Now with his Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk reforged by the likes of Bladehead, Mikekolt could not stop practicing with his new weapon; he even mastered spinning it around in a wheel like an revolver. It's double edged cutting edges on both the inner and outer blades were a metal black color, and that double sided red color was unfortunately removed as it turned out it wasn't a tattoo but was dried blood that was painted onto the surfaces on both sides; oh well at least it looked cool, plus it looked even better when it was shiny. If there were some living Trappers who would make their strike on the warpath that they've forged in the name of their lust for the murderer of the Dragon God's blood, then he and Rainserviper will be there to ruin their plans. It was 2:00 AM as of this time in the morning, but he was relentless as ever now that the Dragon Marauders were confirmed to be in league with their main nemesis as of now
It began on a dark and moonless night out in the very dark and deep prussian and peacock blue seas of the Archipelago as the heavy rain struck against the massive, raging tidals that splashed out against the rocks of the islands; the calm wind that blew in gusts was hot and the feeling of the very air was moist as if it was melting like a ruined painting. The sky was a very dark spider black with the clouds being a dark slate to trout grey, midnight blue with some light slate, dim and normal slate grey along with a teal green and steel blue color; the moon went below two hours ago as the rain faded and the shadows of a man and a serpent flew through the skies. There was a lone Dragon Trapper yacht sailing through the seas that were now beginning to calm down as the storm faded, the imprisoned Dragons were all on board in large oxidized copper cages that had it's doors open to the sides and even slide out just like that. These victims were to consist of Howlians, Wicked Tricksters, Sinistrous Woodreapers, Mudicries, Firefangs, a Crimson Goregutter, Rumblehorns, Ripwreckers, Zipplebacks, a Nadder and Dramillions with a Titan Wing who led the pack of course; though it's not the one from the island however. A lone Trapper was above deck patrolling the area while the rest of his crew were elsewhere and below deck as he held a lantern to light the way in the night, keeping his eyes peeled just as the shadow of the man and serpent coiled above the crow's nest, awaiting for their moment to strike
This Dragon Trapper wore a normal conical helmet with stiff but studded leather flaps that were hardened around to cover his head, topped off with a long feather that hung over to his back; with sideburns and a horseshoe mustache as his nationality was directed towards being of the Slavic descent. Adorning pyramid shaped spikes on his armbands wrapped around his wrists with a thick belt having the same spikes adorned all around him, having a furry linen sleeved vest and a chainmail tunic underneath his Gronckle Iron chestplate; with sharksin pants and leg wrappings for warmth. He wore brown bear trimmed boots lashed about on him with a double bladed Gronckle Iron axe and a lantern on hand. Finally, he was actually quite a coward but he was not witless like a fellow member of the Warlords who went by the name of: "Ivar the Witless"
A imprisoned Wicked Trickster was biting on the cage but the Trapper didn't seem to mind until he heard something, unfortunately it was blocked out by it's sudden craving for the oxidized copper material they all used to keep the Dragons from escaping; just a shame that they can't keep the Hotburple trapped inside since they can bite through their Dragon Proof Metal as they preferred to call it. This made him lift the tarp over: "Quit your biting you damn beast, I heard something..." He brought out his axe and stepped forward more slowly, now cautious and suspicious about what was ahead of him
The shadow of the man turned to his quill adorned serpent and nodded, ready to make their strike as the former jumped down from the crow's nest; with the Trapper turning around only to see the condensation from the advection fog blocking his eyesight, but there was something deadly that lied within this wall of fog as he made a few more steps forwards. His tensing nerves grew and so did his fear of what was waiting for him, there was nothing as of now but that alone did not make him relieved in the slightest; something was stowing aboard his yacht and it couldn't have been one of his men patrolling the docks since he was the only one staying above and the rest were down below. After a few more steps were taken and out from the wall came a shadowy figure who materialized from the calm, and warm blowing wind. This figure brought out a handle before it sprouted out into a longsword, engulfing itself in green plasma flames that burned like the sun but appeared as though there was a specific Night Fury that could breathe this color; as every Dragon had their own variety of the same firepower they attack with. This figure's eyes could not be seen as it's visor was flipped downwards and stood in his path as it never moved a muscle, the figure however made some calm lizard purring to hissing sounds that only he could hear as the others were asleep
"Who... who the hell are you?" The Trapper dared to let himself even ask such a question, as this figure might not be human at all because in response when asked; this beast let off a threatening but silent growl in his throat that gurgled and rattled at the same time, further inducing fear into the Trapper. Having no answer from this enigmatic figure before him, he put on a false bravado on his face before proceeding to attack with his axe; now fully believing this beast was sent by the trapped prisoners that he captured for profit
The enigmatic figure blocked with his flaming sword as the Trapper swung his axe against the figure's chest, parrying the attack as he drove his sword towards his shoulder; dodging to the side as he struck the figure's head to the side with the thick fang pommel, this sent him staggering backwards before the Trapper rushed towards him. However the enigmatic figure instead slammed the door of a empty cage against him, this action caused the Trapper to fall backwards to the floor and throw his lantern towards him; combusting into blazing fires as both the man and his quill adorned serpent slowly walked and slithered out from the burning inferno, unscathed and unscorched by the heat. The Trapper recovered fast enough to witness such invulnerability to the fire and begged for mercy
"Spare me, demon and I will offer what you ask in return!" The Trapper begged the enigmatic figure as he made his way forward
"There's nothing worth to me that you offer, release those Dragons and hand them to me because I do not take no for a answer; I was a descendant of the Dragon Trappers tribe but our family were never loyal to them as we joined to learn their tracking skills and knowledge about the Dragons they trap to our advantage. But you will not live to deliver these lies to your superiors who call themselves the Warlords" The enigmatic figure spoke in a husky and gravelly voice as he revealed his heritage
"Chaghatai Khan and Ragnar the Rock, spare me from the anger of Griselda the Grevious and the wrath of the demon before me" The Trapper prayed to the Warlords who acted like the generals of Bludvist's Army, but his prayers fell on deaf ears as the quill adorned serpent in the mist constricted all around his body; stabbing him with it's quills before the figure stabbed him through the face, piercing his skull and leaving him to collapse onto the rain drenched muddle of his own blood before walking away afterwards
Removing his helmet for a moment before pulling down his silenced upward nose pointed cowl to reveal Mikekolt, with the fog dissipating to reveal Rainserviper as the former now wore his new Dragon Scale Armor for missions and tasks like these. Nothing too much as changed but he did make great use of his Phoenixripper and Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk that was now back in his possession. His hair sported thicker and sharper pointed bangs with smoother layers that rested on his spine's beginning point, with his full mustache and goatee now having some quill like barbs lunge out and forwards like claws. His dual fringes on the sides were around 5-7 inches and got shorter towards the back of his head where there was a inch of length left; being that he never cut his long and choppy plissken mullet at all, neither did he ever remove his dreadlock extensions. Not to mention he also had some warpaint applied to his face that looked like that of a Indian bengal rock owl with the striking face markings of a short eared owl, with the colors being a murky forest, caterpillar, seaweed, juniper and pear green with the following dark oak brown and grass cloth olive color to resemble swamp like camouflage. But it was his Dragon Scale Armor that was the most noticeable armor he was wearing which looked like this:
Mikekolt's Dragon Scale Armor was formed of many to several pieces that were tailored to his body. Made from the shedded scales of Rainserviper and Deathstalker's scales with an mostly predominately dark green color, consisting of many shades such as: deep olive, dark forest, dark rock garden, dark rainforest and dark inverness green with some sugar cookie to buttermilk tan thrown in the mix while the spikes were an cherry to maroon red color. The helmet was designed after Deathstalker with some quills from Rainserviper
His helmet was in the shape of a Italian barbute with an t-shaped visor, that came with's own flippable Knight grill visor guard; it also became an open face German sallet when the visor was flipped upwards to the back, allowing his full face and hair to be seen as well as flow out in the wind. Having some black nickel colored Volcanripper Metal chainmail within the helmet that was attached to it, with the back of helmet sporting Zippleback horns curving like the brooklane ignition lever on his flaming sword that were slightly curved diagonally to the sides like Barf's; with the same protuberances that acted like dreadlocks that drooped in the back. His chestplate had a closed narrow V-Neck with an black ribbed body undersuit to go along with his armor. His beaked shoulder guards were dual layered and he had an scaled tasset around his waist that was lightly pointed downwards like an arrow, being horizontally ribbed across like an samurai; although he lacked an cod piece, the entire body undersuit was reinforced with Volcanripper Metal chainmail that looked like it was made from black nickel. His dual torso guards were segmented and tailored to his own body, having gauntlets with not only black ribbed sleeve gloves but also having dual claws that went out forwards; going backwards on the bracers and vambraces as well. He had scaled leggings with cuisses and knee guards, having metal toed boots that looked like Zippleback Talons engraved on the front and even lunged out forwards in the front. His bat wing shaped gliding structures spanned outwards like an Zippleback and Night Fury as they allowed him to fly solo, retracting into his back when not in use. A dual pair of belts that held several items including his flaming sword and some Dragon Eye II Lenses. Finally, the protuberances came from an Zippleback which were shed from an Zippleback and left behind; whom he felt like he wanted to collect and add them in for his armor, just to give it some added detail
Keeping the flames of the Phoenixripper burning bright like the morning rays of the sun but also faint as a ember, Mikekolt and his partner went on to release the trapped Dragons out to the sky for their freedom; even if they had to break down some doors of the cages since they can be quite stubborn even for the Trappers to work with at times. He entered them as well and assured them that he's a ally of their hero and their king, Drayko and Toothless; which was enough to assure them that they can trust their savior, knowing that he would never leave any of them behind. This rescue included a Zippleback who was taken from the Lair of a Titan Wing whose island had a hoard of treasure, this is what their scales looked like by the glowing fire of his Phoenixripper:
This Zippleback had a black cherry red color on their scales with it's spots being an dark lipstick color featuring rosewood red outlines with an flaxen gold hue to them. Featuring an bone and linen white horizontal lined underbelly with an fawn and sandstone tan undertone, their nasal horns had an dark pebble grey color while their leaf protrusions on their necks and backs were an unusual deep uniform olive color; left face had an splash of dark black cherry red and the right had an splash of an faint bone and linen white color. Finally, they were adorned black horns that had one head slight curve off to the sides and the other head appear straight in order to tell them apart
Seeing Mikekolt's face as he stepped out of the sliding door cage covered by the tarp above it the Zippleback memorized what he looked like should they meet again, just as they took off to the skies as none of them ever made a sound at all; escaping from their imprisonment and returning back to their respective nests to live out and continue to fight another day for their survival out in the Archipelago, not alerting any other patrolling Trappers aboard as they both closed and covered the cages. Although at least two of them spotted the duo leaving without a sound back to the skies, they were killed when Rainserviper lashed his tail towards them and fired a rain of quills that struck their targets; piercing their chests and skulls before vanishing into the clouds as they were never here in the first place. Yet another stealth mission has been completed in the early hours of the morning, but perhaps that was because the Trapper was a coward; not worth the trouble of having him be executed by the Warlords for his incompetence since at least now it was all over for him
Returning to their Lair at the Whispering Caribbean after another raid was completed, they both flew over the filthy environment they'd adapted into living; heading over just by the second highest peak that had them hidden from the sight of those who'd raid the island for their location. Although it's appearance was never mentioned, this may be the perfect time to describe what it looks like:
It resembled a overturned ship like any house seen in any village, with octagonal edges built on a strong and sturdy foundation that was topped with fire resistant wood planks like great dark oak trees, dark maple, ebony, blackthorn and blackwood. Quite large like the Main Hall as both sides had five curled in rods going forwards and upwards towards the rooftops, had some cloth drooping down on each of the rods; sporting the usual Norse knotwork and colorful palette for this otherwise swampy environment; with the size being like a multitude of overturned ships with Dragon totems to add in some character to the hideout. With a dual pair of large four pointed windmills that spun slowly, the cloth having the appearance like that of Toothless' Tailfins as they were ribbed diagonally across the sides with the mills atop of each other; just for decoration. Most inspiration to the design of this hideout came out from Raedwit's Hut because of the mysterious and enigmatic ways of the Illusionist himself, Maria's Hut due to the defensive nature and Bladehead's Hut due to him seeking to take the unmatchable skill of the Blacksmith as his own. He's got all he needs from the Dragon's Edge as he wanted to make sure's prepared for whatever the Dragon Hunters might do if they found out about this place
Taking some inspiration from Drayko he took it upon himself to have a pair of dual shot turn table ballistas as he would use them for the defense with massive spearbolt towards by their sides, and the fact that the ballistas were designed after Dagur's Crossbow; having a ladder that had thick edges on both sides, having the steps be rectangular shaped. It's main color scheme was to match the filthy swampy environment as well as the theme of Dragons just like everyone, although he added the theme of where he descended from in as well. His Lair featured a weapon armory just as it featured a Blacksmith's forge all in it's own, as the building was covered further to camouflage with the environment. It was not without having his Dragons like a Whispering Death, Triple Stryke, Zippleback, Bullrougher and Deathgripper added in; although the last two were just because they looked cool to him, with some reflective scales on the walls of the roofs. Finally it featured a landing platform for him and his Dragons to fly out with some balconies that had overhung canopies just like his house back home, making sure that he's never feeling homesick as the interior's got more comfort for the long tasks he preformed out in the Archipelago against the Dragon Hunters; and even got it's own stables for any of his Dragons that he's tamed, it didn't start out as much at first but he sure has gotten more than his share of thriving well in the past two years that went on
Mikekolt's hatred for Ryker Grimborn continued to burn but the memories of what he did wouldn't leave him until he got some closure, until then he's going back to the School of Dragons for their next task. He was taller for one thing and his muscle build was near the halfway point to being half-brawny since he doesn't want to show off his overly macho muscles, not unlike the son of Spitelout that is because from what he's heard he's becoming somewhat of a stalker. He just doesn't want to be all burly and meaty as that would have some very negative results. In case it wasn't mentioned before the Whispering Caribbean was located to the north of Botany Blight where Drayko met Viggo in person once for a little truce and south of the Dark Deep, west of the Ship Graveyard where there were no eels nearby in their vicinity and near Fireworm island, Breakneck Bog and some seastacks close by. It may have been a neighboring island close to the Isle of Night but was nowhere close to Eel Island nor even close to Outcast Island, which was a good thing as Hroar took over after the death of Alvin the Treacherous as they rose above his ashes as the New Outcasts; although they prefered their old name
The upperfloor had a double bed with two lower drawer units all around the sides and front side, the wall mounted headboard featuring a diamond quilt pattern on the front with some rectangular segments on the sides; two nightstands were on the opposite sides and reinforced so that they wouldn't be damaged too easily. He had a desk with the map next to his bed and his tight clip-on bandanna had two ripped strips of cloth going down to his spine, which went on underneath his mullet so no part of it could be seen. He also had a roofed balcony looking outwards, with some supplied ingredients of Fire Fern, Buckthorn, Red Oleander, Firecomb Flower and the stem of a Nightmare Plant; it was supposed to be used for a little experimental fire boost of sorts, just to emulate a Bullrougher's thick flares that they fired out and it turned out more than well on his part. As Mikekolt took a seat on the couches while Rainserviper finished off the garlic seasoned salmon he didn't get a chance to finish his breakfast earlier, Lethalruin jumped into his lap as he stroked him on his underbelly
In case it wasn't mentioned beforehand Lethalruin's scales was a dark olive drab color and his underbelly was a coconut husk tan color, with mahogany red markings with the bottom of his wing's membranes being a clay orange color; he had bronze nostrils and tiger orange to tuscan sun yellow eyes. He always carried a playful expression on him whenever he was sent to preform some sneaky black ops tactics as he always got away without being known by anyone who was guarding the location. Finally if for what reason he was caught, he would adopt the Muddicry's tactic which involved fake blood pouring out; horribly crying in pain before he would make his escape with whatever he got his talons on like valuables for example, by the ones who took pity on him
Deathstalker walked in the room with a insomniac expression that was drawn on his face, being that Mikekolt and Rainserviper decided not to sleep just to see how long they can go before they pass out; but maybe that was just because they didn't feel tired at all, there was so much to do for them at night when there wasn't anything for them to do during the day. It felt like a night out with his best friend, but they're going to pass out sooner or later but if they don't; then it's going to be a hangover from hell for them. As Deathstalker wrapped his barbed tails around him, it was then that he perked up when he heard the sound of flapping just outside; the double doors were opened inwards as Drayko and a fellow member of the Thorston Clan entered inside, this was cousin Agnut as she came to administer the Thorston Induction Trials but she seemed more than upset. She simply had a strawberry red to blonde color to her hair and a deeper voice than Ruffnut
"Mikekolt, I would like you to meet Cousin Agnut; she would like to have a word with you" Drayko had no concerns about breaking in since he's seen his Lair before time and time again, plus he's always welcomed here
"Just in time in fact, Dullnut's been mentioning his family's trials that he hoped that he would be taking soon; you the one administering the tasks for him?" Mikekolt showed no interest in family induction traditions since being born into the family should count as being enough to stay in the first place, rather than having to go through a bunch of bullshit just to prove your worth to them
"Gruffnut's the one who gave our cousin Dullnut the trials, but he has no authority to do so since he's not apart of the family; he never completed them himself, not even close to being one in the first place" She explained as Mikekolt only growled, it's one of those trials where he's got to complete them just to be apart of the damn family; it's bullshit to him
"I along with Andrewkolt (AAUN-DREW) Broncokolt, Ascherkolt, Valentinkolt, Drakekolt and Ruthlandkolt who are my favorites, Hecklerkolt and Japlethkolt would never have to go through some of this bullshit just to become one of the Castlekroftservkhalls; we were all born into the family and there is no coming of age ritual just to become what we and always were from the beginning. You mentioned that Gruffnut's administering the trials?" Mikekolt asked
"Gruffnut owes the Dragon Hunters more than their money and to do so he's sent our fellow student to collect a vial of Speed Stinger venom from one of Speedy's members, who were just minding their own business and the shedded skin of a Changewing on their island; getting it from Rose doesn't count according to him since that would be considered cheating, as if you can cheat in the Thorston Induction Trials. He would be out of the family if he did since it's got to be from a actual Changewing that's paralyzed, nothing else" Drayko mentioned
"It screams out a plot to take his Zippleback just so he can pay back the Hunters, not if there's something for me to say in it; Gruffnut will be punished for his deception when I find him but it seems I'll still need my Dragon Scale Armor for this one. Tell me where to find Dullnut"
"The shedded skin was for him to sneak into the Lair of the Zippleback Titan which I'll have it posted on your map since me and Toothless had once taken a look at the island beforehand, neither of us entered the cavern since we don't want it's residents to know we're here; there is a chest inside that contains a treasure within it's hidden compartment. Dullnut's preparing to leave and has left the School of Dragons by this point, intercept him at the entrance and get the chest before returning here; punish him for his deception if you must, do you understand?" Drayko asked as Mikekolt removed his knife from his bracer, ready to attack him on sight if he sees him
Mikekolt's Knife had no fuller and had an black surface with black nickel edges, always ready to be used whenever he needed to stab someone in the throat; being that it was inspired by Drayko's Knife as that belonged to his ancestors, and he figured he could use an backup weapon himself. This Knife's blade was long with it's square tooth serrations slanted upwards on the right, going up to the midsection as it was both double edged and sharpened to the point of making someone bleed; it's handle being an phantom like skeleton of an Indian bangal rock owl being engulfed in the rising flames like his Tribe's crest, all while having the color palette of an house sparrow as it's wings were spread out and acted like the quillon with two crescent shaped ring blades on both sides. The pommel happened to be an snarling but cute looking tsuchinoko that sported jaguar like whiskers sharply shooting out like claws, slightly rearing back as it's fangs curved inwards as this legendary creature was mentioned to have once been found by an DOTW Sentry and Caretaker for the Great Protector's hatchling heir. Finally, it is always seen sheathed on both his uniform's vambrace and his Dragon Scale Armor just in case he needs to stab someone in the back or in the throat
"Before you make your departure, Toothless has found something from a tropical island far in the Archipelago; this may remind you of your justifable fear and hatred against Skrills, but this will help you give Dullnut his retribution" Drayko stated as Toothless brought him a gauntlet for him to wield, although due to the darkness of the night Mikekolt did not see what it looked like; but the duo of brothers did as it was tightly wrapped with leather all around but knew that it wouldn't hinder the power of the gauntlet at all
He turned to face Deathstalker before telling him to get some rest as Rainserviper slithered over to him, mounting onto his quill adorned serpent as a partner before taking off into the skies; vanishing into the clouds as the night was still young. Frynir of course continued to tail them from behind with her presence still not discovered by her victims, she was trying to know more about this man who now held the tomahawk used to supposedly cause what happened to her a long time ago. She had been spying on Mikekolt for quite a while now and was beginning to have a question in her mind that she was not prepared on asking: was this really the same man who would cause the massacre of what she once had? Nevertheless, her doubts subsided for now as she continued to follow him from far behind
Gruffnut's hair was pulled behind his head and sported a red tunic, having the same voice as Tuffnut but hoarser and gravelly; lacking his stooped poster but also standing straighter than him as he had a fur vest with studded arm wrappings, the same helmet like any other Thorstons although the right metal tipped ox horn was going downwards. Finally he had a Hooligan's spear with the head supported by two ridges as below happened to be a hallowed out hole in the base, having two spikes on the bottom sides
But during this time while they're flying he thought to himself that being a mercenary for his Tribe didn't sound too bad at all whenever he graduates from the School of Dragons, if someone like one of their students such as Serjuna the Venturesome wanted to be one then he'll be one. Although it's not the money he's looking for it's the treasure that he's after since he's willing to lead some greedy adventurers and Vikings into a trap, might as well give a Dragon's nest something to make it feel more like it once belonged to a powerful warrior who became a Chief; or at least apart of some heritage of a family that he's willing to take for a reward after killing his targets and victims. He could imagined them being offered tribute and basked with their rewards from those whose lives were saved
Though it seemed like hours and they were beginning to feel some deprivation effects due to their all nighter raids on various sites wherever the Dragon Hunters struck, this went beyond the yawning and the bluriness as well; now they're seeing some hallucinations and whatnot, but at best there was not much to be told from their point of view. Of course they did happen to come across a ship that was sailing endlessly throughout the sea, but happened to be anchored down to the ocean floor. Hedgelout Jorgenson happened to be on that ship and according to Drayko's uncle he was not available for the cancelled wedding between the Hoffersons and Jorgensons due being missing at sea as he was second choice, oh and it was cancelled due to a fight breaking out at the rehearsal dinner. Hedgelout looked identical to Spitelout but always had differences like his dark thunder grey quill barbed beard and choppier layered hair that covered his ears. Except that he wore a pyramid spike studded vest with a gambeson, his barbed beard was literally like a hedge as his name suggested, his separate segmented bangs on the sides were longer and he had more scars on his face from fighting those Dragons in the past. Mikekolt and Rainserviper will come back for him later as he dropped a tracking marker on the deck so that they can find him, the scent is strong for them to follow the anchored ship back from where they were going (A/N: No one's added Hedgelout in their own HTTYD story so I'm making up his appearance, just so you'll know what he looks like)
Two hours later into the early morning as the dead of night remained as they were following Dullnut's flight path, using the posted destination on his map before nodding at the location; sooner or later they were reaching their destination in mind, the island was coming up right before their eyes: it was a mountainous island riddled with caverns all around with the main cavern being where Dullnut was sent on a suicide mission by his disowned cousin, of course it was so rightfully named as the: "Lair of the Zippleback Titan" as they flew over the woods to hover above and in front of the entrance where Dullnut was coming up the pathway, shaking his head at the decision that he was not aware was going to kill him by his own cousin. He jumped off from Rainserviper and landed on both of his steel tipped talons, using his wings to glide and slow his fall before retracting back into his armor
The entrance inside to the main lair had a few rock formations with a forest outside by the sides, with a laid out smooth pathway with some smooth stone steps leading the adventurers here for whatever lied inside. Dullnut was carrying the Changewing skin that hung over his shoulder as he sported fire yellow eyes, a dark olive tunic with a studded belt; studded arm wrappings with arm bands and a helmet with thick iron tipped ox horns that also had spikes running down, not to mention a shaved goatee he had. He was prepared for what Gruffnut wanted him to do and kept some extra vials of Speed Stinger venom for himself, his Zippleback was also following him but as soon as they saw Mikekolt at the entrance; he just muttered to himself how it seemed that everyone was gonna get in his way of completing the trials
"Mikekolt, what the hell are you doing here?" He demanded, although he wasn't angry that he would interfere with the final third trial since he's got what he needs to grab the chest inside. He turned back to face him before speaking
"Cousin Agnut came by my Lair and she's not happy about what... well ask the man who called himself your cousin, he's never completed the trials himself and he's a Thorston no more. He's going after your Zippleback just he can pay off the money he owes to the Dragon Hunters, but if it means for you to be accepted into your family then consider this my gift; I will get that chest for you, na' mean?" Mikekolt explained what Gruffnut was planning and offered
"You're lying Mikekolt, Gruffnut's always been a family member from the beginning and I don't need the help of a Castlekroftservkhall; this is a Thorston's job so stay out of my way" Dullnut's stubborness got the better of him since he finally has a chance to prove himself to be a member of his family's clan, and he's not going to let it be ruined. However, Mikekolt does not take "No" for a answer that easily
"No, I do not want to hear the kind of thirsty spaz you're becoming just to prove yourself to your family; a coming of age ritual is NOT how we handle things in my family. Gruffnut's taking your Zippleback and I'm not having that bullshit, just stay here because I'm sure he'll be coming to check up on your progress. But by the time he comes then the chest is yours, until then Rainserviper will keep watch; do not try anything shitty, I am deadass about this Dullnut and stay close to him because it's brick outside" Mikekolt warned him as he left, entering inside the cavern as he traversed his way through the tunnel on the way down; all with the rays of the night peaking through
HTTYD
Mikekolt climbed over a rock and moved through another, passing through some pointed rocks like fangs and walking down the stone platforms; coming across a ledge as he moved through a hole as he made his presence unknown to anyone living here, especially as he stepped down the two rocks and hugged the wall as he turned to see the main location of this lair. It was a large to medium sized segmented stone disc in the center surrounded by endless gold medallions and statues of Vikings. Barrels and many chests were littered all around as it was enough to reap in to become a King with such power and wealth, however it would also be enough to fuel the avarice of the one who seeks to quench their selfishness and evil sin of greed. Filled to the brim with gold, jewelry, gems and other such valuables; this was known as how he would like to call the: "Treasure of the Reaper" Finally there was a Zippleback Titan who rested in his hoard as it slept peacefully with the dark sky bathing it's scales, rejuvenating itself most likely after a long and hard day of hunting down those who would seek to take what they did not earn in return for their own desires. The required chest that was need was sitting atop of a pedestal surrounded by gold coins and a single statue, none of this mattered to him as Mikekolt was more focused on the Zippleback Titan acting as the hoard's guardian
This Zippleback Titan Wing who resided here in their home was a morocan, gypsy and teal green with a egyptian blue color with darker splotches over it's body and wings; having daffodil and banana yellow nasal horns, with prussian blue leaf protrusions on it's necks and back as they also sported a buttermilk tan with a slight daffodil and banana yellow hue on it's underbelly. It's left face had a splash of morocan, gypsy and teal green with blue splotches while it's right head featured a reverse pattern of the former. Finally it lived a pack of other Zipplebacks with one being a amber orange and the other being a amethyst purple color
Mikekolt continued hugging against the wall in the shadows of the Zippleback Titan's Lair, with his left hand stroking his quill barbed stubbles of his full beard and continued to examine the sight before him; his eyes narrowed as he got down from the ledge, dropping to the ground as he slowly touched the stone floor. With the piece of ham and honeycomb he brought knowing that they can't resist treats like these, he swept aside the pebbles from his path to stop them from hearing his footsteps; approaching the resting Zippleback Titan as he laid them both down in front of the twin heads, leaving them afterwards as he returned to the far corner of the cave and let the smell of ham and honeycomb take effect to the snouts of the twin heads. Especially as they began to stir about and move with him placing his helmet on, not wanting to have his identity known to the others who were living here; who knows just how violent that a territorial Titan Wing is when some of the ones who ventured here did not live to tell the tale?
The Zippleback Titan slowly opened it's fogged eyes and let out a yawn in the early morning, plopping back down as it's fangs were getting filled with saliva due to the delicious smell of what's been laid out in front of both of the twin heads; they were getting up on both of their claws and talons before fully standing, stretching out those stiff muscles of theirs before their vision became clear from the morning haze. As soon as that faded and their vision was cleared, they found someone's brought them a little breakfast; which had their tongues wagging and of course they couldn't resist taking it all down with a bite. Afterwards the left head picked up a scent of a man nearby, apparently he's intruding inside their Lair; most likely going for the Treasure of the Reaper that they sleep on and guard, not if they have anything to say about this man's intentions that is. By sniffing out the intruder through the mostly dimmed cave, they spewed some gas to determine the location who would have the death wish to step in here just so they can bask in their treasure that they made their nest in. As soon as their eyesight was adjusted to the dimly lit cave of their nest, they growled upon seeing the seemingly lifeless husk of Dragon Scale Armor who began to move towards them both; just as they were returning to their resting spot, calling out to the others in the area who awakened in alert
The amber orange and amethyst purple Zipplebacks who were also resting responded to their leader's call, although a familiar face he knew not too long ago also appeared as it looked at him feeling like it knew this armored human before being captured; this Zippleback didn't think back to his savior until Mikekolt ignited the Phoenixripper, holding it horizontally in front of himself before he flipped it to the other side. He then held the ignition lever and sprouted a thick flare of green flames all around himself like a tornado before blowing it away, raising his blade and stabbing it straightly into the ground as he placed his hands towards his helmet; he flipped his visor upwards and removed the helmet as the Zipplebacks although facinated only snarled in response to his movements, revealing his face to them
He looked about and of course found the very same Zippleback he and Rainserviper rescued not too long ago in the same night, there was no coincidence since he did see him fly off towards the direction where this Lair was located on the map; this must be his own sanctuary with his own Alpha nevertheless. He decided to name this individual: "Blood and Bone" due to the way that the Zippleback appeared to be bathed in blood and looking like it's filthy bones were exposed (A/N: You knew that he was going to tame this Zippleback and Lethalruin acts more like a stealth/black ops sentry of a pet, but that doesn't mean he's not apart of his team)
"I don't seek your tesoro (treasure) but I've come for that chest on the pedestal, there's a item inside it's secret compartment and it must be taken; by order of Drayko himself. I'm just a student of his whose helped him out in the destruction and final burial of Drago Bludvsit, the false Dragon God if you will" Mikekolt calmly explained to them, once again offering the ham and honeycomb to any of these Zipplebacks who would step forward; as he took back his blade and went to the far side of the Lair to sit back, observing them as to let them eat in comfort when he was really thinking to himself in reality
Blood and Bone approached the offering that their scale armored savior of a man offered to any of them before taking it right away, with the Zippleback Titan taking a long and narrowed glance at Mikekolt whose arms were raised and his fingers crossed into each other like a clenched hand that were covering his mouth; while his flaming sword was tabbing the ground as he held it by the thick fang pommel. It was as if he was planning something as while they ate in comfort, the others got together with their Alpha who kept a eye on him, as they knew he was going to try something; he may have brought them a gift but they can't be sure about his motives, though he may be on Drayko's side since he did mention him being a student of his. As soon as they were finished they looked up and came closer to Mikekolt with no sign of hesitation, raising his hand and letting them decide if they desire to be tamed by him; with both of them wrapping their necks around him while he stroked their snouts before getting comfortable with him
They walked away from him and grabbed the chest before giving it to Mikekolt as a gift of their own after what he did for them, opening it up to reveal it was empty but not before he opened up the secret compartment; finding that it had a Dragon Eye lens inside, taking the hidden prize for himself as he got up before being helped up by Blood and Bone get back to the entrance out by the exit. He turned to face and give off the Zippleback Titan a silent nod, ensuring them both that he's on Drayko's side before taking his leave; with the chest in hand to give to Dullnut and the lens for him to give to the Knights. It seemed that Gruffnut was seeking out a treasure that he doesn't know the priceless worth of, along with his cousin's Zippleback that he intended to pay off the money he owed to the Dragon Hunters
Exiting the Lair of the Zippleback Titan once more before throwing the chest over to Dullnut to make sure he's inducted into the family of his own clan he grew up in, he decided that there was nothing left for him to do here; mounting onto his partner Rainserviper and finding that Blood and Bone decided to follow them, which he couldn't be anymore happier since the more the merrier they say. He was satisfied as well as no one should ever have to go through a coming of age trial just to stay in a family he grew up feeling that they were apart of, having to prove your worth is not how the Castlekroftservkhalls do things around here as each and every one builds their own road; they choose their own legacy to leave behind in death while they have faith that the fight for the future is for them to shape into what they see as a much greater Archipelago they came to live in, they're in control of their own destinies and they don't let anyone else say so otherwise. Leaving the island once more as the night was coming to a end, they decided to go ahead and confront Gruffnut personally as he's got himself the gauntlet he was given; but where exactly did Toothless get it from?
Frynir had her eyes focused on that leather wrapped gauntlet and she knew where it came from, Toothless can be sneaky at times when she's not home at her cave; but she decided to at least let him use it before she takes it back. She knew what it looked like underneath the leather wrappings, but Mikekolt was not aware since it was a good thing; this was a necessary time to go ahead and use it to punish someone for their treasonous deception
However when they reached a smoking signal on a island coming up close, they flew down into the scene to find the Dragon Hunters restraining Gruffnut onto the ground; when they looked up and saw them, some of them went to deal with them both while the rest kept their prisoner on the ground as he's not getting away alive until he has their money he owes them. Confronted by a few of them but not willing to surrender to them as they had their weapons drawn, and their crossbows ready to fire at them; they were joined by two other special individuals who just so happened to be based on a specific creature from Greek Mythology:
These centauric like Hunters violently had their lower half crushed underneath and split, they lived but were on the verge of death as the medics tend to keep their best warriors who have fallen were more than capable of fighting up against their enemies alive; basically like a zombie except that they're refusing to let them die in peace and go to the golden halls of Valhalla above. Their lower body was forged from not one but many dead bodies of Dragons as well as their different limbs and bones of sorts. The Berserker dual pronged spears they carried had a chained morning star on the bottom to swing around, acting like their main weapon as these Hunters were meant for taking out Speed Stingers and other such fast land based Dragons; this is what they had in the following:
They had the front legs of a Stormcutter's talons which were armored in front with spiked shin greaves, while they had the hind legs of a Monstrous Nightmare's talons due to their deadly claws which shot outwards and curved slightly upwards before touching the ground. Their body structure was based off a Nadder while they had the bipedal bones of a Moldruffle to keep them standing upright, although they were still shorter than a Skrill of course. They had a medium length tail of a Typhoomerang with the three arrow tailtip of a Shivertooth. Although they had some ripped wings of a Whispering Death that were stitched to their backs as they couldn't even be used, but could span outwards as a little intimidation. Their waists and lower bodies all featured large stitches all over like patchwork as they used various parts of Dragons to make sure they're kept alive, however they also had cascades of dried blood that streamed downwards from the stitches; some of the intestines were also exposed as they weren't removed while keeping their patients' life stabilized. Finally, they wore their tri-spiked helmets but also had growing unkempt beards due to weekends to months of relearning how to walk and fight with their new bodies; however they also suffered some brain damage as their dialect wasn't as good as before
A Hunter Centuar on the left let out a guttral warcry as he raised his dual pronged spear and reared backward on his talons, the centaur charged forward against Mikekolt as he drew back his spear; before he moved to the side and slammed the Phoenixripper into the Hunter's side which made the experimental patient yell out in pain. He then jumped onto the centaur's back before using him to take out the other Hunters, swinging his spear about uncontrollably and even smacking their skulls with the chained morning star on the end; though this did not mean that the Hunter whom Mikekolt was riding on wasn't fighting back, especially as the victim tried to regain control. After all of the jumping and the shaking to get Mikekolt off his back was instead grabbed by the left leg and underbelly, being lifted into the air and ultimately slammed towards the ground; pinned with the Phoenixripper as Mikekolt brought out his original sword and stabbed into the front of his stomach, ripping across to the other side as his guts spilled out. Screaming in agony before dying as he took his spear and threw it towards a incoming Dragon Hunter right into the chest
Rainserviper tripped a second incoming Dragon Hunter which allowed Mikekolt to grab him by the neck before proceeding to stab him multiple times in the chest with his original sword, ending with a very painful third stab that really dug through his organs as he removed the blade. Bringing out Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk as he ran up to a third Hunter and jumped, stabbing his face before beating him down with the leather wrapped gauntlet; making a strangely satisfying metal panging/bone crunching sound as he bashed his face in. With the fourth Hunter he tackled him to the ground and proceeded to chop his ear off, removing his open faced helmet and letting him scream for mercy as his pleas fell on deaf ears; literally as he was now deaf. The fifth Hunter faced no easy fate either as he was stabbed in the chest, coughing up blood before he collapsed to the floor; now they were all done for as he decided to confront Gruffnut and he's got a new hell for him to live in
Mikekolt viciously approached Gruffnut who was struggling to break free from his restraints he had on him when Drayko and Toothless led the Dragon Hunters to him, soon he broke free and shook his head; standing on one knee as he causally spoke to him with relief in his voice: "Thank the Gods you've come to rescue me from this island, that masked man and his flying snake took me away from my ship when I was coming to check up on my favorite cousin; he tied me up and led those people I owed money to. At least I was given some treasure to pay them back with, by the way how's Dullnut doing in the trials now that you're here? That chest's got something I need, can't explain the details" His voice was shaking once Mikekolt slammed his boot down, silencing him as he screamed out in front of him
"You sent him to his DEATH?!"
"Sent him to his- sent him to his death?! When he turned 19 he had nothing, nothing at all! I sent him alright you ungrateful bastard! With a home and something to look forward to in the future, with that genorosity every Thorston expects to take a few risks now and then; we're not charity pals alright and we're not anyone's sugar daddies. So there was a Zippleback Titan Wing in there, I don't give a shit! When I tell him that it's time for him to do the Thorston Induction Trials, he does what I say; understand?" Gruffnut angrily lashed out in front of him
"But you didn't complete your trials, now did you?!" Mikekolt argued back
"I expected him to survive, what more did you want from a ungrateful bastard like my nephew? At least Tuffnut looks up to me!" Gruffnut defended himself but Mikekolt had enough of his shit before grabbing him by the throat, and kicked him hard in the knee caps until there was a bone crunching sound to make sure he's broken both of his legs
With the leather wrapped gauntlet on his right arm, he proceeded to swing it down onto him as Rainserviper held him by the upperbody; slamming his fist down onto his ribcage and crushing him further, punching him over and over until there was some blood being shed. Gruffnut's painful screams became a symphony to the deaf ears whose prays from the victim always fell on, as well as a resident Catastrophic Quaken nearby whom he had to deal with should he be able to walk again and escape where he'll be locked up in. He was his to beat down like a dummy as blood spewed from his mouth, slamming the gauntlet into his gut and jumping to smash his spinal cord on his back; hell he even jumped onto him and elbow dropped onto him for some extra torture. Once he felt like that there was enough for him to be satisfied with, decided to talk to him:
"Not so fucking full of yourself now, eh you fuck?" Mikekolt asked
"Does family and coming of age trials mean nothing to you?" Gruffnut coughed out, with his hypocritsy showing that he loved his nephews but attempted to kill one of his own
"Ask Tuffnut who tried to prank me by dumping my face into a bucket full of electric eels just so he can take advantage of my fucking issue with Skrills, I'm sure he'll love it when you try to steal his identity and sell his Zippleback on the black market to the Dragon Hunters; any final requests you have before I break your skull into dust and fragments?" Mikekolt angrily asked in return
"Yeah... can I fuck your friend Lucindius the Fierce?" He asked as Mikekolt responded by directly spitting into his left eye
"You were an asshole to the very end, punk you motherfucker. Hey Gruff before you go, how 'bout you go fuck yourself the hell off you thick ass Hooligan sloppy shit loving bitch; because I think you deserve a high five in the ass, with a bullet!" He stepped forward and landed a direct skull to dust crushing kick against his face that sent him backwards
He was pissed enough and dragged his ass by his neck to a cave where he had to live with a Catastrophic Quaken, but recovered as he was now weakly struggling to break free; screams of death threats and claims that his family would come for him once again did not help him, as Mikekolt was through listening to him. He pinned his arms against the far end wall, tightening the restraints and making sure he's not escaping; but if he does then he'll have no one to come for him as the neighboring Catastrophic Quaken guardian would make sure of that. He broke his spear and threw it to the ground in front of him out of his reach before he left, but before leaving him with this warning: "If you dare think about leaving this island that you are hearby exiled to... You. Will. DIE!" He threatened at the end with a deep and husky voice before stepping outside, pushing a nearby boulder with some effort and help as Gruffnut's hysterical cries were silenced forever. Sealing the entrance to the cave and further feeding his cold blooded, remorseless, loathsome and quite the brutal personality he mostly hid from others like a evil shadow of himself
This personality was born from his time caused not by his enemies like the Dragon Hunters but being born from his pain in his darkest moments where he was alone with no one to talk to, hated being judged by others who claimed he was spoiled by his father and that he was like a Jorgenson: arrogant, bordering on narcissistic and prone to delusions of perfection and popularity as well as attractiveness; being considered more than a very obnoxious moron with a colossal ego and selfish desires, having no care for anyone else who was not himself. The former only further strengthened his taste for the blood of those who would do wrong to him and his family, especially his Dragons and his parents; all in all he hates being called like a Jorgenson since at least Roachkolt never screams at him to win the Dragon Combat Racing Tournaments on the island. It's not in his blood to do something like that at all and if he did then he knew about his mistakes and blinded desire to prove the others how they treated him wrong
So with some of his face stained with smeared trails of fire orange, french rose pink and maroon red blood; he went over to grab some specific clothing of the fallen Dragon Hunters. These included a maroon red diamond pattern tunic, a tri-spiked helmet with a cowl from the Elites, a Zippleback flesh vest, some olive green pants, some spiked bracers and greaves, a belt also from the Elites and a battleskirt also made from Zippleback flesh; placing it in his dufflebag before giving it to Rainserviper and mounting onto Blood and Bone, giving off a evil smirk in response as he knew Agnut would go off to tell the Twins the truth about Gruffnut while Dullnut was finally accepted into the family. So at least everyone won in the end, he removed his Dragon Scale Armor and also placed it into the dufflebag; closing it up so that he wouldn't lose it
As promised earlier they came back for Hedgelout Jorgenson and helped rescue him to be reunited with Spitelout before going off. Now with the bright burning sun rising above the horizon from the skies, Mikekolt gained his more than well deserved satisfaction as he would continue to complete his tasks with further adventures ahead of him, he would fight to save Dragonkind on the day that the dark threat of the Dragonroot Company was known throughout the Archipelago...
HTTYD
The burning sun stood above with it's scorching rays and attributed to the silence in the skies. But it was the very dreadful total caused by the exertion of Mikekolt's relentless battles with his enemies all with no rest and the scorching heat stroke of the hot air that finally caught up to him at long last. From high above the sky, Mikekolt fell from the back of the twin headed Blood and Bone down to the earth below; now fully passed out from the heat stroke of the sun and the full symptoms from his hangover from hell. He fell through from the clouds all around him with the leather wrapped gauntlet in his right hand that peeled away fully, revealing it's true appearance and both of his swords resting diagonally crossed on his back. Was this sacrifice too much for him to bear? The exertion that took and anchored him down to the earth too much for him to overcome, even for the man who was known as the son of Roachkolt and the descendant of the Dragon Trapper known as Tiburonkolt? (TIE-BAURON-COLT)
Just as Mikekolt's fallen body from the back of Blood and Bone was about to strike the face of the highest cliffs from the School of Dragons overlooking the seas, a dual pair of talons from a Skrill caught him by his stomach and laid him down to rest softly. It was here that it was Frynir along with a fellow Deadly Nadder named Lanceaurdian approached his fallen body:
Frynir was a female Skrill whose scales had a dark chocolate, umber, cedar and moca brown color on her scales while there were some light tortilla, peanut and brown colored lightning markings on her body and wings; with some pale salmon and amaranth pink shades to go along with her pale thunder grey underbelly. 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 back; but she had her own negative traits to be considered a anti-hero in the future, for now posing herself like a villain. Finally, although she knew this man was the same man she tortured in Darkheart Prison and hoped they would not meet again; she was questioning if he really did commit the massacre that happened a long time ago when she was young, as he had Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk on him but also her stolen gauntlet
Lanceuardian was a Nadder with keen merigold orange eyes, with a rust red color surrounded by a faint tiffany blue color and black pupils whose main body was a olive to moss green with his wing's top edges being a hunter and fern green; while the membrane had a fading russian green. His multiple spots on his membrane had a light army green with medallion yellow edges surrounding them all, with his back being a pickle to pear green color having other small yellow and olive spots for a little pattern. The starting of his wings also had a rust red color along with his lower nasal horn and spikes, with his tail having merigold orange rings up to the tail's point. He had a greenwich gate and mannequin cream tan underbelly that was as squishy as it was flabby, with his scales coming off as a dark seaweed green color under the darkness; and his magnesium stream being a kelly green color. Finally, he acted like a twin mirror to Flareswift due to their similar traits as they both loved Red Oleander and were ready to take on anything for Drayko/Mikekolt; oh and both were ticklish whenever someone touched and played about with their squishy underbelly
"He's quite the warrior and he has again served Drayko well, Frynir" Lanceuardian spoke to her
"Remarkable like that father of his, if only that was saying much" Frynir got down to remove her gauntlet from his right hand
"He's very weak from that heat stroke, should we help him out?" Lanceuardian asked her as he took Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk from him
"Leave him, he will live and survive long enough for us to meet again" Frynir shook her head as they both left, turning back one last time to face him before secretly adding to her statement: "He and his Half-Brother must..." Afterwards they took off to the skies
Mikekolt was left lying on his back passed out from the heat stroke of the scorching sun and the very dreadful total of his hangover from hell on the highest cliff of the School of Dragons that overlooked the seas of the Archipelago, eventually his Dragons would come to find him and take him back inside with Lethalruin flying over to his face to land and stroke both his nose and his right eye with his barbed tongue, letting out a continuous purr as his warm underbelly was heated like the rest of his scales; for now Frynir and Lanceuardian decided to let him rest, he deserved it after the hell he went through just to punish the deception of a family member like Gruffnut. Drayko and Toothless looked over him from above the cliff, watching both him and his Terror together
These are the appearances of whatever weapon that Mikekolt would pick up and use as part of his Weapon Adaption technique tactic from now on as this chapter is long enough as it is:
SWORD: This sword was a large scimitar with a sharply edged D-Guard that had two straight spike blades going out and upwards on the backside, the blade being straight with three spiked blades whipping across to the other side on the scimitar's fangs. Being loaded up the ass with Arrows that this blade could shoot out. It sported many qualities and similarities with the Marauder's Scimitar, but it was merely an imitation as it stunned the opponent whenever thrown by the user
CLUB: This club featured three thick square shaped bricks stacked atop each other adorned with three pyramid shaped spikes on all sides, with an larger spike on top; the decagon shaped barrel was also adorned not only the same spikes but also medium sized alloy casted Whispering Death fangs that were slightly curved upwards like the fangs of a animal such as a snake. It featured an long handle that had an tight grip secured and had the head of an horse whose mane was flowing backwards as the knob, with octagonal shaped flat discs in between the square shaped bricks. This club also causes an powerful shockwave when thrown by the user and could disarm opponents when swung
JAVELIN: This javelin had a long staff with two upwards bladed barbs on the upper sides with the twin pronged head having two spikes in between, with the middle wrapped for extra grip with the bottom having a thick ring with Isis like wings on the sides going upwards; while the ring also had a chained morning star that dangled about for close quarters combat. This came in a pack of ten and had a limited number of throws before it's use was no more, this causes a rain of javelins whenever thrown by the user as it was meant to split into multiple javelins to create a devastating rain upon some foes
SLING: This sling had a thick rectangular shaped cuff that closed onto the arm of the user with an horizontal bar to grasp with the hand, having a retractable chain with two links connected to it on the top and bottom of the cuff; which was connected to a large octagonal shaped ball that contained some sharp and deadly stones that went off into three different directions whenever thrown. Like the javelin, this had an limited number of ammo before it's use was no more. This causes an explosion upon impact whenever thrown by the user
SHIELD: This shield was shaped like a wankel with it's bottom edges sharply going diagonally downwards with an straight line across, while the top had an merlon and embrasure pattern like an castle battlement wall; the sides were slightly curved backwards towards the user for some extra defense. The front featured two thick studded rings where two Deathgripper tusks went outwards slightly to the sides, with two spiked strips underneath and four large pyramid shaped spikes on either side. Like the sword, it also stuns the opponent whenever thrown by the user
Mikekolt will get Tiburonkolt's Tomahawk back in the next chapter and he will get that oversized nameless-for-now gauntlet back in a future chapter, as I have the named confirmed and it's true appearance designed. Oh and I planned on him making that Shield apart of his own arsenal, but with a different look to it