Four Years Ago
Hiccup let out a grunt of frustration, slamming a fist onto the stone floor as he found himself being flung onto it once again. He got up from the floor slowly, turning to give a smile to his opponent. "One of these days, I'm gonna knock you off your feet Raya." He said.
Raya let out a laugh as she struck out a hand for Hiccup, gripping his forearm tight. He returned the gesture and met her eyes. "We'll see Henry. I doubt it, but we'll see." The Southeast Asian woman said with a small laugh. "But for now, I need to get back to Kumandra. My father wants me there for some stupid peace council with the other tribes."
Hiccup nodded, looking aside as the doors to the training room pushed open. The two warriors that guarded the outside took a bow as Chagatai Khan stepped in, adorned in a set of traditional Chinese silk robes- lined with gold trim. He approached the two warriors, all three bowing before conversing.
"Raya, your ride is here…you will truly be missed." He began, resting a hand onto his student's shoulder. "Do have care- I have heard of many conflicts arising in Kumandra as of late."
"I know Master, and I will be careful. With any luck, I'll have everything wrapped up there soon and return to you for more training." She said with a warm smile.
He chuckled, "I do not believe you need any further training." He said, walking past the both of them to take a seat on a rest bench nearby. "You have unlocked your chi- your inner energy."
She shrugged before thrusting out a fist. That fist glowed, a bit of vibrant orange flame spewing from it. "I still feel as though I can be better, Master."
"You can. Just simply, not by traditional means." He said as he looked over the two, his eyes landing on Hiccup.
"And Henry, you're returning home aswell."
Hiccup shook his head. "Not home, Master. Dragon's Edge. I want to make a name for myself."
"You are becoming your own man. One cannot fault you for that." Chagatai agreed as he stood, approaching them again. "Wherever you two go, know the Temple will always be open to you." He said.
The two nodded, bowing as a sign of respect. One of the guards arrived soon "Master Khan, your meeting begins soon." He said before promptly stepping back into the hall. Chagatai turned to his disciples with a sad smile.
"I apologize for leaving you under such short notice, but this requires my attention. Please, both of you, be safe upon your travels, and do not forget about me."
"Wouldn't dream of it master." Raya said with a warm smile. She was only 20, and yet had mastered more martial arts than Hiccup at the age of 23.
Hiccup nodded "Ditto."
Now
The panted breaths of a woman filled the air as she rushed throughout a forest, several others following in hot pursuit. She rushed on ahead, leaping over a downed tree to slide down into a ditch, watching as they did the same. With all of them finally facing each other, the woman stood tall and took a stance, her straw hat covering her face.
She struck first, swinging the blunt end of her sword at the nearest man, taking him off guard and leading him to stumble in avoidance- leaving him open for a swift jab to the throat. As he gasped for air, she turned upon her heel and sent her sword flying into the chest of another man. As his body dropped to the ground, leaving his allies in shock at the absolute savagery- the woman moved again, snapping the neck of the one she'd previously struck.
She uplifted his body to shield against the incoming blows from the last two then cast himself aside, turning towards them as they took a half step back.
"Do you two really want to end up like them?" She asked. They looked at one another, then drew their weapons.
She sighed. "Your funeral." She said as she moved again, ducking beneath a sword swing to deliver a sharp uppercut. Following that, she kicked the other man in the stomach, causing him to hunch over. As he did this, he found a knee being driven into his nose, sending him to the ground.
He moved to sit up, blood rushing from the now broken area, and looked on in horror as his ally dropped to the ground- dead.
The woman looked at him, eyes as cold as ice as she approached. She knelt down, taking the man's face into her palm. "Next time, don't try it." She said before head butting him, deciding to spare him if only to send a message.
She stood up and removed her hat to allow her raven hair to blow with the wind. Turning to her side, her eyes scanned the horizon once again. "So I'm finally back.." she said as she began to make her way up the forestry and into an opening- finally finding the entrance to the same temple she'd left just three years ago.
As she stumbled throughout the darkened halls, she expected to be met with the usual welcoming committee. Instead, she found the footsteps of her former master as he approached. Raya kneeled swiftly, looking to the ground. "Master Khan…I need your help."
Chagathai looked at her with a subtle smile. "I figured…And I need yours."
Berk, Illinois
"Ye know laddie it's rare ah get ta see ye nowadays. Always off savin' the world er stalkin' the streets ah dragon's edge." The older tinkerer commented as his cybernetic arm shifted into a power wrench, helping him to successfully remove the bolts of a car tire.
Hiccup shuffled awkwardly in place, his hands tucked firmly into his jacket pockets. "Yeah..yeah I know Gobber and I'm sorry- I really am. The Edge just needs me right now. Not to mention the baby, Atali trying to find Grimmel and the twins being…the twins. I'm sorry-"
"Argh, enough of yer apologies. Yer here fer somethin' else lad. Somethin' important." Gobber responded as he stood up, rubbing off his hand on rag. "It's in mah workshop- mah real workshop." He added with a wink, watching as Hiccup chuckled and began to follow.
The two reached the back wall where Gobber slid open a junction box- pressing his thumb to the center of it and waiting for the system to calibrate. The back wall slid open to reveal an old elevator, both men stepping in.
"A surprise huh? It's not my birthday or anything." Hiccup chimed as Gobber nodded.
"Oh ah'm well aware. I was still werkin on it during yer birthday. But now- now it's ready." Gobber said, leaving little room for question or debate as the walls behind them slid open, revealing a beautiful black carbon fiber vehicle. It was not a normal vehicle but one of a slim build and slim design. Hiccup could tell it was reinforced with a lightweight material, most likely fireproof.
"Fire proof carbon fiber?" He asked.
Gobber merely shook his head. "Ah, try blast proof."
Hiccup was downright giddy upon hearing that, taking a closer inspection of the vehicle. "It's a slim line build. Room for four, and these panels." He said while running a hand over one of the panels in question. "Weapons?"
Gobber simply nodded. "Voice and touchscreen activated. Bluetooth set-up, connection to the entire Immortal Edge computer system and the Immortal X-Wing and-" he paused for dramatic effect as he tapped the roof of the car, watching as its form shifted into that of a black and blue Dodge Challenger.
"Cloaking?!?"
With another series of taps, the vehicle changed shape once more, reverting to its original form but now protruding wings, the tail pipes retracting into the undercarriage and being replaced by a set of rotors. The tires had shifted onto their sides and forced up into the undercarriage, effectively setting the vehicle into a submarine form.
"Close lad. Transformin'."
Hiccup laughed. "You're a genius. Well, obviously you knew that but still it had to be said."
"Ah know lad. Now what're ye waitin' for? An invite? Get outta ere, take her for a spin." Gobber said, lightly smacking the young Haddock on the back. He handed him a keyless fob shaped like a rounded disc, which Hiccup took and looked over.
"Thank you Gobber. Seriously, thanks." He said as he hugged the elder tinkerer.
"No problem. Now get out there and finish savin' the world. That's a young man's game these days. Wish someone would tell ya father that."
The vehicle took off at a much higher speed than Hiccup had anticipated, the outer wall of Gobber's workshop quickly dissipated to allow a safe passage for the high speed vehicle. As Hiccup began to get a grip of the controls he quickly began to level out a few things within the controls, finding it much easier to do than with his own car. The Nightrider was officially in synch with him, even going as far as providing an AI to assist.
"Hello Night Fury, I am HELA."
"HELA? An AI eh? Man, Gobber's really stepped it up. Let me guess- Holistic External Launch Assistant?"
"Very close. Holistic External Life Assistant."
"Life assistant? What the-"
"Gobber has seen fit to program me with as many protocols for child care, medical care, and health and fitness subroutines as possible. I am built to be the perfect virtual healthcare assistant."
"Huh….a nanny car…neat." Hiccup responded as he prepared to alter the vehicle's course, now heading towards the Immortal Edge. Usually the drive from Berk to Dragon's Edge would take around an hour. But with the speed and maneuverability of this vehicle- it had only taken Hiccup about fifteen minutes. He was flabbergasted to say the least.
He didn't have time to even reach the outskirts of the city before his alert came up, Eret's voice quickly chiming.
"Looks like we've got a disturbance downtown. And it looks like you're in the area- you wanna-"
"I'm on it Eret!" Hiccup quickly responded, quickly drifting and circling around to head back towards the middle of the city. He could survey the damage of the situation from his vehicle thanks to security cameras. And what he saw was just…weird.
"What the hel…." He muttered as he took in the scene. It was there, a near perfect replica of his Night Fury suit upon a figure, clearly feminine from the body type. The details of dark blue were replaced with a dark red and she sported a shorter cape. Hiccup was baffled by this, but shook it off in the assumption that someone was trying to make a name for themselves in his image. He quickly rushed in but stopped as he saw the "Night Fury" unleashing a burst of yellow energy from her palms into a building across the street.
He quickly pulled to a stop as he finally reached the area, popping the top of the vehicle and staring over at the situation.
"No way….was that a chi blast.." he wondered, but quickly snapped out of his thoughts as the building began to fall. "She was strong enough to do all that with one blast?!?" He shouted in disbelief. "I'm out of my league, I can't stop it-"
"I can!" Called a familiar voice, Hiccup looked up to find Changewing rushing into the fray to push against the building as it began to fall. Hiccup smiled as he took out from the vehicle, taking care to shift it into a disguise to ensure he maintained cover. He didn't have his suit, but he figured people wouldn't question Detective Haddock being on the scene.
It seemed that Changewing was facing a bit of trouble as he upheld the building. A new issue erode in the form of an energy manipulator sending a burst of yellow energy his way. While it didn't do much to hurt him, it did throw him off focus and caused him to be thrown back from the building, it was coming down- thankfully everyone had cleared out by now.
They had a speedster too. Wearing a suit too similar to Camicazi's own, but upon a male frame. A familiar male at that. The streak of lightning that followed in his wake confirmed his identity almost immediately. "That's Hotstreak. How did he get freed?" He asked as he jumped from the vehicle and began to rush into the fray- being quickly flung back by a burst of energy he hadn't seen coming.
A figure dressed ina dark blue version of Eret's suit stood over him. "Easy there officer- this ain't the place for the likes of you." A familiar voice said, causing Hiccup's eyes to widen as he stared up at the man's face.
"B-blackout?!? B-but you're-"
"Dead? Yeah, funny story. One you ain't gonna live long enough to hear." Blackout said as he charged another blast- only to be punched across the street by Changewing.
"I just saw a fake me- is there another clone I didn't know about?" He asked as Hiccup arose.
"I doubt it. Looks like a whole team of fakes." He responded.
The fake Night Fury locked her eyes onto the two- throwing a pellet containing an unknown gas at them. In a cloud of purple, the two began to cough wildly- with her shooting out and attacking Hiccup. The two engaged in hand to hand combat, with Hiccup quickly realizing just how skilled she was when compared to himself.
The scuffle came to an end when she tripped him up and drew out a blade- pointing it at his throat.
"Who are you?" He asked, staring into the covered eyes of the woman. She didn't answer, simply stalked him for a moment before sheathing ehr weapon.
"We're done here." She said, obviously not talking to him. From there, her team dispersed into different parts of the city- with her throwing down another smoke pellet and disappearing.
Changewing approached and helped his brother up. "What the hell is going on?"
"I…I have no idea."
"A group of fake Immortals? That's insane." Astrid commented as Hiccup relayed the story to her. She tried her best not to be too loud, hoping to keep Zephyr asleep in her arms. The one year old had become very fussy lately- especially whenever Hiccup as away from home.
Since her birth, Hiccup and Astrid had many decisions to make. It all happened so fast- despite being over the course of two years- that it left them reeling. They moved into a large house near the Edge, got married and of course, had a daughter.
Yet the work never seems to be done. No honeymoon- that was spent fighting the criminal element and helping repair the city after the invasion. The days of the big threats had passed for the most part- but the two were still very much on edge.
"You have any ideas who they are?"
"Two of them, yes. There were three at the scene, but I fear there may be more. Hotstreak was there- cosplaying as Cami. And their answer to Eret was the the biggest surprise." He continued as Astrid looked up in wonder.
"Blackout."
"Blackout? But isn't he?"
"Yeah. He didn't elaborate much- but I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."
"Could it be from someone that worked with Drago? Like, used the same process he used on Scott?"
"I don't know- I'd hope not. But right now I can't really leave any ideas out." Hiccup said as he kissed her forehead, then kissed Zephyr's
"I'm gonna go see if I can get some more insight on this. I managed to snag a bit of their Night Fury's suit in our fight."
"Be careful babe."
"Always am." He said with a smile.
"So…any ideas?" He asked as he leaned gently against a suit of armor nearby, watching as Douxie coated the piece of fabric in a wave of purple energy.
"Yes- don't lean on that-"
"Oh, sorry!"
"It's chi. Same as you- but it's more concentrated. More powerful."
Hiccup scoffed lightly. "Yeah, that's an understatement. She took down an entire building with one chi blast."
Douxie's eyes widened slightly as he looked over to his friend. "Hmm…peculiar. It's not written well in history for chi to be that…that volatile." He commented as he walked over to a large shelf of books, searching through covers until he found what he'd sought.
"Ah, there it is! History of chi and spiritual energies."
"You have an entire book on it?" Hiccup asked as he walked over.
"Yep! Merlin saw to it that I was well versed on all forms of energy- after all, we use all of them within our spells." Douxie commented as he continued reading, setting the book down in the air and opening a small ring of green dust and energy.
"What's this?"
"A time spell of sorts- it's going to show us events from the past so that we can get a quick rundown of everything."
"Oh!"
The world around them seemed to shift heavily- both men now appearing in the middle of a forest. A large group of people ran by them- and each were sent flying across the tree line.
"Woah. What did that?"
"That would be the first chi master- Xiao Yi. He discovered the energy through hours and hours of constant mediation and physical conditioning. It's said that drinking from the water that welled around a lone tree in this very forest is what granted him access after constant trial and error." Douxie explained as the man himself came into view- rushing straight through them- passing through like a ghost- to send a massive burst of chin towards another oncoming group.
"It seems it had a heavy effect back then- and yet…" Douxie turned a page in the book, bringing them to another area- a temple which was on fire. "It was never that strong." He remarked as they watched Xiao Yi attempt to knock over the temple- utilizing all of his chi in several large bursts…and failing. He was quickly overrun.
Douxie closed the book and looked at Hiccup. "This person's chi isn't…isn't natural. Or rather it's enhanced- perhaps even corrupted. It shouldn't be that strong, it's just not possible."
Hiccup frowned slightly as he turned towards the exit. "I have to find her. And I have to do it quick. Uh…would you mind?" He asked, motioning a thumb towards the wall.
Douxie simply nodded as he approached and began to open a portal back to the Immortal Edge. As he did so, a small green figure hovered past him.
"Hello Hiccup! Douxie hadn't told me you were visiting, I would've prepared tea!"
Douxie chuckled to himself "That's exactly why I didn't- I saved a man's life today!" He exclaimed as Nari gently smacked his arm.
"Rude! Well, it was nice seeing you if only briefly!"
"You too Nari." Hiccup said with a smile. "Oh- tell Jim if he's not too busy with the Guardians of Arcadia, the Immortals wanna talk to him about our international thing. We'd love to have you guys onboard too if you want."
Douxie looked at Nari, who merely shrugged. "We'll think it over." He said.
"There you are! We have an appointment remember?" Eret asked as Hiccup stepped out of the portal.
"With your friend- the suit maker." Cami said whilst zipping around Hiccup like a mosquito, much to his chagrin.
"Right- sorry guys, it's been a busy day." He explained as he walked over to the computer and began to type up some coordinates. "But hey, thsi is a great chance to test out Gobber's teleporter." He said as he motioned towards the screen.
Eret's eyes widened upon hearing this. "What do you mean te-" the three were engulfed in evans of pure light, and soon found themselves standing in the middle of an alley in an unrecognizable area. "est it? Huh? What in blazes??"
Hiccul chuckled as he took a look around. "Guys- welcome to Colombia."
Cami smiled as she looked around. "It's beautiful…so, the suit maker is here?" She asked, watching as Hiccup nodded and began to walk out into the city- both of them in tow.
"Her workshop is just up the street." He said as he pointed to a small shop.
"Really? Doesn't look like a superhero suit shop. Looks more like a…a regular old boutique." Eret said as they came to a stop before the small shop.
"Yeah, that's the beauty in it." Hiccup said as he entered the shop. "Welcome to Madrigal's Magical Dresses."
"Dresses?"
"As good as I look in a dress- I'd prefer to not fight in one. Not the best for running, Hic." Cami said as they entered the store. She didn't have much time to bring up snot more whips or debate as a shorter Latina woman approached the group with a smile. She wore a very detailed blue skirt with a white button up and round glasses.
"Hola, Mi amigos! Welcome to my shop!" The young woman said.
"Your shop?" Eret asked. The girl didn't look a day over nineteen- and she already owned a whole shop? And, supposedly, made super suits?"
"I call her The Tailor, but she prefers Mirabel." Hiccup explained with a small shrug as the young woman approached, offering a hand to Camicazi and Eret.
"Mirabel Madrigal, pleased to meet ya! So what are we thinking here? I'll definitely need some material that can withstand radiation for you. Maybe a friction proof one too- but wait. Ah that doesn't make sense, how do you carry people without them burning??" She asked. Cami blinked for a moment before responding.
"I actually have a personal kinetic energy field that I'm able to control and pass onto others."
"Ooh. Interesting. Alright, right this way folks! You too are gonna get measured and I'm gonna throw a few ideas at you, nothing too crazy- and we'll see what sticks out for you."
Eret was still hesitant- mainly because of how energetic the girl seems. But, he moved to the changing rooms to prepare for his measurements.
"Are you sure about this?" Cami asked Hiccup in a whisper.
"Have I ever let you down before?" He asked, before quickly adding. "Don't answer that- just trust the process."
It was another simple patrol today. Or atleast that's what Merida thought. Upon returning from visiting her family in Scotland, The Huntress decided to take to the streets once again. Who knows? Maybe she'll run into one of those imposters that had been going around lately.
As she sat upon a gargoyle overlooking the city, a dark feeling started to creep upon her. Her eyes widened slightly beneath her mask and she quickly knocked back an arrow and turned- pointing it at a dark clad figure.
"I've got a message for you to deliver." The woman said- Huntress recognizing her as the fake Night Fury from before.
"Sorry, I'm nah really a messenger type. More of a shoot ta maim." Huntress responded as she released her arrow- which the Night Fury caught with ease.
"The Dark Immortals are going to take over. You and your friends would be wise to concede and leave the city to us."
"Leave tha City to ye? Are ye outta yer gourd, lass?!" Huntress asked as she fired another arrow- this one too being caught. Both were soon thrown back her way, leading her to dive off of the rooftop and grapple to another building below. Midway through her swing- she found herself being tackled through one of the windows of the building.
Both women spilled out onto the floor of an apartment- leaving the woman wnd kids inside in shock and fear. Huntress arose and looked to the family with an apologetic smile. "Sorry- Ah promise ah'll pay fer this." She said just as she ducked beneath an oncoming punch and swiftly turned to swing her bow towards the woman's head.
The "Night Fury" ducked and thrust a blade upwards- snapping the line of Huntress' bow before kicking her across the room and into a cabinet.
"Seriously? Do ye have any idea how much this thing costs?! Ah'd know- Ah have one." She said, complaint about the more destroyed cabinet as she ran at the woman and feigned an attack. The woman moved to dodge, which offered Huntress the opportunity to leap over her and roll back out of the window. She grappled onto another building and began to swing towards the street below
But her grapple line was soon cut by a swiftly launched blade, leading the hero to drop unceremoniously into the street just as a vehicle was driving by. She landed onto the hood of the fast moving vehicle and was thrust into the street as the driver stopped in a panic. She slowly arose, her ankle obviously broken from the collision.
She could feel several ribs- broken, these definitely weren't mere bruises. "Ah…wonderful.." she muttered as she began to limp over to an alley- the fake Night Fury nowhere to be found.
Huntress' breathing was ragged as she leaned against the brick wall- her keen eyes darting around at every little sound that entered her ears. She couldn't do this forever- she barely had any form of meta genes in her. She had been playing in the big leagues for too long- this was proof of it.
Merida quickly took a look at her ankle, opting to use her now useless bow as a crutch as she attempted to leave the scene. Only to be stopped as the fake Night Fury dropped down in front of her.
She rolled her eyes beneath her mask. "For the love a- can't ye just leave tha city? Honestly, what's ya goal in alla this?" She asked bitterly, watching as the woman shook her head.
"I made a deal- one worth more than you could ever understand." Was her response just before she went on the attack again- aiming a swift punch at Huntress' head. The woman, though dazed and in pain, managed to dodge and return the hit with the end of her bow- plowing it into the woman's stomach.
The "Night Fury" reeled back in pain but quickly recovered and rushed into a chain of attacks too fast for her to dodge or parry in her condition.
Huntress was sent to the ground and laid on her stomach, not looking back at the woman as she stood over her.
"I'm sorry- but I have to do this." "Night Fury" said as she drew a blade from her belt- only to be met with a face full of smoke from the end of a trick arrow.
"Yah, well ah'm not sorry." Huntress said as the smoke began to fill the woman's lungs and the area. With her distracted, she pulled out a grapple launcher and exited the scene as quickly as she could.
She'd burst into the meeting room at the Edge, all eyes immediately set upon her injured form. Upon finally reaching her destination, Huntress dropped to her knees.
Throk and Mala rushed over to assist her, watching as she began to pass out.
"Our new friends bear a message. They say the Dark Immortals are gunna take over." She explained slowly, her breathing heavier than usual. "Now, can someone please get me to the medbay?"
Hey guys, it's been a while. I know, I've been really absent on this one and for that, I truly apologize. For a long time I honestly had no idea what to do for the next Arc. I was stuck between ideas, one of them being concluding the story as a whole.
but, I've found inspiration again and decided to keep going- for now of course. For those who are still here, thank you so much for sticking around. For those who left- I don't blame ya, but I appreciate the time you did take reading as I progressed as a writer. I hope this chapter can make up for my almost two year absence lol.
keep on rocking guys, more to come soon!! Xo