It had been an hour since Farrans chat with the spy Heather. Considering that the captain had not asked to speak to him, he figured that it was safe to assume that he was in the clear. To pass the time he had been content keeping himself busy with any and all task that still needed attending to.
At last however, they were close to their destination. An island that housed one of Viggos many auctions. A valuable, money making place of business.
The young hunter took a moment to look at the slowly growing island. Why anyone would want to buy dangerous and unpredictable fire breathing machines he had no clue. He merely guessed that some peoples unquenchable lust for power would direct them to do anything along the lines of stupid. Though as much as he hated dragons, he couldn't deny their intelligence. Not all dragons sold off at these auctions were imprisoned forever. Sometimes not even for a week went by before they found themselves back in the wild.
It would be, what, another couple of hours before they reached the island? Plenty of time to take a look around the ship.
The top deck had shown all that it had to offer. Nothing but once dirty weapons now clean and what few hunters walked around on board either maintained defensive positions upon the mounted ballista's and net launchers or just lazed around, talking to one another. And as much as he enjoyed being outside, a cold wind was quick to sweep in. His unarmoured arms were beginning to feel it uncomfortably so. After one final check on the latest dragon trapping device, he allowed the hunter next to him to assume his position and headed into the hold.
Almost immediately his skin absorbed the warmth emitting from the lower deck. The wall mounted torches nearby really did wonders. He proceeded lower down the stair and into the section of the ship where the brig was located. Of course, much to his dismay, most of the cages were filled with loud noisy dragons. But of course, going through it was a necessity in order to reach the other side of the ship.
He walked down and allowed himself to gaze upon the different species trapped. A couple of deadly nadders, a monstrous nightmare, a gronckle and even a speed stinger. Each species different, but their ferocity and capability of killing was one of the few things that they all had in common. Again, Farran wondered why buyers would dare buy something that would no doubt want nothing more than to rip them to shreds in an instant. Business is a fickle thing he supposed, and it wasn't his place to ask why.
Near the end of the brig, he spotted the guards mocking one of the nadders. As he drew closer he heard one of them bragging about how he was the one to bring it down earlier as it flew past the ship. The glare given from the nadder itself seemed to confirm his story. Had its tail not been strapped down it surely would have turned the hunter into a giant pin cushion.
Once he passed the two and made it past the other end of the brig, Farran made his way down another flight of stairs, reaching the crews quarters. A similar layout to the brig above, only instead of jail cells, there were actual rooms. Each one housing a bed.
Entering the first one on the right, he laid down and shifted his position on top of the bed. It wasn't the comfiest, but it was... adequate. At least it provided him with the chance to rest his feet. Listening to the waves splash against the hull of the ship was relaxing as it bobbed up and down. At least the rest of his break would be well spent doing nothing.
A few hours had passed quickly. The captain had finally begun to take responsibility and ordered the hunters under his command, including Farran to begin loading the dragons onto mobile cages in order to safely transport them off of the ship. The young hunter had gotten off easy. Instead of dealing with the larger, more imposing dragons like the monstrous nightmare and the nadders, he and another hunter were ordered to deal with the runt of the litter. The speed stinger.
While it was the least dangerous of the lot, its teeth were still powerful enough to do some serious damage if they got hold of you.
And of course, in order to move the dragon out of its cell, they had to go in and catch the thing. Luckily for Farran, the older, more experienced hunter had told him that he was used to dealing with speed stingers when it came to subduing them. Not that Farran was worried, but he did want to make sure that he could perform the simple task.
Heathers words from earlier had not escaped his mind. About why he was here, with the dragon hunters. The spy seemed to question him on his passion to join. Though the reason why she did so wasn't entirely clear to him. Whether she saw him as unworthy or even just because she pitied him, it merely drove his ambition to prove himself. And this would be the first step.
The speed stinger, sensing the danger, kept its back to the wall and let out a shriek of warning. Farran kept the shield he had been given steady. The second he entered the cell he was to distract the wingless monster while the second hunter went for its tail. From there it should be easy to deal with. At least that's how he saw it.
A quick pat on his back signalled that he needed to act now. The door to the cell opened and Farran charged in, covering more than half the distance between himself and the speed stinger. Being so close, this tactic allowed the stinger to focus all of its attention on him while the second hunter snuck round the back and struck.
Farran darted forwards. The stingers tail lunged forth at frightening speed and harmlessly struck the shield. Farran darted back a step. He couldn't just rush in and take it head on after all. No doubt that if he tried the speed stinger would charge him, and it would take more than a wooden shield to protect him. Every few seconds he'd try moving forth before backing off, like a predator testing its preys defences. It didn't take long until the other hunter had gotten close enough that he made a grab for the tail.
He grabbed it, and the speed stinger reacted almost at once. But thanks to going over the capture routine, Farran reacted quicker and bashed the shield against the stingers head. In a flash of anger the stinger again focused on him while still trying to free its tail and lunged forth with jaws wide open. Without even thinking Farran shoved the edge of the shield into its mouth. It certainly caught the stinger off guard as its bite strength was strong enough for its teeth to become lodged in the wood. Before it could remove it, Farran struck again and threw his arms over the stingers mouth clamping it shut, holding on as tight as he could. Now all the hunters had to do was force it onto the ground so that a third hunter could administer the dragon root arrow. So Farran did what he needed to do and pressed down using all his weight to push the struggling reptile down and keep it from using its back legs to attack him. The other hunter did the same and managed to get his end of the dragon down easily enough. The third hunter walked in through the jail door confidently and wasted no time sticking the arrow into the stingers scales. Just a small prick was needed. No need to damage the merchandise after all.
The stingers resistance started to decrease. Farran held no relief towards this fact as even now it still tried thrashing round dangerously, eager to kill. He couldn't allow pride to be his downfall. That and he had noticed that the eye on the side of its face was staring directly at him. Nothing more than a slit of fury. Farran tightened his grip in response and forced himself to stare directly back at it. He would not allow this demon to intimidate him so easily. It was a surprisingly tense contest between the two that continued for nearly a minute. Neither side daring to look away as though their lives depended on it. It was only when the effect of the dragon root was too much did the slit of its eye widen and the stinger finally looked away defeated.
Satisfied, Farran slowly released its head. It didn't move an inch. He turned and nodded to the hunter behind who also released his section of dragon. Loading it in the small portable cage outside was childs play.
Having done his part, as well as receiving a well earned 'cheers' from his fellow hunters, Farran decided to head topside once again. The smell of the sea returned to him.
They had arrived at the dock and had already begun transporting the caged dragons off of the ship. It would be a while before the caged dragons were shifted into position giving Farran the chance to look around the auction and see what the fuss was all about.
This was a minor auction, so security was handled by a single officer and a skeleton crew. Its only sales today would come from the dragons just brought to their front door step. A few customers had even showed up, looking ready to buy their new pets. The young hunter, seeing that business was going to be slow, did the only thing that he could do and sat down on top of the nearest rock, counting the blades of grass nearby. The surrounding area was mostly wide open with large boulders littering the ground. The ship was a good few minutes away, holding the majority of hunter forces on the island.
The squawks hisses and growls of all the dragons was enough to sort the wheat from the chaff as one of the buyers backed out, reconsidering his previous plans on buying a living death machine. It was enough for Farran to let loose a short huff of amusement. At least there would be a bit of entertainment today after all.
Of course rather than heading back to base right away, the ship he had arrived on couldn't leave until all of the cages were empty. These man made devices were rather expensive and dragon proof after all. Not the sort of thing you leave behind. It would probably take until the rest of the day until the dragons were sold off. It also meant that he would be constantly pestered by the noisy animals less than a few dozen meters away.
At least from where he was sitting, the view was nice. There were nearly no tree to obstruct Farrans vision to what lay beyond the island. The sun had already begun its journey to circle the earth once more, allowing night to slowly spread above the sky above. The sea stretching on up to the point where you could no longer see it was always inspiring to the hunter, as though it promised untold lands lay over the horizon waiting to be discovered. All and all it was a sight that most people witnessed, but was rarely valued.
Although, there was one thing that threw him off guard. The slow growing shape in the sky. A dragon. Normally that wouldn't have been enough to cause alarm of course. But there was more. Another two shapes were flying behind it. Still nothing to be too concerned about but just to be sure, he made sure to tell the closest hunter and asked if he could pass it on to the officer. The hunter reluctantly agreed, mumbling as he went.
"Better safe than sorry", Thought Farran.
Of course, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Heather for some time now. Was she still on the ship? Maybe her dragon felt uncomfortable watching other dragons get sold off. At this rate, they may need her help should things quickly go south.
He continued to track the three shapes as they grew closer. No doubt that they were flying in this direction. That set off warning bells in his head. The crossbow he had been supplied earlier was beginning to feel more comforting the closer the dragons drew.
A small tap on his shoulder caught his attention. The hunter he had asked to alert the officer earlier had returned, telling him to take cover and be ready to fire. Now he was certain that it was 'them'.
The demon lovers were approaching.
Farran sprinted towards the nearest cover he could find. A large boulder seemed appropriate enough. It was big enough to hide his body and should have been enough to withstand a few blasts.
The young hunter breathed and steadied himself. He quickly checked his weapon to see if it was fully functional. Though the memory of being taught that very very few hunters could hit a dragon rider crossed his mind made it seem almost impossible to defend this auction. What was worse that he only had ten arrows to do so. Of course, this thought was cancelled out as another came to mind. He remembered being taught by his uncle that a warrior does not retreat just because the battle does not look to be in their favour. A warrior uses what they have resourcefully and takes down as many of the enemy as he can before falling himself.
His uncle seemed to be looking out for him even now.
Not that Farran had the idea of abandoning his position. And even if he tried he'd need to step out into the open just to try. And the riders were far too close for anyone to do the same.
Farran peeked over the rock. It was silent. No hunter made a sound. Even the dragons in the cages kept quiet, unsure why their buyers had just run for the hills. It certainly built tension. But that quickly changed.
For a second, he heard nothing. Then, a shrill whistling sound penetrated the air, rising higher and higher in pitch until finally, something bright shot past Farran before his brain could even register what it was. The next thing he knew, a loud bang sounded behind him and the ground shook. Hunter yelled orders and arrows begun to fly as shadows sped overhead.
In seconds, the area had erupted into chaos. Farran quickly scanned the sky for anything. A figure flew past him and he fired. It had gone before he had even pulled the trigger.
"Damn". He muttered. "One arrow gone, nine to go".
Minutes passed by quickly and the fighting had turned into a massacre. Already most of the hunters had either been knocked unconscious by the blasts of the dragons or had fled in fear.
Farran was, to his own surprise still standing and was now down to six arrows. As expected, he had hit nothing yet. What was worse was that the riders seemed to have picked up on the hunters dwindling numbers and were beginning to land in the centre of the auction, rendering his cover pointless.
He quickly rushed over to the other side, hoping they hadn't seen him and waited. After finding that he wasn't being transformed into a living bonfire, he peeked over. No doubt about it now. They were definitely riders. One could be seen on top of a monstrous nightmare and another, much chunkier one riding a gronckle. Where the third one was, he didn't know.
For a moment, Farran considered firing. But reasoned with himself, would it really do anything other than waste yet another arrow? He quickly remembered back before the battle on what he had gone over. Resourcefulness. With too few of his number left he couldn't afford to be reckless. Perhaps the element of surprise would be the most effective strategy. Unsure whether he had actually been spotted yet, the hunter took a risk and tried playing dead. Maybe the dragon still flying overhead would think that he had already been dealt with. The only downside was listening to the other hunters get overrun.
Whatever resistance remained slowly died out as the hunter count dropped down to five then four.
Three.
Two.
One.
No more fighting could be heard. He must have been the last man standing. A third dragon landing helped to confirm this. It was doubtful they would all land if there was but one hunter still fighting.
Farran slowly rose and looked past the boulder to find...
...
"This could be a problem"...
Farran was expecting dangerous, sure. But this was going above and beyond dangerous and into suicidal as it turned out that the third and final dragon was, to his shock, a night fury.
The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. A pang of fear struck Farran, only for it to be suppressed at once.
Well, as worrying as it was, it didn't change things. He still had the auction to defend.
Farran held his fire. The dragons looked to still be on guard and scanning the area. Instead, he decided to wait until they were just about to open one of the cages. That would be when they would least expect a counter attack. Or as good an attack as he could make.
For a moment he heard them talk about something. Unsure entirely what. Though judging from their positive sounding voices they were slapping themselves on the back.
As soon as it died down, Farran readied himself and took aim. The dragons had now lost interest in searching for survivors and put their attention towards the cages. All of them still housing the trapped dragons. The hunter quickly checked his blindspots, just in case of the possibility of a fourth dragon before taking aim at the closest of the scaly steeds. He noticed the skinniest of the group reach his hand up to unlock the cage. Farran pulled the trigger.
He was rewarded with a roar of pain as the arrow enter the nightmares leg. The shouts of the now surprised riders followed quickly after. Knowing that his position was now compromised he kept his head down and made it into the nearest bush before they rushed him, thankful that the wind was able to mask his footsteps.
By the time he had gotten himself in position, a hulking form stepped into view behind the boulder he had just come from. A dark form housing cat-like eyes. No doubt that it was the night fury. Its eyes were narrowed and it began sniffing the air, trying to sense its newest target. Farran carefully began to load another bolt. His first shot had been swift, but that was as good as his luck was going to get. Still, he didn't know that. If not, he did have a knife strapped to his thigh. Maybe he could jam it into the things eye before it ripped him limb from limb.
Farran quickly noticed that he didn't hear the sounds of cages being opened. It seemed that all the riders were putting their efforts into finding him. As least he was buying time. Surely the remaining forces on the ship had heard the commotion and were racing to his position. He hoped at least.
The beast was looking in his direction. Did it see him?
A loud terrifying roar answered his question.
Farran fired. The night fury blocked the arrow using its wings with ease. The hunter quickly tossed his crossbow aside knowing that there was no time to reload and pulled the knife from his thigh. Before he could try anything, something heavy slammed into him from the side, knocking the wind out of him and pinning him down. A short curse escaped him. He had been focusing too much on the night fury instead of worrying about the other dragons. Including the large gronckle that was now sitting on him.
The knife had flown out of his hand too, to make the situation even grimmer. He was now officially defenceless. He couldn't even try punch the beast on top of him since he had landed on his stomach.
Being in a helpless position made it hard to think positive, but at least he was still drawing breath.
"I am going to kill him"!
Though probably not for much longer.
"Snotlout, it's fine. The arrow wasn't even covered in dragon root! Calm down".
"Calm down Hiccup? Really?! Well maybe we should try sticking an arrow in Toothless here and see how well you take it"!
The night fury seemed to take offense at this and growled.
"Just saying"...
"Well with that aside, lets see who we've caught while Fishlegs sorts out Hookfang. Alright"?
"Fine".
The two bickered like an old married couple. It was not something that the hunter had expected from professional dragon rescuing pshycos capable of stopping dozens of his fellow hunters. Even so, Farran kept silent as two of the riders showed themselves.
The pair weren't much to look at. They looked to be nowhere near the size or strength of any of the hunters. As a matter of fact, neither was he. The skinniest of the two had a metal foot. Most likely he lost the real thing to the beasts that he fights to save.
They approached his trapped form. Both of them looking serious. He mentally prepared himself for whatever came his way next. Once they were right on top of him, they looked down and inspected the hunter. It didn't take long as the skinniest began to talk.
"So, I take it you're the one who was firing at us"?
Farran didn't say anything. Instead he continued to stare at the two. They weren't going to get anything out of him that was for sure.
"I'll just take that as a yes".
More uncomfortable silence ensured.
"Okay, strong silent type. Great. Isn't that perfect".
...
"Maybe you could tell us your name perhaps? You don't look much like you belong with the hunters. Are you a buyer"?
Now that was just insulting. If only he hadn't been pinned down he would...
"Um hunter, buyer, they're both just as bad as the other"! The rider behind complained, seeming to get on the first riders nerves. Whoever these guys were, they didn't exactly act like they were a group of professional demon protectors.
"Snotlout I've got this. Alright? Shouldn't you be freeing the dragons anyway"?
"Why? They're not going anywhere".
"Exactly. They're still trapped. Maybe you can deal with that while Fishlegs is dealing with Hookfangs injury".
"Oh what, and let this guy get away with injuring Fangster? Fat chance"!
"Snotlout"!
"Ugh, fine! But we're not leaving until I teach this guy a lesson"!
The sturdy rider, apparently named Snotlout, headed back the way he came and disappeared behind the rock, though not before giving Farran a glare. Now it was just the skinny one and the two dragons acting like bodyguards.
"Sorry about that. He's a little... hot headed. Anyway, you are a buyer, right"?
...
"You... you do understand words, right? Or can you just notspeak"?
...
The rider sighed.
"Okay then. Guess I'm getting nothing out of you". He turned and walked on over to the night fury. "Toothless, I think I know what might persuade our friend".
Farran watched as the dragon turned to the side revealing a satchel bag strapped to it. Whatever the rider was going for, it was most likely that it wasn't going to be pleasant.
"No".
The moment those words had left his mouth it had gone deathly quietly. The rider had paused, caught off guard that the hunter had just spoken out of the blue. He faced the hunter.
"I'm sorry"?
"I'm not a buyer. Do you think I would dare buy a monster whose only purpose is to butcher the innocent"?
The rider stepped forth, most likely about to defend the honour of dragons against his words, but Farran beat him to the punch.
"How many? Hm? How many vikings have been slaughtered and eaten? Not just warriors! Women, children, anyone and anything those demons can get their claws on! The most evil creatures created by Hel herself, and YOU have the audacity to help them"!
He couldn't help it. With every word uttered his anger grew more and more. This demon lover was no better than the beasts that he protected. His fists clenched. He wasn't done yet.
"You think you're saving them? They will be captured once again! And you had better pray, PRAY that I don't get to them first when they are! Tell me! Does the knowledge of knowing that the dragons you've freed will merely go back to hunting vikings once more guilt you? No, of course not! You haven't got the sympathy otherwise you wouldn't be doing this. You may have won the battle today, but we will improve and adapt until you are nothing more than a bitter memory to the dragon hunters! Do I make myself clear? Even with death about to claim me I still remain hopeful! This is a war you will not win".
The pair stared at each other. One with determination, the other surprised. The skinny viking had never met a hunter this passionate about his job. Normally one battle and most hunters flee. Some were even capable of remaining loyal, not giving up information, most likey because their leader would do unspeakable things to them. But this? This guy was something else. Whoever he was he certainly did not like dragons, that much was clear.
He opened his mouth, finally able to get the chance to speak.
"What?! We're not"-
A loud and angry shriek cut him off, along with a few screams from the riders on the other side of the rocks.
"Snotlout, look out"!
"Hey! Watch it with that tail you little"-!
Something sped towards the rider, stopping a short distance away. Recognising the shriek and speed of the dragon, the rider pulled from his back a rather shiny shield and braced himself. His night fury took a defensive stance.
Farran could feel the pressure on his back ease a little, though the gronckle was still capable of pinning him down. But at least he was able to see what was causing all the commotion. And it was staring right at him eager for revenge.
The speed stinger made a threatening growl and cautiously strode towards the hunter with its teeth bared. The hunter stared back, fixing the dragon with a glare of his own.
"Back for round two, are you"? He challenged. "Bring it on"!
Of course, with the gronckle still on top of him there was nothing that he could do. Even if he did still have his knife with him.
The stinger got close to the point where their faces were almost touching. Farran wondered why it hadn't charged at him the moment it recognised him, like it tried last time. Why it was face to face with him. Then he realised it was savouring the kill to come. Almost mocking him with every second it allowed him to live.
From behind, both hunter and dragon heard the night fury growl softly, distracting them for a briefest of moments to see that the rider instead of sitting back, had actually gotten closer to them. And it seemed that only now the night fury had decided to intervene.
"Easy bud, I know what I'm doing". His head turned from the fury to the speed stinger. "Hey... it's alright. No harm done. Just going to"...
Farran watched on as the rider stretched his hand forwards, towards the speed stingers snout. For a moment, the small dragon did nothing but emit a small chirp of curiosity. Its attention was now focused entirely on the rider. It seemed to be sniffing his hand before.
"Unffh"! Farran groaned. The gronckle for that short moment of time had decided to calm down and its weight was now once again pushing the hunter into the ground, forcing him to grunt in pain.
It was all that the speed stinger needed to once again stoke its burning fire from within. Its eye looked back and stared into Farrans eyes. Its pupils turned into slits at once.
It twisted its head and snapped at the riders hand, forcing him to pull back. The night fury roared, but the stinger didn't care. All it wanted was revenge. Its mouth widened and began to roar, showing Farran every single tooth it held, about to be soaked in his own blood!
"Go ahead! I'm right here and waiting"! Farran shouted back, bracing himself. The Gronckle was now off and away but by now it was too late for him to do anything.
He heard the flyer shouting in protest.
This was it. The stinger lunged, about to finish him off once and for all. Its roaring ear splitting.
Only for it to turn into a yelp right away. Farrans glare softened into confusion. At least until he saw a dragon root arrow sticking out of the stingers thigh.
"ATTACK"!
Arrows started flying from behind.
"More hunters! Fishlegs! Snotlout! Get the rest of those dragons out of those cages"!
The rider had begun to flee back behind the rocks with his dragon to help his comrades, allowing Farran to see A large group of hunters. More than double the men that had tried holding the auction before. And also joining the fight, a razorwhip. It was about time and all!
Farran was eager to get up and grab his crossbow. Continue the fight. But the weight of the Gronckle had made his body ache from the waist down. It was enough to keep him on all fours for the rest of the fight and some time after. At least he was able to hear the sound of retreating wings. He lowered his head and gazed at the now sleeping speed stinger with a single inspiring thought.
Victory was theirs today.