Edited.
Hiccup's arising filled the stomach knots in Artichoke's stomach with a short-lasting relief, just to be replaced by the sudden unison of the other riders, as if their leader presence lit up their will to win this thing over again.
"Get Snotlout out of there", he yelled out for the twins. Somehow Snotlout had fallen from his Monstrous Nightmare into the living mountain's head, he slammed his hammer over and over its multiple blue eyes, annoying it and distracting it just like Hiccup ordered them, but they needed to get him out of its face.
"I'm on it!" Ruffnut agreed, turning her dragon's head towards there.
"I'm on it first!", Tuffnut made his dragon's head bump on hers, unable to share the order.
"Let me drive!", incredible, even in a life-or-death scenario, they couldn't keep from quarrelling.
Quarreling or not, the Zippleback still did its job, flying towards the beast's nose, to where Snotlout ran from and took a trusting leap, being caught safely midair. "I can't believe that worked", yeah, me neither, Artichoke thought to himself.
Riding the Nadder was easier than expected, turns out they were, indeed, intelligent creatures, she (Hiccup said it was a 'she' and Artichoke took her word for the matter) pretty much seemed to understand the orders and the right thing to do. A light leaning to the right and the rider had to grip tight to not fall out as the dragon made the right turn. Her snarls and purring were incomprehensible sounds on themselves, but the communication settled in them easy enough that there was no misunderstanding.
However, for his bad luck, they were dangerously close to this Queen Bee, and as she sucked in the air, the Nadder had to fly faster, tensing herself around her wings, the wind was pulling them both in and soon Artichoke's legs hang loose in the air, arms gripping his whole body onto the Nadder's effort, the rope Hiccup had settled in being his only lifeline at the moment, and when he was close enough to see the Red Death's pointy, yellow teeth surrounding him, to feel the gas warming up, a purple blast hit the monster's face.
The Nadder broke free from the pulled air, flying further from danger, forgetting Artichoke on the way as he ungracefully settled in his free fall to certain death, meters and meters from the ground until a black burr passed by quickly, fetching his foot, stabling him into a secure, controlled fight.
The blond boy looked up from his upside-down position, a playful growl left Toothless' actually toothless attempt to smile, wide pupils and a gentle got ya. That had Artichoke smiling back at the creature right before she threw him up, only to catch his shoulders instead, landing him perfectly on safe ground and diving up to fight the monster once again.
Artichoke was panting, still to get used with so many turns and downs from flying. He looked at Hiccup as if she was a Valkyrie herself, twice a warrior and thrice a leader than he'd ever be. Smiling alone, he whispered to himself "go", as Hiccup was far too up to hear him.
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As she rose up on Toothless back, Hiccup noticed that thing had wings and wondered if it was just for show. The wingspan in Toothless' back was nearly bigger than her whole length, head to tail, not to count the balance given on her tail. She knew Monstrous Nightmares had enormous wings, Nadders weren't this big, but their structure was lighter, and then the Gronckles and Terrible Terrors had the smallest wings, not allowing them to fly much higher, but allowing them to fly, nonetheless.
Dragon and human flew up, up, up, above the clouds, even the Red Death looked as much as a toy from so far below. Finally on a satisfactory height, Toothless knew it was the time to dive in. Wind sharp as knifes against her skin as they cut through clouds and fog until the beast for Toothless to send another purple blast and turn left on the last moment.
The impact of her powerful shot knocked down the monster, rising smoke and dust above all Vikings around it.
"You think that did it?", Hiccup asked her fried, before looking over her shoulder. To the massive, widest wings she'd ever lay her eyes on. They were ripped at the edge like a worn-out fabric, but she knew one flap would create tornados reverberating through the sea.
A close roar let the duo know it, indeed, could fly. And so her plan could work. She knew it would take effort from her Toothless, and she prayed Odin, Thor, Freya, even Loki if that got her plan to work. Flying on the sharp-stones-made labyrinth across the sea was just regular exercise for the pair, despite the fog, they united, wings and pedals, to make it work. The monster was beating in all frantically, biting the air as they were close to its mouth, but still out of reach.
Rather than making its way through the natural labyrinth, the thing preferred to break through the stones, thousands of smaller pieces sent flying dangerously close to Hiccup and her dragon.
She looked at the dark gray clouds, closing up the whole sky. A storm was still to come, indeed.
"Okay, Toothless, time to disappear", she mumbled at her best friend's ear and she got it. They went up, up, above the clouds, above the sky, a sea of freezing, nearly black clouds surrounded them. "here it comes". Yes, just as expected, the Dragon Queen Bee shoot its own fire, its own light, unable to see them properly, Fishlegs said it was shortsighted, so it probably was confused and lost up here.
Hiccup took advantage, flying towards deep on the clouds, upcoming cold winter rain cutting through the shield of adrenaline. It was worse than a foggy night and the dragon kept looking for them, snarling, biting the cold air.
Toothless sent a purple blast on the right wing. The thing was hit, affected, shrieking in pain. Another blast, on the left wing. More pain, but still in the air.
Yes, their mind was one in that flight.
Hiccup and Toothless flew around the ruthless monster, up and down, left and right, all as fast as a Night Fury's wings would allow them. A purple blast hitting the thing. And another. And another, and another. A deafening shriek every time, it would work. This was just for impact, of course, the final hit was yet to come.
"Watch out!", Hiccup didn't have to yell, as the queen got tired, initiating her forced fall at last, infuriated, it sent another blast, explosion left its throat, fire surrounded everything as its neck twisted so everything was on its target.
The rider cursed under her breath for not predicting this. They were seemingly far from the flames now, but a simple look over her shoulder told her the time was up. Toothless' prosthetic tail was burning mid-air. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
"Ok, time's up! Let's see if this works", it had to, honestly, or else not the pair, but every dragon and Viking nearby would meet their end as that monster's prey.
Teasing it, they flew down this time, no fire blast hit them as the thing kept biting them, like a slow person trying to hit a mosquito bare handed. They were all nearly falling, Toothless wings being the only thing to help them soar by as Hiccup's pedal had shown itself to be useless from there on then. "Stay with me, girl, we're good, just a bit longer". Hiccup didn't know who she was saying this to.
Falling down, down, down, down, the dark grey clouds seemed infinite, but Hiccup waited to the scent fill her nostrils, the horrible inflammable gas coming from the thing's throat. If this plan worked, it would cause its own end. "NOW", managing to turn them around so the falling dragons were face to face, Toothless shot up a fire of her own.
Not so fire-proof on the inside, huh?
She remembered, all those weeks ago on the woods, when the group of Terrible Terrors proved her Toothless wasn't the only wild dragon up for a friendship. That friendly green dragon had only been dizzy, smoke coming out of his nostrils, mouth, and ears, but maybe, just maybe, with enough fire, it could eat this beast alive.
The monster fell, dead, an explosion of endless, never-stop-growing fire chased the pair as they desperately went up, up, away from the wave of doom under them, but the prosthetic had been induced to ashes entirely, Hiccup's gear was completely useless, and she saw her end coming as the monster's dead tail wiggled near them. The tail was as hard as a wall, knocked Hiccup up almost immediately, the last thing she noticed were free falling again, Toothless reaching out in pure panic, and a horizon of flame-made curtains surrounding them both.
Then, it was all dark.