Chapter 48: Gold Rush
On the Edge, The Haddock Twins, Toothless and Midnight were doing some training in the forest which involves zigzagging through the trees and shooting dummies. Sadly one of these dummies, which was made to look like Viggo, had a Terrible Terror perched on it and it got quite the surprise when Toothless fired a plasma blast destroying the dummy. 'Whoa!' The Terror said.
"Sorry about that, little guy." Hicca apologized before she then rubbed Midnight affectionately. "Nice shot, girl." He complimented.
'Thanks.' Midnight warbled.
Hiccup then looked down at his dragon, "Looks we got some competition, bud. Ready to show 'em what we got?" He asked as Toothless let out a warble of confirmation, "Alright 'Let's do this!" He said as they took off.
They started to zigzag across the trees, increasing speed. "Toothless, faster!" Hiccup yelled as Toothless flew as fast as he could through the trees. "That's it, bud. Push it! Push it, you got it!"
They then sored up into the air and then, "Dive!" Hiccup commanded as Toothless dove down headfirst into the sea and got as deep as they could. Hicca and Midnight looked concerned before they saw several plasma blasts shot out of the water and then Toothless and Hiccup shot out next.
"Whoaa!" Hiccup cried. Hiccup rubbed toothless again affectionately. "Nice one, bud."
Toothless then began to shake his scales plain water all across Hiccup. 'You know I don't like water.' He told him.
"Yeah, I… I don't love the water either, but we have to try new moves." Hiccup said. "This'll definitely give us an added element of surprise." he reminded Toothless.
"Not bad boys." Hicca said as she and Midnight flew up to them, "Just mean we're gonna have to do better, right girl?" She asked Midnight.
'Yeah.' Midnight agreed.
"Well that's enough training today, let's head back for now." Hiccup suggested as Hicca nodded and Midnight and Toothless growled approvingly before they started to head back towards the base.
(Linebreak)
At the clubhouse, Henry and Heather were facing each other in a game of Maces and Talons. Astrid and Raeda were overlooking Heather supporting her while Fishlegs and Snotlout were doing the same for Henry.
It was now Heather's turn on the board and she was contemplating on her next move. She then moved one of her pieces on the board and it looked as if she was going to win.
"Wait!" Snotlout gasped.
"Oh no." Fishlegs said.
Heather looked at Henry confidently with her arms folded, but Henry didn't waver. He then moved one of his pieces onto an island blocking her move and shuttled slightly. However, a second later Heather moved one of her pieces into a position that would let her win the game.
"Yes!" Astrid cheered.
"Just one more move and you win!" Raeda said.
Henry looked impressed. "Hmm, not bad Heather." He conceded, "Looks like you might take this game." He said.
"You better believe it." Heather said smugly.
However, Henry smirked, "But never forget the old saying: Looks can be deceiving." He said before moving a piece Heather never noticed yet and he managed to steal the win.
"Yeah!" Snotlout declared as Fishlegs pumped his fists up victoriously.
The girls gasped in shock that Henry managed to pull that last move from under them. "Oh, so close." Astrid groaned in disappointment.
"Should have seen that coming." Heather said, kicking herself.
"And that makes three in a row." Henry smugly said as he and the boys fistbump each other. "But you were close that time, Heather." He assured her.
"You are good at this, Henry." Raeda commented.
"Well, he is the son of Viggo Grimborn so of course he's good at this. He beat me so many times already." Fishlegs said as he placed a hand on Henry's shoulder.
"Yeah. And you can't out trick this guy." Snotlout said in agreement. "Plus, unlike Fishface, You can't manipulate our partner with your big brown eyes."
"True. And also, they're green." Heather smiled as she fluttered her eyelids at Fishlegs.
"Shut up." Snotlout said, folding his arms. "Point is, boys three, girls." He then made a buzzer noise. "None." He finished with a smirk.
Raeda, Astrid and Heather just looked at Snotlout blankley as they nodded to each other. "Wanna repeat that, Snotlout." Astrid said in a challenging tone as she pulled out her ax, Heather cracked her neck and Raeda cracked her knuckles.
"Uh, n-no thanks. I'm good." Snotlout said nervously as he raised his hands in surrender.
At that moment, the Haddock twins and their Night Furies entered the clubhouse. Toothless and Midnight looked incredibly weak no doubt due to all the training they did.
"Well, well, well, look what the Night Furies dragged in," Astrid smiled.
Toothless and Midnight growled weakly and then collapsed.
Hiccup laughed sarcastically. "Very funny."
"Good one, Astrid. Great joke." Hicca said sarcastically.
"Seriously, guys, you've been pushing it pretty hard lately," Heather told the two with concern. "Everyone needs a rest."
"The Midday Sun proved that." Henry said.
"Don't remind me." Astrid groaned remembering how she acted during that little period.
"Yeah, that wasn't our proudest moment." Raeda added with embarrassment as she remembered all the ridiculous drawings she made during her insomnia.
"The Midday Sun doesn't count, there was no night so we didn't know when to stop." Hicca defended. "This time, we do know when to rest."
"And we'll rest when Viggo's gone for good," Hiccup added firmly.
"You guys wanna hurt Viggo?" A familiar voice said. They turned quickly and saw Dagur leaning against the doorway with Shattermaster behind him as he was back in his armor. "Talk to me."
'Hi.' Shattermaster greeted.
"Dagur!" Heather gasped.
"I told you I'd be back." Dagur smiled.
(Linebreak)
Moments later, Dagur was getting his teeth into some chicken, which was cooked by Heather, and appeared to be quite hungry from the way he was eating.
"Oh! Mm! This is good!" Dagur cried happily. "And cooked to perfection. Mm, just the way I like it."
"Thanks." Heather replied.
"He must've been hungry." Hicca commented.
"So, how are we gonna hurt, Viggo?" Hiccup asked.
"Ha-ha! I should have known it with you, Heather," Dagur smiled as if he hadn't heard Hiccup. "Cooking is in our family's blood. Ooh! I bet you make a wicked Berserker chicken." Heather looked at him.
Chicken then clucked in panic. "Hey! Watch it!" Tuffnut glared as he comforted Chicken. "Everyone knows that Chicken suffers from rotisserie-phobia. She's afraid of the ole' turn and burn." He said as Chicken clucked in response.
"Sorry, Boy-nutt and Chicken-nutt." Dagur apologized, "It's just, we've been out there all alone for so long," said Dagur. "We haven't eaten anything in days. Isn't that right, Shattermaster?"
Shattermaster proved that statement, because he quickly devoured every single block Fishlegs gave him. 'Yummy!' Shattermaster growled happily.
"Easy, Shattermaster. Remember your manners." Dagur said, pointing the chicken leg at him.
Apparently Shattermaster had eaten so fast that he got indigestion and spewed up some lava.
"Shattermaster, slow down. Don't wanna get a stomach ache." Hicca said as she patted Shattermaster in comfort as the green Gronckle kept spewing out some lava. "Trust me, we get enough of that from Meatlug." She gestured to Fishlegs' Gronckle who looked embarrassed.
"Oh don't worry girl, it's not your fault you're such a healthy eater." Fishlegs comforted.
"Dagur, what about Viggo?" Hiccup asked, slamming his fist on the table.
"Yes, of course." Dagur said, getting to his feet. "The strangest thing happened while I was out traveling the world in search of Oswald the Agreeable."
Heather's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're searching for our father?" She gasped.
Dagur nodded. "You see, since I didn't kill him, and you didn't kill him, I figured he must be out there, somewhere. So there I was, searching for dear old dad, when I captured the wimpiest Dragon Hunter." He then chuckled slightly. "I mean he was just a little tiny, wimpy…" He then looked at the Haddock twins. "He was about both your sizes and builds."
Hiccup and Hicca narrowed their eyes at Dagur from that. "Really Dagur?" Hicca asked, as they're lack of muscle was just a low hanging fruit.
"No offense." Dagur said quickly to them as he continued. "Anyway, all I had to do was sneer at him and he gave up everything. I mean, I actually had to give him the Berserker chokehold just to shut him up." He said with a small smile in amusement.
"Oh, I love the Berserker chokehold," said Tuffunt. "It is one of my favorite choke—" Ruffnut then grabbed his throat and began choking him. "Not that one." She then placed him in a neck hold. "Oh, that's the one." He gasped with a smile.
"So, what did the Hunter say about Viggo?" Hiccup asked.
"Anything that could be useful?" Hicca asked as well.
"I'll tell you if you call me brother," said Dagur. He then turned and gave them a pleading look. "Please? Just once. Please?" He asked.
Hiccup and Hicca remained completely silent.
"Okay, okay. Just a barrel of laughs, aren't you?" Dagur grumbled. "He told me where Viggo hides his gold." He said.
Everyone then stared at Dagur in shock.
"What?" Astrid gasped.
"Whoa," Tuffnut said, who was still in Ruffnut's neck-hold.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're telling me you actually found my dad's stockpile of gold?" Henry asked in disbelief.
"Yep. I sure did, Henry." Dagur answered with a smile.
"Okay, you are good." Henry said in an impressive tone. "Because when I was with them, father never told me where he kept the gold he collected and even if he did, he usually moves it if it was discovered by someone." He added.
"And you are lucky that I found the location, because if I remember correctly, some of that gold…" Dagur continued.
"Is Berk's gold." Astrid finished.
"Bingo." said Dagur pointing the chicken leg at her.
"Not to mention gold belonging to anyone else he swindled." Raeda added.
"And we could get it back and cripple Viggo in one blow." Hiccup said, slamming his fist into his palm.
"And probably take a few more just to annoy Viggo," Hicca added with a grin, "I love it! Dragon Riders, let's ride!" She declared.
They all started to make their way out of the clubhouse, but Dagur just stood there with his back towards them.
"Don't forget the best part. After we get your gold back, if you don't mind, I'll take a few bags of Viggo's for myself." Dagur said, stopping them in their tracks.
"Really? How come Dagur?" Henry asked in curiosity.
Dagur then turned to face them and pulled Heather towards him. "Because Heather and I need it as we embark on an epic journey to reunite with our father and rebuild the Berserker drive as a family." He declared as he gave a shoulder hug to Heather.
Heather chuckled as he freed herself from his grip. "Yeah, right, Dagur. I… I think you took one too many to the head." She said, turning away with her arms crossed.
"I'm serious, Heather. That's why I'm here." Dagur said, looking at her before walking away with the others.
Henry then looks at Heather. "I know this is something to think about, Heather. But this could be your chance for you and your brother to reunite with your father." He encouraged her. "You waited this long to have a real family again, and you have Dagur, your brother with you to finally be with your true family. Dagur wouldn't be here if he came here for you." He added.
Heather looked down in thought as she took a breath. "I need to think about it, Henry." She said to him uncertainty.
"That's all I'm asking for. Now, let's get our dragons and hit my father's gold stash where it hurts." Henry said with a smirk as Heather smirk back as she nodded as they and the others went out to mount their dragons.
(Linebreak)
A few moments later, they were in the air as Dagur led them to the island where Viggo stashed his gold. Heather was hanging back clearly in deep thought after Dagur's announcement.
"Man, if Heather leaves, she'll take all her great cooking with her." Tuffnut moaned. "I don't know how I'm gonna survive. I don't know if I can survive." He cried
"I'm sure she's not gonna leave." Fishlegs said. "She's one of us, right?" He asked.
The Thorston twins didn't look so sure.
Astrid then pulled back to fly next to Heather. "Hey. You okay?" she asked.
Heather sighed. "I have a lot to think about from what Henry told me. I mean, Dagur just assumed I'm gonna drop everything and follow him on some crazy adventure to find our dad. Uh, did he even think to ask me first?"
"He's Dagur," Astrid reminded.
"Well, I'm not going," Heather said firmly. "No way. I'm a Dragon Rider now."
Ashley smiled and the two girls raised their armbands and were about to bash them when Dagur appeared in between standing on top of Shattermaster.
"Berserker and Dragon Riders! May our first mission be successful!" Dagur yelled at the top of his voice. He then began to laugh maniacally.
Fishlegs then flew above him. "I think you mean Dragon Rider and one Berserker." He corrected firmly.
Heather smiled up at him.
"All right, gang, diamond formation," Hiccup ordered as they approached the island. They then flew in formation. "Remember, we're heading into Viggo's domain. Expect the unexpected."
"My dad is always full of surprises, even on his own island." Henry added.
They then began to fly upwards and once they reached the cliffs they saw some ancient ruins much to their surprise.
"What the…" Hiccup gasped.
"Well, there's no one here. Didn't see that one coming." Snotlout commented.
They soon landed and began to examine the ruins for any clues as to why they were here or where the gold could be.
"Are you absolutely sure this is the right island?" Hiccup asked, looking at Dagur. Not because he didn't trust him but rather the hunter who told him might've misled him.
"Yes, I'm sure." Dagur confirmed. "But like Henry said, Viggo might have moved the gold. He can be slippery."
"He's got a point." Hicca said in agreement. "I didn't exactly expect Viggo to have the gold on display. But something is wrong here." She added in concern.
"I agree, something doesn't feel right," Hiccup said, folding his arms.
"This is an amazing find, guys," Fishlegs said, examining the ruins. "Ancient Vikings must have lived here." He then swatted Snotlout's hand away when he placed the hand on the ruins. "No touching. We're not here to destroy history, we're here to find the gold."
"C'mon, Fishlegs. If there was any gold here, this place would be crawling with Viggo's men." Snotlout pointed out.
Raeda took a closer look at the ruins, and scrunched her face in confusion, "Except, these don't look like architecture I'm familiar with." She said, "In fact, I don't know what this had to be." She added.
The Haddock twins had to agree with Snotlout and Raeda and then they saw Toothless and Midnight wandering around sniffing the ground. They made his way over to him and investigated the ground and saw some trodden leaves. They brushed them aside and saw wheel marks in the ground and looked up to find a trail leading away from the ruins.
"Guys, we found something!" Hicca called out as she pointed to the trail.
(Linebreak)
They started to follow the tracks, but suddenly they came to a stop.
"The tracks end here?" Fishlegs asked.
"Keep your eyes plead. Remember, my dad can be very tricky." Henry advises.
The Haddock twins and Dagur notice a tarpaulin that was clearly covering something.
"I'm not seeing any gold. Are you seeing any gold? Does anyone see any gold?" Snotlout asked.
"Snotlout, expect the unexpected." Hiccup said.
"Do either of you want to do the honors or shall I?" Dagur asked.
"How about let Hiccup do it." Hicca suggested.
Hiccup stepped forward and made his way to the tarpaulin and then removed it. Once it was removed they saw a storehouse of some sort.
"The gold must be in there." Hicca said.
"Oh, we're so close, sister. Can you feel it?" Dagur asked Heather excitedly. "Once we get the gold, our real journey begins."
"Hey, don't get too close, guys." Hiccup warned.
"Yeah, we're sure Viggo booby-trapped this thing if he's keeping the most valuable things in here." Hicca added.
"Fear not, my fearless leaders, Ruff and I are the best booby-trap sniffers that have ever sniffed out a booby… trap," Tuffnut said.
"Oh. All right. Check the traps. But be careful." Hiccup said.
"We don't know what Viggo has in store for us." Hicca added.
"So watch out for any trap doors, darts, toxic gas, arrows, axes, flying swords and bear traps." Henry listed. "He can go overboard with traps from time to time." He added, knowing how his father loves traps.
The Thorston twins then jumped off Barf and Belch and crouched down while looking at one another.
"Okay, it's time to out-think the thinker," Tuffnut said. "Watch for the trip lines!"
They quickly bent down and examined the ground, but found nothing.
"Hmm. You think you're so smart, Viggo. Falling axes!" Tuffnut yelled as the Thorston twins then placed their backs against the storage house. "Look around, make sure there's none. Are there?"
"Nothing." Ruffnut said.
"That's because he's gonna kill us with crossbow arrows!" Tuffnut yelled.
They then cartwheeled away from the storage house, but there was no sign of any arrows. The other Riders just looked at the twins as they were starting to realize that the place was not booby-trapped and that they had no idea on what they were doing.
"Still nothing. This guy is tricky." Ruffnut concluded.
Tuffnut then began to sniff the air. "Wait a second," he said as he smelled something. "I knew it! Stun gas!" He declared.
He then collapsed and began to choke, but Ruffnut was perfectly fine because there was no gas.
"Relax. That was just me." Ruffnut told him. "Cartwheels give me the vapors." She said as Tuffnut lay on the floor.
"Huh. That's strange." Henry said while giving a thoughtful expression.
"No. It's actually a reflex when…" Ruffnut tried to say.
"No, Ruff." Henry said quickly. "I'm saying that if this is where the gold is being held, why aren't there any traps? Something's not right." He said, rubbing his chin.
"Okay, clear out of there, you two." Hiccup said to the Thorston twins.
"We may have a better idea to get this thing open." Hicca said.
The Thorston twins then made their way away from the storehouse.
"Give it a couple of good ones, guys," said Hiccup looking at Toothless and Midnight.
Toothless and Midnight then opened their mouths and by the plasma blasts directly at the storehouse, but when the smoke cleared it was perfectly unharmed.
"Oh, what the…" Hiccup moaned.
Hicca then sighed. "Dragon-proof metal, of course." She moaned.
"Figures my dad doesn't want anything bad to happen to his gold." Henry said with a sigh in annoyance.
"Gotta give it to Viggo, though, he showed us that you can make anything out of dragon-proof materials if he made a storehouse out of it." Raeda commented, since seeing a dragon-proof hut is pretty impressive.
"Doesn't make things easy for us." Hiccup pointed out since this is an issue.
"You tried your way, guys, Now it's time to do it Berserker style." Dagur said as Shattermaster growled with excitement. He then looked at Heather. "Right, Heather?"
"Berserker style? You may do something crazy?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. Everyone thinks Berserker means crazy. But what it really means is going full speed. All out, all the time. Total commitment to your Berserker brothers and sisters." Dagur explained as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "So, if you wanna know what Berserker style really is? Show 'em our new move, Shattermaster." Shattermaster then started to approach them with a crazy look in his eye. "Shatter scatter." Dagur ordered.
Shattermaster then took off faster than it was possible for a Gronckle and Dagur performed a Berserker war cry. Shattermaster then spun head over heels and then extended his tail just as he slammed into the storehouse door.
The entire ground shook as Shattermaster knocked the door off its hinges and everyone was knocked off their feet. Shattermaster then emerged out of the dust looking completely unharmed and flew off.
"Wha-what? Did you just…" Henry tried to say in surprise.
"Did you just take it down with just a Gronckle tail?" Raeda asked in surprise.
"Not so dragon-proof anymore." Dagur smirked. "Bravo, Shattermaster. That's what you call a Berserker Battle Cry." He then punched Heather on the arm she winced in pain. "It comes from deep within. Understand?"
Heather just remains silent.
"You'll get it." Dagur assured her.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid then approached the storehouse and found that it was completely empty.
Astrid sighed. "Well, I guess we're too late. Viggo moved the gold." She told the Haddock Twins and Henry.
"Nothing makes sense." Hiccup frowned. "No guards. No booby-traps."
"You're right, dad doesn't want to leave anything to chance. I expected him to at least have a few guards guarding the place." Henry said while looking suspicious about this.
"And not to mention that this storehouse is too small to hold this much gold." Hicca added.
Astrid looked at the three of them. "What are you guys thinking?" asked them.
Hiccup and Hicca then made their way to a second trail of tracks that were clearly made by a cart and they were quite deep.
"Well, it looks like the cart tracks coming this way, then going off that way," Hiccup observed.
"Fishlegs, look at the depth of the tracks." Hicca said to the Ingermen.
Fishlegs bent down and examined them. "Yeah, no, they're deeper coming in, and more shallow going out." He said.
"Someone rolled the gold in here, then offloaded it and carried it away by hand,"Hiccup said as he and Hicca stood up.
"So this storehouse is just a decoy. The gold is somewhere else on the island." Henry called out. "Father, you sly dog." He muttered under his breath.
"In that case, I say we split up. Cover more ground." Dagur suggested. "Viggo and his men could come at any time. The Berserkers will search the North. The Dragon Riders search the South."
"Wait, I-I should go with them." Fishlegs told them.
Hiccup nodded. "Okay. Three heads are better than two. Stay on the ground, send up a signal if you find anything."
"And be careful. Viggo might have more traps and men on this island. So be on your guard." Hicca added.
"We will." Heather assured them.
"Come on, Heather." Dagur said as he guided her away. "While we search for the gold, we'll discuss our future."
Fishlegs narrowed his eyes and followed them with Meatlug close behind.
(Linebreak)
They started making their way north and Dagur was spending most of his time talking to Heather.
"Once we get our share of Viggo's gold, we'll head straight towards the sunrise." Dagur suggested. "I know a shifty little guy in the Eastern Markets who might have some information on Dad."
"Uh. Wait, wait, Dagur. Slow down." Heathers eased her brother, turning towards him. "You know, you barge into my life like a Cavern Crasher ramped up on dragon nip. And just unload all these grand ideas."
Dagur sighed. "I've been out there, Heather, living and surviving on my own. It's a lonely, desolate existence." He explained.
"You don't have to tell me," Heather saidwho knew that feeling all too well.
Fishlegs just watched them while on Meatlug.
"I know I don't. When I realized how hard it must have been for you, all those years, alone, I knew I had to make it right." Dagur said as he walked around. "I mean, sure, I have Shattermaster, you have Windshear, but it's not the same thing as having your family, your fellow Berserkers."
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you sent me adrift." Heather said, narrowing her eyes, even though she could no longer hate Dagur, the resentment she had was still there.
Dagur face and places hands on her shoulders. "I don't know how you'll ever forgive me, Heather, where not a day goes by that I don't wish I could take that back. I was young and foolish—"
"And twisted and evil." Heather finished shoving his arms away.
"Okay, I deserve that," Dagur admitted, knowing her words were true. "But I wanna make it right, once and for all. Don't you see, Heather?" He then gave her a pleading look. "This is my chance, our chance, to rebuild the Berserker's tribe. But we'll only succeed if we do it together, as a family. Just think about it. It's time to go home, sis." Dagur told her, leaving her feeling very conflicted.
Fishlegs just looked at them in silence, he was possibly the only person who had no idea how they had been through. He knew that he couldn't stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but there again he didn't want to lose her.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile the other Riders were south of the island, searching for any clues that would lead them to the gold on the backs of their dragons.
"No, not over here." Snotlout said as Hookfang turned over a rock. "Not here." He then gasped in awe and pointed, Whoa! Look at that. It's not over there!" He said dully.
"Well, at least we know everyone it's not." Ruffnut said.
"Come on guys, we need to find that gold and return it to Berk. I'm not sure how much longer the trade routes can provide it." Raeda pointed out.
Astrid looked at the Haddock twins. "Hiccup, Hicca…"
"Don't say it," Hiccup said, knowing what she was about to say.
"We've looked all over. There's nothing here," she said.
"We can't give up, Astrid." Hicca said firmly..
"We have to find that gold, Astrid." Hiccup said firmly. "It will cripple Viggo and get Berk back on its feet."
"Yeah, I want all those things too, but if the gold isn't here—" Astrid started.
"It's here. We're sure of it. It has to be" Hicca said.
"They're right." Henry said as he came next to them. "You know, my dad, everything with him is a trick that frustrates me every time."
We… we just need to out-think Viggo if we need to find it." Hiccup finished.
That's when they heard voices and turned and saw Dragon Hunters in the distance. One of them was pushing a wheelbarrow which held digging equipment.
"Hunters." Hiccup said.
"With digging equipment." Hicca added.
"Did they bury it?" Astrid frowned.
Hiccup placed a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet. He then made several hand gestures to inform them to follow them carefully.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs and the others were still trying to look for the gold on the north side of the island unaware of the Hunters. They had soon reached the cave and Dagur looked at it as Fishlegs whimpered.
"Don't worry, Fishlegs. I'll search this one." Dagur assured him. "Sometimes I miss the pleasant zen of a deep, dark cave." He then started to make his way into the cave. "Here, goldie, goldie, goldie, goldie, goldie."
This left Fishlegs and Heather completely alone and the two of them looked at each other awkwardly.
"So," Heather began.
"So?" Fishlegs said next.
The two of them then laughed.
Fishlegsthen turned and looked at her. "Look .Heather, I… I know that Dagur is your brother, and your blood, but we're your family now, right? I mean, you're a Dragon Rider. We're a team. We need you." He then looked at her slightly embarrassed as he blushed. "But more than that, I need you."
Heather looked at him and slowly their faces grew closer to one another. Then suddenly they heard the sound of wings fluttering and saw Dagur rushing out of the cave with Terrible Terror chasing after him with Shattermaster calmly waddling behind. "No gold! No gold! No gold!" Dagur screamed as he waved his arms. "And Terrible Terrors make terrible meditation partners!" He yelled and then looked at the two of them. "What'd I miss?"
The two of them just merely looked at one another and chuckled nervously.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins and the others were following the Hunters and were now spying on them through a flower push. They watched as the Hunters tipped the wheelbarrow and they saw the digging tools.
"Why are they carrying digging equipment?" Henry asked
"Any thoughts?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup and Hicca.
"We're thinking." Hicca said as she and her brother just sat there pondering.
Unfortunately, at that point Snotlout sniffed the flowers and was beginning to see. Fortunately, Tuffnut placed a finger over his nose and is stuck to fingers and his sisters know when she began to sneeze. Sadly not stop him from sneezing which drew the attention of the Hunters.
The Hunters saw them and then quickly made a run for it.
"Should've seen that coming." Raeda said with a bored expression.
"Let's go, guys." Hiccup said as he mounted Toothless.
Soon the other Riders took up into the sky and began to pull the Hunters, who were running for their lives.
"We got 'em." Hiccup said.
"We have them now!" Hicca yelled.
The Hunters then hid behind a pair of trees and then began to laugh and seconds later appeared in front of them capturing the Haddock twins, Astrid and Henry. Snotlout, Raeda and the Thorston twins came to the rescue only to be captured in a net themselves.
That's when they noticed Dragon Hunter ships on the coast.
"It was a trap!" Henry cried out.
"Guys?" Astrid groaned.
Hiccup and Hicca tried to reach for their fire swords and battle staff, but Toothless and Midnight's weights were pressed on them and they were unable to reach them.
"Look what we have here," A voice said. The Haddock twins looked up and saw Ryker smiling down at them. "The catch of the day." He declared.
"Just, our, luck." Hicca groaned.
(Linebreak)
Soon the Hunters had placed the riders and their dragons in dragon-proof cages and were transporting them onto the ships. Up on the cliffs Fishlegs and the others saw this.
"Oh, this is bad. Really, really bad." Fishlegs said nervously
"Huh. Funny, Hiccup and Hicca were never that easy to capture when I was chasing them." Dagur said.
Heather pulled out a spyglass to get a better look and that's when she saw Viggo on one of the ships.
"Viggo." She growled.
Viggo smiled as the Hunters pulled the Haddock twins, Midnight and Toothless aboard his ship and Ryker joined him.
"The gold?" Viggo asked.
"Secure." Ryker confirmed. "And no sign of the other Dragon Riders. I think we should—"
Viggo glared at him. "Don't think. Keep looking. They're out there. And bring Hiccup and Hicca to my chambers. I'd like to have a word with them." He ordered.
Ryker growled annoyed, but walked off to follow his orders.
On the cliffs, they watched as the Hunters' ships began to move out.
"We can't just sit here." Heather said, looking at the others. "We need to rescue them now before Viggo disappears."
"We should save 'em Berserker style." Dagur said. "I have the perfect plan."
"No! Dragon Riders rescue Dragon Riders," said Fishlegs firmly. "I have known Hiccup and Hicca my whole life and he is my best friend, Dagur. Whenever I have needed them, they have been there for me, and now they need me." He then grabbed Heather's hand and the two of them locked fingers together. "We are doing this my way."
Dagur sniffed. "That was… That was beautiful, man. Just beautiful." He said as he brushed away his tears.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Ryker was dragging the Haddock twins, who were bound, to Viggo's chambers on his ship.
"Please. Sit," Viggo said as he turned round to face them.
"No thanks." Hicca said with a glare.
"We'll stand." Hiccup said, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.
Ryker then pushed them down and drew his blade and placed it close to their throats.
"Forgive my brother." Viggo said as he sat down. "He doesn't understand the concept of savoring victory." Ryker glared at him and released the Haddock twins and redrew his blade. Viggo then gestured towards the map of the island behind him. "You two and your Dragon Riders could have spent months searching that island and you'd never find my gold even with my son helping you to find it, since I never told him where I hid it." He said.
"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that, Viggo. We are a pretty determined group and are full of surprises as you are." Hicca said with a smirk.
"And you never know. We might surprise you when you least expect it." Hiccup added.
"Ah, you're referring to your impending rescue? Don't count on it." Viggo said and chuckled sinisterly.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile the other Riders were stuck in the hold with their dragons. The dragons' had cells to themselves and the Riders were stuck in one.
Astrid sighed. "There's gotta be a way out of here." She then picked up a bucket of fish. "Okay. Not useful."
"You're wasting your time, Astrid. We're in a cell." Snotlout said. "Cells are built to keep people in, not let them out, okay? I'm starting to think you're not as—"
Astrid then grabbed one of the fish and shove it right into Snotlout's mouth.
"Now it's useful." Astrid said with a small smile.
"I guess it's up to Fishlegs, Heather and Dagur to save us." Raeda said.
"I just hope those three have a plan." Henry sighed.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs and the others followed the Hunters ships out to sea and were preparing for their attack.
"There they are," Fishlegs said. "You two attack the flanking ships. Meatlug and I would take up the lead vessel. Got it?"
They then dive down towards the ships, except for Dagur, who was sitting cross-legged on Shattermaster meditating.
Heather made her way to the first of the flanking ships and then fired several spines at it before the Hunters time to fire their arrows.
"Dragon Riders!" A Hunter on the lead vessel yelled.
"Do your thing," Fishlegs said to Meatlug.
Meatlug then fired lava blasts down at the deck.
The Hunters on the flagships then started to attack Heather with their Dragon Root arrows. Heather was doing her best to maneuver, but there were so many of them. Dagur then broke out of his meditation and then gave a Berserker battle cry and charged down towards the ships.
The Hunters then began to fire arrows and boulders at him, but he dodged them while still uttering his battlecry and then slammed right into the ship causing it to shake. They then zoomed towards another ship and slammed into that one and then they flew up in time to avoid a boulder aiming towards them.
"Ooh, that was close." Dagur chuckled as he then performed his battle cry again and charged right down at them.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins were still in Viggo's chambers and they heard the battle going on. As the ship shook and dust fell on top of them.
"Look, there are your friends now, coming to save you both." Viggo said, not looking worried in the slightest. "Such loyalty. I can hardly keep my own brother focused and on task." He said as Ryker gave a glare to his little brother.
"What are you getting at, Viggo?" Hiccup demanded.
"Why are you so calm about this?" Hicca questioned with a glare.
Viggo then got to his feet. "Did you two really think after all we've been through, I'd expose myself without some added protection? You're both about to get a front row seat for the deaths of your Riders and their dragons." He said as the Haddock twins gave him a worried expression when he said that.
(Linebreak)
Outside the battle was still waging on and Heather fired a blast onto the deck of a flanking ship and Dagur did the same.
"Fire! Fire!" Dagur yelled as Shattermaster fired again and again.
However, when the smoke of the flames expelled they saw that the entire ships were reinforced with dragon-proof metal.
"What?" Fishlegs gasped. "Dragon-proof ships?" He said in alarm
The Hunters then fired boulders from their catapults and arrows directly at them. Quickly the three of them went out of the way just in time.
"Okay. That didn't work," said Dagur looking at the others. "Anyone have any other thoughts that, you know, I might have mentioned earlier."
"Fishlegs, I think maybe, we should try my brother's way." Heather said.
"Your brother?" Fishlegs stared at her in surprise.
"I mean, what do we have to lose?" Heather reasoned.
"Yeah! Berserker style!" Dagur roared victoriously.
A few minutes later, Dagur was riding with Heather on Windshear, because warped in her tail was Shattermaster. The Hunters got prepared to fire at them as they charged straight down towards them.
"You sure this is gonna work?" Heather asked, looking at her brother.
"We're doing it together, as brother and sister!" Dagur cheered. "How can it fail?! Flying Shatter Scatter!" Windshear then tossed Shattermaster with all her strength and he spun straight towards the ships. He then stuck out his tail and slammed right through the hull of one of the ships. The Hunters looked over the ship's eyes and saw water entering into the hall that Shattermaster had created.
Dagur laughed as they flew up into the air. "See, Heather! We're a match made in Valhalla!"
Fishlegs watched as Dagur yelled in victory and Heather laughed "Coming around for another pass." she said, as Shattermaster flew back up towards them. Fishlegs gave a down expression a bit.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile the Riders were inside one of the ships and suddenly shook violently. The Hunter held the keys to the cells and slid towards the cell whether Riders were trapped in.
"This is our chance!" Raeda yelled.
"Grab his keys!" Astrid yelled.
Instantly the Riders reached their hands towards the Hunter's belt, but he quickly released his grip on the cage and slid to the opposite side of the hold.
"No!" Henry yelled in frustration.
"Oops." He smirked, However, he had quite literally branded out of the frying pan and into the fire, because he had slid towards Hookfang's cage and the Monster Nightmare glared down at him.
'Yeah, oops.' Hookfang growled and the next thing the Hunter knew he was sent flying by a fire blast and collided with the Riders cage.
The keys flung into the cage and Astrid caught them. "Come on!" She said to the others.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile outside, Heather and Dagur had done quite a lot of damage to the fleet as all but one of the ships was sinking. They then came flying towards Viggo's flagship preparing to deal the final blow.
"Let's finish this, sis. Are you with me?" Dagur asked, extending his hand.
Heather grasped his hand and then performed a berserker battlecry.
"Music to my ears, sister!" Dagur yelled with joy.
They then came flying down towards the ocean's surface. "Now Windshear!" Heather yelled.
'Got it!' Windshear roared then tossed Shattermaster and like many times before Shattermaster extended his tail towards the ship and slammed right through the hull.
"That one's for Oswald!" Dagur yelled as Heather laughed.
(Linebreak)
In Viggo's chambers the entire room shook as Shattermaster went through the ship's hull. Ryker skidded towards the wall and Hicca slammed right into him which gave them a perfect time to make a run for it. Ryker drew his sword and tossed it at him, but Hiccup rolled while Hicca dodge out of the way and it impaled the door flame. "Sorry, we can't stay!" Hicca called.
The Haddock twins then ran down the hallway.
(Linebreak)
Up in the sky, Fishlegs and the others were watching as the Hunter ships were beginning to sink.
"Yeah! We did it!" Heather cheered.
"Now, that is Berserker style." Dagur laughed and grasped Heather. "I love you, sis."
Heather just merely laughed.
Down on one of the ships the Riders were signed to emerge from the ship and took off into the sky. Unfortunately, without Hiccup and Hicca, Toothless was unable to fly to them while Midnight couldn't leave her mate alone with the Hunters.
Astrid looked down and saw the Hunters surrounding Toothless and Midnight. "Toothless, Midnight." She gasped.
"Toothless can't fly on his own and Midnight can't leave him." Raeda said in a worried tone.
Toothless and Midnight growled at the Hunters as they began to surround them.
Meanwhile, the Haddock managed to get on deck of Viggo's ship and Hunters began to chase after them. They ducked just in time as a Hunter swung his ax at them before Hicca raised her bonds, which cut her hands free and then Ryker appeared swinging his sword. Hiccup quickly raised his bonds and the sword sliced right through them.
"Hey, thanks!" Hiccup said.
"We appreciated it." Hicca mocked them as they ran up to the bridge.
They then saw Toothless and Midnight on the opposite ship being surrounded by Hunters. They then saw the Hunters were making their way onto the bridge and they made a jump for the Haddock twins began to swing towards the ship.
"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled.
"Midnight!" Hicca yelled as she and her brother released the rope.
Toothless and Midnight saw them and knocked the Hunters aside and jumped after them. The four of them then landed in the water and Ryker and the Hunters looked over the side of the ship to find any signs of them, but there was nothing.
Then they saw the water glowing purple and bubbles rushing to the surface. Next second, there was a huge explosion as the plasma blasts launched out of the water knocking them all back and Toothless and Midnight sored up into the air with Hiccup and Hicca on their backs.
"Yes!" Astrid cheered.
"You never disappoint Haddocks!" Henry grinned.
"Nice move there, sis." Hiccup complimented his sister.
"Learned it by watching you and Toothless, brother." Hicca said with a wink as she turned to Midnight. "Nice move you did there, girl. Amazing." She said as she rubbed her dragon's head as Midnight purred.
Viggo soon made his way on deck to join his brother and watched as the Riders flew away from the sinking ships.
(Linebreak)
The Riders soon returned to the island and made their way towards the ruins, because the Haddock Twins finally worked out where the gold was being kept.
"So you found the gold?" Raeda asked.
"We sure did." Hicca said with a smirk.
"How did you two figure out where the gold is?" Astrid asked.
"A few things tipped us off," Hiccup said. "First, the tractor leading to the storehouse didn't make sense. Then the Hunters had shovels and pickaxes, like they were building something." He explained first.
"But ultimately, Viggo gave it away himself, when he pointed to the map of the island over his desk when he thought he got us." Hicca continues with a mischievous smirk. "There weren't any Viking ruins on Viggo's map, which means that the only reason these things are here is because…" She then turned to Toothless and Midnight. "Hit it, guys."
Toothless and Midnight then fired plasma blasts at the ruins and the stone was chipped away to reveal the ruins were in fact gold monuments.
"Genius."Fishlegs said.
"No wonder I couldn't figure out what they were." Raeda realized.
"It was hiding in plain sight all along." Astrid said.
"Dad, you crafty sneak." Henry said as he shook his head with a small smile. "Clever, hiding it right under our noses. But not clever enough." He added.
Heather bumped him with a grin, "Like you said, 'Looks can be deceiving.'" She said playfully.
Henry gave a chuckle. "Point taken." He said with a smirk.
Toothless and Midnight purred as the Haddock twins gave them a good rub. "Thanks, guys." Hiccup said.
"You two did great." Hicca said with a smile.
(Linebreak)
Later that afternoon, the Riders were getting the gold, for Berk and for themselves to mess with Viggo, onto carts ready for moving, but Fishlegs and Heather were looking over the cliff at the sunset.
"I have to go." Heather said.
"I know." Fishlegs said, expecting this.
"He can't do it without me." Heather continued.
"And you need to find out about your family. Your heritage," Fishlegs nodded. The two of them then grabbed each other's hand and looked at one another. " You've been looking for a home since the first day I met you, Heather. And maybe this is, finally, your chance to find it. Just know that we will always…" Fishlegs stopped himself. "I will always be here for you."
Heather smiled at him and then kissed him upon the lips. The two of them then hugged one another and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you." Heather said into his ear.
Dagur then approached him and extended his hand to Fishlegs. "She'll be safe with me," he promised.
Fishlegs then grasped his hand and shook. "She better be." He said, giving him a threatening look.
Dagur nodded.
Heather then mounted Windshear and turned as the Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid approached her.
"Looks like you're going with your family, Heather." Henry said with a smile.
"Yeah. I'm going to be with my brother and find our father." Heather answered with a small smile.
"Be safe out there." Astrid said and the two of them tapped armbands.
"Watch each other's backs and stay out of trouble." Hicca added.
"And let us know if you find Oswald," Hiccup finished.
"I will," Heather promised. "And thanks, guys. For everything." She said to the Haddock twins
They then watch as she and Dagur take off and wave them goodbye.
"Until we meet again, Dragon Riders," Dagur waved back.
They then flew into the sunset and the two of them gave out a berserker battlecry.
Astrid and Hicca then looked at Fishlegs, who was still watching them go as Astrid then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, she'll be back," She assured.
"With Heather and Dagur together, there is nothing that will stop them. They'll be back. Someday." Hicca added with a comforting smile.
Fishlegs nodded and they watched as the two Berserkers siblings disappeared into the distance.