Three Days Later
Krogan flew on a Monstrous Nightmare ahead of the fleet to engage the Riders and cripple what was left of their forces. But the night skies were clear, a strange sight. He was certain that the Riders would arrive at the Defenders of the Wing, but no dragon was in the sky. The Flyers held their position in the sky waiting for the Rider's move. Krogan searched the cloud bank to see only the light from the stars and moon. Moments later a bag burst in front of the Flyer and a gas floated around him. He sniffed it and realized it was Zippleback Gas. He forced the Nightmare up to the clouds and moments later, the gas exploded and Krogan saw his entire Flyer force knocked off from the Dragons. Then he saw the Riders souring to the clouds. This was a counterattack. Krogan decided to dive down and face Hiccup and his Riders.
"Prepare to launch the Glide Bombs!" Gerd yelled as Hiccup saw Krogan race down towards the Riders. They managed to decimate the Flyer Fleet, but Krogan is a thorn they can't get rid of. Hiccup looked at Gerd and he nodded.
"Let go and take out Korgan!" Hiccup ordered and Toothless let go of the Glide Bomb. It dove down with the other Glide Bombs. The Riders raced to Krogan and Hiccup held on tight to the saddle. Before they reached the Flyer, he pulled off from the attack and raced to the Gliders. Toothless fired a series of plasma blasts forcing the Flyer to dodge and maneuver away from the Bombs. Krogan forced the Monstrous Nightmare to fire flames at them, but the Riders maneuver around each other in near perfect unison. Hiccup wasn't going to let the Flyer escape this time. He was planning to capture Krogan and force the Northern Fleet to flee. When they followed him through a cloud, they burst out of it to find Krogan gone. "Find him!"
Viggo watched as the barrels glided down towards the warship. The Hunter was impressed with the ingenuity of the Rider's new tactic. Strike from afar. Ragnar's soldiers attempted to shoot down the barrels in vain. Viggo smirked as the first barrel hit the main Ballistae engulfing it in flames. The mast soon collapsed on itself as the cabin behind him exploded in an inferno. But with the Rider's success against the deck and hull of the ship, their new weapon wasn't as accurate. A few barrels struck the waves and exploded, splashing the ships with water. He walked over to his brother Ryker for status on their little sabotage project. Ryker said the barrel was in place. Viggo walked to the Northern General who was ordering his men to fire everything they had.
"Do that and when the battle begins, you'll have nothing to use against the island's defenses." Viggo remarked and Ragnar unsheathed his sword and swung it at another mast.
"What do you suppose Viggo?" Ragnar asked pulling his sword out.
"The best option is to hold positions for the time being. Until we can learn what new weapons and tactics they developed from the previous battle." Viggo replied and Ragnar rubbed his chin.
"Send three ships to the island! Prepare them landings!" Ragnar ordered the crew as he marched around the deck and Viggo knew the General was risking three ships in a vain chance that the Riders held no more surprises. Viggo turned to Ryker.
"Set the fuse, when a wave of Gliders arrive." Viggo ordered his older brother and Ryker smiled.
Dalla was on the backshore with several Defenders. They were facing the first wave of landing boats and Dalla wanted revenge for Storm's death. When the first boats landed, She opened the barrel of Zippleback Gas and let it roll down the beach. The Hunters paid little attention to it until they were walking through the light mist. A Defender pulled back the string of a bow with a flaming arrow and let it go. The flames ignited the gas forcing the Hunters back. Another barrel was prepared, launched, and exploded many more times until the reinforcement boats fell back. A small victory in the battle. Dalla grabbed her spyglass and looked towards the sea hoping to see Asta's fleet of metal ships sinking a Hunter vessel.
"Lite the fuse." Asta ordered the Defenders as they reached the Hunter fleet. She had a crew of four with her on this mission. They were under an unharmed ship when her fleet of five ships arrived. The Defenders stopped rowing the boat and lit the fuses before closing them up and sealing the hatches. The barrels were cut from the boat and floated up. The Defenders went back to rowing and Astsa steered them back to the island for safety. As explosions echoed and rocked the leaky ships, she smiled. Another blow to the Hunters. A small blow, but it showed them that the Dragon Riders weren't going to go out as they hoped.
Hiccup and the Riders were searching the clouds, but couldn't find anything. Hiccup decided to fly below the clouds to search. As he did, Hiccup saw flames and some covering the lead ships of the Hunter fleet. The plan was working semi according to plan, but Krogan was still in the air. As Hiccup soured through the wind, he saw a figure in the clouds. The flames erupted from the cloud. Toothless and Hiccup made a sharp turn and dove down to the island. Hiccup looked back to see the tailfin in flames, beyond that was Krogan on the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup put his hand on Toothless's head. It was time to test the prototype and Toothless maneuvered his wings for a landing. It'll be rough, but Toothless should be okay. Hiccup stood up and Toothless nodded and the Viking placed hooks on the prototype. He grabbed his sword and jumped off of the Dragons. Hiccup opened the Flight Suit Wings and glided down.
This wasn't his first experiment with these wings, but this is his first time using them in the field of war. Hiccup flew towards the fleet and turned his head to see Krogran following. Hiccup pressed the Zippleback switch and the interior canister emptied itself. Moments later, Hiccup ignited the gas as he turned himself to see the Flyer facing the explosion. Krogan somehow stayed on the Dragon and it fired flames towards Hiccup. The Viking folded his arms and he went in a fast dive. Krogan followed as Hiccup noticed Monstrous Nightmare Gel Bomb without Glider wings. The Viking glided in between the barrels as Krogan destroyed the barrels with his dragon. Hiccup felt the blasts growing closer towards him. He looked back to see the Flyer right behind him. But he plan was successful. The Riders regrouped and fired everything they had on Krogan forcing him off the dragon. Windshear caught Hiccup with her legs while catching Krogan with her tail. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Just get us to the ground. We need to help with the defenses and find Toothless." Hiccup remarked hoping his friend is safe.
Ragnar the Rock watched as the Riders landed on the island with Krogan as their prisoner. The battle was going south for them because he followed Viggo's advice. Ragnar would have sent all of his ships on the island and wiped out what remained of the Riders. Instead, his ships were burning and his Allie was captured. As he prepared for his fleet to move, the crew took cover as dozens more Glide Bombs stuck his fleet. Some missed, but many took deadly aim. Ragnar's warship rocked as crewmen abandoned ship. "Sir, we're taking on water!"
"Evacuate the ship! Get out of range of those Gliders!" Ragnar ordered knowing they need to plan a new assault. One where the Riders are wiped from the face of the world.
Next Morning
Hiccup and Toothless flew in the clouds with Thrain and Shadow, watching the Hunter Fleet movements. The Vikings used Spyglasses to see that the fleet was reorganizing for another attack. Hiccup was proud that their counterattack managed to repel the Hunters, but it was only a matter of time until the Hunters break the defenses. Which is why the Riders need to strike at night. Sink their ships before they knew what hit them. It was risky, but Hiccup was hoping that the Hunters were counting on a chase.
Elsewhere
Viggo's Hunter Fleet was behind Ragnar's warships to be used as landing ships after the General lay waste to the Rider's defenses. But Viggo was planning to strike the Northern Warships when the Riders take a chance to strike. It was a risky move, but Viggo wasn't planning on letting the Northern General betray him. But when the Hunters betray the Northern Fleet, then they will need the King of Dragons to have an edge over both the Riders and the Northern Fleet. Only then will Viggo be rid of his numerous enemies and make a fortune in the Dragon Trade. Ryker stepped behind his brother as Viggo watched the sunset.
That Night
Hiccup and his Riders were in the clouds preparing for the coming battle. The plan was simple. Dive down and target the weapons, then strike the lower hull. If all went to plan then they'll be in and out. Hiccup was in the lead and he looked back to see his friends and their dragons. He was leading them to a battle, which could be their last. He rubbed Toothless's neck and the dragon purred in understanding. They dove down and fired several blasts at the warship's deck. He swooped up to avoid the water and Toothless fired a Plasma Blast at the lower hull of a lead ship. As the dragons sped back to the skies, Hiccup noticed the Hunter fleet had fired boulders at the Northern Warships and he knew this fight just got more complicated.
Ryker watched with his younger brother as the Northern Warships sunk to the depths of the seas. They had good aim on the Riders, but Viggo ordered the crews not to fire. Ryker would have let the arrows strike them and sail off to catch more dragons. But his brother made it clear, the Riders will serve as a distraction to the Northern Alliance while the Hunters finish the search for the King of Dragons to get an advantage over Drago's fleet. Ryker looked at the Dragons disappearing in the clouds and thought of how he'll skin those beasts when this is all over.
Next Morning
"Congratulations Hiccup on your victory." Krogan said as Hiccup walked above the Flyer's cell. The Rider shook his head and opened the cell. Krogan raised his eyebrow since the Riders made it clear, he was surrounded by Defenders and Dragons, making this a surprise.
"Go back to your boss and tell him that his search for the King of Dragons is in vain. The only map to it is guard by the King himself." Hiccup remarked and Krogan was stunned. This young man was either bluffing or knows where the Alpha is. Krogan gave a chuckle to frustrate the Rider.
"I assuming this isn't your idea?" Krogan replied and Hiccup replied by throwing a rope down. The Flyer grabbed it and climbed up to find Dragons and soldiers surrounding him.
"There is a boat with a week's worth of supplies down the dock. Oh, before I forget. The Hunters helped sink your Warships." Hiccup added and Krogan knew his Southern Allie was now a foe. Leaving him with only one option left. Krogan clinched his fist knowing he was going to have to Allie with an untrustworthy man.
