000
Hiccup had heard about the Berserkers back in his classes. A war-hungry tribe whose warriors entered a frenzied state of mind before any battle. Cutting any enemy in their path while showing no reaction to any wound they themselves suffer. They were also fierce dragon hunters. Going after the rarest of dragons most of the times; such as a Skrill. Which is why they were high up on the Jormung's list of tribes to avoid.
They were heading up the steps to the main deck. One of Eret's men in front of him and Astrid at his back. He wasn't sure what to feel about the situation. Would, as heard from Astrid's conversation above, the Berserkers double-cross his captors and take him away for their own, unpleasant purposes? If that was the inevitable case, he sure hoped the dragon hunters wouldn't let him go without a fight.
He could already hear the commotion going on just beyond the door. And from what it sounded like, it appeared Eret and someone else were going back and forth about an agreement. It wasn't until the crew-mate opened the door that all talking ceased as he felt every single pair of eyes land on him. It was hard not to notice the huge, burly men with massive axes and maces in hand, standing by the ship's railings and next to a gangplank from a more, intimidating ship. Armed with ballista's on each side, and warriors with bows and arrows at the ready. It was when his eyes moved up to the sails that took his breath away. He never expected a dragon of all things to be the symbol of a Viking tribe. The legendary Skrill at that.
"By Thor... I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd be here, laying my eyes on a Jormung." Hiccup heard someone say. Turning to the source of the voice, he was greeted by the insane looking eyes of what he presumed to be the Berserker Chief. Not as big as some of his men, but looking just as strong and fierce.
"That's because if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't." Eret remarked, however Astrid coughed loudly, raising her brow at Eret. "Sorry...if not for us!" He quickly corrected himself. Astrid rolled her eyes, before grasping his arm and pushing him forward.
"Dagur, so what do we owe this visit?" She asked.
"Well, after Eret made a brief stop on Berserker island, it was brought to my attention on the bounty he was after. And being the curious soul that I am, I couldn't help but insert myself into this highly challenging quest."
"This quest is over, Dagur."
"But won't you let me at least speak to it?" He looked towards Eret.
"I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't call me an it." Hiccup said. All the Berserkers present on the ship gasped. Hiccup scoffed, clearly irked by their disrespect for his kind.
"How did you learn to talk?" He was surprised by how fast Dagur closed the distance between them, standing face-to-face with him. Hiccup could now clearly tell that this man was slightly, if not mostly, insane.
"On my own in fact. Teachers helped me expand my vocabulary." He raised a brow when Dagur's eyes seemed to glitter with awe. "You are uncomfortably close to me. Please back off." Fortunately, Astrid pulled him back and inserted herself between the two men.
"Now that you've had your encounter, I'm sure you have to be on your way." Astrid looked to take Hiccup back down to the hold but stopped when she noticed some of Dagur's men blocking the door that led below. She also noticed out of the corner of her eye that most of the men had drawn their weapons and were taking up positions around the ship. Eret noticed this too.
"I'm afraid I can't let you take him away just yet."
"Dagur, don't do anything you'll regret." Eret warned him, hand reaching for his sword.
The Berserker Chief chuckled, pulling out his sword, and pointed it square at Eret. "If anyone should be careful here, it should be you. Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking that Jormung off your hands."
"Told you you should have seen this coming." Astrid muttered in Eret's direction, moving herself and Hiccup closer to him. The rest of Eret's men didn't dare draw their weapons. They were out manned, out shipped and out gunned. "What exactly are you going to do with him anyway?"
"Keep him as my personal slave, what else? Do you know how many people will flock to our island just to gaze on the last Jormung in existence? And besides.." He raised his sword, running his fingers along the edge, "..I've always wanted to test a Jormung's prowess and skills in battle. I hear they were famed at it." Astrid could hear Hiccup's gulp. She knew from capturing him that he was no where near the fighting level of a warrior Jormung. Or Dagur's level for that matter. There was no way she was going to let them take him away. If only there was-
That was when everyone heard it.
A loud, piercing whistle in the now, orange, purple sky.
"Night Fury!"
They heard it getting closer. Only glimpses of a shadow dancing across the sky. Heads turning this way and that, following the direction of the sound and hoping to catch any glimpse of the beast. "Prepare yourselves!" Astrid yelled, her ax drawn in her right hand, and Hiccup's arm in her other. She'd be damned if she let the Night Fury just swoop in and carry him away. Despite the impending peril, Dagur's maniacal laugh was almost on par with the Night Fury's shrieking whistle.
"Oh praise the Gods! First the Jormung and now a Night Fury? Oh happy day!" He was faster in looking for the Night Fury. His adrenaline and glee were at an all time high.
"Is he always like this?" Hiccup asked her.
Why wasn't he- Oh. Why would he be scared of that sound? His dragon was coming back for its rider.
She didn't answer him. Instead, pulling him closer to Eret. The more bodies the Night Fury had to go through, the better. It wouldn't risk harming its rider.
"Remember this day men! The day the Berserkers captured a Jormung and a Night Fury! Our names will be sung in all the halls for years to come!" Dagur laughed.
However, that all stopped when a huge gust of wind blew from behind them, and an enormous thud on the main deck of the ship. Everyone turned to see the Night Fury, wings spread, eyes in slits and teeth bared. Astrid didn't remember it being this aggressive the first time she encountered it. However, what caught everyone's attention was the person getting off the Night Fury's back; and Astrid had a good suspicion of who it was.
"Congratulations to all of you!" The figure said, standing straight to face all of them. Astrid felt different about this Jormung. She didn't feel nearly as threatened during her first encounter. But from the tales she's heard, then that meant the Jormung right in front of her was the one that didn't leave any witnesses. And she could see why. He was definitely a Jormung who's seen, trained and fought in battles. His incredible size size and unwavering stance, against an entire fleet, spoke volumes. She quickly began assessing her target. His cloak kept his left side hidden, and all she could see was a sword in its scabbard, fastened to the right side of his hip. There was no telling what he could do or what he was capable of.
"You all have experienced a sighting that no one before you ever has! Laying eyes on the last two Jormung in existence." He stayed at the dragon's side, near the ships railing on the starboard side.
"Too bad none of you will live to tell the tale-" his eyes met hers and then Hiccup's. She felt him tremble under his gaze. "-unless, you release him this instance."
"And who are you to bark orders when you're outnumbered? Anyone who willingly walks into any Berserker fleet would be deemed more insane than I am." Dagur laughed.
"Dagur, right? Chief of the Berserkers? The tribe with the greatest armada of all the clans in the Archipelago?" The Jormung asked.
"What's it to you?"
The Jormung shrugged his shoulders. "Would be a shame if all your ships met an untimely fate." He was met with laughter, mostly from Dagur and his men. One even dared to close the distance to him, along the railing, his bow aimed at him.
"And how are you going to do that? You may have the Night Fury at your side, but there is no chance in Hel that you survive this." There were hums of agreement going around the Berserkers. Silence from the dragon trappers. The Jormung turned his attention to the bowman.
"What is your name?"
"What's it to you? Wanna remember the name of the man that slayed you?" No one saw it coming. One second he was talking, the next, a dragon's tail, covered with spines, was sticking out of his chest. Everyone gasped, but none made a move. He dropped his bow and arrow and clutched at the tail which was lifting him up. It was then a massive dragon showed itself, rising from below the water's surface and above the ship's side; milky white eyes trained all of them, except the Berserker impaled on its tail, who was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe.
"Names of dead men don't matter." The Jormung said before the Whispering Death coiled its tail and flung the Berserker far away from any of the ships. "Now that the odds have tipped in my favour, are you all going to reconsider my offer?"
"Do as he says." Hiccup muttered to her. "He's not bluffing. He will continue to kill until you release me." She glanced at him. His eyes said everything. She could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of what would happen to them if they didn't comply. However, before either she or Eret could respond, Dagur spoke.
"I'm afraid you're forgetting who you're up against." Dagur drew his other sword and the rest of his men got into their stances. Everyone also noticed the ballistas and catapults being aimed in their direction from the surrounding Berserker ships. "We Berserkers are prepared to die in any circumstance. And rest assured that we will not be letting your friend go. Unless-" He directed his sword to Hiccup's chest. "-you want us to kill him now."
"I wouldn't be against it." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. That caught everyone, excluding Hiccup, off guard. "You'd make my life a Hel of a lot easier. But I'm afraid I can't do that. So Dagur, are you going to release him, or do you want a massacre on your hands?"
"What are you-"
"I'm going to give until the count of five to release him or I start sinking your ships and killing your men. One-"
"You're bluffing."
"Two."
"He's not bluffing. Do as he says!" Hiccup yelled.
"Three."
"Dagur stop testing him!" Eret said.
"Four."
"No deal."
"Five. Okay, have it your way." Astrid watched him turn to the Whispering Death, giving it a nod. Was he going to have the dragons attack a ship? But if that were the case, then he'd leave himself defenseless. Unless he believed he could take on an entire crew by himself. Considering she never truly faced a Jormung in warrior mode, she was not about to underestimate him.
She saw the Whispering Death raise its tail, before beginning to coil it. She grabbed Hiccup and pulled him closer. He wouldn't dare hit the person he was trying to rescue, would he? She got her answer a few moments later when the dragon fired a few spikes into a Berserker ship about a hundred paces east from Eret's ship. Astrid waited with bated breath. Everything about this Jormung screamed deadly and unpredictable. The gap in how this Jormung and Hiccup acted was just leagues. There was no way that all Jormung were like him. Her thoughts were cut short by Dagur, and most of his men, broke into laughter.
"What's a few little spikes going to do to my-" He was interrupted when their boat rocked. Highly unusual when in calm waters. "What's that in the water?" One of Eret's crew called out. Everyone's heads turned towards the source of commotion. Because the day's light was nearly gone, she couldn't make out what was swimming just below the surface. All she could tell was that it was huge, and it was making its way towards the Berserker ship the Whispering Death had dislodged its spines into. The Berserkers on the ship began firing their ballistas at the water in a panic. Nothing seemed to slow the creature down. And just when it was at the ship's hull, did the beast seem to disappear.
And that's when chaos broke out.
Giant jaws captured the ship, pushing it up and snapping it in half. The screams of the men could be heard all around as everyone stared at the humongous, snow-white dragon with blood-red eyes as it devoured any man in its jaws. The Berserkers who were lucky enough to not be eaten in the initial attack fell to the waters below them Resurfacing fast, they began swimming towards the other ships. But their effort was futile. After ridding its mouth of the ships' remains, it trained its eyes on the survivors below. Its blood-curdling roar would have been felt for miles as it dove for the sea's surface and gobbling up any Berserker in the water.
"May I introduce all of you to the Screaming Death. Incredibly rare boulder-class dragon. Hatches about every one hundred years. Extremely loyal to its kin. Extremely dangerous." He turned to face them. "No known weaknesses." The Jormung was smirking. Hearing the cries of dying Vikings and the sight of blood and death brought that smirk on his face. He wasn't afraid to kill to make a point. He wasn't afraid to kill needlessly.
No one on the ship moved. None of the other ships mounted any kind of offense. Anything they'd do would bring attention upon themselves and, all likelihood, meet their end in the belly of that dragon. The Jormung gave a whistle, catching the attention of the beast whom, after making sure there were no survivors, flew towards them. The now night-sky did nothing to diminish the pale, white scales of the Screaming Death. The blood staining its jaws didn't help either.
The beast was at least ten ships long. Its head could have been the same size as two and a half ships stacked on top of each other. She was pretty sure it could even break a ship in half with its tail. No ballistas or catapults would be able to bring it down.
Both Dagur's and Eret's men moved away from the Jormung and his two dragons once the great white beast hovered behind, eyes trained all of them. Its exhales carrying the scent of fresh blood and guts and Gods knew what else was in its belly. "Hand him over, or I start sinking ships. Your choice." Was all he said. And considering he had no trouble in making a statement a few minutes prior, he would carry out his threat. "And to any of you who's thinking to kill me where I stand, looking at you Dagur, you'll all be making your way to Valhalla or Helheim in a matter of seconds. So I do suggest you think carefully about your next move."
"Could you at least give us time to think about it?" Eret asked.
The smirk the Jormung gave sent chills down Astrid's spine. "No." And with one gesture from his arm the white behemoth behind him took off towards another Berserker ship. The sheer force the beast created when it blew past over them nearly sent a few sailors over the railings. The rest could only watch as the familiar screams and roars from before came back.
"Hand him over and it all stops."
Hiccup pulled out of her grip, turning to face her, eyes pleading. "Please! You have to release me! If you don't he'll leave no survivors. And I mean, no survivors." She could see the truth in his eyes. She suspected that if the other Jormung would leave him alive. But his eyes said otherwise. Clearly whatever happened between the two of them was reason enough for him to fear for his own life. But then again, could they risk a surprise attack against him? She did a quick look-over him and the dragons and found no way of launching a surprise attack. They had their eyes trained on the entire crew, paying no attention to the carnage over on the remains of the other ship. Besides, how would she signal Eret to try something without alerting the Jormung.
"Alright." She said aloud, reaching for the keys at her waist.
"No you don't!" Dagur tried to make a move to stop her but Eret had his blade at Dagur's neck.
"I'm not dying for your ambitions, Dagur." He said, unfazed by the Berserker Chief's glare. The clang of metal chains hitting the deck rang out, as Hiccup rubbed his wrists and silently thanked Astrid. She gestured for to him to make his way to the other Jormung.
He took one glance at Ripper's eyes, immediately regretting it. He still felt the hatred radiating from his former brother. You could almost breathe it in.
Keeping his eyes downcast, he walked over to Toothless' side.
"We've done what you asked. Now please get off my ship." Eret said. Astrid stared incredulously at him. They just handed over their only bargaining chip and that's how he opens up. She looked back at the Jormung, only to see him smiling.
"It's your lucky day everyone. Because you all have been so cooperative, I've decided to spare all your worthless lives." He said as Hiccup got atop Toothless and Ripper stepped into his steps alongside's Bladewing's head. "However, heed this as your only warning if any of you chooses to come after me." His threat was followed up by a whistle. In response they saw the Screaming Death continue its rampage through the rest of the Berserker fleet.
Dagur watched helplessly as his fleet was torn apart. Usually the screams and cries of help would soothe him on those troubled nights. But not when they were coming from his own army. He turned away from the massacre, and stared up at Ripper, face twisted into a nasty snarl.
"I'll get you for this! You hear me! Nothing in Helheim can prepare you for the horrors you'll suffer at my hands!"
Astrid really wished Dagur would shut up. The Jormung could have them killed at any time. However, as she looked up to see his face, she was surprised at the calm expression he bore.
"That's the thing Dagur, I've already been through Helheim."