Sorcerer Hunters
"Starstone"
Chapter XIII
Author's Note: I had to pirate the names of the Peer Gods from various fansites. Forgive me if I have sinned. If I have misspelled, well... that's worse. I'm sorry.
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Marron's vision grew increasingly dim. He was not dead yet, but that was just a matter of time. How had he been outsmarted? How could Zaha Torte have known what spell he was using, and stopped him? Oh, the sorcerer... the wolf... It hurt. It hurt so much.
It was as if he could feel every... drop... of... blood...
The sorcerer hunters watched in horror as Marron clenched his fists, fighting to hold on. Then his hands and face relaxed, falling under the power of gravity.
Gateau could not remember many details beyond that. Zaha Torte laughed, Carrot grew angry. Chocolate and Tira's clothes were ripped and bloody as they cried and fought. His armor was ripped from his body as he tried to fight alongside them.
A scream of rage–Gateau remembered that. He knew in his heart that they were all going to die as Carrot lost control and transformed. The beast roared and screamed, snorting and bellowing as he charged in the direction no one expected him to go–towards Zaha Torte.
Chocolate shrieked with pain and anger as one of Torte's spells exploded in her sister's face. Using every ounce of strength and skill he possessed, Gateau bounded over the ground, defying the quaking earth. He grabbed the younger Misu and, slinging her over his shoulder, made for stable ground.
One of Big Momma's Haz Knights took Tira from him. He felt the ground stop jumping beneath him, although Carrot's raging cries continued to echo in the newly-formed valley.
"Mother," the Knight Mille Feuille said, kneeling shakily in front of Big Momma, weak from wounds not yet healed. "We have Chocolate."
The goddess clasped her hands together as if praying. "Good. Take Gateau."
"You can't!" Gateau yelled as the knight reached out to take his arm. "Carrot's still out there!" he screamed. The world spun around him. "Carrot's still out there! Marron's still out there!"
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"I failed him," he whispered. He stared into the pool of water. His reflection failed to please him. "I failed him."
A few yards away and three stories up, the Misu sisters looked down at Gateau from a balcony. "Do you think he'll ever forgive himself?" Tira asked quietly.
Chocolate shook her head. "I really don't know." She watched as their tall comrade hurled a table into the pristine pool. Big Momma had arranged for them to stay at the beautiful, peaceful estate of one of her Haz Knight's mortal families, giving them a place to rest and recuperate.
Gateau started throwing chairs, potted plants, and anything else he could pick up into the pool. "Stop looking at me, you bastard!" he roared as the ripples smoothed out and his reflection glared up at him again. "What kind of god are you!"
"I don't think any of us will ever forgive ourselves fully," the elder Misu sister said, shaking her head and stepping away from the edge of the balcony.
Tira watched for another moment, her eyes sad. "He probably never told Marron how much he loved him, if I know Gateau."
"Probably not."
"You call yourself the Defender of the North!" More splashing and crunching filled their ears. "What about defending him!"
"Miss Chocolate, Miss Tira," said a soft voice. The sisters looked at the doorway, where the Knight Mille Feuille stood. He bent his arm at his waist and bowed to the sisters. "You should know that Carrot has awakened."
"M-my Darling is going to be alright?" whispered Chocolate, her eyes filling with tears. She ran to the knight. "Take me to him! Now!"
Tira joined them quickly at the door. "Take us to him," she corrected.
Beneath them, Gateau kneeled next to the pool, now filled with furniture and debris. He pounded his fists uselessly against the water.
"I don't need you anymore Hokuten Kauruman!" he yelled. "I never needed you!" He punched the leg of a chair that stood out from the pile in the pool. "I don't need any help being a failure! So leave me alone!"
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