Chapter 4 - Dance of the Deadly Dragon

“Run!” Vincent said again, this time with more force. Judging by his tone, Eric knew something was wrong, so he took off immediately, with Vincent right behind. The sun was setting, and the paths were becoming dimmer. A sudden explosion erupted behind them, and both turned to see dust, stones and smoke come flying up out of the cave they had been in. Rising up out of the flying debris was what Vincent had feared all along, a dragon. It beat its great wings, and soared in the companion's direction. Its piercing eyes searching for its prey, it swooped overhead, just as Vincent pushed Eric into a small alcove in the stonewall. The dragon saw the movement, and swooped down onto the mountain path. It knew the path they were on was too narrow for him to maneuver on properly, so he went ahead, further on the path he knew his prey would have to take. The path would reach an area that was wider in length, plenty of room for the dragon to strike. He climbed onto a ledge above the area and waited. Waited for the humans to come.

Vincent stuck his head out of the alcove, and looked around. The dragon was nowhere to be seen.

“I think we lost him,” Eric sighed, stepping out of hiding.

“It's quiet,” Vincent said, “too quiet.”

“Why do you say that? Do you think he's hiding? I mean, I don't know dragons too well, but they never struck me as intelligent enough to wait in ambush.”

“It depends on how old they are,” Vincent replied, still looking for any signs that the monster was still around, “Old dragons are extremely cunning, and if they know the area in which they live well, then ambushes are to be expected. Dragons don't easily give up on prey.”

Eric swallowed hard. He had never faced a dragon before, and had only seen them in books. “Did you happen to catch its color?” he asked. A dragon's scale color was a way to tell what his elemental strengths and weaknesses were.

“It looked red,” Vincent answered, “they're native to this area.”

“So, it's weak against ice, huh?”

“Yes, but don't think a couple of ice spells will kill it. Dragon hides are strong, even if they have a weakness.”

Eric nodded in agreement. He couldn't believe that he and Vincent were in these mountains, being chased by a dragon. He would never have guessed that this is where his life would take him. He just hoped that it didn't end here.

“We can't wait here,” Vincent said, walking further down the path, “Otherwise, it'll grow dark, then we'll really be in over our heads. These paths are dangerous enough at night without a dragon hanging over us.”

The two continued on, eyes ever alert, and ears open for the slightest sound. The fading light cast long shadows, and the mountain air grew colder around them. The sky took on a purple tone, and tiny stars began to dot the skies. The two of them reached a wide area in the path, a ledge that jutted out of the mountain and overhung a valley below. The path continued on the other side of the ledge, with rocks precariously perched along the wall rimming the ledge on the mountainside.

They walked forward, and onto the path across the way, when several pebbles fell down the side of the hill, giving Vincent just enough warning. He grabbed Eric by the back of his collar and jerked him backwards, just before a pile of boulders landed right where the oblivious young man was standing. Eric turned to Vincent, his face filled with surprise and gratitude.

Thank you so much!”

“No problem,” Vincent answered, standing up, and as he did, the dragon, frustrated that its trap was unsuccessful, leapt into the pathway leading back the way the two had come. Now he had them. He let out a triumphant roar, knowing now that his prey was his.

Faster then Eric could see, Vincent pulled a pistol from a holster on his belt. The barrel was a deep black, with a gold sight. The trigger and hammer were also gold, and the handle, which looked to be made out of onyx, was trimmed with gold. On the handle was a white skull, with rubies set in its eyes. Just looking at the weapon sent a chill down Eric's spine. It seemed to match Vincent's personality well, as if the gun was an embodiment of Vincent, a reflection of his soul, except for one thing. The weapon's one purpose was to kill. Eric couldn't believe that the same went for Vincent.

The dragon roared again, bringing Eric out of contemplations. The monster, its red scales shimmering in the sunset like thousands of rubies, reared its head back. Flames licked its lips, and sparks leapt from its nose, as it prepared to roast it victims. Vincent and Eric, with their backs against the pile of rocks that blocked their path, saw what was happening and ran in separate directions just as a plume of fire shot from the dragon's mouth and scorched the blocking stones. Vincent slid to a stop, a foot from the edge of the ledge, pulled back the hammer on the gun and fired. The bullet struck the dragon on the side, piercing its scales and burying into its skin. The dragon roared in pain, and turned its burning eyes on Vincent. Vincent returned the glare, and locked the hammer again. The dragon, swiped its claws toward Vincent, but Vincent jumped over it and fired again. It missed this time, but distracted the dragon long enough for Eric to finish his level three Blizzard spell. A huge block of ice fell from the sky, seemingly from nowhere, and crashed onto the dragon's back. The ice shattered, and small bits of ice scraped against the dragon's burning scales, causing more pain.

The creature turned its gaze to Eric, who stood there, looking dumbfounded, and before he or Vincent could react, the dragon whipped the tip of its tail around Eric's ankle, and tossed him against the rock wall. He slid to the ground in a crumpled heap.

The dragon's maw inched closer and closer to Eric's unconscious form. Vincent knew he didn't have much time to act. Quickly, he fired another shot into the dragon's belly, hoping to draw its attention. But the dragon would not waver, and Eric awoke to find the dragon's mouth open, his sharp teeth glimmering, and a hot breath coming from its deep, dark throat. This is the end, Eric thought, eaten by a dragon. Suddenly, Vincent was on the dragon's head with his gun aimed right between the dragon's eyes. He fired, and the sound of shattering bone filled the air. Blood dripped from the dragon's wound, but the dragon seemed to not notice. Instead, it jerked its head around, and Vincent fell off, rolled into a somersault, and got to his feet in one smooth motion. The dragon, forgetting about Eric for the moment, turned on Vincent. It reared its head back, but instead of releasing another shot of flame, a huge billow of smoke erupted from its mouth, filling the air. The smoke blinded them, and choked their lungs. Eric laid flat out on the ground, trying to breathe and trying to find any sign of Vincent. All he saw were dragon feet.

Vincent took the full brunt of the smoke, and when it first hit, the smoke burned his eyes until tears formed in them. He fell to ground, coughing from the hot smoke that filled his lungs. He remained low, not wanting to breathe in any more of the choking air. A sudden movement by his feet caught his attention, but before he could move, he felt a something wrap tightly around his arms, trapping them flat against the sides of his torso, and then continued down to ensnare his legs as well. The sound of beating wings filled his ears, and suddenly the smoke dissipated. Vincent found himself face to face with the dragon. He looked down, and saw that the dragon had wrapped its tail around his body. He turned his gaze back to the beast, who's eyes seemed to be filled with a malicious glee. A sudden squeeze from the tail explained the reason for the dragon's mirth. Vincent felt his arms and chest being crushed, his breath forced out of him, and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. The scales were hot, and burned his forearms. He struggled to get free, but the rough scales scraped against his skin, cutting him slightly every time he moved. While he winced in pain, Vincent tried to see Eric, but only saw a cloud of smoke beyond the dragon. Snapping sounds came from his arms, suddenly, and then from his chest, shooting pain through his body, as the dragon tightened its hold some more. Another cry of pain erupted from Vincent's mouth. He began to feel dizzy, and slumped down, his gaze becoming darker. He saw the dragon open its maw, preparing to devour him, and felt the continued crushing of his body from the dragon's tail. He closed his eyes, and prepared for the end. He could only hope that Eric could escape.

Eric saw it all, having crawled his way out of the smoke and behind the dragon, unable to stand. He felt anger, extreme, burning anger at the wretched monster for what it was doing, for trying to take away his only friend. He felt angry at himself, for being so helpless. He had no energy left for another spell, having put as much energy as possible into that last Blizzard. His anger towards himself increased when he saw that Vincent was being killed all because of himself. If he hadn't stayed with Vincent, if he had just left in the morning, then Vincent would be safe at home. It was all his fault. He couldn't stand it. He screamed at the top of lungs, “NO!” then everything went black.

Eric's scream was so loud and mournful that it not only brought Vincent back from the edge of unconsciousness, but drew the dragon's gaze too. Vincent's eyes saw something unbelievable. Eric was hunched over on his knees, his hands clutching the sides of his head. His eyes were wide, filled with pain. He let out a cry, and suddenly, from his back erupted a pair of black-feathered wings. He stood, staring at the dragon with a look of utmost hatred. The dragon tried to return the gaze, but Vincent thought it seemed a bit unsure.

Eric flapped his wings once, just once, and an icy wave shot through the air, chilling the dragon's flesh. It writhed in pain, and released Vincent, who fell to ground, coughing as his lungs sucked in fresh air. He attempted to stand, but found he was much too weak, so he contented himself to watch the spectacle before him while lying down.

Eric stood still, but his wings stretched outward, and a blue circle appeared above his head, and from it shot large chunks of ice. One after another they came out, each striking the dragon, knocking it backwards, towards the edge of the cliff. The ice kept coming, as if Eric's rage towards the beast was being formed into a cold, deadly energy, and striking at the target of that rage. The dragon was against the edge, and was shivering, with patches of ice forming on its once burning scales. The circle that the ice had come from, as Eric brought his wings toward the monster, suddenly flew towards the dragon, and upon striking it, completely incased it in ice, and sent it careening over the edge and into the dark valley below.

Vincent watched the dragon's decent over the cliff, and looked back to Eric, his eyes growing darker from weariness. He saw Eric looked to him, with a look of remorse, as if he had done a great injustice to Vincent, and knew there would be no way to ever find his forgiveness. Then everything went black.

Vincent awoke later, his arms and chest still aching, outside the back of the Shinra mansion. He was lying face up, with the dark, star filled sky above him. He tried to sit up, and found himself able, with only a slight pain from his ribs. He looked around for Eric, and saw him lying face down on the ground, his wings now gone. Vincent stood up, as best he could, and walked over to see if he was all right. The young man was lying still, but he was breathing regularly. The whole set-up reminded Vincent of when he had found the young man two days ago, lying in the alley. Vincent suddenly had a good guess as to how Eric had gotten into the state he had been in that night.

Vincent couldn't use his arms, they hurt to much and were covered with nicks and cuts from the scales, so he gently placed his foot on Eric's back and shook him. Eric awoke, and looked around. Startled by where he was, he turned to Vincent for an explanation, who just shrugged and said, “Let's go inside, I think we need to talk.”

The two sat in the library in front of the fireplace, Vincent in one chair, while Eric cast Cure and bandaged his wounds.

“The Cure relieves the pain, seals the cuts, and brings the bones back together, but they'll still be a little tender, so the bandages are really just for protection,” Eric explained. Vincent sat quietly, thinking about what had happened.

“What happened up there?” he asked.

“What?” Eric replied as he finished, and walked over to the other chair.

“You know what,” Vincent said calmly, not wanting to intimidate him.

“Oh, that. Well, I don't really know. It never really happened before,” Eric said, “but, I hope it doesn't happen again.”

“Why not,” Vincent asked, beginning to think of yet another thing that he and Eric had in common.

“It hurt,” Eric said, and Vincent noticed a tear forming in his eye, “It hurt so much.”

“How?”

“The feeling I had, the anger that burned within me, it was like a darkness that engulfed me. I was just so angry. I hated everything, the dragon, myself, I wanted it to stop. I remember feeling a rage, then I lost control, like someone else was controlling me, and I was just along for the ride. The dragon that almost killed you, I just wanted it stop, to make it suffer and die. Then, I saw your pain, and I hated myself. I put you in that position, I almost got you killed, I..I,” then he began to sob quietly. Vincent saw the pain in his eyes, the same pain he dealt with everyday. But he was older, and had not been an innocent when this same darkness took him. This young boy was struggling with something no one should have to deal with, especially one his age. Vincent got up, and walked over to Eric, who had slipped down to the floor, and sat there, looking into space, his eyes red from the tears. Vincent knelt down, and placed his hand on Eric's shoulder. Eric turned, and saw a smile on Vincent's face.

“Vincent, I'm so sorry,” he said quietly.

“For what,” Vincent replied.

“I almost got you killed.”

“Don't worry about it,” Vincent said, “It's not the first time I almost lost my life, and it probably won't be the last.”

“But I don't want be the cause of the next time. The next time could be the last time. I think, that I should leave tomorrow.”

“Listen, Eric” Vincent said, as he stood up, his voice becoming serious, “You may leave anytime you want, I won't stop you, but you must promise me one thing. When you are out there in the world, if something happens to something happens to a friend or anyone, you are to never to blame yourself for what happens to them. If it is impossible for you to help them in any way, like this evening, then you are not to blame yourself for what happens. I was careless, and I almost paid with my life. It was not your fault.”

Eric, who was surprised at the mere fact that Vincent had used his first name stood amazed.

“When do you leave?” Vincent asked.

“Tonight,” Eric answered.

“Very well,” Vincent replied, “here,” he said, then, with a wince of pain from his arm, took a pouch off of his belt. He tossed it to Eric. “It's about ten thousand gil,” he explained, “Enough to keep you going for some time. You may also want to purchase some new clothing.”

Eric looked at Vincent curiously, and then understood when he felt his back. Two large rips had formed from the wings, and there were also smaller tears from the fight itself. Eric smiled sheepishly, and then got up to leave. He turned to look at Vincent once when he walked out of the library, then continued on out. He went to the kitchen to get some food for the trip, and then walked out the front door. As he walked into the dark night, Eric looked back to the mansion. He would never forget Vincent, he told himself, and he would come back to visit his friend. In his hurry to leave, he had forgotten to thank his benefactor, but when he turned to go back to the house, the lights went out. Eric decided that Vincent probably didn't like long good byes. Neither did Eric.

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