Meanwhile, the Berkians were having a party.
"To the Chief!"
"To the Chief!"
Some Vikings tossed Hiccup in the air.
"Yeah, okay, guys!" Hiccup said as he was tossed. "Now I'm just getting sick!" And they set him down. "Okay. Ha. Ha. Ha"
He then struggles not to throw up as Gobber approached him.
"Don't say I thought you were a little off your raw for this it isn't half bad." Gobber
"This is supposed to be a temporary solution." Hiccup reminded.
"It's unanimous." Eret said who was close by. "Everyone agrees we've definitely traded up. Well done, Chief." He leaves and took a bite of his drumstick.
Hiccup laughs uneasy as Eret walks off.
"What if the tail broke?" Hiccup asked worrying about Toothless. "What if Grimmel found him? What if... he needs me?"
"Would you relax?" Gobber said. "He's probably having the time of his life."
"How would I know?" Hiccup skeptically turns to him. "She never comes around And when she does, she's always rushing off. I'm saying how-how do we even know if she's right for us."
"Us?" Gobber questioned.
"You know what I mean." Hiccup turns to him. "She's so wild and skittish. I'm just gonna say it, I don't trust her."
Gobber laughed. "Can't tame them all, Hiccup. One day, you'll have to snip those apron springs and let Toothless stretch his wing."
And they walked away from the crowd.
"Reminds me of a talk I had with Stoick about you." Gobber said.
He looks to his right, and jumps. "Gaaah!"
In front of him was a pack of 14 Hobgobblers.
"Where do they keep coming from?!" Gobber exclaimed and hid in a tent.
"Who?" Hiccup asked.
"Those bloodly Hobgobblers." Gobber points his arm out from the tent.
They turned but the Hobgobblers were gone.
"I swear, they're popping up faster than Rabbits." Gobber came out of the tent. "I think they want to eat me. Evidence would suggest that tasty."
Then Tuffnut came out from the tent.
"Hiccy! A moment?" Tuffnut asked. "Listen, I've been watching you walk. Lose the limp. No one's gonna marry that." He chuckled.
"I have a prosthetic leg!" Hiccup reminded.
"So have I!" Gobber said offended.
"And I have a parasitic twin, but you don't see me limping around it!" Tuffnut said. "Come on."
Hiccup starts walking away.
"Chin up, Hiccy!" Tuffnut follows him. "Pop out that chest! Move that butt to the left a little bit!"
Gobber begins to head out, and then he heard a growling. And then he turns and saw 56 eyes from the dark and runs off.
Elsewhere, Heather spotted Astrid and Sigrid playing a card game with Sigrid's dragon cards that Fishlegs made for her sometime after meeting her. He's even been teaching her how to make her own cards.
"I can see your cards." Astrid smirked slightly seeing them.
Sigrid raised them up.
"Well, look at your 2 crooks." Heather approached them.
Sigrid then secretly shows Heather her cards.
"Hmm." Heather smirked.
"Okay, what do you got up there?" Astrid gave out.
Sigrid then brought her cards down. "Night Fury and Skrill."
"What?! No fair!" Astrid exclaimed. "Come on! 3 times in a row."
Sigrid giggled of winning.
"You owe me another match, tomorrow." Astrid smirked.
"Fine." Sigrid gathered her cards and walks away.
"And be sure to show me that Blue Whale card that you told me when finished." Astrid reminded.
"Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine..." Sigrid teasingly complained.
Astrid and Heather couldn't help but laugh from that.
"She is really something." Astrid said. "Sure has changed since meeting her."
"I guess she changed us as well." Heather said. "Like that when she first hugged you." She reminded when they met her.
"She just... needed some comfort that's all." Astrid said.
Then suddenly, Valka and Cloudjumper appeared. And then Cloudjumper landed and looks like he's hurt. But the young Night Fury wasn't with them anymore, it's likely that he parted ways from them and went in search of the pride.
And then Hiccup and Astrid quickly rushed to her.
"Mom! Are your hurt?" Hiccup asked concernedly. "What happened out there?"
"I don't know how, but Grimmel is tracking us." Valka said.
"Gaaah! This is all because of the Hobgobblers." Gobber exclaimed.
"He has a hundred ships, maybe more." Valka added. "With enough cages for all our dragons."
Hiccup sighed and thinks of something. "If Grimmel is leading them here, we have to take him out of the mix."
"Uh... and how would we do that?" Tuffnut asked.
"By going there to capture him." Hiccup answered.
"Capture him?" Gobber questioned as if he was crazy.
"I'M WITH HIM! WHO ELSE?!" Tuffnut yelled.
The others turn to each other.
At a temporary base, Grimmel holds a glass jar with a leather cover as a Deathgripper pierced it's stinger through it. And venom drips from the stinger, and drops into the jar as Grimmel milks the venom. Just how someone would with a venomous snake.
The Deathgripper pulls back it's tail, and Grimmel removes the cover off the jar. And then pours the venom into a small thin glass vial. And then stirs it around a bit, and puts a cover over. And placed into a dart.
Raul was in the room as well as he was working on a mini crossbow. And he placed 3 darts into it.
Not far away, the Riders in their armor were heading towards the base. And Brant's team has joined them as well.
And Hiccup riding with Astrid and Stormfly soon climbs over her right wing. And then jumps off and opens his flight suit.
And then they landed as Hiccup retracts his wings, and the Riders begin to head towards the base.
As Grimmel was working on the dart, the 2 Deathgrippers suddenly perked up and sense something.
And the 2 dragons turn to Grimmel, and then Grimmel snapped his fingers, and they immediately head out.
The 2 Deathgrippers were soon joined with the other 4 and made their way down through the base.
And they begin to stalk around the base like a team of Lions at night.
And as one walks by some rocks, as then the Riders appeared behind. And again like last time, Fishlegs brought Fishmeat.
"Okay. Split up, we'll be harder to catch." Snotlout said softly.
"I was thinking we should split up... just because." Eret said.
"I like your instincts." Valka said.
And then they begin to move out quietly, and leaving Snotlout completely in disbelief.
"What is this?!" Snotlout asked.
Silently the Riders moved around the base as Hiccup heads to the spiral staircase.
Nearby, a Deathgripper stalks near an area, and then Astrid threw a rock and hid behind a pillar as the dragon turns to where the rock hit the ground. Close by, a Deathgripper growls softly as Eret pass by. And Snotlout as well and almost tripped.
Nearby, Tuffnut waves his arm to a Deathgripper, but then Ruffnut quickly pulls him out of sight as the dragon turns to where he was.
Meanwhile, Hiccup and silently move up the staircase. And soon they reached the top, and then Hiccup brought his Inferno and lit it. And they made their way into the room, but strangely there was no sign of Grimmel.
Elsewhere in the base, Grimmel reaches and grabs a chain. And then pulls it, and then suddenly a large net drops over the entire base and trapping the Riders with the Deathgrippers.
And Fishmeat fearfully screamed.
"Quiet!" Fishlegs quickly said.
And then Hiccup came out of the room, and saw Grimmel and Raul outside.
"Where's your dragon when you need him?" Grimmel asked. "Hmm, Chief?" Hiccup brought his visor up as some Deathgrippers stalked behind him. "Must have forgotten about you." He laughs and sets his lantern down. "First rule of the hunt: Separate the prey from its pack. You just remove yourselves from the equation."
"Been a while, Chief." Raul said to Hiccup. "Remember me, from the ship where I almost had you."
"Why are you doing this?" Hiccup asked.
"Really? I didn't think you cared." Grimmel said. "Well, unlike you, when I was a boy and I came up on a Night Fury, I killed it where it slept! That simple act of courage made me a hero in my village. So, I decided to kill every last one, bringing real peace to the people of this world. And Lockwood told me that he killed a Night Fury. I'd offered him to join me to wipe them out, but he refused."
In the back of his mind, Hiccup almost thought Grimmel knows something else.
"Until I saw your's, I witness Grimmel wiped out the last pair of Night Furies." Raul said. "But over the years, one particular Night Fury. A large male, has slipped through from his grips over and over again. 2 certain times where he almost finished, he managed to get away with a piece of his ear missing. And a slash over his eye."
Hiccup then realized that sounded like the scarred male. And realized that's why he was unsettled with Humans around.
"But then, we finally lost him when chasing him one night when a lightning storm occurred." Raul continued. "He was killed in a lightning strike, though the body was never recovered. So we left it for the sharks. Oh, did I forget to mention that I actually burnt down your village after discovering you left. So, I ask you this. Just how long do you think you can keep your village save from me? As well as that Night Fury?"
Grimmel then turns back to him. "Until you came along preaching that dragons are something other than thieves and murderers. Psssh. That nonsense dies now. Starting with you."
"But you have dragons of your own." Hiccup pointed out.
Grimmel laughed from that as a Deathgripper nears him. "These?" He gestured to the Deathgripper. "They're dragon killers. Drugged into obedience with their own venom. Not even your precious Alpha could control them. They serve me." He then pushed a vial into the Deathgripper's head collar as it's pupils then became thin slits. "And only me. Allow me to demonstrate." He then whistled.
"TAKE COVER!" Hiccup yelled.
They then moved as a Deathgripper behind them let out an acid blast.
And the other Deathgrippers began to attack.
"Split up!" Astrid yelled.
They begin to run as then a Deathgripper soon targeted Astrid. And the Deathgripper chased after her as she quickly climbs up a section of the net. And the Deathgripper climbs up after her.
Meanwhile, a another Deathgripper lands on some of the chains holding the staircase. And Hiccup runs up them and they broke apart from the acid. And he holds on to them and quickly pulls himself up as they broke apart.
And then a Deathgripper burst through the wooden floor behind Valka. And she quickly jumps and hooks her staff on a pillar and swung up and lands on it. And then brought her staff over the net and spun it calling Cloudjumper.
"Up here!" Valka yelled.
The Riders quickly climb up the wall, as then a Deathgripper tries to strike at Astrid. And then the Deathgripper shot it his stinger. And tries to spear her as she dodges it. And then the Deathgrippers tries a second time. And the Deathgripper struggled to pull his stinger out as it was stuck.
And then Astrid swung on the dragon's tail, and then kicks it in the face.
And then, Cloudjumper arrives over the net. And lifts up the net so they got get through.
"Hurry!" Valka yelled.
She helps Tuffnut help as the others begin to climb through the net and on their dragons.
Astrid nears the edge, but the Deathgripper from earlier tries to get her.
"Astrid, give me your hand!" Heather reached her hand to her.
But then, the Deathgripper spears it's stinger at the rock. And Heather was forced to back away. And then the Deathgripper blocked both sides with it's claws. And then readies it's stinger again. But then suddenly Astrid was quickly pulled upwards as the stinger hits the wall.
And Brant and Zia quickly helped her up.
"Thank you." Astrid gratefully said.
"Your welcome." Brant nodded.
Hiccup however got to the end of a pillar, and was far from the ledge.
"Hiccup!" Valka yelled.
With a big drop below him, Hiccup took a few steps back. And then made a run for it as he leaped over as then a Deathgripper lunges. But Valka on Cloudjumper's tail quickly caught him.
"Gotcha! Go, Cloudjumper!" Valka yelled.
Cloudjumper begins to fly off, and 3 Deathgrippers struggle under the net trying to get them.
And as they flew away from the base, the Crimson Goregutter suddenly appeared from following them and let out a loud bellow.
"Yeah! Our hero!" Fishlegs cheered.
And then the Goregutter rams into the base, and sections of rocks broke apart, and the Deathgripper fell.
And as the rocks fell apart, Grimmel soon came out as well as Raul. And they watched as Fishmeat was heard screaming.
And they glared as they watched them leave.
And then suddenly Ruffnut appeared next to them. "Ugh. He takes that stupid baby everywhere."
Shocked by this, Grimmel turns to her. As well as the Raul.
