The Iron Gronckle
It'd only been a few short weeks since the abduction of the Haddock children by Alvin and Mildew and in that short amount of time things on Berk had already changed a lot.
Due to the fact Alvin now knew the basics of dragon training and was aware of the Haddock children's gifts he was a far more deadly advisory then before. Also the traitor Mildew was with him which was some concern but not as much as one might have thought.
Everyone always knew in their guts Mildew held no true loyalty to Berk. Therefore the only constellation they had with him is he'd no real valuable information he could give to Alvin about Berk's most precious secrets as everyone in the village been smart enough to keep that top secret from him.
Consequently Mildew didn't know in truth anything whatsoever about the UDS, anything in the proper book of dragons or that the Anquetils family was also gifted or a few other well-kept secrets of Berk.
Still everyone was filled with a slight panic because Alvin already launched one attack on Berk already. While the island was currently safe there had been a lot of drastic measures taken by a vast majority of people in response to Alvin's first assault on their home.
Skullette and Firefang had been charged with two important duties by both Stoick and Valka. The duty Valka had given them was to make sure the UDS was still well stocked and operational in case of an emergency and for a surprise attack of their own.
Stoick on the hand had assigned them to train the riderless dragons who'd been living in the village and used in the airshow during the Bork week to patrol the island in shifts as the Riders couldn't be everywhere and up 24/7 and that included Thornado's little sister Stormy who'd been working extra hard to guard Berk's waters.
Therefore the two cousins/sisters been working overtime with these two assigned duties to do their part to protect their home as well as working hard to hone their own secrets gifts which Alvin wasn't aware of too hopefully protect Berk with as well.
Gobber had been kept busy for a short while making a new set of saddles for the Riders of Berk to accommodate their new younger brothers and sisters to ride with them. It was almost like primitive car seats to be honest. They're molded to fit the kids perfectly with cushioned sides with a strong sturdy leather seatbelt.
It was just safer for them when they're riding with their adopted big brothers and sisters who since taking the Vow of Siblinghood almost never let them out of their sight.
Other than when the kids were with their parents for meals, chores and sleeping they spent every waking moment with their adopted older brothers and sisters who were still learning job. Nevertheless everything between the siblings got better each day. Hiccup was still a good teacher now that he was allowed to give them a few pointers.
Right now the Riders with their siblings were flying about trying to find an Outcast ship that was supposed to be spot. The kids were enjoying the thrill of the ride while also trying to use their sharp eyes to look for the ship.
Though they could hardly not notice the tension between the older kids when they landed and there was some arguing about whose fault it was they missed the ship and Snotlout pinned the blame slowly on Fishlegs.
"Hey! That's not a very nice thing to say bro!" Brimstone spoke up from behind him trying to stand up for Fishlegs.
"Hey, little bro, I'm only saying the truth."
"Still, big brother it's not nice. Didn't you Dad ever teach you the three Rs?"
'The three what? What you talk about V?" inquired Snotlout to his newly acquired little sister Velika who he liked to sometimes called V.
"It's what Mommy taught us, me and Alle. The three Rs are Respect, Respond and Responsibility. It means respect others the way you want to be respected. Respond to their needs as they would respond yours. And take responsibility for your actions as we all our responsibly for our actions," recited the six year girl proudly.
"You know your little sister, Snotlout is one smart cookie. You should listen to her more often," Una giggled from her own brother's side and Hiccup smiled down at his sister with a pleased smile.
"That's some great wisdom on your mom's part Velika." Boden complimented too little curly haired girl.
"Well, mommies are usually some of the wisest people in the world," she replied simply with a shrug.
"It was very harsh," Astrid agreed and her siblings all nodded in agreement.
"Guys I glad you all feel for me, but he does have a point I did slow you up. You should all go ahead and I, Alle and Lanon with circle back and check out the sea stakes for a while."
"Are you sure, Fishlegs? You sure you're okay with that?" Hiccup asked and the husky blond Viking nodded. "We'll be fine."
"Okay well call us with your dragon call if you need us. Everyone let's go but let's do it a little slower. I don't want our first few test flights with the new riding seats to go bad and find out Gobber's work was shoddy," Hiccup warned as the took off.
"You really okay, Fishy?" Alle asked from behind him as the rest left and they flew off.
"I'm okay A. Still I wish they'd put up more of a fight for me."
"Well if you didn't want to fight for yourself why should they fight for you?" Lanon asked him as they flew off not towards the sea stakes but rather a small desolate rocky patch.
They landed and Fishlegs help his little 8 year old sister and 7 year old brother out of their seats and let them frolic about while he just sat and moped a few moments.
The children couldn't help but notice their new brother was down and tried to cheer him up.
"You know Fishy I get made fun of all the time because I'm so clumsy! Mom says I'm like I'm a yak in the blacksmith shop! She says I take after her mom who she says I look just like, aww!" and she start to trip over a series of rocks only to be caught by Meatlug.
"Thanks, girl! See what I mean! I'm so clumsy! Sometimes it just helps to laugh at yourself. Beside you can do things no-one else can…aww! Meatlug watch it! You almost ate my boot!" as Meatlug seemed out of motherly concerned at all the rocks that Alle just tripped over.
But she didn't stop there, once she taste a few rocks she got more hungry and began to eat more and more and the more she ate the faster she began to eat them.
"Meatlug! Slow down! Stop eating! You'll make yourself sick! Stop it!" Alle cried out in desperation trying to get the Gronckle from eating everything in sight.
She didn't hear the frantic cries from her friend Lanon who was trying to warn their brother Fishlegs he shouldn't be eating the nearby blue berries that he was consuming just as fast.
"Fishlegs stop eating those berries! I know what those berries are! My Great Aunt Gothi told me those are bimberries and they taste good but eating them in vast quantity cause all kinds of intestinal problems! You'll be sick to your stomach for over week if you don't stop! Fishlegs stop!"
And yet both dragon and Rider failed to hear the warning of the young children till they collapsed to the ground moaning like a sick cat from the killer stomachaches they'd given themselves.
"Oh great! We got a Gronckle who can't spew lava to rid herself of a stomachache and looks like our brother gave himself the mother of all stomachaches!" Alle complained in exasperation.
"I think it's gonna be worse than a stomachache for our brother Alle since he just ate half his weight in bimberries!" Lanon groaned with face in hands.
"Why what are bimberries?"
"Well in small amounts they are tasty and are nice treats in baked goods. Large amounts causes all kinds of problems in the guts. Like it can be a simple stomachache. On the other hand you can also can become constipated for a week or it can be the opposite of that. But either way you'll have major cramps for a week and it will feel like two daggers twisting in two different directions at the same time!" he now threw his hands up in the air!
"Man that sounds bad! And your great auntie told you this?"
"Yeah, she told me and my little brother a lot of things since it's our job to get her ingredients around the island!"
"Well, should we take Fishlegs to see your aunt and Meatlug to Gobber if we can manage to get them back to the village at all?"
Shaking his head he moaned, "We have to take them both to Gobber. It's my aunt's nap time. She may never harm family, Alle, but if you wake her up when she's taking her nap? Well she'll crack your skull in two!
No matter whatever wrong with you doesn't matter you don't wake her up when she's taking her afternoon nap for nothing! Even Larkin and I ain't that stupid!"
"Okay well then help me get them into town so Gobber can fix them. Hurry!"
It took the two children two hours but they manage to at last drag their brother and his dragon to Gobber who turned around by the combined sound of moaning and the sounds of strained groaning.
"Okay you two what happened to Fishlegs and Meatlug? And why do you two look like you just spent three days walking without any food or water?"
"Well there was minor disagreement with the other Riders," Alle started even though she was ready to collapse so Gobber gave her and Lanon some water.
"Thank you, Gobber. Anyway long story short? The others teased our brother, he and Meatlug threw a pity party and overindulged on rocks and bimberries and now are sick!" Alle finished up.
"Yeah and we need you to fix them and don't ask about my Great Aunt she's napping! So you got to fix our brother. So can you fix them?"
"Let me see what I can do. Phew! They both have a bad case of dragon breath! Are you sure it was just rocks and bimberries they ate and not something that was rotten?"
"It was rocks and bimberries," Lanon confirmed, "Can you fix them or not?"
"Well, I can fix Meatlug no problem. Not sure about your brother. But this will at least bring Meatlug some relief," as he went to his toolbox and got out a white feather and began tickle hear and she then spewed like crazy large amounts of strange color and everyone sought higher ground.
"Wow! This is the strangest lava I've ever seen from a Gronckle or and the largest amount of it." Alle noted as she peeked out from her spot on the rafters where she made it.
"Yeah, this is very odd. You think it had do with what she ate?" Lanon wondered from the windowsill where he was trying to avoid it.
"Well," moaned Fishlegs, "I'm glad Meatlug feeling better now can someone help me?"
"Fishy! We love you brother but we are not interested in seeing what color your vomit is!"
"Yeah, there a nearby outhouse! Go there and tickle yourself and next time listen to us when we say you're eating too much! And believe me you're gonna feel cramps for week from this! Even if you do manage to cure your stomachache!" shot back Lanon as he and Alle were doing their best to escape the lava covered blacksmith shop.
Three hours later Fishlegs was feeling better having relieved himself in the outhouse but was starting to feel the beginning of the cramps his brother warned him of.
Trying to ease Meatlug's cramps they're giving her a soothing hot sponge bath as that was the best advice Lanon had for both her and his brother. Both his mom and aunt agreed the best cure for cramps was a hot bath.
It was at this time the other Riders with their siblings and the Anquetils sisters were gathering around the main squared to report in for the day to Stoick and Valka so they went over to join them as they still had to give their report.
But no-one got to say a word of their report that day because before anyone could get any words out they're all interrupted by Gobber who was flashing a newly made sword that looked different.
"Fishlegs look at this beauty!" he cried happily and Stoick and Valka looked annoyed.
"Gobber we are having an important meeting. And it's very rude to interrupt and you know what this meeting about," Valka started off sternly with her hands on her hips.
Gobber wasn't paying attention to the growing annoyance of the chief and his wife as he babbled on about the strange lava and how he'd forged a new sword and showed them what this new mental from this lava could do and everyone was stunned as it cut the sword Snotlout been holding in two with ease.
Now Gobber had everyone attention as he showed off this new metal he called Gronckle Iron. It was lightweight but practically indestructible and could cut through anything!
Everyone was immediately making demands till Stoick said "Enough!" and everyone shut up.
"This is an amazing discovery and a very useful one given the trouble times. But I don't want to see a riot or chaos if this south by any means. So before you fill the orders which I know you've got from the rest of the village since you can't help but run your mouth Gobber. I do have some request orders you've got to fulfill first."
"Okay," and he knew he was in trouble because Stoick was right he'd blabbed and the whole island wanted the metal. "I know without even asking as Valka knows her friends and as a mother herself that all of them would at least like it if you made small daggers for each of the kids, correct, Val?"
"Yes, we did discuss that just yesterday at the Brunch Club that we did want our children to at least have some small weapon to defend themselves. Which is why we agreed at least a small dagger was okay when we allowed them to be trained in basic combat and self-defense."
"Then you're to make all the children here each a small dagger to at least defend themselves with. That's your first order before anyone else, Gobber. Second Fishlegs? Since your dragon's making the magic lava for now you and your siblings will help out but again make sure this doesn't go south. We don't need a riot or chaos, got it?"
"Understood, sir."
"Thirdly everyone else keep to your duties and stay alert as we know the Outcast are still poking at our defense. So do that and if there any of this new Gronckle Iron you'll get your pick at something."
Valka motion for her children and whispered to them to get to back of the workshop to their space and make something for themselves. For they knew and their father knew they'd needed special weapons as they'd targets on their back so go ahead have at it.
So the next morning was the start of Gronckle Iron business. Gobber did as he was ordered and made ten dagger each with a unique handle for all of the children which their big brothers and sisters took to them.
Hiccup, Boden and Una finished in secret in the back their unique weapon that were a mix of their genius intelligence and the Gronckle Iron. Hiccup had a multi-purpose shield, Boden a multi-purpose bola and Una her own uniquely designed dagger.
Once the ordered orders had been filled everyone was making a bit of a mob wanting all their weapons, helmets and everything under the sun made of this stuff. Still Fishlegs was supposed to get Meatlug to make the lava Alle and Lanon were doing their best to keep the calm.
Elsewhere the other Riders who'd been thoroughly chastised in true child fashion by their younger brothers and sisters to realize just how important Fishlegs was and reminded that everyone on a team was important for each role they played. Which the children had done by saying so with a lot of 'duhs' and in singsong fashion while they were chastising their older siblings.
Though if the Riders thought their siblings were giving them a lot of sass and punishing them for not thinking of how important Fishlegs was it was nothing about the trouble Alle and Lanon were trying to help get Fishlegs out of right now.
What they knew was gonna happen sooner or later happened sooner than later. Meatlug had finally finished emptying the contents of her stomach and so they're out of the special lava.
And even though they'd gone back to the spot where the trouble had started they're honest with Gobber about what had happened and they're weren't sure any more than their brother what made the lava.
Still they're worried about their brother as they tried to keep the crowd settled as he and Gobber tried to make more Gronckle Iron. They didn't make Gronckle Iron the first time, but it was something useful even if Gobber found it worthless.
Fishlegs and the kids filed that rock and substance away for later to recreate that substance knowing it prove useful later in its own way. Though the next rock they didn't find useful at the moment since it just made things very hot. But again anything they did discover could prove useful at a later time. So again file it away for a later time.
Finally it was clear there gonna be a right though it was accidently started by Hiccup who was just trying to get Fishlegs' attention and couldn't been seen because well he was very short and scrawny!
Out of desperation and as it was the only idea that worked anyway was to stuff a large combination of rocks into Meatlug and hoped that made Gronckle Iron.
While this was most likely the answer to what made the Iron they still didn't have the right recipe obviously and because they're no geologist and didn't understand what kind of rocks they're dealing with or what properties they had natural within them they'd no idea had all what they'd just fed Meatlug was a large amount of lodestones or naturally magnetic rocks.
Though it was clear when everything that had either iron, cobalt or nickel in start being attracted to her and she was in a full blown panic and well everyone quickly sprang into action trying to herd her away from town.
Well, actually the teens were more into the herding part of this chase. The children on the other hand? They'd learned by example from how Haddock siblings had deduced how lightning worked to pay more attention to the world around them. Thus for their part were being exceedingly observant and trying to take a scientific view point on the whole event before them.
Namely so they'd come up some hypotheses to test out later and try and figure out what was going on and use it to their advantage later. A lot more people were starting to use their brains on Berk now that it was proven how useful being smart was over just throwing your weight around.
As a result nowadays they didn't just have "The Book of Dragons" they also had "The Book of Natural Wonders" which was really their science journal, which was starting to get filled up just as fast as their proper "Book of Dragons" to be perfectly honest!
They're successful getting Meatlug away from town and away from more metal objects, however then Hiccup got careless. He tried to approach her and talked her down. He didn't even remember he was wearing his new shield on his back and didn't stop to think it was gonna get attract to her and she flew off to who knows where.
"Oh Gods! Okay um Fishlegs we know you like slow and steady but can you handle a little fast and furious?" Una asked him causational as she was gaze out trying to spot her brother.
"You're kidding, right?"
"You know your dragon best and you can calm her down. We got to get our brother. C'mon! There isn't time to lose! Now get on!" snapped Boden pointing to Toothless and when Fishlegs wouldn't get on Toothless threw him on and they went zooming and Fishlegs was screaming "Too much fury! How do guys go this fast without barfing?!"
"Just tell us how to get our brother!" they yell at him as they're closing the gap as they notice he was almost upside down and not looking well.
"Okay we need to get in her blind spot and give me a few seconds now!" as he dove underneath and was eye level with Hiccup who despite the awkwardness tried to apologize to Fishlegs who cut him off saying this wasn't the time or place for this.
Then Hiccup yelled and pointed and the four of them noticed that evasive Outcast ship they'd been looking for.
"Okay we finally found it, bro! Now do you have any idea how to get rid of it?" Boden wanted to know.
"Oh I do. Follow my lead you two. Fishlegs we have to time this just right. Meatlug dive!"
"Dragons!" Savage saw them and start to rant and then he realized who was coming at them and he was not sure what to do. Should he attack or not? Should he kill the dragons and try to get the kids as Alvin did make it clear he wanted Hiccup and his siblings alive for some reason.
Hiccup was counting on this fact that Savage would hesitate to fire. He knew in his gut Alvin would order his men at best to still attack and try to destroy Berk. But wanted him and his siblings alive since he knew they're still highly valuable.
Because he knew perfectly well they still had more knowledge he needed on dragons and their powers. Therefore his men couldn't do anything to truly harm him or his siblings if Alvin standing order was to bring them to him Alvin. Alvin be smart enough not to tell his men why but make it clear they be killed should they fail in this order.
They just flew by unsure what to do and by the time they'd made up their minds to at least try and knock them out of the skies in attempt to capture them it was too late.
Meatlug had stolen all their weapons and other metals because of the magnets inside her! Then in their normal tag-team way Stardust did a figure eight in the bright sunlight blinding the Outcast while Nightrainbow weaved in and out of the figure out singing one of his best tunes to deafen them for a few moments.
With the Outcast temporary blinded and deafened Fishlegs tickled Meatlug and she puked up the rocks and all the metal objects she had collect fell from at great speed and hit the wooden Outcast Boat sinking in it.
Laughing Hiccup was back on Toothless and Fishlegs back on Meatlug with everyone giving each other high-fives and going home knowing they at least took out one Outcast ship!
Back home now that Gronckle Iron had run out Stoick had issued a decreed that everyone but the children and his own included had to surrender their weapons made of the Iron and put them in armory as this was a time of danger and till that danger passed that were they could best be used.
No-one complained or was upset that that Riders' little brothers and sisters or Chief's kids got to keep their weapons. In the case of the Riders siblings they knew children needed to protect themselves and with them being the Riders little brothers and sisters that meant triple protection.
As for the Chief's kids? Considering they're marked and how it seemed all the danger in the world tried to do them in every time they left the house? No one was anything but relieved they had this stuff to help protect them.
The other thing that happened was for a couple of weeks they really took to studying the rocks of Berk more carefully and came to understand fully the concepts of natural magnets with loadstones, how to make glass which was highly useful and that black rock that overheated Meatlug they figured could be useful someday for a weapon once they figured it out more or actually heating their homes in winter again with more time and study.
The other thing was they'd would in their spare time and under control conditions continue to try and find the right recipe to make Gronckle Iron.
All in all right now Berk was doing well in the areas of family, protection and science so it was growing and learning and preparing for whatever danger was coming.
They had no way of knowing just what kind of dangers were coming in the near future or just how bad things were gonna get!
