With a thunk, the axe embedded itself in the dragon's skull.
Astrid did not watch the monster sink below the waves, taking with it her preferred weapon. She barely had time to recover from the throw before diving forward and rolling out of the way of another Skullion's tail. Her sore body howled at the abuse but she ignored the pain. Pain was secondary. What little adrenaline she had kicked into overdrive as her body went through the familiar motions of hunting dragons. Her hand locked around the hilt of a sword which came free with an easy tug, just in time to be brought up and used to block the tail that once more chopped down towards her head.
The tail slammed into the blade with enough force to make her wish for her axe again. Gritting her teeth as her sore muscles screamed in protest, Astrid stepped forward, pulling the sword with her. But the dull blade only managed to annoy the dragon, not slice the thick skin open like any decent blade made in Berk would have. Before the tail could come back down and crush her, Astrid dove forward and rolled out of the way, landing on her feet and digging her heels into the slick surface of the rocks.
Chaos had taken over the cave.
Dragon fighting in itself was a messy, chaotic affair. Dragon fighting in an enclosed space with bad weapons was little short of suicide. And that was before the water started to slick the rocks. Astrid felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. Even the adrenaline that pounded through her was not enough to counter the fog that wound through her. Dragons usually had some kind of advantage against the viking they fought. But Astrid had never fought water based dragons where they had the advantage. She knew that if any of them landed in the water it would be over for them. The rocks were their only refuge and even those were become slick with water. What little control they had in the situation was rapidly slipping away.
Forcing the bone aching weariness back, Astrid looked around the room. Alvin was nowhere to be seen, obviously intending them to kill the dragons and probably themselves so he could just take the treasure. Bone would wash up on the beach of Berk, but their real bodies would be lost to the water and the dragons they fought. After all they had learned, they'd still die doing what their parents had done. Gritting her teeth, Astrid looked over as one of the dragons reared back, open mouth exposing arrows embedded in the roof of its mouth. It sunk below the waves, moments before another rose up to take its place.
No eyes, no ears and yet those big, flared nostrils seemed to have no problem locating them. Suddenly Astrid wished that they had Gobber to call off the match or one of the older vikings to fight off the dragons. Dragons that clearly wanted them dead or in their bellies. Her eyes cast around the cave, looking desperately for a way out but however Alvin had gotten out was no longer an option. The entrance was gone and they were trapped with the Skullions in the cave. It was like some cruel, twisted joke that after how far they had come with the dragons, after all they had learned, they were still going to be devoured. If the situation hadn't been so tragic and she not so tired, Astrid was sure she would have laughed outright. As it was she did not know how much longer she could keep up the fight.
Another tail slammed into the ground, barely missing her. Before it could withdraw however, a blade whistled through the air and bit deeply into the dragon's thick hide. The dragon screeched in pain, which was far more indication of the weapon's success than the wetness of the limb. Astrid jumped forward, grabbing the sword and wrenching it free. Before the tail could withdraw she swung the blade in a downward arc, the edge biting deeply into the thick skin with surprising ease. Astrid tugged forward and slicing the edge of the tail clear off. The Skullion howled as Astrid jumped backwards to avoid the head.
Fighting for air, Astrid looked at the blade she held in her hand. It was ornate and pretty but unlike the others it was clearly sharp and had been put to recent use. There was no time for contemplation though as another Skullion lunged forward. Astrid sidestepped the vicious teeth, bringing the blade down in a sharp motion that sent the dragon rearing back, shrieking its agony as blood filled the overly sensitive nostril. Switching the blade to her other hand, Astrid sidestepped the tail of the next dragon before slicing it clear off.
Weariness ate at her, worse than any of the dragons. For every tail or nose or limb that she cut off, a hundred more seemed to spring up. She knew the situation was hopeless, but hopeless seemed to be the only word to describe every situation they had found themselves in since releasing Alvin from the coffin they had found him in. But they had to keep fighting, until the last of them fell. Dying might have been possible, but it was not going to happen by any of them just giving up.
They were vikings.
And vikings did not die lying down.
The moment they reached the end of the tunnel, Alvin loosened his hold on Hiccup. The young man staggered away from the pirate, his prosthetic leg slipping against the wet stones. Fumbling with the heavy fur of the cloak, Hiccup shoved his hood back and looked at the pirate, his chest heaving with anger and adrenaline. Alvin crossed his arms and looked at the young viking, his face unreadable.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hiccup demanded, "they're all going to die in there!"
"I doubt that," Alvin said, "you should have more faith in your friends."
Hiccup's anger roared up, the blood pounding in his ears as he stared at the pirate. Alvin met his gaze easily, seeming to know something that Hiccup did not. Anger made it impossible to think straight, to consider what he could mean. But all he could see was his friends as the dragons came, he could only see them about to be slaughtered while he was dragged off by the pirate-by the person that he had set free. And now they were all as good as dead because of him.
"Why are you doing this?" Hiccup demanded, fighting against the blinding anger that surged through him.
"Why am I doing what?" Alvin asked with an arch of his eyebrow.
Hiccup gritted his teeth, forcing the desperate urge to scream aside. He had a million questions. Why was Alvin so blinded by his desire for the treasure? Why was he so willing to sacrifice everything and everyone just so he could get what he wanted? Why him, why them? Why now? Why like this? But Hiccup knew he wasn't going to get any answers, at least any that would save the people he cared about. People who were in that cave dying because of what he had done.
"Why did you drag me out?" he asked finally.
"Because you're Grimmbeard's heir," Alvin said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Stop saying that!" Hiccup shouted, "people are back there dying because you want something that isn't even yours!"
"Something that I can't get to without the blood of Grimmbeard's heir," Alvin continued, not raising his voice, "and your the only one who has that."
"So you're just going to sacrifice all those people so-so you can get what you want?" Hiccup demanded, "you're insane!"
Alvin's lips curved into a smile, as though there was something funny about the situation, something that only he could see. If possible, Hiccup felt his anger increase. He stepped forward, swearing when his prosthetic slipped against the stones. Alvin continued to look at him, though his smile did not widen at the sight of Hiccup struggling with his missing leg. Instead the young pirate stepped forward, brining himself closer to the viking.
"Maybe," he said, "but I'd think you of all people could understand what I'm doing."
"What?" Hiccup demanded, "what are you talking about?"
"Think about it," Alvin said, "We're both willing to betray people, to keep secrets, to what no-one else is willing to do so that we can have what we want-what we know will help everyone even if they are too blind to see it themselves."
Hiccup opened his mouth to protest, to tell Alvin that he was insane. That they were nothing alike, but before he could get the denial out the pirate continued to speak.
"Oh I know that I've gone after treasure with a group of like-minded people who knew what they were going after while you turned your back on your people and everything they believed in order to keep a pet, but the similarities are there. If you look hard enough."
Ice seemed to flood his veins, dousing the anger that had burned through him. His mouth opened to protest and then closed, unable to form the words his mind had been so certain of. Somewhere deep inside he knew that Alvin was lying, that he was coming up with something that did not make sense. And yet that part of him seemed to be inaudible in the face of the doubt that gnawed at him. What if Alvin was right? What if they were even a little bit alike?
Hiccup pushed his weight forward, focusing on the pain of his prosthetic rubbing against the sore flesh of his missing leg. It was an old viking trick, one he hadn't ever thought he would have to use. Where you focused on the pain, on the ache, on anything but the desire to give up and admit defeat. If he and Alvin were alike, Hiccup knew that he would want to give up. Knowing that his friends could only hold out for so long only made the desire to give up more overwhelming. So he focused on the pain and looked at the pirate.
"I'm nothing like you," Hiccup said, as much for himself as the pirate in front of him.
"No, of course not," Alvin said with a faint smile, "I'm not going against a blood feud and betraying the deaths of countless members of your tribe."
"You're just standing by and letting people be slaughtered!" Hiccup said.
"Yes, I imagine this betrayal is quite different than yours."
"I didn't betray anyone," Hiccup protested, fighting against the ice that twisted through his veins as he thought back at the faces of his father and Astrid when they found out what he had done, "I didn't."
"Really?" Alvin asked, "I suppose we have very different definitions of betrayal then."
Hiccup looked over the pirate's shoulder at the tunnel that led back into the cavern. He knew that he'd never get through the pirate, not without loosing the prosthetic. And he knew that in that fight he'd be even more useless than he tended to be when it came to fighting without being on Toothless's back. But just standing out there with Alvin, talking about whether or not he was a traitor, it was torture. They were being hurt, they were dying and he was just standing there.
"Look I'll do what you want," Hiccup said, changing tactics, "just get them out of that cave."
"I'm afraid thats not going to happen," Alvin said, "as I'm certain your fat friend has informed you, the Skullions have no sense of sight or sound, but they have a very keen sense of smell. They have your friend's scent, they'll have the scent of anyone who gets near that cavern. Oh and if it did not escape your notice, the way in was cut off when we left."
"So they're trapped in there? With those dragons?" Hiccup demanded.
"Well they are trained dragon hunters," Alvin said, as though it was a perfectly logical justification, "except for Camicazi and Dogsbreath, of course, but they're more than capable of taking care of themselves," Alvin smiled, "and your girlfriend, she's quite the fighter. Best dragon hunter I imagine?"
The anger returned, tenfold. It must have shown on his face because for the first time since they left the tunnel, the smile on Alvin's face widened. As if he knew that he had struck a nerve.
"She was very upset when she thought you were dead-thinks your dead," he said, "but she still followed me. Still did what I asked, though I think it was just to keep the ret of our friends safe. Not a very good use of her time, if you ask me, considering they're probably all dead-"
"You son of a bitch!" Hiccup shouted, stepping forward, too blinded by his anger to realize that he would be useless in a fight against the pirate.
Alvin easily sidestepped his swing and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. Hiccup's body bent forward, his arm aching viciously as the pirate wrenched it back. His prosthetic slipped, throwing him even further off balance as his good leg buckled, bringing his knee into sharp contact with the slick stones underneath his feet. Alvin maintained his grip, letting gravity and Hiccup's movements do the rest of the work.
"There is something I'm curious about," Alvin said, his voice mild, "after going through all that trouble to tame a dragon and prove how much they were not threats, why turn around and kill one? Isn't that a little, oh I don't know, hypocritical of you?"
Hiccup gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to shout back at the pirate who held him in such a vulnerable position. He had been bullied enough to know just how little it would take the pirate to break his arm and he knew that he could not afford to loose the use of another limb. Turning his head, he looked up at Alvin.
"What do you care?" he demanded.
"Your right," Alvin said, "I don't," he shrugged, the movement sending waves of pain up Hiccup's twisted arm, "but I am waiting until everyone's dead so that I can get to the treasure and listening to you howl is getting boring," Alvin looked down at him, "so, have you started planning for when you'll be chief?"
Hiccup squeeze his eyes shut, turning his head downwards and away from Alvin. The last thing he wanted was to hear about when he would be chief as the people he thought he could protect died a few feet away while he was held there because of the blood that ran through his veins. He had never cared about being the son of the chief, it had always just made things worse. And now being the great-something grandson of the man who had found all the treasure was once again making things worse. As he knelt there with his arm twisted back, Hiccup realized that he would have given anything to be back in the cave fighting with his friends-even if it meant certain death.
What kind of chief stood on the sidelines while his tribe died?
His father had always always been on the front lines of the fight. His mother dying, his own shortcomings, injuries, nothings had ever stopped Stoick from being side by side with his fellow tribesmen. Even Gobber had always been there, his father had told him that the day Gobber had lost his leg he had only stopped long enough to figure out a way to walk before continuing to fight. And yet instead of being in the middle of the fight he was on the sidelines, being taunted b the very enemy that had put them in that position. And the worst part of it was that he knew even if he got into the thick of the fight, he'd still be useless against the Skullions.
Hiccup twisted his head up and looked at Alvin. The pirate turned his head, looking backwards in the direction where they had come from. Hiccup strained his ears, trying to hear whatever had drawn Avlin's attention since it was impossible to see given the position at which he was being forced into. But he could not hear anything. Alvin looked back at him, obviously enjoying the pain that Hiccup was going through. Hiccup wished that he could fight back, that there was a way for him to fight back. A way that he could rescue the rest of them. But he was nothing, he was helpless and that was the worst feeling in the world.
Hiccup twisted his head up and looked at Alvin. The pirate turned his head, looking backwards in the direction where they had come from. Hiccup strained his ears, trying to hear whatever had drawn Avlin's attention since it was impossible to see given the position at which he was being forced into. But he could not hear anything. Alvin looked back at him, obviously enjoying the pain that Hiccup was going through. Hiccup wished that he could fight back, that there was a way for him to fight back. A way that he could rescue the rest of them. But he was nothing, he was helpless and that was the worst feeling in the world.
"Ripping off my arm isn't going to get you the treasure!" Hiccup shouted.
"True," Alvin said, "and you bleeding out will be equally useless," he added, releasing Hiccup's arm.
Without the pull of Alvin's arm, Hiccup collapsed onto the stones, throwing out his hands to stop his fall. His wrists ached viciously with the new soreness but he ignored it. Bending his good knee, he pushed himself up as far as he could. It was difficult to get to his feet, it had been since he lost his foot. But he managed, straightening his leg until he was able to maneuver his prosthetic to touch the ground and then finally to take his weight. Alvin did nothing, waiting for Hiccup to get to his feet fully. Hiccup straightened up, looking at the pirate and fighting the urge to rub at his new bruises.
Hiccup turned away from the pirate and looked over his shoulder. They had come out of the cavern at what seemed to be the end of the island. The rocks did not extend far and were close enough to the ocean so the waves splashed over those close to the water. Hiccup turned back to the pirate, looking at Alvin who returned his gaze patiently, as if he had all the time in the world. Hiccup looked past the pirate, back at the darkness of the tunnel.
"Please," Hiccup said, looking back at Alvin even though bitterness flooded his mouth, "just get them out of there and I'll do whatever you need to get the treasure."
"Impossible," Alvin said, "and pointless," he continued, "you will do what I ask because your friends are dead and there is nothing else for you to do."
"No," Hiccup said, the protest coming from his lips easily, even though they both knew there was a chance they were not true.
"Are you certain?" Alvin asked with an arch of his eyebrow, "the Skullions kill very quickly and even though I imagine Camicazi and Dogsbreath have smuggled in some weapons I assume your friends have made a last stand and died an honorable death-for vikings."
Hiccup took a deep breath and fought the urge to rise to the bait. Alvin was trying to goad him, to distract him. Which meant that there had to be something he was missing. Something that could help his friends before it was too late. Something that the pirate did not want him to figure out before it was too late. Hiccup looked away from the pirate, his eyes moving around the barren landscape as he tried to see if there was something that he could use. Anything that he could use to help the people he loved.
His foot moved backwards as he took a step away from the pirate. Alvin's eyes narrowed slightly, obviously wondering what Hiccup was up to. though in truth Hiccup had no idea what he was going to do or even where he was going to go, not that there was much room on that front. But he was running out of options, if they were out of time. Hiccup took another step backwards, taking care to be mindful of the shortcomings of his prosthetic.
"Skellington's have a good sense of smell huh?" he said, a half formed idea beginning to take shape in his head, "I remember reading about them, in the Dragon book," he stepped backwards, "best sense of smell in the world huh? And they're dragons so, you know, they've already got great senses of smell-" his foot slipped against the slick ground, "and-"
"Where are you going?" Alvin questioned, his eyes narrowing as Hiccup stepped backwards again.
"Its so great," Hiccup continued, thinking aloud more than anything else, "I bet it even works there."
"There?" Alvin questioned.
"Underwater."
Their eyes locked for a moment and for that moment Hiccup felt as if his entire self was laid bare to Alvin's eyes. Tearing his gaze away from Alvin's, Hiccup stumbled forward. He felt Alvin's hand grab at the cloak around his shoulders but he undid the clasp, letting the heavy garment fall back against the pirate. Hiccup made it to the edge of the rocks before Alvin's hand fastened around his shirt, stopping him from going any further. Twisting around, Hiccup looked at the pirate.
"Are you out of your mind?" Alvin demanded, "your friends are dead! You're just going to sacrifice yourself for nothing?"
"You're wrong," Hiccup said with a smile, "my friends are great dragon fighters."
He kept his eyes on the pirate as he raised his leg, lowering his arm at the same time. His makeshift leg was barely attached as it was. He could feel the torn and abused skin sting as he worked to undo the strap. He knew the skin was close to bleeding as it was. It wouldn't take much for it to start and if those Skullions could smell as well as the dragon book claimed, it wouldn't take much for them to smell the blood. Alvin looked down as Hiccup yanked the prosthetic off of his leg and slammed it as hard as he could into the pirates stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. Hiccup had one look at the surprise on Alvin's face before the pirate's hand opened and there was nothing more to keep Hiccup from being pulled backwards.
And then it was as easy as falling back and letting the waves close over his head once more.