From Asgard to Midgard

by Scarabeye3000

Hiccup catches the attention of the Asgardian Gods and is saved just before his supposed 'death' against the Red Death. Years later, he comes back and slays Drago. Shall we read on then? Take some time to read through it, you might like what you see.(Image: Neroth of Thousand Deaths by Author)

35. Drums of War

.

Guest 1 : Sorry mate, but what I wrote is correct. I have a native Viking translator (he's one of my reviewers) and he agreed with me. I won't change 'Berthadottir' to 'Berthadaughter'. Plus, I don't want a debate, but I put Jotunheim as the general home of all giants and considered Nifleheim as just part of that realm.

Guest (Dragon Lover): Where's the fun in that right? I just wanted to twist a few stomachs here and there, somehow it kind of worked. I really don't want to torture you guys, I swear! But life is good with a little excitement.

.

Shout out to my signed reviews! You know who you are: SMr. Freeze, Eeveecat1248, The Viking Stranger, dracologistmaster, yesboss21, jlghighlander, Poteytow

.

Disclaimer: Any characters mentioned are all under copyright. This work is purely fan-made.

Title: From Asgard to Midgard

Author: Scarabeye3000

Chapter 35: 'Drums of War'

.

.

Berserker Island

.

The longships 'Leviathan's Spear' and the 'Sea Wing' quickly made its way through the river's mouth leading to the interior of the island. The ominous remains of the sea battle lingered in their minds as its destruction left no obvious victors, merely ghost of those who lost their lives. The Berserkers, normally lingered on the high bluffs of their island to provide lookout, but to see not a soul lingering in their midst means they have been pulled by something happening inland.

"I don't like this Chief," Spitelout shook his head as he looked around at the deserted beach.

"Neither do I," Stoick looks on the horizon and headed for the bow, he began removing the Rumblehorn's ropes and said, "We should go ahead on dragon back, anchor the two ships together and wait here."

"Aye Chief!"

Gustav approached and clapped his palm on his chest, "The Riders are ready for your command Chief."

"Follow my flight path, but keep your eyes open," Stoick quickly mounted his dragon as it roared loudly, "Let's go Skullcrusher!"

Bjornn and Lugnut, both armored and armed with their weapons, raised familiar O-rings made of steel as the Chief's dragon flew up high into the sky, bearing them aloft on each claw. Gustav and his Dragon wing also followed behind as the two Lieutenants opened their eyes and ears amidst the whistle of the wind in front of them. Circling around the beaches and the nearby forest Astrid's father looked up and shouted, "There's not a soul here!"

"Aye! They could be at the Temple!"

Stoick nodded and turned to Gustav, making a hand gesture signaling for the young man to follow him. The Wing Leader nods to indicated he understood the order. They were flying high and the foggy environment hid them from prying eyes. Not that there were prying eyes, there was just no one to spot anyway, no wayward Berserker was walking on the paths, and there was no sign of movement on the enemy's part anyway. They went in circles, from the scene of the sea battle, to the bombarded beach, to the rudimentary dwelling they found on the other side of the island. Now, this only leaves them the in the middle of the island, even when they were still young, they were filled with the stories of the terrible arena that the Berserkers's use for ritual and for sport.

They hovered just above the arena where they can easily utilize a sweeping overview of the whole area.

As their eyes looked around, they saw a large group of Berserkers converging on the temple grounds. Immediately urging his dragon to sally forth, Skullcrusher swooped down on the arena grounds with Gustav and his dragon wing not far behind. They could see two Galleons anchored near the riverbanks, but already numerous Berserkers were storming the sides and the sailors are all locked into vicious melee. Already engaged, more enemies poured out of the edge of the forest as the sound of battle and the shouts of fighting reached their ears.

"Gustav, rain death on them!" Stoick exclaimed as Fanghook roared behind them and dive-bombed their enemy. The Chief turned to his two Lieutenants, they were heading for the arena, "Clearly these Berserkers have no love for these 'Imperials'. We must aid them, for we might get information regarding Astrid."

"Understood," a curt nod and both men drew their weapons, ready to be released by the flying dragon.

With Gustav taking care of the two ships and trying to relieve the pressure of the Berserkers unrelenting attacks. Stoick circled the arena and saw six men dressed in matching armor sets, judging from their armor they came from Europa or, at least as far as the Mediterranean. Plus, they were cleaner than the feral men of this island tribe and they kept a disciplined circle of fighting back to back against their enemy. But with the sheer number of opponents, it was only a matter of time before they would be overwhelmed. Swiftly, the Rumblehorn dived for the ground, as the ground neared he suddenly leveled his flight, did a quick barrel roll and both Lieutenants spun as they were flung away from the dragon. A dynamic maneuver only done by the most skillful of Viking warriors, the two Lieutenants arced towards the charging Berserkers and smacked against their enemies.

Weapons and limbs flew away as Lugnut tackled three men at once and sent them scrambling to the ground. Bjorn landed on two warriors near him, his large axe already bathed with blood. They were spinning around the arena, a storm of weapon killing every enemy within their killzone, a coordinated dance of death earned through experience and a bond attained by only standing side by side in battle.

"You were faster Lugnut three years ago Lugnut."

"Age just caught up to me last week," the tall reedy Viking grinned madly, "Don't worry, I won't tell the boys you were slowing me down."

Bjorn laughed at the jibe and swung his axe towards two enemies, it broke one of the weapons and threw the other one out of balance, "Touche then! Did you bring a shield?"

"Crap... I forgot-"

Astrid's father sighed, "-you absolute idiot."

A few more spins and wayward limbs as they mounted the arena and steadily made their way towards the fighting Knights.

.

Helmut swung his sword and slashed a Berserkers neck, as he slashed his sword down, he quickly changed direction and swiped it into a large arc in front of him clipping two more on the neck and lessening the many enemies beginning to encircle them. His head still hurts, but the memory of the mysterious man that incapacitated them all still lingered on his mind, he could not forget the feeling of the concussive wave that smacked into everyone of them. As he came back to consciousness at the top of the temple, he quickly surmised that the Key was taken including Astrid since his last vision before unconsciousness took him was her being carried off by the enemy. His uncle, the Cardinal Martin, whom they managed to drag away with them lay prone in their middle. He rallied his Knights and fought a running battle against the numerous Berserkers storming the temple grounds. One or two enemies challenged them from every direction, but when they reached the arena, it became too untenable due to the sheer number of enemies that they had no choice but to seek higher ground to defend themselves more effectively. The cannons of the two Galleons were silenced as the ships also came under attack from crude paddle boats and those truly determined enemies that dared to wade the waist deep waters of the river.

As the situation on the temple deteriorated, the two ship Captains decided to try and send help in the form of a column of armored knights, but the deep waters prevented them from reaching the shores effectively. The first attempt was cut down by enemy ranged weapons, while the second attempt was overwhelmed by enemy numbers. The last group didn't make it out of the ships as the Berserkers began attacking the ships themselves and the soldiers and sailors had no choice but to abandon the demi-culverins and fight in melee.

With no fire support, Helmut prayed for any miracle that would save them from this predicament. His Knights were stalwart, veterans of Campaigns against the Turks and the Berbers, but their strength is not boundless, already they were beginning to slow in their attacks. The wave after wave of enemies took its toll on their bodies as their own armor also weighed down on their bodies. He swung his sword again and met flesh and leather armor, both gave way as the enemy he sliced plopped down in front of him, but a wayward swing felled one of his knights fighting on his side and their formation was now less of a man. Swinging again to the left, Helmut suddenly turned as a cleaner savage blocked his sword and the same bluish eyes that he became familiar with met his own and actually stunned him into inaction.

"Quie- quien sore?" , "Who are you?"

The savage stopped for a moment and said in halting Spanish, "Yo- yo soy Bjorn Hofferson, estamos aqui para ayudar." "I am Bjorn Hofferson, we are here to help."

"A la Batalla!" The Commander rallied his men as another savage, Lugnut broke through them and swung his sword in a wide arc in front of them covering them from the back. All Berserkers either smacked or clipped by his sword swing fell at once, their blood leaking from them in gushes.. Helmut seeing their chance to break away, turned to his men and exclaimed, "Vamos caballeros! Con rapido a los barcos" , "Let's go Knights, quickly to the ships!"

It was all a blur of swords, axes, shields and explosions as fired rained all around them. Helmut couldn't believe his eyes, there were lizards- or rather real Dragons being ridden by these Vikings and they're raining fire from the skies. It both scared and relieved him of his worries, they would survive this after all. As they neared the banks the previous rabid enemy attacks seemed to abate as the fighting died down for a moment, as they half-carried, half-dragged their wounded comrade and his uncle until they finally reached the river banks where they piled everyone inside and pushed off from the banks. The two savages remained on the edge of the river banks as a blanket of flame was breathed by the dragons that are currently circling them. Paddling furiously and without looking back, they could still hear the shouting and clashing of blades as the two men who assisted them carried on in the fighting.

The Captain of the ship, although bloodied and wounded peered on the side and waved enthusiastically. They managed to drive off the Berserkers who besieged them with the help of the dragons as they all quickly cleared the deck and waited for word from the Knight Commander. Fearing the worst that they would be overwhelmed without their fire support, his heart leaps as he found Commander Helmut shouting at him in rapid Spanish.

"FUEGO! FUEGO CON RAPIDO EN DE LAS ORILLAS DEL RIO!" , "Fire! Fire quickly on the river banks!"

The sailors exploded into action as the alarme bell sounded, "Hacer listo los Canones!" , "Ready the cannons!"

One by one the culverins were loaded with gun powder, then the iron balls, then pushed tightly by the plunger, pushing them out of their gun ports and their wicks primed to fire.

"Apuntar!" , "Aim!"

Helmut and his ragged Knights reached the safety of the ship as the Captain shouted.

"FUEGO!" , "Fire!"

The blast defeaned them and their ears rang, but the shouting and screaming of the enemy renewed their strength. One by one they made their way up to the ship as they lashed the wounded Knight and Cardinal Martin to ropes and easily hauled them up. From the shore, they saw five dragons raining fire and the two Vikings that were left behind picked up by a really large man on top of a dragon. The Commander turned to the Captain of the ship and said.

"Prisa y despliegan toda la lona! Debemos huir!" , "Quickly unfurl all canvas! We must flee!"

Grabbing the wheel, the Captain turned it back where they came from as the attack from the Berserkers finally abated. With renewed haste, their ship including their escort shoved forth and made their way back to open sea. They were not out of danger yet though, the sharp curve where the Berserkers jumped from the cliff to get to them was again converged on by the enemy.

"Listo los canones!" , "Ready the cannons!"

"Apologias comandante, está fuera del rango" , "Sorry Commander, they're out of range."

"Punyeta," Helmut cursed, "Arqueros! Listos los arqueros!" , "Archers! Ready the archers!"

Crossbows were passed around, but not quickly enough. Arrows began raining down on them as the already thinned Berserkers employed the use of archers too. Scrambling for cover, Helmut and the other Knights tried to provide cover from the continued hail of arrows. Nearing the corner, they were again besieged by the enemy by jumping from the cliff again and toppling over to the mast or sometimes landing on the wooden deck itself.

"Fuego de vuelta." , "Return fire."

"Comandante, que son incesantes," , "Commander they are endless."

Helmut turned to his lieutenant and said, "Coraje, coraje mi amigo." , "Courage, courage my friend."

As they passed the corner, the attacks finally stopped as the wide river opened and no amount of attacks could reach them. He must hand it to them, when these Berserkers have a chance of attacking, then they really attack without any reservations. Regardless of their loss, and no small amount of bravery, or possibly idiocy. Whatever the case, they managed to survive this battle at the loss of Astrid and the supposed 'Key' that they were supposed to obtain. Their objective is clear though, retrieve the key and possibly Astrid, but for now he would need to review the encounter that happened as they sailed for the open sea. Cardinal Torquemada would be furious to learn that they lost the key, but at least they would be safe with the rest of the fleet with them.

Large wings flapped overhead as the two Vikings that helped them landed on the ship's stern as the surprised soldiers drew their swords for a confrontation.

"Alto! Envainar sus espadas." , "Stop! Sheathe your swords."

Helmut walked towards the stern and bowed his head a bit, a signal to all warriors that all was well. The Viking whose eyes closely resembled Astrid's even her last name spoke slowly in Spanish, "Estoy buscando una joven, Astrid su nombre." , "I'm looking for a young woman, her name is Astrid."

"Cual es su relacion con ella?" , "What is your relation to her?"

"Ella es mi hija," Bjorn said as Helmut sighed sadly, "She's my daughter."

"I- I apologize, but in the fighting she was lost to us."

Astrid's father felt faint, "Did she fell in battle?"

"No, no- I don't think anyone could best her not even me," at this Bjorn's eyes remained hopeful, "But there was this sorcerer that looked absolutely peculiar and- in fact, his whole face unsettled us all."

"What did he look like?"

"White alabaster skin, an incredible amount of hair braided tightly, large staff of unholy energies coursing through it- and pointed ears."

Bjorn nodded and takes out a cylindrical tube from his saddle bag, lighting it, he pointed it to the sky and it exploded with the sound of a cannon blast. Immediately, five dragons came swooping down from the sky and encircled the two ships. The men panicked as they scrambled for their crossbows as the others grabbed spears and shields. Suddenly, the largest of the dragons landed at the stern of Helmut's ship and a giant man got down from his saddle and walked over to him, the Captain and the other Knights scrambled away as Helmut looked up to the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans. The warriors of the Vatican tensed, but the three Vikings didn't faze too easily. Calmly, he approached the Knight Commander as Bjorn translated.

"This is the Chief of our tribe, his name is Stoick the Vast, Warlord of all the Barbaric Archipelago."

The large man looked sharply at Bjorn and said in their native tongue, "Warlord of the Barbaric Archipelago?"

Bjornn replied softly, "It sounds much more powerful if you put it that way."

The Chief of Berk shook his head and just nods his head in defeat, the stories about him they always embellish. "Tell us more of how you encountered Astrid."

"My brethren and I are on a quest that took us to the Northern Seas, your homeland, on the middle of our trip to reach the ends of the territory of the Kalmar Union-"

Stoick and his Lieutenants scoffed, "The Imperialist Johan huh-"

"-yes, that's the one," Helmut continued, "We obtained permission to continue our quest for our Holy Father, before we leave for Rost there was a light that appeared before us, we were confused and of course we were unsure how to react. But when the light finally faded, she magically appeared in front of us."

Helmut became animated as he talked about her, as Stoick and Bjornn listened intently, "Initially, she was hostile towards us, but she offered her help in the end as the map we showed her that we would go to the island of the Berserkers. She gave us her word that she would assist us, in exchange that we would bring her home. I agreed to her help and we fought our way through the Berserkers.

"Were you not afraid?"

The Commander shook his head, "We have six ships of the line with us, we agreed that only two ships would push inland and towards their temple, but as you can see we were almost overwhelmed. Hopefully, Cardinal Torquemada and the rest of the fleet retained the blockade on the mouth of the river."

"What blockade?" Bjornn asked.

"There were four ships blocking the river's mouth to prevent any longships from pursuing, I'm pretty sure they held up much better than us."

Lugnut and Bjorn looked at each other as Stoick cleared his throat and said, "We passed by the mouth of the river, we found traces of a great battle and saw numerous mast jutting out of the water. It seems you are all that is left of the fleet, I'm sorry for the loss."

Helmut shook his head in disbelief, he was about to turn to the Captain when the lookout shouted.

"Forward! Captain! Forward!"

All eyes turned forward as they saw the wreckage of the four galleons, their mast unmistakable and the numierous floating bodies of their countrymen washed on the sides, some floating in the sea, while numerous debris and wreckage littered the river's mouth. Their hearts fell as they saw the mast of the flagship jutting out of the water with no sign of survivors anywhere.

"This is impossible- how-" Helmut was gripped with despair, how in the world can four ships sink side by side and go down with all hands and no survivors.

"You have fought someone that has come out of myths, a sorcerer powerful enough to sink ships at the wave of his fingers," Bjornn approached him and puts a hand on his shoulder, "My daughter fought him and barely survived the encounter, you were lucky that you went to the interior of the island."

The vision of their encounter with Neroth floods his mind and he gasped in realization, "Astrid knew him- he greeted her like they saw each other before. She was cautious of him so much, I've never seen her like that in the short time we were with her."

"We must return to the island, Hiccup would be furious."

'Hiccup- Astrid said that name in passing,' Helmut thought as he contemplated what to do, "I have pledged to assist Astrid after she honored her word to us. But with her in harm's way, I have to save her in anyway I can."

"Are you sure?" Stoick asked him.

Helmut squared his jaw and looked up to the larger man, "Of course, honor demands it."

"We shall sail for Berk, lick our wounds and bring the fight to them," the Chief turned to Bjornn and nods his head, "Signal the longships we return to Berk."

Bringing out the tubular signal device, the Lieutenant quickly lights it up and points to the sky. Instead of the white blast smoke, it shot out green and red balls of flame that lingered for a few seconds in the sky. From the fog wall a prow of a ship pierced through followed by a second one right behind it, dragons also flew out of cover as they converged with the two Inquisition ships. For now, all ships and dragons head for Berk.

.

.

Berk

.

Rael looked at the highest point of Berk as he communed with the spirits of Midgard, there was a great disturbance that occurred twice within the hour and it brought renewed concern to the White Hands. Master Kaldr suspended all outside operations as the Warrior's Three also watched them closely, but the sudden surge of power caught their attention and Rael was tasked to see what is happening. So far though, a lingering trace of usage only remained and no other usage was felt, regardless, he tried to ascertain what spell was used and he's been unsuccessful as of late. On the lookout he was joined by Varhey and Gobber who was supervising the installment of the large cannon they were constructing, based on their initial designs, it would be much sturdier than all their known prototypes, and combined with the height of the mountain it could probably reach the horizons of Berk.

"What did you sense Rael?" Varhey said as he measured the placement of the cannon, "Was it Neroth?"

"It is definitely Neroth, he has a certain way to utilize the Immaterium's power that is both distinct and incomparable."

The other member of the White Hand grinned, "Hmm, whatever happens, if the hour comes we would assist you."

"I'm hoping that our Midgardian allies hadn't encountered him though."

"I also hope too my friend.

"And I'm hoping that we get to fight him instead."

"I'm counting on it," sharing a light moment together, a lookout suddenly shouted, "SHIPS! It's the Chief! He's back!"

Gobber and Varhey smiled as Rael opened a portal towards the docks, both stepped through and was welcomed by the other Riders of Berk. A crowd had already gathered at the docks, excited at the return of their Chief with good news about Astrid. They could see the Chief was on the wheel of the flagship followed by two ships of unknown origin. It flew flags similar to the crosses of the English crown though, but it was rare for the Anglos to come to their seas.

As the four ships heave-to on the docks, the other two ships were tied to the other side and the Inquisitorial Knights disembarked.

Gobber sidled up to the Chief and asked, "I suppose judging from your sour explosion that not everything went well?"

"We were able to follow on her trail, but those blasted elves got her first," Stoick stopped and asked, "Where's Hiccup?"

"In the arena," Gobber shook his head, "Letting off some steam."

The Chief signaled for Helmut and his men to follow. The Inquisitorial Knights looked in awe at the primitive buildings, built to withstand the snow and chilling wind that are a natural occurrence to places in the North. What astounded more was the numerous dragons flying all over the place, and now that his eyes could truly see how majestic these dragons truly are, he was considering bringing some of them back to him if it would be permitted. They walked towards a large circular arena where other Vikings milled about.

"I must say I am surprised with your small town Chief," Helmut nodded approvingly, "You have running water accesible, I can also see you have drainage, and your houses are rustic in manufacturer yet sturdy and very useful in your weather conditions, and you have roads that are quite uncommon for settlements this far North."

"Indeed, it was all through my son that we have been able to obtain such necessity for our lives, and you shall meet him."

As they entered the arena, the sounds of blades clashing and of battle reached their ears. Walking inside they saw a young man assaulting four men that seemed to be made of shadows all at once, he had a complex peg-leg that flexed like a real one as he kept all four of them at bay. Carrying two swords and using them like an extension of his hands, they stopped walking to watch. Helmut drew his full height and looked at the one they call Hiccup, the man whose name was uttered by Astrid just once yet he knew held more closely than she showed him.

From above, there were observers that had the same complexion as the sorcerer that they fought on the Berserker Island. Their supposed leader approached the side and called out.

"Will you attempt it now?"

Hiccup twirled his sword and raised one above his head and the other in front of him, they watched as he charged without fear. The first enemy raised its sword when he was in striking distance, yet the Heir of Berk was faster, he blocked the sword slash with his right sword and slashed the arms and the neck of his enemy cleanly with his left one. Twirling to the left, he stretched his two hands outward and clipped a second one in the arm and with a following slash caught another one on the side of the head. Both enemy toppled down and melted to the ground.

"What- what was that?" Helmut asked astonished.

"It is a practicing shadow, it simulates the appearance and feel of a real enemy, yet it only vanishes as you seem to 'kill' it with your weapon."

The 3rd and 4th enemy charged at the same time, Hiccup raised his two weapons again mimicked their movements. With their sword slash blocked, the Heir stepped forward and utilizing his other weapon sliced the two enemies consecutively as he stepped in between them. The Knights all gaped in surprise, he was too fast, his technique was so aggressive and left no room for error that he was wide open for many times. But due to his aggressiveness at the battle, it would put you off to capitalize on his errors, on the contrary, it would put you on a precarious position should you try and take it.

As the other shadows vanished into thin air, Hiccup turned to Stoick and to Helmut as he sheathed his swords and approached them steadily. From behind, a large black dragon leaps behind him and silently followed him. His green eyes held them as his masked hid half of his face. Finally as he stood in front of the Chief he said, "I take it you failed father?"

"Not really, she was found by these men," he gestured to Helmut and the others and said, "However, your nefarious sorcerer Neroth came and took her away."

Angrily he took off his mask and Helmut finally saw Hiccup's face for the first time. It was a rugged face of a man who had faced death over and over again, his eyes were hard and cold, and anger could be seen contorting his brows further.

"This has gone far enough father, the White Hands will attack them, with or without the help of Berk."

"Son, let us discuss this first before you jump to decisions."

"The death of Mentor Portio weigh heavily upon us, we cannot have their survival remain in our conscience for long."

"I know son, I know," the Chief said trying to pacify his son, "But we must not be hasty."

"We are not hasty," Master Kaldr appeared as he bends the shadows and appeared near them, "Already we have the necessary attack patterns and only require refreshments of our martial discipline to eliminate any unforeseen mistakes."

"What is your plan anyway?"

"We would assault the Citadel with the White Hands and the riders would provide the necessary support we would need."

"What about Astrid then?" Stoick asked, hoping to delay them further, "What if she dies in your attempt?"

"If they dare harm her," Hiccup's brow furrowed, "We will burn them to the ground."

Helmut felt uncomfortable, apparently he could understand why Astrid would be fond of such a man. His skill, his words, even the manner he spoke it belied his years. It would be dangerous to cross him, and even his enemies seemed to realize it, for they would seem to use Astrid as a hostage to ensure their safety. Hiccup then turned to Helmut and said, "Como te llamas?" , "Who are you?"

His fluent Spanish also made him stop, if he would shed his green armor and dressed as a gentleman in Madrid, he would not have spotted the difference. Plus, the way he spoke was the way Astrid talked with them. This proves another point he might have missed, this young man was intelligent despite his barbaric origins.

"I am Helmut de la Valle, Knight Commander of the Vatican."

Hiccup approached and drew a knife, embellished with runes and sheathed in a leather scabbard full of runes and symbols unknown to Helmut. He offered it to him and smiled, "My thanks for your services to Astrid, take this knife I have made and have my gratitude."

Taking the knife and his hand, the Knight Commander smiled as the others looked on.

"A politician and an artisan too it seems."

.

.

To be continued...

Author's note:

.

Calm down HiccStrid shippers! Calm down! Jeez!

.

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000