Longer chapter this time! Decided that I wanted to finish this series of chapters up ASAP before continuing head on with the story in general. But until then, there's going to be a lot of fighting! Thus, next part will be the fourth and final act for this.
Also, thanks to Xythisdi1987, KorrieChan, and Dabzzygirl for reviewing last chapter. And thanks to Cats and violin(guest) for reviewing a past chapter. Welcome back!
Now, onto the chapter!
Hiccup lifted his swords up in a cross as he caught a Broken Axe warrior's weapon, spinning the weapon around in a circle to catch him off-balance before swinging the Dragon's Blade at the Viking like an axe, directly into the side of the chest, and burning him from the inside out.
He then looked around, but saw how everyone in the Arena was far too spread out, fighting warriors one on one, and yet the balance of power was somewhat equal - though so far there were no kills for the Broken Axe warriors.
...His eyes then fell upon Astrid.
He saw how she was fighting up against three Vikings alone, but she was about to become overwhelmed. Thus, he had the urge to go and help her out.
Suddenly from his right however, he barely noticed that four Broken Axe warriors were about to charge him, and the speed of them rushing towards Hiccup was fast, very fast.
Toothless who was nearby responded by sending forth a plasma blast directly towards the four Vikings, disrupting their charge and, once more, giving the Night Fury more kills in the slaughter.
Hiccup nodded at Toothless with a grin, but proceeded to rush towards Astrid who was being cornered and, all the while, swinging her axe in the air, threatening them to stay back.
"Heh, look at this lady swinging her little toy axe in the air!" one of them said, provoking her.
Astrid growled. "I'll drown you in the blood of your little army, brute! I'll bleed you through that helmet of yours!"
She swung her axe again, only this time, the same warrior who provoked her caught her axe and closed in on her.
"Hahaha!" he chuckled in an evil manner. "We will end you easily once we- GAH!"
From behind, a blade covered in fire pierced through the center of his chest, right through his gambeson, and slowly he felt himself burn in flames as they covered his entire body. The warrior next to him on his right was met with a stab as well, only it was met with a sharp and bright long blade.
Hiccup pulled his weapons out from the backs of his enemies as they fell to the ground on their stomachs, whilst one of them burnt. He smiled at Astrid. "Missed me?"
Astrid gnarled, raising her axe with both of her hands and plunging it at the warrior on Hiccup's left, getting a direct heavy hit through his helmet and into his skull.
With a strong pull, she ripped her axe out of his head and chuckled. "Thought you were gonna leave me, babe!"
"I would never!" he replied as they turned back to back. "Also; calling me 'babe'? That's a new one!"
She nodded. "Yeah, well, less talking, more fighting!"
Whilst Hiccup and Astrid fought, Heather too was having her own fun against her foes.
Near a corner of the Arena, she held her own like a berserking Viking, in a literal state of being berserk. Her axe was out, gripped in both of her hands as she sliced down any foe that approached, her one by one.
Her weapon found her mark in the weak points of her enemies. The chests, heads, necks, limbs, and so forth. So far, whatever approached her would be easily handled.
At one moment however, things were nearly about to change.
She disarmed the sword of a shield maiden, pulling it back with the curve of her axe before slamming it into the maiden's shield until - with such great strength, especially for a young Viking, the shield actually splintered into two, and as it did, her axe embedded straight into the shield maiden's chest.
Heather pulled her axe out as if it was nothing, and growled like a bear towards her foes.
"Is there NO Viking here, THAT HAS THE GUTS, OR STRENGTH, TO CHALLENGE ME!?"
That however provoked others nearby, and she soon realized what she had done.
In front of her, ten Broken Axe warriors charged her in a close formation, ready to smash her aside, and Heather right there and then was about to come to a conclusion that she was going to be tossed over…
Or so she thought.
A loud battle roar thundered near her as Fishlegs riding atop Meatlug both charged the advancing Vikings with brute force, and with a rough clash, Meatlug rammed into them with her head first, sending them up into the air while Fishlegs with his sword cleaved at them, while also bashing them aside with his shield.
No Broken Axe warrior who was in the way dodged that charge, and all ten of them were immediately rammed and cut down.
Fishlegs looked at Heather and bowed his head, before dismounting Meatlug as the two of them went towards the Berserker's side.
Both he and Heather fist bumped each other as thanks, and the fight went on.
Meanwhile, Chieftain Hjalmar from above his large balcony grinned with his brows lowered, giving a evil smile towards the chaos that was unfolding in the Arena.
Despite how he saw Hiccup cut down and burn his warriors, how Magnus sliced and diced at them with his position and precision, and how Toothless destroyed them with explosions and fire, he enjoyed it all every bit.
Eventually, all the Broken Axe warriors were slain, and all the Berkians and Warsung still stood, exhausted, but in their full strength.
Hjalmar let out a cackle. "HAHAHA! I am satisfied, pups! The way you fight, oh how I could watch it go on forever! Perhaps you need another round!"
Hiccup smirked. "Sorry, but we don't have all the time in the world for that! You on the other hand don't need time! TOOTHLESS!"
Toothless screeched, charging up a plasma blast as he aimed towards the balcony Hjalmar stood upon, and he fired upon one of the chains supporting it.
Quickly, the metal frame which the Chieftain was on began to fall apart, and soon he and the platform fell from the large overlook, landing flat on his bottom as the balcony fell apart and landed in parts all around him.
Meatlug who was instinctive on getting out of there alive with the others aimed for the rear gate that was locked, and quickly she fired spewed blasts of lava right at its center, busting it opened before the group began making their way out of the Arena.
"Everyone, group up! Let's get out of here!"
Hjalmar roared, gnarling at Hiccup. "I ONLY COUNTED NINETY NINE KILLS FROM YOU, BERKIAN!"
Hiccup laughed. "Then I guess the last one goes to you. We owe you one!"
The Broken Axe Chieftain refused to bail out on the chase. However, he did not have the support to hunt down the group as the rest of his Clan's army was located elsewhere. The Arena was a made for a reason alone.
He sighed heavily and irritated, standing up slowly before climbing the walls of the Arena, back up towards the overlook where his balcony was.
Eventually, he got atop another platform and watched as his opponents fled from him in the distance.
"I'LL GET YOU NEXT TIME! YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME!"
…
The group continued their journey along the road, however, there were no signs of fortifications, huts, or any tents or towers. Just the forest around them and the appearance of spikes here and there.
The forest on the other hand was becoming denser, and the smoke seemed to be getting more clearer from within the fog. It was coming from the south where the main fighting was taking place, and Hiccup began to worry.
"Come on!" he said, irritated with the path. "We have to get to the end of this road as soon as possible, otherwise this entire invasion would have been for nothing!"
However, it would be eventual that Hiccup and the others would stumble upon something horrific and disgusting to their eyes. They never thought that any kind of Viking could ever do such a thing… but it was possible that it was the works of another Clan.
Above them, upon the long and large branches of tall trees, stripped bodies down to their under-garments hung, lifeless, mutilated, and bloody.
"Oh my Gods…" Astrid gagged upon sniffing the decaying scent. "What kind of manner of madness is this? Who would do such a crazy thing?"
Magnus, being the one to understand the Clans and Tribes the most, squinted at the bodies to look for any evidence of whatever Tribe had done this until he saw the mark of what appeared to be a blind eye branded and burnt onto one of the corpse's, specifically on the chest.
Next to that, was a material of blue cloth, darker than any he had ever seen.
He gasped. "The Dark Eye Clan." he said. "They're up to this."
"The Dark Eye Clan?" Hiccup asked, raising a brow. "And who are they?"
"Monsters." he replied. "They are dark, wicked, war-hungering Vikings who are dressed in tattered robes at their waists which represents themselves as like… evil minded warrior-seers almost. But don't get the wrong idea of them being unarmed opponents. They wear armor as well, and their uses with wielding a weapon in each hand is proficient and deadly."
"Goodness…" Heather replied with slight tension.
"Aye. But as for their colors however; it is a blue that is as dark as night compared to my Tribe, showing they care for nothing but for the shadows and visions that Odin shows them."
Magnus sighed. "...Their Clan is truly evil, and yet they are not afraid to show themselves. It is even said that they can communicate with the dead, though at least they can't raise them."
Fishlegs arched his brows. "And Ivar doesn't fear them?"
He turned to face the anxious Ingerman. "What does Ivar have to fear? Comparedto how the Dark Eyes command fear, he on the other hand is fear itself. If he wanted to, he could scare the Chieftain to his death in a heartbeat."
"So what do we do?" asked Heather, looking up at Magnus and Hiccup.
Hiccup opened his mouth, replying hesitantly; "We… we continue forward, no matter the cost. We cannot hesitate as our whole army risks total annihilation. If this is what we're to face next, then so be it. We will face the Dark Eye Clan, dead in their eyes."
With all of the courage he could muster up, the young Viking pressed forward without giving an order. The warriors, seeing no other option, followed their leader, continuing their way through the dark and foggy forest.
The more they continued however, deeper in the woods, the colder it all felt from around them. Though it wasn't their bodies that began to shiver… it was more their minds that started freezing.
The leaders of the group however; Hiccup, Astrid, Magnus, Fishlegs, Heather, and Sigurd - remained calm and relaxed as they pressed forward. And though some of the warriors and maidens were uneasy, they could not turn back.
Eventually, they all stumbled upon what seemed to be the entrance of a camp; assumingly the Dark Eye camp. At this point in the forest however, the fog and smoke was at its densest.
"Is this it?" Fishlegs asked, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.
"Seems like it to me." nodded Magnus. "I can only assume that this is the Dark Eye Clan, though… I don't see any guards at the entrance. Surely they're here?"
"Oh they're here." Hiccup replied. "I can smell it in the air. There's a foul scent."
Magnus chuckled, looking down at the slightly shorter Viking. "Everyday you begin to remind me of myself. You've indeed grown ever since we left Kattegat."
"Yeah, well it won't be the last time that I'll continue to change. Now… I think we should get a move on."
The others nodded at Hiccup as they made their way into the camp. Once they were inside however, they noticed that there were bonfires scattered out all over the place, mostly in spots that were circled by tents and huts, and as well as even lighting the watchtower.
Once again, the forge was empty, but the camp's lumber mill seemed to be running on its own with it's blade saw spinning; though there was no one manning it.
In the center of the camp however, near a large hut, likely the Chieftain's hut, there was a group of robed figures centering themselves around a bonfire, kneeling and quietly chanting in Norse.
Magnus arched a brow, staring at the figures. "Those men." he pointed out. "They appear to look like Dark Eye Clansmen to me… but what are they doing chanting around a bonfire to the Gods rather than noticing us and calling for an attack?"
"I don't know." Hiccup replied. "But I intend to find out."
The young lad made his way forward, with Toothless accompanying him at his side, though the Dragon growled the closer and closer they got to the hooded and robed figures. To the Night Fury, something clearly wasn't right. Especially since he turned his head to his left and his right whilst they neared the large pyre.
Soon enough, Hiccup stood behind one of the robed men, and the group of hooded figures stopped chanting as their eyes from under the shadows of their hoods fell upon him and Toothless.
The Viking unsheathed both his blades, pointing it at the back of the robed stranger. "Remove your hood, and slowly turn."
For a small moment, no response came to him as they all just sat there, staring at him from underneath their shadowy hoods without an expression. Their faces couldn't be revealed, but Hiccup knew soon enough that they would react.
...And they did. The robed figure in front of Hiccup removed his hood, quickly standing to his feet and unsheathing his blade and axe. It was indeed a Dark Eye warrior.
The other figures were as well warriors as they responded in a similar action.
"It's a trap!" Hiccup shouted as he backed up with Toothless growling louder than ever.
The group rushed towards Hiccup to form a protective formation around him, but the unexpected came and happened as all around them, the tents flapped, and the huts bursted opened. From them, dozens of armed warriors came out, surrounding Hiccup and the group as the large bonfire made detail out of them.
Their colors were indeed a very dark blue, and their armor was similar to that of the other Clans. Gambesons, black chain armor, helmets, and so forth - though their hairs were slightly greyer.
Hiccup grunted as he looked around with his blades out, though it seemed that the fog around them began to clear up, dimly lighting the area up around them, as well as the whole camp.
"Who is your Chieftain!?" he called out with anger. "I want to see his face for myself! ...WHERE IS HE!?"
The Dark Eye warriors looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. However, the one behind the leadership of the Dark Eye Clan would reveal himself as the doors to the large hut slammed opened.
From it, a man came out, wearing tattered black robes at the waist of his body, down to his knees - while also wearing a dark blue gambeson. His hands and leggings also had chainmail, and his boots were plate like that of a Viking's helmet.
His shoulder pads were fur and wool like his cloak, and his black hood remained up as his grey-brown hair fell down to his shoulders.
Before them stood the Chieftain of the Clan.
High Chieftain Frode of the Dark Eye.
Frode approached Hiccup calmly with his sword and axe was unsheathed in both of his hands. He giggled in an evil manner at the scrawny Viking.
"This, is the leader of your army?" he asked the group, his voice being deep and guttural. "He seems extremely worthless... The Gods certainly don't favor him, or any of you infidels."
"My Odin is not the same as your Odin." Magnus replied, pointing his sword out at Frode. "No matter what you do though, you cannot stop us from doing what we've come here to do."
"Hmph. I believe I can." he responded, circling around towards Magnus' left.
Near by, a horse would come riding in towards Frode - whining as the Chieftain mounted him. "The Gods tell me however, that I am not to fight you right now. Whatever happens here and now will be set in stone… and that will be up to the actions of my warriors here."
He gave out a cackle as he turned his mount towards the front gate, and began to ride out. "Kill them!" he shouted, knocking over a brazier as he galloped out of the camp.
The flames from the knocked over brazier as a result created a ring of fire, lighting debris that was placed on the ground around the group, as well as around the Dark Eye warriors who surrounded Hiccup and his allies.
The war captain who was in command rose his blade up, and shouted loudly:
"ATTACK!"
The warriors ran towards the group with swift and brute force - each warrior wielding only axes and swords in both their hands, and as battle was joined, the Dragons responded by letting their attacks out first to make the impact less effective.
Hiccup stood again back-to-back with Astrid, fighting and rotating in a circle to cover each other from any opponent that dared to charge them. However, both of them had their own kind of advantage.
Because Hiccup was wielding two weapons as well, he was quickly able to match up against the Dark Eye warriors easily.
He used the Dragon's Blade as a tool, not only for revealing who he was fighting, but as well as a way to somewhat blind the Dark Eyes from the hot bright flames. With his other weapon he would then strike and attack however he could, and then strike once more with the same fiery blade.
Astrid, wielding an axe, was able to snatch away the weapons of her enemies when they struck. The way they fought was very swift, yes, but the Dark Eyes lacked more strength. Most of the hits would at times be too quick, and go off balance and miss - giving her the advantage to what she needed to do.
As Hiccup continued fighting however, the war captain which initially ordered the charge came into view, pushing aside any warrior in his path as he went straight for Hiccup.
"Oh Gods, this isn't good." he said to himself.
The two warriors, as a result of laying eyes, clashed at each other, with Hiccup having a slight disadvantage as the captain was slightly larger than him, and stronger than the rest of the Dark Eye warriors. Though still, the two continued to strike out at each other, laying blow after blow on each other's weapons.
It was then that they met in a blade lock, and the man chuckled.
"Isn't it a shame?" he asked. "You came this far, and yet look at where you stand! Your army is on the brink of destruction, and already your men to begin to falter!"
At first, Hiccup didn't listen to him, still glaring at the man filled with hate and anger and hearing his words as mockery and bluffing… until before his very eyes, he saw something he wished he didn't see. A Berkian and Warsung warrior fell beneath two Dark Eye warriors, before another three warriors followed, and then another one followed.
Hiccup's rage burnt brighter in his eyes as he looked back at the captain, and he cackled at Hiccup, pushing his axe and sword closer to the scrawnier Viking in an attempt to break the lock and cut him down.
But Hiccup shook his head and screamed "NO!"
He spun his blades around in a circle, catching the captain off balance, and immediately struck underneath the man with a mighty stab through the chest with both blades, bleeding him out and burning him from the inside out slowly.
The man looked down at his chest and chuckled, spitting blood back in Hiccup's face. "You lose… the G-Gods… have foreseen this…"
He fell to the ground on his back, looking up towards the sky, dead and lifeless.
Hiccup pulled his blades back, looking around as the group slowly lost more ground from the six deaths they received, and things in general at that point were starting to look bad.
Magnus in the distance sliced at his last opponent, looking at Hiccup with a face that showed 'I've had enough!' He approached Hiccup and patted him on the shoulder, nodding.
"We're getting out of here!" he said, before turning into the direction of the rear gate that was blocked by the ring of fire. At first, it seemed like there was no way out… but Magnus chuckled.
From his pocket, he pulled out a clay bottled-flask, filled with a liquid which Hiccup at first didn't know what to make out of. But Magnus would show what it was as soon as he threw it to the ground towards the lit debris, and what followed was a fiery explosion as the debris was blasted out of the way, and back at the Dark Eye warriors.
Magnus whistled loudly. "EVERYONE, THIS WAY!"
The warriors and maidens noticed a way was clear towards the rear gate, and none of them took a moment to spare as the Berkians and Warsung, along with Hiccup, the Dragons, and the others, ran out of there. Thankfully, they would make it out alive… although not untouched.
By that point however, the Dark Eyes were too weak to follow, and they watched as Hiccup and the warband fled the camp, swiftly and lightly.
"Forget about them! We need to put out these fires!" one of them called out, standing firm as he watched them flee. "The Iron Wolf Clan will finish them off!"
…
They all kept sprinting down the path, not stopping or looking back after the surprise attack they had gone through in the darkened part of the woods. But Hiccup's thoughts as of then were filled with anxiety and dread. If the Dark Eye Clan was able to easily pick out six of their men after so much pressure and exhaustion, what will the next Viking Clan be like?
...If it even was another Viking Clan they'd be going against.
Hiccup eventually ordered a halt as they stopped before the entrance of a rocky path that led down to what he assumed was a small canyon. So far, there was no other direction along the path - so where they were going was likely the right way.
The lad looked back at the group, seeing how exhausted they were from running - especially the Dragons. Their legs seemed weak, and they would have been on the verge of collapsing if they hadn't stopped for a breath.
"Gah…" Sigurd grunted. "Six of our warriors, lost to a cowardly ambush… we have been struck by a dishonorable blow."
Heather nodded slowly. "It may have been dishonorable from what they did, but those warriors who fought with us now feast up in Valhalla, drinking and ale and singing tales of us… Now, where exactly are we?"
Astrid sighed, shrugging at Heather's question without a response.
She turned to face Magnus. "How far are we from our location, Magnus?"
"We're almost there… I remember this canyon being part of the path." he answered, standing up with his back straight. "But I feel that what we faced so far isn't all that's left."
Hiccup arched a brow. "What do you mean, Magnus?"
"...Remain silent for a moment, and listen."
They all immediately ceased talking, staying silent without peeping as they focused with their hearing. They listened closely, and what they soon heard appeared to be metal hitting against rocks and ores, as well as chains and gears grinding against iron and wood, and the sounds of forges and anvils being operated in the distance.
Something big was up ahead. Even the smoke rising in the air proved it so.
Magnus lowered his brows. "I only know of one Clan that works with such engineering, influenced from the medieval parts of the south, and yet more advanced… And, I know for sure, that they aren't Vikings."
He continued moving forward with his sword now redrawn, eager to face what was on the other side of the canyon.
At first, the warriors and maidens looked at each other, unsure of what the leader of the Warsung Tribe was thinking to himself. But by that point, he was too far ahead from the group, and so Hiccup point his arm forward, ordering them to continue moving on.
Slowly they marched along the rocky pass which was now stripped of it's forest. Two cliffs now surrounded them on both sides, and though it was a wide path, it still seemed unsettling. Especially since the trees from the entrance seemed to have been cut down.
Up ahead however, the faint sound of what appeared to be fighting could easily be heard to Hiccup's ears, and immediately the thought of Magnus hit him.
Hiccup rushed forward. "Double speed, everyone! Move! Move!" he ordered, quickening the pace of the warband along the rocky path.
As soon as they reached the end of the canyon however, what came before them was a portcullis, fortified and guarded by ramparts of wood and iron on both sides. A group of six archers could be enough to guard the gate from atop them.
The group's focus then fell on what was in front of them. Magnus was standing straight on his feet before the corpses of two heavily armored warriors, carrying a plated item in his left hand… but once he threw it to the ground in front of them, they all saw that it was a helmet.
"It's a Slavic helmet." he said to them. "Which means we're going up against Slavic Rus'... Be ready for anything."
"Understood." Hiccup replied, nudging his head with a gesture towards the gate. Astrid, who noticed his motion, nodded in response.
"Stormfly, break those hinges! Let's get that gate opened!"
The Nadder replied with a squawk, letting loose her tail spikes towards the hinges of the portcullis that held it up. As they broke, the barred gate fell to the ground, landing flat which responded in a loud and large clanging noise.
It likely didn't go unnoticed.
Hiccup pointed his swords forward. "Everyone in, move, move!"
The warriors and maidens rushed into the large camp of the Clan that they were about to go up against, and in the center of the base, a quarry came into view which had scaffoldings and anvils placed around in it.
But what caught Hiccup's attention was a large but odd-looking Blacksmith at the very back of the camp. To him, it seemed more like a mix of a Stronghold, and a miniature Foundry… only instead of being made up of stone, it was made up of what the iron cog ships were made out of, as well as the same structures found on Black Rock Isle.
Which meant the mastermind of Ivar's machines of war was likely here…
"What do we have here!?" a voice bellowed, catching everyone's attention.
Suddenly, the large doors to the Foundry slowly opened before them, and from inside, dozens of warriors came rushing out of it; heavily armed warriors, wearing iron plating and chain mail as their armor.
But that was not all...
Behind them, a readied and loaded Devastator came rolling out, and in front of the war machine was a man wearing full black plated armor. His beard was large, and his hair was short - though it was a very pale and dark blonde. His shoulder pads were also covered in grey fur, and his cloak stretched down to his ankles.
Before Hiccup, the leader of the Varangian Rus' stood.
High Chieftain Vlar of the Iron Wolf Clan.
Vlar laughed. "Gah! What use are a small handful of outsiders, against the mighty Iron Wolf's war machine!? Hahaha!"
The warriors of the Iron Wolf Clan began charging Hiccup and the group, and without any other thought in mind, Hiccup pointed his blades forward and ordered a counter charge.
Vlar was eager for the chaos that was ready to unfold...
He grinned. "Iron Wolves, DESTROY THEM!" he bellowed, raising his warhammer up in the air to press his men on.
But not even a moment passed since fighting begun, and it was then that the Chieftain turned around and began walking, making his way back inside the Foundry as the doors shut behind him… though he did not leave without a parting gift from the Devastator. Soon, it began to fire upon the Berkians and Warsung.
Hiccup and Astrid noticed this, and they both saw the flaming projectile hurling directly towards them.
"ASTRID, TAKE COVER!"
Update 6/10/18: This is just a quick A/N to clear concerns up, especially to answer from a review I saw. Some of you might wonder why I decided to make it so that Hiccup goes through the forest rather than flying over it towards the target; in this case, the watchtower.
Back in Act I, if you remember that when Hiccup flew up into the air with Toothless to get rid of the large Devastator with a dive bomb, they nearly got shot down. The ballistas of which were guarding the tower spotted him and were easily able to nearly overwhelm him as their range and speed of firing was enough to even scratch Toothless. Any longer they remained, and storywise, Hiccup and Toothless would be done for. The technology the Great Army has right now is advanced, after all. Thus, flying over is futile.
As for why Berk couldn't train more Dragons? Simply because the time it would take to find more Dragons and train them would be too long, and in response, it would be too late as Ivar would have sent in a larger invasion force to the Archipelago by then... with Dragons of his own. (Remember he met a key antagonist in a previous chapter who said he'd give him a way of controlling Dragons.)
Now then. Next chapter will conclude the Storming The Shore series of chapters. Afterwards, the fun will really begin!