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Chapter 4:

In the past few weeks, Hiccup became Dagur's punching bag or target dummy until last night he got nearly wasted. He didn't have the power to fight back when an arrow broke his right arm. The condition of Tartarus was even worse than the most disgusting place on Berk. He had only a small slice of baked fish in days and only enough water to keep him alive. He had uncountable cuts and injuries on his skin and he believed that Dagur broke at least 5 of his bones.

Dagur struck Hiccup's backbone the 17th time of the day with his wooden bludgeon. Hiccup flew across the air and landed in the corner.

"I… don't know… why you want… to break me so badly…" said Hiccup. His voice was weak and low, fresh blood continued dripping down from a 2-inch long cut on his face. He was lying on the floor in the guards' room, with at least six big, strong, armor-wearing Berserker guards stood around him, who were holding different weapons in their hands. Some torches on the wall lighted the room.

"Two reasons. One, for fun, and two, so that we can take Berk," Dagur stopped his "hitting and punching".

"I'm not the chief yet. It won't give you any good to kill me. Gobber or Astrid can take over the job, and they may do a better job than me."

"Sometimes you are thinking too simple, Hiccup. Breaking you is only one part of our plan."

"Does Heather know your plan?"

"Yes of course, but she doesn't know this part of the plan."

"Heather will send you to Valhalla if you kill me. I guess."

"No, she won't. She is too good of a sister."

"But you are too bad of a brother," said Hiccup, trying to embarrass Dagur, "you won't even stand a chance in front of Berk."

"Please, Savage, let him shut up," Dagur lost his temper.

"Yes, sir." As Dagur stepped aside, Savage picked up Hiccup from the ground, put a half -nelson about his neck and dragged him along the dark prison corridor. Hiccup didn't resist, and he didn't even have the energy to break through Savage's metal-like arms.

They didn't need to handcuff Hiccup today because he couldn't even walk without someone holding on to him. Savage stopped in front of the prison cell, and he took out the key from his pocket and opened the metal door.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said. Then he threw Hiccup into the cell just like throwing a sandbag.

A current of red blood flown out of his mouth when he landed heavily on the floor and knocked over a chair. Savage locked the door again, then he looked at Hiccup through the bars. He shook his head and walked away.

Hiccup turned his head and looked through the tiny window and he could see the guards patrolling around the prison. He knew that he wasn't the only prisoner in Tartarus, but others seemed to receive much better treatment than Hiccup. They got warm food, exercise time on the fenced field, and comfortable beds. He was the most dangerous character to the Berserkers, so he got scarcely food, no exercise time, no comfortable bed. The only time when he could step outside from his poor cell was when Dagur and his men beat him like he was a punching bag.

He regretted his action, but it was too late. The Berkians needed at least two weeks to realize that he was gone way too long. He wanted Toothless to lick his face again, or at least keep him busy by wiggling around him.

And Astrid, he would never forget her blonde hair, blue eyes, and her warrior soul covered by her tender body. She was an angle to him. She will definitely chop Dagur into million pieces if she found out what he did to him. He recalled multiple times when he saved Astrid from danger, and then he would carry the unconscious Astrid back to Berk, and laid her on his bed, and waited for her to wake up.

The things that helped Hiccup endured the pain were Toothless and Astrid' s figure in his mind. Otherwise he would've given in already.

Few days later

"He should be back already," Astrid stood on the cliff, "That was too long for a sea voyage."

"You don't have to care of your boy Hiccup. He can take care of himself," Fishlegs said while Meatlug stood beside him.

"Something isn't right. Toothless worried sick about him. You know, he can sense things."

"Then you should send a search party if you still care about him."

"Are you questioning our relationships?"

"No offense, but, there is a possibility that he got lost or got attacked by pirates."

"By pirates?" Astrid asked.

"Johan and other patrol Riders reported more than 20 pirate attacks, and even one of Alvin's ship with 20 soldiers got ambushed. He also said that those pirates usually seize metal products."

"Who has the ability to do so?"

"The Romans, the Berserkers, the Southern people, or the traitor tribes. The possibility is endless."

"We defeated the Romans and the traitors, but the South is our ally, at least for now," Astrid said, she fell deep into thinking, staring blank into the ocean.

"The Berserkers. We defeated them years ago, and now we even trade with each other, but they are the only remaining tribe who could cause those attacks."

"Maybe we should visit them?"

"If it's for Hiccup, we would trigger them and might start a war. Let's sweep the Archipelago first."

"The whole Archipelago? That'll take at least three fortnights."

"Do we have another choice?"

"OK, I'll round up other Riders, Milady."

"Only Hiccup can call me that."

"But it sounds great."

Astrid held up her axe at Fishlegs, and he quickly gave in, holding his two hands in the air.

"Fine, Hiccup's privilege, not mine."

"Why are we doing this again?" Tuffnut shouted across the air.

"To find Hiccup and those pirates," Fishlegs shouted back.

"Am I the only one who is staring at an empty ocean?"

Below the dragons was the blue, endless, tranquil ocean with different sized islands spreading all over it. No pirates, no battles, not even a fish or dragon.

"This is pointless," said Snotlout, "It's impossible to find a Viking from here, and you can't even see a tree clearly."

"Let's spread out, cover more ground," Astrid said, "Fishlegs, you'll go north. Ruffnut and Tuffnut search the west. Snotlout you search the east, and I'll go south."

"Hey Astrid," said Snotlout, flying closer and closer to Astrid, "You may need a Viking like this to aid you during the search, in case of pirates or wild insane dragons."

"Oh," replied Astrid indifferently.

"So…" Snotlout waited for her action.

"Look, if you want to take Hiccup's place, I can tell you that that's impossible. Second of all, this is the 32nd time of your flirting just in this month. If you wanna die, I don't mind."

"It'll be my pleasure to die underneath your gorgeous axe."

Astrid rolled her eyes, she didn't know what came through that Viking, but she knew that if she don't stop him, he would continue on with it until he got tired of talking.

"Fine, we will search the south together," Astrid said, then she raised her tone, "But, no flirting whatsoever during the trip, or you go under the ocean."

"Yes, Milady."

"Ugh," groaned Astrid.

So a Deadly Nadder and a Monstrous Nightmare headed south with their riders on their backs, seeking a Viking called Hiccup.

What they didn't know was, a small island just several miles to the east where Snotlout was supposed to search, laid a small boat on its beach. The boat got badly damaged by some sort of metal weapons, and its mast got fractured, water from the wave poured in from cracked on the keel of the boat. A Viking helmet and a piece of flight suit laid there on the open deck of the boat.