Chapter 15:
As the fog swallowed the Berkians battleships, the Riders and the Nadder team followed behind, forming a diamond in the air, preparing to blow up the possible Berserker ships. Everything was blurry and unclear in the fog, and ships needed to stay within earshot in order to communicate.
Since the end of the war against the Romans, Berkians never encountered a battle that would make them nervous and question themselves about winning.
"Thundercloud" led the fleet with Stoick standing on the deck. As the ships moved into the fog, Stoick recalled years ago when they were heading for Helheim's gate, with Toothless chained up on the deck.
"This place is way too quiet for a sea ambush," said Gobber.
"Keep your ears sharp, bud," Hiccup said to Toothless.
A sea stack showed up in front of the fleet. The top of the sea stack was hidden in fog, which was a great place to have a crossbow team.
"Check out the sea stack, bud," after Hiccup finished his sentence, Toothless detached from the Riders and flew up, closer and closer to the top.
Some ambiguous figures could be seen as Hiccup and Toothless closed their distance. Those figures looked like some ghosts were wandering around in Midgard. A shadow of a ballista pointing at the sea gave away the Berserker' position.
"Are those…"
"Attack!"
Two dragon root arrows shot Toothless when someone shouted that word out loud. Rocks and nets were launched from the top of the sea stack while another fleet of ships with the symbol of a Skrill on their sails appeared from the side.
"Off the port quarter!" Gobber yelled as he ducked behind the mast for protection. Three arrows buried deep into the wood but didn't pierce through.
Toothless lost control of himself and started falling towards the sea. His black, scale-covered body spun in the air and yanked Hiccup off the saddle.
"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted as he was trying to open his own wings.
"Fishlegs, go and get Toothless and rest of you guys attack the sea stack," Astrid gave an order to the Riders and the Nadder team, "I think they fortified it. I will get Hiccup."
"Ohh, unexpected," Snotlout said with a smirk as he and Hookfang flew towards the sea stack with other riders.
As Meatlug grabbed the unconscious Toothless, a slungshot caught Hiccup in midair. Astrid could clearly hear someone on the sea stack "woo-hoo" ed in excitement.
Hiccup couldn't use his wings while the ropes of a slungshot restrained him, so he dropped to the sea like a piece of rock. He struggled hard to break free but failed to do so.
"Ahhhhhh!"
The Berkians were too busy to notice their chief's son was falling from the sky because they engaged with Cosmos 2, which was hiding in the fog beside the sea stack waiting for the Berkians to come.
A Nadder dove down from the air with Astrid on her back. Stormfly caught Hiccup in her big claws after avoided an arrow from nowhere.
"You got him?" Astrid asked.
Stormfly screeched in response and turned her head towards the boy in her claws that was tangled in some ropes. Hiccup gave a gentle smile to her.
"Good girl," Astrid patted Stormfly's neck and looked down at Hiccup with a sly smile, "Need some help?"
"Yeah," Hiccup replied, "Do you have something sharp so that I can cut myself free."
His long, auburn hair was waving in the air as Stormfly was flying across the sky attacking Berserker ships. He couldn't do anything but to relax in Stormfly's grip.
"You know what? I like the view of you in the air," Astrid said as she blocked an arrow with her axe, "I wish right now we are on your bed so that someone won't be able to fight for the dominance with ropes on."
"Common, Astrid, this isn't the time for that. We are in the middle of a battle and I'm in the air," Hiccup almost begged, "Just give me your axe so that I can free myself."
"Then you need to promise me that next time when we do things I can tie you up."
"Excuse me?"
"Or you will remain restrained by that slungshot and held in Stormfly's claws."
"This conversation is feeling very one-sided," Hiccup sighed while he did some useless resists, "I don't have a choice, do I?"
"This might be my only chance to do something like that," Astrid laughed as she winked her eyes at Hiccup, "You would've pinned me to the wall and do whatever you wanted to do if I asked you this question at your hut yesterday."
"You are killing me, Astrid," Hiccup thought about Astrid's demand for a sec, "Fine, deal, give me your axe and tell me where is Toothless?"
"Yeah!" Astrid shouted with excitement and threw a punch in the air. After she calmed herself down, she passed her axe to Hiccup, "Fishlegs got him, but I guess he is unconscious right now. He got shot by two dragon root arrows."
"There will be repercussions," Hiccup complained.
"I'll take my chances, sir," Astrid said in a weird tone.
Hiccup cut through the slungshot and climbed onto Stormfly's saddle and sat there, and put his arms around Astrid's waist as a seatbelt. He looked down at the sea, the sea was covered by ships, debris, and dead bodies. The Berkians were outnumbered by one to seven or more. The bows of the Berserker ships were made by iron and forged into a cone. These iron bows were strong enough to break through Berkians wooden ships and create a large hole on the hull.
Hiccup could see a huge Viking smashing everyone with two maces in his hand. When some Berserkers tried to engage with him, they only got thrown away by an incredible force which they didn't have time to dodge or run away.
That figure was Stoick. Gobber and other Berkians fought beside him and were trying their best to protect their chief. This group of Vikings jumped from ships to ships, and every deck they boarded were covered by blood and parts of a body. The deck of "Thundercloud" was filled by dead Vikings that bodies were started to pile up.
The top of that sea stack was rebuilt into a giant turret by the Berserkers with shield walls protecting two over-sized catapults that could sink a ship in one hit and three ballistae with a rate of fire of forty arrows per minute or twenty slungshots per minute. At least two dozens of crossbow shooters were defending the turret with dragon root arrows.
The two catapults created a large amount of damage to the Berkians while the weapons on their ships couldn't reach the top of the sea stack. The Riders and the Nadder team tried to directly destroy the sea stack but failed.
Stoick knew that it was impossible to retreat while the Berserkers surrounded them up with more than 60 armored ships. The Berkians already lost more than half of their ships and men, but they still formed their ranks and fought as one.
"Nigerlina, let the Nadder team constantly attack the sea stack," Hiccup shouted as Stormfly flew pass the riders, "Riders, disengage with the sea stack and help our fleet."
"Right behind you," Fishlegs said as Meatlug dove down towards a Berserker ship and destroyed its mast.
"I love this plan," Snotlout bellowed as he jumped off from Hookfang's back with an extra-sized bludgeon in his hand and landed on a Berserker ship's upper deck. He swung the bludgeon and knocked a Berserker overboard.
"Take this, you halitosis haddock!" Snotlout cheered as he struck a Berserker with a crossbow and smashed both his limbs and his crossbow into pieces, "Well, no offense, Hiccup."
"Right, right, do whatever you want, just try to find a way to save our ships," Hiccup murmured to himself as he drew his inferno and landed on the ship which Stoick and Gobber were swinging weapons like a windmill.
"Hiccup, what are you doing?" Astrid soon realized that Hiccup was gone, "If you want to help the fleet, you can use the dragons as well."
"Try to keep my dad out of trouble," Hiccup replied as he knocked out a ballista user and threw his body into the ocean.
"Well, if you want to do that," Astrid said as she also landed beside Hiccup and brought down a Berserker who tried to attack Hiccup from the back, "You need someone to watch your ass."
"That is very helpful, milady," Hiccup said as he launched three arrows by the ballista.
"I didn't fall in love with you because of your muscles and masculine performances."
"I know, otherwise you should be with…well, other Vikings like Dagur right now. And I will never get a girlfriend."
A Berserker ship crashed into the ship which the Berkians were fighting, and the iron bow created a giant hole on the deck and pushed some Berkians overboard. At least two dozens of Berserker soldiers boarded the ship with weapons. They were shouting at the top of their voices and threw their enemies into the water before they could react to the dramatic change in their battlefield.
Stoick and Gobber barely survived from the first wave of attack. Out of the twenty-five Berkians, they had four remaining. The Berserkers surrounded the remaining Berkians at the middle of the deck while more and more soldiers boarded that ship. Hiccup and Astrid hid by the stern, trying to find a way to save the giant-like Viking.
"What do you think? Right now we still have the opportunity to think before those big-bellied Vikings remove our heads," Astrid whispered as she held her axe tightly in her hands.
"Mmmm…" Hiccup scratched his head anxiously.
Astrid stared at his hand movement for a moment, and slowly and unconsciously reached her hand towards his head and replaced his hand by digging her fingers into his hair. It felt like a million years since she touched his hair, and she totally ignored their situation. She wanted to feel his scalp and hear the sound that he usually made when she massaged him.
An arrow missed her by less than an inch and pulled her out from the daydreaming about Hiccup. She withdrew her hand quickly and nervously. Why did she have this feeling again? Astrid thought. In the past few weeks, she had countless dreams about him getting laid by her.
For Thor's sake, you better control your feelings. Astrid said to herself with a slight of guilt.
Surprisingly, during the time which Astrid dug her hand in his hair, Hiccup didn't protest or try to deny her hand. Seemed like he actually enjoyed this affection when arrows and rocks were flying around them and Vikings got their head removed by other Vikings.
"Ok, Astrid, here is what we'll do."