Chapter 233
Hiccups POV:
Darkness was the only thing I could see while the only thing I could hear was silence but for how long I have spent floating in this void of darkness, I do not know. It was then there was a bright light and found myself staring at a decorated ceiling before a croon from my left side got my attention and I turned to see Toothless leaning in to look at me as I smiled and raised my hand to rub his head. He crooned and began thinking back to what happened since the last thing I remember was the genies I was fighting turning to stone and shattering before everything went black. I slowly pushed myself up using my one arm as I remembered how I was forced to give up my prosthetic, my sentinel metal gear, weapons sash and other things.
I looked around while petting Toothless' who lay his head on my lap and saw I was in a large circle shaped bed that had enough room for Toothless to lay on with plenty of more room, red silk covers, pillows and a golden frame. The room I was in was also very large with yellow walls that had multiple large pillars holding up the roof, the occasional decorative potted plant or tapestry decorating the room and a table that had my clothes and gear on it. There was also a large doorway leading out onto a large balcony with a window on either side of them and right across from the bed, against the wall was a large door. It was then I heard a low growl from the foot of the bed and looked down at it to see a pair of red eyes looking back at me making me slightly jump back in shock since I was looking at the dragon that tackled Toothless. Toothless sat up and crooned at the dragon while gesturing it forward and it slowly stood up and slowly made its way to my right side, allowing me to examine its body.
This dragon was pretty big with red eyes and black scales with hints of grey marks between ridges and the scales themselves looked incredibly tough as if they were made out of iron, but I'd need to properly examine them to be sure. It had two sets of horns with the lower ones looking like those of a bull and upper ones looking like those of an oni demons, curving upwards. When it opened its mouth, I saw it was like a shark and had three rows of teeth and when it raised its tail, I saw it resembled a split club and its body was very muscular yet still thin. All in all, it was a pretty powerful looking dragon and I was definitely going to need to study it a bit more in order to properly understand its capabilities since I'd never even heard about this kind of dragon so it was possible it was made by the genies. I shook my head at this idea since when it was with the genies it was clearly under mind-control and if it was made by them they'd have been able to control it without the use of mind-control and it should've disappeared with the genies.
It was then the doors opened and a man wearing white robes with gold lining, a white and gold striped belt, a golden turban with a desert yellow jewel at the front of it walked in. When he saw me sitting up with Toothless and the other dragon, he smiled as he walked towards me as he said.
"I am glad to see you are awake." I kept my guard up since I didn't know who this guy was.
"Who are you?" He bowed.
"I am Kareem, aid to the members of the Elder Genie Council." My eyes widened asI remembered hearing about the council from Kaamisha. "I know right now you are most wondering where you are and why you have been brought here so allow me to answer your questions." He held out his arms. "You are currently in one of the guest rooms of the Grand Genie palace on Mount Qaf, the ancestral home of all genies and as for why you are here, you were brought here to recover from your battle against the corrupted ones." It was then I realized I could feel my left foot and quickly pulled the sheets off and saw, much to my shock, my lower left leg was back and undamaged and I'm guessing my shock showed on my face. "The elders felt that you had sacrificed enough of your body to protect the world and used the seed from the Lilly of Regrowth to restore your leg when you were brought in two weeks ago." I immediately looked back up at him.
"Two weeks?" He nodded.
"It was most fortunate as the regrowth of a lost limb using the Lilly of Regrowth is incredibly painful and while you were unconscious you could not feel the pain that has killed the majority of those who have used it." I nodded.
"Alright, that's good to know." He then bowed.
"Now if you will excuse me, I will go and inform the council you have awakened and arrange a meal for both you and your dragons."
"Actually, only Toothless is mine since with this other dragon, I'm not even sure what species it is." He raised an eyebrow.
"Well I believe it is yours now as when you were picked up, both it and your own dragon refused to let you be taken anywhere without either of them and they have been by loyally waiting at your sides as guards." He then turned to the unnamed dragon. "I believe when you leave it will wish to go with you and I recommend you take it as an Akudiablo is a rare dragon that prefers to avoid human contact and remain underground beneath the sands so it is most likely a once in a lifetime opportunity for you who collects dragons to train one for your collection." I looked at the dragon and couldn't deny it was an impressive dragon and knew I shouldn't give up this opportunity, so I nodded to Kareem who smiled. "I will leave you then and enjoy your peace while waiting for your meal."
4 hours later
It's been four hours since I woke up and that time has been spent with Toothless and the Akudiablo who I now know to be male and was also now trained and named Dugout after remembering how Kareem said they prefer to remain underground. I'd used this time to study the body of Dugout and I had to say that he was an impressive dragon and I was looking forward to seeing his capabilities but that would have to wait till after we're out of here. Besides that, we'd been brought a good meal of fruit, dried meat, Arabian pastries for me, a basket of fish for Toothless and surprisingly, a basket of cactus parts for Dugout who chomped down on them happily.
Sadly, the one who brought them to us were two harem djinn who found me to be attractive and stayed to make sure I was alright and also used that time to flirt with me while also offering to make me their permanent master. When I told them about how my wives would probably not take too well to them, they just smiled and told me to give them one night with my wives in a bedroom and they'd be begging me to accept them into my home. Although I was not big on the idea of what they were suggesting, I could not deny that the image of my wives with those to djinn in bed was not such a bad image which I intended to enjoy during my alone time on my adventures without my family. Shortly after this I was able to put all my clothes back on but quickly realized my grootslang coat and Celtic bag weren't among them and this worried me since they were two items I often used during fights. I didn't get to dwell on it for too long since after I was fully dressed, Kareem walked in to tell me that the elder genie council wished to speak with me and had come to escort me.
Now I was in a large chamber that had a dome roof, white pillars against the yellow walls, a half circle shaped platform lining the back wall with two steps leading up to it and on it was a long U-shaped table with twelve elderly genies behind it with Toothless and Dugout at my sides. These genies wore long hooded robes that covered their faces in darkness with the only facial expression I could make out on some of them were the beards coming out of their hoods. Besides that, the only other thing that allowed me to tell them apart was the color of their cloaks since not one of the robes were the same color and those that were, were different shades. It was then the one in the middle who was wearing a pure white robe with gold lining stood up and held out his arms out and said.
"Hiccup Haddock, we welcome you to the palace of Mount Oaf." He then gestured to all of those at the table. "We are the elder genie council." I bowed to them.
"I am honored to stand before you." I stood back up straight.
"It us who are honored to be in your presence Hiccup Haddock, after what you have done for us by defeating the corrupt ones." I shrugged.
"They were threatening those I cared about and causing harm to innocents and I was the only one who could pose a threat to them so I felt it was my duty to at least try and beat them."
"And for this heroic deed, we cannot let you go unrewarded."
"I appreciate it, but I believe restoring my leg was more than reward enough but, could you tell me what's happened to my Grootslang coat?" I could tell by their posture that they were uneasy about something.
"Hiccup Haddock, do you remember how Alzalam harmed you?" I nodded.
"Yeah, he stabbed me in the side with his claws before I cut his fingers off, making him retreat."
"Well while your leather armor was easily repaired, your coat is another story as is that Celtic bag of yours." Hearing this made me nervous.
"What's happened?"
"When you severed his fingers, the magic within them sought something to anchor to and imbued themselves into both your coat and bag and while you slumbered the magic within the items clashed with the magic left by Alazalam tearing both items apart." I felt my pulse quicken in fear that I might have lost them. "Fortunately, the god Allah contacted us and told us how we could handle the issue and channeled his power through us allowing us to bring an end to the clash, within the items." I smiled at this. "Unfortunately, we were only able to save your coat while your Celtic bag was not able to be saved." I felt my heart stop at this since that bag had helped me a lot in the past.
"So, I've lost one of my most useful pieces of gear."
"Not exactly Hiccup Haddock." The council members all let out small chuckles at this. "The bag itself was destroyed but the magic within was not destroyed and we were able to move it into your coat." I raised an eyebrow. "The magic within your coat combined with the magic in your bag and the magic in both items left by Alzalam giving it new abilities which you will have to discover for yourself." I smiled.
"As I've said before, that's part of the fun." They all nodded.
"Before we return it to you, we believe it best that we return these items to you." He clapped his hands and one by one, the items I was forced to give up appeared on the table and slowly floated towards me, making me smile. "Feel free to reequip your items before we return your coat to you." I nodded and began putting everything back on until I was once again, fully geared. "Now that you are once again dressed, I return your grootslang coat to you." He snapped his fingers again and my coat appeared and once more it floated up to me but now it was a lot darker in color with the Celtic symbol above the sleeves. "As I told you, your coat has been given new abilities that you will need to discover for yourself, but it is not the only thing that shall be changing due to the magic of the corrupted ones." Rubbed my prosthetic.
"What do you mean?" The figure snapped his fingers and two orbs with one looking to have a giant bonfire flame within it.
"The flames Nar kabira created had a bit of his magic within them and we were able to absorb it all into this orb." The orb floated down to me and I gently took it within my real hand, feeling the warmth of a fire within it but before I could react, it quickly floated up and into my chest making me drop to my knees in pain as an intense burning made its way through my veins as I felt power surge within me while my dragons tried to comfort me but I signalled them back. "The pain is only temporary Hiccup but the abilities you shall gain will be worth it, depending on how you use them." I nodded and slowly stood up as the pain slowly faded.
"You could've warned me about the pain."
"Indeed, but we felt it better to surprise you with it." I nodded.
"No more surprises please." They merely chuckled.
"Agreed, now onto the next gifts." He snapped his fingers again and another orb appeared but this one was holding black smoke that kept moving with orange flashes. "Within this orb is the power we were able to pull from your leg that was destroyed by Alamiwat alsaayirun and unlike the other orb, it shall grant your prosthetic a new ability." The orb floated down into my real hand.
"So, do I just slip it in like I do with the crystals?" He nodded.
"Indeed but brace yourself as it shall be quite painful." I nodded and placed the orb into my arm like I would the crystals and the second my arm closed up, it felt like thousands of burning needles were drilling into my brain, making me drop to the ground while grabbing my head and then it stopped all of a sudden and I was able to stand back up.
"Well that was painful."
"Understandable but, I'm sure you will find the power your prosthetic now possesses' to be quiet useful, depending on the situation." I nodded. "Now onto the final two gifts." He snapped his fingers and two wrapped packages appeared. "These two items were wielded by Djamila and Alqatil but their magic has recognized the defeat of their masters at your hands and now recognize you as their new master."
The larger one floated downand unwrapped to reveal the large scimitar that was wielded by Alqatil and when I took hold of it, I realised how large it really was. It was a lot different to my star sword since my star sword was a short sword, this was a long sword and as such, I had to hold the handle with both hands. I knew this sword was going to take some training and getting used to since although I had training with long swords in the past, every sword was different and this one was new to me. It was then I was brought out of my thoughts when the other package came down, so I stabbed the sword into the ground to see what the new package was. The wrappings came off to reveal three curved blades that were folded together into a handle that had a ring at the end that connected the blades and on the other end of the handle was the beginning of a long razor spiked chain. It was then the elder genie said.
"These blades and their chains were forged from the blades that were used by Djamila." They floated into my prosthetic hand and the moment the chains touched my prosthetic, I dropped to my knees in pain as both them and the blades were pulled in and felt them connect. "My apologise for the pain as I was not expecting it to be painful for you." I breathed heavily as I slowly stood back up.
"It's alright." I slowly pushed myself back up. "At least I have some tests and training to look forward to when I get back to Madain Saleh." It was then something hit me, and I felt a surge of worry pulse through my heart. "What happened to the cities and the people within them that had already been taken over by the genies before I could stop them?"
"Do not worry Hiccup Haddock, when you defeated the genies, all the damage they had caused was undone with the cities being returned to their original places, the people who were injured healed and those who were enslaved freed." I let out a sigh of relief hearing this.
"So when will I be able to go back to the city and let everyone know I'm alright?"
"It best you remain here for three days so you may fully recover but you will be allowed to leave the palace to enjoy our city and all the sights it has to offer." I had to say this was an opportunity I could not pass up since it wasn't every day, I got the chance to explore the ancient city of Mount Qaf.
"Alright, I'll stay here since I'm always up for exploring new cities." He raised his hands.
"Then welcome to our city and know that while you are here, no one shall be able to harm you and whatever it is you need shall be given to you."
"How's about a tour guide for this afternoon."
"Of course, but for now, why don't you and your dragons take a stroll through the halls of the palace to stretch your legs." I nodded and with that said we left the room.
9 days later
It's been nine days since I woke up from my battle with the genies and those days have been pretty busy to say the least, for one reason or another with the main reason being training with my new abilities, gear and of course, seeing what Dugout can do with none of the results being disappointing. My three days spent in the city of Qaf were incredible to say the least since that city was like nothing I'd ever seen before in my life and I'd seen a lot of cities in my time. The palace from outside alone was incredible with the walls being white as snow with gold patterns decorating the wall with jewels dotting them. Then there's the city itself with multiple genies of various species roaming around the streets with giant Arabian styled houses and a giant wall surrounding the entire city. When I passed it, I saw a vast desert made of pure white sand making it look as if the city was sitting upon the clouds of the desert and it makes sense since past the desert was nothing but clouds.
Besides that, I was able to enjoy doing a little shopping and got some materials that were like silk but far better quality and felt way better against my skin. Along with this I also got some oil lamps that were of incredible quality and had such delicate patterns crafted onto them giving a unique beauty to each. I knew I could talk to some tailors I knew and have these materials turned into some pretty good formal wear for both me, my wives and possibly a dress for my little girl. The gas lamps on the other hand would look good in the various rooms of the house as both a source of light and as a good form of decoration.
Sadly, this trip did have a few issues with some of the genies wishing to serve my family making their skills and abilities known every time I left the bedroom. These genies mostly consisted of various Harem Djinn since according to the genie elders, for the harem djinn, there would be no greater honour than to serve the one who defeated the corrupted genies and saved the world so many times before. I was used to this kind of thing though from my past expeditions to new lands during my times when I was single and even now when the women found out I had two wives. I wish I could say I was safe in the room I was given with my dragons guarding it but I am sad to say that it wasn't the case since although my dragons could physically cut them off, the djinn were able to enter my dreams to show me what they offer. Because of this, my peaceful dreams of being back on my island with my family turned into a dream of me walking into the bedroom to find my wives enjoying time with the djinn before I was pulled into it. When this happened, I'd get up sweating and breathing heavily and it would be then the djinn would walk in and offer to make that dream a reality.
When I left the city with the blessings of the Elder genie council who used their magic to immediately teleport us back to Madain Saleh, right into the throne room where the royals were meeting. Me suddenly appearing in the middle of the throne room with not only Toothless but another dragon that they'd never even seen before without any sort of warning. When they calmed down, they began pelting me with questions and making sure I was alright with no injuries and when all that was done the Sultan demanded to know what happened since I was gone for so long. I ended up spending my entire morning, using my golden spider showing them all what happened between me and the genies and when I reached the part where I lost my leg, I nearly blacked out from the lack of oxygen when Aamin and Amira hugged me out of sheer concern and it made me worry how my wives would react when they saw it. By the end of it, I had to go through a three-hour question and answer session while also doing my best to assure everyone that I was perfectly fine.
Things got even worse that afternoon when I brought my family back to the palace so we could finish our Arabian vacation that was interrupted by the genies. By the end of my second time, showing what happened with the genies, both Astrid and Blanca dragged me out of the room, not wanting the kids to hear what they said to me. It got even worse when I showed them, me losing my foot since I skipped that part, not wanting the kids to see that happen as I didn't want them to see that and have nightmares for the next few years. I couldn't complain at the end though since once they were done yelling their heads of me, they each gave me a hard kiss to congratulate me on another victory and getting out with all my limbs, even though the one had to be regrown. Still I couldn't stop smiling since they promised me a fun evening as a reward for my heroics and for coming back to them alive and unharmed. After that day and incredibly enjoyable evening with my wives, I enjoyed two days just having some relaxing and enjoyable quality time with my family. Then I spent the next four days checking out what I got from the genies and I had to say I was not the least bit disappointed with the abilities of the items that I was given and the new abilities I'd gained. Still though, each one was going to take some getting used to and I was without a doubt going to need to be careful with all of them since I could end up hurting someone.
To begin with there were the abilities of the giant scimitar I got that once belonged to Alqatil which was something I would need to train with more in the future to properly use it to its full capabilities. The first thing I learnt was that even though it reached up to just above the bottom of my chest in height, it was easy to wield and light as a feather. Along with this, it was incredibly sharp to the point that it could cut through gronkle iron by simply, dragging it gently across the surface of it. Then comes its abilities that were no joke since although a long sword was meant to be used for close combat, this one had abilities that made long range attacks possible.
The first thing I learnt it could do was when I wanted to test its resistance to dragon attacks and had Toothless launch a plasma blast at me but when I swung the sword at the blast, the plasma blast was actually reflected off the blade and shot back at him. Toothless wasn't too happy about his own blast being thrown back at him and I had to promise him his favourite meal for two nights in a row before he'd forgive me. Once that was done, I did some practicing with the scimitar and learnt of another long-range attack that was like the ability my hook had when it coats itself in water. The difference is while my hook absorbed water and turned it into a rotating curved blade, this scimitar absorbed light and turned it into a slash shaped blade like projectile that could cut through solid gronkle iron at fifty feet. Along with this, when it cut through something using the blade that's made from sun light, it would scorch the spot it cut and when it used moonlight it would freeze the spot that was cut. These were abilities that were without a doubt going to be helpful in the future when I'm in battle, especially since I found I could hold the blasts for later using a hidden switch on the handle that also allows me to switch between the two types of light that have been stored.
Following this, I went and studied the blades I'd been given that were forged from the daggers belonging to Djamilla and like the scimitar, they did not disappoint but they did give me a scare. The blades had become like a mix between my prosthetics flail and rotating blades since like my flail, they replace my hand and can be launched out while connected by the chain and like the rotating blades, the blades can rapidly spin to cut things. There were multiple differences though like for starters, the blades I'm able to launch are only a foot long each while the three blades on this weapon were three and half feet long and the spiked chain is fifteen feet long. The blades are also able to rapidly spin like the blades I launch with the blades going through the handle that was connected to them at the end so the never struck my prosthetic or me. This blade was going to come in handy when it comes to dealing with larger opponent who I wanted to kill, cutting through dense jungle and of course, handling lumber since with it I could easily cut branches off for firewood and turn logs into planks. All in all, I was happy with its capabilities and everyone else was impressed except for a group of patrolling guards who almost got cut up when I first launched the blade and nearly hit them. They accepted my apology after I explained that it was my first time using the blade and how I was able to get it in the first place, so they let it go.
With these blades, my prosthetic got a pretty powerful new ability that was without a doubt, going to help me out in future battles against monsters but this is not the only new ability my prosthetic got. In addition to this ability, there was also the ability that I got from the orb that housed the power, stolen by Alamiwat Alsaayirun and this power was something that scared me but also something I could use during interrogations. This ability was something I discovered when I was trying to feel the new power within my prosthetic and accidently released the ability onto Jahid who had come by to check on me. The way it worked is a black smoke with flashes of orange would come out of my prosthetic and surround the victim within it and they couldn't move from the spot while in it. It was after I pulled the smoke back into my prosthetic that I saw the effect it had on people since the moment he was free, Jahid dropped to his hands and knees with sweat and tears covering his face as he breathed heavily.
I helped him to a chair and gave him some water to calm him down and once he'd calmed down enough to speak he told me that when he was inside the smoke it was like being trapped inside his worst nightmare with snakes covering his whole body but unlike dreams, he could actually feel the scales of the snakes that were slithering all over him. It was literally his worst nightmare since he was a child when he was out in the desert, helping his uncle harvest dates from the tree at an oasis and fell asleep under the shade and woke up to find a cobra slithering over his body. Fortunately, his uncle saw the snake and used a walking stick to throw it off him and then chase it off but ever since then, Jahid's had nightmares about snakes slithering all over his body. I didn't like seeing my friend in this condition, so I decided to use the skill only when I was interrogating prisoners who had information I really needed.
Then there's the power I got from the orb that held Nar kabira's magic and unlike the other orb, the power of this one went into me instead of my prosthetic and the ability was both entertaining and dangerous. It happened one night when I was taking a bath with the room being lit by torches for some relaxing atmosphere after a hard day of training. As I lay there soaking in the hot waters one of the torches caught my attention or to be more precise, the flame within it did since for some reason it felt different, like I could feel it from where I was as if I were touching it. From there I actually tried to grow this feeling and the flame actually floated out of the torch and came to my hand shocking me and when I lost focus, the flame extinguished. I quickly tried it again with another flame so I could continue to see what I could do with the flame and I was surprised with how I was able to manipulate the flame into various shapes like a star, a ball, a cube and other simple shapes. The following day I went out and experimented on the large flames of a bonfire I set up in the desert and what I was able to do with those flames was incredible since I was actually able to make life size animals and warriors from the flames. These things were lifeless puppets that only did what I willed them to do and this was an ability that I knew was going to come in handy when dealing with enemies near torches, campfires, flaming catapults and other such things but it would still take a lot of practice.
Finally, there were the modification given to my coat and although I was a little disappointed in losing my Celtic bag, the new abilities my coat more than made up for it. To begin with a new storage space for living beings like the one my Celtic bag except it had two separate storage spaces with one being on top of the other and unlike the bag, I could enter these circle shaped storage spaces, myself. From what I saw the upper floor was clearly made for people since the walls were opened up with pens for animals while the rest of the room was open space that was bigger than originally. In the centre of the room was a Celtic symbol on the floor that can take someone down to the other storage space that was meant for the prisoners. This storage space had four levels with catwalks around the walls, allowing people to walk up to the cells using stairs to get up to each catwalk. Each cell had six beds with two on each wall with one above the other and with the number of cells on each floor, the number of prisoners I'd be able to take just grew a lot.
Then there's the abilities I believe were caused by Alzalam since they were either the same or similar to his own abilities which were going to take my ninja abilities to a new level. To begin with, I could actually enter shadows now as if they were water and once inside, looking out of it was like looking out a window while the room I was in was circle shaped with me standing on the celtic symbol platform that would take me down to the other levels. When on one of the other levels the window would come with me at my side so I could still see what was happening outside. Along with this I could jump from shadow to shadow if the shadow I wanted to get into was close enough to the one I was in so I'd be able to easily infiltrate enemy bases by jumping into the shadows of passing patrols. I had already tried it out multiple times on the guards who patrolled the palace, to get around the bazaar without the wealthy traders shoving their goods and daughters down my throat making my life a lot easier.
Another ability that I believe was caused by Alzalam's magic but mixed with my bags own magic is how it's able to bring people and animals into the storage space. To begin with I could reach out of the shadows and physically pull someone into the shadow and the moment they enter the shadows, they're pulled down into the storage space. Along with that I could make my coat extend to the ground and when it touches the ground it seems to seep into the ground and become like a shadow that could either extend twenty five feet or grow to ten feet wide each way and when someone steps onto it, they get pulled in like quicksand and they sink really quick. Along with that I could also make multiple flat tendrils come out and wrap around the victims before pulling them in which I knew was going to come in handy. The reason for this is tendrils can be used to stop enemies from shouting since it could gag them and pull in those who were on the edge of the shadow. Finally, they could also become sharp as blades so I could use them as weapons against my foes by having them burst from the ground to stab enemies.
Of course, I hadn't been checking out the abilities of my new items since I'd also been checking out what Dugout can do and I had to say what he could do, was impressive. To begin with I'd had him do some target practice and in addition to finding out that he has a seven-shot limit, I learnt that he also has a sonic enhanced magnesium fire blast so pretty powerful. Along with this, he could also burrow bellow the sands with speed that could match a sandbuster's ability to burrow but also run on the ground, just as fast. Turns out his horns are what he uses to find his way around the underground and know what's happening above ground using his horns to pick up the vibrations. I learnt this when I took him out to hunt so I could see how he hunts and saw him vibrate his horns against the ground before going after a desert scorpion. Besides the scorpion, I learnt his diet also consists of desert animals, cacti and some crystals he finds.
Now night had fallen, and I'd gone to bed after tucking the kids in with my wives who were now snuggling up to me on either side while gently sleeping as I slowly let sleep come to me. Once the darkness fully engulfed my vision but when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a familiar desert, on a familiar platform and facing a familiar stone tablet with the symbol of Allah on it. I bowed to the tablet as I said.
"It is good to see you again lord Allah." I stood back up.
"It is good to see you as well Hiccup Haddock."
"So why have you brought me here, this time?"
"What else other than to thank you for what you did for Arabia and to reward you for your efforts." I shrugged.
"I was more than rewarded enough by the genies."
"That was a reward for saving their people, these are rewards for saving my worshipers."
The water rippled as a cylindrical item slowly lifted out of it and into my hands to reveal what looked like a dark purple scroll container with golden ends that had purple gems imbedded in the gold. There was also a golden line across the purple that had a golden piece sticking out of it with a shield shaped blue gem within it and a golden ring at the bottom of the gem that was lined with gold. On this ring was a single purple ribbon that I had the feeling has the ability to show me what was inside the container, but it was then I was brought out of my thoughts by Allah saying.
"Within this container is a map, similar to the crystal map you have on your ship which can show you the surrounding area that you have entered and what it holds." I smiled knowing this would come in handy when I'm traveling on land instead of my ship as the water rippled again and out came a small chest that floated up to me and when I opened it I found three bronze hand bells with one being round in shape, one being three sided pyramid in shape and the third being cube shaped. "These bells are magic with each having an ability that shall help you in the future, may they serve you well." I nodded as I closed the lid and once more the water rippled before a crystal pendant with his symbol on it. "Press this crystal to the portal arch on your arabian desert and the time it shall be able to remain open shall extend to twelve days." My eyes widened since hearing this I knew the bazaar would be running much smoother since people wouldn't be rushing around on the last day trying to find what else they could buy. "I believe this gift will require this to help you." The water rippled and a crystal piece. "This is an addition to your islands Arabian bazaar that shell make life a little easier for the traders but how is something you will have to see for yourself." I nodded.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what it is."
"I believe that in some ways it may cause you some headaches like the headache that you shall be forced to endure in the evening this coming day." I sighed knowing he was talking about a celebration of my victory that was going to be held with sultans, nobles and of course, their daughters who they were no doubt going to shove in my face. "I can see the annoyance on your face."
"It's just that I know the nobles and royals will bring their daughters who are going to drive me nuts all night."
"I take it you do not find the women of this land attractive."
"It's not that, it's just that I know they only have a desire for the money, fame and power that comes with being my wife and nothing else." I then looked down. "Besides that, there is one woman of Arabia I could consider taking as a bride and she's gone."
"Yes, Hadasa was her name, was it not?" I nodded.
"That was her name and now she is nothing more than a flower in my garden."
"Hiccup, when love is truly real, it will find a way and if this love between you and Hadasa is meant to be than it shall bloom one day." I nodded in thanks.
"I appreciate the kind words but with what happened to her, I don't think our love will come to a bloom where we can be together."
"Just give it time my friend for love always finds a way and it is with these words of advice, I send you back to your world along with the gifts I have given you."
With that said there was a bright flash and when I opened my eyes, I was staring up at the ceiling with the suns lightshining down on me and my gifts on the table by my gear. Seeing them, I sighed remembering that tonight was the night of the celebration, but I found a little comfort knowing I could at the least enjoy my day, seeing what they were capable of. I then looked to my sides and saw both Astrid and Blanca were still soundly sleeping, making me smile since it was a lovely sight to wake up to but it was a sight I would have to end for now since there are things I need to do today before the big party tonight.
3 days later
It's been three days since I met Allah and, in that time, not much has happened other than large celebration that happened a day after I received the gifts. As expected, the entire night was a nightmare with people begging me to tell them about my battle with the genies and the places I'd been since my last visit to Arabia. I couldn't get a single second to myself since when they weren't asking me these questions, they were doing their best to help their daughters catch my attention and it was a nightmare. My wives didn't have it any better though since the women were trying to cosy up to them and make themselves like perfect women who would make good wives for me and good friends to them. The only good thing I was able to think of is how the kids weren't suffering like us since before the party, we were able to tuck them in to bed to sleep through the party. On the bright side though, I was able to meet some new traders who were willing to do business on my island and at the end of the party I was given multiple treasures like gold and jewels as thanks for my heroics that would actually add a but more hight to my vaults contents.
Before the party though I was able to examine the gifts, Allah had given me, and I was not the least bit disappointed with the abilities of any of them. The map for example, comes out when I pull the ribbon and goes back in when I let go but when it is out it can give me a perfect view of the land and what's in it and can even show me what's going on in the building I'm in. It could show me where people currently were within the building and the marks showing the people move with them so avoiding patrols would be much easier. Along with this it was even able to show me items that were hidden beneath the ground and thanks to that, I'd been able to find some lost treasures on my last few trips into the desert.
Then comes the bells that had abilities that I knew would come in handy when it comes to infiltrating enemy bases, breaking prisoners out of cells and other such things. I learnt what these bells could do by reading the small folded up papers under each one, telling me what they're capable of and I was not the least bit disappointed. The first bell was the round bell that had light blue, oval shaped markings inscribed onto its surface and this bell can find hidden passageways and doors. The way it works is when it's near a secret door the bell let's out a gentle ring that only the user can hear. Once it's been heard by the one using it, the bell will cause a pale blue light to gather around the secret door showing them where it's hidden
Then there's the three-sided pyramid shaped bell that has green designs etched upon its bronze surface alongside its intricate markings. This bell like the other, rings a chime only the user can hear though the sound it makes is slightly different to the one the other bell makes and this one shows where traps are hidden. When near a trap, a pale green light will gather around the spot where the trap is hidden toto show where the trap is hidden and when rung right next to the trap, it deactivates them safely. I knew I could always use my jewel wigs to do this like I had before, but this would take a lot of weight off my chest since there was always the chance of the trap going off.
Finally, there's the final bell which is rectangular cube-shaped and has red designs etched upon its bronze surface alongside the other intricate carvings. This bell unlike the other two doesn't ring on its own and instead must be rung by the user in order for it to be used but considering its abilities, it's understandable along with how it's unable to detect things. What this bell is able to do is unlock things by being gently rung near the locks, completely disabling the locking mechanism meaning the locks will be opened. This would come in handy when I'm breaking into enemy bases for information or want to leave a few surprises that'll bring down the entire base.
Now me and my family were all at the portal door getting ready to leave for the island and in front of me were the sultan and his family who'd come to see us off. We'd all just finished hugging each other goodbye and the sultan was now saying.
"Hiccup, I truly cherish our time together but next time, let's just enjoy a visit where you don't get pulled into life risking situations." I nodded.
"Trust me, I would like nothing more than to enjoy a relaxing trip where me and my family can just enjoy taking in the culture of new lands without worrying about some evil causing trouble outside of normal bandits." We all chuckled before I bowed. "Till next we meet." With that said I lead my family through the door so we could all get home.
Nightfall
Me and my family were back on the island where we belonged and after we alerted all the island inhabitants of our return and received many hugs, greetings, nuzzles, tackles and licks things got a bit busy. To begin with I placed the new crystal piece onto the model of my island and saw a section of it get covered by this new crystal and when I went to check out how it affected my island, I knew things with the traders would be a lot easier. The reason for this is the new section had multiple identical houses so the traders wouldn't need to constantly fight over where they set up their tents and instead could just rent a house for themselves. With this, business would also be going a lot more smoother since traders often had to pack up their tents in a rush to get to the arch in time meaning they have to close early but now they could pack up their goods and leave at their own leisure.
Then came the time for us to announce our return to Berk and as expected, everyone wanted to know what happened to me with my battle against the genies. As expected, I got a lot of questions from everyone with a few requests from people to demonstrate the abilities of my new gear with some of the Vikings asking me to demonstrate the abilities of the new gear. Some of them went so far as to ask that I pull them into my new shadow coats prison to see what it's like inside it and when I let them back out, they shivered a bit claiming it felt an uncomfortable shiver down their spines. I did get some requests from the loggers who saw my new rotating blades knowing they could easily cut down the trees and cut them up into planks for construction. Long story short, I spent my entire day on Berk getting requests and knew the next few days would be busy but at least there was going to be some peace since the bazaar would last longer now, meaning the people would be busy with it and leave me alone for a little while.
Now night had fallen, and the majority of the island's inhabitants had gone to bed with Dugout finding a comfortable sleeping spot below the sands of the islands Arabian desert. Of course, there were those were still up and roaming the island doing their own thing like my wolves who were filling the night with the music that is their howling. I on the other hand, was out in my garden, in my night gown after my failed attempts to fall asleep due to the words of Allah ringing in my head about how love will always find a way when it's real. I looked down at the flower that was Hadasa with a small prick on my real hands index finger after I pricked it on a thorn while caressing the stem. It was then a voice from behind me said.
"So, this is where you were." I turned to see both Astrid and Blanca in their nightgowns, walking towards me with sad looks on their faces as Astrid said.
"We had a feeling you'd be here with Hadasa." I sighed and looked down before Blanca said.
"You really did fall in love with her despite the effects of the potion she gave you." I nodded.
"Despite the feelings of love being made by the potion in the beginning, I really did get to know her as a person during the time I was under and despite the demons influence, she was a wonderful woman who I knew I would be happy to share my life with." I sighed. "I know, I'm being an idiot for standing out here in the cold and talking to a flower but as Allah said, when love is real it finds a way." The girls looked at each otherbefore they each smiled as they turned to me while Astrid said.
"We don't think you're being an idiot Hiccup, it's actually rather romantic." Blanca nodded.
"It is romantic how you still have hope that there is a way you two can be brought back together even after she was turned into a flower." I raised an eyebrow.
"But aren't either of you worried how our lives would be affected if she does return somehow." They giggled before Blanca walked up and gently caressed my face.
"Hiccup, I told you when we married, it is normal for the leader of my people to take more than one bride." Astrid then said.
"And besides, we know you're not the type to play favorites so we know if she does come back, you won't begin to ignore us and only spend time with her whenever you're home and neglect the rest of us." I smiled at this.
"Yeah, I'd still make time where all of us could spend time together as a family and individual time where I can spend a little quality time with just one of you."
"And we'd make sure to welcome Hadasa into the family and do our best to make sure she's comfortable and help her settle into her new life." I smiled at this as Astrid said.
"Now let's get back to bed since I doubt Hadasa would want you to catch a cold out here." I nodded and began making my way towards the house but stopped when I noticed the girls weren't following so I turned back to see them standing by the flower that was Hadasa. "You go on and we'll meet you in the bedroom after we've spoken to Hadasa." I nodded and left the girls alone with Hadasa.
Nobodies POV:
As soon as Hiccup was back in the house the girls turned back to the flower that was Hadasa before Astrid said.
"You know we were being completely honest with what we said to Hiccup about you." She lowered her body. "If there was a way for you to become human again, we'll welcome you into our lives with open arms." Blanca then said.
"And we would welcome you as another wife for Hiccup for while he was under your control, he could still see the real you and knew you are a wonderful woman." With that said they turned around and began making their way back to the house, never turning back so they never saw the glow the flower that was Hadasa was giving off.
Mount Qaf
A lone figure silently made his way through the shadows in order to avoid detection by the guards who were patrolling the runes of the castle that was once the home of the corrupted genies. The figure slowly made his way down the halls while jumping back into the shadows in order to avoid the passing patrols until he arrived at the doors leading into the throne room. The figure slowly opened the door but just enough so he could slip through and the moment he entered he quickly shut the door to avoid arousing suspicion of the guards. The figure smiled beneath their hood and slowly made his way down to the center of the room where the fire pit that held the sword of the genie king was once lit. The figure held out his hand while gently chanting before a small green flame lit up in the center of the fire along with a silver liquid that looked like mercury followed it and slowly formed an orb around the flame. The ball then returned to the figures hand as he smiled beneath his hood and said.
"At last, the final piece needed for my masters return is within my grasp." He placed the orb into his robes. "Now all I need to resurrect my master is mystics who are skilled enough and have the power to help me create a new body that shall house the spirit of my master but for now it best I return to my lair." He walked into the shadows and just like that, he was gone.
AN: And that brings an end to this chapter and yes, I know it's late, but it wasn't easy coming up with gifts for this adventure nor was it an easy thing to write. To make matters worse, work's been busy so less time to write and yesterday I e-mailed the wrong chapter home so I couldn't finish it off yesterday. Anyway, a special thankyou to 'Red dragon 112293' for helping me with ideas and 'Rogue Deity Master' for both ideas and the use of his dragon. Now Guest, Hiccup will be having a small harem as the women he shall be with each bring something valuable to his life in different ways and 'anon' not only is 'Roar of Domination' a weekend project but I am also trying to find someone to help me with ideas and writing scenes so please be patient. Till next time stay safe, review kindly and have a nice day.
