Exodus and Return-us: The Soul Trumps the Mind

by Ikedawg43

Hiccup leaves Berk to create a place for himself. He finds that he is not meant to withstand the pressure of his new life, and adapts in order to thrive. However, in doing so he has created a monster within himself. After tragedy rocks Hiccup's world, he gives into his own monster, and it is up to his closest friends to save him from himself. Complete.

10. New Codenames!

Exodus and Return-us

Chapter 10

Hiccup's POV

In what has nearly been a month since we rescued the eggs from the Outcasts, the Sanctuary has changed dramatically. Because of the presence of the Screaming Death (the name I gave to the King of the Whispering Deaths), all Whispering Deaths have been able to break free from the Queen's control. Many of them have taken up residence on Sanctuary Island, and the rest have begun digging out new Sanctuaries across the Archipelago. The Gronkles, although not having a true king such as the Whispering Deaths, have made peace with the Whispering Deaths and often help them construct these new hideaways.

Originally, not all of the Gronkles and Deaths would have fit. To remedy that, the Whispering Deaths dug out most of the Outer Sanctuary and the Gronkles helped add support with Gronkle Iron. Now, the Outer Ring is mostly hollow, yet can only be access from hidden passages for humans or from a few ports facing the inside of the island.

During the middle of the construction, I was called over to negotiate when a small pack of ten Scauldrons swam up to the edge of the Outer Ring. Turned out that they were curious, and were even willing to help us if they could have their own caves built into the bottom so that they can exit and enter through the water but sleep on dry land. It was a little challenging to have Whispering Deaths digging the tunnels below sea-level, but after two days of slow and careful digging, we had 10 Scauldrons eager to join us…which gave me an idea.

I remembered from my experiments with Gronkle Iron that eating too much sandstone caused Gronkles to create a fragile but clear substance. I found that if I backed this clear stuff with the silver Gronkle Iron, then I could create a mirror. The Gronkles worked overtime to produce massive mirrors and the Scauldrons helped place them below the water (well below their nests). Since the water around here is crystal clear, the sunlight shines down upon the mirrors, which bend the light into caves I had the Deaths dig. These caves ran deep underneath the Island, but all combined in five places: four underneath the Outer Rim, and one dead center underneath the Inner Sanctuary. Once the rest of the Island was dug out, the Gronkles spent a week covering the edges of these caves with Gronkle Iron, and another week and a half to top that with the clear stuff. The result was magnificent.

In effect, the mirrors would reflect the sunlight into the caves (which were now lined with mirrors). The caves would reflect the light all the way around the island, and then it would pop up in five places. The light would shoot straight up at a mirror-ball, which would shine the light all around the walls. Basically, if the sun was shining, all of the Outer Rim and Inner Sanctuary would be well lit, and if the moon shone then all areas would have just a tiny amount of light to see by.

Drawing from this, the Whispering Deaths built a tunnel large enough to fly through underneath the Inner and Outer areas that allowed anyone to easily pass between areas. Once all of this was completed, small coves were dug into the sides of the walls of the Outer Rim to serve as individual nests for dragons that may come in the future. In theory, we now had space for one thousand dragons to live comfortably.

Two days after the Alvin Raids, the Screaming Death hatched. After a week, it was the size of a normal Whispering Death; after three, it was three times the size and already smarter than any of its kin. Toothless and I were told that the Screaming Death has had a history of temper issues, but I insisted on meeting it anyways…Toothless did not share my viewpoint at all.

When we met it, what happened took all of us by surprise. We met it after it had lived on the grounds for three weeks, and it appeared to already be fully matured. Toothless and I flew into the part of the Rim where it resided, and it called out to us to come near.

Toothless wasn't happy with the situation at all, which he let me know by forcing me to go first…

Before I even got a chance to bond with it, it spoke to me. It spoke slowly and with a gravelly voice, but held no malice towards us whatsoever.

^*Hiccup, Toothless; Your choices have landed us here today. You chose to ignore convention and bond, which has proven to be a good choice. Again, you went against convention and allied a Death-Bane with my kin, and yet again nothing but good has come from it. I want you two to continue to do what you feel is right; you can never know what can come from one action…WE are forever grateful for rescuing my egg, and you shall ALWAYS find allies in us. I fear that you will one day need us, so know that we will stand by you.*^

Before I could respond (or even think of something to say), all of the Whispering Deaths chanted something in unison. Which was odd, come to think of it, because I was not bonded to nearly half of them…

^*AS LONG HICCUP

AS LONG AS TOOTHLESS

STAND TOGETHER

WE SHALL BE

THERE FOREVER*^

^*I have two gifts for you, Hiccup, and one for Toothless as well.*^

Of course, Mr. High and Mighty complained about that.

*HEY! Why don't I get two gifts?*

^*Because you are already good enough! You don't need anything else!*^

*Oh…I agree. Carry on, then.*

I rolled my eyes; leave it to Toothless to be talked out of present with just a small stroke to his ego…

^*Both of you have one gift that you must discover on your own, but Hiccup's second gift is much more…tangible…*^

The Screaming Death led us down a tunnel that went even deeper than the sunlight reflection caves. Once we were about 15 feet below those, the path opened up into an extremely large underground cove. Other than support beams here and there, the cove was half as wide as the entire island, and had two areas that had already been specialized. One of those areas was a training ring built 5 feet down into the stone floor, and the other was a stone house of sorts.

I walked inside, and realized that I had been built a proper forge. Which brings me to where I am now. I informed both the Bog Burglars and the Bloody Knuckles that it was my intention to visit the next closest island to trade Gronkle Iron weapons. After about 30 minutes of roundtable discussion, it was agreed that I would man a massive ship alone (pulled by dragons, but would appear to be a one man crew) in order to make myself seem mysterious and accomplished. The ship would have a hidden hold for Toothless to hide when selling my goods, and would be modified with a structure that would discretely allow the ship to be tugged by dragons easily.

The only problem was that I didn't have a ship. 30 more minutes of talk (really, it was haggling), and an accord was struck: I would create custom Gronkle Iron weapons (beautifully engraved) for the Chiefs of both tribes, and they would combine their efforts to modify one of their ships to my needs. Since I had integrated dragons and killed Drago, they decided that this would help make us even. It didn't bother me; I was getting a ship and a good reputation at the same time.

Bertha ordered a long-hammer, which basically is a long rod with a blunt hammer on the end. Apparently, when one is endowed with massive mammaries, maneuvering small weapons becomes difficult, and long-handled weapons become a way of life. Everyone but Cami laughed in good nature when Bertha explained this; Cami seemed embarrassed that her mother (who is known as 'Big Boobied Bertha') was talking about boobs in front of guests. If that didn't horrify Cami, Bertha's comment about Cami needing 'a dagger for the right side and a hammer for the other-on my life, I don't know how she got so lopsided…' turned her face redder than I thought was possible.

Thuggory at least ordered something fun; he wanted a normal broadsword, but wanted the hilt hollowed out and a spare dagger built into it in case he should ever need a backup. I did him one better by turning the handle into the handle to a dagger. The dagger interlocks with the rest of the sword, but can be detached by the user at will.

That was two weeks ago, and both Chiefs took their weapons on small trading excursions to nearby tribes. Bertha and Cami returned yesterday, and said that all of the villages were interested in meeting this "mysterious masked man" who crafts "weapons worthy of being used as Thor's dinner knives." They also informed all tribes that I was somewhat 'odd' in some ways and told them that I would need to be "tolerated" or "humored" at times. Whatever, now I have people who are willing to trade with me, and I have been making weapons for two weeks.

Which brings me back to why I am in the forge again. I came down here to pack up all of the weapons, and have the Gronkles load them on the ship. I've decided on only selling a small amount to each village, so that my work and Gronkle Iron in general stay rare and valuable among the villages. Each village will only have the chance to purchase 25 items, and the leader of the village gets a special 26th weapon of their choice. As the Gronkles grabbed the last boxes, I walked over to the stone mannequin the Gronkles crafted for me and took off the new armor I created. Instead of having Stormfly or one of the Gronkles heat the metal for this set, Toothless insisted on helping me. He said that 'if you get us into major trouble, I don't want your life on the line because some second rate dragon couldn't heat the metal properly.' Say what he wants, but that translates into 'I care about you, and I want to make sure this is done right.'

As the armor cooled, I rubbed it with charcoal to give it the same blackness as the steps to the Sanctuary. I wove it into the leather fixings, and like that I had a brand new black armor set to match Toothless.

I donned my armor and mounted Toothless.

^You ready bud?^

*Ready? All I do is sleep all day in the hold. Of COURSE I am ready!*
Of course, Toothless is excited about napping. Sometimes I wonder if he was imbued with the spirit of a cat…

As we neared the first village, I went back over what I knew about them. This is the Battle Blonde clan. They are known for their 95% blonde villagers, and their general neutrality towards everything. Because of this, they trade with all clans and have the most information of any clan.

I ordered all Gronkles pulling the ships to dismount and disperse so the village does not see them, and had the Scauldrons pull the rest of the way. Once the boat was hailed by the docks, the Scauldrons swam off to watch from afar.

*Ok, time to act scary and mean. Good luck (you need it).*

^Thanks. Feeling really inspired here…^

I stood at the side of my ship as it was pulled to the docks, and waited until all commotion stopped. I made sure to keep my shoulders pulled back and my chin held high until their Chief addressed me.

"So, you are the one that they call 'Ryder,' eh? Why don't you and your crew come down and we can talk about yer intentions…"

Nothing odd there. Just a Chief protecting his village.

"I must ask why you seem instantly…suspicious…of my intentions. Do you have any reason to distrust me, aside from never having met me?"

"I'll have you know that we here are a neutral clan in all matters, and it seems that you already have clans for and 'gainst you. The Bogs and the Knuckles described you as some sort of one man army with a heart o' gold, but I had an armada here two days ago who begged to differ on that last part…"

"An armada, you say? Who said what exactly about me, if I may ask?" An armada is new; only people I knew of that had those were Dagur and Drago, and Dagur doesn't know anything but that… I… train… dragons… crap, this may not end well after all.

"Rumors like these shouldn't be discussed in front of the children or normal folk. Can I speak to you in a private war council?" Well, doesn't that just sound lovely.

"A room full of men who know how to fight and are armed to the teeth, and not a single person there would trust me? Forgive me if I am not thrilled by this scenario."

"You must understand, when a masked stranger visits our village, we are put on edge. Men who wear full armor yet are not armed themselves usually have a trick of their sleeves, like an ambush waiting."

"Who said that I am unarmed?" I asked while drawing my new sword. It compresses into the handle, and is spring-loaded to expand to full size at my command. The blade popped into place and I pointed the blade at the Chief before holstering it again.

"Well, isn't that a neat trick. We seem to be at a stalemate then. You believe that I will harm you if you step foot in my council, and I do not trust my life into the hands of you and your crew whilst aboard your ship."

Now I have him; if he refuses now, he will look bad in front of his village.

"Who said anything about me having a crew?"

"…ye don't?"

"Not at all. I am all I need."

"But how do you sail that ship without a crew?"

"That is but one of many of the secrets I do not feel inclined to share. Now, would you and your council like to come aboard and talk?"

Really, he can't refuse now.

"Aye. Lower the plank, then."

I slide out the plank and invited them aboard. Most of the men seemed jumpy and eyed the ship, but the Chief kept his eyes on me.

"Now, what rumors have you heard about me that I can clear up for you today?" I put a pseudo-excited twist on my voice, like a young child pretending to sell something to pretend customers. It caught the men off-guard, and a few found it slightly funny.

"At first, the Bogs and Knuckles led us to believe that you are a mysterious man with unmatched goods and pure intentions. I believe the mysterious man part and after seeing your sword, I would wager you have unique items, but Dagur differs on your intentions…"

"Dagur the deranged?" I retorted, with sarcasm bleeding into my voice.

The Chief looked a slight tad sheepish, as if ashamed that he was taking character advice from a madman. I finally took the time to notice the details about the Chief: he was probably six feet tall, which made him half a head taller than me, and he had a thick blonde mustache braided (much like Gobber's) and a long, braided beard coming off the tip of his chin. All of the rest of his beard well somewhat well shaved, and he wore a helmet that was wide and tall, coming to a point at the top.

"Aye, that's the one. I swear, that man must have doubled his armada; I don't remember it being that big. He made a one-day stop at our village to tell us not to trust the 'dragon-loving man in a mask' who interfered with Berserker intentions… ring a bell?"

"Well, it does sound familiar. I save him a lot of trouble by killing Drago Bludvist, and that's the only time I ever 'interfered' with him…"

A few of the council members, all of which I noticed were blonde (more importantly, they weren't 5% not blonde), seemed surprised, but the Chief took it in stride.

"Yea, Thuggory was braggin' on you for that one. He really seems to like you. And Bertha, who loved to show off her special 'Boob-proof' hammer…Odin knows we didn't need to hear about that…"

I gave a somewhat dark chuckle, and was about to speak when the Chief suddenly changed demeanor and pressed me for information.

"So what is this I hear about you stealing the minds of dragons? Some sort of dark magic, I presume?"

He drew his sword and held it to my throat. I remained calm, and waited to see how this would play out.

"Magic? There's no magic here. Just a ship sailed without sailors and swords that appear out of handles and a man dressed in black armor who hides his face…"
"Yes, I see. All is normal then, isn't it?" He ordered one of his men to take my sword, and then kicked me backwards. I made sure to stumble far enough to back into the largest mast, where my bo-staff happened to be leaning. I picked myself off the ground, and casually used the staff to lean on for support to let them think I was weak.

^Alright bud, things have gone south. On my command, I want you to slowly and calmly make an entrance. The villagers can't see what happens up here, so I want as little of a commotion as possible.^

*Why should that matter? I should torch them where they stand!*

^I want them to have the option of keeping what they saw here to themselves, in case they decide that they don't want to fight with me.

"I am not playing games! Many things we will tolerate here, but we will not receive someone who supports the very beasts that plague us!"

He walked forward to me, and kicked the staff out from under me. He thought that this would cause me to fall again, but had played right into my hand. I used his kick to spin the staff around and land a solid blow to the head of one of his men. I twirled the staff to knock down to onrushing men, and split my staff into two pieces in order to take on the remaining five men. I had to use multiple tuck and roll maneuvers in order to avoid making contact with their blades: any loud noise would only make the awaiting villagers suspicious, and I wanted as little attention as possible. I eventually took out the knees of three of the men and landed a firm poke to the bulging belly of the fourth.

The final man rushed me from in front, while the Chief rushed me from behind. I converted my staffs into short swords and turned until I held one blade to the front of each mans' throat. All went quiet as they realized they were now at my mercy.

^Toothless, be ready on my command. Slow and ominous please.^

*Got it.*

"Now gentlemen, I rather wished we could avoid conflict, but now I see only two options…" I motioned for them to move to one side, but continued to point both blades at their necks… "The first is rather messy, where I would have to clean a lot of blood off of my ship AND your village leadership would be instantly crippled…" I paused to let this sink in for what it was: a threat.

*Now?*

^Right now.^

Toothless slowly emerged from the hold, and slowly walked behind me. He walked in a fluid but threatening manner, and when he reached me he stood beside me and curled his tail around me. I sheathed one sword and rubbed his scales more to show that I could rub the dragon than to comfort him.

"The other option? We forget all that has happened on my ship. You tell your people that I am as neutral as you are, and we do business and both come away ahead. Even though you have made your reputation on selling secrets, this is one that you will have to keep… What shall it be, Chief…?"

I completely sheathed my staff, and extended a hand out to the Chief, awaiting a handshake. He exchanged glances with his men, and one man even came over and whispered something. After about 30 seconds, he seemed to have convinced himself of his verdict: he stretched out his hand and clasped mine.

"Chief Eric of the Battle Blondes, at your service, Mr…?"

"You may call me Fin. This…" I gestured to the Night Fury staring down his men "is my Night Fury…Fate."

*Fate? Don't get me wrong, I like having a code name, but why 'Fate?*

^I'm surprised you aren't against calling me 'Fin'…^

*Oh SURE! Mock the cripple, huh? I oughta bite your foot off; THAT'LL teach you!*

One of the men hollered out the same question Toothless originally had:

"Why is its name 'Fate'?"

I grinned under my mask, even though no one could see it.

"BECAUSE… you shouldn't tempt Fate…"

And that is how the legend of Fin and Fate began: soon, every tribe would either want to congratulate me, kill me, or be me. There will be NO in-between…

Author's Note: Next chapter will start the conflict between Dagur and Hiccup (just in case it wasn't obvious that Dagur is the antagonist here…). As always, leave reviews.