Drake sighed audibly as he walked next to his childhood friend, Albert. "I just don't understand why you would want to come out here yourself, it's dangerous." The two walked in silence for a while as they approached the last reported sighting of the dragon, finally Albert broke the silence, "The gap between us has grown wide and there is no man I can trust here in Vale, sometimes I just wish for what we had in the past. An innocent relationship with no deep motives of using one another." He too sighed before pulling his sword out of it's scabbard. "However, I am just as blessed as you are and in the battlefield I can run from the responsibilities of Vale. Albeit, temporarily."

He tested it's balance in his hands before quickly placing the flat side on each of Drake's shoulders forcing him to his knees in the process. "I knight you in my name, Sir Drake. We may not be able to spend time together, however I hope that you can still fight for my sake and for Vale." Drake stood once more somehow feeling smaller than before, "It is because I am experienced that I wish for you not to enter the battlefield. Inexperience can lead to death, I can only assume that the first kill can lead to death for most Slayers."

Albert smiled at him, "It's a good thing that I have Sir Drake to protect me." Drake shook his head and whispered to himself, "If I cannot protect myself first, then how can I protect you, Albert?" The conversation had ended and the two young men walked to the top of the hill, resting in the valley beneath them was a light blue Dragon engaged with the Vanguard. Drake sighed and pulled out his Modified Falchion specially made for him. "I'll see you at the bottom then."

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Drake pulled down his visor as he neared the bottom of the hill, bodies lay either scorched or in small heaps on the grass. He silently waved his sword in a circle before planting it into the ground, "May the winds carry me through the fear and protect me from the fire. May the earth reinforce my will and give me strength." He pulled the Falchion from the ground and lifted it into position. The dragon itself was engaged with the remnants of the Vanguard, still enraged that man dared to challenge it. However he was no mere mortal, but one blessed with the physique and talent to slay. Breathing deeply he braced himself for combat and lifted his feet to be on the balls. The moment he exhaled he took off, everything in his mind being blown away by the sheer speed of the wind blowing past him. Rocketing along the ground, he pushed himself off the earth and into the air above the dragon. It's attention still on the men running away before it. He spun his falchion wildly in a circle to pick up momentum before falling back down towards it's wings. If he could take out the wings there would be no escape for it.

He braced himself for impact before smashing into the small of it's back alongside the two bony wings. The Falchion twirling in his hands as it ripped apart the vellum that was it's wings. The dragon reared it's head in pain almost throwing him off the back but he held onto the blade still embedded into the wing, digging it even deeper than before. As the dragon pulled it's head back he scrambled towards the next wing to find Albert there hacking away at the connectors to the back. The next section the dragon twirled in place throwing both of them off and into the ground. It's spiked tail tearing through the Vanguard as it turned towards them. Pulling himself off the ground he prepared to deflect or parry the dragon's claws. Instead, it lifted it's tail and smashed it into the ground next to them lifting the film of dirt and creating a perpetual smoke screen. Blinded he held his sword in front of him as a shield and walked parallel as if the dirt were a riptide. As he escaped the cloud of dirt he turned back to see Albert in the dragon's claw, seconds later he could hear the crunch as he was squeezed to death in it's palm.

In complete disbelief, Drake stood there silently watching as his friend slipped from it's palm and crumbled against the ground. Rage overtook his every emotion as he ran towards it, putting every ounce of his strength into his legs to pick up speed. Before reaching the dragon, he jumped with all the power he could muster all the way up to it's head. The slanted pupils and steam coming from his nostrils greeted him, but he ignored the fire as it blazed around him. No amount of pain could stop him now, not even hell fire. Letting the strength leave his legs he put everything into his arms and chopped at it's neck cleaving meat from it as he went. The panicked dragon strengthened it's fire as he held his place in air, his Falchion cutting slice for slice from the dragon's neck as he stood there suspended. "May the flames take you, Dragon." His sword grew brightly in the flames, burning a molten white as the flames compounded themselves inside the gem in the sword before bursting into flames as the sword struck the flesh of it's neck. Even though dragons have natural resistant to flames, they conflaragated and the entire neck of the dragon burst into white flames. It's flames weakened before stopping entirely, it's body crumpling up as it fell to the ground once again smashing Albert's body into a paste.

He felt himself falling from the air before smashing into the ground, his armor seriously dented but the blade still glowing a molten white searing the air around him. He stood up briefly before kneeling in front of the dragon, his Falchion stabbed into the dirt allowing it to cool off as the steam whispered lazily from the ground. "You may have taken a friend from me, however it cannot damage my will to fight. You may have taken Albert from me, however I will take from you all that you know dragon. Everything."

The steaming corpse of the dragon lay silent before his will and he stood up before leaving. He would not allow himself to be blamed for Albert's death, but it was indeed his fault.

"Drake." He heard his name whispered from nearby weakly, Drake whirled to find Albert crumpled on the ground utterly broken. Everything but his head intact, (A helm gifted by Drake had saved at least that much). "W-why did you run? You have the strength do you not? The will to fight? Why must you run?"

Drake stared at Albert for a few seconds through the steam, "Because I am afraid and nothing will ever change that."

Albert laughed weakly, "Then you must find the strength and courage to stand up to them, to fight for me, Sir Drake."

Albert died before him and he walked away tears in his eyes.