CHAPTER 20: Empty handed
Alvin's Outcasts, piling up with Hiccup and the Hooligans, were carefully making their way towards an open space from the forest in the pitch black. Hiccup and Alvin were both leading the way. As the Hooligans and Outcasts approached the clear grass vicinity, a distinctive rock structure could be seen, with a watch tower standing right over it, and indeed, there appeared to be somebody on top of the tower, sitting down.
This was the 'edge' of the island, where the main village was. Specifically, it was the place the Hooligans had to sail away from in order to not be seen by the hostiles when coming here. That watch tower was going to be a problem, though.
As the moon shone its crystal whiteness over the thick clouds surrounding the pitch black skies, Hiccup, Blavery and Alvin, alongside Eret, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Fishlegs, and the rest of the Hooligans and Outcasts, had all stopped in their ducked down positions just slightly in front of the watch tower.
"Keep quiet, the door's open to the tower, we'll go up and take him out." Alvin said, "my guys will leap down to the main portion of the edge from here, you guys go and support them from the top." Alvin said to Hiccup.
"Good idea. Let's get into position whilst these guys make their way down." Blavery nodded, as Alvin and a couple of Outcasts slowly entered the watch tower, subsequently, and slowly, making their way up the stairs.
"When he shines the flame light on us from the top, Hiccup," one of the Outcasts uttered, "we'll commence our attack. As will you."
"Got it."
Hiccup and the Hooligans had all positioned themselves surrounding the edge of the grassy hill that came before the main village, giving them a bird's eye view. The Outcasts, meanwhile, had all slowly slid their way down those hills to quietly leap onto elevated land that'd allow them to jump into the village. Hiccup took his crossbow out, as did Fishlegs and the rest of the Hooligans, aiming them down at the village, with the Outcasts unveiling their giant, silver battleaxes in their preparation to infiltrate the Mentranian-held Dragon's Edge.
There was a huge chunk of Mentranians all across the edge village. Some were laying against the wall as they spoke to their fellow colleagues, whilst others were simply wandering around in a patrol style, with their venomous crossbows. There were more Berserkers here than there were at dragon island, something Hiccup had observed quite clearly.
It'd have been helpful if Hiccup and everyone had picked up the venomous arrows of the Mentranians they've already taken out before, but it was something that had totally escaped Blavery's head.
A struggle, like a bang, could be heard emitting from the top of the large watch tower. A punch, followed by a slam, sounding like giant boulders being pelted, was what the Hooligans had heard since they were the closest to the tower. Alvin had dangled his long-bearded face over the tower, giving the thumbs up as he shone the silver plate with flames downwards to create a flash-light effect, shining to the ground the Hooligans were at. That was the signal.
"Alright, be ready to attack." Blavery said.
The Hooligans fired their crossbows into the edge, followed by the Outcasts jumping down. Instantly, the Mentranians and Berserkers started yelling, raising their crossbows up collectively as the battle to take back the edge and Astrid commenced.
"FOREIGNERS! ATTACK!" one Mentranian yelled.
The Outcasts had managed to make a good leap into the village, but there were far too many venomous-arrow-equipped Mentranians in the huts nearby. Some of the Outcasts had ran out and gone into combat with the Berserkers, but the Mentranians were in far greater numbers than expected, meaning they were able to hold off the Outcasts quite strongly, due to their venomous arrows.
The whole village was emitting a colossal sound of yelling, arrows being shot, like bullet sounds, and generally a sound of struggle. The battle was on.
"Hiccup, we ought to take out those Mentranians at the huts, so Alvin's men can get further into this place." Blavery pointed, as the Outcasts couldn't fully make their way further in due to the Mentranians.
"EVERYBODY, AIM LIKE ME!" Hiccup yelled, as he, alongside everyone else, raised their crossbows up at the Mentranians in question; from here, they fired their arrows collectively at the same time, like a storm, and they managed to pelt the Mentranians head first, instantly sending them down to the floor.
At that, the Outcasts rushed their way in, finding themselves being charged back at by raging Berserkers, who's helmets were as spiky as a bull's horn. Except they were in pure metal. As a result, some of the Berserkers rushed at the Outcasts with their heads down.
The Hooligans remained at the top of the village from the grassy hills near the watch tower, as they continued to be the rangers of this battle, whilst the Outcasts were the physical fighters. Some Outcasts were already on the floor due to being fired at by the Mentranians, whilst some Berserkers were brutally knocked down from some of the battleaxes utilised by the Outcasts. There was blood already in this fierce battle to rescue Astrid.
In the seas in front of the village, dozens of small wooden boats had emerged from the blind spots of the terrain. These were hidden reinforcements from the Mentranians abd Berserkers, evidently. The numbers seemed to be growing bigger on the enemy side, despite the Outcasts giving a good fight to them.
"Oh my...they're bringing in more?!" Blavery said, looking at the slow moving boats.
"More what?" Hiccup asked.
"Those boats, look..." Blavery said, pointing Hiccup to the somewhat camouflaged boats, "they're bringing in more...that's not good for Alvin's men, who-"
In the loud, thick struggles being echoed, from metal weapons colliding, to arrows being shot, to the yells, from the pure brutality of this battle, Blavery, who couldn't speak that loud enough anyways so Hiccup could hear him, was interrupted by a returning Alvin.
"Hiccup son, there's more Mentranian boats coming in, we need to add to my men's numbers, I've got a good idea, follow me." Alvin the Treacherous said.
"But we need to save Astrid, Alvin?" Hiccup said.
"Not a problem, boy, once we've eliminated their reinforcements and have totally overtaken this place, we'll be able to search the huts to bring your wife to safety and back to whatever island you're on nowadays." Alvin the Treacherous said.
"Alright. GUYS, LET'S GO!" Hiccup yelled, gesturing for his fellow Hooligans to follow Alvin.
"WHEN CAN WE RELAX MAN?!" Snotlout asked.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Hiccup replied.
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, JESUS...LET'S JUST FINISH THESE MANIACS THEN..." Snotlout conceded.
The Hooligans had all moved, in the midst of the thunderous roars of the battle, containing yelling and screams of pain, with the collision of metals. They all rushed around the top of where they were standing, to the main edge of their vicinity. They ran over to the direction of ground that was besides the engulfed vicinity of the edge, enabling them an open view of the Mentranian reinforcements.
"ALRIGHT GUYS, FIRE AT THE BOATS BEFORE THE MENTRANIANS CAN GET ONTO THE EDGE!" Alvin yelled, as Blavery nodded at that.
Hiccup, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Blavery, Alvin, Ruffnut and Tuffnut (surprisingly being serious for once), and the other Hooligans had all opened their arrows at the boats in the distance. Because they were so high up, they initially struggled to adjust their crossbow aims, but they eventually got the gist of it all. For the first time, however, since this battle commenced, the Berserkers and Mentranians on the boats had opened fire at the Hooligans themselves, which caught the Hooligans by surprise.
"VENOM ARROWS, QUICKLY, GET BACK SLIGHTLY!" Blavery yelled, as all the Hooligans quickly retreated a couple of spaces backwards, some tripping they were wanting to stay out of the range of the venomous arrows.
"SIR, FOREIGNERS ARE ON THE CLIFFS BESIDES THE EDGE!" one Mentranian on one of the boats yelled, as his fellow Mentranians and Berserker allies rallied themselves for entry upon the edge.
The fighting was echoing fierce roars and yells in the edge, but the Mentranians on the boats had a trick up their sleeve that they had specifically crafted for any hostile encounters during this recently-declared war.
The captain of the reinforcements quickly pulled out from a storage segment of the wooden boat a round object with a distinct spiky pin. The round area itself was made of pure wood.
"This'll burn them down. Load up the catapult gentlemen." the Mentranian captain viking commanded.
The Hooligans saw arrows being fired up towards themselves from the Mentranian boats in the seas below, but because they retreated slightly, the arrows weren't able to glide in the air enough to hit.
"KEEP AT IT, WE'VE ALREADY HIT A FEW OF THEM!" Alvin yelled.
The Hooligans continued to fire. They had the advantage because they were high up, whereas the Mentranians and Berserkers were low down. Blavery, having a firm eye sight towards the boats, had caught some sort of giant contraption being flung upwards on the boats, like a catapult, before seeing something, like a round object, suddenly flying in the air directly above himself and onto the ground; there was a flame on it.
"OH GOD, GET BACK GUYS, HICCUP, GET BAAACCKKK!" Blavery yelled.
"IT'S A BOMB, QUICK EVERYONE, GET BAAACKKK!" Hiccup yelled, as all the Hooligans retreated much more significantly, tripping amongst one another.
The viking grenade had gone off, just as the Hooligans had all charged like predators away from it, tripping over each other in the process. A huge ball of flames and a surge of heat, subsequently after a thunderous thud, had come as a result of the grenade exploding. Afterwards, the sheer darkness of the burnt vicinity meant that it was camouflaged into the pitch blackness.
"BLAVERY, YOU NEVER SAID THEY HAD BOMBS?!"
"HICCUP, THEY KEEP SECRETS FROM THEIR OWN DEFENDERS UNTIL IT MATTERS, I TOLD YOU!"
"WE COULD'VE DIED JUST NOW. WE HAVE TO GET INTO THE EDGE ITSELF."
"GUYS, GUYS, JUST CALM DOWN A MINUTE..WE'RE NEARLY ABLE TO GET INTO THE EDGE, BUT THE REINFORCEMENT BOATS ARE AT THE EDGE..THE HOSTILES ARE PILING UP, AND MY MEN ARE RUNNING INTO A HEAVIER RESISTANCE."
"BUT WE NEED TO GET INSIDE NOW!" Hiccup yelled, in the midst of the battle.
"I KNOW, BUT IF WE CAN HOLD THEM BACK, THE SAFER YOUR WIFE WILL BE TO RETRIEVE!"
"I CAN'T, ALVIN, I CAN'T. WE'LL GO INTO THE EDGE AND FEND THEM OFF OURSELVES. THEY'VE DRIVEN THEM BACK ENOUGH, SURELY?!"
"HICCUP...-"
"NO QUESTIONS, WE'RE GOING IN NOW. WE'LL HELP YOUR MEN ON OUR WAY TO SAVING ASTRID."
"I-fine. I'll meet you down at the edge shortly, Hiccup."
"SNOTLOUT, FISHLEGS, RUFFNUT, TUFFNUT, AND ERET, GUYS...WE NEED TO REACH THE AREA WHERE THEY'RE KEEPING ASTRID BEFORE THEY DO ANYTHING..."
"Chances are, Hiccup, she'll be in the biggest hut."
"THEN THAT IS WHERE WE SHALL CHARGE TOWARDS. WE'RE GLIDING DOWN. READY UP." Hiccup declared.
The Hooligans behind Hiccup & co were intending on following the same path that Alvin's men had initially gone down to get inside the edge's main vicinity, whilst their Chieftan in Hiccup, alongside Eret and the lot, were going to fly down using their wing suits.
Hiccup, Blavery, and everyone else, opened up their arms into the air, to unveil their leather wings attached. Hiccup felt himself have goosebumps as he leapt off of the cliff to fly directly into the edge. Everyone else followed him down. Placing his face helmet down, Hiccup was fully protected. As he glided in the air like a kite, he made a swift landing just besides the Outcasts as bodies of both Mentranians and Berserkers rested around. Hiccup wasted no time in making a charge towards the biggest hut there was, the one where Blavery had suggested Astrid would be.
There were still a fair few Mentranians in the edge, and Hiccup, fully protected, didn't hold back in rushing towards them as they initially engaged with the Outcasts with their venomous arrows. Hiccup, fully covered up, rushed over to one Mentranian who was ducked down behind some wood, grabbing him by the head before sending a harsh fist directly into the hostile's nose, breaking it and subsequently sending the hostile down to the ground.
Hiccup wasn't usually this violent, but in the midst of the brutal battle where Astrid's life is potentially at risk, he had no choice. He had to pay the favour back towards the fanatics he and his lot were up against anyways.
One Berserker charged towards Hiccup, yelling out loud with his sword raised up, and just as Hiccup looked to duck him due to the sheer difference in width, an Outcast had rushed to Hiccup's aid, rushing to the Berserker from besides the Chieftan to exchange collisions with the Berserker's dangerous sword.
"HICCUP, YOU GO IN, WE'LL DRIVE THEM AWAY. GO!" the Outcast yelled, struggling in his fight against the Berserker.
Hiccup obliged gladly. He ran like a predator towards the biggest hut of the edge, unable to remember this place from the days of it being used as a home for the dragons due to the battle. He also couldn't recall fully the distinctive huts he and the rest used to have on here, again because of the circumstances. His suit made him sweat even more, his heart was beating a million beats, and his throat was as dry as the desert.
Finally, Hiccup, specifically aiming for the large hut where the Mentranians supposedly keep captured prisoners, had arrived. The Outcasts had done a good job of pushing back the Mentranians and Berserkers, because from what it looked like, apart from a few that Hiccup had those altercations with just now, there seemed to be no more.
Hiccup stepped back, and slammed his metal leg onto the front door, bashing it open, unveiling nothing more than an empty, dark, haunted-esque inside; Astrid wasn't here.
"Oh no..." Hiccup said, pulling up his face cover of his Toothless wing suit.
A few footsteps could be heard approaching Hiccup from the side in the darkness of the room. An arm from the darkness had suddenly wrapped itself around Hiccup's neck. Instantly, Hiccup struggled around, as the Mentranian tightened his grasp of the Chieftan's neck. Hiccup couldn't see the face of the hostile due to the darkness. Hiccup sent his fist up towards the direction behind his shoulder, managing to slam the Mentranian face first. Instantly, Hiccup leapt over and slammed the Mentranian to the floor. He held the hostile by his neck.
"WHERE'S MY WIFE?!" Hiccup yelled, keeping the Mentranian gripped to the ground back first.
The Mentranian simply coughed as Hiccup held his throat.
"YOU'VE GOT ABOUT TEN SECONDS TO TELL ME WHERE MY WIFE IS!" Hiccup threatened.
"I-I WILL NEVER TELL A FOREIGNER-" The Mentranian was unable to finish his sentence; Hiccup knew what he was going to say, and that had prompted the Chieftan to just attack him, from the pure anger he received from the Mentranian's refusal to tell him where Astrid is.
Hiccup ran with the Mentranian grasped on the back of his head, sending the hostile viking face-first into the wooden wall, causing the Mentranian's metal gear to collapse onto the ground as he too fell flat from the head-first collision against the wall forced upon him by Hiccup. The Mentranian instantly collapsed.
Alvin the Treacherous and Blavery had both rushed inside, seeing Hiccup stood besides a fallen, collapsed, and damaged Mentranian.
"Hiccup, my men have driven the enemies off of here, they're all evacuating...did you find her?" Alvin said, with Hiccup looking distraught with tears in his eyes.
"She isn't here..." Hiccup conceded, breathing heavily from the energy of the battle.
"I-I'm so sorry, Hiccup...but like this guy said, they're now evacuating from here, we've managed to overtake it...this war may have only begun, but we've already defeated them in one spot. I...we should check the other huts to make sure Astrid's here, you never know..."
"I want to meet this Hawkon maniac face-to-face so I can give him whatever he's going to do to her...she's not here, though, guys...what's the point?" Hiccup weakly said, as he broke down into a subtle cry.
"Hiccup, I promise, we'll find her. But we've done a good thing here...even if Astrid's still held on Mentra, we've significantly weakened their defence force of Mentranian vikings. Because of that, your wife is safer...we'll find her, I promise..." Blavery said, walking up to Hiccup.
"Hiccup, we'll come back with you to your new island...my men want to help you in conquering this Hawkon fellow."
Hiccup appreciated Alvin and Blavery, and the Outcasts for joining their side in destroying the Berserkers and Mentranians here, but to Hiccup, that wasn't the main point, because ultimately, Astrid wasn't here on this island after all. He was genuinely praying to Odin that she was still alive.