7/15

Reupload: Not sure if a New Year thing or a random glitch. No change to chapter, just seeing if it fixes upload so people can see it.


Gawain found himself awake early the morning after returning to the Gremory Castle. The sword of a sword being used, while quiet in truth was a sound that rung in his ears. A sound that he was so equated with, it was as normal as breathing with him. With a long yawn, he stretched out his limbs as he still lay on his desk. Rocking to the left, Gawain then rolled off to the right and landed straight on his feet waking up the snoozing black mutt that blended into the dimly lit room and the desks.

"You are up early today Boyo."

"Mmm. It sounds like Milady has acquired herself a Knight. As the Queen of her peerage and also the oldest member, it is my duty to train the newest recruits."

"I see. Time to go see the girl then."

Alongside a yawn of his own, Nyctimus jumped down from his desk and weaved between the ceremonial swords to stand by Gawain's side before the both of them walked out of the room in total sync with each other. Gawain's armour taking form around his body as they stepped out of his room.

Stepping out from the large glass doors that make up the gateway from the castle to the rear garden, Gawain and Nyctimus stopped immediately. Because already standing there just outside the door was Grayfia alongside Lord and Lady Gremory.

"Awake already Gawain?"

"I was awoken by the sound of steel clashing. Sure did miss my desks, hotel beds just aren't the same."

"And how about Canis Lykaon beside you? How did he find it?"

"T'was a great slumber. Boyo picked well on the desks, simple yet comfortable. Shame the drapes are in so good condition."

You'd expect a more rough and impolite way of speech from a sentient dog but he is easily able to betray your expectations. He even goes as far as having a slight old fashioned feel to his speech along with his tone too.

"I shouldn't be surprised but I can't help it. Are you saying that Gawain found a Longinus on his week away from Rias?"

"That I am dear. And just like with the two nekos, he found it in the midst of a crime. According to Gawain, it was through self-defence and he was right about there not being any reports or claims of missing persons."

"If I may interject, what of this boy that Milady has reincarnated?"

Gawain's question was met with a brief spell of silence that only Grayfia interrupted.

"The lone survivor of the Holy Sword Project. It seems that with your lack of help and Light count, a part of the church used orphans to acquire it."

"That's … Really? Seems like Milady has an interest in misfits. Maybe my influence really isn't that great after all. What's his stance on things linked to the church then?"

"Not good. He has exhibited bitterness to the sheer mentioning of Excalibur and the church, even if it is just an implied. Though you are another matter. Apparently, all orphans taken in were religious, initially at least. He knew of who you were before Rias-sama mentioned you and apparently, all the orphans who were taken in knew of you. The boy mentioned that he had overhead the Priests speaking about how you had gotten yourself free so it looks like you have an admirer."

"Not sure my ego really needs it but I won't say no to the kid. That means the Holy Sword he takes an exception to is Galatine."

"That is correct but I expect the boy to show some kind of dislike at the feeling of it's Holy power."

"Gawain, as you know the training of Rias' peerage ultimately hinges on your superior intellect on combat to Rias'. Use it to bring his severe hatred of the church down to a typical devil level, don't overdo it."

"Of course Lord Gremory. I will sculpt the kid into someone I can trust to protect Milady when a time calls for me to step onto the front lines. Come on Nyc."

Letting out another yawn that coupled together with a whine, Nyctimus got up from his resting prone position and followed after Gawain who had started to walk forward into the garden towards his King and his fellow peers.

Stopping next to Kuroka and Shirone, he cast a small glance towards his King who was currently sparring with the new boy who looked to be slightly younger than Rias. Gawain was impressed with them both, his King was showing good form and keeping her thrusts smooth, the boy also had a decent stance for swordsmanship possibly even an affinity for it before the Knight Piece.

"Blondie-nya, you are back-nya. With a dog too-nya?"

"Back-nya."

Gawain was still not too used to the following soft chorus of the white-haired neko that almost always followed after the Black Neko almost like whatever she said was a verse. These two however, have shown greater loyalty to Gawain than they have to Rias over their time here so far. They'd only been here for around about a year but they trusted Gawain enough to show him their more embarrassing side, their actual cat forms. Most probably due to the fact that Gawain loved animals, he didn't have the ability to bring animals to him but he loved them plenty and looked after them better than he did himself.

For some reason though, both Kuroka and Shirone didn't show a negative expression to seeing or even sensing Nyctimus being near them. It was like they didn't care or he didn't register as a dog to them, possibly the Senjutsu's influence and being able to analyse his Ki of being more spirit than 'real'.

"Yeah, I had fun while I was out. Drunken karaoke is great, you'll have to come with me next time Kuroka-nya. The dog however, met him in the same way I did you too although he ripped 8 high-class devils to shred as if they were plain old paper. I'll introduce him properly when Milady has finished."

"Sounds great-nya."

Gawain wasn't teasing them when he said '-nya' after their names but it was something that he did unconsciously. It did however spur Kuroka into acquiring a set of blonde cat ears and tail for Gawain, something that he actually appreciated being given as a gift and so he partially fused it with the hood and cloak so they could be summoned when he is in combat. No reason was ever given for that though.

"Aniki~!"

Nyctimus let out a small whistle in recognition as a speeding crimson bullet smashed into Gawain giving him a hug, completely putting aside the fact that she just smashed her head against his chestplate. Patting his King's head softly, his hawk-like eyes stared directly at the blonde haired boy that was slowly walking towards them. Turning his head away the second he noticed Gawain's eyes were on him.

"I've missed you Milady. Hopefully you had fun without me around."

"I did my best Aniki~"

"I'm glad. This boy is your Knight I presume. Sounds like he had a similar circumstance to me."

"It was the complete opposite Aniki~! Mou~~ I didn't find him leisurely sitting atop a church altar while the rest of the place was set alight~!"

"Ahh the details. Don't worry your cute little noggin' Milady. "

"Another pet Aniki~?"

"I am not a pet Young Gremory."

"He can talk~?!"

As Rias took a step back from Gawain who had turned side on to face Nyctimus, the dog decided to transform and with the transformer sounds to boot. A whole second or two later and he was a floating black claymore.

"In-between setting the forest in the Sitri territory on fire, kidnapping Lady Sona's Queen and getting drunk and partying I came across Nyctimus. Who had just finished snacking on some people. Introduce yourself mutt."

"Boyo, stop it with the mutt. I am the Avatar Nyctimus to the Longinus known as Canis Lykaon, right now I have assimilated myself with Gawain and his own Sacred Gear partially fusing the two Gears together."

The second Nyctimus stopped speaking Rias exploded into excitement and stared up at her Aniki once again with doughy widened eyes.

"Aniki~! You got me a Longinus~! Yaay~!"

"Well, he's mine but yes, he is a portion of your power now."

"Ne ne Aniki~! You gotta tell me about what you did~"

"Oooh, of course Milady. Let's start with the most memorable event which was kidnapping Lady Sona's Queen."

After Gawain gave the details on his time away along with the mishaps that went down, especially when he was drunk, he was spurred straight into training the new recruit as per his King's orders. 'Aniki~! Train him to be the strongest Knight~!'. That was the order set to Gawain and an order that he was going to fulfil even if it wasn't spoken. He needed a fall-back plan, he needed someone who he could use to stay by her side if he was asked to do anything else and so Gawain didn't start off slowly with the boy.

As soon as Gawain was given the order, he summoned and threw his old pair of armoured boots at the boy.

"Put them on 'Kiba Yuuto', a Knight needs to protect his liege. If he can't harden his own defences and weakness then has no space to even protect his liege. So before we start training you in swordsmanship or your Sacred Gear, you need to get accustomed to extra weight on your legs. Once you have started to find your way, I will add bracers into the mix. Do you understand?"

"Yessir!"

"Good. Put the boots on, they'll be too big and clunky to begin with but as you move they'll fit to you. They are only a training pair so in time, you'll need to acquire your own. Whether it be armoured boots like me or greaves, depends on your style. When you are ready, call upon your sword and come at me. Don't worry about hurting me, just come at me."

And so the boy named 'Kiba Yuuto' did just that, it was somewhat reminisce of an Army Sergeant and a Private, albeit without the swearing and harsh tone. Gawain kept his voice level but firm with his eyes directly on Kiba Yuuto, who was in the process of putting the boots on his feet.

Kiba moved as he summoned his sword but fell forward first, face first into the ground eliciting laughter from the side where the rest of the peerage was standing who was now joined side-by-side by Lord and Lady Gremory who were interested in Gawain training someone who wasn't his King. Grayfia had disappeared to get refreshments, much to Gawain's joy although there was no chance of there being alcohol.

The moment Kiba raised his head, Gawain spoke out.

"Don't worry about embarrassment Kiba. You and I are our King's swords. I am her Saber and you are her Knight. Our embarrassment is nothing but a potential gift that can make our liege smile. Cast it aside, there is no need for it. Stand up and continue."

"Yessir!"

Kiba was determined to get stronger, Gawain could give him that but everything that had happened to him was still fresh on his mind and because of that, his want to get stronger was a minus and not a plus.

Kiba then charged forward, not using the Knight speed but kept his footing this time although he did stumble towards Gawain. Without bringing his own sword out, Gawain stopped the slash of Kiba's blade with the index finger of his right hand. A near impossibility if it wasn't for Kiba's complete lack of everything right now.

"Good. You are getting closer. Keep it up."

And so the two of them repeated the process as the onlookers kept watch on them both. Gawain never once moving anything but his right arm to stop the inward slashes of Kiba's sword, a demonic steel short sword. But even when Kiba got back to his original footing and the boots had fit themselves to his feet, he still couldn't get Gawain to bring out his own sword and neither did he get Gawain to grip the sword in his hand. Gawain just slapped the sword and Kiba away with the back of his hand.

"Now use the speed that comes with the Knight Piece. Accustom yourself to it, become one with it."

Wordlessly, Kiba did just that. He started to use his Knight speed, bit by bit and minute by minute he started to get better with it. He became faster but not fast, not yet. The added speed add to the power and velocity between each strike but it still failed to make Gawain change how he dealt with Kiba's strikes.

Gawain stood strong and firm the whole time, he simply let his eyes do all the work. For devils and swordplay because of the sheer speed they can go at, reaction times is the biggest factor but Gawain didn't believe that to be completely true. Due to his times with the church he learned that humans had to go with what they knew to counteract the inhuman speed and that was to use science, but more specifically physics. All of the top exorcists and all of the exorcists who would grow to be the best went out of their way to learn physics, either at all or in deeper detail. Their vision strengthened and they learnt what to look out for through practice, and that was where most of the weight and intent came from. An Exorcist's stare. You could tell a weak exorcist from a strong exorcist by the look in their eyes alone.

It wasn't great eyesight that was needed but it was the ability to see particulars that was needed. You needed to be able to see the shifts and changes in movements even if it was fleeting, it gave you that extra few seconds of life that the exorcists needed.

"Your strikes are shallow Kiba. Don't hesitate to strike me down with your blade. No matter how our Kings acts, our lives are not ours. We are hers to command. We will strike down whatever we need to to keep her safe and to allow her to continue moving forward. We will overthrow anyone, cut down anyone for her. No matter whether they are criminals or innocents, Prince or pauper, an Old and Wise King or a crying newborn. Once combat comes around discard all emotions. A loss of an arm to us is better than a strand of her hair being lost. Now strike me properly Kiba."

Gawain's voice came out without a single drop of emotion. It seemed to have struck a nerve with Kiba though as he came at Gawain once again, a feinted strike that was followed by a sidewards swipe. Something that Gawain saw easily and stopped but nonetheless impressed.

"Good Kiba but stop the thoughts in your mind. Understand it now and understand it quick. Do not get stronger for revenge. You will end up with only regret."

"How would you even know that?!"

For the first time, Kiba had hissed out at Gawain.

"Because my eyes are not clouded. Revenge is something that will never end if you don't give it up. You kill whoever is responsible then someone will come after you in revenge for that person and so on. Revenge is a dangerous path that only ends in pain, sorrow and regret. You do not have to experience it to understand it. Milady hasn't said anything to you about it, she won't but unlike her, I am not so kind. Drop it Kiba and drop it fast. Now that you are here, now that you are with us, you will experience being around Holy Swords a lot. If you don't drop it, you become a risk and not just to yourself but also to Milady so no matter what she says, I will put you down faster than she can even speak to stop me. A couple lives of people close to me is nothing for her safety Kiba."

Kiba's posture slouched, almost like his body had shut down before jerking up a moment later with two steel short swords in hand and charging towards Gawain. Gawain could only sigh, anger and contempt were not good emotions to have.

Gawain shot forward himself, disappearing and appearing gain all in a single second. But when he did reappear though, he was kneeling over Kiba's body which had Gawain's left hand on the top of his skull burying him into the ground.

"When angered, your senses and skill dull. Your mind hones in on a single thing, your care of your own well-being disappears. You become hell-bent on getting that revenge even if it's the cause of your death, you don't care as long as it's done."

As Gawain stood back up, he picked Kiba up with him holding his body up in the air.

"You become weak but deadly. An angered person is no good to anyone. Learn it peacefully or have it ceremoniously beaten out of you."

Letting go of his head, Kiba's body dropped to the ground beaten and bruised. Turning around, he slowly walked back to his earlier position.

"Now. Let's see which choice you pick."

Turning around to face Kiba, Gawain pushed his right foot backwards and twisted his body side on keeping his face looking straight at Kiba. Gawain's eyes narrowed further recognizing Kiba as a prey and he uttered a single sentence that forced Kiba into making his decision quickly.

"Load all shards: Summon Excalibur."

The golden Holy sword appeared out of thin air, it made it appearance like it was always there but no one knew it. Wind whipped around the golden sword as it was being unmasked, it's unparalleled Holy aura showing itself. It's power becoming thick thanks to Nyctimus' presence in the Sacred Gear. The relics felts alive once again and it was ready to show why it was and still is a Great Sword.

A whole half an hour later and Gawain was finished but not tired in the slightest. In the centre of the beaten, charred and completely churned up garden to the Gremory Castle he stood proudly, with the Excalibur in his right hand in pristine condition, radiating off it's unique Holy aura.

Kiba Yuuto was hunched over in front of him, in the centre of one of the many craters around the grounds, beaten and exhausted, barely staying awake breathing in and out deeply. The shattered sword that lay in his hands slowly disappeared into nothing.

"Have you lost the will of revenge or do I need to beat you into a coma to do so?"

When no reply came his way bar increased deep breathing, Gawain let out a dry chuckle.

"Good. Good. That's fine Kiba Yuuto. Get rid of the revenge but keep it as a goal. It's an easy change yes? Channel the hatred into determination, don't hate but revere. Created a sword of your own that becomes stronger than Excalibur. Have your name written in history, not as the crazed sociopath that destroyed Excalibur but as the man who crafted a sword stronger enough to break the Excalibur. How about that for a third choice?"

"..G-Goal?"

Gawain's gaze softened at Kiba who struggled to look up at Gawain. A small smile appearing on Gawain's features.

"Of course. Use the feelings of your comrades to prosper and not restrain yourself. No matter how young, no matter how immature, when death comes around they are never petty in things like this. Think to yourself Kiba. I have shown you the power of Excalibur and shown you that currently there is nothing you can do to 'avenge' your friends. I have given you a new alternative, make it one of many goals in life. But Kiba think, you were the only one to get away so why was that? I'm sure you didn't trample over the others, didn't push them out of the way to get out. I'm sure that you all helped each other to get out, you all wanted at least one person to survive what had happened. So think about it. Think about what your comrades wanted and want for you? You are alive. Come to a decision, do they want you to live happily and peacefully for their sake or do they want you to get revenge even knowing that doing so will not bring them back."

Kiba's eyes then started to droop as his conscious was giving way and so Gawain walked over to him and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"Take your time Kiba Yuuto. It's not an easy decision to make but until you've made it, no one here will help you get stronger. We are your new comrades, and we are not replacements for them. We will all await your decision."

Kiba's head finally dropped down against Gawain's chestplate signalling that he had finally fallen asleep. Instead of walking back to the others and his King, he repositioned Kiba's body on his shoulder and looked up to the blank and murky purple sky of the Underworld.

"My King saw something in you Kiba Yuuto, prove her right. Prove her precious use of the Knight piece on a dying boy that she randomly happened upon to be right. I trust her judgement, show us what you can do."

Letting out one final dry chuckle, Gawain brought his gaze back down onto his King and let a large smile come to his expression.

"I wonder what awaits us in this future of ours."


Done~!

Thanks to today being New Years, i have practically no time for anything story-related.
So only half of tomorrows chapter is done and i still have my typcial friday release for Mahouka to do and i can't do anything for a while.
Haaaah...How fun. Good job i'm not getting drunk this year or i'd completely forge about updates.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.
Hwyl Fawr~!