Review Reply Corner:

Soupcan – LoL. Yes, everyone seems to love glaring at poor Abel. I'm glad you loved the long chapter! This is a long one too so…yay! xD

Mel –You think this is chaotic? You wait until the chapters close to the end. It starts to get really crazy. Thank you for pointing that out, Mel! That was a pretty embarrassing mistake. Darn Isaak and the many spellings of his name. The problem has been corrected. Oh and yes, Yuri is getting very angry…and more than that really. He's showing emotions he's never really had much of a chance showing due to his uh…circumstances. Is it bad? Hmm…maybe. Eh? Lol. I think I suck at tricking people really.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Beast

Abel had a hard time finding Yuri anywhere. It was almost as if the young dragon had completely disappeared. It seemed not even the other priests and nuns had any idea where he could be.

Yuri wouldn't run away during a time like this would he? Abel thought. No…Yuri may have been angry, but he was no fool. There was no way he would have gotten far without Tres dragging him back…

"Father Havel, have you seen Yuri?" he asked, running up to the older priest as he walked out of the cafeteria with a cup of tea.

"Yes actually. I passed by him a few minutes ago. He looked quite unhappy, but I did not bother him."

Abel sighed. What was Yuri up to now? "Oh, I see. Thank you, Father."

Havel nodded and bid Abel adieu before going back towards the Cardinal's office with her cup of tea.

Abel searched long and hard for Yuri before he decided to just wander off to his room. That was the only place he had not searched. If Yuri was not there, then chances were he went AWOL and disappeared somewhere. Hopefully he would be in his room. Abel did not want to bother Caterina, especially since so much was passing through her head at the moment.

Abel stood in front of Yuri's door, unsure of what to do. Should he knock, or should he just enter? Either one would probably earn Yuri's wrath, but that was a chance he was going to have to take.

He knocked on the door softly, and waited. A sigh of exasperation was all he heard for an answer. Taking that as a cue to come in, he did so. As soon as Abel entered the room, he saw Yuri's eyes scanning a letter by his window.

"Uh…Yuri…a-are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Father," he mumbled, still reading.

Abel nodded, closed the door, and waited for Yuri to finish. Whenever the young dragon said 'Father' that was usually his cue to keep his mouth shut.

"It's rather annoying," Yuri said a little agitated.

"Uh…what?" Abel stepped a little closer. What was Yuri talking about? What was annoying?

Yuri waved the letter. Oh, that was what was annoying…but why?

Abel raised an eyebrow and held out his hand for the letter. Yuri watched it for a minute, but did not give it to him. Instead he folded the piece of paper and stuck it in his robe.

"Uh…" Abel began, but Yuri walked past him. "Yuri, wait!"

Yuri stopped.

"Who gave you that letter?" he asked, steering clear from what was in it. Yuri seemed angry about whatever it was; a trait that the dragon usually kept hidden.

"A spy for Lucyna. I knew that woman would not let me wander around unwatched. She doesn't trust me enough. It's funny...how paranoid she is. I guess the Elder is a hypocrite just like everyone else…"

"Yuri...I'm sure that's not true."

Yuri turned completely, looking at Abel as if he had grown another head. "Are you always this naïve? No, that's a nice word for people like you."

"It's not naivety, Yuri. It's called optimism. Your problem is that you look at all the bad things and ignore the good."

"Are you saying that I'm just a walking ball of malice?"

Abel shook his head vehemently. Where did Yuri get that from? He had meant nothing of the sort! "You're taking things of out context…another problem of yours."

"Oh, so I'm really all that messed up am I?" Yuri's voice became cold, just as cold as his gaze.

"N-No, that's not what I meant! Why are you always so confrontational and negative, Yuri? Calm down and just---" Abel backed away as Yuri walked towards him, backing into a wall. The look of absolute apathy on his face terrified him. How could anyone's eyes be so cold, and yet their face so stoic? "W-Wait---!" he never had a chance to finish before he was lifted off the ground, his fearful blue eyes locked with a forest of green.

"You're an idiot; an absolute fool, Abel!"

Abel frowned slightly. What was wrong with Yuri? "Y-You're the fool, Yuri! Stop being so angry, and listen to people! Everyone cares about you! But all you see is deception! You're not in Fleur du Mal anymore!"

Anger flared across Yuri's face. "I'm not the one working with a hypocritical group like the Vatican! You preach about God and yet all of you are murderers! What sort of holy men kill others?!"

Abel opened his mouth to shout something back, but only succeeded in making himself look like a fool.

"You're all brainwashed morons. I understand that now. I don't see why I did not see that before…"

"Y-Yuri, listen!"

"There's nothing to listen to anymore, Father. Once this mission is over, and I find out what that dragon is up to, I'm gone."

"B-but what about your mission?" Abel shouted, starting to feel more frustration than fear now. Trying to reason with Yuri was like trying to calm an angry bull, or trying to stop a child from having a tantrum.

"I've learned all there is to know about this horrible country. I don't want to know anymore. As soon as I get back…I'll accept my fate. That's what a proud dragon does…" he looked away.

"You don't mean that, Yuri. You don't mean any of it," Abel said, his voice starting to soften. Everything Yuri was saying hurt him horribly. It was like being stabbed in the heart dozens of times. Yuri was a cold person sometimes, but this…this was different.

"I don't mean it?!" Yuri snarled. "How would you know, Father? All of you are so stupid. How can you all trust someone you don't know; someone like me? You've seen my record, so you know what I'm capable of doing. What if I decided to kill you right now, Abel? What would you do?" His hands tightened around the collar of Abel's robes.

Abel coughed, feeling his airway become restricted. "Y-Yuri, s-stop! This…this isn't you!" he coughed out, trying to struggle out of his grip. Despite the fact that Yuri was smaller than him, his strength matched that of a Methuselah.

"This isn't me? What are you talking about? We've only known each other for three months. How could you really know me, Father?"

Abel coughed again, his struggling slowly ceasing. "I know, because I've seen how kind you can be…" he wheezed.

Yuri's eyes widened slightly, and his jaw tightened, fighting back an emotion Abel wish he could understand. "Shut up…"

"Yuri, you're not a bad person. You might think I'm stupid for thinking this…but I do trust you. If killing me will make you feel better…then go ahead."

Abel could feel the grip on his collar loosen considerably. Now he could breathe properly without having to suck in a lot of air at one time.

Tears welled up in Yuri's eyes, and all Abel could do was stare with his mouth slightly agape.

"Why…why are you so kind?" Yuri whispered.

Abel stared at him, shocked. Yuri looked absolutely distraught…and it greatly upset him. He had never seen Yuri so vulnerable…and it was all because of him. "I don't know…"

Yuri looked away, his hand still tightly holding Abel suspended in air before shoving him against the wall. Though it still hurt, Abel knew that Yuri had been holding back. Even in that time of his rage, he still could not bring himself to truly hurt him.

"This is where it ends, Father," he said softly as if afraid to speak any louder. "After this, I'm heading back to accept my punishment…" Yuri turned, and left the room, leaving Abel alone to handle his own outer and inner pain.

Abel stared at the door for a good minute, slowly sliding his back against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "Yuri…"

"You're late, Abel! I swear you're never on time! What's wrong with you?" Sister Kate barked, glaring daggers at Abel.

Abel rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Sister Kate. I took a little nap, and well…you know…well…"

Sister Kate sighed loudly, shaking her head before a soft smile appeared on her face. "I don't want to hear anymore of your rambling. Just come inside."

Abel chuckled, rubbing his head again before stepping inside. "Sister, has Yuri come by?"

"Yes…he came earlier. He seemed upset, but I think it's because of all this dragon business…the poor boy."

Abel nodded.

"He's in one of the guest rooms drinking tea. I can give you his room number if you want."

"No, that's quite all right. I'll leave him alone for now. I think that's what he would want."

"Yes, I think that's a good idea too," Sister Kate replied, clearly pleased with Abel's answer.

Sister Kate led him to an empty room and left him alone after that. She seemed to have sensed there was more going on with Abel and Yuri than he let be known, but she was a considerate person, and thus decided to probably not bring it up. Abel could have thanked her; if he was not scared she would find a way to sneak a question in.

Abel walked over to the window and watched as the ship began to rise into the air. It was an amazing feeling, and amazing to watch everything getting smaller and smaller in the distance. However…Abel could not concentrate on the scenery. His mind kept shifting back to Yuri and what Sister Kate had said.

"He was seemed upset…"

It's my fault…Abel thought. Though it really was not his fault for telling the truth, perhaps he could have done it a little nicer. But…Yuri never listened to him…and from what he heard, Yuri had never completely trusted him either.

Was he always suspicious and fearful of me? I…never noticed…

Abel closed his eyes and laid his forehead against the cold surface of his window. His heart ached, and he did not know why it was so painful.

The whole flight, Abel had not seen Yuri. He had been tempted at the beginning of the trip to find him and talk, but hesitated out of fear that Yuri would snap on him during the flight and get them both in trouble. It was best to leave him alone for now, just as he had said to Sister Kate.

When they arrived in the "floating" city, Sister Kate gave them two reservation tickets for the Ca' Pozzo Inn. Abel had been there before, and had to admit that the rooms were rather pricey. Just looking at the name made him cringe at how much Caterina must have spent. There was not going to be any luxurious chocolate cakes this time…

"Be careful you two. This mission is the first dangerous one you've had, Yuri."

Yuri nodded slowly, looking away.

Sister Kate seemed bothered by his silence, but did not say anything about it. "Abel, you're the senior in these types of problems, so be on your toes and make sure nothing happens to Yuri. If things look like they're going to be trouble, contact us as soon as you can and get out there."

"Don't worry, Sister!" Abel chuckled. "I'll make sure we're both ok."

Sister Kate nodded before sending them off, a small frown slowly creeping onto her usual happy expression.

The inn was close by, so they did not have to walk miles to get there, or even borrow a boat. Abel was glad for that. Yuri's silence bothered him. That, and the fact that Yuri absolutely refused to look his way, and kept a great distance from him.

Abel sighed. Where did it go wrong? Was Yuri always showing signs of regret, and distrust? How could Abel had not seen it? Why did he wait until things always became bad before he attempted to fix things? Perhaps…he was a hypocrite like Yuri said. No, don't think like that…he told himself.

By the time they reached the inn, the sun was beginning to set, casting a soft golden glow over the city. It was a breathtaking sight for anyone who had not truly seen a sunset in Vienna, but…Yuri did not seem at interested in that. All he cared about was, "getting to his room and going to sleep."

As soon as they entered the inn and the innkeeper saw them, he nodded and had a young woman lead them to their rooms, no questions asked. It was amazing how much influence the Church had. Then again, Abel was close to those who worked there.

"Well, here you two are. If you have any problems or questions, please don't be shy and tell us." The woman said with a large smile, handing Abel a key.

"Thank you. We'll remember that," Abel replied, smiling just as jovially back.

The woman blushed furiously and quickly scampered off, leaving the priests alone.

"Well let's…" Abel trailed off, watching as Yuri walked into the room. "Uh…erm…nevermind…" He sighed, following after him. "So, uh, Yuri, what do you want to do?"

"Sleep," he said, walking over to the bed closest to window and laying down.

"Well…if that's what you want to do…" Abel said sadly. He might as well rest as well and work tonight. Even if the dragon in question was suicidal, it did not want to be seen during the day. "I guess I'll sleep too."

Yuri scoffed. "Whatever. Do what you want."

Abel sighed, looking at Yuri's back. "Later tonight we'll go get information on that dragon. Is that all right?" All Abel received for an answer was silence. Either Yuri had already gone to sleep in that split second, or he was ignoring him. The second choice seemed more logical.

"Good night…I guess…" he whispered, lying on the bed near the wall.

Yuri waited patiently until Abel's breathing became labored, and the sun had fallen completely before he crawled out of bed and headed towards the door. He did not want the priest to put his life in danger. The dragon was trouble. Yuri's instincts told him so. Trying to explain this to that naïve priest would only make him angry again. Yuri had not meant to be so rough earlier…or so harsh. Emotions were troublesome. Abel was the only one who had ever been truly honest with him, and it touched him. This emotion he felt when he was near Abel was confusing, so much so that it scared and frustrated him.

He looked over his shoulder one more time before leaving. This would probably be the last time he saw Abel. Once the dragon was disposed of, he would send information on what the dragon told him to Abel and then…

"Good bye…Abel…" he said quietly, slowly closing the door behind him and walking away. This was the end. Soon he would complete his mission and go back to a country that did not want him back. He would be executed if he was lucky for not completing his mission, put in the Eternal Prison if he wasn't. He could feel his heart get heavier the further he got from his room. Why did his heart hurt so much?

----

Yuri had to gain information from people randomly walking the streets. Of course most of these people were drunkards or thieves coming out to try and take money from tourists that were still about, but it was better than nothing.

"Yuri is it?" A hoarse voiced called.

Yuri stopped, slowly looking over his shoulder. Standing a few yards away with a walking stick was a foxed eyed man with scars on his face, and crazy black hair that somewhat resembled a wig on his head. "What do you want? Are you going to tell me where the dragon is?"

"Is that what that monster is? A dragon?"

Yuri nodded. "Yes, it would appear so."

"A dragon, huh? Weird…that a beast like that would be here…"

"Whatever," Yuri said, cutting the discussion off. "Where is this dragon?"

"Uh…" the man scratched his head. "Before I tell you anything…you're not one of this Inquisitorial people are you? I was told not to talk to any of 'em…not that I wanted to. They're not exactly nice folk."

"No, I'm not. So I can guess you're a member of Fleur du Mal?"

"A member of what? Is that that vampire faction? Hell no, boy! Jesus, why would a human sign up for something like that? They'd drink me dry in no time."

Yuri turned so he did not have his back to the strange looking man. "Then…why are you talking to me?"

"I met some weird man who told me you knew how to get rid of that monster. Is that true?"

"I…uh…yes, sure."

The man beamed. "Excellent! Listen up, boy. You can find the man who told me this over in the old water treatment facility downtown. It's pretty much empty in there now, so it's a good place to go and make uh…deals, if you know what I mean…at least until the city decides to take it down."

Yuri nodded. "Is that the only reason you're telling me this? To help your city?"

"Well…no not really. I was paid to tell you where to go. A little money can do a lot for a poor man like me, if you know what I mean." The man smiled, but Yuri did not smile back.

"Whatever. How did you know what I looked like, and that I would be here?"

"I was given a description, and well…you are the only priest wandering about, so I assumed it must be you. Besides, some of my friends told me about you. They said you were a cold priest who was looking for some information on the beast."

Yuri ignored the 'cold' comment. "Have you seen anyone from the Department of Inquisition wandering about today, or lately for the matter?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Eh? Nope. Apparently this mess with the dragon is considered superstition since they've been doing investigations on the area for three days and haven't found anything. However I swear to you we all know what we've seen."

Yuri was silent for a while, and then turned and began walking away without another word.

"Be careful, boy! That monster has not eaten anyone yet, but you can't be too sure!" The man watched him go, and then slowly began to shuffle down the street towards his usual drinking spot. He hoped that kid would be fine. It seemed priests were getting younger and younger.

It did not take much for Yuri to get information on the exact location of the old water facility. The few people he asked knew exactly where it was, and wanted to stay as far from it as possible due to the criminal activities that were said to take place there.

The factory the man had spoken of was an utter dump, even to Yuri who had not seen a water treatment plant since he was just a little dragon. It seemed that no one in their right mind would live anywhere near it. Humans were naturally afraid of the unknown, and looking at the factory, Yuri understood why it was avoided. The building spoke of thievery, murder, and a many other horrible things. Judging by what the people had told him, not even the police wanted anything to do with it. This was a perfect place to hide…or create a trap for someone.

Yuri sighed, and shook his head. It was now or never…though he did not want to do this alone there was no choice. He could not---no, would not put Abel's life in danger. He could not bear it if the silly priest got himself hurt…and for someone like him.

Forcing his fear in the back of his mind, Yuri walked inside the abandoned facility. The place was old on the outside, but on the inside, it looked as if it had been used recently. The treatment plant did not seem as dirty as he would have thought. The further he got into the plant, the more his nose became assaulted with the smell of burnt flesh, and even the steam of boiling water. It was such a strange combination, that Yuri was sure he had found the right place.

Soon he came to a room full of rows and rows of water. He was tempted to step out. After all, if the dragon was indeed as hostile as he thought, fighting in a water environment was not a good idea.

"Yuri, right?" A sharp commanding voice called from somewhere in the room.

Instantly, Yuri reached into his robe for the gun he had been given by Sister Kate hours ago. Using a gun was a bit primitive to him, but he doubted he wanted to get close to the dragon…wherever it was.

"Where are you?!" Yuri called, looking around. There were so many places the dragon could be hiding.

"Right here." A whoosh of air behind Yuri startled him into quickly turning, however the dragon already had a strong grip around his neck. "So you're Yuri? You're just a kid."

Yuri coughed, trying to get out of the man's powerful grip. He could feel his vision growing blurry, but the urge to stay alive kept him struggling.

"You got spirit…" the man said almost fondly before tossing him as if he was a doll.

Yuri landed with a loud thump, coughing and gagging for air.

"You wanted to talk to me didn't you? I'm pleased to finally meet a fellow dragon, even if he is dressed like a priest." The man waited patiently for Yuri to stop coughing before he spoke again. "My name is Gabrys Firlej. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Once Yuri's coughing fit was over, he finally had a chance to really see his attacker. It was a handsome man with blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sea. Only a dragon could have eyes such a dark color as that. Of course humans that had not been around them would never know the difference.

"F-Firlej? You're from a high ranking noble family aren't you? Generations worth…"

"That's right. Of course outside Poland such a name is nothing." Gabrys began to slowly step towards Yuri, languidly like a cat about to kill a mouse.

"H-How many people did you kill here?" Yuri asked as he slowly began to reach into his robe again.

"Eh? Just a bunch of low lives. They were snooping about and it bothered me so…well, now they're dead. Do you like the decorations?" Gabrys pointed at the ceiling.

Yuri was confused by that statement, until he looked up. Stuck on the ceiling were eight burnt corpses, a testament as to where that burnt smell was coming from. "You…you monster!" he said, looking at Gabrys as if he was some new creature. He was disgusted that Gabrys would put the people on the ceiling like that. What was even worse was how he got them up there in the first place.

Gabrys stopped, laughing ecstatically. "Such a cliché word! I've heard that so many times that it's quite a bore. Think of something a bit more original, friend."

"I'm not your friend, and that's the only word to describe a poor excuse for a dragon like you!" Yuri knew what was going to happen and quickly pulled out his gun, missing Gabrys by a fraction of a second.

The man jumped in front of him, hands turned into horrible clawed talons. As quickly as he was able to go, Yuri ducked, punching Gabrys as hard he could. The dragon coughed, laughing insanely as he jumped away.

"Very good! Very good! You have some good reflexes."

"W-What the hell is wrong with you!" Yuri shouted, more terrified than he had ever felt. This dragon was an experienced soldier. There was no way in hell he could handle him by himself.

"Want to know why I wanted to meet you? Because I wanted to see how tough Lucyna's new generation of dragons were. You're not bad, but you don't have the killing spirit. I guess Lucyna has changed her old ways of teaching." Gabrys rubbed his chin. "How utterly unfortunate. There's no way you'll live long with such a horrible fighting style. The Elder has gotten too soft in these past three hundred years."

"Shut up!" Yuri screamed, shooting at the dragon with reckless abandon. His bullets never hit their mark, a wall of water shot in front of Gabrys, blowing the silver bullets away as if they were nothing. All Yuri could do was stare. What sort of dragon was this?! Such power was unheard of!

"Shocked, huh? I don't see why."

"Just shut up!"

"Psh, you don't have to be so rude." Gabrys smirked, but it was a smile devoid of any emotion, a trait that older dragons copied flawlessly.

Yuri panted, looking at him angrily, but his glare only made Gabrys smile even more.

"All right, now that you're calmer, let me---," Yuri didn't wait to hear what he had to say before standing up as fast as he could, and bolting towards the exit. He could hear Gabrys shout and water rushing towards him; he could almost feel it breathing down his neck like a living creature before he did a quick swerve, getting out the way of the incoming rush. The impact of water crashing against metal made him lose his balance and almost fall into the water below him.

"Bastard, you could at least listen to what your seniors have to say!" The humor in his voice did not leave, and only made Yuri all the more terrified. Gabrys was playing with him. If he had wanted to kill Yuri already, he could have done it without much trouble.

Yuri ran into a corner protected by a large metal pole. It served as a type of shield…though he knew it would not be too much help if Gabrys decided to run over to him.

"Aww, come on! You're boring me, kid!"

"What is it you really want?!" Yuri screamed back.

"What is it I really want…?" Gabrys trailed off, as if asking himself a question. "I just told you didn't I?"

"No, that was a lie. I'm no fool!"

Gabrys laughed. "You'll see, you'll see…that is if you stay alive."

Yuri heard his feet against the metal walkway as Gabrys began to run towards him. Jumping out of the way, he moved just in time before the metal pillar was smashed, causing the railing above him to begin to collapse.

"Shit!" Yuri shouted, running of the way before he got crushed. He ducked, instincts telling him to do so. Thankfully he had followed their advice. Gabrys had almost completely taken his head off with a powerful punch towards his head. Swiftly, Yuri roundhouse kicked the dragon away.

Gabrys' laughed insanely once again before running towards Yuri with that still playful smirk on his face.

"Bastard, this isn't a fucking game!" Yuri yelled, quickly grabbing some gloves from his robe, only having a chance to put one on before he was forced to dodge once again, landing on another metal walkway, turning just in time to move out the way of a powerful ax kick that destroyed where he was a moment before.

He growled, sharp claws coming out of the knuckle of his glove as he slashed, slicing Gabrys' side. The dragon yelled in agony, grabbing Yuri's wrist and lifting him off the ground, tossing him towards another metal walkway, his back hitting the railing almost completely breaking it. Yuri lay there, tired, and bleeding. He had never fought so hard in his life. The smell of blood was making him sick to the point that he threw up; coughing up the drink he had had earlier on the Iron Maiden. The feeling of something coming up his throat was disgusting and only made him even sicker.

"Not bad. You're fast, and clever, but you have no skill. Such a shame…with proper training you would have been a force to reckoned with. You need to get over that problem with blood though. It'll hinder your progress."

All Yuri could do was watch as Gabrys landed in front of him, smirking, and grabbing him forcefully by his neck once again. This was the end. Gabrys would snap his neck, or choke him to death. Either way, Yuri knew he was going to die…and for some reason that was ok. He didn't care anymore. Actually, he welcomed death.

"I'm sorry…Abel…" he whispered, closing his eyes so he did not have to see Gabrys' smug expression before he died. Yuri regretted not apologizing to the priest when he had a chance. Now, it was too late.

"Yuuuuuuri!"

Yuri opened his eyes, feeling Gabrys drop him and move away. The sound of gun shots assaulted his ears, but Yuri couldn't move. Though his vision was somewhat blurry he could see something that looked very familiar a few feet away…Abel.

"A-Abel…w-what are you doing here?" he coughed out, trying to stand up. Instantly, Abel was by his side, his eyes still glued on where Gabrys was as he stood in front of Yuri like a living shield.

"Shh, don't talk, Yuri. I'm here to help you. Just rest now. I'll handle this."

"So that's Abel, huh?" Gabrys said with a tinge of curiosity. "A human? Don't tell me you're companions with a human! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!" the dragon's jovial words soon turned cold and hateful. "I'll kill the both of you without regret."

Abel lifted his gun, firing at the dragon, but he had jumped into the water disappearing beneath.

Abel grabbed Yuri, throwing him over his right shoulder as he began running towards the end of the walkway. It was almost as if he sensed what was about to happen. It seemed his intuition was right. A gigantic reptilian creature burst of the water taking a huge bite out of the railing, leaving a large gapping hole in place.

"Abel…you…you can't fight him like this…in this area…it's too…" Yuri trailed off, too tired to speak anymore.

"Yuri please hang on! Don't go to sleep! Stay awake!"

Yuri forced his eyes open, though sleep seemed much better than all this chaos and noise. What he wouldn't do to just close his eyes again…

"I know it seems nice to sleep Yuri, but you mustn't! Please keep your eyes open!" Abel laid Yuri against the wall, caressing his cheek gently, as if trying to calm a child before running off, firing shots at the water. "Kill me first, and then you can have Yuri!"

The dragon poked its head out of the water, laughing a horrid guttural sound. When it spoke it was like hearing two voices at once, Gabrys' and someone with a deep baritone of a voice, too deep to belong to any living creature. "Very well. It's no fun killing what's about to die anyway!" Gabrys swam towards Abel with such a speed that no normal human could register it, but Abel had quickly jumped on top of the creatures back, firing silver bullets straight into its hide before falling into the water.

Gabrys howled in agony, the sound more terrible than anything Yuri had ever heard. He watched as the monster turned, its deep blue eyes glaring at Abel as it swam towards him with its inhuman speed. Abel lifted his gun firing again, hitting him in one of his eyes, before he was devoured.

"A-Abel!" he screamed despite his bodies protesting of it. He felt renewed energy at the death of his friend, as well as uncontrollable rage. He had never felt such hatred towards his fellows before, nor the urge to kill any of them. Yuri couldn't even feel sadness at that moment, all he saw was red. "Y-You bastard!" He fought to stand, succeeding for a while before his legs gave out again. How could the monster still be alive?! No living creature could survive a shot in the eye with a silver bullet, especially a dragon. The chemicals were lethal just like it was with a Methuselah. Gabrys should have been dead.

"Damnit…you idiot…you weren't supposed to die," Yuri said, shaking his head, trying to keep tears from welling up in his eyes. Crying was shameful. No proud dragon cried…or at least that's why his father had told him. Crying was a disgusting thing that only weak minded people did; not warriors like him. Too bad he didn't feel like one right about now. Warriors could protect their friends…something he could not do.

Gabrys was silent for a while, and then spoke, his voice devoid of any humor. It sounded a bit pensive, or even sad. "You really cared about that priest didn't you? Heh…you shouldn't cry in front of an enemy. It will be used against you."

"S-Shut up!" Yuri screamed. "You have no right to talk to me!"

Gabrys laughed mirthlessly, blood gushing out of his shot right eye as he swam towards Yuri with an open mouth. "Your friend was pretty tough for a human, but it wasn't enough! I'm sorry little dragon, but it's time to go!"

The beast was close, almost a few feet away before it stopped, howling in agony and thrashing about in the water. Yuri stared, terrified, and appalled at the beast's strange behavior. He watched as it sunk into the water, as if trying to fight some invisible foe. Silence filled the giant room as Yuri watched and waited. Soon, Gabrys head poked out of the water, blood pooling around him. Yuri fought the urge to throw up and look away.

Something inhuman came out of the water. It was a human-like creature that seemed to be surrounded by darkness. In its right hand, it held a monstrous scythe the color of blood itself. Yuri felt more fear seeing this new creature than he did fighting Gabrys, and apparently, the dragon felt just as terrified.

"W-What are you?" Gabrys said, his voice strained as if speaking hurt. He swam backwards away from the creature before him.

"I am a Crusnik, a vampire that drinks the blood of vampires," the creature replied, it's voice just as terrifying as its appearance. There was something familiar about this creature, but Yuri's mind was getting foggy from a loss of too much blood. Every time he tried to think, his thoughts seemed to float away as if they had never existed.

Gabrys' fear seemed to subside a bit before he spoke again, though his words were becoming less and less understandable. "Another one…I hear that the leader of the Orden is a monster like you…" the dragon swam further away, and then unleashed a gush of fire from its maw. Whatever that Crusnik creature was, Yuri was sure it would not survive.

Yuri's vision got blurry again, and sharp pain ran through his body once again. All the energy he had felt at Abel's death disappeared at the moment. He no longer cared what a Crusnik was…or where it even came from for that matter. Yuri could almost hear Abel shouting in his mind to stay awake, but…he just couldn't anymore. "If there is a heaven…and you can hear me Abel…I'm sorry…I would tell you this in person…but I don't think I'll be going where you are…" Yuri slowly closed his eyes, hearing the inhuman shriek of a creature being wounded before everything got dark.

Author note: I must say this is the best chapter I have written in this whole fanfic... so far anyway. xD It was so hard writing all that action, since I specialize in dialogue between characters rather than physical interaction. I hope I did it well…

Well, hope to hear from you guys!