It has been a little while since I last posted a chapter, but we're back at it again!

Before beginning, I would like to recommend listening to some cinematic/epic battle music for a better reading experience! If you do not want to, then that is fine as well!

Either way, I hope you guys enjoy! Welcome back! :)

The gryphon let out a bestial screech as the orcs around it hastily began backing away, but the mighty creature was quick to join the fight.

The great bird threw itself into the brutes of whom were charging the young vikings, crashing with its entire strength like a falling boulder as it flipped and tossed orcs into the air like pebbles. The plated armor it bore on its head, legs, and back made the orcs' attacks have little effect, and as such, it continued its rampage.

"KILL THAT BEAK-WINGED MAGGOT! KILL IT!" one of the orcs roared, before being quickly and brutally taken out.

Hiccup and the riders all the meanwhile stared upon the animal with astonished gazes. They had never seen an actual gryphon up-close before, for they only saw them in stories and drawings.

"I- I can't believe it!" grinned Fishlegs. "It's a gryphon!"

"But- how?" asked Hiccup, glancing back at Arn who merely smirked, and unexpectedly, chuckled at the sight of the large creature slaughtering the orcs.

"He was given to me by Kharinz a long time ago," the blonde viking replied. "His name is Talon, and he is my best friend!"

With a grin, Arn began running towards the gryphon, cutting down several orcs along the way, and upon reaching his side, he spun to face the orcs that surrounded the mighty beast, many of whom were reluctant to even charge it.

Despite his rampage, Talon was gladdened at the sight of his friend and rider. For a moment, his gaze fell away from the orcs as he gave Arn a playful nudge with his beak, before making a gesture with his left wing. Almost immediately, the young viking knew what he meant.

"You want me to get on?" the lad asked, to which the gryphon squawked, lowering his back for Arn to climb atop.

Without any objections, the blonde viking swiftly hopped onto Talon's saddle, and upon settling into the leathery seat, both of their gazes fell back onto the orcs that surrounded them, still foolishly holding their ground.

"I would run if I were you!" shouted Arn with a smirk on his face.

As if on queue, Talon let out a loud, piercing screech and began charging towards the orcs, throwing himself into the thick of it as the young warrior atop his back swung his blade at any orc that dared to get an inch too close.

Eventually, the orcish ranks in the center of the battle began dispersing towards the flanks, realizing that they could not match the mighty beast. But as they ran, Talon's eyes fell onto a nearby, tight cluster of orcs, and as such, he rushed towards them, only to violently flap his wings and fly off upon clashing into them, thus sending them hurling back.

The group's eyes squinted as they gazed up, watching Arn and Talon fly off into the distance - above and beyond the cliffs. Before they knew it however, the silhouettes of their figures quickly began to get larger as they came flying back…

With the orcs in the center now dispersed, the great bird and his rider turned their attention onto the western flank, where the Alsworn were fighting alongside half of the elven force. As the two of them flew overhead, the army of vikings cheered from down below, and as Talon and Arn threw themselves into an oncoming group of orcs, the Alsworn immediately bolstered their efforts.

Hiccup smirked. Satisfied with their progress, he turned around to face the others, all whilst a plan began to form at the top of his mind.

"Looks like we have the advantage!" he spoke, feeling renewed. "Now let's kick these orcs out of Nordell! Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, you three will mount up and support our forces from the skies! Give the enemy all you have!"

"More fire, more destruction! Let's do it!" replied Ruffnut as she and the two vikings swiftly began running towards their dragons, of whom were still fighting on the flanks.

Despite the struggle of getting through the orcs, the three managed to reach them without much incident, and like so, they mounted up and took to the skies, from where they could deal devastating damage to the foe from above.

With Snotlout and the Twins up in the air raining fire on the enemy, both Fishlegs and Heather were the only ones left on the ground with Hiccup - amidst the chaotic battlefield around them.

"And what do you want us to do?" asked Heather.

"Go assist the elves and dwarves on the right flank, and take Meatlug and Windshear with you!" he commanded. "I'll help out Arn on the left!"

Without question, the two vikings gave a nod as they proceeded to run off to rally their dragons, thus leaving Hiccup alone with Toothless, who valiantly fought nearby.

"Looks like it's just me and him," he sighed as he placed two of his fingers to his mouth...

As Toothless hurled several orcs back with a mighty swing of his tail, the piercing sound of a sharp whistle caught his attention, and as he turned around, he spotted Hiccup waving his arms, motioning for him to follow.

The black dragon immediately obliged and began towards him, whose attention was now focused on the western flank, and upon approaching his rider, he came to an immediate stop.

Toothless gazed back into the direction where Hiccup was looking, and he let out a huff of hot air. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"What do you think?" asked Hiccup with a smirk as he raised Inferno in front of his left shoulder, tightening his hands against the fiery weapon's hilt.

"You ready for this?"

"Always!" roared Toothless, as he both he and Hiccup charged into the fray once more…

…

On the great eastern wall of Nordell, the battle had intensified into a chaotic mess.

Over a thousand elven rangers stood lined up, raining down a hail arrows on the vast legion that amassed down below. Their marks however were not with heavy success, for the range was great, and the orcs were already climbing the cliffs by the hundreds.

In front of them, two thousand elven warriors were formed up into a long shield-wall. Their large, rectangular shields formed a steel barricade that the orcs could barely penetrate, for only swords and spears awaited them.

Despite the disadvantage, the orcs continued their assault, throwing themselves at the shield-wall like mindless, wild animals who cared for nothing but the kill. The disciplined elves however still held their ground, for the only thing that kept their wall together was their king Elendar, for he too was part of it.

"HOLD THEM BACK!" the elven king yelled in elvish, stabbing his sword through the gaps of the shields with precision. "LET THESE BRUTES KNOW WHO THEY ARE DEALING WITH, FOR WE ARE ELVES OF ALFHEIM - THE CHILDREN OF FREYR! NO MATTER WHAT COMES, WE, WILL, HOLD!"

The light elves roared in unison at their king's speech, and through instinct, the line of elven warriors took a single, large step forward, all whilst holding the shield-wall. Soon, the orcs were being pushed back off the wall, and it seemed as if there was hope.

But that feeling would not last...

A thunderous boom filled the skies, and from above, six large meteorites engulfed in chaos fire came crashing down onto the shield-wall, taking out dozens of elves upon impact.

Although the meteorites were shattered into chunks, the worst came when the remains of the blackened rocks reformed into large amalgamations; unnatural creatures that stood larger than a troll - covered in fire and held together by chaos magic.

Golems...

Their skull-like heads glanced down at the elves, emotionless, and in the blink of an eye, the golems began their rampage.

They swung their gigantic arms of molten-rock wildly, hurling back two or three elves at a time. Most were severely injured, whilst others were brutally slaughtered.

Soon, their screams caught the attention of King Elendar, who immediately stepped out of the shield-wall to gaze to the south, only to see the golems in the distance tossing around his warriors like pebbles.

A mix of dread and anger filled the elven king. Suddenly, the runes on his elvish blade began to glow white with light magic, and as such, he raised it up into the air, almost as if he were sending out a beacon…

And thus, he was answered.

Three elven mages hastily approached Elendar from behind. Their white and blue robes glistened, and the heads of their staves glowed with the elements of fire, storm, and ice. From their presence alone, there was without a doubt that they were powerful spellcasters.

Elendar spun his light-infused blade with a swirl, pointing towards the battle-frenzied golems from afar.

"Come! Let us rid them from our walls!" he exclaimed as both he and the mages began charging the amalgamations. Upon closing in, the three wizards suddenly lifted their staves, summoning up large bolts of fire, ice, and lightning that went hurling towards three of the golems.

But this did not go unnoticed. One of the large creatures noticed the elven king and his mages, and as such, began stomping towards them in a violent rush.

"GRAAAGH!" roared Elendar, raising his magical blade as he struck forward...

…

Hiccup let out a grunt as he pulled his blade out from the corpse of an orc, all while his eyes peered into the distance, for the balance of the battle was beginning to shift.

The battlefield was littered with the corpses of nearly a thousand orcs. After dealing enough damage to them, the majority of their ranks had begun to flee, and as such, this left room for the vikings, elves, and dwarves to advance.

However, some of the orcs became slightly overconfident in themselves, and refused to retreat. This however only resulted in them being blasted down by Barf, Belch, and Hookfang, of whom were still flying in circles above the battlefield with their riders.

"We're pushing them back!" bellowed Hiccup. "Now's our chance! EVERYONE, ADVANCE!"

With inspiring shouts, they began their advance around the elven watchtower, of which was surrounded by dozens of orc corpses. The rangers, who still stood strong atop it, cheered at the sight of their allies pushing forward.

But upon making their way around to the north of the tower, their eyes all fell upon an unexpecting sight in the distance. To Hiccup, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the Twins, and Arn, a cold feeling became fixed upon them…

Before the opening leading into the forest stood a large line of the familiar, black plated dark vikings, numbering as many as the Alsworn, dwarves, and elves combined. The sight alone felt dreadful, for their green eyes glared them down like bloodthirsty wolves, and their steel round-shields were raised at the ready - along with their sharpened axes and swords.

Hiccup felt his heart sink into his stomach, for the sight of them reminded him of what happened to Astrid. One way or another however, they would have to fight it out.

"EVERYONE, FORM UP BEHIND ME!" he suddenly yelled.

Immediately Hiccup's allies obliged, and with haste, the elves, dwarves, and vikings all lined up behind him into a mixed battle-line. Once it was formed, Fishlegs and Heather swiftly made their way to the lad's side with Meatlug and Windshear in tow, along with Arn, his gryphon, and Beldrak.

Snotlout and the Twins however remained up in the air atop their dragons, keeping watch from above in case the dark vikings planned anything suspicious.

...And yet to their surprise, nothing happened. Neither side made the attempt to charge forward, and for a while, the two armies glared down one another in silence.

"Are they always like this?" asked Windshear as she spoke to Meatlug in Dragonese.

"No," replied Meatlug as she stared at the ranks of the distant blackened warriors. "Last time we fought them, they were as violent as the orcs. They're not the type to wait for a fight, let alone be patient."

"You're not the only one who's noticed this," responded Toothless from nearby, joining in on their discussion. "This isn't right… why aren't they charging us?"

"Maybe they're stalling us?" asked Windshear. "Or maybe it's a trap."

"Either of those don't sound good," huffed Toothless. "But I'd rather charge into a trap rather than stand around while the people fighting for us die."

"Well said," nodded Meatlug.

As the dragons quietly continued talking, the young vikings looked back at one another, expressing questioning looks. For whatever reason, they too knew that something did not feel right.

"What are they waiting for?" asked Heather. "Aren't they going to charge us?"

"Usually they would," answered Arn. "Dark vikings are as aggressive and as violent as the orcs."

"And they're also cunning," answered Hiccup. "Unlike orcs, they don't lack strategy. The last time I fought a dark viking, he nearly had my head off. Were it not for Toothless, I would've been dead."

"And what about these buggers? Do ye think they're plannin' something?" asked Beldrak. "They look ready fer a fight, aye. But they appear tae be somewhat settled, ye know?"

"You have a point," said Hiccup. "But like Heather asked, what are they waiting for?"

Before anything else could be uttered, the sight of the dark vikings shifting their ranks suddenly caught the group's attention as an orc emerged from the lines. However, they would soon learn that this was no mere orc. The hooded brute that stood before them was draped in blackened robes from head to toe, trailing with green glowing runes like a dozen small torches, and in his right hand, he carried a staff with a stag's skull at its head.

There was without a doubt that the orc was a warlock.

The brute chuckled as he straightened out his back. But upon lifting his hood, Hiccup's eyes widened with a staggering look, almost as if he recognized him, for the orc before him was no ordinary warlock.

"Remember me, Haddock?" asked the brute with a chuckle. "Let me introduce myself! I am Golrok, and I have come forward to speak!"

"You…" the lad replied with a glare. "You're the orc who sent that mountain troll after us back on Berk! ...What are you doing here!?"

"Hang on- you mean the same troll that Astrid shot down?" asked Arn with a shocked expression. "Are you sure that's him?"

"Oh it's him alright," said Fishlegs affirmingly. "I recognize the stag skull on his staff all too well, though I never knew orcs had their own names."

"We're not as half-witted as you believe us to be, human…" replied Golrok. "As to answer your question, Haddock - my warlord Drago thought it best for me to lead the siege, seeing as I know you better than any of his other lieutenants. But rather than killing you, I have come to offer you terms."

"Gah! Outta all yer kind, why should we trust ye? A good orc is a dead one!" exclaimed Beldrak.

"Likewise with your kind, dwarf," spat back Golrok. "But I have other plans that could benefit… both of us."

Despite the warlock's words, Hiccup felt no sense of trust for him. In his eyes, the orcs were a brutal race that knew nothing but war, for their kind would never stop fighting until victory was assured, even if it meant having to negotiate… but not for the benefit of both sides.

With a sigh, the young viking took several steps forward, keeping his fiery sword by his side with a tight grip.

"I'm listening!" he called out, causing Golrok to grin.

"Heed my words, then!" the orc began. "While you fight to secure this frontier, your elven allies on the eastern wall fall one by one! Hundreds have already died, and now Nordell burns! As such, my terms are simple; hand yourself over, Hiccup Haddock, and I will call off the siege. Your friends will be spared, and I will ensure that the Dark Legions never step foot into this kingdom again. Continue this fight however, and you will all be slaughtered! You know well that you cannot hold out forever..."

There was a moment of silence. The elves, dwarves, and vikings were all staggered in anger, for it was as if they saw through the lies of Golrok's terms. Hiccup was no mere viking to them, and if the enemy were to have their hands on him, then it would mean losing the leader of the Wings of Midgard…

As the three races began speaking out in protest, the young viking narrowed his eyes down to the ground, rolling his hands into tightened fists, even with his blade still unsheathed. He saw the warlock's terms as nothing but a joke, and at the same time, his anger began to boil.

The orc had the audacity to tell him to battle Drago on the island of his ancestors, which was transformed into a barren and blackened waste, and that lost him his father. Now the brute had the audacity to tell him to give himself up, which would in turn lose Berk another chieftain.

...That to Hiccup was something to scoff at.

"...We can't hold out forever?" he asked, before glancing back up at the orc. "You mean like how we did in Votunheim when we crushed your puppet Bjornar along with his army? I think I'll take my chances, Golrok. The answer is no."

"Stubborn boy," exclaimed the warlock. "You know not who you're dealing with! Bjornar was weak! I am the right hand of Drago Bludvist! I carry powers that not even that arrogant votun could ever wield!"

"And what's to say you're better than me?" asked Hiccup with a taunting manner. "I collapsed an entire pass on Bjornar's army. What difference would it make if I had done the same to a just single orc warlock?"

"You're making a grave mistake, boy," Gorlok grunted as he slammed the base of his staff into the ground, causing the eyes on the skull to glow green. "I am giving you one last chance. Surrender yourself over, or you and your allies will all be killed!"

The words from the warlock suddenly forced the elves, dwarves, and vikings to react. In unison, they all raised their shields into a combined shield wall, and as such, the dark vikings reacted the same way.

However, Hiccup gave no response, and in that moment, his world came to a standstill. As both sides waited in silence to see what the lad would reply with, he merely continued glaring at the orc. It was as if he planned to charge at any moment.

But little did either side know, his plan was already in motion…

The fiery rage within the lad ignited into an inferno. What was once a candle was now a wildfire. The enchanted flames on his sword began to burn violently, and before they knew it, both his eyes and his hands lit up like bonfires, becoming brighter by the second.

Golrok took a step back, holding out his staff. "What are you doing!?"

Hiccup merely replied with a chuckle. "You know what's funny? I've always imagined what I would do to Drago as payback for murdering my father... But knowing you were part of it, I think it's only fair that I do the same to you; by burning you to ashes..."

With his blade still in-hand, the Wing of Midgard raised both his arms up in roar as a large circle of fire bursted upwards in the center of the dark viking ranks, sending dozens of the felled warriors hurling back. But that was only the beginning. From the flames, a raging tornado of fire quickly manifested, and like a forge being fed with coal, Hiccup gave more and more to the firestorm until it grew to a large enough size that he saw fit to unleash.

What followed was utter chaos…

The dark vikings screamed in horror as they were slowly dragged into the fiery tempest. Many attempted to run, but all were eventually swallowed by the inescapable death-trap. Even Golrok, who held tightly onto his staff and pinned his feet down, was slowly but surely being drawn in by the powerful spell.

"GRRRAAAAAGH!" he screamed, glaring back at Hiccup. "YOU WON'T DEFEAT ME THAT EASILY, PUP!"

The orc warlock let out a roar as he swiftly raised his staff into the air, and upon slamming it down, a burst of chaos fire engulfed him, teleporting him away from the flaming madness that dared to consume him.

Immediately Hiccup pulled back his arms, and like a candle being blown out, the tornado diminished into the cold air, leaving nothing but the burnt ashes of hundreds of dark vikings in its wake. For a moment, every elf, dwarf, and viking around him were left in silence.

"Wow…" said Tuffnut, slowly glancing back at Ruffnut. "That. Was. AWESOME!"

"I know right!?" chuckled Ruffnut. "Man, we REALLY need to learn how to do that!"

Hiccup sighed as the fiery rage in his eyes and hands blew away like a gust in the wind. He allowed his mind to clear up from the anger he had unleashed, and as shakened as he was, he also felt weakened from the spell's magnitude.

He dropped his sword and fell to one knee, breathing heavily as he hugged his arms. However, Fishlegs, Heather, and Toothless were quick to react as they came up from behind, making their way to the lad's side to help him up.

"Hiccup! Are you alright?" asked Toothless in Dragonese. "Hiccup!"

"I- I'm fine," he shivered. "I just… didn't expect that."

"Whatever that was... that was awesome," replied Heather as she, Fishlegs, and Toothless helped the young viking to his feet. "You took them all down like they were nothing!"

"Yeah- but it wasn't that simple," said Hiccup as he slowly picked up his sword, before spinning around to face them. "I don't know what got ahold of me, but something tells me that I won't be doing that again anytime soon…"

"...Maybe it has something to do with what you did in Votunheim?" asked Arn, catching the four's attention as they curiously turned to face the mounted viking.

"What do you mean?" questioned Fishlegs.

"Remember that lightning storm Hiccup summoned up to collapse the pass?" the lad asked, to which the three vikings gave a nod.

"What about it?" asked Hiccup.

"Well- I think that firestorm that you just conjured was somehow similar to it," replied Arn. "Think about it. That's the second time you've casted a powerful spell, and both times, you were left exhausted."

Hiccup arched a brow, glancing back at Fishlegs and Heather with a questioning look. "He has a point. But even then, I doubt I'll be able to cast another one of those… things again."

"Well at least you saved us from a disaster," responded Fishlegs, giving his friend a pat on the shoulder. "Hundreds are still alive because of you."

"Yeah… and so is that warlock," the lad added. "As long as he's alive, this siege will keep going on. We must find him and take him down. Only then will we-"

There was a pause. Hiccup came to a stop in his words as he felt a sudden vibrations in the ground beneath him. At first he made nothing of it, until it began to intensify. Soon, this caught the attention of the riders, and then the rest of the vikings, elves, and dwarves as it became louder and more violent.

"What the Brimir is goin' on!?" called out a dwarf.

"It keeps getting stronger!" shouted an Alsworn viking.

"What is that!?" bellowed Hiccup as he turned his gaze towards Snotlout and the Twins, who were still up in the sky.

"Can you guys see anything!?"

Snotlout squinted his eyes as he gazed around, looking into the distance, but through the cold fog and burning forests, he could see nothing…

...As the lad was about to open his mouth to speak however, the loud roar of something angry caused everyone's heads to turn forward towards the woods. It soon became apparent that the shaking in the earth beneath them was stomping; the stomping of large feet. However, when the roar came once more, Hiccup was able to put the pieces together, and as such, he shouted out a single word;

"TROLL!"

"Oh Thor," gasped Fishlegs. "Not again!"