"Modern myth".
How to train your dragon, Toothcup.
By: Sinattea.
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Disclaimer: Doing this for fun (?) and for free.
Note: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ! !
What do we say to the God of Death? ? *cue Kpop noises*
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Chapter 37: Ultimatum.
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Friday evening found the entire gang loading backpacks and small suitcases off their cars. They were excited like children before christmas. Ruffnut had packed every single swimming suit she owned and planned to use them all even if she had to change clothes every thirty minutes. It had also been a particularly heavy week at school, which made the prospect of a pseudo-vacation at Sunstone even more exhilarating.
Everyone was excited. Or almost everyone.
- This feels wrong – Toothless shook his head as he watched his friends haul their luggage up the entrance stairs.
He had offered his help, but had been rejected under the excuse that no one was carrying any spare change. If his foul mood had anything to do with the lousy bellboy joke, no one could really tell.
- Green Death is still out there, somewhere. Evelyn's mystical mafia is out there, too. There's just too much going on, do you really think this is a good idea?
- You said it yourself: you need a break. We all do and this is it – whispered Hiccup in between hellos.
- Yeah, that's what I said, but we can't just "take a break" like this – the boy drew the air quotations with his fingers.
Hiccup pulled his hands down.
- Toothless. Chill. Do this for me if that helps, but I'd really love it if you did it for yourself.
Toothless looked at him for a full minute, semblance of a pout in his face. He was about to argue some when Evelyn's voice cut him short.
- Make yourselves at home, I'm leaving now – she carried her coat in one hand and coffee in the other as she dashed through the door; she had surgery to perform - The house is all yours for the weekend, Dean. Don't do anything stupid.
Snotlout and Tuffnut were about to tease Toothless endlessly about that comment, but as soon as he remarked on how Evelyn had not been looking at him when saying so, they could not make fun of it at all. That finally brought a smile to Toothless' lips.
He was home. He was safe. Maybe he could relax a little.
Hiccup nodded with a peaceful expression.
Somewhere in the living room, someone screamed "cannon ball!" and jumped in the pool without a swimsuit.
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The twins collapsed on the floor, a puddle forming under their heads. Toothless discretely moved the carpet away from their soaked manes before laying down himself. Everyone was exhausted, but happy.
- Might be a good idea to get a snack or something – said Snotlout.
Astrid was about to tease him on how he didn't think of anything but food when someone's stomach gave a growl. Tuffnut curled up, embarrassed.
- I'm hungry but I also don't wanna wait an hour before swimmin'.
- Let's get that goddamned snack, Tuff, I'm dead, give me a break – insisted Snotlout, and this time Fishlegs agreed.
- You wanna watch something in the meantime? – suggested Hiccup.
- Don't! We ain't gonna agree on anything with both of them here – Snotlout pointed at the twins.
Hiccup and Fishlegs gave them a quizzical look.
- It's been years since our parents gave up on movie night for good – Ruffnut shrugged off.
- How about some spin the bottle? – surprisingly enough, Toothless was the one to make the suggestion. It was one of those silly things that he'd always seen in movies but never had anyone to play with.
- EWWW – squealed Tuffnut -. My sister's here!
- AND it's not like you two need an excuse for snogging – added the female twin. Hiccup blushed right up to his ears.
- Ooh, ooh! We can play Truth or Math! – exclaimed Fishlegs, earning a confused glare from everyone in the room -. We have to answer questions or get punished with an equation. It's pretty fun, actually.
- I keep forgetting your girlfriend's a mathlete… – muttered Snotlout.
- Well, it's not like, she's not… well…
Everyone watched as Fishlegs tripped on his own words, desperately trying to mumble out incomprehensible excuses, his face red as a ripe tomato.
- Spin the damn bottle, then, I know what my question for 'Legs is going to be – said Astrid.
Tuffnut hurried off his soda, placing the empty glass on the floor.
They all sat in a circle, agreeing from the very beginning that whomever chose punishment wouldn't be able to use their phones to get the answer. Tuffnut was the first one to choose math, and regretted it as soon as Fishlegs wrote down the equation.
There were laughs, there were tears. Snotlout swallowed his pride and answered every single question thrown his way, even the one that confirmed he used to paint faces on his belly and made them speak when he was not so young anymore. Astrid finally found out that Ruffnut wasn't lying when she swore there was a family photo in her living room where she and Tuffnut had exchanged clothes and nobody had noticed, even though she wore a dress. Fishlegs had to confess that he was a hopeless romantic who didn't want to officially use the term "girlfriend" until a first anniversary was reached and that he dreamed of a first kiss with "My heart will go on" playing in the background. Ruffnut took ten minutes to find the hypotenuse of the stupidest triangle ever rather than confirm with whom her very first kiss had been. Toothless confessed to absolutely hate horror movies. Hiccup let go that he was lowkey afraid of clowns.
They also played poker and placed bets on who would wash the dishes the next morning, and this time Snotlout couldn't save himself from having to wash three pots and five plates, whereas Fishlegs managed to make it through with a flawless winning streak.
Later, Hiccup and Ruffnut had the most exciting dart-throwing finale ever, Astrid proved to be the worst at pool, and Toothless showed them how to make a limb go numb in two touches (huge mistake, with the twins there). Snotlout crowned himself the indisputable winner in "who can hold their breath underwater the longest", and naturally Hiccup and Toothless were an invincible duo when fighting in the pool, and not even Ruffnut sitting on her twin's shoulders posed a challenge.
It was, honestly, the most fun many of them had had in a while. It was certainly the most fun Toothless had ever had in a group, even topping the surprise birthday party Hiccup had organized for him, though he would never admit it out loud. It was fine and dandy to have little secrets here and there.
They ended up exhausted, some bruised, some with the guilt of having eaten an entire cake by themselves, some crying over a cracked phone-screen… It was a blast nonetheless.
They all agreed to make a habit out of it, maybe after every exam season, or a particularly stressful time.
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They would find themselves yearning for another Sunstone Party sooner than they expected given that those were the requirements.
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Dagur had been particularly nasty the last couple days.
Aura had told Fishlegs that there had been an incident with the mathletes; one that principal Cowell had promptly and rightly settled, but the suspension put Dagur in an even worse mood, and he seemed ready to snap at everything and everyone.
To be quite frank, he looked terrible. Snotlout noticed he just couldn't get it right during practice, he kept lashing out at his teammates and he went as far as to yell at the coach. The quarterback almost felt pity for him, if it wasn't for that damned attitude.
The cafeteria was almost as quiet as it had been in the days of Green Death. Yet, if you listened carefully, you'd realize that Dagur was the topic of many a conversation, simply because he was picking on so many people all around school.
- Boy, am I lucky I don't have class with him anymore. What's his problem? – asked Astrid.
- No one knows – said Tuffnut.
- He's been like that the whole week. Practice's been hell – agreed Snotlout -. To be honest, I think he's got problems at home or something.
- How do you know that? – inquired Astrid.
- Heard the coach saying something 'bout it. I don't really know.
- If I didn't know him I'd feel bad for him – said Ruffnut.
But the thing was they all knew him, and it wasn't long that they felt tempted to show him any more compassion. He walked in stomping and yelling and glaring, drawing exasperated sighs and rolled eyes all around, but not a single word towards him.
Funny enough, that didn't seem to affect him much. Whatever it was causing his anger, his stress, it indeed wasn't happening at school.
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Given the circumstances, most students at BHS were taking precautions to avoid Dagur like the plague. If not out of fear and self-preservation as they once would have, definitely out of a desire to preserve whatever good spirits they managed to take that morning to school.
None of the gang members were the exception; they too would part like the red sea whenever Dagur and whatever bully friends remained to him walked by. They simply didn't bother, not even Toothless. Particularly Toothless. He was, in fact, so determined to avoid the Viking bullies that he had intentionally been arriving late for the past week. He simply was in no mood to put up with their nonsense, and he lacked the practical indifference of the twins, the blessed patience of Fishlegs, or the cold shoulder of Astrid.
He was unlucky enough that one rainy morning, though, as Dagur happened to be just as late as him and they ran into each other right at the door, their shoulders pushing as both tried to walk through first.
Toothless could have easily shoved him aside and outrun him to the first period in a heartbeat, except… something caught him off guard. A whiff. He froze on his steps, allowing Dagur to let the door slam shut right in his face.
He was left in the wind and the rain, confused and bothered by something he hadn't noticed before, the trace of a smell on Dagur's jacket that made him uncomfortable to his very core, though he couldn't quite identify why.
Now he tried his best to run into Dagur at every hallway, just to make sure that he hadn't imagined anything. Water fades smells, it makes them change; he could very well just have it all in his head. He was paranoid as of late.
Dagur, however, noticed this change, even as Toothless tried his best to keep it subtle.
- Lost anything, weirdo? – he said - A tooth?
His voice was so obnoxious that Toothless couldn't help but mumble "Piss off" as he turned around. What was he thinking? Dagur was annoying and a remnant of a wicked past in BHS, but he wasn't a threat. Not to him, at least, and not to his friends, but provoking him might ruin somebody else's day; some poor freshman or mathlete. It was not worth it.
Too late. His words didn't go unnoticed, and in the unstable mood Dagur found himself in, they were more than enough to drive him over the edge.
- Piss off? Take your own advice, you freak – he teased, voice venomous.
Toothless was already walking away.
- And you turn your back on me? That's stupid. Don't you know your time's runnin' out?
Toothless had to stop and turn to look him in the eye.
- You're not worth it – he gritted, and immediately kept walking away, taking longer and longer steps.
Dagur felt his words like a punch in the gut, an embarrassed kind of rage bubbling in his chest.
- Watch it! You're dead meat! Freak!
He sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, his voice shrill and desperate for some kind of attention, his words desperate for a reaction. "Keep walking – Toothless thought -, ignore him". He really didn't want to get into a fight. He had too much on his plate already, and he refused to give Dagur the satisfaction.
- You're dead meat, Toothless! – Dagur kept shrieking.
"Empty words – Toothless insisted, turning around the corner -. Hollow threats. He's not even making sense".
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It wasn't until the fire alarm went on that Dagur's words stopped sounding hollow.
Evacuation went as expected, with only a few getting caught under the sprinklers. The fire was nowhere to be seen, though, so most began thinking it was only a drill.
Except Toothless.
- I have a bad feeling about this – he said under his breath, anxious as can be.
- Easy, Han – added Fishlegs, but when he saw the joke go right above his friend's head, he started to change his mind.
Something was happening.
It wasn't until half the school was out in the parking lot that everyone realized what is was: Principal Cowell's car was on fire, literally. Pieces of scrap metal laid at their feet, blackened and charred from what everyone assumed had been the combustion of the gasoline tank. Fishleg's face went white as chalk, not too different from Toothless'. He was anxious, real anxious, all tense muscles and spooked up senses. He looked around, desperately looking for Hiccup's face among the crowd. Why? Why did this happen precisely during the one class they didn't have together? It seemed so purposeful that his bad feeling worsened tenfold.
When he finally spotted the other boy at the opposite end of the parking lot, he remembered what it was like to breathe.
Then he pressed on to more urgent matters. Ignoring his professors, his classmates, and the newly arriving firefighters, he crossed the lot towards the car, and grabbed a piece of metal in his hands. He sniffed at it. It was still hot, enough to burn off a man's skin, to sear his lungs; luckily he was no such thing.
Angry firemen pushed him back and away, and someone slapped the metal off his hand, but he already knew what he needed to, and all his sudden suspicions had been confirmed. The smell on the car brought forth recognition; it was the same faint one he had detected on Dagur's jacket... and it was Green Death's scent.
His chest felt empty for a moment.
Then his vision tunneled until he could only see a couple meters ahead of himself, and only one face at a time. Was that what raging bulls felt like? If he found the spot of red on Dagur's shirt, would he run him over in blind fury like one?
He was damn set on finding out, regardless of what Fishlegs, or the twins, or anyone had to say. Yes, they were behind him now, following him hopelessly through the corridors into the football field, where Dagur was likely to be. Now even Astrid and Snotlout were there, trying to reach him. And Hiccup, even Hiccup, asking him what was going on, asking him to stop. But he couldn't. "This is more dangerous than you all know. I can't stop".
He pressed on, and when Dagur finally made it into his vision, surrounded by the blurry black shapes clouding his eyes, the bully immediately knew what was going to happen. Dagur ran, back into the building, back into the hallways still pouring water. He slipped a couple times, never falling though, and still, Toothless got him.
The hand that grabbed him by the back of his head and smacked him against the lockers felt more like a claw. His right eyebrow burst open and blood began dripping down his face, quickly washing away with all the sweat and water. "This is it… He's gonna break my ribs like he did Green Death's…" For the first time in his life, the bully was afraid. Very afraid.
But Toothless didn't beat him. He didn't throw him across the hallway or smashed his face against the wall. Yet he growled into his ear, applying pressure through the tips of his fingers, keeping Dagur's head firmly pressed against the locker door.
- You're hiding him, aren't you? – he half muttered, half growled. Dagur flinched.
- I don't know what you're- - - AGH!
- Yes, you do – for half a second, fingertips went black as coal -. You're helping him. Why?
- He's gonna… he's gonna… You're dead… you're all dead…
- How 'bout you? – Toothless pressed harder.
But then the voices at the end of the hallway reached him: his friends had found them, and they were begging for him to stop. No need, really, Toothless wasn't really going to hurt Dagur, but he had to send a message. He had to.
- How about you? – he repeated. Dagur tried to hit him in the head by pushing back with his elbow, but Toothless easily held his arm down -. You don't wanna get caught in the crossfire… You think you know what you've gotten into. You don't.
- He's a monster… – Dagur whispered, closing his eyes with fury, but unable to hide the fear in his voice - He's gonna kill you… us… He is…
- You know how you'll get out of this alive? – sharp teeth gritted, and sharper claws held tighter still - Tell him this: I know. Tell him I'm gonna find him first, and he's gonna regret ever daring to threaten my friends. Tell him and then get out.
- He ain't afraid of you…
- Then tell him he should. I know what he can do… He has no idea what I am capable of. You think he's a monster? He's never killed anyone, I have. He ain't seen nothing yet.
He didn't even transform. There were no wings, nor scales, nor tail or fire. But the fine slits his pupils had turned into and the sheer venom in his voice was all the proof Dagur needed. Toothless let go of him, pushed him towards the nearest door before his friends could reach them.
- TELL HIM! – he commanded as Dagur tripped over his own feet, running away.
When Toothless turned around, the menacing air still lingered on his features, but his body was much less tense. Still, nobody spoke, not even Hiccup.
- Dagur's been hiding Green Death – he announced -. Says he's been forced to, but I don't think so…
- He knows about you? – Hiccup felt his soul drop to his feet. Had someone asked him to go and tell someone anything, he wouldn't be able to.
- He thinks he knows. And he just realized it. Where does he live?
- Toothless… – Hiccup called.
That broke him out of his fury; his eyes regained their humanity and he stepped forward to grab Hiccup by the hand.
- He won't tell anyone. Evelyn won't let him.
- I'll call her – said Hiccup, regaining whatever composure he could. He wouldn't stand by idly, he would do something.
- You do that – Toothless nodded -. I'll go to his house. Where does he live?
- I can drive you – offered Snotlout.
- No! – exclaimed Ruffnut - Guys, don't.
- Last time he kicked your ass – Tuffnut supported his sister's claim.
- Last time I wasn't ready. Snotlout, you drive.
- Sure thing.
- Guys! – Astrid begged, incredulous as everyone around her.
It was too late. Toothless had already walked away; Snotlout trotting behind him.
- We won't engage, but I have to keep eyes on him – was all Toothless yelled back, before disappearing around the corner. The way he phrased it only made things worse. This was serious, dangerous, and clearly not a first.
- You're just gonna let him go? – Astrid turned around to reproach Hiccup, but he was already on the phone.
- What are we gonna do? – cried Fishlegs, still pale as a ghost.
- We're meeting with Evelyn, now – Hiccup had already hung up, and he was decidedly walking back to the parking lot, displaying the same kind of stubborn determination Toothless had shown seconds earlier.
Fishlegs and Tuffnut exchanged phased looks, feeling cold sweat on their necks. How serious was this? The girls had a better inkling at what was going on, as they feared it could be necessary to drag one of their friends unconscious and blood-covered to a safe place once again. Regardless, they caught up with Hiccup, and hit the road as fast as they could.
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Snotlout parked right around the corner, cautious not to let Dagur see his car from a distance. He was sweating so much he took off his Vikings cap, and his hands felt sticky against the wheel. Toothless did a better job at hiding his anxiety, though he wasn't feeling any different.
The dragon-boy looked around, through glass and trees and fences, and when he was convinced no one would see, he pulled out a gun from the fake bottom of his backpack and loaded it with expertise. Snotlout felt all the worse.
- I thought you said we wouldn't… uhm… engage…
- You won't… We won't. Sorry. This is just a precaution – that said, he held the gun by the barrel and offered it to Snotlout -. It's for you, actually.
- Hell, no…
- Hell, yes. Take it. It's just tranquilizers – Toothless pushed the gun into Snotlout's hands.
He gulped.
- You swear?
- Yeah. Now you stay here. Wait for Evelyn – that said he also offered a small device with a tiny blinking light -. Keep it in your ear, you should be able to hear me and Evelyn as soon as she gets in range. Touch it if you want to speak.
Snotlout genuinely wanted to scream, or cry, or something. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, only that there was a lot of it.
- Uhm… Toothless?
- Yeah?
- What you said to Dagur… it ain't true, right?
Toothless didn't reply. He merely said "shoot only if I tell you to", and sneaked out of the window fast as a cat, jumping to the nearest roof to hide behind a chimney. Snotlout was left alone with all his anxiousness, an unanswered question and a gun.
- Shit, shit, shit! – he said as he held the gun with both hands and aimed with it above the wheel -. It's tranquilizers, it's tranquilizers. You aim and shoot, just like a videogame, just like a… like a… SHIT!
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember the name of a single game where he'd aimed and shot, all he could think about was Green Death, standing on the viewpoint, spitting fire, and the game over screen from Street Fighter.
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He laughed in his face when Dagur relayed the message Toothless had given him.
- I'm not afraid of that freak – Green Death assured, voice guttural and deep, barely human.
"You should" Dagur almost said, but truth was he was the one terrified. Of Toothless and how he'd just proven right all the things said of him… and of Green Death.
He'd shown up in his backyard about six weeks ago, late at night, looking like a freaking monster, covered in blood. Dagur had barely recognized him, and he had been very close to calling the police, but there was a part of him that was still loyal and obedient to every command of his former quarterback. No matter how afraid the sight of Green Death made him, it was the sound of his voice that had overpowered everything else.
Ever since, Green Death had been living in his basement, hiding as the wound in his shoulder healed. Every day Dagur would bring obscene amounts of fast food, with money Green Death had provided, but after two weeks he'd been ordered to bring raw meat… obscene amounts of raw red meat. A month in he had to cancel the fumigator's appointment behind his mother's back, and lie to his parents about their coming to explain why there were no longer rats in the basement.
Really it was lucky that his father was always so busy with work and his mother always so willing to spend afternoons and evenings at her friends'. They were never ones to go down to the basement; maybe that's why Green Death had chosen his house to hide in.
Had his parents the slightest idea of what was happening underneath their own noses, had they seen the thing hiding in there… his father would have died of a heart-attack and his mother absolutely gone insane.
It had gone from bad to worse. From Green Death's recognizable face, though spotted with scales, with claws for fingers and spikes sprouting down his back, to a nightmarish monster long past the uncanny valley: half monster, half human. All because of the blasted injections. Every dose made Green Death larger and more fearsome: healing his wound, making him stronger… and taking his humanity away little by little, in an irreversible manner. The first doses Green Death had been more than able to apply to himself, but the last ones he had demanded Dagur to apply, for he could no longer hold the syringe properly and the risk of breaking them had been unthinkable.
With a trembling hand, Dagur had been forced to come close to Green Death in the dark corner where he spent most of his time. He could but guess his silhouette, and he used his phonelight to see where the injection went in, because he'd be damned if he ever turned the lights on. Green Death was easily 50 centimeters taller than him back then, and seemed to have gotten larger since.
Nothing but curiosity had managed to keep him coming back to the basement, because as much as he feared whatever it was that Green Death was turning himself into, Dagur was now completely drawn to learn his whole story, which the former quarterback was more than willing to tell.
He told Dagur of the Hunters, of how they'd found him and taken him to Italy. He told him of the secret lairs in the Vatican's underground tunnels. He spoke of the hideous genetic experimentation they were doing, of the cages with half-dead myths in them and the weapons laboratory. Of how he'd joined the Hunters only to learn more about dragons. How he learned about the hybrid serum. How he volunteered to test it. He told of how he escaped back to Berk the second he realized it was working, a full case of stolen doses as his only luggage.
Above all, he talked of his revenge; of how he meant to, simply put, destroy Toothless.
Dagur had heard it all.
Except this time, Green Death had to listen to him.
- I think Toothless means to kill you – he mumbled.
The only thing visible of Green Death were his nostrils, lit up from its innards with a dragon fire. His head, by now, brushed against the ceiling.
- Perfect. Let 'im try.
- He said… he said he's killed peop- - -
- Oh, he has. The Hunters have been searching for the Night Fury for years. They got a list, of dragons' killcount per species. The Night Fury's got 57 proven kills, and since he's the last one…
- But m-my parents- - -
- Shut the fuck up.
- I've helped you! – Dagur tried to scream, but truth is his voice came only as a frightened whisper - Brought you food, and- - -
- And you ain't dead yet. You should be fucking thankful.
Dagur didn't dare to move, fixed on the stairs as he had been for the past days.
- Get the fucking syringe – ordered Green Death in that terrifying voice of his.
Dagur gulped, forcing himself to take another step, and then another. He pulled out his phone and lit up the floor only to make sure he didn't step on any of the mysterious stains on the floor; he was sure many of those were rat skins and guts. He reached the case and opened it: a single, lonely syringe reflecting his light.
Green Death had said the serum was designed to be injected once a month, then once a week over the course of a year… but he had not followed the instructions, because his shoulder hurt like hell and every shot made him feel better, so he simply applied them daily for a month. And now they were all gone.
The monster hiding in his basement roared as Dagur hammered the needle through his thickened, scaley skin. He could not get it out, and jumped back so fast he fell as he avoided the jaws snapping shut to rip it off. His hand touched the disgusting, stinking goo on the floor, and it took all his strength not to gag. Who knew how Green Death would react if he did.
He ran for the stairs as the seizures began. He'd learned the hard way that it was best to give Green Death some space as his enormous body convulsed. He felt the foundations of the house shaking, or maybe it was just his body that trembled so. He needed a drink.
On shaky legs he made it to the kitchen, and pulled out a beer from the fridge. Damn it if his father found out, he didn't care. He took a long gulp and almost choked on it as he heard the monstrous roar, loud as if Green Death were agonizing next to him and not three meters underground. He wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve, and then his whole face. He was sweating cold.
Green Death had never been so loud. What if someone heard him? A neighbour? The mailman? His mom looking for her keys at the main door?
It was early, nobody should be home but…
Terrified at the prospect of someone, anyone, finding out about Green Death (and facing his wrath because of it), Dagur sprinted across the house to spy through every window, making sure he didn't see any movement outside. The coast was clear.
Drenched in sweat, he turned around to return to the basement.
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Snotlout nearly jumped out of his own skin when he heard the voice in his ear.
Just as Toothless had warned him, Evelyn contacted him the second they were in range.
She was coming in with Hiccup, and only Hiccup, the others sent home for their safety and to prevent any unwanted attention to their whereabouts now that the school had notified parents and tutors that school was cancelled for the day.
Eventually, a taxi parked right behind Snotlout's pickup. Hiccup got off the vehicle wearing what, from afar, seemed like a leather coat. The "man" next to him was wearing one as well, worn and faded, along with a pair of glasses. Had Snotlout not seen her face up close when she stood next to his window, he would have truly taken Evelyn for some random, homeless weirdo living in his cab.
- Jay, get in the car – she nodded towards the pickup. She held one hand to the side of her head, whereas the other held a raggedy case.
- I thought…
- I am the backup. You're the lookout. This is a reconnaissance mission, but I won't have you go into the field. You two stay here. Do you understand?
- Yes, ma'am…
- Do as she says, Hiccup. I know you want to help, but this ain't it – whispered Toothless on their earpieces.
Feeling scolded, aware that everyone could hear him the same, Hiccup took the copilot's seat. It took him half a second to realize just how bad a shape his cousin was in.
- I hear something… I have to get in.
- I'm moving into position. Wait for me – Evelyn insisted. She let go of her earpiece, and looked at the gun in Snotlout's hand -. You only shoot that if something happens and it's really obvious that a dragon did it. Understood?
- What do you mean "something"?
Evelyn turned to Hiccup, who took the gun from Snotlout's hands and nodded, deadly serious. She then walked towards the end of the street and disappeared between a fence and a bush. "Ready" she added through the earpiece, and they went radio silent.
Snotlout felt his mouth dry; he couldn't understand how Hiccup seemed so at ease. His cousin kept looking around intently, determined to be the first to notice should anything go wrong.
- Hiccup? What… what was in that case? – Snoutlout asked, voice trembling.
- An electric shotgun… – he said bluntly, but something in his voice gave him away, the semblance of one proverbial hiccup, and Snotlout finally realized he was just as terrified as he was. Ironically, that was a relief for the both of them - You ever played Bioshock?
Snotlout nodded, taking the hint. They had to release tension somehow, and joking was far better than crying.
- How… uhm… big is this? – he whispered.
"He's in the basement – Toothless reported -. No windows, one door- - -SHIT!"
There was a deafening rumble, a crack. A column of smoke rose from the back of Dagur's house.
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Evelyn felt her soul sink to her feet. Hiccup was yelling Toothless' name on her earpiece, and she would have joined had she not been forced to stay put as she watched a monstrous, winged humanoid claw his way out of the house, crawl over the back fence and run into the forest beyond.
She was tempted to shoot it unconscious, but doing so in a suburban area was too big a risk now that the smoke was certain to summon the local authorities. She had brought that gun with the firm intention not to use it, after all. "Dean? Dean!" she called in her earpiece as she ran towards the back door once Green Death was gone. He was always her priority. Always.
The house had caught fire, and even though her coat would protect her from it, as the neck of her shirt pulled up to her nose protected her from the smoke, the hole in the walls was so large the structure was bound to collapse sooner or later. She was about to risk it and walk in just as she heard Toothless' voice.
- I'm fine! Tell them I'm fine!
With a sigh of relief, Evelyn relayed the information.
Her relief, however, vanished the moment she heard a second voice, coughing. It was replaced by the cold, unnerving efficiency of someone who had promised to do anything to keep her protégé safe.
Toothless soon reached her, in his hybrid form and dragging along a stunned, likely wounded Dagur.
- Let him breathe in more smoke – she said.
- He can't run, anyways, his leg got burned – added Toothless as he let Dagur fall right at the doorstep, coughing, the smoke coming out of the house blowing right in his face. He too was in the automatic, indifferent state of mind that had allowed him to survive for so long.
- You were not detected. What happened?
- He was about to walk into the basement when Green Death started spitting fire. I don't know why – at that point Toothless went human.
- And you stepped in to save him before he got incinerated. You shouldn't have. He's seen you now.
They talked as if Dagur wasn't there, and that made him feel as though they were just as dangerous as Green Death. He tried to get up and run, but tripped once he realized his right leg was, indeed, burned. He yelled in pain, and the weird short man with the lady's voice looked down at him as if he were an insect of some sort.
- Now we'll have to deal with him. Leave him up to me, I need you to go back and find me something useful.
- On it – said Toothless as he disappeared inside the house, unbothered by the smoke and fire.
Evelyn then kneeled next to Dagur and examined his wound, not letting go of the shotgun she kept on her right hand.
- He was quick. You'll live… and you'll stay quiet – she commanded Dagur without looking at him. Then she put her surprisingly strong hand around his neck, pressing lightly -. Because if you talk, I'll make you wish you'd died in this fire.
She knocked Dagur unconscious by using a pressure point the same way she'd taught Toothless how to, with an expertise even more precise than his. Then she dragged him a couple meters away into the yard, where the smoke was clear.
Hiccup and Snotlout kept talking into her ear asking for more details, making some reports of a crowd gathering on the street, but she paid them no mind. She pulled out her phone and sent a couple cryptic texts.
Soon enough Toothless was back, the charred remnants of a case with a bunch of glass shards and needles in his hands.
- I think we can guess now why he lost it – he ventured.
- I hope it hurt – Evelyn then took her hand to her ear and finally replied to Hiccup and Snotlout -. Drive around the block to the end of the street, you will pick up Dean there. You better run – she added for her protégé.
Toothless nodded, but took the time to look at Dagur before going away.
- I take it you'll handle it in the hospital?
- My team is already on it – she reported -. Dean, before you go, I… Did you see him? – she muttered - Did you see what he's become?
There was a pause, long and unsettling. The dragon-boy shook his head in negation.
Evelyn felt a knot tie at her throat, but had to quickly swallow it. She knew Toothless wouldn't take kindly to what she was about to say, and still, it was better to let him know in advance.
- I'm requesting a Cleaner.
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Another note:
I am sure I need not remind you that it's been a while.
If there is anybody still here: there you go, hope you like it. Do accept this humble chapter in this trying times. Hope there aren't any particularly hideous typos or mistakes, I was too excited to post to properly edit. The world is on fire, as is Dagur's house. :-)
You're welcome. XD
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Will there be another chapter? Most definitely. When? Time will tell.
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Thanks for the reviews, y'all!
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Lucileec (boi, ain't YOU lucky!), Mousettezz, you shall not know my name,
CloudBubble, KiaStingerGTS, CheshireCat272, BigBabyBooDragon,
TheSilentFury, transformers fan11231, Hesperydes, Yaminoru,
animelovernewbie, Faith Sparks, Guest, violets fire, maso, pinkfeiry,
Guest, BoopI boop u, H.T. Foest, Master of the AUs, TAPSfan201,
TsubasaKEI, portgas d ace forever, Wordsorcereress, AliceCullen3,
TheNaturalLlama3, HELGHASTMAJOR.
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And should any of you be interested in how I've been doing, the most relevant thing I got to note is that my country is on the verge of becoming northern Venezuela and standing with la résistance against the wanna-be dictator is… time consuming.
Also I'm trying to get some of my original stories done… though with very little success on that front. I'm going hardcore on the worldbuilding, though.
What else? Mmh, oh, yeah, family issues and stuff. The usual fun.
As for the quarantine, I'm fine. I'm lucky I can stay home and I actually enjoy it. My mom and I are pretty happy.
I also now have many, many plants. And I am on a quest for more.
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Go on, you can use five extra seconds for a review.
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