So hey guys, it's been way more than a week (it's nearly been three weeks? Whew, damn…) since my last chapter, which I said I try to post within, and I'm sorry for that, though I did warn about that, I still feel bad for letting you on due to my lazy ass self. I actually feel a bit bad for what feels to me like holding out on you (whether I have my own life or not, still doesn't feel like a good excuse). Either way, I worked hard to get this out and I hope you like it.
Also, I've written so much on Word (curse Google Docs) that my paper-weight piece of crud computer started to bust up. So congratulations, I have had to create a second document to continue writing this. Either way, good document writing tools got no optimizations, and it make me sad :(
And one more thing before I get you reading is I've been working more on Minecraft mods both for HTTYD and the Inheritance Cycle, so that along with the game development stuff I'm doing is taking up a good amount of time (which still feels like a lousy excuse). Also, sorry for this run on stuff, but this one is actually relevant, I've been thinking of doing other AU and fanfics on HTTYD and I might start up a one-shot collection for experimenting and prototyping so keep an eye out for that if you enjoy my writing.
Not let us commence the party in which I properly spent half an hour smacking my head against the wall a day. :P
Chapter 6: The Truth Behind?
Waking up enraged, I don't recall the dream, but that's not why. Fishlegs is causing problems, and he had released 'Hiccup' and his new friend. It's obvious now that Fishlegs is a traitor, and that he plans to side with the dragons, why else would he let other dragon escape with Hiccup? And Hiccup is not human, no other reason to side with the dragons, though I guess it's not Hiccup's fault, at least it's not his fault he turned. But Fishlegs sided with them without turning.
Even more annoying however, is because Fishlegs let the Night Furies escape, I can no longer train in the woods, and I'm barely even allowed to leave my house. As if I had any more reason to hate Fishlegs. I'll make sure his life is worse than Hiccup's for every chance I now get.
I'll however not expose him just yet. His "sacrifice" should bring some type of advantage against the dragons, and I know he will compulsively be writing, if I know anything about him, as long as he doesn't spread any false ideas, I'll use him.
Either way, the real dragon training should begin today, I change into my regular attire, and ready my axe on my back, prepared to kill dragons all the more for Hiccup's transformation.
So we all arrive at the arena, the stone still pristine, reflected in my axe. Here we are, finally ready for training, finally going to do actual training. My mind keeps returning to Hiccup, but that doesn't matter, I need to win this training, especially with Hiccup being dead.
"Finally, I was getting bored of Hiccup." said Snotlout, causing me, Gobber, and Fishlegs all to glare. "He was getting too easy."
"So you like fighting on your back and ass. I suppose charred is another great method, huh?" Gobber responded. It seems he's dealing with Hiccup well especially since it all happened under his watch.
"Heh, all he knows is how to fight lying down." Ruffnut retorted. "Yeh, charred and lying down…cause that's what he does." And Tuffnut being dumb. I prefer keeping my trap shut, makes ignoring those idiots much easier.
"At least I'd get a sweet burn." He tried to defend himself. Honestly, he couldn't have made it any easier for a comeback.
"Yeah, burn't corpses are in style" Gobber shouted back as he was no on the far side, near the cages.
"Eh, that wouldn't be much of a problem." I finally crack. "I'd prefer the Night Fury anyway"
"You and everyone else" Gobber told us, us trainees now about ten feet in front of him. "So, seeing as you guys already faced a Night Fury and lived, here is the Gronkle" As he raised a hand over a wooden lever on the wall
"Wait, aren't supposed to teach us first" Snotlout blurted.
"I thought you found my 'apprentice' too easy a fight." Gobber told us, pushing down the lever
"Well I…" Snotlout got out before the Gronkle busted through the cage doors.
"What is the first thing you're supposed to do?" Gobber struck out with lesser regard.
"Get a better axe" Snotlout blurted.
"Plus five speed"
"More fire" Tuffnut tried to chime in.
"A shield" I proclaim, in a near whisper, loudly. I swear the others want to get killed.
"Right. If you must choose between anything, always choose the shield."
As everyone went to get the shields piled up on the side of the arena, the rack busted up by Hiccup, but the twins start fighting again over one of the shields. And that's the first target for the Gronkle.
As Ruffnut slaps Tuffnut across the face with the shield, to which Tuff responds with "Ehh, not enough stars" casually, before she hits him again, knocking him out, right before the Gronkle launches a blast at the shield, knocking her down.
"Ruff, Tuff…you morons, get out." Gobber yells as Tuff gets back up, they slowly limp out.
This is going to be a productive day. Anyway, we remaining tributes gather around the dumb flying boulder, all holding shields, and its confusion of a target is obvious.
"Shields aren't meant to just keep your head on, what else confuses a dragon?" he inquires, to our clueless little group.
…
It takes a few seconds of dodging the Gronkle smashing into shields before I recall something I read.
"Noise?" I eventually reply. Damn it Astrid, should have known better.
"Yes, lots of it." He says unimpressed as the Gronkle attempts to blast me, as I move. Fishlegs then gets the bright idea of squashing his weapon against his shield…and I follow suit. And Snotlout eventually follows after, and we soon start surrounding the Gronkle, confused as sheep with a cover.
I make for the first strike against the dragon but Snotlout also goes for a strike and hits me with his shield.
"You idiot." Smashing his shield back with by axe, knocking him a foot away.
"Don't worry Astrid, I got this." And then the idiot prepares to throw his shield. How stupid could he be? Even throwing his weapon is less idiotic. But as he takes it off, the Gronkle throws another blast at him. Third blast, three more to go. "Snotlout, out!" Gobber yells. And then that dragon launches another blast at me. Four, come on, so close. It then redirects its attention to Fishlegs, and throws another blast at him, knocking his shield away, but leaving him otherwise unharmed. Then it goes to attack him, until I toss my axe at it, skidding off its hide, but that gets its attention. And it throws its last blast at my shield, before I get a chance to get out of dodge. I'm stricken to the ground, but Gobber comes in a smacks it around before grabbing it with his hook.
"Get back to sleep ya stupid winged boulder." He yells at it, stuffing it back in the cage, closing the gate. "As for you dopes. Tuff, Ruff, I'll stick you in the furnace next time I need to deal with one of you, and Snotlout, you idiot, you wasted a shield." He starts scolding our poor performance. "Fishlegs, you need to be quicker, there are no second chances out here, as for you Astrid," he points his hook at me, "Good job defending a villager, but you need to have a plan before you get yourself killed." He belated us.
Being scolded by Gobber as we left the arena made me think of what happened to Hiccup, he probably wouldn't help us at all, but still a shame, and that could have happened to anyone of us.
I made my way to train for a few hours, outside the village, but I make a trek back because Gobber want to talk, probably to scold us again, about dragon training. On my way back, I notice Fishlegs coming out of the forest around the same time as me. I don't need to bother questioning it. As we make our way back to the Great Hall, it starts to downpour heavily.
We move through the door to find Gobber, Snotlout, and the twins all eating more or less casually, though the twins were fighting over a bowl. Only they would stoop so low.
Me and Fishlegs grab our food and set down on the table next to the idiots (and Gobber) but Snotlout attempts to flirt with me, which he gets a punch to the face for, and ends up on the ground. He sets back where he was, I'm not in the mood for this.
"There you two are…" Gobber starts as we sit down, not paying attention to what's going on, which is apparently the twins finally wrestling over that bowl.
"So where did Fishlegs go wrong?" He asks in inquizzedly. No one bothered with a response, though Tuffnut got a smack from the bowl his sister now had. If I wasn't so dragged down by recent events I probably have responded, but Gobber and the Great Hall just melted away as I came back to thinking about Hiccup and his fate.
I started to drift asleep at some point, and when I woke up, I was outside somewhere, and it was the middle of day? Huh? Um…ok.
I then saw Fishlegs in a cove below me…did I follow him here?
And that's when I committed unconsciously to jumping down a hill next to me, down into the cove. I sneaked behind Fish, and while he was talking to a dark figure beyond him, I prepared to bring down on him, but my axe bursted into a blue ball, and I was tackled by the black.
It had vicious white teeth, growling with slit green eyes, before it bit me on my left elbow, trying to keep it away. The strange thing is I felt nothing, no fear obviously, but no pain or worry, no adrenaline, not even anger or sadness. I was stoic, blank, empty, as if everything was only in passing, and as I looked at my arm, I noticed something that shouldn't have been there before I heard someone yell "HICCUP!" to which I was startled awake by lightning.
Everyone was gone, and they didn't even bother waking me up, though I saw Fishlegs scramble out last, with no other Vikings in the hall, I was the only one left.
I opened the dragon manual that Gobber left at some point, probably while I was out, what a strange dream…
I open the first page of the dragon manual. The index.
"Dragon Classes: Sharp, Boulder, Strike…Mystery?" These classes seem rather pointless, but I start my look through the book.
"Scauldron, uses boiled water, read it" I pass the page.
"Terrible Terror, has venom, stupid thing never bothers" Pass.
"Thunderdrum, blasts it victims" Still not what I'm looking for.
"Boneknapper, Changewing, Timberjack, Snaptrapper, Zippleback, Nightmare, Fireworm" I just keep flying through uninterested, looking for my specific target, when I reach the end.
"Night Fury…Never engage this dragon…" Yeah no kidding.
"Offspring of Lightning and Death…Hide and pray it does not find you…" For the first time, that stir fear, or maybe concern, I don't know, but this isn't good.
Then outside snapped. I…can't sit there anymore, what happened, everything to this point, even Fishlegs and return of everyone else's 'normal'. I…I don't know, I just, I…I have to leave.
I close the book, exit the hall, and aim for my house, drenched. I need sleep, I can't wait here, dwelling on Hiccup. I need to get to sleep.
I make my way to my house, open the door, hearing my father asleep in his room and my mother nearly following his trail, I make my way upstairs, I just wish for this day to be over. I get dressed out of my battle gear and get into bed, drifting back to sleep.
Sorry, this is by far my shortest chapter so far, only 1818 words, while I try to aim for 2000 words because I've noticed that my stories come out best with that aim. (And it makes enough content to usually not overburden both me and the audience, aka you guys)
So as you can see, I focused a lot more on Astrid, and I wonder if you can spy the direction. I feel like that first part was pretty decent, especially since it's something I was having a hard time writing, but I really feel like I ended this well, if I feel proud of any of this, I don't want to be or sound arrogant, but I'll be honest, that last part made me feel really proud (not the entire ending but 99% of it), and happy, and I hope you like it. Also I really tried to make Astrid more human here and flesh her out a little. I must also add that this ends as a setup, the next chapter is where it'll pickup, just trust me on that.
Also, as I said above, I may post that experimental one-shot collection soon, so keep an eye out for that.
And don't forget you mugs, rate, comment…ops wrong place :P
But yeah, if you liked this, favorite, follow, and whether you love or hate it, review, it helps. Until next time, this is a guy with a broken wall and maybe a concussion, signing off.