Hiccup watched as Fishlegs and Snotlout collided with a hard clang of their shields. They pushed apart and landing on their feet, they readied again, just as Gobber instructed. Snotlout swung overhead, but Fishlegs ducked and swatted him right in the jaw with the shield. Snotlout was shot into the air for a brief moment before skipping across the asphalt and sliding to a stop just by the water bucket.
Astrid, and Heather cheered Fishlegs on while the twins were divided for rooting for Snotlout. All Hiccup wanted to do was watch. Watch each move that the two Vikings did, thinking Hadrian was bound to do the same ones, but then again Hadrian wasn't a Viking. He arguably wasn't even human.
Hiccup watched and studied the possible moves and techniques he could use against Hadrian. And not having much combat experience, apart from training, even in which he never acquired to, he needed to be ready. For all Hiccup knew, Hadrian's probably fighting at least three dragons at once right now.
Hiccup was so lost in thought, the next time he looked back at Fishlegs and Snotlout, Snotlout's on the floor and Fishlegs is cheering and smiling to the world. Gobber's holding up his hand and smiling and Hiccup watches as he calls him next.
"So, who's my opponent?" Hiccup asks.
Gobber first steps up to Hiccup before answering his questions. Hiccup looks down and in his hands there's a belt and attached to it, a small sword. Hiccup could tell with his many years of weapon designing in the blacksmith's shop, he could tell there was a sword's handle on one end, and on the other, the handle of a small pocket knife; and yet they fit together in the same sheath.
"What's this?" Hiccup asks as Gobber hands it to him.
"It's a special, secret weapon that I designed with the help of your father for modifications to suit you better." Gobber explains.
He then takes the weapon from Hiccup and straps it around his waist. Hiccup wouldn't help but feel a little self conscious as he had a very slim, and frankly feminine, waistline due to his demeanor. But Gobber didn't say anything as he tightened and fidgeted the belt for a comfortable fit. It strapped around his waist and stays hidden under his fur vest. While Hiccup usually kept a knife in his belt, he hasn't been carrying one lately due to the dragons in the village. Once Gobber was finished he steps back.
"Okay, now on you right side, there if you reach back, you'll grab the sword. On your left, the knife. Use them both in the appropriate situation." Gobber explained.
Hiccup let his fingers slide along the surface of the sheath and let his fingers enclose around the handle. He pulls it out and finds the blade at least a foot and a half long, the silver gleaming in the sunlight and Hiccup could hear the metallic echo as he slashed the air, as if hoping to draw blood.
"Now," Gobber starts. "You will learn how to handle these new weapons when in battle. It'll be rough at first, but no better time to start."
Hiccup simply nods as he grips the sword in his hand. "So, who's my opponent?"
"Your opponent, is me." Gobber says.
Hiccup's face is shocked as Gobber interchanges his hook arm for his axe. "Whoa, whoa, what?!" Hiccup stutters as Gobber approaches. "Gobber this isn't fair. You're my friend."
"Hiccup, we all know you have a caring heart. This can be both good and bad at the same time. If Hadrian were to ever pit you against a friend of family member, you need to learn to NOT hold back." Gobber says.
"It's what you taught me if Hadrian ever got released." Astrid chimes in.
Hiccup turns to Astrid and ponders over this before turning to face Gobber. He shields his sword and takes a fighting stance. Astrid gives them the signal to fight and Gobber charges for Hiccup. He runs up and swipes above Hiccup's head, but Hiccup weaves out of the way and sucker punches Gobber in the jaw.
Hiccup then rolls out of the way and comes up on one knee. But as he came up, he got slammed in the face with Gobber's fist. Hiccup skips across the asphalt and slams into the wall of the arena, landing on the ground with a hard thud. He pushes himself up to his hands and knees and takes a deep breath.
"Hiccup!" he hears Astrid cry.
He looks up and sees Gobber charging. He stands and rushes for him, launching himself into Gobber. They roll backwards and Hiccup pushes off of Gobber's chest with his foot. Flipping back, he slides across the ground with his feet and comes to a stop next to the object he eyed before Gobber struck. A Bo staff. Hiccup picks it up and twirls it above his head before standing ready.
Gobber stands up. "Interesting weapon of choice, Hiccup."
"Well, it is one of the few things that I can actually lift." Hiccup snaps.
Gobber can't help but smile at the comment. He charges again and Hiccup ran forward and at the last minute pole vaults over Gobber. But instead of releasing the staff, he grips the end and as his feet touch the ground, he pivots and swings the staff at Gobber's back, slamming it with a thwack. The echo of the hit waved through the arena and Gobber went flying across the ground, bouncing a few times before hitting the wall.
He pushes himself up and looks to Hiccup, spitting to the side of him and cracking his neck. Hiccup smirks and spins the staff again as a way to show off. "Hm, I've taught you well."
"I learn from the best." Hiccup replies.
Hiccup readies the staff and rushes for Gobber. Gobber stands like a yak and as Hiccup drew close, and as Hiccup swings, Gobber grabs the staff with his free hand and tries to slice at Hiccup with the axe hand. Hiccup pushes off of his feet and spins to the top of the staff before Gobber realizes. Gobber's still pondering over where Hiccup went until he looks at the top of the staff.
Hiccup's crouching down, the toes of one foot on the top of the staff while his prostatic one simply rest the side for support, like a monkey. Hiccup has a smug look on his face as he leans back, throwing his weight and momentum along with it, and leaps off. The staff swings back and slaps Gobber in his face, straight at the nose. Hiccup lands on his feet as Gobber grunts from the pain.
"Alright Hiccup!" Fishlegs cheers.
Hiccup smiles and as he turns, Gobber's already too close, and Hiccup gets a hard knock to the jaw. He's sent flipping backwards into the wall. He slides down after the hard smack, and puts his hand to his head, moaning from the pain and the sudden tilt the world takes. He shakes his head, grits his teeth and stands.
"Man, Hiccup's tougher than I thought." Tuffnut says.
"Yeah, he can like, totally kick butt." Ruffnut adds.
Astrid couldn't help but smile as she watched Hiccup while listening to the young Vikings' words. "Of course, he's never faced me before." Snotlout gloats.
He obviously must've seen Astrid's face while looking to Hiccup, and now feels he has competition. For some reason, he couldn't take a hint.
"I mean, I always was the better fighter of the family." He adds, leaning close to Astrid.
She simply leans away and snarls. "Not anymore." She slices into his ego. Then simply resumes watching Hiccup and Gobber, not even sparing Snotlout a look.
Hiccup had just swung at Gobber, but Gobber snatched the staff, punched Hiccup back and snapped the staff in half with his knee. Hiccup's back hits the asphalt and he flips and comes up sliding on one knee. He looks up to see Gobber charging, but at the last minute, he stabs one half of the broken staff into a random crack in the asphalt, and flicks it up, sending a cloud of dirt and small rocks scattering into Hiccup's eyes.
He coughs a few times and says, "Can't see."
Hiccup could hear Gobber talking through the darkness. He listens as he tries to find his location.
"Now, it would seem that I have an advantage. You can't only just rely on one sense to help you. But according to facts, lucky for you, if one sense is eliminated, the others get stronger." Gobber explains. "Look beyond what you see. You cannot trust your eyes. If you only see what's right in front of you, then you will lose."
Hiccup rotates in a circle as he tries to use Gobber's advice. Now he's regretting he didn't pay attention to the hunting advice Stoick gave him when they went out together. Suddenly a flash hits him when he looks at Toothless. The dragon has an unparalleled sense of hearing. How else could he have heard Hiccup from the arena all the way back in the village; back when killing dragons was around? He listens closely and feels the minerals beneath his toes.
Suddenly, Hiccup hears Gobber's heavy footsteps behind him. He spins and clamps the rusty metal pole of a spear Gobber must've grabbed. He feels Gobber yank it from his hands and Hiccup listens closely as he hears the shift in the air currents. Gobber pokes and stabs at Hiccup, missing each one.
Still with his eyes squeezed shut, Hiccup hops on it, balancing on his toes and prostatic foot. In an instant, he rolls forward on the staff and slams his feet right in Gobber's diaphragm. He hears a synchronized clang of Gobber and the spear; he must still be holding it. Hiccup tries to clear his eyes, and while his vision is blurred, better than stumbling around in the dark.
He can just make out Gobber silhouette as he rushes forward. Hiccup runs and leaps into the air. Gobber blocks his chest with the spear, but Hiccup rolls in midair and with force, pushes the spear down, ultimately winding Gobber. Pushing off, he lands on his feet and takes the opportunity to fix his eyes while he hears Gobber wheezing.
He blinks his eyes and manages to get his vision to refocus. He readies his hands in fists and suddenly gets a stinging pain. He looks and finds some of his knuckles have cuts due to his punches to Gobber. While Gobber is still trying to regain his breath, Hiccup intensely rips off the sleeves of his shirt and wraps them around his hands and knuckles.
While he didn't take notice, Astrid, Ruffnut and even Heather are all on different levels of blushing as Hiccup's arm have really toned and shaped. What once mimicked sticks on a, stick, now they looks like actually Viking arms, and fit ones instead of having that, thickness to them.
Hiccup charges and leaps and slams his foot into Gobber's ribcage. Gobber flies back, the heels of his feet still dragging across the ground and his back slamming into the wall of the arena. Before he has time to react, Hiccup had snatched another spear and plants one tip on the ground, mimicking a pole vault, but instead swung around the pole in a circle, and coming back around his feet knock into Gobber's head, sending him sprawling in the dirt, and nearly unconscious. The loud boom that was made when Hiccup feet made contact with Gobber sounded severely bone-jarring.
Hiccup lands on his feet a few inches away from Gobber, and was surprised to not see Gobber moving for a moment. He breathed a sigh of relief as he Gobber got up from lying on the hard ground. It seemed to be a struggle, but Hiccup thought Gobber would be fine against a ninety pound boy. Then again, Hiccup took a good few punches and here he stands. Hiccup only truly felt relieved once Gobber had made it to his feet without a wobble or fumble.
Gobber cracks his neck, and as if that did the trick, Gobber smiles like he always does and laughs. "Well, looks like I did teach you a few things. Well done Hiccup. Good use of recourses, senses and strength."
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asks.
"I'm fine. You're a lot stronger than you look." Gobber says. "In fact, it's great to know you have some Viking in you after all." Gobber comments and Hiccup smiles.
"Looks like I don't need Hadrian to be tough." Hiccup says smiling.
Gobber places a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "You've done well."
And after sharing hug with Gobber, he goes and joins the teens. They're cheering and praising Hiccup and following him out with smiles and laughs.
Later that nightfall, Trader Johan's ship pulls into Berk's water. But they shelter behind a large in water boulder. The soldiers help Hadrian's gear and weapons, and over to the side, they see the Scauldron swimming in circles, awaiting an order. The men help Hadrian strap on his sheath of arrows, his whip, a sword, and a knife strapped to his thighs. The Scauldron raises its head above the water and roars.
"Easy boy, I'm coming." Hadrian says with a smile.
"I still can't believe how you managed to train the dragons with ease." Alvin says as he walks up. Mildew not far behind him.
"Jealous, Alvin?" Hadrian smirks, and in turn Alvin scowled.
"Alright sir, we're ready." Says on soldier helping with his gear.
"Excellent. Ready the men on the far side of the island, you'll all come in at once when I give the signal." Hadrian orders.
"What's the signal?" Mildew asks.
"You'll know it." Hadrian grimly smiles.
Then without another word, he hops up on the plank and walks out to the very edge before he does a perfect dive into the water. His head breaks the surface and the Scauldron swims over to him before circling and then diving deeper. Hadrian grabs the dragon's dorsal fin and lets the dragon dive and cannon through the water, almost similar to flying.
Hadrian can see the shoreline of Berk, then behind it an endless covering of trees. He smiles as the dragon approaches the edge of the water where Hadrian's feet can just touch the ground.
He slowly rises out of water; head first, then his body. Once above water, Hadrian's on the Scaulron's head and the dragon sets him down, and Hadrian steps foot on the sand. He looks to the sky and takes a deep breath.
"Feels good to be back on the shores of Berk."
Then after signaling the dragon to submerge, he turns and faces the trees.
He smiles, and after reaching the edge, he practically vanishes into the shadows.