Dear readers, just a quick shout out to tinterfly who commented on chapter 30, catching the mistake in the very last line of the chapter. I welcome readers to feel free to call out on any of my writing mistakes and be detail about it (in good manners please). I am aware there are grammars, mechanical and even spelling errors in my writing, but its hard personally for me to catch my own mistakes. So if anyone is interested, the position for being my beta reader is still open. But otherwise as always, please, ENJOY!

Chapter 31-Dark Mushroom

"Hiccup turn back!" Elsa shouted. "We have to help Jack and the others."

"Turn back Hiccup, now!" Anna demanded.

It was futile though, no matter how much Elsa and Anna yelled at Hiccup to turn, he wouldn't listen. He had Toothless fly them back to where the workshop was. There, Hiccup quickly dismounted and started going through the rubbles.

Both sisters dismounted and headed towards the gates, but Toothless kept them from going any further. "Hiccup, tell Toothless to let us pass," said Elsa. She and Anna attempted to go around the dragon by splitting apart and each taking a side. But Toothless swept his tail under Anna's legs causing her to fall, before rushing ahead to block Elsa, forcing her to walk back with rough pushes and jagged roars.

"Just hold on a second," Hiccup said, while continuing his search through the rubbles. "Against Jack's will and better judgment, I'm not going to stop you from joining the fight, but there are a few things I need to give to you—to your army actually."

What Hiccup was searching for were all contain in three medium size storage chest, while there was a large one kept separated from the others. Toothless and Anna both helped Hiccup to remove the rubbles, while Elsa pushed the chests up with her magic by building snow underneath them. "Alright now listen," Hiccup starts, "Within these chests is the newly developed Zippleback Gas weaponry. I'll give a quick rundown of how the weapons work." Hiccup opened up one of the medium size chest to show the sisters what the weapons look like. They were all built in similar. They looked to be like regular iron balls, a bit too big to fit in a child's hands, but it will go finely within an adult's. The only thing that makes it odd was the additional thick string sticking out of it.

"Here, the iron balls are hollow; inside of them contains a specially made chamber that seals in the gas. The string leads into that chamber. If the string is lit, then the lit end of the string will flare up with sparks. The sparks will then travel down into the chamber, and thus igniting the gas causing a considerable explosion. The person using the weapon will only have around six seconds to toss the weapon towards their enemy, or they can light it and leave it while making a run, otherwise the user could find themselves missing an arm, but more likely to die." He then shuts the open chest and made to open the larger one. "This gas weapon here is slightly different from the rest. You guys don't have to worry about this one. I made this especially for Toothless and me to use, but I need time to prepare it, so the two of you will need to find a way to get ther others to your soldiers on your own."

"No problem," said Elsa. She quickly created a low long sled with her magic, and covered the desired ground in her ice, easily sliding the three chests onto the sled. Catching on to what Elsa was doing, Anna made for the stable ahead of her sister. Meanwhile, Toothless pushed the sled towards the gate, while Elsa continues to cover the ground in ice and melting them as they go. Once there, Toothless left to return to his rider, and Anna showed up not so long after with a horse.

XxXxXx

Voices. Nothing but shrieking voices and sulfurous black. That, was all that the sisters could see and hear once they reach the fighting area. Even with Merida's flames, the men had a difficult time fighting in the night. The new shadows proved to be higher formidable foes then the beastly Nightmares. The creatures' speed was an exact match to the beasts, but they are more allusive, easily twisting and turning to avoid the soldiers' strikes. The new shadows had no difficulty fighting them in chaotic formation. Even the Sprits found them to be a challenge to combat against.

To Elsa's relief, Jack had managed to free himself from the creatures' grasps and escape their pit, but he was currently being chased by a stream of them in the air. He wasn't given too many chances to attack. Both Merida and Rapunzel were caught surrounded by the new shadows, and are fighting back to back with one another. The sisters quickly became dismay; they realized Rapunzel's music doesn't have the same effect as when she first used it during the Black Morning Battle. The soldiers could not hear her music over the screams of the new shadows. And Merida's flames were reduced to undowseable light. Merely there to provide poor lighting; they weren't inspiring the potential of bravery as they were meant to do.

Elsa and Anna attempted to make their way towards Commander Gorm and Atlas, but their horse was spooked by a new shadow zooming past it. The horse turns suddenly at it tried to run away, throwing Elsa off first, then Anna, as it was spooked the second time. In its panic, the horse made another sharp turn and crashed the sled against a broken fountain. On impact, the sled shattered and the chests fell into the pool of water. Elsa tries to reach the chests but was instantly knocked back down. Five new shadows soon honed in on her, knocking her around senselessly.

"Elsa!" Anna cried. Instantly she took out the removable chamber of her sword. It was still filled with dream sand, and she threw it at the shadows. The dream sands scattered out of the chamber, sprinkling on two shadows on their back, and disbursing them on contact. The remaining three shadows halted and looked back over at Anna. They smiled in glee, stretching the corners of their mouths all the way to where their ears would be if they had any. They lunged for her. She swung her sword at them, but they looped around it and grabbed a hold of her. Two of them hoisted her up by her arms, while the other one distanced itself though remains in line of her.

XxXxXx

Elsa was recovering slowly. "…Anna?" she calls weakly. All her muscles were screaming at her. Elsa still couldn't pick herself up, but managed to turn her body around, and was lying on her stomach. "Anna…" she calls a little stronger. Elsa saw what was happening but had no strength to act. The third shadow began shrieking in thrill pitches, calling several of its kin to gather to it.

"Anna…!" Her voice sounded broken. A mix of weep. She wanted to run to Anna: destroy the shadows holding her, shield her from the soon to be the charging horde, but there was no strength in her that could carry out her will. The beating she'd received, had rendered her body half dead. Her attempt to reach Anna can't even be call desperate or frantic. She was poor in her attempt, dragging her body too slow and too short in reaching Anna. And soon it would all be too late.

Jack spotted Elsa and was about to rush to her, but he then saw what she was trying to do. Instead, he bolted towards the hording shadows, shooting a hurl of frost. His attack didn't last for long before the stream chasing him tacked him down, clubbing him onto the ground and pinning him there.

A soldier had seen what happened to Jack and realized that Anna was in danger. "Protect the Princess!" he shouted. "Her Highness is in danger!" He was instantly knocked ten feet away from where he was standing.

"Anna!" shouted Rapunzel, she directed a powerful attack in the direction where the horde was forming. Her strike managed to break through the swirling shadows that surrounded her and Merida. Merida took the opportunity and had Angus run through the opening. Once there was a clear shot for her, she fires jiggered an arrow at one of the shadows holding Anna. The shot made its mark, disbursing on contact. Anna then tried to shake free of the last one, however, the remaining shadow grabbed a hold of her free hand hoisting her up again. Merida prepares to take another shot but the swarm reformed. Splitting into two groups of shadows, the first one focused on Rapunzel, and the second one took Merida; both groups quickly overpowered their Spirits.

"Your Highness!" Elsa recognized that was Gorm's voice. She sees him rushing towards Anna with five other soldiers: two from the Southern Isle, and three of Arendelle. They came close to her sister but were cut off. They were assaulted by seven shadows.

Several other soldiers attempted to rescue Anna, but they all failed. Meanwhile, the horde was getting bigger and bigger, blotting out whatever light that could give Anna hope. Elsa knew that the horde was done gathering the second they wail in an atrocious excitement. Their wail brought fear to her; their wail brought fear to her sister.

"Anna no…Anna—Anna…" Elsa cried weakly. Tears were forming and were already flowing down. Elsa watch as Anna prepared herself to be consumed by the horde, shutting her eyes from the horrible sight before her. Elsa saw them as they began their charge; she saw their long arms stretching towards Anna with impatient hands. "Aaaannaaa!" she wails.

Elsa then heard a destructive boom. Next she felt a gust of fevering heat hitting her; a bright reddish light forcing her to close her eyes. Elsa then hears the horde crying a new cry. Bitterness. Tormented. She opened her eyes to a clouded vision of black smoke. Beyond it, she heard several men coughing due to the smoke, including Anna. By that indication she knew that her sister was alright for now. Overhead she heard the familiar sound of Toothless' roar. She saw a blurred luminous bolt hitting the ground in the distance, and knew that the bolt had hit a large group of shadows based on the scream they let out.

The smoke started to clear but it lingered heavily down bottom. Elsa barely made out Jack as he was staggering up to the air. He turns wearyingly towards the left and shot a thin pop of frost. Next there was a yelp from Anna and then a thud. Her sister was finally free.

Anna coughed a few more time before she could speak. "Elsa…" Anna calls dryly. "Elsa, where are you?" Elsa wished she could answer her sister, but her last cry left her with nothing. Her eyes were becoming too heavy to stay open. All Elsa could do was relax her body, allowing herself the best possible moment of rest in her condition. She could still hear Anna stumbling around trying to find her. And she did, "Elsa!" In Anna's rush, she tripped and fell on her side, but continues on by crawling towards her sister. "Elsa. Elsa!" Anna sat herself up, then carefully, turns her sister's body over, placing Elsa's head on her lap. "E-Elsa…? Elsa please…E-Elsa…"

You are always going to find me, won't you? Elsa thought to herself. "I-I'm…I'm alright Anna." Elsa said softly…quietly…Her voice shivered as she took a breath. "What about you?"

"—Elsa don't lie to me—but don't start talking too much—don't talk right now—but don't…j-just don't…please don't go, don't leave me now."

"Shhhhh," Elsa said, and placed a weak hand on her sister's cheek. Anna's stream of tears felt pleasantly cool to Elsa, and she was glad when her sister held her hand there. "I'm not going to leave you now, or anytime soon…I-I-I…I just can't move."

"A-Alright," Anna said almost childishly. "Alright...Just rest for a little bit...Wait…you hear that…? I think that's Commander Gorm calling…Over here! We'll get you some help soon, just hold on."

"I'm more worried about our soldiers…How will they hold on?" Elsa turns her head just enough to be looking towards the direction of where the pit is. Anna also follows her sister's gaze. Even though there was still some smoke lingering, they could make out the massive volumes of shadows gushing out of the pit. "We need to stop them from coming out."

"…But how…?"

Toothless roars once more, catching the sisters' attention. They saw the dragon and his rider rising higher into the sky, carrying a rather large, rough, looking metal ball with them. The ball had several flammable strings wrapped around it with several entrances, similar to the small ones Hiccup gave them. It was obvious that the weight and size of the ball was hindering their flight. Making the pair falter every few flaps, forcing them to fly in an awkward zig-zag motion.

However, Elsa and Anna's attention was temporarily diverted over to Jack. Despite being wounded, Jack forced himself to summon another powerful attack. It wasn't another control storm, but a massive wave of frost, the same one he used during the Black Morning Battle. He struck the shadows coming out of the pit from the side near the opening, forcing the gush to bend, and limiting the range of the opening in which the shadows could come out.

Timing was critical. Above, reaching their desired height, Hiccup had Toothless flip around and started diving down. They were going at such a speed, that it looks as if Hiccup was about to be strip right of his dragon. Toothless let out his sharp piercing cry and fires six rapid blasts of his plasma fire. His blasts added to Jack's attack, but sever more for the purpose of pushing down on the shadows. "Release Toothless!" Hiccup shouts, upon nearing their descending level. The dragon releases the metal ball upon command, and opened his wings just slightly to slow down his and his rider's descend. Once the ball was far from them and was nearing the pit, Hiccup had Toothless fire another plasma, and fully opened his wings to pull out. The two gained sudden lift, zooming away from the pit and passing Jack.

The metal ball instantly sparked into fire as soon as the dragon's plasma hits it. It fell fast and hard, forwarding its way through the gushing shadows and deep into the abyss. "Brace yourselfs!" Hiccup shouts.

Jack stopped his attack and fell back as well. "Everyone get down now!" Not too many people herd the Spirits' warning, but the few who did, quickly spread the word and took shelter on ground in anticipation of another wave of attack.

Deep from within the pit there was a loud rumble, and then came a chaotic shake that rippled outward form its core. Flames swallowed the gushing shadows starting from down bottom eating its way up. Once exposed upon the open air, the flames erupted into none other destructive fire anyone has ever seen. It looked like a cloud shaped into a mushroom, colored in red, white, and orange in all of its dark glory. Its heat and force was so intense, many people thought their skin would either be melt off, or peel off. Even by closing their eyes against the bright light, the mushroom cloud tore through their eyelids, burning their sight more painfully then looking directly at the sun. The blast, completely eradicated the stream of gushing shadows.

XxXxXx

The battle had lasted all through the night until the crack of morning presented itself. The moment the light returned, the new shadows quickly withdraw from the battle. They all dived back into their bottomless pit vanishing without a trace; including the pit itself…The result of the battle was beyond describable. Wreckage upon wreckage, not bodies. In all histories of human war, there were always mounts of casualties. Corps. But numerous bodies were missing in this battle. Either the missing soldiers were alive or dead are unknown, only their armors and weapons were found.

In the end, fifty-six soldiers are injured. Seventy-two are accounted as dead. About two-hundred, are missing.