Chapter 37: Where the Brave May Live Forever
The battle on the beaches of the Nest had ceased as the combatants were distracted by the Red Death's catastrophic release. The Vikings and Highlanders looked up in horror as they watched Red Death pull itself out of the mountain, sending boulders the size of a man tumbling down the rocky cliffs as the Vendal began to cheer in victory.
"By th' Hammer o' Thor," Gobber whispered in awestruck horror.
"Whit is 'at thin'?" Fergus questioned.
"The Red Death," Stoick answered, his voice barely above a whisper, "Odin forgive me, Hiccup was right."
"We hae tae get everyane oot o' here," Fergus said, turning away from the massive dragon to look at Stoick, "We hae tae get our people tae safety."
"And where will we go?" Stoick asked, his voice full of despair, "Where can we go that that monster can't follow?"
"We cannae stay here, 'at's fer damn sure!" Fergus shouted back, before turning towards where everyone else was gathered, "Back! Back tae th' ships!"
Stoick's eyes widened with horror, looking up as the Red Death turned its attention towards them as the Vikings and Highlanders began to retreat towards their ships on the shore.
"No," Stoick said with a horrified whisper, "No! Wait! Stop!"
As Stoick tried to warn them away from the ships, the Red Death roared before shooting a giant tongue of fire down at the shore line, the auburn flames striking some of the boats in an inferno of heat and dancing flames. Those warriors who had gotten to the ships first screamed in horror and pain as they were set alight, the others forced to stumble away from the blaze, shielding themselves from the intense heat, looking on in terror as they saw their comrades fall and half of their ships burnt to ash, a wall of fire separating them from the few that remained.
"No, no, no," the Red Death's booming voice chided from the top of the mountain, drawing all their attention back to him, "You can't all leave now. I've only just arrived!"
"Sun above," Fergus said in horror and awe, turning to look at Stoick, "It can talk?"
"I fear it can do much more than that," Stoick replied as he turned back around and looked up at the Red Death, which grinned down at him.
"Well, well," the Red Death said as it began making its way down the mountainside, knocking large chunks of rock loose and sending them tumbling down the cliffs, "Look at you all. It fills my heart with joy that you would all come to see me after I'd been away for so long."
The Red Death took a few long sniffs of the air before his eyes fell on Stoick in the crowd of Vikings and Highlanders
"You must be Stoick the Vast," the Red Death observed with a malicious grin, "You smell just like your son. Where is young Hiccup? We have unfinished business, him and I."
Stoick said nothing, prompting the Red Death to turn his attention to Fergus.
"And you must be Fergus," the Red Death surmised as he looked at the Highlander king, "The great Bear King that Mor'du has told me so much about."
Fergus said nothing as well, merely gripping his sword tighter as he looked the Red Death right in the eye.
"You're all so quiet!" the Red Death observed with a chuckle, "I've been alone for so long, I'm simply dying for a conversation."
The Red Death looked over the crowd, the Vikings and Highlanders continuing to stare up at him in horror.
"No one?" the Red Death questioned as a grin crossed over his reptilian features, "Very well. I'll have to satisfy some other urges then."
With that, the Red Death reared back, flames glowing in the back of his throat, causing the warriors before him to panic and begin to rush for cover. Before the Red Death could unleash his fiery blast, a high pitched screeching noise came from above him a second before a blast slammed into the side of his head, causing him to shriek in pain as he turned his head and unleashed his fire down the side of the mountain away from the others. Snarling in fury, the Red Death turned his gaze skyward, where he saw Hiccup, Merida and Fishlegs swooping down towards him on their dragons.
"You!" the Red Death snarled as he watched the three approach, focusing his ire on Hiccup and Toothless in particular, "I was wondering where you were hiding, Siegfriedson. I see you've brought your friends along too. Save's me the trouble of hunting them down."
"You're not hurting anyone anymore!" Hiccup shouted at the Red Death as he and the others flew by.
"Bold words, little fish!" Mor'du shouted back as he climbed up to the top of the Red Death's head, "Let's see if you can back them up!"
"Yes, let's," the Red Death agreed, the wings on its back slowly beginning to stir, gathering their strength to perform a feat they had not performed in an age, "It's been so long since I last took the air. It will be a joy to do so again."
With that, the Red Death stretched out his wings and began to flap them, the force of the movement kicking up a cloud of dirt and grit. The warriors on the ground were forced to cover their eyes as the storm of debris swirled around the while the Red Death's wings slowly lifted his massive bulk into the air. Grinning madly, Mor'du held on tight to the Red Death's spines as they chased after Hiccup and his friends.
The men and women on the ground watched the dragons rise into the air with looks of amazement on their faces. Slowly, Fergus and Stoick lowered their heads and looked at the Vendal standing across the beach from them, the savages slowly becoming aware that the Vikings and Highlanders were still there. The Vendal warriors began to growl and gnash their teeth as they slowly moved towards the other group.
"On your toes!" Stoick shouted, bringing everyone's attention back to the battle at hand as he walked purposefully towards the Vendal, his waraxe gripped tightly in his hands, "The battle's not done yet!"
"Ye heard him, lads!" Fergus added, prompting the Vikings and Highlanders to follow as the two leaders picked the pace up to a jog, the Vendal's matching as they rushed across the beach, "Alba gu brath!"
The two groups quickly began running at top speed at one another, their shouting voices mixing with the rumble of their feet pounding against the stony shore, all rising to a crescendo as the two armies slammed into one another in a cacophony of steel and blood.
As the trio flew into the air above the approaching Red Death, they were quickly joined by Astrid, Snotlout and the twins on their dragons.
"Well, I'm guessing the whole 'keeping the Red Death sealed' part of the plan didn't really work out," Snotlout observed sarcastically.
"No, not really," Hiccup replied with a shake of his head, looking down as the Red Death slowly approached them from below.
"What about Hilde?" Astrid questioned, prompting Hiccup's face to fall as he shook his head sadly, "Oh, I'm so sorry."
"What do we do now?" Tuff questioned.
"The only thing we can do," Hiccup replied, lifting his head to look at the others, "We have to put an end to the two of them, once and for all."
"What if we can't?" Ruff questioned hesitantly.
"Then everyone we know and love is dead, along with countless others," Hiccup answered solemnly, causing the others to pale.
"You know," Snotlout said, looking down at the approaching Red Death, "It just occurred to me, even if we win, we might not all make it."
The teenagers were silent at Snotlout's words, before he lifted his head and looked at Hiccup.
"Hey cuz," Snotlout said, catching Hiccup's attention, "Sorry for all the crap I gave you over the years."
"Don't worry about," Hiccup replied with a shrug and a small smile, "Sorry for dragging you into all of this."
"You kidding?" Snotlout questioned with a snort as he looked back down at the rapidly approaching Red Death, auburn flames trailing from the dragon's mouth, "No place I'd rather be."
"So polite," the Red Death's voice rumbled up towards them, "Waiting there as death rises to greet you."
Looking down, a pensive look crossed Astrid's features as the Red Death climbed higher and higher.
"He was right," Astird commented to no one in particular, "He really is fire and death. Like a flying funeral pyre."
Another pensive look passed over Astrid's face before she calmly closed her eyes and gripped her waraxe tightly before letting out a long, calming breath.
"Lo there do I see my father," Astrid intoned barely above a whisper. She caught Hiccup's attention, the young man looking at her for a moment before turning his attention to the Red Death as well.
"Lo there do I see my mother," Hiccup added, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Lo there do I see my sister," Tuff said, reaching out to his sister as he watched the Red Death climb, the light from his fiery breath slowly illuminating the clouds around the teenagers.
"My brother," Ruff finished, reaching out and grasping her brother's hand tightly, Barf and Belch chirping at one another beneath them.
"Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning!" Snotlout declared resolutely as he gripped his mace tightly and glared into the Red Death's hateful eyes as they grew larger and larger.
"Lo, they do call to me!" Fishlegs declared, patting Meatlug on the head as the Gronckle whined beneath him.
"They bid me take ma place among them," Merida said as she nocked an arrow on her bowstring, the words coming to her as if she had known them her entire life.
"In the halls of Valhalla!" Astrid shouted, holding her axe above her head as Stormfly roared in challenge at the Red Death.
"Where the brave!" Hiccup yelled, drawing Bemuhen, the light from the Red Death's fires reflecting brilliantly in the sword's blade.
"May live!" Fishlegs joined in, holding his hammer above his head, glaring at the Red Death as it loomed in front of them.
"Forever," Merida whispered as she drew the bowstring back as the Red Death let out a bellowing roar.
"DOWN!" Hiccup shouted over the din of the Red Death's monstrous roar, prompting the six dragons to fold their wings and dive down straight at the gigantic dragon. In the lead, Toothless charged a plasma blast before firing it, the shot slamming into the side of the Red Death's head, causing the dragon to bellow in pain. Meatlug zipped right behind, peppering the Red Death's back with two fireballs that exploded against the dragon's scales. Flying to the Red Death's left side, Hookfang blasted the giant dragon with its fiery breath, trying to scorch the monster's rust colored scales. Swooping underneath the Red Death, Stormfly turned to the side, holding up one of his razor sharp wings and slicing the monstrous dragon across the belly, drawing a thin line a dark red blood. Cutting to the side, Boudica unleashed a salvo of spines at the Red Death's face, some finding purchase in the dragon's flesh while others bounced harmlessly off its tough scales. As she flew past the Red Death's head, Boudica scorched his side with a plume of flame as Merida turned and fired an arrow at Mor'du. Snarling, Mor'du turned and batted the arrow away with his sword.
As he watched Merida fly by him, Mor'du saw her nock another arrow and fire it at him, which he knocked away with contemptuous ease. His gaze still focused on Merida, he didn't notice Barf and Belch swooping right towards him until they were practically on top of him. Mor'du juked out of the way as Barf and Belch snapped at him with their jaws, but didn't have any time to dodge as they lashed at him with their tails, whipping him hard across the face and causing him to lose his grip on the Red Death's spines. Mor'du fell a short distance before he managed to grab hold of another of the Red Death's spines. Growling, he turned and glared down at the twins, who were cackling as they looked back up at him.
"Ruff, Tuff, look out!" Hiccup shouted in a panic, causing the twins to spin around, watching in horror as the Red Death's clubbed tail swung up at them. The twins let out shouts of surprise and panic as Barf and Belch slammed into the Red Death's tail, having no time to dodge out of the way. The blow knocked the twins off the Zippleback and sent them all spinning through the air. Barf and Belch quickly shook their heads clear before looking at the twins, who were screaming in panic as they plummeted towards the sea. Quickly righting himself, the Zippleback flew over to the twins and grabbed them as the water rushed towards them. Opening their wings, Barf and Belch managed to slow their momentum and began gliding towards the shores of the Nest. The Zippleback was unable to completely halt his momentum though and he slammed into the shallows around the Nest, sending the twins flying off his back a second time, dumping them on the rocky beach.
Ruff quickly pushed herself to her feet as Tuff sat up, groaning in pain as he shook his head. Turning to look at the Zippleback, Ruff found the dragon pulling himself onto shore before collapsing, soaked and exhausted.
"I think Barf and Belch are out of the fight," Ruff observed as she walked over and patted the Zippleback on one of his heads.
"Yeah," Tuff agreed wearily as he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his spear, keeping his eyes focused in front of him, "But I don't think we are."
Turning around, Ruff saw a half a dozen Vendal approaching them with weapons drawn. Snarling the Vendal charged at the twins, prompting the teens to move to face them. Stepping forward, Tuff quickly batted a Vendal's wild swing away with his spear before spinning around and driving the back point of his spear into the savage's chest. Pulling his spear out, he twirled it around before blocking another Vendal's downward swing with the shaft of his spear. Holding the Vendal's weapon locked above his head, Tuff kicked the savage in the chest, sending the man stumbling back. Spinning his spear, Tuff smacked the Vendal across the face, knocking the man off balance enough for Tuff to twirl his spear back around and drive one of the point's into the barbarian's chest. Kicking the Vendal off his spear, Tuff glanced over his shoulder as another savage charged at him from behind. Ducking under the Vendal's swing, Tuff swung his spear and struck the Vendal on the back of the leg, forcing him to one knee. Swing his spear the other way, Tuff hit the Vendal's leg the other way, spreading them wider and allowing the young man to swing the spear upwards and strike the man between the legs. The Vendal let out a wheezing cough of pain before Tuff palmed the man's face and shoved him to the ground. Stepping onto the Vendal's chest, Tuff drove his spear into the savage's chest before giving it a twist for good measure.
As some of the Vendal battled her brother, the others moved to attack Ruff. As one swung at her, Ruff blocked the Vendal's arm with her own before driving her knee into his gut. As he doubled over in pain, Ruff drove the palm of her hand into the Vendal's face, breaking his nose and sending him reeling. Stepping forward, Ruff grabbed the Vendal's shoulder before striking him on the chest with her hatchet again and again and again before letting his bloodied body fall to the ground. Seeing another Vendal charging at her, Ruff turned and hurled her hatchet at her, hitting the man square between the eyes and knocking him to the ground. As the final Vendal rushed her, Ruff turned to face him with her dagger in hand. Ruff stepped back to avoid the Vendal's first wild swing before ducking under his follow up. As she spun around him, Ruff swung at the Vendal with her dagger, cutting him on his upper thigh. The Vendal stumbled and hissed, touching the wound with his hand before turning to attack Ruff again. As he did, the Vendal stumbled and fell to his knees, his face growing pale as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Slowly, the Vendal raised his head and looked at Ruff in confusion.
"Yeah," Ruff snorted, "Zippleback venom's a bitch, ain't it?"
The Vendal said nothing as he collapsed to the ground.
In the skies above them, the other teens began to regroup as the Red Death turned to face them again.
"Are they alright!?" Astrid called, looking worriedly down at the shores below where Barf and Belch had crash landed.
"Aye, Ah can see them!" Merida replied, looking over at Astrid, "They're alright!"
"We won't be for long though!" Snotlout moaned as he pointed up above them, drawing everyone's attention upwards as the Red Death changed direction and began diving towards them.
"The first volley was yours!" the Red Death declared, flames licking the air around him as he spoke, "But the last shall be mine!"
With that, he fired a huge blast of auburn flames down at the teenagers.
"Scatter!" Hiccup shouted, prompting him and the others to race out of the way of the oncoming inferno. The five managed to dodge the blast, which continued on past them and slammed into the sea below, kicking a cloud of hot steam into the air that quickly swept across the battlefield of the beaches below.
"What do we do now!?" Astrid questioned as they regrouped, the Red Death chasing after them.
"We have to find some kind of weak point!" Hiccup called over the whipping winds.
"I don't think he has a weak point!" Fishlegs declared, "Six eyes means he has no blind spot and his armor is the thickest I've ever seen! I can't imagine what his shot count is, if he even has one!"
Hiccup thought for a moment before his eyes lit up as an idea struck him.
"His armor might be strong, but his wings aren't!" Hiccup declared.
"What do you mean!?" Snotlout questioned.
"If we take out his wings, he can't fly!" Fishlegs declared, catching on.
"And just like Gobber told us," Hiccup said with a determined look on his face, "A downed dragon is a dead dragon."
Hiccup urged Toothless to turn around, flying back towards the Red Death, the others following along behind him.
"Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted, catching his cousin's attention, "I need you to distract him!"
"Oh, I am all over that!" Snotlout declared, flying straight at the Red Death as the other's broke off to the side, "Come on, Hookfang! Let's get in his ugly face!"
The Monstrous Nightmare roared in agreement as they went swooping right at the Red Death.
"Alright, let's do something crazy!" Snotlout declared as he pulled himself to his feet, using, Hookfang's horns for balance, "Light yourself up!"
Hookfang grunted in confusion.
"Trust me, just do it!" Snotlout shouted back as the duo went barreling towards the Red Death, who glared hatefully at them as they approached. Grunting in reply, Hookfang let out a roar before letting out a blast of fire that quickly began to engulf him. Running forward, Snotlout leapt off Hookfang's nose with a shout just as the Monstrous Nightmare covered himself in flame, the young man landing on the Red Death's head as the dragon slammed into the monster's face. The Red Death roared in surprise as Hookfang began to bite and scratch at the other dragon's face, the flames covering his body licking at the monster's features. At the same time, Snotlout managed to grab hold of one of the Red Death's spines for stability. An idea striking him, Snotlout made his way over to the edge of the Red Death's head, peering over the side and looking directly into one of the dragon's eyes
"Hey, you've got something in your eye!" Snotlout shouted before slamming his mace directly into the Red Death's eye, causing the beast to bellow in agony, "It was pain!"
As Snotlout and Hookfang worked to distract the Red Death, the other four teens split up, two flying on each side of the monster.
"Aim for his wings!" Hiccup ordered, prompting the dragons to begin peppering the Red Death's wings with fireballs, shooting holes in the fleshy membrane. The Red Death roared in pain as he shook the flaming Hookfang from his face while the teens broke off to swing around for a second attack. Snarling, the Red Death prepared to shoot another fiery blast at the group, but was stopped when Snotlout swung his mace into the monster's eye again, causing his shot to go wide.
"Get this insolent worm off of me!" the Red Death bellowed shaking his head as he tried to knock Snotlout loose. Letting out a cry of surprise, Snotlout grabbed hold of one of the Red Death's spines to keep his stability.
"Ha!" Snotlout laughed, "You won't get rid of me that easily!"
"Guess I'll have to try a little harder then," the voice of Mor'du said from behind Snotlout, causing the young man to go pale as he slowly turned around to find the Demon Bear looming over him. Mor'du smiled down at Snotlout before letting out a roar as he raised his waraxe above his head and swung it down at the teenager. Yelping in surprise and fear, Snotlout dove to the side, the blow clanking off the Red Death's scaled head. Sliding across the smooth scales, Snotlout managed to grab hold of one of the Red Death spines to keep him from falling off, leaving him dangling over the open air. Snotlout let out a few panicked noises as he looked down from the dizzying height the Red Death flew at before his attention was brought upwards by Mor'du appearing above him.
"I think this is where you get off," Mor'du commented before pressing his massive foot against Snotlout's fingers. Snotlout let out a shout of pain before letting go of the Red Death's spine, sending him plummeting downwards. Snotlout screamed as he fell, flailing his arms and legs around in a vain attempt to stop his fall. Suddenly, a second before he crashed against the rock shore of the nest, Hookfang came swooping out of the sky before crashing onto the beach and skidding a few feet on his back, Snotlout laying on his stomach. Snotlout kept his eyes squeezed shut for a few moments before opening them and looking around wildly, letting out a whoop of happiness when he saw Hookfang had saved him.
"Oh man, nice save, buddy!" Snotlout exclaimed, patting Hookfang on his belly, "I owe you one."
Hookfang merely let out a grunt in reply, continuing to lay exhausted on the beach.
"Snotlout's down!" Fishlegs declared as the four remaining dragon riders circled back around towards the Red Death, "He's okay but I think his dragon is out of the fight."
"Just keep hitting his wings!" Hiccup shouted as the Red Death barreled towards them.
"Not this time, Siegfriedson!" the Red Death declared before he fired another torrent of flames at the teens. The group quickly scattered, trying to avoid the searing auburn fire. As she and Stormfly avoided the blast, Astrid turned to look for the Red Death again, only to find it practically on top of her. Astrid let out a scream of fear and surprise as the Red Death opened its jaws and bit hard into Stormfly, the Timberjack screeching in pain as the teeth dug into its flesh. The force of the blow knocked Astrid off of Stormfly, sending her tumbling through the air before she landed on the Red Death's back. Quickly picking herself up, she saw the Red Death toss Stormfly away, the Timberjack screeching more as it tumbled through the air and crashed into the water below. Astrid sighed in relief as she saw Stormfly pull himself out of the waters, but a chill ran down her back as a large shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw Mor'du looming over, a predatory grin on his face as he looked down at her.
"Seems like you've lost your ride, girly," Mor'du taunted before taking a swipe at her with his sword, forcing Astrid to roll away. Astrid quickly rolled back to her feet, grabbing her waraxe from the sheath on her back and turning to face Mor'du.
"You're quick," Mor'du observed as he stomped towards Astrid, swinging his sword and axe at her, which the Viking girl managed to parry with a grunt of effort, "And strong too."
A sudden change in direction from the Red Death sent both combatants stumbling, forcing Astrid to grab hold of one of the dragon's spines to keep herself steady. As she regained her bearings, Astrid suddenly found Mor'du looming over her, his sword back in the sheath on his back. Before she could react, Mor'du reached down and grabbed Astrid by the throat, his massive hand almost encompassing her head as he lifted her up into the air.
"I'm tired of waiting to see one of you brats crack open on the ground," Mor'du grumbled as he began to tighten his grip of Astrid's head, the pressure turning her face red, "I'm going to pop your pretty little head here and now."
As Astrid struggled against Mor'du's grip, the others looked down in horror. Fishlegs sat on Meatlug's back, looking at the scene in a panic as he tried to figure out what to do. Then, all at once, his fear left him and was replaced with seething anger. Mor'du had Astrid and he was going to kill her. Fishlegs couldn't allow that. He wouldn't allow that! As Fishlegs' face turned an angry shade of red, his eyes seemed to cloud over, becoming white and pupil-less as the veins in his neck began to bulge.
Yanking hard on Meatlug, he turned the Gronckle towards the Red Death's back. Seeing them coming, the Red Death turned its head towards them and spat a blast of fire. Meatlug managed to zip over the attack, making a beeline for Mor'du and Astrid.
"Meatlug! Save Astrid!" Fishleg bellowed as they approached the two, Mor'du looking like he was moments away from crushing Astrid's skull in his hands. Moments before Fishlegs and Meatlug reached Astrid and Mor'du, the young man stood up on the Gronckle's back before taking a flying leap from the dragon's head. Astrid was still struggling against Mor'du's grip when she caught sight of Fishlegs, her eyes widening at the sight of the young man flying through the air, his warhammer raised to strike. Sensing something coming his way, Mor'du turned in Fishlegs' direction, only to catch the young man's warhammer square in the face. The blow knocked Mor'du completely off balance, causing the Demon Bear to go stumbling backwards as Fishlegs and Meatlug slammed into him, sending all four of them tumbling off of the Red Death's back, Astrid being knocked from the dragon born's grasp along with his waraxe.
"Sun above!" Merida screamed as she saw the four go falling through the sky. Shaking its head to regain its bearings, Meatlug remember Fishlegs' last command and went buzzing after Astrid, the young woman managing to grab hold of the Gronckle and pull herself onto the dragon's back. Looking around wildly, she caught sight of Mor'du and Fishlegs below them, the two having grabbed on to one another, the young man continuing to hit the Demon Bear repeatedly in the face with his hammer as they plummeted towards the churning sea. Looking around, she saw both Toothless and Boudica diving after Fishlegs and Mor'du, urged on by their riders, but they were too far away to make a difference. Astrid urged Meatlug after them, the Gronckle putting everything it had into catching up with Fishlegs and Mor'du but the dragon was too slow. Far too slow.
"Fishlegs!" Astrid called out in despair.
The shout echoed over the battle happening on the shores of the nest, catching Fishguts' attention over the din of the melee. Turning his gaze skywards, Fishguts caught sight of his son tumbling through the air with the Demon Bear, causing his face to go pale.
"Oh gods, Fishlegs!" Fishguts shouted as he made a mad dash towards the shoreline, shoving past anyone who got in his way, "Fishlegs!"
Growling in anger, Mor'du reached up and grabbed Fishlegs' arms, halting the Viking's next attack before grabbing the young man's throat with his other hand.
"I think that's quite enough of that," Mor'du snarled, his red and grey eyes staring hatefully into Fishlegs' pure white ones, "Got some berserker blood in you, huh? I'm surprised, didn't think you had in you! Still, I liked that axe, and gods only know if I'm going to able to find it again after all this is over, so for that, I'm going to tear your head off and shove it up your-"
Before Mor'du could finish his sentence, he slammed backfirst into the ocean with Fishlegs on top of him. As the churning water settled around him, Fishlegs floated limply just below the surface for a few moments, his warhammer still in his grasp as Mor'du sank into the blackened depths. Suddenly, Fishlegs eyes shot open, his blue colored pupils having returned. Letting out a panicked shout, air bubbles escaped Fishlegs mouth as he observed his surroundings. Quickly realizing he was underwater, Fishlegs swam for the surface. Breaking through the waves, Fishlegs gasped for air, spitting out sea water that had gotten in his mouth. Turning towards the shore, Fishlegs swam over before he stumbled onto the rocky beach, dragging his hammer limply behind him. Looking down the shoreline, he saw his father waving to him, joined by Astrid as she landed Gronckle next to the large man.
"Oh, thank the gods he's okay," Fishguts said with a sigh relief, "I thought I had lost him."
"Yeah, I was so…" Astrid began to agree before the blood ran from her face as relief turned to anguish, "Fishlegs look out!"
A look of confusion passed over Fishlegs' face before he turned around and found a soaked Mor'du towering over him, half way through a backhand. Before Fishlegs could react, Mor'du's fist slammed against the side of Fishlegs' head, knocking the young man clear off his feet. Fishlegs went flying end over end before he rolled against the rock covered ground, ultimately coming to a stop as he slammed his back against a large rock, cracking it as the Viking teen slumped to the ground.
Groaning in pain, Fishlegs felt something in his mouth. Lifting his hand up, he spat whatever was in his mouth into his palm, leaving him looking at two of his teeth in his hand, surrounded by blood. Lifting his head up, Fishlegs found the image of three Mor'du's stomping towards him, the sound of the Demon Bear's heavy footsteps muffled as if the young man was still underwater. Reaching up, Mor'du drew his sword out of its sheath before letting the blade drag ominously next to him.
"…gonna gut you…" Fishlegs heard Mor'du say through his swimming head as the Demon Bear lifted his sword up and prepared to plunge it into the Viking teen's stomach.
"Noooo!" Fishguts bellowed as he came in rushing in from the side, swinging his hammer at Mor'du, forcing the Demon Bear to parry the blow, "Not my son! Not my son, you bastard!"
Growling in frustration, Mor'du turned and swung his sword at Fishguts, forcing the Viking to roll out of the way. As Fishguts rolled to his feet, Mor'du was already on him, slashing at the warrior again. This time, Fishguts didn't have any time to dodge and the obsidian blade slashed him across the shoulder, the force of the blow sending him sprawling.
"Dad…" Fishlegs said weakly, trying to pick himself up off the ground at the sight of his father bleeding on the ground. Before he could move, Mor'du suddenly slammed his foot against Fishlegs' chest, knocking the young man flat and forcing the air from his lungs.
"No, no, no," Mor'du said as if he was scolding a child, "You stay right there."
A shout from the side caught Fishlegs' attention as he saw Astrid come leaping in with her raised. Before she could reach Mor'du, the Demon Bear reached out and grabbed Astrid by the face with his free hand, the sudden stop in momentum causing the Viking teen to drop her waraxe as she fought against the dragon born's grasp. Meatlug came buzzing in right behind Astrid, shooting a fireball at Mor'du. Leaning back slightly, Mor'du avoided the blast, before stepping forward and slamming the hilt of his sword against the top of Meatlugs head, flooring the Gronckle which lay dazed next to Fishlegs.
"Anyone else!?" Mor'du bellowed, holding Astrid and his sword up as he looked out over the battle which had fallen still at the Demon Bear's exclamation, "Anyone else want to step forward, or can I finally kill someone!?"
Flying above the battle, trying to keep ahead of the crippled Red Death, Hiccup looked down at Mor'du, an expression of anger on his face.
"Merida, keep the Death busy!" Hiccup called out to the Highlander princess.
"Why!?" Merida shouted back in confusion and worry, "Where are ye gaein'!?"
"I'm going to have a few words with my uncle," Hiccup replied before turning Toothless down towards the ground.
"Hiccup, wait!" Merida shouted, reaching a hand out towards the young man.
"You're not going anywhere, Siegfriedson," the Red Death growled as it changed directionto chase after Hiccup. Seeing this, Merida quickly nocked an arrow on her bow and guided Boudica towards the Red Death with her knees.
"Oi!" Merida shouted as she loosed her arrow. The Red Death turned one of its eyes towards Merida out of curiosity, only to have the arrow fly right into the eye and blind him. The Red Death screeched in pain as he thrashed in the air.
"It ain't a Siegfriedson ye hae tae be worried aboot!" Merida taunted as the Red Death turned towards her, "It's a daughter o' Boudica!"
"I'll peel the flesh from your bones for that, you Highlander whore!" the Red Death bellowed back as he chased after Merida, allowing Hiccup and Toothless to safely reach the ground below.
"I think I'll start with you, little berserker," Mor'du said as he pointed his sword down at Fishlegs, "Maybe knock the rest of those teeth out of that little head of yours."
"Mor'du!" Hiccup shouted as Toothless landed a short distance away from the Demon Bear, the young man sliding off the Night Fury's back.
"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here!?" Mor'du yelled back, only glancing over his shoulder at Hiccup.
"Uncle!" Hiccup shouted louder, causing a look of surprise to cross Mor'du's foul features, quickly replaced by a wide grin.
"So, the hag told you everything, did she?" Mor'du questioned with a chuckle, "Where is she now?"
"She's dead," Hiccup replied solemnly, "You killed her."
"Tragic," Mor'du observed uncaringly, "And here I thought we would all be one big happy family."
Stepping off of Fishlegs, Mor'du turned to face Hiccup.
"What do you want from your Uncle Mor'du, little fish?"
"I want you to let my friends go," Hiccup stated, looking Mor'du dead in the eye.
"And what do I get in return?" Mor'du asked.
"You fight me, one on one," Hiccup answered, drawing a shocked gasp from the Vikings and Highlanders.
"A duel?" Mor'du questioned, to which Hiccup nodded in reply.
"To the death?" Mor'du pushed, getting a further nod from Hiccup.
"I accept," Mor'du stated as he casually tossed Astrid away, sending the young woman rolling across the ground, "I'll even make it more sporting and let your little dragon friend fight too."
"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted from the crowd as he muscled his way towards the front, "Hiccup, don't do it!"
"I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to the people I care about," Hiccup said, ignoring his father as he tightened his grip on his sword, Toothless at his side, snarling at Mor'du.
"Like I said before, little fish," Mor'du replied as he readied his sword, a manic grin on his face, "Come make me pay."
With that, Mor'du charged forward, his sword raised to cut Hiccup in half. Hiccup quickly dove to the side as Mor'du slammed his sword onto the ground where the young man had been standing a moment before, knocking rocks and debris into the air. Roaring, Toothless leapt forward, sinking his teeth into Mor'du's shoulder. Mor'du grunted in pain before tossing Toothless off, the Night Fury landing hard on his back.
While Mor'du was distracted, Hiccup ran forward, slashing at the back of Mor'du's leg with Bemuhen. Mor'du hissed in pain and briefly fell to one knee before quickly standing up and spinning around, swinging his sword in a downward arc as he turned. Hiccup managed to avoid the attack, but was sent reeling as the obsidian blade cut through the ground and kicked up a cloud of earthen debris. As Hiccup tried to catch himself, Mor'du came charging out of the cloud and kicked the young man hard in the chest, sending him tumbling end over end across the hard ground, his helmet falling off his head and skipping across the rocks.
Landing on the ground, Hiccup quickly managed to sit up and see Mor'du charging at him a second time. Reaching down, he grabbed his crossbow and pointed it at Mor'du. Pulling the trigger, Hiccup fired an arrow into Mor'du's shoulder, causing the Demon Bear to stumble for half a step but not stop him. Before Hiccup could reload, Mor'du ran up and knocked the crossbow out of Hiccup's hand with his sword, using the momentum to swing the obsidian blade over his head. As Mor'du brought his sword crashing down on Hiccup, the young man was able to grab his own sword with both hands and lift it above himself to block the oncoming attack. Mor'du hit Hiccup with enough force to push Hiccup into the earth a few inches, the shock causing the Viking teens body to go numb for a moment. Mor'du rested the heavy blade against Hiccup's for a moment, Bemuhen's strong steel holding against the obsidian blade but the pressure causing the metal to cut into Hiccup's right hand, blood leaking down his palm.
"Your sword is strong," Mor'du said as he lifted his sword up in order to slam it down again, "But you're not, little fish."
Before Mor'du could deliver another blow, a high-pitched screech filled the air before a plasma bolt slammed into Mor'du from behind. Growling, he turned to face Toothless as the Night Fury leapt at him. Reaching out, Mor'du managed to grab Toothless by his neck and swing him around, slamming him into Hiccup before tossing the Night Fury away, sending them both sprawling.
"Hiccup!" Merida cried in terror from her position above the battle.
"You should be worried about your own battles, girl!" the Red Death rumbled from above her before he slammed his wings down hard, kicking up a massive gust of wind that struck Merida and Boudica like a ton of bricks, sending them tumbling through the air. Boudica managed to right herself a few feet above the ground, resulting in a crash landing that sent Merida sprawling as she was knocked from the Nadder's back. Merida hissed in pain as she tore her leggings and scrapped her knee on the hard rocks, blood beginning to ooze down her leg. Painfully picking herself up, she saw the Red Death landing on the broken summit of the Nest, roaring in triumph as he observed the spectacle below.
"Skin him alive, boy!" the Red Death bellowed from the mountain top, "I want the Siegfriedson to suffer!"
"As you wish, Father," Mor'du muttered in reply as he walked slowly towards Hiccup, who was having trouble picking himself up, the Demon Bear dragging his blade behind him. Fighting erupted in the crowd as some of the Vikings and Highlanders tried to help Hiccup only for the Vendal to block their path.
"Hiccup!" Merida cried as she pulled herself to her feet.
"Get oot o' there, lad!" Gobber shouted as he tried to fight away his way through a group of Vendal.
"Hiccup!" Merida shouted again, limping towards him, her voice full of despair, watching as Hiccup slowly tried to crawl away from Mor'du.
"Mor'du!" Stoick bellowed over the din of battle, "Stay away from my son, you bloody bastard! Mor'du!"
"HICCUP!" Merida cried, tears streaming down her face as she stumbled next to Toothless, who lay on the ground stunned.
Sitting nearby, Fishlegs had managed to pull himself into a seating position against the boulder he had crashed into. He looked over at his best friend with glassy eyes, his head still reeling from the blow he had received.
"…Hiccup," Fishlegs muttered, closing his eyes, "He can't…he can't beat him."
"Yes, he can," a voice in Fishlegs' head argued, one that sounded oddly like Hilde.
"How…he shrugs off everything we throw at him…" Fishlegs questioned.
"You're such a smart boy, Leser," Hilde's voice echoed in his head, "You hafe all zee puzzle pieces. You just need to put zem togezer."
"Bone may turn to stone and flesh may become steel," Fishlegs muttered Hilde's last words, "But the mind is soft and weak and eyes do not freeze."
Fishlegs paused as the last words echoed back to him.
"Eyes do not freeze," he repeated.
All at once, the memory of Merida telling them of her father's battle with Mor'du came flooding back to him.
"He stood twelve feet tall, a claymore in ane hand an' a waraxe in th' other," Merida's voice rang in Fishlegs' ears, "He wears th' hide of a massive black bear as a trophy, its hide strewn with th' weapons o' fallen warriors."
"Bone may turn to stone and flesh may become steel," Hilde's voice interrupted as Fishlegs focused intently on Mor'du.
"His body was scarred by a thousand battles," Merida's voice continued as Fishlegs looked at Mor'du's face.
"But zee mind is soft and veak," Hilde's voice cut in as Fishlegs looked at Mor'du's mismatched eyes.
"His face marred…" Merida's voice trailed off.
Why were his eyes different?
"And eyes do not freeze," Hilde's voice echoed in Fishlegs' head.
One red eye, one grey eye.
"With ane dead eye," Merida's voice finished.
"One dead eye," Fishlegs repeated to himself, before his eyes suddenly went wide in realization. His mind suddenly clearer than it had ever been, Fishlegs scrambled to his feet, clawing at the rock he was leaning against to pull himself up.
"Hiccup!" Fishlegs called, trying to catch the other Viking's attention, "HICCUP!"
Hiccup weakly looked over to Fishlegs, who was waving his arms wildly to catch his best friend's attention.
"HIS EYE!" Fishlegs bellowed as loud as he could, pointing at his own eye for emphasis, "YOU HAVE TO GET HIM IN THE EYE!"
A look of realization crossed Hiccup's face before he looked around wildly, catching sight of his crossbow laying a short distance away. Looking back over his shoulder, Hiccup saw that Mor'du was standing over him, raising his massive foot to stomp on the young man. A surge of strength returning to him, Hiccup quickly rolled out of the way as Mor'du brought his foot down, creating a small crater in the ground as the force of the blow sent Hiccup rolling further.
Pushing himself to his feet, Hiccup quickly grabbed the crossbow while pulling an arrow from the quiver on his hip. Before he could load it, Mor'du swung at him with his sword, forcing Hiccup to stumble back to avoid the attack. Hiccup quickly loaded the arrow onto the crossbow, the fuse hanging from the arrowhead. Looking around, he spotted his sword laying a short distance away. The rumbling earth brought Hiccup's attention back to Mor'du as the Demon Bear charged at him again, stabbing at the young man with his obsidian sword. Hiccup rolled out of the way, causing Mor'du's sword to become stuck in the earth. As Mor'du moved to pull his sword free, Hiccup grabbed his own as well as a rock laying next to it. Setting his crossbow down, Hiccup took his sword in one hand and the rock in the other before running the rock down Bemuhen's blade, sending sparks flying. As Hiccup had hoped, one of the sparks hit the fuse, which began to quickly burn.
Standing up, Hiccup took his crossbow in both hands as Mor'du pulled his sword out of the ground and turned to face the young man. Hiccup leveled the crossbow at Mor'du, who smiled as he readied his sword. As Hiccup aimed, he took a deep, calming breath as the world seemed to slow down around him. Everything seemed to fall away as Hiccup focused in one Mor'du's blood red eye. The smell of smoke from the burning wick mixed with the scent of black rock, all swirling together with the saltiness of the sea. Hiccup felt the smooth wood of the crossbow in his hand, the small vibration of the stretched wire yearning to be released. Slowly, Hiccup exhaled and pulled the trigger.
The arrow sprang from crossbow like a caged animal being unleashed, a thin trail of smoke following in its wake. The Demon Bear saw the arrow rocketing towards him. The Demon Bear lifted his sword to block.
The Demon Bear was too slow.
A blood curdling cry of anguish swept across the beach as Mor'du clawed at his face, covering his now bleeding eye with his hand in a vain attempt to squelch the pain, the shaft of the offending arrow sticking out from between his fingers, his sword falling forgotten to the ground.
"ARRRRGH!" Mor'du cried in pain and fury, "My eye! You little bastard, my eye!"
Letting his hands fall from his face, Mor'du looked around blindly, trying to find Hiccup as he swiped wildly at the air, coming nowhere close to the young man who watched the Demon Bear impassively.
"Where are you!?" Mor'du demanded as he continued to search for Hiccup, "Where are you, Haddock!?"
Hiccup continued to say nothing, taking a half step away from Mor'u as he watched the fuse burn right up to Mor'du's eye socket.
"When I find you, I'm going to put out both of your eyes, Haddock!" Mor'du roared, sniffing the air in an effort to track Hiccup down, "Except when I do it, it will be with my member as I…as I…"
Mor'du paused as he took a few more curious sniffs of the air, a look of confusion on his face.
"Why does everything smell like dragon shit?" Mor'du questioned.
As if to answer Mor'du's question, a muffled bang came from his direction causing Mor'du to shudder before going stock still. For a few long moments, Mor'du merely stood in place, occasionally twitching, but remaining eerily silent. Then, blood began to trickle out of his nose, then from his ears. Soon enough, Mor'du began to cry tears of blood from his blind eyes. Letting out a choked cough, Mor'du spat up more blood, the ichor mixing with his coarse beard. Then, all at once, Mor'du fell to the ground like a toppled tree, the impact of his bulk shaking the earth and the Demon Bear moved no more.
A quiet moment fell over the battlefield as Vendal, Viking and Highlander alike looked on in shock at the dead body of Mor'du. Reaching down, Hiccup picked up his sword before hoisting it above his head while shouting a loud as he could. Merida quickly joined in, holding her bow other her head, before Toothless joined in as well, his monstrous roar echoing across the island. Soon enough, all of the Vikings, Highlanders and dragons had joined in as the remaining Vendal looked on in fear. Without a word or sound, the Vendal began to scramble away, retreating into the dark shadows of the Nest as the assembled warriors roared in triumph.
These shouts of triumph were silence by the Red Death's own bellowing roar from atop the Nest.
"You think you've won!?" the Red Death demanded, hate filling his voice, "This changes nothing! The only thing that will happen now is I will make you all suffer more before the end!"
The Red Death then focused his gaze onto Hiccup.
"Especially you, Seigfreidson," the Red Death growled.
"You want me!?" Hiccup shouted back as he made his way over to Toothless, who was growling up at the Red Death, "You've got me!"
Mounting up, Hiccup moved to take off, but was stopped when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, Hiccup saw Merida pulling herself up onto the saddle behind him.
"Mer, what are you doing?" Hiccup questioned in concern.
"Did ye really think, after everythin' we've been through, Ah was gaein' tae let ye dae this alone?" Merida questioned, before reaching out and gripping Hiccup's shoulder, "Ah almost jist watched ye die, Hic. Ye're nae gaein' tae make me dae it again."
"Alright," Hiccup agreed with a small smile, reaching up and touching Merida's hand with his own. Turning Hiccup was about to urge Toothless into the air when he saw his father emerge from the crowd.
"Hiccup," Stoick said, a look of worry on his face, "I'm sorry, son. I was wrong."
Hiccup paused before nodding at his father. Turning towards Toothless, Hiccup pat the Night Fury on the back of the head.
"Alright, bud," Hiccup said, a look of determination on his face, "Let's put an end to this."
Toothless barked in agreement before shooting up into the sky, kicking up a cloud of dirt as he went. The three of them soared up towards the Red Death, which watched them angrily.
"Come on, you overgrown salamander!" Hiccup shouted down at the Red Death, "Come and get me!"
"With pleasure!" the Red Death roared back before leaping into the air, following Toothless and the two teens as they led him up into the gathering storm clouds.
A/N: So this chapter ended up being very long but I couldn't be happier. I've been imagining the events of this chapter for a long while, so I hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome so please review! Later!