Hey guys! :D Thanks for all your support of this story! I love you guys! :D Unfortunately I won't be able to do shout-outs this chapter, but I promise, I'll have 'em for y'all in the next one! :D I love you guys! Enjoy chapter 4! :D

Hiccup and Tuffnut raced through the forest, weaving between trees, Hiccup's shield strapped to his back and sword in his hand. Tuffnut lagged behind him. They tore between two trees and made it to the clearing.

But no one was there.

"No!" Hiccup said. "How did he get away? He was right here!"

"Yeah," said Tuffnut. "Wait, who are you talking about? Did I miss something again?"

"Knife," Hiccup said, stepping towards the Maces and Talons board set in the center of the clearing. The Henchman game piece was gone, leaving the Viking Chief and the Hunter pieces still on the board. "How did he get away so fast again?"

"Whoa, his name is Knife?" said Tuffnut. "Awesome!"

"Yeah, sure - no, wait, this is not awesome, Tuffnut!" Hiccup said. "This is the royal opposite of awesome!" He threw his sword, and the blade embedded itself in the dirt at his side.

"Sorry, sorry, keep your helmet on, H., geez," said Tuffnut, putting up his hands defensively. "But seriously, Hiccup. The riddle. In the riddle, they wanted you to beat them, right?"

"Right!"

"Right," said Tuffnut, nodding, "and you did beat them. Didn't their letter mention something about your task going on? They're obviously not done with you yet, you know. If this was all they were planning, it was kind of lame."

Hiccup took a moment to ponder this. "You're right," said Hiccup. "Viggo wouldn't risk doing something like this unless it was for a greater purpose, a bigger picture…"

"Sooooo...what does that mean exactly?"

"I don't know," Hiccup said, looking back towards the board. Tuffnut stepped up beside him and looked down at it excitedly.

"Whoa, cool!" he said. "Maces and Talons! I love this game! Is this supposed to be me?" He picked up the Hunter game piece. "Huh...do I really scowl like that?"

And the instant he did, a scroll fell from the bottom of the hollow pawn. Hiccup frowned for a moment, and then, broke into a grin, while Tuffnut examined the game piece.

"Tuffnut, you're a genius!" Hiccup said, snatching up the scroll.

"Am I?" said Tuffnut, smiling. "Aw, you're just saying that...wait." His brows furrowed again. "Why am I a genius again?"

"Come on!" Hiccup said, ignoring him, taking up his sword again and running in the opposite direction. "Let's get back to the others!"

"And once again, Tuffnut is left in the dark," said Tuffnut, and then, he took off after Hiccup.

…

"I told you not to leave the Clubhouse!" growled Snotlout after Hiccup and Tuffnut recounted everything that had happened. "Stupid, stupid, Tuffnut! You should have known it was a trap!"

On a nearby barrel, Chicken clucked. "You stay out of it, you little backstabber!" snapped Tuffnut, and Chicken clucked one last time before falling silent.

"Viggo knew one of you would follow me," said Hiccup. "Somehow, he knew, or else he wouldn't have put all of it in the riddle. He planned it out. He predicted our moves and used them against us."

"So, what about this 'other scroll' Tuffnut found?" said Astrid, moving forward. "Have you read it yet?"

"Not yet," said Hiccup, pulling the scroll from his pocket, revealing its unbroken wax seal.

"Well, come on!" groaned Snotlout. "Open it already, Princess!"

Hiccup snapped the seal instantly and unrolled the scroll. "'If you are reading this it means you succeeded,'" Hiccup read, "'and for that I say congratulations. But far harder tasks are now heading your way. Be wary, Hiccup Haddock, for any wrong move could be your last.'"

"Is this another invitation?" said Ruffnut.

"No," hissed Astrid.

"Oh, good," said Tuffnut, sighing in relief, "because it sounds more like a death warrant to me-"

Hiccup cleared his throat loudly, and Tuffnut muttered, "Sorry," and Hiccup continued reading. "'Journey on, if you dare, and meet your second task. Be warned. The same rules apply.'" He looked to the bottom of the page, where the riddle was written.

"Another riddle," he announced.
"Oh, great!" said Snotlout, crossing his arms. "Why do evil geniuses always use riddles? I mean, seriously! It's getting cliche now! First it was Hamish the Second, and then it was Bork, and now, Viggo!?"

"Just let Hiccup read it, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, and Astrid elbowed Snotlout hard in the ribs.

And Hiccup read it. "Pass this next task, I will implore. You began with a smash, but give me more. In the sky we will meet for the second fight. Meet me there alone at night. Take with you a dragon, but one without flame; pick a dragon you cannot train. And then, when the time is right, meet me beneath the moon's faint light. There will the odds be ever so fair; so fight me, Hiccup, if you dare."

"I told you," said Tuffnut. "Death warrant."

"Well, that's easy!" said Snotlout. "Dragons, Hiccup! This is totally right up your alley! Just pick the dragon that can cause the most destruction, and go up and beat this Knife guy!"

"I...I don't think it'll be that simple, Snotlout," said Hiccup. "It says a dragon without flame. Which eliminates a lot of our options. Monstrous Nightmares, Zipplebacks, Gronckles, Deadly Nadders-"

"Why don't you take a Changewing?" said Tuffnut. "I mean, they can cause some wicked destruction with their acid spitting, can't they?"

"It also said a dragon that can't be trained," said Astrid. "We've trained Changewings before."

"And we've also trained Scauldrons," said Fishlegs, counting off on his fingers, "and Night Furies, and of course Gronckles, Nadders, Nightmares, and Zipplebacks. There has to be something."

"Seashocker!" said Tuffnut. "How about a Seashocker?"

"We won't be able to find one before tomorrow night," said Hiccup, "they're deep dwelling dragons, remember? And anyways, Fishlegs befriended a Seashocker once, which means they could be trained."

"Smothering Smokebreaths!" said Ruffnut.

"And how is that going to help Hiccup win?" said Snotlout. "Smokebreaths are addicted to metal, metal leg - NOT a good combination. And besides, how is Hiccup going to 'meet' his enemy in the sky on a dragon not big enough to ride?"

"Come on, guys, there has to be something," said Hiccup. "Thunderdrums can be trained...Terrible Terrors, not an option…"

"How about a Monstrous Nightmare?" said Tuffnut.

"We've already eliminated that!" said Astrid. "Besides, what does 'a dragon without flame' mean to you?"

"Boring," said Ruffnut and Tuffnut in unison, looking sadly down at the ground.

Hiccup thought long and hard. Then, at the last minute, he stopped. He had thought of something. "Guys," Hiccup said, "do you remember the Lethal Viper?"

Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut whirled around to look at him.

"You mean the deadly poisonous dragon that nearly killed you when you first met?" said Astrid.

"That's the one," said Hiccup, nodding.

Snotlout gasped, leaping backwards. "No way!" he shrieked. "No Thor's flipping way we're going after that thing! That dragon is beyond dangerous!"

"Says the guy who casually rides a dragon that can light itself on fire from head to tail," said Fishlegs flatly.

"That's different!" protested Snotlout. "Hookfang is trained! The Lethal Viper is nothing short of a saber tooth tiger that slithers around like some sort of freak snake thing, killing everything that crosses it! So thanks but no thanks! If you need any help finding the Lethal Viper, don't come to me!"

"Never thought of it," said Hiccup, shrugging.

"Snotlout, Hiccup and the Lethal Viper share mutual respect," said Fishlegs. "Hiccup did free the Viper from its prison on Viggo's base, and in return, the Viper scared off the dragon hunters to make room for our own escape."

"But we haven't seen that freak thing since!" said Snotlout. "How do we know it's even still alive? It could have died off! Maybe its predators killed it off!"

"A dragon more deadly than a knife to the heart?" said Astrid, putting a hand on her hip. "Unlikely."

"Fishlegs, do you have any idea on how we could find the Lethal Viper?" Hiccup asked urgently. For a few moments, Fishlegs did nothing but twiddle his thumbs, but then, he headed over to his chest and pulled Bork's notebook from it.

"The Lethal Viper," he said, flipping through the yellowed pages of the old book. He stopped when he reached the proper page, and he set the book down on the table in front of the other riders. A charcoal drawing of a four-legged snake-like dragon with dripping fangs and large wings was drawn onto the paper and colored a cruel shade of green.

"And its eating habits are...bloodvein eels," said Fishlegs lowly.

"GREAT!" said Snotlout, tossing his hands over his head. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's walk up to this saber tooth, deadly poisonous, eel-munching dragon, and ask it to help us stop some loony dragon hunter! Great idea, Hiccup! You know, when dragons start eating eels, you know something is wrong with their mental state of mind?"

"Typhoomerangs eat eels," said Astrid, "and you don't have a problem with them."

"Then use a Typhoomerang instead of a Lethal Viper! Problem solved!"

"Typhoomerangs have flame, Snotlout," said Fishlegs.

"And," said Astrid, "they're trainable!"

"AHH!"

"Alright, guys!" said Hiccup, clapping his hands together. "Next stop…"

…

"...Eel Island!" Hiccup announced, as they soared over the landscape of said island the next morning. Fishlegs, Astrid, the twins, and Snotlout filed in behind him on their dragons.

"So, what happens if we run into a, oh, I don't know, a wild Typhoomerang!?" said Snotlout, voice bordering hysteria. "What's the plan then, Hiccup?"

"We don't get killed by it," said Hiccup.

"I assumed that was applied!" said Snotlout.

The dragons touched down in the center of the forest, and their riders dismounted, looking around skeptically. "Okay, Fishlegs," said Hiccup. "Do your thing."

"I hope I don't live to regret this," said Fishlegs.

"I hope we don't live at all," said Ruffnut.

"I hope we live," said Tuffnut, "and die some other time!"

"Guys, quiet!" Astrid snapped. "We don't want to attract any Typhoomerangs if we can avoid it!"

Fishlegs cupped his hands around his mouth and performed a dragon call unlike any the riders had ever heard before. "Lethal Viper call," said Fishlegs. "Bork mentioned how to do it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he did," said Snotlout, "but I doubt he meant for it to sound like a rusty saw cutting through a tree stump! I wouldn't be surprised if you scared off the Lethal Viper with that noise!"

However, Snotlout was wrong. A roar not unlike the one Fishlegs had made broke through the sky, and the Lethal Viper soared and landed directly in front of them. Its long fangs dripped green, pasty venom, and its red eyes were narrowed.

Toothless, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf, and Belch growled warningly, and the Lethal Viper growled back, equally warningly. Hiccup swallowed thickly, held out his hand, and slowly approached the venomous dragon.

"How are you sure that's even the same dragon you rescued from the hunters?" Snotlout whispered harshly.

"The scars," Hiccup said, never once breaking eye contact with the Viper. "They're the same. And see those patches on the legs where the scales rubbed off? That's from the shackles."

"If he dies," said Tuffnut, "I call dibs on Toothless!"

Toothless growled lowly at Tuffnut.

"Kidding!" said Tuffnut, throwing his hands over his head defensively. "Just kidding!"

Hiccup stepped towards the Lethal Viper cautiously, unsure of what he would do if the dragon failed to remember Hiccup's releasing him. "Hey," Hiccup said slowly, and the dragon growled lowly, "remember me? I saved your life from the hunters."

Recognition flashed in the Viper's eyes, and its expression softened, though its guard was never dropped.

"That's right," Hiccup said. "I know you don't trust humans, but maybe we can be mutual acquaintances…?"

The dragon didn't move.

"Look, I need your help," said Hiccup. "The dragon hunters are trying to attack, and I don't know what to do. If the dragon hunters beat us, who knows what they'll do to the rest of the dragons. They'll hunt them, enslave them...eventually kill them…"

He stopped, leaving his hand outstretched.

"We need your help," he said. "Please."

And he turned his head and looked away, leaving himself at the mercy of a deadly, lethal dragon. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins, and the other dragons watched with bated breath.

And then, the Lethal Viper bumped his head against Hiccup's hand, and Hiccup whirled around again, nearly laughing with relief.

"Alright!" he called to the rest of the riders. "I think we're good!"

"Great!" said Snotlout. "Now let's get back to the Edge before the Typhoomerangs realize we're here!"

They mounted their dragons again and took off, the Lethal Viper flying after them.