They exited the portal and found themselves in a dense forest, and there was no sign of any creatures.
"Looks clear," said Hiccup and looked to the others. "Okay, let's push forward and see if we can't find any clues."
"Do you even know what to look for?" Snotlout asked.
"No, all we know is that there are poachers we don't know where they are operating from, and we don't even know who they are," said Hiccup as they began walking through the forest.
"But you think they're being hired by Spade?" Ragnar asked.
"It certainly was in the Clover Kingdom, and the Heart Kingdom likes to keep to itself?" said Hiccup.
"What about the Diamond Kingdom?" Astrid asked. "They've been trying to expand their territory into the Strong Magic Region."
"True, but they mostly go for dungeons, not dragons," said Hiccup.
"But wouldn't dragon hide sell for a lot of calling on the black market?" Fishlegs asked. "I heard that every part of a dragon is worth a small fortune to the right people."
"Mostly depends on the type of dragon."
"Wait, there are other kinds of dragons?" Snotlout stared.
"There are many different dragon breeds as there are dogs, some much rarer than others."
"You seem to know a lot about dragons," said Astrid. "I mean, I heard that you are an expert on dragonology."
"Huh?" said the twins.
"The study of dragons," Fishlegs simplified.
"I should; my people practically wrote the book on dragons," said Hiccup. "In fact, my ancestor was the first person to actually ride a dragon."
"Ride a dragon?" Astrid started.
"What he could ride a broom like the rest of us?" Snotlout snorted.
Hiccup ignored that comment. "Anywhere I read everything I could find on dragons, I found them rather fascinating. Then on the day that I ran from the Spade Kingdom, I came upon this cove. My mentor, Gobber, was badly injured, and I was exhausted from carrying him. Then I saw this dragon with scales as black as night appearing out of a cave."
Fishlegs eyes widened. "You saw a Night Fury? I didn't think any existed."
"Believe me, I was just as surprised and terrified."
"Why?" Tuffnut asked.
"The Night Fury is one of the most dangerous out of all the dragons. It said that it is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. No one has ever seen one or live to tell the tale."
"Except Hiccup apparently," said Astrid.
The Night Fury just approached me as if curious, and then I passed out from exhaustion. When I woke up, I found that me and Gobber were no longer in the cove; in fact, I wasn't even in the Strong Magic Region."
"You're saying that the Night Fury saved a life?" said Ragnar.
"I don't know what happened, but I'll never forget it," Hiccup smiled.
"What a load of bull," Snotlout snorted. "You really expect us to believe any of this?"
"Believe what you want, but we have a mission here, and we have to see it through," said Hiccup.
Then as they made their way through clearing, Hiccup saw something within the tallgrass.
"Wait, I see something," he said, holding out his hand.
"What we're going to stop at every single shiny thing you find in the woods?" Snotlout grumbled.
Hiccup then picked up what appeared to be a metal dart deal with some strange liquid.
Astrid looked at Snotlout, smirking slightly. "You were saying?"
"Looks like we found evidence of our poacher," said Hiccup as he sat up.
Fishlegs took the dart in his hands and examined it. "This is fine craftsman work; whoever made this knew what they were doing."
"What about the liquid, some sort of poison?" Astrid asked.
"More likely a paralysing agent, but there's no way to tell about proper examining the substance."
"Which we can't do in the middle of nowhere," said Hiccup.
"So now what genius?" Snotlout asked as he weeded through the tallgrass. "We're going to wander around aimlessly?"
Hiccup's eyes widened as he looked at Snotlout. "Snotlout, don't move a muscle!"
"Why not?" Snotlout asked.
Hiccup drew his sword and then immediately tossed it to the point where Snotlout was wandering towards. Instantly shooting out the tallgrass was some sort of large mechanism with a steel net.
"Seems like our poacher knows what he's doing," said Astrid.
"Hiccup, I don't think we're dealing with any common poacher," said Ragnar.
"No, we're dealing with a very crafty one, and someone personally builds his own traps," said Hiccup looking deeply troubled.
"You know who it is, don't you?" said Astrid.
"His name is Grimmel," said Hiccup.
They set up camp, and they chose to set it up for way from the clearing as possible. Astrid had used her Briar Magic to create a shelter for them, and Snotlout reinforced with his Mercury Magic.
"So who is this Grimmel, and how do you know him?" Fishlegs asked.
"I've never met him, but my father knew of him," said Hiccup as he poked the fire. "He was 15 when he killed his very first dragon, a Night Fury, so I'm told, but it certainly wasn't his last. He began building his own traps and began killing any dragon he came across, saying that was bringing lasting peace."
"What's peaceful about killing dragons?" Astrid asked.
"We are talking about giant fire breathing lizards with razor-sharp claws and then not exactly cute and cuddly when provoked," said Hiccup. "But he does it for the thrill of it not to bring peace; he sees them as mindless savage creatures that need to be put down."
"But isn't it illegal to kill dragons?" Fishlegs frowned. "I mean that law was enforced by all of the kingdoms 300 years ago."
"Because of my ancestor," said Hiccup, and everyone stared at him. "Dragon were unknown back then, and people are afraid they do not know. However, my ancestor was able to convince everyone that most dragons were harmless unless provoked, not to say there were a few aggressors."
"Guessing that means he really hates you," Astrid assumed.
"He's not a big fan of my family, no. I do remember there was a man him, they could never catch, and very few of the soldiers sent after him never came back."
"The guy can't be that good, he left us trapped undermanned, and he left evidence of his involvement," said Snotlout.
"Which means he's not hunting dragons; he's hunting us," said Hiccup.
"Wait, you mean he's hunting us before we even started the hunt for him," said Ragnar looking at him dubiously.
"I know it sounds crazy, but there's no way he would have been that careless unless he wanted us to know that it was him we were after."
"So what's the?" Astrid asked.
"We rest up and set out in the morning, and I like the idea of tracking him down in the dark. I'll take the first watch the rest of you get some sleep."
"You'll hear no argument from me this time," said Snotlout.
Everyone then started to make their way to their tents, but Astrid remained behind and looked at Hiccup.
"Do you think this is a prelude to an invasion with Spade?" Astrid asked.
"I've got no clue, ever since the coup, there's been no word outside of Spade literally no idea what's going on in my homeland," Hiccup sighed. "Grimmel might know more. If we can capture him alive, Fishlegs can take a look inside his head and find the truth. Anyway, you better get some sleep; it's a long day tomorrow."
The next morning they packed up their campsite and continued on the trail, but there were hardly any tracks.
"He's not making it easy for us," said Ragnar as he examined some footprints. "I can't even tell that these are real or not."
"He's trying to mess with our heads, confusing us, so we won't know which way is up or down," said Hiccup.
"Appears to be working," said Astrid. "It's a shame that none of us doesn't possess any kind of magic that would help us track him down."
They then heard a roar in the distance, and they all knew that it belonged to a dragon.
"Sounds like a dragon is nearby," said Ragnar.
"Then perhaps we should go in the opposite direction," said Fishlegs.
"Wait," said Hiccup as he listened closely to the roar. "I think it's troubling to call out for help."
"How can you possibly know that?" Snotlout asked.
"The pitch," said Hiccup simply.
"Even if it's calling out for help, that could be just about anything," said Astrid.
"There's even a slim chance that it will lead us to Grimmel; we have to take it," said Hiccup.
"Oh, so now we're charging headlong towards a firebreathing lizard, good plan," Snotlout muttered.
"Just move!" Hiccup ordered.
They then quickly made their way to the source of the roar, which led them to a clearing and there they saw a Night Fury trapped in a net.
"An actual Night Fury," said Fishlegs looking stunned.
"And this one is currently trapped," said Hiccup.
"Should we try to help it?" Astrid asked.
"So that it can attack us," said Snotlout.
"Look at it, Snotlout; it's in pain," said Ragnar.
Hiccup looked around. 'This is a make any sense Grimmel wouldn't just keep a Night Fury alive. I smell a trap.'
"So what do we do?" Astrid asked.
Hiccup knew that this was no doubt a trap, but he couldn't just leave the Night Fury like this.
"The rest of you stay back; I'll free him," said Hiccup.
"You know it he?" Tuffnut asked.
"I just do," said Hiccup.
He then slowly began making his way towards the Night Fury, keeping an eye out for any other kind of traps.
"He's a big fella; I'm here to help," said Hiccup slowly and then pulled out a knife. "Just hold still; I'm not going to hurt you."
"10 royals say that the dragon is going to eat him," Snotlout whispered to Astrid.
Astrid responded by punching him in the arm.
Hiccup was only a few paces away from the Night Fury when his left foot touched the ground, and a magic circle appeared. Suddenly amber then immediately shot out from the Magic Circle and encased his leg.
"Trap Magic!" Astrid yelled.
"I can't move my leg!" Hiccup yelled.
Suddenly masked men emerged from the trees and completely surrounded them.
"So predictable," said a voice.
Hiccup turned his head and saw a tall and slender middle-aged man with silver-grey hair. His skin was completely pale, and his eyes were pale blue.
"Grimmel the Grisly," Hiccup assumed.
"I had a feeling that Magic Knights would eventually show themselves, but never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that you young Hiccup would be leading them," Grimmel smiled.
"What do you want?" said Hiccup.
"Well, nothing much but the entire elimination of all dragons, something that our previous king was too weak to do," said Grimmel as he paced around Hiccup. "Our new lives, on the other hand, see the necessity of wiping out the dragons, and I will be able to correct the mistake that your ancestor made."
"My ancestor made no mistake," said Hiccup.
"Of course he did!" Grimmel roared. "He convinced everyone that dragons weren't mindless beasts, that they were intelligent and said that we should treat them as equals. Well, I say the only way for lasting pieces to eliminate every single dragon, which is why I have killed all the Night Fury's except one."
Hiccup's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't."
"I did, and I am going to finish the job, but first I'm going to have to eliminate your friends," he said, turning towards Astrid and the others.
"You can certainly try," said Snotlout as he summoned his mercury.
"Magnet Magic: Pull Polarity!" said one of Grimmel's men.
Immediately Snotlout's mercury began to pull towards him, making it almost impossible for Snotlout to use it as a weapon.
Ragnar quickly placed his hand on the ground and extended his shadow, and the moment it touched Grimmel's men, they froze right in place.
"Impressive, but not quite impressive enough," said Grimmel snapping his fingers.
Suddenly cable shot out of the ground and wrap themselves around Ragnar, pulling him towards the ground and releasing his binding spell.
"No!" Hiccup yelled as he tried to free himself.
"Now you can watch as your friends die one by one," Grimmel smiled.
Astrid was using her briars to ensnare Grimmel's men, but one of them knew Fire Magic and began burning them to a crisp. Fishlegs had created a crossbow in his arms and was firing magical bolts which would wipe out a few hours of memory from Grimmel's men they touched. However, one of them could use Smoke Magic, making it impossible for him to see, so he had no idea whether it was shutting friend or foe.
"Things aren't looking good," said Astrid as he jumped back in order to avoid a fireball.
"They're countering us," said Fishlegs.
Ruffnut held out her hands. "Gas Magic: Prankster Illusion!"
Gas erupted from her hands and then began to take form, and soon there were multiple Ruffnut beside her.
"Go get them, girls!" Ruffnut ordered.
Her clones immediately charged at the enemy.
"They're just illusions; they have no real substance," said one of Grimmel's men confidently.
Tuffnut then snapped his fingers. "Explosion Magic: Impact Detonatonation!"
Small lights then began to appear in the stomachs of the clones, and the moment that Grimmel's men touched them, they exploded.
"Nice teamwork," said Astrid.
"We are a real force to be reckoned with once we put our heads together," said Ruffnut.
The two of them then head-butted one another.
"Let's not pat ourselves on the back just yet; they're still coming," said Fishlegs.
"Your friends fight valiantly, but soon they will be overwhelmed," said Grimmel.
'He's right. There's no way I can fight back in this position; there's nothing I can do,' said Hiccup helplessly, and then he looked towards the Night Fury knew what he had to do.
Grimmel noticed Hiccup drawing his sword. "What do you think you're doing? There's no way you can fight like that."
Hiccup looked at the Night Fury. "Save them."
He then raised his sword.
Grimmel realised what he was about to do. "No!"
Astrid and the others were still trying to fend off Grimmel's men, but they were starting to get overpowered. Snotlout was unable to control his mercury, Ragnar was trapped in a binding spell, and Fishlegs can do anything with all the smoke.
"Don't think we can keep this up," said Astrid as she swung her briars.
"So what do we do?" Fishlegs asked.
Astrid wished she had an idea, but then suddenly, there was a huge explosion as a shot of plasma shoot by. Then suddenly, the Night Fury came swooping in and crushed the cables that had Ragnar in place. The moment he was free, Ragnar unleashed his binding spell trapping Grimmel's men in place.
Astrid quickly spun around. Her eyes widened as Hiccup laid there at the foot of the trap which contained the Night Fury. There she could see that he had sliced his leg clean off, allowing him to hop his way over to the trap and free the Night Fury.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed.
Grimmel was standing over Hiccup, looking furious. "You were willing to go that far from a dragon?"
Hiccup looked at him. "I would do whatever it takes to prevent the same tragedy that happened in our homeland to happen again."
Grimmel then pulled out a crossbow and aimed it directly at him. "That I'll kill you right here and now."
Before he could pull the trigger, mercury then immediately wrapped itself around his body, trapping him in place.
"I don't think you'll be doing anything any time soon," said Snotlout.
"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed immediately rushed to his side. She then hovered her hand over his leg and began using Recovery Magic to heal his wound. "How could you do something so reckless?"
"To save you all," he smiled and then he lost consciousness.
Hiccup woke up, and the first thing he saw looking down at him was a Night Fury and practically jumped out of bed.
"W-what's happening?" he yelled.
It took a few moments to realise that he was in the medical ward, and sitting beside his bed was the Night Fury.
"W-what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked.
The Night Fury nearly nuzzled him as if he was an old friend.
"I knew it; I'm dead," said Hiccup.
"No, but you gave it your best shot," said a voice chuckling. Hiccup sat up and saw Julius standing at the foot of his bed, smiling. "You gave us quite a scare."
"W-what happened?" Hiccup groaned.
"Astrid was able to seal your wound, and then Ragnar quickly transported you back here," Julius explained. "Sadly, there no known spell that can regenerate a limb, so afraid you are still minus one leg."
Hiccup moved his covers and saw that he was now wearing a prosthetic.
"Your friend Gobber made that himself," Julius explained.
"What's the Night Fury doing here?" Hiccup asked as he patted him on the head.
"He wouldn't leave your side," said Julius. "Fishlegs looked through his memories and discovered that this is not the first time the two of you have met."
Hiccup realise what he was getting at and looked at the Night Fury. "You're the night Fury that rescued Gobber and me five years ago?"
"He is most likely the last of his kind, which means he needs protecting, and we can think of no one better suited than you, especially after everything you've accomplished."
"So the mission was a success?"
"We're questioning Grimmel and his cohorts as we speak, but we fear that we won't get much out of them," said Julius. "Now, I think you have a few friends who wish to say hello."
Then suddenly entering his room was Astrid and the others.
"Nice to see that you're awake," Ragnar smiled.
"That was the craziest thing I have ever seen," said Tuffnut.
"You sure not related?" Ruffnut asked.
"I suppose you didn't do too bad a job as being team leader," Snotlout muttered under his breath.
"You saved us; we all are you a debt," said Fishlegs.
Astrid then approached Hiccup and leaned in towards him, and for a moment, everyone believed that she was going to kiss. However, instead, she punched him hard in the arm and looked at him furiously.
"That was for scaring me!" she snapped furiously.
Hiccup had just had enough of this; it wasn't the first time that Astrid had punched him in the arm. "Oh, come on is always going to be like this because—"
He stopped the moment Astrid kissed him on the cheek and looked back at him, blushing. "And that's for everything else."
"I suppose I can get used to it," Hiccup shrugged.
Gobber finished his tale to Dak and Adelaide. The two of them were completely stunned.
"He cut off his own leg to save a dragon to save his team," said Adelaide looking bewildered. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, and here I thought he was the only sane one in our squad."
Gobber chuckled. "Hiccup doesn't always do things by the book, but one cannot argue with the results."
"Wow, I wish I could have been there," said Dak.
"Ever since then, he and Toothless have been an unstoppable team," said Gobber.
"But if the twins were in the Purple Orcas, how did they end up in the Black Dragons?" Adelaide asked.
"When a new squad is formed, the captain is allowed to ask members of others squad as they wish to join him," Gobber explained. "Twins felt unsatisfied being with the Purple Orcas, so they immediately jumped at the chance to join Hiccup's squad."
"Okay, but what about Ragnar?" Dak asked. "We've met everyone else but him."
"Don't know, one day he just disappeared though I believe that he is still alive as he keeps sending letters. I can only imagine that he's doing very important work for the Wizard King."
"I've got so many questions now I don't know where to start," said Dak.
"I think that's enough stories for one day," said Hiccup as he re-entered the room. "Now I think it's time for us to head back home."
Gobber just smiled as they left the shop. When the door closed, he just stood there curiously.
"Dak, there's one curious kid."