Fragments (Entrapdak)

X: Integration

"Hyaa!"

Frosta came flying at him, and Hordak ducked out of the way. Her movements were becoming easier for him to predict.

Twisting as she landed, Frosta flung an ice missile toward him. Hordak deflected it with a sweep of his arm. His armor was not even dented.

Hordak sidestepped as Frosta leapt at him again, missing by a wide margin. She was far more suited for distance attacks, yet not only did she insist on close range combat, she continually flung herself up to his height. "You are wasting your strength," he commented. "Calculate your strikes."

Frosta ground her ice fists together. The ice encasing her hands looked extra large on her small frame without her coat. She'd taken it off in the heat of the day. "I have plenty of strength to take on an old-timer like you!"

She does indeed seem to have boundless energy. Hordak had to carefully conserve his own, allowing Frosta to tire herself while he defended against her attacks with as little movement as possible.

The ice princess hurled several more spikes at him. As Hordak blocked them, he saw Frosta dart for the opening she'd created, moving to strike his side. Hordak spun aside and made a grab for her as she passed. Frosta struck his arm aside with a single ice fist, then hopped back to give herself some distance.

Hordak inclined his head. "Better."

"This is so exciting!" Entrapta trilled. "The armor appears to be working at full capacity. Do you mind if I run a few tests?"

"Not at all." Hordak relaxed his posture, indicating to Frosta their spar was over.

Frosta deflated. "That can't be all you've got," she complained. "I've still got plenty left!"

"Good. You must be ready in the event our encampment is discovered."

The ice princess grumbled but didn't argue.

"I'll stand guard with you, Frosta," Spinnerella offered as she stepped out from the shade of the cave. "I could use the fresh air."

Hordak followed Entrapta back inside, brushing droplets of melted snow from his armor. With mild concern he noticed Entrapta was not wearing PEArL and the skin of her exposed back was slightly pink. The machinery had overheated again. Neither one of them had managed to discover the cause of the issue. The circuitry appeared functional and undamaged, leading Entrapta to hypothesize it could be due to the hot climate. At the very least, she was more conscious of the problem and took breaks to allow the apparatus to cool off.

"I did not know you had come to watch," Hordak said to her.

"I didn't want to spoil the data, so I stayed quiet," Entrapta replied. "I knew I had to come see the armor in action! Your duel with Sea Hawk gave me hardly any data at all."

"Yes, it was quite a short encounter. I suspect he was not taking the fight seriously."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Hordak paused to consider. "Sea Hawk is overeager and has a habit of... unnecessary movements, but his reflexes are sharp and he handles his weapon with expert familiarity. I do not believe him to be an incompetent fighter."

"Are you going to test that theory when we're all back together again?"

"Perhaps."

They passed Kadroh on their way to Entrapta's workstation and he waved vigorously. He was helping the others with food preparation. As Hordak expected, Kadroh had refused solid food during his first days with the Alliance. Scorpia finally coaxed him to try blueberries on the fourth day. Ever since then, Kadroh was filled with an insatiable curiosity about food and what was and wasn't edible. He was eventually trusted to help with meals, but despite his enthusiasm, or perhaps because of it, he still needed strict supervision.