something like this.

He watched the shadows from behind Lancer, taking another step back when the dark pools started rising up and forming into shapes, making noise.

Things like this weren't possible...]

[Good, it seemed he had some experience. That might make this a little less difficult. Lancer quickly looked over their surroundings--if he was alive, then maybe Caster had-... No, this didn't quite seem like his work. That summoned creature had been a tremendous monstrosity of an ocean-dweller, and this whatever-it-was was far more simple. He hardly even blinked as the darkness formed into a discernible creature with spindly hands.]

[Tch...if only he had Gae Dearg with him. If these creatures were summoned by magic, the spear that nullified magical projections could make short work of them. But that was fine, he wouldn't be one of the Fianna if losing his spear rendered him defenseless.]

[Lancer shifted into a fighting stance, watching the shadows as if daring them to attack first.

[As Ainosuke stood there, watching the creatures in front of him, he suddenly thought to look behind him. When he turned, he kept his body close to Lancer's, moving so their backs were facing each other. Hopefully nothing could get between them, because another shadow creature seemed to have formed behind them.

His hands were shaking, his breath catching in his throat as he stared at the creature, waiting to see what it would do. ... was it dangerous? The fact that it had come out at all meant it had to be, didn't it?]

It's not the only one.

[Ainosuke thought the other might have noticed, but wanted to give Lancer enough warning in case the one near him decided to attack and he had to move. He didn't want to leave the other's back exposed.

Sure enough, no sooner had he spoke than the shadow started moving towards him, one of the hands swinging out to swipe. Though Ainosuke was still in shock from everything that was happening, his higher-than-usual awareness came in handy as he did a rolling dodge to the side, moving back a bit more once he was upright.

What was he supposed to do?! Was it even possible to fight something like this?

In the moment of hesitation the creature showed, Ainosuke moved forward to strike. Maybe it was a stupid idea -- it was probably a very stupid idea -- but his fist connected with a substance he was fully expecting his hand to go through. The creature seemed to waver a bit and Ainosuke put the space between them again.]

... they're solid.

That's all I needed to know.

[And given the situation at its most basic, that was true. Could he hit them? If yes, then strike until they were driven back. Simple.]

Stay close if you can, and don't let them corner you.

[He moved as quickly as his human body would allow, launching himself forward at the nearest creature in a quick flurry of kicks and punches that likely betrayed the lifetime of combat experience Lancer had. Whatever it was, the shadow creature backed off as if to re-evaluate its strategy.]

Have you ever seen anything like these before?

[When told to stay close, Ainosuke shifted again so as to continue keeping his back towards Lancer. He kept his hands up, fully prepared to rush forward again and deliver another strike. Though, his body still shook and his voice was strained when he spoke. Clearly, this was a bit much of him to handle.]

No, never. Things like this...

[Ainosuke trailed off, tempted to give a momentary glance back at his companion, but opted that it was safer to keep his eyes on his enemy. Something seemed to click. This guy was acting far too calm for what was going on.]

Have you?

[The shadow moved forward again, Ainosuke stumbling back and just barely avoiding the strike that the creature had swung. Before it could get very far, Ainosuke was after it again, delivering a few hits with a bit more confidence now that he knew it could be hit.

The creature, whatever it was, seemed to sink and dissolve back into the ground. Ainosuke stared at the spot, unsure of exactly what had just happened. ... was it gone?]

...Not exactly, no. Though I've seen things that were somewhat similar.

[When your biological father was the lord of the dead, there really wasn't much left that rattled you.

The shadow Lancer was focused on moved in again, only to me met with a solid kick for its trouble. Dazed, it retreated as its companion had, leaving Lancer to cast a quick look around before slowly lowering his hands and moving out of his stance. If anything else appeared, he was fully on guard now.]

Though I can't begin to guess at what exactly these creatures are.

[Ainosuke only lowered his hands and shifted out of his stance once Lancer did, though he was still extremely on edge and was trying very hard to keep from shaking. It was too difficult to comprehend the existence of these creatures. It was something he really couldn't wrap his head around.

Still keeping his eyes on the ground he spoke up, quietly.]

What sort of things have you seen? ... this shouldn't... these things...

[Ainosuke stopped, putting one hand up to his head and taking a deep, shaking breath. He was so stressed out and confused at the moment that all he wanted to do was cry.]

...Don't panic.

[His serious look turned to a calm smile, Lancer resting a reassuring hand on Ainosuke's shoulder.]

While I don't know what kind of magecraft could create things like this or where its source could be, I give you my word that you are safe with me at your side. I have fought things far more threatening than this before I arrived here.

[Magecraft? ... magic? If he hadn't just seen those creatures -- fought them -- Ainosuke would have doubted what the other was saying to him. But he had seen them, touched them, and now he was becoming more and more convinced that what he was experiencing wasn't a dream. Though... there was no way to explain what was going on, especially concerning the mechanics of his world. He'd heard ghost stories, of course, but none of those reached this sort of magnitude.

There had to be an explanation, somewhere...

Turning to look over at Lancer, Ainosuke pressed his lips together, a look of near-despair still on his face, though he forced himself to smile just a bit in response. He really did trust this person, even though he wondered if he should.]

Thank you. I'm... sorry. [He raised his hand, wiping his sleeve across his eyes and then taking another deep breath, trying to calm himself.]

... we should probably keep going.

[No, Lancer was sure by now--this was no dream or hallucination. But he still didn't understand what could turn a Servant human. Could the Holy Grail have done something? If that was the case, how--no, why had this been the result?]

Right. It would be better to keep moving in case anything else shows itself.

[One thing at a time. Priority was making sure they both got through this alive--then they could worry about the details.]

[Ainosuke started leading the way again, but he was significantly more reluctant now that he had seen the creatures in action and knew there was something out there. He stayed within a few feet of Lancer, checking every once in awhile over his shoulder to make sure the other was there. It wasn't that he thought the other would leave him, but more of his concern that something would come up behind them or grab the other without him realizing it. If he got too far ahead, he was also sure to slow his steps and come back to Lancer's side.

When he reached the front of the police station, he looked up at the sign and studied it for a few moments, looking confused. The buildings and the surrounding area clearly was not Japan, but the words read much easier than he expected them to. He doubted his English was that good, but pushed the thought aside for the time being.

Ainosuke shuffled forward a few more steps, pushing the door open and heading inside. There were coffins inside the police station as well, but being indoors may have been a better choice than being outside. He hoped.]

[Lancer was far calmer than most would be in that situation, on guard and yet remaining composed. Panic would do nothing, especially if Caster was somehow to blame for this.]

[The door shut behind him, Lancer feeling only marginally more secure than he had outside--the moonlight through the windows only provided so much light, but hopefully he could find something to use as a weapon here.]

[Moving to put his back against the wall, Ainosuke hugged his arms to his chest and sank down a bit. The rooms were far too dark, especially if they were going to move past the front area. For now, he stared out at the street, watching the shadows and expecting them to start shifting again at any moment. He had hoped this would be one of his brother's plans, but it certainly didn't seem like it now. There was no way his brother, as genius as he was, could orchestrate something like this.

Without looking back at Lancer, he spoke again. Ainosuke didn't like following what other people said, but he'd make an exception in times like this and follow someone else's lead.]

Now what?

Survive long enough to figure out what's happened here. Then worry about where we are and how we arrived.

[Easier said than done. But Lancer had survived worse, and he was confident in his abilities to guard Ainosuke if necessary.]

[This seemed remarkably like a Reality Marble--a land manifested through magecraft that was separate and closed off from reality. And even though that might have made logical sense, there were no signs of actual magecraft as far as he could tell. Would a human body even be able to sense it? Lancer honestly wasn't sure.]

[Survive. That was a great thing to hear, especially when he was already feeling like this. Ainosuke didn't like knowing there were more of those things out there, ready to attack. Or that there were shadows out there strong enough to potentially kill him. If there were small creatures like that, then there had to be other things, right?

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then pushed himself away from the wall and walked closer to Lancer.]

I want to try something. ... could you hit me now? [He tapped the left side of his head, giving a nervous smile as he did.] Just... not really hard, if you can help it.

...forgive me for being difficult, Ainosuke, but I don't believe I understand your reasoning.

[Ainosuke pressed his lips together, turning his head away. He'd thought a bit about how to explain it, but the shadows had distracted him from working out the details. He supposed he would just have to stumble through it.]

You probably won't believe me, but...

[No... He couldn't say anything about Yumehito. Even in a place like this, he wasn't brave enough to challenge his brother's words. "I'll kill anyone you tell about me." Yumehito had proved himself with that before, when Ainosuke least expected it. So he had to find a way to work around that, too.]

I might be able to figure out what's going on, if it works.

...

[A sigh. Though he didn't know what exactly Ainosuke was talking about, Lancer had seen enough unusual things in his lifetime to go along with it for now.]

I'll just apologize for this ahead of time. [Even without knowing his name, who honestly walked up to the first Knight of Fianna and flat-out said 'please hit me'? It was so absurd Lancer almost wanted to see where this would lead.]

[So he gave Ainosuke a light slap upside the head--feeling quite guilty about the situation, honestly.]

[After Lancer hit him, Ainosuke stood there for a moment, then made a face at him. He knew he had told the other to go easy on him, but they wouldn't get anywhere like this. For the first time, the tone of his voice was a bit challenging.]

Harder than that.

[... it really did make him seem crazy, but if it worked and his brother was somehow involved at all, then he'd start to see the answers. He prayed for the best result, though it didn't seem likely.]

...Ainosuke, I really feel I should warn you that you may not be sure of what you're getting into.

But if you're certain, I'm considerably sorry for this and would like to ask you to brace yourself.

[WHACK.]

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