Chapter 53: Shell Shocked Part 2
Previously on the Haddock Twins: Race to the Edge
The Dragon Riders and their allies were about to launch their final assault on the Dragon Hunters, but were shocked to find that Ryker had staged a coup against Viggo and left him to rot. The Riders didn't believe Viggo at first, but then they got their first experience from Viggo's Project Shellfire when it attacked Defenders of the Wing Island, and during the chaos, Viggo escaped. The Dragon Riders regrouped back to the edge where Hiccup and Astrid determined that Ryker is gonna attacked Outcast Island next, but were even more surprised that Ryker shows up alone on his ship, trying to make a deal with the Dragon Riders, but it was all a distracted as they saw that Berserker Island was under attack, but was even more shocking is that they found out that the Shellfire was a weaponized dragon, with a ship attacked to it's back to swim under the water, out of reach from any attackers. The Riders returned to the Edge to think of their next move. While Henry is having a moment to himself, his father, Viggo, shows up and offers his son a deal and giving the Dragon Eye to him if he help his son and the Riders take down his brother, Henry didn't like this at first, but realized that they need all the help they could get to stop Ryker and the Hunters, even if it meant making a deal with the devil.
It was now morning, Henry told the other Riders about his father and their agreement and now were discussing what to do with Viggo as the elder Grimborn paced outside the clubhouse with Toothless and Midnight on guard.
"I don't trust the guy." Astrid spoke up.
"You know he'd actually be pretty fun to hang with." Tuffnut said. "I mean, if he wasn't trying to kill us all the time."
"Yeah, you gotta love the way he talks." Ruffnut nodded. She then put on her best Viggo impression. "'Hiccup, I'm afraid our time together has come to an end. I must now kill you, if you have no objections.'"
"Yeah, like he is not gonna have objections. And then he'll go, 'All of your Dragon Riders must also go, with my sincere apologies.'" Tuffnut said, now impersonating Viggo.
Everyone just shook their heads at them.
"What are they talking about?" Hicca asked in confusion.
"Just ignore them. They make no sense or pay attention to things." Raeda waved off.
"I'm with Astrid." Fishlegs said as he looked at the Haddock twins. "This is all just one big game to him, guys."
"I have to agree." Henry said while giving his father a look. "I still suspect he'll double-cross us at some point when we deal with my uncle."
"And Ryker is coming to try to wipe us all out along with his brother. Are we really gonna take any chances with Viggo here?" Astrid asked.
"You guys are right," Hiccup nodded.
"Don't worry, we got a special place for Viggo here." Hicca said as she glared hatefully at Viggo.
(Linebreak)
As it turned out, the special place for Viggo was in one of the dragon pens in the stables.
"Hiccup, Hicca, son, I implore you to reconsider." Viggo said to the three.
Hiccup then closed the open door. "Viggo, I'm sorry. There's too much bad blood for us to trust that you'll do anything but try to, well, you know…" he said as Astrid and Henry locked the door with a chain.
"Stab us in the back, play us for chumps, try to make a clean getaway with one or all of our dragons?" Hicca listed.
"And the Dragon Eye's return, I did nothing to assuage your concerns?" Viggo asked.
"Not enough." Astrid said.
"We know you're too smart to give up everything like that, father," Henry said. "Sooner or later, you'll doublecross us again once Uncle Ryker is finished." He added while pointing at his father.
"Ryker will attack this island with my Shellfire dragon," Viggo said. "I'm afraid he won't stop until all of you, well, you know…dead on your island, play you for target practice and try to make off with all your dragons?" He lists out, mocking the Haddock Twins.
"That's encouraging as always, Viggo." Hiccup said dully.
"Way to get our spirits up." Hicca said sarcastically.
"You see, that's just it. I could be of considerable assistance in helping you defend your home if you would allow me." Viggo insisted.
"We'll take that under advisement." Astrid rejected.
"We've already started fortifying the Edge ourselves after seeing how the Shellfire attacks, thank you very much, father." Henry added.
"They're here." Tuffnut said as he and his sister ran into the stables. "Well, I may not hear exactly, but very soon. Soon they will be here. I'm thinking we might need to start getting ready." He told his sister.
Hiccup looked at Ruffnut. "Translation, Ruff?" he asked.
"Dragon Hunters. Multiple ships heading this way." Ruffnut said.
"We didn't want to bum you out, you know… what with all the deadly diseases and everything," Tuffnut said in a hushed whisper.
The Haddock twins looked at Astrid and Henry and they just shrugged.
"But we figured, is it really our place to deny you the right to die during battle instead?" Tuffnut asked.
"What in the name of Thor are you two talking about?" Astrid asked.
"You guys aren't making any sense." Henry sighs. "Anyway, while we check things out, you two stay here and annoy our guest here." He told them, jerking a thumb to Viggo.
"Sir, yes sir!" The Thorston twins saluted as the Haddock twins, Astrid and Henry then went to their dragons.
"They're all in denial." Ruffnut said, looking at her brother.
"Classic stage one." Tuffnut said.
"Sad seeing them so vulnerable." Ruffnut said as they mounted their dragons.
"Just make sure he doesn't try to escape." Hiccup said, gesturing to Viggo.
"We got this, my pale, weak, ailing friend." Tuffnut said.
"What?" Hiccup starred.
"Let's just go before we get a headache." Hicca pleaded as they took off.
Ruffnut looked at her brother. "Poor little guy. Keeping a stiff upper lip must be such a struggle without telling his sister the truth."
Tuffnut then looked at Viggo. "So, Viggo. Vigster. How about we bounce something off you?"
(Linebreak)
The Haddock twins, Astrid and Henry returned later that night and began to inform everyone of the situation, minus the Thorston Twins who were still guarding Viggo.
"All right, gang. We have until dawn before Ryker and his men come." Hicca called out.
Hiccup paced up and down in front of them as he continued. "They'll be in range by then to the Edge."
"Hiccup, Hicca,I had a thought." Snotlout spoke. "Now, follow me on this. Okay. Come along for the ride. I don't know about you guys, but I am not completely attached to this place, right? Let it burn to the ground." He said.
Everyone just stared at him.
"What? Snotlout, we can't just abandon the Edge." Hicca pointed out.
"Sure we can. I mean, it's been fun. Great views. But is it worth dying over? That's what you have to ask yourself. All right, let's take a vote." Snotlout said as he then raised his hand, but no one else did. "Anyone?"
"Snotlout, if we don't stop them here, where do you think they're gonna go next?" Hiccup asked, reminding him there was still one other island left on the Hunter's list.
Snotlout looked at him blankly. "Uh…" He thought for a moment to figure out the answer.
The Haddock twins rolled their eyes in annoyance. "Berk." They both said in unison
"Berk. Berk. Berk." Snotlout nodded in understanding.
"They're going to go to Berk. Our Berk. We have to make our stand here and do whatever it takes to stop them." Hiccup said firmly.
"So we protect the Edge before the Hunters go after our home. So we're not leaving, no matter what." Hicca added firmly.
"So, that's two nay," Snotlout said, folding his arms. "No surprise there." He said.
"No Snotlout, that's all but one nay," Raeda said, "We're staying here, and fighting."
Hiccup shook his head. "Dagur, could you and Shattermaster cover the backside of the Edge? With the time you've spent sneaking around, you'll have an advantage."
"On my way." Dagur saluted. "And I take that as a compliment, by the way, the sneaking around part." He told him.
"Of course you do," Hiccup said bemusedly as Dagur left.
Hicca then turned to Snotlout. "Snotlout, Raeda, you two, Sparfire and Hookfang get the Gronckle Iron walls up on the huts."
"You can count on us, guys." Raeda nodded determinedly
Hiccup then turned to Hicca and Henry. "Sis, you and Henry make sure that our medical supplies are stalked and secured, we may be needing them in case something bad happens."
"You got it bro." Hicca nodded as she and Henry looked at each other with a small smile as she then looked at Fishlegs. "Fishlegs, take the baby Eruptodon hatchling to the center of the island and find a safe place to hide."
Snotlout stared at Hiccup and Hicca as Fishlegs walked off. "Wait, he gets to hide? We can hide just as well."
"Snotlout, the baby Eruptodon needs to be protected. And Fishlegs have a dragon that can shoot out lava from her guts for him to keep eating." Henry pointed out as he gestured to Meatlug, who growled happily. "So only Fishlegs, Meatlug and the baby Eruptodon are hiding, so quit complaining and get to work." He ordered.
"Fine!" Snotlout shouted in annoyance as he crossed his arms.
Hicca then turns to Raeda, "Make sure he and Hookfang don't jump island on us." She told her.
"Don't worry. We'll make sure they won't ditch us." Raeda said while giving a mischievous expression at Snotlout while Sparkfire gave the same expression to Hookfang and reading her spines as the Jorgenson boy and Monstrous Nightmare looked at them nervously.
"Hey, hey! 'There's no crying in Maces and Talons!'" Tuffnut yelled as he and his sister approached. "What do you think?"
The Riders just groaned.
"Our catchphrase." Tuffnut smiled. "It's already got the Viggo stamp of approval."
"Really, now?" Hicca asked in annoyance. "I thought we've been over this." She muttered.
"That's awesome." Hiccup said tiredly. "Ruff, Tuff and Heather, you take the first wave of ships."
"Don't worry about your pretty little head. We're on it." Ruffnut assured.
"I'm not worried," Astrid said.
"I'm not either." Hicca said.
"Talking to Hiccup." Ruffnut said as she then looked at Hiccup. "You'll have it before you can say 'ultimate destruction', my friend."
The Thorston twins then walked off.
"Uh, you guys coming?" Tuffnut asked looking back at Hiccup, Hicca, Henry and Astrid.
The other Riders began to move out and Heather looked at the Thorston twins.
"Um, I think they need to discuss some final strategy alone." Heather said, having known from both pairs that they are in a secret relationship, Hicca and Henry, Hiccup and Astrid, but realizes that neither of them know about each other and was told to keep it a secret until they were ready.
Tuffnut looked at his sister. "You get the feeling Heather knows, you know, about the ailment?"
"I do." Ruffnut nodded. "How can she be so calm when she knows her comrades in arms are close to death?"
Snotlout then pulled the two of them closer towards him. "How many times do I have to tell you this? They're not dying. It's gambling. Gambling! I've seen it." He said.
Hiccup and Astrid then looked at one another as they twisted their hands with one another.
Hicca and Henry looked at each other as well as they touched each other's pinkies without anyone noticing.
(Linebreak)
The next morning, the main Hunter invasion fleet arrived along with the Shellfire. Once it was on the surface the Hunters began to emerge out of the hatches with hammers and Ryker stepped onto the bridge.
"Remember. I don't want prisoners." Ryker said. "I want bodies." He said lowly, preferring the Dragon Riders to be dead.
He then gave the signal and the Hunters raised the hammers and struck the shellshock. The dragon's head then raised up onto the surface and then fired a plasma charged boulder straight at Dragon's Edge.
The Riders were busy fortifying their huts with Gronckle Iron when they saw the boulder heading straight towards them.
"Incoming!" Snotlout yelled as the boulder blast crashed to the wall behind them.
"The Shellfire's here!" Raeda yelled.
"Everyone to their huts. We have to weigh out the initial attack." Hiccup ordered.
"So everyone in their huts, now!" Hicca added.
The Thorston twins then rushed into their huts, along with Snotlout, Heather went with Astrid to her hut as did with Stormfly and Windshear behind them. Hicca and Henry took shelter in her hut with Midnight and Henry's Dragons. Raeda entered her hut with Sparkfire. And Hiccup entered his hut with Toothless.
(Linebreak)
Viggo was still trapped in the stables and heard the explosions and you instantly knew what was causing it.
"Fools." Viggo said as he braced himself against the bars.
(Linebreak)
In the Thorston twins hut, Tuffnut was moving some crates and found Chicken beneath one of them.
"Hey. Chicken." Tuffnut said, hugging her.
Ruffnut looked at Snotlout, who was hiding beneath one of their tables. "So, what's wrong with your hut?"
"Me and Raeda were so busy doing everyone else's that we forgot about mine." Snotlout said, quivering.
Suddenly there was a second explosion and Snotlout ducked behind the table again as Chicken jumped out of Tuff's arms and ran for cover.
(Linebreak)
In Hiccup's hut, Hiccup and Toothless felt the strikes.
Toothless was not liking the noises, 'Why do bad guys always use the biggest dragons? Why?' He growled, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Hiccup picked up what his dragon was thinking as he gave him a comforting touch. "I know, bud. This is no fun for me either."
(Linebreak)
Astrid and Heather were inside her hut and she couldn't help but worry about Hiccup.
"I hope the others are okay." Astrid said in worried.
Heather knew what she meant. "Astrid, I'm sure Hiccup is safe." She assured as the two girls smiled.
(Linebreak)
In Raeda's hut, Raeda and Sparkfire braced themselves as the hut shook.
"Man, Ryker isn't pulling any punches!" She said as another explosion.
Sparkfire came to her rider while giving her a nuzzle, which Raeda noticed. "Yeah, I really hate that guy too, girl." She said to her Nadder.
(Linebreak)
In Hicca's hut, Henry and Hicca are huddled together while their dragons shield them with their wings.
"Okay, I know my uncle has flipped, but isn't this a bit overkill?!" Henry questioned in disbelief that his uncle had completely lost it.
"I don't think he cares." Hicca said as she gave Henry a small smile. "Well, at least we're going through this together." She said to the Grimborn boy.
Henry smiled at Hicca. "Yeah, together." He said before they felt the shaking again.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs was up in the mountains with Meatlug and the baby Eruptodon unaware that Ryker was pounding the Edge relentlessly.
"You see, little guy?" Fishlegs said, rubbing the baby Eruptodon's head. "We're safe here. Nothing can get near us."
Then suddenly a plasma charge struck the dormant volcano opposite them. Fishlegs whimpered slightly as another struck it.
"Except for that." Fishlegs said frighteningly.
Fishlegs cradled the baby Eruptodon to keep it calm and Meatlug did the same.
(Linebreak)
A few hours later, Ryker had finally stopped, but had caused massive damage to its structure. The Riders soon met up in the clubhouse to discuss their next plan of attack.
"Okay, I don't know about any of you, but there's no way I'm sitting through that again." Snotlout said, walking in. "We have dragons. We should be out there sinking those ships."
"The fire isn't coming from the ships, it's coming from the Shellfire," Hiccup pointed out.
Then to their utter surprise, Viggo entered the clubhouse. "I hate to be the one to say that I told you so, but…" he said.
"What the?!" Hicca yelled.
"How did you get out?" Hiccup starred in surprise.
"We made those locks impossible even if you weren't supposed to pick them!" Henry added in shock.
"That's because my friend, Snotlout, was good enough to allow me use of the facilities." Viggo said, placing an arm around Snotlout.
Everyone looked at Snotlout.
"Oh, he did, did he?" Hiccup asked.
"Really man?" Henry asked Snotlout with a raised eyebrow.
"What? He scares me." Snotlout said in defense. "Besides, when you gotta go, you gotta go. And who knows better than me?"
"That still doesn't give you the right to let Viggo out, Snotlout." Raeda lectured as she gave him a glare.
"Hiccup, Hicca, you must allow me to assist you, for the sake of us all." Viggo insisted. "This Shellfire's ranges over a mile. Ryker is using ships. My ships to be exact, to protect it." He informed them.
"Then we need to get past the ships." Astrid said.
"But how do we deal with the Shellfire itself?" Raeda asked..
"We're just gonna have to figure that out on the fly." Henry suggested before the entire place shook as another plasma charged boulder struck the island.
"And we better do it quickly," Hiccup said. "Ruff, Tuff? You're up." He instructed.
"We're on it." Ruffnut said, saluting.
The twins then left the clubhouse and soon everyone else followed.
"Hey, what about me?" Snotlout asked.
Another plasma charge struck the island causing the island to shake.
"Why don't you look after your new best friend there," Hicca said while gesturing to Viggo before walking out.
"Where's the fun in that?" Snotlout asked.
"It's not supposed to be fun!" Hiccup yelled as he left.
Hicca then stuck her head inside. "And we don't care how scary he is, do not let him out of your sight again." She said firmly.
He then closed the clubhouse door behind and Viggo approached Snotlout and he groaned. And suddenly the island shook once more as another plasma charge struck it.
(Linebreak)
Out at sea there was an entire armada of Hunter ships and the Haddock twins, Astrid, Henry, Raeda and Heather were approaching them.
"Okay, we need to slow them down a little and move on." Hiccup said. "If they fire on us, we fire back."
A plasma charged and shot overhead heading towards the Edge.
"Look out!" Hicca yelled and they dived as arrows and boulders fired at them. "Looks like we fire back now!" She called out.
They then flew down towards the ships and unleashed dragon fire upon them. Astrid and Henry together took a couple ships between them. Hiccup and Hicca began to maneuver around the ships in sync to avoid being hit and then signaled Heather to make an attack run. She dived down and sliced the mast of one of the ships.
Unfortunately no matter what they did that didn't stop the Shellfire from firing at the Edge which was proven when they saw a plasma charged flying overhead.
"Guys!" Astrid called out to the Haddock twins.
"Shellfire. We know." Hiccup nodded.
"Let's get in closer!" Hicca called out.
When they approached the Shellfire they saw what was causing it to attack them.
"Uh, are you guys seeing this?" Hiccup asked.
"Unfortunately," said Astrid.
"This explains a few things," Hicca said as they saw Hunters slamming giant hammers onto the Shellfire's hide causing it to fire at Edge.
"Of course it wouldn't fire at us on its own," said Hiccup as the Shellfire fired another plasma charged boulder.
"Those hammer strikes are timed so perfectly that it causes an impact strong enough for the Shellfire to feel it." Henry realized.
"And we can't take them out without endangering the dragon," Heather added.
"I'm pretty sure that was their plan." Hiccup said.
"A dragon shield since they know we don't hurt dragons." Hicca growled.
"Definitely a modified version of Ryker's using Seashockers to move dinghies." Raeda commented..
They quickly moved out of the way to avoid another plasma charge.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile on the Edge, Viggo was back in his cell in the stables which was now on fire due to the Shellfire firing at the Edge.
"Snotlout, release me immediately!" Viggo yelled. Unfortunately for him, Snotlout was nowhere to be seen and the stables were on fire. "Snotlout. Snotlout!" He repeated.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins and the others were still taking out the ships that surrounded the Shellshock.
"Split up," Hiccup ordered as he dodged a volley of arrows from a ship.
The Hunters on the Shellshock were now firing at them with crossbows while Ryker just folded his arms and smiled triumphantly. A Hunter then fired as Astrid and Raeda fired several spines at him as they then realized too late that a Hunter was firing a ballista at them and barely had time to dodge.
Hunters then began to fire at the two girls with arrows, but Henry and his dragons blast them away. While they were distracted Heather approached them from behind, but before he could get a shot in they saw her and fired arrows at her.
Ryker watched as the Riders were falling back. "They're running scared!" He laughed as the Hunters cheered.
Ryker then slammed her fist against the hull of the ship and the Shellfire fired once again. This time it almost took the Haddock twins out, but fortunately they maneuvered out of the way just in time though they were caught in the shockwave.
Hiccup and Hicca quickly maintained their balance and then looked at the others. "Hiccup, we're overwhelmed and outmatched right now." Hicca pointed out to her brother.
"Agreed. Let's regroup," Hiccup ordered.
They then flew up into the air to get out of range of their attacks so they could come up with the next plan of attack.
"We can't get close enough with all these ships around!" Henry told him.
"And even if we could there's no way to control it without hurting it." Hiccup added.
"We might not have a choice, guys." Astrid told him.
"No! We don't hurt dragons, there's gotta be another way!" Hicca said firmly as they turned and saw Snotlout flying towards them. "Whoa! Snotlout! Aren't you supposed to be watching Viggo?" Hicca asked as she then saw the stables were on fire. "And is that the stables on fire?" She questioned
"You both said don't let him out no matter what." Snotlout reminded them.
Hiccup groaned. "Snotlout, use your brain." He told him.
"He's gonna burn alive in the stables!" Hicca pointed out.
"Good Thor, you two are so mercurial." Snotlout grumbled. "Viggo taught me that. I don't know what it means." He then started to mumble to himself. "Clearly, it's the gambling losses. This isn't really him."
"Dude! That's still my father!" Henry yelled out.
"Go. We'll be fine," Astrid said.
"Oh, let's hope this isn't the biggest mistake of our lives, guys." Hiccup looking down at his sister and their dragons.
"I hope so too, bro." Hicca said in agreement as the Haddock twins and their dragons then headed straight back to the edge while the others engaged the remaining ships.
(Linebreak)
Fishlegs, meanwhile, was still comforting the baby Eruptodon and then saw more plasma charges hitting the volcano. That proved problematic, as they started to reactivate the volcano.
"The volcano's been woken up." Fishlegs said in worried. "If it had, the Edge is gonna sink into the ocean."
The baby Eruptodon merely growled.
"I know, right?" Fishlegs nodded. His eyes then widened. "Wait, are you saying? Of course you are." He then looked at Meatlug. "Come on, Meatlug."
He quickly mounted Meatlug and headed towards the volcano.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile on the other side of the island, Sleuther was engaging the Hunters. Dagur arrived just in time to see them surrounding him.
"Okay, Shattermaster, time for a lesson on bullying." Dagur smiled.
They then flew down towards the Hunters and Shattermaster spewed lava over them causing them to retreat.
"Oh, yes! Oh, easy, big boy." Dagur said as they landed in front of the retreating Hunters.
Shattermaster then struck them with his tail bludgeon, the more hands appeared with arrows.
"Lesson's gonna have to wait," said Dagur. "Let's bury them instead!"
Shattermaster then took off into the air performing a few somersaults and flew back towards them backwards. He then slammed his tail right into the Hunters causing them to retreat and panic.
Dagur then turned to Sleuther. "Go free, Mr. Triple Stryke! Find refuge in the forest!" he yelled.
'Thank you,' Sleuther roared as he retreated into the forest and Dagur and Shattermaster slammed into more Hunters. On the ships however, the Hunters fired arrows, no doubt forgetting that Gronckle were immune to Dragon Root. Unfortunately, one of the Hunters fired a boulder that slammed hard into Shattermaster.
The two of them crash landed on the beach and while Dagur was completely fine, the same could not be said for Shattermaster.
"Shattermaster." Dagur gasped in horror and rushed over towards him. "It's okay, boy. I'm right here."
He then saw that the Hunters had recovered and were now advancing on their position.
"We're warriors, you and me, right? We'll fight together to the end." Dagur said as they limped over towards a rock formation. "They won't take us alive. I promise you that." Shattermaster then laid on the ground weakly. "I admit that it's—it's not the preferred result. But if it's our time, there is no one I'd rather pass through the gates of Valhalla with than you, you hear me?"
Shattermaster growled at him happily.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins had reached the burning stables and rushed over towards Viggo, who had become overcome by the smoke. He opened the pen door and grabbed his arm.
"Hiccup, Hicca, you both came all the way back to rescue me." Viggo coughed. "I'm honored." He said with a smile.
"Yeah, don't be." Hiccup said as they made their way outside. "If we left you here to die it would make us no better than you."
"Not to mention you're still Henry's father, so I think even he doesn't want you to die that way." Hicca said as they made it out.
"Well, you'll be glad you returned," Viggo said as Hiccup and Hicca remounted on their dragons. "I can help, if you will allow me."
"How? How are you gonna help?" Hiccup asked suspiciously.
"Yeah. How can you help fix this mess?" Hicca asked suspiciously with a look.
"I can advise you two on defeating my brother and stopping the Shellfire." Viggo said.
"You got that all figured out, do ya?" Hiccup questioned.
"Do you really have the solution to this?" Hicca questioned as well
"As luck would've had it, I do." Viggo said.
The Haddock twins look at each other in thought, knowing that they couldn't trust him, but so far all their attempts to stop the Shellfire had failed. Plus there was also the fact that Viggo had come up with a plan originally and therefore would know all the Shellfire flaws.
The Haddock twins nodded as Hiccup then extended his hand and Viggo took it and was lifted up onto Toothless' back. Toothless and Midnight then took off.
(Linebreak)
A few moments later, the Dragon Riders had returned and sealed the dome to plan their next move as the Shellfire fired more plasma charges on the island.
"Okay, I'm confused." Snotlout told his cousins. "You both said keep him in his cell. You can't toy with my emotions like this, guys. I'm too fragile right now." He said to the Haddock twins
"He's right," Astrid said, turning to Hiccup and Hicca. "I mean, sort of. Are we really trusting Viggo to be on the loose, especially now?" She asked, gesturing to the destruction outside.
"Yeah, He could be just baiting us into a trap that will take us and Ryker out with one stone." Henry pointed out.
"Trust us, guys. We don't like this any more than the rest of you are." Hicca said to them.
"But if Viggo can help figure out how to stop this attack—" Hiccup started but was cut off when Astrid spoke.
"What if he can't? What if he won't? What if this is all part of the plan?" Astrid asked. "We just walked into it."
"Then, we just walked into it." Hiccup said.
"To be honest with you, Astrid. My father is many things, manipulative, tricky, clever, but what he isn't is a liar when things get too tough, even for him." Henry pointed out.
"Why thank you, son." Viggo said with a smile at Henry.
"We know the risks guys and we're fully aware this is gonna come back to haunt us sooner or later." Hicca explained
"Then we're making the call. Viggo and us are gonna take this thing down." Hiccup said.
"You guys deal with those ships until we get the upper hand against the Shellfire." Hicca added.
The three of them then mounted Toothless and Midnight, Viggo riding on Toothless again, and the dome opened. Hiccup and Hicca looked at Astrid and Henry with concern before taking off.
Astrid and Henry too were concerned as they left, because they were in more danger than they were right now.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Fishlegs had reached the volcano avoiding all the plasma charges flying overhead.
"Oh, no. We gotta go get help," Fishlegs said as plasma charges struck the lava within the volcano. Streaming he landed, but the lava began to overflow with all the attacks. "Oh, Thor! Oh, Thor!" He then dismounted Meatlug and some of the lava began to overflow. "By the time we get help, it'll be too late." He then took a deep breath. "Like it or not, this is on us, guys."
He then picked up the baby Eruptodon and brought it to the lava flow.
"Eat, little guy, eat!" Fishlegs yelled.
The baby Eruptodon then started to munch down on the lava and Meatlug flew around him for added protection.
"That's it, girl. You protected him." Fishlegs said before taking a brave breath in. "And I'll… I'll protect you." He declared.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, the Haddock twins were following Viggo's directions out to sea.
"You know, there's a word for a tournament. To be hosted by the Tribe of the Whispering Trees," Viggo pointed out, engaging in some small talk.
"Yeah, is that right?" Hiccup asked, starting to regret bringing Viggo along.
"Maces and Talons?" Viggo continued. "The winner, apparently, received a life-sized game set. Made of solid gold."
"Oh, lucky him. Sounds like he must've been rich." Hicca mumbled, really getting tired.
Viggo then smiled down on Hiccup. "Poor, dear, Hiccup and Hicca." He said with a chuckle. "Relationships can be complicated. Am I right?" The Haddock twins just remain silent. "And while I cannot put myself directly in your shoes, I can most seriously emphasize both of your situations."
"You can, huh?" Hiccup asked with a bored expression.
"Really?" Hicca asked dully.
"Absolutely." Viggo said, smirking. "To be in love with a girl who is your partner in battle Hiccup." The Haddock twins' eyes widened from that as Viggo sighed. "Not sure how I could balance such a precarious situation."
"Watch it Viggo, my brother's love life is none of your business." Hicca warned.
"Really, then what of yours and my son's?" Viggo asked as Hicca flinched and Hiccup turned to her in surprise, "With your beauty, wit and fighting spirit, it's no wonder how my son was attracted to you so quickly." Viggo taunted as Hicca gripped Midnight's saddle tightly with rage, "It can certainly cloud the mind, impaired judgment. Making even the simplest decisions is vexing."
Hiccup then turned on him. "You know what's 'vexing,' Viggo? Is why you're rambling on trying to get inside our heads. We would think that, by now, you'd have given up." he said
"That's right!" Hicca said in agreement. "You see, we're focused, we're clear, decisive. What we are is not your friend, your ally, your Maces and Talons buddies, okay? So let's leave our personal lives out of it and get down to business and deal with the Shellfire problem."
Viggo shrugged, slightly surprised by their outburst. "I'm only trying to help." He defended
"Okay, if you wanna help, why don't you tell us where we're going and what we're doing?" Hiccup asked.
"Because we need to know where you are taking us." Hicca added looking down, "Because all I see is the ocean."
Viggo looked down at the water. "Stop, Dragons!" He yelled suddenly.
Toothless and Midnight growled at him angrily, 'Don't give us orders.' Toothless warned.
'But if you insist.' Midnight added as they stopped nonetheless. However, they were just hovering under very deep seawater.
"What-what's going on?" Hiccup frowned. "There's not been out here but empty ocean." He said.
"And we didn't go that far from the Edge." Hicca added in suspicious.
"Yes." Viggo said, secretly pulling a dagger out that he concealed and raised it high behind Hiccup. "So, it would appear."
"Don't even try it, father!" Henry's voice called out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, either." Astrid's voice said.
"Astrid, Henry." Viggo said, turning to see them hovering just above them and not looking entirely surprised to see them.
The Haddock twins turned and saw Astrid and Henry hovering just above them and Viggo holding a dagger in his hand.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the Thor?" Hiccup gasped.
"Were you trying to…?!" Hicca yelled out in rage but was cut off when Viggo spoke up.
"I'm afraid you both may have misinterpreted the situation." Viggo said, flipping the dagger upright in his hand.
"No, I think I've interpreted it pretty well," Astrid glared. Stormfly growled at him angrily.
"Now, drop it, dad. Or you will regret it." Henry growled as Wildstar and the others growled at Viggo.
"Exactly what I planned all along," Viggo said.
"Yeah, right. I'm sure you did," Astrid said sarcastically.
"Like you really planned this." Henry sarcastically said as well.
"Give us a moment, you two, and all will be revealed." Viggo said calmly as he loosely held the dagger before dropping it into the ocean. "I assure you."
Then to their surprise he released the dagger and it sank beneath the waves and a few seconds later the waves struck as they saw something beginning to emerge.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Raeda was leading the Dragon Riders and Heather against the remaining ships.
"Fire!" A Hunter ordered.
Suddenly boulders and arrows flew through the air at them. Fortunately they were able to avoid them and Snotlout fired at one of the ships taking out the catapult and the men on board. The Thorston twins then landed on another ship and leaked gas into the hold before Belch ignited it causing an explosion.
Heather was zigzagging past the arrows and blasted a ship.
Raeda fired spine shots at the hunters before blasting them.
Unfortunately, the Shellfire was still attacking the Edge and showed no signs of stopping.
"Come on! We gotta stop that Shellfire!" Ragnar ordered.
She, the other Riders and Heather then charged at the Shellfire. Unfortunately, the smoke from the sunken ships was so thick they couldn't see anything.
"I don't see anything." Snotlout said. He then heard a growl and saw the Shellfire right in front of them which fired a plasma charge. "Scratch that."
"More Dragon Riders." Ryker snarled before turning to his men. "Take 'em down!" He ordered.
The nearby ships then focused their fire upon the Riders and the Thorston twins managed to avoid the arrows, but had a dive into the sea to avoid a ballista. Snotlout too was under fire so much so that he and Hookfang had to dive into the sea. Unfortunately, they won't save there, because they came face-to-face with the Shellfire. Snotlout screamed underwater and retreated and they stuck their heads out of the water.
This only let Raeda and Heather to fight as they took out a few more ships, but then a Hunter ship fired a bolo cannon at Raeda, which caused her to fall into the sea.
Heather then a ballista grazed her across the shoulder knocking her into the sea.
The two of them then grabbed hold of a log to keep themselves afloat. The Thorston twins had managed to emerge out of the water and climbed onto one of the sunken ships, but now they were at the mercy of the Shellfire and Ryker.
"Time to finish them off. Do it." Ryker ordered.
The Hunters then slammed their hammers against the Shellshock and it opened its mouth preparing to finish them off.
"Oh, boy. This is gonna hurt." Snotlout whimpered.
"And there's no cover out here," Heather added.
"We're going to need a miracle to save us now." Raeda said.
And that's exactly what they got as just when the Shellfire was about to fire, appearing out of nowhere was a Submaripper that slammed right into it from beneath. This caught the Hunters completely by surprise and they grabbed hold of the wooden beam as tightly as possible as they were pulled into the ocean.
"What. Was. That?!" Tuffnut starred in awe.
"That, my friend, was a Submaripper." Ruffnut beamed.
"Where did that come from? And why is it helping us?" Snotlout asked, confused.
"I have a pretty good idea." Raeda looked up into the sky. "Look!" She pointed up.
Heather then saw what she was looking at as the Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid flew overhead. "They're alive," She said in relief. "Thank, Thor!"
"For the last time, they're not dying!" Snotlout yelled. "It's gambling. Gambling!"
"Not that Snotlout! But they are alive!" Raeda shouted in joy that her friends are still alive.
The Submaripper was now underneath the Shellfire and slammed it with its tail against its soft underbelly. The Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid were watching as the battle unfolded with Viggo on top of Toothless.
"So the dagger was to stir up the water and cause the Submaripper to surface?" Hiccup asked in surprise.
"Precisely." Viggo said, folding his arms.
"Wow, that really is clever." Hicca admittedly said "But, how could you know it would react like this?" She asked with a frown.
"Hicca, my dear, the Submaripper is the natural and hated enemy of the Shellfire." Viggo smiled as the two dragons circled one another. "A little fact I kept in my tunic for a day just like this."
"The Dragon Eye." The Haddock twins said in unison.
"Precisely." Viggo said.
The Haddock twins then looked up at Astrid and Henry. "All right. The Shellfire is tied up with the Submaripper. This may be our best chance to take out the rest of the ships."
"So let's give it everything we got." Hicca called out to them.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid then flew down towards the Hunter ships and were too busy staring at the battle between the Shellfire and the Submaripper to notice. Astrid made the first move by having Stormfly grasp the mast of a ship and cause it to tip over. Hiccup then blasted a second ship with a plasma blast. Henry and his dragons are taking out multiple ships as Hicca plasma blasted another one.
The Shellfire and the Submaripper were busy with some head-to-head combat that caused the sink beneath the waves. Naturally this caused problems with the Hunters that were on the ship attached to the Shellfire's back. They soon resurfaced and the Shellfire took out one of the Hunter ships as it surfaced.
The Hunters were starting to realize they were no longer in control of the Shellfire and were slowly beginning to abandon ship.
"Don't you dare leave this ship! You stay and fight like Hunters!" Ryker yelled at the top of his voice. Unfortunately, the Hunters didn't have a choice in the matter as the Submaripper slammed into the Shellfire once again causing them to fall overboard. "Come back here! Do you hear me?!" Ryker roared furiously.
The shellfire then fired a plasma charge at the Submaripper, who danced at the last second, destroying one of the Hunter ships. It also almost took Hiccup out, who had to fly a lot slower with Viggo on board.
"Okay. That was way too close." Hiccup said. He then looked at Viggo. "Viggo, I need to drop you on the beach. You're slowing us down."
"Pity. I was going to enjoy watching Ryker go down with the ship," Viggo said, slightly disappointed.
Hicca then came next to them. "Henry would let you know what happens." She said as the Haddock twins soon landed on the beach and Viggo dismounted.
"We may be adversaries, Haddocks, but my respect for you two and the care for my son is beyond what I could possibly put into words," Viggo told them with the closest thing to earnesty for him.
The Haddock twins just remained silent as Midnight and Toothless growled, neither of them felt the same about him. They then took off to rejoin the battle and Viggo merely smiled menacingly as he chuckled to himself.
(Linebreak)
Dagur was still pinned down by the Hunters with the wounded Shattermaster.
"Berserker's last stand, buddy." Dagur said, grasping his ax. "This is how you go out like a man. Well, me as a man, you as a dragon. You know what I'm saying."
The two of them were about to charge the enemy, but then they heard screams from behind their hiding place. They could also hear a dragon roar and winced every time they heard one of the Hunters cry.
When it finally stopped Dagur looked at Shattermaster. "You stay here, boy."
He then looked over behind his cover and saw Sleuther standing over the unconscious Hunters with his three tails raised. 'You saved me, now I save you.' Sleuther growled.
"Well, hello there, Mr. Triple Stryke." Dagur said happily as Sleuther wrapped its tails together as one. "You certainly are full of surprises, aren't you? Dagur likes surprises." He said.
Sleuther roared and then raised its tail towards Dagur. He looked at him confused and turned to Sleuther, 'Cimb on.' Sleuther roared.
Dagur chuckled happily. "We got this, bud." He said, grabbing the tail as Sleuther then placed him on his back and started swapping Hunters away with his tail. "Whoa. Surprising. Surprising!" Dagur yelled excitedly.
Three Hunters charged at them at once, but Sleuther separated its tail swatting the three Hunters away. 'Chew on that!' Sleuther growled.
"Have I mentioned how I love the tail? So sharp, so destructive." Dagur cheered.
Sleuther once again swatted away another group of Hunters with his tails much to Dagur's excitement. He then saw the Haddock twins, Midnight and Toothless flying towards them.
"Brother! Sister!" Dagur yelled excitedly.
"Made a new friend, huh?" Hiccup said, noticing Sleuther.
"Looks like Sleuther likes you." Hicca said with a smile.
"Seems so. Don't you just love the tails? And that snapping sound." Dargu squealed. "Whoo! Give me goosies." He added.
The Hunters then came charging at the, but Toothless merely fired a plasma blast knocking them flat on their backs. A never Hunter came charging in, but Sleuther easily knocked him aside.
Hicca then took off and then fired plasma blasts down on the ships at the beach and then landed back on the beach.
"That's the last of 'em." Hicca said.
"Well done, brother and sister!" Dagur yelled excitedly.
Unfortunately, this celebration was short-lived as they heard a distant rumble and saw the volcano smoking.
"Get Shattermaster back to the Edge." Hiccup ordered.
"Get him into my hut. There are some healing medicines that should be able to help until I get back." Hicca instructed.
"Where are you both going?" Dagur asked.
"We have a feeling Fishlegs is in trouble." said Hiccup looking at the volcano.
"And from the volcano at the top of the mountain, he needs it." Hicca added.
"Go, brother. Your dragons need you." Hiccup said.
"We'll take care of this brother." Hicca added.
"Brother! Sister!" Dagur nodded.
The Haddock twins then took off and Shattermaster limped towards him.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Astrid and the other Dragon Riders along with Heather were taking care of the last of the ships out at sea.
"That's the last of them." Heather said.
"Come on. Do something!" Ryker yelled, banging on the ship's hull with his blade.
Henry then blasted the sword out of Ryker's hand as he flew over the ship.
"Stand down Uncle, It's over." Henry said with a glare until suddenly the Submaripper slammed into the Shellfire so hard that the chain connecting the ship to it snapped. "Whoa!" He yelled out in surprise.
Ryker soon found himself pressed against the ship's hull as he felt towards the ocean.
"Viggo! Henry!" Ryker roared.
Then he and the ship sank beneath the waves and before Ryker could do anything else, the Submaripper appeared and opened its mouth to create a vortex. Ryker found himself unable to break free as he and the ship spun around and around.
"O.M. Thor!" Tuffnut breathed. "The Submaripper. Submaripper-ama."
"Hate the smell. Love the dragon," said Ruffnut.
The twins then flew away just as the whirlpool began to form in the Shellfire slam away, now free of the Hunters. All of the wreckage of the ships fell into the whirlpool and there was no sign of Ryker.
Henry watches the whole thing while keeping his distance from the Submaripper vortex as he thinks back to the times when Ryker was a real uncle to him, "...Goodbye uncle." He sighed as he and the other riders flew back to the Edge.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the volcano, Fishlegs, Meatlug and the baby Eruptodon had managed to calm the volcano down. Fishlegs then saw the Haddock twins approaching him and was deeply relieved.
"Hiccup, Hicca, the baby has slowed the flow of lava. The volcano is finally stable. " Fishlegs informed them as they dismounted Toothless and Midnight.
"Go get the others. We need to do a flyover to make sure the island is really out of danger." Hiccup said.
"And check to see if any of them needs medical attention after a fight like that." Hicca quickly added.
Fishlegs nodded and mounted Meatlug and took off.
Toothless and Midnight gave him a concerned growl.
"We'll be okay guys." Hiccup assured. "This nightmare looks like it's finally over."
"Ryker is finished, the Shellfire is free and the Hunters are now done for. It's now over." Hicca added to them as she gave Midnight a pat.
Hiccup then turned to his sister with a smirk. "So, you and Henry huh?" He asked.
Hicca gave a blush as she gave a sheepish chuckle. "Yeah, I was gonna tell you." She said embarrassedly.
"How long have you two been dating?" Hiccup asked curiously.
"Since when Astrid was blind. I told him how I feel while searching for his dragons and I sorta thought it was a perfect time for me to tell him." Hicca said with a small smile.
"I never took you for a romantic type, Hicca. That is so unlike you." Hiccup said with a chuckle.
"And not to mention that you and Astrid are finally dating." Hicca said with an amusement smile.
Hicca widens his eyes from that. "Uh… I don't know what you are talking about?" He asked as innocently as he could. "Okay, you caught me." He admittedly said, dropping the act.
"Yeah, I thought so." Hicca said with a smile. "Henry and I saw it through the clubhouse after Astrid was healed." She added.
"Wait, Henry knows too?" Hiccup asked in surprise.
"Come on, brother. Even Henry knows that you and Astrid are meant to be together." Hicca said with a smile as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Oh gods." Hiccup groaned playfully. "Well, at least this war is now over." He said.
"Agreed." Hiccup said in agreement.
"Are you so sure about that, Haddocks?" A voice said.
The Haddock twins turned and to his horror he saw Viggo riding on top of Stormfly and holding Astrid with her ax close to her throat.
"Viggo." Hiccup said, narrowing his eyes.
"And let us guess: either you kill Astrid with her own weapon or we hand you back the Dragon Eye."
"Oh, it sounds so much colder when you say it like that. But, yes," Viggo said. The Haddock twins narrowed their eyes and clenched their fists. "While I do appreciate both of your assistance in putting my brother back in his rightful place, I must insist that both of you return it to where it belongs. With me." he stated as he moved the ax closer to Astrid's throat and Hiccup reached into his saddle and pulled out the Dragon Eye.
"Hiccup, don't even think about it." Astrid said.
"Not if your life's on the line, Astrid." Hicca pointed out.
"Come, now." Viggo said. "Are you really going to sacrifice your future, Hiccup… all the wonderful years ahead of you, your sister and your friends, for that?"
Hiccup looked down at the Dragon Eye and looked at Astrid, who shook her head. "Wow, Viggo. Well I guess when you put it that way, no, I'm not!" He yelled and then did something completely unexpected and tossed the Dragon Eye towards the mouth of the volcano.
"No!" Viggo shouted, jumping off Stormfly.
Astrid quickly grabbed her ax and they watched as Viggo ran after the Dragon Eye frantically, he then grabbed it as he gave a chuckle.
The Haddock twins and Astrid looked in shock as Viggo turned and gave them a sinister smile as he held out the Dragon Eye. "Thank you for your service. Now I will be on my way." Viggo said as he was about to walk off.
"Not happening!" A voice called out as Viggo was then punched into the face, knocking him into the ground as he dropped the Dragon Eye as it rolled across the floor until it stopped at the edge of a foot.
The others are surprised as they saw Henry appearing from the side of the volcano as he glared down at his father.
Henry then grabbed the Dragon Eye, "You've done well enough without this piece of junk, dad. When you took it, we managed without it to save countless other dragons and stopped you more times than we can count." He said in a serious tone.
Viggo got up as he glared at his son. "Now, Henry. Hand it over. You know that it is part of our ancestors for generations." He said firmly as he walked up to his son as Henry backed away, close to the volcano's edge.
Henry looked at the Dragon Eye as he gave a determined expression as he looked behind him and at the Dragon Eye again. "Then I guess it's time for one of the bloodlines to end this madness. The Dragon Eye must be destroyed!" He yelled as he ran close to the volcano.
"What?!" Viggo yelled out in shock as he raced after his son.
Henry then ran up to the edge, but before he could throw it, Viggo tackled him, but Henry managed to toss it at the volcano.
"No!" Viggo yelled as the Dragon Eye went over the mouth of the volcano and was lost forever. He then turned and glared at Henry. "You insolent fool! Do you realize what you have done?!" He said as he grabbed Henry by the color of his shirt.
Henry just gave a smirk to his father. "What mom would've done. Stopping your business once and for all." He said.
Viggo gave his son a growl in rage, but before he could do anything, the ground beneath his feet broke away, which shocked him by that as he then tossed Henry out of the edges of the crack.
"Ah!" Henry yelled out as he landed in front of the Haddock twins and Astrid as he looked back, "Dad?" He asked.
Viggo then felt the rock beneath him about to give out as he shot Henry one last smile, "Ah! Henry!" Viggo yelled as he fell into the volcano.
Henry got up and rushed towards the mouth of the volcano, "DAD!" He called and looked over the edge but saw no sign of his father. No one could have survived molten lava. He was gone for good.
"Dad…you saved me…even after I…" Henry said in breath as he looked down.
Hicca then came to him as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Henry." She said in mourning, sure she hated Viggo but, even she didn't want that kind of fate for him.
"Viggo. It didn't have to end this way." Hiccup said in grief.
"Are you guys okay?" Astrid asked, approaching them.
"Yeah. we'll be fine." Hiccup assured.
"I don't know if I'll ever be fine. I just lost the only family I had left." Henry said in grief.
"No you didn't." Hicca told him as she kneeled next to him, "You still have us, Mala and the Defenders, Wildstar and your dragons, and me." She said as she gave a warming smile to Henry, who gave the same warming smile in return as the two looked at each other longingly.
"It's finally over." Astrid said as Hiccup just remained silent. "It is over, right?"
Hiccup turned and walked away from the volcano. "Yeah, of course. Definitely." He said.
The two of them then looked at each other. "We should have listened to you guys, Hiccup." Astrid said on behalf of her and Henry. "You and Hicca are our leaders."
"And our relationship can't get in the way of that. It just leaves us vulnerable," Henry added as he stood up, "We promise guys, it won't happen again."
"No, no, guys. Don't say that." Hicca said as she gave an assuring smile as she came to Henry.
Hiccup merely smiled as he went to Astrid. "Just promise us you won't stop telling us what you're both thinking. Astrid, I rely on you." Hiccup started.
"And Henry, you are the best boyfriend I could ask for. You are the one that picks me up when the going gets me down." Hicca continues as she holds Henry's hand. "And I don't want that to end. I want us to be together." She finished with a smile.
"Hicca's right." Hiccup continued as he smiled at Astrid. "It's what makes us, well, us." He then extended his hand to Astrid.
"Deal?" The Haddock twins said in unison.
Astrid grasped it with both hands and smiled at him as she and Henry looked at each other before nodding as they turned back to their love lives. "Deal." They said in unison.
Astrid then pulled Hiccup towards her and kissed him. Instinctively, Hiccup wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer towards him.
Henry then pulled Hicca towards him as he grabbed her by her waist, Hicca wrapped her arms around Henry's neck as she pulled her closer as they shared a kiss of their own.
The two couples then broke apart while giving each other a smile.
They then heard gasp and saw the Dragon Riders standing there and all of them had their mouths wide open.
"Oh my Thor." Raeda said with wide eyes and a wide smile.
"This…" Snotlout said, staring at them in surprise.
"Changes…" Fishlegs continued, clapping his hands in excitement.
"Everything," Ruffnut finished, utterly stunned.
"Wait, does that mean you're not dying?" Tuffnut asked, confused.
The Haddock twins, Henry and Astrid just gave them silent smiles, and then all the Riders ran up towards them and hugged them.
They broke apart as Raeda looked at the two Haddock Twins with an excited grin, "I knew you and Astrid were gonna be a couple!" She cheered before she turned to Hicca, "And you and Henry?!" She asked before squealing.
Hiccup and Hicca looked at each other with sheepish smiles as they should've known that Raeda would react like this as they each gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, we each now have our own Viking loves." Hicca said with a chuckle.
"Tell me everything! When did you guys start dating?" Raeda asked the four excitedly. "How long were you keeping this from us? When were any of you gonna tell us about this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She asked quickly.
"Heheh. Slow down, Rae. We'll explain everything to you, but how about after we fix up the Edge." Hicca said to her with a small smile.
Raeda then slumped as she sighs. "Aw, okay. But once the job is done, you four are telling all of us everything about this." She said eagerly.
"Duly noted." Hicca said with a smile.
"Okay, gang. Once more around the island." Hiccup said, still holding Astrid's hand. "Let's make sure the Edge is secure."
"And after that, we fix up the damage the Shellfire caused and get the baby Eruptodon back home." Hicca added while still holding Henry's hand.
As they were making their way back to their dragons, Snotlout approached the Haddock twins.
"Hiccup, Hicca, I was thinking… I might have a way to help with this gambling problem." Snotlout said. "Now, it's gonna take some time. There's, like, I don't know, 10 to 12 steps, I'll finish it in a few days…"
Hiccup looked at him in confusion. "For the last time, why are you guys talking about?" He asked.
"Yeah, this is really confusing. We have no idea what you guys are talking about." Hicca added while feeling confused herself.
Astrid and Henry then laughed at them from that.
Soon the Dragon Riders were making one last round around the island. Hiccup and Astrid grew close together grasping each other's hand while Henry and Hicca were doing the same.
However, no sooner had they left the volcano that it erupted. They turned around and saw the top of the mountain had exploded.
"Awesome!" The Thorston twins cheered while the others just looked at it with wide eyes.
(Linebreak)
Somewhere on an unknown island, the remaining Dragon Hunters are recovering from their most crushing defeat ever and are now without a leader.
"Ugh. What are we to do now with both Viggo and Ryker gone?" A Hunter asked his comrades.
"Well, we could always take up new hobbies. I myself fancied a bit of crocheting." One of them spoke up.
"I don't think you are out of a job yet, my friends." A voice spoke to them as the remaining Hunters turned and saw a cloak figure they saw before, twice even, in front of them.
"You! You're that cloak guy who was at Viggo's dragon auction and when he put a bounty on the Dragon Riders' leaders!" A Hunter shouted.
The cloaked figure simply smirked, "I'm flattered you would remember me." He said.
"Well, most of us were there at both of those and during the bounty, we still feel a few bruises from you!" A Hunter shouted while rubbing his head.
The cloak figure gave a chuckle. "Those were only business, as you want to call it." He said as he walked close to them. "But I heard that you are now without leadership." He said.
"Well, after the last battle we had with the Dragon Riders, yes." Another hunter answered as the others muttered in agreement.
The cloak figure then removes his hoodie as it is revealed to be Krogan as he gives an evil smirk at them. "Well, worry no longer my friends, your new leader stands before you." Krogan declared as marching up next to him was the same Titan-wing Stingetail he subdued after his mission for Hiccup and Hicca's bounty, "I have a plan so grand that not even Hiccup and Hicca Haddock and their Dragon Rider will be able to stop." He said with a dark chuckle as his Singetail roared as the Hunters looked on in surprise and shock by this.