The Queen of Shadows

Chapter 26: Scathach's Challenge (Part 2)

(BANG!)

"Bullseye!" Gabrielle said after destroying a training drone with a well-placed lightning rune. She then turned and casts a strand rune, ensnaring another drone about to shoot her from behind. After which, her brother Gudao blew it up with a fire rune. Before either of them knew it, all their test opponents were dealt with.

"That's the last 'em," Gudao calmly announced after he and his sister for the first time successfully passed one of Scathach's combat trials thanks to their training thus far in combination with their teamwork and coordination. They found that unlike their last session that mana strain did not weigh on them as much as before, indicating that their magic circuits were conditioned and improving as well.

Scathach's training has truly started to bear fruit for the Chaldean Masters.

"Was that all?" Gabrielle bragged as she stretched her arms. "I got more gas in my tank..."

"Yeah," Gudao agreed, cracking his neck and rotating his shoulders. "I feel like I can take on a Servant."

Gabrielle was flexing her back as she heard that last part, and it got her thinking:

"Speaking of Servants," she starts concerned. "Think they're okay?"

Gudao paused his stretches now that the mood had shifted.

"I'm sensing déjà vu here..." he remarked, remembering that their Servants were not having as easy a time with Scathach's training than he and Gabrielle were, and currently going through one of Scathach's brutal training in the forest while they were here atop Scathach's castle. Gudao was cautiously optimistic as he then said "The Servants handled much worse than a little stroll through a monster-infested forest Gabby. If anything, this is a vacation in comparison to any singularity..."

Gudao could see Gabrielle's face falter a bit, indicating the possibility of their Servants getting hurt was beside her REAL concern.

"I meant Arty and Mordred..." she revealed. "They don't do well together... aren't YOU worried?"

Gudao did not answer right away. Yesterday, HE was the one expressing worry over their Servants, now with Gabrielle being the one having doubts found himself needing to be the optimist between them. ONE of them had to be if they were to stay focused on THEIR objective, which was being the Masters their Servants needed he and her sister need them to be. Right now, they had to expand their knowledge of magecraft before they could do anything about lack of camaraderie between their two Saber-class Servants; two of their strongest Servants in general.

"The whole point of us being here is so our Servants shape up and work together as a team," Gudao assures his sister. "Arturia and Mordred both know that... they aren't going to let animosity get in the way of doing what needs to be done."

Gabrielle was not so convinced, remembering after first day of training how Arturia and Mordred almost came to blows. Now the two Sabers are reluctant teammates, which seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Still, that's not stopping them from fighting. Scathach stuck them together and sent them into the forest with no buffer between them. I feel like one of us should be there with them. They are our friends..."

Then a new voice cut in.

"Friends aren't what your team needs right now..."

The Masters turned to see their mentor, Scathach, descend from the castle wall nearby and land before them, having been watching the two of them train all morning.

"... It's leaders," the warrior queen finished before walking toward Gudao and Gabrielle, proceeding to then say:

"Not to undercut what you and your Servants have went through so far... you both fallen into your roles as their Masters. But it seems you two hesitate when you need to put your collective foot down and put your Servants in order. Arturia and Mordred will not be clashing nearly as much if either of you step in to de-escalate their conflict. They may not be the last Servants you will have to give a stern shaking-down if you have more battles in the future."