Dagur knew the moment Astrid said she'd only let him out once they'd come up with a plan that he had to take matters into his own hands. The Berserker picked up on the distrust right away. If he was to be part of a mission to save his little brother, he believed he should take part in the planning too, but the Dragon Riders obviously didn't trust him; probably believing that if he knew the graph, he'd then be able to throw them all of their rhythm during the rescue and hit where he knew would hurt. But Dagur wasn't working for the Hunters. He understood Hiccup's friends, including Heather, would never accept him along with the truth. And he understood their reactions and distrust... but this was no time to stall. His brother was in grave danger, and waiting around to come up with a plan was not an option to him. They needed to act now, and attack those ships before they ever reached the base. Time was of the essence.
He had broken out from that cell thanks to Shattermaster and had sneaked close enough to the Clubhouse to overhear part of their discussion. He had heard just about enough to know where Ryker's fleet could be located and had set out right away. But the Riders had spotted him as he flew past the sea stacks bordering Dragon's Edge's waters.
With the strong winds to give them a boost, the Dragon Riders and Berserker travelled rapidly above the ocean's wavy surface, cutting the travel time to reach their destination nearly in half. The dragons beat their wings with all their might as their riders pushed them to fly faster to catch up with their prisoner.
"You're not fooling anyone this time, brother!" shouted Heather above the strong winds, brushing her hair lock out of her face while her eyes burned emerald green.
The weather grew worse with every wingbeat. The wind gusts got more powerful while the sea below seemed to agitate itself even more. It was as if it was losing its temper in an argument with the sky. The rain came pouring down on them, soaking them to the bone in a matter of minutes. Astrid blinked at the pinching raindrops, groaning in frustration while shielding her face from the weather. She could see something in the distance; it didn't take long for her to recognize the sail.
Dragon Hunters. There they were. And Dagur was still ahead of them.
"Oh, what do we do?" shouted Fishlegs, panicky with the circumstances they were faced with.
"Even when he warns them, they'll still need time to react!" replied Astrid, raising her voice over the hollering wind.
Dagur narrowed his eyes on the vessels, grasping his Gronckle's ears firmly as came within arrow range.
"Ooh, boooyss," sing-sung Dagur, cupping his mouth and dragging the aims onto him.
Ryker stepped out from his quarters and into the rain when one of his guards called him about the approaching rider. The Dragon Hunter growled low, balling his fists at his sides as he scowled up at the Berserker.
"Why, hello, Mister Ryker," greeted Dagur, seeming all too cheerful. "Would you mind passing a message to Viggo? Tell him Dagur the Deranged says hello!"
And before the archers could react, he aimed down for the mast and fired a blast of molten lava that quickly had the wooden pole fall victim of the heat, helplessly burning as the flames came to life and lively set the sail aflame.
Hiccup had been locked up in the single dragon-proof cage on the vessel. He was kept on deck, exposed to the wrath of the storm during his transportation like he were nothing but another beast awaiting its turn to be slaughtered. The Rider shielded his face when the blast hit the deck, blinking at the wave of heat washing over him like a tide crashing on the shore. He shook off the droplets streaming down his face from his dripping hair. The ship rocked wildly, making him grasp the bars for stability. He had to admit, he did not expect a rescue so soon. He looked up at the stormy sky, quickly spotting the colourful dots of the dragons as they hovered above. But the relief of his friends' presence quickly disappeared and he shifted back to a sense of distress when he heard the alarming whine of the mast as its base weakened, sending the whole thing crashing against the deck. Hiccup watched through wide-eyes as the mast slammed down on the wooden surface, dragging the whole sail with it and splitting the wood below. Splinters flew by, and Hiccup opened his eyes again. The ship rocked violently once more, and he was swung to the far end of the cage. He met the hard bars with a grunt of pain, holding on tight until the ship steadied again. He gasped when he saw the fallen mast roll his way and slam against his prison's gate, shaking the whole cage. Shouts echoed all around along with the roars of the flames; the growling thunder and constant hum of the rain filled his ears.
It was the dragon landing on top of the cage that grabbed Hiccup's attention, and for a moment, he wondered how many more crazy things could possibly happen in his week. The Gronckle spat out molten rocks at incoming Hunters running their way with their swords raised high above their heads like they stood a chance.
"That's right, boys!" shouted the Berserkers before spiralling down with a burst of maniacal laughter that let everybody know he was enjoying this way too much. "Come and get it!"
"Dagur?!" shouted Hiccup over the rain and wind, pushing his soaked bangs out of his eyes.
"Hey, brother," said Dagur, looking down at him from Shattermaster's back. "Overheard you needed a hand."
"Yeah, I could use one right about now!" replied Hiccup, holding onto the cage's bars as the other Riders joined the battle, attacking the fleet with everything they had. With the storm hollering like this, the advantage was theirs. Arrows and nets easily caught in the drift, throwing them off their targets.
Another blast went off close by and a Hunter flew through the air before drifting near his prison, and Hiccup didn't think twice to reach his hand out and grab that key-ring attached to the soldier's belt. He snatched it off and went to work, testing the keys for the one that would fit in perfectly and free him from this place.
Dagur and Shattermaster had already begun working on the mast blocking the exit, melting the wood with a generous amount of molten lava. More Hunters engaged them and the duo twisted around to face the enemy. The Gronckle snarled viciously while Dagur balled his fists and craned his neck. The Hunters were left running for their lives as the two chased after them like two dangerous maniacs.
Hiccup didn't hesitate and used the Berserker's distraction to escape. He flipped the lid and pushed hard against the gate, sending it swinging open.
Astrid soared above, firing a series of spines on the deck to discourage any soldier to try pinning down their leader. When she saw him rush through the chaos, she turned to the others, her worries finally turning to hope.
"He's free!" she shouted over her shoulder before grabbing a better hold of her handles. "Come on! Let's get him out of there!"
Hiccup moved around through the fires and debris, dodging swings and blows as he hurried to the quarter decks where he'd hitch himself a ride. Smoke blinded his path and Hiccup buried his face in the curve of his elbow, blinking away the tears generated by the heat. He was almost there. He relied on Astrid to swoop in and pick him up out of this hell hole. But the lack of visual had Hiccup trip on downed Hunters, and when the Rider pushed himself back up, he was met with Ryker's imposing form lofting over him heatedly.
Of course his luck wouldn't last so long…
But before Ryker ever had the chance to throw a punch, swing his sword, or grab him firmly by the neck and lift him off his feet to throw him as far away as physics made possible, the loud and startling moan had both Rider and Hunter twist their heads to watch the second mast come down on them. Fear struck Hiccup like a lightning bolt feasted on metal, and he hurried to his feet faster than he'd ever had, unaware where the mast would slam down on the deck. Instinctively, he rushed back for the cage he'd just escaped, knowing the material of the prison would allow protection. Hiccup ducked inside and turned around on his back to watch the mast fall like a crumbling mountain and crash against the cage, bending the metal like a sword beaten by a hammer. Hiccup panted sharply, his heart pounding hard in his chest to a point where he thought it might burst.
"Okay… Get it together, Hiccup, come on," he said to himself and pushed himself back to his feet once more. The door had swung shut after he'd ducked inside from the wild rocking of the vessel. He pushed against the gate again, but it wouldn't budge. He tried again, throwing more force. Fear crept inside his mind from being trapped again. His eyes darted around for solutions, noticing the way the metal had bent had stuck the door in place, preventing him from breaking out.
He was trapped.
Another explosion went off, and Hiccup felt the ship start titling to the side. He hung to the bars, eyeing his surroundings as he watched merchandise start sliding against the deck's wet surface as gravity did its job.
They were sinking. And he wasn't off the ship yet.
"Oh, no no no," he said loudly, grasping tighter as the vessel whined deafeningly, making his blood run cold. He listened as surviving Hunters clamoured in alarm as they followed along with the equipment, diving for the deep to feed any sea creature roaming the waters.
Astrid watched the scene helplessly, feeling like she was back to that cursed shipyard, staring down at her downed friends.
"Oh no, what do we do?! What do we do?!" asked Fishlegs in a panic, holding his helmet down on his head.
"We have to get to him!" shouted Astrid over the rain, spitting out the droplets on her lips.
"Hookfang is out!" reported Snotlout when his Nightmare tried lighting back up but couldn't.
"So are Barf and Belch!" added the twins after their Zippleback coughed out the last of the gas in their reserve.
They had long lost sight of Dagur after he'd rushed into battle without much protection or a plan.
Stormfly squawked at her rider, eyes narrowed to slits as she awaited her next command. But before Astrid could give any indication, Heather dove down by them on Windshear, cutting through the air like a blade coming down from the great beyond.
Hiccup didn't know how much longer that cage would stay aboard the ship as he gazed fearfully at the water. He knew holding onto the bars would prove useless since it'd take him down with it. And when the cage finally tilted overboard, all Hiccup could do was inhale a gulp of air before meeting with the ice-cold water of the ocean, sinking down down down…
The world became darker with every second as the heavy cage sunk for the depths of the ocean, dragging him along with it. But his survival instincts still kicked in despite his sealed fate and Hiccup grabbed onto the gate, yanking on it as best as he could. But it was in vain. It was stuck, and he wasn't going anywhere. The attempts to escape wasted his oxygen quickly and the Rider was already in desperate need of new air. He held his throat as the bubbles escaped from his mouth, rising back to the surface he couldn't reach. Spasms kicked in, making his entire body stiffen like a rod. His vision darkened, and not just because he was straying further away from the light of the sky. The last thing he saw was a flash of silver as a large silhouette dove in from above, chasing after him while he faded away.