(SHRNNT!)
The beast let out a final cry of agony after being struck by Scathach's spear. The creature then fell and crashed lifeless on the forest floor before dissolving into glowing dust. Scathach stood behind the felled remains in pose, glowing with violet energy and her weapon aflame in red. Relaxing her stance, she stood straight and held out her arms. Scathach floated off the ground and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, bright light released from her chest and jetted skyward. All the souls she accumulated from killing the monsters spawned in the forest were freed and disappeared. Scathach's body stopped glowing as did her spear. Touching back down on the ground, Scathach fell to her knees in exhaustion, withdrawal from the power accumulated from slaying many monsters. Panting, she used her spear to help stand up straight.
"All done..."
Indeed, the forest was once again quiet; the creatures trying to escape the forest were eradicated for now. The serenity of the dark forest would not last, as Scathach knew all too well.
They will be back... they always will...
As long as people in any corner of the world die, and their souls too wicked and restless, monsters from the Land of Shadows will continue to try and find foothold in the mortal realm. Forever hungry... forever bloodthirsty...
It was a routine Scathach had become too well accustomed to. Every night, monsters would spawn and try to find their way out of the forest, and she would slay all that tried to. Whenever she killed them all, they would just try again the following night. And the next... and the next... and countless after.
Scathach had to stay vigilant. She left for her hunt immediately after dinner, concerned that these monsters would get bolder now that she was distracted with her students.
They would never get the upper hand on her, however; Scathach's senses were too sharp for that. Centuries of hunting in this forest allow her to know this land like the back of her hand; a second nature to her. Even if they stood their ground to fight her, Scathach was too strong; well by this point as guardian able to deliver a swift, deadly blow to the nastiest of creatures that could manifest here. She hardly had to try to kill these monsters.
It was a mere chore to her.
And like all chores... it was repetitive as it was exhausting...
Not physically. Scathach's power alone allowed her to not really need to eat or sleep to stay in fighting form. Physical exertion without the expenditure of mana cannot tire her out.
Mental exhaustion, however, made going out and doing her duty a struggle...
The challenge of hunting these abominations faded a long time ago. In fact, there was no challenge to derive from anything Scathach tried her hand at. She just grew too good, too perfect. Her duty was a great, yet boring one.
Still, Scathach had to power through it. No one can do what she does... She was the only thing standing between humanity, and the ghastly horrors of the night.
Scathach just wished for a break... for once.
Gathering herself, Scathach stood back up and banished Gae Bolg. She thought about how to get of this growing fatigue in her mind as she made her way back to the fortress. She still needed to do some research on two of her students in particular. Between hunting and upkeeping her stronghold, Scathach still had an obligation to train the Servants of Chaldea to work together and grow stronger; and one that might yield her a worthwhile benefit.
The others are probably worried about me... I did leave dinner abruptly-
Wait, why was she suddenly concerned with the Masters and Servants' thinking about her wellbeing? It was an absurd thought, as these individuals that she had only met days ago were just her students, nothing more than a means to an end. Scathach had only spoken with Mordred a couple hours ago just to soften the rowdy knight a little bit. She and Arturia will never reconcile if Scathach did not want them to-
There I go again...! I have no business meddling in personal matters. I just need them to see eye-to-eye enough so they can fight like true family- Damn it!
Scathach internally kicked herself. What did it matter to her that Arturia and Mordred bonded as family? Just because Scathach herself had issues with-
Stop it...
She should be focused on her end goal. Scathach could leave no room for sentiment, no matter what her former student had to say about her getting to know-
Scathach stopped and grunted in frustration, her hand clenching into a fist. The last thing she needed was Cu Chulainn getting under her skin. More so than he already has...
I don't care. What Chaldea does after I am done with them is of no concern to me. I am NOT doing this for them... or for YOU, Setanta...
Scathach took a deep breath, getting a grip on her bubbling emotions; something she never had to do in a very long time. Calming her heart down, she adamantly continued returning to the fortress. The warrior queen found herself getting a headache from all this mental turmoil to the point where it was manifesting as fatigue all over her body. Scathach wanted a remedy for it as soon as possible before she resumed her objective.
(sigh) "I need a bath..."
"Well, that was another dead end..."
Inside his van, Zenith was sitting in front of a monitor over a table full of old texts, looking for any information he could get his hands on pertaining to the Land of Shadows where Scathach resides. So far, the rogue mage has not found anything he could use to enter the hidden forest let alone exploit any weakness Scathach might have. All information was scarce, even in the oldest references he could find on the web or the Mage's Association's database, which Zenith had access to thanks to his "procurement" of an I.D card taken from Margaery Fairborough.
Speaking of whom, Fairborough was lying restrained and sedated nearby. As Zenith had implicit instructions from his "benefactor" that the Association representative was not to be harmed, lest Zenith were to lose his favor over any of the Crypters; the sole reason why Zenith has not killed her off yet.
Aside from Fairborough's usefulness at this point being nothing more than a hostage, Zenith cared not about anything else that might happen to her. He had not the faintest idea why the Grand Master thought this pencil-pusher was so important.
Just then, Saber materialized behind him.
"Any luck, Master?"
With a casual sigh, Zenith leaned back in his chair and shared his findings with the imposing, armored Servant.
"Not really... Our mysterious witch has covered her tracks quite well. Even in books relating to Cu Chulainn's myth, the Land of Shadows only shows up as a mention with no real details, other than where his spear supposedly came from."
"How about all this?" Saber gestures to the collection of texts scattered on the desk in front of Zenith.
"Not much better," the master revealed before grabbing one at random. "These texts go as far back as the early Roman Empire back when they colonized Britain. Locals speaking of a shadow forest where ferocious beasts fester and congregate, only kept out of this realm by the power of the Dark Guardian. You know what else is at the end of this text?"
Saber just crossed his arms impatiently, knowing Zenith was about to indulge him with a "fun fact."
"I bet you are going to tell me..." he remarked before his master turned and showed him the one document of interest with gleeful enthusiasm.
"A copy of a letter, intended for Emperor Hadrian himself, proposing the construction of a wall stretching across the northern most territory of Rome."
"Hadrian's Wall?" Saber asked, curiosity seeping into his voice.
"Bingo... Assuming Scathach is the "Dark Guardian" mentioned, and I believe she is, the Romans were so afraid of her that instead of annexing Scotland, they just made a wall in hopes of keeping her from entering Roman territory. Crazy..."
Saber merely huffed behind the faceplate of his helmet. Pretending to not be surprised by this, he firmly added:
"I doubt something as arbitrary and simple as a wall would keep the Guardian of Dunscaith from terrorizing Roman Britain, if the way we had seen her fight is any indication."
Saber was not looking eyes with Zenith, but he could tell Zenith was coyly smiling at him, thinking that he did somehow get the Servant at least mildly interested. Saber could not let someone as lowly as his master surpass him in any way. A king stood above all, and a king is not surprised by anything.
A king does not show weakness, especially in front of a mere peasant.
"Suppose it's a good thing that we learned that she can't leave the forest because of her enchantment," Zenith casually said with a shrug. "How different Britain's history would have played out if Scathach could just stroll into London during any time after the Vandals did the sacking, and Rome did the falling..."
Zenith could see Saber's hand slowly balling into a fist. The Servant knew where this conservation was heading, and Zenith was deliberately doing so to push his buttons. The mastered cared not if this turned out to be a bad idea.
"YOU might never have been in the history books at all. You're already hardly more than a footnote-"
(SLASH!)
In a swift blur, the table behind Zenith was split in half forcefully. Pages flew every which way as Saber stood facing Zenith with his sword drawn. However, Zenith just sat there, nonperturbed as Saber's blade was barely one inch away from the master's neck. Zenith did not even flinch when the Servant's sword then became engulfed in sickly-green fire, illuminating the inside of the van.
"She would not have changed a THING," Saber said arrogantly. With his free hand, he snatched a floating page that showed an old Roman map of Britain. "Britain's history is MY history. Had I conquered, I would have made a kingdom that would endure for millennia!"
Saber then crumpled the page in his fist in front of Zenith, insulted by how callously his master addressed him a moment ago.
A King does not stand for such insolence.
"Had it not been for weaklings conspiring against me, MY place in history would have been the GRANDEST!"
"Easy..." Zenith said nonchalantly while slowly raising his hands in surrender. "I just wanted to motivate you. But you seem plenty motivated already, clearly..."
His eyes briefly darted to Saber's sword. The Servant then repositioned the blade so that it was in front of Zenith's face.
"Next time Master, watch that sharp tongue of yours. I can behead you faster than you can mutter a Command Spell. This blade has tasted the blood of other, lesser lords who have dared challenge me, but I rather it sees someone else's rather than yours; sooner rather than later..."
Saber gripped his sword harder, feeling its hunger. This weapon preyed on those of royal lineage, self-proclaimed or otherwise. In his time, Saber used this malevolent sword to kill other kings and warlords; even one of whom he once considered a brother. It represented how he fought and conquered his way up to be the feared force that he was during his time. All that mattered to him was power at any cost. Power that he fought with... ruled with... subjugated with... and power that he was feared with.
No one would challenge him... until one fateful encounter...
There was a saying in his time: "Break a sword, and you break its owner's will." And living by this philosophy, Saber would cut down this challenger like he had with others before, only to then have HIS sword broken...
In a flash of golden light.
"You should be concentrating on getting us INTO that fortress, Master," Saber said, finally biting down his anger at the humiliating memory. "The Queen and the other Servants are yours to deal with, but I will have the head of the King..."
Zenith smirked when Saber finally banished his sword. The master knew full well who Saber was obsessing over, and when the time came, he had no plan on stopping the Servant assuming all went well.
"Ooooh, someone has a score to settle..." Zenith remarked "I'm working on it. You'll get your shot at the title again soon enough, Saber; Once we find a way inside the forest that is."
"And how long will THAT take?" Saber asked.
"Patience, your majesty," Zenith told him before snapping his fingers, and all the scattered documents magically organized themselves in a stack on the floor of the van. He then spun in his chair, facing away from the Servant. "If the Chaldean masters continue being on Scathach's good side, she is bound to let slip something we can use to take what power is in that fortress for ourselves."
"I can only take this inaction for so long..." Saber muttered aloud. "My blade hungers for royal blood."
Saber dematerialized into spirit form, leaving Zenith alone in the van. Once by himself, he pulled out his locket with a gem inside. Zenith cycled through the audio records that he captured by eavesdropping on Gabrielle, looking for any clue he might have missed in the Chaldeans' interactions with Scathach.
Even if he were to find the secret to entering the forest, Zenith left one particular issue to himself while he was conversing with Saber, not wanting to seem at all worried.
And that was how to defeat the Queen...
As powerful as his Saber, Assassin and Berserker were, Zenith would be foolish to risk a direct confrontation with Scathach. If this Guardian can hold her own against all of Chaldea's Servants, then the rogue mage was not certain of if his would fare any better against her, not without a critical advantage.
There was one section of his secret recordings that Zenith kept going back to and playing on repeat:
"Wait... you have a sister?"
"Had. Speak no more of it..."
"Right. Sore subject..."
Zenith found himself fixated on this curious snippet of information regarding the powerful Guardian of Dunscaith.
"A sister..."
Most of Chaldea was hanging out in the dining hall of Castle Dunscaith. Having helped themselves to a stellar meal of fish courtesy of Emiya, the atmosphere calmed down to something more relaxed. Or so it seemed...
The truth was things between the Servants were tense since the training session earlier today. Now that it was well into evening, most Servants were not looking forward to another session with Scathach. For some Servants, the prospect of another grueling bout of training was the least of their worries.
Jeanne was sitting at a table with Arturia and Emiya as she usually does. Only while the other two Servants were conversing, the Ruler stayed out of it, her mind falling back to the strange room she discovered earlier while playing tag with Uathach; the crypt.
That room wasn't like any other in this place, Jeanne thought absently. Who could that crypt be for? And did Uathach really hide in there?
The Ruler recalled how elusive the daughter of the Shadow was, still surprised how she could not catch the little girl even with her stamina and speed as a Servant; something an ordinary human would have no hope of doing.
She must be gifted like her mother... was that it?
Nearby, Cu Chulainn was leaning back in his seat, ignoring everyone else for the most part. The only time he dared to look anywhere was towards where Gabrielle was with Mashu. The Lancer could swear the female master was stealing glances at him while her Demi-Servant friend was distracted with whatever Gabrielle was showing her on her data pad. When Cu turned to look, Gabrielle's attention was solely on the oblivious Mashu, although he could see the master hiding a smile and a blush.
"Gabby?" Mashu asked her friend out of the blue, snapping the master's attention. "What happened to Gudao-Senpai?"
"He's just finishing some work with Roman," Gabrielle tells her. "He won't be very long..."
After that, Mashu returned to scanning through Gabrielle's data-pad. As soon as the Shielder looked away, the female master briefly stole one last dreamy glance in Cu's direction.
The Lancer paid no mind to it, however. He was mentally preoccupied with another person in particular who left abruptly while everyone was still having dinner. Cu knew that Scathach left for her hunt early in part to distance herself from him; not surprising given their heated argument right after training today. The warrior queen had been on his mind enough already since this whole escapade began, now Cu found himself at a loss of what to feel towards her; angry for her stubbornness? Guilty for causing her grief? The Lancer was hiding it well for now, but his emotions were all over the place when it came to his former mentor.
Perhaps she's feeling about the same as me right now...
Cu knew where Chaldea's training with Scathach would eventually lead to, and if it were to happen...
The Lancer grit his teeth in frustration. Directly confronting his mentor was doing absolutely nothing to change that outcome. Scathach was stubbornly following through with her plan. Cu needed to approach this differently.
How though? How do I get through to Scathach? The only way she'll even let me talk is through challenging her...
At the same time as Cu was pondering this, Astolfo was sitting nearby across from Mordred. The Knight of Treachery seemed to be daydreaming, which was so unlike her to do so. Mordred looked so content that she seemingly forgot the curious paladin was with her, as it was only a matter of time before-
"Hellooooo... this is Ground Control to Major Mordred..."
When Astolfo reached forward to tap her on the forehead, Mordred snapped up straight.
"What is it?"
"You, airhead..." Astolfo said lightheartedly. Mordred narrowed her eyes in annoyance at being the one name-called this time. "You seem to be in a good mood..."
The Knight's annoyance was replaced with embarrassment
"What are you talking about?" Mordred tries playing dumb, but the Rider was not falling for it, instead smiling coyly at having caught the Saber off-guard.
"Well, you're not as grouchy as you usually are since we came here. Could've sworn I even saw you grinning."
"No, I wasn't!" Mordred insists. "You're crazy."
"Not this time I think... Something happen before dinner? 'Cause I could've sworn you weren't at all grouchy then, either..."
Mordred grunted as there was no talking herself out of it at this point. But still, not wanting to tarnish her "tough" image, she did not want to reveal what Scathach had shown her earlier.
"It's nothing."
Mordred's attempt to deflect was only met with Astolfo leaning forward, looking devious.
"Then why were you humming to yourself?"
Just like that, a blush instantly formed on Mordred's embarrassed visage. The Rider had struck the killing blow...
"I was not!" Mordred desperately denied. "I WASN'T, Birdbrain. Do you hear me?!"
Astolfo just laughed at his friend's antics, which made Mordred blush even harder.
"Easy to forget I was sitting right across from you this whole time, huh?" he teased. "I hardly ever see you so carefree, and I wanna know what softened the "tough-as-nails" Mordred."
A vein popped and pulsed on Mordred's forehead as frustration became mixed with her apparent embarrassment. Unable to take that out on Astolfo of all people, Mordred could only stay silent. When the Rider got no reply, he continued happily pushing the Saber's buttons.
"Want me to guess? I can be pretty imaginative..."
Panicking upon hearing that, Mordred stops him, wavering her hand in front of the paladin in surrender.
"No! No... I don't need to hear what you have in that whacked noggin of yours. Fine, I'll spill..."
Astolfo smiled and leaned forward attentively. Taking a deep breath, Mordred reveals to him:
"Queenie showed me her guitar collection and she let me play."
Astolfo's eyes widened in surprise. Little did he and Mordred know, Cu Chulainn started paying more attention to them when the Red Saber's words reached his ears. The Lancer turned his head slightly to eavesdrop on the two servants behind him.
"Really?!" Astolfo said, intrigued. He and Jekyll were the only two servants who knew Mordred played guitar. "I never would have guessed that."
"That's why I didn't let you..." Mordred remarked bluntly.
"How did that happen?" the Rider asked. "I never thought she would let you play with any of her stuff after... you know."
Mordred narrowed her eyes, aware that the paladin along with everyone else saw how Scathach confronted her the day previous. Leaving out the fact that she went into the warrior queen's museum to "borrow" one her prized cars, Mordred continued.
"Not important. Scathach had some pretty nice stuff in there, and it was pretty cool TBH..."
Cu Chulainn's curiosity piqued as Astolfo points out:
"You're even calling her by her name!" the Rider cheerily said. "She must have got on your good side; a complete one-eighty from before..."
"We... had an understanding of sorts," Mordred reluctantly stated. "I guess she's not as bad as I thought..."
"Wow..." Astolfo lets out. He never would have imagined Scathach, who Mordred did not like at all, would give the Knight leeway to play with some of the things in her museum (or whatever she called it), especially considering how strict the warrior queen was with her yesterday. It was also surprising that Scathach had something in that vast chamber of treasures that grabbed Mordred's interest, aside from the queen's collection of cars.
Thinking back to when they all set foot in that museum, Astolfo himself spotted something in there that grabbed his attention like nothing else did, but Jeanne pulled him away before he could get a closer look. The Rider wondered if he should go in there and try and find it again.
Because whatever the paladin believed he saw, it was of particular importance to him personally...
Does she really have it?
"So," Astolfo continues, putting that thought aside to focus on Mordred. "How much of that music stuff does she have?"
"Too many to count," replied the Red Saber. "She's also got rows of albums upon albums that she plays on a jukebox."
Cu Chulainn takes mental notes as he listened to Mordred listing the things that Scathach kept in her "music room." It becomes apparent to him that Scathach had developed an affinity to music in recent decades, and judging from what Mordred was unknowingly revealing to him, it was of a substantial interest to the warrior queen than just dabbling.
An idea started forming in the Lancer's head; a way to maybe bring down the walls Scathach put around herself since his return to the forest, and perhaps get through to her...
"Relay online... Everything's green on my end."
Gudao finished setting up a remote connection for Chaldea to send data to his and Gabrielle's devices, even from within the dark forest. Assisted with magecraft, Gudao could now communicate with Roman without the need for Mashu's shield. The master held up his data pad and the holographic screen showed Roman back at Chaldea's Operations Room. The doctor's voice and image cuts through a wall of static.
"I- comin- -ough n-w... Hol- -n a- -sec..."
Gudao sees Roman adjusting something off-screen, and his image clears up.
"There we go!" Roman said, his voice now coming through intact. "Seems we finally isolated the magical signatures coming from your location. We are now officially using the leyline to bridge our signals between each other. I'm sending you the files now..."
After several seconds, Gudao gets a notification of the data Roman sent to him.
"I got it," the master stated, satisfied. What the doctor sent him was Mashu's most recent health analysis report. "Is that everything, doctor?"
"Yes, Gudao. I've sent you the latest data on what's happening with Mashu. I'm going to warn you now..."
Sifting through images and projections briefly, Gudao braced himself for bad news.
"Just go ahead..." the master said to Roman, who sighed before...
"We haven't yet found a way to stop Mashu's cellular degradation. It would seem as if her cells have a set expiry date."
"I see..." Gudao acknowledged with a heavy heart. When he and Gabrielle first learned of Mashu's condition, Dr. Roman theorized that it must have been due to her being a Demi-Servant, and her saint-graph was consuming through Mashu's frail human body. With Mashu being the only person to survive bearing the essence of a Heroic Spirit, there was no way anyone could have known of any side effects.
The Servant Mashu bonded with made her strong, but was slowly killing her...
"How long does she have?" Gudao worked up the courage to ask, and Roman starts solemnly.
"Based on latest projections... she'd be lucky to see the end of the year."
The boy fell silent. The news was worse than he imagined. He wanted to curse whatever circumstance had condemned the brave, sweet girl he was partnered with to such a fate. Mashu did not deserve what was happening to her... not after all the good she, the masters, and other Servants had done together.
"Gudao..." Roman then said to him with sympathy. "Don't think we're not still trying to save her. You know I'll keep trying right to the last breath. Stay hopeful, okay?"
Gudao sighs.
"I can try. Just keep me updated regularly. I'll send these to Gabby later and make sure Mashu doesn't see these yet..."
After another awkward silence, Roman shared what was his mind, knowing Gudao was thinking the same thing.
"I know it's hard lying to her, but if she were to-" Roman stops himself, unable to bear the thought of even saying it. "I... I just want to see her smile."
Gudao eventually nods in agreement.
"As me and Gabby do... I'll contact you later, Roman."
"Stay safe out there."
With that, Roman's image disappeared, leaving Gudao alone in his quarters as he soon after turned off his data pad, and with a lot of stuff on his mind. Namely, if he should follow through on what he and Gabrielle agreed on earlier:
Telling Mashu the truth about her condition when they all return to Chaldea.
Gudao sighed again, knowing that scenario would be a messy one. There was just no telling how Mashu would react after having been kept in the dark about this since the end of the American Singularity. Gudao feared that even the Demi-Servant did not end up resenting him, Gabrielle, or Roman, the one certainty was that at the very least, Mashu would be greatly distraught over the news.
Maybe I should have asked Roman about not keeping this secret anymore, Guado thought before backpedaling. No... The last thing Roman would want is me breaking Mashu's heart. If Mashu won't hate me, Roman probably will...
Gudao's frustration grew. There was no "right" way of how to handle the knowledge of Mashu's condition. The boy was more conflicted than ever.
Maybe she shouldn't know after all...
After being lost in thought for several minutes, Gudao eventually decided to rejoin Gabrielle and the Servants in the dining hall before anyone got worried about him... or suspicious. The boy master left the room and absent-mindedly walked through the halls of Castle Dunscaith, obsessing over his conversation with Roman. Those thoughts were halted dead in their tracks after Gudao turned a corner and was met with-
Well, let's just say what the master saw forced him to quickly avert his eyes...
"Whoa!" Gudao exclaimed in surprise, before covering his eyes with his arm. "Scathach?!"
"Ah, young master..." the voice of the warrior queen greeted him calmly. "Is something wrong?"
A bold blush quickly formed on Gudao's face, for just a moment ago before looking away, he caught a glimpse of Scathach standing before him wearing a towel draped over her shoulders...
And nothing else.
"Uh... You're-! You're...!"
Unable to shake the image out of his head, Gudao stammers with embarrassment, not even able to even say the word.
"Hmmm?" Scathach let out curiously, sounding unaware of the state Gudao found her in, at least until- "Oh, I see..."
Gudao could have pictured Scathach looking down at herself in that moment, but forced it down, not wanting to be tempted to look at the "burning sun." He then briefly heard the sound of fabric rustling, before...
"There... you can look," Scathach's reassuring voice initially did not make Gudao lower his arm from his face. As if sensing the boy's hesitation, the warrior queen then added cheekily, "I promise I won't bite..."
Finally daring to lower his guard, Gudao relaxed and moved his arm down from his face, allowing his eyes to fall upon Scathach again. There she was, with her towel now tied around her chest and stopping just a little past her hips. Gudao could also see that Scathach's hair was damp, and water droplets stuck to her neck, shoulders, legs...
Gudao felt his face heat up more, and his heart pounding hard at the alluring sight of the warrior queen standing before him shamelessly like this. His blush still apparent, the master forced himself to stop focusing on Scathach herself and instead on why he found her in this state.
"What are you doing?" Gudao demanded, perhaps more accusingly than he should have. To his surprise, Scathach was shockingly calm about this, considering...
"My apologies," Scathach said, almost amusingly. "I was just taking a bath after my hunt... I've gotten so used to living alone with my daughter and the Revenants that I never paid heed to my privacy."
"So you just walk around... naked?" Gudao asked nervously, expecting nothing short of admonishment for seeing Scathach so indecent. The warrior queen, however, just humored him.
"An odd habit I picked up... No need to be embarrassed. This isn't the first time something like this happened to me..."
Scathach trailed off when she noticed Gudao turned away, and not looking at her for any more than a split second. Her visage then changed to that of concern for the boy.
"Are you okay, Gudao?"
Gudao was thankful that Scathach could not read his mind, as every time he glanced at the warrior queen in just a towel, he keeps looking away the moment he unintentionally imagines her without it.
"I- I'm fine...r-really..." Gudao struggles to hide his growing shame. "I just-"
"Your heart is still racing," Scathach stated observingly, and Gudao notices her leaning closer towards him with a narrowed gaze. "Are you are still thinking about my body?"
"I'm not!" Gudao denied, only for his blush to deepen. He knew it was wrong to reduce the image of his host and mentor to mere eye-candy, but after seeing her, he just could not help it. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy sees Scathach then tilt her head curiously.
"Why are you looking away?" Her tone sounded genuine, and unbeknownst to Gudao, Scathach really wanted to know why he would not look at her. "Is there something wrong with how I look?"
"No, not at all!" Gudao said quickly, not wanting to offend her. "In fact, I think you're- uh..."
"Yes?" Scathach asked when the master hesitated. Gudao feared that if he said something remotely vulgar at this point it would earn him Scathach's wrath. The warrior queen then assures him, "You can say what's on your mind. I won't-"
"It's shameful of me!" Gudao exclaimed, casting his head down on the floor. He could not stand the thought of him telling her how... "endowed" Scathach was without her being disgusted with him afterwards. His blush deepening even more, he heard the warrior queen let out a frustrated sigh.
"I can't talk to you like this," she said before gently telling Gudao, "Just get it out of your system, young master. Really, I insist... Look at me-"
"Okay, fine!" Gudao caves in after Scathach's insistence, standing up straight and finally face her. "I think you're beautiful and take excellent care of yourself! Arguably, you are the hottest, sexiest woman I've ever seen!"
Scathach looked caught off-guard by Gudao's brutal honesty. The master's face was red with embarrassment as he stared into the warrior queen's eyes and tried very hard not to look ANYWHERE else. When Scathach then gave the master a peculiar look as if he was being a degenerate, Gudao feared the worst. Silence hung in the air until-
"Alright then..." Scathach said contently, her mouth forming a satisfied smirk. "Thank you. Are you feeling better?"
Gudao blinked in surprise and his blush disappeared. He stared at Scathach, coming to the realization that she was not at all mad at him, and found that he could look at her again.
"Y- Yeah..." Gudao replied, almost astonished at that fact. When Scathach smiled at him, Gudao could not help but ask nervously, "That's it? You're not gonna... get angry?"
Scathach's smile faded, and she tilted her head in confusion.
"Why?"
Her answer flabbergasted Gudao, as most women would be embarrassed and angry at being seen indecent, or so he has read in manga. Yet it seems that this scenario completely missed Scathach, and the master found himself needing to explain:
"Usually when this sort of thing happens, the girl pulverizes the guy for violating her privacy."
Scathach looked surprised at that, like it seemed ridiculous to her.
"My, times have certainly changed..." she remarked solemnly, perturbing Gudao. "Do ALL men these days cower at the sight of a woman?"
""Humble," actually. You find that strange?" he asked curiously.
"That I would be mad that you saw me naked? It was only an accident," Scathach's honest answer astounded him. "Besides, not like I'm hiding very much to begin with, so I am not ashamed. I'll even fight naked if I must."
Gudao's blush returned briefly at that image but stamped it down to ask the obvious question.
"Aren't you worried men would think, uh... different of you?"
Scathach smirked again and her eyes narrowed, seemingly understanding where Gudao was going with this.
"If men are really that perverse, I'd see to it that anyone who saw me like this don't get the chance to go around bragging about it."
Gudao gulped, but then she said calmly:
"My students learn to have the utmost respect for those giving them hard lessons. Whenever this happens, we go into a collective agreement to never speak of this again. I am well aware that my centuries of honing myself have made me appear particularly... "desirable." Appreciating beauty is a trait every human has. Men and women will have their fantasies and fetishes, so there's no point making a fuss about it..."
Gudao was amazed at Scathach's stance. She really does not seem like the type of person to feel any shame in herself and was content if anyone saw her indecently if said person respected her enough to not make it a big deal. He never thought that such a woman could exist, given current society's standards.
Still, given Scathach's "confidence" in herself, Gudao had no doubt that if she really wanted to-
"In case you were wondering, young master..." Scathach said suggestively, catching his attention. Gudao's heartrate spiked when she came up to him looking at him seductively. "You would not be wrong in thinking that I am more than capable of fulfilling such... "fantasies." But the thing is, someone like you probably won't last a night with me. I could snap you in half by accident..."
"Wha-?!" Gudao was speechless, his blush returning in full. Scathach just laughed at his reaction.
"I'm only kidding around..." she told him. "Men these days or so easy to tease, apparently."
Gudao took a deep breath and sighed.
"Please don't do that..."
"Again, my apologies," Scathach said before changing tone. "Seriously though... for you to indulge in a night with me? NOT going to end well for you. Never stop dreaming, young master."
Gudao could not argue with that. If his and Gabrielle's little spar with Scathach earlier was any indication, she would be WAY too strong for an average man to have "fun" with.
"And to be perfectly frank," she continued. "I think you are already spoken for."
"You mean... me and Mashu?" Gudao asks, and Scathach nods in reply.
"It wasn't hard to see, young master. Is that why you acted so uncomfortable in seeing my body?"
"I... didn't want to make Mashu jealous by putting you above her."
Scathach smiles at him again.
"You're considerate, and very sweet. Mashu is fortunate..."
"Very..." Gudao said with a hesitant smile before eventually following that with, "I should probably meet back with her."
Scathach stood there as the master started walking past her almost in a hurry, but once he did-
"Does she know?"
Gudao froze in his tracks at the seriousness in the warrior queen's voice, who just revealed that she was aware of Mashu's condition. He then turned back to her in shock.
"How-?!" Gudao starts only for Scathach to cut him off.
"Please..." she tapped her ear with a finger, making Gudao deduce that Scathach was able to pick up on Mashu's irregular heartbeat. Considering this reveal, Gudao determined that there was no point lying to the warrior queen about this.
"No. She doesn't..." the master said solemnly. "And if she did..."
Gudao trails off, but it seemed that Scathach could sense his dilemma.
"I understand," she said to him before adding, "But it won't make it hurt any less."
The boy master locked eyes with Scathach, who was looking over her shoulder at him with a serious expression. Gudao was at a loss of what to do, so he asks her pleadingly:
"You're saying I should let her know that-? That..."
Gudao choked up, unable to say what he dreaded. Scathach's gaze softens with pity.
"Do what you feel is right, young master. That's the most you can do for her..."
Scathach then proceeded to walk away, leaving Gudao in the hallway at a bit of a loss. He stares at her retreating form, at least feeling somewhat assured that Scathach will keep his secret safe. Almost a minute passes, and Gudao stayed planted where he was standing, eventually concluding that he should keep faith in that maybe Mashu CAN be saved, and that when their tenure here at Castle Dunscaith, that she should know everything going on with her.
The master internally promised that he would tell Mashu himself, no matter how upset she might get at him. And the other servants too...
There will be a time for that... Mashu and the others need to focus on training first.
With that matter settled, Gudao felt some of his burden lift off from his shoulders. Now that his mind was not weighed down, at least for the moment, the master found it wandering someplace else...
That Scathach... Cu wasn't kidding about how wise she was. Didn't he say something in Edinburgh about not spoiling her looks?
Admiration for Scathach's wisdom soon drifted on the "other" quality she possessed; Scathach's shameless form quickly appearing in Gudao's head. In her absence, the master was feeling flustered, recalling how calm Scathach was at being seen like that, along with how she mentioned having a particular "talent,"; saying how in such a case she might accidentally break him like a twig...
Now that I think about it... it wouldn't be a bad way to go-
"There you are, Master!"
-!
Gudao's fantasy was shattered when Cu Chulainn appeared behind him. With a blush still present on his face, the master turned around and tried to "play it cool." He didn't know what the Lancer would think of the fact that he had just seen his mentor... bare.
"Oh. Hey Lancer!" he said awkwardly, coming across as a bit too cheery for the Lancer to simply accept. "Where you looking for me?"
"Yeah," Cu's tone betrayed his suspicion. "Everyone won't turn in until they know you haven't gotten yourself lost. Is everything alright?"
"Spectacular..." Gudao tried to sound as convincing as he could with "that" still fresh in his mind. His face fell when Cu narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his hip. His question was blunt...
"You saw Teacher naked, didn't you?"
Gudao stiffened now that Cu deduced what happened minutes ago perfectly. The master knew nothing he could say would convince the Lancer of otherwise.
"I- it was an accident!" he pleaded. "I swear-!"
"Shhhh" Cu curtly raised a hand to silence him before saying calmly, "I know."
Gudao stared at him, the Lancer's reaction being NOT what he expected... even though he did not know how Cu even would at that fact.
"You don't sound surprised..." Gudao noted. In fact, it sounded to the master that Cu seemed rather... disappointed. Thankfully, it did not take long for the Lancer to explain himself.
"Here's the thing, lad... what happened is a result of Scathach not having real human interaction for centuries; No shame because there's no one around for her to feel that way towards. I'm not mad at either of you at all. If anything, I pity her."
"Was she... always like this?" Gudao asked hesitantly, and Cu nods in reply.
"As far as I can remember," he revealed. "Which tells me that before taking on students, Teacher must have had an even longer period without anyone around."
"Anyone? What about, Uathach?" When Cu gave him an awkward look, Gudao tried to clarify, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean something lewd or anythin-!"
Cu raised his hand again, stopping Gudao right there.
"Imagination is a great and dangerous thing, master," he cautioned. "I'm sure the little lass is mostly the reason Scathach is still acceptable to interact with."
Gudao was internally kicking himself for thinking of such an unspeakable thing. So much so that he did not think about what came out of his mouth next concerning the elusive girl that was Scathach's daughter.
"What even is Uathach's deal anyway? Who's her father?"
Cu looked at him, almost surprised that Gudao would be bold enough to ask that. The master quickly realized what he said and figured it must have been wrong of him to after-
"Someone Scathach deeply cared about," Cu said in earnest. "...Enough to put her trust in completely. I know Teacher doesn't offer herself for no reason."
When the Lancer did not elaborate further, Gudao brought the conversation back on topic.
"So you're not mad that...?"
Cu shook his head, alleviating Gudao. The Lancer then turned, looking away from the master.
"But Scathach is very beautiful, isn't she?" he said nostalgically, almost like he forgot his master was even there, listening. "She takes as much pride in her appearance as she does in honing her skills and doing her duty as guardian."
Gudao stayed silent in astonishment as Cu then added solemnly:
"If she wasn't bound to this place and just allowed herself some simple pleasures regular humans cherish, her beauty would shine even more."
The master did not know what to say, having never seen the Hound of Ulster so vulnerable like this. From the way the Lancer was speaking of his mentor, Scathach seemed like much more than that to him, and perhaps the warrior queen was not as perfect as she seemed despite it.
"Think she'll tell us what this whole place is for?" Gudao found himself asking, changing the subject. "This place is just a goldmine of knowledge..."
Cu turns to the master and replies:
"If no one else has to know, Master. The Mage's Association I'm sure will stop at nothing to see what lies inside this forest and castle."
The Lancer then smiled.
"Not that'll matter when it comes to Teacher..."
Gudao could not help but agree. If Scathach could hold her own against Servants, the master imagines that she will just sweep away an army of less powerful mages without much effort. Still, the fact that the warrior queen was defending this place so adamantly made Gudao curious as to what was here that the Mage's Association might try and possess at any cost...
While he was pondering this, Cu put an arm on Gudao's shoulder, making the master look up.
"You should meet up with the others before turning in for the night, Master," he instructed before turning away and walking down the hallway, to which Gudao noticed, was not in the direction back to the dining hall.
"Where are you going?"
Without stopping, Cu glances over his shoulder and answers cryptically:
"To check up on a certain someone..."