Chapter 82: King of Dragons Part 1
The Dragon Riders quickly made their way back to Dragon's Edge, because with the final lens they could now finally locate the King of Dragons. They were all gathered in the clubhouse looking quite ecstatic at the prospect of finding the King.
"Well, this should be it," Hiccup said as he began to insert the Dragon Eye lenses into the Dragon Fury Eye. "The last remaining lens for the Dragon Eye. This should tell us everything there is to know about the King of Dragons."
"And finally stopping Johann and Krogan once and for all." Hicca added with a smile. "And it only took surviving Titan-Wings, saving whole islands, avoiding getting singed and resurrecting an entire species." She recounted.
Tuffnut looked at Toothless and Midnight. "Come on, now, T and M, fire that magical plasma up and let a beacon of knowledge shine down upon us and light our merry way." He said poetically.
Astrid blinked at him. "Wow. That was kind of poetic, Tuff." She complimented.
"Thank you, Astrid," Tuffnut said proudly. "You know, in some societies, entire conversations are spoken in verse. I'd like to visit one of those places."
"Hiccup, Hicca!" Fishlegs cried ecstatically as he began jumping up and down. "If you two do not tell Toothless or Midnight to light that Dragon Fury Eye and let us see what's on that lens, I will no longer be held responsible for my actions." He warned, barely containing himself.
Hicca gave a chuckle at Fishlegs, excitement. "Calm down, Fishlegs. We're about to fire it up now." She said with a small smile.
Hiccup nodded as he looked at Toothless as he positioned the Dragon Fury Eye. "Toothless, you heard the screaming, crazy Viking." He joked.
Toothless then began to make his mouth glow and soon the Dragon Fury Eye began to show images onto the wall. Everyone cast as appearing on the wall was an array of different colors that formed certain patterns that took the form of all different types of dragons and Fishlegs screamed with excitement. There was a good reason, because it showed an image of a dragon appearing in the center and they knew better than anyone.
"Wow." Hicca said in surprise.
"Is that…" Hiccup starred.
"A Dramillion." Henry answered with a raised eyebrow.
"That's a Dramillion." Fishlegs nodded.
"The King of Dragons is a Dramillion?" Astrid asked dubiously.
"No, it's a Titan Wing Dramillion," Fishlegs corrected. He then gestured to the image. "Look at the Titan Wing in relation to the other dragons on the wall. It's bigger than this Monstrous Nightmare right next to it. This must mean that the giant skeleton remains on Vanaheim belonged to another Titan Wing Dramillion." He declared.
Henry however looked greatly confused. Something didn't seem right about this.
"Okay, okay, sounds great." Tuffnut said. "But what can it do?"
"How does it kill its enemies? Fire?" Ruffnut asked.
"Spines?" Tuffnut asked again.
"Liquid hot magma?" Ruffnut added, pushing him aside.
"Guys, don't you remember? The King of Dragons uses its mind." Hiccup reminded them.
"What, like a bludgeon?" Tuffnut asked as he then thrusted his head towards Hiccup, who leaned back to avoid getting hit.
"No, Tuff, it uses its mind to control other dragons, to make them do whatever it tells them to do." Hiccup explained as he pushed Tuffnut back with his finger.
"No matter how big or small a dragon is, it will control their minds like puppets and take away their free will." Hicca added.
Astrid looked troubled upon hearing this. "That could be…" She started.
"Catastrophic." Hiccup and Hicca agreed.
"Amazing." Fishlegs added.
"No, Fishlegs. It is amazing, but catastrophic in the wrong hands." Raeda pointed out while giving a look at the Ingerman.
"It certainly would make sense why Johann had been chasing after it for years now and why the Hunters are assisting him." Valerie said as she folded her arms. "If they're able to control the King of Dragons, then..."
"It's gonna be a dragon sized mess for everyone." Astrid finished with a frown.
"We have to get to Dramillion Island as quickly as possible, find the King of Dragons, and move it out of there," Hiccup said.
"So Dragon Riders, prepare to move out." Hicca ordered.
However, before anyone could do anything else, Spitelout came flying towards them. "Snotlout, is that your dad?" Raeda blinked.
Snotlout looked as surprised as she was. "What in the name of Thor is he doing here?"
"Spitelout?" The Haddock twins' eyes widened because they had a very good idea why he was here. "Oh, no, Dad!" They both said at the same time.
"Ah, kids, it's the chief," said Spitelout as he hopped off his Deadly Nadder.
Hicca approached him frantically, "Is he-" She tried to ask.
"Alive. He's alive, lassy." Spitelout assured but frowned, "But he's gotten worse. Gothi is trying, but I'm sorry, kids. She's not hopeful." He then turned to Hiccup, "The Elders called a council meeting and—"
Hiccup looked crestfallen. "Don't you say it." He told his uncle.
Spitelout placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup, you have been voted acting chief." He revealed softly as Hicca eyes widened in shock while Hiccup looked down.
Tuffnut then popped his head out. "Uh, I think my man was pretty clear in that he did not want you to say 'it,' assuming that was 'it.'" Tuffnut then looked at Hiccup, who was completely silent. "Hiccup?"
"Um, I-I don't mean to be insensitive…" said Fishlegs.
Valerie finished for him, "Yeah, we still have a dragon king sized problem to deal with." She reminded him.
Hiccup looked at him. "Guys, I know. We need to get the King of Dragons before they do." He said.
Spitelout places an arm around Hiccup's shoulder. "Sorry, Chief. You're going one place and one place only—Berk." He said firmly before turning to the other Riders, "And that goes for all of you as well. So pack your stuff, because by sundown we leave for Berk immediately." Spitelout then turned to prepare himself as the Riders looked at each other in conflict.
(Linebreak)
Johann and the Hunters were already making their move towards Dramillion Island. There was an entire fleet of ships along with the remaining Flyers that hadn't been taken out by the Riders.
Sailing in the very center of the fleet were to Hunter ships and attached to them was a large barge. Krogan was flying in the air observing as two of his Flyers were lowering a large dragon proof cage onto the barge.
"All right, lower it between the two ships and lash it to each hull!" Krogan ordered.
Johann stood upon one of the ships as he observed the Flyers lowering the cage. They then immediately released it and it fell upon the barge causing the two ships to shake upon impact. The Hunters on the two ships then immediately lashed the cage with dragon proof chains attaching it to the hull of the two ships.
Krogan then landed upon the ship that Johann was standing on and looked up at him. "You know, if you'd waited until it was finished, we could've done all this at the launch."
Johann raised an eyebrow. "But that's why I have you and your Dragon Flyers, isn't it Krogan?"
"No, not precisely," Krogan said.
He then pulled on the chain that was linked to his Titan Wing Singetail and the two of them began making their way down into the cargo hold.
Johann merely smiled as he looked to the cage they had brought on board. "What a glorious day it will be when this head is on the end of a long spike." He said to himself before looking out to his fleet, "Now, where are you, King of Dragons? And when will you at last belong to me and me alone?" He wondered, as he no longer wanted to sell this dragon but instead wanted it and it's power of control over other dragons to himself.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at Dragons Edge, everyone was packing up as they repaired to make the trip to Berk. Hicca had already finished emptying her hut and was overseeing the others packing.
"Man, I can't believe we're leaving the Edge," Snotlout said as he loaded a crate of his things.
Raeda walked in With some of her paintings, "Hey, we all knew that someday we'd have to go back to Berk. Just didn't expect it to be now." She said putting some of her portraits in her bags and crates.
"Well, I'm sure Smidvarg, Hunterbolt and the other dragons can protect this place while we're gone." Valerie said as she rolled up her Changewing cloak before turning to the White Night Terror, "Right little buddy?"
'Yes. And please, do come back and visit.' Smidvarg answered before flying out to find his flock.
Fishlegs in particular was very annoyed about this. "You okay there, Fishlegs?" Astrid asked.
"Yeah, you look pretty upset." Hicca said in concern.
"Of course. Couldn't be better," Fishlegs said sarcastically. "Why do you two ask?"
"Ah, he's sad because we don't get to see the King of Dragons," Snotlout said, folding his arms. He then noted his father entering the clubhouse and immediately puffed out his chest. "But I told him, Astrid and Hicca. I told him Hiccup's chiefly duties were way more important than some dumb mind-reading dragon. What truly matters is—"
"Watching that thing mind control all your dragons," Tuffnut finished as he removed one of the banners from the clubhouse. "That's what would be cool. I can't believe we don't get to see that." He complained.
"Lame!" said Ruffnut.
"I still say that stopping Johann and Krogan is more important than anything else!" Henry slammed his hand on the table. "We came this far and fought too hard just to give up now because the adults tell us to!"
"Enough!" Both Astrid and Hicca roared furiously as everyone turned to them.
"You should all be ashamed, have any of you ever thought about what we've been through since coming to the Edge?!" Hicca yelled out.
"How many adventures have we been on in the last year?" Astrid questioned.
"Uh…" Tuffnut said, unable to count that high.
"I mean, how many new and amazing dragons have we gotten to see?" Hicca continued, pacing in front of them.
Snotlout began counting on his fingers. "Carry the two and—" He counted.
"Twenty-seven," Spitelout answered.
"Exactly, a lot," Astrid said. "Well, guess what. Sometimes real life comes first. Family comes first. Stoick is our chief. He definitely comes first."
"Uh, I thought Hiccup was our chief," Tuffnut frowned.
"Tuffnut!" Both Astrid and Hicca glared.
"What?" Tuffnut asked stupidly.
"My Dad is still alive, Tuff! He's just bedridden." Hicca corrected. "He's still our chief, and mine and Hiccup's father, and he needs us." She stated.
"And where Hiccup and Hicca go, we go. Got it?" Astrid asked the others seriously.
Everyone just looked at her stunned and were completely speechless.
Hicca nodded. "Good." She then walked off fuming. "Now shut up and saddle up, I'm gonna go check on my brother."
"Me too." Astrid said as she followed Hicca.
"Not without me, you're not." Henry said as he followed after the two girls.
"It'll be the lucky Viking who lands those spitfires." Spitelout whispered to his son.
"Tell me about it," Snotlout nodded.
Raeda merely smiled. "Hiccup seems to be the only one that can calm Hicca and Astrid down and to think five years ago Astrid couldn't stand the sight of him." She chuckled.
When Hicca, Astrid and Henry exited the clubhouse, they all sighed and looked towards Hiccup's hut.
(Linebreak)
The three made they're way over and found that Hiccup was grabbing anything not nailed down. Hicca then patted Toothless on the head before she made her way over to Hiccup while Midnight nuzzled her mate.
"Where is it? It's here somewhere." Hiccup said as he looked around frantically.
The three hen took note of all of Hiccup's inventions he and Hicca did together and smiled at his ingenuity. Truly no one but Hiccup could have come up with this stuff or even make it. "Sorry about all of this," Astrid said, looking at Hiccup, who was on the first floor.
"Yeah, after all that trouble of finding all seven lenses." Hicca sighed with a smile.
"It all comes down to just returning to Berk." Henry added with a small chuckle.
"Yeah, it's bad enough when Spitelout shows up, but this, I mean, come on." Hiccup said in annoyance as he began tossing things aside.
"And we'll find the King of Dragons someday," Henry assured him. "If it's out there, we'll get to it."
"Oh, I know," Hiccup said as he jumped down to them.
Hicca noted the look in her brother's eyes, "Astrid, Henry could you excuse us for a minute?" She asked.
The two glanced at each other, as the same idea passed through they're heads. They nodded and walked out, closing the door behind them.
Hicca then turned to her brother with a serious expression, "You're gonna find the King of Dragons a lot sooner than we think 'cause that's where we're going right now," said Hiccup as he emerged looking down at her.
Hiccup looked at her in surprise before sighing and giving a smile, "You know me too well, sis." He said, all but admitting the truth.
Hicca then looked at him with concern. "Hiccup, the council gave us an order. A direct order to return home." She reminded him.
"They did," Hiccup nodded as he jumped down. "They also make me chief. And if I remember correctly, the chief doesn't take orders. At least my father never did."
"And speaking of our father, I mean, don't you think we should—" Hicca started.
Hiccup stopped her. "No, I don't." Hicca looked at him quite startled and he sighed. "Hicca, you know that if Johann gets there first and he is able to somehow harness its power, then Berk, the Outcasts, the Berserkers, the Defenders of the Wing, the Wingmaidens and every dragon and Viking village in or out the Archipelago would be in danger." He told her, "It would be right back to the days of the Dragon Wars when Toothless, Midnight and the others were enslaved by the Red Death." He said Toothless came up to him and Hiccup rubbed his head.
Hicca approached him. "Hiccup…" She said.
"Please don't, Hicca." Hiccup then turned and began to fiddle with some canisters that contained Monstrous Nightmare gel. "You can either come with me and fight alongside me, or you can go back to Berk and pray I come back alive." He offered her.
Hicca just smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was going to say dad would be proud. I'm proud. And where you go, I go. Remember our motto." She said with a small smile.
Hiccup then turned towards his sister and gave a small smile. "Where one goes…" He started holding out his hand.
"The other follows." Hicca finished as she grabbed her brother's hand as the two held each other as they shared a sibling hug.
"Thank you Hicca." Hiccup said with a smile. "For everything."
"No thanks needed bro." Hicca said as they broke apart and then began running out of the door. "All right, now let's get the Riders and see if we can ditch—"
The door then opened and standing before them were Astrid and Henry, giving them a smirk while Spitelout was with them.
"Going somewhere?" Spitelout asked with his hands on his hips.
Astrid smirked at her betrothal, "Do you really think I wouldn't know you'd try and sneak away again?" She asked.
The Haddock twins immediately stopped as Hiccup tried to come up with a good excuse. "Uh, well…?"
Spitelout held out his hand. "Save it, we heard it all." He told them.
The Thorston twins then appeared hanging upside down from their dragon, who was also upside down. "We all heard it all." Tuffnut corrected.
"Yeah!" Ruffnut added.
Hiccup and Hicca then looked outside and saw Snotlout, Fishlegs, Raeda and Valerie outside as well. "Trying to leave us behind again guys, really?" Raeda asked with a grin.
Spitelout looked at them firmly, expecting to explain themselves. However, Spitelout merely smiled and placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"And we're coming with ya and your right-hand, Chief." Spitelout said. "Your father would have wanted it this way." He declared.
The Haddock twins then turned and looked at Astrid and the others, who nodded in agreement and Henry then bumped the two, "We're more than a team you two, we're family. And where you go, we follow too." He declares as the others stand behind nodding with determined smiles. "So are we going after this King of Dragons, or what?" He asked with a smirk.
Hiccup was still a bit stunned and Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder and Toothless nuzzled him as he purred while Midnight nuzzled Hicca with a purr as well.
The Haddock Twins smiled and turned to their friends, "Dragon Riders, Let's ride!" Hicca declared.
(Linebreak)
In no time at all they were all heading straight towards Dramillion Island as quickly as they possibly could.
"Riders! To us! In formation!" Hiccup ordered as they flew as fast as they possibly could.
Hiccup and Hicca then immediately saw something and immediately pulled Toothless and Midnight's backs, which caught everyone completely off guard. They all stopped suddenly and Snotlout was almost tossed out of his saddle, thankfully he landed on Hookfang's snout.
"Why are we stopping?" Snotlout asked. "I thought the whole idea was to get there faster than Johann."
"It was, Snotlout." Hicca nodded and then pointed towards the island. "But look down there."
Everyone looked down and immediately gasped, because they saw a fleet of Hunters ships patrolling the island. It soon became very clear that Johann had gathered the seven lenses as well and had gotten there before any of them.
The Flyers were flying around the island and Hunters were taking it from the ground as their ships docked. Leading the assault was none other than Krogan, who was holding his ax in one hand and holding the reins of his Titan Wing Singetail in the other.
"All right, here!" Krogan said as he directed the forces.
Hiccup was observing everything through his spyglass. "How did Krogan get here before we did?"
Henry looked at him. "I think it's very likely that they managed to find another lens and let's face it, we didn't exactly come here as quickly as possible." He pointed out.
"Well, whatever the case, they might have reached the island first, but they still haven't got the King of Dragons and they don't know where it is yet." Hicca pointed out. "Meaning that there's still a chance to stop them before they get to it first." She said.
"You're right," Hiccup nodded in agreement and then turned to Snotlout, Raeda and the Thorston twins. "Ruff, Tuff, Raeda, Snotlout, you take out the ships. Make sure this is their last voyage."
"Locked and loaded!" Snotlout smiled as he slammed his fist on his palm.
"We'll keep those ships back as long as we can." Raeda nodded as she readied her bow and arrow.
The Thorston twins then yelled in excitement.
Hicca then turned and looked at the others. "Henry, Valerie, Fishlegs, Astrid and Spitelout, let's see what those Flyers are up to." She ordered next.
"Yeah!" Astrid cried.
"One it!" Henry called out and they immediately flew towards the island.
"Spitelout, Spitleout! Oi, Oi, oi!" Spitelout chanted as he followed them.
"Snotlout! Hookfang! Oi, oi, oi!" Snotlout chanted as he dived towards the ships with the twins.
The Thorston twins then waste any time unleashing gas upon one of the ships and immediately set it alight causing a massive explosion. The Hunters then positioned a ballistae straight towards Snotlout and Raeda and fired, but they quickly spun out of the way to avoid getting hit.
"Oh-oh-oh, no, you did not!" Snotlout said.
"That was a mistake!" Raeda called out as she and Snotlout immediately flew down towards them with Hookfang igniting and Sparkfire firing her blasts.
"Five thousand pounds of flaming muscle coming through!" Snotlout called out.
"As well as spine shot Nadders coming through as well!" Raeda called next.
Johann cringed as Snotlout and Raeda flew past him and immediately looked at the Hunters. "Get them!"
The Hunters immediately fired a net directly at Snotlout andRaeda, but they were moving too fast for them.
Snotlout laughed as he approached the ship. "Snotlout!" He then immediately unleashed a fire blast upon the ship destroying the ballistae.
Raeda then approaches another ship as Sparkfire fires spineshots, destroying some weapons as Raeda shoots some arrows, knocking some of the Hunters' weapons out of their hands. "And that's why you shouldn't mess with a Henderson!" She called out.
"Light it up, Belch!" Tuffnut said as Barf poured gas over a ship.
Belch ignited the gas and immediately caused an explosion and as they flew past one of the ships, they saw a glimpse of a strange-looking figurehead.
"Did you see that figurehead on the front of that ship?" Tuffnut asked, looking at his sister.
"Did I? It's so lifelike," Ruffnut said.
"And handsome," Tuffnut added. "Weird, though. That thing looked like he was gonna pee its little wooden pants."
They then flew back to the front of the ship and realized that the figurehead was in fact Gruffnut tied to the jibboom.
"Gruffnut?" Tuffnut starred in shock.
"But how is that possible?" Ruffnut asked in bewilderment. "I thought we were finally rid of that loser."
Tuffnut looked at his sister. "No Thorston should be allowed to suffer that kind of indignity when there is another Thorston around to stop it."
Snotlout and Raeda came to them as Snotlout rolled his eyes at them, realizing the situation. "Good Thor. You want to rescue that lunatic, he's all yours, but—" He tried to us.
"Cover us, Snoty and Rae," Tuffnut interrupted. "This'll be over before you finish your latest senseless rant."
The Thorston Twins then immediately dives down.
"Hey!" Snotlout yelled indignantly.
"We're supposed to stay together!" Raeda called out as they followed them.
Hunters immediately fired two ballistas directly at them, but the Thorston twins quickly moved out of the way and Snotlout and Raeda destroyed them with fire blasts.
Gruffnut looked up at his two cousins. "Cousins, you came! I knew you would." Tuffnut merely gave him a tired expression. "I know you would let me suffer this cruel embarrassment."
Ruffnut looked at her brother as he drew his ax. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked.
"Not entirely," Tuffnut admitted.
He then immediately cut the ropes and Gruffnut jumped and sat down on the back of Barf and Belch.
"All right, just sit there and do not speak unless spoken to." Ruffnut said strictly.
They then immediately began to fly away from the ship, but Gruffnut looked at them frantically. "Wait, wait, wait. Stop, stop. There is something I left on the ship. It's important for all of us." He said.
Ruffnut narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, I suggest you make a mental drawing of it. 'Cause we're not going back." She stated firmly.
Gruffnut folded his arms. "Fine. Then leave me here. I'll go back through it myself." He said.
He then immediately jumped off Barf and Belch and landed on the ship. Tuffnut watched as he ran across the deck and his sister looked at him firmly.
"Don't even think about it, bro." Ruffnut said.
"Too late," Tuffnut said, turning towards her. "He's gotten my curiosity piqued. So I have no choice." He then immediately jumped off Belch. "Whoo-hoo!"
Ruffnut groaned. "I know. I hate not having a choice."
Snotlout and Raeda stared at them as Ruffnut landed on the ship. "What are you muttonheads doing?" Snotlout questioned.
"This has to be one of his scams." Raeda pointed out.
"We're going in." Tuffnut said simply.
The three Thorstons then immediately began dashing across the deck of the ship.
Snotlout groaned. "In where?"
"In that ship, apparently." Raeda groaned as well.
Hunters then immediately began to engage them, but Gruffnut quickly slid across the deck avoiding their ax.
"Butt slide!" he yelled.
"Face kick," Tuffnut said as he jumped into the air and kicked a Hunter in the face.
Ruffnut then whacked the other one with her spear.
Snotlout groaned knowing that this was a bad idea. "Fine. We'll kick some butt." He said.
"Might as well keep holding these Hunters off while Hiccup, Hicca and the others find the King of Dragons." Raeda said as she and Snotlou got off their dragons.
"At least we're doing it together." Snotlout said with a smile at Raeda.
Raeda gave a chuckle. "That is true, Snotlout." She said as she and Snotlout followed the Thorstons.
(Linebreak)
Krogan meanwhile was on the ground with several Hunters as they began searching for the Titan Wing Dramillion.
"Here!" Krogan called out, signaling for all of them to stop. "This is it. This is the area the Titan Wing Dramillion inhabits according to the map." He said.
Then suddenly rather nowhere plasma blast struck one of the Flyers, knocking him off his Singetail. Krogan turned and saw the Haddock twins and the other Riders charging towards them and they quickly began to engage the Hunters, catching them completely off guard.
Hiccup had just not one Hunter back with a plasma blast while Hicca did the same to another Hunter and were now approaching Krogan, with both blazing swords, battlestaff and shield at hand.
"Sorry, but 'King of Dragons' and 'Krogan' should never be used in the same sentence." Hiccup stated.
"Unless it's 'The King of Dragons just eat Krogan.'" Astrid snarked as she landed behind Krogan with her ax firmly in hand.
"Or 'King of Dragon sat on Krogan'." Hicca said While spinning her staff.
Henry then landed with his sword at the ready. "We're not gonna let you or your mysterious master get your grubby hands on the King of Dragons." He declared.
The four of them then began to circle around Krogan, who kept a watchful eye on all four of them.
"You seem to have miscalculated the odds, Dragon Riders," Krogan said and immediately fired upon Hiccup.
Hiccup quickly pulled back and flew into the trees and Krogan immediately followed him. Krogan began firing upon Hiccup as he attempted to zigzag his way through the forest.
"Hiccup!" Hicca called out as she was about to follow.
"Don't worry, sis! I got him!" Hiccup called out as he flew through the forest with Krogan following him.
At the same time the remaining Riders were taking care of the Flyers and Hunters in the area.
"Spitelout! Spitelout! Oi, oi, oi!" Spitelout cried as he swung his ax every which way, cutting down Hunters in his wake. "I'm sure I've had more fun than this. But at the moment, I can't remember when."
"Okay, guys! Let's show these Flyers wannabes how a real Dragon Rider does it!" Hicca called out as Midnight fired a plasma blast at one of the Flyers.
Hiccup soon found himself out of the forest with Krogan still on his tail.
"All right, bud. Singetail maneuver," Hiccup said as he began avoiding fireballs fired from Krogan as they flew around the island. "We need altitude. Come on!"
'On it, Hiccup.' Toothless warbled in understanding.
They immediately went upwards and Krogan followed them.
"Come on." Hiccup said as they climbed higher.
"Get them!" Krogan roared at his Singetail as he pulled on the reins, but they were flying too high and it began to struggle with the increased altitude. "No! No!" He yelled as they began falling back towards the ground.
Hiccup quickly turned around. "Fire!" He commanded as Toothless then fired a plasma blast directly at Krogan, who quickly raised his arms to block the attack. He succeeded in blocking the plasma blast, but the impact caused him to fall off his Singetail and begin falling towards the ground.
"Nice shooting, bud," Hiccup said, smiling at his best friend.
The Singetail hit the ground first and Krogan landed on top of it. A good thing too, because it managed to cushion his fall, but the impact caused him to land on the ground and the Singetail skidded across the ground and pinned his foot to the ground. He attempted to free himself, but the dragon was too heavy and then he saw Hiccup and Toothless looking at him.
"All right," Hiccup said as Krogan kept on trying to free his leg. "Easy, Krogan. Don't move."
Then emerging from the forest was a pack of Dramillions and Krogan immediately panicked as they did seem to be too pleased with seeing him.
Hiccup smiled at him. "What's the matter, Krogan? Never seen a Dramillion before?" He taunted.
Krogan looked at the Dramillions nervously as they looked at him curiously, but then something unexpected happened. The Dramillions then immediately turned towards Hiccup and Toothless and next thing he realized they fired upon him.
"Why—Why are they attacking us?" Hiccup panicked as he avoided getting roasted by a magnesium blast. They kept on firing upon him and Hiccup had no choice but to leave. "Toothless, move, Move!"
Krogan smiled, but then he was almost struck by a lava blast coming from one of the Dramillions. He eventually managed to free his leg just in time to avoid a plasma blast and then quickly ran into the woods.
Hiccup unfortunately was finding it very difficult to shake the Dramillions to stop him.
"Astrid! Hicca!" Hiccup yelled.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile Snotlout, Raeda and the Thorston twins were following Gruffnut through the cargo hold of one of the ships.
"Uh, it's in here. I'm pretty sure." Gruffnut told them.
Ruffnut looked at him dubiously as they made their way towards the captain's cabin.
"Door kick!" Gruffnut yelled as he kicked the door open. That's when they discovered that there was a massive score of treasure inside the captain's cabin. "Yes, score!" His eyes then turned to the jewels resting on the table. "Oh, jewels."
Ruffnut groaned in frustration as it confirmed her fears.
"What?" Tuffnut stared.
"Typical selfish Gruffnut. So sad." Ruffnut grumbled as she folded her arms.
"Yep. I put up with a lot on this ship. Things I will never speak of, like the thigh-slapping game." Gruffnut said and then grabbed as many jewels as he could carry. "So I'm taking what's mine."
He then reached out for a golden statue, but in doing so not several coins over. He quickly attempted to stop the coins, but it was far too late as it released a wire that swung a gold coin and knocked a Maces and Talons game piece, which then activated a crossbow firing an arrow at the table which sliced right through a rope. They all remained still and they heard the sound of mechanism clicking and then watched as an iron gate fell at the door trapping them inside and a split second later water began to sink into the room knocking Snotlout to the ground.
"Snotlout!" Raeda called out as she bent down to him in concern.
The Thorston twins looked at Gruffnut furiously. "From this point forward, we are not related." Tuffnut said. "You and I are nothing to each other, nothing!"
Gruffnut smiled at them awkwardly as he continued to grab as much treasure as he could.
(Linebreak)
Outside, the Riders were being attacked by the Dramillions and Hicca and Astrid were almost struck by a magnesium blast. Fortunately, they dived down in time to avoid it, but thankfully they were also attacking the Dragon Flyers.
Krogan was back on his Singetail and was unleashing a burst of flames at the Dramillions that flew around him. Millions then came flying towards him and he quickly countered by firing fireballs from his Singetail's belly. However, he knew that they were being overrun; they couldn't fight both the Riders and the Dramillions at the same time.
"Men, follow me!" Krogan ordered.
Hiccup was still being chased around by a Dramillion that was firing a few plasma blasts that were more than a little too close for comfort. He then looked ahead and saw another Dramillion flying towards him at breakneck speed.
"Whoa, watch it!" Hiccup yelled as he quickly pulled up.
The Dramillions found themselves moving too fast to stop in time and collided into one another. Astrid and Hicca then immediately flew to join Hiccup, both them looking a bit worn out.
"Since when are these guys so nasty?" Astrid asked.
"No kidding, and you, I thought we left on the best of terms last time we were here. They just attacked us all of a sudden." Hicca agreed.
"Yeah, I don't remember them being this aggressive," Henry said, equally stunned.
"Well… aggressive they are, boyo." Spitelout said as he flew up to join them. "And I don't think they'll be listening to reason any time soon."
Fishlegs nodded in agreement as he joined them. "Dramillions are extremely territorial. They're defending something really close by." He explained.
"Meaning that they could be trying to protect something that is very important to them." Henry added with the same thought.
Hiccup looked at them. "Any thoughts on what that could be or…" He trailed off when he saw Krogan and the Dragon Flyers torching the island, but upon closer inspection it looked as if they were concentrating their fire on something. Hiccup and the others then saw a blue Titan Wing Dramillion appearing out of thin air. It was roughly three times the size of a normal Dramillion and it was hovering in midair and roared furiously as the Flyers flew around it.
Almost immediately all the Dramillions surrounding the Riders immediately retreated and flew back towards the Titan Wing Dramillion.
Spitelout was completely stunned. "Excuse me, but did that big fella just…"
"Appear out of nowhere? Yeah-huh?" Hiccup said, equally stunned.
"It decloaked! Just like Camo!" Valerie said in shock by what they just saw.
"But how?! We know it mimics dragon fire, but cloaking as well!?" Hicca asked in shock.
"The Dramillion is a distant cousin of the Changewing." Fishlegs explained. "Titan Wing Dramillion must share that power with its subspecies."
"Titan-Wings are capable of other things the rest of their kind can't do." Henry pointed out.
"So that's what the little guys were trying to protect," Hiccup said.
"Great, not only do we have to deal with territorial dragons that are capable of producing multiple blasts, but we also have to contend with a Titan Wing Dramillion that is capable of cloaking at will!" Valerie complained.
The Titan Wing Dramillion roared, no doubt signaling for the other Dramillions to attack.
Krogan smirked and then looked at his men. "Attack that Titan Wing!" He ordered.
The Flyers then immediately opened fire upon the Titan Wing Dramillion and scored several direct hits. Some of the Flyers were also attacking the other Dramillions, knocking them out of the sky one by one.
"Let the Dramillions have it!" Krogan ordered as he avoided several lava blasts from a single Dramillion. He then pulled on the reins of his Singetail Tail and it immediately unleashed fire from its belly striking the Dramillion.
"They're trying to bring the Titan-Wing down!" Henry called out.
"Well, looks like they could use our help," Hiccup added, looking at the others.
"And we're gonna help it!" Hicca said determinedly. "Let's fly!" She called out.
Immediately they all flew around the Flyers and Toothless fired a series of plasma blasts knocking two of the Flyers off their dragons. Astrid then came flying in and Stormfly grabbed a Flyer as he raised his shield and tore him off his dragon and then released him, dropping him on top of another. Henry and his five dragons fired at multiple Flyers as they fell into the ocean. Valerie and Camo fired acid at the Flyers, startling them as the Changewing knocked them off the Singetails.
Krogan was furious as he saw his Flyers falling down one by one.
A few Flyers flew out above Astrid laughed slightly and began to maneuver themselves towards her. Astrid then found herself being attacked from all four sides, but she was more than prepared for this scenario.
"Stormfly, spine-clone!" Astrid yelled, using the move Raeda taught her.
The spikes on Stormfly's tail stood up right and then she immediately flew upwards and began spinning around. She then unleashed a barrage of spines that flew straight towards the Flyers, forcing them to protect themselves with their shields. However, in doing so it hit the field of vision and when they lowered their shields they realized too late that they were colliding with one another.
A few of them managed to pull away just in time, but a couple of them slammed into one another and fell into the ocean. Spitleout then immediately flew down chasing after a few that managed to escape the trap and Henry flew into assist.
However, many of the Flyers were still concentrating their fire on the Titan Wing Dramillion. Hiccup and Hicca then flew in blocking one of the fireballs with Hiccup's shield and Hicca's weapons, Hiccup then immediately activated its crossbow mode and fired an arrow at Krogan, who moved his head to avoid it.
Hunters then began to man crossbows filled with arrows that were tipped with Dragon Root and fired. They scored several direct hits on the Dramillion and it started to get weaker.
"They hit it! Dragon Root arrow!" Astrid announced.
"The Titan-Wing Dramillion is down!" Hicca called out.
However, while the Titan Wing Dramillion was dazed, it apparently still had the will to fight and fired in a range of blasts straight at the Hunters. There was an explosion knocking them off the cliff, he then tried to fly away, but clearly the Dragon Root was affecting its movement as it was flying a bit shakily, they watched as it flew towards a tree and rested upon it.
Hiccup then looked at the others. "We got this. Cover us!"
"We're going in!" Hicca added.
The Haddock twins then immediately flew in towards the Titan Wing Dramillion.
"Get them!" Krogan ordered.
His remaining Flyers then immediately flew in in an attempt to stop Hiccup. However, they were immediately stopped by Henry, Valerie, Fishlegs and Spitelout, who unleashed some daring attacks upon them.
A few of the Flyers managed to avoid Astrid the others and began chasing after the Haddock twins. Hiccup and Hicca then saw the Titan Wing Dramillion aiming directly at them and then fired a white magnesium blast, they quickly avoided it and it struck the Flyer behind him, knocking him off his dragon. The Flyers then immediately performed a sneak attack upon the Titan Wing Dramillion and scored several direct hits as they flew by.
HThe Haddock twins tried to assist the poor dragon, but it then unleashed a magnesium blast upon Hiccup that was inches away from Toothless' tailfin. Fishlegs quickly fired a lava blast neutralizing the attack, but nearly got bitten out of the Titan Wing Dramillion.
"It's scared, guys!" Fishlegs said as he flew over towards them. "And it doesn't know the difference between us and Krogan's men!"
"The bad dragons are the Singetails! That should be easy to understand!" Hicca told him.
"I know, guys," Hiccup nodded. "But we have to protect it, at all costs."
The Flyers then continued their assault upon the Titan Wing Dramillion and the Haddock twins and Fishlegs flew into assistance, neutralizing their fireballs with their own blasts.
(Linebreak)
Johann was observing everything through his spyglass and could see the battle was not going well.
"Then let's get on with it." Johann said and he immediately turned to his men. "Hit that dragon on top of the tree there." He ordered.
His men immediately began arming a ballista and began taking aim.
(Linebreak)
The Haddock twins were unaware of this and continued their attacks on the Flyers, they flew up behind one of them and Hiccup unleashed his grappling hook upon his shield. The grappling hook then wrapped itself around the Flyer and then he immediately pulled him off his dragon leaving him suspended in the air as Toothless and dragged him. The rope then snapped a split second later causing him to fall into the ground.
"Uh, kids, we might want to back out of the way for a wee moment." Spitelout advised.
"Really, Spitelout?" Hicca asked retortically.
"Why's that?" Hiccup asked.
"Harpoon!" Spitelout called out and pointed behind hi,.
The Haddock twins turned and saw a harpoon heading straight towards him, they quickly leaned back and witnessed him by an inch. However, it kept on flying straight towards the Titan Wing Dramillion and impaled its back. It immediately roared out in pain and toppled over towards the ground.
"No!" The Haddock Twins yelled out.
The Titan Wing Dramillion crashed to the ground and began falling down the cliff, until it finally reached the bottom. However, it kept on rolling towards the next cliff and was about to fall directly into the sea.
"We have to get it before it goes into the water!" Hiccup announced.
The Haddock twins, Fishlegs and Spitelout then quickly dived down towards the Titan Wing Dramillion as quickly as they could.
"Come on, Toothless!" Hiccup cried.
"Let's go, Midnight!" Hicca cried next.
However, they didn't reach it in time and it rolled off the cliff.
"No!" The Haddock twins cried out.
Then suddenly, columns of fire erupted from the side of the clip and they quickly pulled away. Next thing they realized columns of fire rained down from the sky trapping them in place and then a fireball struck them knocking them to the ground one by one. Hiccup and Hicca immediately looked up and saw Krogan and his Flyers flying above them and watched just as Krogan fired a fireball directly on top of him.
They managed to miss the direct hit, but the impact did cause both Auburn Twins to be thrown off of their Night Furies.
"Hiccup!" Astrid cried.
"Hicca!" Henry shouted.
The two of them then immediately flew down towards them.
Fishlegs was already tending to Meatlug and Spitelout and Kingstail.
"Guys!" Fishlegs cried, rushing over towards him.
"'We're all right." Hiccup assured as he and his sister picked themselves up. They then immediately turned towards Krogan furiously. "Krogan, get out of the way. You don't know what you're doing!"
"You take that Dragon and millions of innocent lives will be lost to a mad man!" Hicca told him.
Krogan merely smirked at them. "Clearly, that's not the case, Haddocks." he mocked as Then emerging directly behind him were a couple of Flyers holding a net holding the Titan Wing Dramillion.
The Haddock twins looked at him furiously as the Flyers carried the Titan Wing Dramillion towards the ships which were now retreating from the island.
Hiccup and Hiccathen immediately rushed towards Toothless and Midnight, finally having enough of Krogan. "That's it, Krogan. You're done." Hiccup called out.
"This time, we're ending this!" Hicca called out next in rage.
"Calm down, kids." Spitelout said calmly. "There's too many of them. We'll regroup and kick their ears another day."
"Listen to your elder. He speaks wisely," Krogan taunted as he led his Flyers away.
"We have more pressing concerns, people." Spitelout said regretfully.
"What could be more pressing than getting Krogan of that dragon out of the sky?!" Hiccup roared.
"We let them take that Dramillion and who knows what it'll happen to them!" Hicca exclaimed, "What do you think is more pressing than that?!"
"My son, his lady, and those two knucklehead twins." Spitelout answered and then gestured towards a sinking ship. "Did you happen to notice they haven't returned?"
The Haddock twins turned towards a sinking ship and saw Hookfang, Sparkfire and Barf and Belch flying around it as they heard Snotlout's screams coming out of it.
"So, clearly, they're on that ship." Hiccup groaned.
"Which they were supposed to take out instead of going in it." Hicca groaned as well.
"Well that's gonna be taken out pretty soon," Fishlegs noted.
The Haddock twins groaned with annoyance as he watched the Hunter fleet leaving. "There's no choice, then." Hiccup said in defeat.
Spitelout nodded. "Aye." He said in the same tone.
Hicca signed and mounted on Midnight, "Let's get those Muttonheads." She said as they flew towards the sinking ship
"Help! Help us! I'm important!" Snotlout cried with his arm waving frantically from a window.
"Hang on, guys!" Hiccup yelled.
"Snotlout, stand back!" Hicca shouted as Toothless and Midnight then fired plasma blasts at the window which caused a massive explosion that created a large enough hole for Snotlout and the others to exit from.
Snotlout poked his head out which was completely covered in soot and he glared up at his cousins. "Are you two crazy?!" He roared. "Did either of you not see me standing there?!"
"I said stand back!" Hicca defended.
"Hey, can we talk about this back at the Edge?" Hiccup asked.
Hookfang then began to pull Snotlout out and he was looking at him furiously. "Oh-ho-ho-ho, we'll talk about it." He promised with his arms crossed.
Raeda then sighs. "Don't worry about him. He's just irritated because he got hit in the head." She assured them.
"Hiccup, Hicca, what do we do with him?" Tuffnut asked as he and his sister climbed out of the hole.
"Ahoy, ahoy. Hello." Gruffnut said as he stuck his head out.
"Gruffnut!" Valerie snarled as Camo growled.
"Your cousin. Your decision," Hiccup said simply.
"Whatever you two decide his fate, it's okay with us. He is your family." Hicca added with a smirk.
The Thorston twins looked at one another and smiled, already knowing the perfect fate.
(Linebreak)
It was late in the evening and the Thorston twins immediately dropped Gruffnut, and the treasure he had collected from the ship, onto a deserted island.
"You can't just leave me here," Gruffnut said, looking at his two cousins. "I thought we'd be family again. Where's the loyalty?" The Thorston twins merely laughed as they flew off. "What about our bloodline? I'm a part of that! I have similar blood do you!" He called out as he watched them disappear into the sunset.
(Linebreak)
The Thorston twins then later joined up with the Haddock twins and the others as they began following the trail of Johann's ships. It was the dead of night and there was a sense of defeat in the air.
Hicca sighed, "After all that, we failed." She said in defeat.
"That's that, I guess." Hiccup said in agreement. "Johann has the King of Dragons. He has all the power."
"Um, guys, I wouldn't be so sure." Fishlegs said as he noticed something from his spyglass.
Valerie noticed it too, "Yeah, if Johann has the King of Dragons, then what's that?" She pointed.
They all immediately turned towards the direction he had been looking at and to their astonishment they saw floating in the water was the Titan Wing Dramillion.
Astrid stared. "Is that…"
"The Dramillion." Hiccup gasped. "But why?"
"Johann would've kept it if he wanted it so bad." Hicca was surprised by this. "After that trouble subduing it, why would he leave the Titan-Wing to die?"
"That dragon won't have long if he's left there." Spitelout pointed out.
The Twins nodded in agreement and turned to Henry.
Henry then whistled and immediately his dragons flew down and together the five of them lifted the Titan Wing Dramillion out of the water, Sandtrapper and Sandstorm holding his wings, Scout carrying the tail, Lockjaw the body and Wildstar the head. The Titan-Wing was in really bad shape, it was covered in scars and looked as if it was half starved, not to mention it was probably still suffering from the wounds from the battle.
"This is a very sick dragon, Hiccup," Hicca said frantically. "We need to get it to Mala. Their healing ward is the only place that has what I need to save it." She added.
Hiccup, not needing to be told twice, led the Dragon Riders to Defenders of Wing Island, praying to Odin they could save this dragon.
(Linebrea)
They didn't waste any time flying towards Defender of the Wing Island and once they landed Mala and Throk gathered every bit of their medicine and rushed towards the Titan Wing Dramillion.
Hiccup and Astrid watched with concern as Throk, Mala and Hicca worked themselves to the bone to help this dragon heal as Midnight and Toothless nuzzled the poor Titan-Wing, 'Be strong my friend.' Midnight warbled.
'Your going to be okay.' Toothless added.
Though Fishlegs was hampering their efforts as he frantically tried to assist, accidentally knocking Mala and Throk.
Mala looked at him reassuringly. "Fishlegs, while I admire your interest in our friend here, it might be best if there were fewer strangers poking and prodding him, at least for the time being."
"I'm sorry." Fishlegs said apologetically. "You're right, Mala. Something's just nagging at me, and I'm trying to figure it out."
Henry nodded in agreement. "He's right, something isn't right." He said, "Something I realized even before we left the Edge."
Hiccup and Hicca looked at the two of them. "What's the matter two?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah, what got you both so confused?" Hicca asked as well.
Henry sighed, "Guys, I need to be blunt here," He started before pointing to the Dramillion, "I think the reason why Johann left this thing to die is because, This Titan-Wing isn't the King of Dragons."
Everyone was immediately gobsmacked, "WHAT?!" Snotlout shouted in disbelief.
Henry then turned to Fishlegs, "Fishlegs, do you still have Oswald's book?" He asked.
"I sure do." Fishlegs nodded as he then rolled out a sketch of the massive skeleton on Vanaheim. "Henry's right, guys. Look at this is the Dragon remains from Oswald's notes,"
"Which from what the Flyer we found there told us, is the same species as the King of Dragons." Henry continued.
"Okay," Hiccup prompted.
"What about it?" Hicca asked.
"Well's There's just one problem." Fishlegs said and gestured to the Titan Wing Dramillion. "This skeleton doesn't go with this dragon's body shape."
Henry nodded as he pointed to the sketch. "If you take a closer look at the skeleton it clearly shows that it's quadruped with tusks which the bipedal Dramillion doesn't have and as you said before Hiccup, it's even bigger than the Submaripper, the Shellfire, the Screaming Death and even the Red Death itself." He then turned towards the Titan Wing Dramillion. "And the Titan Wing Dramillion is nowhere near that size."
Throk nodded in agreement. "I must admit, my friends, Henry and the Ingerman boy, seem to be correct." He stated.
"Now, also in Oswald's notes is the King's ability to use mind control over other dragons," Fishlegs added. "This dragon doesn't do that or anything close to it."
"If it did there was no way the Flyers would be able to get anywhere close to it," Henry nodded. "The closest thing to control from what I saw was it commanding the other Dramillions, but that's more like Alpha status, not mind control."
"Okay, but what about its ability to generate the firepower of all the other dragons?" Hiccup asked.
"And other abilities like cloaking?" Hicca added.
"That's got to be reverent somehow," said Fishlegs. "But Hiccup, Hicca, this is not the King of Dragons. If it were, it would still be with Johann, not lying here with us."
Raeda then groaned, "Oh, you better not tell me this whole quest for the King of Dragons hasn't been a Wild Terrible Terror chase!" She pleaded.
"Not, Raeda. It hasn't been a Wild Terrible Terror chase." Fishlegs assured. "The lens showed us the Titan-Wing Dramillion for a reason."
"Which means this dragon is special for some reason, otherwise the Dragon Eye would not have led us to it," Henry said. "The only logical reason why they left it behind was because they got exactly what they wanted from it."
"Which means we just need to figure out what it is and fast." Hiccup stated.
Hicca then looked away in thought but then her eyes widened, "Um, guys. You might wanna see this." She said.
Everyone turned and just stared in bewilderment as the Titan -wing Dramillion's mouth began to glow in rainbow-like color.
The Haddock Twins approached the injured dragon and kneeled next to it, "Well, that's interesting." Hiccup noted curiously.
"That must be his own fire." Hicca assumed. "Every dragon has its own unique fire, but the Dramillions have adapted to copying other dragons for so long they must've forgotten how to use it. Well, all except this one." She hypothesized placing a hand on the Dramillion's snout.
"It's different from anything we've seen out of this dragon or any dragon, for that matter." Fishlegs said in awed.
"It must be the combination of all the other dragon fires combined." Henry theorizes while looking at the Dramillion's new fire in awed before he got an idea. "Wait, the Dragon Fury Eye needed lenses from each of the seven Dragon classes."
"Then if the Dramillion's original fire combines the fire of all seven classes," Hiccup started. "Then maybe…" He trailed off as realization struck.
"Well, then there's only one thing to do." Hicca said as she turned to her brother. "You still have the Dragon Fury Eye on you, bro?" She asked.
"I sure do, sis." Hiccup then pulled out the Dragon Fury Eye and placed it next to the flames. Everyone gasped as the flames began to alter the map from the seven lenses they had collected.
"The map, it's changing," Fishlegs gasped as he rushed over towards it excitedly as the map changed to the shape of an island, with the dragon class symbol surrounding it and the silhouette of a dragon beneath the island. "Of course! The map was leading us to the Titan Wing Dramillion because its fire is the last piece of the puzzle!"
Henry then looked at the image and saw the picture of an unfamiliar dragon at the bottom, "There! That dragon matches the one from Vanaheim, that must be the real King of Dragons!" He declared.
"And from the looks of it, it's located on…" Fishlegs then stared when he looked at the island and gasped when he recognized it. "Hiccup, Hicca, we need to get to Berserker Island."
Hiccup and Hicca looked at Astrid. "This changes everything." The Haddock twins said together.
(Linebreak)
The next morning on Berserker Island, Heather and Ragnar, who was now fully healed, were walking around the village with Dagur.
"Ah! Peace and quiet," Dagur smiled as he walked around with his hands behind his back. "Everyone in the right place, doing what they do proudly for the Berserker name." He then sighed as he looked at Heather and Ragnar. "I got to say, guys, I'm bored as hell."
Then suddenly they heard a horn blowing in the distance much to their surprise.
"Incoming ships? Were we expecting guests?" Dagur asked frantically. "I mean I'm not even cleaned up. I don't have any guests on my calendar."
Heather then looked through her spyglass and saw who the ships belonged to. "That's because they're uninvited guests." She then gave the spyglass to Ragnar.
Ragnar look through the spyglass and narrowed his eyes. "And they're not the friendly uninvited ones." He said.
He then handed Dagur the spyglass and he saw that Hunter ships were now advancing on their position with an entire flock of Flyers behind them.
Heather smiled as she drew out her ax. "Still bored, brother?" She asked.
Ragnarr then pulled out two swords, "Because I sure ain't" He smirked.
Dagur chuckled as he drew out his ax and laughed maniacally indicating that he was no longer bored and that he was going to enjoy this Final Battle.