Chapter 37: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The Haddock Twins and the other Riders were hunting down several heavily armed Dragon Hunter ships. They and Henry soon landed on a sea stack a few clicks away from them.
"There's the convoy." Henry said, pointing to ships as Hiccup pulled out his spyglass to look around and spotted three ships on the horizon.
"Yeah, I see it." Hiccup said.
"What are we landing for?" Snotlout asked as he watched as the other lot Riders landed. "They're pulling away. Hookfang, come on!" He said as he prepared to fly after them.
"Easy there Snotlout, no dragon's blazing today." Hicca said as Snotlout slumped in disappointment.
"She's right." Hiccup said as he lowered his spyglass. "There's too many and they're sailing in tight formation."
"I'll show you tight formation," Snotlout muttered as he begrudgingly landed on the sea stack.
"Hiccup's right," Fishlegs states. "We'll never be able to approach that convoy without being spotted first."
"And there's no cover faster hide behind, they'll see us for miles," Hicca said.
"We need a distraction," said Astrid.
"Leave that to us," said Hiccup as he began to rummage through his satchel while Toothless glanced at him in confusion. He then pulled something out and showed them a yellow tailfin with the Strike Class symbol on it.
"Hiccup! This is no time to play dress-up!" Snotlout stated furiously.
"And how can you even think of wearing yellow after Snoggletog?" said Tuffnut shaking his head disapprovingly. "That, my friend, is a fashion faux pas." He said, snapping his finger.
Ruffnut looked at it in disgust. "How gauche!"
Hiccup ignored them and began replacing Toothless' tailfin. "This one is lighter and stiffer. It's made with a thin sheet of Gronckle Iron," he explained. Once he was finished Toothless lifted his tail up and began extending the tailfin. "It's not great for long-distance flying, but…"
"The added stability will allow you to fly along the water surface without using any wing-flap," Fishlegs finished.
"And thus allowing you to sneak past the Dragon Hunters from beneath without them hearing you." Hicca said, looking impressed, "Nicely done."
"Exactly." Hiccup stated as he mounted Toothless. "We're gonna glide in right under their sight line. Watch for my signal!"
They then watch as Hiccup takes off and then glides along the water surface.
"Honestly, I would have stuck with the red," Tuffnut said, his sister. "Yellow with Night Fury black? Really? Puh-lease."
Hiccup and Toothless were approaching the Hunters' ships and as expected they hadn't seen them yet since they were flying so low and silent. They didn't shoot out in front of the shelves until they were right past them.
"Now, bud!" Hiccup yelled as Toothless then fired a plasma blast on the lead ship which got the attention of the other Hunters.
"Dragon Riders! Defend the cargo at all costs!" roared one of the ship's captains.
However the captain was then blasted by another plasma blast.
(Linebreak)
From the sea stack, the other Riders saw the ships now flames. It appears that Hiccup's diversion had worked.
"That's our signal," Hicca declared before turning to the others. "Let's ride!"
"Nice!" Henry noted to her.
"Thanks, I've been working on that since yesterday." Hicca said as she mounted Midnight.
"About time," Snotlout said eagerly. "Giddy up!" He said as Hookfang took off.
The other riders then took off heading straight towards the Hunter ships.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile the Hunters were having their hands full dealing with Hiccup and Toothless, who had just taken out one of their net launches. A Hunter tried to snack on them with a bola, but they dodged it.
Then Snotlout came flying in and began setting the sales ablaze. The other ships had their problems, especially when Astrid, Raeda, Sparkfire and Stormfly began firing spikes at them. Hiccup and Hicca just watched as the Riders attacked the ships.
"Windshear, down!" Heather yelled, zooming past them.
Windshear then began slicing through the sails, preventing them from moving.
Soon the Riders landed on the leading ship and the Hunters knew they were beaten and surrendered.
"Now that's over, let's go into business." Hicca said with a playful smirk,
"Yeah. We'll be taking that cargo now." Hiccup said as he placed his hands on his hips.
(Linebreak)
Hiccup, Hicca, Fishlegs, Toothless and Midnight then entered the cargo bay in order to free the dragons the Hunters were holding captive.
"Come on, guys," Hiccup said. "Let's free these dragons so we can help with the other ships."
"I hope we didn't startle them too much with all that commotion," said Fishlegs as they ran through the cargo bay. "Poor things."
"I don't think we need to be concerned, Fishlegs. There's no dragons here." Hicca said, stopping Fishlegs in his tracks.
She was right, there were no dragons and instead there were blocks of marble all over the place.
'Marble?' Toothless warbled in confusion.
'What are they doing with marble?' Midnight asked in wonder.
"Guys…" Fishlegs said, staring at the marble, "where are all the dragons?"
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile above deck, the Thorston twins just finished tying up the Hunters.
"Tuff, you think we tied these ropes too tight?" Ruffnut asked.
"No. You can never be too tight." Tuffnut said as they watched the dragon hunters struggle in their tight restraints.
"Yeah, good point." said Ruffnut as they watched the Hunters struggling to free themselves.
Then Hiccup, Hicca and Fishlegs returned to the deck, still mighty confused about what they had found. They were soon met by Astrid, Henry and Heather, who were checking the other ships. "Anything?" Hicca asked.
"Nothing. The ships don't have any dragons on them." Astrid said. "Just marble blocks."
"Why were they fighting so hard to protect a bunch of rocks?" Heather frowned in confusion.
"Well, they are rocks. Maybe they're using them to lure in Gronckles?" Raeda guessed.
"I don't think so. I know Gronckles love eating rocks but Marble is one of the only rocks Gronckles don't like." Henry told her.
"Uh trust me, I found that out the hard way." Fishlegs stated as he gave a deadpan at Meatlug.
Meatlug gave a sheepish embarrassment with a chuckle. 'I said I was sorry.' She snarled.
"Not to mention three ships full of Marble is a bit much for dragon bait." Henry added while rubbing his chin, "No, I think the Hunters want these rocks for something else."
They then heard some faint shrieks in the distance.
"Hiccup? Hicca?" said Fishlegs looking up.
"What is that?" Snotlout asked, pointing to a dark shape in the distance which could be mistaken for a giant flock of bats.
"Whatever it is, it's moving fast." Astrid said.
Hiccup looked through his spyglass to get a better look and then he saw different species of dragons flying straight towards them as he sighed.
"Bad news?" Fishlegs guessed in worry.
"What did you see bro?" Hicca asked in worried as well.
"Not something great," Hiccup said before he pushed them to the ground. "Duck!"
The others looked up and saw a swarm of dragons flying over them, "It's a stampede!" Raeda yelled.
"Take cover!" Snotlout yelled, ducking under Hookfang's wing.
"No. We need to get in the air!" Hiccup yelled as he switched Toothless' tailfin again.
"What? Why?" Snotlout yelled.
"Just get to the air!" Hicca called out as she mounted on Midnight.
They then mounted the dragons and followed the Haddock twins, who were taken off into the air. They then began flying through the mass of dragons, which was anything but easy. 'Whoa! Excuse me! Pardon me! Make way! Coming through! Hot stuff!' Hookfang growled as he kept dodging dragons.
"Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled as a Gronckle headed straight towards them.
"Windshear, look out!" Heather yelled as she spun to avoid a collision with a Monstrous Nightmare.
"Watch out, Sparkfire!" Raeda yelled as a wild Deadly Nadder flew past them.
"Hiccup, Hicca, where are we headed?" Fishlegs asked.
"Look, we're gonna follow this stampede to its source." Hiccup said.
"That's right. These dragons, they're fleeing for a reason if they are flying together." Hicca added.
It took quite a bit of maneuverability, but finally they managed to get past the stampede. There they saw an island in the distance and then they heard a great big booming sound emanating from it.
"Do you two hear that?" Fishlegs asked.
"We heard it alright." Hicca confirmed.
"We need to take a closer look." Hiccup told them.
However, the Thorston Twins were still trapped in the stampede and several dragons were flying straight towards them.
"Incoming!" Tuffnut yelled just as a Deadly Nadder then slammed into Barf and Belch and the twins found themselves spinning uncontrollably as they crashed down towards the island.
"Ruff! Tuff!" Heather yelled in worry.
"I regret nothing!" Tuffnut yelled.
"I regret everything!" Ruffnut yelled.
They watch as the Thorston twins crash landed in the forest and judging by the movement of the trees and sounds of Tuffnut grunting, it was quite a rough landing.
"Oof! That one was a doozy!" Henry winced with a small grin, knowing that this happened often.
The Riders soon landed on the island and began looking for any trace of the Thorston twins.
"Ruff? Tuff?" Hiccup called.
"Are you two okay?" Hicca asked.
Tuffnut then emerged from behind a tree, "It's all good in the archipela-hood." He said with a smile, but seconds later he collapsed to the ground.
Ruffnut then appeared helping Barf and Belch along, who had one broken wing and a broken leg. "But it looks like Barf and Belch are going anywhere for a while." She told them.
'Hey that Nadder came out of nowhere.' Barf retorted.
"I'll see what I can do." Hicca said as she dismounted Midnight and began rummaging through her satchel.
Henry then walked up to Tuffnut who just got up, "So, was that painful enough for ya?" He asked the Thorston boy.
"Why yes, yes it was, thank you for asking." Tuffnut said with a smile before falling over again.
Snotlout then approached Hiccup. "Perfect. Great plan, Hiccup and Hicca." He said in a sarcastic tone.
"Not now, Snotlout. At least we found the island those dragons flew from." Hicca scolded as she patches up Barf and Belch as she went to Tuffnut to check on him.
However, Hiccup wasn't listening and that's when Snotlout noticed that he was looking down at a dock with Dragon Hunter ships.
"Hiccup, these ships are just like the ones from the convoy," Fishlegs frowned as he made his way over to him.
They then heard the sound of men grunting "Hide!" Hiccup whispered.
They quickly ran into the forest and hid behind the trees. Meatlug however wasn't sure where to hide.
"Meatlug!" Fishlegs whispers as Meatlug rammed into him.
Hiccup and Hicca peaked from behind the trees and saw three Hunters carrying more marble blocks.
The two then looked to Toothless and Midnight. "Come on, Toothless." Hiccup said to Toothless.
"Let's go, Midnight." Hicca said to her dragon.
Seconds later, Toothless and Midnight jumped out right in front of the Hunters blocking their path.
(Linebreak)
A minute later the Hunters were tied up and struggling to free themselves, to no avail.
"Do your worst," The lieutenant dared. "I stared down the mouth of a Whispering Death. You don't scare me." he told them.
"Oh, really tough guy, huh?" Tuffnut said, glaring down at the lieutenant. "Put your mace where your mouth is."
"I'd listen to him if I were you. We can barely keep this guy grounded." Henry warned as he looked the lieutenant in the eye, "Now talk, what does my dad want with these blocks of Marble?"
"You won't get anything out of us, you dragon-riding traitor!" The lieutenant snarled.
Hiccup then looked to Snotlout, who snapped his fingers. Hookfang then showed up and ignited roaring at the Hunters ferociously. 'Talk.' He growled.
"Okay, I'll talk," said the lieutenant fearfully.
Hiccup, Hicca and Snotlout smiled at one another.
"Works every time." Hicca said with a smile.
"Two convoys left earlier this morning headed north to…" He started but unfortunately, before he could finish, Tuffnut whacks him on the head with a tree branch and knocks him out cold.
"I thought that I would never shut up." Tuffnut said. He then looked to the others. "Am I right?"
"Tuff! You weren't supposed to knock him out yet!" Raeda shouted.
"He was just about to tell us everything," Fishlegs moaned.
"He was?" Tuffnut blinked.
Luckily the lieutenant wasn't as out cold as they fought, but unluckily Tuffnut slammed the tree branch onto his head again and knocked him out cold for good. He then looked at the others apologetically.
"Again!? You are dopier than Belch over there!" Raeda retorted, pointing to Belch as the dragon let out a lazy grunt.
"Sorry. It's a reflex." Tuffnut apologized.
"And this is why we never let you interrogate someone." Henry said as he facepalmed himself before turning to the Haddock twins. "Well, at least we know that two more convoys are on their way somewhere."
Hiccup and Hicca sighed from this.
"At least it's better than nothing." Hicca said.
Hiccup then turned to Astrid. "Astrid, you, Raeda, Heather, and Snotlout get out there and see if you can track down another convoy, find out where it's headed."
"On it," said Astrid.
Hicca then looked at the others. "Meanwhile, the rest of us will scout this island for more answers." She said before looking at the Thorston twins. "And you two, keep an eye on Barf and Belch as we go. They can't fly for a while so you two are our ground support." She added.
"On it." The Thorston twins said with a salute. With that the team broke off and went to their appointed mission.
(Linebreak)
A little bit later while scouting the island, the Haddock twins and the rest of the riders began making their way through the forest and every now and then they heard a massive bang that created small earthquakes. They eventually made their way out of the forest and found a canyon.
Hiccup and Hicca at once pulled out their spyglass and looked through it. There they discovered that it was not a canyon, but a marble quarry and mining the marble were Dragon Hunters. They appear to be using massive wrecking balls to mine the marble which causes the earthquakes.
"This operation is huge." Hiccup starred.
"A really big mining Operation." Hicca stated
"That explains the booming." Fishlegs said, noticed the wrecking balls.
"But what's so important about the marble that my dad wants so much of it?" Henry asked as Hiccup handed the spyglass to Fishlegs.
"I don't know, but it can't be anything good knowing Viggo." Hicca said. "He's always a mystery businessman to figure out." She added.
Hiccup nodded. "Okay. Ruff, Tuff, you'll strike on the ground. Henry, Fishlegs, we'll hit from the air," he said as he mounted Toothless. "Cover me and Hicca while we take out those wrecking balls. We need to find out what's going on here and what Viggo has to do with it."
"Dragon Riders, Let's ride!" Hicca announce.
Hiccup turned to her sister with a smirk. "You've been working on that rally cry for a while, huh sis?" He asked playfully.
"I have. If you want to be a team player, at least have a rally cry." Hicca said with a smirk.
"I like it." Hiccup said before he and his sister took off then took off. Fishlegs looked at the wrecking balls one more time and gasped. He then handed the spyglass to Henry and his eyes widened.
The Haddock twins and their Night Furies were now directly over the wrecking balls. "Okay, bud."
"One clean shot girl." Hicca told Midnight as the two Night Furies prepare for plasma blasts, but then before they could fire, Henry and Fishlegs place themselves in front of them.
"No! Don't!" Fishlegs cried.
"Hold your fire!" Henry yelled.
"What that—?" Hiccup started pulling Toothless back.
"Fishlegs, Henry, why did you…" Hicca tried to ask but the two answered.
"Hiccup, Hicca, look closer. Those aren't wrecking balls," Henry started.
"Those are Catastrophic Quakens!" Fishlegs finished.
The Haddock twins looked down and saw that Fishlegs and Henry were right. A Hunter with a massive hammer slammed it on the ground and the wrecking balls swung up revealing themselves to be a pair of Catastrophic Quakens.
"Guys, they're using Quakens for the demolition work," Fishlegs started, looking at the chained Quakens in horror.
Hiccup could already see a problem as the Quakens curled back up. "Fishlegs, I would love to discuss this, but…"
"This might be a good time too-" Hicca started but was cut off when The Quakens slammed right into the canyon wall and created a massive shock wave that shook the entire island.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Fishlegs flew away, but they were unable to escape the shockwave and were blown off course.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Fishlegs were able to recover, but the Thorston twins, their dragon was still unable to fly, were not as lucky. As the shockwave sent them flying straight into the forest.
"The Thorston twins!" Hiccup gasped.
They quickly flew down into the forest and looked around for the twins, but saw no sign of them.
'I hope they're okay.' Midnight warbled.
"I'm sure they're okay, girl," Hicca told Midnight as she dismounted from her. "Those two have survived worse. They're the Thorston twins, remember."
The ground shook again indicating that the Hunters had forced the Quakens to strike the canyon wall again.
"On your feet, dragon." A voice cried from a distance.
Fishlegs went to investigate and found that one of the Quakens, exhausted from all the pounding it was forced to do, slumped on the ground. "Oh, Thor!" He gasped.
The Hunter shoved his hammer right into it as a second Hunter slammed his hammer to the ground pointing at the canyon wall.
Fishlegs' eyes widened in realization. "It's the vibrations, guys."
"Vibrations?" Hiccup frowned.
"What do you mean vibrations?" Hicca added.
"The Hunters have trained the Quakens to react to the vibrations when the hammer hits the ground." Fishlegs told them as he looked away in disgust. "Trapping them, then forcing them to fight, now working them against their will, This is monstrous! I know these dragons. They may seem dangerous and aggressive at first, but they have a softer side." He said, remembering how the other Quaken from Darkdeep was really a gentle creature that just wanted company.
"I know," Hiccup said as he and Hicca. "No Dragon deserves to be treated like this."
"And we know that way too well." Hicca said while looking at Toothless, since they were the ones who shot him down and cribbled him in losing his left tailfin, "We'll find a way to free them, Fishlegs. We promise." She assured.
"Then tell me how we're gonna free them?" Fishlegs asked.
Hiccup and Hicca looked at one another, unsure how to answer this question. "Well…" Hiccup began.
"Whatever you're planning, you can count on me to hit someone with a branch," A voice said behind them as they turned around and found the Thorston twins appearing out of the woods, looking worse for wear.
"Ruff. Tuff. You're okay!" Hiccup then notices Barf and Belch limping out of the woods. "Wait, is Belch?"
Belch looked a little woozy and dizzy, which made the movement difficult and woozy. 'Ooh, is it this way or that way?' Belch groaned dizzy.
"Oh, he's fine." Tuffnut assured as he took off his helmet and began hitting his head. "We Thorstons are known for extremely thick craniums."
"Yeah. Warriors used to wear the skulls of our ancestors as helmets." Ruffnut said as she proved the point she slammed a wooden stick on top of Tuffnut's head which broke to pieces as the Thorston boy didn't even flinch.
"See? Thick skulls." Tuffnut laughed, before he toppled over and was knocked unconscious.
"That explains so much." Hicca said, who looked both impressed and disturbed as she went up to Tuffnut to check him.
"Okay, there's a deeply disturbed image I would very much like to forget." Hiccup said with a small grin.
Toothless and Midnight did each a dragon's equivalent of a laugh.
"I agree with your dragons, you two. That is pretty funny to see." Henry said with a chuckle..
Hicca then looked at them, "He'll be fine, nothing hurt but his 'brain'." She said air-quote fingers.
"So what's the plan to free those dragons, boss twins?" Ruffnut asked the Haddock twins.
"I am hurt." Tuffnut said, who would regain consciousness.
"Ah, well, there's not a lot of maneuverability in that quarry." Hiccup started as he placed his fingers on his chins.
"And not to mention that we're down one dragon, who has a concussion and a broken leg and wing." Hicca said as she gestured to Barf and Belch.
"But now that I think about it, I might have something that could get as close enough to cause a distraction for Fishlegs and Henry to infiltrate." Hiccup continues.
"And you two will have to keep the Hunters busy." Hicca said to the Thorston Twins.
Hiccup then began to reach into his saddle and pulled out another tailfin, but this one was blue with purple wavelike images on it.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Astrid, Raeda, Heather and Snotlout were looking for that convoy the Hunter had mentioned. So far they had no luck in finding the ships and flying around in silence.
"You know, I've been meaning to get this out in the open for while," Snotlout said, breaking the silence between the four of them. "But moments between the three of us don't have to be weird, guys." He said with a smirk.
"Why are you talking about?" Astrid frowned, not sure whether she wanted to find out.
"I realize that both you and Heather are into me and that's hard on our group Dynamic." Snotlout said as he placed his hands behind his neck.
"What?" Astrid retorted at him in surprise.
"Oh, no, he did not," Heather said, shaking her head with a smile as Windshear even roared at Snotlout.
'Oh yes he did.' Windshear roared in response.
"Oh, this should be good." Raeda said, eager to see Snotlout's latest flirtatious failure
"But I think it can still work. We're all grown-up." Snotlout said, completely oblivious to the looks of the two girls. "And I think you're both great. I really don't want you guys to take this one too hard. We got to keep it professional. It's best for the team you know."
Heather stared at Astrid and Raeda in disbelief. "Is he serious?" She asked, gesturing to Snotlout.
"You have no idea," Astrid said, shaking her head.
"He does this 24/7." Raeda added while rolling her eyes. But then a devious smirk came to her, "But, you know the old saying, fight fire with fire."
"Huh?" Heather asked in confusion as Raeda pulled back a bit.
Astrid smirked, knowing what Raeda's plan was, "Oh, you're gonna love this." She told her.
Raeda was then right next to Snotlout, "You know what Snotlout, you're right." She said flirtatiously.
Snotlout looked at Raeda in surprise. "W-wait, what?" He asked in surprise.
"That we can make this work." Raeda explained as she leaned in close to him, fluttering her eyes, "You and me, together but still be like we're a team."
Snotlout then begins to lean away from Raeda and begins to sweat. "W-what are you talking about?!" He asked as he began to freak out.
"Oh come on Snotlout, did you really think I never noticed?" Raeda asked with a grin. "The way you look at me with dreamy eyes? The way those muscles of yours go slack at the sight of my hair in the wind." She recounted.
Snotlout then begins to panic as he turns to the other two girls. "Astrid, Heather, help me! Raeda's gone mad!" He cried out while Hookfang smirked and enjoyed the show.
"Oh I'm mad alright, mad for you, my handsome viking warrior." Raeda smiled as she held Snotlout's cheeks as he looked close to screaming his head off.
Heather stared at the scene in shock while Astrid looked with an amused smirk. "What is Raeda doing?" Heather asked Astrid in shock.
Astrid gave a laugh as she answered. "It's the same trick I gave Snotlout a couple years back. If Snotlout is the one getting flirted with by a girl, he goes into a panic mode. Which still works." She said as she gave a laugh.
Heather laughs as well as she now realizes what Astrid and Raeda are saying. "So Snotlout doesn't like his own medicine? That's shocking." She said with a laugh.
"I know. But still funny and something to get him to stop talking." Astrid said with a laugh before she then looked forwards and saw something in the distance. "Wait! Up ahead!"
There they saw three Dragon Hunter ships in the distance as Raeda stopped flirt-torturing Snotlout, much to the Jorgenson boy's relief.
"Looks like our missing convoy." Heather said.
"At least we found them." Raeda said in relief.
"Let's hang back and see if they lead us to Viggo's delivery point." Astrid instructed as she and Heather flew into the clouds to hide from view from the ships.
Raeda then gave Snotlout one last grin, "Try to keep up with me handsome, I at least want to know a real man's got my back." She said with a wink and lip smooch before flying after Astrid and Heather, leaving a very freaked out Snotlout behind.
"I will never understand women." Snotlout muttered frighteningly as Hookfang gave a dragon-like chuckle at the Jorgenson's karma. "Shut up, Hookfang." He said with a glare as he flew after the three girls.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the quarry, a Hunter just noticed Hiccup, Hicca, Midnight and Toothless flying straight towards them.
"Dragon Riders!" He yelled as he got ready to fire an arrow.
He fired, but Hiccup and Toothless spun out of the way and Hiccup had a bit of a tough time trying to maintain their balance while Hicca and Midnight easily maneuver out of the way.
"Easy, bud. This new tail is sensitive." Hiccup reminded Toothless. "But it'll be easier to maneuver in that tight quarry. All right, we'll round up those Hunters and find out what Viggo is up to."
"And then we'll get those Quakens out of here." Hicca added.
The four of them then began flying around the quarry and two Hunters began to take aim at him.
"I got you!" One of them said to his partner.
"Get them!" Ruffnut yelled as they ran past.
However, instead of unleashing the gas fire, they unleashed sparks. The two Hunters just looked at them confused.
"It's gas, then spark!" Ruffnut recalled as Barf began to unleash some gas. "Belch, get with the program, man."
'Sorry, still a little out of it.' Belch apologized before he sparked the gas.
The two Hunters were now even more confused, as the gas surrounded them.
"What do you reckon?" One of them asked.
However, before the other Hunter could answer there was a huge explosion and the twins cried out in excitement.
Meanwhile, Hiccup, Hicca, Midnight and Toothless were still flying around the quarry trying to get the Hunter's attention.
"Okay, we've got them distracted," Hiccup said.
"Henry, Fishlegs! Now's the time to release the Quakens!" Hicca called out.
Ragnar and Fishlegs began flying down towards the trapped Quakens.
"Don't worry, Quakens, we are getting you out of here," Fishlegs assured them.
"We'll get those chains off you faster than you can say Hideous Zippleback." Henry said next.
Meatlug then began to spew lava over the chains and Sandstorm began melting the chains with his fire breath.
"Great work, Meatlug!" Fishlegs complimented, rubbing Meatlug affectionately.
"Nice going, boy." Henry said, patting Sandstorm's l on the head.
The Hunters just noticed that Henry and Fishlegs had just released the Quakens. Then they saw the Haddock twins and their Night Furies flying overhead.
"It's over. Now leave." Hiccup said in a commanding voice.
"And never return." Hicca finished but The two Hunters then laughed. "Um, was that too cliché?" Hicca asked.
"That's not really the response we were expecting." Hiccup added in confusion.
A Hunter holding a large hammer then walked up. He then slammed it down onto the ground and the Quakens felt the vibrations and began to snarl. The Hunters then pointed their hammers towards Henry and Fishlegs.
Henry and Fishlegs saw as the two Quakens they had just freed rose up into the air and snarled at the two of them.
Fishlegs looked at the Quakens confused. "Wh-what's the matter? You're free." He told them.
"Yeah, what are you waiting for? Go home." Henry told them.
The two Quakens then roared at them.
"Let's move it, Sandstorm!" Henry yelled.
"Meatlug, look out!" Fishlegs yelled.
The two boys flew as fast they could away from the Quakens, which cut up into a ball and began rolling after them.
"Run!" Hiccup yelled.
"Fall back!" Hicca yelled next.
Soon Henry, Fishlegs and the Thortston twins were trying to get away from the rolling Quakens, which were being egged on by the Hunters slamming their hammers onto the ground.
Hiccup and Toothless try to keep up with them, but Toothless' blue tail fin wasn't designed for high altitude flights while Hicca and Midnight manage to keep up.
Tuffnut turned his head and saw the Quakens rolling towards them. They were unable to fly since Barf and Belch's wing was still broken and they were unable to run as fast since one of their legs was also broken.
"Great!" Tuffnut muttered and looked down at Belch. "Go left, Belch! Go left!"
Unfortunately, Ruffnut had told Barf to go right and as a result the two dragon's heads were wrestling on which way to run.
"Seriously?" Tuffnut yelled.
The Haddock twins could see the problem right away and looked down at their dragons. "Toothless, Midnight, the Thorston twins will never be able to outrun those Quakens. We need to draw them away."
"We gotta distract them." Hicca added.
They flew over the Quakens and fired plasma blasts at them, causing them to stop in their tracks.
"I think we got their attention?" Hiccup asked them.
The Quakens rolled back to the normal form and growled at the Haddock twins and the Night Furies.
"Uh, yeah, we obviously did, bro." Hicca said.
They then took off as fast as they could and the Quakens rolled back up into a ball and began chasing after them. Hiccup and Toothless flew through the forest doing some crazy maneuvers to dodge the trees as Hicca and Midnight followed, but the Quakens simply smashed right through them and they were gaining.
It didn't help the fact that Toothless tailfin was dragging them behind.
"Sorry, bud." Hiccup said apologetically. "I guess it's good for tight turns, not high altitudes."
Toothless growled. 'You think?' He questioned.
"I know. I know. We'll work on it." Hiccup said in assurance.
"That's if we make it out of here, Hiccup." Hicca pointed out their situation.
The Haddock twins quickly made a sharp turn in the hopes to get away from one of the Quakens. They managed to lose one, but the second one was hot on their tails and once they reached a clearing it jumped into the air and slammed into the ground. Next second the huge shockwave covered the place and they were blown off by the shockwave.
Then the second Quakens appeared in front of them, jumped and also slammed into the ground. Now the Haddock twins were being hit back and forth by the shockwave emanating from the two Quakens.
Up in the air both Henry and Fishlegs saw everything.
"They're not gonna survive long under that kind of punishment." Henry pointed out in concern.
"They don't send the chance against those angry Quakens," said Fishlegs. "I understand those dragons better than anyone. I'm the only one that can stop this."
Henry stared at him. "Fishlegs, wait!" He yelled.
But too late, Fishlegs and Meatlug flew down towards the Quakens as they continually chased down the Haddock twins and Midnight and Toothless like a pair of mad boulders. They then hovered off the ground and Hiccup and Toothless passed him as Midnight and Hicca broke off, but Hiccup and Toothless remained where they were.
Fishlegs raises hand in the hopes to stop the two Quakens without having to fight them.
"Hiccup!" Henry yelled, pointing to the Ingerman boy.
"Oh, he can't be thinking of training them! Fishlegs, get out of there!" Hiccup yelled.
Fishlegs however, remained where he was. "I know these dragons. I know these dragons."
He remained there no matter how close the Quakens came, but Meatlug saw there was no stopping them from moving out of the way just in time as they rolled past them. The two Quakens then jumped into the air, rolled into a ball and plummeted towards the ground right on top of Fishlegs and Meatlug.
"Oh, Thor!" Fishlegs moaned.
Fortunately, Hiccup was able to grab them before they were squashed by the Quakens. Unfortunately, they were struck by the shockwave and were blown way off course, everyone the Dragon Riders were blown away by the shockwave.
Hiccup coughed and began to brush the dust away. "Everybody in one piece?" he asked.
"I'm fine and so are the others." Henry groaned on top of Wildstar as his other four dragons were around him.
The twins were stuck up in a tree.b"We're good over here," Ruffnut said. "Except, Barf took a branch to the eye." She said as Barf raised his head, revealing a very bloodshot eye and Hiccup and Henry just looked at it in slight disgust.
'This just isn't our day.' Barf groaned.
Tuffnut then made his way over to them. "Oh! You guys are a hot mess. But I can work with it," he said.
Hicca and MIdnight landed as she then went to help with Barf's eye. "Oh, you poor, dragon. Already have a concussion, broken leg and wing and now a bad eye." She said as she went into the satchel to bring out some medical supplies to help Barf and Belch.
Hiccup helped Fishlegs up. "Fishlegs, what were you doing out there?" He asked. "You nearly got yourself pulverized."
"They relate more to the cruelty of their captors, than to the kindness of somebody who wants to help them." said Fishlegs in shock.
"You know, I had a cousin in Stockholm that that happened to once." Tuffnut commented.
"Fishlegs, freeing these dragons isn't gonna be easy," said Hiccup. "Especially if they don't want to be freed. Those Quakens have obviously been in captivity for a very long time."
Fishlegs sighed. "There has to be a way to get through to them somehow," He said.
"Maybe. But we might also have to accept that it may be too late to save them," said Hiccup grimly. Fishlegs stared at him and Hiccup gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Fishlegs."
"We'll find a way to help those Quakens," Henry assured as he held Fishlegs' shoulder. "It won't be easy, but we will find a way, It just might take some time."
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, Hicca was fitted with an eyepatch with a specialized ointment on it over Barf's bad eye.
"Cool," Ruffnut commented.
"The ointment in that eyepatch should ease the swelling," Hicca said as Barf purred from the feeling.
Then suddenly there was a massive thud and the entire ground shook indicating that the Hunters had restarted their excavation of marble again.
"We can't let this excavation continue," Hiccup said. "Viggo definitely needs this marble for something big."
"Very big if the Quakens are not leaving." Hicca added.
"But we also can't risk harming the Quakens," said Fishlegs.
"I hate to say it, but I think we're stumped this time." Henry said. "We don't even know why dad is using the marble and not to mention that the Quakens are not willing to go."
Tuffnut then sniffed something rotten in the air. "Ugh. Barf, your gas breath. Pop in a mint." He said looking at Barf with a firm expression.
'Oh sure, when there's a stink, blame the Zippleback.' Barf retorted.
"Tuff, that's not Barf's breath," said Hiccup.
"Is it mine?" Ruffnut asked and began to smell her breath. "Mmm. Fish brains."
Belch sniffed her breath, 'Ack! That stinks!' He screeched before he fainted.
"Come on, woman, haven't these two been through enough already?" Tuffnut questioned his sister, knowing that Barf and Belch endured enough punishment for one day.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Fishlegs then saw a gas vein that had just appeared in front of them.
"It's a fissure. And gas?" Fishlegs frowned.
"And it doesn't look like that it was naturally made, look at the cracks." Hicca said.
The entire island then rumbled. "Quaken-related?" Tuffnut asked.
"No," said Hiccup. "That tremor wasn't Quaken-related. Not directly, at least."
"What do you mean?" Fishlegs asked.
"Those area tremors that we thought were Quakens were actually the island's instability," Hiccup explained.
"Not surprising, given the fact that the Hunters are making the Quakens slam into the ground willy-nilly." Henry commented..
"That's probably why those wild dragons were fleeing the island in the first place," said Fishlegs.
"Exactly," Hiccup nodded. "Like Henry said, the mining of the marble and the constant Quaken strikes are causing this island to become unstable."
"Meaning that this island is about to sink at any moment." Hicca summarize.
"So, my breath is fine?" Ruffnut asked.
"Ugh! Let's not get crazy," Tuffnut said. "You've got dragon breath. No offense, Barf."
"Fishlegs, maybe there is a way to stop this operation and get those Quakens off this island after all," Hiccup said with a new plan coming to mind.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Astrid and the other Riders were still following the Dragon Hunter ships. They soon came to an island that was very familiar to all of them.
"Hey, does this place look familiar?" Snotlout asked, pointing at the island.
"Yeah. Too familiar," Heather said, narrowing her eyes.
"Viggo's base," Astrid gasped.
"I think we just figured out why Viggo needed all that marble," Raeda said, looking towards the center of the island where they could see a large dome made of marble blocks.
"Look at that thing," Heather said in horror. "It's impenetrable."
"Almost impenetrable!" Astrid called as she pointed to a gap in the dome.
Inside Hunters still working on the dome. It appeared they were holding the dome by using marble pillars and they were setting up defenses inside.
"What do you ladies say we make some renovations?" Snotlout asked with a smirk.
"For once, you actually didn't say something ridiculous and annoying." Astrid said.
"Aww, see? I knew we could make this work," said Snotlout.
Astrid rolled her eyes, she should have seen that one coming.
"Spoke too soon." Raeda commented.
"Yep." Astrid said in agreement as she then led them inside the dome and began blasting the inside. They were able to take up the catapults and net launches easily, but the marble blocks were another thing entirely.
"Hit them, Hookie!" Snotlout yelled and Hookfang fired a fire blast at one of the pillars, but it wasn't even singed. "It's not working."
"It's the marble!" Astrid yelled in realization. "It must be impervious to dragon fire!"
"That's why Viggo needed all these blocks!" Raeda said.
"Then we need a different approach," Heather told them as she and Windshear flew down to one of the pillars and Windshear slashed her tail at the marble, but it was as ineffective as their fire attacks.
"It's no good. The marble is so dense that not even a Razorwhip can cut through it." Raeda noted.
"Viggo's created the ultimate dragon-proof fortress." Snotlout declared.
"We need to tell Hiccup and Hicca what we found before another convoy arrives," said Astrid.
"One more shipment and this stronghold will be complete," Heather said while pointing at the gap.
"And no dragon will be able to get in. Or out of it." Astrid said grimly.
"And for Viggo to be completely untouchable from any attacks we might pull on him." Raeda finished with a grim tone as they all flew out of the dome and went back to tell the other riders.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the quarry, the Hunters were still forcing the Quakens to estimate the marble, unaware of the island's instability.
They only stopped working when Toothless fired a plasma blast. They looked up and saw Hiccup, Hicca and the other Riders on the edge of the quarry looking down at them.
"Shut down this quarry and leave while you can." Hiccup said. "Have you noticed the island's unstable?" He questioned them.
"This island's about to sink at any moment if you don't leave." Hicca added. "We're giving you a chance here." She added.
The Hunters looked at one another and then walked off. "I knew you were reasonable." Hiccup said with a smile.
However, instead of leaving the quarry, they freed the Quakens from their chains and got their hammers ready. The Riders had a pretty good idea what they were going to order them to do.
"I don't think he's as reasonable as you think, Hiccup." Tuffnut noted.
The Hunter then slammed his hammer into the ground and then pointed it straight at them. Immediately the two Quakens turned and looked up at them growling.
"Should have seen this one coming." Hicca commented.
"Yeah, these hunters are not reasonable. Trust me." Henry said, knowing from experience.
"Everyone out!" Hiccup yelled.
The Quakens then rolled up into a ball and began rolling towards them. They just below the quarry ledge they were standing on and sent massive shockwaves across the ground knocking them all off their feet. This of course created new fissures in the ground and gas exited from them.
"Okay, maybe the worst is over?" Tuffnut asked hopefully. Then the ground shook violently. "I was wrong! Incorrect!" He panicked.
The entire quarry began to cave in and the Hunters scattered and what was worse the cliffs of the island began to crumble away. The island's instability was spreading and they didn't know how long they had before the island sank into the sea.
Hiccup and Hicca ran over to Toothless and Midnight, but before they could mount them, one of the Quakens flew up and rolled itself into a ball. The Haddock twins and their dragons took off, but they were caught by the shockwave and they fell into a fissure.
"Hiccup! Hicca!" Fishlegs yelled.
The Haddock twins shook their heads and looked up to see the Quaken looking down at them. Fortunately the fissure was too small for them to follow, but they didn't want to stay inside the fissure a moment longer. Hiccup quickly grabbed Toothless' original tailfin his satchel.
"Okay, bud, we can do this." Hiccup said as he switched the tailfins.
"Hurry, bro! We're running out of time here!" Hicca yelled out as she mounted Midnight.
The Quaken roared at them and then the fissure cracked under its weight. They then fell into the fissure and was completely submerged by rocks and was right in front of the Haddock twins and the two Night Furies.
"Uh, guys?" Hiccup called out to the other riders.
"A little help?" Hicca called out next.
The second Quaken then landed on the edge of the fissure and looked down into it. It was then that Fishlegs noticed that it wasn't attacking, if anything it looked worried.
"You won't hurt your friend." Fishlegs gasped in realization.
"Makes sense, dragons do look out for one another," Henry said as he came next to him.
"Maybe there is a way to reach them then." Fishlegs said, having an idea.
Then before Henry could stop him, Fishlegs and Meatlug rushed out towards the Quaken. He then grabbed the hammer and looked firmly at the Quaken.
"Fishlegs! What are you doing?" Henry yelled.
"Getting through to the Quakens!" Fishlegs yelled without turning his head. He then took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."
He then tapped the hammer onto the ground gently and the Quaken looked up at him, never seeing this command. Fishlegs then raised his hand and rubbed it against Meatlug, who relaxed at his touch. The Quaken tilted its head, as it was unfamiliar with this sort of treatment.
Fishlegs then pointed the hammer down to the fissure and Meatlug flew into it. The Quaken looked at Meatlug and then to Fishlegs, who raised his hand again. Fishlegs then pointed the hammer at the edge of the fissure.
The Quaken understood and then took off into the air, rolled itself into a ball and smashed right into the fissures edge. This widens the fissure enough for the Quaken to join his friend and the two dragons look at the Haddock twins, who are less than thrilled.
"Fishlegs!" Hiccup yelled.
"What are you doing?!" Hicca called out.
The Quakens then looked at Fishlegs who raised his hammer up into the air. Then the two Quakens followed his command and flew out of the fissure. Fishlegs then pointed the hammer at the opposite side of the ledge and the Quakens landed exactly where he was pointing.
Then suddenly the entire ground began to shake, the excessive excavation caused by the Hunters had finally made the island so unstable it began to collapse in on itself.
"Now, Toothless!" Hiccup yelled as he mounted Toothless
"Let's go girl!" Hicca yelled as she mounted Midnight as the fissure collapsed in on itself.
The Haddock twins took off into the air with Meatlug following close behind.
Once they were out, Hiccup looked down at Fishlegs and Henry. "Guys, we need to get out of here," He said.
"Ruff, Tuff! Get to the port and find a boat for you and Barf and Belch to ride in." Hicca ordered as the Thorston twins nodded as they and Barf and Belch quickly ran off.
"Come on, Fishlegs tell those Quakens that it's time to scram!" Henry said as he mounted Lockjaw.
Fishlegs nodded and quickly turned to the Quaken, tapped his hammer onto the ground and raised his hand at the Quakens as they roared. He then mounted Meatlug and pointed the hammer upwards as Meatlug flew up into the sky.
The Quakens quickly followed him and took off into the sky as well. They left just in time, because the island began to collapse in on itself as gas from the fissures exited from the cracks all over the island.
The twins and their dragon had to get to the docks because Barf and Blech, were still too injured to fly. They were forced to jump into a row boat and sail away from the island as it sank.
They only just got out in time as a huge explosion emanated from the quarry on the island began to sink into the sea.
"Help!" Tuffnut yelled as he and his sister paddle for their lives.
Hiccup and Hicca were looking back at the island thinking. "That was close." Hicca breathed in relief.
Then Astrid, Raeda, Heather and Snotlout returned. The four of them were completely bewildered by what had just happened.
"Uh, what happened to Barf and Belch? Why is the island sunk? And where did those two Quakens come from?" Snotlout asked in bewilderment before resting his head on his hand. "I feel like we missed a lot."
"You really did, actually." Hicca confirmed. "Did you guys find that convoy?" She asked.
"And why does my father need all that marble?" Henry asked as well.
"Yeah, he's building a dragon-proof stronghold." Astrid explained.
"A stronghold?" Hiccup gasped. "We need a strike immediately."
"It won't do any good." Heather pointed out. "Marble can withstand dragon fire."
"We tried every attack on that fortress but we couldn't even make a dent in it." Raeda added.
Henry then facepalmed himself. "So that's why he needs that much marble. Father is going to make a fortress that will be impossible to break through!" He called out, should've known why Viggo wanted that many marble blocks.
"Um, guys, I might have an idea of how we can take it down." Fishlegs said looking at the hammer he still was holding and to the two Quakens hovering behind him.
(Linebreak)
After Astrid's group failed to attempt to destroy the fortress, the Hunters had armed themselves preparing for another attack.
"There you are." A Hunter said as he drew an arrow when he saw the Riders flying straight towards them.
Fishlegs was leading the charge, he held the hammer up into the sky and pointed it straight at the stronghold with a battle cry. Instantly the Quakens charge straight towards the island, rolled straight into a ball and headed straight towards the ground. The Hunter lowered his bow in defeat, knowing how this would end.
The first Quaken struck the ground just beyond the defenses the moment it made contact sent a powerful shockwave that blew the Hunters and their defenses away. The second one soon joined the first and they both flew straight at the stronghold.
Fishlegs then hovered directly above the stronghold with his hammer high up in the air. He then pointed again on the stronghold and the Quakens rolled into a ball and rolled straight at the stronghold. They went straight through it like a pair raging yaks and began bouncing around smashing through the pillars and the outer walls.
The Riders watched as the dome fell inwards and the Quakens standing outside the crumbling stronghold, who were roaring at the top of their voices. The marble blocks were now crushed, preventing the Hunters from recreating the stronghold and they had foolishly destroyed the island they got the marble from so there was no way they could complete it.
The Quakens then made their way over to Fishlegs, no doubt wanting to know what their next orders were.
"No. No more work." Fishlegs said firmly as he then dropped the hammer onto the ground and held his hand out.
This time the Quakens placed their snouts into the palm of his hand as a form of respect.
Hiccup and Hicca smiled at their friend. "You did it, Fishlegs." Hiccup said.
"But how many more dragons like these do he have out there?" Fishlegs frowned.
"If they're out there, we'll find them and free them." Hiccup assured as he placed a hand on Fishlegs shoulder.
"No matter how hard it is." Hicca added
"Now, take us to Dark Deep." Hiccup said as they looked at the Quakens with a smile. "It's time for these Quakens to enjoy their retirement. I'd say they earn it."
"Seriously, is someone gonna tell me where those two Quakens came from?" Snotlout asked, still feeling confused.
"Snotty, have we got the story to tell you." Henry said with a grin.
(Linebreak)
Later that evening, Viggo returned to his headquarters to marvel at his new stronghold. However when he and Ryker got there all they found was a crumble of marble blocks.
"Viggo, how?" Ryker asked, staring at what remained of their stronghold.
Viggo glared for he knew the culprits. "Hiccup and Hicca." He answered, "This is becoming all too familiar, brother. But I promise… it ends now." He promised as he glared in rage at his destroyed fortress, knowing that this was no longer a game.
…This was war.