Chapter 37
The street was thick with smoke, gunfire, and screams. Many of the civilians ran behind the cover of rubble or to the safety of the Guardians and the City Militia. The brave or foolhardy grabbed the weapons of fallen soldiers and joined the defense, firing into the Taken forces with varying effect. Even so, the Taken were organized enough to force the fighters back.
"Fall back to the next intersection!" The commander yelled. "Squads 1 and 4, pull back!"
Adam gave no sign of hearing the order. Truth be told, he didn't really care about the Militia as he spread a Ward around him, giving him time to reload his weapons. When a Psion or two broke into the dome, he sent them back to wherever they came from with a fist and elbow strike. He cracked his neck lazily, his eyes following the Nova Bomb detonating behind the line of Phalanxes.
South landed inside the Ward, pulling out a rocket launcher as she stood back up. "How'd we get stuck with this part of the City?" she complained. "Stupid, blind civvies..."
"Save it, sis." North wasn't in the mood to deal with his twin. Loading a fresh magazine into his auto rifle, he charged towards the Taken, fists sparking with lightning. The Fists of Havoc strike broke the Phalanxes, making it easier on Sparta as they covered the Militia's retreat.
A wire rifle shot broke the Guardians' advance, forcing them to fall back as more and more potshots danced around them. North equipped his sniper rifle and spun around, locking on a Vandal and blasting its head off. Its friends returned fire, overwhelming the Titan's armor and dropping him.
"North!" South shouted from within Adam's Ward. Thankfully, North's Ghost managed to get inside, allowing a revival. The trio began falling back to rejoin the Militia.
"Dragon!" someone yelled in warning from the intersection. Adam turned, then immediately dove to the ground, a spike grazing his helmet. Rolling onto his back, the Titan saw a Taken Nadder coming straight towards him, talons outstretched and ready to snatch him.
A battle-cry preceded the sound of smashing glass, marking the entrance of a new Guardian. The Guardian, obviously another Titan, bowled over the flying dragon, vaporizing it with a flurry of Arc energy. He landed on the other side of the street and gathered his surroundings, then ran to Adam's position.
Adam recognized him, and returned the glare that was no doubt behind the Exo's visor. "I had it under control," he growled, slapping away Thor's arm as he got up.
"Whatever," Thor shot back. "Maybe next time I won't help–"
"Stop screwing around and get over here!" South screamed. The two Titans suddenly remembered they were in a warzone and legged it to the others.
"INCOMING!"
A Nightmare flew over the street Adam and Thor were on, bathed in ghostly flames. A river of fire erupted from its mouth and over the road, forcing the defenders to dive away. Others weren't so lucky and were burned alive, their screams quickly silencing themselves. The dragon flipped in midair and landed behind Adam and Thor, and spat another torrent, the flames licking at the Guardians' heels.
Thor got snagged and fell, his shields already depleted from weapons fire by the Taken infantry. The Exo's Ghost appeared, sparking activity from the Nightmare as it closed in on the vulnerable prey.
However, it was knocked back by a powerful strike, courtesy of a patchwork Titan. Adam grabbed Thor's Ghost, causing it to shrink its shell in fear, then threw it like a baseball towards the Militia-held intersection, hitting South in the visor. Adam ignored her cursing and faced the beast once more, meeting its challenge.
He charged, and the Nightmare spat its fire. Adam ignored the flames as it burned against his armor and ran faster, rearing back his fist for an Arc-charged strike. The dragon must have anticipated this, as it closed its jaw and swung its tail around for a hit of its own. The appendage hit Adam before he could, and the Titan rolled down the asphalt until he stabilized himself. The hit had struck his helmet, breaking the Skullfort's visor. The plating fell away to show a rage-filled left eye, one half of a glare that radiated anger.
The Nightmare had raced after its prey, completely ignoring the pain bubbling from its naked wings, and shot its head down to bite at Adam. The Titan retaliated with a meaty uppercut, stunning the dragon and allowing a right hook to beat it back. It charged again, toothy mouth open, but Adam sidestepped the move and grabbed the neck behind its head, crushing it in his grip as his other hand found purchase closer to the head. The Taken Dragon writhed in pain as it tried to remove the Guardian to no avail. With a sickening crack and ri-i-i-i-p-p, Adam decapitated the beast and dropped to the ground. The two pieces of the newly-made corpse imploded and disappeared with a whining scream.
Adam turned to the Taken infantry, his Skullfort already regenerating, and pulled out his Cabal Shot. The line marched forward, as it had done while the duel was commencing, he noticed. A swivel of his head saw his fireteam and Thor alongside him.
"We're even," the Exo deadpanned. He charged the Taken Phalanxes, followed closely by Sparta.
The General pulled his blade out of the ice-cold corpse, and the Darkness retreated back into the hilt. The old man had proved only a small challenge compared to his men and the previous commanders, all of whom fell easily to the Taken forces. Still, it did its part to sate his bloodlust. The tiny spark of sickening Light inside him that once controlled his current body was forced to see the General's actions through star-bright eyes, and it recoiled back in anger, fear, and most importantly, guilt.
The Traveler hung in the sky like the broken ornament it was, looking down at the destruction below with indifference. He looked at it with disgust, but held firm in the belief that it fall and die soon.
The outpost cleared of life, the General walked to the ledge where the Alpha had just perched its body. The Taken Fury was fidgeting in glee, dancing in place as the Darkness covering it moved back and forth in a frenzy, creating a sizzling effect wherever it was touched by the sun.
"Now what?" the dragon asked.
"We continue to do what we came here for." The General swung his gaze towards a tower sitting along the outer perimeter, gleaming white in mockery of the spreading plague on the other side of the city.
The Alpha saw it as well. "What you came here for," it corrected. "Remember, you're only here until your purpose is done. And when the time comes, I will enjoy killing you." The dragon smiled threateningly, like a predator before his prey.
The General remained unfazed. "That tower is still our goal." The Taken Fury growled in anger as he swung himself onto its back. The dragon shot off the perch and raced for the massive building, intent on removing its passenger as soon as possible.
A roar characteristic of a descending Cabal cruiser drowned out the sounds of battle, followed by the vessel's arrival near the Tower. Harvester wings and Guardian jumpships launched from the ship after it stabilized and were now making their way to the battlefield. The General recognized one of the ships; the space-black one was his host's after all.
Air began to swirl in the path of the transports, darkening quickly before firing a beam towards the ground. Rifts formed and Taken dragons flew to intercept their targets, forcing the pilots into evasive maneuvers. Smoke and fire erupted from some, forming a bright trail as they plummeted into the urban centers below.
The black jumpship was left alone, and the General suddenly knew why it was unharmed. That was the Alpha's plan, why that piece of Light was left inside his body: it wanted to break the Dragon Guardian, shatter its heart. The Alpha grinned sadistically as its compatriot finally understood. What better way is there to kill?
With a screaming dive, a corrupted plasma shot slammed into the ship, jostling it. Tendrils of energy slithered across the hull, causing cracks and breaks wherever they went. Within seconds, the whole ship blew up in an orange fireball, but not before releasing its occupant.
The Guardian fell only a short distance before his wings saved him, and now he was looking around, searching for his attacker.
The Alpha would oblige him. It cloaked itself and the General, then releasing an echoing roar. It was a challenge, one that only dragons would know. A fight between rulers, where only the winner survived.
Toothless simply hovered in the air in shock from the destruction of the Dragonheart. He collected himself in time to avoid an attacking Taken dragon, then retaliated with a blast of his own.
The air was thick with poison, rage, and fear, things that shouldn't be here. Like so many times before, death surrounded the Night Fury, but to this extent? He had only seen this level of horror once, and he was a helpless spectator then.
His ear flaps perked up at the deafening roar. A call for him, an Alpha. His right to rule was being challenged. He couldn't figure out where it emanated from, but Toothless did know who sent it: the Taken Fury. Soundless, the very challenger revealed itself in front of Toothless. Its blinding eyes held murderous intent, and its smile only intensified it. What shocked the Night Fury was the form on the Alpha's back. Hiccup's form watched in him, covered entirely in a cosmic sheet.
A memory surged into Toothless' head: Berk covered in ice; Hiccup freeing him from Drago's Bewilderbeast; the two battling against the giant dragon; Toothless securing his place as Alpha of the Barbaric Archipelago. Only now, the roles had been reversed.
As if it knew, the Alpha laughed. "How the tables have turned. It was inevitable; your bond supersedes even death."
"You know why I'm here," Toothless countered, ignoring what tricks his rival may have.
"Do you?" the Alpha asked. "My purpose is clear. I am a weapon for my Liege, a harbinger of your future. I am your perfection; you cannot kill me."
Toothless remained stalwart. "Tell that to all the Taken we've killed. You'll die like the rest of them, but not before I get Hiccup back."
"Free him then, if you can, Oh Great Alpha," the Fury taunted, bowing in mockery.
Toothless took the chance. He forced himself to look into the blinding eyes of the General, doing his best to ignore their intensity. "Hiccup, I know you can still hear me in there. You need to fight back. I'm here for you, like you were there for me. Please, come back. You're my brother, Hiccup. My brother."
With those final words, the General began to spasm between groans of pain, as though something inside him was trying to break free. Muscles acted erratically, tensing and relaxing before tensing again, uncharacteristic of the body's collected demeanor. The Darkness covering the body began to whip away from the General's head and his arm, revealing a pale-skinned face and hand. Green eyes opened instead of stars, and auburn hair reappeared as the Darkness peeled away.
Toothless smiled in joy as Hiccup returned, and as the young man outstretched his hand towards him, he moved closer, disregarding the look on the Alpha's face. Skin and scales met, and Toothless nearly cried in relief and happiness. "You're back," he breathed. "You're really back."
"Toothless." That voice. It had only been hours since Toothless had last heard it, but it felt like an eternity. If dragons did shed tears, they would be streaming down his face.
"Hiccup, I'm here."
"No, Toothless." What? "Run. Run!"
Before Toothless could react, Hiccup screamed and his face and arm were swallowed by the cosmic skin, green eyes returning to blinding stars. Hiccup's hand shot from Toothless' snout to his chin, one of the best known universal weaknesses of dragons. One little scratch was all it took.
No. Nonononono! NO!
Toothless fought against it, but it was futile. His body failed him, and he struggled to stay in the air. Before his eyes closed, he saw the evil smiles on the General and the Alpha, their silhouettes backed against the Traveler.
No... no...
He heard the dark chuckling of the Taken Fury. "Your reign has ended."
The Fury kicked Toothless down and away, then fired a plasma shot into him, sending him to the ground at a lethal speed. Toothless felt no pain nor the rushing wind as he fell. He didn't feel his body breaking as it impacted concrete and asphalt. There was only sorrow and a shattered heart as one finality flooded his whole mind:
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was truly no more.
AN - And thus ends one of the plot points I've had in mind since the beginning. Reversing a heart-mending moment into a heart-breaking one - there's nothing like it. To quote a well-known RT villain: "This is the beginning of the end."
thearizona - Hope that answers your question.
Guest - Thanks, glad you love it!
I'll leave you with this: "Inside them / Plant seeds of doubt."