Chapter 115
Hiccups POV:
It's been hours since I got back to the village after killing the spider maiden who I knew to be a yokai called a Jorogumo along with her spiders before I raided her home for anything of value. I wasn't disappointed when I looted the house since on the first floor it was pretty much just cobwebs and old furniture that was beyond repair. At first, I figured there wasn't anything of value in the house but when I kicked over a rug I found a door to a basement where I was proven wrong. The place had multiple treasures most likely stolen from the victims and along with the treasures I found the Spider maidens nest full of large eggs the size of my fist. When I saw the eggs, I felt nothing but disgust knowing the beasts that would hatch from them and didn't hesitate to release a large cloud of acid gas on the eggs destroying them. Once that was done I continued to explore the room the treasure was kept in and found a small journal that belonged to the Jorogumo telling her story. Apparently when she was a mere spider she was hatched in this house and hid herself in the basement gaining strength as she grew and eventually became a Jorogumo who was recruited by Akuhei who saw her strike down multiple warriors. Her main orders from him were to grow an army of spiders to aid in his conquest of this land and to begin with the destruction of the village I was staying in. Once I'd gone through her journal I began taking the treasures out of the basement and back to the upper levels so I could begin transferring them to the village. Transferring the treasures to the village took an hour since I had to carry it in a large basket that I used my kappa shell to carry but it made the villagers happy since I was giving the treasures to them despite their leader insisting I keep it for my services. When I was finally able to get him to accept the money he promised to use the funds to help the village by having a path through the forest built in order to make journeys to the nearby town easier on his people.
I admit I liked the idea of how the path would make things easier on the people of the village since I knew it was a tough time for them to travel such a long way to do business. Speaking of the people I'd had to deal with a lot of praise from them with many of them walking up to me to pat me on the back, congratulate me on a victory and in the case of some of the women who were either my age or close to it, give me a kiss on the cheek for what I'd done for their village. After I showed their leader the Jorogumo's journal the village threw me a large party in the evening to celebrate the defeat of the Jorogumo and her children saving their village and their people. The celebration was pretty nice with the food that was served being delicious, the village leader providing good conversation, the women performing an interesting dance for the entertainment of the people and some of the kids asking me to tell them about my fight. There were two problems though in the form of the dragon's claw acting up again and the boy I saved begging me to make him as my apprentice since he wanted to be just like me and fight monsters to protect the innocent. I told him he could do that himself but he had to have to learn that there's no shame in walking away from a possible battle or a dare made by the older generation and it doesn't hurt to ask for help.
Presently I was laying down on my bed mat rubbing my dragons claws upper part trying to make it stop hurting but I had the feeling it was getting ready to mature again. I stared up at the ceiling wondering if this transformation will be as painful as the last time which was so painful I passed out from the pain. I held the dragons claw up above my face and made the serrated edges come out of the sides and stared at them wondering if this next change will be as deadly as the first one but I knew it wouldn't only be revealed with time. It was then the pain manifested making me grit my teeth and grab onto the dragons' claw as it began to shake and glow before once more everything went black.
Blacksmiths forge
Nobodies POV:
Fox was watching the blacksmith hard at work cleansing the skull of the jorogumo she brought him of all dark magics and infusing it with the magic of the dragon's forge so it would serve Hiccup from now on. It was then at that moment the blacksmith paused in his work as a shiver ran up his spine before a smile came to his face. Fox tilted her head in confusion as she watched the blacksmith return to his work. Before she could ask what had him smiling he said.
"The dragons' claw has matured once more and shall soon reach its full strength."
"Will the pain be like before and leave him unconscious?" The blacksmith nodded.
"Indeed, it shall although I wish it would not hurt him but such is the price of powers given by the dragons forge."
"So how goes the creation of his latest reward."
"It's nearly complete and should be done before he wakes up." Fox nodded.
"Good!" She then tilted her head. "What exactly are you turning it into though?"
"Now that would spoil the surprise my dear but I can tell you it shall help ease his burden when it comes to carrying and climbing."
"Alright I trust you as you have yet to disappoint with your past creations."
"I assure you that this shall like the kappa shell be of great use to Hiccup in both combat and travelling." With that said the blacksmith returned to his work.
6 hours later
In the village
Hiccups POV:
I woke up groaning from pain before last night's events came rushing back to me and I turned to examine the dragons claw only to see that two slightly curved horns that were like the claws had grown out of the arm with one coming out of the shoulder the other out of the elbow. I stared at the dragons' claw wondering what I could use this newest alteration for other than causing more damage when I slammed my shoulder or elbowed someone.It was then a wooden chest resting against the back wall caught my attention since I knew it wasn't there before. This brought up the question of how it got here and who left it but I knew the only way to get my answers were to open it up and find out if it held any clues. I slowly crawled up to it as I took Pirus into my hands and used him to slowly open up the lid of the chest since I couldn't be sure if this was a trap. When the lid was fully opened and I didn't find any traps I slowly crawled over to the chest to see what it held only to find a silver skull with fanged teeth, six eyeholes, two small horns and a red crystal spider imbedded in the forehead. I knew this was the skull of the Jorogumo but I couldn't figure out what it was doing here before I noticed a scroll in the lid. I picked up the scroll and uncurled it and read.
Dear Hiccup
I congratulate you on your latest victory against the Jorogumo that was in service to Akuhei and would no doubt have helped him in his taking the lives of so many innocents and for the this both I and the fox bestow this gift forged from the skull of the jorogumo upon you. I have cleansed it of all forms of dark magic that contaminated it and infused it with the magic of the dragon forge like the other gifts I have given you. Also, I feel it only right to tell you that I have been keeping an eye on you through your journey and know there are times when you've had doubts that you deserve the items I gift to you but I can assure you that you are more than worthy. You once proved this with what you did yesterday and I am not referring to your victory but what you did afterwards when you discovered the hidden treasures below the house. You could've kept all the treasure for yourself as a reward for what you did but instead you gave it to the village to help them make life easier for them and refused to take any part of the treasure for yourself. This was a truly noble and selfless act proving yourself to be an honorable human being and more than worthy of the gifts you are given. As for the skull I have transformed it into a tool that like the kappa shell shall aid you in both combat and travels. I shall not tell you of its capabilities as they are things you need to discover on your own but I will reveal this to you. The skull shall only activate when you place your hand on the red crystal spider that shall take a single drop of your blood to bond it to you and then you must try not to panic at what happens after you do so.
Signed
The blacksmith
I smiled at the memory of the blacksmith before looking down at the skull wondering what it could possibly do in order to help me in battles and my travels. I shrugged knowing there was only one way to find out and placed my hand on the crystal before I felt a slight prick on the palm of my hand before the spider began glowing. Next thing I know there was a bright flash as eight silver spider legs with red crystal tips burst out from behind the skull and leapt onto my shoulder before the legs swung the skull onto my back as the two top legs hooked onto my shoulders while the bottom ones wrapped around my hips and the four middle ones hooked gently around my waist. Once they were firmly hooked I felt the back of the skull flatten right before the glow died which I assume was signaling that its activation was complete. I walked over to the mirror in the room and turned around so I could get a better look at what was going on with the skull only to see the skull now lay flat against my back with the face facing away from my back. I sighed and shook my head as I said.
"It's times like these I really wish they'd stop being so secretive and just tell me what these things do instead of hiding it from me." I then smiled and shrugged. "Well I suppose it's all just part of the fun when it comes to new weapons." With that said I walked outside to run some tests on the skull.
3 days later
It's been three days since I received my gift forged from the skull of the jorogumo and in that time a lot has happened with me learning of its abilities and the new abilities the dragons claw gained. When it came to the horns I learnt that when I shouldered or elbowed someone the horns would thrust forward and extend making them stab into whatever they struck meaning they were lethal so they'd come in handy for battle. I was not disappointed with its capabilities and knew that like the kappa shell it was going to come in handy when it comes to travelling and combat. To begin with I learnt that like most of my other weapons was controlled by my will and what I wanted it to do. The first thing I learnt was how to take it off which was a simple matter of lifting one of the legs off and they'd all immediately follow and lift up allowing me to take it off. When it came to its combat capabilities I learnt that the four middle legs would let go of my waist before extending till they were eight feet long and I could use them as weapons in different ways.
To begin with they could be used to rapidly stab something like when I tested it against a foot-wide sheet of metal it pierced it as if it were paper and when I willed it to rapidly stab all four legs stabbed it so fast the metal looked as if it'd been pelted with arrows after thirty seconds. Along with this I learnt I could fire the crystals to the point where they were so fast they couldn't be seen and could pierce metal at thirty feet like it was paper and still keep going, meaning I could take enemies out at a distance and they wouldn't be able to see where I was. When I found out they could fire multiple shots in a minute I knew that with the ice claws ability to fire icicles they would be a lethal combination allowing me to unleash a storm of projectiles against large groups. It didn't hurt that they'd be able to help watch my back since the legs could twist around to face the other way meaning I could use them to attack any enemies trying to get me from behind. Not all of its combat abilities were lethal though as I learnt when a wild boar wondered into the village and chased after some of the children and I wanted to stop it. The top legs then came down in front of it before lifting the lower legs lifted it up from beneath making it squeal in fear as the lower and upper legs began spinning it around. As they did this I noticed the tips had begun releasing a thin thread and that was wrapping up the boar and in half a minute it was completely cocooned like a fly in a spider's web but completely unharmed. I took the boar to the outskirts of the village before the top left leg cut it free allowing it to flee in fear from both me and the village while I was able to study the cocoon. From what I learnt the cocoon was made of some tough thread and like normal webbing it was quite sticky so I'd be able to use it to set up traps for opponents like with my arms threads but these ones would be to capture not kill. I immediately tried making a trap in the form of a giant spider web and learnt I could use it to hold the cocoons after testing it out on a few boars I ran into. I knew this ability would be helpful when it came to capturing my enemies on stealth missions when I had to pick them off one by one.
Then there were the abilities it had that would no doubt come in handy when it came to travelling in more than one way starting with what I could use the legs for. When I learnt I could control them by force of will I decided to try use it to climb a mountain and I was not disappointed with what I discovered. The legs could stab into the walls of the mountain and pull me up before they carried me right to the top of the mountain without breaking a sweat or at any risk since when a rock did come loose making one leg lose its grip the others held tight stopping me from falling. Along with this I learnt another use for the web it was able to make for something other than traps and that is I can use the web as a makeshift hammock which is pretty comfortable to sleep in above the ground away from predators. Along with this I learnt I could sheath Pirus and Ventus in it by sheathing them in the top eyeholes and they'd come out underneath the chin. I liked this ability since it made the skull look more like a fancy scabbard instead of a creepy skull I was just carrying around. Along with this I learnt that I could use the legs to grab things with the red crystals at the end splitting into five claws that could then close on something picking it up so I'd have an easier time getting things out of my reach. The thing that I knew would be most helpful however and guaranteed I'd be taking it on a lot of trips was how it acted as bottomless satchel. By that I mean I could store what seemed to an unlimited number of items in it by putting them into the mouth that would open up and suck the items in. When I wanted to get the stuff out I just had to think of it and one of the legs would reach in and pull it out before holding it out to me. This made me wish I had the skull with me when I was transporting the treasure back to the village since it would've saved me a whole lot of time. Now I was using it to store my water flasks I bought, Mizore's kimono, the lunch I bought at the last village I past, some scrolls on some yokai since I wasn't sure what Akuhei would send after me next, a bed mat, pillow, blanket and what little money I was willing to take from the village when they offered the treasure to me once more.
Presently I was making my way through some woods once more enjoying the peace that I know is rare time for me since there's no doubt Akuhei is planning to send another one of his minions to try and kill me. I rolled my eyes at the thought of what creature he'd send next since chances are I'd defeat it and gain either a new weapon or a new ability for the dragons' claw. I sighed and shook my head knowing I shouldn't be thinking those thoughts since overconfidence would be my downfall since there was no telling what I would be forced to go up against next. It was then the sound of thunder caught my attention and I looked up to see large thunderclouds moving over the forest which was the only sign I needed to tell me I needed to find shelter until the coming storm passed. I sighed before I began running down the path way hoping to come across some shelter since there were normally houses built next to the paths but they were mostly abandoned and I used them for shelter or ask the inhabitants if I could spend the night who were happy to let me spend the night in exchange for some money. I just hoped this time I'd be able to find shelter before the storm came but with how those clouds were looking it's highly unlikely I would.
1 hour later
The rain was coming down hard on me as I ran down the now muddy path while holding the kappa shell down on my head to avoid it being blown off in the wind. It was then I noticed a temple in the distance and quickly ran to it hoping I'd be able to wait out the storm there before continuing my journey. As I ran up to the temple I took notice of how it seemed to have fallen into disrepair with holes in the walls where plants were growing, moss covering parts of the wall while the wooden gate leading in had holes in it with the metal parts being heavily rusted. I figured the temple must've been abandoned long ago and when I walked through the door my theory was only strengthened by what I saw. The temple itself was a small building with two floors with ten steps leading up to it but even at a distance I could see a few holes in the ceiling and wall while plants grew from the cracks in the pillars holding the outer roof up so chances are it was abandoned but it would do well a shelter from the storm. I slowly walked up the stairs and walked up to the doorway that had a door that was barely hanging from the lower hinges that looked one small push away from completely falling off. I looked around at the cobweb covered room and yelled.
"HELLO, IS ANYONE HERE?" My question was only met by silence making me shrug. "I guess this old temple really is abandoned." I shrugged. "Well it's not glamorous but it'll shelter me from the rain for now and since I can't do anything with the rain I might as well check out the rest of the house." With that said I began making my way through the house to see if I could find anything.
Akuhei's fortress
Nobodies POV:
Akuhei was once again sitting in his throne room spying on Hiccup through the mirror with a frown etched on his face but with all that's been going on with Hiccup who could blame him. Since he first arrived in this land Hiccup has taken out some of his strongest warrior, gained new weapons with every victory, ruined some of his plans in some cases like his plans for the jorogumo, stolen some of his most powerful weapons and all on his journey to reclaim his belongings and stop him from becoming the most powerful being in existence. Akuhei shook his head as he stared as Hiccup looked around a room that used to be the kitchen before he said.
"What will it take to kill you boy, I've sent some of my most powerful minions at you and all it's done is make you stronger than before." He rubbed his chin. "Perhaps my next attack shouldn't be physical but mental." His eyes widened in realization before a cruel smile formed on his face. "Of course!" He stared at Hiccup in the mirror. "I know exactly what to send to finally put an end to your life or to be more precise to make you take your own life." It was then the sorcerer walked in and bowed to Akuhei.
"My lord, you seem to be in a rather joyous mood."
"I am for I just figured out a way to rid myself of that pest Hiccup Haddock."
"Excellent my lord but might I ask how you intend to do so?"
"It's clear that attacks of pure brute force have failed but perhaps psychological attacks shall succeed."
"Marvelous idea sire but might I ask what you intend to send after him to do these attacks." He just chuckled.
"My loyal servant Meikai is full of Itsuki eager for someone to take their place so they may be reborn into the world of the living so I'll have no trouble finding one to send after Hiccup."
"Very clever sire but to perform a ceremony to summon one shall take a few hours."
"It's alright as the storm Hiccup has been caught in shall keep him from leaving the abandoned temple he's taken shelter in."
"An abandoned temple shall make the attack even more effective as an abandoned temple is the perfect lair for an Itsuki to lurk in with all its rooms that can turn it into a maze of torment."
"Begin summoning one as I want it attacking the boy by nightfall and the boy dead before morning." The sorcerer bowed.
"As you command my lord." With that said the sorcerer left to summon the Itsuki leaving Akuhei to his thoughts.
"Soon Hiccup, you shall be no more for even those with the strongest will have been driven to suicide by the power that the Itsuki spirits possess."
Abandoned temple
Hiccups POV:
I've been exploring this old temple and I had to say it was a lot bigger on the inside then it looked on the outside with all the rooms and halls it possessed made it seem like the place was a maze. The creepy thing though was I'm sure I was alone in the house but I kept hearing the faint sound of a gong being banged over and over again coming from somewhere in the house but every room I entered only had old furniture that was mostly beyond repair. I'd decided it was best I stay in a room that was near the entrance of the temple so I'd be able to leave by day break if I was forced to spend the night since I didn't want to get lost in this temples maze of halls and empty rooms. Still though the sound of the gong kept echoing through the temple since I felt as if there was something strange about it. I sighed and shook my head knowing I was probably just being paranoid as it was most likely just an old gong that was being hit by raindrops falling from a hole in the roof. I decided it best to just set up my room for the night and just ignore the sound the gong was making as it wasn't going to be doing me any harm since the sound of the rain coming down drowned out the gongs sound.
Nightfall
The rains continued to come down all day even as night came meaning I was going to be staying in this old temple for the night but it wouldn't be too bad I suppose. I'd already set my bed up next to an old fire place that was now hosting a large fire with an old pot boiling above it as I cooked myself some soup to enjoy for dinner. The light of the fires illuminated the room showing the four paper walls that were ripped in some parts due to the age and exposure to the elements. Besides the fire pit the room was completely empty of anything else so it was my best guess that when the temple was abandoned what valuables there were had been taken by the owners or looted by bandits. I sat there staring at the flames as they flickered in the darkness and listened to the sound of the rain pummeling the roof of this once sacred place along with the distant sound of the gong that I couldn't help but think it's moving around with how the sound seemed to move from place to place.
It was at that moment a cold wind flowed through the room and for some reason it sent a cold shiver up my spine as it passed over me. I shrugged knowing it was probably just me being paranoid and the atmosphere this place offered wasn't exactly helping out with things since it did offer a spooky vibe. I decided it best to ignore the wind since that was what was to be expected in old abandoned buildings before I went back to tending to my dinner as there wasn't much else I could do.
1 hour later
My soup was finished and considering the circumstances it was pretty tasty and helped take the chill off my bones caused by the cold wind that seemed to be circling the room. The gong sound however seemed to be getting louder and louder with each passing hour and was beginning to get annoying so with that thought in mind I stood up and left the room while lighting up my arm so I could hopefully find the gong causing the sound. This brings us to where I am now which is exploring the house trying to find the gong that was kept banging. So far, I'd been through ten rooms that I hadn't checked and come up with nothing other than some old busted up furniture but the creepy thing was the wind seemed to be whispering my name now in a chilling voice. I shook my head knowing it was just my imagination messing with me because of the building. It was then the sound of the gong got louder and I immediately turned to where the sound was coming from and saw a room at the end of the hall. I stared at the door and made my way up to it as I said.
"Well time to see what's been beating a gong."
I pushed the door open expecting to find a hole in the roof drizzling onto a gong but instead I found a dusty room with an old shrine at the back and a pile of rubble that used to be a section of wall. The strange thing was that there was as soon as I opened the door the sound of the gong stopped banging as if the one playing it was surprised when I entered. I looked around and saw nobody in the room and no gong whatsoever which I have to say was pretty spooky and making me feel a little creeped out. It was then I noticed movement underneath an old table before I walked up to and kneeled down while slowly holding out the dragons' claw that had begun glowing and shaking meaning a yokai was nearby but this one didn't seem dangerous so I said.
"Hey there little guy, come on out." I gently gestured with my fingers. "I'm not going to hurt you." I saw the creature slowly crawling out of the shadows but I couldn't tell what it was but I still gave it a gentle smile. "There now see I'm not a bad guy."
It was then the creature walked out into the light and I was shocked to see what looked to be a turtle shaped gong with the gong being its shell, small flat head sticking out of the bottom with four little legs beneath it and a long red rope at the top holding the gongs mallet. As it crawled out of the shadows towards me my mind flashed back to a book on yokai I'd been studying and realized this type of yokai belonged to a group known as tsukumogami that are spirits which inhabit household items. Most tsukumogami were harmless preferring to just give people a small scare since they wonder around abandoned buildings at night. I recognized this tsukumogami as a shōgorō, a possessed small bowl-shaped gong that were mostly used in Buddhist services. The shōgorō looked up at me as I smiled down and said.
"So, you're the one who's been making all the noise." It stepped back. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you but I am curious as to why you're banging so loud." It ran over to the rubble and began banging its gong and the wood. "Is there something underneath the rubble, band once for yes and twice for no." The shōgorō rang its gong once. "So, you were trying to call for help." It struck the gong one more time meaning yes as I sighed. "Don't worry, I'll help move the rubble."
It began ringing its gong rapidly in what I assume was joy as I got to work on moving the rubble but as I lifted the last piece of broken support beam something came rushing out between my legs making me drop it in surprise. I turned to see what it was that ran past me only to see what looked like a creature with a green scaled reptilian body that a had a light orange underbelly, fin on its back and a fish like tail but the thing that caught my attention the most was its head because it looked like a shrine bell but the wide split that all shrine bells had was full of teeth and above the ends were eyes that were glaring at me. I immediately recognized this creature as another tsukumogami called a waniguchi which are possessed bells of the same name that are found at the entrances of shrines and rung when praying to the shrine's gods. I could tell it was friends with the shōgorō from the way it was standing in front of it in a protective manner was anything to go by. I knew that this was a sign that they were close before I kneeled down making the waniguchi growl and snap its teeth at me threateningly while glaring at me as I held out my prosthetic and said.
"Easy now big guy I'm not an enemy, I'm just a traveler seeking shelter from the rain for the evening." It continued to glare until the shōgorō walked in front of it and begun banging its gong which I'm guessing was its way of communicating as the waniguchi stopped growling and looked from the shōgorō to me a few times before lowering its head in what I assume is acceptance making me smile. "There now I'm not so bad and don't worry, I'll be out of your home in the morning when the rain has come to an end." The waniguchi just growled and nodded. "Alright if you guys need anything I'll be in what I think used to be the domestic living room." With that said I left the room to return to the room where I was going to spend the night.
3 hours later
Nobodies POV:
Hiccup lay on his bed mat shaking and breathing heavily as he rolled around under the blankets he had over his body before he sat up in a cold sweat while panting with his eyes wide open and looking around. When he realized where he was he let out a sigh and shook his head as he looked down at his blanket wondering about the nightmare he just had. The nightmare was of his old life on Berk where he was constantly bullied and belittled by nearly everyone in the village only this time it was much worse with even Gobber turning his back on him. The dream eventually turned to after he'd accomplished everything he'd done after he met Toothless and that's where things got so much worse for him. He'd hear villagers claiming that if it weren't for his dragons he'd be nothing and how people were only nice to him because they wanted things from him. The dream ended with his island on fire his animals slaughtered and his dragons slain with all of Berk raiding his house of anything valuable as people claimed they were tired of pretending to be nice to him and decided it was time to just take what they wanted from the useless runt. It was as his father raised his axe to end his life that he woke up from the nightmare. Hiccup shook his head and sighed as he threw his blanket off while running a hand through his hair and said.
"It was just a nightmare." He looked at the dying embers of the once burning fire before looking out the window. "Rains still coming down hard." He wiped the sweat off his head. "Maybe I just some water and a short walk to calm my nerves." Hiccup picked up his shoes and put them on since there was often broken items on the floor that could cut his feet. "I hope the tsukumogami don't mind me wondering around their home so late at night." With that said he began making his way out of the room not noticing the ghostly mist in the corner that rose up to form a figure that let out a bone chilling chuckle before it said.
"I know what you fear Hiccup and I know how to drive you to your end." The figure let out one last chuckle and vanished.
Hiccup walked through the halls trying to clear his mind of the nightmare he just had as the words that people said in that nightmare continued to echo in his head endlessly. He walked into a room that was clearly used for worship if the statue of the goddess Amaterasu was anything to go by. Hiccup walked into the room and looked up at the large statue as its eyes seemed to be looking down at him until a flash of lightning lit up the whole room and for a moment the face of the statue turned to that of Stoick with the same look on his face that he had when he was going to execute Hiccup in his nightmare. Hiccup stumbled back in fright until the light died revealing the statue was back to normal making Hiccup shake his head and say.
"Great Hiccup, you're seeing things."
He walked out of the room shaking his head hoping to clear the images of the nightmare from his head but the images continued to haunt him and flash in his vision. Hiccup made his way down the hall looking down until a shadow fell on him and when he looked up to see what it was he saw his father holding his axe above his head ready to bring it down on Hiccup. Hiccup jumped back in shock only to blink and find nothing there other than the long hallway. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair while muttering to himself about how the old building was getting to him and he needed to keep his head.
1 hour later
It's been an hour since Hiccup woke up from his nightmare and things had not been going well for him since he woke up with all the horrible images from his nightmare like the one of his father, but adding to this image was those of his dead animals, slain dragons and his home in flames. These images were driving Hiccup mad if how he kept slapping the sides of his head trying to rid his mind of the images that haunted it but they kept haunting him. Hiccup was presently in a room that housed only an old table, chair, mirror, window and multiple cobwebs in the corners with dust covering the floor with the only sign of disturbances being the places where Hiccup had stood when he walked in. Hiccup was now looking out the window watching the rain come down harder than before as he wondered why these things were haunting him now of all times. It was as he wondered this that a voice said.
"It's because you know it's true." Hiccup immediately turned around as he readied his ice claws.
"Who's there?"
"Someone who knows the truth you're trying to deny yourself." Hiccup walked into the middle of the room while looking around.
"Where are you?"
"Try looking at the mirror Hiccup." Hiccup turned to the mirror and saw his reflection but it was of him before he left the village and it was smirking at him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the part of you that you don't want to acknowledge because you know I'm right."
"What do you mean?"
"You know that without Toothless you're nothing and without him here you'll end up being enslaved and turned against those you want to protect."
"You're wrong!"
"Am I, or are you just having trouble accepting the truth."
"You're lying, it's true without Toothless I wouldn't be where I am today but it's only partly thanks to him since he gave me the confidence I needed." Hiccup didn't notice a thin almost invisible mist form around the floor.
"And without him you'd still be the runt of Berk, Hiccup the useless and Stoicks little embarrassment."
"Could you get to the damn point of you being here right now."
"Through the majority of your challenges you've had Toothless and if not, you still had your god made weapons and now that they're all gone you're going to either end up dead or enslaved by Akuhei."
"I still have mystical weapons given to me by the dragon forge."
"And most of those weapons were made or corrupted by Akuhei with his dark magic." Hiccup looked down feeling worried about the weapons and how they'd react against Akuhei. "Chances are he'll take command of them and through them he'll most likely enslave you to turn you into one of his puppets like he did with that samurai you first went up against."
"But I'm immune to mind control thanks to the Arabian gods."
"And so were your dragons but that didn't stop Cronos from enslaving them." Hiccup began feeling nervous. "Just imagine what Akuhei will have you do when under his control." The mist rose up before it circled forming a disk that showed images of Hiccup leading an army towards Berk to destroy it making him drop to his knees and look at the ground.
"I can't let that happen." He didn't notice the reflections smile widen as a thin mist began to thicken. "I cannot let Akuhei take control of me."
"Then do the right thing and end your own life." A small opening in the mist appeared on the floor to reveal a tanto knife. "If you do that Akuhei won't be able to use you against your allies." Hiccup stared down at the tanto as the sound of all the insults of the people from his nightmare echoed through the room before Hiccup shook his head and picked up the tanto as all light left his eyes as if he were in a trance. "Go on, end it all now."
Hiccup pointed the tanto at his throat ready to plunge it in until the sound of a gong ringing echoed through the room as the waniguchi tackled Hiccup knocking the blade out of his hand while also breaking Hiccup out of his trance and making both the reflection and Hiccup turn to the door. Walking into the room was none other than the temples other resident tsukumogami, the shōgorō who had wondered in with the waniguchi with both of them wondering what was going on with the kind human who helped them. They both stared up at him as he shook his head clearing it before turning to them giving them both a smile before turning to his reflection that was now grasping his ears in pain while groaning about the noise. Hiccup stood up as he looked at the reflection and said.
"I'm not taking the easy way out of this fight with Akuhei and now that my minds cleared up I know you're not a part of me but something that's about to learn why messing with me is not a good idea." With that said Hiccup slammed the dragons' claw into the mirror shattering it but instead of shattering with the mirror the reflection remained intact allowing Hiccup to grab it by the neck as it struggled. "Who and what are you?" The creature struggling in Hiccups grip slowly morphed into a grisly face with a wide mouth full of sharp fangs, its skin turned a ghostly blue, the clothes turned into a white cloak and the hair turned black while growing past the shoulders but Hiccup kept his grip tight. "Struggle all you want but I'm not letting go so just tell me what you want." The creature stopped struggling to glare at Hiccup.
"I am an Itsuki and I want out of Meikai, Akuhei promised me it if I could end your life somehow even if it wasn't by getting you to hang yourself."
"Well my dear fellow you made two major mistakes when you decided to do this." Hiccup held up one finger. "One you didn't take the tsukumogami into account." He held up a second finger. "And two" He glared at the Itsuki in the eye making it for the first time feel fear. "you messed with my mind and that is something I do not like." Hiccup then smirked. "You didn't like the sound of the shōgorō striking its gong." He gulped at this as Hiccup turned to the shōgorō. "Would you be so kind as to give your gong a few beats." The shōgorō was all too happy to accommodate Hiccups request and began banging its gong making the Itsuki scream in pain and try to cover his ears. "Keep it up little buddy." The shōgorō was happy to do so increasing the pain the Itsuki was feeling before it began to break up with white glowing cracks before it let out one final scream and then burst into dust that slowly blew out the window as Hiccup turned to the tsukumogami smiling. "Thanks for the help guys." It was then the dragons claw began shaking and glowing before knowledge once again flooded his mind leaving him with another headache but despite this he smiled knowing this new ability would come in handy in some cases but for now he needed to sleep to help with the headache.
AN: Hey all I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter and will review kindly. I will see you all next time and if you have any suggestions for gifts he can gain from the gods of Japan please inform me. Also, I've been going through the reviews and I need to clear some things up.
Number 1: Mizore is gone, dead, at peace but she will be making a final appearance later on.
Number 2: Hiccup will be having a few relationships in the future but you'll have to wait for them to make an appearance.
Number 3: This is to guest who reviewed that this was just a collection of things, this story is like the television series with all these adventures leading up to big ending and if you don't understand it then fine because I write this stuff because enjoy it and like to hear what others think.
With that said I bid you all a goodnight and hope you all enjoyed the chapter so till next time have a nice day and remember if you have any ideas for gifts let me know in a PM.
