Originally this was supposed to be released a week ago, but my classes and studies have begun, thus it is that time again.
Even then however, I will still continue posting chapters until the story reaches its end. It may take a while, but we'll get there eventually!
Nonetheless, I hope you guys find this chapter interesting! Enjoy!
It did not take long for the group to ascend to the pinnacle of the palace's tower. Despite the tall spire having hundreds of stairs, they all made it to the top in a near breeze.
Upon climbing the last step, the vikings, along with Toothless and Elendar, entered a room with brightly lit braziers, and a set of large stone doors standing before them - both with runes engraved onto them. Runes that seemed all too familiar.
To Hiccup, it reminded him of the runestone back on Berk.
The young vikings all stared at the doors with intrigument, including Toothless, who had no idea as to what the chamber beyond held. As far they knew, it could be anything. A spell-book, a runestone, or even a library filled with knowledge.
If anything, it was Fishlegs who felt the most intrigued and excited out of them.
Elendar sighed as he stepped forward in front of the young vikings, staring down the doors.
"I have not entered this chamber in over two centuries," said the elf, before turning back to face the group. "Just know that what you're about to see is something that only few eyes have gazed upon. Whatever you do, do not touch anything unless I say so. When we're done here, you will be free to go and do as you wish until you are once again needed."
"As you say, Elendar," nodded Hiccup. "We're ready either way."
The elven king nodded as he slowly spun back to face the doors. As such, the room came to a silence as the vikings waited patiently for Elendar to reveal what it was that laid beyond. The elf then raised out a hand towards the doors, and let out an incantation…
"Arthel-thar! Eir arca'nir!"
It was then that the runes on the door suddenly reacted as they began glowing with a vibrant blue energy, and upon seeing this, Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Arn in particular expressed widened eyes. They immediately remembered seeing the same light within the spell-book that they found back on Berk. To the four of them, the emanating light was like that of the sky during the day, and the stars during the night.
"I've seen this before…" Hiccup said to himself.
After a short moment went by, the two doors soon began to open on their own, and as they did, Elendar quickly made his way forward into the chamber that laid beyond, which was radiating with the same blue light.
Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the group quickly followed, and what they were met with upon entering the chamber surprised them.
The walls of the room circled around the room with white elven stained-glass windows, along with a group of several pillars of stone that connected to the tall ceiling above, all of which surrounded what laid in the center of the chamber...
Before them was a pool of the same vibrant magic, which lit up the entire room with a blue soothing glow. It swirled and rippled lightly, and on occasion, streams of the energy would magically arch up into the air like a fountain, and back into the font with ease.
"Wow," the vikings said in near unison.
"By. My. Wings," crooned Toothless. "Now THAT is something new."
"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Elendar with his arms crossed. "This font of magic has been here for many centuries. It was built after our miners found a small lake deep beneath Nordell, brimming with this energy. When the mages and I gazed upon it, we were in shock. And so, we emptied that lake down to the last drop, and poured its waters into this well."
"But what is it?" asked Hiccup, lifting his gaze from the pool and towards Elendar.
"Arcane magic," replied the elven king. "It is the most powerful element, and it even rivals the power of chaos magic. To wield arcane magic requires having mastery over fire, ice, and storm, as it is all three elements combined. Not even light magic, one of the strongest magics in the Nine Worlds, compares to it."
"...However, what you see before you is a liquid form of arcane, known as mana."
"So that was what we saw in the spell-book," said Astrid, glancing over at Hiccup. "Those runes on the last chapter were arcane runes-"
"Whoa- hold up a minute! Let me get this straight," interrupted Snotlout, as he looked back at Elendar. "You're telling us that this arcane magic- this fourth element, is the most powerful element ever? If that's the case, why aren't your mages using it? In fact, why doesn't everyone know about it?"
"This font doesn't grant my mages the ability to wield arcane magic, young Snotlout…" said Elendar, with his gaze falling onto the lad. "It's even better. It grants new-found knowledge, amazing wisdom, happy memories, and further power to the elements that they've mastered, making their spells even stronger, though not to the point of a cataclysmic level."
"...However, as fantastic as this sounds, there is a good reason why only few know about this; arcane magic is dangerous, and in all forms. Only the best of my mages are worthy of this well."
"What do you mean?" asked Astrid. "How dangerous are we talking?"
"Dangerous enough to kill someone simple-minded," sighed the elf. "If a non-magic user or mere apprentice were to try and interact with arcane energies, even if it were just a font, their minds would be unable to handle it. It would result in a brain-storm of magic, and in less than a minute, they would be no more."
Heather, who stood nearby, suddenly took a few steps back from the font. "That's definitely a no for me," she said silently to herself.
The elven king's gaze fell back onto the well. "I know this because it happened before. Years ago, a few naive novices snuck their way into the tower, and managed to bypass the doors and their incantation. When they saw the well however, they took no second thoughts and began drinking from it. Surprisingly, only one survived, unaffected, but the others were killed by the brain-storm…"
"...The six of you however," added Elendar, gesturing towards the Wings of Midgard as he looked up from the well. "You are more than capable of handling its energies, and this I know for a fact. It took three of you to take down Golrok, who was powerful on his own, and I doubt he could have taken on all of you. But if you're to fight Drago Bludvist, you'll need more than what you can already muster. As such, I offer you to drink from the well."
As intriguing as it was, the six vikings expressed concerned and reluctant gazes at one another. What if something were to happen? What if it all went wrong?
"Do not hesitate. I can assure you that you will all be fine," smirked the elf. "It may surprise you at first, but it will pass like a gust in the wind."
"Hmph… if you say so," nodded Hiccup, focusing back onto the font. "Who would like to go first, then?"
"...I'll go," said Snotlout, bolstering himself with encouragement. "Someone's gotta do it one way or another, and it might as well be the Snotman!"
"Ugh. Prideful as usual," sighed Astrid.
As the vikings made room for the Jorgenson, the elven king gestured with his hand towards the font as he silently beckoned the lad forward. As such, Snotlout made his way before the well, staring down its waters as it rippled and let out streams of bright mana.
Upon standing in front of the pool, Snotlout gave a smirk, but also expressed a hint of uncertainty, which was not surprising. He then fell to his knees and cupped both of his hands into a small bowl, but as he reached down for a scoop, his eyes widened out with a bewildered look. As the blue waters fell into his palms, a soothing yet warm sensation suddenly filled his hands as it began to travel up his arms, and much to his surprise, the mana remained in his grasp, retaining its shape as if it were ice, and yet it wasn't.
"Go on," nodded Elendar.
Snotlout responded without words as he slowly raised the mana to his lips, and proceeded to drink the entire gulp. Upon consuming it however, it seemed as if nothing happened.
The lad stood to his feet, staring back at the others with a questioning gaze.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"Just wait for a moment," grinned Elendar. "It has not kicked in yet."
"Wha-? What are you talking about!?" questioned Snotlout. "You said this would go by in a bree-"
Before he could finish his words however, it finally happened. All of a sudden, his eyes bursted with an arcane-blue glow, and in that moment, his jaw dropped.
Within an instant, his mind was flooded with magical knowledge, followed by the sight of the sudden yet vast space of the great cosmos beyond the night skies, almost as if his consciousness had left his body. In his head however, he saw spells that he never imagined casting before, along with new ideas and many happy memories that were long forgotten, most of which included his long-gone father, Spitelout. He even heard the words of a tongue that he did not speak, and it all entered his thoughts like the gust of a strong yet soothing wind. To that, he did not want to stop seeing it, for it was in that moment that Snotlout felt like someone else, and he felt better than ever.
True to Elendar's words however, it was only brief, and as the arcane light faded from his eyes, Snotlout let out a gasp, smiling as his sight returned to him.
The lad stared at the elven king with a tear shedding from his left eye, and as such, Elendar approached him, placing both his hands on his shoulders.
"Wh- What was that?" he asked.
"Knowledge beyond your own imagining, my friend," said the elf. "And it is down to you as to what to do with it."
…
One by one, the Wings of Midgard drank from the font of arcane energies, and like Snotlout, their heads were filled with magical knowledge and power, followed by happy memories that were long lost. Memories that brought smiles and tears to their faces.
By the time the group left the palace however, Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins felt stronger than ever.
Whilst walking down an empty snowy street leading towards the landing, Tuffnut gazed down at his hands as they immediately began crackling with storm magic with just a mere thought.
"Ohhhh Loki," he grinned. "I feel like I could take on a hundred orcs alone! Just give 'em a proper whopping."
"You could say that again, bro," chuckled Ruffnut. "But I think we should learn how to do that icy magic that Astrid can do. Plus- uh... we gotta give the fightin' a rest, remember?"
"Ice? Pfft," responded Tuffnut, rolling his eyes. "I prefer fire and lightning. I mean- what's it gonna do? Give me a brain freeze?"
"Actually, if I wanted to, I could impale you on a giant spike of ice," replied Astrid from nearby. "Or even freeze you into an icycle before proceeding to smash your frozen body to pieces."
"Oop," grinned Ruffnut. "Looks like she got ya there."
"...You know," spoke Hiccup, suddenly stopping in his tracks as he turned around to face them. "You just gave me an idea, Ruffnut."
"I did?" she asked.
"She did?" questioned Toothless.
"You did," he nodded as his attention fell on the others. "If you guys are feeling it, I think we should go find a place where we can practice our magics, and if possible, learn how to use ice magic like Astrid did."
"Ugh… are you sure about that?" asked Snotlout. "For one, I am tired. And secondly, we just drank from a well that made our powers stronger than ever. What if one of us accidentally summons down the wrath of Thor and ends up blowing up HALF the city?"
"Technically, that would be impossible," responded Fishlegs. "Elendar already said that the arcane font wouldn't make a user's spells that strong. And besides, even if we're Wings of Midgard, the energy required would have to be immense. I think it would need all of us to conjure such a spell, along with full focus, and as well as something to concentrate our magics into."
"And… how exactly do you know that?" asked Arn, to which the others tossed a questioning gaze towards the Ingerman.
"...I- I don't know," he said with a shrug. "It's just a theory, I guess."
"Or maybe that mana from the well is beginning to kick in," replied Hiccup with an arched brow.
"Well Elendar did say it would make you guys smarter," spoke Heather. "I may not be a wizard, but if I were you, I would definitely experiment around with what the font gave you. Like Hiccup said, I think you guys should go find a place to practice your spells."
"...Eh, might as well," nodded Tuffnut.
"Looks like that means I'll have to go back and ask Elendar where we can practice our magics," said Hiccup, before looking back at Arn and Heather. "Will you two come watch us?"
"I'm too exhausted," sighed Heather. "I'm going to go back to my room to rest with Windshear. She's probably hungry by now."
"I'm not going either," said Arn, shaking his head. "The Alsworn will need someone to look over them, and I'll need to explain to them my change of plans."
Hiccup once again rose a brow. "Change of plans? What do you mean?"
"I'll be staying in Nordell until you guys are ready to leave for Dalgard," he answered. "After that, I'll be off to Aesilgard, and then to Dalgard with an army to reinforce the dwarves… if I haven't found the Alliance before then."
"Or maybe they'll find you," said Hiccup. "Either way, that's a worry for another time. For now I'll need to go speak with Elendar about where we can train. Everyone except for Arn and Heather; wait at the landing with your dragons."
The lad's gaze then fell upon his Night Fury. "Toothless?"
"Ready to fly when you are," the dragon nodded.
…
Far to the north, beyond the Obsidian Mountains, a lone figure stood atop a rocky cliff, overlooking distant lands that laid before him from afar. By then, he had already marched many miles south from the blackened lands of the Dark Legions, and yet the view which he looked upon shared its corruption.
With his green glowing eyes, Drago Bludvist looked upon a barren wasteland, where no signs of life, not even the snow or water, had a presence. Only steppes of dirt surrounded him, along with tall rocky cliffs and mountains, and dead trees that were drier than the heat of the sun.
...And yet there was no heat, and very little sun. Above him, brown storm clouds covered the skies, crackling with green chaos lightning as thunder rolled across the land like a great stampede.
To Drago, it was as soothing as a silent breeze.
The warlord smirked as he then began talking to himself. "Intriguing, isn't it? The races of Midgard believe themselves to be more than just mere people living on a floating rock. They believe themselves to be the children of gods, who in truth, care for nothing but their own doings. In reality, they are but mere thoughts to them. Insects who either stand together, or fight each other."
"...And yet with a single spark, their whole world can be set ablaze. The work of their gods can be undone. All they would have to do is look upon this barren waste, and tremble. Tremble and see what the workings of greater powers can do to their world."
"And so they shall."
It was in that moment that Drago's ears caught a booming voice, and as he turned around to the sound of thunder drumming and wind blowing, he saw a black cloud of shadow floating before him, crackling with emerald lightning, and burning with chaos fire.
"Master," said Drago. "I- I did not expect to meet so soon-"
"Cease your pleasantries," boomed Maldragor, yet his voice remained calm. "There is little time for me to speak. Heed me out, for I will not repeat this again."
"Very well," nodded the warlord. "I'm listening, master."
"All is going as planned," began the Dark Master. "The Wings of Midgard have thwarted the siege on the elven city, and know now through Golrok that our Legions will strike the bastion of the dwarves."
"They will walk blindly into our trap, then," smirked Drago with a wicked look. "But what has become of Golrok?
"Executed by the light elven king, as I foresaw," Maldragor answered, unsurprised. "Your right hand's greatest weakness was always his ignorance, warlord. Powerful, yet blind to greater powers that weren't his own. However, this changes nothing."
"So shall I continue as planned then, master? Unchanged?"
"Indeed," he nodded. "But when you reach Dalgard, do not battle the Wings of Midgard until the final ritual has begun. Instead, allow them to come to you, for once it begins, and they face you, they will know my gaze and my power before they die, and they shall remember it in the afterlife…"
"...But if you fail me, your soul will wander Endrokus for all eternity, suffering."
Drago gave a nod as the thought of it caused his face to run pale. But nonetheless, the warlord gave a bow to his Dark Master as the shadowy cloud of Maldragor soon vanished, blowing in the wind like dust as the sound of thunder rolled along with it.
The warlord let out a sigh, no longer sensing the presence of his master around him. Yet as his eyes narrowed down out of ponder, he suddenly began feeling movement in their earth beneath his feet. At first it was barely noticeable, yet slowly but surely, it became stronger, and as such, a smirk spread across Drago's face as he gazed ahead from where he stood.
The sound of marching soon filled his ears, and as the silhouettes of thousands of distant figures came into view, over a dozen horns blew through the air like a noise of horror; as if the end-times were upon Midgard.
"I will not fail you, master," said Drago. "This world will fall…"