Chapter 116
Hiccups POV:
It's been two weeks since I went up against the Itsuki and in that time a lot has happened beginning with what happened the morning after the fight. I'd had a simple breakfast of rice balls in the morning with the tsukumogami who sat and ate with me but when I tried to leave they tried to follow me like loyal pets until I told them that if they came with me they might not make it out alive. They didn't like that I had to leave but I told them I'd be back when I'd dealt with Akuhei and then they returned to their temple but hung outside the doorway to see me off and I appreciated it. As for the dragons' claw, I'd been testing its new ability to be able to go through things like a spirit and also temporarily make solid objects the same way so I'd be able to walk through them. I knew this ability would come in handy for breaking in to enemy bases for recon or breaking out of dungeons since all I'd have to do is use the ability on a section of wall and I'd be able to walk right out.
Aside from that things had been pretty peaceful with me only needing to deal with a few wild boars that were easy enough to deal with since I normally just had to ignite Pirus and they'd go running. Some people might enjoy the fact that there was some down time but I wasn't one of those people since I knew could mean Akuhei was busy either constructing a new plan to end my life or corrupting the magic within my wings, weapons and prosthetic. I didn't like the thought of what he could possibly doing but it made me all the more determined to stop him so I could get back to my normal life or what passed for normal in my life. This brings us to where I am now which is riding the kappa shell through a forest with nobody to keep me company other than Pirus and Ventus who I'd tried talking to since they were meant to be sentient.
When I first tried this, I didn't expect to get any form of response from either of them but much to my surprise I heard to voices in my head replying to my words. From this I learnt a bit more about them such as how they were both once mighty beasts that were constantly locked in battle unknowingly doing untold damage to the land. The gods were angered by this and as a punishment Pirus and Ventus lost their physical bodies were imbued into the blades that were then placed within the dragon forge to serve until they were called forth to serve the land that they had brought so much pain to. For centuries they waited in the forge awaiting the day they'd be called out to serve their wielder but while they waited they had nothing to do but talk and eventually gain a mutual respect for each other. It was shortly after this a young samurai on a quest to vanquish Akuhei came to the forge and received them. Sadly, I knew what the results of this battle was and what happened to that samurai as he was the first of Akuhei's forces that I'd gone up against and gained the power of Pirus and Ventus. I just hoped Akuhei wouldn't be able to do the same to me since that would be like a never-ending nightmare but a risk I'd have to take to reclaim what is mine and protect the world from a great evil. I stopped walking as I thought this before shaking my head and looking down as I said.
"When this is all over I don't care what kind of dangers the world is in, I am taking a nice long vacation from adventures, monster hunting, villain fighting and everything else and just going to enjoy a nice quiet vacation on my island." I then sighed. "Who am I kidding, I'll never be able to enjoy a nice peaceful vacation without some sort of crisis coming up that I'll have to deal with myself." I then continued walking down the path.
Akuhei's fortress
Nobodies POV:
Akuhei was once again in his throne room watching Hiccup through the mirror as Hiccup made his way to his fortress but unlike the other times this time a smile was on his face. The reason Akuhei was smiling was due to the fact that he had nearly completed the creation of his greatest weapon, forged from the magic of the weapons constructed by the gods of other lands while the weapons themselves were discarded. Their magic had been powerful and difficult to corrupt but like all those who oppose him their resistance eventually crumbled allowing them to be corrupted. Now they were all being used to create a weapon that would allow him to harness the power of the most powerful dragon that the world has ever known. Of course, to wield this weapon he needed something that could withstand the power it would release and that's where the prosthetic came in. It's been fully corrupted and shall answer to Akuhei when the time comes and as for the wings, a few modifications had been made to them along with their magic but they were the first of Akuhei's stolen treasures to be corrupted and now all he had to do was wait for his weapon to be forged before the final preparations could be done. Akuhei stared into the mirror as he smiled and said.
"Keep walking Hiccup keep walking straight to your doom." With that said he let out a laugh that echoed through the room over the roars of the flames.
Forest path
Hiccups POV:
I was still on the kappa shell flying down the path that the chochinbi within the dragons' claw was directing me down and I knew I was getting closer to Akuhei since the flame was glowing brighter than before. It was then I came to the edge of a hill giving me a decent view of the valley below making me smile at the beauty of it all until my eyes landed on a large plume of smoke rising from within the forest. I knew it could simply be a forest fire but in my past experiences it is rarely ever so simple meaning the chances were high that what was happening down there was big trouble. With this in mind I pressed down on the kappa shell heading straight towards the place where the smoke was coming from ready to take on whatever the problem was.
Half an hour later
I was closing in on the place where the smoke was coming from and I did not like what I was hearing in the least since what I was hearing was crying from both women and children, evil laughter, what sounded like looting and people screaming. I used the kappa shell to get in a little closer before bringing it to a stop and putting it back on my head as I continued the path on foot, not wanting to alert anyone as to what was happening. When I reached where the smoke was I found a village with multiple huts burning, people being marched through the village to the center, a large amount of treasures being piled up next to where the people were being led but the thing that caught my attention the most was the creatures leading them. They looked to be living corpses if the skin that was shown was rotting and the old weapons imbedded in their bodies were anything to go by. The thing that was most noticeable about these creatures was none of their faces were visible as they were all covered in red oni masks with yellow horns, yellow teeth with four curved fangs, soulless yellow eyes and a smile that could only be described as creepy and disturbing. It was then I saw one of the corpses on the ground with the mask laying on the ground in front of it split in two making me think that the masks played a major role in keeping those things moving.
I quickly ducked behind a tree avoiding the sight of one of the corpses when it looked my way and knew these things could be trouble so I needed to first get an idea of what I was dealing with. When I saw the one patrolling was not looking I quickly rushed behind one of the huts avoiding being spotted by any of the corpses as I placed the dragons' claw against the wall before making it intangible and sticking my face through to see if it was empty only to see one of those corpses right in front of me facing away from the wall. Knowing this was a chance to put my theory about the masks to the test and quickly pulled the corpse from behind through the wall as it struggled until I ripped off the mask before the body went limp confirming my suspicion that it was the masks that were making the bodies move. I looked down at the mask in the palm of the dragons' claw and snapped it in two making a black smoke seep out before evaporating into the air. I put the pieces down and looked at the corpse as I muttered.
"At least I know how to take these things out."
Armed with this knowledge I lay the corpse against the back of the building before walking through the wall once more so I could get a better idea on what was happening in the village. The hut was pretty much stripped bare of anything of value leaving it empty of anything valuable except the simple furniture that was clearly made for a middle-class person. I quietly crawled over to the window to see what was going on outside and get a better idea of what I can do to take down these beasts without any of the villagers being hurt. I noticed that some of the houses were still being looted but each hut was being looted by only one corpse and I knew I could use this to pick them off one by one. I walked out the back wall just before it solidified and made my way over to the back of the neighboring house and used the dragons' claw to make the wall intangible before putting my face through to see the corpse bending over to pick a chest making me smile as I mentally said.
'Let's get to work!' I then began sneaking up behind it so I could begin picking them off by taking out this one first.
Fifteen minutes later
It's been fifteen minutes since I began picking these walking corpses by taking down the ones that were looting houses and I'd have to say I've done pretty well. I'd taken down another twenty of these walking corpses and most of them did not go down easily and put up a struggle but I was able to take the masks of and snap them in two before they were able to alert the others to my presence. Despite this however there were still more than a few outside guarding the villagers and I knew I couldn't reveal myself without the possibility of endangering the lives of those people. Now I was hiding in then nearest hut watching the villagers and walking corpses that surrounded them looking for any opening that I might be able to use to get the people out of there but there seemed to be no opening. It was then a large black shadow formed out of nowhere against the hut across from me and out stepped an elderly man wearing a black robe with dark blue birds' embroideries on it walked out of the shadows followed by a younger man wearing the same robes except his was red with orange birds. The thing I noticed the most was how the elderly man looked at the gathered people with an evil glint in his eye and a cruel smirk on his face while the younger man looked at the people with guilt and a sad frown. The elderly man walked up to the people as the corpses stood aside allowing him to pass them showing me that he was the one in control. The elder looked down at the villagers on their knees as he gave a cruel smile at the sight of their faces that did nothing but show me they'd given up hope of escaping before he said.
"Don't look so down all, after all you'll be making yourselves useful to the future ruler of this land." He then put his hands up his sleeves. "The only question is shall you be doing it of your own free will or shall you need a little encouragement to know your proper place in the new order of things." He then gestured to the young man. "Just take my apprentice for example, he wanted to use his powers to help people and make life easier but with the help of both me and my master he saw the light and joined us." I could tell the young man wasn't happy but it was then a middle-aged man in old clothes with his hair tied back into a ponytail stood up and said.
"You may have conquered our village but you and your dark master shall never take conquer these lands as someone will stop you." The elder looked at him and smirked.
"Nobody can stop my master as preparations are almost complete and once they are done he shall have the world at his mercy." A cruel smile then graced his face. "And you are not going to live to see my master do so for you shall never see the light of day again." He held his right hand out before black lightning shot out of it and struck the villager making him scream in pain while falling onto his hands and knees as the sorcerer lowered his hand ending the villager's pain. "It's so easy to cause the weak pain." He then gestured one corpse over to villager. "And now you shall die." I saw the corpse raise its sword as I took the kappa shell off and readied to throw it just as the villager said.
"A hero will stop you."
"And where is this so-called hero?" It was then I threw the kappa shell at the corpse and succeeded in cutting off its arms and head before summoning the shell back to me while everyone turned to look at me as I said.
"The so-called hero is right here." They all stared at me in shock before the sorcerer shook out of it and yelled.
"GET HIM!" As soon as he said that the corpses charged towards me just as I finished putting my kappa shell back on.
"Well let's hope I survive this battle." With that said I took out Ventus since I couldn't use Pirus without risking setting the village ablaze.
Nobodies POV:
The undead charged at Hiccup but he held his ground with Ventus at the ready as one holding a katana above its head swung down on him but Hiccup dodged to the side before kicking it in the chest. As expected a flaming ox burst out of its back and dragged it back into the charging group with many of them catching fire but they didn't stop and just kept marching despite the flames covering their bodies. There were only three that didn't get back up and that was only because their masks had been broken when they hit the ground. Hiccup looked at the charging corpses as they marched at him before he noticed four of them had loaded bows right before they released them firing the arrows at him. Hiccup swung Ventus at them sending a strong wind at the arrows knocking them out of the sky before he swung Ventus once more sending a cutting wind at the archers intending to cut their bows. When the wind hit the archers however it didn't just cut through the bows but through the heads of the archers severing the part above the mouth destroying the masks. The bodies fell to the ground lifeless but Hiccup didn't notice as he was getting ready to deal with a group of the corpses that were now covered in flames making things more difficult. Hiccup stared at the oncoming opponents before he said.
"Well I'm guessing now would be a good time to use the ice claws to cool things off." Hiccup sheathed Ventus and held up his hands to reveal the rings that form his ice claws. "Good thing I never take the rings off."
With that said he activated the rings and water quickly spread out over his hands forming a claw shape right before they froze forming his ice claws. Hiccup lifted his claws and launched icicles at them nailing them in the chests or torso's in an attempt to try and slow them down but all it did was knock them back slightly before they kept marching towards him. Hiccup sighed in annoyance since in addition to slowing the corpses down he was also hoping to find another weakness aside from the masks but as expected the masks were the only weak point making things more difficult. Hiccup raised his claws again but this time he aimed for the masks and let the icicles fly but he was only able to hit four of the masks but mostly hit either shoulders or upper torsos. This of course wasn't good as multiple of the corpses were able to close in on Hiccup to the point where he'd need to fight them in close combat.
One of them immediately ran at Hiccup with its sword raised on its right side and brought it down in a side slash but Hiccup used his left claw and grabbed the sword stopping it mid-swing. The corpse raised its free hand ready to try and hit Hiccup but Hiccup quickly used his right ice claw to cut the arm off at the shoulder before it could be brought down. The corpse looked to its shoulder where its arm once was before it turned back to Hiccup just in time to meet his right ice claw that stabbed it right through the head shattering the mask. The corpse went limp in his grip right before he picked it up and threw it into two charging corpses that were running at him with their swords raised and ready to strike but as soon as the body hit them they went down with the masks breaking when the body impacted them. Hiccup didn't get much time to watch this however as he was forced to duck beneath another slash before he stabbed the corpse in the torso making it freeze before he slammed his foot into it shattering the body. Hiccup then quickly turned around to quickly slash the face of a corpse that tried to attack him from behind before jumping back to avoid a downward slash that tried to catch him by surprise but sadly he jumped back into a corpse that quickly grabbed him and held his arms at his sides.
Two corpses marched towards him as he struggled against the grip with their swords held high but before they could bring their swords down on him Hiccup quickly lifted his legs up and kicked them out nailing a foot against the stomach of each corpse. As expected two flaming oxen burst out of their backs dragging them back into a building and setting it ablaze while destroying the corpses before Hiccup continued to struggle against the corpses grip. He was able free the dragons' claw and slam his elbow back into its face making the horn on it extend shattering the mask and making the corpse let him go and fall to ground lifeless. Hiccup quickly turned around to face the remaining corpses and saw four marching towards him and knew the perfect way to deal with them before holding the dragons claw up and released the threads from the fingertips. He then swung the dragons claw down bringing the threads down with it as he moved the arm, hand and fingers to manipulate the threads in a way that they wrapped around the heads of corpses before he pulled the threads back into the claws making the threads tighten and cut the head and masks up taking the corpses down. Hiccup looked around and smiled seeing all the corpses were no longer moving until a blue fireball flew past his head slightly singing the ends of his hair. Hiccup turned to see where the fireball came from only to see the elderly sorcerer standing there with another blue fireball hovering above his right hand and a smirk on his face as he said.
"I have to say that was quiet impressive Hiccup Haddock, you'd make an excellent soldier for my masters army." Hiccup glared at him.
"After what your master did, do you honestly think I'd join him?"
"Oh, don't worry as my master shall be able to convince you once I bring you to him." Hiccup glared and raised his claws.
"I've been wanting to see your master again but when I do so it'll be of my own free will."
"We shall see about that."
As soon as the last word left his mouth he threw his fireball at Hiccup who quickly jumped to the side dodging the fireball before he fired four icicles at the sorcerer. The sorcerer just swung his hand creating a small shield of flames that melted the icicles as Hiccup jumped at the sorcerer with his right ice claws raised high and brought his claws down towards the sorcerer. The sorcerer jumped back avoiding the strike as Hiccup slashed at him with his left ice claw but the sorcerer stepped back again dodging the strike. The sorcerer ignited his hands and then thrust them forward launching a stream of flames at Hiccup but he dived out of the way avoiding the flames. The sorcerer didn't stop the flames however and kept the stream going and moved his hands to direct the stream towards Hiccup but he kept running around the sorcerer avoiding the stream of flames.
Hiccup knew his ice claws were of no use against the flames so decided it best to change weapons and deactivated his claws before taking out his shadow sickles that immediately wrapped around his forearms. As he got them out though he didn't stop running from the flames and switched the blades with the weights and immediately tossed them both into the flames. The weights flew the flames and struck the sorcerer in the palms of his hands breaking the bones within them. The sorcerer dropped his hands in pain as he screamed while looking down at his broken hands giving Hiccup the opportunity to pull his weights back to him. He didn't lower his weapons however as he began spinning the weights before swinging them at the sorcerer from both sides and watched as they wrapped around the sorcerers' body pinning his arms to his sides. He looked down at the chains pinning his sides before he turned back to Hiccup and said.
"Impressive work Hiccup Haddock." Hiccup smirked.
"Thankyou, now would you be so kind as to tell me where your master is and what his plans are." The sorcerer grinned.
"Now why would I tell you that?"
"Because if you don't my sickles black flames will end your life." The sorcerer just chuckled.
"I do not fear death but you should fear it as it shall come for you should you continue on the path your on." He then began walking back up into the flames of the burning building. "I shall be resurrected for my loyalty to lord Akuhei."
Before Hiccup could reply or make any attempts to use the chains to pull the sorcerer back to him the elderly man jumped back into the roaring fire laughing as his body burned and turned to dust before his very eyes. Hiccup pulled his chains back as he looked around at the corpses and watched as the lifeless bodies turned to dust. With the sorcerer taken care of Hiccup turned his attention to the villagers who were all getting up and staring at him in shock. Hiccup sighed as he sheathed his sickles and made his way towards them and said.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt any of you." The man who spoke against the sorcerer asked.
"Why should we believe you." Before he could reply the young man, who came with the sorcerer stepped forward.
"Hiccup Haddock can be trusted as he's been going up against Akuhei's forces for days now on his quest to stop him." Hiccup stared at him in confusion. "Akuhei's made his annoyance at you quite clear these past couple of days." Hiccup glared at him as the spider packs legs quickly extended and pointed at him.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand?" He held up his hands in surrender.
"I mean no harm, I may have been with the sorcerer but it was not willingly." Hiccup continued to glare. "The sorcerer threatened to destroy my village if I didn't do as he said and I was forced to become his apprentice when I only wished to use my magic to help people." He then dropped to his knees and looked down. "I'll accept any punishment you deem necessary even if you decide it must be execution." Hiccup nodded before he brought the legs down on the sorcerer as everyone watched expecting to see the young man die with the sorcerer closing his eyes, accepting his death but the execution never came as Hiccup stopped the stab when it was an inch from the sorcerer's head before pulling the legs back as the sorcerer looked up at him in confusion.
"You didn't even flinch showing you actually do regret what's happened and were telling the truth when anyone else would've tried to dodge my strike." He nodded and slowly got up. "Do you have any idea what Akuhei's plans are?" He shook his head.
"I'm sorry but that is a well-kept secret that only he and his highest-ranking mystics know of."
"Can you tell me where his lair is?"
"His lair is built into the side of a mountain that keeps it hidden by circling a bamboo forest that you must walk through in order to reach his lair but be warned that there are many traps set up in that forest to stop all intruders who dare enter."
"How do I get there?"
"Continue on the path you are on but you may have trouble gaining entrance as Akuhei has taken steps to prevent you from entering."
"I'll worry about that when I get there but for now" Hiccup looked around. "If you truly regret what you've done then a good way to start making things right is by helping these people rebuild their village." He nodded as Hiccup dropped the kappa shell to the ground hopped on before looking at the sorcerer. "Keep in mind though that if you ever walk down the same path as your former mentor then I promise you that I will hunt you down and end your life." He nodded before Hiccup took off down the path.
Four days later
Hiccups POV:
It's been four days since I met the sorcerer who ended his own life and, in that time, I've only stopped to either eat or sleep knowing Akuhei was almost prepared to unleash whatever his master plan was. I'd just made my kappa shell come to stop on a hill overlooking a forest with a mountain in the distance. I looked up ahead at the mountain and when I pointed the chochinbi flame at it, the flame grew brighter than ever meaning it was most likely where Akuhei's fortress and Akuhei himself could be found. I sighed hoping my journey here in Japan would come to an end and I'd hopefully be able to go home to enjoy some peace and quiet. Then I remembered my parents, Gobber and the people were back on Berk and knowing them along with the people I was not going to get any peace or quiet since my dad would be yelling his head off, my mother will probably be sobbing, Gobber would be asking to see my new weapons, the people would be begging for demonstrations, Snotlout will be pestering me to give him some of the weapons, Fishlegs will be asking me questions about the places I've seen and what I've faced, knowing Tuffnut he'll be bugging me to make the flame tornado, Ruffnut will be flirting with me, Astrid will most likely ignore me while Gustav along with some of the other kids will probably try to convince me to take them on as an apprentice. The more I thought about it the more I thought it better that I hide out on my island for a couple of days so I could enjoy some peace, catch up with my dragons and animals and of course repair the damages done to my armory. I shook my head again and said.
"Stop thinking ahead Hiccup, you still need to survive your battle with Akuhei." It was then a voice from behind me said.
"That is true Hiccup Haddock." I quickly turned around as I took out Pirus and Ventus before pointing them in the direction the voice came from but lowered them when I saw it was just the fox.
"I take it you're here to let me know I've almost arrived at Akuhei's fortress."
"Indeed I am." She then looked at the mountain. "It is within that mountain that you shall find Akuhei's fortress and many dangers but it is also where you shall find the final steps to the end of your journey."
"Got it but could you please answer some questions that've been bothering me for a while now?" She nodded. "Has Akuhei been causing trouble in these lands for long?" She nodded.
"He has been causing pain and chaos for centuries."
"Then why haven't the gods of this land gotten off their asses and done something about him years ago?"
"His fortress is enchanted so the gods of any lands cannot get near it and he has the ability to return to it instantly at will so the gods have never been able to stop him."
"Alright but if the gods couldn't get into it what makes it possible for me to do so?"
"When the dragon forge gifted you with the dragons claw it wasn't just because it knew you needed a new prosthetic limb but because it could absorb the essence of Akuhei's minions that you defeated and it is that which shall allow you entrance to his hidden forest."
"Well that answers that question but where's the entrance."
"On the east side of the mountain you shall find a dead tree with a hole in its side, reach in with the dragons' claw and the entrance shall open to you."
"Alright but do you have any idea what I'll be going up against in there?" She shook her head.
"Be careful in the bamboo forest and his lair Hiccup for there is no telling what horrors await you within." I nodded and got back on my kappa shell before taking off down the hill towards the forest.
1 hour later
I'd finished making my way through the forest to the mountain and had just found the dead tree that looked as if the life had been sucked right out of it. I took note of the hole in its trunk and knew this was the right tree that is also the key to entering Akuhei's lair but I also knew that entering would be the easy part but getting through the forest and to Akuhei's lair would be the hard part. I looked up at the mountain and took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I turned back to the tree and slowly pushed the dragons' claw into the hole until it reached the elbow. I held it there for a few seconds before the cracks in the tree began to brightly glow blue as the cracks seemed to spread to the ground and lead straight to the mountain where the side broke open to form a cave entrance. I pulled the dragons' claw out and looked at the entrance as I said.
"Time for this adventure to come to an end." With that said I made my way into the cave but I kept my guard up.
Akuhei's palace
Nobodies POV:
Akuhei sat on his throne, sitting at the mirror as he watched Hiccup enter the cave through the mirror and frowned at it knowing he wasn't prepared to deal with him yet and without his head sorcerer things would be a bit more complicated. He was brought out of his thoughts as one of his remaining mystics walked into the throne room and bowed. Akuhei looked down at him from his throne and growled as he said.
"For your sake you better have brought me good news."
"Yes master, all the preparations are complete and we are ready to begin." Akuhei stood up. "Excellent!" He made his way past the sorcerer. "Hiccup is about to enter the bamboo forest, make sure he's kept away long enough for things to be prepared for his arrival." The sorcerer bowed.
"As you command my lord." With that said the sorcerer ran out the room as Akuhei walked out and made his way towards a room where he would claim a weapon forged from the magic of Hiccups weapons and would possess a power that would allow him to make the world his own.
Back with Hiccup
Hiccups POV:
I had been riding the kappa shell for a few minutes towards the light at the end of what I now knew to be a tunnel hoping I wouldn't run into any trouble in the cave since with it being in such a narrow passage it would more than likely bring the roof down on me. This was the last thing I wanted so I kept going without stopping but I didn't let my guard down for even a second until I reached the end of the tunnel. For a brief moment I was blinded by the light that appeared as I exited the tunnel before I was greeted to the sight of a large bamboo forest surrounded by the mountain. I knew Akuhei's lair was most likely on the other side of the forest but there was no doubt multiple traps and beasts waiting for me but getting through it is something I'd need to do if I even hoped to get my weapons, prosthetic and wings back and more importantly stop Akuhei and whatever his plan for my weapons is.
AN: So, Hiccup has finally found his way to the location of Akuhei's lair but the question is what lurks within the bamboo forest waiting to strike. I was originally going to have Hiccup make his way through the forest and do the battle with Akuhei in this chapter but then I said to myself 'No I doubt the readers want to see that now' so I decided to save it for the next chapter, possibly the one afterwards. By the way just to be clear on something, the god made weapons are not being destroyed, they are only being drained of their magic and to guest who keeps asking for Hiccstrid I just have to say be patient and wait till after this adventure comes to an end, it may not be right after he gets back to Berk as I plan for him to go on another adventure soon after but I assure you it will happen eventually so be patient. Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed the chapter and will review kindly so till next time enjoy your day and stay safe. Oh and by the way, I've decided to take a break to do some brainstorming but don't worry I should be done by June next year so have a nice time till then.
