Wing Warriors
Abby Ebon
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Disclaimer: If I forgot to mention it before- I don't own either Gundam Wing or any Mercedes Lackey books. See beginning chapters, they apply to the entire story.
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Ahead, they made out signs of life – and the metallic glint of the machinery and magic Dekim was planning to use.
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Magic from the device unexpectedly lashed out, and the Gundam's - sensing this threat to their pilots, blocked the attack with shields of raw magic.
It was alike to a tsunami tidal wave hitting a mountain; horrifying to behold, and very visible – and loud.
To those with the ability to sense magic; raw magic, when looked through, is milky and has a ghostly after-image. So by their Gundam's actions- protective as they were, the pilots were blinded to Dekim's actions.
Duo later supposed, in their Gundam's defense, it was better then being turned into crispy-pilot ash. Dekim, seeing their rather…brilliant, entrance – didn't so much as gather his magic as shove it into the device he was going to use to pull back time.
Being not very original he called it a time-machine, even if it was more of a magic-and-time-device; for it was egg-shaped, and black- if it worked, this shell would have protected him at he traveled back in time from the Goddesses' and God's efforts of trapping him.
Nonetheless, it was being powered up- and behind the shield of raw magic- the pilots were quite helpless to stop him.
Then, of course, Heero decided to do something absolutely suicidal – all for the good of the mission and his team.
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When the shield went up around them- originating from their Gundams, the two pilots on the ground rightly they thought they were being attacked.
They did two things- scatter for shelter- and they're shelter was their Gundams.
"What the hell was that?" Duo yelled, safely behind the leg of Deathscythe- his knuckles were white having grasped in a death-grip poor Sartra's mane.
She was quite cross with her Chosen - not that she would tell him now, but she expected some serious pampering later on for this.
"The Gundam's reacted to it; the energy around us has never been so high." Wufei explained, having been the only one able to hear Duo. Trowa looked on worriedly for behind Sandrock and Deathsyche he had the clearest view of Quatre, Duo and their two Companions.
Trowa had assumed that if they got into trouble – and the two were unable to get the Gundam's to obey them for whatever reason (this one being that their forefront 'attention' was elsewhere) the Companions would be able to 'run' their Chosen to safety.
He saw now, with the shield up, that they were quite helpless in the open, and with the shield up in a roughly dome shape, their Companions were trapped, unable to escape.
If Heero, or Wufei, had expected them to abandon their Companions in favor of the safety of their Gundams – it was quite clear to him that that was not about to happen.
"Trowa, do what you need to… to keep that shield up." Heero ordered, having seen the danger Duo and Quartre were in, and before he could question Heero – Heero ordered Wind to retract his shield enough to allow Heero to slip through.
This was something only Wing would follow his pilots' orders on, for the others did not have nearly as many near-death escapes as its own pilot did.
Nonetheless it obeyed Heero- if reluctantly, and allowed his pilot- to slip out, his kyree at his heels.
Heero swiftly passed the distance between Wing Zero, and where Quatre hid with the stone, behind Sandrock - Heero didn't know why, but he knew the stone was necessary.
Sensing his thoughts, Senta decided to help him, she distracted Quatre.
: Chosen, do you still have the white stone the Goddess gave you? : Senta inquired, and when Quatre – who had slipped off her back to better hide behind Sandrock, looked up into her endless pale blue eyes; he found himself reaching for the stone, and holding out to show her.
Heero, running past, snatched it- and ran for the shield, Jinni racing along behind.
He noticed quickly that it was shaping itself into the form of a bullet- and pulled out his gun, preparing to load the 'white stone' into it when he reached the other side of the shield – and the wild magic beyond.
Coming out of the daze Senta had placed him under, Quatre looked frantically after Heero- ready to race after him; apologetically, though firmly – Senta would not allow her Chosen to do so- she held his clothing firmly in her teeth.
"Heero!" Hearing Quatre yell out, Duo looked to see Heero running into the shield.
His heart in his throat, Duo watched on as at last minute, Heero pulled the white stone in front of him; the shield of raw magic, and the wild magic beyond - parted for him and Jinni.
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The last thing Dekim was expecting as he prepared to slip into the black-egg was a bullet, in the form of the white stone to slam into the back of his head; he turned to face Heero.
He sneered at the young Gundam pilot.
"Suicidal fool, no weapon of man can stop me." Dekim hissed, his power flowing into the black egg. But the white stone wasn't a weapon of man.
His gun was- the joint power of manmade intelligence, and the Goddesses strange gift made sense now.
Heero smirked, for he saw the white stone was the opposite of the power Nitocris had gifted him with many millions of years ago.
It was 'eating' Dekim, and Dekim's power, and as the dark power of the Star-Eyed was the only thing keeping Dekim immortal- yet it was being pulled from Dekim. Heero didn't speak as Dekim tried to hit in with the Star-Eyed's power, only to have it back-lash Dekim.
Heero watched the awareness of what Heero had done flash through Dekim's eyes before the white stone caused his power to flare- a black aurora mixing with the pure white of the stone.
Then, as if that was some unspoken and unseen signal of Dekim's defeat, a silver hawk- the Avatar of the Star-Eyed, Dawnfire K'Sheyna, swept down and plucked Dekim from the black egg, which pulsed with raw power- the wild magic collapsed in on it's self.
The other pilots were quick to take in the sight of the Star-Eyed's Avatar as she flew up, taking the limp form of Dekim with her –and disappearing in a flare of power.
They looked among each other – was it over?
Duo and Quatre rushed to Heero to check on the other pilot. Trowa and Wufei were quick to come out of their Gundams to do the same.
Other then his hair now glinting with silver streaks, and his eyes a paler blue, Heero looked remarkably untouched. Other then Jinni now going form a black kyree to a silver one- she didn't seem harmed either.
"Is that it?" Duo asked his voice filled with disbelief.
It wasn't.
Amensa, perched on top of Trowa's shoulder, suddenly yowled out a warning- a Mage-Storm approached.
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The Star-Eyed attention was split, one eye on the Gundam Pilots, and the other on Untho's Tower. Magic, raw magic, was being sucked into the bottomless pit- only it wasn't.
It was the black egg magic was being poured into – all magic, even the Mage-Storms. Above the lake, the people of Valdemar may have known a Mage-Storm approached. The pilots – did not, until it was too late.
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Confusion followed- in it, Duo was shoved against the still power-filled black egg – he screamed as energy filled him, and even as the pilots lay hands onto him to help him – the screams and yells were cut off.
The storm was over- and the pilots were gone.
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The Star-Eyed, and the other Gods' and Goddesses' of that timeline watched, helpless and wary as the pilots were taken back in time.
Despite the sheer magical power involved, they knew it would not take all ten of them as far back in time as Dekim had wanted to go.
It came close though.
Five pilots, and five guilds, awoke to the time of Valdemar's founding one thousand and three hundred years before they arrived the first time around. The ancestors of Herald-Mage Vanyel Ashkevron had arrived…