I'M BAAAACK! For how long, I have no idea but it's been 3 years since i started this story and I decided it was finally time to end it. Ok maybe not yet but later. I don't know how often I will write and i definitely don't know how often I will post but let's see where the wind blows. Let's hope I haven't lost my touch huh?
"Dagur… what is this?". Hiccup slowly walked through the doors and into a massive cave as large as the coliseum.
"This brother, is my legacy," Dagur revealed with a grin.
Before them was an armada. Dozens of ships floated in an underground lake with water that seemed to glow. After a closer look, Hiccup realized it was simply algae on the water's surface. Most of the ships were large and armed well crafted. His entire army can fit on these and he would be unstoppable, thought Hiccup as he walked across the docks that began at the door and ran parallel to each ship.
"Isn't it magnificent?" Dagur asked, clearly proud of himself and expecting Hiccup to admire his prowess.
Hiccup was speechless. His mind was racing and speaking was impossible. How did he craft these in such a short time? Where did he get the supplies? Why would he need these? And these designs…
"These aren't ordinary Roman naval ships," Hiccup stated after examining a nearby ship's exterior. From afar the ships looked like standard Roman naval ships. Long, sleek, and operated by a multitude of oars and a large sail. But upon closer inspection, these ships were more.
The chips were larger than the standard navy's vessels. The deck was longer, wider, and the wood thicker. Low rectangular structures were mounted in the center of the ship with tiled roofs and multiple notches in the sides. Hiccup ran his fingers along the ship's exterior and didn't feel a single bump or scratch. Crafted perfection
"Yes yes I had craftsmen from other lands come and aid in their creation," stated Dagur after appearing at Hiccup's side, "The wood is strong as steel, the structure is to house a small group of archers that will fire if the vessel is surrounded. And the best part! Oh you will love this,"
Dagur grabbed Hiccup by the wrist and dragged him down the docks towards the biggest ship. Unlike the others, this ship was painted black and dark blue but on the borders of the deck were intricate carvings. At first they looked like cracks but as Dagur excitedly exclaimed, that was not the case.
"Lightning. The only force of nature man is yet to capture and use for its own purpose," he practically squealed. A ladder hung from the side and Dagur quickly scrambled up it's length.
"Well what are you waiting for? Come on," Until then Hiccup hadn't noticed how small he was compared to the ship. Or that he stopped breathing. With an unintentional gulp and a very intentional gasp of air, he followed the emperor.
More lightning designs were carved into the chip. The mast, the rectangular structure, and even the oars all had tiny engravings. But what horrified Hiccup most was what they led to. Hiccup's gaze followed the streaks of plasma for they all seemed to be coming from a single point. Slowly, Hiccup looked up and his breath hitched.
A massive, scaly figure was carved into the vessel's rear. Long sharp teeth, an acutely angled beak-like snout jutted out and was attached to a flat head. The mouth was wide open, a silent roaring beast petrified in the wooden carvings. It's massive wings flared and made the creature look larger than it really was.
"That's my baby. Hiccup, behold," Dagur said calmly, "The Skrill,"
Hiccup whipped around and looked at Dagur standing a few feet behind him, beaming with pride at the magnificent beast he created. Trapped is more like it.
"Dagur… why? What is all this for?" Hiccup finally asked. The single question has been burning in his mind since he entered through those doors.
Dagur only sighed and turned away to lean against the wooden railing. His eyes were staring at the cavern tunnel that led out of the cave. To where, Hiccup was unsure.
"Why do you fight," he finally stated after a full minute of silence.
The question caught Hiccup off guard. "Excuse me?" he stated after being momentarily fazed.
"Why do you fight? What is your reasoning, your purpose for doing this?"
"My reasoning… I…"
Dagur turned and stared at Hiccup with a look that practically screamed seriousness. "I did this to be remembered, to be feared, as the greatest emperor. My father, Oswald, was a good emperor. Loved by many and respected by many more, but he was never feared," Dagur said with anger and poison in every word.
"I want to be better than my father, better than everyone! I am Dagur, berserker emperor or Rome!" he yelled with his arms wide and head tilted back. He laughed like a maniac and grinned. He may seem hysterical, but HIccup knew he was deadly serious.
Hiccup stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak but stopped. Better than my father… Those words hit Hiccup hard because at his core, he could relate. Hiccup trained, grew, fought, and survived to prove Stoick wrong. To prove his father wrong. To be better than his father, no matter the cost.
As Hiccup looked at Dagur again, he saw a bit of himself. He saw a boy driven to best his parent and determined to see it through. He saw a man who killed to prove he could be better. He saw… he saw himself.
"Dagur," Hiccup whispered and stepped back. It wasn't much of a step but Dagur noticed it and stopped laughing. Now he was silent and calculating, his eyes changing from the previous prideful gaze to a predatorial glare.
"You're not going soft on me are you? Brother?" Dagur walked towards Hiccup and stood an inch away from him. HIccup glanced down quickly and saw the knife now in Dagur's grasp. Hiccup in contract was unarmed and not wearing his combat attire.
Come on Hiccup don't break down, thought Hiccup, trying not to let his body betray him. He's nothing like you. He is nothing more than an arrogant fool who tasted power and got addicted. You got this.
Hiccup laughed and grinned, shocking the emperor and making the knife lower in his grasp. Hiccup leaned forward and embraced Dagur, something that took all the gladiator's will not to turn into a headlock. "Dagur, brother! I would never! You simply caught me off guard with your magnificence," he complimented. It wasn't a complete lie, he had been caught off guard and the best lies were always those based off truths.
Dagur's eyes narrowed and he stared down the gladiator. Hiccup simply kept grinning and gently punched the emperor's shoulder. Dagur blinked and stepped back, obviously confused. Then a few seconds later he too was laughing and grinning. He pulled Hiccup close and squeezed him, popping Hiccup's back in a bone crushing hug.
"You scared me there! Oh come, come. There is much to show you," Dagur stated. He put the knife away in a sheathe hidden away beneath the emperor's tunic. With a punch to Hiccup's shoulder, Dagur turned away and headed towards the ladder. Seems this secret armada is just the beginning.
Hiccup began to follow him and stopped. He turned and stared at the skrill carving. It seemed to stare at Hiccup and he heard it's roar in his mind. If this beast was unleashed upon the world…
He didn't allow himself to finish the thought before following the berserker emperor off the ship and back into the palace.
This is one way to get back into the flow of things, To anyone who is reading this, thank you. To anyone who has been with me since day 1, thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of When In Rome.
Pack Ink, signing out.