Chapter 44: Isle of The Skye Pt. 8

While Theriault and Shen Yi battled Sky, Scathach was busy with her own tricky Arcadian.

"What's your name girl?" The Arcadian asked, dodging a stab from Scathach as he ducked under her arm, electricity crackling around him as he kicked at her shins.

Scathach jumped effortlessly over the attack, landing softly on the balls of her feet and stabbing downward with her dagger, straight into the Arcadian's leg.

"You are not worthy to utter my name…" She said, a weird feeling rising in her chest.

As she had explained to Theriault, she was only coming along with them to ease her anger, so why wasn't this helping?

Scathach was always taught that emotions were for weak people, that the second you let your emotions control you then it was game over.

So why did she feel the need to release her anger so badly?

The Arcadian swept Scathach's leg out from under her, lightning crackling around his fist as he punched into her stomach.

"You should stay focused silly Keymaster," He said, only to catch a knee to the face and spiral off to the side.

Scathach stood up slowly, clutching her stomach, focusing on her breathing. She glanced over at Theriault, who was standing head-on with Sky, a cocky smile strewn on his face. "I can't believe... I fell for that," Scathach said, laughing to herself.

The Yellow-haired Arcadian got back up quickly, seeing Scathach chuckling.

"Didn't take you for the easy-going type..." He said, lightning in his eyes as he flashed forward.

"I'm not haha," Scathach said, a smile on her face as she swatted the Arcadian out of the air, sending him straight into the ground.

She looked back over at Theriault, copying his stance as her eyes move back and forth. She was actually starting to like this guy, his confidence was impressive and he was strong, that was all you needed to gain Scathach's respect. "So what do you want with me?" She asked, looking down at the Arcadian, who stared up at her with pure rage in his eyes.

"At first I thought you'd make a good little pet, play with you a bit as we move our operations through the world... But now I just want to kill you," The Arcadian jumped up, slashing his claws straight toward Scathach's face.

"Was it... Like this," Scathach muttered, her body bent over, completely dodging the strike, copying what she remembered Shen Yi doing not too long before.

"Wait... Are you practicing right now?" The Arcadian asked, an edge to his voice as lightning crackled along his arm.

Scathach didn't answer, instead focusing on the next strike as she blocked it, grunting as she pushed him back.

"I don't think you understand how this works, but I will teach you," He said, a low growl in his voice as the air felt different, the smell of ozone filling her nostrils as he flashed to the side, flashing back and grabbing her collar.

"I think he did it like this..." Scathach said, looking at the cut-off arm of The Yellow-Haired Arcadian, causing him to yell out, holding his shoulder as his arm flopped to the ground in front of Scathach.

Scathach wasn't known as the strongest female warrior in Scotland for nothing. Scathach could precisely copy any move she saw, she was essentially the most versatile fighter of all time.

"What's your name girl?" The Arcadian asked once again, this time his voice full of rage as he looked at her.

Scathach noticed something different, quickly dodging a lightning bolt and smiling the same cocky smile Theriault kept on his face. "You first..." She replied, rushing in toward the Arcadian with the intent to finish this battle.

"Haha... I... Asked your name," The Arcadian said as its eyes glowed Yellow. Lightning struck all around them, randomly and quickly, too quick for Scathach to dodge it all.

The warrior was thrown back by the lightning, slamming against the wall with a hollow thud, quickly regained her senses as she saw her opponent standing tall, his arm back.

"I am Striker, I just got cleared out of training... And I am honored to be battling you as my first," He said, smiling as dozens of clones appeared around him, lightning crackling around all of their bodies.

Scathach wasn't sure which one to fight, but she didn't have to choose as all of them rushed her.

"Alright, alright, let's try this again," Scathach said, ducking under a lightning strike as she landed behind one of the clone Arcadians, dodging another before stabbing in with her dagger.

She cut through one Arcadian, spinning and slicing through another before she rushed one more.

The Arcadian turned around, electricity crackling around his fist as he swung at Scathach, the dagger piercing it just as he would have connected.

"Seems you are unable to keep them as durable as you," Scathach said, dodging a kick from behind, slicing up with her dagger, and cutting into the clone as it vanished in a spark of electricity.

Scathach felt a hand close around her shoulder, her dagger immediately lodging into the face of the clone as she kicked away another, her long red hair flapping back and forth as she cut through dozens of clones, cutting down the numbers as she looked for the real one.

"I suggest a surrender, then you may die with honor," She said, killing another clone.

"I refuse," They all said as lightning surged off their bodies, gathering in the middle until it formed a big blue ball.

Scathach rushed one clone, slicing into its stomach as the ball of Lightning surged toward her.

"Damn it..." She muttered, quickly turning and slicing with her dagger, hitting the ball of electricity with the point of her knife.

*Shink*

Scathach blinked as all the clones dissipated, the electric ball disappearing as she looked at the arm shoved into her chest. "Huh..." She muttered, looking at the extended claws shining with electricity.

"Gotcha..." Striker said, his eyes crackling in excitement as Scathach looked at the clawed hand poking out of her front.

"Disgusting..." She muttered, reaching to her neck and yanking her key from the chain. Her eyes glowed as she held the artifact high.

A grey door appeared in front of her. Quickly inserting the key she opened the door, grasping Striker's hand and stepping through the door before he had a chance to react.

Striker looked around at his dark surroundings, Scathach nowhere to be found.

"What trick is this Keymaster!?" He yelled, getting his answer sooner rather than later as a flash of lightning blinded him. For some reason, he began to feel weaker...

"Hey there..." A voice said, it was a child.

The child had red hair and dull eyes, with bruises running along its body, easily visible through the white nightgown she wore.

"A human child? What is this!? A snack!?" He asked, laughing as he walked toward the child menacingly, lightning crackling in his eyes. "This has to be a joke," He said.

"Did Aife send you?" She asked, standing up as he reached out for her, his mouth watering as he imagined the flavorful taste the child would bring him.

"Shut up my prey," He said, wrapping his hand around her throat, opening his mouth wide.

"Insolence... Perhaps you have been sent here because you are an enemy?" The child said, causing Striker to freeze and look at her in confusion.

"My key allows me to create different realms for things I need, as well as visit other realms... I locked her away long ago because I was told emotions are how you get killed... One of them has come back, so I may as well release them all... Striker was it? Meet Fear," Scathach said, standing behind Striker as the child, Fear, flew out of his hands.

She bounced around the room, moving impossibly fast before stopping in front of Striker, looking at him with a timid look.

"What the actual fu-"

The Arcadian didn't finish his words as the small Scathach jumped and ripped through his stomach, her entire body passing through cleanly and bouncing off the walls once again.

"What..." He said, dropping to his knees as he tried to create another clone to change into, as he had when he'd lost his arm, or when Scathach had killed him the first time.

"That won't work here, the lightning that flashed? That was the realm taking away your energy... I am supreme here, you... Cease to exist," Scathach said, looking at the Arcadian blankly.

With that Striker fell flat, dead as Fear stopped in front of Scathach.

"Will we finally be whole again?" She asked, looking up at Scathach.

"Once again, I will stop hiding from my emotions... Together we are Scathach..."

Fear dissipated, leaving Scathach's pale face slightly more colored as she turned and walked toward the door.

"My name is... Scathach," She said before opening it and leaving the realm, as well as Striker's body.