A/N-Alrighty peoples, the moment you have been waiting for has arrived: let the battle begin!
Also, quick reply to a guest review: the wait for this new chapter is really no longer than any of the others, I usually post only one a week. However, this and the next two chapters will be very notable longer...
Chapter 15
Cataclysm
The combined forces of three of the strongest Viking tribes and all the power we wielded could not have prepared any one of us for the sight Jezebel brought in her wake. Nearly 70 ships, each ornately decorated with violent patterns and massive in size, stretched across the sea. Every deck was filled with armored soldiers and unrecognizable reptilian shapes, and what looked from a distance like amorphous lumps of shining metal. The last detail was what gave me the worst thoughts; too many stories I had read, with other people's ideas and imaginations run wild with Hiccup's world, and too many of them had already had a breath of life in this world.
I stood on the high bluff at the edge of the harbor, shoulder to should with the rest of our gang and their dragons, two of my swords drawn just like everyone else. The foreign vessels slowed to a halt offshore, just outside the harbor, and just ahead of the lead ship the head of that cursed sea serpent rose out of the water, leaning toward the deck. A figure left the ship and stood upon the serpent's head, and the creature began to head in our direction. Once he had reached the center of our harbor, he stopped, and the figure stepped into clear view at the tip of his snout.
Ember leaned toward me and whispered nervously, "That's Jezebel." "Yeah, like we all couldn't figure that out," I whispered back.
Dressed in regal, flowing clothes and her black hair in a tight braid down her back, Jezebel stood tall and imposing, with various weapons strapped across her body and an almost glowing emerald amulet shining from the necklace that hung upon her front. As if the appearance wasn't enough, the woman practically oozed confidence, and you could taste the impending danger that radiated from her. A shiver ran down my spine and I grabbed the hilt of a third sword with my tail.
"People of Berk, and your allies!" Jezebel suddenly spoke out, loud and crystal clear and commanding every eye that wasn't on her already (as if standing on the nose of a sea serpent wasn't enough). "You have among your ranks a suite of criminals and liars! Some have broken the laws of their countries, and others use dark powers to brainwash your innocent people to hide their real intent. They have stolen precious artifacts from me and others in my kingdom, and I bring the power you see here in order to obtain these important items. You all know of whom I speak, and if they are immediately turned over to me so they can be properly reprimanded, I will have no use for force and will leave your village and your people in peace. If not, then I will"-
"Ah, shut yer trap already will ye?" The entire scene tensed at the outburst, all eyes falling on Gobber as he hobbled up toward the top of the docks and waved at the sorceress with his hammer. Jezebel quieted, though seemingly more out of surprise than actual compliance.
"O' course I know who yer referring te," Gobber went on, "and I sure wouldnae hand them off te the likes of you." "You are treading dangerous waters, Viking," Jezebel warned, eyes narrowing as she stared down he burly opponent.
Gobber, being Gobber, only snorted. "Eh, it's an occupational hazard, what else is new?" he retorted. "I've been here long enough te see through this mockery you show us. Those 'criminals,' as ye call 'em, have nae been wrong in their judgement since I've met them, not even once. Meanwhile yer pet there"- he gestured to the sea serpent, who snarled in response and began to advance, before being held back by the foreign queen, "-and 'is buddies darn near destroyed our village once already trying te eat one young, harmless girl."
There was silence for a moment, before Stoick went to stand next to his right-hand man, glaring at Jezebel as well. "My friend here speaks the truth," he announced, standing his ground. "You I perceive as a far greater threat to us than any of the people you seem to be after. As chief of this village and ally of your quarries, I demand that you leave our shores at once, or prepare to face our wrath."
Laughter was their only response, Jezebel almost tearing up at the show of defiance. "Oh, and what do I have to fear?" she guffawed. "A few hundred burly warriors with axes and some flying lizards with anger management problems?" A sigh escaped her lips, before a grin spread across them. "Actually, I'm rather happy you feel this way. Otherwise I would have come all the way out here for a mere nothing."
Jezebel stepped forward, and the serpent lowered his head, so that the sorceress was more on a face level with Stoick and Gobber, who had come to gather a crowd of supporters behind them. Jezebel then drew a long, curving blade, and raised it high into the air. At that signal, the ships behind her came alive with action, and she sneered at her audience. "A foolish mistake you made. You'll be lucky to come through this as my slaves by the time this day ends." Then she whipped her hand out toward the docks.
The water below ripped apart, a massive wave racing toward the wooden structures. "Get out of the way!" Stoick bellowed, diving to the side as the others around him followed suit. The energized water hit the planks shortly after, and the docks and walkways exploded into splinters.
"I'll take that as our signal," I growled, leaping off the cliff I stood on and spreading a pair of transparent wings, causing an illusion of my floating on my own down the cliff side and then walking out across the water. Above me, the rest of the gang and their dragons screamed out a war cry and took off, preparing to form a barrier to the island.
As smaller boats began to leave the armada and shadows of dragons bearing riders lifted off from both sides, I hovered over the water's surface not a hundred feet from Jezebel. She looked at me, but if the sight of a young man floating effortlessly over the water disturbed her, she made no show of it.
"Ah yes, the new guardian," she leered. "I've heard plenty about you these past few months. Though, I must say I had expected someone a little older to have a record like yours." "We're not all made the same," I deadpanned, glaring at her. "And I've heard it all before; cut to the chase. You leave, or you die, your choice either way." Jezebel shook her head and held her hand out, directing the serpent toward the shoreline. "Honestly I think not. You threaten my master's plans, and it's my job to remove threats." She turned to face me directly as they reached the remains of the docks, and chuckled. "But, I will get to you at a later time. After all, you'll be busy for quite some time now."
I heard the scream of the arrow long before it reached me. I spun around, the sword in my left hand flashing upward into the path of the projectile. They clashed together, the arrow falling harmlessly from my blade and dropping into the water below. Looking downward, I saw the approaching line of rowboats, and a suite of archers aiming my direction. Putting my sword away, I scowled. "Very well then," I muttered, spreading my arms wide, "if I must play this game, I'll show everything I've got to offer!"
I shot upward, the wings on my back shrinking away as I took on a different form, my arms instead flaring outward and expanding to well over a hundred feet across. The rest of my body elongated as well and took on a multitude of fiery colors. I now hovered over the rowboats far below, a full-grown Typhoomerang. The archers below immediately aimed upward and fired, producing a wall of arrows. In response, I grinned and fired my own shot downward, billowing flames coursing downward in a jet and roiling across the ocean surface, before erupting back upward from the backdraft.
The screams that echoed afterward will haunt me as long as I live, but war is not a picturesque scene. I turned my mind from the sound as best as I could and diverted my attention to forming a blockade. My wings tilted and I began spinning, the massive surface area I covered creating thermal updrafts and pulling the air and flames below toward me in a blinding vortex. As the whirlwind reached me I released a bolt of energy and moved away, the flames spinning and burning on their own now as they fed off the wooden boats and even the very water below. Moving off a slight distance I fired again and brought up another vortex, as a single one wasn't enough to close off the harbor. The two tornados of fire were, however, enough to take out any more boats trying to move inward, the updrafts catching the nearest ones and drawing them into the inferno.
Blocking the ocean route was not enough to curb the full on attack however. From up above me screams of fury both human and draconic echoed through the sky, as hideous mockeries of what were once dragons began to dive down, clashing with the dragons on our side and strafing the island itself with fire. From their backs, armed soldiers wielded bows and other weapons, and some leapt down to land on the bluffs, armed to the teeth, and the Vikings on the ground met them head on. I had my own issues however as a swarm turned to engage me. Preparing for the onslaught, I shot upward again, morphing once more to a form with both arms and wings, and unsheathed two swords, crossing them in warning as electric currents began to sizzle across my body.
As Hawken took off Hiccup and Ember both readied their bows, bracing themselves as Toothless took to the sky as well. The other teens followed, and the two of them began to shout directions for the coming battle.
"Astrid, Cami, each of you take half the others and head off the soldiers heading to the village," Hiccup yelled. "Split up and come at them from both sides. Find their tactics, use them against them!" The others nodded and followed the two warrioresses, war cries echoing off their lips. Hiccup looked down at Toothless, who nodded in grim anticipation. "Alright bud, we take down the head of this then everything ends."
They banked and headed for Jezebel, who was unchallenged thanks to the army that had taken Hawken's attention. Ember fired first, her honed reflexes sending an arrow straight through the air toward the sorceress's head.
A split second before the bladed shaft impacted, Jezebel whipped around and held out her hand, the arrow halting midair. "Honestly, Ember, after all this time you think a simple arrow will end me?" she leered, flicking her hand and sending the arrow back down the path it had come. Toothless screeched and dove to the side, just barely avoiding the projectile tearing through his right wing, as Hiccup lined up a shot and fired Framherja.
The electric bolt moved a little faster than the wood and metal one, faster than even Jezebel was expecting. She barely threw up a defensive field in time, blocking the blast, and the explosion reverberated across the island. Toothless powered up to release a shot of his own as Hiccup readied another bolt, pulling back the bowstring and watching the electric line dance across the bow, but before either could release their payloads fire and arrows came raining down from above as the enemy army came to their leader's aid.
The trio was forced to break off and defend themselves, bolts of plasma and arrows flying outward to ward off the attack, and the men on the backs of the enemy dragons leapt off in the fray and landed below to engage the other Vikings in combat. Jezebel, meanwhile, turned again and headed toward the high hill above the main village, her sea serpent following and destroying buildings as they went. The rest of the island's forces would be occupied for some time, giving the sorceress all the opportunity she needed to ready their outright destruction.
Astrid and Camicazi each fared no better than the others. The wave of attackers forced them to full defensive, they and the other teens forming a ring to defend in all directions. "We're going to have to find a weak spot somewhere if we want any sort of upper hand here!" Astrid yelled. "I'm trying to find one!" Fishlegs answered back. "But I haven't figured out any pattern! The best we can do is provide cover fire for those on the ground!"
The young woman scowled at this news, before spinning around and cutting down an attacker that had tried to come at her from above. He and the dragon both met the sharp blade of her axe, and quickly fell from the fight. Another invader's blast of fire forced her and Thorn to dive, however, coming up behind Camicazi to fight back to back. Until an opening presented itself, they were stuck where they were.
Thunder rent the sky around me as lightning sprung from my arms, wings, and tail, striking man and beast as they attempted to fly past toward the island. Each was either stunned or killed instantly, all movement ceasing as they fell into the ocean or crashing spectacularly into the land below. I am not a killer at heart, never will be, and watching my actions result in the loss of life even of those who would gladly do the same to me felt like a cut as painful as any sword, but like so many other things that would come that day it was inevitable; were any of them allowed to live through this Jezebel would eventually win through sheer force and attrition, and then all of us would die. Fueled by that knowledge I continued, lightning crackling and exploding around me as I raked through the throngs of fliers, the blades in my hands catching the few of whom the electricity missed. I am a finite entity however, so many of the soldiers went wide around me and made it past, landing in the village and the areas surrounding. I could see most of the Vikings holding their own easily, plenty used to kill or be killed, but it wouldn't be long before the numbers flowing off the ships would overtake those still on the ground.
I powered up again for another lightning strike, feeding off the static already in the air around me, when something incredibly metallic and shiny caught my attention. I spun around and raised my sword in preparation to take out the new threat, and yet nearly dropped it in shock.
Flying through me on a mission, driven by a power source at that time unknown was another sight I had hoped would stay only in the stories I'd read: seemingly solid metal but nearly translucent wings, and moving with a fluidity only ever seen in living creatures, was an undeniably mechanical imitation of a dragon with eyes glowing in energy. Immediately I had a bad feeling about how my own blades would hold up against it, so I sheathed them and instead snagged a sword from a careless passing soldier, frying him as I did so. Then, I shot toward the metal dragon and swerved up and around it, stabbing straight toward the middle with the stolen blade.
The weapon shattered, the jarring force I applied sending shards in every direction, but the machine seemed completely unfazed; not even the slightest marring of the surface could be seen. The faux dragon turned toward me and lashed out, the claws on its forepaw extending to razor points. In reaction I morphed and melted into pure electricity, and the claws raked through me without effect. As they passed though, I saw the metal buckle and shimmer before it melted back into shape, a possible weakness I could exploit. I materialized once more and grinned, before striking the metal monster directly with a lightning bolt.
Energy crackled across the surface of the machine, and it appeared to freeze in place and lock up as the lightning coursed through it, before basically exploding, shards of impossibly sharp metal flying in every direction as the static charge dissipated, and from the head region something vaporized in a cloud of ash. I grinned at the quick victory, before I turned to face the ships again.
The grin left my expression immediately. Lumps of the metal could be seen on nearly every ship, and all of them suddenly began shifting, morphing into the same mechanical draconic shape as the one I'd just blew up. And, despite the fact that I could take them down with relative ease, it took time to charge up again, and there were dozens all coming at the same time.
I swallowed hard and turned toward where I saw the other teens up in the air, Hiccup and company off on their own while Astrid, Cami and the others fought surrounded. They needed to know what was coming right behind us.
Stoick grabbed a new axe from in the doorway nearby, and swung, taking out two more opponents, and then swung the shield in his left hand to block a rain of arrows that came down from the soldiers above him. Nearby, Gobber wielded his own axe attachment, not-so-gracefully diving out of the way as a stream of dragon fire charred the spot he'd been standing and rolling across the ground, taking out the feet of another foot soldier before punching the poor soul's lights out. As he got up he took up position behind Stoick, the two of them fighting back to back and in perfect tune with each other as they always had been. They could hold their own for a while, but unless the constant stream of soldiers was stemmed somehow they would eventually be overtaken by sheer numbers.
"Get the crossbows out!" Stoick yelled, looking at where Bertha fought across the plaza. She nodded and passed on the message before heading to a storehouse. Vikings all around followed the same instruction, racing into buildings (not particularly caring if the building was on fire either) and reemerging with the massive multi-shot bows Hiccup and Hawken had designed nearly a year before. The weapons were quickly set up and loaded, the people manning them taking aim and firing with great accuracy. Stoick smiled with a grim satisfaction as more of the demonic renditions of dragons above were brought down to premature and painful landings, other Vikings finishing off those who managed to survive crashing. In so many ways this reminded him of the old days, back when they were against all the dragons, and now he realized those memories burned as badly as the slash he'd received across the cheek from a lucky soldier's swipe.
An arrow screamed past Stoick's shoulder and embedded itself impossibly deeply into the wall of the house behind him. Stoick reached carefully over and pulled it out with surprising ease, especially considering it had gone in nearly to the fletching, and the gleaming, unblemished metal head gave him a feeling of unease. He rubbed it gently across the wood of the wall again, and his eyes widened in alarm as the blade of the head simply sliced through the grain like a hot knife through ice cream.
Stoick immediately spun around and bellowed out, "Get to cover now! The thickest protection that you can!"
The gleaming arrows began to rain down as a new wave of soldiers arrived from the ships, followed by mechanic dragons made of the same metal as the arrows, only they bent with fluidity like living creatures. The Vikings dove behind carts and sheds, heaving blocks of wood and stone up, and tried to hide from the deadly attack. Some of the weapons found their mark, however, and protruding limbs and sides were pierced with an impossible ease as the sharper-than-steel metal screamed down. Unable to escape the attack and fight back, Stoick peeked out from under an overhang, hoping the riders above were at least having a little better luck than he.
"Hiccup look out!" I screamed, diving toward them. Hiccup looked up, before his eyes widened and he made Toothless swerve immediately out of the way as one of the metal dragons dove after them, swiping outward to try and catch the riders. I sent a ball of plasma after it, the extreme heat shearing off the hind leg and right wing, and watching as the machine fell uselessly to the ground below.
As it fell however, the machine swerved to face upward toward me, and opened its mouth. A rain of glimmering spears shot out, and I barely raised a barrier field in time, the shards thudding against the field and falling away as well. I retracted the energy and converted it, sending a bolt down and electrifying the dragon, creating another splayed pile of slivers. Then I glided down next to Hiccup and Ember.
"Electricity and dragon fire, the metal's too hard for anything else," I said. "And whatever you have to do, do not let the metal hit you, as even a blunt piece will skewer you through."
"What are they?" Hiccup asked. "Some sort of unnatural metal alloy," I replied. "If we win this, I have a theory and I'll get into it more." I spun again and dove down across the village, scanning for anyone else needing immediate help or healing, and after taking care of those I spotted I streaked into the sky once more and resumed the electrical storm I had raged before.
As I tore into the new wave of more heavily armed soldiers, I, and everyone else, missed the group of men that skirted the edges of the forest and headed for the mountains, led by the ally Jezebel had enlisted.
Cami and Stormfly landed on the ground as soon as the first wave was broken, and raced to the village toward a large battalion of soldiers who were readying for an assault. Thuggory joined them shortly after, with Silverwings bringing up the rear as he combusted, a flaming wall behind the defenders. Stormfly, a deep red flowing across her scales, was the first to reach the battalion, streaming flames straight through the group and cutting their numbers dramatically.
Cami glanced at Thuggory, grinning as she cartwheeled right into the fray, landing upright and swinging both her swords out with practiced ease, the blades meeting sword, shield, and skin. A whirlwind ensued as she spun through the mass, before her swords clashed with those of a slightly more experienced opponent, who grinned and forced her backward with a twist of his hand. Cami used the momentum to spin around and thrust the sword in her right hand into another soldier, before crossing her blades and facing the experienced one.
"That all you got?" she asked. "I've fought barnacles that were better than you!" "Cut yer yappin' girlie," the soldier hissed, his blade twirling in his hand. "I'm only warming up." "For what, to heat your mommy's pillow tonight?" Cami mocked.
The soldier's eye widened. "What did you say to me?" he growled, swinging his sword toward her side. Cami parried it with ease and faked a yawn, before smirking dangerously. "Oh, I think I hit a nerve," she drawled. "You're nothing more than a petty momma's boy, aren't you?"
That did it. The soldier went berserk, his sword whirling at an incredible speed as he tried to cut down the blonde warrior. Cami meanwhile signaled to Thuggory who, after he dealt with the opponent he had been against, carefully snuck around to behind the soldier Cami dueled against. The girl, for her part, kept up a good fight as the soldier whaled away at her, before she saw her ally was in position, and feigned a misstep.
The soldier took this perceived opening and spun one of Cami's swords out of her hand, before backing her against the wall of the nearest house, pointing the tip of his blade to Cami's chest. "Any last words, twerp?" he sneered. Cami looked up in mock terror, before she broke the façade and smiled. "One thing yes: double team," she drawled.
The man barely registered surprise before Thuggory's sword pierced through his back, sticking out of his chest, and he dropped to the ground then and there. Cami picked up her own fallen sword, shook Thuggory's hand, and smiled before jumping right back into the action, following the path Stormfly had made into the village. Thuggory could only shake his head in amusement before following.
Covered by the rest of the battle, a small group of soldiers followed behind a burly, ugly man along a narrow path into the forest, headed up toward the mountains. Alvin knew already that the elders and children who, naturally hemmed by their decreased ability to defend themselves, couldn't join in the battle were sent to be hidden inside a mountain cave while war was waged. He also knew that it would be the perfect chance to not only strike a blow against Berk and their allies and help Jezebel win this war, but also to finally get his revenge on Stoick and Hiccup. After all, there were only so many times a proven warrior could be bested by that fishbone of a boy and his dragon before he eventually cracked, and Alvin was almost to that point.
When Jezebel's men had come to the archipelago seeking more inside help to undermine and defeat the Hooligans and their allies, the Outcast simply couldn't resist the chance, and offered to lead the charge against the lesser defended on the island. After all, he already knew his way to the shelter cave, and such a low blow was fitting of his style.
The group skirted through the forest quickly and quietly (or at least as quietly as twenty men armed to the teeth can be) and reached the narrow path leading into the mountains themselves. Alvin turned and looked behind them, making sure his posse wouldn't be easily visible from the village, before grinning and taking point again, walking carefully up the path and shimmying around the rock wall the path cut across as the slope became nearly vertical beneath them. The rest of the men followed suit, squeezing against the cliff face so as not to miss a step and go tumbling off.
The path was clearly marked this time around too, with fresh footprints clearly marked in what little dust collected on the windy trail. They weren't far, and Alvin sped up, eager to get even with Hiccup and Stoick in the worst possible way he knew he could.
As an opening appeared between the waves of soldiers, I took the chance and dove down into the village, barrier field flaring above me to block the few arrows that rained down at that moment. Quickly, I located Stoick underneath the overhang of a house, and glided his way.
"Use the shards and arrows against them!" I yelled as I swept by. "They're the only thing that will pierce the armor, and they will defend against more weapons!" Stoick glanced at the arrow he held, then at the soldier bearing down on him from nearby, and lashed out with all the strength he could muster. The arrow cleaved through the soldier's matching armor and brought the man to the ground with ease. I grinned and burst upward, tired of creating electrical shows for now and deciding to go a different direction as the Vikings below began utilizing their newfound weaponry.
I continued upward until I hit the base of the clouds gathering above and now covering the sky, before flipping over and tucking my wings, screaming downward like one of the enemy's arrows. Closer and closer the water came, as I aimed for the narrow path between the two vortices of fire I had made before. Then, I shot through, the fire on either side of me flaring outward as the water below simultaneously blasted in every direction from the sonic blast of my passing. The armada loomed before me, all several dozen splayed out across the water, and even with all we had faced less than half the vessels had yet disgorged their occupants. With grim satisfaction, I decided that less than half of what was left would ever disembark either.
My body changed color and shape again, growing slim and crystalline blue in appearance, and the water below began to freeze underneath and around me, sprays of ice shards flying outward instead of droplets as I rocketed past. I charged through the ranks of the armada, buzzing through the ships before flaring my wings, somewhat enjoying the cringe of soldiers around me as the air dropped below freezing. Then, they exited the temporary trance and raised their bows and other weapons of war, a rain of arrows pouring down in my direction. I close my eyes for a split second, focusing, before releasing the first blast.
"Here, eat metal butt-elf!"
Ruff and Tuff had finally picked up on the secret of the odd steel alloy that their opponents had tried using against them, and had stuck with Astrid and Fishlegs, taking on the soldiers who managed to land on the bluff above the marina. Grabbing chunks of the metal to use as makeshift shields, the pair of them ran in front of Barfbelch, snagging shards wherever they lay and throwing them at the soldiers in unpredictable patterns, making it impossible for the other side to reach them.
"Ruff, Tuff! Head to the storehouse, take out the army gathering there!" Astrid yelled, rolling to avoid a sword before swiping upward and effectively gutting the soldier with her axe, and then throwing a shard nearby into the back of the man bearing down on Fishlegs. "We'll catch up as soon as we're done here!"
"Got it!" The two said together, both of them head-butting another enemy before leaping up and into their Zippleback's saddles, taking off. Soaring over the nearest storehouse, they spotted the team Astrid had mentioned, heading in the direction where they could see Camicazi and Thuggory.
"Barf, fire!" Ruffnut yelled, the head she sat behind complying and sending a cloud of gas into the battalion, Tuffnut following through and igniting the reactive chemical, sending soldiers flying. Then, they landed, and the twins jumped off, grabbing up a couple arrows lying around and running screaming, into what was left over, before Tuff turned and spotted Cami, facing off against a soldier while another came up behind her.
"Cami, look out!" he screamed, running forward and throwing the arrow in his hand as hard as he could. A lucky shot and it entered the vulnerable spot on the back of the soldier's neck. Camicazi looked behind her, eyes widening, before she grinned. "Thanks Tuff!" "Don't mention it!" he yelled back, before letting out a manic cry and bowling right into another opponent.
Cami and Thuggory soon ran into Snotlout, meanwhile, and as their Nightmares and Mood Dragon laid down cover fire, the three of them raced into the fray Berserker style, picking up fallen metal pieces and turning them into flying shrapnel or (in Snotlout's case) bludgeons, mowing down opponents and giving the Vikings cornered under cover a chance to grab objects to protect themselves with.
Slowly, the tide appeared to be turning, and the losing enemy began to realize it was because of them. Their mechanical dragons had a dangerous design flaw, susceptible to the high temperature fire of some of the opposing dragons as well as that dragon boy's electrical abilities, but once in the hands of the Vikings the leftover shards and chunks had no such issues being used against the soldiers.
However, as of yet still no one quite knew what Jezebel and the sea serpent were doing, or where they'd disappeared to, and everyone was still oblivious to the men about to ambush their weakest villagers. The war seemed to be turning in the favor of the Hooligans and their allies, but there was plenty of time for everything to go wrong.
The entire scene within 100 feet of me, every direction, was frozen. Not metaphorically, but literally. Ice coated the ocean's surface between me and the edges of the armada, but anywhere nearby, even the boats, machines, and the men were completely frozen in place. That's what you get when you combine a Blizzard Dragon with anything electrical: an icy EMP. But I wasn't done. Only a hundred or so enemies had been caught directly in the blast, and the rest were scrambling to take me down.
Now that everything nearby and, to an extent, the rest of the ships were stuck in place, I melted into Night Fury form, flying upward out of reach of the arrows, and began building up fuel for as large a fireball as I could. At the same time between my front paws I focused electrical energy, pouring it into a glowing, pulsing sphere. The Fury's flame and lighting combined, a barrier field holding the two clashing forces together and forcing them to grow and coalesce into something completely new, and far more dangerous.
An interesting bit of information: a Night Fury fireball is already explosive, containing chemical properties entirely unique to that species, and the biggest shots are like small bombs themselves. However, the chemicals of Night Fury fire are also electroreactive, so combine it with any sort of lightning or static, and multiply by about a factor of five, and it becomes the equivalent of a nuclear fusion. I had found that out only a couple months before, tipped off by the spinoff Dragons series that had been on TV, and kept it a secret. Now, however, I released the sphere in my paws that held that secret, sending it careening down into the center of Jezebel's armada.
The second it touched a hard surface the sphere exploded, obliterating the closest ships entirely and ripping the rest to pieces, the shockwave shattering the ocean ice sheet and sending shards like supersonic spears through anything in sight.
Hiccup and Ember turned just in time to watch the mushroom cloud erupt over the enemy ships, wincing at the sonic sound. "3 guesses who that was," Hiccup drawled. Ember chuckled as she drew back her bow again, releasing the arrow and spearing another soldier on dragon-back as he went past. "How many people do we know that can turn themselves into a bomb?" she retorted.
Toothless suddenly jerked around, releasing a blast that sheared through the side of another draconic machine, before barking to get his two passengers' attention. They looked down at him and he nodded toward the island's mountains. Following his gaze, both Hiccup and Ember just barely noticed through a layer of trees the group of men skirting the cliff-side trail to the hidden caves.
"They're going after the kids!" Hiccup yelled. "Toothless, after them!" The Night Fury nodded, powering his way toward the trespassers, before a shadow befell the three. A surge of fire raced downward and cut them off, drawing their attention to the battalion of soldiers and dragons descending upon them, surrounding the trio as fire and arrows began to fly. Hiccup scowled and yelled out in frustration, swinging Framherja outward and pulling back the string, the weapon's energy sizzling.
"Spitfire, I really hope you're where you're supposed to be!" he muttered, and fired.
A/N-And it has begun...what do you think? Enough action for everyone? If not, still 2 more chapters to go of this...
As always, make sure to leave a review, let me know what you think! Also, don't forget your predictions: where is Spitfire? What is Jezebel really planning? How long will the village hold out against the soldiers? Let me know what you think is coming...