Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the last one. Have fun reading this chapter! Sorry for the long wait, but many things were happening, making me unable to write.
Chapter 16
(Dragon Island)
After Dagur and Alvin pledged themselves to Hiccup, they packed everything together and started to make their way back to base. On the way back, they stopped at Berserker Island and Outcast Island, gathering the rest of the tribes. At first, the others were confused about what was going on, but after seeing the force of Hiccup's army, they obliged fast. When Alvin and Dagur saw that they were heading to Helheims Gate, they thought Hiccup had gone insane. They were surprised when he told them they had killed the queen and now had their base there.
Once they arrived, the Berserkers and Outcasts settled in and helped construct the base. While building, two Berserkers and three Outcasts tried to sneak up on Hiccup, but they never reached him. To the others, he always knew where they were without even looking. One tried to throw a knife at him, but Hiccup caught it without looking and threw it back at him, hitting him in the neck. No one wanted to attack him afterward, and even Dagur and Alvin tried to stay clear of him as much as possible.
Two days after their arrival, the fleet that took the Northlanders returned. From what Hiccup had been told, they didn't resist much. Once the Northlanders started working, the amount of work done in one day almost tripled. They had the main meeting room in the middle of the volcano in a cave. Other caves were used as sleeping quarters, kitchens, storages, and dining rooms. In the deepest part of the mountain lay the prisons. It was dark and hot down there, making it uncomfortable to be in.
Hiccup also designed new armor for his troops, giving them better protection and keeping most of their mobility. Just because they are replaceable doesn't mean he needs them to die. It saves him the time to find other tribes to join. The armor was designed with a black chest plate and the strike class symbol in front of it. Two shoulder guards and arm guards for the upper and lower arm. Their hands were protected by overstanding steel plates that connected to the arm guards. Their stomach region was also covered by a steel plate attached to the chest with black leather. On the back sat another steel plate consisting of smaller plates, making for more mobility. Their legs were covered like the arms with steel boots at the end. Every piece of armor was connected through leather. The helmet was almost identical to Hiccup's, but instead of just the eyeholes open, they had a T-shaped form in the front. Every piece was made of Gronckle iron and painted black. Hiccup redesigned his armor to make it stand out. (The armor from Httyd 3).
Dagur's and Alvin's armor was almost identical to those of the other Vikings, but their helmet had a completely open front. It took a few months to make armor for everyone, but they managed to give everyone armor. When the ships returned from the Hysterics, they reported that the mission was successful. This meant that only the Bog, Meatheads, and Lava Louts remained.
They finished their base, too. It had multiple defense systems: catapults, canons, Balistas, and numerous arrow launchers. The launcher could simultaneously fire up to 150 arrows, spreading in a wider circle and creating an effective and deadly weapon.
Hiccup was standing around the table, looking over his map. Toothless was somewhere else on base, probably commanding or organizing other dragons. Sensing someone coming from behind, he rolled up the map and put it away. Turning around, he saw Alvin and Dagur standing in front of them. Putting their left fist in front of their right shoulder, they bowed in greeting.
"My lord. The ships and troops are ready and are awaiting your signal.", Alvin said.
"Good. Prepare to leave within the next hour.", Hiccup told them.
Turning his back to them, they left, seeing the usual dismissal sign. Taking a knife, he spun around and threw it at a large map on the room's side wall. The knife hit the center of an island. Walking over, he gave a short whistle. Reaching the wall, he looked at where his knife hit. It was an island located farther out with the words under it, spelling 'Lava Louts'. Pulling the knife out of the map, he noticed Toothless arriving at his side.
"Let the downfall begin.", Hiccup said.
"The dragons know what to do and are ready to leave as soon as we do.", Toothless told him.
"Good. Berk won't expect a raid after years without one. There will be confusion at first, and after a while, if we keep sending raids, they won't be concentrated on us as much.", Hiccup said.
"Won't they realize that something is off if they don't steal food as usual and just start to destroy?", Toothless asked.
"I think that they will be too busy to notice this. Even if they do, it won't connect to us. My father always saw dragons as beasts, so it won't change much in his point of view.", Hiccup said, beginning to walk out of the room.
"Fair enough. So, you want to keep some alive or kill them all?", the dragon asked as they made their way to the docks.
"We kill all their allies and not leave a single soul alive of them. As for Berk, they will have to live under our command, and if they don't, they will be punished. We'll try not to kill them. Only the ones who keep making stress will be executed.", Hiccup explained. Toothless nodded to him.
By now, they had reached the docks and boarded the flagship. It was twice the size of the other ships and had more canons. Hiccup walked up the ramp, and Toothless followed. The men on deck bowed to him and returned to do their work. Reaching the bug, he turned to Dagur, who stood a little behind him.
"Set sail.", Hiccup ordered.
"Yes, my lord.", Dagur said, bowing.
In the blink of an eye, everybody on board got to work. The massive fleet that reached around 120 ships made their way into the ocean. There were about 600 warriors ready to fight. There were no dragons this time, but they won't need them.
(Lava Lout Island)
Njord Sindri walked through his village. Head held high as expected of the chief. He was in a good mood as they were preparing to visit Berk, one of their main trading partners. As chief, it was his job to ensure everything was ready before they set sail. Finishing his tour, he made his way toward their forge. A horn sounded when he was about ten feet away from the forge. It was blown two times, meaning that ships had been spotted. Sighing, he turned around and made his way to the nearest watchtower. Once he reached the top, a guard handed him spyglasses. Looking through it, he could make out the ships. He couldn't see any insignia, but what he could tell was that the boats were massive. Handing the spyglass to the guard, he looked right at him.
"Tell everyone to gather their weapons. From the number of ships, this could be an invasion.", the chief told him.
"They could be lost and may ask for the way.", the guard replied, nervous.
"I'm not taking chances. We gather near the docks.", Njord told him, walking away.
It took ten minutes until everyone was ready, but they stood near the docks behind small walls that would give them cover. What surprised them was how fast the ships were approaching. They could see them clearly now. Looking toward the fleet, the chief noticed something.
"They stopped.", he whispered.
That was when the sound of small bangs filled the air, and slight smoke clouds appeared on the deck of the ships. They were confused about what was going on until five seconds later, explosions shook through the village. Houses exploded, their watchtowers collapsed, and one explosion happened in the middle of a group. The Lava Louts screamed in terror as their town started to burn, and some Vikings were blown to pieces. A minute after the explosions, arrows began to rain from above, taking out a significant number of them again. They had already lost half of their men, and the ships hadn't even docked yet. Looking out of his cover, Njord saw ten boats approaching.
"Everybody, get ready! They're coming! We will avenge our fallen and kill the last one of them!", Njord screamed as he turned to his people.
There were shouts of agreement and anger as they all raised their weapons. They waited until the ships docked and their ramps lowered before starting their charge. They took positions around crates and barrels on the docks as they watched the ship. There was silence for a minute before they saw the first troops on the ramp. They moved in unison while their steel boots gave a terrifying sound as they hit the ground at the same time. They were shocked as they took in their armor.
"Kill them all!", the chief yelled, raising his fist.
The Lava Louts began to charge while the enemy troops readied their weapon. They had a strict plan to follow, given by their leader, to wait for them to attack. They were ordered to push them back and minimize their numbers drastically once they reached them. So they stood and waited for the Lava Louts to reach them.
When they clashed, a massive fight broke out. After five minutes into the war, the Lava Louts realized they were severely outnumbered and overpowered. Njord could have had a better time, but he kept his ground. That was when he spotted one man who looked different from the rest. The armor was slightly different, and his helmet almost looked like a dragon head. He watched as this man cut down his people without mercy and, from the looks of it, with ease. Realizing this was their leader, he killed the last attacker near him by slitting his throat. He charged at the enemy leader.
Hiccup sensed someone charging him but killed the one in front of him first by cutting off his head. Turning around, he saw the chief was about to reach him. When Njord brought his axe down, Hiccup grabbed his arm with his right hand. The Lava Louts chief struggled to bring down the weapon while the attacker stood still. Hiccup gave him a kick in the stomach, making him stumble back. Recovering, he got into a battle stance again.
"You will pay for all the lives you took today!", Njord yelled, striking again from above.
"You can try, but the Lava Louts will die. And I will personally gut you after I make you watch your tribe getting executed.", Hiccup replied as he blocked the attack.
Pushing back with his sword, he took out his second sword. Njord recovered and tried to attack him from the side. Hiccup jumped over the axe and kicked the side of his face. Njord fell backward and watched as Hiccup taunted him by signaling with his hands to attack.
"That all you can do?", Hiccup taunted him further.
Grunting, Njord stood up again, picked up his axe, and moved more carefully to his opponent. Hiccup watched this and decided to play his little game. Closing the gap between them, he brought his sword down. Njord rolled to the side and tried to tackle him to the ground. Hiccup sidestepped him and gave him a kick in the back. This caused Njord to lose his weapon as his grip loosened. Putting away his swords, Hiccup walked toward him.
"Let's fight like real man.", he told him, raising his fists.
Njord charged him and swung his fist in a wild manner. Hiccup evaded or blocked every attack for the next five minutes. Meanwhile, the rest of Hiccup's troops were finished fighting and secured twenty Lava Louts that surrendered. They watched him fight while keeping their distance. Njord was getting tired and grew angrier for not landing a hit the entire time. When he tried to punch him again, he tumbled a bit, which caused him to stumble forward. Hiccup kicked out his legs, making him fall. Rolling onto his back, the last thing he saw was his enemy pulling back his arm. Then everything went black.
Hiccup watched as the chief went unconscious after he hit him. Looking around, he saw that twenty were cuffed, and the rest were dead. He saw Alvin and Dagur approaching him in the corner of his eye. They bowed before looking back at him.
"We secured the village and took everyone alive here, my lord.", Dagur said.
"Good, tie them up. We'll wait for their chief to wake up.", Hiccup ordered, crossing his arms.
"Yes, my lord.", Alvin replied.
It took ten minutes for Njord to wake up again. When he woke up, he was confused about why he couldn't move his arms or legs. This was when he remembered everything that happened—the fight, the challenge... the loss. He looked around, trying to find the enemy leader. He spotted the man to his right about ten yards away. He closed his eyes again, trying to play unconscious. Unfortunately, it didn't work. His chin was grabbed roughly and pulled up, making him wince.
"Don't try to go back to sleep. You'll miss the show.", someone said.
He opened his eyes since it wasn't the voice of the one he had fought. Standing in front of him were two familiar faces. The first seconds, he was too shocked to speak. After the shock, he found the words he was looking for.
"D-Dagur? Alvin? What are you doing here?", Njord asked.
"Did you lose your memory? We killed a few of you about thirty minutes ago. Then we captured you and the last alive.", Dagur said in his typically maniacal manner.
"B-But we had treaties! Why did you break them!?", Njord yelled, fuelled with anger.
"We were given orders. And Lord Shadow doesn't like it when we disobey him.", Alvin sneered.
"Lord Shadow? Who in the Nine Realms is Lord Shadow?!", the chief asked.
"That would be me.", a voice came from behind Dagur and Alvin.
Both men turned around and bowed. Njord looked up and recognized the man as the one he fought earlier. An angry scowl made its way onto his face as he looked at the invader.
"So you're the one who ordered us to attack us? Can't pick a real fight, so you use surprise and weapons for cowards!", Njord yelled.
"No. I use them to get rid of those who have no use for me or are not my target.", Hiccup told him, getting on eye-level.
This confused Njord as he looked quizzically at the man before him, "What do you mean, 'not your target'? You attacked us, so you targeted us."
"Wrong. I attacked because you're working with the one clan that is my target. The one clan who wronged me for my entire life. Now, I'll pay them back.", Hiccup told him, his voice now cold.
Before Njord could reply, Hiccup stood and walked away from him and toward the other prisoners. Reaching them, he picked one by their arm and dragged him in front of the chief. Shoving the Viking to the ground, he locked eyes with Njord again.
"Remember what I told you when we fought?", Hiccup asked.
Njord was about to reply when Hiccup picked the Viking up and put his right arm across his throat, gripping his shoulder. The left arm gripped the right side of the man's neck. Without warning, he twisted the head around, and a snapping sound was heard, indicating that the neck had been broken. Letting the body go, it dropped to the ground motionless. There were gasps from the other prisoners while Njord looked horrified.
This continued with the other nineteen Vikings. Some were stabbed, others had their throats cut open. Njord watched everyone left from his tribe getting executed before him. With each death, the realization came closer to him that this would be his end and the end of the entire Lava-Louts.
As Hiccup approached the chief slowly, the man didn't try to fight back. He had his head down and accepted his fate. Njord heard the footsteps getting closer and closer until they were just a foot in front of him. He expected to be stabbed, beheaded or choked. He didn't expect to be grabbed and dragged toward a wooden pillar. Hiccup's men tied him to the post and walked away once he was secured.
Hiccup approached him again, but he held a canister in his right hand this time. Without a word, he purred the content over the chief until he was entirely covered by it. Hiccup threw the canister to the side when the last drop was poured on him.
"What are you planning, demon?", Njord asked, his voice weak.
"You'll see.", was all that Hiccup said.
Hiccup walked away as one soldier approached with a torch in his hand. The soldier stood beside Hiccup, handing him the torch and taking two steps back. Taking one last look at the tied-up man, he threw the torch at the man's feet. The monstrous nightmare saliva, including the person tied to it, instantly ignited the pillar. The air filled with the pained screams of the burning man until he couldn't scream anymore.
"Load up! We're heading back to base!", Hiccup called out while whistling for Toothless.
The jet-black dragon appeared a few seconds later, and without another word, both rider and dragon took off. Below them, their troops loaded everything up and set sail back to their base.
(Three weeks later on Berk)
Word reached Berk that the Lava-Louts were no more when Johann arrived. He told them he wanted to dock on the island but found it destroyed and abandoned. He explained how he searched the village and came across bodies over bodies. Some were mangled, while some looked like a Gronckle had hit them.
Another surprising thing for them was that the dragons came back. They were unprepared for such an attack. All their defenses had been destroyed, but no food had been taken, and no one was killed. No dragon or human died in that raid. Some said this was a sign from the gods, telling them that Ragnarok was about to come.
Spitelout still hadn't told anyone that their enemy was their runty ex-heir. He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared of what would happen if he told someone. Stoick noticed that his brother was quieter than usual, but he blamed it on losing his eye.
After the first one, the teens were allowed to fight in the raids, considering they underwent dragon training. Snotlout became more persistent in getting Astrid to be with him but failed. He also became a council member since he was the only relative of Stoick who could make the heir. The twins stopped creating chaos as they used to since the raids happened every two to three days, which meant they had almost no time to rebuild. Fishlegs was placed on the council due to his big brain and strategic thinking. Astrid was considered one of the best fighters on Berk and also got a seat in the council. The council was gathered in the hall to discuss the raids and what they should do about it.
"Let's get to the ships and destroy their nest!", Snotlout shouted.
Everyone sighed at the young Jorgenson, "Snotlout. We can't use our resources to build ships with the raids' frequency. And we can't use our ships because we need them to fish. Our chances of finding the nest are at 10% while succeeding with the mission are about 2%.", Fishlegs said.
"He's right. We need to stay here.", Stoick said.
"We should contact our allies and ask for help. With them, we could gather enough resources and defend our buildings better.", Gobber suggested.
There were murmurs of agreement through the council. They were all quietly talking with each other, discussing what would be best. Spitelout stood up after a minute, having enough of it.
"Let's put it to a vote, shall we?", he asked, looking at the chief.
"Aye. Those who want to search for the nest, raise your hands.", Stoick asked. Only Snotlout's hand went up, "Those who are in favor of asking our allies.", the rest raised their hands.
"It's decided then. I will send a message to them within the next hour. Meeting dismissed.", Stoick told them.
The council left the hall, everyone going about their daily business. Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout went to the village square. On the way there, Snotlout kept mumbling about how un-Viking-like this plan was.
"Could you shut up for one minute?!", Astrid exploded on him, having enough of his annoyance, "I still can't believe they let you on the council."
"I'm the new heir, babe. Better get used to it since once I'm chief, you and I will be married.", Snotlout said smugly, flexing his arms.
"Guys? What's that?", Fishlegs asked, gaining both of their attention.
Looking over, they saw him pointing out to the open sea. They walked toward the cliffside to get a better look. Once they arrived, their eyes widened. On the horizon, moving closer, were dragons, a lot of dragons.
"Snotlout! Tell the guards there is a raid coming. Fishlegs, inform the chief. I'll get Gobber ready.", Astrid told them before they all headed off.
Astrid sprinted through town to the forge. Once it was in sight, she saw the orange glow from the windows, meaning Gobber was there. The blacksmith was busy shaping a sword back in form when Astrid almost crashed into him.
"Woah. Slow down there, lassie.", Gobber said.
"Gobber, there's a raid coming.", Astrid told him.
"What do you mean a raid? There was no-", Gobber got cut off by the sound of a horn.
There were shouts of "Dragons!" and "Get ready!" throughout the village. Astrid exited the forge and saw Stoick running toward her. They met in the plaza, with Spitelout and Snotlout coming too.
"Spitelout, take Snotlout and defend our livestock. Astrid, you will lead a group to protect the great hall and the children. I'll tell Gobber to get ready and will manage the catapults.", Stoick ordered them.
"I informed Gobber already, sir.", Astrid cut in before the chief could run away.
"Thank you, Astrid. Saves me time to get the counterattack ready.", Stoick said, putting a supporting hand on her shoulder.
Five minutes later, fire began raining from the sky as the dragons descended. The catapults were ready in no time and made defending their village easier. The battle was raging for an hour now, and no end was in sight. The Vikings had a hard time hitting dragons, while the dragons had a hard time destroying their targets. But suddenly, the whole battlefield froze—the Vikings in horror and the dragons in anticipation. Through the silence, a whistle was heard getting louder and louder.
"NIghtfury!", followed by, "Get down!", was being shouted through the whole town. The Vikings threw themselves on the ground while one of their catapults crumbled after being hit by a plasma blast.
The Nightfury destroyed the remaining catapults, letting the dragons gain the upper hand again. The fight was a long one, and nearly every building was damaged. Once the sun started to appear above the horizon, the dragons retreated, leaving the Berkians defeated.
(Dragon Island)
Hiccup and Toothless landed on Dragon Island after telling the raid dragons to settle on the surrounding sea stacks to keep guard. Dismounting Toothless, Hiccup saw that his soldiers were busy moving weapons and ammunition to the docks. This was due to Hiccup's announcement before they left to accompany the raid. They were getting ready to take out the first allies of the Berkians. The first to go were the Meatheads. After that, they would sail directly to the Bog Burglars. When everything was done, they would prepare for the takeover of Berk. He saw Dagur and Alvin approaching him.
"My lord. The preparations are almost done. We should be ready by tomorrow morning.", Alvin said.
"Good. We'll sail once everything is ready. I don't want to waste more time than we need.", Hiccup told them.
"Yes, my lord.", they answered simultaneously.
"Tomorrow starts the real war. You sure you want to do it like that?", Toothless asked as they headed for their bedroom.
"First off, that's how I want to do it. And second, it's not really a war. For a war, both sides have a chance. But they don't have a chance against us.", Hiccup answered.
"Just wanted to make sure you didn't forget anything. How do you feel about it?", the dragon asked as they reached the bedroom.
"What do you mean, 'How I feel about it?'.", Hiccup asked, confused.
"How does being so close to getting your revenge feel?", Toothless asked more clearly.
Hiccup was silent for a while. How did he feel about it? How does he feel getting revenge on those who tormented him for years without end? To his father, who was about to banish him and never acknowledged him. Thinking about it, he felt good to return the hate. The only thing he didn't like was that this even affected the only two people who treated him like a human. He would make sure that Gothi and Gobber won't suffer from the other's consequences.
Turning to his brother, he said, "It feels good to know that soon they will learn the pain I had to live with. To make them feel as helpless as I once was."
Toothless nudged Hiccup with his head and went to his stone slab to sleep. Hiccup watched his brother for a moment before going to his bed. While sleeping, he thought of all the possible outcomes of the following few days. None of those will have Hiccup losing.
I know that's shorter than the others, but I wanted to give you something to read again. Also, I still have a lot going on in my life at the moment, but I will keep them as long as possible in the chapters. I hope you understand my reasons.
