Two: To Outcast Island
It all made sense now! After the Riders had blacked out, their dragons must've taken them back to Berk. of course, Toothless had to be carried, but they still managed to get back before the Outcasts showed up. Hiccup frowned. Alvin must have kidnapped the Skipta. But why?
"We need to go to Outcast Island," said Hiccup. "Alvin probably has the Skipta and who knows what kind of crazy stuff he'll do with it!"
"I'm with Hiccup," said Astrid. "We need to get to Outcast Island and fast."
"Yeah, yeah, but first, don't you think we should come up with a plan instead of flying pell-mell into Outcast territory?" said Snotlout.
"And we should probably stack up with more information on the Skipta dragon too," said Hiccup. He took the book from Snotlout and flipped to the dragon's page. His eyes darted back and forth as he read the multiple different notes. Notes about where the dragon liked to live (cold environments, like Snotlout had said), what it liked to eat (plants. Peculiar.), and it's modes of defense and stats (wow. This dragon had no shot limit!).
"Mind reading that out loud so the rest of us can get some information too, Hiccup?" asked Tuffnut.
Hiccup looked up. "Oh, right. Sorry. The book doesn't have much information on the Skipta, but they do like to eat plants. So maybe we could use some leaves or something to lure it out. And it doesn't have a shot limit either."
"Skipta's like leaves and have no shot limit. Got it," said Astrid.
"But how is that helpful?" asked Fishlegs.
Hiccup was about to say something but Ruffnut beat him to it. "Because if we want to make the Skipta trust us, we're going to need to use some plants. Then Hiccup—or Astrid—can do the hand thing and boom! We got a Skipta on our side."
"That and we know a lot more about it than Alvin does," added Astrid. "He probably knows about the switching thing too. Does the book have any information on that?"
Hiccup hummed as he looked over the Skipta page again. There was indeed a small passage about the rare ability of Skipta's being about to switch people's personalities. Not all of them possesed this trait and very few inherit it, but it just so happened that the Skipta Hiccup and the Riders encountered did have it and it used it to defend itself.
"It does," said Hiccup. "Skipta's use their ability to swap people's personalities to defend themselves."
"But we didn't even disturb it!" exclaimed Fishlegs.
"Maybe it was just scared," said Astrid. The blonde peered over Hiccup's shoulder. "It does say that Skipta's are extremely skittish."
Hiccup nodded and then closed the book, tucking it under his arm. "So! Now that we're packed with a reasonable amount of Skipta knowledge, are we ready to head to Outcast Island?"
"Not quite," said Astrid. Her eyes turned to the others. "What could Alvin want to do with the Skipta?"
That was a question that the Riders hadn't thought about. They all stood in the snow, deep in thought. Even the dragons looked as if they were thinking about what plan Alvin had for the Skipta. Astrid's blue eyes suddenly brightened.
"What if…" the Hofferson girl started. "Alvin wants to switch personalities with someone?"
Hiccup gasped. "That makes total sense! He would know everything that person knows!" And indeed, he would. Hiccup had woken up knowing how to properly judo flip someone, throw an axe with precise aim, and he even preferred an axe over his usual sword and shield. If Alvin switched personalities with someone, he would know everything (and perhaps more!) that one person knew.
"This sounds so messed up but so cool," commented Tuffnut.
"But who does Alvin want to switch with?" asked Fishlegs. "I know I'm probably his first option since I'm all of this, but who could possibly second up to me?"
"How about Stoick?" prompted Astrid. "Alvin would have access to everything he knows. He would probably be able to take over Berk too."
"And my dad would be stuck with the mind of a crazy person," Hiccup said with a shudder, imagining what life would be like if his dad was like Alvin. Hiccup shook his head. "We need to stop him before he gets access to confidential chieftain knowledge."
The Dragon Riders all nodded in agreement. They needed to get to Outcast Island before Alvin did something terrible. But first, they would need a plan.
"I have an idea," said Astrid. "We need to draw Alvin away from the Skipta. I'm guessing that it's in one of the many dungeons underground."
Hiccup nodded. He had been there after all, so the young viking had a good grasp on what the place looked like. It would make sense for Alvin to hide a dragon as rare as the Skipta in a winding maze of tunnels underground. It would make it harder for one to find the dragon, especially if they were unfamiliar with the place.
"Hiccup knows what the dungeons look like, so he'll lead us in," Astrid continued. "We'll bring some plants—whatever ones the dragon likes—and lure it out. We'll train it, and then get it out of there before something happens."
The plan sounded very thorough, and Hiccup couldn't find anything wrong with it. The Haddock smiled at Astrid and then said, "I think that's a great plan, Astrid."
"Of course, you think it's a great plan," said Fishlegs with a roll of his eyes. "I was going to say the exact same thing."
Astrid crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "This is so wrong."
Hiccup nodded in agreement. "It really is." The Haddock then realized that they didn't find out if the swap was reversible or not. It had to be. Hiccup pulled out the book again and flipped through the pages. He sighed with relief when he found out that the switched personalities were reversible. They just had to get a hold of the Skipta and earn its trust for it to switch them back.
But there was a catch.
Hiccup nearly dropped the book when he found that the swap would become permanent at midnight. Midnight! He and the Riders didn't have much time left, as it was already around noon.
"We need to hurry this up," said Hiccup as he closed the book. "Apparently, the Skipta's swap with become permanent at midnight tonight if we don't get to it in time."
The Dragon Riders gasped in surprise. They wanted their old selves back. They all mounted their dragons and shot into the sky, headed toward the direction of Outcast Island.
…
The trip to Outcast Island wasn't a straight trip. Hiccup did some digging and found various different types of plants that the Skipta liked to eat, so the Riders made several stops on different islands to collect these plants. Some that they were familiar with, some that they were not familiar with. Either way, the Riders managed to stuff their saddle bangs with a wide variety of plants that the Skipta found delectable.
Hiccup clicked the tailfin mechanism, trying his very best to be on time with the change. He wished that he had his personality back. He hadn't gotten to giving Astrid a full lesson on flying Toothless, and Hiccup made a mental note to eventually get to that sooner or later. Toothless warbled, reminding Hiccup to change the tailfin's positioning again, and Hiccup did so.
"Outcast Island up ahead!" Astrid announced with flourish. "The place that holds the award for most done treachery in only a couple of months!"
"I wonder if they take autographs," joked Tuffnut.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face. "Anyway, you guys know the plan. Make sure to stay close and stick together. I cannot emphasize that more firmly. It's like a labyrinth in there if you have no idea where you're going."
"Ruffnut is actually pretty good with mazes," said Tuffnut. Then he gasped. "Wait. That means I'm good at mazes!"
"Trust me, this is not one of those fun mazes that we do at village celebrations," said Hiccup. The Dragon Riders flew subtly through the air, and the atmosphere seemed to get darker as they approached Outcast Island. Hiccup knew that the island was known for its gloomy weather, but it seemed as if Mother Nature wanted to set the mood.
The Dragon Riders landed on the beach and ventured further on the island. They crouched low and army crawled on the ground and peered toward the dungeon entrance. Hiccup's eyes narrowed with determination. The door was heavily guarded and Hiccup knew immediately that the Skipta was inside.
"That's where we need to go," said Hiccup as he pointed toward the door. "But we need to get the guards out of the way." Hiccup turned to his Night Fury, an impish smile crossing his face. "Bud? You know what to do."
Toothless smiled and shot a plasma blast that flew far off into the distance and then exploded. Instantaneously, the Outcasts that were guarding the door hurried off to investigate the blast. Hiccup and the Riders watched as the Outcasts ran further and further away until they were out of sight. This was their chance.
"Okay, let's go," said Hiccup.
Astrid nodded. She turned to the dragons. "You guys need to stay here and keep watch. If anything goes wrong, we'll dragon call."
The dragons nodded slowly. They didn't want to leave their Riders but also knew the risks if they ventured in the dungeons with them. They could get captured, making it even harder for the mission to be successful.
The Riders were about to venture in, but Snotlout stopped them. "Uh, shouldn't we be armed with weapons or something?"
Hiccup slapped his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"The forge is over there," said Snotlout. He pointed to the small shack that stood in the open. The Dragon Riders made their way over and rummaged through the large array of weapons that were inside. The fighting tools were due for sharpening, but the Riders didn't have time to get them sharpened and ready for battle.
"Grab what you can find and then we will go down into the dungeons," said Hiccup. The Dragon Riders nodded and each took a weapon. Hiccup had taken an axe, which was rather dulled; Astrid had grabbed a sword, which was extremely light; the twins each took clubs, which looked like they would break after a couple of hits; Fishlegs took a hammer, which seemed to be the only tool in quality condition; and Snotlout took a mace, which was rusted and worn. The weapons—except for Fishlegs'—didn't look like they would last long. Hiccup hoped that they wouldn't run into Alvin and his men on their way down the tunnels, but the young viking knew that it was a very high chance that they would encounter the chief of the Outcasts.
The Riders excited the small forge, patted their dragons, and then ran down toward the dungeon entrance. Hiccup looked inside and made sure that no one was around, and when the coast looked clear, he ushered everyone inside. Fishlegs went inside first.
"I have the best weapon so therefore I should go in first," the Ingerman said audaciously. Hiccup rolled his eyes and watched as Fishlegs marched inside. The twins and Snotlout followed after him and Astrid stopped by Hiccup's side.
"I hope this plan works," said Astrid. She adjusted her saddlebag strap. "If the Outcasts find us, who knows what they'll do."
Hiccup nodded. "Hopefully we don't encounter them."
Astrid gave him a small smile and then laughed. "It's strange...even though our personalities have swapped, I still feel as if we're still the same old us."
Hiccup shrugged and smiled back. The two then heard Fishlegs call, "Are you slowpokes coming or what?"
Hiccup's grip on his axe tightened. "I never knew how annoying Snotlout's arrogance could be. Even when it's not coming from him."
Astrid nodded in agreement. "I can't wait until things go back to normal."
Astrid then walked inside and Hiccup followed her. The Dragon Riders all hoped that they'd come out of the Outcast prison as their normal selves again. Time was ticking and Hiccup hoped that they'd be able to find the Skipta in time before the Outcasts found them.