Private Lesson

"ACCESS DENIED. ONLY THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF CHALDEA IS ALLOWED TO BYPASS ENGINEERING SECURITY CLEARANCE."

The automated sound emanated from a terminal that a frustrated staff-member of Chaldea was trying to access.

"For crying out loud! I am the Acting Director you wretched A.I,. Now open the door."

"IT WOULD NOT HURT TO SAY "PLEASE" ONCE IN A WHILE..."

Roman sighed as SHEBA at last granted clearance and the doors to the Engineering Division slid open. He would've wanted to give whoever programmed Chaldea's A.I a piece of his mind if not for the more pressing issue at hand. The doctor decided it was time to see why Da Vinci was being so secretive since the masters and servants left for Scotland, and he wanted to know what the Caster had been working on these past couple of days.

Upon arriving however, Roman was surprised to see so many people here. Apart from himself, only Leonardo Da Vinci had the authority to reassign employees to a specific division should the need arise, which in this case was helping her build whatever hare-brained scheme she currently had in mind. Roman weaved through the hustle-and-bustle of engineers moving parts, using power tools, and giving each other directions as he looked for any sign of Da Vinci. While he was looking for her, he couldn't help but pay heed to the massive machine in the center of the action. Suspended above the workshop floor was what looked to be some kind of sleek, futuristic aircraft with sections of its fuselage and inner systems exposed. It was big and spacious, but clearly still a work-in-progress, as Roman's eyes scanned the underside of the plane's wing and he finally spots her.

Suspended on a harness and wearing a brightly-colored mechanic's outfit and welding mask, Da Vinci just finished welding some internal components together and closed the opening with a metal panel before raising the mask from her grease-stained face and spoke into her comm-link.

"Okay Rami... Try it now..."

In response, an "engine" whirls to life behind her and hums with an orange glow. Satisfied, Da Vinci spoke into her comm again.

"Propulsion looks good. We're done with the engines."

Da Vinci then activates a winch that quickly lowers her back to the ground. She lands on her feet gracefully beside Roman and unhooks herself from her harness.

"Ah, Roman," Da Vinci cheerily greeted as she took off her face-shield and let her hair fall past her shoulders. "I thought you would be in medical...What brings you here during your normal work schedule?"

"Well for starters..." Roman began like his reason should have seemed obvious to the Caster. "How about you conscripting a third of Chaldea's workforce for whatever science-project you've got going on here?"

"I beg your pardon..." the inventor feigned offence as she wiped her face with a cloth, cleaning off most of the grease on it. "I object to you calling this a science-project so callously. I'm building something ultimately useful..."

She started walking across the bustling garage and Roman followed close behind.

"This is a waste of resources Leona," the doctor tries convincing her. "We've got enough planes in Chaldea."

"NOT one that can be taken into a singularity, Roman," Da Vinci pointed out. "Which is what I've designed THIS beauty for..."

"Taken into a- what?!" Roman said in disbelief as they walked past a group of mechanics lugging what looked to be some kind of modular motorcycle on a dolly. Briefly ignoring the doctor, Da Vinci quickly instructed the technicians.

"That's going in the deployment port inside the cabin, guys."

As soon as duo was past them, Roman continued.

"Wait just a second... You want to rayshift an entire plane?!"

"Of course not," The Caster clarified. "It's coming with me when I go on assignment. The aircraft is made with my invention skill and is intrinsically tied to me. I can deploy it handily in a pinch."

"You want to go on assignment? Why?"

"I'm a servant too, Roman." Da Vinci said as they came up to a test-range away from the assembled aircraft. "I need to join the action at some point."

They stopped at a table where Roman can see a transparent box full of tiny machines, glowing and hovering like fireflies in a very elaborate, geometrical pattern. Down range was a suit of medieval-style armor that was hooked up and wired to a container housing a glowing magical artifact. Roman was observing with genuine interest and asked.

"Is that-?"

"The power-core of Babbage's armor from the London singularity?" Da Vinci finished for him. "Yes, it is. With some tweaks, I've used it to imprint a signature close to that of a servant's saint-graph on to my test analog; in this case, a suit of armor."

"What for?"

The Caster handed Roman some safety goggles to don, and said with a smile:

"Watch this..."

Da Vinci summoned her staff, which glowed as she then tapped it once on the floor. In response, the swarm of tiny machines flew towards the armor and latched on. A wave of mana flowed from the point of contact as the machines assembled and added additional details and augments to the suit of armor; the most distinct of which were propulsion engines, wrist-mounted weapons, as well as a more sleek, industrial look to the suit.

"Whoa," Roman let out in awe. "How did you do that?"

"Nano-machines, son," Da Vinci joked as she then tapped her staff twice, and on cue, the augments on the armor dematerialized back into nano-machines and flew back towards the duo. The Caster holds out her hand as the swarm of machines converge and form a rigid, rubix cube-like structure on her palm.

"I call them Transmodifiers," she said as she gently put the steel cube back on the table. "They interact in tandem with a servant's saint-graph, and tweaks it slightly to give them additional powers and abilities."

She then heads to the break area while Roman follows her.

"So basically, servant augmentation is what you've done?"

"Yup," The Caster nods. "I know some of the more "hands-on" bunch would appreciate the boost. Mordred definitely will..."

"Do I want to ask where you got that idea from?"

"Last movie night..."

Roman almost chuckled at that. He remembered last time he along with the masters and servants watched a movie at the projection room, and it happened to be a superhero-flick. There was fantastical tech portrayed in that movie that the doctor should have known would give Da Vinci ideas. If history's greatest inventor could perceive it, then as a servant she can definitely make it. Roman could amusingly think of the resident Caster as the "Tony Stark" of Chaldea.

When soon they arrived, Da Vinci was pouring herself a cup of coffee when Roman was compelled to ask:

"Why are you doing this, Leona?" Roman leans against the counter with his arms crossed as the Caster took a blissful sip of her beverage. "With your skill-set, you're better off supporting us here at base. Are you sure you want to be in the thick of all the fighting?"

Da Vinci put her cup down and sighed as she then explained to the doctor.

"Every servant summoned to Chaldea was done so with the sole purpose to protect humanity. I can't really do that if I stay cooped-up here you know? I could be doing more to help the ones who are fighting, I have a feeling that when the time comes, the masters will need me out there in the action..."

"But we need you here," Roman tells her tenderly. He understood how the Caster felt; never being out on the field since her summoning. Da Vinci was the only servant summoned by Marisbury Animusphere himself before his passing, and it was his dying wish that the Caster remained in Chaldea to contribute and support his daughter Olga. "You are just as important than any warrior-servant. Don't think that not joining the others demeans you in anyway. Please Leona... I don't want-"

Roman stopped himself before he gave too much away, but saw Da Vinci giving him a rather questioning look; emphasized by her giving him a sideways glance and a raised eyebrow. The doctor eventually corrected himself.

"WE don't want to lose you..."

It wasn't a lie. He was sure that Mashu and the masters would feel somewhat the same as he did. With Da Vinci's brilliance, Chaldea could really make humanity better when this crisis with Solomon was over. She was an asset that they couldn't afford to lose. And yet, Roman knew truthfully that wasn't the whole reason why he was reluctant to let her fight.

And from the softened look now evident on Da Vinci's face, she figured that out too. The Caster turned to him and gave the doctor a couple affectionate slaps on his cheek; an action that made Roman's heart skip a beat.

"I appreciate the concern," Da Vinci said with a smile before putting on a safety hat from the rack beside the counter. "But I need to get back to work..."

With that, she left to return to Engineering, leaving Roman by the coffee machine as he watched Da Vinci leave.

-Leona sure is tenacious, he thought. She might make for an even better Director than me...-

(bzzzt)

Roman's phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. Pulling it out, he read the caller ID from the screen and saw that it was someone from the Mage's Association.

"Oh, great..." he said sarcastically as he answered his phone. "This is Roman..."

He was expecting a routine check-up or some other magi-political nonsense, but surprisingly, Roman got neither of those things. In fact, the subject matter was much more worrying.

"What do you mean you haven't heard back from Fairborough?"

---

"Unbelievable..."

Zenith smirked with smug satisfaction as stunned amazement spread among his peers. Around him was pitch-black emptiness as magical projections of the Crypters stood in a circle around him. The roguish mage had just finished telling them what he knew so far about Scathach and the Land of Shadows, including the fact that the masters of Chaldea and their servants sought her out to train with her.

"To think that there is a hidden place where mana is more abundant than anywhere else on Earth," Wodime remarked. "Enough where phantasmal beasts can cross into the mortal realm..."

"And the guardian who watches over it harnesses such power," Ophelia pondered aloud. "I could never have foreseen this..."

"Ha! What did I tell you guys?" Zenith said boastingly. "I knew Chaldea was on to something. And to think there was some of you who doubted me..."

"Sounds like a fairy tale to me," Hinako said, making her skepticism apparent to the mage. "How do you know of all of this?"

The Crypters all listened as Zenith answered her.

"The Chaldeans led me to it, and with a bit of eavesdropping, I gathered that this place had been around for a while. And you wanna know something else?"

"Do tell..." Wodime urges the rogue magus on, and Zenith crosses his arms as a smirk returns to his face.

"This Scathach woman..." He starts cryptically and chooses his next words with careful consideration. "I've seen her demonstrate some of that juice she's packing. It looked an awful like the kind of... magic that only a select few mages wield."

An uncomfortable silence hung over the Crypters, and Zenith could tell they know what he was getting at. Ophelia was the only one daring for the rogue to clarify what they all suspected.

"Zenith..." her voice was unsteady, almost betraying astonishment. "You don't mean..."

"I do," Zenith said gleefully before dropping the bombshell. "The warrior queen may have access to True Magic."

They all looked at each other after this revelation, all The Crypters understanding the implication of Zenith's claim.

True Magic; the height of power any mage could only hope beyond hope to attain. Where modern magecraft had limitations and rules that needed to be followed, True Magic had no such boundaries and could allow the wielder to perform what even mages would consider miracles. It's a power that has long thought to be lost when the Age of Gods and deities ended and the amount of mana in the world waned, and would become so elusive that only one mage in modern memory is confirmed to possess it.

From what Zenith could recall, The Mage's Association (and by extension: Chaldea) has a list of only a handful of individuals in the world suspected to have it kept under covert surveillance, including those with some other significance. Aside from Kischur Zelretch (Founder of the Clock Tower and the only confirmed case so far), other people of interest included both the Aozaki sisters, some members of the Tohno family, a paranormal detective working in Mifune City, and even a vampire suspected to be a True Ancestor that showed up in Souya some time ago, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

It is believed that only by establishing a path to the Root: The Earth's source of all magic, that a mage can have a chance to attain True Magic. The Holy Grail Wars were meant to create that path, but alas the Einzbern Grail was ultimately destroyed at the end of the Fifth.

If another path to The Root was made known, the Association and even the Catholic Church would stop at nothing to secure it, and if Zenith knew of the Crypters' operation at all, so would they...

The rogue was proven right when two of the Crypters at last broke the silence.

"If what Zenith says is true," Wodime begins. "Then that would imply that the Land's guardian draws power directly from the Root. If she is guarding that forest, then her castle..."

"Could be hiding a path to the Root itself," Ophelia finishes for him, all the other Crypters following in agreement. "We must secure it for the Reclaimer. The more mana we gather, the sooner it will arrive."

"Before you get carried away," Zenith cuts in. "Know that this one queen took on multiple of Chaldea's servants and didn't begin to break a sweat. I think it's safe to say that me and my entourage won't fare any better unless we know more about her, especially if she has any weaknesses. And then there is the issue of getting in. I'm gunna need some time..."

"By the sound of your overly smug tone, you want to have the Land of Shadows all to your lonesome, don't you?" Hinako jabbed at the rogue mage, causing a ripple of irritation to go through him.

"Is that what you would have us do, Guided?" Beryl asked harshly, sharing in Hinako's distrust towards him. "Wait and hope that you will find some way to steal whatever it is that's inside that fortress?"

"Uh actually, I was thinking that-" Zenith begins, pondering visibly before shaking his head and stating bluntly: "Yeah. That's pretty much it..."

"You expect us to do nothing while Chaldea grows more powerful the longer they spend with this warrior queen?" Hinako spat, letting the mage's aloof disposition get on her nerves. "Time is of the essence!"

All she got from that was a bored response from the rogue mage.

"Sheesh, didn't your daddy ever tell you that good things come to those who wait?"

Hinako seethed as it became clear that her attempts to stamp-down the mage's ego only ended up adding to it. She relaxes her posture before warning Zenith:

"You're very lucky we're talking remotely right now, Guided."

"Zenith," Wodime spoke up, cutting the tension between them. "Your endeavor has bore fruit thus far. Feel free to learn more about this "Shadow" before you make any drastic actions. At that time, feel free to deal with Chaldea however you wish..."

Zenith chuckles under his breath, at last given the leeway that he wanted since starting this mission.

"Why thank you-" Zenith bows theatrically but is stopped after Wodime raised his hand to interrupt him.

"But don't make us wait TOO long..."

Zenith straightens his posture and pouts in annoyance.

"No promises..."

With a tap of his foot, the projections of the Crypters fade into nothingness, and the black expanse of space receded into a dark, crystalline window in front of him. Zenith found himself outside Castle Dunscaith back in Scotland facing the floating black crystal. When the process was finished, Zenith opened his jacket and the crystal instantly flew into his pocket. He then made his way back to his van where his servant Saber was waiting for him, annoyance evident on his face.

"Stuck-up morons," the rogue mage grumbled to himself

"I take that your report back to the Crypters went well?" Saber remarks, standing steadfast beside the van as his master approached.

"About as well as it could with imbeciles like them calling the shots," Zenith spat. "The Grandmaster was right; I should be getting more from the Reclaimer than what those school kids are. Heck, I don't think they really even like each other."

Saber follows behind his master as he passes. Zenith then asks his servant as he opens the door to the van.

"Where are the others?"

"Still on lookout for anyone getting too curious," Saber answers. "We expect the Mage's Association to be sending someone for our esteemed guest..."

Speaking of which, as Zenith and his servant enter their mobile base of operations, they come up to a conscious Margaery Fairborough, who was tied up and gagged. Zenith walked up to her and pulled down the cloth covering her mouth. The woman was scared as Zenith then pulled out a tablet and an ID card that he took from her earlier.

"Margaery Fairborough huh," Zenith said as he inspected her card. He then activated his tablet which showed a projection of all of Fairborough's credentials for everyone to see and started to scroll through them. "Let's see... former Archivist, now head of Magus Relations with a seat among the High Council. Oh... and it looks like you're an ambassador for Chaldea on their little trip."

Saber stood by stoically while Fairborough struggled with her bonds.

"Please... I don't know anything!" her voice was trembling. "Let me go!"

"And have you go bad-mouthing to the Association about me?" Zenith pouted before rebuking her. "I don't think so..."

If it were up to him, Zenith would just get whatever he wanted from this helpless desk-flower and then discard her like trash, but alas that last part was not his call to make. He crouched down and clenched the helpless woman by her chin. Fairborough begins to look terrified now that Zenith had her undivided attention.

He kind of wondered why the Grandmaster thought this unassuming office lady was so important...

"You know... consider yourself lucky that a friend of mine doesn't want you hurt. That would mean you are somehow useful to me..."

"I already told you!" Fairborough insisted. "I don't know what Chaldea is doing out here!"

"Oh I believe you. I doubt they'd trust an Association lackey like you with any real information. You have something else I want..."

Fairborough looked astonished and then asked slowly and reluctantly:

"What?"

Zenith moved his face closer to hers, almost savoring the fear he was instilling in her like a captor would to their captive.

"Your security clearance into the Clock Tower... for starters. After I probe that pretty little head of yours, I'll have all the information they have at my fingertips..."

He at last released his grip on her and stood up, leaving Fairborough staring into space, burdened with the knowledge that she will unwillingly betray the organization that she passionately worked for. Her captor then then turned to his servant before taking his leave.

"Saber, keep her comfortable," Zenith instructed. "Can't use her as collateral later if she's dead..."

"Yes master."

Zenith then opened the door to outside and pulls out his ring.

"I'm going to see what are unknowing friends on the inside are up to..."

Closing the van door behind him, Zenith left Saber alone with Fairborough. After a while, the armored servant stared at the woman still restrained as she fell eerily silent. Saber watched as she then raised her head slowly and met his gaze...

---

The doors to the inner sanctum of Castle Dunscaith flew open. Scathach led Gudao and Gabrielle towards the center of spacious, torch-lit chamber as she explained to them:

"Before we begin your training, I need to know where both where both of you stand on your magecraft. Sit with me here..."

With a wave of the Shadow's hand, a ritual circle appeared on the floor in the center of the room, creating a well of residual mana. The masters stepped inside after her and immediately felt the elating sensation of mana passing through their bodies. After the Shadow's scolding of their servants not long ago, they were both feeling nervous being left alone with the warrior queen. What was more disturbing to them was how calm and collected she was being even after she put a frightening display of power to exert her authority, even if it was for a brief moment. Gudao and Gabrielle knew fairly well that their mentor may be willing to help them, but was not going to put up with even a sliver of nonsense from her students.

"Now tell me," Scathach said to them as they each took a seat inside the well. She crosses her legs as she scrutinizes the siblings, indicating that she was getting straight to business. "What magecraft have you learned before going to Chaldea?"

Gudao and Gabrielle briefly looked at each other before the male master decided to take the initiative and start explaining to the warrior queen.

"Well, me and Gabby were students at the Clock Tower. We learned projection, reinforcement and mostly other forms of manipulation."

Gabrielle nods and continues for him.

"And after Olga recruited us, we spent 2 weeks at a boot camp learning defensive spells and curses. As our final exam, we took a combat simulation upon arriving at Chaldea."

"Alright..." Scathach said cautiously, putting her fingers to her chin as if she was mentally taking notes. "And what of method you were you taught perform spells?"

"It's thaumaturgy mainly," said Gudao. "I'm afraid Rune-magic was many centuries out of favor among mages by the time we started out."

"Hmmm..."

The masters were still very anxious of the warrior queen, who was visibly pondering as if forgetting her students existed. As to what it is she was thinking about, they both had no idea until Scathach suddenly looked back up at them and said:

"I need to see something."

She then held out both her hands for the masters to take, after which she asks:

"May I?"

Gudao and Gabrielle both looked at each other again before reluctantly doing what was being implied. They then took a hand with one of their own for the Shadow to hold. The masters held their breaths before Scathach channeled mana through her arms and into that of the masters she held on to. The siblings watched in awe as her action made everyone's magic circuits light up. They were amazed at the fact that Scathach's circuits glowed violet instead of the bright green/blue color that lit the ones belonging to them. What was even more curious was the arrangement of the Shadow's circuits compared to their own. Gudao and Gabrielle saw that her magic circuits were a network of curves and semi-spirals which was different from theirs; having straight lines and angled corners that resembled pathways on an actual circuit-board. The siblings were still, trying to stamp down their excitement as Scathach inspected their magic circuits, and their faces fell when the look on the warrior queen's did also.

"Oh my," Scathach eventually said as she surveyed the sight before her. The masters could tell from her tone that she didn't like what she was seeing. "It's worse than I thought..."

"What is?" Gabrielle asked, knowing both she and Gudao wanted to know what was wrong with them. Scathach obliged and directed the masters' gaze downwards.

"Notice how different your circuits look compared to mine," She instructs before going on to explain: "No curves, nor uniform width of your channels. On top of that, it took longer for mana to flow throughout than it did for mine. With all these angles, mana just flows, stops, and flows again repeatedly. It's now no wonder you were having trouble sustaining your servants yesterday."

"What? How did you-?" Gudao began before Scathach quickly clarified:

"Because I was looking for it." She then continued her assessment, and the masters listened to her with growing fascination. "Your circuits are clearly not adapted for complex, powerful magic like Runes. Thaumaturgy seems to favor quick incantation for instant effect. Just by comparing our circuits, you can see the de-evolution of magecraft through millennia. You two have a lot of catching up to do..."

Scathach let go of them, and their circuits dimmed down as a result. She then stood up and looked down at the masters with her arms crossed.

"Since it's pointless to continue expanding on your means of magecraft, we're going to immediately start you both on runes. And while we're at it, we'll have to fix your circuits; I doubt they will take the strain of more complex casts..."

Gudao and Gabrielle stood up with her as the warrior queen started channeling mana in front of her. Scathach then directed her spell outwards. The masters recoiled as lines upon lines of glowing runes circled all around them. They kept a tight hold on their amazement as Scathach continued.

"For now, you'll be learning the fundamentals of Runecraft. They consist of the Draw, the Sequence, and the Cast. Let's get your feet wet by knowing how to draw a Rune properly."

Now motivated and eager, Gudao and Gabrielle both picked a symbol from the selection that Scathach showed them. As per the warrior queen's recommendation, they both settled on an elemental rune for them to practice drawing and casting, with Gabrielle selecting one for fire, and Gudao with lightning.

As time went on, Scathach instructed that mana needed to be constantly channeled throughout the Draw, all the way up to the Cast. If any time was wasted drawing a Sequence of runes, the masters will not have much left for the Cast, therefore diminishing the intended effect. Scathach set aside the topic of stacking runes in Sequence for now, noting the masters' magic-circuits needed to be conditioned more before they would attempt it. She had Gudao and Gabrielle memorize their selected runes and practice drawing them. Scathach had spaced them well apart from each other in case things went awry, and instead set up targets in front of them. As the masters attempted to draw and cast their runes, Scathach paced between them just behind their backs.

"Visualize the rune and draw it," she instructed. "This is the crucial part of the cast, for if not drawn correctly, the spell will shatter and have no effect."

Sure enough, Scathach could see the masters were having some trouble well into the lesson. They'd often draw the rune incorrectly and to their startlement, the rune broke into a mist of wasted mana. For several minutes, the masters vainly continued to try and draw their runes, growing slightly more frustrated with each attempt. Gabrielle sighed as her last spell shattered near the end when she thought the rune was drawn correctly. She looked over to Gudao and saw that he was not fairing any better despite putting in his best effort.

-"This is a real chore-," Gabrielle thought as she prepared herself for another attempt. "-Me and Gu-dork never had to concentrate so hard on casting a simple spell before. I can see why Runecraft was ditched a long-time ago...-"

Scathach continued watching them, and it was clear to her as Gabrielle drew and broke another rune that this lesson was not going as quickly as she expected. The masters grasped the theory very well but their execution was lacking. Before starting this, the warrior queen was concerned if after so long that perhaps she lost her touch when it came to teaching.

Her patience had definitely waned a little bit, as she had showed in front of everyone...

However, monitoring the masters as they tried applying the knowledge she gave thus far has given Scathach some time to reflect. Part of being a good teacher is being mindful of the needs of your students, for no person learns new concepts the same way as another; everyone is different. Once you establish a connection of which to reliably pass knowledge, then all it would take for improvement was a nudge in the right direction, then the student will run with it.

Slowly but surely, it was all coming back to her...

Gabrielle grunts in frustration as her previous attempt to draw failed. Now tense with her fingers shaking, she readies herself for to draw one final time, for she was having the mind to quit if it wasn't successf-

-!

She stiffened as Scathach came from behind and supported the master's arm with her own, and gently holding Gabrielle's wrist with her hand. The Shadow leans down and speaks discreetly in Gabrielle's ear.

"Relax your hand," she instructed as she straightened Gabrielle's arm and used her fingers to massage the master's wrist. "If it shakes, it will mess up the cast. Breathe..."

Gabrielle got over her surprise and curled her fingers before taking a deep breath, taking Scathach's advice to heart.

"Okay," she said as she stretched her fingers out again. Scathach held position for her as Gabrielle lit up her circuits in prep for another draw. The warrior queen then said with a whisper:

"Focus..."

She watched as Gabrielle started to draw. Looking down her arm, Scathach could see that the early signs were spot on, and as the master finished the final line of her rune-

(WHOOSH!)

Gabrielle yelped as the rune flashed and fire began licking the palm of her hand harmlessly. Scathach stood back and straightened up as Gabrielle looked at her hand ecstatically.

"I did it!"

A subtle formed on Scathach's face as Gudao looks over to his sister, his own frail attempts forgotten.

"Nice, Gabby!"

She beamed as fire continued burning between her fingers, fueled by the mana she was pouring into her hand.

"Thanks! You'll get too, Gu-dork!"

Scathach couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride now that Gabrielle successfully drew her rune and was now encouraging her brother to do the same. Before she let herself be too content however...

"Well done, Gabrielle," she said to the master. "Now practice more until you can't misdraw."

"Will do!" Gabrielle replies confidently now that her motivation was restored. With that, Gabrielle continued drawing her rune over and over while Gudao was still trying to get his right for the first time. After a while, Scathach decided to give the male master support as she did for his sister. Gabrielle took a moment to watch with glee as Scathach "assisted" Gudao. The Shadow was beside him supporting his outstretched arm with one hand while another was pushing against his back.

"Here, reach out more. Straighten your posture..."

Gudao was flustered by the warrior queen's touch, even more so by the fact that Scathach's upper body (mainly her chest...) was pressing quite firmly against his side, making his face heat up with a blush. It also didn't help that the battle attire Scathach wore was soft and in NO WAY stopped her bosom from squeezing against him in perfect conformity. Finding it hard to concentrate, Gudao vainly tried drawing his rune with his hand shaking heavily.

"Oops..." he said as his rune expectedly shattered. Gabrielle stifles some laughter under breath; laughter which was directed not at Gudao for his failure, but as to what was undoubtably making things difficult for him.

Scathach was slightly miffed at the result, but not surprised in the slightest. Throughout her giving assistance to Gudao, she could tell from listening to his hammering heartrate that perhaps her closeness was having a negative effect on him.

"Nervous, are we?" Her face didn't show it, but she was actually quite amused at the boy's reaction to her, evident in her tone. Not wanting to be a hinderance for much longer, Scathach let go and took a step back from Gudao, letting him hold pose on his own. "Here... hold your stance and try again."

Gudao gulped and took a moment to collect himself, direct his attention solely on his hand. The effect was immediate as Scathach could hear the master's heart calming down.

Sometimes, a student just needs some space...

She and Gabrielle watched as Gudao steadied his arm and started drawing his rune; mana flowing through his circuits. With the Shadow's advice on posture, and with her giving him space, this time Gudao drew the rune perfectly and it flashed, making lightning arc between his fingers.

"Yes!"

"Way to go, Gudao!" Gabrielle cheered after watching her brother succeed in drawing his rune. Scathach was gradually feeling more optimistic as the lesson went on and the masters continued practicing. After they both managed to draw their runes consistently each time, Scathach decided it was time to take things a step further.

"Now that you both have the hang of it, you'll now be channeling into your projected Rune to activate the intended effect," the masters listened intently as the Shadow gave her lecture. "Drawing the first of a Sequence of runes establishes the intended power. But to actually Cast it, it requires another rune to project that power and direct it outwards, with additional runes in-between the start and end acting as enhancement to the spell as a whole. For now, you will draw the rune you have both selected and then add the ending rune to cast it."

The masters watched curiously as Scathach demonstrated this concept by drawing an effect rune (Ice), and drew another immediately after to turn that energy into a projectile, which she directed at an improvised target. The target froze when Scathach's spell made contact. What amazed them most was Scathach was able to project the runes very quickly and in a singular motion; a testament to how intimately honed she was in the art of Runecraft.

"Now if I wanted to, I could have added additional runes before the final one to enhance or alter the spell," she explained while turning back to face her pupils. "I would've made a tower of ice crystals on impact, or made it so that I could shoot more spells at once. I could also have even combined it with another effect rune so I would freeze a target and then engulf them in flame almost immediately."

"Wow..." Gudao let out as he and Gabrielle were taking all of this information in.

"More on that another time," Scathach said, returning to the matter at hand. "Stacking multiple runes takes more mana the more you add to a spell. For now, we'll keep things simple. Draw both your effect and ending rune, then cast at your target..."

Gudao and Gabrielle were both shown a rune to draw after their first, and for the next hour, they've practiced drawing and casting a sequence of two runes. After a few minutes in, they both got proficient at it, eventually able to hit their targets consistently in quick succession. One thing that was noticeable to them was the additional output in mana it took for them to cast with an additional rune, so both Gudao and Gabrielle needed to take short breaks to recover. Scathach was watching them the whole time as the masters would press on despite their growing fatigue, feeling impressed with their stubborn resilience.

"-They both have great potential,-" the warrior queen thought to herself. "-If they keep working this hard to pass their limitations, with time, they would become accomplished mages...-"

That was not the case however. In the back of her mind, Scathach knew that time was NOT on the masters' side, and expanding their palette of magic was only one piece of the puzzle as a whole. Gudao and Gabrielle not only have to be stronger as mages, but also as masters in command of their servants, which from what she saw of it earlier was severely lacking.

Not to mention the servants themselves. While no doubt strong, even for warriors she herself trained, they were not strong enough together. They weren't getting enough mana from their masters, and some just stubbornly can't work with others. All these issues combined made a chain of weak links. Even if one couldn't get fixed, one weak link compromised the strength of said chain as a whole.

Thanks to everything she has seen today, Scathach knew what she needed to do to help the team. But as a mere teacher, all she could do at the end of everything was point and nudge her pupils in the right direction. It was ultimately down to the students to walk down the path opened to them.

Even if this was only the first steps, the masters' progress today gave her cautious optimism that perhaps them and their team of servants were not a lost cause to her. She'll get what she wants out of this soon enough...

After another half-hour of practice, Scathach eventually decided:

"That's enough," she told the masters as she cast a well of mana beside her. In response, they immediately powered down their circuits. "You will sit in the well for the rest of our time. Doing so will help open your circuits some more."

Gudao and Gabrielle nodded in agreement and joined the warrior queen inside the glowing area and took a seat across from her.

"How are you two feeling?" Scathach asked. Gudao was rubbing his shoulders to relive fatigue as he replied:

"Exhausted, but I've felt worse before..."

"I'm feeling like I ran a marathon," Gabrielle added while stretching her arms. "The well is helping though."

"That's good..." Scathach said rather absently, folding her legs. The masters could have sworn that there was underlying tiredness in her tone. "You two will become more accustomed as you condition your circuits further."

The air became silent save for the humming mana flow of the well everyone sat in. Gudao and Gabrielle watched as Scathach closed her eyes and began meditating, like she was all by herself. The warrior queen looked so serene yet focused as she sat still as a statue save for a steady breath and allowed herself to bask in the ward. They then looked at each other and both wondered if they were supposed to do the same. It seemed like minutes ticked by until...

"You are both quite restless," Scathach suddenly said without even looking at them, making the masters tense up. "I expected you both to be quite relaxed by now..."

Gudao and Gabrielle looked at each other briefly before the latter responded:

"Sorry, but me and Gu-dork don't like awkward silences..."

Scathach peeked one crimson eye open, prompting Gudao to add for his sister...

"We've got some time to kill, so would you mind if Gabby and I indulged you with some chit-chat?"

The Shadow eventually opened both her eyes and visibly contemplated. It seemed to the masters that Scathach was not too keen on it, figuring after centuries of living solitary meant that conducting casual conversation was unusual for her.

But eventually, the warrior queen's expression softened.

"Not at all," she answered while uncrossing her legs, sitting upright with her legs folded sideways in a way that could melt a man's heart. "The well should do its job regardless."

"Thanks," Gudao said while trying to ignore the heat building up in his face now that Scathach was "relaxed." Gabrielle gave him a sidelong glance and thought amusingly:

-Oh Gu-dork, you're hopeless...-

"Then if I could ask," Gudao continued, eventually composing himself. "Have you taught mages as much as you did warriors like Cu?"

"On occasion," Scathach calmly answers. "There were fewer mages during my time. The knowledge on how one becomes a mage was not as well understood and happened purely by circumstance. I was no exception, and had no understanding of magecraft before finding this fortress."

"So you weren't born here?" Gabrielle asked as more a statement than question, to which Scathach affirmed.

"No. I lived in a simple hunter/gatherer settlement south of the isle. Invaders came and destroyed my village, killed all the adults and took the children as slaves. Me and-"

Scathach hesitates, and the masters could see her head slightly turning downcast as she reluctantly resumed what she was about to say. She continued with a slightly more somber tone.

"Me and my sister managed to escape and we fled to this forest, where I got my magic crest from a Netherlyst."

Gudao was fascinated, but Gabrielle was quick to point out her surprise at a particular detail.

"Wait... you have a sister?"

"Had," Scathach said swiftly with a firm voice, looking at Gabrielle right in her eyes. "Speak no more of it..."

The Shadow's tone left no room for further questions, so Gabrielle dismissed herself.

"Right. Sore subject..."

Scathach's expression eased as she continued, this time having a look of nostalgia.

"The resident of this place taught me how to control my powers, even trained me in spearman-ship. Before too long, I was hunting some of the beasts of this forest alongside him. Was a real sodding piece-of-work, but he was usually right in what he taught. Maybe I can tell you all about him one day..."

"Wow," Guado lets out. "I need to be honest, when Cu told us about you, I had trouble believing half of what he said. But I can see now he meant everything he said. I mean, you've fought-off all of our servants single-handed and performed feats of magecraft I've never thought possible; like how you displaced this entire forest. If you came back to Chaldea with us, all your knowledge can go towards the betterment of all humanity."

"I think Gudao is right," said Gabrielle, sharing her brother's enthusiasm. "Besides, if for nothing else, I think you would like it in Chaldea. You will get to see how far-advanced humans have progressed in the centuries. On top of that, we've got a terrarium that simulates a beach! With the other servants hanging around, there's never a dull moment! I mean- we know you have priorities here, but you could visit whenever you like."

When the masters had finished, they saw Scathach's face fall and the excitement they felt for telling her about Chaldea had drained.

"Is something wrong?" Gabrielle asked, missing what could have made the warrior queen's mood drop. It seemed Scathach was contently listening with interest until it came to her potentially visiting Chaldea. Gabrielle's question hung in the air until the Shadow answers her at last.

"No, it's just-" she hesitates, hardly looking at the two siblings in front of her before saying regretfully; "I- I can't leave."

Her answer leaves Gudao and Gabrielle in slight astonishment. The finality of her statement made implied that she actually could not leave the forest... at all.

"Not even for a day?" Gudao eventually asked. "How come?"

Scathach just sighed before explaining to the both of them:

"Even if I wanted to... the displacement spell I put over this land... it traps the user inside until they ever decide to lift it."

Gudao and Gabrielle looked at each other, both in understanding of Scathach's dilemma.

"Oh..." Gabrielle spoke softly. "Then if you were to lift the enchantment..."

"A landmass will appear out of nowhere to the outside world," Gudao finished for her.

"Precisely," Scathach said in affirmation. "I've hid this forest for longer than anyone would remember. If it were to appear in this day and age, then I could only imagine the attention and chaos it would bring..."

"Right," Gabrielle starts hesitantly, feeling awful along with her brother for indirectly bringing that up before her. "If it helps, we're very sorry-"

"No need to apologize..." Scathach stops her immediately, her calm tone assuring of them both that there were no hard feelings. Yet Gudao and Gabrielle could see the lingering sadness in her gaze, which quickly disappeared as Scathach composed herself. "Now enough about me... How about you indulge ME on something?"

"Sure," Gudao agreed, hoping to further relieve tension from the last conversation. Gabrielle followed him on that by asking the warrior queen:

"What do you want to know?"

Choosing her words carefully, Scathach asks the both of them:

"Just how does one summon a servant?"

"Oh, it's quite simple," Gudao begins. "All you need is a ritual circle along with an object tied specifically to that hero as a catalyst. For example, we summoned King Arthur with a fragment of her dagger: Carnwennan."

"Catalysts don't need to be that specific, strictly speaking," Gabrielle elaborated, she and her brother taking turns on answering. "We could've used a broken piece of the Round Table to summon any of Arturia's knights, and we've ended up with Mordred. It becomes a bit like a lottery in those cases."

"The only catch to summoning a heroic spirit is that the individual needs to be historically important to be recorded in the Throne of Heroes."

"And they need to be dead. The contract process works both ways. While the master seeks to summon a particular hero as a servant, it's ultimately up to the Heroic Spirit to willingly accept the connection."

"I see..." Scathach mutters, finding interest in what she has heard so far. "And how has this been discovered by mages?"

"At least a century ago, some of the major magus families worked together to create an artifact that can carve a path to the Root," Gudao told her. "It was called the Holy Grail, after the Cup of Christ. When the Grail connects to the Root, it taps into what's called the Throne of Heroes, and it enabled the summoning of servants."

"We have a half-decent replica powering Chaldea," Gabrielle adds. "And Mashu's shield acts as a conduit to it in case we need to summon servants during singularities. There are theoretically other ways to summon servants, but this is the tried-and-true method."

"Due to mages being mages, they all eventually fought over it, wanting the Root all to themselves. The first time, nobody claimed it, and the Holy Grail Wars that followed were meant to decide who would possess it while still keeping magecraft a secret to the rest of the World."

Scathach found herself somewhat savoring the information the masters were giving her. She was keen on learning all she can about the beings she was working with. Any insight would be of great help to her. On top of that, she felt a sort of enjoyment just from the back-and-forth between her and the masters. Maybe Cu Chulainn was on to something when he said she should get to know them. This mundane interaction was something she never realized she missed after being alone for so long...

Still, she couldn't allow herself to indulge too much. Scathach pondered over what the masters told her and stated:

"I assume that under most circumstances, Servants are hostile to one another..."

"Yes, unfortunately," Gudao said sadly. "I reckon that's partially why we're having a hard time getting them to cooperate. Servants are intrinsically meant to fight each other, not together..."

"Seems so," Scathach affirmed. "What else can the true Grail do?"

"It turned out to be omnipotent and capable of miracles," Gabrielle answers. "The Grail Wars that followed were organized so that the winning master and servant pair can use the Grail to reach the Root, or be granted a single wish of their choosing."

"A single wish..." Scathach found herself repeating under her breath. She leans slightly forward now that her interest in Chaldea and the Servants is well and truly piqued. "Tell me more..."

"About what?" Both Gudao and Gabrielle ask in confusion.

"Chaldea, The Grail Wars, your Servants, anything," Scathach said to them with a modicum of enthusiasm that she has not felt in centuries, even giving a hint of a smile. "Like you said... we've got some time to kill..."

---

(A/N: Supplement: Mage Association's "Persons of Interest.")

/\/\/SUBJECT/(STATUS)\/\/\

Animusphere, Marisbury (DECEASED)

Animusphere, Olga Marie (UNKNOWN, PRESSUMED DECEASED)

Aozaki, Aoko (ACTIVE)

Aozaki, Touko (UNKNOWN)

Archisorte, Reines El-Melloi (ACTIVE)

Brunestud, Arcueid (UNKNOWN)

Ciel/Elesia (ACTIVE)

(von) Einzbern, Jubstacheit (UNKNOWN)

Emiya, Shirou (ACTIVE)

Gray[ALIAS] (ACTIVE)

Kotomine, Kirei (DECEASED)

Kuonji, Alice (ACTIVE)

Matou, Sakura (INACTIVE)

Matou, Zouken (DECEASED)

Nanaya/Tohno, Shiki (ACTIVE)

Ryougi, Shiki (ACTIVE)

Schweinorg, Kishur Zelretch (ACTIVE, CONDITIONAL)

Shishigou*, Kairi (ACTIVE)

Tohno, Akiha (INACTIVE)

Tohsaka, Rin (ACTIVE)

Velvet, Waver El-Melloi II (ACTIVE)

Yggdmillennia, Darnic Prestone (ACTIVE)