22. The Battle of Berk
Camicazi had loved piracy since she was old enough to know what the word meant. Just about every Bog Burglar to ever live was expected to be a skilled pirate, but Camicazi had worked hard to make sure that no one was better than she was. Because of women like her, the rest of the tribes knew not to start a war with the Bog Burglars. No one wanted to fight them, not even the burliest, Viking-est men in the archipelago. After a few generations of waking up on the morning of battle to find all of their belongings stolen and their skivvies tied to a mast, the other tribes had finally wised up: the women of Bog were not to be trifled with.
So naturally, when Hiccup had discussed infiltrating some of Drago's ships and releasing the dragons he'd built up for his army, Camicazi had been so in. There wasn't much piracy to go around anymore, not with all of her free time taken up with being groomed to ascend the throne within the year. Chiefing was tough, but she was tougher—still, she missed the open sea like a long-lost lover. She'd felt more at home on the waves during their midnight voyage to Berk than she had in a while.
That didn't count being with Thatch, of course. She was so glad they didn't fight dragons anymore, because her Changewing was an absolute darling. Mischievous as the day was long, he was. Truly, she and her dragon were a match made in Asgard. Not as much of a match as that of Hiccup and Toothless, or Astrid and her Nadder, but Cami wasn't counting them. Those two were so meant to be with dragons she couldn't believe either of them had ever fought the beasts to begin with. Everyone else had had to learn, but Hiccup and Astrid had been born to teach.
Thinking back to the actual piracy at hand, Heather's plan had been a stroke of pure brilliance, if Cami did say so herself. She hadn't been worried about the stealth she'd need to exercise for the mission—Bog Burglars were the stealthiest pirates that ever lived. Stealth practically ran through her blood. But some of their group were not so talented. Taking Drago's ships and his men's armor fixed that problem right up.
She did hate the helmet, though. The damned thing was atrocious, all style and no practicality: the visor was narrow, and the shape was clunky, and how did anyone wear this into battle? For an apparently world-renowned conqueror, Cami had expected Drago Bludvist to have better armorers.
The Isle of Berk rose up from the sea, the village on the south side of the island illuminated with torchlight. Cami peered through her shitty helmet and her eyes widened as she saw the fleet of warships. Many of them were larger versions of the ships they'd stolen, wood-and-metal reinforced decks and ballistae lining the railings. Speaking of ballistae, she really wanted to try out one of the ones on this ship. They looked so fun.
Focus, Cami. Focus.
The stolen ships, numbering just three in all, slid closer and closer to the island, encroaching on the enormous fleet. It was so large that barely half the ships that made it up could even fit themselves reasonably close to the harbor. The rest overflowed from there out, spreading in any direction they pleased so long as they had space. Cami glanced up and down as they passed the first few ships, eyeing the men walking up and down the deck. No one seemed to pay them any mind. So far, so good. There was something uniquely satisfying about sailing directly into the heart of the enemy completely unnoticed. Coming upon Drago's scouts at the Steppingstones had cut out all of the extra work. What a stroke of luck.
Eret stood at the helm, carefully guiding their ship further within the ranks of Drago's fleet. He was an interesting man, this Eretson fellow. Attractive, too, but not really Cami's type. She'd watched that mad Thorston girl flirt with him back on Bog, her hands roaming all over the man to no effect. He wasn't crazy enough for the Berkian, so he definitely wasn't crazy enough for Cami. He was a good helmsman, though, and he led them right into the belly of the beast without so much as a flinch. He looked so much like he belonged that Cami wondered for an instant if he was leading them into a trap.
Nah. She'd seen the beautiful little brand that Drago had seared into his flesh. Hiccup vouched for him, too. That was good enough for her—Hiccup was a tremendous judge of character most of the time, provided that he'd actually met the person first.
"You're making this look easy," she muttered, standing close to the wheel.
"Really? I'm so nervous I could piss myself," Eret's voice rattled out from underneath his helmet. Ah, so he was faking it. They passed by more of Drago's ships, sliding further and further into the swarm. Their two companion ships were close behind, and a few people scattered throughout were walking around with their helmets off. It was risky, but part of the immersion. They'd specifically chosen individuals without the more common Viking traits, such as blonde hair, in order to look more casual in their approach. Again, so far, so good.
Eret signaled for the sail to be rolled up and he turned the wheel, steering the ship slightly off to the left near a cluster of other ships. All of them were far larger than their stolen sloop and cluttered by ballistae and traps, offering plenty of natural cover. "This is as far as we go. We don't want to draw too much attention," Eret said under his breath.
"What about the ships we're taking out when everything goes to shit?" Because, honestly, it was going to. That was the only way this plan ended, as much as she loved going through with it. "Don't we want to torch some of the big boys?" Cami gestured further in, where the ships were larger in everything from deck length to sail size; without a doubt the most important in the fleet.
Eret shook his covered head, "Too close, but those are first on the list once we're in the air."
Someone on a nearby ship flagged them down, a middle-aged lad with brown stubble and pale skin who spoke perfect Norse, thank the gods. "Ahoy, captain. See anything out there?"
Eret shook his head, hiding under his helmet. "Nothing," he said, "They must be hiding out somewhere further away."
"Well, one way or another, we'll get 'em. I'll get someone to report to Drago—"
"No—" Eret interrupted, a bit too desperately. The soldier cocked his head, an almost suspicious glare flickering across his features, and Eret backtracked. "No need for that, I mean. I'll get my first mate to do it. Take a load off."
Cami wondered briefly if she was supposed to be the first mate. They never discussed roles. The soldier on the other ship shrugged his shoulders, saying something to the effect of 'suit yourself' before marching off without a care in the world. Hmph. Lazy ass.
"That was lucky," Eret mumbled. Cami nudged him with her elbow, leering at him through her visor.
"Time to let me do the talking, genius." She galloped down the short staircase onto the main part of the deck, motioning for the remaining skeleton crew to leave their stations. "Alright, gang, everyone knows the drill. One of you head below decks and run the show. Keep our prisoners quiet and the dragons calm. When you hear the signal, have the dragons open fire. I don't care what they shoot at." She gestured to the horn dangling from her hip and the identical pair on Eret's belt. Either one of them could blow the signal, and a few people on the other two ships carried identical copies. Cami just hoped no one else blew their cover early.
"Thuggory, stay with Eret. It'll look normal if you're in a pair and you can watch each other's backs," Cami ordered. Thuggory held his helmet in his hands, acting as one of the 'normal' soldiers whose face was allowed to be seen.
"What about the rest of you?" he asked.
Cami sniggered. "You kidding, Thugs? We're Bog Burglars, we know how to take care of ourselves. You boys on the other hand, not so much." She eyed the rest of her comrades; all fellow tribeswomen clad in armor. "Let's move out," she motioned for the others to get ready to jump. They were close enough to the neighboring ship that they could leap and clear the distance. She wanted to drag the plank over and connect the two ships, but that felt too risky.
Cami looked in both directions, making sure no one was watching before she jumped. It was an easy leap and she landed on the other ship by a whole foot and a half, sticking the landing with little more than a thump of the boots on her stolen armor. The rest of the girls followed, Eret and Thuggory bringing up the rear. The other two ships behind them unloaded in similar manners, distancing themselves from the lead ship and disappearing into the fleet.
"Fan out," Cami whispered, and her pirate gang dispersed. She walked nonchalantly across the deck, treading around the perimeter of a dragon trap. She wondered what kind of dragon was kept inside but left it behind anyway. Better to not go for the first trap she came across, she needed to get a feel for the ship's design first.
She walked up a small staircase, spotting a soldier standing watch on the back corner of the ship. One of her fellow pirates casually walked across a plank connecting this ship to the one behind it, drawing no attention just like a good Bog Burglar. Cami smiled inwardly and moseyed over to the soldier, her fingers closing around a knife hidden in her sleeve.
"Nice night, huh?" Cami engaged, leaning back against the rail as she approached the guard. He glanced at her, shrugging.
"Yeah, I guess."
"I'm ready to get away from this forsaken rock. Too cold here," Cami kept up the conversation, all the while glancing around to be sure that they were alone and that no one from any neighboring ships was watching. When she saw nothing, she closed her fist around the hilt of her knife. She had to get this guy out of the way.
"Do I know you?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes and scrunching up his nose. So, he didn't enjoy her company. Shame. She was beginning to like him, in the way she could 'like' anyone in service of a man hellbent on destroying everything she held dear.
"'Fraid not," Cami drawled, and struck. Her knife zipped out, gashing the soldier's neck. She clasped her hand over the man's mouth as she slashed his throat, keeping him from making a sound before she pushed him over the edge of the ship. The vessel wasn't very high up, so he dropped beneath the waves with hardly any noise. Cami relaxed and looked over her shoulder, checking again to make sure no one was around. If someone was, she figured the alarm would've already been raised. No sound, shout or blaring cry came, and she relaxed.
She retraced her steps to approach another dragon trap and fastened her hands on the wheel, cranking it open and slipping inside to find a Gronckle. She soothed the bulky dragon, offering a few loving chin scratches and a gentle palm to the snout before relieving the dragon of its chains and shooing it off with well wishes and an insisted "Stay low". The Gronckle heeded her advice, buzzing its way out of the trap and off of the ship all while keeping close to the surface of the sea.
She freed another few dragons with the help of another Bog pirate, and once the vessel was cleared of both men and dragons, she sent her comrade up the mast to lower the ship's flag. It was a twofold signal—marking that the ship was cleared and also tipping off the rest of the armada in the distance that they were okay. Once that was done, it was off to another vessel.
Cami moved through the fleet, sneaking from ship to ship. She had her fair share of close calls, but most of them were solvable with patience and of one of her trusty throwing knives. She released dragons of all shapes and sizes, from Gronckles and Nadders to Raincutters and Snafflefangs. Each dragon gladly let her strip them of their chains and their armor, and gleefully obeyed her when she led them out of the traps and to the sea. Cami wondered if she was showing them more kindness than they'd seen in a long time. Perhaps ever.
She must've been through almost two dozen traps when she cranked open one near the back of the ship she was currently on. She'd cleared out three by now, and this one was a larger vessel. Cami cranked the wheel as quietly as she could manage, cursing under her breath when the metal creaked. The noise only lasted a second, but it was enough to set her nerves on fire. Even more carefully than before, she finished opening the trap enough so that she could fit through the gap.
She heard the dragon rumbling as she entered. The moon was low, first light catching on the horizon, and a shaft of its pale light filtered in behind her, illuminating a swath of the darkness. She saw twisted horns and a narrow head, two rows of razor-sharp teeth guarding two enormous nostrils on the front of the dragon's muscular snout. A pair of golden eyes blinked open, wary.
A Monstrous Nightmare.
The dragon growled lowly as she approached, and Cami held out a hand. "Hey there, big guy," she cooed, reaching to pull her helmet off. Her wild blonde hair fell out as she removed it, and she saw the dragon twitch warily. "I'm here to help you get out," Cami added, creeping closer and holding out her gloved hand. There was steel plating around the Nightmare's snout, allowing openings for its nose and eyes.
"It's okay, it's okay," Cami said as the Nightmare shifted uncomfortably. Another low grumble came from its throat, but she persisted, kneeling down and exposing herself. Hiccup had said a Monstrous Nightmare had attacked his dad. Could this be the same one? Surely not, there must've been more than just one Nightmare in Drago's ranks. It was one of the toughest, most dangerous dragons out there, though. Maybe that made them harder to get their hands on.
Cami tugged the manacles off of the dragon's snout, allowing it to open its mouth again. At the action, the Nightmare appraised her with a curious gaze, pupils widening with a semblance of trust.
Cami held out her hand in front of the dragon again, and it nudged forward, nuzzling its snout into her palm. "There we go," Cami whispered, "Now let's get you out of here, hmm?" She reached up and grabbed the steel plate on the dragon's snout, yanking it off and gently setting it on the floor. Then she shuffled over to the chains weighing down its wings, and as she pulled each one off, the Nightmare stabbed its clawed feet into the floor, clenching and unclenching as its wings bent backwards like they were supposed to.
In a moment, the Nightmare was free, and looking at Cami with such adoration. It nudged her shoulder gratefully, and she flashed a smile. "Sorry, big guy, but I'm already taken. My dragon will get jealous if he sees you doing that. Besides, something tells me you could do without people for a while." She motioned for the dragon to follow, quietly stepping to the gap in the dome.
She replaced her helmet and grasped the teeth of the steel dome, peering carefully through the dome and turning her head to the right to check for guards. There were none. She turned her head to the left to check the other side.
And someone grabbed her.
Cami's breath caught in her throat as two strong hands fastened around her neck, yanking her out from the trap. Her stolen armor scraped against the steel teeth of the dome. The Nightmare inside the dome roared, startled as Cami was dragged to the ground.
"Gotcha, you li'l sneak," an unfamiliar voice snapped at her from above, speaking Norse. Cami thrashed against the unseen assailant, but it was no use, and she felt another pair of hands grab her helmet and rip it off, freeing her flaxen hair once again. The helmet skittered across the deck, and she heard a vulgar chuckle.
"A woman," the soldier holding her down sniggered. "Haven't seen one o' you in ages."
Dammit. There was that 'everything going to shit' thing she'd been counting on. At least it was her who had been caught and not someone else—these stupid men didn't know who they were dealing with.
"Help me with the bitch. We're taking her to Drago. Maybe he'll grant us some personal leave for discoverin' a thief," the soldier ordered his friend. Cami's hand trailed down her side as she felt the man's grip shifting, distracted as a second soldier's footsteps echoed across the deck. If she didn't act, she'd be screwed. Two-on-one was not a bet she'd want to take, not like this. Her fingers grasped the hilt of one of her knives and tightened.
She was like lightning, yanking the blade from its hidden sheath and stabbing it through a gap in the first soldier's shin plating. She felt the knife dig through flesh and thick muscle, and the man let out a guttural scream. She ripped the knife out, snarling as crimson blood shot from the gap, and the soldier skittered back, mightily favoring his opposite leg. Cami leaped up, finding that the soldier wasn't wearing a helmet. Grateful for the easy pickings, she buried the knife a second time into his neck, grabbing the side of the man's head with her free hand and shoving him to the ground as she jerked the knife free, worsening the already lethal cut.
Cami turned her blazing glare upward, shifting to grip her knife normally as the second soldier advanced on her, wielding a spear. He was wearing his helmet, so she couldn't see the details of his face.
"You bi—" he started, but a roar from inside the trap cut him off. He was standing right in front of the gap.
The soldier looked to see what the sound was, and red-hot fire instantly erupted from the darkness, wrapping around him and taking to his armor like a louse to clean hair. The Nightmare inside the trap continued spewing flames, the gel-like blaze melting through the steel of the trap. The soldier shrieked, cooking in his own suit of armor, and collapsed with a sickening clang, the steel around his body smelting as the flames died down.
Cami let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. The Monstrous Nightmare inside the ruined trap poked his head out, sniffing at the smoke rising off of the dead soldier's body and then looking at her with warm eyes, as if to say look, I saved your life. Do I get a treat?
"Thanks for the save, big guy," she said, "but I'm afraid that means it's time for you to go."
"Cami!"
She knew Thuggory's voice anywhere. The Meathead heir appeared, sprinting around the other side of the deck. The Monstrous Nightmare whipped his head around, snarling at Thuggory's approach and sucking in a breath in preparation to launch another blast of fire.
"No, don't!" Cami fretted, placing her hands on the Nightmare's neck. It thrashed at the sensation, only to turn its head and remember that it was her touching it and calming. Thuggory slowed, holding up his hands in caution as Eret also appeared around the corner, pulling off his helmet to free his black hair.
"We heard shouting. Are you okay?" Eret blurted. Cami nodded and the Nightmare turned its head again, taking in the shapes of the two newcomers.
"Ran into some trouble," she said, gesturing to the two dead bodies near her. Shouting was starting to erupt further down the deck, an amalgamation of war cries and confused yelling. Cami's body went rigid again. "Eret, blow the horn," she ordered, and then she eyed the dragon, "Time for you to go, big guy. Find somewhere safe," she said, guiding the Nightmare out of the trap. It followed her diligently, practically infatuated with her as she urged it off of the ship.
Eret was lifting the horn to his lips as she turned away from the fleeing dragon, blowing through it to signal their allies. Cami jogged up to see one of the stolen ships nearby from over the railing, and Eret lowered the horn. On one of the ships further down, Cami thought she saw a sudden glow of fire through one of the windows below decks.
Soldiers spilled into their path, standing on either end of the narrow walkway and shouting as they saw the three trespassers. Cami, Thuggory, and Eret stood in a triangle back to back, Cami facing the rest of the fleet and their stolen ship as it slowly sailed closer. Through one of the windows in the hull, she saw a stronger orange flash; dragons preparing to fire.
"Intruders!" one of the soldiers yelled, drawing a sword.
"Sorry about this, fellas. It's not personal," Cami said casually. She reconsidered her words, frowning. "Well, maybe it's a little personal."
She stalled the men just long enough. Fire erupted from the hull of the nearby ship, balls of flame and molten rock spewing from within. Flames climbed into the sky as they crashed against the side of the ship, rocking it as fountains of fire coated the wooden hull and spilled onto the deck. Soldiers shouted aimlessly as the ship listed to one side, its integrity compromised.
Cami held her ground as the ship tilted, and a high-pitched whistling sang from the distance. Not the high-pitched whistling she wanted to hear, but still she looked, seeing the glow of more fire falling from the sky, boulders swathed in flame. Smoke and fog had rolled in from the sea, exacerbated by the Smokebreaths aboard the rest of their armada creating the natural cover, letting the approaching ships send the first volley of catapults unnoticed. Countless stones covered in fire crashed onto the decks of surrounding ships.
The attack was in full swing.
The few soldiers that had survived the initial blast around them ran away, shouting in various languages. The ship rumbled and started to sink, and Cami eyed her two male companions.
"Let's get started, hmm?" she proposed. Eret and Thuggory nodded and they ran to the edge of the deck. Cami glanced down to see the ship slipping below the waves. They didn't have but a few minutes left until this vessel was completely gone.
Eret pointed in the distance, "There!" he called, pointing to a Thunderdrum flapping into the sky. His Thunderdrum. "Thorönd!" he shouted, waving his arms wildly. The sea dragon glanced over from the sky and spotted him, letting out a roar and flying over.
Eret leaned on the railing as the Thunderdrum arrived, the dragon's mufflers already strapped to its head. Hiccup had designed those, though he hadn't actually built many of them on account of his prolonged absence retrieving his mother. He had stressed, however, that the cups wouldn't solve all of their problems, as the Alpha's primary power was its mind, and the riders would have to do their part to keep their dragons' heads clear for as long as they could. Ideally, the mufflers would give them more of a fighting chance.
Thorönd grunted, beckoning Eret to climb onto his back. Eret vaulted over the railing and settled in, grabbing the reins tied around the dragon's horn. He didn't have a saddle, so he had to hold onto something.
"See you lot on the other side," Eret said as he tensed up.
"Take care of yourself, Eret," Cami warned. She knew his part, he was to spend the majority of his time distracting the Alpha once it made its appearance, having Thorönd scream into its ears while others pelted it with fire, all aiming to keep it from taking control of the dragons they'd brought to the fight this time.
Eret nodded, and Thorönd took off, joining a horde of dragon riders as more spilled into the harbor from the smoke. The rest of the armada began to emerge from the fog, mounted dragons unloading from the ships all at once.
The sea churned up below them and a green-scaled dragon emerged, eyes locked on Thuggory. The Shockjaw bayed happily, latching its claws onto the side of the ship and leaning over the railing to nuzzle its rider. Thuggory let out a laugh, gleeful.
"Boltbite! Good boy!" he praised. "Let me up, will you?" Boltbite grunted and crawled over the railing onto the deck, dripping seawater and flattening its body against the floor to let Thuggory climb into the saddle on its back, nestled right between two of the jagged protrusions along its spine. Thuggory grabbed the handlebars and saluted Cami before taking off, Boltbite adding a reverberating bellow to the collection of cries filling the sky.
The last one left on the deck, Cami slipped the ends of her two forefingers into her mouth, blowing a high-pitched keening whistle that she'd trained Thatch to respond to. Out of the explosions, she saw her dragon's telltale bright red scales emerge, the Changewing flying straight for the deck.
Cami took several steps back, until she couldn't see her incoming dragon. She braced herself and broke into a run, sprinting straight at the railing that would normally keep someone from tipping overboard. When she reached it, she extended her leg and planted her foot right on the rail, forcing herself up and over and leaping as far out as she could.
Right on time, Thatch zipped underneath her, catching her cleanly in the saddle. Cami draped her legs over the dragon's sides, seamlessly fixing her feet in the stirrups and grasping the handlebars with a manic grin. She saw Thuggory and Boltbite up ahead, the latter spitting a bolt of white lightning down on a wooden ship. The resulting explosion was so great that it knocked the mast over and ignited the wood of the deck.
Not to be left out, Cami spurred Thatch into the air. "Great work, Thatch," she praised, "Now let's give these bastards a taste of Bog Burglar justice." Thatch roared in agreement as he reached the apex of his climb and spat a huge glob of acid down on a burning ship. The acid ignited and Thatch kept breathing, connecting two ships with the sludge as it burned like Zippleback gas.
Camicazi frenzied grin grew.
The battle had begun.
Hiccup nearly kicked the jail door off of its hinges in order to get out. His father's arm weighed heavily on his shoulder, but he didn't care. The weight was the least of his worries. As soon as the door was open, he shuffled through, dragging his father out with Starkard's help. The Vikings he'd left outside the jail as sentries half-shouted and helped him lead Stoick out of the corridor.
It was loud, that was the first thing Hiccup registered. He looked down the road into the town. From the harbor he could see dragons of all shapes and sizes shooting into the sky, roaring and spitting fire. Drago's men were racing from the pilfered homes they'd housed themselves in towards the docks, adding their accumulated shouts to the din. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, a shaft of pale, warm sunlight beginning to creep over the Isle of Berk. With the battle in full swing, it might as well have been midday.
"Hiccup!" Snotlout's voice was music to his ears for once. His cousin was standing just within the covering of the trees, the rest of their group and their dragons packing the forest behind him. Hiccup readjusted his father's arm around his shoulder and hobbled to the tree line, Astrid, Heather, and the other prisoners in tow. They reached the edge of the forest and Hiccup handed Stoick off to another Viking, replacing himself. Toothless bounded through the underbrush, nudging his way next to Snotlout and warbling.
"What do we do?" Snotlout asked him immediately, one eye focused on the unfolding battle.
"Get him somewhere safe," Hiccup said first, gesturing to his father. That was of the utmost importance right now. "I don't care where, just as long as he's away from the fight. Then get on your dragons and join the fight. This is what we've been waiting for."
"Aye, sir!" the Vikings carrying Stoick said almost in unison. Stoick was staring into the town, his face molded into a permanent emotion of shock.
"Snotlout, Fishlegs, distract the Alpha like we practiced. My bet is that Drago will have it ready real soon. Get your mufflers and cover your dragons' ears, make some noise, do whatever you have to do to keep it off of the rest of us. My mom will meet you in the air," Hiccup dished out orders rapid-fire, looking over his shoulder back and forth as more of their people streamed out of the forest, still out of sight as the bulk of Drago's army headed for the docks.
He looked over his shoulder to see Astrid, letting out the slightest relieved exhale as his blood pumped faster than ever before, a burning sensation overwhelming him from the hairs on his head to the tips of his toes. "Astrid, you're with me. We're going to get eyes on Drago and stop him." Astrid answered with a fierce nod and turned to the rest of their army. Stormfly squawked at her side, and Astrid yanked her axe into the air, raising her voice to a bellowing battle cry.
"The rest of you, send them to Hel!"
The Vikings erupted, similar war cries echoing from within the trees. Armed men and women surged forth from the foliage, weapons raised and dragons at their sides. Hookfang and Meatlug ambled out from the back of the pack, ready for action as Snotlout and Fishlegs climbed into the saddles on their backs. The cacophonous roaring of Vikings started to fade as they barreled into the town—a large number of Drago's men saw them coming and divided their attentions, and the chilling song of metal against metal began in earnest.
Hiccup, Astrid, and the other riders were the only ones left along with Stoick and the two Vikings carrying him. Astrid climbed onto Stormfly's back, and Windshear trilled as she nudged Heather, both of them fitting a pair of mufflers over their dragons' heads. Hiccup thumbed the straps on Toothless' saddle, about ready to leap on.
"Wait," Stoick's voice croaked. Hiccup nearly whirled around, his father reaching for him with clawing hands. He surged over worriedly, seeing the exhaustion on Stoick's face.
"What is it?" Hiccup managed. Starkard and the other Viking—Hiccup didn't know his name but was aware that he was a Meathead—seemed to be getting increasingly anxious.
Stoick surprised Hiccup by reaching a huge hand to his cheek, cupping it carefully. "You are their Chief now," he murmured, flicking his eyes to the last couple of Vikings diving into the fight. Stoick winced, his legs probably giving him trouble. "This is your island. I couldn't have imagined this was how you'd take my place, but know that I am so proud of you, son, for enduring everything that you have. You have the heart of a Chief, just like I've always known, even if I neglected it for so long."
Hiccup nodded, a hint of tears pricking at one of his eyes. "Thanks, Dad," he said, a bit strangled. He steeled himself, getting his emotions under control. He had to be focused. There was no room for error anymore.
"Go take back our home," Stoick urged. Hiccup nodded feverishly.
That was when he heard the bellowing, the screaming that could only come from one man. He couldn't believe that the sound carried so well, but it did, and it was bone-chilling. He already knew what was coming before the sea exploded in a salty spray in the distance and an absolutely gigantic shadow started to rise from it.
"That's our cue!" Hiccup barked. He backed away a few steps, wishing that he could stay with his father for longer but knowing that he couldn't. "Get somewhere safe! I'll find you!" he yelled as the wind picked up and a guttural, monstrous roar erupted from the harbor. He turned to look at the beast in the harbor.
Hiccup looked over his shoulder one final time, flinching as he saw Starkard staring up at the silhouette of the Alpha in absolute awe. He was frozen to the spot, jaw slack at the prospect of a dragon so large. Hiccup summoned a very Stoick-esque yell from his lungs. "Starkard, go!" Starkard flinched hard, blinking away his trance and nodding firmly before he jerked Stoick toward the woods, hobbling along with the Meathead warrior's help. They melted into the foliage and Hiccup spun around, swinging into Toothless' saddle. The tailfin shot open as he locked his foot in the stirrup.
"Here we go, gang! Ready?" Hiccup called. When no one answered, he just assumed that they were. They didn't have time to not be. "Go!" he turned out to be right, because the others followed him and Toothless the second that the Night Fury launched in the air. Hiccup hooked Toothless backward, speeding toward Raven Point in order to build up speed and circle around while the others advanced into the town.
"You with me, bud?" Hiccup called above the wind as they raced. Toothless let out a short snarl that he knew to be an acknowledgement, and then leaned into the Night Fury's back as he slipped on Toothless' mufflers. They circled around the narrow peak of Raven Point, and as Toothless turned to face the Bewilderbeast in the distance, Hiccup braced himself. He could see the silhouettes of dragons encircling it, defiantly shooting fire at it. He imagined that the Alpha had no idea why its innate power wasn't working, at least not yet.
The sky began to scream as Toothless picked up speed. Hiccup laid himself completely flat, able to see the target over Toothless' head but hardly anything more. The Alpha grew larger and larger with baffling speed, Toothless closing in on it.
"Now!" Hiccup shouted, the sound rattling through his own mask. Toothless opened his maw and a single, power-packed ball of plasma rocketed out, blazing ahead even faster than Toothless could fly and striking the Alpha square on the side of the head. The blast exploded on contact and shattered the air, recoil shaking Hiccup and Toothless both as they zipped behind the enormous creature. The Bewilderbeast staggered on its feet, shuffling a little to the side as it tried to recover from the unexpected blow.
With a quick jerk, Toothless looped back around. The Alpha roared again, and another shape blurred into Hiccup's periphery, four wings spreading wide. He cocked his head to the right and saw Valka riding in on Cloudjumper, dozens of dragons packed tight in her wake. She was completely covered in her suit of armor, and her quarterstaff was clasped tight in her grip.
"Ready?" he called; his voice muffled behind his mask. Valka must've understood, because she nodded.
The dragon woman spun her staff in her hands, "We'll take it from here. Go find Drago!" Hiccup nodded and guided Toothless down. Stormfly was flapping over the village, bright blue scales glinting in the firelight as warriors clashed in the streets. Toothless zoomed closer, outrunning dozens of nets as Drago's men on the ships tried to shoot dragons down, and he thought he saw Boltbite blast a ship with lightning, Thuggory hooting like a maniac on the Shockjaw's back.
Hiccup focused on a cluster of Drago's soldiers, all clad in black as they filled the streets. Toothless stirred and fired a bolt of plasma into the horde. The blast struck the ground and exploded, sending a shockwave rippling through the group of men that knocked the majority of them to the ground. The confusion let a horde of Vikings advance, axes and hammers held high as they fell on the invaders. Stormfly beat her wings hard to catch up to them, and Toothless slowed in midair so the Nadder could slide in beside them.
"The others are keeping the Alpha busy," Hiccup said. He glanced over to see Valka's pack passing overhead, raining an absolute downpour of fire onto the crest of the Bewilderbeast's head. The ash-colored beast growled, the sound loud enough to feel like a roar, and thrashed, prompting the riders surrounding it to pull their dragons back in order to not get body checked by the titanic dragon. They looped around the village, no sign of Drago anywhere. The conqueror must've fled indoors or to his ships—he'd summoned the Alpha somehow, so he hadn't vanished.
The sun reflected off of a steel trap on the ground, one of many that had been moved to the village, catching Hiccup's eye. A mischievous idea took shape in his head and he grinned. "What do you say we have a little prison break of our own?" he called, glancing away from the village and at Astrid. Her fingers clenched around the handlebars on Stormfly's saddle, her eyes blazing with a fire that cut through his armor, making him feel stark naked.
Astrid readjusted in the saddle. "I'm with you," she nodded.
Hiccup leaned forward, shifting the tailfin's position so they could dive as quickly as possible. Toothless tilted and went screaming towards the village, Stormfly close behind, and blasted a hole in the nearest trap, nearly knocking the dome on its side with the force of the ensuing explosion. Hiccup looked over his shoulder, watching as a Raincutter slithered out from the ruined trap and lifted off into the air. Behind them, Stormfly zoomed over another dragon trap, spitting fire that was so hot it melted the steel exterior of the dome, almost instantly carving a wide slash through the doors that allowed a trapped Gronckle to flutter out and flap away.
Toothless let out a roar at the fleeing Gronckle, earning the burly dragon's attention. Another roar, and the Gronckle was turning its sights on the village below, zeroing in on another trap and spitting a fountain of molten rocks that melted the dome, allowing the dragon held inside to escape.
"Good thinking buddy, we want to conserve our shots!" Hiccup hollered over the wind. The Gronckle flapped away after the dragon it had freed, fleeing from the battle. Hiccup couldn't blame the poor dragon. Only Odin knew how long it had been since it had tasted freedom.
Hiccup led Toothless into another sweep of the town. Astrid stayed close with them and they teamed up, destroying trap after trap and releasing each dragon within and usually gaining that dragon's assistance in opening additional ones. On the ground, Vikings dominated Drago's foot soldiers. By all accounts, the tide was running strongly in their favor.
"Let's do another pass. How many shots does Stormfly have left?" Hiccup called over the wind. Astrid flew beside him and they leaned into a turn, pivoting around to face the island again. Nearby, the Alpha snarled and thrashed, still being bombarded by blasts of fire and unable to make its presence known in the fight.
"This should be her last one," Astrid replied. Her hair was billowing behind her like a plume of smoke in the wind. It didn't make her any less beautiful, or fierce.
"Toothless should have one or two left. Hang back, we're going to blast one more open, and then we'll turn to finding Drago. The others will be running out of shots soon, too." Hiccup shifted in the saddle and leaned forward, glancing at Astrid to make sure she was ready before he spurred Toothless to speed up. The wind howled again, and as Toothless zipped over the village he thought he heard someone shout an all-too-familiar cry of 'Night Fury!'
Hiccup zeroed in on a trap near the center of town, and Toothless loosed a bolt of plasma that once again blasted a mangled hole in the front of the steel dome where the two halves merged together. The dragon trapped inside, this time a Zippleback, rammed against the dome and shoved the two halves open as a result, the doors weakened by Toothless' blast. Stormfly smelted another nearby dome and Hiccup jerked Toothless sideways, guiding the Night Fury around to link back up with Stormfly.
"Great shot!" Astrid shouted at him. Hiccup nodded from under his helmet.
"Thanks. Now, let's go find—"
He heard the thwack loud and clear, way too close to be safe. He craned his neck, snapping his head around to the right just in time to see a net hurtling toward them, its maw opened wide and ready to snatch him and Toothless up.
"LOOK OUT!" Hiccup bellowed, and he laid flat against Toothless' back as he forced the dragon to dip. He heard Astrid's yelp and looked up, relieved that Toothless had avoided the net only for a split-second as he saw that the net had instead wrapped itself around Stormfly. Iron spheres weighed the net down, pulling the Nadder hopelessly to the ground below. In the center of it all, Astrid thrashed, trying to drag the net off of both herself and her dragon.
The yell that came from him was almost primal, a horrified, strangled scream of panic that nearly stole his own voice from him. "Astrid! No!"
There was another bellow, a guttural roar coming from up ahead. Toothless let out a warning snarl and reared up, jerking Hiccup hard enough that his vision swam. Something collided with Toothless, ramming them in a direction that Hiccup couldn't determine. A violent snarl that was not Toothless' filled Hiccup's ears, and he knew right away that a dragon was attacking them. A rush of heat barely missed them, and he gathered from the sound of another roar that a second reptile was joining in to gang up on them.
Hiccup gripped the handlebars on Toothless' saddle, opening the tailfin with a shift of his foot and trying to force his head to stop spinning. Toothless launched upward and Hiccup sucked in a deep breath, his sense of sight returning to him in one sudden rush. Toothless ascended and Hiccup looked over his shoulder, spotting no less than six armored dragons giving chase. One of them, a Windgnasher, sent a column of flame hurtling at them, and Hiccup piloted Toothless into a barrel roll to avoid it.
He whirled back around and swore spectacularly under his breath. Whatever had happened to Astrid, she was going to have to fend for herself. The dragons on his tail would keep him from getting to her.
There was no reason to be worried. He knew that she could handle herself. She was strong and capable, more so than he could ever hope to be.
She'd be fine.
Until she wasn't.
If you enjoyed this first part of the final battle, please consider leaving a review! Any and all feedback is welcome, even if it's negative. Otherwise I'll see you all again in a few days for the second part.