Chapter 24

Live and Let Fly Part 2


Pearl Island

The moon was high in the sky when the members of Monster Flight Club began to descend toward the landmass in the distance. Already, despite the distance between them and their destination, they could see tiny glittering lights illuminating Pearl Island's coastline.

Of course, every one of them knew exactly what those glittering lights were. Hiccup felt his blood start to run cold when he thought of the destruction brought to Berk, all because of these –

"Stones of Good Fortune!" cheered Tuffnut, from farther down the flight formation. "Oh yeah, a lifetime of good luck. I can't wait to get my hands on one of those…"

From his position at the front of the formation, Hiccup shot Astrid a skeptical glance, and she replied with an upward roll of her eyes. Somehow, they kept being surprised by how stupid the twins kept proving themselves to be.

"Tuffnut, we've been over this," Hiccup called back to the male twin. "Those aren't Stones of Good Fortune, those are Gobul eggs. Remember the last time you had one?"

Face brightening at the memory, Ruff chimed in, "Yeah, you ended up being paralyzed from the neck down!"

"Please, just leave them alone?" begged Fishlegs. "I really don't want to revisit the Gobul debacle."

"And Snotlout really doesn't want to lose another fight to Fishlegs," Astrid added, directing the teasing remark to the Jorgenson boy himself. Out of all the Monster Riders, she had been the most amused at how Legs had gotten the last Gobul egg from Snotlout.

The gang began a gradual descent toward the island below them. They didn't head for the beach, though – no one wanted to disturb the Gobul nests, after all. No, they went straight for the forest, where the terrible leviathans would most likely be hunting.

"Still want that good luck…" Tuffnut grumbled.

Just then, Snaketail steered her Diablos over to him so that she was flying next to him. She leaned out of her saddle and ended up uncomfortably close to him, and giggled in his ear, "Oh, I've got a lifetime of good luck. As long as I'm with yooouuuu~."

Making a disgusted noise at the back of his throat, Tuff dove after the rest of his friends, leaving a disappointed Snaketail behind him.


The group and their monsters hid themselves within the shadowy bushes at the edge of a clearing in the middle of the forest. In the clearing, a lone Bullfango was foraging for food in the soil. Mere feet away from the oversized boar, a cluster of reed-like plants grew out of the ground. At any time now, the Bullfango would smell the plants and trot over for lunch.

From the shadows, Hiccup whispered to his friends, "Gobuls are ambush predators. They hide in the ground and use their whiskers to lure herbivores in for the kill."

"When they're underground, their stealth goes up by plus ten!" added Fishlegs. "And their stomachs can hold a whole Aptonoth!"

The Bullfango froze in its tracks and sniffed the air, then slowly walked into the middle of the clearing. As it headed for the plants, the moonlight illuminated its pelt for the riders to view more clearly.

"Say, don't we know that Bullfango?" Tuff wondered aloud.

"Yeah we do!" agreed Ruff, pointing. "That's Bjorn Bullfango!"

Sounding like she didn't really want to know, Astrid asked, "Are they serious…?"

Grunting with pleasure, the Bullfango nudged the plants with its sensitive nose. Immediately, the ground exploded as a gigantic Gobul jumped out from its hiding place and chomped down on its prey.

To everyone's horror, Tuffnut stood up and bellowed, "YOU LEAVE BJORN ALONE!"

The Gobul turned around and glared at him with its poisonous yellow eyes.

"Clearly they are," Arachne muttered.

A hissing roar tore through the air as the Gobul swallowed its meal and puffed itself up, extending long spines from its back.

All of a sudden, Tuff lost his bravado. "You're on your own, Bjorn…!"

Hiccup jumped onto Sightless, and the others followed his lead with their own monsters (or dragon in Arachne's case). The Gobul clumsily charged forward, and the gang rushed out of the clearing. As much as they wanted to fly, they couldn't, because the trees were far too thick for any of their monsters to take flight. So instead, they ran.

"Keep your distance!" cried Hiccup. "Those bone-crushing blasts of water and paralyzing spikes are only effective at close range!"

"Not very comforting when you're on the slowest monster!" retorted Fishlegs, ducking under a blast.

A growl came from Heatray, who was indeed slightly lagging behind the others. It appeared that she had taken offense to his comment.

"Sorry, Heatray, it had to be said…" he apologized.

Fortunately for Fishlegs, Gobuls were not the greatest at running. Soon, they had left their pursuer far behind – but the trial was only just beginning! As the monsters crashed through the forest on their way to the coastline, they accidentally trampled other Gobuls that were also lying in wait for their prey. The furious anglerfish-like creatures popped out of their hiding places almost as soon as they were stepped on, forcing the Monster Riders to dodge this way and that.

Snotlout yelped when a Gobul burst out of the ground and only barely missed him and Snotsnarl. "There's too many of them!" he shouted. "And they come outta nowhere!"

Hiccup felt Sightless jump into the air to avoid a Gobul that burst up from underfoot, and swiftly ducked his head to avoid hitting it on a thick tree limb. They were picking up speed, and the forest around them raced by in a blur. Low-hanging branches constantly came out of nowhere. As if the dark didn't hard enough to see already…

"We're almost to the beach!" came Astrid's voice. Somehow, she managed to make herself heard over the sounds of the roaring Gobuls, the branches being pushed or slapped away, and the plants being crushed underfoot.

Finally, the trees disappeared, and they found themselves behind showered by moonlight.

"Up!" Hiccup ordered. "Up!"

First Sightless, then Blackhawk and Rilebolt, and then all of the monsters were up in the sky. The beach got smaller the higher they climbed, and several Gobuls emerged from the forest to hiss their frustration at the fleeing intruders. When their roars grew so faint that they could no longer be heard, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"What did I say about the Gobul debacle?!" Fishlegs squeaked. "Was no-one listening to me?!"

Snaketail told him, matter-of-factly, "No. We never listen."

Having had enough adventure for that night, Hiccup led his friends back in the direction of home.


Gobber's Forge, Morning

The next morning, Gobber was at his usual post in his shop. Already, there were villagers giving him weapons to fix, and dragons lining up to get their teeth checked. But he was curious about the Insect Glaive that Hiccup had left lying about two nights before.

"Hmm… where'd he hide it?" the blacksmith asked himself, fiddling with the huge baton-like weapon. It was far too delicate a creation to be handled by someone with such big hands – which was why it was perfect for Hiccup. Gobber had to admit, his apprentice was some kind of Viking genius. Although, as he thought with some amusement, people didn't usually use the words 'Viking' and 'genius' together in the same sentence.

He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to what was bothering him. "Where's the trigger fer tha' juice-shooting thing?" he muttered, examining the Insect Glaive from every angle.

"Gobber!"

He was startled by the abruptness of Stoick's voice calling out to him, and when a Viking was startled, his first instinct was to grab a weapon. Jumping slightly, Gobber pointed the end of the Insect Glaive at the window, through which he could see the Chief approaching. When he did that, though, his clumsy hands accidentally activated the hidden mechanism on the glaive, and a glob of green juice suddenly flew out the window – and right into Stoick's face.

Needless to say, that was the last thing Stoick was expecting to happen when he poked his head through the window. All of a sudden, there was a cold wet mess splattered all over what little of his face wasn't covered by red hair. There was an intoxicatingly-sweet smell assaulting his nose and a horrible taste in his mouth. He had known for a while that Hiccup had been developing a new kind of weapon – but he had no inkling it would involve something this unpleasant!

Gobber, meanwhile, was pale-faced at the realization that he had inadvertently shot his Chief. Hastily, he grabbed a (somewhat) clean rag from off the shelf and hastily rubbed Stoick's face clean.

"I'll just, ah… wipe tha' off…" he muttered. "And… hopefully no-one is lookin'…"

In a minute, Stoick's face was completely clean – although the scent still lingered in his nose. He suspected that it might be there for a while.

Back to his cheerful attitude, Gobber asked, "So, what can I do ya for?"

"I've come for the saddles," replied Stoick. "Have you made the adjustments I asked for?"

Nodding, he affirmed, "They're done and back on Needlenose an' Thornado! They're much more maneuverable now, if I do say so meself."

"Good," Stoick said shortly, backing out of the smithy.

"'Course, tha' shoudn't matter," sighed Gobber, going back to the Insect Glaive, "wha' with the ban on flyin' an' all."

Overhearing the remark, Stoick turned around and raised his eyebrow. "And what ban would that be, Gobber?"

"You know, the ban!" his friend repeated. "The ban on flyin' monsters and dragons! An' that includes Anorupatisus and Thunderdrums! The ban where no-one is allowed to ride…"

He trailed off. Stoick was looking at him with a skeptical expression, as if he was waiting for something. Had Gobber missed something?

And then it hit him.

"Aaaaaah, I see," he said. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper and added, "The ban where no one is allowed ta fly except the Chief."

"Someone has to patrol the island," Stoick shrugged. "May as well be me."

Was it just him, or did Gobber detect a hint of discomfort in Stoick's voice? To tell the truth, Gobber had been a bit resentful of the new 'no flying allowed' rule ever since it had been announced. Now was his chance to, just maybe, change the Chief's mind.

"Stoick," he began, his tone dead serious, "yeh know this ain't fair to the Monster Riders. You gave them tha' academy so that they could handle all things monster-related, remember? Yer tellin' me yer goin' back on yer word?"

"Gobber," Stoick almost snapped, "I'm not risking the lives of those kids. And I'm not changing my mind. So don't tell anyone about this – especially Hiccup. He already knows that I'm the reason that Magala of his is going stir-crazy…"

Grinning, the blacksmith assured him, "Come on, Stoick, I'm nothin' if not careful."

Then he accidentally triggered another mechanism on Hiccup's Insect Glaive, and the blade flicked out and carved a nice gouge in his helmet. If the helmet hadn't been there, it probably would have cut into his skull instead.

"Oops," he chuckled. "Retractable blade. Shoulda seen that one comin'."

Exasperated, Stoick shook his head and left the smithy. And then, not even five seconds after he had gone, someone else appeared at the window. It was the little Philston girl, the one who lived at Phlegm and Goosebreath's place.

"Arachne!" Gobber exclaimed. "What brings yeh here to me shop, lass?"

"Hey Gobber!" she chirped. "Mind taking a look at Rilebolt? I think she got some of her last meal stuck in her teeth, and I can't reach it."

The Skrill suddenly stuck her head in and let out a small growl, peering at Gobber inquisitively.

Giving Rilebolt a pat on the snout, he answered, "Ah, no problem! Dragon Dentist Gobber is in the house!"

Arachne gave the beefy man a quick smile before leaving him to do his job. As soon as she was facing away from the forge, though, she allowed her cheery expression to drop away.

What was it that Stoick was saying earlier? Arachne asked herself, her eyebrows knitting together in suspicion.


Elsewhere, Evening

That night, the Berk Monster Riders regrouped and flew out on another Flight Club mission. They didn't fly to Pearl Island this time, rather an island that was somewhat closer to Berk. Right now, they were all gathered in a clearing, examining a peculiar marking on the ground and listening to Fishlegs talk.

"Much like the rings inside a tree," the Ingerman boy lectured, bending over the mark, "the scorch mark can tell you the age, size, and control over the Dragon element of the Doragyurosu in question."

Snaketail knelt down and moved her hand over the charred dirt. "It's still warm. That means it wasn't here all that long ago."

Unperturbed, Legs went on, "And if you look closely at the mark, you can tell where it came from and which way it was headed."

"I can tell you where it's headed without all that stupid stuff," stated Snotlout.

"Oh really?" Astrid sneered. She folded her arms and challenged him, "So where's it going?"

Lout's eyes were on the sky when he replied, "It's not going. It's coming. At us. RIGHT NOW!"

The moon was suddenly blotted out by a vast pair of wings, and red lightning bolts shot down from the sky and struck around the clearing. With each strike, the ground shook, causing the Monster Riders to duck and cover their heads by instinct. The Doragyurosu released a guttural roar from its beaky jaws as it swooped down upon them, its wing ribbons ready to lash the human teens to pieces.

"Anything else we needed to learn?" called Tuffnut.

"Nope, we're good!" Hiccup replied. "Monsters, everyone!"

In seconds, the Doragyurosu was upon them, sending its red lightning everywhere. Hastily, Hiccup equipped his Insect Glaive and activated the trigger, shooting the giant flying wyvern with a blast of juice. The nasty substance splattered against its beak, and it roared with disgust as the flowery scent invaded its nostrils.

For the second time in as many nights, they beat a hasty retreat.


Sky over the Open Ocean

Berk was on the horizon when Arachne suddenly spoke up. "Hiccup, there's something you need to know."

The group had been flying in silence for some time, and hearing the Philston girl's voice come out of nowhere was a surprise to some of the others.

"How's that?" asked Hiccup, turning his head to regard the ten-year-old and her Skrill.

"Your dad's still flying Needlenose," she replied, not missing a beat. "I overheard him talking to Gobber about it earlier today. He said that 'someone has to patrol the island'."

"Unfair!" shouted Tuffnut. "He can't do that!"

"He's the Chief, you mutton-head," Astrid responded.

"Still, unfair!" he groused. "And speaking of which, Hiccup?"

"Yes, Tuff?" the Haddock boy replied.

"When did your dad join Monster Flight Club?" inquired Tuff.

"He didn't," answered Hiccup, bewildered. "Why ask?"

"'Cause he's right there," the male Thorston stated, and pointed.

When Hiccup looked down, a chill went up his spine. Indeed, below them was none other than Stoick himself, riding Needlenose over the calm ocean waves.

"What the –" the Chief-to-be began, then cut himself off before he said something inappropriate. Instead, he commanded, "Okay gang, evasive maneuvers! Into the clouds!"

Luckily for them, the night sky was fairly overcast, and they were already flying rather high. All they had to do was increase their altitude a few dozen feet, and they now found their eyesight blocked by thick cloud cover.

Although none of the Monster Riders could see, they could still hear, and Hiccup's voice called out loud and clear. "We should stay up here in the clouds until we're right over Berk. That should keep us hidden until the last second."

The thing was, not all of the gang was completely hidden. Ruff and Tuff were still flying directly below the clouds, something that Hiccup somehow noticed even with his obscured vision.

"What are you two doing?" he called to them.

"We can't see in the clouds!" Tuff called back.

"Yeah, too cloudy!" Ruff added.

Silently muttering a prayer to Odin to give him patience, Hiccup told the twins, "Guys, if you're out of the clouds, then my dad will be able to see you."

Coincidentally, it was around this time that Stoick happened to look up. As predicted, he almost immediately caught sight of the twins. With a 'what-in-Thor's-name-is-going-on' expression, he pulled hard on Needlenose's saddle and began to climb toward the hidden Monster Riders.

Tuffnut saw Stoick at the same time Stoick saw him. "Uh, not gonna disagree with you there," he told Hiccup.

The Anorupatisu's screech blasted through the otherwise quiet night air as he and his Viking rider ascended, shooting towards the twins with surprising speed.

"Here he comes!" Arachne wailed.

In the seconds that remained before his dad caught them, Hiccup shouted a series of orders. "Split up, head home, and for the love of Thor, keep the monsters out of sight!"

"Awesome!" approved Snotlout. "Even if he is the Chief, he can't follow all of us!"

By the time Stoick reached the clouds, he almost jumped out of his helmet when he saw monsters suddenly explode in all directions. He looked this way and that, but no matter where he turned, there was a fleeing monster in his sight. Frustration began to build. Which one should he chase after?

Defeated, he bellowed, "You can't all get away, Monster Riders!"

Snaketail couldn't resist a parting shot, and shouted back, "Watch us! YAHOOOOOO!"

And then the Monster Riders were nothing but invisible specks against the blackened sky.


Village Plaza

Each expecting Stoick and Needlenose to be gaining on them, the eight rebels flew their monsters over the Berk landmass, tearing across the village at almost breakneck speed.

First to reach their house were the twins. King and Queen swooped low over the building so that Ruff and Tuff could jump onto the roof and slide down to the front porch. Ruff helped her brother down before bustling inside, and Tuff just barely remembered to shut the door behind him.

Next was Snaketail, who leapt off of her saddle as soon as Twinhorn hit the ground. With one smooth motion, she reached into a nearby barrel and tossed the Diablos a cabbage, then vaulted through her window.

Arachne and Rilebolt flew right into the latter's stable before officially landing. In her panic to get inside her house, Arachne tripped over a stack of spare weapons and noisily scattered them all over the ground. She paused, looking torn between running inside immediately and picking up the weapons first – but then she decided to leave them where they were, and practically threw herself at the front door.

Meanwhile, Snotsnarl slowed down as he approached Snotlout's house, and came to a steady hover right outside the top window. With a casual toss of his head, he unceremoniously threw the narcissistic Jorgenson boy inside before flying away.

"Way to go, Snotsnarl!" Lout called, his voice muffled.

Then came Astrid and Blackhawk. Much like the twins, Astrid jumped off of Blackhawk's back and landed on the roof – the only difference was that she whipped out one of her Dual Blades and used it as a snowboard in order to slide down the side of the roof. The weapon made a grating sound as it slid over the shingles, and then the sound stopped as Astrid soared off of the roof and landed on her feet. She ran inside immediately, and Blackhawk made herself comfortable in the stable next to the house.

I'll have to remember to teach that to Arachne one of these days, she thought with a smile.

A scream could be heard all throughout the village as Hiccup and Sightless shot overhead like a dark arrow. Without even slowing down, the Gore Magala zoomed through the window to Hiccup's room and instantly flared out his wings, stopping himself from crashing into the opposite wall.

In his attempt to be as quick as possible, Hiccup literally dove off of Sightless' back and landed painfully on his bed. Ignoring the pain, he pulled the blanket over himself while Sightless hopped into his usual sleeping place and covered himself with his cloak.

It took a solid five minutes for the last Monster Rider to make it home. Heatray bumbled over the village toward Fishlegs' house, and when she found it, she landed on the ground in front of the door with a huge crash. Carefully, Fishlegs climbed down off of her back and patted her head in a congratulatory way.

"We made it, girl," he whispered. "Good job. I knew we were smarter than –"

"Smarter than who, Fishlegs Ingerman?"

A shadow fell over him just then, and he turned around to face the all-too familiar scowl of Stoick the Vast.

Fishlegs uttered a very unmanly noise, sounding like a cross between a squeak and a whimper.


Meade Hall

Unusually for this time of night, there was a dim glow coming from behind the doors of the Meade Hall. Inside, though, the light wasn't so welcoming. In fact, it gave the vast, empty chamber a very foreboding atmosphere – especially when the only people that could be seen were a serious-looking Stoick and Gobber.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Fishlegs," the Chief said lowly. "What were you doing out there, and who was with you? I made myself very clear when I told your friend Hiccup about the ban on flying."

Poor Fishlegs had been tied to a chair that sat in the middle of the Meade Hall, with nothing around him except darkness. While his mouth was clamped tightly shut, his lips moved around constantly as he fought to keep his tongue in check. This was serious business. It wasn't another of Hiccup's tests to see how well he'd do under questioning. No, this was the real thing, with even more real consequences.

Hiccup was counting on him, and somehow, that thought gave him the strength he never thought he had.

"My name is Fishlegs!" he repeated firmly, for perhaps the tenth time. "I live on the island of Berk! I know nothing about monsters or those who ride them!"

Gobber and Stoick exchanged a glance full of worry and bewilderment.

"Why does he keep sayin' that?" Gobber whispered. "It kinda gives me the willies."

Sighing, Stoick leaned down and placed a comforting hand on the young Ingerman's shoulder. "This isn't an interrogation, Fishlegs."

Raising a hand, Gobber disagreed, "Uh, it does kinda feel like an interrogation, Stoick." He looked around at the dark, dimly-lit hall and the ropes they had used to tie Fishlegs down.

"Not helping, Gobber," Stoick sighed again.

The two of them tried again to get answers out of Fishlegs, but the husky boy had already put his foot down. He had gotten this far – he couldn't give in now! So, determinedly stubborn, he kept on repeating the same thing.

"My name is Fishlegs! I live on the island of Berk! I know nothing about monsters or those who ride them!"

The interrogation went on for at least another hour, but to Fishlegs' credit, Stoick and Gobber didn't get anywhere.


Berk Monster Academy, the Next Evening

Hi there, Hiccup.

Off checking the supplies that had been stored away in the cages at the back of the arena, Hiccup suddenly jumped like a Tetsucabra as a voice spoke to him in his head. It wasn't just a voice, though – it was the voice.

When he had been imprisoned on Outcast Island, he had been mysteriously contacted by some person that communicated with him by speaking in his mind. It was strange, because there was no-one else in the dungeon except for his two Siren friends and Mildew, none of which were able to use telepathy. It gave him the creepy feeling that there was someone sneaking around and following him. But this voice had given him the idea he needed to escape Alvin's clutches and rescue Sightless.

Hiccuuuuuup~, the voice was singing. Knock knock, are you hooooome~?

With effort, Hiccup grasped the connection and forced his thoughts to travel back to her. This was a process he was getting surprisingly good at. Sorry, you just shocked me. What do you want?

A girlish giggle resonated in his head. You should send someone out to scout the coastline. I think you'll find something worthwhile.

Why? Hiccup thought back.

Just do it, she urged him. I promise you won't regret it.

Uncertain, he replied, Are you sure about this?

Hey, she answered, sounding hurt. I helped you escape Outcast Island, didn't I? I would think you would trust me a little more.

Then, the Haddock boy felt their connection disappear, leaving tons of questions swirling aimlessly around his brain. Who was this girl, and how could she talk to him like that? Did she know where he was? Was she stalking him? Where was she when he had been on Outcast Island?

But she had a point… she had helped him that day. Maybe he could give her suggestion a shot.

"Snotlout?" he called out, turning away from the cages and walking toward where his cousin was lounging around with his monster.

"Yeah?" he replied, opening his eyes.

After he had taken a moment to think of how he was going to phrase his request, Hiccup spoke aloud. "Could you scout around the island and see if there's anything out there? I don't know if my dad will still be looking for us."

A light of excitement turned on in his cousin's eyes. A chance to be useful and an excuse to ride Snotsnarl behind everyone's backs again? Yes please.

"You got it, Hiccup!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist. He ran over to Snotsnarl without a second thought, and they were out the gate in the blink of an eye.

Astrid wandered over to Hiccup's side, her brow furrowed with confusion. "What was that all about?"

Understandably, her boyfriend really didn't want to tell her that an invisible voice had been talking to him and persuading him to send another Monster Rider off on a random scouting mission. She might think he had lost his mind, or laugh at him. Most likely both. But he didn't want to lie to her, either.

Thankfully, he didn't have to answer. The gate abruptly open, and Fishlegs ran in excitedly.

"Legs!" shouted Hiccup, running over to meet his friend. "I haven't seen you since last night! What did Dad ask you?"

Breathing hard, Fishlegs' eyes were sparkling with ecstasy as he spilled the beans. "They really put the screws to me!" he squealed. "I thought I was gonna crack – especially when the lights went out! – but I held firm, because I knew the first rule of Monster Flight Club is that there is no Monster Flight Club!"

"Oh great. Not that again," Tuffnut groaned.

"You did great, Fishlegs," smiled Hiccup, patting him on the back. "I'm proud of you."

Very pleased, he asked in a chipper voice, "So, what're we doing tonight?"

"Nothing," came Arachne's blunt answer. She was currently sitting against the wall, polishing her new Hunter's Dagger. "I know, it doesn't sound fun at all, but Hiccup's dad is onto us. We need to lay low until this blows over. We need to be invisible. Like, Chameleos-level invisible."

That was when Snaketail spoke up with a frown. "Then why are we even here? If we're laying low, shouldn't we be staying away from the academy at such a suspicious hour of the day?"

"Well, we can't exactly now that Snotlout's gone," Astrid pointed out. "He and Snotsnarl went to scope out the island and see if Hiccup's dad is still on our trail, so to speak."

Speak of the devil, an enormously-loud "DRAAAAAAAGGGGHH!" echoed across the night sky, and a Tigrex plunged toward the academy before landing outside and charging through the open gate. The Tigrex's rider promptly fell off the saddle.

"I said 'invisible'!" complained Arachne. "In what way is that being invisible?"

"Yeah, even I knew that!" said Ruffnut.

Snotlout staggered to his feet and fixed his helmet in an attempt to recover from his undignified landing. "I meant to do that," he insisted. "But that's not important. What is important is what I just found!"

"Please tell me this isn't going to turn out like the last time you found something 'important'," Astrid growled.

Ignoring her, Hiccup stepped forward and asked, "So tell us, what's so important anyway?"

"Let's just say I may have gone and saved this entire island!" his cousin yelled. "Alvin and the Outcasts are attacking as we speak!"

That particular news was like an explosion going off – it got the Monster Riders' attention and left nothing but stunned silence behind. Several of the monsters lifted their heads and growled at the familiar word 'Outcast'.

"Now what do we do?" asked Tuff.

"You even have to ask?" Astrid shot back. "We go and kick their sorry butts, that's what! Last one in the air is a rotten Viking!"

In moments, a phalanx of airborne monsters was blotting out the stars as they rose from the Academy to do what they did best. That is, unite as one and come down as a hammer on their enemies.

And as usual, Fishlegs ended up as the rotten Viking.


Sea Near Berk

A lone ship drifted purposefully through the water toward the landmass in the distance. The wind was with them, propelling it forward that much faster. Which was fine with Alvin. The sooner Berk fell, the better.

A soldier approached him and reported, "Alvin, we're getting closer."

"Yes, we are…" the leader of the Outcasts agreed. "An' the closer we get, the stronger the smell!"

"The smell of what?" the Outcast asked him.

"The smell o' Berk's destruction!" Alvin replied with a not-too-friendly laugh. "I hope that Monster Conqueror shows up soon. I've got a big surprise for 'im!"

Suddenly, their boat rocked ominously as something below deck tried to escape.

Alvin smirked. "Yep, one big surprise…"


Hiccup's House

Hiccup rushed into Stoick's room and immediately made for his father's snoring form sprawled out on the bed. He started shaking him, calling, "Dad! Dad! Wake up!"

He immediately stopped when Stoick woke up, completely unaware of the situation or who had just roused him. Acting on reflex, he picked his son up by the hem of his tunic and readied his handy Switch Axe (which, despite it being as large as he was, he was able to pick up and use with a single hand).

With his life flashing before his eyes, Hiccup didn't care how high his voice rose when he squealed, "Gaaaaaah, Dad, it's me, please don't chop me!"

Stoick blinked.

"HICCUP!" he abruptly exploded, putting Hiccup down. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me in my sleep?!"

"W-W-Well, it's not fun for me, either!" Hiccup protested. "But Dad, this is an emergency! Alvin is coming to destroy the village!"

Initially, the older Haddock's eyes widened. Then, once he had actually started thinking about what he had just heard, they narrowed.

"And… how would you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

Totally deadpan, Hiccup said, "Do you really need an answer to that question?"

Breathing a heavy sigh, Stoick let his Switch Axe drop to the floor and walked to the other side of his room to retrieve his helmet. Some days, that boy of his…

"I told you that flying is no longer allowed," he stated, firmly.

Hiccup's answer was positively dripping with sarcasm. "Uh, yeah, I was thinking about that, and doesn't a 'ban on flying' pertain to all flying creatures? Including, say… a Thunderdrum and an Anorupatisu?"

To Stoick's credit, he managed to hide his embarrassment. He also managed to keep his cool when a Smothering Smokebreath suddenly landed on the windowsill and trilled a greeting.

Arachne poked her head in next to Cuddles. "You're setting a pretty bad example by breaking your own rules, Chief!"

Raising his eyebrows at the unexpected appearance of the Philston girl and her pet, Stoick turned back to Hiccup and asked, "What is she doing here?"

"Can't we talk about this later?" he protested, trying to get him back on track. After all, the Outcasts were surely almost here.

Yet another sigh escaped Stoick's mouth. He, too, realized that the situation was too dire for him to stand here arguing with his son – an ordeal that would probably take at least an hour. And there wasn't any time to repeat what he had said about the ban on flying, especially when he knew that he would need all the backup he could get when he went to confront Alvin.

"Well then, wake the others," he said firmly, reaching for his Switch Axe again. "We'll need the full company of Monster Riders."

Followed by Arachne and Hiccup, the Chief trudged out of his room and headed straight for the door. Then, when he opened it and started forward again, he abruptly stopped dead and looked up.

His path out the door was walled off by a Diablos standing on the porch.

"Waaaaay ahead of you, Stoick sir!" announced Snaketail. Around her, the other teens nodded enthusiastically.


Sea Near Berk

The moon was shining brightly over the ocean as the Berk Monster Riders flew onward toward their next mission. On the surface down below, the shadow of the Outcast ship could clearly be seen moving steadily toward Berk.

But the riders had an advantage. While they could see the ship, the men on the ship likely could not see them. On their nightly Flight Club routines, Hiccup had been teaching his friends how to fly more stealthily at night. With enough training, even Snotlout and his disobedient Tigrex could stay well hidden from any foe.

With every second, they were getting closer to the enemy vessel. They were practically on top of it when Stoick, mounted on Needlenose, gave his orders. Everyone tensed, feeling the thrill of the battle to come start flowing through their bones.

"I'll draw their first line of fire," Stoick yelled across to Hiccup. "Then, you and the other riders will attack. But not before!"

Hiccup nodded, his face set in a determined frown even though excitement was buzzing through his veins. Back on Sightless, flying into battle with his best friend, and with the other riders by his side – this was the sort of thing a Monster Rider lived for!

The first stage of the attack commenced. Pushing on Needlenose's saddle, Stoick urged the King of the Polar Sea into a steep dive toward the boat. His great white wings spread wide, Needlenose allowed frosty air to vent from the gaps in his shell as he built up the energy for an ice blast.

Unfortunately, Alvin caught sight of the flying wyvern.

"On my command!" the leader of the Outcasts barked. When his soldiers had wheeled a catapult to the port side, and lined it up with the incoming monster, he bellowed, "NOW!"

A rock as big as an Uragaan's chin came hurtling through the air on a direct course toward Stoick and Needlenose.

"Needlenose, down!" the wyvern's rider ordered, and with a flawless barrel roll, they dodged the projectile. They then performed a wide banking turn and soared easily around the ship, drawing the crossbow fire from the soldiers on board.

When Stoick was absolutely certain that he had the Outcasts' attention, he looked over his shoulder and called, "Hiccup, now or never!"

That was their cue! The Haddock boy clicked the stirrup by instinct, adjusting Sightless' splint and allowing him to dive just as Needlenose had seconds ago. The Gore Magala plunged through the black sky and descended rapidly on the ship, gathering virus in his maw. One after the other, the Monster Riders followed their leader.

"Open fire, gang!" Hiccup shouted the order.

"CHAAAAAAAAAHH!" Sightless screamed, launching his virus blast.

In an instant, it was chaos. Black mist exploded where Sightless' projectile hit the ship, causing the Outcasts to yell in shock and fear at the unexpectedness of the attack. King, Queen, and Blackhawk were close behind, raining fiery death down on the flammable watercraft. Snotsnarl and Twinhorn roared destructively, Rilebolt shot lightning bolts, and Heatray let her heavy tail hang beneath her to bash anything that got in her way.

Safe behind a crate at the bow of the ship, an Outcast soldier did the unthinkable – he chuckled. "Here they are," he said to Alvin, "just as you said."

Rubbing his hands together with satisfaction, Alvin replied, "Right then. Release the kraken!"

"Uh… sir?" the barbarian asked, scratching his head.

Alvin laughed. "Ah, never mind. I jus' always wanted ta say that! Release the Barioths!"

Hiccup steered Sightless around for another attack run, avoiding Bowgun shots as they moved across the sky. Even though he knew the Outcasts probably couldn't see him from so far below, he shook his head with exasperation. Alvin really needed to train them better, because they had absolutely terrible aim.

"Get ready for another virus blast, bud," he said.

Sightless growled and opened his jaws, already gathering black fire at the back of his throat. But just then, he stopped and flicked out his horns. Normally this would be ill-advised, since their glowing purple tips would give the Outcasts a better idea of where to fire their shots. However, Hiccup remembered when those horns had helped him and Sightless escape a cave-in by somehow "reading" the virus he had spread around the cave.

Was there something else on the ship that Sightless could detect thanks to the virus swirling around the boat, but Hiccup could not?

There certainly was, based on how a trio of saber-toothed monsters burst free from the Outcast boat's cargo hold and immediately flew for the Monster Riders soaring above the ship.

"Oh no," sighed Hiccup.

He recognized the beasts from the Book of Monsters, of course. They were Barioths, kind of like a cross between a tiger and a wyvern which loved cold climates. Back when Berk was being raided by monsters, Barioths would always come and make the Hooligans' lives miserable during the winter months. They could run, fly, and even swim at fearsome speeds, and used their orange, sword-shaped fangs to cut their prey open.

The Barioths roared like icebergs crumbling, heading straight toward the shocked riders. But they didn't stop there – in fact, they kept on going, flying in the direction of the only visible landmass on the horizon. It didn't take a genius to remember what that island was.

"We can't let them get to the island!" Fishlegs shouted to the rest of the group. "If they reach Berk, they'll tear it apart!"

From the back of Twinhorn, there was an aggravated yell from Snaketail. "Alvin must have trained them to head for land. That sneaky son of a bit–"

"Language, Tail!" Hiccup reprimanded. He steered Sightless back toward the group and continued to speak. "Astrid, you and the others herd them back toward their island, and make sure none of them head back this way. I'm going to go help my dad!"

"On it!" the Hofferson girl affirmed. She rallied the other Monster Riders, and together they took off after the Barioths.

Hiccup nodded to himself, satisfied, then flew off in the opposite direction to join Stoick.


The trio of flying wyverns had only made it a short distance away from the scene of battle when they suddenly found their airspace being invaded.

"Take this, morons!" shouted Snotlout, tugging on Snotsnarl's horns. The Tigrex replied with a roar that scattered the Barioths.

Confused and angry that they had been attacked, the Barioths swooped down to retaliate. However, one of them suddenly found itself preoccupied by Astrid and Blackhawk, who zipped around it and shot poisonous tail spikes. When the other two Barioths turned around to help their partner, the other Monster Riders closed in.

Snaketail was the first to strike, charging in for the attack with Twinhorn. The Diablos' huge horns struck one Barioth, smacking it out of the air. As it plummeted toward the ocean, though, it luckily regained control of itself before it could hit the surface, and shakily flew away.

There was a crackle of lightning and a harsh screech as Arachne's Skrill grabbed hold of the second Barioth and allowed electricity to flow through her body. Although the Barioth was much larger, Rilebolt clung onto its back and sung in her claws, flooding the monster with her deadly charge. Smoke rising from its body, the Barioth fell as soon as Rilebolt let go, then managed to steady itself and flew after the first Barioth.

The last one tried to duck past Snotsnarl and Blackhawk so it could reach Berk, knowing it would be safer on land. But it didn't count on Heatray being there to stop it, red-hot magma gushing from her mouth in a concentrated beam. The blast came so close that the Barioth could feel the hellish heat on its scales, and that was enough to deter it. Not wanting to be burnt to a crisp, it turned tail and fled in the same direction its companions were going.

"The Barioths are retreating!" Tuff yelled.

"I can see that, Captain Obvious!" Snotlout retorted.

Ruff had a disappointed look on her face. "Aww," the Thorston girl groused, "Queen and I didn't get to do anything!"

"Cheer up," said Arachne. "Maybe Hiccup and the Chief still need our help."

The Monster Riders gathered into their usual formation and headed back for the Outcast ship, where bursts of ice and black virus could be seen in the distance.


One Outcast boat stood no chance against the might of an Anorupatisu and Gore Magala, the King of the Polar Sea and the unholy offspring of contagion and plague itself. The Outcasts probably should have known that, but that didn't stop them from trying to Bowgun the monsters down.

With remarkable agility, Sightless tucked in his cape and rolled away from a volley of shots in midair, then spread his wings again and dove down upon the Outcasts. Hiccup could see them duck and cover their heads as Sightless rained virus blasts on the deck, causing the ship to tremble.

And when the sky above them was free of black wings, a flash of white took over. Needlenose came right behind Sightless, his saw-like snout cleaving through the air and missing the ship's mast by a hair. The Anorupatisu flew high into the air, then swiftly turned around and dove in for another attack.

"Ice blast, Needlenose!" ordered Stoick.

At the same time, Hiccup brought Sightless back around and commanded, "Virus blast!"

Black fire flew through the air at the same time as blinding ice. The projectiles met each other just above the boat and detonated, showering the Outcasts with a brilliant shockwave of dark purple and icy blue.

"Did you see that?" Stoick exclaimed in wonder. "Hiccup, our shots combine!"

Indeed, Hiccup had seen the dazzling display as well, and how effective it had been. "Let's do it again! Ice Virus Blast!"

Both Sightless and Needlenose responded to the order by firing their blasts simultaneously, and the result was the same. Ice and virus scattered far and wide, partially freezing the Outcast boat and shrouding it with black fog. On board, some of the Outcasts had actually been knocked out cold by the force of the shockwave.

Alvin saw half of his warriors fall prey to the powerful combination attack and made a strangled sound of frustration in his throat. "Aaaagh, they win this round! Set a course for Outcast Island!"

It didn't take long for the still-conscious Outcasts to turn their boat around and book it.

"They're in retreat!" Hiccup announced.

Hearing his call, the other teens realized that they had won, and wasted no time in rearranging their formation to accommodate Hiccup and Stoick. Their monsters flocked together and carried them back to Berk, the thrill of the battle slowly fading and allowing them to relax. The riders exchanged encouraging remarks and compliments with each other about how well their mission had gone.

That is, every rider except Hiccup.

"What is it, son?" asked Stoick, noticing how quiet the Haddock boy was being.

He shrugged. "I dunno… I guess I thought Alvin would have come with a better plan than this. I mean, come on. Only one boat?"

He had a point. What was Alvin thinking, trying to invade Berk with just a handful of soldiers and a few wild Barioths as backup? Stoick forced the thought from his mind, not wanting to dwell on it.

"Well, let's be thankful he didn't," he said, and led the way back home.


Secret Cave

From the safety of a secluded beach, Savage chuckled unpleasantly to himself as he watched the Monster Riders return from their mission. He walked back into the cave, where some other Outcasts milling around and moving large crates further into the darkness.

"Heh, Alvin's diversion worked perfectly!" Savage called.

There was a ragged cough from somewhere in the shadows, and who should come hobbling out but Mildew and his pet sheep, Fungus. The two of them had chosen to stay with the Outcasts in order to impart their monster-training knowledge to Alvin and his crew. After all, they did have a bargain going on – if the old man wanted the monsters gone from Berk, he'd have to help Alvin destroy it.

Savage joined Mildew and watched the soldiers place the crates in various spots around the cavern. Some of the crates were filled with bunches of small eggs, while other crates contained a couple of rather massive ones. It was obvious which ones were dragon in origin, and which ones were monster.

"Are you sure we're putting these in the right place?" one Outcast grunted. He stretched his back out when he was finally free of his heavy load.

"I'm sure," replied Mildew. "That rogue Najarala tunneled from one end of the island to the other when it came to Berk, and as you know, Alvin's Whispering Death was there helping. These caves extend all the way to the village! They'll never know that there are snake wyverns and dragons right beneath their feet."

"This had better go as planned," warned Savage. "Alvin's had this idea for a long time."

"Well, the more time you have, the more time there is to make an idea perfect, wouldn't you say?" asked Mildew.

After thinking about that, Savage nodded. "True."


Hiccup's House

It was very late when Hiccup and Stoick returned to the house. Needleose stayed outside to assume his usual sleeping spot beside Thornado, and Sightless immediately galloped upstairs to his own bed. Hiccup, though, stayed downstairs with his dad. He sensed that there was something that Stoick wanted to say to him.

At last, Stoick hung up his helmet and sat down wearily at the table, his eyes trained on Hiccup. "I don't like that you disobeyed me, son."

The younger Haddock was silent, waiting for more.

"But," Stoick sighed, "I can also tell that I was wrong. I shouldn't have grounded the monsters. I was just… being a father." He said the last bit with a bit of pink around his ears.

"I understand, Dad," Hiccup responded, sincerely.

"Actually, now that I think about it," continued Stoick, starting to chuckle, "it was a rather boar-headed decision on my part to try and protect you and your friends by banning the monsters from flying. You can't stop a monster from doing what it has to do. I should have seen that."

Both father and son shared a good-natured laugh over that.

"Now," said Stoick, "why don't you tell me about this 'Monster Flight Club' of yours? An' don't leave out a thing."

Hiccup was grinning as he began to explain, "Well, you see, the first rule of Monster Flight Club is that there is no Monster Flight Club…"


In another household on the other side of the village, Tuffnut shifted uncomfortably and muttered something in his sleep.


Fathers and Chiefs can be stubborn, but aren't afraid to admit when they're wrong. Luckily, my dad is exactly the same way – stubborn, hard-headed, and yet always willing to listen.


If there was a giant octopus monster for Alvin to release, you'd better believe he'd release it. Maybe someday he'll get his hands on that new elder dragon from MH Cross, Osutogaroa.

Alvin: "REVIEW THE KRAKEN!"

Outcast: "That one made even less sense than the first one!"

Alvin: "I know! I jus' love sayin' that!"

Next chapter: The Iron Gronckle