I would like to apologize for the wait. I initially intended on releasing this chapter at an earlier date, but this week on Monday I had a surgery operation on my right hand, thus I can't use it, so it took some time to type this one o ut. Just know I will still be making chapters, but they will be made at a slower rate.
Also, thanks to those who recently reviewed!
Now, let's move on - shall we?
A loud boom erupted from the Devastator as Hiccup pulled the lever, and from the destructive war machine, a large projectile of metal and fire hurled towards the iron cog battleship in the distance, and when both the projectile and the ship met, it was a massacre.
With the sails on the ship raised and unable to escape, and the crew of twenty atop of it unable to react, the vessel bursted out into flames as one of the barrel stocks of tar and oil had been also been lit, causing a bigger explosion to follow before the cog ship and all of the dismounted Devastators aboard it exploded, bringing the crew with them to their fiery deaths as screams could be heard from afar.
Stoick, along with the rest of the fleet, saw this all go down from the distance. "That's the signal..." he said, and it was then that they all knew; it was time to strike.
The mighty Chieftain of Berk unsheathed his axe, and raised it towards the sky. "LOWER ALL SAILS!" he shouted. "FORWARD, VIKINGS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO! BATTLE AWAITS!"
The sound of battle horns booming, warriors running and chattering aboard the ships, and sails lowering followed by torches and lanterns lighting up took fold all across the fleet. Their position was no longer hidden, and now the Jomsvikings had a fleet of a thousand angry Vikings sailing towards them with one hundred ships.
From the main beach, where the gates and the main wall was housed, more than a hundred Jomsviking warriors saw the approaching fleet getting closer and closer as they crowded in front of the main gate, and this as a result also caught the attention of the prison fortress' leader from atop the wall.
The large iron gates to the fortress opened up before the small but elite army, and out came the Jomsviking general. "What's going on here!?" the general demanded, approaching the center of the crowd.
"General Borgrin!" a warrior called out. "It's a surprise attack! The enemy has been waiting, hidden from us! We didn't see them coming-!"
Suddenly, another large boom fired from the same Devastator that destroyed the previous ship, and what followed was a large explosion from inside the fortress itself as a tower and a few huts came crashing down in flames.
The general looked behind, towards the opened gate, and saw the madness that was beginning to unfold.
"Fools!" he grunted, turning around and pushing aside two Jomsvikings. "You've let our enemies expose us from the inside out, and now one of our own Devastators are being used against us! You dishonor Chief Ivar!"
The general turned back to face the gate, before proceeding to make his way inside the fortress, with his first thoughts being to make way to the stronghold.
"Wait… but- what about us!?" one warrior asked.
"YOU'RE JOMSVIKINGS!" the general bellowed. "You can take down ten of those fools with only one of yourselves! There's two hundred of us! Deal with them!"
The large gates shut behind them, and the Jomsvikings turned towards the two main watchtowers that were positioned opposite from each other, both located near the beachhead of the shore.
The captain stepped forth. "Get the warriors atop those towers armed and ready! Prepare the Devastators… and make ready for the new killing machine! Let arrows rain down upon our enemy!"
The horn of the Jomsvikings blew loudly, sounding the order to ready their arms. They then began rallying towards the beachhead with their bows, axes, shields, and swords ready and in-hand, taking cover behind extremely sturdy wooden barricades near the towers.
What was certain now, was that a fight was about to break loose.
Back on the other side of the island, on the side beach, Hiccup and the small group had finished sabotaging the unguarded Devastator, and now it was time for them to take action of their own.
"It's time we get rid of this foul weapon!" grunted Hiccup, mounting atop Toothless before beginning to meddle with the weapon. "All of you, down the tower, now!"
Astrid looked at Hiccup, confused. "What are you going to do, Hiccup?"
"Give it a self-destructing farewell. Now just do as I told you before this things explodes on us!"
The three of them, now knowing what Hiccup was doing, wasted no time and began running down the stairs for their lives. If Hiccup was meddling it for a self-destructing farewell, then that could only mean a self-destructing explosion from the weapon on itself and the tower.
Each torch they passed by, they knew they were getting closer and closer to the door, and by the time they ran out it - a large explosion from the top of the tower erupted as the whole structure came crashing down on itself. The wave of the blast sent Astrid, Magnus and Eira flying forward, making them land on their fronts as Hiccup flew down from the black smoke that was now emanating from the large inferno of what remained of the tower.
The three of them stood up on their feet, facing Hiccup who had a smirk on his face, even when he dismounted Toothless and approached them with a slight chuckle.
"Now that was a blast!"
Eira nodded. "Yeah, well you could say that again!" she replied, motioning with her head for Hiccup to turn around. The battlecries of warriors came running up the hill, and soon enough the fourteen Jomsvikings of which were distracted had corned the four Vikings and the Night Fury.
Spears, axes, and swords were pointed out towards the young Vikings, but they nonetheless still stood their ground.
"So, you're the fools that burnt down our storehouse, and destroyed our Devastator and watchtower!" one of them said, stepping forward. "Our General will be pleased when we cut off your heads and-"
Before being able to continue however, a blast of fire from nearby rained upon the Jomsvikings' left side of the line, sending three flying back in flames, down the cliffs and into the ocean.
"Toothless, plasma blast!" shouted Hiccup, and after less than a second the Dragon let out a powerful blast of plasmic fire, causing a shockwave to send the Jomsvikings nearly down to the ground, whilst blasting a few back in flames.
Not more than a minute would pass by before the small Jomsviking group would be finished off as more Dragon fire rained down from above, and from the skies descended four familiar figures along with four familiar Dragons.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun, now could we?" called out Snotlout as Astrid's Dragon came flying down towards her, landing before the shield maiden before giving a bow to allow her to mount up.
"It's good to see you, girl." she said, petting the Dragon's head before mounting up with Eira, offering the older Viking a hand.
Eira grunted, unsheathing her blades. "I think it's time that we show these bastards what happens when we unleash our might upon them, isn't it?"
"Indeed, it is." replied Magnus, mounting atop Toothless behind Hiccup before the Night Fury took flight once more. "Today, it's either victory, or Valhalla!"
The riders cheered as their Dragons became fully airborne, all before making their way towards the outpost base next to the docks with their mouths hot and lit with fire…
Back near the main shoreline of the isle, Stoick began to address the men of whom were aboard his ship, as well as those from other nearby ships who were in his range to hear him and prepared to land.
"Listen up, men!" he announced, raising his voice. "Once we go on that beach head, there is no turning back! Up ahead, our foe is small in number, but heavy and elite in strength! If we're to prevail tonight, we must hold the line as one! Stay together! Sail forward!"
"Sail forward!" The order was repeated throughout the ranks from ship to ship until the speed of their knots increased. Soon enough, the first wave of two hundred Archipelago Vikings reached the beach, and the horn was sounded to start the attack.
Hooligans, Berserkers, Outcasts, Meatheads, Bog Burglars and the Trappers; all of them advanced as one force upon jumping off their ships and onto shore, charging forward towards the barricades and two towers that laid in the distance…
However, what they were hit with was something they did not see coming. From atop the towers, not only were both Devastators firing at their targets, but so were the Arrow Launchers.
The Jomsvikings mounted atop the arrow killing machines kept loading stack after stack of arrows within the advanced weapons, putting dozens and dozens of arrows in at a time which were stored in large iron cartridges before rotating the levers to send volleys of arrows at the enemy, with four arrows sent out a second.
This first volley of arrow fire and Devastator fire from the Jomsvikings decimated the front line of the first wave, killing nearly half of the Vikings that were charging forth. It took a few moments for them to react to the weapons however as their shields became raised, and they attempted to continue the charge.
From afar, Stoick and Eret watched as their warriors were pummeled down by the enemy, and yet they still tried to stand their ground.
"By Thor's beard." Stoick gasped. "Ivar's new weapon is more deadly than I thought… the madboy just keeps getting smarter and stronger with his inventions."
"It's something not even I or my trappers could've thought of." commented Eret, unsheathing one of his short swords and shield. "But to Hel would I let my men fight without me. I must join the charge."
Stoick shook his head. "You're going to be massacred out there! Those ballistas fire more than just an arrow a second you know, and you will be impaled with them if you step a single foot onto that beach-"
"RETREAT!" a voice called out in the distance.
Stoick gazed onto the beach and saw to his shock that the first wave was beginning to route. More than half of the initial force had been slain, and those couple dozen warriors who made it to the barricades were easily cut down by the Jomsvikings, for they were no match for the warriors' elite skill.
The remainder of the first attack force ran towards shallow water and hid behind the wreckages, hiding from the overwhelming force that was being put onto them.
"Damn it!" grunted Stoick, unsheathing his axe as he marched forward to the front of the ship. "We need to stop the Jomsvikings NOW... Right then, Eret. Blow the horn, and call for a full on attack-!"
Just as he finished speaking, an arrow came whooshing by him at a fast speed to the point where he could barely react. Thankfully, the arrow missed him and had not found a target, but the Chief's blood boiled.
"Stoick?" questioned Eret.
"Do it!"
Eret said no more, and did as he was told. The attack horn was blown and all of the ships advanced forward to aid their allies, going at full sail towards the shore.
However, it wasn't meant for them to land without another attack from the sea. The second iron cog battleship had finished encircling the entire island, and it had spotted the Archipelago fleet. The Jomsvikings aboard the vessel rushed to man the Devastators, and soon enough a barrage of fire and metal had begun to rain down upon the fleet.
A warrior from afar shouted; "TAKE COVER!" only to have his ship and his crew take a hit, destroying the longship with a single blow and sinking all ten warriors to the bottom of the ocean.
Left and right, ships started to sink from cannon fire like flies being swapped to the side with a mace, and it was at this point that Stoick had to make a desperate decision. Either sail forward and risk being attacked from behind, or stop and order a massive barrage of catapult fire onto the iron cog.
It wouldn't be his choice however.
Suddenly out of nowhere, from all around, all noises would be interrupted with a familiar sound that crackled the very skies with a high pitched screech that kept getting higher and higher, along with the feeling of wind rushing by every warrior like a hurricane coming down from the North.
From above, Stoick could faintly make out the shadow of a familiar black Dragon… with his son riding it. Toothless and Hiccup swooped down from the clouds, and with a powerful charged plasma blast the Night Fury released it onto the cog battleship, causing a huge explosion of fire on deck which took out more than half the crew and the majority of the Devastators aboard.
Not even a moment after that passed by, and immediately the rest of the Dragon Riders came along to join the fun, finishing off the battleship as its sails burnt, right until it slowly started sinking.
The fleet by this point was feeling hopeful now that their backs were covered, but that did not mean that the battle was anywhere close to over. Each ship that still stood with their sails up however had made it to the beach head, and by this point - every warrior wanted to spill blood.
They cheered, letting out their war cries as they jumped off the longships, rallying together as one.
"VALHALLA AWAITS!" Dagur bellowed, his syllables short and separate, but his words filled with encouragement.
Alvin roared out his warcry, raising his axe up. "Let'z show these bastards wha' 'appens when 'ey MESS WIF THA' OUTCAST TRIBE!"
Stoick soon followed with the other Chieftains, jumping off the flagship, and roaring so loud that the heavens of Asgard could hear him. "ODIN, GUIDE MY STRIKES!"
And soon, the change began. All forces pressed forward, running faster than they could have ever imagined. Their feet felt like lightning, and their stomps like thunder. Despite gaining heavy arrow and Devastator fire from the war machines fixed atop the towers, giving them casualty after casualty; they still, no matter what, did not stop running.
"CHAAAARGE!" Stoick roared, rushing forward with his warriors as his archers soon began to fire back arrows and bolts at those from atop the towers.
The near full might of the Archipelago, their bloodlust, had just been unleashed as they closed in onto the enemy with hundreds of voices screaming, and soon enough; battle was joined, but not without an impact.
The Jomsvikings stuck their spears and halberds outwards in a phalanx, and instantly the very front line of the huge Viking wave was annihilated on both sides, but with minimal kills. That did not stop the attack.
Mogadon jumped right into the action with Bertha of the Bog Burglars. Their axes and shields raised up and out as they sliced through their foes whilst blocking and avoiding arrow fire. Although the Jomsvikings were equally matched to them, their over-multitasking would leave them exposed to attack.
Where a Jomsviking took on one or three Archipelago Vikings at a time, Bertha and Mogadon would take the opportunity to fully expose that opponent by either disarming them, tricking them, or getting them down to their knees before those who were fighting the elite warriors would finish them off.
Dagur, Heather, and his berserkers worked like a pack, like how a true Tribe would. Knowing that the majority of the Jomsvikings did not have the berserking bloodlust they had recently learnt, they would use this advantage and rush into battle feeling little to no pain.
Especially Dagur and Heather. Wielding a pair of axes in their hands they would ignore the weight of the weapons and instead adjust to them, going into a blade-frenzy and spinning them in circles like a bladestorm. Many of their hits would surprisingly find their mark.
Alvin worked spreading outwards with his Tribe. Knowing that there was fighting all over the place, he would use the environment as his advantage for his warriors.
Hills, gaps, boulders, and much of the terrain to his disposal. He would set up archers over slopes where they could get hits, and behind boulders for side and surprise attacks. He would flank his warriors around to surround the Jomsvikings, all whilst performing a shield wall to block all enemy fire, and this worked perfectly in his favor as he charged in with brute force, having no Jomsviking match his strength.
Eret and the Trappers did what they did best. Whenever a Jomsviking was occupied, they would go in and use themselves to take down the elite warrior as they would when pinning down a Dragon. They would throw spears, let loose dots; anything to take the enemy by surprise whilst all was going on around the Jomsvikings. They fought them like wolves.
Stoick and Hooligans however, out of the other Tribes, were doing drastically better in their own way. Although they fought with the others, they had a different kind of experience. Instead, they fought like their enemy. Weeks training on end with Magnus had earned them a boost in their senses and fighting styles, plus their discipline was as straight as a perfect spine. And although they had trouble dealing with the Jomsvikings like the others, that did not stop them.
Still, though the enemy down below wasn't much of a problem, up above in the towers, things were intensifying. The two Devastators firing from their towers began to increase their firepower, and the Arrow Launchers seemed to putting on more pressure to the warriors.
If it were to continue like this, a fourth of the Archipelago's army would be lost in not even five minutes timed.
Stoick by this point had enough. He rushed to the very front of the line in a frenzy, roaring his way there with his axe gripped tightly in his right hand, and with the force of ten Dragons he forced himself through the front line of the Jomsvikings, pushing six or so of them out of the way before chopping them up with his weapon while they were still pinned to the ground. A dent had been created on the left flank of the attack.
Warriors rushed through the opening, slicing up the Jomsviking battle line from the inside out, which in turn would deal a devastating blow to them and cause them to slowly begin retreating.
The Chief of Berk wasn't done there yet however. He rushed up the stairs of the watchtower, not caring of what there was at the top, and as he got to the roof of the structure, it was a massacre.
Four warriors attempted to corner him as they rushed from the war machines, charging him with their weapons raised, but their rushing without thinking left them exposed despite their well-made armor.
The Hooligan Chief, gripped his mighty battle axe with both his hands, and spun around in a cleaving, horizontal arc towards the Jomsvikings.
The swing itself was stronger than the elite warriors could have anticipated, because by the time they reach Stoick, their weapons were sliced into two at their hilts, and their chests bled heavily as they each fell to the ground - lifeless whilst the stronger Viking stood victorious over them.
From across the battlefield, things were beginning to stabilize for the allied forces. From above, Toothless and Hiccup swooped in with the other riders at tail, and just like with the previous battleship that sank, the tower exploded in fire as the warriors manning the war machines at the top burnt before they jumped off the tower screaming.
Finally, the balance of power began to turn, and a chain route began for the Jomsvikings as they attempted to retreat, only to be cut down.
Hiccup saw this all from above, and smirked. "Victory is at our hand." he said. "More than half of the Jomsvikings have been slain, and all that remains is getting into their fortress... Fishlegs?"
The large and young Viking clenched his fists in satisfaction. "Don't mind if I do. Let's do this Meatlug!"
The Gronckle gargled in pleasure, backing away from the group before both the Dragon and the Viking atop her charged the main gates.
While charging, Meatlug spewed forth hot lava blasts that melted against the iron of the gates, and as she closed in upon it, she turned around so that her tail stuck out straight, and like a mighty battering ram the gates were brought down upon impact.
Hiccup cheered, unsheathing both of his blades from his waist as Toothless flew down towards Fishlegs. "Alright, Bud. Let's take the ground for this one."
"Let's see what is behind that foul gate." said Magnus, determined to rush into the fortress and bring and end to it.
Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira and the Riders dismounted from their Dragons upon landing next to Fishlegs and Meatlug, with the son of the Chieftain of Berk being at the head of the charge. And as Stoick and the other Chieftains closed in with their forces, they charged right on in.
Upon entering, archer fire from both flanks began pummeling onto them from four watchtowers, but they would easily be taken care of in response to Dragon fire from Toothless and the other Dragons.
Upon opening his eyes in the fortress, Hiccup saw that which he could have never imagined seeing with his very eyes. The prison fortress was no mere prison; it was a giant forge.
In the center of the fortress was a giant quarry filled with at least three hundred prisoners doing certain operations. Mining, hulling rocks and metals with carts; all of them, forced to help forge weapons… it was a nightmare to Hiccup.
To his right, he could see where the Devastator he sabotaged made it's hit. A watchtower and a few huts laid in ruin, and the barracks seemed to have collapsed from the impact as it burnt.
However, the only structures that stood were the Blacksmith which was standing large and tall, likely housing many weapons, forges, and furnaces as smoke rose from the chimneys, the Jail, which extended underground...
...Then, there it was. The Stronghold stood at the very back of the fortress, enforced with iron and wood. It towered over the rest of the fortress, like a medieval castle over it's city, and there was no doubt that the General was hiding in there.
Hiccup, gazing upon the grand and horrid design of the fortress, nearly didn't notice Astrid tugging on his arm as the victorious armies of the Archipelago rushed forth towards the quarry and Stronghold, and those remaining Jomsvikings had surrendered.
"Come on, Hiccup." she said, getting his attention. "We're almost there. Let's finish this!"
From inside the Stronghold, the doors were jammed shut as a Jomsviking warrior came rushing in towards General Borgrin who stood in front of his throne with his commanders at his side, discussing tactics and the situation.
"General!" the warrior called out, stopping in front of him breathless. "Our army's been routed! We're defeated!"
"What!?" Borgrin exclaimed, stepping forward. "What do you mean we're defeated?"
"The infidels have breached our fortress! They've rallied in the quarry and are freeing the slaves and prisoners!"
Borgrin gasped, screaming "NO- GAAAH!" as he flipped a table. "If they gain access to the Jail and makeway underground, they're going to free the rest of the prisoners… their army will double and- GAH! Ivar will have my HEAD-!"
Suddenly, the doors to the Stronghold began to bust. The tables and objects blocking the doors began to push back and topple, until finally, they were busted opened as dozens and dozens of Vikings made their way in and surrounded the remaining Jomsvikings.
At the very front was Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Eira, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the Twins along with Stoick and the Dragons of whom were slowly marching towards Borgrin, not wasting their time to rush. It was a victory either way.
The Jomsvikings, being surrounded, made no other choice than to lay their weapons down, throwing them to the floor as they stuck up their hands. At least a hundred Archipelago Vikings now filled the hall of the Stronghold, and there was no way out.
Borgrin hissed, showing a pissed off expression towards Hiccup who was feet away from him, pointing the fiery Dragon's Blade towards the General's head. "You damn cowards, hiding behind your Dragons." the General grunted.
"The only cowards here, are those who hid behind the doors of their Stronghold like scared whelplings." spat back Hiccup, kicking the General's and forcing him down to his knees, making him kneel. "You have lost, General."
Borgrin chuckled. "I may have lost this battle, but we have not lost the war… Ivar will come for you all! This fortress is but a small demonstration of the horrors that lie ahead, and you have come too late to this place! The weapons forged here have already been shipped back to Scandinavia. I-!"
"... Enough." Hiccup interrupted after a short moment. And right as he brought the blade down through his chest, he said; "Know that you have not died in a proper battle, so I'm sure Odin knows where to put you."
And so, the Dragon's Blade found it's marked and stabbed through the General's chest, melting itself through his metal chest plate and gambeson, rendering him lifeless as he fell to the ground cold.
Hiccup looked up at the other Jomsvikings who surrendered, raising their hands up. At least twenty or so remained including the lieutenants…
...But, rather than executing them, Hiccup said two words to them. These words would finally show off the mercy that Hiccup failed to show before.
He stepped forward, and said calmly:
"Join us."