Part 3 - Devil's Dawn
Chapter 56 - Sovngarde
Gwen stayed away from the briefing with Edward in case she caused any fear amongst the ranks of Sol. Besides, she was having a bad hour. She shook thoughts of helping Alduin away; the dragon deserved no help. He had no reason to hold his end of the bargain. All she had to do was make sure the World Eater was killed and she might be able to get Miles back. If not, it was on to the next afterlife.
Peter had attended the briefing since he didn't wield any objects of near infinite power and he wasn't a possible mass murderer. Edward examined his team, one down since they had last met. Finally, he began to speak.
"Gwen has provided us with everything we need to know. The portal to Sovngarde is located at an ancient Nord temple called Skuldafn. This won't be a walk in, walk out job; I assume you all knew that. The only way to get to Skuldafn is via air which is why nobody from Nira has stumbled across it on an afternoon walk up the mountain. However, we have one last problem: Alduin has the temple guarded like the largest bank vault in the multiverse. In the skies are countless Dovah, on the ground are hundreds of Draugr in case some lucky soul gets through. Our priority is to get Hiccup, the Dragonborn, through in one piece. Anyone else will be useful but expected to take a hit instead of letting it get Hiccup. Is that clear?"
The team nodded.
"Good. The Berk dragons are ready to go and will be warped aboard the SGC Halsey with their riders. Three squadrons of Serenity Phantoms, along with one squadron of Imperator Underscores, will warp aboard the SGC Nimitz and work with the dragons to break through the Dovah lines. Toothless and Stormfly, I believe your dragons are called, will transport all four of you. Since you two know them best, I'll let you work out the details of that. A new ally, the Liblians, will provide a personal escort; they have drone swarm technology. I believe that's everything, so unless there are any questions get suited up."
Teresa raised a hand quickly.
"What about Gwen? What part will she play?"
"Gwen's mental state is too unpredictable to put her in any plans. If she chooses to help then all the better, otherwise I'd steer clear."
Peter wasn't sure he liked this. He was face to face with a black dragon less than half the size of Alduin. Toothless had been hesitant to trust the spider at first but then thought better of it. The small dragon seemed playful enough, it was just the flying Peter didn't like. Hiccup patted him on the shoulder.
"It'll be fine."
"Really? I can't shake the feeling we're flying into a death trap."
"Then the halls of Valhalla will be all the merrier, provided the whole 'more the merrier' thing is true." Replied Teresa from a short distance away, clearly bonding well with Stormfly, Astrid's blue dragon.
A voice echoed throughout the hangar:
"Temporal warp in thirty seconds: all standby for go light."
The hangar's lights changed to an amber colour. Hiccup helped Peter up onto Toothless' back then climbed on himself.
"Just like old times, bud." The Dragonborn said, patting the dragon's head.
"Temporal warp in T-minus ten. All hands should be at battle stations. T-minus seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
The ship began to shake. The two dragons tensed up, looking around, confused about what was going on. The shaking stopped, the hangar doors slid open and the lights turned green.
"So it begins." Peter muttered as Toothless and Stormfly spread their wings and soared out of the hangar of the SGC Nimitz, followed closely by aircraft after aircraft.
Skuldafn was visible immediately, noticeable only because of the perhaps hundreds of dovah circling it. But it disappeared again briefly as a dark cloud of machines surrounded them before turning transparent. Hiccup seemed intent on watching something to the side and Peter looked to see hundreds of small dragons streaking towards the enemy. The Phantoms, Underscores and dragons grouped together. The machines unleashed an endless torrent of machine gun fire and missiles. The Dovahs wheeled around and soared towards the incoming danger. Time almost seemed to slow down for Hiccup as he watched the dragons from different worlds collide. Some spiralled down from the fight, locked in vicious duels with the larger of the dragons from Berk. Dovah fire and ice brought down many more, and a few Dovah fell from dragon fire. A green cloud appeared around a group of Dovah, then promptly combusted sending a pair of Alduin's servants down with their wings shredded.
Gwen watched the fight from the Thoat of the World; it was hard to miss and she could hear some of the roars from the largest machines and dragons. Paarthurnax watched next to her. She turned to the old Dovah.
"We should help them, they'll never break through. Look, there's a couple of your kind going for the Dragonborn."
"All is not as it seems."
A dark mass shimmered into view around Toothless and Stormfly, breaking off and drilling through the Dovah. But the Dovahs proved something: the drones weren't resiliant to dragon fire. Seeing an opportunity to kill the Dovahkiin and please their ruler, more Dovahs broke away from the main fight. Toothless and Stormfly twisted and turned, avoiding claws, wings, teeth, fire and ice. A deep blue shockwave rattled out and a few of the dragons dived for the ground, but so did Stormfly, caught in the blast.
"I'm going to help them. You can come with me or you can sit here on your mountain and wait for it all to end one way or another."
Gwen spread magenta wings and took-off. Paarthurnax let out a quite grumble then flew after her.
Hiccup hadn't thought about the effects of hitting a Berk dragon with Dragonrend, but clearly it had much the same effect. This fight was going Alduin's way and it pained him to see so many of his people killed, along with so many aircraft in burning wrecks on the ground. Suddenly, Toothless rolled, narrowly avoiding a fire breathing Dovah. Peter ducked, wishing he could do more against these beasts. Another was coming, and Toothless wasn't going to be able to avoid it. The Nightfury let out a ball of blue fire which blasted the Dovah clear, but the swarm was relentless. A bronze, fire breathing dragon extended its claws to catch the Dragonborn. Just before the it struck, a magenta streak blasted into the Dovah's belly. Another, battered, Dovah swooped in and locked itself in a fierce spiralling fall. Gwen flew alongside Toothless for a second before folding her wings back into a delta shape and barrelling into the belly of another blocking the way. She drove a katana through its thick skull, killing it, then dragged its body alongside Toothless until Hiccup had absorbed its soul, finally discarding it in the face of yet another. A glorious, or perhaps terrible, sight met her eyes: Skuldafn. At last they had made it. Toothless dived, making Peter all the more terrified. As the Nightfury came in to land, it let out another ball of fire in the faces of some foul looking creatures: Draugr. Peter jumped off and snapped the neck of one of the foul undead, grabbing the arrow on its bow and driving it through another. A blue shockwave tore out, but it was different from Hiccup's usual shouts. It was a full ring of power which burst from the golden sword just as Hiccup slew a Draugr himself. The undead surrounding the trio turned and ran, clearly terrified. But that opened the way to a horrific sight: a lone Draugr stood with its sword and shield raised, backed by an army of the decaying dead.
"Fus...ro dah!" The lone Draugr yelled.
Gwen was hurled back, landing on top of Peter who pushed her off and picked up a discarded Draugr sword.
"Fus ro dah!" Yelled Hiccup in response, throwing the Deathlord and a number of its followers back.
He picked up his flaming sword, duel wielding that and Darian's golden blade. Stormfly landed a short distance behind with Teresa and Astrid who prepared themselves. The Deathlord reappeared; Hiccup strode towards it.
"He's gonna get himself killed." Muttered Teresa.
"It's a Draugr Deathlord. It wields a shout." Gwen replied.
"I noticed, and that's my point."
The chief and Deathlord began to duel as the Draugr army closed in. Gwen mowed some down with a magenta beam, Peter swung in and began to slice and stab with the sword, but was forced back. Suddenly, the Deathlord fell, Hiccup pulling the golden sword free. Another blue shockwave tore it and the Draugr army turned and ran. The team and the dragons didn't hesitate, pressing on towards the main temple. Some more Draugr approached but were easily slain or were sent running with the others of their kind. Peter kicked open the door into the temple and the team fought their way through. However, half way through the building, they were stopped by a heavy metal gate.
"How do we get through that?" Peter grumbled.
Gwen tried to rip it apart but couldn't. She took a step back, her hand bleeding.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted."
Toothless opened its mouth and spat out a ball of fire; the gate exploded, along with much of the wall.
"That worked."
"Fus ro dah!"
Hiccup blasted an advancing line of Draugr away and led them further through.
After nearly ten minutes of fighting through the temple, the group found themselves face to face with a floating figure wielding a staff. A large creature appeared, seemingly made of ice, which Toothless and Stormfly turned into a puddle before it could do anything. The figure raised their staff, pointing its end at Hiccup. Bolts of energy tore over him, seeming to sap the Dragonborn's strength. Astrid leapt in front of it but ended up on the ground next to him. Peter swung up onto the side of the courtyard. Suddenly, the wall seemed to move beneath him. He leapt off, suddenly realising he had been standing on top of a Dovah. The beast roared, belching out fire which he swung clear of just in time. It took-off, wheeling overhead and swooping down to spit fire at Teresa and Gwen who were locked in combat with the floating figure.
"Joor zah frul!"
It crashed to the ground and snarled at Hiccup who slashed at it with Astrid. Toothless and Stormfly were duelling a second Dovah. It looked like Peter had a choice of who to fight. He was useless against dragons, so fighting the figure was his best option. He punched them in the face as they sapped Teresa. The bolts stopped and the staff came up, hooking the spider's foot and hurling him to the floor. He leapt at them again, only to be countered by another icy beast which knocked him back down. Gwen rocketed through it, Peter unleashed some stored fire from his wrists turning it into a second puddle. The Dovah that Toothless and Stormfly had been fighting crashed to the ground, its energy flowing into Hiccup who was wrestling to get his flaming sword free from his and Astrid's Dovah's jaws. The two Berk dragons swooped in to help their riders. Teresa's blue and white projection leapt for the figure's staff, knocking it away only to be blasted apart by a spike of ice which struck Teresa across the face. Gwen threw the staff to Peter.
"Get it to the top of the stairs and open the portal!" She yelled.
He did as he was told as Gwen duelled viciously. A Draugr clambered up in front of him: it looked exactly like the Deathlord and proved itself to be another as it let out a hoarse:
"Fus...ro dah!"
The spider was thrown away, hitting the figure who swiped their staff back and slammed it across Gwen's face. Gwen was knocked down and soon found herself being sapped of strength. The second Dovah was down by now. Hiccup sprinted forward to deal with the Deathlord while Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly joined the fight against the figure. Astrid was knocked down by Gwen, Stormfly crashed down when hit with the energy. Teresa fired a couple of gunshots but was sapped again. Peter let loose more fire in the figure's face and planted a kick. catching the chin of their mask and ripping it off. The figure crumbled into ash; another undead. There was a final blue burst of power and the Deathlord fell. Peter picked up the staff, twirling it victoriously. Hiccup knelt down to make sure Astrid was OK.
"Go! Before Alduin sends reinforcements!" She shouted at him, pushing him away.
The Dragonborn stood up straight again and turned to Peter, but the spider had reached the top of the stairs. He planted the staff in a hole in the ground and twisted it like a key. A beam of power shot into the sky and the stone rings in front of the stairs seemed to fall away exposing a terrifying blue swirl. Toothless backed away from the portal in fear, refusing even Hiccup's attempts to coax him through. It was just Peter and the Dragonborn, then. They leapt down into the portal.
When the blinding light faded, Peter and Hiccup were staring along a valley filled with swirling fog. In the far distance they could see an enormous building. The light seemed washed out, at least what little was provided by the stars.
"We take out Alduin first, then we look for Miles. I presume you know what he looks like?"
"I knew him before Gwen. Actually that's not true but...it's complicated."
"I'll take that as a yes."
They walked down the hill into the fog. Peter switched his suit into sonar mode, allowing him to see the way even through the impenetrable soup. They followed a path which seemed to lead towards the building. Peter stopped as something loomed in front of them, but it was just a person.
"Hello?"
"Someone else? It has been so long. The World Eater stalks the fog devouring every soul he finds. If you go on you'll find only pain."
Peter glanced at Hiccup who shrugged.
"I guess we'll take that chance."
The pair moved on, following the path until it finally came to a break. A tall man guarded a bridge made from an enormous skeleton.
"Why do you come before me?" The man boomed.
"We want to kill Alduin." Hiccup replied.
"To kill Alduin? Alduin has not been here for many days. The Devourer of Worlds goes to devour a world, to reclaim his true power not his weakened form brought on by his greed for dominance."
"Alduin isn't in Sovngarde?" Asked Peter, not sure if his ears had deceived him.
"No."
The spider and Dragonborn exchanged looks.
"Is there something we can do to stop him from coming back here?" The spider pressed.
"To clear his soul trap. The World Eater may no longer need it but it contains peril for all who walk the path to Shor's Hall."
"How do we do that?" Asked Hiccup.
"The combined power of four Dragonborn may be enough to break Alduin's power."
"Where can we find another three Dragonborn? I am one."
"Shor's Hall is home to many of the greatest warriors. You shall find them in there. But by decree of Shor himself I am to test all who wish to enter."
The man drew a great sword. Hiccup turned to Peter.
"Stay here. I'll come back with the people we need. That way only one of us has to fight."
The Dragonborn drew the golden blade; his flaming sword had been destroyed by the Dovah's jaws. The chief and his challenger locked in combat, duelling viciously. Hiccup scored a number of hits on his opponent, setting them ablaze with fire. After an Unrelenting Force shout, the man sheathed his weapon.
"You have proven yourself worthy to enter Shor's Hall."
"Thank you."
Hiccup sheathed the sword again and stepped onto the bridge. He didn't look past the bones, knowing there was an enormous canyon below that seemed to plunge to eternity. He focused on putting his feet on each step. At last he came to the great doors into Shor's Hall which he pushed open with ease, they were surprisingly light. The hall was filled with long tables and many people, some singing songs, others drinking themselves into the ground. Was Sovngarde the same as Valhalla? Would his father be here? A trio of warriors approached him.
"Greetings, Dragonborn. We have waited a long time." Said one, a woman in light armour.
An old, cloaked man spoke next:
"Yes we have waited a long time for another to join us that we might break Alduin's snare."
Hiccup recognised the last warrior.
"I haven't been here long." Said Darian with a grin.
"Is there a way we can destroy the soul snare?" Hiccup asked.
"With our combined shouts, yes. Clear Skies should do it."
"I don't know that one."
"I'll teach you on the way out. Come, these people have waited a long time to be liberated."
Hiccup followed the other Dragonborns outside and back across the bridge.
"The words of power for Clear Skies are this: 'lok vah koor'. Everyone ready?"
The four spread out in front of the bridge. Peter watched curiously from the rock he was sitting on.
"Lok vah koor!"
Power surged from the four Dragonborn, seeming to blast the fog away. It had worked, the few wisps of mist left dissipated. Sovngarde was free. Hiccup and Peter returned to the bridge guardian.
"You have helped all of Sovngarde, dovahkiin. Tell me and I shall return you and your friend to the mortal realm."
"There's one thing left to do." Peter interrupted.
Hiccup nodded.
"We're looking for a guy named Miles Morales. Have you met him?"
"I do not know that name. He may have been lost in the fog."
The spider and Viking split up, checking every person to see if it was Miles. But after over an hour of searching, they had no luck. The bridge guardian sent them back to the mortal world. They stumbled as they landed, but the blinding light faded. A Dovah was waiting for them, as well as the rest of the team and the dragons. Gwen looked at Peter hopefully; he shook his head.
"There wasn't anyone we knew there other than Darian. I'm sorry."
She hung her head. Teresa wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. Astrid and Hiccup were already kissing. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Sorry to break up the party, but the guy at the bridge said Alduin had left to devour a world."
Gwen was up like a bolt.
"You didn't kill him?"
"He wasn't there."
"We have to find him. If he's running rampant in the multiverse we're all dead."
Peter looked up into the sky. Berk dragons were flying down with their riders. A Sol corvette descended with them: the SGC Arachnid. It hovered above the ground, touching its ramp down. Some medics, along with Edward and a security detail, descended. Edward listened to Peter and Hiccup's story and nodded, narrowing his eyes and biting his lip. After a few seconds he tapped his com badge.
"Melbourne to Valour, check in with all our outposts."
"Funny you should say that, sir. We've got a distress call from 6119."
"Understood. Standby for some transfers." The admiral looked up at the team again. "6119 is your home dimension, Hiccup and Astrid. You can come and hear what's going on or you can stay here and tend to your dragons; the decision is yours."
"If Berk is in danger, it's our duty to help our people."
"Right. The dragons need to stay here. Gwen, you'll also stay here for security, Teresa can keep an eye on you. Peter, with me. Valour, four for transfer to bridge."
"Aye."
When Peter's vision returned, he was on the bridge of the SGC Valour.
"Ops, report." Snapped Edward.
"The distress call was sent about a day ago, but was held up in the firewall because its signal is corrupted."
"Stick it up."
"Yes sir."
The view screen moved to the side and static appeared, but a voice was just audible.
"This is...requesting assistance in dimension 6119. We are...from some sort of..."
"That's it."
"Helm, tell the admiralty fleet to form up. We're jump to 6119 in thirty seconds."
"Yes sir."
Crossovers in this Chapter
- How to Train Your Dragon
- Skyrim
How many times can you read the word 'Dovah' before it get's ridiculous?