It has honestly been too long since I uploaded another chapter. Because of college and life, I found it difficult in making this chapter. But with my one month of break coming up, I'll be able to finally upload regularly again.
And so, to make up for all the time lost, I made this chapter extra long, and as well as what is possibly the longest chapter I've ever written.
But regardless, I hope you enjoy!
Sleep eventually overcame Hiccup. After an amazing night of feasting with his friends and the dragons, he could finally get his well-deserved rest.
Yet as Hiccup fell into his deep sleep, something grabbed ahold of his consciousness, and before he knew it, he found himself surrounded by meadows of grass within a field he did not recognize. He could easily tell it was night, as his surroundings were lit up by the blue starry sky that shone down from above. Yet despite the beautiful view, he still was confused as to where he was.
"None of this makes sense…" said Hiccup, looking around nervously. "Where am I? And why does this all feel so real?"
Questions began driving through Hiccup's mind, and while in the midst of wondering where he was, a distant blue ball of light caught his attention, shining brightly as it slowly began flying towards him in an almost gentle manner.
However, upon further inspection, Hiccup realized that the glowing light was no mere light at all, but a strange energy that coursed with a magical aura that was neither fire or storm; and nor was it ice. After all, he had seen icy runes on the runestone in the plaza back on Berk, and he knew ice magic was far more lighter than this.
"What are you...?" questioned Hiccup.
Eventually, the orb of energy halted directly in front of him, and as the lad reached his hand out to see how it would react, a burst of light suddenly blinded him.
Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut as his vision became enveloped by the glow of the blue radiating magic. After a few seconds passed, the light slowly began to fade, and as Hiccup opened his eyes to see what was laying before him, his mouth sprung open with a gasp as a ghostly figure stepped forward.
He could not believe it...
"Son," spoke the spirit of Stoick with a smile. "It is good to see you again."
There before Hiccup stood the ghost of his father, glowing as blue as the stars above.
"Dad?" replied Hiccup in wonder. "H- How is this even possible-? ...Am I dreaming?"
"You must be confused," chuckled Stoick as his ghostly figure stepped forward to give the lad a pat on the shoulder. "Well, there's no need to worry. You're still in your bed sleeping, but know that this isn't a dream you're in. Where you are is a tranquil place that I created with my mind, to which I then took your consciousness and brought it here. It took some effort, but it eventually worked."
"In other words, everything you see here is real."
Hiccup let out a sigh, almost as if it were with relief. "Oh dad… you don't know how much I've missed you. Things have been tough without you and your leadership."
"I've missed you as well, son, and I understand the struggle," replied Stoick as he wrapped his ghostly right hand around the back of the lad's neck. "Everyday I wander the halls of Valhalla thinking about both you and your mother, and how when the time comes, I'll be able to see you two again."
"...So you really did make it to Valhalla," said Hiccup. "But then... how is it possible that you are able to speak with me? If you created this place with your mind, then how-"
"I am asleep just as you are… but, in a different way," Stoick assured him. "The only reason I am able to speak with you is thanks to the Allfather. He has granted me the ability to separate my spirit from my body, of which was reformed after Drago murdered me. He and I, along with many other deceased chieftains and kings, have been watching your campaign against the Dark Legions. We do so through a magical well known as the Well of Visions; albeit, it does not show us everything..."
"...However, what it has shown us is that you don't have much time. The enemy is ready to close in on you as we speak."
"What?" gasped Hiccup. "What do you mean?"
Stoick's spirit turned away from his son, and began pacing back and forth. "Under Drago's order, the legion of orcs led by Bjornar are readying their march on Votunheim at this very moment. They're wasting no time in preparing their invasion, and at the same time, Drago himself is preparing an even greater force to march on the elves of Nordell. If you want to stand a chance, you must act soon."
"Wh- What? How?" responded Hiccup with a troubled tone. "How can you expect the others and I to defend both Votunheim and Nordell at the same time? We won't be able to handle it!"
"You can and you will, for it won't be at the same time," replied Stoick, his tone expressing his belief for the lad. "Drago's forces will be at Nordell in two weeks. Until then, you have plenty of time. But you must act against Bjornar now. I've seen how you and your friends have fought in battle, and I am beyond impressed. You can handle it, Hiccup, and with that, your time to awaken is now."
"Now?" asked Hiccup. "But- how do you know I can handle this? I still have many questions-!"
"Time is of the essence, my son," interrupted Stoick as he turned back to Hiccup, now placing both of his hands on his shoulders. "I have told you all that we've seen, and there is nothing else that I can say to you, for my time here is up. I understand you have much to ask me, but I promise you, we will see each other again."
"Now go, and unleash the fury upon the enemy… wake up!"
With his final words, the same blinding blue light enveloped everything around Hiccup as the spirit of Stoick lifted, and at the same time, the young viking felt the burden of sleep begin to lift from his shoulders…
…
Hiccup gasped as he awoke to the blow of a horn sounding from outside the Dragonskarn great hall. The first thing that met his eyes was the light of the sunny morning shining through the nearby window, and then it was the room that surrounded him as his vision took shape.
He let out a sigh, slowly taking in what he just witnessed from the vision he had, and as he slowly gazed to his left, he noticed that the spot on the bed where Astrid slept was empty.
That could only mean she was already awake.
His eyes then swiftly gazed over at the corner of the room where both Toothless and Stormfly slept, and he saw that they too were not there as well, thus he could only assume that everyone aside from himself was already up.
"Dammit, I think I've overslept!" exclaimed Hiccup, quickly standing to his feet as he proceeded to run to the nearby table where he left all of his gear, aside from the wool tunic and pants that he still wore. Then he began to hastily put on his equipment.
The lad went as fast as he could, going from his chest gear, to his gloves, to his shoulder pads, and finally, to his boots before finishing off with strapping his sheathed blade around his waist.
At first he also considered wearing his cloak, but decided against it.
With that done, the lad bolted his way out the door, and began making his way towards the feasting hall.
There, he found his friends along with their dragons waiting near the high table, right next to the chieftain's throne. There were also dozens of other votun warriors that filled the hall, waiting on Ragnar who had yet to be seen.
Hiccup let out a sigh of relief, knowing he had awoken just in time.
As the young chieftain made his way forward to the group, Toothless's eyes were quick to catch note of him walking towards them, especially from hearing the sound of his footsteps, and immediately be jogged over to him, giving a friendly nudge of his head against his right arm as he said in Dragonese, "Good morning!"
"Good morning to you too, bud," chuckled Hiccup, to which his voice finally grabbed the attention of the others.
Astrid turned her eyes from her axe, and looked back at Hiccup with a warm grin. "There you are!" she said, putting her weapon aside as she made her way over to greet her lover with a quick morning kiss.
"I'm glad you're finally awake," she smiled. "When I got up this morning I thought you were in a deep sleep or something, because I couldn't wake you up. Still, at least you got up just in time. Did you sleep well? You seem a bit tired."
"Yeah- yeah," nodded Hiccup. "Just had a bit of a... crazy dream."
"Well, while you slept, we received some important news," added Arn. "One of Velthora's storm dragons flew by this morning and informed me in Dragonese that the orcs are preparing to march - and it won't be long until they get here, unless we intercept them of course."
"I already know about this," responded Hiccup. "So it's not exactly news to me."
"Uh… that doesn't really make any sense," replied Snotlout. "How could you have known that if you were asleep?"
"You can say thanks to my dad," answered Hiccup, almost hintingly while also being quick with his words.
"Stoick?" asked Astrid. "W- What does he have to do with any of-?"
Just as Astrid was about to finish asking her question however, a voice suddenly boomed throughout the great hall as a speaker came up near the throne and announced loudly to everyone, "the chieftain!"
Immediately the hall turned to low whispers as Ragnar came stomping out from his chambers nearby and went marching up to his throne, armored in scale mail and plate whilst wearing his brown furred cloak and carrying his great axe by his side. Clearly, he was ready for battle.
The chieftain sat down on his throne with a sigh, and what little whispers there were turned to dead silence as Ragnar slammed the bottom of his axe against the floor, hushing all other voices.
The large votun gazed across the crowd of the dozens of warriors that were gathered. His eyes glanced at each of them before they eventually fell upon Hiccup and his friends, who stood near the high table to his left, ready to hear what the chieftain of the Dragonskarn had to say.
"Warriors of the Dragonskarn," began Ragnar. "Today is a day that I never thought would come. For the first time since the beginning of this war, the Dark Legions are sending an army into Votunheim in an attempt to wipe us out. They seek to destroy us once and for all, and to make our beautiful valley home into another of their vile territories. From what we know, they march with a force of thousands."
For a moment, the hall once again filled with dozens of low voices and whispers from the votun, speaking out in question to one another, to which Ragnar raised his hand - silencing the hall once more.
"However," continued Ragnar. "Just because they have greater numbers, does not mean we cannot win. And so I say, so what? So what if they bring not just orcs, but as well as the monsters they command? So what if they flood through the pass like a tide? So what if they have magic? That means nothing to us!"
Ragnar's eyes then turned away from the crowd, and focused on Hiccup and the group as he motioned with his hand towards them.
"Our Alsworn ally here has told me much about these six young vikings. These legendary warriors from across the sea, aided by dragons, were responsible for taking down the giant that tormented the storm dragons, with powerful magic! They saved my life and the lives of our warriors when we were cornered by orcs! They exposed the traitor Bjornar who, under my nose, nearly starved Lakestead! They've done more than one could ask for!"
"They are the Wings of Midgard!"
Almost immediately, the hall filled up again with chatter, this time louder than before. The votun warriors all spoke with surprise and question at their chieftain announcing who Hiccup and his group really were, and not just mere allies.
Ragnar stood to his feet, turning his glance from Hiccup and back to his warriors. "And they," he continued, silencing the hall. "Are the reason why we will win, and why THEY will lose! You may fight for Odin! You may fight for the gods, for your family, for your people, or for yourselves, but I do not care! As long as YOU FIGHT!"
Like sudden thunder, the votun all roared and cheered as they rose their axes, swords, and spears into the air. Their voices bellowed beyond the walls of the great hall, so loudly that anyone walking by could hear their muffled cheers. Their confidence was higher than ever.
Ragnar, seeing his warriors inspired, smirked with approval as he stepped away from his throne and made way to Hiccup and the others, giving off a nod to them.
"Short speech. But it's still inspiring," said Hiccup.
"The enemy won't expect what we have to throw at them when they meet us in battle," Ragnar assured them. "We'll be bringing two hundred warriors to this fight. Though we're outnumbered twenty five to one, they will stand no chance."
"Stand no chance while we're outnumbered? Are you serious?" questioned Snotlout.
"Uh, helllooo? They're just going to run over us like a bunch of Rumblehorns!" exclaimed Ruffnut.
"No they won't," said Hiccup, tossing a glance at both Ruffnut and Snotlout. "We still have dragons on our side, and not even Bjornar will stand a chance when we start giving him the fight of his life."
"I like the enthusiasm, Hiccup Haddock," chuckled Ragnar. "But if there's nothing else to say, I suggest we get moving. We need to get to the pass as soon as possible before the orcs and their allies flood it."
"Agreed," nodded Hiccup. "And then after today, I will be happy to welcome you to the Alliance of Midgard."
…
The tall rocky cliffs of the pass surrounded them on two sides, looming over them as dark grey clouds began to roll in overhead. After a long march from the Dragonskarn capital with over two hundred warriors and a dozen storm dragons, Hiccup and his allies had made it to the pass of Votunheim fully prepared.
The votun warriors set up their lines, each with a hundred across. Behind them, grounded storm dragons with hunters carrying how's riding on top of them waited, ready to fly up at a moment's notice and unleash lightning and arrows on the orcs.
At the very front, Hiccup and the rest of the group, along with Ragnar, Torstein, and Helgan stood waiting, all geared up and ready to fight for the battle that was to come.
Yet as time progressed, Hiccup became curious as to where the legion of orcs were. 'Surely they would have been here by now,' he thought to himself.
The lad looked back at his dragon with a clear look of question, one which Toothless could not ignore.
"Is everything all right, Hiccup?" the Night Fury asked in Dragonese.
"Not exactly, bud," replied Hiccup. "The orcs haven't shown themselves, and nor has Bjornar. Shouldn't we be fighting them by now?"
"Maybe they're planning something?" asked Astrid. "I doubt they'd just charge straight in and take us head on."
"No. Bjornar isn't a strategic thinker," stated Ragnar. "I've observed one of his hunts in the past, and from what I remember, he planned it out poorly and failed to catch a single boar. I let him off the hook at the time, but after what he's done to my people, he's only shown that his mindset is no different. He never expected that I would find out about his bargain with Drago…"
"Just because his mindset isn't different doesn't mean that the way he strategizes hasn't changed," replied Arn, arms crossed as he looked out at the pass's horizon. "At least- that's what I believe. Either way, I think we should send someone to fly up to get a better view. This silence is too suspicious."
"Not me," immediately replied the Twins in unison, with Tuffnut adding on with, "I don't wanna get killed. Plus, Barf and Belch are probably too scared to fly."
The two-headed dragon merely glared at their riders' cowardice. They knew for certain that it was not true.
"You two are so unpredictable," sighed Astrid. "If both of you muttonheads aren't are going to help, then I'll do it."
"Are you sure?" asked Hiccup as his eyes glanced to his left, gazing back at Astrid's. "The orcs could come at anytime and try to shoot you down."
"Don't worry about me," replied Astrid. "Plus, Stormfly and I will be out of range before they can shoot us down. We'll be all right, right girl?"
The Nadder responded with a series of squawks back in agreement. "Their arrows won't be able to reach us. We'll be fine," she assured Hiccup, speaking in Dragonese.
"Looks like Stormfly is in agreement," said Hiccup. "Alright then, go on ahead. But if you see anything, don't hesitate to call down."
With a nod, Astrid hastily mounted atop her dragon, getting comfortable in her saddle before proceeding to take off in a very swift manner.
Climbing upwards, the young shieldmaiden had a better view of the pass from beyond where her allies stood, but as she flew higher, a lone silhouette caught her eyes as it appeared through a cloudy mist from up ahead, past the fog of war.
She squinted her eyes, but could not make out the physical features of the figure, for its body was shadowed, and it merely stood there, not making a single move. However, what she did notice was how large its form was, for no human had such physique…
Suddenly the realization hit her, and immediately her gaze fell down to Hiccup.
"Hiccup-!"
Her voice only managed to get one word out, and before anyone could even reply, the sound of a low, bellowing horn boomed through the air around them, and that's when Hiccup too noticed the figure up ahead, for it had stepped out of the mist completely and revealed itself.
It was an armored orc.
The brute's expression was filled with that of bloodlust as he glared down at the assembled votun lines and their allies, all while carrying a great axe he held in his hands which looked ready for cleaving.
And that was what he intended to do.
The orc let out a growl, breathing intensely to pump his blood into an adrenalined state. His green eyes beamed wickedly before at last he roared out;
"RUN THEM DOWN, WARRIORS OF THE DARK LEGIONS! FOR DRAGO! FOR THE DARK MASTER!"
With a forward wave of his axe, the command was issued, and dozens of figured warriors began running through the fading mist, filling the air with battle-cries and bloodcurdling shouts and screams. However, what Hiccup did not expect as he watched the enemy charge was what came through that mist…
Orcs were not the only foe he saw. With them were the short, green-eyed, grey-skinned and crazed goblins, wearing only black leather hides and carrying nothing but spears and wooden shields as they screeched their way down the pass, and so swiftly.
And then, there was something else. Something that for a moment sent a slight shiver down Hiccup's spine as he gazed sight upon them. He remembered seeing them the day that Drago murdered his father on the Isle of Tomorrow, and he never thought he would see them again.
They were the dark vikings.
They were men that had lost their identities, cursed only to carry blackened blades into battle, in the name of their lord. The evil lore granted to them by the Dark Master twisted and corrupted their very bodies and souls, yet none knew what they actually looked like beneath their armor, and it was for this reason why they were terrifying to many; the damned warriors wore literally nothing but dimented black plating from head to toe, and the only part anyone could see of them were their green, piercing, evil eyes, glowing with dreadening chaos, like two haunting lights in the dark...
But Hiccup did not fear them. They too would fall, just like every orc he had fought so far.
His eyes gazed back up at Astrid who was still hovering above them, motioning with his hand for her to fly down and regroup. Immediately, the shieldmaiden maneuvered Stormfly to dive down to them as fast as she could, and just within seconds before they hit the ground, she jumped off the Deadly Nadder in a rush, making a roll upon landing right next to Hiccup.
The lass stood to her feet and swiftly unsheathed her axe, getting into a combat-readied stance along with her friends who stood beside her with their weapons in hand.
Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, the Twins, and Arn would be the first line of defense along with Ragnar, Torstein, and Helgan, while Toothless and the rest of the dragons positioned behind them as support.
If the orcs and their allies wanted to get into Votunheim, they would have to go through them first.
Hiccup looked to both sides at his friends, and said loudly to them in command, "Let's light 'em up!"
Immediately, Hiccup and the riders flicked their right hands out, lighting up their palms with fiery magic. Their eyes seemed to burn as they glared at the oncoming orcs, goblins, and dark vikings. No matter how many there were, they wouldall fall as easily.
"HOLD!" shouted Hiccup, watching as the tide of enemies came closer and closer. Their charge was relentless, and they all thirsted for carnage and battle.
And if it was carnage they wanted, Hiccup would give it to them.
He quickly glanced back at the other riders as soon as the enemy came into range, and shouted, "NOW!"
In unison, the six vikings extended their arms, hurling forth fiery magic towards the enemy, hitting three goblins, two orcs, and a dark viking directly.
Though they were the first casualties, their volleys of magic did not stop there.
The six kept casting bolts of fire at the orcs, goblins, and dark vikings - sniping them out as best as they could, though their aim was not guaranteed. But despite the constant barrage of spells they were launching at their ranks, the charge did not stop. Eventually, the orcs and their felled allies were but a few yards away from them, ready to clash with the young vikings and the votun that stood beside them.
However, it would be Hiccup who would make the first move with his blade.
The young viking leaped at an orc rushing towards him, who was intended on making the first blow, but instead ended up having his head lopped off as the sharp blade of Hiccup's weapon cut through his neck like butter.
Seeing as Hiccup began to sally out, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Arn joined in the fight. They each rushed forward with him, engaging the orcs and goblins that continued swarming towards them like giant mobs of wolves, all while also encountering the occasional dark vikings that were among their ranks.
However, Ragnar would not allow for them to go in alone, seeing as they would eventually become overrun.
The Dragonskarn chieftain turned back to face the ranks of votun. "We won't let them go in alone! FIRST RANK, ADVANCE! LET'S TAKE THEM ON!"
At Ragnar's command, the first line of votun quickly dispersed and began their charge, with the chieftain himself, as well as Torstein and Helgan, accompanying them, and at the same time, Toothless and the other dragons joined in as well.
Their timing however could not have been any better. Despite killing nearly two dozen of the enemy in melee, the number of orcs, goblins, and dark vikings began to intensify for Hiccup and the group, and soon more began to show up.
But as soon as Ragnar and the votun dived into the fray, the enemy began to have the worst of it.
The Dragonskarn clashed into the foe with a mighty impact. Their half-giant statures made the enemy look like child's play as their axes, spears, and swords cut through them one by one with brutal expertise, yet this was just the beginning of the onslaught.
Ragnar waved his great axe around like a berserker and struck violently at the enemy's numbers, slicing them down piece by piece with his superior strength and size, all while Helgan shot arrow after arrow from her bow and quiver as she fought alongside Torstein, who was constantly stabbing and throwing his spear at any unfortunate foe that would come across him.
And yet more damage was still being delivered by Toothless and the dragons as they went on a rampage across the battlefield. Orcs and goblins were picked up and tossed around by them as if they were ragdolls, and their searing flames made the situation no better for them.
By then, the battle had officially begun.
As the fight spurred on, raging fires began to spread across the pass from the intensity of dragonfire, as well as the Wings of Midgard's spells. Yet as the votun continued trampling through the enemy's ranks, their numbers still kept on increasing as more and more kept coming into the fray.
Hiccup however still fought hard, as hard as fellow vikings did, taking down orc after orc and goblin after goblin with little trouble. Yet all of that changed the moment he stood face to face with a dark viking, and upon engaging, the felled warrior struck wildly and swiftly with his black iron sword while Hiccup responded by blocking, dodging, and parrying with his weapon as best as he could. But despite being a great sword fighter, his agility did not match that of the corrupted warrior.
Eventually, both of their blades collided into a weapon lock, and the dark viking, standing a foot taller than Hiccup, looked down at the lad with a sinister look beaming in his green glowing eyes.
"So, you are the one He spoke of," spoke the viking. "Thy strength and skill is impressive, but it shalt not do ye any good, Wing of Midgard! Not even your companions can best the dark vikings…"
"An arrogant one, aren't you!" exclaimed Hiccup aggressively, still pushing against the viking's blade. "Don't you remember who beat your master a thousand years ago?"
"Of course. It was your dead ancestors who imprisoned Him, and with every day that passes, his bonds weaken," chuckled the warrior. "But your powers are nothing compared to what they wielded. They never will be! I know well who ye are, Haddock, and ye are nothing."
"Am I now?" responded Hiccup as he immediately broke the weapon lock that held their blades against one another with a swift but hard spin of his sword. With haste, he then quickly dashed back to safer ground, and in his right hand, fiery magic began to manifest itself as his anger suddenly began to rise.
Hiccup then extended his arm out with a forcing push, and from his hand, flames poured out like a volcano, heading directly towards the dark viking.
Yet what came next was unexpected for the lad.
The black warrior immediately dropped all but one of his arms to the side as he straightened out his posture, and just as the magical flames were about to reach him, his left hand suddenly extended outwards, pointing towards Hiccup, and from his open palm, chaos fire came shooting out like a flamethrower, locking with the young viking's spell with a powerful impact.
Hiccup felt the dark viking's spell hit his own, creating an interlocked beam of two magics between both of their conjurations. But the black warrior's spell was powerful. Soon, he felt the beam of both energies beginning to press down on him, as the pressure was just too great for him.
The dark viking beneath his helmet smiled as he watched the green chaotic fire bursting from his hand slowly closing in on Hiccup, knowing well the lad was no match for it.
"Dost ye see now, Haddock?" chuckled the wicked warrior. "Your pitiful magics are nothing to the Dark Master's power. This is what He has granted me, for my eternal service to Him! Even now, your powers cannot hold!"
And he was right. The longer Hiccup tried to hold out, the more the dark viking's power grew. Ever closer was the stream of chaos magic closing in on him, and the lad felt as if he was not going to make it.
Were it not for a certain dragon.
Through the sounds of battle and fire all around him, Hiccup spotted from the corner of his eye Toothless running towards him to his side - mouth lit, and aiming towards the dark viking. Upon seeing this, the warrior attempted to react by casting a spell at the Night Fury, yet Toothless was anything but slow compared to him, and with his plasma blast charged and ready, he sent it flying towards the viking.
Immediately Hiccup broke the spell-stream, cancelling out his own stream of fire as the plasma blast hit the dark viking directly with an explosion that was lethal, and in almost an instant, the viking was brutally slain there and then as he was sent flying back in flames as a burning husk.
Hiccup breathed intensely, but also stood there shakened from what just happened, and looked back to his dragon who gave him a nudge with his head, getting his senses back together.
"Hey! Are you all right?" asked Toothless in Dragonese, to which Hiccup nodded.
"He nearly had me there! Were it not for you, I would've been-"
"Don't worry about it, Hiccup. I understand you're traumatized, but we still need to look for the others! Just hold it together; I'm with you from here on out!"
"Astrid? The riders? W- Where are they?"
Hiccup glanced over his shoulder to look back at the battlefield, gazing through the burning smoke, all while the fighting raged on and intensified. So far, everything appeared to be in favor of his allies. Only a dozen votun were slain thus far, but it was nothing compared to the hundreds of orc, goblin, and dark viking corpses that littered across the pass.
Yet from up ahead, Hiccup could still see the tide of the enemy continuing to flow as more and more of their ranks joined the battle. However, the rest of the votun's forces had also joined the fight as well, along with the mighty storm dragons of whom were shooting down bolts of lightning on their foes while their half-giant riders shot forth multitudes of arrows from their bows.
To the votun, it was quite a sight to see.
While Hiccup looked through the smoke however, he was soon to spot Astrid and the rest of the group near the center of the battlefield, lined up on small slope while standing their ground with their dragons against waves of orcs and goblins.
Yet he knew it was only a matter of time before they were overrun.
Hiccup quickly turned his head to Toothless, and motioned for him to follow after pointing out Astrid and the others. Without question, the dragon began to follow his rider through the chaos. Any orcs or goblins that got in their way were easily cut down or blasted to smithereens, while the few dark vikings they encountered took a little more of their ability to take out. Thankfully, they were not as powerful as the one of whom Hiccup had trouble facing.
All the while Hiccup fought, the lad could see from afar how his friends were faring against enemy, and from the way he saw it, they were a literal meat grinder...
Astrid stood her ground as if she were a shieldmaiden from Valhalla. Her axe chopped through the ranks of foes that rushed her, thinking that she was a simpler target compared to the votun of whom were bashing their ranks all across the battlefield. But they were heavily mistaken. Fearless Astrid Hofferson was her name, and with her skill and strength combined, the enemy could not break her, nor push her back, as even the swift goblins were too slow for her.
Fishlegs all the while fought with the same rage he had when the orcs burned down his hut on Berk. The warrior was a literal bulwark despite the brutes being larger in stature. His hammer, engulfed with fiery magic, came crashing down against the orcs like a flaming Mjolnir, and any effort that they made to successfully strike Fishlegs only bolstered him to fight on.
Aside from him, Snotlout also fought with the use of his magic - being the Wing of Midgard he now was, while also fighting expertisingly with his sword. Using his recently acquired power of the storms, he cast forth bolts of purple lightning that jumped from foe to foe in a lethal chain reaction, taking down groups of two or three orcs and goblins at a time.
But those who came close to him only received the brunt of his onslaught as they were cut down by a flurry of slices and dices from his blade. By blood, Snotlout was still a warrior, even ever since he was young.
Then there was Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Being the up-to-no-good twins that they were, they both double-teamed their opponents like wolves hunting their prey. Despite their slightly clumsy stances with their flaming-tipped spears, they still managed to make an effort against the waves of foes.
Every time an orc or goblin would attempt to take on Ruffnut, they would instead find themselves stabbed and jabbed by Tuffnut's spear over and over again before Ruffnut herself would join in on the "fun." But it was likewise for both twins.
And finally, there was Arn. The Alsworn viking, though unable to use magic like the Wings of Midgard nearby were able to, still proved to be an efficient warrior. His years of experience against the Dark Legions helped him in understanding almost every single foe that they had thrown at him.
With his blade Runefang, he swept down on the orcs and their lesser and smaller goblin allies like sport. His strength and speed supported one another in every instance, and his precision in his strikes were that of a light elf's attacks.
However, as time went on, both he and the others were beginning to get covered in scratches and bruises delivered by their foes, and as the group of six continued holding their ground, they soon noticed that the waves slowly began decreasing as less and less of the enemy was charging at them.
Yet they were unsure if they could continue holding.
"Keep fighting!" yelled out Astrid through the sounds of battle. "They're starting to dwindle!"
"It would be better if we had Hiccup around!" replied Snotlout. "I don't know if we can hold much longer!"
"He'll show up! He's probably busy fighting, or looking for us already!" spoke Arn, giving a Snotlout a quick glance. "But as long as we draw breath, they will fall! We just need to-"
"LOOK OUT!"
The voice of a votun warrior fighting nearby bellowed across the battle as the bright flash of a several flaming boulders flying through the air caught the group's attention. Looking up ahead, they saw what it was.
Catapults.
Astrid's jaw dropped as she yelled out to everyone, "GET BACK!"
But it was too late.
The volley of catapult fire came flying in, and though all three projectiles barely missed the young vikings, both they and their dragons were still knocked to the ground from the explosive landing as flames bursted upon impact and set a dozen nearby votun aflame.
However, the dragons, frightened and startled by the sudden catapult volley, stood back onto their paws and feet and ran off into the smoke of battle away from the fighting, while also leaving their riders alone.
Astrid gagged and choked on dirt as it filled the air around her. She breathed heavily as she struggled to stand, and felt her world spinning from the intensity of the earth-quaking volley.
Eventually, she managed to stand to both of her feet, but her sight was hazy, and she felt extremely dizzy.
"STORMFLY!" she called out with worry as she looked around the field of battle, while at one point nearly falling over from her light-headedness.
But despite the effort, she could not find her dragon.
"Stormfly, where are you!?"
Her only reply however was that of a growl that came from behind her. Through the smoke, an armored orc came forth, carrying a great axe which he would use to cut down the seemingly exposed viking, and as Astrid turned around, she immediately recognized the orc; it was the same brute she saw before the battle began.
Despite the struggle of standing, Astrid tightly gripped her axe with both hands, and prepared for what the orc had to give her if he truly so dared to challenge her.
...But it never came.
As the brute rushed towards Astrid with his axe raised, the sound of a screeching dragon, specifically a Night Fury, filled her ears as it blocked out all other noises for just a mere moment. What followed was a burst of purple fire that hit the orc from behind with an impact that was too much to take, for the blow was lethal.
The armored warrior's body fell face first, burning, and as Astrid looked past his corpse and through the smoke of battle, she saw Hiccup standing with Toothless, both of whom breathed heavily from the constant battling they went through to reach her and the others.
"Hiccup…?"
Upon saying his name, the lad rushed over to her as she stood there shocked, wondering as to where he was the whole time.
His hands then fell onto her shoulders. "Are you alright!?" he asked her, and she nodded as the lad helped straighten her out. At that moment, her dizziness began to fade.
"What took you so long?" she asked him as she dusted herself off.
"I had a bit of trouble with one of those... vikings," he answered to her. "More importantly however, where in Midgard's name are the dragons? Weren't they with you?"
"They fled!" spoke up a voice, to which Hiccup and Astrid turned their heads, and from nearby they saw Arn, struggling to stand to his feet, along with the other riders around him.
"The orcs' catapults scared them off out of shock!" he added on. "I saw them fly away after I was knocked down, and then everything went dizzy for me! I have no idea where they went..."
"Well at least you and the others are alive! That's all that matters," said Hiccup as he hastily walked over to the lad and offered him a hand, swiftly helping him up to his feet. "But I must say, you guys look beaten up!"
"Uh… ya think?" exclaimed Ruffnut, looking up at Hiccup as she slowly got up to her feet. "Those catapults nearly kaboomed us into oblivion!"
"It could've been worse, sis," replied Tuffnut whilst straightening himself out. "But I just gotta say… that kaboom really… hurt…"
"Oh please, I've had worse!" spoke up Snotlout, but not before gritting his teeth from the pain that suddenly began jolting through his body. "This was just… well… child's play…"
"All right, I think we get it," said Fishlegs. "And as much as I'd like to talk, I'm pretty sure we still need to get back into the fight."
"Agreed. Now's not the time for discussions," said Astrid, glancing at each of the riders. "It's Hiccup's call what we do next, so let him make the decision."
Astrid then turned her head back to face Hiccup, but as her eyes fell upon him, she noticed the lad facing the other direction, almost as if he was focusing on something…
"...Hiccup-?"
"Shh!" interrupted Hiccup as he held a hand up. "Do you guys hear that…?"
"Hear what?" asked Snotlout.
"Exactly… The sounds of battle," he responded. "The screams… the fighting… I don't hear them anymore."
Immediately everyone went silent, and what followed was the mere sound of several blades cutting down the last orc and goblin within the ruined pass that now ran with their corpses. It seemed that the fighting had abruptly stopped.
All the votun warriors, as well as the storm dragons and their riders who flew above the battlefield, looked around with curious eyes, but even the young vikings were confused. Was the battle really already over?
"It stopped..." said Fishlegs. "Does that mean we've won? Have we done it?"
"No! It is not over!" spoke out the sudden, deep, and familiar voice of a votun.
Immediately everyone's heads turned back to face the source of the voice, and in the distance they saw Ragnar, making his way towards them with Torstein and Helgan by his side. The three of them were covered in orc blood.
"Ragnar?" asked Hiccup as he stepped forward, grabbing the chieftain's attention. "What happened? Why did the fighting stop?"
"The orcs and their allies retreated, but it appears that what they sent at us was only the beginning!" he answered, but in an uncomfortable tone as he stopped in front of the young vikings, now staring down at them.
"Hundreds of corpses lay around us, but not thousands. They must be getting ready for a second wave, there's no doubt about it!"
"Bjornar must know that we have the advantage," added on Helgan. "That can be the only explanation."
"But isn't he too arrogant to believe such a thing?" asked Hiccup. "Plus, why would he pull a move like this? He doesn't care about strategy! All he cares about is fighting, and going in for the-"
The lad's voice suddenly came to a halt as the sound of a bellowing horn blasted twice through the air, almost catching everyone by surprise. In that moment, their gazes turned to the west, directly ahead of the pass, but at the same time, Ragnar's voice called out to his soldiers, ordering for them to rally up and to prepare for the next wave.
Without question, the votun warriors ran over to stand behind their leader, reforming their ranks as they readied themselves for what was to come beyond the pass.
All while this was going on however, Hiccup began thinking to himself, 'Where in Thor's name are the dragons? We could really use their help by now!'
After all, their numbers had thinned out by quite a few, and the fighting left them exhausted.
Yet as he thought more about it, the sound of what appeared to be wings flapping suddenly caught his attention, and before anyone knew it, Stormfly landed slamming down right next to her rider within the nick of time, causing the group to nearly jump from the startling surprise.
"Perfect timing!" said Astrid as she turned to reach a hand out to pet Stormfly's head, relieved she was safe. "Where in Midgard have you been, girl?"
The Nadder merely replied with a squawk, which Hiccup understood in Dragonese as, "We were kinda busy!"
It was then that the young vikings turned their eyes to look up. One by one, the rest of the dragons came flying down from above to land next to their riders in combat-readied manners.
"Now we're ready," smirked Hiccup. "Be prepared for anything, vikings! No matter what comes at us, we will hold."
Yet despite Hiccup's words, it seemed at first as if nothing was coming. Only the sound of the wind filled their ears as they gazed up ahead to see if anything or anyone was going to come.
But then they heard a pair of boots stomping towards them, as well as moving chains, and an uncomfortable piercing noise that sounded like something large and sharp scratching against rock.
...And that was when they saw him.
Through the fog of war, came a single lone warrior, wearing black plate armor from head to toe, as well as a black furred cloak and a metal horned helmet that covered everything but their face. At first Hiccup thought it was a dark viking, but then he began to notice how his stature was too tall for that of a human - or even an orc, and his figure was too similar to that of a votun.
That was when it hit him. That was when Hiccup realized who it was that now stood before them.
Bjornar had come forth, carrying a greatsword that he dragged against the rocky earth beneath his feet. The warrior's eyes glowed as green as the orcs' own gazes, and his eyebrows were as low as they could be. Yet Hiccup began to wonder; why did he come alone?
The traitor glared his eyes at the ranks of votun that stood before him. Despite how few in number they were compared to the legion he commanded, he could see there and then that hundreds of his forces laid dead.
He knew that if he could not butcher them all, he would have to get rid of just one.
And thus, his voice spoke up.
"HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK!" he bellowed. "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE! IF YOU DESIRE TO END THIS, THEN I OFFER FOR YOU TO COME FORWARD, AND FINISH WHAT WAS STARTED!"
"FIGHT ME!"
Hiccup's eyes suddenly widened as he looked back at his friends with uncertainty. He was unsure what to say in response to the half-giant. But before he could reply, Ragnar's voice spoke up.
"How do we not know this is a trick, traitor?!" the chieftain called out. "You have done nothing but lie and scheme like a rat! The gods are angry for what you have done! They are angry for your heresy! For your betrayal!"
"HERESY?!" Bjornar loudly chuckled. "I SERVE THE ONE TRUE GOD OF MIDGARD! ODIN'S POWER IS NOTHING COMPARED TO HIS, AND WHEN HE BREAKS FREE, ALL WILL TREMBLE BEFORE HIM, FOR HIS NAME IS MALDRAGOR!"
"And do you really think the Dark Master could best Odin!?" exclaimed Hiccup, finding his words as he raised his voice and stepped forward out of line. "He is nothing but a monster! He was beaten once before, and he will be beaten again! If you really think that he is better than Odin, then consider your offer accepted!"
"I will fight you, in Odin's name!"
"Hiccup!?" gasped Astrid.
Bjornar gave a wicked grin as he lifted his sword to rest on his shoulder. "HAHA! THEN LET IT BE AS SO! THE CHAMPION OF ODIN VERSUS THE CHAMPION OF MALDRAGOR! JUST YOU, AND ME!"
Hiccup sighed as he gave a nod, knowing that the challenge was now accepted. However, as he turned back to face the riders, he could see the disapproving and worried looks that they had on their faces.
"Hiccup, how do you even know if you can win?" asked Astrid. "Bjornar is a votun! A half-giant! He could kill you before the fight even begins! Who knows what tricks he can-"
"I don't know if I can win, Astrid... I just don't know," he responded with honesty. "...But that doesn't mean that it's guaranteed that I'll lose. If Bjornar really thinks that the Dark Master will save him, then it may be that he's just doomed himself."
"How exactly do you know?" asked Snotlout. "What are you trying to imply here?"
Hiccup merely turned his back to them as his mind was already made up. He gave out a soft exhale of air, before replying to them, "From what I learned in the past with Drago, he does not keep puppets for long. And that is what Bjornar is. He's no champion. He's just a puppet, both to him and to Maldragor."
"And that makes him cannon fodder."
And to that, the lad let out a deep sigh as he finished off with, "Wish me luck," before proceeding to walk forward.
Toothless, though wishing to follow and aid his friend, knew he could not help him out in any way. This was a one versus one. A fight to the death.
As Hiccup made his way forward towards Bjornar, the blade of his sword suddenly bursted and ignited in bright magical orange flames from the anger that he was holding in. Clearly he had enough of the trouble that the votun made him go through, and now it was time to get even with him.
After walking a bit of a distance, Hiccup stopped a dozen yards away from the half-giant, who had begun to pace back and forth, glaring at him with his beady and evil green eyes. In his mind, he assumed that he was going to be the victor, but what was to say that he couldn't be beaten?
After a few steps, Bjornar stopped in his tracks and glared at Hiccup, now parallel to him as his great blade hit the ground beside him. The half-giant grinned, showing off a view of his putrid and disgusting teeth.
Hiccup let out warm air from his nostrils. His brows lowered in a similar look that Bjornar had, but he did not grin. He was ready to let himself out on the votun, as even the fire that glowed lightly in his eyes reflected the raging temper that he struggled to hold in.
What followed was a long quiet moment between the two opponents, before Bjornar unlatched his cloak from his back, and finally muttered out the words:
"Let it be finished..."
And to that, the large warrior let out a roar and began running furiously towards Hiccup, all while dragging his great black-iron blade along the rocky ground.
With quick motion, Hiccup positioned himself into a combat-readied stance as the raging and chaotic half-giant continued to close in on him. His left hand held on tightly to the hilt of the Dragon Blade, whilst his right glowed with fiery magic - extended out and at the ready.
Soon, Bjornar was but a mere few feet away from Hiccup, ready to go in for the kill. However, the lad's instincts suddenly kicked in as he eyed his foe who was prepared to topple him and butcher him. Something in him snapped, and as the half-giant was about to bring his blade down…
Hiccup's right arm shook as a blast of fire came shooting out of his hand within a matter of seconds, hitting the votun between his chest and head with a searing scorch. The pain was more than what Bjornar anticipated - so much so as it was enough to stop his charge.
With the momentum now on his side, Hiccup suddenly rushed towards Bjornar with a swift dash, and before the votun could even react, the young viking rolled right underneath him between his legs. Then, upon landing behind him, he made another move.
With his flaming hot blade, Hiccup made a bold but successful attempt as he slashed his sword across the back of Bjornar despite it being protected by plated armor. Surprisingly however, the fiery magic on his sword helped him cut through the plate almost like nothing; as if it were a knife cutting through butter. And as Bjornar felt the scorching metal hit his flesh, he let out a bellowing scream, for the molten pain was near excruciating. It was more than what he had ever expected from a human, who he viewed as weaker and more fragile.
But then he remembered who he was going up against. After all, this was no mere human.
As he fell to one knee, his pain was suddenly replaced with newfound rage. His green glowing eyes suddenly began to glow brighter, and as he looked over his shoulder towards Hiccup who was standing at the ready, he let out a roar, causing his gigantic blade to ignite in chaos fire.
With great strength, he brought his blade up and around, aiming down onto the lad who nearly did not see the blow coming, but with his swift movement, Hiccup quickly backed away before the blade could slice him two. But upon crashing down into the ground, the viking felt the ground beneath him vibrate as chaos fire bursted outwards violently from Bjornar's blade.
The half-giant had no time for games, and he would not stop there.
Almost immediately, Bjornar stood to his feet as he brought his blade up, bringing it around in an attempt to strike Hiccup from the side. But the young viking was quick, for he ducked down to dodge his attack, and yet Bjornar responded with another strike that came from above, to which Hiccup also dodged by dashing to the side. Despite the effort however, Bjornar continued his flurry of spins and cleaves, slicing and dicing his gigantic blade at Hiccup as best as he could.
For a short while the two warriors fought in the same way. Hiccup would dodge every single attack that Bjornar had to throw at him, yet the votun would not give up his assault. At one point, Bjornar managed to slice a few scratches onto Hiccup's face and hands with the curved tip of his large blade, but despite the effort, the weight of the weapon was only slowing him down
...Then something happened that Hiccup did not see coming.
Bjornar threw his sword to the ground as he furiously exclaimed, "GAH! THIS BLADE IS ONLY SLOWING ME DOWN! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" before suddenly extending his hands out towards Hiccup, and with a frontward flick of his wrists, bolts of chaos lightning immediately shot out of his palms, hitting Hiccup directly.
The young viking let out a scream as green lightning struck him, sparking up and down his body. The pain he felt was like nothing he felt before, and though it was not meant to be fatal, he could barely do anything to react to it.
He fell to one knee, similar to how Bjornar had at the start of the fight. He felt as if the tables were now turned onto him, and before he knew it, the votun casted forth several more bolts of chaos lightning onto him, causing him to scream once again, and this time it was louder.
Hiccup was now on both of his knees, and from there, what followed was an agonizing torture.
"You were a fool to believe you could defeat me, Wing of Midgard!" he angrily shouted. "Do you see now whose is the winning side!? The Dark Master's power is beyond your weak magics, and THIS is what he's blessed me with! So tell me, Hiccup! Where are your gods now!? WHERE IS ODIN NOW!?"
But Hiccup could not respond. He felt his world slowly fading to black as if the life within him began to leave his body. For a moment, he could even hear Astrid scream out "NO!" in a sobbing manner, all while he sat there, being electrocuted torturously.
What could he do? Was this really the end of the line for him?
... However, what seemed like a hopeless situation suddenly turned into something that gave Hiccup a spark of hope. His mind suddenly filled with a voice that was vague, yet also familiar.
He remembered hearing it nearly a month ago. It was during the night he had the vision from the runestone on Berk, which had told him to seek out the wreckage that had later landed on it's shores two days later.
And now, it was speaking to him once more.
"You have fought well. But it is not yet your time, Wing of Midgard," said the voice softly. "Show your opponent what true power you hold… Show him the wrath of the gods that he so foolishly dared to defy…"
"Unleash your fury!"
The voice's last words filled Hiccup with something renewing, and it was then that he felt renewed strength beginning to fill him. Immediately his eyes flipped opened, only to see Bjornar still standing from a distance, casting bolt after bolt of chaos lightning onto him.
And yet there was no pain. All Hiccup felt were small sparks prickling across his body like nothing, and to both his and Bjornar's surprise, the young viking started to slowly stand to his feet.
Bjornar immediately stopped his conjuration as he watched with shock as his opponent stood up, almost as if the pain he casted onto him was simply nothing.
"What is this!?" he grunted demandingly. "Are you still yet trying to stand against the inevitable!? You cannot win!"
Hiccup merely smirked at him. He replied calmly, "No. I'm afraid it's you who can't win," and as if it were nothing, Hiccup conjured up purple lightning in his palms, starting out as small sparks before it began bolting all across his body as if it were attracted to him.
Soon, his entire body became enveloped in lightning, and as he gazed back at Bjornar, he could see the expression that now filled his eyes, for it was of the slightest intimidation.
"Make your move, big man," said Hiccup tauntingly. "Or are you too afraid to admit that you have already lost?"
"Shut your mouth!" yelled Bjornar, now clutching his fists. "I. WILL. NOT. LOSE!"
With wrath and anger, Bjornar rushed at Hiccup with renewed speed, but at the same time, Hiccup also began to run towards him. The stormy magic that enveloped him from head to toe made him feel as if he were stronger and faster than ever.
And surprisingly, it was no exaggeration, for Hiccup charged Bjornar like a lightning bolt, running twice as fast than he usually would.
With a strong and sudden leap, Hiccup jumped at Bjornar with his hand rolled into a fist, and as it tightened, an immediate surge of energy filled him. And to that, Hiccup made his move.
The Wing of Midgard punched the large warrior in the face, sending him hurling back several yards as multiple bolts of powerful storm magic struck him. To that, Bjornar to let out a roar of pain whilst hurling back, with lightning crackling all across his body.
Upon landing on his back, Bjornar swiftly made the attempt to quickly get back up to his feet. But as he did, the sound of metal and flames flying through the air caught his attention, and as he looked forward, he saw the ignited Dragon Blade spinning through the air towards him…
As the blade made impact, his chest filled with the sensation of molten dragon fire and stinging metal as Hiccup's blade struck directly through him, piercing through his armor like butter. It was with such strength that he had never felt before.
It was over for him...
Bjornar fell to his knees, toppling in defeat to his foe of whom he believed he had beaten. And yet at the very last second, he was easily cast down by him. Although he was the wolf, and Hiccup was a pup, the young viking proved that he was the one with fangs.
As Hiccup approached his defeated opponent, he proceeded to pull his blade out from the warrior's broken body, and then asked him, "Any last words?"
At first, Bjornar did not say any words. The commander merely began to laugh as he looked up at Hiccup with a grin, despite the fact that he was dying.
"You may have defeated me…" he spoke weakly. "But you have NOT won!"
With his last breath of air, Bjornar mustered up what he could, and let out a roar that blasted through the air beyond the pass like a war horn. And with that, Bjornar fell down to his side. Defeated...
Yards behind Hiccup, his friends and allies stood there with looks of relief on their faces. What seemed like an impossible turn around suddenly became possible as Hiccup finally managed to draw upon the magic of storm to take down Bjornar. Even Ragnar could not believe it.
However, the mood would be cut short as the sound of a horn echoed through the pass once again, and it was then that everyone came to realize that although Bjornar was defeated, his legion was not.
Hiccup began breathing quickly as he looked ahead of the pass, and what he heard were thousands of voices yelling and roaring, as well as the sound of thousands of boots hitting the ground beneath them.
The realization quickly dawned upon Hiccup. The entire legion was about to wash over them, and there was no doubt about it.
Up ahead, thousands of orcs, goblins, and dark vikings ran through the pass, along with dozens of trolls that were preserved for this moment, ready to smash aside any foe that would get in their way.
By then, everyone knew what was coming, and thus, the riders, the votun, and the dragons all made their way into their positions, ready to make one last stand against what could possibly mean their doom.
"HICCUP, GET BACK!" shouted Ragnar. "If you go in, you'll die before you can even fight! HICCUP!"
Hiccup however was lost in his mind. He was too busy thinking, and yet he knew that he had to think fast, for if the enemy force reached them, they would stand no chance.
However, as he continued thinking about it, a word began filling his mind. Something that the voice had told him as he was on the verge of blacking out. It just one simple word:
"Fury… Fury… Fury… Fury!"
"...It's now or never," he said to himself.
Hiccup took a few steps forward, walking past the body of Bjornar as he laid his eyes on the pass itself. If he and his allies could not destroy the enemy, then mayhaps the land that stood around them could.
And so he closed his eyes...
In his mind, he imagined the army of orcs and other creatures being casted down by lightning and thunder itself. He imagined the cliffs trembling and the storm being unleashed as the wrath of Thor himself came down upon the enemy.
And he would be the one to conjure such a powerful spell.
Hiccup allowed for his arms to stretch outwards to his sides, and as he opened his eyes, the sound of thunder filled his ears like large distant drums, which began to get louder, and louder, and louder…
Until he noticed his hands started to glow, becoming brighter and brighter by the second.
The same powerful magic that enveloped his body before began to spark up once again. Both his palms and his eyes were filled with storm magic, and as each second passed, the energy began to intensify. As it did, lightning began striking down from the clouds, making the area rumble from all around. Soon, powerful winds began to pick up, and the booming of the thunder was louder than ever.
As the spell continued on, Hiccup still kept thinking about the same word. Fury. It kept going through his mind as the image he pictured earlier slowly began to become a reality, yet his friends and allies were beyond belief. What was happening?
"Uh… Hiccup!?" called out Fishlegs, trying to get his attention. But the lad did not reply.
Astrid however yelled out to him, urging him to work faster as the enemy legion was ready to close in on them.
"Whatever you're planning to do, DO IT NOW! THEY'RE ALMOST ON TOP OF US!"
Finally, as the spell reached it's peak, Hiccup felt a surge of power take ahold of him, and he let out a bellowing roar as a great stream of lightning was unleashed from the stormy clouds above, channeling powerful magic into him as he felt as if the very power of Thor himself was coursing through him.
...What followed was utter devastation for the enemy.
From the sky, large lightning bolts struck down, shaking nearby cliff tops as the pass itself slowly came crumbling down on the orcs and their allies as they were demolished by lightning. What was once thousands of war-cries became thousands of horrified screams.
Giant parts of the cliffs came crumbling down from the lightning that crashed down onto them, along with powerful bolts of storm magic that brutally struck anyone down with a single hit. The whole situation was chaos as the pass was literally collapsing in on itself.
After what seemed like minutes of utter destruction, Hiccup began to calm himself as the last and largest chunk of the collapsing cliffs came crashing down, just as the storm slowly began to relax. The magic in his eyes began to fade, and the energy that enveloped him started to subside until not even a single bolt of storm magic was sparking across his body.
As he came back to his senses, he saw before him the damage that he had done. What was once a pass was now collapsed in by gigantic walls of rock.
And beneath it laid an army of thousands.
Realizing it was over, Hiccup turned to face back towards his friends and allies, who stood there frozen in silence, amazed but also horrified as to what he had just done. It was as if he had done the impossible.
The lad took a step forward, and silently started making his way over to them. However, the way in which he walked clearly showed that he was exhausted. His head was lowered despite him trying to keep his gaze on his friends, and his back was slightly bent forward, weighing down from the stress of the battle.
"Hiccup?" asked Arn, breaking the silence. "W- What did you just do?"
Yet as he finally came before them, the only response that came out of his mouth was, "We've done it," before his exhaustion finally took ahold of him as he felt himself go off balance, falling over to his side.
And then, there was only blackness...
"Hiccup!"