The rise of the Pendulum Guardians began with a tale of how we came to be and began defending not only our leader, but our home and their home as well...
-Jafaris Thornwhip
(A/N: The Pendulum Guard Cafe Tavern is a little hangout bar I based off of 79's from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6 Lost Missions episode: Orders. In the previous version I gave no descripton on what it looked like, so allow me to seek retribution and redemption by giving you a look on what it's like since I described in the preceeding chapter that they served Drayko's favorites there. This might also be a short chapter as well. Enjoy!)
In Draconia, an long teenager by the name of Gustav Larson who had a Monstrous Nightmare named after Hookfang although in reverse which Drayko sees as a lazy excuse to be like Raijah happened to walking out in the late hours of the night. He was once a child of Berk before he ran away due to his withering faithfulness to his old mother since she tried to trade him for Fishleg's stone of good fortune he found, though it was a long time ago and Hiccup was still there. Drayko gave him a new family and he was training to become a Dragon Rider at the Dragon's Edge, while also being the Leader of the Renegade Reniforcement Defense team
Not only did they have Dragons who belong to more than one Rider such as Maria for example, they also provided reinforcements and backup like the name suggested; that and Gustav was more of a renegade nonetheless, anyone who was like Gustav was a renegade which made sense. He happened to wear the same helmet as always but also wore the same tunic with Snotbitch's stitching and belt buckle, Ruffnut's old vest and blue boots, Astrid's shoulder guards as knee pads, Tuffnut's old cloth bracers and a old necklace with a Dragon's claw/fang. He wanted to know more about these Pendulum Guards that suddenly appeared since he wasn't present at all when these guys came
He saw Drayko enter the Pendulum Guard Cafe Tavern and followed him inside. The building was designed like an Inn but functioned as exactly what it says, it had table booths with an table counter and felt like a bar. It had what any other tavern had and was mostly filled with Pendulum Guards who all enjoyed a good time, eating and drinking away all while they had their own entertainment as it was mostly dark but also lit up to brighten the place. Drayko happened to be at one of the booths with Jafaris Thornwhip and his fellow men, Gustav immediately walked up to them
"I don't want to interrupt anything but I wanted to ask something"
"Ask away and leave dammit, you have no buisness here for a teen" Drayko drinked away from his D&R Root Beer
"I wasn't present when you guys showed up here, how did you guys come to be?" Gustav asked, being wrapped by Fanghook's tail; whom the Nightmare was much more gentler and compassionate than Raijah's violent and combat heavy counterpart: Hookfang. Jafaris sat back and began to tell the story
"When Draconia needed defense against all who stood against her glory, we the Pendulum Guardians have aided the Knights like the best of the best; trained to be the best within the Dragon's Edge because it's not just for the New Riders anymore. It all began with an tale that started this whole faction" Gustav and Fanghook were in the least to say, excited about hearing the story as Drayko bit into his Pizza and began telling how it began
"It was a cold day, which Draconia's become a more than just a really big island. It was more like a entire nation inhabiting a large continent all of it's own with the ever expanding land that concealed itself within the fog of Midnight. Toothless was *still* a Night Fury at the time being and I was inside my bedroom going over some thoughts of Draconia having it's own defense to keep it's attackers behind our backs at bay. This is what was going through during your time at the School of Dragons"
HTTYD
We flashback to an earlier time as Drayko was sitting at his desk in his bedroom, writing down an idea for Draconia to defend itself if he and the Knights are absent for the time being. He knew that the Wild Dragons lived here and the Riders could defend their Island, but even they know their limits and they can't help too much; they did create some new weaponry but they can only help so much that they are all what one Tribe can do. However it was the threat of the Dragon Hunters that prompted him to come up with this idea
Drayko explained this to General Scorpio and being a very trusted friend, he did not once question him since Draconia does need more than a extra helping hand. When he immediately thought of the design for this new idea since it was an type of Guard and Watchmen meant to act like sentinels for when they're not here, he drew the design in his sketchbook he's always been carrying since his time on Berk and was finished with a basic sketch when the door was being knocked on
"Come in" He called from the inside, sounding more lively than the present. The doors opened and General Scorpio happened to be waiting
"Has your sketch been finished?" He asked
"Yes it's ready just about now" He replied, handing him the basic design of the new Pendulum Guardians/Pendulum Guard that was drawn by him. Taken some time and given some basic clothing, masks and weapons
"The Dragon Riders are outside and ready for your training"
"Thanks, General; I'll be out there in a moment"
When he did appear before the Dragon Riders, he began explaining what it means to be a Pendulum Guardian and what it feels like to be one. He went on to explain the black masks they wear as it will keep them hidden and unknown, the weapons forged by Bladehead to increase their talents to the robes and armor they wore that will keep them ready to defend their home by all means mandatory and necessary. They were all taught everything what they needed to know as the General directed them over to where the Dragon Rider, Jafaris Thornwhip will be leading them to before they began their training in the following days
These included the usual things such as fighting armed and unarmed, but also had dual wielding, stopping anyone who tried to harm the Knights and Dragons, throwing and spinning their double balded scythes, escorting and lining up, defending the line and much more. When they first aided the Knights in action, they managed to do fairy decent before they soon began rising from decent to the best of the best when Draconia was attacked by Berserkers, Bandits, Hostile Dragons which is a rare time for such a thing to happen and other such threats like Ryker and the Dragon Hunters for example. However with such amazing victories, there comes those moments as the Dragon Riders don't seem to understand how they train to be Pendulum Guards. They believed it was simple but in reality that was not the case, they were also trained to tame Dragons the hard way when no other option was available
Since they were acting in the role of sentinels, they tended to keep an very low profile around other Dragon Riders as they were trained with their weapons alone, they didn't seem to notice nor mind Drayko watching them use their weapons they spin either by hand or automatically which they either throw, intimidatingly threaten or just preform skills and tricks of their own accord. They're not bound to follow rules that restrain their free time, Draconia is it's own boss and follows it's own rules; not others. Nevertheless, Drayko is their leader and they followed orders from him because they knew what's best for themselves
One of these individuals happened to be Jafaris Thornwhip, who was in his time before becoming the Leader of the Pendulum Guards which happened to be this day. He was busy looking out for some unseen attackers when Raedwit approached him, he turned to see the Illusionist walking to him with some news for him. "Raedwit, what brings you here? I'm just keeping watch for anyone who might attack without us knowing"
"Drayko requests your attention, he has something special for you" Jafaris proceeded to jump down from his spot and follow the enigmatic Zippleback Rider to the Main Hall. He was wondering what kind of special thing did their leader have for him of all things? Well he was about to find out for himself, but if only it was simple because now there was some Pendulum Guards running pass them and heading to the Arena
"What is happening?" Jafaris demanded to know
"A Dragon Root Arrow has been fired into a Snafflefang, we're heading over to stop this violent outburst"
"Pardon me Raedwit, I have important business to attend with" Jafaris immediately ran off, leaving behind the Illusionist as he made his way to the Arena to join the other Pendulum Guards. When he did see what the hell was going on, he saw that the Arrow was jammed into it's stomach and was acting both agitation and aggression against it's Rider and a fellow friend. He jumped into the scene with his fellow Guardians as it roared at him, to which he activated his Double Bladed Scythes
"Cease Hostility!" He ordered as the Snafflefang smacked his Rider across the field, having him hit the wall and collapsing onto his knees. Seeing that there was no other way to deal in this, Jafaris turned to his men and gave them an order. "Half of you, find the source of where the Arrow was shot. The rest of us will take care of this Snafflefang"
"Right away Captain!" Half of the Pendulum Guards run off to find the source while Jafaris and the rest of the Guardians stay by his side to confront this infected Dragon. The Snafflefang fired off it's brightly colored and explosive fireball towards the Pendulum Guards, who dodged the incoming attack and retaliated by throwing their scythes towards the Dragon; although leaving some cuts and scars on it's scales, it was pinned temporarily to the wall as the Pendulum Guards got to work on trying to get close enough
But the Snafflefang resisted and freed half of itself from the wall, to which the Double Bladed Scythes returned to their hands like an boomerang. Jafaris proceeded to throw one at a time, to which he forced the beast to dodge and only once did the fireball hit him; but he recovered quickly as the Snafflefang began to charge at him, being forced to preform Drayko's infamous flying kick towards the snout along with his men in order to send this Dragon flying backwards. The men had gotten a grip on the Snafflefang and restrained the beast, firing off one last time towards Jafaris who sidestepped the incoming attack and landing a cold and brutal punch to the face; knocking it out as he tended to the Rider
"Arson will see to your Snafflefang's injuries right away"
"I understand, thanks..."
Jafaris nodded as he went back to the Dragon and removed the Dragon Root Arrow just as he was informed that the other half of the Pendulum Guards have gotten a hold on the Hunter. So without another minute of hesitation, Jafaris climbed up to the roof of the Arena and jumped to gain altitude with his spinning scythe in one hand while his other one was not in use for the moment being. He arrived at the location where the Hunter was being held and thrown to the ground, begging for mercy as Ryker and Krogan sent him to Draconia to secretly preform this task. However his pleads had fallen on deaf ears
"You have commited treason and threatened a life of an Rider, our Leader Drayko would rather see you dead than to live and attack another Dragon. Your nightmare begins now" With that now stated, he spun both of his scythes this time around and threw them both at the Hunter; dismembering and decapitating the victim as he collapsed to the ground, the blood staining his robes and the grass as Jafaris took his leave. But not before congratuating his men for taking out this hidden enemy. "You have all down well men, but be on the look out for more of these hidden attackers; the Hunters are bound to try again and have us distracted to keep our focus away from the situation at hand" He warned them as he returned back to where Raedwit was
"Has the Hunter been taken care of?" The enigmatic Zippleback Rider asked
"It has been done, now let's be on our way" He replied
Raedwit nodded and continued forth to the Main Hall, walking the rest of the way there as they went up the steps and entered through the doors; Raedwit continued to escort him upstairs and through the bedroom hallway before reaching Drayko's Room. Inside happened to be a little ceremony for him, he was sure it was meant to be something. Drayko stood in the middle with the Pendulum Guards forming a circle around him with their weapons held like staffs vertically and with both Toothless and Vixen by his side like always. Jafaris turned back to see Raedwit as he smiled and nodded to him, knowing that it was meant to be a final test for his leadership
"Jafaris Thornwhip, step forward" Drayko asked him, he did what he was told and bent down on one knee with his head down just as Drayko brought out Inferno
"By the heart of the Dragon you possess in you, by the shadows of the Night Fury you hide within, by the fear of the Zippleback you strike into our foes and by the burning fires of the Dragons that never go out. I name thy Jafaris Thornwhip" He then slashed away at the Cuffs that all Pendulum Guards in training usually wear, as they fell to the ground and Drayko finished as he proclaimed him; "Leader of the Pendulum Guards, come forth and be ready at dawn to dusk as always in our absence" Jafaris stood up and nodded, now accepting his role as the new leader of the Pendulum Guardians
For the many battles as the new leader, Jafaris Thornwhip proved to be unbeatable as he sparred with the main Knights, his other comrades, the Dragons themselves and even General Scorpio; whom he was only rivaled by and showed both great respect and gratitude towards, admitting that even he cannot rise above nor outrank him as he is the Leader of an Draconia Watchmen defense while Scorpio is a fearsome general of the Dragon's Edge
It was then that the Flashback of the past ended here as reality returns with Drayko ending the story with a little monologue of sorts
HTTYD
"Draconia has remained untouchable thanks to the Pendulum Guardians, but any Wild Dragon may pass since they pose no threat and are easily defeated if they find it in their hearts to even attack. Even the strongest shall fall harder by the powers of us combined. Let this be your answer to your little question, now leave us as I want you to ask no further questions" Drayko finished as he returned to eating his Pizza and drinking his Root Beer
To say that Gustav and Fanghook were wildly interested in the Pendulum Guardians would be a understatement. Now they really have seen everything from them, so now they're not just some enigmatic masked Sentinel Riders. However Gustave couldn't help but notice that Drayko said that Toothless was "Still" an Night Fury at the time, he was going to ask until Toothless stopped him from doing so; Drayko is very private about what happened during his time at the Dragon's Edge and suggested that he thinks no further about it, if he wants to keep his sanity that is
"You'd rather be spending the night in Drenchwood Forest than knowing what has become of Toothless, not worth going through the trouble of finding out" Jafaris Thornwhip informed him as Gustav and Fanghook left the Pendulum Guardian Cafe Tavern, still he couldn't get it out of his head and wondered to himself
"What did he mean by that, unless... oh no" He all took this into consideration before he realized that he remembered seeing him speaking to General Scorpio with an Unknown Rider wearing the exact same armor as him as he is today. He also took into Toothless' mysterious absence unless that human is in face, his Night Fury. "What happened to him and what made Drayko act so cold to everyone?" These were all questions that continued to gather up dust in his brain before he took off on Fanghook
In the meantime, Drayko went to the Cove with Toothless since he hasn't used a shower here in a long time; he's always had time to himself and figured that he could at least not stink like rancid bullshit. Speaking of such, he went into thinking about the Dragons he's met like Torch for example
While his mother was not known at the time, the Typhoomerang Hatchling was one of the most spoiled rotten little fuckers he'd had to deal with. Bastard made Toothless steaming with hatred but also made Vixen jealous due to his hellbent desire of not sharing, eating all their foods and stealing their beds like true bastard. Unlike Hiccup who would've clearly just berated his Night Fury for his enviousness and was blind to Torch's misdeeds, Drayko was not that blind old fucknut and he did not take his little teasing and rivalry too lightly. If there was one thing that still boggled his mother's brain to this day but gave no shits about it now that she was reunited, it was the mystery of how Torch ended up with Drayko's foot up his ass and fist in his face; regardless of such, Torch's Mother bowed to Drayko in respect since no one and she does mean NO ONE dares to fuck with the Slayer of Red Death, the Bane of Queens
He remembered raising an Typhoomerang Hatchling who he named "Torch" since he did not appear to have any parents of his own, Vixen was an little jealous but she managed to overcome it while Toothless did not give "One Single Quarter of Nickle Fuck up the Shitting Dime Ass" about him raising it before there were signs of Torch's Mother arriving which he then alerted his Rider, they reunited the Hatchling and Mother and they flew off but not before Torch's Mother bowed to Drayko in respect since no one (and I mean NO ONE) dares to fuck with an Legend who slain Red Death, The Bane of Queens
Drayko continued to spend some time alone with Toothless and Vixen as Jacqueline found the three of them in their Cove, sitting down with the former as he was already too busy thinking to himself. "Listen Drayko, I too have been thinking about you and Maria since the both of you look like you have interest in each other" Drayko sat up and brushed it off
"No matter how beautiful any woman looked, not even Valkyries of Odin; I would not show any interest in them, just for their wishes"
"But not to me, I think you have a crush on her. Not trying to embarrass you at all, but if you two ever get married to one another; I hope your children carries on your legacy because you know your limits"
"My relationship with Maria is just a simple romance, I'm no man who instantly falls in love with her nor an man who reveals to her my feelings; just to get slammed, rejected and teased about it. Neither am I the one who lusts after a woman and tries everything in my power to get her to be mine, it's always the same in these tales of love; there's never a happy ending. Hiccup showed no interest in a Shield Maiden named Astrid Hofferson and I show no interest in Maria, just to respect her wishes because she deserves a better mate than me" He calmly spoke as the Empress consulted him
"That's what they all say and go through before they eventually reveal their feelings to one another, soon you'll be together and you can still have your own free time with your friends; because no one needs to be together or alone all the time" Drayko scowled and sneered at the wise words of the Empress
"I've seen what stereotypes they act like and Maria ain't no princess who should be married off like a piece of property, all because of a law that requires her to do so by her next birthday"
"Wherever did you hear that from?"
"Fairytales, stories about the maverick princess who seeks one and one person only; and that one being the one seen in her dreams"
While they spoke together, Maria was using her abilities as a Huntress to spy on what they were up to. Her response right now was this,"He saw through the usual tropes and patterns of how romance is told, clever son of a bitch. Although it is true I'm intrigued by him, I better keep it hidden for now until the time is right and that things are... back in order" She thought as she left with Jacqueline doing the same. Drayko removed his armor and clothing from underneath as he entered the water and decided to take a bath, which the usual cycle began as Toothless and Vixen began stroking his back with their tongues like always
"You guys just like doing this don't you?"Toothless and Vixen nodded, Drayko did not complain at all and let them continue; always enjoying that little ticklish feeling whenever he took a bath in the New Cove
HTTYD
Meanwhile back on Berk, Gothi was sitting in the middle of the Forest on a flat rock; for she was meditating and feeling almost ill like since her visions revealed such horrible things about what lied ahead for the future. More specifically, what Drayko would do to Berk but understood as Stoick would set out on a ship to discover Draconia and attack. She could almost feel Drayko believing like Hiccup that the Gods have forsaken him, which left him to believe in another culture and another legend elsewhere
She stood up and left the Forest, taking the path and entering the Village as she passed by Spitelout; telling him this on his way,"Your secret is safe with me" He nodded and continued to walk to the Cove while she made her way to Stoick's House, there was something that the Chieftain had to know about and it was concerning his son. She approached the House as Stoick opened and let her inside
"Please by all means, come in" He let her in as she stepped inside and sat down with the Chieftain. "There seems to be something bothering you, Elder"
"It concerns your son, Stoick"
"So it does, It was wrong for me to brush you off and call his destiny nothing but a plot of betrayal and revenge"
"I know you believe Drayko Ryder is responsible for what happened to your son"
"I have nothing to apologize for that, he took away the only image of my lost love and now I'm going to make things right by hunting and having him blood eagled for execution. But for the time being, he's not too much of a threat; he's just a Devil Rider with a army of Devils that we can take head on"
"In truth, he's not since there's more to it than what happened at the Nest"
"Alright, tell me everything you've seen. I'm listening" Stoick responded with a calm tone
"Have you ever heard of the Legend known as Emperor Dretzymiro, the Fallen Emperor?"
"Johann hasn't told me that story before, but maybe because I was too busy to listen. Proceed"
"What I'm about to tell you is not a vision, but a warning from the Gods: It involves both Drayko and the Madgod they call him, Drago Bludvist"
"So I guess Madman isn't fitting enough anymore, but nothing ends well with him; we Chieftains learned the hard way back then"
"It begins when Drago seeks to become an actual Dragon God, he's going that far to show his superiority and he's going to not only make sure that Drayko does not stand in his way; but destroy Berk as well for what happened long ago during your meeting with the other deceased Chieftains..."
"Now I really have heard everything" Stoick replied in fear. Not by Drago's plans, but by the reality of having him as an actual Dragon God. The future is looking rather bleak, fogged and clouded for the Chieftain of the Hairy Hooligans Tribe; and it's about to get much worse...
"Drayko may not be too much of a threat for now, but once he starts waging war against him and succeeds in victory; then there may be no return from the dark path he's walking down from"
That may not be a good way to end such a Chapter, but whoever said I always wrote good ways to end chilling conclusions to be picked up later on? We all have that kind of feeling and not everything has to be so complex, all got to make it simple and save the complexity in mind for the bigger boys of the Stories we write. BTW I happened to get this message from a Author named Scrumblenut, here's his message:
"I appreciate the blunt way of explaining some things in your story and not sugar coating it, as most people, including me do. Never stop this, as it creates an aura that people learn to respect"
I do suppose that it's true because I just like explaining some things the way I want to do, not others because it's like with what the late Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka said to Charlie at the end of the classic film, which the Tim Burton film would've made Roald Dahl at least happy had he not died in 1990 on November 23 (Thanksgiving of all Holidays, damn that sucks) This is what he said to Charlie:
"I can't go on forever and I don't really want to try. So who can I trust to run the factory when I leave and take care of the Oompa Loompas for me? Not a grown up. A grown up would want to do everything his own way, not mine. So that's why I decided a long time ago that I had to find a child. A very honest, loving child to whom I could tell all my most precious candy making secrets"
Exactly what it says, anyone who wasn't honest and loving would do want to do everything their own way; not mine. Remember this suggestion of mine: Don't Like it, don't read it. Otherwise Feel free to review and Until we meet again next time...
TheLegendaryBlackDragonKnight
P.S: I was looking at the Tailfins for Toothless and I thought I saw another spare tail that was an AirForce Blue color, turned out to be the tint on his scales though; and here I thought I could add it to the Blue Tailfin series, fuck me...