VAN HELSING 3: SOUL HUNTERS
(disclaimers on pages 1-6) Chapter 10: Carl the Dragon slayer Nobody wanted to wake up. At least not yet anyway, it was too early. Everyone was asleepn except for Victoria, who's face was buried in her knees. She did try to fall asleep, but no good came out of it. She was only plagued by the same nightmare of watching Sabrina vow that she would return. After trying twice, Victoria gave up completely and let herself be swallowed in misery. She was going to be a sacrifice to an army of darkness, someone's lover whom she thought was insane, and dead by either the dark blood flowing in her or by a leader of soul-hunters. Things can't get any worse, right? she thought. It was in this state when she heard it. A faint noise. She looked up to see a faint figure outside. She got up and took a peek through the window. Suddenly the figure became two, then three. Victoria's eyes widened as she saw what they were. "Vampires!" she cried. She ran to wake up Gabriel. "Wake up! We're being attacked!" she shouted. Gabriel's eyes snapped open and he ran to the window. He muttered a curse under his breath when he saw she was right. It wasn't long until everyone was awake too. Carl let out a yelp and pointed to the sky. "Yes, Carl there's vampires coming. We know that." "No! I mean look behind them!" the friar yelled. Everyone whirled back to the window to see a large red being in the air. Smoke and flames came out of its mouth. It had widespread wings that let sunlight shine through them. "Have you ever been sent to kill a dragon, Gabriel?" Antonio asked. "Would you like the truth or something that will make you feel better?" Gabriel asked. Upon that, Isabelle promptly fainted. No one noticed and cared. "Carl, do you know anything about dragons?" "I've done some reading. The only way to kill them is to either cut their heart out or decapitate them." "You handle the vampires, I'll go after the dragon." Gabriel said. "What about Merlin?" Victoria said. No one spoke. What would happen to him? "I'll see if I can get him out of here." Victoria volunteered. Without hesitation, she ran off. What she saw when she made into the sorcerer's room was a perfect expression of calmness. Merlin lay upon his bed, looking at his bird, which lay near its perch, dead. Merlin looked up to see Victoria. "Merlin, we're under attack. You need to get out of here!" she said. She made a move towards him, but the old man rose his hand, stopping her. "I want this, young huntress. I have lived past my time. My goal in life was to make sure you understand the events that are about to pass, and to help you understand who you are." "Thank you...for everything." Victoria said. She didn't know what to say to this man to express her gratitude towards him. Before she could say more, she felt something fall into her hand. She looked down to see a map rolled up in her palm. "It shall lead you to were you may find your answers, for this mystery and yours. There's a carriage to the east of here. It has everything you need." Merlin said. He took a deep breath. "Fare thee well, young Van Helsing." he said. He then fell back to his pillows and he never moved again. Victoria sighed gently. She moved forward and closed his eyes. "Rest in peace." she murmured. A second later, she realized how hot it was in the room. She turned to see part of the wall on fire! It probably came from the dragon. Gabriel! I have to help him! She wasted no time and ran out of the building. As soon as she was outside, the building came right down. She looked up to see Gabriel desperately clinging onto the dragon's claw. She didn't have a chance to look long, though. For at that moment, a vampire came swooping down and beginning a powerful string of attacks against her. Victoria withdrew her swords and began to fight back. It wasn't long until the vampire was finally weakening, allowing Victoria to kill it. She swung her swords high, leaving the vampire distracted as she pulled out a stake and plunged it into his heart. As soon as it was nothing more than a pile of ashes, the other two vampires took warning and flew off. Victoria then turned to Gabriel, who was still struggling. She also saw Carl, whimpering and as far away from the battle as possible. "Carl, we need to help Gabriel!" "Are you suggesting we go against a dragon?" he asked in disbelief. "Yes!" Victoria shouted at him. Carl gulped as the two stared up at the famed hunter. He held a tojo-blade in one hand, trying to use it as a climbing device. However, the dragon wouldn't have it. He was swinging its claw back and forth, trying to shake the hunter off. It's reply was a stinging sensation in its palm. He let out a ferocious war and saw many small arrows planted within its hand. "Well, I've never done that before." commented Carl as he held the crossbow up in the air. He made a mistake for enraging the dragon. The next thing he new he was up in the air! "Carl!" Gabriel cried, seeing his friend in the dragon's claw. He threw him a dagger, and luckily Carl caught it. "Throw it!" Gabriel shouted. Carl let out a cry and flung it at the dragon. Surprisingly, it landed straight at the dragon's heart. It made a loud cry in pain, and started to fall back down to the earth. Gabriel acted as soon as he felt himself go down. He snatched part of the dragon's wing, and using his tojo-blade, he cut a piece of it off. "Carl!" he cried out to the friar. He jumped off the dragon's claw and grabbed Carl as he fell. Using the piece of the wing, he held it over his head, enabling it to act like a parachute. They landed in safety, while the monster crashed to the earth. "That was bloody brilliant!" Antonio commented as everyone made their way towards the two. Sadly, the success wasn't long lived. Carl felt the breath of the dragon on his back. He turned to see its eyes snap open. "OH I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!" he shouted. He stormed towards Victoria and took her swords from her hand. He then made his way towards the dragon. "Now listen to me, you old lizard! This is for your own good!" he shouted. In an instant, he began a relentless assault against the monster's neck. In a matter of seconds and a few hacks later, the dragon's head lay limp by its body. Carl let out a battle cry and raised the huntress's swords high. "I am Carl, destroyer of evil!" he cried out. Everyone could only gape at him. Victoria placed her palm on top of her forehead. The friar turned to see everyone's shocked reaction and began to blush furiously. He looked like he had been through a massacre. His robes were blood-stained and his hair was ruffled and undone. "I think he's having far too much fun with this." Anna whispered to no one in particular. "Are we like this?" Antonio asked. "I don't think so." Anna said. Victoria made her way towards the friar. "It's okay. It's dead now, Carl. You can drop my swords now, I want them back." Victoria said. She gently pried them from Carl's hand and examined the amount of blood on them. They looked like they had been set in a bucket filled with red paint! "I had no idea you could be so...bloodthirsty,Carl." she said. "I never knew I had it in me." Carl shrugged. "Wait, where's Merlin?" Gabriel asked. Everyone turned to Victoria, who bowed her head underneath her hood. "He died. He fulfilled his duty. He left us a map and a carriage. We need to hurry, who knows when the two bloodsuckers will come back." she said. Everyone followed her to the carriage. "I'm driving." Gabriel said. Anna got up next to him while everyone packed inside, making sure that they stayed as far away from Carl as possible. (I felt horrible for Carl because he never gets a chance to prove how tough he really is. I thought that this chapter would help our friar out. Read and Review!!!!!)
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