The Queen of Shadows

Chapter 22: Forge and Temper (Part 1)

Recap:

Last time on "The Queen of Shadows"...

After a fierce encounter with the warrior queen, Scathach agrees to train the masters and servants of Chaldea to become strong enough to face their great enemy; Solomon. They soon found themselves host to the warrior queen in her fortress, brimming with unknown magic, treasures, and mystery. With their first day training with the warrior queen ending with more animosity between the servants, the masters slowly come to the realization that even with Scathach's tutelage, they all have a long way to go to hone themselves for the coming battles...

Present Day

Morning had broken in the Hidden Forest, marking the start of a new day, and with it; another training session with the forest's watchful protector: Scathach the Shadow. After another explosive wakening, the servants of Chaldea found themselves on the edge of the forest, starting the day with an all-out-spar against the powerful warrior-queen.

Suffice it to say, it has not been going very well...

(CLANG!)

"Tch!"

Mashu found herself pushed back after a failed assault on Scathach. The other servants, having already had at least one turn each, were either limping or kneeling along the outside the outer ring of the makeshift arena in a battered state. Scathach stands in the center with her spear brandished, and not at all tired like the rest of her pupils. With scratches and dents all over her shield from the warrior-queen's spear, Mashu steels herself and dashes forward for another attack. The Demi-servant spins for a horizontal slash with her shield which was deflected by Gae Bolg. Mashu recovers quickly and reorients to jab the long flange of her shield at Scathach. The warrior-queen swiftly sidesteps, spins and kicks Mashu in her side, sending her flying out of the ring. She tumbles and rolls across the ground to an eventual stop, and she forces herself up using her shield for support. Mashu stands leaning and panting in exhaustion as Scathach announces:

"None of you are going to get the upper hand on me like this," she says while standing up from the tiny inner ring of the arena. Since this exercise began, she had yet to step one foot out of this spot. "A team fights by coordinating their attacks and keeping pressure on the opponent. What you are all doing is merely taking turns fighting, and that only ensures defeat."

Arturia, who had been watching after the beating she took from Scathach moments before, laments how poorly she and the other Servants have all been doing against the Guardian of Dunscaith so far. Although she was sure that Scathach had not slipped them any of her mana-diminishing potion again, all that did was confirm just how inconsequential she and the other servants are to Scathach in terms of power. Even with them practically at full strength, they all struggled against her.

With such a power gap between us, Scathach may be right; in any one-on-one with her, a servant won't stand a chance. It will require real teamwork.

But there was just one problem: so far, the servants have not been coordinating very well in this regard. Scathach turned out to be so skilled on top of her tremendous strength that she tore apart any weakness in all assaults thrown her way. She was a wall that just would NOT be moved unless Chaldea was able hit her harder and smarter. While Arturia had no issues with working with anyone she needed to overcome a substantial obstacle, she knew there was at least one person on the team who was not so willing to work with her.

Said person was across to her right, supporting herself with her sword while visibly seething at the warrior-queen.

Mordred had been "lone wolfing" the most out of the other servants by far, and it has resulted in her paying for it with a heavy beating, exemplified by the dents and scratches on her armor. She was the most eager to take out some much-needed aggression on Scathach but was left fuming in frustration every time she was brushed aside, attacking first before anyone else could help her; not that she even wanted that help in the first place.