The air turned chilly as Hiccup and Toothless, Zenna and Stryka, Astrid and Stormfly and Hookfang and Snotlout flew farther North in search of Bucket and Mulch.
"We're getting pretty far North," Astrid reported to Hiccup.
"No kidding…Brrr…A-ah-choo!" Zenna shivered and sneezed, grimacing as her snot froze, and wiped her nose on her hanky. "Bucket and Mulch are two days overdue. We need to keep searching," Hiccup told the girls as he and Toothless forged on ahead.
"You don't really think they're up here, do you?" Astrid asked, rubbing her bare arms to try and warm them. "You can't take the cold, huh, Astrid?" Snotlout taunted.
"No, I just don't have a heated seat like you do," Astrid glared at the Jorgenson boy in annoyance. "That's right. You don't," Snotlout grinned as Hookfang, his Monstrous Nightmare, flamed up and warmed the saddle. "Ah, toasty," Snotlout sighed, milking it for all its worth.
"I cannot believe I am saying this, but I'm a little envious…or maybe it's just the cold affecting my brain," Zenna said, looking down at her one-eyed best dragon friend.
"It's the cowld talwkwing…" Stryka trilled. "Yep, definitely the cold," Zenna nodded, sneezing again.
Hiccup turned from watching his friends' antics and looked forward. That's when he spotted an iceberg…and right next to it was Bucket and Mulch's boat!
"Looks like they're in trouble. Come on, bud!" Hiccup told Toothless, who growled at the smell of danger, and swooped downwards.
Bucket and Mulch glared as some Berserkers, led by Vorg, hoisted a gangplank onto their boat. "Berserkers, commandeer this vessel for Dagur the Deranged!" Vorg commanded. But Bucket and Mulch weren't going to abandon ship without a fight! "Slimy, stinky eel, meet slimy, stinky marauder!" Mulch said, slapping one Berserker shoulder right off the boat with an eel while Bucket tossed two men overboard. One Berserker made the bad decision of hitting Bucket on the bucket with a mace. One glare from the bucket-wearing Berkian was enough to make him jump overboard.
"Take that!" Mulch shouted, repeatedly jumping up and down on another Berserker before Bucket arrived and sat on the poor soldier. That's when Vorg and four more Berserkers readied their crossbows. "Surrender, or…" Vorg managed to say before Stormfly's poisonous spines shot out at them! "Nice shooting, Astrid. Snotlout, light 'em up!" Hiccup said as he, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka engaged the Berserkers in combat as well.
"Woohoohoohoo!" Snotlout whooped as Hookfang flamed up, destroying the gangplank before the Berserkers could hijack Bucket and Mulch's boat! "Eat plasma, you crazies!" Zenna shouted as Stryka opened fire. "Okay, bud, it's our turn!" Hiccup said as Toothless fired a plasma blast into the water and the four of them flew right between the two boats!
"Retreat! Retreat!" Vorg ordered, the Berserkers swiftly sailing away from the iceberg. Landing their dragons, the Riders decided to ask the two fishermen why they'd been gone for two days. "What happened here?" Hiccup asked the two. "Well we thought the Berserkers had hit an iceberg and-and so we came in to help," Mulch said, chuckling a bit before adding, "They attacked us."
"Well a Berserker pretty much attacks anyone…but why'd they attack you guys near an iceberg is the question…" Zenna said thoughtfully. Mulch then leaned in closer and told them.
"Because we saw…it."
"It?" Hiccup, Astrid and Zenna repeated in confusion. Mulch then led the trio over to the iceberg. "It!" he said, pointing to something frozen in the iceberg with his hook hand.
Inside the iceberg, frozen solid, was a dragon!
"Holy Shields…" Zenna mumbled, awestruck, as she and Hiccup went closer to the ice. "That looks like a…dragon," Hiccup said, rubbing the ice to get a clearer look. One look at the dragon frozen in the iceberg and Hiccup instantly recognized the species. "Why would Berserkers be trying to dig it out?" Astrid wondered out loud. Looking down, Hiccup and Zenna could see various tools and an axe lying at their feet. The Berserkers must have been hard at work trying to dig the frozen dragon out before Bucket and Mulch unwittingly crossed them.
"No idea. But Zenna and I are going to find out," Hiccup said, picking up a hammer. "Oh, great! Now we have to dig it out?" Snotlout complained, not liking the prospect of spending Thor knows how many hours chiseling away the ice in frigid temperatures.
"Actually, I have a much better idea," Hiccup smiled at Toothless who was playfully rolling around on the ice with Stryka. Both Night Furies warbled, seeing their Riders looking at them. "Okay, you two, just use low flame…" Zenna advised the two as they used their fire to melt the ice surrounding the dragon.
Once the huge chunk of ice with the dragon still frozen inside was taken out of the iceberg, the Riders placed it on a wide sailcloth Bucket and Mulch had let them borrow and attached ropes to it, which the dragons carried off into the air. Bucket and Mulch waved to the Riders as they went on ahead and set sail for Berk as well at their leisure.
Back on Berk, the four Riders had placed the frozen dragon in the Berk Dragon Training Academy so they could figure out what kind of dragon it was. Toothless and Stryka curiously sniffed at the ice while walking around it while the Riders stood from a distance to try and make heads or tails of the species. Hiccup already had a pretty good idea but he was also a bit skeptical.
"I say we smash it!" Snotlout suggested eagerly. The Thorston Twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, both climbed onto the top of the ice block. "I say we blast it!" Tuffnut said. "I say we blast it then smash it!" Ruffnut piped up before she and her brother both said, "Then blast it again!" before Tuffnut exclaimed, "Stop saying what I'm saying now!"
"Yeah, that's certainly one approach," Hiccup told them. "An approach that could get us all killed," Zenna deadpanned as she and Hiccup walked over to the ice block. "Good sir and good m'am, I believe it is actually three approaches my fine fellows," Tuffnut said politely as he and Ruffnut jumped off the ice block.
"Okay, then those are three approaches that could get us all killed," Zenna clarified.
"Let's just get a better look at this thing," Hiccup said and turned to chubby Fishlegs Ingerman.
"Fishlegs, give me a slow burn," he instructed.
"With pleasure. Meatlug, Lava Blast," Fishlegs whistled. Meatlug, Fishlegs' sweet and huge female Gronckle woke up from her nap and plodded over to the ice block. With a lava blast, Meatlug melted off huge chunks of the ice and allowed Hiccup, Fishlegs and Zenna to get a better look at the dragon frozen within the ice. "Nice, Fishlegs," Hiccup commented. Freya, Snowheart, Lilac and the Night Lights came in, having been informed by Astrid. "Hey, I heard you found a dragon in the ice." Freya dismounted Snowheart and she came over.
"Oh, man…" Fishlegs mumbled in awe as he, Hiccup and Zenna pressed their faces to the ice. "Holy Shields…" Zenna gasped, getting a good look at the frozen dragon. "Is that what I think it is?" Hiccup wondered out loud. "I think so…but I've only seen pictures," Fishlegs replied.
Zenna then walked away from the ice, knowing that her one-legged surrogate brother and her chubby and nerdy friend were about to geek out over their latest find.
"Do you realize how huge this could be, FIshlegs?" Hiccup asked the chubby Ingerman. "Or epic comes to mind," Fishlegs grinned.
"Let the nerds nerd on…" Zenna giggled while Astrid said, "I hate it when they get like this." Folding her arms across her chest. "Don't you just?" Snotlout asked smoothly, resting his arm against Astrid's right shoulder pad, the Hofferson girl quickly shrugging him off.
"I should check the Book of Dragons to be sure about this," Fishlegs said once he and Hiccup stepped away from the frozen dragon. "Yeah, good idea. If you're right, this could be big trouble," Hiccup agreed with him as they left the Academy. "If someone doesn't start filling me in, I'm getting my axe!" Astrid shouted, running after them.
"Relax, 'Strid, don't get your braid all twisted…" Zenna sighed, following them out of the arena with Toothless and Stryka. Hookfang then had a feeling that the frozen dragon was bad news and growled at Snotlout and the Twins to try to get them to back away from the thing.
Snotlout merely shrugged and looked to the Twins. Tuffnut eagerly smashed his fist into his palm, indicating that he wanted to cause some mayhem. That's when Hiccup and Zenna came back and said, "No one touches that ice while we're gone!"
The Twins and Snotlout put their hands up in a display of fake innocence and obedience.
Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Stoick was having a field day. Bucket and Mulch had returned and had reported to him and most of the men in the village about the Berserker skirmish. Apparently, they all thought that it was a declaration of war.
"Alright, calm down," Stoick said stoicly.
"This is an act of war!" Mulch protested. "We can't jump to conclusions about what this attack means," Stoick said firmly. Gobber the Belch, village blacksmith and dragon dentist, then said, "I don't know, Stoick. It seems pretty cotton-dried to me. I mean, if you think about it, an attack is an attack, am I right people?" getting himself and the men all riled up once again!
Edgar and Henna, Zenna's parents, both sighed and shook their heads, seeing that Gobber had just made things worse.
"And, thank you, Gobber," Stoick said sarcastically, slightly glaring at the two-limbed Viking. "Always here to help," Gobber said cheerfully, taking a swig of ale. Stoick's attention was brought towards Hiccup, Astrid and Zenna as they entered the Great Hall with Toothless and Stryka. "I think I know why Dagur's men attacked Bucket and Mulch," Hiccup informed the crowd.
"Go on, son," Stoick encouraged him. "We got a better look at the dragon that Bucket and Mulch found in the ice," Hiccup began. "We found a dragon? Oh, can we keep it? I've always wanted my own dragon, Mulch!" Bucket exclaimed excitedly. "Bucket, I don't think this dragon is right for you…" Zenna told him gently before Hiccup said, "Uh…it's a Skrill."
Upon hearing the name of the dragon that's been known to fly in lightning storms, the Great Hall quieted. "Oh…I don't want one of those," Bucket said before Mulch elbowed him in the ribs.
"A Skrill?" Henna and Edgar asked, Zenna nodding seriously.
"Are you sure about this, son?" Stoick asked slowly.
"He's not lying, Chief." Aurora said as she and Viggo came into the the Great Hall. "Looks exactly like Bolt and Blitz, it's a Skrill alright."
Hiccup then turned the pages to the Skrill section of the Book of Dragons. "Look, it's right here. That is definitely a Skrill," he said, looking at the drawing of the fierce Strike Class dragon.
"And the Skrill is the symbol of the…" Astrid said before trailing off.
"The Berserker Tribe," Zenna said grimly.
Out at sea, the maniacal leader of the Berserkers, Dagur the Deranged, was in high spirits as he addressed his men. "My brothers, this is a historic day for the Berserker Tribe. After many years, and many searches, Captain Vorg has found a Skrill!" he said, raising his second-in-command's hand up to the cheers of his armada.
"It is such a great occasion," Dagur declared, painfully bending Vorg's arm back as he continued talking. "I am willing to forgive his failure to bring it to me," he said, forcing Vorg down and kicking him in the shins. "Get up," Dagur hissed, Vorg following his orders and cradling his sore hand. "For centuries, the Skrill has represented our strength, our power, our ferocity. As long as Hiccup and his little dragon club have our dragon, we will not rest! We will take the Skrill out of his frail little hands and destroy those two Night Furies he and Zenna have together!" Dagur ended his speech with a flourish, his arm accidentally hitting Vorg in the face and sending him sprawling onto the deck.
'And after I get the Skrill and destroy Hiccup and all of Berk…' Dagur thought, grinning sadistically.
Back on Berk, Aurora, Shadow, Hiccup, Zenna, Astrid, Toothless, Stryka, Gobber, Stoick, Edgar and Henna had left the Great Hall to discuss the situation. "Legend has it the lightning comes from the Skrill's mouth! And thunder from its well…you know," Gobber told the teens, ignoring the slightly grossed out expressions on Henna and Edgar's faces. "Remind me never to get behind one," Astrid said sarcastically.
Then Fishlegs said, "That's actually inaccurate. According to the Book of Dragons, the Skrill drew lightning from the clouds and redirected it,"
"It could use that lightning to hit several targets at once, which is why it was such a feared dragon," Hiccup told them. "It could also store the lightning in its body and use it later," Fishlegs added.
"Wow, that's pretty impressive…" Zenna said in amazement.
"I've heard enough. We need to get rid of that Skrill. It's just the excuse Dagur needs to go to war," Stoick said firmly.
"You all know I love a good fight as much as the next person but why not just give it to them? It's just a frozen dragon carcass, after all," Gobber said casually.
Fishlegs looked rather nervous upon hearing the old blacksmith's last sentence. "Actually, because of their internal body temperature, Skrills can stay safely frozen for decades," he informed the group before they headed to the Dragon Academy.
"So, let me be clear…This dragon may still be alive…and you two left Ruffnut, Tuffnut and SNOTLOUT to guard it?" Stoick asked Hiccup and Zenna as calmly as he could, never mind that he looked ready to blow a gasket.
"Whoops…" Zenna mumbled sheepishly. "Okay…Sounds much worse when you say it. But i-it's frozen solid in a block of ice. How much damage could it possibly do?" Hiccup said before a flash of orange light came from the Academy followed by a dragon's roar!
"I'd say a lot…" Henna mumbled, paling. "A lot lot," Edgar said gravely.
Sensing the danger, Aurora, Toothless and Stryka ran on ahead. Inside the Academy, the whole area was covered in smoke. Perched on their Hideous Zippleback, Barf and Belch, Ruffnut and Tuffnut exchanged looks. "It's not that bad," Ruffnut said to her brother. "Yeah, maybe Hiccup and Zenna won't even notice," Tuffnut agreed with her. Riding Hookfang, Snotlout paled, realizing what the three of them had just done. "No, they're definitely gonna notice," he said nervously.
The Skrill had awoken from its cryogenic sleep.
"Yeah, for sure. They're gonna know," Tuffnut said just as Freya, Toothless and Stryka charged into the Academy. Shocked, both Night Furies surrounded the Skrill along with Meatlug and Stormfly. Unfamiliar with its surroundings and wary of the dragons, the Skrill took flight and lightning emanated from its wings, momentarily stunning the Riders and the dragons! But the Academy's metal web-like ceiling stopped the Skrill from escaping through the air and the lightning streaked across the metal structure.
Snotlout and Hookfang joined the dragons in the defense line, making the Skrill head for the Academy's land exit. Freya blocked the Skrill and electricity conducted around her body and her spines split open. Spreading her wings out, she roared at the Skrill. The Skrill conducted around her body too and she fired at Aurora. "Aurora!" Snotlout cried in worry but Aurora absorbed the electricity and conducted around her body and she fired back with her lightning plasma blast, causing a large explosion, sending her flying back and allowing the Skrill to escape into the sky.
Looking up the Twins were both in awe. Finally Tuffnut said, "I got a plan!" making Ruffnut say, "Great! What is it?" to which he replied with, "Blame Snotlout!"
Arriving on the scene, Hiccup and Zenna both sighed. "We are never letting you three guard anything ever again…" Zenna deadpanned. "Oh no…" Hiccup sighed. "Their fault!" Snotlout said quickly, pointing at the Twins. "Hey! He stole our plan!" Ruffnut whined.
"Zenna and I told you guys to leave it alone," Hiccup reminded the trio.
"Ugh..." Aurora groaned.
"Aurora!" Are you alright!" Edgar and Henna came to her side and helped her up, "Are you okay dear?" Henna asked. Freya nodded.
"What happened?" Edgar asked.
"I'll tell you what happened, she confronted the Skrill head on." Tuffnut stated with a smile.
"You did what?!" Zenna and Hiccup exclaimed.
"Ha! You bet! They fired their lightning attacks making a large explosion." Snotlout added. "It was awesome!" Hiccup groaned before hearing his father groan as well.
"What is it, Dad?" Hiccup asked his father, who was holding a chunk of ice blown off in the explosion. Stoick felt a pattern forming and slowly began to connect the dots.
"When I was a lad, my father's father used to sit me on his knee and tell me stories. I thought they were just tales…" Stoick said thoughtfully. "Tales about what?" Hiccup asked his Dad curiously.
"Berserker fleets attacking behind harnessed dragons that brought down lightning from the sky and destroyed everything in their path!" the great Chief said grimly.
Hiccup and Zenna slowly put two and two together before looking at each other fearfully and back up at Stoick. "And if Dagur gets his hands on the Skrill then…uh oh…" Zenna gulped. "You don't think the Berserkers could actually control…a Skrill?" Hiccup questioned his father.
"I didn't think anyone could ride a Night Fury. We just can't take that chance! If the Berserkers find that Skrill and know some way to control it…" Stoick said gravely.
"Then Berk and even the whole Barbaric Archipelago could be destroyed!" Henna gasped.
"This is bad…really bad…" Edgar muttered.
"Oh pfft. The Beserkers are not going to destroy everything with one Skrill." Aurora dismissed.
"And how do you know that?" Stoick challenged.
"One: I have two Skrills and Two I have three Death Songs and easily amber that thing in one hit." Aurora deadpanned.
"... Have to agree, she's got a point, Chief. Plus with all the dragon friends she has, we have a decent defense." Zenna stated.
"We'll find it, Dad. Zenna and I promise," Hiccup said reassuringly to his father.
"And we'll find it before those no-good Berserkers do," Zenna added. Stoick knew he could trust his son and his son's best human friend. But, as lightning streaked across the sky, Stoick hoped that they really could…
The next day was cloudy and overcast as the Riders set out in search for the Skrill. Aurora and Viggo went with them too with Viggo riding Venom and Aurora was flying on her own.
"Any idea what we do after we find it?" Astrid asked Hiccup and Zenna as they flew.
"We catch it, we tame it, we train it," the two bonded siblings replied in unison. "Keep it away from Dagur so he doesn't use it against us," Hiccup added while making sure to keep a watchful eye on his surrogate sister.
"Oh, yeah, that sounds easy enough," Astrid said, her voice sugarcoated with sarcasm.
"Actually the Skrill does have some weaknesses. According to the Book of Dragons, it can't redirect any lightning if it's in the water," Fishlegs piped up.
"That's a start," Hiccup said, relieved, as Snotlout and Hookfang flew beside him and Toothless.
"No! A start would be having any clue where the stupid thing is. We've been circling the island for hours and I'm starving," Snotlout complained to his cousin.
"Quit complaining," Zenna sighed, rolling her eye at the Jorgenson boy. But something about Snotlout's complaints made Hiccup get an idea. "Snotlout, you just said unintentionally brilliant!" the one-legged teen told Snotlout who replied, "Of course I did!" in a superior tone before looking confused and asked, "What was it again?"
"When you wake up in the morning, what's the very first thing you wanna do?" Hiccup asked him. "Well, usually, I have to…" Snotlout was about to finish his sentence with 'go to the bathroom' when Hiccup interrupted with, "No, after that."
Snotlout face palmed himself. "Oh! Eat," he replied at last.
"Exactly. Fishlegs, what is the Skrill's food of choice?" Hiccup asked the chubby Ingerman boy. Thinking carefully, Fishlegs got it and led them to one of Berk's sheep farms. This particular farm was owned by Silent Sven.
And when the Riders got there, it was plain to see that the Skrill had stopped by recently for breakfast.
While Tuffnut busied himself with poking a sheep with a stick alongside his sister, the other Riders interrogated Silent Sven who, due to being, well, silent, told the kids of how he fought off the Skrill before it could make off with the rest of his flock by gesturing wildly with his hands and a handy spear. Brenda, Silent Sven's helper on the farm, stood by his side, petting a spooked sheep.
"And then you fought off the Skrill…with your head," Astrid translated the best that she could to which Silent Sven nodded. "Hey, this guy, Silent Sven? Remind me not to rustle any more sheep from his farm," Snotlout remarked. Fishlegs gave the Jorgenson boy a scolding look while Silent Sven pointed the spear right at Snotlout's face, not pleased to know that it was Spitelout's arrogant son who had been sheep rustling in his farm lately.
"Hahaha…" Snotlout laughed weakly as he and Fishlegs backed away.
"Uh, he's silent. Not deaf," Fishlegs reminded Snotlout who was shoved away by Astrid.
"Any idea where the Skrill went?" Astrid asked. Silent Sven shook his head before looking up at the sky that was suddenly streaked with lightning. "That way?" Hiccup guessed, pointing to the sky that was now covered in thunderclouds. "Pretty good feeling that it is that way, Hicc," Zenna shrugged while the sheep ran for cover.
Getting back on their dragons, the seven Dragon Riders took flight.
"Shhh…it's okay, baby…Nothing out here. Nothing's going to get you…" Fishlegs reassured Meatlug as his Gronckle warbled worriedly.
A loud clap of thunder was heard and Hiccup held up his hand.
"Hold up, everybody!" he told the other Riders and they waited. A few seconds later, the Skrill emerged from the dark clouds!
"Here comes the thunder…" Zenna murmured.
"No pun intwendwed…" Stryka warbled, growling along with Toothless.
"Okay, now what?" Astrid asked Hiccup.
"Everybody stay back! If the Skrill sees just one dragon, maybe it won't attack," the one-legged teen told her and all the other Riders before he and Toothless forged on ahead.
"Please be careful, you two…" Zenna mumbled as Hiccup and Toothless faced off against the Skrill.
Both dragons flew straight towards each other before the Skrill swooped past Toothless, startling the other Riders out of the clouds. Hiccup got Toothless to fly a safe distance beside the Skrill, which growled upon seeing the intruders in its air space. "Hey there, fella, you've been asleep a long time, huh?" Hiccup said gently, carefully reaching out to touch the Skrill and hopefully calm it down. In response, the Skrill's entire body began to spark up with electricity!
"I'm guessing you're pretty cranky…hungry too!" Hiccup managed to say before drawing his hand back as the Skrill flew away. For a minute, Hiccup and Toothless couldn't find the Skrill until it suddenly flew up right in front of them! Lightning struck the Skrill from all angles, making its body crackle with electricity!
"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out in alarm, leading the Riders to come to his rescue. The Skrill then opened its mouth and prepared to fire! Hiccup and Toothless flew out of the way but that didn't stop the Skrill from unleashing its lightning blast at the other Riders!
"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted as his Milady dodged the blast along with the others before ducking as the Skrill opened fire at him and Toothless!
"Oh no ya don't!" Aurora roared at the Skrill as she conducted lightning around her body. The Skrill roared and fired its lightning blast at her. Aurora flew right into it and she collided with the Skrill in mid air.
"Aurora!" Zenna cried in horror. The Skrill and Aurora snarled at each other before separating and the Skrill unleashed its lightning once more and Aurora unleashed her lightning filled plasma blast as well, resulting in an explosion, allowing the Skrill to fly away.
"Follow me! I've got an idea," Hiccup called out to the other Riders before he, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka swooped down and flew close to the water.
"Zenna and I are going to drive through the cloud from above and drive that Skrill down to you guys so we can all drive it into the water," Hiccup instructed the rest of the team.
"Got it!" Tuffnut said before saying, "No, I don't! Sorry, can we go back to the first part? About how you and Zenna are in the cloud or is the cloud in you two? I-It's all…It's sort of nebulous for me like a cloud, in fact." Making Hiccup put a hand to his already aching head.
"Oh, Tuffnut…" Zenna sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Just do whatever everyone else does…" Hiccup said in defeat. "And how exactly are we gonna find the Skrill in that cloud?" Astrid asked him.
"Toothless and Stryka don't need to see to find something, remember?" Hiccup reminded her.
"Does that work in clouds?" Astrid asked.
"Come to think of it, we've never tried that before…Wonder if it really works…" Zenna wondered out loud. "There's only one way to find out," Hiccup said before Toothless and Stryka both flew up and, then, went into a power dive through the cloud.
"Toothless, Stryka, now!" Hiccup and Zenna shouted, their two best dragon friends firing plasma blasts downward. With the light from the plasma blasts, the four best friends were able to spot the Skrill hidden in the cloud and proceeded to lure it to the other Riders.
The Skrill soared right over Astrid and Stormfly, followed by Hiccup, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka. Determined, the girls followed them, Stormfly firing blasts of flame to keep the Skrill flying in one direction while Toothless and Stryka both fired plasma blasts to try to knock the Skrill into the water. "It's working!" Astrid shouted, seeing that the Skrill was getting closer to the water.
"Time to give this dragon a bath!" Tuffnut said as he and Ruffnut arrived on Barf and Belch.
"I'll bet he hates it as much as we do!" Ruffnut said. But, just as Barf let loose the gas and Belch was about to spark it off, a flaming projectile came out of nowhere and made the gas blow up prematurely and sent the Twins and their Zippleback reeling! Astrid and Stormfly themselves barely dodged a catapult round and Astrid alerted the other Riders, "We're under attack!"
Arrows suddenly came flying out of nowhere towards Hiccup and Zenna!
"Incoming!" Zenna shouted, Toothless and Stryka quickly dodging them.
Fishlegs had to jump up into the air to dodge another one that was shot at him and Meatlug while Snotlout didn't notice the Skrill come up from behind him and Hookfang!
"Oh no…" the Jorgenson boy mumbled the minute he looked over his shoulder and saw the Skrill, frantically having Hookfang fly in a zigzag pattern to avoid getting blasted. Then the Skrill's electrified wing smacked Snotlout in the helmet! "Gaahaablulbllubddddubiibllaabliibloouu!" Snotlout began to babble in gibberish as the Skrill flew off.
"Oh, great…Hiccup, you might wanna see this…" Zenna muttered, spotting a ship with a very familiar crest on the sail. "Uh…is that…?" Hiccup mumbled uneasily, also spotting the three ships.
"Surprise, surprise, Hiccup and Zenna!" Dagur said, laughing in his typical deranged fashion. After stopping himself laughing, Dagur placed his plams together and said, "Now, get your dainty little hands off my Skrill!" as his men loaded the catapult again and fired more arrows!
Meatlug, Toothless and Stryka both backed off while Hiccup, Zenna and Fishlegs looked at each other worriedly.
Things had officially escalated into madness!
Three catapult rounds were about to hit but, luckily, Toothless and Stryka flipped themselves upside down to blast two while Meatlug managed to catch the last one in her mouth. "Great…A Skrill on the loose and, now, we have Dagur the Deranged and his men on us…" Zenna deadpanned.
"Let's get out of range before they reload," Hiccup told her and Fishlegs, the latter already flying as fast as his Gronckle's wings could take him. "Already ahead of you!" Fishlegs said hastily as he and Meatlug retreated.
Then a huge net came flying out of nowhere and caught Aurora! "WAH!"
"Aurora!"
"I'll get her, Venom..!" Viggo called and the Triple Stryke flew down and slashed the net, freeing Aurora.
"Darn it!" Dagur grumbled.
"Let's go, bud," Hiccup said, barely containing his rage, as he and his friends flew out of range.
"Hahaha! They're running!" Vorg laughed triumphantly. Dagur walked over to Vorg and glared at him. "They're regrouping, you idiot! That's it. You're relieved of duty," he snapped before shoving Vorg off the ship, the poor man shrieking before he hit the water.
Once Vorg was off the ship, Dagur focused his attention on the Skrill.
"My Skrill is glorious! The legend doesn't do it justice. A dragon that can go head-to-head with Hiccup and Zenna and their Night Furies! And…they will both…be mine…" Dagur said, smiling evilly and clenching his fist. "Along with that hybrid girl..."
Fishlegs was the first to find a lone islet in the middle of the sea and Meatlug landed on it, followed by the rest of the team. Snotlout and the Hookfang were the last two to arrive, the former of the duo sporting a smoking helmet. "Hey, uh, Snotlout, are you okay?" Hiccup asked his cousin.
"Ha! He's better than okay! Did you see that lightning bolt to the head?" Tuffnut laughed.
"Bladuvist na!" Snotlout jabbered, looking confused as the words left his mouth.
"Tuffnut's right. Better than okay! And making more sense than usual!" Astrid said, holding back a laugh at Snotlout's dumbstruck expression. "Eh, enjoy it while it lasts. I think it'll only last a couple of hours," Zenna shrugged.
"Okay! He's out of it! So the rest of us will…" Hiccup managed to say before Snotlout spoke gibberish again. "Snotlout, we have no idea what you're saying!" Hiccup exclaimed after a few seconds of awkwardness. "Sure, we do. He said 'I'm perfectly fine.'," Tuffnut informed him, Snotlout speaking gibberish again. "Said it again, I told them," Tuffnut said, glancing at his friends' confused and surprised faces.
"What? I speak Post-Lightning Snotlout," the male Thorston informed them. "That's actually a language?" Zenna asked skeptically. "How many times has this kid been hit by lightning?" Hiccup asked in exasperation. "Often enough," Tuffnut replied, Snotlout speaking gibberish again to which he translated into, "Twelve, oh, really? Twelve times."
Snotlout angrily spoke in his strange post-lightning language again while balling his left hand into a fist. "He said, 'Enough talk! Dagur is all mine'," Tuffnut translated, Snotlout grinning before adding, "And 'Tuffnut is the toughest of us all.'" making Snotlout give him a frown. "He implied the last part," Tuffnut said. "As impressive as Tuffnut's capabilities as a translator are, I'm afraid we've got bigger problems to worry about," Zenna said while Hiccup sighed in frustration.
"Well, you heard the man, Astrid. Take Snotlout and Fishlegs and try to keep the Berserker ships occupied. Freya, Viggo, The Twins, Zenna and I will go after the Skrill. If Dagur gets his hands on it first, we won't stand a chance," Hiccup said, going into focus mode.
"Be careful. The lightning is attracted to metal and you two are wearing a lot more of it than the rest of us," Astrid reminded her boyfriend. Looking down at his prosthetic leg and Toothless' stirrup, Hiccup could see that Astrid was serious about her warning.
So, with Snotlout still speaking in his post-lightning language, the Riders headed out to confront the Berserkers and the Skrill.
Spotting the Berserker ships, Astrid said, "Stormfly, let's rock some boats!" her Deadly Nadder making a beeline for the ships and setting fire to one of them!
"Comun fringle sploffleborg!" Snotlout yammered as Hookfang set another boat on fire! "Oh, hello…" Fishlegs greeted one Berserker before Meatlug fired a Lava Blast and knocked the soldier right into the water.
Dagur still didn't want to give up. "Stay on target! He's tricky, that Hiccup and his one-eyed sister…" the Berserker chief muttered before taking cover as Stormfly's spines impaled themselves on the mast of his ship.
Meanwhile, up in the clouds, Aurora, Viggo, Venom, the Twins, Barf and Belch, Zenna and Stryka followed Hiccup and Toothless.
"Okay. I think I have a way to get the Skrill into the water but it's super risky," Hiccup began.
"You, my friend, are speaking our language," Tuffnut said, grinning eagerly.
"Well that makes things easier then," Zenna remarked. "Basically, you're gonna fly blind through the cloud and have Barf let out as much gas as possible. Don't let Belch ignite it until you get to the other side," Hiccup instructed the Thorston Twins.
Tuffnut put a hand on his chest. "Feel my heart because it comes forth and it is bursting through my chest!" he said dramatically. "Tuff, now's not the time for poetry," Zenna reminded him as Hiccup said, "Hopefully the blast will drive the Skrill out of the cloud towards Zenna, Stryka, Toothless and I, where the four of us can knock it down with a couple of plasma blasts."
"That's a lot of gas. Do you have any idea how a big a blast that will be?" Tuffnut asked him, seeing that Hiccup's idea was bordering on the edge of insane.
"No," Hiccup replied shortly. Tuffnut grinned along with Ruffnut. "Me neither! How awesome is this?!" he exclaimed before he and his sister went into the cloud with Barf and Belch.
"Knowing those two, they'll have a lot of fun…I just hope they can pull it off…" Zenna said worriedly, Stryka rumbling in agreement.
Flying Barf and Belch blind, Ruffnut and Tuffnut weren't able to see the Skrill but they were still determined to give Hiccup's crazy awesome plan a go. Then Ruffnut looked down and saw the Skrill's lightning. "That's it! Let loose!" she commanded Barf, her half of the Zippleback opening his mouth and letting out all the gas he could make. Belch was about to spark it off out of instinct but Tuffnut stopped him.
"Not you, Belch! Not yet," Tuffnut steadied his Zippleback head as they flew through the cloud.
"Wait for it…wait for it…GO!"
Once they reached the other side of the cloud, Tuffnut yanked on Belch's horns hard and sparks flew from Belch's mouth, igniting the gas and creating a super huge blast! "Yeah!" the Twins cheered at their success.
Meanwhile, with the light from the blast providing some light, Hiccup and Zenna were able to spot the Skrill that had been successfully driven out of hiding. "Skrill at twelve o' clock, Hicc!" Zenna shouted. "He's flying back up!" Hiccup yelled as the Skrill eluded their grasp and Toothless and Stryka followed the Strike Class dragon up into the lightning-streaked clouds. "Okay, bud, not too much. Just enough to bring him down," Hiccup told Toothless.
"We're not trying to injure it, girl. Just fire a weak shot," Zenna reminded Stryka.
Obeying their Riders' commands, Toothless and Stryka both fired weak plasma blasts. But then the Skrill turned around and shot lightning out of its mouth! All three shots combined to form a gigantic ball of plasma and electricity!
"Whoa…" Zenna breathed out as the blast ended.
"Okay, that's a new one. Let's see how he handles this," Hiccup said, the two of them and their Night Furies following the Skrill. Toothless and Stryka opened fire again but the Skrill fired back and each blast kept getting cancelled out!
Then the Skrill flew into the clouds and lightning hit its wings! "It's charging up for an attack!" Zenna alerted her comrades. "This is bad…" Hiccup muttered. The Skrill then fired a lightning blast that barely missed the four best friends and they were now the ones being chased! "This is worse!" Hiccup said as he, Toothless, Zenna and Stryka dodged lightning blast after lightning blast.
Down below, Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs were doing the best they can to keep the Berserkers occupied. "Snotrawt! Snotrawt! Noik! Noik! Noik!" Snotlout shouted, still speaking post-lightning, as Hookfang fired shot after shot at the Berserkers' ships. Dagur was already holding his crossbow when Vorg managed to climb back aboard. "Sir, look!" he alerted Dagur, pointing at the Skrill that was currently chasing Hiccup, Zenna, Toothless and Stryka.
"Well, well, it doesn't look like Hiccup and Zenna will catch my Skrill either," the deranged Berserker chief said, pleased.
"Well, perhaps, we should withdraw. Come back for the Skrill another day," Vorg suggested. "Didn't I throw you overboard?" Dagur questioned him.
"Well, I am an excellent swimmer," Vorg said before Dagur threw him overboard a second time.
"Press on!" Dagur commanded his men.
"Whoa! That one made my hair stand up! We need a plan fast…" Hiccup said as he and Zenna both ducked to avoid getting their heads fried by another lightning blast. "Kind of hard to come up with one given our current situation!" Zenna told him as the Skrill chased them. Suddenly, a lightning plasma blast came and struck the Skrill. "Claws off, Skrill.."
Snarling at the hybrid girl, it roared and flew straight at Aurora. "Aurora! No!" Zenna called. Viggo and Venom flew after the Skrill, "Viggo, Venom wait!" Hiccup cried.
Seeing the two coming towards it, the Skrill fired a lightning blast but Venom dodged it, "Venom, Sting!" Viggo orderred and Venom tried to sting it with its stingers but the Skrill dodged each attempt. "Agh, its as fast as Bolt and Blitz!" Viggo growled.
The Skrill unleashed a lightning blast at Aurora once more but she absorbed it and fired it back at the Skrill which used its wings to shield itself. The Skrill and Aurora roared at each other like two warriors.
Before they charged each other, sparking with lightning. Aurora roared and lightning bolts connected to her body as she flew. "Oh my gods..." Hiccup gasped. "Viggo, Venom, get back!"
Venom roared and flew back over to the four of them. The Skrill unleashed its lightning and Aurora unleashed her super charged lightning plasma blast at close range! The resulting explosion caused the Skrill, Viggo, Venom, Hiccup and Toothless, Zenna and Stryka and the Twins and Barf and Belch to go flying.
Their dragons managed to correct themselves. "Did anybody see where the Skrill went?" he asked the others.
"No," Astrid replied. "Nope," Fishlegs shook his head. "Norfblork," Snotlout said.
"Anyone see where the Twins and Zenna ended up?" Fishlegs asked.
"We're right here." Zenna said as she and the Twins came up.
"Viggo? Venom?" Hiccup called.
"We're alright." Viggo called as he and Venom came down, "But Aurora's missing!"
"MISSING?!" The others exclaimed in horror.
On Dagurs' deck, Savage watched as Alvin inspected an unconscious Aurora. Grinning, Alvin said, "Let's get the best back to Outcast Island. I have big plans for this girl...."
Whatever Alvin has planned for Aurora.. it could mean one thing... trouble...
"Aurora!" "Aurora, honey!" Edgar and Henna shouted out into the night on Serpent and Serpentine as they flew through another maze of sea stacks. Serpent and Serpentine warbled in worry for their riders friend.
"We know, boys. It's getting late, but we gotta keep looking," Edgar said to his half of the Zippleback.
It had been hours since the Skrill attack and Aurora was nowhere to be found. She was blown far away due the explosion when her super charged lightning plasma blast combined with the Skrill's lightning attack. When Edgar and Henna were informed, they nearly fainted out of panic.
Finally, after seeing that Freya was nowhere around the area, Edgar, Henna, Serpent and Serpentine went back to the Academy. They were met with Stoick, Gobber and Hiccup and Zenna, "Any sign of her?" Zenna asked.
"Nothing honey." Edgar stated sadly. Shadow, Midnight, Snow and all of Aurora's other dragons were worried for the savior and Viggo was worried about his girlfriend.
"Well its getting late; you two should get some rest." Stoick advised the couple.
"But Chief-" Henna stated but Stoick reassured them, "We'll look for her again at first light. I promise, right now, you both and your dragon need to rest." Henna and Edgar sighed, knowing the Chief had a point.
Gobber came up to the couple, "Don't worry. She's a tough little lass for her age. She'll be alright."
Henna and Edgar nodded and dismounted their dragon. "We'll find her, Mom and Dad. We'll find her." Zenna told her parents. Henna and Edgar nodded, hoping Freya was alright... where ever she is.
Meanwhile, on Outcasts island, Aurora was tied up and placed inside a cage with Alvin, Dagur and the Outcasts and Beserkers looking at her, amused.
"Haha, with this girl on our side, we'll finally destroy all Berk." Dagur said with glee.
"I'll never help you." Aurora growled. Alvin chuckled, "Oh, you won't have a choice, lassy..."
"What do you mean..?" Aurora hissed.
Dagur laughed, "Just you wait.. when we're done with you, we'll finally destroy Hiccup, Zenna and their annoying Night Furies and destroy the Archipelago." Aurora only looked at them in horror.
The next morning, the clouds were still up and Edgar and Henna were up with Hiccup and the other, trying to find Aurora. "Okay, so how big was the explosion the Skrill and Aurora created?" Stoick asked.
"Oh man.. it was very big. It must have blow her far from Berk with that much power.." Hiccup stated.
"Then we should start searching to the west and east, she couldn't have gotten flung North or South cause she dove towards the Skill from the North and the Skrill charged her from the South." Viggo stated.
"Right, now-" then before Stoick could continue, someone called, "Dagur and Alvin, coming in!"
Stoick looked at everyone, "Let's go..." Everyone nodded and mounted their dragons and flew over the sea and saw Dagur, the Beserkers, Alvin and the Outcasts on their ships. "Hahaha, I thought you'd show up, Hiccup.." Dagur called. The riders hovered in the air.
"What are you doing here, Dagur and Alvin?" Henna growled.
Dagur chuckled, "Oh we're just here to give you all a little surprise.." he snapped his fingers and Savage and Vorg brought forth Freya's cage... with Aurora inside of it. "Aurora!" Zenna and her parents cried in horror. Aurora stirred and she weakly opened her eyes.. "Z-Zenna..." she weakly called.
"Let her go..!" Hiccup demanded. Toothless snarled.
"Hahaha... not a chance, we'll use her to destroy your precious island..." Dagur laughed as Savage and Vorg opened Aurora's cage and they chained her to the deck by her neck. "Aurora would never do such a thing.." Stoick claimed.
"That's my girlfriend, you're threatening!" Viggo growled in anger. "So let her go or else!" Venom roared and showed his three tails.
"Well then.. she needs some... encouragement." Alvin snapped his fingers and Savage and Vorg yanked on two ropes that were tied around her wings, forcing her to unleash her plasma blast at the riders. "Watch out!" Hiccup called and they all dodged. Dagur and Alvin laughed as Aurora nearly collapsed. They had her caged up and forced to her attack all night, now she was exhausted. "Get up, hybrid." Dagur hissed only getting a groan from Aurora.
"What now?" Astrid asked everyone. "We can't get close enough to them."
"There has to be a way." Hiccup stated. "We're not leaving Freya in Dagur or Alvins' hands."
Suddenly, a roar filled the air and lightning sparking dragon burst from the clouds and dive bombed towards the ships. "Is that..?" Astrid gasped.
"The Skrill?!" Zenna exclaimed and then two more Skrills joined in, "And Bolt and Blitz..!"
The Skrill, Bolt and Blitz roared and blasted the ships with its lightning blasts multiple times. "Shoot them down!" Alvin ordered and the Outcasts fired their arrows at the Skrill but Bolt blasted them with his lightning blast. Blitz then flew in and sparking lightning and it dove towards the Alvin's ship and fired lightning at the deck, forcing Dagur, Savage, Vorg and Alvin into the water!
"Now, everyone!" Hiccup called and the riders took their chance and attacked the ships. Zenna, her parents and their dragons landed on Alvin's ship and came over to Aurora. "Aurora.." Henna gasped, seeing her very weak. Aurora looked at her parents and her sister, "G-Guys..?"
"Shhh, don't worry. We'll get you out of here." Edgar promised. Zenna took out her battle sticks and she broke the chain and the metal collar dropped to the ground. Edgar picked up Aurora as the family mounted their dragons and flew back into the air.
Once the ships were taken care of, the group returned to Berk along with Bolt, Blitz and the Skrill. Aurora was taken to Gothi's where she was diagnosed with extreme exhaustion and needed a lot of rest.
Hiccup and Zenna approached the purple Skrill, "Thanks for helping us.." Hiccup said and the Skrill bowed to them before it flew off into the air. "I still can't believe that thing helped us." Snotlout scoffed.
"Well if he didn't than we would have never gotten Aurora back.." Hiccup stated.
Zenna looked at Aurora with guilt in their eyes, "I should have been closer to her... I should have-"
"Zenna love, don't blame yourself." Henna cut in.
"Yeah, it's not your fault. It's mine. I'm her boyfriend. I shouldn't have let her face the Skrill alone.." Viggo said sadly.
"She did to protect you, Hiccup and her friends." Edgar pointed out. "You would have done the same for her, Viggo.." Viggo nodded and Stoick and Gobber came over to her, "She's been through the worse, lass and she bounced back." Stoick reassured.
"Aye, she's a Fiersome alright, never letting anything hold her down." Gobber said. "Gets that from you." Zenna and her parents chuckled.
"Now, lets leave her to rest." Stoick advised. Everyone nodded and they left Aurora to rest and recover from what she's been through.