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Disclaimer: I do not own the Gundam Wing characters, nor am I
making any money from this. The idea of a Confessor is from
Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth novels. I am doing this without
permission.
Warnings: AU, shounen-ai, violence
Pairings: 1+2 3+4
The Confessor Series
Part 11
Battle at King's Gorge
[Three days after Duo made his decision].
Major Heero Yuy stalked into the barracks, stripping off his
jacket and gloves. He had just come from his final briefing for
their mission. All they had to do now was finish packing up and
leave. Only Quatre was there, sitting on his cot and studying
his spell book. He looked up at Heero and put his book down.
"Are we leaving now?" he asked.
"Yes," Heero answered. He pulled out his pack and started
sorting though items, categorizing necessity and optional. He
had done this many times before but the routine was so ingrained
that it felt almost relaxing.
"Where are the others?"
Quatre frowned and his eyes lost focus as he concentrated his
will. He had been practicing some new spells and the Locate
spell was working quite well. "Wufei is on his way, Trowa is
getting the horses ready and Duo is in the library, as usual."
Duo. The confessor was still a complete enigma to them. They
were to accompany the powerful young man on what was considered a
suicide mission to eliminate the Golgathan wizards. Duo had said
he would do it, indeed he was the only one who could, but Heero
couldn't help but wonder about why the braided boy had agreed to
do it. One day he would ask, but until then Heero decided to
keep a close eye on him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Duo; it
was just that he didn't understand him. Heero shook his head in
irritation. Duo confused him and Heero didn't like being
confused.
"I'll get him."
Ever since Duo had learned of the library, he had spent every
spare minute there, studying the phenomenon known as the
confessor. The journals his mother had left him were woefully
incomplete, leaving large gaps of information out of his
education. He now took this opportunity to fill in those gaps
and learn to utilize his power to its greatest potential.
He learned that his magic stemmed from the Wild magic, as opposed
to the High magic used by sorcerers and wizards. A confessor
could not be separated from this power, it was forever a part of
them until they died or were killed. Nothing human could resist
the power of a confessor's touch. He could understand Treize's
fear of them, but they had been dedicated to peace and justice in
the midlands. He was glad that his race had been a noble one,
defending their beloved midlands from evil. Now it appeared he
would be carrying on his ancestors work.
Quiet footsteps echoing through the vast library alerted the Duo
to Heero's arrival. He looked up into the cobalt eyes and once
again felt a weird shiver run up his spine. He really didn't
understand the reaction, because he only felt it when he looked
into the Major's eyes. He closed the book and stood up.
"Guess it's time, huh?"
Heero nodded and together they left the maze of books. They
walked side by side in silence. Duo was now wearing a military
uniform like the others. His (un) official rank was lieutenant.
It was imperative that he could pass for a soldier. The only
thing that gave him away was his braid.
They entered the barracks, neither of them having said a word on
the way back. The others were there waiting for them, all packed
and ready to go. Duo grabbed his pack and made sure it was all
set.
"Let's go." Heero said.
They made good time. The midsummer weather stayed mild as they
made their way east back through the mountains and then turned
south toward the vast Korona Plains. The horses were fit and
eager to be off each morning. Wufei and Duo continued the sword
lessons at night. The confessor and the bladesmaster were
becoming good friends. Trowa spent the day scouting and hunting,
more and more often taking Quatre with him. Duo grinned as he
watched them. They would often ride ahead of the rest and be
waiting for them to catch up.
"When do you suppose those two are going to stop beating around
the bush and admit they have feelings for each other?"
Wufei who was riding Shenlong on Heero's other side, snorted.
"Knowing Trowa, never. But Quatre is persistent enough to get
through to him." Wufei knew about their feelings for each other
before either one of them had become aware of it themselves.
"I think it's great. They deserve some happiness." Duo
commented, a grin plastered on his heart-shaped face.
"Hn." Was Heero's only comment, but Duo sensed some disapproval
in his tone.
"I take it you don't approve, Heero?" Duo asked.
"No, I don't. Getting emotionally involved with another person
when preparing for battle isn't wise. It distracts the focus and
a person looses their objectivity."
Duo frowned. He understood where Heero was coming from, but that
didn't mean that he had to agree.
"I don't know about that. It seems to me that a person should
grab happiness whenever they can. I mean, chances are none of us
will be coming back from this little venture. So would it be so
bad if they shared something special? Live for today because
tomorrow never comes anyway."
"Hn." Was Heero's reply. Duo and Wufei looked at each other
behind Heero's back and Duo smirked. They knew Heero wanted to
argue but that would mean using up his ten-sentence quota for the
day.
Then Trowa and Quatre came into view, sitting on their horses and
looking pleased with themselves. Quatre was beaming from ear to
ear and Trowa had a little smile on his face too.
"Wonder what those two were up to." Duo remarked, his smirk
growing bigger.
"None of our business." Heero stated firmly. He knew that Trowa
was very protective of the slight blond mage. If Duo started
teasing him, Trowa might be tempted to use one longhaired
confessor for target practice.
"Heero is right, Duo. Leave it alone." Wufei ordered and Duo
acquiesced. He genuinely liked Quatre. The blond was the first
person to treat him like a friend and Duo had come to think of
him more a brother. He wanted them both to be happy.
They made their way to the opening of the King's Gorge. It
seemed different from the last time they had been there. At some
unacknowledged signal they stopped and inspected the entrance.
The wind sobbed though the stonewalls like some wounded beast.
Wufei scowled at it with unease.
"I don't like this. Something's different, it has something to
do with magic." He shook his head in frustration. He could sense
it, screaming down his nerve endings like metal filings. His
unease transferred to Shenlong and she pawed the ground in
agitation.
Quatre reached out with his mind, trying to determine what was
disturbing Wufei. He could sense High magic vibrating in the air
like the last note of a violin string, but he couldn't determine
a purpose or who had cast it. He shook his head and opened his
eyes. The towering yellow walls seemed to stare forbidding back
at them, daring them to enter.
"I can sense something, but nothing specific. Someone cast a
powerful spell here, but I don't know why. I think we should be
very careful. Whatever happened here is still happening. Be
ready for anything." Quatre said, blond hair stirring in the
breeze as he stared hard into the gorge.
Heero nodded. "I'll go first, then Trowa. Quatre and Duo next
and Wufei, you bring up the rear. Be ready to run at my signal.
We'll go the same route we took before, any detours will only
take us deeper into the Gorge. Let's go."
Gathering Wing's reins, Heero nudged the white stallion into a
walk making their way toward the entrance. Cautiously, the
others followed, not one word was spoken. It was as if they were
trying to sneak through without being noticed. The wind screamed
to a higher pitch, sounding for all the world like demented
beast. It toyed with their hearing; grating on their nerves. All
of them were constantly looking around, trying to see in all
directions at once. The walls seemed too close, crowding in
behind them and reluctantly parting ahead of them.
This went on until they were about half way through the canyon.
Trowa suddenly reined Heavyarms, holding up his hand for silence.
They obeyed, each one listening with all his might. But all they
could hear was the wind's insane scream. Heero looked
questioningly at Trowa, but Trowa was fixed one something only he
could hear, cocking his head off to one side. As Trowa whipped
his head around and stared intently at the passage they had just
come from, the horses began snorting and shying as a bellow of
some monstrous beast echoed through the walls.
"Run!" Trowa said in a calm voice, which contrasted with the
urgency of the situation. As one the steeds wheeled around and
hit full speed within three strides. They belted along the
narrow twisting passage, turned a corner and slammed to a halt,
with Wing standing on his hind legs screaming in protest.
A huge monster with the body resembling a human and the head of a
bull complete with razor sharp horns sticking out on either side,
standing fifteen feet tall roared in rage at their appearance.
The lower half of it was covered in thick black hair over bulging
muscles. Clawed hands ripped through the air as it flailed about
in insane hatred. Another was right behind it. The horses
screamed shrilly as they fought for their heads, trying to bolt
in terror.
"Minotaurs!" Trowa yelled.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Wufei demanded, his sword
already drawn. Shenlong also reared, neighing shrilly.
"I don't know and I really don't care!" Duo shouted as he clung
to Shinigami's mane to keep from getting thrown in her panicked
shying. "How are we getting out of here?"
"Back!" Heero commanded, spinning Wing on his haunches and
spurred him back through the gorge.
They raced back the way they had come, only to wind up face to
face with three more of the enraged beasts.
"Now what!" Duo hollered over the scream of the wind and
terrified horses.
Heero looked around for a place to make a stand. He spied a
narrow passage off to the side, almost invisible among the crags
of the wall. He pointed at it with his sword and ordered them
into it.
Duo and Shinigami made the gap first, with Quatre and Sandrock at
their heels. Heero, Wufei and Trowa came last; Trowa had his bow
out and fired an arrow right into the left eye of the nearest
minotaur. The great beast bellowed in agony but merely brushed
at the arrow with one clawed hand as it charged.
"Get back!" Heero ordered.
They fled down the narrow corridor, single file. And skidded to
a halt when they saw it open up to a small box canyon with no
other exit. Quatre and Duo were already there staring up the
vertical walls in dismay.
"We're trapped." Quatre noted.
"No, really? I hadn't noticed! Boy, nothing gets by you,
Quatre." Duo snapped sarcastically.
"Shut up, Duo!" Trowa glared at the braided confessor. No one
talked to Quatre like that when Trowa was around.
"They're right behind us you guys! Stay on the subject, will
you?" Wufei had leaped down off of Shenlong and charged to the
opening, brandishing his sword.
"What's causing this? I thought minotaurs didn't live in this
part of the gorge!" Heero demanded, following on Wufei's heels.
"Something is driving them mad." Trowa readied his bow and
grabbed the quiver from Heavyarms' saddle.
"It's that spell!" Quatre exclaimed. "Someone cast that spell to
drive the minotaurs crazy and ambush people going through the
gorge."
"Here they come!"
There was no more time for talking. Another bellow heralded the
arrival of the first minotaur. The corridor was too narrow to
allow more than one at a time. The minotaur was the one that
Trowa had shot, the arrow still sticking out of one eye as clear
liquid ran down its cheek. Agony and rage contorted its features
turning it into some kind of living nightmare. The horses
crowded away to the back of the canyon, reins and stirrups flying
loosely.
Wufei met the monster in the opening. He was a bladesmaster and
this was his chance to show what that really meant. With a war
cry, he hacked at the sinewy wrist as the minotaur grabbed at
him. The blade bit deeply, causing huge amounts of blood to gout
from the wound. Faster than the eye could see, Wufei brought the
blade down again, this time severing the hand completely. The
monster threw its head back and roared in rage as Wufei's blade
scythed straight across its midsection. Intestines spilled
around its feet and with one last choking bellow, it sank to the
blood soaked earth; the next one was already clawing its way over
its dying companion.
Heero fought at Wufei's side, his face set in a grim scowl.
Though he was not as fast or as skilled as Wufei he knew more
about swordsmanship than most people ever would. He cut and
hacked with long acquired competence at the fur-covered body in
front of him. Heero knew this mission was of utmost importance
and if he had to die he would take as many as he could with him.
Trowa fired arrow after arrow, shooting for the eyes in an
attempt to blind the monsters. He took extra care to aim, not
wanting to waste a single one. When he ran out, he would pick up
his sword and fight alongside the two soldiers. The next
minotaur fell to the onslaught of the defenders and the third one
soon after.
Quatre focused his will, reaching for that bright place deep
inside. He spoke a single Word of Power and pointed at the
minotaur trying to crawl over the one engaged in battle with his
friends. The beast roared in pain as the High magic ruptured
several of its vital organs, but it refused to give up and die.
The young mage realized that whatever was driving these beasts
mad was too strong for his power. So he tried a different
tactic.
He turned to his companions and concentrated. Gesturing with his
hands, he began to cast spell after spell on them until he began
to feel lightheaded and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Duo was standing nearby with his sword drawn; he knew that he
would be in the way if he tried to help. The narrowness of the
opening wouldn't permit more than two people to fight without
getting in way. He turned, noticed Quatre starting to sway and
moved quickly over to support the sagging mage.
"What are you doing?" he questioned worriedly.
"Buffing the others. I can give them a temporary boost in speed,
stamina and strength. It won't last too long but it will help
them get through the battle. Those monsters are resistant to my
Direct Damage attacks. I'm not strong enough to hurt them." He
finished with frustration.
The soldiers were visibly fighting faster and better. But there
was no end in sight of the monsters. Quatre started another
series of buffs, gasping as his own energy started running
dangerously low. Duo looked on with ill-disguised worry. Then
he thought of something.
"Quatre, where do you draw your power from?"
"Myself, why?" Quatre clenched his teeth and focused yet again.
The bright place within himself was beginning to dim, but he
wouldn't stop. They needed him. He cast more spells, starting
to feel dizzy. Nearby, Wufei danced out of reach of a vicious
swipe of razor-sharp claws, ducking back in and slashing the
hairy throat, coating both his sword and himself with hot blood.
Another leaped over the back of it and Wufei was forced to
retreat a step to avoid getting squished. Heero moved fluidly
behind it and hacked at one strong knee. The horned beast fell
to one knee with a roar and Heero plunged his sword deep into
it's back. Wufei stabbed it through the heart and twisted his
sword, leaping back to avoid the falling body.
A few steps away, Trowa shot the next one coming behind it in
one eye, and aimed an arrow for the other. The monster turned
away at the last second and the arrow went wild. Swearing
quietly, Trowa nocked yet another and waited for the next
opportunity to present itself.
Duo watched the battle while he considered carefully what Quatre
had told him. Then he nodded to himself.
"Can you draw from another source?" He asked, an idea forming in
his mind.
"I don't know, I think so but there isn't another source here."
Quatre had sunk down to his knees with exhaustion and he could
feel his heart laboring. He wiped a hand over his mouth and it
came back streaked with red. He knew he couldn't keep it up for
much longer; the strain on his body was too great. Hot and cold
flushes raced up his spine and he fought to remain conscious.
"Quatre, listen to me. You can draw from me, ok? I'll be your
power source. Can you do it?" Duo shook the nearly unconscious
mage, trying to wake him up. The blond mage drew a deep breath
and shook his head trying to clear it. He turned and looked at
Duo.
"Are you sure?" He closed his eyes briefly and reopened them,
willing them to focus.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm supposed to be pretty powerful, but I can't
control the power. Maybe you can. We have to do something, they
can't hold out forever." Duo watched with growing frustration as
yet another minotaur appeared in the corridor.
Quatre nodded, he could feel his body begin to recover a little
from the strain. His head felt a tad clearer and it was getting
easier to breath.
"Can you do it without touching me?" Duo asked. He didn't want
to hurt the young mage.
Nodding again, Quatre maneuvered to his feet, standing next to
Duo.
"Stand near me, and try to clear your mind." Duo nodded and
closed his eyes, concentrating on his power.
Quatre also closed his eyes and in his mind's eye he could see
the lights that were the others. The three in front of him shone
strong and clear. Then one flickered slightly and he heard Trowa
cry out in pain. One had gotten through and Trowa had gone for
his sword. The beast was bleeding from a dozen wounds already
but refused to go down. Trowa stabbed at it's unprotected
midsection and felt a satisfying jarring of his arm as the blow
struck home. The creature writhed in pain and it clipped the
scout's head as it flailed in its death throes.
Taking a deep breath, Quatre blocked out the distractions and
focused on Duo. He studied the confessor's light, feeling awe at
the brilliance and subtle tones that made up Duo's essence. He
shone like a sun, power pulsing through the light like a sun
storm. Focusing his will, Quatre brought all his High magic to
bear on Duo's Wild magic. With a thought, he tapped into the
brilliance beside him and immediately knew his was in trouble.
The Wild magic roared upon him like a giant pulse, strange and
utterly inhuman. Quatre staggered under the impact of Duo's
magic as it collided with his own. He fought back fiercely,
trying to control the ancient power. The two magics, one of
order and one of chaos struggled for domination of the young
mage. Quatre felt he was drowning in a swirl of light and
colors, and then with a chill of horror he understood: the Wild
magic was the power to create and destroy.
[create and destroy]
Calling on all his training he fought back. Slowly he gained
control, using his High magic as a focus he opened his eyes,
staring at the attacking monsters. Bending his will even more, he
filtered the High magic through the Wild magic.
[create and destroy]
Duo felt the rapid rise in power next to him and he too opened
his eyes. He saw Quatre slowly point at the opening of the
corridor, now clogged with carcasses of minotaurs, with yet more
trying to fight their way in. He sensed rather than saw Quatre
gather his will and knew that something terrible was going to
happen.
[create and destroy]
"Get down!" Duo yelled to the others.
[destroy]
"Destroy"
Wufei, Trowa and Heero all hit the deck. Light blazed in
Quatre's eyes. Boulders and rocks were picked up and thrown
aside and the minotaurs died bellowing in unspeakable agony as a
vast invisible force crushed their existence right out of them.
Like a tidal wave, the power moved across the gorge, destroying
everything in its path. Smears of bloody bones were all that was
left of the minotaurs. The three soldiers shuddered as they felt
the magic roll over them, wild and unstoppable. The ancient Wild
magic had been set loose, only held in check by High magic and
the will of one young mage.
The power surged out of Quatre in a never-ending stream. The
walls of the gorge began to crack and crumble from the sheer
intensity of the blast. With stunned awe, Heero realized that
the opening was beginning to cave in.
"Quatre! Stop!"
Quatre didn't respond. He was lost in the power of destruction.
"Quatre!"
Trowa sheathed his sword and ran to Quatre, thinking to disrupt
the spell. But as he neared, Quatre turned his eyes to him and
he froze, seeing the strange yellow glow where there once had
been sky blue.
"Stay away from me or I'll destroy you!" Quatre hissed.
"Quatre! Stop right now! You'll destroy everything!" Heero
yelled, ducking away from the crumbling rock.
Destroy everything "Destroy everything!" Quatre repeated, as if
in a trance.
"Great Heero, give him ideas!" Wufei shouted from across the box
canyon.
The stone walls began to resonate with a deep sonorous tone, like
the peal of a huge iron bell. It started growing steadily
louder. With a sinking feeling, Heero knew that sound heralded
their destruction. He raised his sword and with a burst of
strength, winged it end over end straight at Quatre.
Trowa saw the sword coming out of the corner of his eye and he
bit his lip to keep from crying out. He understood that Quatre
must die before he could kill them all. However something
alerted the mage. Faster than the eye could follow, Quatre
gestured and the sword turned to slag and fell to the ground.
Then with narrowed eyes, he turned to Heero.
"I will kill you." He ground out.
Duo watched with rising terror. He could feel Quatre tapped into
his power. But it was only a slow trickle. He tried futilely to
clamp down on the power, to prevent Quatre from using it to hurt
the others. But it was no use, like trying to grasp a sunbeam
with his fingers. So gritting his teeth, he tried the only other
thing he could think of: he released his hold on the power.
Silent thunder impacted the air. Wild magic hit Quatre's High
magic like a tsunami, overwhelming it immediately. Quatre
screamed in pain, as his will was shredded by Duo's magic like a
cobweb in a tornado. Blackness rose up through the chaos, and
the blond mage fell to the ground, unconscious.
The silence was deafening. Trowa ran over to the prone mage and
knelt down beside him. He turned the unconscious mage over,
picked him up and cradled him in his arms. Quatre's breathing
was unsteady and his face was chalk white. Softly, he soothed
the sweat-damped bangs back from the pale forehead, ignoring the
trickle of blood down him own forehead.
"Is he ok?" Wufei stalked up where the others were clustered
around the mage and the scout.
"He's still breathing, if that's what you mean." Trowa said, not
taking his eyes off of the blonde's face.
"Where did he get all that power from?" Heero asked, though he
suspected he already knew.
"He used mine." Duo said. He appeared to be fine, though a
little pale.
"Yours?"
"Yeah, he wasn't strong enough to do much against the minotaurs
on his own, so I let him tap into my power."
"Did you touch him?" Trowa's voice was ice cold. He didn't look
up.
"No, but he was connected my power when I hit him with a full
blast. I had to do it to knock him out of the spell. He had
lost control of it."
"He had enough power to level everything for a five-mile radius
it felt like." Wufei supplied.
"Will he still be Quatre? Or will he be your slave?" Trowa
asked, his voice rippled in agony.
"I don't know." Duo shrugged, masking his horror and
self-loathing. He knew he had no choice but this was Quatre, the
one he felt like a brother to. He wished again that he could use
his power on himself.
"We'll find out when he wakes up."
Trowa raised his head and stared at the confessor with
undisguised hatred. Gently he put Quatre back down on the ground
and stood up. His green eyes never left Duo's. He stalked
toward the confessor, who stood his ground and met that emerald
gaze squarely. Without a warning, he reached out and grabbed
Duo's collar in both fists, pulling him forward until their faces
were inches apart.
"If Quatre isn't himself when he wakes up, I will kill you
myself."
Duo looked back into Trowa's pain-filled face and nodded.
"If Quatre isn't himself when he wakes up, I'll let you do it."
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