Barian of the Void: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Tabitha had very simple taste.

She enjoyed simple meals, liked reading, and preferred spending her time in peace and quiet so as to not be distracted by others. Hence why Void Day was one of her more enjoyable days of the year. A day where she could just stay in her room and read to her hearts content without any distraction.

At least that was what she was supposed to get as she looked up from her book to the silently shouting red-head before her.

Tabitha had calmly put up a silencing spell before Kirche has barged into her room for whatever reasons she had, having no concern for privacy as usual. And while it would have been simpler to just keep the spell up and ignore whatever antics her friend was about to get her involved in, the fact still remained. Kirche was her friend.

So with great reluctance Tabitha calmly waved her staff and canceled the spell.

"And then he said I know nothing of real love! I was so stunned because nobody had ever said such things or rejected me in such a way! Never!"

A very slight flinch of Tabithas hand show her surprised at the words as she continued reading. Someone had actually rejected Kirche's advances? Even the stoic girl mentally admitted she had never thought the day would come. Though sadly it didn't seem to do much to the Germanian's attitude.

"But that rejection, those cold eyes, that harshness! It just made my heart flutter even more than ever for him than ever before! That's why we're leaving! So get dressed and get ready!"

"Void Day."

Kirche sighed slightly, "I know how important Void Day is to you, but this is just as important Tabitha! I'm in love! Absolutely in love! But he's now gone off with that Valliere and I have no idea where they went. That's why I need your help!"'

So it was the familiar of Louise that Kirche spoke of. Tabitha had already figured her friend would make a move on the boy sooner or later, but apparently the result did not go as the Germanian had thought.

"So please won't you help me? You understand don't you?"

Tabitha merely shook her head as she kept reading.

Kirche sighed again, "Right. I forget you won't act unless given an explanation. Alright then," she took a deep breath to calm herself. And then she let it all out, "I want to chase after them and find out what they're doing so I can steal Ryoga's heart away! But I can't catch them without your familiar's help! So please please help me!!"

Tabitha calmly closed her book and nodded.

"You understand? Ah thank you Tabitha!"

The bluenette simply stood from her bed and opened up her room windows. Taking the sight of the school and land briefly the girl then blew a loud whistle with her fingers to the open air. A moment later a loud screeching cry was heard as a large figure flew from the sky towards the girls.

It was her familiar. The dragon Sylphid.

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"How much farther?"

"Quit complaining. We'll be there soon just stay close and try not to get lost."

Ryoga sighed and nodded, "Yeah fine."

He couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed and tired. After being forced to get up early cause of his "master" the two had ridden on horseback for three full hours to the town nearby. While he had experience with riding horses due to his first life, his current body wasn't used to remembering how painful it is. It also didn't help that even after arriving the two had been wandering around for nearly thirty minutes and had YET to even reach their destination.

Ryoga was beginning to question if Louise even knew where they were going.

Shrugging off the annoyance though the purple-haired teen continued to take in the sights. He had to admit that the place they were in reminded him of his old kingdom. The buildings were just like those he had seen every time he traveled through his city streets, and the people went about their daily business and doing whatever jobs or task they had planned. What's more it seemed as if the town was filled with almost all non-magic folk based on how they dressed and acted, which was a relief compared to how the academy was full of noble brats. Despite the lack of magic everyone seemed happy and content, and the town itself was nicer than what he has expected. Overall it brought a calm and nostalgic feeling to the duelist.

Though he would have liked it more so if they could just find the damn shop already!

"Ah there it is!"

Timing, thy name was convenient.

The duo entered the shop and were hint by a slight scent of ash and dust. Inside was relatively dark despite the sun lighting from the windows, and the place was filled with different kinds of weapons on display, whether hanging from the ceiling, in glass cases, or even stockpiled in barrels. Though from the looks of it the shop wasn't so neatly organized, which just made Ryoga question what Louise was expecting from this place.

Standing behind the counter of the shop was a man with a rat-shaped face, who now looked a the two with interest, "Ah welcome young lady and fine sir to "Sword". Finest weapon shop on the side of town."

Ryoga scoffed silently.

"How may I help you today?"

"I want to see one of your finest swords you have on sale. Something simple but capable of defending oneself," Louise all but demanded.

"Oh? A noble buying a sword? Quite a rarity these days," the man said with peek interest.

"It's for my familiar here not me. He in need of a weapon to use for my services so be sure you give us something of working order, got it?"

"A human familiar eh? Well now I've seen everything. Just a moment," the shopkeeper spoke as he entered the back room. The moment he did Ryoga turned to Louise.

"Hey, try being a little nicer and less stingy why don't you?"

Louise just huffed, "Don't misunderstand my intentions. I brought us here to get you a weapon to protect yourself with and nothing more. I'm not here to play nice or waste time got it?"

Before the duelist could respond the man came back with a standard looking longsword with a thin blade, "Here you go. This is one of our best selling pieces lately."

"Is that right?" Louise questioned as Ryoga grabbed the sword and began testing the weight and swing behind it.

"Indeed. Been selling like hotcakes to a lot of the knights around the castle lately. Heck the castle has even been allowing the servants to carry weapons on them. Something about a troublesome thief wandering around or something like that."

Ryoga paused in thought over the truth of the words but pushed it aside as he swung the blade once more.

"Well? How is it?" Louise asked. While she wanted this done quickly she would at least trust her "familiar" with his knowledge of swords and their use.

"It's not bad, but a bit light for me," the duelist replied as he sheathed the blade, "I need something heavier and with stronger material."

Louise nodded and turned towards the owner, "You head him. Get him something bigger and broader."

"Ma'am I'm sorry but judging from his size that sword would fit a person like him better tha-"

"I said I want bigger and broader!" Louise demanded impatiently.

Reluctantly the shopkeeper nodded and went to the back again, mumbling as he did. As the two waited Ryoga looked around the shop for anything else that might catch his interest. Most of the weapons looked plain and simple, but like Louise it wasn't like he wanted anything fancy. Just something to help get the job done if need be.

BA-BUMB

Ryoga suddenly paused as his eyes caught hold of a weapon barrel in the corner and a strange feeling echoed through him, "What the?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the voice of the shopkeeper broke the thoughts of the duelist as the man held out the weapon he brought. The sight of which caused Louise to look on in slight amazement and caused Ryoga...to stare in annoyance.

"The hell is that?"

The blade was certainly larger and broader than the previous one. And it definitely looked heavier and more detailed than the previous one. However there was one tiny problem with it.

It looked to be made of pure gold.

"It's the best weapon in the whole shop," the man said with a wide smile, "It was made by the Germanian alchemist Lord Shupei. It'll slice steel right in half."

"Bullshit." Ryoga stated bluntly, causing both Louise and the owner to look at him surprised, "That's gold isn't it? You honestly think something like that can be used as a weapon? Don't joke around. Something like that would be so unbalanced and weak it'd break the moment I made any attempt to defend myself with it. Something like that would be better off as a trophy than a means of defense."

The owner looked surprised at being found but still tried to haggle his way through the two, "I-It's much stronger than you give it credit for boy. A weapon like this is crafted once in a lifetime and was done with distinct precision. Trust me when I say it's definitely worth the price for buying it."

"And just how much is the price?" Louise questioned, her own admiration for the blade now pushed aside. While she wouldn't mind buying such a weapon the duelist words made her concerned over being conned by the man before her.

"Three-thousand new gold coins."

"You could buy a freshly-made house with a forest and yard with that much gold!" Louise all but shouted, which caused Ryoga to just glare harder.

"Sorry, not interested," he said calmly, "Not for the weapon and DEFINITELY not for that price. We'll just buy the other sword from earlier."

The owner frowned but nodded, "Fine, your loss then. The other blade will be a hundred and eighty-seven gold.

Louise flinched at that, which Ryoga immediately took notice of, "Louise?"

She turned her head down, "I only brought one-hundred gold with me."

Ryoga felt like slapping himself as the owner chuckled, "Sorry girl, but fact is most average swords go around two-hundred new gold. If you expect to get that blade from earlier you're gonna need a bit more than that."

Louise frowned, "Is there anything here we can get for one-hundred or less?"

"One-hundred?" The man said with a bit of amusement as thought it over. He then walked passed the two and towards the same barrel Ryoga had stared at. Ruffling through it the man grabbed something and pulled it out, "Well there is this."

BA-BUMB

Ryoga looked down to his Barian pendant, which was emitting the strange feeling he felt, "What's going on?"

"It's a bit old and rusty, but if you take good care of it it can still do a lot of good for ya," the man said as he extended the blade to Ryoga. It was a single edged longsword with a decent sized hand guard and and a strange moveable metal slot above the guard. The blade itself was a bit dulled but still relatively sharp, though the whole weapon was covered in rust. Overall it looked like it could have been a fine weapon once.

But why then was Ryoga feeling this....pressure just by looking at it?

As Louise spoke with the owner the boy reached out towards the blade and grasped its' handle.

The moment he did though the Barian crest he wore suddenly exploded with bright crimson, nearly blinding everyone in the shop as they covered their eyes.

"W-What!?"

"Shark!"

"The heck!?"

The crimson light glowed brightly as the duelist felt himself cemented in place. His grip on the sword seemed to tighten as he felt the power or Chaos flow through his body and into the weapon he was holding. After several long seconds the flow suddenly stopped as the light died near instantaneously, allowing the three to gain their sight back.

"W-What was that?" The owner asked as he stepped back in fear and confusion

"Shark? Are you okay?" Louise looked at him confused and surprised as the duelist shook his head clear.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." he said as he looked towards his pendant, "What the heck happened?"

"WOAH! What a rush! That's one way to wake a weapon up!"

At that the duo looked up at each other confused. Where had that voice come from?

"Oy! Over here dummies!"

Both "master" and "familiar" turned their gaze towards the voice, which seemed to be coming from the very weapon Ryoga was holding. But that was imposs-

"So, you're the one who woke me huh? Have to say you sure got one hell of an alarm bell pal."

"...Did this sword just talk?" Ryoga questioned as the metal flap moved to the words. He had seen a lot of weird shit in his lifetimes but this was definitely a new one.

"T-T-That's a s-s-sentient sword!" the owner spoke up finally as the two looked to him, "That's a sword that was crafted by magic to have a mind and thought of its' own! Those are extremely rare and unique!"

"No way," Louise looked at the sword surprised and a bit disturbed. While such an item was indeed rare the fact was that due to its' nature the weapon was technically 'alive' and acted and spoke of its' own free will. It was weird seeing as it would be like having a person constantly over your shoulder the whole time and seeing and hearing everything you.

Ryoga simply stared at the weapon in silence. Was this what his pendant was reacting too before? If so then why did his power of Chaos flare as it had? To wake the sword up? How had it even known or done such a thing?

"Hmmm," the sword interrupted his thoughts as it began 'speaking', "Your an odd one boy. Your not a user but you've definitely got something interesting inside you. Something really strong and familiar, though I have no idea what it could be."

That caused the duelist eyes to widen. Could this sword sense the Chaos inside of him? What could this mean?

"Ah whatever, doesn't matter," the sword 'spoke', "Name's Derflinger. Why don't ya buy me from this guy and let me come with ya?"

"Huh?"

"You did wake me up buddy. If not for you I'd still be sleeping in that stuffy old barrel for who knows how long. Heck I'd probably be melted down or something. Frankly I'd rather be used by some weird power wielding kid than sitting around gathering dust all day."

Ryoga thought it over a moment, contemplating the pro's and cons. But after a moment the boy nodded and even smiled, "Sure."

"Eh!?" Louise stared at him surprised, "S-Shark do we really need to? Couldn't you get something else?"

"I've made my mind Louise. Derf is coming with us," Ryoga said back with a toothy grin as he looked back to the blade, "Names Ryoga. Though you can call me Shark."

"Shark huh? Funny name for a kid. Well then, nice meeting ya partner!"

The owner meanwhile was still too stunned to really respond to either of the two.

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After managing to get the old man to sell Derflinger for the original price of one-hundred gold, thanks in part to Louise playing up her nobility role, the new founded trio returned to the academy. The rest of the day was spent with Ryoga conversing with Derf and explaining everything he could about the situation they were both now in. Derf laughed at finding out how the duelist beat the snob out of Guiche as well as the conditions of being Louise's "familiar". The chibi herself still felt disturbed and now annoyed at the sword but just pushed it aside knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Overall the day despite the weirdness the day had ended with relative ease and without incident.

"So what do you think Ryoga?"

Or at least it was until SHE showed up.

"Why are you even here Zerbst?" Louise asked annoyed as Kirche stood in her room with Tabitha reading a book on her bed. The red-head had all but barged into Louise's room with the bookworm, much to both the occupants disdain, dragging with her a familiar item.

"Why? Why to give a present to my dear Ryoga of course," Kirche responded with a smirk, "I just so happened to find a sword befitting of my dear love and decided to get it for him."

By sword she meant the same golden piece of crap from earlier.

"You followed us," Louise bluntly stated as Kirche smirked.

"I just wanted to apologize to my love for the misunderstanding we had last night and offer this wonderful beauty as a sign of peace. Not that it's any of your business little Louise, as it's a personal matter between the two of us. A very VERY personal matter."

Louise grit her teeth at the meaning and tone Kirche put out but stopped as Ryoga shoved the golden trophy back into her rivals arms much to the Germanian's shock.

"Ryoga?"

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in that piece of junk. Especially coming from someone like you," he replied with a calm anger, clearly not forgetting the events from the previous night.

"Haha! What a way with words partner! And rejecting a fine piece of ass like that? You're definitely one of a kind!" Derf voice put out from his spot against the wall.

"Eh? A sentient sword?" Kirche looked at the weapon surprised as even Tabitha briefly glanced towards Derf. Such a find was rather unique after all, "Seems you got him quite the strange and bizarre piece didn't you? Befitting of someone like you huh Louise?"

"Better weird and bizarre than a lying manipulator like you," Ryoga shot back. He didn't know what the red-head was planning but he was not gonna make it easy for her, and intended to make that as well known as possible.

Louise smiled victoriously at the duelist words as she turned to her rival, "There you have it. Even my familiar says he wants nothing to do with it or you. Best to run off while you still have some dignity Zerbst."

Kirche glared slightly at the pinkette but one glance at Ryoga settled her down. She had realized shortly after the disaster with the water user that her normal tactics wouldn't work on such a divine specimen. If she wanted to get close to him she would need to play the game more carefully than usual and not do anything to entice his anger towards her, even if she did find it incredibly hot. Sighing dramatically she spoke, "I see. Clearly darling needs a bit more time to cool down from our time together. Very well. I know when I'm not wanted so I shall retreat for the time being. But know this Louise, Ryoga," she pointed to the boy and gave off a very sensual smile, "I may have lost this battle, but I won't lose the war for your heart my love. So do wait for me."

Ryoga just scoffed. This girl was gonna be a fucking pain and he knew it. As Kirche turned to leave Tabitha stood and followed her, only for the bluenette to pause mid way and turn to him. Caught off guard by the sudden attention he frowned and asked, "What? You got something to say too?"

The girl simply stared as a tense silence filled the air. It was broken a moment later by her soft words, "Thank you."

"Huh?"

"For feeding Sylphid."

Before he could question her words the girl turned and walked out the room. Kirche looked at her friend surprised before snapping out of it and chasing after her, though not before blowing a kiss to Ryoga, leaving him and Louise to stare at the door in a confusion. The pinkette broke it first though as she glared at her "familiar, "What was that about?"

"Don't ask me," he replied still confused.

Who the hell was Sylphid?

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The next few days passed with relative ease, with the exception being Kirche's constant attempts to get closer to Ryoga, which only served to annoy him further. He had also learned that Sylphid was the giant dragon that wouldn't leave him alone during lunch, and that now knowing the dragon's name had caused her, yes her, to grow even more attached to the duelist. It was just another pain in the ass.

On the other hand though Ryoga had begun practicing with Derflinger each night for several hours in order to relearn and remaster all the skills he had as a former swordsman. While he had the memories from his past life, it wouldn't do any good if his body couldn't enact those movements and skills to their best.

As such Ryoga found himself in the open courtyard on one such night, swinging Derf around at invisible targets, his body swaying and flowing with each strike and movement as the cool night air graced his skin.

"Got to say partner, you're not half bad. A bit sloppy in some parts but you're definitely no amateur. Keep this up and you'll be quite the swordsman in no time."

"Yeah," Ryoga simply spoke as he thrust the blade out and then ducked down and spun the behind himself in a slashing motion. One thing he could say is that Derf was a talkative sword. Normally this would annoy the duelist, as such people were often annoying to the water user, as shown through his interactions with Yuma. But despite this Derf was actually a pretty decent guy to talk to despite being a sword.

It also helped that his new partner wasn't nearly as annoying as Yuma could be and was actually pretty intelligent when needed.

Deciding to finish up the duelist stepped back and ran forward as he leaped into the air as high as he could. He flipped once in the air and reversed Derf in his grip before landing on his feet and plunging the blade deep as he could into the ground, all while imagining the face of Vector as the person he was impaling.

It made for great therapy to picture slicing up that bastard.

As Ryoga took a moment to catch his breath the sound of clapping suddenly caught his attention. Turning his gaze towards the noise he was surprised to see Siesta standing there in the distance, "Siesta?"

The raven-haired maiden finished clapping as she walked over towards him, her face in awe, "That was amazing Shark-san. I didn't know you knew how to use a sword in such a manner."

The duelist chuckled as he straightened himself and removed Derf from the ground, "Yeah. I have some experience, but I still got a lot of work to do if I want to get even better."

"I see. Still, I've never seen anybody do what you did before. It was truly amazing." Siesta replied with a soft smile.

"Oh hoh? Who is this partner? You didn't tell me you knew such a hot babe. She quite the beauty ain't she? Don't tell me you've got a secret fling going on while trapped by that pink-haired ch-"

"Shut up," Ryoga smacked Derf into his sheath, shutting the blade up as he did. While he didn't mind having the sword as his partner there were times where his 'mouth' would just say things to mess with or annoy the former king and the people around him. Probably found some sadistic humor in it. Despite sheathing his weapon though the damage was already done as the maid turned beat red and looked at the sword surprised.

"D-Did that sword just-"

"Yes it did. His names Derflinger and he's kind of a loudmouth so don't let what he says get you too much," the boy said calmly despite his annoyance.

"I-I see," Siesta said as she shook off the surprise and turned to him, "That's just like you though Shark-san. You're always full of surprises."

"You have no idea," Ryoga mentally commented, "So how have you been? I haven't seen you around for a while."

"I'm fine. I was just finishing up some last minute laundry before I turned in for the night. But I caught sight of you and well," the maid blushed and looked down embarrassed, "I couldn't help but watch. Sorry."

The duelist simply shrugged, "Don't apologize. It's not like I was keeping it secret or anything so there's no need to feel embarrassed over it. Besides, it's not that big a deal."

"But it is," she said as she looked at him with a large smile, "You're really amazing Shark-san. You never let anything get you down, and follow your own path without fear or hesitation over how the nobles would react. Even when others see you as a noble you don't let it control you or act the part, but just stay who you are."

Ryoga looked surprised at the maid, "Where'd this all come from?"

Siesta continued smiling as she maintained a strong eye contact with the duelist, "I know I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you lately because of how busy I've been, but I've been watching you whenever I could. It may sound strange but, because of you I'm not as afraid as I used to be. I feel more courage and confidence in myself and to do my best with my work. To not listen to the insults or comments people make and just go on without any hesitation. You helped me to find this strength in myself I never knew I had, and I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate it."

Siesta then bowed to the boy much to his shock.

"So thank you very much, Shark-san."

The shark user was stunned by the declaration and honesty of the girl and actually turned red in embarrassment. Seriously, what was with everybody thanking him lately?

"A-Alright alright I get it just get up already. There's no reason for you to bow or anything. You'll make me feel like one of those stupid nobles."

Siesta stood back up giggling at his words, "Oh? Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad to work under a noble like you."

"Oy!"

Siesta simply continued giggling as even Ryoga chuckled slightly. He had forgotten how enjoyable it was to talk to the girl. She didn't judge him or his actions and was someone he could talk to normally and without worry. It actually made him feel more relaxed in this bizarre world he was in

"Say Siesta."

"Hm?"

"The next time you're off let's hang out. Take a day off away from all the stupid nobles and idiocy and just talk and stuff. What do you say?"

Siesta actually turned red at the proposal and smiled warmly as she nodded, "I'd like that very much."

Ryoga nodded back and smiled, "Good. That case I'll see you around when I can then. Make sure you take care of yourself alright?"

"Right. Have a good night Shark-san."

"You too."

With that the water duelist walked off towards the dorms, his mood much lighter than it was before. Guess things weren't so bad after all.

If he had turned around though he would have seen Siesta's face shift to a sorrow and regret filled expression.