Hiccup flew past the Flyers, Riders, and the Hunter arrows with the Dragon Eye in his bag. Thrain flew next to the Hiccup and Toothless trying to find out what was going on. Hiccup just ordered that the Riders return to the Edge. Hiccup was going to get the Eye and hide it with the King of Dragons. Thrain nodded and flew off to gather the Riders. The two friends kept on gaining attitude in the sunset sky. It was going to be night soon, and it'll be good to sneak onto Berserker Island. The Rider still couldn't believe that the King of Dragons was Berk's neighbor. Home to Oswald the Agreeable, Dagur the Derange, and birth home of Heather. Hiccup would have visited the island if it weren't for the fact of his exile. Now he was going to find the Eye where Viggo can't find it. In the place where the map leads.
One Day Later
The journey took longer than Hiccup predicted, but here he was. Berserker Island. Home of maniacs and the craziest warriors in the known world. Aside from the Dragon Riders. Hiccup and Toothless glided against the waves in the darkness as they looked for the cave to the King of Dragon's lair. When Hiccup saw the cave, they turned and flew into it. Once inside, the two landed on the snow and admired the icy structure covered in mist. Hiccup ignited his sword and the two walked further into the cave. As they walked, Toothless let out a groan as a gust of wind blew against Hiccup's skin. Moments later, Hiccup saw the head of a massive white scale dragon. Its mouth glowed green charging an attack. Hiccup tossed the Eye and ran with Toothless behind. The force of the blast knocked the Viking into the snow. He turned around to see giant pillars of ice blocking the path to the King of Dragons. He smirked and giggled knowing that Viggo will never have the Eye or the King of Dragon. Hiccup got back on Toothless and they speed out of the cave. With the Eye gone for good now, Hiccup knew that Viggo will unleash his wrath on the Riders once more. But they will be ready.
Elsewhere
Viggo studied Krogan's Allie fleet of ships. It was slightly larger than Viggo's but many were massive. The lead ship had a metal armor head with massive weapons on the deck. The sight of it was impressive. It was designed for war and Krogan wants war. When the Hunter ship reached the side of the Warship, both crews tied the ropes to connect both vessels. A plank was lowered and Viggo and Krogan walked to the warship. Ryker was to prepare the Hunters if something goes wrong. As Viggo inspected the Deck, he saw catapults and large ballistas. Soon a large man in bronze armor greeted them.
"Krogan. It has been some time." the man greeted.
"Indeed it has Ragnar." Krogan replied turning to Viggo. "Viggo Grimborn. Ragnar the Rock. Ragnar, Viggo."
"A pleasure." Viggo greeted extended his arm and the Warrior shook it.
"Glad to meet the man who captured and sold us all a lot of our dragons." Ragnar replied before leading them inside his cabin. "Now tell me of this Rider problem you have."
"The Dragon Riders have been slowing our progress to find the Dragon Eye." Viggo said and Ragnar rubbed his chin. "They have various dragons in their force, including a Night Fury."
"A Night Fury!" Ragnar yelled. The name of Night Fury brings many warriors to pray for survival.
"Yes. The Dragon Rider leader flies the Night Fury. A good leader and tactician with amazing luck." Krogan added.
"Do we know where the Riders are located?"
"Yes, but the seas surrounding it is heavily mined with Monstrous Nightmare Gel. We've lost ships because of them." Viggo said pulling out a map he had from surveillance from the last assault he ran against the Riders. He unrolled it on the desk pointing at the cove. "This is the one place without mines, but the Riders focus their defenses here costing me more ships."
"Well Viggo, your vessels while they are mighty, are better suited with hunting. My ships on the other hand are made for war." Ragnar replied with a devilish smile.
"So what will you do about the Monstrous Nightmare Bomb the dragons drop from above." Viggo asked holding his right arm with his left. "Despite Krogan's Dragon Flyers, the Riders has prove to be suitable in combat."
"Don't worry about that." the warrior remarked looking at Krogan and both had a devilish smile.
One Week Later
Hiccup and Toothless flew through the clouds on patrol of the Edge. For the past week, no Terrible Terrors have arrived with bad news. The Hunters were being silent. Which worried the Rider. With the Eye out of their hands, he expected a mass assault against his Allies. But nothing has happened as of yet. Today was perfect. Sunny with some wind, but it was amazing. But that changed when he saw a large mass on the sea. Hiccup pulled out his spyglass and looked to see massive ships sailing straight for the edge. He looked at the sails to see the banner Tofa Makson memorized from her scouting mission from the Northern Fleet. Next to them were Hunter ships. Viggo brought his Allies down to help fight, which means the coming battle was going to be deadly. Hiccup and Toothless turned around to ready their defenses.
Later That Day
Windshear pulled back the large ballistae string and Heather loaded the spear. The fourth and final ballistae were ready to engage the Northern and Hunter Fleets. She jumped onto the Razorwhip and the two launched into the air. She flew next to the bridge over the entrance to the cove. Heather inspected the barrels of Monstrous Nightmare Gel Bombs to make sure there was no leak in them. The plan was that when the first wave of ships cross under them, the barrels drop ignited and turn the decks into an inferno. Then nets would drop to tangle the next wave of ships. One of the Edge's important defenses against the ships, so Heather can't let them be in damage.
One Day Later
Hiccup watched the fleet arrive from a watchtower overlooking the sea. The ships were a few hours away from their weapons to be in range. Which makes this an important time to launch a counterattack. Ground the Flyers and weaken their offensive weapons. His team of Riders was to be the one to engage while A Team is to stand guard. Hiccup looked at his team and they nodded that they were ready. The Dragons flapped their wings forward grabbing barrels of Monstrous Nightmare Gel, except for Shadow and Toothless. They were the fastest and strongest dragons they got. They were to escort the other Riders to the lead ship and destroy it. As they flew to the ship, a cloud of Dragon Flyers came into view, but it wasn't Singetails. It was Monstrous Nightmares, Deadly Nadders, Razorwhips, Hideous Zipplebacks, Thunderdrums, Mudrakers, Rumblehorns, Triple Strykes, and Skrills. The Riders kept on flying towards the battle against the overwhelming numbers.
Moments later, the battle began. The Riders were forced to drop the barrels early missing the vessels. Toothless blasted several Flyers off the dragons freeing them. Hiccup saw the Flyer leader on top of a Skrill. Hiccup followed him to the clouds as they grew darker. The Rider ignited his sword in preparation for a fight. He saw shadows pass through the clouds showing the skill of the Flyer. Hiccup knew this Flyer has been a pain, but he didn't even know his name. Moments later a lighting blast nearly hit him and Toothless. It gave away the Flyer's position and Toothless fired a Plasma Blast in the direction. Hiccup put his sword away knowing they were going to need quick maneuvers.
"You are a good rider. I'll admit that." the Flyer said in the clouds. "But even with your power over that beast, you'll stand no chance against me or my master."
"Maybe, but it's worth a shot." Hiccup replied shortly before another lightning blast almost hit him. Toothless responded with several blasts. One of which exploded on import. The Flyer and Skrill charged out of the clouds forcing the Rider and Dragon to dive down into the battle. The Flyer chased Hiccup and Toothless through the fire and claws of other dragons. The two sped to the island heading for a small outpost on the far edge of the island overlooking a cliff. The outpost was redesigned with metal walls and an iron gate. Hiccup and Toothless flew inside and hid in the hall. He heard three dragons land outside of the outpost.
"Nice try Hiccup. But I'm no fool." Krogan yelled out into the metal prison. He got off the Skrill and unsheathed his sword. The Skrill would have flown off if it weren't for two Monstrous Nightmare escorts. Krogan walked in front of the small fort. "Come out or die."
Krogan heard no reply and he smiled. He raised his arm and dropped it. The Nightmares breathed fire into the interior burning whatever was inside. When they were done, he waited. Krogan knows that the Night Fury would shield his Rider from the flames. But it would provide an incentive to leave. He waited for several minutes trying to figure out Hiccup's plan. As he waited, he heard whimpers echo. Krogan smirked knowing that the Night Fury may be injured. Krogan took a chance and walk into the chamber. As he walked through the halls to the other side of the fort, he heard running followed by a crashing gate. Krogan ran to the entrance which was blocked off by a gate.
Toothless blasted the two Flyers off, while Hiccup cut the rope connected to an iron gate. It slammed shut as the Monstrous Nightmares threw their slavers off the cliff. Hiccup walked the growling skrill and took off the chains. The two Nightmares crawled towards the Viking and he took the chains off gaining the trust of the three dragons. They bowed in respect before flying towards safety. Behind him, Hiccup heard a laugh and Toothless growled. He turned to see the captured Flayer leaning on the metal bars. "How do you force the most aggressive dragons under your thumb?"
"I don't. I trust them and they trust me." Hiccup replied grabbing his sword. "Who are you?"
"Krogan. Remember it, for it will be the name who destroys you. Now, where is the Dragon Eye?" Krogan asked with a smirk.
"Far from you, Viggo, Ryker, and any Allie you have." Hiccup answered as he sheathed his sword. He jumped on Toothless and the two turned around. Moments they were in the air, flying to the Edge. When he arrived, the other Riders were returning from the battle. Hiccup landed to see Thrain, Katla, and Alfgeir returned with their dragons safe and sound. But Gunni with an arrow in his leg and his dragon Drifter laying on the ground groaning, Regin was bandaging Claw's wing, Aron was making a splint for Darkdrum's front left leg. Dalla pet Storm as the Shovelhelm's injuries was too severe. Hiccup walked over to the tearful woman to see burn scars across Storm's belly. Hiccup put his hand on Dalla's shoulder and his other hand was pet Storm to help keep her calm as her time ran out. Dalla hugged Hiccup when the dragon gave its last breaths. The Dragons and Riders bowed their heads in respect. The Hunters were going to pay for this.
They had only a few hours until the Edge is in range of the enemy's weapons and Thrain was preparing a small boat to load the wounded dragons on if they had to retreat. They had just finished a funeral for Storm and Drifter. The Rider looked at the sea and saw the pillars of smoke from the two boats. He was saddened at the loss of two friends. Shadow elbowed Thrain and the Rider hugged the Skrill. He wasn't going to lose another friend in this war. He and Shadow were going to live until they were old.
The battle began with catapults launching flaming boulders and the Dragons fired blasts at them, breaking them apart before they hit the Edge. All except for Dalla and Gunni. Their dragons were gone so they were operating the Ballistaes. Dalla Geird remembered when she first found the Shovelhelm. She was out hunting in bad weather, she got her leg stuck in a crack in the ground. Her bow broke and a pack of wolfs were surrounding her. She yelled for help as she drew her sword. As the wolves lunged at her, a wall of fire forced the animals back. Then the dragon landed next to her and gave a mighty roar. At that point, she only heard rumors of Vikings training and riding dragons. But when the wolves ran off, the dragon turned to her and Dalla was worried it was going to eat her. But it used its pointed chin to dig her out. It looked at her trusting her and Dalla was surprised it wasn't trying to kill her like the Monstrous Nightmares, Deadly Nadders, Hideous Zippleback, and all the other dragons she faced. But she has never seen a Shovelhelm until Storm. From that point on, Dalla trusted Storm and with assistance from Hiccup, she learned how to ride the mighty dragon. But now her best friend was dead and she was going to cut down the Hunters or die trying.
Hild Noe rode her Monstrous Nightmare, Dread into battle against the Flyers once more with the Auxiliary Team. Hild fired an arrow with a small lit Monstrous Nightmare Gel Explosive. It exploded above a Flyer on a Deadly Nadder forcing him off freeing a dragon. Hild grabbed another arrow as Dread fired a fireball at another Flyer knocking him into the sea. A Razorwhip fired several shards from its tail and Hild maneuvered her dragon out of harm's way. After losing two friends, she wasn't going to risk Dread. Hild grabbed a new arrow, lit it, aimed, and fired. The following explosion knocked the Flyer off freeing another dragon. The two were knocking off the last of the Riders when a spear struck, Dread's wing. He started to fall and Hild was starting to panic. Heather and Windshear were able to grab them and fly them to the Edge for medical treatment.
Once on the ground, Hild checked the wing to see a three meter spear through Dread's wing and in his side. Heather came over with medical herbs and bandages. Hild grabbed the herbs and prepared to put them on the wound. But an explosion forced them to duck. Dread gave them cover despite the pain. When the explosion was over, the Great Hall was blown to pieces. Heather pulled the spear out and Hild put the herbs on the wound. Dread held back from roaring as the Rider rubbed the herbs in. With Heather's help, the two Vikings were able to bandage the wound, but Dread wasn't going to be flying soon. Hild put her head on the Monstrous Nightmare's snout holding back tears. She almost lost her friend. She already lost so many friends.
Katla and Sparkle dove towards the lead ship avoiding incoming spear fire. This war brought her the loss of a lover, three dragon friends, and her living friends injured. Sparkle landed on the bow of the ship firing blue firing at the metal weapon before taking aim at the deck. Soon the deck was in flames and both Viggo and his brother Ryker were retreating to the cabin. Sparkle fired a concentrated blast of blue flames at the door as they marched forward through the flames. Katla was going to get answers for Kolbein. But Sparkle roared in pain. The Razorwhip flapped into the air and Katla turned the dragon back to the Edge. As they sped home, the Rider checked the Dragon's underbelly to see a dagger sticking out. When she reaches to the Edge, she'll have to bandage her friend up.
"As you can see Ragnar, the Riders are notorious for their strike and retreat tactics." Viggo reported to the Northern General as his crew poured water on the deck. He told both of the Northern warriors what the outcome would be. Massive damaged.
"Indeed, but when I stabbed that Razorwhip, I used a poison edge blade. It won't even make it to the Edge." Ragnar said and Viggo grabbed his spyglass. He looked at the rider and saw them fall uncontrollably to the ocean. Viggo was impressed with the amount of damage, Ragnar was able to do on the Dragon Riders. That's three Dragons dead today alone with more wounded. Perhaps he had underestimated, Ragnar's simple approach.
Hiccup and the Riders were getting ready to leave when Heather arrived with Katla. Hiccup saw the strong woman tearful and knew that Sparkle was gone. Another dragon lost in this battle. Only Windshear, Toothless, Boneback, Shadow, and Little Horn were the only dragon unharmed in the fighting. Katla joined the others in the boat while the Riders with fly ready dragons grabbed the ropes. They lifted the boat and they flew towards the Defenders of the Wing. Their hope for safety in this storm. Hiccup turned back to see the enemy fleet unleashing its wraith on the Edge, making sure he won't return. He turned back ahead hoping they can win this fight.
