Chapter 144
Hiccups POV:
It's been a week since I returned to the Forbidden City and in that time, I've been close to ripping my hair out every time I left my house and when I left the Forbidden City it was a nightmare. Apparently, word spread incredibly fast in China and with the soldiers going out of the city to enjoy some peace word about how I took down the camps on my own spread like wildfire and even faster in the Forbidden City. I couldn't set foot outside my house now without one of the servants, guards or residence walking up to me, bowing and then asking me how I was able to take down so many soldiers single handedly. When I walked out of the Forbidden City with Blanca for a simple walk through the markets, that was when things really got chaotic for me since when people saw me they'd all bow to me with the vendors making us offers for free stuff. I didn't like receiving special treatment and from the expression on her face I could tell she didn't like the attention either but we put up with it knowing that they were just grateful for what I'd done for their people. I'd also gotten some peace in the forge creating the nails, wheels, tools and weapons that were on my ship for the delivery to help the people.
It was when I was busy in the forge that I received another visit from the fox demon who came by to deliver a gift from her for bringing an end to the general who would've eventually caused problems for her business. She gave me a Kung Fu sash claiming it had powers that would help me in my work and day-to-day life and after that she left but not before telling me that if things with me and Blanca didn't work out I knew where to find her. When she left I was able to examine the sash and saw it had a length of three feet and made of pure silk making it soft to the touch. The silk it was made of was dark red with night sky blue highlights on the sides that were shaped like fire and in between is a golden night Fury design on one end and on the other a fox. On one end of the sash was black leather that had golden chains that are connected to four Jade shaped claws. At first, I didn't understand how it would help me out in everyday life and then I put it on and it all made sense since when I wrapped it around my waist it tied itself up and with the side that had the leather on it hanging lowest. I then learnt I could control it as if it were a third arm with the jade claws acting as the fingers while the sash itself could extend fifteen feet and lift things up. I learnt this was pretty handy in the forge since it meant I could multitask and grab things without needing to move from whatever I was working on. This of course sped up my work in the forge so I was able to get a lot more work done in there and prepare things for shipping faster after I named it my third arm sash which I had taken to constantly wearing since it's pretty handy to have around. (AN: Got the idea from that old series 'Xiaolin Showdown.)
Speaking of the reconstruction of the country, it has been coming along slowly but Ling Cho and I had been helping Chin Wu make plans to come up with ways to help the people like those in Yongzou. I'd used my ship to get there and deliver large amounts of supplies and workers for rebuilding the city and helping the people get back on their feet. This earned me much thanks from them and I had to admit I felt a bit of sick pleasure seeing the wealthy noble and his wife who looked down on the refugees now begging for food. Ling Cho and I had constructed a plan to help rebuild the country that would take a few months but it was better than taking a few years and Chin Wu agreed to the plans eagerly wanting to help his people. When he said this, I could see a glimmer in his eyes and after talking with Ling Cho who also saw it I confronted Chin Wu about it and learnt he hadn't been feeling like much of a leader and he hoped he could prove to his people he was worthy of their respect. When he said this, I realized he was trying to rush things again so I sat him down and had a long chat with him letting him know that I saw he was eager to help his people quickly but rushing causes mistakes and I could tell there was more to it then what he let on. When I was able to pry it out of him he let me know that he had thought a lot about our talk about waiting for his moment and he told me he felt his moment had come so he was eager to take it. I told him I understood where he was coming from but he shouldn't rush things or he'd be wasting his chance to prove himself to his people and to just take things slowly. I think he got the message and understood what I was saying and accepted my advice before allowing me to return to my house in time for lunch.
Now I felt as if we'd reached the point where Chin Wu could handle repairing the damage to his country on his own which meant tomorrow I'd be leaving for home with Blanca. Presently however I was out in the garden wearing just a pair of pants while enjoying a quiet afternoon in my garden by sitting on a rock, cross-legged and meditating on my adventures here in China. My vision was filled with nothing but fog before it cleared to show a large table with fourteen seats available but other than that the fog remained. It was then from the fog walked out the Buddha smiling at me as he said.
"Hello again Hiccup Haddock." I immediately bowed to him.
"It is an honor to see you again great master." He chuckled.
"Now there's no need for such formalities Hiccup Haddock after all you've done for my country."
"I am honored by your praise great Buddha but I must admit that I am curious as to why I was brought here." He smiled.
"There is a matter I wished to talk with you about and my students other than Shen and Chi Metsu wished to meet you." I was shocked and immediately stood up straight.
"The creators of the various forms of kung fu wish to meet me?"
"Don't act so surprised Hiccup, you have more than earned their respect with all you did not only here in China but across the mortal world." I nodded before a roar echoed through the area and a dragon flew out of the fog but before I could examine it, it took the form of Shen before I immediately bowed to my former sensei but he just chuckled as he walked up and said.
"I see you are as respectful as you always were Hiccup Haddock." I then stood up straight before he put his hand on my shoulder and with a serious look on his face he said. "Now promise me you won't try and run from me again since I'd rather not be forced to put you in a headlock over the table during tea." For five seconds there was silence before we both broke out smiling and then chuckling at the memories of my training as he pulled me into a hug.
"It's good to see you to master Shen." He pulled away.
"I've had my old friend Gokun keep an eye on you during your attacks on the enemy camps and claims you've been putting my teachings to good use." I nodded.
"Your teachings have helped me out of many difficult places master Shen." It was then the name of the person he said he had watching me registered. "Wait minute, you said your friend Gokun as in Gokun the monkey and creator of monkey style Kung Fu?" He smiled and nodded.
"Don't feel bad for not noticing him though as he is good at hiding from people." I nodded as a hissing sound caught my attention as a snake slithered out of the fog to reveal Chi Metsu and I bowed to her.
"It is good to see that despite your new-found skills you still show respect to others Hiccup."
"It is the least I can do for the gifts you have bestowed upon me Master Chi Metsu."
After that one by one the creators of the different styles of Kung Fu made their appearance in their animal forms before turning to human form and introducing themselves. The male masters of Kung Fu consisted of Master Gokun, creator of monkey style, human form had brown wild hair, hazel eyes, normal muscular arms that were extra hairy, thin waist line and his face had mutton chops while his clothing consisted of a red vest, black pants, golden circlet, brown sandals, brown leather wrist cuffs, Buddha necklace and a staff. Master Choa creator of Rooster style, human form had red hair which looked like a rooster's head feathers, green eyes, pointed nose and extra skin under chin and clothes that consisted of a green long sleeve shirt, yellow pants, sandals and a red sash around waist. Master Nugeru creator of rat style, human form had buckteeth, red eyes, brown hair, sensitive nose, long boney fingers, six-pack abs, scrawny yet muscular legs, narrow face and sick complexion making him look like a rat while his clothing consisted of brown pants, brown shoes, dark red shirt, copper ring on left hand and a Buddha necklace. Master Po creator of pig style, human form was obese, bald, had a small beard on his chin, a snout-like nose, blue eyes, small ears and tattoo of pig marking on left shoulder and he wore monk like clothing, beaded necklace, white socks, sandals and a Buddha charm wrapped around his right wrist. Beng chu creator of Ox style, human form had over muscular arms, eight pack abs, brown hair close shaven, muscular legs, nubs on head, brown eyes and many scars and his clothing consisted of metal nose ring, red arm guards, black shoes, black pants, small chain necklace with Buddha symbol on it. Xiao Chi creator of tiger style whose human form resembled Eret with wilder hair and tiger stripes on his face and razor-sharp nails on both his hands and feet while he wore a a Gi without sleeves.
The female masters consisted of Master Aangmu's creator of rabbit style whose human form had white hair that looked like bunny ears, sky blue eyes, Caucasian skin tone, slightly pointy ears, buck teeth, Flat chested, slightly large feet while her clothing consisted of brown pants, blue slip on shoes, blue cheongsam, right wrist has a charm on it and a pair of chopsticks in her hair. Master Lu rang creator of sheep style whose human form had fluffy yet curly gray hair, pale skin, dirty yellow eyes, under bite, B-cup chest, brown finger nails, slight hair on chin and wore clothing that consisted of white pants, purple Cheongsam, brown wrist guards, black shoes, dirty gray hair pieces and a brown choker. Master Bo creator of dog style whose human form had dirty blond hair, left eye blue, right eye green, sharp teeth, C-cup chest and a narrow waist while her clothing consisted of a yellow shirt, white chest bindings, black sash, brown pants, sandals, black choker and a yellow ribbon in her hair. Master Miracu creator of horse style whose human form had straight black hair with white streaks, Green eyes, C-cup chest, long slender arms, narrow waist, narrow face and buck like teeth while her clothing consisted of black leather shoes with metal underneath them, long brown pants, white sash around waist, tight sky blue shirt, white chest bindings, wrist guards, purple beaded necklace and a strange item she would chew on when skittish usually hidden in her hands.
Three hours later
It's been three hours since the tea began and in that time I've pretty much relaxed among the masters but I did get a little angry with master Gokun when he revealed to have been behind a few pranks I fell to when travelling to take down enemy camps. When he revealed this however everybody laughed since apparently, they'd all fallen to one of his pranks at one time or another. As we ate however I noticed a tension between Masters Shen and Xiao Chi but Chi Metsu told me to ignore it since they had fierce rivalry that goes way back to when they first met due to them being just too competitive. It was after she said this I asked her for advice on how I was going to move all the snakes to my island since I doubt they'd want to spend months on my ship or transported one at a time through my portal door. She just smiled and told me to go home, activate the new piece to my island and I'd find the answer in the snakes' new home. I nodded when she told me this before I continued to enjoy the tea and speaking with the Buddha and his students. It was then at that moment the Buddha took one last sip of his tea before letting out a fake cough which silenced all conversation at the table as all eyes turned to him as his eyes landed on me. He stared at me for a few seconds before he said.
"Hiccup Haddock despite that you may have defeated the evil that rained upon this land but I must warn you that the fight against evil has not come to an end yet." I nodded. "The forces of good and evil shall always do battle but I hope when evil returns to the lands we can count on you to come to the aid of China." I nodded.
"All I'll need is for someone to let me know when China needs my help." He smiled at me.
"I knew I could count on you and now it is back to the mortal realm I send you as you still need to prepare for the ball tonight."
I nodded before the fog engulfed me and then I was back in my garden in the same spot I was when I first sat down to meditate with Toothless sunbathing on one of the rocks and Blanca walking out onto the patio with Zhang Yong next to her. She looked at me and smiled as she said.
"Hiccup I know you're meditating but we've got to get ready for the ball tonight." I smiled at her and picked up my Grootslang coat that was lying on the ground next to me.
"I know Blanca, I'm coming in now." She smiled as I walked up to her.
"Is everything alright?" She gently caressed my face. "You seemed to be in a deep trance when you were meditating." I smiled at her.
"I just had a meeting with the Buddha and all his students who created the different styles of Kung Fu." Her eyes widened as she gasped but before she could ask anything I raised my hand. "I'll tell you later." She nodded before she smiled.
"I just took a bath and the waters still warm so you better go and take one before it cools." I nodded before giving her a quick kiss as I caressed her cheek.
"Thanks Blanca." She smiled.
"Just hurry as the litter to take us to the palace will be here in an hour." I nodded and entered the house to bathe and get ready for what I knew was going to be a long evening.
Nightfall
I was standing in the palace ballroom with my grootslang coat taking the form of a Hanfu, Blanca on my arm and multiple nobles surrounding us chatting away to each other about different things. Some of them had come by to talk with me wanting to ask me about how impressive I was for taking down all the enemy camps single handedly and how grateful they were for all I'd done for their country. Of course, I could tell that wasn't the only reason they spoke to us since I saw how the nobles' daughters were looking at me and how their sons were looking at Blanca. The way they looked at her made me hold her closer since with the way they looked at Blanca I could tell they were undressing her with their eyes. Of course, then there's those who were older and married, they were trying to get to Chin Wu through me and of course they also tried to convince me to join them in business ideas they had with me paying for most of it. They tried to claim it was to help rebuild their country by offering the refugee's jobs but I knew it was just a way for them to start up new businesses with me paying so it wouldn't affect their fortunes. Some of them wanted to know about the places I've been hoping I could supply them with locations and business advice for dealing with the people of the lands. Other than that, things had been pretty quiet for us at this ball with not much happening but as an honored guest of the emperor I had to stay till the end of the ball.
It was then a loud gong echoed through the room as all conversation silenced before a large litter with golden curtains was brought in and placed at the front of the crowd. Multiple guards ran in front of it forming a row as they stood to attention while facing the crowd. The curtains on the litter parted to show Chin Wu sitting on it as the people all bowed to him including Blanca and I before Chin Wu stood up smiling as he said.
"My people, it has been a trying journey on our way to victory against the General and his forces but our enemy has been defeated and the healing of our country has already begun." Everyone clapped. "There is still much to do before our country has been fully healed and I know the wounds from this time shall eternally scar our people but with time they shall fade." He then scanned the room till his eyes landed on me. "However, we must never forget the man who we owe not only our victory over the general to but also he who has helped our country begin healing despite the fact that he had no reason to other than he desired to help us out of the kindness of his own heart." He raised his arms. "Hiccup Haddock please come forth." I walked in front of the crowd. "Hiccup Haddock, you have been of great service to my country and although I know you are not bound to do so I hope that should we ever find ourselves in need of help you shall come to our aid." I smiled.
"All you have to do is ask your majesty and I shall be happy to help in anyway I can whether it be helping fight an invading army or simply delivering supplies to remote villages." He smiled.
"It is your kindness and determination to help others that has earned you my respect and it is because of this the emperor shall not allow you to return empty handed." He clapped his hands before ten men walked in with each pair carrying one large chest making it five chests that they placed in front of me before standing next to the chests. "Hiccup Haddock I know you turned down the gifts for coming to my aid when we first met as you felt like you did not deserve it but this time you have more than earned these rewards." He clapped his hands and the first chest opened to reveal roles of different colored materials with patterns on some.
"To begin with the emperor gifts, you with these rolls of the finest Chinese silk, may they help you in the future when creating new clothes or other such items in the future." The chest closed as I smiled before he clapped his hands again and the second one opened to reveal multiple rolled up materials and wooden boards. "I understand you have an art gallery back on your home and I hope these shall make fine additions to it." He clapped his hands and second chest closed as the third chest was opened to reveal it to be the same chest he offered when we first met. "The emperor would say you have more than earned this reward for all your hard work in resupplying his army with weapons." He once more clapped his hands and the fourth box opened to show it was full of books and scrolls. "Some new additions to add to your library."
Finally, he clapped his hands and the chest closed as the fifth and final one opened but unlike the others the four sides dropped to reveal its contents and I gasped at the sight and by the sound of things I wasn't the only one. Within the chest was a golden statue of a dragon that reached just above my waist in height with ruby eyes and rubies in the body in each of the bodies' curves. (AN: Picture the golden dragon from 'Jackie Chan adventures pleasure cruise'.) I could tell it was incredibly valuable as Chin Wu said.
"The emperor realizes you came to his country hoping to leave with a dragon and although it may not be alive the emperor hopes it shall do." I smiled as he bowed. "Thank you, for all you have done for my country and know that you shall always be welcome in the Forbidden City and China." Ling Cho, the guards and servants joined Chin Wu in bowing and soon enough the guests joined him in bowing to me making me lower my head since I didn't like the attention and knew tonight going to be a lot more unbearable.
Three hours later
The ball had come to an end at last and it had been a nightmare after Chin Wu gave me my gifts since multiple nobles tried to get closer to me. Some of them tried to make me offers for the golden dragon, the artwork and also wanting to discuss other things with me. A few of them wanted me to sell them Toothless or Zhang Yong claiming they'd seen me fly around on Toothless or enjoying a stroll with Zhang Yong. They all said the same thing claiming they were taken by their beauty or magnificence and claiming they would make wonderful companions to the young of their family and guardians for the family. I had to say it was pretty annoying and I couldn't avoid them since it would be rude and as the guest of honor I couldn't leave the ball early. I admit I could've left to get a short break claiming I needed to use the restroom but when I did leave when I actually needed the restroom and left for three minutes I came back to find one of the young nobles flirting with Blanca.
I could tell he was making her uncomfortable and saw she had explained that she was married and when he tried to grope her when her back was turned I activated my ox flame boots speed mode and ran up to them before he could touch her. I grabbed his hand with my prosthetic when it was inches away and squeezed it tightly as I told him that if he messed with my wife again I'd make him regret the day he was born. He backed away in fear while rubbing his injured hand as I turned to Blanca to make sure she was alright and after that I never left her side for even a minute with how many of the men were still looking at her.
Now I was lying in bed shirtless with Blanca in my arms wearing nothing but her kimono's outer lair while gently breathing as she enjoyed the sweet embrace of sleep as I gently stroked her hair while smiling knowing that tomorrow this adventure will finally come to an end. I'd already let the snakes know what Chi Metsu had told me about transporting them all back to my island and Verta promised me that they'd all be ready to move. I thanked her for this before I returned home and let Blanca know what was happening to which she agreed after wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a kiss. When she pulled away she let me know she was truly grateful for all I had done for her and what I was doing for her people. I just held her and let her know that I loved her and would do anything to make sure she was happy after all she'd been through. After that we shared another kiss but this time things lead to a lot more with us in bed and finally consummating our marriage and becoming one with each other which is something we'd been putting off for a while with everything that's been going on. I have to admit it felt wonderful to finally become one with my wife and to then just hold her while enjoying the afterglow and letting ourselves drift off to sleep. As I looked at her sleeping face all I could do was gently whisper how much she meant to me before I drifted off to join her in the realm of sleep myself.
Next day
Today had been pretty busy from the moment I finished breakfast since as soon as Blanca and I finished we had to begin getting ready to leave. The gifts I was given by Chin Wu were the most difficult since they weighed a ton but thankfully I had a few metal boards with wheels on them to make moving them a little easier. Our farewells to Chin Wu and Ling Cho took some time with Chin Wu promising me that he would do everything he could to finish off the rebuilding of his country and be a leader they could be proud of. I smiled and told him I was looking forward to my next visit and see how well his country has healed and then took Blanca's arm before we left through the portal door with Toothless and Zhang Yong at our sides.
When we got back I was immediately greeted by my dragons and animals that didn't notice Blanca until Zhang Yong let out a small growl getting their attention. They all turned to face Blanca and the second they laid eyes on her they all growled with my wolves began advancing towards her but before I could react Toothless jumped in front of her growling while in a protective stance and even going into alpha mode. The dragons and animals backed off giving me time to explain who she was, what she'd been through, what she was, how her people would be moving here and how she would now be living with us as my wife. I did have to explain to them that wife meant mate or forever lover and other such things meaning the exact same thing.
After that I had them help me unload the stuff I'd brought back with me from China with the chest holding the books and scrolls going to the library, the one holding the art to the gallery, the one holding the materials going into storage and the ones holding the gold and the one holding the golden dragon being lowered down into the vault along with my gifts from the gods until I could set up the new room. I'd also placed the generals' spear and the head snakes scale in the trophy room so I'd be able to sort them out later and I'd also used this time to give Blanca a tour of the house. Now I was flying on Toothless with Blanca holding onto my waist with my sash wrapped around her waist for safety. We landed in front of the statue of Toothless before I helped her dismount as I asked.
"You ready to ready your people's new home." She smiled and nodded as I pulled out the piece I was given. "Let's begin then."
We went through the motions of the crystal model of my island came forth and the new piece flew right out of my hand and into the section next to my bamboo forest. I took Blanca's waist as the ground shook before leading her to the edge of the volcano so we could see the new section rise from the ocean. From this distance it looked like it was a forest with orange leaf covered trees surrounding a small mountain and from this view it looked beautiful. I held Blanca closer and asked.
"Shall we go and see where your people will be living Blanca?" She turned to face me with a smile.
"Let's go Hiccup." We mounted Toothless and we took off.
One hour later
It's been an hour since the new island section rose from the ocean and in that time Blanca and I have been doing a whole lot of exploring. The new island section was mostly forest with autumn leaves falling down but it also had a meadow full of dandelions and a large boulder jotting out in the center making it look like the place where I told Blanca that I love her when she was in her full snake form. When she saw this, she rested her head on my shoulder and told me how she thought it was romantic and would always remember that time whenever she walked through the clearing. Besides that I was shocked by what we found when we explored the base of the mountain since it wasn't something I expected.
We found a snakehead with its mouth open that acted as an entrance to a cave where we found a stairway with lava flowing down the sides in small streams. At the top was a large double door with a golden doorknocker on either door that looked like snakeheads but it was what rested past these doors that really surprised me. It was a giant valley like cavern with cliff sides over cliff sides, which made it look like giant stairways and falling down from these cliffs were large waterfalls. Next to the doors were large jade statues of snakes that had their heads raised as if they were ready to strike and in front of us was a short stone path leading to a staircase leading up to a large platform with a Chinese style roof being held up by six stone support beams with snakes wrapping around them.
On the upper level was a set of tall buildings that resembled a Chinese palace of some kind and had bridges on the upper floors connecting them. Along with those buildings there was also a small group of houses on the cliff sides next to the waterfalls. When I looked around a bit more I saw the waterfalls all flowed into different pools that flowed around the cavern with different forms of plant life growing on its edges before eventually coming to a pool on the first platform. When we walked onto the first platform we found a large fountain shaped like five snakes with four wrapping around one before spraying water from their mouths and the last one in the middle facing up as it sprayed water that trickled down its body. We continued to explore the area finding it to be spacious, beautiful and comfortable before we explored the palace like building where we discovered three rooms.
The first was a dining room, which had multiple circular tables with plates, bowls and cups set up around them with one large light blue marble table on a platform and two thrones behind it with various plates set down. I could tell that the smaller tables were for the snakes while the larger one on the platform was meant for Blanca and I to sit down at while enjoying our meal. After that came a large circular room where the floor was painted to look like a snake that was coiling on itself with the head in the center. Along with this the room also had ten grey marble pillars with stone snakes carved onto them, between them were metal coiled up snakes and higher up were upward facing archway balconies that were split up so people could look down to see what was happening in the room. When I stepped onto the head of the snake however the hiss of a snake as the room seemed to light up before the snakes on the wall uncoiled with their tails being pulled into the walls exposing weapons that were pushed forward. It was then I realized that this room was a training room and the weapons were for practice making me smile and knew that it would be helpful for the snakes to keep their skills at the ready but I prayed they'd never have to use them.
Now Blanca and I were standing at the front of a large square room made of light green and white stone that seemed to glow with multiple jade pillars with jade snakes wrapping around them holding the ceiling up. Against the room there were a few pedestals with vases decorated with images of snakes and a few small statues of snakes. At the back of the room standing on a four-foot-tall platform were two thrones with the backs looking like the raised bodies of snakes with their heads facing the room while the seats were the coiled-up bodies that had cushions in the middle. The throne on the right was clearly meant for Blanca since it was made from white marble and the cushion was the same blue as her eyes when she turned into her full snake form. My throne however was made of dark grey marble with a cushion that was emerald green in color. Ten feet in front of the platform was a large circular pool of water that was so clear I could see the jade mosaic snake that swirled around the pool's walls to the center of the bottom where the head was. I felt Blanca caress my cheek before I turned to her while I smiled and asked.
"Do you think your people will be comfortable here?" She just giggled as she gently caressed my face before she gave me the same gentle smile that warmed my heart.
"I think they're going to love it here." I smiled and embraced her before we shared a gentle kiss but as we did I felt the jade snake on my arm heat up making me pull away and grip it as Blanca looked at me in concern.
"Hiccup, is something wrong?"
Before I could reply a hiss came from my arm as I felt something move down my arm and looked down to see the jade snake was now on my hand. Blanca noticed this as well but before either of us could do anything the snake seemed to try and slither off my skin and towards the pool. Seeing where it wanted to go I reluctantly let go of Blanca and walked up to the pool and kneeled down before placing my hand into the water since that's where the snake wanted to go. I was surprised when the snake that looked to be a tattoo slithered off my skin and onto the water before the eyes of the mosaic snake glowed. The water began to ripple, as the mosaic seemed to come to life and pull itself out of the wall and curl itself tighter until there were no gaps leaving a bit curled up against the edges of the pool with the head facing in. The water then seemed to come to a standstill as it slowly hardened over forming a mirror that I could see my reflection in before the mirror floated up in front of me and in the middle of the pool. This mirror was only slightly smaller than the pool with the mosaic snake being the frame and its eyes revealed to be yellow gems. A small path rose up from the water leading to the mirror and the snake on my arm seemed to want to go up to the mirror so I walked up to the mirror and placed my hand against but was shocked when the mirror seemed to ripple as if it were made of water as my hand sunk into it. I immediately pulled it back in surprise as Blanca walked up and asked.
"What happened?" I looked down at my hand.
"My hand just went into the mirror." Iturned to her. "I think it might be a portal of some kind." I stepped towards it but Blanca's hand landing on my right shoulder stopping me and making me turn around to face her as she moved her hand to gently caress my face. "Be careful Hiccup, we don't know what this is." I smiled at her concern before using my hand to hold her chin.
"Don't worry Blanca, I highly doubt the gods of China or Chi Metsu would give me something that would kill me." She looked down in fear but I brought her face back up so she was looking into my eyes. "I promise you Blanca, I'll be fine." She gently nodded before I turned back and slowly walked into the mirror only to be greeted by a bright flash and then I was standing in the snakes' cave with all of the snakes staring at me but I just shrugged. "Well that explains what that does." Verta immediately jumped from her perch and landed in front of me as she bowed and asked.
"Master, is this mirror the way to our new home." I turned back and saw a mirror in the wall that was identical to the one that came out of the pool before I turned to Verta.
"Where did this mirror come from?"
"The wall crumbled seconds ago to reveal it master." I nodded and looked around at the gathering.
"Is this everyone?"
"Yes master!" I nodded.
"Good, have everyone form a single file line and I'll let them through one at a time." They all nodded and formed a line as I stood in the front. "Alright, after ones gone through wait five seconds before the next one goes through." They all nodded before I walked through the mirror and found myself back in the throne room with Blanca standing there but when she opened her mouth to speak I held up my hand silencing her. "It's alright Blanca, the mirror leads to the cave where the other snakes live and they'll be coming through in a few seconds so we have to back away from the mirror." She nodded and we stepped away from the mirror just as Verta walked through and soon after another snake came through and then another before the others steadily came through.
One hour later
It's been an hour since the last of the snakes arrived and that time had pretty much been spent explaining the rules of the island to them. The rules were pretty basic with it just being not to harm any of the animals, if they have a problem talk to me or Blanca, don't bother the animals or dragons and other such things. I promised them a full tour of their section of the island later but for now they could take some time to just explore and get used to their new lair with Blanca helping them. While they did that I went to set up my new god made weapons vault with the small pendant that I was given which brings us to where I am now which is standing at the door to my weapons vault. It was the only thing of the old vault I'd bothered to repair but other than that the inside contained not my god made weapons but the shredded remains of the domes that used to hold and protect them. The reason I didn't bother rebuilding the inside was because I'd been trying to work on a more secure containment but none of it seemed secure enough.
I looked down at the pendant down in my hand and hoped this one would be able to protect my weapons from those who'd be able to turn their magic against me. I placed the pendant against the door and felt it stick to it before the pendant shined brightly and blinded me for a few seconds making me back up a bit. When I opened my eyes back up I found my gronkle iron door gone and in its place was the circular statue of a dragons with its body coiled in around itself like a snake with the head in the center. (AN: Picture shendu from Jackie Chan adventures.) I looked into the open mouth of the statue and saw a slot for my stone of good fortune and knew it was the key to opening the vault. I placed my prosthetic into the mouth while releasing the stone and felt my stone lock into place before it spun and inside the statue sounded like gears rotating.
The head rotated around before pushing back into the body as it uncurled itself to form a doorframe that went around the entire way with the head resting in the tops middle. Past this new door was a large empty room with the floor covered in water and a large golden disk with a black nightfury imprinted on it. I stepped forward into the room and found that like the water in precious jade workshop it was almost solid so I could walk on it and had no trouble walking onto the disk. When I stepped onto the disk a pedestal rose from the center and saw on top was a slot for my stone of good fortune like in the dragons' mouth so I walked up and inserted my stone of good fortune and felt it twist as the sound of rushing water sounded through the room as the dragon door closed up again. I then noticed the water around the disk was actually lowering down and when I pulled my stone of good fortune out of the slot I walked over to the edge and saw the water hadn't just collapsed, it lowered itself to form a spiral staircase made of water. I stared at the stairs and gave a shrug as I said.
"Might as well see where these stairs lead."
With that said I made my way down the stairs, which were as solid as the floor until I came to the bottom of the stairs where I was met with a wall that had a doorframe identical to the one leading into the vault, but this dragon was a glowing crystal blue and made of water. I slowly walked into the wall of water and for a moment it felt like I had just walked into a waterfall and then nothing before I opened my eyes to find myself standing in a large circular room made of white marble with large pillars and between the pillars were the grey marble seals that were marked with the symbols of the Gods of the lands I'd been to. The ceiling however looked like it was made from stars since it felt like I was looking up at the night sky with a full moon providing the light. Parts of the floor were made of black marble that took the shape of Toothless while in the center of the room was a large pedestal made of grey marble. I walked up to the pedestal and saw an indent for my stone of good fortune and placed my prosthetic into the slot and felt it sink in and felt it rapidly spin in the indent. It was then the marble began to glow before I realized my prosthetic hand wouldn't leave the stone when I tried to pull it out of the indent. Before I could try to pull it out however the top of the stone seemed to turn to some sort of thick liquid so my hand sunk into it as the glowing cracks moved to the ground. The cracks moved to the front of the pedestal and a circle shaped hole opened up and from it rose a statue of my body made of jade. It was then the seals on the walls shined brightly in different colors as lines of chests flew out like those in precious jade workshop but these one were different in pattern and color since each was marked with the symbol of the gods. The Greek was silver, Rome was gold, Norse was Gold and green, China was yellow and red, Egypt was a sandy color with bronze, the Indian spirits sky blue, Celtic was light green, Hawaii was ocean blue, Africa was orange and red, Japan was black and white, Mayan was jungle green and Arabia was yellow and orange.
The chests flew towards me before they began circling around the pedestal and I with one row above the other forming a spinning pillar like shape. Before I could react however my grootslang coat with my third arm sash and ox flame boots floated off my body and flew onto the statue as my prosthetic arm opened up and my entire arsenal of god made weapons floated out of it with each floating into a chest. The chests they went into were marked with the symbol of the gods who gave them to me like my scimitar throwing knives went into a box marked with the symbol of the Arabian gods while my star sword went into one marked with the symbol of the Greek gods. It was then I realized my spider pack had opened up and my gifts from the gods that I carried with me were floating out and like the weapons were being placed into open chests with the marking of the gods who gave them to me. When all of them were placed in a chest except my kappa shell helmet that placed itself on the statues head, my spider jumped off and floated past me before it was onto the back of the statue. It was then my arm was finally free as the chests holding my weapons and gifts flew back into the seals and out of sight but I wasn't worried since somehow I just knew I could still get them. With this knowledge I walked though the mirror that I walked in through and found myself back at the bottom of the stairs but this time when I looked back the doorframe was gone. I just shrugged as I said.
"Must be part of the protections."
I then made my way back up the stairs as the water slowly rose with each step making the steps turn into a floor and cutting me off from that room. It didn't bother me however and I continued walking up the stairs until I was standing on the disk once more and watched as the last of the stairs disappeared. I walked back up in the center of the disk and placed my prosthetic hand back onto it hoping it might do something to show me how to get my stuff back. As my stone of good fortune spun in the slot I thought of my weapons and much to my surprise the chests floated out while floating around me as they opened up and my weapons floated out of them. I pulled my prosthetic back and realized I could summon what I needed from this part of my armory as the chests and weapons stopped spinning. I walked up to my star sword swung it around a bit before letting it go and watched as it floated back into the chest it was stored in. I walked back to the pedestal and put my stone of good fortune back in and watched as the chests sunk back into the water. I tried summoning my other belongings and got the same result with the chests they were in would rise out of the water and float around me in a circle until I pulled my prosthetic free.
Then came what happens when I wanted the items I wear, they were a different story since when I asked for my Grootslang coat they didn't float out of the water in a chest the water actually rose to the height of my shoulders around the disk. The water then close in on both the disk and me making it so I was up to my neck in water but I didn't feel the water and as quickly as it came in it pulled back to reveal that I was wearing my grootslang coat. The same thing happened with my ox flame boots and third arm sash only covered the part of me that wore the item I wanted. When I felt I had tested the vault out enough I smiled and said.
"I have to hand it to the gods, they do fine work."
With that said I walked through the vault door and let out a sigh knowing that it was definitely going to be hard for any demon to break into my vault now and impossible for any human. It was then I remembered the snake people and knew they were going to need my attention to help them settle into island life. That alone would take a few days and during this time I'd also be busy helping Blanca settle into her new role as my wife, which automatically makes her my second in command while also continuing her lessons in how to speak Norse. I'd also need to take the time to figure out how to do the most dangerous thing I've ever had to do and that is, tell my parents that I got married and that my wife isn't human. I shivered at the thought of what their reactions would be and muttered.
"Maybe I should just send them a letter telling them what happened and wait a few days for them to calm down." I shook my head. "No, then they'll just be angry at me for not telling them face to face." I sighed as I looked down. "At least I have a few days to think things through." With these thoughts I walked away from the door to see how Blanca and the snakes were doing.
AN: Hey all I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and I've been going through the reviews and seen some of you think Hiccups become too powerful. To them I'd just like to say he's going to need all the power he can get with what he's going to be taking on in the future and I'm not talking about what awaits him in HTTYD 3 but awaits in the stories ending which I am happy to say is still a long ways away. Also for those of you who think Hiccups become arrogant and a bully the answer is he's not he's just trying to make sure the bullies he bullies understand what their victims are feeling and he's not arrogant it's just that normal people aren't a challenge compared to what else he's faced but that's just my opinion. Anyway remember to review and please if you have any complaints PM me instead so we can talk about these things.
