CHAPTER 4:

TRAINING

Harry groaned in exhaustion and irritation. Not since the bad old days of Dudley and his gang engaging in 'Harry Hunting' had he run for so long and so far. True, it was in the Simulator, and Scathach had apparently been taking it very easy on them, if what Hermione claimed from what she knew of her Servant was any indication. But running laps continually wasn't his idea of a fun time. Only the humans (well, the Masters as well as Grey) and Hinako were made to do so, though, along with Mash: Barghest, Melusine, and the Servants were not included.

Scathach nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I believe I have a good idea of your physical capabilities, and what needs improving. And to give you all your due, you at least are reasonably fit by human standards, let alone Magus ones." She looked to a near-catatonic Waver, who had sweat drenching his face as he lay on the floor, fanned gently by Grey. "Save for you, Waver Velvet. While I understand that you may not be able to Rayshift, your fitness may still help matters even here at Chaldea."

"…All of my hate," Waver groaned.

Scathach got an unnerving smirk on her lips, strutting over to Waver, and standing over his supine form. "Hmm? I thought I heard someone say something most unwise."

"I said…all of my HATE," Waver said, not backing down, despite the scary aura of Scathach.

The Scottish warrior-queen actually chuckled. "I'd make you do more laps, but I can tell you pushed past even your meagre limits. Your dying would be counterproductive, though, so I will let this slide." She then looked to the others, who were drinking from bottles they had brought in, before speaking to them. "Now, let me make this clear. As Masters, you are not expected to directly engage in combat with Servants. Servants are superhuman beings. You are there to act as power supplies, and to give tactical support, as well as potentially harassing or killing weaker enemies with spells or Mystic Codes. However, as the old cliché goes, plans do not survive contact with the enemy. Mash, step forward."

Mash, in her Demi-Servant outfit, did so. "Yes, Scathach?"

"You and I are going to spar. And I want to do it while pretending to go for Ritsuka. I'm going to go easy on you at first, but I'm going to get progressively faster and stronger with my attacks. The rest of you, stand back," the Scottish queen said, summoning a pair of crimson spears to each hand.

Mash, hesitantly, nodded, summoning Lord Chaldeas to her hand. What followed was a ballet, at least on Scathach's end of things, twirling spears around and probing at Mash's defences. Mash's movements, on the other hand, were noticeably more amateurish, even to Harry's unpractised eyes. Yet she deflected the spears well, and did her best to manoeuvre around Ritsuka as Scathach tried to get him.

Eventually, however, Scathach got through, one of her spears a mere half a foot from Ritsuka's face in an instant. But she halted it there, before nodding, dismissing the spears. "As I thought. Still, for someone like you, who only awakened her power a scant couple of days ago, you put on a good showing. I have dealt with seasoned warriors who put up a far less impressive show. However, you still have a lot to learn, Mash. I may be one of the most powerful Servants to exist on the Throne of Heroes, but even one lesser than I could potentially break through your guard. I think we need to not only train your strength, but your ability."

"Even so, Scathach, did you feel confident about stopping the Gáe Bolg before you killed Ritsuka?" Arturia Pendragon asked, voicing the concern most others were thinking.

"Yes. It's actually the Gáe Bolg Alternative, Arturia Pendragon, but I was in complete control. Ritsuka was in no real danger. If it had been my wayward student, it may have been another matter entirely. Sétanta had a bad habit of getting lost in battle lust. Indeed, you have heard of his ríastrad?"

"You mean the Warp-Spasm?" Hermione asked. On Scathach's nod, she explained for the others' benefit, "In modern terms, Cú Chulainn basically becoming a warped, musclebound berserker. Like a more grotesque version of the Incredible Hulk, or Broly from Dragonball Z."

Scathach nodded, before putting a gentle hand on Mash's shoulder. "Mash…you did well for an unseasoned fighter. Do not forget that. You have the potential to become great, as do all of you. I enjoy the company of the brave and valorous, not reckless fools who charge into battle thoughtlessly, or feckless cowards who tremble in fear and do nothing to overcome it. That you fight against whoever wrought the destruction of history shows your resolve. Many would be overcome by despair. That is what the enemy desires, this Lev Lynor Flauros, and his superior. But make no mistake, repairing history is no easy task. Yet what is the alternative? Cowering in fear, indulging in vice to numb despair, or fighting back?"

Harry shrugged. "Believe me, I've been through that shit before. Not quite on this scale, but…"

"Hermione told me of your shared past, and of your vanquishing of Tom Riddle," Scathach said. "A man so desperate to discard his past, he made up a most ludicrous and pretentious name." She scoffed. "At least Sétanta had good intentions when he dubbed himself the Hound of Chulainn, to redeem himself for killing that man's original hound. But Voldemort…" She sneered. "A childish anagram, meant to strike fear, and to discard the fact that he was born from a father without magic. He didn't even try to honour his mother's name. Do not misunderstand me, he had power, and a monstrous nature. Yet I believe him to be nothing more than a child who never grew up, and who never understood that immortality can be a curse, not a blessing." She looked away. "I speak from experience."

"How did you become immortal, Scathach?" Ritsuka asked. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking?"

Scathach chuckled, the sound bitter rather than mirthful. "I became immortal by not dying. More to the point, not dying against the many beings I killed in battle. I slayed immortals, and eventually became immortal myself. Even now, this Servant version of myself is not my real body. I will live until the end of the world, and I mean even beyond this holocaust inflicted by Lev Lynor Flauros' boss. All I can hope for is someone to finally give me the death I desire. I had hoped it would come via Sétanta's hands, though I'm sure that brat wouldn't go through with it."

Delphi, after a moment, went up to the Scottish warrior-queen, and gave her a gentle hug. "Well, I hope you find a good death. Or else a reason to live anyway," she said. "And you're right. My biological father was a manchild always throwing tantrums, no matter who got hurt. Same with my biological mother. Seriously, I saw her in a Pensieve when Dad was showing me his memories, and…yeah. I like being childish and all, but that's just all kinds of messed-up, what they did. But…I have a better family now."

Scathach looked down at her, and smiled. "Yes, I can see. Well, let's get started on the rest of the training…"

After the physical training was done, Hermione was, with Waver's help, hosting a seminar on Servants and their classes. This was more for the Masters' benefit than the Servants, and mostly Ritsuka, as most of Chaldea, including Harry and his family, had briefings on what Servant classes there were. Ritsuka knew something of them, but he was still a dilettante.

"…Which brings us to the classes. There are seven standard classes, the Three Knights and the Four Cavalry classes. Sabers, Archers, and Lancers make up the Three Knights, and Berserkers, Casters, Riders, and Assassins are the Four Cavalry classes," Hermione said. "These may seem obvious, but it is best to review these. Arturia Pendragon is a classic Saber, a swordfighter often considered to be the strongest of the Servant classes, and many of history's great warriors no doubt qualify too. Arturia's own Knights of the Round Table have many examples, and myth and legend are filled with swordfighters of all kinds. Lancers are wielders generally of spears, halberds, and the like, known for their speed and agility. Archers do not necessarily mean just bowmen, but people known for ranged weaponry."

"If I may, Hermione?" On the bushy-haired witch's nod, Arturia Pendragon stood, and turned to the attendees. "I have fought at least two unconventional Archers. Iskandar is familiar with Gilgamesh of Uruk, a most loathsome and egotistical man who nonetheless qualified as an Archer for firing Noble Phantasms from his vault. Those of you who travelled to the Fuyuki Singularity will remember the corrupted form of EMIYA, who was not only a bowman, but fought with copied Noble Phantasms at close range. It also goes to show that, while a Servant's class is a good indicator of what they may be capable of, they can still surprise you with unconventional usage of their abilities and Noble Phantasms, and on the battlefield, that surprise can be lethal."

As the King of Knights sat back down, Iskandar nodding solemnly, not his usually boisterous self, Hermione continued. "Of the Cavalry classes, Berserkers and Casters are fairly straightforward. Berserkers trade sanity for raw power, while Casters are magic users of some stripe or another. Assassins are masters of stealth, and while weak, were intended to target enemy Masters. Finally, Riders are known for a steed, a mount, even a vehicle, but are also known to have a wide variety of Noble Phantasms. However, those are just the seven standard classes. There are other atypical classes known as Extra Classes. Mash is a perfect example: she is the only known 'Shielder' Servant. In the von Einzberns' notes for the Holy Grail War, a number are listed, and we cannot be sure they are the only ones."

Once more, Arturia Pendragon sought attention, standing. "Was one of those classes Avenger?" On Hermione's nod, Arturia looked to Iskandar. "In our timeline at least, I learned that the Grail was contaminated by an Avenger Servant summoned during the Third Holy Grail War, Angra Mainyu. If a wish had been made on the Grail, by either of us, it may very well have caused the end of the world, as that was what Angra Mainyu desired."

"Angra Mainyu…the Zoroastrian devil figure," Waver mused.

"Another class listed was the Ruler class," Hermione said. "In Holy Grail Wars where there's too much collusion between the seven original Masters, another seven Servants are summoned, along with an extra, a Ruler Servant. According to this, Ruler Servants are supposed to be objective referees in a Holy Grail War. I'm not sure what role they would play in something like the Grand Order, but it is something to consider. In addition, both Barghest and Melusine encountered an Alter-Ego class Servant claiming to be Muramasa. We believe that he may have been a Pseudo-Servant, a Heroic Spirit inhabiting a compatible human being. That's different to Mash as a Pseudo-Servant is still comprised of a Spiritron body, Ritsuka. In fact, after reviewing Barghest's memories, we believe said human to be Muramasa's descendent, Shirou Emiya-Muramasa. However, the Einzbern notes had little on this class. There are speculative names for various classes, including Foreigner and Beast. These two are the most concerning."

"Why is that?" Harry asked.

"Foreigners appear to be Servants touched by…well, Lovecraftian entities is the best term I can give for them," Hermione said. "I don't need to elaborate why that may be dangerous. As for Beasts…we are not talking about bestial Servants, but rather, I believe they mean the Beasts of Calamity."

Harry noticed Fou, who had been dozing on Mash's lap, suddenly sitting up straight and watching Hermione intently at that. "Beasts of Calamity?" Harry asked. "This isn't like the Bestial Calamity Barghest became, right?"

Waver shook his head. "Thankfully, no, though you could debate that they are worse. Beasts of Calamity are…call them embodiments of Humanity's darkest aspects, a sort of disease or cancer that grows within our very collective psyche. A bit like the Seven Deadly Sins, but these are different to the standard ones you know from Roman Catholicism. The fact is, the existence of Beasts of Calamity is still one yet to be confirmed empirically, though beings like Arcueid Brunestud have confirmed that they do exist. You cannot destroy them any more than you can remove parts of human nature, but they can be defeated, even subdued."

Hinako nodded. "Exactly. Still, the fact that Beasts are even a hypothetical class of Servant is concerning."

Hermione nodded grimly. "Exactly, and we should keep that all in mind while out in the field, lest we encounter them. In addition, it's possible we may summon one of these atypical classes through FATE. Hopefully, as with standard Servant summoning, it'll be skewed towards Servants compatible with our Masters, but FATE significantly randomises the system. Dr Roman's describing it as a gacha system is not wholly inaccurate. So, keep that in mind. While we may need all the Servants we can get, if some are uncooperative or a liability…we have systems to dismiss their summoning and send them back to the Throne of Heroes. This, of course, should be considered a last resort."

Once more, Arturia Pendragon stood. "If I may, Hermione?" On her nod, Arturia said, "I would like to suggest strongly that the Caster form of Gilles de Rais is one whom we should avoid summoning at all costs. His delusion in believing that I was Jeanne d'Arc was aggravating, especially as he made an attempt to abduct me. But worst still was his abduction of children and using them as catalysts to summon demonic monsters, and, I heard, mutilating them with the help of his Master for pleasure. He summoned a massive demonic creature that could have decimated the city, and it was only with Excalibur that I defeated it, with the help of Iskandar and the Lancer of that Grail War, Diarmuid. Even the other Servants of the Grail Wars I have fought in would have humanity's plight in mind, I am sure, but Gilles de Rais in his Caster form was delusional, and dangerously so."

"You still think Gilgamesh would fight by our side?" Iskandar asked.

"While he had become genocidal by the time I encountered him in the Fifth Holy Grail War, I believe that to have been a corruption caused by Angra Mainyu," Arturia said. "His ego would demand he fight, to save the world he claims to rule if nothing else. But it says much that I would sooner trust the Caster of the Fifth Holy Grail War, Medea of Colchis, than I would him, and she was treacherous and sadistic. But…I pitied her in the end, because all she desired was to be with the man she loved."

"We'll keep all that in mind, Arturia Pendragon," Hermione said. "And as one last lesson, do not make assumptions about which historical or legendary figures will fit certain classes. Arturia is a classic example: we see her present in two different classes, as a Saber and as a Caster. We have reason to believe that, thanks to Rhongomyniad and her steeds, she could qualify as a Lancer and a Rider too, but it is not wise to make assumptions. In addition, even Servants who are historical figures can be influenced by rumours and legends about them. In other words, even historical fact can be distorted by mythologising…"

They soon filed out afterwards. The lecture had been a necessary warning. But time would tell whether it would be needed, or even heeded…

CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:

Training and education for Chaldea has begun. True, this was more of an excuse to get some exposition in, but still…

No numbered annotations this time.