Huh, so I didn't expect to finish this tonight but turns out I did. I won't have time to upload it for the next few days so I'm finishing that part up tonight too.

This chapter was supposed to be part of chapter 3 but I ran into some serious writer's block and I couldn't do a single thing. It was horrible. But, I'm better and this came out! Yay!

Chapter 4: Opportunity Knocking

It didn't matter how big his armada was or how many villages he burned. It wasn't enough. He wanted Berk. He wanted Hiccup. He wanted that damned Night Fury.

Dagur had spent the last few years in a vicious cycle. He had been defeated time and time again by Hiccup and his blasted friends and trained dragons. He had vowed revenge but so far had been unfruitful in his efforts. It was always the same. A bigger army. More ships. More men. Better armor. Better weapons.

But it was never enough.

He enjoyed it; but conquering was only fun while it lasted. When all the houses were burned to ashes and the bodied were stacked the fun was gone. He was left with that deflated feeling. And it would start over. He would find a new village and lay siege. He would offer the survivors a choice. Either they could die or join his army.

But when it was all over with all he could think about was Hiccup and his Night Fury.

"AHHH!" Dagur screamed and thrust the knife he had been fiddling halfway into the wooden desk. He was in the ornate captain's quarters of his latest war prize. It was a little fancy for his tastes but within time he could make it more…him.

Whenever he thought about Hiccup and that dragon he was filled with such rage that it sent his crew fleeing. He yanked the knife from the desk. He wouldn't fill that void as long as Berk stood and its people were alive. He would have his revenge and destroy the entire island. And he would make sure that Hiccup was last. Dagur wanted Hiccup to see everything he had be ripped away.

A knock rapped on his door.

"What?" Dagur spat. He hated being disturbed.

"Is everything alright, sir?" asked a weak voiced solider from the other side.

Dagur groaned. "I am fine."

He was one of those morons he'd picked up from the last conquest. About as smart as the dirt on his boots. He would have to go, no question about that. The question was how. Dagur could think of a hundred interesting new ways to kill a man. There were the classics like an axe to the head or a sword through the neck. And then there were the fun ways like 'how long could a man hold his breath under water' or 'what happened if he tied a man to the bow of the ship' or 'how many limbs could be removed without death'.

Footsteps padded away from his door. Dagur slunk into the desk's chair with a groan. The captain's quarters came with a window and he could see the expanse of the ocean. Everyday, it looked the same. A chilled wind slipped in but Dagur shrugged it off. Warriors didn't get cold.

"One of these days, Hiccup. I'll come back for you. And this time you won't get away." Dagur said to the empty room.

He couldn't rid himself of the absolute anger. He thrust the knife back into the desk. He yanked it back out. He thrust it back in. Soon he was carving his own décor. He could see his reflection in the blade. It was much better than anything his buffoons of blacksmiths could make.

Revenge? Always the clichéd tale.

Dagur griped the knife's handle and poised it ready to make the intruder bleed. No one just walked into his room. He spun around but there was no one there.

Ah, hearing voices? You must be losing your mind.

"It's too late for that." Dagur laughed. "They don't call me Dagur the Deranged for nothing."

Full of yourself? Such the braggart.

"Excuse me?" Dagur spat to the mysterious voice. "You dare to speak to me like that nad yet you're the one hiding?"

Oh, I'm not hiding.

"Then show yourself!" Dagur demanded. He thrust the dagger into the air. He really wanted to stab someone.

I can't.

"Oh really?" Dagur scoffed. "Are you invisible?"

To you, I am.

Dagur paused. He drew the knife back toward himself. He hadn't expected that kind of an answer. He felt a tremor in his chest. He swallowed his caution. Warriors felt no fear. "What? Are you some kind of a ghost?"

Yes.

Dagur gripped the knife with white knuckles. He didn't believe it. There was someone hiding somewhere to frightening him. The very idea that someone that they were being funny at his expense infuriated him. He scanned the room for a hiding place. The closet was the best place for one of his idiot crewmen to crouch. Nowhere else was big enough.

"Oh, a ghost. That's very interesting." Dagur said as he tiptoes over to the closet. He paused, savoring the anticipation, basking in the panic and fear that must be boiling inside the idiot that he was about to skewer. He yanked the door open and thrust the blade inside.

But there was no one inside. The shiny blade had stuck through an empty coat. He was sure there had been someone inside. There was no where else for someone to hid. He didn't understand. Whoever it was must be smarter than he thought.

What did you expect to find?

Dagur growled.

Did you not believe me?

"No, I didn't." Dagur spat.

That is understandable. I wouldn't believe me either.

"And why is that?" Dagur said.

Nothing about a disembodied voice says trustworthy.

Dagur humphed. "Fine. So you're a ghost. Whatever. What do you want? Is this supposed to be your ship or something? Come back to haunt me because I slaughtered you and your people?"

No. I couldn't care less about the blood on your hands.

"Then why are you here?" Dagur asked. This was getting annoying. He didn't like people that hid their true agendas. That is why he enjoyed his crew. They were stupid but they were straightforward.

I don't know. A rift was torn and I was able to escape.

"Escape?" Dagur asked. "From where exactly?"

That is better left unsaid.

"Oh?" Dagur said with a curious eyebrow. "Were you in jail? A criminal? What kind of horrible things did you do?"

The voice laughed.

"What is so funny?" Dagur slammed the knife back into the table. He hated being laughed at.

Dagur the Deranged. The name fits.

"Of course it does." Dagur said.

What were you talking about before? Revenge?

"Yes." Dagur said. "I was wronged but a horrible little…brat and his cursed dragon. I will make them pay if it's the last thing I do!"

Hiccup of the isle of Berk?

"Yes." Dagur answered, surprised. "Do you know him?"

Yes. I too have been wronged by him.

Dagur adjusted himself. He was among a new friend, for an enemy of his enemy is a friend. "Then I believe we have a common goal."

Yes. If you truly want revenge on Hiccup and his dragon I will help you.

"What's in it for you?" Dagur asked. He had become skeptical of truces with shady people.

Revenge.

Dagur thought it over. He could use this mysterious stranger's help but what sort of help could he give? Dagur had tried everything. What made this 'ghost' any different?

I am not an ordinary person. I can do things that a living human can't. I can give you the upper hand.

Dagur tapped his hand on the desk. It was tempting. He could take the offer and always back out in a double-cross later. He was thinking this plan over when he realized he was considering accepting help from a ghost. He burst with laughter.

Hm?

"I do like the sound of winning." Dagur said. His laughed turned sinister. "Who knows, this could be the thing I need to finally destroy Hiccup and his dragon and everything on Berk. It'll be so beautiful on fire! I can almost see it and smell the burning homes and sizzling bodies and hear the terrified screams of pain and suffering."

Yes, but before I can help I need something from you.

Dagur groaned. "Oh, right, what's the catch? You want gold? Power? A ship named after your mother?"

No. A body.

"What?" Dagur asked.

A body. Preferably with a weak constitution.

Dagur laughed. "There is plenty of useless meat laying about. Take your pick."

A hurried knock came to the door. "Are you alright, Dagur sir? I heard you talking to someone."

Dagur grinned wickedly. That moron would do nicely. For one he had excellent timing.

"Oh, I need someone to do something pointless. Come in." Dagur said with fake helplessness. He was such an idiot he wouldn't notice.

The man opened the door and stepped in with purpose. Big and dumb was his profile, along with the majority of the other crew.

"Yes, sir, what do you need?" he asked.

What happened next surprised even Dagur. The man seized up and fell to the floor gasping. His hands rushed to his throat and clawed at it. His eyes were bulging and rolling up into his head. He gulped and gasped and shook on the cabin's floor.

Dagur pushed himself to the desk and put it between him and the horrible scene. He prepared to end the man's struggle for life when he suddenly stopped moving. Dagur moved back around while the man lie still. When he began to move Dagur jumped back and armed himself with the knife.

The change was instant. The man was no longer reflecting stupidity but his eyes were cold and calculating. His entire being radiated with sinister intentions.

"And…?" Dagur asked.

"It feels good to be human again." the man spoke but it was not his voice. It was the voice that Dagur had heard in his cabin. Dry and weathered, it was a voice that could strike fear into a useless crew. Dagur loved the sound.

He began to laugh. This time he would have his revenge on Hiccup and he would be victorious.

Remember when I said I had a title but I didn't want to put the story under that title because it would give away a spoiler? This chapter is that spoiler. The title that I had was "Cheating Death: Dagur's Revenge". Cheesy? Totally. But I don't care. It gets the job done.

Slide a review my way and tell me what you think!