Wow. Sorry for the long update. I hope this long chapter makes up for me taking so much time. With Finals done and Winter Break in session, I actually have less time to write with work and family activities. I will try to finish the last chapter next week though. Can't believe that this story is almost done. Though this story seems to be a random adventure, there is a reason why I wrote it. It'll have a little bit more meaning for the last two stories in the Dragon Boarder Series. Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter Eight
As the group rode on towards the lightning storm, Heather was explaining what happened to her and how she found Valkyrie; well more so how Valkyrie found Heather.
"Amazing…so she let you help her?" Matt asked in shock, looking at Heather in disbelief.
"Yeah." Heather replied simply "I just showed her what I wanted to do and she let me do it." Looking down at Valkyrie, she added "Even though she hit me with her wing, she still saved my life."
"I guess you're the Skrill Master now…" Matt said with a smile "You didn't even have to run from it."
"Well to be fair, I couldn't run if I wanted to." Heather replied, petting Valkyrie "My legs were wrapped up in some bolas."
Realizing the danger that Heather was in, Matt asked "So…what happened when I was captured. What did you guys do?"
"Well, I had to stitch Astrid's arm back together after the slash she took." Heather began to explain.
"Which opened back up by the way…" Astrid threw in, pointing at her arm hanging in her sling.
"I know…I don't have any more supplies to close it back up." Heather said sadly, staring at Astrid's arm "At least it stopped bleeding."
"Good thing too." Astrid said, looking at the cut arm "I was feeling a little light headed when it opened back up."
"So how did you guys get separated then?" Matt cut in "Savage told me that he split you guys up after you tried to get a Slaver outfit."
"Well, we went back to the arena to try and find one of the slavers that was killed." Astrid said, returning her look to Matt "I guess they knew we'd come back that way because they were waiting for us when we got there."
"They surrounded us and we all had to split up to get away." Hiccup then said, looking back at Matt "I couldn't help Heather when that happened."
"And then you know the rest." Heather finished off "I swam down river, er well, I mostly drowned down the river and then found Valkyrie."
"So that's why Savage was confident that you wouldn't attack." Matt said, putting the pieces of the story together.
"Yes, and like I said before, we didn't really have a plan until Heather found us." Hiccup added, letting Toothless walk next to Wasatch "Even then it was kind of risky."
"Well, it worked out and I'm not going to complain with results." Matt replied with a smile "I'm just grateful that I'm free and with you guys."
Smiling, Hiccup just nodded. Then with a serious tone, asked "So…what do you know about Savage's customer?"
Frowning, Matt just shook his head. "I don't even know how to describe him. I don't even know his name."
"Well, just call him 'Buyer'. Since that's what he was going to do." Astrid threw in, eyes narrowing with anger.
"I'll agree to call him that." Matt said nodding. Looking at Hiccup he said "He's really particular with who he buys. He spent some time inspecting me. Apparently, whoever he buys have to be perfect both physically and health wise."
"So…he wasn't going to purchase you?" Heather asked "I mean, did he know about your leg?"
"Yeah, I told him about it and he wasn't really excited when he saw my back too." Matt answered "It was weird because every flaw I brought up almost seemed to sell me more. He even told me that I was going to be the only exception he'd have."
"Why?" Hiccup asked, looking at Matt with a quizzical look.
Shrugging, Matt replied "I have no idea why. He danced around any questions that I asked."
"I'm just glad you're not going to be a slave now…" Heather said with relief on her face.
"Well, that's the main reason why I don't understand him." Matt said with a confused look on his face "He buys people to…set them free? He never actually enslaves the people he brings back to his home, but rather turns them into his friends or subjects."
"You believe him?" Astrid asked while raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know…" Matt replied "My mind wants to believe him because he stopped Savage from beating me. Well, even more than what he already did. Then again, he is someone who regularly buys prisoners and probably lies to them all the time."
"But why would he do that?" Heather asked "Why would he want to buy someone, set them free, and still not let them go back to where they came from?"
Again, Matt shook his head and said "I don't know. Everything I told you is all I was able to learn from him; plus some of my opinions. That guy is a mystery to me." Suddenly, Matt felt Wasatch stop. Looking at Hiccup, who also stopped on top of a small hill, he was about to ask why when he realized where they were. Looking up above them, he saw that the group was almost directly under the storm clouds. "Huh…I guess we're here then…" he whispered, taking in the awe inspiring sight.
"Well…they're lower than what I thought originally." Astrid said, staring at the lightning infested clouds.
"That's not what I'm confused about." Hiccup said, not taking his eyes off what was ahead. Pointing, he said "I don't think Thor himself can unleash that much lightning."
Matt climbed the hill and stood next to Hiccup. Seeing what Hiccup was staring at, he silently said "Is this what the end of the world looks like?"
Astrid and Heather quickly jogged up next to them, only to gasp at the amazing and terrifying sight. Almost at once, everyone slid off their dragons to soak in the view.
It looked like a wall of lightning; thousands of strikes hitting the ground not far from where they stood. Because of the size and how frequent the lightning was hitting the ground, it definitely seemed to be an impassible obstacle.
"Well…what now?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup.
"I…I don't know…I honestly wasn't expecting something like this." Hiccup said with wide eyes.
Looking at the lightning show, Matt felt himself pushed in the back. Whirling around, he saw that Wasatch was trying to push him towards the lightning. "Easy boy. I can take a few shocks from you; but not a thousand volts." Matt said with smile, pushing back on the Skrill.
Not listening to Matt, Wasatch then rammed his head into Matt's bruised chest; forcing him to go. Valkyrie was doing the same thing to Heather, who was trying to get around her dragon.
"Wasatch!?" Matt shouted "What's wrong with you!"
Wasatch ignored Matt's shouts as he continued to herd his rider towards the lightning storm. Valkyrie was doing the same to Heather as she tried to run around her dragon.
"What's going on!?" Hiccup asked out loud, staring at the Skrill's bossing their riders around.
"I don't know, you tell me!" Matt shouted, as he tried to run around Wasatch. Leaping over the wing that tried to stop him, Matt suddenly felt himself get shocked. Falling to the ground, Matt rolled over onto his back to see Wasatch softly bite his boot and began to drag him towards the lightning.
"Arrrggh!" Matt shouted, grasping his leg "That's my bad leg you stupid dragon!"
"Matt!" Hiccup yelled running after him. Reaching for Matt's hand, he began to pull against the Skrill. Toothless was about to charge Wasatch when Valkyrie turned and roared in his face. Toothless in turn roared back, a lot more softly though. Valkyrie then motioned her head towards the lightning, growling softly. Staring at the two dragons in confusion, Hiccup then saw Stormfly begin to nudge Astrid towards the lightning as well.
"They want us all to walk towards it." Hiccup said, watching Toothless begin to push him.
Kicking Wasatch with his good leg to make him let go, Matt slowly stood up. Turning to his dragon he shouted angrily "Fine! If you want me to get killed, I'll follow you!"
Wasatch almost seemed to smile as he turned around and began to walk to the lightning. Reluctantly, Matt followed with the rest of the group behind him.
Just as he began to feel the ground shake from the constant lightning strike, Matt then said "I'm sorry boy, I'm not going to go any closer!"
Turning to Matt, Wasatch just roared. Facing the lightning again, he launched himself into the air and flew through the storm wall.
"Where's he going?" Heather asked in confusion, watching the Skrill disappear.
Matt just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'm starting to think he forgot I can't take lightning like he can."
Before anyone could reply, the lightning suddenly stopped! Looking past where the lightning was striking, an entire canyon was revealed. With steep, rocky cliff faces on both sides, there was no way one could see it when the lightning was striking. Unsure of what to do, the group just stood there; waiting for something.
Annoyed that they weren't moving; Valkyrie began to push Heather, urging her to keep on going.
Feeling a little bit safer with the lighting gone, Heather began to walk towards the small hill. Matt also did so, walking next to her. Both Hiccup and Astrid were right behind them. Walking into the mouth of the canyon, Matt saw Wasatch fly towards him, roaring happily. Behind him though were five other Skrills! Following him closely.
Landing in front of the group, Wasatch began to rub against Matt, sending light shocks into him.
"Wasatch!" Matt said in awe, and out of reaction as he kept getting small jolts sent into his body "Is this your home!?"
"Amazing…" Hiccup said, staring at the sides of the canyon "It's a whole nest of Skrills!"
Realizing what Hiccup said, the group turned to see Skrill's climbing over the rocks to get a look at the visitors. Almost instantly, two Skrills flew to the top of the canyon and began to create a lightning storm; sealing the entrance off.
"That answers so many questions!" Hiccup said, staring at the Skrills acting as guards "That's why the lightning never stopped or moved! This is probably where Wasatch was living when he found you training Dagur's Skrill."
"And why I found Valkyrie in the first place." Heather added, trying to soak in the sight.
Valkyrie then walked up to one of the Skrills that followed Wasatch, growling at it. Mesmerized by the Skrills seemingly to communicate with each other; Matt, Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather were suddenly ambushed by a dozen baby Skrills. All curious of their visitors.
"It's amazing." Astrid said, kneeling down to stroke one of the babies that was sniffing her boot "It's like their own community. Like our village!"
"That being said, who's their 'chief' then?" Matt asked, letting two baby Skrills climb on his back.
"My guess…that one." Hiccup said, pointing up to the sky.
Looking at where he was pointing, the group saw a massive Skrill land in front of them. Roaring, the dragon stared at the group, making the baby Skrill's back away immediately. It had a green color to it. More like greenish blue. It was probably twice the size of Wasatch or Valkyrie.
"Odin help us…" Hiccup said softly, staring at the Skrill in disbelief "That thing is massive!"
"Bigger than the Red Death? Or the Bewilderbeast?" Astrid quickly cut in jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Not really a good time to joke." Hiccup whispered back, taking a step back.
"Yeah Astrid, you really need to work on your timing." Matt quickly added with a smirk on his face, adding to Astrid's joke.
Hiccup just glared at them, and then returned his attention at the Skrill.
Still looking at the foreigners, the Skrill then roared at them. Toothless and Stormfly went into a defensive position, standing next to their riders. Both Wasatch and Valkyrie also stood next to their riders; except in a more relaxed nature.
"I hope your dragons knew what they were doing bringing us in here." Astrid whispered to Heather.
"Me too!" Heather weakly whispered back.
The big Skrill just stared at them, as if pondering something. Looking at both Wasatch and Valkyrie, it roared angrily at the two Skrills and began to walk towards them. Wasatch immediately roared back, standing in between the massive Skrill and the group. Almost immediately, Valkyrie did the same; standing next to Wasatch. The big Skrill just stared at them, with a confused and angry look. Roaring loudly, it slowly backed off. Angry that the two Skrill's were defending their friends, the Skrill fired a lightning bolt at a boulder, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. Storming away from them, it flew back in the direction that it came from.
Watching the Skrill fly away, Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief and said "That could have been bad…" Turning around to face everyone, he then said "Looks like the babies are coming back for another look."
Everyone turned to see the flock of baby Skrill glide back towards them. One landed on Heather's hair and shocked her. With her hair standing on end, she quickly grabbed the Skrill and said in an annoyed tone "Thanks a lot, you little terror!" Rubbing its small spikes on its back, she then turned to Hiccup and said "I just hope we can rest for a little bit. I don't know if I can sit easy knowing that we're in a wild dragon's nest; especially when their leader doesn't seem to like us."
"Yeah, I think I'd rather take a chance and face those Slavers than stay here to fight these guys." Astrid said, letting one of the babies climb on her back "Let alone the entire nest!"
"I'm all for staying" Matt threw in, letting a baby Skrill bite his boot "As long as we have our Skrill's with us…I think we'll be fine." Gently playing tug-of-war with the baby, he added "I mean they let us in! I say that's a pretty good sign that they won't do anything to us."
"And we're all exhausted." Hiccup cut in, looking at Astrid "You've been injured and have had no rest; Heather's been on an emotional roller coaster since we've been here; Matt's been beaten and captured twice in the last day and a half; and I'm about to lose my mind if I have one more thing happen to us before I get some sleep." Pointing to their dragons, he added "Our dragons have been non-stop flying, running, fighting, and whatever else you can think of! We need to let them recuperate also." Turning to face the lightning storm at the canyon entrance he then continued "Besides, we won't have to keep watch with the Skrills already protecting us."
"I am feeling pretty tired actually…" Heather said, looking at Matt "Been awhile since I've slept without having to worry about something."
"Been awhile since I remember sleeping." Matt replied looking down. Then smiling, he joked "Well, at least on my free will. I don't count getting knocked out anymore."
"Fine…" Astrid said, giving in to everyone's reasons "I guess I'll be ok staying here too."
Smiling, Matt gently removed the Skrill that was still latched to his snowboard boot. Petting it, he slowly drew his sword and shocked the baby; to which it recoiled back in surprise. Not sure of what just happened, the baby just stared at Matt as he limped off to a slanted boulder. Sitting down, he leaned back against it and closed his eyes. Opening them when he heard Heather take a seat next to him, he smiled and said "Well, feel good to relax a little? At least not have to worry about being attacked?"
"More than you know!" Heather said, breathing heavily as she sat down next to him. Leaning against him, she added "I'm so glad you're safe…"
"I feel the same way Heather…" Matt said, leaning his head back against the rock and closing his eyes "I…I have to ask you something. When this is all over and when I'm not exhausted."
"What about?" Heather asked, looking at Matt in confusion.
"You'll see." Matt said, not opening his eyes "While captured, I had a lot of time to think of some of the things I'd do differently. I want to run it by you when we're not being hunted…"
Confused, Heather just nodded and said "Well, I guess I can wait. It's going to be killing me though."
Smiling, Matt said "Well, I guess it'll be that much more meaningful when we talk about it." At that he shifted a little and said "Good night Heather…have a good rest."
"You too Matt." Heather said, closing her eyes as well.
It didn't take long for sleep to overcome them, as they didn't even notice their dragons lay their wings over them.
Hiccup and Astrid were also settling down next to a rock. Making sure that the dragons weren't going to bug Astrid's arm, Hiccup finally rested against the rock. Sitting there with his arm around Astrid, he gently pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Astrid asked, smiling at the surprise.
"For helping me." Hiccup replied quietly, resting his head against the boulder "I was falling apart and you helped me get through it."
"Yes, I did help." Astrid said, still smiling "But you were the one that did it. I just gave you a slight push."
"Can't you ever take a compliment?" Hiccup asked, shaking his head slightly "You never take the credit you deserve."
"Hmm…your right." Astrid teased "I'm the best at everything. Where would you be without me?"
"There's the Astrid I was looking for." Hiccup said smiling. Closing his eyes, he whispered "I love you Astrid."
"You too Hiccup." Astrid replied, closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
"Wake up Matt!" Heather's voice sounded in his head. Slowly opening his eyes, he was blinded by the sun sitting at high noon.
"Wha- What time is it?" he asked, shielding his eyes with his hand.
"Well, I'm not sure actually." Heather said, smiling at Matt "But it's been the whole night and half the day!"
"Man…we must have been incredibly tired if we slept that long." Matt said, yawning and stretching. Looking around, he saw both Wasatch was standing at Heather's side, staring down at him. Smiling, he slowly started to stand up, to which he felt his leg give him a little grief. Bracing himself against the boulder, he gently lifted his leg and let the pain die down.
"How bad is it?" Heather asked, looking at the leg.
"It's just waking up when it really bugs me." Matt said, lying slightly. Shifting his leg straight, he said "It feels a lot better now that I was actually able to rest it."
Not really convinced, Heather shook her head and said "You should stay off it as much as you can anyways. Who knows when we'll be able to rest like this again."
"Actually…a lot sooner than what you're probably thinking." Hiccup cut in, walking up to them. Astrid, Toothless and Stormfly were walking next to him as well.
"Oh? Why's that?" Matt asked "Did you fix Toothless' tail? Are we finally getting off this pointless rock?" With that, he noticed both Valkyrie and Wasatch glare at him. Seeing their expressions, he quickly added "It is a nice rock to live on though!"
Shaking his head, Hiccup explained "No, but I'm going to send one of you who can fly to get Eret. I don't know where the twins or Snotlout are, but they might not have been able to find Eret and his crew." Looking back at Astrid, he added "While the rest of us stay here under the protection of the Skrills, we can wait out Savage and this 'Buyer' until Eret arrives."
"Sounds good." Matt said nodding. Then, eyes glaring, he asked "So who are you sending? It better not be me."
"Or me." Heather and Astrid said at once.
Face palming himself, Hiccup moaned "I knew this would happen." Looking back up, he then said "I'll only tell you who's going if you all agree to go if it ends up being you. No questions. No debates. Nothing."
Everyone was quiet for a moment. No one wanted to leave the group, even if it meant a quicker rescue. Reluctantly, Matt nodded his head and said "I'll agree to go if it is me. But I will be cussing the entire ride."
"Fine." Astrid said rolling her eyes "I'll go if I need to as well."
"I guess that includes me." Heather said with a frown.
"Good." Hiccup said "I'm sending Astrid."
"What!?" Astrid yelled angrily, drawing the attention of a few Skrills. "Why!?"
"Because of your arm." Hiccup said, facing her "You need to get that taken care of and if we do end up fighting, you wouldn't be able to help as much as you used to."
"But Hiccup!" Astrid began to say.
Raising his hand, Hiccup cut her off and said "I thought you agreed to go?"
"I did but doesn't mean that I'm going to be quiet about it." Astrid yelled "I promise I'm fine! My arm doesn't hurt anymore."
"Good. You'll be able to fly a lot more comfortable while finding Eret!" Hiccup replied adamantly "You're going. End of discussion."
Astrid fumed as she stared at Hiccup. She was expecting him to send Matt, with the experiences he just had. Hanging her head, she just whispered "Fine. I'll leave right now then."
"Thank you Astrid." Hiccup replied. Unsure of what to say next, he just went and walked up to her.
Turning away from him, Astrid began to climb onto Stormfly. Careful not to bump her arm in a sling, she tenderly pulled herself onto her saddle.
"Astrid." Hiccup said softly "I don't want you to be angry with me, but I don't want your arm any more injured than it has to."
"So that's why you're keeping Matt?" Astrid asked coldly "Did you forget all that he's gone through?"
"That's not really fair to compare yourself to him." Hiccup rebutted "He can still fight if he needs to. You just struggled getting on your saddle."
"Hiccup. I can still get things done!" Astrid said heatedly "In fact, I believe that I was the one who freed Wasatch yesterday."
"I know that!" Hiccup exhaled "But your arm isn't getting better!"
"Remember when Matt's back was burnt?" Astrid asked, eyes narrowing "He didn't need to have his back healed; he needed to be able to help!"
"But I did have a week and half to rest it." Matt cut in, standing next to Hiccup "You've only had a few hours to rest since you received that cut. Besides, I'd be fighting for you to stay if we had anything here to help treat it. Heather's run completely dry on her supplies."
"I was hoping you'd back me up…" Astrid said, eyes glaring at Matt.
Shaking his head, Matt added "Like I said, I would be if we had something to help take care of your arm."
"You know…next time I teach you how to fight with a sword, I might 'miss' next time." Astrid threatened, not taking her eyes off of Matt.
"…Great…" Matt muttered looking at Hiccup "You've killed me."
Smiling at the joke, Hiccup then looked up at Astrid and said "I'm sending you to find Eret not just for your sake, but mine to. I'd feel a lot better knowing that you'll be safe and knowing that your arm will get some attention."
"Fine!" Astrid breathed loudly, looking up in the sky "But when I get back, you're not going to be feeling 'fine' then!"
"I'm kind of already planning on that." Hiccup said with a smile "Be careful Astrid. Stay up high so that the Slavers can't get you."
"I know that!" Astrid replied angrily. Then, in a softer voice, added "I'll be fine Hiccup…just…stay out of trouble until we come get you."
"Don't worry we will." Hiccup said smiling. Stepping back from Astrid, he then said "Better get going. The sooner the better."
"Bye Hiccup." Astrid said, still frowning.
"Bye Astrid." Hiccup replied softly, looking up at Astrid.
"Mind having the Skrill let me through their little lightning gate?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt.
"Let me see what I can do…" he said, smiling as he climbed on to Wasatch's neck "Alright boy, time to work some of your magic."
Wasatch roared and launched into the air. Flying towards the one of the Skrills atop of the canyon, he started to growl at the Skrill.
Roaring back, the Skrill stopped radiating lightning. The other Skrill on the other side of the canyon did as well, letting the lightning stop and allowing Astrid and Stormfly to begin their flight.
"Be careful Astrid!" Matt shouted, watching her fly higher into the sky.
"Don't worry about me. Just don't get caught again!" She shouted back "I might not help you just because I'm getting tired of saving your butt!"
"Noted!" Matt yelled with smile. Watching her disappear into the sky, Matt guided Wasatch down onto the ground and slid off. Watching the Skrill start the lightning again, he then said to Heather "Now…only a matter of time until we finally start heading home."
"Not soon enough…" Heather said, holding her stomach with her hand "We haven't really eaten anything since we got to this island."
Hearing this, Matt did start to feel his stomach ache. Even though he ate something when he was at Savage's camp, he was still hungry. Looking at Heather and Hiccup, he just imagined what they must be going through.
"I think Valkyrie has a solution." Hiccup said looking up at the purple and white Skrill gliding towards them. In her mouth were dozens of fish.
"I was wondering where she went!" Heather said with some relief "I was afraid that she left me.
Landing in front of the group, Valkyrie dropped the pile of fish onto the ground. Looking up at Heather, the Skrill then bumped her in the chest and shocked her. Laughing, Heather began to rub her dragon's head. "Is this why you disappeared? To get us something to eat!"
Hiccup pulled some fish out of the pile that weren't partly eaten or digested. "Well, if we cook them they should be decent to eat." Looking at Toothless, he then said "Toothless, plasma blast!"
Toothless fired a small blue fireball into the ground. Blowing away parts of the earth and leaving a small crater, Toothless stood back and let the heat of the burning rocks radiate.
"Thanks bud." Hiccup said with smile, tossing a fish to the Night Fury. Picking up a stick from the ground, he set the fish on it and stuck it over the fire. Matt followed suit, finding two sticks and giving one to Heather.
Letting their fish cook, Matt took a seat next to the heated rocks. Leaning against Wasatch, who was dining on his own small pile of fish, Matt looked to see Heather sitting next to her dragon, who was napping. "You're really not that nervous around her are you?" he asked, watching Heather turn her fish so that it wouldn't get burned.
"I was at first. It took everything for me to climb onto her back when I realized I trained her." Heather said, looking down at her sleeping dragon "But it helped that I was exposed to Wasatch."
Smiling, Matt then asked "So…does this mean that there's going to be no more moonlight flights together?"
Laughing, Heather replied "We'll rotate dragons if it means that much to you."
"I'll agree to that." Matt said laughing, rotating his fish. Turning to Hiccup, he asked "So…I have to ask, what are we going to do about Savage?"
"I…I don't really know." Hiccup said simply, staring at the glowing crater "I figured that when we get back, that we'll just stop fishing to the south of us while we send a three or four ships to stop him. I'm not entirely sure though."
Matt frowned at this and then said "What if we try and sink 'Buyer's' ship? You know, before we leave. That way they'll be stuck on this island."
"No." Hiccup said quickly "We're not risking another stupid mission to try and cripple Savage and his men! No, we'll wait until Eret gets here."
"That's what I mean!" Matt argued "I'm not saying right now, but on our way out; when we leave!"
Before Hiccup could reply, Heather cut in and said "Matt! Just relax for a little bit. You're always trying bite off more than you can chew!"
"Why not though?" Matt countered real quick "If we can keep them on this island, we won't have to worry about them coming after us!"
"What makes you think that no one won't come back for them?" Heather asked.
"You heard Savage. No one comes to this island." Matt replied "They'd be stuck here for a long time."
"Matt, please stop." Hiccup said, rubbing his forehead with his hand "I realize that you're trying to cripple Savage and his friend; which I'm all for. What I'm not for is to run a risk where we are captured or killed again. With or without Eret." Staring at Matt, he continued "I'm only going to do something like that when I have an absolute advantage. Until then, just relax. You've got to rest your leg!"
"It's fine Hiccup." Matt said, returning his attention to his fish "I bet I can stand on Wasatch right now if I wanted to." Making sure his fish wasn't burnt, he then added "If there's an opportunity to sink that ship, I'm going to take it."
"We'll see…" Hiccup sighed, realizing that Matt was going to do whatever he wanted. "You know, you're more stubborn than me."
"I guess its genetics." Matt joked "Got it from you."
Shaking his head, Hiccup laughed at the joke.
Later that afternoon, after they all ate something, the group just sat talked with each other; specifically what changes they wanted to do to Berk when they got back.
"I don't know, I think if we extended the dragon hangar we'll have to add more water lines for fire control…" Matt said, thinking on the subject "Not that big of an issue, but it would be needed."
"I can talk to Gobber about digging another well. If we can get one by the hanger, then we can use our existing one to expand our village to the north for Vikings." Hiccup said with a smile. Leaning against a boulder he then said "That'll make both dragons and Vikings happy."
"You really are a good chief Hiccup." Matt said, looking at him proudly "In the 6 months that I've lived here, you've spent so much time and energy helping everyone in Berk."
"Yeah, except I almost failed…" Hiccup said while rolling his eyes.
"Oh please." Heather jumped in "This could've happened to Stoick or anyone! And it wasn't just you that failed. It was all of us."
"Yeah, if I was defending the entrance to the hold of the ship, Savage wouldn't have been able to get the jump on us." Matt added.
"Heh, you guys aren't really helping me feel better." Hiccup said with a small smile "But it was nice to be able to talk about chiefing Berk. I'm actually looking forward to running the village." Laughing, he added "Never thought I'd say that! Hopefully no more events with Savage will happen."
"Hiccup," Matt said with a wide smile "Astrid left hours ago. I'm sure she and Eret are coming right now!" Pointing to the Skrills on top of the canyon, he said "Besides, what'll Savage do to get past these guys?"
No sooner had he said that, a massive boulder flew through the lightning storm and crashed into the canyon wall; causing rocks to tumble down into the canyon.
Jumping up at the sight, Hiccup turned to see two more boulders fly through the lightning and into the canyon. Multiple Skrills took flight and charged through the lightning, roaring in anger that they were being attacked. One of them was the massive green Skrill and was leading the others.
"You know, I'm going to learn to keep my freakin' mouth shut sometimes…" Matt said, dodging a rock that was rolling down the canyon wall and towards him. "Wasatch! Let's go!" he shouted, running to his dragon and locking his brace.
"Alright boy, let's show them what a rested Night Fury can do!" Hiccup said loudly, running towards the lightning wall with Toothless right behind him. "Matt, can you get the lightning to stop?"
"I'll try." Matt said, strapping himself into his bindings. It was a long time since he rode like that on Wasatch. Now able to have the strength and stamina to 'board' on Wasatch, he couldn't help but feel a little giddy. Launching into the air, Matt guided Wasatch towards one of the Skrills. Before he got to it, another boulder smashed right below the Skrill, causing the cliff to collapse.
The Skrill acting as a guard then caught itself in the air as the ground that it was standing on collapsed.
Seeing the lightning weaken, the second Skrill on the other side of the canyon launched into the air and joined to the battle. Watching the lightning dissipate, Matt saw three columns of men; separated into groups of at least 20 or 30 each. Each group had a catapult that was launching boulders as fast as they could be loaded.
"Matt! Come pick me up!" Hiccup shouted, waving his arms to catch his attention.
Not questioning why, Matt dove down and stopped in front of Hiccup. "What's up? What do you need me to do?"
"We're taking down Savage." Hiccup replied "I'm leaving Toothless to make sure that the slavers don't get into the nest."
"I'll stay and defend too!" Heather cut in, running up to Matt and Hiccup. "Valkyrie and I can help Toothless if he gets overrun."
"Good. Do that." Hiccup said. Turning back to Matt, he added "I hope you're ready. The two of us are going to take down Savage together."
"Why the sudden change in plans?" Matt asked, letting Hiccup climb onto Wasatch's back "You wanted to avoid confrontation."
"Well, we can't avoid it" Hiccup replied simply "And we have an advantage over them. We have a nest of Skrills fighting with us!" Looking at Toothless, he ordered "Take down the catapults first! That'll stop them from destroying the Skrills nest!"
Toothless roared and fired a plasma blast at the group far right. Seeing the group scatter as the fireball smashed into the catapult caused Toothless to roar loudly, as if to challenge the slavers.
Heather looked at Matt and said "Be careful Matt…I don't want to come rescue you again."
Smiling, he just leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, saying "Hey, I still need to talk to you later, so I'll make sure I'm careful." Looking at Heather, he then launched into the air with Hiccup holding onto one of the metal spikes. Leveling out in the air, Matt saw multiple Skrills laying on the ground with nets over them. "I guess they came prepared for us." he shouted "Let's give our Skrill friend's a quick helping hand!" Guiding Wasatch into a strafing run, he let Wasatch shoot a massive lightning bolt into a small group of slavers that were running towards a downed Skrill. Hitting two of them, Wasatch then grabbed the net that lay on one of the downed Skrill.
Hiccup turned to see the Skrill quickly radiate with lighting and finish off the rest of the slavers that were close to it. Turning to see the rest of the invading army, he saw another one of Toothless' blasts; tearing apart the middle group's catapult. "Matt! They're all retreating! Look!" He shouted, pointing at the last column that was intact.
Sure enough, Matt watched the last group of slavers begin to retreat by running back the way they came. "I guess they weren't really planning on stirring up a whole nest of Skrills!" he shouted in excitement. Looking at the battle, he then asked "Did you see Savage at all?"
"Over there!" Hiccup said, pointing to three men sprinting away from the battle.
"There's Buyer!" Matt said, pointing to four men who were running in a different direction "I can't let him get away!"
"Go. I'll get Savage." Hiccup said, starting to stand up from where he was sitting.
"I can drop you off first," Matt said, staring at Hiccup in worry "at least let me land!"
"No need! Go get Buyer!" Hiccup shouted, leaping off of Wasatch.
Both Matt and Wasatch stared in amazement as Hiccup opened his flight suit and began to glide to Savage just as fast as if he was riding a dragon. Laughing, Matt shouted to Wasatch "I guess he doesn't need us after all!" Looking over to Buyer, Matt then urged Wasatch into a dive by dropping his lead foot. "Ok buddy, let's go see our old friend shall we?"
Rapidly falling, Matt pulled up and skimmed across the ground. Flying above Buyer and his men, Matt let Wasatch suddenly stall and turn around, creating a small whirlwind that caught Buyer and his men off guard. Unstrapping himself, Matt leapt down on the ground; drawing his sword in the process. Wasatch then hovered above him, radiating with lightning all around his body and roaring loudly at Buyer.
"Son of Odin…" the stranger gasped, staring at Wasatch "You really do ride dragons!"
"Oh shut up!" Matt yelled, letting sparks shoot along his blade. Pointing at the stranger and his men, he shouted "Drop your weapons now! All of you!"
"And if we don't?" the stranger asked, a small smile breaking across his face.
"Wasatch. Please make them all drop their weapons." Matt said, glaring at Buyer.
Wasatch immediately let loose small lightning bolts, making the ground around Buyer and his men look like small explosives were going off next to them. It didn't take long for the stranger's men to drop their swords, but they kept their shields. Only the buyer remained with sword in hand.
"That's what'll happen if you don't drop them!" Matt shouted, taking a step closer to the stranger.
"Rush 'em boys!" the stranger yelled, charging Matt. His three men drew daggers and charged Matt with their shields raised.
Wasatch let loose a massive lightning bolt, completely laying out one of the men. Matt jumped backwards to avoid a swipe from the stranger. Instantly, Matt brought his sword across his foe's blade; arcing electricity into him. The stranger recoiled back from the shock and shouted "Arrgghhh! What was that!?" Matt ignored the cry of pain and was about to do a follow up strike, but was cut off by one of the men. Side stepping the dagger that was thrust out at him, Matt backpedaled away as the second guard sliced the air in front of Matt with his shield.
"Ooff…" Matt grunted, landing a little funny on his leg. Ignoring the pain, Matt readied himself to counter a second swipe with the shield, only to see him get blown away by another lightning bolt. Wasatch roared as he landed next to Matt and then swung his tail around and knocked the other guard to the ground. "Thanks boy…" Matt whispered, resting his hand on the Skrill's wing. Looking at the stranger, who was fuming at Matt, he then said "This one's mine Wasatch. Just watch my back." Wasatch growled, eyeing the stranger angrily. Matt stared at Buyer and then sprinted towards him with his sword raised and sparks flying.
"Hold it right there Savage!" Hiccup shouted, landing roughly on the ground. Rolling to a stop, Hiccup quickly folded his flight suit in record time. Drawing his fire sword, he pointed it at Savage and continued saying "You're coming with us…"
Hearing what Hiccup was saying, Savage began to laugh and replied "I don't think so Hiccup…I think you miscalculated how many men are with me." Pointing behind where Hiccup was standing, he said "See?"
Turning around slowly, just to make sure that Savage wouldn't rush him, Hiccup saw another group of men. Well, by group, it was really a small army! "No…" Hiccup whispered, staring in disbelief.
"Hiccup look out!" Heather's voice sounded.
Whirling back around, Hiccup turned just in time to see the two men that were with Savage reach to grab him. Trying to back pedal away, he then watched them disappear in front of his eyes. Turning his head to see where they went, he saw that Valkyrie carry the two men and then drop them from quite the height.
"I saw that you needed a little back up." Heather said, letting Valkyrie land next to Hiccup. Jumping off, she continued to say "Glad I came when I did."
Smiling, Hiccup then turned to Savage and said "I don't really care what's behind me Savage. You're going to be coming with us if you like it or not!"
"Try to take me. My men will just cut you down! I'll make sur-" Savage began to shout, but was interrupted as Toothless then rammed into his back and laid him out flat. Putting one of his feet on Savage, Toothless pinned the struggling Viking on the ground and growled viciously at him.
Kneeling in front of Savage, Hiccup smiled and said "Well, looks like you wanted to come with us after all!"
"Hiccup, that army is coming! I bet they have at least a hundred men!" Heather said, staring at the army that was starting to march towards them.
Hiccup was about to say something, but was interrupted when the massive Skrill flew above him. Hovering in front of the army, it roared loudly as it began to radiate with lightning. Other Skrills also hovered behind the big one, except shooting lightning at their leader.
"What are they doing?" Hiccup asked softly, staring in awe at the sight "It's like they're…"
"Charging him!" Heather finished excitedly. Looking at Valkyrie, she quickly said "Well, help them out! Do what you need to!"
Valkyrie immediately responded by flying into the air, lining herself up with the other Skrills and shooting a lightning bolt at the massive Skrill. Radiating with a bright light now, the Skrill unleashed the massive surge at the army; causing them to scatter almost immediately as lighting struck randomly into the crowd. The massive Skrill then continued to hover as the smaller Skrills then began to chase the scattered army, adding to the pandemonium.
"I guess you forgot that we have an army of Skrills." Hiccup said smiling a lot broader "I believe your men won't be cutting us down anytime soon." Ignoring Savages' angry shouts, Hiccup turned to Heather and said "Go find Matt. I'll take care of Savage."
"I'll be right back then." Heather said anxiously, realizing that Matt was gone fighting elsewhere. Knowing that Valkyrie was busy helping the Skrills, she began to run up a small incline. Reaching the peak of the hill, she saw at the bottom of it Matt and the stranger exchanging sword strikes. Wasatch was busy making sure that the one guy he hit with his tail wasn't to try and cheap shot Matt. "Matt!" She shouted, running down the hill to try and help him.
Matt didn't even hear her; being busy focusing on countering the stranger's strikes. Even though it was hurting him, the electricity wasn't really slowing the stranger every time they made contact. Blocking another strike, Matt immediately followed up with a thrust forward. The stranger easily dodged the thrust and swung his fist around, landing a blow to Matt's face.
Staggering, Matt felt himself rammed by the stranger. Landing hard in the dirt, he looked up to see the stranger with his sword lowered and not even standing in a defensive position. Not wasting a second to think about it, Matt lifted his sword and sent a jolt of electricity down the leg of the stranger. Seeing him collapse on one knee, Matt rolled himself back onto his feet and laid the flat side of his blade to shock Buyer again. This time collapsing onto his hands, the stranger gasped "No more! I don't know how you're shocking me, but stop!"
Breathing heavily, Matt relaxed for a second. Using his sword, Matt lifted the stranger's head by the chin and asked "Now will you tell me your name; while you still can?"
"Bruvos. King Bruvos." He answered, lifting his chin away from the blade. Letting himself fall to one side, he continued to explain "My kingdom is at least a two week sailing trip from this island."
"Well Bruvos, I'm afraid you're not going to be seeing it for a long time." Matt whispered "At least until we decide what to do with you."
"Matt!" Heather said, gasping for breath as she finally ran up to him "Are you alright?'
"I'm fine. At least now I am." Matt said lowering his sword and looking at her "It's over."
"Yes it is." A voice shouted above them.
Turning to see who said that, Matt and Heather saw Astrid land Stormfly on top of the one guard that Wasatch was keeping away from Matt. Leaping down, Astrid ran to them and said "I found Eret not even an hour away from the island! So, here we are!" Lifting her cut arm, she showed that it was cleaned and wrapped in fresh bandages. "Now you guys can't give me grief about my arm!"
"I guess we can't!" Matt said smiling.
Soon, Eret and Skull Crusher came into view, as did the twins and Snotlout. All riding their dragons.
"You all train dragons…" Bruvos said in astonishment "That's amazing!"
"Who's this guy?" Snotlout asked, walking up to him.
"Bruvos. Or King Bruvos." Matt said looking down at their new prisoner "Don't know what to do with him yet."
"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid asked, looking around.
"Back behind the hill with Savage. Their army is gone and all we have are these two." Heather quickly replied "Toothless is helping him."
"They had an army attack the nest!?" Astrid asked in bewilderment.
Nodding, Matt then corrected "Not really an army, but a lot of men. I bet he used every single slaver he had to try and get us."
"I'll be right back then, I'm going to get him." Astrid said, starting to run up the hill.
"I'll come too, to show you the way!" Heather said, starting to follow her.
Almost instantly, Bruvos reached out and grabbed Heather's leg; tripping her onto the ground. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a dagger and held it at her throat. "Well, this took an interesting turn didn't it?"
"Let her go Bruvos!" Matt shouted, extending his sword out.
"Not until you hear me out first." Bruvos said, staring back at Matt "I never wanted to hurt you or your friends."
"Really?" Matt said laughing out of frustration and anger "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe."
"I mean it Matt. Why do you think I didn't finish you when I threw you on the ground. I just stood there and watched you." Bruvos said intently. Drawing the dagger away from Heather, he quickly sheathed it. Standing up, he pulled Heather onto her feet. Then, looking at Matt, gently pushed her away from him. "See? The only reason I helped Dagur was to get you back. I specifically told him not to kill you or your friends. I was going to buy all of you and then release you."
Confused at what Bruvos was doing, Matt reached and pulled Heather towards him. Not sure of what to do, he then asked "Why do you want me then."
"For selfish reasons actually." He replied, holding his hands in the air as if Matt was going to shoot him "I thought you could help my kingdom and my subjects."
"Pass." Matt vented shortly. He couldn't tell if Bruvos was telling the truth or just trying to save his own skin.
"I figured as much." Bruvos said sadly "However, I do have to ask if you'll let me and my man go? I'll sail away from here as fast as you want me too."
Matt just stared at him, unsure of what to do. Before he could say anything, he heard Hiccup's voice in the back say "Are you telling the truth? Or are you going to double cross us and attack us again."
"I've always been truthful in all my dealings." Bruvos said, looking at Hiccup who was walking through the group. Toothless was escorting Savage, making sure he wasn't going to run away or try something sneaky.
"Then get out of here. Don't take any Slavers with you or else we will pursue you until we sink your ship." Hiccup said darkly, his eyes narrowing "Count yourself lucky Bruvos. If Matt hadn't told me that you stopped Savage from beating him any more than he has, I wouldn't have let you go."
"Thank you…" Bruvos began to say "Er…I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I don't know your name."
"Hiccup. Chief of Berk" Hiccup replied flatly, cutting off all chances to have a conversation. Pointing in the direction that they were coming from, he then reaffirmed "Now get out of here. Take your friend with you too."
"Of course. Again, thank you Chief Hiccup." Bruvos said, bowing towards Hiccup.
Astrid then made Stormfly get off of the one surviving guard, letting him walk tenderly with Bruvos. After walking a few yards, Bruvos turned around and faced Matt. Smiling, he said "Maybe one day I'll be able to convince you to come visit my kingdom. Any chance of that?"
"No. I don't think I'll ever come by." Matt replied, staring at Bruvos intently.
"We'll see." Bruvos said shrugging, turning around to resume walking back to where the slaver camp was "Never is a long time."
"I wonder what he meant by that?" Heather whispered, looking at Matt "Do you think that he'll try something sneaky?"
"No." Matt said, watching Bruvos help his friend walk "I don't really know what to think about that."
"Well don't." Eret said, kicking the back of Matt's and Heather's knees. Catching them so they wouldn't fall all the way down, he gently laid them on the ground. "You're resting until my men get here. They're going to carry you back to the ship." Turning to Hiccup and Astrid, he continued "That goes for you two as well. Sit down and get something to eat and drink."
Almost immediately, fresh water and food was placed in front of the four as they were forced to stay put. Their dragons then laid next to them, trying to steal the food from their riders.
Laughing, Matt tossed a piece of bread to Wasatch and said "I guess we don't really have a choice do we?"
"No I guess we don't" Hiccup said smiling. Turning to Eret, he asked "Can you take care of Savage and his men for me then?"
"Don't worry Hiccup, I'll keep them corralled until my men come. Snotlout and the Twins can help me as well. For now, just rest. I know you and everyone else are exhausted." Eret said, walking up to Savage and pushing him towards the direction he wanted him to go. "All these guys will be in my brig before you even get to my ship." With that, he, Skull Crusher, the Twins, and Snotlout began to follow Savage to where his men were still recovering from the battle.
"Thank you." Hiccup whispered, finally letting his muscles relax. Looking at Astrid, Heather, and Matt, he then said "It's finally over."
"And not a moment too soon." Matt replied, grabbing a handful of dried meat "I want to get back to Berk right away."
"Why?" Heather asked, looking at him curiously "I mean I understand of wanting to go home, but there's more to it than that I'm guessing."
"Well, if you should know" Matt began to say "Remember that project I was working on? You know, the thing that consumed me for a while?"
"Of course. I didn't see you for two day!" Astrid said, reaching for a water container "Are you going to tell us what it is?"
"I am." Matt said smiling, making sure he had everyone's attention "I'm making a snowboard."
"Really!?" Heather said ecstatically "That's great Matt!"
"I knew you couldn't stay away from it for long." Hiccup said shaking his head with a smile "I knew you'd be doing something like that sooner or later."
"Yeah, it's all going good, but I can't figure out the bindings." Matt continued, furrowing his eyes. "I don't want to take the ones I have on Wasatch's saddle, but I can't really make anything to hold me down."
"I bet if I take a look at it, I can figure something out." Hiccup said with a smile "Besides, maybe I'll learn a little more about your gear if I'm trying to copy it."
"Thanks Hiccup, but I think I'll be needing two pairs of bindings." Matt said, turning to Heather "You told me a while ago you wanted to try my snowboard. Well, I wasn't making just one snowboard, I was making two. So that you can try it if you want."
"Did you really!?" Heather gasped. Smiling, she then added "If you're willing to watch me fall over and over, I'll take you up on teaching me."
"So, will it be like your old one?" Astrid quickly asked "I mean the snowboard. Will it be the same?"
"Not really no." Matt replied, looking at Astrid "It's going to be made of wood, not a polymer hybrid. The edges will have metal edges trimmed to it like my old one, but it'll be a hundred times stiffer." Looking at Hiccup, he then said "but enough of that. We have a whole sailing trip to talk about what we can do. Right now, let's just soak up the fact that we're all here together and going home."
"I agree." Astrid said, reaching for some bread with her good hand "Let's just enjoy the moment right here and now."
Smiling, Hiccup then replied "Agreed. Until Eret's men arrive, let's just take it easy
"I have to ask this before we begin to 'stop caring'" Heather said, looking around. "Where did the Skrills go?"
Almost immediately, the group began to look around, trying to see if there were any evidences of the Skrills. Not even the lightning was striking.
"I…I don't really know." Hiccup said, looking around "You'd think they'd have gone back to their nest."
"Wait…where's Valkyrie?" Matt asked, looking at Heather with worry.
"She…she went with them I guess." Heather said, letting her head drop a little.
After a few awkward moments, she finally looked up with tears in her eyes and with a small smile. "And you know what. That's ok. If she'll be happier with her family, then so be it." Looking at Matt, she joked "I guess you still get your moonlight rides with me on Wasatch."
Sitting closer to her, Matt held her in his arms. Not sure of what to say, he just sat there with her as she leaned against his shoulder and began to drift into sleep. "By the way…was that what you wanted to tell me? About the snowboard?" she whispered with her eyes still closed
Chuckling, Matt shook his head and replied "No. I'm saving that for when we're actually going home. Don't worry, I'll let you know when I'm going to tell you. Or actually ask you."
"You better…" she said, her voice drifting off when she finally fell asleep.
Looking down at her, Matt smiled and for once, didn't care of where he was or what was going on. They were all going home.