(A/N: Now that we've got ourselves a story in our hands I'd say that we give it a preview of what's to come from our villains because it looks like that one Berserker who was a former lieutenant of the Outcast Tribe has yet again broken out of jail, this time around he's declaring his independence; except he's still looking for new bosses as Alvin's dead and Dagur's a ally of the Knights now. You guessed it: Savage returns and he's really angry now, so prepare to see him here in this chapter as a new threat is rising in the shadows. Enjoy)
This... is the School of Dragons, the island that was once the home of a unknown tribe before their departure for reasons of their own; proof of this is that there were houses here when it was chosen to be the island where the school would be built and established. It's been a few first days that became a week which was not smooth sailing, not caused by the trouble of the lessons taught by the Knights of their respective classes but it was rather for the feeling of being shunned by others; since they were just beginners and Mikekolt had a Whispering Death right from the beginning. He was just clouded with thoughts of the students being jealous of him surpassing them all since he was the one who helped out in bringing down Bludvist, and the fact that his father loved him so much that he was basically the spoiled favorite of his supposed brothers and sisters if he had any; which was not the case because Mikekolt doesn't interact with a few sisters he had too much, mostly acting anti-social around them. In the meantime however he was sitting down in the Library listening in to Fishlegs' lessons as his nephews known as the Dragon Explorers were visiting upon this day; as some of the others were either not paying attention or by sleeping, most of them keeping themselves occupied until they leave
Mikekolt wore an heavy double rider jacket with the spider black front being made of Draconian Leather with an large square patch on the left muscle sporting the black Whispering Death crest, being in an thunder grey color with the ribbed cloth material also being in the thunder grey color like an varsity jacket; having two thick and stretchy black straps across on the upperbody for better flexibility. Having some bronze buttons on the sides and having the horizontal parallel line pattern on the bottom edge and the collar, being in the Boulder Class colors of course; with some broken rock patterns being detailed with Boulder Dragons being depicted as the designs on the entire jacket. The Whipsering Death crest began with it's tail slightly curled into itself on the end as the body curved into an inverted "S" shape that stood upright with it's head baring it's many fangs and quills of spikes as it's wings branched off to the right side. His half leather and half fabric cargo like pants had dual dark thunder grey colored parallel lines on the sides that went upwards, his boots remained the same
"Always remember this my young Dragon Explorers: you're not only explorers, but you're our future Dragon Riders; until next time Brant, Brenda and Shrug" They all took their leave as they bid their uncle goodbye, with their teacher returning to continue teaching his class lessons. "Now that's out of the way, let's continue" He spoke with enthusiasm in his voice
"Whatever you say teach, may not get whatever answers right but that matters not to me; it's nothing like real school where there's grades of the like" Mikekolt placed his glasses on before sitting up from his chair
"As you know I and Meatlug have been visiting the home of all Boulder Dragons known as the Dark Deep, we've continued to study the inhabitants abilities like a Gronckle's immunity to Dragon Root thanks to their rock based diet although it makes me wonder if one was struck enough times that they would build up a bigger and bigger resistance so that they'll take longer than to be taken down. Some of you may know this but the rest may not, but what is one of the abilities of a Gronckle? It can be any of them for you to list, any of them at all; there's no wrong answer to this one" Fishlegs asked his students with Mikekolt calling one out
"Roachkolt and I have been there, he did shoot a false arrow into one's scales and the bumps came blasting out without warning; scattering everywhere in fact as a little defensive weapon of theirs. I believe it was called the Bump Blast, my father also told me that the Bullroughers were capable of doing it; although much more lethal and deadlier than what I think, he says" Mikekolt recalled one of his many adventures with his father
"Your father must be a explorer alright but that's not surprising since you are a... not trying to offend you, a Dragon Trapper descendant; while I'm just a now disowned Dragon Hunter descendant" Fishlegs was embarrassed to call himself one but he has become less and less ashamed since he no longer called himself a descendant of a Hunter. "At least you've learned the skills from spending time with them, may have been forced to trap some Dragons here but released them there behind your many superior's backs; but you've proven to be Eret's favorite student according to him, class dismissed"
He got up from his chair and bid his teacher a farewell, leaving the Library's classroom and walking down the halls with Rainserviper following him closely by his side; going down all the way to the exit before opening the doors from inside, stepping down the small set of three stairs before roaming about in the School Grounds. His flaming sword was not on him by this moment as Bladehead although he was impressed by the fact that he and his father built it together, for his son to have a signature weapon of his own when he was young was mostly pissed off because of how inferior the Phoenixripper was to Inferno; especially when he heard about how the sword was bound to have rare malfunctions and backfires at times
He took the retractable blade from him and declared that it will be delivered back when he reforged the sword from the ground up, by using Drayko's invention building mind in order to rid the horribly nasty bugs as well as make the blade double edged, thicker, longer and deadlier as the source for the flames of the sword was ready for combat. But knowing him he was not restrained from buffing the source of the flame's power with the aid of some Dragons, thanks to Raedwit's enigmatic actions behind the walls he resides within his hut at the Dragon's Edge
He roamed among the grounds as he's made his home here at the study hall he was given to live here, getting to know about his new lessons and other tactics like disabling traps with Eret and how to counter the weaknesses of the Dragons they've tamed with Arson; he was a combat medic for nothing after all. Axethor favored that class as it was a absolute lifesaver for him since he thought Vulcanus' weaknesses such as loss of flame and issues with turning in flight would ruin his experience and be his doom. For him he preferred to be in Drayko's class as well as Raedwit, Bladehead and Eret's classes since he enjoyed them the most; being in Fishlegs' class helped him know more about history behind these innocent beasts
Axethor and some others attended Maria's class for her beauty alone, but invoked his anger since he knows Drayko will not be happy about this; some others stopped attending Bladehead's class thanks to his violent behavior and outbursts. One even dared to yell at him to shut up while calling him a old sack of fuck, which made the blacksmith ominously tell him to meet him after lunch; thus the once brave student was now crying in the corner, beaten and fried by Storm because no one calls his friend a old sack of fuck
Mikekolt took his seat upon a outdoor bench as he let one out, yawning as he lied down with the sun in the sky since he just needed to give his restless being some well deserved sleep as living in the study hall that they're all given did not give him relief as he did when sleeping in his Lair. Rainserviper joined in his little fading jaguar nap of sorts as he too felt restless when they usually awaken at 5:00 to 10:00, and they always loved flying out during that time when their island was bathed in sunlight from the rising sun of the horizon; even for a pair of night owls like them. But the lessons themselves made them feel drained and fatigued which many of his teachers took notice about this, and decided to let him get his rest until he gets used to the schedule of sorts. The duo dozed off together as although they have and were well rested in the morning, as mentioned before they felt drained afterwards and needed this little rest both of them deserved
In their jaguar nap they took together Mikekolt and Rainserviper daydreamed about how they were getting ready for their Tribe's favorite bloodsport that they and Draconia invented: "Dragon Combat Racing" which replaced the normal version as Drayko felt like it was not as exciting as it would and should've been. The bloodsport encouraged cheating, involved mounted weaponry with lost of both bloody and explosive results; but no death was ever involved unless one racer was deliberately attempting to attempt murder, though no tears should be shed for the racers who have every right to defend themselves. This sport featured the racers have facepaint with their Dragons along with having pickups to aid them in getting 1st Place in the race itself
Mikekolt's new design for his Dragon Combat Racing facepaint came off as this: it was an tailess bat with sharp arch and pointed wings going across both sides of his face, with an mostly black and green color scheme; having five thin and thick sharp claw stripes on the sides of the face that were an dark thunder grey for the thick and dusty to desert tan for the thin ones. On the bottom sides were two diagonal curved lines going down with two other straight claw marks going down on both sides, acting as the legs for the former and claws for the latter; with two curled bighorn mountain ram horns that were ribbed with it's tips curved backwards, going diagonally downwards as well and also having two green claw stripes going down. The narrow downwards pointed eye marks featured an green edge as it went down the nose and across with an upwards crescent like slash underneath, having some flame like patterns on the top. Finally, coming off as a rather evil and malevolent version of Astrid's facepaint which looked like a buttefly while his was a bat; although that's if Berk if ever made peace with the Dragons, but what the hell are the odds of that bullshit happening? They did this to themselves y'know...
Rainserviper with his Dragon Racing attire featured a mostly dark thunder grey and dusty to desert tan color as his serpent body had thick stripe rings, with a large angry skull on his wings as the top was engulfed in flowing flames all around; not to mention having the horns of a transcapian urial on the skull itself. There were three of thick and thin slashing stripes on both sides of his face, going with a thick and thin pattern that went back and forth. The color palette of choice was mostly based on the Boulder Dragons seen from the Dark Deep and Whispering Caribbean thanks to the rocky and mountainous environments. Nevertheless he of course sported the black and green color scheme like his Rider since both of them were like brothers in arms, growing up with each other together and now fighting alongside each other; especially against the Dragon Hunters who took the latter away and the Marauders who tortured the latter. Now then, the rules of Dragon Combat Racing applied here:
1: Although the Racers fly in an ever so changing course, the shortcuts are never out of your reach on the road to victory; take them as your heart desires and show whatever rival you've made in this bloodsport what you are truly capable of
2: The goal is to take out your opponents and take the platinum, gold, silver, bronze, brass and nickel for yourself
3: For reasons involving any tie that is about to happen, an black sheep with the worthy value of 10 Points is deployed as this may still retain previous elements like sheep catching that Dragon Racing originally had; but it is not so much as reliant on them since they featured them as the main focus
4: Offensive and Defensive mounted weaponry along with speed boosts and recovery pickups are always deployed for the Racers to use to their advantage, get ahead of everyone else and heal yourself from one hell of an nasty punishment
5: Cheating is more than encouraged! You may taunt your opponents and steal the marked sheep from others as well as force them off the track, do whatever it takes to win and if you may crash; get back into the race and take back your chances of victory. There will be blood and explosions, but there is never really any death being involved; teach them to never mess with you again!
Back with the Skrill, she caught the familiar scent of a Dragon Trapper in the vicinity of the island she lived in; taking off in the sunny day hidden within the clouds so that no one suspected her presence, she followed the trail laid out for her to find this man that may be the very same one who was responsible. It had been a few hours into the morning before this trail led her to the School of Dragons, but knowing that there were people nearby in this settlement she had to hide in the shadows. Taking her place atop of the island where she could see most of the sections here at once and still not be spotted within the shadows, her true appearance looked like this:
This Skrill was a female lightning riding beast whose scales was a dark chocolate, umber, cedar and mocha brown with some light tortilla, peanut and brown colored lightning markings on her body; having some pale salmon and amaranth pink shades to go along with her pale thunder grey underbellly, as her deadly spikes and claws were a metallic bronze with a clay brown color. Her eyes were a ruby and lipstick red like a Speed Stinger, although she was not as hostile like the Alpha of their pack; but she had her own negative traits to be considered a anti-hero in the future, for now posing herself like a villain. Finally, she was given a name by the man she tortured in Darkheart Prison who hoped that he would not meet her again; and that name was: "Frynir"
Her snout that followed the trail led her to this place and her eyes focused on the man and his Whispering Death he called Rainserviper resting on the outdoor bench, fatigued by his lessons and in need of some sleep as his teachers encouraged such thing to him. A warm wind shook them both from their little jaguar nap and awakened them before they both stood up, feeling regenerated as they went off to see Headmaster Heryal about his next session with whoever the hell he's got for today; being that he always stood at the gates and that he was always there for whenever his students may come to see him, his house was located near the waterfalls. Frynir took this opportunity to continue spying on him and finding out what he is up to, but most importantly: know more about the one responsible, more or less if he was indeed so. Mikekolt in the meantime talked to the Headmaster
"Hello there, come to ask for your next session?" Heryal the Wise asked
"Who's the teacher this time around?"
"Raedwit the Illusionist awaits you at the Training Grounds at the entrance of the Arena, but I know too well that Rainserviper can smell the scent of death on the students who are coming down by whatever's overgrown on Blood Briar Island. It's poisonous to humans and deadly to Dragons like your own, but our combat medic's tending to our students as none of their pals have been infected; the Master of Illusions has a task for you to preform and the plan in mind is advised, the Trappers have themselves have the Dragons who can devour this plant and provide the antidote locked up in their cages. You must get a move on right away and good luck, my fellow student" Headmaster Heryal warned him at the end
"Dragonvine! That's the plant that made Fishlegs upset a year ago, Drayko told me about Bayana's Tribe attempting to weaponize it; but they didn't know about the dangers until it started to go out of control, I will not let them take the Silkspanners out of Blood Briar Island; let's go Rain!" Mikekolt recalled as he moved his ass over to the Training Grounds
With that warning delivered to him about the dangers of his task involving the presence of Dragonvine, the pair took off in the air in order to reach the Training Grounds; they weren't ready to fly off into the skies just yet and they needed to know what to do on their task that they're going to be given by their teacher. Setting foot onto the solid ground before running the rest of the way to the entrance of the Arena, they wanted to keep this balanced of course with how they should approach situations like these; to be more clear they didn't want to fall into any traps that have been set for their arrival. The Illusionist appeared before them in a cloud of a darker colored green Zippleback Smoke that it was called, just as dealier even more so than not; with Barf and Belch hovering down to his side as they both sniffed his dreadlocks and Rainserviper's quills, just as he began to address the details of the task up ahead of them:
"Drayko's shown you the Dragon's Edge before and you know that from the tour he took you on when you were just a young teen, now then a sanctuary that I call Blood Briar Island is located not too far from our outpost; but still far away enough for our enemies to plan their attack while we bring the fight to them. It's a beautiful place but the ruins themselves were consumed by the damn Dragonvine!" Raedwit clutched his fist and shouted, angered as he could not set his talons upon the ruins without Barf and Belch at the risk of death
"You seem to favor that place, I know what you mean" Mikekolt understood as he gestured him to continue
"Trappers have taken the Silkspanner hatchlings from their beloved parents before throwing them into cages on the shores, ready to take them back to their Fort that Eret once made his headquarters there; but they've got reinforcements from the Marauders with them in case you may interfere with their plans. Take flight on Rainserviper and do not let the Dragonvine toxin consume him, as you know it happened a year and four months ago when we came to a tribe harassed by Bludvist's Army; drove away the Silkspanners and suffered the bioweapon backfiring on them having been drunk by the blood of a Titan Snaptrapper. Slipping a vine into Meatlug's saddle and without intention to kill her, he still ended up regretting what he did in the end; everything's resolved but the bioweapon lives and Drayko's clouded with the misconception that it was Toothless who had the vine slipped into his saddle. Destroy the root of the vine and let them suffer a fiery fate, but know that there's a new enemy on our hands; I expect them to be awaiting for your arrival to deliver a message, they're planning something. Do you understand now?" Raedwit required of his student before asking him
"It will be done Raedwit, I won't let the toxin kill Barf and Belch" Mikekolt nodded before mounting onto Rainserviper
"Get a move on now, the Dragonvine must be extirpated on Blood Briar Island; it's within the Flaming Deathlands region near the southern borders of the Unfathomable Marshlands" Raedwit warned before telling him where to go
"Understood, Raedwit" Mikekolt took off into the air and this time higher into the skies, flying away from the School as they headed outwards to the Archipelago's massive and vast seas
(A/N: In the Dragonvine comic it was Toothless who suffered the toxin, but I decided to change it because he's always getting shit thrown at his face; especially when Bayana did not intend to really kill him. A Night Fury like him is just not treated the way he should be, and all that matters when Torch is acting like a little bitch and Hiccup just blames him instead of the real one responsible for the actions caused in the first place. Seriously, that Typhoomerang can go eat a bag of dicks for being such a mean prick. Oh and yeah I'm renaming the locations in Titan Uprising because some of the names aren't very creative, that'll be explained in the next chapter)
Gliding high above the reflective surface of the dark prussian and peacock blue seas, they flew below from the mostly cloudy skies that loomed over them with the sun peaking out; but it's alright since Rainserviper adapted to living in the sun even when he was a hatchling, he was nevertheless more of a underground species so at least there's that to not make him stand out as a outcast to the others of his kind. Soaring past the ruins of what remained of the Ship Graveyward with giant screaming eels slithering to the surface, as Rainserviper only gave them a threatening death look in their eyes; with them cowering before the Whispering Death and retreating back into the waters, beckoning them to return before they face his wrath
Owl Gut Vikings knew that the Dragons both feared but mostly hated eels due to their toxic blood, knowing that they would inflict Eel Pox on both man and Dragon alike; knowing the antidote followed with it's ingredients as the Bloodvein was meant for humans only: lightly roasted Buckthorn Root which he always has, dozen of Rock Blossoms with a handful of Goatweed and a single Wild Dagga Plant. Roachkolt always kept many within the tribe's blacksmith and armory, but yes he taught him that the eels to the others were horrifying but he's scarier than them; take control of what they fear and use it as a form of hatred, let them know to never mess with them again should they cross paths. The results were acutally magnificently great since if he ever got their toxic blood of a eel poisoning him, then he'll just spit it out with a punch to the stomach by his Rider; not fearing the eels anymore as he's now letting them know who they're messing with
Approaching their destination in mind to whom Raedwit considered to be a haven for the Dragon's Edge according to him, they've taken full caution to the work of the Trappers down below from the skies where the Silkspanner hatchlings were imprisoned and inspected on to make sure none of the cages were sabotaged by any means. Once it was clear to them that they were all fully inescapable as the Hotburple was the only one capable of biting through their oxidized copper cages, according to Ryker of course; making sure that they've been trapped and truly locked behind bars, but also making sure no one will come to save them. Rainserviper took his Rider to a far section away from the shores as he planned a sneak attack on them, which Mikekolt followed along as they both dived into the ground; tunneling their way through and appearing below the sand of the shores, just as the earth rumbled below their feet
The Trappers brought out their swords, spears and barbed sickles before getting together when they heard whispering in the air with the shifting of the sand below them; there's a incoming Screaming Death they thought but they were going to be proven wrong. Without warning Rainserviper resurfaced from underground and rose into the skies above, all of them sent flying around the shores before slamming against their faces and back with of their bones cracking in the slightest; with Mikekolt jumping off and landing just as two Marauders came with their scimitars in hand. He brought out his sword and prepared to fight these savage barbarians, while Rainserviper whipped his body and fired off a swarm of deadly quills; sailing through the air before stabbing and piercing into their skulls and chests, dropping dead within seconds
A Marauder rushed forward before slamming his scimitar onto Mikekolt's sword, with him ramming his elbow against the mask before disarming his attacker; taking his scimitar as his own weapon before firing a Dragon Root Arrow through the other one's mask, piercing through it's eye which killed him instantly. Mikekolt took advantage of the scimitar that he wielded and slashed against the third one, slamming their swords against each other in a series of tangs before slashing into his skull; which stuck right on there and ended his attacker's life. Rainserviper fired off a round of three rings of flames towards the Trapper's yachts although not before taking down the aztec pattern sails depicting what looked like a Rumblehorn, with multi-branched horns filling up the half triangle shape around it's borders. He was really beginning to think that Eret was of Aztec/Mayan descent thanks to the sail patterns that gave him the impression he came from such lands to the west. The yachts all went up ablaze and burned down before sinking
The young warrior of the Owl Gut Tribe slashed downwards onto the hinges of the locked doors that kept the young hatchlings imprisoned, falling towards the sandy ground before having it rest on his back; letting them step out as Rainserviper slithered by his side. Now with the threat of the Trappers eliminated for now and freed of the oxidized copper cages, he had his Dragon lead them forward to the ruins that resided within the far side of the island; complying with their leader as Mikekolt closely followed acting like a guardian if there's any more dangers up ahead. Blood Briar Island happened to be full of tall and deciduous trees with seasonal leaves, being very rocky and mountainous with man-made underground tunnels and mazes; also being geothermically active with lava filled chasms and tunnels as if it was Mount Tjørnholstind from the region of Norway (A/N: The mountain is a real location by the way, look it up for yourselves)
HTTYD
In this trek through the seasonal forest of theirs through Blood Briar Island, they came across the overgrowing Dragonvine that were blocking their path; but the Silkspanners easily bitten and chewed right through them as if they were drenched seaweed drying out, now he's seen everything about why they were truly the predators of this evil plant. Mikekolt did not forget about the various species such as the Nadder, Hobgobbler, Terror and unfortunately the Skrill who inhabited this island; hoping that none of them had fallen victim, especially not the last for as much as he feared them they were still allies to Drayko and them all
Continuing forward on their path as they reached the main gates while chewing their way through the toxic vines, he heard the pain of one behind him and turned to see who would suffer the effects of this evil plant; but ultimately took cover behind Rainserviper before cursing himself when it was a Skrill of all Dragons, he just didn't want to see that lightning controlling beast near him after what Frynir done to him when he was imprisoned. To his relief it turned that it did not succumb but was minorly injured as the hatchlings tended to curing the toxin before following them both into the ruins; clutching onto Rainserviper's quills until they were fully inside, not wanting to turn back now
Rainserviper is not one to condone the truth that Mikekolt was fried by more than one Skrill when the Marauders had their way with him, but they took advantage by having Frynir as his most frequent visitor just so they can watch him struggle out of fear of her. However he acted humiliated and angry whenever someone attempted to consult him about his issue, saying that he doesn't want to be seen and called a coward; especially when within the presence of others. It's clear he's developed hatred towards them, not wanting to go near without him being near his side at all costs; although Bladehead knew he was never comfortable in the presence of Storm which irritated him because Drayko knew of his little fear, but Bladehead called him a scaredy cat which angered him further and drove him to call his teacher a asshole
Kicked in the stomach more than once by him when he entered his Beserker Rage state, but that was because he refused to write that he's a dumbass on the board; this made him force to get used to being around Storm, not feeling any less cautious around him, but always wary of his teacher's outbursts. At least he's trying to get used to being around them but he's always letting out a breath of relief when he's no longer in their vicinity anymore, the Marauders always used their worst torture method on him when he continued to be stubborn about refusing to give up the vital information that he never had on him. Once he felt ready to let go of his safety net, he began walking closely by his side and continued leading the Silkspanners further into the chasms and tunnels
By crossing over the molten lava filled rivers within the ruins and traversing the rope bridges laid out all around, going across the stone structures; they would eventually reach the source of where the Draognvine was overgrowing, especially now as they jumped down and came face to face with the one who was responsible for the infestation. This point in time Dagur was definitely through with his evil schemes and plans to overthrow him, especially as he had offered a chance to him for redemption but threw it away all for the name of being a leader who would have his people finally kill Drayko once and for all. Savage the Staunch had his arms crossed with a intimidating expression on his face, declaring his independence as of now as he no longer called himself a suck up to his bosses; but can he really live up to being what he considered himself? Oh there's a answer for that later on in his journey to fight their new threat
"Has the Draconian and Beserker Chief finally given up on themselves, sending you to stop us after he killed the leader of the Outcasts and made Dagur betray his father? You disappoint me since I expected them both to come here" Savage snarled
"What evil do you bring here from the ass of a Outcast?" He asked as Rainserviper's pupiless eyes narrowed downwards, growling as he too was involved in the fall of Drago Bludvist two years and five months ago; they were ready to give him some pain as Savage began to speak by presenting this very terrorist like message for him to deliver back to his leader
"This is from all of the Dragon Hunters you've ruined after killing Drago Bludvist and liberating our Dragons away from us, all of that business is gone because of you so allow me to have you take this message back to him: After you killed a God and committed a unforgivable deicide, the Hunters have been forced to rely on us who call ourselves the Dragonroot Company as our rising army will see to it that your clan is crushed; there will only be downfall and doom in the end. We've spread forth all across the seas of the Archipelago in every corner as Maeve, the Matron of Dragons and her Generals have taken hold while you committed dishonorable treason against us. The feral Dragons we possess have been spread wide and our Alphas are stationed within every region, retribution finally comes to us at last; return to your kingdom and see that you've failed as a King. A new power has risen from the depths of the ashes you left behind and we will all see Draconia crumble before us, do not forget just how less forgiving Maeve is than what Bludvist was; as he offered you mercy while we will not. If you challenge us, then you... will... DIE!" Savage finished his message as Mikekolt aimed his scimitar towards him, ready to fire a arrow towards him
"You've disrespected him and poisoned them with Dragon Root for the last time Savage, this time you will not be freed by your allies when they're through with us!" Mikekolt fired off a Dragon Root Arrow towards him as the former Outcast Lieutenant swung his axe to deflect the projectile away from him
"You can save that for when we meet again for the final time, go ahead and destroy the source of the Dragonvine here; you'll know more about us later on but if you come near our stations where Maeve had posted her outposts, you'll only face her wrath in the end since she's lost a child because of YOU!" Savage warned before taking his leave, hinting about her leader's motivation into rebuilding the business of Dragons in order to rid them all from the Archipelago
With him out of the way the Silkspanners came out as it was safe to enter inside, immediately chewing on the Dragonvine source while Rainserviper fired off a small ring of flames to set it ablaze so that it'll be destroyed faster; with the rest of the plant burning away as Mikekolt took his leave, while also freeing and reuniting the hatchlings with their parents in the meantime for a extra miracle from the both of them. There was a new rising threat on the horizon and he ain't bound to be keeping this information to himself, he needs to warn Drayko about what kind of evil that Maeve and Savage are planning; without a moment to hesitate they took off back tot he School to warn them about what was to happen
Returning back to the School of Dragons thanks to hauling their ass back right away, they went to report to Drayko and deliver the message sent by the Dragonroot Company; which Savage mentioned he had sought out new allies like them, who were now planning revenge against him by destroying Draconia and seeing him killed after he had done the same to Bludvist two years ago. From that point he called in the Knights and the students before warning them about the threat:
"Raedwit has suspected just as worse than we thought but it was bound to happen as our war with the Dragon Hunters doesn't conclude so easily, it's just beginning to get worse from here; be on the look out for the Barques and any of their generals with the feral Dragons they're using against us. I and the Knights discovered that they've recieved a boost in their Dragon Root Arrow supplies not too long ago, this is definitely the work of Maeve alright; but we'll not let her see our students be threatened since I did what had to be done, it's better off to live on than with a warlord who slain so many to ascend to godhood. Mikekolt, inform Gort about what the Hunters are up to; we'll inform Heryal right away"
"Understood, you believe their headquarters are located in a massive strip mine? It's in their name after all" Mikekolt nodded and speculated as he begins to take his leave
"It's one hell of a massive strip mine as they're bound to have minecarts transporting large stocks of them to the boilers at their fortress, she clearly knows just how to counter our plans; but like you I feel there's more than what meets the eye and what we know at the moment, do not engage them" Drayko warned him
"Better to know your enemies than attack them, thank god you and your friends didn't make the same mistake after Stormfly was taken by Ryker; I haven't forgotten about what he did to me, but he hasn't forgotten what Raedwit to him either" Mikekolt brooded to himself as he and Rainserviper left afterwards
Now with the rising threat of the Dragonroot Company known to Drayko and their plans to have their retribution for their fallen leader in the events that transpired two years ago, the students will now be training to counter this threat while the Knights would look deeper into their new enemies they're forced to fight against. Mikekolt and Rainserviper knew that Gort will not take lightly to the news that would be given to him, for the anger and the wrath of Ryker Grimborn and the Dragon Hunters will soon come raining down on them all. This will be the beginning of a conflict that'll be having them face their vengeance. Frynir who had heard everything within the shadows knew that the Marauders would be involved in this, but decided that she will need to continue her stakeout and investigation on Mikekolt; as nothing appeared to what it seemed to be at this moment
From within the shadows of the Barbaric Archipelago where the evils of the Dragon Hunters lurked in the shades and smoke in the mirrors of trickery and deceitfulness, all in the name of their genocidal profit; there was far more trouble that became a brewery of such barbarous act of hunting down these beasts who did them no wrong. As to be expected Gort did not take the news too lightly as he demanded that his people take far greater caution, for they must know the weakness of their enemies first beforehand; they had the strategic minds of their warriors and whatever comes towards their island with hostile intentions, they will have to go through their wall first beforehand. It has been two long and rather calm days in the following week since they've done their task to stop the overgrowing Dragonvine from consuming the Ruins of the Blood Briars, as Raedwit named them himself. If they are to take on this threat, they will need to tame some new Dragons to form a team of their own
There is at least one ally they've met in the past and it was when he was a teenager after Drayko showed them that there was nothing to fear from the Dragons behind their scaly faces...
(Flashback to Mikekolt and his Fater on Scriven Rock)
The night fell upon the horizon once again as a lone and very young hatchling was being taken by it's mother to seek out temporary shelter as her scales were bathing in the darkblood that squirted and spewed out lightly like the venom upon the fangs of a snake; they were being hunted by the Marauders as the young hatchling was brought into the caverns hidden deep within the island they've taken shelter in
Looking at her child one last time she took off as the hatchling was kept hidden behind a rock in case their pursuers would be scourging through the timberlands, relentlessly looking for them both as his father flown off int a different direction while his mother sought out sanctuary. It would be a matter of time before they came ripping apart each and everything in their path until he was found. He was a young lad who hatched from his egg not too long around the same time that a day's passed since Drayko showed the Owl Gut Tribe that there's nothing to fear from them; even then he was still just a young baby, knowing not what lies beyond the fearful shadows of the world he was born into for he has seen but a fragment of the Archipelago that he has yet to learn more from his parents
To him where they're flying off to escape their pursuers, he did not know but wherever they were out there; he hoped they would be given shelter in a haven meant for Dragons like him, all he wanted to do now was go back home to the Rookery where he first hatched from. Their attackers were never too kind in leaving out the children while they torture and enslave hatchlings like him, before they would be given off to the Hunters; in his heart he began to doubt if he could learn to trust anyone for someone of his own age, covering himself with both of his pincers and remaining hidden from sight in case anyone approached
The trail of blood from his mother was laid out to his location and hoped whoever was out in the cold night wouldn't find him, they would not stop until he's been tortured and his spirit was broken before being given to the Hunters; who await to enslave him to their own evil purposes. For now he must rest as in the morning he would be out of the eyes of those who'd see him like this: lost and cold in the winds that blew into the cave that his mother placed him here, for his own shelter to remain safe in until she would come back to him
But the fate that the Gods decreed above had other plans for this hatchling...
Roachkolt and his son came here to read up on some history scrolls to learn more about his Dragon Trapper lineage when he suddenly picked up the scent of bleeding, Mikekolt could tell it was not one of their own but it may have been in trouble. His father encouraged him to follow his instincts and did just that, his instincts led them both into the deep timberlands under the shroud of the nightsky; when they came across a trail of liquid blood up the slope as he placed his black squished octagonal lens and black wireframe shaped glasses, so that his identity wouldn't be known should whoever appeared to be injured would track them down and kill him
At this point the trail stopped and for awhile everything seemed to be calm, but they knew that was not the case at all; the scent may have vanished but on the upper hills the trail of darkblood continued and MIkekolt continued to lead himself and his father to the source of the trail, gettin' closer as he dipped his fingers in the blood to examine it up close. It was leading to the very faint signal for help in the heavily dense thicket right before them, with the rays of the moonlight peaking through and the trail continuing on just as the wind picked up; they got closer to where the darkblood became ever so much thicker before it ended and broke off into a small splotch on the ground, proceeding forward and slowly moving on as he took caution of where he stepped by the instructions of what his father had taught him
There was something living inside of this cave just before them in the distance, something forbidden but he was not willing to let this inhabitant be disturbed now; the feeling of whoever taken shelter within was without a doubt a young land without neither a father nor mother, but the fates of both of them remained unclear as the hope of them being alive and out of the reach of their attackers was beginning to fade but never left entirely
As soon as Roachkolt and his son reached the front entrance, they stopped in their tracks as they both looked over from behind the rock; with the moonlight revealing the inhabitant of this cave, without and against his instincts he spoke in his native Italian language that sounded both guttural and dark. But it was not by his own choice he did just that: "Per gli dèi, questo può essere vero? (By the gods, can this be real?)
A very young hatchling who had not seen his second winter pass on by, appearing to be a frightened little orphan. He was a black Triple Stryke with a very dark forest and pine green color along with a very faint dark maroon red tint, having a dark pebble grey underbelly that was sensitive to being touched for someone of his age; all three of it's barbed stinger tails were mostly a ebony to charcoal black on both sides while the center was a dark forest green color like it's scales. Having piercing light caramel bronze eyes that were given a sandy blonde undertone that looked up to Mikekolt and matched his own very dark chesnut brown eyes. Cowering before the tall shadow of the two men who stood before him in the fear of the unknown, curling into himself as the teen crouched down to comfort him; discovering the continuous streams of highly concentrated flames in it's glowing mouth was a lime and chartreuse green color. This was the kind of flames he could use for his flaming sword, but he's never unfocused about what's ahead of him
He reached out to pick up the young hatchling who cowered further before his fearsome image, softly biting him as the man carried him over his shoulder and his biting falling onto his Raynaud's Disease that kicked in as his pain nerves went numb; all while he soothed him of all that he'd feared about what lies before the unknown dangers that were greater than he believed them to be. He spoke into his black dipped ear in a calming voice
"We'll take care of you as me, my father and Rainserviper will make whoever attack you know what it means to cross the path of Deathstalker; your new name because we both know you're a big boy and you're not gonna let some fool ass hunter slaughter you like a animal, you're just as strong as you courageous" Mikekolt told him as his father stroked it's head
"It's true you know, we may be descendants of the Dragon Trappers but we have done them no wrong because we're very deceptive in our loyalties to them; they were only being used by us to learn about their teachings and their secrets for us to use to our advantage" Roachkolt nodded
Deathstalker held on closely to Mikekolt as both the father and son returned to their ship and sailed off back to their island, going home so that they can sleep for the rest of the night and time being. He at least intended to raise Deathstalker for a little bit and let him know more about himself, nothing selfish and nothing short of bonding with a new Dragon; that's all really. He hoped that his parents would not find about this and would remain unaware for a short time, at least until the hatchling was feeling lonely about missing his parents
But they were NOT unaware of what intentions that Mikekolt had in his mind, they knew what he was doing and decided that since he and his father saved their child; he should get to know their savior and foster father beforehand; what happened next was how every man and Dragon sought to raise and take care of someone that was not of their own blood:
It's been a little over half a month since Mikekolt and his father found Deathstalker at Scriven Rock before raising him as one of his own, Rainserviper was the kind of one to take a liking to him and always kept him warm from the cold nights like any other foster brother; but once he got to know him a lot better from the in and outside including his evil shadow that would emerge in times of loneliness and despair, he felt like his parents were bound to find out one point or another. All of this happened on the morning as he was feeding the young Triple Stryke with a little substance to simulate how every mother would feed their young children, but it had to make him wonder why the Vikings would call them all Devils in the first place. They're just like him and them: feedin' their children like a mother to their infant, growing up to become a powerful warrior and choosing the path that would make them stand out among the rest who would rather be normal which is boring. That might be his own motivation right there: he's not normal and his tribe's not normal, neither is his family because normal is boring and he's not having any god damn Viking force him on the path to being like one of them that's for sure
Deathstalker's parents had a feeling that their only child missed them and decided to fly over to the household as it was at this time in the early morning when he was playing with their son that a knock on the door was heard. He knew it would be a matter of time before they arrived and came to answer the door, with Deathstalker standing behind Mikekolt as he was going to explain that he did not take him away from them for his own selfish desires; however they had no evil intentions to deride him as a kidnapper nor were they vengeful, the father of course gave a look in the face that told him that their son trusts him more than he knows. Mikekolt brought their hatchling up onto his arms before letting them take him since they've got two pincers that aren't broken after all. He stroked his face one last time before taking off, looking on ahead with his father and Rainserviper as he was being carried back by his parents to their home; the dire toll of his silent demeanor finally caught up to him as he feel asleep, vanishing in the clouds and out of sight
"You will see him again in time my son, if he does not recognize you then know this: he has not forgotten what you've first asked him, that will be a reminder of what you did for him" Roachkolt stroked him on his back
"Had I attempted to hide him then I could be driven to madness, and I might end up dead when the Dragon Hunters might be orchestrating a shoot out against me; then I'll have a son of my own take matters into his own hands. I'm glad that I didn't do that..." (A/N: That was the original concept for this story)
His father nodded and decided to get their day going along as Herkatlore joined in with her husband, embracing him as Mikekolt continued looking on with Rainserviper by his side; it was quite the experience for them and this was a memory they wouldn't forget. Should they meet again then he will be trained to take on any threat that's uprising to threaten their home, but in the present they never needed him more than ever at this time
(Flashback to Mikekolt and his father at Scriven Rock ends)
Deathstalker's definitely gonna be a younger, stronger and all new Broad Wing since that was a long time ago; but they'll be ready to take off to the skies and find him, see what he's been up to after all this time. As a matter of fact they did just that as they left during the midday
The formation of Mikekolt's Resistance begins now...
Now leave it at that now because I wanted to establish some new things about our protagonist, simply get to know him more better so you can see what else he's like; oh and I know I mentioned how the Marauders are horrible but I never did mention the torture methods they preform. Here they are listed below as you'll know what his Phoenixripper looks like soon enough in the next short chapter:
Fried to the Bone: Involves the uses of enslaved Skrills as they bind their chains to the victim's thighs, electrocuting them with great shocks of voltages should they refuse to tell them information; they amplify the power by harming the Skrills should they refuse to cooperate. The main reason why Mikekolt can't handle being around them, especially when they weaken and splash them with water first beforehand
Burning Touch: By dipping their own weapons in the molten liquid of an Dragon's firepower like an Monstrous Nightmare, they begin to slowly and painfully slide their stabbed weapons in the victim's flesh; with their screams of agony being the usual morning sounds and their beggings for mercy falling heavily on deaf ears. Going as so far as to strangle their victim's faces with molten hot burning rags, just to inflict some seriously scorching burn marks on more places than one
Drowning Tank: With the aid of the Dragon Divers' boiling Scaludron water and the arctic region's melted ice, the Marauders would shove their victim's faces into both of these aqua tanks and pretend to drown them; keeping an firm grip as they struggle and breaking any bones necessary should they try and fight back. They would also pour them onto their faces and bodies when they are restrained to their tables barbed with spikes, further adding in to the painfulness of the hot and cold treatment
Whipped and Stoned: The victims are restrained in the slot of the hallowed wall where both sides can be seen for them to lash their long, multi barbed whips on one side and throw an plethoring shower of sharp jagged stones on the other side. No one is safe from either sides as they will feel pain on both the front and back sides, especially when they coat their whips in molten fire and sharpen the rocks beforehand
Lethal Lockdown: Trapped within an large cage with many of the Dragon Marauder's strongest and deadliest, the victim finds themselves chained while they are forced to endure the pain of their weapons; even being forced to deal with being shot at with arrows and having knives being stabbed into their flesh, all while using heavy and blunt objects to smack and send them all into an submission. Very few victims were killed, but the next method was even worse
Hell in the Desert: The worst torture method that the Dragon Marauders have ever created, using their own minds to create sharp and deadly grains of sands meant to harm the victims; as they are thrown in by the Marauders and apparently left for dead by them as they then begin to emulate an horrible sandstorm. The heat of the sun is emulated by the molten firepower of an Dragon and the victims are showered by enslaved Sand Wraiths' boiling hot sand with others shooting at them directly while they're blinded. The Marauders themselves also go in and proceeded to beat them all into an bloody pulp until they are choking on their own blood, while the rays of the heated sun are burning their flesh. Beforehand they are cut with deep gashes before being thrown in, to make things worse for the victims; they were not expected to survive as the Marauders killed so many while beating them to an bloody pulp, further giving their victims the impression of being among the most infamous branches of the Dragon Hunters
Which of these was the worst of them all? I want to know what you think, feel free to leave a review and tell what's the worst one...