I really hope this battle excites and the short scene with Astrid and Fishlegs gets some readers thinking about events back in Midgard. Enjoy!


With Hiccup

Hiccup loosed his sixth and final shot at Adla before he was on him. Adla had ducked with little space to spare. Hiccup was left with the only option that he had hoped to avoid. He had to engage one of the most skilled Vikings in all the islands.

Adla came at him with vicious downward strike which Hiccup dodged to his left. Hiccup engaged the blade in his crossbow and swung it upward for Adla. He backed away with ease.

Adla now brought his axe across on a back hand swing for Hiccup's abdomen. Hiccup now was the one backing from the strike.

Adla was fast and didn't wait for a retaliation. He swung for Hiccup again and again. Hiccup being quick on his feet managed to dodge all the blows. Even though Hiccup's retreating defense kept him from death it gave little opening for a counter. Not to mention Adla's guard seemed near impregnable.

Hiccup kept dodging and retreating until he backed away and Adla didn't follow.

"Geez I finally understand how you've stayed alive so long," Adla said in a lighthearted tone. He still saw this is as friendly dual between distant allies. "You are damned fast. If Stoick is the Vast you are certainly the Quick,"

"Um…thanks," Hiccup said. "I guess they could call you Adla the Honorable,"

Adla nodded his head at the returned compliment. "If you'd like you can put that crossbow down and we can see how good you are with a sword."

"So much for showmanship," Hiccup said in his usual deadpan.

"I think you fighting would be a better show than you running,"

Hiccup shrugged. "You'd be surprised how entertaining a cat chasing a mouse can be," Hiccup loaded the crossbow and placed it on the ground but kept his small quiver on his back and fastened the cover to keep the bolts in place. He drew his sword and his shield. Hiccup sighed. "Well let's see if this will be more entertaining."

Adla just smiled and resumed his assault.

Adla hailed blows of all directions toward Hiccup but Hiccup dodged them all and absorbed the ones he could with his shield. But even with his sword out he still couldn't mount any sort of counter-offensive. Adla was too fast, too strong and too unrelenting.

But every dragon has a weakness and every Viking a flaw. Spotting it was the difficult part. And exploiting it the near impossible.

With Astrid

"Astrid!"

Astrid turned to see Fishlegs running after her.

"Hey Fish," She said. "What is it?"

The large boy had to take a small moment to regain his breath and composure. When he did he spoke.

"I was talking to some of the crewmembers that actually saw this dragon,"

"And…" Astrid said wondering where this could be going.

"It's not like any in the Book of Dragons," Fish blurted. "No description they gave matched any sort of dragon we know of,"

"So it's an undiscovered species," Astrid said brushing off the concern in Fishlegs' voice.

"I thought that too until…"

"Until what?" Astrid asked with her curiosity peeked.

"Until I visualized what they saw and realized we had seen it before,"

"What are you talking about? You just said that it's like no dragon we've ever seen before."

"Exactly no dragon." Fishlegs said with enthusiasm as his point was so close to being made. "It was long, slimy looking with fangs but no arms or legs. It had eyes that wanted only death and didn't have the look of ferocity and purpose that a dragon does. What do we know that matches that?"

Astrid took a moment. And then with a look of a strange mixture between terror and confusion she said: "No."

Fishlegs nodded grimly.

They were gonna need Hiccup

With Hiccup

Adla wouldn't stop. The guy was like war itself and it was all being waged on Hiccup. Hiccup didn't understand how he was keeping up with the larger boy.

Hiccup thought that Adla was holding back but the look of confusion on his face told him that Adla was trying his hardest.

Maybe it was Hiccup's skill as a swordsman or his will to survive. Whatever it was it kept Adla's axe from Hiccup's body which was good enough for him.

Hiccup was growing tired of being on the defensive but there was still no sign of weakness or vulnerability on Adla's part.

An idea.

What if being on the run has focused him all on killing me?

Adla swung high and Hiccup ducked and without bothering for second thought stabbed toward Adla. The Vordad tried to dodge it but he was just too late. Hiccup struck the larger boy's right pectoral.

Adla backed up clutching the wound.

"First blood," Adla said impressed. "About time someone made it."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Hiccup said trying his best to sound as cool tempered as his opponent.

Adla began attacking again.

What is this guy made of?

The dual continued but now with Hiccup showing some life and striking back nut with Adla blocking them all.

Hiccup struck out and Adla met his sword with his own axe. The force dashed Hiccup's sword back from the direction it came from and with the opening Adla kicked the Hooligan backward and onto the ground.

Adla brought his axe down toward Hiccup who rolled over to his stomach and stumble forward shield and all to create distance between himself and Adla. But Adla pursued.

Hiccup once again found himself on a desperate defensive.

He turned around just in time to block one of Adla's strike but his second Hiccup was less fortunate.

Hiccup took a slashing wound to his left side. It stung like Hel and Hiccup could feel his blood run down his torso and leg.

Adla and Hiccup were both bleeding now but they fought on. Their fatigue was now beginning to show. Adla broke Hiccup's defenses and punched the smaller boy square in the face. But, by some miracle Hiccup didn't fall down. And then Adla's shield was shouldered into Hiccup and that sent him to the ground.

Maybe it was luck or coincidence that Hiccup landed right next to his loaded crossbow. Without thought Hiccup grabbed at it with is left hand, dropping his sword, and fired right at Adla. Hiccup didn't aim it and only had the one hand to fire it with so it was lucky he hit anything. The bolt buried itself in Adla's calf.

Adla felt the pain but ignored it and tried to end this fight. He swung over his head and down for Hiccup. Hiccup covered himself with his shield and as Adla's axe dug into the wood Hiccup used the remaining force he had to push the shield over him and back to its lying position from where it came to protect him.

With this movement it dragged Adla with his axe and since his one leg now felt the pain of an arrow in his muscle and sinew Adla stumbled forward toward Hiccup. Hiccup leaned up with all his might and drew his knife from his belt and dug it into Adla's stomach and then withdrew it and did so again until Adla stopped his hand and beat Hiccup's head with his fists.

Adla wrestled the knife from Hiccup despite his wounds and aimed to drive it through Hiccup's heart. Hiccup had managed to free his right hand from his shield and with his left caught Adla's arm and tried like Hel to keep that knife out of his chest. But Adla began to overpower. And then without warning Hiccup found his force pushing Adla's arms away from his chest.

In reality Adla had pulled his arms back and tried again to strike at Hiccup's heart. This time with the initial force and Adla's superior strength the Hiccup's own knife found itself inside its owners heart.

Hiccup felt the cold iron in his heart which was now stopping its rushed beating. Hiccup felt colder than he had in a long time. His eyes watered and the last thing he saw was an exhausted and pained expression on Adla's face.

With the gods

There was a deafening silence in Valhalla. No one could gather the correct words for what they had just witnessed. Hiccup had fought more valiantly than anyone, even Loki had wagered he would have.

The battle should have lasted about as long as a Nightmare fighting a sheep.

But no it lasted as long as it did with Hiccup showing he was no pushover. Even in the face of certain defeat he would fight until the bitter end.

Even Thor looked on in a reverent silence for the bravery this child just showed against his own champion.

Loki's Team

"I'll be damned," Stolt said. "That boy's got the fury of a thousand dragon's burning in him. He's gonna be a leader of men and slayer of evil. That's for damn sure,"

"I wonder how long until halls are filled with songs about both of them," Finkaren thought aloud.

"Well however long it is, it won't be soon enough," Vakker said.

How long until it goes to their heads? Svartur worried in silence.