Zenith surveyed the cliff-face beneath Castle Dunscaith as his servants watched. Waving his hand in front of him, he projected astral figures of Cu Chulainn and Gabrielle etching something he couldn't see onto the wall before walking into it and disappearing. They were followed shortly by the rest of their allies who disappeared in the wall after them. He sighs in slight annoyance when he affirmed that there was no obvious way of following them inside.
"They definitely went this way... This was where my tracking spell stopped transmitting."
"A secret passage perhaps?" Asked Assassin, standing over the unconscious form of Margaery Fairborough.
"It's just got to be..."
"How do we open it?" Saber asked impatiently. "Should we get Berserker to break it down?"
The hulking servant barely took a thunderous step forward before Zenith calmly raises a hand to stop him, smirking.
"Now, now Saber... There's no need for the sledgehammer approach." The master then turned to face up to the Berserker, and says to him in affable manner: "Sorry big guy, but I would like to keep things subtle, and you don't do subtle. Maybe next time buddy..."
"(Grunt)"
Berserker steps back as Zenith then turns to Assassin.
"Say, Assassin... would you mind taking our catch here back to the van? I wouldn't mind probing her memories later if it helps us out."
"Not at all, contractor," She replies with a nod before picking up the limp representative and taking her away. Zenith watched as she left with the representative. His "friend" contacted him on the way here to tell him that capturing her might be useful should the need arise, and Zenith was given specific instructions not to harm her. Being a higher-up of the Mage's Association meant she had access to classified information. Zenith couldn't imagine why, but he now had a way into the most valuable information to all mage kind. He was not about to complain...
As to this "friend" of his, Zenith knew of this person via a calling-card he found in his stasis pod after his awakening. Upon contact, the stranger introduced itself as "The Grandmaster"; the real mind behind the Crypters, and that for the time being, hid its identity from the seven Enlightened Ones. Naturally, Zenith was curious as to why the so-called "Grandmaster" revealed itself to him alone. To that, it said that he was "special", and for his services to the Reclaimer, he would be given standing above that of his superiors, and in the process destroy Chaldea. It was an offer too good for Zenith to pass up and he dared not reveal the identity of this stranger to the other Crypters.
Saber was becoming frustrated at the fact that their "endeavor" was making slow progress; too slow for his liking. And what was more unsettling was his master seemingly to be absolutely unconcerned.
"How on earth are you so calm Master? That woman is useless to us. Chaldea is too far ahead, and we have no way of following them."
Zenith side-glances at his servant with feigned annoyance.
"You really ought to have more faith in me chum," he said, then shooting the Saber a smirk. "For a notorious warlord, you don't inspire very much confidence. How on earth did you make any friends, let alone raise an army?"
That brazen joke made Saber leer at him.
"I don't enjoy playing these games with you Master," he huffed, seeing through the master's carefree attitude. "How about you tell me what new trick you have up your sleeve already?"
Saber was met an enthusiastic response from his master, as if the mage was counting on him to ask that all along.
"Ha! Now you're catching on... the little spell I planted on poor, clueless Gabrielle does more than just track. It can let us listen-in and see what she sees, no matter where she is."
Saber looked on as his master rummaged through his jacket pocket, frustrated by Zenith's antics.
Why didn't he just tell us that in the first place? He's resourceful, but I do seriously question his state of mind. Had he been alive in my time, I wouldn't know to make him my chief strategist or court jester...
Zenith pulled out a gold, emerald-studded ring out of his coat and twirled it between his fingers as he continued...
"Now that we have eyes and ears in there, we'll know what Chaldea has found, and just maybe a casual slip-of-the-tongue will give us a clue on how to get in."
"So we just wait..." Saber stated without asking as Zenith then pulled another item; this time a gold pocket watch, etched with someone's initials on the lid:
M. A
"I wouldn't call it waiting..." Zenith replies nonchalantly without looking away from the antique device. He opens it to reveal the clock inside, lined with Roman-numerals, and a jewel in the center beneath two rotating arms. On the lid was the photo of a tall white-haired man in a suit standing beside a little girl in a dress, sporting long white hair herself. "No action is to be taken blindly without knowledge. For now, we are merely observing and learning..."
Zenith tosses the ring in front of him, which stops, hovers in midair and expands, revealing the projected image of a group of people walking through a forest through the eyes of one individual. The jewel inside the watch pulsated as words were passed between members of the group for both Zenith and Saber to hear.
"It's just up ahead... Keep up."
"Man, I should've brought hiking shoes..."
"Relax Gu-dork. We'll get there when we get there."
"After all," Zenith said with a growing smirk. "It's the Animusphere way..."
---
The masters of Chaldea followed Scathach closely as she led them and the servants through the forest, sunlight of the morning creeping through the treetops. Mashu was walking behind Gudao and Gabrielle with Fou on her shoulder, eagerly anticipating just where the Shadow was taking them. As per her and Cu Chulainn's insistence, they all had to take Scathach's tutelage here in the hidden forest, and the Shielder wondered where the warrior-queen was going to let them stay. She didn't have to wait very long to find out as the group emerged out of the woods and on to an edge of a cliff, overlooking a large, ornate stone fortress that sat atop beyond the gorge before them. Everybody stopped to take in the sight as the masters stared at it in amazement.
"Wow," Gudao let out, earning an amused remark from the Lancer.
"Impressive, isn't it master?" Cu says to him, patting the master on the back. Gudao glances at him with the understanding that the Lancer had already seen it before. "This is the real Castle Dunscaith. Way bigger than the one in Scotland…"
"You live here?" Gabrielle asked Scathach, who was merely standing by arms crossed, letting everyone indulge in the splendorous view.
"You could say that…" She tells the master. "It's where I used to take my students for training, and it also serves as home whenever I'm not hunting."
Mashu was gazing out at the massive stone castle and mentally wishing that she had a camera. Fou was fidgeting excitedly, catching the Shielder's attention.
"Fou!"
"I know Fou. It's amazing…"
The fortress took up the majority of the raised area of earth and rock it was remotely situated, surrounded by the treacherous, but beautiful landscape of stone cliffs and drop-offs. The white mist of the gorge gave the illusion of the fantastical fortress rising from the clouds, making the setting before her resemble a place straight out of a Tolkien novel. Mashu could stare at this view all day and be completely content.
-This is such a majestic place. Just how many more mysteries like this are hidden from the world?-
The group eventually made their way down across the gorge, and went up the weaving staircase against the cliff of the mountain. After they passed under a stone arch during their ascent, Scathach led them to the giant carved gate of the fortress.
With a wave of her hand, the doors opened, revealing the dimly lit entrance hall. The masters and servants followed the warrior queen inside; the doors closing behind them as they looked around, taking note of the runes etched into the walls, and murals lit ominously by the candles and torches that lit the hall.
"Gudao…" Gabrielle whispered to her brother while holding her data-pad for him to see. "Check this out…"
Gudao looked at the readings on his sister's device, specifically the carbon-dating. What he saw astonished him.
"This place is over 8000 years old?" He asked her in the same hushed tone, after which Gabrielle quickly affirmed.
"Older than the pyramids…"
Overhearing them, Arturia could not help but gaze at the architecture in wonder. Not even the grand castle in Camelot was as meticulously built as this. Here, there wasn't a brick or stone that was not polished or shaped to perfection; no chip-marks or any other sign of human craftsmanship. On top of that, the sheer scale of the fortress alone gave away a very empty, lonely feel.
This place seemed almost too perfect… too advanced…
This isn't natural…
They walked on, following Scathach up another series of stairs. It led up to a wide atrium that branched off into other hallways. Above was an angular domed roof that allowed natural light to flow in, along with and a shallow pool in the center to catch rainwater. The footsteps of the group echoed across the room. The servants noticed a few hooded figures walk up to Scathach, prompting everyone to stop. The figures bowed to the warrior queen, who responded with one of her own as acknowledgement. Astolfo noticed the gaunt, emotionless faces of these newcomers, making him feel creeped-out and uneasy.
"Who are they?"
"Revenants…" Scathach told him, sensing his concern. The Rider was not alone as some of the others were also wary of them. The masters and Mashu looked quite anxious in their presence.
"Are they… friendly?" asked the Shielder. Scathach responds with assurance:
"They don't talk very much, but they won't harm any of you. The Revenants are honor bound to obey me…"
"That's good to know…" Mordred said sarcastically, not liking the way these figures were now observing all of them. She glares at one eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. "You looking for a problem?"
"Mordred…" Arturia warns the red Saber sternly for her rudeness. Before the Knight of Treachery could retort, the voice of a little girl catches everyone's attention.
"Visitors!"
The masters and servants turn to the sight of a rather livelier individual walking up to greet them. The girl was petit sporting long maroon hair tied in a single pony tail with a pale complexion and hazel-colored eyes. She wore an ankle-length gown over a long-sleeved top. But what stood out about her to the group was how similar her face looked compared to Scathach's. It was as if this girl was a cuter, miniature version of the warrior queen. She soundlessly approached the masters and servants, stopping in front of them with a greeting smile.
"Such a pleasant surprise! Welcome!" She said looking up at all of them, staying just out of arm's reach of Mashu, who she was closest to. The Shielder thought she was absolutely adorable, and kneeled down to look at her in the eye.
"Why thank you," She replied with a smile. "And who might you be?"
"This is Uathach," Scathach said while walking up beside the Demi-Servant. "My daughter…"
Mashu looks at her in surprise, which was shared by the others, especially Gudao and Gabrielle.
-Scathach has a daughter?!-
Uathach giggles ecstatically at their reaction, and she soon turns her attention to Cu Chulainn. Her expression turns to wondrous recognition upon seeing the blue Lancer.
"Cu Chulainn… you're back…"
"Nice to see you again too lass," he said calmly. Uathach then tilts her head in curiosity before asking innocently:
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"Am I not?" The Lancer joked, feigning offence. Arturia looked at the young girl carefully, her mannerisms reminding her fondly of Illyasviel von Einsbern from the Fifth Holy Grail War; a sentiment shared by Emiya as the Saber takes a glance back at him.
"Oh my..." Uathach said turning her attention to the rest of the servants as Scathach was eyeing her carefully. "It has been so long since Mother accepted new students! How exciting to meet you all!"
"Likewise, little one," Jeanne said warmly as she knelt in front of the young girl, who asked with infectious enthusiasm.
"Are you all great warriors like Cu Chulainn?"
The Ruler turned bashful as she tried explaining to the young girl.
"Oh I'm no warrior-"
"You bet we are!" Astolfo exclaimed, before elbowing Jeanne to go along. "Tell her Jeanne!"
A bewildered Jeanne looks back at the Rider and then calmly back towards Uathach, who merely giggled.
"I like your friend..."
"When it comes to Astolfo, it's hard not to like him," Jeanne humored her before raising her hand for the girl to shake. "I'm Jeanne d'Arc by the w-"
She stops in astonishment as Uathach reflexively took a step back out of reach. The girl briefly looked at the Ruler's outstretched arm in shock before turning apologetic. Jeanne noticed Scathach staring at them sternly, and the Ruler was worried that she did something wrong.
"Oh! I'm so sorry..."
"Don't be," Uathach assured her. "I got carried away, and Mother doesn't like other people getting too close to me."
Everybody save for Cu and Scathach was baffled by what they had just witnessed. Jeanne was left confused as Uathach returned to her mother's side.
What was that all about?
"Anyways," Scathach stated as she stepped in front of everyone, the incident with Uathach quickly forgotten as their attention was drawn. "Before I let you all get settled, I want to do a quick test."
"Huh?" Gudao said in disbelief. "Now?"
"Of course," Scathach confirmed before stating bluntly: "You didn't ask for my help to come tomorrow..."
Gudao was stunned into silence as Scathach crossed her arms and asked in a daring manner:
"Was I wrong to assume you needed me urgently?"
Gudao shakes his head, and Scathach smirks at his response.
"That's what I thought..."
"What kind of test is it?" Emiya asked skeptically. The others were also a little surprised that Scathach was getting down to business with them already. Stepping in front of them all, Scathach explained further:
"I thought this room would be the perfect place to evaluate you all as servants. I would like to know what I'm going to be working with before I train you all. Seeing what each of you are capable of will help me determine how to best proceed."
"Alright... so what do you want us to do?" asked Gabrielle, earning herself a knowing smirk from the warrior queen.
"I'm glad you asked, young mage..."
She turns and waves her hand, her arms lighting up before a glowing circle appears on the floor. The circle grows as a hulking mass emerges from it. When the glow faded, there standing in front of the group was a stone giant with glowing blue runes on sections of its body.
"Your servants are going to take turns fighting the golems with whatever they have at their disposal."
"So, we each just have to take that thing down?" Mordred asked, disappointed that she wasn't going to get her rematch just yet.
"Precisely," Scathach affirmed for her. Arturia, who like the others had been listening carefully, couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the Shadow's motives. Does she not already have a sense of what servants are after fighting them? "Who wants to go first?"
"I'll go," Mashu said almost immediately stepping forward. Gudao says to her as she approaches the imposing golem:
"Good luck Mashu."
"Thanks Senpai..."
Gabrielle watched as Mashu stepped forward and summoned her shield, and took a moment to glance at Scathach. Through her eyes, Zenith and his Saber-class servant were watching through his ring, and the rogue master's attention was momentarily drawn to the warrior queen.
-She's not on our files of the Chaldean servants, he thought. Are these airheads here for her perchance?-
Zenith was not going to rule anything out, but despite this mysterious individual's appearance, he'd wager that she was special somehow. And for her to have the magic to hide an entire castle and forest meant she had to have been very powerful. They would have to wait to learn more, as the master and his Saber then watched Mashu stop in front of a huge golem.
-Oh...and it looks like we're getting ourselves a show...-
Inside the atrium, everybody watched as Mashu readied her stance, and after a pause, launches into the motion. She closes in the golem as it swings at her with its arms. Mashu evades and swipes at the giant's leg with her shield. It gets on one knee before retaliating with a stone punch. The Demi Servant dodges and raises her shield to block a follow-up strike. The giant's fist slams down and cracks against Mashu's shield, and with a heave, she deflects its arm away.
Each exchange between the Shielder and the hulking golem put most of her audience on edge. Every attack, dodge and parry, made some like Astolfo and Jeanne to gasp, and the masters to cheer Mashu on. Arturia however was calm and attentive, having complete her faith in her ally that she would overcome this foe. The Saber looks over to Scathach, who unlike all of them was completely unreactive, almost focused to the point that nothing else existed to her. The warrior queen merely watched the battle with crossed arms and a narrowed gaze. Arturia could tell she was observing, evaluating, with no concern at all for the Shielder's safety; like she knew what the outcome of this battle would be no matter how much longer it continued.
The Saber then spots Scathach forming a rune in her hand, and almost on cue, the golem started to attack Mashu more aggressively. The Shielder distances herself, and then to everyone's shock, the golem's "face" glowed and fired a beam of energy towards the Demi-Servant. Seeing this, Mashu holds her shield in front of her and chants:
"Lord Chaldeas!"
A bubble appeared around Mashu and bore the brunt of the blast. The Shielder slid backwards as the beam stopped and the bubble dissipated, leaving her shield glowing white-hot. With a spin, Mashu throws her shield and sticks it right in its face. The golem staggers, and swings its arms blindly. Mashu weaves under it, avoiding getting crushed by its feet. After getting behind it, The Demi-servant jumps up on to the golem's head and yanks her shield free, before thrusting back downwards, shattering the stone giant's skull to dust. The golem's segmented body then collapsed and crumbled into a lifeless heap as Mashu rides the avalanche down and lands gracefully on her feet, shield in hand.
The masters cheered as Mashu re-joined them, with Fou hopping back on her shoulder.
"Nice work Mashu!"
"Way to go!"
"Thanks Masters," Mashu replies with a smile. "That wasn't too hard..."
Arturia mulled over the Demi-Servant's last statement as Scathach stepped in front of them all.
"Alright... who would like to go next?" She then directs her gaze to one individual before anyone could answer. "Perhaps you, Sétanta?"
"Why not..." Cu Chulainn shrugs and steps forward casually as Scathach waves her hand, and on cue, the golem magically reassembles itself. With everyone at ease, the masters and servants watched eagerly as the Lancer summoned his spear and readied himself. He then looks over his shoulder towards his former mentor.
"You realize this won't be a problem for me..." Cu stated cheekily as a matter-of-fact.
"Oh, don't you worry my former pupil..." Scathach said with a smug look. "I wasn't planning on making this too simple for you."
She flashed a rune in her hand and the golem burst into motion, much faster than when Mashu fought it. Cu turns back and dodges before the golem could trample on him.
"So much for past experience..." Cu mutters sarcastically before igniting his spear and launching a counter-attack. Scathach crossed her arms and watched carefully as her student did battle with her rune-golem. To Gabrielle, this bout was more aggressive than the last, and she was genuinely worried for the Lancer as he tangled with the hulking creature. She looked back at the Shadow who kept a straight face and observed her former student fight.
"Is something the matter?"
Gabrielle turns to see Uathach looking up at her and showing concern.
"Isn't your mother worried about Cu?" Gabrielle asked, to which Uathach shrugs and answers with a question of her own.
"Why would she? Mother taught him to handle far worse threats than this..." The little girl said confidently. "Besides, defeating fodder like this is not the purpose of her test."
"What?" Gabrielle asked in surprise. Arturia overhears as Uathach adds:
"I know my mother's methods very well. You'll see..."
Gabrielle was stumped as she turned back at the sound of Cu's Noble Phantasm activating. She watched as Gae Bolg lacerated the golem all over its body before boring a gaping hole through its chest. The golem crumbled into a lifeless heap as Cu rejoined the group. He steals a glance at Scathach before remarking:
"Still got it..."
Scathach merely sighed and lightly shook her head as she passed.
"Cocky bastard..."
Gabrielle heard her whisper under her breath, and could have sworn that she saw the warrior queen crack the subtlest of smiles. The female master had been observant of how the Lancer and the Shadow had been interacting with each other since the forest, and for some reason it didn't sit well with her. She stayed silent as Scathach motions for another servant to take a turn. This time, Astolfo steps forward.
"Alright," said the paladin before smacking his cheeks to get himself fired-up. "Time for work!"
The Rider's fight with the golem went about as the master's and servants expected. Astolfo used his hippogriff and Trap of Argalia to make relatively short-work of his opponent. Afterward, it was Jeanne's turn, and despite taking a bit longer to complete, the Ruler ultimately defeated her golem with a well-aimed, downward aerial lance strike to the back of the creature's neck. Next came Jekyll, who it was clear to all the servants that he had the most difficult time fighting, and was forced to rely on stealth tactics to gain the upper-hand.
During each battle, Arturia kept glancing at Scathach's direction to see her reaction and to her curiosity, the Shadow didn't look very impressed. She could have sworn she saw the subtle change in body language as Emiya was now fighting his golem. The Archer alternated between his bow and projected twin swords, and Arturia noticed this time the Shadow watching more carefully to his mixed fighting style. Her stoic demeanor came back almost immediately after Emiya destroyed his golem.
As the Archer joined back with the servants, Arturia contemplated on how the Shadow was observing them so far. She could now tell that Scathach was looking for something from each of them, and although it seemed Emiya came close to showing her, it wasn't enough for the warrior queen.
-This isn't a test of defeating a simple test dummy, thought the Saber. She's evaluating us, wanting to see our strengths and weaknesses. Teaching must also come with an eye for talent, and Scathach is clearly looking for any stand-outs amongst us...-
Maybe this was what Uathach meant earlier...
"You're up Saber," Emiya said to her as he passed, grabbing her attention. Arturia nods in acknowledgement before the Archer added with a warm smile: "I'd say good luck, but I know you won't need it..."
"Thank you Shirou," Arturia responds, returning his smile with one of her own. She steps forward as Jeanne calls out in cheer.
"Go get 'em Arty!"
Arturia summons Excalibur and readies herself as the golem respawns, gathering focus. Uathach glances up to Emiya, who was watching on confidently at his former servant.
"Your friend..." She says catching the Archer's attention. "She carries herself like Cu Chulainn; a true warrior like he is, but only more... graceful."
"You haven't seen anything yet kid," Emiya says to her with anticipation. "You're about to see the King of Knights in action."
"She is a knight?" Uathach asked, her eyes lighting up in wonder and earning a giggle from Jeanne.
"Yes indeed, little one," The Ruler answered. "Arturia is the best there is!"
Overhearing them, Mordred lets out a barely audible grunt, not liking the admiration her father was getting. As almost everybody was eager to see Arturia's battle with her golem, Scathach was watching the blue Saber with heightened interest.
Something told her that she shouldn't go easy on this one...
The Shadow forms a rune in her hand and whispers an incantation. The golem's light up as it explodes into motion at the same time as Arturia dashes towards it in a burst of mana, both moving faster than the human eye could register. A great rush of air after, and with great astonishment, everyone save for Scathach saw both the Saber and the golem now on opposite sides of the atrium; Arturia having just swung her sword and a severed arm of the golem was lying where they had crossed paths. The Saber turns and dashes again toward her opponent just as it turns to quickly swat her away. Arturia evades with a spin and slashes at the golem's leg, severing it and making it topple over.
The masters, Mashu, Jeanne and Astolfo cheered at seeing the King of Knights deal a serious blow so early in the fight. Through Gabrielle's eyes, Zenith was watching with mild interest before taking a glance back to his Saber, who was glaring angrily at the sight of the blonde-swordswoman.
"Feeling sentimental?" Zenith said wittingly, not even getting a response from the armored servant. The master merely shrugged and continued watching the battle unfold.
Cu's attention briefly broke away from Arturia's fight and towards his former mentor, once again seeing the familiar glint in her eye; and it was one that worried him.
She's doing this again...
The Shadow kept watching Arturia's duel, quite surprised at how well the Saber was doing. Considering that she had made the golem more challenging for Arturia especially, the sword-wielding servant was dominating.
And Scathach wanted to see more.
-Let's see how she deals with this...-
Scathach poured more mana into her rune and the golem glowed brighter just as Arturia turned to deliver a killing blow to its head. To her brief shock, Excalibur glanced-off harmlessly and Arturia was forced to evade to avoid a projectile flying at her from outside her vision. Regaining her footing, she saw the golem's leg regenerate, and the object that almost hit her was the arm she had previously cut off, now flying to the creature's bare torso and re-attaching itself.
-This is new...- thought Arturia as she moved to re-engage. Going for the legs again, Arturia swings Excalibur, but misses as the golem sidesteps and quickly and swings at her. The Saber evades, but in a flash, she gets caught under the golem's other fist, pinning her to the floor. Arturia strains against the weight of a mountain against her armor, and to her horror sees the golem's free hand change into a sharp spike, reeling back to impale her.
Everyone held their breaths as the spike descended upon the trapped Saber. However, Scathach was not worried at all for the servant, and her assurance was confirmed as Arturia gathered all the mana she could and burst free of the golem's grip and launched away in a blur, shattering its fat stone fingers in the process. The Shadow smiled as the Saber flipped right back on her feet and slid to a stop, brandishing her sword as her masters and some of her fellow servants cheered. Panting slightly, Arturia took a glance back at Scathach as the golem was still reeling from the Saber's forceful escape. She could feel the Shadow's undivided attention solely on herself.
The King of Knights had apparently earned her favor.
-I see what she's doing,- Arturia thought to herself. -She's trying to get me to use my Noble Phantasm.-
It made perfect sense to the blue Saber. Her "test dummy" was more aggressive to her than it was to the others. Scathach was stressing them into showing off almost all their abilities, and from the way that the fight was going so far, the Shadow was most interested in seeing what Arturia could do. Uathach wasn't joking about her mother's methods after all.
Regaining focus, Arturia shifts her attention back to her opponent, who had just recovered and was about to charge at her again. She now saw a path to victory...
-Little does Scathach know, I won't be needing it...-
Artuira dashes forward in a blur, her sword now glowing and leaving gold contrails behind her. The golem sends down a fist, but Arturia spins and strikes it with Excalibur, shattering it in a shower of light. She then jumps, avoiding a retaliatory jab from the golem's stone spike. Landing on its arm, the Saber runs up and drags her sword against the stone, creating sparks and forming cracks in its appendage. Arturia then leaps on to the golems face, and launches herself skyward off it in a powerful mana burst, leaving an audible sonic boom that caused the golem to stagger backwards.
Everyone was in awe, including Scathach (mildly), as the Saber lands inverted on the ceiling; Excalibur lit aflame as Arturia then launched herself back down to swipe at her opponent at blazing speed. The golem raises its arm to protect itself, but it crumbles as Arturia closes in fast. A trail of gold light later, and everyone saw the golem standing still as if frozen. A few short seconds later, the golem split apart; its two-perfect halves collapsing with a crash and kicking up dust. When it was cleared, the masters and servants spotted a slightly panting blue Saber standing amongst the rubble, posed as if she made a downward slash and the gold light of Excalibur dimming down. Arturia stood up calmly and sheathed her weapon, having just sliced apart her opponent like a hot-knife through butter.
The stunned, silent atmosphere eventually erupted in applause. Arturia walked back towards the group meeting everyone's excitement and praise. As she came closer, she noticed Scathach eying her with a more relaxed posture, and a subtle smile on her face. The Saber must had left a good impression on her, as Arturia could read the message sent her way from the expression that the Shadow was giving her.
-Not bad...-
A compliment that she was more than satisfied with.
"That was amazing Arty!" Jeanne cheered.
"Way to go Arturia!" said Astolfo.
"Thanks everyone," Arturia replied respectfully before turning to Emiya with a smile. "You weren't worried about me were you, Shirou?"
"I think I'd know better than to doubt the King of Knights," Emiya gave a witty reply. "Still... well done Saber."
Mordred rolled her eyes, not having anything to say to her father. She knew this challenge was nothing to Arturia and didn't want to give her king the satisfaction of her praise. It's not like that the King of Knights wanted it anyway.
And the Knight of Treachery was proven right when Arturia didn't even look at her as she passed. Mordred's jealousy boiled as the masters were giving the blue Saber their praises, with a pat on the back as the bitter cherry-on-top.
"Nice work Arturia," Gudao said to the blue Saber, who noticed just how exhausted he looked and sounded.
"Are you alright master?" Arturia asks worriedly, knowing what it could only be. "I used too much mana from you during the fight, didn't I? Many apologies..."
"(Sigh) It's nothing," Gudao downplays to her. Unknown to him, Scathach overheard him and took a serious mental note. The master then turns to Gabrielle.
"You mind making the home-stretch Gabby?"
"Will do, Gu-dork," She says assuredly, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder as if to relieve his fatigue.
"Perhaps you should sit down Senpai," Mashu offers, taking Gudao's arm and leading him away.
"Mordred," Gabrielle called to the Knight of Treachery. "You're the last one..."
"Way ahead of you Master," Mordred acknowledges before stepping forward.
Go time, she thought, feeling the Shadow's gaze solely on her. Mordred was more than eager to show off to the warrior queen and show that she is no slouch compared to Arturia.
-If she thought Father's fight was something, then I'm about to blow her mind...-
Scathach was carefully watching Mordred as she split from the group, her curiosity of this servant on par with the other who came before her. Jekyll offered words of encouragement as the red Saber past him.
"Good luck Mordred."
"Save it Beansprout," Mordred replied light-heartedly, her trademark cockiness on full display as she cracks her knuckles. "I've got this!"
Beneath her façade, Mordred secretly wished that it was Arturia offering her those words instead. It wasn't as if the red Saber didn't appreciate them coming from Jekyll however; he had always been there to encourage her even when she didn't feel like she needed it. In truth, she actually found the doctor's honest words to be quite touching to hear, like he seemed to really care-
-Nah...-
Mordred shook her head and stamped down that absurd thought as she took her position before a newly spawned golem. Uathach went beside Jekyll unnoticed and spoke, nearly startling him.
"Is your friend a knight as well?"
Jekyll looked down at her, impressed by how she came up without him even sensing her.
-Must be like her mother...-
"Yes. In fact, she is one of Arturia's knights, or at least she was..."
"I knew they looked related. Must say she's not as dignified as her sister."
The Assassin almost laughs at that.
"Oh, they aren't sisters."
"No?" Uathach asked, sounding surprised. In concern for his friend and patient, Jekyll decided to keep that piece of sensitive information to himself. He wasn't the right person to reveal it.
"It's... complicated."
Uathach nodded in understanding before asking something that caught the doctor off-guard.
"She called you "beansprout." What does that mean?"
Jekyll blushes and stumbles as he tries to think of an answer that wasn't demeaning to him, or give away any indication of his and Mordred's "relationship."
"Oh, uh... uhm..."
-What's up doc? Cat caught your tongue?-
-Damn you, Hyde...-
Thankfully, the Assassin didn't get to answer as Scathach called out, motioning her daughter to her side.
"That's enough Uathach. Come over here please."
"Yes mother," the young girl obeyed before giving one last parting look at Jekyll. "Sorry..."
The doctor watched as she ran towards Scathach and stood beside her. The warrior queen knelt down and said to her daughter in a cool, stern tone:
"You and I will need to have words later..."
Uathach looked up apologetically to her mother. Jekyll could see that despite the Shadow not appearing angry, the doctor couldn't figure out why Scathach didn't want her near any of them. What was stranger to him was how Scathach made no effort to touch or hold her daughter in any assuring way as any parent would to their child.
Jekyll's train of thought broke as Scathach stood up and flashed a rune in her hand. Instantly, the golem charged at the Knight of Treachery, who stood calmly on the spot. Her opponent closed the distance in seconds and sent a fist down to crush the Saber. To everyone's surprise, the golem's fist crashed to a dead halt a mere foot away from Mordred's head, who casually held back the monster's attack with one hand. Red electricity arced from the Knight as she slowly pushed the golem's fist away, grinning as she summoned her armor.
"You're gunna be nothing but dust beneath my boot, chump!"
Mordred's helmet formed over head as she then grasped the golem's fist with her free hand and tugged mightily, ripping her opponent's arm completely off to everyone's amazement. Scathach merely watched with interest as Mordred then swung the stone slab at the golem's legs, sweeping it off its feet and tumbling to the floor with a crash. Scathach acted quickly and poured more mana from her rune into the Saber's test dummy.
-You're not finishing this THAT easily...-
As Mordred then summoned Clarent, she jumped in the air to stab down at her golem, only for it roll out and back on its feet at the last second. She quickly dashes away to avoid a palm coming down to crush her. The golem then turn's its head to fire a beam of energy at the evading Saber, who then takes a daring launch off her feet to strike her opponent in the face with her sword. To her surprise, the golem swats her away with its arm, making Mordred drop her sword. The Knight rolls against the floor and quickly, and gets back up on one knee just in time as the golem charges up to her and send its foot down on top of her. Mordred holds up her arms to stop the golem's foot from flattening her, straining against the weight of all that stone.
Astolfo and Jekyll look on worriedly as Mordred starts pushing back against her opponent with great effort. Scathach's gaze remains stoic as she forms another rune in her hand, and right on cue, the golem's arm that the Saber had ripped off earlier began to float back towards the hulk of living stone. Seeing this through the slits of her helmet, Mordred pours mana into her arms, and with a yell, she throws the golem's foot off of her and sent it tumbling. The floating appendage flies past its owner as it falls, and the arm circles around to attach itself back on. The Knight of Treachery held out her hand, and Clarent instantly flies back in her grasp. She spins and throws her electrified sword at the floating arm, shattering it in mid-air.
By this point, the Shadow's face slowly allowed a smile to form...
Mordred dashes behind the golem just as it lifts itself back on its feet, jumping on its upper back by the time it stands up. The monster turns on its feet and flailed its one arm blindly in effort to get the Saber off its back with no avail. Climbing on to its shoulders, Mordred pours mana into her gauntleted fist and punches the golem in the side of its skull, sending it falling on its knees as cracks form on its head. The Knight of Treachery summons Clarent into her hand again and charges it with red lightning. With a yell, Mordred drives the blade of her sword straight-down on the golem's head through to its neck. Red-glowing cracks form all over the golem's body before blowing up in a shower of sparks. With her opponent now nothing but ash, Mordred unfolds her helmet and rests her sword over shoulder, none the worse for wear.
"Yeah!" Astolfo cheered as Mordred walked back to the group with her signature cocky grin. "Way to show it who's boss, Mordred!"
"Absolutely magnificent," Jekyll applauded calmly and so gentleman-like to the red Saber, who merely relished in their compliments.
"Don't sweat it guys! I told you I've got it..."
Scathach watched as Mordred went past the Rider and Assassin towards her masters, who were waiting to praise her too. She narrows her gaze at the Knight of Treachery as she walks past Arturia, and shoots her a brief, challenging glare. Time slowed as Scathach picks up on their raised heartbeats as the Sabers met each other's in the eyes; both of elevated tension. The Shadow could practically read Mordred's smirking face and the message that she was sending to the King of Knights:
-I win...-
Arturia glared back in contempt as Mordred finally broke eye contact and directed her attention warmly towards the masters. The blue Saber's face followed, and her stare lingered on Mordred's retreating form before falling to the ground. Scathach could feel Arturia's heart then sink as her face morphs from one of anger to one of great sorrow. The King of Knights raises her head back up, stamping down her feelings. It was the briefest of moments that went unnoticed by the others, but not to the Shadow...
-Those two...-
Comparing the Sabers to the other servants, Scathach evaluated what she had seen from them so far...
Her former student performed as well as she expected; Scathach would've been disappointed otherwise. Cu Chulainn now as a servant didn't seem to negatively affect what the warrior queen had taught him, and Gae Bolg was no exception.
Mashu and Jeanne: while they could hold their own in a fight, the Shadow could tell from her test that it was not their main role. The Shielder was meant to protect her masters, while the Ruler was the team's support.
Astolfo and Jekyll were more specialized in how they fought, yet she could sense that the Assassin was holding himself back; needlessly struggling against her test dummy. Scathach made a mental note to look into that later.
The Archer... she didn't know what to think of him yet. His fighting style was so unorthodox for someone supposed to deal with engagements at long range. Scathach wouldn't mind seeing him fight again.
She still would have to test the masters' capabilities herself later; see how far magecraft has fallen-off after two millennia. That and seeing them strain on supplying their servants with mana was something that she would eventually have to address.
But the Sabers got Scathach interested the most. Arturia and Mordred lasted the longest against her and were the quickest to defeat their golems. They were clearly the powerhouses of the team, yet what she just saw from them was cause for concern. She knows bad blood when she sees it, and if these servants were supposed to be fighting together, then this could be a problem down the line. Even still, there was no denying the strength of these two servants.
-I might have to keep an eye on them...-
Scathach had to admit that what Cu said about instructing these magical beings was enticing. All of them showed promise, and unlike her students of old, they were already warriors of great renown. It was made all the more alluring by her former student's words:
It would be unlike you to simply give up on what you want most.
She hasn't acted in the vein of a teacher in centuries, and not even seen another human soul in just as long. When Scathach decided to take them on, part of her wondered if she could still do it even after being severely out of touch with humanity. Seeing her new students fight lit a long-cold fire in her soul, and already she could form a plan on how to move them forward. If Cu was right, then the prospect of teaching these servants how to fight together would be well worth it to her. The Sabers in particular could give her the one thing that the Hound of Ulster failed to give her all those centuries ago.
-It won't be much longer now...-