The Queen of Shadows

Chapter 3: A Shoulder to Lean On

Chaldea is a state of the art facility. The research and development that occurs here represents the absolute cutting edge of technology and magecraft. Just about every aspect of Chaldea implements these innovations in a purposeful way, although some more than others. The Rayshift chamber is one such marvel, as it is what allows Chaldea to perform its primary task, allowing travel to the temporal singularities manifested by the King of Mages. The massive device is the culmination of all the knowledge and progress of all of mankind up to this point.

In other areas of Chaldea, advanced technology had a more mundane use. This was especially evident in one of the facility's recreational areas: The Gymnasium.

To an outsider, this one room in no way looks like an average fitness centre. The machines all had a closed, fiberglass shell construction that resembled a CAT scanner, or some concept vehicle. The only things on each of them that merely suggested they were for fitness were the handles, pedals, and whatnot. There were no traditional weights or pulleys here on any of them; instead they had a digital display that can set resistance from what is normal for a human to levels that are absolutely absurd. That was because this gym wasn't made primarily for an ordinary human, but rather for something much, much stronger.

Ninety Seven...

Ninety Eight...

Ninety Nine...

One Hundred.

Arturia Pendragon just finished doing bicep curls on one such machine. She was dressed in a form-hugging tank top and yoga pants, having done 100 reps on a 500+ pound setting. The Saber got up and started stretching, relieving what little fatigue built in her muscles. As a servant, she was much stronger and faster than ordinary humans, but one would never know it simply by looking at her delicate frame. Mana gives their bodies a form that could withstand huge amounts of physical stress put on them. Whether physical conditioning actually benefited servants as it did humans in any way, it did not really matter to the King of Knights. Arturia sort of enjoyed exercising, finding it deeply meditative and relaxing.

Especially after the events of today...

After stretching, Arturia made her way to the centerpiece of the gym; a large sparring-arena, enclosed with transparent, bullet-resistant glass. She grabbed a practice sword made of carbon-fiber, and made her way inside. A sliding door closed behind her as she stepped into a glowing circle in the center of the space. A holographic display appears in front of her, and she uses it to set the parameters of the exercise:

Opponents: 7

Difficulty: Maximum

Conditions: One hit, one kill

Time limit: 1 minute

She presses [SIMULATE]

Arturia stands in center with her sword as 7 robots appeared in the arena. They were all humanoid in design, having a red light lit on their chests, standing at least 6 tall and moved with surprising similarity to a human. These training robots were designed by Da Vinci to match the strength and speed of a servant, and also take a lot of punishment. They each held a projected holo-weapon that resembled a sword, and formed a circle around the Saber.

This was the preferred method of training the Saber gravitated to; fighting physical opponents rather than VR simulated ones. Arturia readies herself, holding her sword in front of her and closed her eyes.

Breathe In...

The conditions of the exercise were simple; knockout each opponent with a single hit. Get hit once, she loses. As if things weren't hard enough for her already, Arturia added a condition of her own: fight with the least amount of strength possible, and win with skill alone. She embedded these in her mind as she inhaled.